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Q: How to open/convert a CSV in Python so strings are not unicode? I have a CSV file of various columns of numbers and strings. When I open it with pandas.read_csv it always gives me unicode. Any way I can get the dataframe into non-unicode or convert them to strings (and keep the float cells as floats)?
I've tried literally every way I can think of, including some answers of similar Stackoverflow questions.
Including:
df = pd.read_csv('xxxx.csv', encoding = 'utf-8') That didn't work at all.
I have also tried changing the dtype of that column with astype(str)  That didn't work either.
Then I tried defining a converting function to encode it again:
def convert(input):
    if isinstance(input, dict):
        return {convert(key): convert(value) for key, value in
input.iteritems()}
    elif isinstance(input, list):
        return [convert(element) for element in input]
    elif isinstance(input, unicode):
        return input.encode('utf-8')
    else:
        return input

 df = convert(df)

When I call df.index.unique(), it always show:
Index([u'row_a', u'row_b', u'row_c'], dtype='object', name=u'column_a')
But I want them to be all in strings.
Any suggestion? Thank you very much!

A: Try:
df = pd.read_csv('xxxx.csv', dtype='str')

A: I think you have the problem that pandas is infering some of your columns as "object" type, and if it found at least one unicode object it will infer it as unicode. To solve it you should use to check which columns are unicode:
In [1] df.dtypes

Out[1]:
column1         unicode
column2         unicode
column3         unicode

then get the types:
types = df.apply(lambda x: pd.lib.infer_dtype(x.values))

and convert them to strings:
for col in types[types=='unicode'].index:
    df[col] = df[col].astype(str)

A: Pandas automatically assigns a data type to the columns in your data frame based on the content of the column. If you want to change that, you need to infer a data type for each of the columns. Call this line of code for each column of your data frame.
df["column_name"] = df['column_name'].astype('object')

In Python, the String data type is equivalent to the 'object' data type in pandas.
For your columns that contain floats, call the following code:
df["column_name"] = df['column_name'].astype('float64')

Also, here is a link for additional information on data types in pandas.
You can also check the data type for all of your columns by calling df.dtypes


Actress Lee Min Jung modeling for Chloe eyewear in April 2014 issue of Korean Vogue Magazine.
Actress Lee Min Jung modeling for Tory Burch (watches) in October 2014 issue of Korean W Magazine.
Korean actress Lee Min Jung modeling for Vincis Bench (handbags) in September 2014 issue of Cosmopolitan Magazine.
Actress Lee Min Jung in June 2011 issue of Korean InStyle Magazine which was shot in Paris.


Hello do aupair from Kenya allowed to work in the UK??
it would be possible by applying for a student visa. Have a look at Ilona's answer in Quora for applying as an au pair to UK when not from EU: https://www.quora.com/Can-an-Indian-not-work-as-an-au-pair-in-the-UK-What-are-the-visa-requirements-and-restrictions.
And there was another community post about au pair coming from Kenya: https://connectaupair.world/community/question/have-there-been-succesful-matching-for-au-pairs-on-this-websites-from-africa-specifically-kenya.
For more details you can check out our country information for UK: https://connectaupair.world/ci/united_kingdom/.


Metal is like the chameleon of roofing materials, because it can take on the appearance of many other roof types. The advantage is that it's stronger and more durable than most others. According to the pros at the Metal Roofing Alliance, metal can be created to complement any style or finish of your home or business.
Slate: This roofing system has been around for centuries and is very beautiful, but it's also expensive and difficult to install. Metal roofing can take on the appearance of slate's smooth, uniform tiles. For people who love the refined look of slate, the metal alternative can be the perfect choice.
Tile: One drawback about tile is its weight; it can be heavy on a structure. It's also expensive to maintain in some cases. Metal tile, on the other hand, can resemble the graceful curves of tile but is lightweight and durable.
Shakes: Many homeowners love the look of a classic wooden, rugged shake. It's easy to see why it's so architecturally appealing. But it's possible to achieve that same appearance with metal — and it will be more durable in the long run. You'll also be able to choose from a variety of color choices.
Asphalt shingles: Metal is so versatile that it can look almost exactly like these shingles. While asphalt is an affordable and popular option, it's not always the most long-lasting. The metal version will stand the test of time.
Vertical panels: These steel materials have traditionally been used on commercial, industrial or farm structures, but they're now starting to be a more popular choice with homeowners. This is due in part to the fact that they can come in many different color combinations. Vertical panels are also a sound economic choice.
If you'd like to know more about how metal can look like other styles of roofing in Florida, contact us for more information. We're always here to help!


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What Is the True Cause of Tennessee Truck Accidents?
The American Trucking Association (ATA) doesn't believe that truck driver fatigue is a major contributor to the number of truck accidents that occur on Tennessee highways and other U.S. roadways. Citing data from the Large Truck Crash Causation Study conducted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and more recent reports, missteps by the driver rather than his or her own alertness, contribute to 9 out of 10 accidents.
As the FMCSA has increasingly focused on driver fatigue through new restrictions on hours of service, it has neglected more frequent causes of truck accidents, such as excessive speed, weather or road conditions, and distracted driving, according to the ATA. But, regardless of why these accidents are happening, the point is that they are happening and can have devastating consequences. The FMSCA reports that in Tennessee and throughout the United States 3,215 large trucks were involved in fatal truck accidents in 2009.
Whatever the Cause, Tennessee Truck Accidents Continue to Occur
Interstate 40 has seen its share of truck crashes, although not many like the one that happened just this week at an Arlington gas station. A semi-truck crashed through a Shell Station, finally stopping after the cab broke through the back wall, burying the trailer inside the convenience store. Investigators are not sure what caused the crash, but early reports show that the truck driver never stepped on the brakes as the semi exited the interstate, jumped a median and bypassed the Shell Station parking lot.
The truck driver and his passenger were taken to the hospital for treatment but no one else was injured in the truck crash. Speculation leads to several potential causes of the crash: driver distraction, driver fatigue, driver ability or lack of training and mechanical problems with the truck itself.
Injuries that occur during a Tennessee truck crash are often very serious, due in part to the size of the truck and often the size of the other vehicle(s) involved, typically a passenger car. Understanding what's going wrong behind the wheel may be the first step toward preventing fatal truck crashes in Memphis and throughout the U.S.
We are a performance-based firm—we don't get paid unless you do.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Sullenger is a surname, being an Americanized form of the German surname Solinger. Notable people with the surname include:

Bruce A. Sullenger, American physician
Cheryl Sullenger (born 1955), American anti-abortion activist and felon
Jacob Sullenger (born 1995), better known as Jawny, American singer, songwriter, and producer

See also
Solinger

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The Madison Symphony Orchestra (MSO) opens its new 2016-17 Overture Concert Organ Season with the sounds of brass and organ, marking the return of Chicago's Gargoyle Brass (below top) with organist Jared Stellmacher (below bottom).
The concert is this Tuesday, Oct. 18, at 7:30 p.m. in Overture Hall, 201 State Street.
In addition to performing works by Charles-Marie Widor, Cesar Franck, Maurice Ravel and Alexandre Guilmant, Chicago's Gargoyle Brass with organist Jared Stellmacher will perform The Dwarf Planets composed by Williams C. White, continuing MSO's exploration of the universe that commenced with their season-opening concert, The Planets: An HD Odyssey in September.
Gargoyle Brass captured the Dane County Farmers' Market audience in 2013 with an exciting program, which was enhanced by Stellmacher's playing.
Subscriptions to all four organ concerts this season are available for $63, a 25% discount, at madisonsymphony.org/organsubscriptions or by calling (608) 257-3734.
General Admission for each Overture Concert Organ performance is $20. Tickets can be purchased at madisonsymphony.org/organperformancesTix, (608) 258-4141 or the Overture Box Office.
This performance is sponsored by Friends of the Overture Concert Organ. Support for all Overture Concert Organ programs is provided by the Diane Endres Ballweg Fund. With a gift from Pleasant T. Rowland, the Madison Symphony Orchestra commissioned the Overture Concert Organ, which is the stunning backdrop of all MSO concerts.
Classical music: This afternoon is your last chance to hear pianist Christopher Taylor and the Madison Symphony Orchestra in rave-receiving performances of concertos by Bach and Liszt and the Symphony No. 7 by Anton Bruckner. Then this Tuesday night, organist Samuel Hutchison will continue the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Overture Concert Organ with a recital of Bach, Mozart, Widor and other composers.
ALERT: This afternoon at 2:30 p.m. in Overture Hall is your last chance to hear what may be the best concert of this season by the Madison Symphony Orchestra. The program features UW-Madison virtuoso pianist Christopher Taylor (below) in Keyboard Concerto No. 4 by J.S. Bach and Piano Concerto No. 1 by Hungarian composer Franz Liszt as well as a "landmark" performance of the Late Romantic Austrian composer Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 7.
The Madison Symphony Orchestra's Principal Organist and Curator Samuel Hutchison will mark a decade of memorable performances on the Overture Concert Organ (below) in a recital on this coming Tuesday, April 14, at 7:30 p.m. in Overture Hall, 201 State Street.
Hutchison (below) has presented many recitals in the U.S and in Europe in locations that include the Riverside Church, New York City; St. Paul's Cathedral, London; and Notre Dame, St. Sulpice and St. Étienne-du-Mont, Paris.
He also performed the complete works of J.S. Bach – himself primarily an organist — in a series of 11 weekly recitals for the 300th anniversary of the composer's birth in 1985.
General admission for the concert is $20 and tickets can be purchased at www.madisonsymphony.org/hutchisonrecital, the Overture Center Box Office or (608) 258-4141.
Student rush tickets are $10 day of show with a valid student ID see http://www.madisonsymphony.org/studentrush).
This concert is sponsored by Friends of the Overture Concert Organ.
Classical music: The Madison Symphony Orchestra presents this summer's last FREE organ concert for the downtown Dane County Farmers' Market at 11 a.m. this coming Saturday.
The Madison Symphony Orchestra (MSO) will host the last of three FREE summer performances on the Overture Concert Organ, this time featuring guest organist Donald VerKuilen, during the Dane County Farmers' Market (below) on this coming Saturday, Aug. 9, at 11 a.m. in Overture Hall, 201 State Street.
No tickets or reservations are needed for this 45-minute concert.
The music includes the Fantasie in D-flat Major, by Camille Saint-Saëns (below top), the Allegro Vivace for Organ Symphony No. 5 by Charles-Marie Widor (below middle, at the organ in the church of St. Sulpice in Paris circa 1900) and the Suite for organ by Malcolm Archer (below bottom).
VerKuilen recently returned from a concert tour of French organs, and is certain to bring the same magic to the colossal Klais organ, custom-built by Klais-Orgelbau of Bonn, Germany, in Overture Hall.
The Madison Symphony Orchestra and Overture Center for the Arts present the Farmers' Market Concert Series in partnership with 77 Square.
The Free Farmers' Market Concerts are sponsored by Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation. Support for all Overture Concert Organ programs is provided by the Diane Endres Ballweg Fund.
Classical music: The Madison Symphony Orchestra will present FREE organ concerts in Overture Hall on three Farmers' Market Saturdays this summer. The first one is this Saturday, June 21, at 11 a.m. The two others are on July 19 and August 9.
The Madison Symphony Orchestra (MSO) will host FREE performances on the custom-built Overture Concert Organ (below top) during the Dane County Farmers' Market (below bottom) on three Saturdays -– June 21, July 19, and Aug. 9 –- all at 11 a.m.
The concerts will take place in Overture Hall, 201 State Street. NO tickets or reservations are needed for these 45-minute concerts featuring MSO organist and curator Samuel Hutchison, as well as guest organists Ahreum Han and Donald VerKuilen.
June 21: Samuel Hutchison (below), the MSO's principal organist and curator, presents a program entitled "Bach's Lunch", featuring the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. Favorites including the famous and popular Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, used in the Walt Disney movie "Fantasia" (and available at the bottom in a popular animated YouTube voice that has more than 22 million hits) and a transcription of the Air on the G-String are among other items on the program.
July 19: Korean organist Ahreum Han (below) brings a delightful program to Overture Hall in her first recital on the Overture Concert Organ. A graduate of the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Han is known throughout the US, Asia, and Europe for her imaginative, powerful, and extraordinary performances.
Aug. 9: Wisconsin native and current Oberlin College organ performance major Donald VerKuilen makes his Overture Hall debut in an exciting program of music by Charles-Marie Widor, Bonnal, Camille Saint-Saëns, and Langlais. He recently returned from a concert tour of French organs, and is certain to bring the same magic to the colossal Klais organ in Overture Hall.
The Free Farmers' Market Concerts are generously sponsored by Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation. Support for all Overture Concert Organ programs is provided by the Diane Endres Ballweg Fund.
Classical music: The Freiburg Cathedral Girls Choir performs a free concert on Wednesday, Aug. 8, in Overture Hall in Madison.
This year the Madison Symphony Orchestra has again sponsored free one-hour Farmers Market organ concerts on the third Saturday of every month in Overture Hall, with the last one scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 18, at 11 a.m.
But there is one remaining event, and it has the hallmark of being an enjoyable and memorable event.
On Wednesday, August 8, at 7:30 p.m. in Overture Hall, the Freiburg Cathedral Girls Choir (below to) from Madison's sister city of Freiburg, Germany (below bottom is the Freiburg Cathedral) will make its local debut. It will perform a concert that is FREE and open to the public without reservation or ticket.
Last year, Freiburg welcomed hosted a Madison group during a three-day Sister City Festival. Now comes the reciprocal event. The choir has already performed in New York City (the famed St. Patrick's Cathedral) and New York State as well as Washington D.C., and Chicago.
The program includes music by Felix Mendelssohn, Johannes Brahms, Arvo Part, Claude Debussy, Charles-Marie Widor, Henry Purcell, John Rutter and other less well-known or contemporary composers. The impressive Overture Concert Organ (below) will be played by Marjorie Frances Mayo.
The 42 young singers, ages 11-19, will stay with local families.


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Interview with DJ Aoife Nic Canna
Home / Faces of Dublin / Interview with DJ Aoife Nic Canna
Fresh Posted on November 10 2020
Aoife wearing shooting stars jumper by Fresh Cuts
DJ Aoife Nic Canna has been a central figure in the Irish dance music scene for over 25 years. She was nicknamed the 'First lady of Irish House' by Hotpress magazine, and has played some of the best known nights in the city, clocking up residencies in the Kitchen, the Rock Garden, 4 Dame Lane and an 8 year slot in RiRa.
As a radio broadcaster, she's produced and presented a huge range of arts, music and Irish language shows. For 5 years she championed home-grown electronic music with her show 'Club Cheol', and is responsible for the epic 'Folklore from the dance floor' a 6 part journey into the history of Irish Clubbing.
You can usually find her in Ukiyo Bar, the Liquor Rooms, Berlin D2, and in more recent times, streaming live from her sitting room on social media.
After months of staying inside and limiting our contacts, Aoife was sound enough to invite us over for tea and chats. It's been a while since any of us have got to hang out with someone new, and we've plenty to talk about.
Schools have started back and restaurants and pubs are open for food, but Aoife's industry is still deep in lockdown. Even as places open up, It doesn't look like there'll be a return to DJ's or live music anytime soon.
Aoife at work
''That broke my heart of course" she tells us. "One thing about Dublin before Covid, is they really appreciated what DJs brought to a venue, and I think they do miss us. I think the fact that we're not allowed DJs will make people want us more!'
We're having a hard time wrapping our heads around what's happened. 6 months into it, it still feels surreal. "Did you ever think they were going to close our pubs?!" she muses. "..that they'd be closed for 5 or 6 months and there weren't riots on the streets?!"
The idea of the Irish shutting the pubs would have been unimaginable a year ago, they're so central to how we live. "The fact that we've gone through a whole summer without our social life and our escapism.. it's hard to believe that we've actually done it!"
Like most of us, she never expected it to go on for so long. She's grateful for the safety of lockdown, and understands why things needed to close, but thinks we have to learn to start living with the virus now.
She'd like us to get back into town. "I find it very upsetting that my favorite places are struggling," she tells us. "I'm not sure people really understand how expensive it is for them to reopen, how much money they've actually lost."
"We're all careful now, we've been trained in how to socially distance and keep our hands clean" she says. ''Venue owners are going to take it very seriously because they are so desperate to get their business open."
Before all this, she was loving Dublin. "I was having a great time, really enjoying myself." she remembers. "There was just so much we could do... With live music, people were bringing really good bands and musicians over. We have so much more variety now than we did when I was a kid!"
Aoife's been a music fanatic her whole life, and first started going out in 1980's Ireland, a very different place, socially, culturally and economically. She's seen a few changes since then.
"In the early 90's when I started DJing we were like the underdog, no one really wanted us in venues….with the few that would take us, we'd have to do them up because they wouldn't really be suitable for dance music culture. We didn't have good sound systems or anything like that."
In the Celtic Tiger days, we suddenly had access to all these new things - 'exotic wines', 'cocktail culture' and fancy venues, but that didn't bring much culturally. "It was just really repulsive - everything was clean and flash and shiny."
"We had these beautiful venues that they'd spend thousands and thousands of Euros doing up, and then they'd close 3 months later and someone else would come along and gut it, and do it again!"
"If you look at Dublin pre-covid, we were kind of spoiled - we had really good venues, Funktion-One sound systems and way more choice than before…now, if you want to go to a drum and bass night, or a techno night, or a house night you can."
"It felt like playing in Dublin, the young people were much more interested in underground music...Our licensing laws are a joke but we still have plenty of talent and interest in music in Dublin."
In the past it seemed like musicians and artists had to leave Ireland to become successful, and we're curious to know how Ireland is for nurturing our talent now.
"There's still a little bit of that" she believes. "In some of the big festivals we have a lot of international acts and bands, where I would like to see more of our own bands and DJ's getting exposure". There are a few that work to promote local talent, particularly smaller festivals and events. "I would like more of that," she tells us, "..we need it too".
Aoife Nic Canna
A group worth mentioning is the Gash Collective, whose goal is to support female identifying and LGBTQ+ producers and DJs in electronic music. Aoife was involved in a series of production and DJ workshops that they ran for women. "It's about exposing women to electronica," she explains, "and creating a space for them not to be intimidated by making music or DJing."
This is important to bring a bit of diversity into the industry. For most of Aoife's career, people would double take at seeing a woman behind the decks.
"People are always asking me about being a female DJ, how there's so little of us and how isolating that can be" she tells us, "but in the early 90s I was totally on my own there - of course there were a few women DJs around, but now it has evolved so much. It's great to see that women are encouraged."
"I do think this changed after Gash launched... Times are changing and moving forward. There's plenty of good women DJs and producers out there now and they're doing it - they're not talking about it, they're doing it!"
There are way more platforms for Irish artists these days, particularly with online radio.
"Going back to pirate radio days in the early 90's, I did a very long stint on Jazz FM, and on Power FM.. I never had as many listeners as I did then because there was only one dance music radio station, so people did tune In. We didn't have the internet, so they relied on us as DJs to be playing the most up-to-date dance music"
We have much more choice now, but the flipside is that it can be tough to get listeners. There's always new stations starting up, but she'd rather we nurture the ones we have, and remember to listen to them more.
She recommends Radio na Life (she's a gaeilgeoir) and DDR (Dublin Digital Radio) for dance music. She's a big fan of community radio, particularly Near FM where she trained and produced most of her work.
It was through them she made 'the dynamo effect', a 24 part series on sustainability, back in 2010 before it was a national conversation; "They did talk about flooding and pandemics" she tells us, "but they weren't thinking it would happen so soon - it was going to be in the next 20 or 30 years. I don't think the politicians are taking it seriously, and it's a very serious thing."
"I've always been an eco warrior at heart. I hate waste...I think as people we have too much stuff." Being a collector makes her very conscious of how much she has, and that she doesn't need anything else. She does have an enviable wall of records, but they're very much loved and put to good use, not just for her but for everyone she plays them to.
Her policy is to buy well and hold onto things, then pass them on or recycle them. "I love buying clothes, I love collecting trainers, but it's about buying that good decent hoody that will last for ages." She hopes this experience might help us look at how we use resources, and be kinder to the environment.
We talk about what else might come out of this pandemic. With venues closed, some people have been suggesting virtual concerts as an alternative, and she's horrified. She has started streaming live sets over Instagram and Facebook, and surprisingly she likes it, but the idea that this could be the new normal for live music is too much.
"I can do a virtual gig, and there's a space for that, but it's not the future. It's not the same...nothing beats a live gig. It's like going to a club at home...you're just going to look at it and there'll be someone performing!"
"We finally have good sound systems in Ireland!" she laughs, "...we've been waiting for decades....and everyone's listening to music on their phones!!"
When we do eventually get back out dancing, she has some treats in store. After a few months of playing indoors, rediscovering old records, and not being so focused on making people dance, she says her music has changed.
"It's more mellow and it's probably more underground as well. I can't wait to get back out and start playing because I'm definitely a different DJ - and definitely a better DJ because I've been practicing that much."
Which is something to look forward to.
If somebody is visiting Dublin for 24-hours where do you bring them?
The Phoenix Park. I'd bring them to The Visitors Centre for nice food, there's Ashtown Castle, Farmleigh and amazing walks around there...There's loads of history in the park, so I know I could keep someone's head spinning!'
I'd definitely have to bring them into my dirty old town. We have amazing restaurants. I love Charlotte Quay - I like going out on the Docklands, because it's like a new Dublin to me. When I was a kid that was barren, there was nothing there at all, so when I go out there I feel like I'm on my holidays!
I would obviously bring them to Ukiyo, Anseo, Berlin bar...and the Sugar Club - any gig in the Sugar Club I'm happy to go to, I just think they're really good bookers and we're blessed to have a venue like that. Bands play really well there, it brings out their best. That's somewhere I'd be really proud to bring someone. I really hope it's ok and opens soon.
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Greycliff's Chronicles
News from Thaelia's World, medieval trivia, dispatching, San Jose Sharks ice hockey, and everyday rants as I see fit. Have a suggestion for a topic on any subject listed above? Let me know.
Knights and Chivalry
Chivalry is defined as a medieval knightly system with its religious, moral, and social code. The concept of honor was nothing new to men. From the first time a group of men banded together to protect what was theirs, men have given allegiance to a chosen leader. Countless numbers of oaths of loyalty and/or vows of fealty have been spoken over the centuries. One of the most famous Chivalric codes documented was in the Song of Roland composed between AD 1098 and 1100. The poem is the story of Count Hrodland (Roland in the poem), Count of the marches of Brittany. In the great poem, Roland is Emporer Charlemagne's man, and is betrayed by Ganelon, which results in his death by the Saracens. In the real incident, Count Hrodland is in the back of the army as it passes the Pyrenees Mountains. Basque soldiers attacked the rear part of the army at Roncesvaux Valley, and Count Hrodland was killed.
The knighting ceremony in which men swore to protect those weaker wasn't standard. Many knights were average guys, doing their own thing: acting as mercenary soldiers, knight-errants (wandering the lands), or staying at home. The men who stayed at home many times never married or had children of their own. Men are not perfect creatures, therefore they were flawed. Did knights lie, cheat, steal, rape, murder, and perform dishonest acts? Yes, but most were decent men performing a service to the lords they swore vows.
Queen Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine encouraged her knights to worship ladies from a distance with acts of words and deeds. The stories told first in ballads and later in print of King Arthur were one of the larger sources of the Chivalric Codes. Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales told of a knight's love for of a lady in "The Knight's Tale", made in to a popular (if slightly inaccurate) movie. The rules of the tournaments were written down by Sir Geoffroi de Charny in the 1300's. Sir Geoffroi wrote multiple books on the subject of chivalry. An interesting side note, Sir Geoffroi is recorded as being one of the owners of the Shroud of Turin. Sir Geoffroi of Charny died in 1356, at the Battle of Poiters.
A Knight is defined as a military servant of a king or other feudal superior; tenant holding land on condition that he serve his superior as a mounted man-at-arms. The word 'knight' is derived from the Old English cniht, which means servant or boy. Eventually the word knight was changed to mean a man of status. A Knight was nothing without his horse and in most cultures; the word knight was close to that of horse. An example is the French term chevalier, the word for knight. A horse is called cheval in French. Two names very close to one another.
Knights were the elite warriors of their time. The cost of outfitting the warriors was incredible. Armor, whether it was leather, maile, or the plate armor cost a fortune. Too many times a suit of maile is referred to as chain maile, when it should be called a hauberk.
Many men wore armor handed down from father to son, or in some cases, scavenged from a dead man on a battlefield. Weapons were obtained the same way. Horses were even more expensive. A knight needed at least two mounts: his warhorse and his riding horse. No knight used his warhorse for everyday riding if he could avoid it. Men who fought in tournaments did so with the understanding that they risked losing all they possessed (arms, armor, and horse).
Throughout history, there have been those that have risen above the rank and file to stand out. The above mentioned Hrodland of Brittany is one man. Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar (El Cid of Spain)was a knight so renown his men strapped his corpse to his horse, Babieca, and sent the horse to lead the Spanish armies against the Moors. Sir William Marshall, who as a boy was held out of a tower by a foot, and yet became regent to the young King Henry III – ruling England until Henry III came of age. Zawisza Czarny z Garbowa, a famous polish knight ultimately killed in 1428.
Knights have been around in fiction for as long as storytellers have told stories around campfires. Arthurian tales of King Arthur and his knights continue to entertain children and adults to this day. Other classic tales of knights include Sir Walter Scott's Rob Roy (1817), Ivanhoe in 1819, Keniworth (1821), Quentin Durward (1823), and Tales of the Crusaders (1825) among other stories. Mark Twain wrote his A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes Saavera, Men of Iron by Howard Pyle, The Once and Future King by T.H. White, and Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur.
Modern writers are still fascinated with men and chivalry. S.M. Stirling has approached the ideals of knights and a world hit by a collapse of technology in his Emberverse series starting with the book Dies the Fire. George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series starts with A Games of Thrones, an epic fantasy which has been made into a series on HBO. The late Marion Zimmer Bradley wrote her take on the King Arthur legend from the female point of view starting with The Mists of Avalon (also made in to a miniseries). Knights were a focal point in J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings saga. For romance lovers, two must reads are Jude Devereaux's A Knight in Shining Armor and Lynn Kurland's Another Chance to Dream.
In Thaelia's World, there are a few knights of note. Sir Neelam Wesnes is the Captain of King Arken's guards is said to be undefeated in combat. Sir Neelam was trained at Baron Wymerth's keep. Sir Braeden du Faucione and Sir Ranulf de Corbeau also earned their spurs at Baron Wymerth's home. Braeden is a tracker par excellence while Ranulf is infamous for his ability to make any man spill his secrets via torture. Sir Haeveldt of Crealek is a famous knight from the past (see prior blog entry).
Posted by Greycliffs Chronicles at Friday, June 10, 2011
Now available: What is your emegency? The history of Public Safety Dispatching in the US
My book is done and ready for orders
In the King's Shadow
Posing in the fallen autumn leaves.
Sierra Mountains
I just completed these two paintings.
On the Trail to Yesterday's Rose
Blog Archive Jan 12 - Jan 19 (1) Dec 8 - Dec 15 (1) Oct 27 - Nov 3 (3) Oct 13 - Oct 20 (1) Oct 6 - Oct 13 (1) Sep 29 - Oct 6 (1) Sep 8 - Sep 15 (1) Aug 25 - Sep 1 (1) Aug 18 - Aug 25 (1) Aug 4 - Aug 11 (1) Jul 28 - Aug 4 (1) Jul 21 - Jul 28 (1) Jul 14 - Jul 21 (3) Jul 7 - Jul 14 (2) May 12 - May 19 (1) May 5 - May 12 (3) Feb 12 - Feb 19 (1) Jan 29 - Feb 5 (1) Jan 1 - Jan 8 (1) Dec 18 - Dec 25 (3) Dec 4 - Dec 11 (1) Nov 6 - Nov 13 (1) Oct 30 - Nov 6 (1) Oct 16 - Oct 23 (1) Oct 2 - Oct 9 (1) Sep 11 - Sep 18 (1) Aug 21 - Aug 28 (1) Aug 7 - Aug 14 (2) Jan 17 - Jan 24 (1) Jan 3 - Jan 10 (2) Dec 27 - Jan 3 (1) Dec 20 - Dec 27 (1) Dec 13 - Dec 20 (1) Nov 22 - Nov 29 (1) Nov 15 - Nov 22 (2) Nov 8 - Nov 15 (1) Nov 1 - Nov 8 (2) Oct 25 - Nov 1 (1) Oct 11 - Oct 18 (1) Sep 27 - Oct 4 (2) Sep 13 - Sep 20 (2) Sep 6 - Sep 13 (2) Aug 30 - Sep 6 (1) Aug 23 - Aug 30 (1) Aug 16 - Aug 23 (1) Aug 9 - Aug 16 (2) Aug 2 - Aug 9 (2) Jul 26 - Aug 2 (2) Jul 19 - Jul 26 (4) Mar 8 - Mar 15 (1) Feb 22 - Mar 1 (1) Feb 8 - Feb 15 (1) Feb 1 - Feb 8 (2) Jan 18 - Jan 25 (2) Jan 4 - Jan 11 (1) Dec 21 - Dec 28 (1) Dec 7 - Dec 14 (2) Nov 16 - Nov 23 (2) Nov 2 - Nov 9 (1) Oct 26 - Nov 2 (1) Oct 12 - Oct 19 (1) Oct 5 - Oct 12 (1) Sep 28 - Oct 5 (1) Sep 21 - Sep 28 (1) Sep 14 - Sep 21 (1) Sep 7 - Sep 14 (1) Aug 31 - Sep 7 (1) Aug 24 - Aug 31 (1) Aug 17 - Aug 24 (2) Aug 3 - Aug 10 (1) Jul 20 - Jul 27 (1) Jul 6 - Jul 13 (1) Jun 29 - Jul 6 (1) Jun 22 - Jun 29 (1) Jun 1 - Jun 8 (1) May 25 - Jun 1 (1) May 18 - May 25 (1) May 11 - May 18 (1) Apr 27 - May 4 (2) Apr 20 - Apr 27 (1) Apr 13 - Apr 20 (1) Apr 6 - Apr 13 (1) Mar 30 - Apr 6 (1) Mar 16 - Mar 23 (1) Mar 9 - Mar 16 (1) Mar 2 - Mar 9 (1) Feb 16 - Feb 23 (1) Feb 2 - Feb 9 (1) Jan 19 - Jan 26 (1) Jan 5 - Jan 12 (1) Dec 15 - Dec 22 (1) Dec 1 - Dec 8 (1) Nov 17 - Nov 24 (1) Nov 10 - Nov 17 (2) Nov 3 - Nov 10 (1) Oct 27 - Nov 3 (1) Oct 13 - Oct 20 (1) Oct 6 - Oct 13 (3) Sep 29 - Oct 6 (1) Sep 22 - Sep 29 (1) Sep 15 - Sep 22 (1) Sep 1 - Sep 8 (1) Aug 25 - Sep 1 (1) Aug 18 - Aug 25 (1) Aug 11 - Aug 18 (1) Jul 28 - Aug 4 (2) Jul 21 - Jul 28 (2) Jul 7 - Jul 14 (2) Jun 30 - Jul 7 (1) Jun 23 - Jun 30 (2) Jun 16 - Jun 23 (1) May 26 - Jun 2 (1) May 19 - May 26 (1) May 5 - May 12 (2) Apr 28 - May 5 (1) Apr 21 - Apr 28 (1) Apr 7 - Apr 14 (2) Mar 24 - Mar 31 (1) Mar 17 - Mar 24 (4) Mar 3 - Mar 10 (1) Feb 17 - Feb 24 (2) Jan 27 - Feb 3 (3) Jan 20 - Jan 27 (3) Jan 13 - Jan 20 (2) Jan 6 - Jan 13 (1) Dec 30 - Jan 6 (3) Dec 23 - Dec 30 (1) Dec 16 - Dec 23 (1) Dec 9 - Dec 16 (1) Dec 2 - Dec 9 (1) Nov 25 - Dec 2 (1) Nov 18 - Nov 25 (2) Nov 11 - Nov 18 (1) Nov 4 - Nov 11 (2) Oct 28 - Nov 4 (3) Oct 21 - Oct 28 (1) Sep 16 - Sep 23 (3) Sep 9 - Sep 16 (1) Sep 2 - Sep 9 (1) Aug 26 - Sep 2 (1) Aug 19 - Aug 26 (1) Aug 12 - Aug 19 (1) Aug 5 - Aug 12 (2) Jul 22 - Jul 29 (1) Jul 15 - Jul 22 (1) Jul 8 - Jul 15 (1) Jun 24 - Jul 1 (1) Jun 17 - Jun 24 (1) Jun 10 - Jun 17 (3) Jun 3 - Jun 10 (1) May 27 - Jun 3 (1) May 20 - May 27 (1) May 13 - May 20 (3) May 6 - May 13 (1) Apr 29 - May 6 (1) Apr 22 - Apr 29 (1) Apr 15 - Apr 22 (3) Apr 8 - Apr 15 (3) Apr 1 - Apr 8 (2) Mar 25 - Apr 1 (1) Mar 4 - Mar 11 (1) Feb 26 - Mar 4 (3) Feb 19 - Feb 26 (3) Feb 12 - Feb 19 (1) Feb 5 - Feb 12 (2) Jan 29 - Feb 5 (2) Jan 22 - Jan 29 (1) Jan 15 - Jan 22 (2) Jan 8 - Jan 15 (1) Jan 1 - Jan 8 (3) Dec 25 - Jan 1 (2) Dec 18 - Dec 25 (2) Dec 4 - Dec 11 (2) Nov 27 - Dec 4 (2) Nov 20 - Nov 27 (1) Nov 13 - Nov 20 (1) Nov 6 - Nov 13 (2) Oct 30 - Nov 6 (3) Oct 23 - Oct 30 (1) Oct 16 - Oct 23 (3) Oct 9 - Oct 16 (1) Oct 2 - Oct 9 (1) Sep 25 - Oct 2 (4) Sep 18 - Sep 25 (3) Sep 11 - Sep 18 (5) Sep 4 - Sep 11 (2) Aug 28 - Sep 4 (4) Aug 21 - Aug 28 (1) Aug 14 - Aug 21 (3) Aug 7 - Aug 14 (2) Jul 31 - Aug 7 (3) Jul 24 - Jul 31 (2) Jul 10 - Jul 17 (3) Jul 3 - Jul 10 (1) Jun 26 - Jul 3 (4) Jun 19 - Jun 26 (4) Jun 12 - Jun 19 (4) Jun 5 - Jun 12 (3) May 29 - Jun 5 (2) May 22 - May 29 (2) May 15 - May 22 (3) May 8 - May 15 (1) May 1 - May 8 (3) Apr 24 - May 1 (1) Apr 17 - Apr 24 (3) Apr 3 - Apr 10 (1) Mar 27 - Apr 3 (1) Mar 20 - Mar 27 (1) Mar 13 - Mar 20 (2) Feb 27 - Mar 6 (2) Feb 13 - Feb 20 (3) Feb 6 - Feb 13 (3)
Greycliffs Chronicles
Public Safety Sites I recommend
Dispatching news
Friends of 911 - the NENA Foundation
Police Magazine on-line
Police One
The Unknown Dispatcher
San Jose Sharks 20th Anniversary logo
More of my favorite Sites
APCO History site (searchable articles by name)
BBC News _United Kingdom
Broadcastify
Chinese Shar-Pei Club of America
Circle Sanctuary - Wiccan / Pagan and a nature sanctuary
Clan Inebriated
Countryside Magazine
InGoal Magazine
Lets Go Sharks - a great fan site for the San Jose Sharks Fans
National Hockey League official site
Nevada Dept of Wildlife
San Jose Bleacher Report
San Jose Sharks Hockey Club official site
The Blood Horse (Thoroughbred Racing)
The Hockey News
The Witches Voice
Wiithin the Trenches
Worcester Sharks the AHL minor league Sharks affliate hockey club
Medieval related links
Castles of the World
Castles on the Web
Guedelon castle
Her Majesty Queen Elizabth II
Internet Medieval Sourcebook
Medieval Life .net
Medieval Warfare Magazine
Mostly Medieval
Odins castle
Official British Royal Palaces site
Renaissance Magazine
My favorite music links
Musical Blades
BrunnuhVille
Red Hot Chili Pipers
Aerosmith's official site
Mediaeval Baebes music
Heart's official site
My Jango radio station (music mix)
Jimmy Buffett's official site
Evanesence official site
Enya's official site
Lorena McKennit's site
Ritchie Blackmore's band
Wicked Tinkers
Dexter is patriotic
The Man Who Rewrote History:Geoffrey of Monmouth
Glitter, glitz, and bling: jewelry in the Middle Ages
Witches and witchcraft in the Middle Ages
King Arthur - man or myth?
Living or dying with honor: the Samurai Warrior
Stop, in the name of the fashion police: medieval sumptuary laws
Look Ma, no hands: the stirrup
Baby not breathing: a San Varlin Story
Thomas Becket : The King's Adversary
Shar-Pei melt down
Coco sleeping soundly.
Leo Carew's Under the Northern Sky series
Bailey Cattrell Enchanted Garden series
Mark Lawrence's Ancester series
Bailey Cates Magical Bakery mysteries
For Queen and Country
now available at Amazon - other retailers soon
Showing his Christmas spirit.
2011. Ethereal theme. Powered by Blogger.


text:
Creed II Throws All the Strong Punches That Rocky Did
Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone are back for another round.
PHOTO BY Warner Bros. Pictures
(SPOT.ph) In 1985, during the height of the Cold War, Philadelphia's favorite pugilistic son Rocky Balboa was set to retire after having reclaimed the world heavyweight championship. An exhibition match gone awry between the pride of the then-USSR Ivan Drago and Rocky's former rival-turned-friend-and-mentor Apollo Creed changes all that when Creed dies dramatically in the ring. Rocky puts his retirement plans on hold and squares off against the Soviet juggernaut in Moscow for the U.S. and for his buddy, Apollo. Rocky wins, naturally, and 33 years and several sequels later, we find ourselves in 2018 following the meteoric rise of Creed's son, Adonis, played by a jacked Michael B. Jordan two sizes bigger than his Killmonger role from Black Panther.
In many ways, Creed II is designed to be the perfect sequel. The spiritual and actual successor to the Rocky franchise, the aging but still hulking Sylvester Stallone has taken on the role of Yoda to Jordan's Luke Skywalker. Creed II brings elements from Rocky IV that brings the franchise full circle, as Adonis is called out by the son of the the man who killed his father. Dolph Lundgren reprises his role as the square-jawed man-machine who has been training the younger Ivan, played by amateur boxer Florian Munteanu, for a shot at redemption. As it turns out, the Soviets were very much unlike Filipinos when it comes to their champions and dumped Ivan Drago after his loss against Rocky and never quite recovered. The Soviets were a tough crowd.
There's a note of predictability in everything that transpires, specially with a match between Drago and Creed happening at the end of the first act of the film. Viktor Drago towering over Adonis Creed is pretty much a redux of Ivan Drago dwarfing both Rocky and Apollo in stature and raw power. Both Jordan and Munteanu are in peak physical form, and there's no shortage of rock hard abs and bulging biceps to gawk at throughout the film. The outcome of the first match is predictable but with a twist, and generally everything is intended to echo Rocky IV, with Adonis taking on the roles of both his father and Rocky in his own journey of redemption. The only problem is that there's no real gravitas or urgency in his arc to make it worth cheering for. Yes, they add the little monkey wrench of fatherhood in the mix as Tessa Thompson's Bianca becomes pregnant with their child, but it never feels like Creed actually needs to win. In fact, it feels quite the opposite.
Poor Viktor Drago is living in the butt end of Kiev, in the freezing suburbs with a father who trains him relentlessly towards some form of vicarious redemption. Literally poor, Viktor is a more sympathetic arch nemesis than his father ever was. Whereas Ivan Drago was shown to train using the most advanced facilities and technologies of 1985, Viktor is made to run the icy streets of the Ukraine being chased by his father in a beat-up pickup truck. With Adonis and Bianca living a sweet life in a lovely little loft in L.A., it never feels like Creed is the underdog, regardless of how menacing and powerful Viktor is shown to be. It's also extremely odd and purely theatrical for an unheralded fighter to simply call out the world champion and demand a match.
Steven Caple, Jr., who directed street-crime drama The Land in 2016, infuses Creed II with some thrilling moments while paying homage to its predecessor. Fans of the Rocky franchise will recognize the clever use of punching the rib cage. It's a poetic twist as Rocky Balboa in 1985 figured out Ivan Drago's proverbial Achilles heel in the form of a weak flank. Adonis Creed also has a training montage that echoes Rocky's low-tech program in a log cabin. It's deeply reverential of the source material and fans will be pleased at the little things like Creed and Drago's boxing shorts harkening back to the old films.
Even Brigitte Nielsen, the ex-Mrs. Stallone who played Ivan Drago's wife in Rocky IV, makes an important cameo. Nielsen's role is so important that it explains in a nutshell why Ivan is such a crappy father and why Viktor's story arc is far more interesting than Creed's. Ironically, the depth of his antagonist's backstory is what makes Adonis Creed's story so uninteresting. This goes towards Stallone and co-writer Cheo Hodari Coker's credit for making a great villain, but also against them for not recognizing that Creed II might actually have been better off as Drago I. Coker, the showrunner for Netflix's Luke Cage, is adept at bringing compelling villains to life and does a good job at fleshing out Viktor Drago with what little screen time he has.
There's only something terribly egregious in the way Creed II handles the last bout, as it's just not smart fighting and boxing fans might be upset at just how it ends. There's a twist in the ending that redeems both Rocky and Ivan Drago, bringing Apollo Creed and Ivan Drago's entwined fates to a satisfying, if surprising close. The film ties up some loose ends and closes open wounds left from the past films, freeing up the future for Adonis Creed to go in bold new directions.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Spots
Creed II opens in cinemas on November 28.
Photos courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.
Creed II Movie Review Creed
The Director of Home Alone Is Back With a New Christmas Flick
Comedy Movie Ang Pangarap Kong Holdap Can't Get Cinema Slots Because of Its Title


Lawsuit alleges Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 HD trucks can't handle diesel fuel.
January 7, 2019 — A GM class-action lawsuit alleges Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500 HD and GMC Sierra 2500 and 3500 HD diesel trucks are equipped with defective Bosch CP4 fuel pumps that aren't compatible with U.S. diesel fuel.
According to the lawsuit, California and Texas owners of the 2011-2016 diesel trucks are at risk of paying thousands of dollars to repair the 6.6-liter V-8 turbocharged Duramax vehicles.
The General Motors class-action lawsuit was filed by two plaintiffs who claim the Bosch CP4 fuel pumps were installed in the diesel trucks to save money because the pumps use less fuel by creating higher fuel pressures with less volume. However, the lawsuit alleges U.S. diesel fuel doesn't have enough lubrication to prevent the CP4 pumps from failing.
According to the plaintiffs, a failed fuel pump creates tiny metal particles that travel throughout the fuel system and leaves a drivers no choice but to replace the pump, fuel injectors, lines and the fuel rails. However, replacing one allegedly defective fuel pump with the same CP4 pump will cause future trips to a dealer for more repairs and replacements.
Plaintiff Jacqueline Bargstedt says she purchased a new 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 in Texas, but the check engine light came on in January 2017 when the truck had about 107,000 on the odometer. Although the lawsuit doesn't specify what went wrong with the truck, the plaintiff says the dealership refused to cover anything under warranty.
Bargstedt claims she spent more than $10,000 for repairs, but the lawsuit doesn't say what kind of repairs were made.
Plaintiff Calvin Smith says he bought a new 2012 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 in California and in October 2017 the fuel line failed from metal debris from the CP4 fuel pump. Smith claims his GM dealer told him many vehicles were suffering from the same fuel pump problems. In addition, the plaintiff says he had to pay about $4,500 for repairs due to the failed fuel pump.
The class-action alleges General Motors has known about the diesel fuel pump problems and how those alleged problems make the trucks far less valuable than they would be without the high-pressure CP4 pumps.
The lawsuit also alleges the Chevy and GMC trucks have issues because they don't have lift pumps that could possibly help supply fuel to the pumps. The fuel pumps must allegedly work harder without lift pumps, causing the wear and tear necessary to damage the pumps.
Additionally, the plaintiffs claim GM made a mistake by not installing a filter between the pump and injectors to block metal shavings from cruising through the fuel systems.
The lawsuit further alleges a diesel truck owner may be forced to pay $10,000 to get the truck roadworthy, unless cracked gears ram through the front timing cover. Damage like that, according to the plaintiffs, will send repair costs even higher.
Although the plaintiff's trucks allegedly suffered fuel pump failures when the trucks had more than 100,000 miles on them, the lawsuit alleges the CP4 pumps often fail at less than 50,000 miles. The lawsuit also says some GM trucks have made it less than 10,000 miles before the Bosch pumps failed.
The GM class-action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California - Calvin Smith and Jacqueline Bargstedt, et al., v. General Motors Company.
The plaintiffs are represented by the Gibbs Law Group.


Sriz Beauty Blog: My Envy Box November 2015 Edition Review!!!
Today I am reviewing My Envy Box November 2015 Edition,which I received two days back and after seeing last month's box,I was really looking forward for some wonderful products this month!!!Read on to know if it reached my expectations or not?
Lets See what I received in this Month's Box in detail : This time I received 5 sample products.
1) Bioderma Sensible H2O (3 X 10 ml) : Rs. 600/ 100 ml :: This was on my wish list from long time and finally I got a chance to try it.This is my favorite product from the box.
2) Derma Glow Perfecting Treatment (10 ml): Rs.990 for 10 ml :: I have heard about the brand before but never tried the products.I got this Derma glow perfecting treatment is meant for reducing hyper pigmentation and fine lines.This 10 ml will not be sufficient to know about its effect but this will try and let you know!
3) System Professional Luxeoil Reconstructive Elixir (2 X 2 ml) : INR 1249 for 30 ml:: This is a product from wella and this elixir provides instant and long lasting smoothness and is enriched with the goodness of Argan,Almond and jojoba oils.
4)Nimai handcrafted bracelet : I have checked their collection on Facebook and Instagram.All their products are extra ordinary except this bracelet.it is very normal and unfortunately I received a broken one,I some how managed to join it for taking photographs!
5) Roberto Cavalli Paradiso : This is a final product from this month's box and its a small vial.I received this before too and loved the fragrance and so no complaints on it.
Final Conclusion About 'My Envy Box' November 2015 Edition Box: This month's box has some wonderful products from amazing brands like SP,Bioderma,Derma glow but it would have been nice if they included a decent sized samples instead of tiny ones.


text:
Peter Sagan wins Stage 2 in Tour de France
SportsCycling
Philippe Lopez / Getty Images
Slovakia's Peter Sagan, left, celebrates after winning Stage 2 of the Tour de France between Mouilleron-Saint-Germain and La Roche-sur-Yon on Sunday in France.
LA ROCHE-SUR-YON, France — A year after leaving the Tour de France in disgrace, Peter Sagan earned the race's yellow jersey on Sunday after doing what he does best: Powering past the competition to reach the finish line.
The three-time defending world champion took the overall lead of the Tour on Sunday after he bettered about a dozen other sprinters to win Stage 2.
The Slovakian rider's ninth career win at the Tour came just over a year since he was disqualified from cycling's most prestigious event by race officials who ruled he had caused a crash that broke Mark Cavendish's shoulder.
Sagan, however, said there was no revenge factor in mind, and that just wearing yellow was reason enough to celebrate.
"Revenge? I already forgot about last year," Sagan said. "I'm just happy I can be in the Tour de France, the biggest race in the world."
Defending champion Chris Froome, who fell into a ditch near the end of Saturday's Stage 1, arrived safely with most of the peloton.
Boulder's Taylor Phinney finished 109th in Stage 2 and is 55th overall.
Sagan came up short in the opening stage's sprint when he crossed second behind Fernando Gaviria, who won on his Tour debut. And the second stage looked like it would feature another duel between the veteran Sagan and new star Gaviria.
But Gaviria was involved in a group pileup inside the three-kilometer zone that neutralizes the impact of accidents and could do nothing to stop Sagan from claiming a six-second overall lead.
"We expected some crashes in this tricky final and moved up early," said Enrico Poitschke, sports director of Sagan's Bora-Hansgrohe team. "This proved to be important as we were able to avoid the last crash. Everything turned out perfect."
Sagan moved to the front of the small bunch hunting for position, reaching a speed of 57.6 kph on the final 500 meters on his way to the finish line. With Sonny Colbrelli about to catch him, Sagan thrust forward to ensure victory.
"It was really a hard sprint. It was climbing a little bit in a headwind and already the last five kilometers were up and down. It was a mess," Sagan said. "I was a bit scared because Sonny was coming back strong."
Sagan won the mostly flat 113.4-mile leg from Mouilleron-Saint-Germain to the department capital of La Roche-sur-Yon in 4 hours, 6 minutes, 37 seconds.
Froome is 1:07 behind Sagan's leading time as he pursues a fifth Tour title. Despite being cleared of doping allegations on Monday, some skeptical fans have jeered the Kenyan-born British rider since his Sky team arrived in France.
Title contenders Vincenzo Nibali, Tom Dumoulin and Romain Bardet are 16 seconds behind Sagan, giving them an early advantage over Froome.
BMC's Richie Porte is level with Froome with their respective teams looking to do well on the upcoming team time trial.
Two-time runner-up Nairo Quintana is 1:31 back after he lost time following the puncture of both his tires near the end of Stage 1.
After the first stage that hugged the Atlantic coast, the race rolled inland through green pastures, forest groves and yellow wheat fields baked by the summer sun.
Sylvain Chavanel, who is making a record 18th Tour appearance, went on a long breakaway and soaked up the applause from the French fans before being absorbed with 13K left.
Ethiopia's Tsgabu Grmay became the first rider to abandon the race. His Trek-Segafredo team said he was suffering "intense abdominal pain." Astana climber Luis Leon Sanchez later called it quits after he fell and bloodied his left arm.
The Tour remains in western France for Stage 3 on Monday. The three-week Tour ends July 29 in Paris.
Riley Heasley, who inspired Longmont-area residents during a fight with a rare brain disease, dies at 10


text:
Q: best way to have a central database and remote can be portable I´m trying to do a system that has a central database in the office and if necessary I work in a copy of the database out of the office and when i return i update the client(s) record.
I have for each client a master table dataset client========>Local places of this client===> Equipment====>Report(variables).
so when I return I have to Update the master table Insert or update the other dependent tables.
client  (Edit)
Local places (Edit or Insert or Delete)
Equipment (Edit or Insert or Delete)
Report(variables)(Edit or Insert or Delete)

Thank´s

A: The TClientDataset component provided with Delphi should provide the capabilities you need for that.  Check the documentation for TClientDataset, especially the parts about using the "briefcase model" for temporary local storage of data.  It's almost exactly what you're describing.

A: In addition to Mason's suggestion (the TClientDataset) which is a very good idea, you could consider using NexusDB, I'm pretty sure it supports something called Replication, which basically involves syncing changes between multiple (local+ remote, or two offices with their own databases) databases.

A: I currently use Asta (TAstaClientDataset) to suitcase my data (in office / off office). astatech.com has demo and tutoriels to show (suitcase.dpr). Works nice and fast for any database system.

A: So the simple way to solve my problem is to delete and append new field´s each time i want to update my server database!
something like this
Sub_TRelFinal.Post;
end;
  ADOTable_casa_sub_1.First;
Sub_TRelFinal_1.DisableControls;
DBGridEh4.SelectedRows.SelectAll;
DBGridEh4.SelectedRows.Delete;
 while not ADOTable_casa_sub_1.Eof do begin
begin
 Sub_TRelFinal_1.enableControls;
 Sub_TRelFinal_1.append;

because my master record is the index of my image  folder  \picture\123..............
or is there a simples way?
Thank´s

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Dover officers searched a home Thursday and found crack, marijuana and suspected drug money before arresting two people inside, according to police.
Officers searched the home in the 100 Block of S. Governors Avenue and arrested Mark Matthews, 49, and Dominique Hampton, 21, after finding 5.4 grams of crack cocaine, 4.3 grams of marijuana, digital scales and $2,596 in drug proceeds, Dover police said.
Matthews was charged with possession of crack and intent to deliver it, second-degree conspiracy, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana and resisting arrest. He was sent to prison on $16,500 bond.
Hampton was charged with possession of crack and intent to deliver it, conspiracy, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of marijuana. She was released on a $15,500 unsecured bond.


A superbly detailed model which lends itself to so much extra detailing you may never want to finish it.
Due to the nature of the subject there is lots of scope for weathering. These ships served long and under harsh conditions, and when completed the model looks so real you can almost smell the salt air! A fantastic nostalgic subject that will be the pride of place in any fleet.
An Armed Drifter of the First and Second World War periods. literally hundreds of these Steel or Wooden vessels were taken into The Royal Navy Auxiliary Service and converted in yards around the country. Given light armaments and manned by a mixture of raw hostilities only ratings and experienced fishermen they carried out many duties, as Tenders, Harbour Defence, Minesweeping etc. Ours is of a Steel Minesweeper and is from the yard drawings of Alexander Hall of Aberdeen.


At Echeverri Dental Center, we know that your children and their health is your top priority. We care deeply about meeting your child's oral health needs, and we've designed our office to be positive and family friendly.
We know that if your child receives quality treatment in a safe and compassionate office, they'll be more likely to continue to see the dentist as an adult. These first visits are also crucial in helping your son or daughter maintain good oral hygiene habits throughout their lifetime.
Pediatric specialists Drs. Elsa Echeverri and Charbel Saba have each received additional training in order to provide dental care for infants, children, and adolescents, including patients with special health care needs. Dr. Mildred Kendrick is also highly qualified, as a general dentist who has treated children exclusively since 1996. Our doctors are uniquely qualified to treat your child, teen, or infant.
As parents ourselves, we understand the importance of preserving and promoting your child's health. It's our mission to prevent cavities and oral health problems before they occur, so that we minimize the cost and care needed for your child. We provide a host of pediatric care services including dental sealants, fluoride treatments, orthodontics, and education.
We'll talk to your child and teen about ways they can keep their teeth healthy and strong. We'll also show them how to brush and floss and emphasize the importance of a healthy diet. Additionally, we invite you as the parent to accompany your child for each step of the visit, so that they feel comfortable and safe.
If you have a little one who needs a dental check-up, Echeverri Dental Center is the office for you. Give us a call to set up an appointment. Our friendly staff can also answer any questions you may have.


By Poliform Soft look and extraordinary wideness: a proposal by Paola Navone, with two different versions for the back. An informal way to interpret geometric lines, an over lock sewing characterizes the cover.
By Poliform Freedom of composition and great comfort, a system of sofas by Carlo Colombo characterized by a modern and essential style.


text:
namespace NVelocity.Runtime.Directive
{
    using Context;
    using Parser.Node;

    ///  A very simple directive that leverages the Node.literal()
    /// to grab the literal rendition of a node. We basically
    /// grab the literal value on Init(), then repeatedly use
    /// that during render().
    ///
    ///
    /// <author>  Jason van Zyl
    /// </author>
    /// <version>  $Id: Literal.java 471381 2006-11-05 08:56:58Z wglass $
    /// </version>
    public class Literal : Directive
    {
        ///  Return type of this directive.
        /// <returns> The type of this directive.
        /// </returns>
        override public int Type
        {
            get
            {
                return NVelocity.Runtime.Directive.DirectiveType.BLOCK;
            }

        }
        internal string literalText;

        ///  Return name of this directive.
        /// <returns> The name of this directive.
        /// </returns>
        public override string Name
        {
            get
            {
                return "literal";
            }
        }

        ///  Store the literal rendition of a node using
        /// the Node.literal().
        ///
        /// <param name="rs">
        /// </param>
        /// <param name="context">
        /// </param>
        /// <param name="node">
        /// </param>
        /// <throws>  TemplateInitException </throws>
        public override void Init(IRuntimeServices rs, IInternalContextAdapter context, INode node)
        {
            base.Init(rs, context, node);

            literalText = node.GetChild(0).Literal;
        }

        ///  Throw the literal rendition of the block between
        /// #literal()/#end into the writer.
        ///
        /// <param name="context">
        /// </param>
        /// <param name="writer">
        /// </param>
        /// <param name="node">
        /// </param>
        /// <returns> True if the directive rendered successfully.
        /// </returns>
        /// <throws>  IOException </throws>
        public override bool Render(IInternalContextAdapter context, System.IO.TextWriter writer, INode node)
        {
            writer.Write(literalText);
            return true;
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Public education has had its critics recently, and much of it is warranted. But there is hope. Watch the video below and prepare to feel the hope.
1) Challenge the status quo: Are the seats all in straight lines for the benefit of the students, or is it just the way it is? Substitute customer, stakeholder, relationship, etc. for your context. Be willing to not only ask this question, but ready to hear the answer.
2) Remember the why...: Is the purpose of school to pass standardized test? No, the students would rather make a difference. Isn't that move valuable? ...and leave the how up in the air: Give up some control and prepare to be surprised.
3) Why ask the students for their input? Because they are people too, not widgets in an educational factory. And they want to make the world better for other humans.
4) Filter your inner critic: Make it yes and... instead of yeah, but... Lots of people are worried about how to make people more innovative and creative. The thing is that people are naturally that way, it's just that school and work crush it out of them. It's easy to crush. Please don't do it.
What lessons did you get from this video?


This natural twig garland is a 1/2" diameter. Use to decorate a banister, mantel, around your door or around furniture as a decorative accent! Great for craft and decorative painting projects. Add berries, lights, floral decor, or add whatever you want seasonally!
Picture shown decorated with brown cord lights and wispy pip berry garland.


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This is the News Single Layout page. This element exists only to be referenced in JS
Justice and Legal
Honourable Senator Garth Lucien Wilkin was sworn in as the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs of the new Cabinet of the Government of St Kitts and Nevis on 13th August 2022 during an official ceremony held at Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts.
A Kittitian by birth, the Attorney-General is admitted to practice in St Kitts & Nevis, Anguilla, Montserrat and Antigua & Barbuda. His areas of expertise include General Commercial Litigation, Banking, Insurance, Construction Litigation & Arbitration, Injunctive Relief Litigation, Employment Law and Environmental Law.
During his time reading Law, the Attorney-General was awarded four prizes for placing first in his class: the Joseph Archibald QC Prize (Alternative Dispute Resolution), the Michael March Memorial Prize (Remedies), the Hon. Mr Justice Kenneth Smith, OJ Prize (Trial Advocacy) and the coveted Chairman's Prize (Evidence, Forensic Medicine, Civil Procedure II, Remedies).
During his first three years of practice, Mr. Wilkin acted as Crown Counsel Prosecutor in the High Courts of St Kitts, Nevis, and Anguilla. Prior to his appointment as Attorney General, he served as the President of the St Kitts & Nevis Bar Association; on the Management Council of the Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park Society; and on the Board of Directors for Federation Media Group Limited, an independent media company operating as WINN Media SKN/WINN FM.
The Attorney-General is also an avid sportsman having represented St Kitts at cricket, Virginia Tech at table tennis and Harrison College (Barbados) at cricket, track and field, tennis, and table tennis. He still plays tennis and football regularly.
Honourable Senator Garth Lucien Wilkin was sworn in as the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs of the new Cabinet of the Government of St Kitts and Nevis on 13th August 2022 during an official ceremony held at Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts. The new Cabinet, appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister Honourable Dr Terrance Drew, political leader of the St Kitts Nevis Labour Party, was sworn in following the party's success at the polls in the August 5th General Elections.
The Federation's newest Attorney-General has an impressive background within the legal fraternity. A Kittitian by birth, the Attorney-General is admitted to practice in St Kitts & Nevis, Anguilla, Montserrat and Antigua & Barbuda. His areas of expertise during his practice with the oldest law firm in St Kitts and Nevis, Kelsick, Wilkin & Ferdinand, included General Commercial Litigation, Banking, Insurance, Construction Litigation & Arbitration, Injunctive Relief Litigation, Employment Law and Environmental Law.
The Attorney-General holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (Cum Laude) from Virginia Tech, a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from the University of the West Indies Cave Hill and a Legal Education Certificate from the Norman Manley Law School, where he graduated as a member of the Principal's Roll of Honour.
During his time reading Law, the Attorney-General was awarded four prizes for placing first in his class: the Joseph Archibald QC Prize (Alternative Dispute Resolution), the Michael March Memorial Prize (Remedies), the Hon. Mr Justice Kenneth Smith, OJ Prize (Trial Advocacy) and the coveted Chairman's Prize (Evidence, Forensic Medicine, Civil Procedure II, Remedies). Being an ardent mooter, he represented the University of the West Indies at the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition in Washington DC (2008) and the Norman Manley Law School at the Margaret Forte Memorial Inter-Schools Mooting Competition in Trinidad and The Bahamas (2010). His article entitled: "The Doctrine of Legitimate Expectations: Its Development as a Fetter on Administrative Action in the Commonwealth Caribbean" was published in the UWI Student Law Review (March/April 2008).
During his first three years of practice, Mr. Wilkin acted as Crown Counsel Prosecutor in the High Courts of St Kitts, Nevis, and Anguilla. Prior to his appointment as Attorney General, he served as the President of the St Kitts & Nevis Bar Association; on the Management Council of the Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park Society; and on the Board of Directors for Federation Media Group Limited, an independent media company operating as WINN Media SKN/WINN FM. He still serves as the Cricket West Indies representative on the Cricket Tournament Committee of the Caribbean Premier League.
The management and staff of the Attorney-General's Chambers and the Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs look forward to the new leadership of Honourable Senator Garth Lucien Wilkin.


Some people reading this might think it tasteless to compare the number of people who have died while going through the Atos/DWP assessment process for Employment and Support Allowance with the number of soldiers who have given their lives for their country in Afghanistan. I don't.
Consider the outpouring of sorrow that takes place when one of our soldiers dies. They deserve that recognition; they have made the ultimate sacrifice.
Sick and disabled people who have died because our bullying government's assessment system caused more stress than their weakened system could handle – they don't get that kind of recognition. Perhaps it's because it is an action of their own government that is killing them.
According to the BBC, by October 30 this year, the total number of British soldiers who had died in Afghanistan since military operations began there in 2002 was 437.
That's equivalent to the number of sick or disabled people who die – while going through the Atos/DWP work capability assessment system (or as a result of going through it) – every six weeks.
Not only does this group get people killed by their wca assessments.It also threatens sites which challenges them.
Kudos to you,for having the heart,and guts to speak out.
Evil exists when good men do nothing.Thanks for shining a light in a dark corner.A beacon of hope.
Whilst I appreciate what is said, there is a missing point here about soldiers. Soldiers injured in conflict either physical and/or mentally make up a large portion of today's disabled,not only that, they are abandoned by the MOD within weeks. they go through a similar process as ATOS with the MOD in a vain attempt to obtain justified compensation or pensions. The MOD put virtually unsurmountable obstacles in their way, forcing to go through appeals processes for years and years. I my self fought for five years, despite a mountain of written evidence from DRs and Consultants. Then when by back paid pensions arrived the DSS took two thirds of it. Then in order to get incapacity I had to do the ATOS thing. So we do double the process and wait years for payment and made to appear as criminals for daring to apply for compensation/pensions which at maximium is a £100 a week. Soldiers disabilities are so traumatic that they are never temporary, but because of our training we dont lie around we try and defy society and achieve. (that is no slur on you civvies, but we are different).
Thank you very much indeed for that, Mr Hawkins; you are absolutely right.
I was not aware of the process that ex-soldiers have to undergo; now that I am, I sympathise strongly with you.
It's yet another aspect of an increasingly horrifying situation.
No offence but what makes you think 'us civvies' lie around ?


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Ambroise Louis Garneray (Parijs, 19 februari 1783 – aldaar, 11 september 1857) was een Franse zeerover, kunstschilder en schrijver. Hij diende onder Robert Surcouf en Jean-Marie Dutertre en werd door de Britten gedurende acht jaar gevangen gehouden.

Levensloop als zeeman
Garneray werd geboren in de Rue Saint-André des Arts, in het Quartier Latin. Hij was de oudste zoon van Jean-François Garneray (1755–1837), hofschilder en leerling van Jacques-Louis David. Toen hij dertien was werd hij aangemoedigd door een neef om dienst te nemen bij de marine. Zijn neef was commandant van het fregat de Forte. Garneray zeilde van Rochefort naar de Indische Oceaan met de Forte. Garneray nam deel aan verschillende acties van dat flottielje en was ooggetuige van de ontberingen tijdens hun gevechten met de Engelse Arrogant en Victorious. In 1798 deed Garneray dienst op het korvet Brûle Gueule en in 1799 als kwartiermeester aan boord van het fregat Preneuse. De Preneuse was de laatste officiële Franse strijdmacht in de Indische Oceaan. Op hun terugweg naar Mauritius had de bemanning te lijden van scheurbuik. Zij geraakten in Engelse gevangenschap maar Garneray kon ontsnappen.

Wegens gebrek aan schepen van de Franse marine monsterde Garneray aan als vaandrig op de Confiance van Surcouf, van april tot december 1800. Hij nam deel aan de entering van de Kent in oktober 1800. Het was de enige keer dat hij geld verdiende als zeeman. Hij investeerde het geld in een schip dat zijn inkomsten zocht in slavenhandel, L'Union, waarop hij dienstdeed als eerste officier.

Hij zeilde op een aantal koopvaardijschepen gedurende de vrede van Amiens, onder meer op de Pinson. Hij verving de kapitein toen die overleed en leed even later schipbreuk. Garneray nam dan dienst op het piratenschip Tigre du Bengale en op de Belle Poule. Hij geraakte opnieuw in Engelse gevangenschap en sleet acht jaar in een gevangenisschepen voor de kust van Portsmouth - de Protée, de Couronne en de Vengeance. Hij kon zijn leven aangenamer maken door schilderijen te verkopen aan een Engelse koopman.

Garneray als schilder
Garneray werd vrijgelaten op 18 mei 1814 maar vond geen werk in de koopvaardij. Hij verbleef in Parijs en legde zich verder toe op de schilderkunst. Waarschijnlijk dankzij zijn broer die zelf schilder was en die banden had met de entourage van Napoleon I kreeg hij zijn eerste officiële opdracht: La rencontre de l'Inconstant et du Zéphir, een anekdote uit Napoleons terugkeer uit Elba. Hij leverde dat werk pas af in 1834 omwille van het politieke klimaat tijdens de restauratie van de Bourbons. Hij schilderde De landing van de Franse emigranten te Quiberon dat werd tentoongesteld op het Parijse salon van 1815. Vanaf dan bezocht Garneray ieder jaar het salon.

Garneray werd in dienst genomen door Lodewijk Anton van Bourbon, de hertog van Angoulême die destijds admiraal van Frankrijk was en later troonpretendent. Hij werd in 1817 door hem officieel benoemd als schilder. Hij kreeg als eerste de post van Peintre de la Marine (schilder van de zeemacht).

Het museum van Rouen benoemde Garneray in 1833 tot directeur en later had hij in functie in de Manufacture nationale de Sèvres. Hij ontwikkelde de techniek van de aquatint en werd een bekend graveur. In de jaren na 1840 taande zijn faam; hij verloor de meeste van zijn politieke vrienden en viel in armoede. Tijdens de aanloop naar het regime van Napoleon III nam hij deel aan de mislukte staatsgreep in Straatsburg. Zijn ster rees weer kortstondig tijdens het begin van het tweede Franse keizerrijk. Hij ontving in 1852 het Legioen van Eer uit handen van de keizer.

Garneray had hoe langer hoe meer last van tremor hetgeen zijn werk als kunstenaar bemoeilijkte. Hij stierf in 1857 in Parijs, een paar maanden voor zijn vrouw in mysterieuze omstandigheden werd vermoord. Garneray werd begraven op het kerkhof van Montmartre. Een vriend versierde zijn grafsteen met een schilderspalet, een scheepsmast en het Legioen van Eer.

Marineschilder
Frans kunstschilder


In 2017, REI used buyer history, browsing recommendations and local weather reports to create a highly-personalized ad campaign to target certain consumer markets based on geography. In an attempt to make REI relevant and personalized to people in different locations across the U.S., the brand created ads for individual users to get them excited for REI-sponsored events, classes or activities. For example, if a customer lives in Colorado, it's currently snowing, and REI knows he snowboards, the brand will send him relevant programming, content or products. REI shows events near shoppers' geolocations and sends emails containing the type of high-quality, in-house content customers indicate in their interest filters. In 2017, REI reportedly earned $2.5 billion in revenue, and it donated 70% of it to causes that get people outdoors.
REI showcases its specialty -- expertise -- on its expansive product pages, including "the nitty gritty," tech specs and more. REI also incorporates both collaborative filtering recommendations and product-based recommendations, using information collected at sign-up in tandem with data from current browsing session.
REI's easy-to-use mobile shopping app is fully customizable to your interests and uses geolocation to promote events near you. When you access the home screen, you'll be able to choose topics and content that you prefer so interests remain front and center during your experience. Additional apps built by REI reinforce the brand's mission to inspire, educate, and outfit. Consumers can download apps for national parks, hiking, mountain biking, snow sports, trail running, and more.
REI's strategy is accessible across all channels so consumers can truly enjoy the great outdoors. REI streamlines its quality content, product recommendations and event suggestions across every platform. Its shopping app is connected to site, so that if an item is added to your cart via the app, it is reflected onsite. The brand could take this further by connecting exploration apps to product recommendations found in the shopping app and overall shopping experience.


Please suggest people to follow--radical librarians, independent journalists and alternative news sites, etc. n.b. I expect that we'll follow selectively, not comprehensively, cuz that's the kind of librarian I personally am. Then again, it's a shared account, so who knows what craziness will transpire?
More news once we get Drupal and Twitter talking.


Highview is the place to fall in love! Our private woods have been the place of romantic picnics and proposal. Weddings are popular here because of the grand dinning room and large gathering places. The baby grand piano carries through the whole house. If you're a budding romance or a platinum anniversary couple, we welcome you here!


text: xc =a =make RFSafety.mod -prj=RFSafety.prj


As you guys are aware I try to eat and live chemical free. One of the items that seems to be my most difficult to really like is my makeup. So when I was asked to give benecos a try I jumped at the chance to give a new makeup a try.
I received a liquid foundation - eye shadow - lip stick. I must say I am impressed. So impressed that I have been sharing the name benecos with all my green friends. Even my non-green friends are interested in the foundation.
The foundation goes on very smoothly. A small amount goes a long way. I found the Honey shade of the Flawless Face Matte Foundation very easy to blend into my skin color around my hairline and my neck. I have very sensitive skin - no irritation at all from the foundation. I have been using the foundation for over a week and I am reaction free.
I think Benecos makes my skin look smoother and even toned. Very lightweight and goes on very easily after my moisturizer.
Foundation is for all skin types, including oily and blemish-prone as well as dry or mature.
Honey is your shade if you have medium to olive toned skin with a nice warm glow.
Caramel works beautifully for very deep golden to darker olive toned skin.
Need help finding the right foundation for you? Its not impossible to choose the right color online. You're only 3 questions away from CHOOSING THE PERFECT FOUNDATION!
•Natural minerals provide the naturally beautiful shades.
I also received a Natural Matte Eye shadow which I also love and a Natural Lipstick.
Everything I have tried has been excellent quality and has caused no skin issues. All natural!
benecos will be my brand of choice for all my makeup needs.
You need to give benecos a try.
"good for you is always expense"


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Climate Change: implications for town planning
Part 2 of a 2 part series by Professor Michael Collins
The Planning (Scotland) Act 2019
The purposes of planning are to manage the development and use of land in the public interest, contribute to sustainability, contribute to all the national outcomes which include meeting the targets set out in the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009. Both the National Planning Framework (NPF) and local development plans (LDPS) are to include policies for energy supply systems and ensure that sufficient land is available to accommodate renewable energy facilities. The importance that is now attached to community empowerment, climate justice, a flexible economy, society's support systems, the natural environment, coastal and marine environment poses a major challenge to both the Scottish town planning system and the planning authorities who are responsible for the exercise of planning control and influence over development.
Scottish Planning Policy (SPP)
The SPP plays an important role in promoting the consistent application of planning policy over the whole of Scotland. It focusses on the preparation of development plans, the design of development from the initial concept through its delivery at either the determination of a planning application or an appeal. Until recently it sat alongside the National Planning Framework (NPF) which provides the spatial framework for Scotland's long-term spatial development. In future it will be incorporated in the NPF which will take on an enhanced status as part of the statutory development plan.
The National Planning Framework (NPF)
The NPF is a long-term plan for Scotland which sets out where development and infrastructure is needed to support sustainable and inclusive growth. For the first time it will include both spatial and thematic policies. It will have to seek 'alignment' with the desired outcomes set out in the National Performance Framework which uses a broad range of economic, health, social and environmental indicators to measure national well-being. The views of a wide range of stakeholders, are now being sought on the content of NPF4. Research has already been commissioned on rural planning policy to 2050, and agreement has been reached to commission research on lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions, low car neighbourhoods, planning for air quality, and blue and green infrastructure. It has also been agreed that Section 3F of the Town and Country (Scotland) Act 1997, which states that development plans must include policies that require all new buildings must install either low or zero-rated carbon technologies in order to , must avoid a specified increase in gas emissions.
Fife Council's Response to Climate Change
In 2013, when work commenced on the preparation of the Fife Local Development Plan, the second report on meeting emissions reductions targets (NPF3) confirmed that the planning system had an important role to play in promoting sustainable development, the adaptation to climate change and the mitigation of its affects. The reduction of emissions continues to be a major consideration in the planning system's promotion of sustainable places.
The Fife Local Development Plan
The FIFEplan is comprised of a strategy which outlines what the plan seeks to achieve over a ten -year period, policies for the development and use of land, and proposals for towns and villages. The Policy Guidance explains that Policy 1 is a 'gateway' policy which sets out the development principles that will be used to determine the acceptability of development proposals. Policies 2-14 provide detailed information on specific topics and relate to at least one of the development principles. The following policies were based on government guidance on climate change which has progressed considerably since this plan was prepared:
Policy 1 Development Principles. Part C 8 Contribute to achieving the area's full potential for electricity and heat from renewable sources in line with national targets, giving due regard to relevant environmental, community and cumulative considerations.
Policy 3 Infrastructure and Services. Low carbon and zero carbon generating technologies should be used in accordance with Policy 11 Low Carbon Fife. The planning system must support transformational changes to a low carbon economy.
Policy 10 Amenity. Development proposals that breach National Air Quality Standards or a significant increase in concentrations of air pollution within an Air Quality Management Area will not be supported. It also lists the factors that need to be taken into account, such as traffic movements, which may contribute greenhouse gas emissions.
Policy 11. Low Carbon Fife. The Council contributes to the Carbon Change (Scotland) Act 2009 targets of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% by 2050. It includesa range of requirements that have to be met before planning permission is granted for new buildings, low carbon energy schemes, district heating, onshore wind energy, solar arrays, energy from waste, and microgeneration.
Further information is provided in the following Supplementary Guidance publications:
Making Fife's Places- Supplementary Guidance, August 2018.
Provides further information on the application of Policies 1, 3 and 11 when determining planning applications, and cites the social, economic and environmental benefits of design. The environmental benefits include its role in mitigating the effects of climate change , e.g. reducing CO2 emissions, air and water pollution, overheating in urban areas, and the use of trees and vegetation to provide carbon storage.
Low Carbon Fife. Supplementary Guidance (January 2019).
Explains the role of FIFEplan policies 10 and 11 when assessing all types of low energy applications. It provides detailed guidance on compliance with CO2 emission reduction targets, district heating requirements, the spatial framework for onshore and offshore frameworks for wind turbines, and air quality development guidelines.
The Scottish Planning System
The Planning and Architecture Directorate should attach more importance to restoring public trust in the planning system and spend less time on seeking to make the operation of the planning system quicker and simpler. More attention needs to be paid to evaluating the long term economic, environmental and social outcomes of the development control decisions made by planning authorities, with special attention to their impact on biodiversity, greenhouse emissions and existing carbon capture potential. Planning Authorities need to know that if they refuse planning permission for development which increases local greenhouse gas emissions and or reduces existing carbon capture trees and vegetation, these decisions will be supported at any subsequent appeal. Perhaps the provision of carbon capture measures should be deemed an important material planning consideration and planning obligation requirement.
Fife Council
The Council has adopted a wide range of planning policies which include measures to meet the challenges posed by climate change. The effectiveness of these measure will depend on the importance that is attached to them by planning staff when determining planning applications, by the Councillors when deciding whether or not to grant planning permission, and the Directorate for Planning and Environmental Appeals staff who decide whether to uphold or dismiss appeals. Fairly recently the N E Fife Planning Committee rejected the advice of the planning officers who recommended that planning permission should be granted for the proposed developments at 92 Hepburn Gardens and Abbey Park in St Andrews. So far two Hepburn Gardens appeals have been rejected and the Abbey Park appeal decision is expected in March. A recent study that over half of Fife's 47 Sites of Scientific Interest are in an unfavourable condition (see Herald News 24th January 2020). This suggests that more importance needs to be paid to the relevant rural planning policies in the approved FIFEplan.
A Postscript
The climate change debate continues to evolve and extend current thinking on a wide range of issues. For example, the National Climate Change Policy Committee's Design Group has recommended that future infrastructure projects must embrace the following four design principles to satisfy both Net-Zero and People Concerns:
Climate – able to adapt to climate change.
People – human scale to improve local quality of life'
Places – engender a sense of community
Value – add additional value beyond the project's purpose.
It will inevitably take time for the current research findings and related advice to become part of the Scottish Government's political agenda and feed into the advice that planning authorities receive. This will be a slow process which is unlikely to keep pace with climate change.
Click here to go to Part 1 of the series
Tags Fife Council, Fife Local Development Plan, The National Planning Framework (NPF), The Planning (Scotland) Act 2019
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Finance, Cotonou and women set to dominate European Development Days
By Benjamin Fox | EURACTIV.com
[Riccardo Mayer/Shutterstock]
Languages: Français | Deutsch
This article is part of our special report Building partnerships: international development and sustainable business.
As far as global development goes, few events can match the reach of European Development Days, whose Brussels edition will gather 8,000 development policy professionals this week.
It's small wonder that its supporters call it the 'Davos of development', as it will bring together a handful of European Commissioners, four African presidents, the UN's top brass and the development NGO and business communities.
The attending heads of state will include Rwandan President Paul Kagamé; Burkina Faso's Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou, and recently elected President of Liberia, George Weah. The UN's delegation will be headed by Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed.
The theme of this year's EDD is 'Women and Girls at the Forefront of Sustainable Development: protect, empower, invest'.
But there will be plenty other issues on tap, from the EU's next seven-year budget and the migration crisis to the upcoming negotiations on a revised Cotonou Agreement between the EU and African, Caribbean and Pacific community
Gender equality and women's empowerment is integral to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development agreed by the international community and to each of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agreed in 2015.
"There can be no sustainable development if half of the world's population is left behind. We need equal participation and leadership of women and girls in all spheres of life – both in Europe and in the world," said European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who will open the EDDs on Tuesday morning (5 June).
Development policy in Brussels will be dominated by the talks on the next EU multi-annual financial framework. Most development NGOs were left underwhelmed by the Commission's MFF announcement in May.
Budget downgrades EU aid policy, say development experts
Development NGOs were united in criticising the European Commission's proposed changes to the bloc's external spending on Wednesday (2 May), warning that it effectively downgraded aid policy.
The budget of €123 billion to cover all of the EU's external priorities for 2020-2027 was slightly higher than many expected, but it is unclear how much will be allocated to development spending. "We will have significant additional resources," a senior EU official said.
"The current structure is clearly unfit for purpose and we need more flexibility so that the EU and member states can finance short-term crises, but we can't be robbing Peter to pay Paul," Emily Wigens, Interim Brussels director for ONE, told EURACTIV.
"We want an instrument on human security and migration and sustainable development," she added.
There are also concerns about the EU executive's plan to merge its twelve existing external policy instruments into one.
The Commission also plans to integrate its European Development Fund into the EU budget. All are set to be hot topics of conversation in the panels and on the margins of the EDD.
The successor to Cotonou will be the focus of attention on Tuesday morning (5 June) at a panel featuring DG DEVCO director-general Stefano Manservisi, alongside the foreign minister of Togo, Robert Dussey and the secretary general of the ACP, Patrick Gomes.
Who pays for financing development, meanwhile, remains an everpresent theme.
With levels of development aid stagnant at just over 0.4% of GNI, and little political appetite to hit the UN-agreed 0.7% target, the international donor community wants the private sector to plug the financing gap.
The European Commission has proposed an expansion of its European Fund for Sustainable Investment (EFSI) – which seeks to use EU budget guarantees to leverage private sector investment in development projects in the MFF – and is set to unveil its legislative proposals on 14 June.
This is a source of significant concern for many NGOs. Last month, a group of development NGOs issued an open letter to EU lawmakers expressing their concerns about EFSI.
"There are justified concerns from civil society organisations," a senior Commission official told EURACTIV.
The European Investment Bank (EIB), which manages EFSI, has emerged as a major player in EU development policy in recent years. The Luxembourg-based EIB has promised to design its programmes to ensure equal access by women and men; and target women's economic empowerment.
Meanwhile, the EIB's vice-President responsible for gender, former Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb, has mooted the possibility of the EIB being responsible for managing a new EU development finance institution.
Migration control, which has become a common theme linking much of the EU's development policy, will also be a hot topic, as it becomes increasingly clear the EU will ramp up the budget for controlling its external borders and keeping migrants outside.
The International Organisation for Migration's Deputy Director General Laura Thompson will lead a panel on women and migration on 6 June (Wednesday), and the IOM will host another debate on the reintegration of migrants in West Africa.
EU Development Days
EU migration policy
Multi-Annual Financial Framework (MFF)
Post-Cotonou
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Texas teen Dayzee knows she's an outsider; to her, being in foster care is proof that mainstream society doesn't want her. She reinvents herself as a punk and finds friends like her, people living on the margins of Dallas during the 1980s. After several failed placements, Dayzee runs away from the foster-care system and lives the life of a homeless teen. But when she is attacked by skinheads, Dayzee knows she needs family.
So Dayzee moves in with her older sister, Mia, whose own emotionally scarred life has left her unprepared—and more than a little reluctant—to deal with the responsibility of looking after her rebellious younger sister. Dayzee tries to make the transition easier; she gets a job at a coffee shop and avoids selling drugs like her friends do. But before long Dayzee's loyalty is split between her two families: her sister and her group of outcasts. Dayzee will realize she can't have both—but not before her life takes an even darker turn.
Soon enough, Dayzee learns that appearances can be deceiving, that toughness is often a defense, that hope sometimes lies just beneath the surface, and that hope—once brought out into the light—can make a new path shine.