Pray that the vision of Hands at Work will echo through churches in Africa and around the world. Ask God to use you to spread our message to believers around you. Ask Him to lead us in helping the church in Africa care for orphans, united with the church outside Africa.


Garage Door Operators is a leading supplier of premium commercial products in Beckley, WV, Charleston, WV, Huntington, WV, and the surrounding areas. We specialize in high-quality overhead coiling & sectional doors, garage door openers, high speed doors, operable walls & dock equipment for commercial customers in every industry. Since 1973, we have been a trusted source for dependable sales, installation & service.
At GDO, we offer a wide range of products & services for commercial, industrial & institutional clients. Every job is skillfully managed & professionally installed so that you always get a high-performance solution for your application. Whether you are interested in high-speed doors, operable walls, dock equipment, sectional overhead or rolling service doors, we can supply you with the highest quality products & installation available.


Rockmine : Rock Mall: Read All About It!
These posters were used to advertise newspapers carrying major rock and pop related stories. They were obtained from newsagents willing to keep them for me and collected a day or two after the story had run.
The original collection was much larger but most were sold when I was doing record fairs in the late 1980s and early 1990s. They look great framed!
All prices quoted include UK first class postage. Please Note: For postage, the posters will be sent folded in card backed envelopes.


"Alexa, increase the temperature in the living room"
Thanks to the new Amazon Alexa skill from Netatmo, your Amazon Echo can help control the heating of the house. All you need to do is ask Alexa to change the temperature in any room equipped with Netatmo Valves "Alexa, set the bathroom temperature to 23 degrees", increase and decrease it "Alexa, increase the living room temperature" and even ask what the temperature of the house is "Alexa, what is the temperature in the baby's room?". By simply asking Alexa, you can improve your comfort at home without lifting a finger.
What can I use the Netatmo Smart Valve for?
Control your radiator from your phone or tablet with this Wi-Fi Thermostatic Radiator Valve. The wireless TRV attaches directly to your radiator, then connects to your existing Wi-Fi router via the Netatmo thermostat (sold separately). The TRV controls a radiator directly, allowing you to set different temperatures in different room no matter where you are. Set the TRV to manual, automatic or off to monitor the temperature and adjust the heat of your radiator when you want it. This way, you can save money by only heating your house when and where you want.
How does the TRV work?
The TRV works off two AA batteries, so you can place it anywhere without having to worry about power. Simply replace the existing TRVs and screw on the radiator with the Netatmo TRV. There are five adapters for different fixings to accommodate a wide range of radiators. With this system, you can expand and control your entire house's heating from the comfort of your phone. You can even check the temperature history in each room.
How can I control my TRV?
Connect to your thermostat and TRV through the Netatmo App and change your heating wherever you are. The app is available for Android and iOS. Monitor your home temperature wherever you are and record for long term tracking. You can also see how much energy you consume with easy to follow graphs.


text:
Updated by Will Coley on Nov 25, 2016
Will Coley
7 items 1 followers 0 votes 24 views
Audio Editing Programs
Listly by Will Coley
Here's a list of programs that many radio and podcast producers use.
Download Adobe Audition CC audio recording and editing software when you get started with Adobe Creative Cloud. Start your free trial today.
Audacity is available for Windows®, Mac®, GNU/Linux® and other operating systems. Check our feature list, wiki and forum.
GarageBand for Mac
GarageBand for Mac has everything you need to learn, play, record, mix, and share great-sounding music, even if you've never played a note.
It's all about the Story! Intuitive audio editing for storytellers. Hindenburg Journalist lets you concentrate on your story while we ensure audio quality.
Pro Tools redefined the music, film, and TV industry, providing everything you need to compose, record, edit, and mix music and audio.
REAPER is a complete digital audio production application for Windows and OS X, offering a full multitrack audio and MIDI recording, editing, processing, mixing and mastering toolset.
Wavepad
Sound editing software to edit music, voice, wav, mp3 or other audio files. Free program for PC or Mac. This audio editor has all the audio effects and features a professional sound engineer could need to record and edit music, voice and other audio recordings.
aquifermedia.com
Will Coley is an independent radio producer, social media strategist, trainer and videographer based in Queens, NY. His radio stories have been broadcast on NPR News, 99% Invisible, the BBC, KCRW's Unfictional, Transom.org and Georgia Public Broadcasting among others. Will also produces digital storytelling and designs online strategy for nonprofit organizations working for stronger communities.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Chris Edser
2020 SEASON REVEALED
From a brand new work about the creation of the universe, to the 10th anniversary return of a fan favourite, 2020 will see more than 270 live theatre performances across 48 cities and towns worldwide - our biggest year yet!!
Chris Edser currently lives and draws in Adelaide, Australia. He has worked in a diverse range of areas – from theatre to sports, classical music to novelty rock bands, wine to beer – so you'll probably find something to talk to him about. Chris animates characters, carves things out of wood, was once a member…
Give the gift of imagination. Donate to Windmill and help support the artistic ambition and vision of our company.
subscribe to windmill e-news
Windmill updates delivered straight into your inbox. Find out what's on and get a glimpse behind the scenes.
Windmill Pictures
© 2020 Windmill Theatre Co
Presenter Portal login
Interested in presenting? Click here
Responsive, lightweight, fast, synchronized with CSS animations, fully customizable modal window plugin with declarative configuration and hash tracking.


Cum3xplosion . chanellhot. ViolettMoon. AmelyBlond.
KingWolfgirldulcexxREBEKKImalemodel213 .NiceBarryBbLoveDrugiesSexyHornyDevilsHotMILFLili .LucianaStarKARENHOTHOTSabrinaSweetsRussianBlondyGrl .KatrianeMeganSummersSERGIOSAENZSHMiniPetiteAlice .LalaLaraPENNHELOPELukasAdamsJanettLive .PamelaKwanaDellvistheMistressxxxboypretty .SexyTightPusssyLoveDrugiesPierreimperiatom001 .kinkyrochellexx2ClareFoxthormuscle1MeganSummers .FREAKYLIBRAJessica96AmelyBlondKatriane .SabrinaSweetsFREAKYLIBRANoelLuckyDreamyMyra .BellaAndDanteHotMILFLiliLucianaStarandrogenxxx .
HotMILFLiliKonstindaKatrianeLalaLara .boytoyWinCaliforniaToLuvMiniPetiteAlicethormuscle1 .YouAndNolanLucianaStar2BOYSPORN4UXBellaAndDante .thormuscle1MlleParisOzzyTwinkboypretty .FreshBuddyKristalWellssValerieFireBBSexyTightPusssy .BellaAndDanteMorena90KatrianeKaprron .AbellaSinsboyprettySexyTightPusssyBIGhotCUMfeeder .DreamyMyralihaiBellaAndDanteAsamiSun .Brunettesex22AshleySmilesJanettLiveHotMILFLili .BarbaraKissUCaliforniaToLuvSERGIOSAENZSHRjKing .KaprronLadySpecialLoveDrugiesNiceCarlie .


text:
USA Gymnastics Region III Trampoline and Tumbling Championships
Dates: May 4, 2023 - May 7, 2023
Recurrence: Recurring daily
Location: Fort Worth Convention Center
Address: 1201 Houston Street, Fort Worth, TX 76102-6432
USA Gymnastics Region III Trampoline and Tumbling Championships comes to Fort Worth, TX May 4-7, 2023.


Lovebox 2006. We went on a whim that year because the sun was bright and temperature blazing. We almost turned back when told it was £40 to get in on the door (ah the good old days), however decided to stump up the cash after travelling all the way across London. Best £40 I spent all year!
The day was fantastic and after listening to Cash Money deliver an astonishing set we wondered back to main stage just as Jamiroquai finished his set with Deeper Underground. Everytime I hear it, I am taken back to Lovebox that year.
Posted in UncategorizedTagged 2006, 30 Day Song Challenge, Deeper Underground, festival, Jamiroquai, Lovebox, Music, summerBookmark the permalink.


spring | Katie Simpson Spain (say it again).
Another shipwreck in a bottle. Tanker tanking, in a beer bottle in the woods.
Sooo, I have started working on the salad the farm again! I'm excited. It's really fun. I love being out in the country and taking care of those plants. I've got the growing things itch now too. So I started a small garden in the teeny space of my apartment stoop.
And I started a tiny succulent garden in a pretty white glass dish I got at a rummage sale. I've been walking around the neighborhood a lot lately and I pinched one or two succulents from overgrown medians and sidewalk cracks and such. I did this with some pretty moss too, a gift for someone (top secret).
And today I got strawberry plants, on sale, at a grocery store. I hope they grow!
I hope they all grow! I'm anxious for the basil to sprout. It's not new seed, so it might not work. It's been a week, so it should be doing it any time now.
That's my news. I'm getting over a cold, but haven't been called in to sub this week anyhow, so it's cool. I've been laying low. And tomorrow I have a small surgery to get an almost-cancer on my arm removed. I'm kind of nervous. And I won't be able to move my arm enough for a couple of weeks (stitches above my deltoid), which makes me even more nervous. I am sure I'll be fine. But I like to do things, it'll be hard for me to sit still.
I'm doing a commission, which I will work on in my time off. Heck, I'll have the use of one arm at least. And I will post photos of my progress on here. I've got the surface built and prepped, so I'll get to do the fun part soon! Painting! Well, I guess I like all of the parts. But I truly like the painting part most.
Ok, I'm going to go eat some strawberries and do some laundry. And in case you wanted to see: here are some photos of my little garden.
Here are 3 poems I found in looking for stuff to talk to kids about. Bugs are one of my favorite topics… so I found these haiku by Matsuo Basho, from Japan in the 1600s .


text:
Review: Joey Clarkson Set To Release The Heartfelt New Single "December" & Open's Submissions For Official Music Video!
Candian-born country singer-songwriter Joey Clarkson has been creating a substantial influence within the music scene with her soothing-angelic vocals & passionately-heartfelt lyrical creativity, which has gained the attention of fans from across the globe.
During the last year, Joey has released a variety of emotional tracks that have reached elevated heights throughout several charts & attracted exceptional praise from fans & critics alike.
Joey now looks set to capture the hearts of listeners once again with the forthcoming heartwarming single "December" that will be released on the 11th December.
This upcoming release was inspired by the travel restrictions caused throughout the COVID-19 pandemic & pays tribute to an alternate reality in which everyone can travel home for the holidays.
Along with the forthcoming single, Joey is also looking for fans to get involved in the official video by inviting them to film short videos of themselves holding written messages for their loved ones who they would be visiting this December if it wasn't for the pandemic. You can find out more about submitting a video by clicking here.
Speaking about her upcoming single release, Joey said: "'December' was written the day I came to terms with the fact that I would be unable to see my family this year, and that I would be unable to attend one of my best friend's weddings. Rather than writing about this heartbreaking reality, I decided to approach this song from the perspective of what it would feel like if I were able to come home for the holidays."
"We want to use videos of our friends, family, and listeners, holding up clearly written signs to their loved ones. We want this song, and it's music video, to belong to everyone, not just us."
Joey continued, "Since putting a call out for music video submissions, I have had people reach out from countries across the world; Austria, Canada, Switzerland, Slovenia, The Philippines, the USA and UK, to name a few. I am so excited to put everyone's messages together, and to release what I'm sure is going to be an incredibly poignant and moving music video".
The forthcoming single features a comforting country backing track that wonderfully echoes the raw-sincerity behind the lyrical aspect of this beautifully moving musical piece.
Joey delivers a passionately moving performance that highlights the natural undertone behind her characteristically soulful vocals & showcases the passionate nature behind this incredible upcoming release.
Until the release, you can find Joey's previous releases on Spotify below.
Website: https://www.joeyclarkson.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoeyClarksonMusic
Twitter: https://www.youtube.com/c/JoeyClarksonMusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/JoeyClarksonMusic/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JoeyClarksonMusic
Tags: Country Music music blog Music review Review single review
Previous Entry Interview: Ebony Buckle Discusses The Release Of Her Latest Single "You're Loved"!
Next Entry Interview: Frankie Davies Discusses The Release Of Her Upcoming Single "If I Didn't Love You"!


text:
Anbruch steht für:

 eine zeitliche Definition im Sinne von Beginn, zum Beispiel eines Zeitalters oder einer Tageszeit (Tagesanbruch)
 das erstmalige Öffnen eines befüllten und verschlossenen Behältnisses (etwa mit Lebensmitteln)
 die im Bergbau übliche Bezeichnung der Stelle, an der eine Lagerstätte angetroffen wird, speziell auch einen bloßgelegten Erzgang
 morsch gewordenes und nicht mehr beilfestes Holz, siehe Anbruch (Forstwirtschaft)
 den Kurztitel einer österreichischen Musikzeitschrift, siehe Musikblätter des Anbruch
 eine partielle Knochenfraktur

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Tag: val d'aran by utmb
Published on July 18, 2021 July 18, 2021 by runwithdai2 Comments
The Torn dera Val D'Aran by UTMB, aka the 'VDA'. This was the first edition of this event that has been franchised under the prestigious UTMB banner. The VDA being one of a handful of events as part of the weekend. A 162km (100 mile) circular route around the mountainous Val D'Aran region in the Pyrenees.
Our journey began back in the summer of 2020 when the first edition was postponed to 2021 and they reopened registrations. Paul was the mastermind once more and it took very little to persuade myself and Darryl to sign up too. Later on Paul C also signed up, but 2020 wasn't finished with us just yet…. I'm not sure how many flights were cancelled, how much additional money we spent nor how many times the travel rules and restrictions changed in the weeks leading up to the race, but I do know it led to many, many sleepless nights spent stressing over deliveries, tests and forms. Paul C had to drop out the week before and I was left guessing until I woke up just 5 hours before the flight was due to take off. Until this point I still hadn't received the negative test that was now required to enter Spain and I was prepared to go to the airport and hope for the best with numerous, less than ideal, alternative travel plans. For those who know me well, you know this isn't how I like to roll. I like to deal with greater certainty. I thrive in a process and I struggle when I can't control aspects of that process.
The Elevation profile for the VDA
Arriving at the airport with all my barcodes and forms, I already felt like a winner. Now, with a little over 30 hours to go to the race start, I could finally start thinking about the race itself… I wasn't alone though. We went as threesome and we planned to run together. We are all now experienced ultra runners. We know each other well. We also knew and recognised that we are getting into some big league running with this event. 100 miles. 10,600 m of elevation. The Spanish mountains. It was an ultra that would push each of us beyond our comfort zone and redefine our boundaries once more.
It's been a while since I'd run fuelled by a little fear. I think it is a good thing. It's needed. We arrived not knowing how we'd cope. We were realistic that it will take us very close to the 48 hour cut off mark. We were accepting that it is going to hurt a lot and hurt in new ways we'd not yet experienced. But, mentally we were focused. We broadly knew what we'd face and why we were there and that, together we were stronger. Together we stood a chance of getting to the finish line.
Lining up on the start line along the main street in Viehla, the pre race jitters kicked in a little. This wasn't like any other race in the last two years. This was a mass start, just shy of 1,000 runners bunching together at 18:00 trying to remain in the shade as 'Conquest of Paradise' (The song adopted as the UTMB signature theme) blasted out of the speakers. The MC was gearing up the crowd and initiating a final countdown. It's hard not to feel special in a moment like this. Before we knew it the countdown was over and we were shuffling along through the town, about to begin the first of many climbs.
I cannot recount two whole days of trail running. It would take me longer to write that much never mind that I'm sure none of us have the time to read a two day long recap. I do broadly remember the sections though, the feelings and emotions and I can stitch together the adventure with what I can remember…
First Summit
Snakes of runners
The first 20km or so was an absolute delightful. For the first few hours we had the sun with us, as we took in some beautiful climbs between Pomarola and Geles which presented us with incredible views and a mesmerising sunset behind the mountains from Montpius. All along this section we were like children playing. We had complete freedom. We were so pleased to be where we wanted to be, to be in the moment that we were laughing and joking non stop. We didn't contain it to ourselves either but extended it to others, whether they liked it or not. Every time a runner went passed us, we made 'fast car' noises. Vrroooom. Every single time. It went down like a led balloon except for one guy who stopped in a fit of laughter and offered a fist bump. We liked him. We never saw him again though.
Somewhere along the first climb there was a point where we all came to an abrupt stop. Runners waiting impatiently as the wide fire track converged to a single track path. We were at a physical standstill for a good five minutes. Those behind us would have waited longer. Oddly, after this, the etiquette improved and runners no longer tried to squeeze past each other and gain places along the narrow tracks.
Runners in the distance
layers of mountains
Sea of clouds
Sunset from Montpius
As darkness settled in, we arrived at an aid station (Geles) which was manic. Runners were everywhere, grabbing what food and drink they could, layering up, shuffling through. There were chocolate spread sandwiches available which we snapped up and ate as we too started adding layers. Now the Sun's heat had been replaced with the chilling mountain wind, a few moments break was enough for us to get very cold very quickly.
The next section saw us run towards the French border and soon after Antiga de Lin we crossed the wobbly suspension bridge deep in the night and began one of the biggest climbs of the course. The darkness here was our friend as it hid from our view the absolute monster of a climb. It was exhausting. The darkness masked the beauty but illuminated the 'snake' or runners by their head torches lighting up the trail. Every turn we took exposed more of the snake. It appeared to reach to the stars. One thing was clear, it was going to be a while to climb to the summit of Cap dera Picada (2400m).
Suspension bridge
The snake of runners was like a continuous train. Each runner was a carriage being dragged along by the momentum. Pulled from the front and pushed from the back. One would step to the side of the trail to break. The train would form up and fill the gap. Other times as runners re-entered the train it would adjust to accommodate them. It was an ongoing process. Every time I raised my gaze from the floor I'd see runners stepping aside or re-joining the train. We did it ourselves too, many times. At one point we stepped aside and sat down. We turned off our head torches and just sat there in the darkness. Above us was the Milky Way was visible, crystal clear. A beautiful sight worth stopping and taking in!
Eventually the trail became rockier as we approached the top. Above us runner silhouettes were all along the ridgeline, lit up by the Moon behind them. The Moon reflecting the Sun's light and guiding us, showing us the way to go. Along the top the trails continued to undulate. The first of our collective low points hit us somewhere here during the night as Paul pulled up and vomited pretty severely. After this there was no stopping him and we struggled to hold pace and keep up with him. He'd struggled for a few hours during the night and was now emerging from his inner battle with the breaking of the new day.
We arrived at another aid station (Coth de Baretja) located on a long down hill section. We took some hot broth to warm us up and sat outside the tent in the chill. Already vans were collecting runners who were dropping out. The climb had claimed some victims. We were about 45km in at this point. We knew the next time we'd stop would be at the 55km mark. So off we went, heading into the day break as the morning Sun started to break through the darkness of the night before. Experiencing a day break on a trail run is an amazing and powerful experience. The energy it brings is difficult to describe. Your tiredness gives way with a freshness that only the Sun's rays can provide. We were moving freely again and soon found ourselves approaching the aid station in the school at Bossost.
This was a significant milestone. The 55km mark. It sounds insignificant but, besides being the first of three aid stations with hot food and about a third of the race, it meant we'd now covered over 4,000m of elevation gain. Over 55km that is quite a lumpy run! The rest of the 6,000m was more spread out with a lot more downhill to cover. Before the race we'd aimed to get to this point without being completely broken. If we could do that, we knew we stood a good chance of getting through to the end. As we sat there, gathering our thoughts, we were hustled by a volunteer telling us that we had an hour until the cut off at 08:45. We knew this and weren't bothered. We knew we were capable of completing the race and were currently way ahead of schedule with a projected finish around 40 hours. But, suddenly, we felt a little on edge. We were now aware of how tight these cut offs actually were. It felt crazy that with so much time in the bank we were being hurried at just the fifth aid station and first thing in the morning. It was now very apparent to us that a lot of runners would not be making this cut off!
After Bossost came Canejan and from there Sant Joan de Toran. Both of these were fairly short sections and didn't include too much climbing. One of them was a 6km stretch and I remember thinking it was one of the hardest 6km I'd ever done. There was an initial part that ran along side some industrial factories and then the paths took us through some forest sections along a cycle/adventure track next to the main road. I remember signs for UTMB all long here. Then we began to climb, crossing over a dam and a massive waterfall. Each section had maybe 400m of climbing, but it felt like so much more. I was tired!
Being tired now was not a good thing. As we approached midday, with the sun getting hotter and hotter, we embarked on the next huge climb towards Tuc des Crabes (2,400m). Here we'd climb 1,500m through a valley. We started off through some lush green forests before the path opened up in the valley floor. We stopped at a river where some runners were completely submerging themselves. Paul and Darryl filled up some fresh water, I stuck with the 2 litres of Tailwind I'd prepared at the last aid station.
Beginning the climb to Tuc des Crabes
We met an Australian, Matt, and chatted with him as we climbed. Like the runners around us, we'd break frequent and often, sitting in the shallows of shade on the mountain paths. Often you'd stop when there was a chance as runners littered the path seeking out the shade spots. By now we were seeing familiar faces that we'd been leapfrogging with throughout the night (and would continue to do so with until the finish!). Stephen another Brit, David from Scotland and two Spanish guys who we could barely communicate with other than make fast car noises at – like the guy early on, they saw the funny side in it. We'd clearly done it to them when they'd passed us and sometime later they repaid the favour to us. It was now a running joke with them and we loved it. Every opportunity the five of us would 'Vroooom' each other and laugh.
The climb was exhausting. It was the midday heat. It sapped our energy. The higher we climbed though, the better the views became. After the climb came a descent into Pas Estret. By now our mood had changed dramatically. All three of us were now feeling the toils of the climb. We were hot, tired, thirsty and hungry. the terrain over the last 50km had been very rocky and our legs and feet were feeling the blunt of it. We were looking forward to a break at the aid station and were disappointed when we reached it. As he shuffled in, we saw four vans fill with runners who were dropping out. Inside the tent, runners were laying everywhere. It was struggle to reach the food as runners rested in the shade under the tables. The food was sparse with the aid station having run out of many things and the rest was simmering in the sun. Sandwiches were dry and stale, chocolate was melted in the trays and the water was warm. Luckily I'd been fuelling well so far and still had plenty of food on me that I'd sourced from Xmiles before the trip. Some more Stroop Waffles and some Kendal Mint Cake sorted me out as we stopped to rest. We then had to force ourselves to leave knowing we had another climb to do.
Up to the Iron Mines
We knew we had to keep going. We also knew that, after the next climb we'd be treated to the views of the old Iron Mines. We'd read about and seen glimpses of these in various YouTube videos we'd watched to recce the route from afar. When we reached them, they didn't disappoint. First we ran through some tunnels on the edge of the mountain with the old cart tracks still in place. Through the tunnel, panoramic views of Lac de Montoliu in the valley floor greeted us. Further up the old mining structures, dilapidated and left in ruins. My mind whirled wondering all the scenarios for how they were built this high up in the mountains in such a remote area. Before descending we encountered a group of guys with a trumpet. They played a tune for each runner and cheered us all on. We loved it. We sat with them for a bit and cheered along with them. They entertained our requests and even played the UTMB theme for us when Paul emerged on the summit. This section of the route was very rocky but it was an iconic section for sure. The rocky trails back down were difficult to run on and jabbed at my feet as we covered the 1,000m decline into the next aid station.
Lac de Montoliu
Before long, night was closing in once more and I powered on ahead of the others knowing our drop bags at 104km were waiting for us. To my horror, when I arrived I was told we were only at 98km and the drop bags were at the next aid station. This was Montgarri, not Beret, I was mortified. Paul and Darryl asked the same when they arrived behind me. The only good news was that it was 6km to Beret and it only had 200m of incline and 40m descent to cover. We layered up again and pushed on. A quick pose for a photograph we trekked on into the forests.
Evening setting
After the disappointment of Montgarri
We continued on and reached Beret as the night descended into darkness. We made a joint call to try and get some sleep. A micro sleep. We had a long way to go and another full night to endure. We knew there were some 'technical' (let's be honest, by now we'd realised that the majority of the trail was very technical!) later on. We gave ourselves an hour at the checkpoint. Eat, freshen up and use whatever time we could to sleep. Darryl found a deckchair, Paul laid out on the floor and I placed my head on a table. None of us really caught any sleep, but I'm sure the rest and moment to close our eyes helped more than we realised.
As we headed back out, still maybe an hour ahead of the cut off times, it was howling. Since we'd stopped, the wind had picked up and the temperature had dropped rapidly. As we walked on, we were descending again when we were joined by Rodrigo. A Portuguese gent living in Cambridge. He'd come alone and, like us, had never experienced running through two consecutive nights without sleep of running. He asked if he could stick with us to ensure he was safe and didn't fall asleep in the night. We obliged and acknowledged we weren't moving that quickly anymore but he was happy to stick with us.
I was hitting a lull here and was very happy in my own little bubble just head down and plodding onwards. My feet and legs had been hurting for a long time and I was really feeling them now. The 700m descent into the villages of Unha and then Salardu were slow and painful for me and I didn't enjoy the cobbled streets or rocky trails along the river. Each turn in the villages seemed frustratingly familiar even though we'd not be here before. In the depth of the night, Paul was sick once more. Each of us were battling in our own ways and all we could do was grind away at the terrain in front of us.
The cut offs were once again looming and were now very much at the front of our minds. We knew we'd be fine and that the cut offs would be more lenient later in the race. But, for now, we were shuffling to ensure we made it. We left Salardu about 45 mins ahead of the cut off and left with a purpose. The next aid station was at Banhs de Tredos with a cut off at 05:00. It was 12km away with a whopping 800m climb (the fifth biggest single climb of the race). We were so confident that if we made it there in time, we'd no longer have to look over our shoulders at the cut offs.
We had a quick turn around at the aid station and formed a plan to put some speed in over the next 12km. We kept it simple and simply set out to once more beat the next cut off and hopefully bank a little time along the way to attempt another sleep. So we did. We left with a brisk pace. Powering up the roads before tackling the 800m climb through the dense forest. We worked as a team. Sticking together and clearing a path up passed other runners. We took breaks to rest and fuel every 200m. Ticking them off. Hard and fast. We were up the 800m climb in what felt like no time at all.
Into the second night
At the top the hills evened out and the vast forests we were in became visibly more clear. We descended back down a little and made it to the checkpoint with plenty of time. We all went straight into a position to sleep. Paul and Rodrigo on the floor laying on cardboard boxes. Me and Darryl hunched over on chairs with our heads on the table. It was cold in the tent and so we all had emergency foil blankets draped over us. We all woke a short time later when we were shivering. A volunteer asked us if we were leaving. I acknowledged we were and rallied the others. We all seemed fine and we had plenty of time before the cut off. Now though we had more climbing to do. It was time for the 'technical' section and another 1,000 meters of ascent…
As we left Banhs de Tredos it was very cold and dark. The others dug out more warm layers but I opted just for the addition of my windproof smock. I figured that I'd soon warm with the exertion of the next climb. I wasn't wrong. Almost immediately we started climbing. Here the terrain was wet and muddy and the trails that were littered with huge boulders to overcome. There was a lot of lunging movements as we climbed. It soon dawned on me that there would be no let up, it was going to be like this all the way to Colomers…
Climbing to Colomers
difficult terrain all around
Eventually the darkness started giving way to the light of Sunday morning and the sheer beauty of our surroundings started to reveal themselves. We were 2,000m high and, glistening ahead of us, the stillness of lakes sat in wait. We could see the head torches of runners skirting the perimeter of the lakes up ahead and we followed the paths they created. The further we went, the lighter it became, the more surreal the surroundings became. Each bit of climbing brought more lakes to trek around, each more majestic than the ones before. However, the terrain was truly brutal. With 130km in our legs, I was in no place of mind to enjoy the beauty. It's a shame. Being miserable with the demands of the course I purposely left my GoPro in my drop bag back at Beret. I had no interest in the effort of turning it on anymore. Looking back, this was my one regret. However my brain cannot undo what my eyes have seen and I'll never forget watching the sunrise over these lakes surrounded by jagged mountain ranges on all sides.
As morning continued to dawn, we were still climbing. It made no sense. We were each in our own spaces now and I was plodding on ahead. I'd somehow wriggled myself to the front of all the runners in the area and was pretty much leading the way. I couldn't figure out where we were going. I was desperately seeking the orange marker flags amongst the grey terrain. Occasionally I'd see a glimpse of a runner way off in the distance but I could see no obvious way out of the mountains.
Bit by bit the route would reveal itself and we ended up climbing, literally rock climbing, our way out as we reached Tuc de Podo (2,700m). This was by far the most technical terrain I'd ever experienced. I can't hide the fact I was quite scared at numerous points. I wasn't alone feeling this way. As I reached the top, there were a few volunteers and we were scanned in. We'd been climbing for 3 hours solid. At a decent pace. Still aware there were cut offs looming at the stop after the next aid station. I sat and waited for Paul and Darryl, absorbing it the views and resetting my mind. Shortly after me the 'fast car' Spaniards arrived. One was fuming. I could see him berating the volunteer who scanned us in. When he saw me he joined me and found the words to communicate to me his frustrations. Basically that he thought it was dangerous. Tired runners who hadn't slept for over 30 hours and who had already covered 130km should not be exposed to that terrain. I found myself agreeing. There were no real qualifying standards for the race nor prerequisites for having experience on this sort of terrain. Added to that, not once was any of our mandatory kit checked by the organisation (another frustration I'll come to later…). He calmed himself down and carried on. I sat and waited.
descending with one pole
We had another 6km to the next aid station (Colomers). All down hill. But all rock and boulder fields. We were hustling. Stephen was near me and asked if I thought we would make it. I recall my response to him was "if we run". So I kept running. Darryl and Paul were exhausted. Rodrigo seemed quite energetic. I told him to help me make the others hustle and move a little faster. I felt we needed to use the downhills to our advantage now. As we were running I had a disaster, one of my poles slipped down between to rocks and my momentum snapped it clean, breaking the lower section. Bollocks. I'd become so heavily dependent on the poles and knew I'd be using them for the rest of the route. I recalled earlier on a runner talking about carrying Gorilla tape. I said this out loud and Rodrigo responded with "it's me". Amazing. He patched up my pole with the tape and we continued on catching up with the others again. Sadly though it didn't last and there was nowhere near enough tape to secure them properly. One pole it was going t to have to be then…
The downhill was tough. Darryl bonked and needed to stop and get some fuel in. As was the theme, runners we'd passed now passed us back. Back up and running I hustled us along. Looking back, I hadn't picked up on the signs of how Darryl was suffering. I was so focused on getting us down to the aid stations. We bottomed out and with 1km to go crossed a dam at Lac de Major Colomers. Descending further we eventually arrived into the aid station we went. I was with Stephen again and he too was carefully watching the cut off times but had mistakenly thought the next cut off was here. It wasn't though. It was Ressec in another 9km or so where the cut off was. We had time to make it for the 12:45 cut off for sure. We would make it. I was sure of it. If we made that then I was also sure we'd have no issues of finishing in the final 48 hours. I thought we'd get there by 12 and have 6 hours to finish. We made sure Darryl fuelled more here and I gave him some food from my Xmiles stash. The KMC recharge bars were particularly refreshing now. Then, in a small group with David and Matt in tow, we gathered our things and headed back out. Rodrigo had vanished before we reached the checkpoint. we assumed he was good now the night had passed.
The next climb was a bit of a shock to the system – it was an incredibly steep climb for 400m. I struggled with only having one pole and found it hard to support my body and pull myself up. The rocks were loose and we were all conscious of them moving and falling under our foot movements with runners above and below us. I reached the top and sat and waited for the others who I'd seen not far behind me on some of the switchbacks. As I sat I started dwelling on something Darryl had mentioned earlier on – We no longer had the few hour buffer we thought we did. Those early calculations we had of a 40-45 hour finish didn't include the few attempts we made at trying to sleep during the night nor the sheer demand of a 3 hour climb through the rocky lake section. We had no spare time banked any longer. For the first time I was really concerned that there was a strong possibility we wouldn't make it. We simply had to move faster than we were, there was no alternative.
I briefed the others when they arrived. All four of them acknowledging the situation. I took charge and led us down. Running where I wouldn't normally run. I was powering us passed other runners. We were our own train now and we were shifting. A strange thing had happened to me. Normally in races, when I'm in pain then that is just the end of it. I endure and succumb to it. I accept the pains and hobble on. This time though, with the pressure and reality of being timed out, I somehow found a way to block it out. I described it like a switch that numbed the pain. I was able to run and ignore the pains. I was using my frustration of the event and the difficulty of the route to focus my effort into finishing. I was focused, this was going to get finished.
Darryl however was suffering. He wanted to finish, I knew that, but his anger and frustrations were only adding to his pain. He was hitting a very, very dark place. We were struggling to pull him out of it and find a way to to foucs him once more. After we had descended the next mountain, David continued on whilst I waited for the other three. They were further back than I thought and several other runners came passed before them. Darryl looked bad. They were all chatting though and carrying on what I thought was a bit of a leisurely pace. I walked ahead. I thought I'd wait for them at the next aid station, Ressec, and try again there to hustle them once they'd rested.
On the trails to Ressec, I later heard my name called out from behind. It was Paul and Matt was with him. No Darryl though. Paul said he was in a bad place and was walking slowly. Paul was feeling the urgency now too. We felt that there wasn't much that could be done here and we continued to the aid station where we'd wait. We hoped another rest and more fuelling would do the trick so we carried on. We arrived at 12:05. 40 mins ahead of the cut off. I thought we could have got here around 11:30 but we'd dropped off the pace. It was still enough time to have a decent rest though despite meaning we no longer had 6 hours for the final two sections (a plan we'd discussed back at the last summit). At this rate it would be more like just over 5 hours. It was going to be tough now. Very achievable but we'd have to hurry ourselves along. One thing was certain was that we couldn't make the time if we continued at the pace we had been going at over the last few kms.
We waited, expecting to see Darryl maybe 5-10 mins behind us. The clock kept ticking. We found some pizza. He still didn't show. We were worrying now. Then, with ten mins to go, he showed up. He was exhausted and had been hallucinating. In hindsight we shouldn't have gone so far ahead of him, we shouldn't have left him. He was slurring his words explaining the hallucinations he'd been having. I don't think he was fully aware of what was happening. I asked him what I could get him and he asked for water. I needed his cup, but he didn't respond when I repeatedly asked him for it. When I eventually came back with water for him, we pushed him. He had just 5 mins remaining before the cut off and he needed to make a decision. He either dropped here, now, after 43 hours of running. Or somehow turn himself around in the minutes remaining and pushed harder than he was. Deep down, me and Paul knew the answer. But Darryl had to decide for himself. If he came, and we wanted him too, we'd stick together. But he had to be sure he could move quicker. He called it. He knew. I went outside to tell the volunteer that we would be leaving but also asked if there was a medic. If we were leaving without him we needed to know he wasn't alone and was going to be ok.
And so, after 150km, the 3 became 2. Paul went to the toilet and I became emotional as I waited. It hit me hard. I was shaking and trying to hide it when a volunteer started talking to me and encouraging me to finish strong. I wanted it so much. But I didn't want it this way. I wanted us all there. Darryl and Paul C too who was stuck back in London. Darryl had worked so hard. 150km! It was cruel. Paul pulled me back together and we set off. We now had a new mission. Two sections. 15km or so. 5 hours. That's all that stood in our way. The first section was to be a 700m climb and a 300m descent. The last section a 400m climb and a 1200m descent. Not an ordinary 15km to overcome! This was not going to be an easy way to end a race…
We set off with a renewed focus, straight away we were passing people. We were moving with a (relatively) ferocious pace now and were completely comfortable with it. We passed people who left the aid station a long time before us. We acknowledged them. Those we'd been chatting to along the way asked after Darryl. Each time it made the goal more important. We had to finish now.
The first climb I kind of enjoyed. It felt like the most forgiving of the many we'd done over the past two days. A long looping fire track, long gradual single track switch backs through lush forests then a slightly steeper section climbing through the grassy mountain summit. At the top we rested on the crown. Staring at the descent down. 2km to drop 300m. At our pace maybe 30 mins. We'd absolutely annihilated this section. We ran the steep grassy descent and into the final aid station. We completed the section in 1hr 30. We'd planned for 3 hours for this and 2 hours for the last section. We knew now with certainty that we'd finish. The impact this had mentally was incredible. The relief and pressure dissipated and drained out of us. There was nothing but smiles at the finial aid station. Runners looking at each other knowingly, acknowledging the job was done. However, as the pressure drained so too did my ability to block out pain. As quickly as the power 'switched on' the same switch now flicked off. I was a spent force. There was no way to turn it back on.
The next climb was unforgiving. It was more direct and steep. I had to stop very frequently to sit down and breathe. Eventually we reached the top and began to descend. An huge descent to drop and a nasty way to finish off an already destroyed body. I felt everything. Every blister. Every stone. Every blade of grass. I walked. I only ran when gravity forced me to move faster than I could handle. David was with us now and as vocal about his pains as I was. We supported each other. Paul was far more spritely and high off the knowledge of the pending finish. He was on the phone arranging a live stream video of the finish for his fiancé and family. How he never tripped on the sharp downhills I do not know.
The trails gave way to the cobbled roads of Viehla. We'd ran this very section when we started the journey two days earlier. A few people were out clapping and cheering. One group had a shower hose spraying water into the street. We took turns performing for them and basking in the refreshing chill of the water. A few streets later we turned one last time and were now on the main road, the home stretch.
Darryl was there getting the ice creams in. We'd joked about this for days. A joke stemming back to when me and Darryl finished the TDS – we saw an ice-cream shop as we approached the finish line. We went to get one but we're put off by the size of the queue waiting. So we said we'd finish here with an ice cream. Sadly, the ice cream man was rather slow and lacked the purpose we did. Darryl told him we'd be back and we told Darryl to run with us. The three of us reached that line together. We rang the bell. We rang the damn bell. It was over.
The finish line
I know one thing for certain, running together we were stronger. We may have set off together and not quite finished together, but if it wasn't for Darryl and Paul I wouldn't have made it. We each supported the others, dragged us through our dark moments and made this adventure memorable for what it was. We did it together and the achievement is a shared one. He may not have physically rang his own bell at the end, but if Darryl didn't make the hardest decision of the weekend, me and Paul may never have rung ours. I can't thank these guys enough!
Running is a bit of a conundrum. It isn't easy. There is always physical and mental suffering involved. You achieve what you set out to, whether it's 10 miles or 100 miles. Sometimes though you question whether it's worth it. I'll look back on this experience one day and maybe the thoughts will be different. But right now I can't say I enjoyed that. It was tough. Far tougher than I expected and I expected it to be the toughest thing I've ever done. I think there is a very good chance that this will will actually be the toughest thing I'll ever do. I've no desires to be in that 'place' again. I don't really like the 100 mile distance. It's a beast to conquer. This race is very though. Looking at the stats, the first finisher came in at 24 hours. The top runner took an entire day, that is 4 hours longer than UTMB! 50% of the participants did not finish. Nearly 500 runners set out and never made it back to the finish line. That tells you all you really need to now… it's tough.
Throughout the run we moaned about the cut offs. We felt they were very tight and unforgiving. In hindsight though… we finished in the 'golden hour' so, arguably, the cut offs are perfectly good. If we'd been an hour later for any checkpoint, we wouldn't have finished on time. On the flip side, without arrogance, I'm not a cut off runner. I'm always comfortably mid pack. So the entry level of the race is something to consider if you are thinking about signing up!
Overall, I also felt that the event didn't carry the prestige of the UTMB name. The organisers acknowledge they have a lot to improve and that should be commended. But, the feeling out on the course was one of anger and frustration. The grumbles about the dangerous sections and cut off timings were common. Despite the language barriers, people were sharing these feelings. For me, two things stood out that fall well short of expectation for a UTMB branded event. Firstly the lack of mandatory kit check and secondly the aid stations.
Let's start with the mandatory kit… there's a big list, and rightly so. When playing in the mountains you need to be prepared. We were blessed with great weather for two days. However, the night we finished a thunder and lightning storm hit the region. It was an incredible storm that came on in no time. When we went to collect our bibs, that is all we did. Despite bringing everything, no one checked or asked for anything. They simply took our runners insurance, gave us the bib and that was it. I even asked if they wanted to see my kit and they said 'no, tomorrow'. Tomorrow they never did neither, nor the next day. That's right. Not once did anyone ask any of us for any single item of kit. At one of the early aid stations during the first night I did spot what looked like a table set up with paper lists of kit items. No one stopped us nor asked as we walked passed. The table was empty there was no reason not to ask at least one of us…
Given the severity of the consequences and the recent examples of when things go badly, I'm shocked that there was not a single item of kit checked over the two days. I thought this was very poor from the organisers.
Secondly, the aid stations. There were plenty and there was plenty of food. But… for a 48 hour race, there were some issues. There was a lack of variety and questionable quality controls. Most aid stations we arrived at presented us with discoloured fruit and dry bread that had been out in the sun for so long. Many food stations had trays where the food items, like chocolate, had melted and none of them offered any hot drinks other than some very cheap and bland broth. The exception to this was the pizza at Ressec. This felt completely out of place though and I'd be surprised if this wasn't reactionary rather than planned. Either way though it was very much appreciated. Most concerning though was the quantity. We were arriving into checkpoints that were running out of food. That should never be the case. Especially not with the early pace we were keeping! Thankfully I had so much of my own food from Xmiles that this wasn't really a problem for me. This was meant to be supplementary though, and not my main source!
In the days after the event there was another twist in the saga as, after travelling home we each felt rather unwell. Soon after we discovered a Facebook group where over 500 runners have identified as having come down with the same symptoms of illness. The organisation are investigating the cause, but it has left a rather sore feeling for many of the participants!
Categories Val D Aran by UTMB•Tags 100 miles, blog, blogger, Endurance, marathon, marathoner, run, run together, Run With Dai, runner, runnersworld, RUNNING, running blog, running community, together stronger, trail runner, trail running, ultra runner, ultra running, UTMB, val d'aran, val d'aran by utmb, VDA, x miles


A year of gut wrenching wondering is enough for anyone. Why would you continue? Please talk to me. I haven't been whole since you left. Anyone can change Linda. We had so much.
I'm a cute asian male in search of a friend that is a girl, and I would be interested in maybe getting together a couple times a week to have an occasional drink.


text:
Arlington County Giving $6 million to Nestle Corporation is Wrong
Affordable Housing,Development — @ 5:47 pm
Letter to the editor, Arlington Sun Gazette
Arlington County's recent announcement of a secret deal in which the county board gave $6 million of local Arlington tax dollars without public involvement or notice to Nestle Corporation to move to an empty Rosslyn high rise is a classic example of crony capitalism to bail out Monday Corporation's 27-story turkey in Rosslyn (empty since it was built in 2013), and a waste of precious local taxes that can better go to serve Arlington needy citizens, its school children, parks or other community needs.
Arlington does not need to provide big businesses any more incentives; Arlington has been rated for decades as one of the best places to live, work or retire. Tack on our great transportation, low crime rate, great libraries, schools and recreation, and lower taxes compared to our neighbors, and even without our 6 million tax bucks Nestle would have come out ahead moving here. Perhaps county board members and our overpaid Arlington Economic Development staff on the county payroll need get to out and see what makes our community already GREAT. It's small businesses that need help, not a hundred-billion-dollar-a-year corporations for whom 6 million bucks is a drop in the bucket.
Let's not overlook Nestle's shoddy human rights record in third world countries either. The world's largest coffee company should not be employing slave or child labor in its plantations abroad.
We Greens support transparency in government, and this action was as hidden as darkness. Last year and this year, Greens have asked the county board and manager to come up with $8 million needed to begin to fund 1,800 housing grants as part of the affordable housing master plan that help some of our 30,000 residents making less than 50% area median income and the county board 'pleads poor us, no tax revenues.' If you give away the taxes that we residents pay to corporations, then of course there are no funds to help lower income Arlingtonians nor to build classrooms and hire more teachers for our bursting public schools.
Marie Pellegrino
the Arlington Greens
Historic Board votes to go forward on historic district for Westover apartments
Affordable Housing,Development,historic preservation — @ 12:50 pm
On November 30, the Historic Affairs Landmark Review Board (HALRB) voted 6-2 to proceed to the final study and review of designating the apartment buildings in Westover area of Arlington as a historic district. Arlington Greens including Steve Davis, Kirit Mookerjee and John Reeder spoke in favor of a local Arlington historic designation of Westover Village, particularly the apartment district threatened with demolitions.
A number of tenants and historic preservation supporters spoke as well in favor of historic designation that would make it difficult to demolish existing apartment buildings which provide over 700 moderate income rental units in Westover.
The county historic staff will next research and complete a full report within 6-12 months, and then the HALRB will vote whether to accept local designation and forward this to the Arlington County Board for its approval or denial.
Arlington Greens have been working with tenants and historic preservationists to maintain the current moderate income rental units in Arlington; there are about 470 apartments that are market rate affordable rental units (affordable at 60 percent of the area median income) and about 223 subsidized committed affordable units. Developers have demolished about 62 units in the past two years and another 8 units are scheduled for demolition. Expensive townhouses are built in the place of these 70 year old apartments.
Rents of subsidized garden apartments in Arlington were the same as private market units in 2013
Rents charged in 2013 in subsidized committed affordable (CAF) garden apartments in Arlington were compared to rents charged on average in county-wide, market-rate apartments in Arlington in 2013. The subsidized garden apartment CAFs rented in 2013 for about $1,300 per month for a one bedroom, and $1,760 per month for a 2-bedroom apartment. In 2013, there were about 6,500 CAF units in Arlington.
The CAF rents were not significantly less than what a tenant could get from a private, market-rate landlord in that year. This is disturbing and counter intuitive since the county government provided about $10 million (roughly $100,000 in AHIF funding per new CAF unit), but the tenants did not receive lower rents.
The county-wide market rents in garden apartments in 2013 were $1,369 and $1,667 per month, respectively, according to Arlington County Housing division. Thus, a one bedroom CAF unit rented for about $70 per month below the market rents, and a 2-bedroom CAF unit for about $100 above market rents. The combined average rent for one and two bedroom CAFs was about the same as the market rate for unsubsidized, market-rate units. Thus, the housing subsidy to the tenant in the CAF was zero.
The CAF rents were derived from a sample of two large CAF projects, the Gates of Buckingham (348 units), and the Westover Apartments (115 units), both operated by AHC, Inc. The average rent for a one bedroom apartment in Westover Apartments was $1,197 per month and $1,550 per month for a two-bedroom unit. At Buckingham, a one bedroom unit rented for $1,391 and a 2-bedroom unit for $1,849 per month. Averaging these two complexes (prorated for the number of units) the average rent for a one bedroom was $1,294 per month, and for a 2-bedroom, $1,764.
The Arlington County Housing Division annually surveys private landlords for rents charged countywide, and publishes these data in the Annual Housing Targets Report. For 2013, the average rent in Arlington charged for a -one-bedroom garden apartment was $1,369 and for a two-bedroom unit, $1,667. The average rent for all types of apartments in elevator apartments and garden apartments in 2013 was $1,780 for a one bedroom unit and $2,324 for a two bedroom unit, averaging $1,977 for all units.
In summary, one bedroom CAF apartments in Westover and Buckingham rented for about $70 per month less than a private market rate one bedroom ($1,300 versus $1,369). A two bedroom CAF rented for about $100 per month more than a private unit ($1,764/month for the CAF and $1,667 for a private unit). Combined, the two principal types of CAF units rented at nearly the same as private market units, and thus provided virtually no rental subsidy to tenant living in the CAFs.
Transparency of the CAFs thus indicates that there is little or no financial gain to tenants living in the 6,500 CAF units in Arlington. In fy 2013, Arlington County provided nearly $10 million in local funds for the affordable housing investment fund (AHIF) that goes only to maintain and build new CAFs. The benefit from these $10 million spent in only terms of lower rents for low income tenants was zero.
Saving Westover Affordable Apartments: Establishing a Local Historic District is the Necessary First Step
Affordable Housing,Development,historic preservation — @ 2:58 pm
With the demolition of about 70 apartment units in Westover over the past two years, it is clear what the fate of the remaining market-rate affordable units will be in the near future: a bulldozer. For this reason, community activists in June 2016 filed a petition to the county government to designate Westover Village as a local historic district, thereby providing some protections against any further demolitions. The county HALRB is to hold a public hearing on November 30 to evaluate this petition.
Developers and some Westover homeowners argue against the historic district, and suggest other affordable housing tools be used to preserve the 400 units at risk. Unfortunately, the county has no other ways to stop demolition so this is disingenuous. In any event, the county cannot compel apartment building owners to sell to them or to a nonprofit. A nonprofit housing group APAH with county funding was able to buy 68 units, but 400 unprotected units remain under bulldozer threat.
The Arlington County Board approved in September 2016 an $11 million loan to APAH to purchase these 68 units in Westover for preservation as affordable units, amounting to $161,000 per unit. Then APAH says it will remodel the units at a cost of $188,000 per unit, raising their cost to nearly $400,000 each. This leaves 400 units at risk.
If the owners of the remaining 400 units were provided the same financing per unit, the county would need another $62 million in AHIF loans. But, the balance of AHIF funds is only $21 million currently after the latest APAH project, and thus the county is $42 million short. Thus, the county could not immediately finance the additional 400 units even if its owners wanted to sell right away.
Some affordable housing supporters say that historic preservation will not solve the affordability problem, but in fact this is disingenuous. If the apartment buildings are demolished, there is no possibility of keeping historic affordable rental apartments at all, whereas with historic preservation and the buildings preserved at least short term, then there is time to find means to keep affordable rents.
Longer term with a historic district in Westover, the county and nonprofits would be likely to finance gradual purchase of buildings as their owners decide to sell. The local historic ordinance requires that the owner of an historic building must first offer it for sale for one year at a fair market price before it can be demolished. Thus, a nonprofit or the county housing agency could purchase such a building.
Thus, designating all Westover apartments as a historic district under local Arlington County ordinance is the necessary first step if the Arlington County Board sincerely wishes to preserve affordable rental housing. The later and necessary second step will be to provide financial resources to later purchase units or to subsidize their owners who will agree to permanently keep them as affordable rental units as has been the case in Westover for the past 75 years.
Two more apartment buildings in Westover Village scheduled for demolition
Two more apartment buildings in Westover Village are scheduled for demolition in the near future as the owner submitted a request to Arlington County for demolition permits. The buildings contain at least eight apartments rented at moderate levels; some of the current tenants were previously evicted from an adjacent apartment building demolished earlier this spring.
The two buildings are located at 5718 and 5724 N. 10th Road, Arlington VA, next to the Westover Park. This developer was also the one who demolished six buildings earlier this year to make way for luxury townhouses, selling for in excess of $800,000 each.
So far about 62 apartment units were demolished this year, and these two buildings would add 8 more demolished apartments and evict these families. The building owner did not offer relocation and moving expenses to these tenants.
Community activists and Greens have petitioned the Arlington County Government to designate the entire Westover Village as a local historic area and thus bar the demolition of these historic buildings which are in good condition. The county government has not yet officially begun the historic designation process. Greens previously petitioned the county board to bar the temporary demolition of any buildings until the historic review process is completed within a year or two. The county board refused to do so.
Westover tenants picnic celebration of Greens and Tenants for Preservation of Affordable Apts
Affordable Housing,Events,historic preservation — @ 12:13 pm
The picnic of Greens and Westover tenants was a fun event with about 100 people attending, and enjoying food and good music from Westover Beer garden musicians. Over 30 tenants signed up to be part of the new tenants association and to be part of the effort to keep existing apartments in Westover from demolition.
Westover Historic Preservation: Efforts move ahead to preserve threatened buildings
The county government is moving ahead with its review of the petition to designate Westover Village as a historic district. The Historic Affairs Landmark Review Board (HALRB) will shortly announce a public hearing next month in September 2016 allowing the public to speak about this historic designation review. Approximately 2-3 months after the HALRB completes this process. the Arlington County Board will hold follow up public hearing.
Greens and neighborhood residents will shortly deliver petitions the county government with over 100 signatures from Arlington residents calling for historic designation of Westover Village and a halt to more demolitions of buildings. There is still concern over more demolitions since two more apartment buildings appear about to be demolished to make way for more luxury townhouses. Construction permits have been filed with Arlington County for two buildings on North 10th Road near the Westover Park.
In the first week of August, an anonymous flyer was taped to the doors of detached houses in the Westover area with a series of erroneous claims against historic designation, such as owners would be unable to make any changes to their properties, historic designation would reduce the property value, historic designation discriminates against owners, and that property owners actually vote to approve or disapprove designation. All of these allegations are false. The authors of the flyer were anonymous and provided no substantiation of these claims which are contrary to county ordinance and national historic patterns.
In fact, owners may make exterior changes to their properties after approval from the county government (interior changes are permissible without permit); studies of historic districts indicate that designation raises property values; historic designation is a zoning procedure long upheld by the U.S. and Virginia Supreme Courts; and only members of the HALRB and the county board vote to approve or disapprove historic designation. Renters, neighbors, historians, property owners, and other Arlington residents may voice their opinions, but none actually vote.
Within the boundaries of the Westover Village, there are about 2,200 residents (based on the 2010 Census), of whom about 67 percent are renters and only 29 percent are owner-occupiers. About half of the households in Westover are single person-households; another nearly 25 percent are two-person households. Renters live not only in the 700 apartments, but also rent some of the detached houses and duplexes as well. Thus in the community of Westover Village, it is the well being of the tenants that is the most pressing concern for this community.
Greens and neighborhood residents will shortly be distributing a fact sheet to all of the 2,200 residents of Westover Village. A September community picnic is being planned at which Westover tenants and community supporters can gather for questions and for a celebration of the great community of Westover.
Westover historic preservation efforts–meet with success in first step
Affordable Housing,Development,environment,historic preservation — @ 2:23 pm
Residents of Westover area and Arlington Greens went to the Arlington County Board on June 18 asking the board to initiate a study of local historic district protection for the Westover Village and to temporarily block any more demolitions of apartment buildings there. The board agreed to begin the process of historic study of Westover, but would not agree to temporarily block more demolitions.
Over the past 2 years about 7 apartment buildings were demolished in Westover, eliminating about 70 market rate affordable units. These apartments have existed for about 76 years and were surrounded by many hundred year old trees and vegetation. In their place will be million dollar townhouses with virtually no green space and virtually the entire surface area paved over.
The county government will hold a public community meeting in July to explain the legal process of designating the current national historic district of Westover Village as a local Arlington historic district. With a local historic district, buildings could not be demolished without being offered for sale to another investor for one year.
Here is a map of the current national historic district of Westover:
Saving Historic Westover Village–Community meeting Tue. May 31 at Westover Public Library
Affordable Housing,Development,environment,Events — @ 11:39 am
SAVE HISTORIC WESTOVER FROM DEMOLITION
Community Meeting Tue. May 31, 7 PM at Westover Library
Many historic Westover apartment buildings over the past year were demolished, evicting residents and destroying green space and 100-year old trees. Westover has been designated since 2005 as a national historic district in a futile effort to protect our buildings and neighborhood from excessive development, but this did not stop this senseless demolition. Residents want the county government to now protect existing buildings from demolition by designating the Westover area as a county historic district.
Come to a neighborhood meeting to find out how we can together maintain the current historic neighborhood of Westover with its trees, green space, and 75-year old buildings, and its mix of small commercial properties, homeowners, and renters as it has been since 1940.
Where: Westover Public Library
When: Tuesday, May 31, 2016 @ 7 PM
Who: Joan Lawrence, chair of the Historic Architectural Review Board
(HALRB) will describe obtaining local historic district protection
Sponsors: the Arlington Greens and the Westover Civic Association
For more information: Email Info@greensofarlington.org
Historic moderate rental Westover apartments demolished to make way for luxury townhouses
Affordable Housing,Development,environment — @ 1:35 pm
Approximately five 76 year old garden apartment buildings in the historic district of Westover are being demolished this spring to make way for townhouses to be sold for close to a million dollars. These approximately 60 apartments (mostly one and two bedroom units) in these buildings were rented for moderate income renters. Even though these historic buildings are over 75 years old, well maintained graceful structures with many older trees surrounding (including some 100 year old trees), and are in the center of a National Historic District, they were bulldozed down to the red clay to make way for million dollar townhouses for the well to do.
These market-rate affordable garden apartments are privately owned; the owner demolished them and is putting up luxury townhouses that can be done "by right" under the existing zoning and since the county government refused to intervene to save them under its historic preservation ordinance. Last year about two blocks away another 4-5 historic garden apartment buildings were demolished to make way for similar high end townhouses. There are fewer than 3,000 private affordable rental apartment left in the entire Arlington County, and in one demolition, the county lost 60 more units.
The county board has stubbornly refused to use historic preservation status as a means to keep older apartments and older detached homes throughout Arlington.
Today developers routinely bulldoze off an entire property including all trees even if 100 years old and put up monstrous sized McMansions and ugly townhouses like these. The tree canopy and green space in many Arlington neighborhoods is much reduced; graceful 60 or 70 old houses are dwarfed by looming McMansions that are gigantic energy hogs and spew rainwater the used to percolate into the soil into the streets and onto neighbor's properties.
An Arlington Green member asked the county board to designate to extend county historic preservation to the entire Westover Historic District to prevent future demolition of historic properties and surrounding green space. Under the county historic ordinance, an owner seeking to demolish a building must seek offer the property for sale for one year prior to such demolition allowing another owner to emerge to keep the property intact.


I was searching for a Property and found this listing (MLS® #VAFX996684). Please send me more information regarding 6515 Potomac Ave #b1, ALEXANDRIA, VA, 22307. Thank you!
I'd like to request a showing of 6515 Potomac Ave #b1, ALEXANDRIA, VA, 22307 (MLS® #VAFX996684). Thank you!


Do not consume this product!
Several batches of popular salads have been pulled from Irish shelves in Aldi, Lidl and SuperValu stores because they might contain Listeria monocytogenes.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland issued an urgent recall warning today for salad products sold in these stores.
Willowbrook Foods Newtonsards Northern Ireland is initiating the recall of the salad products that contain bacon over the possible presence of Listeria monocytogenes.
Traces of the bug can make people seriously ill and even lead to meningitis.
Irish food chiefs issued a statement that said: "As a precautionary measure, Willowbrook Foods Newtownards Northern Ireland is initiating a recall of various salad products containing bacon, due to the possible presence of Listeria monocytogenes.
"The implicated batches were sold in Aldi, Lidl and SuperValu stores.
"Point-of-sale recall notices will be displayed in the stores which sold the affected batches advising customers not to eat these batches."
The products recalled include: Aldi's The Deli Chicken and Bacon Pasta Salad with the use-by-dates 25 Apri 2018 up until the 27 April 2018.
Lidl's Meadow Fresh Caesar Style Salad Bowl with the use-by-dates 25 April 2018 and 26 April 2018.
Lidl's Deluxe Potato Salad with Bacon with the use-by-dates 28 April 2018 and 29 April 2018.
SuperValu's Bacon Caesar Salad Kit with the use-by-dates 25th April 2018 and 26 April 2018.
You can find more information on the recall here.


Herbs are commonly used to provide relief from migraines. Feverfew and butterbur are remedies for a migraine in either preventing them or reducing their severity. Seek the advice of a health professional to see if these treatments are right for you.
Feverfew is an herb with anti-inflammatory properties. A study shows that feverfew extract of 6.25 mg three times a day decreased migraine attacks by nearly half.
The primary active ingredient in feverfew can be found in some other plants such as artichoke, sunflower, lettuce, spinach, and ginkgo biloba.
Feverfew action appears to affect a wide variety of physiologic pathways. Some of these mechanisms include inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis, decrease of vascular smooth muscle spasm, and blockage of platelet granule secretion.
Feverfew supplements are available fresh, freeze-dried, or dried and can be purchased in capsule, tablet, or liquid extract forms.
Feverfew supplements with clinical studies contain a standardized dose of parthenolide. Feverfew supplements should be standardized to contain at least 0.2% parthenolide. Parthenolide is central to the biological effects of feverfew.
Butter (a.k.a. Petasites hybridus root) is an ancient plant which has been used for medical and edible purposes.
50-75 mg twice a day have demonstrated significant reduction in migraine frequency. The mechanism by which butterbur may reduce migraine includes inhibiting the inflammatory effect of chemicals like leukotrienes and prostaglandin E2 in the pain pathway.
Another mechanism of butterbur may be its ability to function as a natural beta blocker whose action results in the normal flow of blood to the brain. This helps control blood pressure and spasmodic capillary action, which can also contribute to the onset of migraine headaches.
When purchasing butterbur products, be sure to choose a brand labeled PA-Free. This means the product was processed to remove potentially harmful, toxic chemicals found in the butterbur plant known as pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PA). The special butterbur extract is prepared by having all liver-toxic alkaloids removed.


text:
<?php
/**
 * Main template for JANUS.
 *
 * @author Jacob Christiansen, <jach@wayf.dk>
 * @package simpleSAMLphp
 * @subpackage JANUS
 */
$this->data['header'] = 'JANUS';
$this->includeAtTemplateBase('includes/header.php');
$csrf_provider = sspmod_janus_DiContainer::getInstance()->getCsrfProvider();
echo '
' . $this->t('header_new_user') . '
';
if(isset($this->data['user_created']) && $this->data['user_created'] === TRUE) {
    echo '
' . $this->t('text_new_user_created', array('%USERID%' => $this->data['userid'])) .'
';
    echo 'Dashboard

';
} else {
    echo '<form method="post" action="">';
    echo '<input type="hidden" name="csrf_token" value="' . $csrf_provider->generateCsrfToken('add_user') . '" />';
    echo $this->t('text_create_new_user', array('%USERID%' => $this->data['userid']));
    echo '<input type="hidden" name="userid" value="'. $this->data['userid'].'" />
';
    echo '<input type="hidden" name="type" value="technical" />
';
    echo '<input type="submit" name="submit" value="' . $this->t('text_submit_button') . '" />';
    echo '</form>';
}
$this->includeAtTemplateBase('includes/footer.php');

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub