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Sharps & Flatirons
Classical Music in Boulder & Environs—A blog by Peter Alexander
Nineteen voices a snap for Ars Nova singers
Music of Renaissance England forms "Voices and Viols" program
By Peter Alexander
A choral piece for "only" 19 parts is almost too easy for the experienced voices of Boulder's Ars Nova Singers.
Ars Nova Singers
Last year they sang two pieces in 40 parts, which artistic director Thomas Edward Morgan admits was "a challenging thing to do — in the middle of winter and flu season!" Each of the 40 parts had to be sung by only a single singer, so any absences would have scuttled the performance.
With those works successfully performed last year, the group is now adding a 19-voice motet from the Renaissance to their list of musical accomplishments. "The group discovered that having done [the 40-voice pieces] last year, this other piece is considerably more accessible," Morgan says.
The piece is "O bone Jesu" (Oh, good Jesus), by the 16th-century Scottish composer Robert Carver, which Morgan has wanted to perform for a long time. It will be part of "Voices and Viols," a joint concert between Ars Nova and STRING, a viola da gamba trio directed by Ann Marie Morgan. "Voices and Viols" will be performed Saturday evening, Feb. 25, in Boulder and Sunday afternoon, Feb. 26, in Denver.
The viola da gamba is a fretted string instrument of the Renaissance period that is played with a bow. The name, meaning "viol for the leg," refers to the fact that the instruments are held between the legs, like a modern cello. STRING was formed in 2016 by Anne Marie Morgan with fellow gambists Sarah Biber and Sandra Miller to perform music for gamba as it was originally heard.
Because the gamba was particularly popular in England during the 16th and 17th centuries, that was the music that was the natural fit for their joint program with Ars Nova. "Voices and Viols" will include verse anthems works by William Byrd, Thomas Morley and Orlando Gibbons, three of the most important Renaissance English composers. STRING will also play works for gambas alone on each half of the concert.
Morgan is excited about the opportunity to perform with the gambas. "Because they don't use modern vibrato, the gamba doesn't have as directly emotional a sound," he says. "It's a much more subtle thing.
"It makes for a unique showcase of this repertoire, and challenges both the singers and the audience to tune in to the details."
Read more at Boulder Weekly.
Voices and Viols
Ars Nova Singers, Thomas Edward Morgan, director
STRING, Ann Marie Morgan, director
7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, St. John's Episcopal Church, 1419 Pine St., Boulder
4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26, St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 1600 Grant St., Denver
Longmont Symphony Conductor Candidates
"As a conductor, the role is to help orchestra members . . . . so you're serving them."
—David Rutherford, candidate for Music Director of the Longmont Symphony
Each of the four candidates for music director of the Longmont Symphony will conduct a concert during the 2016–17 season. When each candidate visits Longmont, I will take the opportunity to introduce him (and yes, they are all male). The questions will include serious questions about the job of a music director, but also questions that help introduce each of them to the reader. I hope this will give a clearer picture of the strengths of each candidate.
David Rutherford
The third candidate, David Rutherford, will conduct the LSO on Saturday, Feb. 25. Rutherford is well known in Colorado for his position on air with Colorado Public Radio's Classical Music station, and in Longmont as rehearsal conductor and conductor of family concerts with the LSO.
His program will be: Danzon No. 2 by Arturo Marquez; Five Bagatelles, Op. 23, by Gerald Finzi, with Stephanie Zelnick, clarinet; Symphony No. 2 in D major by Johannes Brahms.
Here are his answers to the questions I asked:
What first attracted you to the Longmont Symphony?
Years ago [former LSO music director] Bob Olson had programmed the Peter Schickele version of Beethoven's Fifth where there's two sports commentators, a play-by-play and a color commentator along with the orchestra, and I got a call to come play one of the commentators. So I came up and did that, and that's how I first met Bob. There was a need for a substitute rehearsal conductor, and I said, "If you ever need anyone to fill in, let me know." Bob said "Sure, go ahead and bring him in for a rehearsal." Bob liked my work, so he asked me to do that again in the next season. He continued to like my work until he was using me exclusively [for rehearsals].
It was never my intent to overplay my role. I was hired as a rehearsal conductor, and that's what I was. My job was to serve Bob and to serve the orchestra, and to get them ready for him coming in. And I was always really happy in that role.
How do you think about programming for a community orchestra? What would a season of the LSO with David Rutherford look like?
The audience has to be kept in mind so that they get to hear things that they expect to hear and also get introduced to new works that are worth hearing. So in any one of my programs you would find familiar and unfamiliar, in a balance that makes sense for that particular program.
A community orchestra is different from a professional orchestra in that these folks aren't getting paid—or not very much. The reason they're there is that they want to play—so, programming works for them that they really enjoy playing. Together we can enjoy exploring and making great music together, so that when we're done with our process and we invite the audience in, sharing music with them and them sharing the experience with us, we all really enjoy what we're doing.
I like to program in themes, and find music that helps you understand this theme, whatever it might be, in new ways. The nice thing about music is that it helps us understand other experiences. And so music always helps us to understand the rest of our lives.
There have recently been alarm bells for classical music and orchestras, especially the larger orchestras that have had serious labor disputes. Do you think that these problems will affect community orchestras as well? And if not, what do you think are the challenges for the smaller orchestras?
I would say that the challenges are very different. Because, once again, this is not a job for [the orchestra members]. Most everybody in a community orchestra is coming from work to something that they enjoy. The people are coming because they really love it and want to make music. And so the orchestra institution in this case exists much more for the players.
In balance, the reason a professional orchestra exists is not for the players, it's for the audience. In a community orchestra, the orchestra exists in large part just for the players. Now that's not to say that there is not thought of the audience. In fact, when the audience realizes, 'Hey, these guys really love it,' and the music that they're making is really good, then the audience is brought along for the ride, and together then we become a larger community surrounding this music-making activity.
How do you balance and prepare for the various aspects of the conductor's job: the musical requirements, the social demands with the public, and the diplomatic demands with contributors, the board and musicians?
Isn't that the thing about conducting? That it is so multi-faceted, and even when you're standing up on the podium just doing the conducting thing, there are so many things happening simultaneously. I always describe the conductor's mind as being in three time zones simultaneously. Because you're creating the music in your mind ahead of the moment that it happens, and then there is the moment that it happens, and then there's after it happens you are evaluating what just happened.
That's analogous to so many things about conducting. Because you're a cheerleader, you're an advocate, you're a disciplinarian, you're a psychologist, a counselor—and that's all still just standing on the podium! But then you're also working with the board, and you're working with patrons, and you're working with the audience. And I think what it all comes down to is understanding as a conductor that your role is as a servant in all of these aspects, that you serve the orchestra. As a conductor, the role is to help orchestra members to overcome whatever little issues are here and there, and to come to that point where they can do what they want to do. So you're serving them.
You're also serving the audience in helping them to understand what's going on, and to program in a way that they're included. And serving the board, making sure that the orchestra that is on stage is the orchestra that the board thinks it is, and that's a communication issue. So you're serving the board in giving them the information that they need, and giving them the understanding of the orchestra that they need so that they can continue to do the work that they do. And patrons, in working with them, it's serving them and trying to figure out how it is that they can understand the orchestra as an asset to our community. It is really the role of a servant in all situations.
About you now: Where did you grow up?
In two places, but both in Colorado. I was born at Rose Memorial Hospital in Denver, and we lived in Littleton until I was 8, in third grade. We moved up to Grand Lake. So I grew up, really, up in the mountains. I went to elementary school, junior high and high school in Granby, driving that 16 mils every day from Grand Lake to Granby.
Did you come from a musical family?
My mom played a little piano, my dad played folk guitar, so I know a bunch of old cowboy songs because of him.
I played trumpet in elementary school. In 7th grade I was able to play in the high school band if I switched to horn, so in 7th grade I switched to horn and played all the way through my first year of college. But in high school the big thing is to play in jazz band. So I told my band director, "I want to play in the jazz band!" He sent me home with a book and an electric bass and I started playing in jazz band the next day. That's how I got started playing bass.
I went to UNC for the jazz program. But they said, you can't major in this (miming electric bass), you have to play this (miming upright bass). By the fall of my second year I had really pretty much fallen in love with playing orchestra bass. And so by the time I was a senior I was playing in six orchestras.
Who are your musical mentors?
First and foremost would be Elza Daugherty, the long-time music education professor at UNC, for his understanding of how it is that we each individually have our own stories and our own connections with music.
Howard Skinner, the long-time conductor of the Greeley Philharmonic and dean of the School of Music at UNC, for his incredible musicality. He was very organized, very professional. I studied conducting with him and he was really amazing—and still is.
And third would be my bass teacher Ed Krolick, who has since passed away. But he taught me to think while I play. He would continually ask you, 'OK, you just did this. Why did you do that?' What he's teaching me is that everything you do in music—that nothing's left to chance. He also taught me how to play the bass, but he taught me to think while I play.
Are there any conductors today whose work you especially admire?
You know there's a lot. I think Andrew Litton really is a terrific conductor. I think John Eliot Gardner is really amazing in getting what he does out or orchestras. And I really like his approach to that transitional, even late Romantic stuff, the Brahms, the recordings that he's done with the Romantic & Revolutionary Orchestra. I just think he's terrific. Yannick Nezit-Seguin is amazing. You could go on and on and on!
Moving on the sillier questions: Do you have a favorite food?
My favorite restaurant in Denver right now is Café Brazil in Denver. I've never been in a restaurant that puts more flavor in its food than Café Brazil. It's at 44th and Lowell. And so that's really terrific. I like Asian food. I met my wife when I was living in Hawaii, and I miss the Korean barbecue that's in Hawaii.
As you know, Colorado is an outdoor recreation state. What is your favorite activity outdoors?
I love to hunt and to hike and to camp. Backpacking is really terrific. I like bicycling. Any excuse I can get to head up into the mountains, because growing up in the mountains—I can't be a conductor year-round in the mountains, but if I could, I would! I love the fresh air, and when I'm hunting I love being the only person within a mile of where I'm standing. There's a solitude and a solace and a beauty in the quiet that I miss.
Do you follow any sport or team?
I am the quintessential fair-weather fan of the Rockies and the Broncos. I don't always watch.
A star-studded week at CU
It will be a week of superstars in Boulder.
First will be famed Wagnerian soprano Deborah Voigt, presenting her one-woman show Voigt Lessons at Macky Auditorium on Saturday. Then the University of Colorado Boulder's own superstars, the Takács String Quartet, begin a spring series of concerts in Grusin Hall with some of the stars from the CU Boulder music faculty Sunday and Monday. And next Wednesday, Feb. 22, Yo-Yo Ma presents a concert in Macky that, alas for latecomers, has been sold out for months.
Deborah Voigt. Photo by Heidi Gutman.
Voigt's one-woman show was written for her by Terrence McNally, the Tony-, Obie- and Emmy-award winning playwright, screenwriter and librettist for musicals and operas. A brutally honest retelling of her struggles during her career, the show is, Voigt says, "very much a story about a Midwest girl who turns out to be an international opera diva."
The script includes songs that are especially meaningful to Voigt — most of them not operatic or art songs. "When people come to the theater, they're not given a list of songs," she says. "I want them to be surprised."
She does reveal that she opens with a Carpenters song, "because I was a huge Karen Carpenter fan, and that's the music I listened to. There is an art song and a definite nod to opera, of course."
Voigt Lessons is based in part on Voigt's 2015 book, Call Me Debbie: True Confessions of a Down-To-Earth Diva. Both the book and the show are remarkably frank about Voigt's problems with weight, with addictions, and with relationships. "I just wanted to be honest about everything that had happened," she says.
She's pretty sure everyone will enjoy the show. "It's going to be an entertaining evening," she says. "There are some laughs, maybe a couple of funny expletives, there's some drama. It's a very intimate show."
The Takács Quartet opens its spring series of six concerts performing with percussionist Douglas Walter and clarinetist Daniel Silver, both CU faculty members, Sunday and Monday Feb. 19 and 20. The concert will open with Beethoven's String Quartet in G major, op. 18 no. 2. Walter will play Michael Colgrass' Variations for Four Drums and Viola with Takács member Geraldine Walther, and Silver will join the full quartet for Brahms' Clarinet Quintet in B minor, op. 115.
Takacs Quartet. Photo by Keith Saunders.
That pattern of that program — guests from the CU faculty and one Beethoven quartet — will continue in the other concerts this spring. "We are so grateful to have so many talented artists and wonderful people to collaborate with on the music faculty," Ed Dusinberre, the quartet's first violinist, says. "This year we decided we would, more than usual, make them a feature of our programming."
The collaboration with CU faculty is important to the quartet, because it gives them opportunities to perform music that otherwise is difficult for them to put together. "We decided to feature pieces here (in Boulder) that we wouldn't so easily be able to do on the road," Dusinberre says.
"When we're on the road, there's not a lot of time to rehearse. Those (pieces with CU music faculty) are the sorts of pieces that we wouldn't typically get together on the road."
The Beethoven quartets on the concerts form a small sample of the full cycle of the composer's 16 quartets that the Takacs are playing at Wigmore Hall in London and various places in the U.S. As associate artists of the Wigmore, they were invited to perform the full cycle during the current season.
The Beethoven performances also tie in to Dusinberre's recently published book, Beethoven for a Later Age: Living with the String Quartets, a highly readable personal recollection of Dusinberre's experiences with the quartets that also provides remarkable insights into the lives of professional quartet players.
The upcoming concerts March 19 and 20 will feature Beethoven's final String Quartet in F major, op. 135, and Haydn's String Quartet in F major, op. 77 no. 2. Walther and guests Abigail Nims, alto, and Margaret McDonald, piano, will perform Two Songs for Alto, Viola and Piano by Brahms.
And on April 30 and May 1 the quartet will play Beethoven's String Quartet in B-flat major, op. 18 no. 6. Soprano Jennifer Bird will perform Chausson's Chanson perpétuelle with the full quartet and Alexandra Nguyen will perform Clara Schumann's Three Romances, op. 21, with Dusinberre. That program and the spring concert series will conclude with Schubert's much-loved "Trout" Quintet, with David Korevaar, piano, and Paul Erhard, double bass.
Voigt Lessons
Deborah Voigt, soprano
7:30 p.m.. Saturday, Feb. 18, Macky Auditorium
Takacs Quartet
4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19
7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 20
Grusin Music Hall, CU Imig Music Building
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I started Sharps & Flatirons in 2014 to supplement the writing on classical music that appears under my name in Boulder Weekly . I hope to bring you articles about events and links to the stories in Boulder Weekly (Performance Previews); news about the local classical music scene (Music News); an occasional review (Performance Reviews); and perspectives on the wider classical music world (Viewpoints). Like all blogs, this will reflect the personal interests, not to say quirks, of the author.


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Growing activity and succession planning call for expanded executive leadership
The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) has announced its search for a President, a new position created by the board of trustees. To aid in the transition process, Dr. Betty Jo Foster will serve as Interim President for the newly formed role. Current Executive Director Mark Gignac will continue with certain administrative and operational responsibilities under the new structure. The expansion of executive leadership is a result of extensive growth in the level of activity of IALR, as well as strategic succession planning.
"The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research has served as a regional catalyst for economic growth and transformation of Southern Virginia since 2002, and we are committed to ensuring this legacy continues for many more decades to come," said Roy Ford Jr., D.Min., chair of the IALR board of trustees. "While the board recognizes and appreciates the accomplishments of IALR under the leadership of Mark Gignac, our recent completion of a seven-month strategic planning process uncovered the need for expanded top management resources to provide increased strategic leadership. The addition of a President will help better balance and focus responsibilities while fulfilling our strategy of intentional, well-executed succession planning."
IALR has formed a seven-member search committee to identify, interview and recommend candidates for the position. It has also chosen Korn Ferry in Washington, D.C., to conduct a national search. The firm will work with community stakeholders to gather input regarding the preferred attributes and qualifications for the new President. The President will provide high-level, strategic leadership, and the goal is to fill the position in 2022.
Foster will serve as Interim President, effective Jan. 5, bringing significant leadership experience to the role which includes time as former Chair of the IALR board of trustees. She also has served as Interim President for both Danville Community College and Central Virginia Community College. In addition, she was the Interim President and CEO for the Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce.
"We are delighted to welcome Dr. Betty Jo Foster as Interim President and look forward to the keen insight and strategic oversight she will provide," said Ford. "Her valuable experience and deep knowledge of our area's challenges and opportunities will aid our efforts to establish an expanded leadership structure and continue driving successful economic transformation throughout Southern Virginia."
IALR recently completed a seven-month strategic planning process. The work involved input from various internal and external stakeholders, including the entire board and all employees as well as many others, and resulted in the following strategic themes, all requiring significant strategic oversight: Virginia's go-to partner for business and economic growth, center of excellence for education and workforce development, globally competitive business ecosystem, collaborative team success, excellence in board leadership and decision making, strategic expansion of applied research, and culture of learning.
Filed Under: IALR, Media Tagged With: Betty Jo Foster, Interim President, Korn Ferry, Mark Gignac, President, Roy Ford, strategic plan, succession plan

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"Much to learn, you still have."
"For the best return on your money, pour your purse into your head."
"Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think."
"Mistakes are great, the more I make the smarter I get."
R. Buckminster Fuller
"You can never be overdressed or overeducated."
"Wisdom comes not from age, but from education and learning."
"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire."
W.B. Yeats
"Every time man makes a new experiment he always learns more. He cannot learn less."
"Commit yourself to lifelong learning. The most valuable asset you'll ever have is your mind and what you put into it."
Brian Tracey
"Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young."
"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."
"Education is the movement from darkness to light."
Allan Bloom
"Education's responsibility is to replace an empty mind with an open one."
"All the world is my school and all humanity is my teacher."
George Whitman
"Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel."
"Learning is an experience. Everything else is just information."
"Gold has a price, but learning is priceless."
"You do not learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and falling over."
"The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you."
"Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere."
"The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be ignited."
"Education is the key to unlocking the world, a passport to freedom."
"Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see."
"I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it."
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit."
"In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn."
"You cannot open a book without learning something."
"The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill; the willingness to learn is a choice."
"Learning never exhausts the mind."
"Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance."
"Teaching is only demonstrating that it is possible. Learning is making it possible for yourself."
"Self-education is, I firmly believe, the only kind of education there is."
"Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn."
"I had six honest men. They taught me all I knew. Their names were: Where, What, When, Why, How and Who."
"Light up the darkness."
"Science is organised knowledge. Wisdom is organised life."
"Learn everything you can, anytime you can, from anyone you can. There will always come a time when you will be grateful you did."
"I am learning all the time. The tombstone will be my diploma."
Eartha Kitt
"Real learning comes about when the competitive spirit has ceased."
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Marvin Minsky
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Common causes of distracted driving
On behalf of Ivey Law Firm, P.C. | Sep 7, 2020 | Car Accidents
Distracted driving is a major factor in vehicle fatalities and serious roadway injuries. As reported by Star Local Media Mesquite News, mobile-device distractions and inattention contributed to more than 350 Texas deaths and close to 98,000 crashes in 2019.
Texas law prohibits reading, writing or sending a text message while operating a motor vehicle. Accordingly, turning off a mobile phone can help reduce the risk of distracted driving. A motorist can, however, experience distraction by other means than a call or text message.
Distractions do not always come from mobile phones
Eating food or applying makeup requires a motorist to take a hand off the steering wheel or focus on something inside the vehicle. A serious or fatal accident may require no more than a few seconds of inattentiveness.
Checking a GPS system for directions is another way a motorist's attention could shift from the road. Moving or bending while driving could also result in an accident if it causes a driver to take his or her foot off the brake.
Apps and DVD players can compete for attention
Using an app to change a music program or radio station can pull a driver's attention away from the road ahead. A motorist should consider it safer to wait until stopped at a light before making any changes to an app. Drivers who prefer using them may find it less distracting to control their music with an app-enabled wristwatch.
Portable DVD players make it easy for passengers to watch movies, but sudden loud noises may interfere with a driver's focus. Requesting passengers to wear headphones can help to avoid noise distractions from backseat video watchers.
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King of the Cats: Taft and McFarland begin new rivalry
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Taft and McFarland High School wanted to be rivals on the football field. However, they didn't want it to begin with any bad blood.
Instead, the two schools met over breakfast at J&M's Bar and Grill on Thursday morning to commence the "King of the Cats." The idea is that both towns are similar in size and attitude. Not to mention, Taft head coach George Falgout and McFarland's Casey Quinn have coached against each other for more than a decade, dating back to their days in Fresno.
"It's about teaching those young men and women, about sportsmanship," said Thomas Yasenchak, McFarland's athletic director. "How to handle a rivalry with respect is the underlying lesson."
For most of these players, they have never played in a true rivalry game.
"I think it's really awesome, first rivalry here in McFarland I believe," said McFarland senior Devin Dimas. "First set rival and it's gonna be fun, it's going to be a good outcome."
Eating breakfast with your new rival and opponent could get a little awkward, but they all took it in stride.
"You know it was nice," said Taft junior Frank Rosche. "It was nice to actually get to know the players before you play them. Kind of trade tips and what you can do better."
The game will kick off Friday night at 7:30 p.m. in McFarland. You can see the score of the game with highlights on Friday Night Live, airing every Friday at 11:10 p.m. on 23ABC!


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AFTER the international break let's get back to winning ways with a bang! I'm starting another £10 – £1,000 Challenge on Saturday and you can have free shot at it!
My friends at Ladbrokes have challenged me to beat them, by turning £10 into £1,000 and they're giving you the chance the get involved risk-free too!
All you need to do is open a NEW account with Ladbrokes and place the first bet of the challenge on their site. If the first bet loses I'll refund your £10 back in cash to your Paypal account.
The first bet is £10 on Bournemouth to beat Southampon, which is available at 1/1 (at time of publishing), which I go boosted to 21/20.
So what's the catch? Well there isn't one. All you need to do is follow the instructions below to place your risk-free bet on Bet no.1.
This offer ends at 3:00pm on Saturday 20th October 2018.
This offer is only available to those opening a NEW Ladbrokes account via a link on this page / site, or via a link provided on my twitter page.
To be eligible, users must open your Ladbrokes account and place a £10 on Bournemouth to beat Southampton.
Failure to register via one of the links highlighted on this page will result in no free bet being awarded, should the bet lose.
This offer is open to UK and Ireland residents only.
Refund will be credited to your Paypal account within 72 hours.
Only one claim per computer, per person, per household and per IP address.
Offer is limited to residents of UK and Ireland.
This offer is limited to the first 50 claimants and MrFixitsTips reserve the right to withdraw this promotion at any time and to not reward any user we feel contravenes the Terms and Conditions.
MrFixitsTips will not be responsible for any losses incurred as a result of this promotion.
MrFixitsTips decision will be final on any claim.


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The Toma Customs BMW K1100 Scrambler
Ben Branch November 5, 2018
Reading time: about 4 minutes.
Scrambler Motorcycles
This BMW K1100 Scrambler represents a direction that BMW would likely never have considered taking with their large capacity 4-cylinder, but luckily Thomas Jeukens of Toma Customs took it upon himself to make the bike a reality.
The BMW K1100
The BMW K1100 was one of the largest iterations of the famous German flying brick, so named because the engine is an inline-4 laid on its side, with the head on the left and the crank on the right – perfectly aligned to send power back through the gearbox and into a shaft drive to the rear wheel with only a single 90 degree turn.
The BMW K-Series of motorbikes was developed to answer the advanced inline-4 cylinder models coming out of Japan – often referred to as the Universal Japanese Motorcycle or UJM. The German engineers at BMW would never dream of being seen to emulate the Japanese, so they set about developing their own inline-4 that no one would ever mistake for a UJM.
The motorcycle they created utilized a liquid-cooled inline-4 cylinder engine with double overheads cams, the engine is laid on its side to give the lowest possible center of gravity, and anyone familiar with BMW Motorrad with already know the company used to prefer its cylinders traveling horizontally rather than vertically.
Though the K-Series would never outsell the UJMs it has aged exceptionally well, and today they make excellent touring bikes and popular starting points for custom motorcycle builders.
Toma Customs
Toma Customs was founded by Thomas Jeukens, formerly a strategy manager for a large global consulting firm. Thomas' dream had always been to build world-class custom motorbikes, so he left his well-paying job and set about making that dream a reality.
He created TOMA, a Brussels-based custom workshop that builds motorcycles the way a Savile Row tailor makes a suit – specifically to suit the style and measurements of its future owner. Jeukens spends time getting to know each client personally and discussing both their favorite motorcycles as well as everything else under the sun, so that the completed bike will fit them like a glove.
The Toma Customs BMW K1100 Scrambler actually started life as the garage's first ever custom build a few years ago. Customer orders starting coming in and the K1100 project was shelved until there was more time available.
The bike, dubbed Toma #1, sat un disturbed in the corner of the workshop until new client Olivier walked into the workshop and his eyes settled on it. It was love at first sight even in its unfinished condition, Thomas was initially a little reticent to let it go due to the sentimental attachment but he realized Olivier would make a fantastic owner.
The plan was to build a genuinely capable scrambler from the fully-faired road bike, so the Toma Customs team had their work cut out for them. The fairing was removed along with most of the original electrics, the seat and rear cowl, both fenders, and the headlight, brake light, and blinkers.
The original fuel tank was kept in place and the subframe was modified with a shorter frame loop to match a new bespoke seat. Once the seat pan was fabricated a new seat was upholstered in-house with Alcantara.
Cunky engine protectors were installed on either side of the radiator, and a yellow spotlight was fitted to the righthand side next to the air intake. A new circular headlight was fitted along with new blinkers and a new brake light. The bike was now starting to look a lot more like its BMW boxer-engined siblings, not a bad thing.
A pair of dual sport tires were fitted to the original wheels after they'd been painted black, and a new set of handlebars were installed along with a new speedometer and a freshly painted fuel tank in a shade of green inspired by vintage Italian sports cars.
New rear suspension was an essential addition, as was a new higher-performance 4-into-1 exhaust, and a trimmed front fender.
The completed bike is a fantastic example of a K-Series scrambler, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if it inspired a slew of similar builds in the near future. If you'd like to see more from Toma Customs you can click here to visit their website, or you can follow them on social media below.
Follow Toma Customs on Facebook – Instagram
Images courtesy of Olivier Truyman
Ben Branch
Founder + Senior Editor
Ben Branch has had his work featured on CNN, Popular Mechanics, the official Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with millions of readers around the world and hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
You can follow Ben on Instagram here, Twitter here, or LinkedIn here.
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This article and its contents are protected by copyright, and may only be republished with a credit and link back to Silodrome.com - ©2019
Published by Ben Branch - November 5th 2018
The Incredible Art of Chris White – aka Buzz Vizualz
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Custom 2WD Ural Sidecar Motorcycle by Le Mani Moto – "From Russia With Love"
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The Droog Moto Custom Kawasaki Ninja 250 R Scrambler x Street Fighter
This custom Kawasaki Ninja 250 R is one of the most comprehensively rebuilt examples of the popular Japanese urban sport bike we've ever seen. The Ninja 250 remains an exceedingly popular motorcycle in the United States and many world markets due to its inexpensive price point and its excellent handling, combined with its fuel efficiency…
The Perfect Retro Dual Sport? A Honda Dominator NX650 Custom by Petrology
This Honda Dominator NX650 custom is the work of the talented team at Petrology, they've allied with SG Moto Restoration to develop a production run of rebuilt Dominators designed to capture the spirit of 1970s dual sport bikes. The Honda Dominator NX650 The Honda Dominator NX650 was developed as a mid-size dual sport motorcycle in…
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A Bespoke Kawasaki KZ650 by Mifune Werx Custom Motorcycles
The unusual custom Kawasaki KZ650 you see here is the work of Brent King, founder of Mifune Werx Custom Motorcycles based out of Ohio. We turned it over to Brent to tell us about the build in his own words, it's a fascinating story resulting in a bike unlike anything we've seen before. I am…
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Ardmair Bay House is a luxurious five star Highland retreat peacefully nestled in the rocky hillside of Ardmair Bay.
Spectacular views looking across to the Mountain of Ben Mor Coigach and the Isle of Martin.
Just 3 miles from Ullapool and 1 hour unforgettable scenic drive from Inverness Airport. Have a nosey.


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Waveguide-enhanced Raman platform promises rapid diagnosis of disease
Project from University of Southampton and Dstl will develop a compact and versatile device.
Sensor chips: chemically adaptable to detect small molecules
Portable and easy-to-use photonics devices can potentially offer substantial advantages in the diagnosis and prevention of disease, and a new project at the University of Southampton Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) could see a significant new step made towards this goal.
Supported with £1 million from the EPSRC Healthcare Technologies Programme, ORC and its collaborators at Southampton's Department of Chemistry and the UK Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) intend to develop a low-cost instrument suitable for use in GP surgeries, hospital wards, or in remote communities, using cheap, disposable plug-in sensor chips.
These chips will be chemically adaptable to detect small molecules, proteins or DNA, with fluid samples simply being dropped onto the sensor surface, to rapidly detect infection and diagnose disease.
According to ORC, the new project will build upon research by Southampton's Zilong Wang on waveguide-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (WERS), along with work on biochemical detection currently underway between the University and Dstl.
In principle WERS offers a solution to the inherent issue of low sensitivity to which Raman spectroscopy is prone. Rather than employing free-space optical components, WERS incorporates Raman spectroscopy into a waveguide structure, allowing the waveguide to transport incident light, excite Raman scattering, and collect the emission.
Wang's research, published as part of his PhD studies at Southampton, demonstrated how guided light in a suitable dielectric thin-film waveguide can be squeezed to dimensions similar to its wavelength, which results in a large optical intensity over a long propagation range. Analyte molecules close to the waveguide's surface then interact with the evanescent field of the waveguide, becoming Raman excited and allowing their emission to be collected.
Environmental monitoring and security
This effect could be particularly valuable for analytical applications in real-world biological sensors, if it allows detection of particular species to be made through repeatable activity over relatively large enhanced surfaces, rather than the highly localized enhancements often employed to produce single-molecule detection.
"Highly specific, sensitive sensors interfaced with portable, easy-to use, low-cost instruments are needed for rapid point-of-care infection diagnostics, leading to better targeted therapy, shorter time to treatment and reduced morbidity," notes OFC in its WERS research literature.
"We aim to realize a generic, flexible, compact sensing platform with high sensitivity and selectivity, building upon our recent work on WERS to realise a sensor chip which shows surface enhancements comparable to those of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, with improved application flexibility and manufacturability. These will have wide application in the diagnosis of disease."
As well as point-of-care applications, the platform could also prove valuable in broader settings such as environmental monitoring and border security, and should be readily configurable for new locations and analytical challenges.
In its project announcement, ORC indicated that the sensor will first be demonstrated using clinical samples from volunteers who have been exposed to controlled experimental infections in the NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility, and will also be assessed as a potential method of analysis for international priority pathogens such as Ebola and plague.
Analyst sees $1.8BN market for Raman by 2021
Raman method shows progress of Alzheimer's disease at cell level
Raman reveals molecular details of degenerative diseases


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Q: FirebaseAuth.getInstance() is saying that get instance isn't an available method to Firebase Auth Hello all I'm working on a flutter project and I'm able to sign in and sign out with email using FirebaseAuth. The site docs say to grab the logged in users uid I input
FirebaseUser user = FirebaseAuth.getInstance().getCurrentUser();
Now I've done that but I keep getting an error under the getInstance() method returning that it is not a method available to FirebaseAuth. I have imported everything the class is available but  not the method.

A: Seems you are reading the wrong docs. The firebase_auth docs says to use FirebaseAuth.instance
getUser() async {
   FirebaseUser user = await FirebaseAuth.instance.currentUser();
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Mediterranean gin from the small fishing town of Vila-nova, produced by the third generation of a family business. Uses a most unusual botanical in the Arbequina olive.
Nose: Herbaceous, with juniper and thyme dominating.
and thyme emerge as well as coriander .
Finish:	Smooth and savoury mouth feel, bags of Mediterranean flavour.
Ideal with cracked black pepper and rosemary or orange and basil leaves.


text:
Home›News Releases›Band & Musician NR›STRAY CATS Mark Their 40th Anniversary With New Album and Tour in 2019
STRAY CATS Mark Their 40th Anniversary With New Album and Tour in 2019
Band & Musician NR, News Releases
STRAY CATS --BRIAN SETZER, LEE ROCKER AND SLIM JIM PHANTOM--TO MARK THEIR 40TH ANNIVERSARY IN 2019 WITH A NEW ALBUM AND TOUR
ORIGINAL FOUNDING MEMBERS OF THE ACCLAIMED AMERICAN ROCK AND ROLL TRIO ARE HEADING INTO THE STUDIO TO RECORD THEIR FIRST NEW ALBUM IN 25 YEARS
STRAY CATS will mark their 40th anniversary in 2019 with a new album and tour. Brian Setzer, Lee Rocker and Slim Jim Phantom--original founding members of the acclaimed American rock and roll trio--are heading into a studio in Nashville to record their first new album in 25 years.
Set to be released on Surfdog Records, the album will be produced by Peter Collins (Rush, Bon Jovi, The Brian Setzer Orchestra) and engineered by Vance Powell (Jack White, Chris Stapleton, Arctic Monkeys). Stay tuned for more details and an official release date.
The iconic group, known for their high-energy performances with hits such as "Stray Cat Strut," "(She's) Sexy + 17," and "Rock This Town," are also mapping out plans for a tour, with dates TBA. STRAY CATS in 2018 marked their first North American shows in 10 years, with four concerts including sold-out headlining shows at Viva Las Vegas and the Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa, CA (August 16 and 17) before wildly enthusiastic audiences.
"Forty years ago, us three teenagers started a little band to play a musical style that had long since passed, and most folks had never heard of, this Rockabilly music. Forty years later we stand together and still get that same thrill and exhilaration from the music. That feeling is what makes the fireworks go off and the sparks fly. It makes the world go around." --Brian Setzer
"Making a new Stray Cats album for 2019 in Nashville seems like the exact right thing, right time, right place, and right band for the gig! We have an album's worth of new songs that are classic rockabilly while keeping the music and style current and fresh, like always. In other words...A Stray Cats album." --Slim Jim Phantom
"They say history repeats itself and I now know that's true. 40 years after Brian, Jim and I formed the Stray Cats, we are back! I'm so excited to be in the studio with my brothers. I can tell you that this will be the best Stray Cats album we have ever made. The time is right, the songs are great and we're ready to rock." --Lee Rocker
ABOUT STRAY CATS:
STRAY CATS, the band that put Rockabilly music back on the record charts in the early '80s, scored several big hits on both sides of the Atlantic thanks to a striking visual 1950's style brought "up to date" with exaggerated pompadours and colorful tattoos and as well as genuine musical chops that evoked the best players of rockabilly's original heyday. Formed by guitarist/vocalist Brian Setzer, upright bass player Lee Rocker and drummer Slim Jim Phantom in the Long Island town of Massapequa, NY, in 1979, the trio shared a love for Rockabilly music and after banging around New York and Philadelphia for a few months, in the summer of 1980, they were persuaded by a mutual friend to hop a plane to London where a rockabilly revival movement was just beginning to emerge. Their massive hits and videos include "Runaway Boys," "Rock This Town," "Stray Cat Strut" "(She's) Sexy + 17," and "I Won't Stand in Your Way."
For more information on the STRAY CATS, visit:
Official Website | Facebook
Tagsbandstray cats
TC Electronic announces TC1210-DT and TC8210-DT
Rob Papen pushes plug-in bundle beyond belief ...
SIR RINGO STARR CELEBRATED THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS "PEACE & LOVE" BIRTHDAY EVENT AT HARD ROCK CAFE NICE ON SATURDAY, JULY 7
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Jem Godfrey: One Cool Keyboard Player


Iodine deficiency in ambulatory participants at a Sydney teaching hospital: is Australia truly iodine replete?
Med J Aust 1999; 171 (9): 467-470.
Abstract Objective: To assess iodine status in four separate groups -- pregnant women, postpartum women, patients with diabetes mellitus and volunteers.
Design and setting: Prospective cross-sectional study at a tertiary referral hospital in Sydney.
Participants: 81 pregnant women attending a "high risk" obstetric clinic; 26 of these same women who attended three months postpartum; 135 consecutive patients with diabetes mellitus attending the diabetes clinic for an annual complications screen; and 19 volunteers. There were no exclusion criteria.
Methods: Spot urine samples were obtained, and urinary iodine was measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer.
Outcome measures: Iodine status based on urinary iodine concentration categorised as normal (> 100 µg/L), mild deficiency (51-100 µg/L) and moderate to severe deficiency (< 50 µg/L).
Results: Moderate to severe iodine deficiency was found in 16 pregnant women (19.8%), five postpartum women (19.2%), 46 patients with diabetes (34.1%) and five volunteers (26.3%). Mild iodine deficiency was found in an additional 24 pregnant women (29.6%), nine postpartum women (34.6%), 51 patients with diabetes (37.8%) and 9 normal volunteers (47.4%). Median urinary iodine concentration was 104 µg/L in pregnant women, 79 µg/L in postpartum women, 65 µg/L in patients with diabetes mellitus and 64 µg/L in volunteers.
Conclusions: The high frequency of iodine deficiency found in our participants suggests that dietary sources of iodine in this country may no longer be sufficient. Further population studies are required.
Introduction It is currently believed that iodine deficiency does not exist in Australia.1,2 However, iodine status is seldom, if ever, measured in routine clinical care, and iodine deficiency may have significant adverse consequences, particularly during pregnancy (Box 1). Box 2 shows some of the reasons why iodine intake in Australia may be inadequate.
The recommended daily intake (RDI) of iodine is 100 µg daily for the general population and 150-200 µg daily for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding6-8,10 (iodine demand increases during pregnancy because of increased renal clearance and fetal iodine transfer).
Approximately 90% of iodine is excreted in the urine,1,11 and iodine status is usually assessed by measuring urinary iodine concentration.
Having previously found low levels of free thyroxine in pregnant women,13 and in light of the adverse consequences of iodine deficiency during pregnancy, we initially set out to test the iodine status of a group of pregnant women. We subsequently included other groups to widen our investigation of iodine status.
Our study was conducted at a tertiary referral hospital in Sydney. Participants in the study included women who attended a specialist "high risk" obstetric clinic, patients of both sexes with diabetes who attended the hospital's diabetes clinic, and healthy, non-pregnant volunteers recruited after a presentation about iodine.
Participants thus comprised 81 consecutive pregnant women who attended the obstetric clinic between 1 August 1998 and 1 April 1999, 26 of these same women who were reassessed at three months postpartum, 135 consecutive patients who attended the diabetes clinic for an annual complications screen between 1 November 1998 and 1 February 1999, and 19 volunteers recruited between 1 February and 1 July 1999. All participants provided a routine urine sample. There were no exclusion criteria.
One of the 81 pregnant women had thyrotoxicosis as a result of Graves' disease -- she particpated before commencing therapy. Twenty-two of the patients attending the diabetes clinic (16.1%) had type 1 diabetes, 103 (76.3%) had type 2 diabetes and 10 (7.5%) had impaired glucose tolerance.
One of the patients with diabetes had recently received iodine-containing intravenous contrast medium during a coronary angiogram, and one was taking amiodarone. No other participant was known to have received contrast medium, or to be taking amiodarone or iodine supplements.
Urinary iodine concentrations were determined by means of a Varian UltraMass inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer with SPS-5 autosampler (Varian Inc., Palo Alto, California, USA). The measurement was calibrated over a range of 0-1000 µg iodine per litre. The lower limit of detection for the assay was 2 µg/L. The reproducibility of the assay as represented by the 100 µg/L calibrator assessed over three months was ± 6 µg/L (± 2 SD). Comparison with the colorimetric/Sandell-Koltkoff reaction method showed a highly significant correlation (P < 0.001; see Box 3). Other authors have also compared the methods and found high correlation.14 In particular, no systematic biases were found at low iodine concentrations.
Some investigators use the urinary iodine/creatinine ratio to determine iodine status.1,14 We thus measured urinary creatinine by the Creatinine Jaffa method (Boehringer Mannheim Systems, Mannheim, Germany) and calculated iodine/creatinine ratios (µg iodine/g creatinine) for each participant. The correlation between urinary iodine and iodine/creatinine ratio was high for non-pregnant participants (r = 0.969; P < 0.001) and lower for the pregnant group (r = 0.419; P < 0.001).
Twenty-four-hour urinary iodine measurement may be used to assess iodine status,6 but this method can be unreliable because of incorrect or incomplete collection,15 and is less practical than spot samples for population surveys.9,12 To compare this method with our spot sampling, we selected six pregnant women (on the basis of their spot urine concentrations to cover a range of values) who collected 24-hour urine samples for iodine content measurement. The correlation was highly significant (r2 = 0.82), thus confirming that spot urine samples were a reliable way of measuring iodine status.
As part of routine care, 70 of the 81 pregnant women and 121 of the 135 patients with diabetes had thyroid function tests. Free thyroxine (FT4) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels were measured by means of an automated chemiluminescence system (Chiron Diagnostics, Scoresby, Vic.).
We did not seek ethical approval for this study as it involved no deviation from usual care, except in the case of the 19 volunteers who agreed to provide a urine sample.
We used SPSS for statistical analysis.16 Means are expressed with ± 2 standard deviations, and medians with 95% confidence intervals (CI) are shown where data were not normally distributed. The results of non-parametric variables (including iodine results) were compared by means of the Mann-Whitney Wilcoxon rank sum test.
Box 4 shows the mean and median ages and the results of spot urinary iodine concentration for the four groups. The three non-pregnant groups had similar urinary iodine concentration results, with a slightly higher median in the postpartum group compared with the group with diabetes. As expected,17-19 the pregnant women had higher urinary iodine concentrations than the other groups as a whole (P = 0.004). The iodine/creatinine ratios also show a high proportion of abnormal results (Box 4).
The median iodine concentration in the 26 postpartum women (79 µg/L) who provided repeat urine samples for iodine measurement three months after delivery was considerably lower than that in the 81 pregnant women (104 µg/L). However, this difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.249).
The patient with diabetes who had received iodine-containing intravenous contrast medium during a coronary angiogram in the month before the urinary spot test had a urinary iodine concentration of 2170 µg/L.
Box 5 shows TSH levels and FT4 levels versus iodine status in pregnant and non-pregnant participants. There was no significant relationship between iodine status and FT4 or TSH levels in either the pregnant group or non-pregnant group. Separate analysis of patients with diabetes and postpartum women did not significantly alter these results. However, there was a weak correlation between FT4 and urinary iodine levels when examined as a continuous variable (Pearson correlation coefficient, 0.26; P = 0.016).
By WHO criteria,12 the median iodine levels in our pregnant participants were only just adequate, while those in postpartum women, patients with diabetes and normal volunteers were inadequate. The slightly higher median iodine level in the postpartum group compared with that in the group with diabetes may have been the result of this concentration not having returned to baseline after pregnancy, although further study is required to document the rate of change post partum. We believe the low values in patients with diabetes was not a problem specific to diabetes, but merely a reflection of low urinary iodine levels in the general population. The similarity between the patients with diabetes and our small group of volunteers supports this view. Our data are consistent with generally low iodine intake.
Our findings mirror recent reports from other countries.9,11,20 A United States study showed that the median urinary iodine concentration in 1988-1994 had decreased by more than 50% from that in 1971-1974.9,11 The 1988-1994 results showed 11.7% of the US population to be iodine deficient (a 4.5-fold increase since 1971-1974). The mean urinary iodine concentration in that population was 265 µg/L, and people from higher socioeconomic groups were more likely to be iodine deficient. Our data may also reflect this effect, as, although our patients were attending a public clinic, the hospital catchment area is a relatively high socioeconomic group. Our data suggest that Australia may be experiencing a similar trend to that seen in the US.
Iodine deficiency during pregnancy can affect the thyroid glands of both the mother and baby,10,17-19 and may have many adverse health consequences (Box 1). Some, but not all, researchers have found an increase in urinary iodine levels during pregnancy.10,17-19 Smyth et al studied urinary iodine concentration in a group of pregnant women in an area of Ireland with known borderline iodine deficiency.10 In the third trimester, they found a mean urinary iodine concentration of 132 µg/L (standard error of the mean, 6.8), and found that urinary iodine concentration increased during pregnancy. In a more iodine-deficient area, Glinoer et al found that urinary iodine concentration did not increase during pregnancy (median iodine concentration 45 µg/L after 20 weeks' gestation, no mean given).19 So, it is not clear whether the apparently higher levels in our pregnant women were pregnancy related or, in fact, masked iodine deficiency in pregnancy.
We found that a considerable percentage of pregnant women (4.9%) were severely iodine deficient, with spot urine results of < 25 µg/L. While this is the threshold below which cretinism may occur, other factors, such as selenium deficiency and the presence of dietary goitrogens, also play a part in determining cretinism,21 and these two factors are not usually seen in Sydney. Therefore, we would not expect to see an increased incidence of cretinism in Sydney on the basis of these results alone. However, more subtle adverse fetal outcomes may occur.
Our findings suggest that we should no longer automatically consider Australia an iodine-replete country. We found that iodine deficiency was common among 235 people attending a Sydney teaching hospital and speculate that these data are applicable to the general population, although this will require independent confirmation. The frequency of iodine deficiency in our pregnant population (18.8%) approaches the maximum acceptable level recommended by WHO (20%); this recommendation was exceeded in our group with diabetes (34.1%) and the normal volunteers (26.3%). The postpartum women had a median iodine concentration of 79 µg/L, which is lower than the WHO recommendation of 100 µg/L. This has important public health implications.
The weaknesses of this study include the small group of normal volunteers, and perhaps the use of a sample from a teaching hospital rather than the community. The normal volunteers had results which are equivalent to those seen in postpartum women and non-pregnant patients with diabetes. Our subjects were all ambulatory, not inpatients at the time of testing, and generally well. Although 24-hour urinary iodine excretion studies may be the ideal method of assessing iodine status, these are not generally performed in large numbers for a variety of technical and practical reasons.
A weak correlation between urinary iodine and free thyroxine was observed for all non-pregnant participants in total, and for the participants with diabetes mellitus. Because of the large number of other factors which influence thyroid function (including pregnancy),13 the relatively loose correlations are an expected finding.
Further studies are needed, and these include (i) population surveys in Sydney and elsewhere in Australia; (ii) assessment of thyroid size (eg, by ultrasound) in relation to iodine status; and (iii) detailed assessment of neonates, including thyroid size, neonatal TSH levels, and detailed neurological outcomes.
Hetzel BS. Iodine deficiency disorders. In: Garrow JS, James WPT, editors. Human nutrition and dietetics. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone, 1993: 534-555.
Mortimer RH. Thyroid disease and pregnancy. Aust N Z J Med 1998; 28: 647-653.
Tasmanian Thyroid Advisory Committee. Study in disease surveillance. 1950-1979. Med J Aust 1981; 2: 234-238.
Clements FW. Goitre studies. 1. The incidence of endemic goitre in three areas in Australia. Med J Aust 1948; 21: 637-639.
Hales I. Studies in diseases of the thyroid gland [MD thesis] Sydney: University of Sydney, 1971.
Boyages S. Iodine deficiency disorders. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1993; 77: 587-591.
Clugston GA, Hetzel BS. Iodine. In: Shils ME, Olson JA, Shike M, editors. Modern nutrition in health and disease. 8th ed. Vol. 1. Philadelphia: Lea and Febiger, 1994; 252-263.
Delange F. The disorders induced by iodine deficiency. Thyroid 1994; 4: 107-128.
Hollowell JG, Staehling NW, Hannon WH, et al. Iodine nutrition in the United States. Trends and public health implications: iodine excretion data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys I and III (1971-1974 and 1988-1994). J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1998; 83: 3401-3408.
Smyth PPA, Hetherton AMT, Smith DF, et al. Maternal iodine status and thyroid volume during pregnancy: correlation with neonatal iodine intake. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1997; 82: 2840-2843.
Dunn JT. What's happening to our iodine? [editorial]. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1998; 83: 3398-3400.
World Health Organization Nutrition Unit. Indicators for assessing iodine deficiency disorders and their control through salt iodization. Document No. WHO/NUT 94.6. Geneva: WHO, 1994: 36.
McElduff A. Measurement of free thyroxine levels (fT4) in pregnancy. Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol 1999; 39: 158-161.
May SL, May WA, Bourdoux PP, et al. Validation of a simple, manual urinary iodine method for estimating the prevalence of iodine-deficiency disorders, and interlaboratory comparison with other methods. Am J Clin Nutr 1997; 65: 1441-1445.
McElduff A, Shuter B, Cooper R, et al. Measuring renal function in patients with diabetes mellitus. J Diabetes Complications 1997; 11: 225-229.
SPSS [computer program], version 6.0. Chicago, Ill: SPSS Inc, 1996.
Silva JE, Silva S. Interrelationships among serum thyroxine, triiodothyronine, reverse triiodothyronine, and thyroid-stimulating hormone in iodine-deficient pregnant women and their offspring: effects of iodine supplementation. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1981; 52: 671-677.
Glinoer D, De Nayer P, Bourdoux et al. Regulation of maternal thyroid during pregnancy. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1990; 71: 276-287.
Glinoer D, Delange F, Laboureur I, et al. Maternal and neonatal thyroid function at birth in an area of marginally low iodine intake. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1992; 75: 800-805.
Valiex P, Zarabska M, Preziosi P, et al. Iodine deficiency in France [letter]. Lancet 1999; 353: 1766-1767.
Moreno-Reyes R, Suetens C, Mathieu F, et al. Kashin-Beck osteoarthropathy in rural Tibet in relation to selenium and iodine status. N Engl J Med 1998; 339: 1112-1120.
Authors' details Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, NSW.
Jenny E Gunton, MB BS, Endocrine Fellow, Department of Endocrinology.
Graham Hams, MAppSc, Senior Staff Scientist, Pacific Laboratory Medicine Services.
Marcelle Fiegert, BEd, MNutri Diet, Dietitian, Department of Nutrition.
Aidan McElduff, FRACP, PhD, Senior Staff Specialist in Endocrinology, Department of Endocrinology.
Reprints: Dr J E Gunton, C/- Clinic 1, Royal North Shore Hospital, St Leonards, NSW 2065.
The upper limit of the recommended daily intake of salt (NaCl) is 100 mmol, or 6 g (a heaped teaspoon); 100 mmol of iodised salt per day would provide 175-240 µg of iodine. However, most salt is incorporated into foods before purchase, and the three major Australian manufacturers of processed food we contacted all reported using non-iodised salt only.
Milk products, which used to contain significant concentrations of iodine (up to 300 µg/100 mL) by virtue of iodine-containing solutions used to clean the milk vats, now contain low levels of iodine because volatile cleaning solutions are used (Dairy Farmers Association, Nutrition Panel for Milks, personal communication).
While the incidence of iodine deficiency and goitre was decreased by legislation requiring iodine supplementation of bread in 1966,3 this is no longer a requirement (because of concerns about an increased incidence of thyrotoxicosis).
Marine fish, shellfish, seaweed and kelp contain high amounts of iodine,1,7 and such ocean seafood, as well as added iodised salt, provide most of the iodine in the Australian diet. However, many people may consume these products rarely, if at all.
* P < 0.001 for comparison with pregnant women. †P < 0.01 for comparison with pregnant women. ‡P < 0.05 for comparison with patients with diabetes.
* > 100µg/L. † 51-100 µg/L. ‡ < 50 µg/L.


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Q: How to access Google Prediction API with Python? I have a practice project given to me by an advisor that asks me to write a python script to access a model I trained with the Prediction API using the API Explorer. I have two questions regarding this,

*

*The guidelines specify that I should not check in my credentials in the Python script and I am not exactly sure what that means, it also leads to question...

*When I follow the documentation to call the "predict" method of "trainedmodels" (to predict the language of a text using a trained model)
from apiclient import discovery

service = discovery.build('prediction','v1.6')
x = service.trainedmodels().predict(project='My First Project',
     id='my_project_id',
     body={"input":{"csvInstance":['bonjour!']}})

This is the return value
    <googleapiclient.http.HttpRequest object at 0x1031996d0>

Because I am not too aware of what is meant by "not checking in my credentials", I am unclear as to how to proceed in resolving this problem.
Thank you in advance.

A: There are at least ways to achieve that:

*

*Using the gcloud tool to store your credentials locally (https://cloud.google.com/sdk/gcloud/#gcloud.auth). Those will be easily accessible from within your Python app like below.

*Creating a configuration file and retrieve the credentials from there

Here's a snippet showing how to access the credentials from within Python:
http = AppAssertionCredentials('https://www.googleapis.com/auth/prediction https://www.googleapis.com/auth/devstorage.read_only').authorize(httplib2.Http())
service = build('prediction', 'v1.6', http=http)


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FILE - In this May 28, 2019, file photo specialist Peter Mazza, left, and trader Stephen Gilmartin work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. The U.S. stock market opens at 9:30 a.m. EDT on Friday, May 31. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
Stocks slump after US expands trade war to Mexico
Stocks tumbled on Wall Street Friday after the U.S. announced plans to expand its trade war to Mexico, its third-biggest trading partner.
The slump all but guarantees the market will end May with its first monthly loss of 2019. The S&P 500 index was on track for its fourth straight weekly decline. The benchmark index has lost about 6.5% this month.
Bond prices rose again, sending yields lower. Oil and gas prices fell sharply.
The new front in the trade war is hitting automakers particularly hard. Many of them import vehicles into the U.S. from Mexico. General Motors and Fiat Chrysler were each down at least 4%.
Technology stocks suffered some of the heaviest losses. They have been hurt the most by escalating rhetoric and tariffs in the U.S. trade war with China. Cisco fell 2.4% and Microsoft slid 1.4%.
Banks also declined as higher bond prices pushed yields lower. Investors have been shifting money into bonds over concerns that economic growth will be crimped by the ongoing trade war. Lower bond yields drag down interest rates, making lending less profitable for banks. Citigroup fell 1.9% and Bank of America lost 1.6%.
Energy companies sank following another broad slide in oil prices. Occidental Petroleum fell 3.8% and Valero Energy dropped 3.4%.
Real estate and utilities fared better than most sectors. They are considered less risky by investors when economic growth is threatened.
Investors have been fleeing to safer holdings all month. The shift to utilities and bonds quickened earlier in May after the U.S. and China broke off negotiations. The U.S. then pushed more tariffs on Chinese goods along with a ban on technology sales. That prompted retaliatory tariffs from China and threats over other key resources.
A smattering of late season earnings reports are also helping to move certain stocks. Williams-Sonoma rose on a solid first quarter financial report while retailer Gap plunged on weak results.
KEEPING SCORE: The S&P 500 index was down 1.2% as of 3:05 p.m. Eastern Time. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 308 points, or 1.2%, to 24,861. The Nasdaq slid 1.4% and the Russell 2000 index of smaller companies was 1.3% lower.
Major stock indexes in Europe also fell.
The U.S. stock market's slump in May reversed a four-month run for the S&P 500 that culminated in an all-time high on April 30. The benchmark index is still up about 10% for the year.
ANALYST'S TAKE: The new tariffs on Mexican goods shocked investors who were already nervous about a global trade war crimping economic growth.
"Clearly the markets were blindsided and completely caught off guard," said Cliff Hodge, director of investments for Cornerstone Wealth.
The major risk, he said, is that continued trade spats could bring on a global recession. Auto companies and agricultural companies will have a harder time passing costs off to consumers. Also, investors are worried about further escalation of global trade spats.
"The fact that the president is willing to use tariffs as a weapon can really cause damage to business confidence," Hodge said. "You've got to be wondering, who's next?"
TRADE WAR WOES: The new front in the U.S. trade war will have a wide impact on companies making everything from cars to beer and tacos.
General Motors skidded 3.7%, Ford dropped 2.6% and Fiat Chrysler gave up 4.8%. Those companies import vehicles from Mexico to the U.S.
Railroad operators were also getting squeezed. Kansas City Southern fell 4.6%. The company gets almost half its revenue from Mexico each year. Union Pacific shed 1.6%.
Chipotle fell 2.4%. Rising avocado prices could hurt the Mexican restaurant chain. Constellation Brands, which makes Corona and Modelo, dropped 6.1%.
MAYDAY, MAYDAY: May marks the first monthly loss for the market in 2019. That's a sharp shift from stocks' record setting run so far this year. The S&P 500 hit an all-time high on April 30, back when investors had factored in a resolution to Trump's trade wars.
"You had a market that was feeling as though President Trump would want to do a deal so that the economy would not be hurt," said Tom Martin, senior portfolio manager with Globalt Investments. "And now the behavior is indicating that he will use (tariffs) to accomplish his goals and seems less concerned about the actual economic impact."
Since the end of April, investors have fled to safe play holdings like utilities and bonds. Technology stocks, which led gains all year, were among the biggest losers in May. The technology heavy Nasdaq has shed 7.7%, while technology companies within the S&P 500 have lost 8.6%.
Utilities, which have lagged the market, fell only 1.2% in May, making them among the month's best performers. Meanwhile, real estate stocks posted a 1.5% gain, the only winners this month.
STUCK IN A GAP: Clothing and apparel retailer Gap plunged 10.3% after the company gave investors a weak earnings report and slashed its full-year profit forecast.
The disappointing results and estimates come three months after the retailer said it was creating two independent publicly traded companies: low-priced juggernaut Old Navy and a yet-to-be named company that will encompass the iconic Gap brand and Banana Republic, as well as the lesser known names Athleta, Intermix and Hill City.
Overall sales and sales at established stores fell during the quarter. Sales at its namesake Gap stores plunged 10%.
"This quarter was extremely challenging, and we are not at all satisfied with our results," said Art Peck, president and CEO of Gap in a statement.
CUSHY RESULTS: Williams-Sonoma jumped 12% after the seller of cookware and home furnishings reported surprisingly strong first quarter financial results and raised its profit forecast for the year.
The company also attracted a surge of customers to its stores during the quarter. Sales at established stores rose 3.5%, blowing away Wall Street forecasts of a 1.6% increase.
Consumer products and services
Sales figures
Apparel and accessories retail
Stock indices and averages
Consumer product manufacturing


The Music City Queen is an ornamental sternwheeler named after the city that sits along the banks of the Cumberland River (Nashville).
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With a complete open air deck, this vessel is the premier party vessel in Boston. This 100-foot vessel has an unlimited dancing area, making M/V New Boston the ultimate venue for dance, bands, and all entertainment cruises. Bar service available on both decks allows for maximum convenience and an enjoyable party for all guests.
Designed with versatility in mind, the M/V Freedom provides the ultimate venue for entertaining. Two enclosed decks and an open aired, third deck enhance any outing. This 100-foot twin hulled catamaran is the perfect setting for your company's annual gala, VIP reception or a holiday party. Climate controlled on two levels for year round comfort, the M/V Freedom is a distinctive setting for any social event or function.
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Enbridge now inspects freighters to avoid another anchor strike on Line 5
September 28, 2020 Michigan Radio
By Michigan Radio
By Lester Graham, Michigan Radio
The Great Lakes News Collaborative includes Bridge Michigan; Circle of Blue; Great Lakes Now at Detroit Public Television; and Michigan Radio, Michigan's NPR News Leader; who work together to bring audiences news and information about the impact of climate change, pollution, and aging infrastructure on the Great Lakes and drinking water. This independent journalism is supported by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. Find all the work HERE.
The Canadian pipeline company Enbridge Energy has been eager to show news media its new Enbridge Straits Maritime Operations Center in Mackinaw City. Its purpose is to try to prevent another anchor strike or other damage to Line 5, the dual pipelines carrying oil and natural gas liquids.
This new center has all the latest tech to see and contact ships to prevent damage to Line 5. But those pipelines have been there for 67 years. What has Enbridge been doing up to now?
"The safety of our pipelines with marine traffic was really built around awareness. They are aware of our pipelines. There are regulations in place," said Bob Lehto, an area operations manager for Enbridge.
That passive awareness program didn't work out so well because a ship damaged both of the twin pipelines.
"Today, we're taking a much more active approach. Post April 1st, 2018, where we had the 100-year event, if you will, where a ship was unknowingly dragging its anchor through the Straits of Mackinac and it inadvertently struck our pipeline," Lehto said.
But it wasn't a 100-year event. There's been another incident since that one. This year the Coast Guard found that Enbridge's own contracted vessels were the likely cause of damage to Line 5.
And, for the record, this "much more active approach" that Enbridge is taking is required by a consent decree with the Justice Department and the EPA.
The operations center commands a fleet of boats. Former Coast Guard Response boats have been outfitted with new high-tech gear to detect ships and boats day or night. These fast boats have two jobs.
At the Mackinaw City marina, Mike Moeller was showing news media the boats. Moeller is Enbridge director of operations for the Great Lakes Region. He explained the first job of the boats.
"24/7, weather permitting, one of these is out over the east and west leg of line five, patrolling, looking for vessels, watching vessels and ensuring that there is nobody dragging an anchor. No one loitering over the pipelines and things like that," he said.
Enbridge's ops center has equipment to keep track of the large freighter ships coming through the area. The second job for these vessels is to chase down those big ships.
I was in a high-speed landing craft trailing the chase boat as it approached the Great Lakes bulk carrier the Maumee powered by the tug Victory. From there, I could listen to the radio contact between the chase boat and the Victory.
Enbridge: "Good morning there, captain. This is Enbridge boat 25745 conducting safety patrols in the Straits of Mackinac. We would like to approach you on your port side, passing by on your stern and coming up your starboard side to complete our safety patrol."
Victory: "Yeah, that'll be fine. We appreciate the heads up."
The chase boat circled the freighter looking for a dragged anchor or cables dangling loose, anything that might damage Line 5. It was all clear.
Enbridge says it will ensure the Straits are protected and safe while it pursues the Great Lakes Tunnel Project, which is planned to house Line 5 a hundred feet below the lake bed.
"This is just yet another effort, I think, to kind of distract the public and our state leaders on the ongoing crisis that continues in the Straits of Mackinac," said Liz Kirkwood. She's the executive director of the environmental group FLOW, For Love Of Water.
She says the only safe answer is to shut down Line 5.
"Here we are 10 years after Enbridge's Kalamazoo disaster and Line 5 is still operating. It's quite extraordinary to think we still have an oil pipeline in the middle of our Great Lakes," Kirkwood said.
Back at the Enbridge Straits Maritime Operations Center, Bob Lehto says until the tunnel is built, the company is keeping eyes on the ship traffic in the Straits.
"If we were to determine that there's something unsafe and that vessel couldn't do something about it in sufficient enough time, we have the ability to be able to communicate internally with our own command center and shut down and isolate that section of line," he explained.
That section under the Straits is two 20-inch pipes four-and-a-half miles long. Even if you shut the valves on either side, there's close to 388 thousand gallons of oil in each pipeline. If both pipelines were damaged, you could see an oil spill nearly as big as the Enbridge Line 6B spill in the Kalamazoo River 10 years ago. It was one of the biggest inland oil spills in the country.
Read more news about Enbridge on Great Lakes Now:
Enbridge just wants a permit. Michigan critics want to bring down Line 5
Judge OKs oil flow through second Great Lakes pipeline
Whitmer: Enbridge dodging responsibility for potential Line 5 spill
Michigan judge allows restart of disputed Line 5 oil pipeline
Pollution, Permits: Enbridge, Michigan grapple with Line 5 tunnel project
Whitmer's Dilemma: How to shut down Line 5, avoid a legal swamp and keep Northern Michigan happy
Featured image: An Enbridge boat circles the bulk carrier Maumee to check that it's not dragging something that could damage the pipeline company's Line 5. (Photo by Lester Graham / Michigan Radio)
straits of mackinac
water quailty
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Langkawi International Maritime & Aerospace exhibition
Army Recognition Group at Langkawi, Malaysia
BAE Systems awards Hawk advanced jet trainer's new pylons contract to SME Aerospace
BAE Systems has reached an agreement with SME Aerospace (SMEA), a premier metal-based aerospace manufacturer in the Malaysia, for the manufacture of additional pylons for the Hawk advanced jet trainer. The pylons, which include 16 onboard and 16 outboard, are being manufactured for a key BAE Systems' export customer.
Royal Malaysian Air Force's Hawk Mk208 advanced jet trainer
BAE Systems has had a relationship with SME Aerospace since 1992 for the manufacture of Hawk pylons and SME has to date built over 600 at its factory in Sungai Buloh, near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Dave Davies, Chief Executive Officer, SME Aerospace commented: "We have been working with BAE Sysems for a number of years and the award of this contract for Hawk pylons further demonstrates our long and successful relationship. BAE Systems has been an important partner and we look forward to continuing to work closely with them."
BAE Systems is committed to investing in Malaysia and delivering long-term sustained benefits through local partnerships, and our relationship with SMEA aligns with our strategy to deliver project that deliver real benefit to Malaysian industry.
John Brosnan, Managing Director, South East Asia, BAE Systems commented: "This is a further example of the excellent work being carried out in Malaysia's aerospace industry. SME Aerospace has an excellent track record in manufacturing pylons for Hawk aircraft and we are pleased with the continued manufacture and export of this key component by Malaysian industry. Industrial partnerships form an important part of our strategy and we look forward to continuing our long-standing relationship with Malaysia."


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An apple a dayLife and style
Referendums are supposed to make people happy. Why are even leave voters upset?
Anna Petherick
The science of happiness can help explain why Britons are so unhappy after the Brexit result – even those who voted to leave the European Union
Social science tells us that a referendum should increase collective happiness. Why did this one do just the opposite? We find the answer in studies of government and happines Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
Thu 30 Jun 2016 14.31 EDT
Last modified on Wed 15 Jan 2020 10.35 EST
I write this column about happiness research from my home in Oxford, England, where the mood is worse than I have ever experienced. Like Scotland and Northern Ireland, and many cities in England and Wales, Oxford voted overwhelmingly to remain part of the European Union — by a margin of 40 percentage points.
Even so, in social science theory, referendums are supposed to make people feel happier. But for reasons that go beyond political divisions, Brexit is making many Britons everywhere glum. Well outside the strongholds that voted to remain, we're seeing angry, violent outbursts from certain leave voters and expressions of regret and sadness from others. Why is that?
Gains in women's rights haven't made women happier. Why is that?
There are two reasons why referendums are supposed to raise aggregate happiness. The first is that direct democracy gives voters a sense of satisfaction that the system is fair and responsive to their preferences. In a referendum, political representation is neither skewed by the makeup of electoral districts, nor by additional incentives weighing on elected politicians. The second reason is that the process of collective decision-making is itself thought to be a source of positivity, perhaps because voters feel more connected to their communities.
Data from a European – but non-EU – country bears this out. About half of all national referendums held in the world during the 20th century were held in Switzerland. This year, the Swiss have already voted on issues ranging from the building of a road tunnel, to taxation for married couples, to changes to asylum laws.
In this land of referendums, the parts of Switzerland that hold the most referendums are the happiest, even when the effect of other common influences on happiness are statistically removed (like marital status and unemployment). The size of the happiness boost from direct democracy in Switzerland is even bigger than what is gained by living in the country's top income category instead of the bottom one.
But that feels poles apart from the Brexit experience.
A Mexican-American man in Manchester is assaulted and told to "go back to Africa" by young British men. [Warning: strong and upsetting language.]
Brexit despondency over the whole country – even among some of those who voted to leave – is probably linked to a sense that disinterest and pessimism carried the day. The less attention a British person says they pay to politics, the more likely they were to vote leave.
Moreover, how people decided to vote had everything to do with self-reported happiness trends. A survey of more than 12,000 Britons conducted on the day of the referendum found that those who voted to leave the EU believe, on balance, that life in Britain today is worse than it was 30 years ago – and also that for most children growing up in Britain today, life will be worse than it was for their parents.
Those who voted to remain in the EU think the opposite: that life has and will get better.
In this view, the referendum exposed a widespread case of the blues, which has since been compounded by newly apparent divisions. No one needs a social scientist to tell them that their happiness is strongly affected by their close relationships – though at the moment, YouGov is polling Britons on how the Brexit result has affected their family relations.
People under 25 were more than twice as likely to vote to remain than those over 65, so it seems self-evident that referendum-prompted family arguments are raging in living rooms from Brighton to Newcastle. (A friend of mine admitted screaming in tears at her parents for effectively voting for her to go into negative equity.)
Incidents of anti-Muslim abuse up by 326% in 2015, says Tell MAMA
So how do politics and government empirically affect people's happiness?
One curious generality of happiness research is that people with predominantly right wing ideologies are happier than lefties. This is thought to be because those on the right tend to be wealthier and more religious than those on the left – both qualities that are independently linked to happiness. Beyond that, progressives are by definition less happy with the status quo.
Another empirical finding about happiness and government is obvious: having the party you voted for in power measurably increases subjective wellbeing, as was found in a big analysis of 16 European countries.
However, there are two instances where this basic relationship is flipped on its head. The first makes intuitive sense: if their preferred party acts corruptly in government, Europeans become less happy than they are when their preferred party is in opposition.
In fact, corruption influences European citizens' sense of wellbeing far more than normal economic ups and downs. To be sure, corruption is formally defined as the misuse of public office for private gain – not lying during a political campaign. But these concepts do overlap and seem likely to evoke the same sentiment of betrayal, such as is found among some leave voters suffering from "bremorse".
The second instance is strange but important. Extremists are increasingly unhappy the closer they get to their ideal form of government.
John Cleese on extremism: "The biggest advantage of extremism is that it makes you feel good because it provides you with enemies ... you can pretend all the badness in the whole world is in your enemies and all the goodness in the whole world is in you."
Using data from 40 democracies over a quarter of a century – essentially all the data available on this topic – a 2013 study showed that only moderates feel happiest when they are governed by politicians who reflect their own political ideology. Extremists on both the left and the right, on the other hand, rate their subjective wellbeing highest when they are governed by people representing the opposite side of the left-right spectrum.
Only a tiny minority of British voters on either side of the Brexit debate qualify as extremists. But given that the two parties that saw most support for the leave vote are on the right of British politics, happiness research would suggest, counterintuitively, that it is extremists on the right, not those on the left, who are the really unhappy ones now.
'A frenzy of hatred': how to understand Brexit racism
This matters because it projects a depressing view of how the far right in Britain is likely to behave in the weeks and months ahead. Getting the political outcome that they wanted is unlikely to make them happier. Instead, the lies they were fed in the referendum campaign and their general inclination to be unhappy under a right-of-center government will probably work together to hike their general sense of dissatisfaction.
Britain has already seen an uptick in hate crime against Europeans living and working in the country. The future doesn't look good.
Happiness indices