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Second Street services in High Street storefronts.
A little while back, in a meticulously photographed post on the blog Urban Indy, I noted many emergent urban main street corridors that fall short of their full potential for a single simple reason: they can't secure the optimal types of tenants. It was a challenging post, because I felt like I was taking two broad swipes. First, to some respondents, it seemed that I was knocking Massachusetts Avenue as whole, which had already made great strides in transforming from Indy's Skid Row in the 1980s to a pretty active mixed-use corridor (and it has improved considerably since 2013). Secondly, I criticized the type of tenants that I felt were unnecessarily hogging first-floor space: the law firms, insurance agents, architecture, realtors, and so forth—using storefronts that should go to retail.
Three years have passed, and the fundamentals to my argument remain valid, in my opinion. Not only do such law offices and accounting firms fail to capitalize on the expansive windows of that a main street like Massachusetts Avenue in Indianapolis has to offer (or any other main street for that matter), their operating hours are antithetical to the times when entertainment-based main streets thrive: evenings and weekends. And even during the regular business day, keeping those curtains open confers no benefits; it probably just creates annoying glare for the workers on their computers inside. A commercial main street that depends too heavily on these white-collar services is unlikely to attract the pedestrian traffic that one might expect if the tenants are mostly retail, or other options that offer clear sensory stimulation through the windows (restaurants, salons, escape rooms, tasting rooms). Obviously a truly diversified neighborhood needs law and insurance as much as any other services, but they can flourish just as easily on the second and third or nineteenth floors of office buildings. So why do we continue to see accounting firms occupying storefronts at pedestrian level?
It's a condition hardly unique to automobile-oriented Midwestern cities. South Philadelphia offers a similar example in the East Passyunk corridor.
When I was a student in Philly a little over a decade ago, this main street—only one northbound lane for the most part—was tired and neglected, hosting shops that were never in fashion even back when their kitschy signs were new. (I blogged about the infamous King of Jeans store a few years ago when the sign finally came down….several years after the store itself closed.) What else did East Passyunk offer? Locksmiths, school uniforms, discount clothing, tax preparation, undistinguished pizza parlors. The mostly Italian-American neighborhood was by no means blighted, but the corridor was hardly the lifeblood it once might have been. Today, it's a completely different story.
It's one of the hottest neighborhoods in Philly, and a key factor in its appeal are the shops along this old trolley corridor—and originally a Native American trail—at a jaunty angle from the rest of South Philadelphia's strict grid. This atypical configuration results in a fair number of three-way intersections for East Passyunk, as well as some micro-plazas created from the residual triangles left when three streets don't align perfectly.
I've covered this neighborhood multiple times in the past, and upon each visit, the visual signals of old South Philly appear increasingly scarce, replaced by fashionable restaurants, mini-grocers, and other specialty shops. And now, it appears even the decades-old "A Man's Image" is preparing for closure.
Not only do retail corridors such as East Passyunk offer the most potent visual evidence of gentrification, they help galvanize it. Median home values in the formerly modest neighborhood have tripled in the last decade, and every month or so, another old-time storefront bites the dust, replaced by awnings and signage that manifest the much deeper pockets among newcomers. At this point, the juxtaposition of old and new is still obvious.
Until recently, East Passyunk seemed to have the national market cornered on school uniform shops. They're still abundant but not quite as ubiquitous as in the past. I suspect they're a byproduct of the many stable Italian-American families in the area, which, though rarely wealthy, still saved enough coin to avoid Philadelphia's troubled public school system by enrolling their children in one of the neighborhood's numerous Catholic schools that still mandate uniforms. (Then again, don't most public schools require uniforms as well?) Regardless, these old vendors of tasteful apparel stand cheek-by-jowl with hip cafés today.
The transformation of East Passyunk is likely to continue unabated, with costly, customized signage replacing the sun-blanched placards from days of yore. Most of the new merchants clearly target a demographic with considerable disposable income, and these tenants strive to enhance the foot traffic through carefully cultivated window displays, al fresco dining, or even a complete reinvention of a façade, like this fashionable newish restaurant:
But not every new tenant is primed to help East Passyunk return to its glory days as a vibrant corridor. As is the case along Massachusetts Avenue in Indianapolis, several of the tenants don't quite fit as comfortably into the mix.
That's right: it's a law firm. And not, surprisingly, on a Saturday afternoon, when most of Passyunk is bustling, it's closed.
Robert Brand Law embodies the predicament of wedging contemporary consumer culture in an urban form from yesteryear. It takes no amount of scrutiny to deduce that this law firm occupies a storefront originally designed for retail. Just look at those display windows.
But what in God's green earth is a law firm supposed to do with them? This office decided to place some art installations—because, obviously, something is better than nothing. But it's a good twenty square feet of underutilized space, because sidewalk appeal clearly isn't how a law office attracts new business. Nonetheless, this firm decided it wanted to occupy a first floor storefront along this prominent urban main street.
And who am I to begrudge Robert Brand and his staff? They have just as much right to a storefront as anyone else. But if the firm truly depended on visuals to lure new business, it would have come up with something a bit more arresting. After all, leasable space along Passyunk in this day and age cost serious money. Yet, despite the comparatively drab presentation, Robert Brand Law has apparently earned recognition for its artistry:
I have to give them credit: the lettering above the doorway offers a solid mid-century modern revival.
And the neighboring storefronts aren't likely to win any awards for that matter:
But at least they're open on Saturdays. Truth be told, much of the retail mix along East Passyunk hasn't happened quite as organically as one might think. The East Passyunk Avenue Business Improvement District has wielded tremendous influence. While the average Business Improvement District (BID) exacts modest fees from business owners within its jurisdiction to help promote, maintain and unify the streetscape, East Passyunk has deeper pockets and literally redevelops by buying the aging buildings, refurbishing them, then selling them to the tenants it feels are optimal for elevating the aggregate value of the corridor. My suspicion is that East Passyunk BID has helped harness what it sees as reliable prospective tenants who provide as diverse an array of goods and services as possible. The BID aims to minimize periods where storefronts are tenantless, which means that well-leveraged operations such as law firms may not dazzle the eye or add much vibrancy on a weekend, but they help contribute to the main street's overall business saturation. What the BID has achieved is particularly remarkable in that, to this day, East Passyunk has no national chains that I'm aware of—not even a Starbucks. Quite surprising, considering that chains are often most likely to afford these escalating rents.
And, to the credit of East Passyunk BID, one other factor failed to emerge from my initial criticism of FIRE (finance, insurance, real estate) businesses taking prominent storefonts: retail is in dire straits. None of my respondents on the original Urban Indy article managed to recognize how difficult it is to run a business selling durable goods from a storefront in this era of online shopping. Nor did I. But this challenge explains why truly great novelty commercial streets—like Passyunk Avenue and, to a lesser extent, Massachusetts Avenue in Indy (which does have a Starbucks)—must attract whatever they can to fill the vacancies. Despite the manifest renaissance of urban America, it isn't flourishing as a carbon copy of the old main street from 1920, when everyone ran their most utilitarian errands on streets like Passyunk. The thriving modern main street is more leisure-oriented and a lot more epicurean. More patrician too. Restaurants are a surefire bet in this foodie scene; so are salons and spas. But apparel? Specialty gifts? Increasingly hard to find. Meanwhile, the restaurants and salons that succeed—all while keeping good weekend and evening hours—are fundamentally service-oriented establishments. Just like the white-collar insurance agencies, accounting firms, architecture. And Robert Brand Law.
City: Philadelphia
Topic(s): facades, logos, main street, neighborhoods, retail, revitalization, signage, site selection, taste culture
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11 thoughts on "Second Street services in High Street storefronts."
Chris Barnett April 8, 2016 at 11:42 am
My student days in Philly were decades ago. Back then the only reason to venture onto Passyunk was a certain world famous eatery at 9th, which was always bustling at 2am. 🙂
AmericanDirt April 9, 2016 at 6:58 am
That "certain world famous eatery" is several blocks north of the area I just wrote about. And it (whichever you mean by "eatery") is still doing just fine…with the tourists. And, naturally, because the tourists flock there, the locals have long since given up, and most will swear by just about any other name for their cheesesteaks.
You can't find a cheesesteak stand on this section of East Passyunk. Nor would you find a Philly pretzel bakery. And the last "wudder ice" stand closed about a year ago. Even pizza is hard to find on East Passyunk. But you WILL find high-end Scandinavian dining, or a party/escape room that exclusively recreates the 1980s. The times are changin'.
Chris Barnett April 11, 2016 at 9:45 am
I know you were referring to the section further south, but in my Philly days all of South Philly was white ethnic, with undistinguished neighborhood serving storefronts on the shopping streets, and this has changed immensely since the late 70s. (I realized there were invisible boundaries throughout South Philly then, when I saw on opposite corners of the same intersection two different ethnic Catholic parishes. That's also an indication of why there were historically so many uniform stores in storefronts on the shopping streets.)
A cheesesteak from an old-fashioned (i.e. plain, workingman's) lunch truck or any old Italian hole-in-the-wall is probably the state of the art in Philly today, for actually eating a real, freshly made Philly cheesesteak. (As a quasi-native with lots of family in the area, I also avoid Pat's.) But back in the day it served a function like White Castle does in Indy, or Skyline in Cincinnati. It really was as depicted in "Rocky"…you could see folks from every walk of life there at midnight or 2am.
Steve Polston April 9, 2016 at 4:32 pm
Hi — another good post! I think you rightly describe the first-floor street-side situation. Epicurean is a delightful designation, as is FIRE — for what works and what sometimes is necessary to pay the cost of keeping these old buildings standing.
In my household in Indianapolis we marvel at some street-side storefronts that are so wrongly cast for today's tastes. Insurance agents and dry cleaners make the world go 'round, but the happy feet and mouths are for food and drink. Some new restaurants are so successful that they actually (gasp!) close one day a week, or don't open until 4 p.m. (shocking!) and have (OMG!) opened up second restaurants nearby as different expressions of the same brand. I've never seen a realtor open a similar service under a different name in the same block, or a dry cleaner open a tailoring shop across the street.
Thank you for always providing food for thought and refreshing observations.
AmericanDirt April 10, 2016 at 7:36 pm
Thanks, Steve for your astute observations, and you may be onto something with those restaurant operating hours. Sundays and Mondays seem to be the preferred days to close, since most eateries seem to drum up less business on those days. But I can't help but wonder if a place is actually more likely to open seven days a week after it has proven itself, rather than closing an extra day. For example, I noticed from last last time in Indy, the Virginia Avenue restaurant corridor features newcomers like Pioneer and Marrow, both of which close at least one day a week. Meanwhile, the more established Bluebeard is open seven days a week now, and can still do pretty solid business on a Sunday evening (as I learned firsthand). My guess is some of the other places have determined they can't generate a guaranteed profit on Sunday/Monday to justify opening…just a thought.
But it had never occurred to me what you suggested about the spinoff restaurants, and I think that's a brilliant observation that further justifies a retail/restaurant focus, as opposed to FIRE and architecture/engineering/etc. A restaurateur can cater to multiple tastes in a four-block space, with each one enjoying a profit without ever experiencing the drawback that comes from competition siphoning some of the business. The "restaurant row" that has emerged in many cities is probably just the latest variant on clustering economics. Correct me if I'm wrong: but aren't Mesh, Union 50 and Vida owned by the same guy? And each is about a 5-8 minute walk from the another? And didn't the owners of Silver in the City have a similar "___ in the City" store until a few years ago? I think retail can pull off the clustering just as well as restaurants, as long as the concept is sufficiently distinct. Conversely, accounting firms are unlikely to find a real incentive to open another variant on accounting in the same 'hood. Thanks for bringing this to my attention!
Eric, Cunningham Restaurant Group operates Mesh, Union 50, Vida, and Bru Burger on the east side of downtown Indy, as well as Cafe 251 in Capital Center. (Before Vida opened, there was an announced plan to have that location serve as a "test kitchen" for all the Cunningham brands).
At some point a company like Cunningham becomes a chain; I think they're past it. Stone Creek has six locations in two states, and Bru has four in three states. I agree that they're "mini-chains" or distinct brands, and they offer complementary variety within a destination neighborhood…but how is that (developmentally or economically speaking) really different than Applebee's, Chili's, O'Charley's, and Ruby Tuesday clustering in suburban mall locations?
The one difference I see is that the urban mini-chains do draw "destination dining" and also destination shopping from all over a metro area; it's highly unlikely that a Chatham Arch/Mass Ave/Lockerbie area resident will jump in a car and make a run to Ruby Tuesday's in Greenwood.
AmericanDirt April 14, 2016 at 12:26 am
Chris, I'm hardly the best judge as to when a restaurant replicates itself enough to become a bona fide chain. Certainly the handful of locations of Bru Burger hardly put it on par with a national brand like Applebee's, though that may be Cunningham's long-term aspirations…who knows. If Bru is a chain, then Mass Ave is dominated by chains. After all, both The Eagle and Bakersfield are expanding "concept dining" from a restaurateur in Cincinnati.
You make a good point in your final paragraph, and now matter how much a successful local business grows beyond its original location, these locations still feel homegrown, sufficiently "non-corporate", even if the idea for Mesh/Union 50/Vida/Bru came from a board room rather than a kitchen. I guess what distinguishes most Mass Ave restaurants from Ruby Tuesday is the same frame of reference we use when we support Meijer or Von Maur (or Boscov's out here by me) over Walmart and Macy's.
Chris Barnett April 14, 2016 at 10:33 am
Or Menard's over HD and Lowe's.
Defining "local" is tough. Defining "chain" is tough, similar to the trouble the Government has in defining "small business". But we usually know it when we see it, and sometimes "smaller chain" or "more local" is the break point.
It reminds me of a night out with a couple local food advocates on Mass Ave, debating (in a fun-exercise, reductio ad adsurdum sort of way) whether Sun King or Flat 12 was more local to the pub we were in…when both were not more than 5-10 minutes' walk.
Incidentally, just last night I was in Philly and ate at Barbuzzo, which is part of the family of restaurants co-owned by Marcie Turney and Valerie Safran, two of the city's star restaurateurs. Among their other operations: a chocolate shop, a gourmet food market, a housewares boutique, and 3 other restaurants. All of them are within a single block of 13th Street between Chestnut and Sansom. As Steve pointed out, their clustering has become different expressions of the same brand. And, while the brand may be taking on the expansion-minded ethos of a chain, there's still enough distinction (and only one location of each) that I get the impression most people in Philly still feel like they're all distinct mom-and-pop (or mom-and-mama) restaurants.
Naomi April 9, 2016 at 7:31 pm
Wonder if you heard about this?
http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/the-insider/Barcelona-wine-bar-East-Passyunk-A-Mans-Image.html
I hadn't Naomi–thanks for bringing it to my attention. Looks like East Passyunk might be succumbing to its first national chain…god forbid. But, as I noted, I suspect the East Passyunk BID's influence is the only reason it hasn't happened already. Rents have got to be pretty steep in the area…exactly the sort of thing that attracts a Starbucks, a Shake Shack, or some other proven brand with a whole lot more equity than your average hepcat just out of culinary school. It may very well be that the "Man's Image" store was too big of a space for the local experimental restaurant scene, so they had to get a chain. But at least they found a small, edgy one… I appreciate the observation.


In the last 10 years, heated flooring systems have moved from a luxury niche item to a conventional standard in both new and renovated homes. The benefits are manifest- the nature of heated floors allows them to warm a room using less energy than a normal heating system, making them both greener and more economical. There are two major types of heated floors, electric and hydronic, but regardless of which system you choose, there are factors to look into to maximize your efficiency. Here are 5 questions you want your technician to answer.
Heated floor systems are rated based on their wattage per square foot. The rate at which a room will be heated is partially dependent on this (other factors will be discussed below). A higher wattage per square foot will enable to coils to heat up faster, which isn't always needed, but is often a very nice perk. The average floor system generates 12 watts per square foot, and some systems can get as high as 15. Of course, when you are evaluating what your house needs, you have to balance the strength of the system with your economic considerations. Obviously, a unit that generates more heat will consume more energy, costing you more. So the important thing is to decide on a balance that works for both your body and your budget.
Not all flooring projects are equal. If you are building a new home, it is relatively simple to construct it with heated floors. The tricky part is if you are attempting to retrofit your existing house, condo or apartment with heated floors. Electric heating, with its series of wires and heating coils, tends to be easier than hydronic heating, which of course involves adding another moving part- water- into the mix. In both cases you will have to rip up the floor and lay down the system, but hydronic involves more plumbing. Of course, you can always contact a qualified plumber to help you, if you decide that the benefits of hydronic systems outweigh the problems.
This is an easy one to overlook. You are staring at your floor, wishing it were warmer, and make the decision to install heated floors. But people often forget that no system exists in isolation, and that your floor will both affect and be affected by the heat underneath. Wooden floors are the best type for helping to distribute heat around the room, while heavier flooring material, such as tile, slate, marble or concrete, absorb and block more of the warmth (though not all, or even a lot- heated floor systems work with these materials). Additionally, the heat itself will cause the material, whether wood or otherwise, to expand and contract, which could hurt its longevity if not treated beforehand. When building a house, make sure you account for this.
There is a scary-sounding term called "parasitic heat transfer", which sounds like it could be out of The Thing, but is really a common phenomenon. Basically, when you have either heating pipes or wires under your floors, the heat can transfer itself into other areas, such as refrigeration, air conditioning ducts or cold-water pipes. Now, you probably won't be using your AC at the same time as your heated floors, but you still want to make sure these units aren't damaged or otherwise corrupted. You will have to make sure that they are well-insulated, and plan your space accordingly. A certified electrician can help you work around heat parasites.
The idea of ambient, underfloor heat has been around for thousands of years. There is evidence that areas in China and Korea ran heated water underneath their floors as far back as 5000 years ago. So this is an idea with some pedigree. Its longevity, of course, doesn't ensure its permanence, and modern systems, while more efficient than ancient Korean ones, also come with more maintenance issues. It is vitally important to get a good, multi-year warranty that covers a whole range of issues. If there is something wrong with, say, a cabinet that you had installed, it is an easy to fix it yourself. But often a heated flooring issue necessitates tearing up portions of your floor until you fix it. So you want to make sure that you aren't doing it alone, and aren't paying for everything.
So there are a few factors you can take into consideration when shopping for heated flooring. If done right, and installed correctly, a heated flooring system can provide you and your family a cheaper, more environmentally-friendly way to warm your home (as well as the physical and psychological benefits that come with not having to step on a cold floor when getting out of the shower). And remember that you don't have to do this project on your own, as expert flooring contractors are becoming very familiar with this next wave in home heating.


This year, the United States is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service (NPS) and the more than 400 cultural, historic, wildland, and urban sites that it protects. But even as rangers are welcoming record crowds, they are also grappling with a budget that is too tight to maintain the parks and fix broken and aging infrastructure. The NPS estimates that its list of overdue repairs would cost nearly $12 billion to fix. The situation must be addressed.
As the NPS enters its second century, it must have the resources to protect our nation's treasures for future generations. The annual congressional appropriation process provides inconsistent funding, so the NPS is unable to safeguard its properties in the most reliable, cost-effective manner. It needs dedicated annual federal funding for park maintenance, as well as increased opportunities for public-private collaboration.
How serious are the deferred maintenance problems? Here are seven examples of critical issues at some of the nation's most beloved and important park sites.
One item on the Grand Canyon's deferred maintenance list is crucial to its millions of guests. Roaring Springs, a natural spring located near the North Rim, supplies all the water for the South Rim's 5 million yearly visitors via a 16-mile pipeline that was installed in the mid-1960s. The pipeline bursts periodically, creating hazards for hikers and requiring immediate short-term repairs to maintain the South Rim water supply. Despite its importance, this high-priority issue has not been addressed because of the estimated $150 million price tag.
Although it receives support for repairs through a public-private partnership, the Atlanta church where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was baptized and served as co-pastor with his father is on the NPS deferred maintenance list. Water seeping in from the damaged, aging roof has resulted in cracked plaster, peeling paint, and buckling of the wood floor.
The church, which laid the foundation for many of King's beliefs, was the birthplace of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a civil rights organization that promotes nonviolent protest and that King served as the first president.
This Massachusetts seashore attracts thousands of visitors a year to its beautiful beaches, but the ocean is making it hard for the NPS to provide adequate parking. Tides and waves are causing the asphalt to crack and break away in one lot, and some parking areas have been deemed unsafe and are barricaded, hindering visitor access.
The Jefferson Memorial's iconic dome provides the dramatic backdrop for many a cherry blossom photo. But the neoclassical structure, which was built in 1943 to honor the nation's third president and the architect of the Declaration of Independence, needs repair to its roof and portico.
In 2015, an acting deputy park superintendent reported that a portion of the marble in the ceiling had fallen but that no one was injured. He blamed the problem on water leaking through the 20-year-old roof that caused grout to dissolve and black stains to develop on the ceiling.
Many people put Mount Rushmore on their bucket lists, but visitors need to watch their step as they maneuver for a good view of the South Dakota mountain sculpture depicting some of the nation's most-recognizable presidents. Poor drainage at the plaza is seriously damaging the walkway's paver system. Because water is seeping underneath the walkway, many of the pavers are shifting, breaking, or crumbling, creating trip hazards for visitors. Upgrades are also needed to help meet the requirements of the Americans With Disabilities Act.
At Alaska's Katmai National Park and Preserve, grizzly bears are part of the landscape, but some interactions between bears and humans have been too close for comfort. Katmai's maintenance backlog includes replacing a trail and ramp to reduce those contacts and to improve safety for visitors and grizzlies alike.
Theodore Roosevelt, the father of conservation in the United States, helped to create five national parks, 18 national monuments, and 150 national forests. The North Dakota national park that bears his name is known as the Badlands and encompasses an area that the young Roosevelt first visited to hunt bison. The visitor center where guests can learn about the area and the 26th president is structurally unsound.


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What makes the Cheesecake Factory special? Is it their lemon chicken? The mythos of their family-run rags-to-riches origins? Or, dare we suggest it, their cheesecake? According to Jay Baer and Daniel Lemin's new book, Talk Triggers: The Complete Guide to Creating Customers with Word of Mouth it's none of these things. Rather, it's their menu. The 5,940 word long, 250 item menu contains 85 different chicken dishes alone. And this is at a restaurant named for cheesecake.
The menu of the Cheesecake Factory is a great example of a "Talk Trigger". The vast and ever-updated menu of the restaurant – poke bowls, anyone? – is what customers remember. And it's what they talk about. A delicious parmesan chicken dish isn't gossip-worthy, but a 5,940-word long menu is a talk trigger and makes for a good story. So, how are talk triggers engineered, and how can you use them for your business? The answers are in Baer and Lemin's most recent book.
Talk triggers get the conversation started . Why is this important? According to Baer and Lemin, 19% of purchases happen through word of mouth.
A talk trigger directly relates to the core branding value of a company. The core brand value of The Cheesecake Factory is that they have 'something for everyone'. The whole family can eat there, no arguments. No umming and ahhing about Mum wanting a burger, Dad wanting one of the 85 chicken dishes, Lisa wanting a Poke bowl, Bill a salad. Their talk trigger taps right into their one brand value.
In other words, it has to be worth talking about! And so, at Doubletree a warm cookie means a warm welcome. That's the story. It's a signifier, a way in, a memorable extra.
So how can you create talk triggers for your brand? According to Baer and Lemin, there are 6 steps every brand can take to develop effective talk triggers.
First, gather insights into what it is your brand is delivering already. Why are customers coming to you rather than your competitors? What could you use to represent this in the form of a differentiator, and therefore a story?
Do your research. Who is using your service? When and why do they use it? What are they already enjoying about it? Get close to your customers.
At this point, you and your team will be able to come up with some candidates or possibilities for talk triggers. If you have front of house or customer service staff, include them in this. They know your customers.
According to Baer and Lemin talk triggers should be remarkable, relevant, reasonable, and repeatable. This means they should be something that's easy to test on customers, and get a measurable response to. Many talk triggers are just a particularly thoughtful and relevant freebie or extra.
What could you add to your talk trigger? Find out exactly what it is customers like about it, and use that to make it even better. Once you've worked out what your ideal talk trigger is, roll it out!
Make some noise about it. A little bit of marketing here is what will turn your customer base into a marketing team in the future. They'll notice and remember the talk trigger, and it will do its job. It'll get talked about!
And that's it! Rinse and repeat, and make talk triggers work for your businesses.
As is clear from both Doubletree and The Cheesecake Factory, talk triggers don't have to be complex or expensive, but they do, of course, have to be the cherry on top of an otherwise excellent product or service. A cookie alone wouldn't make up for a terrible night's sleep, a huge menu wouldn't make up for terrible service. But you know your business is providing what it should, so a talk trigger can help it go the extra mile. Same is lame. Same is forgettable. Think about what makes your business special, and how you could communicate that to your customers that with a talk trigger.


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Assemblee Plenarie
Cardinale Presidente
Delegato
Sotto-segretario
Sotto-Segretario Aggiunto
Libri & Atti
Dizionario di Storia Culturale della Chiesa in America Latina
Dialogo con i non credenti / Cortile dei Gentili
Beni Culturali e Arti
Scienza e Fede
CulturaAssemblee Plenarie2010 - Linguaggio e comunicazionePostludioMark Coleridge
A Theology of the Body and Cyberspace
by Archbishop Mark Coleridge
The recent Plenary Assembly lasted for three and a half days, but it felt much longer. Not because it was boring but because the fare was so rich – and I don't mean just the Gala Dinner at the Palazzo Ruspoli during which I ate more truffles in a single night than I have in the rest of my life. The fare of the Plenary was rich in other ways – the matters discussed, the speakers heard, the people met, the questions posed.
When I first learnt that the theme of the Plenary was to be "The Culture of Communication and New Languages", I thought it referred to the new languages emerging as a result of the digital revolution, which shows every sign of being as humanly significant as the invention of writing or the printing press. The revolution is driven by technology, but its impact reaches far beyond the world of technology and deep into the human world, even into its spiritual dimension. This seemed to me to be a splendid choice of theme for the Pontifical Council for Culture.
Yet at the Plenary there was more to the theme than I had imagined. We heard expert voices speak of music, architecture, film, sacramentality and apologetics. There was a round table at the Campidoglio and those other round tables at the Palazzo Ruspoli. To cap it all off, we heard from the Holy Father in the Palazzo Apostolico. In three and a half days, that was enough to keep the head spinning.
But it was also enough to show that this is a moment of the globalising of cultures and their languages. No culture exists in a vacuum, nor do any of the languages of culture. Early in the Plenary, I feared that the meeting could become too diffuse, that it was moving in too many directions at the same time. But as the meeting wore on, I could see that there was method in the madness. What does film have to do with architecture? Music with apologetics? Gastronomy with sacramentality? The digital revolution with all the above? Quite a bit actually, as I came to see by the meeting's end. But it is the digital revolution that is most affecting all cultures and all their languages; and in my own reflection at least, it was this which brought the various themes of the Plenary together.
The digital revolution is creating a culture of its own which has its ambivalence, with aspects both bright and dark. Some of the darker aspects are not hard to name. Things like de-personalisation, mass individualism and the retreat into virtual worlds are cause for concern. Other of the darker aspects are more elusive. For instance: the digital world, based on codes, a language of its own, can also be strangely disembodying. The Incarnation is the fact of the word made flesh. But in the digital world, there can be a kind of anti-Incarnation where the flesh is made word. In extreme cases of cyber-addiction, where the most basic needs of the body are ignored, this becomes dramatically true. But it can be just as true in less obvious ways. Is there in the digital world a denial of the body? Does it imply a new kind of gnosticism in such a world? Are these "new" gnosticisms more insidious than the oft-mentioned "new" atheisms?
Because of these darker aspects of the digital world, there is talk of the "cold" screen, "la froideur de l'écran", as against "warm" face-to-face contact, which any form of Christian humanism would seem to require. But can the screen also be "warm"? Is there also "une chaleur de l'écran"? The digital world tends increasingly to be the people's "other world" – especially among the young – firing their imagination in new ways and enabling forms of contact hitherto unthinkable. It can take them beyond a small and boring world into a world where anything seems possible. There is a kind of digital alchemy where everything can become anything: a phone can become a book, a computer, a newspaper, a shop and just about anything else you can name. Is it possible therefore to speak of a theology of cyberspace, even a mysticism? Such questions may seem unusual, but they cannot be simply ignored.
There is no doubt that the Church needs to be discerning about the digital world and that discernment requires knowledge. We need to know more about the digital world in order to discern well; judgements based on ignorance are not what is needed. This is perhaps a time when we need to listen to the young who are digital "natives", unlike those of my generation who are digital "aliens". Less than twenty years after Gutenberg invented the printing press, the Venetian Senate announced that "this peculiar invention of our time, altogether unknown to former ages, is in every way to be fostered and encouraged". The Church may prefer to drop the phrase "in every way", but a similar far-sighted policy may serve us well as we look to proclaim the Gospel in the digital world and the culture which it is generating.
2010 - Linguaggio e comunicazione
Il Preludio
Lloyd Baugh
Patrick de Carolis
Aldo Grasso
Pietro Scott Jovane
Gianfranco Ravasi
Robert Barron
Postludio
Barthélemy Adoukonou
Cormac Murphy O'Connor
Mark Coleridge
Donal Murray
Jean Mbarga
Josef Zycinski
Willem Eijk
Gasparre Mura
Annie Lam
Isabel Naumann
Roberto Mendez
Marko Rupnik
Jorge Juan Fernández Sangrador
Sebastian M. Michael
Discorso del Santo Padre

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Total U.S. aid to Israel is approximately one-third of the American foreign-aid budget, even though Israel comprises just .001% of the world's population and already has one of the world's higher per capita incomes.
(SAN FRANCISCO) A fantasy persists of a Israeli-Palestine peace agreement leading to an independent Palestine state in the land Israel has occupied since the 1967 Mideast War. It must be clear by now to anyone paying attention that Israel has no intention of engaging in meaningful peace negotiations that would result in an independent Palestinian state. Rather, Israel is slowly squeezing the Palestinians where the ultimate goal is to take over the entire country by erecting a wall or fence, which cuts deep into Palestinian territory, joining large Jewish settlement blocks to Israel, further confining the Palestinians to isolated enclaves.


This week I've had four good runs finishing with a great run around Ben Lomond.
There was a good group for our Monday night session which was 10 x 3mins with 90 sec recovery. I was feeling okay and tried to push as hard as could for the whole session.
I was busy at lunchtime so decided to run after work before going home as I often find it harder to get home and then go out for a run!
It was just after 4pm when I set off and by the time I finished 48 mins later it was pitch dark! I had taken that into account when I decided to run around Pollok Park.
Fortunately no mishaps but it was a bit tricky in the dark.
I had time to run at lunch time so took my trail shoes and did another loop of Pollok Park but this time off road. I love the fact that I can run the majority of this run keeping off the tarmac.
Marco likes to organise a social run around Ben Lomond in the build up to Christmas. I think it is a good excuse to get out of Christmas shopping and I'm more than happy to join him.
Quite a few friends were invited but we ended up with 6 of us. Marco, Matt, Fionna, Gavin, Kevin and I. It was pretty obvious fairly quickly that I would be at the back of the group but the rest seemed happy to wait for me!
Climbing the steep path from the West Highland Way path – yes they disappeared up the hill!
Matt, Marco and Kevin striding down the hill. I took this photo to prove I did get ahead of them a few times – but only because they stopped for a comfort break!!
Thanks to Marco for organising the run. We all enjoyed a lovely meal at the Oak Tree on the way home where I convinced Matt to go for the Steak and Mushroom Pie. He wasn't disappointed.
This entry was posted in Ben Lomond Loop, Fartlek, Pollok Park Loop, Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.


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SCOR Global Life partners with Human Longevity, Inc. to b...
SCOR Global Life partners with Human Longevity, Inc. to bring data-driven health intelligence to life insurance policyholders
SAN DIEGO, Aug. 29, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- SCOR Global Life continues to promote health and wellness initiatives through a new partnership with Human Longevity, Inc. (HLI), an innovator in providing data-driven health intelligence to a broader range of consumers.
HLI delivers individual health assessments by combining state-of-the-art DNA sequencing and expert analysis with machine learning. The company generates a personal health risk profile, combining insights from various tests, including full genome sequencing, full body MRI, blood samples, EKG, etc., with an overlay of tests correlated to genetic predisposition to assess "actual" risk.
The key output of the HLI assessment is a health plan that can prevent, reduce or postpone the onset of certain conditions, with the goal of increasing the life expectancy of people over the age of 50 by five to ten years.
SCOR Global Life will offer its clients access to HLI's health information services. This partnership reflects SCOR Global Life's commitment to offering policyholder benefits that promote healthy lifestyle choices and help manage medical conditions. These partnerships, driven by insurtech, broaden the life insurance value proposition and connect life insurers to policyholders, bringing new value to both.
"As data-driven health intelligence becomes more accessible and affordable, we see an opportunity to improve the health and well-being of policyholders by offering services that can help extend life expectancy," said Michael Colannino, executive vice president and Chief Strategy Officer for SCOR Global Life in the Americas. "As a reinsurer, we are eager to contribute to innovation that identifies health risks early and provides win-win outcomes."
The initiative is part of SCOR Life & Health Ventures, which was established to create a community of trusted partners that will offer SCOR Global Life's clients access to cutting-edge health and wellness technology. This initiative, along with the recently-announced partnership with iBeat, further enables SCOR Global Life to develop innovative offerings for our clients' existing and future policyholders.
"We believe our partnership with SCOR Global Life will demonstrate the potential for these predictive models to improve risk management capabilities for the life insurance and reinsurance industries, with an even more inspiring benefit in the potential it has to help their clients live longer and healthier lives," said Dr. David Karow, Interim CEO and Chief of Radiogenomics at Human Longevity, Inc.
For more information on Human Longevity, visit http://www.humanlongevity.com.
PharmiWeb.com
Mike Wood
editor@pharmiweb.com
Website: More Info...


Contemporary vocalist and pianist Kelly Read has been impressing audiences throughout Australia with her trademark sultry, soulful performance style for the past 16 years.
Initially establishing her skills in classical music, Kelly was accepted into the prestigious contemporary music program at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) in 2000, where she studied under industry leaders and professionals such as vocalist Annie Neil, Australian Opera diva Janice Taylor-Warne and renowned Australian composer and arranger Graham Lyall. She has since furthered her studies in pop/rock keyboard, vocals and songwriting at the Berklee School of music in Massachusetts.
A versatile performer and entertainer, Kelly has covered everything, from fronting six-piece bands "Soul Corporation" and "Hot Chilli" to performing in more intimate, solo, duo and classical trio settings. She has held long term residencies on cruise ships, at high profile venues such as Crown Metropol Hotel, The Rendezvous Hotel and Pullman Bunker Bay Resort Dunsborough, as well as regular wedding and function appearances.
Her repertoire is always evolving and covers a diverse range of musical genres from cool stylish jazz to hip acoustic country, blues and pop rock classics.


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There are many, many websites that advertise RVs For Sale and RV Property may not be too highly ranked because of the competition in this category, but when it comes to Special Needs RVs For Sale we are NUMBER ONE. RV Property has sections for Motorhomes, 5th Wheels and Travel Trailers for sale. Since my wife was in a wheelchair, as she suffered with ALS, I figured I would dedicate a section of the website to Special Needs RVs. It took off and it is the place to look for these types of RVs.
After your traveling days are over you might want to put a Park Model on your lot. Also, the Park Model is a good choice for snowbirds. The house can be locked up when you return back home, just like the home you left back up North when you come down South for the Winter. It's not camping as much as living in a resort at a low cost and also a nice house to live in. There are many park model parks in Florida, California and Arizona, for example.
Here again, RV Property is not the premier website to find campgrounds for sale. We compete for ads by offering good rates and longevity for the advertiser. People who aspire to own a campground were first outdoors-people at heart and probably cut their teeth by going camping in a RV or tent. You will find a good selection of ads for campgrounds for sale.
Why advertise on RV Property?
RV Property is a premier website established in 1999 and is ranked high if not number one on most search engines.Your ad is running 24/7 and gives your ad access to the world wide web. What would it cost you to advertise across the world? You get more for your money than advertising in newspapers and magazines. We do not charge by the word (you get up to 200 words in the ad) and your potential renter or buyer can see pictures of your property. It is only $29 for the basic ad. You can submit as many as 5 pictures on one form for only $5 each. You can add more pictures by sending them as an attachment to an email and I will bill you separately. The display is large and the pictures are large.
For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin – real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way. Something to be got through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.


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» Intestinal Microbiota
Last Updated on Wed, 30 Dec 2015 | Intestinal Microbiota
Abbreviation: AU, arbitrary units
Figure 3 Adjuvant effect of the fecal microbiota of breast-fed babies on the intestinal anti-rotavirus antibody response measured in gnotobiotic mice. Source: From Ref. 72.
(Gram-negative bacteria), two other groups of gnotobiotic mice were created. Results presented in Table 2 obviously show the adjuvant capacity of the strain of Bifidobacterium bifidum on the intestinal sIgA anti-rotavirus response while, in contrast, E. coli exerted a suppressive effect, as compared with GF mouse response. These results show how the presence of Bifidobacterium bifidum in the fecal microbiota of babies modulates the suppressive effect exerted by the presence of E. coli. Given the importance of rotavirus infections as a cause of infantile diarrhea worldwide, the presence of Bifidobacterium in the intestinal microbiota of babies is of great interest to stimulate this protective Ab sIgA response. These results can be compared to those found previously, which showed that a strain of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, used as a probiotic, and given to babies suffering from rotavirus diarrhea, shortened the diarrhea duration, and stimulated the specific IgA anti-rotavirus response (73,74). Other studies have shown an enhancement of serum or intestinal Ab response to orally administered Ags by Gram-positive bacteria (75), especially lactic acid producing bacteria used as probiotics (76).
These results also showed that GF mice are able to mount a sIgA anti-rotavirus response while its IIS is poorly developed suggesting a lack of correlation between the non-specific IgA response induced after bacterial colonization and the specific anti-rotavirus Ab response. The latter findings confirm previous results from Cebra and coworkers (77). Such data have also been described in humans where one-week-old babies are capable of developing protective immunity following oral vaccination with poliovirus or hepatitis B virus while the complete development of natural sIgA is only achieved several months later (78). Consequently, the ability to give a highly specific sIgA anti-rotavirus Ab response could be correlated with the modulatory effect of intestinal bacteria rather than with the development of IIS. Mechanistic studies are required to clarify the molecular basis upon which some digestive bacteria modulate the sIgA Ab response to enteric pathogens.
The adjuvant effect of Bifidobacterium sp. may be strain-dependent. In a recent study we have shown that four different species of Bifidobacterium isolated from the fecal
Table 2 The Gut Colonization of Different Bacterial Strains Modulates the Intestinal Anti-rotavirus IgA Antibody Response Measured in Gnotobiotic Mice
Anti-rotavirus sIgA antibody Intestinal microflora of gnotobiotic mice level (AU/g of feces)
Bifidobacterium bifidum (from baby) 31 + 7a[
Bifidobacterium DN 173 010 (a commercial strain) 21 + 3a[
Germ-free (control) 11+2
Bifidobacterium infantisCB. pseudocatenulatumC 4+1aY
B. angulatumCB. sp (from human adult)
E. coli (from infants) or Bacteroides vulgatus (from 4+ 1aY human adult)
a Significant difference with germ-free mice (p<0.01). Abbreviation: AU, arbitrary units. Source: From Refs. 72, 79.
microbiota of an adult human lacked the adjuvant ability to stimulate the sIgA anti-rotavirus response in gnotobiotic mice but, on the contrary, exerted a suppressive effect as do E. coli (Table 2) (79). Thus, the modulating effect of Bifidobacterium is strain-dependent, as it has also been described for different Lactobacillus strains used as probiotics in other mice studies (80). Taken together, these data suggest that it is important to define the modulatory effect of the strains of bifidobacteria either normally colonizing the digestive tract of babies after birth or given as probiotics, to modulate in a good protective way a specific intestinal immune response.
In conclusion, and on the basis of the experimental and clinical data, we may consider that the presence of certain bacterial strains in the infantile intestinal microbiota, namely some strains of Bifidobacterium, or some transiting strains of probiotics, enable activation of the mechanisms that result in optimization of the anti-rotavirus protective IgA Ab response. Elucidation of the immunomodulatory mechanisms must now be pursued.
If Pregnancy Is Something That Frightens You, It's Time To Convert Your Fear Into Joy. Ready To Give Birth To A Child? Is The New Status Hitting Your State Of Mind? Are You Still Scared To Undergo All The Pain That Your Best Friend Underwent Just A Few Days Back? Not Convinced With The Answers Given By The Experts?
Rat Grid Prevention Coprophagy


Funny Pictures Dogs and Puppies show Man's Best Friend close to his equal. We wear similar outfits, share similar activities and hang with the same crowd. These funny dog pictures probably resemble something you with your dog have experienced.
These critters know how to bring the best out of us as well.
No matter what kind of day you've been through, or who you've had to deal with that makes you wonder if the death penalty would be worth it, your atmosphere and attitude always changes when you walk through the front door and get greeted by your loyal friends.
I can't remember NOT ever having dogs as a major part of our family.
Pete, a 6 year old Shitzu and Maddie Mae, our 3 year old Teacup Poodle who is up to 3 pounds now.
Kasey was our "Buddy Love". He lived to be 17 and considered himself an equal voting member of our family. Cancer is the #1 killer of all dogs. Here is a Dog Cancer Survival Guide and Video, written by a world respected Vet.
One thing my wife has been very good at, is getting all of our new puppies potty trained in a short amount of time. Here is a 7 Day Guide to Potty Training Any Dog.
Any dog who lives in our house must play by house rules. Bad behavior is dealt with and fixed immediately. Here's some training videos that show you how to end your dogs bad behavior in just minutes.
Owning a Shitzu and Poodle requires grooming every 6-8 weeks. Here are some simple and easy grooming steps on how you can groom your dog or puppy at home.
Both of our dogs have done many of these things pictured here.
Get Your Dog Some Really Cool Stuff.


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Reviews & Coverage Chevron Right
TV Shows Chevron Right
Elizabeth Hurley Is Dripping in Diamonds on Season 2 of The Royals
By Samantha Simon
Updated Nov 14, 2015 @ 7:00 pm
Credit: Tim Whitby/E!
All hail the queen—and her unmatched sense of style. Tomorrow night, The Royals returns for Season 2, and we can't wait for Elizabeth Hurley's character, Queen Helena, to get back to ruling the monarchy on the salacious E! drama. Just don't expect the manipulative queen to tone down her look, despite the fact that she's still mourning the death of her husband and the end of her years-long affair. "On a show like this, the clothes become quite significant," Hurley told InStyle earlier this week when we chatted with her about what to expect from the new season. "They really need to be right when we're playing a character so far removed from our own."
Part of nailing the look involves ignoring traditional fashion rules. "I wear a lot of diamonds, but in real life in England, it's actually rather off to wear diamonds in daylight," she said. Of course, that doesn't stop her from decking herself out in sparklers in the middle of the afternoon for the show. "My queen doesn't have a problem with it," Hurley said cheekily.
Credit: Stuart Wilson/E!
RELATED: The Royals Star Alexandra Park: "I've Always Dared to Wear" Outfits Like Princess Eleanor's
Even after she layers on a ton of dazzling jewels, the rest of Hurley's wardrobe still manages to stand out. "This season, I end up wearing a lot of British designers," she said. "There are a lot of fabulous Victoria Beckham dresses, and then I have the big rocks, the big hair, and the shoes." And that's all it takes for Hurley to get into character. "We have absolutely everything to make us feel like the wealthiest, most powerful and influential family in the world," she said.
The Royals airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on E!


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RADIO PHYSICS AND ELECTRONICS
RADIOFIZIKA I ELEKTRONIKA
RADIOFIZ. ELEKTRON.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15407/rej
Deputy Editors-in-Chief
Anti-plagiarism Policy
Indexed/Abstracted
Home»IDENTIFICATION OF LIQUIDS IN DIFFERENT CONTAINERS A USING MICROWAVE PLANAR METAMATERIAL
IDENTIFICATION OF LIQUIDS IN DIFFERENT CONTAINERS A USING MICROWAVE PLANAR METAMATERIAL
APPLIED RADIOPHYSICS
Nedukh, SV, Polevoy, SY, Tarapov, SI, Vakula, AS
O. Ya. Usikov Institute for Radiophysics and Electronics of NAS of Ukraine
12, Acad. Proskury St., Kharkiv, 61085, Ukraine
V. Karazin National University of Kharkov
4, Svoboda Sq., Kharkiv, 61022, Ukraine
Kharkiv National University of Radio Electronics
14, Nauka Av., Kharkiv, 61166, Ukraine
E-mail: polevoy@ire.kharkov.ua
https://doi.org/10.15407/rej2017.04.069
At present, the fast contactless identification of liquids enclosed into a container has a practical importance. The identification of liquids can be required, for example, at airports, in order to prevent the transport of illicit liquids in bottles. However, the complexity of applying contactless methods lies in the difficulties to take into account the influence of container characteristics. In this paper, a metamaterial based on two planar photonic crystals (PPC) has been applied for the experimental analysis of liquids in different containers. It was shown experimentally how the transmission coefficient spectrum of PPC varied with changing the characteristics of a container with a liquid. Namely, the influence of thickness and material of the container walls and the inclination angle of its axis relative to the metamaterial plane on the transmission coefficient has been studied. The reliable differing of concentration increments of edible salt and sugar in water was determined as 10 %. It is shown that an increase of the container walls thickness leads to a decrease of the reliability of the liquid identification in it. Thus, the influence of some container characteristics on the reliability of contactless identification of liquids by using PPC has been taken into account.
Keywords: identification, metamaterial, microwaves, photonic crystal
Manuscript submitted 10.07.2017
PACS 77.22. –d
Radiofiz. elektron. 2017, 22(4): 69-73
Stratton, J. A., 1941. Electromagnetic Theory. New York: MacGraw Hill.
Klein, N., Krause, H.-J., Vitusevich, S., Rongen, H., Kurakin, A., Shaforost, O. N., 2011. Dual-mode microwave cavity for fast identification of liquids in bottles. In: 2011 IEEE MTT-S Int. Microwave Symp. Digest (MTT). Baltimore, USA, 5–10 June 2011, pp. 1–4. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/MWSYM.2011.5972696
Belozorov, D. P., Girich, A. A., Tarapov, S. I., 2013. An analog of surface Tamm states in periodic structures on the base of microstrip waveguides. [pdf] The Radio Science Bull. 345, pp. 64–72. Available at: http://www.ursi.org/files/RSBissues/RSB_345_2013_06.pdf
Belozorov, D. P., Girich, A. A., Nedukh, S. V., Moskaltsova, A. N., Tarapov, S. I., 2014. Microwave analogue of Tamm states in periodic chain-like structures. Prog. Electromagn. Res. Lett., 46, pp. 7–12. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2528/PIERL13122502
Polevoy, S. Y., Vakula, A. S., Nedukh, S. V., Tarapov, S. I., 2017. Fast identification of liquids using planar metamaterial. Telecommunications and Radio Engineering, 76(3), pp. 237–243. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1615/TelecomRadEng.v76.i3.40
Kozhara, L. I., Polevoy, S. Y., Popov, I. V., 2014. Technique for analysis of the spatial field distribution in tapered wire medium. Solid State Phenom., 214, pp. 75–82. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/SSP.214.75
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
© 2019 RADIO PHYSICS AND ELECTRONICS


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Alpha Review
By: Stanyo Zhelev | Movie Reviews | August 27, 2018
Alpha is a straightforward, beautiful story of survival and friendship between a young hunter and a wolf. It'd be extremely predictable even if the marketing didn't give everything away, but there is just enough heart to go with the wonderful cinematography to make this worth a trip to the cinema. 20,000 years ago, Keda (Kodi Smit-McPhee) is taken by his father Tau (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson) on his first ever hunt. To make a long and slightly tedious first act short, it doesn't go well. Keda is left for dead by his tribe and must make his way back home on his own, with winter cold on his heels and a pack of wolves even closer. He manages to injure one of them, but doesn't have the heart to finish it off. Instead, he does what he can to nurse it back to health and the two slowly, but inevitably bond and help each other during the long and perilous journey home. It's a very familiar story, but it's done well here and even though you know exactly where it's going, you may just find yourself rooting for these plucky heroes. The best thing about Alpha is undoubtedly the breathtaking scenery. It more or less plays out like a prehistoric nature documentary and a really good one to boot. Glorious sunsets, sweeping landscapes, animals that are only ever so slightly noticeably CGI-ed. Obviously there are also real animals. Chuck the wolf (real name, that's not what Keda names him - although that would have been amazing) is the big star and he'll make you swoon pretty easily. Smit-McPhee gives a really impressive performance - a tough balancing act between Keda's vulnerability (both physical and emotional) and his determination and courage. There is a surprising amount of dialogue in Alpha. A lot of is in the first act, with the tribe folks talking amongst themselves or Tau giving his son advice - but even when it's just Keda and the wolf, we get snippets of dialogue or exposition. Considering how straightforward the narrative is and what an impressive job the movie does in terms of purely visual storytelling, it probably would have worked fine with no dialogue at all. Such a bold creative decision might have even worked a little bit better and helped Alpha stand out more. It's perplexing that Sony had such a difficult time marketing this. It's neither complicated or weird enough to be a tough sell. If you can skip the trailers before seeing this, I'd advise you to do so. Alpha is the kind of movie that if it sounds like you'll like it, you probably will. It's not the type of experience that throws curve-balls at you. It's exactly what you'd expect, done really, really well. Also, the trailers straight up give away not only all of the main story and emotional beats (in pretty much chronological order, no less), but also the only thing that kind of, sort of passes for a twist. Basically, Alpha is like the comfort food of survival adventure stories, with enough of a kick to make a positive impression. Expect to get a few laughs, a few 'aww' moments and at least several truly amazing shots seared into your brain. My personal favourite is probably the frozen lake bit. A wonderfully minimalist use of symmetry. There's some blood and violence here and there, but if you come to this because you liked The Revenant, you'll be disappointed. Alpha is a family film. You can watch it with your kids and you definitely should watch it with your dog and/or pet wolf (if you have one).
Main characters worth rooting for
Gorgeous cinematography
First act is a bit tedious
Stanyo Zhelev
Writer and blogger with a passion for movies, video games and comic books


A new RCI resort in Puerto Rico?
Anybone going to Harborside in Feb?
Atrium Resort, Sint Maarten - Have you spent time here?
Royal Islander Club la Plage or Club la Terrasse?
Should we go to Guadeloupe??
Which Morritts? Tortuga or Grand?
Harborside Atlantis - Availablity, maybe.
Has Anyone Here Gone to Hell?
How About Grand Cayman--Should We Rent a Car?
How will my 2BR Aruba surf club trade?
Can someone check availabilty for me for dominican republic?
Aruba restaurants and must do's?
Is there enough to do in the Virgin Islands?
NYC to Grand Cayman; Spirit onsale dates, and other discount carriers besides Spirit?
Aruba De Palm Island? Is it worth the $89 pp all day?
Greetings From the Crane !!
Morritts MFs up again -AND- Special Assessment!
Going to Aruba in December?
Where else to go to add on to a week at the Caymans?
Vacation plans changed – anybody want Thanksgiving Week on St. Maarten at Oyster Bay?
Will you be in Aruba in Feb?
Where to Eat with a group of 24 if staying at the Morritts Tortoga Club?
Are there DVD players or Wi Fi at the Morritts?
Frank how was Cayman Airways?
Costa Linda getting new management team- Can it be a Royal Resort?
Somebody Put Me Out of My Misery... Just Bought Another Timeshare - Such A Deal !
Got Sunset Ridge Villas Oct. 3-10. Have Questions.
Harborside Atlantis 2 bedroom on Craigslist.
Greetings From The Westin St. John, USVI !
Oean @Taino Beach 24 hr hold Help?????
Pelican Resort SXM B210, on 24 hour hold . Help!
Sunset Ridge Villas - Worth buying there?
Caribbean suggestions for end of Sept??
Best Exchange Co for Central / South America?
Amatique Bay Resort in Guatemala?
Great RCI resorts for 4-6 year olds in Caribbean???
Oh , Pat-GrayFal - Omar !!!!
Royal Islander Club La Plage - 6/2009 - Help!
What can be brought into Aruba?
boat trips Morritt's, recommendation for toddlers anyone?
Never knew these were now living on Aruba.
Is Windjammer Landing "all that" ?
Just returned from Morritt's Grand (Grand Cayman Island) -- any questions???
Article about the Royal St Kitts starting a timeshare program..
How many days to spend in Bermuda?
Jamaica to become timeshare friendly!
Have you been to St Martin? RPBR?
RPBR- Is it worth $100 to upgrade to a 2BR??
Anyone familiar with Marriott Aruba Ocean Club?
Flagship Club at Sapphire Beach in St. Thomas- closure?
Timeshare occupancy up for St Maarten!
Very interesting article regarding Festiva and the Bahamas..
Extra nights at Morritt's Grand?


(Wichurana Rambler) An upright, vigorous rose, bearing trusses of double, orangey-yellow flowers fading to cream. Ample healthy, glossy foliage.
(Wichurana Rambler) An aristocrat of yellow climbers. Rich yellow scented large flowers in clusters borne on exceptionally long stems. Very lovely foliage.
(Wichurana Rambler) An out-standing rose with shapely golden-yellow flowers borne amid rich, deep green, glossy foliage. Fragrant and healthy.
(Wichuraiana Rambler) A beautiful, fully double, quartered rose of soft creamy-yellow. Scented. Foliage bronzy-green, glossy and healthy. Growth flexible and dense. Occasionally repeats.
Clusters of medium double flowers of deep creamy salmon and yellow on a vigorous plant with glossy foliage.


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Zone: This semi-terrestrial shrimp onhabits the A. marina landward zone to R. mucronata zone in both fringe and riverine mangroves (Gillikin et al., 2001).
Habitat: In and around trees, under bark, climbs trunks and pneumatophores, N. smithi burrows (Vannini & Oluoch, 1993; Gillikin et al., 2001).
Food: They graze the algal carpets blanketing mangrove roots (Vannini & Oluoch, 1993) and eat crab feces (Gillikin et al., 2001).
Ecological notes: The shrimp remain out of water at high tide, and during the day retreat into suitable hiding places; they are strictly nocturnal (Vannini & Oluoch, 1993). They have strongly reflective eyes, which make them easy to spot at night with a torch. They occur in high densities in Kenyan mangrove and inhabit N. smithi burrows (Gillikin et al., 2001).
Distinguishing characteristics: Similar to Merguia rhizophorae (Rathbun, 1900), but are conspicuously larger; carapace length from 5.6 to 7.8 mm; corneal diameter is about 0.22 of the carapace length; ova have a length of about 1.0 mm (Bruce, 1993).
Geographical range: Have been found in the Malay Archipelago and surrounding areas (Kemp, 1914; Holthuis, 1947, 1958) and Mida Creek and Gazi Bay, Kenya (Bruce, 1993; Vannini & Oluoch, 1993; Gillikin et al., 2001).
Bruce, A.J., 1993. The occurrence of the semi-terrestrial shrimp Merguia oligodon (De Man 1888) and M. rhizophorae (Rathbun 1900) (Crustacea Decapoda Hippolytidae) in Africa. Tropical Zoology, 6: 179-187.
Holthuis, L.B., 1947. The decapods of the Siboga Expedition, Part IX. The Hippolytidae and Rhynchocinetidae collected by the Siboga and Snellius Expeditions with remarks on other species. Siboga Expedition Monogr., 39(a8): 1-100.
Holthuis, L.B., 1958. Contributions to New Guinea carcinology. II. On Merguia oligodon (De Man). Nova Guinea, (new ser.) 9(2): 231-234. Kemp, S., 1914. Notes on Crustacea Decapoda in the Indian Museum. V. Hippolytidae. Records of the Indian Museum, Calcutta,10: 81-129.
Vannini, M. & A. Oluoch, 1993. Notes on Merguia oligodon (De Man 1888) the Indo-Pacific semi-terrestrial shrimp (Hippolytidae Natantia). Tropical Zoology, 6: 281-286.


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Forum addresses health of Lake Ontario, Genesee River
Environmental experts spoke about the health of Lake Ontario, the Genesee River and the area's huge surrounding watersheds Thursdsay during a 2013 Lake Ontario Ecosystem Forum at the Port of Rochester.
Forum addresses health of Lake Ontario, Genesee River Environmental experts spoke about the health of Lake Ontario, the Genesee River and the area's huge surrounding watersheds Thursdsay during a 2013 Lake Ontario Ecosystem Forum at the Port of Rochester. Check out this story on DemocratandChronicle.com: http://on.rocne.ws/17ViN3F
Gary McLendon, Staff writer Published 10:48 p.m. ET Aug. 15, 2013 | Updated 10:48 p.m. ET Aug. 15, 2013
Don Zelazny with the state Department of Environmental Conservation, speaks Thursday at a 2013 Lake Ontario Ecosystem Forum .(Photo: Staff photographer, )Buy Photo
They shared both good and bad news.
Lake Ontario, the smallest of the five Great Lakes, is certainly in some environmental trouble.
But the Genesee River, while still not recommended for swimming or fishing in, is showing signs of returning to health.
Don Zelazny, Great Lakes program coordinator for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and Jeff Wyatt of the University of Rochester and the Seneca Park Zoo presented these different ecological aspects of the waterways.
Zelazny said Lake Ontario's watershed is the largest of all the Great Lakes, which makes it difficult to manage because the waters flowing into it are so diverse.
He added that fisheries in Lake Ontario are "decimated" and the lake is the "most stressed" of all of the Great Lakes. That's from the impact of invasive environmental species, overfishing and chemicals.
The good news, said Wyatt, is sturgeon, a fish that is considered an "indicator species" for the health of the Genesee River, is successfully adapting to the river since it was restocked in the last decade.
Dr. Dawn Dittman of the U.S. Geological Society; Tim Howard of the Natural Heritage Program; Kelly St. Clair of the state Department of Health; Charlie Knauf of the Monroe County Department of Health; and Paul Sawyko of the Water Education Collaborative also shared their expertise at the forum.
GMCLENDN@DemocratandChronicle.com
Read or Share this story: http://on.rocne.ws/17ViN3F


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Chapter 16: Notes on Church Leadership From One Certified Nobody to Another
In the opening of the book's last chapter Dan asks the hardest question of all for a pastor trying to navigate a church in the transition from modernity to postmodernity: how can he ask people to let go of Christianity as a modern construct when a better alternative has not fully presented itself? In essence, Dan would be asking his church to tear down their house without the materials available to rebuild it. How would you approach this dilemma? Would you?
McLaren speculates (through the messages exchanged by his characters in this chapter) that one mark of postmodern Christianity may be a return to ritual, liturgy and symbol. He also observes that many contemporary churches have painted these things as "wrong or evil" (page 147). How do you feel about these aspects of Christian practice?
Later in the chapter McLaren notes that there are several ways to "kill" the bible. It can be overanalyzed or broken into neat, "sharp-edged principles" or it can be demythologized; stripped of its poetry and stories. McLaren proposes a different way to encounter the bible; as a "pre-modern text emerging from a people who believed that truth is best embodied in story and art and human flesh rather than abstraction or outline or moralism" (page 159). Has reading this book changed your thoughts on how to approach the bible?
Posted at 06:18 PM in Notes on Brian McLaren's "A New Kind of Christian" | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Chapter 15: Beginning The Journey Into Terra Nova
I find it interesting that Neo responds to his grief with a "compulsion to travel" (page 137). I know that this feeling gripped me in the immediate aftermath of my own grief last year. Do you think that this is common? Is this simply about escaping the sadness or is it possibly something more, something deeper?
When Dan comes to his decision to remain in professional ministry and try to lead his church into a "new path" he talks about his journey with his wife. He says that he started out seeing only two possibilities, staying and feeling less and less honest or leaving altogether. Through Neo's counsel he comes to a third possibility. It strikes me as ironic that Dan's initial view of his future was itself biased by modernity; he saw things as black and white, as polar choices. Is this a familiar tendency? Is it something to change?
Chapter 14: It's None Of Your Business Who Goes To Hell
Neo says that hell is "a subject about which modern Christianity entrenched itself in some very ugly positions." (page 125) He goes on to explain a continuum of doctrines for the subject:
Universalism says that Jesus is the savior of the whole world and everyone is already saved regardless of whether they believe in him.
Exclusivism says that Jesus is the only way and the Savior of the whole world yet affirms the possibility of rejecting the grace of God. Salvation from hell extends to everyone who in some way (known only to God) accepts the grace of God in whatever way it presents itself to them, whether or not they have heard of and believe in Jesus.
Pluralism and Relativism are "yoked together" as "popular approaches to questions of heaven and hell" that say there are many beliefs and that none has superiority over another.
To this mix, Neo adds "predicamentalism" which he defines as a focus solely on one's own eternal fate to the complete refusal to speculate upon anyone else's.
How do you feel about this idea that eternal fate is only to be considered for one's self and not for others?
At one point Neo asks, "Do you think that God would want a heaven filled with people who cared more about being saved from hell than saved from sin?" It is reminiscent of Groucho Marx: "I don't care to belong to a club that accepts people like me as members." The serious question is what kind of people do you believe God wants in heaven? The hardest question of all is what are you doing about becoming that kind of person?
Neo goes on to question the "crossing the line" metaphor that is so common among Evangelical Christians, calling it "another case of modern reductionism." (page 130) It seems to me that with our minds so thoroughly trained in modern thinking it is very difficult to imagine other metaphors for salvation, metaphors that don't involve some kind single point of decision. We could call this "linecentric" soteriology (I give credit to my friend Scott Vaudrey for this expression). Is this helpful or harmful in understanding salvation?
Neo also observes that the Bible tells us that God will "remember our sins no more." Neo speculates about what would happen to a person whose sin so outweighed everything else in them that there would be little for God to remember. What happens to a person whom God has forgotten?
In a reversal of roles it is Dan who proposes an alternative view of salvation to Neo that defines Christian salvation not as being saved from something (hell) but rather saved for something (service to God in advancing His kingdom). Is this a viable way of looking at salvation? Does it strike you as "truth?"
Chapter 13: Spiritual Practices: Secret and Shared
In this chapter McLaren seems to take the reader on a hard left turn. The conversations between Dan and Neo work well to introduce one theological concept after another yet here McLaren chooses to make the characters far more human than previously. Neo's grief is visceral and Dan's immediate efforts to serve him are very realistic. Do you think McLaren is making a point about a "new kind of Christian" in his dropping everything to care for an aging parent? Is he making a point about what a Christian man would do for a friend in need? Is he making a point about a rare and unique form of male intimacy? Perhaps all of the above.
On page 112 the characters touch on the subject of giving and tithing. Dan observes that Neo is living on only seventy percent of his salary, saving five percent and giving away twenty-five percent. Does this sound realistic in today's economy? Neo sounds almost counter-counter-cultural when he says Dan should preach on giving more, not less. How do you feel about that?
In other conversations about money Neo describes a Bible college that is "stuck in the 1940's or '50's" because it is a "hostage to money." (page 115) What do you think churches and other Christian institutions would do differently if they were not concerned about money at all? Do you think that this is possible? Neo observes that postmodern Christian practices may look more like medieval and ancient practices than our modern church services. He notes that we may see a return to liturgy and saints and holy days. How does this prospect strike you?
Through Dan's questions McLaren roots around in some sacred ground for many modern Christians, especially Evangelical Protestants – he questions "quiet time" and "praise and worship" practices. While he seems very respectful, even apologetic, it is clear that he has concerns about these spiritual practices. Have you ever shared Dan's concerns (page 120-121)?
When Dan recounts the spiritual experiences that have had the greatest impact on his life he finds that they all have one thing in common, what he calls intensity. Neo observes back to him essentially the same thing he noted earlier, that these experiences liken back to medieval and ancient practices. For example, short-term mission trips are approximations of Paul's missionary journeys and retreats are essentially monastic experiences. Do you think that this makes sense?
Chapter 12: French Fries and the Kingdom of God
For my men's group guys, here's the notes on the next chapter. This whole subject of evangelism has a lot of stuff tied up with it so I look forward to our conversation about it in addition to catching up on D's trip west, H's home projects and J's trip south.
For anyone else who might be jumping on at this point, welcome. I apologize if this seems weird to start a blog in chapter 12 of a book review but that just happens to be where I started the new service. I hope to publish the previous chapters of our group's notes so that they are available to anyone who might be interested. But let me be clear, I welcome comments from anyone.
French Fries and the Kingdom of God
Driving home from the soccer game, Dan makes an interesting observation to Neo. He says, "I seldom felt as comfortable with non-Christians as he seemed to be." Dan goes on to say that, as a Christian, he has always thought of people in terms of categories. This is a common theme, not just for Christians but for the modern worldview in general: believers and non-believers, saved and not, liberal and conservative, Democrats and Republicans, north and south, black and white. Is this human nature, something that we can't overcome? Is this something of the "flesh" (to use the Apostle Paul's term) that we could put behind us if we live "according to the Spirit?" Should we try to change this?
Neo speaks candidly about the fear of "being pulled down by their bad behavior." (page 103). Is this a concern for you in friendships with non-Christians?
Through Neo's monologue McLaren makes a great point about the expression, "born again." Even though it's somewhat of a detour, it would be important to understand the scriptural context for the term. It comes primarily from John chapter 3 when Nicodemus comes to Jesus to get the straight scoop on what he is all about. Bear in mind that Nicodemus is a Pharisee and a member of the ruling Jewish council and he is coming to Jesus at night so we might infer that he is sincere about his questions and, perhaps, afraid of what others will think of him if they know that he is. Nicodemus acknowledges to that he believes Jesus is a teacher who has "come from God." It is in this context that Jesus tells Nicodemus, "no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." Because Nicodemus doesn't have a clue what Jesus is talking about, he goes on to explain. It doesn't do justice to the explanation to summarize so I'll leave that to you. However, it brings up some important questions to ponder and discuss. First, how does the current use of the expression, "born again" differ between Evangelical Christians and "others?" In other words, what does "born again" mean to someone who claims that status and what does it mean to someone who does not? Most important, how do these two definitions of the expression differ from that of Jesus in John 3?
When Dan asks Neo to define the gospel he says that it can't be simply summarized but when pushed he says that it means that "the kingdom of God is at hand." However, he also goes on to say that he doesn't recommend using this exact language even though this exact language is used in scripture. What's wrong with using this terminology in our current-day context?
Neo sums up the difference between modern and postmodern approaches to evangelism this way, "stop counting conversions and start counting conversations." How does this approach feel to you?
Posted at 09:32 AM in Notes on Brian McLaren's "A New Kind of Christian" | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)


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The One Where Chandler Bing Dies - There's An Alternative Friends Ending & It's Not Okay
20 October 2016, 14:27 | Updated: 4 December 2017, 11:10
This is heart breaking to even think about...
It has to be said, we were actually quite happy with the ending of Friends. That said, we'd prefer it never to have been over but you know… Chandler and Monica had the twins and lived happily ever after, Ross and Rachel FINALLY got together, Joey was Joey and Phoebe was happy.
Everything was right with the world.
> Does This Link Between Hocus Pocus And Pretty Little Liars Explain Everything That Happens In Rosewood?
Well, now it seems that fans of Friends have other ideas.
We're pretty sure that this is done out of pure hatred at the writers for ending the show but members of the fandom have created a seriously disturbing alternative ending and it involves one of the Friends cast dying.
And not just ANY member. Oh no, CHANDLER BING DIES, PEOPLE.
YouTube user Dogfood (weird name but we'll move past that for now…) has made a series of mini episodes to tell the most disturbing tale yet…
The One Where Chandler Dies.
At the start, it's all a bit emosh as Ross, Monica, Phoebe, Rachel and Joey all try to come to terms with his death. However, things get a bit more weird when they have to deal with a green poltergeist version of the joker who begins to haunt them.
However, just like old times, no one laughs at his jokes and tensions begin to build in the group. The gang realise that they need closure and so invite Chandler to a final Thanksgiving meal.
We're not sure how we feel about this but one thing is for sure, we are SO glad that this wasn't the real ending.


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Unit can be configured with alternative options.


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Data augmentation is the process of artificially enlarging your training dataset using carefully chosen transforms.
When used appropriately, data augmentation can make your trained models more robust and capable of achieving higher accuracy without requiring larger dataset.
For those who are familiar with it, data augmentation is very similar to regularization in that it can prevent over-fitting compared to another identical model learning on the same dataset for the same number of epochs.
Two very useful transforms of this type that are commonly used in computer vision are random flipping and random cropping.
In torchvision, random flipping can be achieved with a random horizontal flip and random vertical flip transforms while random cropping can be achieved using the random crop transform.
RandomHorizontalFlip without arguments will simply randomly flip the image horizontally with probability 0.5.
RandomCrop takes a more detailed set of parameters.
Firstly, the size parameter is either a sequence or integer indicating the output size of RandomCrop.
That means that instead of specifying the parameter as [32,32] as in the first train transform, I could simply write size=32 as in the second train transform, meaning that first train transform and second train transform are actually identical.
The padding parameter indicates how much padding or white space we want to add to the edges of the image before cropping.
If an integer is provided, as in second train transform, then equal padding is added to all sides.
On the other hand, if a sequence of length two is provided, as in third train transform, then different amounts of padding will be added to the top and bottom and to the left and right.
In the case of third train transform, no padding will be added to the left and right but padding of size 4 will be added to the top and bottom.
Lastly, if a sequence of size 4 is provided, then different amounts of white space will be added to the top, bottom, left, and right of the image.
In the case of fourth train transform, this means that no padding will be added to the left, a padding of size 2 will be added to the top, a padding of size 3 will be added to the right, and padding of size 4 will be added to the bottom.
It is worth noting that both RandomHorizontalFlip and RandomCrop need to appear before the ToTensor transform when creating a Compose transform because RandomHorizontalFlip and RandomCrop are designed to act on images, not tensors.
Any of these Compose transforms can be passed through the transform parameter of our import function; in this case, the CIFAR10.


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Currency table contains a summary of current USD [Euro] exchange rates in exchange offices for Bytom city.
EUR exchange rates from Bytom city includes: currency buy price, currency sell price, spread specified in pennies and spread specified in percent.
- The lowest EUR [Euro] spread of all exchange offices in Bytom city is available in exchange office CENTRUM (I) and equals 14.0000 zł.


We have the pleasure of working with a network of over 1,000 qualified instructors across the UK. One of these is Stephanie, a first aid trainer working for ATH Training Group Ltd. As part of a series of blog posts, we're sharing instructors' stories, starting with this one!
Hi, my name is Stephanie and I am a First Aid Trainer at ATH Training Group Ltd. I stepped into this new career path in April 2018 and have never looked back.
So what does 'trainer' mean?
Trainer means I am able to teach the most rewarding courses including Emergency First Aid at work, First Aid at work and Paediatric First Aid.
All these courses teach life-saving skills which can be applied in work environments as well as day to day living. It is rewarding knowing I am able to give a class full of people from various walks of life knowledge and the confidence to potentially save a life.
I am supplied with the resources to teach the specific qualifications such as PowerPioint and paperwork but being a trainer also allows me to be individual, creative and add my own teaching style/resources to lessons. This independence means I can play games, activities and make courses fun, driving away from the 'boring courses' attitude for learners whilst achieving the learning outcomes through a fun learning environment.
The role of this job allows me to meet new people every day, getting to know individuals. I can watch their confidence grow from the start of the morning when you meet a nervous quiet learner who by the afternoon is displaying great confidence with the skills they have learnt.
This job also allows me to challenge myself every day, finding new and creative ways to teach but also engaging learners with any ability. I can adapt not only my teaching practices but also myself to suit each individual and any needs a learner may have within a classroom environment.
I love this job and the fun I have along the way, meeting new people but also getting to know them on our courses.
So, how do I know if I've done a good job?
Well, the first sign would be if all of the learners have passed the course. It is one thing in passing a course but it's another passing and having the confidence to deliver the skills you have learnt in an emergency.
Yes, it is important a learner passes a course; however, to know I have met my own personal target is when a learner thanks me at the end of the day stating 'that was a great course and wasn't boring like I thought it would be' followed by 'think this is the only time I've attended one of these courses and actually feel confident to leave the room and deliver treatment'.
Remember, keep things basic in an Emergency situation, I cannot train anyone to become a doctor within 1 day, I certainly can train someone around a green First Aid box and how to deal with an emergency situation.
So to finish with… 'Hi my name's Steph and I am a first aid trainer who loves my job.
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