Two more entries to go in 2018, so I thought I'd do a bit of an overview of things I've been doing or thinking about over the course of the year, building up to my new writing plans for 2019.
Ed provides a sterling example. Source: Cowboy Bebop.
I did a hell of a lot of flailing this year. A TON of flailing. So much flailing that it was kind of embarrassing to watch. And I'd rather not go through that process any more than I have to, ever again. It's a huge waste of time, productivity, and energy.
What the hell am I going on about, you say? A fine question. I am of course talking about the numerous attempts at writing the AC story…about the grand idea of writing longhand as a change of pace…about yet another attempt at writing Can't Find My Way Home and failing once again…about trying to come up with blog post ideas here without repeating myself…and so on and so forth.
It's also on a personal level as well. I've frequently stated how frustrated I get when I approach something in a reactive manner. I spend far too much time, energy and emotion reacting to statements and situations rather than processing them. Instead of finding a way to fix or contribute to them (or even ignore them if applicable), I focus on how I feel about the situation. It only serves to make me yet another responding echo and totally failing to do anything about it.
And let's go one further: when I get to this particular level where I see my problem and want to do something about it, chances are I come up with Best Laid Plans to change myself in one way or another. I feel proud of myself for coming up with a kludge that I think (maybe…?) will make things work again. Sort of. Sometimes they work, but more often than not, that's all they remain: plans. I get distracted. Or worse, I get disillusioned. I fall back into the same feedback loop and I'm back where I started.
And that has been so goddamned tiring and I'm sick of it.
Which is why I'm choosing to spend a considerable amount of time in 2019 on a hiatus. It's not exactly an internet detox, though. I'll still be around in one form or another. I'll still blog here, though on a less hectic schedule. I'll still be available and contactable.
I just want to stop reacting, stop flailing, stop planning, and start doing more. Figure out who I am at this point in my life, and do something about it. It's far past time.
More on the upcoming year, in regards to writing. I've been thinking a lot lately about voices in my stories. It's a tough subject to tackle, especially in a short-form blog like this, because there's so much nuance packed in there. What kinds of voices? Whose voices? Am I talking inclusiveness of characters, or am I talking about the style of storytelling I happen to be using? Am I talking about dialogue or am I talking about language? All of the above or something else entirely?
Sometimes I feel as though I keep writing the same story over and over again, just using different backdrops. Granted, I'm reading and rereading and revising my own words over and over again for so long, to the point where it all starts to blend together and I can't help but see all the similarities between a character in A Division of Souls and a character in Meet the Lidwells, two completely different stories with completely different settings and styles. What I have to remind myself is that I'm not hearing the different characters…I'm hearing me writing those characters.
This was one of the reasons I was thinking of taking some time off in 2019 before embarking on another novel project. I want to find a new voice within myself. I want to continue to tell my stories, but I feel like I've written everything I wanted to write with my current voice. And that voice has changed over the years, but my stories haven't. It's time to get realigned and bring that new voice to the forefront.
Over the next few weeks, I'll be working out how I'll do this and start fresh on January 1, like I always do. I've already done my Year End/Year Ahead post the other day, so I can just post my whiteboard schedule plans and call that done.
Then the real work will begin.
I do still love the holiday season, despite the weather and the crowds and the heightened insanity. The only thing I don't love is not being able to provide enough energy for my writing. I wish I could be as productive at this time of year as I am, say, during the slow spring and summer seasons. I can still do it, but each year I wonder if I shouldn't be reviewing my schedule and figuring out a new way to get those words out.
There's also the unexpected distractions that usually make me irritable for the rest of the day; for instance, I'll be reporting for jury duty today and thus providing zero productivity until I get home. [Well, that's not entirely true. I usually bring something writing related to jury duty for reading material. Otherwise I'd be goofing off on my phone while I wait to be called.] It's not that I can't handle distractions or multitasking, it's the "drop everything and do this instead" mindset that bothers me. I can't stand having to completely stop a process to complete a different and unrelated process and then finally go back to the original process if I have time for it, while trying to figure out where the hell I left off. I say all this because that's been my Day Job situation for the last couple of months and let me tell you, IT GETS TIRING VERY QUICKLY.
Anyway. As a writer, I still run on dogged determination and personal priority. I need to give myself at least two hours for writing projects — this can mean anything from the daily words to whatever major project I'm working on, and it can be split into all kinds of available time throughout the day. I can usually squeeze in more than that, but my hard fast rule is Two Hours.
It can be tough to work through it all at this time of year, so one does tend to need a bit of determination and a whole lot of stubborn will. Some days it'll be fun, but other days it will be a slog. Some days I'll push through and get more done than I'd planned, and other days I just want to log off and go read a book instead.
All that said, I also need to remember not to overdo it. If I truly am exhausted and don't have the focus (or the mental acuity or the spoons or the energy, etc.), it's okay to skip a day. It annoys me when I have to, but I have to give myself that time off to recharge.
I mean, back in my Belfry days, I'd been known to zonk out in my chair after staying up far too late working on stuff. I don't think I need to do that anymore. Just get the rest when needed, and start fresh the next day. Everything will still be there when I log back on.
I've been thinking a lot about my creative outlets. I know, I know…in previous posts I've talked a lot about wanting to play more guitar, write more songs, make more art, but it was always in the context of trying to squeeze it in when and where I could, while also working on my writing.
Lately, however, I've been thinking about focusing on these outlets instead of always putting the novels first. Perhaps instead of trying to brainstorm the next project, it's time for me to give these two other outlets some serious stage time. I've been recording more than a few song ideas and demos on my phone over the last few months (using the Hi-Q mp3 recorder app) and I think I can work with some of them. I've long been tempted to find decent (and not expensive) multi-track software and do a bit of experimenting, so perhaps it's time.
As for art…? Good question. I have a few art notebooks, pens and pencils that are collecting dust as I haven't used them in a while. That's gotta change as well. I'm much more on an amateur level here, so this would be mostly for personal enjoyment than anything else, at least for now. But yeah — I miss the enjoyment of drawing, even if it's drawing my imaginary maps. It's a peaceful outlet that chases away everyday stress and makes me look at the world from different angles. And I've always wanted to try new styles; I think I've burned myself out on drawing my Murph caricatures. I've also been told (very often, actually) that my storytelling style is extremely visual, so perhaps trying my hand at visual storytelling might be something to look into.
I suppose these thoughts have been brought on by my recent decision to make a lot of personal changes in my life. I'm not chasing away my novel writing, I'm just pulling it from center stage for a bit so the other outlets can have a chance to shine. I've already proven to myself that I can write novels; I want to prove to myself that I can play music and create artwork as well.
I'm very curious to see where this all leads me.


The gold-standard approach in methylation analysis is the whole genome bisulfite sequencing which gives comprehensive base-pair resolution and quantitative information at most genomic cytosine. This method rely on bisulfite conversion of DNA to detect unmethylated cytosines This method uses cytosine bisulfite conversion converting unmethylated cytosines to uracil followed by random priming, tagging at the 5' and 3' end and introduction of Illumina adapters by PCR amplification. Converted bases are identified (after PCR) as thymine in the sequencing data, and read counts are used to determine the % methylated cytosines.
Discover methylation patterns of all CpG, CHH, and CHG regions across the entire genome.
Or 5-10 g of fresh tissue fast frozen in liquid nitrogen and shipped in dry ice to eurofins facility.
RNA free NGS grade gDNA isolation will be carried out using commercially available kit with further purification making it suitable for NGS library preparation.
Further quality checking will be carried out using agarose electrophoresis and DIN value estimation using Agilent Tape Station. Quantification will be carried out using Qubit 3.0 fluorometer.
Appropriate amount of gDNA will be bisulfite converted and NGS library will be prepared using TruSeq DNA methylation kit from illumina.
Library validation will be carried out using High Sensitivity D1000 Screen tape using Agilent Tape station kit.
Prepared library will be sequenced using 2 x 75 bp using NextSeq 500 or 2 x 125 bp using HiSeq 2500 using latest sequencing chemistries.
Delivery of data up to 10X-30X coverage of the genome ( depending on size of genome) or customer specified data requirement.
Sequence data (base call files or bcl files) generated from the sequencer are demultiplexed if required and converted to FASTQ files.
Raw data will be available for download as a compressed archive of FASTQ files for each sample.
Raw data can be post processed upon request.


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Demand Management in Canada's Wild West
By EnPowered - August 26, 2020
We're living in crazy times, but it's not just COVID-19 that is upending things - the recent record breaking heat wave that swept across many parts of Canada in July has also left its mark. EnPowered simplifies energy management.
This article takes a look at some serious variability in energy pricing in Alberta over July and August this summer. We look at what exactly caused these price spikes and how consumers can take advantage of the swings to reduce their energy bills. In Alberta, the sweltering heat (alongside several other factors) overloaded the provincial grid, causing electricity prices to go absolutely nuts. Specifically, this past July both the average daily pool price and the System Marginal Price (SMP) both saw drastic swings.
Let's start by looking at the average daily pool price, which on most days falls between $20 and $50 per megawatt. Last year, the daily average for July was $40.34, compared to $52.24 for July 2020. This difference is further highlighted if we only look at the On Peak average for both months, which comes in at $43.85 in July 2019, and $68.62 in 2020.
Naturally, many factors play a role in determining usage and pricing in Alberta during any given month, but we can clearly see that the influence of successive high On Peak averages led to a sizable jump in prices in July 2020. Triple digit prices due to Peaks occurred in both July 2020 and July 2019, but what made this July different was not only the scale of the Peak pricing in question, but also the duration, as six days of influential pricing occurred on July 22nd ($103.57MW/h), and everyday between July 27th and 31st ($147.2, $181.24, $219.51, $236.75, and $83.87, respectively).
What exactly happened in July?
What's crazier is that these prices are the daily averages; numbers that are themselves dwarfed by some of the shorter term (hourly) spikes in electricity prices during July. For example, on July 22nd, a combination of warm temperatures, low wind generation, and a reduced coal power station fleet (due to downtime, upgrading etc.) saw the System Marginal Price (SMP) hit $776.79 per megawatt for more than an hour, with the SMP continuing to remain in the triple digits between 3pm and 8pm.
"Navigating the electricity market may seem like a headache, but the savings potential is nothing to sniff at."
The persistent heatwave continued to play havoc with Alberta's prices between July 27th and 31st, increasing demand (especially from HVAC and refrigeration systems) to over 10,123MW, with daily average internal load (AIL) peaking at 10,385MW on July 29th. The inability of Alberta to fully utilize its coal powered generating stations also contributed to the drastic price increases, as the 420MW normally generated by Keephills 1 was not available. Consequently, reduced generation and high heat led the SPM to reach $785 per megawatt on July 27th, with prices remaining above $700 for over three hours.
As if that wasn't bad enough, on July 29th ongoing high temperatures, low wind speeds, and reduced output from Sheerness 1 and 2 (nameplate capacity 780MW) led to 9 hours of triple digit prices, setting the peak load for the month. The following day saw the highest price day for the entire month, with a further nine hours of triple digit prices: the SMP hit $750. While July 31st offered a respite (due to the return of the 450MW Keephills 3 generator) in comparison to the rest of the week, unfavorable conditions continued to persist, with the SMP hitting $668.
How you could have saved thousands
July 2020 may have been a perfect storm of circumstances cooperating to undermine Alberta's grid; however, don't think that it was a '100 year storm' type of scenario, since the numbers for August haven't been much better. Four days in August saw Alberta's pool price reach eye watering prices. Specifically, the August 16th - 19th window saw hourly prices reach; $565.30 (4pm, Aug.16th), $543.53 (4pm, Aug.17th), and $424.43 (4pm, Aug. 18th), with the highest price - $716.19 - occurring at 6pm on August 19th.
Both the July and August data also demonstrate the need for Alberta to increase grid resilience and flexibility. That's a tall order, and in the meantime, customers are going to keep having to pay the price: or are they? Navigating the electricity market may seem like a headache, but the savings potential is nothing to sniff at.
Specifically, electricity customers could have seen substantial savings in July if they opted out of supply contracts and enrolled in the default supply option offered by utilities, namely a pool price based, real-time option. A customer who had so would have managed to compensate for the price hikes during the Peak hours mentioned above (including periods on July 15th) which totaled 28 hours - of which the highest 7 ultimately influenced Peak pricing. To put it plainly, customers could have saved $17,370 per MWh, just by avoiding the 7 hours mentioned above.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Donnellan Makes Two Major Appointments
ARLnow.com October 13, 2010 at 12:51pm
New Arlington County Manager Barbara Donnellan has appointed county chief financial officer Mark Schwartz to her former position of deputy county manager. Schwartz served as acting deputy county manager during the seven months from 2009 to 2010 that Donnellan served as acting county manager.
Schawartz, who holds a bachelor's degree from Harvard and a law degree from Penn, has overseen the county's budget and bond sales since 2005.
Also today, Donnellan appointed William F. O'Connor III as director of the Department of Environmental Services. The department manages county roads, sewers, trash services, environmental initiatives and building projects.
O'Connor had been serving as director of design and construction for Arlington Public Schools, where he has been involved with the design, planning and building of three new high schools.
O'Connor's appointment is effective Nov. 8. Schwartz's appointment is effective immediately.
"Mark's extensive background in financial management, strategic planning and administration, and his strong belief in the ability of local government to effect positive change, makes him the natural choice for this key position," Donnellan said in a statement. "Bill understands both our community and the challenges of running the County's largest department. His wealth of experience in the public and private sectors will be invaluable to a department that is responsible for everything from capital projects to maintenance of our water, sewers and streets."
Barbara Donnellan breaking news county manager
Lyon Hall Answers the Call When a Customer Pops the QuestionCrime Report: 'Maybe It Was Colonel Mustard' Edition


To keep the promise that I had made to the museum (and myself), I returned to the National Folk Art Museum of Armenia that I had visited in October a year ago. Located at 64 Abovian Street, it is a short cab ride - or a healthy stroll uphill (if one is predisposed on a sunny autumn day) from Republic Square to the end of Abovian Street.
At that time my friend Gohar and I had been fortunate recipients of a personal tour of the museum by Adelaida Ashotovna Manukyan, the assistant director who holds a degree in Russian Language and Literature. She took Ashot from her father's name and uses it in the Russian style by adding the `ovna.' Her first name comes from an Austrian town founded after a princess.
Ah yes ! What was the promise that brought me back to the museum? A `gsag.' (purse) In a display case I had spied two hand crocheted purses for holding coins and spontaneously remarked, `I have one of those!' Ms. Manukyan with similar spontaneity seized the opportunity and responded, `I want it.' With a full-hearted desire to contribute something of value to this worthwhile repository of Armenian folk art, I abandoned the thought of preserving this family keepsake in a chest of drawers in my home. I promised to give it to the National Folk Art Museum.
The museum claims over 12,000 exhibits. The museum's work is not only to preserve the folk artwork of Armenia, but as importantly to foster and encourage craftsmen in their work and maintain contact with cultural counterparts in foreign countries. Efforts are made to take exhibits to other parts of Armenia as well as to nations beyond the borders. Exhibits have been taken worldwide, to such countries as Poland, Sweden, Holland, Denmark, France, the USA, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Argentina, Japan, Algeria and Nigeria.
`Our most important need now,' Ms. Manukyan explained, `is to obtain a van to take exhibits to other parts of Armenia and to seek out potential talent as part of the national preservation of applied arts.' As an example of the museum's encouragement of artists, Nune Khachatryan's special exhibit of the Armenian alphabet created from flower petals was on display on the first floor of this two story building. Also located on the first floor were exhibits of carpets, rugs and large ancient earthenware (garas) that were used for storing corn, wine etc. The second floor contains an abundance of items in floor-to-ceiling display windows. Some items are original, but authentic reproductions make up the largest part of the collection. Some of the treasures come from donors from the Diaspora. One lady from Syria had donated fifty items of handmade lace. Researched authentic one-of-a-kind crafts are on display. An array of treasures to be admired are wood carvings, silver filigree, boxes decorated with inlays of wheat that look like stone or wood, decorated belts, metal works in hammered designs, old silver purses, carpets, rugs and ceramic ware. Yashma, a stone native to Armenia which looks like silver, was on display. There is also colored yashma which is used to make jewelry. There were replicas of kettles and plates that Artsroun Bergeryan researched from Erepooni artifacts. There were jewelry reproductions from Van. Copies are sold at the Vernisage, but Bergeryan is credited with resurrecting the designs from artwork found on ancient buildings. We saw ancient butter churners also. On display were works by many artisans. An incomplete list follows with names such as Alagjezian, Azatian, Nargisian, Stepanian, Amirian, Avetisian, Norashkharian, Sahakian, Jerbashian, Khurshudian. We viewed embroidery and handmade lace, and, of course, regional costumes. The museum enjoys a good reputation and is open three days each month free for students and children. Midway through our tour, a group of first- year university students joined us.
`In 1938 there was a 10 day exhibit in Moscow which included craftsmen from all over the USSR,' explained Ms. Manukyan. `A special exhibit for Armenia was part of the event and it was Anastas Mikoyan who gave the concept to organize groups to teach people handicrafts. Habetnak Babayan was the organizer in 1938 and lived to be 93 years old. He was the original director of the exhibition and was a member of the Academy of Sciences.' The founding of the museum evolved from this event.' She added, `Even a puppet theater was established as part of the exhibition!' Manukyan continued, `By 1978 there was enough of a collection - so rich - that the Soviet Government renamed the exhibition into the National Folk Art Museum and officially established it. At this juncture Vanik (Hovhannes) Sharambeyan became its founding director. Under his leadership the museum experienced successful growth. The present director is Saro Saroukhanyan.' The museum has two branches - The Wood Carving Museum on Paronian Street in Yerevan and a permanent exhibition in Dilijan.
There are 300 folk artists in Yerevan alone. Ms. Manukyan was quick to emphasize that these folk artists do not sell at the Vernisage. `They are highly esteemed artists whose quality of work is judged by specialists in the various areas of expertise. They come to the museum with their art from television exposure and other places of exhibition because they are inspired.' People from abroad come to the museum for business and Manukyan is a source for these artists.
While we were visiting in Ms. Manukyan's office, Lucine Mkhitaryan, an artist and historian, stopped in with samples of needle work that her students had done. Lucine teaches a group of 22 young people (girls and boys ages 7-14) authentic needlework in Sos, a village on the outskirts of Yerevan which is a half-hour's drive away. She was making plans to bring her students to the museum. Sophia Galfayan, a nuclear scientist whose passion is needlework, is Lucine's teacher. Lucine showed us a paper that Sophia had written, crediting the needlework of several villages as being the precursor for the designs for 11th century khachkars. It appears that the needlework designs appeared more and more during a period of Armenian history where dispersion made difficult the documentation of the art. Thus the needlework provided the continuity of the ancient designs.
I departed yet another museum of Armenia with pride and emotion, admiring this ancient nation that honors its history and whose people diligently pursue academic interest in their origins. Most poignant is the fulfillment existing in my heart of having returned a family heirloom to its homeland - the `gsag' that my ancestors had brought with them to America in 1900 from the village of Soorsoree in Kharpert.
� Copyright 2006 Armenian News Network/Groong. All Rights Reserved.


Financial Reports must be submitted by April 20, 2012.
Transactions from the period of July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011 should be used to complete the form.
FY2011 Chapter Financials Form - Click here to download the form. You may fill in the form electronically and save it to your computer then print it for signatures or you may print a blank copy of the form.
FY 2011 Chapter Financials Instructions - Click here to download the form instructions.
If you encounter any problems or questions, contact Damon Kirkpatrick at 770-975-7533 or via email: damon.kirkpatrick@friendsofgastateparks.org.


CFD online trading is of the more recently added trading options, with its beginnings in the 1990's. Originally it was started as a way to dodge the United Kingdom Tax of Stamp Duty that remained on securities.
A contract for difference---CFD---avoided this tax since it wasn't an exchange of actual stock and was considered a swap. The CFD required a minimal amount to trade on margin and was used heavily by hedge funds until it exploded in popularity with CFD online trading.
What is CFD online trading?
CFD online trading is when you invest in either a long or short position. If your belief is that the price of the underlying security, whether it's stock, Forex, market indices or energy contracts, is going to drop, you enter into a CFD contract and sell short. At the end of the day if the price drops, you made money. If it rises, you owe money. A long contract is just the opposite. If the price rises, you made money and if it drops at the end of the day, you lose.
What makes it so unique is that it's more like betting on the price of the underlying security. You don't actually buy it. Instead, you purchase it on margin, which may require three to five percent of the cost of the actual security. If you bought ABC stock for $100 per share, 100 shares would cost $10,000. A CFD for 100 shares would cost $1,000 at 10 percent and $500 at 5 percent. The margin requirements are normally better than they would be for stocks or the same.
How is a CFD different from buying stock on a margin?
The initial difference is that you own the stock when you purchase on a margin. When you buy a CFD, you never own the stock. The contract is between you and the broker and is based on the movement of the underlying security. You are borrowing on the stock or assets you already own when you purchase on a margin. Purchasing a CFD requires no other assets.
You're purchasing the stock or another asset when buying on a margin. When you use a CFD as your vehicle, you are simply making an agreement with a broker. That makes them relatively illiquid. Your broker may pair your contract with one that another client has taken the opposite position. However, if there are no other clients for that particular investment, the broker then becomes your counterpart.
Since the broker sets the pricing and spread, that could leave you at a disadvantage, particularly if you have less than a reputable broker. That's one reason it's important to find brokerages with excellent reputations when trading CFD online.
The strategies used are slightly different than those used in the underlying investment, so be prepared for a few losses if you haven't done your homework or had a practice account. The final problem is that CFD's are not available to everyone. People in the US can't trade a CFD online or otherwise. Canadian and Australian citizens can only trade CFD's for indices and commodities, not individual stock.


Can you get drunk on 0.5% abv beer?
This is a question that we get asked a lot. It seems reasonable enough to ask; since there is a small amount of alcohol in 0.5% abv beer, surely if you drink enough of it then you could get drunk?
The most important thing to know when asking if you can get drunk on a beverage is to know exactly what % abv you are drinking. Despite the best efforts of progressive organisations like Club Soda, UK alcohol labeling is still confusing. For example, a 'low alcohol' label in the UK can mean anything from 0.1% to 1.2% abv, despite drinks 0.5% or below not falling under alcohol licensing laws. And yes, you may well be able to get drunk on 1.2% beer!
At the Smart Beer Club, we assure that any beers that make it in to our boxes are all 0.5% abv or below. That really is Smart Drinking.


The Dot – You are More Amazing Than You Know – Part 2 The other two-dimensional beings ignore him and go about their business of moving back and forth, side to side, and around in circles.
The other two-dimensional beings ignore him and go about their business of moving back and forth, side to side, and around in circles. Although the excited dot tells them again and again how they are not limited to a simple existence on a flat piece of paper and that they can have a fuller life, the other dots don't understand what he's saying. They don't understand the concept of "up and down." It's not part of their reality. They have never heard of such a thing, nor have they ever experienced it. And truthfully, they aren't really interested in knowing about it: Going up and down sounds strange and too complicated. Plus, they are too busy moving back and forth on the piece of paper. Everything they know exists in their flat, two-dimensional world.
But the dot doesn't give up. He wants others to have the same experience and taste the same freedom so he continues to share his story. Some of the dots finally become so irritated by him that they declare him a delusional troublemaker and send him off to the far side of the paper, hoping he will no longer be a bother.
A few of the other dots, however, become curious. They too have grown restless and dissatisfied with their limitations; they sense that possibly there is more to existence. Soon another two-dimensional dot decides to take a risk. She pauses for a moment and then leaps up and off the paper. Then another dot leaps . . . and another. The first dot was right, there is another dimension, and there is more to life! They can now leap up and down. They excitedly rush to share their experiences with the others. But the other two-dimensional dots still refuse to listen as they continue on with their lives.


Bigelow, Bigelow.. where have we heard this name before?
I have written about Bigelow Aerospace numerous times, they are a name you should remember and look out for over the coming years as the race to make space travel a commercial reality takes off.
Bigelow are important to the Ufo community because if you recall, the FAA has endorsed this private aerospace contractor to be the collecting point for all Ufo reports from pilots. This means they are gathering alot of data here on Ufos, likely radar data too and as a private company the relationship works out well for the US government as all these reports remain out of the hands of the public (free from FIA requests).
So it comes as no surprise that US Military has shown interest in Bigelow's space capsule research. The company explains their purpose is to perfect "crewed space complexes" which are like inflatable workspaces or bases in space. Bigelow also has close connections with all those spirals we have been seeing as well, because it has started funding race for anyone who can build more advanced propuslion systems - like SpaceX's Falcon 9 laucher, which was infact the real cause of the Spirals over Australia a few weeks ago.
Their Alien logo - No-Coincidence?
Bigelow is not limiting themselves to conventional research either. Many in the Ufo community have reported Bigelow research 'staff' who often travel to all corners of the globe ..like brazil, gathering research on the most recent Ufo sightings. They often question direct witnesses and this all comes at no surprise now as their billionare founder Robert Bigelow has come forward recently in the New York Times article airing his concerns about Ufos and aircraft safety (a topic i have brought up many times).
"I've been a researcher and student of UFOs for many, many years," Mr. Bigelow said. "Anybody that does research, if people bother to do quality research, come away absolutely convinced. You don't have to have personal encounters."
Bigelow is in the process of building a space port in New Mexico. According to his website "Bigelow Aerospace is dedicated to developing next-generation crewed space complexes to revolutionize space commerce and open up the final frontier to all of humanity. At Bigelow Aerospace, we're building the future today!"
Evidently what Bigelow is referring to when he warns of ET is the rash of reported mysterious disappearances of fighter jets and aircraft during the cold war.
During that time it was reported that the US and the Brits had an open fire policy on the ETs.
Just onother bunch of bizarre quick conclusions: Robert Bigelow has never mentioned ET's. He spoke about UFO's. And UFO means unidentified flying object - and nothing else. The widespread hysteria *IS* exactly the reason, a private contractor was tasked to collect FAA-UAP-sightings. Since the US govt has a belly full of UFO-crazies, they get rid of the loads of pointless FOIA requests. Yes, many people died in UFO incidents. E.g. when pilots chased venus and overestimated the capabilities of their crafts. Or, when civilians came too close to a nuclearly propelled sky lantern.
Look at deep, black, unacknowledged special access programs where you will find your "hard evidence" that ufos exist and whose propulsion systems are being used by our military. Same can be said about space junk in our orbit; it can also cause danger to aircraft. Think about it and act.


This personalized gingerbread man ornament is ready for the cold weather wearing his red, green and white striped scarf and hat. Originating in England, these biscuit cookies have long been a baked holiday tradition because of their eye catching white icing outlines and candy trimmings. This gingerbread ornament looks good enough to eat! A wonderful gift for a child who loves the fairy tale of the Gingerbread Man, or likes to bake cookies with grandma! This ornament is a nice size and will look great on the tree!


I'm glad to see that you are still working on these guys, they look great as a group. In terms of sculpts, John and Carlos are my favourite of the group so far. The colour scheme is nice too.
Regarding sausagefest concerns, the badger and platypus are not necessarily male, are they? A female Spacelord sculpt or two would be nice additions though.


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Home > Tenerife > Places > Vilaflor
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Vilaflor is a tranquil haven, surrounded by rural landscapes and pine trees as far as the eyes can see. At 1,400 meters above sea level, the entire village is a lookout point to lush vegetation, rugged lava plains, and fields of wildflowers.
Legend has it that Vilaflor owes its name to a Spanish Captain, Pedro de Bracamonte. Upon seeing a beautiful Guanche girl in town, he exclaimed: "Vi la flor de Chasna" (I have seen the flower of Chasna), which was the town's former name.
Its stately houses and cobblestone streets speak of the history of this part of Tenerife. Once a popular destination for scientists and explorers, Vilaflor was the location of the first hotel in the south of the island. These days, most visitors of Tenerife pass by the town on their way to Mount Teide. In doing so, they overlook a historic little town with flower lined streets and a friendly personality.
Things to Do in Vilaflor
Natural Parks and Sights
Getting to Villaflor
Vilaflor Map
Hotel Alta Montana
Hotel Spa Villalba
Hotel Rural Vilaflor
Apartamentos Suncanarias Vilaflor
Casa Zaguan
El Rincon de Roberto
Restaurante Casa Pana
Pizzeria Cafeteria Casino
A World Away from Tenerife
Although a relatively small village, visitors staying for a couple of days will never run out of things to do in Vilaflor. Its location is the ideal starting point for hiking and climbing treks, as well as visiting wineries and vineyards. The old houses and other ancient sights are also a delight for the history buffs out there.
Falling head over heels with Villaflor especially for nature-lovers is easy. The town boasts some of the unique landscapes and forests of lush vegetation that are all well-worth the visit.
Corona Forestal Natural Park
Below Mount Teide National Park and spreading seawards down steep hills lays the Corona Forestal Natural Park. Covering an area of almost 50,000 hectares, it is the largest natural reserve in the Canary Islands. Dense green pine forests and the blue hues of the ocean to the left await at this spectacular park. The park is perfect for visitors who are up to mountain biking, hiking or just wanting to feel the nature at their fingertips.
Thick Pine Forest in Vilaflor Tenerife – ©nellin
Paisaje Lunar
Guests visiting Vilaflor claim that seeing Paisaje Lunar is one of the highlights of their trip. It features ancient rock formations that appear to have a moon-textured surface. The beautiful rocks contrasting with bright blue skies on a sunny day makes for a postcard perfect view.
Ifonche
Ifonche is a protected landscape that beautifully combines nature with man-made structures. The whole area is surrounded by rock formations that contrast the Barranco del Infierno (Hell's Ravine). The entire scene is a delight to the senses.
Giant Trees
Villaflor is home to two enormous Canarian pine trees: the Pino Gordo and the Dos Pernadas. These old trees measure 60 and 70 meters tall with a diameter of 11 and eight meters. Aside from these massive trees, several impressive cypress trees are also dotting Plaza de San Pedro.
Montana Colorada
Montana Colorada is an area of spectacular natural beauty and geomorphological complexity. It consists of an almost perfectly circular lava dome and a sparse covering of pine trees. Hikers will find a series of volcanic edifices covered with vegetation that is both stunning and full of contrasts. This natural monument is a vast visual basin of diverse cones, ridges, and ravines.
Montana Colorada Tenerife – ©inavanhateren
Vilaflor houses one of the most spectacularly preserved old towns on the island. Away from the tourist congested beach resorts in Southern Tenerife, an air of the historic colonial times still lingers. Step back in time while visiting age-old mansions, churches, and villages of important historical significance.
San Pedro Church
Erected in the 16th century, San Pedro Church is among the oldest establishments in Vilaflor. This religious centerpiece features a large sculpture of Saint Peter, the first saint of the Canary Islands. The church opens up to Plaza Doctor Perez Caceres and sits in the center of the town.
La Casa de Los Soler
Situated in front of San Pedro Church is La Casa de Los Soler, the most extravagant house in town. The mansion is of traditional Canarian architecture and has a winery in the back building.
La Casa Inglesa
Situated on Plaza de San Pedro, next to beautiful cypress trees, is La Casa Inglesa or the English House. Built in the 19th century, this house was inhabited for twenty years by the British Mary Edwards and the Rev. Thomas Gifford Nash. At present, this abode house serves as a parochial house.
The Historic Ensemble of Casas Altas (Jama)
Shared by the municipalities of Vilaflor and Arona, this site was declared an Asset of Cultural Interest by the government in 2004. This ancient settlement is a well-preserved example of southern Tenerife's typical architecture. This collection of houses is believed to be one of the first settlements in the Jama region, which dates back several centuries. Walking down its stone pathways, visitors will see fascinating farm terraces, caves and much more.
Visitors craving for action-packed adventures don't have to look too far. Vilaflor offers many outdoor activities that are perfect for adrenaline junkies out there. Hop on a thrilling tandem paragliding and savor the marvelous views of this Island of Eternal Spring. Alternatively, the town is also a perfect base for high altitude walking, and the natural parks are ideal for rejuvenating hikes.
For visitors arriving at Vilaflor by car, the TF-21 runs straight through the municipality and provides to the best route to get there.
The TITSA bus company also run routes to Vilaflor. From Los Cristianos, the 482 bus will take visitors to Vilaflor three times a day, with the journey lasting roughly an hour.
It is also possible to reach Vilaflor from Granadilla by taking the 474 bus. Running four times daily, the journey takes approximately fifty minutes.
The limited land area of Vilaflor did not bound it from having many staying and dining options for its visitors. In fact, the first ever hotel in the South of Tenerife was built here.
Staying at Hotel Alta Montana is already a holiday in itself. Situated next to Vilaflor Forest and surrounded by vineyards and fruit trees, its location is enough incentive for travelers looking for a place to stay in Vilaflor. Moreover, the hotel's amenities are first-class. Hotel Alta Montana features an outdoor pool, sun terrace, and extensive gardens. The rooms also boast million-dollar views of the sea and surrounding countryside.
High in the mountains of Tenerife, Hotel Spa Villalba is known for its peaceful setting. The pleasant staff, amenities, and proximity to Montana Colorada and Teide National Park are also noteworthy. Per its name, the hotel offers relaxing services including massage treatments and features sauna and a hot tub. On a bright and sunny day, visitors may laze on the sun terrace or have a nice stroll in the garden. Book Now!
Set in a 150-year old traditional Canarian-styled house, staying at Hotel Rural Vilaflor is like residing in a museum. The wooden ceiling and iron beds of this hotel are exuding with rustic charm. The hotel also features a lovely courtyard where guests can relax after a long day of exploring the village. There is a shared kitchen for guests to use as well as a shared lounge. Book Now!
Though sans the amenities of a hotel, Apartamentos Suncanarias Vilaflor provides the home away from home feel. This friendly apartment offers comfortable barbecue nights and a majestic view of Mount Teide. The room has everything visitors can need, from kitchen wares to hairdryer. Visitors can also engage in various activities like table tennis, billiards, and squash at the property. Book Now!
Located in the heart of the town, Casa Zaguan is set in the picturesque Plaza Doctor Perez Caceres. Each room has a classic decor, and lovely gardens surround the casa. The Casa also features a terrace with a barbecue area and loungers, an outdoor swimming pool and a hot tub. Book Now!
Over the years, developments have been made to increase the potential of attracting eco-tourists. The quaint restaurants also significantly contributed to the town's overall amiable atmosphere.
Enjoy traditional Canarian cuisines at this friendly restaurant run by a husband-and-wife team. Sample one of the daily specials and be sure to reserve in advance. This is one of the most popular restaurants in town.
Restaurante Casa Pana is known for two things: their mouthwatering grilled cheese and fantastic views from the terrace. Its ideal location provides stunning views of Mount Teide and the nearby vineyards. Feast on delicious Mediterranean cooking while savoring the warm and friendly atmosphere of the place.
For those craving for real Italian pizza, Pizzeria Cafeteria Casino is the place to be. This casino pizzeria offers varied entrees, pasta, meat and fish and delightful homemade desserts. The friendly and cheerful vibe is also noteworthy.
Vilaflor seems like a world away from the tourist resorts down by the coast of South Tenerife. Staying in town for a couple of days, it's easy to forget that this town is part of a subtropical island. Clouds and mist descending and wafting through flower lined streets is a typical sight in town, not so much on the rest of the island.
The tranquil setting and the prospect of seeing some of the most beautiful scenes in all of Tenerife encourages tourists to put Vilaflor on their bucket list. With its privileged location and surrounding natural landscape, it's no wonder why this charming old town has a solid number of visitors per year.
Find more in Vilaflor
Things to Do in Tenerife
Tenerife is filled with endless opportunities for fun and adventure. An abundance of beaches from rocky coasts to fine sand allow for all types of …


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Turkish students develop wheelchair prototype controlled by pupil movement
May 21, 2017 12:00 am GMT+3
Three students from Turkey's Erciyes University have developed a wheelchair prototype controlled only by the movement of its user's pupils, in a ray of hope for people living with paralysis.
The electrical engineering students in the central Anatolian university, Alperen Kara, Kübra Uyanık and Osman Nuri Koç produced the prototype, which will let the disabled control wheelchairs with their pupils, rather than their eyelids. With pupils in control, life conditions will become easier for the many disabled people who cannot move their eyelids, but have control over their eyes.
The university seniors said that they wanted to develop the project mainly for patients paralyzed from the neck down.
The system works in parallel with the movement of the user's pupils and a camera attached to a helmet or glasses. As the camera tracks the movement, it transmits the signal to the specially engineered wheelchair.
Supported by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK), the prototype will be realized as an invention, Alperen Kara said. "We have developed this prototype for the sufferers of paraplegia and Multiple sclerosis. In Turkey, we have a wheelchair that relied on winking to work but this device will help the patients even more," he said.
Last Update: May 21, 2017 8:45 pm


Following in the footsteps of other Club Ride pieces, the Revolution Pant combines casual styling, clean lines, and performance-oriented materials to create a pant that keeps you warm and dry when riding in inclement weather, while being perfectly at home when you hit the pub post-ride. The stretchy, double-weave softshell preserves body heat and maintains mobility on the bike, while the DWR-coating sheds moisture to keep you warm and dry throughout the ride. Articulated knees and crotch gussets further improve comfort on the bike, with numerous pockets to store your ride supplies and essentials.
The fabric is excellent on these, slight stretch, durable, and breathable. Not sure why they're so tight on the thighs and loose at the ankles. They don't actually get caught on the chain ring, but they have a nice coating of oil at the end of a ride from rubbing the chain each revolution.


Ken Griffey Jr. signed a lot of baseballs during the 1989 spring training.
Ken Griffey Jr. batted No. 2 during this spring training game in 1989, the same position he would hit in his first major league game for the Mariners. The team took my photo of manager Jim Lefebvre and put it with the lineup card.
Ken Griffey Jr. takes his turn hitting for Seattle during spring training in 1989.
There's not been a swing quite like Griffey's, who debuted with the Mariners 30 years ago on April 3, 1989.
That was special, seeing Griffey's drive to make the Mariners during spring training that year.
And it was special following him during his professional career.
Junior, who is the son of Ken Griffey Sr. (Cincinnati Reds) and drafted No. 1 overall by Seattle in 1987, played only 129 games in the minors in 1987 and 1988.
After never playing above Double-A, he was called up that spring.
In his first major league at-bat, which was against Oakland, Griffey doubled to left centerfield for a standup double.
Griffey was 19 years, 133 days old, which made him youngest position player to debut in more than 10 years (after Brian Milner in 1978).
After the hit, Oakland players sent the ball to the Mariners' dugout, acknowledging they recognized the special moment.
Announcer Dave Niehaus, the voice of the Mariners on the radio from inception in 1977 to 2010, commented just as Griffey made the memorable hit that people would be looking back 20 or 25 years to that moment.
He was not far off, as The Kid played 22 years in the majors.
Some of the milestones set by Griffey included being 19 years, 190 days when, on May 30, 1989, he hit two home runs in Yankee Stadium (youngest player in any of the Yankee stadiums to hit a home run).
Washington's Juan Soto, at 19 years, 231 days, became the youngest since then to hit a home run at a Yankee Stadium (he, like Griffey, had two on his visit).
Griffey went on to hit 16 homes runs, which at the time was the third most by a teenager in a single season.
Since then, Bryce Harper and Soto have moved past Griffey on that list.
Griffey had two multi-homer games in 1989, just one of four teens with multiple homer games in a single season. The others are Harper, Soto and Hall of Famer Mel Ott (elected the year I was born, 1951).
Griffey only got better over the years.
In 1993, when Griffey was 23, he tied a record of eight straight games with a home run at any point in a season. The others who did it were Dale Long in 1956 and Don Mattingly in 1987.
Junior is one of only nine players with multiple 40-home run seasons before age 25 season. He hit 45 in 1993 and 40 during the strike-shortened season in 1994.
Griffey won the All-Star home run derby in 1994, 1998 and 1999, the most by any batter since the event started in 1985.
The Kid could also roam centerfield. He is one of three players in Major League Baseball history with 500 homers and 10 Gold Gloves. The other are Willie Mays and Mike Schmidt.
Griffey finished with 630 homers, seventh-most in MLB history.
This spring he was in Japan with the Mariners, where he tried his hand at photography, joining the horde down the third-base line.
They were all there to record the retirement of 45-year-old Ichiro, who entered and left the eighth inning for his final game.
Griffey, at the game as an ambassador for Seattle, gave Ichiro a hug in the dugout after his at-bat in the game the Mariners won 5-4 in 12 innings.
I think it's time to give Griffey a hug, 30 years later, as we remember his greatness once more.
Al Camp is sports editor of The Chronicle. Email him at acamp@omakchronicle.com.


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Hospital Reunites Adorable Elderly Couple and the Husband Can't Stop Smiling About It
By Rose Minutaglio / People
Tom and Arnisteen Clark, 96 and 92, have been married for 68 years, and just can't stand to be away from each other. Now their love is inspired thousands across the Internet.
After being placed in separate rooms at Piedmont Fayette Hospital in Fayetteville, Georgia, due to hospital policy, nurses went out of their way to make sure Tom was able to visit his wife.
A photo of the lovers, taken on Wednesday and posted on Piedmont Fayette Hospital's Facebook page yesterday, has garnered over 6,000 likes and 1,000 shares.
The couple had only spent time apart once before, when Tom was in the Army and stationed in Korea. That means their hospital stay in different rooms was especially difficult.
When he was reunited with his wife, he was overcome with emotion as he talked about the deep, true love he has for Arnisteen, according to the hospital.
"I just can't be away from her, she's the finest woman in the world," Tom told nurses.
This article originally appeared on People.com


As celebrity of this PDF has increased, so has the need for programs that allow you to generate , edit and share these records. Convert PDF applications does more than simply convert and convert electronic documents. It delivers a variety of characteristics which permit you to manipulateremark on and secure multiple PDFs.
Once you first activate TalkHelper PDF Converter, it requests one to connect it to all cloud-storage services you use. I synced it to my drop-box accounts, but additionally, it supports One Drive, Google DriveFree at Google, Box, along with Evernote. Once connected, TalkHelper PDF Converter 8 pulls files from such locations. After that you can save you create or edit into your own cloud by this program. Does this keep documents organized, however it also creates TalkHelper PDF Converter 8 texture as a standard part of your digital work flow. Other little options add for the atmosphere, as well. After installing the program, a TalkHelper PDF Converter 8 Creator tab appeared in my own Microsoft WordBest Price at Amazon options. Clicking it allowed me to convert and ship whatever document I had been working for as a PDF. The tab seemed in different programs which handle file types which TalkHelper PDF Converter 8 supports, such as Excel and PowerPoint. Even the slick interface will help to keep this program from setting out of place. The menus seem like something produced by the Microsoft team that made Windows 10 $119. If you liked this post and you would like to obtain more information with regards to PDF converter app kindly stop by our own web-site. 99 in Micro Soft.
ice cream PDF Converter is a powerful tool for converting many record types to PDFs, or converting PDFs to individual images. The process starts by choosing a conversion type ("By PDF" or"To PDF"), then dragging and dropping your target files onto the program. You get various choices to regulate the conversion process. It's possible to pull page ranges out of a document, for instance (1015, 123-131), or even to combine various input files into a single PDF.
As much buy-direct organizations do, Wondershare offers lots of deals on its website, therefore that I guess that it regularly sells PDF Converter Pro at a reduction. It would have an extremely substantial reduction, but to make the program worthwhile, because it simply does not have the features that its many competitors do (and people competitors often sell at a discount, too).READ the macworld article, search the web, and you'll discover wondershare, aimersoft, iskysoft are simply some of the names of the same spamming group of chinese companies. Down load Nuance pdf converter and you will be surprise to get it's the identical program, just that the thieves in wondershare rebrand and sell it as their own. Garbage, and I can not believe Amazon sells it. Don't take my word about it, go find the macworld article also it'll provide you a long list of titles of spamming, unscrupulous companies like this.


In this post, I will walk you through how to upgrade to UM3.2 / 3.3.
Appliance is upgraded to 3.3 GA.
Monitor results to ensure continuous data collection.
This post first appeared on the Virtualization Express blog at virtualizationexpress.com, by Karthic Kumar .
Copyright © 2014 – VirtualizationExpress . All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced for commercial purposes without written permission.
vCloud Director uses JAVA OSGI, which is Java Open Services Gateway Initiative (OSGi) defines an architecture for developing and deploying modular applications and libraries.
To know more about OSGI you may refer wiki article here. What we need to understand is, OSGI is a Container or Folder which has its own sub/internal components. OSGI should be completely up and running for vCloud to properly function.
To begin with check the troubleshooting checklist first. Detailed information can be found below.
SSL certificate is a crucial requirement for vCloud director since it is a enterprise application and it is used largely by public service providers. The customers / clients / end-user should be confident that their connectivity is secured and encrypted so that a intruder cannot access the packets.Check if the certificates are valid and updated. you may run the below command in the vCloud director server (RHEL / Centos with vCloud Installed).
To know more about creating / validating certificates, check below VMware KB.
Make sure all the below components are properly synced with NTP server.
Sometimes vCD can connect to the DB server but it is not enough, the user must have DB_Owner privileges to the vCloud Database. if there is permission issue for the DB user, the OSGI container may start but you cannot access the vCloud UI, it shows a blank grey screen. To find such errors, you can verify cell.log for detailed information.
Below is an example of a fully started cell.log file so you can use it to compare. This log re-writes every time the application restart, you may use this as reference.
In this post, I explained how to backup/restore the vCloud Usage meter DB that I found through surfing, collectively it took me more than 60+ minutes to find the steps.
Any one can use this post regardless of the Usage Meter version.
Other great free courses offered by VMware University.


This is the root interface for all graphical objects and contains all diagrams which exists in the UModel project.
Returns a list of all diagrams in this UModel project. All elements in this list are of type (or subtype of) IUMLGuiDiagram.


I am a very big fan of buying a new home, rather than one that has had previous owners. Also, I am really an advocate of that house being in Tooele County. That shouldn't come as a surprise to any one that knows me and knows about my love for this community and the families that live here.
So when I read these articles about buying new construction, i can't help but look at each tip or suggestion from the standpoint of how it relates to buying a new home or condo in Tooele County.
Here are some of the things i took away from the following articles.
Every $1,000 increase in price reduces the buying pool considerably.
There is a big difference in construction time between custom homes & personalized production built.
Here is that information about buying a new home. Do your own fantasizing about what it all means to new construction in Tooele County.
'Each $1,000 increase in the cost of a new median-priced home price forces 206,000 prospective buyers out of the marketplace,' reads the first line of a new report from the National Association of Home Builders.
Buying a new home is an exciting decision - and one full of choices. Jed Stewart VP of Sales and Marketing with Edge Homes shares five solid reasons to buy new.


Site Manager required for a Main Building Contractor, for work on various projects in Dublin. It is a great opportunity to work with a very progressive Building Contractor on a variety of roles such as Residential, Commercial, Healthcare, and Education. This would be an ideal role for a Site Manager looking to progress into the role of Project Manager.
Have worked in a supervisory capacity on building projects for 4 years+.
If you are a Site Manager considering a career move, please feel to send your CV or contact Keith Conlon for a confidential discussion. GPC will not send any applicants CV's to clients without a full discussion and prior consent. GPC is a specialist construction recruitment consultancy based in Dublin with 20 years' experience working in the recruitment of construction professionals within Ireland and Internationally.


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manitoba.ca > Education
Contents on this Page
Goals of the FSLRP
Conditions for Funding
Eligible Expenditures
Ineligible Expenditures
Timelines and Instalment Schedule
Projects Selected
French Second Language Revitalization Program (FSLRP)
Under the Canada-Manitoba Agreement on Minority-Language Education and Second-Language Instruction, Manitoba Education established the French Second Language Revitalization Program (FSLRP).
Within the framework of this program, the department provides financial support, at its discretion, to the educational community for the implementation of projects that align with the goals of the FSLRP and with one of its educational areas as listed below. Financial support is granted annually, when the agreement is in effect, based on demand and available funding.
Provide financial support for projects that ultimately aim to:
Ensure the full implementation of the French Immersion Program and the successful delivery of French courses (English Program)
Enhance linguistic and cultural identity of the students so that they can:
communicate with confidence and fluency in French in academic, cultural and social contexts
increase their desire to continue their studies in French and choose to use that language throughout their life
The strategic framework chosen by the Bureau de l'éducation française to achieve the goals of the FSLRP is based on the following four educational areas:
Create a school setting appropriate for learning French – Ensure material and human resources are in place to support French language learning.
French educational resources, library books
qualified French support staff in the school
French divisional coordinator
French signage in the school
inclusion and appropriate support for all students
new French Immersion Program, new French courses (English Program)
Validate students' linguistic and educational experience – Provide multiple opportunities for students to develop and strengthen their French language skills through a variety of social, academic and cultural contexts thus validating their linguistic experience. Develop students' confidence in the use of the French language; provide them with opportunities to assess their language skills and to celebrate successes.
academic and/or cultural field trips (include pre- and post- activities to maximize impact of language experience)
interactions with other Francophone or Francophile students
group of theatre, improvisation, book club, school radio, debate clubs
volunteering at school or in the community
Support educational staff – Support the professional development of teachers to ensure quality French instruction and an understanding of the philosophy and methodology of second language learning in order to develop and strengthen student learning.
professional learning community
French professional development in all subject matters
professional development on second-language teaching methodology
networking and planning opportunities
Recruit and retain students in the French Immersion Program and in the French courses (English Program) – Heighten community awareness regarding the benefits of learning French to help encourage and maintain student enrolment. Encourage students to continue their studies in French and highlight how bilingualism is a viable option for their life, personal growth, future, etc.
information sessions or open house events for parents
information sessions or discussion forums on the relevance of French in their lives. Discussion with students regarding post-secondary studies, career opportunities, various French exchange programs, French cultural activities, etc.
visibility of the French Immersion Program on the school's or school division's website and in the school newsletters
participation of families in the school's or school division's French cultural activities
appropriate support for students with learning difficulties
outreach to students from feeder schools
Are eligible:
Schools who offer the French Immersion Program or French courses (English Program)
Professional associations of teachers who offer French professional development to teachers
Non-profit organizations whose primary goal is to promote French language learning
Applications received will be prioritized for funding based on their correlation with the data of the French Language Education Review. Non-profit organizations, professional associations of educators, and independent schools will need to consult online the provincial profile and reports of the French Language Education Review in order to know more about the successes, challenges and goals of the educational community regarding French language education in Manitoba.
Provincial Report: French (English Program) 2013-2014
Provincial Report: French Immersion Program 2013-2014
Provincial Profile: French Immersion Program 2015-2016
Applications will be assessed based on the following criteria:
Relevance of the project to the data found in the French Language Education Review
Is there a correlation between the project and the data found in the French Language Education Review?
Relevance of the project to the goals and educational areas of the FSLRP
Does the project contribute towards reaching the ultimate goals of the PRFLS?
Do the activities proposed in the project description help achieve the project objectives?
Project benefits for the clientele
Will the project have an effective impact on the target audience?
Performance targets and measure of the target
Have the performance targets been well identified?
Will the assessment tool properly measure the performance targets?
Is there an adequate cost/benefit ratio between the budget and the value of the planned activities?
The organization must sign a funding agreement ( 95 KB) and send it to the department.
Project activities must be conducted in French.
The goal of the project must address one of the following educational areas:
Create a school setting appropriate for learning French
Validate students' linguistic and educational experience
Support educational staff
Recruit and retain students in the French Immersion Program and in the French courses (English Program)
The duly completed and signed grant application must be sent to the department by the deadline.
The grant monies must be spent during a 12-month period starting July 1.
During those 12 months, the grant recipient will be required to submit
by January 31, an Interim Report that includes a financial statement showing the actual costs incurred from July 1 to December 31 and the estimated expenditures from January 1 to June 30;
by September 15, a Final Report that includes a list of activities and the number of participants, a project evaluation, and a financial statement showing the actual costs.
The organization must acknowledge the financial support of the federal and provincial governments through the use of the "Canada" and "Manitoba" wordmarks and, where space and circumstances allow, specific text that refers to the Government of Canada and the Government of Manitoba.
Eligible expenditures include, but are not limited to:
the purchase of French signage
the purchase of educational resources* and library books
a percentage of the teacher's salary for the first year of a new French course (English Program) or a school's new French Immersion Program
the purchase of educational resources for a new French course (English Program) or a new French Immersion Program
a percentage of a French divisional coordinator's salary
transportation and accommodation costs of individuals providing educational activities
transportation costs so that students can participate in French cultural activities
the purchase of project materials, room and equipment rental
substitute costs for teachers participating in professional development sessions
fees for professional services
The following expenditures are not eligible:
transportation costs for out-of-province travel
expenditures already incurred or to maintain existing programs
expenditures relating to capital costs
purchases of computers, iPads, etc.
purchases of basic educational resources*
*School divisions and independent schools are expected to use basic provincial funding for students enrolled in French Second Language programs. Grant applications must address needs not covered by that funding.
Application Deadline: January 28, 2022
Project evaluation February to April 2022
Response to applicants Summer 2022
First instalment - 50% Fall 2022
Interim Report Deadline: January 31, 2023
Second instalment - 30% March 2023
Final Report Deadline: September 15, 2023
Third instalment - 20% Fall 2023
Project analysis April and May 2021
2022-2023 Application for Funding
The duly completed and signed Grant Application Form ( 72 KB) must be sent to Manitoba Education by January 28, 2022. Please note that the MS Word file must be sent electronically and a signed copy of the application must also be submitted. The application form must be signed by the Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, President or Executive director.
See examples of completed applications under the educational areas of:
Support educational staff ( 692 KB)
Validate students' linguistic and educational experience ( 693 KB)
In December, Manitoba Education will send a customized interim report to each grant recipient. This report must be completed and sent to the department by the end of January.
In May, Manitoba Education will send a customized final report to each grant recipient. This report must be completed and sent to the department by mid-September.
List of Projects Selected 2019-2020
Jean-Luc Beaudry
Official Languages Programs
Bureau de l'éducation française
309–1181 Portage Avenue
Winnipeg, MB R3G 0T3
Email: palo-olsp@gov.mb.ca
Reports and Expenses
2007 to 2016 Fiscal
Main Estimates Supplements
Kindergarten to Grade 12
Program for the Enrichment of French in Education
Bursaries and Official Languages
manitoba.ca | 1-866-MANITOBA


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Posts Tagged Shoujo
Victoria's Favourites: Top 20 Manga (Part 04)
By Victoria K Martin on Sunday, January 13, 2013
The hardest part about making this list was assigning the order and I replayed with the rankings over and over again. Nailing it down was the most difficult for the top ten titles or so, because all of them are ones I absolutely adore and it was very challenging to say I liked one more than the other. In fact, I only came up with the final order when I asked myself a question concerning the top five, which I am about to finally share.
That question was this: if there were only five manga series I could read for the rest of my life, which ones would I choose?
Without further ado, here are my choices.
Tags: Del Rey, Fushigi Yugi, Manga, NANA, Paradise Kiss, Shoujo, Shoujo Beat, Vampire Knight, Victoria's Favourites, Viz Media, Yuu Watase
Otaku USA: On The Shelf – September 19, 2012
By Lissa Pattillo on Wednesday, September 19, 2012
It's manga finale week! Not the end of manga of course (apocalypse!) but the end of a few different series that will all be greatly missed – 20th Century Boys (Viz), Cardcaptor Sakura (DH) and House of Five Leaves (Viz). Filling the gap in our manga buying lives just a bit is the start of Dark Horse's release of Angelic Layer. This is one of my favourite CLAMP series, so it could definitely warrant a re-buy for me.
You can read more of my thoughts on this week's releases over at my On The Shelf article for Otaku USA.
And new to my brief postings here on Kuriousity, and for your shopping convenience, a handy list of this week's releases complete with links* to buy!
20th Century Boys (Vol. 22) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Angelic Layer Omnibus (Vol. 01) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Attack on Titan (Vol. 02) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Berserk (Vol. 36) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Cardcaptor Sakura Omnibus (Vol. 04) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
House of Five Leaves (Vol. 08) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
Sailor Moon (Vol. 07) [Amazon CAN, Amazon US, RightStuf]
*As a disclaimer, links on the site are affiliation links for Kuriousity with any and all proceeds from them going towards our hosting fees.
Categories: Features, News, On The Shelf, Release Lists
Tags: 20th Century Boys, Attack on Titan, CLAMP, Dark Horse, Kodansha Comics, Manga, Natsume Ono, Omnibus, Otaku USA, Sailor Moon, Shoujo, Viz Media, Viz Signature
Review: A Devil and Her Love Song (Vol. 04)
By Lissa Pattillo on Monday, September 17, 2012
Manga-ka: Miyoshi Tomori
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Teen (13+)
Synopsis: "Maria encourages antagonistic Ayu to be true to her feelings, but that simple action snowballs into a huge rift within their class! As secret crushes and hidden motives are revealed, the backlash of honesty just might destroy Mario's efforts in uniting everyone for the choral competition!"
I was really surprised to see the avalanche of confession and reveal in this volume of A Devil and Her Love Song. The tension just kept rising between Maria and her classmates, and just when I thought things were going to plummet to an all-time low (which would be pretty darn low indeed), suddenly what we've wanted to have happen has actually happened! Maria's classmates are finally privy to one of 'those' conversations, the kind no one ever seems to be around to hear but the ones you know that if they were, everything would change. And change it did!
Tags: A Devil and her Love Song, Manga, Shoujo, Shoujo Beat, Viz Media
Review: Otomen (Vol. 13)
By Lissa Pattillo on Sunday, September 16, 2012
Manga-ka: Aya Kanno
Synopsis: "Ryo ends up coaching a high school judo team, but women aren't allowed at that school! She finds a way around this obstacle, but the real challenge comes when she finds herself facing off against… Asuka?!"
Otomen is a series I've enjoyed since the beginning, but recent volumes have been a little lacklustre. The story's been moving away from characters I like most and even Asuka was feeling a bit overshadowed by other secondary characters pushing their own agendas onto him. When I read the synopsis for volume thirteen however, I felt excited. Ryo and Asuka facing off against each other in judo? Cool! What I got was both what I expected and not at the same time. This volume has the longest focus on Ryo I recall since the series began. It provides a better look at her as a character and springs forward her relationship with Asuka more than I ever honestly thought would be possible.
Tags: Manga, Otomen, Shoujo, Shoujo Beat, Viz Media
Swag Bag: Farewell Ouran, Hello Shonen and Bye-Bye Kizuna Boys
By Lissa Pattillo on Saturday, June 16, 2012
Swag Bag time! Below are some of my thoughts of books I've purchased in the past two weeks (and love very, very much). As always these books were purchased at my local comic shop, Strange Adventures.
My favourite buy of recent weeks was the final volume of Ouran High School Host Club (Vol.18). I couldn't even wait to get home to read it so I was quick to find a place to sit down and enjoy. It was a fantastic ending, probably one of the best I've ever actually read in manga series, especially a shoujo. I plan to go into it in more detail in an upcoming review, but in summary – yay! Though I'm really sad there's no more to read.
Also from Viz Media this week were the first two volumes of their Bleach speed-up. Despite some pleadings from my wallet, I simply couldn't leave volume 41 on the shelf when I was walking away with volume 40, so both it was! I enjoyed these together more than I have Bleach in a while and having two volumes at once I think played a big role in that. You can read more of my thoughts in my recent duo-review of the volumes.
Hopping back on a different shonen train, I purchased Toriko (Vol.09). It's still one of my favourite on-going series right now which I never would have expected when I first came across it. It feels so reminiscent of Dragonball, including Komatsu who ups his adorable and toughing-it-out points in this new volume. On the flipside, I bought Dawn of the Arcana (Vol.04) which is a series I thought I would really like but it has yet to click with me. Volume four is it! If I don't get into it after this, then I'm done with this iffy shoujo series.
With one series over and three others continuing, I sought something brand new by buying Puella Nagi Magica Madoka (Vol.01) from Yen Press. I haven't seen the anime but heard the story was really good. The manga didn't live up to my expectations, but I can see it being worth exploring further in some format at least. I wrote and posted a review on my Madoka thoughts last week.
Catching my eye was an older title from UDON Entertainment – Evyione Ocean Fantasy (Vol.01). Even knowing their track record for continuing manhwa past a first volume is horrendous, I couldn't help but buy it. It's a retelling of the Little Mermaid story except the mermaid is a gorgeous mysterious merman and the prince is instead, you guessed it, a princess. I really like what I read here but I won't hold my breath for getting volume two.
And then it was boys' love time! Two new Digital Manga titles arrived in-store, which is always a surprise since you never know for sure when their books will ship. Both titles were by Kazuma Kadoka – Kizuna (Vol.06) and Bad Teacher's Equation (Vol.04). I was a little disappointed to see that the Kizuna volume was only a single, where all the others released by DMP were omnibus. Nothing that can be done when that's all that's left though. I'll miss the series now that it's over – it's a true BL classic. Bad Teacher's Equation as a series is so silly – I have fun reading it so I'm glad there are still a few volumes left to go.
And in non-manga buying news, but something that still overlaps a lot with the fandom, I purchased the second Avatar the Last Airbender: The Promise graphic novel from Dark Horse. As a big fan of ATLA, I adore these graphic novels for reading so much like the original series (very amusing dialogue, for one) and for being drawn by the very talented, GuruHiru.
Categories: Features, Swag Bag
Tags: Bleach, Boys' Love/Yaoi, Dark Horse, Dawn of the Arcana, DMP, June, Manga, Manhwa, Omnibus, Shoujo, Toriko, UDON, Viz Media, Yen Press
Otaku USA: On The Shelf – April 25, 2012
By Lissa Pattillo on Wednesday, April 25, 2012
New comics' day! Alas that Diamond Comics was a bit behind in releasing a number of the new manga released but I suppose that's nothing new. If you're ordering from online retailers or large bookstores though, you should be good to go, buy and read!
Top titles of the week for me are Air Gear (Vol. 25) and the last Tokyo Mew Mew omnibus. You can check out the full list and more of my thoughts over at my On The Shelf article at Otaku USA.
Tags: Black God, Kodansha Comics, Manga, Manhwa, Omnibus, Otaku USA, Shoujo, Yen Press
Viz Media Adds to Shoujo Beat Line-Up with Strobe Edge & Demon Love
By Lissa Pattillo on Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Viz Media treated us with a couple new licenses this week, announced first via their Shoujo Beat Twitter account and then very shortly after through a press release.
Strobe Edge – Io Sakisaka
Demon Love Spell – Mayu Shinjo
This is the first time Io Sakisaka's work has been released in English. Strobe Edge has already been published in French though, and was cited by Viz as "one of the most requested titles that our readers have asked to be licensed". The series is about a teen named Ninako who is looking for love and may have found it with the school's number one mysterious heartthrob. He already has a girlfriend, however, and Ninako must learn to cope with her first experience with love being her first with heartbreak as well. Currently the series is ten volumes in Japan and has been running since 2007 (still going!).
Demon Love Spell isn't Mayu Shinjo's first title released in North America. Her series Ai Ore! is currently being published by Viz Media in omnibus format. Unfortunately Ai Ore! (Vol.01) very easily earned top spot as my Most Gag-Worthy book released in 2011 so my hopes aren't very high for this new one. The plot, however – about a shrine maiden who finds herself the target of a lusty demon after sealing away his powers – does peak my interest enough to at least give it a try. My fingers are crossed it proves more palatable! Demon Love Spell ("Ayakashi Koi Emaki") is currently four volumes and on-going.
Both of these new titles will start print publication later this year.
Categories: Licensing, News
Tags: Demon Love Spell, Shoujo, Shoujo Beat, Viz Media
PR: Viz Media Announces New Shojo Manga – Strobe Edge & Demon Love
By Lissa Pattillo on Thursday, April 19, 2012
VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES NORTH AMERICAN PUBLISHING LICENSES FOR NEW SHOJO MANGA SERIES STROBE EDGE AND DEMON LOVE SPELL
VIZ Media announces its latest manga (graphic novel) licenses with the acquisition of the domestic publishing rights to two new shojo series – STROBE EDGE, by Io Sakisaka, and DEMON LOVE SPELL, by Mayu Shinjo. Both titles are scheduled to begin publication later this year under the company's Shojo Beat imprint.
Creator Io Sakisaka's STROBE EDGE (rated 'T' for Teens) asks the timeless question, "What is love?" Ninako Kinoshita's friends tell her it's one thing, but Ninako wants to discover this mysterious emotion herself. When she meets Ren Ichinose, a handsome, enigmatic guy worshipped by all the girls at her school, she finds her heartbeat quickening with excitement! Is Ninako about to experience the many facets of love?
Celebrated manga creator Mayu Shinjo (AI ORE!, SENSUAL PHRASE) also returns with her new supernatural romance, DEMON LOVE SPELL (rated 'T+' for Older Teens). In the series, Miko is a shrine maiden who has never had much success at seeing or banishing spirits. Then she meets Kagura, a sexy demon who feeds off of women's feelings of passion and love. Kagura's insatiable appetite has left many girls brokenhearted at school, so Miko casts a spell to seal his powers. Surprisingly the spell works – sort of – but now Kagura is after her!
"STROBE EDGE has been one of the most requested titles that our readers have asked to be licensed, and the romantic coming-of-age story will be a perfect series for young teen readers in particular," says Leyla Aker, Vice President, Publishing. "Mayu Shinjo's new series, DEMON LOVE SPELL, will intrigue older teen readers and young adults with its fun mix of comedic supernatural romance and gorgeous artwork. We look forward to launching both series later this year and will be announcing more information on the forthcoming debuts soon!"
For more information on Shojo Beat manga titles, please visit: www.ShojoBeat.com
Categories: Press Releases
Tags: Demon Love Spell, Shoujo, Viz Media
Review: Dawn of the Arcana (Vol. 02)
By Lissa Pattillo on Sunday, February 12, 2012
Manga-ka: Rei Toma
Synopsis: "Princess Nakaba of Senan and Prince Caesar of Belquat only married each other for the sake of peace between their two warring countries, but things take a surprising turn when Caesar finds himself falling for his strange wife! Caesar tries to get Nakaba to return his feelings, but she maintains that he is her enemy and that she hates him. So when Nakaba has a vision of Caesar getting killed, will she say anything to save him?"
Princess Nakaba remains a captive as the wife to Prince Caeser, heir to the throne of the kingdom warring against her own. With Nakaba's loyal attendant Loki at her side, her time in the castle has shifted its attentions from survival to instead coming to terms with her growing romantic feelings. It's not the direction I was hoping the story would go but I can't say I'm surprised. At least with someone still worth rooting for and artwork to oogle, Dawn of the Arcana could be a winner yet.
Tags: Dawn of the Arcana, Manga, Shoujo, Shoujo Beat, Viz Media
Review: Ouran High School Host Club (Vol. 17)
By Lissa Pattillo on Monday, January 9, 2012
Manga-ka: Bisco Hatori
Synopsis: "Tamaki's father and grandmother, the heads of the powerful Suoh Corp., are behind the Host Club's suspension and the plan for Haruhi to be shipped off abroad. Now the Host Club members must pull out all the stops to save their beloved leader from his family's infighting."
We've arrived at the penultimate volume of Ouran High School Host Club – you'd think it was the end reading it though. It feels like all the stops were pulled out for this amazing climax. The romance, the friendship, the favours of acquaintances, the company power plays, the family struggles, medical breakthroughs and a race against the clock. No volume of manga I read throughout this entire year had me as giddy and tight gripped on the pages as this one.
Tags: Manga, Shoujo, Shoujo Beat, Viz Media


A collection made specially for the ladies who love something simple yet stylish for Raya. The collection offers several options such as the Modern Dress and Modern Baju Kurung with also separate tops and skirts for you to mix and match according to your style and preferences. Made from a weather-friendly fabrics such as satin and crepe, making it perfect for our warm tropical weather. As for colors, a selection includes yellow, red, green, pink, blue, brown, cream and off white.
The collection is priced from RM 159 to RM 329.
This luxe collection has 3 editions with varieties to choose from, 16 designs for 'JLuxe 2018', 17 designs for 'JLuxe Raya 2018' and 15 designs for 'JLuxe Exclusive', a total of 48 pieces, making it the biggest edition of the JLuxe collection. The collection highlights on sequins and laces, and the quality of embellishments and detailing of the products. Also, it offers several design such as the peplum, modern baju kurung and modern dress in a subtle colour palettes like blue, cream, grey, green, black, brown, pink and lilac.
Jovian Luxe collection ranges from RM 450 to RM 850 for 'JLuxe 2018', RM 500 to RM 590 for 'JLuxe Raya 2018' and RM 500 to RM 590 for 'JLuxe Exclusive'.
Once again The Balik Kampung collection is back with new and latest designs with prints that will cater to everyone, this year's Lebaran. The collection is not only available for women but also for the little ones too, with a total of 38 designs for women and girls, making it perfect for that mother-daughter look. Famous colour palettes are picked with several options as to cater to everyone's taste's such as white, beige, pink, purple, blue, green, black, peach, maroon and brown.
Collection prices start from RM 420 to RM 600 for the adults and RM 300 to RM 340 for kids version.
Jovian RTW releases its Baju Melayu line for men who seek for something sleek yet dashing. Designed with a 'J' embroidery on pocket and pleats at the neck line then completed with gold and silver buttons; this collection comes in 19 colours with variety of shades and that include pink, red, black, green, grey, blue and brown. Other than that, it also comes in a kid friendly version too.
Men collection prices are at RM 260 for adults and RM 169 for kids.
All Jovian Lebaran Collection is already available at all Jovian Stores (JStores) and online www.jovian.com.my/shop.


text:
Laser Range Finding
Magnetic North Finding
Ultisense launches the LRF 6042 – a 25 km rangefinder module with advanced fiber laser technology.
The LRF 6042 is the latest addition to the Ultisense portfolio of high-performance fiber laser rangefinders and builds on Vectronix' 100 years of experience in developing military rangefinders. The compact LRF 6042 measures up to 8 km on 2.3 m × 2.3 m targets and boasts a maximum range performance of up to 25 km.
The Ultisense fiber laser technology is key to the precise targeting capabilities of the LRF 6042 and to its high efficiency with almost no energy loss. As a result, the range performance of the LRF 6042, the small frontal area and no maintenance requirements make it the ideal choice for integration into compact multi-sensor systems such as gimbals, remote weapon stations, etc.
"It was a challenge to achieve the high-performance requirements within such a small volume" said Marcel Zeller, CTO "and the team worked hard to find the optimal solution. Finally, with this module, we are one step ahead of the competition and continue to pursue our goal of providing our customers with the best possible support in the development of their advanced sensor systems."
The LRF 6042 module is designed for continuous measuring. Compared to other systems that have to charge and cool between pulses, the LRF 6042 measures continuously without interruption. It can achieve repetition rates of up to 10 Hz. This is ideal for tracking (e.g. people, vehicles) over an extended period of time.
The optional coaxial 830 nm pointer of the LRF 6042 is coupled directly into the measuring fiber. This allows for easy and precise system alignment and reliable target handover. The patented technology ensures maximum reliability even in the most demanding applications and harsh environments, as a displacement of the pointer to the measuring beam is not possible.
To find out more about the LRF 6042, visit the product page or get in touch with our team.
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Find your main target with Multiple Target Detection
When measuring with a laser rangefinder, the laser beam is often reflected not only by the object a user is aiming at, but also by …
A number that speaks for itself
0.1 % is the actual number of warranty claims we have received for the DMC-pico thus far. We constantly challenge ourselves to get better and …
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True north finding


text:
Two-Way Protected Bike Path Sails Through CB6 Committee
By Streetsblog
Image: NYCDOT
Eric McClure of Park Slope Neighbors files this report.
Last night, the transportation committee of Brooklyn Community Board 6 unanimously endorsed a plan by the Department of Transportation to calm traffic on Prospect Park West through a major street redesign.
The plan features the implementation of New York City's first on-street, two-way, physically separated bike lane, which will run alongside Prospect Park on the east side of Prospect Park West, and will be protected by a four-foot striped buffer and a parking lane. In order to accommodate the new bike lane, Prospect Park West will be reduced from three south-bound travel lanes to two, and the remaining lanes will be narrowed to ten feet each.
The planned changes address two major issues: the need for northbound bicycle access on Prospect Park West, for which there has been strong demand, according to DOT Bicycle Program Coordinator Josh Benson; and a major problem with speeding, which has been a longtime concern of residents and neighborhood activists.
Preston Johnson, DOT's project manager for the Prospect Park West redesign, highlighted the problems caused by the street's current configuration. At nearly 50 feet wide and with three travel lanes, the street encourages high speeds and reckless driving, forces pedestrians to make long crossings, and lacks dedicated cycling space, despite a high volume of bicycle traffic. Prospect Park West's existing vehicle volume, which peaks at about 1,100 cars per hour, can easily be accommodated by two lanes, Johnson said.
In field surveys last month, DOT found that more than 70 percent of the cars on Prospect Park West were exceeding the 30 mph speed limit, and at least 15 percent were traveling at 40 mph or faster. From 2005 to 2007, there were 58 reported crashes on Prospect Park West.
In addition to the the two-way bike lane and buffer, the street redesign will include concrete pedestrian refuge islands, which will significantly shorten the crossings at intersections, and extensive new landscaping under the DOT's Greenstreets program. Parking spaces will be maintained along Prospect Park West with the exception of approximately two spaces at each signalized intersection.
The plan was enthusiastically received by the CB 6 transportation committee and an audience of about three dozen people. Board members raised some concerns about the lack of dedicated signalization for cyclists, especially those riding northbound. In a unanimously approved motion introduced by transportation co-chair Joanne Foulke, the committee asked DOT to include north- and southbound signals for cyclists, some daylighting measures, and dedicated drop-off zones in the final redesign. Roger Melzer, a 30-year Prospect Park West resident, was the only person to speak against the plan, saying that he feared the loss of a travel lane would create a "nightmare" of double-parking near the 9th Street park entrance.
Said Jeff Prant, a Park Slope resident, Transportation Alternatives
board member and long-time advocate for livable streets, "I never
thought I'd see the day when a proposal to remove an entire lane of
traffic would encounter virtually no objection."
The Board chairs would not entertain a question from a resident regarding the possibility of converting Prospect Park West to two-way traffic, in conjunction with a similar reconfiguration of Eighth Avenue, asking that the discussion be limited to the proposal on the table. DOT's Benson, however, said that he thought such a change would create problems with additional signal movements at Grand Army Plaza, but he didn't rule out the possibility of further design changes over the long term.
According to DOT, the Department of Design and Construction will likely begin implementing the Prospect Park West redesign in September, and the full build out would take a few months.
In addition to the Prospect Park West changes, DOT announced that it is planning to permanently close the 3rd Street park entrance to vehicles beginning next month. In conjunction with the closure, DOT will stripe new bike and pedestrian lanes into and out of the park at 3rd Street, with the intent of reducing conflicts between cyclists and pedestrians. DOT will also permanently close the vehicle exit at 16th Street and Prospect Park South, so that all cars entering the park at Grand Army Plaza will exit at Park Circle. The park's West Drive is open just two hours each weekday, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
DOT also presented a plan for a traffic-calming redesign on Baltic Street between Hoyt and Bond Streets, a very wide block that has been plagued by speeding. The plan involves the installation of a landscaped 10-foot median, three lanes of parallel parking (two on either side of the eastbound south side of Baltic and one on the westbound side), and pedestrian refuges at the intersections with Hoyt and Bond. DOT cited the redesign of the north end of Carlton Avenue as an example. DOT also plans to implement a Class III bike lane on this stretch of Baltic Street, with "sharrows" to indicate shared road space for cars and bikes.
Filed Under: Bicycle Infrastructure, Bicycle Safety, Bicycling, Bike Lanes, Brooklyn, Community Boards, DOT, Park Slope, Park Slope Neighbors, Pedestrian Infrastructure, Pedestrian safety, Prospect Park, Street Safety, Traffic Calming
Former Deputy Mayor Under Dinkins Lobbies City Hall to Kill PPW Bike Lane
Last week's rally to defend the Prospect Park West bike lane, organized in response to a concurrent anti-bike lane protest, was a clear-cut demonstration of the public support enjoyed by a project that's calmed speeding traffic and made cycling more attainable for people of all ages. By most estimates, supporters of the new PPW outnumbered […]
Lander and Former CB6 Chair File Amicus Brief Supporting PPW Bike Lane
By Ben Fried	| Jun 3, 2011
City Council Member Brad Lander and Brooklyn Community Board 6 member Richard Bashner have filed an amicus brief in support of the Prospect Park West redesign carried out by NYC DOT. The brief recounts the extensive public process that preceded the installation of the bike lane in 2010 and DOT's ongoing engagement with the community […]
Marty Markowitz Derails Prospect Park West Bike Lane — For How Long?
By Brad Aaron	| Jan 25, 2010
A city plan designed to make Prospect Park West safer and more accessible for cyclists and pedestrians has not materialized months after its promised delivery date, the Brooklyn Paper reports, and Brooklynites have Marty Markowitz to thank for it. A safer path to Prospect Park? Fuhgeddaboudit! Photo: New York Post The borough president last year […]
DOT to Present Two-Way Protected Bike Path for PPW Tonight
By Ben Fried	| Apr 16, 2009
Tonight, at a transportation committee meeting of Brooklyn Community Board 6, DOT will present plans for a two-way protected bike path along Prospect Park West, from Union Street to Bartel Pritchard Square. The proposal would reduce the number of traffic lanes on the high-speed thoroughfare from three to two, according to the meeting agenda. Not […]
DOT Criticized for One-Way Central Park West Protected Bike Lane Plan
By Gersh Kuntzman	| Jun 9, 2019
On bike Twitter? Insert frown-face emoji here.
Two-Way Protected Bike Lane Slated for 210th Street in Eastern Queens
By David Meyer	| Feb 28, 2017
A wide street by Cunningham Park and M.S. 74 in Windsor Park is slated for pedestrian safety improvements and a two-way protected bike lane alongside the park. The Queens Community Board 11 transportation committee voted unanimously for the DOT plan last night.