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A Conversation With Tony Brock
Photo: Song Seven Photography
Rod Stewart is the first concert I ever attended and I'm a big fan of The Babys, so it was a pleasure to speak with Tony Brock. He is a founding member of The Babys and the band's drummer, and he spent 12 years drumming for Rod Stewart, starting with the 1981 album Tonight I'm Yours.
The Babys have a new album coming out, Timeless: Anthology II, and you can be a part of it. Check out the band's Pledge campaign for all of the great reward and benefits you can get by support this effort. It's going to be a fantastic record, and I highly recommend that all music fans check it out.
Tell me about the recently announced album, Timeless: Anthology II and the Pledge campaign associated with the album.
We're really proud of it. We're going to have people come in and sing on a couple of tracks. A crowd of people, like "We Are The World." (laughs) On "Midnight Rendezvous" we're going to have people come in and do handclaps. Things like that. People can come and meet the band, get drumsticks and drum heads – all those sorts of things. A guitar signed by the band. We're doing all of this to celebrate the new album called Timeless: Anthology II, which we're really proud of. We're finishing it up now. There's just a few last-minute things to do. We've also got some shows coming up. We're celebrating over 40 years.
Sounds great! What can fans expect from this album?
We've got a new singer now, John Bisaha, and the band has really grown. We have the chemistry we needed, and the fans need to hear John on the original songs to see how much the band has grown. We recorded 17 tracks. Two new ones. It's been a blast doing it. The band sounds incredible. And we actually like each other for a change. (laughs)
The Babys disbanded in 1981. Why?
John Waite wanted to do his own solo stuff. Jonathan Cain had an offer to go off to Journey. We were in the middle of putting things together. Some of those Journey songs were things Jonathan had in his back pocket and they could have very well been on the next Babys' album. Who knows? I don't know how much of that could have happened. But I think we needed just one more album to get over the hill.
When you and Wally Stocker decided to reform The Babys, did you reach out to John Waite about joining you guys?
Yeah, I've asked him a couple times. He still wants to be by himself. He's happy just being a solo artist. I'm not sure if I understand really because he could be a solo artist and also be in The Babys. But that's all gone now and we have a new lead singer. John Bisaha is the new singer of The Babys and we want the fans to have it on record, which is why we have this new album coming out.
So, there's no bad blood between you and John Waite?
Oh, no, we're great. We're still good friends, and we talk to each other all the time. There's never been a bad word between us since we split up.
When you reformed The Babys, did you reach out to Michael Corby as well?
No, no. Michael was a great lad, still love him to death. One of the reasons we let him go is because he gave up practicing. Ron Nevison stopped using him because he wasn't rehearsing and it was taking us too long to do things. Unfortunately, he just wasn't doing his job and we had to let him go. It was sad. He lost his thing for The Babys, and I don't think he's done anything since. It's a shame, and he blames Chrysalis for it. That's not really true. He had a lot of opportunities to step his game up. But he let it go. I felt really sad for him. I didn't want to go through that again – those bad feelings. I knew he'd start it all up again, and we wanted to start fresh. So, Wally and I put a smile on our faces and got the right boys in the band and it's worked out fantastic. I'm so proud of the band right now.
What's your opinion on how Chrysalis Records supported the band? Did they do enough?
In the early days, very much so. I don't know if you know this but we were the first band to get a record deal, a huge record deal, purely by making a video. We didn't even play live for them. They just saw the video. It included three songs, one of which was "Looking For Love." We had two record companies fighting over us. Chrysalis won and they did everything we could image. They brought us to America. Of course, we didn't want to go back. (laughs) They put up billboards on Sunset Boulevard and gave us the full star treatment. They really took care of us at the beginning. Of course, as it goes on, we had the best producers in the world: Ron Nevison. He did Zeppelin and all the people I grew up with.
Any interesting stories to share about your time in England?
Well, one time I was with Keith Moon at a club in London. I was down at the other end of the bar. He walks in 10 minutes later, sees me and goes, "Oh, Tony!" (laughs) He gets up on the bar, walks along the whole bar kicking everybody's drink off, jumps down and gives me the biggest hug ever. I was thinking, oh, no, we're in trouble now. Everybody, I think, was ready to beat him up. Then he started buying drinks for everybody. It was a huge club. It must have cost him a fortune! We had a great time.
What was it like working with Jonathan Cain? Did you know he was going to go on and become a huge star like he did with Journey?
He was, obviously, in The Babys because he did have a lot of talent. John Waite didn't want to play bass any more, so we got Ricky Phillips, who eventually joined STYX. We auditioned Jonathan around the same time. We knew we had talent in the band, and we needed them. You're only as good as your weakest link, and everybody in the band was really strong. We knew he was going to be a star. We thought we were stars, which we, kind of, were. Jon fit in right away and did two albums with us. He did a lot of writing on those last two albums. The man was very talented. He joined Journey when John Waite left. He got the chance to do that. We were on the road with Journey, at the time. They, obviously, knew that John Waite was leaving, so they offered Jonathan a gig in Journey. Who wouldn't take it?
How many singers applied to be the lead for The Babys before you went with John Bisaha? Was there anyone notable?
There was a line around the block. And people who've been doing Rock of Ages in Vegas – two of them auditioned. I got it down to three people, and one of them was John Bisaha. There was no big artist that didn't want to be their own star. Steve Perry wasn't an option because he was doing his own album.
Are you friends with Steve Perry?
Yeah, good friends. I spoke with him a couple weeks ago. From what I'm told, his album is complete and mastered. I don't know when it's going to come out. But I'm going to tell him that when he's ready to tour that I'd love for him to tour with The Babys. That would be great!
That would be fantastic! I'm friends with Neal Schon and I was in the crowd at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony this year when Journey was honored.
It was disappointing that Steve didn't perform with the guys.
I agree. Seeing him come out and speak was exciting, and it would have been terrific if he performed with the guys but he didn't.
Steve's speech was classy, so was Jonathan's. Jon thanked The Babys, which was nice and it was the right thing to do. Steve's speech was real classy. I thought it was going to be great to see him perform with the band again, but he didn't. So, I was disappointed.
You replaced Carmine Appice as Rod Stewart's drummer, correct? How did that come about?
When I first put The Babys together and we were on our way to do our first album for Chrysalis in 1974, I got a phone call on a plane – it was from Rod. He said, "I need a drummer. Would you come and join me? I love your playing." I said, "Rod, you couldn't have picked a worse time. We've just put The Babys together and I'm on my way to record our first album." Of course, it all fell to pieces. As soon as The Babys broke up, Rod found out I was available and he called me right away. He said, "Get your ass in here. I want you to be in the band." It was a little awkward because Carmine and I are really good friends. I didn't want to take his job. But at the same time, he wasn't wanted by the band. That's a shame for Carmine. Of course, it worked out well for me. I had 12 great years with Rod, where I got to play with everyone from Jeff Beck to Tina Turner to Elton John. It was definitely awkward to take Carmine's place. And, to this day, I still feel a little bit sad about it. But he was going to be replaced anyway, so someone had to do it. Rod really pushed and pushed and pushed to make sure I got the gig, and I'm glad I did.
Are you and Carmine on good terms now?
Oh, yeah – absolutely! Carmine knows. He's taken over other people's jobs. He knows how it feels. He's taken over lots of people's gigs. That's just how the music business goes. Some people just don't fit anymore and they need a new musician. It happened to us with Michael Corby.
What was it like playing with Rod?
It was incredible! We played stadiums. We're still in the Guinness World Records for playing to the largest crowd ever, where we did that Rock In Rio, one year, and we played to half a million people. It was outrageous! I couldn't believe it. I did a drum solo every night, and in Rio they're all brought up to hit things. (laughs) They're all great percussionists. I'm doing my drum solo and all I can hear is this banging and this crashing. So, I look out in the audience and they're all hitting something with me. I just stopped my drum solo and let them go. To see half a million people having the time of their lives, hitting something and playing in time…and, of course, I started up again, finished my drum solo and they went crazy. In fact, it was on the news the next morning when I woke up.
I can't replace those times. And, of course, growing up in England, we played Wembley Stadium, which is everybody's dream when you grow up in England. I got to do that. We played seven nights at Wembley Arena. It goes on and on. I got to do so much with Rod.
At that time it was always the Rod Stewart group, not Rod Stewart and his band. He never had his own dressing room. He was always with us. We went together to dinner every night. We were just one big team. We'd go out and kill every night. He's a real workaholic.
Why did you stop playing with Rod after 12 years?
He started talking about wanting to play jazz music, and that's not what I'm about. I'm a rock and roll drummer, so it was time to move on. Those were 12 of the greatest years of my life. So, I moved on to producing other artists, including Jimmy Barnes and Keith Urban. I did that until I put The Babys back together.
What's your favorite album that you worked on with Rod?
Oh my god, Camouflage was an amazing album because Jeff Beck played on most of it. Jeff Beck was just incredible. We had such a good time with him. He could never play the same thing twice. If he played something incredible and you asked him to change it just a little bit, he'd play something entirely new but it would be even better. The man is just an incredible musician, so that was one of my favorite albums with Rod. But they were all great. Tonight I'm Yours, Body Wishes – all great.
Any funny stories you can share about your time with Rod?
(laughs) Too many! We used to have this team we put together called the Sex Police. The things we did were outrageous. If one of us brought back a girl from one of the shows, we'd all go and take the guy's door down and only hold it up with a piece of tape. So, when he'd go to put his key in the whole door would come crashing down into the room. (laughs) Then we completely stripped the room, so there'd be nothing in it. We'd put it all in the bathroom, so if you tried to open the bathroom door you couldn't. We'd also pull luggage up from a window using rope, which is incredibly difficult to do because it's so heavy. There are tons of those stories.
You mentioned Tina Turner and Elton John earlier. What was it like playing with them?
Tina came out a couple nights and we did "Hot Legs." One night she came out and sat on my leg and I'm trying to play drums with her on my lap. (laughs) She's got the longest legs you could ever imagine, and I'm trying to play around her. And she knew I was trying to play. She had a big smile on her face, and I had to stop. I couldn't play anymore. (laughs) That was a good time.
We did a whole week with Elton. He's just a scream. He's a funny lad to be with. He loves his jokes. Actually, he knew more about me than I did. He knows everything about everybody. We had a helicopter land right outside of my room. I was going to buy a ring for my wife. Suddenly, I heard a knock on my door and someone said, "Tony! It's Elton." I said, "What do you need?" He said, "I know what you're doing? Let me in." Of course, he bought the biggest diamond there. That ended up being one of his earrings. We had a great show. He'd come out and we'd do some of his songs, and he'd sing on ours. It was fantastic.
Like Journey and KISS, The Babys have to deal with fans who can't accept the current lineup. How do you deal with these people who are consumed by hate and negativity?
We try to ignore them. They have to accept that everybody changes. That's how Rod has stayed alive all these years. He's changed his lineup and his approach to music. If people don't like it, it's their fault. They're missing out on what we're doing. As far as I'm concerned, Wally and myself are the sound of The Babys and we haven't lost that. Of course, John Waite was a great singer. But John Bisaha is just as good and we've moved on. John Bisaha can do everything John Waite ever did. And we've done nothing to destroy the old Babys. John Waite does all the original stuff acoustically. In my opinion, that's not as good as the way we play it – electric, with a full lineup, the Babettes, string section – it's fantastic! If anybody doesn't like the new lineup, too bad. They're missing out. We ignore them.
Posted in Interview, Music and tagged Elton John, Interview, Jeff Beck, John Waite, Michael Cavacini, music, Rod Stewart, The Babys, Tina Turner, Tony Brock
One thought on "A Conversation With Tony Brock"
Colleen McGrane on September 4, 2017 at 5:41 pm said:
Great interview! LOVED hearing about how he got the gig with Rod. Glad he didn't accept that first offer. LOL. Rod was my first MAJOR concert as well. 1976, The Forum. First Babys gig in '77. Rod has changed up the band a few times. But it IS all about the music. John W. NO John W…THEY STILL ROCK! Seeing The Babys live was something I never thought possible till a few years ago. Thank you guys for taking the initiative!


Each month, in addition to the free writing sheets which accompany each level of the app, we are giving away extra, free worksheets that will help with literacy skills and which tie in really well with certain levels of the Froggy Match-it games. These are only available from the Froggy Match-it website. All those who subscribe to the emailing list will be the first to know about each new set of free phonics worksheets.
The first set of worksheets are ideal for supplementing phonics work relating to levels 3 and 4 of the interactive Froggy Match-it games, and deal with vowel digraphs. They are called Froggy's Mixed-up Phonics Sheets: click here to take a look. They are ideal as a consolidation activity for children just completing levels 3 and 4 and provide useful written spelling practice.
Look out each month for the useful, well-designed resources from Froggy Match-it: all completely free!


The hurley phantom paradise jog is online available and also at the Telstar surf shop . Order this hurley phantom paradise jog simply by adding it to your cart. Check out our other Hurley products online.


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Jon Oberheide
Board Member & Startup Advisor
Working with cybersecurity and enterprise SaaS companies, through board service, advising, and investing. Previously, I was the co-founder and CTO of Duo Security. Prior to Duo, I completed my PhD at the University of Michigan.
I love working with cybersecurity and enterprise SaaS companies, through board service, advising, and investing off my own balance sheet.
Current Boards:
runZero (fka Rumble)
Push Security
Groundspeed Analytics
The Henry Ford (non-profit)
Past Boards:
Duo Security (acquired by Cisco)
Optimyze Cloud (acquired by Elastic)
Jon Oberheide is a board member, advisor, and investor, focused on working with cybersecurity and enterprise SaaS companies.Previously, Jon was the co-founder and CTO of Duo Security, with a mission to democratize security by making it easy and effective. Over 12 years, Duo scaled from zero to over 30,000 customers, $500M ARR, a 70+ NPS, and 1000 FTEs. Along that journey, Duo was acquired by Cisco for $2.4B.Prior to founding Duo, Jon was a security researcher and completed his BS, MS, and PhD at the University of Michigan in cybersecurity.

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Ennis Relay For Life, the annual event that promotes the battle against cancer, is fast approaching. Set for Saturday, April 29, it returns to Veterans Memorial Park for a third straight year.
According to R4L chairperson Amy Martinez, the strength of the program, which educates the public on the disease while raising money for research, is centered around teamwork.
Posted by Deb on Apr 20 2017. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.


Are you stairwell windows still uncovered because you haven't decided how to cover them? Are you looking for a window treatment that gives added privacy and controls light? Installing window treatments such as shutters on your stairwell windows in Chicago not only enhances your windows' charm, but provides other benefits, also. Here are 5 reasons to cover your stairwell windows with shutters.
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In WordPress admin panel, go to Plugins tab. Add new plugin and search BillPlz. Install the Billplz plugins and activate.
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» Entertainment » Tales from the kitchen
Tales from the kitchen
Published June 24, 2019, in Entertainment
THE Mantic Muddlers needed a big sound for their new album, Tall Tales and the Gospel Truth, so they recorded all 12 tracks in a kitchen…over one weekend.
"It was a challenge but we did it," says frontman Jacob Davies. "We recorded it live and absolutely have not manipulated anything. We did about four takes of every song and picked our favourites."
Of course it wasn't just any kitchen, but an industrial one in a former day centre for people with disabilities – next to a rail line with trains going past and vibrating the building every 15 minutes.
Roots, rattle and roll with The Mantic Muddlers (l-r) Laurence Evans, Jacob Davies and George Mercer
"Yeah, at one point a train rumbles past at the end of a track," laughs the singer and guitarist. "But actually it was brilliant. The kitchen is full of shiny surfaces and the acoustics are great.
"We went there once to rehearse and we thought 'this is a big sound'. There's no carpet and everything is solid, there's a wooden floor, metal furniture and cookers and sinks, lots of natural reverb. It helps to lift the playing."
The result is Tall Tales & The Gospel Truth, the roots trio's second release, following a six-track CD in 2017, but Jacob insists the new album is their true debut.
"This one that feels more like us," he explains. "The intention was always there, from the first few tracks, that it would be an album. We've let them develop and grow and worked really hard on them."
The Hampshire outfit have been a settled three-piece for about three years, the singer's musical partners being double bass player George Mercer and violin player Laurence Evans.
George has provided rock solid basslines since he and Jacob were in a heavy metal band in school, but Laurence's one-man string section is a more recent addition after he approached the others after a pub gig.
"He came up and said: "I can play violin", so I invited him round my house…and two notes in I was nearly crying, it's such a unique instrument. I was like "yes!" and he was in the band from that moment," says the frontman.
Laurence's strings skill has been honed from a young age playing in the school orchestra and a mixed background ranging from Frank Zappa to Stephane Grappelli. "I started with classical, but got into jazz and always loved improvising," he explains.
Jacob admits: "Musically we've come from different places. Me and George come from a rock and heavy metal background, whereas Laurence knows what he's doing!
"But where does metal come from? Rock 'n' roll. And where does that come from? Eventually you get back to the blues, gospel, soul and slave music. They all have the same energy and, for me, it's all about the energy."
Whatever way you describe it, The Muddlers' roots, rattle and roll sound has won them plenty of fans and upcoming gigs include the Twisted Village Festival, the Big Top tent at Victorious in Portsmouth, and a recent support slot with the legendary Johnny Mars.
The official launch gig for Tall Tales & The Gospel Truth will be at the Star Inn, Guildford, on Thursday (27 June), which was booked before they'd even recorded the album.
"Well, it's quite good to put your back against the wall sometimes," says Laurence.
This entry was tagged with: GLive, guildford
Coming of age tour
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was a Japanese castle located in Koga, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. During the Muromachi period, Koga was the seat of the Kantō kubō, under the Ashikaga clan. At the end of the Edo period, Koga Castle was  the administrative center of Koga Domain, which was held by a large number of fudai daimyō clans, spending the longest time under the control of the Doi clan (1633-1681, 1762–1871).

History
The fortification at Koga may date to the late Heian period or early Kamakura period, and the Azuma Kagami refers to a fortification in Koga built by Shimokobe Yukihira before 1180, although it is not certain if it was in this location. After the Battle of Uji (1180), the head of Minamoto Yorimasa was brought to Koga by the Shomokobe clan. A Shinto shrine to Minamoto Yorimasa still exists at the present Koga Castle site.

In 1455, the Kantō kubō Ashikaga Shigeuji relocated his seat from Kamakura to Koga. His descendants ruled to 1583, when the castle was taken by the Later Hōjō clan, in the same year Ashikaga Ujinohime took the title Koga kubō. The area was awarded to Tokugawa Ieyasu after the defeat of the Hōjō at the Siege of Odawara (1590) and subsequently became the center of Koga Domain under the Tokugawa shogunate. During the Edo period, much of the castle remained as reconstructed by Doi Toshikatsu in 1633.

Following the Meiji restoration, the structures of the castle were dismantled in 1873. Due to changes in the flow of the Watarase River and flood control work from 1910, almost nothing remains of the castle today.

Description

Koga Castle was a flatland-style castle  built on a long, narrow peninsula in the middle of the Watarase River, with the river itself and wetlands to the east and south forming part of its natural defences. The central bailey Honmaru (本丸) had three-story donjon with a similar size and style as the donjon at Matsue Castle, which was officially styled as a yagura. The Honmaru was protected by the Ni-no-Maru (二の丸) to the west and the San-no-Maru (三の丸) to the north. Further north were two large forecourts: the Marunouchi Kuruwa ( 丸の内曲輪 ) and Kannonji Kuruwa ( 観音寺曲輪 ) and to the east as the long and narrow Higashiobi Kuruwa ( 東帯曲輪), and in the south the Yorimasa Kuruwa ( 頼政曲輪) and the Tatsuzaki Kuruwa ( 辰崎曲輪 ). An additional forecourt, the Suwa Kuruwa (諏訪輪 ) occupied a small area on the opposite bank of the river.

Remaining today are the Yorimasa Jinja shrine on the site of the Yorimasa Kuruwa, and the Koga History Museum on the site of the Suwa Kuruwa, which preserves a fragment of the original moat.

Literature

External links

- Koga Castle- Castle disappeared into embankment

Castles in Ibaraki Prefecture
Ruined castles in Japan
Fujii-Matsudaira clan
Honda clan
Hotta clan
Matsui-Matsudaira clan
Ogasawara clan
Ōkōchi-Matsudaira clan
Okudaira clan
Toda-Matsudaira clan
Go-Hōjō clan

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Kilowatt Brewing is turning 4!
Join Kilowatt Brewing at our Kearny Mesa Tasting Room for a special Beer & Chocolate Pairing during our 4 Year Anniversary celebration with Andrea's Truffles!
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Jeremy Piven visits Rhode Island Comic Con!
Welcome David Harbour to FAN EXPO Boston 2019!
Rhode Island Comic Con goes on Vacation with Beverly D'Angelo !
Mankind shines at Spooky Empire!
Ron Perlman in Tampa Bay!


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Home Latest News South Dakota House u-turns on sports betting legislation
South Dakota House u-turns on sports betting legislation
Erin-Marie Gallagher
Following the previous approval of a sports betting bill by South Dakota's Deadwood last month, the South Dakota House State Affairs Committee have u-turned on the decision, voting 7-3 against the bill.
The defeat means that a measure which would have surveyed voters on the legalization of sports betting in historic Deadwood has been dismissed.
The state's Senate had previously shown support for the sports betting bill that was being considered, with the legislation expected to be well received at all levels. But despite receiving support from the state's residents and legislature, the bill faced a defeat.
Having been defeated by the House State Affairs committee, the bill will now face consideration from the House. Deadwood Gaming Association's Executive Director, Mike Rodman, emphasised that Deadwood must offer South Dakota customers the gambling products that they have requested, as well as the products that other states are offering.
Rodman added that the bill's supporters are searching for options which will support the bill, ultimately gathering signatures that would place sports betting on the ballot paper for next year.
The bill faced opposition from Department of Revenue Deputy Secretary David Wiest who stated that the expansion of sports betting into South Dakota and the costs that would arise from implementing regulations would significant surpass the revenues generated from operator taxes.
Since PASPA was overturned last year, one-fifth of the states have already legalized or authorized sports betting. By the end of 2019, it is likely that half of the states will have considered or begun to offer legal, regulated sports betting.
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Michael Cameron Brial, né le  à Narrabri (Australie), est un ancien joueur de rugby à XV qui a joué avec l'équipe d'Australie. Il évoluait au poste de troisième ligne centre (1,93 m pour 104 kg).

Carrière

En club
 New South Wales Waratahs

En équipe nationale
Il a disputé un test match le  contre la France. Son dernier test match fut contre la Nouvelle-Zélande, le .

Palmarès
 13 test matchs avec l'équipe d'Australie

Liens externes

Joueur international australien de rugby à XV
Troisième ligne centre (rugby à XV)
Joueur des Waratahs
Naissance en mai 1970
Naissance en Nouvelle-Galles du Sud


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In addition, if you have special interests or requirements for a certain topic, we will be happy to work out a tailor-made one-on-one Chinese learning course for you.


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Kendall Jenner Wants to Be a Legitimate Actress
Feb 12, 2018 at 11:15 am | By
Bye bye, modeling career!
Kendall Jenner is arguably one of fashion's biggest names right now. She's beloved by designers like Karl Lagerfeld and Riccardo Tisci. Everything she wears practically becomes a trend. Heck, you can't open a magazine without seeing her signature pout. Though aspiring models would kill to be in her position right now, it seems the 22-year-old is ready to walk away from it all.
Despite being a fashion It-girl, the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star has plans to retire from the runway for a new acting career. According to a source, Kendall wants to follow best friend Cara Delevingne's footsteps — ditching modeling for a chance to become Hollywood's next big actress.
Credit: Patrick Kovarik/AFP/Getty Images
Kendall Jenner doesn't want to be modeling clothes forever.
Though she's one of fashion's most beloved It-girls and a muse to designers like Karl Lagerfeld and Riccardo Tisci, the 22-year-old has plans to leave it all behind to become a serious Hollywood actress. Like her best friend Cara Delevingne, the Keeping Up with the Kardashians staple is said to be plotting her big move from the runway and reality TV to pursue a career in acting.
"This is something that Kendall has always been interested in, and now she's convinced she can make it happen," a source told Radar Online.
Silver Screen Siren
Kendall, who first made her acting debut on a 2012 episode of Hawaii Five-0, is set to make an appearance in the forthcoming Ocean's 8 spin-off. According to the source, the model hopes her cameo in the all-female reboot will capture the studios' attention and open doors for her in the movie industry — something none of her famous sisters have managed to do.
"This is the real reason Kendall decided to delete her app and slow down on the modeling front," the insider spilled.
Credit: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images
Late last year, the reality star announced she would no longer be updating her official app after she was crowned as 2017's highest-paid model. While she didn't give a specific reason into why she was shutting down her official website, many fans presumed it had to do with the ongoing battle with anxiety, which was documented on an episode of her E! show.
"As I look ahead to the next year, my goals and priorities are changing," she said in a statement. "I've had an incredible 2+ years connecting with all of you, but I've made the difficult decision to no longer update my app in 2018. I hope you've enjoyed this journey as much as I have, and am looking forward to sharing the next chapter with you. Love, Kendall."


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The National Ice Hockey League is pleased to confirm ticket prices and sale details for the season finale at Coventry on April 30 and May 1.
Tickets are priced at £55 for adults, £41 for senior citizens and £27 for children and will be on sale from Wednesday March 2nd.
Prior to general sales going live, on March 1st Planet Ice box office staff will contact those supporters who had their tickets from 2020's Finals held over to determine their requirements.
Ticket sales will then commence following this timetable and block allocation:
Wednesday March 2 10am – Milton Keynes (Block 1&2)
Wednesday March 2 2pm – Sheffield (Block 3), Leeds (Block 4)
Thursday March 3 10am – Basingstoke (Block 8&9)
Thursday March 3 2pm – Telford (Block 5), Raiders (Block 7)
Friday March 4 10am – Swindon (Block 11&12)
Friday March 4 2pm – Bees (Block 13), Peterborough (Block 14&15)
Saturday March 5 10am – General Sales (Block 6, 10 and standing)
The NIHL Final Four will see four games across the weekend. On Saturday April 30 arena doors open at 12noon, our semi finals are at 1.30pm and 5.30pm. Sunday May 1 sees doors open at 11am ahead of the NIHL1 Championship game at 12noon and the NIHL Grand Final at 4pm.
To book tickets when the relevant booking slot is open go to nihlevents.eiha.co.uk/tickets and follow the links from that page.
We hope all of the teams enjoy the battle down the stretch to qualify for playoffs and then make it on the 'Road to Coventry'. And we look forward to as many fans from across the NIHL National division making their way to Coventry to celebrate the season, renew friendships and bring the curtain down on 21/22 with a bang.


It's finally time to implement the Gameaholic.se Summer LAN 2016.
This is the second official Gameaholic.se LAN-meeting since we merge from old Hjerpeskans.. .
The date is Wendsday 24/8 to Sunday 28/8 (Aug 2016).
"Österundagården", is the same place we've been during the last 4 Hjerpeskans LAN-meetings and the latest G-LAN 2015.
All payments shall be made through Swich or bank account down below. The total amount must be paid no later than July 30th.
The cost is 250kr regardless of how many days you are attending. The money goes to lease of the premises and our server park.
I'll be there, 24/8 19.00 to 28/8 12.00, 2016.


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Getting the right message, by the correct method to the right marketplace. Our unique strategy workshops help you fully understand the digital journey we hope to take you on in the quest for online success. Digital strategy requires planning, ideas, creativity and execution - we would be delighted to contribute to your project.


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Home All issues Volume 373 / No 1 (July I 2001) A&A, 373 1 (2001) 24-37 Abstract
Volume 373, Number 1, July I 2001
Cosmology (including clusters of galaxies)
https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20010555
A&A 373, 24-37 (2001)
Environment status of blue compact galaxies and trigger of star formation *
S. A. Pustilnik1,2, A. Y. Kniazev1,2, V. A. Lipovetsky1 and A. V. Ugryumov1,2
1 Special Astrophysical Observatory RAS, Nizhnij Arkhyz, 369167, Karachai-Circassia, Russia
2 Isaac Newton Institute of Chile, SAO Branch
Corresponding author: S. Pustilnik, sap@sao.ru
The work studies of the environment of low-mass galaxies with active star formation (SF) and a possible trigger of SF bursts due to gravitational interaction. Following the study by Taylor et al. (1995), we extend the search for possible disturbing galaxies of various masses to a much larger sample of 86 BCGs from the sky region of the Second Byurakan survey (SBS). The BCG magnitudes and radial velocities are revised and up-dated. The sample under study is separated by the criteria: EW([Oiii] Åand km s-1and should be representative of all low-mass galaxies which experience SF bursts. We argue that the moderate tidal disturbers should be taken into account, and incorporate the respective range of distances in the search for disturbing neighbours. The majority of the neighbours in the vicinity of the studied BCGs are found through the study of their environment among UZC (Falco et al. [CITE]) galaxies, and the follow-up careful search of the fainter galaxies in the NED database. For the remaining BCGs, the neighbouring galaxies are found based on the results of the SAO 6 m telescope spectroscopy. By studing the data on the radial velocities of galaxies in the vicinity of BCGs we found: 1) 33 of the studied BCGs ( ) are associated with significantly brighter galaxies ( 1.5m); 2) 23 BCGs ( ) have neighbours either of comparable or significantly lower brightness; 3) 14 of the studied BCGs (16% ) with no evident associated galaxy are either certain, or probable, mergers. Summarizing, we conclude that in (or more) BCGs from the studied sample, the SF bursts are triggered either by tidal action of various strengths from other galaxies, or due to mergers of low-mass galaxies. We briefly discuss the implications of our main conclusion for evolutionary links of BCGs to other types of low-mass galaxies. Part of our sample falls into the volume belonging to the Local Supercluster. Therefore we formulate the results separately on the "Local Supercluster volume" and "general field region" . The total fractions of BCGs likely triggered by interaction with other galaxy are respectively, and 80% for the nearby volume and for the general field. The fractions of BCGs with significantly brighter disturbers in these two groups are seemingly different ( vs. , respectively). Among the so called "isolated" BCGs (that is, without a bright neighbouring galaxy) in both the Local Supercluster volume and in general field, are probably disturbed by dwarf galaxies and have a merger morphology. In the Appendix we present the results of the spectroscopy with the SAO 6 m telescope of 27 galaxies in an attempt to find possible disturbing galaxies in the vicinity of some of the sample BCGs.
Key words: galaxies: dwarf / galaxies: interaction / galaxies: evolution / galaxies: starburst
Tables 2, 3 and A.1 with their notes and Figs. A.1-A.3 are only available in electronic form at http://www.edpsciences.org
Studies of galaxies in voids — I. observations of Blue Compact Galaxies
Starburst in HS 0822+3542 induced by the very blue LSB dwarf SAO 0822+3545
H I study of extremely metal-deficient dwarf galaxies — I. The Nançay radio telescope observations of twenty-two objects
Dynamics of blue compact galaxies, as revealed by their Hα velocity fields — II. Mass models and the starburst triggering mechanism
Possibly interacting Vorontsov-Velyaminov galaxies — II. The 6-m telescope spectroscopy of VV 080, 131, 499, 523 and 531


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Louder Sound
Taylor's Universe: Kind Of Red
70s prog is a perfect ingredient for this Danish recipe.
Why you can trust Louder Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
Since the early 90s, Danish multi-instrumentalist Robin Taylor has notched up in excess of 30 releases under a variety of guises. A versatile guitarist and keyboard player, he's been associated with looping or jazz-orientated adventures. However, it's through Taylor's Universe that he explores prog rock.
It was as a teenager growing up during the the early 70s that he first encountered the prog scene as it was evolving, and it's therefore no surprise that some aspects of the eight instrumentals here make heavy references to that period. Firestone, for example, crosses the loping meter of King Crimson's Larks' Tongues In Aspic (Part II) with the urgent push of The Sahara Of Snow from Bruford's One Of A Kind.
While the album is largely dominated by carefully scripted keyboards, Taylor does let slip some massed snarling guitar during the powerfully recursive Tortugas.
It's an enjoyable, if at times familiar-sounding ride, but some unexpected juxtapositions leap out. During the shifting moods of Jakriborg, Hugh Steinmetz's muted trumpet skips over Mellotron-conjured flutes. Along with the gusty brass charts across the album and some judicious use of Hammond, these occasionally suggest a high-end brass rock hybrid.
Former Xerath musicians resurface in The Enigma Division
Steve Hillage 1977 LA set to be released
Aisles stream brand new fusion-inspired single Game Over
Roger Dean teases new Yes album artwork online
Coheed and Cambria announce lengthy North American tour


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Jeremiah Outline
The fall of Jerusalem (1-10)
Zedekiah flees and is captured (4-7)
Jeremiah to be safeguarded (11-14)
Ebed-melech's life to be spared (15-18)
Lit., "Nebuchadrezzar," a variant spelling.
+2Ki 25:1, 2; Jer 52:4, 5; Eze 24:1, 2
w80 2/1 25; w62 247
+2Ki 25:3, 4; Jer 52:6, 7; Eze 33:21
w80 2/1 25-26
Or according to a different word division of the Hebrew text, "Nergal-sharezer, Samgar-nebo, Sarsechim, Rabsaris."
Or "the chief magician (astrologer)."
+Jer 1:15
5/2009, p. 11
it-1 896; it-2 725; g 5/09 11
w80 2/1 25; ad 627; kj 109
+De 28:25
+2Ki 25:4-7; Jer 52:7-11
ad 627; kj 109
+Jer 32:4; 38:18
+2Ki 23:31, 33
+2Ki 17:24
kj 109
+Jer 21:7; 34:18-20
+Eze 12:13
kj 137; g65 12/22 7
Or "palace."
+Isa 5:9; Jer 38:18
+2Ki 25:9-11; 2Ch 36:17, 19; Ne 1:3; Jer 52:13-15
+2Ki 25:20; Jer 40:1; 52:12
Or possibly, "compulsory services."
+2Ki 25:12; Jer 52:16
+Jer 40:2, 4
Or "the chief court official."
+Jer 38:28
+2Ki 25:22; Jer 40:5; 41:2
+2Ch 34:20, 21; Jer 26:24
+2Ki 22:8
w78 1/1 22
+Jer 38:7
w80 2/1 26-27; w79 1/15 30; w78 1/1 22; kj 171; sr55 63; w36 138
su 179; w80 2/1 26-27; w79 1/15 30; w78 1/1 22; kj 171; w59 50; sr55 63; w36 139
Or "soul."
Or "will escape with your life."
+Ps 37:39, 40; Jer 17:7
su 179; w80 2/1 26-27; w80 4/15 30; w79 1/15 30; w78 1/1 22; w75 563; w59 50; sr55 63; w36 139
Jer. 39:12Ki 25:1, 2; Jer 52:4, 5; Eze 24:1, 2
Jer. 39:22Ki 25:3, 4; Jer 52:6, 7; Eze 33:21
Jer. 39:3Jer 1:15
Jer. 39:4De 28:25
Jer. 39:42Ki 25:4-7; Jer 52:7-11
Jer. 39:5Jer 32:4; 38:18
Jer. 39:52Ki 23:31, 33
Jer. 39:52Ki 17:24
Jer. 39:6Jer 21:7; 34:18-20
Jer. 39:7Eze 12:13
Jer. 39:8Isa 5:9; Jer 38:18
Jer. 39:82Ki 25:9-11; 2Ch 36:17, 19; Ne 1:3; Jer 52:13-15
Jer. 39:92Ki 25:20; Jer 40:1; 52:12
Jer. 39:102Ki 25:12; Jer 52:16
Jer. 39:12Jer 40:2, 4
Jer. 39:14Jer 38:28
Jer. 39:142Ki 25:22; Jer 40:5; 41:2
Jer. 39:142Ch 34:20, 21; Jer 26:24
Jer. 39:142Ki 22:8
Jer. 39:15Jer 32:2; 37:21
Jer. 39:16Jer 38:7
Jer. 39:18Ps 37:39, 40; Jer 17:7
39 In the ninth year of King Zed·e·kiʹah of Judah, in the tenth month, King Neb·u·chad·nezʹzar* of Babylon and all his army came to Jerusalem, and they besieged it.+
2 In the 11th year of Zed·e·kiʹah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, they broke through the city wall.+ 3 And all the princes of the king of Babylon went in and sat down in the Middle Gate,+ namely, Nerʹgal-shar·eʹzer the Samʹgar, Neʹbo-sarʹse·chim the Rabʹsa·ris,* Nerʹgal-shar·eʹzer the Rabʹmag,* and all the rest of the princes of the king of Babylon.
4 When King Zed·e·kiʹah of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled,+ going out of the city by night by way of the king's garden, through the gate between the double wall, and they continued by the way of the Arʹa·bah.+ 5 But the Chal·deʹan army chased after them, and they overtook Zed·e·kiʹah in the desert plains of Jerʹi·cho.+ They captured him and brought him up to King Neb·u·chad·nezʹzar* of Babylon at Ribʹlah+ in the land of Haʹmath,+ where he passed sentence on him. 6 The king of Babylon had the sons of Zed·e·kiʹah slaughtered before his eyes there at Ribʹlah, and the king of Babylon had all the nobles of Judah slaughtered.+ 7 Then he blinded the eyes of Zed·e·kiʹah, after which he bound him with copper fetters to bring him to Babylon.+
8 The Chal·deʹans then burned down the king's house* and the houses of the people,+ and they tore down the walls of Jerusalem.+ 9 Neb·uʹzar·adʹan+ the chief of the guard took into exile to Babylon the rest of the people who were left in the city, the deserters who had defected to him, and anyone who remained.
10 But Neb·uʹzar·adʹan the chief of the guard left in the land of Judah some of the poorest people, those who had nothing at all. On that day he also gave them vineyards and fields to work.*+
11 Now King Neb·u·chad·nezʹzar* of Babylon gave Neb·uʹzar·adʹan the chief of the guard these orders concerning Jeremiah: 12 "Take him and look after him; do him no harm, and grant whatever he asks of you."+
13 So Neb·uʹzar·adʹan the chief of the guard, Neb·u·shazʹban the Rabʹsa·ris,* Nerʹgal-shar·eʹzer the Rabʹmag,* and all the principal men of the king of Babylon sent 14 and had Jeremiah taken out of the Courtyard of the Guard+ and handed him over to Ged·a·liʹah+ the son of A·hiʹkam+ the son of Shaʹphan+ to be brought to his house. So he lived among the people.
15 While Jeremiah was confined in the Courtyard of the Guard,+ the word of Jehovah came to him, saying: 16 "Go and tell Eʹbed-melʹech+ the E·thi·oʹpi·an, 'This is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says: "Here I am fulfilling my words on this city for calamity and not for good, and in that day you will see it happen."'
17 "'But I will rescue you in that day,' declares Jehovah, 'and you will not be handed over to the men you fear.'
18 "'For I will surely provide you with escape, and you will not fall by the sword. You will have your life* as a spoil,*+ because you trusted in me,'+ declares Jehovah."


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Dragonchain Defends Itself Against SEC's Latest ICO Case
23 August 2022 by David Zaslowsky 4 Mins Read
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has talked recently about an ever-increasing scope of its jurisdiction — such as with respect to NFTs — and recently brought its first insider trading case dealing with cryptocurrencies. But on August 16, 2022, the SEC brought a type of case that is similar to many others over that past five years. It sued Dragonchain Foundation, Dragonchain Inc., the Dragon Company as well as founder and chief developer Joseph Roets in…
United States Department of Justice Brings Multiple Enforcement Actions Against Crypto Fraudsters
20 July 2022 by Caleb Sainsbury 3 Mins Read
Earlier this month, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) announced charges against six individuals, in four separate cases, involved in fraudulent crypto related schemes and thereby further highlighted its commitment to protecting investors and consumers. The schemes involved the following alleged fraudulent acts; NFT Fraud (United States v. Le Ahn Tuan): A Vietnamese national and co-conspirators created an NFT called "Baller Ape" and shortly after the first day of trading, engaged in what is…
US SEC's First ICO Fraud Charge of 2022 is Brought Against Crowd Machine
10 January 2022 by David Zaslowsky 2 Mins Read
On January 5, 2022, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission announced its first enforcement action of the year concerning a fraudulent initial coin offering. This is the latest in a long list of enforcement actions by the SEC targeting unregistered digital asset offerings. The SEC charged Australian citizen Craig Sproule and two companies he founded, Crowd Machine, Inc. and Metavine, Inc., with making materially false and misleading statements in connection with an unregistered offer…
SEC Sues Crypto Startup Rivetz Over 2017 ICO
10 September 2021 by David Zaslowsky 2 Mins Read
Although the heydays of the initial coin offering are now in the rearview mirror, the US Securities and Exchange Commission continues regulatory action against those accused of conducting ICO's in violation of the securities laws. On September 8, 2021, the SEC charged Rivetz Corp., Rivetz International SEZC, and Steven K. Sprague, the head of both companies, with conducting an illegal, unregistered offering of securities through an ICO. According to the SEC's complaint, between July and…
SEC Chairman Double Downs on Statement That "Every ICO is a Security" and Seeks More Congressional Authority
4 August 2021 by David Zaslowsky 2 Mins Read
Early posts in this blog mentioned how former SEC Chairman Jay Clayton had famously told Congress in February 2018 that "I believe every ICO I've seen is a security." His successor, Gary Gensler, resurrected those thoughts in his prepared remarks delivered on August 3, 2021 to the Aspen Security Forum: I think former SEC Chairman Jay Clayton said it well when he testified in 2018: "To the extent that digital assets like [initial coin offerings, or…
One of the poster-children for the ICO craze in late 2017-18 was an iced-tea company in Long Island, New York known as the Long Island Iced Tea Co. From approximately 2015 to 2017, the company's principal business was ready-to-drink beverages. In December 2017, the company changed its name to Long Blockchain Corp. (LBC) and announced that it was shifting its business operations from soft drink production to activities related to blockchain technology. The rebranding with…
Block.one to Pay $27.5 Million to Settle Class Action Lawsuit Related to ICO
17 June 2021 by David Zaslowsky 2 Mins Read
We previously reported how, on April 3, 2020, multiple class-action law suits were filed in the Southern District of New York against a host of crypto exchanges and token issuers, including Block.one. One of those cases was dismissed, which led to five others then being withdrawn. The case against Block.one has now been settled. At the height of the ICO craze in 2017-18, Block.one raised a record $4 billion in its ICO, much of it…
SEC Settlement with Tierion Requires Repayment to TNT Token Purchasers
4 January 2021 by David Zaslowsky 2 Mins Read
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission continued to the very end of 2020 to pursue companies that engaged in ICOs without proper registration. One December 23, 2020, the SEC settled charges against Texas-based blockchain startup company Tierion, Inc. for conducting an unregistered offering of securities in the form of a "token sale." According to the SEC's order, Tierion raised approximately $25 million through the sale of "Tierion Network Tokens" (TNT) in July of 2017. The…
ShipChain was a company engaged in developing a logistics tracking and management platform using the Ethereum blockchain technology. During the height of the ICO craze in late 2017, ShipChain raised more than $27 million in an ICO. On December 22, 2020, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ordered ShipChain to cease and desist and to pay a $2.05 million penalty. As the Order explained, ShipChain first launched its ICO in October 2017, and the ICO continued through…
Cryptocurrency Founder Charged in the U.S. With Multimillion-Dollar Tax Evasion Scheme; Separate Civil Action by U.S. SEC Follows
16 December 2020 by Christopher Murrer 3 Mins Read
An indictment unsealed on December 9, 2020 shows that cryptocurrency founder, Amir Bruno Elmaani (aka "Bruno Block") has been charged with two counts of U.S. federal tax evasion. Elmaani is alleged to have made millions of dollars in income from the sale and exchange of cryptocurrencies but attempted to obscure his ownership of that income through various schemes and evaded reporting that income to the U.S. IRS. In September and October 2017, Elmaani, using his…


text:
Tokens Talk
CDC officials dismissed state and local health authorities' concerns about COVID-19 and suggested they seek advice from other states, documents show
The Centers for Disease Control advised state and local health authorities to make decisions on their own or look to other states and academic studies on how to handle the coronavirus pandemic, USA Today reported.
Documents obtained by USA Today show CDC representatives and officials downplaying information about the virus to health officials.
In one instance, the agency advised a Kentucky official to allow visitors into nursing homes in March when those facilities have been among the ones hardest hit by the pandemic.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised state and local health authorities to make their own decisions about how to handle the coronavirus pandemic as cases began to multiply around the country in March, documents obtained by USA Today showed.
Officials attempting to contact the agency in some instances did not get a response, were hung up on, or were given advice that was not in line with scientific findings or the CDC's own policies, USA Today reported.
In one instance, a CDC official told a Kentucky public health official that nursing homes should still allow visitors.
"Let people choose," the officials wrote in an email sent in March.
Nursing homes have been among the institutions hardest hit by COVID-19, especially early in the pandemic. They have about 8% of the national caseload and 41% of total US COVID-19 deaths, despite accounting for only 1% of the population.
Additionally, USA Today reported that CDC representatives have even advised health departments to set guidelines based on other states or academic studies because they were aware "of their own leadership's lagging response."
The CDC has faced intense scrutiny as the pandemic rages on in the US and has been accusing of bowing to political pressured from President Donald Trump and his administration, who themselves have sought to downplay the virus.
Trump told veteran reporter Bob Woodward in February that he knew that COVID-19 was deadlier than "even your strenuous flus," and admitted to downplaying the virus to avoid "panic."
"I wanted to always play it down. I still like playing it down because I don't want to create a panic," Trump told Woodward on March 19.
USA Today reported that between January and April, the CDC downplayed the potential harm of COVID-19 in more than 24 news briefings, congressional hearings, and other public statements, and in some cases even undermined health officials who were calling for a more aggressive approach to limit the spread.
Drafts obtained by USA Today showed that in late March the agency edited a government science journal to remove a call for testing in senior assisted-living facilities.
"I would be careful promoting widespread testing," the CDC editor noted in the draft.
More recently, the CDC narrowed its testing recommendations to exclude asymptomatic people, in response to pressure from top officials in the Trump administration.
The virus has infected more than 6.6 million people in the US so far and has killed nearly 200,000.
The CDC did not reply to Business Insiders' request for comment at the time of publication.
Do you have a personal experience with the coronavirus you'd like to share? Or a tip on how your town or community is handling the pandemic? Please email [email protected] and tell us your story.
Get the latest coronavirus business & economic impact analysis from Business Insider Intelligence on how COVID-19 is affecting industries.
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Powder coating is a very durable method of providing a decorative finish to metals and a range of other materials.
Common market sectors include, Window systems, Conservatory sections, hinges, lighting systems, curtain track and rail, desking systems including office furniture.
Our powder coating facility offers finishing in a variety of colours with RAL, BS or colour matched powders. We are able to powder coat both aluminium and steel components.
A wide range of finishes and colours including metallic, glossy, clear and textured.
A newer and innovative finish, to resemble an anodised finish is now available, please ask for a sample. As well as being cheaper then anodising, it can produce a more consistent finish and we have a faster turnaround time with this finish than anodised metal.
Powder coating can be applied to most metal components including steel, Zinc, brass and aluminium.
The durable finish provides a surface finish which is less prone to chipping, marking and scratching.
Powder coating can be applied to components used internally and externally.
Anodised Powder effect on the left, plain aluminium sample on the right. Note the amorphous smooth finish of the powdered sample.
The components are then suspended from a jig and passed through a spray booth where the powder is applied by spray guns. Once the powder has been applied it is passed through a curing oven where the particles melt and fuse together and adhere to the components surface. This produces a uniform, smooth, durable finish.
Capalex use a automatic continuous chain/conveyor system. Metal is loaded onto the hangars and then passed through the spray guns / curing ovens/coolers. This has a maximum length of 6000mm.
We also have the ability to do small runs and prototypes with a small secondary booth, with a maximum length of 2000mm. Although we primarily coat aluminium extrusions, we can coat small aluminium components, steel brackets, steel components and larger steel items.
The list of powder coating colours is vast. Generally we cover all the standard RAL colours. RAL is a colour reference system that was invented in 1927 by Reichsausschuss fur Lieferbedingungen in Germany. While there is a wide choice of standard colours we can also colour match any current corporate colours and produce custom powders.
For further information on powder coating colours please contact us.
When choosing metallic powders Capalex always use the more expensive bonded powders as this gives a more uniform spread of metallic particles on the end product. If your product requires a metallic finish always ask if the powder is bonded or not.
Also there are more uncommon finishes like Hammerite, Textured etc.
The powders most commonly used in the Powder Coating Industry are epoxy, polyesters, nylon, PVC, and to a lesser extent polyurethane and acrylic. There is also a Hybrid, an epoxy/polyester mix that is also often used.
We at Capalex use mainly epoxy, polyester and epoxy/polyester. These three types of powder cover most of our customer's application requirements.
Polyester powders are far more durable for external work and this along with its many other good properties are usually specified by our customers for internal work as well.
Normal powder coverage of 50-80 microns.
Epoxy powders would not be recommended for external use but these powders have very good properties for internal applications.
Normal powder coverage of 50-150 microns.
Epoxy/Polyester powders are a combination of the above powders and again would not be recommended for external work.
Normal powder coverage of 50-70 microns.
The choice usually comes down to using the product indoors or outdoors.
Indoors is usually Epoxy/Polyester and Outdoors is usually Polyester.
All powders that we use are TGIC free (Triglycidyl Isocyanurate) and are all in keeping with current personal Health and Safety and Environmental legislation.
Uses electricity to produce a high voltage charge and produces a negatively charged particle of powder by adding electrons. This is the main type used in the industry and the type Capalex employ.
This blows the powder quickly through nylon tubes to charge up the powder particles and produces the opposite charge to the above guns by stripping away the electrons. This is very like rubbing a balloon on your jumper until it sticks by static electricity. A lot less common and is used mainly in specialist areas only.


…i had such a blast shooting parker today!!…its just so cool to be a part of my clients lives, to be invited time after time to capture their moments…it sweetness!!…here are just a few of paker from his six month session… (i cant believe he is already 6 months old! i remember shooting him when he was just seven days old….awww!) i will post more tomorrow as i get them edited…enjoy!


The ZF Friedrichshafen Group with revenues of around EUR 29,2 billion and 138,300 employees worldwide is one of the largest multinational automotive suppliers of a large variety of components: powertrains and motors, chassis technology, gears, pumps, transmissions etc.
The ZF Group has implemented the Movilizer in several plants for plant maintenance and quality inspections. In all those different projects the Movilizer is integrated within the existing SAP ERP Plant Maintenance modules (Movilizer for SAP PM).


text:
TGC Sheriff welcomes Nick Hanna as new Chief Deputy
Matthew McDaniel
Sheriff David Jones welcomed highly-decorated and recently-retired Texas Ranger John "Nick" Hanna to the Tom Green County Sheriff's Office as the new Chief Deputy during a ceremony on Monday
Hanna, who entered law enforcement with the Big Spring Police Department in 1989, was sworn in by Sheriff Jones before his wife, Kelly, pinned-on his new badge.
After moving from Big Spring to Brady, Hanna began a career with the Department of Public Safety which spanned 24 years, serving the last 16 years with Ranger Company "E."
Hanna was instrumental in handling the complex YFZ Ranch case involving the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints group in Eldorado in 2008, and received international recognition from the Canadian Royal Mounted Police for his help with FLDS cases in that country.
Sgt. Terry Jacklin of the RCMP noted when presenting his award that Hanna's assistance helped them bring several FLDS members to trial, resulting in criminal convictions for the transportation of underage girls across international lines for the purpose of sexual abuse.
Having worked extensively in the San Angelo area for years, Hanna is a familiar face to local judges, prosecutors, and members of the law enforcement community.


text:
Design of groundbreaking mental health and addiction services underway
Hon Dr David Clark
Transformation of mental health and addiction services for people with mild to moderate need takes an important step forward today, says Health Minister Dr David Clark.
The Ministry of Health is today holding the first of five workshops with mental health and addiction leaders and those with lived experience to discuss plans for new frontline services announced in the Wellbeing Budget.
"The Wellbeing Budget allocated $455 million over four years to create a new frontline mental health and addiction service," said David Clark.
"Greater access to services and more choice about the kinds of support available are a core part of this work, including in Kaupapa Māori organisations, Pacific organisations, general practices, community and youth settings.
"These new services must be easy to access, easy to navigate, and they must help people," said David Clark.
The new services will be rolled out nationwide over five years – in recognition of the need to train more qualified mental health workers and build new facilities.
"It will take time to get the sector, communities, people with lived experience and Māori together to design the services that are required, which is why it's important this is beginning already.
"While this is going on, there is additional funding within this initiative to support existing services which are already doing good work to help people," David Clark said.
Last updated: Monday, July 8, 2019


Residential property investment is becoming increasingly popular within the self-managed super fund sector. According to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), the value of residential property assets held in self-managed super funds has increased by $9.81 billion (67.1%) between June 2011 and March 2016 to reach $24.4 billion in value. In comparison, dwelling values across Australia's capital cities increased by 26.2%, demonstrating that most of the increase in SMSF's investing in residential property has been fuelled more by uptake rather than appreciation of the asset value.
Despite the strong growth in SMSF's investing in residential real estate over the past five years, investment housing still comprises a relatively small proportion of net SMSF assets at 4.3% compared with non-residential real estate at 13.1% of net assets, listed shares comprising 30.2%, and cash/term deposits comprising 27.3%.
The slant towards non-residential real estate within SMSFs is understandable. Small business owners can purchase a business premises within their super fund and rent it from the fund, thereby funnelling business rental payments into their savings as well as (hopefully) benefitting from capital gains in the value of the asset.
Residential real estate within a SMSF has different rules. A dwelling purchased within a SMSF can't be lived in by a fund member or their related parties, and it can't be rented by a fund member or their related parties. In simple terms, a residential real estate investment must remain completely at arm's length from the fund member.
Super funds are generally unable to borrow capital to fund an investment, however, since September 2007, SMSFs have been the exception, with a provision for limited recourse borrowing arrangements (LRBAs) available for self-managed super funds. According to the ATO, a limited recourse loan means the lender's rights are limited to the asset held in the separate trust; there is no recourse to the other assets held in the SMSF, which provides some protection to the overall value of the fund.
Growth in limited recourse borrowing within SMSF's has been nothing short of spectacular, rising from just $1.4 billion in June 2011 to $19 billion in March 2016 (1,260% growth).
Those SMSF investors who got into the Sydney or Melbourne market early would have seen enormous growth in their residential assets, providing a boost to their overall retirement wealth. Since the beginning of 2009, Sydney dwelling values have increased by 86% and Melbourne dwelling values are up by 71% over the same time frame.
However, the growth cycle won't last forever. In fact, over the past twelve months, we have already seen dwelling values in Perth and Darwin decline by slightly more than 4%. The trend rate of growth showed a strong bounce during April and May this year, however it's likely that housing market conditions will continue to moderate due to a range of factors including affordability constraints, low rental yields and tighter finance arrangements from the banking sector.
With the residential housing cycle now likely through its peak rate of growth, it will be interesting to see if residential property investment by SMSF's continues to grow at the same pace.


Background: Osteoporosis is a condition of skeletal disorders characterized by compromised bone strength that predisposes to an increased risk of fracture. Osteoporosis is a common disease in adult, especially in postmenopausal women. Nevertheless, pediatric osteoporosis seems to be a rare disease, which increases risk of fracture not only in childhood period but also reach adult-hood. Therefore, the role of diagnosis correctly and appropriate treatment at this age group are very important. Treatment of bisphosphonates has been shown to be effective in improving adult bone mineral density (BMD) for more than 25 years, and has been used in pediatric treatment for about 15 years. In this study, we aim to evaluate the effect and safety of Zoledronic acid (ZA) in treatment of primary and secondary osteoporosis in children.
Objectives: To assess the effect and safety of ZA in improving BMD, height, clinical signs and the rate of fractures.
Subjects and method: This is a retrospective case series of 13 children and adolescents diagnosed with osteoporosis at Children's Hospital 1. These patients were followed by checking BMD by Dual-energy X-ray absorptionmetry (DXA) before, during and after treating with ZA every 6–12 months. Height Z-score is calculated base on CDC reference.
Results: Our study included 13 cases, in which there are 6 cases of primary, 7 cases of secondary osteoporosis. The mean patient age was 10.47 years, the youngest was 1 month old and the oldest was 15 years old. There was a significant improvement in BMD after treatment ZA with BMD Z-score before and after was −3.8 and −1.7, respectively (P=0.03). There weren't any new fractures after treatment. About side effect of ZA, we haven't recorded any side effects during and after ZA infusion. Life quality has been improved significantly; most children no longer complained about bone pain, back pain or limited movement compared to before treatment. However, ZA hasn't show the clearly effect on height with height Z-score before and after treatment was −2.3 and −1.9, respectively (P=0.89).
Conclusion: Zoledronic acid appears to have some favorable effects in the treatment of primary and secondary osteoporosis in children and adolescents. Intravenous ZA improved BMD, life quality and protected bone from new fractures in both groups of pediatric osteoporosis.


With stone elevator door cover line throughout all over the world, the stone in various locations across the country elevator door cover line to a climax, whether it is domestic outfit, or in the public places, such as hotels, office building decoration, are in use.
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Jinan stone hao CDH small make up to share with you the three big selling point of the elevator door cover line.
First, the design and color is complete, rich in the design and color of thousands of rare both at home and abroad, and developed the embroidery, wood, jade, hundreds of design and color, such as ice crack, flowers can no matter what kind of decorate a style is perfect.
Second, performance, selling point: facing through UV light curing protection processing, with strong hardness, wearability, facing hardness up to 3 h to 6 h, completely don't have to worry about daily collision.
Third, decorative selling point: stone elevator door cover line has rich modelling, the modelling of planar single completely abandon the traditional building materials, developed the stereo modelling of decorative lines, can be used in TV setting wall, stone and plastic elevator door cover, the combination of the window.


Can't make it to their vibrant churches in Manhattan, California, Wisconsin, or Washington, D.C. to listen to today's most influential preachers? Collected here for your reading pleasure are extraordinary sermons from Timothy Keller, John Ortberg, Jill Briscoe, Mark Dever, Francis Chan, Joshua Harris, Philip Ryken, Joni Eareckson Tada, William Willimon, and others. Includes author biographies. Paperback.


text:
package dhg.ccg.tag

import dhg.util._
import com.typesafe.scalalogging.slf4j.{ StrictLogging => Logging }
import math.{ log, exp }
import scalaz._
import Scalaz._
import dhg.ccg.prob._
import dhg.ccg.tag.learn._
import dhg.ccg.tagdict.TagDictionary
import dhg.ccg.tagdict.SimpleTagDictionary
import dhg.ccg.tagdict.SimpleTagDictionaryFactory

class HmmTagger[Tag](
  val transitions: ConditionalLogProbabilityDistribution[Tag, Tag],
  val emissions: ConditionalLogProbabilityDistribution[Tag, String],
  val tagdict: TagDictionary[Tag])
  extends WeightedTagger[Tag]
  with Tagger[Tag]
  with Logging {

  /**
   * Compute the probability of the tagged sentence.  The result
   * should be represented as a logarithm.
   */
  override def sentenceProbWithWeights(sentence: Vector[(Word, Tag)], us: Vector[Map[Tag, LogDouble]]): LogDouble = {
    (((tagdict.startWord -> tagdict.startTag) +: sentence :+ (tagdict.endWord -> tagdict.endTag)) zipSafe (Map.empty[Tag, LogDouble] +: us :+ Map.empty[Tag, LogDouble]))
      .sliding2.foldLeft(LogDouble.one) {
        case (logProd, (((_, prevTag), _), ((currWord, currTag), u))) =>
          logProd * transitions(currTag, prevTag) * emissions(currWord, currTag) / u.getOrElse(currTag, LogDouble.zero)
      }
  }

  /**
   * Accepts a sentence of word tokens and returns a sequence of
   * tags corresponding to each of those words.
   */
  override def tagAndProbWithWeights(sentence: Vector[Word], us: Vector[Map[Tag, LogDouble]]): (Vector[Tag], LogDouble) = {
    tagAndProbWithWeightsFromTagSet(sentence.mapTo(tagdict), us)
  }

  /**
   * Accepts a sentence of word tokens and returns a sequence of
   * tags corresponding to each of those words.
   */
  override def tagAndProbWithWeightsFromTagSet(sentence: Vector[(Word, Set[Tag])], us: Vector[Map[Tag, LogDouble]]): (Vector[Tag], LogDouble) = {
    val forwards =
      ((sentence :+ ((tagdict.endWord, Set(tagdict.endTag)))) zipSafe (us :+ Map.empty))
        .scanLeft(Map(tagdict.startTag -> (LogDouble.one, tagdict.startTag))) {
          case (prevV, ((currWord, potentialTags), u)) =>
            //logger.debug(f"currWord = $currWord")
            //logger.debug(f"  prev viterbi = $prevV")
            val v =
              potentialTags.mapTo { k =>
                //logger.debug(f"  k=$k")
                val scores =
                  prevV.map {
                    case (kprime, (kprimeScore, _)) =>
                      //assert(transitions(k, kprime).isNegInfinity, f"transitions($k, $kprime) = ${transitions(k, kprime)}")
                      //println(f"transitions($k, $kprime) = ${transitions(k, kprime)}")
                      val score = kprimeScore * transitions(k, kprime)
                      //if (currWord == "the" && kprime == "V" && k == "D") { // TODO: REMOVE
                      //logger.debug(f"    $currWord  $kprime%-3s -> $k%-3s  $score")
                      //logger.debug(f"      v($kprime) = ${kprimeScore}")
                      //logger.debug(f"      tr($kprime -> $k) = ${log(transitions(k, kprime))}")
                      //}
                      kprime -> score
                  }
                val (bestKprime, bestKprimeScore) = scores.maxBy(_._2)
                //assert(!bestKprimeScore.isNegInfinity, f"oh shit: bestKprimeScore=$bestKprimeScore, currWord=$currWord, k=$k, prevTags=${prevV.map(_._1)}")
                //if ((currWord == "the" && k == "D") || currWord == "held") { // TODO: REMOVE
                //logger.debug(f"    scores: $scores -> $k")
                //logger.debug(f"    best: $bestKprime%-3s -> $k%-3s  bestKprimeScore=$bestKprimeScore")
                //logger.debug(f"    em($currWord | $k) = ${emissions(currWord, k)}")
                //}
                //assert(emissions(currWord, k).isNegInfinity, f"emissions($currWord, $k) = ${emissions(currWord, k)}")
                //println(f"emissions($currWord, $k) = ${emissions(currWord, k)}")
                (emissions(currWord, k) * bestKprimeScore / u.getOrElse(k, LogDouble.one), bestKprime)
              }.toMap
            //logger.debug(f"  v = $v")
            v
        }
    val tags =
      forwards.scanRight(tagdict.endTag) {
        (v, kNext) => v(kNext)._2
      }.drop(2).dropRight(1) // drop start/end tags
    val p = forwards.last(tagdict.endTag)._1
    (tags, p)
  }

}

trait SupervisedHmmTaggerTrainer[Tag] extends SupervisedTaggerTrainer[Tag] {
  def make(
    transitions: ConditionalLogProbabilityDistribution[Tag, Tag],
    emissions: ConditionalLogProbabilityDistribution[Tag, Word],
    tagdict: TagDictionary[Tag]) = new HmmTagger(transitions, emissions, tagdict)
}

class UnsmoothedHmmTaggerTrainer[Tag]() extends SupervisedHmmTaggerTrainer[Tag]() {
  private[this] val dister = new SmoothedHmmTaggerTrainer[Tag](new UnsmoothedTransitionDistributioner(), new UnsmoothedEmissionDistributioner())
  override def train(taggedSentences: Vector[Vector[(Word, Tag)]], initialTagdict: TagDictionary[Tag]): HmmTagger[Tag] = {
    dister.train(taggedSentences, initialTagdict)
  }
}

class AddLambdaSmoothedHmmTaggerTrainer[Tag](lambda: Double) extends SupervisedHmmTaggerTrainer[Tag] {
  private[this] val dister = new SmoothedHmmTaggerTrainer[Tag](new AddLambdaTransitionDistributioner(lambda), new AddLambdaEmissionDistributioner(lambda))
  override def train(taggedSentences: Vector[Vector[(Word, Tag)]], initialTagdict: TagDictionary[Tag]): HmmTagger[Tag] = {
    dister.train(taggedSentences, initialTagdict)
  }
}

class SmoothedHmmTaggerTrainer[Tag](
  transitionDister: TransitionDistributioner[Tag], emissionDister: EmissionDistributioner[Tag])
  extends SupervisedHmmTaggerTrainer[Tag]() {

  override def train(taggedSentences: Vector[Vector[(Word, Tag)]], initialTagdict: TagDictionary[Tag]): HmmTagger[Tag] = {
    val tagdict = initialTagdict.withWords(taggedSentences.flatten.map(_._1).toSet).withTags(taggedSentences.flatten.map(_._2).toSet)

    val transitions = transitionDister(taggedSentences, tagdict)
    val emissions = emissionDister(taggedSentences, tagdict)

    //    println("\nTRANSITIONS\n")
    //    for (t1 <- (allTags + startTag + endTag)) {
    //      for (t2 <- ((allTags + startTag + endTag)).toVector.sortBy(t2 => -transitions(t2, t1))) {
    //        println(f"$t1%-5s -> $t2%-10s  ${transitions(t2, t1)}%.2f  ${log(transitions(t2, t1))}%.2f")
    //      }
    //      println
    //    }

    //    println("\nEMISSIONS\n")
    //    for (t <- (allTags + startTag + endTag)) {
    //      for (w <- ((allWords + startWord + endWord) + "<DEFAULT>").toVector.sortBy(w => -emissions(w, t))) {
    //        println(f"$t%-5s -> $w%-10s  ${emissions(w, t)}%.2f  ${log(emissions(w, t))}%.2f")
    //      }
    //      println
    //    }

    new HmmTagger(transitions, emissions, tagdict)
  }
}

object Hmm extends Logging {

  /** Returns a vector of tagged sentences */
  def taggedSentencesFile(filename: String) = {
    File(filename).readLines.zipWithIndex.map {
      case (line, lineNum) =>
        line.split("\\s+")
          .map(_.split("\\|"))
          .map {
            case Array(w, t) => (w, t)
            case x => sys.error(f"failed on line $lineNum")
          }.toVector
    }.toVector
  }

  def main(args: Array[String]): Unit = {
    val (arguments, options) = parseArgs(args)

    val trainData = taggedSentencesFile(options("train"))

    val td = {
      val tdcutoffProvided = options.get("tdcutoff").isDefined
      val tdCutoff =
        options.get("tagdict").fold(tdcutoffProvided)(_.toBoolean).option {
          options.get("tdcutoff").fold(0.0)(_.toDouble)
        }
      new SimpleTagDictionaryFactory(tdCutoff)(trainData, "<S>", "<S>", "<E>", "<E>")
    }

    val trainer: SupervisedTaggerTrainer[String] = {
      val lambda = options.get("lambda").fold(1.0)(_.toDouble)
      if (options.contains("lambda") && !options.contains("tsmooth") && !options.contains("esmooth")) {
        new AddLambdaSmoothedHmmTaggerTrainer[String](lambda)
      }
      else if (options.contains("tsmooth") || options.options.contains("esmooth")) {
        val tsmooth: TransitionDistributioner[String] =
          options.s("tsmooth", "none") match {
            case "addlambda" => new AddLambdaTransitionDistributioner(lambda)
            case "onecount" => new OneCountTransitionDistributioner(lambda, lambda)
            case "none" | "unsmoothed" | "un" => new UnsmoothedTransitionDistributioner()
          }
        val esmooth: EmissionDistributioner[String] =
          options.s("esmooth", "none") match {
            case "addlambda" => new AddLambdaEmissionDistributioner(lambda)
            case "onecount" => new OneCountEmissionDistributioner(lambda, lambda)
            case "none" | "unsmoothed" | "un" => new UnsmoothedEmissionDistributioner()
          }
        new SmoothedHmmTaggerTrainer(tsmooth, esmooth)
      }
      else {
        new UnsmoothedHmmTaggerTrainer()
      }
    }

    val model = time("training", trainer.train(trainData, td))
    TaggerEvaluator(model, taggedSentencesFile(options("test")))
  }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
In Grandma's Stocking: An Apple Watch To Monitor Falls, Track Heart Rhythms
By Rachel Bluth December 4, 2018
Disponible en Español
A customer uses an Apple Watch Series 4 smartwatch during a sales launch at a store in Chicago in September. (Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Use Our Content
This story can be republished for free (details).
For more than a decade, the latest Apple products have been the annual must-have holiday gift for the tech-savvy. That raises the question: Is the newest Apple Watch on your list — either to give or receive — this year?
At first glance, the watch appears to be an ideal present for Apple's most familiar market: the hip early adopters. Its promotional website is full of svelte young people stretching into yoga poses, kickboxing and playing basketball.
But when Apple unveiled its latest model in September — the Series 4, which starts at $399 — it was clear it was expanding its target audience. This Apple Watch includes new features designed to detect falls and heart problems. With descriptions like "part guardian, part guru" and "designed to improve your health … and powerful enough to protect it," the tech giant signaled its move toward preventive health and a much wider demographic.
"The health care market is obviously important to Apple," Andy Hargreaves, an Apple analyst with KeyBanc Capital Markets, wrote in an email. The fall prevention and electrocardiogram apps are a "play to sell people more stuff" and bring health-monitoring apps beyond just "fitness people" to baby boomers who want to keep themselves and their parents healthy, he added.
This watch could be a perfect present for those older people, said Laura Martin, a senior analyst with Needham. "People who wore watches their whole lives, plus fall monitoring?" Martin said. "Voilà! It creates another on-ramp for another consumer in the Apple ecosystem."
The Inner Workings
The fall-monitoring app uses sensors in the watchband, which are automatically enabled for people 65 and older after they input their age. These sensors track and record the user's movements, and note if the wearer's gait becomes unsteady.
If a fall is detected, the watch sends its wearer a notification. If the wearer doesn't respond within a minute by tapping a button on the watch to deactivate this signal, emergency services will be alerted that the wearer needs help.
That minute also gives the wearer time to prevent false alarms, such as a dropped watch.
Many geriatricians and medical experts agree that this app could help older consumers.
Falls can cause fractured hips and head injuries, but even fear of falling can prevent older people from living on their own or participating in activities.
Fall deaths in the U.S. increased 30 percent for older adults in the past decade, and 3 million older people go to the emergency room for fall injuries each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Subscribe to KHN's free Morning Briefing.
Dr. Armin Shahrokni, an internist with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center who describes himself as "tech-savvy," is excited that older patients might get into wearable technology.
"In older cancer patients, my area of expertise, all the chemo can make them fall more," he said, making detecting falls and balance important.
The other app, the ECG monitoring app, also uses sensors in the wristband to monitor a patient's heartbeat and send alerts if it gets too fast or too slow. Specifically, the app is meant to detect atrial fibrillation, which is a type of arrhythmia, also described as a problem with the speed or rhythm of the heartbeat.
Here is how the app works:
The watch's sensors can detect a heart rhythm in 30 seconds, creating a "waveform" readout. It also allows the user to note how they are feeling — lightheaded, winded, full of energy — at that moment. This combination, according to Apple, will help people have better conversations with their doctors about symptoms and heart patterns.
The Food and Drug Administration cleared this function for people 22 or older. However, it's rare for anyone younger than 50 to be diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, noted Eric Topol, a cardiologist at the Scripps Research Institute.
Doctors have expressed concern that scores of panicked Apple Watch users would flood emergency rooms with every heart rhythm notification and blip.
"It's mass use of a tool, and with that is going to come lots of unintended consequences," Topol said. "It'll lead to a lot of anxiety and expense and additional testing, and even then some people will get blood thinners inappropriately," he added.
"This is the opposite of individualized medicine, where you are using something on exactly, precisely the right person," Topol said.
Wearables Unleashed
The watch represents the beginning of what analysts agree will be a wave of new health apps and wearable health trackers.
Consumers can expect more ways to track vital signs, like blood sugar, and more apps that will use those numbers to help people prevent medical emergencies, said Ross Muken, an analyst with Evercore ISI. While health tracking isn't a new concept, putting that data into an algorithm to help change behavior and get ahead of a health crisis is the next big frontier for wearable health technology products.
Experts caution, though, that while the FDA "cleared" these new apps, it hasn't actually "approved" them, which is a bureaucratic distinction that means they haven't faced as much rigorous testing as something that has gained the agency's formal OK.
For example, there are no findings from studies or trials that offer evidence of the fall prevention or ECG apps' benefits, Topol said. "We don't have any data to review. These are unknowns."
Someday, he added, he expects the "medicalized smartphone" to be more common, cheaper and accessible to seniors. Right now we're seeing the very beginning of this technology be put into use. "Technology is way ahead of medical practice," Topol said.
KHN's coverage of longevity and our aging society is supported in part by The Silver Century Foundation.
Rachel Bluth: rbluth@kff.org, @RachelHBluth
Aging Cost and Quality Public Health FDA Health IT Wellness
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When I didn't put together a blog post in late October, I resolved to make up for it in November. After November passed without a post, I planned something for December. And when January loomed with the blog still silent, I finally admitted that I had been neglecting more than the blog. I wasn't procrastinating. I was depressed. Again.
My inertia started with procrastination, but, as the days grew shorter and shorter, depression took over. In retrospect, I knew this all along. I tried to ignore the symptoms, but in mid-October I had quit doing most of the things I enjoy. The blog was just my most public absence.
By November, the yard and I were weather-worn and brittle.
I woke briefly in mid-November, when the Yellow-rumped Warblers arrived, but soon drifted back into my sleep-eat-read-sleep routine.
As December counted down, I told myself lies about how busy I was with holiday preparations.
I told others these lies, too, because they were easier than admitting to everyone that the holidays made me feel sad and lonely. That, despite my love for festive decorations, much of my nostalgia is tinged with grief.
During my lost months, I watched flocks of birds gather and move on, feeling each time as if I had missed an important message.
Then, one bright and unseasonably warm afternoon, a pair of vultures paused over the yard, basking in the sun. These beautiful, under-appreciated birds sent me scrambling for my camera, something I had not done in weeks.
And on Christmas Eve, despite dreary clouds and a threat of storms, I enjoyed an afternoon in the yard with my camera.
This time I felt closer to getting the message.
In the after-Christmas lull, I slept and ate and read and slept, but there was a spark of something different in the routine. A current of ambition to do more than sleep and eat and read. As I put away our decorations, I noticed a pot of pansies that I had never planted. And all the empty bird feeders.
On the first Sunday of 2016, I took a walk with my old camera. As I photographed ducks and geese and seagulls, my internal dialogue became a patter of possible captions for the photos. That evening I edited the images with extra care, eager to post them. But I couldn't decide how to post them. The blog had been silent for so long. Now that I was ready to post again, how should I explain my absence? Should I simply resume posting? Gloss over two months fogged by recurring depression?
I've lived with depression (and its frequent companion–anxiety) for a very long time. Longer than I'll usually admit. Compared to past experience, this bout was mild and short-lived. Now I'm making changes that should help speed my recovery. Over the weekend I stocked the kitchen with healthier food, started exercising, and spent more time outside with my camera. These are, I've learned, my best defenses.
And as the days get longer and longer, I'll start looking forward to spring. Because spring will come. It always does.
Thank you for sharing. I can relate. Hope to see more blogs soon.
I love that you did this. I have family members that suffer with depression and anxiety. This was done well. I hope you have an easy winter and look forward to the spring.
Know I was with you . . .
Dear Rae, Thanks much for sharing your experience with depression. I have very similar winter blues. Perhaps we are simply hibernating in a human way. The lengthening daylight awakens me to life annually. Again, thank you.
Thank you for commenting! I'm convinced that the more we talk about depression, the less lonely it will feel. And, for me, loneliness is a big factor.
Emojis are fun, the benefit of posting via phone or tablet.
This is one of my favorite of your posts, Rae. I can so empathize (my own blog has been latent since July.) You've written about this feeling so eloquently and evocatively – thank you. You've inspired me to get back to it all.


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Shaft (R)
Quicklook Rating★★★
JJ, aka John Shaft Jr. (Usher), may be a cyber security expert with a degree from MIT, but to uncover the truth behind his best friend's untimely death, he needs an education only his dad can provide. Absent throughout JJ's youth, the legendary locked-and-loaded John Shaft (Jackson) agrees to help his progeny navigate Harlem's heroin-infested underbelly. And while JJ's own FBI analyst's badge may clash with his dad's trademark leather duster, there's no denying family. Besides, Shaft's got an agenda of his own, and a score to settle that's professional and personal.
Opened June 14th, 2019
Jessie T. Usher
Matt Lauria
Cliff "Method Man" Smith
Alex Barnow
MovieGoer Review
Shaft (2019) is the third film to bear that name, following a 1971 movie and a 2000 reboot/sequel. It's the fifth film in a series of sorts (there were a total of three movies in the 1970s to go along with a short-lived TV series), but the ... MORE


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Any organisation where one or more local authorities control any proportion of the voting rights, or where a local authority has the right to appoint one or more directors or trustees is a 'Council Organisation'.
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All appointments are covered by Council's Appointment and Remuneration of Directors Policy 2017 (PDF, 126KB).