IP powered speakers connect to a PoE type network switch.
The speakers include built in amplifiers. They use PoE, so no additional power connections are required. Just plug the speaker into your network switch.
Each speaker can be addressed individually by the paging software. You can make a page to a single speaker, a group of speakers, or to all the speakers on the network. These IP powered speakers are very easy to install and provide excellent flexibility.
The network attached speakers include a built in amplifier, micro-computer, D to A Converter, and a network connection. They also can include an optional microphone so you can use these speakers as intercoms.
The diagram shows the block diagram for the powered network attached speaker.
The amplifier module inside the speaker includes a network interface with specialized micro-computer. The D to A converter (digital to analog converter) provides the analog audio signal that is amplified. The amplifier increases the sound power level so that it can drive the speaker. Since this is all inside the speaker it makes it very easy to install.
The powered speakers are part of the total network paging system. Besides these IP powered speakers, you can select individual IP amplifiers that drive multiple speakers or intercoms to create a complete audio system. There are a number of different IP speakers available. You can select ceiling type, bi-directional hall speakers, wall mounted, or speaker panels that fit in a drop ceiling panel.
The IP powered speakers can provide a lot of sound output. For example, a wall speaker provides a maximum of 99 dB at 1 meter away. This is about the sound level from a lawn mower or jackhammer. As the distance increases the level of the sound is reduced. In a classroom application the paging sound level should be less than 70 dB (as long as the students are not all yelling). You can reduce the sound level by reducing the power to the speaker.
Outdoor applications usually require a separate amplifier. The sound level can be dramatically increased by selecting higher power IP amplifiers. Speakers with higher sound levels allow you to project the sound over a larger area.
Sound levels above 85 dB can be harmfull. The danger depends on how close you are to the speaker, and how often you are exposed to this sound level. Speakers that are very loud are usually mounted high up, on a pole or ceiling. Take a look at our article, "What is the Right Sound Level for Your Paging Speakers?" for more detail about sound levels.
Sound from a microphone attached to your computer is converted to digital code. The digitized audio is compressed and then transmitted over the network to any designated IP speaker. The type of encoding and compression is defined by the transport protocol and bandwidth. Our previous article, "How Network Attached Amplifiers and IP Intercoms Work", described how the network amplifiers communicate on the network.
Sound quality depends on the speaker and the digitized audio bandwidth. Many of the IP systems use a transport bandwidth of 64 Kbps or more. These IP paging systems assume that we are making voice announcements rather than providing music, so the frequency ranges are matched to voice quality sound. You can also provide better quality sound, for background music. In this case a network attached audio unit (IP7) is used to inject music audio at bandwidths up to 176 Kbps. For example, the IP wall speaker from Digital Acoustics provides very clear, high quality sound, of 65 Hz – 17 kHz.
You can make an announcement from your computer or from a VoIP phone. One example, is Talkmaster software from Digital Acoustics. This software allows you to make announcements from one or more computers. The software allows you to select any speaker or groups of speakers to make an announcement. You can talk to one classroom, to one building or everywhere on the network.
Powered speakers can be used with an IP camera system. You can use a network attached speaker or a speaker attached to the audio output of an IP camera.
A network attached speaker located near an IP camera can be used to notify people that they should move away from a patrolled area. You can even yell at your dog.
Paging software such as Talkmaster, allows you to specify a specific speaker on the network. You can make very specific notifications. Some IP speakers, such as the one from Axis, can only be used with their video management software.
Speakers can also be connected to the audio output of an IP camera. These are powered speakers and require separate power for the amplifier.
This configuration is supported by certain IP cameras and requires a video management and recording system that supports this configuration. For more information about camera attached speakers, see our IP camera system solutions page, or contact us at 914-944-3425 in the USA, or at 800-431-1658 everywhere else, or just use our contact form.
Network attached powered IP speakers can be used for general paging announcements, as well as notifications to a specific area. It is easy to add network attached powered speakers since they connect directly to your network and don't require separate wiring to a central amplifier. In all cases just check with our engineering consulting group for help selecting the right combination of devices.
To learn more about network attached powered speakers, please contact us at 914-944-3425 in the USA, or at 800-431-1658 everywhere else, or just use our contact form.


Posted in Popular, Rock, and Misc.	| Tagged CD review, Matthew alley, NPG, Piano & A Microphone 1983, pop, Prince, Rhino, Warner Bros.
André Cymone is perhaps best known for his friendship and collaboration with Prince, a relationship that has been brought back into the spotlight since Prince's death in April 2016. They grew up together in Minneapolis, and Prince even lived with Cymone and his family for a period of time. In high school, they formed the band Grand Central, along with Morris Day. Their collaboration continued well into their careers, with Prince penning one of Cymone's 1985 hits, "The Dance Electric." Cymone then took a 27 year hiatus from releasing new music, and in in 2014 dropped his last album, The Stone.
Cymone's latest project, Black Man in America, is a short EP but it packs a punch nonetheless. The album is overtly political in nature, with the first lyrics we hear being "No Justice, No Peace!" The opening track, after which the EP is named, argues that unless you're living it, you don't know what it's like to be a black man in America. The second describes a "Hot Night in the Neighborhood," which takes on violence and police brutality.
The third track, "Black Lives Matter," is where Cymone's politics get a bit uncertain. Musically, the song is an acoustic, intimate, plea for humanity and black lives. However, towards the end of the song, Cymone includes the phrase "All Lives Matter," which has been decried by many organizers as a way of derailing the movement, and an unwillingness to stand up for black lives when it really counts. Here, perhaps, it just signals Cymone's optimism. The final song is a cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." Far from the slow Jeff Buckley version that is perhaps best known, Cymone's cover is fast and uplifting—a fitting conclusion to a project calling for radical change and peace.


With interest rates so low right now, your savings may be starting to look distinctly flat. But you can still beat inflation with some money-inflating tricks of your own.
If you find that whenever you check your savings you get a sinking feeling, then the chances are you've got a savings leak. Low interest can make you less inclined to store money away, so you end up spending it instead – and your savings get flatter and flatter. Well, now it's time to fix that puncture.
Locating the biggest leaks should be easy enough. Here are your most likely culprits.
'There's no such thing as a free lunch.' That's funny, because many workers behave as if there is. A report last year found that around a third of people tend not to include their lunch money in their weekly budget, as if lunch somehow didn't count. More alarmingly, the same report (for Visa Contactless) found that people were spending more than £10 a day on lunch combined with coffee, snacks and other sundries – totalling an average £2,541 of 'invisible' spending in a year. Make your own sandwiches and bring your own coffee and you could save at least an extra grand a year.
Bottled water costs on average 500 times more than tap water, according to tapwater.org. You could pour up to £25,000 down the drain in your lifetime… or you could carry a refillable bottle around with you instead.
We Brits will cling onto our holidays tooth and nail, and it's one of the last things we'll cut back on. However, it's very easy to spend much more than you planned for. A single week's holiday in Spain for a family of four, with half board and very modest spending, requires around £500 of pocket money… but as soon as you think 'We're on holiday!' the normal rules tend to go out of the window. Make a realistic spending plan and stick to it.
Esme is the envy of her circle of friends, because she's always the best dressed among them. They wonder how she can afford it on her salary, not realising that many of her designer outfits cost her under £20. Her secret is that she regularly trawls the charity shops in her area, knowing how many in her neighbourhood have money, taste… and an over-fondness for eating out. Esme continues to be amazed at what she saves, while supporting good causes at the same time.
Another top tip Esme discovered by accident. Away for two days on a work excursion, she left her credit and cash cards at home beside the toaster and had just £28 in cash to tide her over. Forced to watch every penny, she realised how often she bought little things on impulse, knowing she had a magic card that could refill her purse on demand. The experience reminded her of her student days, when she would make £30 last all week. That made it easier, and now she has a 'no cards day' once a fortnight.
Your car is one of the biggest drains on your income, particularly when you're young. Do what you can to save on your insurance – it can sometimes help to add another person to your policy if they have proved themselves to be a safe driver. Otherwise, just using your car less can make a massive difference: less refuelling, fewer parking fees (and fines), lower wear and tear on the car. And if you walk or cycle more, you might even be able to cancel your gym membership.
See above. Or if you don't want to cancel yet, switch to a monthly pay-as-you-go so you're not locked in.
Remember, you now have a £1,000 tax-free allowance on savings interest if you're a basic-rate taxpayer (£500 if you're higher rate) which means that for most people, ordinary savings accounts are almost as good as ISAs at the moment – and may give you even higher interest.
Now you're saving money every month, put that leftover cash into a regular savings account. You can get up to 6 per cent interest on some of them. See, now you're interested.
For more tips on saving and investing, talk to a financial adviser – the first meeting is usually free. Find one near you using our smart postcode search.


I am an 82-year-old female patient of Dr. Mancini's and has been looking for a doctor of Integrative Medicine – a doctor who believed in ways of renewing health other than using prescription drugs. Most of us are learning that most drugs have serious side effects and are not the answer to a healthy lifestyle. I found out the hard way when my husband (of 50 years) passes away very suddenly from a reaction to the blood thinning drug t-PA causing him to have a brain hemorrhage (17% of people who take the drug die from brain hemorrhaging.) I did not know this before his passing!
When I went in to see my G.P. doctor, he said my blood pressure was high and my chances of having a stroke were very high. He tried me on several different drugs (over a period of months) and they ALL had very serious side effects – constant heart fibrillation, serious anxiety, panic attacks, headaches, shortness of breath, stomach aches and nausea. I ended up in the E.R. four times and even had to call 911 one night, thinking I was having a heart attack. To make a long story short – Dr. Mancini was recommended to me by one of his patients and I am feeling "GREAT" and very happy to be in good health after months of thinking I was going to live the rest of my life feeling very ill, not able to drive again and trying to remember how it was to enjoy life again.
Thank you and bless you, Dr. Mancini for your concern, for your patience, your positive, caring attitude, your healing, relaxing treatments, your healing supplements and herbs – all working together to bring us renewed health.


The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, sought to delay agreement on a Ukrainian ceasefire at talks in Minsk because he wanted pro-Russia separatists to capture the eastern railway hub of Debaltseve, an EU summit has been told.
Three of the four leaders at the talks in Minsk – the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, France's president, François Hollande, and Ukraine's embattled president, Petro Poroshenko – dashed to the Brussels summit directly from Belarus.
Briefing 26 other EU heads of government on the fraught negotiations that resulted in a truce supposed to start on Sunday, the Minsk participants painted a picture that failed to inspire confidence.
Putin was said to have made it clear that Debaltseve had to fall. In public remarks following the deal, Putin also said the separatists had the Ukrainian forces encircled and that "of course, they expect [the Ukrainians] to lay down their arms and cease resistance".
While the 13-point peace plan is complex and looks to political developments at least a year away, Poroshenko's absolute priority was to get a ceasefire. The Ukrainian leader delivered an emotional report to the summit on the plight of eastern Ukraine, witnesses said. He said he had not slept for two nights. Before the Minsk talks, he went to a hospital in the eastern town of Kramatorsk, where he was deeply affected by the sight of a four-year-old boy who had lost limbs in a shelling by separatist forces.
On Friday, Poroshenko was similarly pessimistic. "I don't want anyone to have any illusions and so I am not seen as a naive person: we are still a very long way from peace," he said during a visit to a military training ground.
There was fierce fighting across eastern Ukraine on Friday, with both sides accusing the other of killing civilians.
Two people were killed and six wounded when a shell hit a packed cafe in the Kiev-controlled town of Shchastya near rebel-held Luhansk, a local official said, adding that other shells had struck elsewhere in the town.
The rebels accused Ukrainian forces of shelling the separatist stronghold of Donetsk and the town of Horlivka, where they said three children had been killed. It was not possible to verify either of these reports, though an AFP journalist in Donetsk said sporadic missile salvoes and dozens of artillery bombardments could be heard from the city starting early on Friday morning.
The Ukrainian military said 11 soldiers had been killed and 40 wounded in the past 24 hours, and that rebels had built up their forces across separatist-held zones.
"In the Donbass [eastern Ukraine], this night was not a calm one. The enemy shelled positions of the 'anti-terrorist operation' forces with the same intensity as before," a statement by the Ukrainian military said.
Fighting had been particularly intense around Debaltseve, where separatists had used rockets and artillery to attack government forces, the statement said.
The ceasefire agreed in Minsk was intended to pave the way for a comprehensive political settlement of the country's crisis and followed a fraught 16 hours of overnight negotiations.
The summit resulted in a pact providing for a ceasefire between Ukrainian government troops and Russia-backed separatists, a withdrawal of heavy weaponry from the battle zone that is to be demilitarised, amnesties on both sides and exchanges of prisoners and hostages.
The ceasefire and weapons pullback is to be monitored by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
"The next 48 hours will be crucial," said one EU diplomat at the Brussels summit.
Merkel cautioned against over-optimism after Minsk and was guarded about whether the peace pact would be observed and implemented. "We have a glimmer of hope … but no illusions," she said.
Depending on how events play out in eastern Ukraine in the weeks ahead, EU leaders are expected to decide whether to reinforce or relax economic sanctions on Russia next month.
US officials also said they were not taking sanctions off the table and bluntly warned the separatists against seizing more land before Sunday's ceasefire formally takes effect.
If the early peacemaking measures take effect, they are to be followed by more ambitious political moves aimed at an overall political settlement by the end of the year, when Ukraine is supposed to have a new constitution, the rebel-held areas are to be granted decentralised "special status" and cross-border links with Russia, local elections are to be held in the breakaway areas while Kiev is also slated to take control of the border with Russia.
The US said success of the agreement would hinge on whether the Kiev government was able to restore control of its border with Russia.
Under the plan, the government in Kiev may only secure its own border with Russia with the agreement of the separatists. This was a demand that the rebel leaders tabled earlier in the week in the preparations for the summit.


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You are here: Home1 / 2021 August2 / Journey To Memphis Competition 2021
Journey To Memphis Competition 2021
2021 August, Journey to Memphis
Artichoke Music 2007 SE Powell
This is a fundraiser for the winning act.
Tickets on sale NOW! $20+$2.85 fee (limit 4) If you'd like to donate without buying a ticket, just click on the ticket button, that takes you to the donation option. No amount is too small, or too large! All funds will go to the winning act.
This will not be announced to the general public until Aug. 15, so members … get your place reserved!
We have two acts competing this year.
JME (Jenny Moriarty & Bradford Bleidt will go on at 1:30 pm.
Sugar Roots featuring Chad Rupp will be at 2:30 p.m.
Each set will be live streamed separately on the Artichoke Music Facebook page.
The winner will be announced at 3:15 p.m. on the Cascade Blues Association Facebook page.
Meet the competitors
JME
The JME Jazz is stylized blues and post-modern jazz for the next roaring '20s. The band combines decades of musical experience exploring the vast genres of rock, blues, and jazz.
Anybody that has been active in Portland's blues scene will be familiar with Jenny Moriarty's powerful and expressive vocals as she has performed with many of Portland's more prominent musicians. JME provides Jenny perhaps her most versatile and expressive vehicle where she can truly display her performance abilities and musicality.
The instrumental aspects of JME are anchored by Brad Bleidt on piano. Brad's primary piano focus is providing a rich imaginative harmonic interpretation to Jenny's varied repertoire while injecting complementary solos to round out the ensemble's stylizing.
Jenny and Brad are active in Portland's music venues with other projects such as JME Jazz, Bedazzled, the Beacon Street Titans, and The Mystic Mama Band.
Sugar Roots Featuring Chad Rupp
Sugar Roots Featuring Chad Rupp is a Portland, Oregon based blues band formed by multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Chad Rupp, guitarist Jason "JT" Thomas, keyboardist Sam Gendler, bassist Timmer Blakely and drummer Chandler Bowerman.
This band was forged from the roots of Portland's uniquely prodigious local blues scene with three Portland natives and two extremely talented transplants who appreciate the legacy of Portland's musical history and the amazing musicians that have provided a lasting tradition of blues performance. Sugar Roots draws on inspiration from Portland greats, like Curtis Salgado, Lloyd Jones, Jim Mesi, Paul deLay, DK Stewart, and Norman Sylvester, to name a few along with their supporting bandmates.
The band takes its name as a nod to popular local blues band, Brown Sugar, a pioneering staple of Portland's live music scene. Front man, Chad Rupp on the band forming, "Really, the band came together because we had been playing together regularly pre-pandemic for a few years at a popular local jam session, The 1-4-5 Blues Jam Party and we were having a great time! Sam Gendler and Chandler Bowerman brought their experience and mojo from the LA and Illinois scenes combined with veteran local and national act musicians, Timmer Blakely and Jason "JT" Thomas. This group really became a tight and organic unit for me to work with. When we looked at the chemistry we had, we decided that we should be recording and gigging together more! These guys have made it possible for me to stretch out on stage leading to some fun and powerful performances for me, personally! "
We are all looking forward to bringing our best to the stage as we approach the Cascade Blues Association's Journey to Memphis and the possibility representing Portland's live blues legacy at the International Blues Challenge in 2022! Sugar Roots will be releasing an album of originals on 10/3 with some sneak peeks via social media! Please visit our Facebook Page for news and events and support live music and the blues, wherever you are!
https://cascadebluesassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Journey-to-Memphis2.jpg 281 500 Shelley Garrett https://cascadebluesassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/CBA_Logo_top_main.png Shelley Garrett2021-07-30 19:47:592021-08-09 12:06:26Journey To Memphis Competition 2021
August 2021 – Key Events Welcome Mike Day-CBA Treasurer!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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The 1014 Team Login
The Truth Behind Scotland's Comeback | England v Scotland Tactics
England's First-Half Tactical Masterclass | England v Scotland
Why Ireland Failed To Fire Against Wales | Wales v Ireland
These 3 Classic Tactics Just Won Wales A Grand Slam
Can Ireland's Lineout Steal The 6 Nations? | Ireland v France
Why the Crusaders Lost and How They Can Recover | Crusaders…
Waratahs' Kicking Tactics that Stunned the Crusaders | Waratahs 2019
How the Blues FINALLY Beat a Kiwi Side | Blues v…
Where the Highlanders Couldn't Beat the Blues | Highlanders Tactics
The Chiefs Incredible One-Week Transformation | Chiefs v Hurricanes
Ireland's New Attacking Plays: What can we Expect this Six Nations?
French Rugby's New Golden Generation?
The Fox Pattern – Next Evolution of Attacking Rugby?
Why Wales' Six Nations fixtures hold the keys to this year's…
How to make the All Blacks perfect: Part 2: Rush 10…
Video: Warren Gatland and the All Blacks Job
Video: Beneath The Six Nations 2018 – Tier 2
Why the Rugby World Cup needs to expand
Video: Keith Wood Interview
Video: Eddie O'Sullivan Interview
Rugby World Cup 2019 – Qualified Teams 2018 Performances
World Cup Standings One Year Out
Jamie Joseph's Depth Chart
Jamie Joseph's Caps
Tier 2 World Cup schedule winners and losers
Home Opinion Scottish Rugby, Underrated or simply not good enough?
Scottish Rugby, Underrated or simply not good enough?
Andrew Reid
The 2017 Lions tour to New Zealand was in many ways a success for the home nations, only losing once to New Zealand in the three-game test series.
This achievement is something every person in Britain and Ireland should be proud of, but here in Scotland, there is still a bitter taste in people's mouths. That taste comes from the fact that only two Scots made it into the original squad. This subsequently resulted in many Scots even supporting New Zealand during the tour!
Why did this happen? Scotland secured two solid wins against Ireland and Wales in the 6 Nations and was only a try away from finishing second in the tournament.
Scotland's critics would point to the embarrassing loss to England and the fact Scotland only won their home games. The loss to England was embarrassing, but winning only home games was essentially par for the course. Outside of teams beating the woeful Italians in Rome, the only team to win on the road was England (against a tiring Welsh side).
Scotland are just not rated
I and many others have drawn the conclusion that people simply don't rate Scottish Rugby as highly as the other home nations. This may be deserved after years of inconsistency.
This underrating, justified or not means many don't know a lot about Scottish rugby's rich heritage. And more astounding than that, they don't know what is going on in the Scottish rugby scene. I recall watching Glasgow Warriors Vs Racing 92 last year and Austin Healey being absolutely stunned by the quality of Finn Russell's performance. He even stated, "he might just swap that blue jersey (Glasgow's) for a red one (B&I Lions)". For many of us watching the game, we weren't surprised at all. We've become accustomed to seeing Russell perform at such high intensity and intelligence.
Finn Russell.
By www.davidmolloyphotography.com, via Wikimedia Commons
Austin Healey's sheer surprise at how well Russell and the Warriors did against Racing is not a one-off. It is normal for a lot of people to show surprise. That game and the lack of belief from journalists in Glasgow's possible title push in the Pro 14 this year (when in my opinion they are clear favourites) makes me draw to the conclusion that Scottish Rugby is underrated.
Exposure?!
From my point of view, it is not because people don't like Scottish rugby. It's not that they find it boring. Quite the opposite. It basically comes down to exposure. The lack of journalist and media attention it receives is stifling its development.
Everyone knows about Gary Ringrose and Sam Davies. They are the next "big things" for Ireland and Wales. We all know this. Compare this to Adam Hastings and Matt Fagerson, why is so little known about them? I believe this lack of attention is behind the small contribution Scotland made to the Lions and needs to be addressed.
Solution – TV Coverage
I believe there are many solutions to this issue.
The first being that a better TV deal is needed for the Pro14 itself. The Scottish teams are usually found on the channel BBC Alba and the language spoken during the games is primarily Gaelic. Except for the rare occasions when a red button English option is available.
In Scotland, only around 1.1% of people speak Gaelic, so it's not exactly appealing to people who don't know rugby to try and watch, let alone anyone from any other country who would want to watch Glasgow or Edinburgh games. This is also an issue for the Welsh teams as their games are largely shown on S4C, and the language spoken is Welsh. These Channels are also tediously hard to find, even if you know where to look. So what hope has someone from New Zealand or France in finding, or enjoying the rugby on show?
My solution would be a TV deal with Sky or BT Sports. In the same way as the Premiership and Top 14 has. This would make the games easier to find and in a language that most people will understand. This, in turn, would make the Pro14 a much more attractive league to watch for rugby supporters.
The increase in people watching the Pro14 will also mean an increase in people watching the Scottish teams play, giving the players much needed exposure to the world.
Solution – Frontline coaching
Another solution would be a Scottish coach involved in the 2017 Lions tour. Gregor Townsend was offered an assistant attack coach role, which was rightly rejected. This would have meant that Townsend would have worked under Rob Howley. Given Howley's reasonably tame attack whilst with Wales this would not have worked.
Gregor Townsend – Scotland head coach.
Australia v Scotland, Allianz Stadium, Moore Park, Sydney, Australia, Saturday 17th June 2017
Copyright photo: David Gibson / Fotosport / www.photosport.nz
Backs coach would have been ideal for Townsend during that 2017 Lions tour. His Glasgow side was arguably one of the most entertaining and potent attacking teams in the Northern Hemisphere. So much so that the NZRU looks to have identified it as such and suggested that Dave Rennie take the leap. Dave Rennie is an excellent coach and is building on the foundations of Townsend.
I can't escape the feeling that if Townsend had been offered backs coach, more Scottish faces would have been included in that tour. At the very least there would have been someone to argue their case.
In reality, although Scotland has underperformed for too many years I am genuinely hopeful with this current group of players. Yes, Scotland will have to prove that they can play at a consistently high level, like Wales, Ireland and England have. But with these players, I am excited about the future of Scottish rugby.
Photos: www.photosport.nz
Author: Andrew Reid
I'm obsessed with all things rugby. I'm from a small town in Scotland called Biggar and currently living in Edinburgh studying for my degree in Architecture. When I'm not studying I am playing for my local club, Biggar Rfc. I am also an avid Glasgow Warriors fan and a British and Irish Lions nerd.
Finn Russell
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Conor Wilson October 10, 2017 at 7:45 am
At the moment mate, I rate Scotland over Wales. 100%.
Its not just the way that the regions are playing, which in special regards to Glasgow, are smashing the Ospreys and Scarlets out of the water, but also. Scottish players are now being taught modern, fast, attacking Rugby. Their fitness is being worked on, and in Townsend and Rennie, they have coaches who are trying to embrace change and put Scottish Rugby on the Map, and they will go to drastic lengths to do so.
Wales however, not only are their regions playing poorly, but as of the last Six Nations, they have not changed their style. They raise their games in intensity on certain occasions, but they haven't changed their gameplan really, and this is a problem.
At International level, the best coaches are able to make a group of players better than the sum of their parts. This happens for Ireland in particular, England are certainly starting down that road. But Wales. No. Howley in particular was lambasted by Sean O'Brien. Scotland, with a class coach at Club and now International level are starting down that road. The next Six Nations could be very good for them.
Steven Prescott October 10, 2017 at 3:48 pm
Conor, this is a truly excellent comment. Truly excellent.
Rob October 10, 2017 at 8:22 pm
Hi Connor, I agree that Scotland are ahead of Wales at the moment. Wales has really struggled with the change to regional rugby. The old tribalism is still there supporters of clubs such as Pontypridd & Bridgend will never support Blues or Ospreys . I'd be interested to know how regional rugby is viewed in Scotland. When i was growing up Scottish rugby was all about the borders. What Wales have managed to do especially in the Six nations is to win away from home and also have the knack of gaining momentum, when Wales get on a roll they are difficult to stop, Wales rarely finish second, it's usually Grand Slam/Championship or nowhere. What I'd like to see is Scotland winning away from home this year (but obviously not in Cardiff!!!) and also Glasgow reaching the Cup semi's at least. I also agree about Scottish rugby not getting the coverage it deserves, this is true of all of the pro-14 sides, the media either ignore it or are astonished when a Pro-14 team wins a game against an English or French team in the champions cup. Cheers Rob
Owen Isaac October 12, 2017 at 12:16 am
Really like the article. Couple of comments from a Welsh fan.
Do you feel that Townsend should've accepted the role, yes it could be perceived as a slight to be an assistant, but he is a club coach and lacks much coaching experience at international or European level. With the talk from O'Brien about Howley, wouldn't Townsend have been able to influence the dynamic and put at least some of his ideas onto the table.
With regards to Lions participation, yes 100% no lions coach affected there selection chances. Part of this is also that Scotland play quite a different style to other NH teams, and i do not think Gatland planned to play that sort of Rugby. But i also think part of the Scottish issue, is a perception of a coming together of parts rather than stand out individuals (a few exceptions). Scotland when they win, often get hailed as a fantastic 'team' performance. Whereas when selecting the Lions squad you are generally picking the best 2-3 individuals in a position. And that is where maybe some of the Scots get knocked down a peg, due to there teams up and down form. Compared to many of the 'experienced' Wales players who have all won 'Big' matches, Grand Slams and were on a previous Lions Tour, experiences many of the Scots lack (sadly). When I look through the Scottish contenders to have gone, i don't really see who else could have gone who was available.
Personally many of Wales problems are coach related (especially Howley), there should have been a shake up after the last WC. As the stagnation of the team has coincided with a lack of evolution behind the scenes. And I greatly fear that this will continue when the WRU inevitably give Howley the job after Gatland.
With the upcoming WC now to look forward to, we have a Scottish team going upwards, just need to add in Away victories, and beating England at home. Whereas Wales are in danger at the moment of taking too many backwards steps as the game moves forward
Apologies for long response. Again great article.
Paul Futers October 12, 2017 at 10:44 am
Great article Andrew. This season is when we find out just how far Scottish rugby has come under Cotter and Townsend. Glasgow have made the perfect start to the season with many of their big names not starting. Edinburgh's mixed fortunes continue to be a cause for concern but with the plans for a new semi-pro league and the number of exciting new players coming through I think we have turned the corner and can look forward to some great things.
I think that, as Owen Isaac noted above, Scotland have been playing a much different style of rugby from the other home nations and that this was a large factor in the lack of Scots on the Lion's tour.
Alan November 11, 2017 at 2:26 am
I think that Scotland rugby has been under reported for a very long time. Little coverage, not just on tv but also in the papers, no matter what the story it is hard to find anything.
Further to that, there is also no drive for youngsters to get into rugby. Most are coming into Scottish clubs from England and further abroad, this is leading to more people thinking that it isn't something for them.
Scotland's style of playing hasn't been seen since the early 2000's, the classic pick and drive has been slowly replaced with a southern hemisphere style of running out wide. They aren't the only country in the NH to do so of late, this may also be due to the increase in foreign coaches and players now playing for their 'adopted' countries.
I agree that better coverage is needed in order to raise the names of players in Scotland and beyond, however, I do not agree that BT Sport or Sky Sport are the ones to do it. It should be the BBC or the like as this will increase the viewing pool.
I could write much more on this, however, I have written enough.
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text:
Massive galaxy cluster discovery sheds new light on how the largest structures in our universe are formed
From: National Research Council Canada
A dense concentration of galaxies is causing astrophysicists to question our understanding of how structures form in the universe.
April 25, 2018 – Victoria, B.C.
Galaxy clusters are the largest objects in our universe. With masses comparable to a million-billion suns, they contain as many as 1,000 galaxies, vast amounts of dark matter, gargantuan black holes and X-ray-emitting gas that reaches over a million degrees Kelvin.
A dense concentration of galaxies is causing astrophysicists to question our understanding of how structures form in the universe. A study published in Nature journal today reports on a collection of galaxies observed when the universe was about one-tenth of its present age.
This particular galaxy cluster is so far away it takes 12.4 billion years for light from it to reach Earth. So while it was first observed last year, it was seen as it existed 1.4 billion years after the Big Bang—allowing astronomers a rare peek into galaxies forming in the early history of the universe.
A team of researchers from institutions including the National Research Council of Canada, Dalhousie University, the University of Victoria (UVic), the University of Illinois and the Flatiron Institute, have discovered a cluster of galaxies assembling very differently and more quickly than current models would predict. The nascent cluster is made up of at least 14 galaxies packed into a region of space just three times the size of our Milky Way galaxy and each is forming stars up to 1,000 times faster than ours is forming them. Calculations indicate that the astronomers are witnessing the assembly of one of the most massive structures in the present-day universe.
The study was co-led by Scott Chapman, Research Officer at the National Research Council of Canada and Professor at Dalhousie University, and Tim Miller, as a Master's student at Dalhousie University. It was co-authored by a team of scientists including UVic Distinguished Professor, Arif Babul; astrophysics doctoral student, Douglas Rennehan; UVic advanced research computing specialist, Belaid Moa; University of Illinois Professor, Joaquin Vieira; and Christopher Hayward, Associate Research Scientist at the Centre for Computation Astrophysics, Flatiron Institute.
To predict how the cluster will assemble, a team led by Arif Babul used WestGrid and Compute Canada supercomputers to develop a numerical simulation. It showed that the core of the cluster will eventually combine into one giant galaxy, over the next billion years. Scientists anticipate that eventually this will prove to be one of the most massive clusters in the current-day universe.
This cluster system, originally discovered by the South Pole Telescope, was studied in detail using the Atacama Large Millimetre-submillimetre Array (ALMA). ALMA has the world's most advanced radio astronomy detectors, developed by the National Research Council of Canada, which provided the detail necessary for the discovery of the system.
Additional multimedia
14 Galaxies on the Cusp of a Spectacular Collision: Computer-simulated image of the 14 galaxies packed in a region only three times the size of our Milky Way galaxy, as seen in the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) observations. This unique cosmic conjunction is on the verge of coalescing into a massive galaxy cluster core only 1.4 billion years after the Big Bang (see the simulation movie for details). Credits: D. Rennehan, B. Moa, C Hayward / UVic, Westgrid, Compute Canada, Flatiron Institute.
"More so than any other candidate discovered to date, this seems like we're catching a massive galaxy cluster in the process of being assembled. But how this assembly of galaxies got so big so fast is a bit of a mystery -- there's some special aspect of this environment that's causing the galaxies to form stars much more rapidly than our current models would predict. One possible explanation is that the gravitational tug caused by so many neighbouring galaxies compresses gas within a galaxy, triggering star formation."
– Scott Chapman, Research Officer at the National Research Council of Canada and Professor at Dalhousie University
"Having caught a massive galaxy cluster, and especially its gigantic central galaxy, in the throes of formation is spectacular in and of itself. But, the fact that this is happening so early in the history of the universe and in so dramatic a fashion poses a formidable challenge to our understanding of how and when structures in the universe form. Conventional wisdom suggests that the central cluster galaxy is assembled in dribs and drabs spread over 13 billion years, by cannibalizing smaller galaxies that venture too close. This discovery appears to upend this picture."
– Arif Babul, Astrophysicist at the University of Victoria
In total, the mass of the galaxies in this cluster is approximately 10 trillion times larger than the sun in the Milky Way.
This structure in early history is comparable to the largest known structures in our current-day universe, including the Virgo and Coma Cluster of galaxies.
Video simulation: Caught in the act: 14 Galaxies Merging to form a Massive Protocluster Core
Nature: "A Massive Galaxy Cluster Core at a redshift of 4.3"
Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre
UVic Astronomy Research Centre
South Pole Telescope
ALMA telescope
WestGrid
Follow the NRC on Twitter: @NRC_CNRC
Follow UVic on Twitter: @uvic
National Research Council of Canada
1-855-282-1637 (24/7)
media@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
Vimala Jeevanandam
University of Victoria, Faculty of Science
scieco@uvic.ca
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We're officially on a one month countdown until the 2012 London Olympics finally kicks off. If you haven't found a way to prepare to show off your national pride, simply start with the Speck Flag cases for 14 countries and counting.
The Flag cases come in Speck's signature CandyShell body, which is hard case with a soft, plastic bumper around the edges. As with most other cases in the CandyShell line, the product offers shock absorbent protection and a rubber button cover for the power and volume controls on the sides.
Of course, since an iPhone is a widely international product, it'd be hard for anyone to not find their needs to represent their nationalities during this Olympic season. Each of the major countries represented, such as Spain, China, England, France, and of course, the United States include the name of the country on the side as well as corresponding colors and flags. Without any bias, our personal favorite is the USA case which we saw in person at gdgt live in New York this week. The color combinations looked great on both the black iPhone and in contrast to the white iPhone 4S.
While it is unclear exactly which countries will be added to the lineup, Speck promises more is on the way just in time before the games begin. What countries do you think is an absolute must-have to the line?
The Speck Flag case is $40 apiece, and once you have your gadgets ready for repping, don't forget to tune into the Olympic games on NBC on July 27.