We are happy to offer for sale this lovely large house (228m2), suitable for modernisation. With 4 large bedrooms, a garage and tiled pool, this is a great opportunity to put your stamp onto this great spacious house with views over the valley. As you enter from the front, you are greeted by a large glazed in area, and you go through this to the front door, and a corridor with the first two bedrooms to each side. On the right, the remaining two bedrooms are found, and currently the bathroom is through bedroom 4. The lounge is a huge space, leading to the kitchen and the interior courtyard, with storage room. To the outside is a tiled pool with pump and filter, large garage and approximately 1200 m2 of land. Neighbours are around, but not overlooking, and are mostly permanent living. The old railway line (slow train) is to the bottom of the garden, and is travelling slowly as they stop in Sax, but a safe distance away, and the views are fantastic. If you are looking for a liveable project, then this could be the perfect house for you.


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Ronald Estrada Seminario
Constipation is defined as the evacuation disorder characterized by persistent difficulty in defecation, increased consistency of stool, feeling of incomplete evacuation and / or infrequent bowel movements less than three times a week, considering that most People do at least three bowel movements weekly.
Constipation is a very frequent reason for consultation for both the clinical doctor and the specialist.
It is possible to define two modalities of constipation: the functional one (without warning signs), and the pathological one, which is related to certain pathological entities such as colon cancer, diverticular disease, degenerative diseases, etc.
In turn, functional constipation can be subdivided into two main groups: intestinal transit disorders and evacuation disorders, which frequently coexist in the same patient.
Causes of constipation
The causes of constipation are multiple and of varied etiologies, as can be seen below.
Tumor colorectal
External compression due to tumor or other cause
Great rectocele
Megacolon
Post surgical abnormalities
Neurological / neuropathic disorders
Autonomic neuropathy
Cognitive impairment / dementia
Spinal pathology
Endocrine / metabolic conditions
Chronic renal insufficiency
Mellitus diabetes
Heavy metal poisoning
Hypermagnesemia
Hypomagnesaemia
Multiple endocrine neoplasm II
Uremia
Gastrointestinal disorders and painful local conditions
Abscesses
Levator ani syndrome
Fleeting proctalgia
Rectal prolapse
Rectocele
Volvulus
Dermatomiositis
Systemic sclerosis
Subsistence allowance
Fluid depletion
Low fiber
Anorexia, dementia, depression
Chronic functional constipation is generally due to insufficient intake of plant fiber, colonic transit disorders, or abnormal anorectal function.
Aggravating factors in this type of constipation are age, low calorie intake, prolonged fasting, female sex, and intake of antidepressants and other drugs, as detailed below.
Changes in intake, absence or decrease of physical activity, sedentary lifestyle, minimal intake of water, excessive intake of coffee and alcohol, prolonged rest, myopathies or colonic neuropathies, represent additional and aggravating causes.
In contrast, regular physical exercise promotes motility, strengthens the abdominal press, and thus ensures better bowel movement.
The medical history and physical examination should focus on identifying possible causes, symptoms, and warning signs. The history should focus on the history of the patient's evacuation rite, the use of manual maneuvers and / or changes of position during evacuation, the time of evolution, the change in shape and color of the stool, and the presence of mucus or blood during bowel movements. Likewise, it is necessary to inquire about the intake of laxatives and personal and family history of colonic pathology.
A recent onset of constipation in an individual 50 years of age or older requires that a colonic neoplasm be ruled out.
Constipation can manifest clinically through its complications: acute hemorrhoidal pathology (thrombosis) and anal fissure. The anal fissure consists of a sharp tear of the anoderm. The patient presents sudden, stabbing pain, accompanied or not by proctorrhagia.
The physical examination must be exhaustive. In addition to the general evaluation, the abdomen, pelvis, and rectum should be carefully examined for hernias, hepatosplenomegaly, or intra-abdominal masses.
The pelvic gynecological examination in women should be indicated to rule out injuries to the vaginal posterior wall, rectocele or rectal prolapse, therefore the treating physician should always consider constipation as an interdisciplinary management entity.
Although constipation is a high-frequency entity in the general and clinically diagnosed population, some patients refractory to treatment or who have a recently started change in the evacuation rhythm will require complementary studies detailed below.
Antiepileptics
Antiparkinsonian medication
Monoamine oxidase inhibitors
Self-medication, over-the-counter medications
Antacids (containing aluminum or calcium)
Antidiarrheal agents
Calcium and iron supplements
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents
Laboratory: Complete blood count, Sedimentation rate (VES), Ferremia, transferrin, saturation percentage, ferritin, Proteinogram by electrophoresis, Occult blood in fecal matter, Hepatogram. Abdominal-pelvic Ultrasound: in order to rule out expansive abdominal-pelvic processes, Video colonoscopía: indicated in the presence of proctorrhagia, anemia, recent-onset constipation, abdominal pain and risk factors for colonic carcinoma: family history of colon carcinoma, ulcerative colitis, disease of Crohn's disease and familial colonic polyposis.
Colonic transit measurement: transit tests are performed with a radiopaque marker. They are carried out five days after ingesting radiopaque material and an x-ray is performed which should indicate that 80% of it has been removed from the colon.
It is useful to measure intestinal transit time.
Anorectal and pelvic floor tests: These are indicated when suspicion of functional disorders of the pelvic floor, when there are difficulties to evacuate the rectum, feeling of rectal occupation, rectal pain and the need to resort to digital maneuvers such as compression of the posterior wall of the vagina.
A simple clinical test that can be performed in the office to check the puborectal lack of relaxation is to ask the patient during digital rectal examination to exert force to expel the index finger. Backward movement of the puborectalis during exertion will indicate whether there is good coordination of the pelvic floor muscles.
Expulsion of a balloon through the rectum while sitting or in left lateral decubitus is another alternative test for the study of anorectal functionality.
Anorectal manometry identifies the presence of alterations in the tone of the anal sphincter at rest or in activity.
Defecography consists of a radiopaque enema through which lateral radiographs are obtained during expulsion of the barium. This technique allows diagnosing anatomical defects of the rectum.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Modern technologies are improving on a daily basis. A lot has changed since I became a web page designer back in 1999; all for the better, thankfully, and not just for me as a designer, but for you as the average net surfer. We have faster Internet speeds, better computers with enriched performance, smartphones, tablets, iPads—need I go on?
Of course, as time passes, technology continually improves, but how has web page design changed to keep up with all the amazing technological advances? Well, I will tell you.
Let's begin with screen sizes. Back in the day, the width of a standard web page design was 600 pixels, then 800 pixels, then 1024 pixels, and many web designers had certain assumptions about the sizes of the screens on which designs were based. When smartphones and tablets hit the market several years ago, it changed everything. All the assumptions and the ideas used for years, basically became unusable.
There were some other assumptions, such as fast Internet connections. If I have it, it does not necessarily mean someone else has it. Many people use Internet connections which are poor, and most of the time unreliable, which definitely must be taken into account when it comes to the design of a web page. After all, we need to change our approach. We need to create websites which are usable for many people, not just the majority. Not all people have an Internet connection which is superfast, and not everyone will use a mouse. Even though computers are better and faster than ever, not everyone will replace the one they have by purchasing a new computer which has better hardware.
One of the biggest changes in web page design came with responsive design, which allows the websites to actually adapt to any size of screen, no matter if it is a desktop computer, laptop, tablet, phablet or smartphone. As I mentioned, modern technologies are improving, and it is only a matter of time before we will have to face some new challenges which will be related to some new devices. A few years ago, who could have guessed that there would be tablets smartphones, and all the other incredible devices which are making our life easier? The future will certainly bring something new, innovative and refreshing, and web page design will need to keep pace with all those innovations. The necessary thing is to find some new patterns, which will be crucial for interaction. What is needed is a new interface, which will be able to work on all devices.
When it comes to designing, especially for smaller screens, the focus should be on the content. If you are wondering why, the answer is simple – it is something everyone will be able to see, because content means letters. Content must be readable, interesting, needs to work properly, and it also needs to look really good. It is far more important, than adding many things, such as a header, navigation, logo or widgets. Here, at Ignition Media, content is always a starting point, which will later be optimised in order to fit a wide range of screen sizes available today.
In the area of web page design, there is another issue. There is a shortage of some really great web design tools. However, there are certain tools which offer particular functions important for web page design, such as Gridset, or International measure slider.
The world of technology is changing and improving, which means web page design needs to change and improve, to stay on track. Some things and assumptions we had should stay in the past, and our approach must be different than it once was. When working on a web design, keep in mind that you are not designing for a particular group of people with a superfast Internet connection, or ones who have brand new computers or laptops. You are designing for everyone.
If you want a mobile-friendly responsive website, you can rely on Ignition Media. We are Gold Coast web page design specialists, and we will turn your desires into the reality. With our professional assistance, you will finally have an excellent responsive website. All you need to do is pick up the phone, and call us: 07 55 687 515.


Here's how you can radiate youth, too.
Tricking yourself into eating healthier.
Guilt-free chocolate mousse? Yes please.
Start sweet-talking your butcher, as gory, nutrient-packed bone broth is the tonic of the season.
Blogger Jordan Younger, tells all about the effects of her 'healthy' diet.
What to eat for unlimited zen.
It turns out there's quite a big difference.


The GP Boys Choir did very well at the music festival. Prep, Senior, and Men of Note recieved Gold Superior and the Junior Choir recieved Gold standing. The Prep, Senior and MON were recommended to go to Provincials. Since the Provincial music festival was on the same weekend as our final concert, we could not attend.


text:
From Publishers Weekly (11/6)
"Hannah Smith at Owl Hollow Press has bought world rights to author Darby Karchut's On A Good Horse (formerly Spanish Red), in which an 11-year-old boy learns his estranged father may not be the family villain after all, and that it will take one extraordinary horse to mend the hearts of both father and son. Publication is planned for Spring 2020."
A boy and horse could outrun all the sadness of this flat world. If the boy believed, and the horse was fast.
The sorrel knew he was swift enough to help the boy. He just needed open grassland and a light hand on the reins. He'd show Ol' Mr. Grief his heels. Why, he'd run so fast that the wind would peel that sorrow right off the boy. Like a snake shedding its skin. Leaving it caught in the grass and drying up in the sun. Dust to dust.
All the horse needed was a chance.
They say it takes a good horse to be a true cowboy. But there's no way being a cowboy will ever make eleven-year-old Alex Nash's bucket list. Not if it meant being anything like his seldom seen father.
Then, out of nowhere, tragedy shatters his world, and when Alex doesn't think life could sucker-punch him again, it does. He's forced to live with Roberto Nash, a man he barely knows. Or wants to know.
Until Alex finds out his dad has bought him a peace offering of a sort, one with a red coat, lightning speed, and one heck of a fighting spirit. A spitfire of a horse who just might heal Alex's heart, and build a bridge between father and son.
Click here to add to your Goodreads list
Owl Hollow Press


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Was Pre-Iraq War Intelligence Manipulated?
This is a partial transcript of "Special Report With Brit Hume" from Nov. 11, 2005, that has been edited for clarity.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, it's perfectly legitimate to criticize my decision or the conduct of the war, it is deeply irresponsible to rewrite the history of how that war began.
JIM ANGLE, GUEST HOST: President Bush Friday accusing Democrats of doing just that. Rewriting history by arguing the administration somehow exaggerated the intelligence before the war, which is also the object of an investigation by the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Stephen Hayes, a writer for The Weekly Standard has done extensive research on prewar intelligence and even wrote a book on the subject. He joins me now to talk about this. Welcome, Steve, thanks for doing this.
STEPHEN HAYES, WRITER, THE WEEKLY STANDARD: Good to be with you.
ANGLE: Let me ask you first. Some or much of the pre-war intelligence was clearly wrong. Everyone has now agreed on that to some extent. But critics aren't arguing that point. What they're arguing is that the administration knowingly used false intelligence to mislead the American people on the war. What's the case for that?
HAYES: Well, I think we've seen in recent weeks, starting with the Democrats taking the Senate into closed session a week ago, Democrats turning out bits and pieces of previously classified intelligence reports to suggest that the Bush administration cherry-picked the intelligence and placed emphasis on certain things while not emphasizing other things.
I think that's an unfair charge. Certainly we've seen that Democrats had said many of the same things that the Bush administration is now accused of saying. That are exaggerations or, I think John Kerry called it fictionalizing the intelligence.
ANGLE: We'll get some of those examples in a minute. Now, some Democrats argue, as you were suggesting on the cherry-picking, that dissenting views were not included in what the president said. I don't think a lot of people understand exactly how the intelligence community works.
It's not exactly a vote, if you will. But people have different views and different pieces of information. And it is a sort of consensus exercise. We'll talk about a specific example in a moment. But how would you explain to people how the intelligence community arrives at the advice it gives policymakers.
HAYES: Well, basically it's a collection of assessments by a variety of intelligence agencies. The State Department has its own agency. The Defense Department has its own agency. There is of course the CIA, there are all sorts of intelligence agencies. And what they do is they take their slice of whatever the broad intelligence picture is, and render an assessment on it.
So to use one example, the State Department was skeptical about the aluminum tubes, with respect to nuclear weapons and centrifuges. The CIA was less skeptical, as I understand it. So what the national intelligence estimate is, which was produced in October of 2002, is a document that gathers all of this together and produces a consensus document.
The voice of the U.S. intelligence community, if you will.
ANGLE: Well, let's look at one example. Senator Levin got the DIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency to declassify a document a few days ago. A document that showed the DIA had some doubts about a captive they had, who had first told them that Iraqis were training Al Qaeda members in poison gases and chemical weapons and so forth.
But didn't seem to know very many details. And they quickly came to doubt his account. Talk about that and whether or not that is an example of the broader body of evidence or whether that's cherry-picking in and of itself.
HAYES: Well, I think it is cherry-picking in and of itself. If you look at the kind of things that we were seeing publicly, for instance, about this particular detainee, his name is al-Libbi. You had George Tenet, a year after the February 2002 DIA report, which raised some questions about his credibility. A year later you had George Tenet in public session talking about Iraq having provided this training, relying heavily on al-Libbi's testimony.
The other problem I have with what Senator Levin did in this particular instance is that there were actually more than a dozen reports about Iraq having trained Al Qaeda. Some of the reports were from good sources. Some of the reports from less reliable sources.
But to choose one and to say that the entire case was built on this one particular person and this one particular interrogation, to me, makes Senator Levin guilty of precisely what he's accusing the administration of doing.
ANGLE: It's interesting to listen to what some prominent Democrats said at the time and I want to play a couple of them for you because one of them actually deals with the Iraq/Al Qaeda connection. Let's listen.
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock. His missile delivery capability and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort and sanctuary to terrorists, including Al Qaeda members.
SEN. JOHN ROCKEFELLER (D), WEST VIRGINIA: There is unmistakable evidence that Saddam Hussein is working aggressively to develop nuclear weapons. And will likely have nuclear weapons within the next five years.
ANGLE: Now, there's a great deal of certainty there. Though some Democrats say that they were — these are things that they were being told by the administration. It's not clear where they got that kind of information or why they seemed so certain at the time and whether or not that is different from what administration officials were saying at the same time.
HAYES: Well, one other thing that Jay Rockefeller, who is vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in that speech, was that he saw Iraq as an imminent threat. That is one thing we can say with certainty that the Bush administration did not say.
It was mentioned in one letter that it sent to Congress. But, in terms of its case to the public, the president made the opposite point. He said we can't wait until Iraq is an imminent threat.
So if there are going to be investigations over every different statement about what is supported by specific pieces of intelligence, I would think that statement about an imminent threat from Senator Rockefeller would invite such investigation.
ANGLE: Some Democrats say they did not have access to the same intelligence that the administration did. Is that a fair complaint?
HAYES: No, I don't think it is. Had they wanted more intelligence or wanted to get better briefings, they could have gone and gotten these briefings at any time. They can make these requests, they ask to see more. The requests simply didn't come in.
In part because everybody believed that Saddam Hussein had stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction. There was — I think the Democrats, based on a decade of their own intelligence reporting, thought that that was true as well.
ANGLE: Stephe Hayes of The Weekly Standard, thank you.
Watch "Special Report With Brit Hume" weeknights at 6 p.m. EDT.
Content and Programming Copyright 2005 FOX News Network, L.L.C. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Transcription Copyright 2005 eMediaMillWorks, Inc. (f/k/a Federal Document Clearing House, Inc.), which takes sole responsibility for the accuracy of the transcription. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No license is granted to the user of this material except for the user's personal or internal use and, in such case, only one copy may be printed, nor shall user use any material for commercial purposes or in any fashion that may infringe upon FOX News Network, L.L.C.'s and eMediaMillWorks, Inc.'s copyrights or other proprietary rights or interests in the material. This is not a legal transcript for purposes of litigation.


With the success of Hunger Games, Jennifer Lawrence has been lately been tagged as Hollywood's biggest star and it made me wonder if that's really the case. Let's take a look at Hollywood's biggest female stars.
Before we dive into the nitty-gritty stuff it would be wise to clarify what one might mean by the term Hollywood star. My interpretation is a combination of two things: be loved by critics (at least the majority of them) and audiences alike. To translate this into tangible terms: win awards and make money for the studios.
First, let's review the financial aspect of stardom. Actresses often suffer from having to portray massively under-developed film characters or by simply being there as eye-candy, therefore I was only taking into account films where the female character was essential to the story and/or would be one of the main draws in the films (Mila Kunis in 'Ted' is just the girl who gets between the two main characters, but she qualifies for her role in 'Black Swan'. And as much as I like Scarlett Johansson – nobody cares about her in 'The Avengers' or about Natalie Portman in 'Thor'). Also, please bear in mind I have only considered the top 20 films at the box office for each year.
Kristen Stewart – dominates the "twenty-tens" list so far with $2.6 billion (!!), thanks to her turn in the Twilight films ('Eclipse' and both parts of 'Breaking Dawn') as well as in Universal's 'Snow White and the Huntsman'. Stewart's next massive hit, the sequel to 'Snow White', has been announced for a 2015 release. Don't expect her to give up #1 place without a fight.
Emma Watson – is in second place with a total of $2.3 billion thanks to her role as Hermione Granger in 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1' & 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2'. With no franchises in sight so far, Emma Watson is likely to move lower in the list by the end of 2014, only 'Noah' will be making any splash at the box office (pun intended).
Jennifer Lawrence – breaks to 3rd position with her involvement in the X-Men franchise ('First Class' grossed $353 million globally) and 'The Hunger Games' series (the first 2 parts grossed $1.5 billion combined). Lawrence is likely to top this chart by the end of 2014 and then some. 'X-Men: Days Of Future Past' is coming out in 2014 and is looking to be the biggest X-Men film yet and then there is 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay' which will be released in two parts in 2014 & 2015 (expect >$1bn per film).
Anne Hathaway – sits in 4th position with a solid $1.5 billion (The Dark Knight Rises & Les Misérables) and since she is involved in Christopher Nolan's 'Interstellar' I would expect her to stay in top 5 at least until 2015.
Mia Wasikowska – in at number 5 for her role in Tim Burton's 'Alice in Wonderland' ($1 billion World-wide). Mia is likely to disappear from the top 10 by the end of 2015, unless she gets a role in Star Wars Episode 7 or some other franchise.
The rest of the list features Sandra Bullock ('Gravity'), Angelina Jolie ('The Tourist' & 'Salt'), Noomi Rapace (the awful 'Prometheus'), Kate Winslet ('Titanic 3D') and Mila Kunis with Natalie Portman ('Black Swan').
Just as with the financial aspect, I need to establish some rules for the second part of my analysis as well – I will only be looking at the major awards and will consider both wins and nominations (each count for 1 point). The awards that qualify are: Academy Awards, BAFTAs, Golden Globe, Critics' Choice & Screen Actors Guild.
The box office numbers would suggest that Hollywood's biggest star is, in fact, Kristen Stewart. However, the Twilight actress has no wins or nominations to boast with so far in 2010s (who would have thought). Same goes for Emma Watson, Noomi Rapace, Kate Winslet and Mia Wasikowska.
Angelina Jolie has been nominated for a Golden Globe in 2010 for 'The Tourist' which leaves her with 1 point. Mila Kunis has been nominated for a Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and twice for Critics' Choice Award, all this adding up to 4 points. Sandra Bullock has 8 points in total for seven nominations and one win (Critics' Choice Award / Best Actress in an Action Movie for 'Gravity').
Natalie Portman's performance in Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan has earned her 5 wins out of 5 nominations, which leaves her in 3rd position with a total of 10 points. Breathing down Portman's neck, in 2nd place, is Anne Hathaway with 11 points for four wins and seven nominations (for her performances in 'Les Misérables' and 'Love & Other Drugs').
And the most critically acclaimed actress of the decade so far is….you have probably guessed it – Jennifer Lawrence! The young star has collected a total of 23 points for seven wins and sixteen nominations between 2010 and 2013 (not to mention her wins/nominations for American Hustle this year).
Of course, with only 1/3 of "twenty-tens" behind us, it is way too early to predict who will come out on top by the end of December 2019. Our analyses suggest a showdown between Jennifer Lawrence (who can not do wrong at the moment) and Anne Hathaway. For now, Miss Lawrence has the upper hand.


puṁsām—of the human being; sva-kāmāya—according to the desire; vivikta-mārgaiḥ—by the path of devotional service; abhyarcatām—worshiped; kāma-dugha-aṅghri-padmam—the lotus feet of the Lord, which can award all desired fruits; pradarśayantam—while showing them; kṛpayā—by causeless mercy; nakha—nails; indu—moonlike; mayūkha—rays; bhinna—divided; aṅguli—figures; cāru-patram—very beautiful.
The Lord fulfills the desires of everyone just as one desires. Pure devotees are interested in achieving the transcendental service of the Lord, which is nondifferent from Him. Therefore, the Lord is the only desire of the pure devotees, and devotional service is the only spotless process for achieving His favor. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī says in his Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.1.11) that pure devotional service is jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam: [Madhya 19.167] pure devotional service is without any tinge of speculative knowledge and fruitive activities. Such devotional service is able to award the pure devotee the highest result, namely direct association with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa. According to the Gopāla-tāpanī Upaniṣad, the Lord showed one of the many thousands of petals of His lotus feet. It is said: brāhmaṇo'sāv anavarataṁ me dhyātaḥ stutaḥ parārdhānte so 'budhyata gopa-veśo me purastāt āvirbabhūva. After penetrating for millions of years, Lord Brahmā could understand the transcendental form of the Lord as Śrī Kṛṣṇa, in the dress of a cowherd boy, and thus he recorded his experience in the Brahma-saṁhitā in the famous prayer, govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi **.


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Lazy Sunday Thoughts: Computer Woes
Hello!!! I'm on the blog. Woot! I've had a week of computer troubles. I had to refresh my computer (twice) and then download all my programs again (twice). The first time was a hard drive space issue. The second, well, let me say that bad things happen when you forget to turn on your virus protection. Bad things.
But, I'm back! Up and fully functioning once again. During this down time, I finished a couple of books: a short story collection from Nalo Hopkinson Falling In Love With Hominids, and The Night Sister (audiobook) by Jennifer McMahon. I have mixed feelings about both and will put my thoughts together in the next weeks. I also started an anthology of old timey British mysteries starring Sherlock Holmes and others.
In non-book news, I'm caught up with Penny Dreadful (what a crazy show), Wayward Pines (ditto), and enjoyed the latest instalment of Sharknado (Oh Hell No!). In one of these, a woman gave birth in a shark as it fell from space to Earth. You work it out.
I've been doing a lot of indoor activities because the weather is awful. Seriously, no sun, rain, cold. It is the worst. I would just like to have warm feet. If you are somewhere hot, send me some of that and I'll send this weather to you.
Hopefully I will have something more interesting to blog about next time.
4 comments Randomness
The Black Tulip by Birthday Boy Alexandre Dumas
Yesterday was Alexandre Dumas' birthday and I was going to post this review of The Black Tulip then, but I had computer troubles. So, I bring this to you today instead. I originally posted this review on Project Gutenberg Project.
What do you like in a fast paced historical romance? Political intrigue? False imprisonment?Tulip breeding? Err…sure.
The Black Tulip has all the hallmarks of an Alexandre Dumas novel. We have a hero who has been falsely accused of treason and imprisoned for life. However, instead of plotting a complicated revenge to visit upon his unknown enemy, he grows a very expensive flower.
It all starts in the Netherlands with a harrowing scene where brothers Cornelius and Johan DeWitt are torn apart (literally) by an angry mob for consorting with the French in 1672. Of course there is a very important correspondence between the King of France and Cornelius that could destroy the life of whoever happens to have it in their possession. That hapless innocent is Cornelius's godson, tulip grower Dr Cornelius van Baerle.
The second Cornelius has nothing going on in his life except growing tulips and he is good at it. He is so good at it, in fact, his neighbour and tulip fancier, Isaac seethes in jealousy. Isaac spies on Cornelius 24/7 and when he sees him receive a package from his godfather, he rats on Cornelius to the authorities.
Cornelius is so wrapped up in breeding a perfect black tulip, the first of its kind and worth 100000 florins, that he has no idea he is in danger. He's forgotten all about the package his godfather asked him to keep. Cornelius is tried, convicted as a co-conspirator, and thrown into prison.
But it's not all bad news, Cornelius has two things to live for: the love of the beautiful Rosa, daughter of the jailer Gyrphus, and the three tulip bulbs he smuggled into the prison. Together, Cornelius and Rosa grow the tulips, and their love (aw), while outside forces threaten to separate them.
You would think a novel about tulips would be as boring as all get-out, but nope. There were moments when, even though I knew there'd be a happy ending, my heart was thudding in anxiety. I wanted to shout at Cornelius and Rosa to PAY MORE ATTENTION! Stuff is going down! The whole time Cornelius and Rosa have the key to his freedom, but he's too preoccupied by his flowers and she doesn't have the ability.
Character development isn't Dumas's strong suit. The good guys are so Good and the bad guys just evil. Gryphus is ridiculously backward; Isaac is obsessed. Rosa is an angel because she is blonde, wide eyed, and pretty, though a bit coquettish because she's A Girl! She's instinctively good, even though her only role model is Gryphus.
Cornelius is a Tulip Geek. He collects them, grows them, breeds them. He's not a swashbuckler like Monte Cristo, the Musketeers, or Georges. In modern romance speak, he's a Beta hero. I don't think he even left his house before his arrest. It was all tulips, all the time. Rosa complains that he loves his flowers more than her. I'd have to agree with her. He never really grows in that regard. He loves Rosa, but maybe not as much as his bulbs.
There is another character behind the scenes pulling the strings on a whim: William of Orange. He has the power, if he cared, to stop the events that were put in motion. I don't know anything about the real man, but the character he plays here is one who only steps in when he feels like it. Maybe Dumas is trying to show that our lives are at the mercy of the more powerful. Or maybe he just likes torturing his readers.
Since most of the action happens in the prison, Cornelius doesn't have much opportunity to commit physical acts of heroism. His heroism lies in his intelligence. He must use his skill to grow the tulip in secret. He teaches Rosa what she needs to know and gives her a chance to pull herself out of poverty and ignorance. It's Rosa who saves the day. Rosa does what needs to be done and acts bravely at the end of the novel. She's got moxie!
If you can't tell, I LOVED The Black Tulip. It's an old fashioned romance. (The phrase "heaving bosom" is actually in the book.) There is intrigue and drama. And that ending! Oh, it's a killer! At times, it's over the top, but fun. At a little over 200 pages, it's a doable alternative to The Count of Monte Cristo.
HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY, ALEXANDRE!!!
8 comments Book Review
Weekend Cooking: What To Do With All Those Strawberries
It's strawberry season in my neck of the woods. The U-Picks are busy places right now. Moms with kids, older couples, families were all lined up with their containers ready to get picking. I was there too with mine. In just over an hour, I had four big containers full. Like every other year, I picked more than planned!
So what did I do with all those strawberries? First, I made freezer jam. A lot of it! I used Club House Freezer Jam Gel Powder. Three packages makes about 16 cups of jam. It's easy to make- no cooking required. All you need is jars and freezer space. I have enough jam for the year now. I'll have that summer taste all winter.
One of my favorite recipes for the strawberry season is Martha Stewart's Strawberry Tart. It's another easy recipe. There's a baked crust, then a layer of cream cheese filling, topped with cut strawberries. I don't usually brush the berries with red currant jelly like the recipe says. It doesn't make a big difference.
Something new I tried this year is a Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp from Two Peas and Their Pods. I had some rhubarb from the farmers' market visit a couple of weeks ago that I froze. It came in handy. This crisp is so good! I'm adding it to my list of strawberry seasonal goodies.
All that and I still had enough for strawberry shortcakes and froze some for smoothies. I hull them, lay them out on a cookie sheet to freeze, then move them to a freezer bag. They'll keep for about a year.
Check out the other participants of Weekend Cooking at Beth Fish Reads!
7 comments Cooking
Domino Falls: Your Zombie Apocalypse Continues
Domino Falls is the second book in a series. SECOND BOOK. I say this because I was 100 pages in before I realized this was a sequel. At that point, I wasn't going back to read Devil's Wake. In the end, it didn't matter. Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes did a good job of adding details from the previous novel so that I wasn't confused. In fact, I thought it was clever that the book started during the action, after the zombie apocalypse known as Freak Day occurred. That would have been clever, but …yeah. Boo, me.
In Domino Falls, the teen survivors travelling on a school bus reach their destination: Domino Falls. The town is well protected from the Freaks, humans who were infected by a mysterious virus and now bite and attack the uninfected. The outbreak began when people ingested a hallucinogenic mushroom, but is spread when the infected bite another person.
Domino Falls has guards, guns, food, and supplies. It also has a fence. The town, once occupied by farmers, gained importance when a Hollywood movie star made it his home base. Wales is a L Ron Hubbard like character who has his own religion, followers, and the money to publish books and make movies about his ideas. He is charming, but there is something a little off in the way he treats the young people.
At first the kids are anxious to ingratiate themselves with the residents of Domino Falls, both the townies and the "threadies" (the followers of Wales). Life outside the fences is harrowing, with danger in the form of Freaks and pirates around every corner. Soon though they start to wonder if they will can ever escape alive.
Maybe I missed a few things here and there, but I liked this world Barnes and Due created. What happens when the smoke clears after a global disaster? What will civilization look like? How will the survivors work together? I've read plenty of zombie novels: the protagonist sees mom bite dad, and has to kill dad. It's standard. The stuff that comes later is the interesting bit.
The story dragged somewhat at times. There was a plot point early on that was a big issue, but then never amounted to anything later. I didn't know what the point was. Once the kids figure out that something nefarious was going on, the pacing picked up.
As for the characters, I liked sweet Kendra and her boyfriend/protector Terry, their friends Sonia and Piranha, the former soldier Ursilina, and the cousins Dean and Darius. Oh and their little dog, Hipshot. Some of the characters have more important roles in the story than others, but I had a good sense of who they were and what it was that made them tick.
The ending was surprising to me and left me wanting to know what will happen next. The authors hint at another book in the series, though it isn't listed on Goodreads.
This series is a good YA addition to your zombie apocalypse collection. I liked it a lot.
The Daemon Lover: Man? Devil? Or Imaginary Friend?
I started listening to the short stories of Shirley Jackson for Shirley Jackson Reading Week. The first story, The Intoxicated, I don't have much to say about: teenagers be morbid! The Daemon Lover though. What is going on there?
In The Daemon Lover, the protagonist is preparing for her wedding day, choosing just what to wear- nothing "too young" because she's a granny of 34 years old. She waits and waits and waits, but he never arrives. She decides to go hunting for him using the vague clues he's left about himself. She believes his name is James Harris, though no one she asks has heard of him. Her search becomes more and more desperate, ending in her stalking an empty apartment for weeks after.
I have a lot of questions. Did she sleep with this guy and that's why she's anxious to marry him? Or is she afraid of becoming a spinster? Is James Harris even real?
Right from the beginning, I knew this guy wasn't going to show up. I used to date a guy who wouldn't show up when he said he would and this made me livid. It's so disrespectful. (If I was me now, I would dump his ass so fast!) So, I can't imagine the emotions of someone waiting for a guy to show up on her wedding day and he never shows. If he even exists, that is.
Is James Harris real? The Daemon Lover shares a name with a Scottish ballad, also known as James Harris. In this tale, a woman is tempted away from her family by her former lover, who turns out to be the devil. So, did the lover in Jackson's story use this alias as a joke? Is he a heartless cad? Maybe he really was the devil. Or it could be that the lady has concocted this fantasy of being swept off her feet by a stranger to add some spice to her life.
In Shirley Jackson's time, a spinster of 34 was an object of ridicule or pity. No one takes the lady seriously during her search. She's laughed at or told whatever they think she wants to hear to be rid of her. It bothered me how callously the people treat her. Of course, I don't know what kind of picture she made. Did she have the look of a madwoman about her?
Excuse me, have you seen James Harris?
To someone living now, her reaction seems a bit much. I would have given up after visiting his friends' apartment. At that time maybe people expected a woman to freak out like this, what with women having hysteria and Wondering Womb and whatnot. A woman needs a man to keep her senses intact by ironing his clothes and making sandwiches. What did Shirley Jackson think about single women, really? This isn't her only single lady: Eleanor from The Haunting of Hill House, and Aunt Fanny from The Sundial comes to mind. They both have some issues and neither is a free wheeling bachelorette.
You tell em, Bachelorette Lady!
The Daemon Lover says a lot about unmarried women in 1948. You got to get married before you dry up or lose your mind! She also seems quite naive for a 34 year old. I had a hard time seeing someone of that age falling for this scam. Maybe it was wishful thinking on her part. What was she going to do if she found him?
It's interesting that you can come up with any conclusion that you like for The Daemon Lover. If you've read it, what did you think?
8 comments Shirley Jackson Reading Week, Short Stories
Not A Bummer!: Glimpses of the Moon by Edith Wharton
Edith Wharton is great, don't get me wrong, but reading her novels leaves me feeling emotionally drained. She never met a happy ending she couldn't stomp all over with a fashionable boot.
Wharton ending feelings
Then Glimpses of the Moon happened and YAY! No misery! I had my doubts at times. I thought for sure someone was going to fall off a boat or get run over by a hired car. Something. It was a pleasant surprise when that didn't happen.
Let's get into it.
Nick and Susy run in the same circles. Both are hangers-on of the fashionably rich American set. Their families having lost their own fortunes years ago, they depend upon the "kindnesses" of their wealthy friends. Second hand dresses, jewellery, a room in a nice house, and all it costs is a little personal humiliation.
Susy decides she and Nick should get married. Friends would offer them their vacation homes in Europe for the honeymoon period, plus there would be the wedding gifts of money. She believes she can manage all of this for a year, after which they can separate if a better opportunity appears.
Everything is wonderful at first. They live a life of luxury in the most exotic locales. However, nothing comes for free, and the couple learn the hard way just how much this lifestyle costs.
Susy is basically a smarter Lily Bart. She's much more practical. A girl's got to eat! Susy knows how to "manage." The problem is Nick doesn't want to know how the sausage is made. When he learns, he doesn't like it. I thought Nick was pretty uptight for a guy who agreed to mooch off his friends for a year with a sham marriage.
Glimpses of the Moon highlights the differences between the sexes in this world of outsiders riding in the wake of the wealthy. Nick, being a man, can live in blissful ignorance, while Susy pulls the strings that keep them upright. Once Nick is married, he leaves it all to her, even Susy sees this:
BUT there were necessary accommodations, there always had been; Nick in old times, had been the first to own it.... How they had laughed at the Perpendicular People, the people who went by on the other side (since you couldn't be a good Samaritan without stooping over and poking into heaps of you didn't know what)! And now Nick had suddenly become perpendicular....
Nick ain't no angel either! He lives by his own moral code, but he did things that I thought were worse than anything Susy did. (Spoiler: Encouraging Susy to leave 5 kids on their own without their parents. What is wrong with you Nick?!)
Nick is too proud. Too quick to jump to conclusions. Too judgey. Lighten up Nick!
What these two refuse to see is that they belong to each other. Their marriage might have started as a joke, an opportunity, but it lead to love. The reader spends most of the novel wondering if these two will stop being stubborn and say what they really feel.
As she looked back on it she saw how much it had given her besides the golden flush of her happiness, the sudden flowering of sensuous joy in heart and body. Yes—there had been the flowering too, in pain like birth-pangs, of something graver, stronger, fuller of future power, something she had hardly heeded in her first light rapture, but that always came back and possessed her stilled soul when the rapture sank: the deep disquieting sense of something that Nick and love had taught her, but that reached out even beyond love and beyond Nick.
Wharton can write beautiful things about love. Glimpses of the Moon is a romance, and even though there will be a happy ending, there are hints at the end that there will still be rocky times ahead. She's too much of a realist to end on a completely blissful note.
It can't be a Wharton novel about rich people without the usual digs at the privileged. The very wealthy are as self-absorbed and heartless as they are in all her novels. They marry and divorce without a care.
Although I thought Susy was The Bomb Dot Com, Glimpses of the Moon is not my favorite Edith Wharton. I love her misery too much. This would be a palate cleanser snuggled between some of her more usual cry fests.
Maybe that's what's wrong with me.
About the Audio: Glimpses of the Moon was narrated by Anna Fields. She was good as all the characters, except the children. Adults speaking like children is my pet peeve. Also, this was a production from 1998. It's weird to have some one say, "For more information, call this number" instead of a website.
Note: Glimpses of the Moon was made into a silent movie and most recently a musical!
2 comments audiobook, Book Review
It's Summer!
It's summer! Time for walks in parks.
Time for lazy day activities.
Time for fresh seasonal foods.
I've been reading a little, but staying off the computer. The girl is at home so my concentration keeps being interrupted. For instance, I'm being asked to look at nail art and discuss Slip and Slides as I write this. Writing full posts is challenging, so my summer blogging schedule is going to be light from now until the fall.
I'm on the Twitter, still, so if you have any book recommendations or want to chat, come find me there.
Weekend Cooking: What To Do With All Those Strawbe...
The Daemon Lover: Man? Devil? Or Imaginary Friend?...
Not A Bummer!: Glimpses of the Moon by Edith Whart...


For all EMS and mobile healthcare practitioners at all levels with the knowledge and skills needed to effectively interact with patients and their families, other medical personnel, co-workers, supervisors, and the community. Learn how to identify your personal responsibility and accountability for ethical decision-making.
For more information or to register, contact Vickie Thomas at 575 624 7164 or Vickie.thomas@roswell.enmu.edu. We look forward to seeing you in class!


This module is one of a set of four with two POFFs and two 3 foot corners. They will go together in any order as needed for to support show layouts and each module has the alternate blue line. When used together crossovers from blue to alternate blue on the two POFFs will provide a passing and setup siding. The alternate blue line may be powered separately or from the blue line.
This module is relatively flat and works well as an inside corner.
Inspiration: The main objective on this module was to see what could be done to develop a rapidly running creek with lots of rocks and actually falling from the back to front of the module. The actual drop is about 1.5 inches. Module is designed to capture the rolling hills of the Piedmont area along Route 29 in Nelson County VA. The key feature of this corner module is the meandering creek that runs from left to right across the module.


One day in June, Leopold goes to a nearby stream to fish. At first he has little luck, but then remembers that the stream has tributaries. He imagines he is a trout, and tries to envision where he would go were he a fish in the water. Thinking this way leads him to a new fork in the river, where he finds a trout the next morning.
Leopold does his best to think like a fish. This is a kind of knowledge not taught in schools, and not even particularly useful, as it barely helps him catch a fish, but it brings him joy and makes him feel closer to nature.
Leopold spends many hours trying to catch a trout. He reflects that men are like fish: "ready, nay eager, to seize upon whatever new thing some wind of circumstance shakes down upon the river of time!" He also notes that men, like fish, are attracted to glittery "gilded morsels," even if they might contain a dangerous hook within them. Leopold is glad he isn't "a wholly prudent man," reflecting that life would be dull if he did not sometimes take risks. The next day he returns, and eventually catches a trout, and though it is not large or impressive, he is happy that he, like the fish, was willing to take an uncalculated risk.
Although it is not until later in the book that Leopold puts forth his theory of recreation, here he is practicing what he will later preach. Recreation, in his mind, doesn't need to be practical, it just needs to connect a person to their roots in some way, either by making some simple task more challenging and purposeful, or reminding them of the way their ancestors caught food.
Sanders-Schneider, Ivy. "A Sand County Almanac Part I: June." LitCharts. LitCharts LLC, 27 Mar 2018. Web. 19 Apr 2019.
Sanders-Schneider, Ivy. "A Sand County Almanac Part I: June." LitCharts LLC, March 27, 2018. Retrieved April 19, 2019. https://www.litcharts.com/lit/a-sand-county-almanac/part-i-june.


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Read Our New CD Review by Early Music America!
The Newberry Consort Announces Artistic Director for 2022-23 Season!
Click Here for the AnnouncementCOVID-19 POLICY
2021-22 Season Overview
Music fit for the Medicis
Four Queens and a Joker
A Mexican Christmas 2021
Past Season Archives
Meet Our Young Artist Mentoree Singer Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen
Jan 23, 2017 | 30th Anniversary, baroque, Young Artist Mentorship Program | 0 comments
For our next concert, The Queen, happening March 3 to 5, we are pleased to invite countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen to perform with us as one of our Young Artist Mentorees!
Cohen, 22, is a graduate of Princeton University who was recently selected as a national semifinalist in the Metropolitan Opera's National Council Auditions. He has previously performed with the baroque ensemble Il Complesso Barocco; at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna, Austria; with the Venice Opera Project; and with the Leipzig Barockorchester in Leipzig, Germany. Last summer, he also participated in the Merola Opera Program at the San Francisco Opera, an
We recently caught up with Cohen to ask him about how he got into singing, what he loves about early music and why he's looking forward to performing with the Newberry Consort.
Q: How old were you when you first started singing?
A: I first began singing when I was in middle school. My parents had me join the Brooklyn Youth Chorus when I was in 7th grade, and it was there that I first learned to read music. Then, I went to high school at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of the Performing Arts in New York, before heading to Princeton University, which is where I first got serious about singing. I had always viewed singing as a hobby, and I didn't begin to think about pursuing a career as a singer until the summer after sophomore year at Princeton. As I changed my career plans (I originally planned to pursue a career in politics), I changed my major and began to devote myself to the world of music wholeheartedly. It has been a real joy ever since.
Q: How did you get interested in early music?
A: As a countertenor, there is a natural inclination to this repertoire, which we are privileged to sing so frequently. But it was through the process of listening to albums sung by great interpreters of the repertoire (singers such as Andreas Scholl, David Daniels, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, among others), that I began to understand the depth of possibility in interpretation of early music.
Q: Why do you love early music? Who is one of your favorite pieces or composers?
A: For me, the great joy of singing early music is the opportunity to enter into a long line of tradition that has lasted hundreds of years — the chance to pay homage to the great artists of the past and offer our own unique take on the repertoire. My favorite composer is Handel. I find his music to contain such great emotional depth. It's remarkable to think about how deeply this man understood the human condition, hundreds of years ago — it puts everything in perspective. What is a great privilege to sing such glorious music!
Q: What is different about singing baroque and early music vs. later operas?
A: I find my artistic approach to differ depending on the repertoire I'm singing, but on a technical level, I am always trying to keep things consistent. With early music, I find the given sense of structure deeply rewarding — there is something so amazing to me about the emotions these composers were able to capture while operating within rather rigid musical guidelines, and that's part of what makes it such a thrill to sing and listen to.
Q: What do you hope to gain by working with the Newberry Consort?
A: I am very excited for the opportunity to work with such a world class group of early music interpreters. The folks I'll have the chance to sing and play with on this concert program are among the finest devotees of this repertoire alive today, and I can't wait to learn from them through the process of performing together!
Q: Why is it important to work with mentors to grow as an artist?
A: Those of us who are lucky enough to have mentors who guide us along as we begin our careers are so fortunate — it would be impossible to take the proper steps without this guidance! I have been lucky to have numerous important mentors along the way, and I am forever indebted to them.
New Christmas album uncovers the rich tradition of early Mexican classical music
Dec 6, 2021 | blog, Press
Texas Public Radio | By Barry Brake Published December 5, 2021 at 6:46 PM CST https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s188/audio/2021/12/classical-connections-mexican-christmas-12-2-21.mp3 The Americas have a rich...
CD Review: Ensembles Evoke Wonders of Mexican Christmas
Dec 1, 2021 | blog
by Karen Cook, November 29, 2021 EnsAmble Ad-Hoc was created in Bogotá, Colombia, by José Luis Posada, lute and baroque guitar, and Francy Acosta, soprano. A Mexican Christmas. The Newberry Consort...
Check out our Behindthescenes Zoom Presentations
Reconstructing the Lienas Vespers with Ellen Hargis Ebony and Ivory - Keyboards with Charlie Metz The Visual Element; Creating a Graphic Context for Music with Shawn Keener


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Montezuma Township ist der Name folgender Townships in den Vereinigten Staaten:

 Montezuma Township (Illinois)
 Montezuma Township (Kansas)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Cheshire Council and Tatton Park Estate have worked tirelessly to preserve features such as the extensive Arboretum, Italian and Tower Gardens, Orangery, Walled Kitchen Garden, Japanese Garden an much more.
The extensive Victorian glass houses are an eye-catching feature among the gardens. Conventional exterior paints have flaked and peeled within a year of painting and the glass houses have become tired and susceptible to rot.
Architects Purcell, specialists in the preservation of historic building, has been brought in alongside Oricalcum to provide some much-needed care and attention to the glass houses.
Oricalcum Director Michiel Brouns said: "Linseed paint has outstanding preservation properties. " The problem with the glass house was that the previous paint applied was a conventional modern exterior 'plastic' paint, which trapped moisture and lead to rotting timber.
"All existing paint was stripped using Speedheater Cobras after which Oricalcum Linseed Paint was applied in thin coats." says Michiel.
Purcell UK Architect Damien Woolliscroft said: "The gardens and buildings at Tatton Park are vast and require extensive maintenance. We're working to keep this to a minimal." When applied properly, linseed paint provides long-lasting protection to exteriors with very little maintenance. After about 10 years all you need to do is wipe the surface of the paint with a little linseed oil.
"The glass houses are almost all original timber. We approached Oricalcum to assist us in preserving this," says Damien.
"It's clear the glass houses are adverse to bad weather and ready to succumb to rot," says Michiel. Linseed paint penetrates deep into the timber, coating it with a moisture-management paint that draws any damp from the wood to stop decay.
Linseed paint is an all-natural, solvent-free product which has been used for decades on traditional architecture. This is a perfect synergy between Oricalcum linseed paint and the historic buildings at Tatton Park.


Creatures claw out of the depths of your id, creatures of whose existence you were completely unaware. Lurk calls them forth with dark words of encouragement, woven into the texture of the second level of hell. These creatures stagger across your waking mind with malevolent lopsided grins across their fanged maws. Come and play, they whisper, learing, and you find you want to. You want to feel their sensuously vile touch weave across your body. You want to join them at their dark masquerade.
Hailing from Finland, Lurk is the latest musical master to grace us with heavy sounds through Transcending Obscurity Records. K. Nurmi (drums), uses syncopation and pace to drag you on the journey into the depths of your inner darkness. A. Pulkkinen (guitars, synthesizer) uses riffs and melody to weave the near invisible web trapping you in place throughout your travels. K. Koskinen (vocals) uses both clean and harsh styles to whisper evil nothings in your ear. Last, but not least, E. Nurmi (bass) pushes where the drums pull, creating a tension and a sense of dis-ease. The overall effect is marvelously, salaciously dark and grim, like forbidden love with the undead.
The closest musical kin I can put my finger on for this release is Neurosis. I'm not claiming they're a clone, far from it in fact. I just can't think of anyone else making atmospheres that are simultaneously so lush and so bleak, music so enticingly beautiful and so grimly dark. It is hard to describe Fringe. Words fail to capture it, though I tried above. The most I can say is that you need to immerse yourself in this. You won't be disappointed.


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The 2nd auction is coming soon - what can you expect?
The 1st auction was a great success and the 2nd one will be even bigger and better!
Starting on 14 August 2020, it will last 10 days and end on Sunday 23 August. Don't forget to sign up if you wish to gain access to the live auction once it's started. However, we are excited to share a preview of some of the entering casks now!
Craigellachie - 2013, Hogshead
Set in the popular town of Craigellachie, just a stone's throw away from the famous Macallan distillery; this hogshead has matured for over 7 years. The short, squat stills and old-fashioned copper worm-tub condensers result in Craigellachie being a distinctively rich, full bodied and spicy. The distillery's own 13 year old release has won numerous rewards, whilst the 31 year old won best whisky in the world in 2017.
Glen Ord - 2015, Barrel
We are pleased to have TWO sister casks to the Glen Ord (Cask Number 101) that sold in our 1st auction for £3,000. This was our most popular and most bid on cask and it is easy to see why. Glen Ord has a fantastic reputation amongst independent bottlers making it a perfect mid-term investment. We would expect these to be bottled as early as 10 years old.
Teaninich - 2013, Hogshead
From Taigh an Aonaich, meaning 'house on the hill'.
Renowned as one of the main constituents of Johnnie Walker, Teaninich's short and squat stills are known for remarkably full bodied whisky, yet the flavours are distinctively delicate and fragrant. Bottled as a 10 year old by distillery owners Diageo, we believe this could be truly delicious at that age or allowed to age many more years.
Glen Moray - 2016, Barrel
Since being purchased by La Martiniquaise, Glen Moray has benefited from an ambitious expansion. With a host of new releases the distillery has re-established itself as a big name in Speyside whisky. In 2018, the distillery produced five times as much spirit as it did in 1897, showing the growing demand globally for this fine classic Speyside malt. Recent releases have won a glut of awards at the last world whisky awards including their PX cask finish.


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Mapping New Informal Settlements for Humanitarian Aid through Machine Learning
July 23, 2020 case-study geospatial machine-learning location mapping maps satellite-imagery time-series-analysis development government logistics ngo non-profit
Thinking Machines helped iMMAP accelerate the discovery of new informal settlements in Colombia by training an AI model to detect them from satellite imagery:
AI model was trained on field data of informal migrant settlements collected on-the-ground by iMMAP in 2019
Rolled out the model to municipalities with high incidence of Venezuelan Migrants
Detected more than 350 informal settlements across 68 municipalities in just a few weeks
Have verified the validity of over 70 settlements by working with Premise, our on-the-ground validation partners.
This project was done in partnership with iMMAP and USAID.
Since 2014, nearly 2 million Venezuelans have fled to Colombia to escape an economically devastated country during what is one of the largest humanitarian crises in Latin America's recent history. Many migrants struggle to survive as they face extreme poverty, poor living conditions, unemployment, food insecurity, and health problems, exacerbated further by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Humanitarian organizations are now faced with the overwhelming challenge of locating these informal settlement communities scattered throughout the country to quickly deliver aid and support.
We worked with iMMAP, an international not-for-profit organization that provides information management services to humanitarian and development organizations, to locate these new migrant informal settlements in Colombia as a result of the Venezuelan crisis. To augment iMMAP's manually-gathered field data, we produced probability maps from satellite imagery and machine learning models to quickly identify and guide the validation of informal settlement locations across the country.
Quickly locating new informal settlements for on-the-ground validation for the entire country
In order to obtain reliable data, our partners at iMMAP would locate scattered informal migrant settlements along the border of Colombia with Venezuela to complete high coverage field surveys and interviews. Depending on the resources available, it could take them days or even weeks to locate these settlements on the ground even in just a small area.
Our challenge was to present our partners at iMMAP with a time- and cost-efficient approach to locate new and emerging informal settlements to cut down the time and manpower needed to identify these settlements.
With the goal of helping humanitarian organizations focus their efforts in areas with higher likelihoods of housing migrant populations, we wanted to use satellite imagery to quickly detect areas where new informal settlements have appeared in the past few years. This will allow iMMAP and their partners to focus on sending on-the-ground validation and aid, without having to spend so much time on looking for the settlements they want to help.
Can we use Machine Learning and Time Series Satellite Images to accelerate the identification of informal migrant settlements that have emerged recently?
In satellite images, every pixel represents a specific location/area in the world. Just like how humans can identify objects when looking at photos, we can train a machine learning model to scale up this task for every pixel in every satellite image we need to classify. So if we're able to create a model that classifies whether or not there's a new informal settlement in a given area, then we're able to pinpoint the exact locations and speed up the processes of our humanitarian partners in locating and identifying these settlements.
Processing Satellite Imagery and the Model Inputs
We acquired publicly available satellite images from Google Earth Engine and generated composites from 2015 to 2020 to reduce cloud cover in our areas of interest. We then created indices to bring out certain features of the composites, such as greenery or vegetation, to detect the settlements. Now that we have the input data, the question is whether or not we are able to find patterns from these to allow us to differentiate between normal settlements, non-occupied land, and informal settlements.
Sentinel-2A Biennial Composite Generation: Cloud cover removal and median aggregation.
Creating Our Ground Truth and Modelling the Probability Map
We then used Machine Learning classifiers to train our model to identify the differences between pixels containing informal settlements and pixels containing formal settlements or unoccupied land masses. To do this, we gave it positive examples from field data gathered by iMMAP in 2019, which contained ground-validated coordinates of informal migrant settlements in Maicao, Riohacha, Uribia, Arauca, Arauquita, Tibu, Cucuta, Soacha, and Bogota; and negative examples which were generated from randomly selected and validated grid blocks in urban areas, mountainous areas, grassy areas, etc.
Instead of just creating a binary yes/no map of informal settlements with this, our final output is a probability map where each pixel's brightness corresponds to the probability of it being an informal settlement. This helps us maximize the number of settlements we are able to detect.
Two-Step Post-Classification Validation
Of course, it doesn't end there. Once we had the predictions, we worked with iMMAP on two additional validation steps:
Step 1: Remote Validation
Once we have the informal settlement probability map, our partners at iMMAP are then tasked to manually inspect high-resolution historical satellite imagery in Google Earth Pro, starting with the brightest conglomeration of pixels. To distinguish informal Venezuelan migrant settlements, we want to look out for the following:
Slum-like characteristics including small roof sizes, disorganized layout of houses, and lack of nearby road structures; and
The absence of a settlement on Google Earth Pro satellite imagery from 2014--or when the Venezuelan mass migration began--, and the emergence of an informal settlement in that area on any date after 2014.
Step 2: On-the-Ground Validation
Once potential informal settlements are identified, we then draw vector polygons around the candidate areas using QGIS or Google Earth Pro. These polygons are collated and shared with our partners, Premise Data, which then enables the contributor network in the region to identify if these pre-identified settlements are actual locations where Venezuelan migrants are living. Using their proprietary app, Premise's contributor network completes surveys and observations (photographs) within these predefined polygons. The contributors are able to locate the settlements through the map shown on the mobile application and submit answers and photos that can help validate if these areas actually do house Venezuelan migrants.
A second task within the app incentivizes the contributors to return to the settlements and complete a monitoring task, which focuses on identifying specific needs that the inhabitants of the settlements have with regards to water and sanitation, health, food security and overall living conditions.
Here is an example of the validation process of a settlement in Norte de Santander:
1) A settlement is identified by Thinking Machines.
New settlements identified in Bogotá, D.C., Colombia.
2) Polygons of the settlements are drawn on Geojson and ingested into the Premise platform.
3) Tasks appear in the Premise app.
4) On the ground Premise contributors take photos of the settlements and answer questions through the Premise app.
A satellite view of a settlement in Arauca, Colombia.
Photos taken by Premise contributors of the settlement in Arauca.
5) iMMAP gets access to the results through a Premise dashboard which they can use to visualize the results in aggregate and see the submitted photos by location .
Google Earth Engine - a platform for downloading and processing satellite images
QGIS - an open-source GIS desktop application
Google Earth Pro - a desktop application for exploring historical satellite images
Premise - a crowdsourcing data and analytics platform, available on Android and iOS
Automating settlement mapping for quick and cost-effective validation and response
At the end of it all, we were able to create a model that reliably predicts the presence of informal settlements, and we're able to roll-out that model for any municipality in Colombia in a span of minutes. As of this writing, we have helped iMMAP identify and validate the location of more than 350 potentially new settlements across Colombia, with around 70 of those already on-the-ground validated, with the rest still currently undergoing validation. Moving forward, they can continue to use this model to detect new settlements in the future.
Our partners at iMMAP now have a novel approach to streamline their process and efficiently use their time and resources towards supporting and coordinating the international community's response towards vulnerable Venezuelan migrant communities. The probability maps guide them towards areas with high probability of informal migrant settlements which they can then quickly verify and mobilize to. NGOs and LGUs can then provide these communities with targeted humanitarian aid and assistance, as well as monitor their state of well-being over time.
January 17, 2019 case-study
Using AI for Automatic Logo Detection on Store Shelves
We rapidly developed a high-performance logo detection model and front-end mobile application that identified our client's product on retail shelves.
July 12, 2016 blog-post
Dots are people too: Learnings from Information+
Our Data Designer, writes about what she learned from attending Information+, one of the few data visualization related conferences that targets both researchers and practitioners.
January 31, 2017 blog-post
Making Panel Discussions Memorable with Data Visualization
Minutes are the default method of documenting and summarizing meetings. But they're also about as interesting to read as your social media's terms and conditions.


text:
Amdanon Ni
Prosiectau Cyfredol
Cyhoeddiadau
Llyfrgell
Rhwydwaith
Previous projects: Social value
Peer reviewed publications and reports authored/co-authored by Wales School for Social Prescribing Research:
Elliott M, Watson H, Lewis A, Wallace C, 2020. "A participatory mixed-methods evaluation of a falls awareness programme", Working with Older People, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/WWOP-09-2020-0046
Elliott M, Smith S, Pontin D, Wallace C, 2020. Developing a tool to measure social well-being in the context of social prescribing. A group concept mapping study. Report, November 2020.
Wallace C, Wallace S, Lloyd-Jones N, Davies M, Elliott M, Ganesh S, Griffiths L, Llewellyn M, Pontin D, Tetlow S, 2020. Enhancing student wellbeing through social prescribing: A group concept mapping of student wellbeing in Wrexham Glyndwr University. Report, August 2020.
Lewney, C., Lynch, M., Mason, E., Spencer, L. 2020. Developing a theory of change for a complex programme; a systematic framework for ensuring the delivery of outcomes in a new Wellbeing Hub for the Nantlle Valley. https://www.researchregistry.com/browse-the-registry#home/registrationdetails/5f6df47f2c8a940015297543/
Thomas, G., Lynch, M., Spencer, L. 2020. A systematic review to examine the evidence in developing social prescribing interventions that apply a co-productive, codesigned approach to improve wellbeing outcomes in a community setting. PROSPERO 2020 CRD42020206064 Available from: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42020206064
Taylor C, Ruddle N, Perry K, Budden C, 2020. Addressing Avoidable Inequalities: The Role of One University in Place-Based Transformational Change. In University-Community Partnerships for Promoting Social Responsibility in Higher Education. Emerald Publishing Limited.
Jones C, Hartfield N, Brocklehurst P, Lynch M, Edwards R, 2020. Social Return on Investment Analysis of the Health Precinct Community Hub for Chronic Conditions. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17, 5249. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17145249
Davies M, Wallace C, Pontin D, Wallace S, 2020. Enhancing student wellbeing through social prescribing - a rapid realist review. PROSPERO 2020 CRF42020193075.
Elliott M, Wallace C, 2020. What methods for evaluating social prescribing work, for which intervention types, for whom, and in what circumstances? A protocol for a realist review. Study protocol. PROSPERO 2020 CRD42020183065.
Wallace C, Elliott M, Thomas S, Roberts G, Ruddle N, Groves K, Rees S, Pontin D., 2020. Using consensus methods to develop a Social Prescribing Learning Needs Framework for practitioners in Wales. Perspectives in Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1177/1757913919897946
Wallace C & Elliott M, 2019. Wales Social Prescribing Research Network 2018 - 2019 Brief Summary of Activity. Report.
Rees S, Thomas S, Elliott M & Wallace C., 2019. Creating community assets/social capital within the context of Social Prescribing: Findings from the workshop held 17/07/2019. Workshop Report. Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB. Wales Council for Voluntary Action. University of South Wales. p30.
Jones C, Brocklehurts P, Burton C, Edwards RT, Jones A, Jones S, Morgan L, Roberts GW, Williams L, Evans C & Hartfiel N, 2019. Evaluating the impact of a joint social care and NHS initiative to promote social participation and patient activation for older people in North Wales. Full report. p8.
Wallace, C, Rees, S & Stone, J., 2018, 'Social Prescribing: how to create a sustainable journey?' Institute Welsh Affairs.
Kenkre, J. & Howarth, M., 2018. Guest Editorial: Social Prescribing. Journal of Research in Nursing, 23(8), 640-645. https://doi.org/10.1177/1744987118816127
Jones, C. & Lynch, M., 2018. SPICE Time Credits Social Prescribing Pilot Evaluation. Final Report. Cardiff University & Bangor University. p32.
Jones C, Windle G & Tudor Edwards R, 2018. Dementia and Imagination: A Social Return on Investment Analysis Framework for Art Activities for People Living with Dementia. The Gerontologist, 60(1), 112-123. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gny147
Winrow E & Tudor Edwards R, 2018. Social Return on Investment of Sistema Cymru - Codi'r To. Final Report: English / Cymraeg
Wallace, C., Stone, J., Beeckman, L., Davies, E., Davies, F., Evans, R., Griffiths, M., Kenkre, J., Llewellyn, M., Lynch, M., Pontin, D., Powell, D., Roberts, G., Smith, S., Thomas, S., Vinnicombe, S., Wallace, S., Elliott, M., Rees, S., 2018. All Wales Social Prescribing Research Network. What does good look like? Setting its outcome principles and Framework for Wales. Consultation Report. October 31st. University of South Wales. PRIME Centre Wales. RCE Cymru. Wales Council for Voluntary Action, p7.
Wallace, C., Stone, J., Beeckman, L., Davies, E., Davies, F., Evans, R., Griffiths, M., Kenkre, J., Llewellyn, M., Lynch, M., Pontin, D., Powell, D., Roberts, G., Smith, S., Thomas, S., Vinnicombe, S., Wallace, S., Elliott, M., Rees, S., 2018. Final Report on the All Wales Social Prescribing Research Network. Setting its Research Priorities for Wales. University of South Wales. PRIME Centre Wales. RCE Cymru. Wales Council for Voluntary Action, p14.
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If you are interested in signing up to our researcher network to receive Wales School for Social Prescribing Research news and updates, or would like to speak to a member of the team to discuss possible research collaboration, please contact us.
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Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales


It's an old review, but newly added to the Reviews page. See my 2004 perspective on Jane Yolen's children's haiku book, Least Things, complete with a postscript originally written in 2009. And over on the Poems About Haiku page, I've recently added "Three Ku" by Marlene Mountain.


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Vibrationbaby
( I bought the Deluxe Edition which was used for this short review )
This could have easily been called Black Sabbath Volume 5 because stylistically that's where it fits in with Sabbath's timeline just before the experiments with a more streamlined sound on Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and Sabotage arrived. It sounds more like and extension Master Of Reality while visiting other themes and formulas from the first four albums and to a lesser extent the next two. The skull crushing riffs, cynical lyrics and compressed sound are all here and I can't believe Ozzy still sounds so alive at 65 when other singer's vocal chords from the same period are torn to shreds.
This is not the Sabbath of the future but rather the Sabbath of the past. It's as if all the post- Ozzy Sabbath never happened. The ballad, Zeitgeist, recalls the singular and mystic Planet Caravan from Paranoid with some jazzy lines from guitarist Iommi as do so many other tracks like Dear Father with a Sabbath Bloody Sabbath-like riff and the opener End Of The Beginning that reminds us of the iconic first track ( Black Sabbath ) that spawned the whole multi-genre heavy metal movement that has consistently endured while others have gone by the wayside. The whole album seems to say : Remember, you asked for it. Whether the tracks here will achieve legendary status of classics such as Iron Man, War Pigs or Paranoid is doubtful. '13' is more like a novelty album heralding the return of the creators and the release of a new album consolidates their resurrection and as this is written in June 2013 the album has reached # 1 on the UK charts
So much has happened within the multi- faceted genre of metal since 1978 that one option for producer Rick Rubin was to turn the clock back and that's exactly what he has done here. A raw in-your-face old style Sabbath with tracks that will mesh seamlessly with their classics in live performance. Nothing revolutionary has occurred here and "13" will certaily hold more appeal for aficionados than younger metal heads. The only drawback of the album is the absence of Bill Ward who was just as much part of the Sabbath saga as Ozzy, Geezer and Tony. It's unfortunate that his issues could not be resolved and he will certainly be missed when the Sabbs are on tour.
I was a little wary about this one and all the hype leading up to it's release didn't quell any of my fears. Although I didn't freak out like I did back in the seventies I liked '13' upon the first listen and it is definately an album that I will throw on many times. There is nothing better or worse they could have produced given all the obstacles that were faced leading up to it's final release. Not a masterpiece but pure Sabbath and by far not another Never Say Die catastrophe.
Vibrationbaby | 3/5 | 2013-6-15
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Q: Can the init() function start go routines safely, including along tests? I have an app. which creates an HTTP service to listen to a few connections points we can use to check the app status.
That service runs in the background (with a go routine).
It gets initialized in the init() function among other things:
func init() {
    ...
    initHttpEndPoints();
    ...
}

Can the fact that a go routine is created in the init() function cause issues when testing this app.?
I'm asking because it looks like my tests re-run the init() a second time and I'm wondering why that is and what the side effects could be... (probably not so good if all the go routines are all of a sudden duplicated.)
Note: The complete app. creates several hundred go routines in the init() function. I use the HTTP end point as an example.
Strongly related answer: Are tests run concurrently?

A: Spec: Package initialization:

Package initialization—variable initialization and the invocation of init functions—happens in a single goroutine, sequentially, one package at a time. An init function may launch other goroutines, which can run concurrently with the initialization code. However, initialization always sequences the init functions: it will not invoke the next one until the previous one has returned.

There is nothing wrong about launching goroutines from init() functions, although you must remember that these goroutines run concurrently with the initialization process, so for example you can't assume anything about the initialization state of the (current) package.
If you see your init() functions running multiple times, that is most likely multiple tests run separately. init() functions run only once during the lifetime of a package.

A: In addition to icza's answer, it sounds like you're using init() incorrectly with the testing package.
Rather than using init() to initialize things needed for tests, you should define the function TestMain().

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


These are the words that can bring us all Life.
They were Jesus last words, before he died, but the irony is that they offer us the chance to LIVE again.
I came across this interesting illustration in preparing for the Good Friday sermon today. I am not sure if I will use it or not, but hopefully it will offer you a blessing today.
"Norman Lord Grimbald de Pauncefort was captured by the Saracens. When asked the ransom price for his release the Turkish prince demanded the severed right hand of de Pauncefort's young bride, Constantia. In a tremendous act of courage and sacrifice, Lady Contantia complied, and had her left hand amputated and sent to ransom her husband.
This is what the cross is about - Jesus gave his life to set us free from sin that held us captive.
May God bless you with his grace today and always.
Matthew 27:45-50 - From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" (which means "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?").
May you have a blessed Good Friday.
May the knowledge of Christ's sacrifice fill your heart with joy and gratitude.
This verse shows me the true heart of God. Jesus longs to gather us together as his children, but we often choose to go our own way. It is my prayer that we will be moved to trust in Jesus over this Easter period and to believe in his loving hand. When he wants to gather us together, it is not to be over-bearing and controlling, but rather to protect us.
Jesus experienced this first hand. There were many who proclaimed they were his friends, but one by one, the abandoned him, betrayed him and deserted him. It is easy to say you are a loyal and trustworthy person, but the proof is really in the follow through!
Either way, there are a number people who claim to be loyal and loving, but in the end they aren't reliable.
Prayer: Thank you Jesus that you are loyal and loving to us, despite the fact that we are often very unreliable. May we learn to respond to love with greater loyalty. Amen.
Lamentations 5:21 - "...renew our days as of old."
Easter is always a reminder that we can begin again. Even Jeremiah knew this was possible - with God there is always a chance to begin again. May we all get to experience the Joy of starting over again this Holy Week. God bless you.
There will come a time when Jesus makes "an Ask" of us. What I mean is this: God will Ask us to do something for him. It may be something simple or something that moves us out of our comfort zone, but God will ask it of us. The question is: How will we respond?
This was clearly arranged before the time and the owner of the donkey and the colt was more than likely a Christ-follower. However, he didn't know the exact time of when Jesus was going to ask for the animals, so he had to be prepared for the 'Ask' and then be willing to surrender to Jesus' request.
This challenges me - even though I am a Christ-follower, will I be ready to respond to the "Ask" that Jesus makes of me, or will I fumble around and delay?
May we be ready for when Jesus comes asking!
As we edge closer towards Holy Week it is deeply profound to contemplate the courage of Jesus. I mean who of us walks into a City where people want you dead? Jesus knew what was lying in wait for him, yet he still rode into the messy cauldron of religion, politics and economic chaos. He had come to Save the world and this was his moment.
Hebrews 12: 2-3 - "looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.3 Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart."
How does Jesus' Courage inspire you?
What are you facing at the moment? Ask God to give you Courage.
When can be so full of pride at times. We go our own way and when we realise we have made a mistake we are so slow to admit our error. Sometimes we need to be like the wayward son and eventually bump our heads so hard, that we only wake up when it hurts!
Jeremiah turns to God, on behalf of his people, and admits that they are ready to come back. He asks God to bring them back into the relationship of old - they long to be resting in the shelter of the most high and God longs for that too.
Remember that Lent teaches us that we are always welcome in the company of Jesus, but we need to be ready to come back to him. Jesus is not into "arm-wrestling" us back into his home, but he will gladly welcome us back, if we want.
Luke 8:39 - "Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you." So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him."
Seeing as though today is Saint Patrick's day, I have decided to share a few of his thoughts with us. He was indeed a very charismatic man and he made a huge difference for the Gospel. For one man to have such an inspiring impact upon one country is truly remarkable.
"Christ beside me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ within me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me"
"Before I was humiliated I was like a stone that lies in deep mud, and he who is mighty came and in his compassion raised me up and exalted me very high and placed me on the top of the wall"
"May the strength of God pilot us, may the wisdom of God instruct us, may the hand of God protect us, may the word of God direct us. Be always ours this day and for evermore."
His life teaches me that even when we go through difficult times, God can use those situations for his Glory.
You may not get what you ask for!
Do you depend on it?
Put ourselves to the test.


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Heroic schoolboy, 15, jumps into canal and saves toddler from drowning – News Info Park
A teenage boy has been hailed a hero after jumping into a canal to save a toddler from drowning.
Ryley Ferguson, 15, was on his daily walk with his two dogs when he spotted the 15-month-old in the water near his home in Knottingley, W Yorks.
The quick-thinking teenager threw his shoes and coat off to grab the toddler as he sank to the bottom of the canal.
Now Rebecca Hampton, 33, the relieved mum of rescued boy Reggie Johnson, has hailed Ryley as her 'Guardian Angel'….and is backing calls by locals to give him a Mirror Pride of Britain award.
Ryley did not hesitate when he knew Reggie's life was on the line.
Sign up to get the Mirror's biggest and best stories delivered straight to your inbox at www.mirror.co.uk/email
Reggie Johnson was saved after he fell into a canal
(Image: SWNS)
"I'm just so happy I was there and managed to dive in, in time to save him," he said.
"I didn't have time to think, I was just on my walk with my dogs when I saw him fall in. I took my shoes and coat off – it was pure instinct at that point.
"It all happened in a split second. Suddenly I was at the bottom of the canal and managed to grab him.
"I was pretty calm but the water was so cold,my heart was racing.
"In the end all that mattered was that he was okay. If I walked by just thirty seconds later, he could have died. I had to save him."
Ryley struggled to get out of the canal as he was holding the toddler, but two men raced to pull him clear as he shouted for help.
Once they got out, little Reggie began to cry but Ryley says the tot calmed down after he reassured him, saying, 'don't worry, I got you'.
Rebecca was reunited with her son just moments later. She had been working in the garden, and her adventurous little boy had wandered into the canal which runs behind their home.
Mum Rebecca Hampton, 33, with Reggie
The single mum-of-two, who also has daughter Petal, four, says the families now share a "bond for life" and Reggie will grow up knowing what Ryley did.
"I keep saying Ryley is our guardian angel, he saved my boy and saved my life," she added.
"Reggie will grow up knowing who Ryley is and what he's done. He's our superhero."
A neighbour had rushed into our house and said Reggie was in the canal.
"The world stopped for me at that moment, I was in complete shock," Rebecca recalled.
"I started shouting for him, it must have been a couple minutes at most but it felt like an eternity. I can't tell you the relief when I saw my beautiful boy.
"I can't thank Ryley enough, I gave him a card with some money but no money in the world will ever cover what he's done for me."
Ruby Ferguson, Amy, Michael and hero Ryley
Rebecca added that her son had suffered no ill effects – though she washed him in the sink at first to avoid the trauma of a bath.
"He is so fast for his age, I was busy in the garden so I did not see him," she said.
"I cannot thank Ryley enough, I nominated him for Pride of Britain, I think he really does deserve it.
Ryley's mum, care home cook Amy, was at work at the time of the rescue and couldn't believe what happened.
Amy, who is married to Michael, would love to see her son get a Pride of Britain award.
"It is lovely that so many people have nominated him," she said. "We're very proud of him. He saw Reggie's feet disappearing in the water.
"It is a good job he saw him, any later and they would not have had any idea where he was."
Top news stories from Mirror Online
Amy, who has daughter Ruby, 12, added: "I couldn't be prouder of Ryley, he did such a brave thing and he saved that boy's life.
"I was shocked at first, but relieved that Ryley helped prevent a real tragedy."
A gofundme page set up by neighbour Elizabeth McPhee has raised £1,000.
Ryley has refused any donations, and is giving it to the NHS charity.
Local councillor Tom Gordon said: "Our town is extremely fortunate to have a lad like Ryley.
"He's a hero and he deserves to be recognised as such."
Britain's 'coronavirus-free' zones where no deaths have been recorded – News Info Park
Alex Hales: England's Eoin Morgan says 'more time' needed before batsman can return – News Info Park