Fathers of Composers | Notes and Stuff!
A final instalment for this year of looking at fathers of composers with the Mozart family! The male ancestral side of the Mozart family does not revolve around music in terms of profession early on. Let's start with the great-grandfather of Wolfgang Amadeus, Franz Mozart. Franz was a master mason. In that time period, children would often follow in their father's profession. However, Franz's son, Johann Georg, decided instead to become a master bookbinder. Johann Georg was born in 1679 and died in 1736. His son, Leopold (born in 1719), was the oldest of his five children who survived to adulthood.
Leopold was destined for the priesthood by his parents but that was not to be. His brother, Franz Aloys, did follow in his father's footsteps and became a bookbinder. Leopold turned to the arts. In school, he performed in plays, sang, and learned to play the violin and organ. After dropping out, moving to Salzburg, and enrolling in a different university, he did earn a Bachelor of Philosophy upon graduating.
In 1740 he started his music career with a position as violinist and valet to Johann Baptist, Count of Thurn-Valsassina and Taxis and by publishing his first series of compositions. In addition to eventually becoming the father of Wolfgang Amadeus, Leopold taught and wrote music. He held the position of deputy Kapellmeister at the Salzburg cathedral for many years. He wrote a treatise on violin playing that is still consulted today.
Obviously he had a big influence on Wolfgang's life. He was his first teacher and toured with him as a child. While the relationship between Wolfgang and Leopold would become more difficult over the years, Leopold offered much support to his daughter Nannerl later on in his life. In addition to emotional support during difficult times of her marriage, he helped raise her son for several years when he was small. He definitely seems like a father who put much of his on life on hold in an attempt to secure a better future for his children.
Today we continue to look at fathers of composers as we head towards Father's Day this month. We are looking at the Mendelssohn family this week. Felix and Fanny are the two famous musical names from this family. Let's look at their grandfather and father.
German Jewish philosopher Moses Mendelssohn was their grandfather. He was born Moses Ben Mendel Dessau in 1729. He was born into a poor family and due to an illness in childhood, Moses did much of his schooling at home and was self taught in several things over the years. In 1750, Moses met a wealthy silk merchant who hired him to teach his children. Eventually Moses became the book keeper and worked his way to partner in the business. It was in the textile industry that he built the base for his family fortune. At some point Moses decided to change his last name, feeling that his birth name could would hinder him. Moses' father was named Mendel and Moses chose Mendelssohn (son of Mendel). He started on his path to becoming a known philosopher in 1756 with Friedrich Nicolai and became quite prominent before his death in 1786.
Abraham Mendelssohn was born in 1776. By the time he was born, the family was well off and it continued to flourish. Abraham studied banking and joined his brother Joseph as a partner in his banking company, which would later be renamed Mendelssohn & Co. Like their father, Moses, Abraham & Joseph also changed their last name. To fit in better with German society, Joseph had taken on the last name of Bartholdy, the name of a property he had purchased. Abraham did the same and encouraged his children to do likewise. While Abraham obviously did well in his life as a banker, history has overshadowed him with a famous father and two famous children.
As we approach Father's Day, I thought I'd look at the paternal side of the life of some of our composers. Since we just wrapped up a look at Franz Liszt, let's start with his patriarchal influences.
Franz definitely gets some of his good genes from his father's side of the family. Liszt great-grandfather, Sebastian, was a farmer and lived until he was almost 90. Quite amazing for the 1700's!
Franz's grandfather, Georg, was the overseer for the Esterhazy estates. He also lived until he was almost 90 years of age, outliving Franz's father, Adam. He played the piano, organ, and violin.
It is interesting to note that the original family name was List. Adam changed the spelling to Liszt, adopting the Hungarian spelling of their name. Once his grandson started to become famous, Georg started using Liszt as well.
Adam was born in 1776, Georg's second child. Adam eventually worked for Prince Nokolaus II Esterhazy as well. In his teens, Adam played the cello in a summer orchestra directed by Haydn for the House of Eszterhazy. Adam was an amateur pianist as well. He also played the organ, violin, and sang. He knew both Haydn and Beethoven.
When Franz was a young boy, Adam took a one year leave from his position with the Prince in order to accompany Franz on several tours. At the end of the year, unable to secure Franz a place in the Conservatory in Paris, Adam asked for more time away. It was not granted and he decided to resign his position and continue instead to manage his son's training and career.
Though a bit of a task master, Adam and Franz did have a good relationship. Franz was deeply pained when his father died of typhoid in 1827. Franz was just 15 years old and this would have a great impact on the next several years of his life as he became the sole support for his mother and himself.
Johannes Brahms is a well known name in classical music. Brahms was born in Hamburg in 1833 and his family background had a big influence in his life. Let's take a brief look at his parents.
His father, Johann Jakob, was born into a family of carpenters, wheelwrights, and tradesmen. His father ran a general store in Heide. Johann Jakob did not follow in his father's footsteps. He became a musician instead. His was an apprentice for 3 years with Theodor Muller and when finished, at the age of 19, he left for Hamburg to look for work as a musician. He played several instruments with most of his work coming from his skill on the horn and the double bass. Much of his work was in dance halls initially. He did become a bugler with the town guard and played his double bass in the Philharmonic Orchestra of Hamburg later in his life.
At the age of 24, Johann Jakob married Johanna Henrika Christiane Nissen, as seamstress 17 years older than him. She had been born in Hamburg. She had started work sewing at the age of 13 and eventually worked as a general servant. The two met when Johann Jakob rented a room from her parents. They married in 1830 with not much to their name. But they made do and worked hard. Their marriage lasted until 1864 when they separated. Christiane died in 1865 and Johann Jakob remarried in 1866, with the blessing of his famous son.
Next week we'll take a closer look at his childhood!
Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin was born in 1810 in Poland. A well-known Romantic era composer, he lived a relatively short life, dying at the age of 39 in Paris. Let's take a look at that life over the next couple of weeks.
His father was Nicolas Chopin. Nicolas was born in the province of Lorraine, France. His father, Francois, was the village administrator of Marainville and a wheelwright, much like Mathias Haydn (https://mtochambermusic.wordpress.com/2014/04/24/mathias-haydn/). Francois married Marguerite Deflin, a respected teacher. Nicolas studied to become a teacher as well. Through connections of his father, Francois, Nicolas was introduced to Weydlich, an estate administrator for a Polish count. When Weydlich returned to Poland, Nicolas had the chance to go with him and his family. At the age of 16, Nicolas started out on his new life in a new country.
Initially Nicolas worked in a tobacco factory where Weydlich was the supervisor. Most likely he worked in the accounting department and as Weydlich's personal assistant and probably tutored Weydlich's children. When the factory closed down 1792, Nicolas had to reconsider his options. While returning to France was a possibility, he chose to stay in Poland. He spent some time with the militia and eventually found himself employed as a tutor with the Laczynski family. Through these connections he met and eventually married Justyna Krzyżanowska – twenty years after coming to Poland.
In 1810, a few months after the birth of Federic, the Chopin family moved to Warsaw to live in the Saxon Palace where Nicolas taught at the Warsaw Lyceum.
Nicolas and Justyna were both musical. Nicolas played the violin and flute and Justyna played and taught the piano. Both Frédéric and his sister, Ludwika, learned to play the piano and did sometimes play duets together. Next week we'll look at the adventures of Frédéric as he grows up and begins his life of music.
Continuing on with a look at parental figures of some of the great composers of old, today we look at Schubert's ancestors. Franz Peter Schubert was born to Franz Theodor Florian Schubert and Maria Elisabeth Katharina Vietz.
His mother, Elisabeth, was born in 1756 in Silesia. Her father was Franz Johann Vietz from Zuckmantel, Northeastern Silesia. He was a locksmith and gunmaker. He did advance within that profession over the years and held a respected position in his field. He even held the office of sheriff at one point. He moved his family to Vienna shortly before he died in 1770, when Elisabeth would have been about 14. Elisabeth served as a housemaid for a family in Vienna before marrying into the Schubert family at the age of 29.
Franz Theodor was born in 1763 in Moravia. His parents, Karl Schubert and Susanna Mück, were farmers. Franz Theodor moved to Vienna around 1783. In 1784, he worked as a teacher at his brother's school. He and Elisabeth married in 1785 and 1786 saw him become Schoolmaster at Himmelpfortgrund, a school his son would eventually attend. Franz Theodor was not a formally trained musician but he was able to pass along some basics to his son at an early age and started his outside musical training at the age of seven. The family did have their own quartet in which Franz Theodor played the cello, brothers Ferdinand and Ignaz played the violins, and Franz Peter played the viola. As a school teacher, Franz Theodor was well known and he ran a well attended school. He had wanted his son to follow in his footsteps and become a teacher at his school. Indeed Franz Peter did start to train as a teacher and worked in his father's school for a time until his compositions started to gain notice and he secured a position with Count Johann Karl Esterházy. Franz Theodor passed away in 1830, two years after the death of his now famous son.
Last week we took a look at Beethoven's parents. This week, let's look at Mathias Haydn, father to composer Franz Joseph, composer Johann Michael Haydn and tenor Johann Evangelist.
Mathias was born in 1699 in the small town of Hainburg. His father, Thomas, was a wheelwright and Mathias followed in his footsteps. After his apprenticeship, he left Hainburg and traveled as a journeyman for 10 years. It is during this time that Mathias took up the harp. He was self taught and could not read music but he had a great love for music and apparently a lovely tenor voice. In 1727, he returned and became a master wheelwright, joining the guild. The next year, he married Maria Koller. They settled in Rohrau in a house that Mathias had built himself.
Mathias and Maria both sang and included their children in learning those folk songs. The family performed small concerts for their village neighbours. At the age of six, Joseph was sent to Hainburg to start his studies in music with the blessing of his parents. In turn, his two brothers followed.
In 1741, Mathis became the Marktrichter (meaning market judge in German), what we might think of as a village mayor, though his duties far exceeded that as he was responsible for the conduct of the people, including ensuring that they went to church each week. He held this position until 1761.
In 1747, Maria died and Mathis remarried soon after. Mathis passed away in 1763 after an accident while working which resulted in several broken ribs. He lived long enough to see his children well on their way to successful careers!
Most everyone is familiar with the name Beethoven. Even if you don't listen to his compositions, you have probably at least heard his name. But what about the family behind the man? We often don't think about the family dynamics behind the great composers of the past, focusing on their music more so than the individual. Let's take a brief look at his father and grandfather. Ludwig van Beethoven is the son of Johann and grandson of Lodewijk. He was named after his grandfather – Ludwig is the German equivalent of Lodewijk.
Lodewijk van Beethoven was born in January 1712 in Belgium, near Mechelen. He moved to Bonn, Germany at the age of 20 and died there in December 1773, about a week after his grandson turned 3 years old. Lodewijk was a well known musician in Bonn in his day – a source of pride for the younger Ludwig. He worked at the court of the Elector of Cologne Clemens August of Bavaria, starting as a bass singer and moving up to be appointed the Kapellmeister (music director) in 1761.
Lodewijk had one son, Johann. Johann was born in 1740 and spent his life in Bonn. He died in 1792. Also musically inclined, he joined the court of the Elector of Cologne in 1964 as a tenor. Johann played the violin, zither, and the keyboard instruments of the day, such as harpsichord and clavichord. He also taught harpsichord and clavichord.
When his son, Ludwig, showed an interest in music at a young age, Johann became his first teacher. Rumors abound that he was a strict teacher. He had dreams of creating another child prodigy like Mozart and stated Ludwig's age to be six at his first concert when he was really seven. Ludwig went on to have many other teachers and as we know developed into an amazing musician. His father was an alcoholic and the family came to depend more and more on Ludwig for financial help. After the death of his wife, Johann declined even more. Two years later, Ludwig eventually gained the legal right to have half of Johann's salary paid to him instead to aid in supporting his two younger brothers.
What a stressful position to be in as a young man. It is a family dynamic that continued for most of Ludwig's life as he felt he needed to care for his siblings and their offspring – sometimes to the point of interference.


The burning question here is, what is a saz? The saz or bağlama is a member of the family of plucked string, long-necked lutes used in Ottoman classical music, Turkish folk music, Iranian music, Azeri music, Kurdish music, Assyrian music, and Armenian music, and in parts of Syria, Iraq, and the Balkan countries. Since the saz has a centuries-old tradition of wandering bards, as well as predominant in 70s psychedelic Anatolian rock, Turkish musician Demir Kerem Atay (AKA Elektro Hafiz) decided to showcase different saz models and modes of playing through different countries on Saz Power. This compilation features musicians from Turkey, Denmark, France, Germany, Poland, and Israel playing either acoustic or electric saz in rock settings. I did not know what to expect before listening to the music. Would it be ethnic music for a limited audience? Or something entirely different? What we have is a mixture of eleven instrumental and vocal tunes based on different Anatolian folk music or contemporary compositions. All are in the rock or psychedelic rock format with drums, bass, electric guitar, organ, and synths supporting the saz. The tunes that impressed me are Elektro Hafiz' "Lübodisko," Baba Zula's "Aşıkların Sözü Kalır (Ironhand Power Version)," Boogie Balagan's "Istanbul Mahabul," and Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek's "Üç Kız Bir Ana." I especially enjoyed the Baba Zula track, as it reminds me of the Hungarian band Vágtázó Halottkémek (AKA Galloping Coroners), with the song's trippy psych riffing, sounds of horses, the hypnotic chanting of the song title, and the sense of the horde charging along the steppes. Saz Power is one refreshing listening experience and worthy of investigation.
I don't remember anymore when I first discovered the wonders of Turkish psychedelic rock, but it's stuck with me for a long time. Starting back in the 60s, European and American rockers discovered the sounds of Turkish music, an at the same time, Turkish musicians discovered the power of rock. Of course, in European classical music, there's a thread going back much further of composers (Haydn, Beethoven, Mozart, and others) who were intrigued by the scales and rhythms of Turkey. The music of India exerted a similar pull in the late 60s, but Turkish music has the advantage of featuring many pieces that don't run to the lengths of a raga, thus are more immediately accessible. From the Turkish side, there's so much great music from Cem Karaca, Barış Manço, Erkin Koray, Fikret Kızılok, and more, that it should be no surprise that the quality carries on to the present time. This collection presents 11 tracks featuring one of the iconic Turkish instruments, the saz, in varying contexts by a variety of modern players. There's a rootsy blues groove with slide guitar and saz from Hudna, a funky electronic piece from MLDVA & Çınar Timur, a psych-jazz workout from Elektro Hafiz, a super-tight fusiony piece from Yasak Helva, and more. It's hard to pick favorites when everything is so good. The balance of instrumental and vocal tunes is good, allowing us to focus on the saz but providing more variety than a purely instrumental collection would. So whether you're a long-time fan or total newcomer to Turkish music, Saz Power is a welcome release proving that the guitar is not the only instrument that can rock.


Late October finds us working in the winery and enjoying– just like all our visitors– Vermont's fall foliage around the vineyard. In the winery, the Marquette we harvest this fall has finished fermentation. Chris and Roxanne are filling our oak barrels to age the wine till next year.
Winemaker Chris fills barrels with Marquette '15 for many months of aging.
The leaves have just fallen from the vines.
The road to Lincoln Peak is paved with gold.
Oops! We missed one at harvest.
The maples around the vineyard are still lovely.


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SubscribeThe Small Package Supply Chain Media
Purolator USA Chooses Raleigh-Durham as its Southeast Logistics Headquarters
Nov. 2 2007 03:29 PM
RALEIGH, NC - October 24, 2007- Purolator USA, the U.S. subsidiary of Canada's largest small package and freight services company, has selected the Raleigh-Durham area for its southeast U.S. regional headquarters.
The new Raleigh-Durham hub will support Purolator USA (www.purolatorusa.com) customers from North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee.
Our recognized expertise and nationwide coverage throughout Canada normally means fewer trans-border issues, quicker distribution and lower costs for our U.S. customers, says Tammy Fairbanks, the newly appointed RDU branch manager for the company. Im excited about this opportunity to introduce these advantages to businesses shipping to Canada from North Carolina and other Southeast locations.
Purolator USA offers a full range of services from overnight small packages to LTL (less than truckload) freight forwarding. In addition, Purolator USA now offers US domestic small package delivery, making it easier for customers to complete shipping by consolidating with a single freight forwarder.
Nationwide, Purolator USA has been growing rapidly and has doubled the size of its branch network during the past 12 months. The Raleigh-Durham/Southeast location was selected because the Companys existing customer base in the area, and because research indicates that the region accounts for a very significant amount of US-Canada trade.
In late 2007, the Raleigh Durham operation will move to a permanent location near the RDU airport that will house both administrative offices and a package consolidation area. Southeast customers are currently being served from temporary facilities.
Before joining Purolator in 2006, Fairbanks had seven years of experience at UPS and four years with Fed Ex. "I was attracted to Purolator because of its focus on meeting customer needs and its priority of providing customized solutions to our clients, Fairbanks stated. Although the Southeast branch is headquartered in Raleigh-Durham, we have staff throughout the entire region. And, we will announce several major customers in the near future.
UPS Announces 2008 RatesNext
FedEx Readies for the Busiest Holiday Season in Company History Previous
ShippingEasy Launches Free Education Series on How to Become an Expert Email Marketer in Just One Week
RoadSync, Mobile Payments for Logistics, Announces $100 Million in Processed Payments
Purolator announces $1B investment to deliver the future

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Born and raised in Lebanon, Yara moved to Washington DC two years ago on a Fulbright Scholarship to get a Masters degree in Security Studies at Georgetown University. Her concentration is in terrorism and sub-state violence, and her geographic area of focus is the Middle East. She was first introduced to Initiatives of Change during the summer of 2011 when she interned at the center at Caux, doing conference support, translation, and her favorite: cooking in the diet kitchen. Graduate student by day, and avid bookworm, dreamer, and chocolate enthusiast by night, Yara dreams of becoming a writer, and is in the process of publishing her first book, "Biography of a Little Prince." She now works with the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy in Washington, DC.


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Christina Michailidou
Risk aware data usage control
Managing QoS in Smart Buildings through Software Defined Network and Usage Control
Phylogenetic Analysis for Ransomware Detection and Classification into Families
Research work:
The objective of this research is to define a set of techniques and tools for the specification and monitoring of allowed data sharing in distributed organizations. The usage control policies can be related to the risk level computed by means of several factors. The tools developed will be also used for information sharing techniques related to cyber-crime prevention and forensics aspects of data management aligned to the European cyber-security directive and associated EU policies and regulatory requirements and recommendations.
ESRs Publications
IQ2S 2019, PERCOM 2019, Christina Michailidou
This work presents a framework for applying QoS in a network of a Smart Building environment, exploiting Software Defined Networks (SDN) and Usage Control (UCON) policy enforcement. The proposed framework will be presented in a plausible use case of a Smart Building where the available Internet connection provided by an Internet Service Provider will be distributed both to tenants and the devices responsible for the management and the safety of the building, taking into account different levels of QoS. Network traffic and bandwidth are thus managed by dynamically exploiting Usage Control framework to enforce a set of management, security and safety policies, aimed at ensuring the appropriate QoS for the provided services according to both tenants Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and current context. A set of performance experiments is reported to demonstrate the viability of the proposed approach.
Secrypt 2018, Christina Michailidou
The widespread of ransomware experienced in the last years has been caused also by the ability of attackers
to introduce changes and mutations that make the malware hard to identify from antimalware software. In this
paper we propose a two-phase method based on machine learning on API-level analysis aimed (i) to effectively
detect ransomware despite the applied techniques for obfuscation and introduced variations, (ii) to provide a
tool for security analysts to track phylogenetic relationships exploiting the binary tree obtained by the classification
analysis. We preliminary experimented the proposed method on real-world ransomware applications
belonging to three widespread families (i.e., petya, badrabbit and wannacry), obtaining encouraging results
in ransomware detection and family identification. A discussion about the ransomware-related phylogenetic
relationships is also provided.
Enhancing Usage Control for Performance: A Proposal for Systems of Systems
HPCS 2018, Christina Michailidou
Modern interconnected systems of systems, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), demand the presence of access and usage control mechanisms which will be able to manage the right of access to the corresponding services, and the plethora of information being generated in a daily basis. The Usage Control (UCON) model offers the means for fine-grained dynamic control of access to specific resources, by monitoring and evaluating the attributes defined within a dedicated security policy. However, a number of improvements can be introduced to the standard model regarding the simplification of the policy writing, but also the improvement of run-time efficiency and scalability. In this article, we discuss the limitations of the original UCON, and propose suitable enhancements for their remediation. Specifically, a risk aggregation framework is proposed to be added to the existing architecture, for dynamic role allocation and service grouping management, in order to improve the scalability, and run-time efficiency of the existing model.
Enhancing Usage Control for Performance: An Architecture for Systems of Systems
CyberICPS 2018, ESORICS 2018, Christina Michailidou
The distributiveness and heterogeneity of today's systems of systems, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), on-line banking systems, and contemporary emergency information systems, require the integration of access and usage control mechanisms, for managing the right of access both to the corresponding services, and the plethora of information that is generated in a daily basis. Usage Control (UCON) is such a mechanism, allowing the fine-grained policy based management of system resources, based on dynamic monitoring and evaluation of object, subject, and environmental attributes. Yet, as we presented in an earlier article, a number of improvements can be introduced to the standard model regarding its resilience on active attacks, the simplification of the policy writing, but also in terms of run-time efficiency and scalability. In this article, we present an enhanced usage control architecture, that was developed for tackling the aforementioned issues. In order to achieve that, a dynamic role allocation system will be added to the existing architecture, alongside with a service grouping functionality which will be based on attribute aggregation. This is structured in accordance to a risk-based framework, which has been developed in order to aggregate the risk values that the individual attributes encapsulate into a unified risk value. These architectural enhancements are utilized in order to improve the resilience, scalability, and run-time efficiency of the existing model.
Too Long, did not Enforce: A Qualitative Hierarchical Risk-Aware Data Usage Control Model for Complex Policies in Distributed Environments
AsiaCCS, Christina Michailidou
Distributed environments such as Internet of Things, have an increasing need of introducing access and usage control mechanisms, to manage the rights to perform specific operations and regulate the access to the plethora of information daily generated by these devices. Defining policies which are specific to these distributed environments could be a challenging and tedious task, mainly due to the large set of attributes that should be considered, hence the upcoming of unforeseen conflicts or unconsidered conditions. In this paper we propose a qualitative risk-based usage control model, aimed at enabling a framework where is possible to define and enforce policies at different levels of granularity. In particular, the proposed framework exploits the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to coalesce the risk value assigned to different attributes in relation to a specific operation, in a single risk value, to be used as unique attribute of usage control policies. Two sets of experiments that show the benefits both in policy definition and in performance, validate the proposed model, demonstrating the equivalence of enforcement among standard policies and the derived single-attributed policies.


Navigating your way through the various options in relation to essay creating can feel like you're experiencing a minefield. Narrative, Detailed, Expository, Riveting… they can most seem like different methods of saying exactly the same thing. In fact , a number of essay designs are very very similar but each of them has its own quirks and style regulations which can help internet writers communicate with their very own audience and also, once you understand them, they can even help someone to craft the most effective piece probable.
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The woman behind the brand, Lulu Frost designer and brand founder Lisa Salzer is a serious influence in the jewellery industry. Stocked all over the world and collaborating with the likes of J. Crew and Net-a-Porter, her collections are always a sell-out and it's fair to say, pretty high up on our wish list!


text:
<?php

/**
 * Italian (Italy) language pack
 * @package modules: multiform
 * @subpackage i18n
 */

i18n::include_locale_file('modules: multiform', 'en_US');

global $lang;

if(array_key_exists('it_IT', $lang) && is_array($lang['it_IT'])) {
	$lang['it_IT'] = array_merge($lang['en_US'], $lang['it_IT']);
} else {
	$lang['it_IT'] = $lang['en_US'];
}

$lang['it_IT']['MultiForm']['BACK'] = 'Indietro';
$lang['it_IT']['MultiForm']['NEXT'] = 'Successivo';
$lang['it_IT']['MultiForm']['SUBMIT'] = 'Invia';
$lang['it_IT']['MultiFormSession']['db_Hash'] = 'Hash';
$lang['it_IT']['MultiFormSession']['db_IsComplete'] = 'IsComplete';
$lang['it_IT']['MultiFormSession']['has_many_FormSteps'] = 'FormSteps';
$lang['it_IT']['MultiFormSession']['plural_name'] = '(nessuno)';
$lang['it_IT']['MultiFormSession']['singular_name'] = '(nessuno)';
$lang['it_IT']['MultiFormStep']['db_Data'] = 'Dati';
$lang['it_IT']['MultiFormStep']['plural_name'] = '(nessuno)';
$lang['it_IT']['MultiFormStep']['singular_name'] = '(nessuno)';

?>

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) – Appeal proceedings update
Paris – December 2, 2022. By a decision dated December 1, 2022, the Seoul High Court partially granted GTT's appeal against the Korea Fair Trade Commission's corrective order by revoking the €9.5 million administrative fine paid by GTT early 2021. In the same decision, the Seoul High Court confirmed the Company's obligation to separate the technology license agreement from the technical assistance if requested by the Korean shipyards.
The Company is currently reviewing the details of this decision in order to define the most appropriate available actions to best preserve its rights.
GTT strongly believes that its unique expertise is key to the safe development of LNG maritime transport by providing ever more innovative, safe and efficient technologies, for the benefit of the entire industry.
The Company will keep the market informed of any significant development on the matter.
December 2, 2020: KFTC's decision ordering GTT to allow the Korean shipyards upon their request, to perform all or part of the technical assistance services currently included in the technology license and to pay an administrative fine of €9.5 million
December 31, 2020: GTT's appeal before the Seoul High Court and application to suspend the effect of the KFTC decision
January 6, 2021: Seoul High Court decision to suspend the effect of the KFTC decision
January 14, 2021: KFTC's appeal of the suspension of effect decision before the Supreme Court of Korea
May 14, 2021: decision of the Supreme Court of Korea to reject the appeal from the KFTC
December 1, 2022: decision on the merits of the Seoul High Court.


This was a motion graphics assignment intended to be an emotional visualization of a famous speech. I chose Jim Valvano's ESPY speech, "Don't Give Up, Don't Ever Give Up" give in 1993. It is a profoundly moving speech and I connected with it immensely, leading to an immersive design experience.


Come join us at O'Connor Brewing on 24th Street in Norfolk on June to enjoy some locally brewed beer and have a good time. A percentage of sales from 5-9pm will be donated to the foundation. We will have merchandise on hand for sale along with raffles.
Our annual softball tournament, Fly High Frenzy, is an adult co-ed 16" tournament bringing in over 200 players and spectators. Little Creek National Pony Baseball and Softball (LCN) is the host of our tournament. LCN has been supporting the city of Norfolk's youth for over thirty years.
The first pitch of our tournament will be at 8am on June 23, 2019; with mid-day ceremonies starting at approximately 1pm. These events will provide our partners with great recognition and awareness throughout the tournament.
This is our 4th annual golf tournament held at Sewells Point Golf Course. A Florida Best Ball format with a shotgun start at 1230pm. Individual registration fee is $70; foursome fee is $240. Registration includes green fees, range balls, cart, dinner and a goodie bag.
Click the "Pay Now" button below to register a team.
We are seeking tournament sponsors, raffle/silent auctions donations along with participant goodie bag donations. Click here to see sponsorship options.
Click the button below to select a sponsorship level and register as a sponsor.
Click here to purchase our polos, hats and visors perfect for our golf tournament!
Join us for glassware paint night! We will be painting two mason jars! We will be eating and drinking and painting jars on August 28. Please click the link below to register.
We are collecting new and gently used hoodies to donate to local homeless shelters. We will be collecting at various locations. Stay tuned as the dates get closer to find out where our drop off locations will be so you can donate your hoodies!
We will be hosting our first girls softball clinic on October 22. The clinic is for girls ages 6-13 who are beginners and those with less than 2 years experience. Various skills will be demonstrated: hitting, sliding, base running, catching, pitching, fielding. High school and college level players will be onsite mentoring participants. Pre-registration is required; lunch will be provided. Online registration will be forthcoming.
This is our 3rd annual golf tournament held at Sewells Point Golf Course. A Florida Best Ball format with a shotgun start at 1230pm. Individual registration fee is $70; foursome fee is $240. Registration includes green fees, range balls, cart, dinner and a goodie bag.
We are also seeking sponsors, raffle/silent auction donations and goodie bag donations. Please see sponsorship information below.
We will be hosting our second field hockey clinic this fall. This clinic is for girls ages 9-14 and is catered to those who are beginners to those with less than two years experience. High school and college players are on site to mentor the participants, demonstrate skills, teach the basic rules and fundamentals of the sport and scrimmage. Lunch and a t-shirt is provided. Pre-registration is required. Stay tuned for updates when registration will be live.
The Anjelica Hadsell Memorial Scholarship Fund will be collecting new and gently used hoodies this holiday season. All items received will be donated to children in low-income households throughout the City of Norfolk. We are looking for hoodies, sweatshirts and sweaters in all sizes, as children come in all sizes.
We will be hosting our 1st annual poker run! Check-in will begin at 7am at Tarrallton Park (2100 Tarrallton Drive, Norfolk). Kickstands up at 8am; last bike out at 9am. Donuts and coffee will be provided. The ride will start out down Shore Drive and go through Pungo, Blackwater, Princess Annge and back to Tarrallton for a burger burn starting at 11:00.
First 200 registered participants will receive a lapel pin.
Registration may be done online or through any foundation member.
Anjelica has participated in the Special Olympics Polar Plunge for the past few years. This year, the foundation has created a team in her memory. You may support our team by joining it, donating to it or attending the event. To join or donate to the team, please click here. All donations will benefit our local Special Olympics chapter.
Same day registration begins at noon.
Over the past few years, Anjelica along with her mother and sisters donated to Z104's Stuff the Bus event. This event gathers toys from the community for Toys for Tots to ensure children have something to look forward to on Christmas morning. To continue Anjelica's giving spirit, we will be conducting a toy drive and donating these toys to Stuff the Bus on behalf of the foundation. Toys will be collected at the Tarrallton Recreation Center. You may drop off a brand new, unwrapped toy to help us make this toy drive a successful event.
We will be hosting a Haunted Halloween Maze at the Little Creek National Pony Baseball & Softball Trunk or Treat event this year. We will have various mazes for all ages. Maze entry fee is $3 or $5, depending on the maze. We will also have treats and foundation items for sale. We look forward to seeing you there!
Our fundraising events will kick off with our first annual golf tournament. This event will be held at Sewells Point Golf Course. Registration/check-in will begin at 11am. Shotgun start at 12:30pm. Dinner will be provided at the conclusion of play.


I am the Queen of Procrastination and the internet is my livelihood AND my biggest distraction. Have you ever felt like you spent more time organizing than actually getting something accomplished? I sure do!
Whether you work from home or just trying to balance your checkbook, here are some great tips to help you focus.
Did you know these Google Tips?
... Using the search tool, type the word "weather" and add the city and state, zip code or city and country.
...To see current market data for a company or fund, type the ticker symbol into the search box. On the results page, you can click the link to see more data from Google Finance.
....To see scores and schedules for sports teams type the team name or league name into the search box.
Check out more tips and tricks at their Search Tips & Tricks website.
I cannot tell you how many times someone said, "I just never got around to putting on antivirus software on my computer or back up the initial hard drive". The result is not always pleasant, such as loosing those important documents, family pictures or important emails.
If you don't backup your new computer, you risk additional money to replace the operating system, much more than the time and a few DVDs would have cost.
If you don't keep your antivirus up-to-date or forget to have it scan your computer, my may come to regret your actions.
Don't sabotage your computer by procrastination, take the time to do the needed backups, cleanups and system maintenance and keep your system running optimally, or at the very least, restorable.
It was nice to be able to edit your comments when you replied to someone on Facebook (implemented in 2012), but I always wanted to be able to correct me my FB post errors which often occurred when I was in a hurry. When I returned and reviewed the post, I would be red faced by my mistake! Ugh!
So as of September, 2013, you can now edit your posts and your comments and see a history of those edits, just in case someone tries to switch the post to something different than the original meaning.
On your post click on the arrow on the upper right corner of your post to get the drop down menu. Select Edit.
You will get the opportunity to make your changes then click Done Editing.
Looking at the top of your post, under your name, you will see where it is now listed as edited. Clicking on "edited" will bring up a list of the changes on your post.
The feature works on almost any Facebook post type, including status updates, links, photos, and videos. We were, however, able to pinpoint some restrictions when it comes to link posts. If you share a link, you cannot edit it.
Unable to Edit shared link.
Even with this minor issue, it is nice to see FB make these small changes to make our FB time a little bit better. Now there is no excuse for gramatical errors or typos, right? Who am I kidding. Until I can afford a full-time editor, mistakes will happen. Thanks Facebook for allowing us to clean up after ourselves.


HIFU facelift stands for high-intensity focused ultrasound. This advanced treatment from 3D HIFU can help lift and firm your skin by stimulating collagen production within your body. It's a non-invasive way to target loss of firmness and fine lines and wrinkles.
HIFU can be an ideal way to achieve visible lift without the need for surgery.
Take a look at our before & after gallery to see for yourself.
This walk-in walk-out procedure takes around 60 minutes.
Any swelling, redness or sensitivity should subside soon after the treatment but avoid applying make-up until symptoms have passed.


The 9th edition Electronic Expo Indian(IPCA SHOW 2016) was held from 18th August to 20th August in New Delhi, it is the top level electronic circuit exhibition of the south Asia. Dongguan Bochen Plastic Technology Co., Ltd, booth no.C13 bringing the newest patented products to the show.
During the exhibition, Dongguan Bochen Plastic showed the latest patented plastic packaging products such as multi-layers co-extruded vacuum bags, Aluminum foil bags, anti-static PE bags, thousands of customers came to our booth for more information.
Dongguan Bochen Plastic Technology has been devoted itself to producing the best electronic-products packaging materials for over ten years. We have advanced five-layer & seven-layer co-extruded water-cooled down-blowing film machines as well as stream casting , bag machines and other accessory machines. Bo Chen has the capability of producing 300 tons of various blown films, we can provide you with any specification you want. Bo Chen is aiming to meet the requirement of the customers' standards, we strictly follows the ISO9001:2008 Quality Management System and ISO14001:2004 Environmental Management System, we are your ideal partner of the packaging.


what day that will spear elgg 2.0.0?
2.0.0-rc.2 will be released next Sunday. I guess stable 2.0 in a couple of weeks. But it's already very stable. You can already start testing it.
whenever I enter my site using https is the look that way http://i.imgur.com/GM8cvx4.png They could help me?
Don't use the "Enable https login" option, it's going away soon anyway. As long as your site is configured with the url as https it will work fine. You can also force https in your htaccess or various other ways in the server config.
I can only give suggestions about the likely reasons why the avatars are not displayed correctly. I've listed the likely reasons.
You might want to check if the image uploaded to be used as your profile image is actually saved in the data directory together with the resized versions created on uploading it. You need to find your user's subdirectory within the data directory (name of the subdirectory is equal your user account's guid). If the image files are there, the display does not fail due to the uploading/processing of the image failing. In this case you need to check the server logs if they contain any entries explaining the problem and you might check if the problem is caused by another 3rd party plugin (disable them all temporarily and try again). If the image file is not saved in the data directory together with the thumbnail versions, the only explanations I have is some issue with GD extension or the php variables values.
This error has nothing to do with Elgg (i.e. it's not a bug). Something must be wrong on your server config (or due to a 3rd party plugin) and it's very, very unlikely that you won't have the same issue on Elgg 2.0.


text:
Espeland Station (Espeland stoppested) er en jernbanestation på Vossebanen, der ligger ved byområdet Espeland i Bergen kommune i Norge. Den betjenes af veterantog fra Gamle Vossebanen.

Stationen blev oprettet som holdeplads 1. august 1899, da der var et behov for stop ved Janusfabrikken. 1. august 1964 omlagdes trafikken på strækningen mellem Tunestveit og Bergen, hvor stationen ligger, til en ny strækning. Stationen stod derefter ubenyttet hen i en årrække, men fra 1993 begyndte der at køre veterantog under navnet Gamle Vossebanen mellem Garnes og Midttun.

Stationsbygningen blev opført i 1899. Den ejes af Janusfabrikken, der restaureredes den i anledning af fabrikkens 110 års jubilæum i 2005.

Litteratur

Eksterne henvisninger

 Kort over Gamle Vossebanen

Noter

Stationer på Vossebanen
Stationer på veteranbaner i Norge
Jernbanestationer i Bergen
Etableret i 1899

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Wrapping you in a world of fabrics and More Love!
Specializing in African Wax Prints, African and Indonesian Batiks, Australian Aboriginal Prints, South African Shweshwe fabric, Guatemalan Handwoven Fabrics, Indian Block Prints, and more.
New textiles and products are added often, so take some time and check out our shop. To learn more about MORE LOVE MAMA and our story – simply head on over to the about page. Finally, we invite you to stay connected with us by signing up for our newsletter. You'll receive special offers, announcements regarding new products, and updates from MORE LOVE MAMA. To subscribe, simply fill out the form below. Thanks for visiting!


I cannot wait to wear this t-shirt. It's very lightweight, but also very soft.When temperature up it will be my best choice to wear it !
Fits great on me and I can't wait to wear it, it's very perfect to wear it for work. Really good product, looks well, delivery was fast!
The t-shirt is really really good quality,i have bought the right size after read the size chart,fit me well!!!Exactly as description. great product. great service.
Good t-shirt ,really liked everything about the t-shirt . Agood feel and fit and hardly any shrinkage after drying. Nice BUY!!


text:
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Polish studies of peat and peatlands have a long-term tradition and substantial achievements. The researchers working in this field are members of the Polish National Committee of IPS, whose commissions have recently received considerable attention in terms of their goals and functions. Polish National Committee of IPS has 98 members.
The work of our Committee in 2014 focused on evidence of structural variation, richness and inventiveness of peatlands. However we are just beginning to understand their relevance to the functioning of peat ecosystems, which is related to their fate and behaviour in soil conditions. Understanding peat soil requires an interdisciplinary approach involving several sciences such as chemistry, biochemistry, soil science, ecology and plant physiology, as in the development of the history of peat science, the histories of individual scientific peat disciplines (botany, biology, chemistry, biochemistry, balneology, energetic and agricultural utilization) have played an enormously significant role.
"Carbon and nitrogen in organic matter fractions of Histosols located in upper valley of Liwiec river".
a) "Impact of the melioration on organic matter properties and the content of biologically active substances in peats".
b) "Function of humus substances and the transformation of nitrogen in peat caused by the drainage and undrainage of peatlands".
c) "Molecular composition of organic carbon in soil water systems".
d) "Impact of peat type and species of upland mires on the changes enzymatic, chemical and physical properties".
e) "Function of peatland on the limitation of non-point pollution in ground water".
f) "Relationship between chemical, biochemical and physical properties of organic and mineral growing media and the occurrence and significance of indole-3-acetic acid as fotohormone".
Peat - Water Ecosystems (Kiev, Ukraine), West Siberian peatlands and carbon cycle: past and present (Novosibirsk, Russia), Biogenic - abiogenic interactions in natural and anthropogenic systems (Sankt Petersburg, Russia), Paleopedological record of postglacial soil and landscape evolution (Toruń, Poland), European Geosciences Union, General Assembly (Vienna, Austria).
Prof. Lech Wojciech Szajdak, the chairman of the Polish National Committee of IPS would like to express gratitude towards the members who participated in the meetings and the people who have worked voluntary for the Polish National Committee of IPS.
• therapeutic properties of peat (2 papers).
The book will be useful to researchers in the field. Moreover, it will be helpful for undergraduate and postgraduate students, soil scientists, biochemists, chemists, plant ecophysiologists, "natural products" organic chemists and other environmental scientists and experts. The book was dedicated to Professor Tomasz Brandyk, a member of the International Peat Society who was highly involved in IPS activities, both on Polish and international level.
However, we currently have abundant evidence of structural variation, richness and inventiveness of peatlands; we are just beginning to understand their relevance to the functioning of peat ecosystems, which is related to their fate and behaviour in soil conditions. Understanding peat soil requires an interdisciplinary approach involving several sciences such as chemistry, biochemistry, soil science, ecology and plant physiology, as in the development of the history of peat science, the histories of individual scientific peat disciplines (botany, biology, chemistry, biochemistry, balneology, energetic and agricultural utilization) have played an enormously significant role.
Polish studies of peat and peatlands have a long-term tradition and substantial achievements. The researchers working in this field are members of the Polish National Committee of IPS, whose commissions have recently received considerable attention in terms of their goals and functions. Therefore, it has become crucial to publish a book entitled "Polish National Committee of IPS – the history, activity, achievements", which was edited by Andrzej Łachacz.
Within its 180 pages, the book shows the history and activity of all Commissions included in the Polish National Committee of IPS. In addition, it includes information on Commission III of IPS on "Agricultural use of peatlands and peat", which has been chaired by Polish scientists from 1995 (Piotr Ilnicki 1995-2000, Tomasz Brandyk 2000-2004, Lech W. Szajdak 2004-2012, Barbara Kalisz 2012-now).
Members of the Polish National Committee of IPS met twice in 2011. Our annual assembly was held on 10 February in Warsaw. All chairpersons of commissions showed the reports on activities during 2011. The discussion after presentations was connected with the plan for 2011.
The second meeting was held on 1 September in Tlen, Bory Tucholskie, Poland during the International Conference on "Necessity of Peatlands Protection". The Polish National Committee together with Commission III of IPS, the Committee on Land Reclamation and Agricultural Environment Engineering, Polish Academy of Sciences and Institute for Agricultural and Forest Environment, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poznan, Poland organized this event.
The main topics of the conference were: (1) peatlands and forest areas, (2) protection of peatlands in agricultural and forestry landscape, (3) multifunction of peatlands.
During three sessions, distinguished leading scientists, young researchers and students presented 44 papers including 13 oral lectures, and 31 posters. The conference was addressed to young scientists who have been involved in this problem recently. 50 Polish, Estonian, Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian and Rumanian scientists attended the conference.
During the meeting, a new chairperson - Prof. Dr. Lech Wojciech Szajdak, two vice-chairpersons - Prof. Dr. Andrzej Łachacz, Prof. Dr. Krzysztof Lipka and the secretary - Dr. Katarzyna Styła of Polish National Committee were elected.
As the Polish National Committee assembles mainly scientists from 24 universities and research institutes, the activities are focused on different aspects of research. The members reveal the activity in many fields related to peat properties and peatlands utilization and protection. During the last year many important research projects were carried out by the Polish IPS members. Therefore the results obtained were published in many international and local journals and monographs.
The Polish National Committee decided to prepare a book describing activities of the Polish National Committee and its commissions. It will be published in Polish and an English version. The book will cover the entire history of our organization, however, the main point is to show different aspects of our activities performed during the last decade. The Polish National Committee would like to publish this book before the 14th International Peat Congress in Stockholm and to promote it during the event of the International Peat Society.
Members of the Polish National Committee of IPS met twice this year. An annual assembly was held on 10 February. During this meeting the chairpersons of commissions presented reports on activities during the previous year. After discussion the action plan for 2010 was accepted. The second meeting was held on 27 October. It was decided to organize a peat symposium in 2011. Another theme discussed was to prepare a book describing activities of the Polish National Committee and its commissions. The idea is to cover the whole history of our organization and the main point is to describe various activities performed during the last decade.
As the Polish National Committee assembles mainly scientists from 24 universities and research institutes, the activities are focused on research. The members are active in many fields related to peat properties and peatlands utilization and protection. During the last year many important research projects were carried out by the Polish IPS members. The results obtained were published in many international and local journals.
The members of Executive Board of the Polish National Committee participated in many meetings and scientific events where various aspects of peat and peatlands were raised. For example, Polish IPS members were active at General Assembly of European Geosciences Union in Vienna (Austria) 2-7 May, where professor Lech Szajdak was a co-organizer of one session – SSS17 – "Dehydrated and rewetted peatlands: hydrological, physical and chemical changes". Also five persons took place in 7th Scientific School on Bogs and Biosphere in Tomsk (Russia) during 13-19 September and afterwards participated in field trip in Gornyi Altai. The Polish participants are very grateful to professor Lidia I. Inisheva and the organizing committee from Tomsk State Pedagogical University, doctor M. V. Shurova from Gorno-Altai Research Institute of Agriculture and the staff members of Gorno-Altaisk State University for this splendid and well prepared scientific event.
Also at University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn lectures open to general public were delivered. Professor W. Mioduszewski spoken on "Extreme natural events – droughts and floods". Hydrological role of peatlands is frequently underestimated, therefore the consequences of floods may be of catastrophic dimension. Professor K. Lipka covered two themes "Functions of wetlands" and "Peatlands in the Orawsko-Nowotarska Basin". Raised peat bogs located in this sub-Carpathian region are at risk due to human activities.
Members of the Polish National Committee of IPS met twice this year. An Annual Assembly was held on 11 February 2009. During this meeting, the Commission chairpersons presented reports on activities during the previous year. After short discussion, the action plan for 2009 was accepted.
The second meeting was held on 7 December. One of the reasons for this extraordinary meeting was to discuss the present situation of our Committee after the unexpected death of Prof. Tomasz Brandyk, the Vice Chairman of the Polish National Committee. After heated discussion, some changes were approved. Professor Lech Szajdak was elected Vice Chairman of the Polish National Committee, Professor Adam Bogacz as Chairman of Commission III – utilization of peat and peatlands in agriculture and Doctor Barbara Kalisz as a member of the Executive Board responsible for organisational affairs. Additionally, it was decided that during the next Annual Assembly, to be held in February 2010, Vice Chairmen of each Cmmissions will be elected. We hope that all the changes introduced would activate our work. A workshop on properties of peat and taxonomy of organic soils is also planned for 2010.
As the Polish National Committee assembles mainly scientists from 24 universities and research institutes, the activities are focused on research. The members are active in many fields related to peat properties and the utilisation and protection of peatlands. During the last year, many important research projects were carried out by the Polish IPS members. The members of the Executive Board of the Polish National Committee participated in many meetings and scientific events where various aspects of peat and peatlands were raised.
In 2009, differing lectures open to the general public were delivered at the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn. The following lectures were focused on peat and peatlands: Prof. Lech Szajdak: Western Siberia – Tomsk, nature, culture, people; The importance of midfield afforested places in reduction of pollutants in the agricultural landscape; Prof. Kazimierz Tobolski: Cultural aspects of peats and peatlands; Protection of peatlands in Europe in the light of the Natura 2000 programme; Prof. Waldemar Mioduszewski: Water for agriculture and nature protection; and Dr. Ryszard Oleszczuk: Emission of greenhouse gases from cultivated peat soils used for agriculture. This activity will continue in 2010.
The Polish National Committee of IPS held its annual meeting on 11 February 2008. During this meeting the Chairpersons of the Commissions presented their reports on activities during the previous year. After discussion, the action plan for 2008 was accepted. Furthermore the membership issues were analysed, e.g. how to attract young scientists to join the Polish National Committee of IPS. During this meeting some problems related to peatland utilization for agriculture and peatland protection within the pan-European ecological network Natura 2000 were also discussed.
The members of the Executive Board of the Polish NC participated in many meetings and scientific events where various aspects of peat and peatlands were raised. The Polish scientists are represented in IPS by 25 universities and research institutes. The members are active in many fields related to peat properties and peatlands utilization and protection. The majority of them are focused on activities within two Commissions, namely on the utilization of peat and peatlands in agriculture, and the chemical, physical and biological characteristics of peat.
During the last year many important research projects have been carried out by Polish IPS members. Lately the project entitled "Geographical information system on the Polish wetlands" was completed at the Institute for Land Reclamation and Grassland Farming in Falenty. The data base comprises information on the distribution and general characteristics of wetlands, including peatlands.
In 2008, a series of lectures open to students, university teachers as well as to the general public began at the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn. The scope of the presentations is the environment but a great number of presentations actually concern peatlands. This activity will continue in 2009.


Was it really the spirit of President Lincoln?
A recent Travel Channel program discussed the purported spirit photo taken by medium William Mumler sometime in 1871, showing what appears to be the spirit of Abraham Lincoln standing behind his widow Mary Lincoln, (below) his hands resting on her shoulders.
There is a very vague image of a second spirit believed to be that of Tad, the Lincolns' deceased son, standing to the left of his father. The concluding remarks of the television commentator were to the effect that Mumler was likely a fraud, superimposing a negative of Lincoln onto the negative of Mary's sitting.
As might be expected, Wikipedia and several other web sites fully support the television commentator in making Mumler out to be a fraud or trickster. Wikipedia calls upon Joe Nickell as an authority on the subject – a man not born until some 60 years after Mumler's death. Nickell and others offer some hearsay "evidence" in support of Mumler being a trickster, no doubt about it.
According to Sargent, most of the spirits in Mumler's photos were vague and not always recognized by the sitter. Such imperfect photos led to the charges of fraud, but as anyone who has studied mediumship with an open mind knows, the quality of a phenomenon varies significantly and is usually due to the inability of the communicating spirit to effectively project his or her thought or image through the veil separating the earth vibration from the spirit world vibration, though at times it is due to the medium not being powerful enough support a spirit's attempt to communicate or materialize. In the materialization phenomenon, there were a few who could project near perfect likenesses of themselves into the ectoplasm produced by the medium and many others who failed badly, sometimes looking more like mannequins or carnival dolls than real people. Many could not materialize at all. It follows that in spirit photography some would be of good quality and others of poor quality, probably most of poor quality.
Sargent also reported that a photographer named Gurney followed Mumler step-by-step through the whole photographic and developing process and was likewise convinced that no trickery was involved.
Dr. James Coates reported on a number of spirit photographers in his 1911 book, "Photographing the Invisible." He recorded that other reputable photographers were called in to observe Mumler and expose him, but none of them detected fraud. He also mentions that Mr. P.V. Hickey of the New York World attempted to expose Mumler as a fraud and succeeded in having him prosecuted, since the photo he received was "a dim, indistinct outline of a ghostly face staring out of one corner." Mumler identified it as the man's father-in-law, but Hickey claimed it was neither his father-in-law nor anyone else he knew.
One of many witnesses testifying on behalf of Mumler in the criminal action was John W. Edmonds, former chief justice of the New York State Supreme Court, who said he knew many people who had visited Mumler "with astonishing success in procuring spirit pictures of departed friends." Also testifying for Mumler was C. F. Livermore, a prominent lawyer, who said that he saw two spirit figures on a photograph taken of him, one of which he recognized and the other which he did not recognize. Livermore had a number of other sittings with Mumler, some resulting in failures, some in shadowy backgrounds, but one which he clearly recognized. Based on the testimony of Edmonds, Livermore and others, Mumler was exonerated.
1. Did Mumler even know that Mary Lincoln was visiting Boston at the time? Could someone have tipped him off to Mrs. Lincoln's intended visit from her home in Springfield, Illinois, so that he could have somehow acquired a negative of President Lincoln?
2. Can we assume that Mumler was truthful in saying he did not recognize Mary Lincoln? Mumler apparently photographed her seven years earlier when she visited Boston while still living in the White House. However, she understandably appears to have aged more than seven years and is more plump and homely in the 1971 photograph. It needs to be kept in mind that this was for the most part before photo journalism and we cannot assume that people were reminded daily of what a president's wife looked like, as we are today by newspapers and television. Portrait photography did not become popular until the 1850s and only a few portraits of Mary Lincoln existed at the time.
3. Did Mumler have a negative of Abraham Lincoln available to superimpose on the negative with Mary Lincoln? If so, where did he get it? This was at a time when such negatives and photos were likely not readily available. Should we assume that Mumler kept stock negatives and photos of many famous people in case relatives showed up for photographs? It was reported that Mumler did not do his own developing at the time and Mary Lincoln returned three days later to pick up the photograph, certainly enough time for Mumler to have somehow come up with an image of the sixteenth president. One must wonder why he did his own developing for William Guay and Gurney, but sent the plates out for developing to an independent contractor with Mrs. Lincoln. Perhaps his business had picked up so much by 1971 that it was more profitable to have others do the developing and printing for him, giving him time for more portraits.
Wallace still was unable to identify the swordsman in the first photo, but the second photo, while somewhat indistinct, also appeared to be his mother. He showed the two photos to his sister and she agreed. "How these two figures, with these special peculiarities of a person totally unknown to [the photographer] could appear on his plates, I should be glad to have explained," Wallace wrote. "Even if he had by some means obtained possession of all the photographs ever taken of my mother, they would not have been of the slightest use to him in the manufacture of these pictures. I see no escape from the conclusion that some spiritual being acquainted with my mother's various aspects during life, produced these recognizable impressions on the plate. That she herself still lives and produced these figures may not be proved; but it is a more simple and natural explanation to think that she did so, than to suppose that we are surrounded by beings who carry out an elaborate series of impostures for no apparent purpose than to dupe us into a belief in a continued existence after death." Wallace stressed that he was in the dark room when the plates were developed and saw the images take form.
What can we believe? Can we even believe in evolution as advanced by Darwin and Wallace? Take a look at Keith Parson's latest you-tube before answering that one. It can be found here.
After reading my last blog post about the mediumship and psychical research of yesteryear and why I value it so highly, a friend suggested that I recommend books from that era. I started to make a list of my "Top 10" books before 1950 once before, but never quite finished it because I quickly realized that the books vary so much that I had to categorize them and come up with several lists. There are those that offer evidence, those that offer afterlife experiences and some that provide a combination of both. The most informative books are not always the most interesting books and the most interesting or entertaining book are not necessarily the most informative. As I started making my lists, I realized that there was much overlap in the categories and wasn't sure which list a particular book belonged on. So I abandoned my attempt to come up with several lists.
Recently, however, my wife and I were thinking about downsizing from a house to a condominium. It became obvious that storage in the condo would be a problem and that there would be no space for my thousand or more books. That got me to thinking if I had to get rid of all my old books, maybe keeping just 30 of them from before 1950, enough to fill two shelves, which ones I would keep. For what it's worth, here is my list in order of preference. Many of these books are still available at such places as boofinder.com, and reproductions of several are available right here at White Crow, as indicated with an asterisk.
1. Glimpses of the Next State: The Education of an Agnostic, by William Usborne Moore (1911)* – Moore a retired British Navy admiral, explores the world of mediumship in both Great Britain and the United States, witnessing some of the best mediums of his time. He comes to understand why the non-believers don't get it.
2. Forty Years of Psychic Research by Hamlin Garland (1936) – It's really a toss-up between this book and Moore's book for number one. Garland, a Pulitzer Prize winner, witnessed mediums of all types, physical and mental, and a combination of both, and presents it all in a manner that is quite convincing.
3. The Voices by William Usborne Moore (1913)* – This is a sequel to number one above, focusing on the direct-voice mediumship of Etta Wriedt, possibly the best medium on record. The person who can't accept Moore's accounts of Wriedt will never accept anything.
4. The Mystery of the Buried Crosses by Hamlin Garland (1939)* – A mind-boggling search, as directed by spirits through a medium, for artifacts buried in California by Indians.
5. Psychic Adventures in New York by Neville Whymant (1931)* – The author, a skeptical professor of linguistics who speaks 30 languages, communicates with spirits in 14 different languages, including Chinese. Short but powerful!
6. The Case of Patience Worth by Walter Franklin Prince (1927) – This is a comprehensive report on the investigation of medium Pearl Curran and the entity calling herself Patience Worth, who dictated many books, poems, and aphorisms through Curran.
7. On the Cosmic Relations by Henry Holt (1914) – Two volumes with 988 pages covering the early research of the Society for Psychical Research, including the American branch, with much focus on the research involving Leonora Piper and the research of Richard Hodgson.
8. Raymond or Life and Death by Sir Oliver Lodge (1916) – A distinguished physicist tells of his many contacts with his son Raymond, who died on the WWI battlefield, through several mediums. This was a best-seller in its day.
9. There is No Death by Florence Marryat (1891) – A renowned British author reports on her investigation of mediums, mostly physical mediums with many materializations of deceased loved ones.
10. Spiritualism by John Edmonds and George T. Dexter, M.D. (1853) – A New York Supreme Court judge and a physician investigate mediumship and become mediums themselves. Much wisdom comes from the spirits of Emanuel Swedenborg and Francis Bacon in two volumes and more than a thousand pages.
11. Life After Death: Problems of the Future Life and Its Nature, by James H. Hyslop, Ph.D., LL.D. (1918) – Professor Hyslop was probably the most knowledgeable psychical researcher ever. He discusses evidence and the obstacles to understanding and accepting the evidence.
12. The Spirits' Book, by Allan Kardec (1857) – Much communication from the spirit world as to how things work on their side and how spirits interact with us.
13. Spirit Teachings, by William Stainton Moses (1883) and More Spirit Teachings (1892) – An Anglican priest reluctantly becomes a medium and gives us even more clues as to how things work on the Other Side.
14. The Widow's Mite and Other Psychic Phenomena, by Isaac Funk (1904) – A famous publisher investigates mediumistic phenomena and turns up some startling evidence.
15. Dawn of the Awakened Mind, by John S. King, M.D. (1920) – A Canadian physician witnesses some amazing phenomena.
16. The Road to Immortality, by Geraldine Cummins (1932) – Frederic W. H. Myers, a pioneer of psychical research, communicates via automatic writing as to what he has experienced since his death in 1901.
17. Experiments in Psychical Science, by W. J. Crawford, D.Sc. (1919) – This book and three others by Crawford explain what physical mediumship is all about.
18. Science and a Future Life, by James H. Hyslop, Ph.D., LL.D. (1905) – Professor Hyslop's first book tells of his earliest experiences in psychical research as well as those of Richard Hodgson.
19. Personality Survives Death, by Florence Barrett, M.D. (1937) – Sir William Barrett, one of the pioneers of psychical research communicates with his widow through the mediumship of Gladys Osborne Leonard, explaining the difficulties he has in communicating and what life on his side is like.
20. The Betty Book, by Stewart Edward White (1937) – Betty White tells of her development as a medium between 1919 and 1936 and takes excursions into the world of other-consciousness.
21. The Unobstructed Universe, by Stewart Edward White (1940) – Betty White transitions and begins communicating from the Other Side.
22. Thirty Years of Psychical Research, by Charles Richet, Ph.D. (1923) – A Nobel Prize winner reports on his investigation of various mediums, including Eusapia Paladino.
23. Letters from a Living Dead Man, by Elsa Barker (1915)* – A deceased California judge reports on his new life on the Other Side.
24. On the Edge of the Etheric, by Arthur Findlay (1931) – A British businessman investigates mediumship and discovers the key to what awaits all after physical death.
25. From Matter to Spirit: The Result of Ten Years' Experience in Spirit Manifestations by Sophia Elizabeth De Morgan (1863) – The author and her husband, Augustus De Morgan, a world famous mathematician and logician, report on their investigation of mediumship and other psychic phenomena.
26. The Book on Mediums, by Allan Kardec (1874) – Kardec provides much detail on how mediumship works.
27. Experimental Investigation of the Spirit Manifestations, by Robert Hare (1855) – A University of Pennsylvania chemistry professor sets out to debunk mediums, only to discover many genuine mediums and become a medium himself.
28. Perspectives in Psychical Research, by Alfred Russel Wallace (1875) – Wallace, co-originator with Charles Darwin of the natural selection theory of evolution, investigates mediumship and discovers it is real.
29. Towards the Stars, by H. Dennis Bradley (1924) – A popular British playwright investigates mediums and communicates with his deceased sister and many others.
30. The Boy Who Saw True, by Cyril Scott (1953) – This one exceeds the 1950 cutoff date by three years, but it is close enough that I have to list it, since it is the most entertaining of them all.
All that said, we decided against downsizing for now and so I get to keep all my books.


text:
The Old Republic preview
By Tim Edwards 2011-09-30T09:56:04.272Z
The thing you sometimes forget about The Old Republic is that it's a Star Wars game; that it's the sum product of tens of millions of massively multiplayer dreams. Play Star Wars. Be a hero. Do it with your friends.
The other thing you forget? That BioWare are good at making Star Wars games. Knights of the Old Republic is one of the great RPGs. TOR is more of that, except rather than play as a fledgling Jedi knight, you also get to play as a fledgling smuggler, fledgling Imperial agent, fledgling bounty hunter...
I've played The Old Republic at trade shows and at press events multiple times, and always come away impressed. But I'd never had the chance to disappear into the game properly. Here, with no distractions, I simply vanished into it. In six hours, I burned through from level one to level ten, barely looking up. It was a brilliant, brilliant experience – polished, flowing, with quests that smartly escalate and a story well told.
I've been levelling a smuggler character through TOR's opening area of Ord Mantell and beyond. The smuggler class is meant to be Han Solo incarnate – a character archetype who relies on chucking grenades, blaster fire and barbed wit at the enemy.
The smuggler is at his best when firing from behind cover. You tap a hotkey to roll into safety, and then pop up from behind to pelt an attacker with fire. It doesn't feel particularly heroic, but that's kind of the point – smugglers don't like getting into fist fights. Slightly later you're given a couple of comic finishing moves – you can kick an enemy in the balls, and then smack them over the head with the butt of your blaster. I didn't check if this works with droids.
I was surprised at the flexibility available in TOR's character selection – there are far more examples of body types, haircuts, beards and random facial accruements than I'm used to in WoW, say. I was so surprised by just how fat your character can be, I've hereby vowed that every character in my menagerie will be artfully modelled on a lardier version of the Pillsbury Doughboy. Even the ladies.
The smuggler's storyline begins on Ord Mantell. His ship and cargo are stolen; he's stranded planetside, with the local crime lord chasing him for payment. Meanwhile, Separatists and the Republic are at war: even if he had a ship, he's not going to get past the blockade. The quests start with small tasks for the local civilians and downand- outs. Retrieve a family heirloom from a village. Find the missing son of two local refugees. Get a doctor to come back and administer aid to the local Republic forces. Capture a pirate. Infiltrate a Separatist base.
The opening area is essentially an island. Quests send you to the north first, then the east, and finally the west. Quest goals are marked clearly on the map, any area transitions that you have to progress through shown with a bright green arrow. Along the way, you come across small subquests that can be completed in the local area. You're never directly offered pure grind quests – no 'kill ten Womp Rats'. As you move through an area, you'll be given a running counter that will offer a further reward as you progress.
When fighting in a Separatist base, I was offered an XP reward for killing 15 soldiers. It didn't matter what creed or colour, or what weapon they were carrying, as long as they died as part of completing my other objectives. This is very, very smart thinking – turning the expectation of grind into what's essentially a really achievable… uh, achievement.
There are other clever interpretations of MMO mechanics. The opening settlement includes vendors of level-appropriate gear – in this case a blue chest-piece. This gear can be bought for commendations – currency earned for completing quests. By the time I reached level nine, I had enough. Extra commendations for a new blue waistcoat. Nice.
There was a similarly pleasant mechanical moment as I transitioned from one quest area to the next. My new companion (more on these guys later) warned me of the dangers that lay ahead. "Here," he said, "take this", offering his prized, heavily modified pistol.
Combat surprised me. When you're levelling in WoW, you're usually peeling off single baddies from groups, dealing with them one by one. You're careful to watch for patrols, and if you get ambushed by more than one, you'll probably have to quaff a health potion or blow a cooldown. Most monsters have one or two abilities that they spam. You'll die if you take on more than two mobs. In The Old Republic, the default combat scenario is to face three or more linked enemies.
Aggro one, and they'll all activate. That means planning where your crowd control is going to hit, and in what order you're going to attack. At first, this sounds like combat is going to be harder, but it's not. Their health pools are pretty small, and they go down very quickly. Each combat area, be it an underground base or overworld setting, is also much larger than those found in "insert generic MMO here" – and the pulls are all widely separated. The theoretical downside: much more wandering. That didn't bother me. The upside is massive: you just don't die from monsters respawning and then wandering into your back. I have no idea how this will play out at launch, when millions of players will be caning quests, burning through the opening areas in a few hours – but in my normal play session, levelling was a real pleasure.
There are serious quality of life improvements for MMO players. First: death is painless. If you die, you can respawn in situ by calling in a medical bot. You'll then have a few seconds of immunity to find a safe location. All players seem to be able to resurrect other players out of combat freely, from level one. The smuggler includes a recuperation ability that lets him recover health and action points in a very short space of time. And, finally, companion characters can be sent back to town to sell any junk items – like Torchlight's pet cats and dogs.
The Old Republic might not be the first to introduce these ideas, but I'm convinced everything listed above will be adopted by all MMOs going forward. They just make sense, ensuring your time in-game is spent playing, not fiddling.
It makes sense, because your time in The Old Republic feels meaningful. In practice, there's very little separating what you do in the Old Republic MMO and what you do in the Knights of the Old Republic singleplayer game: find a guy, have a bit of dialogue, and then go out into the world to kill stuff. You just do it with your friends, and see other players running around.
I wondered how dialogue and conversation would work in practice: BioWare's solution is pretty smart. If you're about to have a story moment, you'll pass through a glowing green forcefield – creating a separate instance of the game for you and your party. In there, you might fight a baddie, or talk to an NPC, but you'll do it isolated from other players. All quests are introduced by dialogue and a cutscene, and when you're talking to a quest-giver, the rest of the world will see a little speech bubble over your head.
Most quests begin and end with a small or major decision. When one doctor wouldn't tell me where to find vital supplies, I threatened her kid. That helped, at the cost of 50 dark side points. When asked, in the course of invading a Separatist stronghold, to release a pirate prisoner, and an obviously bad man, I could choose to leave him in there, kill him, or release him – with consequences to my moral standing, and, I hope, the chance to meet the Greedo lookalike down the line.
By level six, I was cruising through the open world quests and met my first real challenge: a heroic zone. Heroics are areas designed for grouping, with harder monsters and better rewards. Even on the limited test server I was playing on, it was extremely easy to find a companion to play with. It took around 20 minutes to complete the quests – and the loot was a cut above what I was expecting. The only weirdness: seeing my fellow smuggler wander around with the same companion.
Traditionally, MMO questing is a singleplayer experience, but it gets better, and faster, if you do it in pairs. Playing in a pair means you can take on more mobs, and cruise through more quests, faster. Two organised players seem to complete quests at triple the clip of a solo player. TOR's solution: give every player a pet AI to quest alongside. The smuggler's first companion is a long-range sniper – but he can equip the same weapons and armour that you wear or use. In cutscenes, he'll offer comments, and the conversations you'll have bounce between the target, your companion, and your player character.
In questing, I soon discovered that the companion was a useful friend. By level seven I'd perfected a rotation of abilities that could tear through mobs. First, throw an explosive pack at an enemy that will detonate if the target receives damage. Then throw a frag grenade for area of effect damage. Then a flash grenade for AOE stuff. Fire one shot at the first target to take him out. My companion would then grapple hook a weak mob over to us, where I could kick them in the balls, and smack them with the upside of my pistol. To end, focus fire on the final target.
The heroic area was a warm-up for an impressive climax – a separatist base dug into the side of a hollowed-out volcano. This was, essentially, a public dungeon – with multiple quest objectives coinciding. It's where my smuggler discovered the fate of his ship and the lost cargo of blasters.
This is where BioWare's experience with Star Wars pays off. TOR offers the same moral duality that we saw in Knights. You're meant to be fighting for the Republic as a smuggler, but the game goes out of its way to portray the Republic as corrupt, narcissistic and morally bankrupt. It makes a point of appalling you.
This is why, I believe, The Old Republic will succeed. I'm never going to claim that it will offer Witcher 2 levels of choice and moral flexibility. But it's doing as much as the old Knights games, in a world in which you can play with your friends. Its design includes elements that drive all MMO developers to do better work. And it does it all within the world's most popular universe.
The Old Republic is a monster. I can't wait to play more.


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As I mentioned in my introductory post about the Energizer Light Up A Life Champions for Kids Campaign, my son and I made a trip to our local Walmart to purchase winter safety items. Our goal was to create a kit that would help a child survive freezing temperatures.
I warned him prior to entering Walmart that it was not going to be a fast trip, we would be visiting several areas of the store to find the best items to keep a child safe during cold winter nights. I also asked him for input along the way, so he felt involved and excited.
I grabbed everything on that list except socks (was not sure of age, gender or size) and I forgot the bottled water so I will grab that before delivering the kit. As for the first aid kit, I basically grabbed loose items that would be inside.
Our kit was enormous. Once my son and I brainstormed and walked around Walmart, we thought of so many items that needed to be included. Also, since we live in Orlando the winter gear selection was limited (Walmart was gearing up for Summer) which forced us to find other items. Since we would be delivering our kit to an organization that provides shelter for the homeless, we decided to keep those aspects in mind while shopping.
You can follow our path to purchase Google+ album by clicking HERE to see our thought process and the aisles we visited.
The first area we hit was the Valentine's sale aisle. I thought it would be appropriate to include heart shaped items since it would convey the message of love. We grabbed plastic cups, heart decorated tissue paper and heart lollipops. To our surprise, those items rang up for 75% off (the sign indicated 50% off)!
Afterwards, we went straight to the Home section in search of a warm blanket. The selection was slim, so we were happy to stumble upon a travel accessory section (same aisle as suitcases). We grabbed a soft travel blanket with inflatable pillow for $10, I was happy with how compact it was yet still warm and comfortable.
The Sporting Goods section was next so we could check out the Energizer flashlight selection. There were several nice lights to choose from, but my son ultimately decided on a Cars flashlight (he has the same one at home). We also grabbed an extra package of Energizer batteries.
This is the flashlight that I thought would be best; however, since our kit is for a child I went with my son's idea.
The winter clothing and accessory selection was slim, but we did find a warm skull hat in the children's department. After that, we hit the food aisle in search of non-perishable items. We grabbed a few items (see our complete list below), then made our way to the Health & Beauty and Pharmacy areas. I knew we'd be grabbing quite a few items there, but little did I realize my son would have such great input. He insisted on chewable multivitamins for the kit as well as a toothbrush and toothpaste. Great ideas! We also selected safety items, medicine, soap and antibacterial wipes.
With our collapsible tote just about stuffed to the maximum, we felt confident with our selections. While loading the conveyor belt with our purchases, we noticed a few more items in the checkout aisle that we added (hand warmers, chap stick, and kid's sports chews).
I wanted to include small bottles of Gatorade since I know it helps prevent dehydration when children are sick, but unfortunately it was only sold in an enormous bottle or a 12 pack. I knew neither would fit inside my kit, so I skipped it.
After assembling our kit, we packed the car and drove to Coalition For The Homeless Of Central Florida. This organization is so deserving since they make such a difference to our homeless population. In case you missed it, here are statistics about how they helped Central Florida last fiscal year.
Provided over 245,000 nights of shelter.
Provided nearly 79,000 nights of shelter to children.
Served more than 300,000 meals.
In addition to the winter safety kit contents mentioned above, we also donated the following general items: diapers, soaps, shampoos, children's wash clothes, twin sheets, a blanket, sleeping bag, deodorant, ladies feminine products, adult size winter hats, gloves and scarfs.
My son and I thoroughly enjoyed this mission! Delivering the safety kit to Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida completely warmed our hearts. Just knowing we helped keep at least one child safe and healthy during winter makes us smile.
When we dropped off our goodies earlier today, there were so many children outside the Coalition for the Homeless. It totally put into perspective what a problem homelessness is in Central Florida. Reading the statistics tugged at my heart, but actually seeing these little ones was tougher than I imagined.
This will not be the last time we help this amazing organization!