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This week in Switzerland: What you need to know
The Local Switzerland
@thelocalswitzer
Boo! Scary decorations are part of Halloween celebrations. The holiday falls on October 31st but various events take place throughout the week. Photo by Charles Parker on Pexels
From Federal Council decisions to spooky events, here's what is happening in Switzerland this week.
Mild weather in Switzerland this week
In the last days of October, mostly sunny and mild weather is expected throughout the country this week, with temperatures in double digits in the afternoons.
Switzerland's official meteorological service, MeteoSchweiz, is referring to this kind of weather as "golden autumn".
Gute Fernsicht, gelbe Lärchen: Der goldene Oktober machte seinem Namen alle Ehre. Interessanter aber als das langweilig sonnige Bergwetter gestaltete sich die #Nebelbildung. Mehr dazu im #Meteoblog unter https://t.co/F16YSVuT7a. (Bild: Stazersee im Oberengadin, M. Ruosch) pic.twitter.com/E51P7vjAiV
— MeteoSchweiz (@meteoschweiz) October 24, 2021
School goes back in German-speaking Switzerland
From Monday, school will go back after the autumn break in much of Switzerland.
While it will give parents much needed relief and the kids an opportunity to get back in the classroom, Swiss authorities see it as a crucial metric to determine how well the country is going in the pandemic with winter approaching.
Switzerland still trails much of Europe when it comes to vaccination rates, with the government planning a vaccination offensive over the coming weeks.
EXPLAINED: What will Switzerland's 'vaccine week' look like?
Corruption commission to make announcement in Health Minister Berset investigation
Swiss Health Minister Alain Berset, who has become the face of the government during the Covid pandemic, is under investigation for corruption in relation to an alleged affair which took place in 2019.
Berset is accused of using state funds inappropriately after being blackmailed in regard to the affair, along with providing false information through his lawyer in the criminal proceedings and using his state-issued black limousine to get back to Bern after a trip in southern Germany.
The Task Force TIGRIS, which is investigating the matter, will make an announcement regarding the case on Monday, 20 Minutes reports.
Booster shots to be rolled out across Switzerland?
This week could see booster shots get federal approval, with regulatory body Swissmedic telling Swiss newspaper NZZ on Saturday that approval was "imminent".
As it stands, only people in very high risk categories, for instance those with immunodeficiencies, have received a booster vaccination.
READ MORE: Which Swiss cantons are already offering Covid booster shots?
Swissmedic spokesperson Lukas Jaggi said the decision needed to be backed by medical evidence and would not be influenced by rising political pressure.
"We have the legal mandate to make decisions regardless of politics or the events of the pandemic," Jaggi told NZZ. "The approval must be science-based, with meaningful data from controlled clinical studies that enable a risk-benefit assessment."
"As things stand today, (while) the normal population is adequately protected with two doses; a third dose could be useful for certain people."
Government to debate the extension of Covid certificate to more categories of residents
The Federal Council is discussing whether to extend the certificate to people whose blood test confirms the presence of Covid antibodies — proving that they had been contaminated in the past.
The consultation on this subject runs until October 26th, with the final decision will be taken on November 3rd.
Right now, people who contracted the disease and recovered from it within the past six months can receive a Covid certificate — but only if their positive status was confirmed by a PCR test.
Those who used an antigen test are excluded.
However, under the new proposal, "certificates would also be issued to anyone who can present a current positive antibody or serology test", the Federal Council said.
READ MORE: Will Switzerland introduce antibody testing for Covid certificate
Swiss Taste and Terroir Fair
The 21st edition of the popular festival will take place from October 28th to November 1st in Bulle, Fribourg, in the picturesque Gruyère region.
With 300 exhibitors presenting their produce, it is the largest event of this kind in Switzerland.
Visitors, who must have a Covid certificate to attend the fair, will be able to discover and taste nearly 6,500 regional specialties.
More than 46,000 visitors attended this event in 2019. but last year it was canceled due to the pandemic.
Local specialties like Gruyère meringues will be on offer at the fair. Photo by La Gruyere.ch
Spooky Halloween parties across Switzerland
While the All Hallows Eve traditionally falls on October 31st, various events — for both kids and adults —will creep in (and creep you out) throughout the country this week.
It is impossible to list them all here but this link highlights some happenings in various regions.
Time is flying…backward
There's no greater signal that winter is coming than winding back the clocks.
On Sunday October 31st at 3 am the clocks go back one hour.
This extends the night by one whole hour – good news for anyone who likes sleeping.
Watches on your computer and smartphone usually adjust themselves automatically, but all the other timepieces have to be rewound manually. Don't forget to rewind before you go to bed — it's much easier than waking up in the middle of the night to do this.


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Crush Storm (1.23mb ver3.51 made 18/07/2007, no install .zip) is a good Japanese shoot-em up with the usual pickups, powerups and level bosses. Many options, modes of play and a choice of 3 ships with different firepower. If you like your SHMUP's,you should like this.


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Quran English Translation
Quran in various languages
God's Messenger
New Message from God?
The Burqa and Islam
By admingm IN Muslim
After France banning the burqa, public opinion is divided in the UK as to whether it was right or not and whether Britain should follow suit.
First of all, let us get one thing clear. The burqa is not an Islamic garment. The prophet Mohammad did not recommend it or ask for it. He did not say it was decreed by God either. The burqa is purely a cultural thing and nowhere in the original Quran is it mentioned. I should know – I have read it from cover to cover in Arabic.
Burka and Niqab
So, the debate about the burqa in the UK is a debate about a cultural thing which has nothing to do with religion.
To say the burqa is a religious garment is like saying that Charles Manson was a Christian priest.
I would actually go further than that. The prophet Mohammad was kind to girls and women. His message from God was one designed to save women and girls from cultural atrocities committed on them. For example, sometimes baby girls were buried alive in the sand to get rid of them so that the family would not have to pay a dowry when the girl grows up and gets married.
And women went around wearing a flimsy shirt and were often treated with disrespect as a sexual object. Islam put an end to all that, and rightly so. It differentiated women by a respectful dress code.
This dress code exposed the face, hands, and feet of the woman. The prophet Mohammad was not a cruel or stupid man. And his wife was an independent woman who was a trader – a travelling saleswoman. He decreed that alcohol is banned, just like now heroin is illegal in the West. And although I am not Muslim, I can see the wisdom in that.
I may disagree about whether banning alcohol is the best way to stop the effects of alcoholism, but I do see where the prophet Mohammad was coming from and respect that. In other words, I can see how the prophet Mohammad not only cared about the dignity of his people but also about their health.
I cannot see how any God-fearing person could possibly sentence babies to rickets and women to a low immunity. This happens when women are deprived of Vitamin D, which we were designed to get from exposure to the sun.
I am sure that if the prophet Mohammad was living in this day and age, he himself would ban the burqa. It is against the health and dignity of women, as well as the health of their children. Sadly, it is not up to the prophet Mohammad to decide on this one.
© Suzanne Zacharia 2010. My name is Suzanne Zacharia and I am committed to spreading the word about health options. A virus caught at university at the end of 1986, plus medical negligence, meant that I got smokers lung at a relatively young age. In desperation for help with my symptoms and quality of life, I turned to complementary therapy and am now a complementary therapist, author and trainer, helping others achieve health and happiness. Want to use this article? Free course "5 Days To Change Your Life" at http://www.NewAgeInternationalTraining.com
Updated on : Friday 27th of January 2023
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BASIC TRAINING Comes to the Wharton Center
The true story of Kahlil Ashanti's experience in the U.S. Air Force comes to life in this award-winning one-man show. With rapid-fire physical and comedic talent, Ashanti showcases twenty-three characters in 60 minutes. Experience his transformational journey: from surviving an abusive childhood to touring the world with Tops in Blue (the military entertainment troupe) and a shocking revelation about his family. Tickets are available at the official source to purchase Wharton Center tickets online, whartoncenter.com; at the Auto-Owners Insurance Ticket Office; or by calling 1-800-WHARTON.
Ashanti has been performing from an early age, since discovering it was a method of escapism for him and his little brother during their abusive childhood. The performance begins the night before Ashanti leaves for basic training, when his mother delivers some life-changing news. The story takes off, and Ashanti transitions seamlessly between dynamic, larger-than-life characters who help him find who he really is. Ashanti hopes this piece of theatre will remind audiences that "You are not alone, no matter what you are struggling with."
Audiences have given standing ovations, and critics have given glowing reviews. During its Off-Broadway run, Basic Training was a New York Times Critics Pick, and was awarded Scotsman Fringe First Award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Variety says, "His quality of humanity sets him apart from other mechanical, do-anything-for-a-laugh comedians."
Immediately following the Thursday, January 30, performance there will be an After Chat with Mr. Ashanti. On Friday, January 31, an Insight Preview is scheduled in the Christman Lounge at 7:15PM; Insight Previews are provided free for ticketholders. Please note: this show is best suited for ages 14 and up.
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You are here: Home / 1985 / Mr. Big Singer Eric Martin On The '85 Van Halen Audition That Never Happened
Mr. Big Singer Eric Martin On The '85 Van Halen Audition That Never Happened
September 16, 2021 —by Eric Senich Leave a Comment
Eric Martin says he could have been a man with big regrets if it wasn't for his band Mr. Big.
During a recent appearance on the Appetite For Distortion podcast, Martin recalled the time he had the chance to become the lead singer of Van Halen.
"That's the biggest thorn in my side," said Martin, who went on to tell the story of the time Eddie Van Halen offered him a chance to audition for Van Halen following the departure of David Lee Roth in 1985. "I was invited to audition for Van Halen. I talked to [Eddie] on the phone two or three times, flew down to L.A., knew people that worked for the Van Halen organization, knew [bassist] Michael Anthony actually.
"I did a record with Danny Kortchmar and Greg Ladanyi, who both produced [Don Henley's] 'Building the Perfect Beast,'" he continued. "And all the musicians that played on that record – played on my record. We were in the same studio together."
Martin is likely referring to his 1985 self-titled solo debut album, which was produced by Ladanyi and Kortchmar. The album featured the #87 single "The Information".
Watch Eric Martin "The Information"
Martin continued, "So Danny Kortchmar was in New York, and he ran into Eddie [Van Halen], and he said, 'This kid [Eric Martin]'s really good, we just did a record and blah, blah, blah, blah. So, here's the quote – [Eddie] calls me up and he goes, 'Hey, I'm Edward Van Halen, Danny Kortchmar told me about you. I listened to your record, and man, you're a great singer, but I hate your records!' [laughs]. He goes, 'I hate your record!'"
"I recorded the conversation with one of those little suction cup little deelios 'cuz no one's gonna believe Eddie Van Halen called my house," added Martin. "It was a really cheezy recorder. And I still have the cassette and I listened to it and he's like [in low gravelly voice], 'Hey this is Ed Van Halen.' And I'm going, [in high pitched voice] YEAH!?' I was so nervous. He even said, 'Uh….Are you alright?' [laughs]. And he goes, 'Yeah, I love your voice man, you got a great singing voice but I hate your record. You shouldn't be doing that kinda stuff.' And I'm on the recording goin', 'Yeah, you're right! You're right man! It does suck!' [laughs] And I'm on Capital records, the record just came out…I'm like, 'You're right man! It sucks!' Totally stupid, ya know?"
So, what happened next? Well, Martin admits he just couldn't get up the confidence to go through with the audition.
"Yeah, I chickened out," he said. "I wish I woulda done it. It would look better and I wouldn't have to keep [answering questions about it]. And it's my big mouth that said something 25 years ago that, ya know, I was asked to audition for Van Halen. I don't know what I was thinkin' when I said it. And then now I have to tell people, 'Yeah, well, yeah….I was uh….two miles from 5150 and his house and I just went, 'I can't do it!'"
But as we know, Martin's story has a happy ending thanks to him teaming up with former David Lee Roth bassist Billy Sheehan, guitarist Paul Gilbert and drummer Pat Torpey to form the platinum-selling band Mr. Big, who went on to release the hit singles "Addicted To That Rush", "Green-Tinted Sixties Mind", "To Be With You" (#1), "Just Take My Heart" and "Wild World".
Watch Mr. Big "Addicted To That Rush"
Listen To Eric Martin's Interview On "Appetite For Distortion"
Filed Under: 1985, Eddie Van Halen, Podcast, Van Halen
Vhredrocker She'll take what she can get!!
Vhredrocker That's all he's got!!🤣
Dingus Reported.
chargerhemi https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/777cd108c7da77f9f4e55a56541bfdb2b2080d430a3145b0d91e6056c88566ca.gif
chargerhemi 👆 He can't drive 55 !! 👆


During renovations of Clifton's Cafeteria in Los Angeles, a neon lamp that was switched on during the Great Depression was found behind a partition. It's been on for 77 years. The owner estimates it's generated more than $17,000 in electric bills.
Fans know Clifton's as the place LASFS met and freeloaded for a few years in the late 1930s. So not only was the light on all the time that LASFS met at Clifton's, it's been on for nearly the entire history of the club's existence — 78 years this October.
Reminds me of the story of the world's oldest incandescent lightbulb. It has a very similar story except I think it was in a disused closet of a fire department — when it was rediscovered it had been burning for something like 90 years… or maybe over a century. In any case, I gather it was left on, so gawd knows how long its been burning by now.
The Livermore Fire Department bulb which Taral refers to has been going for 110 years according to a Cracked.com article published earlier this year. Given it's turning them off and on which is the main cause of wear and tear on bulbs I'm not surprised they last a little longer if boarded up and forgotten about.


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Volume 53 Number 6, 2016
Pages 893 — 900
The effect of caster wheel diameter and mass distribution on drag forces in manual wheelchairs
Rene Zepeda, BEng;1 Franco Chan, BASc;2 Bonita Sawatzky, PhD2–3*
1Department of Technological and Industrial Processes, Instituto tecnológico y de estudios superiores de occidente, Jalisco, Mexico; 2International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; 3Department of Orthopaedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia. Vancouver, Canada
Abstract — This study proposes a way to reduce energy losses from rolling resistance friction during manual wheelchair propulsion by increasing the size of the front caster wheels and adjusting the weight distribution. Drag tests were conducted using a treadmill and a force transducer. Three different caster diameters (4 in., 5 in., and 6 in.) and six different mass distribution combinations (based on percentage of total weight on the caster wheels) were studied. A two-way analysis of variance test was performed to compare caster size and weight distribution contribution with drag force of an ultralight wheelchair. The 4 in. caster contributed significantly more drag, but only when weight was 40% or greater over the casters. Weight distribution contributed more to drag regardless of the casters used.
Key words: caster wheel, drag force, drag test, efficiency, friction, rolling resistance, treadmill, weight distribution, wheelchair, wheel diameter.
Abbreviations: ANOVA = analysis of variance, ICC = interclass correlation coefficient.
*Address all correspondence to Bonita Sawatzky, PhD; International Collaboration On Repair Discoveries, University of British Columbia, 818 W 10th Ave, Vancouver BC V5Z 1M9, Canada; +1-604-675-8806.
Email: bonita.sawatzky@ubc.ca
http://dx.doi.org/10.1682/JRRD.2015.05.0074
The prevalence of wheelchair users has increased as the aging population continues to expand across the globe [1]. Studies conducted in Canada [2], France [3], the United Kingdom [4], and the United States [5] have demonstrated that many elderly people rely on wheelchairs to live independently in the community. The most commonly used method of wheelchair propulsion is manual hand rim propulsion [6]. The repetitive nature of this movement makes users prone to pain in their upper limbs and trunk [7]. The percentage of wheelchair users reported to suffer from shoulder pain has ranged from 37.5 to 78.0 percent [8–11] in different studies on individuals with paraplegia and quadriplegia. Hand and elbow pain has been reported in as many as 43 percent [10] of wheelchair users, while 73 percent of wheelchair users have reported back pain [11].
Manual wheelchair use, just like walking, happens in "bouts of activity" [12]. Roughly 63 percent of these bouts are distinguished by slow and short changes in speed and direction, which require more energy than the energy needed to maintain a constant velocity. The wheelchair rider must surmount the initial inertia and alter the momentum of the wheelchair-user system several times per day. On average, the rider performs 10 bouts of activity for each hour seated in the wheelchair, which may subsequently lead to the distresses stated previously. To reduce these discomforts, it is important to educate wheelchair users about the optimal usage and configuration of their wheelchair [13], such as changing their propulsion technique or sitting in a rearward position on the chair. Nonetheless, manual wheelchair propulsion is not a very efficient method of mobility per se. The ratio between power applied to the hand rim and power obtained in the form of movement of the wheelchair is notably low, with values ranging between 2.0 to 10.5 percent [14–19], compared with mechanical efficiencies of 18 percent to 23 percent for cycling [20] and 20 to 40 percent for walking [21–22].
Studies have been conducted with the goal of improving the efficiency of the current wheelchair design to decrease energy consumption during wheelchair propulsion. Specifically, the mass of the wheelchair has been evaluated by comparing the standard wheelchair with an ultralight wheelchair. Beekman et al. [23] and Cowan et al. [24] verified that using an ultralight wheelchair resulted in higher speeds and lower oxygen consumption from the user. The use of different types of rear wheelchair wheels was also addressed by Gordon et al. [25], Sawatzky et al. [26], and de Groot et al. [6], who demonstrated the benefits of using pneumatic tires compared with using solid airless tires. These benefits included a reduction in the rolling resistance force, which constitutes a large component of the drag force that must be overcome by the user to move the wheelchair and consequently, the power needed from the user to generate speed in the wheelchair.
An important component of the efficiency puzzle that has long been forgotten is the caster wheels, which are responsible for turning and rotating the wheelchair. Normally, caster wheels are small in order to facilitate the yaw rotation of the wheelchair for its use indoors, because furniture and objects close to the floor can interfere with the yawing movement of the wheels. However, the small size of the casters may bring other disadvantages to wheelchair users. From Rabinowicz's laws of rolling friction [27], the rolling resistance force varies inversely with the radius of curvature of the rolling object and surface. Thus, it can be inferred that energy losses from this phenomenon are prominently present in the front caster wheels because of their small radii, increasing as supported load increases. The authors acknowledge that smaller wheel radius does play a role in rolling resistance over rougher surfaces, such as gravel, because larger wheels help leverage the chair over small bumps on the ground. However, it is important to explore the question of caster size and load distribution on smooth surfaces before analyzing the effect of this component on various rough surfaces. In previous studies, the results obtained when analyzing wheeling on rough surfaces have shown higher numbers in terms of amount of energy required from the user to maintain a constant velocity than when wheeling on smooth surfaces [24,28]. Nonetheless, it is hard to determine the role of the front wheels on rough surfaces, considering that the friction coefficient on these surfaces is considerably higher than on smooth surfaces. This could make the hypothetical benefits of making adjustments to the size of the caster wheels almost insignificant for rough surfaces. In addition, many older individuals living in residential care spend 90 percent of their time indoors on smooth surfaces; thus, a study examining smooth surface rolling resistance would be relevant. Determining the optimum set of casters and percentage of load supported by them without compromising the safety of the rider, as a center of mass closer to the front end would make the wheelchair unstable [24,29–30], could ameliorate the energy loss and improve the overall mechanical efficiency of the wheelchair. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of the caster wheels in the drag force of a wheelchair on a smooth level surface.
The two hypotheses are—
That caster wheels with larger diameters will reduce the total rolling resistance force of a wheelchair, and,
That rolling resistance will be different between three caster sizes as the percentage of the total weight supported by the casters increases.
This study proposes the use of a treadmill to measure the drag forces, recognizing that the smoothness of the treadmill belt will not match the exact same smoothness of common indoor smooth surfaces, such as linoleum, wood, or tile. The treadmill represents a convenient way of reducing and controlling certain variables (i.e., air drag force, constant velocity), as well as greatly reducing the physical space needed to perform a drag test.
A series of drag tests using a motor-driven treadmill (Max Mobility; Antioch, Tennessee) and a rigid frame, ultralight wheelchair (TiLite; Pasco, Washington) (10 kg) were performed following the procedure initially described by van der Woude et al. [15] and used more recently by de Groot et al. [31]. The drag tests had two variable factors: diameter of the caster wheel and center of mass of the wheelchair-weight system (represented in weight distribution). Other components of the wheelchair, such as the rear wheels and caster forks, were kept constant in order to isolate the effects of the variables mentioned previously. Before the start of each trial, the rear wheels' tire pressure was set at 700 kPa (approximately 100 psi). A set of front casters was installed on the wheelchair and a dummy weight of 60 kg (typical female adult weight) was placed on the seat. To modify the weight distribution (percentage of total weight on caster wheels), the distance of the dummy weight relative to the posterior and anterior wheelchair axles was adjusted before the start of each trial, using a wheelchair scale to measure the weight supported by the front caster wheels, starting at 10 percent of the total weight of the system and increasing by 10 percent for each subsequent set of tests up to 60 percent.
After adjusting the weight distribution, we placed the wheelchair on the motor-driven treadmill while forces were measured using a calibrated force transducer (OMEGA Engineering; Stamford, Connecticut) firmly mounted to the frame of the treadmill (Figure 1) and attached to the frame of the wheelchair using a rope. The incline relative to the treadmill surface and position of the rope were consistent during all the tests performed. Three trials were performed at a linear velocity of 1.111 m/s, registering the drag force at different inclines of the treadmill, from 5.5 percent to 0.5 percent, reducing the incline by 0.5 percent for each measurement. The drag force at 0 percent incline was calculated by linear regression using the data collected during the three trials per condition.
Set-up of drag test with the ultralight wheelchair mounted on the treadmill. Dummy weight (weight boxes) is positioned, and the frame of the wheelchair is connected by a rope to the force transducer.
Click Image to Enlarge. View as PowerPoint Slide
Rear and Caster Wheels
A single ultralight wheelchair was used during the test. The wheelchair was equipped with two 609.6 mm × 25.4 mm (24 in. × 1 in.) TiLite Shadow rear wheels with Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires (Schwalbe; Reichshof, Germany). These wheels presented a neutral camber (0° angle). The front casters chosen for the study (Table 1) were new at the moment of the test and had polyurethane tires. Inside the casters, new bearings were properly installed to ensure uniform rotational movement. The caster stem was not adjusted during the drag tests because no apparent difference was observed in the inclination of the stem between the three caster sets.
Specifications for each set of caster wheels tested. Values correspond to a single caster.
Footprint Area (mm2)
4 in. × 1 in.
5 in. × 1 in
The drag force needed to be overcome during wheelchair propulsion is composed mainly of the rolling resistance force (Froll), air resistance force (Fair), internal friction (Fint), and force of gravity [7]. Drag force is calculated as—
Drag Force = Froll + Fair + Fint + (m × g × sin α),	(1)
where m = mass of the system (in our test, mass of the wheelchair + weight boxes), g = acceleration due to Earth's gravity, and α = slope of the surface (where the wheelchair rolls).
Linear acceleration was presumed as 0 (constant speed). Air friction and internal friction losses were assumed as nonsignificant in order to focus the study on the rolling resistance phenomena. To dispense the force of gravity component in Equation 1, the drag force at 0 percent incline (α = 0°) was calculated. This value was assessed by performing linear regression using the average from the values collected during the three trials per condition, as described in more detail by de Groot et al. [31]. The maximum error in the linear regression from each trial was registered, maintaining an absolute error value ≤1.75 N.
The effects of the independent variables (caster wheel diameter and weight distribution) on the drag force were analyzed using a two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test. Two additional tests of simple effects were also performed after a significant interaction between the two variable groups was found. These tests revealed the significant effect on drag force of the first variable group at a fixed, single factor of the second variable group.
To validate consistent results across the three trials performed for each test configuration, an interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) test was conducted. ICC single-measurement values ≥0.95 were considered acceptable for test purposes to show reliability. The analysis showed values higher than 0.99 across each configuration.
All the statistical tests were performed using SPSS version 22.0 (IBM; Armonk, New York). A confidence interval of 95 percent was set for all statistical tests.
The two-way ANOVA test discovered p-values <0.05 for both independent variable groups and their interaction, indicating a statistically significant effect on drag force.
Interaction Between Factors
The two-way ANOVA test displayed an interaction between the independent variable groups "casters wheel diameter" and "weight distribution" (p < 0.001), meaning dependence between the two variables. A significant jump in the drag force values (Figure 2) while using the smallest caster set occurred at 40 percent of weight support (i.e., 4.93 N compared with 3.81 N and 4.12 N with a linear velocity of 1.111 m/s) (Table 2), distancing itself from the other two sets of casters. This difference continued to increase until reaching the maximum percentage value (60%) of weight support tested (i.e., 7.45 N compared with 4.94 N and 5.31 N with a linear velocity of 1.111 m/s) (Table 2).
Drag force at an incline of 0% plotted against percentage of total weight supported by the caster wheels. A constant speed of 1.111 m/s was maintained during data acquisition. Total weight supported: 688 N.
Mean ± standard deviation drag force (N) at 0% incline for each test configuration at a linear speed of 1.111 m/s. Total weight supported: 688 N.
Weight Supported (%)
2.584 ± 0.127
Two additional simple effect tests were performed after the interaction between factors was confirmed. The variable "caster wheel diameter" was only significant when presenting values of percentage of weight supported by casters equal to or higher than 40 percent (Table 3). On the other hand, the variable "weight distribution" was significant across all three factors of the "caster size" variable (p < 0.001 for 4, 5, and 6 in.), showing that, regardless of the diameter size of the caster set, the weight distribution is a critical factor in drag force.
Significance (p-values) from a simple effects test for the variable group "caster wheel diameter" at a specific factor of "weight distribution."
Weight Distribution (%)
<0.001
Note: Bold indicates statistical significance effect on the dependent variable.
Caster Wheel Diameter
A change in the caster wheel diameter showed an effect on the drag force (p < 0.001). A pairwise post hoc Tukey range test revealed statistical significance when comparing the smallest caster tested (4 in.) with both the 5 in. caster and 6 in. caster (p < 0.001 for both comparisons). There was no statistical difference between the 5 in. caster and 6 in. caster (p = 0.13) for drag force. This significance was not independent from the weight distribution variable.
Different percentages of weight supported by the front casters showed to have a significant effect (p < 0.001) in the drag force measured. Drag force augmented as weight supported by the caster wheels did the same (Figure 2). This significance was not independent from the caster wheels variable.
As expected, the rolling resistance force changed depending on the caster wheel diameter. The smallest caster tested showed significantly larger drag forces, but only when supporting 40 percent or more of the total load. It was not possible to accept the first hypothesis because the largest caster wheel tested did not show a significant difference on the rolling resistance force compared with the medium-size caster wheel. This study was limited to one feature of the caster wheels: the diameter. Other characteristics of the caster wheels, such as tire width, height of profile, tire hardness, footprint size, etc., could have a meaningful effect on the drag force. To minimize the influence of these factors, the three sets of casters chosen were from the same brand, had the same rim, and were made from the same material (polyurethane); all were new at the beginning of the study.
The results of this study agree with the conclusions reached by Kauzlarich and Thacker [32], Frank and Abel [33], and Brubaker [29]. The quantities of rolling resistance force for several front caster sizes presented by Frank and Abel were on average 16 N for a load of 800 N, compared with an average of 5 N for a load of 688 N (approximately) and 40 percent the total weight supported by the casters presented in this study. This discrepancy could be explained by the fact that Frank and Abel used a special trolley with four identical "test wheels" [33] (caster wheels) for their drag tests; thus, the entire weight was supported by these small wheels (average diameter = 147.64 mm), where the rolling resistance coefficient is, theoretically, larger. Brubaker, on the other hand, reported a rolling resistance force of around 13 N when the pair of caster wheels (8 in.) supported 40 percent of a load of 800 N [29]. Compared with a similar test condition presented in this study, a value of 4.12 N was reported when testing the largest caster (6 in.) and same weight distribution. This difference in the rolling resistance values could be attributed to different sizes in caster wheels, a change in load (more than 100 N), and a different material used [32] in the tires of the casters and rear wheels, since Brubaker used gray rubber [29].
Validating the second hypothesis, the weight distribution factor showed a significant effect on the rolling resistance force, regardless of the caster set installed in the wheelchair. This reinforces what other authors have reported in similar articles [24,29–30,34]. The differences between the drag force' values presented could be attributed to distinct drag test methods between studies. The results reported in this article should be taken merely to compare the effects of the independent variables and not as absolute values. By propelling over soft or hard surfaces or smooth or rough surfaces, the benefits of moving the center of gravity closer to the rear axle could increase or decrease significantly [31,35].
The results presented in this study show that the size of the caster wheels is not nearly as critical as the weight distribution for reducing rolling resistance.
The position of the caster stem was not controlled, regardless of the size of the caster wheel installed. If the caster stem is not perpendicular to the floor, the chair may be difficult to keep in a straight line, thus increasing the rolling resistance.
The angle differences between the caster stem and the normal angle of the rolling surface were roughly 4°, 1.8°, and 0° for the 4 in., 5 in., and 6 in. caster sets, respectively. A subsequent test asserted a percent variation in the drag force of 6.5 percent for the 4 in. caster set and 1.7 percent for the 5 in. caster set when adjusting the stem incline to a perpendicular orientation relative to the rolling surface, demonstrating the small influence of the caster stem angle variable in this study.
This study only showed the effects of caster diameter and weight distribution on a relatively smooth treadmill surface, where the wheelchair moves in a straight line. It is not valid for outdoor rough surfaces. Future research needs to address the minimal wheel size for practical use over outdoor surfaces.
Smaller caster wheel diameters will increase the overall drag forces during wheelchair propulsion. However, caster size will not bring any significant difference in the drag force if the wheelchair user has 30 percent or less of his or her weight supported by the caster wheels (70% or more by rear wheels). The largest caster tested did not show a significant difference in the rolling resistance force measured. Hence, casters larger than 5 in. are not necessarily better. More important for reducing rolling resistance is the amount of weight the front casters bear. Weight distribution will affect the drag force regardless of the set of casters used, allowing the wheelchair user and clinician to choose the one that suits the user's greatest needs as long as they sit in a rearward position. An optimal combination of both variables must be sought, taking into consideration that weight distribution is more important than caster wheel size in order to reduce energy losses on smooth surfaces.
Author Contributions:
Study concept and design: B. Sawatzky, R. Zepeda, F. Chan.
Data collection: R. Zepeda.
Analysis and interpretation of data: B. Sawatzky, R. Zepeda, F. Chan.
Drafting of manuscript: B. Sawatzky, R. Zepeda.
Critical revision of manuscript for important intellectual content: F. Chan.
Obtained funding: B. Sawatzky, R. Zepeda.
Financial Disclosures: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Funding/Support: This material was based on work supported by the International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (Vancouver, Canada) and the Mitacs (Vancouver, Canada).
Additional Contributions: The authors would like to thank Mehdi Eshraghi for his collaboration during the data acquisition process. R. Zepada is now with the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10255842.2011.623673
Submitted for publication May 3, 2015. Accepted in revised form November 30, 2015.
This article and any supplementary material should be cited as follows:
Zepeda R, Chan F, Sawatzky B. The effect of caster wheel diameter and mass distribution on drag forces in manual wheelchairs. J Rehabil Res Dev. 2016;53(6):893–900. http://dx.doi.org/10.1682/JRRD.2015.05.0074
ORCID: Bonita Sawatzky, PhD: 0000-0002-8901-2301
Last Reviewed or Updated Wednesday, February 22, 2017 12:47 PM
Strat Plan FY 2014–2020
Updated/Reviewed: Nov 20, 2013


Unlike most people, Sunset Boulevard existed first for me as a musical. Long before I watched the blackly comic classic film noir, I experienced what I felt was a raw human tragedy as a musical obsessed seventeen year old on her first big international adventure. Having taken the train from Detroit to Toronto for an 'alternative spring break' with my two friends, I sat three rows from the front watching Diahann Carroll's interpretation of Norma Desmond, the tragically faded star grasping for the lost admiration she once commanded. Twenty years ago, the production was stunning– a full cast, an opulent set with a grand staircase and a surprise twist (it wasn't clear from the staging that Joe Gillis was in fact the body in the pool which made it all the more exciting).
I've always thought the musical twisted the knife deeper, connected with the magic of Hollywood through the sweeping numbers more powerfully, made Joe's and Betty's doomed relationship more convincing and had you buy into Norma Desmond's fantasy just that little bit extra.
My expectations were justifiably high at the opening night of Sunset Boulevard at the London Coliseum on 1 April 2016, with Glenn Close reprising her 1995 Tony-award- winning role. However, what I experienced was more akin to Charles Ryder revisiting the wreck of Brideshead after the war: the shell was there but the magic was almost entirely gone.
No doubt because of its short run and ENO's financial difficulties, the set was stark and minimalist. Although they tried to compensate for this by casting pictures onto a screen of old Hollywood, the stage which tipped its hat toward the industrialist interior design trend did nothing to evoke Hollywood luxury. This is a story of materialism: Norma's house, cars and things define her and draw Joe to her for his Faustian pact.
One important, and I thought well-deserved improvement, was putting the orchestra centre stage: the action happened around them and every sweep of emotion was stirred by them (this seemed to be taken almost too far at times with lines traditionally spoken put to song unnecessarily so that the audience felt no pause from the score.) Yet, the music's sweeping, mesmerizing crescendos told the story more than any performer that evening.
The first act was shaky at best, Glenn Close cracked notes, Joe Gillis, played by Michael Xavier, seemed languid and the pacing all together dull. Only the butler Max's (Fred Johanson's) stunning vocals in 'The Greatest Star of All' and Siobhan Dillon's pitch-perfect performance as Betty Schaefer were engaging. Overall, the core cast seemed to be singing in a 'Musical selection of Sunset Boulevard', stepping on to sing their next part, rather than acting in a musical.
As it went on, it got decidedly better, with an excellent comical rendition of 'The Lady's Paying', and a bid for BBC casting as the next shirtless male from Xavier, who not only came out of the pool with much smaller trunks than Holden in the film version, but also shamelessly shimmied out of them once Max covered him in a robe. A rousing 'This Time Next Year' and a very sobering Cecil B. Demille's 'New Ways to Dream' brought the musical back alive, culminating in a very moving 'Too Much in Love to Care' the closest the musical comes to freeing Joe from his fate, through the 'innocent' future Betty can offer him (if you can ignore the fact she's engaged to his friend). Joe's death and Norma's release into a mad nostalgia was by comparison slow and disappointing.
What this musical needs is new life, and although the embers are there as shown through the few rousing numbers, to quote Norma Desmond, 'I am big, it's the pictures that got small'. Sunset Boulevard deserves a real revival, not a half-hearted attempt, as this cannot communicate the passion of the musical or the darkness of the original picture. The tragedy of the production is Close's Norma Desmond is eminently forgettable, which is almost a contradiction in terms for this iconic movie star raging against the light.
Here's Close doing a much better job in 1996 at the Royal Albert Hall.
Sunset Boulevard is at the London Coliseum 4 April – 7 May.


This class extends BiEventTarget and therefore all methods and fields available for BiEventTarget are also available for BiStringBundle .
majorLanguage String The current major language. For example if the current language is "en-us" then this returns "en".
getBundle Returns the bundle (hash table) for the given language code. If fails an empty bundle will be returned.
getBundleForLanguage Returns the bundle (hash table) for the given language code. This will return the best match. If you pass "zh-CN" it will try to find the bundles in the following order; "zh-CN", "zh", language, majorLanguage, "en" and if all these fails an empty bundle (object) will be returned.
getFormattedString Returns the string for the given string id. The string is then formatted so that %1 to %n are replaced by the extra arguments to this method. This method does not allow you to specify the language. If that is needed use getString followed by formatString.
getString Returns the string for the given string id. The second argument is the language code to get the string for. If left out then the current language for the string bundle is used.
change BiEvent This event is fired when the current strings changes in some way. This happens when the language is changed or a new bundle is added with the current language.
formatString Takes a string containing %1 to %n and 0 to n extra arguments that will replace the %n strings.
sLanguage String The language code for the string bundle to add.
oStringMap Object The hash table used to map string identifiers to strings.
sLanguage String The language code for the string bundle to append.
Returns the bundle (hash table) for the given language code. If fails an empty bundle will be returned.
sLanguage String The language code of the string bundle to return. If left out the default language is used.
Returns the bundle (hash table) for the given language code. This will return the best match. If you pass "zh-CN" it will try to find the bundles in the following order; "zh-CN", "zh", language, majorLanguage, "en" and if all these fails an empty bundle (object) will be returned.
Returns the string for the given string id. The string is then formatted so that %1 to %n are replaced by the extra arguments to this method. This method does not allow you to specify the language. If that is needed use getString followed by formatString.
Returns the string for the given string id. The second argument is the language code to get the string for. If left out then the current language for the string bundle is used.
Takes a string containing %1 to %n and 0 to n extra arguments that will replace the %n strings.
sPattern String A string containing '%n' where '%n' will be replaced by the remaining arguments.


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Checking the temperature outside it's 1 below zero here on our little patch of heaven. Our son, Shane, came out to help split wood for the stove, and brought his daughters, Eva, Emerson and Ellery with him. I was telling the girls about my neighbor, Erin Phillips of Phillips Farm – Erin brought Montessori middle school students out to tap maple and box elder trees for syrup. Well, that's all the girls needed to know. Eva, our 10 year old, in particular said "Sitti, can we tap your trees?" I'll see if Erin has extra tubing, etc. to do that. Meanwhile, check out Erin's site for a photo tutorial plus some interesting facts about which trees produce the sweetest syrup.
Thanks to Erin for the photo.


How Much Waste Can Worms Eat?
Those are really good question (some things a LOT of people are wondering about, I'm sure), but the first one is also a tough question to give a firm answer for. One of the challenges of vermicomposting is that there are SO MANY variables that can influence the success of your worm bin, and the overall health and well-being of your worms. As such, trying to come up with absolutes based on various calculations can be pretty challenging – at least for the average worm bin owner.
What you do with your waste materials (before putting them in the bin) ALONE can have a massive impact on the productivity of your bin. Obviously, if you add your wastes simply as they become available, without taking any steps to help the process along, you will end up with a bin full of undecomposed material pretty quickly.
If on the other hand you freeze your waste materials or let them age for a period of time, then blend them up before adding them, you will greatly speed up the process, thus effectively boosting the processing power of your worms.
The type of waste can also have a significant impact on the quantity of waste that can be added every x number of days. Tests using highly optimized professional flow-through reactors have shown that worms can potentially consume 4-6 times their own weight in food PER DAY! I should mention that these numbers are based on consumption of grocery store produce waste (similar to homeowner food waste, I would imagine), which is mostly water to begin with.
Is it realistic to think you will see similar abilities with your worms – not likely! My point is simply that the processing ability of worms can vary WIDELY, depending on how you maintain your particular system.
Some suggest that a good guideline is 1/2 worm weight per day. In your case, since 1000 worms on average weigh somewhere around 1 lb, an estimate of 1/2 lb of waste per day – or 3.5 lb of waste per week might not be a bad guess. I'm a little hesitant to even mention that, but hopefully you will take that recommendation with a grain of salt, based on what I've said above.
So what exactly DO I recommend?
Let the worms be your guide! Do everything you can to optimize the process, and carefully monitor your worms' progress – especially early on. Start with very small amounts of waste (especially if you have set up your bin ahead of time with food), and go from there based on your worms' ability to consume the materials. Obviously you don't need to wait until every last morsel is gone from the bin. I would suggest creating several small food pockets (staggering the creation of these over the course of a given week should be helpful as well) and simply watching how quickly these pockets of food are consumed. Once the first pocket is basically processed, you can probably set up a new one (you would have a couple others on the go already), and so on.
It is very common for worms to start reproducing VERY soon after being added to a worm bin – especially if conditions are to their liking. In fact, worms don't even really need to reproduce in order to start depositing cocoons into the bin. Reproduction is basically a means of replenishing the sperm storage organ. Once the worms have sperm they can simply keep producing cocoons (using their own eggs) until it runs out.
Given the fact that you've had your bin for a month, I would think that there would be plenty of reproduction and cocoon laying in your bin by now. It might not be all that obvious – but rest assured, if the worms are healthy and vigorous you will almost certainly have cocoons and young worms in your bin.
Anyway – hope this helps, Leslie!
Hi Bentley, I am very very new to this. Matter of fact just days. I live in AZ and The property we have is small and lots of rocks. Not good to have a garden when you have no soil ha!
Anyway I thought about raising some worms to sell as bait and if that didn't go over very well I was still covered because I could use the compost /dirt. I have plans on hopefully growing some garden plants in tubs/buckets. So either way I felt like I couldn't lose. By the way I have horses and I was reading on line that some grow their worms in horse manure. I do realize horse manure creates heat. And the worms do not like it too hot. So I was wondering what your thoughts were on that as far as using old manure etc or if you advise that at all since one place i read that the de worming medicine that you have used for your horse will come thru the manure and kill the worms. Even if it has been months since they have been de wormed?
I watched your simple but effective video of using two tubs for making a worm bin. Which by the way I did last night. I just don't have the worms yet. You had advised to let set for 1-2 weeks. So another question here: if I go digging in the horse manure and I find worms can I use those? Or do you think it best to order right off some? Obviously i am trying to keep costs way down.
Oh another question ..sorry.. Can you freeze your scraps and then use them for food? Like right now I have my left over broccoli, coffee grounds and Cucumber peelings etc frozen in freezer…good idea or bad?
We have some pallets that My husband said he would help me make some 'farms' out of. But they are for outside. I have your tub bin worm farm in my kitchen right now. Oh I appreciate your sense of humor too. Anyway if you have time and want to answer my questions that would be great. Need all the help I can get.
I really like your approach/philosophy re: the start up of a potential worm business – it's always a great idea to cover the bases and not put too much on the line before you've tested the waters. With that sort of attitude, and your current situation (owning horses etc), I think your chances of finding success are quite good!
Aged manure is pretty well the 'ultimate' worm food, so I definitely recommend using it – at least as far as large-scale, preferably open (no lid) systems go. i.e. I would definitely use caution when it comes to adding manure to small indoor worm bins – very important to make sure the material is really well-aged, since harmful gases (namely, ammonia) can be released during the decomposition of this material.
If I had horses (I WISH!), I would probably make a big outdoor pile of manure and bedding (straw etc) and just let it sit for awhile. I would continue to add new material, but likely only on one side. Eventually (maybe after a few weeks), I would add composting worms to the side with the oldest material.
Some of the craziest densities of composting worms I've ever seen have been in aged, outdoor manure heaps. As for the de-worming medication, it should get broken down as the manure composts/ages, so generally this shouldn't be an issue by the time you add the worms. You can always test thing out on a small scale ahead of time just to be safe.
As for using worms already in your heaps – I'd only recommend relying on these IF you know for sure they are composting worms (eg Eisenia fetida). I've seen plenty of regular soil worms in old manure, so there is no guarantee that worms you find in your heaps are the right ones. If you DO see high densities of smallish, reddish worms, you are likely in luck!
Freezing food wastes is actually one of the best approaches to take – it greatly speeds up the decomposition process since it breaks down the structural integrity of tough plant (and other) materials, thus making the wastes far more accessible to microbes. Chuck these frozen wastes into your aged manure heap (once worms are established) in the middle of the summer and see what happens!
used to tell me "waste not…want not".
Anyway, I have a vericompost bin set up (approximately 5 months now).
use? I don't want to harm any of my precious plants come spring time.
But I also do not want to discard something that I could make usable.
field, appreciate all you do!
Interesting question. In all honesty, I definitely wouldn't put worm bin leachate in bottles and just let it sit for months – the potential for it becoming a putrid mess is pretty high!
I hate to recommend getting rid of ANY potentially useful resource though (remember – even 'wastes' are just misplaced resources), so I certainly wouldn't tell you to just chuck it.
Once it looks as though it's not going to harm your plants, you can probably get a little more bold with your use of it.
bad, and if so, how do I know not to use it?
with a tarp ever since.
year, and want to amend some old potting soil with the vermicompost.
Hi Crissy – that's actually a great question!
I'll start by saying "it depends". What it depends on is how stabilized your vermicompost is. By definition, vermicompost is a 'humus-like' end product that results from the stabilization of organic wastes (thanks to the joint effort of worms and microbes). Humus is a highly stable material – very resistant to further breakdown. As an analogy, consider peat moss – or potting soil (which usually contains a lot of peat moss). If you soak brand new peat moss and let it sit indefinitely, it will never go 'bad' or decompose much further than it already has. This is the same idea with really good quality composts.
If there is still a fair amount of partially decomposed waste materials left in your vermicompost, there is a decent chance that these could rot further – and if this occurs under anaerobic conditions, you could end up with a material that is considered 'bad'. In other words, it is basically the anaerobic breakdown of unstabilized organic wastes that results in nasty smells and the foul nature of 'rotten' materials. Believe it or not, if you ground up fresh chicken meat (an example of a material that would be really nasty if rotten) and mixed it with a LOT of peat moss or some other bedding material (along with some mature compost for good measure) and provided the mixture with a LOT of oxygen, it would compost just like anything else.
Farm animal mortality composting is actually quite common. It is next to impossible to eliminate ALL anaerobic microsites in a mixture, so there could still be some odors – but its amazing what you can do when you add enough bedding and provide enough oxygen.
Anyway – I'm getting sidetracked here.
Good vermicompost should keep for quite some time (sometimes years) – and it really only loses its potency, rather than going 'bad'. If it is sitting outside, exposed to the elements, the quality can degrade quite quickly – but if covered up, it should be totally fine for at least multiple months.
It certainly won't hurt to use it, either way (again assuming it is good quality stuff to begin with). Just mix it up and take a whiff. If it smells rotten, mix it some more then put it somewhere dry to sit (on top of multiple layers of corrugated cardboard might help to draw out excess moisture). It should eventually become aerobic (with the rich, earthy smell of good humus), and useful as a soil amendment.
been a mention of rye & barley?
would appreciate any information you can supply me with.
I'm not really an expert on this topic, but my hope is that by posting this on the blog we'll get some comments from readers who do use a lot of grain foods for their worms.
I honestly think a lot of grain products would work well. I've heard that a lot of people use chicken 'laying mash' as a worm fattener, but have not tried this myself. I've used wheat bran mixed with food waste slurry (my homemade manure), but it's hard to say how effective it was given the fact that it was mixed with a lot of other materials.
I've also used brewery wastes (which, according to some experts is an excellent material for worms) but actually found them very difficult to work with – they went anaerobic (and nasty) very easily and the worms didn't seem to care for them at all.
You mentioned culturing 'nightcrawlers' successfully – I would be interested to learn what type of nightcrawlers you are referring to. I have yet to come across someone who has had a lot of success with soil nightcrawlers (such as the Canadian Nightcrawler – Lumbricus terrestris), given their requirements.
Just a quick update on the winter worm composting front. I popped by my dad's place on Friday to see how things were doing in the outdoor bed. He had been providing me with encouraging temperature updates (you may recall that we buried the sensor for the remote weather station in the bed last time), but I wanted to check temperatures throughout the bed.
I also wanted to add a considerable amount of food waste that had been piling up at home. I originally started stockpiling it so that I could make some 'homemade manure', but the time involved (and the fact that my blender seems to have gone missing – I suspect foul play! haha) made me decide to simply take it over to my dad's. Unfortunately I didn't have enough time to add it to the pile on the day I took it over, so it was frozen when we added it on Friday.
This actually makes things a little more interesting, since I'll be really interested to see how/if it affects the overall bed temps, and how quickly it becomes worm food. One thing to point out – if you are wondering why there are plastic bags mixed in with the food waste, it is because these are made with biodegradable plastic.
Temperatures in the worm bed seem to be even higher than when I last checked, but certainly aren't off the charts (always a good thing). The lowest temperatures I found were in the 10 C (50 F) range, while the highest was about 30 C (86 F).
Lots of worms seem to be really active up near the surface – I actually ended up feeling badly about the fact that I was digging around at all (to look for worms, and to create a bit of a depression for the food waste), since it was brutally cold outside at the time. My dad and I were more than happy to quickly pack it in and head inside after the food waste was added!
I will more than likely head over this Friday to see how things are looking.


UK phone operator Three's 'same price phone calls from abroad' offer is a good one and agency Wieden+Kennedy has flogged it to the masses with a certain brio.
Now it's adding Spain, still the biggest overseas holiday destination for the UK, with three plonkers on a sofa.
Always tricky to include Facebook et al in a commercial but it succeeds. MAA creative scale: 6.5.
W+K is getting back to normal life after the drama of losing Tesco to BBH. The agency must have been slightly alarmed to see stories emerging in the weekend papers that Three owner Hutchison Whampoa is to bid for Telefonica's O2 in the UK, hard on the heels of BT's agreed bid for EE.
Would Hutchison keep both brands – and O2 is bigger? O2 is handled by VCCP and its 'Be More Dog' campaign vies with W+K's work for Three as the best mobile advertising in the UK. I suspect neither agency would welcome a winner-takes-all shoot-out.


Bunnymare: Circus Escape has launched today on the App Store and Google Play!
This unsettling, story-driven puzzler was developed by Hybrid Humans – the U.A.E. indie studio led by Fakhra AlMansouri that made its mark with the one-of-a-kind party game, Who Lurks. Bunnymare: Circus Escape challenges players to take on the role of an abused circus bunny bent on traversing claustrophobic, twisted levels to reach The Happy Farm.


A leader is someone that people follow because they want to.
A boss is someone that people follow because they have to.
A leader asks the opinions of her team before making a decision.
A boss doesn't care for the opinions of her team.
A leader never leaves a man behind.
A boss thinks of people as disposable commodities.
A leader tries to help her people reach their full potential in life.
A boss tries to keep her people in their box.
A leader cares and listens.
A boss couldn't care less.
A leader finds herself with supporters when times get tough.
A boss finds herself alone when times get tough.


text:
Hazara community finds safe haven in Peshawar
Persecuted in Afghanistan and in some parts of Pakistan, the ethnic minority thrives in a historic city.
The ethnic group Hazara make up about 18 per cent of Afghanistan's population, but many have been forced to flee persecution and war in their country.
More than half a million Hazaras now live in Pakistan, but there too they have been targeted by religious extremists for their Shia Muslim beliefs.
In Balochistan, where most of Hazaras reside, the group Lashkar-e-Jangvi has declared an open war against them. At least 90 Hazaras have been killed since July 30.
But the historic city of Peshawar in the northwest has welcomed them with open arms, and trade seems to be thriving for many members of the small community.
Al Jazeera's Kamal Hyder reports.


Teachers usually start before April to give each student a couple days with the resources.
What preparation do I need to do before starting the program?
None! Book the school DVD Player & give your principal the kit to deliver to your class.
What is the ideal grade?
Like soccer, every age can participate and bring a different skill set to the experience.
What is the easiest way to order a kit?
You can buy kits from our store by clicking here.
You can use all major credit cards, pay by cheque or if you have a purchase order (PO Number) you can enter this at checkout.
More than one class wants to participate at my school – how many kits do we need?
While NOBODY is the main character, it is the support materials that tap into each participant and spark personally meaningful projects. Each kit comes with 25+ support materials for one class. The program is great value because it is reusable but if you don't want to take your NOBODY-turned-SOMEBODY apart you can get a FREE Top-Up Kit! Many teachers have participated for more than 10 years and have received a FREE Top-Up Kit each year!
Kits can be ordered by cheque, purchase order or with a credit card by clicking here!
Yes. Many teachers are participating for their 10th year!
How much time does it take each week?
It's 5 minutes per week with the option to do extension lessons.
Students watch 3 ten minute DVD Lessons and then it is self-running.
How do I get the FREE I'M SOMEBODY bracelets?
After purchasing your full Who Is NOBODY? Kit or Top-Up Kit, you are eligible for one set of I'M SOMEBODY bracelets! You can either fill-in the Mini-Presentation Profile (found in your binder) and send it to us by post or you can submit your list of class projects here!
How Do I get a FREE Top-Up Kit?
Does it work at a school where there is little parent support?
Our programs set up every age, ability and demographic for success.
Can I modify the program?
All our programs are flexible and can be implemented in any group setting.
Can daycare, preschool or kindergarten participate?
Yes, students can participate as individuals or by doing group initiatives each month. Click here to read how teachers have implemented Who Is NOBODY? in a preschool environment.
After I order a kit, how long does it take to receive?
Kits are shipped by courier from Toronto, Ontario (Canada) within 24 hours of payment received. We cannot confirm how long it takes to deliver your kit(s) to international destinations because your order must first clear customs.


text:
IRISH OLYMPIC BOXING – THE MEDALS THAT COULD HAVE BEEN
Irish Olympic semi-finalists 1924/28/32/48
Paddy Dwyer 1924
Frank Traynor 1928
Jim Murphy 1932
Mick McKeon 1948
(Click on names for results)
Irish boxing prides itself on winning sixteen medals at the Olympics. However, the count would now be twenty if the current rules governing the awarding of Olympic boxing medals were in place for the 1924, 1928, 1932 and 1948 Games.
The forgotten men of Ireland's Olympic boxing history, Patrick Dwyer, Frank Traynor, Jim Murphy and Mick McKeon, were the first Irish boxers to reach Olympic semi-finals before and immediately after WW2.
But the 1952 Olympiad in Helsinki marked the first occasion where losing semi-finalists were awarded bronze. Before Helsinki, losing semi-finalists had to box-off for third place.
Tipperary's Paddy Dwyer, Army BC, beat Great Britain's Richard Basham, Anton Cornelius of the Netherland's and Francois Stauffer of Switzerland to reach the last-four at Paris 1924, Ireland's first Olympics as an independent nation.
But he lost his semi-final to Argentina's Hector Mendez, the eventual silver medallist. The Thurles welter sustained a deep cut on his forehead in that bout – as a result of a head butt, according to reports – and had to cede a walkover to Canada's Douglas Lewis in the bronze medal box-off.
Four years later at Amsterdam 1928, Dublin bantamweight Frank Traynor, St Paul's BC, beat Fuji Okamoto of Japan and Carmelo Robledo of Argentina to make the semi-finals but was beaten in the last-four by Italy's Vittorio Tamagnini, the eventual gold medallist. Traynor lost the box-off to Harry Isaacs of South Africa on points.
A third Irish fighter, Cork's Jim Murphy (Army/Garda), reached the light-heavy semi-finals at Los Angeles 1932, but the injury jinx struck again. Murphy received a bye into the quarter-finals in LA and beat John Miller of the USA. However, he had to retire injured in the first round versus Italy's eventual silver medallist Ginno Rossi in the semi-finals. The injury kept him out of the bronze medal box-off against Peter Joergensen of Denmark. Irish sport didn't enter the 1936 Games in Berlin.
Ireland sent an eight-strong boxing squad to London 1948 where Mick McKeon (ITC) reached the last-four. The Irish middleweight beat John Keenan (Canada), Hossein Toussi (Iran) and Aime-Joseph Escudie (France) on his way to the business end of the tournament, but lost to Great Britain's eventual silver medallist Johnny Wright. McKeon ceded a walkover in his box-off with Ivano Fontano of Italy because of an injury sustained versus Wright.
The London Games of that year marked the last Olympics to feature bronze medal box-offs. Four years later in Helsinki – where the great John McNally won Ireland's first Olympic boxing medal (silver) – the rules were changed and losing semi-finalists were awarded bronze, but they had to wait.
The Finnish Boxing Association instigated the move to abolish bronze medal box-offs, a move which was rubber-stamped by the International Boxing Association and given tacit approval by the IOC. But the 1952 bronze medals were presented retrospectively years later. The losing semi-finalists in Helsinki were, however, awarded certificates and their national flags were raised.
Basically, if Dwyer, Traynor, Murphy and McKeon had achieved what they achieved at any Olympics after 1948 Ireland would now have 20 Olympic boxing medals.
Unfortunately for Irish boxing – and numerous other semi-finalists from other nations – the rule change arrived too late for our semi-finalists at the 1924, 1928, 1932 and 1948 Games.
All four Irish boxers finished 4th in their respective weight classes. However, Murphy, according to former Irish Athletic Boxing Association President Breandán Ó Conaire in a piece in History Ireland, FIBA, the then governing body for international amateur boxing, informed the IABA in a communication that Murphy had been officially placed third.
The ex IABA President confirmed today that the communication in relation to Murphy finishing in third place was received.
Meantime, the quartet also has the distinction of having lost at the same Olympics twice, albeit three times on walkovers in box-off bouts because of injuries.
In 2002, a plaque was erected in Limekill Lane in Thurles in memory of Patrick Dwyer, Ireland's first boxer to reach an Olympic semi-final. Dwyer was also coach to the Irish team at the 1928 Games.
← SIX IN LAST-EIGHT ACTION AT EURO SCHOOLBOYS IN ZAGREB TODAY IRELAND GUARANTEED AT LEAST TWO BRONZE AT EURO SCHOOLBOYS →


Yesterday, in order to mark International Women's Day (March 8, 2008), many promotions were launched at supermarkets and other shops, causing a boom in the retail sector.
At Maximark, women shoppers got big discounts ranging from 5-10 percent while at Big C, products for women were discounted 20 percent. Fashion shops also launched attractive sales to attract female customers.
Meeting with the market demands, purchasing increased very strongly not only at fashion shops but also at jewelry shops.
At the fresh flower shops located on Vo Van Tan, Tran Quang Dieu, and Tran Huy Lieu streets, the cost of all flowers and arrangements reached record highs. The price of a single rose increased from VND 12,000 to VND 20,000.


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New research indicates forests with the most carbon may not be the most biodiverse.
As the earth gets warmer, nations are putting their hope in tropical rainforests. Located along the equatorial belt of the planet, scientists estimate tropical forests are home to around half of the world's terrestrial plant and animal species and may store more than 250 billion tons of carbon. Because of their carbon-storage superpower, the protection of tropical rainforests has become a central facet of international climate change mitigation policies, such as REDD+. Standing for "Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation," the United Nation's REDD+ policy framework aims to encourage developing countries to keep their rainforests in the ground – and, thus, the carbon they contain out of the atmosphere – by providing financial incentives from richer countries.
But do carbon-focused conservation approaches also protect forests that are biologically important?
Previous research indicates tree diversity may have a positive correlation with carbon storage ability – at least on the small scale. In other words, forests with more tree species may store more carbon than forests with fewer tree species.
But the tree diversity-carbon storage relationship has been little explored for larger areas. A group of international scientists sought to change this, and assessed the relationship between carbon storage and tree diversity in tropical forests at the one-hectare scale in the forests of Southeast Asia, Africa, and South America. In total, the team examined around 200,000 trees from 360 sites. They recently published the results of their pan-tropical study in Nature's open-access journal Scientific Reports.
To their surprise, the researchers found no set carbon storage-tree diversity relationship at this larger scale. On the contrary, their results for tropical forests in Africa indicate overall tree diversity is low while carbon storage is quite high. In South America, the opposite was found, with high tree diversity but low carbon. While in Southeast Asia, both carbon stocks and tree diversity appear to be high.
The study found tropical forests in South America, like this one in Peru, had high tree diversity but lower overall carbon stores relative to tropical forests in Africa and Southeast Asia. Photo by Rhett A. Butler.
The researchers say their results indicate some current conservation strategies may be aimed at the wrong places.
In their study, the researchers write their results highlight a need to assess conservation value more comprehensively, and that there are ways to do this. But it won't necessarily be easy.
"Methods to select protected areas that consider multiple metrics of conservation value (e.g. aboveground biomass carbon and aspects of biodiversity) are available," the authors write. "Our results support the use of such an approach over carbon-dominated prioritization incentivized under REDD+.
Since the study showed Southeast Asia's rainforests are both carbon-dense as well as highly biodiverse, Sullivan highlighted the importance of forest conservation in this region. He said Southeast Asia is special in this way because its forests are dominated by the trees of the Dipterocarpaceae family, which comprises a group of very tall, fast-growing trees. Although this family is also found in Africa, it underwent a huge radiation in Asia.
A towering dipterocarp in Indonesia. Photo by Rhett A. Butler.
"There are a few hypotheses for why dipterocarps get so big and grow so fast; they may need to grow tall as they have wind dispersed seeds, there may be no penalty for growing tall as risks of strong winds are less in Borneo than elsewhere, they may be able to extract nutrients more efficiently than other trees due to associations with ectomycorrhizal fungi [that live on the roots of some plants], or they may allocate more of the carbon they get from photosynthesis to growth rather than other functions compared to other trees," Sullivan told Mongabay.
Based on this research, Sullivan and his forest scientist colleagues suggest that Southeast Asian forests should be put at the forefront of global climate change mitigation and conservation targets.
The researchers write that this conservation need is magnified by threats Southeast Asian forests are experiencing in the face of human development pressure.
The researchers' concerns are supported by data that show massive tree cover loss across the region. According to a multi-institutional analysis, relatively few intact forest landscapes (IFL) – areas of native land cover large and undisturbed enough to retain their original levels of biodiversity – remain on the Southeast Asian mainland. Cambodia has just one lone IFL, 38 percent of which was degraded between 2001 and 2013.
Indonesia, which has one of the world's highest rates of deforestation, still has some IFL coverage, but only on 17 percent of its land area. Many of the archipelago's islands are completely or nearly devoid of IFL cover. The major driver of land cover change in Indonesia has been the establishment of tree plantations for the production of palm oil, wood pulp, and other commodities.
The province of Riau on the island of Sumatra is one region that has been highly affected by this kind of industrial agriculture. The forest monitoring platform Global Forest Watch shows tree plantations covering most of its land area, with its few remaining IFLs showing degradation between 2001 and 2013.
In 2011, Indonesia enacted a moratorium on new clearing in primary forest and peatlands. While data analyzed via Global Forest Watch Commodities show a small slow-down in the clearing of primary forest in Riau since the moratorium, the province still lost 494,000 hectares of primary forest in the three years betwen 2012 and 2014 – compared to around 558,000 hectares of primary forest loss from 2009 through 2011. Elsewhere, illegal deforestation has also been reported.
Indonesia has been heavily affected by plantation agriculture, with large areas of forest displaced for the production of palm oil, wood pulp, and other commodities. Riau shows significant recent tree cover loss (which reflects both deforestation and plantation harvesting), with around 1.6 million hectares of tree cover lost between 2005 and 2014 from areas designated as primary forest as of 2000. Tracts of particularly large, undisturbed primary forest called intact forest landscapes show degradation throughout Indonesia between 2000 and 2013.
Hariadi Kartodihardjo, professor of forest policy at Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), Indonesia, says the problem with Indonesia's forest conservation lies with the government agencies that manage the forests.
Kartodihardjo also says that, to strengthen Indonesia's forest conservation efforts, policymakers should focus more on the local level rather than on international policy such as REDD+.
Sullivan, M. J., Talbot, J., Lewis, S. L., Phillips, O. L., Qie, L., Begne, S. K., … & Miles, L. (2017). Diversity and carbon storage across the tropical forest biome. Scientific Reports, 7.


And the Independent's Rob Stewart reports on how the 24-year-old – fresh from penning a new long-term contract with the Club last week – believes the squad could be on the cusp of creating "something special" and making "history".
Stewart reports: "All the players feel that this season can be special," Bernardo declared. "Last season was special in the way we won the Premier League; this season can be special because we've already won one competition, we're still playing for three.
WATCH: Bernardo - Everything is possible!
"Silva and his colleagues could be forgiven for feeling bullish after a jolt in Swansea.
"They were on the brink of an Cup exit as they trailed the Championship side until the Portuguese international kept their four-pronged push for honours on track, scoring City's first before setting up Sergio Aguero's late winner.
"It's very important to win these kinds of games as well, not only the games you win four or five-nil, but these games where you have to show character," Silva added.
Meanwhile in the Manchester Evening News, Simon Bajkowski said the manner of City's thrilling second half fightback at the Liberty Stadium demonstrated once again that the Blues possess character and grit in abundance.
And the MEN scribe believes those qualities – allied to the Blues' skill and all-round quality - could make all the difference over the defining last two months of the season.
Bajkowski writes: "City manager Pep Guardiola will have been thrilled to see his side come back fighting for the second time in a month.
"All seemed lost against Schalke before moments of quality from Leroy Sane and Ederson completed an unlikely turnaround. At the Liberty Stadium, Bernardo Silva's brilliance - coupled with the three substitutes - inspired another big win.
"It's hard to think of too many standout team performances since the demolition of Chelsea back on February 10 but it's hard to quibble with the eight straight victories that have followed.
"When the City boss looks for improvement from his players, there is now well more than one example of them showing the kind of fighting character that can be the difference between winning titles and coming up short.
The Blues reward for Saturday's victory is a semi-final clash at Wembley against Premier League rivals Brighton and Hove Albion next month.
And the Daily Mirror's Neil McLeman reports how Seagulls boss Chris Hughton is relishing the challenge of the tackling the Blues and is bullish about his side's chances.
McLeman writes: "Albion won through to the last four of the competition for the first time since 1983 by winning away to another second-tier club, Millwall, on penalties after a 2-2 draw — and were rewarded with a Wembley semi against the hot favourites.
"Boss Hughton, who won the FA Cup twice with Tottenham as a player, said: "Yes, of course we can upset the odds.
"All three other teams (Wolves face Watford in the other semi) probably didn't want to play Man City but we are so pleased to go through and if we don't think we can win, there is no point going into the tie.
It was also a cup weekend to remember for Nick Cushing's Manchester City, with BBC Sport online describing how the Blues also sealed our place in the Women's FA Cup semi-finals after a 3-0 quarter-final triumph over Liverpool.
The BBC reflected: "Manchester City Women remain on course for a treble after two Georgia Stanway goals helped them overcome Liverpool to reach the FA Cup semi-finals.
"Janine Beckie fired home from close range to put City ahead at the break. Substitute Stanway made it 2-0 with a neat finish and added a third late on to ensure City progressed to the last four for the fifth successive year.
"City, who are top of the Women's Super League, won the League Cup in February after beating Arsenal in the final.
"Seven spots and 25 points separate the two sides in the Women's Super League table, but Manchester City were made to work hard in the first half.
"Beckie finished what was a rare chance in the opening 45 minutes for the hosts, swapping passes with Caroline Weir in the box before firing into the roof of the net.
"Rinsola Babajide was a constant menace for Liverpool, with the striker producing their finest moment of the game with a dipping shot from outside the box that tested Karen Bardsley in City's goal.
"It took just three minutes for Stanway to make an impact after replacing Beckie, racing into the box to meet a pass from Nikita Parris before slipping the ball past Anke Preuss.
"A fiercely-stuck third from Stanway was the pick of the goals and sent City into Monday's draw in fine style."
Swansea boss Graham Potter wished City well after watching his team agonisingly exit the FA Cup – and then claimed the Blues are on a different planet at times.