text:
\section{Introduction}

Despite their low temperatures, prestellar cores harbour a wealth of chemical species. In recent years, complex organic molecules (hereafter COMs), which were previously thought to trace mainly warm gas in star forming regions have been detected in prestellar sources \citep[e.g.][]{Bacmann:2012p4015,Vastel:2014p5375} where the temperatures are around 10\,K. The formation mechanisms of
the terrestrial COMs (i.e. which are stable under Earth-like conditions) currently detected in the cold gas remain poorly understood, and the respective roles of gas-phase reactions or grain surface chemistry are debated.

Radicals like the formyl radical HCO or the methoxy radical CH$_3$O have drawn attention as the possible precursors of COMs, either in the gas-phase \citep{Vasyunin:2013p4398,Balucani:2015p5368} or on grain surfaces \citep{Garrod:2006p2498}. They are also important intermediates in the grain-surface synthesis of methanol, as products of H-atom additions to CO \citep[e.g.][]{Brown:1988p3318,Pirim:2011p4136}. These radicals are also widely detected in the gas phase of prestellar cores and cold clouds \citep{Bacmann:2016aa,Agundez:2015di,Gerin:2009p4072,Cernicharo:2012p4397}.

In a previous survey of these radicals in a sample of prestellar cores, \citet{Bacmann:2016aa}  proposed that the HCO abundances measured in the gas-phase could be accounted for by a pure gas-phase scenario, in which HCO results from the dissociative recombination of protonated formaldehyde H$_2$COH$^+$. In dark clouds, H$_2$COH$^+$ is likely the product of the protonation of H$_2$CO, which is an abundant organic species \citep[with abundances generally around 10$^{-10}-$10$^{-9}$ in prestellar cores $-$ ][]{Bacmann:2003kv,Guzman:2011da}. Proton donors like, e.g. H$_3^+$, or HCO$^+$, are the most abundant ions \citep[with abundances close to 10$^{-9}-$10$^{-8}$, see][]{Aikawa:2005p1161,Flower:2005p1891,Flower:2006p1295}. It is therefore expected that protonated formaldehyde H$_2$COH$^+$ would easily be formed. Previous searches by \citet{1993JKAS...26...99M} towards Orion A and the two cold clouds L183 and TMC-1 yielded no detection, and \citet{Ohishi:1996p4278} detected H$_2$COH$^+$ only   towards Sgr\,B2 and several hot cores, and not towards the cold sources of their sample.

In this Letter, we present the first detection of protonated formaldehyde in a cold core, and discuss its abundance in terms of
the formation of the HCO radical by ion-molecule chemistry, and the possibility to constrain the branching ratio towards HCO of its  dissociative recombination with electrons.

\section{Observations and data analysis\label{sect:obs}}

The frequencies of the rotational transitions of H$_2$COH$^+$ were determined by \citet{Chomiak:1994} and \cite{1995CPL...244..145D} and were retrieved from the CDMS spectroscopy catalogue \citep{Muller:2001p2418,Muller:2005p4298}. Line excitation is always an issue in cold ($\sim$\,10\,K) gas and only  levels with a low energy can be populated.
To search for H$_2$COH$^+$, we therefore selected transitions with upper level energies lower than $\sim 20$\,K, which could be observed in a minimum of frequency setups, and for which good atmospheric transmission did not require very dry weather conditions. The chosen three lines at 2\,mm and their spectroscopic parameters are shown in Table\,\ref{table:transitions}, to which we added a line at 3\,mm from a previous project.

The observations were carried out in January and March 2012 for the 3\,mm transition and in March 2015 for the 2\,mm transitions with the IRAM 30\,m telescope located at Pico Veleta, Spain, towards the prestellar core L1689B. The source was selected on the grounds that its molecular lines are usually stronger than in other similar sources \citep{Bacmann:2016aa}. The integration coordinates were $\alpha_{2000}=16^h34^m48.30^s$ and $\delta_{2000}=-24\degr38\arcmin04.0\arcsec$, corresponding to the peak of the millimetre dust continuum emission. We used the receivers E090 and E150 operating at 3\,mm and 2\,mm, respectively, which were connected to the Fourier Transform spectrometer (FTS) at a frequency resolution of $\sim$\,50\,kHz (corresponding to
velocity resolutions of 0.15 km/s at 102\,GHz, 0.11 km/s at 130\,GHz, and 0.09 km/s at 170\,GHz). The weather conditions were good during the 2012 observing runs, and excellent during the March 2015 run, with precipitable water vapour of 1\,mm on average and system temperatures of $\sim$\,80\,K at 126-132\,GHz and $\sim$\,130\,K at 170\,GHz. Pointing was checked every 1.5 hours on a nearby quasar and found to be within 2-3$\arcsec$ at 2\,mm and 3-4$\arcsec$ at 3\,mm. Focus was performed on a strong quasar at the beginning of each observing session and on Mercury after sunrise. The data were taken with the frequency switching mode with a frequency throw of 7.5\,MHz.
The antenna forward efficiency $F_{\rm eff}$ is 0.95 and 0.93 at 3\,mm and 2\,mm, respectively, and the main beam efficiencies $B_{\rm eff}$ were taken to be 0.79, 0.77, 0.76, and 0.70 at 106.1\,GHz, 126.9\,GHz, 132.2\,GHz, and 168.4\,GHz, respectively. From integrations carried out at different offsets (which will be discussed elsewhere), we find that the emission fills the main beam but is not very extended, and therefore we used the main beam temperature scale in our analysis, applying $T_{\rm mb}=  F_{\rm eff}/{B_{\rm eff}}\;T_{\rm a}^*$.  The main beam size is 24\,$\arcsec$ at 106.1\,GHz, 19$\arcsec$ at 126.9\,GHz and at 132.2\,GHz, and 15$\arcsec$ at 168.4\,GHz.

\begin{table}[htb]
\caption{Observed H$_2$COH$^+$ transitions}
\begin{tabular}{lcclll}
\hline\hline
Transition  & Frequency & E$_{\rm up}$ & g$_{\rm up}$ & A$_{\rm ul}$  \\
J$_{\rm K_{\rm a} \rm K_{\rm c}}$& MHz & K & & s$^{-1}$\\
\hline
$4_{0 4} - 3_{1 3}$ & 102065.86 & 30.4 & 9 & 7.27 10$^{-6}$   \\
$2_{0 2} - 1_{1 1}$ & 126923.38 & 9.1 & 5 & 1.83 10$^{-5}$  \\
$2_{1 1} - 1_{1 0}$ & 132219.70 & 17.5 & 5 & 1.55 10$^{-5}$  \\
$1_{1 0} - 1_{0 1}$ & 168401.14 & 11.1 & 3 & 8.77 10$^{-5}$  \\
\hline
\end{tabular}
\label{table:transitions}
\end{table}

The data were reduced using the IRAM GILDAS/CLASS\footnote{http://www.iram.fr/IRAMFR/GILDAS} software: the individual scans were averaged together and a low-order (typically 3) polynomial was fitted to line-free regions of the spectra to subtract a baseline. The resulting spectra were then folded to recover from the effect of the frequency switching procedure. .

\begin{table}[htb]
\caption{Line parameters for the observed H$_2$COH$^+$ transitions. The rms is given for 50\,kHz channels. The numbers between parenthesis are the 1-$\sigma$ uncertainties. The upper limit is 3-$\sigma$.}
\begin{tabular}{lcccc}
\hline\hline
Frequency & rms & $T_{\rm mb}$ & $\Delta\nu$ & Integrated intensity   \\
MHz & mK & mK & km s$^{-1}$ & K km s$^{-1}$ \\
\hline
102065.86 & 3.3 & $-$ & $-$ & $< 0.0024$\\
126923.38 & 6.0 & 116 & 0.45 (0.02) & 0.0553 (0.0085) \\
132219.70 & 2.6 & 12 & 0.35 (0.06) & 0.0043 (0.0010) \\
168401.14 &  7.6 & 67 & 0.40 (0.03) & 0.0290 (0.0048) \\
\hline
\end{tabular}
\label{table:lineparam}
\end{table}

\begin{figure}
   \centering
   \includegraphics[width=\hsize]{h2coh+fig.eps}
\caption{H$_2$COH$^+$ spectra in L1689B. The vertical dashed lines indicate the positions of the H$_2$COH$^+$ transitions. The feature at $\sim$\,132218\,MHz does not correspond to any line from the CDMS or the JPL catalogue.}
\label{fig:spec}
\end{figure}

\section{Column densitiy determination\label{sect:analysis}}

Protonated formaldehyde is clearly detected, as can be seen from the spectra shown in Fig.\,\ref{fig:spec}. The transition at 102\,GHz is however not detected, which can be explained by its lower Einstein spontaneous emission coefficient and higher upper level energy. The line parameters (velocity integrated intensities, line widths, peak line intensities) were determined by fitting a Gaussian to each line.
The obtained values are presented in Table\,\ref{table:lineparam}.

There are no available collisional coefficients for H$_2$COH$^+$, so we perform a simple derivation of the column density assuming local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE). The method we use has been described in \citet{Bacmann:2016aa}. Briefly, we calculate the integrated intensities of the transitions under the LTE assumption for a range of column density and excitation temperature values, and perform a least-square fit, defining a $\chi^2$ between the calculated integrated intensities and the observed integrated intensities, for the detected lines.

The best model yields a column density of 6.7\,10$^{11}$\,cm$^{-2}$ and a temperature of 4.2\,K. Reasonably good fits (i.e. for which $\chi^2$ is within 1-$\sigma$ of the minimum $\chi^2$ value) can be found for high values of the column density ($\gtrsim 1.5\,10^{12}$\,cm$^{-2}$) but these are obtained for excitation temperatures which are below 3.5\,K. We limit ourselves to excitation temperatures above 3.7\,K because smaller values become unrealistic. With this additional condition, we find that the beam averaged H$_2$COH$^+$ column density
is between 3.3\,10$^{11}$\,cm$^{-2}$ and  1.1\,10$^{12}$\,cm$^{-2}$.
The non-detection
of the 102\,GHz line does not bring supplementary constraints despite the high sensitivity of the observation, because the low excitation temperatures considered ($<5$\,K) are compatible with
a non-detection of this line even for unrealistically high column densities (for which the other lines would be stronger and optically thick). Despite the low number of lines in our analysis, the best fit is only moderately good, as shown in Fig.\ref{fig:model}. This probably means that the excitation deviates from LTE.

\begin{figure}
   \centering
   \includegraphics[width=\hsize]{bestmodel.eps}
\caption{Modelled integrated intensities compared and observed integrated intensities for the four considered H$_2$COH$^+$ transitions.}
\label{fig:model}
\end{figure}

\section{Discussion and conclusions\label{sect:discus}}

This detection represents the first detection of protonated formaldehyde in a cold prestellar core. Former searches for this ion in similar sources did not yield any detection, most probably because of lack of sensitivity in the observations.  The spectral resolution of the  H$_2$COH$^+$ non detections in the cold sources of \citet{Ohishi:1996p4278} is ambiguous, but if we assume that it was 250\,kHz, their rms noise of 20\,mK was not low enough to detect the 168.4\,GHz line if it was as strong as in L1689B.

Most likely, the dominant reaction route to form H$_2$COH$^+$ in dark clouds is  the protonation of formaldehyde
\begin{equation}
\rm{H_2CO + HX^+} \xrightarrow{k_f}\rm{H_2COH^+ + H_2}
\label{forma}
\end{equation}
where HX$^+$ stands for a proton donor.
Indeed, both H$_2$CO and proton donors (like e.g.  H$_3^+$, its deuterated isotopologues, or  HCO$^+$) are abundant in prestellar cores, and exothermic ion-molecule processes are generally fast. \citet{Bacmann:2016aa} estimated the rate for reaction \eqref{forma} with HX$^+$ = H$_3^+$ to be k$_{\rm f}=7\,10^{-8}$\,cm$^3$s$^{-1}$ at 10\,K, using the locked dipole approximation. Because of the difference in reduced mass, this rate constant becomes k$_{\rm f}=3.1\,10^{-8}$\,cm$^3$s$^{-1}$ at 10\,K if HX$^+$ = HCO$^+$. The most efficient destruction route for H$_2$COH$^+$ is the dissociative recombination (DR) with electrons:
\begin{equation}
\rm{H_2CO H^+ + e^-} \xrightarrow{k_d} \rm{products}
\label{destr}
\end{equation}
Reaction \eqref{destr} was studied experimentally by \citet{Hamberg:2007p4982} \citep[and recently by][]{Osborne:2015} who determined ${\rm k_d}=9.9\,10^{-6}$\,cm$^3$s$^{-1}$ at 10\,K.

At steady state, if H$_2$COH$^+$ is indeed formed mostly by reaction \eqref{forma} and destroyed by reaction \eqref{destr}, its abundance is simply given by
\begin{equation}
\mathrm{[H_2COH^+] = \frac{k_f}{k_d} \frac{[HX^+]}{[e^-]}[H_2CO]}
\label{model}
\end{equation}
Substituting the reaction rates with their values for H$_3^+$ and assuming
the proton donor abundance is equal to the electron abundance, we predict an abundance of [H$_2$COH$^+$] $\approx$ 0.007 [H$_2$CO] as mentioned in \citet{Bacmann:2016aa}, or [H$_2$COH$^+$] $\approx$ 0.003 [H$_2$CO] if HCO$^+$ is the main proton donor. Using an H$_2$CO column density of 1.3\,10$^{14}$\,cm$^{-2}$ \citep{Bacmann:2003kv}, we find that the predicted H$_2$COH$^+$ column density $N^{\rm mod}$ derived from equation\,\eqref{model} is 4.1\,10$^{11}-9.1\,10^{11}$\,cm$^{-2}$ (depending on the main proton donor), consistent with the observed value we determine in L1689B, $N^{\rm obs}=6.7\,10^{11}$\,cm$^{-2}$ within the uncertainties. This also nicely confirms the value of  the destruction rate of H$_2$COH$^+$ measured by \citet{Hamberg:2007p4982} at 10\,K.

\citet{Agundez:2015ko} have run a time-dependent chemical model using the UMIST12 network \citep{McElroyD:2013ki} and derive [H$_2$COH$^+$] $\sim$ 8\,10$^{-4}-10^{-3}$ [H$_2$CO], about six times smaller than our observed value. Though our model better reproduces the observations, it considers only one formation and one destruction route for H$_2$COH$^+$. The H$_2$CO protonation reactions in the UMIST12 network producing H$_2$COH$^+$ have smaller reaction rates than the one we use (a factor of 2).
Our model might also overestimate the amount of proton donors reacting with H$_2$CO, since we assume it equal to the electron abundance. We also neglect other destruction routes than electronic DR for H$_2$COH$^+$, like proton transfer between H$_2$COH$^+$ and CH$_3$OH or NH$_3$, but these are about 1000 times slower than DR at 10\,K and unlikely to be a cause for the discrepancy between both models.

The dissociative recombination of H$_2$COH$^+$ with electrons has several output channels. According to the experiments by \citet{Hamberg:2007p4982}, the products of the reaction are
\begin{align}
\rm{H_2COH^+ + e^-} &\rightarrow \rm{HCO + x H + y H_2}\label{br3}\\
                                        &\rightarrow \rm{CO + x H+  y H_2}\\
                                       &\rightarrow \rm{H_2CO + H}\\
                                      &\rightarrow \rm{CH_2 + OH}\\
                                      &\rightarrow \rm{CH + H_2O}
\end{align}
where x and y are integers that account for the different possible combinations of H and H$_2$ atoms in the products. The experimental branching ratios are 6\% for CH$_2$, 2\% for CH, and 92\% for the channels where the C$-$O bond is conserved (i.e. CO, HCO, and H$_2$CO). This is in contrast to the dissociative recombination of CH$_3$OH for which the C$-$O bond is preserved in a minority of channels \citep{Geppert:2006p4196}. In the case of H$_2$COH$^+$, the experiment by \citet{Hamberg:2007p4982} did not distinguish between HCO, CO and H$_2$CO.

In order to account for the gas phase abundance of the HCO radical in a sample of prestellar cores, and in particular the constant abundance ratio of $\sim$10 between H$_2$CO and HCO, \citet{Bacmann:2016aa} suggested that the observed HCO/H$_2$CO abundance ratio can be reproduced if HCO originates from the dissociative recombination of H$_2$COH$^+$, assuming that the branching ratio of the DR is $\sim$10\% for the HCO channel (reaction \eqref{br3} above). Although the detection of H$_2$COH$^+$ in a prestellar core does not provide  unambiguous evidence that HCO does form from the protonation of formaldehyde followed by dissociative recombination, it is still in agreement with this scenario, and allows us  to directly constrain the branching ratio of the dissociative recombination for the HCO channel. In this frame, and assuming the main destruction route for HCO is with a proton donor like H$_3^+$, the branching ratio $f$ for HCO is given by
\begin{equation*}
\mathrm{k_{dd}\,[HCO][H_3^+]} = f\,\mathrm{k_d\,[H_2COH^+][e^-]},
\end{equation*}
where k$_{\rm dd}=5\;10^{-8}$\,cm$^{-3}$s$^{-1}$ is the destruction rate of HCO with H$_3^+$ at 10\,K \citep{Bacmann:2016aa}. Assuming as before  [H$_3^+]\approx\,[{\rm e}^-]$, the H$_2$COH$^+$ column density determined in this study ($N^{\rm obs}_{\rm H_2COH^+} = 6.7\,10^{11}$\,cm$^{-2}$), and the HCO column density  in L1689B given in \citet{Bacmann:2016aa} ($N_{\rm HCO} = 1.3\,10^{13}$\,cm$^{-2}$), we find again $f\sim 10$\%, without invoking the H$_2$CO abundance.

As discussed in \citet{Bacmann:2016aa}, another potential destruction route for HCO is with abundant atoms such as H. In this case, assuming an atomic H abundance of $\sim 10^{-5}$ with respect to H$_2$, an electronic abundance of 10$^{-8}$, and $k_{\rm H}=1.5\,10^{-10}$\,cm$^{3}$s$^{-1}$ for the rate constant of the reaction HCO + H \citep[the value at 300\,K from][]{Baulch:2005p5096}, we find a value for the branching ratio $f$ of 30\%. It is however unclear whether the value of k$_{\rm H}$ taken here also applies at 10\,K, since no measurements of this rate constant are available at low temperatures.

One major uncertainty in this determination of the branching ratio results from possible alternative formation scenarios for HCO, which could be non negligible. One such route is the neutral-neutral reaction between H$_2$CO and an abundant radical like OH or CN. Recent experimental studies have confirmed that such reactions could proceed efficiently via tunneling at low temperatures. Indeed, \citet{Shannon:2013p4217} and \citet{gomezmartin:2014p4918} have shown that the reaction CH$_3$OH + OH gets faster at low temperatures down to $\sim$\,50\,K. A spectacular increase in the reaction constant is also reported by \citet{Jimenez:2016} for CH$_3$OCHO + OH (the reaction rate increases by three orders of magnitude between 300\,K and 22\,K, and by an order of magnitude between 60\,K and 22\,K, reaching as high a value as 1.2\,10$^{-10}$\,cm$^{3}$s$^{-1}$).  In order to be as efficient as the ion-molecule route to form HCO, the constant of the reaction between H$_2$CO and OH would have to be 4\,10$^{-10}$\,cm$^3$s$^{-1}$  at 10\,K \citep{Bacmann:2016aa}. No measurements at 10\,K of this reaction (or similar ones) are available, but are needed, because the behaviour of the reaction constant is not known below 230\,K (at which temperature it is $10^{-11}$\,cm$^{3}$s$^{-1}$) and extrapolation is hazardous. In the case that H$_2$CO + OH would be a major formation channel for HCO, the observed HCO abundance could be accounted for without the need for the DR of H$_2$COH$^+$ to yield a significant amount of HCO. In this respect, the branching ratio we determined above can be considered as an upper limit.
\footnote{We also note that he neutral-neutral reaction CH$_2$ + O should yield negligible amounts of HCO in the conditions prevailing in cold cores (see KIDA datasheet on this reaction). Using the rate constant in the KIDA database (2\,10$^{-12}$\,cm$^3$s$^{-1}$) and the steady-state abundances of CH$_2$ and O from the model of \citet{LeGal:2014p4374}, we find that this reaction is 100 times less efficient than the DR of H$_2$COH$^+$ at forming HCO.}

This result  can have implications for chemical networks because they assume statistical weights for the three products CO, HCO and H$_2$CO (1/3, 1/3, 1/3), as  in the UMIST12 network or the KIDA\footnote{http://kida.obs.u-bordeaux1.fr} database \citep{Wakelam:2012p4970}, following \citet{Prasad:1980}. As already noted in \citet{Hamberg:2007p4982}, these branching ratios are still vastly in agreement with their experimental results which state  that CO, HCO and H$_2$CO represent over 90\% of the products. However, the branching ratio that is needed here to account for the observed HCO and H$_2$COH$^+$ abundances could be significantly different from the statistical value, as it could be 10\%, or lower.

This value should however be taken with some caution, because  the excitation of H$_2$COH$^+$ is not well constrained in the absence of collisional coefficients. Our estimation of the branching ratio should therefore be repeated once collisional coefficients for H$_2$COH$^+$ become available. Observations of H$_2$COH$^+$ in other prestellar sources are also needed to confirm the current findings.

To conclude, we report here the detection of protonated formaldehyde H$_2$COH$^+$ in the prestellar source L1689B. The derived beam-averaged column density is 6.7\,10$^{11}$\,cm$^{-2}$, corresponding to an abundance of  $\sim 1.9\,10^{-11}$ with respect to H$_2$, if we assume an H$_2$ column density of 3.6 10$^{22}$\,cm$^{-2}$ \citep{Roy:2014p4845}. This abundance is however likely overestimated, as the H$_2$ column density in \citet{Roy:2014p4845} is averaged over a 36$\arcsec$ beam, and is probably higher in the 15-19$\arcsec$ beam of our H$_2$COH$^+$ observations. The H$_2$COH$^+$ column density agrees with the destruction rate of H$_2$COH$^+$ by dissociative recombination as measured by \citet{Hamberg:2007p4982}, supposing that H$_2$COH$^+$ is mostly formed by protonation of H$_2$CO in prestellar cores, and destroyed by electronic dissociative recombination. Using previous  observations of the radical HCO in the same source, we constrain the branching ratio of H$_2$COH$^+$ to HCO to be around 10$-$30\%, or lower if HCO is significantly formed by gas-phase reactions between H$_2$CO and a radical.
The experimental determination of branching ratios is a fundamental piece of data in astrochemistry, but in case these measurements are not available, observations can bring valuable constraints, as demonstrated here.

\begin{acknowledgements}
      This work has benefitted from the support of the CNRS programme "Physique et Chimie
du Milieu Interstellaire" (PCMI). E. Garc\'{\i}a-Garc\'{\i}a acknowledges support from an Alpes Grenoble Innovation Recherche (AGIR) grant.
\end{acknowledgements}

\bibliographystyle{aa}

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Even though I have a picture of a band below, Scorcher isn't really a "band" in the usual sense. No, it's just one guy, namely, Vangelis Tex or just Tex to his friends. Tex does everything, from top to bottom, every instrument to vocals, and production as well.
And he returns with his second long-player, Steal The Throne. It's largely a repeat of his last album, traditional heavy metal of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal variety, with Tex's lead guitar work at the forefront. Neither the material nor the Tex Scorcher sound is novel or new. But Tex knows the genre well and essentially nails it down tight. There's an abundance of melody and harmony throughout, notably from the combination of guitar riffs and vocals. He's also got the speed of power metal pumped into most every song with Harbinger of Death, Ares, and Retaliation as good examples. Conversely, the title track offers some moderate pacing, at least until Tex rips into his guitar solo, then pace quickens. Additionally, there is one lighter track, The Placebo Effect, with vocals and acoustic guitar in the first half. It gives way to lead guitar and sharper riffs to conclude. Mostly, I would characterize Tex Scorcher and Steal The Throne as true guitar player's album with "true metal" as Tex's canvas. All in all, it decent stuff, another fine accomplishment for him.
Once more the one-man show of Vangelis Tex brings another Scorcher project: classic melodic heavy power metal with his fret work at the forefront.


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text:
De actrice Theo Mann-Bouwmeester in 'Francillon' is een schilderij van de Nederlandse kunstschilder George Hendrik Breitner, geschilderd in 1887, olieverf op doek, 217 x 152 centimeter. Het toont de actrice Theo Mann-Bouwmeester, de 'grande dame' van het Amsterdamse theater uit die tijd, in een impressionistische weergave. Het werk bevindt zich thans in de collectie van het Stedelijk Museum te Amsterdam.

Theo Bouwmeester
Theodora Bouwmeester (1850-1939) (die na haar derde huwelijk in 1899 met musicus Godfried Mann uiteindelijk bekend zou worden als Theo Mann-Bouwmeester) kwam uit een in Nederland belangrijk geslacht van toneelspelers en stond al als kind op de planken. Rond 1880 brak ze definitief door en bij de Koninklijke Vereeniging Het Nederlandsch Tooneel groeide ze al snel uit tot de 'grande dame' van het Nederlandse toneel tijdens het fin de siècle. Sarah Bernhardt was haar grote voorbeeld. Ze speelde vooral gepassioneerde, beminnelijke en lijdende vrouwen, zowel in eigentijdse stukken als historische drama's.

Bouwmeester vond in de jaren 1880 aansluiting bij de kring der Tachtigers en had in die tijd een relatie met Lodewijk van Deyssel. Ook Breitner maakte deel uit van de Tachtigers en leerde haar in die tijd kennen. Hij portretteerde haar minstens drie keer. Het hier besproken werk maakte hij in opdracht van Het Nederlandsch Tooneel en was bedoeld voor de Amsterdamse Stadschouwburg.

Afbeelding
Breitner portretteert Theo Bouwmeester in haar rol van de trotse Francine Riverolles in de eerste akte van Francillon, een toneelstuk van Alexandre Dumas fils. Hij schildert haar ten voeten uit, meer dan levensgroot, met een zweem van nonchalance en brutaliteit, het hoofd naar rechts gewend en de handen steunend op een achter haar geposteerde piano. Haar witgele avondjurk contrasteert sterk met de glanzend zwarte piano. Haar sleep waaiert uit over een roodbruin tapijt.

De stijl waarin Breitner Theo Bouwmeester weergeeft is duidelijk beïnvloed door de Franse impressionisten, die hij had leren kennen tijdens een verblijf in Parijs, in 1884. Typerend is zijn losse penseelhantering en het sterke gebruik van contrasten, in licht zowel als kleur. In de periode dat hij Bouwmeesters portret schilderde gold zijn stijl in de Nederlandse kunstwereld bij velen nog als sterk controversieel.

Kritiek
Het majestueuze doek van Bouwmeester werd in 1887 tentoongesteld bij de Amsterdamse kunstenaarsvereniging Arti et Amicitiae en kreeg daar sterk wisselende reacties. Zijn vernieuwingsgezinde collega-schilder Antoon Derkinderen toonde zich enthousiast en schreef in De Amsterdammer: Er is geen lijn, geen zet van den kwast, geen kleur op dit portret van Breitner of het is diep gevoeld. Het gehele toneel van de vrouw en haar omgeving is in één lange blik gezien, is in één grote, sterke impressie achtergebleven in de ziel van de artiest. Forse kritiek kwam er van de conservatieve Alberdingk Thijm, die vooral de slechte gelijkenis met Theo Bouwmeester hekelde. Cynisch schreef hij: Ja, zeggen de fijnproevers, een portret hoeft niet te lijken: het is maar een aanleiding om kleur te laten zien.

Bewerking
De Raad van Beheer van Het Nederlandsch Tooneel nam de kritiek van de invloedrijke Thijm over en zag uiteindelijk af van de aankoop van het schilderij, dat de stadsschouwburg dus nooit gehaald heeft. Breitner trok zich de kritiek sterk aan en zou het doek vervolgens in zijn atelier nog intensief bewerken. Met groene zeep en puimsteen krabde hij het af en schilderde het gedeeltelijk over, waarbij hij met name de sterke kleurcontrasten temperde. Ook bewerkte hij Bouwmeesters gelaatsuitdrukking, in een poging meer gelijkenis te verkrijgen. Klaarblijkelijk werd hij er nooit meer echt tevreden over. Hij zou het werk in elk geval nooit meer opnieuw tentoonstellen. Jarenlang bleef het doek opgerold in zijn atelier liggen, waarna hij het om financiële redenen alsnog verkocht. Uiteindelijk kwam het behoorlijk vlekkerig terecht in de collectie van het Stedelijk Museum, waar het in ere werd hersteld. Thans wordt het gerekend tot de topstukken van de Nederlandse portretteerkunst van na 1800, hoewel het volgens sommigen na Breitners bewerking niet meer de kwaliteit heeft van de originele staat.

In zijn overzichtswerk Holland schildert schrijft Huib Luns, verwijzend naar Jan Veth: Het is slechts tendele herrezen uit de staat waarin de schilder, met ergernis voor zoveel misverstaan bij publiek en model, het werk gebracht had. <...> Natuurlijk is het nu een schaduw van wat het geweest is. De compositie en de grootse lijnen en kleurvlekken zijn echter gespaard en verkrijgen onze volle bewondering. Tenslotte is er toch genoeg overgebleven om deze vrouw, als een monumentale Jacob Marisfiguur, tegen het glimmend zwart van de piano te zien staan. Er zijn weinig werken van Breitner waarin de greep naar het gecomponeerde schilderij steviger gedaan werd.

Literatuur en bronnen
 M. van Heteren, G. Jansen, R. de Leeuw: Poëzie der werkelijkheid; Nederlandse schilders van de negentiende eeuw. Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Waanders Uitgevers, blz. 163-164, 2000.
 R. Bergsma, P. Hefting: George Breitner (1857-1923): schilderijen, tekeningen, foto's. Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum, 1994.

Externe links
'Portret van Theo Bouwmeester' op het Geheugen van Nederland
Voorstudie op het Geheugen van Nederland

Noot

Werk van George Hendrik Breitner
Schilderij in Amsterdam
Kunstwerk in het Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
package com.github.dynamo.games.model;

import java.util.List;

import org.skife.jdbi.v2.sqlobject.Bind;
import org.skife.jdbi.v2.sqlobject.SqlQuery;
import org.skife.jdbi.v2.sqlobject.SqlUpdate;
import org.skife.jdbi.v2.sqlobject.customizers.Mapper;

import com.github.dynamo.core.model.DownloadableDAO;
import com.github.dynamo.jdbi.core.BindEnum;
import com.github.dynamo.model.DownloadableStatus;

public interface VideoGameDAO extends DownloadableDAO<VideoGame> {

	@SqlQuery("SELECT DOWNLOADABLE.*, VIDEOGAME.* FROM VIDEOGAME INNER JOIN DOWNLOADABLE ON VIDEOGAME.ID = DOWNLOADABLE.ID WHERE VIDEOGAME.ID = :videoGameId")
	@Mapper(VideoGameMapper.class)
	public VideoGame find(@Bind("videoGameId") long videoGameId);

	@SqlQuery("SELECT DOWNLOADABLE.*, VIDEOGAME.* FROM VIDEOGAME INNER JOIN DOWNLOADABLE ON VIDEOGAME.ID = DOWNLOADABLE.ID AND DOWNLOADABLE.STATUS = :status")
	@Mapper(VideoGameMapper.class)
	public List<VideoGame> findByStatus( @BindEnum("status") DownloadableStatus status );

	@SqlQuery("SELECT DOWNLOADABLE.*, VIDEOGAME.* FROM VIDEOGAME INNER JOIN DOWNLOADABLE ON VIDEOGAME.ID = DOWNLOADABLE.ID AND DOWNLOADABLE.STATUS = :status AND PLATFORM = :platform")
	@Mapper(VideoGameMapper.class)
	public List<VideoGame> findAll( @BindEnum("status") DownloadableStatus status, @BindEnum("platform") GamePlatform platform );

	@SqlQuery("SELECT DOWNLOADABLE.*, VIDEOGAME.* FROM VIDEOGAME INNER JOIN DOWNLOADABLE ON VIDEOGAME.ID = DOWNLOADABLE.ID AND ( DOWNLOADABLE.STATUS = :status1 OR DOWNLOADABLE.STATUS = :status2 ) AND PLATFORM = :platform")
	@Mapper(VideoGameMapper.class)
	public List<VideoGame> findAll( @BindEnum("status1") DownloadableStatus status1, @BindEnum("status2") DownloadableStatus status2, @BindEnum("platform") GamePlatform platform );

	@SqlQuery("SELECT DOWNLOADABLE.*, VIDEOGAME.* FROM VIDEOGAME INNER JOIN DOWNLOADABLE ON VIDEOGAME.ID = DOWNLOADABLE.ID AND ( DOWNLOADABLE.STATUS = :status1 OR DOWNLOADABLE.STATUS = :status2 )")
	@Mapper(VideoGameMapper.class)
	public List<VideoGame> findAll( @BindEnum("status1") DownloadableStatus status1, @BindEnum("status2") DownloadableStatus status2 );

	@SqlUpdate("MERGE INTO VIDEOGAME(ID, PLATFORM, THEGAMESDB_ID) VALUES (:id, :platform, :theGamesDBId)")
	void save(@Bind("id") long id, @BindEnum("platform") GamePlatform platform, @Bind("theGamesDBId") Long theGamesDBId);

	@SqlQuery("SELECT DOWNLOADABLE.*, VIDEOGAME.* FROM VIDEOGAME INNER JOIN DOWNLOADABLE ON VIDEOGAME.ID = DOWNLOADABLE.ID WHERE VIDEOGAME.THEGAMESDB_ID = :theGamesDbId")
	@Mapper(VideoGameMapper.class)
	public VideoGame findByTheGamesDbId(@Bind("theGamesDbId") long theGamesDbId);

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


76 Syncon EP Plus Gear Oil is an extreme pressure, PAO synthetic gear oil manufactured by 76 Lubricants. BlueSky Cirrus Syn EP 460 is a replacement product of similar quality and performance as a synthetic, extreme pressure gear lubricant. If you have any questions concerning BlueSky Lubricants' alternative to 76 products, please contact us by our Toll Free Phone Number 1-855-899-7467.


text:
Q: If there are multiple update panels on the page say Upd1 and Upd2. There is a button placed in Upd1 How can you stop Upd2 to update when button placed in upd1 is clicked?

A: There is a property called UpdateMode which takes two values
1.Always : Default value of this property.
2.Conditional
When set to conditional, then that updatepanel's content only gets updated when control placed in that update panel does a postback. Control placed in other update panel will not affect this updatepanel.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


You can support a great organization, Astronomers Without Borders, by purchasing a popular astronomy app for Apple and Mac devices. SkySafari 3 is a "revolutionary" app that can completely cover your observing/educational needs. During a special promotion that is available until December 8, 40% of proceeds from all SkySafari sales will be donated to Astronomers Without Borders to support their global programs. Some significant discounts are also being offered, so you can get a great price and help build AWB's worldwide astronomy community at the same time.
You've probably heard of some of AWB's project, such as The World at Night, Global Astronomy Month, and 100 Hours of Astronomy. AWB nobly works to foster understanding and goodwill across national and cultural boundaries by creating relationships through the universal appeal of astronomy. They provide and share resources, information and inspiration.
If you are considering getting an astronomy app for yourself or someone else for the holidays, consider SkySafari 3, the latest version of this popular app – and you can support AWB at the same time. But hurry – this offer ends on Dec. 8, 2011.
You can also support AWB even if you don't need an app.


Physiotherapy UK is the must-attend event in the physiotherapy calendar. Over two days, one of the biggest physiotherapy-dedicated exhibitions in Europe attracts over 1,500 delegates and 100 exhibitors from all over the world.
Physiotherapy UK is promoted to all 57,000 members. As the CSP's flagship event, Physiotherapy UK and the exhibition offer an unrivalled opportunity to increase your brand awareness and promote your products and services.
Becoming a Physiotherapy UK sponsor maximises your company's exposure to professionals and key decision makers in the physiotherapy industry.
Sponsorship provides fantastic branding opportunities, offering you the chance to be at the forefront of delegates' minds when they are thinking of particular products or services, or reflecting on the congress.
In addition to superb branding, sponsoring Physiotherapy UK creates invaluable networking opportunities with unparalleled face-to-face access to a diverse and keen tier of our membership.
As the premier physiotherapy event for those in both NHS and private practice, the congress is seen and regarded as the must have date in the diary.
Each year, some 1,500+ delegates are addressed by well-known speakers from the UK and abroad, bringing their knowledge to the community.
Whether your objectives are to increase sales, launch new products, improve brand awareness or meet with new and existing customers, being a sponsor at Physiotherapy UK helps your company achieve this and much more.


Join the Clandestine Collective as we kick off the biggest party weekend of the year with the one and only Mannie Fresh performing an eclectic DJ set with a mix of classic tunes and new hits that have shaped his career over the past three decades.
Clandestine Collective's very own Dj Digital will be setting the mood as the night's house DJ.
We return to the middle of the Festival International weekend action at the historic Hope Lodge at 116 East Vermilion Street, now revamped and renamed the 2nd Floor Nightclub, where we previously welcomed DJ Soul Sister in 2017.


While we waited for our lunch (before dessert lol) Taiga and Unoa chan did a dress swap (yes in public LOL) and we found that it fits Taiga's MDD body very well!
For non doll random photos please check here ^^/!
Everytime I see your Taiga, I just like her more and more! She is so adorable Chun! Maybe it's the fact that she has the same head as my Manami… Either way I'd love to have either a Taiga like yours or a Louise from Familiar of Zero. Those two girls are so awesome!


text:
Combating COVID-19 with resilience
Public authorities are taking decisive action to respond to the emerging health threat, leading the business community to reconsider the adequacy of their preparedness measures. This page brings together Deloitte Caspian Region to help businesses manage and mitigate the risk.
Corporate Finance Transactions
Corporate Finance Advisory
Deloitte CIS International Oil & Gas Centre of Excellence
KZ-EN Location: Kazakhstan-English
Russian |
Deloitte named a global leader in Enterprise Risk Management Consulting
NEW YORK, NY, USA, 14 February 2017—Deloitte announced today that ALM Intelligence has named it as a global leader in Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Consulting. In the report entitled Enterprise Risk Management Consulting 2017, ALM Intelligence notes, "Deloitte looks to build risk-intelligent organizations by helping clients transform their risk management functions from bolt-on activities focused on value protection to ones that permeate organizational efforts to create value."
"While client satisfaction remains our most important evaluation metric, assessments by independent analysts are important as well," said Sam Balaji, Risk Advisory Business Leader at Deloitte Global. "This top ranking awarded to Deloitte by ALM for depth of services in enterprise risk management consulting reinforces what clients have been validating for more than a decade—that Deloitte is one of the world's preeminent providers of Risk Advisory services."
The report lays out the opportunities and challenges for Enterprise Risk Management consulting providers focusing on market trends, client spending trends and forecasts, and the provider landscape, and includes profiles of select key firms.
According to ALM, Enterprise Risk Management's "primary purpose is to give executive leadership oversight of their organization's risk management initiatives to ensure that management is taking on an appropriate level of risk that is congruent with the organization's mission, values and culture."
"This top ranking from ALM continues a long, unbroken string of accolades that place Deloitte's Risk Advisory practice at the pinnacle of the profession," said Henry Ristuccia, Governance, Regulatory & Risk Leader at Deloitte Global. "It's not a position we take for granted. Deloitte continues to innovate relentlessly, invest heavily, execute vigorously, and recruit aggressively, helping ensure that we bring our top talent and sharpest minds to every engagement."
Additional Findings
"Deloitte applies the nine fundamental principles of its Risk Intelligent Enterprise framework in bringing a common approach and structure to a client's often disparate information-gathering and risk-mitigation processes. The purpose is to enable everyone in the organization to become responsible, accountable, and capable of addressing risk in a manner that not only complies with regulations, but also furthers the organization's business objectives and strategic goals."
"Deloitte is investing in the development of management decision support tools and analytics that provide leadership with prompt and insightful risk-related information, enabling key decision makers to stay abreast of issues and respond in an appropriate and timely manner."
"Deloitte assists clients with achieving risk intelligence by enhancing the alignment, integration, and coordination of risk management among an organization's functions and business units, with the ultimate objective of embedding it into executive-level strategic planning processes."
As used in this press release, "Deloitte" refers only to the Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited member firms.
Stephen Soyland
Global Communications
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited
ssoyland@deloitte.com
Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee ("DTTL"), its network of member firms, and their related entities. DTTL and each of its member firms are legally separate and independent entities. DTTL (also referred to as "Deloitte Global") does not provide services to clients. Please see www.deloitte.com/about to learn more about our global network of member firms.
Deloitte provides audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk advisory, tax and related services to public and private clients spanning multiple industries. Deloitte serves four out of five Fortune Global 500® companies through a globally connected network of member firms in more than 150 countries bringing world-class capabilities, insights, and high-quality service to address clients' most complex business challenges. To learn more about how Deloitte's approximately 245,000 professionals make an impact that matters, please connect with us on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter.
Vladimir Remyga
Director, Risk Advisory
vremyga@deloitte.com
Vladimir is a Director in Risk Advisory department. He leads Deloitte's digital and cyber security services in the Caspian and Caucasus regions. Vladimir has over twenty years of experience in IT and ... More
About Deloitte in Kazakhstan
About Deloitte in Kyrgyzstan
About Deloitte in Uzbekistan
About Deloitte in Tajikistan
© 2021. For information, contact Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited.
Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited ("DTTL"), its global network of member firms, and their related entities. DTTL (also referred to as "Deloitte Global") and each of its member firms are legally separate and independent entities. DTTL does not provide services to clients. Please see www.deloitte.com/about to learn more.


All consultations take place through Skype connection.
Mehran sees life as a field of play and understands that not everyone in that field plays fairly. To understand why not all of us play with same sense of fairness, we need to focus on what commands our behavior and how our thoughts are born. Throughout Mehran's life, he has always been interested in the wellbeing of others, and since childhood he has been interested in untangling issues with patience, helping to find which issue was the cause of misunderstanding or created division between people, families, and even strangers.
Mehran grew up in a family led by his highly educated father, who had completed his education with a PHD in law, and a highly dedicated, strong-willed mother, who made special efforts to create a disciplined and well-mannered family. His love for horses and nature helped him to enjoy a connection with what he considers "the essence of the universe." His training in martial arts and the power of the mind and its connection to the energy flow of the universe made it easy for him to search for an increased understanding of what makes us tick. Mehran has learned that we are not bound by our physical appearance and we are not just a physical entity, but a combination of mind and body, matter and energy. Only when the mind and body are coordinated and move as one do we manifest our total powers to move forward and enjoy learning and better sailing in this journey of life.
Mehran's love for peace and tranquility and understanding the relationship between the mind and body and between our energy (Ki) and the energy of the universe has been his main focus in all he has faced and all he accomplished in life. His studies with mind and body coordination in Aikido started at Lewis & Clark College, where he received his B.A. in business administration in 1977-78. He believes his biggest achievement in life is his relationship with his son.
He hopes that kindness and compassion will replace anger and hate in the world, resulting in a place worthy of human beings, who in turn have the potential to create a world worthy of traveling through and learning about while we continue this journey of life. Mehran hopes to help others as much as he can, as he believes most of our problems start and end in our minds. This has always been his motivation to learn more and share what he has learned every chance he gets.


text:
"""Provides handling of a control system."""
import json
import logging

import requests

from .hotwater import HotWater
from .zone import Zone

_LOGGER = logging.getLogger(__name__)

class ControlSystem(
    object
):  # pylint: disable=useless-object-inheritance, too-many-instance-attributes
    """Provides handling of a control system."""

    def __init__(self, client, location, gateway, data=None):
        """Initialise the class."""
        self.client = client
        self.location = location
        self.gateway = gateway

        self._zones = []
        self.zones = {}
        self.zones_by_id = {}
        self.hotwater = None
        self.systemId = None  # pylint: disable=invalid-name

        if data is not None:
            local_data = dict(data)
            del local_data["zones"]
            self.__dict__.update(local_data)

            for z_data in data["zones"]:
                zone = Zone(client, z_data)
                self._zones.append(zone)
                self.zones[zone.name] = zone
                self.zones_by_id[zone.zoneId] = zone

            if "dhw" in data:
                self.hotwater = HotWater(client, data["dhw"])

    def _set_status(self, mode, until=None):
        # pylint: disable=protected-access
        headers = dict(self.client._headers())
        headers["Content-Type"] = "application/json"

        if until is None:
            data = {"SystemMode": mode, "TimeUntil": None, "Permanent": True}
        else:
            data = {
                "SystemMode": mode,
                "TimeUntil": until.strftime("%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ"),
                "Permanent": False,
            }

        response = requests.put(
            "https://tccna.honeywell.com/WebAPI/emea/api/v1"
            "/temperatureControlSystem/%s/mode" % self.systemId,
            data=json.dumps(data),
            headers=headers,
            timeout=self.location.timeout,
        )
        response.raise_for_status()

    def set_status(self, mode, until=None):
        """Set the system to a mode, either indefinitely, or for a set time."""
        self._set_status(mode, until)

    def set_status_normal(self):
        """Set the system into normal mode."""
        self._set_status("Auto")

    def set_status_reset(self):
        """Reset the system into normal mode.

        This will also set all the zones to FollowSchedule mode.
        """
        self._set_status("AutoWithReset")

    def set_status_custom(self, until=None):
        """Set the system into custom mode."""
        self._set_status("Custom", until)

    def set_status_eco(self, until=None):
        """Set the system into eco mode."""
        self._set_status("AutoWithEco", until)

    def set_status_away(self, until=None):
        """Set the system into away mode."""
        self._set_status("Away", until)

    def set_status_dayoff(self, until=None):
        """Set the system into dayoff mode."""
        self._set_status("DayOff", until)

    def set_status_heatingoff(self, until=None):
        """Set the system into heating off mode."""
        self._set_status("HeatingOff", until)

    def temperatures(self):
        """Return a generator with the details of each zone."""
        self.location.status()

        if self.hotwater:
            # pylint: disable=no-member
            yield {
                "thermostat": "DOMESTIC_HOT_WATER",
                "id": self.hotwater.dhwId,
                "name": "",
                "temp": self.hotwater.temperatureStatus["temperature"],
                "setpoint": "",
            }

        for zone in self._zones:
            zone_info = {
                "thermostat": "EMEA_ZONE",
                "id": zone.zoneId,
                "name": zone.name,
                "temp": None,
                "setpoint": zone.setpointStatus["targetHeatTemperature"],
            }

            if zone.temperatureStatus["isAvailable"]:
                zone_info["temp"] = zone.temperatureStatus["temperature"]
            yield zone_info

    def zone_schedules_backup(self, filename):
        """Backup all zones on control system to the given file."""
        _LOGGER.info(
            "Backing up schedules from ControlSystem: %s (%s)...",
            self.systemId,
            self.location.name,
        )

        schedules = {}

        if self.hotwater:
            _LOGGER.info("Retrieving DHW schedule: %s...", self.hotwater.zoneId)

            schedule = self.hotwater.schedule()
            schedules[self.hotwater.zoneId] = {
                "name": "Domestic Hot Water",
                "schedule": schedule,
            }

        for zone in self._zones:
            zone_id = zone.zoneId
            name = zone.name

            _LOGGER.info("Retrieving Zone schedule: %s - %s", zone_id, name)

            schedule = zone.schedule()
            schedules[zone_id] = {"name": name, "schedule": schedule}

        schedule_db = json.dumps(schedules, indent=4)

        _LOGGER.info("Writing to backup file: %s...", filename)
        with open(filename, "w") as file_output:
            file_output.write(schedule_db)

        _LOGGER.info("Backup completed.")

    def zone_schedules_restore(self, filename):
        """Restore all zones on control system from the given file."""
        _LOGGER.info(
            "Restoring schedules to ControlSystem %s (%s)...",
            self.systemId,
            self.location,
        )

        _LOGGER.info("Reading from backup file: %s...", filename)
        with open(filename, "r") as file_input:
            schedule_db = file_input.read()
            schedules = json.loads(schedule_db)

            for zone_id, zone_schedule in schedules.items():
                name = zone_schedule["name"]
                zone_info = zone_schedule["schedule"]

                _LOGGER.info("Restoring schedule for: %s - %s...", zone_id, name)

                if self.hotwater and self.hotwater.zoneId == zone_id:
                    self.hotwater.set_schedule(json.dumps(zone_info))
                else:
                    self.zones_by_id[zone_id].set_schedule(json.dumps(zone_info))

        _LOGGER.info("Restore completed.")


During January 2016 and December 2015 about 16,000 households suffered flood damage to their homes after Storm Desmond, Storm Eva and Storm Frank swept across Britain. Tens of thousands more were left without power.
Analysis of the Government's latest land change statistics shows just how much of our country is threatened by flooding.
The statistics collected by the Department for Communities and Local Government showed that over the past four years, 98% of new homes in Boston, 90% in Hull, and almost one in four new homes in Lincoln, Westminster and Bury were built in flood prone areas.
These comments do not help the authorities and developers to create solutions to a complex problem.
In England, we need to have a grown-up conversation about the land on which we develop new homes. It is quite right that we do not develop on large swathes of land which is designated for green belt, forests, agriculture, outdoor recreation and other uses.
However, it needs to be remembered that we are an island with a finite amount of land and we have a housing crisis caused by the construction of too few homes over the past thirty years.
In England, approximately ten per cent of land is designated as at risk of flooding and there are many sources of flood risk that need to be considered when planning new developments including, risks from rivers and the sea, overland flows from surface water, and flooding from sewers and groundwater.
It sounds concerning that these new figures show some new homes are being built in areas designated as Flood Zone level 3.
However, most of the flooding incidents that have incurred property damage in recent years are related to housing that was built before climate change was considered, and before flood risk assessments were mandatory.
For centuries mankind has built homes in close proximity to water. Many of the great cities of the world are built on bodies of water, for the purposes of drinking, cleaning and later for industrial use.
Those foundations are still in place, and drive the popularity of areas where people choose to live today.
It is possible to build safely in fluvial flood zones with the agreement of the Environment Agency, as long as you construct the necessary measures to protect these homes from flooding, and ensure you also mitigate the effects of any new development from increasing the flood risks to others.
Now all homes being built or replaced in Flood Zones 2 and 3 areas need to include a flood risk assessment as part of their planning application, to ensure that the required form of agreed flood protection takes place.
These conditions mean planning permission is only granted on the condition that the floor of the new homes is raised significantly above the flood level, and that suitable mitigation is applied; such as compensatory storage for floodwater to prevent flooding from reaching new homes.
Additionally, all major developments are required to include sustainable drainage to ensure that the risk of flooding is not increased to those outside of the development and that the new development is future proofed to allow for increased instances of flooding expected to result from climate change.
These can include changes to the land topography to create compensatory storage adjacent to the development, city-wide protection schemes such as The Thames Barrier, and prevention measures for individual homes such as flood-proof gates and barriers to provide future proofing.


Borgomanero is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Novara in the Italian region Piedmont. It is about 90 kilometres (56 mi) northeast of Turin and about 30 kilometres (19 mi) northwest of Novara.
This page was last changed on 6 July 2014, at 20:16.


How to create a rich, fulfilling and successful relationship with the courage of a warrior!
Let's face it: Relationships can be messy and unpredictable. They are hard and complicated. It is never what we expected. There are highs and lows. But in the lows, we can be tempted to cower in fear. Imagine what it would be like if we approached our relationship with the courage of a warrior! We could actually have a relationship of heroic proportions.
To do this heroic work it is imperative to give the relationship the attention it deserves. Your relationship needs to be nurtured; to be actively worked on. Developing a deeper level of understanding of each other and insight into your self is the key to greater connection and intimacy.
The question is, "How do we achieve that?" Below are some ways to create a rich, fulfilling and successful relationship.
Be yourself. Drop the façade. Be willing to risk being vulnerable, sharing ALL aspects of who you are.
Actively listen to your partner from a place of neutrality and non-judgment. If you have formed your defense before your partner is finished talking, you are not listening.
Be curious about what your partner is saying. Before reacting, ask questions to get a deeper understanding of what is being said. Don't assume.
Don't believe the stories you make up. Your interpretation of events and feelings are what you make up in our head. Focus on what IS to get closer to the truth of the message being conveyed.
Stay open. Fear shuts us down. When you are vulnerable, true connection to the other is possible.
Don't personalize. Consider that your partner's upset may have nothing to do with you. Old wounds might have been triggered and that they are projecting them on you.
Stop looking for perfection. What you call "high standards" is a mask for our own feelings of inadequacy.
Establish interests outside the relationship. Expanding as an individual brings a renewed energy into the relationship.
Embrace the messiness. It gives us the gift of growth.
There is no right or wrong. There is no objective truth. Respect that your partner's truth is equally as valid as yours. It is your truth, not THE truth.
Be willing to move into a place of empathy. Let your partner know you respect what they are saying, that you understand them and imagine walking in their shoes. This grows compassion. Note: This does not mean that you have to agree with them, only that you understand their experience.
Find a compromise and sometimes sacrifice. Negotiate your needs. Compromise means you are working as a team.
Be willing to "stretch" yourself in order to meet the needs of your partner. It may feel uncomfortable at first, but the results will speak volumes.
Be willing to forgive. Your anger and resentment will only hold you captive to the pain.
Practice the five to one rule. For every one difficult interaction, express five positive interactions to counterbalance the negative one.
Be Kind. Small kindnesses and considerations pay huge dividends.
To make it easy, choose one from the list and focus on the one until it becomes automatic. This won't be easy. With patience, commitment and courage a loving and healthy relationship is possible.
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text:
Petitioner challenges favouritism
shown to minister
Chandigarh, November 28
A petition has been filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court challenging the alleged favouritism to a sugar mill owned by Haryana Excise and Taxation Minister Venod Sharma.
Organic wheat cultivation introduced in Haryana
Panchkula, November 28
The Agriculture Department, Haryana, has been able to successfully rope in 70 farmers for starting organic farming of wheat in the state. About 32 acres have been brought under cultivation of C- 306 variety of wheat (desi wheat), which is being sown without use of chemicals, insecticides or pesticides.
Kaithal police fails test!
The Director-General of Haryana Police, Mr Nirmal Singh, today set a test for the Kaithal Police. And it failed. Mr Nirmal Singh, who has been raiding various police stations in the past few days to have a look at the police functioning, today decided to visit a number of far-flung police stations.
Youth poisoned to death
Sonepat, November 28
Sanjay of Hansi town was allegedly poisoned to death at Garhi Kesri village 20 km from here today. He was allegedly kidnapped by Sunil and his associates of Garhi Kesri village where he was allegedly beaten up and poisoned to death.
3 arrested for murder
With the arrest of three persons, the city police has solved the murder case of a property dealer, Neeraj, of Poosh Khurd village in Delhi whose body was found in an abandoned car near Shambhu Dayal Modern School on November 14.
SC order on overloaded trucks puts govt in a fix
Haryana poll commissioner ranked above CS
Govt asked to
explain stand
Haryana to have 300 all-woman milk cooperatives
Draft of SEZ Bill approved
Commission agent's murder case solved
Haryana DGP focuses on women cells' corruption
Saraswati river turns into drain
Pension for parents having two daughters
Martyrs of Rezangla battle remembered
Kurukshetra Utsav from December 7
Massive arrangements are under way for the annual "Kurukshetra Utsav-Gita Jayanti Samaroh" to be held from December 7 to 11 at Kurukshetra.
People welcome Palki Sahib
Ambala, November 28
The golden palki, being carried from Gurdwara Bangla Sahib in New Delhi to Nankana Sahib in Pakistan, was accorded a grand welcome in Ambala late last night. Sikh welcomed the palki after it entered Ambala district.
Threat to impound vehicles plying without permits
The Haryana Government will impound vehicles which are being used for hire without valid permit and payment of taxes to the state.
Orders to patwaris on office hours
Yamunanagar, November 28
All the patwaris in the district have been asked to remain present in their respective offices between 9 am and 12 noon on all the working days.
Vidhan Sabha summoned
The Haryana Governor Dr A R Kidwai has summoned the Haryana Vidhan Sabha at 2.00 p.m. on December 14. — TNS
Send bio-data, panel asks freedom fighters
Haryana Swatantarta Sainik Samman Samiti has asked all freedom fighters in the state to send their bio-data, two postcard size photographs and details of their participation in the freedom struggle to its office in Chandigarh.
Two killed in car-truck collision
Two persons were killed and four injured when a Maruti car collided with a truck on the Jagadhari road in the Mahesh Nagar area late last night.
Petitioner challenges favouritism shown to minister
Our High Court Correspondent
The petitioners, Mr Sukhvir and 11 other sugarcane growers of four villages in Karnal district of Haryana, have alleged that the Sugarcane Control Board, at a meeting held on November 10 decided to re-assign the four villages from Saraswati Sugar Mill, Yamunanagar to Piccadilly Sugar Mill, Bhadson. The minister is the owner of the Piccadilly Sugar Mill.
They have stated that the meeting, which was chaired by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, decided to de-link the four villages - Hansu Majra, Chaugawaon, Khukrani and Chandraon - from the areas that were supplying sugarcane to Saraswati Sugar Mill and instead assigned to the Bhadson mill.
The decision, the writ says, was taken without following the due procedure laid down in law and also without properly examining the complaints/representations made by the villagers and cane-growers of the four villages against the move.
The petitioners have also stated that in 1980, the four villages were inadvertently de-linked and assigned to Cooperative Sugar Mill, Karnal, following which they made representations to the authorities. Finally, in 2002, the Sugarcane Control Board accepted their pleas and re-assigned the villages to Saraswati Sugar Mill.
They have also alleged that in 2002 also, Mr Venod Sharma had made an attempt to get the four villages assigned to his mill.
Saying that recently when they came to know about the designs of the minister, they made representations to the authorities, the petitioners have said the panchayats of the four villages also passed resolutions against the planned move and sent the same to the Cane Commissioner.
However, the Sugarcane Board ignored the protests and decided to de-link the four villages. The petitioners have alleged that the decision was taken at the instance of the minister
The respondents named in the petitioner are the State of Haryana through the Chief Secretary, the Sugarcane Control Board, the Cane Commissioner, Haryana, Piccadilly Agro Industries Limited, Mr Venod Sharma, Excise and Taxation Minister and owner of Piccadilly Agro Industries, and Saraswati Sugar Mill, Yamunanagar.
Today, the Division Bench comprising Mr Justice N.K. Sud and Mr Justice Virender Singh issued notice of motion for December 8.
Ruchika M. Khanna
This organic cultivation of wheat has initially been started in Panchkula on an experimental basis. Farmers in Barwala and Raipur Rani sub-divisions of the district have been initiated into the organic wheat cultivation programme, after the Agriculture Department and the Pragatisheel Kisan Club (farmers club supported by Agriculture Department) received orders for supply of 75 quintals of this wheat in April, 2006.
Officials in the Agriculture Department say that the organic wheat cultivation has been started because of the growing demand for organic food in the region.
The department is providing a platform for marketing of this organic produce, while farmers, through Pragatisheel Kisan Clubs, will supply the wheat directly to the consumers. "The cultivation will be emulated in the districts of Gurgaon and Faridabad next year.
The three districts have been chosen for organic cultivation, because of the high demand of organic food in these urbane towns," informed a senior official of the department.
It may be noted that organic wheat flour sells for Rs 60 to Rs 70 a kg in various departmental stores.
With the Agriculture Department marketing this produce, it will now be available at almost one- third this price.
The Pragatisheel Kisan Club had invited orders for organic wheat from residents as well as shops, last month, to book their organic wheat requirement at the rate of Rs 1300 per quintal (Rs 13 kg).
Officials from the Agriculture Department said that they would conduct regular checks on farmers fields (where organic wheat is being cultivated) to ensure that no chemicals are used. Even after its harvesting, the wheat will be thoroughly checked to ensure that it is free from chemicals, before it is supplied to the customers.
Officials in the department said that only after they were sure of the marketing of organic wheat that they encouraged the farmers to undertake cultivation of desi wheat.
Since it is sown without any chemicals, the yield is less, and so is the water requirement. The diversification of the same crop (from inorganic to organic) will also auger well for the soil health, as soil nutrients are not lost. Thus, organic wheat cultivation is more eco- friendly.
The Director-General of Haryana Police, Mr Nirmal Singh, today set a test for the Kaithal Police. And it failed. Mr Nirmal Singh, who has been raiding various police stations in the past few days to have a look at the police functioning, today decided to visit a number of far-flung police stations. He first paid a surprise visit to the Siwan police station in Kaithal district but did not find much to pull up the policemen.
On his way to the Guhla police station, he made a decoy call to the Munshi of that thana, saying that he was a passerby and a couple of persons had snatched a Maruti on gun point. Mr Nirmal Singh kept on waiting for an "alert message" on his wireless set. The message was never to come.
On reaching the police station, he found that the Munshi had not acted upon the "information", nor had he informed the DSP in charge of his police station. The Munshi reportedly told the DGP that he had passed on the information to the wireless operator for flashing it to various police stations. The operator reportedly told the DGP that since he did not have the description of the alleged criminals, he did not think it proper to flash the message. The DSP, Guhla, and the S.P., Kaithal, Mr Navdeep Singh Virk, who has only recently joined his new posting, were called.
The DGP told them that since the area was adjacent to Punjab, the Haryana Police needed to be more alert here and its personnel should have been on the roads leading to the neighbouring states the moment information of a crime came.
The Munshi and the operator have been sent to the police lines.
Sanjay of Hansi town was allegedly poisoned to death at Garhi Kesri village 20 km from here today.
He was allegedly kidnapped by Sunil and his associates of Garhi Kesri village where he was allegedly beaten up and poisoned to death. The Ganaur police has registered a case. Sunil had borrowed Rs 94,000 from Sanjay but did not return the money. Parents of Sanjay had received telephonic messages that he had been beaten up and the alleged kidnappers had threatened to kill him if he demanded the money.
Kidnappers allegedly had demanded Rs 1 lakh as ransom from the father of the youth. The money was to be delivered at Ganga Farm House near Ganaur when the father of the youths went to Hansi police station to lodge a complaint but the police refused to register the case on the pretext that the Ganaur police was empowered to register the case.
According to another report, Mr Raghbir a resident of Garhi Ujale Khan was robbed of Rs 10,000 by two youths of the same village while he was returning to his house in the night. Robbers were identified as Pale Ram and Kadma.
Giving this information, Mr Rajinder Singh, Superintendent of Police, told mediapersons here today that those arrested were identified as Dinesh, alias Bhola, a resident of Pooth Khurd village, Sunil, alias Sonu of Khera Khurd village, and Munshi Ram. A dispute over the property was the main cause of the murder.
The police, he said, had received an information on November 14 about a Maruti Zen car near Shambhu Dayal Modern School. The police found a decomposed body of an unidentified youth in the car. The body was identified from the documents about the property in the car.
The SP disclosed that the deceased had some property dispute with the suspect, Dinesh, alias Bhola, and an old enmity in connection with some girls. This had led to a series of quarrels between the two. The suspect had planned the murder of Neeraj with the help of Sunil and Munish.
When Neeraj was going in his car all the three suspects stopped his car and forced Neeraj to sit in their car. They reached the canal near Kakroi village where Neeraj was shot dead by the suspects. They left the car near Shambhu Dayal School and fled.
During interrogation, the suspects have confessed to their involvement in the crime. The police has registered a case.
It will be inaugurated by former Chief Justice of India, Mr M.N. Venkatachaliah, and presided over by the Haryana Governor, Dr A.R. Kidwai. The Chief Minister Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda will be the Chief Guest at the closing ceremony on December 11.
A number of programmes will be organised during the festival. Competitions in rangoli, henna, clay modelling, sanjhi, tableau, pot decoration, flower arrangement, fancy dress and embroidery will be organised on December 7. A state-level exhibition and craft mela will begin the same evening at 5 p.m. A cultural programme of Kuchipudi dance by Raja and Radha Reddy and members of their team will be organised at the inaugural function.
The functions to be organised on December 8 will include a competition on verses of the Gita, a national level seminar on ancient sites of Kurukshetra, a cultural programme by the North Zone Cultural Centre, a programme of folk songs, dances and a play.
The next day, a programme of debate will be held at Gita Kendra Brahamsarovar. Nalni Sharma will present a programme of game of dice the same evening at the venue. A cultural programme will also be organised at Diwan Bal Krishan Rangshala in Jind on December 9.
On December 10, a state-level quiz will be organised at Gita Kendra Brahamsarovar. A cultural programme will also be presented the same evening.
On the concluding day, a cultural programme will be organised at Purshotampura Bagh by the artistes of the Haryana Public Relations and Cultural Affairs Department. A shobha yatra will also be taken out the same afternoon which will pass through various areas of the city.
The Gita Jayanti celebrations will be wound up with Deep Dan, Aarti and fire works at Purshotampura Bagh. Shriram Bhartiya Kala Kendra will present a programme entitled "Meera".
Tribune Reporters
The golden palki, being carried from Gurdwara Bangla Sahib in New Delhi to Nankana Sahib in Pakistan, was accorded a grand welcome in Ambala late last night. Sikh welcomed the palki after it entered Ambala district. The Deputy Commissioner, Mr J.P. Kaushik, welcomed the yatra at Mohra village.
The palki was welcomed at different places in Ambala district. People welcomed the palki at Shahpur, Nanhera, Shastri Colony, Kali Paltan bridge, Model Town crossing, Ambala overbridge, Kalka Chowk, Motor Market, Gurdwara Manji Sahib and Devi Nagar.
FATEHGARH SAHIB: A massive nagar kirtan carrying the golden palanquin, a gift from the Indian Sikhs to Gurdwara Nankana Sahib in Pakistan (birth place of Guru Nanak Dev Ji) was accorded a warm welcome by the District Administration led by Ms Jaspreet Talwar, Deputy Commissioner at Sadhugarh village at about 4 a.m.
Dr Harbans Lal, Chief Parliamentary Secretary, who accompanied the nagar kirtan from Shambhu border had made arrangements for community kitchen and reception of the nagar kirtan at Patarsi, Sadhugarh, Bhatmajra, Saidpura, Madhopur, Sirhind, Harbanspura, floating restaurant and other places. Reception gates were constructed on the GT Road.
A spokesman of the Transport Department said a large number of motor vehicles such as cars, vans, jeeps, Tata Sumos and Qualis registered for personal purposes were being operated in violation of the provisions contained in the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and the Passenger and Goods Taxation Act, 1952.
He advised the owners of such vehicles to obtain permits and pay due taxes to the state government failing which their motor vehicles would be impounded and action to recover the passenger tax from the date of registration of such vehicles would be initiated under the Passenger and Good Taxation Act, 1952.
The order was issued by Subdivisional Magistrate Satibir Singh Saini while chairing a 'Khula – Darbar' in Khezrabad Grain Market for on-the-spot solution of problems of villagers.
He ordered that the patwaris should remain in their offices from 9 a.m. to 12 noon and after that they go to their respective villages for official works.
On the demand of villagers, he directed the Khezrabad Marketing Board to immediately repair a damaged bridge on the Kishanpura–Khezrabad road. He also ordered the Public Health Department officials to take appropriate steps to solve water problems in Khezrabad, Bhundkala, Lasabad, Nagla Patti, Muzafat, Bombaypur and Arayianawala villages.
In a circular issued to all the Deputy Commissioners, the Chairman of the Samiti has urged them to cooperate in this work as these were urgently required by the State Government. They have been asked to send within a fortnight two copies of the bio-data of all the living and dead freedom fighters of their district.
The deceased are a man and his grandson. Shyam Lal Gupta along with his wife Soluchana, son Satpal, daughter-in-law Praveen, grandson Raman and granddaughter Seema were returning after attending a marriage in Pilkhani.
Their car collided with a truck at about midnight. The severity of the impact could be gauged from the fact that Shyam Lal Gupta is said to have died on the spot. The injured were rushed to the Civil Hospital, Ambala Cantonment, where Raman breathed his last.
The injured were then referred to the PGI Chandigarh. The condition of the injured is stated to be serious.
The victims belonged to Babyal in Ambala city.


New camera but which one? - SolarChat!
New camera but which one?
Hi everyone I am thinking about upgrading my camera, it will go onto both my Lunt ha50 and ( not at the same time) my Explore Scientific ed80 apo (triplet) with a Quark (chromosphere) at the moment I have a DMK 21, zwo asi 120mm and 120c also an Altair gp8. I have been looking at the ZWO 183mm, don't need a cooled camera just something that, hopefully, will give improved results. I know the Solar camera in the past was the ZWO 174mm but I believe the 183 has taken over. Anyone comment as to which camera I should look at I.e other makes, size Etc. or should I stick with ZWO? There seems to be Myriad cameras out there and my upgrade has to be right.
Re: New camera but which one?
You might also tell us a little more about what you consider "improved results", as your imaging objectives should help you determine where your money is best spent. You had some imaging problems earlier and I don't know if you have resolved those or not. If not, a better camera isn't going to help much. If you have taken care of those issues and are still dissatisfied with your images, what aspect do you want to improve? By focusing on specifics of what you want to improve in your images, you get a better picture of whether you need improvement in hardware or technique.
In my limited experience (only a little more than a year), I have found that I would rather sacrifice some resolution for a higher frame rate. I find the telescope very frustrating to focus if I can see only, say, 5 frames/sec. A rate of 30 or more per second makes things far easier. High resolution or a large pixel count on the image sensor leads to slow readouts. CCDs are usually slower than CMOS.
I recommend the global shutter, primarily because of the way lucky imaging works. Rolling shutters can introduce some odd distortions in the image. I have seen suggestions that rolling shutters exacerbate Newton's rings, but that is not my experience. I have one camera with a rolling shutter and one that has a global shutter (QHY163M and ZWO ASI174MM). I find that Newton's rings are present even with the global shutter.
If you can afford the cooling, I would get it. It can get pretty hot sitting out there in the sunshine. I'm not 100% sure that cooling is the problem, but at times I have noticed my camera's frame rate decreasing (a lot!) and dropped frames increasing as the imaging session goes on sometimes. I don't always plug in the cooler. I attribute the frame errors to increased temperature, but I haven't taken careful notes.
I'm sure that someone has done an arc-second resolution to pixel dimension computation for various optical configurations, but if I were looking for another camera right now, resolution wouldn't be top on my list of specs. It turns out that high resolution only matters after you get everything else taken care of. I wish you could see some of my early microscope photos and the more recent ones of the same subject, photographed with the same equipment. Worlds apart in quality. The main difference is a few more years of practice on my part. And, as I noted earlier, a high resolution sensor usually means a slower maximum frame rate.
Hopefully, you will get some more suggestions from those here who have more experience in astrophotography than I.
Hi Bruce, the reason I am thinking of a new camera is that I understand that with the zwo120 it is harder to find the Sun but with a larger chip, hence the zwo183 it becomes easier. Since I purchased the Quark I have had untold trouble trying to get anything other than a black screen on my laptop. It has been Suggested that I change some settings in Sharpcap but have not yet had the opportunity to try it. This probably does not make sense to you as I am still very inexperienced and wondered if a new larger chip would help. The images I have achieved to date are OK but I am looking for more detail. I have not yet got any images using the Quark, still trying to work out number of spacers Etc. There is a chap on another forum who has the same scope as me but he uses a ZWO 1600 his pics are excellent, I can only dream. The videos I watch,( Marty Wise) are really good but how can I begin to get near their pics using different kit.
Cont; the real reason I am looking for a new camera is that since I purchased a Quark and put it on my Explore Scientific I cannot get anything on my laptop. I start off using an eyepiece and get the Sun in view, I then put the camera on (zwo120) but all I get is a black screen. It has been suggested that I up the gain and Gamma and move the scope until there is something on the screen, I have as yet not done that due to constant cloud cover. Am I right in thinking that things may be easier with a bigger chip on the camera?
I agree with Bruce, if you haven't resolved the issues with your present camera then buying a new one will result in extra cost and extra frustration. Even with a cheap £11 webcam with the lens removed I can take fairly basic images of the Sun, so if you have an expensive camera already you should see the Sun, you should not be seeing a black screen. You haven't got a filter installed which blocks light above 600nm do you?
Hi Alexandra, thanks for the reply, the only filter I have when using the Quark is the one I put onto the front of the diagonal that is a Baader uv/ir cut filter. The camera I currently use is ZWO 120 mm. If I get another camera I.e. the ZWO 183, or another make would it give more detail than I am currently getting? As I say I have just about resolved the imaging issues using the Lunt ha50 but decided to buy a Quark after watching a few videos which are achieving the kind of results ( detail) I would like. Also when processing the videos I can follow step by step knowing I have a better chance of getting similar results I.e Marty Wise video that lasts for about 52 minutes.
I need to use my calculator at home to work out whether you will be using the correct pixel size. It maybe that the 2.4um is far too small unless all you are interested in is full discs. I would have thought 3.75um would give you more than enough detail.
Low f numbers need small pixel sizes, large f number needs large pixel size for detail. I could do with a 3.75um camera for my PST as my DMK41 at 4.75um is too big pixels for full disc work but is excellent for a 2x Barlow shot. So detail is dependent on f number and pixel size.
If you are not getting enough detail with the Lunt 50 and the 3.75um pixel then use a 1.6 or 2x Barlow and do a mosaic. I do this this with my Solarscope. You don't need a new camera for this unless you are rich.
Yes. If you are still at the point where you're not getting a usable image with what you already have, then you should hold off buying anything new until that is sorted out. I'm sure if we could all stand together in one spot with your gear we could have it solved in a few minutes but alas, we'll have to do it the hard way.
The first thing I suggest is that you strip everything out of the optical system that isn't absolutely necessary. If you have a Continuum or other white light solar filter, use that on the Explore Scientific scope. No barlows, no Quarks. You should have nothing but the telescope and the camera. Can you obtain a properly focused image with that setup? If no, there are non-optical problems, like bad program settings, bad cables or even a dead camera. If yes, then it's time to try Ha.
Assuming that you can get a good white light image, I suggest setting up the Lunt for Ha because 1) the system is passive - you will see something even if settings are way off and 2) I'm familiar with the Lunt scopes and have never used a Quark.
Set up the telescope for direct viewing. The Lunt scope should already have a TeleVue Sol-Searcher, but if it doesn't, get one. They're cheap and extremely easy to use. You might want one for your ES scope as well. Simply temporarily holding one in place on the OTA is enough to hand guide the scope to the correct orientation. This may take a while, so turn on tracking for the mount. Find the Sun, get it in focus and adjust the etalon so that you can see detail in the chromosphere. Center the Sun in the field of view.
Connect the camera to your computer and start your acquisition program (I think you said you're using SharpCap). You already know that the camera and the connections are good because you tested them with white light.* Screw a 1.25" T-ring adapter into the front of the camera and slip the camera in place of the eyepiece. If the computer screen is still black, don't panic. Gamma control, if present, should be set to neutral. Avoid either extreme. Increase exposure and/or gain until you see an indication of the Sun. It will probably be very blurry, since the eyepiece and camera don't focus at the same point. Set the focuser of the telescope to about the middle of its range. Support the blocking filter and camera assembly with a hand so that nothing falls on the ground and loosen the screws that hold the draw tube. Slide the draw tube in or out as needed. As you approach good focus the size of the Sun's image will decrease. If the fuzzy blob increases in size, you're going the wrong direction. Don't worry about getting the focus perfect, just get it sort of close. You will do the final focus with the focuser.
If you get this far, you've made it. Focus the image and try a capture. Somewhere along the line, something isn't working for you. Try what I suggest and let us know the results. Keep the system as simple as possible so that there are fewer pieces to possibly cause a problem.
Good luck. I look forward to hearing your progress.
Don't connect the camera to the telescope yet. Leave the cover over the image sensor. When the program displays the camera image, it will be black. Uncover the image sensor and point the camera toward a window or a light. You should see some indication of the light source on the screen. Don't expect any sort of image, just lighter and darker as you move the camera around. If you don't see any indication of light being received by the camera, then increase exposure and/or camera gain until you do. Gamma should be in the center.
OK for the best sampling and detail with your 3.75um camera you need to use a 3x barlow on the Explore 80mm, you need a 2x Barlow for the 2.4um pixel camera. So the difference is negligible really in practicality, both will give an excellent solar image. Yes it will give a touch more detail (at lower mag) but I wouldn't say it was worth getting just yet. I bet you would get far more difference by improving photo processing skills instead. I would do exactly what Bruce states above.
Don't forget the Quark has a 4.3 telecentric built in already.
If you have a Continuum or other white light solar filter, use that on the Explore Scientific scope. No barlows, no Quarks. You should have nothing but the telescope and the camera.
Be CAREFULL and make sure you have a decent whitelight filter in front of the scope or you might toast the cam or worse.
With the 4x of the Quark in, then with no Barlows at all the optimal sampling is a 4.50um pixel camera. So if you use barlows eg 2x you would need a 6.75um pixel camera. So going down to 2.4um would be crazy. Thanks Paul I didn't think of that.
DON'T buy an ASI 183mm for solar narrowband imaging.
I did buy an ASI 183mm - and had "issues" - these were final recognised and accepted by ZWO who stated "due to technical issues the ASI 183mm is not suitable for Ha solar imaging" They offered me a full refund.
I eventually went for an ASI 1600mm for the shorter focal lengths. I'm happy with the outcome.
Thanks for all of your replies, today as the Sun is hiding behind cloud I setup my scope (Explore Scientific) and pointed it at a tree about a mile away just to test that the camera is seeing, I put my Powermate on to give me a similar distance from the camera sensor, probably not right but I needed to find out if the camera is working. When I put the Quark on the other day I could not get anything through the camera but managed an out of focus view with an eyepiece. So I need to wait until the skies are blue, at least I now know I need at least one spacer on, so although no where near sorting my problems with the Quark I know things are working as they should. Thanks Merlin for the heads up on the ZWO 183. My problem is that now I have a bee in my bonnet about getting a new camera !!!!
Post a picture of your setup in action, not getting results through the camera, it will be easy for people to see what the problem is then.
After all the discussion, what camera were you using???
Getting there! To get rid of the Newton rings you could use a tilt adapter or Atmospheric Dispersion Corrector.
The T2 tilter works very well for me with the ASI 174mm.
That took me a while to grasp as well, but think of it in photographic terms. What would the depth of field be like for a lens focused at infinity and with an f-ratio of f/30? It would be huge. OK, technically, we're talking about depth of focus, not depth of field, but depth of focus is also large when higher magnifications are used. So, particularly when using barlows or telecentric "amplifiers", we are operating the lens under conditions where tilt has little effect.
Done the calculation once how far the sensor diagonal could be tilted before moving out of the critical focus zone, but will have to redo it. (Lost in my never ending pile of rubbish). Even when using a focal reducer behind the Quark, bringing it back to f/12, still needs a considerable amount of tilt.
Hi everyone after yesterday's success I really want to get a new camera and have whittled it down to two; ZWO 174 mm or Point Grey imx 174, there are a few hundred pounds difference in price but cannot decide which one please advise me. I know I could get a tilt adapter for my ZWO 120 but I really am set on upgrading the camera. My scope is an Explore Scientific ed 80 apo triplet with a Daystar Quark. I don't want to make the wrong choice so I need your help, when is it any different? My laptop only has usb 2 and both cameras are usb3 are they backward compatible? Thanks in advance.
Hi denababy, I use the PGR and it does exactly what it should do, a pleasure to work with.
1) A lot of Newton Rings when I use a Powermate.
2) A USB 2.0 laptop just won't let you use the camera the way it should. You really need USB3.0 and a fast SSD. Otherwise you get a lot of hickups and low fps.
If I were you I would learn to make great images with the 120. It is a fine camera. If you have exploited that camera to the max, we are a bit closer to a new maximum and maybe there are other / better / cheaper camera's. CS Bart.


text:
Oklahoma country singer Bailey Rae wows on 'The Voice' Blind Auditions - and ends up on a surprising team
Brandy McDonnell
Oklahoma country singer Bailey Rae, 18, wowed the coaches on Monday night's episode of "The Voice" - and ended up being the first country crooner ever to join John Legend's team on the hit reality singing contest.
Rae - who hails from the small town of Roberta, which is near Durant - showed off a strong and appealing old-school drawl on her rendition of Lee Ann Womack's "Does My Ring Burn Your Finger" on the final night of the Season 19 Blind Auditions.
Legend looked at ecstatic at the sound of the teenager's voice and quickly hit his button.
Oklahoma country music superstar Blake Shelton and Kelly Clarkson - who normally snatch up all the country contenders - had already filled up their teams, leaving only Legend and Gwen Stefani with the option to add Rae to their singing squads. Stefani opted not to push her button, which meant Team Legend finally had a country singer in its ranks.
That didn't stop Shelton from laying the groundwork for a future campaign to snatch the fellow Oklahoman for Team Blake. When he found out Rae is also from southern Oklahoma, the Tishomingo resident quickly declared them neighbors.
"There's a good chance I have driven past your hour and thrown trash in your yard. That's how neighborly we are," Shelton joked with a grin.
"My team is full right now, but I want to push my chips in for the Battle Rounds when John completely screws this up. So, I'm gonna go ahead and make my pitch, neighbor."
Shelton's prediction prompted Legend to use a marker to draw devil horns on a nearby cardboard cutout of the Ada native. But that didn't deter Shelton from pressing his case.
"John is one of my favorite people on the planet. I love him. He is a horrifying coach. So, he's going to mess this up, and when he does in the Battle Rounds, your neighbor Blake Shelton is going to be there with the steal."
Shelton also predicted that Clarkson would attempt to steal away Rae in the Battles.
But Legend made his own prediction that he would enjoy working with Rae, noting that he has sung in the past with Womack.
"The thing about music that's beautiful is that it's universal and defies genre," Legend said. "You have the distinction of being the first country artist that I've had the privilege of coaching. We're going to make the most of your time on 'The Voice' ... and Blake is going to eat all his words."
It will be interesting to see the approach Legend takes with mentoring Rae as "The Voice" moves into the Battle Rounds.
Rae becomes at least the third Oklahoma singer to appear in the Season 19 Blind Auditions. As previously reported, Tulsa singers Faye Moffett and Tony Mason auditioned but were not selected by any of the coaches for their teams.
Due to Election Night coverage, "The Voice" will not air in its usual time tonight. The show will resume next week with the Battle Rounds at 7 p.m. Monday and Tuesday on NBC.
-BAM