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Bittersweet years : the Herbert story
Speech of Hon. A.W. McLelan on the second reading of a bill to incorporate the Pacific Railway Company in the Senate, Ottawa, Wednesday & Thursday, Feb. 9 & 10, 1881
The History of Freemasonry in Canada, from its introduction in 1749. Volume I
Histoire de la paroisse de Saint-Joseph-de-Soulanges ou Les Cèdres, 1702-1927
A concise history and description of Newfoundland : being a key to the chart of the island
The Selkird Settlement and the settlers
Les vieilles églises de la province de Québec, 1647-1800
For bread and a better future : emigration from Poland to Canada, 1918-1939
Les Cahiers des Dix. Volume 16
Le rendez-vous manqué : les Juifs de Montréal face au Québec de l'entre-deux-guerres
A History & story of North Monaghan Township, 1817-1989
A bibliography of Canada's peoples, 1980-1989
History of the Islands and Islets in the Bay of Fundy, Charlotte County, New Brunswick
Gazetteer and directory of the County of Grey for 1865-6
Les juges de la province de Québec
Histoire du Séminaire de Saint-Hyacinthe : depuis sa fondation jusqu'à nos jours. Volume 2
Écrits spirituels et historiques. Tome 4
Polémiques et documents touchant le Nord-Ouest et l'exécution de Louis Riel : (extraits de l'Etendard), premier fascicule se rapportant principalement aux evenements antérieurs a 1885
Biography of the Hon. W.H. Merritt, M.P., of Lincoln, district of Niagara : including an account of the origin, progress and completion of some of the most important public works in Canada
Bulletin paroissial de Saint-Jean-Baptiste
Sur les routes de Québec : guide du touriste
Glimpses of the past : history of the River St. John, A.D. 1604-1784
History of the Methodist Church within the territories embraced in the late conference of eastern British America, including Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Bermuda. Vol. I
Fifty years with the Baptist ministers and churches of the Maritime Provinces of Canada
The new West : extending from the Great Lakes across plain and mountain to the golden shores of the Pacific : wealth and growth, manufacturing and commercial interests
History of the Royal Sappers and Miners: from the formation of the corps in March 1772 to the date when its designation was changed to that of Royal Engineers in October 1856
The commerce of Montreal and its manufactures
Industries of Canada : Historical and Commerical Sketches : London, Woodstock, Ingersoll, Guelph, Berlin, Waterloo, St. Thomas, Windsor, and environs
History of Leeds and Grenville
The story of the Upper Canadian Rebellion : largely derived from original sources and documents. Volume 2
Yesterday and Years Ago : a history of Forestburg and district
Commemorative biographical record of the county of York, Ontario : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens and many of the early settled families
Harvest of Memories : Sturgis and District, The First Hundred Years : 1900-2000.
Dutch immigration to North America
Stories of early British Columbia
Le commerce à Place-Royale sous le régime français : synthèse
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North America--History--Periodicals
Québec (Province)--History--Périodicals
Canadian Pacific Railway Company
Selkirk, Thomas Douglas, Earl of, 1771-1820
Roy, Pierre-Georges. personal
Auclair, Élie-Joseph. personal
Institut d'histoire de l'Amérique française. corporate
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Bit 2: Use The Cap: The directions indicate to apply one drop directly to the brush. Well, that sounds easier than it really is. My trick, to make sure none of the Latisse goes to waste, is to place a drop in the lid and dip the trimmed brush into the solution.... For any lady, having sizzling, dense, thick and satisfactory cilia is measured as a sign of beauty. That is real fact also. It is the eyes of her that demonstrate the majesty of the ladies.
29/03/2016 · Royalty Free Music Far and Wide / Purple Planet Music / purpleplanet.com.
The best way to get Latisse is to visit your facial plastic surgeon, someone who is aware of the advantages and disadvantages of this product. Your doctor is best able to assess whether you are a good candidate for Latisse.


SUPERSTAR musician Ed Sheeran has lent his support to a school's charity single recorded by one of its students who met the singer-songwriter at one of his concerts.
The Brit Award-winner has featured the song Soldier, Soldier on his website for his millions of fans to enjoy and download. The song commemorates WW1 and is raising money for Care for Casualties – The Rifles' Charity and ABF The Soldier's Charity.
The Duke of York's Royal Military School (Dover, Kent) asked student Rachel Ward, 14, to record the song – not surprising as her father is a serving member of the British Army.
The song was written by local songwriter Vida Ivatt who sent it to the Duke of York's Royal Military School's music department hoping they would play it.
Major David Cresswell, Director of Military Music at Duke of York's Royal Military School, said: "This is a brilliant opportunity to raise funds for two worthy military charities.
Read more about the project on the school's website or click the play icon at the top of the page to watch the video.


Get Ready for an Exciting Week of Activities at Coombe!
2pm Trip to the Riverhouse Barn Gallery to see Lisa Maria's painting. Please meet at reception only if you have pre-booked.
2pm Gentlemen's Club outing to Mercedes Benz World. Please meet at reception ONLY if you have pre-booked.


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Sealed bid marine auction set for September 19 in Centerville
Barnstable Harbormaster to hold auction of vessels, engines and surplus
ARTICLE | Town News | September 4, 2015 01:00 PM | By CapeCodToday Staff
The Barnstable Harbormaster will hold a sealed bid auction on Saturday, September 19 at the Marine and Environmental Affairs Office at 1189 Phinney's Lane in Centerville. According to a public notice, the auction will feature abandoned vessels, surplus, marine outboard engines and other marine-related items.
Viewing and bidding will be from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. All bids will then be awarded by 11:30 a.m.
Winning bidders will have until 3 p.m. on Saturday, September 19 to pay and remove their purchase from the site. Failure to pay or remove the purchased items will result in forfeiture, the notice said.
Payments may be made in cash or check (payable to Town of Barnstable).
No early viewing will be permitted. Questions about the auction itself may be directed to the Barnstable Harbormaster's Office at 508-790-6273. Neither the harbormaster or his staff will answer any questions about the items in the auction until view begins at 8:30 a.m. on September 19.
Should it be required, additional parking will be available in the vacant lot across the street from the Marine and Environmental Affairs Office.
About the Author »
CapeCodToday Staff
Ultimate Battleground
The Law Offices of John S. Moffa

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


"Fun and informative!" - Brandi L.
"Lots of fun!" - Carol W.
"We were all spooked by the end of the tour." Melissa J.
"Great Entertainment!" "...thoroughly enjoyable." - Sharon P.
On our 2 hour tour you will be told about the past that the history books like to ignore. Stops include the well-known Rogers Hotel and Ellis County Courthouse, as well as lesser-known addresses around the downtown area. The tour is informative, interesting, and maybe just a little bit spooky! Great for locals and newcomers alike! We do not enter any haunted buildings.
Find us on TripAdvisor for more reviews!


More and more hospital and healthcare providers across the United States are using TextCaster to communicate internally with employees. They recognize the challenges of staying in touch with all employees, from when emergencies happen, to filling open shifts. Hospital employees represent a highly mobile workforce. They are seldom in one place for very long, and find it difficult to check email regularly. TextCaster fills that void by providing fast, efficient communication to employees who sign up to receive alerts from their hospital, receiving information quickly, wherever they are located.


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Competition to build a new skyscraper in Melbourne
BIG + Fender Katsalidis Architects
Coop Himmelb(l)au + Architectus
MAD Architects + Elenberg Fraser
MVRDV + Woods Bagot
OMA + Conrad Gargett
UNStudio + Cox Architecture
Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) + Fender Katsalidis Architects, Coop Himmelb(l)au + Architectus, MAD Architects + Elenberg Fraser, MVRDV + Woods Bagot, OMA + Conrad Garget and UNStudio + Cox Architecture are the six teams shortlisted to build a new tower in Melbourne. The mixed-use building for Beulah International will go up on 118 City Road, in the Southbank area of the Australian city. With a maximum height of 360 meters and 220,000 square meters, it will contain high-end apartments, a hotel, offices, shops, spaces for culture and leisure, and also public parks. The winner will be announced in August.
Ingenhoven and Architectus, 505 George Street tower in Sydney
AV Monographs
analyzes in each issue a theme related to a city, a country, a tendency or an architect, with articles by leading specialists complemented by commentary on works and projects illustrated in detail. Published bilingually, with Spanish and English texts placed side by side.
Arquitectura Viva
covers current topics, taking stock of recent trends in set sections: cover story, works and projects, art and culture, books, technique and innovation. From 2013 on, monthly and bilingual, with Spanish and English texts printed side by side.
AV Proyectos
is the third member of the AV family: a bilingual publication essentially focussed on design projects (with special attention on competitions and construction details), heretofore only laterally dealt with in the other two magazines.


Dec's new co-host is heading to Australia next week.
Holly Willoughby is heading to Australia next week ready for the upcoming series of I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here.
Even though the This Morning presenter has been open about her fear of… basically any bug, Holly isn't worried about anyone else's phobias.
"If anything lands on me I'm not going to like that very much, I'm not a fan of the uninvited guests but I'm ready to go and I'm excited for the adventure," she told The Mirror at the Pride of Britain awards.
"I am currently doing loads of Christmas shopping and sorting out visas and sorting out flights and sorting out packing, and I've got lots to pack for because I've got three kids and a husband and a partridge in a pear tree.
"So I'm sorting out life but I've got away from that tonight [to] come here. I'm really excited, I can't wait to go.
"I'm scared of everything, but it's not for me to be worried about that, that's for the celebrities to be worried about. They've signed up for that so it's their problem, not mine."
Holly is set to present the show alongside Declan Donnelly as she is standing in for Ant McPartlin.
Ant is currently taking time away from his TV duties, as he continues his recovery after a spell in rehab. ITV has confirmed that he will only return to screens "when he's well and when he is ready to come back".
Fellow This Morning star Eamonn Holmes recently praised Holly, saying that her taking the job must "cushion the blow" for Ant.
"Because Dec and her are such good friends, and the fact that it's not another bloke there, cushions the blow somewhat," he said to Digital Spy.
"No-one in any way thinks Holly is going out there to steal Ant's job, so I don't think there's any suspicion of that. I think it's a perfect fit."


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Director of Neurology
Physician Affiliate Group of New York
Physician Affiliate Group of New York (PAGNY) is one of the largest multi-disciplinary groups in the country whose main purpose is to nurture and embolden the healthcare providers who take care of the most fragile and vulnerable patients in New York City. PAGNY people do more than diagnose and treat; we uplift the spirits and dignity of patients because we love what we do, and it shows. PAGNY is committed to recruiting and retaining productive and enthusiastic physicians and promotes our health professionals' wellness.
PAGNY is comprised of over 4,000 physicians and healthcare professionals who provide services to NYC Health+ Hospitals (H+H), the largest public health system in the United States. Our practitioners are highly skilled professionals with outstanding credentials who deliver the highest level of quality healthcare to patients throughout New York City.
NYC Health + Hospitals/Coney Island, located in Southern Brooklyn, accommodates more than 250,000 outpatient visits, more than 89,000 emergency room visits, and with 371 beds, more than 15,000 inpatient admissions annually. The hospital maintains a strong academic affiliation with SUNY Downstate Medical Center and New York College of Osteopathic Medicine in order to maintain its high standards of healthcare delivery.
We are currently seeking a Director of Neurology to work full-time in the Department of Medicine.
Administrative management of the Neurology Division for the Department of Medicine, including quality assurance and attainment of facility driven performance targets
Provide clinical care in an inpatient and outpatient setting
Inpatient and outpatient consultation in general neurology
Provide resident and medical education and participate in scholarship
Provide clinical guidance and direction to other members of the healthcare team as needed.
Assists in the establishment and maintenance of standards of performance for staff working in the division
Clinically lead our stroke service and supervise our stroke coordinator
Performs other administrative, professional, consultative duties as needed by the department Chairperson
Active, Unrestricted NYS License
Board Eligible or Board Certified in Neurology (ABMS)
Five (5) years of experience as an Attending Neurologist and educator preferred
Administrative experience preferred
Collegial demeanor
Experience attending to an underserved population preferred
Competitive compensation package
10% 401K company contribution after one year of service
Choice of a three-tiered nearly FREE medical plan
Excellent dental insurance including orthodontics coverage
Generous paid time off program
CME days
Eligibility for loan forgiveness through the National Student Debt Forgiveness Center
Visa candidates are encouraged to apply
Interested candidates please send a copy of your CV to Lea Power Carpenter, Director, Talent Acquisition, at powercarpenterl@pagny.org, or apply online at:
https://www.pagny.org/careers/medicine/brooklyn/4811
www.pagny.org
Equal Employment Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V.
Apply for Director of Neurology
Your covering message for Director of Neurology Required
Adult Neurologist, general/headache/cognitive
Brooklyn, NY, United States
Maimonides/Downstate Medical Center
Save Adult Neurologist, general/headache/cognitive
Assistant Professor/Associate Professor of Neurology at CUMC
Commensurate with experience
Save Assistant Professor/Associate Professor of Neurology at CUMC


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Q: Using IF statement in vb with database material So I'm trying to use an If statement based on criteria in my database and I'm not sure how I'm new to vb. The viewaccess, editaccess, and approveaccess are bits in my database.
 If (Session("ViewAccess") = 1) And Session("EditAccess") = 0 And (Session("ApproveAccess") = 0) Then
            btnSaveTop.Visible = False
            btnSaveBottom.Visible = False
            btnApproveTop.Visible = False
            btnApproveBottom.Visible = False
            btnRequestUnapproveTop.Visible = False
            btnRequestUnapproveBottom.Visible = False
            RequiredData.FreightWBS.ReadOnly = True
            RequiredData.GemFeeWBS.ReadOnly = True
            RequiredData.Approver.ReadOnly = True
        End If

A: When you get values from the database they are not anymore 1 or 0 (bit type). They are true or false (boolean), change that. No idea how you're filling session but it looks like an SqlDataReader if that's your case, doing that will fix your problem. (Be more explicit)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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The 9 Greatest Train Journeys in the World and What to Expect
Global Tour December 5, 2019
WHY TRAVEL BY TRAIN?
There are many advantages to travelling by train. Flying to far-flung destinations or taking a boat can be stressful and hurried, while train journeys are far more relaxing and allow you to feel immersed in a new country and culture as you journey through.
There's a certain romance and a sense of uniqueness about train travel. Boarding your train and rolling slowly off from the station feels like the beginning of a grand adventure.
Then there's the freedom that train travel presents. How appealing does it sound to sit, lay or dine in comfort and watch the world go by from your advantageous view? And, when you do arrive at a station you are already in the heart of the action and can begin exploring from the moment you disembark.
Train travel is often more sustainable than other forms of travel. Trains use less energy and produce less noise, so it makes for a wise (and fun-filled) choice.
An excellent option for families and groups
Train travel is extremely adaptable which makes it suitable for all ages, stages and abilities. Whereas families might find the thought of long haul flights daunting, train travel offers a fair amount of freedom. The right train and itinerary will allow the kids ample space to stretch their legs and expand their mind.
And because train travel is comfortable, it is also practical for those who might be more limited in movement.
Ideal for solo travellers
For single holidaymakers, train journeys are the perfect way to spend time absorbed in your surroundings and stop off en route to explore cities and sights. Of course, if you choose to, train journeys can also be a sociable experience where you mix and mingle with other passengers on tours and in the lounge.
Many single travellers choose to travel by train simply because they love the flexibility of train travel and can pick and choose many elements as they see fit or feel on the day.
But it's not all about the scenery and sights! All of these train journeys present a fantastic opportunity to eat the best in regional food and exquisite wines too.
We've handpicked 8 of the best train journeys to experience and have outlined why below!
OUR 9 BEST TRAIN JOURNEYS
The Rocky Mountaineer
If you want to travel through the breathtaking Canadian Rockies and across Western Canada, there's only one way to do it. The luxurious Rocky Mountaineer (pictured above) train runs in both directions to Vancouver from Banff, Lake Louise or Jasper.
Running from April through to October, the two-day rail journey includes an overnight stop off in the city of Kamloops, a popular destination due to its natural beauty (plenty of trails) and its unique climate that makes it the home to some award-winning wineries.
Rather than sleeping on the train, guests stay in a hotel in Kamloops, or, if they choose to extend the journey to three days will also stay overnight in Quesnel and Whistler. A further extension to this trip is made possible by The Coastal Passage which begins or ends in Seattle.
The days spent on the Rocky Mountaineer offer comfort and luxury as you watch the stunning scenery from your window. Passengers can choose between the Silverleaf package which includes oversized windows, reclining seats, temperature control, all meals and drinks served at your seat, commentary from your attendants, overnight hotels and transfers. Alternatively, the Goldleaf package which also has full-length, dome windows, separate dining area, complimentary alcohol and an elevator to dome level.
The Orient Express
London-Paris-Venice: 2 days/1 night
Just the name is enough to take you on a journey! The Venice-Simplon Orient Express takes passengers across Europe, travelling between London, Paris, Verona and Venice in a time-honoured style harking back to the Golden Age of travel.
There are several different options when it comes to travelling on the Orient Express with London – Paris – Venice the most popular. This journey begins in London where passengers board the Belmond British Pullman and pass through the Kent countryside before moving onto the Eurotunnel for the Channel crossing between England and France. Upon arrival, passengers join the blue and gold carriages of the Venice Simplon-Orient Express.
Offering the highest levels of comfort, passengers rest and relax in the fully restored, handcrafted 1920s cabins which by day are your seating area with luxurious sofas and by night, become your sleeping quarters. Passengers are attended by a steward throughout the journey who will also escort them from their compartment to the restaurant cars (there are three on board) and the bar with live piano music.
On Day 2, passengers wake up to the view of the Swiss Alps and get to enjoy breakfast from the seat of your compartment and to mix and mingle with other passengers. We suggest you leave your cabin door open at this stage, so that you can see the scenery on both sides. In the afternoon, the train travels through the Italian countryside while you enjoy lunch and afternoon tea before crossing the Venetian Lagoon and arriving at Santa Lucia station.
Travel includes single, twin, double or interconnecting cabin suites, day and night configuration, bathrobe and slippers and all conveniences.
Trans Mongolian
Beijing, Lake Baikal and Moscow: 15 days
Travelling from Beijing through to Lake Baikal and Moscow, the Trans Mongolian Railway is the perfect way to see three of the world's largest countries from the comfort and safety of a carriage – all with an enviable view of the changing scenery, continents and flavours.
Travel includes nights spent sleeping on the train and in hotels; an ideal chance to explore cities. Hotel stays include two nights in Beijing, one night in Ulaan Baatar (optional Yurt/Ger – traditional tented accommodation), one night in Irkutsk and one night in Moscow.
Accommodation ranges from standard through to the Bolshoi Platinum which has a sizeable two-berth cabin with private facilities.
Highlights of the Trans Mongolian train journey include visits to Beijing's Forbidden City, a visit to Tiananmen Square, a boat ride on Lake Baikal (deepest freshwater lake in the world), overnight stay in ger, traditional Bread and Salt welcome with balalaika & caviar tasting.
Golden Eagle Trans Siberian
Moscow – Vladivostok: 15 days
Considered by many to be the world's greatest train journey, the Trans Siberian Express travels East and West between Moscow and Vladivostok with the possibility of a shorter route between Moscow and Ulaan Baatar.
Journeying on the Golden Eagle Express, passengers enjoy a cinematic view from their carriage as they race through majestic Russian landscapes, across the Urals and alongside Lake Baikal. Travel on the Trans Siberian offers opportunities to explore cities and destinations with plenty of time to relax and enjoy the comforts of luxurious train travel.
While onboard, passengers can relax in their en-suite cabins and enjoy the first-class customer service of this luxury hotel on wheels. Throughout your journey your needs are catered to by your cabin attendant, who is on hand to assist.
The Winter Wonderland version of the train journey promises a stunning Siberian winter much like a scene from Dr Zhivago. Running along the Trans Siberian route, Winter Wonderland includes an iconic horse-drawn sleigh ride and the chance to watch ice fishing all while rugged-up in authentic Russian hats, boots and gloves.
The Ghan Expedition
Darwin-Adelaide: 4 days/3 nights
Starting in Darwin, travellers on the Ghan Expedition must prepare themselves to see some of the most remote yet bewildering Australian landscape from the comfort of their carriage.
Operating between March and October, the Ghan Expedition runs from the North to South coast of Australia and v.v, straight through the centre of the outback's fiery red centre. Dramatic, spellbinding and at times adventurous, the journey is all-inclusive and features regional food, fine wines and beverages.
Off train experiences include stops in Katherine, Alice Springs and Coober Pedy. As well as a unique dinner under the stars at the historic Telegraph Station, travellers can choose between a cruise along the Nitmiluk Gorge or, an authentic horse and working dog demonstration.
While racing through the desert, you can enjoy the luxury of your private cabin, connect with fellow travellers or sit and take in the sights playing out beyond your window.
The luxurious Chairman's Carriage is considered Australia's finest, and is the perfect opportunity for small group private charter. The Gold and Platinum service cabins feature comfortable and stylish accommodation with the latter having access to the Platinum Club carriage. The demand for Platinum cabins is high with most selling out within days.
Perth, Adelaide, Sydney: 4 days/3 nights
Taking passengers 4352km between Perth, Adelaide and Sydney and vice versa in the utmost comfort and style, the Indian Pacific links two oceans and while doing so creates countless moments of pleasure. Passengers can sit back and relax as the view changes from mountain ranges to desert to goldfields, rocky valleys and subtropical savannahs.
Adelaide – Brisbane: 3 days/2 nights
Brisbane – Adelaide: 4 days/3 nights
The Great Southern is Australia's newest rail journey promising all the laid-back luxury of the Ghan's premiere service as you pass through the Grampians, Canberra, Coffs Harbour, northern New South Wales and finally, Brisbane.
Commencing its inaugural service in December this year, there are only 15 services available over a 2 month period.
Both the Pacific Indian and the Great Southern journeys feature all-inclusive fine dining, premium wines and world-class hospitality.
Tren Crucero
Quito – Guayaquil: 4 days/4 nights
The Tren Crucero, South America's leading luxury train, journeys between the Andes and the Pacific coast taking in a spectacular array of changing and diverse landscapes from highlands and tropics to the fertile coastline.
With just 50 passengers on board the two luxury carriages, a journey on the Tren Crucero guarantees personal service and total comfort. The carriages are Colonial and Republican-themed and include two observational lounges and an open terrace – all with a boutique feel.
Passengers travel on the Tren Crucero by day and stop overnight at hotels in Laso, Riobamba, Alausi and Guayaquil. A Gold Class service is optional and includes nights at the prestigious Plaza Grande Hotel, Hotel del Parque, Hacienda La Danesa, Hacienda Andaluza and Casa Gangotena.
East & South Africa + New Angola Tour: 15 days
Travel on Rovos Rail and enjoy the luxury of a bygone era and the beauty of Africa – the land of the sun, sea and safari. The train boasts Royal, Deluxe and Pullman suites, the former with private lounge and full bathroom.
Guests are at leisure to enjoy the space and privacy of their cabin or take the opportunity to mingle with other guests in the restaurant cars and lounges. Dinner time is a formal affair and requires attire to match. So, this is a trip where you will need to shop beforehand to make sure you have 15 suitably elegant outfits.
Journeys on Rovos Rail include Cape Town, Durban Safari, Victoria Falls, Golf Safari, Namibia Safari, Dar es Salaam with varying number of days. The new 15 day Angola tour from East to West Africa is called the Trail of Two Oceans and visits Tanzania, Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola.
TRAIN PASSES
Eurail Pass
The Eurail Pass is the most flexible way to travel by train throughout 31 European countries. The pass is therefore ideal for travellers looking for the freedom to explore as much, or as little of Europe as they wish. Passes include one- and three-month options and there is a first-class option for more comfort.
The countries participating in the Eurail Global Pass scheme are:
Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Turkey, Great Britain, Lithuania, FYR Macedonia.
It is important that you make seat reservations in First class. If you don't have a seat reservation you may miss the chance to travel on that service. Most high speed rail journeys require a seat reservation which can usually be done up to 2-3 months in advance depending on the train.
Japan Rail Card
If you are going on a trip to Japan make sure to buy a Japan Rail Card (also known as a JR card) before arriving. Available to buy in Australia, the rail pass entitles non-residents to unlimited travel in certain areas as well as round trips on bullet trains, some express trains, local trains, ferries and buses.
The green card version entitles travellers to first-class coaches on trains which have more spacious seats. Cards last for 7, 14 or 21 consecutive days.
Canrail Pass
This pass will allow you to explore Canada from one end to the other, or traverse Canada and/or a USA Railpass. This pass allows you to go a long way on a limited budget.
Choose from three 60-day Economy class formulas: enjoy a set number of one-way trips with the System Base or System Extra passes, or unlimited travel with the System Unlimited pass!
Amtrak USA Rail Pass
The Amtrak USA Rail Pass is simply the most adventurous and efficient way to see the United States. Experience North America including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Seattle and more. The Amtrak Rail Pass is in Economy Class but you can upgrade to a sleeper car for an extra fee.
It is important to note that seat reservations (when in conjunction with a USA Rail pass) can only be made locally.
While you are on board the train you will want to wear something casual yet smart. In the evening, it is recommended that you have a jacket and tie for dinner. Depending on the weather, you might like to consider different footwear for day trips and excursions.
How much room will there be for my luggage?
The amount of storage at your disposal will depend on your train, the journey's length and the service level of your accommodation. It's advisable to pack lightly due to limited space in your cabin and also for independent rail travel where you will be hauling luggage yourself. It can be quite a task trying to place a 30kg suitcase in the overhead storage!
If you are continuing to travel after the train journey, your larger bags can often be stowed in the baggage car but are generally not accessible during your trip. Please check the baggage allowance.
Here's to unforgettable train journeys and memories that last a lifetime!


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Huge Cracks in Antarctic Glacier Foreshadow Epic Calving Event
Grennan Milliken
The European Space Agency (ESA) released a video this past week showing the evolution of two very large and disconcerting cracks in Antarctica's Pine Island Glacier. They have each grown to 20km in length and could shear off a hunk of ice the size of Paris and Manhattan combined.
The Pine Island Glacier—located at the base of the Antarctic Peninsula on the western side of the continent—has always shipped Antarctic ice out to sea at prolific levels, but it's become famous in recent years due to its ever increasing output. These new cracks are just the latest development in a flurry of epic calving events at Pine Island. These used to occur about every six years but are now happening on an almost yearly basis.
The ESA compiled images of the cracks taken by one of their two polar orbiting Sentinel-1 satellites to make the video. Sentinel-1 is continuously monitoring land, sea, and sea ice conditions with a synthetic-aperture radar instrument that allows it to take pictures in all weather conditions and even at night—a key feature in high latitudes, which experience long periods of darkness in the winter months. These satellites are part of ESA's larger Copernicus mission.
Pine Island Glacier feeds into a floating body of ice called an ice shelf. A recent study published in Science Advances this month revealed that these ice shelves, and Pine Island Glacier in particular, are experiencing accelerated melting from underneath, as a combination of fast moving and buoyant plumes of warm water carve troughs into their bottom surface. This makes the shelves more prone to large calving events and ultimately to shrinkage and retreat.
Pine Island Glacier is made of ice from the West Antarctic ice sheet and flows into the Amundsen Sea. (Credit: NASA)
"Warm water circulation is attacking the undersides of these ice shelves at their most vulnerable points," said lead earth scientist and lead author of the report, Karen Alley. "These effects matter," she added. "But exactly how much, we don't yet know. We need to."
The large calving event building at Pine Island Glacier also comes at a period of particular concern for melting glaciers around the world. The International Panel on Climate Change released its special report on the state of the Earth's cryosphere last month in which it predicted continued warming of ocean waters and increasing mass loss of the Antarctic Ice Sheets—of which Pine Island Glacier is a part—throughout the 21st century.
Read More on GlacierHub
Melting Glaciers Threaten Aoraki/Mount Cook, New Zealand
Photo Friday: Nevados de Chillán at Risk of Volcanic Eruption
The Enduring Allure of Glaciers Among Popular Beverage Companies
Tags: amundsen, calving glaciers, European Space Agency, ice shelves, icebergs, Pine Island Glacier, west antarctica peninsula
Roundup: British Royals in Pakistan, Trump's Logging Plan, and Cracks in Pine Island Glacier
Robert Eshelman-Håkansson
British royals visit Pakistani glacier
From the Telegraph:
"The Duke of Cambridge has warned that the world risks losing 'many of the precious things we care about' if it fails to take action on climate change, as he visits a melting glacier in Pakistan.
The Duke, who travelled to the north of Pakistan on the third day of their tour, said the couple hoped to 'use our voice and lend our position' to talk about the environment and climate change.
The Duke and Duchess have spent the day in a remote location in the Hindu Kush mountain range in northern Pakistan, beginning at the Chiatibo Glacier in Broghil National Park.
They were shown how the ice has retreated rapidly in recent years due to global warming in their first opportunity to see a melting glacier in real life."
Read the article here.
Trump administration proposes logging in Alaska's Tongass National Forest
"The Trump administration Tuesday proposed allowing logging on more than half of Alaska's 16.7 million-acre Tongass National Forest, the largest intact temperate rainforest in North America.
President Trump instructed federal officials to reverse long-standing limits on tree cutting at the request of Alaska's top elected officials, on the grounds that it will boost the local economy. But critics say that protections under the "roadless rule," finalized just before President Bill Clinton left office in 2001, are critical to protecting the region's lucrative salmon fishery and tourism operations.
The U.S. Forest Service said it would publish a draft environmental impact statement this week (Oct. 15) that, if enacted, would exempt the Tongass from the 2001 roadless rule."
The Mendenhall Glacier, among many others, is located within Tongass National Forest.
Mendenhall Glacier (Source: Wikimedia Commons/
Jay Galvin)
New cracks observed in Antarctica's Pine Island Glacier
From the European Space Agency:
"The Copernicus Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 satellites have revealed new cracks, or rifts, in the Pine Island Glacier—one of the primary ice arteries in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. The two large rifts were first spotted in early 2019 and have each rapidly grown to approximately 20 km in length.
Mark Drinkwater, Head of the Earth and Mission Sciences Division at ESA, says, 'These new rifts appeared very soon after last year's major calving of iceberg B46. Sentinel-1 winter monitoring of their progressive extension signals that a new iceberg of similar proportions will soon be calved.'"
Read more on GlacierHub:
Photo Friday: Turkey's Glaciers
New Satellite Imagery Shows Rapid Pace of Andean Glacier Melt
Video of the Week: Glacier Atop Mont Blanc on Precipice of Collapse
Tags: antarctica, Duke of Cambridge, hindu kush, Mendenhall Glacier, pakistan, Pine Island Glacier, Prince William, Tongass National Forest, Trump
Roundup: Hot Rocks, Dissolved Organic Matter, and Dry-Snow Densification
Runyu Liang
Elevated Geothermal Surface Heat Flow
From Earth and Planetary Science Letters: "This study provides ground-truth for regional indirect GHF [Geothermal Heat Flow] estimates in the Amundsen Sea Embayment, which is part of the West Antarctic Rift System, by presenting in situ temperature measurements in continental shelf sediments. Our results show regionally elevated and heterogeneous GHF (mean of 65 mWm-2) in the Amundsen Sea Embayment."
Read the research paper here.
Glaciers seen during NASA's Operation IceBridge research flight to West Antarctica on Oct. 29, 2014 (Source: NASA/Michael Studinger).
Dissolved Organic Matter in an Arctic Fjord
From Limnology and Oceanography: "Arctic waters are often enriched with terrestrial dissolved organic matter (DOM) characterized by having elevated visible wavelength fluorescence (commonly termed humic-like). Here, we have identified the sources of fluorescent DOM (FDOM) in a high Arctic fjord (Young Sound, NE Greenland) influenced by glacial meltwater."
Read more about the dissolved organic matter here.
Fohn Fjord in Greenland (Source:Flickr/Rita Willaert).
Modeling Dry-Snow Densification
From Geosciences: "In the accumulation areas of ice sheets, ice caps, and glaciers, snow is deposited on the surface and, with time, becomes denser until it turns into ice. This process of densification proceeds at a rate that depends on climatic conditions; slowly in the cold, desert regions in the interior of the great polar ice sheets, and more rapidly in warmer regions with higher precipitation. The question of how to calculate this rate from given climatic information is an important aspect of many areas of glaciological research."
Read more about the microscopic processes by which snow turns into ice on glaciers here.
A large iceberg had recently separated from the calving front of Antarctica's Pine Island Glacier 2013 (Source: Flickr/U.S. Geological Survey).
Tags: amundsen, arctic fjord, dissolved organic matter, Dry-Snow densification, geothermal heat flow, Pine Island Glacier
Solar Geoengineering Could Limit Sea-Level Rise from Cryosphere
Andrew Angle
Of the many impacts caused by climate change, sea-level rise threatens to be one of the most devastating due to the thermal expansion of the oceans and the melting of ice and glaciers on land. These impacts, along with numerous others related to rising global temperatures, may in the future motivate a country, a group of countries, or even a very rich individual to pursue solar geoengineering, a controversial proposal for limiting the amount of solar radiation that reaches the Earth's surface. A recent study in The Cryosphere assessed the efficacy of such a solar geoengineering attempt at limiting global sea-level rise.
Geoengineering, as it relates to climate change, falls into two categories. The first, atmospheric carbon removal, entails physically removing carbon dioxide from the air to reduce greenhouse gas concentrations and limit temperature rise. The second, solar geoengineering, involves injecting sulfur dioxide or another aerosol into the stratosphere to reflect a portion of incoming solar radiation, again limiting temperature rise.
Because of the temperature-reducing effect of solar geoengineering, research suggests that such a proposal would also reduce sea-level rise. However, just how effective solar geoengineering could be in limiting sea-level rise had not yet received sufficient research, according to Peter Irvine, the lead author of the study, who spoke with GlacierHub. Irvine and his team of scientists hoped to "shed some light on the complexities of the sea-level rise response to solar geoengineering, make an initial evaluation of its efficacy, and to bring this issue to the attention of the cryosphere research community," Irvine told GlacierHub.
Solar geoengineering could limit the amount of sunlight that reaches the Earth's surface (Source: climatemediat/Twitter).
Initially, the researchers conducted a literature review on the small number of studies that explored the cryosphere's potential response to solar geoengineering. A 2009 study that examined the Greenland Ice Sheet found that under a scenario where atmospheric concentrations were quadrupled, solar geoengineering could slow or even prevent the collapse of ice sheets. Conversely, a 2015 study determined that while solar geoengineering could slow melting, glaciers and ice sheets would not recover to past states. Lastly, a 2017 study focusing on high-mountain Asia, found that solar geoengineering would stop temperature increases; however, 30 percent of glaciated area would still be lost.
Following the literature review, the researchers evaluated the potential effect of solar geoengineering on three aspects of sea-level rise. The first aspect was thermosteric sea-level rise, or more simply, the thermal expansion of ocean waters. Because temperature is the dominant influence on thermosteric sea-level rise (warmer water is less dense than cooler water), the decrease in solar radiation reaching the Earth's surface due to solar geoengineering would limit sea-level rise.
Secondly, the researchers examined solar geoengineering's effect on the surface mass balances of glaciers and ice sheets. Surface mass balance is primarily affected by the surface melt rate, which is the result of the availability of energy at the surface of the ice. Thus, a change in solar radiation reaching the Earth's surface would likely reduce surface melt. The analysis of large volcanic eruptions offers an analogous example to what might happen to surface melt if solar geoengineering were pursued because the dust and ash released during an eruption blocks some incoming solar radiation.
Solar geoengineering could have a similar effect to the 1991 eruption of Pinatubo (Source: USGS/Twitter).
One study examined by the researchers showed that surface mass balances in Greenland were at their maxima in the year after the El Chicón and Pinatubo eruptions in 1982 and 1991, respectively. Similarly, another study in Greenland found that in the years following the El Chicón and Pinatubo eruptions, surface runoff was the third lowest and lowest, respectively, between the years 1958 and 2006, further reinforcing the expectation that solar geoengineering would limit surface mass balance reductions.
In addition to its effect on temperature, solar geoengineering would also affect the global hydrologic cycle and subsequently sea-level rise. Warming temperatures due to climate change will likely lead to more precipitation worldwide; however, if solar geoengineering is pursued, this increase could be offset. This precipitation change would affect both Greenland and Antarctica, according to Irvine.
In Greenland, surface melt changes, not precipitation accumulation, are the primary influence on surface mass balances; therefore, solar geoengineering would likely have a positive effect by reducing temperatures, with the decrease in precipitation unlikely to lead to mass balance decline. In Antarctica, on the other hand, increased precipitation due to climate change has had a positive effect on surface mass balance, thus a decrease in precipitation due to solar geoengineering would negatively impact mass balances.
The third and final sea-level rise aspect examined by the researchers to evaluate the efficacy of solar geoengineering was ice lost through calving and eventual ice-sheet collapse. Calving, the scientific name for icebergs breaking off a glacier at its terminus, depends on the speed at which ice flows, which itself is driven by climatic changes.
A calving glacier in western Greenland (Source: NASA_ICE/Twitter).
In Antarctica, warming water known as circumpolar deep water (CDW) is the primary driver of calving. CDW is pushed below and then up into glacial cavities by surface winds, where the warm water melts the ice. This melting drives calving and leads to the thinning of glaciers.
While solar geoengineering would likely lower air temperatures, it is unlikely to reduce the temperature of CDW and limit melting and subsequent calving from below. In addition, a 2015 study found that solar geoengineering is unlikely to limit the upwelling of CDW and could even increase upwelling. However, this finding has yet to be replicated, according to Irvine, and it is not clear whether the results are exclusive to the model used.
There is also no guarantee that solar geoengineering would be able to prevent glacial collapse due to marine ice sheet instability. This collapse occurs when a glacier retreats past its grounding line (where ice meets underlying bedrock) and continues to retreat inland until it reaches another stabilizing ridge. The process might already be occurring at West Antarctica's Thwaites and Pine Island glaciers, which are extremely vulnerable due to the sloping topography upon which they rest.
Nevertheless, retreat and possible collapse might be preventable, says a 2016 study. It showed that returning water to cooler conditions reversed glacial retreat. This finding indicates solar geoengineering may be useful to prevent marine glaciers from destabilizing. While encouraging, it remains likely that certain glaciers, especially those in West Antarctica, will continue to experience significant ice loss regardless of whether solar geoengineering is pursued or greenhouse gas emissions are dramatically reduced.
Based on their study, the researchers lay out four areas in need of future research. First is the need to evaluate the sea-level rise response to solar geoengineering scenarios in conjunction with climate change scenarios so that the efficacy of solar geoengineering and greenhouse gas emissions reductions can be compared. Second is the need to employ regional models of surface mass balance in order to assess the effectiveness of solar geoengineering to limit mass balance losses. Third, the researchers recommend additional evaluation of the effect of solar geoengineering on the CDW upwelling and stability of glaciers and ice-shelves. Finally, the researchers recommend the evaluation of sea-level rise risk, alongside the numerous other risks and challenges associated with solar geoengineering.
Diagram depicting a glacier melting from below due to warming ocean currents (Source: EuroGeosciences/Twitter).
The potential for solar geoengineering to limit sea-level rise from the cryosphere is still up for debate, but as this study shows, it may have the potential to reduce temperature and curb some aspects of sea-level rise, including surface mass balance losses and ocean thermal expansion. However, for other aspects, mainly the melting of glaciers from below by warm waters, it may be unlikely that solar geoengineering can limit sea-level rise contributions. Nonetheless, when it comes to the society-altering impact of sea-level rise, solar geoengineering could be a part of humanity's response.
Tags: antartica, geoengineering, greenland, Pine Island Glacier, Thwaites Glacier
Volcano Discovered Beneath World's Fastest Melting Glacier
West Antarctica's Pine Island Glacier (PIG) is the fastest melting glacier in Antarctica, making it the single biggest contributor to global sea-level rise. The main driver of this rapid loss of ice is the thinning of the PIG from below by warming ocean waters due to climate change. However, a recently published study in Nature Communications discovered a volcanic heat source beneath the PIG that is another possible driver of the PIG's melting.
On the icebreaker RSS James Clark Ross looking toward the Pine Island Glacier on the 2014 expedition (Source: University of Rhode Island/Twitter).
The study was a result of a larger project funded by the National Science Foundation and the U.K. National Environmental Research Council to "examine the stability of the Pine Island Glacier from the terrestrial and the ocean side," according to the lead author Brice Loose, who spoke with GlacierHub about the research.
The West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS), which includes the PIG, sits on top of the West Antarctic Rift System that includes 138 known volcanoes. It is difficult, however, for scientists to pinpoint the exact location of these volcanoes or the extent of the rift system, because most of the volcanic activity occurs below kilometers of ice.
The Pine Island Glacier from above taken by Landsat (Source: NASA/Twitter).
Warming ocean temperatures due to climate change have long been identified as the primary contributor to the extensive melting of the PIG and other glaciers that transport ice from the WAIS. This melting is largely driven by Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW), which melts the PIG from below and leads to the retreat of its grounding line, the place where the ice meets the bedrock.
To trace CDW around coastal Antarctica, the scientists used helium isotopes, specifically He-3, because CDW is widely recognized as the principal source of He-3 in the waters near the continent. For this study, the scientists used historical data of helium measurements from the Weddell, Ross, and Amundsen seas around Antarctica. They looked at the 3 seas, all of which have CDW, and examined differences in He-3, which could have come from volcanic activity.
By tracing the glacial meltwater produced by the CDW, the researchers discovered a volcanic signal that stood out in their data. The helium measurements utilized were expressed by the percent deviation of the observed data from the atmospheric ratio. For the observed CDW in the Weddell Sea, this deviation was 10.2 percent. In the Ross and Amundsen Seas, it was 10.9 percent. However, HE-3 values gathered by the team during expeditions to the Pine Island Bay in 2007 and 2014 differed from the historical data.
Map of elevated He-3 samples in 2007 and 2014 (Source: Loose et. al).
For this data, the percent deviation was considerably higher at 12.3 percent, with the highest values being near the strongest meltwater outflow from the PIG's front. Additionally, these high helium values coincided with raised neon concentrations, which are usually an indication of melted glacial ice. The helium was also not uniformly distributed. This suggests it originated from a distinct meltwater source and not from across the PIG's entire front.
With this knowledge in hand, the team of scientists endeavored to identify the source of the HE-3 production. The Earth's mantle is the largest source of HE-3, although it is also produced in the atmosphere and during past atmospheric tests of nuclear weapons through tritium decay. These two sources, however, could only account for 0.2 percent of the 2014 data.
Another potential source was a fissure in the earth's crust directly below the PIG, where He-3 could rise from the mantle. However, this source was ruled out as it would have a strong thermal signature, something that was not discovered by mapping expeditions.
Map of He-3 samples around Antartica (yellow = 2007, red = 2014) (Source: Loose et. al).
The researchers then considered another source: a volcano beneath the PIG itself, where He-3 escapes from the mantle in a process known as magma degassing. The He-3 could be transported by glacial meltwater to the PIG's grounding line, where the ice meets the underlying bedrock. At this line, the ice shifts due to the ocean tides, allowing the meltwater and the He-3 to be discharged into the ocean.
After identifying a subglacial volcano as the most likely source of the elevated He-3 levels near the PIG's front, the scientists next calculated the heat released by the volcano in joules per kilogram of sea water at the front of the glacier. It turned out that the heat given off by the volcano constitutes a very small fraction of the overall mass loss of the PIG compared to the CDW, according to Loose.
In total, the volcanic heat was 32 ± 12 joules kg-1, while the heat content of the CDW was much larger at 12 kilojoules kg-1. Nevertheless, if the volcanic heat is intermittent and/or concentrated over a small surface area, it could still have an impact on the overall stability of the PIG by changing its subsurface conditions, said Loose. There is also the possibility that the continued melting of the PIG could lessen the pressure and weight on the volcano, spurring more volcanism and subsequent melting.
The presence of an active volcanic heat source beneath the world's fastest-melting glacier is a disturbing discovery that threatens to accelerate the PIG's contribution to future sea-level rise. To develop a better understanding of how the volcano might impact the PIG, Loose stated that future studies should examine how the volcanic signal varies from year to year and attempt to pinpoint the likely location of the volcano itself beneath the ice.
Tags: NERC, NSF, Pine Island Bay, Pine Island Glacier, volcano, west antartica
Loss of Contact with Ridges Below Likely Triggered Pine Island Glacier's Retreat
The Pine Island Glacier (PIG) is losing ice rapidly. During the past 25 years, the ice of the PIG and its neighboring glaciers in west Antarctica's Pine Island Bay thinned between 3.9 and 5.3 meters a year, accounting for about 5 to 10 percent of observed global mean sea-level rise. Before 2015, however, the front of the PIG had been at a relative standstill since the 1940s, not retreating as one might expect of a melting glacier. Why? To account for this unique situation, a recently published study in The Cryosphere points to ridges below the ice that likely held the PIG's ice front in place despite its rapid melting.
In August 2015, the long steady front of the PIG changed significantly when large sections of ice broke off during a calving event when the glacier retreated upstream and its orientation shifted. This change presented an exciting opportunity in 2017 for researchers from the Alfred Wagner Institute for Polar and Marine Research to map the seafloor formerly covered by the PIG.
A front section of the Pine Island Glacier (Source: BAS_News/Twitter).
To complete this mapping project, the researchers employed an echo sounder mounted to the hull of the research vessel RV Polarstern, in addition to complementing remote sensing data acquired by satellite. The information acquired by the expedition through echo sounding showed the seafloor features that were present below the PIG. With this data in hand, the researchers had the idea to correlate this information with satellite data from the past to the present to better understand the role of these features for the calving behavior of PIG, according to lead author Jan Erik Arndt, who spoke with GlacierHub about the study.
These survey methods revealed a complex, underwater landscape once covered by the PIG. The discoveries included a 10-kilometer long ridge and two other high points. At its deepest point, Pine Island Bay reaches down over 1,000 meters, while the submarine ridge peaked at 375 meters below the ocean's surface and the two downstream high points peaked at 350 and 250 meters below the surface
How did these sub-surface features impact the PIG? Satellite data from January 1973 until March 2005 showed a rumple in the PIG's ice above the location of shallowest section of the underlying ridge. A glacial rumple is similar to a bump on a beach towel that suggests there is a beach toy or pile of sand below it. In the case of the PIG, the ridge below the ice acts as an obstacle in the the way of the ice, leading to a raised section of the glacier directly above the point of contact between it and the ridge. This rumple is not observed after March 2005 in the satellite data, indicating that the ice after this date had thinned to such a degree that it either was no longer in contact with the ridge or was too light to produce a signature on the surface.
The evolving calving front of the Pine Island glacier (Source: J. E. Arndt et al.).
The loss of contact with the ridge was consequential. In the time before this separation when the PIG was in contact with the underwater ridge, the ridge acted as a "pinning point," holding it in place. However, after the ice had thinned considerably, the ridge no longer acted as a restraint on the PIG. As a result, in the time since there was evident contact between the two, four major calving events occurred.
The first of these events took place in 2007 when the PIG advanced and made contact with one of the subsurface downstream high points (A in figure 3). This impact placed what is known as "back stress" on the glacier upstream from the point of contact, causing rifts to form in the ice and ultimately leading to the calving event.
The process leading to the 2011 calving event was similar, the researchers state. In this instance, the second subsurface high point (B in figure 3) trapped a dense cluster of icebergs between it and the PIG ice shelf, placing back stress on the upstream ice leading to the calving event.
Before or after the 2007, 2011, and 2015 calving events and the PIG's position in relation to the underlying topography (Source: J. E. Arndt et al.).
The 2015 event was different: The ice-flow velocity of the northern edge of the PIG's ice shelf was nearly at a stand still, whereas the velocity of the ice shelf's central and southern edges increased. Further, the direction of the northern edge's ice flow shifted around 3 degrees clockwise, while the direction of the central and southern edges did not change (C in Figure 3). The reason? The northern edge of the ice-shelf was likely making slight contact with the submarine ridge, according to the authors.
As a result, the calving line that had not changed orientation in decades finally did change due to the loss of contact between the ice and its previous pinning points as well as from melting from below driven by warm ocean waters. The most recent calving event which occured in 2017 happened along the same orientation, which aligns with a new pinning point to the north near Evans Knoll, a small snow-covered hill that rises above sea level. The point near the knoll is likely one of the last anchors acting on the PIG, according to Arndt.
This new calving line and loss of contact with past pinning points could have grave implications for PIG. A 2017 study on the PIG and a number of other glaciers in the area found that changes to a glacier's ice shelf propagate upstream within just a few years. For the PIG, this likely means the glacier's flow will speed up and thinning will increase, leading to further melting.
The rift in the Pine Island Glacier that led to the 2017 calving event (Source: American Geophysical Union/Twitter).
It is unlikely the PIG's calving line will retreat much further over the next few years thanks to the new pinning point stabilizing the glacier near Evans Knoll. However, the authors note that there is continued thinning due to melting. This thinning has the potential to destabilize the glacier and unfortunately may have already started, according to Arndt. The large icebergs produced by the recent calving events have broken up into smaller icebergs much more quickly due to the thinner ice than events in the past, when they remained stable for longer. This ongoing breakup and subsequent melting of calved icebergs will contribute to already rising global sea-levels, threatening the millions of people who live along the coast. And unlike the ridges that held the front of the PIG for decades, many coastal communities will not have anything to hold back the sea.
Tags: calving, iceberg, Pine Island Bay, Pine Island Glacier, sea level, west antartica
Roundup: Martian Glaciers, Icebergs, and Ice-Diving Drones
Natalie Belew
New Study on Water Ice Cliffs Found on Mars
From Science: "Some locations on Mars are known to have water ice just below the surface, but how much has remained unclear… The ice sheets extend from just below the surface to a depth of 100 meters or more and appear to contain distinct layers, which could preserve a record of Mars' past climate. They might even be a useful source of water for future human exploration of the red planet."
Learn more about the Martian glaciers here.
Image of the Valles Marineris, a massive system of canyons on Mars (Source: Wikimedia Commons).
Over 1,000 Icebergs in Shipping Lanes in 2017
From The Maritime Executive: "The U.S. Coast Guard's International Ice Patrol said Thursday that 2017 was the fourth 'extreme' season in a row for icebergs in the North Atlantic, with 1,008 bergs tallied in the shipping lanes… The count was high due to powerful storms and to the retreat of Greenland's glaciers, which both contributed to more calving events."
Check out more information about the migrating icebergs here.
Image of the Eqi Sermia Glacier in Greenland. Retreating exit glaciers, like this one, have resulted in many of the icebergs entering shipping lanes in the North Atlantic (Source: loraineltai/Flickr).
Ice-diving Drones on Risky Mission at Antarctic Glacier
From Scientific American: "This month a fleet of seven underwater robots developed by the University of Washington (U.W.) in Seattle is heading into this world on a risky yearlong mission. Their goal: help forecast sea level rises by observing the melting process in this hidden topsy-turvy world, where layers of warm and cool water mix at the shelf."
Explore more about the dangers facing the drones and their mission here.
Pine Island Glacier Ice Shelf where the drones will be exploring glacier retreat (Source: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Flickr).
Tags: antarctica, greenland, ice patrol, ice-diving drones, iceberg, mars, Pine Island Glacier
Don't Step on the Crack at Petermann Glacier
Holly Davison
A satellite image of the crack in Petermann Glacier (Source: Stef Lhermitte/Twitter).
Cracks in ice shelves have appeared in disaster movies as ominous signs of global warming. One memorable instance occurs in The Day After Tomorrow when a paleoclimatologist is drilling ice cores at the Larsen Ice Shelf. The shelf breaks apart, leading to a series of cataclysmic climate events that disrupt the North Atlantic Ocean circulation. In July, a real- life crack appeared at Petermann Glacier in Greenland and has been growing steadily ever since. Two scientists, Andreas Muenchow and Keith Nicholls, are investigating the crack and hypothesize that it is caused by an increase in air and ocean temperatures.
An image of ice breaking off the Petermann Glacier in 2012 (Source: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Flickr).
Petermann Glacier connects the Greenland ice sheet to the Arctic Ocean at 81°N. It is approximately 43 miles long and nearly 10 miles wide. This is not the first crack or full break of ice at Petermann Glacier, according to a Washington Post article by Chris Mooney. Since 2010, entire slabs of the Petermann glacier have broken off.
In fact, during two occasions, the glacier lost an area of ice six times the size of Manhattan, according to Mooney. This loss raises enormous concern because the glacier serves to slow down the flow of ice downhill from the Greenland ice sheet into the ocean. For this reason, experts call Petermann a "floodgate." If the glacier that sits behind Petermann melts, it could raise sea levels by about a foot.
A close-up view of the new crack in the Petermann Glacier (Source: NASA Operation IceBridge/Facebook).
A recent paper published in the Geophysical Research Letters describes this type of calving at Petermann as common. The authors explain that it is usually assumed that ocean-ice dynamics are not involved. However, evidence from the Pine Island Glacier in West Antarctica found that ocean forcing can play a role in the melting.
Muenchow and Nicholls expect similar dynamics are occurring with Petermann Glacier. They have been on several expeditions to the glacier in order to measure ocean temperatures underneath the shelf itself. They want to see if rising ocean temperatures are also detrimental to the glacier and causing the melting from below.
If warm ocean water were melting the base of the glacier, it would only accelerate the destruction of Petermann. While it is extremely difficult to know definitively, they hypothesize Petermann's river and the channel beneath it are playing a role in the melting.
Data from 2015 and 2016 demonstrates that the temperatures of the warm Atlantic layer in the ocean have increased. With both air and ocean temperatures getting warmer, it is unclear how much longer Petermann Glacier will be intact, leaving frightening implications for the melting of the enormous glacier behind it. The crack in the Petermann Glacier and the possible ensuing events show that news from the ice can sometimes be just as scary as the scenes in disaster movies.
Tags: greenland, Greenland ice sheet, petermann glacier, Pine Island Glacier, The Day After Tomorrow
Photo Friday: The Glaciers of Antarctica
Ashley Chappo
Antarctica, the world's southernmost continent, is a hostile realm of ice and snow, fictionalized in our popular culture by the likes of H.P. Lovecraft and further romanticized by real-world scientific explorers eager to lay claim to the region.
Humans who venture to the southernmost pole do so by way of the Antarctic Peninsula, where they may visit Port Lockroy, site of a former British research station, or take in by cruise the vast terrain and wildlife of the region. Multiple countries also operate scientific camps and research programs in more remote locales of Antarctica where science teams study awe-inspiring glaciers and ice sheets throughout the year.
The largest ice sheet in the world, Antarctica is composed of around 98% continental ice and 2% barren rock. The ancient ice is incredibly thick, although it has been thinning due to the effects of climate change.
Cotton Glacier in Victoria Land (Source: Kelly Speelman/National Science Foundation).
Several nations have made overlapping claims to the Antarctic continent. The Antarctic Treaty, signed in Washington in 1959, attempts to maintain peace, by neither denying or providing recognition to these territorial claims. Today, a total of 53 countries have signed the treaty, including Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom, countries that have all made specific claims in the region. The United States and Russia, meanwhile, have maintained a "basis of claim" in the region. Scientists of these nations conduct field research from Antarctica bases to gather greater knowledge about climatic changes affecting the larger world.
The Transantarctic Mountains, glaciers and crevasse fields (Source: Corey Anthony/National Science Foundation).
Studying glaciers in Antarctica is of great impact due to the influence of melting glaciers on global sea levels. In addition, Antarctica plays a primary role in the world's climate. According to Antarcticglaciers.org, "Cold water is formed in Antarctica. Because freshwater ice at the surface freezes onto icebergs, this water is not only cold, it is salty. This cold, dense, salty water sinks to the sea floor, and drives the global ocean currents, being replaced with warmer surface waters from the equatorial regions."
Ice sheets in Antarctica are fragile and a number have recently collapsed, causing glacial thinning and threatening a rise in sea levels. Some scientists are concerned that the collapsing ice sheets may not be just a natural occurrence but one more closely linked to a warming planet.
A Tucker tractor has been drifted over at Pine Island Glacier (Source: August Allen/National Science Foundation).
The Pine Island Glacier is one of the "fastest receding glaciers in the Antarctic" and a major contributor to our rising sea levels, according to the U.S. Antarctic Program. Scientists have observed an ice shelf on the Pine Island Glacier that is rapidly thinning, pushing the glacier toward the sea.
A black and white aerial view of Pine Island Glacier Ice Shelf shows its heavily crevassed surface (Source: August Allen/National Science Foundation).
A team of scientists constructed a field camp in 2012-2013 to study the impacts of climate change on the glacier, also known as PIG.
The first tent erected at the main field camp on Pine Island Glacier (Source: August Allen/National Science Foundation).
The PIG field camp staff learned to contend with adverse weather conditions in the area and events like windstorms, a common occurrence in this remote and hostile part of the world.
Pine Island Glacier field camp staff attempt to excavate a mountain tent that collapsed during a wind storm (Source: August Allen/National Science Foundation).
Helicopters provide support to field projects such as the one conducted in 2012-2013 at the Pine Island Glacier.
A helicopter is unloaded from an LC-130 at the Pine Island Glacier field project (Source: August Allen/ National Science Foundation).
Elsewhere in Antarctica is the McMurdo Dry Valleys, the largest ice-free area in the region—approximately 15,000-square-kilometers— where science teams perform research projects on glaciers, lakes, and soils, funded by the National Science Foundation. The area is an extreme landscape, but it can also be a useful environment for scientists hoping to study the impacts of climate change.
A glacier pool in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica (Source: Peter Rejcek/National Science Foundation).
In Antarctica, teams of scientists can extract old ice flowing from the ends of glaciers in large quantities rather than by drilling directly into the ancient ice sheet. Around 350 kilograms of ice is then melted into a vacuum-sealed container to capture around 35 liters of ancient air. The ancient air was preserved by the ice for thousands of years. Scientists hope to research the ancient air and examine the impact of methane gas on past climate change, according to the U.S. Antarctic Program.
Scientist Vasilii Petrenko loads an ice melter at Taylor Glacier (Source: Vasilii Petrenko/National Science Foundation).
Tags: antarctica, Cotton Glacier, LC-130, McMurdo Dry Valley, National Science Foundation, Pine Island Glacier, Transantarctic Mountains, Tucker tractor


text:
From lockdown to university for St Benedict's School students
On A level results day, a number of St Benedict's year 13 students came in to school to share their thoughts about this odd, but crucial, stage in their lives.
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Some of St Benedict's Year 13 students and the Headmaster
13th August 2020 — On A level results day, a number of St Benedict's Year 13 students went in to school to share their thoughts about this odd, but crucial, stage in their lives. They, and most of their friends, had got places at their first-choice university and will be starting their undergraduate study in September. After six months of limbo, anxiety and uncertainty, everyone was relieved, and excited about the future – if a little shell-shocked from so much confusion.
Losing the final term of sixth form and living in lockdown had obviously not been easy: "I found the last term of school quite stressful, because it was all so unknown", said Rachel, who is going to St Andrew's University to study History. Keeping in touch with each other helped everyone to cope with the uncertainty, however: "It was nice to re-kindle with people through Zoom, like a social escape", said Isabella, who has a place at Leeds University to read PPE; "Although it made you appreciate how much nicer it is to talk to someone in person", added Jack, who is going to Oxford University to read Music.
With exams cancelled, St Benedict's offered a programme of pre-university study to all Year 13 students, with 1-1 tutorials and seminars covering a wide range of subjects. The aim was to help them prepare for their chosen undergraduate courses, and to broaden their knowledge. "It was good to learn about something different, unconnected with any syllabus" said Isabella. Several remarked that they had found the programme useful, as a means of maintaining academic focus, getting ahead with some pre-course reading and honing their research and essay-writing skills. "The teachers seemed to enjoy teaching the various courses", said Evan who is going to Nottingham University to read Geography.
Everyone agreed that taking mock results into account would not be a good way of adjudicating the award of grades as mock exams vary hugely from school to school and are not standardised: some schools have 'open book' mock exams, others hold them in the autumn term, and many had not had any at all (although St Benedict's students took mocks in January). The school is looking very closely at the grades awarded in certain subjects where they suspect there may have been some unfairness. If this proves to be the case, they will not hesitate to appeal these grades.
Now, everyone in Year 13 is looking forward to coming back to St Benedict's for their postponed leavers' lunch and leavers' ball at the end of the university term in mid-December. "We pay tribute to the resilience, positivity and adaptability they have shown in uncharted, very difficult circumstances, and wish them all the very best as they embark on the next stage of their lives", said the Headmaster, Andrew Johnson.
About St Benedict's School
St Benedict's is London's leading independent Catholic co-educational school, situated in leafy Ealing. The School is a successful blend of the traditional and the progressive; proud of its heritage but also forward thinking and innovative. Within a caring, happy community, our pupils thrive, benefiting from a seamless education which can begin at the age of 3 and continue through to the Sixth Form.
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This is the third article in our series on the Clean Transportation Revolution. We have previously covered the outlook for electric vehicles and for autonomous vehicles. We are now moving to the usage model, and business model, of those autonomous electric cars of the future.
Is this the end of cars as we know them? Reading tech blogs and think tanks' research, you could be forgiven for expecting that in a few years, the world will have effortlessly moved from human-driven combustion engine cars, owned by their drivers, to fleets of electric 'robocars' summoned by their users.


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Egypt's Minorities Gather For Iftar At Jewish Synagogue
Enas El Masry
Egyptian protesters march for greater protections for religious minorities, October 10, 2011. Photo: Omar Robert Hamilton / flickr
In celebration of the Coptic Apostles' Feast on July 12, the Egyptian Coalition of Minorities hosted its second annual iftar at the Sha'ar Hashamayim Synagogue in Downtown Cairo, commonly known as Adly Street Synagogue.
The iftar, which is the breaking of the fast at sunset during the Islamic Holy Month of Ramadan, was attended by representatives of Egypt's religious and ethnic minorities, who gathered to celebrate and advocate for the diversity and pluralism of the Egyptian society.
Magda Haroun (center), Jewish community leader in Egypt, accompanied by Amany al-Washahy (right), the head of Egypt's Amazigh community, and Magdy Soliman (left), founder of the Egyptian Coalition of Minorities . Credit: Ahmed Hamed/ Aswat Masriya
"I welcome you all to the synagogue, which is a house of God," said Magda Haroun, Jewish community leader in Egypt, adding that "despite our different beliefs, there is one God for all three religions."
"Today is a remarkable day in the history of Egypt," remarked Mina Thabet, member of the Egyptian Coalition of Minorities. "We're holding an iftar for Muslims, who constitute Egypt's majority, on the Apostles' Feast, a feast for Copts, who constitute Egypt's largest religious minority, inside the synagogue which belongs to Jews, Egypt's smallest and oldest religious minority."
Images from the Adly Synagogue, Downtown Cairo, during the annual iftar. Credit: Ahmed Hamed/ Aswat Masriya
Thabet also expressed that the diversity and plurality of ethnicities and religions have always added to the richness of the Egyptian culture. "We apologize to the Jewish community in Egypt for the current status we have reached," Thabet expressed. "We hoped we would never see the day when a minority group would face threats of seizing to exist [among us]."
Minority rights have for long been a pressing issue in Egypt, given the vast diversity of ethnicities and religions the country encompasses. But while minority groups take various natures and origins, the mention of minorities is more than often associated to Copts – Egyptian Christians.
Mosaic artwork at the Hanging Church in Cairo. Credit: Enas El Masry
Egypt's ever growing population – currently as big as 89 million, according to the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) – embraces a religious majority of approximately 90 percent of Sunni Muslims, according to the 2012 US Department of State Report. The biggest religious minority, according to the report, belongs to Christians, who amount to less than 10 percent of the population.
Although the majority of Christians in Egypt belong to the Coptic Orthodox Church, less than two percent of the population includes Armenian Apostolic, Catholic, Maronite, Orthodox and Anglican Churches, in addition to the Protestant community, and the followers of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Egyptian Alexandria Jewish girls during Bat Mitzva. Source: Wikimedia
However, other religions in Egypt have found their inclusion more problematic. Among these religious communities are Shiite Muslims, who are estimated at under one percent, and the Jewish community, which includes less than 70 people who are mostly senior citizens.
According to Article 64 of the Egyptian constitution, "right to religious belief is absolute." However, it carries on stating that the law grants the followers of Monotheistic religions the right to practicing their religions and building houses of worship.
Egyptian Baha'is celebrating Riḍván
Consequently, Baha'is, estimated at 1,500 to 2,000 in Egypt, and Jehovah's Witnesses, believed to amount to 1,000 to 1,500 in Egypt, have not been recognized by the Egyptian government.
"We have a problem in Egypt concerning the identification of the legal character of some minorities like the Baha'is, which influences them when holding some governmental posts and running for elections; this is considered a violation against the citizens," Thabet said during a 2013 seminar entitled Political Rights for Minorities in Egypt. "In addition, freedom of expression and opinion had been jeopardized recently through the cases of religions' contempt."
While almost all minorities share the same struggle for harmonious inclusion in society and fair legal and constitutional representation, religious minorities have often been the center of attention of media coverage, unlike ethnic minorities represented in Egypt's Nubians and Amazigh.
The Nubian civilization –known to be one of the world's oldest civilizations- has, since its early years, taken roots around the Nile in Upper (southern) Egypt and northern Sudan.
Nubian tourist village, Gharb Soheil, Aswan
Given the nature of the lands they reside in, Nubians have long taken up agriculture and fishing as their primary professions. It wasn't until early in the 20th century – when the low dam was built in Aswan, and later the high dam – that the Nubian displacement in Egypt started, uprooting the Nubian farmers and fishermen from of their lands, and forcing them into 'displacement villages' that are neither fit for agriculture nor fishing.
Having been scattered across the country, Nubians have been fighting, since their first displacement, for their right to return to their lush homeland, but it was a fight that barely reaped any success.
Mostafa, 24, is a Nubian whose family owns a guest house on Elephantine Island, Aswan. Credit: Enas El Masry
However, following the constitutional amendments which took place early in 2014, President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi pledged "to bring back the residents of [Egyptian] Nubia to their original areas and develop them within ten years."
"The right to return is our most important demand. When I used this term twenty-five years ago, I received many angry and hateful reactions," said Haggag Oddoul, a Nubian novelist. "Today, and as the notion of freedom has changed, I am starting to feel more acceptance of our demand, and I am pretty optimistic of where things will be going in the long run."
Meanwhile, another ethnic minority in Egypt has taken shelter in the Western Desert's Siwa Oasis. The Amazigh, or Berber, are believed to be some of the oldest civilizations of North Africa, with early mentions of the Amazigh dating back to as far as Ancient Egypt.
Amany al-Weshahy, the head of Egypt's Amazigh community and World Amazigh Congress chairperson's consultant
The estimated Amazigh population in Egypt is no more than 27,000 according to Amany al-Weshahy, the head of Egypt's Amazigh community and World Amazigh Congress chairperson's consultant. Much like many other minority groups, the Amazigh have been voicing similar concerns about legal and constitutional representation in Egypt.
In a statement to Egypt Source, al-Weshahy expressed her discomfort with defining Egypt as 'Arab' given that many ethnic and culture groups varying between Arabs, Pharaohs, Greeks, Turks and Nubians have blended and entwined giving birth to the country's current rich culture.
During the selection phase of Egypt's 50-person Constitutional Committee, responsible back in 2013 for amending the 2012 constitution, Al-Weshahy was greatly troubled by the state's negligence to include a representative of the Amazigh.
"You are few, why are you demanding seats in the committee of amending the constitution?" she narrated an Egyptian official once saying in reply to her request to include an Amazigh representative on board of the committee.
A Berber girl dressed in traditional attire at a Berber cultural festival in Tripoli, Libya. Credit: AFP/Getty Images
However, al-Weshahy found the "Cultural Elements" section which was newly added to the constitution a "promising" addition. "For us, those articles are significant achievements and they would be the basis of our next battle within the parliament, where we will push for new laws detailing our cultural and societal rights," she explained.
While calling for the inclusion of Egypt's minority groups in constitutional reforms may seem to have taken a rougher course than other groups, their plea remains quite similar to that of many Egyptians who felt alienated in their own homeland prior to 2011.
As many Egyptians continue to voice their demands for claiming their rights, so do Egypt's religious and ethnic minority groups.
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Related ItemsAmazighBaha'isBerberchristiansegyptEgyptian Coalition of MinoritiesEthnic MinorityfeaturedjewsMinority RightsNubiansReligious Minority
I am a free spirit who finds sanctuary in wandering. People are what I'm most passionate about, and I write to bring forth their stories. http://www.enaselmasry.com/


Behind every milestone is a story, a journey and an unwavering commitment to care for the health of our community.
In the period before 1900, there was not a hospital in the Van Wert community. Doctors practiced medicine in their offices which usually consisted of a small reception room with a combination of an examination and operating room. Babies were delivered in the mother's home.
June 27, 1905 : The Van Wert County Hospital Association was incorporated by a group of five women known as the Lady Board of Managers. Operated in the office building of Dr. R. J. Morgan on North Jefferson Street, there was still no hospital in Van Wert.
1911: Dr. C. Files conceived the idea of building an office and small hospital combination. The building was located on East Main Street opposite the post office. There were 18 small rooms with a small operating room. It was staffed mainly by practical nurses under the guidance of the Lady Board of Managers.
1916 - 1960 : Mr. George Marsh, a prominent citizen and philanthropist, was approached by concerned citizens regarding the community's need for a new hospital. March commissioned Dr. B. L. Good to make a study of the old, abandoned 4th ward school house to see if it was feasible to remodel into a hospital. The study was positive and Mr. Marsh furnished the money to purchase the property from the Van Wert City School District. He also arranged to purchase the White Mountain Creamery Building on the corner west of the school house, and had both buildings remodeled and converted into a 55-bed hospital and a nurse's home. This site, which is commonly known today as the Van Rue Building, is just opposite the Civic Theater building. At that time, the hospital nurses' home was furnished and given to the Van Wert County Hospital Association in 1915 and served as our hospital until 1960. The Lady Board of Managers relinquished their responsibility of operating the new hospital to a new Board organized in 1915 with Mr. Frank Leslie as President.
1960 : On April 28, 1958, ground breaking ceremonies were held for the site that is home to Van Wert County Hospital today. Original plans called for a 3-story building, however, it was felt that a 4th floor would eventually be required, and a 4th floor addition fund-raising drive began and funds were raised in the amount of $189,000. The new hospital was opened with 108 beds and 21 bassinets.
1962 : The hospital, at its current site, received the first accreditation at the from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
1968 : A permanent 5-bed ICU/CCU unit was opened on the 2nd floor.
1969 : Additions to the southwest corner of the hospital were approved with completion in 1970. The addition housed laboratory, physical therapy, and expanding the radiology department.
1976 : An addition to the northwest corner of the building for a new library and medical records department was completed.
1987 : The surgery area was enlarged.
1992 : Renovation and remodeling consisted of over 30,000 square feet and included expansion of administrative areas, medical records, medical library, switchboard areas, pharmacy, specialty clinic, cardiopulmonary services, nuclear medicine, physical therapy, cardiac rehab, and radiology.
1993 : A new heliport, meeting Federal Aviation and Administration guidelines, opened behind the emergency department.
1995 : Van Wert County Hospital became a part of the West Central Ohio Hospital Consortium, which owns and operates two mobile MRI units for use among its participating hospitals, and originally linked 4 hospitals together for collaborative services. This alliance has now grown to 6 hospitals.
1995 : The Medical Arts Building, adjacent to the hospital, was purchased for future development. The building added 80,000 square feet for growth.
1995 : Van Wert County Hospital became a founding member of the West Central Ohio Regional Healthcare Alliance, Ltd. (WCORHA), a network of community hospital working together to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of healthcare services.
1997 : The hospital completed a $1.7 million remodeling of the obstetrics floor for the development of 6 labor/delivery/recovery/post-partum rooms.
1998 : An expansion project involving the Medical Arts Building included the relocation of physical therapy facilities, the establishment of a wellness/rehabilitation center, and relocation of existing laboratory and x-ray services at the present site.
2000 : The Ambulatory Surgery Center located in the Van Wert Health Center opened. The Sarah Jane Living Center for Alzheimer's Care opened in Delphos, Ohio. Sarah Jane is a joint venture between VWCH and Vancrest Ltd.
2001 : New Vision Medical Laboratories, a joint venture between VWCH and SRMC, was established.
2002 : VWCH was recognized by Solutient as a 100 Top Hospital.
2005 : VWCH celebrated 100 years of caring.
2010 : The Emergency Services Department expansion project was completed. This 12,000 square-foot, 6.8 million dollar expansion added 11 private emergency rooms, a secluded triage area and a covered entrance. The Emergency Services Department is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and staffed by board certified physicians. The staff treats emergencies ranging from minor to major trauma. Since opening, the Emergency Services Department has cared for nearly 38,000 patients.


More than 25 representatives of civil society organisations from Tanintharyi and Sagaing regions, Yangon and Kachin State gathered in Yangon from 11 to 13 June to develop a coalition of trainers who will raise awareness on FLEGT among civil society organisations and community-based organisations as a first step towards civil society engagement in a VPA process.
Participants received an overview of FLEGT and how addressing illegal logging through a VPA process can support better governance and policy reforms.
During the training, participants identified and discussed forest governance challenges affecting all stakeholders involved in the forest sector, including government, the private sector, civil society organisations and armed ethnic groups. They also discussed the interests and concerns of civil society organisations in their localities.
Participants drafted follow-up activities to encourage discussions among civil society groups and communities in their localities that can in turn inform future national consultations within a VPA process.
The Myanmar professional development group Economically Progressive Ecosystem Development (Ecodev) organised the training with technical input from EIA and the FLEGT Facility. EcoDev plans to support further activities that build the capacities of stakeholder organisations to engage on FLEGT and to support establishing structures and processes for civil society engagement.


This set of 2 large floor vases will add a little rustic charm to your porch or living room! The large vase measures 24" x 6 and the smaller one measures 18" x 6". These vases are made form reclaimed wood that has been sanded and stained dark walnut. The edges are sanded for a more rustic-distressed look. Looks great with large stems or branches!


Conventional diaphragm type pilot operated globe valves often used for pressure control, force the media to keep changing direction while passing through the valve, contributing to pressure losses and limiting the maximum achievable flow rate.
This convoluted path from the inlet, up to the diaphragm, over the valve seat, down and round the corner to reach the outlet is seen in valves all over the world and while common, isn�t always the best solution. These valves usually exhibit an external pilot regulator with exposed copper or stainless impulse lines to form the control circuit of the valve. Being exposed, these lines and pilot components take up valuable space, add complication and reduce potential reliability through increased risk of damage.
In an axial valve, the flow follows a radial annulus around the axial seat and spring case, passing straight through the valve with very little deviation, maximising velocity and reducing pressure loss. Compared to a globe valve, the straight through flow path results in reduced downstream turbulence, a higher flow for a given line size and increased reliability as there is no diaphragm to tear or rupture. Installation is simplified through the reduced envelope dimensions and weight to enable fitting in tighter spaces with less emphasis on pipe and valve support methods.
The Z-Tide range of axial control valves offer pressure reducing, pressure sustaining, pressure relief, level control and solenoid operation from a single main valve design by means of subbase mounted pilot regulators. This removes the complicated external pipework often seen on diaphragm type valves, reducing the volume needed for installation and simplifying maintenance. Changing the operation of a valve from pressure reducing to pressure sustaining for example, is a simple matter of removing the pilot regulator and exchanging it for a sustaining regulator. The main valve doesn�t change and there is no external piping to alter.
These valves are available in cast iron, ductile iron, bronze and stainless steel construction with flanges PN16 or ANSI 150 from 2˝ to 12˝ as standard and larger on request. Special variants include a UL listed pressure reducing valve rated to 300psi in sizes from 3 to 8˝ for fire suppression systems and WRAS certified pressure reducing valves in stainless steel from DN 50 to DN150 PN16 for potable water duty. These axial valves are complemented by WRAS approved direct operated pressure reducing valves, again in stainless steel, from �˝ to 2˝BSP and DN15 to DN150 PN16.


The pay-TV landscape in the US has gone through dramatic changes in the past several years. Traditional pay-TV services, via cable, satellite or telco operators, face a future where consumers have a wide variety of options for video content combined with direct competition from an array of online pay-TV service providers. These online providers provide a subset of channels, targeting the entertainment content subscribers want to watch, typically at much lower prices. As a result, pay-TV subscription behaviors for traditional and online services have significantly changed.
Recent research from Parks Associates shows that among all pay-TV households, subscribers are more likely to downgrade their existing service than switch to a new service, upgrade their existing service, or subscribe to a service for the first time. When splitting out pay-TV households into traditional and online subscribers, dynamic patterns among the online group emerge. More than one in five online pay-TV households—which represent 12% of all broadband households—have switched providers in the past year. More than one in ten have subscribed to a service for the first time, and nearly one in ten have re-subscribed to a service after a year or more without a subscription.
Established and emerging players alike are attempting to conquer subscriber churn and service downgrades head-on by developing or reconfiguring their online offerings. Some traditional pay-TV operators are countering this threat to their share and the dynamic subscription patterns of their viewers by offering online pay-TV services of their own. Dish Network's Sling TV, Charter's Spectrum Choice, and Comcast's Xfiniti Instant TV are just a handful of examples where legacy providers are attempting to compete for elusive TV subscribers who have downgraded their traditional service, canceled service, or have never subscribed to traditional pay-TV in the first place.
Recent developments demonstrate the dynamic nature of the online pay-TV space. For example, AT&T just announced sweeping changes to its online pay-TV offering DIRECTV Now. The pricing and content changes are meant to increase profitability by pushing up monthly subscriber fees and streamlining bundles to reduce carriage costs, while also increasing the presence of recently-acquired Time Warner assets such as HBO. Another example is Disney, now majority owner of Hulu as a result of its just-completed acquisition of 21st Century Fox. This sale puts Disney in a very unique position in the online pay-TV ecosystem—the company is a content partner to many online pay-TV providers, as well as a direct competitor to those same providers with its own Hulu with Live TV service.
As the dynamic behaviors of online pay-TV subscribers demonstrate, both established and emerging players in this space will be at risk to lose subscribers to other services at an accelerated rate if their viewer's needs are not met. On an ongoing basis, providers must re-evaluate and re-tool their online pay-TV offerings to reduce subscriber churn and stay relevant in an ever-increasingly competitive and fragmented market.
For a deeper look at traditional and online pay-TV, TV antenna adoption, and video device ownership and usage, please check out Parks Associates' latest 360 View: Entertainment Services in the US.