What do you get if you take two dozen listless young adults, put them on a remote Thai island with the ability to sustain themselves and give them free access to a nearby drug farm? Why, The Beach, of course.
A perfect exercise in 'why isolated breakaway societies don't work', Alex Garland's 1996 debut novel is like a modernised Lord of the Flies with quite a lot more cannabis. When Richard, a young backpacker with a penchant for Vietnam War films, witnesses 'Daffy', a fellow traveller, commit suicide in a Bangkok hostel, he embarks on a quest to find the novel's eponymous location, a legendary community of peace and understanding which he believes to be paradise on earth. But Richard's arrival, along with that of a young French couple, upsets the careful equilibrium between the different factions which exist there, and marks the beginning of the end for The Beach and the start of its descent into total chaos. Despite Richard's best attempts to mend the rift, disease, shark attacks, a small civil war and several deadly altercations with the guards of the drug farm drastically reduce morale and the numbers of the community. The novel ends with Richard and the other survivors fleeing the island and returning to their mundane, ordinary lives, rarely to speak of The Beach ever again.
The Beach is a magnificent creation, if only for its use of absurd symbolism and Garland's suberb narrative voice in the form of Richard. A conversational style is kept up throughout the novel (interspersed liberally with hilariously innovative expletives) and Richard is a cogent, if not permanently lucid, storyteller. Combine this with a range of hallucinations and dreams featuring an odd combination of two themes: scenes cannibalised from war-films featuring a great deal of military jargon, and increasingly horrifying and bloody visions of Daffy, who despite being only an apparition manages to become the novel's most humorous and vivid character.
The novel was also adapted into a largely unsuccessful film (which shared much of its predecessor's blood and gore) in 2000. It was directed by Danny Boyle and starred Leonardo DiCaprio (who was nominated for the Razzie Award for Worst Actor for his work in the film) as Richard.


text:
by Bob Fina | Dec 8, 2022
Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals
Nick Jensen #3 of the Washington Capitals and Joel Farabee #86 of the Philadelphia Flyers lose their footing as the puck goes wide of Charlie Lindgren #79
Ivan Provorov #9 of the Philadelphia Flyers checks Matt Irwin #52 of the Washington Capitals
Ivan Provorov #9 of the Philadelphia Flyers checks Conor Sheary #73 of the Washington Capitals into the boards
Travis Sanheim #6 of the Philadelphia Flyers and T.J. Oshie #77 of the Washington Capitals battle
Conor Sheary #73 of the Washington Capitals moves the puck
Linesman Brandon Gawryletz #64 gets ready to drop the puck for a face-off between the Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals
Morgan Frost #48 of the Philadelphia Flyers fans on puck
Justin Braun #61 of the Philadelphia Flyers looks for an open teammate
Carter Hart #79 of the Philadelphia Flyers protects the net from the puck
Scott Laughton #21 of the Philadelphia Flyers gets between Carter Hart #79 and Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals
Travis Konecny #11 of the Philadelphia Flyers smiles
T.J. Oshie #77 of the Washington Capitals shoves Zack MacEwen #17 of the Philadelphia Flyers
Charlie Lindgren #79 of the Washington Capitals
Justin Braun #61 of the Philadelphia Flyers lifts the stick of Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals
Garnet Hathaway #21 of the Washington Capitals and Nicolas Deslauriers #44 of the Philadelphia Flyers
Lukas Sedlak #23 of the Philadelphia Flyers attempts to deflect the puck past Charlie Lindgren #79 of the Washington Capitals
Garnet Hathaway #21 of the Washington Capitals knocks the net off of its pegs
Charlie Lindgren #79 of the Washington Capitals gloves the puck
Dylan Strome #17 of the Washington Capitals reacts after scoring a goal against the Philadelphia Flyers
Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals smirks after scoring his first empty net goal of the night
Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals backhands the puck into the empty net for his second goal of the night
T.J. Oshie #77 of the Washington Capitals congratulates Charlie Lindgren #79 after defeating the Philadelphia Flyers
Alex Ovechkin's two-goal night puts him just six goals away from tying Gordie Howe's record of 801 goals. Additionally he is now just one goal short of 500 even-strength goals. Only three other players have reached this milestone: Wayne Gretzky (617), Gordie Howe (566), and Jaromire Jagr (538). The visiting Washington Capitals defeated the Philadelphia Flyers by a score of 4-1 during regulation.
Three Star Selections:
1st Dylan Strome (#17 WSH)
2nd Charlie Lindgren (#79 WSH)
3rd Kevin Hayes (#13 PHI)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Bay Briefs
ANTIOCH, Calif. (AP) — A body found floating in the Delta on Sunday afternoon was identified as Mark Osborn, a 17-year-old Oakley youth who apparently drowned in an accident while duck hunting with his father and a friend.
Sgt. John King of the East Bay Regional Parks police said three fishermen found the body near the Antioch Bridge.
The Contra Costa Sheriff's Department and East Bay parks police recovered the body. The county coroner's office later made a positive identification.
Osborn was duck hunting with his father, Kent Osborn, and his friend Michael Valin, 15, on Dec. 2 when their boat capsized in rough waters on the Delta.
Kent Osborn was rescued about eight hours later, floating with the help of a pair of duck decoys and suffering from hypothermia. The two boys could not be found.
Valin's body was found Dec. 21 near the site of the accident.
BELMONT, Calif. (AP) — A man driving a motor home led police on a two-day odyssey this weekend that began with a series of crank 911 calls and ended in a decidedly low-speed chase on Peninsula highways.
The motor home was "not exactly a choice vehicle when you're trying to outrun a police officer," said Belmont Police Department Sgt. Dan Desmidt.
Twice on Saturday, officers responded to 911 reports of a disturbance at a home on Christian Drive. But each call was found to be a prank, said Desmidt.
Police discovered that Tom Lovecchio, 52, was allegedly making phony 911 calls regarding his estranged wife.
Lovecchio's wife, who was not identified, told police her husband was drunk and repeatedly called her throughout the day.
A patrol officer spotted Lovecchio around midnight on U.S. Highway 101, in San Carlos. Lovecchio refused to pull over his motor home, starting a pursuit — reaching speeds no greater than 55 mph — along northbound 101, west on Highway 92 and ending in Half Moon Bay.
Less than half an hour later, Lovecchio was taken into custody without further incident.
He was booked into San Mateo County Jail in Redwood City on numerous charges including driving under the influence, evading a police officer, making false emergency reports and violating a restraining order.
UNION CITY, Calif. (AP) — Tony Schollar picked a tough way to earn a merit badge for his Eagle Scout project.
Schollar agreed to repaint and refurbish 200 of the city's more than 1,500 fire hydrants.
The 17-year-old scout is repainting the fireplugs in the city's preferred bright yellow, as well as cleaning inside the hose connection, checking water pressure, cleaning up brush and trash and loosening frozen caps.
Since he got to work in September, Schollar has completed about 25 percent of his project. He has to finish before August, when he turns 18. An Eagle Scout must be 17 when he earns the honor.
Fire officials say the hydrants, which are supposed to be serviced annually, have not been touched since 1994.
Fortunately, Schollar has some help. He's now supervising a crew of nine Boy Scouts — and his father — who are helping out with the project.
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — More than a quarter of the 1,800 teachers in Santa Clara County's largest district are eligible to leave classrooms with a generous retirement package thanks to a deal crafted in a spring 1999 contract.
The prospect of an unprecedented exodus of experienced San Jose teachers has left some wondering how the school district will cope with the loss of so many veterans at a time when the state is pressuring schools to show academic improvement every year.
School officials and teachers' union officials viewed the package as a way to pay tribute to instructors who have given years to the students of San Jose. And they say putting the deal together three years ago to take effect this spring bought them time to plan for mass retirements and the ensuing hiring push.
No one will know for sure how many teachers are leaving until April, when teachers must notify the school district if they plan to return next year.
So far, 24 administrators — about a third of those eligible — have taken the package. And 500 San Jose teachers could choose to cash in, too. The deal offers a $40,000 annuity, paid over several years, and seven years of medical coverage to teachers who are eligible to retire under the state retirement system.
The district expects 200 to 250 experienced instructors to leave, in addition to the 100 to 125 teachers who normally depart in a given year.


text:
Gala in Philly to benefit aneurysm research
PHILADELPHIA – The Bee Foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to reduce the number of deaths caused by brain aneurysms, holds its inaugural gala Saturday in Philadelphia.
The foundation was established by co-founder and Executive Director Christine Doherty Kondra and her sister, Erin Doherty Kreszl, to honor their cousin Jennifer Sedney, who died in December at age 27 from a ruptured brain aneurysm.
The inaugural gala, auction and fundraiser, "The Honey Bash," will raise funds for brain aneurysm research and awareness. It will begin at 6:30 p.m. at Hotel Monaco. Information on the gala can be found at www.thebeefoundation.org/honeybash.
Dr. Michael Chen, associate professor of neurology, neurosurgery and radiology at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, will deliver the spotlight presentation.
About 6 million Americans have an unruptured brain aneurysm, with a rupture occurring every 18 minutes.
"Sadly, most people don't realize just how many individuals are affected by brain aneurysms," Kreszl said. "And if they do, most associate it with a fatal rupture and assume that nothing can be done to mitigate it."
Kondra and Dr. Patricia Henwood, the foundation's chief medical officer and an assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Director of Global Health Initiatives in Emergency Medicine, are assembling a scientific advisory board dedicated to neurovascular research in the area of brain aneurysms.
The foundation also has begun discussions with the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania's Neurocritical Care Unit. Doctors Monisha Kumar, director of the Neurocritical Care Fellowship program, Joshua Levine, Co-Director of the Neuro Intensive Care Unit, and Sherman Stein are among a team of physicians and researchers focused on pioneering advances in the areas of traumatic brain and spinal injuries including aneurysm, stroke, and thrombosis.
"The mission of the Bee Foundation dovetails with mine as a clinician and researcher," said Kumar. "To circumvent neurological deterioration by using novel and cutting-edge technologies to identify patients at risk is paramount to everything we do."
To find out more about how to support the foundation with a tax deductible contribution or to participate in the auction for the Honey Bash, visit the foundation's website.


text:
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'Business as usual' – Local businesses express delight as city centre disruption ends
Posted by Newry Times News
info@newrytimes.com
Business, Community, News
Local businesses in the Monaghan Street, Merchants Quay and Hill Street area of the city have expressed their delight that the disruption caused by the Public Realm Scheme has passed and it is now very much 'business as usual'.
The work, designed to improve the area, involved installing new kerbing, paving, street furniture and tree planting, as well as new decorative street lighting.
Throughout the public realm scheme, believed to have cost around £1.8m, there was widespread disruption caused in the area, with long traffic jams and closed roads a frequent sight.
Many local businesses were angered at the disruption, with many claiming to fall victim to a dramatic decline in sales and footfall.
Social Development Minister Nelson McCausland spoke several months ago about the scheme. "This major investment is designed to target areas that were perceived as uninteresting and unattractive and will help inject a vibrancy back into the heart of the city centre, making it a better place to live, work and visit."
He continued, "In the current economic climate the scheme will also provide much needed employment for the local construction industry. This work will give Hill Street and Monaghan Street a welcome boost and reinvigorate the historical heart of the city, improving trading conditions and encouraging private sector investment." Emotions however, ran high as businesses in the area suffered throughout the scheme. Back in March, Sinn Fein's Brendan Curran chaired a meeting which was attended by many of those businesses affected. Speaking after the meeting to Newry Times, Curran said, "I have never witnessed such large numbers of shopkeepers attending a council meeting but traders in the vicinity of these road works have had their patience tested." Local businesses are adamant however, that everything is back to normal and punters are returning in their droves. Graeme Finegan, proprietor of Grounded Coffee, spoke to Newry Times about the disruption but insisted that he is confident the area will remain a vibrant and exciting avenue for people in the local community. Graeme said, "It's been a tough few months, but now that both streets are opened up and we can see the improvements that have been made I have no doubt that foot fall will return and the Newry public will come back and visit and more importantly, support local independent business!" Sean Gaffney, of McParland's Hardware Store echoed Graeme's sentiments. He said, "The past few months have been quite hard, the disruption during the work made it difficult for everyone. "Now that both streets are up and running you can see quite an improvement in the appearance of the area and business is starting to get back to normal. Hopefully the improvements will encourage people to visit and help support local business."
1 Comment for "'Business as usual' – Local businesses express delight as city centre disruption ends"
Exciting stuff.
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Extension to community pharmacy seasonal flu vaccination services announced
Justice Minister launches public consultation on reform of rehabilitation periods
Dodds urges vocational learners to "stay focused on the future"
Northern Ireland Covid-19 vaccination programme published
Fresh appeal for witnesses after death of 40-year-old man
Self Assessment deadline: less than one month to go
'Ending The Harm' TV ad campaign shines spotlight on paramilitary assaults
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This article was published in the Summer 2014 issue of Life Safety Digest, a publication of the Firestop Contractors International Association (FCIA). You can read this issue online now!
Labels located on the door edge and frame rabbet include important information about the fire door assembly and must remain legible.
Fire door assemblies play a vital role in the protection of life safety, yet many people remain unaware of their existence. We pass through these doors every day in commercial, institutional, and multi-family residential buildings. A lack of awareness can lead to modifications or deficiencies which affect the opening protective's performance when it's critical – during a fire.
Many codes now require fire and egress door assemblies to be inspected annually, with their condition documented and any noted deficiencies repaired without delay. But with a little education, building occupants can help to ensure that the fire and egress doors where they live and work are able to perform properly every day.
The first step is to be able to identify which openings are fire door assemblies. In a multi-family residential building, fire-rated assemblies would typically be found on door openings leading to the stairs, the doors leading from the corridor to each apartment or condominium, and some utility rooms like elevator machine rooms and electrical rooms. A label from a listing agency such as Underwriters Laboratories or Intertek should be visible on the door edge and the frame rabbet. On existing openings this label is often painted over, but it is required by code to be legible.
When holding open a fire door, the hold-open device must be listed for that purpose to ensure that the door will be closed if there is a fire.
The role of a fire door is to work with the fire resistance rated wall to provide continuity and compartmentalize a building, inhibiting the spread of smoke, flames, and hot gases. Fire doors are available in varying levels of protection. For example, a fire door used on a stair enclosure will typically provide 90 minutes of protection, while most corridor doors in a multi-family building are required to provide 20 minutes of protection. Many fire doors are also egress doors, and therefore must allow free egress for building occupants. Specific codes will dictate the ratings required for each assembly.
In order for a fire door to perform as designed and tested, it must be closed and latched when a fire occurs. One of the most frequent deficiencies noted during fire door inspections is that the door does not close properly. Fire doors are typically equipped with door closers or spring hinges. However, doors are often propped open for convenience using wedges, hooks, or other mechanical means.
During a fire, an open door will allow smoke and flames to spread. Hold-open devices on fire doors must be automatic-closing devices, which allow the door to close upon a signal from the fire alarm system, or an integral smoke detector. The closing device should reliably close the door until it latches. Spring hinges used on fire doors will likely need to be adjusted periodically. NFPA 80, Annex A states that spring hinges should be adjusted to achieve positive latching when allowed to close freely from an open position of 30 degrees. Many existing fire doors with spring hinges do not reliably close and latch from this position.
This fire door is part of a rated stair enclosure, but it's missing the active latchbolt that is critical for keeping the fire door closed during a fire.
In a recent fire in a Manhattan high-rise residential building, an electrical fire began in a 20thfloor apartment while the apartment's resident was not at home. When he returned home and opened the apartment entry door, he saw the fire and left the building. The apartment door was not self-closing as required by code, which allowed the smoke and flames to spread. The smoke filled the corridor, blocking the means of egress for residents of that floor. When firefighters arrived on the 20th floor and opened the stair door, smoke filled the stair, resulting in several injuries and one fatality. There have been similar incidents in other multi-family buildings where an apartment fire that would have been minor if contained to the unit of origin spread because of an open door, resulting in fatalities.
The latching requirement for a fire door ensures that the pressure from a fire is not able to push the door open and allow smoke and flames to spread through the opening. Fire door assemblies may be equipped with locksets or latchsets with an active latchbolt to provide positive latching, or a type of panic hardware called fire exit hardware. While panic hardware used on non-fire-rated doors includes a mechanical dogging feature which allows the latch to be held retracted, fire exit hardware does not include mechanical dogging. Fire exit hardware may be provided with electric latch retraction to hold the latch retracted electrically, as long as the latch projects automatically upon a signal from the fire alarm system. The positive-latching feature on a fire door is often defeated by improper modification of the hardware, or failure to repair latching hardware that has become damaged.
Excess clearance around a fire door will affect smoke infiltration, as well as the performance of the assembly during a fire.
The clearance around a fire door is an important factor for limiting the spread of smoke. NFPA 80 – Standard for Fire Doors and Other Opening Protectives, limits the clearance at the head and jambs to 1/8-inch maximum for wood doors and 3/16-inch maximum for hollow metal doors. For pairs of doors, clearance at the meeting stiles is limited to those same dimensions. And adding meeting stile gasketing is technically not a code-compliant solution to the problem. The clearance between the bottom of a fire door and the top of the flooring or raised threshold is limited to ¾ of an inch. There are products which have been tested for use on a fire door with oversized clearance at the bottom, but there are limitations on the door rating, material, and the amount of clearance. A standard door sweep that has not been specifically tested for use on non-compliant doors where clearance is incorrect should not be used for this application.
The International Building Code (IBC) and NFPA 101 – The Life Safety Code, both require doors in certain locations to have limited air infiltration when tested in accordance with UL 1784 – Air Leakage Tests of Door Assemblies. Although the codes don't specifically include a requirement for smoke gasketing, most door openings will not meet the air infiltration requirements without gasketing at the head and jambs. Refer to the codes for specific requirements, and opening locations which require this testing. Most smoke and draft control doors are not required to have seals at the door bottom, with the exception of elevator hoistway doors .
When the door closer on this fire door was replaced, the resulting holes should have been filled with steel fasteners or a material that is approved for this use.
Field modification of fire doors is limited by NFPA 80 to preparations for surface-applied hardware, function holes for mortise locks, holes for labeled viewers, installation of protection plates, and a maximum ¾-inch wood and composite door undercutting. Holes drilled in the field are limited to 1-inch diameter, with the exception of cylinder holes which can be any size. If holes are left in a fire door assembly when hardware is removed, those holes must be filled with steel fasteners or the same material as the door or frame. There is also a fire door caulk now available for use in filling small holes in wood doors. Other modifications should not be made in the field, unless the doors will be reinspected by a labeling agency.
NFPA 80 includes the annual inspection requirements for fire door assemblies – detailed information about the inspection along with 13 criteria which must be verified for each fire door assembly. NFPA 101 and the International Fire Code (IFC) also contain annual inspection requirements for fire doors and certain egress doors. These detailed inspections are intended to be conducted by third-party inspectors, and the documentation reviewed by a fire marshal or other code official during their periodic inspection of the building. Although some code officials may not review the documentation from the fire door inspection, it is the responsibility of building owners and property managers to maintain their fire doors in code-compliant condition.
Failure to keep fire doors in code compliant and operating condition could result in property damage, injury, or even loss of life, and the associated liability that comes along with negligence. With more focus on the fire doors we use every day, we can improve life safety for all building occupants including those in educational and multifamily structures.
Great article but too long for anyone not in the industry to read.
Great summary, Lori, as usual. Thanks for what you do in keeping us informed.
Not to stray too far off of the topic, but in that Manhattan fire I read that the firefighters had to run hoses from the standpipe in the stairwell out onto the fire floor. That is why the stairwell door was left open. I understand that a stairwell is the perfect place to run a standpipe from the ground floor to the top floor, but shouldn't the connections be on the opposite side of the wall from the stairwell? There's probably not many fires IN the stairwell, so I can see no logical reason to put the connectors inside the stairwell. With the connections on the lobby side, the stairwell door can remain closed.
Just a guess, but maybe they're located in the stair because then the standpipe is protected within the exit enclosure?
Standpipe connections in the stair enclosure allow firefighters to connect hose in a protected location before opening the door to what could be a fully-involved hallway.
main doors must be strong and safe, you can use camera on main doors. check lock system.
Can someone advise me where I can find information on when installation of the fire/smoke door is required in the multi-family industry. I have searched various sites and cannot find what information I need. I just want to know what causes a requirement for the doors. Is it occupancy, is it length of corridor/bldg etc.
It's tough to give an easy answer to this question because there are many factors that might have an effect, but typically, doors between dwelling units and corridors have a fire rating and also doors leading to stairwells. There may be some other utility-type rooms that require a rating.
I'm trying to understand the need for a fire door in a frame home in the suburbs with a 2 family permit. Nothing is fire rated in the entire building's construction and a fire door is now required where the ground floor apartment connects to the stairway to the 2nd floor apartment. If there's a fire, the only thing left standing will be the door. I'm keeping the permit so we can each have our own kitchen but it's one family living here so the doors are usually all open. The village said they took the new code from the NYS code. Can anyone help me understand what I'm deeming a ridiculous rule so far?
I'm not familiar with that requirement – my work is related to commercial codes. I agree that having a fire door in a wall that is not fire-resistant does not offer much value.


← Where Am I? Where I Am.
Wow! Right in the feels. Moving on feels like one step forward, two steps back sometimes doesn't it? I wonder too about the long term effects on the kiddos. I haven't been sucker punched by anything as eloquent as that yet, although Miss 13 did her school speech last year about the upside of cancer being all the free stuff… I should've moaned a bit more!


Network management software, intended to simplify the task of inventory, monitoring and administration of computers, running Windows NT/2000/XP/2003/Vista. Does not require installing any client software on remote computers. Inquartos NetworkManager combines the abilities of remote control software with the benefits of database, storing whole inventory information belonging to a corporate network.
1) Obtaining comprehensive inventory information from remote computers: installed software and hardware components, sessions, event log, shared resources, etc.
2) Automatic (by scheduler) tracking and logging changes that occurred on remote pcs (software, hardware, user accounts, etc) and notifying administrators by e-mail about these changes.
3) Convenient remote administration (management of the local users accounts, services, running processes, editing registry, installation and un-installation of software, terminal clients manager, etc).
4) Supports MS SQL Server 2000/2005 the same as embedded XML database for storing inventory information.
5) Powerful and flexible reporting system: custom templates for searching and analyzing inventory information.
6) Allows users to easily create detailed inventory reports and quickly export inventory information to various formats: HTML, MHTML, MS Word (*.doc), MS Excel (*.xls), XML.
Inquartos NetworkManager is obviously helpful for system administrators of large and middle corporate Microsoft Windows networks.


S'mores and summer are two pairings that are required seasonal fare. And when you add peanut butter to the chocolate, it's elevated to a whole new level.
Convenient? A summer classic with no campfire required. What is this recipe you ask?
Peanut Butter Chocolate Oven S'mores.


text:
import { Action, Middleware } from 'redux';

export type Enhancement = object;

export type EnhancerId = string | symbol;

type ActionEnhancerByIdShape = {
  readonly id: EnhancerId;
};

type ActionEnhancerByTypeShape = {
  actionTypes: string[];
};

type MapState<Enhancement, State, Value> = {
  mapState: [Value] extends [never] ?
    (state: State) => Enhancement :
    (state: State, value: Value) => Enhancement;
};

export type ActionEnhancerById<E extends Enhancement, State = unknown, Value = never> =
  ActionEnhancerByIdShape & MapState<E, State, Value>;

export type ActionEnhancerByType<E extends Enhancement, State = unknown, Value = never> =
  ActionEnhancerByTypeShape & MapState<E, State, Value>;

export type ActionEnhancer<E extends Enhancement, State = unknown, Value = never> =
  ActionEnhancerById<E, State, Value> | ActionEnhancerByType<E, State, Value>;

export type UnenhancedAction<T> = Action<T> & {
  [index: string]: any;
};

export type EnhancedAction<
  A extends Action,
  E1 extends Enhancement,
  E2 extends Enhancement = E1,
  E3 extends Enhancement = E1,
  E4 extends Enhancement = E1,
  E5 extends Enhancement = E1,
  E6 extends Enhancement = E1,
  E7 extends Enhancement = E1,
  E8 extends Enhancement = E1,
  E9 extends Enhancement = E1
> = A & E1 & E2 & E3 & E4 & E5 & E6 & E7 & E8 & E9;

export type AnyEnhancer<State = unknown> =
  ActionEnhancer<Enhancement, State, any> |
  ActionEnhancer<Enhancement, State, never>;

declare function isEnhancerById<E extends Enhancement, State = unknown, Value = never>(e: ActionEnhancer<E, State, Value>): e is ActionEnhancerById<E, State, Value>;
declare function isEnhancerByType<E extends Enhancement, State = unknown, Value = never>(e: ActionEnhancer<E, State, Value>): e is ActionEnhancerByType<E, State, Value>;
export {isEnhancerById, isEnhancerByType};

declare function createActionEnhancerMiddleware<S = unknown>(
  getEnhancers: ((state: S) => AnyEnhancer<S>[]) | AnyEnhancer<S>[]
): Middleware;

export default createActionEnhancerMiddleware;

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


On Thursday (2/18) North and Central California was getting the tiny and fading reverberations from the swell of last weekend with waves head high or a little more and socked in. Southern California was also getting small leftovers with waves chest high, a bit bigger than expected with beautifully clean conditions early. Hawaii's North Shore was getting more northerly angled local windswell/swell combo with waves 3-4 ft overhead and pretty tattered by Kona wind. The East Shore was getting the same wrap-around north windswell with waves 2-3 ft overhead and hacked. The South Shore was in hibernation for the winter.
The forecast for North and Central CA is for larger locally generated surf with wind and rain taking control, building to double overhead Friday and the 3-4 ft overhead Saturday and 1-2 ft overhead Sunday. Another pulse of local swell arrives for Monday near double overhead but with more poor conditions. Southern California is to not be sparred from the weather either. Friday to see thigh to waist high leftover westerly swell then building to head high or a little more early Saturday fading from shoulder high Sunday. New local swell arrives Monday to head high. Conditions to be marginal at best throughout the time period. The North Shore of Hawaii is to see fading locally generated northerly windswell near double overhead on Friday dropping to head high Saturday. New swell from the northern dateline region moves in Sunday at double overhead.cgius with a bit of period fading from double overhead Monday. The East Shore is to see no easterly windswell. The South Shore is to have no real southern hemi swell till Monday when again another pulse arrives building to the chest high range late and holding with some form of rideable surf into the end of the workweek.
Longterm the Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO) has moved into a neutral state, better than expected considering it was to turn Inactive even 2 days earlier. And it's to hold neutral for the next month. Still suspect some degree of trade buildup to occur, which would slightly hamper storm development in the north and southern hemispheres, but nowhere near as bad as previously forecast. On the charts a decent little storm is forecast pushing from the dateline into the Gulf Sat-Mon (2/22) with up to 50 kts winds and barely 40 ft seas. Perhaps some longer period swell to result for the US West Coast and down into Hawaii if all goes as.cgianned. Another weaker one is to follow on it's heals too. But for California, the storm track is to remain pushing right into the state brining steady light rain and southerly winds, likely making a mess of whatever swell results for at least the next week. Good potential for snow though. Maybe a better.cgian is to head for the mountains.
On Thursday (2/18) the North Pacific jetstream was reasonably consolidated and flowing mostly flat east on the 30N latitude from Japan with a pocket of winds to 150 kts just west of the dateline, the fragmenting some east of there and falling into a broad trough located off California with most energy tracking south of even Baja pushing into mainland Mexico. There was some support for gale development off Central CA. Over the next 72 hrs the pocket of energy near the dateline is to ease east cutting off the trough off California and flowing flat into the state by Saturday and holding. A cutoff upper high pressure system (really a .cgiit in the jet) is to be in control of the Canadian coast stealing a little energy off the main flow just before it pushes into the US. Limited support for low pressure/gale development from Hawaii pushing eastward. Beyond 72 hours the same pattern is to continue with the .cgiit in the far east fading and a series of weak troughs forming and undulating east from the dateline offering decent support for gale development in that region, but nothing exceptional. Then Wednesday (2/24) a more organized trough forms just east of the dateline with winds in the 180 kt range digging modestly deep getting ready to push right into California. A weather event is possible there. At the same time back to the west a small .cgiit in the jet is forecast off Japan. The two branches are to rejoin before reaching the dateline. not sure if this is a sign of things to come, or just a minor break driven by the deactivation of the MJO.
At the surface on Thursday (2/18) weak high pressure at 1024 mbs was settling just northwest of Hawaii and pancaked west to east, not making any headway north or much east of the Islands. A series of three gales were lined up, one at the intersection of the dateline and the Aleutians (see Kuril Storm below), a second a little southeast of there and the third 700 nmiles off Northern CA. All were heading east-southeast, likely bound for the US West Coast in the days ahead. Over the next 72 hours remnants of the gale off California is to limp into the state late Friday (2/19) starting the south wind machine and bringing rain with limited 30 kt westerly fetch. The second gale is to fade while tracing east too pushing into the state Sunday, while an entirely new storm starts building on the dateline Saturday AM (2/20) with 55 kt northwest winds at 43N 178E aimed well down the 315 degree path to Hawaii. Seas on the increase. In the evening 55 kt northwest winds to hold at 42N 175W aimed 25 degrees east of the 325 degree path to Hawaii and 20 degrees south of the 293 degree path to NCal. 32 ft seas are forecast at 42N 175W. On Sunday AM (2/21) 45 kt fetch is to continue at 40N 165W mostly bypassing any route to Hawaii but still pushing 20 degrees south of the 290 degree path to NCal. 38 ft seas are forecast at 40N 170W. In the evening only 35 kt westerly fetch is to left and fading. 38 ft seas from previous fetch area forecast at 39N 164W. Monday AM (2/22) no fetch is to be left with 32 ft sea at 38N 155W generated from previous fetch and decaying. Rough data suggest sizable sideband swell is to be pushing towards Hawaii for late Monday (2/22) with better energy pushing towards CA mid-week, but likely lost amongst local chop and wind.
Previously on Wednesday PM (2/17) a gale organized northeast of Hawaii with a fetch of 45 kt northwest winds building way south at 33N 145W aimed reasonably well at Southern CA up the 272 degree path with seas building to 26 ft at 31N 142W (1100 nmiles out). It was fading fast Thursday while residual winds lifted north. Good odds for 15 sec period very west swell pushing into Northern CA Friday (2/19) at 3 PM with swell 6-7 ft @ 14-15 secs (10-11 ft faces) from 260 degrees. Southern CA to see this swell by Friday near 10 PM (2/19) with nearshore locations seeing swell of 3.5-3.8 ft @ 15 secs (5.5 ft faces) then settling down into Saturday. Swell Direction: 270-275 degrees.
Also on Wednesday AM (2/17) a storm off the Kuril Islands regenerate with 55 kt west winds at 50N 168E aimed right up the 308 degree path to North CA and shadowed by the Aleutians for the Pacific Northwest. Seas building. In the evening 50 kt west fetch is to hold at 50N 172E aimed right up the 306 degree path to NCal with seas building to 37 ft at 50N 170E. Thursday AM (2/18) the storm is to start fading with a broad fetch of 40-45 kt west winds at 50N 172E aimed right up the 306 degree path to NCal with seas at 36 ft at 49N 176E (2900 nmiles out). The storm is to be down to gale status in the evening with winds 35 kts and fading fast. Residual seas of 32 ft forecast at 49N 175E and fading fast.
Rough data suggest swell arrival in North CA late Monday (2/22).
On Thursday (2/18) a light west flow was in effect over Central CA, but expected to start turning southerly by late evening turning fully south on Friday as a front pushes up to the coast, with rain building in North of Pt Conception in the afternoon and into Southern CA in the evening (though winds to remain light down there initially). A bit of a break from the rain and wind is forecast pushing south from North to Central CA on Saturday though west winds to be an issue in SCal. South winds and rain to start again on Sunday in Central CA building into Southern CA and continuing on Monday with yet more rain in Southern CA on Tuesday. But a light wind regime is forecast for Central CA Mon/Tues. Wednesday the next series of gales are to be building off the coast with winds fading in Southern CA and south winds and rain starting to build up north and unleashing Thurs and Friday (2/26), pushing into Southern CA later Thursday. Prepare for a generally wet and miserable week.
At the surface another small gale was tracking northeast off New Zealand with seas to 30 ft at 06Z Tues (2/16) at 55S 168W. Small southern hemi swell is expected into Hawaii starting Mon (2/22) with swell building tom maybe 2 ft @ 17 secs late (3.5 ft faces) holding at 2 ft @ 16 secs (3 ft faces) Tues (2/23) then heading slowly down through the later past of the workweek. Swell Direction: 185-190 degrees.
Beyond 72 hrs the remnants of the Sun-Mon dateline storm are to limp into California on Tuesday (2/23) bringing more south winds and rain while yet another storm builds on the dateline Monday AM (2/22) with 45-50 kt northwest winds at 43N 173E taking good aimed on Hawaii down the 319 degree path. 28 ft seas forecast at 43N 177E. It is to hold it's ground in the evening with 45 kts winds at 44N 176E aimed best at Hawaii with 30 ft seas at 44N 178E. This system is to continue there on Tuesday AM (2/23) again with 45 kt northwest winds and 30 ft seas at 45N 175E. In the evening yet more 45 kt northwest winds are forecast at 43N 178E with 30 ft seas at 44N 178E. This system is to drop southeast on Wednesday AM 92/24) with 40 kt residual winds at 40N 175W with 29 ft sea forecast at 43N 178W then fading. Good odds for a long run of 16-17 sec period swell for the Islands possibly into significant class size with utility swell for the US West Coast. Unfortunately the remains of this system are to snuggle right up off the Pacific Northwest Thursday (2/25) generating a broad fetch of 25-30 kt west winds as far south as Northern Baja and making a mess of local conditions there, with much rain possible.
And yet another broad gale is forecast developing just west of the dateline late Thurs (2/26), but that is a pure guess.
MJO/ENSO Update (reference): As of Thursday (2/18) the Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO) was fading from the Active Phase in the east and moving towards the Inactive Phase in the West. The ENSO (El Nino Southern Oscillation) index was negative but rising with the Daily SOI at -5.09 (44 days in a row negative). The 30 day average was up to -24.52 (It bottomed out on 2/16 at -24.82) with the 90 day average up slightly -13.06. This is the end of the Active Phase and the beginning of the end for El Nino with rising indicies expected.
Wind anomalies at the 850 mb level (approx 5000 ft up) as defined by models indicated totally normal winds across the entire Indian and Pacific Oceans with no signs of the Active Phase left in the East Pacific but also no sign of the Inactive Phase building in the Indian Ocean and West Pacific. Suspect this is a bit of an anomaly, with some flavor of weak Inactive Phase likely occurring north of Australia, just not being captured by the models. Previously a weak version of the Inactive Phase was pushing east to New Guinea almost reaching the dateline on 2/25, then weakly settling on the dateline 3/2-3/7. Regardless of the discrepancy, gale development will likely not be aided by the MJO. With the effects of El Nino on the atmosphere already well entrenched, that momentum will be very slow to dissipate over the coming next 6 months. In fact, we will be monitoring the MJO for signs of Active Phase dominance in the critical March-May timeframe to see if this Midoki El Nino can hang on for another year, or whether we fall back into a La Nina Pattern.
Sea Surface Temp anomaly data (2/18) indicates that warmer than normal waters were consolidated on the equator more towards the dateline and less in the vicinity of the Galapagos Islands. This looks more like a Midoki El Nino than one of the classic variety. Overall the warm water signature remains non-exceptional from a historical El Nino perspective, but still in the moderate category and holding, not building. We are past the peak of this ENSO event.
Below the surface on the equator things continue to surge a little thanks to the previous Active Phase of the MJO. A steady flow of warmer than normal subsurface water continues tracking from the West Pacific (150 m below the surface) under the dateline and breaking the surface near Central America as it has for months now. Two Kelvin Waves which that had been impacting the the Galapagos Islands and Ecuador coast in Jan are fading with only 3 degree warm anomalies/residuals still present from 125W dribbling into the coast there and loosing their coverage. Still, it continues fueling the warm surface anomalies associated with El Nino in the East equatorial Pacific as it continues impacting the coast there. A new Kelvin Wave started becoming obvious on 2/1 with a patch of 3 degree warmer than normal water starting to develop under the equator on the dateline and expanding some on 2/4. Anomalies to 4 deg C were indicated at 170W on 2/6 and had migrated to 165W on 2/8 holding there on 2/10 and starting to merge with the existing Kelvin Wave off Ecuador. Temps were up to nearly 5 deg C above normal on 2/18 at 150W. This is expected to fuel or at least extend El Nino symptoms into summer, but is likely the last Kelvin Wave we are going to see.
Over the Equatorial Pacific solid trades were blowing in the East and continuing north of the equator all the way to almost the Philippines, but only in the normal range. Still, this looks like the Springtime transition typical for this time of the year. But a solid area of fully blowing westerly winds which started to appear pushing from the far west to almost the dateline on 1/20 were covering a larger area on 1/23, and in full bloom on 1/25-1/29, looking very much like a real Westerly Wind Burst (WWB) event. And even on 1/30- 2/15 solid Westerly Winds were occurring just south of the equator to 155W with solid anomalies to 140W. Even on 2/18 limited fully blowing west winds were still in.cgiay with anomalies to 150W. This is what is generating the Kelvin Wave under the dateline pushing east. Regardless, at some point in the next few days (surprised it hasn't happened already) we expect the pattern of anomalously west winds to break down completely and a normal trade pattern to take over or even enhanced trades (which could result in La Nina). Previously Westerly Wind Bursts produced Kelvin Waves that resulted in the subsurface warm pool currently present in the tropical East Pacific that have formed El Nino.


The hubby surprised me, yet again, with two tickets to the Friday's F1 Singapore Grand Prix. Surprise surprise. But as it was a school day for him, we can only reach the venue a little after 10pm.
Lots of people were already there, and the fan zone was already full from Mayday's fans. We stood quite far away from the stage, but still managed to catch glimpses of the stage, though I am unable to see clearly what or who is on the stage. Lucky for the huge projection screen.
The night was high! And sweating hot! Halfway through my back and legs were already tired from standing. I had loads of fun. Singing along, listening to them live. But poor hubby, who is not a total fan, has to endure the 1 hour 40 minutes standing and sweating along with the rest of us.
They sang a total of 19 songs! So happy!


Sculpt sound and glyphs simultaneously.
Meek FM is a collaboration between Meek Design and Frank Müller from United States Of Design.
Meek FM is an interpretation of type as sound. Using bespoke software and the MEEK typographic synthesizer, the musician/designer develops sounds and typographic visuals in parallel. Meek FM was premiered as an interactive installation at the Typo2007 in Berlin, where the Meek FM team also performed live.
Meek FM consists of a physical controller and some software.
The controller is a handmade walnut box, with engraved aluminium panels designed by the Meek FM team. It has the look of an analogue synthesizer or mixer. The controller connects to a computer running the Meek FM software.
On a screen, the designer/musician sees one or two letters in the form of line-drawings. A red cursor loops along the lines of the letters – like a pen drawing the letters or an imaginary playhead 'playing' them. By manipulating an array of dials and buttons on the controller, the user can transform the way the pen/playhead behaves – changing its thickness, angle, speed, pressure etc.
Visual changes in the letter forms correspond to transformations in synthesized sounds which are generated in real-time by synthesizer software. For example, if the pressure of the imaginary pen varies, the brightness of the virtual ink will vary accordingly, as will the volume of the corresponding sound. If the pen is made thicker, the letter will become thicker, and the sound will become 'fatter'. Changes which are made to one letter can be automatically be transferred to a complete character set to create complete fonts.
Letters become instruments, fonts can be heard and composed – the synaesthetic typographer finds their tool of choice.


INFUSE PROFITS AT CANADA'S LARGEST COFFEE & TEA INDUSTRY EVENT OF THE YEAR!
Suppliers from all over the world participate in The Canadian Coffee & Tea Show to promote and demonstrate their products to decision-makers in the Canadian market. Only The Canadian Coffee & Tea Show offers you the highest return on your exhibiting dollar.
Equipment, products, services & much more!


text:
The City of Vincent does not tolerate corrupt or other improper conduct, including mismanagement of public resources, in the exercise of the public functions of the City, its officers, employees and contractors.
The City of Vincent will take all reasonable steps to provide protection to those who make such disclosures from any detrimental action in reprisal for the making of a public interest disclosure.
The guidelines and policy provides for the manner in which the City of Vincent will comply with its obligations under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2003.
What is public interest disclosure?
A public interest disclosure (PID) occurs when a person provides information to a proper authority about a matter that is of public interest. This information must be about some past, present or proposed improper behaviour by a public body (public authority, public officer or public sector contractor) while carrying out a public function. A disclosure must relate to a matter of public interest and show wrongdoing by a public body when performing a public function.
What is a public body?
Public bodies include:
A public authority (includes a State Government organisation, local government, regional local government, or a public university)
A public officer (includes a State public service officer, an employee of a public authority, a minister, a member of Parliament, a judicial officer, a police officer, a holder of office under the State, or an officer of the Commonwealth exercising a function on behalf of the State)
A public sector contractor (a person or organisation engaged by a public authority, or a subcontractor of this person, for the supply of goods and services or the performance of a public function)
What should be disclosed (reported) under this Act?
A disclosure must show the public body's involvement in one or more of the following:
Improper conduct (generally a breach of the standards of conduct that a reasonable person could expect of a person or body, knowing their duties, powers and authority, in the circumstances of the case);
An offence under State Law (including corruption);
Conduct relating to matters of State or local government administration;
Irregular or unauthorised use of public resources;
Substantial mismanagement of public resources; and/or
Conduct that involves a substantial and specific risk of injury, prejudice to public safety or harm to the environment.
NOTE: The Act does not apply to information that someone has, or is, engaging in criminal behaviour that is unconnected with their employment.
What is the difference between a PID and a grievance?
A public authority can receive many different types of complaints. These can range from workplace disputes, harassment, bullying or occupational health concerns through to allegation of improper conduct or corruption. Not all of these disclosures will be a PID to which the Act will apply.
The following table shows the difference between a PID and a grievance.
Difference between PID and grievance
Aims to resolve a grievance or dispute.
Does not aim to resolve a grievance or dispute.
Aims to deal with the grievance as close to the source as possible, i.e. to resolve the differences directly between the parties concerned.
This is not the aim of a PID.
Usually between an employee and management, or between two parties.
More than a dispute between two parties – relates to a matter of public interest.
A grievance can, generally, be withdrawn at any stage.
The person making the disclosure cannot withdraw it.
A grievance can, generally, be resolved by agreement between the parties.
The aim is not to resolve the issue between two or more parties.
Who can make a disclosure?
Under the Act, any person can make a disclosure if they believe something is wrong with the way a public body is acting or going to act. Anyone (including employees of public bodies or members of the public) who believes, on reasonable grounds, that the information that they have is true can make a disclosure. It must always be in the public interest to report it.
Before you make a disclosure, you should consider whether the subject matter could be dealt with through other channels, like a grievance procedure or by reporting it to management or other authorities.
How to make a PID
Before making a disclosure, you should contact the Public Interest Disclosure Officer in the relevant authority to find out more about:
How to make the disclosure and who you should disclose to
The protections that will apply
Whether the information you have is covered by the Act
If your information is not covered by the Act you can still make your disclosure to the public authority concerned using its grievance process (if you are or were an employee at the time the incident occurred) or its complaints management process (if you are a member of the public). Once you have been informed about the Act and your rights and responsibilities, you must make it clear that you have chosen to make your disclosure under the Act. Generally, the PID Officer will have a PID lodgement form for you to sign.
If you choose to make your disclosure under the Act you must ensure you do not discuss the matter with anyone other than the PID Officer or the person conducting the investigation. You may lose your immunity under the Act and breach the confidentiality provisions which may incur a penalty if you do.
A disclosure is more than a general complaint about dissatisfaction with a product or service or a decision by government, and it is more than a personal grievance that can be resolved by agreement between parties. In order to be covered by the Act, the information needs to relate to a matter of public interest.
NOTE: It is a serious offence to make a disclosure that is false, trivial, vexatious, misleading or tied to any personal agenda. If you know the information in the disclosure is false or misleading, or you are reckless about the information, it will be considered an offence and could attract a penalty of $12,000 or one year of imprisonment.
Please contact the City's PID Officers:
Nathan Stokes, Executive Manager Human Resources - 9273 6029 or nathan.stokes@vincent.wa.gov.au
Meluka Bancroft, Manager Governance, Property and Contracts - 9273 6038 or meluka.bancroft@vincent.wa.gov.au
Kerryn Batten, Executive Director Corporate Services, on 9273 6008 or kerryn.batten@vincent.wa.gov.au
Your Rights & Responsibilites
Public Interest Disclosure Lodgement Form


text:
Work begins on Sir David Adjaye's crimson art museum for late artist's 'dream city'
by Kim Megson | 19 Jun 2017
The crimson-hued concrete building will house the Linda Pace Foundation's growing collection of more than 800 paintings, sculptures and installations / Adjaye Associates
The design for the building is about creating an important civic movement for the city – and the plaza will be a critical feature of this narrative
– David Adjaye
Ground has broken on a new contemporary art museum in San Antonio, Texas, with a design by British architect Sir David Adjaye that was inspired by an artist's dream.
The modern crimson-hued building, called Ruby City, will house the Linda Pace Foundation's growing collection of more than 800 paintings, sculptures, installations and video works by contemporary artists from around the world. Pace, who died in 2007, was an artist and philanthropist who believed in the power of creativity as a social force. She started the foundation to "foster the creation, presentation and understanding of innovative expression" through art.
The 14,000sq ft (1,300sq m), two-story building will cost US$16m (€14.3m, £12.5m) and has been privately funded by the foundation. It will face the San Pedro Creek Improvements Project; a natural creek habitat and linear park being constructed by the city to replace a concrete-lined waterway/
Describing how the museum's vivid design was developed, foundation trustee Kathryn Kanjo said: "As a Jungian, Linda cultivated the power and symbolism of dreams. A sparkling crimson building appeared to her in her sleep. Using coloured-pencil, she sketched the fanciful image and shared it with David Adjaye.
"With his bold sense of volume and materials, David has interpreted Linda's dream city into a faceted, beckoning form, a Ruby City."
The exterior of the structure will be clad in deep red panels of shimmering precast concrete with glass and mica aggregate. A dramatic rooftop of sloping angles and skylights will rise to varying heights and echo cut-away spaces at the building's base.
An ruby-patterned entrance plaza will be formed by the building's cantilevered structure and the ground floor lobby – merging the indoor and outdoor elements. A grand staircase will lead to a series of gallery spaces, which in contrast to the red exteriors will feature concrete floors with white walls and ceilings.
"We have sought to engage with the wider project," said Adjaye, "to rehabilitate the area into a vibrant new urban park and cultural campus. So the design for the building is about creating an important civic movement for the city – and the plaza will be a critical feature of this narrative."
The wider campus, also known as Ruby City, will extend from South Flores Street to the San Pedro Creek. Other spaces there will include a new sculpture garden; an existing one-acre public green space named CHRISpark in memory of Pace's son; and SPACE, a foundation gallery that opened to the public in 2014.
Ruby City is slated for completion in late 2018 to coincide with the celebrations marking San Antonio's 300th birthday.
Adjaye's practice Adjaye Associates are collaborating on the project with local firm Alamo Architects and contractor Whiting-Turner.
Adjaye is known for weaving local geographies and cultural legacies together in his designs, particularly for cultural buildings such as the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington D.C and the Aishti Foundation art museum in Beirut.
A travelling exhibition exploring his philosophy and work to date has recently opened at the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow. Called David Adjaye: Form, Heft, Material, it will run until 30 July.
2017 has been a successful year so far for Adjaye, who has received a knighthood and been named the world's most influential architect by Time magazine.
Linda Pace Foundation Ruby City San Antonio Texas David Adjaye art architecture design
The vision of a sparkling crimson building appeared to Linda Pace in a dream, and this was interpreted by David Adjaye / Adjaye Associates
Adjaye Associates win contract to design Florida library and cultural centre
The architecture practice of Sir David Adjaye will lead the design of a major library and events centre in the city of Winter Park, Florida. Adjaye Associates have been hired by the Winter Park City Commission to work alongside HuntonBrady
Time magazine names Sir David Adjaye as world's most influential architect
Sir David Adjaye has been named the world's most influential architect by Time magazine. In a citation for the publication, Thelma Golden, the director and chief curator of the Adjaye-designed Studio Museum in Harlem, described the British architect as "one
David Adjaye receives knighthood for services to architecture
UPDATE: British architect David Adjaye has been knighted by the Duke of Cambridge during an Investiture ceremony held today (12 May) at Buckingham Palace, London. Adjaye declared himself "truly honoured and humbled" after receiving the accolade in the 2017 New
David Adjaye to lead nature-filled regeneration of abandoned San Francisco naval base
British architect David Adjaye has been appointed to masterplan the transformation of a disused San Francisco Navy base into a vibrant new leisure district. Development company Five Point is leading the project to redevelop the decommissioned Hunters Point site, now
Long-awaited National Museum of African American History and Culture opens in Washington
The long-awaited opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington D.C. will take place this Saturday (24 September), with US president Barack Obama in attendance. A three-day festival of music, literature, dance and film will
Ground has broken on a new contemporary art museum in San Antonio, Texas, with a design by British architect Sir David Adjaye that was inspired by an artist's dream. The modern crimson-hued building, called Ruby City, will house the Linda Pace Foundation's growing collection of more than 800 paintings, sculptures, installations and video works by contemporary artists from around the world. Pace, who died in 2007, was an artist and
CLD,VAT,HAM,AAC,ARC,DES,PHR
Interview: Elizabeth de Portzamparc
"We need to stop the destruction of our world through predatory practices. We need to think of the future"
The architect behind Nimes' Musée de la Romanité on designing to counter loneliness and the need for more cultural buildings


Former French junior national champ Anthony Delaplace first raced the Tour back in 2011, but the 25-year-old is still on his way up.
After riding for the Swiss brand Kemo last year, Bretagne-Séché is racing the storied French brand Look at the 2015 Tour de France. Look launched this 796 time trial bike at the Tour.
The visually striking design incorporates some of the aero styling from Look's 795 Aerolight road frame, such as front brake hidden inside the fork.
Look tucked the Di2 junction box in the top tube, covering it with a 3D-printed piece.
At 8.61 kg / 18.98lb, Delaplace's TT rig isn't light.
Bretagne-Séché is the only team at the Tour riding the Polar Keo Power Bluetooth power meter pedals.
Delaplace finished 144th in the Tour's opening time trial, and his wild-card-entry Bretagne-Séché squad finished the team time trial in 18th, ahead of WorldTour teams like Katusha and Orica-GreenEdge.
Check out the gallery above for a closer look, and see the full bike details below.
Stay up to date with the latest Tour tech at our Tour de France 2015 homepage and be sure to visit Cyclingnews for complete race coverage.


One of the greatest secrets of life on our planet was discovered just four decades ago. This is an astonishing organism, considered to be the largest living organism on Earth. The 43 hectares of poplars come from a single root that extends underground. While on the surface the trees are born and die, the huge network of roots continues to exist and grow.
In the last century, the great tree was struck by lightning and then attacked by a disease. For this reason, its middle part has been removed so that the rest of the tree can be saved. What is called today "Trembling Giant" is, in fact, a network of interconnected and large scale, which already occupies a huge area and is in a continuous expansion.
Basically, there are clones that form a single living organism, the second largest in the world. The only body that surpasses it is a huge mushroom that stretches over an area of 3.8 square kilometers.
The root lies under Utah's Forest Fishlake National Park, and according to experts, it is not only the largest living organism but also the oldest. Pando's roots system has an estimated age of 80,000 years and a collective weight of about 6,000 tons.
The simple fact that all these trunks are connected together makes the entire plant assembly to be considered as one organism, one tree. This tree belongs to the species "Ficus benghalensis", which naturally grows in India.
The forest, dubbed Pando or "The Trembling Giant", is located in Fishlake National Forest, in the US state of Utah. The forest covers an area of 43 hectares and is made up of about 47,000 poplars.
The poplars that are part of the "Trembling Giant" are "tremulous poplars", so called because they prick in the smallest wind and produce a special sound.
In total, these trees weigh 6,000 tons and share the same root. All trees have the same genetic structure, so, in other words, they are clones.
So, although it seems a diversity of individual trees, the forest is one living organism. This feature of the forest was discovered in the 1970s by Burton Barnes, a researcher at the University of Michigan.
The tree is over a quarter of a millennium. No one knows who's planted it. Instead, it is mentioned in travel journals dating from the 19th century as a novelty. The great tree went through two large cyclones in the nineteenth century.
Then he was left without some of the main branches. Due to the huge number of aerial roots, the viewer has the impression that the banyan tree has several trunks. From the inside, as well as from the outside, a whole forest, rather than a single tree, seems more straightforward.
Giant Banyan is a tree that survives and develops through this complicated network of branches and air roots after the main trunk was removed in 1925.
At present, the tree occupies an area of one and a half hectares and its longest branches reach up to about 25 meters.
Later, Paul Rogers, an ecologist at Michigan State University, concluded that the body is male. Even though the entire forest is a single organism, the death and the birth of the trees are independent processes.
Poplars reproduce asexually, a process by which existing roots give rise to other trunks, under favorable environmental conditions. From the surface, the trunks seem to be trees of their own.
But underground is a completely different story: all the trees are connected to the same root system. The process is repeated and the poplars are expanding on enormous surfaces.
Pando is one of the oldest living organisms known to have at least 80,000 years of age, over 47,000 strains and spreads over an area of 43 hectares.
Some researchers estimate real age to be around 1,000,000 years since they can not read the growth rings.
It is believed that Pando grew much of his life in ideal conditions: frequent forest fires prevented the colonization of the area by its direct competitors, conifers.
And climate change, the transition from moisture to semi-arid, prevented the germination of rival poplar seeds.
Pando survived forest fires because of the root system that gave birth to new strains. The average age of these stem-trunks is 130 years.
Pando, The oldest living organism on the planet?
Experts have estimated that the body's age is about 80,000 years. Thus, "The Trembling Giant" is also one of the oldest forms of life on Earth.
Surely, the forest was here before the beginnings of human civilization. Approximation of age was, in turn, more difficult than in the case of classical trees.
The 106 acres of aspen stems found in Pando, a huge grove of aspens in central Utah, has the largest root stem in the world.
If in the latter age is determined by counting trunk circles, in the case of the "Trembling Giver," the age was determined by examining the roots.
In addition, many complex factors have been considered, such as the history of the local environment, the state of the soil in the area, the poplar growth rate and the altitude above sea level.
Unfortunately, the future of the "giant" is not pink. Trees deteriorate due to drought, parasites, and because cows are over-grazing in this area.
The roots are also attacked, and the regenerative capacity is declining. Thus, the dead trees are no longer replaced. And if this state of affairs continues, there is a chance that the forest will disappear.
In 2013, a restoration project was set up, which aims to preserve this unique organism. Some parts of the forest have been removed to allow new trunks to grow without impediments.
Nowadays, researchers are studying trees to find out more about them and find ways to save them.


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Most people are involved, at one time or another, in selling real estate. It can be overwhelming and confusing. Read the following article and you can get helpful real estate tips.
The small efforts in maintaining the landscaping, painting, and other small repairs can be a bother for many homeowners. However, if these things aren't done, they will just cause you to have to do lots of work that must be done prior to selling a home.
Before you put hour house on the market, consider installing some energy-saving elements that will appeal to purchasers. If you put in things like LED bulbs, an energy monitor, and outdoor solar-powered motion lights, it may increase buyer interest in your home because of the savings they provide.
If you are trying to sell your house, you should set a price that is practical. Look at properties in your immediate neighborhood and then put your own valuation somewhere between the highest and the lowest. If you put your house on the market with a high asking price, you may eventually have to reevaluate and lower the price.
Just doing small updates to your kitchen can have a big impact on the value of your home. Your kitchen can take on a different look just by changing one appliance. If you have space, add a popular butcher block island and overhead storage. If you cannot afford to change your cabinetry, apply a fresh coat of paint on it.
Always have your air conditioner and heater serviced before placing your property on the market. Buyers will avoid a house that needs immediate and costly maintenance, such as buying a new furnace.
Create a comprehensive listing of important information about the home in a form that can be easily given to buyers. You can help the buyer by constructing a list of any contractors who have worked on your home. This will give the buyer a good idea about the kind of care that was put into the home during your ownership.
If possible, you should sell your house prior to the date you must move by. Attempting to balance two house payments when waiting to sell the old home can cause you to go bankrupt. Leave yourself plenty of time to find a really good buyer.
Depending on what the market is like in your neighborhood and your sale price, you might find your way to the negotiating table rather quickly. If you wish to sell your house fast, remain flexible, and take any fair offers that you get. If there's no need to sell right away, bide your time and wait for a good offer.
Pick your agents carefully when selling or purchasing a home when it comes to real estate. Carefully consider the agent's reputation and experience. This may be one of the most important business transactions you will make in your life. The right real estate agent can smooth the wheels of a transaction that might otherwise be nerve bending.
Investing in commercial properties is a complex and arduous consumer of your hours and life. However, the costs are often outweighed by the rewards. Utilize the tips found below to help you navigate your way through the commercial real estate business.
Before you make a large investment in real estate, take a look at local income levels, unemployment rates and the expansion or contraction of local employers. Commercial property near hospitals or schools have higher property values; these properties are also easier to sell.
There are many websites available that offer information to investors; therefore, learn all you can before searching for commercial property. Learning more about real estate will always benefit you, and you can never learn enough.
You might have to spend a lot of time on your investment at first. Finding a good opportunity, going through the transaction and making any necessary repairs to the property takes time. Don't let the amount time you need to put in during this phase discourage you. The rewards you see will be much greater at a later time.
Once you have narrowed your choices down to two major contenders, you should expand your decision to include the big picture. Obtaining adequate financing is a major undertaking, whether you opt for a ten-unit apartment complex or a twenty-unit apartment complex. In effect, this is similar to an economy of scale, or also like purchasing more of an item to save money.
If you are selecting a broker, ascertain the amount of experience they have had within the commercial real estate market. Make sure they are specializing in the desired area that you're selling or buying in. Sign an exclusive agreement once you've found a broker you want to work with.
You should be certain that your asking price is a fair offer for your piece of real estate. The value of your property is determined by an entire series of different factors.
Keep your rental commercial properties occupied. Having unoccupied spaces mean that you have to pay for their upkeep. If you have multiple vacant properties, figure out why this is, so you can understand why your tenants are leaving.
You need to think over the community any commercial property is in before you commit to it. Affluent neighborhoods tend to have residents with larger budgets, making a commercial real estate property in such an area is a great choice. If the products and services you offer are more middle class or less affluent, then purchase in an area where there are more buyers suited to your business.
Locating the perfect spot to operate your new business may be challenging, unless you know what you are looking for. Read this article to learn more about the basics of commercial real estate.
Location is essential to the commercial real estate. Pay attention to the property's surrounding neighborhood. Look at the growth in similar areas. This research will help you figure out how the neighborhood you're considering buying commercial property in is likely to grow and change over the next several years. If you aren't comfortable with the potential growth rate or the atmosphere of the neighborhood, purchase property elsewhere.
You will probably have to put a lot of effort into your new investment at the beginning. Hunting for the opportune property will take time and effort, and even after you have purchased it, upgrades and reconditioning might be necessary. You should know what to expect and not give up. Stick with it and you'll be rewarded.
When choosing a broker, investigate their years of actual commercial market experience. Make sure that they are experts in the area in which you are selling or buying. Entering into an exclusive contract with that particular broker is a good idea.
Prior to negotiating with the lease of your commercial real estate, try to decrease anything that could be a default as you can. So a tenant can't default on a lease they sign with you in this type of situation. This is in your best interest.
Advertise your commercial real estate far and wide. A lot of sellers fall into the misconception that only the local buyers are interested parties in potential purchase. There are a lot of private investors who like to buy properties that are not in their direct area if they are affordably priced.
Start drafting letters of intent by focusing on the more central issues. Once you have agreement on those, broaden the negotiations to include any smaller issues that remain. It will be less stressful to negotiate and can also make it easier to come to terms on the smaller things as well.
Before you begin seeking commercial real estate property, be sure to identify your requirements. You should write a list of which features are most important to you. For example, do you need a specific number of restrooms, a specific amount of square footage, or a conference room?
When selling real estate, lots of situations can occur to you. While you may find yourself running up against all sorts of hurdles, sometimes all you need is a handful of good ideas that have worked well for others. Start with these tips to get on your way to earning more from your real estate investment.
When you're selling your home, you should always set a price that is reasonable. Find out what comparable homes have sold for in the area and price your home at the median price. If you price it too high, you might have to lower it.
All pertinent information about a home you are selling should be kept well-organized and easily available. From people who have worked on your home to various aspects of the neighborhood, make sure you know a lot about the home before you attempt to sell it. Your buyers should get a good idea of the kind of maintenance needed.
The housing market changes from season to season in many regions. Using any fall decorum during that season can make your home appear more welcoming to buyers. Rake your leaves if you're selling your home in late autumn.
It is possible that you may need to negotiate the price. This is especially true if your home is priced high in an area with a depressed real estate market. Keep an open mind and accept a fair offer if you want the home to sell quickly. If you are not in a hurry to sell your home, hold off for the offer that you are most comfortable with.
For a quick sale of your house, you ought to consider listing it at 10 percent under recent comparable sales in the neighborhood. Potential buyers who want to move into the area will be enthusiastic about the price, and will be eager to check out your home.
Open up all of your curtains when you show your home. Potential buyers will love to see the brightness of your home because of the sunlight through the windows. You should pull all the drapes and curtains back, and lift all the blinds, as well. Weather permitting, let some fresh air into your home by opening the windows, which will be attractive to potential buyers.
A cheap yet effective way to drive up the value of your home is to slap a new coat of semi-gloss paint on the walls of each room. You can paint certain rooms yourself and not have to spend a lot. When you paint an old, dingy wall, it'll look bright and new. However, because you are selling your home, you should select neutral colors, such as beige or eggshell.
Commercial real estate transactions have many unique characteristics. This article provides valuable advice and tips that can help you make the best and most profitable decisions.
You should take numerous, high-quality photographs of the property. Be sure that the pictures show any current problems with or damage to the home.
You must be patient to succeed as a real estate investor. Make decisions calmly and slowly–don't be in a rush to buy a piece of property. Do not go into an investment out of haste. You might find out that the property is not what you needed after all. Stay patient; it could take a year or more for the perfect property to materialize.
The Internet contains a lot of information for those interested in investing in real estate, whether they be experienced investors or novices. Learning is an ongoing process, and you can never know enough.
Transactions for commercial property take more time, and are a lot more complex, than the process of buying a home. The added time and effort are crucial, however, to getting the return that you want on your investment.
If you have two commercial properties on your short list, you should buy the larger one, if at all possible. If you will be financing the purchase, you should take into account that doing so will require just as much time and effort for a small lot as it will for a larger lot. Generally, this is much like the principle of buying in bulk; the more units you buy, the lower the price per unit.
When you are picking a broker, make sure you know if they are experienced within the commercial real estate market. Make sure they are specializing in the desired area that you're selling or buying in. Sign an exclusive agreement once you've found a broker you want to work with.
If you are planning to rent your commercial properties once you purchase them, opt for solidly constructed buildings that are simple in their design. Tenants are more likely to move in when they know the property is well taken care of. In addition, these properties are low maintenance because they don't frequently need repairs, a benefit to the owners, as well as the tenants.
Lower the risk of default by eliminating as many things that can be labeled "event of default" as you can prior to negotiating a commercial property lease. Decreasing these will prevent tenants from performing a default on the lease after your negotiations. This type of situation is considered very undesirable.
Take tours of the properties that are potential purchases. As you tour each property, you should bring along an experienced contractor who can offer helpful input. Once that is done, you can submit your proposal and begin negotiations. Evaluate and reevaluate the counteroffers before making any kind of decision one way or another.


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