text:
Special Rating Area Information
The Observatory Improvement District (OBSID) was officially ratified by Cape Town City council in July 2009 after the majority of property owners voted in favour of Observatory becoming a Special Rating Area (SRA) – also referred to as City Improvement Districts (CID's). the OBSID includes both residential and commercial properties.
The term "city improvement district" (CID) refers to a specific geographical area, approved by the City Council in terms of the municipal Property Rates Act, Section 22 (Special Rates Area [SRA]), and the SRA bylaw, in which complementary top-up services are provided in addition to those rendered by the CID's primary partners.
The OBSID's primary partners are the City of Cape Town and the South African Police Service.
The OBSID offers top-up services as follows: safety and security / public safety, urban management and social development. OBSID also works on projects in support of business development as well as arts, heritage and culture.
A non-profit company, the OBSID operates with its own board of directors and liaises across both the public and private sectors, working together with each to develop, promote and manage the Cape Town Central City.
The Board of Directors is accountable to the community for good governance and to ensure that the levy collected from you as a ratepayer is spent wisely, in the best interest of Observatory and in line with the City's SRA policy.
The Board of Directors provides strategic direction and prepares proposed budgets and plans for approval by the OBSID members at the OBSID annual general meeting (AGM). The AGM takes place in the last quarter of each calendar year.
The OBSID also undertakes projects intended to make Observatory smarter in the broadest sense of the word.
SRA By Law Amendment
CCT SRA Policy 2016/2017
We make sure that our programmes and services are developed and implemented in order to deliver
against our mission.
Develop and sustain a safer, cleaner and smarter public space throughout Observatory;
Nurture the unique ambience, charm and diversity of Observatory village as a meeting place of
artists, intellectuals, professionals, workers, residents and visitors;
Contribute to a commercially attractive, artistically vibrant, ecologically sustainable and family-friendly
environment;
Foster cooperation between residents, ethical businesses, other stakeholders and the City.
As amended on 20 June 2017
Special Rating Areas (including City Improvement Districts)
What is an SRA?
A Special Rating Area (SRA) refers to a clearly defined geographical area, in which property owners contribute additional rates to fund 'top up' services for that specific area as per the approved Business Plan.
What is the regulatory framework governing SRAs?
SRAs are governed by Section 22 of the Municipal Property Rates Act (MPRA), the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA), the Companies Act (Non Profit Company – NPC), the SA Constitution and the City of Cape Town's Special Rating Area By-law of 2012.
Why establish an SRA?
According to the SA Constitution (Sections 152 & 153), the objective of a local authority is to provide all its residents with certain basic services such as water, electricity, sanitation and refuse removal, etc – up to an equitable standard. For communities who wish to enjoy municipal services of a higher level, an SRA provides them with the option of paying for these additional services, which should be affordable and sustainable.
What types of 'top-up' services are provided in a SRA?
Typically, these would be services dealing with Urban Management issues like additional public safety measures, cleansing services, maintenance of infrastructure, upgrading of the environment, and social services, etc.
Does the formation of an SRA mean that the City can reduce the level and quality of its services?
No. The City is obligated to sustain existing service levels and to provide basic services as per the Constitution. Each SRA will engage with the various service departments regarding the level of services to be provided by the municipality. This enables the SRA to decide on the 'top up' services required.
What are the benefits for SRA members?
By pooling their resources in an SRA, individual property owners can enjoy the collective benefits of a well managed area, a shared sense of communal pride, safety and social responsibility, and access to joint initiatives such as waste recycling, energy-efficiency programs, etc. In the end, these all translate into a tangible boost in property values and capital investments.
Are there different types of SRAs?
No, but an SRA can consist of industrial, commercial and residential components, or a combination of all three.
How many SRAs are there in Cape Town?
There are currently 39 SRAs in the City of Cape Town. Two communities are applying for establishment, and many others have expressed interest in establishing an SRA.
How does one establish an SRA?
An SRA is always initiated by a community, and not by the City.
It usually starts with 'champions' within a community who feel the necessity to improve the environment within a defined area. They then compile a five-year business plan (including the motivation report, the implementation plan and a budget) indicating how the improvements are to be achieved, and present this to the community at a public meeting. Thereafter property owners are lobbied for their support where a majority (more than 50% in an area classified as commercial and more than 60% for an area classified as residential) has to give written consent to the formation of a SRA.
Once this has been obtained, the steering group has to submit an application to the City. The application is then advertised in the media and property owners are also notified to allow them at least 60 days to render any comments or objections. The City then considers the application with the objections at a full sitting of Council.
After the City has approved the application, a NPC is set up and a board is elected. The NPC has to register for VAT, open a bank account and be registered as a vendor with the City, etc. This must all be in place before the City makes any payment to the SRA.
Who manages the SRA?
An SRA is a NPC managed by a board elected by its members, and operated by a management team appointed by the board. Property owners must sign up for NPC membership to allow them to participate in the SRA`s affairs. The City is not involved in their day-to-day operations, but merely exercises financial oversight and legal compliance.
Who monitors the finances?
An SRA is governed by the Companies Act (71 of 2008) and manages its own finances and appoints its own auditors. The audited financial statements form part of the City's consolidated accounts, which are reviewed by the Auditor-General. In addition, monthly financial reports are submitted to the City to monitor and to ensure that expenditure is incurred according to the budget. All SRAs have to submit the Chairman`s report and AFS to the relevant Subcouncil, within two months of their AGM, for noting.
How is an SRA funded?
An SRA is funded from the additional rates paid by property owners within the boundary of the SRA. It does not receive any grants or subsidies from the City, but does have the powers to raise additional income.
How are the SRA additional rates calculated?
The SRA management confirms the properties within the boundaries of the SRA, which is then linked by the City to the municipal valuations according to the most recent general valuation roll.
The SRA management annually prepares an overall budget for the year. This is based on the specific needs of the area as set out in the approved Business Plan. Individual contributions are then calculated by dividing up the budget total according to the municipal valuations of each property, proportional to the total valuation of the SRA.
The SRA Policy allows for a differentiation in tariffs for the different types of properties – be it residential, commercial or industrial.
This tariff is then expressed as a Rand in the rand and is applicable over a financial year, which starts on 1 July.
The SRA budget and proposed tariff have to be approved by the City, and advertised for comments and objections as part of the City's budget process prior to implementation on 1 July.
How are the SRA additional rates collected?
The City collects the additional rates on behalf of the SRA. It does not go to the City, although they share an invoice to save on collection costs. The additional rate appears as a separate item (improvement district) on the monthly municipal account of each property owner liable to pay the SRA additional rates within the SRA.
What happens to the difference between the actual billing and the payover?
The City pays the SRA a monthly amount equivalent to one-twelfth of its approved budget less 3% as a provision for bad debts. The provision for bad debts is kept in a ring-fenced account for the SRA. At the end of the financial year the City reconciles the billing with the SRA budget pay overs and any under or over billing is offset against the accumulated bad debt account. This account is subsequently compared with the arrears as at the end of the financial year. When the latter is less than the accumulated bad debts, 75% of the difference is paid to the SRA as per the Finance Agreement concluded between the City and the SRA.
Is the payment of the additional rates mandatory for all properties within the SRA?
Yes. Once the City has approved an SRA, the participation of all property owners liable to pay the SRA additional rates, within the boundaries of the SRA, is mandatory. However, there are exceptions in terms of relief.
Who can be exempted from paying the SRA additional rates?
The following categories of owners / properties will be 100% exempted as per the SRA Policy:
Indigent, Senior Citizens and Disabled Persons who meet the criteria for rates relief
Properties registered in the name of and used primarily as a place of worship
Council owned properties used predominantly for official municipal business
Other properties who qualify for rates relief/exemption as per the City's Rates Policy
How does the SRA set its budget?
The SRA sets its own budget according to input from its members as per the approved five-year Business Plan. The City does not get involved in this process. Each year, the SRA board has to submit a detailed budget to the City by 31 January. The proposed budget may not deviate materially from the approved business plan. If there is a material deviation, an application in terms of Section 11 of the SRA By-Law is required. The City evaluates the proposed budget for affordability and sustainability.
What if the valuation base changes within a financial year?
The valuation base is a snapshot at a point in time (end February) and is used to calculate the additional rate (Rand-in-the-rand) for the following financial year. However, municipal valuations can change within a financial year due to interim valuations, Valuation Court rulings, sub-divisions, rezoning or other technical adjustments. Should the valuation base decrease or increase substantially, the City must inform the SRA in order to recalculate the SRA's additional rate.
Can my SRA additional rates be spent anywhere in the City?
No, it is ring-fenced to be ploughed back exclusively into the SRA.
How does the City resolve additional rates arrears?
Defaulters are subject to the City's credit control and debt collection policies. As such, they can have their water and electricity services suspended or their clearance certificates withheld.
Do members have a say in an SRA?
Absolutely! Every property owner within the SRA should apply in writing to the SRA Board for membership of the NPC. Only then are they able to participate in SRA affairs.
What is the relationship between the City, SRA and member?


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Home - Offerings
Crowdfunding Campaign Raises Funds for Jonathan Fleming, Wrongly Convicted of Murder
April 27, 2014 @ 5:22 pm By Samantha Hurst
Jonathan Fleming spent a long time in prison for a murder he did not commit. There is a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo that has raised over $34,000 to help right this egregious judicial error that punished a man incorrectly.
Fleming spent 25 years in prison for a murder that he was found not guilty of committing. Earlier this month, Mr. Fleming was exonerated after new evidence proved that he was not the one that murdered a man in Brooklyn in 1989. Although he had given proof that he was not even near the crime scene at the time, an apparent witness stepped forward and stated she saw him.
Although the witness later recanted her testimony, Business Insider stated Mr. Fleming just continued to lose appeals. Earlier this year, a new district attorney reviewed evidence and discovered a Florida hotel receipt that showed he was in the Sunshine State just five hours before the shooting. That district attorney decided to drop the case against Mr. Fleming.
Assistant district attorney Mark Hale told the judge Matthew J.D. 'Emic, "Had it been available at the trial, the likely outcome of the trial would have been different."
Mr. Subaru noted, "I started this campaign to help Jonathan get his life back on track and follow his dreams of going back to school; please donate what you can and lets make Jonathan's upcoming birthday in May one to remember. All funds will go directly to Jonathan Fleming."
Have a crowdfunding offering you'd like to share? Submit an offering for consideration using our Submit a Tip form and we may share it on our site!
This entry was posted in Offerings and tagged alex sutaru, crime, crowdfunding, indiegogo, jonathan fleming. Bookmark the permalink.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Is This Live?
Is This Live? – Christopher Ward
MuchMusic launched the year I was born, so I'd be lying if I said I knew a whole hell of a lot about the station's formative years. That being said, with the majority of my teenage years spent glued to the TV, I have fond memories of the channel as a hub for pop culture. In the days before the internet's file-sharing software (Napster/Kazaa/Limewire) and later YouTube, MuchMusic was the only place to see and hear your favorite bands without dropping twenty dollars on a piece of physical media.
I've always wanted to learn more about the creation of the station and luckily former VJ (video-jockey) Christopher Ward took on the task of chronicling the early years of "The Nation's Music Station" MuchMusic with his 2016 book, "Is This Live?"
If anything, this book is comprehensive. Ward goes through the early days of CITY TV's late night music video show "City Limits" and how that evolved into what would become MuchMusic – a co-creation from broadcasters John Martin and Moses Znaimer. Ward details the loose atmosphere implored by the duo; how they wanted the station to feel like a "flow" of programming rather than a tight schedule of individual shows.
Ward also delves into the music videos that would define the early years of the station. Interviews with Canadian musicians Bryan Adams, Alan Frew (Glass Tiger), Jim Cuddy (Blue Rodeo), Jimmy Rankin and others are peppered throughout the book as they explain the relatively new process of creating videos as promotional tools. This is where I found the book lost a little bit of its focus as I felt too much time was devoted to the videos themselves and their production rather than the operations of the station.
This is purely preference on my part, but I wish Ward had further explored the 90s, but alas, that was not within the scope of the book. The closest we get are a few short interviews with Rick Campanelli, Ed The Sock (Steve Kerzner), Master T and Bill Welychka.
It's really sad to see what MuchMusic has become now. Long gone are the days of VJs, countdowns and "videoflow" programming but honestly, who could blame them? Your favorite band's latest videos are now available at your fingertips so who wants to wait around for hours for their favorite song to be played? After its sale to Bell Media in 2006, the station gradually shifted focus to become more of a destination for comedy programming, reality shows and teen-dramas – they even dropped the "music" part of "MuchMusic"!
Christopher Ward has produced a much (pardon the pun) appreciated account of the little station that could; a rebel channel existing on a shoestring budget that penetrated the cultural zeitgeist of young Canadians in the 80s to become destination programming. I would have preferred a more focused approach and a wider scope, but it is what it is. Folks around during the station's launch may get a bit more out of it than I did.
September 19, 2018 in Christopher Ward, Non-Fiction. Tags: Canada, Christopher Ward, Non Fiction
Kiss Me, Judas
Christopher Nolan's Batman: The Art and Making of the Dark Knight Trilogy
Made To Kill
← Village of the Small Houses
Artemis →


I haven't seemed to have been doing as much actual sewing in the past fortnight. Works been keeping me busy and Freya seems to be kicking off the terrible threes in style! I swear I'll start calling her 'Mary' soon as in 'quite contrary' as I swear everything I do is wrong! She wants her cardigan off so I go to help her only to have her get cross and want to leave it on and so on and so forth!
Anyways here's another project I made for myself from a while back.
Last year we were invited to a good friend's wedding and I knew I wanted to have a go at making my own dress. It's always so hard to find something I like in the shops that doesn't cost a stupid amount of money. I'd already made one Odette dress by Bluegingerdoll and thought that pattern would be ideal.
As it was a special occasion I splurged on some Liberty fabric. It took me AGES to finally choose which one I was going to buy! My local fabric shop has a very wide range of Liberty fabrics and I knew I wanted to be absolutely sure which one I wanted as it wasn't a cheap exercise. After many trips back and forth, and many photos taken I decided on this red floral fabric. I was pretty nervous cutting out, let me tell you!
Th Odette dress pattern is a simple one, with nothing too challenging. It usually has a bodice panel with buttons for a higher neckline, but I'd seen someone else sew it as more a v-neck so I had that in the back of my mind. It was only after I'd made it that I decided to leave it as the v-neck. I think it works well, with the lining acting as a kind of collar. The pattern itself has three sleeve options and includes pockets which is always a plus in my book.
I really like this dress and felt really great wearing it to the wedding and the other special occasions I've worn it to.
This looks great! Still haven't dared to make a woven dress for myself.


text:
Biochemical basis of oxidative protein folding in the endoplasmic reticulum
B. P. Tu, S. C. Ho-Schleyer, K. J. Travers, J. S. Weissman
The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) supports disulfide bond formation by a poorly understood mechanism requiring protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) and ERO1. In yeast, Ero1p-mediated oxidative folding was shown to depend on cellular flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) levels but not on ubiquinone or heme, and Ero1p was shown to be a FAD-binding protein. We reconstituted efficient oxidative folding in vitro using FAD, PDI, and Ero1p. Disulfide formation proceeded by direct delivery of oxidizing equivalents from Ero1p to folding substrates via PDI. This kinetic shuttling of oxidizing equivalents could allow the ER to support rapid disulfide formation while maintaining the ability to reduce and rearrange incorrect disulfide bonds.
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.290.5496.1571
10.1126/science.290.5496.1571
Fingerprint Dive into the research topics of 'Biochemical basis of oxidative protein folding in the endoplasmic reticulum'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
Protein Folding Medicine & Life Sciences
Protein Disulfide-Isomerases Medicine & Life Sciences
Disulfides Medicine & Life Sciences
Flavin-Adenine Dinucleotide Medicine & Life Sciences
Endoplasmic Reticulum Medicine & Life Sciences
Ubiquinone Medicine & Life Sciences
Heme Medicine & Life Sciences
Carrier Proteins Medicine & Life Sciences
Tu, B. P., Ho-Schleyer, S. C., Travers, K. J., & Weissman, J. S. (2000). Biochemical basis of oxidative protein folding in the endoplasmic reticulum. Science, 290(5496), 1571-1574. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.290.5496.1571
Biochemical basis of oxidative protein folding in the endoplasmic reticulum. / Tu, B. P.; Ho-Schleyer, S. C.; Travers, K. J.; Weissman, J. S.
In: Science, Vol. 290, No. 5496, 24.11.2000, p. 1571-1574.
Tu, BP, Ho-Schleyer, SC, Travers, KJ & Weissman, JS 2000, 'Biochemical basis of oxidative protein folding in the endoplasmic reticulum', Science, vol. 290, no. 5496, pp. 1571-1574. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.290.5496.1571
Tu BP, Ho-Schleyer SC, Travers KJ, Weissman JS. Biochemical basis of oxidative protein folding in the endoplasmic reticulum. Science. 2000 Nov 24;290(5496):1571-1574. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.290.5496.1571
Tu, B. P. ; Ho-Schleyer, S. C. ; Travers, K. J. ; Weissman, J. S. / Biochemical basis of oxidative protein folding in the endoplasmic reticulum. In: Science. 2000 ; Vol. 290, No. 5496. pp. 1571-1574.
@article{861ae4b7f6a1420c863ae8a005534763,
title = "Biochemical basis of oxidative protein folding in the endoplasmic reticulum",
abstract = "The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) supports disulfide bond formation by a poorly understood mechanism requiring protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) and ERO1. In yeast, Ero1p-mediated oxidative folding was shown to depend on cellular flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) levels but not on ubiquinone or heme, and Ero1p was shown to be a FAD-binding protein. We reconstituted efficient oxidative folding in vitro using FAD, PDI, and Ero1p. Disulfide formation proceeded by direct delivery of oxidizing equivalents from Ero1p to folding substrates via PDI. This kinetic shuttling of oxidizing equivalents could allow the ER to support rapid disulfide formation while maintaining the ability to reduce and rearrange incorrect disulfide bonds.",
author = "Tu, {B. P.} and Ho-Schleyer, {S. C.} and Travers, {K. J.} and Weissman, {J. S.}",
doi = "10.1126/science.290.5496.1571",
journal = "Science",
publisher = "American Association for the Advancement of Science",
T1 - Biochemical basis of oxidative protein folding in the endoplasmic reticulum
AU - Tu, B. P.
AU - Ho-Schleyer, S. C.
AU - Travers, K. J.
AU - Weissman, J. S.
N2 - The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) supports disulfide bond formation by a poorly understood mechanism requiring protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) and ERO1. In yeast, Ero1p-mediated oxidative folding was shown to depend on cellular flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) levels but not on ubiquinone or heme, and Ero1p was shown to be a FAD-binding protein. We reconstituted efficient oxidative folding in vitro using FAD, PDI, and Ero1p. Disulfide formation proceeded by direct delivery of oxidizing equivalents from Ero1p to folding substrates via PDI. This kinetic shuttling of oxidizing equivalents could allow the ER to support rapid disulfide formation while maintaining the ability to reduce and rearrange incorrect disulfide bonds.
AB - The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) supports disulfide bond formation by a poorly understood mechanism requiring protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) and ERO1. In yeast, Ero1p-mediated oxidative folding was shown to depend on cellular flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) levels but not on ubiquinone or heme, and Ero1p was shown to be a FAD-binding protein. We reconstituted efficient oxidative folding in vitro using FAD, PDI, and Ero1p. Disulfide formation proceeded by direct delivery of oxidizing equivalents from Ero1p to folding substrates via PDI. This kinetic shuttling of oxidizing equivalents could allow the ER to support rapid disulfide formation while maintaining the ability to reduce and rearrange incorrect disulfide bonds.
U2 - 10.1126/science.290.5496.1571
DO - 10.1126/science.290.5496.1571
JO - Science
JF - Science


Fan-carving is the process of slicing wood into thin blades (feathers) and then turning and interlocking them to create a 3-dimensional design from one piece of wood. Fans and birds are the most popular items made.
Yes, it is hard to believe, but the individual blades are not detached and then reattached with glue. The blades are turned while the wood is wet which allows the wood fibers to turn without breaking.
No, fan-carving is considered an entry level to woodcarving. It is not complicated and it is fun to do! You will be surprised at how short a time it takes to make a fan or bird.
There are three basic cuts that make fan-carving unique from other types of woodcarving: the interlock cut, the hinge cut and riving/slicing individual blades. Once these cuts are understood, you will see the magic of fan-carving.
Our research has revealed that fan-carving is an Old World folk art. With the help of European museums and their archival documents, we have traced its history and migration from the ancient Russian region, across the European continent to North America.


HELLO! I'M EMMA, A SUCCESS COACH AND BUSINESS MENTOR. I help women maximise their potential – and LOVE it!
HELLO! I'M EMMA, A SUCCESS COACH AND BUSINESS MENTOR.
LACK OF CONFIDENCE…UNFULFILLMENT …DISCONTENT…STRESS…WORRY… ANXIETY…THAT WAS ME! I'VE BEEN THERE, LIVED IT, UNTIL SOMEONE HELPED ME.
I understand what it's like to battle with feelings of overwhelm, to never feel that what you're doing is good enough, to feel stuck in your life, business or career. I had a successful corporate career as a solicitor, but wasn't happy and knew things had to change. So I took action and transformed my life to suit me. It's now full of positivity, confidence, focus and success – and I want the same for you.
I'm passionate about helping women like you to overcome the life challenges that are holding you back from the life, business, or career of your dreams.
My MISSION is to help women just like you to move forward and to release your true potential. I want to empower you to believe in yourself, to recognise that you are more than enough, and give you the confidence to see that your best is yet to come!
If you're ready for change and know you are capable of more, let me help you achieve it.
Face to face or virtually I can help you to identify your purpose and your goals and to put a plan in place that helps you to work in alignment with that purpose and to smash those goals!
Working together, I'll help you create a strong and positive mindset and provide you with the strategies and skills to accelerate your success.
If you've ever doubted yourself, felt overwhelmed or you're simply not 100% happy with how things are right now, then get in touch and let's see how together we can ditch those doubts, realise your potential and rediscover your enthusiasm, joy, and passion for life!
Many women crave more flexibility in their lives whilst also craving more control over their career and earnings. Being able to work from home around my young family gave me the work/life balance I desired as well as the time freedom to explore my other passions in life without compromising my income.
If you're seeking change and are open to looking at a flexible home-based business that offers full training and support, access to global markets, an uncapped earning potential, and puts you fully in control of when and where you work, then you may benefit from the business route I followed. Simply complete the contact form to request your free no-obligation information pack to see whether this could work for you.
5 ways exercise can ACCELERATE your SUCCESS!
How do you feel about exercise? Do you love it or loathe it?
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Do you have a successful morning routine or is the start of your day dictated by your (rather rude) alarm clock?
MY GIFT TO YOU: Are you ready to get in TOTAL control of your DAY?
Take your first step to by downloading my free guide with 7 simple success strategies that will increase your efficiency, supercharge your productivity and put you back in control.


text:
Q: Raspberry Pi Ultrasonic Range Finder with WebIOPi I am working on a project, to control a RC car with Raspberry Pi and have done it with he help of WeiOPi.
Now I wanted to add a Ultrasonic Range Finder on it (I have HC-SR04).
I googled in internet about it and didn't find much information, I have a question.
How I can combine the python code with java-script and html to print the Distance on the web page.
Thanks in advance,
Any Help will be appreciated.
Regards,
H.M
P.S, I am only 13 and new to Programming.
EDIT:
Unfinished Code:
The python code is:
import webiopi
import RPi.GPIO as GPIO
import time
GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BCM)

TRIG = 23
ECHO = 24

print "Distance Measurement In Progress"

GPIO.setup(TRIG,GPIO.OUT)
GPIO.setup(ECHO,GPIO.IN)

GPIO.output(TRIG, False)
print "Waiting For Sensor To Settle"
time.sleep(2)

GPIO.output(TRIG, True)
time.sleep(0.00001)
GPIO.output(TRIG, False)

while GPIO.input(ECHO)==0:
  pulse_start = time.time()

while GPIO.input(ECHO)==1:
  pulse_end = time.time()

pulse_duration = pulse_end - pulse_start

distance = pulse_duration * 17150
# _____________________________________________________________________
# I want to print the following string (distance) to print on html page
# ---------------------------------------------------------------------
@webiopi.macro
def getSensor(channel):
    percent = round(distance, 2)
    return "%.2f%%" % percent

#Instantiate the server on the port 8000, it starts immediately in its own thread
server = webiopi.Server(port=8000)

# Run our loop until CTRL-C is pressed or SIGTERM received
webiopi.runLoop()

# -------------------------------------------------- #
# Termination part                                   #
# -------------------------------------------------- #

# Stop the server
server.stop()

The html code:

Sensor 0:

Sensor 1:

Sensor 2:

Sensor 3:

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: How to locate resources in Orchard I am writing an Orchard theme, and I'd like to be able to locate some of the resources packaged with the theme (images/swfs etc).
What is the best way of doing this?
I've had a look at ResourceManifest files, using builder.Add.DefineResource but I can't seem to find it's counterpart in the view.
Or do I just put the full path in?
Any hints?
Cheers
Carl

A: If you need to define the new resource (script or stylesheet):

*

*Create a class inheriting IResourceManifestProvider

*Provide the void BuildManifests(ResourceManifestBuilder builder) method and

*Add all necessary resources via builder.Add().DefineStyle("") or builder.Add().DefineScript(...), just as you noted in your question.

For example:
public class ResourceManifest : IResourceManifestProvider {
    public void BuildManifests(ResourceManifestBuilder builder) {
        var manifest = builder.Add();
        manifest.DefineStyle("MyStyle").SetUrl("mystyle.css");
        manifest.DefineScript("MyScript").SetUrl("myscript.js").SetDependencies("jQuery");
    }
}

This defines one style and script you can reuse in your views. Urls are relative to /Styles (or /Scripts) folders in your theme/module where the class is located.
If you want to reuse some of resources already defined (in all enabled modules and themes), it's as easy as writing eg.:
...
@{
    Style.Require("MyStyle").AtHead();
    Script.Require("MyScript").AtFoot();
}
...

inside your .cshtml view file. Example above would inject mystyle.css and myscript.js at appropriate locations (header/footer of the final page).

A: I slapped together an extension method for a similar problem:
public static string ResourceUrl(this HtmlHelper helper, string resourceType, string resourceName)
{
    var manager = helper.Resolve<IResourceManager>();
    var settings = new RequireSettings { Type = resourceType, Name = resourceName, BasePath = resourceType };
    var resource = manager.FindResource(settings);
    var context = new ResourceRequiredContext { Resource = resource, Settings = settings };

    var url = context.GetResourceUrl(settings, "/");

    return url;
}

Resource Manifest Definition:
manifest.DefineResource("Content", "MyImage").SetUrl("Content/myimage.png");

View Usage:
@Html.ResourceUrl("Content", "MyImage")

It's not well tested, and could probably use some error handling, but its working for me.

A: Just to be clear, there are a few methods depending on your situation. I'll outline the most common I know.
First of all, there is the inclusion of an external script or stylesheet on your particular part or theme. The standard syntax within a Razor template is this:
@Style.Include("YourPartEdit")
@Script.Require("jQuery")
@Script.Include("YourPartEdit")

The include files will look for that particular resource in the corresponding Style or Scripts folder: for @Script.Include("YourPartEdit"), it will look in the scripts folder for YourPartEdit.js.
You might have noticed that with Script.Require you can register a library with Orchard (in this case the registered one is jQuery), and cause a module to require that particular script.
To do this you create your own implementation of the IResourceManifestProvider interface, and implement the BuildManifests(ResourceManifestBuilder builder) method and create a named resource. You can use .AtFoot() or .AtHead() to even target where it will go.
Now say you want to reference a particular image, and you want to use Razor to always point to the correct image Url. First of all I recommend placing the image in your Content folder for your theme (assuming this is a theme related image), and you'll do something along these lines:
<img src=@Url.Content(Html.ThemePath(WorkContext.CurrentTheme, "/Content/your-logo.png")) />

Now, say this is on your Layout.cshtml page - you'll now successfully serve the image anywhere on the site.
These particular techniques should account for a multitude of situations.

A: In stylesheets, relative paths (from the stylesheet path) should be used.
In views, you should use Url.Content.

A: Just a side note:
the solution posted by Adam Anderson works only when the controller class serving the view has the attribute [Orchard.Themes.Themed(true)]


Barbados Things To Do and Places To Visit in this beautiful island country in the Lesser Antilles north-east of Trinidad and Tobago in the North America Caribbean region. Visit to this birthplace of Rum for activities and attractions, Beaches and Water Sports, Nature and Wild Life, Culture, History, Nightlife, Cuisine, Shopping, Spa and Wellbeing and enjoy once a life time experience.
Barbados Places To Visit includes a long long list of beautiful beaches. Accra Beach, Animal Flower Cave, Archers Bay Beach, crane Beach, Bath Beach, Bathsheba Beach, Batts Rock Beach and Bottom Bay are few beaches to name in Barbados.
Do you want to unravel the mystery behind why this part of the Caribbean is famously known as Little England? Just take a flight to Barbados and you'll know why. The daily life on this island is unmistakably percolated by a certain British-ness. With aspects such as driving on the left roundabouts, afternoon tea and Dover, Hastings & Lancaster, the English phenomenon is hard to miss. Don't forget to take an open bus tour in vintage Bajan Bus here.
Sophisticated and charming to the core, this most sought after vacation spots in the Caribbean region is a piece of land surrounded not only by emerald waters but with endless possibilities. A totally refreshing experience, you can soak up as much sun as you want and as much sand on your skin as you desire. There's just no stopping the enthusiastic vacationer here. Wake up to the rhythm of the tropics and explore the paradise that lies ahead of you.
A coral island with beaches of pure white and blue-green sea, Barbados provides a perfect setting for water sports, mild or extreme. Coming back from Barbados without a go at snorkeling, scuba diving, boating, kayaking, para-gliding and fishing, for that matter, is like committing sacrilege. Add to this the continuous breeze of the trade winds and you have a perfectly mild and pleasant tropical climate to enjoy.
Being a vacationers haven, you can't expect anything less from Barbados. Meeting all expectations, the island has things to see and do galore. Art, nightlife, music, history, culture and great food available 24/7, no wonder the island has won the best vacation destination in Caribbean award.
A hugely popular holiday paradise and no flights to take all those vacationers there, now how is that ever possible? Go online and book yourself an exclusive international flight to Barbados. You ought not to miss this one.


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Q: Book from decades ago about coming of age on a spaceship A massive spaceship which was meant to colonize but now the people just travel between human colonies, and other planets, trading(?) Story follows a young girl, whose father is one of the councilors of the ship.
The girl (name forgotten) and her friend, Jimmy, train for the trial into adulthood, which you either survive, that is a pass, or you die or fail to make recall, after being dumped on a primitive planet for several months.
They go on trial, survive brutal treatment by the resident humans, and return to the ship as adults. Then follows a gathering of all adults, who decide to eradicate the planet. Girl voted against eradication.
Cannot remember author, name or anything useful. One thing that stands out is the girl saying that no one cares about the spear bearers in a story, who are just there for the hero to kill.

A: This is the excellent 'Rite of Passage' (1968) by Alexei Panshin.

In 2198, one hundred and fifty years after the desperate wars that destroyed an overpopulated Earth, Man lives precariously on a hundred hastily-established colony worlds and in the seven giant Ships that once ferried men to the stars. Mia Havero's Ship is a small closed society. It tests its children by casting them out to live or die in a month of Trial in the hostile wilds of a colony world. Mia Havero's Trial is fast approaching and in the meantime she must learn not only the skills that will keep her alive but the deeper courage to face herself and her world. Published originally in 1968, Alexei Panshin's Nebula Award-winning classic has lost none of its relevance, with its keen exploration of societal stagnation and the resilience of youth.


Celebrating 40 years of The Family Feud! The 40th Anniversary edition features the classic Family Feud home version console! The Family Feud Game is sure to provide hours of entertainment for your group. Includes 1 Classic Family Feud Game Console with grid cover; 1 Scoreboard with sections for Face-Off and Fast Money Rounds, Totals, and Strike Indicator; 1 Wipe-off Marker, and 1 Instruction/Question Pad with over 500 Family Feud Survey Questions. For 3 or more players.


I always love your videos! Looks like such a fun trip!
beautiful pix! what a fun vacation!
I am so enjoying your pictures and this post! Our family, in early June spent a wonderful week in Chatham, MA. One day we took the ferry to Nantucket and it was delightful. Nantucket Looms was a favorite of mine, too. Atlantic was another favorite shop. You do a remarkable job documenting your trips! Thank you for providing your favorites, we just might return one day!
I read all of Elin Hilderbrand's books so I feel like I go to Nantucket every summer, even though I've never actually been. I've got to visit for real sometime. Love your pics.
loved seeing your favorites! Thank you for sharing!


Warrnambool is one regional city positioned on the south west coastline of Victoria, Australia between Port Campbell and the Port Fairy. The shore surrounding Warrnambool and in down to the Cape Otway is recognized as Shipwreck Coast, because of the huge number of ships that ran ashore at 1800s and early of 1900s due to fierce climate and the rock-strewn seashore.
Now, Warrnambool is one of the famous traveler targets with an widespread commercial centre consist of Kepler Street, Liebig Street, Timor Street and Koroit Street, divided from the sea by the coastal reserve and the parkland. Significant constructions within the centre of city comprise the post office (was easted in 1870), Western Hotel (easted in 1869) and courthouse (1871). The Princes Highway throughout the city opens up in the boulevard of the Raglan Parade, wrinkled with the Norfolk Pines into the spread strip of central median.
The city Warrnambool features some excellent coastal attractions to the tourists. The core swimming seashore is the patrol sandy area of the Bathing Beach, located at the pinnacle of the Lady Bay. At the back of the beach there is a Lake Pertobe Adventure Park 34 hectare with its BBQs, fitness equipment, playgrounds, a kiosk and a big lake with walkways, paddle boats and islands. At Logans Beach, neighboring to the entrance of Hopkins River there is a mammal screening podium which has made it one of the county's best watching platform for these whales for the period of the calving period at June to September. Also fishing is famous in the breakwater erected at the west end of Lady Bay where the western parts of breakwater are consist of two islands, protected swimming zones in the sandy entrance of the River Merri, and the pretty rocky coastal consist of Thunder Point and Pickering Point.
In addition to the widespread coastal reserves aligned with pathways, Warrnambool brags numerous gorgeous gardens and parkscounting the delighted Fletcher Jones Gardens, placed within the basis of the floodlit during night and clothing factory. The Botanical Gardens are set around a huge lily pool which is prosperous with bird lifecycle, and contain a fernery, rotunda and full of other plant collection.
Prosperous naval history Warrnambool's can be surveyed at the Flagstaff Hill. It is a reconstructed 19 th century sea harbor with structures created from genuine materials and interactive displays.
A little drive east from Warrnambool is Hopkins Falls, situated on the River Hopkins, including picnic zones and walkways. Approximately half way far between the Port Fairy and Warrnambool is Tower Hill State Game Reserve, consist of 615 hectares including a dead volcano, walkways, lakes and lookouts.
Allansford is a small town, 12 kilometers east from Warrnambool. Here Princes Highway congregate Great Ocean Road. Attractions in this zone include Cheeseworld, a wine and cheese cellar as well as the Butter and Cheese Factory of Warrnambool that has been producing milk products since 1888.
South West Adventures ltd. are specialized in outdoor adventures around Grampians and Portland region, including rock abseiling, climbing, mountain biking, orienteering, canoeing, rock pooling, adventure walking and caving. Dive Inn is the source of simple, safe and super fun! Their friendly staff at Warrnambool will assist in nitrox, air fills, try dives, equipment rental, guided dives, snorkel lessons, charter dives, scuba equipment sales and service, scuba courses, scuba rangers for kids.


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Home Academics Graduate Programs Online Master of Arts in Public Policy
Master of Arts in Public Policy
Apply Now Application Requirements
Designed to accommodate the working professional, New England College's Master of Arts in Public Policy (MAPP) focuses on the intersection between policy and politics. Taking advantage of experienced faculty who are practitioners in the policy world, the MAPP program prepares students for opportunities in any industry where an in depth knowledge of policy is desired, such as positions in government, advocacy groups, or the private sector. The program is complemented by our Leadership Seminars which brings in experts whose work seeks to advance public policy in a host of issue areas.
Delivered online with synchronous components that allow you to collaborate and network with practitioners across the United States.
Students have the ability to convert public policy experience into academic credits consistent with the College's emphasis on experiential education.
Tuition discount and course waiver agreement for NH State Employees/NHBET graduates
36 credit program delivered in 7 week terms – finish in as little as 9 terms!
Leadership Seminars, bringing in speakers and policy makers from across the United States for workshops, lectures, and conversations around specific topics.
Graduate Certificate in Negotiations
Earn a graduate certificate in Negotiations alongside your MA in Public Policy! Our certificate is built into the curriculum, so you will graduate knowing how to write and present public policy, and how to work with key stakeholders.
Leadership Seminars and Speaker Series
DEAN KAMEN
• NEC Concord: Mid-Term Election "Insiders" Analysis & Discussion | Steve Duprey and Jim Demers will provide their insider predictions and what it might foretell for the future!
• New England College President's Speaker Series: New Hampshire's Own Dean Kamen – Inventor, Thought-Leader, Engineer to Speak | Inventor of Segway and Creator of Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI) to Discuss 21st Century Workforce Needs in NH and Beyond.
• Former White House Chief of Staff, Andrew H. Card, Jr. had a fireside chat at NEC as part of the NEC President's Speaker Series.
NEC President's Speaker Series: Former White House Chief of Staff, Andy Card addressed "Politics, Policy, and Civil Discourse"
The leadership seminars and speaker series are designed to bring specific people and issues in front of our students. The goal of this is to provide a context for issues that might not be covered in the classroom experience, to be brought to the attention of students, honing their understanding of the key issues facing New Hampshire – which serves as a case study. Past speakers have included candidates for office including the office of President of the United States, policy advocates, regional and national journalists working a political beat, and elected officials from every level of government.
New Hampshire will likely continue to be the first in the nation primary in our next election cycle; as a result those seeking that office will start making trips to New Hampshire. Those exploring the highest office in the US will have the opportunity to speak in the Concord Center and hold a private session with our students. In addition to those individuals seeking inroads in New Hampshire, there will be workshops with department and agency heads and committee chairs as well as opportunities to hear from key individuals advocating in Concord.
Graduates from the MAPP program should be able to:
Collect, synthesize, and analyze information to better understand contemporary public policy issues;
Contribute to teams working on policy research and formulation;
Apply negotiation tools to collaboratively reach consensus and identification of common objectives in diverse populations with diverging interests;
Be familiar with the key governmental institutions that formulate and implement public policy;
Articulate the nuances of political processes at the local, state, and national levels, and how they influence the formulation and implementation of public policy;
Understand public budgeting and resource allocation;
Differentiate between various methods of conducting and assessing program evaluation;
Carry out applied research to support communicating effectively in the policy realm.
Course Requirements and Descriptions
New England College is a private, not for profit organization accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. For over 70 years we have provided exceptional education to students of all ages and interest areas, both on and off campus.
Lisa Conn, Interim Director of Graduate Enrollment
lconn@nec.edu
I want to learn more!!
Master of Arts in Public Policy Program
Developed with the Support of our Bipartisan Advisory Committee:
• New Hampshire State Senator, Lou D'Allesandro, Senior Fellow, Master of Arts in Public Policy
• Dr. Wayne F. Lesperance, Jr., New England College, Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs
• Bruce Berke, Managing Partner, Sheehan Phinney Capitol Group
• Dr. Thomas Horgan, New England College, Executive Director of Community Relations and Public Affairs; former President and CEO of the New Hampshire College & University Council (NHCUC)
• Rich Killion, Managing Partner, Elevare Communications, LLC
• Harold C. Pachios, Partner, Preti, Flaherty, Beliveau & Pachios, Chartered, LLP
• George Roussos, Shareholder, Orr & Reno P.A.
• Kathleen Sullivan, Of Counsel, Wadleigh, Starr & Peters, PLLC
• Scott R. Spradling, President, The Spradling Group
• Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett, President, Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice


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Q: Amazon EC2 t1.micro instance stops working occasionally My t1.micro instance occasionally (once per month) stops working - can not to ssh and my web page is unavailable. I use LAMP. This is my test instance, so there is no a lot of traffic. I am the only user and I use it 5 days in month.
Here is what happens with CPU when my instance stops

CPU normally is 2,3 and suddenly it loads to 99,7 (that is the point where apache stops - access.log is empty) for a while and after that CPU drops to 10,3 but apache do not recovers until I stop-start instance over again. I have no any error in apache logs.
Any ideas why this is happens?


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A Guide to Investing in Malta
Malta, a small country with immense potential. Situated in the heart of the Mediterranean, it's strategically placed to support investments in multiple sectors and verticals. For many years, iGaming has been a focus, but those looking to invest in Malta have broadened their scope. From citizenship and residence programmes to starting your own company or investing in Maltese stocks and bonds, the opportunities are there for those with the will and means to take them.
Who can invest in Malta?
Malta is open to investment from anyone who wishes to do so. The various kinds of investments all come with regulations, requirements, and obligations that must be respected, including a comprehensive due diligence process. It's also advisable to draw on the experience of professional corporate service providers like CSB Group Malta to ensure you are making the right decisions.
A fully-fledged EU Member State with a thriving economy, the possibilities Malta offers are plentiful.
Citizenship and Residency by Investment
Malta Permanent Residence Programme
The Malta Permanent Residence Programme provides a way for third-country nationals and their families to live and work in Malta. Aimed at high-net-worth individuals and business owners, it makes conducting work in Europe more straightforward and more efficient. It also gives them the chance to live in an English-speaking country with excellent transport links and high levels of stability and security.
It's also possible to acquire Maltese citizenship if you invest in Malta and satisfy various requirements. Maltese citizenship gives applicants and their families the right to visa-free travel in over 170 countries, residence in Malta and the EU, and optimised treatment when setting up businesses, being taxed, or applying for educational institutions. Investment in Maltese citizenship is seen by many as an investment in them and their children's future.
Global Residence Programme
Developed as a response to the needs of private clients, the Malta Global Residence Programme is suited to wealthy individuals from outside the EU, EEA, and Switzerland. It provides them tax residency within the EU in return for investment in property in the form of owning or holding a 12-month rental contract. Foreign income remitted to Malta will be taxable at a flat rate of 15% in Malta, though this will also be subject to a minimum tax of €15,000 per annum.
Other ways to invest in Malta
Buying stocks and bonds
The Malta Stock Exchange is the sole stock exchange in the country. If you want to invest in Malta and buy stock in some of its most prominent companies, you should do so through an authorised stockbroker or fund manager. The Exchange includes big names such as HSBC Malta, FIMBank, GO, Mapfre Middlesea, and the Bank of Valletta. You can also purchase corporate or government bonds in Malta. It's advisable to always seek professional advice and guidance before investing in stocks or bonds.
Private investment funds
There are a variety of private investment funds available to those wishing to invest in Malta. The most notable are the Professional Investor Fund (PIF), the Crypto PIF, Alternative Investor Fund, Notified Alternative Investment Fund, and Undertakings for Collective Investment in Transferable Security. Benefits of an investment fund in Malta include adherence to EU regulations, increased investor safeguarding, and an approachable regulator.
Malta provides several pension plans for foreign citizens. This dynamic sector provides frameworks for both corporations and individuals who wish to base their funds in the country. Benefits include favourable taxation, full regulation by the Malta Financial Services Authority, a plan in an EU Member State, and provisions that facilitate fully customised structures.
Malta's real estate sector is booming and has been on an upward trajectory over the last decade. 2020 saw over EUR 3 billion invested in the industry, and more are expected to come. Drives of the property sector include those looking to buy a residence and those looking for a return on their investment. Whichever kind of investor you are, the Maltese market is dynamic enough to provide plentiful opportunities. Real estate agencies, like Malta Sotheby's International Realty - leaders in the luxury property market, have the necessary local expertise to support their clients with professionalism and discretion in the search for their ideal property.
Buying a company
Due to Malta's thriving business sector, there are multiple opportunities for mergers and acquisitions. The country has seen many big deals in recent years, particularly in the cross-border sphere. With such acquisitions come several considerations such as due diligence, compliance, tax, and corporate structuring, all of which should be done with the assistance of an experienced, local provider.
Starting a company
Incorporating a company is a great way to invest in Malta. The country is known for its favourable business regime and authorities that are welcoming to new businesses. Setting up a company in Malta also means gaining convenient access to the European and North African markets. The backbone of Malta's corporate sector has been iGaming, but this has grown to include other verticals in the last decade. Fintech, crypto and blockchain, financial services, and even aviation and maritime are all burgeoning sectors. Furthermore, Malta offers a full imputation taxation system which can bring down corporate tax rates to as little as 5% instead of 35%. This makes Malta a cost-effective jurisdiction for businesses and enterprises of all kinds.
Why should I invest in Malta?
There are a myriad of reasons why you should invest in Malta. These include:
Malta is a fully-fledged EU Member State;
Its workforce is multilingual, including English, Italian, French, and German;
They are also highly skilled and educated;
Malta is a hub for iGaming, fintech, finserv, IT, eCommerce, crypto, blockchain, and more;
Malta is a safe and stable country with low crime rates;
The business environment is welcoming and flexible;
Regulators are approachable and fair;
There is a vast network of double taxation treaties;
Malta implements a full tax imputation system on corporate tax;
Its corporate service sector is professional and well developed;
Plenty of opportunities for returns on investments;
Access to multiple markets and sectors;
Strategically located between Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.
CSB Group has worked with a wide range of corporate and private clients who have successfully invested in Malta. Whether it's setting up a business, applying for permanent residence or citizenship, or investing in a property, we can help you structure the right approach. To find out more about investing in Malta, or to discuss other corporate matters, contact our team on [email protected].
We have worked closely with CSB Group since February of 2015. They have been instrumental in helping us establish our Malta office and continue to aid us with their stellar legal and accounting services. Malta has proven to be an excellent location to establish our business, however, setting up a company with many international shareholders has been a complicated task. CSB Group has guided us along this process and we are quite satisfied with the results.
AQblue Limited | Tom Druk, CEO


Frequent flyer miles are a rather recent invention. Many people will remember when they did not exist and airlines simply used ordinary ads to inform the public about special deals. Now, many travelers are well aware of airline miles cards and not only use them often, but will compare offers to see who offers more.
A program that offers free miles on a credit card can be very attractive. Once enough miles have been accumulated through purchasing flights and other merchandise on the card, the miles will enable the card owner to either get a free flight – or at least a discount on it. In many cases, other merchandise or services can also be obtained.
The first program that offered air miles to their customers was the Texas International Airlines, which was created in 1979. Their goal in creating the program was to keep track of their most loyal passengers and to ensure that they kept on using their airline.
The American Airlines Miles program was started in 1981, and it offered the AAdvantage program. This company is one of the leaders in keeping track of its customers and has leading computer systems for it. When its frequent flyer program was initiated, it wanted to help customers as much as possible, so it included Hertz and the Hyatt hotels.
American Airlines started out by using computer search programs to discover who its most loyal customers were so it could offer the program to them. It found the top 150,000 people who flew the most and put them into it.
The Advantage Miles card today offers many ways to use air miles on their card. The catalog from the Advantage Miles program offers products from over 850 stores, and miles can be used to purchase them.
Just a few days after American Airlines made its program public, United Airlines revealed its United Mileage Plus Miles program. It was not to be outdone by a competitor and saw the advantage of such a program immediately. Its United Mileage Plus Miles program offered its users a bonus of 5,000 air miles as soon as they enrolled.
Later that same year, two more airlines saw the benefits of using an air miles program. Of course, by this time, they had no doubt already lost many potential customers to American and United. Delta offered its Delta SkyMiles card, and TWA presents its card.
After seeing how other hotels benefited by being connected with the airlines frequent flyer programs, various hotels start offering their own cards. They seek out airlines to get connected with, or simply offer air miles that can be used to purchase tickets at the major airlines ticket offices. Their programs also offer free stays at their chains.
Other car rental companies soon created their own version of the free rental after they saw that Hertz benefited from their connection with American Airlines. Hertz had dropped out of the connection, but was hurt so bad by ending the relationship, that it was soon restored. Hertz is now affiliated with in excess of 60 frequent flyer programs offered by airlines throughout the world.
There are now a number of ways that air miles can be earned on some cards. This enables earning points faster, as well as having a wider variety of places to use them, and not just for flights.
The competition between airline companies is strong, with each trying to outdo another whenever it offers a new air miles card. While some frequent flyers cards offered by airlines will only offer miles that can be used on their airline, bank cards and credit card companies will often offer air miles that can be used on many airlines and hotels.
When looking for an airline miles card, be sure to compare them with a few other ones. Look for benefits that you can really use, including air miles that might give you a free flight soon, without having to wait a year or more to use. Also, make sure that that particular airline is located at an airport near you, too.
Watch out for air miles that expire. Many cards have frequent flyer miles that do not have an expiration date on them, and no limits on how many miles you can accumulate.


Most parents are 100% certain they want to send their kids to summer camp, but in many cases they aren't sure exactly which program to choose. That's where the 2019 L.A. Camp Fair on Saturday, March 9 at UCLA is for.
Attending the March 9 UCLA Camp Fair is the easiest way for you to find the best camp for your child this year. Rather than searching website after website finding and compare various camps that may or may not interest you, instead you can come to the L.A. Camp Fair and meet representatives from over 60 local and out-of-state camps and learn about their programs, all under one roof.
There will be a wide variety of camps for your consideration at the L.A. Camp Fair. One such program you might be interested in is Army and Navy Academy (ANA) Summer Programs.
Army and Navy Summer Programs offers your youngster a co-ed motivational summer leadership, adventure, and recreation camp experience that encourages active involvement, accountability, skill development, and personal growth.
Overseen by dedicated staff focused on mentoring campers in a supportive environment, ANA classes and activities concentrate on developing good character, leadership skills, and responsibility while enhancing confidence in all campers.
If you are interested in the Army and Navy Academy Summer Camp Program, be sure to stop by their booth at the Camp Fair and speak with either Michael Basista or David Johnson, who will be staffing the ANA Camp Fair booth.
But even if this program doesn't suit your fancy, don't worry! There will be many other programs and camps to see and consider at the Camp Fair!
We're expecting lots of kids and families at the upcoming Camp Fairs. We hope you'll join us, too, but we only have room for a limited number of guests because the Camp Fair venue (Pauley Pavilion at UCLA) is capacity-controlled.
That means you'll need tickets to get in, but remember, the tickets are free and just one single ticket will admit your whole family to the Camp Fair. If you're interested in finding a great camp for your kids this summer, don't miss the L.A. Camp Fair at UCLA and grab your free tickets today.
The UCLA Camp Fair's Behind Us. Next Up, Conejo Valley and Calabasas Camp Fairs Next Month!
The most gratifying part of our job is when we're able to provide information families can use to find amazing summer programs for their kids.
This past weekend we held a summer camp expo at UCLA where over 1,000 people showed up to meet camp representatives from over 60 day camps and sleepaway camps to find their right camp for their children.
"The L.A. Camp Fair at UCLA was a win-win for our family. My wife, son-in-law and most important 11 yr old grandson came away with plenty of insight into the vast world of camping. From robots to fencing to sports, to stand-up comedy, to language immersion, to water, land and plenty more activities we have so many options to review. Thanks to you and your staff the show was well organized and upbeat from the moment we were greeted at the door to the reps behind the camp tables. The enthusiasm of adults and kids was palpable throughout the venue. Congrats on a superb effort."
Please note, we're not showing you Ken's description of the UCLA camp fair to pat ourselves on the back. Far from it, and quite the opposite in fact.
Instead we wanted you to see how valuable attending a Camp Fair can be as a resource to help you find a great camp, and more specifically, so you mark your calendars for our next two upcoming Camp Fair events in Thousand Oaks on April 14 and Calabasas April 22, respectively.
The Calabasas and Conejo Valley Camp Fairs will be fun for the whole family!
For those families searching for the perfect summer camp, we highly encourage you to come out to one of our next two Camp Fairs! Both events will be fun for the whole family with games, prizes and free food for everyone, not to mention the best part of all -- meeting and greeting staff from over 50 local and out-of-state summer day camp programs and overnight camps and so many other kinds of camps in between!


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The Fourth Sophistic
Tag: Roman Art
Posted on Sep 1, 2018 Sep 3, 2018 by cpdickenson
Face to face – with Pompey
It's a few weeks ago now that I visited the Glyptotek in Copenhagen for the first time and but I've only now found time to write the first of my promised blog posts about some of the things I saw there.
The bust of Pompey the Great in the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen
One of the highlights of the visit was coming face to face with the famous bust of Pompey (or Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus to give him his full name), one of Rome's leading generals in the declining years of the Republic and the arch enemy of Julius Caesar. I later found out (through Twitter) that without knowing it I'd chosen a very appropriate day to see the bust because it was the anniversary of the Battle of Pharsalos (in 48 BC, in Thessaly, Greece) when Caesar definitively defeated Pompey and he fled to Egypt where he was murdered by an Egyptian faction seeking to curry favour with Caesar. That led to Caesar becoming sole ruler of Rome only to end up being brutally murdered himself a few years later by group of senatorial conspirators seeking to defend the Republic. Caesar received his fatal wounds at a meeting of the Senate in the theatre that Pompey had built. Ironically, so the sources tell us, he died beneath a statue of Pompey, perhaps the very one that served as the model for the bust in the Glyptotek.
Photos of the bust are widely reproduced and I've seen them countless times over the years in textbooks and lectures; I once had a job where there was a full-sized copy of the bust on the shelf in my office. There was then some peculiar satisfaction in seeing it up close for real. The most striking thing about seeing the sculpture in the museum was the way that it is displayed together with twelve other busts of men and women said to have been found in the so-called Tomb of the Licinii, an aristocratic Roman family.
The tomb (if it really existed – see below!) was in use for many generations and the family decorated the tomb with representations of themselves and their illustrious ancestors. Pompey was one of the most famous of these. Seen in isolation, as it is typically shown in books, it is easy to forget the context in which the bust was originally displayed. Assuming the bust has been identified correctly (again, see below!) it is interesting to think about how ancestry was so important to noble Roman dynasties living under the Empire and how sculpture was used to advertise dynastic links. It is particularly striking to think of how this family could draw such pride from their familial links to Pompey, a man who once been the figurehead for Republican resistance to tyranny, when they lived at a time when the system of one-man-rule had become firmly established in Rome. On grounds of carving technique the bust has been dated to between 30-50 AD, so a good century or so after Pompey died and sometime in the reign of the emperors Tiberius, Caligula or Claudius.
The bust of Pompey in among the others found in the Licinian Tomb
The thing that's prompted me to choose this item as the first of my Glyptotek blog posts, however, is not simply that it made an impression but because the week after seeing it I was sitting in the meeting room of my department at Aarhus University, scanning the bookshelves when I caught sight of a book with the title "The Licinian Tomb: Fact or Fiction".* It seemed that perhaps all was not as it seemed with the Licinian Tomb. Intrigued, I took the book down and began to browse….
The bust ended up in Denmark in the late 19th century when it was acquired, together with the other twelve, for the Danish collector Carl Jacobsen by a German archaeologist Wolfgang Helbig, who was based in Rome. Seven sarcophagi from the tomb ended up at the same time in the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore. Carl Jacobsen's father had founded the Carlsberg brewery and Jacobsen's collection forms the heart of the collection of the museum that still bears the name of the beer. It turns out, however, that a cloud of doubt hangs over whether the busts all came from the tomb at all. There is no concrete documentation to prove where the sculpture came from and Helbig is known to have not always acted scrupulously in acquiring objects for collectors. The puzzle of the sculptures' origins was the mystery that a group of Danish scholars set out to explore in the book I had in my hands.
I only had time to browse the book and have now added it to my ever-growing and increasingly unachievable list of things I'd like to read properly but the authors seemed to conclude that there is nothing to securely tie the sculptures to the tomb after all. There's a good review of the book in the online journal Bryn Mawr Classical Review in which the reviewer argues that the evidence is such that it the matter cannot be settled decisively but that there's still every possibility that the sculpture's reported findspot is genuine after all. The controversy will no doubt continue and may never be resolved.
I did manage to read a short section on the bust of Pompey, which caught my attention for two reasons. Firstly, it turns out- surprisingly since it is hard to find a book or website that talks about Pompey without a picture of the sculpture as an illustration – that the grounds for identifying it as him are rather more flimsy that I would have thought. There are basically three reasons: (i) it bears a striking resemblance to his portrait on coins, (ii) the fringe of the sculpture is brushed back in a manner that resembles portraits of Alexander the Great; Plutarch, who wrote in the late first century AD and had seen statues of Pompey, tells us that Pompey wore his hair like Alexander. Pompey's nickname, Magnus, "the Great", was also taken in emulation of his hero and (iii) the known familial connection with the Licinii. Point three, of course, cannot be taken as conclusive since we don't know for sure where the bust came from; and as for point two I've always thought that the fringe of the Pompey bust looks distinctly unimpressive compared to the lion's mane effect of Alexander's portraits (see the picture below). As for point one I'm no numismatist and I don't know the coin portraits of Pompey but I'm not sure I'm completely convinced that matching rather crude relief images in profile on the backs of coins to much more detailed sculpture in the round can ever be a fool proof way of identifying statues. Still, since no expert has ever challenged the identification let us accept that it really is Pompey.
Portrait of Alexander the Great. Said to be the inspiration for Pompey's hairstyle
Something that I found even more striking in the book chapter was a truly bizarre assessment of the sculpture by Helbig that it quoted in full. It is impossible to imagine anyone writing something like this today:
Normally good portraits supplement the idea we have formed of famous persons from the historical tradition. For the memory of Pompey it would certainly have been preferable that his portrait had remained unknown, because it confirms and completes in an evident way the unfavourable judgement of him pronounced by modern critics. Even the condemnation thrown upon him by Mommsen seems too mild before this head.
The broad but low forehead indicates a mediocre intelligence. His weakness in character is not only revealed by the softness of the face, but also in the small eyes which look out in an insecure and, in fact, nearly embarrassed way. It is easy to understand from this look that Pompey, in civil life, was very shy and blushed when he was faced with a crowd. The skin of his forehead raised together with the eyelids and crossed by three deep furrows is especially significant. May people move the skin of the forehead in this way, when they think, If this movement is fixated in marble we may suppose that this, in the face of Pompey, was something usual, and deduct that he pondered and reflected a lot and therefore had difficulty reaching a decision…the head presents a true philistine, not particularly good, and not particularly bad, of mediocre intelligence, weak character and whose most conspicuous quality is vanity.
Helbig was clearly not a man who held any store by the King Duncan's famous maxim in Macbeth: "There's no art to find the man's construction in the face". For Helbig Pompey's face was an open book in which it was easy to read weakness of character, stupidity, insecurity, embarrassment, indecision, a lack of culture, and vanity! And this single image of Pompey was enough to count against all the literary evidence we have of Pompey's vast achievements – tremendous military victories, ridding the eastern Mediterranean of pirates, giving Caesar a good run for his money. Just imagine a defendant in a criminal trial faced with a juror like Helbig!
But even if our real faces were as reliable a guide to our character as Helbig believed it is even stranger that he talks as if he had actually seen Pompey's face and not merely a stone likeness of it. Nowadays scholars of sculpture are well attuned to the nuanced choices that Roman patrons faced in deciding what their statues should look like. They could draw on a history of Greek portraiture stretching back half a millennium and which included styles ranging from Classical idealism to psychological realism to baroque emotional intensity.
A prime example of verism in Roman portraiture
Even the, to our eyes, grotesquely realistic portraits, which were popular among the Romans from around the middle of the second century BC represents a choice to accentuate particular qualities of the individual. The art historical name for this style is 'veristic' after the Latin word 'verus' which means 'true' (think of the English words 'verity' or 'verily'). Yet we have no way of knowing just how true to life such portraits really were. We might think that these sculptures must show their patrons as they really looked simply because they are so unflattering, and it certainly is possible that there was an aspect of vanity to the style with Roman patrons wanting their statues to be accurate likenesses, but at the same time we can never rule out that the features we assume to have been taken from life, even if we find them ugly, might not have been deliberate distortions introduced by patrons or artists to create a desired effect.
Deeply wrinkled brows, unshapely noses and squinting eyes served to advertise age, experience and a rugged militarism, thereby emphasising that the men portrayed in this way had accrued a certain authority, influence and gravitas. Pompey's bust with its podgy cheeks, squinting eyes and bulbous nose has more than a few hints of the veristic style about it. So, strange as it might seem to us, the features that Helbig so despised in Pompey's portrait might have been deliberately insisted on by Pompey to convey a particular effect.
Nowadays nobody would try to use the statue as evidence for Pompey's character. Rather we would take it as evidence for how Pompey wished to be portrayed, think about the choices he could have made and discuss why he wanted to look like this. From a historical point of view these are surely far more interesting questions.
As I stood before the bust in the gallery of the Glytpotek I will admit, however, that, just for a moment, I did allow myself to indulge the fantasy that I really was standing face-to-face, not with a lump of cold marble but with Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus himself. Unlike when Helbig had held the bust over a century ago Pompey stared vacantly back at me, giving not the slightest twitch of expression to hint at what kind of man he really was.
* Kragelund, P., Moltesen, M., & Østergaard, J. S. (2003). The Licinian tomb: fact or fiction? (No. 5). Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek
Posted on Aug 4, 2018 Aug 6, 2018 by cpdickenson
The mystery of the four-handed Apollo
This is something that I have been meaning to write a post about ever since I tweeted about it well over a month ago (work and a holiday got in the way). I've been working on an article to do with what happened to the cities of Greece in Late Antiquity and was reading the thought-provoking book by Hedrik Dey, The Afterlife of the Roman City. There I came across an intriguing reference to an image of the god Apollo with four hands, by Libanius. The fourth century AD Greek writer is describing his home city of Antioch, in what is now southern Turkey near the east coast of the Mediterranean, and to explain the arrangement of its principal roads he says:
"From four arches which are joined to each other in the form of a rectangle, four pairs of stoas proceed as from an omphalos, stetched out toward each quarter of the heavens, as in a statue of the four handed Apollo"
Dey was discussing this passage of Libanius' fairly lengthy description of the city in order to try to reconstruct the Roman period layout of Antioch and, as such, gives the Apollo reference no thought but as soon as I read it I was immediately intrigued – and rather distracted from what I was supposed to be working on – by the puzzle of what on earth Libanius might have meant here.
The famous Apollo Belvedere in the Vatican Museum
Anybody who's ever even picked up a book on Greek or Roman Art, or visited any museum with even a modest collection of ancient sculpture has almost certainly come face to face with a statue of Apollo, Greek god of, among other things, music, oracular predictions and healing. Representations of Apollo are some of the most common of all ancient religious sculpture, particularly for the Roman period which is when the bulk of surviving ancient sculpture dates to. Apollo is always shown as an idealized youthful man, usually naked except for a cloak about the shoulders and typically with one his two favourite attributes, the lyre or, as in the case of the famous Apollo Belvedere, his bow and arrow (well the Apollo Belvedere has lost his bow but it's clear from his pose that he was originally holding one). Of all the statues of Apollo I have ever seen – or for that matter, for all of the statues of any Greek or Roman gods, men or women – I have never, however, seen one that had four arms.
Intrigued I did a bit of quick internet searching to see if I could find anybody commenting on what Libanius might have been talking about. I also put the question to my followers on Twitter. The combined results of my own search and my request to the Twittersphere (thanks @pythika and @lacuscurtius) were a couple of interesting references in some quite old scholarship, which I'll come back to in a minute. Llewellyn Morgan (@llewelyn_morgan) quipped that with four arms Apollo could have held both his lyre and his weapon of choice at the same time! Whether he'd have been able to play the instrument and fire off arrows without getting his arms in a tangle or doing himself some damage is another matter….
Since then, in between continuing working on my article and other things I've done a little bit more digging and have given this a bit more thought but I have as many questions now as I did when I started and am posting this partly just to share my fascination for the mystery, partly in the hope that somebody out there might be able to clear some of it up for me.
Statuette of four-armed Hindu god Shiva c. 1300 AD), Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. Source Wikipedia.
My initial thought on hearing about this four-armed god was of the representations of deities with multiple limbs known from Hindu art. It's well known that Hellenistic sculpture had made inroads into Asia by the period in question, in particular having a marked, though still not fully understood, influence on the art of Gandhara, in what is now northwest Pakistan/east Afghanistan, between the 1st to 5th centuries AD (see the excellent project at Oxford on Gandharan Art led by Peter Stewart). I know very little about Gandharan art but I happened to have recently read an article that mentioned that at least one Gandharan goddess was sometimes shown with four arms and was wondering if somehow the influence might have gone in two directions and that somewhere on the eastern fringes of the Roman Empire by Libanius' day Greek-speaking people had started imagining their gods as looking like Vishnu or Shiva or had imported some eastern cult and called the exotic god Apollo to make him more familiar.
However, I was perhaps letting my imagination run away with me there. For one thing Peter Stewart (@PeterCNStewart) tweeted that Gandharan gods weren't usually shown with four arms; and as I understand it the representations of Hindu gods I had in mind were all much, much later – Gandhara was a Buddhist and not a Hindu region – and much further removed geographically from the Greek and Roman world. Perhaps an even bigger problem, however, is that Libanius seems to be describing four arms set in a crossroads arrangement, rather than two arms on each sides of a figure as in the Indian images I had in mind. So what are the other possibilities?
In my online searches I found quite a few scholars citing the Libanius passage but all because they were interested in the city of Antioch and none of them seemed to find the Apollo reference interesting or odd. I did, however, find some references that seem to point in a very different direction as the possible origin of the mysterious image; not to the orient but far west of Antioch to the heartland of old Greece, to Lakonia, the region of the Peloponnese dominated in antiquity by that most anomalous of Greek city-states, Sparta.
An early reference and the first one that Google Books showed up was in an early 19th century book by Karl Ottfried Müller, The History and Antiquities of the Doric Race (the Spartan's were Dorian Greeks), the first edition of which was published in 1824. Müller wrote of an "Apollo with four hands and four ears at Amyclae", a small town within Spartan territory. In his footnote for his source Müller gave Hesychios (a 5th or 6th C AD compiler of a sort of dictionary of unusual Greek words) and Zenobius (a rhetorician of the time of Hadrian, early 2nd century AD), who was citing an older source, a Spartan scholar of the 3rd Century BC called Sosibius. It turns out by coincidence that Karl Ottfried Müller also wrote a pioneering monograph on the history and topography of Antioch (published in 1839) which drew heavily on Libanius' description of the city so by that time he must have also come across Libanius' Apollo reference. He doesn't mention it in his earlier book and I haven't been able to see a copy of the later volume so I'm not sure whether he ever made a connection between Libanius and these other sources.
Hesychios, Sosibius and Zenobius are all relatively obscure authors who I haven't had much dealing with to put it mildly. It is a testimony to Müller's scholarship, and indeed to all Classical philologists working in that age, that he was able to gather such abstruse material for his work. Nowadays an extremely comprehensive and searchable database of Greek texts is available online – the Thesaurus Linguae Graecae. There in a matter of minutes I was able to find a second Hesychios reference to the four-handed Apollo that Müller doesn't seem to have known about. Müller presumably had to spend years pouring over manuscripts in a library.
The three passages are all extremely brief – Sosibius tells us that the Spartans had set up an Apollo with four arms and ears at Amyclae, Hesychios that this Apollo had the epithet "kouridios" (wedded) and, in the new reference I found, that there was a word "kunaktas" which was used for leather straps made of hides from bulls that had been sacrificed to the four-handed Apollo given to athletes as prizes. Presumably the athletes had competed at a contest in the god's honour.
The dates of the sources are perhaps more interesting. We can be sure that the four-armed Apollo of Amyclae dated back at least to the 3rd century BC (time of Sosibius) and was still known about, at least to specialized scholars, in the 6th century AD (time of Hesychios) so well after Libanius' time.
But a number of intriguing questions remain: Why did the people of Amyklae have an Apollo with four arms? What might the image have looked like? And could this be the image that inspired Libanius' comment? To address the last question first, it is known from Libanius' writings that he spent time in Greece and had definitely visited Sparta so he may well have seen the statue at Amyclae even though he doesn't actually say so. Angeliki Petropoulou in a recent article about the Apollo of Amyclae takes it for granted that this was the statue Libanius meant (she also incidentally also picked up on my "new" Hesyhcios reference and added an extra piece of evidence from Sparta – a 2nd century AD inscription that mentions a four-handed Apollo).
At this point it is useful to bring in another ancient author, the considerably less obscure 2nd century travel writer Pausanias who's featured in my work quite a bit. Pausanias came from Asia Minor. He travelled around Greece in the 2nd century AD and wrote a description of the country that he saw, focusing mainly on old monuments and sacred places. One of the places he visited was Amyclae, an insignificant village by then, and he describes seeing there a cult place of Apollo complete with statue. One 19th century author, Lloyd Watkiss, in an article I came across suggests this statue might have been the four-armed Apollo.
The Apollo at Amyklai as imagined by Quatremère de Quincy in the early 19th century based on Pausanias' description
The statue of Apollo that Pausanias describes does indeed sound very strange. It stood on a structure that Pausanias calls a throne, which was large enough for a man to walk underneath it and decorated with what sound like a series of relief sculptures of various myths. The mythical hero Hyakinthos – lover of Apollo killed by the jealous wind god Zephyros and then turned into the flower that bears his name – was believed to be buried beneath the platform where there was a bronze door through which offerings could be made to him. The statue itself Pausanias describes as about thirty cubits, or about 14m tall. Pausanias says that the statue cannot have been by the 6th Century BC artist Bathycles who made the throne because of the statue's rather odd, and rather un-Greek sounding appearance. He describes it as essentially a bronze pillar but with a head, feet and hands carrying a spear and a bow.
Tthere has been much speculation about what this statue and the "throne" might have looked like. Excavations at Amyclae have revealed something of the sanctuary but haven't solved the mystery. There are plenty of interesting reconstruction drawings of this statue online which imagine it to have been some kind of pillar deity dating to Archaic times before the Greeks had started to imagine their gods with the idealized human bodies we are so familiar with from their art. I wonder, however, if there might be a different explanation for the strange form of the statue that Pausanias reported seeing. It was of comparable size to the famous 5th century Chryselephantine (gold and ivory) statues of Zeus at Olympia and Athena in the Parthenon at Athens by Pheidias. It is known that Pheidias' giant statues were constructed around a wooden core and there are stories that the Athenians in later periods of crisis stripped the Athena Parthenos of its gold. Is it not possible that the statue at Amyclae too had once been adorned with gold but around a bronze instead of a wooden core and that it was the loss of this material that had given it is distinctly incongruous appearance? This would explain both the odd appearance and why the people of Amyclae thought that Bathycles had made it.
More relevant for our purposes, however, is whether Pausanias' Apollo at Amyclae was the four-handed Apollo reported by our other sources. Most scholars have tended to disagree with Watkiss and assume that this was a different representation of the god and in fairness to Watkiss even he makes his suggestion tentatively and with reservations. Petropoulou doesn't even consider the possibility. Lewis Richard Farnell in his 1907 Cults of the Greek City States argues that there must have been two images of Apollo at Amyclae and that Pausanias didn't see the four handed one. The main objection to the interpretation that he did is that it would be odd for Pausanias not to have mentioned the statue had four arms if it did simply because that would have been so unusual. On the other hand Pausanias does report that the statue he saw held a bow and a spear and it is hard to see how this Apollo could have been imagined to fire his bow if he was also holding another weapon so perhaps the statue did have four arms after all. I did stumble across one online restoration of the statue as a pillar god and with four arms but now, frustratingly I've not been able to find it again!
Whether the different sources for these strange Apollos at Amyclae concern one or more statue they at least serve to remind us that Greek religious imagery was often far stranger than the images of athletic looking nude gods that we're now so familiar with. The fact that this is what the vast majority of surviving ancient statues look like is arguably largely a reflection of tastes in Roman times when most of these statues – "copies of Greek originals", as museum labels usually put it – were made.
But all this started with Libanius' description of Antioch and it is to Libanius that we should now return because even if this was the Apollo that he was thinking of the puzzle that we are still faced with is why exactly he chose to mention it.
For a start, the street arrangement he is referring to sounds simply like a crossroads, two avenues meeting at right angles. Why would he have needed to use a reference to a statue of Apollo to make that image clear to his readers? A cross roads isn't that unusual is it? Of course we don't know for sure how the arms of the statue at Amyclae – if that was the statue Libanius was thinking of – were arranged so perhaps the reference did serve to make something clear about the street arrangement that is now just lost to us.
Another possibility is that Libanius, a pagan at a time when Christianity was strengthening its hold over the Roman Empire and well on its way to becoming the official religion, simply liked using a pagan image to illustrate his point. He refers to the cross-roads where the roads met as an "omphalos", a word strongly associated with Delphi, Apollo's most important sanctuary in Greece, where the "omphalos" stone was held to exist and mark the very centre of the world. Perhaps the reference to the statue was simply a way of building on the Apollo metaphor. Libanius actually delivered his description of Antioch at an oration at the local Olympic Games in 360 AD. (There were lots of festivals in Asia Minor in Roman times that emulated the old Olympic games in Greece). This festival was held just outside Antioch so most of his original audience would have either lived there or would have visited the city and so seen what the streets looked like for themselves. It is therefore possible that more than simply describing the city Libanius was trying to suggest its very layout was imbued with the power of the old pagan gods.
The biggest puzzle, to come back to why I got interested in this in the first place, however, is how Libanius' audience and readers could possibly have known what he was talking about. As I said at the beginning, no image of a four-armed Apollo seems to have survived from antiquity, at least not to my knowledge. And yet, Libanius' reference would only work as a way of explaining the street layout at Antioch if his readers had either seen the image or at least heard about. It seems unlikely that Amyclae in the fourth century AD was somewhere that large numbers of either his audience at the local Olympics (who presumably mainly came from Asia Minor or the Near East) or his readers (members of the broader Roman elite) would have visited and it seems unlikely that they would have all read the same obscure sources that the scholars Zenobius and Hesychios consulted.
So could they perhaps have known the Amyclae statue through copies?
Bronze Statuette of Apollo, Roman period. Metropolitan Museum, New York.
Many images of ancient statues did circulate in small-scale copies as marble or bronze statuettes and figurines. For what it is worth Libanius' Greek refers to a rather than the statue of a four-handed Apollo " ἐν Ἀπόλλωνος τετράχειρος ἀγάλματι." which does seem to suggest the image was not unique. But if copies of such as a statue were widespread it is surprising that not one of them seems to have survived. It is, I suppose, just possible that such objects were common enough to have been widely known but existed in far lower numbers than the other types of figurines that have survived in their hundreds. The other possibility is that Libanius was making a deliberately obscure reference in order to show off his erudition, or to shame his, no doubt at least partially Christian, audience at their lack of knowledge of pagan cults. Neither of these explanations, however, seems completely satisfying.
As I said at the outset the passage has led me to more questions than answers: What exactly did Libanius' four-handed Apollo look like? Was he really thinking of the statue at Amyclae mentioned by Hesychios, Sosibius and Zenobius? Was this statue at Amyclae the same as the pillar statue that Pausanias saw there? To my mind the most intriguing question of all is how widely known were images of four-handed Apollos in the Roman Empire?
From the fact that most of the scholarship I've cited is very old it might seem that this is an arcane sort of problem of little relevance to the current interests of ancient historians or Classical archaeologists. I think, however, that the case brings into sharp focus just how much we still don't understand about the ancient world which, sobering though that is, is just as important as what we do know. I find the idea that the image of a four-armed Apollo was once familiar throughout the eastern Mediterranean an alluring one. That what it looked like and what it meant have both been lost to us reminds us how much there is still to discover about the Greek and Roman worlds.
And since I'm still lacking answers to much of this if anybody has any further thoughts or comments I'd be glad to hear from you.


License editorial B-roll clips for your next project here!
Selection of the five most viewed short videos in 2013 produced for WHYY's NewsWorks. Added as a bonus is an extended version of the inaugural Turkey Day football rivalry between two local high schools. What is your favorite?
Grounds of Cliveden, NorthWest Philadelphia, PA USA – May 4, 2013; The 43rd Mt. Airy Day took place on the grounds of the Cliveden on Saturday. The annual bash took place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is put on by the West Mt. Airy Neighbors (WMAN) and East Mt. Airy Neighbors (EMAN) to bring together the community for a day of fun and family-friendly activities.
Benjamin L. Johnston Memorial Stadium, NW Philadelphia, PA, USA – November 28, 2013; Thanksgiving Day inaugural Legacy Bowl football rivalry between MLK Cougars and Imhotep Panthers (32-30).
Here is as a bonus an Extended version of 12m11s.