Since this is your first session, we'll spend the first few minutes on some basics. This typically includes a brief history, some muscle testing and a postural assessment. Then you can settle in for a 90 minute massage.
Take your time: For those days when you need a little extra time on the table.
Time for a tune-up: Great for some specific work as well as general up-keep.
On the go: Perfect for more targeted issues.


text:
My BIBB Profile
The BIBB
The Topics
User data is collected from you whenever you visit this site. To find out how the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) handles your data and the purpose of processing your data please refer to our statement on data protection.
Hubert Ertl is the new Head of Research at the BIBB
Aligning research strategically and fostering international networks
33/2017 | Bonn, 01.09.2017
Prof. Dr. Hubert Ertl is the new Deputy President and Head of Research at the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB). Prof. Ertl, born in 1968, returns to Germany to commence his new role following thirteen years of research and teaching at Oxford University, and from 1 September 2017 will take over from Prof. Dr. Reinhold Weiß, who is retiring.
The recruitment of Prof. Ertl to the position of Head of Research was possible as part of a joint appointment by the BIBB and the University of Paderborn. BIBB President Prof. Dr. Friedrich Hubert Esser commented: "We are delighted that in making this joint appointment we have succeeded in implementing the recommendation of the Science Council and that, in Prof. Ertl, we have recruited an internationally experienced researcher in vocational education and training matters."
In an interview with the BIBB journal "Vocational Education and Training in Research and Practice - BWP", Prof. Ertl acknowledged the particular opportunities the BIBB has in helping to shape the research landscape in Germany. He regards the stronger strategic focus of research in the BIBB and its international networking as a particular challenge. He explains that, in order to inject new momentum into the dual system in Germany, it is also necessary to use the opportunities provided by the digitalisation of work processes and to explore new avenues in the transition from vocational to university-level education and training.
From 2004 to 2017, Prof. Ertl was Associate Professor of Higher Education at the Department of Education at Oxford University in England. His research focuses on areas including transitions between vocational and university-level education, international comparative research on higher education, European education and training policy, and the introduction and implementation of education and training reforms. He was also editor of the journal "Research in Comparative and International Education" and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
Before his time in England, Prof. Ertl conducted research and taught for three years in the Department for Business Education at the University of Paderborn. He will also resume a teaching position there in future as part of this joint appointment.
The married father of two began his professional career by training as a management assistant in wholesale and foreign trade. This was followed by the completion of the upper secondary school leaving certificate at a specialised upper secondary school and a degree in business education from the University of Munich which he completed as a Teacher of Commercial Studies. In 2001 he also achieved a doctorate.
Further information is available at www.bibb.de/forschungsdirektor
A portrait photo of Prof. Ertl can be downloaded at www.bibb.de/pressefotos.
Specimen copy requested if printed.
Interview with BIBB's new Head of Research (BWP article)
Tasks and objectives
Career, jobs, training
BIBB as an attractive employer
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The Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training is an independent federal institution established under public law.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Create snippet README.md file for VS Code I'm trying to create a snippet for files md using command "New global snippets file".
They create new file md.code-snnippets, but they didn't work. If I put code inside javascript.json file they work in js file.
{
"Readme code poster": {
            "prefix": "cjs",
            "description": "JavaScript code inside instruction",
            "body": "```js \n \"$1\" \n```"
}

I also try rename file to md.json it didn't help.
Expected result inside .md file:

> ```js
>
>
> ```

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Station Name: GILDERDALE HALT
A station on the South Tynedale Railway now closed.
[Source: Alan Young]
No road access to Gilderdale station. It is on the north side of a farm accommodation bridge and far track running north east from Howgill Rigg.
Company on opening: South Tynedale Railway
Date closed to passengers: 4.9.1999
Date closed completely: 4.9.1999
Company on closing: 4.9.1999
Present state: The platform remains
County: Cumberland
OS Grid Ref: NY704485
Notes: The South Tynedale Railway opened on 30th July 1983. It was extended north to Gilderdale in December 1986 and to Kirkhaugh on 4th September 1999, at this time Gilderdale closed.
Gilderdale or Gilderdale Halt as it was often known had a single platform built of old sleepers with a cinder fill. It had a run round loop and no buildings.
The South Tynedale Railway have been asked to re-instate Gilderdale Halt as it is close to Whitley Castle, the site of a unique roman fort. With their extension to Lintley and ultimately to Slaggyford underway, the reopening of Gilderdale is not a top priority.
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ALSTON BRANCH
Haltwhistle-Alston was the last surviving passenger branch line in rural North East England. Its longevity reflected the inadequacy of local roads in winter weather, rather than economic health: 'the creaking gate hangs longest' aptly describes a line that lasted until 1976.
Alston, 1000 ft above sea level, claims to be England's highest market town. Since at least the fifteenth century, lead had been mined, and by 1768, 119 mines operated in Alston parish. Isolation from markets was a handicap. Although it was not the first proposal for a branch to Alston, the Newcastle & Carlisle Railway's Haltwhistle-Alston-Nenthead
branch received the Royal Assent on 26 August 1846. National economic problems delayed construction. When building began, the five-mile section beyond Alston was not proceeded with. The junction at Haltwhistle was adjusted to face Carlisle (the county town of Cumberland, in which Alston was situated) rather than Newcastle. An addition to the original plans was a branch from Lambley to meet the Brampton Railway at Halton Lea Gate. The revised plans received the Royal Assent on 13 July 1849.The branch required substantial earthworks and structures. There were no watersheds to cross, nor tunnels to bore, but the 13-mile route climbed from 405ft to 905ft above sea level and involved three crossings of the South Tyne and viaducts over tributaries. Most structures were designed for double track and sturdily built of sandstone. Lambley (GradeII*) is particularly striking, but others at Burnstones, Knar Burn and Gilderdale Burn, and the 'Alston Arches over the Tyne at Haltwhistle (each Grade II) are also worthy of note.
The gradient was almost continually uphill from Haltwhistle, including 1 in 70 for 1½ miles between Plenmeller and Featherstone Park; and 1 in 56, the steepest stretch, for a mile near Barhaugh, between Slaggyford and Alston. A mile-long cutting was needed between Haltwhistle and Featherstone Park.
Construction began in 1850 from both ends. In March 1851 Haltwhistle-Shaft Hill (Coanwood) opened for goods, and passengers in the following July. In January 1852 Alston-Lambley and the Brampton Railway opened, for goods only. When the magnificent Lambley Viaduct was complete (standing 110 ft above the River South Tyne) passenger and goods services began in November 1852. Intermediate stations were Featherstone, Shaft Hill (closed 1853-62), Lambley, and Slaggyford.
Unfortunately no sooner had the branch been completed that lead mining began a rapid and continuous decline. Depopulation accompanied this recession; the population in Alston, Garrigill, and Nenthead peaked at 6,815 in 1851 and fell almost continuously to only 1,909 in 1971. Some cheer was brought by limited development of coal and zinc mining.
In the late 1850s two weekday return passenger trains called at all stations. By 1863 there were three. Trains took a leisurely 40 minutes in each direction. The 1910 service increased to four, with an extra Saturday evening return trip, and a five-minute faster journey. Whilst Alston's 'twin' branch to Allendale closed to passengers in 1930, Alston still had its 1910 frequency. In summer 1946 Alston enjoyed eight weekday return trains, the first departure at 5.41 am, but by summer 1954 there were seven on Saturdays and only five on weekdays.
Since the early days, the first advertised service of the day left Alston, where the branch locomotive was stabled. This practice continued until November 1959 when a 6:30 am departure from Haltwhistle was introduced, running non-stop (another novelty!) to Alston in thirty minutes, to form the 7:05 am departure (all stops) to Haltwhistle. British Rail censuses in 1970 found no passengers using the first Haltwhistle-Alston train of the day. By its final timetable there were six weekday and seven Saturday returns, taking 34 minutes from Haltwhistle to Alston, and 32 back to Haltwhistle.
The advertised passenger train service concealed interesting eccentricities. Plenmeller Halt, near Haltwhistle, at first served a colliery, then a Ministry of Supplies depot and finally a factory. Although omitted from public timetables, it possessed a platform for part of its life. Elsewhere unscheduled stops enabled passengers to join and leave trains. Trains regularly
stopped at Park Village and occasionally at Burnstones and at various other points, including locations close to Softley and Whitwham; there were no platforms at these stopping places. With equal informality, if no one wished to join or alight, trains sometimes coasted through the stations, even when booked to call!
Jenkins (The Alston Branch, 1991) assumes that motive power was provided in the mid-19th Century by former main line engines. Towards the end of that century Fletcher BTP 0-4-4Ts (classified as G6 by the LNER) were used, though in the NER period Worsdell Class A 2-4-2 Passenger Tanks were also employed. At first one engine was based at Alston. By 1900 there were two, one for passenger and the other for goods trains. Two elliptical-roof bogie coaches carried passengers in the early 20th Century, with a spare stabled at Alston. In the LNER period G5 0-4-4 and A8 4-6-2 tanks operated the passenger trains. Goods were hauled by J21 and J39 tender engines. The 1950s saw a variety of steam locomotives on the branch including ex-LMS 4MT 2-6-0 and 3MT 2-6-0's. Passenger services were progressively taken over by dmus (generally Metro-Cammell Class 101) from autumn 1959, which operated until closure. However, German 56-seat railbuses were trialled on the branch in 1965. They gave a rough ride and were mechanically unreliable. Consequently they were not adopted, although they worked some East Anglian branches.
Towards closure - and beyond
The Alston Branch outlived many lines whose passenger carrying potential was greater. Blyth and Ashington, towns of some 30,000 people, lost their service in 1964; Featherstone Park, serving several hundred, survived until 1976. As a cost-cutting measure Featherstone Park and Slaggyford became unstaffed in 1954, and Coanwood in 1955. The first serious threat of closure to the branch was in 1959, but the NE Transport Users' Consultative Committee reported that road services could not adequately replace trains, and closure was rejected. Severe weather in early 1963 disrupted road transport, yet trains continued between Haltwhistle and Alston, providing a 'life-line' for remote communities. Beeching (March 1963) noted that closure of the branch was already under consideration, but that summer Ernest Marples, Minister of Transport, announced that the service would continue; the sole criterion was hardship that closure would cause. Further economies were made. Alston's trainshed was dismantled. Lambley, and Alston became unstaffed in 1966 and 1969 respectively. Goods services ceased in 1965, and in 1966 the 'one engine in steam' system began, allowing Coanwood, Lambley, and Alston signal boxes to close. Crossing gates at Featherstone Park and Coanwood were removed, trains giving way to road traffic. Most signals were dismantled, although some fixed distant semaphores were retained, set at caution; one was south of Featherstone Park. At Alston, for some time, a run-round facility remained.
By 1968 the pace of closures had slackened, and a 'basic network' of railways to be retained for passenger and freight in Britain was published. Alston was not included. Under Section 39 of the 1968 Transport Act the branch received a grant of £43,000 for 1969, but the Minister of Transport warned that aid could not be justified for more than two years. In
In November 1970 BR again proposed closure. Following TUCC deliberations, in January 1973 it was announced that services would be withdrawn, subject to an improved Haltwhistle-Alston road link. Earnings of the line were quoted at £4,000 per annum; the subsidy had risen to £77,000. A one-off expenditure of £300,000 to construct an all-weather road was considered prudent use of public money. Lord Ridley, Chairman of Northumberland County Council, offered a suggestion that might save the railway. Funds earmarked for road improvements could be used to purchase the Alston Branch from BR, and the line leased to the South Tynedale Railway Preservation Society. Sadly the government was not impressed, and closure took place in May 1976, when the new road was ready.
In its last months Alston was, belatedly, publicised by British Rail, who extolled the charms of the line, and offered trips by scheduled services from London. A 'circular' bargain-fare was available from King's Cross and Euston, via Carlisle or Newcastle, to Alston. On the last day of service, Saturday 1 May 1976, some 5,000 passengers travelled on scheduled services on the branch, with yet more on special trains. The final train left Alston at 21:09 to the accompaniment of a lament played by two pipers, and the thunder of detonators. On 3 May 1976 rail services officially ended.
In January 1977 South Tynedale communities were isolated; roads were blocked by snow. This time the railway could not come to the rescue. The STRPS was committed to keeping the line in operation, but could not afford the purchase price of £160,000 asked by British Rail. BR would not permit the society to operate trains on the branch to help raise money to
buy the line. Track dismantling began in winter 1976-77. In March 1977 STRPS had the option to buy the last 1½ miles of track, from Gilderdale to Alston, for £40,800. Once again the price proved too high. Demolition continued, and all rails were lifted by June 1977.
Happily, this is not the end of the story. Cumbria County Council bought Alston station and the Cumbrian section of trackbed in 1979, enabling the station to be used as a tourist information centre. In 1983 the STRPS opened a 2ft gauge tourist railway at Alston, its trains hauled by Phoenix, a forty year-old 4-wheeled Hibberd 40hp diesel locomotive. The line was extended 1½ miles to Gilderdale Halt in 1986; a Light Railway Order was obtained in October 1987 for this section. A further ¼ mile to Kirkhaugh Halt opened in 1999. The South Tynedale Railway intends to reach Slaggyford, having obtained planning permission for this project in 1986, and ultimately Haltwhistle. Reinstatement of the branch has been aided by the English Tourist Board, the local authorities, and the Manpower Services Commission. Today the South Tyne Way footpath and cycleway follows the course of the Alston branch for much of its length.
In November 2009 a grant of £100,000 was awarded by Groundwork UK Community Spaces programme which will be used to fund the restoration of three historic bridges on the Alston line. Northumberland County Council's west area committee also granted consent for a completely new station at Lintley which is scheduled to open in 2011. STRPS now have a lease for the trackbed from Kirkhaugh to Slaggyford, including the station building at Slaggyford where some remedial work has started to ensure no further deterioration of the listed station building. A further extension of the line from Lintley to Slaggyford is planned to open in 2015.
Available evidence suggests that the architect of the Alston branch stations was Benjamin Green, who also designed a series of handsome stations between Newcastle and Berwick, such as the surviving Acklington, Warkworth and Chathill (to which Alston station bears a strong resemblance). The intermediate station buildings at Featherstone Park, Lambley and Slaggyford, are described by Bill Fawcett as 'economical and picturesque' symmetrical two-storey houses distinguished by a steeply gabled projecting centre. (Coanwood's station house was a later structure.) All were built of local stone. Until closure the rural charm of the stations was enhanced by their retention of elderly oil lanterns (with gas lighting at Alston). Whilst Alston retained its sturdy LNER wooden nameboard, still painted in BR(NE) tangerine, with raised white-painted metal letters, the other stations were (regrettably!) fitted with black-and-white 'Corporate Identity' nameboards following the line's reprieve in 1963; these replaced wooden nameboards painted in a dark version of BR(NE) tangerine, the letters outlined but not in-filled – and almost illegible. In 1962-3 the name of Coanwood station was not displayed anywhere along the platform.
Although all of the intermediate stations were de-staffed by 1967, none of them had Halt added to their name, even though the suffix was applied widely by British Rail until 1968-9. The North Eastern did not share other BR regions' enthusiasm for the suffix: there were only five official public Halts in the Region. However the four Region handbill of 1967. A sign
near the entrance to Featherstone Park passengers that the station was an Unstaffed Halt, and the implications for ticket purchase. The other stations possibly carried such signs too. Tickets exist for each of the intermediate stations using Halt in their name.
The Alston branch by Stanley C Jenkins (Pub: Oakwood Press 1991 revised 2001)
Railways in Northumberland by Alan Young (Pub: Martin Bairstow 2003) from which this article is adapted
A history of North Eastern Railway architecture, Vol. 1: The Pioneers by Bill Fawcett (Pub: North Eastern Railway Association 2001)
The railways of Northumberland and Newcastle upon Tyne by J A Wells (Pub: Powdene Publicity 1998)
Private and untimetabled stations by Godfrey Croughton, R W Kidner and Alan Young (Pub: Oakwood Press 1982)
Britain's historic railway buildings by Gordon Biddle (Pub: Oxford University Press 2003)
Railway passenger stations in England, Scotland and Wales: a chronology by M E Quick (Pub: Railway & Canal Historical Society 2002, Supplement 2003)
Register of closed passenger stations and goods depots by C R Clinker (Pub: Avon-Anglia 1978)
Further reading: Eastern Main Lines - Hexham to Carlisle including the Alston and Brampton Branches by Roger Darsley. (Pub: Middleton Press 2006).
Other web sites: South Tynedale Railway. History, photographs, timetable and all the latest news of this popular line.
Tickets from Tillyweb web site, route map drawn by Alan Young
To see other stations on the Alston branch click on the station name:
Haltwhistle, Plenmeller Halt, Park Village, Featherstone Park, Coanwood, Lambley, Burnstones, Slaggyford, Kirkhaugh (STRPS) & Alston
'Ayle' at Gilderdale station looking north
Photo from South Tynedale Railway Preservation Society
This is a simulated map with Gilderdale Halt superimposed onto an old map.
No. 14 'Helen Kathryn' at Gilderdale station looking north
Ex PKP 0-6-0 'Naklo' running round at Gilderdale Halt in 1993
Photo by John Law from his Everything on Rails web site
Looking north at Gilderdale Halt in May 2010
Photo by Rob Hunter
'Helen Kathryn' passing the disused platform at Gilderdale Halt in May 2010 bound for Alston
Gilderdale Halt looking north in May 2010.
Last updated: Sunday, 21-May-2017 09:29:21 CEST
© 1998-2010 Disused Stations


text:
[To "Nineteenth-Century American Children & What They Read"]
"Mammoth," from Youth's Companion; or An Historical Dictionary
by Ezra Sampson (1813)
This entertaining collection of bits on history, geography, and natural history was compiled from a number of sources—some cryptically identified—and was intended for readers of a variety of ages:
"Any readers of this book who can find little or nothing in it but what they knew as well before, are respectfully informed that it is not meant for them, but for people whose advantages have been fewer, or whose knowledge is less extensive. It is designed more particularly as a Companion for Youth; yet so as not to be a useless companion for mature age. Much in a small compass, has been my aim; and as I have generally named the authors to whom I am indebted, so the reader will know to whose writings he may have recourse for a more enlarged view of some of the subjects which are here given in compendium." (p. [iii])
Thus we have paragraphs on William Herschel and cannabis, harmonic duels and diving bells. And the mammoth—not the first time this prehistoric beast was described in an American work for children.
There was a lot of confusion about the mammoth and the mastodon at the time this paragraph was written. Huge bones had been found for centuries in what is now Kentucky, and Charles Willson Peale had cobbled together an almost-complete skeleton; but whether or not the beast was carnivorous and what an elephant was doing on the North American continent puzzled naturalists and museum owners alike. An excellent exploration of the history of discoveries at Big Bone Lick, Kentucky, is Stanley Hedeen's Big Bone Lick: The Cradle of American Paleontology (Lexington, KY: The University Press of Kentucky, 2008). Paul Semonin has published a detailed discussion of how naturalists struggled to understand the mastodon in American Monster: How the Nation's First Prehistoric Creature Became a Symbol of National Identity (New York: New York University Press, 2000.
Sampson's collection was first published in 1807, in Hudson, New York. My copy is of the second edition, "with sundry emendations, retrenchments and enlargements."
http://www.merrycoz.org/books/sampson/MAMMOTH.xhtml
"Mammoth," from Youth's Companion; or An Historical Dictionary, by Ezra Sampson. (Albany: Websters and Skinners, 1813; p. 229)
MAMMOTH, an animal of an extraordinary size. The name Mammoth is said to have been first given to this animal in Russia; and that it is a corruption from Memoth, a word derived from the Arabic; its fossil bones have been found in Siberia, and in several parts of the United States of America, particularly on the Ohio, and in the state of New-York towards the lakes; some being found lying on the surface of the earth, and some a little below it. Naturalists are not agreed respecting the genus of this animal. According to Dr. Miller, Mr. Peale of Philadelphia, proprietor of the Museum of that city, in the year 1781, succeeded in obtaining two complete skeletons of the Mammoth dug out of marl pits, in the state of New-York; and from inspection of these skeletons it appears they are the remains of elephants. On the other hand, it is stated in Mr. Jefferson's Notes, that the skeleton of the mammoth bespeaks an animal of five or six times the cubic volume of the elephant; that the grinders are five times as large, are square, and the grinding surface studded with four or five rows of blunt points, whereas those of the elephant are broad and thin, and their grinding surface flat: that the natives describe this animal as still existing in the northern and western parts of their country, and affirm him to be carnivorious. [sic] It is not easy to conceive how the bones of elephants should be scattered over the cold regions of Siberia, and in North America, unless their carcases [sic] were wafted thither by the general deluge; since these animals are natives of the hot climates of Asia and Africa, and if even there were no seas or mountains to prevent their excursions, would hardly wander a vast distance into frozen regions where they cannot live in winter without a warm shelter.
Copyright 1999-2022, Pat Pflieger
To "Nineteenth-Century American Children & What They Read"
Some of the children | Some of their books | Some of their magazines
To "Voices from 19th-Century America"
Some works for adults, 1800-1872
To Titles at this site | Authors at this site | Subjects at this site | Works by date | Map of the site
Talk to me.


text:
The final show on this initial London visit was 42nd Street. Unfortunately, not one we enjoyed. If you are into tap - it has its moments, but unfortunately, nothing else!
One of the parents in Shanhong's school was taking part in an opera (she's in the picture below), and very kindly treated us to tickets! So a night at the opera it was! Unfortunately the Singapore Lyric Opera does not offer video clips of their work - and so I cannot show you anything of what we saw. However, as there was one aria I recognised, I thought I would include a version of that song instead. What made it even more special, is that is one of the pieces Shanhong had to sing to enter her Conservatory as a young student!
Hot on the heels of School of Rock Friday night, and Matilda Saturday lunchtime, Saturday night we were off again, to Disney's Aladdin!
This was a moment of madness! Having spotted a poster while walking around town, and discovering a) tickets were VERY cheap and b) the theatre was off the same main road as our hotel, we booked to go and see Billy Elliot, in Hungarian!
Still enjoying London Theatre, after a morning at Hillsong Church, we went to see a Matinee performance of "Brief Encounter" held in a cinema. Mixing live theatre with music (the actors playing all the instruments themselves), and with cinema effects too, this was surprisingly good!
Another popular show passed through Singapore, so, of course we had to go!
David Foster came to the Canadian International School in Singapore, where Shanhong works.
For anyone who does not know David Foster, he is most famous for discovering other artists, and writing songs for them.
Check out the names on this collection of David Foster hits!
As you know, we rarely miss a show when it comes to Singapore, and certainly not when it is one of the greats! So, we were not to miss to Evita! It lived up to expectation too - great show!
I wasn't sure about this one - I'm sorry - this was written and created in Singapore - and I guess I had no idea what to expect - but I have to say I was VERY pleasantly surprised. Great songs, fantastic costumes, and a simple, but highly effective set made this as good as any Broadway or West End show I have ever seen, and would very happily pay to see again. This deserves to make it to the West End - and if it does - I recommend you go to see it!
First stop on our USA Holiday 2016 was Nashville, home of Country Music (and one of my favourite TV shows)!. Of course, no stay in Nashville is complete without a visit to the Grand Ole Opry House and the show that made Country Music famous!
There are some great churches in Singapore who invite some great artists! This was Israel Houghton & New Breed.
Again, with few choices at the half-price booth - we plumped for "Kinky Boots" with only a very rough idea of the plot - and no idea what to expect. This was a surprise, and in a great way! What a fantastic show! The story is fun, the songs are catchy, the cast play their parts so, so well ! We loved it - smiled all night - and have already booked to see it again when it comes through Singapore in November.
Never one to miss the chance of a show - I managed to get a last minute booking for La Cage aux Folles in Wolverhampton on the way back from South Devon! Perhaps not one I'm queuing to see again - but it was fun!
The first time we had ever seen "Legally Blonde" was as it passed through Singapore on an Asian tour, but what a bundle of fun it was!
Perhaps not the greatest musical ever written, but well worth seeing - at least once... OMG!
It is extremely rare that we get to go out with members of the family - so when a 50's/60's music show passed through Telford, we persuaded my brother and sister-in-law to join us. It would just happen to turn out to be the same night as a World Cup England game.. poor Stevie! Fun show though - plenty of "singing along" !
After School of Rock on the Friday night, Saturday lunch saw us at the matinee for Matilda! One of Shanhong's favourites from earlier trips to London - but somehow, not so exciting immediately after School of Rock!
I was truly blessed to be able to see my favourite Christian Singer, Michael W Smith, live in Singapore.
Giving a mix of his hits and some great moments of worship, this just made me want to do his Alaskan Cruise even more!
This song, one of my favourites, took me right back to Camp Tecumseh in New Jersey where this was the closing song of camp!
Michael W Smith and Friends
By request, some video clips from the ship.
Michael W Smith - singing with the ship's choir (passengers!)
Laura Story
and Mark Lowrie (sorry video cuts out mid-song! Mark wrote this song; there is an interesting version at www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaRpeMT1tjQ )
2016 saw one of my dreams come true, when I finally got to go on a Michael W Smith cruise! Advertised for a few years now, the dates never matched the school holidays - but this year the dates worked - there was a wedding we hoped to go to - and everything came together to make the cruise a possibility. Held on one of the biggest cruise ships, we sailed in the Caribbean, and had all the normal cruise events with the bonus of additional extra concerts!
These featured Michael W Smith himself (singer/songwriter/worship leader) as well as his friends Mark Lowry (comedian), Laura Story (singer/songwriter) and Pastor Jack (main speaker).
There are very few matinees at a good price - so, with limited choice, and a friend of Shanhong's joining us - we plumped for Motown - the Musical. It tells the tale - and has some good musical numbers - but was nothing special....


Is it a good idea the get your SSCP first and then go for the CISSP or should I go directly for the CISSP and not bother with the SSCP? What do you recommend and why? Thanks in advance.
Hard to say. It depends on your ability to learn, what you already know, the amount of time you have available and the date on which you want to have achieved something. SSCP requires less experience (1 year versus 5 years), in less domains (1 out of 7 versus 2 out of 8) and the domains are not quite the same either. SSCP is more "down to earth", practical, more technical, CISSP is more abstract and has more focus on processes, law / legalese.
If you are already employed for a longer time in the IT/Infosec business and have or aim for a leadership role, given sufficient talent and other resources, I'd go straight for the CISSP. If you are relatively new in our field and aim to (at least for now) do more practical security work, go for the SSCP first.
Another option, especially if you don't have sufficient experience but still aim for a leadership role is to go for Associate first, e.g. study for your CISSP, sit (and pass...) the exam, then acquire sufficient experience to become a CISSP. However, in practice not too many HR departments, headhunters etc. will filter on "associate", probably you'd stand a better chance of being hired if you held the SSCP credential and published that in/on CV's and profiles.
Heinrich is dead on right. I couldn't say it any better if I tried! Great advice.
In March 2017 I had one week, 5 days, SSCPcourse. I did the exam on 31 October and passed.
I have 5 years experience as a system administrator, but not in security.
In the meanwhile I read the study book and made notes, then I learned the slides from the course, learned the notes from the book and did practice questions.
If you are not familiar with the terms of security, like the CIA triad, I would not do SSCP first, but do a beginners course and then SSCP or CISSP depending on your work experience.
Zaib, your "testing" post are good (both the new posting and on this reply..), man.
Why not both? If you can dedicate the time and effort to write both exams, you should aim for that. Unless there's a specific reason for either/or (i.e., you've found yourself a posting for a position looking for a particular certification, etc.).
In my opinion, the idea behind testing is to ensure you have a firm grasp of the respective topic(s) and being able to complete the examination should only reinforce this fact to potential employers (and of course yourself - boost self-esteem if you need that).
There's a myriad of variables that would dictate one certificate or the other that you can check for yourself. Maybe doing a "pro/con" list for the SSCP and CISSP, then moving forward with what you see?
In either case good luck!
I think several good points were made regarding requirements and the differences between the SSCP and the CISSP. Personally, I hold the CISSP and the GIAC-GSEC. I had the GIAC-GSEC prior to gaining the CISSP. I think from a senior management level the CISSP has been very beneficial. Also, looking at Information Assurance positions with government related entities such as the DoD, the CISSP will open more doors. The GIAC-GSEC was a great benefit to me as I started in the security realm of IT, and continues to hold respect with the "boots on the ground". I think both certifications compliment each other very well. I've looked a numerous opportunties that prioritized security certifications, and had the CISSP number one with the GIAC-GSEC right behind it. I think that you can't go wrong with getting the CISSP but the SSCP could be a benefit as well. That said, it might be worth your while to branch out as well. At a high-level the CISSP is great, but at some point you'll have to be or work with the guys in the trenches doing the work. The more detail, knowledge and experience you can have in getting the job done, the more respect you'll earn at multiple levels. Something like the GIAC-GSEC or the SSCP can help with that.
The CISSP is great, as it is well recognized. I do think some HR departments don't understand it, requiring it for lower level positions.
SSCP is a good practitioner certification. CISSP is a management level certification.
Without knowing more about your background and goals, it is hard to provide an answer.
I agree with both Heinrich and Duchess.
Your ability and experience in the field will of course dictate where you are and which test you should take. That being stated though, one could assume that the reason you are reviewing these two is for the ultimate goal of a security management position. Unless you are already working in the security field, and are just one cert away from making the jump to a management position, both certs can be useful.
In my case, I have taken the SSCP to advance my career in the security arena, and will then take the CISSP to help me move up the ladder to security manager/CISO position.


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Candidate Statement: Oliver Goodman-Waters '14
1. For what position are you running?
I am running for the position of Junior Prefect.
2. What makes you feel that you are qualified for the position? Please describe any leadership experiences you've had, if applicable.
I feel that I possess many leadership qualities that would make me a good prefect. I am assertive and not afraid to fight for what I believe in. I also work well with others and often see myself taking a leadership role in group situations. As an active member of peer support I feel that I have a good understanding of the daily problems many Harvard-Westlake students face and what would be best for those students. I also have initiative and am quick to jump on issues that I feel are important. For example, after water bottles were banned from the cafeteria when I was in 8th grade, I went to then student council member and current prefect council member Henry Hahn to try to bring them back. Together, Henry and I researched the issue and started a petition to return water bottles to the cafeteria. While water bottles weren't returned to the cafeteria until this year, we got the ball rolling on this popular issue and developed research that helped the argument to bring back water bottles. Finally, I am a good mediator of arguments and often find myself in this role with friends and family. I believe this quality would serve me well on the Honor Board and when dealing with the conflicting opinions of students, faculty, and the administration.
3. How do you feel about the Honor Board and what has led you to feel this way?
I greatly support the concept of the Honor Board and its purpose. I feel that in most cases the Honor Board has fulfilled its purpose of handling Honor Code infractions in whichever way is best for students and the community. I believe that this is the most important aspect of the Honor Board and that it should only be used when direct student-faculty mediation isn't an option. I don't believe the Honor Board should be an instrument of punishment, and I want to do whatever I can to keep it from ever becoming one. Given the ambiguity of many Honor Code violations, the Honor Board normally finds a fitting resolution to these violations. Because many aspects of the Honor Code are so ambiguous to many students, some may view certain Honor Board resolutions as unfitting. To combat this I believe that there should be a clarification of the Honor Code where violations are more clearly defined without making the Honor Code pointlessly convoluted. I believe this would help the Honor Board pass resolutions that are widely agreed upon and will better serve the Harvard-Westlake community.
4. Please describe one thing in Harvard-Westlake's community you would change. Also, how would you use the influence of the position of Junior/Senior Prefect to change our community?
If elected to prefect council, I would work to further develop Harvard-Westlake's new Spring in Your Step tradition. While Spring in Your Step was an overall success many students would like to improve it in ways that the current restrictions do not allow. To improve Spring in Your Step I would like to bring it off campus. I believe that one of the best qualities of Semi-Formal is that it was off campus and I would like our new tradition to be similar in that respect. While the administration has made it clear that they would like to distance the community from Semi-Formal, I believe that there are more effective ways to combat what got Semi Formal cancelled in the first place, after parties. The administration can enforce stricter punishments for those who organize after parties and even threaten to abolish our new tradition if they are unsatisfied with the after party situation. With this compromise, I believe that distancing the community from Semi-Formal will no longer be necessary and the Harvard-Westlake community can further improve our new tradition with fewer restrictions.
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World Cup 2018: 5 trends in media
Dan Calladine Head of Media Futures, Carat Global
The 2018 World Cup will be remembered for many things — Ronaldo's free kick, Germany's early exit, England's best performance for years — but also for how media was used to watch and celebrate the games. This is the first World Cup for a host of innovations and features, each changing the way audiences consume the game.
Here's a run-down:
1. The first tournament that people have been able to post live videos from their smartphones
Meerkat, the first live streaming app only launched in 2015, followed by Periscope, and by Facebook in 2016. Now many other services like Instagram and Snapchat offer it, and fans are using it to go live before and after games.
2. The first tournament with Vertical 'Stories'
Vertical video was starting to become popular during the World Cup in Rio, but was not mainstream. While Snapchat stories launched in 2013, the platform still had well under 100m monthly active users, compared to the 400m people that now use Instagram Stories every day. This has generated new forms of media — specifically reaction videos, with fans and celebrities sharing videos of them celebrating the results. EE report that Snapchat in the UK saw a massive peak of activity after England won a penalty shoot-out.
3. The first tournament with GIFs in social media
Twitter also seems to be having a great tournament, with hashtags for all games trending, and fans using the platform to both comment on the games while they are on, discuss when they have finished, and in particular joke with each other in the lead up to the next games. Funny memes are being shared on the platform more than in previous tournaments partly because GIFs were introduced to the platform in 2016.
4. The rise of 'Connected Viewing'
What is different is the way that smartphones are being used in conjunction with the TV — also known as connected viewing — now that people know that they do not need to stay at home to be able to watch the games. The number of 4G connections has grown from half a billion to nearly 3 billion in four years, and thus, phones are now being used to watch the matches alongside TVs, with streaming numbers being highest for daytime games when people are more likely to be outside.
5. First tournament watched with virtual reality
It has also been possible to watch games in virtual reality for the first time — Oculus Rift was not launched until 2016, followed by other brands like HTC Vive. Even the lo-fi Google Cardboard didn't launch until 2015. Some broadcasters, for example, the BBC, Fox, DIRECTV and others letting fans watch with their headsets from different viewing points. There is no indication of how popular it's been yet, but it has not been generating very much buzz.
See a sample from the BBC:
World Cup: Experience World Cup in Virtual Reality
2018 Fifa World Cup on the BBC Live: Coverage across BBC TV, BBC Radio and BBC Sport website with further coverage on…www.bbc.co.uk
Other observations this year
Channels seem to have had better control over copyright. Several previous tournaments have been wrong-footed by technology, for example, a relatively uncontrollable YouTube in 2006, and Vine in 2014. This time the channels seem to have been much better at taking down unauthorised clips or preventing them from appearing in the first place.
Players are taking to social media just as much as their fans. Several of the world's 100 top Instagram users are footballers, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Lionel Messi, and young players can see the benefit of being popular on the platform. Players like Jesse Lingard, Takashi Inui and Mo Salah are all posting regularly with lots of personality. We should not be surprised as they are part of the Instagram generation.
With all these innovations, it's important to stress that TV is still the main screen where people are watching the games. In the UK, channels are seeing the biggest ratings for years, with viewing figures for the England games approaching the levels observed for the 2012 Olympics, and rising as England went further in the competition. For the England-Croatia semi-final, 26.6m viewed it on ITV and another 4.3m used its online service, ITV Hub. This number excludes those watching in their crowded local pub.
Lastly, we can't predict the result of the next World Cup, but we do know that 5G networks will be live in 2022, so we can definitely expect that there will be much more live mobile viewing, including people in parks and on transport — it will be even harder to get away from than it is today!