text:
The High-Altitude Water Cherenkov Gamma-Ray Observatory
TeV Cosmic Rays
Detecting Cosmic Rays
Gamma-Ray Astronomy
Site: Pico de Orizaba
Water Cherenkov Tanks
HAWC Detector Layout
Gamma/Hadron Separation
HAWC Sensitivity
Galactic Cosmic Rays
High-Energy Accelerators
Extended TeV Sources
Diffuse Emission
Extragalactic Transients
Active Galactic Nuclei
Gamma Ray Bursts
Discovery Potential
Multimessenger Astronomy
Astronomer's Telegrams
Ph.D. Theses
Conacyt Thematic Networks
La Red HAWC
New Papers from HAWC
Follow @HAWC_Obs
TeV Astronomy
Catalog of TeV Sources
TeV Review Papers
Milagro Links
Milagro γ-Ray Observatory
Milagro Publications
For HAWC Collaborators
HAWC Star Chart
HAWC Internal Pages
News and Press from HAWC
HAWC takes a good look at a cosmic accelerator
HAWC has detected gamma-ray emission from the supernova remnant G106.3+2.7. Combining the HAWC results with older measurements by the VERITAS collaboration, we find that the gamma-ray emission continues up to more than 100 TeV. The observed gamma-ray emission can be produced either by relativistic protons with energies up to at least 800 TeV, or by relativistic electrons with energies up to at least 270 TeV. These results indicate that G106.3+2.7 may be a PeVatron, a cosmic ray accelerator capable of accelerating protons to PeV energies. More studies are needed to fully constrain the emission mechanism and the source of the high-energy particles.
Full letter: HAWC J2227+610 and Its Association with G106.3+2.7, a New Potential Galactic PeVatron, A. Albert et al. 2020, ApJL 896 L29.
Popular science article featuring the results on AASNova.
HAWC tests Einstein's theory of relativity with extreme astronomy
Sometimes in science, things that don't occur can be as interesting as those that do. Much of modern physics is founded on Einstein's special relativity, but physicists have also considered possible models in which it is subtly violated at very high energies. To constrain such theoretical ideas, it is important to test the observational consequences of such exotic theories.
If special relativity were violated at high energy, strange things could happen; gamma rays might travel faster or slower than lower energy light. Or high energy gamma rays could turn into lower energy particles and thus never reach Earth.
In a recent study, published in in the March 30th issue of Physical Review Letters, MSU Department of Physics and Astronomy Professor Jim Linnemann and his now former graduate student Sam Marinelli tested this theory by working on machine learning algorithms to take the patterns observed by the HAWC detectors and translate them into surprisingly accurate estimates–within 30 percent– of the energy of the gamma rays initiating the particle showers.
Overall, the data indicate that Lorentz invariance is preserved up to at least 285 TeV. Such gamma rays carry about 100 trillion times the energy of visible light coming from the Sun. This is the highest-energy test of Einstein's theory of relativity to date.
Link to full press release
HAWC observations of highest-energy gamma-ray sources reveal birthplaces of high-energy particles
A map of the Galactic plane above 56 TeV. These are the highest-energy gamma-ray sources ever observed.
There are many unanswered questions about cosmic-ray origins and acceleration mechanisms. Since these particles are charged, they are deflected in magnetic fields on their way to the Earth and do not point back to their sources. High-energy Gamma rays are produced near cosmic-ray acceleration sites and since they are neutral, they can be used to probe cosmic-ray acceleration. High-energy gamma rays can also be produced via other mechanisms, such as lower-energy photons scattering off electrons. This commonly occurs near pulsars.
HAWC has observed nine gamma-ray sources emitting above 56 TeV, with three of them continuing emission to 100 TeV and beyond. The results have been accepted in Physical Review Letters. These are the highest-energy sources ever observed in our galaxy and have energies of about ten times higher than any particles produced using particle colliders on Earth. All of the sources have extremely energetic pulsars nearby. The number of sources seen may indicate that ultra-high-energy emission is a generic feature of pulsar wind nebula.
HAWC's funding includes the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy Office of High-Energy Physics, Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia, and the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program of Los Alamos National Laboratory. For complete funding information see the acknowledgments here.
Link to press release
HAWC and IceCube Join Efforts to Analyze the Anisotropy of Cosmic Rays
Cosmic rays swirling through space constantly bombard Earth from every direction. Out of every 1,000 cosmic rays there is roughly one cosmic ray with a preferred (non-random) arrival direction. This 0.1% effect is called the cosmic-ray anisotropy. The anisotropy is associated with the distribution of cosmic sources in the Milky Way and the properties of the Galactic magnetic field through which the cosmic rays propagate.
The all-sky distribution in the relative intensity of 10 TeV cosmic rays observed by the HAWC and IceCube Observatories. The red color indicates an excess of cosmic rays with respect to the mean flux, and blue indicates a deficit. On the left, the white arrow indicates the direction of motion of the solar system through the local interstellar medium. The black lines indicate the local interstellar magnetic field outside the heliosphere. The right plot shows the opposite side of the sky. (Image credit: Savannah Guthrie, WIPAC.)
Measurements of the anisotropy are performed by ground-based observatories such as HAWC and the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. Unfortunately, the field of view of any single ground-based experiment is limited, since only a fraction of the sky can be observed. Therefore, HAWC (located in the Northern Hemisphere) and IceCube (at the South Pole) have combined their cosmic ray datasets to construct the first all-sky map of cosmic rays at 10 TeV. The results have been accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal and include measurements showing how the anisotropy varies as a function of angular scale.
The analysis, performed by Juan Carlos Díaz-Vélez (UdG, UW-Madison), Paolo Desiati (UW-Madison), Dan Fiorino (UMD), and Markus Ahlers (NBI) has resulted in a measurement of the large-scale structure of the anisotropy — its so-called dipole component — that is free of bias due to partial sky coverage. The measurements indicate that the dipole excess and deficit are aligned with the direction of the local interstellar magnetic field. This fact allowed the team to infer the North-South component of the dipole on the celestial sphere, a measurement not possible with only one instrument. The anisotropy is likely caused by the structure of the magnetic field and the location of the cosmic ray accelerators nearest to Earth. A future study extending the combined analysis beyond 10 TeV will be used to disentangle the two effects.
HAWC Observes Particle Acceleration in Astrophysical Jets
Active galactic nuclei (AGN) produce powerful jets of ionized matter which are believed to accelerate the highest energy hadronic cosmic rays. Observing gamma rays from jets would be strong evidence of such particle acceleration. Unfortunately, most AGN are too far away to spatially resolve their jets with the current generation of gamma-ray telescopes. However, it is possible to observe jets in microquasars, extreme star systems in the Milky Way that behave like AGN in miniature.
Left: gamma rays recorded by HAWC from the extended pulsar wind nebula MGRO J1908+06 (center) and the lobes of SS 433/W50 (lower right). Right: the gamma-ray "lobes" of SS 433/W50 after subtraction of gamma rays from MGRO J1908+06. The light semicircular region indicates the part of the sky used to fit and subtract the emission.
Using 1,017 days of data from HAWC, researchers have made the first observation of jets from the Galactic microquasar SS 433. SS 433 is a binary system located inside the supernova remmant W50. It produces two strong jets which interact with the remnant and create intense "lobes" of radio and X-ray emission. The measurements from HAWC, published today in Nature, indicate gamma rays in spatial coincidence with the radio and X-ray "lobes." The data are consistent with gamma rays of at least 25 TeV in energy, suggesting the presence of a population of charged particles with energies up to 1 PeV.
The spectral energy distribution of radio, X-ray, and gamma-ray emission from the eastern X-ray lobe of SS 433/W50. The solid and dashed lines indicate the best fit emission models assuming the radiation is produced by electrons and positrons; the dash-dotted line indicates the very high-energy radiation produced by protons.
Modeling of the gamma-ray flux from the lobes suggests that most if not all of the radiation may originate from leptonic rather than hadronic cosmic rays. However, the measurements from HAWC do not rule out the possibility that hadronic cosmic rays are accelerated in this system. Future measurements with HAWC and imaging air Cherenkov telescopes will better constrain the energy spectrum and help identify the origin of the radiation.
Stefan Westerhoff: 1967-2018
It is with great sorrow that we mourn the loss of our colleague Stefan Westerhoff, who passed away on August 5, 2018 after battling a long illness. Stefan played a huge role in making HAWC a success. He was an excellent scientist and an even better friend. We will miss him dearly.
Stefan with HAWC colleagues in Houghton, Michigan, September 2013.
A memorial service will be held in his honor on August 25, 2018 in Madison, WI. Information about the service and memorial donations is available here.
HAWC Gamma-Ray Data Now Public
Data from the 2HWC survey of very-high energy gamma rays and other HAWC papers are now available for public download from the HAWC data repository:
data.hawc-observatory.org
Users can download point source data from the 2HWC catalog with full flux and significance estimates. The repository also provides a coordinate view of the entire HAWC skymap, allowing users to query the flux and statistical significance of excess gamma rays from any location in the HAWC field of view. To use this feature, navigate to:
HAWC Data Repository: Coordinate View
We ask that you please acknowledge any use of the data. We would also appreciate it if you please email our spokespersons (and possibly the relevant science convener, listed here), if you intend to submit a publication using the HAWC public data.
HAWC Sheds Light on Origin of Excess Antimatter
In 2008, astronomers observed an unexpectedly high number of positrons (the antimatter cousins of electrons) above Earth's atmosphere. Ever since, scientists have been split over the origin of the anomalous positrons: the particles might come from nearby pulsars, or from decay and annihilation of dark matter.
Left: spatial morphology of TeV emission from Geminga and its neighbor PSR B0656+14. Right: schematic illustration of the observed region and the line of sight to Earth. Positrons from Geminga and PSR B0656+14 must diffuse 250 pc to affect the local flux.
Using new data from HAWC, researchers have made the first detailed gamma-ray maps of two pulsars thought to be the best candidate sources of the positron excess. The measurements, published today in Science, show that these pulsars are not the source of anomalous positrons observed at Earth. While the measurements do not rule out the pulsar hypothesis, they do eliminate two of the most probable local accelerators.
Estimated positron flux at Earth from Geminga (blue solid line), computed using the surface brightness of the pulsar wind nebula measured with HAWC. The green points show the positron flux measured with AMS-02.
HAWC Featured on Science Podcast
The Relatively Certain podcast (produced by the Joint Quantum Institute at University of Maryland) has featured HAWC for its recently relaunched show. Check it out!
HAWC Reveals New Look at the Very High-Energy Sky
Today members of the HAWC Collaboration presented a new survey of the gamma-ray sky to the public and the scientific community at the annual April Meeting of the American Physics Society in Salt Lake City, Utah.
A view of two-thirds of the entire sky with very high-energy gamma rays observed by HAWC during 340 days of data taking between November 2014 and November 2015. Clearly visible are many sources in the Milky Way and the extragalactic objects Markarian 421 and 501. Several well-known constellations are shown as a reference.
The new gamma-ray sky map shows many objects along the plane of the Milky Way Galaxy, several of which have not been previously observed.
A zoomed-in view of the Galactic Plane showing sources of TeV gamma rays observed in the HAWC survey.
HAWC Collaborators at the APS meeting. Back row: P. Harding (LANL), T. Yapici (MSU), A. Albert (LANL), Z. Hampel-Arias (UW), M. Mostafá (PSU), R. Lauer (UNM), T. Weisgarber (UW), C. Brisbois (MTU), I. Wisher (UW). Front row: H. Zhou (MTU), K. Malone (PSU), B. Dingus (LANL), C.M. Hui (NASA-Marshall), A.W. Smith (UMD), D. Kieda (UU), A. Barber (UU), H. Ayala-Solares (MTU).
HAWC on Twitter
HAWC on Facebook
HAWC in the press:
AAAS Eureka Alert
HAWC Reveals New Look at the Very High Energy Sky (phys.org)
Water Telescope's First Sky Map Shows Flickering Black Holes (New Scientist)
Understanding the Most Violent Processes in the Universe (Business Insider)
HAWC Charts the Extreme Gamma-ray Sky (APS News)
HAWC Announces its First Transient Trigger
HAWC has made its first externally-announced transient trigger, a gamma-ray flare from the active galaxy Markarian 501. This object is known to exhibit periods of strongly increased gamma-ray emission. HAWC monitors Mrk 501 every day and observed the source emitting more than 5 times its average flux on April 6, 2016.
The Astronomer's Telegram about Mrk 501 (ATEL 8922)
Our post about the flare on Facebook
Simulateneous observation of the flare by FACT
The HAWC online monitoring display showing the signficance of emission from Mrk 501 (top left) on April 6, 2016, and the light curve for the previous week (bottom left). The April 6 flare is circled in red.
HAWC Awarded Funding to Construct an Array of Outrigger Tanks
HAWC Collaborator Brenda Dingus (Los Alamos National Laboratory, USA) has been awarded a Laboratory Directed Research and Development grant to construct a sparse array of "outrigger" tanks around the central HAWC array. The purpose of the outriggers is to enhance the effective area and sensitivity of the detector to air showers above 10 TeV by a factor of 2 to 4.
Left: location of HAWC between Sierra Negra and Pico de Orizaba. Right: a zoomed-in view of the HAWC site showing the completed central array and a possible layout of the outrigger array.
The outriggers will be used to identify the core positions of high-energy air showers which fall outside the central array. Because their shower cores are not contained inside the main array, these events are difficult to reconstruct with the current configuration of the HAWC detector. (See arXiv:1509.04269 for more information.)
The HAWC Collaboration is grateful to Los Alamos National Laboratory for its support of this crucial detector upgrade. Dingus and collaborators will begin carrying out surveys and design studies for the outriggers in October 2015, followed by an environmental impact review. Completion of the outrigger array is expected in early 2017.
HAWC Observatory Formally Inaugurated in Ceremony at Sierra Negra
Construction of the HAWC Observatory began in 2010. Today, the detector was formally inaugurated by members of the collaboration, representatives from collaborating institutions and the particle astrophysics community, and representatives from CONACyT, the US National Science Foundation (NSF), and the US Department of Energy (DOE) in a ceremony at the detector site at Sierra Negra.
Enrique Cabrero, General Director of CONACyT, and France Córdova, Director of the NSF, complete the HAWC Inauguration Ceremony by starting a new detector run. (Image credit: La Razón de San Luis Potosí.)
The ceremony capped a two-day event celebrating the completion of HAWC. On Thursday March 19, over 250 people participated in an inaugural symposium surveying the state of high energy particle astrophysics at the Complejo Cultural Universitario of BUAP in Puebla. The speakers included guests from most of the major gamma-ray, cosmic-ray, and neutrino observatories in operation around the world, as well as leading theorists in the field.
Today HAWC collaborators and invited guests traveled up the mountain to tour the HAWC site and view work by school children and artists from the town of Texmalaquilla. At noon, Enrique Cabrero, director of CONACyT, and France Córdova, director of NSF, officially inaugurated the detector by starting a new data acquisition run.
Water Filtration and Delivery Completed
Today the last empty tanks at HAWC were filled with purified water, completing the process of construction, bladder deployment, water delivery, and purification.
The water filtration plant in the HAWC Utility Building at Sierra Negra.
The total weight of water moved, filtered, and delivered for the tanks is 55 kilotons, corresponding to a volume of 55 million liters. This volume is equivalent to one can of soda for every man, woman, and child in Mexico. The weight is equivalent to 110 fully loaded 747 jumbo jets.
This achievement was made possible by many members of the collaboration, as well as the guards at the site and the drivers who brought much of the water from the filtration plant in Esperanza to Sierra Negra. In particular, we wish to recognize the efforts of these individuals:
Eleazar Sandoval
Miguel Angel (Plumber)
Luis M Bautista
Alberto Carramiñana
Alberto Carrera
Jorge Cotzomi
Scott Delay
Fernando Garfias
Eibar Hernandez Arturo Iriarte
Alejandro Lara
Epifanio Ponce
Noe Sanchez
Andres Sandoval
Manuel Sandoval
Michael Schneider
Ibrahim Torres
Andres Velazquez
Manuel Zamora (Softener)
Final HAWC Tank Deployed at Sierra Negra
Today at noon, the assembly of the HAWC tanks ended with the completion of the steel frame of tank X01, the 300th tank to be deployed on the observatory platform at Sierra Negra. During the next few weeks, X01 and approximately 40 other tanks at the site will have bladders installed, be filled with water, and be incorporated into the data acquisition system, thus completing the full array after four years of construction.
HAWC site construction crew in front of completed WCD X01, tank number 300.
The HAWC Collaboration wishes to recognize the tremendous dedication of the construction crew, many of whom hail from the nearby towns of Atzitzintla and Texmalaquia. Without their efforts, the timely and safe completion of the HAWC detector would not have been possible.
Karen Caballero Receives L'Oreal-UNESCO Award from Mexican Academy of Science
Congratulations to HAWC Collaborator Karen S. Caballero-Mora, who has received the L'Oreal-UNESCO-AMC (Academia Mexicana de Ciencias) award for women in science. Dr. Cabellero-Mora is a researcher in the Physics Department of the Centro de Investigación de Estudios Avanzados (Center for Advanced Studies, or CINVESTAV) of the Instituto Politécnico Nacional in Mexico City.
Dr. Karen S. Caballero-Mora, HAWC member and researcher at CINVESTAV.
Dr. Caballero-Mora has been recognized for her work on the mass composition of cosmic rays measured by the Pierre Auger Observatory and her efforts to improve the reconstruction and background suppression algorithms used in HAWC.
Reference: "Avances en la Investigación de los Rayos Cósmicos de Alta Energía," Boletín AMC/380/14 (in Spanish).
First Science Results from HAWC: Observation of the Anisotropy of Cosmic Rays
Between the start of regular operations in June 2013 and February 2014, the HAWC detector recorded close to 50 billion cosmic rays and gamma rays. With these high statistics, the collaboration has been able to measure a significant small-scale anisotropy in the arrival direction distributions of cosmic rays above 1 TeV.
Celestial coordinates of small-scale cosmic-ray hot spots observed with the first 9 months of data from HAWC. From arXiv:1408.4805 [astro-ph].
The anisotropy, also observed by the IceCube Neutrino Observatory in the Southern Hemisphere, includes large-scale structures of amplitude 10-3 and small-scale 10° "hot spots" of amplitude 10-4. Although the hotspots have been observed in the Northern Hemisphere by the Milagro, Tibet, and ARGO detectors (among others) their origin is not known. They may be created by turbulence in the Galactic magnetic field, or more exotic processes such as the decay of quark matter in pulsars or the self-annihilation of dark matter in the Galaxy.
Reference: "Observation of Small-Scale Anisotropy in the Arrival Direction Distribution of TeV Cosmic Rays with HAWC," A.U. Abeysekara et al. [HAWC Collaboration]. Accepted by the Astrophysical Journal, arXiv:1408.4805 [astro-ph].
Sensitivity of HAWC to Gamma Rays Produced in the Self-Annihilation of Dark Matter
HAWC was designed to detect cosmic rays and gamma rays from astrophysical sources. However, by observing massive objects that are expected to produce relatively few astrophysical gamma rays, the detector can also be used to search for gamma rays created in the self-annihilation of multi-TeV dark matter.
Estimated limits on the dark matter self-annihilation cross section after five years of observations of the extended objects M31 and the Virgo Cluster with HAWC. The dashed lines show the limits after including Sommerfeld enhancements of the cross section. From arXiv:1405.1730 [astro-ph].
The detector is particularly well-suited to observe extended objects, because the gamma-ray signal from dark matter can be boosted by substructure (or "clumpiness") in these objects. Further gains in sensitivity are possible if the dark matter undergoes low-velocity resonant scattering, known as Sommerfeld enhancement.
The sensitivity of HAWC to dark matter annihilation under various scenarios has been calculated in a paper to appear in Physical Review D. With several years of data from the full array, HAWC has a good chance of either observing high-mass dark matter or placing a strong limit on its mass and cross section above 1 TeV.
Reference: "The Sensitivity of HAWC to High-Mass Dark Matter Annihilations," A.U. Abeysekara et al. [HAWC Collaboration]. Accepted by Physical Review D, arXiv:1405.1730 [astro-ph].
New Limits Placed on Evaporation of Primordial Black Holes using Data from Milagro and HAWC
Primordial black holes are hypothetical objects formed by the gravitational collapse of extreme density fluctuations in the early universe. These objects are expected to lose mass via Hawking radiation, and when they evaporate they can produce a burst of GeV and TeV gamma rays.
Milagro limits and HAWC sensitivity to the evaporation of primordial black holes as a function of the duration of the gamma-ray burst. From arXiv:1407.1686 [astro-ph].
The HAWC Observatory and its predecessor, Milagro, are sensitive to these gamma rays and can be used to observe the evaporation of black holes with an initial mass of 5×1011 kg (about 100 times the mass of the Great Pyramid of Giza). Using gamma rays recorded by Milagro between 2000 and 2008, the HAWC and Milagro collaborations have estimated the most sensitive current limits on the evaporation of black holes in this mass range.
Reference: "Milagro Limits and HAWC Sensitivity for the Rate-Density of Evaporating Primordial Black Holes," A. Abdo et al. [Milagro Collaboration] and A.U. Abeysekara et al. [HAWC Collaboration]. Accepted by Astroparticle Physics, arXiv:1407.1686 [astro-ph].
Construction of 250th water Cherenkov Tank Completed
On May 15, 2014, the 250th water tank was completed at the HAWC site. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of the site crew, construction of HAWC has proceeded on schedule. The newest tanks will begin operating when the data acquisition system is expanded in June.
HAWC Begins Operations at the Sierra Negra Site
On August 1, 2013, the High-Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) Gamma Ray Observatory formally began operations. HAWC is designed to study the origin very high-energy cosmic rays and observe the most energetic objects in the known universe.
Press release: English
Press release: Spanish
HAWC Observes its First Source: the Moon
The HAWC Observatory has unvieled its first observation: the shadow of the moon in cosmic rays. Although HAWC currently comprises only 30 out of its eventual 300 water Cherenkov detectors, the measurement of the moon shadow is above 13 sigma in significance. The measurement was presented at the April meeting of the Americal Physics Society by postdoctoral research Tom Weisgarber (University of Wisconsin-Madison). The observation has also been featured in a science article by BBC News.
National Science Foundation (US) · Department of Energy (US) · CONACyT (México)
Copyright © 2011-2021, the HAWC Collaboration


Writer Explores History Of Voting And Voter Suppression In The U.S.
With Election Day less than a week away, fears of voter suppression have popped up in most — if not all — areas of the country.
Will some voters be turned away? How large a role could provisional ballots play? And why is it so challenging for voting laws to be consistent from state to state?
To talk about that and the history of voting, The Show spoke with Allan J. Lichtman, American University professor and author of the book "The Embattled Vote in America: From the Founding to the Present."
Be A Part Of Electionland!


text:
Home/Main News/Study compares the impact of different diets on health, animal welfare and the environment — ScienceDaily
Study compares the impact of different diets on health, animal welfare and the environment — ScienceDaily
Which diet is better: moderately reduce meat consumption and eat more fruit, vegetables and wholegrain products, as recommended by the German Nutrition Society? Follow Germany's southern neighbors' example and eat more fish and seafood? Or even switch completely to a vegan diet? A new study by the University of Bonn (Germany) shows that the answer to these questions is not as clear-cut as one might think — depending on which impacts one closely looks. The results are published in the journal Science of The Total Environment.
950 kilograms of food and drink are consumed by every citizen in the EU annually — a sizeable quantity, the weight of a small car. Globally, food is responsible for a quarter of human greenhouse gas emissions. A large part of this is due to livestock farming: Animals convert only a small portion of the fed calories into meat. Ruminants also produce methane, which further accelerates global warming.
Furthermore, what we eat also has consequences for our health and animal welfare. When comparing diets, these aspects should also be taken into account. Experts also refer to the optimal health of humans, animals and the environment as the "One Health" perspective. "Studies that apply this perspective to nutrition issues are still rare, however," explains Juliana Paris of the Center for Development Research (ZEF) at the University of Bonn (Germany).
Actual food basket compared with three alternatives
Paris, together with colleagues, conducted an analysis that aims to fill this research gap to some extent. "To do this, we took a look at examples of which products are on the food basket of people in North Rhine-Westphalia," she explains. "We then compared this reference diet with three different scenarios: a shift according to the recommendations of the German Nutrition Society (DGE), a shift to a Mediterranean diet with more fish and seafood, and a shift to a vegan diet."
In each of these three scenarios, the foods were chosen to differ from the reference diet as less as possible. "That means, for example, that in the Mediterranean version, we increased the proportion of fish and seafood, vegetables and grain products," Paris says. In addition, the overall product selection should contain the same nutrients in similar amounts as before. This gave the researchers a food basket for each scenario, which they then analyzed further.
"To do this, we relied on various databases," says Dr. Neus Escobar of the Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Austria, who supervised the work. "They enabled us, for example, to estimate the impact of each diet on certain environmental aspects — such as the amount of greenhouse gases produced during their production or the water consumption. We took a similar approach to assess the impact of each diet on health." Red meat, for example, is known to increase the risk of certain cancers and cardiovascular disease.
The researchers estimated the consequences for animal welfare using several indicators. These included how many animals lose their lives as a result of food consumption and under what conditions they are kept. "But we also used the number of neurons or the size of the brain in relation to the body to estimate the extent to which the respective animals actually suffer when they are used," explains Juliana Paris.
Fish instead of steak: good for the environment, bad for animal welfare
Any of the three diets would be sustainably beneficial from a One Health perspective. However, this is also at the expense of other aspects. The vegan diet scored best in many areas. However, the production of vegan food involves increased water consumption. "In addition, vegans need to take certain nutrients separately, such as vitamin B12, vitamin D and even calcium," Paris says.
The Mediterranean diet (although healthy) also results in increased water requirements due to the high amount of nuts and vegetables. Moreover, if — as assumed in the study — the meat consumed is completely replaced by fish, its effects on animal welfare are surprisingly negative: As fish and seafood are much smaller than, for instance, cows or pigs, considerably more animals suffer as a result of this diet. The increased consumption of honey, which requires intensive management of bee colonies, also has a negative impact. "It'd therefore beneficial to meet less of your overall protein needs from animal sources," Neus Escobar emphasizes. "In addition, many people today have diets that are significantly too rich. If they reduced the amount of food they ate, to what they really need, it might have additional positive effects."
According to the study, the DGE recommendations are going in the right direction. However, in terms of human health, the other two options are better. Nevertheless, the data here also show: If you do without meat more often and instead put whole grains, vegetables and fruit on your plate, you are not only doing something good for yourself, but also for the animals and the environment.
Animal compares diets environment health impact ScienceDaily study welfare
State appeals court rejects long-standing challenge to California bullet train
Follow live: Warriors vs. Suns

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Following the departure of fan-favorite actor David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor, expectations were high for the fresh-faced Matt Smith, who took on the Eleventh incarnation of the enduring role. As his third year – and the seventh season of "New Who" -- gets under way, Spinoff Online looks back on 11 of the best, and seven of the weaker, episodes of the Smith Era.
The Season 6 finale proved one of the most divisive in the show's recent history, sparking a lot of complaints that it was anticlimactic. While the story was more fractured than anticipated and the titular nuptials certainly were a bit flat, it was a triumph overall. A lot of disappointment stemmed from what many perceived as a cop-out in the resolution to the season arc, which dealt primarily with the killing of the Doctor at "a fixed point in time" and his attempts to circumvent that fate.
When a story is set up in this fashion, some awkward narrative maneuvering inevitably comes into play. While many viewers hoped a writer as shrewd as Moffat would have something truly spectacular up his sleeve, I found the employment of the Teselecta both satisfying and logical. In fact, rarely does Who act so straightforward and tech-heavy -- it usually relies on last-minute reverses and technological deus ex machina. The Doctor-Donna of "Journey's End" is a far more convenient out than "The Wedding of River Song."
While the overall arc suffered its own problems and huge holes in logic, the use of a Doctor inside a Doctor suit is fine by me. It baffles me that people had more of a problem with this concept than with the previous season's far more wishy-washy conclusion of Amy "magically" conjuring the Doctor back into existence by the sheer power of memory.
Elsewhere, the episode provides an endless array of delights: Churchill mentioning downloads, the Silence mocking Rory as the man who always dies, Amy getting in touch with her inner Nick Fury while rocking an eye patch and cruelly punishing the smug Madam Kovarian for kidnapping her daughter, and in a truly beautiful scene, a poignant tribute to a fallen character. Masterfully woven into the story is the Doctor facing inevitable mortality through the death of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. This moment crystalizes that time eventually does catch up with us all, and as a nod to the sad passing of Brig-actor Nicholas Courtney. It's a heartbreaking moment for longtime fans. This scene alone would make this episode a worthy addition to any list. One must wonder if sweet Sarah Jane actress Elisabeth Sladen will be similarly honored this season.
Christmas Specials invariably get a pass given the schmaltz of the season. As episodes, they can go either way, embracing straight-up festive fun or smothering with seasonal excess. For the most part, Moffat's first Christmas special as showrunner succeeds in being exactly what it needs to be: a heart-warming, if tragic, paean to the power of friendship and love, and how at Christmas, the emotional spectrum is amplified for better or worse.
Based on the overused Dickens classic that has provided the template for countless interpretations, the show is canny with its approach as the Doctor admits he is pilfering the main beats of the story in his quest to turn a nasty man nice on Christmas Eve. The man in question, Kazran Sardick (played by a peerless Michael Gambon), is an influential figure who has a machine that can save Rory and Amy as their spaceship flies out of control and falls toward the planet.
The threat of the plummeting ship becomes almost incidental as the Amy and Rory recede into the background. Instead, the episode becomes an exploration of the malleability of identity through memory and experience, combined with the effect old wounds can have on people through their whole lives. Time-travel rules, always flimsy within the series, go out the window as the Doctor actively and -- it must be said -- quite selfishly, meddles in Kazran's youth for his own benefit. It's something the Doctor is never really called on. Although he acts altruistically and Kazran is a horrible sort who should be reformed, it still strikes a curious note as to how reckless the Time Lord can be. However, the episode has such warmth and humanity that it transcends the plot mechanics. The Doctor interacting with a young Kazran gives us some wonderful lines as again we see him develop a rapport with a child character, allowing Smith to play up the fun and anarchic elements of the role. His advice on kissing to a teenage Kazran is one of the gentlest pieces of humor ever seen on the show and is quite possibly my favorite Smith scene. His wry smile as he walks away from the nervous Kazran is a magical moment.
As a whole, "A Christmas Carol" allows Moffat to pluck our heartstrings in a way his stories rarely do. I'm a huge fan of his work, but it's no secret it can come across as quite cerebral, and the people within the story can suffer because of this -- not the case at all in this episode, as it is almost willfully character-based. Admittedly, it's a convenient conceit that the shark is soothed by guest star Katherine Jenkins' singing voice, but for the spectacle and heart the setup provides, I'd overlook such plotting lapses and enjoy the shark-pulled sleigh ride. My favorite Christmas special of the show's modern era, and with the Eleventh Doctor flitting between mischievous and melancholic, a great showcase for Smith.
An underrated gem, this is the episode that finally got me on Amy Pond's side. The character had serious growing pains in her first season; the sassiness ramped up to irritating levels and her often casual dismissal of Rory made her quite unsympathetic. Using a simple device of two dangerous scenarios -- one set years in the future with the Doctor and a domestic Rory and Amy battling aliens disguised as pensioners and the other seeing the TARDIS on a collision course with a frozen dying star -- the episode revolves around the debate of which dire threat is real and which is a dream. This choice is offered to them by the wonderfully villainous creation that is the Dream Lord, played with real relish by guest star Toby Jones. He crafts a deliciously sardonic, spiteful sprite whose malicious swipes at our heroes hint at many home truths within the dysfunctional group, and his scenes give the episode a real verve.
It's no secret that as good as Who is right now, it's lacking in truly memorable villainy. Moffat's use of gimmicks has given viewers some fantastic creations, but the Weeping Angels and the Silence are almost narratively bound by their concepts to breathe creatively. Madame Kovarian was a cipher of sorts, as her motivations remain frustratingly vague. It may be a case of Russell T Davies borrowing all the best toys during his run, but it's a shame we haven't been given a new bad guy who can revel in wickedness the way the Master or Davros could. The Dream Lord is the closest viewers get to that style of evil. While a poor cop-out at episode's end cancels out his role somewhat, it doesn't derail what is at heart a fabulous character. One can only hope the Dream Lord returns in some form.
While Jones steals the scenes he's in, the rest of the cast brings its A game. In particular, Karen Gillan impresses when it appears that Rory has perished -- her devastation and emotional shutdown finally giving a glimpse of vulnerability and allowed viewers to care for her. It's my favorite performance of the uneven first year for the character, and all in a tidy, done-in-one episode. Using bird song as a creepy signifier of dreams is another one of those wonderful Whovian devices, and a sign that writer Simon Nye is at home with the house style of the show. Marks taken off for Rory's awful ponytail, though!
"Blink" will remain an evergreen classic of modern Who. Moffat's pitch-perfect introduction to one of his finest creations in the Weeping Angels was so well received, it was only a matter of time before a sequel would emerge, and the two-part "Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone" provided an adrenaline-fueled follow-up to its far more sedate predecessor. Also using the chance to flesh out (no pun intended) returning guest star Alex Kingston as River Song, this was a story with a lot of elements at play. "Flesh and Stone," the second half of the two-parter, becomes a chase caper replete with breathless asides and comfy chairs. It has Smith in full-on heroic form, spinning around the more dangerous elements like a kid trying to stay out of trouble, improvising his way from one moment to the next.
"A forest in a bottle on a spaceship in a maze. Have I impressed you yet, Amy Pond?" quips the Doctor. That question perfectly sums up the burgeoning relationship between the Doctor and his latest companion. It also gives insight into the personality of the Eleventh: He's a cosmic show-off, desperate to be cool and hip, yet a man who is literally and stylistically very much out of time. When it comes to Amy, he really wants to connect with her out of guilt for abandoning her and for the huge impact he's had across her entire life.
That reckless quality to the Doctor makes the episode great fun but also throws up a few quibbles. Season 5 had an overarching theme concerning cracks in time erasing people from history, which becomes very pronounced in this story, effectively offering a way out of the predicament. It's not the most satisfying ending, as it feels very much like convenient plotting. Also, the Angels move in a scene where Amy attempts to deceive them. While a lot of viewers liked this moment and found it effective, I have to admit I always loved the idea that the audience is complicit in the conceit involving the Angels. They don't move when anybody sees them -- including the audience, which makes them unique. The Angels themselves are a triumph of design, but remove their special status and it can only devalue the whole concept.
The episode ends on a bit of a cheeky note. Amy hits on the Doctor in a coda that does feel tonally off for the show, but being a fan of Gillan, I accept the rather flimsy context provided. It has been excused away in fandom that she was acting on years of pent-up attraction for the Doctor manifesting itself in a reaction against almost being killed by the Angels. No matter the opinion, the scene does still feel more like fare from one of Moffat's more adult sitcoms. However, it's a fine, fun ending to a great two-parter and just the momentum needed to propel viewers into the next episode, the rather ordinary "Vampires of Venice."
Another divisive installment that came in for a lot of flak for its use -- some would say under-use -- of Hitler and its time period. I was so happy with that development. How many times have Nazis been used to make points in science fiction? It's an exhausted idea that dates back to classic Star Trek (Voyager and Enterprise also did variations on World War II environments). To be honest, I'm sick of seeing it employed. When it became clear this would be an episode to tie into the River Song arc, it was a surprise and welcome breath of fresh air from what could have been a stale set up.
Hitler is dismissed with swift ease and removed from the story in a casual manner, but so what? The regeneration of River Song into an evil brainwashed incarnation gives viewers plenty of juicy moments. The scene in which she and the Doctor attempt to outdo each other in cleverness and preparation interspersed with silly flashbacks is an ingenious scene that Moffat may have used before (in his Comic Relief special) and pilfered from Bill and Ted, but it doesn't take away from the sheer fun. The setting also gives River an interesting playground to act out maniacally and makes the episode visually stunning. After a summer away, this episode was an unexpected thrill ride -- but that would be all for naught if the climax didn't prove so important to the overall mythology.
There's no denying the Doctor's dying scene is a tad drawn out, but that allows Smith to portray a Doctor completely out of control. His interactions with the TARDIS mainframe, wittily brought to life with holographic representations of past companions brings a look into the Doctor's self-loathing and the final sacrifice River makes to save him does wonders for her character development. Here's the true beginning of her journey to become one of the most important people in his life. The fact that it was done in such an unexpected enjoyable fashion gives us that rare thing in ongoing sci-fi storytelling, the arc episode that is as breezy as a standalone.
Plus, Rory punches Hitler. How can someone be so churlish as to not cheer for that?
What I adore about this episode is that it feels like an old-fashioned comic book team-up in which a threat is so large, different factions must come together, each bringing its own unique gifts to solve a dilemma. We've seen it most recently writ large in Joss Whedon's The Avengers, but the artistry of this tale is that -- with a few minor exceptions -- viewers hadn't seen any of these characters before. The lack of backstory didn't stop them becoming fan favorites shortly after this episode aired.
In fact, there seemed to be a near-unanimous call from fandom for a spinoff featuring the Silurian Madame Vastra and her sidekick Jenny -- a pretty amazing reaction, considering this is their only appearance so far. There's also the Sontaran nurse who combines a maternal instinct with the usual steely militant demeanor of his race, and an expanded role for the Dorium character that would be rounded off nicely later in the series. In fact, the episode jumps around so many eras and tones, it's amazing it hangs together so well and gives us the whole spectrum of the current Doctor. We see his heroism, his cockiness, flashes of a dark and angrier side, and also the influence he's had across time and space -- for better and for worse. He assembles a team of those indebted to him to storm a stronghold called Demon's Run to rescue Amy and her new child. In a rare occurrence and classic piece of misdirection, the Doctor is actually outsmarted.
Beginning the episode by assembling disparate allies and keeping the Doctor sidelined is a masterstroke, as it allows his legend to grow. It's rare that the audience can still be thrilled by a character seen all the time -- but the Doctor's first appearance, posing as one of the creepy Headless Monks (another bizarre Moffatian take on religion) is a delight and a testament to the skill of the writing that the re-introduction gives viewers a big heart-swelling scene.
A watershed moment in Moffat's tenure is the River reveal. It was signaled as soon as we learned the name of Amy's child, but the actual scene is still spine-tingling. The chemistry between Smith and Kingston is immaculate, and it ends the episode on an oddly upbeat note considering how bleak everything threatened to get. An episode that added to, and deconstructed, the Time Lord as an angry God-type figure, introduced a plethora of sublime new creations while not forgetting to tell a cracking good story.
An elegant and cleverly written standalone story that almost stole the show when it came to Season 6, "The Girl Who Waited" felt like a Moffat episode in the Russell T Davies era: a tight narrative delight that combines complexity and accessibility. It's Tom MacRae's best contribution to the series.
In the past, the "Doctor Lite" episodes have been obvious in their sidelining of the hero, but this is subtle. The story focuses on an Amy trapped for decades in a medical center in her own time bubble cut off from the Doctor and Rory. When they catch up with her they find a cold and embittered woman, betrayed by the man she has put so much trust in since she was a little girl. Her anger toward the Doctor is chilling in its sincerity and is a clever inversion of the perennial Doctor/Amy dynamic. She will always be, in some ways, the little girl waiting for her magic Doctor to make things right. Gillan, in an excellent double-hander as the jaded older Amy and her usual role as plucky companion, gives her finest performance to date with an all-too-believable sense of bitterness and disappointment contrasted with the still relatively innocent woman by the Doctor's side. Rory emerges as the true hero willing to take risks to try and save two aspects of a woman he loves more than anything. The final inevitable twist to the tale is as heartbreaking.
Elsewhere, the episode is served by a fantastic set design, minimalist but still impressive with gorgeous sci-fi vistas set against a cold medical environment that brings to mind the setting of a harder science fiction world such as "THX 1138." It also gives viewers some satire on the perils of bureaucracy and medical care run amok to an absurd degree. "The Girl Who Waited" is criminally underrated as an episode. Had it aired in a year sans Gaiman, I would be hard-pressed to think of a finer Season 6 outing. How can one not be charmed by the fact that the Macarena becomes an important plot point in the correcting of time and in the salvation of a person?
This episode had a lot riding on it: It was the opening gambit, the episode that needed to establish a new team both behind and in front of the camera. It also had to soothe those still licking their wounds from David Tennant's departure and introduce the youngest actor to ever play the part.
Within 10 seconds of his encounter with a young Amy, Smith nails it with a curious mix of hyperactivity and gravitas. His scenes trying various Earth cuisines before settling on the unconventional and, at this stage, iconic mix of Fish Fingers and Custard are a distillation of the Eleventh Doctor. He'll muck around with conventions while sweeping you along for the ride, and it's no wonder the young girl who meets him builds a great portion of her life around him. Wouldn't we have all cherished the friendship of this eccentric when we were children? The Eleventh Doctor is the ultimate imaginary friend, and in this episode he is in flying form. However, he is put upon by circumstance. A creature has escaped through a crack in the wall and an alien ship stands poised to destroy Earth if the escaped Prisoner is not returned to its warden within 20 minutes.
So begins an exuberant caper where the Doctor, without his sonic screwdriver or TARDIS, struggles to resolve the issue, inspiring folk on his way and cementing an indelible bond with Amy Pond. There are a few problems: The other denizens of Amy's village are underdeveloped and seem rather throwaway; the Doctor's faith in pointless character Jeff seems like a holdover from the last series; and Rory barely gets a look in. However, this is all minor stuff. Where this episode succeeds is in the conjuring of its new protagonist and in the establishing of the fairytale vibe Moffat wanted to instill the series with. The production values have also gone up a bit, as the show has never looked crisper or more confident. Moffat said something along the lines of using humor to sell the Eleventh Doctor to the audience, and he doesn't disappoint. This episode is chock full of great lines and flourishes, not least the stirring sequence where the Doctor decides on his new look in the shadow of all his previous incarnations while facing down a looming alien threat. There is a line near the episode's end where Amy bemoans the situation of traveling with the Doctor, using the flat and thoroughly mundane objection that she "grew up." "Don't worry," the Doctor quips, "I'll soon fix that." That was when it was sealed for me. We were in good hands.
Built around a strong and uncompromising look at depression, "Vincent and the Doctor" written by famed Hollywood screenwriter Richard Curtis, is an odd beast. Basically a character study of Vincent Van Gogh. What makes this such a powerful piece is that it isn't afraid to show the truly hopeless side of sadness -- rare for a children's program. Usually depression is sanitized, but one scene here is particularly dreary and shows that even with 900-plus years of experience there are certain demons even the Doctor can't vanquish.
The tale is offset by some nice touches: the cheeky flirting between Van Gogh and Amy; a scene of her among sunflowers that may be an aesthetic high point for the series; and an emotionally charged ending that may test the mettle of the more cynical minds. But at its heart this is rough stuff. The monster of the week is the only bum note, an invisible peril a little too abstract to really engage viewers. However, the monster isn't the point of the story. It is almost sci-fi window dressing, an adherence to the formula while the character material veers interestingly out of the norm. Tony Curran, despite being an obvious Scottish actor, imbues the tortured artist with a dry, earthy demeanor that fully gets the audience on his side. Playing a real-life figure can be daunting, but any apparent bending of the persona works here, and his shift from sadness to euphoria in the aforementioned climax is a well-earned moment. Bill Nighy pops up, and while hardly stretching his talents with a bumbling, eternally British exterior, his cameo only enhances the whole affair and gives the episode an extra kick. A work of art in its own right, and tonally it adds a new hue to the palette of Who.
After the rather doomy penultimate episode of Smith's first year, "The Pandorica Opens," viewers were spoiled with a pleasingly manic and complex conclusion with "The Big Bang" a full-to-the-brim excursion that had a Dalek, a fez and a reboot of the entire universe. It' a lot to cram into just under an hour, and the story is riddled with plot holes hastily written over.
However, it doesn't matter when the show is this infectious. The tone jumps from the surprisingly fun and lighthearted beginning, darkening as the story develops, only to come back full circle and give us a cheerful finish with the wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Pond. Also the Doctor dances -- this time it's not a euphemism -- and it's brilliantly cringe-worthy. All hail Smith's total lack of vanity. He'd probably just say, "Bad flailing around is cool."
What's wonderful is that viewers anticipated a level of angst following on from the Doctor's incarceration, but one "stupid miracle" later and the episode is off running. It builds perfectly to the Doctor's self-sacrifice, and in these scenes, Smith gives us his most nuanced portrayal of the Time Lord yet, finally conveying that much-bandied-about PR line of how whoever plays the Doctor must be both young and old at the same. His goodbye to a sleeping Amelia Pond is rife with regret and caked with the resignation of age, even his features and body language seem wizened as he accepts his fate. Hints of numerous previous incarnations -- but mostly First Doctor William Hartnell -- can be seen in Smith, and it's a reminder of the lineage at the heart of the character. It is a heartbreaking and completely genuine moment. If there were any people unsure of the actor, this scene shooed away any doubts. A roller coaster with just enough action, intrigue and whimsy inherent to the property, this is a pleasure.
As the timeline begins to correct itself, the Doctor gets whisked along for the ride, and there is a moment of surprise when he is bewildered that he's still alive. "I escaped then," he says incredulously. "Brilliant. I love when I do that." We do, too.
It would be an understatement to say expectations were high for this episode. As beloved fantasy writer Neil Gaiman's first foray into Who mythos, it was a story everyone was dying to see. The leaked "The Doctor's Wife" title only added to the Internet speculation and fanboy fantasy.
What a blessing that it delivered on its promise so completely. Taking a break from the arc once again and plunging the TARDIS gang to a pocket world outside the normal universe, this is a tale rich in Who lore and references but still absolutely compelling for the casual fan. However, viewers must have affection for one of the show's central tropes: the undying love between The Doctor and the blue box he travels around in. Even without that context, the emotional core of "The Doctor's Wife" would ring true.
The junkyard setting gives the episode a grimy old industrial feeling very much in tune with that of Gaiman's writing. Even with very little time to sketch them out, he makes the scant few minions we see occupying this place fascinating and unsettling. "Auntie" and "Uncle" are cobbled-together slaves for the mysterious House, who is rather underwritten. It actually adds to his menace, the booming voice of Michael Sheen ringing with a smug confidence and a suave sort of evil. House feeds on TARDIS energy and has slaughtered hundreds of Time Lords. He abducts Rory and Amy, leaving the Doctor stranded. However, the Doctor is not alone. In a career-best performance, Suranne Jones plays the part of Idris, who is actually the consciousness of TARDIS placed inside a human vessel. Such an offbeat role might have bested many performers, but she delivers an incisive and skilled reading of a brand-new version of one of the show's oldest concepts. Her interactions with the Doctor are spellbinding, and the chemistry between the two actors only adds to the sorrow that this is a one-time-only deal. We'll never see the Doctor and his TARDIS converse again, and it leads to the beautifully bittersweet farewell.
There is just too much lovely stuff to be found in this episode to properly explain, but it's a show where a modest budget has been used to craft a near-perfect story. Because its core ideas are so strong, the audience never notices its small scale. The TARDIS corridors could have been spruced up a little, and the Rory/Amy scenes, while delivering some shocks, drag. This may only be because most viewers wanted to get back to the Doctor and Idris conversations. For audacity and confidence and more of that fairy-tale element, one need look no further than this episode. Its ending, where the TARDIS subtly lets the Doctor know it's still "alive" in some form or other, is the perfect grace note -- the Doctor swooning and twirling around his control room encapsulates all that makes this show so charming and enchanting. Simply put, pure Doctor Who magic.
As this latest season is the modern show's seventh, here's a brief list of seven duds during the Eleventh Doctor's run, in chorological order.
Moffat's worst script, this initially intriguing setup soon turns preachy, and features a horribly stilted and contrived argument between Amy and the Doctor in which she knows far too much about our hero in such a short space of time accompanying him.
A squandered opportunity as a potentially witty scenario (subjugated Daleks offering tea while hiding devious plans in World War II-era Earth) descends into awkward farce and an atrocious new design for the Doctor's oldest enemies. An inert bomb both in both story and execution.
A ponderous conclusion to a Silurian two-parter that just never takes flight. A dull setting and paper-thin characters with Amy at her most self-absorbed doesn't help. This can only, as the title hints, leave viewers cold.
Widely accepted as the least-successful episode of Smith's time as the Doctor, this episode just felt desperately halfhearted. While the threat is expertly rendered effects-wise, the whole thing lacks tension or danger and ends up in a stupid idea of Pirates commandeering a space ship. Only important as it leads to a sight gag in a later and much better episode, this is just a very poor episode.
A recent two-parter fairly important to current continuity, this is still meandering and uninspired stuff. Its second part is redeemed by some interesting concepts involving a duplicate of the Doctor and a killer ending, but this just crawls by flatly.
While "The Lodger" had a freewheeling charm, its sequel failed to recapture that tone. Outside of the sequence with the Doctor showing Stormageddon star maps, this was fairly limp stuff and a total waste of the Cybermen as a threat.
An intriguing setup, an evocative wartime setting, a newly liberated Doctor -- why didn't this fully conjure the Christmas spirit? I blame the lack of a villain again, leaving a hole in the story as characters just wander in and out having no real bearing on anything. It was just hard to care and the story lacked the charm it sorely needed. To be honest, not a total loss as the last scene featuring the Ponds is simply divine and gives us another great Smith moment. However, it still should have been so much more.


text:
Mecklenburg County, NCCounty Manager's OfficeBoard of County CommissionersBOCCDistrict 1
Public Meeting Calendar and Agendas
Register to Speak
2020 BOCC Meeting Schedule
Notify Me of New Agendas
Chairman, District 3 - George Dunlap
Vice-Chair, District 1 - Elaine PowellCurrently selected
District 5 - Laura Meier
At-Large, Leigh Altman
At-Large, Pat Cotham
At-Large, Ella B. Scarborough
BOCC Past and Present
BOCC Committees
Code of Ethics (PDF)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Government Center
Elaine Powell, Vice Chair, District 1
Elaine Powell serves as the Vice Chair of the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners. She was elected to her first term in November 2018 by the people of District 1 in North Mecklenburg.
For the past 30 years, Commissioner Powell has been actively engaged in our community. She began volunteering in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) in 1989, starting out as a community partner at Eastway Middle School. She continued to serve in a variety of roles in CMS from 1989 until 2014.
Commissioner Powell is a long-time advocate for citizen engagement, environmental stewardship, public parks, public schools and public health. Commissioner Powell seeks out citizen voices and believes that it is important to consider multiple points of view. She is eager to listen and collaborate with others to meet the needs of the community.
Commissioner Powell has been appointed to multiple advisory bodies in Mecklenburg County Government since 2001. She began on the Mecklenburg County Waste Management Advisory Board, where she served from 2001 until 2009. Commissioner Powell served as the Chair of the Mecklenburg County Park & Recreation Commission (PRC), and the Chair of the Natural Resources Stewardship Advisory Council from 2010 until 2018.
She resides in the Mountain Island Lake area with her husband, son and their miniature dachshund.
For the 2021 Board of County Commissioners, Vice Chair Powell has been appointed to be the Chair of the Environmental Stewardship Committee.
Email Elaine Powell


text:
Police morale across Lancashire 'at an all time low'
Police officers are being forced to rely on foodbanks
Brian Ellis
Published: 19:34 Sunday 30 September 2018
Morale among police officers in Lancashire is at "crisis" level according to the police officers' trade union.
Staff shortages and poor pay have left almost 40 per cent of bobbies in the county feeling anxious and under-valued, revealed Police Federation chairman Rachel Hanley.
"It's a real crisis," she said. "I don't think it's too much to ask to be paid fairly for the dangerous job that we do."
A new survey carried out by the Federation has shown 38 per cent of Lancashire officers worry about money every day and believe morale across the force is low.
Some have even been forced to seek help from foodbanks just to get by, while others are struggling to afford petrol just to get to work.
The results come at a time when the Government has just announced starting salaries for young apprentice officers will be £18,000 a year – a figure Ms Hanley branded as "derisory."
"It's a shocking amount and it's not going to cover basic costs," she said.
"It's disgraceful when you think they are going to be professional people with so much responsibility and will witness and deal with traumatic incidents.
"At that rate we are potentially training people up only for them to leave."
Almost 800 police officers and a further 140 community support officers have been lost to Lancashire Constabulary since 2009 due to government austerity measures.
The Police Federation says the thin blue line has been left at breaking point, with officers feeling unable to fully protect the public because of a lack of resources.
The results of the survey are "hardly surprising" given the pressures officers are under and the low pay they receive for doing the job, according to Ms Hanley.
"We really need some investment in policing and that includes wages for officers as well," she said.
Lancashire company given £20,000 fine after workers exposed to harmful cancer-causing dust
"There are some who are having to access support services within the constabulary, accessing foodbanks and struggling to pay for petrol to get to work.
"We offer surgery appointments with financial advisers and we have a Know Your Rights campaign.
"I think some have a reluctance to claim what they are entitled to – they think it's seen as being a bit greedy.
"But they are entitled to it and they should be claiming it."
Low morale, she added, is being exacerbated by cuts in officer numbers.
"It's about pay and pensions, but it's also to do with the fact that there aren't enough officers to do what they want us to do as well.
"Officers want to protect the public. But they are hamstrung in doing that because they haven't got the resources available to do what they want to do."
Federation officials fear recruitment of new officers will be hampered by the low starting salaries on offer.
Even though filling vacancies within Lancashire has remained buoyant, a large number of long-serving officers have decided to leave, draining the force of invaluable experience.
"We opened a voluntary exit window a few years back and were only one of a handful of forces to do that," said Rachel.
"That saw 200 officers leave with a package that gave them a little bit of security. It was driven by austerity and a lot of good people were lost in that process."
The latest official figures show how police office numbers in Lancashire have fallen by around a fifth since 2009.
The number of full-time equivalent officers reached it lowest point – 2,850 – last year before rebounding to 2,969 in March this year.
PCSO numbers are down from 437 in 2009 to 297 this year.
Lancashire Police did not respond to repeated requests for a comment.
'Give us the tools to do our job'
Police on the frontline in Lancashire are demanding more access to Taser guns and bodycams in the fight against crime.
Officers should have the kit available for every shift in a bid to cut the numbers of assaults on police, says the county's Police Federation.
A total of 418 attacks on officers were logged in Lancashire last year - a figure which the union insists could be slashed if all frontline police carried Taser guns and wore video cameras.
"The biggest deterrent is actually seeing a police officer [on the streets] and that's one of the things that we're lacking at the moment," said chairman Rachel Hanley.
"We've been pushing locally for more Taser and we've said to our Chief Constable that if an officer wants to carry Taser they should be allowed to carry it and that we should be trained.
"The senior team are quite agreeable to that in the force, which is good news to hear. But it's an expensive process. It's not just the purchase of the weapons, it's the extraction rate from the frontline, the training and the cost of the cartridges and everything else.
"But I certainly think if officers were able to carry Taser that's certainly a positive step forward if they've got more tools to do the job."
It's a similar story with body-worn video, she added.
"We want the capability for officers to be able to access the kit," she said.
"We haven't got to that stage yet where it's available to all officers but it's certainly something we're pushing our senior officer team on and certainly something they are agreeable to.
"Finances is one of the big blockers for this, but I don't think it's a lack of will."


How can nutrition be improved by agricultural policies, strategies and market-based approaches?
The first work stream examines the level and manner of the disconnection between agriculture and nutrition across the broad policy sphere. We are identifying where and how changes in policies and strategies could lead to agriculture having a more positive impact on nutrition outcomes. Find out more here... And see lead researcher, Bhavani Shankar, explaining why it is important to understand how policies and strategies in the agriculture sector impact on nutrition.


text:
Dael Fry looking forward to special night at the Riverside
Boro defender Dael Fry says pulling on the England shirt in his hometown will be a 'dream come true'.
The Young Lions face Scotland at the Riverside tonight (7:45pm) and the 20-year-old is poised to make his second appearance for Aidy Boothroyd's side.
Fry, who has recently made the step up from the Under-20s, is looking forward to what he says will be a childhood dream.
"Representing England at any level is unbelievable but to get the chance to do it in my hometown will be something special," he told the official England match programme.
"I'll have everyone close to me there, and I know the Boro fans love a bit of England too, so to play in front of those people I grew up with for my country will be something else."
Fry won't be the first Teessider to represent their country on home soil. Ben Gibson did so against Germany in March 2015 and Fry is hoping he will get the opportunity to follow in his footsteps.
"I've seen a few Boro players in the past do this, I remember Ben Gibson doing it, and I just can't wait to hopefully get my chance.
"Any England versus Scotland game is huge, and for me to be able to be involved in one in my hometown, it's like a dream come true."
There will be a large contingent of Teessiders amongst the home support, and Fry's defensive partner may be one of them.
"I remember it [playing for England at the Riverside] being a massive occasion," Gibson told Boro's website.
"We played Germany at the Riverside and the fans came out in force as well. That was a fantastic memory for me.
"Hopefully this time I'll be there watching Dael, and he'll play as well as he has for us."
Having broken into a Boro side rich in competition, this season has already been somewhat of a success for Fry – and he says he's enjoying the campaign so far.
"I'm just delighted to be playing for England with the U21s, I think my performances at the World Cup helped to get me here and into the Middlesbrough team.
"I'm really grateful for Garry Monk putting his trust in me at Boro and I'm really enjoying my football at the moment.
"But I know I can't let my standards drop for club or country because there are players ready to take my spot."
ben gibson Dael fry england england u21 middlesbrough middlesbrough fc riverside young lions
Joao Morelli: Boro's Brazilian shining in Tallinn
Reasons To Be Positive


Your customers want to customize their products to their unique needs. Why limit their choices, when you can offer more, with less effort? Certusoft CLIK Technologies empowers your enterprise with a single, unified technology foundation that creates value for your customers and increases profitability by harnessing the power of design automation.
A single software technology supports customers, engineers and operations. Customers connect with products on a personal level by customizing and immediately visualizing their choices in full 3D-display. Engineers work easily and efficiently by instantly inspecting and visualizing their product designs and assemblies, free from the drudgery of CAD manual tasks. Manufacturing can offer extreme customization, yet build with the least part variance. Operations are streamlined with one overarching flow from product quote to ERP hand over.
Chassis of commercial vehicles automatically reconfigure to different truck body lengths. Bodybuilders can order truck chassis that have the correct length and hole patterns, reducing the need for hands-on rework after the chassis is received.
CLIK-3D-Layout and CLIK-Driveline Optimizers autonomously compute the optimal layout and driveline of vehicle chassis and bodies on the Certusoft cloud. CLIK-Technology creates a native CAD from optimized design in SolidWorks®, PTC Creo® and Siemens NX®.


text:
Health + Wellness• Health SEEN
Detroit 'Nurse Whisperer' Cat Golden Inspires Nurses Nationwide
Published January 3, 2019 by Taylor Morris
Cat Golden created a movement for medical professionals. She discusses Nurses Inspire Nurses and shares her self-care tips.
By Taylor Morris
Cat Golden, known as the "Nurse Whisperer," never thought she would end up in nursing. Originally from Detroit, Golden moved to Denver in 2007 after visiting a friend and taking a job at Denver Rescue Mission, a nonprofit that helps people who experience homelessness and addiction.
It wasn't until 2012 that Golden became a nurse after receiving her bachelor's degree in nursing from the University of Colorado. Although she loved living in Denver, she felt Detroit was calling her home. She moved back just in time for her 31st birthday and accepted a travel nurse position at Children's Hospital of Michigan.
Courtesy Aubrey Grace Photography
Nearly two years later, she is busy working part time at Children's Hospital of Michigan in Detroit and keeping up with her fast-growing business and blog, Nine Lives Health & Mind, as well as her Nurses Inspire Nurses campaign. Golden, 33, of Ferndale, is also a community nurse through the Visiting Nurse Association.
Golden says she created Nine Lives Health & Mind with the model of "leap, land and live." Leap meaning, "take a chance on yourself." Land meaning, "land confidently on your own two feet." And live meaning, "live a life by your own design."
One of the things Golden helps nurses do is create a schedule that works for them without taking a pay cut. According to a 2011 American Nurses Association survey of over 4,600 nurses, three out of four nurses cited the effects of stress and overworking as top health concerns. Work schedules and insufficient staffing are among the factors driving many nurses to leave the profession, which is exactly what Golden is trying to prevent.
"What I empower nurses to do is help them make a schedule they love (and) fall in love with nursing again without taking a pay cut," she says. "…They don't have to be stressed out, burned out, taking care of everyone else and not taking care of themselves." Golden created a Nurses Inspire Nurses campaign after realizing many of her colleagues were exhausted and drained, but remarkable people who help take care of each other.
"We can't wait for the hospital or anybody else to do it," she says. "We have to be the ones to inspire each other. We have to take the power back. So many times we're waiting on someone else."
Courtesy Alyssa Leffler
Cat Golden, far left, with nurses in Detroit.
Golden says Nurses Inspire Nurses is a way for nurses to inspire each other. The campaign may encourage someone to work the last few hours of a shift for a co-worker, or even watch a patient so another nurse can go on a lunch break.
"It's just the smallest thing (that) truly makes a big difference and helps somebody else out," she says. "…We're taught in nursing school that you become a nurse, you work 12-hour shifts in the hospital, you have to work nights, you have to work weekends and it's all just fear-based … I help them realize that you don't have to do that. You can take a different path; you can do something you love."
Golden says it's important for nurses to realize they don't have to work holidays and they don't have to miss time with family. She works individually with nurses to create a schedule that works best for them. She also offers a monthly subscription for nurses, where she mails an item related to a theme. She says every month there's a new mindset subject or an area that her clients work on to improve.
Cat Golden, far left, with nurses who support the Nurses Inspire Nurses campaign.
Megan Sturgis, a 31-year-old registered nurse at Ascension Providence in Rochester, has been using Golden's program since the beginning. Sturgis says Nurses Inspire Nurses has empowered her, as well as hundreds of other nurses to share their experiences and feelings about their journeys.
"(Golden) continues to really help me take control of my mindset and find the balance of my profession as a nurse and take care of myself — knowing that I can powerfully choose how I want my day to be," she says.
Since starting Nurses Inspire Nurses, Golden has sold nearly 500 Nurses Inspire Nurses T-shirts to supporters in Michigan, Canada and states as far as California. Nine Lives Health & Mind also has over 10,000 followers on Instagram.
She says Nurses Inspire Nurses has given medical professionals a community, even if it's over social media, and helps them see they aren't alone.
Yet her favorite part about nursing is the human connection and that she gets to help people.
"I just like helping people feel better," she says. "Even if it's something small, (I love) just making their day."
Cat Golden's 4 Self-Care Tips
Courtesy Aubrey Grace
1. Focus on Being Present Over Being Perfect
When you know you're in a busy season, or have a stretch of work coming up, do you spend all your time cleaning your house from top to bottom and running errands, making yourself tired before you've even started? While these tasks can be important, they aren't going to fill your soul. Being present for yourself and the ones you love is going to get you through the grind a lot easier than having a clean house. When you're in the thick of a busy time, your clean house isn't going to provide comfort and peace like time spent with the people you love doing things that are most important to you.
2. Establish Rituals
If you don't schedule time for self-care rituals, they won't happen. We all know life is crazy. I am obsessed with having a morning ritual such as meditation, journaling and saying my gratitudes. I am still working on my nighttime ritual, but this time is sacred for you and provides peace and calm in what can otherwise be a hectic day. It doesn't have to be long, even 10-15 minutes is enough to ground you. It could be anything that's meaningful to you.
3. Take Away A Chair
If you leave a chair out, someone will sit in it. So often we are overcommitted and burdened by obligations and commitments that bring us down, but we left the chair out — we didn't say no. We must only leave chairs out for those important things in our life, or else we will find ourselves trying to be everything to everyone and we all know how that story ends.
4. Don't Forget the Basics
Sleep, healthy food and movement. The things we know we need to do but often let slide. I always say a good night's sleep can cure just
about anything.
Cat GoldenChildren's Hospital of MichiganDenver Rescue MissionDetroitferndaleNine Lives Health & MindNursenursesNurses Inspire Nurses
What You Should Know About DVTs
The Benefits of Yoga for Seniors
How to Treat Seasonal Affective Disorder
Tour de Troit Hosts 7th Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Ride
Everything You Need to Know About Body Contouring


Click the photo to register for FREE for the event.
Just like many others, I also dreamt to study abroad at one point in my life. With the many travels I've done, and seeing and experiencing local life in Europe, it can be possible. Though at this point, I think about my daughter, and hope and pray that she gets to experience studying abroad earlier.
Of course, we think about the expense. But knowing the returns, though not immediately, studying abroad is a good investment. This upcoming event is something to look forward to, especially those who have plans to take further studies abroad.
Study International will again be bringing to Manila, Cebu and Davao representatives from various institutions from UK, Australia, Canada, Singapore and Malaysia to speak to Filipinos who want to study abroad and get an internationally recognized degree and begin their future abroad.
The Fair is an opportunity to get answers to all your questions on studying abroad and the opportunities that come with it – part-time work, work after graduation, migration to name a few.
Know the variety of affordable and accessible options for you to study abroad. Through the school representatives present, attendees can be provided first-hand information on how to go about with your study plans abroad.
STUDY INTERNATIONAL is your ONE-STOP-SHOP for studying abroad. We provide education counselling and assistance for studies in MOST COUNTRIES (UK, Australia and New Zealand, USA, Canada, Switzerland, Italy, Netherlands, China, Malaysia, and Singapore). With our knowledge and expertise, we help you make an INFORMED choice based on your dreams, ambition and budget. Our FREE SERVICE includes advice and support for applications to all levels of overseas education, assist with accommodation and travel options, visa application, and all other matters related to studying abroad.
We are your ethical study abroad counsellors, driven by our passion to help you become a GlobalPinoy.
STUDY INTERNATIONAL provides education counselling for students, including advice and support for applications to all levels of overseas education in countries including the UK, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada, Malaysia, and Singapore. We assist in finding accommodation and travel options, visa application, and all other matters related to studying abroad, FREE OF CHARGE.


text:
var bacon = require('./../src/');

bacon.start(process.env.PORT || '4012', function gotBacon(address, port) {
    console.log('bacon address', address);
    console.log('bacon port', port);
});

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Shoddy editing is rampant nowadays. Beyond poor spelling and grammar, haphazardly organized, redundant and one-dimensional prose passes as well-written. In our instant-gratification-oriented culture, people expect excellent writing to instantaneously flow from their fingertips. When it doesn't, which is typical even for the best writers, frustration paralyzes them.
Editing, unfortunately, is not merely going over a piece three or four times. The process, for most of us, is painstaking and ubiquitous. It surprises me what I will discover in a piece even after I have reread it dozens of times. Embrace this reality and join the club. Passing this job off to an editor in the early stages of writing is giving control of your story to someone who doesn't have the benefit of your best efforts. It can also lead to expense and heartache.
The type of editing which captures the best of your writing and incorporates the most of your thinking is precision editing. There is a magic that happens when pen hits paper or fingers dance on the keyboard, but it is the pre thinking and the security of knowing that you will deliberately and repeatedly pick through a piece for a standard list of issues that makes the magic possible.
Vary the structure of your sentences.
Use sentence structure to build or dissipate tension.
Develop a personal sense of the balance between dialog (quotes in nonfiction) and narrative.
Reread to verify the sequence in which information is presented.
Double-check for the accuracy of your information in fiction as well as nonfiction.
Earlier versions of this article by Donna W. Hill were published in 2010 by EzineArticles.com, Goarticles.com and American Chronicle. It also appeared in Slate & Style, the quarterly journal of the Writers' Division of the National Federation of the Blind in 2013.
This entry was posted in authors, Uncategorized, Wrighting and tagged authors, editing, writing, writing tips. Bookmark the permalink.
To some extent my low vision and the use of ZoomText to read what I written back to me seems to allow me to catch errors that I otherwise could have missed. Now if only I could get my son over here to fix the communication issue between my monitor and computer I could once again be back in business. Thank you for the tips Donna.


text:
package iso20022

type UserInterface4Code string


text:
Minnesota attorney pleads guilty to sexually assaulting clients
"I get angry when I think of how (Jesse) Powell hunts for his victims, under the guise of helping us, and how he kept getting away with it," one of the victims said.
The Itasca County Courthouse and Law Enforcement Center in Grand Rapids is pictured in 2020.
Steve Kuchera / File / Duluth News Tribune
By Tom Olsen
GRAND RAPIDS, Minn. — An Itasca County lawyer will serve prison time after admitting to sexually assaulting four female clients.
Jesse Robert Powell, 33, of Bigfork, Minnesota, pleaded guilty Friday, Sept. 16, in State District Court to four felony counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Jesse Robert Powell
Powell, a former prosecutor who has more recently operated a private criminal defense and family law firm in Grand Rapids, agreed to receive a 78-month prison term in exchange for the pleas.
"Powell has made me scared of people, places and situations that I shouldn't be scared of," one of the victims told the Duluth News Tribune this week. "This won't just go away. If you're not safe from your lawyer, or in your lawyer's office, when are you safe?
"When you hire a lawyer, you expect to have someone that is going to help you, to fight for you, that you can trust," said the woman, who hired Powell for a divorce case. "They take an oath. Powell broke that oath. Powell preyed on me, because he thought I was weak. Powell is not a lawyer. He is a predator."
The charges, filed last December and amended several times as additional victims came forward, outlined a lengthy pattern of sexual harassment and assault toward women he represented through Powell Law PLLC.
Many of the women were in vulnerable positions, going through divorces or child custody disputes, and the charges alleged that he groped the clients on numerous occasions. Most of the incidents were reported to have occurred at his office, but others were reported at Powell's home and at least one victim's workplace.
More on this case
Grand Rapids attorney arrested, arraigned on sex assault charges
Grand Rapids attorney charged with raping 2 more women
Grand Rapids attorney accused of raping client
Several of the women reported that they were raped by Powell — including in the bathroom of his law office. Prior to entering in the plea agreement, he had been facing several more serious counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, along with racketeering.
The agreement simply required that he admit to using force to touch the genital areas of the four women, with sexual intent.
The victim who issued a statement said she was disappointed that Powell "is not being held accountable for all of his assaults, or even the highest level of his assaults." She also noted that he has remained out of custody and has not had his law license revoked.
The woman said Powell "stole my health, my sense of safety, my trust in others and my self worth." She said activities as simple as using a public restroom "instantly bring me back to Powell's office" and she suffers from nightmares, PTSD, depression, anxiety and panic attacks. Along with doctor's appointments, therapy and other expenses, she said she ended up spending another $20,000 in legal fees to hire a new lawyer to handle her divorce case.
"I get angry when I think of how Powell hunts for his victims, under the guise of helping us, and how he kept getting away with it," she said. "I went to Advocates for Family Peace for help, only to be given the name and number of a monster. Powell offered them a special rate for the people they sent his way. People that were already in vulnerable situations. He thought we would be easy targets."
The woman said there were signs of Powell's misconduct that should have been identified sooner. He left his previous employer, the Itasca County Attorney's Office, in 2020 after substantiated complaints about inappropriate comments directed toward female colleagues. A harassment restraining order also had been granted to one of the victims by a judge in March 2021, well before authorities began the criminal investigation.
To avoid conflicts of interest, the case was investigated by the Aitkin County Sheriff's Office and is being prosecuted by Pine County Attorney Reese Frederickson. The three judges chambered in Grand Rapids all recused themselves, handing the case to Judge Annie Claesson-Huseby, of Bemidji.
The Minnesota Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility previously confirmed an investigation into Powell, but disciplinary proceedings have yet been initiated at the state Supreme Court and an official did not immediately respond to a request for an update on the case. Records show that Powell has let his license lapse due to non-payment of fees.
Under Minnesota law, Powell would be required to serve a little more than four years in prison before he is eligible for supervised release. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 6.
Related Topics: GRAND RAPIDSITASCA COUNTYCRIME AND COURTS
Tom Olsen has covered crime and courts for the Duluth News Tribune since 2013. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Duluth and a lifelong resident of the city. Readers can contact Olsen at 218-723-5333 or tolsen@duluthnews.com.
John Wheeler: Snow flurries happen easily but are hard to forecast


Many of our guests have been asking about our delicious breakfasts.
Breakfast at Cuil-an-Duin will set you up for the day – whether you are sightseeing around this beautiful part of Scotland, or climbing up one of our many Munro's – you will need a good start. A good breakfast starts with excellent locally sourced ingredients – we buy as much as we can from local suppliers, support the local farmers markets and specialist producers – to ensure that your breakfast is a meal to look forward to.
The following explains our 'food provenance' – where our food comes from and how we ensure it is the best.
Our preference is that the majority of ingredients used at Cuil-an-Duin are sourced from local Scottish suppliers. We support local producers, farmers, and independent retailers, and we believe that food tastes better when it does not have to travel far. Unfortunately, we can't source all of our produce this way but we try very hard to ensure that only the best quality ingredients are used for the perfect breakfast.
We buy only the best locally grown or produced food. Where we can't get this from Scotland, we source from the rest of the UK, where possible. Out of season, and for certain tropical fresh fruit items, we will buy produce grown overseas.
A description of items included on our 'Breakfast Menu' is set out below, showing the provenance of items used.
Oranges are freshly squeezed by David, to order. Only pressed apple juice is served (not from concentrate) from Scottish and English apples.
Fruit farms in Blairgowrie and Angus produce some of the best soft fruit in the country and, in season, we will source from here.
Muesli is supplied by the Blair Atholl Watermill (also great for afternoon tea or lunch!).
Scott's Porage produced from oats rolled in Fife and sourced from local farms. Whiskey honey is supplied by Heather Hills Farm and made by Perthshire bees with Edradour whiskey.
Macdonald Bros Butchers in Pitlochry source their meat from local farms. Sausages are produced in-house by Macdonald Bros Butchers with pork sourced from local farms.
Produced by Charles Macleod, this multi award winning Stornoway Black Pudding is made with Scottish oatmeal to give a unique texture and the moist deep flavour is a result of high quality ingredients and fine balance of seasoning. Stornoway Black Pudding has now been given official recognition from the EU – protecting it against unauthorised imitation.
Local farm produce is used wherever possible, often sourced from the Pitlochry or Aberfeldy Farmers Markets.
Our little flock of free range hens live in our orchard and spend their days happily foraging around and exhibiting their natural behaviours. They are fed an organic diet which gives the yolks a particularly rich yellow colour.
Produced by a small family run business, specialising in smoked salmon, Springwells is a traditional and artisan smokehouse situated 6 miles south of Cuil-an-Duin in the ancient cathedral town of Dunkeld on the banks of the River Tay, one of Scotland's most famous salmon rivers.
Made using our own organic eggs with a choice (or all) of fresh peppers, tomato, mushroom, and cheese.
Fish supplied by Arbroath Fisheries and delivered fresh to our door by George, the fish man. Eggs are produced by our 'girls' and lightly poached on the simmering ring on our Aga.
Includes creamy mushrooms served on a thick slice of wholemeal toast; Portobello mushrooms baked with goat's cheese; grilled tomato with fresh herbs; and other local seasonal produce.
Home-made plum jam, apple jelly, and chutney from our own fruit orchard; home-made marmalade made by Sally's mum; preserves and honey supplied by Heather Hills Farm, just over the Moulin Moor in Bridge of Cally. Bread is supplied by a number of local bakeries, including the Blair Atholl Watermill, Adi's Deli in Pitlochry, or locally baked in Perth. If you're really lucky or ask nicely, David may make some of his own scotch pancakes.
We have a selection of teas supplied by Brodies of Edinburgh. We use fair trade coffee beans and your choice of freshly ground coffee is made using our excellent Miele "bean-to-cup" espresso machine. Milk, butter and cream are all supplied by Scottish dairies.
Where possible, if arrival times coincide, we love to welcome our guests with afternoon tea. We serve Brodies of Edinburgh Afternoon Tea Blend or Earl Grey, if you prefer. A selection of home baking is always on offer – often a Victoria Sponge and Scottish shortbread whipped up here by David and baked on our trusty 50 year-old Aga; or perhaps a lime drizzle coconut loaf or choc chip almond sponge baked by Sally's mum in Kirriemuir.


text:
McCarty named to House committees
By STAFF REPORTS,
Last week Speaker Philip Gunn assigned Rep. Kent McCarty (R-Hattiesburg) to various committees in the Mississippi House of Representatives.
Gunn appointed McCarty to serve on the House Education, Universities and Colleges, Conservation, Medicaid and Banking committees.
"As a small business owner, Rep. McCarty is well-equipped to handle the issues discussed in these committees," Gunn said. "His energy will serve him well. I look forward to working with him."
McCarty was sworn in April 8, after winning a special election in a field of four others to fill the seat of Brad Touchstone, who resigned to become a Lamar County Court judge. McCarty must run against the same candidates again in August.
McCarty is a graduate of the University of Mississippi and owns Java Moe's, a local coffee shop with four locations in the Pine Belt area.
"I would like to thank Speaker Gunn for his confidence in me," McCarty said. "I am going to bring the same energy and passion I bring to my business to my role as a legislator and as a member of these committees. I'm excited to get to work for the people of District 101."


An intersectional cross-disciplinary feminist group founded in 2018 to create lasting social and systemic change to achieve equality for all women.
Clorama Dorvilias is the CEO of Debias VR and has worked in variety of community engagement roles in local government and the public sector. She is a UX/Creative Technologist who's built products and designed services for women survivors of trafficking, low-income job seekers, and minority entrepreneurs including Issa Rae. Currently, she creates virtual reality trainings to combat bias. She obtained a B.S. in Political Science from Santa Clara University, and an M.A. in Interaction Design from University of Arts London.
Beth M. Duckles, Ph.D. is a research consultant who helps scientists, designers and technologists create and understand social data. She runs an online peer support group of women who have left academia called The Athenas. She loves writing, storytelling, Aikido and fiber arts. She received her B.A. in Sociology/Anthropology from Earlham College and her Ph.D. in Sociology from University of Arizona. You can find her online at bethduckles.com or on twitter at @bduckles.
Shannon Slocum is a UXD/Product management professional who specializes in ecommerce and digital experiences in retail. She received her B.S. in Graphic Design with a minor in Business from Northeastern University. Shannon uses her wealth of knowledge in design combined with her business acumen to help organizations of all sizes better connect with their customers. You can find Shannon online here.
Rebecca Hyman is a therapist, and previously was a tenured English and Women's Studies professor. She has taught in the School of Social Work and Family Studies Program at Portland State University and at the School of Education at Lewis and Clark. She brings a focus on language, interpretation and meaning to her work and she has a particular interest in helping people succeed in academic and creative pursuits. She is currently writing a book about posttraumatic stress disorder.
Jane Carr is an educator and PhD candidate completing her dissertation on holistic civic engagement. She teaches popular courses in civic leadership at Portland State University, and has also taught in New York City public schools, rural Paraguayan girls' leadership workshops in the Peace Corps, and trainings on cultivating energetic boundaries and grounding. She holds a MA from Bank Street College of Education and a BA with high honors in History from Harvard College.
Sara Carbonneau is an acupuncturist and futurist who is fascinated by the way in which technology influences our social behavior and what it reveals about our hopes, dreams and fears for the future. As a healer, she believes in working with people to strengthen their relationships and to use rituals that encourage their growth and vitality. She is passionate about storytelling, Argentine tango and fashion. She received her B.A. in Writing at Sarah Lawrence with a focus on Environmental Studies and Philosophy and her Masters of Chinese medicine at OCOM.
Sign up with your email address to receive news and event announcements from the Alevare Collective.
I want to be a subscriber!
Thank you! We have received your submission. We will be in touch.