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Trade Mission to South Korea Attracts New Companies
Weeklong Mission Focused on Boosting Economic and Tourism Ties, Strengthening the Maryland-Korea Relationship with Cultural and Educational Partnerships
A weeklong trade and diplomatic mission to South Korea led by officials from the Maryland Department of Commerce and the Secretary of State's office concluded Friday with announcements that Maryland has attracted two new companies from South Korea. A follow-up to Governor Larry Hogan's 2015 trade mission to Asia, which included stops in South Korea, China, and Japan, this mission was aimed at increasing trade and investment between South Korea and Maryland and strengthening cultural and diplomatic ties. First Lady Yumi Hogan, who is the first Korean-American First Lady in the United States, accompanied the delegation.
"This successful mission has been an excellent opportunity to highlight the special relationship between Maryland and Korea, and to find additional ways to strengthen the already-flourishing cultural and economic ties of our regions," said The First Lady.
Fasoo, a Seoul-headquartered leader in document security, application security, and document management, announced plans to move its U.S. headquarters from East Brunswick, New Jersey to Bethesda. The move is scheduled to take place this month and the company will bring seven employees to the state.
"The quality of the Maryland workforce is why we're moving from New Jersey. The high concentration of skilled and experienced information security professionals in the corridor between Washington, D.C. and Fort Meade is one of the biggest factors in the decision to shift our North American operations," said Dr. Kyugon Cho, Fasoo's founder, chairman, and CEO.
In addition, Green Cross Cell, a Korea-based publicly-traded cancer immunotherapy products developer and an affiliate of the country's largest pharmaceutical groups, signed a MOU with Maryland Commerce committing to establishing its first U.S. subsidiary in Maryland. This will be the company's only business operation outside of Asia.
Also opening an office in Maryland will be the Korea Innovation Center (KIC), which plans to establish a presence in Montgomery County to support biotechnology and healthcare entrepreneurs. KIC is operated by the Korea Ministry of Science and ICT and provides assistance to Korean start-ups and entrepreneurs. Additionally, KIC committed to retaining its Bio Acceleration program in Maryland, subject to annual National Assembly appropriations. The program brings teams of up to 10 Korean biohealth IT start-up executives, technicians, and regulatory affairs officials to the U.S. for several weeks of training, mentoring, and introductions to the U.S. market, particularly in the area of technology commercialization. The first weeks-long session of KIC's Bio Acceleration program was held successfully in Baltimore this past spring.
Throughout the week, the Maryland delegation met with multiple executives representing the tourism industry, as well as prospective business investors from large multinational corporations and small businesses. These meetings included addresses to the Korean Information Security Industry Association (KISIA), the largest representative body of the country's private sector cybersecurity community; K-Biz, the Federation of Korean small businesses; and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), which is comprised of executives of more than 30 life science, information technology, and infrastructure product and service companies.
The mission concluded with a reception at the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea's residence in Seoul. Attending the reception were more than 75 business leaders and officials from Maryland and South Korea, giving the delegation an opportunity to promote the many advantages of doing business in Maryland, particularly in the life sciences and high-tech fields.
The reception featured a check presentation by the First Lady and Maryland Deputy Secretary of Commerce Ben Wu to TissueGene, Inc., a Rockville-based advanced cell therapies company that has developed a first-in-class cell and gene therapy targeting osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. The $750,000 grant from Maryland's Stem Cell Research Fund, administered by TEDCO, was announced earlier this year and will help the company conduct Phase III clinical trials in the United States for its product Invossa™, a first-in-class cell and gene therapy targeting OA of the knee through a single intra-articular injection. In July 2017, Kolon Life Science, Inc., TissueGene's exclusive licensee for Asia, received South Korean MFDS marketing approval for Invossa-K Inj.
Woosok Lee, TissueGene's president and CEO, said, "As a Maryland-based company with roots in South Korea, TissueGene is honored to be recognized by Deputy Secretary Wu and First Lady Hogan during this important trade mission. The state of Maryland has consistently demonstrated its commitment to supporting innovative therapies such as Invossa™, which could potentially be the world's first disease-modifying drug for treating osteoarthritis of the knee."
Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: diplomatic mission, South Korea, trade mission, Yumi Hogan
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Nik Le Maréchal
Nik has been a Governor since May 2013 and was Chair of the Finance committee from 2015-2020. In September, Nik was voted to take over as Chair of Governors for the school. He is a Co-opted Governor. He has worked in Banking and Finance for over twenty years in numerous customer and non-customer facing roles.
He is a father of three children, two of which attend High Halden CEP School. He is a keen cricketer and coaches colts cricket locally.
Eddie Conba
Eddie has been a governor since September 2009 (Chair of the Governing Board for 11 years). Originally a parent governor, Eddie became a co-opted governor in 2012.
He has worked in Information Technology for over 20-years. He has held management positions within IT Professional Services providing strategic leadership to large consulting teams and working closely with customer and business stakeholders. Eddie holds a Master's Degree in Business Administration.
In his spare time, he is a family man with two children, both of which attended High Halden.
Louise has been one of our parent governors, since 2015. Louise has 2 children, one of which is currently enrolled within the school.
Louise has worked for a large, global lifestyle brand since 2005. Her role within the Retail Operations team is Planning and Resource coordinator, with the remit of the global estate. The varied role encompasses third party relationship management, purchase ledger, data analytics, health and safety, compliance and succession planning.
Fran Chevis
Fran has lived in High Halden since 2004. During her time in the village she has been a regular member of the congregation at St. Mary's Church including more recently at the family-friendly Messy Church. In 2014 she joined the Parochial Church Council (PCC) and was appointed by them as a Foundation Governor at High Halden School.
Fran's role as a Foundation Governor forms part of the link between the school and the church, focusing on and encouraging the School's Christian character and vision.
On the Governing Body Fran also has responsibilities for monitoring other aspects of the school's work including EYFS and SPAG provision. Fran is also a parent at the school.
Fern Maxted
Fern decided to become a parent Governor at High Halden Primary School because she has always been passionate about ensuring that not only her own children have a good standard of education, but that ALL children have the best start they can in life. She hopes to ensure that High Halden continues to be one of the best schools in the area, and will support the school to carry on enabling its pupils to achieve their full potential.
Amy Mealham
Amy has been a parent governor since July 2018. She has two children, one of which already attends High Halden C of E Primary School and the other is due to start in September.
With parents as teachers she is passionate for children's education and providing a stimulating environment to encourage children to develop into individual personalities and achieve their very best potential.
Amy works as a Senior Investigator, overseeing the case management of criminal investigations. She brings her investigative skills and ability to conduct detailed audits of business procedures, finances and legal compliance, along with her desire for continuous improvement to her role on the Governing Board.
Kelly Burlton
Kelly joined High Halden as an NQT in 2004 having trained at Canterbury Christ Church University. She's held many roles within the school; teaching across the year groups, ICT lead, English co-ordinator, Senior Teacher. In 2013, she was appointed as the substantive Headteacher.
Kelly lives in Singleton with her husband and son; together they enjoy visits to the beach, farm and soft play!
Katie has been a parent governor since January 2018. She has lived in the village for ten years with her husband Stewart. They have two children, Chloe who currently attends the school and Fraser who starts reception in September. Katie works as a vet in a small animal practice in Tenterden.
Katie is passionate about child development and helping support the school create an environment in which children can receive the best start in life. She has a share of monitoring responsibility for outcomes for pupils and science.
Wayne Miles
Wayne has been a Governor at High Halden since October 2015. Prior to this, he was a governor for 5 years at another school before moving to the village. He is a Co-Opted Governor.
Wayne works as a Sales Director for a London based company in building automation. He is a father of two children one of which attends High Halden CEP School. He is a keen Golfer and cyclist.
Caroline Ridley
Caroline has been a teacher for 14 years and has taught in Kent, Cambodia and Hong Kong. Her husband is also a teacher and she has two children.
Caroline is in her second year at High Halden and she decided to become a teacher governor because she wanted to learn more about the running of a school and be able to liaise with the governors about school life at High Halden.
Simon is in his second stint as a governor at the school having also been a governor at Highworth Grammar School for 5 years. He is Chair of Parish Council , a keen golfer and fisherman with wife and two children. Simon enjoys involvement with the local community of which the school is a key element.
Reverend Sue Rose
On Wednesday 7th October, Rev Sue Rose was licensed as the Rector of Bethersden with High Halden and Woodchurch. Since her appointment, Rev Sue has joined the governing boards of High Halden and Woodchurch. She is very excited about discovering what God is calling us to do together.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


To offer our customer a quality product, supreme workmanship, while giving the absolute very best in customer service available.
To be recognized throughout our community as being experts in our field. By maintaining loyalty to our customer and dedication to excellence, we will continue to grow as a company.
We strongly believe that these simple yet very important principles will be the "KEY" to our success.


Exclusive: GP commissioning leaders who attended yesterday's Downing Street summit have urged the Prime Minister to invite dissenting voices back to the table to discuss the NHS reforms, after the RCGP, BMA and other health bill critics were controversially excluded from talks.
NAPC chair Dr Charles Alessi, one of four GPs to attend the meeting, said David Cameron demonstrated during the summit that the Government was determined to press ahead with its reform agenda.
But Dr Alessi warned it was vital dialogue continued with all representative bodies, regardless of their standpoint on the changes.
'The more people are involved in the discussion, the more likely it is we'll get a good result,' he said.
Dr Steve Kell, chair of Bassetlaw CCG, who was also present, said there was a 'frank discussion' at yesterday's meeting on how to ensure competition does not overrule integration, and added it was vital that all voices were heard.
'I'm not a politician, but I think it's really important to engage with the BMA and RCGP,' he said.
Yesterday the RCGP said it understood the meeting 'could be one in a series of similar meetings to which we would hope to be invited', although it has yet to be confirmed if future meetings will be held. The BMA accused the Government of 'selective listening'.
It comes as embattled health secretary Andrew Lansley wrote to CCG leaders to reassure them that the Government planned to liberate and not constrain their power to commission under the new system.
In a letter to CCGs, Mr Lansley said commissioners would not be forced to subject services to competition, or be dictated to by clinical senates, and said the final choice would always rest with commissioners.
Dr Donal Hynes, a GP in Bridgwater, Somerset and co vice-chair of NHS Alliance, who was also present at the meeting, said the Prime Minister was confronted head on about opposition to the plans, but was of the belief that much of the anger stemmed from 'myths'.
Dr Hynes said he left reassured that localism will not be overridden by central control.


Interactions of innate and adaptive immunity in brain development and function.
It has been known for decades that the immune system has a tremendous impact on behavior. Most work has described the negative role of immune cells on the central nervous system. However, we and others have demonstrated over the last decade that a well-regulated immune system is needed for proper brain function. Here we discuss several neuro-immune interactions, using examples from brain homeostasis and disease states. We will highlight our understanding of the consequences of malfunctioning immunity on neurodevelopment and will discuss the roles of the innate and adaptive immune system in neurodevelopment and how T cells maintain a proper innate immune balance in the brain surroundings and within its parenchyma. Also, we describe how immune imbalance impairs higher order brain functioning, possibly leading to behavioral and cognitive impairment. Lastly, we propose our hypothesis that some behavioral deficits in neurodevelopmental disorders, such as in autism spectrum disorder, are the consequence of malfunctioning immunity. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled SI: Neuroimmunology in Health And Disease.


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Bayern München FCB
Liverpool LIV
J. Matip (39 og)
S. Mané (26) V. van Dijk (69) S. Mané (84)
Bayern München v Liverpool Match Report, 14/03/19
Bayern Munich 1 Liverpool 3 (1-3 agg): Mane and Van Dijk seal quarter-final spot
Liverpool made it four Premier League clubs in the quarter-finals of the Champions League after Sadio Mane's double downed Bayern Munich.
Sadio Mane's brace inspired Liverpool to a convincing 3-1 win at Bayern Munich and a place in the Champions League quarter-finals.
The Senegal forward's excellent 26th-minute opener gave Jurgen Klopp's side a priceless away goal but, in a similar vein to the goalless first leg at Anfield, the action was fitful and error-strewn for the most part.
Bayern were level at the break thanks to Joel Matip's own goal but Niko Kovac's side were never able to mount a sustained victory push.
A typically dominant Virgil van Dijk powered in to leave a forlorn Bayern with a mountain to climb and Mane administered the knockout blow six minutes from time.
GOAL! THIS GUY CAN'T STOP SCORING! Beautiful Salah assist and a clinical Mane finish.
[1-3]#UCL pic.twitter.com/kENcnbizlF
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) March 13, 2019
Fabinho, a surprise omission from the Liverpool starting XI, was soon pressed into action when Jordan Henderson suffered an early ankle injury.
The visitors settled well despite that setback and - moments after Roberto Firmino flashed a snapshot wide - Mane brilliantly brought down Van Dijk's raking ball, spun a needlessly marauding Manuel Neuer and chipped in a sublime finish.
Liverpool's lead lasted until six minutes before half-time when Serge Gnabry darted in behind Andy Robertson and Matip put through his own goal with Robert Lewandowski lurking.
Neuer dealt unconvincingly with a well-hit Mohamed Salah drive that was straight at him in the 50th minute, with Bayern struggling for rhythm.
Gnabry remained a reliable outlet – not to mention a menace for Robertson – and he whipped a dangerous ball between the goalmouth and a sliding Lewandowski as the hour passed.
However, the Poland striker would like to have given Van Dijk far more work before the defender rose at the back post to power home James Milner's 69th-minute corner.
Bayern were finished and Mane added late gloss on the end of Salah's floated cross.
What does it mean? Premier League era begins as Bayern's ends
Bayern last fell at this stage of the competition in 2011, going on to win the Champions League two years later. Four semi-finals in the subsequent five seasons followed but age has caught up with a fine side and a revamp is necessary, with the likes of Gnabry and Joshua Kimmich – badly missed through suspension in the second leg – set to have key roles.
The all-Bundesliga final against Borussia Dortmund was an emphatic statement, 12 months before Germany lifted the World Cup. Club and national team success do not necessarily intertwine, but Liverpool joining Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham in the quarter-finals should cheer those who revelled in Gareth Southgate's England reaching the semi-finals of Russia 2018.
Van Dijk underlines player-of-the-season credentials
A game-breaking contribution from the Netherlands centre-back did nothing to explain his importance to Liverpool that the tangible sense of panic surrounding his suspension from the first leg had not done already. Van Dijk was typically colossal here, with Lewandowski feeding off scraps as his marker helped himself to an assist and a memorable goal.
Watch him defend... and we watch him score! pic.twitter.com/OJiVypz1IB
Neuer decline sad to witness
Throughout this golden period for Bayern, Neuer has rightly been considered the premier goalkeeper in world football. However, injuries have taken an awful toll on the 32-year-old, whose muddled decision-making led to Mane's opener. He pawed behind for the corner that led to Van Dijk's winner – the lack of authority inside his own six-yard box a sorry sight.
Key Opta facts
- Liverpool's progression means four English sides will play in the quarter-finals for the first time since 2008-09 (Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United).
- Since the start of last season, no player has provided more Champions League assists than Milner (10).
- Mane's brace means he has now scored seven away goals in the Champions League for Liverpool, more than any other player for the club in the history of the competition (including the European Cup).
- Matip is only the fourth Liverpool player to score an own goal in the Champions League after Sami Hyypia (2007), John Arne Riise (2008) and Milner (2018).
- Neuer became just the sixth goalkeeper to play in 100 Champions League matches after Iker Casillas, Gianluigi Buffon, Petr Cech, Victor Valdes and Oliver Kahn.
Liverpool will return to the top of the Premier League on Sunday if they beat lowly Fulham, with Manchester City in FA Cup action a day earlier at Swansea. Bayern entertain Mainz as they remain neck-and-neck with Borussia Dortmund.
Rummenigge opposes proposed Champions League reforms
Bayern München 31/05/19
Bayern legend backs Liverpool for Champions League glory
Liverpool 03/04/19
Bayern charged by UEFA for 'F*** VAR!' banner
0 Celtic
0 Nõmme Kalju
(AGG 0 - 0)
0 Dundalk
0 Qarabağ
0 Ferencváros
0 Valletta
0 Saburtalo
0 Dinamo Zagreb
Group A P PTS


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Marbles »
Marbles requires a -12V/+12V power supply (2x5 pin connector). The red stripe of the ribbon cable (-12V side) must be oriented on the same side as the "Red stripe" marking on the module and on your power distribution board. The module draws 80mA from the +12V rail, and 20mA from the -12V rail.
Marbles' recipe for random music
Start with a clock – generated internally or divided/multiplied from an external clock signal.
If required, add some jitter to it, from slight humanization to complete chaos.
Split this randomized clock into two streams of random triggers to generate two contrasting rhythmic patterns complementing the main clock.
Generate three random voltages in sync with the rhythmic patterns obtained at the previous step.
Transform the random voltages to spread them further apart, or concentrate them around a specific voltage.
Add a pinch of lag-processing to obtain smooth random modulations... or quantization to get random tunes.
Steps 1 to 3 are handled by the left half of the module, the random rhythms being generated on the outputs labelled t. In your Eurorack system such duties might have been performed by modules like Grids and Branches.
Steps 4 to 6 are handled by the right half of the module, the random voltages being generated on the outputs labelled X. A large number of modules would be necessary to patch this functionality: a triple noise source and sample&hold, waveshapers, quantizers, and lag processors.
And now let's take it further: what if everything the module did could be controlled by a slowly evolving or lockable loop, like with Music Thing's Turing Machine? That's what the DEJA VU section is for.
Time to dive into the details!
t Generator
The t generator produces random gates by generating a jittery master clock (which is output on t2) and deriving from it two streams of random gates which are output on t1 and t3.
A. Clock rate. 120 BPM at 12 o'clock.
B. Clock range. Divides or multiplies the clock rate by 4.
C. Amount of randomness in the clock timing - perfectly stable, then simulating an instrumentalist lagging and catching up, then... complete chaos.
D. Bias. Controls whether gates are more likely to occur on t1 or t3. Several methods are available for splitting the master clock into t1 and t3, selected by the button [E]:
A coin is tossed at every pulse of t2, to decide whether the pulse is passed to t1 or t3. BIAS controls the fairness of the coin toss.
t1 and t3 are generated by respectively multiplying and dividing t2 by a random ratio. Turn the BIAS knob fully clockwise or counter-clockwise to reach more extreme ratios.
the triggers alternate between t1 and t3, following the same kind of regularity as kick/snare drum patterns.
1. BIAS, RATE (with V/O scaling) and JITTER CV inputs.
2. External clock input. The clock signal patched in this input replaces the internal clock. In this case, the RATE knob and CV input are re-purposed as a division/multiplication control, and the jitter setting is applied to the external clock.
3. Gate outputs.
Hold the button [E] and turn BIAS to adjust the gate length from 1% to 99%, or JITTER to adjust the gate length randomization (from deterministic to completely random). Only t1 and t3 are affected by this. t2 has a constant 50% duty cycle.
DEJA VU section
Whenever the module needs to make a random choice (for instance, to decide on the amount of jitter to apply on the next tick of its clock, or to generate a random voltage for one of its outputs), it queries the DEJA VU section. The DEJA VU section either recyles a previously generated random choice, or samples fresh random data from a hardware random source.
F. G. These buttons control whether the DEJA VU settings apply to the t or X section (or neither, or both). For example, the module can generate a non-repeating sequence of voltages locked to a looping rhythm (t enabled, X disabled); or cycle through the same sequence of voltages on an ever-changing rhythm (t disabled, X enabled).
H. Probability of re-cycling random decisions/voltages from the past:
From 7 o'clock to 12 o'clock, this probability goes from 0 (completely random) to 1 (locked loop).
At 12 o'clock, the module is thus stuck in a loop, because it never generates fresh random data. In this case, the illuminated pushbuttons [F] and [G] blink.
From 12 o'clock to 5 o'clock, the probability of randomly jumping within the loop goes from 0 to 1.
At 5 o'clock, the module thus plays random permutations of the same set of decisions/voltages.
I. Loop length. Lengths of 5, 7, 10 and 14 can be obtained by setting the knob between the graduations printed on the panel.
4. DEJA VU CV input.
X Generator
The X generator generates three independent random voltages output on X1, X2 and X3. They are clocked by the three outputs from the t section, or by a common external clock.
J. Output voltage range. 0 to +2V, 0 to +5V or -5 to +5V.
K. Probability distribution width and shape. Turning counter-clockwise from 12 o'clock, the voltages are increasingly concentrated near the center of the range. Fully counter-clockwise, a constant voltage is output. At 12 o'clock, they follow a bell curve - more likely to occur near the center but able to reach the extremes. At 2 o'clock, they occupy the entire voltage range with equal probability. Past this point, extreme values become more likely. Fully clockwise, only the minimum and maximum voltages are possible, turning X1, X2 and X3 into random gates.
L. Distribution bias. Skews the distribution towards low or high voltages. Think of this as the probabilistic equivalent of an offset: it does not shift the voltage down or up, but biases the decision towards the bottom or top of the voltage range.
In the illustration below, the pink histogram represents the distribution of possible output voltages: the tallest bar corresponds to the most likely outcome. The teal oscillogram is an example of output voltage sequence.
M. Horizontal and vertical "steppiness" of the generated voltages. At 12 o'clock, generates the typical S&H steps. Turn CCW to generate smoother edges, then random linear segments, then smooth random curves. Turn CW to quantize the generated voltages to a scale, then to progressively strip the scale of its notes until only the root note remains.
N. Controls how the outputs X1, X2 and X3 react to the settings dialed on the knobs [K], [L] and [M] – allowing you to obtain different flavors of random voltages from the 3 outputs. Diversity is fun!
All channels follow the settings on the control panel.
X2 follows the control panel, while X1 and X3 take opposite values. For example, if STEPS is turned fully CW, X1 and X3 will be smooth while X2 is quantized to the root note and its octaves.
X3 follows the control panel, X1 reacts in the opposite direction, and X2 always stays in the middle (steppy, unbiased, bell-curve).
O. External processing mode.
5. STEPS, SPREAD and BIAS CV inputs.
6. External clock input. When patched, all three outputs follow the same external clock, as opposed to being clocked by the three outputs from the t section.
7. CV outputs.
Sampling external CVs with the X generator
Press the button [O] to enable the external processing mode. In this mode, the module samples the voltage present on the SPREAD CV input (5) whenever a random value is needed for one of the X outputs.
A couple of interesting notes about external CV processing:
BIAS [L] acts as a transposition control, shifting voltages up and down, and SPREAD [K] controls the range of this transposition.
When no patch cable is inserted in the X section's clock input (6), the three X output will contain the same melody, but with some notes frozen/sustained on outputs 1 and 3 – because each output is sampled at its own pace.
When the channel diversity setting [N] is set to the first (green) position, and the module is externally clocked, and an external CV is fed to the module, you'd expect all 3 outputs to carry the same voltage, right? That's right, but that would be boring... In this particular configuration, the module switches to a shift-register mode in which X2 carries X1's voltage shifted by one clock tick, and X3 carries X2's voltage shifted by one clock tick.
All outputs follow the value of the STEPS [M] knob. Always. Irrespectively of the channel diversity setting [N].
Because some sequencers do not exactly change their output CVs at the same time as they send their gate signals, Marbles tolerates up to 3ms of difference between the transitions.
Y Generator
The Y generator, by default, is a smooth, full-range (-5V to +5V), random source that is clocked at 1/16 the rate of X2. These settings can be modified by holding the button [N] and adjusting RATE (division factor relative to X2, from 1/64 to 1), SPREAD, BIAS and STEPS while the button is held. The Y output is never affected by the DEJA VU settings.
STEPS quantizer
The STEPS knob progressively eliminates notes from a chromatic scale: first to reveal an interesting scale, then to mask all notes except the most salient ones in this scale. The example below is for a C-major scale (first factory preset).
Selecting a scale
Hold the voltage range button [J] for 2 seconds and repeatedly press it to select a scale. The color of the blinking LED and the rate of blinking indicates the active scale. Six memory slots are available for recording scales. They are pre-programmed with scales rooted in C (0V).
Programming a scale
Connect the CV and Gate outputs of a keyboard or MIDI interface to the SPREAD (5) and CLOCK (6) inputs respectively.
Hold the external processing mode button [O] for 2 seconds. The LED above the scale selection button [J] blinks and indicates the active scale. This scale is going to be reprogrammed!
Play a little jam in the scale you want to program. Fifty notes, or more, is the recommended length.
Press the button [O] when done.
The module analyzes your jam to measure how frequently each note occurs. The least frequently played notes will be the first to be eliminated when STEPS is turned clockwise from 12 o'clock. The most frequently played note will be the last one to remain when STEPS is at 5 o'clock.
Note: it is also possible, at step 3, to play the scale in ascending order, instead of a long melody. In this case, the module will not know the relative importance of each note of the scale, and the gradual scale "carving" will not be performed: turning the STEPS button from 12 o'clock to 5'clock will not modify the scale.
One can take advantage of the way the module counts notes to program several subsets of the same scale along the course of the STEPS knob. For example if we play :
C D E F G A B C D F G A C F G C G C
We'll get, right after 12 o'clock, C D E F G A B ; then C D F G A (least frequent notes E and B are eliminated) ; then C F G (less frequent notes D and A eliminated) ; then C G (F is the next to be eliminated) ; then C (which is the most frequent note in the fragment).
Resetting a scale to a factory default
Hold the external processing mode button [O] for 2 seconds to enter the scale recording mode. The LED above the scale selection button [J] blinks and indicates the active scale. This scale is going to be reprogrammed!
Hold the external processing mode button [O] for 2 seconds. The currently active scale is reprogrammed to its factory data.
If DEJA VU is past 12 o'clock and the loop length is set to 1, the outputs remain frozen in the same state.
If DEJA VU is around 11 o'clock, the loop will slowly mutate.
The DEJA VU knob has a "virtual notch" at 12 o'clock - even if it is not exactly at 12 o'clock, you will still get a perfectly non-random loop.
Once a sequence is looping, it is still possible to alter it with SPREAD/BIAS to map it to a different range of voltages.
Once a sequence is looping, a rapid double press on the DEJA VU buttons reseeds it.
When the X section is not externally clocked, X1, X2 and X3 are rhythmically independent from each other, each output changing its voltage at its own pace. Setting the loop LENGTH to 3 (for example), will cause each output to go through a 3-note sequence independently from the other, creating polyrhythmic effects.
Self-patching is a rewarding technique with Marbles! In particular, the Y output provides a useful slow modulation source for randomizing the other parameters of the module.
Unplug all CV inputs/outputs from the module. Connect the output of your audio interface/sound card to the RATE CV input. Set the RATE knob (A) to an intermediate position. Power on your modular system with the t section DEJA VU illuminated push-button (F) pressed.
Make sure that no additional sound (such as email notification sounds, background music etc.) from your computer will be played during the procedure. Make sure that your speakers/monitors are not connected to your audio interface - the noises emitted during the procedure are aggressive and can harm your hearing. On non-studio audio equipment (for example the line output from a desktop computer), you might have to turn up the gain to the maximum.
When you are all set, play the firmware update file into the module. While the module receives data, the RATE LED will act as vu-meter (lit in orange when the signal level is optimal). Try adjusting the RATE knob to adjust gain. When the end of the audio file is reached, the module automatically restarts - if it is not the case, please retry the procedure from the beginning.
In case the signal level is inadequate, all LEDs will blink in red. Press the button (F) and retry with a higher gain. If this does not help, please retry the procedure from another computer/audio interface, and make sure that no piece of equipment or software effect (equalizer, automatic gain control, FX processor) is inserted in the signal chain.
The output range selection LED is off
(... and the three X output do not seem to work).
This is normal behavior when external processing mode O is enabled.
In external processing mode, there is no point defining what would be an output voltage range, since the output voltage is related to whatever you decide to feed into the module input! As a result, the output voltage range goes off.
The sequence does not have the expected LENGTH
A common misunderstanding is that LENGTH adjusts a global loop length – that would cause everything in the module to reset itself after N clock ticks.
However, setting the loop length to 3 does not mean that you will create a looping 3-beat pattern. It means that each "decision" (internally, sampling a value from the internal random source) will cycle over 3 values:
Let's take an example... If the t section is in green mode a "decision" is taken at each pulse of the clock, and is used to select between t1 and t3. So if they repeat with a length of 3, you could get a pattern like this:
t1: x--x--x--x--x--x--
t3: -xx-xx-xx-xx-xx-xx
X1 will pick a voltage at each pulse of t1, and will repeat these decisions (A, F, G in the example below) with a cycle length of 3. X3 will pick a voltage at each pulse of t3, and will repeat the same 3 decisions (C, F, E in the example below). This will result in the following pattern:
t1: A--F--G--A--F--G--
t3: -CF-EC-FE-CF-EC-FE
As you can see, it does not loop over 3 beats, it loops over 9.
If you want a more structured "global" loop length of 3, you can self-patch t2 to the clock input of the X section. Then all the X outputs will all change at the same "master" rate:
t1: AFGAFGAFG
t3: CFECFECFE
And you can use an external S&H on t1/X1 and t3/X3 to hold the voltages:
t1: A--A--A--
t3: -FE-FE-FE


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Through the Linbury Trust, Lord and Lady Sainsbury have provided grants to arts organisations totalling more than £22 million in the last decade alone.
To list the recipients of the Trust's generosity is to compile a who's who of British cultural excellence: the Tate Gallery, the Ashmolean Museum, the National Gallery, the Rambert Ballet School, and creating the Linbury Studio Theatre at the Royal Opera House to name but a few. The Linbury Trust sponsors both a stage Design award, the Linbury Biennial Prize, and a theatrical award, the Jocelyn Herbert Prize. And all this is without taking into account the vast sums donated to other causes such as education, the environment, medicine, and Developing countries.
It is natural to honour them in the first year of the medal, because of their wide ranging generosity in Britain. The Sainsburys' are passionate about the arts in all its many forms. Both are avid theatre, opera and ballet goers; Anya Linden was, of course, once a principal dancer for the Royal Ballet, and still has close ties with that organisation. John Sainsbury served on the board of the Royal Opera House for 20 years, four of them as chairman.
Lord and Lady Sainsbury visit the arts each and every week. They see all the shows they can. Like many here, their hearts are in the cultural vibrancy of these islands. Philanthropy in a true sense is about passion - because there is nothing any organisation can do in return that could measure up to their generosity, apart from what they are there to do - create inspiring and life affirming work.


BERLIN -- Police in southwestern Germany have found the body of a banker's wife who had been missing since being kidnapped more than three weeks ago, an official said Friday.
An autopsy of a woman's body with stab wounds found a day earlier led police to conclude they have found the body of Maria Boegerl, local police chief Volker Lueck told journalists in the city of Heidenheim.
Boegerl was seized from her home in Heidenheim on May 12. The kidnapper then contacted the 54-year-old woman's husband, Thomas, an executive with a local bank, and demanded a ransom of $368,000, Lueck said.
Her husband placed the ransom money at the side of a highway -- an hour later than asked for due to logistical problems -- but it was never picked up, Lueck said.
Boegerl was able to briefly speak with her husband then, telling him that her life was in danger, according to police. That was the last time anyone heard from either Boegerl or her kidnapper.
The family offered a $61,000 reward for any information that could have led to the victim's release. Boegerl also appeared on television, alongside his two children, passionately appealing for his wife's release.
Despite an expansive search effort, police only found Maria Boegerl's car and her cell phone in the days following her kidnapping.
Police said someone walking in the woods found the body on Thursday, covered with branches, some 3,000 feet away from where the ransom money had been placed. Police had searched the same area and it was unclear how long exactly the body had been there.
It must have already been lying there "for a longer time," prosecutor Christof Lehr said at a news conference. Lueck added that she could have been stabbed to death on the day of her kidnapping.
Police hasn't publicly identified any suspects yet, but issued a search appeal for a hitchhiker who had been seen in the area near Heidenheim on May 12. He is wanted as a witness.
Lueck said police assumes the perpetrator is a local because he spoke with a southwestern accent during his only phone call to the family.
Boegerl's husband manages a local public banking group, Kreissparkasse Heidenheim, which has 34 branches, according to its website.


You need to sign your friend out of the Xbox Live account he was using and then shut down the controller by unplugging it from the console. I hope this helps your issue.
Sorry that hear that your kill streak was ended but it sounds like the motors that cause vibration are dead. You can follow our Vibration Motor Replacement guide to once again feel the impact of a grenade.
Hi Aaron, Your controller not connecting could be due to multiple issues. Your cable could be torn or the connection in the controller could be loose or disconnected. Follow our Torn/Frayed Cable Replacement guide to fix your controller.


text:
FIVE for FRIDAY: Ms. 15s LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND
April 28, 2017 April 14, 2017 leebattersby
One of the most delightful moments of parenting comes when a child independently discovers something that has given you joy for years, and begins to express their own joy.
I first discovered The Beatles in a big way when my mother started dating the man who would become her 3rd husband. I was fourteen, and just beginning to branch out from my parents' taste in music. Mum was early-Beatles: she hated what they did after they became "stupid hippies". Ray was just as conservative, but for reasons I never figured out, had a copy of The White Album amongst the Jose Carreras and London Symphony Orchestra. For other reasons I never figured out– he openly refused to move in with Mum until we were out of the house because he didn't want to be bothered with us– he gave me free reign of his record collection. And I went nuts for this album. Nuts, I tells ya. And my life-long love for The Beatles (and yeah, I'm Team Stupid Hippies) was born.
With some small restrictions, we've always given the kids the run of our music collection, but the way they interact with music is markedly different to my generation: for a start, the album is almost a completely dead concept to them, and they're boggled that there are some albums that were created with the express purpose of being listened to in one order and one order only (What concept, Dad? Concept album? I don't get it…). In many ways, they are discovering songs individually, without context or history to guide them. And yet…
Ms 15 has found The Beatles. Completely independent of any parental guidance, or of the progression of albums and ouvre. And yet, just like me at a similar age, something has opened up inside of her, and she has fallen instantly, and deeply in love. So, as a way of providing some new words on the subject, please welcome the lovely Ms 15, who gives us her 5 favourite Beatles songs.
FIVE for FRIDAY: Ms 15's LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND
1.Here Comes the Sun
A sweet melody. I enjoy this song because it calms me. It has a tranquil and happy vibe that always puts me in a good mood.
2. Oh! Darling!
An upbeat approach. I love the lyrics. It's a song that makes me feel confident and always makes me sing and feel silly.
3. I Am the Walrus
This song is the best! It's absolutely silly but I just can't get enough. It makes me feel so enthusiastic and although the lyrics are hard to follow, it doesn't matter because it's one of my favourites.
4. Hey, Jude
A smooth, sweet song. It's very peaceful, and has the calmest set of vocals. The balance between the harmony, instruments and lyrics is something I find beautifully pleasant.
5. Let it Be.
Oh, my God. This is my absolute favourite. The tone and harmonies are just beautiful. I love the way the band sings it. Their voices are so soft and unique. The lyrics and the atmosphere make me feel connected emotionally. It's the song I turn to when I need to de-stress.
Categories: 5 for Friday
← GETTING MY FESTIVAL ON!
PRECIOUS THINGS: DAMIAN MAGEE →


text:
<?php

namespace Omnipay\Rabobank\Message;

use Omnipay\Common\Message\AbstractResponse;
use Omnipay\Common\Message\RequestInterface;

/**
 * Rabobank Complete Purchase Response
 */
class CompletePurchaseResponse extends AbstractResponse
{
    /** @var array The internal (parsed) data */
    protected $i_data;

    /**
     * {@inheritdoc}
     */
    public function __construct(RequestInterface $request, $data)
    {
        parent::__construct($request, $data);

        $this->i_data = $this->getInternalData();
    }

    public function isSuccessful()
    {
        return '00' === $this->getCode();
    }

    public function getCode()
    {
        return isset($this->i_data['responseCode']) ? $this->i_data['responseCode'] : null;
    }

    public function getMessage()
    {
        $code = $this->getCode();

        $messages = array(
            '00' => 'Transaction successful. Authorisation accepted (credit card).',
            '02' => 'Credit card authorisation limit exceeded. Contact the Support Team Rabo OmniKassa.',
            '03' => 'Invalid merchant contract.',
            '05' => 'Refused.',
            '12' => 'Invalid transaction. Check the fields in the payment request.',
            '14' => 'Invalid credit card number, invalid card security code, '.
                    'invalid card (MasterCard) or invalid Card Verification Value (MasterCard or VISA).',
            '17' => 'Cancellation of payment by user.',
            '24' => 'Invalid status.',
            '25' => 'Transaction not found in database.',
            '30' => 'Invalid format.',
            '34' => 'Fraud suspicion.',
            '40' => 'Operation not allowed for this merchant/webshop.',
            '60' => 'Awaiting status report.',
            '63' => 'Security problem detected. Transaction terminated.',
            '75' => 'Maximum number of attempts to enter credit card number (3) exceeded.',
            '90' => 'Rabo OmniKassa server temporarily unavailable.',
            '94' => 'Duplicate transaction.',
            '97' => 'Time period expired. Transaction refused.',
            '99' => 'Payment page temporarily unavailable.',
        );

        return isset($messages[$code]) ? $messages[$code] : null;
    }

    public function getStatus()
    {
        $code = $this->getCode();
        $status = array(
            '00' => 'SUCCESS',
            '17' => 'CANCELLED',
            '60' => 'PENDING',
            '97' => 'EXPIRED',
        );

        return isset($status[$code]) ? $status[$code] : 'FAILED';
    }

    public function getTransactionReference()
    {
        return isset($this->i_data['transactionReference']) ? $this->i_data['transactionReference'] : null;
    }

    public function getTransactionId()
    {
        return isset($this->i_data['orderId']) ? $this->i_data['orderId'] : null;
    }

    public function getPaymentMethod()
    {
        return isset($this->i_data['paymentMeanBrand']) ? $this->i_data['paymentMeanBrand'] : null;
    }

    public function getAuthorisationId()
    {
        return isset($this->i_data['authorisationId']) ? $this->i_data['authorisationId'] : null;
    }

    /**
     * Decode ridiculous 'Data' response parameter
     */
    public function getInternalData()
    {
        if (empty($this->data['Data'])) {
            return;
        }

        $data = array();
        foreach (explode('|', $this->data['Data']) as $line) {
            $line = explode('=', $line, 2);
            if (!empty($line[0])) {
                $data[trim($line[0])] = isset($line[1]) ? trim($line[1]) : null;
            }
        }

        return $data;
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
pLV_gRNA_Cas9_parent
Lentivirus CRISPR Vector
CRISPR/Cas9 vectors are among several types of emerging genome editing tools that can quickly and efficiently create mutations at target sites of a genome (the other two popular ones being ZFN and TALEN).
Cas9 is a member of a class of RNA-guided DNA nucleases which are part of a natural prokaryotic immune system that confers resistance to foreign genetic elements such as plasmids and bacteriophage. Within the cell, the Cas9 enzyme forms a complex with a guide RNA (gRNA), which provides targeting specificity through direct interaction with homologous 18-22nt target sequences in the genome. Hybridization of the gRNA to the target site localizes Cas9, which then cuts the target site in the genome.
To achieve CRISPR-mediated gene targeting it is essential for the target cells to co-express Cas9 and the target site-specific gRNA at the same time. This can be accomplished by either expressing both Cas9 and the gRNA sequence from the same vector (a.k.a. all-in-one vector) or by using separate vectors for driving Cas9 and gRNA expression (Cas9 only and gRNA only vectors, respectively). The advantage of using an all-in-one vector for expressing Cas9 and gRNA is that it provides the opportunity to deliver all the required components for CRISPR-mediated gene editing to the cell using a single vector which is technically straight forward. Using separate vectors for expressing Cas9 and gRNA requires co-transduction of the target cells with two separate vectors which can be technically challenging since not all cells will be transduced with both gRNA and Cas9 vectors simultaneously. An alternative approach for using separate vectors is to transduce cells or organisms stably expressing high-level of Cas9 with the desired gRNA sequences. However, this method can be considerably time-consuming and labor intensive. Our all-in-one lentivirus CRISPR vector helps to circumvent the mentioned challenges by expressing Cas9 and the desired gRNA sequence from a single lentiviral vector.
Our lentivirus CRISPR vector is a highly efficient viral vehicle for permanently introducing both Cas9 and the target site- specific gRNA sequence into difficult-to-transfect mammalian cells. A lentivirus CRISPR vector is first constructed as a plasmid in E. coli. The gRNA and Cas9 expression cassette is cloned between the two long terminal repeats (LTRs) during vector construction. A human U6 promoter drives the expression of the user-selected gRNA sequence, which directs Cas9 to the DNA target site of interest. The vector is then transfected into packaging cells along with several helper plasmids. Inside the packaging cells, vector DNA located between the LTRs is transcribed into RNA, and viral proteins expressed by the helper plasmids further package the RNA into virus. Live virus is then released into the supernatant, which can be used to infect target cells directly or after concentration. When the virus is added to target cells, the RNA cargo is shuttled into cells where it is reverse transcribed into DNA and permanently integrated into the host genome, leading to the co-expression of Cas9 and the user-selected gRNA sequence.
Our lentivirus CRISPR vector is available for expressing either single-gRNA or dual-gRNAs. While the single-gRNA vector is widely used for conventional CRISPR genome editing applications such as generating single gene knockouts, dual-gRNA vectors are necessary for applications requiring simultaneous targeting of a pair of genomic sites. Examples of such applications include: 1) paired Cas9 nickase experiments where the "nickase" mutant form (hCas9-D10A) of hCas9 is used in conjunction with two gRNAs targeting the two opposite strands of a single target site to generate single strand cuts one on each strand, thereby leading to a DSB with increased targeting specificity than a single gRNA; 2) generating deletion of a fragment between two DSBs targeted by a pair of gRNAs; and 3) targeting two different genes simultaneously. While the single gRNA vector consists of a single human U6 promoter driving the target site-specific gRNA sequence in between the two LTRs, the dual gRNA vector consists of two consecutive U6 promoters driving the expression of gRNA sequences specific to two genomic target sites of interest.
By design, our lentiviral vectors lack the genes required for viral packaging and transduction (these genes are instead carried by helper plasmids used during virus packaging). As a result, virus produced from lentiviral vectors has the important safety feature of being replication incompetent (meaning that they can transduce target cells but cannot replicate in them).
Science. 339:819 (2013) Description of genome editing using the CRISPR/Cas9 system
Cell. 154:1380–9 (2013) Use of Cas9 D10A double nicking for increased specificity
Nat. Biotech. 31:827 (2013) Specificity of RNA-guided Cas9 nucleases
Science. 343:84 (2014) CRISPR/Cas9 targeting using an all-in-one lentiviral vector
Our lentivirus CRISPR vector is derived from the third-generation lentiviral vector system. This system is optimized for high copy number replication in E. coli, high-titer packaging of live virus, efficient viral transduction of a wide range of cells, and efficient vector integration into the host genome. The lentivirus CRISPR vector system is designed to deliver Cas9 and a target site-specific gRNA sequence using a single vector. This vector is available for expressing either single-gRNA or dual-gRNAs enabling users to target either one or two genomic target sites of interest depending upon their experimental goal.
Simplicity: The simple homology relationship between the gRNA and the target makes the CRISPR/Cas9 system conceptually simple and easy to design. Our lentivirus CRISPR vector system is designed for delivering both Cas9 as well as the target site-specific gRNA sequence to mammalian cells. This provides the opportunity to deliver all the required components for CRISPR-mediated gene editing to the target cells using a single lentiviral vector which is technically straight forward and less time-consuming than using two separate vectors for Cas9 and gRNA delivery.
High viral titer: Our vector can be packaged into high-titer virus (>109 TU/ml when virus is obtained through our virus packaging service). At this viral titer, transduction efficiency for cultured mammalian cells can approach 100% when an adequate amount of viral supernatant is used.
Very broad tropism: Our packaging system adds the VSV-G envelop protein to the viral surface. This protein has broad tropism. As a result, cells from all commonly used mammalian species (and even some non-mammalian species) can be transduced. Furthermore, almost any mammalian cell type can be transduced (e.g. dividing cells and non-dividing cells, primary cells and established cell lines, stem cells and differentiated cells, adherent cells and non-adherent cells). Neurons, which are often impervious to conventional transfection, can be readily transduced by our lentiviral vector. Lentiviral vectors packaged with our system have broader tropism than adenoviral vectors (which have low transduction efficiency for some cell types) or MMLV retroviral vectors (which have difficulty transducing non-dividing cells).
Relative uniformity of vector delivery: Generally, viral transduction can deliver vectors into cells in a relatively uniform manner. In contrast, conventional transfection of plasmid vectors can be highly non-uniform, with some cells receiving a lot of copies while other cells receiving few copies or none.
Effectiveness in vitro and in vivo: Lentiviral vector systems can be used effectively in cultured cells and in live animals.
Safety: The safety of our vector is ensured by two features. One is the partition of genes required for viral packaging and transduction into several helper plasmids; the other is self-inactivation of the promoter activity in the 5' LTR upon vector integration. As a result, it is essentially impossible for replication competent virus to emerge during packaging and transduction. The health risk of working with our vector is therefore minimal.
Technical complexity: The use of lentiviral vectors requires the production of live virus in packaging cells followed by the measurement of viral titer. These procedures are technically demanding and time consuming relative to conventional plasmid transfection.
Lower specificity: Some off-target activity has been reported for the CRISPR/Cas9 system, and in general the TALEN system has lower off-target activity than CRISPR/Cas9. However, off-target effects can be significantly mitigated by using the mutant version hCas9-D10A nickase in conjunction with two gRNAs to target the two opposite strands of a single target site to generate single strand cuts one on each strand, thereby leading to a DSB with increased targeting specificity than a single gRNA used in conjunction with the wild type hCas9 nuclease.
PAM requirement: CRISPR/Cas9 based targeting is dependent on a strict requirement for a protospacer adjacent motif (PAM), located on the immediate 3' end of the gRNA recognition sequence.
Single-gRNA lentivirus CRISPR vector
RSV promoter: Rous sarcoma virus promoter. It drives transcription of viral RNA in packaging cells. This RNA is then packaged into live virus.
5' LTR-ΔU3: A deleted version of the HIV-1 5' long terminal repeat. In wildtype lentivirus, 5' LTR and 3' LTR are essentially identical in sequence. They reside on two ends of the viral genome and point in the same direction. Upon viral integration, the 3' LTR sequence is copied onto the 5' LTR. The LTRs carry both promoter and polyadenylation function, such that in wildtype virus, the 5' LTR acts as a promoter to drive the transcription of the viral genome, while the 3' LTR acts as a polyadenylation signal to terminate the upstream transcript. On our vector, Δ5' LTR is deleted for a region that is required for the LTR's promoter activity normally facilitated by the viral transcription factor Tat. This does not affect the production of viral RNA during packaging because the promoter function is supplemented by the RSV promoter engineered upstream of Δ5' LTR.
Ψ: HIV-1 packaging signal required for the packaging of viral RNA into virus.
RRE: HIV-1 Rev response element. It allows the nuclear export of viral RNA by the viral Rev protein during viral packaging.
cPPT: HIV-1 Central polypurine tract. It creates a "DNA flap" that increases nuclear importation of the viral genome during target cell infection. This improves vector integration into the host genome, resulting in higher transduction efficiency.
U6 Promoter: This drives high level expression of the downstream gRNA. This is the promoter of the human U6 snRNA gene, an RNA polymerase III promoter which efficiently expresses short RNAs.
gRNA: Guide RNA compatible with Cas9 derived from Streptococcus pyogenes.
Terminator: Terminates transcription of the gRNA.
EFS Promoter: Human eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1 α1 short form. Drives expression of the downstream Cas9 nuclease.
Cas9 protein: The open reading frame of the Cas9 nuclease is placed here.
WPRE: Woodchuck hepatitis virus posttranscriptional regulatory element. It enhances viral RNA stability in packaging cells, leading to higher titer of packaged virus.
3' LTR-ΔU3: A truncated version of the HIV-1 3' long terminal repeat that deletes the U3 region. This leads to the self-inactivation of the promoter activity of the 5' LTR upon viral vector integration into the host genome (since 3' LTR is copied onto 5' LTR during viral integration). The polyadenylation signal contained in ΔU3/3' LTR serves to terminates all upstream transcripts produced both during viral packaging and after viral integration into the host genome.
SV40 early pA: Simian virus 40 early polyadenylation signal. It further facilitates transcriptional termination after the 3' LTR during viral RNA transcription during packaging. This elevates the level of functional viral RNA in packaging cells, thus improving viral titer.
Dual-gRNA lentivirus CRISPR vector
U6 Promoter: This drives high level expression of the downstream gRNA sequence. This is the promoter of the human U6 snRNA gene, an RNA polymerase III promoter which efficiently expresses short RNAs.
gRNA #1: The first guide RNA compatible with Cas9 derived from Streptococcus pyogenes.
gRNA #2: The second guide RNA compatible with Cas9 derived from Streptococcus pyogenes.


text:
HomeAviation Museum NewsHistoric Flight Foundation – New Museum Space Opens
Historic Flight Foundation – New Museum Space Opens
January 2, 2020 Editor Aviation Museum News 0
Pride of place in the Historic Flight Foundation's newly opened facility at Felts Field in Spokane, Washington goes to their Douglas C-47B Skytrain 43-16340 beautifully restored as a Pan American Airways DC-3 passenger airliner. As readers will know, John Sessions and his team flew this aircraft across the Atlantic last May to take part in the D-Day Squadron's events celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Normandy Invasion. (image Liz Matzelle/Historic Flight Foundation)
While John Session's Historic Flight Foundation has been in operation since the early 2000s, and has maintained a fleet of significant vintage aircraft in flying condition within a hangar at Paine Field, in Everett, Washington, the organization opened a new museum space to the general public at the close of 2019. They chose December 17th, the 116th anniversary of powered flight, for its inaugural. The new facility is based at the historic Felts Field in Spokane, Washington. It houses some of the collection's many aircraft, including their magnificent Douglas C-47 Skytrain decked out as a Pan American Airways DC-3.
Felts Field, just northeast of Spokane, Washington, is a perfect site for an aviation museum, having witnessed more than a century of flying operations over its history. It formally opened as an airport in 1926, when known as the Parkwater Airstrip, but its association with aviation dates to before WWI. The field was also the first in the region with a resident National Guard unit (116th Observation Squadron) and actually gained its present name from one of the Squadron's airmen, James Buell Felts, who died in a flying accident in May, 1927. Charles Lindbergh flew his Ryan NYP Spirit of St.Louis here on September 12th, 1927 during a North American tour following his historic solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean, and the airfield even hosted the National Air Races later that month.
One of the most astonishing feats associated with Felts Field is the flight endurance record set by pilot Nicholas "Nick" Mamer and his co-pilot Art Walker. In August, 1929 the pair flew a Buhl CA-6 Air Sedan some 10,000 miles – non-stop. Over the course of 120 hours of continuous flying they took the Air Sedan from Felts Field in Spokane, to San Francisco, California then on to New York City and back to Spokane. They refueled in flight, via a 1″ hose lowered from another aircraft above them at various points on the route. Neither man slept during the five day adventure! Mamer went on to fly more than a million air miles without loss of life, but as was too common in that time, his luck eventually failed. On January 10th, 1938, a Lockheed Super Electra (NC17388) he was flying for Northwest Airways came apart in the air over the Bridger Mountains near Bozeman, Montana with the loss of all ten souls aboard. The NTSB attributed the accident to flutter, which lead to the structural failure of both vertical stabilizers. A clock tower, dedicated to Mamer's memory in 1939, still survives at Felts Field to this day.
Remarkably, the Felts Field retains several significant structures dating back to almost its earliest operational years, including a magnificent art deco passenger terminal. United Airlines had offices here and began operations from the field in 1931. There are also three 1930s-era hangars still in use at the Felts Field, one of which belonged to Northwest Airways (later to become Northwest Airlines, and now part of Delta). These preserved structures, steeped in aviation lore, were part of the allure for the Historic Flight Foundation's decision to open a museum on the site. Indeed, one of their exhibits, a magnificently restored Travel Air 4000, sports a livery which celebrates the 1927 National Air Races.
Other aircraft from the collection present on opening day included a former Royal Navy Grumman JRF-6 Goose painted in U.S. Navy markings, North American P-51B Mustang Impatient Virgin, a Stearman, and the sole surviving Hamilton H-47 Metalplane airliner, which dates from 1927. The museum has been an instant hit, and received over 1,000 visitors in the first few days of its operation! The Historic Flight Foundation still maintains its facility at Paine Field, home of Boeing's massive factory, in Everett, Washington, but this new facility gives the organization extra legs, and room for new exhibits. It clearly has an exciting future ahead!
Aviation Museum
Historic Flight Foundation
Inside Issue #86 of Warbird Digest
Lancaster NX611 'Just Jane' – December 2019 Restoration Update Part 2


Oh, January. January always seems to be a very busy month, and yet, as I look at the calendar, I wonder exactly what did we do all month? I think settling back into the routine of "normal" just made the month fly by. Kiana Baldwin, Development Assistant, continues to argue with me about time flying by so quickly. She, in her final semester of college, feels the time is dragging on so slowly. Just like everything, I guess it's all about perspective.
As you've probably already read on social media or in our Telegram we said good-bye to Bob & Becky Brown in January. From one perspective, we are sad to see them go. However, from another, we are thankful for their service and excited for them and their new adventures out west.
The kids and teachers went to an awesome convocation at Valparaiso University on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. VU always puts together a great presentation for the day. Ms. Davis, our History teacher, had our kids share "10 Things you might not have known about MLK". They shared some great facts and also were able to practice their public speaking skills.


text:
Songs of Innocence and of Experience All Study Guides Homework Help Lesson Plans
Songs of Innocence and of Experience
by William Blake
Principal Works
Does Blake present parents as oppressive and controlling of their children?
In Songs of Innocence and Experience, William Blake presents parents who are kind and loving to their children, as in "The Little Black Boy" and "The Little Boy Found," as well as parents who exploit their children and care little about them, as in the two chimney sweep poems and "The Little Vagabond."
"Does Blake present parents as oppressive and controlling of their children?" eNotes Editorial, 29 Nov. 2020, https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/does-blake-present-parents-as-oppressive-and-2557759. Accessed 30 Jan. 2023.
Amy Troolin, M.A.
Historian, Professional Writer
B.A. from St. Cloud State University M.A. from Franciscan University of Steubenville M.A. from St. Cloud State University M.A. from Signum University
In Songs of Innocence and Experience, William Blake presents both loving parents and parents who exploit their children. Let's look at examples of both. We'll begin with examples from Songs of Innocence.
In "The Echoing Green" the children are laughing and playing on the village green. They are...
In "The Echoing Green" the children are laughing and playing on the village green. They are happy, and as evening draws near, the little ones curl up on their mothers' laps, safe and comfortable. In "The Little Black Boy," the boy's mother teaches him many things, holds him on her lap, and kisses him. She tells him all about God and love and shows him how to look toward Heaven. In "On Another's Sorrow," the narrator speaks of fathers being filled with sorrow when their children weep and mothers responding immediately to their infants' cries.
However, in "The Chimney-Sweeper," the narrator relates that his mother died when he was a small child and his father sold him as a chimney sweep. The father cares nothing for his son—he only cares for the money he makes off him, and the boy endures a difficult life of hard work and oppression.
The twin poems "The Little Boy Lost" and "The Little Boy Found" suggest a blend of parental interest. In the first, the boy cries out to his father not to walk so fast. Apparently the father does anyway, and the boy cannot keep up. He falls behind and gets lost in the mire. But in the second poem, God appears in the image of the boy's father and leads him home to his worried mother, who has been searching for her child. The parents here are a mixed bag, with the boy's father apparently not caring much about his son and his mother loving him dearly.
Now let's turn our attention to Songs of Experience. In "The Little Girl Lost," no one searches for Lyca. The narrator implies that she is alone and lost and that her parents do not weep for her. Yet in "The Little Girl Found," the narrator shows that Lyca's parents are indeed seeking their daughter and go to join her among the animals.
Another poem called "The Chimney-Sweeper" presents a bleaker picture than the first poem with that title. In this one, the child narrator, a "little black thing among the snow," says that his parents have gone to church and that because he was happy, they had taught him to "sing the notes of woe" and clothed him "in the clothes of death." What he means is that they have essentially sold him as a chimney sweep into a life of misery.
"The Little Vagabond" speaks directly to his mother in this poem. He is apparently away from her and wandering on his own, and he claims that he is happier and better-used in the alehouse than in the church. Since he is away from his mother, we can infer that she cares little about his well-being.
Download the entire Songs of Innocence and of Experience study guide as a printable PDF!
How does Blake explore the "two contrary states of the human soul" in Songs of Innocence and of Experience?
What is a summary of the poem "The School Boy" by William Blake?
What is the theme of "The Lamb" by William Blake?
Describe and compare the two nurses in William Blake's "The Nurse's Song" in both Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience.
In "The School Boy," what does the phrase "the tender plants are stripped / Of their joy" mean?
Latest answer posted February 27, 2019 at 3:34:08 PM
"I a child, and thou a lamb, We are called by His name. Little Lamb, God bless thee!" What does Blake want the reader to know? This is from the poem "The Lamb" by Blake.
Latest answer posted March 13, 2020 at 2:04:45 PM
Discuss the symbolism William Blake used in his poems "The Lamb" and "The Tyger."
Latest answer posted September 03, 2017 at 1:02:25 PM
What are some metaphors in the poem "The School Boy" by William Blake?
Latest answer posted June 29, 2020 at 1:35:06 PM
What are the similarities and differences between "The Chimney Sweeper" in Songs of Innocence and "The Chimney Sweeper" in Songs of Experience?
Latest answer posted January 16, 2021 at 3:56:52 PM
How are the lamb, the child, and Christ connected in Songs of Innocence and Experience?


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Entertainment Sports
CIAA Tournament Brings HBCU Basketball Star Power to Charlotte
David R. Squires
After two days of preliminary rounds of basketball action– and some modest partying and networking– the 71st Annual CIAA Basketball Tournament begins in earnest today when the league's top two players take the court Thursday evening.
CIAA Player of the Year, Johnson C. Smith University's 6' 7" senior forward Stedmon Lemon, leads the league in scoring, averaging 21.5 points a game. His team faces Livingstone College in a 7 p.m. matchup. Right behind Lemon is Virginia Union's 6' 3" junior guard Ray Anderson, who averages 20.7 points and will lead his team in the 9 p.m. matchup against Shaw University.
Observers wonder if either of the two (or both) can become the next player from the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, one of the nation's oldest athletic conferences, to make a splash in the NBA. All of this is happening in Charlotte, N.C., which is still feeling the excitement of its Cam Newton-quarterbacked team playing in the Super Bowl. Now, comes the weeklong festival of R&B, Hip Hop and basketball— the centerpiece of which is this five-day Division II conference showcase, which has featured some of the all-time greats.
The pioneers for Lemon and Anderson include Chicago Bulls forward Charles Oakley and four-time NBA defensive player of the year, Detroit Pistons forward Ben Wallace, both of Virginia Union; Baltimore Bullets and New York Knicks guard Earl "the Pearl Monroe" of Winston-Salem State; and Boston Celtics guard Sam Jones of North Carolina Central University. The latest CIAA star to shine in the NBA was Division II Player of the Year Ronald "Flip" Murray, who played at Shaw University from 2000 to 2002, and became a scoring machine mainly for the Milwaukee Bucks and Seattle Supersonics in a 12-year NBA career.
Another thing that makes the CIAA Tournament unique is that it is one of the few conferences whose men's and women's tournaments are played within the same week under the same roof. And at least for this year, the women's star power will not be outdone by the men. CIAA Women's Player of the Year, Virginia Union senior guard Kiana Johnson— a transfer from Michigan State— is a dynamo who leads Division II in scoring, averaging 28 points a game, is second in assists (9.2) and third in steals (4.33). She is likely to be awarded player of the year in all of Division II.
Johnson did not disappoint Wednesday in the Panther's 84-68 throttling of hometown favorite Johnson C. Smith, scoring 28 points and dishing out 10 assists. All this in an off night shooting, making 4 of 15 shots, but hitting 19 of 20 free throws, including 18 in a row.
The Panthers however are not a one-woman show: Johnson's teammate Lady Walker (No. 2 nationally with 13.2 rebounds per game) scored 25 points Wednesday night with 13 rebounds. The victory avenged one of only two losses for VU (23-2) and Johnson, who said her favorite WNBA player is the legendary Cheryl Swoopes.
Johnson might one day write her own WNBA legacy, but for now, she sits among the all-time CIAA greats, including: St. Paul's College's 6-foot -1inch tall LaKisha Phifer, the greatest shot blocker in women's college basketball history (7.0 career) who once blocked 20 shots against Virginia Union, an NCAA record that still stands. The CIAA has also had prolific scorers in its past: Johnson C. Smith's Kim Brewington poured in 64 points against Livingstone in 1990.
Johnson C. Smith women's coach Stephen Joyner Jr., whose father coaches the JCSU men, reached even further back to find a comparison to Kiana Johnson.
"She's the talent that we were used to seeing in the CIAA when I was growing up," said Joyner, "before kids started going to mid-major schools, PW (predominantly White) schools, when the Black talent had to stay at the Black schools."
The Culture Surrounding the Games
Still, the best of CIAA neither begins nor ends on the basketball court. Hundreds of parties will be held this coming week featuring headliners such as rappers T.I., 50 Cent, Rich Homie Quan, Method Man, Slick Rick, Fabolous and actors Laz Alonso, Big Tigger and more. Former Lakers' great Magic Johnson has attended in the past and continues to lend his support by featuring the tournament on his Aspire network. The games can also be seen on the ESPN family networks.
Although the CIAA features all but one team from Historically Black Colleges and Universities, this is not a solely Black college affair. Students and alumni from colleges from all across the nation make an annual pilgrimage to this event, along with friends and family from CIAA schools past and present. Because the CIAA was the first African-American athletic conference, institutions such as N.C. A&T and N.C. Central are former members.
A marketing campaign promoted by former CIAA commissioner Leon Kerry loudly proclaims to alumni: once in the CIAA family, always in the CIAA family.
As a result, fans, friends and family keep coming, regularly selling out the Time Warner Cable arena with the largest crowds arriving for Friday's semifinals and Saturday's finals.
Charlotte, which has hosted the event since 2006, is expecting about 150,000 visitors, whose spending power is expected to leave a $55 million economic impact in the area. The event has become so popular that hotels routinely sell out in the Greater Charlotte metropolitan area during tournament time. Nightly rates were jacked up so high that CIAA Commissioner Jacqie McWilliams had to intervene to ensure hotel costs remained reasonable. Hotel operators weren't the only ones to take advantage.
Prices in many venues (like parking and club admissions) seem to creep up during CIAA week, but the one that rankled customers the most was a 15 percent gratuity (dubbed by some as a "Black tax") added to the lobby bar tabs during a CIAA event at the Charlotte Ritz-Carlton in 2015. After months of investigation, the hotel agreed to refund the fee and donate $75,000 to the CIAA scholarship fund.
At the eve of the 2016 tournament, McWilliams said the incident is in the past and that the Ritz-Carlton and the CIAA now have a "great partnership."
"At the end of the day … you pick up the pieces and keep moving," McWilliams said. "That's what we've done."
For a list of official CIAA events visit: www.ciaatournament.org
In this article:basketball, charlotte, ciaa, HBCU, tournament
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Lu Jones looked up at her brother-in-law as he gaped down at her.
"You look like a fish," she said.
Detective Josh Carpenter's mouth snapped shut.
"How can you tell she was murdered?" Josh asked, narrowing his eyes at her.
"It's kind of the whole point of my job to be able to do that," Lu said.
"Lu." It was a warning and Lu shrugged it off as easily as if it had come from one of her siblings. The curse of the two of them working together for almost as long as Josh had been with Nico.
"What do you mean about the rope being done wrong?" Josh asked, peering as closely at the noose as he could bear to get.
Josh frowned. Lu and Nico were big horror film fans, a fitting favorite genre for their lines of work. They'd often get together to watch them and many of their conversations featured references to them. Lu was a little disappointed that more of this hadn't rubbed off on Josh.
"Isn't that the one where Bela Lugosi skins Boris Karloff alive?" Josh asked, squinting the way he did when he was trying to remember something.
Lu heard Vince mutter something under his breath and she was pretty sure it was in response to the mention of skinning, not the overall topic. Vince was green, but he'd been on enough death scenes with Lu and Josh to know how they operated.
Everyone standing in the little clearing at the end of the path looked at the ground.
Josh walked over to Detective Carthos, the other two uniforms, and the forensic team to hatch a game plan while Lu went on with her work. She picked up her clipboard from the gurney and started making notes about the case. Murderville was living up to its reputation this time. A homicide at the local suicide spot. Dr. Pascal was going to love this twist.
Want to read the rest? Check out Murderville or Patreon!


With diabetes, there's no need to overhaul your diet. Just follow these simple steps by Ms Kala Adaikan, Senior Principal Dietitian, from Singapore General Hospital.
doesn't mean you need to change your diet completely. Just follow these easy steps!
"Consult your dietitian for help with your daily caloric requirements. This is based on the individual, and would depend on several lifestyle factors as well as your current medical condition," says Ms Kala Adaikan, Senior Principal Dietitian at the Department of Dietetics, Singapore General Hospital (SGH), a member of the SingHealth group.
Quarter plate – protein or dairy products.
Your total caloric intake matters! Opt for healthier cooking methods such as steaming or grilling instead of frying. Avoid fats and oils.
This helps you stay within the carbohydrate targets that your dietitian has set for you.
Choose whole fruits instead of fruit juice. Whole fruits contain fibre which makes you feel full longer and result in a more stable blood glucose profile.
You should have two servings of fruit in total daily, preferably one serving per meal (for example, 1 wedge of papaya at lunch and 1 small apple at dinner).
They may contain carbohydrates that should be taken into account towards your total daily carbohydrate intake.
Beware of their fat content and calories.


i think that AB looks better then JM. but i dont think they look anything alike!
I think she is cute. Can someone post a picture of her here?
they are both hot...but i think angela have potential to be popular for quite a long time..as JM really comes out too much...people will get sick of her soon..
i like janice man but when she talks her mouth looks kinda weird.
Both are pretty and hot. But I find Janice's speeches pretty fake... she isnt nervous talking in public when compared to Angela though..
Janice Man and Angelababy are both extremely pretty. This is really hard to chose but I think I like Janice Man better.
omg. . i love angelababy so much . janiceman also good too .
They are both beautiful. However, there have been rumors about them getting plastic surgery. I like angelababy more.
they are both good, what do u think? go come on, keeep up the gd works!!!!! i think thye have a gd future ahead of them!!!!
They are both beautiful on TV and I am sure both have plastic surgery.
ya, i agree what u all said, but angelababy is more pretty....its true!
i love janice man i think shes prettier but angelababy is more soft and gentle looking. janice man looks like an average pretty girl with long hair whereas angelababy is more exotic looking both are awesomee! i love janice man's movies!!!
i cnat choose! i love em both! both of them are soo pretty & idkk. their eyes eek!


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After an 11-0 start, Lakers looking far from perfect
Jerry BembryTHE BALTIMORE SUN
In starting the season with an 11-0 record, the Los Angeles Lakers were frighteningly good, blowing out opponents while playing most of the time without All-Star center Shaquille O'Neal. The question now is: What happened?
Suddenly, the Lakers look like a team that's not interested in basketball, especially after their recent slide that included losses to the Golden State Warriors and Philadelphia 76ers, dropping the Lakers into second place in the Pacific Division.
"Confidence," was Kobe Bryant's response, when asked what was wrong with the team. "We're not playing like we're the No. 1 team. There was a certain attitude when we had the winning streak going. A certain cockiness, like we can't be beat. Now we're coming out like we are anticipating a dogfight, instead of just putting teams away."
The loss two weeks ago to Philadelphia was seen as an aberration. But Wednesday's loss to the woeful Warriors was shocking, considering that Golden State players even detected the Lakers going through the motions in the nationally televised game.
"It didn't seem like they wanted to be out there playing," said Golden State center Erick Dampier. "Yeah, we could sense that. It seemed like they didn't want to be out there."
Maybe the Lakers are simply biding their time until the return of O'Neal, who could be back later this month from a strained abdominal muscle. But instead of sending a message around the league about how dominant they could be without their best player, the Lakers instead have displayed a vulnerability that also surfaced in their playoff loss to the Utah Jazz last season.
"I don't know if it's enthusiasm," Rick Fox said. "Just a failure to recognize these teams are all out to knock us off. It's one thing to know it, another to react and respond like you're being hunted."
Knicks in trouble
At least the Lakers have shown signs of life this season, which can't really be said for the New York Knicks, who were blown out by a struggling Bulls team on Tuesday.
The main problem with the Knicks is that their "best" player -- Patrick Ewing -- has continued to show a decline in skills and a deterioration in knee strength that are almost making him the second-most effective center on his team (yes, at times, Chris Dudley is showing more than Ewing). Already this season, Ewing has been outplayed by rookies Michael Stewart (Sacramento) and Scot Pollard (Detroit).
" We're not scoring down there [in the post] one-on-one at a good enough rate to draw double teams," New York coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "We're not scoring -- second shots, layups, post-ups -- and we're looking to avoid contact rather than take it on."
Maybe it's time for Ewing to renounce his annual "we're going to win a title" promise. These days he can't even win respect.
Around the league
Alonzo Mourning is traveling with the team for the first time this season, leaving the possibility that he will return to action this week. Mourning had surgery on Sept. 27 to repair a torn patellar tendon in his left knee and, in his absence, Isaac Austin has played to nearly an All-Star level.
In the wake of the Latrell Sprewell suspension, Miami Heat forward Jamal Mashburn is concerned about how the league interprets Section 16 of the Uniform Player Contract, which prohibits engaging in acts of moral turpitude. "I think the league has to be careful in the way it interprets things, because, depending how you look at it, you can pretty much terminate a player's contract if he's not performing," Mashburn said. That idea has Jim McIlvaine shaking in his boots.
How did Chicago fans greet Scottie Pippen when the Bulls played at home last weekend for the first time since his demand to be traded? They chanted "Scot-tieee, Scot-tieee" in the closing minutes of a win over Milwaukee. "I expected people to pay high respects for Scottie," Michael Jordan said. "They know exactly his worth and what he's done for the city. I'd rather for him to come back and play."
The NBA staged its first regular-season game in Mexico City last weekend when Houston beat Dallas. But don't count on expansion south of the border into the world's most populous city. "Geographically, it may make some sense," said Mavericks president Terdema Ussery. "But I think getting 15 players to live there seven months a year would be a real challenge."
The Phoenix Suns won their 13th game on Thursday when they defeated the Atlanta Hawks. Last year Phoenix, which started the season with 13 straight losses, didn't get win No. 13 until Jan. 13.
Minnesota's loss to Seattle on Tuesday was the 26th straight to the Sonics, an NBA record for domination of one team by another. The last time the Timberwolves beat Seattle, in 1991, Kevin Garnett and Stephon Marbury were both 14 years old. Marbury has had a particularly tough time against Sonics guard Gary Payton, hitting just 24.7 percent (19 of 77) in five meetings.
Tim Duncan won the first Rookie of the Month award this season, but the best first-year player in the league might be the one who debuted for New Jersey last week. Keith Van Horn, the second pick in the draft, averaged 18.5 points in his first four games, increasing his scoring on each outing. Van Horn, 6 feet 10, has an all-around offensive game: three-point range, post-up ability and the capability to drive to the basket. "I really like his game," said Wizards forward Chris Webber after Van Horn scored 23 points against Washington last week. "He plays with a lot of confidence, and he'll only get better and better."
Isn't it interesting that at a time when coaches are making multimillion-dollar contracts, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar -- he of little personality during his playing days -- wants to coach? "The game needs my knowledge," Abdul-Jabbar said last week. "The game needs to know what I know." Maybe he should have verbalized what he knows during his playing days.
Los Angeles Lakers at Atlanta, Friday night. It probably would have been game of the year two weeks ago, when both teams started the season with 11-0 records. Despite their recent slumps, this should be an interesting matchup between two of the top teams in basketball.
"We're not here to discuss the facts." -- Attorney Johnnie Cochran, during Sprewell's news conference.
"I guess it means I'll have to play 49 minutes instead of 48." -- New Jersey Nets forward Jayson Williams, on the stress-fracture injury that will keep All-Star forward Chris Gatling out of the lineup for at least three weeks.
Jerry Bembry can be reached via the Internet at Jeryol.com
Jerry Bembry's power rankings
PTC 4( (last week's ranking in parentheses)
1. Miami (4): Zo may be back next week.
2. Seattle (3): Payton setting tone.
3. Houston (6): Barkley rejuvenated.
4. Atlanta (2): Missing injured Henderson.
5. L.A. Lakers (1): Suffering after 11-0 start.
Utah (7): Stockton's back.
7. Cleveland (--): Starting three rookies.
8. Phoenix (9): Will miss KJ.
9. Portland (5): Solid frontcourt.
10. Orlando (--): Better without Penny.
25. L.A. Clippers (26): Face Seattle twice this week.
26. Dallas (25): Players actually like Nellie.
27. Golden State (29): Will the real Joe Smith
28. Denver (28): Still winless on the road.
Toronto (27): Ended 17-game losing streak.
Pub Date: 12/14/97


Loreto won and successfully defended his IBO title yesterday against the crowd and hometown favorite Nkosinathi Joyi at Mdantsane Indoor Centre, East London, Eastern Cape, South Africa.
The IBO Light Flyweight Champion Rey Loreto demolished Nkosinathi Joyi for the 2nd time. First at Salle des Étoiles, Monte Carlo, Monaco on February 2, 2014, when he brutally KO Joyi in the 3rd round, and the yesterday March 22, 2015, Loreto's KO Joyi in the very first round of the fight.
Loreto, who was illed due to surgery of his swollen appendix last February 2015 was not wasting any time in the first round and connects right hook that stunned not only Joyi but also the fans, referee Tony Nyangiwe allowed to continue the fight but it was too late and Loreto's throws combination to finally referee manage to stop by the fight.
This fight had been postponed twice was finally finished and Joyi will probably retire after this defeat.


What Makes Renewal by Andersen Alaska Different Than the Competition?
That's a great question and one that deserves a straightforward and honest answer… not some ridiculous platitude like we're the best, or we've been around forever.
There are, in my humble opinion, three key elements that make us different that our completion.
First, we simple refuse to compromise on our quality. The reality is that a large portion of a window or door installation occurs where you cant's see it. This is especially true if there are any framing issues. In this industry, it's just too easy to hide shoddy work and to cut corners to pad profits.
That's why we created our own set of standards, protocols and procedures. Any deviation from these is grounds for immediate dismissal. Just how serious are we about our quality… we've been known to rip out entire sets of windows and start over.
Second, we put everything in writing. From our Contractor Standards Guide, to our warranty, down to our estimate… everything is in writing. That way, you know EXACTLY what you are paying for. There is no ambiguity, low balling, games, gimmicks or gotchas.
Third, Most other companies give you very limited color and trim options and you have to settle for what they offer. Not with RBA Alaska. We are the ONLY window and door installation company that has its own in-house finishing shop. Couple that with our master carpenters and we are the only window and door Installation Company in Alaska that can match your new windows or doors to your existing home with custom trim and finishes.
You Keep Talking About Quality Of Installation… Can You Elaborate?
Certainly. Here is a hard truth: even the best products in the world will fail if they are not installed properly. Use an inch and half screw when you should be using two inches and your door might rip right out of the frame. Use cheap caulking around your windows and the expansion and contraction caused by our severe weather extremes will crack and split that caulking allowing drafts and moisture into your home.
The installation process is the most important part of any window replacement. If the window isn't installed correctly, you may not even be able to use it and for sure it will not be as energy efficient as you wanted it to be.
We train our installers to meticulously focus on the process and to make sure that every window is installed correctly, the first time. We use highly trained and skilled craftsman, not cheap inexperienced "day-laborers." Which, by the way, is one of the favorite tactics of other remodelers to cut their expenses so they can pad their profits.
New windows installations only do your home and wallet good if they are installed correctly. Chances are your old windows have some energy inefficiencies. If the new windows are just as inefficient, then what did you really gain? You should have just saved your money.
Why Do Installers / Contractors Lie About or Low Ball Their Estimates?
Simply stated: they want your money. That means they will do almost anything to make sure they have the best chance of doing so. That includes trying to lowball their estimates. They try to mold themselves into your budget.
That means that even if you can afford more, they will try to offer you the lowest prices knowing that with a window installation, where 80% of the installation is what you can't see, that they can "cut corners" to pad profits later.
"Rip and Stick" Is a Viable Solution, Lots Of Other Window Installation Pros Do It, Right?
Sometimes "professionals" is a loose term to use when it comes to window installations. There have been cases of windows falling out of their anchoring when a child simply leans on the window.
Definitely not a professional job.
In many cases, you'd be better off remaining with the original window than having some fly-by-night "professional" or what we like to call "chuck-in-a-truck," rip out the old window, stick in a new one, seal it up with a whole lot of shims and caulking and collect his money. The window won't perform the way it's supposed to and you will definitely not get your money's worth from the window itself.
Don't get me wrong, there are cases where the frames are good enough to allow for a quick switch installation of windows. However, the thing you should remember is that the majority of the frame of a window is inside the housing and no one can tell at a glance what condition they are in.
It is the real professional that takes this bit of information into account in his quote. Many of the others will simple hit you with a low ball bid, then come back later and re-quote an exorbitant fee for replacement of the frame itself. Of course, by this time you are stuck between a rock and a hard place because all you have at this point is a giant hole in the wall where your window used to be…these "chucks-in-a-truck" know this and will use it to their full advantage. This is just another one of the ways that other remodelers in and around Alaska will cut corners to pad profits.
Why Are The Windows from the Local Home Center a Poor Fit for My Home?
In today's day and age of grandiose marketing and advertising, many homeowners find themselves tempted to take shortcuts by installing "off the shelf" windows that they can purchase "cheaply" from those "Big Box" home improvement retailers. And what about that "cheaper" contractor… well, guess where they're probably buying their windows from?
In either case, they are both very BAD IDEAS: In Alaska, You need custom built windows!
Simply put, windows purchased off the shelf come in "standard sizes." The reason is simple, it's a matter of profitability and limited shelf space. It is much easier and much more profitable for a "big box" retailer to stock a limited range of "standard" sizes that they can sell quickly.
The problem is your home's windows are probably not a standard size. You've heard us talk about this before. In short, your going to have a very difficult time trying to fit "off the shelf" windows ( a square peg) into your homes existing frame (a round hole). Bottom Line: you can't change the windows dimensions, so you're going to end up having to cut into your home's walls and existing window frame.
But no matter how closely you measure and how precise you try to be, one inescapable fact remains… off the shelf windows are not built to your exact measurements, only custom windows are. Which means, inevitably, those off the shelf windows are going to leave gaps.
And if you think small gaps don't matter think again. According to the E.P.A. and Energy Star, having a gap even as little as an 1/8th of an inch around a standard 36 inch window is the same as having a 2 and a half inch hole in your wall. It's simple physics. For every one cubic foot of air (that you paid to condition) that leaves your home, one cubic foot of outside air must enter. This puts you into the constant, never ending cycle, of paying to condition your air needlessly.
If you are determined to save a few dollars by buying "off the shelf" windows just keep one thing in mind… how quickly do you think those "initial" savings will disappear when your home's energy bills skyrocket because your windows don't fit properly.
In recent years, some manufacturers started making custom windows for product lines that used to only have standard sizes. Overnight the stores that sold "off the shelf" products began telling customers that they could do custom sizes now. One problem… who is measuring them? Do they know the product line restictions? Do they know the codes? Do they know which installation method will be used so they order correctly? Based on our experience… they probably don't. Not for lack of caring, but because they simply do not know how.
Don't get stuck with windows that simply don't fit and don't work in your home. Trust me, the pennies you think you are saving today are going to cost you a fortune in time, energy and aggravation in the future. Make the smart investment… Schedule a free in-home consultation with us today.


As the tradition has it, Gressoney waves the winter goodbye at "Pasquetta" Whit Monday 17th April, with the annual Spring Barbeque Contest.
The objective is (apart from drinking some beers and having some good food) to cross the pool at the end of the slope, avoiding freezing dives.
Skiing continues in Gressoney-La-Trinité also "after season". The lifts keep open for spring skiing 22nd-23rd-24th-25th April, 29th-30th April and 1st May.


I shall go about with my eyes closed. The streets will no longer be safe. False Messiah, I'm going to step on your tin cup and tambourine. I'll brush against missing children, a few murderers and their sweethearts. Someone with onions on his breath will put a gold watch against my ear. It'll be like silent laughter. I'll be spun around by the crowd like a carousel.
I hope she'll still follow me. I'll cross bridges. I'll reach Jersey meadows if I have to. "He's a lost seeing-eye dog," she'll say. "In the blind universe he wants to be blind like love." O she won't even be there! Up and down Broadway where I play my game.