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Walking After Midnight
Deoiridh
Merchant Captain
Localisation : Belle Isle (Virginia, US)
Locations: Belle Isle, New Orleans, Irish Point
Production: Shot, Cannons, Fittings, Powder, Unrest Supplies
Requirements: Saltpeter, Limestone, Doubloons
Subject: Walking After Midnight Tue Feb 12, 2008 8:42 pm
Willem didn't look up when the tavern door opened. He did look up when there was no sound of it closing again. Madame D'Alembert was standing motionless in the doorway, holding the heavy wooden panel open with one slender arm. Even in the dim tavern light--it wasn't that he was cheap with the tapers, he rationalized, it was just that the patrons preferred things to have a dim and fuzzy cast--it was clear something was amiss.
Abruptly the woman released the door and began to make her way toward the bar. Her step was firm, but she moved as if disconnected from the air around her; smoothly avoiding the few patrons, tables, chairs, but automatically. As she neared the bar, Willem's eyes widened.
"Good Christ," he murmured. "Jesus Mary and Joseph on a soddin donkey!"
Madame D'Alembert sat down opposite him and he knew that he was staring in a most ungentlemanly fashion but he couldn't seem to look away. Her bodice was all in disarray, the overcoat she had taken to wearing ripped and torn. Her skirt, however, looked as if she had been rolling in the fire, the area below her waist blackened and shredded. And then there was the rest.
She eased back into the chair and appeared to notice Willem for the first time.
"Ah, Willem," she said, matter of factly, with a slight, almost business-like smile. Momentarily the smile faded, and she seemed suddenly uncertain. "Yes, Willem. My usua. . .no, in fact, I think this would be an occasion for rum. Yes. Rum. And Willem?"
She reached out and placed her hand over his, in the way that women did he noticed, not without a pang, to indicate their interest was limited to that of friendship.
"Your rum. The authentic article. Not the house stock."
He realized he was still staring. He forced himself to speak.
"Er, Ma'am. . .that's ter say. . ."
Without taking his eyes off her face, he reached out and picked up a metal plate, holding it toward her with one hand and gesturing awkwardly with the other. Taking the plate from him she contemplated herself as if in a mirror. With her eyes averted Willem now found that he could actually see what he had been staring at all this time. The blood. Splatters all over her face, and a thick rivulet running down one side. It looked like she had failed to dodge someone swinging a headless chicken.
"Ah," she said. "Yes. I quite see."
She reached across and gently took the towel that he used to wipe down the bar top. Turning the plate this way and that, trying to improve upon its blurred image, she began to clean off the blood, and in doing so handed Willem his second life-threatening shock of the evening. The blood wasn't hers. Finally, satisfied, she set the plate down, went to drop the towel and instead placed it gently on the plate, letting her hand rest there for a moment. Then she turned her one good eye and fixed it on Willem.
"That's done. Now Willem. You have a rum heading in my direction. . .at a rapid rate of knots, I trust?"
Subject: Re: Walking After Midnight Tue Apr 15, 2008 7:51 pm
In Willem's mind rum was the universal solvent: all a man's troubles disappeared in its fiery swim and it definitely gave a sense of perspective on the world. Sadly that perspective often turned out to be a little off kilter with the way things really worked, which is why he no longer touched the stuff himself now that he was selling. He guessed it worked the same way for a woman, although to his way of thinking the rum had a great deal more to sort out once it got into a lady's system. Nevertheless, with enough application, it usually seemed to help. And Madame D, while rarely touching the hard stuff was no stranger no knocking back the finer vintages of the local wine produced by Confederacy-owned plantations. But she seemed not to know what to do with the rum. She'd been so insistent, and now she was just sitting there, staring at it. And for the love of all saints, she just looked terrible.
Not taking his eyes off her, Willem cautiously moved to the end of the bar, and surreptitiously beckoned the boy.
"Oy, get yer arse over here. The Reardy Dew, she's made port?" The boy looked blank, so Willem continued. "See that lady there?"
"Oui monsieur."
"Don't be given me lip, boy. You know her ship?"
"Oui, Le Rire de Dieu."
"Well that's what I said, for chrissake! That ship is in port?"
"Ou. . .er, but yes, that ship, it is in the docking since the morning of the last day."
"Good, you know Master Patrice? Get him here, as soon as possible. And boy. . ."--here he grabbed the boy hard by the lapel; the boy flinched, expecting a blow, but he was struck more by the cracking softness in the man's voice--"for the love of God, be as quick as you can. Tell Patrice that the Lady D is here, and she's. . .she's not well."
Deoiridh D'Alembert, Freetrader.
Merchant Captain of Le Rire de Dieu
out of Belle Isle, New France
Subject: Re: Walking After Midnight Fri May 16, 2008 8:11 pm
She had not realized how long she had been sitting there until she felt the side of her face growing warm. Looking up, she was surprised to find the sun low in the sky, the squat buildings of New Orleans collapsing into thick pools of shadow. Off to her left the wall of the small church was brightly lit by the falling sun, the brick detail washed into a solid blonde mass until it seemed almost a second sun, filling the adjacent graveyard with light.
The rough wooden marker had been replaced with a more substantial marble monument; the stone very fine, but modestly shaped, paid for quietly by the officers of the Confederacy. But none of them had known what to say when the stonemason had asked them for the text of the inscription. Her fingers traced the simple lettering: Pere, Patriote, Ami. Feeling the channels and ridges beneath her fingers it was not, she knew now, what he would have wanted. The precise nature of his preference eluded her, however. He was a man always pulled in multiple directions. He would perhaps have chosen "Un Citoyen du Monde." Equally, however, she could well imagine him preferring simply "Un homme."
There was no name on the headstone. This had been at the suggestion of members of his crew. The first mate, Zacharie Sommer had taken her aside after the funeral service upon hearing that the Confederacy would pay for the monument.
"He was never supposed to be here," Zacharie said softly. "Perhaps it is fitting that he not be here now. I would like, I think, to imagine that he is still prowling the courts of Europe with the same restlessness he stalked the decks of the Luron." He caught her eye. "Do not mistake me Madame. He was exactly the right sort of man for the. . .the task he was assigned. But this part of the world. . ." He stared meditatively at the sexton filling in the grave. "It is not a part of the world that is made for the right sort of man."
Now, several weeks later she had returned, alone, to pay the kind of respects that could not be paid with a crowd watching. Her eyes strayed to the adjacent headstone, the resting place of his wife and child. The stone said simply, "Ma Vie." That, she knew, he would have liked. She realized to her surprise that tears were flooding down her cheeks.
"Ah Benoit," she murmured. "I cannot blame you for leaving, but you leave a hole in the world behind you."
She was not crying for the loss of the man. Death, she knew, creates self-absorbed hypocrites of us all. Their friendship had not begun promisingly--that was an understatement--but a relationship that begins at gunpoint can really only improve. They had dined regularly together, discussed philosophy, politics and religion. . .all the things that men and women were not supposed to talk about with one another. There had never been anything voiced between them, never anything that resembled that woefully polite phrase, an "understanding." But she wept now for the loss of hope, for the loss of possibility, for the loss of the better part of her nature. She found herself thinking of Cathern and Hew, of Chantilly and Emile. . .how did they ever develop this "understanding" with the world all beset by confusion and uncertainty? Yes, she understood well how it worked when a woman especially was young, and sheltered, and fanciful; the world kept them that way for a reason. But Chantilly and Cathern were like her in that they had seen much, done much, lived several lives. . .and yet those lives had not cut them off from other people as had hers. She hung her head, her tears falling into the unyielding grass atop her friend's grave.
"They say that humans weep because stones cannot."
She had not been aware that she was observed. A quick flourish of her kerchief and she turned clear eyes upon the man standing on the other side of the small wooden fence enclosing the burial ground. He wore the palest blue frock coat, from which issued at the neck and cuffs diaphonous clouds of lace. Yet he seemed like a small, detached piece of the lengthening shadows that had suddenly jumped toward her.
"Forgive me, Madame D'Alembert. I was informed you had arrived at the port, but I regret having to intrude on you at such an inopportune moment. Yet we have business together."
She stared hard at him. He spoke perfect French, yet her ear detected the unmistakable lilt at the edges. And her blood slowed to a crawl. Trying to keep her voice steady, she asked:
"Do I know you sir?"
He smiled. "Oh no. Not yet. But there will be time enough for us to become much better acquainted. However, here comes the priest. I'm sure he will expect a sizable donation for the privilege of allowing you to cry so prettily in his graveyard. These places are made for forgetting not remembering and you are ruining his scenery."
She had looked up at the approach of the priest, his mouth open in a gentle smile but his eyes, indeed, narrowly calculating; when her eyes flicked back to the fence the man in the frock coat was gone. But his final words had lodged in her brain, catching narrowly at the breath in her throat like a gnarled hand:
"Elsewhere, however, people make it their business to remember."
Subject: Re: Walking After Midnight Tue May 27, 2008 9:20 am
Patrice burst through the door followed closely by Macklin, Grabber, Niles the coxswain, and the mountainous Breck, an intimidatingly heavyset waister.
"La Sainte Vierge!" exclaimed Patrice when he reached the bar and was able to take in her appearance fully. He rounded on Willem's boy, who was last through the door, breathing heavily, still wondering how these men had been able to outrun one born running through the irregular cobbles and slippery mud paths that made up Grenville's streets.
"Are you an idiot?" demanded Patrice? "You said that the lady was sick, not that she was injured. If you do not understand the difference I will be happy to use votre cul by way of illustration."
"Pardon, mon Capitaine," pleaded the boy, gesturing in Willem's direction, "it is as the monsieur instructed of me."
Patrice gave Willem a hard look. "I thank you for sending for us but we will take care of the lady now."
Willem returned Patrice's look with a fierce scowl. "Aye, and you've been doin a capital job of it and all so far! Don't be crackin airs on me in me own place. I've been plyin my trade all atwixt the violence of the world since afore ye was breeched and I can tell when someone is bad hurt. The lady aint injured, leastwise not obvious."
"Much that is most dangerous in the world is the least obvious," snapped Patrcice. "The lady needs medical attention, that much is obvious. How I wish that we were able to keep a surgeon aboard but they have demonstrated a lamentable tendency to fall overboard or die from mysterious ailments. Macklin, take Niles, make your way speedily to La Rue de la Bourbe and obtain the services of a surgeon. Here is my purse, use it as necessary. Grabber, Breck, stand outside and let no one in not personally known to you."
"By the pimpled arse of Old Nick himself!" thundered Willem. "Ye'll be doing no sich interfering with my trade! Just try and stop me custom from enterin of their own free will and they'll be using yer pizzle as a doorpull!"
"I think," said Deoiridh quietly, "that is quite enough shouting for the moment. Both of you, Patrice, Willem, sit down. Sit. Down. Thank you. Now I am in no need of a doctor, so you may save your hard-earned doubloons, Patrice. Boy, follow the two men that have left and ask them to return, on my authority. However, Willem, for the moment, I think it might be a good idea to station two men outside. Not," she hastened to add, as Willem's colour began to rise, "To prevent anyone leaving or entering, but just as a. . .precaution. And I think it is time I offered you all an explanation of the necessity for such a precaution."
Subject: Re: Walking After Midnight Fri Dec 19, 2008 9:09 am
"Would herself be wantin me to await her pleasure?"
"No, thank you Niles. I plan to stop the night at the Albatross. Deliver that case to Master Patrice at the docks and for the love of money be careful with it. Sextants of that quality are hard to come by in this part of the world. Be sure to meet me here at noon tomorrow."
The Coxswain grunted and then moved off toward the public docks, the small wooden chest encased in his large hands with all the delicacy of a cocooned baby sparrow fallen from a nest.
She took a moment to gather herself. The night air weighed upon her. To her surprise she found herself longing for the moorland mists and dense coastal fogs of home. At the time she'd found them almost unbearable: a thick, penetrating cold lent permanence by a damp almost indistinguishable in its insistence from a soaking rain. How very different these Caribbean "miasmas," as the locals called them. Oppressively hot and almost invisible, no grey shroud to let you know what you were dealing with, the only visual cue the way buildings, trees, people, seemed to take a step backward from your view, flinching from an unwanted touch. The fogs of home rose up from sea and land to lay claim to you, to remind you from whence you came. The miasmas of the New World she couldn't help but associate with the presence of people: too many people packed too close together in a place where they weren't supposed to be. The highland mists gradually leached the marrow from your bones. That she found preferable to the Grenville air which was like someone holding a down pillow over her face and pressing, pressing. . .
She shivered.
The streets of Grenville were darker than usual--the sudden surge in piracy in the region was starting to force all kinds of economies--but her feet knew the way to the Albatross well enough by now and she allowed her mind to wander. The Confederacy's alliance with France was becoming a cause of concern. Or rather, not the alliance, so much as the increasingly obvious weakness of French forces in the region. She had no doubts about the bravery and integrity of the many French captains in whose company she sailed. But the glory of one or two spectacular French victories could not obscure the larger disorganization of the regular naval forces. Of still more concern to her mercantile mind was the fact that the French manufacturing base was increasingly overmatched by the larger and more coordinated economies of Spain and Britain.
She turned into a small alleyway not far from the regional admiralty office, her mind calculating the profit and loss on an immigration scheme she had been asked to support. She stopped just before bumping into the man who appeared abruptly in front of her.
"Excusez, monsieur," she mumbled, making to push past.
The man blocked her path.
"No harm done, love. Leastways, not yet."
She felt the second man behind her but too late to react before he grabbed her, pinning her arms against her body.
"Too bloody easy by half," growled a voice in her ear. "It's beneath us this is, snatching trollops off the streets."
"Coin's coin, mate. And speakin of beneath us, the guvner didn't say anything about the condition of the goods, did he?"
"That he did not, me old son. He just said to grab her and do it speedy like."
"Well, can't speak for you now, but I can be as quick as a ferret in heat. One don't get the chance to help themselves to taint of this quality every day."
" 'At's God's truth an all."
"You hold her fast then while I get the old musket out and primed, and I'll oblige you with the same courtesy in just a moment."
Her upper arms were pinned tight against her sides but she was able to get one hand into the pocket of her dress, feeling around for the pistol she always kept hidden amongst the folds of fabric. Her hand closed on the weapon but before she could withdraw it the first man pushed himself against her, hands spidering across her hips as he sought to gather the folds of her dress. His weight pushed the pistol almost vertical, and there was the audible click of the hammer being forced back. He paused, uncertain. She pulled the trigger.
A flash, and searing heat across her abdomen. The man's head exploded upward and outward, the body staggering back but absurdly remaining upright. The second man gasped, loosed his grip, and she took the opportunity to drive her elbow hard into his beefy mid section. She grasped the headless body as it began to topple and felt desperately around its mid-section, almost sobbing as she found a pistol, wrenching it clear as the body tumbled to the ground. She advanced on the second man who lost his footing, falling heavily to the ground. With a cry he threw up an arm to defend himself as she fired. The front half of his forearm fell loose like a snapped twig and the right side of his face disappeared.
She stood over him for a moment, the smell of gunpowder mingling with that of scorched fabric. 200 doubloons, she thought to herself. This dress cost 200 doubloons. Am I that wealthy I can afford to just throw that kind of money away? It must have begun to rain, because her face was wet, moisture trickling down her forehead and onto her cheekbones. The night seemed to have gone almost completely silent, as it often will do in the wake of sudden loud noises. The only sound was a wet, sucking mewling from the shape at her feet.
She dropped the pistol and continued on down the alley where another few turnings would see her at the Albatross.
Subject: Re: Walking After Midnight Mon Dec 22, 2008 1:09 pm
Patrice stroked his beard meditatively for a moment. "Macklin, take Breck back to the alley Madame D'Alembert described. I do not think you will find anything of substance there, but just in case, have your pistols ready. Grabber, I want you to pay a visit to that fat strumpet you seem unable to quit--Francoise, je pense?--and you may remove that smile from your face. You are going to keep your pantalon firmly buttoned and if I hear otherwise I will remove any need for you ever to remove them again. Every smuggler worth the name traffics out of her brothel and I want to know who has been bringing us some English visitors recently."
Deoiridh smiled to herself. Patrice was not what you would describe as a man of action, but he was a decisive man, a quality she had grown to appreciate. This made the task she was about to perform all the more painful.
"Gentlemen," she began, once the seamen had left, "Your efforts on my behalf reflect, I am sorry to say, more credit upon you than they do on myself. But matters have come to such a pass that they are now putting all of you at risk on my behalf. I am aware of the rumors that have been circulating about me, many of which even preceded my arrival. I am aware that it is widely believed that I killed my husband. No. . ." she held up a hand to stifle the reflexive protestations from her audience, "your desire to spare my feelings does you credit. But while the Caribbean is vast when it comes to war and politics, in matters of reputation it is a hamlet. And it is to the credit of you all and of the Confederacy as a whole that I have been welcomed, and these rumors have not influenced your dealings with me. Occasionally, however, gossip and speculation are founded on truth, or at least upon fact. I owe it to you all now to say that it is a fact that I killed my husband."
Willem was quick to respond. "Belike it was some accident, I expect. Something in the way of the ordinary domestical range of things. The average house being a source of considerable risk, as what I'm told."
"No, it was no accident Willem. I killed him quite deliberately."
"I'm sure you was not in your right wits, then. Women being prone to strange behaviors as is well known, beggin yer pardon, round the time of the moon fer example. Why, I once heard of a woman. . ."
Deoiridh shook her head. "No, Willem, tho you are a good soul to believe it otherwise. I killed my husband soberly, deliberately, after mature reflection, and in full cognizance of the likely consequences."
The room was silent, the men staring, unable to take their eyes off her. There was a terrible irony here, of course, to which she was not oblivious. They had as individuals and as a group performed a hundred deeds more heinous than the premature dispatch of monsieur D'Alembert. But the death of a man at the hands of his legal wife was sufficient to render such a woman monstrous. She chose to ignore the silence.
"I congratulate the fates that I was not married young. Indeed, with my younger sister already married my father had long given up hope of ever seeing me married. Yet this ensured that I did not enter blind into the state of wedded bliss as so many of our sex do, ignorant of the world, and assertively deluded in the ways of men and women.
"My husband, Gustave, was a wealthy merchant from Paris, with strong business ties amongst the merchant families of the area. He was considerably older even than I--having devoted his life with a single-minded determination to building up his business--but still vigorous. And I must give him credit. When he determined to marry, he was not looking for a silly wife to decorate his drawing room, but a useful adjunct to his business. Not a partner, naturally, for how few men can admit of that possibility, but someone who could be called upon to contribute in a solid but undemanding way to the general increase in the profitability of his life. For a while I kept his books and handled much of his correspondence, which is why I am so well versed in matters of business on this side of the world.
"Nor was he a cruel man, at least at first. If the general opinion of the world could have been taken with regard to his particular character I am sure the summary judgement would have declared him to be "kindly." Of course, only someone who has been married can fathom what a degree of condescension, indifference, indictment and blame can give rise to a "kindly" disposition. Nevertheless, it was no more than I had come to expect--my sister would confirm for you that I have never been the sentimentalist--and given what I saw amongst my other married acquaintances, I counted myself lucky.
"But the world changed, as it always does. There were, in the first place, certain expectations as to how I would be useful for his business that I was not able to fulfill. We were not, to use the phrase so beloved of the world, destined to receive the blessing of children. Twice our efforts ended in premature extinction, one I carried to term but it was a daughter and stillborn to boot. Further efforts were in vain, and then after a while such efforts ceased altogether."
Unexpectedly, she found her voice catching. "None of you can know what it is to be a woman who proves incapable of bearing a child. Even an educated and self-reliant woman cannot help but know that in the eyes of the world she is forever diminished for being unable to perform a function so basic that the least gutter slattern can do it without thinking."
She continued more strongly. "I was not initially aware of how deeply this had affected my relationship with Gust. . .with Monsieur D'Alembert. I think it would have been easier if he had simply suffered from the common desire of the male sex, to have an heir to carry on their name. But my husband counted on children as a material fact of his business: sons to share the labor and expand the business, daughters to marry to strategic advantage. In his eyes I had sabotaged all his enterprises. And his reproach was palpable.
"It was around this time that he fell into company with Simon Fraser, the presumptive Lord Lovat. He and his family are fixtures in Highland politics and a nastier, more slippery piece of work you will not find. Whatever his pronouncements he is concerned with his own interests alone. He works ceaselessly behind the scenes, playing all sides against the other, supporting whichever promises to secure him an advantage. While professing to support the cause of Scottish liberty he has actively conspired with the English. While promising to advance English interests he has plotted their overthrow with the Spanish. But it is all done so artfully, that nothing can ever be proved. And Simon, "The Fox," as we call him, has his own ways of limiting the spread of rumor and gossip. My husband, regrettably, was drawn further into the twisted world of the Fox, initially through some commercial dealings, then through a series of speculations designed to secure for the Fox funds to obtain disputed parcels of land.
"One cannot touch the world of Simon Fraser without being tainted. The most straightforward business transaction contains the seeds of corruption. It is as if the very documents he signs are contaminated with some kind of infectious moral poison that corrupts the will and weakens all sense of judgment. My husband changed before my eyes. He consorted with new companions, men of low morals and high self-regard. I noticed that there was now business correspondence that he kept from me. I couldn't balance the books no matter how I tried, which led me to suspect that there were transactions not being recorded, a suspicion confirmed only after his death. But it was the change in his character that was most shocking. I had always looked upon my husband as a strong and resolute character. Little did I understand then that the kind of strength which comes from investing oneself utterly in a singular view of one's place in the world is no strength at all. I would have the world's sympathy if I told you all that he took to strong drink in excess or embraced the use of opiates. But he did not. He quite simply became mean, vindictive, quick to anger. . .a man who nursed and cultivated resentments real and imagined, until they overwhelmed him.
"It was during this time that he began to beat me."
Subject: Re: Walking After Midnight Thu Feb 19, 2009 10:32 am
Deoiridh hadn't expected her words to have any impact on the men and indeed they did not, although Patrice at least was considerate enough to lower his eyes and pick at the wooden tabletop with his thumbnail. She had developed an enormous affection for these men, trusted them completely, but she would never forget that they were still men. And she hadn't met a man yet who deep inside didn't believe that women were the better for an occasional thrashing. All of these men, she knew, hit women, some of them on a regular basis.
"Some women learn to live with such things," she continued. "Not I. But that is because I knew what I was dealing with. When a woman is beaten by a husband flushed with drink she can lie and lie and lie to herself that her husband is "not himself" and "doesn't really mean it." But Gustave hit me deliberately, seriously, and in full possession of all his faculties. Eventually, such tender ministrations of my husband cost me the full use of my leg and deprived me of half my sight."
She saw the men start and exchange glances. She smiled thinly.
"Yes, I am aware that many stories have circulated about my physical. . .idiosyncrasies. Many of them flatteringly romantic. A sharp boarding action. An overturned carriage while fleeing the house of a lover. But the sad truth is that while passing my husband's study one day he abruptly opened the door and punched me in the stomach, Winded, I couldn't fight back or regain my feet before he picked me up and threw me bodily down the stairs of our respectable Paris townhouse."
She paused, absentmindedly running one hand over her cheek.
"The scarring on my face healed, mostly. And Gustave paid for the finest glass eye that could be crafted. Hardly an act of contrition; rather, keeping up appearances was always a priority for him. But the surgeon botched the setting of the leg. . .I've seen better work done in the mire and chaos of a ship in combat.
"Poison is easily procured. One can get anything in Paris. And I took a leaf out of Gustave's book. One day I surprised him with the strategic application of one of his priceless antique vases. When he regained his senses he unthinkingly took the "restorative" that I proffered him. It was all too easy. I stood there and watched him froth and gargle away his last moments. Watched the flailing, eye-rolling travesty of a human being he had become. And didn't stop watching until the stench told me he had fouled himself in death."
There was no sound except the crackling of the fire, and the occasional banging of pots being washed in the back room. Outside, in the distance, the sound of a drunk singing nonsense in an unusually clear and lilting voice. Finally Willem cleared his throat.
"Way I sees it you got nothing te reproach yerself for, Lady D. Bastard had it coming."
He stopped, surprised by the gentle shake of her head.
"No. No, he really didn't. He couldn't be other than what he was. Punishment should be reserved for those who can actually choose to be something different. People like myself."
After another pause she seemed to shake herself slightly, as if waking up.
"But to the present purpose. I still had many friends in Paris, and an appropriate death certificate was easily procured. My poor husband had suffered a dreadful seizure following a fall. I was not naive enough to believe, however, that my crime would remain undiscovered. Whenever money changes hands, there is always the prospect that more money will change minds. It was a question of whether or not I had bought sufficient time to escape. I thought that I had.
"However Simon Fraser somehow found out about my less than wifely devotion to my husband, although what this information should be to him I cannot guess. But I am certain that he was behind tonight's attack. Not directly, for that is not his style, but it is his agents that are at work. But to what end? I have turned it over in my mind and I cannot see how my abduction should profit him."
Slowly, she stood up, one hand fussing absentmindedly at the shattered front of her dress.
"My apologies, gentlemen, I have kept you too long. But now you know all. What you do with this information is up to you. I confess that I am suddenly dreadfully fatigued and I hope you will forgive me if I make my way to my chamber."
The men watched her climb the tavern's narrow staircase until she was out of sight. Wordlessly, Willem filled each man's tankard. No one made a move to take a drink.
"Mes amis," Patrice said finally, "Nous sommes un probleme."
Subject: Re: Walking After Midnight
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Flies exposed to a stress signal when in a group adopt a more effective response than isolated insects, found researchers at UNIL and EPFL. These typically solitary dipterans interact to generate a coherent collective response. "Interaction within the group increases their sensitivity to the environment, which facilitates decision making," says Pavan Ramdya, lead author of a paper published today in Nature.
To explore this behavior, the researchers began by quantifying the presence of CO2 avoidance strategies. This gas, odorless to humans, represents a danger signal to the flies. A drosophila flying alone makes little effort to avoid the aversive odor. In a group, a significant proportion of flies leave the area within a few seconds.
Even deprived of their sense of smell, flies in a community with unmodified peers continue to go quickly to the good, clean air. Since the genome of drosophila is fully sequenced, a database comprising genetically modified flies is also available. It is therefore possible for scientists to select for certain characteristics, such as lack of olfactory genes.
By observing the flies, the researchers found that this group behavior was preceded by numerous close between the insects. Specifically, it is through small touches on the legs that the avoidance behavior is strengthened. This serves as genuine communication in code as it also indicates the direction to follow. A nudge on the right leg from a peer, and the fly goes left. With a touch on the left, it heads right.
So does a fly-leader need authority to indicate the route to follow? Not at all. A cascade of identical is enough. It is a bit like billiard balls: the impulse is given in a specific direction. The insects that have been affected, in turn, "warn" others, and so on.
It remained to discover the neural circuitry involved in this collective behavior. Previous data from the study, financially supported by the SNSF (Swiss National Science Foundation), the European Research Council (ERC)and the Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP), suggested the critical role of receptors on limbs. Using various methods, including desensitizing different parts of a limb, the researchers were able to identify the applicable gene and locate the precise area of.
A small group of neurons located at the end of a limb that are sensitive to mechanical deformation emerged as the sine qua non for this social behavior. Flies that had this area desensitized through genetic modification behaved as isolated individuals.
"While the neural circuits controlling interactions between two individuals in courtship or combat are increasingly understood, we don't know much about what orchestrates behavior at the group level," says Pavan Ramdya. "The identification of sensory pathways that govern collective response in drosophila could elucidate the dynamics of other animal groups such as schools of fish, migratory birds and even human crowds," he adds.


Join us for lunch! If you are new to Anthem and curious about who we are, this lunch is for you! There will be a meal served followed by a short presentation with the church leaders. This is a great way learn more about who we are as a church and where we are headed and for the church leaders to meet you and get to know you better.
Lunch will immediate follow the service.
Please RSVP info@anthemchurch.life so we can save you a seat.
Join us as we celebrate the event that changed everything.
At our Good Friday service we will be cheering on those making their faith public through the act of baptism. Come join us and if you are interested in being baptized, please go to this link.
Join us on Sunday April 14th for our Palm Sunday service followed by an Easter egg hunt for kids. There will be a photo booth available to capture the moment!
Saturday April 6th we will be hitting the streets in our local neighborhoods to invite people to our Easter service by putting out door hangers and praying as we walk. We will start out the morning with a light breakfast and prayer and then break into small teams to put out door hangers in Burlington neighborhoods. Meeting at Heritage Baptist Church at 9am and wrapping up our time around 11:30am.
Let us know if you are planning to join us by emailing Ashley@anthemchurch.life.
Youth House is going gaming! If you are a high school student, come with us to Dave & Busters in Woburn for some arcade game fun. Bring money for tokens! Drop off and pickup is at 4 Meeting House Circle, Bedford at 6:30pm and 8:30pm. Download the permission slip HERE.
So fun you won't even know you're learning.
We think life is worth exploring. So we've cooked up an overnight adventure about finding what matters most. Think of it as Alpha on steroids. With food and friends. In a beautiful camp setting. It's a time to get away from it all. And to get with God. Featuring inspiring talks, worship and conversation. All sprinkled with free time to digest the teaching and the tasty meals. Smiles, s'mores, and eureka moments. Guaranteed.
We will have lunch at Chopps (the restaurant inside of the Burlington Marriott) immediately after the service.
Join us as we watch the New England Patriots defeat that other team!
Show up anytime after 5:30pm and stay through the game!
Join us for our first Anthem Kids family event on Saturday, February 2nd! We will be hanging out at VinKari Safari in Woburn from 10am-Noon. We'd love to see you there to have a blast and connect with other families in the community.
Entrance cost is $15 per child, $10 for children under 1.
Join us on Sunday December 23 as we celebrate Christmas together.
No need to dress up, bring presents or do anything that will cause you stress. Feel free to bring a friend or family member or come on your own. We promise you won't have to sit alone if you don't want to, or if you want to be left alone, we are saving a place for you (even if it's on the back row).
Stick around after the service for a party including Christmas themed nibbles, kids crafts, photo booths, games and more - fun for the whole family!
Anthem Community is a place to come together for team building, training and growing in our relationships with God and each other.
We meet in at a home in Bedford. Childcare is not available at this time - but children are welcome!
If you are interested in getting involved at Anthem, this is a great place to start! Please feel free to join and check it out - no pressure to commit to anything. For those of us who make Anthem our home church, this is a place for us to connect with others and grow in our faith.
You're invited to an Anthem Church Friendsgiving!
At Anthem we love food, fun and friends. So, we are throwing a party with all three! On the Saturday before Thanksgiving come celebrate potluck-style at our Anthem community Friendsgiving. Everyone is invited!
We would love to meet you and introduce you to the leaders of Anthem Church. The evening will include dinner and a chance to hear the vision for Anthem and what is in store as we launch this fall.
Join us as we celebrate the official launch of Anthem Church!
The day will include a service at 10:30am with a full kids program for Birth - 5th grade and an after party immediately following.
Join us for our third preview service! On September 30 we are inviting people to join us to get a preview of what is to come with Anthem. We will continue to define what an Anthem is by looking at the topic of Identity: An Anthem defines who you are. There will be a full program offered for children birth through 5th grade. Everyone is welcome and we hope to see you there!
We will be joining in the festivities in our Bedford community by marching in the Bedford Day parade and hosting a booth at the fair. We will be giving out Anthem drawstring backpacks in the parade as well as giving out ice pops, temporary tattoos and faceprinting at the fair. Be sure to come and say hi!
Join us for our second preview service! On September 9 we are inviting people to join us to get a preview of what is to come with Anthem. We will continue to define what an Anthem is by looking at the topic of Purpose: An Anthem calls us to a higher purpose. There will be a full program offered for children birth through 5th grade. Everyone is welcome and we hope to see you there!
Join us for our first ever service. On August 12 we are inviting people to join us for a preview of Anthem's services. We will begin our preview services by defining an Anthem. This first week we will look at the topic of Community: An Anthem makes a community out of individuals. There will be a full program offered for children birth through 5th grade Everyone is welcome and we hope to see you there!
Join us on the Burlington Common as we connect with our community and celebrate Burlington!
Come visit our booth on the common for a free gift and refreshing snack!
Our launch team meetings are times when those who are interested in helping to launch Anthem gather for training, planning, dreaming and growing together as a team. Anyone is welcome to join us to explore how to get involved as we hope to impact and serve our community.
Join us on the Parade route as we participate in the Burlington 4th of July Parade.


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Phillipe Coutinho
Coutinho: Why I owe so much to Jurgen Klopp
Playmaker praises his Liverpool FC boss
James Pearce
Philippe Coutinho has praised Jurgen Klopp for taking his game to the next level.
The Brazil international, whose future at Liverpool is still uncertain amid continued interest from Barcelona, scored his first hat-trick for the Reds in last week's Champions League demolition of Spartak Moscow.
Coutinho believes it's Klopp's tactical decision to move him from playing on the left of a front three to a more central role where he's been able to dictate games more has made a big difference.
Liverpool FC boss can have few complaints following Champions League draw
"He's helped me a lot. I think the way he's helped me to play when we don't have the ball when the team is under pressure is really different," he said.
"We've changed how we play. We've tried to switch to a different style and I think that bit by bit I'm getting better with that and hopefully that can continue.
Jurgen Klopp embraces substitute Philippe Coutinho of Liverpool during the EFL Cup semi-final first leg match between Southampton and Liverpool at St Mary's Stadium on January 11, 2017 (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)
"I'm now in a deeper position and I'm always trying to improve and be able to score goals and set off moves because my position demands it. I think playing there is a position where you get to play the ball a great deal.
"You become more involved in the game. It's a position that I feel that I've adapted to and I like it."
Coutinho, who has nine goals under his belt already this season, is relishing providing service to flying wingers Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane report the Liverpool Echo.
Liverpool FC boss involved in heated interview following derby draw
"Sadio and Mo are both great players. They are both very quick and they give us options down the sides. They are players with great intelligence," Coutinho told Liverpool's official matchday programme.
"They play in a quite advanced position and the line that they play always creates those spaces for us with their movement. They are very important players for the team."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Petition needed for the Director's Cut of Tikoy Aguiluz's film, "Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story"
Director Amable "Tikoy" Aguiluz was surprised to know that there were scenes added to his film without his consent and knowledge. His new film, Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story is an official entry to the 37th Metro Manila Film Festival (2011).
Direk Tikoy Aguiluz
Aguiluz requested that his name be removed from all the advertising materials of the film such as posters, billboards and other online promotions. Since there were additional scenes, he doesn't anymore consider it his work. Therefore he demands that he be allowed to make a Director's Cut of the film to be shown during the film fest and which he can submit to international film festivals.
It is only appropriate for the producer (Scenema Concepts International) to ask the director's permission to whatever plans they have on the film. Aguiluz was deprived of his creative and artistic freedom to have full control over the masterpiece he worked hard for.
Angel Enrico Mira Jr., Aguiluz's lawyer, said that the production company "disregarded the rights and prerogatives of our client to make creative decisions based on the original and agreed version of the project." Therefore, we implore the public and those who share the same cause of creative freedom and artistic integrity to sign in the following petition online initiated by Epoy Deyto of Kawts Kamote: (please wait for a few seconds to load completely)
Change.org|Start an Online Petition »
Official Trailer: Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story (2011)
SYNOPSIS [Source: Asiong Salonga on Facebook]
Tondo. The Ancient Gangland. Year 1950. Gangwars were in. Violence was the name of the game. Gangsters carried Thompson's and grease guns in a Bayong. Police Characters were just too tough resulting in bloody encounters. All notorious hoodlums dreamt to be the King. But one smart and slippery hoodlum rose to power and reigned as King. He was the youngest and toughest Public Enemy No. 1 (Criminal) the Tondo Underworld ever bred. He was feared, respected and loved. A legendary Robin Hood in his time Tondo will never forget. His gang called him Hitler. Tondo remembers him by another name - ASIONG SALONGA. He robbed the rich to give to the poor. He lived and died by the gun. He lived fast and died young. This is his bloody career and salvage true-to-life story.
MTV of "La Paloma": Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story (2011)
"LA PALOMA" - Tagalog Version with English subtitles. Lyrics by Rey Ventura. Arranged and performed by Ely Buendia. This is the theme song for the film, Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story (2011) directed by Tikoy Aguiluz. A production of Scenema Concept International.
MTV of "Hari ng Tondo": Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story (2011)
"Hari Ng Tondo" is another theme song of the film which is sung by Gloc 9 and Denise Barbacena.
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Labels: Cinema, Film, History, Issue, Philippines


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Samuel N. Lombardo
Founder & Chairman Emeritus of Benecon & ConnectCare3
Recognized as a healthcare and insurance visionary, Mr. Lombardo pioneered the concept of aggregating self-funded health purchasing and founded Benecon in 1991.
Through his proprietary aggregated funding model and suite of back-office services, Sam created a national insurance solution that started with four Pennsylvania municipalities. Through his more than three decades of leadership, Benecon is now the premier self-funding solution for thousands of public and private sector employers across the United States.
During his tenure as Chairman and CEO, Sam was a four-time recipient of INC Magazine's exclusive "500 Fastest-Growing Companies in America" award. This recognition honors leaders who demonstrate excellence in annual revenue and overall corporate growth.
In 2007, Sam received an honorary Doctorate degree from Millersville University of Pennsylvania. In 2020, the Lombardo College of Business was established at Millersville University.
Sam's philanthropic legacy extends not only to Millersville University, but also to numerous interests including: The Samuel N. Lombardo Foundation; Franklin & Marshall College; The Lancaster Cleft Palate Clinic; The Clinic for Special Children in Strasburg, PA; Schreiber Center for Pediatric Development; The Mix at Arbor Place; The Veterans Honor Park of Lancaster County and the National Healthy Veterans Center at the 340-acre Valor Farm in Lynchburg, Virginia.


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Future of the Federal Estate Tax
The Federal Estate Tax is about to change.
This blog will keep you up-to-date and link you to relevant and timely articles on the federal estate tax reform.
6 posts categorized "Sen. Mitch McConnell [R-KY]"
Ryan J. Donmoyer (Bloomberg): "Return of Estate Tax Looms as Impediment to Extending Tax Cuts"
On November 29, 2010, Bloomberg published Return of Estate Tax Looms as Impediment to Extending Tax Cuts, by Ryan J. Donmoyer. Donmoyer highlights different proposals for estate tax reform:
With Obama planning to meet with bipartisan congressional leaders at the White House tomorrow, three main factions have formed in the Senate, none of which has the 60 votes needed to advance an estate-tax proposal. One includes Republicans such as South Carolina's Jim DeMint who favor permanent repeal. Another is led by Democrats including Majority Leader Harry Reid who support a top rate of 45 percent that would apply after a $3.5 million tax-free allowance. . . .
A third faction, led by Arizona Republican Jon Kyl and Arkansas Democrat Blanche Lincoln and embraced by Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, backs setting the top rate at 35 percent after a $5 million exemption.
Donmoyer also lays out the arguments of proponents and opponents of the estate tax.
Donmoyer's article has received harsh criticism. In Another Ryan Donmoyer Cheap Shot (The Future of Capitalism, 11/29/2010), Ira Stoll wrote, "[T]he goal of the article doesn't seem to be accuracy; the goal seems to be mocking opponents of the estate tax. It's outrageous. . . . [T]he treatment of Mr. Harbert in the Bloomberg article is a caricature."
(I found Donmoyer's article to be timely and informative. You can read the article and its critique it and reach your own conclusion.)
See Kevin Staker, Good Analysis from Bloomberg on Impact of Various Estate Tax Exemptions, Also Points Out How Estate Tax Not Being Discussed, Estate Tax News Blog by Kevin Staker, Nov. 29, 2010 (stating that Donmoyer's analysis confirms Staker's opinion nothing will happen).
Nov 29, 2010 1:50:40 PM | Bloomberg, Ryan J. Donmoyer, Sen. Blanche Lincoln [D-AR], Sen. Jon Kyl [R-AZ], Sen. Mitch McConnell [R-KY]
On September 14, 2010, Sen. Mitch McConnell introduced S. 3773 - Tax Hike Prevention Act of 2010
On September 14, 2010, Sen. Mitch McConnell [R-KY] –- the Senate Minority Leader -- introduced S. 3733, Tax Hike Prevention Act of 2010:
Rate? 35%.
Exemption? $5M.
Unified? Yes.
Indexed for inflation? Yes.
Portability? Yes.
2010? Election between carryover and step-up in basis.
Permanent? Yes.
Jeff Marshall, Republican Senate leader introduces his Proposal on Estate and Income Taxes - Tax Hike Prevention Act, Marshall Elder & Estate Planning Blog, Sept. 18, 2010:
With regard to the federal estate tax S.3773 provides for a 35% estate tax rate; a unified estate/gift exemption amount of $5 million (per individual), indexed for inflation; and a stepped-up basis for inherited assets. For the year 2010, estates would be able to elect to retain the zero rate and carry-over basis of current law (and capital gains tax would apply to the carry-over basis when the asset is sold) or choose the stepped-up basis structure. For the estates of individuals dying after 2010, assets would receive a stepped-up basis and be subject to a 35% tax rate (with a unified estate/gift exemption of $5 million, indexed for inflation).
In this video, Sen. McConnel discusses S. 3773 (but does not specifically mention the estate tax). More importantly, Sen. McConnel highlights the general divide between Republicans and many Democrats regarding taxes and the economy:
(Federal Estate Tax Bills in Front of Congress has been updated.)
Sep 21, 2010 8:27:20 PM | # Progress in Congress, Sen. Mitch McConnell [R-KY]
Hints that the federal estate tax might be relegated to a lame duck session
Mark Pazniokas, Lieberman refuses to campaign for Democratic majority, The Connecticut Mirror, Sept. 13, 2010:
Lieberman, who is returning to Washington today after the end of the summer recess, said he expects the immediate focus will be on the leader of the Senate Republican minority, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
"That's the interesting drama in our story today and tomorrow, which is what will Senator McConnell do on John Boehner's statement yesterday," Lieberman said. "I think if Sen. McConnell agrees, we can extend most of the tax cuts for at least a year, then leave us to argue about higher income tax cuts and the estate tax in the lame-duck session.
"That would be a significant breakthrough."
Jay Heflin, Kyl: Little progress made on the estate tax, The Hill's On The Money, Sept. 13, 2010:
With less than fours months before the estate tax returns to levels not seen in nearly a decade, Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) said little progress has been made on the issue.
"I don't think the Democratic leadership has figured out how to approach the whole tax issue, and that [the estate tax] is a big part of it," he told reporters Monday. "Nobody has talked to me about it, and they know that [Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.)] and I are the two that have been pushing reform."
(Hat tip: Kevin Staker, Spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Declines to State Republicans Have Votes to Filibuster Obama Tax Proposal, Estate Tax News Blog by Kevin Staker, Sept. 14, 2010.)
Sep 14, 2010 9:37:14 AM | # Progress in Congress, Jay Heflin, Kevin Staker, Sen. Blanche Lincoln [D-AR], Sen. Jon Kyl [R-AZ], Sen. Joseph Lieberman [I-CT], Sen. Mitch McConnell [R-KY], The Hill
Jobs bill & the estate tax: "McConnell is demanding a time certain on when the estate tax would move"
A February 10, 2010 article by Walter Alarkon, Jay Heflin, and Alexander Bolton -- Reid: Jobs bill to come with Republican help (The Hill) -- informs that in the Reid-McConnell talks, the Senate Minority Leader "is demanding a time certain" for addressing the estate tax:
Senate leaders are working on an estate tax deal that could make it easier to move a bipartisan jobs bill. A deal being discussed by [Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.)] and [Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)] involves moving an estate tax bill through the Senate that would prevent a huge hike in the tax from taking effect in 2011, staffers and lobbyists say.
The agreement would provide needed Republican votes for Reid on the jobs bill and stop the estate tax from returning to a historically high level.
However, McConnell is demanding a time certain on when the estate tax would move before agreeing to any deal on the jobs bill.
Earlier entries also discuss the jobs bill and the estate tax:
Will the forthcoming Senate jobs bill also fix the federal estate tax? (2/4/10)
The Reid-McConnell talks: the estate tax is being used as leverage for jobs bill (2/9/10)
Senate jobs bill will not include estate state fix (2/11/10)
Feb 11, 2010 3:00:00 PM | # Progress in Congress, Rep. Shelley Berkley [D-NV], Sen. Harry Reid [D-NV], Sen. Mitch McConnell [R-KY]
Senate jobs bill will not include estate state fix
On February 4, 2010, I asked, Will the forthcoming Senate jobs bill also fix the federal estate tax? Derek Jensen (attorney, Seattle) provides a response with links to articles in Jobs Bill Does Not Include Estate Tax Fix (Derek's Tax Blog, 2/9/10).
Feb 11, 2010 2:06:08 PM | # Progress in Congress, Derek Jensen, Sen. Harry Reid [D-NV], Sen. Mitch McConnell [R-KY]
The Reid-McConnell talks: the estate tax is being used as leverage for jobs bill
In Senate works on estate tax deal to grease the skids for a jobs bill (The Hill, 2/9/10), Jay Heflin explains how the estate tax is being used as a means to an end:
Senate leaders are working on an estate tax deal to make it easier to move a bipartisan jobs bill.
The deal discussed by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) involves moving an estate tax bill through the Senate that would prevent a huge hike in the tax from taking effect in 2011, staffers and lobbyists say.
For Reid, it could provide crucial Republican votes for the jobs bill in a Senate where Democrats now have only 59 votes. Republicans would get a vote on legislation to stop the estate tax from returning to a historically high level.
The exact nature of the deal is still subject to negotiations, and the final details of a jobs bill are unclear. But the basic deal would involve Republicans providing enough votes on the jobs bill to give it the 60 votes necessary to clear procedural hurdles in exchange for a vote on the estate tax. . . .
Lobbyists say the Reid-McConnell talks have been fruitful, but historic snows in Washington have delayed a final decision on when an estate tax fix might move.
The rest of Heflin's article explains some of the alternatives regarding the federal estate tax.
See also Will the forthcoming Senate jobs bill also fix the federal estate tax? (2/4/10)
Feb 9, 2010 9:22:55 AM | # Progress in Congress, Sen. Harry Reid [D-NV], Sen. Mitch McConnell [R-KY]
Hani Sarji
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On Joint Committee on Taxation's March 22, 2010 summary of the estate, gift, and GST taxes


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LEWIS ARTS COMPLEX AT PRINCETON UNIVERSITY OPENS WITH ARTS FESTIVAL
October 5, 2017 — The new Lewis Arts complex, designed by Steven Holl Architects in partnership with BNIM Architects, opens today with a four-day Arts Festival. The complex takes the arts at Princeton to even greater heights by significantly expanding the performance, rehearsal, and teaching spaces in new, state-of-the-art facilities. The complex creates a new campus gateway, shaping campus space while maximizing porosity and movement.
The new multi-building arts complex on the south edge of campus, adjacent to McCarter Theatre Center, brings together the Lewis Center for the Arts' Programs in Dance, Theater, Music Theater, and the Princeton Atelier, and the Department of Music's expansion of its instructional and research facilities in the new Music Building. The complex comprises the Wallace Dance Building and Theater; the Arts Tower, which includes the Hurley Gallery, administrative offices and additional studios; and the new Music Building. The three buildings are integrated below ground in a Forum, an 8,000 square-foot open indoor gathering space that serves the various arts venues in the complex. Above the Forum is an outdoor plaza with a reflecting pool. Skylights in the pool filter natural light into the Forum below.
Encouraging curiosity and interaction, the new arts plaza has overlook views into the dance and theater practice spaces and the orchestral rehearsal space. As an open public invitation, this gateway space aims to connect the local community to the University.
"We feel grateful to realize this work as an instrument of inspiration for students of the future," said Steven Holl.
The Wallace Dance Building and Theater is developed according to the idea of a "thing within a thing." The black-box theater is comprised of steel, while the dance theaters are foamed aluminum, white washed wood and board formed concrete. A "dancing stair" connects all levels.
The new Music Building is developed according to an idea of "suspension." Above the large orchestral rehearsal room, individual practice rooms are suspended on steel rods. Acoustically separate, these individual wooden chambers have a resonant quality.
The Arts Tower is developed with an "embedded" concept, its stone tower connecting to the proportions of Princeton's historic Blair Arch.
"Inspired by the ambition and vision of the University and Lewis Center, we created a performing arts building shaped by porosity and circulation that would interconnect the Arts and the Princeton community in a dynamic new campus space," said Partner Noah Yaffe.
The concrete structure of all three buildings is faced in thick 21-million-year-old Lecce Stone quarried in Lecce, Italy.
The new arts complex is named for and was made possible in part through the $101 million gift to the University in 2006 by the late Peter B. Lewis, Princeton Class of 1955 and former University trustee.
The Lewis Center for the Arts and the Department of Music will celebrate the opening of the new Lewis Arts complex with a multi-day Festival of the Arts from October 5 to 8 on the Princeton University campus. The Festival, which is open to the public, features dozens of concerts, plays, readings, dance performances, art exhibitions, multidisciplinary presentations, community workshops and quirky site-specific events at venues across the campus, most of which will be free.
In addition to these inaugural events, Designing the Lewis Center for the Arts, an exhibition featuring concept drawings, models and construction details, is on view in the CoLAB Forum through November 1.


Andrew Nicholson is an author whose articles have been featured on sites like The Anomalist, Mysterious Universe, paranormal.about.com and weirdaustralia.com — the latter of which he created himself. His articles have been linked to from popular sites such as Cryptomundo, jimharold.com and Coast to Coast AM. He's also written the book "Weird Australia: Real Reports of Uncanny Creatures, Strange Sightings & Extraordinary Encounters".
Eye of the Beholder: Religious Miracle or Myth & Pareidolia?
Australian Big Cats. Not so Alien?
Grasping the Paranormal… Is it a Matter of Time?


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A Comparison of Approaches to Incident Response in Japan and the United States and an Introduction to the International Standard ISO 22320
Mitsuhiro Higashida, Naoko Kosaka, and Yuji Maeda
NTT Secure Platform Laboratories has been researching and developing incident responses for when disasters occur. We introduce the approaches to incident response taken in the United States and compare them with those in Japan. We also introduce the disaster management standard ISO 22320: Societal security––Emergency management ––Requirements for incident response, issued by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in November 2011.
Natural disasters occur regularly in Japan, and every year there is a great loss of lives and property due to these events. Additionally, the tendency for heavy downpours to occur throughout the country is increasing and seems to be a long-term trend.
It has been pointed out with a great sense of urgency that Japan may be struck by large-scale earthquakes in the next few decades in areas such as the Nankai Trough and inland in the Tokyo area. The Central Disaster Management Council has estimated the potential damage for 18 types of Tokyo Inland Earthquakes. The Council assumes that an earthquake with a magnitude (M) of 7.3 with an epicenter in the northern part of Tokyo Bay would cause extensive damage and result in a death toll of approximately 11,000 people, a total collapse of 85,000 buildings, and a maximum economic loss of 112 trillion yen.
We cannot prevent the occurrence of natural disasters. Therefore, disaster mitigation is necessary in order to recover as quickly as possible from the damage caused by a disaster. This means to be prepared by implementing both structural and non-structural measures and by considering how we should prepare for a disaster. In this article, we discuss the concept of crisis management in the future.
2. Activities to improve incident response capabilities
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) issued ISO 22320 as an international standard for incident management in November 2011. Incident response consists of various response operations by different institutions and organizations. In some cases, activities need to be carried out throughout the country. Consequently, effective incident response requires structured command and control, as well as coordination and cooperation among the various organizations. ISO 22320 specifies the minimum requirements to carry out an efficient and effective incident response. Before this standard was issued, incident response was considered separately by different organizational units in Japan. With the introduction of ISO 22320, incident response plans are gradually being standardized. In the following sections, the approach toward incident response in the United States (U.S.) is introduced and compared with that in Japan. Then, an overview of ISO 22320 is given.
3. Incident Command System
The Incident Command System (ICS) is a standardized on-scene incident management concept designed specifically to allow responders to adopt an integrated organizational structure that can meet the complexity and demands of any single incident or multiple incidents without being hindered by jurisdictional boundaries.
The original ICS was established in the mid-1970s by the U.S. Forest Service and a number of California agencies. It was designed to improve and help coordinate responses to catastrophic wildfires in California. The ICS was developed to manage rapidly moving wildfires and to address the following problems: too many people reporting to one supervisor; different emergency response organizational structures; lack of reliable incident information; inadequate and incompatible communications; lack of structure for coordinated planning among agencies; unclear lines of authority; terminology differences among agencies; and unclear or unspecified incident objectives. Federal officials transitioned the ICS into a national program called the National Incident Management System (NIMS), which became the basis of a response management system for all federal agencies. Since then, many federal agencies have endorsed the use of ICS, and several have mandated its use.
The ICS divides an emergency response into five manageable functions essential for emergency response operations: Command (Incident Commander), Operations, Planning, Logistics, and Finance and Administration. A typical ICS structure is shown in Fig. 1.
Fig. 1. ICS structure.
The Incident Commander (IC) is responsible for all aspects of the response, including developing incident objectives and managing all incident operations. The ICS defines various information processing forms required for an incident response, which are known as ICS Forms. ICS Forms are designed to assist emergency response personnel in the use of ICS and the corresponding documentation during incident operations.
In addition, many ICT systems have been set up to support ICS activities. Training programs are conducted in various institutions in order to prepare for disasters, for example, HSEEP (Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program), and a grant program to support these activities has been established by the U.S. government.
As described above, the response management system in the United States is based on ICS.
In Japan, the Self-Defense Forces, National Police Agency, and National Fire Department have established a command and control system. When the Great East Japan Earthquake struck in 2011, these organizations were able to respond quickly to the disaster area by sending units that are dispersed across the country. By contrast, local governments in Japan do not have a system like this.
4. Difference in incident response approaches between Japan and the United States
The Local Disaster Management Plan is common in Japan. This is a plan established by each prefectural and municipal disaster management council, subject to local circumstances and based on the Basic Disaster Management Plan.
By contrast, ICS in the U.S. is applied nationally. It is flexible and can be used for incidents of any type, scope, and complexity. ICS allows its users to adopt an integrated organizational structure to match the complexities and demands of single or multiple incidents.
ICS is used by all levels of government—federal, state, tribal, and local—as well as by many nongovernmental organizations and the private sector. It is also applicable across disciplines.
In Japan, the role of state agencies is limited, and they do not have a system to perform disaster responses in place of local governments.
The role of state agencies is to provide support to the local governments.
Furthermore, in Japan, disaster responses are planned based on an extension of command and control operations during ordinary times. Thus, the disadvantage is that the response may not be sufficient during a disaster that is beyond the response capacity.
In contrast, in the United States, the corresponding organization expands according to the size of the disaster. The organization also has the authority to command and control the response operations.
In addition, there are full-time professional disaster response teams in the United States. However, disaster response personnel change every few years in Japan.
5. ISO 22320
ISO 22320 is an international standard that was issued to enhance the ability of private and public organizations to handle all kinds of emergencies such as flooding, earthquakes, and accidents.
The standard specifies the following requirements for an effective incident response:
a) Requirements for command and control (Fig. 2)
Fig. 2. Command and control process specified in ISO 22320.
b) Requirements for operational information (Fig. 3)
Fig. 3. Process of providing operational information (ISO 22320).
c) Requirements for cooperation and coordination
Thus, ISO 22320 is a standard that allows inter-organizational cooperation among the involved organizations, agencies, and other parties.
After ISO 22320 was issued, a committee was formed in 2012 by the Japanese Standards Association (JSA) to establish Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS), which will be issued in the summer of 2013 at the earliest.
Until now, there was no common agreement on how to implement an incident response in Japan. Therefore, ISO 22320 will play an important role in the standardization of a domestic incident response plan in the future. We will work on developing a strategic emergency management support system based on ISO 22320 (Fig. 4). Key personnel will use the support system to prepare a common operational picture and carry out effective emergency management through the summarizing, managing, and sharing of information and foresight utilizing incident response knowledge (Photo 1). If the system is provided on a cloud, users can use it whenever necessary, including during training. As a result, local governments that have not had any experience in dealing with disasters can utilize the knowledge of other local governments stored on the knowledge database of the system.
Fig. 4. Strategic emergency management support system.
Photo 1. Screen shots of strategic emergency management support system.
NTT Secure Platform Laboratories is continuing to research and develop ways to improve incident response capabilities through the management support system based on ISO 22320.
Mitsuhiro Higashida
Senior Research Engineer, Medical and Healthcare Information Systems Development Project, NTT Secure platform Laboratories.
He received the Ph.D. degree in social informatics from Kyoto University in 2008. He joined NTT in 1993. He is currently studying disaster information systems. He is a member of the Institute of Social Safety Science and the Japan Society for Natural Disaster Science.
Naoko Kosaka
Engineer, Medical and Healthcare Information Systems Development Project, NTT Secure Platform Laboratories.
She received the B.E., M.E., and Ph.D. degrees in engineering from Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1995, 1997, and 2004, respectively. She joined NTT Human Interface Laboratories in 1997 and moved to Secure Platform Laboratories in 2010. She is currently studying an emergency management support system using incident response knowledge. She is a member of the Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers (IEICE).
Yuji Maeda
Senior Research Engineer, Supervisor, Medical and Healthcare Information Systems Development Project, NTT Secure platform Laboratories.
He received the Ph.D. degree in systems information science from Future University Hakodate, Hokkaido, in 2013. He joined NTT Telecommunication Networks Laboratories in 1991. He is currently supervising a development project on medical and healthcare information systems and disaster resilient information systems. He received the Scholarship Encouragement Award from IEICE in 1998. He is a senior member of IEICE, and a member of IEEE, the Human Interface Society, and the Japanese Telemedicine and Telecare Association.


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Men's American Junior (U20) Records
American Junior Records are those ratified by USATF. Junior Records are restricted to athletes who do not turn 20 at any time during the calendar year in which the mark is made.
Symbols: + = event not officially recognized by USATF; (A) = altitude-aided mark–over 1000m of altitude (in affected events only); i = made indoors; p = mark still pending ratification
100 9.97 Trayvon Bromell (Baylor) Eugene, Oregon 6/13/14
200 19.84 Erriyon Knighton (adidas) Eugene, Oregon 6/27/21
400 43.87 Steve Lewis (UCLA) Seoul, South Korea 9/28/88
600+ 1:15.49ip Brandon Miller (Texas A&M) Fayetteville, Arkansas 12/03/21
800 1:43.55 Donavan Brazier (Texas A&M) Eugene, Oregon 6/10/16
1500 3:36.1 Jim Ryun (Kansas) Berkeley, California 7/17/66
3:34.36p Hobbs Kessler (Michigan HS) Portland, Oregon 5/29/21
Mile 3:51.3 Jim Ryun (Kansas) Berkeley, California 7/17/66
Steeple 8:33.8 John Gregorek (Georgetown) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 5/20/79
3000 7:58.0 Gerry Lindgren (Washington State) Karlsruhe, Germany 7/05/65
[7:49.16 Galen Rupp (Oregon) in '05 never ratified]
5000 13:25.46 German Fernandez (Oklahoma State) Eugene, Oregon 6/29/06
13:24.76p Nico Young (Northern Arizona) Des Moines, Iowa 4/23/21
13:22.59ip Nico Young (Northern Arizona) Boston, Massachusetts 12/04/21
10,000 28:32.7 Rudy Chapa (Indiana HS) Des Moines, Iowa 4/24/76
[28:18.52 Galen Rupp (Oregon) in '05 never ratified]
110 Hurdles 13.08 Wayne Davis (North Carolina HS) Port-of-Spain, Trinidad 7/31/09
Sr 110H+ 13.23 Renaldo Nehemiah (Maryland) Zürich, Switzerland 8/16/78
400 Hurdles 48.02 Danny Harris (Iowa State) Los Angeles, California 6/17/84
47.85p Sean Burrell (LSU) Eugene, Oregon 6/11/21
4 x 100 38.62(A) National Team San José, Costa Rica 7/20/19
(Arian Smith, Justin Ofotan, Marcellus Moore, Matthew Boling)
[low-altitude AJR+ 38.66 National Team (David Kimmons, Demi Omole, Ivory Williams, LaShawn Merritt) Grossetto, Italy 7/18/04]
4 x 400 2:59.30(A) National Team San José, Costa Rica 7/21/19
(Frederick Lewis 45.9, Matthew Boling 44.5, Matthew Moorer 45.2, Justin Robinson 43.7)
[low-altitude AJR+ 3:00.33 National Team (Brian Herron 45.1, Zach Shinnick 45.1, Sean Hooper 44.73, Josephus Lyles 45.36)
Trujillo, Peru 7/23/17
High Jump 2.31 | 7-7 Andra Manson (Texas HS) Kingston, Jamaica 7/18/02
Pole Vault 6.05 | 19-10¼ Mondo Duplantis (Louisiana HS) Berlin, Germany 8/12/18
Long Jump 8.34 | 27-4½ Randy Williams (USC) Munich, Germany 9/08/72
Triple Jump 17.13 | 56-2½ Will Claye (Oklahoma) Fayetteville, Arkansas 6/13/09
Shot 22.06 | 72-4½ Tripp Piperi (Texas) Tampere, Finland 7/10/18
Senior Shot+ 20.65 | 67-9 Michael Carter (Texas HS) Boston, Massachusetts 7/04/79
Discus 65.34 | 214-4 Mason Finley (Colorado HS) Port-of-Spain, Trinidad 7/31/09
Senior Discus+ 63.22 | 207-5 Brian Milne (Penn State) University Park, Pennsylvania 3/28/92
Hammer 80.79 | 265-0 Conor McCullough (Princeton) Moncton, New Brunswick 7/25/10
Senior Hammer+ 70.78 | 232-3 Conor McCullough (Princeton) Princeton, New Jersey 5/15/10
Javelin 74.64 | 244-10 Joe Zimmerman (Washington) Moncton, New Brunswick 7/23/10
[77.84 | 255-4 Sam Crouser (Oregon HS) in '10 never ratified]
Multi-Events
Decathlon 8037 Harrison Williams (Stanford) Edmonton, Alberta 7/31–8/01/15
(10.67w, 6.98/22-10¾, 13.71/44-11¾, 2.03/6-8, 48.28 [4182], 14.41, 39.68/130-2, 5.00/16-4¾, 51.77/169-10, 4:29.20 [3855])
Senior Decathlon+ 7892 Gunnar Nixon (Arkansas) Des Moines, Iowa 6/06–07/12
(10.93w, 23-9½/7.25, 45-½/13.73, 6-8¾/2.05, 48.92 [4177], 14.51, 119-8/36.48, 15-1/4.60, 184-1/56.12, 4:30.41 [3715])
Road Event
Marathon+ 2:15:28 Paul Gompers (Harvard) Huntsville, Alabama 12/10/83
Walk Events
5000 20:06.0 Trevor Barron (South Park TC) San Diego, California 6/13/10
5K(r) 21:05 Trevor Barron (New York AC) Eugene, Oregon 6/26/11
10,000 41:23.14 Tyler Sorenson (California HS) Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France 7/09/11
10K(r) 41:35 Trevor Barron (New York AC) Eugene, Oregon 6/26/11
20,000 1:23:49.4 Trevor Barron (South Park TC) Tusula, Finland 9/04/10
20K(r) 1:23:26 Trevor Barron (New York AC) Eugene, Oregon 6/26/11


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A man in the cinema
1001 Tales Discourses Featured
"The watcher is not on the screen, he is sitting in the movie hall. But the problem arises when the watcher becomes identified with something on the movie screen," says Osho.
The watcher is always above the mind. The watcher is never part of the mind. The mind is just like a TV screen on which thoughts, dreams, imaginations, projections, desires, and a thousand and one things go on passing. The watcher is not on the screen, he is sitting in the movie hall. But the problem arises when the watcher becomes identified with something on the movie screen.
You must have seen yourself sometimes crying, sometimes laughing, sometimes becoming sad… and you know perfectly well that there is nothing on the screen. It is empty, and all that you are seeing is only a projection, just a film being projected through light.
I have heard that when for the first time the silent movies came into existence, the first show happened in London, and a man watched the movie in the matinee showing. Everybody left, but he remained.
The manager came to him and said, "The show is over."
He said, "I want to see the second show also."
The manager said, "What is the point? You have seen it."
He said, "It is none of your business. This is the money for the ticket. I am not going to leave."
He saw the second show, and the manager was thinking, "What happens after the second show?" He came back again; the crowd had gone, but the man was still there, because there was still a third show.
The manager said, "Do you want to see the third show also?"
He said, "Yes. This is the money."
The manager said, "But you have seen it twice!"
He said, "You don't understand a thing. There is a scene in which a beautiful woman is undressing. "She is just about to become nude and jump into a beautiful lake to swim. At that very moment a train passes by, and that train becomes a curtain, and when the train has gone, the woman is already in the water."
The manager said, "But I still don't understand the point."
The man said, "The point is, the train is going to be late sometime!"
Now the projected film has taken on a reality in his mind. He has become identified; it is no longer a film, he is part of it. He is not waiting, he is not watching; he is participating.
Osho, The Hidden Splendor, Ch 25, Q 1 (excerpt)
Series compiled by Shanti
All excerpts of this series can be found in: 1001 Tales
MindOshoShantiWatchfulness


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Posts Tagged 'Mr Rudd's'
Rudd plays a straight bat on Rove
Posted in Local News, Political News, tagged "Iranelection", "KevinRuddPM", "Michaeljackson"., "Sauce bottle joke, alongside, appearance, appearing, approval, audience, Australian, Austrian, awesome!, awkward, blogger, bloggers, Bruno, Bruno's, cameo, Channel 10, chatter, colloquialisms, confronting, cringeworthy, debate, dismissed, email, explain, failed, fair shake of the sauce bottle, fake, fashion, followers, happy, He's so hot, huge dive, infamous, interview, kevin, kevin rudd, lamenting, Leader, lot more respect, Malcolm Turnbull, many Twitterers, McManus, media performances, microblogging, Minister's, most talked about, Mr Rudd, Mr Rudd's, Mr Rudd's appearance, Mr Turnbull's, national TV., opposition, OzCar, OzCar affair, parliament, PM, positive, Prime, Prime Minister, Prime Minister's, Prime Minister's office, prime-time, ratings, reactions, remark., reporter, result, Rove, Rove last night, ROVE McManus, Rove's audience, rudd, Sacha Baron Cohen's, scalp, secure, service, show, smelling of roses., spectacularly, staged, stance, stilted, sympathetic, television, topics, Twitter, Twitter account, Twitter was alive, typical of, wake, wary, watching, worried on June 29, 2009| Leave a Comment »
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd may have been worried about his prime-time appearance alongside Bruno on Rove last night, but it appears he came through smelling of roses.
Yesterday he said on his Twitter account he was wary of appearing next to Sacha Baron Cohen's Austrian fashion reporter, asking his followers: "Any ideas guys about how I can get out of this one?"
But after a week in which Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull spectacularly failed to secure the Prime Minister's scalp over the fake OzCar email, Mr Rudd was always going to like his chances of a sympathetic audience on national TV.
He used an interview with Rove McManus to explain his stance on the OzCar affair, and answered the traditional "Five Questions" from the popular television personality.
Gone were the stilted colloquialisms that have been typical of Mr Rudd's staged media performances, but McManus didn't let the PM get away without confronting his now infamous "fair shake of the sauce bottle" remark.
"How many times a day do you actually shake the sauce bottle?" asked the host.
Mr Rudd parried back with "not often enough," earning the approval of many Twitterers who were watching the show.
"Sauce bottle joke – awesome! 'Not often enough'," said one blogger, while another said they had a "lot more respect" for Mr Rudd after his appearance.
Twitter was alive with chatter about the Prime Minister's cameo, with topics like "Rove", "Rudd" and "KevinRuddPM" among the most talked about on the microblogging service.
Channel 10 and the Prime Minister's office would have both been happy with that result – Mr Rudd's appearance on Australian television was getting as much debate as "Iranelection" and "Michaeljackson".
While some bloggers dismissed his appearance as awkward and cringeworthy, most reactions were positive, with one lamenting the fact that Bruno did not share the stage with the PM.
Mr Rudd said he was nervous when he found out the comedian was going to be on the show, telling McManus: "Basically I'm in a state of induced panic."
Perhaps it is lucky for Mr Rudd that they did not share the stage because Bruno's appraisal was straight to the point: "Your Prime Minister? That guy I saw backstage? He's so hot."
Parliament has risen for six weeks, Mr Turnbull's approval ratings have taken a huge dive in the wake of the OzCar affair and Rove's audience likes the Prime Minister.
Source : www.abc.net.au


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Christina Aguilera Channeled Her Iconic 2002 "Dirrty" Performance on the Red Carpet
Chaps and all.
tessa-petak-headshot
By Tessa Petak Dec 08, 2021 @ 10:12 am
Christina Aguilera is hitting us full force with the nostalgia. On Tuesday night, the pop singer was honored with the Music Icon award at the 2021 People's Choice Awards, where she gave a nod to her legendary "Dirrty" outfit. Iconic indeed.
Xtina arrived at the star-studded PCAs in a recreation of the 2002 performance costume, which included a black, white, and yellow corseted leotard over fishnet stockings with flared, yellow chaps.
RELATED: Christina Aguilera Wore a Plunging Rhinestone Suit Jacket With Latex Pants
The singer's glam even paid tribute to the early aughts moment. Her long, platinum-blonde tresses were pulled half-up and dyed dark underneath with black strands woven into some of the curls around her face. She opted for a smokey eye with black, geometric eyeliner.
RELATED: Christina Aguilera Wore a Plunging Gown with Latex Long-Sleeve Gloves on the Red Carpet
While accepting her award, the singer slipped into a matching, silk robe-like gown and told fans that this moment was "surreal."
"I have always strived for my music to communicate messages of empowerment, whether it's speaking my own truths or giving voice to those unable to do so on their own," she said. "My artistry has always been for the fighters in this world, for those who face adversity, for those wanting to evoke change, my music is for you."
RELATED: Christina Aguilera Loves '00s Nostalgia and an Underboob Moment
The star also performed a medley of her greatest hits.


Many skirts on the same dress and they all are swirling around so easily and incredibly! Simple and restrained from the one side, while exquisite and elegant from the other! A party in such a dress will be a 100% success, and how easy it is to move and dance in it!


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Home » Blog » other » INTA ALBA. Specifications. A photo.
INTA ALBA. Specifications. A photo.
INTA ALBA - Spanish military unmanned aerial vehicle developed by the National Institute for Aerospace Technology in Spain.
UAV model INTA ALBA has a rather narrow scope of its application, in particular, the drone is used only to fulfill military objectives, which should include testing of new weapons systems, as well as the testing of radar detection of air targets systems. In fact, the installation on the device a digital camera, the UAV can be used also for a quick reconnaissance, however, we only know of a few cases, the operation of unmanned air tools as such.
Spanish drone INTA ALBA has a fairly compact dimensions, in particular, with a maximum take-off weight of the drone in 25 kilogram UAV fuselage length is meter 1 80 centimeters, while the wingspan equal to 2 20 meters centimeters.
Powerplant unmanned air tool provided with one piston twin engine, which is able to disperse the aircraft to a maximum airspeed in 180 km \ h. (Depending on the modification of UAV), while the maximum flight range of this device is 60 kilometers.
According to the beginning of the year 2016, in the Spanish Armed Forces delivered about 300 unmanned aerial means of this model, which continue to very actively exploited.
There are two main versions of this UAV:
INTA ALBA - Basic version of the drone, the maximum flight speed of 180 km \ h .;
INTA ALBA Plus - A modernized version of the UAV, with increased maximum flight speed of up to 250 km \ h.
Specifications INTA ALBA.
Height: 0,28 m .;
Maximum takeoff weight: 25 kg. (Depending on version);
Cruising flight speed: 150 km \ h. (Depending on version);
Maximum flight speed: 180 km \ h. (Depending on version);
Lancair ES. Specifications. A photo.
Neos Airline
Milas Bodrum Airport


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