text:
Meet the MacKrell Sisters
So You're Getting Married!
Save That Date!
What Kind of Music for Your Wedding?
Trio Play List
Quartet Play List
String Quartet Selections
Adagio (from Quartet in G major), Haydn
All We Like Sheep (from The Messiah), Handel
Alleluia (from Exultate, Jubilate), Mozart
Andante (from 8th Quartet), Mozart
Aria, Handel
Autumn (Movement 1, Finale), Vivaldi
Ave Maria, Schubert
Ave Maria, Bach
Ave verum corpus, Mozart
Badinerie (from Orchestral Suite No. 2), Bach
Brandenburg Concertos, Bach
Bridal Chorus, Wagner
Canon, Pachelbel
Fur Elise, Beethoven
Gavotte (from Holberg Suite Op. 40), Grieg
Hornpipe (from Water Music), Handel
Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, Bach
La Rejouissance (from Royal Fireworks), Handel
Loure (from Third Suite for Cello), Bach
March of the Priests (from Magic Flute), Mozart
Meditation (from Thais), Massenet
Minuet (from Orpheus), Gluck
Minuet (from Quartet in E-flat Major), Dittersdorf
Nessun Dorma (from Turandot), Puccini
Night Music, Mozart
Nocturne in E-flat Major, Chopin
Ode to Joy, Beethoven
Panis Angelicus, Franck
Prelude from English Suite No. 3, Bach
Rigaudon, Campra
Rondeau (from Premiere Suite), Mouret
Sheep May Safely Graze, Bach
Spring , Vivaldi
Theme from 1st Symphony, Brahms
Three Little Maids (from The Mikado), Sullivan
Trumpet Tune, Purcell
Trumpet Voluntary, Clarke
Wedding March, Mendelssohn
Winter (Allegro, Largo), Vivaldi
A Million Dreams (from "The Greatest Showman")
A Sky Full of Stars, (Coldplay)
A Thousand Years (sung by C. Perri)
A Whole New World (from Aladdin)
All I Ask of You, Andrew Lloyd Webber
All of Me (John Legend)
All You Need Is Love (Beatles)
Amazed (Lonestar)
American Pie (Don McLean)
Annie's Song (John Denver)
Another – Wedding Version (Adam Doleac)
Another One Bites the Dust (Queen)*
Ashokan Farewell, Ungar
At Last, Warren/Gordon (Etta James)
Back to the Future Theme
Beautiful Day (U2)
Best Day of My Life (American Authors)
Better Together (Jack Johnson)
Bless the Broken Road (Rascal Flatts)
Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen)
Bridge Over Troubled Water*
Brown-Eyed Girl (Van Morrison)
Butterfly Waltz – Brian Crain
Can't Help Falling In Love, Weiss (Elvis)
Can't Stop the Feeling (Justin Timberlake)
Can't Take My Eyes Off of You (Valli)
Chasing Cars (Snow Patrol)
Cheerleader (Omi)
Climb Every Mountain (from Sound of Music)
Clocks (Coldplay)
Concerning Hobbits (The Lord of the Rings)
Cowboy Take Me Away (Dixie Chicks)
Crazy Little Thing Called Love (Queen)
Crazy Love (Van Morrison)*
Dance Me to the End of Love – Leonard Cohen
Devil Went Down to Georgia
Don't Stop Believin' (Journey)
Downton Abbey Theme
Dreams – Fleetwood Mac
Dreams – The Cranberries
Edelweiss (from Sound of Music)
Eleanor Rigby (The Beatles)
Enchanted (Taylor Swift)
Endless Love (Lionel Richie)
Everything (Michael Buble)*
(Everything I Do) I Do It For You (Bryan Adams)
Feather Theme (from Forrest Gump)
Fix You, Coldplay
Forever and Ever, Amen (Randy Travis)
For Good (from "Wicked")*
From the Ground Up – Dan & Shay
From This Moment On, Twain
Girl On Fire (Alicia Keys)
Glory of Love (Peter Cetera)
God Only Knows (Beach Boys)
Halo – Beyonce
Happy Together (Bonner, Rec. by The Turtles)
Hallelujah (Cohen)
Here Comes the Sun (Beatles)
Holocene (Bon Iver)
Home (Edward Sharp/Magnetic Zeros)
How Long Will I Love You (from "About Time")
(How Sweet It Is)To Be Loved By You, J. Taylor
I Believe In a Thing Called Love (The Darkness)
I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing (Aerosmith)
I Loved Her First (Heartland)
I See the Light (from "Tangled")
I Want To Hold Your Hand (The Beatles)
I Will Always Love You, Parton (W. Houston)
I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor)
I Will Wait – Mumford & Sons
I'll Be There For You (Friends Theme)
I Won't Give Up (Jason Mraz)*
I'm A Believer (The Monkees, Smashmouth)
Imperial March (from Star Wars)
In My Life (Beatles)
Isn't She Lovely (Stevie Wonder)
Just the Way You Are (Bruno Mars)
Kiss From a Rose (Seal)
Kissing You (from Romeo & Juliet), Des'ree
La Vie en Rose, Piaf
Let It Go (from "Frozen")
Let's Stay Together – Al Green
Lord of the Dance, Hardiman
Love of My Life (Brickman)
Love Me Tender, Elvis Presley
Love Story, Taylor Swift
Love Theme from "The Godfather," Rota
Lover's Waltz, Unger
Lovers in Japan (Coldplay)
The Luckiest (Ben Folds)
The Ludlows (from Legends of the Fall)
Make You Feel My Love (Adele)
Married Life (Theme from "Up")
Marry Me (Train)
Marry You (Bruno Mars)
Maybe I'm Amazed (Paul McCartney)
Me and You, Kenny Chesney
More Today Than Yesterday (Spiral Staircase)
Music of the Night (from Phantom of the Opera) My Favorite Things (from Sound of Music)
My Heart Will Go On (Love Them from Titanic)
My Wish (Rascal Flatts)
New Slang (The Shins)
Nobody Does It Better (Carly Simon)
Oh, Pretty Woman, Roy Orbison
On Top of the World (Imagine Dragons)
One Day More (from "Les Miserables")
Open Arms (Journey)
Paradise (Coldplay)
Perfect – Ed Sheeran
Piano Man (Billy Joel)
The Prayer (Celine Dion/Andrea Bocelli)
Raider's Theme, (Raiders of the Lost Ark)
Rewrite the Stars (from "The Greatest Showman")
River Flows in You (Yiruma)
Runaway (Aurora)
Seasons of Love – from "Rent"
She Will Be Loved (Maroon 5)
Signed, Sealed, Delivered (Stevie Wonder)
Skyfall, Adele
Solsbury Hill (Peter Gabriel)*
Somebody to Love (Queen)
Someday My Prince Will Come ("Snow White")
Something in the Water, (Carrie Underwood)
Somewhere In My Memory (Home Alone)
Somewhere Only We Know (Keane)
Somewhere Out There (from "American Tail")
Stand By Me (Ben E. King)*
Star Wars Theme (Williams)
Sugar Pie Honey Bunch, (Four Tops )
Superposition (Young the Giant)
Sweet Caroline, Neil Diamond
Sweet Child O' Mine, Guns and Roses
Take Me Home, Country Roads (Denver)
Tennessee Whiskey – Chris Stapleton
The Skye Boat Song (Outlander)
This Must Be the Place – Talking Heads
This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) – Natalie Cole
Thinking Out Loud (Ed Sheeran)
Unchained Melody, North
Use Somebody (Kings of Leon)
Viva La Vida, (Recorded by Coldplay)
Wagon Wheel (Darius Rucker)
Wake Me Up (Avicil)
Wedding Song (There is Love) Stookey
What a Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong)
When I'm 64 (The Beatles)
Why I Love You – Calum Scott
Wild Horses (The Rolling Stones)
With or Without You – U2
Wonderful Tonight (Eric Clapton)
Wouldn't It Be Nice (Beach Boys)
Yellow (Coldplay)
You Are So Beautiful (Joe Cocker)
You Belong With Me (Taylor Swift)
You Raise Me Up, Graham
You're My Best Friend (Queen)
You're Still the One (Shania Twain)
Your Hand in Mine – Explosions in the Sky
Your Song (Elton John)
You've Got a Friend in Me (Toy Story)
*Recently added
SACRED:
Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing
My Tribute (Andre Crouch)
How Beautiful (Twila Paris)
Oh, Happy Day
His Name Medley
ANY hymn can be played by the quartet. Please ask if you have a favorite!
If you don't see something that would be important to you to have played at your ceremony, whether it's classical, popular, or sacred, PLEASE ask. We can't possibly list all our Baroque/Classical repertoire, and we often do special arrangements. We truly want you to be THRILLED with your wedding music!
• Rocky Top
• Bless The Broken Road
• Game Of Thrones
• The Prayer
• All Of Me
• Can't Help Falling In Love With You
• Call Me Maybe
• Just The Way You Are
• God Bless The USA
• Can't Help Falling In Love With You
Like Us!!!
©2018 College Grove Strings / All Rights Reserved


I thaught the same thing. Then I thaught that it was probably of a non toxic base, so more than likely its a waer based ink. Through my experience most water based inks are not too permanant, but I am sure there are exceptions to this. I think this calls for a little experimenting. I may go into bussiness selling Zack Morris's magic 8-Ball ink.


Enforceability of Association Parking Restrictions Related to Public Streets ?
Many community association declarations contain restrictions on the parking of vehicles on streets located within the community. For communities that contain private streets maintained by the association, it seems clear that these restrictions would be enforceable. However, for communities that contain public streets, the enforceability of those restrictions is not so clear.
There appears to be no reported decision by a Florida appellate court dealing with the issue of whether a community association can enforce restrictions purporting to prohibit parking on public streets. However, that may soon change.
A trial court, in Pinellas County, has ruled that a homeowners association cannot enforce such parking restrictions relating to public streets. That case arose from the filing of a lawsuit by the impacted owners which sought the entry of an injunction prohibiting the association from enforcing a parking restriction relating to public streets. The trial court granted that injunction. The association that was a party to that case filed an appeal with the Florida Second District Court of Appeal.
In Woodfield Community Association, Inc. v. Ortiz by and through Ortiz, 2018 WL 3403387 (Fla. 2d DCA 2018), the appellate court set aside the injunction, but only on the basis that the trial court's order failed to include certain information needed to support entry of an injunction. The appellate court did not discuss the underlying issue of whether the injunction would have been sustained, on its merits, had the trial court listed the necessary information. Instead, that issue would need to be presented to the appellate court by the filing of a new appeal after the trial court enters a new order.
Maryland Estates Homeowners' Association v. Puckett, 936 S.W. 2d 218 (Mo. Ct. App. 1996); and Verna v. The Links at Valleybrook Neighborhood Association, Inc., 852 S. 2d 202 (N.J. Super. Ct. App. 2004), the courts ruled that such restrictions could be enforced, at least as to owners in the community.
The argument to support a finding that these restrictions are not enforceable is that an entity, such as a community association, does not have the authority to control access to or the use of a road that is owned by a municipality. The argument to support the enforceability of these restrictions is that parties, such as an association and its owners, are free to enter into a contract (the recorded deed restrictions) containing restrictions that would impose greater limits on an owner's use of property than those imposed by governmental restrictions.
We are not against HOAs in fact support them but of late several have pushed owners over the egde locally and righfully fighting back. What are your thoughts ?


Bodybuilding Forums - JuicedMuscle.com > Steroid & Chemical forums > Anabolic Steroids > Need advice , idk how to start.
View Full Version : Need advice , idk how to start.
hehe nah i just want some information or maybe some oral steroids name xD?
how long have you been training for? what is your height, weight and age? look into test cyp or test e. both are esters of test that are great for first cycles. oral cycles are not the best way to go. also, research PCT and learn how to control estrogen. these are keys to learning how to cycle safely.
Would you like some cofee,or some cakes?


The study of war has not only interested military historians from the ancient world to the modern day; many scholars have held that the way in which societies organize for and fight war lies at the foundation of civilization itself.
Kagan, D. & Viggiano, G.F. (2013). The Hoplite debate. In Kagan, D. & Viggiano, G.F. (Eds.). Men of bronze: Hoplite warfare in ancient Greece (pp. 1-56). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.


Even here, I'm so happy to be playing in the snow, but our grass is so very sad.
By spring we basically had little dirt and weed patches (and way overgrown rosemary).
Mande! Where are you?? Just did a post about my favorite blogs and you are on it!


text:
Q: UICollectionViewCompositionalLayout Equal item height I've faced the issue of setting the two cells in horizontal group equal height (= height of largest cell in the row). Now it looks almost like intended

But I need the left (smaller) cell's height == right (bigger) cells height.
Label has no constrained height (so can be easily increased), only binded to superview/topview edges, image has fix height, binded to superview and label as well.
Cell's height designed to be dynamic, there could be 1 line in first cell, and 3 lines in second, or 2 lines in both for example.
What have been done to achieve current implementation:
    let numOfColumns = 2

    let numOfGroups = (items.count.float / numOfColumns.float).ceil.int

    var groups = [NSCollectionLayoutItem]()

    let itemSize = NSCollectionLayoutSize(
      widthDimension: .fractionalWidth(0.5),
      heightDimension: .estimated(120)
    )
    let item = NSCollectionLayoutItem(layoutSize: itemSize)

    let localGroupSize = NSCollectionLayoutSize(
      widthDimension: .fractionalWidth(1),
      heightDimension: .estimated(120)
    )

    (0..<numOfGroups).forEach { _ in
      let currentGroup = NSCollectionLayoutGroup.horizontal(layoutSize: localGroupSize,
                                 subitem: item,
                                 count: numOfColumns)
      currentGroup.interItemSpacing = .fixed(8)
      groups.append(currentGroup)
    }

    let groupSize = NSCollectionLayoutSize(
      widthDimension: .fractionalWidth(1),
      heightDimension: .estimated(CGFloat(numOfGroups) * 120)
    )
    group = .vertical(layoutSize: groupSize, subitems: groups)
    let section = NSCollectionLayoutSection(group: group)

There're couple of same issues like:
UICollectionViewCompositionalLayout equal item height using autolayout
and
How to create a grid layout with equal row heights using UICollectionViewCompositionalLayout
and
https://forums.raywenderlich.com/t/help-with-collectionview-compositional-layout/102784 but the desired result wasn't achieved/answer wasn't provided.
Thanks in advance.
UPD: Setting item size as .fractionalHeight(1) while leaving group's size as it is (.estimated(120)), which can be considered as possible solution, makes situation even worse, setting the cell's height just to 120 unconditionally.

UPD2:
Desired layout (copied from the linked issue)
+------+--+------+
|~~~~~~|  |~~~~~~|
|~~~~~~|  |~~~~~~|
|~~~~~~|  |~~~~~~|
|~~~~~~|  |      |
+------+--+------+

Current result
+------+--+------+
|~~~~~~|  |~~~~~~|
|~~~~~~|  |~~~~~~|
|~~~~~~|  |~~~~~~|
|~~~~~~|
+------+--+------+

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


"That song we had been crushing as a team," said Larrow, a junior third baseman and BC High graduate. "We had been listening to it in the locker room several times after every practice and we said we could do some kind of dance routine. So we figured out the up and down thing looked hilarious and we just went with it."
"Harvard Baseball Team Dances to "Call Me Maybe" in a Van"


"The city that never sleeps is the backdrop for some of literature's best love stories," writes librarian Gwen Glazer in the post Finding Love in NYC, Literally on the New York Public Library's blog. The NYPL's book experts weighed in with their favorite romantic scenes that take place in the city, across all five boroughs.
Some highlights are the Brooklyn Bridge in Saint Mazie by Jami Attenberg, where the main character, an independent young woman, has a passionate moment with her lover—scandalous for the 1920s; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which is used as a backdrop in Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence; and vibrant Union Square in Pete Hamill's Forever. The NYPL's own gorgeous Rose Main Reading Room makes the list, too, for a scene Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's.
An accompanying red-heart-dotted map marks the locales for bibliophiles who want to explore on Valentine's Day…or any other time of the year.
▫ Some 838 miles of shelves in three buildings on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., house the Library of Congress' bounty of books and other materials. Visitors should head for the Thomas Jefferson Building, where a visual extravaganza awaits.
▫ The Library was initially located in a boarding house after its founding on April 24, 1800, and was later moved to the U.S. Capitol. Its first permanent building—bearing former president Jefferson's moniker—opened in 1897, making it the oldest federal cultural institution in the country.
▫ Why does Jefferson have the honors? After British troops burned the Capitol building and destroyed the library's core collection of 3,000 volumes, Congress approved the purchase of Jefferson's personal library—6,487 books bought for $23,950. The volumes that Jefferson originally contributed are on display (southwest pavilion, second floor).
▫ A bibliophile could move in and be right at home in the dazzling, octagon-shaped Reading Room (photo top row, center). It's spacious (several stories high); gorgeously decorated with golden-color marble columns, statues of writers, artists, and thinkers like Michelangelo and Shakespeare, and a Renaissance-style dome; and has plenty of reading material. The Reading Room can be viewed from an upper level platform called the Overlook. Standing behind a clear plastic partition takes away some of the grandeur, but it's still an impressive sight.
▫ Let there be light. The library's light bulb budget is $100,000 a year.
▫ Bacchus, the Roman god of wine, is one of the images adorning the Thomas Jefferson Building's main chamber. The Great Hall soars 75 feet, rising from a marble floor to a stained glass ceiling. Take some time to soak up the splendor of the Great Hall. Look up, down, and sideways, or you'll miss its nuances. Woven into the eye-catching display of mosaics, statues, paintings, and decorative details—some of it drawing on the Italian Renaissance style—are themes of literature, music, philosophy, education, and architecture, along with references to the zodiac and mythology and tributes to other countries.
▫ The Guttenberg Bible, on display in the Great Hall, is one of a three-volume set. To reduce wear and tear on the fragile documents, it's changed out periodically—under armed guard.
▫ Size matters. The collection contains nearly 167 million items, making it the largest library in the world. Of those, 39 million are books (including Novel Destinations) and other printed materials. The rest are films, photos, prints, maps, manuscripts, and sheet music. About half of the books and serials are in languages other than English.
▫ Pick and choose. Every day the library receives 15,000 new items, approximately 12,000 of which are added to the collection.
▫ It's well worth the time to take a free 60-minute, docent-led tour. It gives a fascinating, more in-depth perspective than strolling through the building on your own (I've done both). Learn about the library's creation and collection, as well as its impressive architectural details. Tours are given several times daily Monday through Saturday, and there's no need to reserve a spot. Even if 50 or 60 people show up, guides break tour-goers into smaller groups.
▫ Only members of Congress and their staff can check out books. The rest of us can view the digital collection online.
The classic literary world includes some curious connections between scribes who lived decades, and sometimes centuries, apart.
Frederick Douglass' "growlery," or writing cabin. Photo: © NPS/Johnson.
Walden Pond, Henry David Thoreau's milieu.
Put on your walking shoes and explore these eight literary trails, following in the footsteps of Edna St. Vincent Millay, Jack London, and other writers in the landscapes where they lived, wrote, and found inspiration.
The dramatically scenic Yorkshire Moors, where Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights unfolds, is one of the most atmospheric places for a literary hike. A 2 ½-mile walk from the sisters' former home, now the Brontë Parsonage Museum, leads across heather-dotted hills to their favorite destination, a gentle waterfall and stream. Venture on a mile farther to see the ruins of an isolated farmhouse, Top Withens, credited as being the setting of Heathcliff's domain in Wuthering Heights.
"I walked on to the cliff path again, the town behind and below waking up now so very slowly," Dylan Thomas wrote in the radio sketch "Quite Early One Morning." In the Welsh town of New Quay, where the poet moved in 1944, the Dylan Thomas Trail traces the route along the coastal walkway above town he referenced. Other Thomas-related places in the city center are noted as well, like the restaurant and bar at the Black Lion Hotel—a perfect stop for a post-hike restorative.
Henry David Thoreau staked out a spot on a secluded piece of land near Walden Pond owned by his friend Ralph Waldo Emerson, living there for two years and turning out his most famous work, Walden. To reach the site where the naturalist's one-room cabin once stood, take the Pond Path for a gorgeous view of the lake he described as "lying between the earth and the heavens." Return via the Ridge Path through oak and pine woodlands where Louisa May Alcott and her sisters accompanied family friend Thoreau on nature walks. A replica of Thoreau's abode can be seen near the Walden Pond State Reservation visitor center.
The adventure writer's 1,400-acre Sonoma Valley ranch was situated on the site of a former winery and is now Jack London State Historic Park. The park's trail network ranges from back country hikes to easily accessible pathways, including the Beauty Ranch Trail, which leads through the heart of London's property past landmarks such as the cottage where he wrote many of his short stories and novels.
Two years after winning the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1923 (the first woman to do so), Edna St. Vincent Millay and her husband bought a former blueberry farm they named Steepletop in rural eastern New York State. Along with touring the white clapboard farmhouse and sunken gardens landscaped by Millay, visitors can take a walk to the poet's grave site along the Millay Poetry Trail, located in a forest dotted with white birch trees and signposted with excerpts from her nature poems.
If you have several days and lots of stamina, this 92-mile cross-country walk winds through lowland valleys and sheep farms, over Borderland hills, and past lochs and rivers as it connects sites associated with novelist Sir Walter Scott's life and work. Noteworthy stops along the way include the Tibbie Shiels Inn, a 19th-century stagecoach stop that has served up drams to Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson and Thomas Carlyle, and Abbotsford, the turreted, castle-like manor house Scott designed and filled with antique furnishings and historic relics like Rob Roy's sword.
While in the Napa Valley, newlyweds Robert Louis Stevenson and his wife, Fanny, ran low on money and left a hotel cottage for Silverado, an abandoned mining town. For two months in 1880 they lived in a ramshackle bunkhouse on the slopes of Mount St. Helena, an adventure Stevenson recounts in the memoir THE SILVERADO SQUATTERS. A 10-mile round trip hike in Robert Louis Stevenson State Park leads to the site where the couples' cabin once stood. At the summit of the challenging trek, stunning views of the San Francisco Bay Area await.
Lord Alfred Tennyson once said the salty sea air on this English Channel isle was "worth sixpence a pint." Traverse the Tennyson Trail to emulate the poet, who took long morning walks each day on the isle, where he settled in 1853 and spent the last 40 years of his life. The 15-mile trail runs through forests and above chalky white cliffs with sweeping vistas of the Atlantic Ocean and mainland England.
A century ago, in 1917, bard William Butler Yeats purchased a 15th-century Norman tower in the Irish countryside as a summer home. "I shall make it habitable … It is certainly a beautiful place," he informed his father.
For Yeats, Thoor Ballylee was "a place full of history and romance" that inspired some of his later masterful works, including "The Tower" and "The Winding Stair." While today the abode—which has been prone to winter flooding due to its riverside location—is mostly devoid of decorations or furnishings, there is atmosphere aplenty in the four-story structure with a stone staircase winding through the tower and leading to a roof platform.
Thoor Ballylee is located in County Galway and best reached by car. For an off-the-beaten-path location, the tower sees plenty of activity. On the day I visited last summer, a local television station was filming a travel segment, and recent visitors had included the novelist Colum McCann and former U.S. Senator Chris Dodd.
In the now-restored dining room, the Yeats family would fish out the window, which opens above the Streamstown River.
Visitors can explore the tower at their leisure and also peruse some illustrated exhibits that shed light on Yeats' personal and professional lives. One exhibit is devoted to the women who greatly influenced the wordsmith—like his wife, George Hyde-Lees, who feigned episodes of spirit-guided writing to prompt his poetry, and Maude Gonne, the unrequited love of his life.
Thoor Ballylee is open during the summer months and well worth a stop when literary traveling on the Emerald Isle.
Watching the drama To Walk Invisible: The Brontë Sisters is likely to cause literary wanderlust. (It airs Sunday, March 26, on PBS-Masterpiece.) The backdrop is the Yorkshire village of Haworth and the surrounding moors, a dramatically scenic landscape that helped inspire the novelist sisters' page-turners Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Here are five things for bibliophiles to do in Brontë Country.
Ramble on the moors. Venture into Wuthering Heights territory as you follow in the sisters' footsteps across the wind-swept moorland around Haworth. A 2.5-mile walk from town leads to the Brontës' favorite destination, "the meeting of the waters." There, Emily would recline on a slab of stone, today dubbed the "Brontë chair," to play with tadpoles in the water. Continue on another mile to reach the stone ruins of an isolated farm known as Top Withens, credited as being the setting of Heathcliff's domain in Wuthering Heights.
Have a pint at the Black Bull. At the top of a steep cobblestone street in the center of Haworth is the cozy, 300-year-old watering hole where wayward Branwell Brontë frequently whiled away the hours. Though a talented painter and poet, he was unable to hold a steady job and increasingly found solace in alcohol and opium. In an alcove up the stairwell, his favorite chair has been given pride of place.
Read a book in the Brontë Meadow. Break out the dog-eared copy of your favorite Brontë novel that you toted along and read a passage or two. Adjacent to the museum, the Brontë Meadow has gorgeous views of the countryside and is a perfect introduction to the novelists' territory, especially if you don't have time for a lengthy walk on the moors.
For more about the Brontë sisters and the landscape that inspired them, check out the expanded and updated edition of NOVEL DESTINATIONS, which has a brand-new, in-depth narrative chapter about Brontë Country. Available May 2nd.


text:
Willem van Haersolte tot Yrst (Zwolle, 5 juli 1718 – Arnhem, 17 juli 1791) was een Nederlandse edelman en bestuurder. Hij was een telg uit de familie Van Haersolte en heer van kasteel Yrst nabij Hattem.

Jeugdjaren
Willem werd in 1718 geboren als zoon van Derk van Haersolte tot Yrst en Joachmina Elisabeth van Rechteren. Hij volgde van 1729 tot 1733 de Latijnse school in Zwolle. Hier bleek hij een ijverige leerling die tot vier keer toe het schooljaar afsloot als beste leerling. Na deze opleiding zal Willem waarschijnlijk naar een universiteit zijn gegaan.

In 1738 legde hij zijn belijdenis, waarmee hij zijn jeugd afrondde.

Bestuurder in Gelderland
De familie Van Haersolte tot Yrst had een stevige positie in het noorden van de Veluwe. Zij waren sinds 1521 in bezit van het goed Yrst, waar zij vóór 1544 een adellijke woning stichtten. Willem verkreeg dan ook diverse functies in deze regio, zoals burgemeester en dijkgraaf van Hattem en ambtsjonker van Epe. Ook vervulde hij de ambten van richter en dijkgraaf van het richterambt Oldebroek. Dankzij zijn opname in de Ridderschap van de Veluwe in 1741 kon hij verder groeien naar functies op gewestelijk niveau.

De terugkeer in 1748 van Willem IV als erfelijk stadhouder bood Willem de kans om raad te worden in het Adellijk Jachtgericht van de Veluwe. In datzelfde jaar was hij door de stadhouder ook nog naar Steenwijk gestuurd om daar de rust te herstellen.

In 1765 werd hij buitengewoon raad van het Hof van Gelre en Zutphen. Vier jaar later werd hij namens Gelderland afgevaardigde voor de Admiraliteit op de Maas. In 1777 werd hij jonkheer van de Duitse Orde en in 1786 commandeur.

In 1782 kreeg hij de functie van richter van Arnhem en de Veluwezoom. Van 1786 tot aan zijn overlijden in 1791 trad Willem op als curator van de academie van Harderwijk. Tevens was hij sinds 1766 lid van de Staten Generaal.

Conflicten
Willem was een orangist, maar was tevens eigengereid en hechtte sterk aan het varen van een eigen koers. Dit maakte het soms moeilijk voor hem om samen te werken met anderen. Zo kwam hij in aanvaring met Andries Schimmelpenninck van der Oije, drost van de Veluwe. Na een stevige botsing tussen beiden op een landdag in 1774 schreef Schimmelpenninck aan stadhouder Willem V een brief waarin hij verslag deed van deze gebeurtenis. Hij raadde de stadhouder aan om Willem voorlopig uit te sluiten van ambten. Dit zorgde er uiteindelijk voor dat Willem van Haersolte eieren voor zijn geld koos en zich inschikkelijker opstelde, waarna hij weer ambten kreeg toebedeeld.

In 1784 had Willem een conflict met de nieuwe landdrost van de Veluwe, Goosen Geurt Bentinck tot Aller, waarbij het kwam tot een handgemeen. Desondanks kon Willem hem in 1786 opvolgen als landdrost, met goedkeuring van de stadhouder.

Privéleven
Willem trouwde op 25 augustus 1751 met Henriëtte Geertruyd van Essen tot Vanenburg. Op 6 december 1752 stierf zij in het kraambed bij de geboorte van hun dochter Henriëtte Geertruyd Theodora Joachmina Wilhelmina.

Naast zijn bestuurswerk was Willem actief als genealoog. Hij onderzocht zowel zijn eigen familie als de historie van andere adellijke geslachten. Hierbij verzamelde hij belangrijk archiefmateriaal. Zijn persoonlijke bibliotheek bevatte ruim 1000 titels in verschillende talen.

Overlijden
Op 17 juli 1791 overleed Willem te Arnhem, waar hij op dat moment de functie van drost uitoefende. Hij werd drie dagen later begraven in Hattem. Kasteel Yrst werd nagelaten aan zijn dochter Henriëtte, die in 1776 was getrouwd met Volkier Rudolph baron Bentinck tot Schoonheeten. Kasteel Yrst werd rond 1800 afgebroken en de bibliotheek van Willem werd in 1801 geveild.

Adel in de Nederlanden in de 18e eeuw
Orangist in de patriottentijd
Geschiedenis van Gelre

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Evie Dominikovic e Alicia Molik erano le detentrici del titolo, ma quest'anno non hanno partecipato nella categoria Junior.

Eléni Daniilídou e Virginie Razzano hanno battuto in finale 6–1, 6–1 Natalie Grandin e Nicole Rencken.

Teste di serie

 Ansley Cargill /  Lindsay Dawaf (secondo turno)
 Dája Bedáňová /  Aniela Mojzis (semifinali)
 Katarina Basternaková /  Zuzana Kučová (quarti di finale)
 Dominika Luzarová /  Iveta Benešová (primo turno)

 Natalie Grandin /  Nicole Rencken (finale)
 Laura Granville /  Julia Scaringe (primo turno)
 Kavitha Krishnamurthy /  Kinga Berecz (primo turno)
 Melinda Malouli /  Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro (primo turno)

Tabellone

Finali

Parte alta

Parte bassa

Collegamenti esterni

Australian Open 1999


text:
Brug 1230 is een bouwkundig kunstwerk in Amsterdam-Zuidoost.

Deze bbrug werd aangelegd rond 2010 in het kader van een herinrichting van het Bijlmerpark (na 2014 Nelson Mandelapark geheten. Aan de noordkant van het park werden ook de waterwegen destijds verlegd en daarbij werd grond weggegraven bij een hoek tussen twee waterwegen. Er ontstond een eilandje in het Gulden Kruispad; een voet- en fietspad dat zich al slingerend een weg baant door Zuidoost (ongeveer van de Holterbergweg tot aan de Weespertrekvaart).

De herinrichting vond plaats onder leiding van Francine Houben van Mecanoo en zij ontwierp nieuwe bruggen alsmede toegangen tot het park. Deze twee objectsoorten kregen dan ook eenzelfde uiterlijk met metalen raamwerken waarin lintmotieven.

1230


(September 16, 2013) - For the first time, we have a solid evidence of a tiger family living in Northeast China: a female tiger has been photographed, and a tracks of a cub identified.
(August 23, 2013) - A new capacity training workshop has been delivered to representatives of 17 agencies in north-east China.
(July 22, 2013) - Read how WCS is succeeding in bringing nature conservation and economic development together to protect wild yaks in Tibet.
(July 08, 2013) - Watch this 3-minute introduction about WCS conservation work featuring interviews to our field staff in Changtang, Tibet.
(June 19, 2013) - In this second episode, BBC and WCS teams on the quest for breeding female tigers and run into an orphaned tiger cub. Would they manage to rescue him?
(June 16, 2013) - This documentary unveils the hidden world of this mysterious predator, determines why they are declining, and what can be done to save them.
(June 03, 2013) - WCS trained 93 law enforcement officers on the identification of commonly traded wildlife.


text:
How do you convert JK3 Models to SWBF2? -1 reply
SW:BF2 Modding, Mapping and Editing
How do you convert JK3 Models to SWBF2?
Darth_Vader_00M_9
As a Rebel said "Die die die!"
How do you convert models from Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy to swbf2? I knbow its's possible becuase it's been done in the SWBF1 Coversion pack and it's source files. I use one, Neomarz's Assajj Ventruss
Fiminopter
Check the appropriate box
You could possibly try asking the person who is doing it.
For that I would need to ask teancum but I can't seem to register on gametoast
You'd have to find some way to convert the format of a JK3 model to the format used for SWBF2. After that, you'd probably have to decrease the size of the JK3 model (that's why the JK3 graphics are so good... the models are huge) or increase it, so that it's in proportion to the other SWBF2 models. I hope you find out, because I've been thinking about a lot of maps that could use a rodian or a weequa.
Offtopic: oh! That just gave me a great idea. You know how there's only like two sides on a map and then there might be some neutral... well, if you could convert the JK3 models, you could make them be like props (like Jaba) and they'd be like the locals of a city, you know? There's a ton of JK3 models, not just in the game, but that have been created that would make great locals in a city. It is most important that we find out how to convert the models!
*$Lil Jay$*
Na Hōkū Nani
I did it awhile ago but it would take awhile to explain but to import the JK3 models you could use the Milkshape trial and for exporting it to .msh you can use the XSI 5.11 trial.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: PYQGIS rule-based renderer with SVG symbols I am trying to create a rule-based renderer with different SVG icons for each class. For some reason, I keep getting the error :

Rule' object has no attribute 'QgsSvgMarkerSymbolLayer'

Why do I get this error?
Here's the code :
#create root rule

svgStyle = {}
svgStyle['name'] = 'C:/PROGRA~1/QGIS3~1.16/apps/qgis-ltr/svg/transport/transport_train_station2.svg'
svgStyle['size'] = '7'
symbolLayer = QgsSvgMarkerSymbolLayer.create(svgStyle)
symbol = QgsSymbol.defaultSymbol(gares_toutes.geometryType())
symbol.changeSymbolLayer(0, symbolLayer)
renderer = QgsRuleBasedRenderer(symbol)
root = renderer.rootRule()

#rule 1 symbology
symbolvoc1 = root.children()[0].clone()
symbolvoc1.QgsSvgMarkerSymbolLayer(symbolvoc)
symbolvoc1.setSize(25)
#rule 2 symbology
symbolvoc2 = root.children()[0].clone()
symbolvoc2.QgsSvgMarkerSymbolLayer('C:/Users/zcami/Documents/STAGE M1/zooms/icones/centraleblue.svg')
symbolvoc2.setSize(15)
symbolvoc7.xOffset = -0.2
symbolvoc7.yOffset = -1.4

#same thing with 5 other rules...

#filter rules
gare = 'whatever'
symbolvoc1.setFilterExpression("\"Name\" = '{}'".format(gare))
symbolvoc2.setFilterExpression("\"Name\" != '{}' AND \"_vocation\" = 'Gare centrale'".format(gare))

#add rules
root.appendChild(symbolvoc1)
root.appendChild(symbolvoc2)

#apply the renderer
layer.setRenderer(renderer)
symborules = QgsRuleBasedRenderer(root)
layer.renderer().symbol().changeSymbolLayer(0, symborules)
layer.triggerRepaint()

A: symbolvoc1.QgsSvgMarkerSymbolLayer is not a method. It will always fails and throw your mentioned error

Rule' object has no attribute 'QgsSvgMarkerSymbolLayer'

Not sure how you debug but cut & paste each line to find where is your issue. For this error, replace
symbolvoc1 = root.children()[0].clone()
symbolvoc1.QgsSvgMarkerSymbolLayer(symbolvoc)
symbolvoc1.setSize(25)

by
symbolvoc1 = root.children()[0].clone()
symbolvoc1.symbol().setSize(25)


TIP! Products backed by positive feedback from others who have purchased your products, can prove extremely helpful in leading a potential customer to buy your product. The easiest way to provide this info to your customers is through the use of testimonials posted to your site.
There are options for you no matter how well you write. Article promotion involves many different things including selecting freelancers to write articles, submitting articles to article directories, and having a fundamental understanding of article marketing. This article will demonstrate the various ways you can use article advertising to succeed.
TIP! Generate some interest by writing on controversial topics. Start some arguments related to household names or brands.
Do not flood article indexes with multiple copies of a single article. There are many article indexes to use with your article syndication campaign. Though it may be tempting, do not post the same article multiple times in multiple locations. This is a major error; search engines are smart enough to detect this technique, and when they rank web pages, they will not count the links in these articles.
TIP! Drawing in readers with the very first sentence of an article is important, and a great way to do this is to start with a good joke. All you need to do is tell a joke, but know what kind to tell.
Your first paragraph must be the best one. Both search engines and readers put the most import on first paragraphs. Therefore, you should ensure that the best writing is in this first paragraph so that you can intrigue them. Be sure you have interesting content without giving all of the information away about it. To ensure they keep reading, they have to want to find out more.
One tip to consider with article submission is that you will want to send your article to directories after it has been added to your site and indexed. This ensures that your main article shows up on search engines, while the others provide backlinks.
TIP! Make your articles short, begin with a good introduction, and keep it under 500 words. You want to keep the reader's attention, they have short attention spans.
Highlight only a single keyword in each article you write to optimize the success of your article advertising venture. Place keywords in your titles, sub-headings, header, and URL if you can. Be sure to include the keyword spread out through the entire body. When someone is searching for a specific keyword it will be easier for them to find your site because it is so keyword rich.
TIP! Your intro is your best chance to keep visitors on your site, so make sure it's something attractive. Anything article that is published online should start out by grabbing reader attention.
Having an interesting and captivating title is critical for all of your articles. Something enticing in your headline will draw readers in and involve them in the article, while something boring will turn them away. Toss around some ideas before settling for the first headline you think of. Maybe you could get some feedback from friends and family.
TIP! You might not be successful with article marketing right away. You have to try out different techniques and see what works best.
There are many excellent article services online that can be a great source of quality content. You can also learn how to do it yourself. These tips will help you get the info that you need.


text:
Prepackaged Bankruptcy
A prepackaged bankruptcy is a bankruptcy case that begins with the filing of a plan of reorganization that has already been accepted by creditors (or as to which solicitation of acceptances is already underway as of the date of the initiation of the bankruptcy case). The bankruptcy case is the means of implementing the accepted plan.
In Curaçao, the first pre-pack case was decided upon on February 2, 2017 in the Curaçao Drydock Company NV case. The company – at its own request – was declared bankrupt and the proposed sale and purchase of certain assets of the company was approved by the Court of First Instance. By means of this sale and purchase, the employment of all employees was secured, as well as the continuance of specified third party contracts. Also, funding was guaranteed to pay out all creditors 50% of the outstanding amounts. The court decision contained other terms and conditions.
For the parties involved, a pre-pack has several advantages, such as:
Through a prepackaged and pre-negotiated bankruptcy, a debtor working closely together with the critical group of its creditors, can implement changes to certain economic conditions without being hindered by holdouts and/or non-responsive parties;
By formulating and obtaining binding support in favor of a plan before a request for bankruptcy is initiated through a prepackaged or pre-negotiated approach, the debtor's business faces significantly less uncertainty and disruption as a result of the bankruptcy case;
Certain protective provisions (court approved releases and court findings in good faith e.g.), provided for in the Bankruptcy Ordinance can be a significant benefit to the parties to the negotiation;
The debtor has a degree of freedom with respect to the disclosure statement in a prepackaged bankruptcy case that the debtor does not have in a conventional bankruptcy case.
Because an out-of-court, prepackaged and pre-negotiated process takes at least several weeks, if not several months, to effectuate, one of the critical questions for the company and its advisers to consider (and one of the potential pitfalls of a prepackaged or pre-negotiated bankruptcy) is whether the company either has sufficient liquidity for the duration of the pre-filing period or is able to obtain additional financing.
For the company and its advisers, it is critical to have the possibility to negotiate without the disturbance of creditors. Under certain conditions a stay – a period whereby all actions against the debtor are "frozen" – can be requested. Communication is key under these circumstances.
Although a prepackaged plan may not be feasible if the company will not be either reinstating or paying in full pre-petition trade, lease rejection, employee or union claims, the company and its key creditors can consider utilizing the pre-negotiated approach, with a timeline that allows for formation of a statutory committee and a reasonable period of time to engage with its professionals. The amount of time required will vary greatly depending on the circumstances. Generally, such a timeline would not be less than two months and more likely would be about four to six months. If the proposed plan involves issues that raise concerns for the committee, such as investigations into pre-petition transactions or avoidance actions, depending on the complexity of the circumstances, more time may be required.
In the Curaçao Drydock Company NV case, the fact that the employment for all employees was secured by means of the proposed pre-pack, was crucial for the court to approve with the approach. Also, the fact that the continuance of specified third party contracts was guaranteed was of eminence for the restructuring of the company, and therefore the approval.
Office News: De Baar new Managing Partner
Curaçao Chamber of Commerce and Industry now has Power to Dissolve Legal Entities


Welcome to AllVidiots.com where we'll be posting videos featuring idiots or folks who've made idiotic decisions. Many of these videos you may have seen, hopefully many are new to you and amusing. This site is all about fun, so we'll not be posting videos where people are seriously injured.
We hope you'll enjoy our efforts.


It's difficult to stay aware of the majority of the new and forthcoming front-end web improvement advancements; mostly in light of the fact that they are rich in number, incompletely in light of the fact that they are rich in highlights. Two of the most famous ones right now are AngularJS and React. Which one would it be a good idea for you to go for?
i think Angular 4 is best one...for the beginners students..


Now you can enjoy an exclusive promo to deliver your parcel at the lowest rate!
Pgeon is delighted to announce Easyparcel as the exclusive partner of Pgeon for Mycybersale 2018!
You may book Pgeon Delivery service on Easyparcel and deliver your parcel within West Malaysia with only RM5 for a parcel up to 5kg. The promotion starts from 1st to 30th of September 2018.
What are you waiting for? Find out more about the promo now!


Sebastian Doerk and Rob J Heran just came back from a somewhat unusual trip for the off season. Instead of flying to New Zealand, South America or somewhere else warm it took them to freezing cold Kentucky, USA.
We haven´t been the first ones underground but everyone else seemed to have turned a blind eye to the insane trail network. Forty-five trails on 325,000 square ft; there´s pure gold underneath the mountain.
It´s called Off Season for a reason, the Alps are covered with snow and we´d usually go somewhere south and warm to get some riding in. This trip was somehow different. When we landed in Louisville we were welcomed by a raging snow storm and the harshest winter Kentucky has seen for 15 years: -24 degrees Celcius / -11 Fahrenheit. Car wrecks lay scattered over the main highways, shops were closed. Just like I would imagine Armageddon.
Could there be a better place to hide than an abandoned mine with mild temperatures all year round, perfectly built trails and a coffee shop?
Warning, after watching this you might want to grab a shovel and dig a hole in your garden.


Returns val**factor of the given value, if defined.
Values define an extrapolation by defining a pow(self, exponent) method.
val – The value or iterable of values to invert.
exponent – The extrapolation factor. For example, if this is 0.5 and val is a gate then the caller is asking for a square root of the gate.
default – Determines the fallback behavior when val doesn't have an extrapolation defined. If default is not set and that occurs, a TypeError is raised instead.
If val has a __pow__ method that returns something besides NotImplemented, that result is returned. Otherwise, if a default value was specified, the default value is returned.
TypeError – val doesn't have a __pow__ method (or that method returned NotImplemented) and no default value was specified.


Well that's another one ticked off our bucket list! Who would have thought we would be back at Les Cotils for the third week running to livestream another event to the public. Who knew that we would be writing our names into the history books for live streaming the first ever public meeting for The States of Guernsey. As usual the broadcasting of the event live was a last minute thing, with us only booking the date in our diary a few days before the public meeting, but we were more than happy to oblige given our broadcasting equipment being readily available and our years' worth of experience willing to be put to the test, again.
On the evening a multi-microphone set up was utilised to enable us to capture all of the questions from the floor, as well as the responses from the committee, in addition to the main presentation outlining the new proposals. At the time of writing, just 3 hours after the event had concluded, the stream had already over 4,000 minutes viewed, 1,803 views, 482 reactions, 290 comments and 39 shares. During the stream we had 63 viewers tune in, and whilst it isn't a groundbreaking number by any means, those 63 people may not have engaged previously and probably wouldn't have attended the public meeting. It did prove that technology could benefit our electorate, as it ensured the meeting was accessible to a wider audience, and they were able to engage in real-time, as they were able to comment on the feed as the meeting progressed with their comments/questions being feedback to the presenters.
We think this could be the start of a trend – judging by the feedback following the ending of the stream after just 9pm, the raft of positive comments and words of encouragement from previous technophobes can only mean the future is bright for livestreaming. Who knows what we will livestream next?


text:
🎰 Guide to Berlin Casinos
💰 Top three Berlin casinos for players to visit! Casino Berlin
Top Berlin Casinos: See reviews and photos of casinos & gambling attractions in Berlin, Germany on Tripadvisor.
Die beste Spielbank Deutschlands - Best Casino in Germany - Munich - Berlin 2017
💰 Guide To Berlin Casinos Trabrennbahn Mariendorf
Touted as the city's best casino, Spielbank Berlin Postdamer Platz combines the the biggest gaming events in Europe, including InterCasino Germany-affiliate.
💰 The best casino's in Berlin Spielbank at Potsdamer Platz
This casino was opened in the year and has been in the top of the most successful casino's in Germany ever since. The Spielbank Potsdamer Platz has.
💰 Top Casinos & Gambling Attractions in Berlin, Germany Casino Berlin – TV-Tower
The largest casino in Berlin, Germany according to gaming machines and table games put together, is Spielbank Berlin.
Why PRAGUE is the BEST CITY in EUROPE
Spielbank Casino Tour with Alex Gray - WPTDS Berlin
Whilst Germany has stuck by some strict rules for gamblers, there are still some excellent casinos across the country, with Berlin casinos a standout. Here we will.
Best Casinos in Berlin, Germany - Grand Hyatt Berlin, Spielbank Berlin, Casino Berlin, Spielcasino Ucak, Spielbank Potsdam, Vulkan Stern, Deutsche Oper.
Restored to its rightful status in after the collapse of the wall, the stunning capital of Germany has reinvented itself over the past two decades to become one.
The 10 Biggest Casinos in the World
20€ BET HAND PAY JACKPOT - BIG PAYOUT - HIGH LIMIT SLOTS German Casino
As you would expect, all of your favourite games are easily accessible including blackjack, poker and roulette, along with over slot machines. Promotion Terms.{/INSERTKEYS}{/PARAGRAPH} However, it does also boast four poker tables which open daily from pm. {PARAGRAPH}{INSERTKEYS}From history to sport, there are many places to visit across the city that are sure to keep you occupied. Whilst Germany has stuck by some strict rules for gamblers, there are still some excellent casinos across the country, with Berlin casinos a standout. Furthermore, packages are available to enhance your own experience at the casino. The Spielbank Berlin has three floors and offers much more than just games. Even without the packages, a live DJ will be present and other entertaining events take place throughout the year. This casino is ideal for those of you who are slots fans, with over 60 machines on offer, including any of the latest games. Seats can be reserved for these games too. All in all, the biggest casino in Berlin offers something for everyone. And, the same applies to casino fans out there. Whether you want to visit the grand buildings and seek entertainment throughout the night or just a quiet game on the slots, you can do it all. Entrance to the casino is free, but you must follow the dress code of smart casual. Now, all you have to do is practice online with Lucky Nugget Casino before you take on these Berlin casinos. Overall, these are three of the top casinos to visit in Berlin. The casino has developed a reputation as the place to play for poker fans across the country and has even hosted several World Series of Poker WSOP European events. In total, there are slot machines, four poker tables and five more table games that are accessible for all players. The exclusive room requires a stricter dress code and boasts four blackjack tables and eight roulette wheels. Three packages are available, with the Deluxe option including champagne, chips to bet with and a three-course meal on offer! Originally opened in , the Spielbank Berlin relocated to Potsdamer Platz in and has remained there since. They offer various formats of the game and also include daily tournaments which usually attract many players and most tournaments allow re-entry and re-buys. Poker fans may also be intrigued by the possibility of playing in the tournaments that run each day. The previous two casinos are by far the biggest on offer in Berlin, but there are many smaller casinos dotted around the city that provide players with a great source of entertainment. Spielbank Fernsehturm once again offers players all of the games they could wish for. Whilst there are no major restaurants on site, a buffet is on the casino floor with an intercontinental menu. The first floor is considered a party room, where as well as a restaurant and bar, there is a theatre and live music that combines casino games with entertainment. Sign up.


text:
Category Archives: Welsh
Ankou
Pronunciation: ahn-koo
Etymology: From the Breton word anken for anguish or grief. Another word given is ankouatt, meaning "to forget."
Also Known As: Ankow (Cornish), yr Angau (Welsh), L'Ankou, Death, the Grim Reaper, King of Dead, Angel of Death, Death's Servant
In Breton mythology of Brittany, France, the Ankou is the local personification of death. They come at night either on foot or more often riding in a cart or carriage drawn by four black horses to collect the souls of the newly dead and take them to the Lands of the Dead.
Pre-History
With scant evidence, but the persistent belief in the Ankou prevailing, there are thoughts among scholars that the Ankou might be a surviving tradition of a local Celtic Death God or Goddess. It has been suggested by the 19th-century writer, Anatole le Braz that the belief of the Ankou goes back to the dolmen-builders of prehistoric Brittany.
Imagery of the Ankou can be found throughout many of the old Celtic countries such as Ireland, Wales, Cornwall and Brittany. One example is found on a baptismal font in La Martyre where the Ankou is shown holding a human head. The Ankou, like the depictions of the Green Man on many churches are a Pagan holdover and a defiance towards Church Authority.
The Ankou appears as a ghostly skeleton or sometimes as an old man who wears black robes and large, wide-brimmed hat that conceals its face. As a skeleton, the Ankou's head is able to spin around so he can see in all directions. The Ankou is shown too carrying a scythe that has the sharpened blade upwards instead of downwards. Sometimes he only appears as a shadow carrying a scythe. He is said to drive a black cart or carriage drawn by two horses, one old and one young or there are four black horses. If there are several souls for the Ankou to collect, he will be assisted by two skeletons who help hurl them into the cart. A cold gust of wind is said to follow in the Ankou's wake as he travels.
Aside from collecting souls, the Ankou when there is more than one, are guardians of cemeteries. And sometimes the Ankou of a cemetery is the first person to die in the year who is then tasked with collecting the souls of the dead and lead them to the afterlife.
Karrigell an Ankou – The Wheelbarrow of Ankou, he is heralded by the sound of squealing railways wheels outside a person's home.
Labous an Ankou – The Death Bird, the cry of an owl heralds the arrival of the Ankou.
King Of The Dead – In some legends, the Ankou is the King of the Dead. Each of his subjects have their path that they follow their path through the Underworld or Afterlife.
Psycho-Pomp
Regardless of the description of the Ankou that you go by, their job is that of a psychopomp, an entity that guides and takes the souls of the deceased to the afterlife. The persistence of the Ankou has continued into the 21st century where it is recognized more as the Grim Reaper.
Though he is often shown carrying a scythe, the Ankou doesn't have to kill anyone, just his presence and arrival signals that someone's time has come. The Ankou's role as psycho-pomp also sees him as something of a protector of the dead.
Death's Henchman – In "The Legend of Death" by Anatole Le Braz, the Ankou is a henchman to Death, protecting the graveyard and souls around it, collecting them for the afterlife when it is their time. The last person to die in the year for their parish, becomes the Ankou for the following year. In any year where there have been more deaths than usual, the phrase: "War ma fé, heman zo eun Anko drouk" is said. Translated, it means: "On my faith, this one is a nasty Ankou."
New House – It is believed that the Ankou awaits in every new house to claim the life of the first living being to enter it. For that reason, a tradition began in the Breton Commune of Quimperlé to sacrifice a rooster and spread out its blood on the foundations of every house being built, that way the Ankou could collect the soul of the rooster.
Omen Of Death
To see, hear or approach the Ankou is an omen of death. However, it is with the understanding that to see the Ankou, is something of a blessing in disguise, as the individual is often given the time to be able to say their goodbyes and get affairs in order.
Your Soul Has Been Collected, Now What?
Well now, that really all depends on what you believe. For some, that's it, no more, finis. For others, there's going to be some sort of afterlife that the Ankou is going to take you for final judgment, whether that be a Heaven or Hell of some sort, or even just a Purgatory where the soul is in limbo forever.
There's plenty of speculation and evidence in surviving Celtic stories that they likely believed in reincarnation as other religions and cultures have. Ultimately, even with the arrival of Christianity, the soul continues on in some form and the Ankou is going to take it there.
The Bretons were no different than their other Celtic kin, death is a part of life. The soul continues somewhere, even if we aren't in agreement of where that is.
In Ireland, the Ankou is seen as a type of fairy versus a ghost or spirit of some sort. Which makes sense where distinctions between the three are easily hashed out. Yet also a bit confusing, as most people will think of the small Victorian Flower Fairies that are small and have wings like Tinkerbell of Peter Pan fame. In the more deeper studies of Celtic or Irish folklore, faeries are a type of spirit, not just another race of beings with numerous various types. Older linguistics and translations show that faeries are the spirits of the dead and the Realm of Fairy is the Land of the Dead. Which goes right back to making sense to refer to the Ankou as a type of fairy.
Kalan Goañv
A Breton festival that corresponds to October 31st with the celebrations of Halloween and Samhain. Similar to the tradition in the Mexican Dio de Los Muertos, the Bretons would feed the Ankou with milk, cider, and crepes. The tombstones in cemeteries across Brittany have small cup-like holders where offerings for the dead can be left.
Night Of Wonders
The Bretons call Christmas Eve the "Night of Wonders." During this time, the Ankou will pass through anonymously through the crowd attending Midnight Mass. Anyone that the Ankou brushes past will be those who die before the New Year.
French Nursery Rhyme
"O, Lakait ho Troadig" is the name of a nursery rhyme that dates back to the 16th century. The Ankou is mentioned where each time the rhyme progresses, a new word in introduced that then becomes the first word in the series.
Irish Proverb
"When Ankou comes, he will not go away empty."
There are a few stories involving the Ankou that I came across while researching this figure.
Story One – First Child
In some stories, the Ankou is said to the first child of Adam and Eve…. Which would make him Cain, if we go by most versions and translations of the Bible.
Right then…
Story Two – Drunken Friends
This story sees three friends who were drunk and of course, walking home late one night. The three came across an old man on a rickety cart. Two of the friends began to shout at the old man, not realizing that this it he Ankou. Then they began throwing stones that when the axle on the cart broke, the two ran off.
As for the third friend, he felt bad and went to help the old man. He found a branch and came back with that to replace the broken axle. Then he took the shoelaces off his shoes to give the Ankou to tie it in place.
The next morning, the two friends who had thrown stones were found dead. As for the third friend, who had stayed to help, his hair turned white. He never spoke in any detail about what happened that night.
If we have the story, the guy must have told someone or written it down.
Story Three – The Cruel Prince
In this story, there was once a cruel landowner that challenged Death. The landowner? A petty, spoiled and entitled Prince. This Prince was out hunting, chasing down a white stag, an animal given special status in Celtic lore. As the Prince and his companions chased the white stag, they encountered a dark figure sitting atop a white horse. Infuriated that this person dared to trespass on his lands, the Prince challenged the stranger. Whoever killed the stag could not only keep the hide and meat but could also determine the fate of the loser. The stranger agreed, speaking in a soft, eerie voice that unnerved those who heard him.
To the Prince's horror, the hunt was over faster than he anticipated. No matter how hard he rode, how fast he drew his bow, the stranger was faster still and succeeded at bringing down the deer. Angry at his loss, the Prince had his men surround the stranger, declaring that he would bring back two trophies that night. The white stag and the stranger.
The stranger laughed, revealing himself then to be Death, telling the Prince that since he loved to hunt so much, he could have the stag and all the dead of the world. The Prince was then cursed to become an Ankou or a Ghoul, forever collecting the souls of the dead.
Story Four – The Blacksmith's Story
In this story, there is a blacksmith by the name of Fanch ar Floc'h who was very engrossed with his work on Christmas Eve, that he missed the Midnight Mass. He worked late into the midnight hour, (held sacred in some European cultures, the witching hour when magic happens) when the Ankou arrived seeking to have his scythe repaired. Fanch knew full well who his midnight visitor was and he worked on the scythe tirelessly, dying at the dawn of Christmas Morning.
Story Five – The Coach of the Dead
This story was first recorded by the Breton poet and folklorist Anatole Le Braz in 1890. The legend is much older, having been passed on through oral tradition.
A young man was curious one evening when he heard the sound of the Ankou's axles as they creaked. The man ran out to a clump of hazel where he hid watched for the Ankou's arrival. As the cart passed by, it suddenly stopped and one of the Ankou's skeletal companions went to where the young man hid to cut a branch of hazel to repair the axle. The young believed had been spotted by the Ankou and was relieved when the cart soon left. However, when morning came, the young man was found dead.
Story Six – The Blocked Road
Three brothers are returning home after a night of partying and quiet drunk. The three decide they will pull a prank on the first carriage to pass through on a nearby road. They do so by blocking the path with a large, dead tree.
Later in the evening, the brothers were awoken by loud banging on their door and a voice yelling that they go and remove the tree blocking the path. The voice knows that it was the boys who pulled this stunt.
When the three opened the door to look, no one was there, but they could not close the door again no matter how hard they tried. The boys called out, asking who was there. Once more the voice boomed, ordering them to go to the road that they blocked.
Freaked, the brothers went out, finding that the stranger they thought to find was the Ankou. The Ankou explained that he had lost an hour of his time due to this stunt and as a result, they would all die one hour sooner. The Ankou then added, that the three were lucky, had they not come out when they did, they would have owed him a year of their lives for each minute that he lost.
Syno-Deities & Entities
Arawn – The Celtic god of the Dead, the Ankou is sometimes equated with him.
Bag an Noz – The Boat of Night, those who live along the sea-shore in Brittany tell of how the last person to drown in the year, will roam the seas at night to collect the souls of the drowned and guide them to the Afterlife, just as the Ankou does on land. It is a ghost ship that appears when ever something bad is about to happen and disappears when people come to close. The crew of this boat are said to call out soul-wrenching sounds.
Charon – The Greek ferryman of the dead has also been equated with the Ankou due to similar garb and taking souls to the Afterlife.
Church Grim – Or the Grim, in English and Scandinavian lore it is a black dog that has been killed and buried in the graveyard at either the beginning or end of the year in order to protect the church and graveyard. Other animals such as lambs, boars or horses.
Crom Dubh – This one is a bit of a stretch. Crom Dubh was an ancient Celtic fertility god who demanded human sacrifices every year, of which, the preferred method was decapitation. Eventually the god fell out of favor and somehow this god becomes a spirit seekings corpses and eventually becoming the Dullahan.
Death Coach – A general Northern European, especially in Ireland where it is called the Cóiste Bodhar. The Death Coach is known for arriving to collect the soul of a deceased person. Once it arrives on earth to collect a soul, it will not leave empty. It is a black coach or carriage that is driven or led by a headless horseman who is often identified with the Dullahan.
The Dullahan – also known as Dulachán meaning "dark man" or "without a head." This being is a headless fairy often seen dressed in black and riding a black headless horse while carrying his head under an arm or inner thigh. The Dullahan is armed with a whip made from a human spine. Death occurs wherever the Dullahan ceases riding and when it calls out a name, the person called dies. Death can also come if the Dullahan tosses a bucket of blood at a person who has been watching it.
In other versions, the Dullahan rides a black carriage. Sometimes they are accompanied by a banshee. Nothing can stop the Dullahan from claiming a victim save the payment of gold.
Grim Reaper – Essentially, the Grim Reaper and Ankou are largely the same entity, both wear the black robes and carry a scythe. The Grim Reaper is very much so the modern Ankou, appearing in several various media and literature.
Santa Muerte – The female version of the Grim Reaper. Her imagery is very similar in appearance to the Ankou and Grim Reaper with wearing robes and wielding a scythe. Santa Muerte is worshiped primarily among many Hispanics & Latinos, especially in places like Mexico.
Posted in Brittany, Celtic, Cemetary, Christian, Christmas, Cornwall, Death, Fairy, French, Guardian, Halloween, Irish, New Year, Nursery Rhyme, Omen, Owl, Pagan, Psychopomp, Reincarnation, Soul, Underworld, Welsh
Tags: Death, Mythology, Psychopomp
Etymology – Horn (Old English)
Suffice to say, Herne is a well-known figure in British and Modern folklore. At first glance, it's easy to say that Herne is one of the names for the Horned God in Wicca and Modern Paganism. A slightly more knowledgeable response would say that Herne is who leads the Wild Hunt. Or perhaps that he is the ghostly specter of a Games Keeper with antlers who haunts Windsor Forest.
It does get a bit tricky on trying to get into what's concrete for the figure of Herne.
Many descriptions of Herne will agree that he is human either wearing antlers or has antlers. Sometimes he is on foot others he is on horseback and may or may not be accompanied by hunting hounds or other animals of the forest.
Ghost – The version of Herne that appears in Shakespeare's play, clearly terrorizes the forest animals and people alike, blasting or withering the trees of the forest as he shakes his chains. The alternative lines say he can take on the shape of a stag. Later descriptions of Herne will have him riding a horse as part of the Wild Hunt.
The earliest known mention that we have of Herne is in William Shakespeare's play The Merry Wives of Windsor written in 1597.
That certainly is a case for having been around for quite a while just based off that alone.
In Act 4, Scene 4, we have the characters Mistress Page and Mistress Ford deciding that they will play a trick on Sir John Falstaff because of his unwanted advances. The two ladies convince Falstaff to disguise himself as a ghost and meet them out under an oak in Windsor Forest at midnight. The two ladies also convince and get some children to show up at the same time who are dressed up as fairies to pinch and burn Falstaff.
"There is an old tale goes, that Herne the hunter,
Sometime a keeper here in Windsor Forest,
Doth all the wintertime, at still midnight,
Walk round about an oak, with great ragg'd horns;
And there he blasts the trees, and takes the carrle,
And makes milch kine* yield blood, and shakes a chain
In a most hideous and dreadful manner."
Milch kine? Yeah, milking cows.
Bogeyman?
There is a set of alternative lines from 1602 that hint that Herne was a local ghost story used by mothers to get their children to behave.
The alternative lines are as follows:
"Oft have you heard since Horne the hunter dyed,
That women, to affright their little children,
Says that he walkes in the shape of a great stagge."
Whether the character of Herne existed before the creation of Shakespeare's play or is a creation of it, isn't clear. What is clear is that this play is for certain where the figure of Herne enters British folklore and onwards to a larger, global audience… at least the West.
Cuckold's Horns – With an Elizabethan audience, they would know that a cuckold is a name given to a husband with an unfaithful wife. A cuckold like the cuckoo bird that lays its eggs in the nests of other birds. So, a husband is likely raising a child who is not his own. The horns were likely a theatrical device of the Elizabethan stage to inform an audience of a character's role.
Herne's Oak
In Windsor's Home Park, there have been a few different oak trees since the mid-1800's that people have claimed to be either Falstaff's Oak or Herne's Oak.
The main oak that people pointed to as Herne's Oak fell in 1796 due to declining botanical health. The other oak was blown over during a windstorm on August 31st 1863. The logs from this tree were burnt in order to exorcise the ghost of Herne. One log was kept to carve a bust of Shakespeare from and is on display in the Windsor and Royal Borough Museum in the Guildhall.
Later, Queen Victoria planted another oak to replace the one that fell in 1863. Later, King Edward VII would have the tree removed in 1906 during a landscaping project. Still, another oak would be replanted to replace the fallen tree from 1796 and named Herne's Oak.
All's well that ends well.
Growing Fame
As the legend of Herne continues to grow and expand, the 20th century sees Herne's ghost now appearing shortly before national disasters and before the death of monarchs, much like a Banshee.
At the very least, because people expect to see something, more and more people claim to have encountered Herne's ghost or to have heard the sounds of hounds or a horn blowing in Windsor Forest.
Truth In The Telling
With the authenticity of Herne being lost to history and up for debate, there are enough people who believe that Shakespeare must have been using a local legend. To this end, people have been trying to add some historical veracity and authenticity to legitimize Herne's legend. If nothing else, the legend and imagery of Herne have succeeded at capturing people's imaginations for centuries and has well earned a place in folklore.
The Restless Gamekeeper – This is the next literary source, written by Samuel Ireland in 1791 in his Picturesque Views on the River Thames. In the story, Herne is to have been based on a historical figure by the name of Richard Horne, a yeoman who lived during Henry VIII's reign. Horne was accused of poaching and as a result, he hung himself from an oak tree. As this was a suicide death, Herne's spirit is believed to be barred from entering either heaven or hell and is doomed to haunt the place of their death.
Shakespearean scholar James Halliwell-Phillips found a document where Herne is listed as a hunter and confessed to poaching. Plus, early versions of The Merry Wives of Windsor spell the name as "Horne" instead of "Herne."
There are of course, a couple variants to this story.
Variation 1 – In this version, Herne is the huntsman to King Richard II. After some local men grew jealous of Herne's status, they conspired to accuse him of poaching on the King's land. Falsely accused and outcast, Herne hung himself from an oak tree.
Variation 2 – In this story, Herne saves King Richard II from a stag. Fatally wounded, Herne is healed by a magician who takes Herne's skills in forestry and hunting as payment. Part of this being cured involved having the dead stag's horns tied to Herne's head. Distraught by the loss of his skills, Herne hung himself from a tree. As a result, his spirit is doomed each night to lead a spectral hunt through Windsor Rest.
Windsor Castle – Written by William Harrison Ainsworth in 1842. This novel aims to be a historical drama set during the reign of the Tudors and follows Henry VIII's pursuit of Anne Boleyn. Herne features throughout the novel as a ghostly figure haunting the nearby woods of Windsor. This version of Herne is somewhat sinister as Harrison Ainsworth created a history where Herne was gored by a stag. Herne makes a deal with the Devil to spare him. Part of the deal is that Herne would forever wear antlers. This version of Herne had served Richard II and likely the source of the two previous folkloric versions of where he originates from.
The Wild Hunt is a phenomenon found in many different European countries and cultures. It is a nightmarish, supernatural force led by some dark spectral hunter on horseback and accompanied by a host of other riders and hounds as they chase down unlucky mortals, either until they drop dead of exhaustion, are caught and forced to join the Wild Hunt or able to evade the Hunt until dawn.
Just exactly who it is that leads the Hunt does vary country by country in Europe. The Wild Hunt is known for making its ride during the Winter Solstice or New Year's Eve. Jacob Grimm of Grimms Brothers fame makes a connection of Herne to the Wild Hunt due to the epitaph of "the Hunter." That does seem to work, a Huntsman, connect him to the Wild Hunt and for Britain, the idea really jells of a local person who becomes a lost soul, doomed to forever ride with the Hunt.
Of course, the point is brought up that as a ghost, Herne is connected to one locality whereas the Wild Hunt wanders, moving from one place to another, seemingly randomly.
Ultimately, just who leads the Wild Hunt will vary from country to country. In Welsh mythology, it is Gwyn ap Nudd or Annwn who lead the hunt with a pack of spectral hounds to collect unlucky souls. The Anglo-Saxons of Britain hold that it is Woden who leads the hunt at midwinter. Wotan is very similar to Odin (just another name for the same deity really), Herne has been linked to them as both have been hung from a tree.
Pagan Deity
With Wicca and many modern pagan religions, Herne is frequently identified with the Horned God. As a Horned God, Herne is seen as a god of the Hunt, the sacred masculine, animals, nature, crossroads, sacrifice, fertility, virility, forests, hunters, and warriors.
Close on the heels of a horned deity, Herne has been connected to the Celtic deity of Cernunnos. Most notably, Margaret Murray made this connection in her 1931 book, "God of the Witches." She sees Herne as a manifestation of Cernunnos and a very localized god found only in Berkshire. Take that as you will, for as much as Margaret Murray is hailed as the Grandmother of Wicca, many of her ideas and theories have been discredited and contested or challenged as they often appealed to emotional desires didn't fulfill proper scrutiny and criteria for research. She is still very important in getting the ball rolling for those who follow Wicca and Paganism.
Archeological Discoveries – Of note is that a headpiece made from the top part of a stag's skull with antlers still attached was found in Britain at Star Carr near Scarborough. This headpiece is thought to date back to around 8500 B.C.E., dating it to the Mesolithic era. The headdress is thought to have served shamanic rituals to ensure a successful hunt.
Cernunnos – Gaul
It's not just Margaret Murry who sees Herne as being very similar to or an aspect of Cernunnos, it is also R. Lowe Thompson in his 1929 book "The History of the Devil – The Horned God of the West" who makes the connection.
Thompson makes the connection of Herne to other Wild Huntsmen, looking for a connection of all of these horned deities being really the same being or aspects of each other. He goes on how Herne and Cernunnos are the same, just as the English word "horn" is a cognate of the Latin word "cornu."
So… "cerne" and "herne." It's enough for many Wiccans and Pagans to accept Herne as an aspect of Cernunnos just on the fact that both have horns or antlers.
Depending on the source and who you ask, Herne hunts and destroys nature and wildlife where Cernunnos seeks to protect it.
Pan – Greek
While we're at it, the Grecian rustic gods of the wild, Pan is also seen as a syno-deity who can be equated with Herne and other Horned Gods.
Woden – Anglo-Saxon
Also spelled Wotan.
Because so many have tried to make connections, I already touched on this above with the Wild Hunt, Herne as been connected to Wodan as well. Both Herne and Wodan hung from a tree. Herne out of shame and suicide and Wodan as he was seeking knowledge of the runes. Herne is also bandied about as being derived from one of Wodan's titles, Herian ("Warrior-Leader"), a titled used when leading his fallen warriors, the Einherjar.
The Play's The Thing!
Even if the origins of Herne are rooted in a Shakespearean play solely as a creation of the great bard himself. People assume that Shakespeare must have drawn on some unverifiable local myths and folklore.
While we can argue and aren't completely sure, Herne has more than earned a place in folklore. Afterall, Herne continues to inspire and find his way into literature and modern media.
There are numerous books and T.V. series where Herne has a part or features and continues to be a character people readily draw inspiration from.
Such as a British show, Robin of Sherwood where Herne is a pagan priest and spirit of the woods. Books such as Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising and Terry Pratchett's Discworld series.
Posted in Anglo-Saxon, Animal - Beast, Bargin/Deal/Pact, British, Chains, Crossroads, Cuckold, Death, Deer, Deity, Destruction, Dog, European, Fertility, Fidelity, Folk Lore, Folklore, Forests, Ghost, Haunted, Heaven, Hell, Horns, Hunter, Jealousy, Magic, Masculinity, Mesolithic, Nature, New Year, Nightmare, Oak, Oaths, Omen, Pagan, Poaching, Ritual, Sacrifice, Shakespeare, Shaman, Shape-Shifter, Solstice, Soul, Spirit, Suicide, Supernatural, Tree, Trickery/Cunning, Uncategorized, Virility, Warrior, Welsh, Wild Hunt, Winter


Jim Lee & K°, USA. August 27 - September 1, 2007.
Good morning from Saint Petersburg! Well, it is not exactly 74 degrees as it was last week but at 7 am here the sun is coming out and it should be a very nice day in the 60s. Great day for going to see where Catherine hung out in her Pushkin palaces... hmm. There is a story there .. old girl with her young Push.
Wonderful day yesterday with a visit to the Peterhof, the summer palace of Peter the Great who actually used it . As you look at the fountains, remember there is no pump anywhere. All of the fountains work on gravity from a lake some 20 KMs away and flow into the sea. What a feat of engineering. The whole place was partially destroyed by those bad Nazis but since t hen as you see, it was restored to its original glory. Peter wanted his own Versailles and he did it. The place is huge and there is just room after room of amazing silk and art. But the glory is also in the surrounding grounds and the arrival by canal from the Gulf of Finland. Wow.
Spent the day at Peterhof and then on to the hotel and out to shop in the huge collection of shops in the nearby block long "mall". Nothing really to buy but very nice to see how the other side is living. Things are good in general according to our guide Nicky (we have renamed him).
En route to the Armenian restaurant whose name is the ancient name for the capital of Armenia, Eravan. ok, so who knew that? Anyway, we had Carl to guide us through the choices and it was like we never ate before. Oh my, cool thing is the restaurant has this dinner service plate set that is made by the Imperial Porcelain makers here in St P, so take a look. I tried to steal one but they said no no no.


I know I keep preaching that September is only about two things: routines and reinforcement so when I jump in with a post that has the word 'assessment' included you all get scared. Assessment is a scary word. It sounds time-consuming, complicated, and intimidating. But really an assessment is just gathering information. That's it. You are gathering information about your student. Information that you can compare later on to see if growth has been made. Every time you hear the word assessment, replace it in your brain with 'gather information.' It makes the whole thing way more doable.
Yes, I do advocate for the start of the school year to be focused in teaching your students the important routines of the class and establishing yourself and your classroom as a reinforcer but while doing that we can sneak in a little assessment. And this assessment is so easy and valuable. It's easy because all you need to do is watch. That's it. We are such busy bees in our classrooms that we rarely just observe our students. You can learn so much from observing. You can learn about reinforcers, you can learn about which skills are independent, you can learn about communication obstacles.
This assessment is a checklist that you can create based on the common expectations in your room. After you create the checklist, observe your students and mark if they can complete the activity independent or with help. Pick a student a day to complete the assessment on and you'll have your whole class done this month.
Included below is an editable and non-editable version of this checklist. You can type or hand write in the skills. I liked the idea of breaking up the day into a few categories: entering school, navigating classroom, problem solving, lunch/recess, bathroom, and leaving skill. Pick 3-5 major skills that your student needs to accomplish in that area. Don't get too detailed. Look for some overarching skills like "clears lunch" or "checks schedule." For students that are not independent in those skill areas, you can get more detailed later. If you are having trouble thinking about which skills to include, spend one day just observing and writing down the skills as your see them or see them being prompted. This will give a great idea of which skills are important to include. This list creates your individualized school based functional skills list. These are the specific skills that your students need be independent within your environment.
Complete the checklist for each student. This will be easy to do. Observe the student and simply mark independent or some help for each skill. Once you are done, you now have an overview of the student's school based functional skills. You can create a percentage of independent skills by adding up how many skills in total and dividing by the total independent skills. Then you can say well, Johnny can do 89% of our school based functional skills independently.
Use this checklist to show growth. Complete it in September, then again in January, and again in May. Track how many new steps can be completed independently through the year. Show the increase in the percentage of independent skills. Put some data and numbers to all of those transition times that your students consistently improve on.
Now that you have given this 'assessment' (aka gathered this information), you know what to focus on with each student. Johnny needs to work on washing this hands. Jenny needs to improve on asking for help. You are basing these focused goals on data. You gave an assessment and made instructional decisions based on that assessment. How impressive! It's only month one. (Psst. Don't tell them how easy it was, let them be impressed).
In our field, sometimes we are forced to be part teacher and part lawyer. We need to defend why our students need the amount of support and staff that they do. Some people may look at your classroom and think, she doesn't need 2 paraprofessionals, I can borrow one to do this task for me. Nope. You have data and an assessment on your side. When someone tries to pull an aide from dismissal or recess, grab this assessment and show exactly what your aides will be helping your kids with. Having data and things on paper seems to always quiet everyone down.
Thanks so much! This can make a great and practical SLO goal for our Teacher Effectiveness Evaluation! So simple and SO — USEFUL!


A large supermarket chain in the Southeast was building a new store. It was nearly complete when the certificate of occupancy (CO) inspection revealed the Public Safety Signal System inside the store was not up to code. The store was scheduled to open in weeks with perishables and other food items in the process of delivery. Any delay in obtaining the CO would result in a loss of inventory and revenue for the supermarket retailer.
Looking forward, the appetite for huge amounts of data keeps building and by 2020, experts predict a six-fold increase in data traffic worldwide.
AFL works with building owners and wireless carriers to provide a DAS solution that would benefit all parties and then installs an indoor DAS system for an eight-story apartment complex.
AFL created the pathways and installed the fiber backbone systems to expand the wireless coverage at a major university's football stadium in the Southeast.


text:
Listen: How Ann Richards Used Her Texan Accent To Draw In 'Forgotten' Voters
In Richards' famous 1988 speech, she didn't shy away from her natural way of speaking to appeal to a wider audience.
By Michael MarksAugust 20, 2020 12:10 pmArts & Culture, Government & Politics, Race & Identity, Texan Translation
Kenneth C. Zirkel/Wikimedia Commons
Former Texas Gov. Ann Richards in 1992.
In this month's installment of Texan Translation, Texas Standard looked at the well-known speech by former Texas Gov. Ann Richards at the 1988 Democratic National Convention, with the help of Lars Hinrichs, professor of English at the University of Texas at Austin. Hinrichs is also director of the Texas English Linguistics Lab at UT.
Richards' speech is known for its witty and often biting one-liners. But Hinrichs focused on the nature of Richards' Texan accent, and how she used that accent to make a larger point about political and cultural divisions. Richards gave the speech when she was not yet governor of Texas, but state treasurer. Here's the first line:
"I'm delighted to be here with you this evening, because after listening to George Bush all these years I figured you needed to know what a real Texas accent sounds like," Richards said, to raucous applause.
Hinrichs said her Texas accent is easy to recognize, and it would likely sound much different than the way the majority of the national TV audience spoke. But she used that difference to draw people in.
At one point in her speech, she talked about growing up in a small town in Central Texas:
I can still hear the sound of the dominoes clicking on the marble slab my daddy had found for a tabletop. I can still hear the laughter of the men telling jokes you weren't supposed to hear. Talking about how big that ol' buck deer was, laughing about momma putting Clorox in the well when the frog fell in. They talked about war and Washington and what this country needed. They talked "straight talk," and it came from people who were living their lives as best they could.
Hinrichs said in that excerpt, Richards' accent has strong Texas English features, including the way she said "sound" and "found." She didn't shy away from her natural way of speaking to appeal to a broader audience.
"Politicians often use vernacular speech when they address the public. But normally, they do that intentionally to their constituents to show, I'm one of you; I speak like you," Hinrichs said. "She's really addressing the whole country, and making herself intentionally distinct. The message here is … we can be different and yet be one country."
That message of unity and inclusion mattered because Richards came from a Southern state where there's often mistrust of mainstream politics.
Here's what Richards said about that division:
We've been told that the interests of the South and the Southwest are not the same interests as the North and the Northeast. They pit one group against the other. They've divided this country, and in our isolation we think government isn't gonna help us.
Hinrichs said Richards' accent is strong, again, in that excerpt, in the way she said "South," "divided" and "isolation." It all played into what he considered the point of her speech: that many Americans had been forgotten or left behind, but that their differences are intrinsically American – in other words, what makes us distinct makes us fit in.
"The premise of her speech is many Americans … have the same worries, no matter where they're from," he said. "They have a shared humanity, and they need a government that recognizes that."
Web story edited by Caroline Covington.
Why Weren't Beto And Julián Featured At The DNC?
Texas Standard For August 20, 2020
Laredoans Call to 'Defund The Wall' With New Street Mural
Researchers Take A Critical Look At How Dallas Can Be More Welcoming To Immigrants
Fortnite Maker Epic Games Battles Apple Over In-Game Purchase Fees
This Author Learned, 'If You Don't See Books That Represent You, Write Them'
A Chance Encounter Creates A Work Of Art
How State Officials Are Trying To Use TikTok To Stop The Spread Of COVID-19