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Tag Archives: episode III
SW Reads: Heir To The Jedi
All right, time to dig into another great Star Wars novel! I'm excited about this one, can you tell? 🙂
Now, in case you didn't know, Jason Fry's The Weapon Of A Jedi might be my favorite SW novel of all time. So coming into another Luke Skywalker story with Kevin Hearne's Heir To The Jedi, I had very very high expectations. And since I've never read anything else by Mr. Hearne, I really didn't know what to expect.
But good news: my expectations were beyond met!
Heir pretty much encapsulates everything I love about Star Wars. It has all manner of thrills and chills, it's character-driven in the most masterful way, and there is no shortage of laughter and heart. What surprised me most, perhaps, was how easy it was to read. I expected a more dramatic tone somehow, perhaps since the last canon novel I read was Tarkin. But this book is definitely the most easygoing and fun full-length SW novel I've read so far! Not to say it doesn't have its share of drama, because it absolutely does. But reading it was such a pleasurable experience! I like to think Heir is to modern SW novels as Solo is to the films. Because both stories put full focus on these amazing characters, and find just the right balance of feels and fun! And Heir's also an easy read because it doesn't overwhelm us with too much new information or technical terms. Don't get me wrong, digging into the fine details is one of my favorite things about SW books. But there's a welcome, comfortable feel from Mr. Hearne's descriptions that makes everything tangible and completely understandable. One of my favorite examples was with the food, which for the most part, was often just a slightly-spacey version of what we eat on earth. The relatability of the SW galaxy shines brightly in this book, and makes me feel right at home, even as we follow Luke through all manner of unique, unusual, and sometimes-terrifying worlds.
Honestly, I can't recommend this book enough. If you're new to SW books and don't want to go the read-them-all-by-release-date route I'm going, this would make a great first novel! Weapon isn't my only fave Luke story now 🙂
And now, here's my fangirly musings commentary!
Contains spoilers from Episode III, Episode IV, Episode V, and Heir To The Jedi
– A few pages in and I'm already loving reading directly from Luke's perspective. Like with Weapon Of A Jedi, (my favorite Luke story ATM) I love getting to know Luke at this early time after the battle of Yavin, when he was young, idealistic, and trying to figure out the Force.
– Someone get me a model of the Desert Jewel stat! Or at least a Lego kit!
– So Luke doesn't speak astromech? Huh. I would not have guessed. Maybe he picks up some by Empire? Crud I need to watch the OT again…
– Cool seeing a new side of Rodia. But glad I can't smell it. Points for Mr. Hearne's descriptions, though!
– I don't know what a needle gun does, but it sounds pretty cool, in a scary way.
– There's nothing quite as stirring as a Clone Wars tale of Jedi heroics! I love that Luke got another glimpse into the life of his father.
– OOOOOOH A PURPLE LIGHTSABER!!
– Datapads take holo stills like smartphones take photos. A longtime SW question of mine has been answered!
– The more I read this novel, the more I fall in love with its author's cleverness and choice of words. Not to mention how wonderfully he takes on Luke's voice.
– My fave line so far: "I hadn't read the histories of those 'seduced' by the dark side, but I doubted any of them had been corrupted by a vegetable of questionable nutritional value." XD
– The Promise and the Redemption are utterly gorgeous ship names.
– YIKES the skullborers might be the scariest SW creatures in a while. I think I'd rather hug a rathtar before stepping foot on a world with possibly-sentient brain-eaters!
– Pffft Luke and Nakari's mutual cooking fails cracked me up 😛
– I am so so glad to know ice cream exists in SW. Knowing our differing worlds share something so sweet makes me smile :3
– I never considered until now that a galaxy with so many many diverse peoples would call for a lot of different medical supplies, techniques, and knowledge. Wonder how long it'd take the average med student to graduate?
– I just realized the chapter openings all have some scientific-looking math formulas around the wording. It must have connections later in the story… wish I was more adept at math so I could see if there's some kind of special code to crack.
– Is rancor sauce really made of rancors, or is it just something super super spicy? Also knowing what Corellia looks like, I get the feeling I wouldn't want to eat noodles grown there… THIS BOOK IS SO FUN THO.
– Communicating with higher math? That's a totally neat concept, but I'm with Luke… I doubt I could speak it fluently. As you might've noticed, I'm a writer, not a mathematician.
– They say the average galactic citizen doesn't know of Vader. Wonder how anyone would know to even write a parody song? Hmm. An interesting exception to the rule.
– I like Nakari a lot; she's a fun, interesting character and a great match for Luke. But I can't help but be slightly suspicious about her for some reason…
– Something tells me TIE pilots probably don't get very long lunch breaks. If they get lunch breaks at all. Who wants a tasty ration stick??
– Epic!! A seismic charge! Y'know, that's one of my favorite sounds in all of Star Wars.
– Once again, Artoo saves the day, and proves once more that the SW saga would never have happened without him!
– A droid with a fake mustache is always a good thing XD
– AHHHH LUKE AND NAKARI ARE SO CUTE!! I WISH I STILL DIDN'T HAVE DOUBTS.
– Oh no… I'm so sorry I spent so much of this book suspicious about her. Looking back, I realize there was little to incriminate her. Previous SW stories and Leia's suspicions were the only things I was really going on, besides the fact the relationship was never referred to or evidenced in later stories. I figured the reason why Luke and Nakari didn't end up with fifteen grandkids by Episode VIII was because she had ill intent. Never once did I consider that she could simply have died. I guess I loved her character enough that I didn't want to go that route. It was safer to assume she was a scoundrel, because scoundrels could still be redeemed. But through this tragic turn, we see Luke facing the very thing that turned his father down a dark path, and coming out stronger. We know, of course, that Luke will still be prone to react rashly when his friends are in trouble, but it speaks volumes that he was able to resist the darkness and find peace in this moment. And he comes through this loss in a way decidedly the Jedi Order would not have done, but what was undoubtedly the right way to do it: through tears and through joyful memories. So much wow. What a book!
Thanks for reading along with me today. 'Til next week!
Tagged anakin skywalker, astromech droids, corellia, darth vader, episode III, episode IV, episode V, episode VIII, heir to the jedi, jason fry, kevin hearne, leia organa, nakari kelen, original trilogy, R2-D2, rancors, rathtars, rodia, seismic charges, skullborers, solo, star wars, the clone wars, the desert jewel, the promise, the redemption, the weapon of a jedi: a luke skywalker adventure, TIE fighters, yavin 4
Following The Freemakers, Season 2
Following The Freemakers: Escape From Coruscant
Things continue to get unbelievably real on The Freemaker Adventures, and that's why I'm here once again spilling out all my thoughts and queries and theories and fangirly musings. Read on as we dissect some intriguing (and often nerve-wracking) stuff from Escape From Coruscant!
Contains spoilers from Episode III, Episode V, Episode VI, Episode VII, Tarkin, TCW episode The Lawless, Rebels episodes Rebel Resolve, The Siege Of Lothal, and The Holocrons Of Fate, and Freemakers episodes Duel Of Destiny, Return Of The Kyber Saber, A Perilous Rescue, and Escape From Coruscant.
First of all, don't worry Imperial Guards, I still think you're cooler than whatever Palpatine thinks 🙂 It's so funny… I remember early on in my SW fandom not being all that impressed with all those quiet armored characters 99% of fans are obsessed with — the Fetts, stormtroopers, Imperial Guards, etc. They were everywhere and yet they weren't as interesting to me as the Jedi and Rebels. But now I'm among those 99% and think they're all fantastic and interesting, and I've become a huge huge red guard fangirl over the last year-and-a-half thanks to Star Wars Costumes: The Original Trilogy revealing the full grandeur of their spectacular design (not to mention some funny appearances in other Lego SW stories). So yeah #RedGuardsRule! Ooh maybe the next Star Wars animated series should center around a former guard and his/her journey after the Empire's fall! A thought anyway.
But my random series ideas are not nearly as important as the fact that Rowan is in possibly the most dangerous place in the galaxy right now — on the Empire's capital with Darth Sidious in front of him and Darth Vader behind him. The youngest Freemaker is bold, sounding both incredulous and amused at the fact the Emperor was after the long-since-destroyed Kyber Saber all this time. But oh my goodness… I spent this episode completely on edge. We're only talking about the man who played the Republic like a card, rose to ultimate power, and destroyed almost all the Jedi with a single command. Not to mention the guy's apprentice, who could survive being crushed by an AT-ST and can use the Force to literally crush one's heart from the inside (I'm serious go read Tarkin right now). Safe to say they know how to get what they want from Rowan, a child who, though clever and strong with the Force, still has his weaknesses… *Shudders*
Oh, and right before we got the titles, there's this great little moment you've gotta see. After Palpatine giddily gives himself chills, Rowan turns to Vader with a look that says "Uh is this guy for real??" XD
My heart absolutely broke so hard for Kordi, Zander, and Roger this episode. Their brother seems to have become a casualty of war, a soldier lost that the Alliance can't afford to bring home. I was reminded quite a bit of SWR's Rebel Resolve, and the challenges that can come from fighting alongside those you care for. Hera knows every fiber of what these kids and their droid are feeling, but Coruscant is truly the worst place in the galaxy for Rowan to be, because it's the worst place in the galaxy for the Rebels to be. And now that they know of the second Death Star, the stakes just got much much higher. Though a beautiful, impossibly precious quote, it seems there's no more painful or difficult question to ask than "What's the point of saving the galaxy if the people you love aren't in it?". I sometimes lay awake at night wrestling with that. Some of my most favorite moments in Star Wars have been when someone breaks all the rules to save a life, but not all of these rebellious rescues end well — in fact, they usually don't. But I understand. I think it's safe to say we all understand. If, like Luke, your friends were suffering, if, like Obi-Wan, your lost love called for help, if, like all the Freemakers at one point or another, your sibling or siblings were in pain or in danger… you likely wouldn't stand still and do nothing. True, there's value in rules, value in thinking your plan through, I mean, we just talked about this last post with Rowan falling for M-OC's trap. And true, you have to think of the other lives at stake in many of these situations. This is a hard lesson, and thankfully I think most of us average Joes and Janes won't have to worry about making a decision this monumental or potentially detrimental. These stories in SW are not telling us that the characters were wrong per se, or that going after someone you care for is wrong. They're reminding us simply to think and to be wise in any situation. And whether these rescues go well (like in Rebels) or with mixed results, seeing these great, admirable, relatable characters who desire to protect and defend, never cease to inspire. And perhaps a character who makes mistakes but loves people is better than a character who never breaks a rule but doesn't love. That makes sense, right? I feel like I might've lost my place somewhere in there but… anyway. GO FREEMAKER FAM GO! THIS IS A REBELLION, SO YOU GO REBEL! They're willing to give up their place in the Alliance for Rowan, and that's nothing but amazing no matter how you spin it. Though you've gotta be careful with the decisions you make and the actions you take (sorry Maz didn't mean to rip you off)… family, ideally, should always come first.
So I had no idea how Rowan would survive this episode. I don't think I breathed much on this one. At all. Though they're depicted as minifigs, Sidious and Vader are no less deadly, terrifying threats. And again, knowing the horrible things the Sith are capable of… the odds are really not in Ro's favor. This episode did remind me though that the Master and Apprentice are capable of other methods of persuasion than just by lightsaber or Force lightning; they're crafty and calculating, taking their time with getting the information they desire. Perhaps that made it even scarier. OK maybe not quite as much with the "Dark Side And You" presentation. That was too great XD But otherwise… yeah oh man… the probes. Seeing those things always makes my skin crawl. And now they've upgraded them with laser prods! The fact Rowan was able to resist them as well as he did is nothing short of amazing. The scariest thing though? Watching Vader use the dark side mind probing trick. I've wondered in the past if that was just a thing Kylo Ren and Maul could do. Knowing that Darth Vader can do it makes him all the more frightening. The fear and desperation in Rowan's voice as he tries to fight the impossible… oh my goodness I can't. I CAN'T. At the time, I'd been thinking most of the episode that surely Kordi and Zander would get to him before Vader found what he was looking for. Surely they wouldn't let Ro carry the burden of being the one to tip off the Empire to the location of kyber crystals. Surely!
Things don't go that way.
OK wow things are getting so heavy here, and they're only going to get heavier. My broken heart was healed a little though as the red guards revealed themselves to be Kordi and Zander. They've already been there and done that with stormtrooper disguises; it's a nice way to mix it up! Watching Rowan tacklehug his big brother just made me explode with smiles, something I needed a good bit this episode. Long as this family's still standing, there's hope :3
But who would've anticipated that M-OC would come back from the dead? I knew he'd been able to repair himself in the past, but the way Vader tore him apart… I really thought that was how the hunter droid would go down.
And now he mans the most powerful spacecraft in the galaxy… and his sights are set on a scrappy little TIE fighter with the Freemakers aboard.
We've seen what the Arrowhead does to TIEs O_O
It's quite a twist, an episode titled Escape From Coruscant… and they actually have yet to truly escape. If they escape at all.
I know that they must survive somehow since there are two more episodes left this season, but I'm still absolutely terrified for what will become of our heroes, the Alliance, and the galaxy itself in the events to follow.
All the same though, this series never fails to be incredible.
Tagged a perilous rescue, boba fett, coruscant, costumes: the original trilogy, darth sidious, darth vader, death star II, duel of destiny, episode III, episode V, episode VI, episode VII, escape from coruscant, galactic empire, galactic republic, hera syndulla, jango fett, kordi freemaker, kyber saber, kylo ren, lego star wars, luke skywalker, M-OC, maul, maz kanata, naare, obi-wan kenobi, R0-GR, rebel alliance, rebel resolve, rebels, return of the kyber saber, rowan freemaker, star wars, star wars rebels, stormtroopers, tarkin (book), the arrowhead, the clone wars, the freemaker adventures, the holocrons of fate, the lawless, the siege of lothal, TIE fighters, zander freemaker


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Malignancy Plays
by Anthony Adler
ENEMIES OF THE MOON
Theatre of the Reconstruction
There's something malignant in the world--Orlando, the torturer, in Maria Irene Fornes's The Conduct of Life
Watch me now: I'm about to Discern a Trend.
It has to do with all these plays I've been seeing lately in which some horror, some awful foreign thing, makes its way into a family and destroys it. No, the thing's not AIDS or cable television. It's not really even a thing. At its most virulent, as in Maria Irene Fornes's The Danube, it's a kind of invisible vapor--or elusive germ or strangely attenuated bomb--that attacks a man and a woman, eventually destroying them, their loved ones, and maybe the world.
But this thing also appears as a violent moral sickness, infecting, for instance, the domestic life of a Latin American military officer, in Fornes's The Conduct of Life. And as a corrosive mistrust, undermining the relationship of a middle-aged married couple, in Peter Nichols's Passion Play. And as a dirty secret, shutting down communications between a Klansman and his wife, in Darrah Cloud's The Stick Wife.
The thing, whatever it is, is at the heart of each of these recently produced plays, taking on various forms and nuances, but always exhibiting the same basic pathology: first, a profound sense of contradiction between public and private faces--between the ugly business and the loving family, the cultivated ego and the low urge, the sick environment and the healthy self, good and evil--followed by a gradual weakening of the defenses, the immune system that keeps those faces separated; until what's ugly and low and sick and evil invades what's loving and cultivated and healthy and good.
And annihilates it.
The thing acts, in short, like a malignancy. The plays are Malignancy Plays. They share a tendency to portray men as carriers and women as victims. They take disease as a model for structure. They suggest that even an apparently strong body is susceptible. They're in perfect sync with the age of Reagan--the Cancer President, who keeps smiling while corruption eats his nose, his wife, and William Casey's brain. They're about the pretense of health in a time of plague.
Enemies of the Moon is a Malignancy Play. A messed up, powerful new work by Scott Turner, it tells the tale of a man named Pat who feels the evil of the world and his own desire for purity so acutely that he's taken his wife and two teenage kids out to an isolated farmhouse, where he hopes to tend his garden and heal his wounds.
But it's too late. Pat's malignancy has already begun to work in him, and the seclusion of the farm only serves to weaken the social inhibitions that might once have kept it in check. Pat boards up the doors and windows. He drinks in secret. He's abusive to his wife, who resorts to a relentless cheeriness in self-defense, and to his son, Chris, who tries hard to adore him. He prays intensely, even violently, over his daughter Amelia, who's gone plain mad.
The tumor's become the man. Amelia speaks of "the stranger in Dad."
Just slightly more hopeful than its fellow Malignancy Plays--which usually end like that seminal Malignancy Film, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, with the disease taking over--Enemies of the Moon is also a hundred times rougher. Turner has yet to answer certain necessary questions, like where Pat and family get the food they eat, shut-in the way they are. Or what exactly transpired between Pat and Amelia that sent Amelia into near catatonic retreat. We get a highly poeticized speech about it from Amelia, but a more precise accounting is called for.
We also need a clearer sense of Pat's wife, Isa: not so much why she puts up with all that shit from him--abuse makes the victim compliant--as what makes her blow when she finally blows. Even Pat himself could use some fleshing out.
The tone is wildly uneven, unaccountably veering into slapstick toward the end--and the language gets abstruse when it should be most direct. But for all its problems, Enemies of the Moon has got something. A great passion. A great conviction. An intense belief in itself. A marvelous willingness to take huge theatrical leaps at the risk of ending up in a heap on the floor. As a director, Turner exploits the primitive technical resources of the storefront Theatre of the Reconstruction with consistent daring and inventiveness, turning a scarcity of lighting equipment, for instance, into a fascinating play of shadows. He also works extensively, disconcertingly, and very successfully with noise: the pounding of a hammer, the tapping of knuckles, the spilling of nails, the rhythm of prayer. Turner builds a contrapuntal, percussive fugue from these elements. He makes them the heartbeat of the play.
His actors get that heartbeat going faster and faster, too, communicating a breakneck physicality reminiscent of certain well-known Chicago actors when they were a little younger. Tanya White's Amelia is exquisite in her gone beauty. Steve Sherwin's Chris develops a depth that grows unexpectedly out of an initial clunkiness. And though neither Mickey Oetken nor Cherise Thurman can inhabit the age and pain of the parents, they endear themselves by virtue of their fearless, intelligent effort. Thurman, especially, gives mother Isa a bite--as when Chris notices that her embroidery's sloppy, and she retorts, "I'm tired of staying in the lines. I'm sick to death of "God Bless Our Happy Home."' A line that, incidentally, wouldn't make a bad summation of the Malignancy Play.
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): photo/Thomas Hruby.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


MILWAUKEE, Wis. (Reuters) - To Harley-Davidson Inc's (HOG.N) investors, its chief executive has a simple message - be patient with his strategy to turn around the slump in demand for its iconic motorcycles.
In an interview with Reuters, Matt Levatich said the company is not exploring a merger with a rival or a private equity buyout, as some investors have speculated.
Instead, Harley is spending millions of dollars on product development and marketing efforts, including promoting its learn-to-ride academies at showrooms, where Harley-Davidson certified coaches provide riding and safety lessons.
Levatich said the ridership program would transform the motorcycle-maker into a "customer-creator." But he does not have an answer when it will return Harley to sales growth in the United States, its biggest market.
However, nearly three years into Levatich's tenure as Harley CEO, investors are getting restless. Harley's stock has fallen over 23 percent since mid-March last year.
Since Levatich came to the helm, the shares are down 14 percent, and Harley is losing share in a declining market for motorcycles in the United States.
Harley investors and executives have worried for years about what would happen in the future when the company's devoted Baby Boomer got too old to ride.
Now, Harley has reached that demographic cliff. The company last month projected shipments to dealers could plunge to their lowest level in eight years in 2018 after sales fell in every region last year.
Falling sales have made Wall Street speculate whether the company, which symbolized the counterculture movement of the 1960s, would seek refuge in a buyout or turn private to rework its product lines and branding without the pressure from shareholders to shield its profit margins.
Levatich, however, sees no alternative to the current ownership structure.
In 2017, the ridership program added 32,000 new riders in the United States. Levatich sees it as a "positive" trend and wants to build on it.
More riders, however, do not necessarily mean higher sales.
Bill Koester, a general manager at a Harley dealership in Illinois, says only 35 percent to 40 percent of the riders trained at his dealership last year bought a new or pre-owned bike.
To woo the next generation of riders, last month Levatich unveiled his big bet on the small but growing market for electric bikes.
Yet, the new technology is still very expensive and not as profitable as automakers may have to sacrifice margins to succeed in selling battery vehicles.
Harley is still the dominant player in the heavyweight motorcycle market in the United States, but its market share has steadily fallen to 50.8 percent from 58 percent in 2013.
In the last quarter alone, its market share shrunk by 2.6 percentage points, forcing it to announce the closure of one of its four U.S. factories and 800 job cuts.
Harley's challenges are in part related to demographic shifts bigger than its strategy or products. Overall, new motorcycles retail sales in the United States have more than halved since 2006 as younger people shun big motorcycles, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council.
Harley has also stuck to a strategy of protecting profit margins and limiting discount offers, even as rivals such as Polaris Industries Inc (PII.N) are undercutting Harley prices to move bikes out of their showrooms.
Polaris enjoyed a 30 percent on year jump in North American retail sales in the last quarter, whereas Harley's sales dived 10 percent.
Analysts at RBC Capital Markets said Harley's weak performances in the past have dented its credibility.
"We won't sugar-coat it. HOG has a tough road ahead of them," RBC Capital Markets said.


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Things to do: Latin Restaurant Weeks Miami November 1st to November 15th
The Latin Restaurant Weeks (LRW) campaign lands in Miami for the second year in a row, 1.-15. November.
Sponsored by Aunt Jackie's curls and coils and Miami Dolphins, the two-week culinary campaign celebrates the taste of Latin American cuisine through special offers and promotions offered throughout the city.
Founded in 2019 by Karinn Chavarria and Warren Luckett (the latter by Black restaurant week), LRW began as a dining experience in one city in Houston, Texas.
"There are restaurant weeks all over the world that focus on good food or restaurants that have a marketing vessel, but we found out that no one was devoted to Latin restaurants," says Chavarria New Times. "It created a void in society, Latin eateries also deserve to be put in focus,"
Support Miami's independent voice and help keep the New Times' future free.
Last year, Chavarria decided to expand the concept to Miami.
"Houston was successful, we saw Latinos get together, it was all very family-oriented, all about the community," she notes. "We decided to move on to Miami in part so we could help Latinx companies in a difficult time, strengthen the voices of those who were overlooked or needed more marketing."
The first LRW in Miami included 25 participants. This year, registration for restaurants is free, and so far, 30 restaurants, food trucks, catering companies and even a wine bar have signed up, each showing the heritage and culinary cultures of Mexico, Central America, South America or the Caribbean in an accessible way. The organizers are still accepting applications.
Oscar del Rivero from Jaguar in Coconut Grove will offer a festive menu to honor the initiative. The prix fixe menu includes ceviche, churrasco saltado and traditional flan de queso ($ 35). Millys Empanada Factory will feature a special combination of two Venezuelan empanadas, a guava and cheese tequeño and a selection of juices for $ 10. Other offerings include a roasted ribeye and spicy homemade salsa at La Santa Taqueria ($ 13) and discounts on wine bottles at the Cana Wine Shop.
"Miami has a lot more density in terms of Latin American ownership, and it's heavier or Caribbean dishes," noted Chavarria, who is of Costa Rican descent. "People will have an even better chance of discovering new flavors outside of what their palates are used to."
In honor of LRW, the Miami Dolphins will host an activation before the game when they face the Houston Texans on Sunday, November 7 at Hard Rock Stadium. The South Plaza area of the venue will feature a live DJ set of Latin tunes, and three Latin-owned food trucks will feature food.
Latin restaurant weeks. From Monday 1 November to and including Sunday 15 November in several places. For more information and a list of participating restaurants, visit latinrestaurantweeks.com.
drinkingFoodLatin American restaurantsLatin restaurant weeksLatinx businessMiami restaurantsspecial promotions
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Rare flag removed from Titanic lifeboat to auction
An incredibly rare flag which was removed from a Titanic lifeboat has come up for sale with RR Auctions. The flag was removed by Istivan Osatai, who was one of the passengers of the Carpathia the ship which rescued 13 of the Titanic's 20 lifeboats on the night of the disaster. The flag comes with Osatai's Carpathia boarding pass which proves that he was in fact a passenger on board the ship in April 1912. The flag has already attracted bids of over $2000.
Added from rrauction.com
What quick thinking of Mr Osatai!


Many artists have a signature style or favorite subject for which they are well known. Rarely is it the case, however, that the acclaimed body of work is the only type of artwork these artists produce. Dawn Emerson, Cuong Nguyen and Andrew McDermott are three artists who are connected to a favorite genre or subject, or identifiable style. But they also have a secret style or genre that appeals to them. We asked them about this "other work" that they do. Each explains how working differently, whether regularly or only on occasion, impacts their creative output overall.
Cuong Nguyen is celebrated for portraits like John (seen below) that demonstrate his talent for contemporary realism. But he also paints an occasional still life. He explains that working differently now and then—in his case, in another genre—is just good exercise. It stretches his creativity and keeping his mind nimble so that he doesn't lose his edge when practicing in his signature style.
John (pastel) by Cuong Nguyen typifies the artist's contemporary portraiture, for which he is well known. Article contributions by Anne Hevener.
Lemon (pastel) by Cuong Nguyen is an example of the artist's still life painting, a genre he works in from time to time.
Andrew McDermott has won much acclaim for moody urban scenes like IAPS Night Time (seen below) that capture the energy of city life. The artist has also been practicing life drawing consistently since college. In McDermott's case, working differently strengthens his drawing skills. This is a foundation for all of his painting, figural or not.
Andrew McDermott's pastel, IAPS Night Time, is representative of his celebrated urban landscape work.
Andrew McDermott practices life drawing on a regular basis which keeps his drawing skills sharp.
The horse is a favorite subject for artist Dawn Emerson. The animal is well suited for her bold, expressive painting approach. But the artist also enjoys painting the landscape as a whole. Regardless of genre, her paintings range from loose but representational portrayals to pieces that teeter into abstraction.
Dawn Emerson's landscape River's Edge (pastel) was painted four years ago, and illustrates a more representative style.
This pastel by Dawn Emerson shows how differently the artist can approach the landscape. Here, she takes the integration of horse with landscape to the point of figure ground reversal.
These three contemporary artists are leaders in the New Realism movement that has been fueling over the last several years. If you want to learn more about the movers and the shakers of this artful generation and situate your unique vision in this context, explore the digital edition of New Realism today! Enjoy!


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Kian Ravaei
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Composer Kian Ravaei (b. 1999) is obsessed with notes, and the indescribable feelings they inspire within us. Whether he is composing piano preludes inspired by mythical creatures, flute melodies that mimic the songs of endangered birds, or a string quartet that draws from the Iranian music of his ancestral heritage, he takes listeners on a spellbinding tour of humanity's most deeply felt emotions.
Ravaei's music has been performed by sought-after artists such as guitarist Eliot Fisk and violinist Bella Hristova, and by notable ensembles including Salastina and Juventas New Music Ensemble. He served as a 2022 Copland House CULTIVATE Fellow, participating in an emerging composers institute at Aaron Copland's National Historic Landmark home. Ravaei was recently featured on an episode of Performance Today, America's most popular classical music radio program. His string quartet Family Photos has received numerous awards, including First Prize in the Spectrum Chamber Music Composition Competition, Second Prize in the instrumental chamber music division of the American Prize, and Honorable Mention in the Tribeca New Music Young Composer Competition.
Just days into the COVID-19 lockdown, Ravaei began a daily ritual of playing a Bach chorale at the piano and composing an original chorale in response. What started as a way to ground himself during a period of emotional turbulence blossomed into an artistic reawakening. Over the course of one year and three hundred sixty-five chorales, Ravaei cultivated a deeply personal musical language rooted in a centuries-long tradition.
Born to Iranian immigrants, Ravaei maintains close ties to the Iranian community in his hometown of Los Angeles (or, as Iranians often call it, Tehrangeles). His multicultural arrangement of the Iranian folk song Morgh-e Sahar — the unofficial anthem for Iranian freedom — was performed at Farhang Foundation's annual Nowruz celebration, the largest Iranian New Year celebration outside Iran. A passionate speaker, Ravaei delivered a one-hour public lecture on the relationship between music and identity as part of the UCLA Iranian Music Lecture Series. Many of his works combine the ornamented melodies of Iranian classical music with the colorful harmonies of Western classical music.
DJs know Ravaei as the go-to person for creating orchestral versions of dance songs. His orchestration of Wooli & Codeko's "Crazy (feat. Casey Cook)" has garnered over one hundred thousand plays across streaming platforms. It is no coincidence that many of Ravaei's concert works contain a rhythmic vitality that evokes the energy of the dance floor.
Inspired by the generosity of his own teachers — celebrated composers such as Richard Danielpour, Tarik O'Regan, and Derek Bermel — Ravaei pays forward his musical training by empowering youth to embrace their creativity. As a Composer Teaching Artist Fellow for the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, he taught historically underserved students about the diverse and growing repertoire of orchestral music. With Ravaei's guidance, the students co-composed a piece of chamber music that was performed by professional musicians, empowering the students to have confidence in their creative voices.
Ravaei studied music composition at UCLA and the Curtis Institute of Music Young Artist Summer Program.
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Whether composing piano preludes inspired by mythical creatures, flute melodies that mimic the songs of endangered birds, or a string quartet that draws from the Iranian music of his ancestral heritage, composer Kian Ravaei takes listeners on a spellbinding tour of humanity's most deeply-felt emotions. More ›
Family Photos for string quartet
Good Trouble for pierrot ensemble
Marvels of Creatures and Strange Things Existing for solo piano
All Works ›
Unstoppable - Premiere
Copland House Cultivated Spaces 3.0
Music from Copland House Ensemble
All Concerts ›
© 2023 by Kian Ravaei. All Rights Reserved.


text:
LEAKED: Fantasy Anniversary Edition (Fragrance by Britney Spears)
Britney Spears and Elizabeth Arden
celebrate 10 years of fragrances, commemorating the milestone with fantasy BRITNEY SPEARS™ anniversary edition
Britney finally decided to stop teasing us – just now, the pop star released the first images of her new fragrance fantasy anniversary edition. The news comes following a teaser ad the queen of pop sent earlier this week, and we couldn't be more excited for the perfume's debut!
One decade ago, a world-renowned pop star put her faith in her fans and launched a fragrance – the iconic curious BRITNEY SPEARS™. An instant hit, Britney's fans went wild for the entertainer's perfume and one of the most acclaimed celebrity fragrance franchises ever was born. Now a global, billion-dollar fragrance franchise, Britney Spears™ is one of the few celebrity perfumers to have reached the 10 year milestone. In honor of the occasion, the pop icon-turned-perfumer is celebrating in a very big way.
Introducing fantasy BRITNEY SPEARS™ anniversary edition
The fragrance, fantasy anniversary edition commemorates Britney's 10th year of creating fragrances. It's a celebratory scent to mark 10 years of perfume in the making (remember curious?) and Britney's now global, billion dollar fragrance business.
The packaging – if you look closely, you'll see names listed all over the packaging for fantasy anniversary edition. Those names happen to be of Britney's most devoted fans from over 85 countries. This is a first-of-its-kind campaign in the fragrance industry, using fan names as a muse for the package design.
The bottle – see the message on the bottle? It's a note from Brit to her fans thanking them for 10 years of support. She's dedicating this landmark fragrance to them! Each bottle size has a different message, together saying "10 hugs and 10 kisses…to my sweet scented fans for a decade of love…you are my inspiration," with the signature "xoxo Britney" beneath each message.
Availability – The scent will be available in early October, exclusively at Kohl's and Kohls.com.
Anonymous Saturday, September 28, 2013 11:27:00 AM
Love the packaging.


text:
You Are Here: Home → News → Airspace fiasco sums up train wreck of a year for Lebanon
Airspace fiasco sums up train wreck of a year for Lebanon
Michael Karam November 23, 2015
On Friday night I was in Malmo, south-west Sweden, when I received a call from an agitated Mrs Karam who told me that I wouldn't be flying to Beirut on Sunday because … wait for it … the Russians had requested that Lebanon close its airspace for 72 hours. This was while it "conducted military manoeuvres", which was presumably shorthand for sticking it to ISIS.
Surely not? Beirut airport is a crucial economic artery. Had Hizbollah, which doesn't really care about such things and whose soldiers are fighting alongside Russian troops in Syria, applied pressure on the government of Tammam Salam? Not according to the local media, which was reporting that it was the Russian navy that had … again wait for it … "faxed" its intentions to the Lebanese civil aviation authorities, bypassing the seat of government completely. Curiously, the Russian ambassador to Lebanon announced that he knew nothing about it either.
One of the advantages of being a small and intimate nation is that we can still talk to humans and so I phone a friend who works for Middle East Airlines at Heathrow. She told me her phone had being ringing non-stop since the rumour broke, but the good news was that flights were leaving London on schedule. There had been no cancellations. Business class is fully booked and BA had not cancelled its flights to Beirut. Apparently we were just taking a different route into Beirut "as a precaution".
I wasn't entirely reassured but decided to go anyway. The confusion was yet another pathetic example of just how far adrift the Lebanese state has become from the rest of the country. No one in the government, as far as I could tell, had really "gripped" the situation.
The year 2015 will surely be remembered as a train wreck. A toothless state has not only showed it is supremely incompetent in the face of an environmental and health crisis of monumental proportions and a security lapse that led to the deaths of 40 civilians in a bomb blast in southern Beirut nearly two weeks ago, but the Salam government has added insult to injury by not even having the decency to step down in the face of its ineptitude.
But the year isn't over yet. And just as the Lebanese were once again wondering who actually runs their country these days, the Free Patriotic Movement, Lebanon's largest Christian political party, decided it would throw its weight around, when Simon Abi Ramia, one of its MPs, told the local media that his party would shut off the water supply to Beirut if work on a local dam project didn't begin immediately. You couldn't make it up.
The FPM rose to prominence in 2005 after the return of its founder, the former exiled army commander general Michel Aoun. The party promised transparency, vowing to fight corruption and as such appealed to many professional and educated Lebanese fed up with militia politics.
Not only is it now behaving like the political parties it swore to stand against, the party has also recently faced questions over the financial probity of its newly elected leader Gebran Bassil, who is also Lebanon's foreign minister and Mr Aoun's son-in-law. It also doesn't help that the FPM also a staunch ally of Hizbollah.
It is one of the sad realities of Lebanon that even the brightest feel they have to belong to a political party and it is equally sad that the FPM's supporters ended up backing the wrong party for the right reasons. They are one of the few vertebrae left in Lebanon's increasingly brittle economic spine and they have a duty to ensure the country's economy doesn't disintegrate under the multiple pressures – external and internal – that it faces. Sticking with Mr Aoun and his dubious son-in-law is not helping the cause.
Thankfully we have heard nothing more from Mr Abi Ramia and in the end I made it to Beirut. On Sunday, the transport minister Ghazi Zeaiter revealed the Russians had decided not to hold naval manoeuvres after all and that in fact Russia never requested that Lebanon's airspace be shut down. "Nobody would accept Lebanon's airspace be [sic] closed," Mr Zeaiter said solemnly.
Heaven forbid.
Michael Karam is a freelance writer who lives between Beirut and Brighton.
business@thenational.ae
Low pay top workplace concern among GCC employees
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Gulf Finance House to sell unit via public offering, plans acquisition
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مندوب مبيعات ميداني – Saudi Arabia


Large trucks such as 18-wheelers or other commercial vehicles cause far more damage in a collision than a motor vehicle accident between two cars of similar size. Not only does a commercial truck accident typically involve a much larger vehicle colliding with a smaller one — but also with a semitruck accident, the driver and their employer could both be guilty of negligence that led to the wreck.
The attorneys of Kimsey Law Firm, P.A., have experience defending insurance companies and understand the nuances of your truck accident injury. We are committed to preserving valuable evidence that bolsters your claim, ensuring you receive appropriate medical care, and fighting for the compensation you need to overcome your injuries.
Statistically, professional truck drivers are found at fault in relatively few crashes, so the defense may focus more intensely on your driving behavior or history.
Bad weather at the time of the accident can increase stopping distances for trucks or interfere with the ability to change lanes.
The driver of the truck may have been attempting to meet unrealistic (or even unlawful) mileage or delivery goals set by their employer.
The driver may have been driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs or even excessive amounts of over-the-counter medication.
The trucker may have been distracted by phone calls or text messages.
Malfunctioning equipment on the truck — caused by poor maintenance — may have played a role in the wreck.
With so many factors to keep track of, you may receive a lowball offer on an insurance settlement or even find the other side's lawyers insisting your behavior caused the collision. Our attorneys are prepared to fight for you and demonstrate why your claim is valid and reasonable.
Our firm cuts through red tape and insurance company resistance for our Florida clients in the Tampa Bay area. Call our office in Tampa at 813-867-2179 or email us to set up a free initial appointment.


We are proud to be the only place in Franklin now selling VP Racing Fuels! You may purchase 5 Gallon or 50 Gallon Drums of VP Racing fuel.
We strive to be #1 in customer service and satisfaction.
With ASE- and emissions-certified master mechanics to serve you, we're a one-stop-shop for all things automotive.
Because all of our mechanics are ASE certified and have years of experience, we are able to provide top quality, professional service for your automobile.
Need New Tires or Tire Repair?
All Domestic & Asian Imports. ASE Certified, Master Technician, Over 20+ Years Experience. Located In South Franklin, Tennessee. Serving Davidson, Williamson & Rutherford Counties, we are dedicated to providing auto repair excellence to our customers. Our goal is to ensure you are 100% satisfied with your auto repair or auto service.
We are here to take care of all your auto service and repair needs, as well as answering any questions you may have, so don't be afraid to ask!
Does your car need more serious work such as a transmission repair? Well, you're in luck! We are the #1 transmission repair shop in Franklin. We are happy to provide you with a standard transmission repair or a full transmission replacement if necessary. There is no engine component that is more essential, and complex, than a vehicle's transmission. Your transmission is responsible for shifting gears and to complexly change the speed-torque ratio. If you are in need of any auto repair, bring your car to the Auto Clinic of Franklin.
A warning light can appear for any number of reasons, such as tightening the gas cap too much, or the braking system working less efficiently than it should be. While the car may appear to be fine in spite of the dashboard lights, ignoring the problem could lead to serious damage or failure requiring an auto repair, which is a major safety hazard. Because of this, it's critically important to bring your car in to our certified professionals immediately when lights appear on the dashboard for our car diagnostic services.
We're recommended to get regular physicals as we age, so that we can catch potentially grave problems while they're still manageable. Preventative auto care is often many times more cost-efficient than emergency care and certainly cheaper than a full auto repair. The same can be said of your automobile. Getting regular car inspections can catch a problem when it will be cheaper to resolve. Maybe that stomach pain is something worse, maybe not. That grind almost certainly is. You can trust the Auto Clinic of Franklin.
Great place- my entire family uses this shop for their repairs, for many many years, and have never had a problem. They are extremely kind and go out of their way to give you a good deal. Would recommend to anyone with a minor to serious car problem.
My husband and I were referred to Auto Clinic or Franklin by a friend when we moved to Nashville 3 years ago, and have never been disappointed. We had previously tried another mechanic, but once we found Jeremy at AutoClinic, we haven't been anywhere else.
Their honesty and fair pricing are a hard quality to find these days. We love their drop off service- we leave a car out front with a note, and they call when they know what's wrong, and we discuss the options for repair. We are a working class family who values our hard-earned money, and Jeremy treats us that way. We truly appreciate the service that we get with all the guys at the Auto Clinic.
Honest and good mechanic. Always good to get things done quickly for a fair price. Part of a good mechanic is being able to advise you on what needs to be done now and what you can wait to do later. These guys are great at giving good advice.


What's the cheapest way to get from Sydney to Iceland?
Are there any day markets in Taipei?
What is the biggest sandwich in Sydney?
What is the cheapest Great Barrier Reef tour?
Where is a decent place for a week's stay for 5 people?


text:
Q: Unable to download file via Google Drive API Node.js v10.15.2, googleapis v40.0.0
I tried this
  const dest = fs.createWriteStream(`/Users/user/Downloads/${fileId}.mp4`);
  drive.files.get({
    fileId,
    alt: 'media'
  },
  {
    responseType: 'stream'
  }, (err, res) => {
    res.data.on('end', () => {
      console.log('Done downloading file!');
    })
    .on('error', console.error)
    .pipe(dest);
  });

And got error
$ node .
Files:
20140810_125633.mp4 (1SwYm5Z1zPczZnDulmsbA9wrEJ-JT-hwE)
Getting started (0B3K2QXOGSOFRc3RhcnRlcl9maWxl)
(node:62335) UnhandledPromiseRejectionWarning: TypeError: Cannot read property 'data' of undefined
    at drive.files.get (/Users/user/Development/app/google_drive_integration/index.js:104:9)
    at process._tickCallback (internal/process/next_tick.js:68:7)
(node:62335) UnhandledPromiseRejectionWarning: Unhandled promise rejection. This error originated either by throwing inside of an async function without a catch block, or by rejecting a promise which was not handled with .catch(). (rejection id: 1)
(node:62335) [DEP0018] DeprecationWarning: Unhandled promise rejections are deprecated. In the future, promise rejections that are not handled will terminate the Node.js process with a non-zero exit code.
(node:62335) UnhandledPromiseRejectionWarning: TypeError: Cannot read property 'data' of undefined
    at drive.files.get (/Users/user/Development/app/google_drive_integration/index.js:104:9)
    at process._tickCallback (internal/process/next_tick.js:68:7)
(node:62335) UnhandledPromiseRejectionWarning: Unhandled promise rejection. This error originated either by throwing inside of an async function without a catch block, or by rejecting a promise which was not handled with .catch(). (rejection id: 2)

Also, I tried this example from Google API reference.
    const dest = fs.createWriteStream(`/Users/user/Downloads/${fileId}.mp4`);
    drive.files.get({
      fileId,
      alt: 'media'
    })
      .on('end', function () {
        console.log('Done');
      })
      .on('error', function (err) {
        console.log('Error during download', err);
      })
      .pipe(dest);

And got error
$ node .
Files:
20140810_125633.mp4 (1SwYm5Z1zPczZnDulmsbA9wrEJ-JT-hwE)
(node:62336) UnhandledPromiseRejectionWarning: TypeError: drive.files.get(...).on is not a function
    at downloadFile1 (/Users/user/Development/app/google_drive_integration/index.js:118:8)
    at files.map (/Users/user/Development/app/google_drive_integration/index.js:87:9)
    at Array.map (<anonymous>)
    at drive.files.list (/Users/user/Development/app/google_drive_integration/index.js:84:13)
    at createAPIRequestAsync.then.r (/Users/user/Development/app/google_drive_integration/node_modules/googleapis-common/build/src/apirequest.js:48:53)
    at process._tickCallback (internal/process/next_tick.js:68:7)
(node:62336) UnhandledPromiseRejectionWarning: Unhandled promise rejection. This error originated either by throwing inside of an async function without a catch block, or by rejecting a promise which was not handled with .catch(). (rejection id: 1)
(node:62336) [DEP0018] DeprecationWarning: Unhandled promise rejections are deprecated. In the future, promise rejections that are not handled will terminate the Node.js process with a non-zero exit code.
(node:62336) UnhandledPromiseRejectionWarning: Error: The user has not granted the app 619229308650 read access to the file 1SwYm5Z1zPczZnDulmsbA9wrEJ-JT-hwE.
    at Gaxios.<anonymous> (/Users/user/Development/app/google_drive_integration/node_modules/gaxios/build/src/gaxios.js:73:27)
    at Generator.next (<anonymous>)
    at fulfilled (/Users/user/Development/app/google_drive_integration/node_modules/gaxios/build/src/gaxios.js:16:58)
    at process._tickCallback (internal/process/next_tick.js:68:7)
(node:62336) UnhandledPromiseRejectionWarning: Unhandled promise rejection. This error originated either by throwing inside of an async function without a catch block, or by rejecting a promise which was not handled with .catch(). (rejection id: 2)

I list file 20140810_125633.mp4 successfully but can't download it. What am I doing wrong?
All the code I have
const fs = require('fs');
const readline = require('readline');
const {google} = require('googleapis');

// If modifying these scopes, delete token.json.
const SCOPES = ['https://www.googleapis.com/auth/drive.metadata.readonly'];
// The file token.json stores the user's access and refresh tokens, and is
// created automatically when the authorization flow completes for the first
// time.
const TOKEN_PATH = 'token.json';

// Load client secrets from a local file.
fs.readFile('credentials.json', (err, content) => {
  if (err) return console.log('Error loading client secret file:', err);
  // Authorize a client with credentials, then call the Google Drive API.
  authorize(JSON.parse(content), listFiles);
});

/**
 * Create an OAuth2 client with the given credentials, and then execute the
 * given callback function.
 * @param {Object} credentials The authorization client credentials.
 * @param {function} callback The callback to call with the authorized client.
 */
function authorize(credentials, callback) {
  const {client_secret, client_id, redirect_uris} = credentials.installed;
  const oAuth2Client = new google.auth.OAuth2(
      client_id, client_secret, redirect_uris[0]);

  // Check if we have previously stored a token.
  fs.readFile(TOKEN_PATH, (err, token) => {
    if (err) return getAccessToken(oAuth2Client, callback);
    oAuth2Client.setCredentials(JSON.parse(token));
    callback(oAuth2Client);
  });
}

/**
 * Get and store new token after prompting for user authorization, and then
 * execute the given callback with the authorized OAuth2 client.
 * @param {google.auth.OAuth2} oAuth2Client The OAuth2 client to get token for.
 * @param {getEventsCallback} callback The callback for the authorized client.
 */
function getAccessToken(oAuth2Client, callback) {
  const authUrl = oAuth2Client.generateAuthUrl({
    access_type: 'offline',
    scope: SCOPES,
  });
  console.log('Authorize this app by visiting this url:', authUrl);
  const rl = readline.createInterface({
    input: process.stdin,
    output: process.stdout,
  });
  rl.question('Enter the code from that page here: ', (code) => {
    rl.close();
    oAuth2Client.getToken(code, (err, token) => {
      if (err) return console.error('Error retrieving access token', err);
      oAuth2Client.setCredentials(token);
      // Store the token to disk for later program executions
      fs.writeFile(TOKEN_PATH, JSON.stringify(token), (err) => {
        if (err) return console.error(err);
        console.log('Token stored to', TOKEN_PATH);
      });
      callback(oAuth2Client);
    });
  });
}

/**
 * Lists the names and IDs of up to 10 files.
 * @param {google.auth.OAuth2} auth An authorized OAuth2 client.
 */
function listFiles(auth) {
  const drive = google.drive({version: 'v3', auth});
  drive.files.list({
    q: "mimeType != 'application/vnd.google-apps.folder'",
    pageSize: 1000,
    fields: 'nextPageToken, files(id, name)',
  }, (err, res) => {
    if (err) return console.log('The API returned an error: ' + err);
    const files = res.data.files;
    if (files.length) {
      console.log('Files:');
      files.map((file) => {
        console.log(`${file.name} (${file.id})`);
        downloadFile0(drive, file.id);
        downloadFile1(drive, file.id);
      });
    } else {
      console.log('No files found.');
    }
  });
}

function downloadFile0(drive, fileId) {
  const dest = fs.createWriteStream(`/Users/user/Downloads/${fileId}.mp4`);
  drive.files.get({
    fileId,
    alt: 'media'
  },
  {
    responseType: 'stream'
  }, (err, res) => {
    res.data.on('end', () => {
      console.log('Done downloading file!');
    })
    .on('error', console.error)
    .pipe(dest);
  });
}

function downloadFile1(drive, fileId) {
    const dest = fs.createWriteStream(`/Users/user/Downloads/${fileId}.mp4`);
    drive.files.get({
      fileId,
      alt: 'media'
    })
      .on('end', function () {
        console.log('Done');
      })
      .on('error', function (err) {
        console.log('Error during download', err);
      })
      .pipe(dest);
}

A: In API v3 you get a promise from "drive.files.get" and on the promise resolve you have the "data" stream
function downloadFile(drive, fileId, fileName) {
  const filePath = `/Users/user/Downloads/${fileName}`;
  const dest = fs.createWriteStream(filePath);
  let progress = 0;

  drive.files.get(
    { fileId, alt: 'media' },
    { responseType: 'stream' }
  ).then(res => {
    res.data
      .on('end', () => {
        console.log('Done downloading file.');
      })
      .on('error', err => {
        console.error('Error downloading file.');
      })
      .on('data', d => {
        progress += d.length;
        if (process.stdout.isTTY) {
          process.stdout.clearLine();
          process.stdout.cursorTo(0);
          process.stdout.write(`Downloaded ${progress} bytes`);
        }
      })
      .pipe(dest);
  });
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Issue: Volume 5 Issue 10 > Articles
Leadership in learning at St Peter's Primary School
Gay Nicholls
Literacy Co ordinator, St Peter's Primary School
St Peter's Primary School in Epping, Victoria, has won a number of national awards over the past three years. One of them was given to the principal, Katherine Hudson, who has this year received a National Award for Quality Schooling in the category of 'Excellence by a Principal Highly Commended'.
Katherine has been the principal at St Peter's for six years. During this time she has demonstrated her deep commitment to Catholic education, engaging the mind and nurturing the spirit of all members of the St Peter's community. The strategic direction she has offered, and the high expectations for quality teaching and learning she has set, have made the school a leader in literacy, numeracy, elearning, student wellbeing and teacher professional learning and leadership.
By describing the school and Katherine's leadership role within it, I hope also to describe some of the elements of good practice at St Peter's that can be shared with educators elsewhere.
St Peter's Primary School
St. Peter's Primary School has a current enrolment of just over 540 students. The school stands on the fringe of Melbourne's northern suburbs. Semi-rural until recently, there is currently intense housing development in the area. The school has a large number of families of Italian background, some Maltese, and of late, growing numbers of South-East Asian, Sri Lankan, Vietnamese, Filipino and several South American migrants to complement the Anglo-Celtic population. It is a three stream school from Prep to Year 6.
In 2006 St Peter's Primary School received a National Award for Quality Schooling for outstanding achievement in school improvement. The school also received a National Achievement award for Literacy in 2006 and 2005 and for Literacy and Numeracy in 2004. Julie Percy, one of the teachers at St Peter's, received a National Excellence Award in Teaching in 2006.
Some of the school's recent success can be attributed to the teaching and learning beliefs that have been consolidated under Katherine's leadership.
We believe in a school where all cultures are valued and respected and children show tolerance towards each other. Teachers and children share responsibility for learning and encourage a home-school partnership to promote learning excellence. Curriculum content is relevant and language is gender inclusive. Resilience is encouraged to help children move forward. We believe that all children can learn given sufficient time and support.
Children are challenged to inquire, practise, consolidate and reflect on their own learning. They are encouraged to pose problems, take risks and identify their own gifts and talents, thereby developing a full range of skills that they can draw on to succeed. Activities are both child centred and teacher directed, providing children with the opportunities to learn both independently and in group situations. Individual needs and learning styles are catered for through the inclusion of developmentally appropriate learning tasks.
Planning is directed by the children's prior knowledge and is ascertained through pre-assessment activities that identify growth points for learning. Individual learning plans are developed for children with special needs. Appropriate resources are selected for the delivery of relevant content that extends the children's experiences and understandings. Both children and teachers are involved in reflecting on, representing and reporting on achievable goals and celebrating successes.
Assessment is important as a means of identifying each child's strengths and weaknesses and then establishing starting points for teaching. Assessment is ongoing through observation, monitoring and recording of children's progress. It informs and directs teaching and leads to program evaluation. Opportunities for self-assessment and peer appraisal provide additional information. Progress is reported to both children and parents with constructive feedback.
High expectations are set in order to encourage and challenge learners to take risks, and scaffold onto their learning. Learning programs allow for children to work within their zone of proximal development.
The environment is stimulating, motivational and supportive.
Providing leadership for school staff
This atmosphere is also found among teaching staff at St Peter's. During her tenure Katherine has transformed the school into a professional learning community in which teachers work together to improve outcomes for all students.
Katherine has introduced the staff to the writings and theories of educational experts and theorists such as Peter Hill and Carmel Crevola, Peter Senge, Howard Gardiner, Michael Fullan, Louise Stoll and Neville Johnson.
Katherine has also provided opportunities for early entry into system initiatives such as CLaSS (Children's Literacy Success Strategy), Building Literacy 3 to 4, Learning to Read, Reading to Learn and SINE P-4 and 5-8. These initiatives, together with participation in the eLearning Schools Research Project (Quality Teaching and Learning project) and the Literacy Assessment Research Project (Catholic Education Office), have brought about a shift in emphasis from teaching to learning.
Katherine has a strong belief that professional learning, reflection on practice, collaboration, high expectations and collective accountability need to exist within the structure of a professional learning team. An example is the Prep to Year 2 CLaSS team, which has been able to transform teaching and learning practices in literacy, with the data collected showing significant gains. Considerable growth in teacher knowledge and skills in literacy has been transferred across all learning areas. There is enthusiasm for exploring and trialling new and effective ways to engage all students.
Technology has been focused on the needs of student learning and has provided ICT resources for staff. St Peter's was one of eight Catholic primary schools in Melbourne included in the eLearning Schools Research Project. Katherine obtained funding to implement a four-year plan for the upgrade of the technology, including the provision of three Interactive Whiteboards. She encourages teachers to trial new initiatives that engage children in the authentic use of technology, demonstrated through use of the Learning Management System of Myclasses from Myinternet and the Learning Federation learning objects, and by entry into Think.com.
Katherine has worked with parents to improve the school's physical environment. A new multi-purpose centre, completed at the end of last year, has provided the school community with a much needed gathering space.
By demonstrating her vision of improving learning for all, Katherine has shown that she is able to motivate and inspire her staff and students to come on the learning journey with her.


There can be no diminishing the accomplishments of LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, who came back from a 3-1 series deficit to end the Golden State Warriors' reign as NBA champions. King James deserves every accolade he receives — and I'm sure he'll have words for the doubters who didn't think this was possible. Like me.
I've been bullish on the Warriors for a while now. Early in the season, I wrote about Stephen Curry's ability to handle virtually any shooting burden before I even knew that he was a legitimate threat from 30 feet. My operating theory was that Curry should take more and more and more 3-pointers. In the final game of the season, he had 14 attempts (yay!) but made only four (oops).
Teams with recent championship experience tend to be money in the playoffs, and this Warriors squad seemed not to be affected much by the strength of their opponents — both of which should have made the team bigger favorites than even our models suggested. So when the winningest team in NBA history needed to win only two of five (and then one of three) games against a team it had beaten all four times they played this season — by an average of 22 points — I felt pretty good about my position. I was wrong.
The Warriors ended up losing as many games in the playoffs as they did in the regular season, finishing with a particularly un-GOATish 7-7 stretch against Oklahoma City and Cleveland. Although a 14-game break-even stretch doesn't sound horrible, it would be highly improbable for a team that won 90 percent of its games, as the Warriors had with Curry playing. Of course, the Thunder and Cavaliers were stronger than the Warriors' typical opponents (the Warriors did go 5-0 against them during the regular season, and remember they crushed strong opponents as easily as weak ones throughout the season), though this is partly offset by the Warriors' home-court advantage.
A result like that 7-7 raises questions: Have the Warriors been solved? Is Curry unable to carry an offense single-handedly after all, or was his run of bad form because of something else, like a lingering injury? From an empirical standpoint, this bizarre end to the season doesn't tell us as much as we would like, but it does hold a few insights.
Game Score is an imperfect metric for combining box score stats, but in this case, it gets the job done. Pre-injury, Curry performed better against his playoff opponents this season than he did against a typical team.1 Moreover, he performed similarly against all four squads.
A 1-in-10 phenomenon is well within the range of stuff that happens in sports every day, and even 1-in-10,000 phenomena still happen. But the question isn't whether the Warriors' dreary finish was unlikely, but, given its unlikeliness, what is the most likely explanation. Did the Warriors just get unlucky? Are they — gasp — anti-clutch? Did two teams suddenly figure them out? Or was Curry's injury a bigger factor than he let on?
As usual, when something crazy happens, there can be many causes. A few Warriors may have performed poorly in the clutch. Teams may have "figured them out" to some degree. And they may have gotten a little unlucky. But those are the sorts of things that all teams have had to deal with historically, and teams as good as the Warriors haven't broken overnight. More importantly, for the Warriors to pin this on fortune alone would require luck so profoundly bad that they'd be dodging falling pianos. That's good news for Warriors' fans. It means that, should they be able to heal what's ailing them — such as a lingering injury to the league MVP — winning more championships still depends on fairly predictable outcomes rather than cruel turns of chance.
At the very least, revolutionaries have good reasons to be hopeful that next season will continue where this season seemed destined to go rather than where it ended up.
"Pre-injury, playoff opponents" includes regular-season games against the Rockets, Blazers, Thunder and Cavaliers and Game 1 of the Warriors' playoff series against the Rockets. "Post-injury" includes Game 4 against the Rockets and beyond.
Based on a binomial calculation assuming that the Warriors were as good as their record, that their odds of winning were the same in each game, and that each game's outcome is independent of the others. Note that these would not be great assumptions for making a precise calculation but are fine for a first cut, particularly with a Warriors team that for most of the season — did I mention? — didn't seem to care much who they were playing.
By Game 7 of the Finals, sportsbooks appeared to have this pegged, with most putting Golden State around -180, which would be absurdly low under normal circumstances.


I'm on the fence but close to making the move to P3D. Are any of the legacy airports in FSX updated for P3D? I'm thinking about whether the third runway is in at KSEA, if the new runway is in at KORD, that sort of thing. Thanks.
Re: Current airports in P3D?
Payware will update your scenery as well as some free AFCADs on Avsim. But to your question, all airports are pretty much the same as in FSX. No updates that I could tell.
That's what I anticipated, Jonathan, thanks for confirming.
If you used updated AFCADs from FSX like the ones Ray Smith has done they'll work in P3D. BUT the taxiways will be grass and need to be fixed. One guy is taking Ray's files and updating them for P3D and can be found on flightsim or AVSIM. I have been updating them as well using the ADE application. All you have to do is go to Taxi Links, Reset all Flags and then hit compile. And thats it, taxiways back.
Good to know; I use Ray's files for several airports in FSX.


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Post Tagged with: "HIV"
New Study Shows How Tests of Hearing Can Reveal HIV's Effects on the Brain
by Timothy Dean in Research
Findings from a new study published in Clinical Neurophysiology, in a collaborative effort between Geisel and the Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory at Northwestern University, are shedding further light on how the brain's auditory system may provide a window into how the brain is affected by HIV.
Building Linkages to Combat Tuberculosis in Tanzania
Global health teams from Geisel and its partner organizations held a symposium in Dar es Salaam in December to provide critical updates in TB care, prevention, and research. The event was the latest step in their 17-year history of working collaboratively to combat HIV-related TB in Tanzania.
Geisel Receives Fogarty Grant to Fund Research Collaboration in East Africa
by Susan Green in Research
The Geisel School of Medicine has been awarded a 5-year, $1.5 million grant from the Fogarty International Center at the National Institutes of Health to support an infectious disease research and training program to combat HIV and tuberculosis (TB) within the newly established Infectious Disease Institute at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Alexandra Howell Receives Veterans Affairs Network Director's ICARE Award
Alexandra Howell, PhD, a research biologist at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in White River Junction, VT, and a professor at Geisel, has received the VISN 1 Network Director's ICARE award from the VA New England Healthcare System.
Investigators Identify Window of Vulnerability for STIs to Infect Human Female Reproductive Tract
Dartmouth researchers have presented a comprehensive review of the role of sex hormones in the female reproductive tract and evidence supporting a "window of vulnerability" to HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Tim Lahey: Top 10 Trends in HIV This Year
This year we have seen palpable progress in the fight against AIDS, and also some astonishing hucksterism. In celebration of World AIDS Day 2014, here are 10 of the most influential trends in HIV this year.
Crossing Disciplinary Borders in the Classroom
A team-teaching collaboration between a Dartmouth College anthropologist and a Geisel School of Medicine infectious-disease expert turned out to be an educational experience for both the students and the faculty.
Playing for Hope
Over the course of the World Cup, young soccer fans representing Grassroot Soccer, a nonprofit organization founded by Tommy Clark (D'92, Med'01), have had the chance to learn about creating positive change in their community and, of course, to play some soccer.
Dartmouth and Aeras Join Forces to Conduct Study of New Tuberculosis Vaccine
Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine and Aeras, a global nonprofit biotech, announced a collaboration to jointly conduct a trial of a new vaccine against tuberculosis (TB), one of the world's deadliest diseases.


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Public Land as an Equity Contribution toward a Joint Venture
A variation of the in-kind payment approach is when a municipality uses the value of its land as an equity contribution toward a joint venture with a developer. In this scenario, a public entity might enter into a partnership with private sector investors for the purpose of redeveloping a targeted urban area. The public sector "invests" the value of its land assets and the private sector partner invests cash. Among the benefits of using a negotiated disposition of municipal land and a negotiated use of land value as in-kind payment are that this approach allows a city to invest in improvements without tapping other (more costly) sources of funding. Further, this approach causes minimal negative fiscal impact; that is, it does not require a municipality to reallocate a portion of existing operating revenues.
One real-world example of this approach concerns contributing the value of land into a special purpose entity (SPE). One example of an SPE created for the purpose of redeveloping a target area is the Solidere effort in Beirut, Lebanon. Created in the mid-1990s, it was empowered to lead the planning and redevelopment of Beirut's central business district. The implementation concept was that land owners within the target area could exchange their property for shares in Solidere, a company whose shares are now listed on the stock exchange.
Another example is detailed in box in this section, which describes the case of Puerto Madero, Argentina, where federally owned land was used as an equity contribution to the development corporation in charge of regeneration of the port area. Although this case did not involve a joint venture in its purest meaning, it did involve a public-private corporation.
Federal land as an equity contribution to Corporación Antiguo Puerto Madero Sociedad Anónima in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Corporación Antiguo Puerto Madero Sociedad Anónima (CAPMSA) was established in Buenos Aires following the approval of the Economic Emergency Law (1999), which allowed for the privatization of federal property. The main objective of this quasi-private corporation was the regeneration of 170 hectares of federal land formerly belonging almost entirely to the General Administration of Ports (AGP). According to CAPMSA's first charter, the board would be initially composed of six directors: four representing the federal government and two representing the city of Buenos Aires (see figure 1.7 for the organizational structure). In October 2003, the Statute of the Corporation was amended for the formation of the board to equally represent the nation and the city.
The capital stock was subscribed to by the federal and city governments in equal parts. The company had the ability to issue shares in order to attract private, national, or foreign funds. The decree also transferred the property of the 170 hectares of federal land to the corporation.
The first investment in the area came from CAPMSA itself and consisted of a land survey of the 170 hectares and the mapping of almost 70 users (tenants, irregular occupants) in the former AGP domain, as well as security services to prevent land invasions. After the tenant mapping, a plan was developed to end the concessions and to start charging rent. Apart from these rents, other early resources for CAPMSA consisted of the sale of demolition material, the rental of parking lots, and sets for the television and film industry. The revenues went to cover the costs of office rental, the design of the master plan, and the marketing strategy used to create the conditions for the first tender to sell the warehouses.
CAPMSA then auctioned the land in stages, starting with the area closest to the central business district. It did so by issuing tenders in 1991. The sale of land allowed CAPMSA to generate sufficient funds to finance its administrative expenses and pay for the necessary infrastructure. According to the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, as of July 2013, CAPMSA had sold property for a total value of around US$300 million. In addition, it had invested US$113 million in public infrastructure with a total operational cost since the creation of the corporation of US$92 million. Public and private investment in 2009 amounted to US$1.7 billion and was estimated to reach US$2.5 billion when completed. By 2010, a total of 2.25 million square meters had been built in Puerto Madero (L. J. Ramos Brokers Immobiliarios 2009).
CAPMSA was established as a temporary corporation to facilitate the development of Puerto Madero. Upon the completion of the project, CAPMSA finalized the first transfer of rights for the infrastructure and public spaces to the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires. However, the largest transfer followed an agreement between CAPMSA and the city of Buenos Aires in February 2011. In this agreement, the parties negotiated a transition period for the free transfer of the domain of public spaces and the responsibility for the provision of maintenance from CAPSMA to the city. CAPMSA registered the areas to the city and then gradually transferred the responsibility for maintenance. In late 2012, the complete transfer of maintenance responsibilities had been accomplished and according to CAPMSA, this eliminated the annual expense of US$3 million from the operating costs of the corporation.
Source: Based on the case study of Buenos Aires in Chapter 4


I've got two mirrors for peer into as you explore your own Self.
The first reflection is that of an accomplished, beautiful and spirited woman who entrusted me with the excavation of her most authentic voice regarding a very vulnerable topic——weight.
The other reflection is my latest personal story over at EverydayFeminism.com. I'm sharing a moment when I had to choose between rocking a boat and staying in calm waters.
–Can you identify one area of your life where you intentionally muting out important elements of your personal needs?
In other words, in what relationships are you treading lightly and calling that light tread your real walk?
Get full access to the story behind the journey by watching her Spreecast that followed the airing of show.
Click the image below to read my personal story on emotions and expression.


Hello, my name is Joe and I live in Salt Lake City, Utah. We have 9 chickens and we plan to get more in the spring. The old coop they were living in could only hold about 10 and was falling apart, so we knew we had to build another. My dad and I built this "Chicken Barn" in about 2 weeks using a new design I drew out that partially resembled the classic barn shape. It cost about $250 in materials. Here is the (almost) finished product.
I will try to take you through most of the steps as detailed, and accurately as I can, but know that there are some things you might have to do differently because of lack of proper tools, equipment, or slight measurement errors.
This is the sliding "guillotine door," but don't worry, it won't hurt the chickens!! It is held up by a small chain that locks itself inside a keeper and slides up and down in a groove.
For the purpose of cleaning it out in the future without being a hassle, we included a part of the wall that lifts up for you, or a "Cleaning Door". (It is also the ventilation window) The door is held in place by 2 latches on either side of it.
Another great feature are its 2 textured-glass windows with a square one in front and a rectangle one in back all with white frames. These will provide some of the light that comes in but also contribute to the aesthetics.
The left part of the roof lifts up and folds back all the way so you can check on them or help them get on their bars at night like we do!
It also has 6 egg boxes located on the far right side of the coop, (3 per row with 2 rows). The chickens I guess will have to take turns in the day laying. There are two doors covering them from outside, one being a small roof piece, and the other a latched down lid.
So now that you have seen a short breakdown of it's features, let me take you step by step to build one yourself!
6, 4x8 plywood sheets at 5/8 inch thick total for the whole project.
Ok, before we start let's note that three plywood sheets are devoted entirely to the front and back pieces, and the floor, and are not broken up into sections, therefore making it stronger.
Always remember to be safe when using your tools and wear safety glasses!
The main gray outline represents your 4x8 sheets, and the black outline is what you will cut out. As you can see, at 3' up on the left side and 3' in on the top left you can draw a line between those points and cut off that triangle piece. And at 6' in from the left and down 1', you can draw another line and cut off that piece. Make a mark 6 inches down past the last 1 foot cut you just made and cut down to it. On the right side of the board you can cut off 11 and 3/8 inches. Now that that right side is cut off, measure up 2' and 5/8" as indicated by the drawing and put a mark. From your cut that was 1' 6" down at 6' in from the left, draw a line to the 2' and 5/8" mark you just made. Cut along the line and presto! Your first front piece is done! Make a back piece in the same manner but keep the nice side of the board down on that one because then when you put it together, the good side of the wood will be on the outside. On the template, the extra 5/8" added to some of the measurements are there for a reason, to compensate for the thickness of the boards somewhere in the project. So try not to get too overwhelmed when dealing with small measurements!
Once your finished cutting out the front and back pieces, we will then cut out the windows and doors with a jigsaw.
Here is a template of the window and door holes we will cut out of the front piece.
I suggest cutting out the chicken door and window holes first, and the cleaning door last so that you are not risking breaking the more fragile wood strip on the left side that will be left. The chicken door is cut 21" in from the right and 3 and 1/4" up as shown. It is 1' tall and 10" wide with a curved top. Draw the curved top however you think it looks best or none at all if you please. Drill holes on the 2 inside corners of the door piece you will cut out. These holes must be big enough to fit your jigsaw blade and will give you a place to start cutting it out. NOTE: (We will cut out a new bigger chicken door piece later. So don't worry if you cut or drill into the cut-out, you will throw it away.) Do the same process to cut out the window hole. If you want the window to be a different size or shape, go ahead. Just make sure you make the hole for the window about 1/2" shorter all the way around than the glass piece you have. We will router out a groove later for the glass piece to sit in. I had a 9x9" glass piece, so I cut a 8x8" hole so the glass could sit in the a groove 1/2" all the way around. The window hole on mine is centered and 5" down from the peak, giving it enough room for the white frames that will go around it. After the chicken door and window are cut out, it is time to cut out the cleaning door. It starts 3 and 1/4" in from the left and is 42" long and 18" tall, just a simple rectangle. Drill a hole like before in the inside part of a corner to have a place where your jigsaw can start cutting. (We will also make a new door later for this one too.) Cut it out.
The window hole in the back is approximately 6" by 15". But like I said before, cut it 1/2" smaller than the glass piece you have around the whole border.
This window is about 8" down from the peak and centered.
I will continue to come back each day updating this site, thanks for looking!
I would lie to know how the chicken wire on the front is holding up for you.
Is it working to keep predators out?
Very good stuff here! I plan on doing something similar here in a few weeks. I like how you kept it simple by only using one sheet each on the front, back, and bottom. Is there anything you would have done differently? Like raise it with a bottom entry? Stationary roof with a larger people door?
Awesome coop! In fact we want to make one like it. Are there any more instructions after step 2? Our chicks are about 2 weeks old and I figure that gives a month or two to build. Thanks!
Awesome! Very helpful for us first time builders of chicken coops.