Home > The Forums > Remote Possibilities in Acoustic Music and Location Recording Has anyone recorded 4 tracks with a firewire interface & a small netbook?
Has anyone recorded 4 tracks with a firewire interface & a small netbook?
I've been trying to find a small, cheap, silent and portable way of recording 4 tracks via firewire @24bit/88.2khz with my traveler mk1.
I can currently do this using my P4/3ghz/1gbram laptop, but the laptop fan noise can be an issue and it's more cumbersome than neccessary.
A small netbook might be a good solution for me, but after loads of searching, I'm struggling to find anyone in the whole world who has experience of this.
Does anyone have experience of this and could you recommend a small silent unit (around 10" screen, not a laptop) that could do the job?
My budget is 100s or less, would be good to get confirmation that an older netbook could handle 4 track recording.
Get a fast food job, save some money.
I got a motion M1400 on ebay for £60.
It is fanless and has a 4 pin texas instrument chip firewire port (so no bus power for the traveler).
Using the standard 40gb 4200rpm drive.
Shoved in the 1 gig ram chip from my other laptop (new total 1.25gig) , installed a lite version of Windows 7, changed optomisation settings for audio recording.
1 hour recording 8 tracks simultaneously at 24bit/88.2khz powering traveler and motion by ac power adapters.
Half hour recording 4 tracks simultaneously at 24bit/88.skhz powering the traveler by a direct feed from the motion's battery to the traveler power input.
So both units running off the motion battery.
Next I'm going to make a permanent soldered connection internally in the motion so I can power the traveler.
I'm also going to look at a more reliable firewire connection, maybe internal soldering there too.
4 pin firewire ports are pish.
Right at the end of my first 1 hour test I just touched the firewire cable and it showed up on screen that the traveler was disconnected, but the recording was still fine.
Also maybe an ssd (not cheap) or sd to ide adapter (cheap) as the hard drive makes a bit of noise, but it's not much at all.
So, I have acheived my task of finding a cheap, silent portable recording solution for the traveler.
Reliability issues will be found out through time, but I'm chuffed for now.


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AKIKAZU NAKAMURA -COMPOSER, JAPANESE BAMBOO FLUTE PLAYER
AKIKAZU NAKAMURA
Kokoo
SHAKUHACHI
AKIKAZU NAKAMURA -Composer, japanese bamboo flute player-
Akikazu Nakamura studied with Katsuya Yokoyama and several masters of the komuso shakuhachi. He studied composition and jazz theory at Berklee College of Music in Boston, graduating summa cum laude, and subsequently gained a scholarship to study composition and third-stream music in the graduate school of the New England Conservatory. Nakamura is a unique shakuhachi player who makes use of circular breathing based on his own distinctive method missoku ("esoteric breathing") , a method of breathing with ancient origins in Japan. He masterd this method over many years through his own single-minded effort and it enables him to make free use of harmonics. He has also mastered the technique of playing and singing different melodic lines at the same time. The core of his work as a musician involves the collection, analysis and performance of shakuhachi music handed down in pre-modern times by the mendicant Zen monks known as komusō, but he is also active in a wide range of musical genres including rock, jazz, contemporary classical music, improvised music and cross-genre collaboration. He has performed in over 150 cities in more than 40 countries and has been invited to appear at the Montreux Jazz Festival and at Blue Note jazz club in New York. He has released twelve CDs and written four books. He teaches at four colleges and universities.
Performance / Nihon no Hibiki (meaning : Japanese sound)
Videos of playing SHAKUHACHI
Shakuhachi, voice production, breathing techniques, composition
Online lessons are available.
We teach in a scientific and logical way.
Office Sound Pot
We are engaged in concert production, managemant, CD/ video production, and artist management.
AKIKAZUNAKAMURA OFFICIAL WEBSITE
© 2022 AKIKAZU NAKAMURA -COMPOSER, JAPANESE BAMBOO FLUTE PLAYER. All rights reserved.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Møkster Shipping will use the senior secured facility to refinance two support vessels that are on contract to British Petroleum Norge and MMT. The facility was provided in a two bank club deal together with Dankse Bank.
Møkster Shipping, established in 1968 by Simon Møkster, is a supplier of modern high-spec offshore support vessels designed for operations in harsh weather conditions. Møkster has a fleet of 21 vessels, approximately 530 employees onshore and is 100% owned by the Møkster family.
Over the past 15 years the company has built 20 offshore vessels (AHTSs, PSVs, subsea ROVs and area-based standby vessels) to provide its clients with a diversified service, including rescue, oil recovery, firefighting, towing, anchor-handling and multi field-services.
Møkster is known in the OSV market for offering high-quality vessels with high quality operations.


As part of Age Friendly Island, Independent Arts are running two projects to help alleviate social isolation among older people.
SingAbout is an Island-wide project providing regular weekly singing groups for older people. The groups are free and are run by a trained practitioner, and a team of volunteers. As well as being of benefit to health and wellbeing, the groups provide an opportunity to socialise in a supportive friendly environment.
SingAbout is based on a proven form of music therapy, the sessions are open to all older people. Benefits of SingAbout include helping maintain memory, improve breathing, movement, speech and confidence. Singing also helps improve mental health. SingAbout groups offer companionship to those who are isolated. The sessions have a much wider benefit to both carers and participants by providing a fun group activity and encouraging social interaction.
SingAbout began in 2011 with four free groups set up across the Island. Big Lottery funding will maintain these and open three new clubs as well as regular Pop Up sessions.
Below are the details of the current SingAbout sessions.
Creative Futures is a volunteer led project to improve the quality of life for older people living in care homes. The project delivers therapeutic arts sessions on a one to one basis to residents in nursing and care homes. Creative Futures offers engaging sessions across a wide range of activities which are personalised and tailor-made to the client's needs, improving health and well-being for older socially isolated people.
Independent Arts works in many of the Island's care and nursing homes delivering 'Workshops for Wellbeing' that give residents group activities such as art, music, reminiscence and movement. However, not all residents can access sessions due to mobility, illness, anxiety and other issues. It is these residents that Creative Futures is designed to engage with.
Creative Futures will deliver one to one sessions which are highly personalised to the individual, which focus on treating the older person as a unique and independent individual who has a rich history and life experience and a future creative potential.
Experienced creative practitioners work in a mentoring role to pass on skills and knowledge. Volunteers receive robust training in relevant areas such as Safeguarding, working with Vulnerable Adults and delivering creative sessions and Dementia Friends training. This is in addition to the six-week mentoring period.


From this page, store admins can run SQL commands directly against their database without having to connect through Enterprise Manager or Server Management Studio. This tool can only run 'command'-type queries (updates, deletes, etc), it does not have the ability to display any results.
NOTE: Only those familiar with SQL should attempt to run queries through this tool. There are no safeguards in place here to prevent the loss of data, it is possible to severely damage your database if you don't know what you are doing!!
To run a query, simply enter the text into the box and click Submit.


Curtains, tapestries, drapes, couches, sofas, and all padded furniture can serve as the beautifying centerpieces of any room, but they can also serve as collection points for dirt, dust, and other allergy-causing particles. Proper maintenance of your upholstery can keep it looking and smelling brand new. Thanks to Clean It's thorough upholstery cleaning process, this responsibility is both quick and easy!
At Clean It North Wales Carpet and Upholstery Cleaners, we specialize in restoring the beauty, vitality and original freshness of all your upholstered furniture. We use state-of-the-art cleaning materials that can safely and effectively wash even your most delicate upholstery including Haitian Cotton, Wool, Velvet and many other fabrics, including white and off-white fabrics that some conventional cleaners refuse to touch. Our technicians are fully trained and qualified and will remove those niggling spots and stains, without fading your furniture's original colours or damaging fragile stitches.
Clean It North Wales Carpet and Upholstery Cleaners powerful upholstery cleaning service will leave your upholstery sparkling cleaning in hours.
Over time and with regular wear, factory applied stain resistants will experience a reduction in effectiveness. Contact Clean It for advice on how to protect your upholstery against everyday dirt and stains.
To book your cleaning appointment or to obtain a free quote, please Call 0800 781 0873 or use the online enquiry form at the top of the page.
This uses a combination of cleaning solution and hot water. The solution dissolves and agitates dirt and stains we then pass over this with out Hot Water Extraction tool which thoroughly rinses the upholstery and extracts all dirt.
This process is similar to Hot Water Extraction only it uses steam to break down and remove stubborn dirt and stains.
With this method we are able to clean your upholstery without the use of water, using a powder, which breaks down the dirt. This powder is then vacuumed off leaving a clean and dry finish.
We have a number of methods for extending the life of your upholstery.
As different upholstery uses many various types of fabric fibres, using the wrong cleaning process can potentially cause damage to your furniture. Worst of all, damage to your furniture might not be appear immediately and may become evident months down the track, making it difficult to claim damages from a second rate cleaner (should they be insured).
Don't be caught out by a cheap alternative. To protect your furniture into the future select a reputable, qualified cleaner such as Carpet Attack.


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Brandon Jay McLaren Talks GRACELAND Season 3 and How Things Are about to Get Worse
by Christina Radish June 25, 2015
'Graceland' airs on Thursday nights on the USA Network.
Manny Montana Talks GRACELAND Season 2, His Most Memorable Episode from the First Season, His Character's Journey,…
The USA Network drama series Graceland, currently in its second season, follows the high-stakes investigative lives of six undercover federal agents who live together in a government-seized Southern California beachfront house. That is especially challenging with former FBI rookie Mike …
Manny Montana Talks GRACELAND, Playing an Undercover Agent, His Role in Michael Mann's CYBER, and More
by Christina Radish July 14, 2013
From show creator Jeff Eastin (White Collar), the USA Network drama series Graceland delves into the lives of an elusive group of undercover agents from the FBI, DEA and US Customs, who live and operate under one roof. Johnny Tuturro …
USA Sets Summer Premiere Dates for BURN NOTICE, ROYAL PAINS, COVERT AFFAIRS, SUITS, and More
by Adam Chitwood April 3, 2013
USA network has unveiled its summer schedule, announcing when fans can expect their favorite USA series to return. Here's a brief rundown: Season seven of Burn Notice begins on Thursday, June 6th at 9/8c. The new drama series Graceland premieres …
Jeff Eastin Talks GRACELAND, Coming Up with the Title, How Dark the Show Will Get and Shooting…
by Christina Radish January 17, 2013
Created by Jeff Eastin (White Collar) and inspired by a true story, the USA Network drama series Graceland delves into the lives of an elusive group of undercover agents from the FBI, DEA and U.S. Customs, whose worlds collide at …
Second Wave of FANTASTIC FEST 2012 Line-Up Announced; Includes LOOPER, THE ABCs of DEATH, and SINISTER
by Matt Goldberg August 16, 2012
Last month, Fantastic Fest announced the first-wave of movies included in their line-up. Today, they've announced Wave Two, and there's even more greatness on the way. The big name additions are Rian Johnson's Looper, the horror anthology The ABCs of …
Jeff Eastin Talks WHITE COLLAR Season 4, His New TV Series GRACELAND, and What Happened to His…
by Christina Radish July 9, 2012
On the hit USA Network drama series White Collar, the unique partnership between slick con man Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer) and FBI Agent Peter Burke (Tim DeKay) was upended in the highly buzzed about season three finale when Neal fled …


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Opawa – potok będący lewym dopływem Bobru w górnym jego biegu, wypływający ze stoków Lasockiego Grzbietu, uchodzący do Bobru w pobliżu zbiornika Bukówka.

Długość potoku to 4,1 km. Przepływa przez wieś Opawę.

Zobacz też
 Rzeki w Polsce

Przypisy

Potoki Karkonoszy
Potoki Kotliny Kamiennogórskiej
Brama Lubawska
Opawa (województwo dolnośląskie)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


"Hahahahahah! I get it! GNOME Chomsky!"
That is every conversation I've ever had with everyone who visits our tiny house for the first time.
Sitting on our porch is a little Travelocity gnome that was given to me by my sister and her family for Christmas a few years ago. Our tiny home was nearly complete and they decided we needed a tiny gnome.
And then - because we are unoriginal and great big nerds - we couldn't pass up a chance to give him a punny name straight out of the video game Left4Dead2. In a game-within-a-game, called Guardin' Gnome, you can use the red-capped gnome as your only weapon to fight off the zombies. And, in the game, the gnome is cleverly named "Chompski," after both the American philosopher (Noam Chomsky) and how zombies bite (Chomp Chomp).
That, my friends, is the long story behind the name of our little porch gnome.
In fact, Chomsky is such a part of our tiny house journey that he warranted his very own section in my book, 120 Ideas for Tiny Living.
So when I got an email from THE BEST BUSINESS EVER, I couldn't possibly pass up the opportunity to share it with all of you.
If you've been reading this blog for very long at all you know that I include very little advertising. I almost never promote other products directly. But for the chance that all of you can have you very own tiny house gnome, I had to bend my own rules.
The owners of Gnome Depot have offered a special discount for readers of Life in 120 Square Feet! The first 100 readers who use the code 120FEET will get 5% off the purchase of their very own gnome! Get one for your tiny house - or your not so tiny house - today!
Go get your very own Chomsky. Also, I think "Alaska" would make an excellent Gnome name.


Best Psychiatrists in Maryvale Park, Phoenix, AZ with Verified Reviews – Book Online!
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Nice registration staff. Dr. was polite and got straight to the problem and gave his opinion. Asked my son and myself if we had questions or if we needed clarification. Return in 1 month.
I explained to him my whole history, I didn't want to be treated until he knew everything about me. He read all the papers I gave him, and listened to me, and then made his decision. I am so happy I went to see him and ill be seeing him again.
Friendly staff. Dr. Reddy was great once I got back to see him. He even apologized about the long wait time for today which I've rarely heard a Dr. do. I arrived for my appointment on time, quickly finished the necessary paperwork and then had to wait just over an hour and a half get back to see the Dr. This was my first time at the office (or to any Psych for that matter) and they were rather busy. I will go back because of the friendly staff.... and also because they are the only practice anywhere close to me (23 miles away) that accepts my insurance. So tie on principle, win by default.


The GOLD mercantilism archetype was created to bring in the marketing act simple, terribly natural. It is a pitch that makes secure the sales entity knows where on earth they are in the process of a sales assemblage and how to change convey. This route works on cold calls with no previous affiliation or all calls where you have had a patron for several age.
Greeting - This is how are you going to activate off the sales meeting? It is your intro, primary impression, bill of consultation objectives. It wants to be clear, pithy verdict that sets the manner of speaking. For initial event introductions, you have 15-20 seconds to get your name, company, and spike decussate. Do it well, and the bid moves convey. If through poorly, the subordinate boodle here.
Overcome obstacles - These obstacles mightiness be need of interest, inferior timing, or even a prostrate our rebuff. If you consumer has something that is standing in the way, you demand to triumph that barrier earlier you can displace the route full-face. In instruct to get prehistorical this stage, you must existing importance to the consumer. Sound difficult, fit it isn't. In most cases, you will have no much than 5 objectives that ensue terminated 80% of juncture. Write thrown 2 replies to each, say them out load, and connect near the one that fits your gross revenue method the high-grade.
Link the inevitability to your treatment by asking questions- This involves interrogative the exact questions to permit the purchaser to hold they have a business organization need, prickle of pain, or business concern gap and that you have the treatment that unsurpassed solves their call for. This raised area involves a excited knack of helpful attentive and conflict. You involve to cognise what how to ask questions that get the purchaser to chat roughly speaking their commercial while guidance the talk to kick up your heels to your solutions.
Definitive dealing item - Know what requests to happen and when. This defines the stepladder to modify the route fore. Make them definite and agreed upon from the punter so you have buy in and siding with.


The School Outreach Program has been successfully completed last year. Thank you to all on behalf of the District Administration. The commitment taken in the previous year to sensitise the students to reduce their vulnerability should be carried further this year by taking necessary steps.
As all of you are aware that Jan 12, the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, is celebrated as the National Youth Day throughout the country. We all celebrate this day in various ways, to inspire the youth with Swami Vivekananda's ideas, thoughts and philosophy.


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iPhone 8 Dummy Unit Compared to iPhone 7 Plus
iPhoneinCanada.ca
A video published by TigerMobile shows a dummy unit of the upcoming iPhone 8. The tipster claims the the dummy unit was designed based on 3D CAD schematics and is sourced directly from the factory that will be building the device.
The smartphone corroborates past leaks and the vertical dual camera setup sits at the back, with the flash sitting in between the two lenses. There's a grey Apple logo sitting in the back centre, and the entire back is made up of glass, which seemingly confirming wireless charging rumours.
The video claims that the iPhone 8 has dimensions of 143.5 x 71.03 x 7.46mm, which is a bit wider, taller, and thicker than the iPhone 7, which measures at 138.3 x 67.1 x 7.1mm. The iPhone 7 Plus comes in at 158.2 x 77.9 x 7.3 mm, which makes the iPhone 8 thicker than both the current generation iPhones.
The iPhone 8 has been tipped to sport wireless charging as well as an OLED display. The iPhone 8 is expected to be unveiled in September and ship shortly thereafter, and is rumoured to be bundled with AirPods.
Other articles in the category: News
Apple Making Tools to Let People Easily Build AR Apps–with Siri? [Report]
Apple reportedly wants an easy way for people to build augmented reality apps, that might even be assisted by the company's Siri voice assistant, reports The Information. Unnamed sources say Apple plans to let Siri build an AR app when asked through its upcoming mixed-reality headset. These apps would then be able to submit to […]
Apple Using Tencent's Blacklist to Block Websites in Hong Kong
According to a report by The Intercept, Apple is using Chinese company Tencent's blacklist to block access to certain websites via Safari in Hong Kong. Last month, Apple users in Hong Kong trying to access the code-sharing website GitLab were presented with a warning that says the website is being blocked for their own safety. Safari's "safe...
Usman Qureshi
How to Use Video Effects with Continuity Camera with iPhone on Mac
Apple has shared a handy video on its YouTube support channel, explaining how you can add video effects when using Continuity Camera with iPhone on a Mac. If you're using Continuity Camera with a virtual conference app or FaceTime on your Mac, you can add these video effects from Control Center while you chat. Center Stage...


Amec Foster Wheeler plc, announces today the appointment of Dr Jonathan (Jon) Lewis, as chief executive officer, with effect from 1 June 2016. On the same day Ian McHoul will cease to be interim CEO, and will remain as CFO.
Jon has been employed in a number of senior roles at Halliburton Company Inc since 1996. He is currently based in Houston, Texas where he is a Senior Vice President and member of the Halliburton Executive Committee, with responsibility, since 2014 for leading its largest division, Completion & Production. Prior roles included leadership of the Europe/Sub-Saharan Africa Region (the largest operating region outside North America) and the Drilling and Evaluation Division.
He joined Halliburton following nine years in academia, where he was NERC research fellow at the Royal School of Mines at Imperial College in London and Conoco Lecturer in Petroleum Geology at Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh. Jon received his PhD in reservoir characterisation from the University of Reading in 1987.
Jon is 54 years old, has dual UK/US citizenship and will be based in London. His salary will be £775,000 per annum and he will be eligible for an annual bonus and participation in the long term incentive plan, and receive other benefits in accordance with the company's remuneration policy for executive directors.
I am delighted that Jon will soon be joining us as our new CEO. He brings with him thirty years of experience in the oil and gas industry across many parts of the world, including twenty years as a senior executive at Halliburton where he built a reputation for safe and ethical operations, strategic market insight, strong leadership, commercial discipline and consistently delivered against commitments.
The company has issued its first quarter trading update this morning, and will hold its AGM at 11.00am (UK time) today.
The Society of Petroleum Engineers, the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, the Energy Institute and a Fellow of the Geological Society.
Except as stated above, no further information is required to be disclosed pursuant to LR 9.6.13.


The IFMA World Workplace Conference, one of the leading conferences for discussion and trends for the work environment, took place this past October and several CannonDesign team members were able to attend/or present. Now, a month removed from IFMA World Workplace, several key trends from the conference remain of key focus for organizations and the industry. I've highlighted several below.
Sensors, sensors and more sensors.
With the extensive discussion around the Internet of Things recently, we've been hearing more and more about the development of sensor technology in the work environment. It is quickly becoming a critical tool to track space utilization. Sensor data can be collected over longer periods of time than traditional methods and the data can inform space allocation and sizing to create more efficient and effective work environments.
Moving from cramming and jamming to voice and choice.
Choice and flexibility in the workplace are still trending – especially as employee engagement declines and new generations entering the workforce rises. Why are many employers still creating environments for people with relentless rows of workstations? The workplace conversation has shifted from efficiency to engagement and effectiveness.
Happy Worker – Productive Worker – Do we really need a metric to prove it? Yes!
Especially if you're building a case for change. Nothing speaks louder than data that measures things like the ROI of engagement, well-being, productivity and attraction/retention. Metrics are critical when meeting with the C-suite…and getting the CEO on board can be the difference in getting projects to move ahead.
Over the next year, our Workplace Strategy team will be investigating the use of sensor technology in our processes and also methods for measuring the ROI of workplace change.


This entry was posted in How I Met Your Mother and tagged Billy Zabka, Blah Blah, Blitz, Carl, First Date, Gary Blauman, James, Jeanette, Kevin, Mother, Paley Fest, Patrice, Ranjit, Sandy Rivers, Scooter, Stripper Lily, Zooey. Bookmark the permalink.
As the show wraps up, I think the question on everyone's mind is WHY is Lily wearing that horribly ill-fitting and tacky bridesmaid dress?! I find it really hard to believe that Robin would have chosen a shiny, pink, cheapy looking dress for her best friend, especially given the fact that the rest of the wedding seems to be in hues of purple. Also, I recall from previous seasons when they had flash forwards to the wedding day, Lily was also wearing pink tights but currently she's being shown sans tights. Continuity problem perhaps.
Haha great minds think alike! Check out what I wrote this past fall (episode: Knight Vision) and what has clearly been weighing on my mind as well! In fact, all those seasons ago (before we knew whose wedding it was) I purposely hypothesized that it wouldn't be Barney or Robin's wedding because neither is a church-marriage type of person. I also don't understand the ugly pink dress we have seen Lily wear on the wedding day—and how Robin could have possibly picked that for her friend—but I will move along now.
Lilys pink dress is a scene stealer in the Worst way. That hue, that sheen yech. Plus is she hiding a pregnancy under that bubble on the stomach area?! Super unflattering. More to the point, whats with Robins wedding dress sleeves that keep falling down? Not a true Scherbatsky Look.


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Hymenocallis partita är en amaryllisväxtart som beskrevs av Pierfelice Ravenna. Hymenocallis partita ingår i släktet Hymenocallis och familjen amaryllisväxter. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Externa länkar

Amaryllisväxter
partita


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Brig o'Doon, Alloway
From traditional ballads and romantic songs to humorous satires and thought-provoking poems, Robert Burns composed some of the world's most instantly recognisable lines of poetry and song lyrics.
Whether his subject was a man or a mouse (or even a louse), our National Bard had a rare talent for putting himself into others' shoes and expressing life's universal emotions. His words have been cherished and passionately recited for the past two centuries. Indeed, it's because of this great man that we promise, every Hogmanay, to 'tak a cup o' kindness' with our neighbours and go forward into the new year with a sense of belonging and hope for the future.
6 great Burns attractions
Step inside the cottage where Burns was born or sip a pint in his favourite drinking hole, The Globe Inn. At the Writers' Museum in Edinburgh you can see the desk where he composed some of his most famous works or pop into Rozelle House Galleries to view a series of 54 stunning paintings which depict the tale of Tam o' Shanter.
Robert Burns Birthplace Museum
The Burns House Museum
Bachelors' Club
Rozelle House Galleries
The Writers' Museum
The Globe Inn Opens a new window
Robert Burns Poems
How to hold your own Burns supper eBook
Rabbie for the Weans eBook
The life of Robert Burns
Robert Burns was born on 25 January 1759, on a dark and windy night in the village of Alloway in Ayrshire. He died just 37 years later, at his home in Dumfries, from an illness that sadly would have been easily treatable today.
Despite his short life Burns left a huge catalogue of poetry and songs that have been pored over, enjoyed and spoken aloud for over 200 years. His timeless words have echoed throughout the generations, inspiring people from every walk of life.
Although he left a great legacy, Burns' start in life was a humble one. He was born the son of poor tenant farmers and was the eldest of seven children. Even with the family's money struggles, his father recognised the importance of education and ensured that, alongside working on the family farm, his children were given the opportunity to read and learn.
There were signs of Robert's exceptional writing talent from an early age - at 15 he penned his first love poems - though it was not until 1786 at the age of 27 that he rose to fame with the publication of his first collection of poetry, Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect. This masterful collection made a huge impression on Edinburgh's literary elite, and propelled Burns to celebrity status.
In his personal life, Burns dedicated hundreds of lines of verse to the fairer sex and went on to father 12 children, nine with his wife Jean Armour. He was also a passionately proud Scot - he even spent many years collecting and preserving traditional Scottish songs for the future.
For all his fame, Burns never forgot his roots. His love for farming stayed with him throughout his life and his writing often dealt with issues affecting the poorer classes, notably highlighting the need for greater social equality. You'll see all of these influences captured in his dazzling collections of poetry and song - his lasting legacy to the world.
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Scottish Writers & Literature
Famous Scots eBook


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Not just a phone that went missing
In yesterday's post I mentioned that I found Penny's mobile phone under my feet while driving with her from Stockton to Welford. It transpired that the phone wasn't the only thing to have fallen out of her bag on that journey. The day after I got back home from Shadow Jan spotted a set of keys in the passenger footwell. Oops. They were the keys for Penny's car, parked up at Stockton in Warwickshire, and David didn't have his keys for that car with him. The scenario is this: David, Penny, Jemima, Florence and Fergus will arrive at Stockton Top Marina with a boat-load of possessions, and be faced with the problem of getting home to London with two cars, one of which had no keys, and the other had only a smallish boot.
Jan phoned David as soon as she discovered the keys; David took it very calmly. Let the insurance company sort it out: they could arrange for the keys to be couriered to him. But the insurance company didn't want to do that. Instead, they'd transport the car home for them. My idea was simply to post the car key to Braunston Post Office for David to pick up on his way through, but it was too late: the recovery operation was already in hand. What a palaver! It all worked out in the end: cars, people and possessions got home; and the keys were handed over when we saw David at Alison's baptism the following Sunday.
Market Harborough to Welford
Wednesday 18th February 2009
Another moderately early start: away at 0745. Well, it is only February, after all: we wait until summer for proper early starts! We had moored on a bendy bit of towpath, fortunately we were getting on and off at the back.
Returning along the Market Harborough arm we ran into some mist which had collected on the canal between two bridges. It was clear apart from this stretch.
A little further on we met an apparently laden boat. I was fumbling with the camera and didn't catch the boat's name, but learnt from the steerer that it was built to look that way, i.e. laden. An unusual and evocative sight.
When Fergus wasn't steering he enjoyed operating the swing bridges. After this road bridge is a swing footbridge just before the junction with the Leicester Section at the bottom of Foxton Locks.
On our ascent of the locks the lock keeper suggested at one stage that I crack open a paddle to refill a leaking sidepond. He remarked that it was going to be interesting in the height of the summer if sideponds don't hold water - there's a second leaky one as well as this by the museum.
How do you find a leak in a sidepond, I wonder?
At 1345 we tied up at North Kilworth to await the arrival of crew shift two: no more cruising for me now. As this coincided with lunchtime, and as we had no mayonnaise to go with the tuna fish for the baked potatoes, I cycled a mile into what looked like the village to look for some. The closest thing to a mayonnaise shop seemed to be a garage, but they didn't have any. The spotty youth at the till told me there was no other shop nearby: perhaps I could get some in Market Harborough? Between the garage and the canal must be one of the most frightening roads I've cycled along: heavy lorries ignored the 30 mph speed limit and charged up and down the busy narrow road, buffeting me as they swept past. Penny and Jemima arrived and put their things aboard; then began the Great Car Shuffle. While David cruised peacefully (I assume) to Welford, I drove with Penny to Braunston to get my car. Penny patronised the butcher's, and then we drove in convoy to Stockton (Warks.) to leave Penny's car there. By the time we'd driven in my car to Welford it was dark, and David had been moored quite a while.
An interesting thing happened on the journey from Stockton: I was aware of something on the floor under my feet. I reached down and picked up Penny's mobile phone. How did that get there? Perhaps we should have checked to see that nothing else had gone missing. Correction. We definitely should have checked that nothing else had gone missing.
By now it was 6 pm, and I had to decide whether to drive straight home, two hours away, in time for choir rehearsal, or stay and eat before driving home in time to see everyone in the pub afterwards. My stomach decided that eating now was the better option; it was a shame the food at the Wharf Inn wasn't up to it. I ordered a rump steak, supposedly rare, which was tough. Tough on me for attempting to eat such a tough steak. And the peas were like bullets. Why am I such a bad complainer? I battled on, knowing that if I sent it back it would delay things too much. And I'd already eaten half of it before I realised how poor it was. We were all eating there: I must find out how the others got on. I left while they were still eating.
edited to help it make more sense
Husbands Bosworth to Market Harborough
Tuesday 17th February 2009
We made an earlier start than of late (does that make sense?), getting away at 0745. There was still some ice in the canal as we cruised towards Foxton Locks.
approaching Foxton Top Lock
At the top lock we waited for NB Gerald to come up the last staircase of five locks. As I helped the boater through I found out that he was called Roy, and that his air-cooled Lister engine was as old as him. I've recorded their ages as 86, but can that be true? Perhaps I got that wrong, and they are only 82. Gerald is an ex-BCN Joey built 112 years ago. Boat and boatman soon left the top lock, allowing us on Shadow to begin our descent.
NB Gerald exiting Foxton Top Lock
Shadow descending Foxton Locks
The top lock cottage had a tempting sign advertising an all day breakfast for £3.90 ... but there was work to be done. Down we went, among the customary hordes of gongoozlers. Actually, there aren't many to be seen in the above photo: perhaps 11 o'clock, when I took the photo, was still a bit too early (or they'd hidden behind me).
At the bottom we tied up and explored the site of the inclined plane.
looking down to one of the basins, still with ice on it, and the lower arm
I wanted to have a look round the museum, manned by the Foxton Inclined Plane Trust, but David wasn't that bothered. So while he returned to the boat to make crepes I stayed behind with my bike so I could easily catch up afterwards. The first thing I did was to go to the top lock cafe for that cooked breakfast which had tempted me earlier. It was a pity it came in an expanded polystyrene tray, but I enjoyed eating it sitting outside in the sunshine. Then I looked round the museum and bought a second-hand book (The Water Road) and a second-hand Waterways World magazine before returning along the towpath to find that Shadow hadn't got much past the road swingbridge.
This was the first time I'd been along the Market Harborough Arm: another waterway done.
At about 1700 we came to Union Wharf and the basin at the end of the arm. Birds had been singing loudly from the large gardens which meet the canal on the offside.
We were initially unsure about where we should tie up, as each of the two possible spaces had a water point by it. Then we realised that there are water points all along the visitor moorings: an excellent provision!
We walked into the town of Market Harborough. It seems well provided for and with lots of interesting buildings. The Old Grammar School, built in 1614, is next to the church. It was built on stilts to provide shelter for the market traders in times of foul weather.
After dark I tried my hand again at some more night photography, aided, as always, by artificial light.
Crick to Husbands Bosworth
We left Crick at 0900 and were quickly among the ice floes again.
Inside, David cooked up a magnificent breakfast, but Fergus had other things on his mind.
Then a spot of sunbathing to help the digestion.
At 1400 we came to Welford Lock, having diverted along the Welford Arm. Despite the straggling snow it felt spring-like: warmth in the sun; and birds singing.
We walked into the village for provisions from the Post Office stores. The Harborough Mail was evidently struggling for Welford news.
We didn't stay long in Welford as we wanted to make it to Husbands Bosworth before dark. We tied up just after the bridge after the tunnel and walked up to the Bell Inn, where there was a good "2 for 1" menu. I had a nice piece of rump steak. Much better than what would be served up two days later in another pub, but that's another story. The track leading up from the towpath was very muddy.
The Husbands Bosworth website has a good page of information on the Grand Union Canal. The bricks for the tunnel were made on-site, close to its east end.
All Saints' Church, Husbands Bosworth
Labels: Grand Union Canal
Top Twenty, 2009 week 9 (almost)
Better late than never (what do you mean, better never?) here's the UK Waterways Sites ranking chart (top twenty) as it stood on Saturday 21st February 2009. I didn't take a screen grab of last week's chart as I was away boating.
1.....Jim Shead's Waterways Information (=)
2.....JustCanals.com (=)
3.....Pennine Waterways (=)
4.....Granny Buttons (=)
5.....Ten Bob Note (=)
6.....No Problem (=)
7.....UK Canals Network (=)
8.....Bones (+1)
9.....Caxton (+4)
10...Gypsy Rover (-1)
11...Jannock (-1)
12...Derwent 6 (+2)
13...Epiphany (+2)
14...Hadar (-2)
15...Khayamanzi) (+2)
16...Lucky Duck (-8)
17...Lazy Days (+3)
18...Seyella's Journey (new entry)
19...Warrior (-1)
20...UK Waterways Ranking Site (-1)
There were 59 sites ranked, with Halfie at number 30.
Labels: toptwenty
Crick to ... no, this is MUCH more important!
Yesterday our daughter was baptised in Egham parish church. It was a wonderful occasion: friends and family witnessing Ally's public acknowledgement of faith in God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, by being dunked in a specially constructed baptismal pool. Ally getting the soaking, that is, not the friends and family; and the miniature swimming pool wasn't built just for her, you understand. But I digress. Before getting wet Ally was invited to tell the church how she became a Christian.
The actual baptism was straightford (straightbackward?): Ally followed the curate and a friend down a few steps into a coffin-shaped pool of warm water. She then turned so her back was towards the larger part of the pool; then allowed herself to be quickly lowered back first and raised again, the actual dunking taking a couple of seconds.
emerging moments later
Then she went off into a vestry to get dried and changed while the rest of us sang a couple of hymns. I've just realised that the coffin shape is significant: in becoming a Christian one dies to one's former life. The raising out of the water signifies rebirth. It's all rather more graphic than infant baptism.
After the service the water is drained and a cover replaced over the pool. And 28 of us had lunch in The Fox and Hounds, Englefield Green, on the edge of Windsor Great Park. In a moment of inspiration - or insanity - I offered to foot the bill. I have to get used to spending money: Ally and Ben are getting married in the summer.
The Fox and Hounds, Englefield Green, Surrey
son Andrew has a few more horses under the bonnet of his new car...
... than in this scene in Windsor Great Park later in the afternoon
Posted by Halfie at 14:20 1 comment:
Feb 2009: Norton Junction to Crick
Sunday 15th February 2009
A relaxed start today, as we were waiting for the ice to melt a bit more, and to see if anyone would make the first move up the Leicester Section. As we pottered around the boat we heard an engine revving, and the sound of crunching ice: a BW boat had started charging up the cut. Excellent. David and I walked a short distance up the canal to check that it had got through OK, and to see how bad the ice was.
The floes were about 3/4" thick and still fairly big, but we'd now be able to get along the cleared channel. First stop, though, was at Hadar, not far away, to buy some coal. We intended to come alongside, but Jo asked us to pull in in front, as she doesn't pass bags from boat to boat. In the event, we couldn't get in to the bank on account of the ice, so Jo handed over a bag from Hadar's bow to our stern. While this was going on another boat overtook us. Good. More ice clearance!
We soon reached Watford Locks and were quickly up the flight, made interesting by the staircase of four locks with their red and white paddle gear housings. I first encountered these locks in the early 1980s on Savoy Hill, and I remembered the saying, "Red before White and you're all right; White before Red and you're dead". You have to get the right red and white paddles, though.
On the summit pound we came to NB Derwent 6 and Al waving in the window. We pulled up, said a quick hello, and said we'd talk at more length when we'd had lunch, which David had just prepared. I was glad I had a complete cake with me: after lunch we took it round and were pleased to be invited on board for a cup of tea. Del and Al were just great, and were actually rather pleased to see us: we were only the second boat to have passed since Derwent 6 became ice-bound 17 days previously! (The first boat was the one which overtook us as we were getting coal.) They apologised for the lack of alcohol, but tea was perfect for the early afternoon.
We were privileged to be given a tour of Derwent 6 - what a lovely boat. I can vouch for the comfort of the red leather sofa! We reciprocated by showing Del and Al round Shadow: a bit of a tip in comparison (well, there were four of us including two children!)
After that excitement we moved on, passing through Crick Tunnel to Crick, tying up opposite the marina at about 1630.
Fergus steering through Crick Tunnel
Three of us then went for a walk round the village, Florence preferring to stay on board listening to her ipod.
the parish church of St. Margaret of Antioch, Crick
a street in Crick
Back at the boat David put up the aerial so Fergus could watch the football on television; then it was time for this cruise's traditional Pasta Baake.
The evening was rounded off with another David tradition: Monopoly, which David always seems to win. Here he's raking in more money, having hotels on every property between The Angel, Islington and Vine Street. This game didn't go on much longer!
Feb 2009: Braunston to Norton Junction
David had driven to Stockton Top Marina the previous night, so he and Florence and Fergus had taken Shadow up the Calcutt flight and were making their way along the Grand Union/Oxford Canal towards Braunston. I drove from home to Braunston, got my bike out of the car, and set off down the slippery towpath to meet them. In Braunston itself the snow on the towpath had been compacted by walkers into a rough icy nightmare. I gave up trying to cycle, and pushed instead. After Braunston Turn the snow became easier, but there was another problem. When my front tyre punctured I realised that the hedges had recently been trimmed, leaving thorny twigs all over the place. Having established that Shadow was nearing, I waited at Bridge 99. At about half-past one I hoiked the bike into the well deck and joined the crew.
Cycling along Braunston Puddle Banks I'd noticed a submerged plastic cruiser blocking half the cut. Almost the only evidence for it was some red tarpauline and a bit of chrome bar below the water. Why didn't I take a picture?
I'd left the car by Braunston Bottom Lock, so while the boat was going up I loaded my stuff on board and then drove it into the village. The high street looked a good place to park up, so I left the car there and walked back to Shadow, which was, by now, a couple of locks further up.
ascending Braunston Top Lock with another boat (with life-jacketed crew)
The land slip at the entrance to Braunston Tunnel presents no problem to a 58 foot narrowboat such as Shadow. I would think even a widebeam would be able to get past with a bit of careful manoeuvring.
approaching Braunston Tunnel
looking back to the land slip
There had been no ice at the Braunston end of the tunnel, but we emerged the other side in the gathering gloom to patches of ice floating in the canal. As we neared Norton Junction the ice thickened. We struggled to get in to the bank to tie up for the night, breaking the ice with the shaft and pushing it out of the way. Unfortunately the original shaft broke in two during this exercise. Perhaps it was already known that it was weak, for on the roof was a spare, unpainted, shaft.
where we tied up for the night (illegally) on a BW workboat mooring (photo taken the next morning when the ice had thinned a bit)
Back from February cruise
I'm back. Back from a lovely five days' cruise which included the Market Harborough arm, which I'd not done before. A fuller report, with photos, is to follow, but here are some highlights: met bloggers Del and Al of Derwent 6; saw, heard and felt signs of spring; Foxton Locks in the sunshine.
Too tired to say more just now (feeble excuse, I know!)
Last day (for me) (for now) on Shadow
By my calculations today is Wednesday, and I have to be at work tomorrow. So the plan is to cruise Shadow to within cycling distance of the car, put the bike in the boot, drive back to Shadow, load my stuff, and drive home.
Today should be Tuesday
If I've got this scheduled publishing thing right today will be Tuesday and we should be, could be, in the vicinity of Market Harborough. According to the original schedule we would be returning up Foxton Staircase towards North Kilworth. That was the intended stopping place, but I expect that, when I come to write up what we actually did, I'll find we were nowhere near (in boating terms). I still haven't bitten the bullet and bought a mobile broadband dongly thing, partly because there's unlikely to be a laptop computer on board (Jan needs it at home) and partly because I don't like spending money!
Market Harborough (possibly)
Today, if we've caught up with the original schedule, we should get to Market Harborough, having descended the Foxton Staircase locks. I've a feeling, though, that we might be a little behind, so we could be mooring at the top of Foxton ready for a descent tomorrow morning.
It's got a bit tricky forecasting where we're going to be. I'm writing this on Friday (three days ago), and David has the possible use of Shadow this coming weekend (21st/22nd Feb) as an extra couple of days.
I'll be looking out for fellow bloggers - will Lesley and Joe of NB Caxton still be in this vicinity?
Narrowboats (fleetingly) on BBC Look East
BBC Look East recently covered Prince Philip's naming of the Cambridge University Blue Boat. As it is being launched into the Cam there are some narrowboats briefly in shot. No doubt James and Amy of Lucky Duck know the boats ... and the rowers who are hobnobbing with the Prince.
The Look East item can be viewed here.
On board Shadow, we should be leaving Braunston this morning, heading for the Leicester Section of the Grand Union. The original shedule had us tying up tonight at North Kilworth, but that was assuming we'd started with the ascent of Watford Locks at 0800. We could catch up with the schedule, or we could go to Welford. David's the skipper: it's up to him.
Labels: broadcast, River Cam
Fenced in, and boating today (probably)
As the houses and garages went up, so our view was gradually eroded.
Four days ago a six-foot fence was erected, blocking the aspect altogether. I expect we'll get used to it, and I know we're still very fortunate to have what we have, but it makes me look forward to a time of extended cruising even more.
By the time you read this I should be on my way to NB Shadow at Stockton Top Marina on the Grand Union. I might even have arrived. Then, with my brother David as skipper, and his children Fergus and Florence as crew, we'll probably head towards Braunston, aiming for Watford Locks on the Leicester Section. Given that we'll not be slipping our mooring until lunchtime we'll not get as far as Watford, so we may stop at Braunston. I read that the Admiral Nelson was closing/closed. Shame - I've had some good beer there.
The events next door
For 18 years we have lived next to a house with a large garden. Now the house next door has been demolished, and the land sold to a developer. The developer is building 18 houses there. And "there" is, of course, very near here.
Until a year ago we have enjoyed being next to a grassy area dominated by a line of majestic poplars and weeping willows, which screened us from the road 250 feet away. Thirteen months ago a temporary steel fence went up, and the tree fellers moved in.
the poplars
diggers move in
The poplars, a feature of the village for decades, disappeared in days.
Then it was the turn of the demolition gang: Orchard House, which had stood for 150 years, was knocked down in a few hours.
next door before
and after
The noise, outside our bedroom window, was bad enough, but then the rubble was loaded onto a conveyor belt and fed into an enormous grinding machine. The din could be heard all over the village. But the tree trashers hadn't finished. The next weeks were filled with the shriek of chainsaws and the rauc of shredders as nearly every tree was cut down. One small positive: I blagged enough logs to keep our woodburner going for a couple of winters. But I would have gladly gone without to keep the status quo. For quite a while after the land was cleared we had a respite from the noise, but then construction began. Every weekday in the summer, and some Saturdays, began with our house being shaken by heavy tracked construction vehicles trundling past our house. The bangs and reversing bleepers usually started at seven o'clock. What I missed most was being able to sit outside with my breakfast with just the sound of the birds around me. Now the birds have lost their homes, and the peace was shattered.
The ice question
Coventry Canal, 31st January 2008
...and the ice question is: is it icy on the Coventry, Trent and Mersey around Fradley, Grand Union around Braunston and Leicester Section between Norton Junction and Market Harborough? Or is it likely to be from this weekend 14th Feb for a week?
boat pic
Virgo by Bridge 24 on the Grand Union at Long Itchington last November. Not a particularly good photo. But there you go. We can't all be Granny Buttons.
Cold November sun
In a spin
Top Twenty, 2009 week 7
GPS and sat nav
Cruise coming up!
Good news and not so good news
Three cheers for the chairman of the IWA


Class record book helps you track grades for up to 38 students during a nine-week grading period. Grading sheets cover four grading periods of nine weeks or 36 to 40 weeks of school and 16 classes per year. Letter-size pages are printed in green ink on quality white paper and bound in a durable, deep green cover with semi-concealed wire binding. Class record book also includes memorandum sheets and seating charts.


The Plan of Management, effective as of December 1995, sets out a range of specific management practices to be implemented by the Oxygen Farm Association. The Oxygen Farm undertakes to take all reasonable steps to control weeds where they risk degrading the ecological value of the land. The Oxygen Farm undertakes to identify weed occurrences and control weeds through non-chemical means. Regeneration issues will be addressed through a non-clearing and revegetation strategy in accordance with the Department of Land and Water Conservation, the Greater Taree City Council and the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). The humane destruction of feral animals is also envisaged. It is proposed that erosion will be addressed through the installation of cross drains and the revegetation of certain areas. Grazing will not be permitted. Jointly managed buffer zones around the Oxygen Farm will be established in order to reduce environmental stress resulting from the activities of neighbouring properties and to enhance the conservation objectives of the reserve. Fencing and gates in some areas may be erected for the purposes of vehicular control and exclusion of livestock. The management of native and endangered species on the reserve will be addressed via the creation of flora and fauna corridors, in conjunction with the development of Strategies Recovery plans by the NPWS. Calculations may be taken to measure the carbon dioxide cycle in the oxygen farm. Water yield, seed production, feed capacity and biomass may also be estimated.
The Plan of Management also envisages the undertaking of consultation with local Aboriginal communities and of Aboriginal site surveys on the Oxygen Farm for the purpose of determining whether any sites of cultural heritage significance exist. Aboriginal sites will be protected. Funding for Oxygen Farm activities derives from a number of sources. These include donations, memberships and subscriptions, State and Federal Government programs such as the Community Activity Program, New Work Opportunities and Labour Market programs. Labour has also been provided by individuals undertaking Community Service Orders. Other issues such as fire management and education are also addressed by the Plan. The owner and the NPWS agree that the central purpose of the Agreement is the conservation of the native flora and fauna of the area. Visitation will therefore be maintained at a level that is in accordance with the Agreement and does not adversely impact on the habitat values of the area. The Parties agree that the area offers an important research and educational opportunity for the study of native plants and animals, as well as for the preservation of remnant vegetation. Visitation will therefore be restricted to tertiary and research institutions, and NPWS staff, for conducting research. The Agreement also imposes limitations on the erection of structures. Nothing other than an environmental education/ecology centre may be constructed.


text:
<?php

namespace Gems\Snippets\Respondent;

/**
 * Displays a respondent's details with assigned surveys and tracks in extra columns.
 *
 * @package    Gems
 * @subpackage Snippets
 * @copyright  Copyright (c) 2011 Erasmus MC
 * @license    New BSD License
 * @since      Class available since version 1.1
 */
class DetailsWithAssignmentsSnippet extends \Gems_Snippets_RespondentDetailSnippetAbstract
{
    /**
     * Require
     *
     * @var \Zend_Controller_Request_Abstract
     */
    protected $request;

    /**
     *
     * @var \Gems_Util
     */
    public $util;

    /**
     * Place to set the data to display
     *
     * @param \MUtil_Model_Bridge_VerticalTableBridge $bridge
     * @return void
     */
    protected function addTableCells(\MUtil_Model_Bridge_VerticalTableBridge $bridge)
    {
        $bridge->setColumnCount(1);

        $HTML = \MUtil_Html::create();

        $bridge->tdh($this->getCaption(), array('colspan' => 2));

        // Caption for tracks
        $trackLabel = $this->_('Assigned tracks');
        if ($menuItem = $this->findMenuItem('track', 'index')) {
            $href = $menuItem->toHRefAttribute($this->request, $bridge);
            $bridge->tdh(array('class' => 'linked'))->a($href, $trackLabel);
        } else {
            $bridge->tdh($trackLabel, array('class' => 'linked'));
        }

        $bridge->tr();

        // ROW 1
        $bridge->addItem($bridge->gr2o_patient_nr, $this->_('Respondent nr: '));

        $rowspan = 10;

        // Column for tracks
        $tracksModel = $this->model->getRespondentTracksModel();
        $tracksData  = \MUtil_Lazy::repeat(
            $tracksModel->load(
                array('gr2o_patient_nr' => $this->repeater->gr2o_patient_nr, 'gr2o_id_organization' => $this->repeater->gr2o_id_organization),
                array('gr2t_created' => SORT_DESC)));
        $tracksList  = $HTML->div($tracksData, array('class' => 'tracksList'));
        $tracksList->setOnEmpty($this->_('No tracks'));
        if ($menuItem = $this->findMenuItem('track', 'show-track')) {
            $href = $menuItem->toHRefAttribute($tracksData, array('gr2o_patient_nr' => $this->repeater->gr2o_patient_nr));
            $tracksTarget = $tracksList->p()->a($href);
        } else {
            $tracksTarget = $tracksList->p();
        }
        $tracksTarget->strong($tracksData->gtr_track_name);
        $tracksTarget[] = ' ';
        $tracksTarget->em($tracksData->gr2t_track_info, array('renderWithoutContent' => false));
        $tracksTarget[] = ' ';
        $tracksTarget[] = \MUtil_Lazy::call($this->util->getTranslated()->formatDate, $tracksData->gr2t_created);
        $bridge->td($tracksList, array('rowspan' => $rowspan, 'class' => 'linked tracksList'));

        // OTHER ROWS
        $bridge->addItem(
            $HTML->spaced($bridge->itemIf('grs_last_name', array($bridge->grs_last_name, ',')), $bridge->grs_first_name, $bridge->grs_surname_prefix),
            $this->_('Respondent'));
        $bridge->addItem('grs_gender');
        $bridge->addItem('grs_birthday');
        $bridge->addItem('gr2o_email');
        $bridge->addItem('gr2o_created');
        $bridge->addItem('gr2o_created_by');

        if ($this->onclick) {
            // TODO: can we not use $repeater?
            $href = array('location.href=\'', $this->onclick, '\';');

            foreach ($bridge->tbody() as $tr) {
                foreach ($tr as $td) {
                    if (strpos($td->class, 'linked') === false) {
                        $td->onclick = $href;
                    } else {
                        $td->onclick = 'event.cancelBubble=true;';
                    }
                }
            }
            $bridge->tbody()->onclick = '// Dummy for CSS';
        }
   }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Rayman Origins – komputerowa gra platformowa stworzona przez Ubisoft. Należy ona do serii gier Rayman. Jej autorem jest Michel Ancel, twórca pierwszych gier o Raymanie. Tytuł został wydany na PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation Vita i Microsoft Windows w 2011 roku.

Fabuła
Podczas gry gracz spotyka wiele postaci i stworzeń znanych z pierwszej odsłony serii, gry Rayman. Akcja gry osadzona jest w baśniowej krainie Rozdroży Marzeń. Twórca świata, Śniący Bańki zaczyna miewać koszmary, które powodują pojawienie się w świecie złych mocy, które powodują pojawienie się w rozdrożach innych niebezpiecznych stworzeń. Rayman oraz jego przyjaciele Globox i dwójka Małaków muszą działać wspólnie, aby uratować świat.

Rozgrywka
Rayman Origins jest platformową grą zręcznościową, co oznacza pokonywanie różnego rodzaju przeszkód przez bieganie, skoki czy uderzanie, zbieranie jak największej liczby "lumów", które są pewnym odpowiednikiem punktów w grze i uwalnianie tzw. "elektrunów". Po osiągnięciu celu odblokowany zostaje kolejny poziom. Rayman Origins zawiera tryb dla jednego gracza oraz tryb wieloosobowy, w którym udział wziąć może do czterech uczestników. Gracze sterują Raymanem, Globoxem i dwoma Małakami. Świat gry jest dwuwymiarowy, lecz postacie mogą przenosić się między niektórymi warstwami ekranu. W trybie wieloosobowym gracze muszą ze sobą współpracować, by rozwiązać zagadki i znaleźć różnego rodzaju ukryte przedmioty, uwalniają też uwięzione przez złe stworzenia "elektruny". Muzyka i dźwięk są zsynchronizowane z akcjami wykonywanymi przez bohaterów. Po śmierci gracza jego postać zamienia się w balon, który może wciąż towarzyszyć innym graczom, aby następnie powrócić do swojej pierwotnej postaci, gdy inny żywy gracz ów balon przekłuje. W przypadku gry jednoosobowej gracz musi rozpocząć określoną sekcję od nowa. Jeśli jednak zbierze wcześniej przedmiot w postaci serca, to w wypadku obrażenia, nie ginie lecz traci serce.

Dostępne są również dodatkowe poziomy, gdzie np. gracz musi gonić tzw. "cwaną skrzynię" zawierającą skarb w postaci zębu czaszki. Po pomyślnym zebraniu dziecięciu takich zębów, otrzymuje dostęp do dodatkowego poziomu – "Krainy Żywych Umarlaków".

Produkcja
Po raz pierwszy gra została zaprezentowana na targach E3 w Los Angeles 2010 roku. Gra charakteryzuje się bajkową i kolorową oprawą graficzną w 2D, dzięki której gra nawiązuje do pierwszej części serii. Tytuł początkowo miał ukazać się w formie epizodów dostępnych tylko w dystrybucji cyfrowej pod koniec 2010 roku, jednak Ubisoft zdecydował się na wydanie kompletnej gry w postaci pudełkowej. Rayman Origins powstał przy pomocy nowego oprogramowania UbiArt Framework, które pozwala na wyświetlanie wielowarstwowej grafiki 2D w rozdzielczości HD.

Muzyka
Za muzykę do gry w większości odpowiedzialny jest francuski kompozytor Christophe Héral, który już wcześniej pracował z Michelem Ancelem przy grze Beyond Good & Evil. Z powodu problemów z napiętym harmonogramem pracy Héral miał tylko trzy miesiące na skomponowanie muzyki, więc wynajęto kolejnego kompozytora, Billy'ego Martina, by dokończył muzykę do Rayman Origins. Jest to pierwsza gra w historii serii, której ścieżka dźwiękowa została oficjalnie wydana.

Obsada głosowa
 Freddie Winston – Rayman / Bad Rayman
 Mark Ashton – Globox / Glombrox
 Doug Rand – Małaki / Śniący Bańki
 Tara Strong – Nimfy
 Jen Taylor – Nimfy
 Michel Ancel – Wielka Mama

Przypisy

Gry z serii Rayman
Gry na platformę PlayStation 3
Gry na platformę Xbox 360
Gry na platformę Wii
Gry wydane przez Ubisoft Entertainment
Platformowe gry komputerowe
2011 w grach komputerowych


text:
Yarsanism, Ahl-e Haqq or Kaka'i ( or ; , ), is a syncretic religion founded by Sultan Sahak in the late 14th century in western Iran. The total number of followers of Yarsanism is estimated to be over half a million to one million in Iran. The numbers in Iraq are unknown. Followers are mostly Kurds from the Guran, Sanjâbi, Kalhor, Zangana and Jalalvand tribes. Turkic-speaking Yarsan enclaves also exist in Iran.

Some Yarsanis in Iraq are called Kaka'i. Yarsanis say that some people call them disparagingly as "Ali-o-allahi" or "worshipers of Ali", labels which Yarsanis deny. Many Yarsanis hide their religion due to  the pressure of Iran's Islamic system, and there are no exact statistics of their population.

The Yarsanis have a distinct religious literature primarily written in the Gorani language. However, few modern Yarsani can read or write Gorani as their mother tongue is Southern Kurdish or Sorani.

Their central religious book is called the Kalâm-e Saranjâm, written in the 15th century and based on the teachings of Sultan Sahak.

Geography
The majority of Yarsan followers live in Kermanshah Province and adjacent areas of Lorestan Province and Ilam Province in Iran. They are the predominant religious population in Mahidasht, Bivanij and Zohab districts of Kermanshah, and populate rural areas of Delfan, Holeylan and Posht-e Kuh in Ilam and Lorestan.

The main urban centers of the religion are Sahneh, Kerend-e Gharb and Gahvareh, and other important cities include Kermanshah, Sarpol-e Zahab and Qasr-e Shirin.

Other areas in Iran with a significant Yarsan population include Hashtgerd and Varamin near Tehran and Maragheh, and Tabriz in Iranian Azerbaijan, where important Turkic-speaking Yarsan communities live and use Turkic for many of their religious texts. The Yarsani tradition claims that all early communities used Gorani as their religious language, but that over time, some groups were forced to adopt a Turkic language closely akin to Azeri for all purposes, including religion.

In Iraq, Yarsan followers mainly live in Iraqi Kurdistan, around Mosul, Kirkuk, Kalar, Khanaqin, Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, and Halabja.

Beliefs

The Yarsani follow the mystical teachings of Sultan Sahak ( 14th-15th century). From the Yarsani point of view, the universe is composed of two distinct yet interrelated worlds: the internal (bātinī) and the external (zāhirī), each having its own order and rules. Although humans are only aware of the outer world, their lives are governed according to the rules of the inner world. This aspect of the Yarsani faith can be identified as Kurdish esoterism which emerged under the intense influence of Bātinī-Sufism during the last two centuries.

Among other important pillars of their belief system are that the Divine Essence has successive manifestations in human form (mazhariyyat) and the belief in transmigration of the soul (dunaduni in Kurdish). Yarasani believe that every man needs to do what is written within their holy book, the Kalâm-e Saranjâm, otherwise they are not part of Yarsan. There is no compulsion or exclusion in Yarsan – anyone who chooses to follow its precepts is welcome.

The Yarsani faith's features include millenarism, Innatism, egalitarianism, metempsychosis, angelology, divine manifestation and dualism.

Divine manifestations
The Yarsani are emanationists and incarnationists, believing that the Divine Essence has successive incarnations known as mazhariyyats (similar to the Hindu avatars). They believe God manifests one primary and seven secondary manifestations in each  epoch of the world, in either angel or human form. These seven persons are known as "Haft tan" which means "The Seven Persons"

The primary mazhariyyat of the First Epoch was the Divine Essence known as Khawandagar, who created the world.

The primary mazhariyyat of the Second Epoch was Ali ibn Abi Talib, the fourth Caliph and first imam of Shia Islam. This explains the alternative name for Yarsanis Ali-Allahi, 'Believers in the divinity of Ali'.

The primary mazhariyyat of the Third Epoch was Shah Khoshin.

In the Fourth Epoch, the primary mazhariyyat is held to be Sultan Sahak. It is said that his mother was Dayerak Rezbar or Khatun-e Rezbar, a Kurdish virgin of the Jaff tribe. While sleeping under a pomegranate tree a kernel of fruit fell into her mouth when a bird pecked the fruit directly over her. Sources vary on Rezbar's marital life, some state that she lived her entire life celibate and unmarried while most state that she had married. Sources that claim she had married either contest her husband as being a Kurdish man named "Shaykh Isa" from a priestly line of the Barzanja tribe or an Arab Sayyid man. Whether either of these men even fathered Sahak is also contested among Yarsanis who believe she had married either one of them.

Haft Tan or seven persons
Each Epoch in Yarsani belief saw the appearance of the seven secondary divine manifestations or Haft Tan. In the First Epoch they appeared in their true angelic form, while in subsequent Epochs they appeared in human incarnations. The "Haft Tan" are charged with responsibility for the affairs of the internal realm.

The secondary mazhariyyats  of the First Epoch include the archangels Gabriel, Michael, Israfil and Azrael, and a female angelic being.

The mazhariyyats of the Second Epoch include Salman, Qanbar, Muhammad, Nusayr (who is either Jesus Christ or Theophobus) and Bahlool. It also includes Fatimah, the daughter of Muhammad as the incarnation of the female angel.

The mazhariyyats of the Third Epoch include Shah Fazlullah Veli, Baba Sarhang Dudani and Baba Naous.

In the Fourth Epoch, the Haft Tan or 'seven persons' charged by Sultan Sahak with responsibility for the affairs of the inner realm consist of the following:

The "Haft Tan" (The Seven Archangels) are key figures in the Yarsani belief system and their history. The only female among them is Khatun-e Rezbar, the mother of Sultan Sahak.
 Pir Benjamin, considered the incarnation of the archangel Gabriel; he has the preceptor title to all Yarsanis (Monday)
 Pir Musi, the incarnation of the archangel Michael and known as the Recording angel (Tuesday)
 Mustafā Dawan, the incarnation of archangel Azrael (Wednesday)
 Sultan Sahak, the incarnation of Divine Essence (Thursday)
 Baba Yadegar, also known as "Ahmad" and "Reza" (Friday)
 Khatun-e Razbar (Saturday)
 Dawud Koswar (David), also informally called Dawu; he is known as "Dalil" (in Kurdish) to all Yarsanis (Sunday)

These seven persons are known as "Haft tan" which means literally "The Seven Persons"

Holy texts
The traditions of the Yarsani are preserved in poetry known as Kalâm-e Saranjâm (The Discourse of Conclusion), divinely revealed narratives passed down orally through the generations. These traditions are said to have been written down by Pir Musi, one of the seven companions of Sultan Sahak (also the angel in charge of recording human deeds). The collection consists of the epochs of Khawandagar [God], 'Alī, Shah Khoshin and Sultan Sahak, the different manifestations of divinity. The epoch of Shah Khoshin takes place in Luristan and the epoch of Sultan Sahak is placed in Hawraman near the Sirwan River, the land of the Goranî. Also important to the Goranî is the Daftar-e kezana-ye Perdivari (Book of the Treasure of Perdivar), a collection of twenty six mythological poems or kalams.

The sayings attributed to Sultan Sahak are written in Gorani Kurdish, the sacred language of the Ahl-e Haqq, which also is known as Hawrami dialects. However, few modern Yarsani can read or write Gorani as their mother tongues are Southern Kurdish and Sorani Kurdish, which belong to the other two branches of the Kurdish language family. Some Yarsani literature is written in the Persian language.

The older texts are called the Perdiwari texts, which date back to around the 15th or 16th centuries. The texts are called Perdiwari since Perdiwar is where Soltan Sahak had first founded the Yarsani community. The Perdiwari texts are attributed to writers from this first community of Yarsani believers. They include the following texts.
Dowre-ye Bābā Khoshin
Dowre-ye Bābā Nā'us
Dowre-ye Bohlul
Dowre-ye Bābā Jalil
Bābā Sarhang
Dowre-ye Soltān Sahāk
Kalām-e Ābedin
Kalām-e Ahmad
Daftar-e Dāmyāri
Šandarwi maramo (Kelim wa Duš)
Bārgah Bārgah
Dowre-ye Cheltan
Kamākanān
Zolāl Zolāl

Widely known non-Perdiwari texts are:
Daftar-e Sheykh Amir
Daftar-e Khān Almās
Daftar-e Ābedin Jāf
Daftar-e Ilbegi
Daftar of Qushchioghli
Daftars of other members of the group of 'Twenty-Four Poets', in Turkic (Azerbaijani)
Daftar-e Zu'l-Feqār
Daftar of the Thirty-Six Poets of the Period of Sayyed Brāke

Sacred sites

Two important sanctuaries of the Yarsani are the tomb of Bābā Yādgār, about 40 km away from Sarpol-e Zahab in Kermanshah Province and the tomb of Dawoud at Zarde, about three kilometres east of Sarpol-e Zahab. Another important shrine is that of Sultan Suhak in Sheykhan, near Perdīvar bridge in Kermanshah Province. The tombs of Pir Benjamin and Pir Musi in the town of Kerend in Kermanshah Province, Iran are also important shrines.

Organisation

Khandans or spiritual houses
Yarsanism is organised into spiritual houses or Khandans, seven of which were established at the time of Sultan Sahak, and four afterwards, making eleven Khandans in all. The Khandans were established when, along with the Haft Tan, Sultan Sahak also formed the Haft Tawane, a group of seven holy persons charged with the affairs of the outer world. They were Say-yed Mohammad, Say-yed Abu'l Wafa, Haji Babusi, Mir Sur, Say-yed Mostafa, Sheykh Shahab al-Din and Sheykh Habib Shah. Each of the Haft Tawane was charged with responsibility for the guidance of a number of followers, and these followers formed the original seven Khandans, namely Shah Ebrahim, Baba Yadegar, Ali Qalandar, Khamush, Mir Sur, Sey-yed Mosaffa and Hajji Babu Isa. After Sultan Sahak's time another four  khandans were established, namely Atesh Bag, Baba Heydar, Zolnour and Shah Hayas.

Every Yarsani therefore belongs to one specific khandan, which is led by a spiritual leader called a say-yed, to whom each member must swear obedience.  The say-yed is the spiritual leader of the community and is normally present during the ceremonies attended by the followers. Say-yeds are the only ones allowed to have full access to the religious texts of Yarsanism, and have traditionally competed with each other to have the largest number of followers. The position of Say-yed is hereditary, being passed down through the generations from the original  founders. As the say-yed are considered spiritual 'parents', it is the tradition for them not to marry their followers.

Relationship with other religious groups

An excerpt from the French Review of the Muslim World describes the difficulty in nomenclature for Yarsanism and related Shi'ite mysticism. The English translation reads:

Relations with Islam
Ahl-e Haqq view Islam as a product of a cycle of divine essence, which was made manifest in Ali, and established the stage of shai'at (Islamic law). This was followed by the cycle of tariqat (Sufi teachings), then ma'rifat (Sufi gnosis), and finally the current cycle of haqiqat (Ultimate Truth), which was made manifest in Sultan Sahak. The final stage supersedes the previous ones, which frees Ahl-e Haqq from observing the shari'a rules incumbent on Muslims. Ahl-i Haqq class other Muslims as either Ahl-i Tashayyu (followers of Shi'ism) or Ahl-i Tasannun (followers of Sunnism). The Ahl-i Haqq neither observe Muslim rites, such as daily prayers and fasting during the month of Ramadan, nor share Islamic theology and sacred space, such as belief in the day of resurrection and sanctity of the mosque.

Extremist Sunni Islamic groups, such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and al-Qaeda, regard the followers of Yarsanism as unbelievers who have to convert to Islam or die. These militants have persecuted Yarsanis during the Iraq conflict, possibly prompting some Iraqi Yarsan community leaders to declare in 2013 that their people were actually Muslims to avoid sectarian attacks.

See also

Ali-Illahism
Yazidism
Yazdanism

References

Bibliography

Collections of Yarsani texts published in Iran and Iraq:
Ṣafizāde, Ṣ. (1375/1996), Nāme-ye Saranjām yā Kalām-e Xazāne [The Book of Saranjām or the Kalām of the Treasury], Tehran.
Ḥosseyni, Sayyed M. (1382/2003), Dīwān-e Gewre [The Great Diwan], Kermanshah.
Ṭāheri, Ṭ. (2007, 2009), Saranjām, 2 Vols., Erbil.
Anonymous (copied 1387/2008), Daftar-e Diwān-e Gewre-ye Perdiwari [The Book of the Great Collection of Perdiwari (Kalāms)], copied by Kāki 'Azizpanāhi Tutšāmi, n.pl.

External links

 Razbar Ensemble – sacred music of Ahl-e Haqq.
 Gorani Influence on Central Kurdish: Substratum or Prestige Borrowing? Leezenberg, Michiel: ILLC – Department of Philosophy, University of Amsterdam
 The Shabak and the Kakais in Northern Iraq, Syncretistic religious communities in the Near East: collected papers of the International Symposium "Alevism in Turkey and comparable sycretistic religious communities in the Near East in the past and present" Berlin, 14–17 April 1995, Krisztina Kehl-Bodrogi, Barbara Kellner-Heinkele, Anke Otter-Beaujean, Krisztina Kehl-Bodrogi, Barbara.
 Leezenberg, Michiel: ILLC – Department of Humanities, University of Amsterdam

Iranian religions
Kurdish culture
Monotheistic religions
Mysticism
Religion in Iran
Religion in Iraq
Religion in Kurdistan
Kurdish words and phrases


Spaghetti squash is a fairly large winter squash with a unique texture: when cooked, the flesh separates into strands, which is easily likened to spaghetti. Plenty of people like to put all kinds of sauces on spaghetti squash, as if the strand-like flesh were actual pasta, instead of just pasta-like in shape. I prefer roasted spaghetti squash relatively plain, with a bit of butter, salt, and pepper as it is here. In any case, I eschew the tomato sauce, which I don't find to be a particularly good match with this squash, and douse the strands in a creamy sauce or a spicy one.
Note: Spaghetti squash are big. Most are at least 4 pounds, which will yield a solid 8 cups of cooked squash. Luckily, it freezes well after roasting, so just seal of extras and pop them in the freezer to use later!
In the oven: Preheat an oven to 375°F. Poke the spaghetti squash all over with a fork. Set the squash in a roasting pan or just on a piece of foil and bake until tender (you should be able to pierce it easily with a fork — since you just poked it all over when it was raw, you should be able to feel a definite difference!), at least an hour and up to 90 minutes (or even more if the squash is giant one).
In the microwave: Similarly poke the spaghetti squash all over with a fork, then microwave it on high for 5 minutes. Poke it a bit more to see how it's cooking, then microwave in 2-minute bursts until the squash is cooked and tender all the way through—like a total of 10 to 12 minutes.
Cut off and discard the stem end, cut the squash in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds. Then use a fork to scrape the cooked spaghetti squash into strands.
While still warm, top the cooked spaghetti squash with a pat of butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. A bit of salty grated cheese, such as Parmesan, pecorino, or aged gouda is pretty tasty on there, too.


DALLAS, TEXAS, Jan 16, 2007 - It's that time to think about Valentine's Day. If you are looking for a gift that says 'forever,' consider a photo gift. A very special photo captured in time and printed onto a mug filled with chocolate kisses, a keepsake photo plate, or canvas print can last for years.
FotoTime, a leading provider of digital photo and video solutions, recommends several things to keep in mind when you are taking and selecting a photo order in order to ensure the highest quality for your gift item.
Carefully go through your photo library to pick out your best images. Your photo should have good lighting, color, contrast and balance. Also a photo editor can help you correct common problems such as incorrect white balance or improper exposure.
If a mug filled with silver and red wrapped Hershey kisses is your gift choice, keep in mind the image will wrap around. You'll want to select a photo that is wide (landscape) and not tall (portrait) to ensure the most attractive results. The mug has a white surface so choose an image that stands out against a white background.
The keepsake photo plate also is a very popular Valentine gift. Each plate is accented with a 24 karat gold trim and comes with a display easel. When you select a photo to be printed on the plate, be sure that the focal point of your image is centered within the photo. The photo-processing lab will need to crop the image to fit into a circle on the plate.
Canvas prints let you transform an ordinary photo into a work of art that can be enjoyed for a lifetime. You can choose from a variety of sizes ranging from 8"x10" to 20"x30". Each print also includes an extra two-inch border so it can be professionally stretched and mounted.
Photo gifts are a great way to personalize gifts that can be cherished well beyond Valentine's Day. Keep these tips in mind as you begin selecting images for your gift items to ensure the highest quality.


1. machines.jsp page resolves the http address as just "http://hostname" (which doesn't work). It doesnt put the port number for the host. Even if I add the port number manually in the URI, the task tracker page does not come up.
2. All the tasks(both maps and reduces) which ran on the machine ran successfully. But tasklogs cannot be viewed, because port-number is not resolved. ( same problem as in (1)).
3. The reducers waiting for maps ran on that machine fail with connection failed errors saying the hostname is 'null'.


Agave desmettiana with flowers to signal its approaching death!
Wouldn't you be captivated with this 3-meter tall flowering beauty if you chance upon it?
We were very impressed, indeed! And, captured a lot of pictures too as we monitored its blooming progressively for several months.
A pity though that Agave desmettiana is monocarpic and will exhaust all its energy for just a one-time flowering in its life-span, typically about 10 years of age and awaits its approaching death after showing off its blooms.
However, the best part is, the mother plant will leave behind as its legacy, numerous suckers or pups around its base and even its flowers will often set bulbils or aerial plantlets. Wonderful, right? You'll have an abundance of them to decorate your garden or share with friends and neighbours.
The Dwarf Century Plant is somewhat similar to the Octopus agave but smaller in stature. This much favoured and popularly cultivated agave with curvaceous foliage and minutely toothed leaf edges is primarily grown as a landscape ornamental plant for its architectural foliage display. And, when it does flower, that's the added reward… to be able to enjoy its majestic flowering scape with bright yellow blooms over an extended period of time and be assured of its perpetual presence in the landscape with its production of new babies!
There's an attractive variegated form of this dwarf species, Agave desmettiana 'Variegata' with golden-yellow margins on the grey-green leaves. It's even more striking and enchanting than the typical species, and shines as a beacon in low-light locations!
Common Name: Smooth Agave, Dwarf Century Plant, Smooth Century Plant.
Etymology: The genus Agave is derived from Agavos in Greek, meaning 'admirable', 'noble' or 'splendid'. The species epithet desmettiana is named after the Belgian horticulturist and nursery owner Louis De Smet (1813-1887).
Origin: Native to Mexico but has been in cultivation for centuries.
Plant type: An ornamental herbaceous succulent shrub.
Features: Agave desmettiana is a slow to medium-growing succulent plant that grows to 0.6-0.9 m (2-3 ft) tall and has a leaf spread of 0.9-1.2 m (3-4 ft) wide, when grown on the ground but smaller in containers. It is stemless, with sessile leaves emerging directly from an underground rhizomatous stem and arranged spirally in a rosette-like formation. It will eventually produce suckers profusely, forming clumps with age.
Foliage is evergreen, with yellowish to medium green or greyish to bluish-green leaves, with colour varying according to the amount of sunlight received, gaining a darker green in full sun.
Lance-shaped leaf blades of the Dwarf Century Plant are fleshy, thick and smooth, with very tiny marginal thorns and brownish apical spines. Growing in an upright manner, the symmetrical rosette with recurved leaves will create an elegant urn-like or architectural form that's most appealing, making it a favoured specimen.
Towards the end of its life-span, typically about 8-10 years old, Agave desmettiana will produce a thick green flowering stalk, emerging from the center of the plant and towering 2.43-3 m (8-10 ft) in height, and bearing panicles of bright yellow blooms.
The whole blooming process will last for several weeks to months, with the flowers at the base opening first.
The inflorescences will not set seeds but are often bulbiferous, producing an abundance of bulbils that can be propagated into new plants. The plant will bloom only once in its lifetime and then dies after flowering to complete its life cycle.
Culture (Care): The Smooth Agave grows easily with minimum care. It enjoys the tropical and desert or arid climatic conditions when well-established.
Light: Grows best in full sun but is tolerant of light shade or semi-shade.
Moisture: Medium to low water requirements. When mature and established, it is drought tolerant and needs occasional watering. However, it thrives best with regular watering during the hot seasons.
Soil: Prefers well-drained, infertile, sandy or sandy loam soils.
Others: Avoid waterlogging to prevent root rot. You can clip off the sharp brown spine at the tip of leaf blades, when grown around play areas or walking paths, if desired. If a single garden specimen is preferred as a focal point, remove the unwanted suckers around it routinely to make its beautiful architectural character stands out. It is generally free from diseases and pests.
For subtropical and temperate regions: Hardiness: USDA Zone 9-11. In non-hardy regions, it should be protected from heavy frost or overwintered indoors and water sparingly.
Propagation: By removing suckers and aerial bulbils and grow them as new plants.
Usage: Smooth Agave or Dwarf Century Plant will be ideal for container planting because of its modest size. With a bold and statuesque form, it will make a great landscape plant, whether grown singly as a striking accent or mass in garden border/flower-bed. As it is highly drought tolerant, it's excellent too for xeriscapes, rock and desert gardens.
Thank you so much for your offer of an image, Robyn. As of now, we don't see a need to add any more photos for this article since most aspects of the plant have already been illustrated. Thanks again for your generosity. God bless.
We are over the moon excited to have this plant blooming in the house…in Minnesota. We would love more information on how to find the "seed" so we can grow a few more plants.
Hi Pat. The flowers will not set seeds but are often bulbiferous, producing an abundance of bulbils that can be propagated into new plants. Just wait for the blooming period to be over which will be followed by emergence of aerial bulbils. Then remove them and grow as new plants. Info and images shown in our article above should be able to assist you in your endeavour. All the best!
Thank you for the information. The blooming is now finished and I am seeing the little, what I am guessing is the aerial bulbils. IS there a good/better time to pick them off the mother plant and do I just bury them in a little bit of soil?
We have this beautiful succulent in our backyard and both are in bloom! Humming birds come feed to their "flowers" and they attract more birds than the bird feeder! Little did we know this is a once in a lifetime bloom so as soon as I get home (Im at work, LOL!) I will take plenty of photos of this truly amazing work of nature. And will definitely replant the pups and the bulbils if I can. Thank you for all the info!
You're most welcome. We love sharing our garden experiences.
Hope your pups will grow successfully and eventually bless you with more flowers to enjoy.


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Area Codes for Quebec City, Quebec
There are two area codes actively in use in the Quebec City metropolitan area: 418, 581. These area codes cover all of Quebec City proper and it's suburbs as well as all other parts of eastern Quebec province. See below for details.
In Quebec City, area codes are always included in written telephone numbers and area codes must be dialed for all calls, even for local calling. All Canada phone numbers are 10-digits total, including a 3-digit area code and a 7-digit local subscriber number.
Quebec City area code information:
Area codes for Quebec City and Quebec
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Quebec City area codes:
Area codes are used to route phone calls to a specific geographic area within a country. All area codes in Canada are exactly 3-digits long.
In the past, a given region often had just one area code. Nowadays, many cities and towns in denser urban areas have 2 or more area codes.
To make an inbound international call (or domestic long distance call) to a Quebec City landline or mobile phone, you need to dial the appropriate 3-digit area code, followed by a 7-digit local subscriber number.
If you don't have a fully specified 10-digit phone number, including area code, you will not be able to complete an inbound call.
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Area Codes Used In & Near Quebec City, Quebec
There are two area codes used in Quebec City, it's suburbs, and the rest of eastern Quebec province.
Quebec City Area Codes
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581 Covers the city of Quebec City, nearby suburbs such as Beauport, Cap-Rouge, Charlesbourg, Charmy, L'Acienne-Lorette, Levis, Lorettaville, Pont-Rouge, Sainte-Fory, Saint-Emile, Saint-Jean-Chrysostome, Saint-Romuald, Sillery, Val-Belair, Vanier, Wendake and as well as all of eastern Quebec province.
The area code 581 is a recently added overlay area codes to accommodate population growth and the need for additional telephone numbers.
See maps and other area code listings below for further information.
Area Codes for Towns in Quebec City Area
Quebec City, while a large city, does not have it's own distinct area codes, but rather shares the same area codes as the rest of eastern Quebec province.
However, the western border of the Quebec City area codes is not far to the west of the city, so towns like Sherbrooke and Trois-Rivieres are in another area code - 819.
Beauport area code 418 / 581
Cap-Rouge area code 418 / 581
Charlesbourg area code 418 / 581
Charmy area code 418 / 581
L'Acienne-Lorette area code 418 / 581
Levis area code 418 / 581
Lorettaville area code 418 / 581
Pont-Rouge area code 418 / 581
Quebec City area code 418 / 581
Sainte-Fory area code 418 / 581
Saint-Emile area code 418 / 581
Saint-Jean-Chrysostome area code 418 / 581
Saint-Romuald area code 418 / 581
Sillery area code 418 / 581
Val-Belair area code 418 / 581
Vanier area code 418 / 581
Wendake area code 418 / 581
Lookup Quebec City Area Codes
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Quebec City, Quebec Area Code Maps
The following map shows area codes for Quebec City and the province of Quebec.
Quebec Area Code Map
Source: Canadian Numbering Administrator Area Code Maps
Maps may not be completely up to date. Check other map links below if this appears out of date.
City Codes vs. Area Codes
In some cases, area codes may be referred to as city codes. However, a 'city code' more correctly refers to the codes used to designate airports and other geographic locations. These codes are issued under the United Nation's UN/LOCODE system and/or the IATA airport coding system. The city code for Quebec City is QUE.
Other Area Code Information
WhitePages.com - USA & Canada area code maps
CNA* - Canada area codes map
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NANPA* - US national area code map (with time zone overlay)
NANPA* - planned area code changes
* CNA is the Canadian Numbering Administrator. NANPA is the North American Numbering Plan Administrator. These are the official groups responsible for phone numbers in the US and Canada.
Quebec City online telephone directories
Quebec City dialing steps


text:
DDiwan
Goodreads – Your Virtual Bookshelf and Library
Ever wanted to comprehensively sort out your book shelf? Segregate the read from the not-read perhaps? Always wanted to compile a list of titles to keep an eye out for, but never really found the time?
The salve for literary-minded folk comes in the form of online site Goodreads.com. A social networking site for book lovers, with more than 9 million members and 220 million titles on the shelves, this web address is every bibliophile's organizational dream. It is also the largest literary social networking website in the world!
The site acts as a book tracking/recommendation/comparison site. Not only can users add book titles onto virtual shelves, but they can also rate their latest reads, recommend titles to those on their Friends List, and even update their current book status. They can even join book discussions and take part in Q&A's with writers such as Paulo Coelho and Margaret Atwood.
Customized recommendations based on a user's interests and past reads
To make the site even more sociable, users can create groups, book clubs and discussions, and they can post their Goodreads activities on social networks like Facebook and Twitter.
Online shelf perusal has been made even more accessible with newly developed apps for Android, Apple and even the new Kindle Fire, allowing for greater literary mobility. And a new feature that has the website recommending books for you based on the current inhabitants of your shelf leaves one wondering if telepathic capabilities are also for installation (in reality it's a brilliant algorithm that the developers created to help you find the perfect books for you).
The site is perfect for the casual reader or the heavy reading types (aka bookworms).
– Khaleejesque Staff
A user's bookshelf: Features book title, rating, date read, and more
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