Re: "The fierce opposition to scientific reality," Feb. 22 Perspective article.
Joel Achenbach bemoans increasing skepticism and erosion of respect for scientific process and assertions. I would counter that that's a good thing. Questioning authority has always been healthy for allowing truth to prevail, and especially so in today's world, where assertions made by "experts" and "authorities" are often rightly suspect. This is especially true of politicians, but now also of scientists.
The common element that corrupts clear and truthful legislative or scientific process is money. So much scientific research is bought and paid for by corporate special interests. Unfortunately, for the citizen trying to make considered, rational decisions, the money-trail bias in scientific studies is often obscured — intentionally so by the financiers of industry "science." This has been true especially in the case of GMO research, and now, increasingly with oil industry shills who falsely claim a dearth of substantiated science demonstrating the environmental and human health dangers of fracking chemicals and processes.
The sooner we can get corporate money out of politics, and now science, the better off we will all be.
This letter was published in the March 1 edition.
The logical — though unanticipated — outgrowth of a nonjudgmental heterogeneous society is that it ultimately leads to people saying, "Your facts aren't my facts." This goes a long way to explain why water fluoridation opponents, vaccine avoiders, and deniers of human-caused climate change all flourish. In the absence of acknowledged authority, there may be no avoiding a return to beliefs based on random occurrences, spurious correlations, ignorance and superstition. All of which bodes ill for America if this country wishes to delay being supplanted by China as the leading power of the 21st century.
The Sunday Post article on the public's doubting of science is further validated in the March 2015 issue of the prestigious and credible National Geographic featuring "The War on Science." This issue highlights misconceptions such as: 1) climate change does not exist; 2) evolution never happened; 3) the moon landing was fake; 4) vaccinations can lead to autism; and 5) genetically modified food is evil. Not included is high-voltage power lines cause cancer.
Re: "Banned from 16th Street: Dozens ordered by court to stay away," Feb. 22 news story.
Your article in last Sunday's paper on the banning of troublemakers from Denver's 16th Street Mall was a ray of sunshine. It's about time something was done by the city and law enforcement to clean up the jewel at the center of the city.
As a resident of the suburbs, I long enjoyed my trips downtown for dining and entertainment. However, my family and many of my friends have significantly curtailed our visits for the past few years because of the deteriorating scene on the mall. Aggressive panhandling, the increasing uncleanliness of the area, the constantly wafting stink of marijuana smoke, and the rising tide of criminal activity, such as the "knockout game" the police thought fit not to warn us was going on a few years ago, have combined to turn many metro residents away from enjoying downtown as often as we would have liked.
I was wondering when the downtown business owners would finally see what was happening to their fleeing customers and force action by the city to clean up downtown. Is this the start?
Re: "Could a Colorado craft brewery sell out to big beer?," Feb. 22 business news story.
It's a pleasure to hear that so many key people in Colorado's craft beer industry recognize the substantial value in not selling out. Todd Usry of Breckenridge Brewing is completely right: "I think there is some serious authenticity that is lost, and that the brand loses." This gets to a crucial point about the success of Colorado craft beer, and other "nested" markets (a market for local products within the wider market). Nested markets provide customers with value that they cannot find in national/international commercial enterprises: products that we value higher, as well as a more enjoyable consumer/seller experience. For example, the head brewer at Elk Mountain Brewing Co. offered my wife and me a tour of the brewery. This was as valuable to us as the beer itself (and the beer is fantastic).
Coloradans and outsiders (like myself) are passionate about Colorado craft beer. Selling out detracts from its value.
Re: "GOP reverses course on academic standards, tests," Feb. 22 news story.
There is no conflict between getting big government out of our lives and holding the educational establishment accountable for performance and spending. While there is merit in modest local flexibility — statewide standards are appropriate in K-12 education — what Colorado should minimize is federal involvement in our kids' schools. Federal meddling in education is inappropriate and unconstitutional. The Department of Education, with its $70 billion budget, is the epitome of big government; it should be abolished. But schools will remain a government responsibility for the foreseeable future and therefore it is incumbent on those who control the purse strings to ensure that education is done effectively and efficiently.
Part of maximizing effectiveness is giving teachers the proper incentives through tenure reform and merit pay, two policies that teachers unions — which care only for their own income and power — aggressively oppose.
Having credible state-level regulation of schools is an important job of Colorado's legislature. Doing that job is not at all contradictory of Republicans' desire to keep the federal government and its stifling, one-size-fits-all approach as far away from our classrooms as possible.
Re: "No, Colorado doesen't need a public bank," Feb. 22 letter to the editor.
Regarding Earl Staelin's Feb. 15 guest commentary ("Colorado needs a public bank"), letter-writer Daniel Bryce writes, "In his grab bag of supposed benefits, Staelin neglected to mention how it will help all those poor cronies, politicians and fat cats get control of even more of your money." Well, the state already has your tax dollars. A state bank, a division of state government, will keep the dollars in Colorado instead of sending them off to Wall Street where the state must effectively borrow them back when it needs funds for large infrastructure projects. With a state bank, Colorado will be borrowing from itself, keeping the interest, and thereby permitting lower taxes.
Re: "Cities hurt by too much small government," Feb. 22 Christopher Flavelle column.
Christopher Flavelle cites small government as a cause of urban distress. He uses statistics to prove that metropolitan government will solve all the ills of urban life.
Aside from the threat of failures being metropolitan instead of local, there is that thing about the "vested interests of … residents." It calls up memories of the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey," in which HAL 9000 explains the need to eliminate humans.
If cities are only investments, Flavelle is right. If cities are for people, he is dead wrong.
Re: "Don't mess with Denver parks," Feb. 22 Joanne Ditmer column.
In 1969, George Washington High School's yearbook staff thought Burns Park was significant in the lives of GW students, making the decision to feature some sculptures in the park in dramatic color photographs in the introductory pages.
Thanks to Joanne Ditmer for her articulate, clear voice that continues to speak to the importance of preserving and enhancing our precious Denver parks.
Re: "Sportsmen stake their claim on public lands," Feb. 25 Outdoors story.
As a conservative conservationist, I oppose a takeover of federal public lands. These taxpayer- and citizen-owned public lands belong to all citizens. The attempt by special interests to take these lands, under the guise of state "management," may represent the largest special-interest, big-money land grab since the days of the robber barons in the late 19th century.
This letter was published in the Feb. 28 edition.
Re: "Six Denver restaurants leave OpenTable to save money," Feb. 21 news story.
Your article about the Eveve competition to OpenTable for securing restaurant reservations struck a sour note here. We eat out more often than anyone we know, and we've used OpenTable for many years because it lists all the Denver-area restaurants open for online reservations — more than 600, at last count. Eveve has no central website listing their cooperating restaurants — you have to go to an individual restaurant's website. The old adage "Out of sight, out of mind" certainly applies here. If we don't see a restaurant listed on OpenTable, we'll go somewhere else, and pretty soon we'll forget those other restaurants even exist.
Unless Eveve opens their own central reservation website, those restaurants opting out will lose our business and the business of other good customers.
Re: "Divesting from fossil fuels and investing in clean energy," Feb. 22 letter to the editor.
Letter-writer Ken Connell mentions that clean energy such as solar and wind power are now up to the job. What Connell forgot to mention is what is to happen when the wind doesn't blow or when the sun doesn't shine. There is a clean-energy solution to this problem: nuclear energy. But most people are afraid of the word nuclear.


Minimum Education Qualifications: Bachelors Degree in Early Childhood Education, Psychology, Ministry/Theology, or a related degree.
• Work directly with the senior pastor and other administrative staff in developing, implementing, and maintaining Christ-centered programs for children of all ages. This includes but is not limited to such programs as: Sunday school, Vacation Bible School, Mid-Week Christian Education programs, pre-Confirmation and a variety of family-centered experiences.
• Recruit, train and supervise teams of volunteers who provide support for programming needs. Central in this effort is the leadership of a Children and Family Ministry Committee.
• Provide appropriate curriculum and guidance for educational opportunities relating to children and their parents. Guidance includes the recruitment, training and supervision of teachers, facilitating classroom needs and evaluating effectiveness of programs.
• Work directly with the Finance office in establishing and managing a budget, reviewing expenditures, raising additional funds, and helping to communicate the financial needs of the congregation.
• Serve on the Board of Vinson Morris Children's Center, and coordinate programming with the Directors of Early Childhood, Youth, Adult, Mission and Music departments.
• Responsible for overseeing the safety and security of all children in our care. Proper maintenance of equipment and safety of the classroom environment is a priority.
• Provides a safe, caring and nurturing environment for nursery aged children. Responsible for recruiting, hiring, training, supervising and evaluating nursery staff in accordance with theologically sound and developmentally appropriate criteria and appropriate safety policies and procedures.
i. Maintain a safe, clean and attractive environment within our nursery facility.
ii. Screen, hire, train, supervise, and evaluate staff assistants to work in the nursery.
iii. Schedule and enforce nursery hours as requested and indicated on the church activity calendar.
iv. Be an advocate for the parents and staff for the child care concerns of the church.
vi. Make sure nursery is clean and safe. Adhere to cleaning and nursery attire/conduct procedures in nursery worker training guidelines.
1. In cooperation with RioTexas Conference office, provide childcare during Annual Conference.
2. Plan all activities to take place with children enrolled in childcare for conference.
3. Receive all registrations and determine number of staff needed for each age group, working with the Children and Family Ministries support staff.
4. Hire and prepare staff for the duties required of them.
5. Complete all paperwork required by conference.
1. Direct and receive reservations and coordinate work schedules with members.
2. Provide other resources and assistance as needed.
3. Be present at Parent's Night Out.
This position represents First United Methodist Church in community settings and events and performs other related duties as assigned by the Senior Pastor.


(c) details of monitoring mechanism to ensure operation of post based reservation in the Central Secretariat Services through Cadre Management System?
(a): In order to ensure earmarked percentage of reservation for different categories, the post based reservation rosters for those grades of Central Secretariat Service, where there are elements of reservation, are maintained centrally at the Department of Personnel & Training. Details are given as per Annexure-I.
(b): The grade-wise position of the number of posts held by the persons belonging to SC/ST/OBCs in the Central Secretariat Cadre in different categories in respect of the Grade-I (Under Secretary) Gr. A, Section Officers' Grade (Gr. B) and Assistants Grade (Gr.B,) against the number of posts reserved for these categories, is indicated at Annexure-II.
(c): Monitoring of post-based reservation roster is being ensured as per existing guidelines of the Government.


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Four charged over Cyprus cash-for-passports scandal
elmahilliard184 elmahilliard184 4 months ago in Internet BusinessEmail Marketing 0
NICOSIA, July 14 (Reuters) – Cyprus authorities have filed charges against four people related to a now discredited cash-for-passports scheme scrapped by Cyprus in late 2020.
The Attorney-General's office filed five counts of conspiracy to defraud the state and untoward influence over public officials under a law penalising corruption, it said in a statement.
It did not identify the four people charged. Authorities said the charges were related both to an expose by the Al Jazeera News Today Jazeera network and the findings of a board of inquiry last year.
The east Mediterranean island awarded citizenship to 6,779 people between 2007 and 2020, the vast majority of them Russians, under the scheme.
Cyprus abandoned the scheme after Al Jazeera secretly filmed the then parliamentary speaker allegedly promising to facilitate issuance of a passport to a fictitious investor with a criminal record.The speaker, Demetris Syllouris, who has since resigned, strongly denied any wrongdoing, saying his remarks were taken out of context.
The airing of the documentary, and the public outcry that it caused, prompted authorities to scrap the passport scheme. In its final form, the scheme issued passports to individuals for a minimum 2 million euro investment. (Reporting by Michele Kambas; Editing by Nick Macfie)
Tags : Al Jazeera News Today

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Our customers use our instruments to do some amazing research. Across a diverse array of applications, they apply stable isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) analysis to understand the micro and macro cycling of the light bio elements carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen and sulfur via complex chemical, physical and biological processes.
We take a great interest in our customers research and we are proud that they further the collective understanding using our array of instrumentation. With over 600 IRMS instruments being used around the world, there is a vast amount of published literature available but here you will find just some of those citations that have recently been produced using our IRMS systems.
If you would like to discuss how IRMS might be able to help your research and would like to talk to one of our technical specialists, or if you have used our IRMS instruments in one of your publications which is not in our database and like to add it, then please feel free to contact us.


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Home	Página Inicial / Education & Culture / Study in the U.S.A.
Learn about unique U.S. higher education opportunities. Our EducationUSA Mexico centers are part of the U.S. Department of State's global EducationUSA network, and offer(s) accurate, comprehensive, and current information to help you and your family navigate the application process and prepare for study in the U.S.
Discover a variety of U.S. government-sponsored educational and professional exchange programs.
Join the International Exchange Alumni Community, a website for current and emerging leaders who have participated in U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs.
Teach and learn English as a foreign language, explore American culture and encourage English conversation within the global learning community.
Culture and Other Exchanges
Discover cultural programs and exchanges, such as cultural heritage protection,empowerment of women and girls, professional development, virtual exchanges and more.
Key Links & Resources
Entrance/Language Exams
FOBESII
J1 Visa for Exchange Visitors
Find an Educational Advising Center
Locate a Regional English Language Officer
COMEXUS is an independent organization funded by the Governments of Mexico and the United States. COMEXUS offers and administers graduate level scholarships and grants for educational exchange.
Attention! Funding opportunity. We have opened the call for proposals for projects to implement the English Access program in Northeast Mexico
Launching of Innovation Fund grant competition to create higher education institutional partnerships between Mexico and the United States
ShareAmerica Stories
Apollo 50 Festival brings moon landing to Washington
share.america.gov
U.S. and Philippines combat illegal fishing
U.S. universities top latest worldwide patent count
Cosmic fireworks in red, white and blue


Objective 1. Improve threadfin fry quality by use of rotifer enrichment methods.
Objective 2. Determine role of enhanced natural productivity in semi-intensive production ponds on improved survival and growth of larval milkfish.
Objective 3. Continue the disease testing program to insure the disease-free status of threadfin fry provided to the industry and refine it by establishing a cell line to screen for potential viruses.
Objective 4. Develop pair spawning methods for Pacific threadfin for genetic selection work.
Objective 5. Domesticate Pacific threadfin for aquaculture and produce a selected line for increased growth.


For Creatives & Life Architects.. what you may be missing. - Inner Hue.
For Creatives & Life Architects.. what you may be missing.
This post is for you if you're in the processing of making things happen!
This is for you if you're feeling a little fearful, in need of some inner nourishment and confidence too!
I've spent a good lot of my life feeling scared, unsupported, and not grounded. Living up in my higher chakras was safe.
But I realised I couldn't keep doing this if I actually wanted to make my dreams, real.
I knew I needed to address this issue and I also sensed it wasn't going to be through an external action..
I needed to ground. And learn how to switch between the higher and lower states pronto!
Let me tell you… it's been THE BEST decision and commitment I've made to myself in forever! And it just keeps getting better.
CREATORS… Which one are you?
For us creatives and spiritual adventurer's we find it very easy to dream and vision.
I could almost bet inspired idea's flow in frequently and rapidly when they do!
Your mind and heart see's the world creatively. You have an innate ability to be able to grasp hold of the deeper message and meaning and you FEEL really hard.
You're a visual consumer and a heart based feeler.
These are your primary creation modes.
What this tells me is your heart chakra and your third eye are frequently getting a work out. Depending on your unique structure.. I would also add that your crown and sacral chakra get a decent flexing too.
You guys are about your base, sacral, and heart chakra's. Maybe your throat chakra too if you're a good communicator. You folk are all about practically giving something of value and nourishment that is functional, logical, structured and serving.
But here's what I am wondering?
Are you have trouble bringing your deep desires, soul yearnings, and creative visions into reality?
Over the past 8mths I've been embracing and working my chakras and seeing some incredible results from it. And I want to share with you what I've been doing to create some exciting and much needed shifts!
The missing factor is GROUNDING or ANCHORING into your Base and 10th Chakra.
Part of the base chakra's role is to open us up to our passions, drives and desires.
It is where we receive the energy required to actualise our physical and soul based dreams and fulfil our primal and foundational needs such as financial stability, strong relationships, and the beliefs we hold in regards to our right to manifest and create an aligned and flourishing life.
The programming we received from our family and society originally as a youngster around how safe it is to express our truthful selves in the world is stored within our base chakra. This of course links to how safe we feel able express and create a life aligned with our soul and passions – that is (wait for it…) going to make us money, create stability, connect us with our tribe.
So… if you've been feeling fearful or anxious about grounding down and opening up to your soul-filled truth, concerned no one is going to accept you or receive and embrace your gifts and talents, I would say a little exploration and adventuring here would be useful.
As you may know, there are 5 out of body chakra's. And I want to talk to you about our 10th chakra.
This is located roughly 1-4 feet under our feet.
If you have done any work with me, you know I bang on all the time about becoming aware of your energy field. I get you to feel out and observe how large you are at a resting state.
And your energy field doesn't just stop at your feet, the energy "bubble" your physical body is within, goes further than that and connects you with the earth, (and the heavens) with chakra's positioned lower within your field and higher above your head.
Well…the tenth chakra allows us to combine and assimilate our natural intuitive and psychic qualities that provide us with inspired ideas, visions and soul insight WITH our practical faculties such as clear thinking, focused directed energy, in touch with our feelings, and having high levels of awareness around our mental,physical and emotional processes.
When you anchor down and connect with your 10th chakra you are able to flow more easily and fulfil your soul's mission and life purpose.
It's a really magical and warm chakra, it sort of reminds me of gooey warm chocolate. And for us conscious creators and lifestyle architects it's highly important we ensure we're grounding down and anchoring into it.
You feel very present in each moment.
You find it easy to "pull down" inspired ideas and visions and convert them from a large concept to a step by step structure that you can implement.
You will feel more safe and confident in your soul work and who you are.
Financial abundance, relationships, connections will naturally strengthen and begin to fall into place.
You need to transition from your higher chakras – where you are in receive and visualise mode to grounding and anchoring yourself down into your base and 10th chakra when you're action mode, actively using your logical processes to implement your strategy and plan.
How to Ground & Connect.
Take a moment to close your eyes and centre yourSelf. Try it out now, or wait till you can create some "quiet time".. whatever feels right. Do this little exercise in a sitting or standing position.
Become aware of your energy (vibe) and your energy field.
Visualise and "see" your body and your energy field in your minds eye. Your energy field is the bubble you sit within (you feel it when people enter into your personal space).
Connect to the centre of your chest and visualise a ball of light (any colour) radiating there. Feel it glow, tingle and warm you.
Intentionally direct the ball of light downwards, through your lower chakras. When it gets to the area between your legs, feel the light splay outwards and your feet chakras become activated.
Allow yourself, your Base chakra to connect with the Earth. Allow yourself to feel safe in having your feet, your soul planted firmly in this earthly reality. Let Earth's charge warm and invigorate you.
Open your eyes, while you are still consciously grounding your energy and notice how much brighter everything looks. How much clearer you feel. Present you are.
If you had trouble comfortably connecting… perhaps these questions maybe helpful for you to explore..
What does your foundation feel like? How would you describe your foundation?
How would being more firmly grounded and anchored support you?
What would it mean if you were to step into your own truth?
How would it feel to consciously create your life so that it reflects your inner rad-ness?
How would it feel to be supported and embraced by life? By yourSelf?
How and what can you do to slowly bring those feelings into your days?
Our 3 lower chakras, along with our 10th chakra are HUGELY important when we're getting aligned and creative! Belief and value culling and replacing almost always is required, it can sometimes be uncomfortable but the effort is duly rewarded!
Gooey warm chocolate feels nourishing too me! Ohhh flavor flavor! Lauren everything you said is so vital to keep creating and aligning ourselves in balance! Adore this post and thank you so much for continuing you!
I wish you a wonderful solar return!!!
and thanks so mcuh, you describe exactly what I experience in my life but today it was so strong this intention and then I read your post!!
such a blessings…. i will order your deck but I am afraid if it can travel safe to guatemala!
PS: What is a good resource you'd recommend to learn more about the out of body chakras? Thanks!
Y'know, I think there's a bit of me that has always been drawn to connecting with my 10th chakra. When I was a kid,I had lots of teachers and other adults say I could very easily see the details among the big picture, how ideas could be practically applied and used, and how concepts fit in the real world.
Fascinating post to read, thanks Lauren!
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I'm so glad you're here, welcome to Inner Hue. I am an Intuitive Reader, a Guide not a Teacher, a wild hearted adventurer and an ignite your Heart fire starter. My heart is about connecting with your heart, so you can create magic straight from it, living the kind of life that makes it sing.
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Amanda's day off is Friday. Please avoid contacting her on that day.
The Trustees are the leadership team of the church and work with the minister to lead and organise church life and activity as well as provide pastoral support to members and other friends.
Coming to lead worship at Cornerstone?
If you have been invited to lead worship at Cornerstone then here are a couple of useful pieces of information to help you in your preparation for worship and in communicating with the church prior to your visit.
Our Assistant Secretary - Norman Wood, oversees worship on behalf of the trustees. Please would you send the full details of your service order to him by the Thursday preceeding the day of your visit, at the latest - he will then compile the "Welcome Leaflet" including details and ensure that musicians, readers etc. are informed. Please email him via the following email address: worship@cornerstoneuckfield.org.uk or call him on 01825 765482.
The church uses the 2011 edition of the New International Version of the Bible - this version is available to members of the congregation, in the pews, should they wish to follow readings.
The church has Singing the Faith and Rejoice & Sing hymn books. Please let us know which hymn book your hymn and worship song choices are taken from. We also have some earlier editions of Mission Praise or can include words to songs on the welcome sheet if necessary.


Can courtroom sketches be beautiful?
I've always felt that Courtroom sketch artists are under appreciated. Firstly, I'm going to go out on a limb, and say that I've always found their work beautiful. Odd, because arguably the job of an artist is to notice beauty and capture it, yet this is not the job of the courtroom artist. The courtroom artist captures humanity, arguably at its worst. It captures the expressions of delinquents, those accused of the abhorrent, and of their victims. The perpetrators, the accusers, the lawyers and the judges. Even the stagnant feel of injustice. But ultimately it captures drama.
I recently watched a short doc about a renowned courtroom sketch artist in the States, Gary Myrick, who's documented trials ranging from famous politicians to serial killers and arms merchants. The courtroom artist's primary job is to capture moments of such trials in order to sell them to the press, at such times where filming and photography isn't allowed. Myrick's work is stunning, this no doubt the cause of his popularity,expressing such breath taking detail in his drawings.
Regarding drawing from life, I recommend taking a mental snapshot first, then just laying the image out roughly and refining it as I go along. You can draw from life anywhere and anytime. Whatever one learns from doing that can be applied to any locale, whether it be a courtroom, a park or wherever. Learning about gesture drawing is also very valuable.
Taking this in to consideration, Myrick's style of drawing is definitely one I'd study further, as well as his approach to drawing from life. In honesty, I've never been interested in the courtroom itself, but more the style of drawing that's usually applied to courtroom art, and its capturing of drama, which of course can be applied anywhere.
Here's a link to the original article and short film, featured in the New York Times, a much more in depth look in to the life of Gary Myrick and the struggle that came with the decline of Courtroom art in America.
The idea is that 24 films are short-listed, and turned in to a sort of advent calendar, featuring on the Electric December website and being shown on Millennium Square on a particular date leading up to Christmas. So yes, just like an advent calendar except you get a short film made by a young person instead of chocolate.
I found out about this not because of my initiative in taking an active interest in my local arts, I'm afraid to admit, but because my film teacher sent me an email saying how he'd entered my coursework from last year, and it had been short listed as one of the 24.
Brilliant! That is pretty brilliant I agree. But I was at first a little mortified by the fact that the film featured my mum playing a homeless man, and pretending to sing to rather terrible dubbing.
Well why cast your own mother as a homeless man in the first place, you may ask?
The thing is the initial casting call was for an old man, and seeing as we were filming on a dodgy old cannon I'd got for my thirteenth birthday, we just didn't have the resources we'd have liked, and quite frankly I don't know that many old men.
James playing the part of Fergus, the poor soul being stalked by my mum.
So my mum agreed to be in it as long as we didn't show it to anyone other than our film teacher. And I can't fault her on enthusiasm, but bless her, she was meant to be playing a busker ( we were dubbing a man's voice in afterwards), and quite often she'd forget to even pretend to play the guitar, let alone sing anything resembling the right lyrics.
So, after promising her no one but us was ever going to see it, telling her it was going to be on Millennium Square today (my day was the tenth), was rather hilarious. That and all her relatives have been sharing it on facebook.
My film is called 'Fergus', my mum's the bloke in the hat with the guitar.
I thought I'd have a go at street photography, so took my camera in to the centre and had a little wander. Naturally, I went with a friend, and if anyone asked, we were tourists or worked for the government. Nobody asked but I was on edge the whole time.
Just to be clear, I'm not a photographer, and I know little or nothing about photography. In fact, I found the best pictures seemed to come from spurts of excitable enthusiasm, pointing the camera aimlessly, or at something shiny that had happened to catch my attention.
Well the best and the worst.
My main obstacle was trying to get an interesting composition, or catch a sneaky pic of a guy with a particularly weird hair, without looking like a complete and utter stalkerish weirdo. Which is how I felt. The looks some people give you.
But the most frustrating thing was how difficult it is to capture those moments you really want. In the couple of seconds it takes you to steady your camera and adjust your focus, it's gone. No one's going to believe you when you tell them. It's especially frustrating when the most interesting people you want to capture, are also the people you least want to see you taking a picture of them. I felt like a spy.
Anyway. A few of them I kind of liked, and I'll admit that it makes you notice things. And people, it makes you notice people, and what very odd and interesting things they are.
A fun game to play if you're ever people watching, is to imagine what random strangers would be like as super villains.
I digress. I'll leave you with a few of my favourite and let you get on.
I wanted to share with you all a Ted talk I stumbled on while browsing Netflix.
It's by a guy named Ken Robinson, and he makes some pretty interesting points about the flaws in our education system, arguing that it kills creativity, only valuing one type of intelligence.
A quote that stuck with me was 'all children are born artists', and that it is our education system that eliminates it, by not allowing for mistakes, making mistakes an invaluable part of the creative process.
Subjects are valued in accordance to how useful they'll be in terms of getting a job, leaving subjects such as music and art at the bottom of the pile. But should education purely be about preparing a child to fit in neatly to the job market?
I know my from my experience of school that I hated the way I was taught in lessons. I hated the way we would only learn things we needed to know for an exam or because it was on the curriculum. I'd sit there in science lessons and ask, 'So how come some people have green eyes?' or 'What makes a yo-yo work?' and be constantly told I didn't need to know that, it wasn't going to help me in my exam. But why should education be about what we 'need' to know? (although I'm still convinced I didn't need to know about algebra) Why can't education be more like a QI episode?
I have a friend who is one of the most astoundingly talented artists I have ever met, yet wants to be an accountant, because apparently you don't make money as an artist; it's not a serious profession. Personally I'd rather live in a shoe, but surrounded by paint and blank canvas, than live in a mansion and have to look at a spreadsheet everyday.
When I took my subjects for A level I didn't even know if I was going to pass them, let alone care what looks good for university. I took them because I was interested in them, I wanted to learn about them for their own sake, I wasn't so bothered about where they'd take me.
These are some short documentaries I found online and I thought you all might like to have a gander. I've been getting in to watching short indie docs ever since I helped make 'Look Up' at the BFI academy. Some pretty interesting, if not a bit weird, stuff.
The first is called 'The Apology Line'. The director posted flyers encouraging members of the public to leave an anonymous apology on the answering machine. These audio clips are played over static city shots and people living their day-to-day private lives.
Another is 'Avatar Days', a look at the contrast between reality and escapism role-playing games, merging the two together with 3D animation and interviews with avid world of warcraft players.
I'm not really sure what this film 'Ryan' is about, except that it's really weird but I like it.
The truth is out there? Crop circles hoax or intergalactic art?
Crop circles have been appearing around the world since the 1970's particularly in the UK. The big questions have always been. Why? How? Who?
And of course we get a wide range of answers to these questions, ranging from the supernatural, to a few guys with planks of wood, some string, and too much spare time.
Undeniably though, there is a fascination with a phenomenon surrounded with such ambiguity and mystery. However they came in to being, crop circles are essentially beautiful pieces of art, whether created by people, the wind or little green men.
The argument for the lack of human participation is that often the crops are cut in such a perfectly geometrical, and precise way that on such a scale it would be impossible to create, even with a plank of wood and some string.
But then of course, as much as the Sci-fi fan in me wants to believe this, firstly why would aliens, and so called higher forms of extra terrestrial intelligence, come all this way to vandalise some farmer's fields in Wiltshire? And more to the point, why would they make a crop circle of Richard and Judy?
Art has been used in the past as a means of creating mystery, superstition and generally pulling everyone's leg.
Take the example of 'The Cottingley Fairies', a hoax played by two teenage girls in 1917, where using cutouts of illustrations they'd done, and clever photography, they fooled the world in to thinking this was conclusive evidence for the existence of fairies.
I think the most plausible explanation is that the crop circles were made by humans from the future, who have developed the ability to time travel, explaining UFO sightings and humanoid portrayals of aliens. Did I say plausible? I meant I've been looking up to many conspiracy theories on the internet.
I'd just like to introduce to you all a local gem of an illustrator, my old pal James. Now before you accuse me of being bias, I'd like to point out that the boy has already had his art published in children's book at the tender age of just eighteen, so I hope I'm right in saying he's one to watch.
James uses a clever mix of hand drawn illustration, collage and graphical know-how to create these charming pieces of work. I've always been astounded by the extent of his imagination, and we've even made a film together in the past. With any luck we should be starting a new project together in the near future which should be a surreal combination of illustration, music and film. That's essentially all we've got at the moment, but I'll let you know how we get on.


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North Lincolnshire CouncilCustomers, information and adviceBurials and cremation in North Lincolnshire
Burials and cremation in North Lincolnshire
Our cemeteries and crematorium
Use the map or list below to find contact details and opening times of cemeteries and the crematorium in North Lincolnshire.
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We manage eight public cemeteries in North Lincolnshire:
Brigg (and Cemetery extension)
Brumby (Scunthorpe)
Crosby (Scunthorpe)
Frances Street (Scunthorpe)
Scawby
Wrawby-cum-Brigg (in Brigg)
As a designated burial and cremation authority, we provide the following facilities and services in North Lincolnshire:
Woodlands Crematorium and chapel
We are responsible for one crematorium and chapel. It is located on Brumby Wood Lane in Scunthorpe.
Woodlands Chapel
We welcome anyone who would like to use the chapel for a period of quiet reflection.
The Book of Remembrance can be viewed during crematorium opening hours.
Traditional burials
Woodlands Cemetery is also available for traditional burials and is located at the same site as the Woodlands Crematorium.
We offer a range of ways for you to remember your loved one, including:
tree of remembrance leaf
rose garden boulder
ashes to glass
tower plaques
ash vaults
sundial plaques
Please visit our Bereavement Service fees and charges page for options and prices.
Advice and information when someone dies
Preparing for a funeral
Read our preparing for a funeral page to help you make an informed decision for funeral arrangements
Repatriation to another country
Some countries require an official document before they will let a body into the country for burial. The document is called a 'cadaver certificate'. It confirms that no epidemic or infectious disease had occurred in the area for three months before the death.
Obtaining a cadaver certificate is usually handled by the undertaker making the arrangements. This is done on behalf of the relatives. However, anyone can apply for the certificate.
The funeral director will help with anything requested by the coroner. They will also help with the requirements of the authorities in the overseas country where the deceased is going. Some of these requirements may also apply for burial in another part of the UK.
The certificate is issued by an environmental health officer from the local council in the area where the person died. This officer will also issue the certificate if the deceased is to be exhumed for reburial elsewhere.
If you need to contact an environmental health officer in North Lincolnshire, please email environmental.health@northlincs.gov.uk or call 01724 297000.
Repatriation of a deceased body from abroad to England or Wales
If a death occurs abroad, the death will need registering according to the local regulations of that country. A death certificate will need collecting. You will need either the death certificate or an authorisation for the removal of the body from the country of death by someone authorised to do so. This is to bring a body back to England or Wales.
To arrange a funeral in England or Wales you will need both of the following:
An authenticated translation of a death certificate showing the cause of death.
A certificate of 'No Liability to Register' from a Registrar of Births and Deaths in England and Wales. This certificate must be obtained from the Registrar of Births and Deaths in the area where the deceased is to be buried or cremated.
To arrange a cremation, a cremation order from the Home Office or form 'E' from the coroner is needed. If the death was from natural causes, the Home Office will require the following documentation:
Application for cremation (Form 'A').
All original documentation from the country where death occurred.
Translation of documents if necessary
If the death was not natural, it will be referred to the coroner. They will open an inquest to investigate the cause and circumstances of the death. In this case the coroner will issue form 'E' for cremation.
Exhuming a deceased body
It is quite rare for a body to be exhumed. Please read our exhuming a deceased body page for details about the process and the licence required.
Local grave search
The Bereavement Services office has the statutory registers and plans for the cemeteries in North Lincolnshire that we are responsible for. The cemeteries are:
By law, members of the public are allowed to look (search) only in the Burial Registers. This can be done during normal opening hours at the Bereavement Services office. This is free of charge. Please contact us to make an appointment.
For information about graves in other cemeteries in North Lincolnshire, you will need to contact the relevant church or town or parish council.
Alternatively, you can contact us to request a search to be carried out on your behalf. There will be a charge for this.
Community advice and support
crematorium@northlincs.gov.uk
Bereavement Services Office
Woodlands Crematorium
Brumby Wood Lane
DN17 1SP
Bereavement Services office: