There are only two places in Pokhara which i haven't visited the last time i was here: The Mountain Museum and Gurkha Museum. Both of which fascinated me because i am a big fan of the Himalayas and the most-feared soldiers in the world - the Gurkhas. This time around, i had more time in my hands so i was able to negotiate a cheaper taxi cost to visit both, though not on the same day. Along with my Korean friend whose bargaining skills is exceptional, off we go. I found the Mountain Museum more thorough with the collection. Amidst the 400 rupee entrance fee, i was able to read about all the highest peaks in and around Nepal, the amazing duo of Hillary and Tenzing Norgaray, and even watch a short documentary about the fabulous set of mountains. I spent more time here, and the taxi driver was a bit bothered but spending 1 hour here is totally impossible, minimum is 2.
The mountain view today wasn't so clear. In some days, the peaks were so vibrantly displayed in confidence. In an effort to veer away from the usual places like Devis Falls, Peace Pagoda, and even the Tibetan Settlement which luckily, i was all able to go to last time, it's definite that i must see places i deprioritized the last time.
The Gurkha Museum, meanwhile, was more quiet, more dark and less appealing. However, the prestige of my idols was the main focal point for my visit here. Going to the Gurkha Museum here in Pokhara was inevitable, and totally non-negotiable. I paid 200 rupees to get in, and took my time reading about the different infantries, missions, and even winter gears of soldiers. The people manning the place were very quiet. It seems that they don't get as many visitors as the former, but still worthy to go to. I bought a couple of Gurkha print outs which was surprisingly cheap as souvenirs. In the photo above, i asked my taxi driver to get the shot, standing tall and proud with the place that commemorates the best of the best. It says, "Better to die than be a coward." And with that, the principle has enveloped my mind for days now.
Pokhara is still beautiful, if not the most beautiful city in Nepal. The air is much cleaner, temperature more relaxing, and the views are phenomenal. It simply is the most romantic place in Nepal. Accommodations vary depending on your budget. I am staying here at Hotel Family Home, tucked in a quiet corner away from the noise of the lake side. It's not as cheap as some hotels, but i am more comfortable here with a bigger room, hot shower, and fantastic views of the mountains. So everyday, i could see through if the weather is clear so i can plan out my activities for the day. Arjun is the enterprising manager of this hotel, he has become busy, but his professionalism exudes. A year later since i stayed here, not much has changed except for a few improvements. When i arrived in Pokhara last time, i had a lot of time in the morning as my flight arrived a little after 8AM. I went for a walk and scoured for hotels with good views. My number 1 requirements is a balcony where i can watch the mountain all day, an airy room that's not less than 15sqm, and friendly people. I didn't care much about how comfortable the bed is or how hot the shower may be. But of course, it's a bonus. I am glad, i am back here. And it seems, this hotel has a very good standing on TripAdvisor already. Makes me think i made the right choice in the first place.
I arrived at the morning, and saw Arjun right away. With a big hug after a year, he escorted me back to the room where i stayed in. He said, "never leave again."
During the afternoon, i always have pleasant walks around the lake. And every photo of Fewa Tal seems like a cut out from a National Geographic book. The endless mountain range overlooking a blanket of thin shimmering waters. At the lake, the view of Annapurna becomes optional. The sunset here is amazing. And then, as the sun is about to set, the cool breeze of the night starts to creep in.
Never fails. Whenever i am in Pokhara, i'm at my laziest. The weather is so good that at mornings, it's hard to resist getting off bed. Usually, i play some tunes and read about where to go next. But last night, i bought a couple of books - Nepalese Customs and Manners, and a bunch of Nepales Folk Tales to keep me busy at some days when i don't feel like roaming around. I also bought a DVD documentary of Nepal, and the infamous photo where all mountains are named and captioned so i won't get confused anymore.
Still here in Pokhara after almost a week. Namaste, everyone!!!


text:
Vancouver 2010 Olympics Cultural Olympiad
Strategic Partners & Sponsors
Cultural Programming
Project Commissioning
Programming + Activation
Business Plan & Budget
Vancouver's 2010 Cultural Olympiad was a defining moment for the City of Vancouver and for Canada. It was the largest, most financially and most artistically successful festival event ever staged in Canada.
Cultural Olympiads had been traditionally treated as a kind of entertainment designed to spice up the main course of athletic contest. They were budgeted accordingly. Participating governments typically saw cultural Olympiads as political opportunities rather than artistic ones. These two factors tended to produce mixed bag affairs – working against delivery of a unified artistic concept of the highest quality.
As executive producer for the performing arts from 2007-2010, Savira created a spectacular 60-day festival that provided an immersive, massively engaging experience for the City and its visitors. We wanted cultural events to discover people, wherever they happened to go. Rather than being spectators at a show, audiences became active participants in a vast collective, seemingly spontaneous cultural moment. Such critical mass and critical success could not begin to be achieved on a modest seed budget. Global partnerships provided funding for new commissions and 1570+ performances were virtually sold out. Audience engagement was 5.8 million - almost triple the target of 2 million souls. The buzz was ceaseless and critical reception was superlative. This was Canada's moment on the world stage and Savira was proud to partner with the VANOC and the IOC.
"The Cultural Olympiad in many ways was bigger than the Games, in fact overshadowed the Games. It was important that downtown Vancouver was like a very big arena. It meant people weren't just watching as spectators but living the experience.
When International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge said the Olympics can never go back from this, they were talking about this pouring into the streets of people, not just in Vancouver and Whistler and Surrey and Richmond but across the country. This happened everywhere. This happened in Toronto and Montreal and Halifax and
Grand Prairie."
- John Furlong, CEO, Vancouver 2010 Olympic Organizing Committee (VANOC)
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


IF I HAVE NOT compassion on my fellow servant, even as my Lord had pity on me, then I know nothing of Calvary love. If I can easily discuss the shortcomings and the sins of any; if I can speak in a casual way even of a child's misdoings, then I know nothing of Calvary love. If I can enjoy a joke at the expense of another; if I can in any way slight another in conversation, or even in thought, then I know nothing of Calvary love. If I can write an unkind letter, speak an unkind word, think an unkind thought without grief and shame, then I know nothing of Calvary love. If I am afraid to speak the truth, lest I lose affection, or lest the one concerned should say, "You do not understand," or because I fear to lose my reputation for kindness; if I put my own good name before the other's highest good, then I know nothing of Calvary love. If souls can suffer alongside, and I hardly know it, because the spirit of discernment is not in me, then I know nothing of Calvary love. If I myself dominate myself, if my thoughts revolve around myself, if I am so occupied with myself I rarely have "a heart at leisure from itself," then I know nothing of Calvary love. If I cannot in honest happiness take the second place (or twentieth); if I cannot take the first without making a fuss about my unworthiness, then I know nothing of Calvary love.
If I do not give a friend "the benefit of the doubt," but put the worst construction instead of the best on what is said or done, then I know nothing of Calvary love. If I take offense easily; if I am content to continue in a cool unfriendliness, though friendship be possible, then I know nothing of Calvary love. If a sudden jar can cause me to speak an impatient, unloving word, then I know nothing of Calvary love. For a cup brimful of sweet water cannot spill even one drop of bitter water, however suddenly jolted. If I say, "Yes, I forgive, but I cannot forget," as though the God, who twice a day washes all the sands on all the shores of all the world, could not wash such memories from my mind, then I know nothing of Calvary love. Flame Of God From prayer that asks that I may be sheltered from winds that beat on Thee, From fearing when I should aspire, From faltering when I should climb higher. From silken self, O Captain, free. Thy soldier who would follow Thee. From subtle love of softening things, From easy choices, weakenings, (Not thus are spirits fortified, Not this way went the Crucified). From all that dims Thy Calvary, O Lamb of God, deliver me. Give me the love that leads the way, The faith that nothing can dismay. The hope no disappointments tire, The passion that will burn like fire; Let me not sink to be a clod; Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God.
Old Paths Magazine – Issue 17: Amy Carmichael (1867–1951) – A Protestant Christian missionary in India. She served in India for fifty-five years without furlough.


text:
further 'dangers' with the PEL
GUEST,peteofebor 21 Feb 03 - 05:57 AM
AggieD 21 Feb 03 - 06:06 AM
DMcG 21 Feb 03 - 06:11 AM
Richard Bridge 22 Feb 03 - 04:21 AM
The Shambles 22 Feb 03 - 05:29 AM
Kernow John 22 Feb 03 - 06:44 AM
Folkiedave 22 Feb 03 - 07:56 PM
The Shambles 25 Feb 03 - 12:19 PM
The Shambles 05 Mar 03 - 06:43 AM
Dave Bryant 05 Mar 03 - 07:09 AM
Nigel Parsons 10 Mar 03 - 06:03 AM
McGrath of Harlow 10 Mar 03 - 12:08 PM
GUEST,Peter from Essex 10 Mar 03 - 05:41 PM
Steve Parkes 11 Mar 03 - 09:02 AM
Subject: further 'dangers' with the PEL
From: GUEST,peteofebor
So PEL is to be administered by local councils, and will be straightforward ???
Some years ago I tried to start up a session in a pub in York, but the landlord said he could not allow it as he did not hold an entertainments licence. On enquiring about getting one , he was told that the premises would need to be inspected by the Fire Brigade for fire safety reasons, and was told he would probably need extra fire exits to be instaled. The pub is a listed building, so back to the council for planning / listed buulding consent.... result .. he did not apply and there was no session .. I might be a lively player, but my melodeon has never yet caught fire...
The serious point is haw many other local government departments are going to try to get involved ? Fire inspections.. Health & Safety..listed building consent etc.. I fail, to see why it is intrinsically more dangerous to have a pub-full fo people listening to folk music than it is to have a pub-full of people watching Manchester United V Leeds United..
Subject: RE: further 'dangers' with the PEL
From: AggieD
I thoroughly agree, having walked past pubs when they are showing big screen football etc. the state of the punters is far more rowdy & drunken than any song session can raise even with a rowdy chorus.
I think that any form of entertainment whether live or screened should be subject to the same licencing laws.
From: DMcG
But didn't Rolf Harris's accordian catch fire some months ago? That's what's behind all of this, I see now .... *GRIN*
From: Richard Bridge
What is not dangerous - viz acoustic music, does NOT need regulating.
Even if it did, the preservation of folklore ought to require some major moderation of regulation for thos cultural activities that merit preservation
From the month-long campaign the Western Morning News has been running.
http://www.thisisdevon.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=116762&command=newPage
09:39 - 01 February 2003
A husband and wife team who run a traditional Cornish pub fear the Licensing Bill could put them out of business.
Pat and Neville Allen have run the Angarrack Inn, near Hayle in Cornwall, for three years.
Evenings at the inn are often spent with Mr Allen, an ex-music teacher, entertaining his customers with a song on the pub's piano, something he feels is now under threat.
He said: "Live music makes such a tremendous difference to the atmosphere. And the thing that worries me is that under the terms of the new legislation I am going to need a licence to play my own piano, if the public are watching.
"I can understand larger events needing a proper licensing system but surely I don't need to go through all that time and expense for the odd sing-song?
"We are only a small business and we can't afford much. It will probably just mean the music will have to stop."
Mrs Neville is concerned that without live music, customers will turn away and their livelihood will suffer.
She said: "There are only about 200 dwellings in the whole village.
"Because there is no shop or post office the pub is the only amenity and has a very important role to play in bringing people together.
"We've had some great evenings in here but that could all stop. A tradition would go and that would be a tragedy.
"If we suddenly need a licence for any entertainment we want to put on it just won't happen. Our regulars may go elsewhere and trade will suffer.
"We are talking about a good old-fashioned social activity. When tourists come to the region and visit the pubs they should be entertained, to show them how friendly it is down here and what a wonderful place it is to spend some time.
"Why threaten that? It is a total headache and could put us out of business."
A huge shake-up of licensing laws could have a disastrous effect on music venues and community tradition, according to musicians, MPs and publicans.
The Licensing Bill - the biggest increase in control of live music for more than 100 years - was introduced by the Government in November. Launched as a "central plank in the drive to tackle antisocial behaviour", it is currently being discussed in the House of Lords and could be law by 2004.
The broad aim of the Bill is to reduce binge drinking and alcohol-related crime and disorder by deregulating opening times. But it also dramatically increases the licensing of live music performance with the introduction of a new "premises licence".
The legislation will require all venues which provide entertainment and are open to the public to buy one. They will cost between £100 and £500, with an annual charge of between £50 and £100.
The "two in a bar rule" - which has existed since 1899 and allows a pub to have one or two performers play without needing a licence - will also be abolished.
David Heath, Liberal Democrat MP for Somerton and Frome, who has spoken out against the Bill in Parliament, said: "The fact that licensing is being modernised is welcomed. The current laws are archaic and did need addressing, but we certainly didn't want it to be replaced with this.
"They keep saying it will be easier and cheaper but we still don't know the costs involved. They could have made it so much easier by saying all unamplified music could be performed without the need for a licence. But of course that would be too easy. It is insulting and livelihoods are at stake."
Musicians fear that without the two-in-a-bar exemption the number of music venues will drop dramatically.
Andy Souch, a solo performer who has been playing folk music on the Westcountry pub circuit for nearly a decade, said: "This legislation is incredibly worrying. It is hard enough to get a gig in the first place but if this becomes law more than half the pubs I play in won't book me. Live music is something we should cherish and encourage, not destroy."
The new licence will replace six existing licensing regimes - alcohol, public entertainment, cinema, theatre, late-night refreshment house and night cafe - with a single measure.
Currently, publicans go to their local authority for an entertainments licence and a magistrate for a liquor licence. Now, they will approach their local authority for one licence and specify whether they want to provide entertainment.
The Government claims this will make it easier and sometimes cheaper - depending on the local authority - for landlords to apply for their licence. But because the two-in-a-bar rule is to be abolished, musicians fear publicans will not apply for the right to provide entertainments.
Margaret Thomas, Cornwall branch secretary of the Musicians' Union, said: "The problem is that when a landlord wants to provide music, he or she has to undergo stringent security checks from police, health and safety and the fire service. The bottom line is that many of them won't bother going through all that for the sake of a bit of live music. So where a pub might now have the occasional duo or solo artist on, under this law it won't happen because they do not like all the extra bureaucracy.
"Local authorities will also be under intense pressure to be seen to be addressing concerns about noise, even if the risk is minimal or non-existent. Conditions are bound to follow, and the cost implications will remain a significant deterrent, particularly for smaller venues."
Village halls, church halls and school halls are often exempt from paying for an entertainments licence because they are registered charities.
But under the new legislation, they will lose that exemption and be charged to put on concerts, plays, recitals, films and many other forms of entertainment, if a charge is made for entry.
So a school or village hall, charging £1 to raise money for charity, will be forced to either pay for a full annual licence, which could cost up to £500, or apply for a temporary notice and be restricted to five events a year. Village hall officials have said the extra costs will only add to the their deepening financial crisis.
Peter Harding, a spokesman for Devon Community Council, which manages the village hall network, said: "Village halls will be forced into applying for full premises licences or risk being caught out part-way through the year when the quotient of five is used up.
"Currently, village halls are exempt from payment for public entertainment licences, but the new legislation would introduce fees costing halls tens of thousands of pounds a year.
"These new charges could prove disastrous for committees already struggling to raise the money to keep their halls open and in good repair."
There had been fears that churches would be subject to the new law, but Culture Minister Kim Howells has since retracted that and offered churches an exemption.
The Government has also allayed fears that spontaneous music - singalongs, happy birthdays etc - will be subject to a licence.
But under the new legislation a premises requiring a licence is termed as "any place". Private functions will therefore be licensable if the public is admitted or a charge is made.
The maximum penalty for unlicensed performance will be a £20,000 fine and six months in prison.
Ian Liddell-Grainger, Conservative MP for Bridgwater, said: "This Bill is an extremely worrying measure. I simply cannot understand how anyone could entertain the idea of making simple pleasures in life so very difficult."
One of the longest-serving landlords in North Devon fears that proposed changes to licensing laws will send his costs soaring.
Barry Shingler, who has run Marshalls pub in Barnstaple for the past 15 years, is backing the WMN's campaign to challenge the Government's Licensing Bill.
If the Bill becomes law, nearly all forms of public entertainment will need a licence.
Mr Shingler said: "All we want to do is give people a choice. We certainly don't make money out of it.
"It's a bit of harmless fun with a great tradition - so why make it so complicated?"
Mr Shingler currently takes advantage of the "two-in-a-bar rule", which allows him to host one or two performers in his pub without having to buy an entertainment licence.
The proposed new law will scrap this exemption, forcing him to apply to his local authority for a new "premises" licence.
Mr Shingler said: "The expense will send my costs soaring. As soon as I tell the council I want to provide entertainment, I will have to undergo extra checks from fire, police and health and safety.
"They will no doubt insist on expensive alterations. Is all that really necessary so that one person can play a guitar on a Sunday afternoon?"
A singer who regularly performs at the pub is Glenn Scoffield, from Barnstaple. He said: "I've been in the business for nearly 35 years and I've never heard of anything like this.
"I used to be able to get three gigs a week, the phone was ringing all the time. Now it is a struggle to find places that will put you on.
"This Bill is just making a bad situation worse, if not impossible. We need landlords like Barry who are prepared to take a chance on music and use their imagination." Under the new law, live music "in any place" will be illegal unless a licence or temporary entertainment notice is obtained.
Anyone staging unlicensed events will be liable to penalties of up to £20,000 and six months' imprisonment.
Mr Shingler said: "I have heard that a new premises licence will cost something like £240. And what for? The right to have a musician on once a week and create a good atmosphere.
"We've never had any complaints about noise before, so why is it being made more difficult?" Regulars at the pub say it would be a "tragedy" if the live music had to stop.
Steve Badcock, from Barnstaple, who has been drinking at Marshalls for a number of years, said: "The music here is great. It makes a change and is a very pleasant way to spend a Sunday afternoon. It's a traditional place with a warm atmosphere and that is something worth protecting.
"Pubs are all starting to look the same wherever you go - drab interiors and Sky television. If they all end up like that it would be tragic."
Publicans' representatives fear the added cost and bureaucracy the Bill would impose may force closures. Joe Duthie, chairman of the West of England Licensed Victuallers Association, said: "We are very worried about fees going through the roof.
"Small pubs need to be able to operate in a way that allows them to maximise their potential.
"The overhaul of the licensing laws are a golden opportunity to create flexibility, not add to costs which could put pubs under."
The landlords of a traditional Westcountry pub believe the Government's new Licensing Bill is "totally unworkable".
Wayne and Colin Richens, who run The St Michael's Mount Inn, in St Barripper near Camborne, Cornwall, are joining the WMN campaign to demand the Government amend the Bill, widely seen as a threat to live music in pubs.
Wayne said: "We have as much acoustic music on as we possibly can. Most pubs seem to settle for Sky television and karaoke. Not here, no way. We offer something more traditional and want to keep it that way."
One of the Bill's proposals is to abolish the ancient two-in-a-bar rule, which allows one or two performers to play in a pub without the landlord needing an entertainments licence.
Wayne said: "One of our regular performers is a 70-year-old man who plays Rolling Stones' songs on an accordion. Under this Bill we would need a license to let him perform. It's crazy and completely unworkable."
The new licensing regime will create one central premise license, combining alcohol and entertainments, and distributed by local authorities. A landlord would apply to their authority for the licence - costing up to £500 - and specify whether they want to provide entertainment.
But musicians fear publicans will be put off applying for the right to stage music because of the clearance needed from police, fire, health and safety, the local authority, and local residents - which may come with expensive conditions.
Wayne said: "Every month we host an evening called Revival 2000. It showcases acoustic, blues, roots, and ethnic acts.
"All the musicians play just one or two at a time, and it bothers nobody. But all that would just have to stop."
And it is not just landlords and musicians that are concerned by the Licensing Bill.
Brian Williams, from Kingsand, in Devon, helps to produce albums which are sold to raise money for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
He believes the Bill represents an infringement on basic human rights.
He said: "The cultural map of this country is under threat. The right to perform music, song or dance is an intrinsic part of an individual's right to the freedom of expression.
"Absolutely everyone who cares about the future of music should join the WMN campaign."
The next Revival 2000 night at St Michael's Mount Inn is on Friday, starting at 7.30pm.
"Come and enjoy it before they make it illegal," said Wayne.
A Westcountry landlord believes proposed changes to licensing laws will deny young musicians their "first platform" to success. Ralph Gabbatiss, landlord of the Jacob's Ladder Inn in Falmouth, has said his customers are "horrified" by the Government's Licensing Bill.
He said: "When I have explained what the WMN campaign is all about people are dumbstruck. They can't believe that the music here might have to stop because of Government intervention. This is a platform venue for many young musicians. It is often the first place they play and we are extremely proud of that."
The Government's Licensing Bill, which could be law next year, will make virtually all kinds of performance illegal unless licensed. The legislation would also abolish the "two-in-a-bar rule", which allows a landlord to stage one or two musicians in their pub without needing an entertainments licence.
Landlords would need to apply to their local authority for a new premises licence to stage any musical performance, however small. But because of the expensive conditions which may be insisted upon by the local authority, there are fears landlords will be simply stop providing live music altogether.
Mr Gabbatiss said: "The previous tenant here did have a full entertainments license, but noise levels were not adherred to. After some residents complained the local authority came in and the music had to stop.
"I fully understand that. We have houses 20 yards away and we have to be careful not to disturb them. If I lived there I would have complained. But now we are tarred with that brush."
When Mr Gabbatiss reapplied two years later, Carrick District Council insisted upon expensive alterations which he could not afford.
He said: "It would have cost me about £5,000 in modifications. New emergency lighting, new fire alarms and fire proofing. Of course I understand the need for safety. But there has to come a point when you stop. You could spend thousands and you'd never really be 100 per cent safe.
"To comply with strict local authority conditions you'd need doormen to count numbers. We are a tourist destination ??? you don't want to see bouncers on the door of every pub."
And Mr Gabbatiss fears that if the Licensing Bill becomes law, any music he does stage will have to stop.
He said: "When people have seen the WMN posters and petitions and asked what it's all about, they are horrified. Local musicians are extremely concerned and rightly so."
Joe Duthie, chairman of the West of England Licensed Victuallers Association, said: "Publicans are very concerned by several aspects of this Bill. It wouldn't just be a case of applying for the right to stage music. You would have to tell the local authority exactly when the music would be on and how often. To succeed pubs need to be able to set their own agenda and not be answerable to local authorities for everything they do."
More than 2,000 readers have already sent in protest forms to the Western Morning News campaign. These, along with petition forms that will be published every Tuesday while demand lasts, will be handed to Culture Minister Kim Howells, demanding that traditional live music in pubs continues.
Western Morning News 09:00 - 19 February 2003
By Paul Andrews
The Government attempted to head off criticism of proposed changes to licensing laws yesterday by inviting musicians to a "summit" to help draw up guidelines which will govern their operation. The move coincides with the WMN campaign to challenge the Licensing Bill, widely seen as a direct threat to live music in pubs.
Minister for Culture Kim Howells said: "I want to ensure the Bill is enforced with a heavy dose of common sense on the ground. I hope the music world, local authorities and the industry will take the opportunity to help shape the guidance and make sure this happens."
But despite yesterday's announcement, musicians and licensees have said they are still "extremely wary".
Hamish Burchill, spokesman for the Musicians' Union South West, said: "This is a step in the right direction but does not go far enough. The fundamental problem remains that small-scale informal events do not need licensing."
The Bill, which could be law by next year, will abolish the "two-in-a-bar rule", which allows a landlord to have one or two musicians play in their pub without needing a full entertainments licence.
Landlords would need to apply to their local authority for a new premises licence to stage any musical event, however small.
Because of the expensive conditions which may be imposed by the fire, police and health and safety, there are fears landlords will simply abandon live music.
Yesterday, Mr Howells tried to allay these fears by stating that local authorities will not be able to impose "unreasonable conditions" on licence applications.
But publicans' representatives remain unconvinced.
Mike Priest, a spokesman for the West of England Licensed Victuallers' Association, said: "This is merely
Sorry about that [cont]
recognition by the Government of how deeply this Bill has concerned people. We are still extremely wary.
"When the Bill was introduced it was done so based on the their idea of creating less red tape. But what it has been replaced with is a set of procedures which merely add to the bureaucracy.
"Regardless of what may be said in public this proposed legislation is still simply a way of creating a new revenue source."
Mr Howells said he would host a music industry summit on February 26 and hold talks with Musicians' Union leader John Smith on March 4 to listen to performers' concerns.
Musicians' representatives will be included in a working group alongside councils and the pub industry to draw up guidelines on how licensing authorities should operate the new regulations.
Mr Howells said: "A host of rumours have been circulated about this Bill.
"The truth is it will make it more affordable for venues to put on live performance in the vast majority of cases. This will in turn increase opportunities for musicians and other artists to perform. Musicians have nothing to fear from this Bill, but much to gain from it."
Nick Harvey, Lib-Dem spokesman for Culture and MP for North Devon, said: "The Government are obviously feeling the heat of the campaign against this Bill. Because they failed to publish guidelines when the Bill was first published it is very much a mess of their own making. They should have invited these people to contribute to the process long ago. Now at least they will face the front line."
More than 2,546 readers have now sent in protest forms to the Western Morning News campaign to challenge the Bill. Along with the petition forms, which will be printed every Tuesday, these will be handed to Dr Howells, demanding that live pub music is protected.
From: Kernow John
The 70 year old is none other than Chris Ridley editor of Folknews Kernow and musician for Trigg Morris. Chris has to be seen to be believed, Maybe it's the Last Time followed by Bad Moon Rising with vocals and on the melodeon!!
I hope you guys are flooding your local daily paper as much as we are in the South West.
From: Folkiedave
Date: 22 Feb 03 - 07:56 PM
Chris is also a caroller with Padstow Carols.
Great bloke.............and of course,,,,,,,,,,the Padstow Traditions Carols,and also Mayday, are under threat........here is what Dominic Tambling (No 2 civil servant dealing with this) wrote to me last week(I was asking about the "Sheffield Carols").
7. There is no definition of spontaneous within the Bill or elsewhere for the purposes of the Bill. The point is that what most people understand to be spontaneous singing or dancing would not count as the provision of regulated entertainment under the Bill (because it would not satisfy the conditions in Schedule 1) and would not, therefore, require a licence.
In reference to your more specific point - it is hard to see how a regular event could be regarded as spontaneous. Those performing/attending must presumably have known that it would happen and turned up accordingly. That is certainly not what I understand to be spontaneity.
The first clause is of course to get rid of the idea that "Happy Birthday" is licensable.
The second clause catches virtually all traditional folk events. And most others too!!
Anyone involved in tradtional folk events should write to Dominic (dominic.tambling@culture.gsi.gov.uk) and ask him how their particular event is affected. Copy the letter to Tessa Jowell (tessa.jowell@culture.gsi.gov.uk).
The biggest change in licensing laws for over a century will be a "bureaucratic nightmare" according to one Westcountry publican.THE biggest change in licensing laws for over a century will be a "bureaucratic nightmare" according to one Westcountry publican.
John Wilkinson, landlord of The Black Dog Inn, at Black Dog near Crediton, believes the Licensing Bill will force pubs to abandon traditional live music.
He said: "We should be able to put more music on, not less. This is a great little village and the pub is the only amenity, so what we do is important to everyone."
The proposed legislation, which could be law by 2004, will make nearly all forms of live entertainment illegal unless licensed.
The new law would also end the "two-in-a-bar rule", which allows one or two musicians to play in a pub without the landlord needing an entertainments licence.
Landlords would be forced to apply to their local authority for a new premises licence to stage any live music. But because the local authority, fire, police and health and safety may insist upon expensive alterations, there are fears landlords will simply not bother.
And being a former community centre manager in Staffordshire, Mr Wilkinson says he is well used to the pitfalls of "local authority bureaucracy".
He said: "It is very hard complying with all the checks you must go through. You might get an electric check in October, door check in November, and fire escape check in December.
"They all cost money and it just adds to the continual struggle to keep your head above water. It is exactly the same in a pub. I understand the need for safety but there has to be middle ground."
Mr Wilkinson regularly has folk singers and dancers entertain his customers, something which they now feel is under threat.
Mr Wilkinson said: "The atmosphere is brilliant and the tradition of it is very special. But before we plan anything else we need to know what is going on with this Bill. If nobody knows how they are going to be affected it makes a mockery of the entire system. We just don't know what will happen. This law would be full of gaping holes which ultimately will be stuffed with expense. The economies of scale are just wrong. Bigger pubs can afford the bureaucracy. We can't."
And Mr Wilkinson believes the proposed legislation amounts to nothing more than an "entertainment tax".
He said: "It is being brought in on the pretext of noise pollution. But 99 per cent of complaints about pub noise are made when drinkers pile out onto the streets. That is already covered by separate laws. Under this law you would need more licenses to do less. It is a bureaucratic nightmare.
"Call it what it is. It is not a licence, they are simply trying to tax our entertainment."
More than 2,300 readers have now sent in protest forms to the Western Morning News campaign to challenge the Bill.
Robert Brightley, a lawyer working in the music industry based in Mitchell, near Newquay, said: "Music is part of our heritage and that of cultures around the world. It gives pleasure to millions of people and live music is at the heart of this.
"This is a time when the industry is suffering massively from the pirating of recorded music and when public opinion is reacting against manufactured pop. To attack grass roots like this will starve music into a slow but certain death. Music should be encouraged as a priceless part of our culture and not effectively outlawed by such draconian and misguided measures as this."
And Mr Brightely fears that if the Bill becomes law, many small scale music events would have to stop.
He said: "These additional hurdles put in the path of music will simply discourage venues from doing all that is required to comply with the regulations.
"As it stands satellite television broadcasts will be exempt from requiring a licence, but live music will not be. That is a gross injustice which cannot be supported on any sensible grounds."
In reference to your more specific point - it is hard to see how a regular event could be regarded as spontaneous. [snip]
I don't know about you, but people singing "Happy Birthday" to me is a regular event. It happens every year.
.. and in restuarant chains like TGI Fridays, the staff sing "Happy Birthday" to someone at least once every Friday & Saturday. It doesn't get much more regular than that.
I rest my case...........
The Publican 21 February 2003
Westminster City Council has antagonised licensees once again with the launch of a public inquiry into the liberalisation of licensing.
Trade members are furious as it appears that very few of them have been consulted. They claim there is no information on what they need to comment on and they have only been given a few days' notice.
The council says that the inquiry will help it prepare for taking on control of licensing and will give the trade a chance to talk to the council about any issues.
But its approach has raised concerns among the industry, especially as the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) and Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR) have not been asked to contribute.
Westminster Licensees' Association (WLA) was invited to submit evidence but has so far not received a formal letter from the council. This means it is already too late for it to make any submissions on the pub industry's behalf.
Kate Nicholls, spokeswoman for the WLA, said: "This is exactly the same approach that Westminster council took to the consultation on its licensing policy, inviting comments from select groups and giving them a ludicrously short time frame to respond."
Chief executive of the BBPA Rob Hayward said: "We want to work with the council but it is sending out a message it has already made up it mind before it has even started."
A council spokeswoman said: "We are assessing the impact of the draft legislation to help inform the debate and clarify the position of those most likely to be affected by the changes."
The council will meet on March 4 to hear evidence and its final report will be published in early April.
Date: 05 Mar 03 - 06:43 AM
The following from Hamish Birchall
Expanded section dealing with the cost of a Premises Licence application for live music:
http://www.musiciansunion.org.uk/articles/dcms_issues26.shtml.
"It will NOT cost anything extra for a pub to apply to provide entertainment as well when applying for permission to sell alcohol."
This refers specifically to the licence fee, and is only correct only if the application for permission to sell alcohol and to provide live music is made simultaneously. The statement ignores hidden compliance costs, which may be considerable (see below).
The Government's estimate of the one-off application fee for the new 'premises licence' is £100-500. In addition all licensed premises will pay a new 'annual inspections' fee which the Government says will be in the region of £50-150.
The Local Government Association is lobbying for much higher fees. Licensing lawyers say the Government estimates are 'pure fantasy' and must be higher. Many ordinary pubs are currently paying only £30 every three years for their liquor licence.
Premises currently paying high annual public entertainment licence (PEL) fees may save considerably, although it must be remembered that barely 5% of 110,000 premises hold annual PELs.
If the dual application for alcohol and live music is not made, an additional licence fee will be payable to host live music at any later date.
When the Bill becomes law in July (as the Government intends), if licensees do not make the dual application they will lose the right to host any regular gigs - even solo performance.
Licensees could, however, have up to 5 gigs a year using the temporary event notice scheme which the Government says will cost £20 a time (up to 499 people participating, max 72 hours duration).
Licensees who do not bother to apply for permission to provide live music can apply at a later date. This process is called 'Variation'. The Department for Culture says the variation fee could be in the region of £100-500.
Compliance costs: the DCMS '20 myths' statement does not mention the hidden compliance costs arising from local authority licence conditions when live music is chosen as an option.
Common licence conditions for live music include the provision of door supervisors, installation of new toilets, vestibules, fire-proofing cellars, rewiring, double glazing (even if the music is unamplified). The costs may run to many thousands of pounds.
Since big screen broadcasts and jukeboxes are not licensable entertainments, local authorities will not be able to impose any licence conditions specifically for these entertainments.
Jumping through all the hoops of additional local authority scrutiny, public consultation, and possible public hearings to deal with objectors, are some of the reasons why licensees may not bother to to apply for permission to continue any solo or duo performance they can currently provide using the 'two in a bar' exemption.
Another important reason will be the way in which the conversion to new licences is to be handled. Ordinary conversion applications (i.e. no live music) will be deemed granted if the local authority does not respond within two months of the application.
However, Variation applications, which must be made if any bar wishes to continue using the two-in-a-bar exemption to provide solo or duo gigs, will be deemed REFUSED if the local authority does not respond within two months.
Given the likely log jam of applications to convert to the new 'premises licence' when the Bill becomes law in July, it may be in licensees' interests to delay variation applications for a few months. Where that happens, any solo or duo performance in such premises will be illegal until the variation application is made, or unless the applicant lodges and wins an appeal to magistrates to overturn the refusal.
What does variation entail? It means starting the licensing process over again: notification of and approval by the police, fire service, environmental health, local residents, and finally the licensing committee of the local authority.
Why is this necessary for any live music, if crowds can jump up and down in these places in front of big screens and powerful PAs and that is not licensable? It all seems unnecessarily complex.
Why can we not have the more liberal regimes that operate successfully in Ireland, Scotland and elsewhere in Europe which allow some live music automatically in bars and restaurants?
From: Dave Bryant
What about Pubs who have already obtained PELs - "The Cricketers" at Greenwich for instance. I believe that their license cost them about £350 for a maximum of two evnings a week. For some reason it would cost them much more (I think £1500 was mentioned) if they wanted live music seven nights a week. It seems strange that the pub can suddenly become "safe" for live music on other evenings if they pay more money.
If the bill becomes law, will they still have the same restrictions, and have to continue paying the same annual charge ? If not, will they have the right to a retrospective refund ?
Refresh - Has anyone got any idea if the same restrictions (ie only two nights a week) would still be enforceable if the new act becomes law ? - Richard ? Roger ?
From: Nigel Parsons
FolkieDave: (22 Feb)
"7. There is no definition of spontaneous within the Bill or elsewhere for the purposes of the Bill. The point is that what most people understand to be spontaneous singing or dancing would not count as the provision of regulated entertainment under the Bill (because it would not satisfy the conditions in Schedule 1) and would not, therefore, require a licence.
The second clause catches virtually all traditional folk events. And most others too!!"
Whilst the first clause may seem to exempt the singing of "Happy Birthday", the second clause then includes it. Those attending a birthday party must be expecting the song to be used at some time, hence it is not (by this definition) spontaneous.
"Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition" - which therefore counts as spontaneous.
There is no reason whatsoever why a group activity organised in advance shouldn't be seen as spontaneous. If a bunch of friends decidec to play football in the park every Sunday morning, I can't see how anybody would say thta it wasn't a spontaneous activity.
From the late Latin root sponte "of one's own accord". It seems Civil Servants these days aren't just incompoetant, they are illiterate.
There is no reason whatsoever why a group activity organised in advance shouldn't be seen as spontaneous. If a bunch of friends decided to play football in the park every Sunday morning, I can't see how anybody would say that it wasn't a spontaneous activity.
From the late Latin root sponte "of one's own accord". It seems Civil Servants these days aren't just incompetant, they are illiterate.
From: GUEST,Peter from Essex
If your footballing friends regularly made advance arrangements such as bringing football kit with them or booking a pitch, then in modern English usage it would not be spontaneous.
The whole concept of "spontaneous" events is a false one. There are no degrees of spontenaity but there are degrees of formality of organisation.
From: Steve Parkes
And I suspect that a dozen folks with guitars, fiddles bodhrans etc. jyst "happening" to turn up at the same pub at the same time on the same night would have a job to persuade anybody it was spontaneus, even the first time.


text:
Thousands of Brexit protesters flood the streets of London calling for new referendum
Brexit is a damn hot mess.
By Marcus Gilmer on March 23, 2019
Hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets of London for the "Put It To The People" protest of Brexit Credit: Getty Images
As the tire fire that is Theresa May's handling of Brexit continues to burn, a crowd pegged at around a million people flooded the streets of London on Saturday, protesting the disastrous policy and calling on a new referendum.
SEE ALSO: John Oliver shares his thoughts on Brexit and we honestly don't know whether to laugh or cry
While the option of a second referendum on Brexit was once seen as highly unlikely, there's now a semblance of hope for those backing the vote. Prime Minister May has bungled the process and is faced with a variety of dubious options, including a yet-again delayed exit or even a no-deal Brexit that would have serious ramifications.
Dubbed "Put It To The People," Saturday's march saw around a million people participate, organizers said. The event also included a rally in front of Parliament. London Mayor Sadiq Khan was among those marching and he was scheduled to speak at the post-march rally.
The swarm of people in London was in direct contrast to the much smaller "March to Leave," a two-week trek of pro-leave protesters led by Nigel Farage, walking from Sunderland with the aim of arriving in London on Friday, March 29, the originally planned Brexit date.
In London, though, the streets were flooded with protesters holding quippy signs and marching in costume, all part of the growing movement to demand a new vote over leaving the EU.
Even superheroes backed the second vote protest. Credit: Getty Images
One of many, many clever signs seen in London during Saturday's protest. Credit: Getty Images
The movement to remain in the EU got a big boost in visibility earlier in the week when an online petition calling for revoking Article 50, the law that outlines how countries can exit the EU, gained so many signatures (now at 4.4 million) that it crashed the government's petition website.
Organizers pegged the crowd at just over a million participants. Credit: Getty Images
Even dogs joined the march. Credit: Getty Images
To say the Brexit process has been a disaster is putting it mildly, as can be seen by the fact that Prime Minister May is the target of both aforementioned protests that take opposing sides. It's reflective of the infighting that's taken place in Parliament, leaving that body of government in a deadlock with no plan in place for an exit.
Despite Saturday's enormous protest, odds of a second referendum are still long thanks to the hurdles that need to be cleared -- including approval from that deadlocked Parliament, a decision on what, exactly, the referendum would be a vote on, and negotiating a timetable on the vote.
Madness is an understatement when it comes to the Brexit mess Credit: Getty Images
London was flooded Saturday with protesters and their signs, calling on a new Brexit vote as Teresa May flirts with disaster. Credit: Getty Images
For now, it's a wait-and-see situation for everyone. The EU has given May until April 12 to get a deal passed by Parliament.
The protesters were not kind to May. Credit: Getty Images
Failure to get a deal done will mean either a no-deal Brexit or May will have to propose yet another alternative before that deadline. And, with that, yet another journey into the unknown for the UK.
Related Video: Google fined $1.7 Billion by European Union for handicapping competitors


Fraud and cybercrime experts Action Fraud are warning the public to be on their guard, following reports of convincing looking emails claiming to be from Amazon.
In one example, the scam email claims recipients have ordered an expensive vintage chandelier. Other reported examples include; Bose stereos, iPhones and luxury watches.
* Forged (or spoofed) e-mail addresses to make it look like the e-mail is coming from Amazon.co.uk.
To report a fraud and cybercrime and receive a police crime reference number, call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.


The Bulk Insert Task is the SSIS equivalent of the bcp utility or the BULK INSERT SQL Command. It's a way to import flat file data very efficiently with no real Transformation in your ETL. Using Biml to create an Bulk Insert Task requires only a few lines of code but you'll observe I build out a full fledged demo.
I am a fan of working in tempdb so create the following table there, or any other scratch database you have handy. I'm going to create a table called BulkInsert and load a simple file into it.
I use a base or root folder for all of my SSIS file work. I call it "SSISData" as I'm original like that, and then create subject area subfolders and within each subfolder, I have 3 folders: Archive, Input, and Output. In this case however, I will have a file sitting in the root of the folder named "C:\SSISData\NoHeaderRow.tsv" (tsv means tab separated values) so if the following comes across as spaces, replace them with the tab character.
The following code uses two connection managers. CM_File is going to refer to the flat file created above. CM_OLE is looking for a named instance of Dev2012 on the local machine. Change these values as you see fit.
If you double click on the Task, you will see options we set for DataFileType and TableLock match what is implemented. Powerful stuff.


Why does it always sound like such a left-handed compliment to call something or somebody, "Old Reliable?"
Once upon a time I read everything I could get my hands on about the War Between the States. When they said that Robert E. Lee called General Longstreet his "old warhorse," I felt sorry for Longstreet and felt envious of the reckless flash of Stonewall Jackson. Likewise, how would you like to be the minivan in the garage that gets call "old reliable?" (Next to it sits a useless and pampered sports car that only gets used on Sunday afternoons when the weather is good.) Would a wife's ego be flattered if her husband thought of her as "Old Reliable?"
The term is actually a serious compliment, and its user would quickly wise upif Old Reliable were taken away. Thus I always feel a little guilty when thinking of walking/hiking as a "mere" backup sport for what I really want to do.
Time to Drop Verizon Wireless Internet?
Would it pay off to drop my Verizon Wireless internet connection? I'm talking about more than the $53 dollars per month. The main benefit would be the killing off of the bad habit that the internet has become. But there's more: without worrying about internet coverage, North America will be a much bigger and better place to camp.
Does the reader know of anyone who has done this, and whether they are happy they did?
There would still be wi-fi in town or at country stores. I really like the camping-style of coming to town once per week to do the usual errands. Internet usage would just be one more errand. It would be fun to look forward to it. Access once per week would be adequate for paying bills, catching up on the news (mostly just entertainment trivia), and reading websites and blogs (more trivia).
Once per week would be adequate for a little bit of internet shopping.
Do our habits and attitudes carry over from "old" technology to newer tech? For instance, many people (and most men) do not like to shop. They already know what they want when they go into a store. They want to find it quickly, buy it, and get the hell out of there.
But what happens when the reluctant shopper has to go to a search engine on the internet? How can he not growl at the 3.6 million hits for his search? That's as growl-able as going to a flea market at Quartzsite in January, and sifting through a ton of unsorted detritus piled up on a table.
Recently I've been complaining a lot about wasting time on the internet, reading repetitious trivia. And yes, I have considered the possibility that some of this problem is self-inflicted. Perhaps I would find something fresh and worthwhile to read if I stopped being so impatient with those search engines.
Happiness is enjoyed only in proportion as it is known; and such is the state or folly of man, that it is known only by experience of its contrary.Thus we must contrast this enjoyable movie with the cultural sinkhole that Hollywood has become.
Update -- Why Do Some People Dislike Apple So Much?
iSchadenfreude is everywhere! It is another bad day for AAPL stock due to a slowdown in the Apple pipeline of orders. AAPL bears are rejoicing -- they want to see the stock fall down through $500 because of the psychological significance. Even though I am an Apple hater, I will try to take a philosophical look at the anti-Apple syndrome.
So off I will go, searching for shareable photographs in the great charnel houses for internet photographs, such as publicDomainPictures.net, Picasa, or Flickr. Blogs that have a Creative Commons License, such as a commenter's blog, are also worth a serious look.
Now don't be suspicious or skeptical if I boast of progress in my de-internetting project by reading adulterous love triangles. Thanks to getting a library card from the Yuma library, I picked up the late-1940s movie, Anna Karenina, starring Vivian Leigh. She was good in the role and, let's face it, agreeable to look at. It served as inspiration for a rematch with Tolstoy's novel.It took about 40 pages for the main characters to start the soap opera, proper, after which I just rolled my eyes and put the book away. Ahh but wait. Maybe things are different when re-reading a book.
Let's try to learn something from rewatching a movie. Years ago I learned the trick of focusing away from the center of the screen.Without any special effort, you probably would be focusing dead center, where the action is and the leading characters are.


text:
League of Legends reportedly blocked in Iran
Riot Games' message to Iranian users attributed block to "US laws and regulations
League of Legends players in Iran are being blocked from accessing the game, an apparent consequence of trade sanctions imposed by the United States.
An Iranian user posted a message that players in the country are greeted with when trying to access the game. The message reads:
"Due to US laws and regulations, players in your country cannot access League of Legends at this time. Such restrictions are subject to change by the US government, so if and when that happens, we will look forward to having you back on the rift."
This move arrives amid rising tensions between Iran and the United States, which has intensified under the Trump administration. League of Legends features microtransactions, which would be considered a form of trade with the country.
As PC Gamer highlighted, this is the same situation that means the Epic Games Store is not available in countries, "prohibited by US law, such as North Korea and Iran."
Riot Games has yet to issue a statement on the matter, beyond the message it issued to its Iranian users.
League of Legends reclaims top spot on Twitch
Riot's MOBA on track to exceed one billion hours viewed in 2019, as Fortnite begins to flag
Riot Games teams up with Nielsen to measure brand exposure for esports sponsors
"We have the opportunity to help monetise Riot Games' platform and validate this growing market"
Casey Anderson Game Data Analyst, Big Fish Games24 days ago
That is unfortunate, games have the potential to create powerful, cross-cultural, shared experiences - which seems like a positive under the current climate.


text:
Q: How to support multiple source level targets in an annotation processor My team and I are maintaining some applications that contain code generated using  the Maven annotation plugin.
I was testing a migration from Java 8 to Java 11 when I realized that the generated code does not compile, no matter how I configured the plugin, Maven or Eclipse. Once JDK 11 was installed, an error was reported by the compiler about not being able to locate javax.annotation.Generated for import.
I've just discovered that that specific import is actually inserted by our own annotation processor.
I can't just change the package of Generated from javax.annotation.Generated (in Java 8) to javax.annotation.processing.Generated (in Java 11) since there will be some time (possibly up to a year) when we'll be using both platforms. I am now wondering whether and how I could dynamically select which annotation package to import in the generated files.

A: While trying to solve a different problem than the one I've described in this question, I came across an answer that I'm sharing here. It comes from class Context in org.hibernate:hibernate-jpamodelgen:5.4.4.Final
        TypeElement java8AndBelowGeneratedAnnotation =
                pe.getElementUtils().getTypeElement( "javax.annotation.Generated" );
        if ( java8AndBelowGeneratedAnnotation != null ) {
            generatedAnnotation = java8AndBelowGeneratedAnnotation;
        }
        else {
            // Using the new name for this annotation in Java 9 and above
            generatedAnnotation = pe.getElementUtils().getTypeElement( "javax.annotation.processing.Generated" );
        }

The nugget of knowledge here is that by trying to access the "old" annotation, one can determine which platform is running.
Beware! Note however that javax.annotation.Generated might be brought in by a third-party library (and not by the JRE), which will invalidate this dynamic selection of the appropriate annotation. This is happening to me at this very moment due to javax.annotation:jsr250-api being indirectly brought by org.bsc.maven:maven-processor-plugin into the build environment of my project. As a result, the Hibernate annotation processor wrongly outputs javax.annotation.Generated instead of outputting javax.annotation.processing.Generated as it should in a Java 11 environment.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
U.S. deal with cartel let billions of dollars of drugs be smuggled
In a shady deal to garner informants, the government has been working with the notorious Sinaloa cartel since 2000
Check out this article! https://www.salon.com/2014/01/13/u_s_deal_with_cartel_let_billions_of_dollars_of_drugs_be_smuggled/
Natasha Lennard
Under the remit of the War on Drugs, millions of U.S. citizens have faced arrest and jail time for minor, nonviolent charges. All the while, it has been revealed, the U.S. government has been enabling billions of dollars worth of drugs to flood into the country from Mexico because of shady deals with the notorious Sinaloa cartel.
An investigation by El Universal (flagged by Business Insider) found that Sinaloa (believed to supply 80 percent of Chicago's street drugs) has been working with U.S. authorities since 2000 to provide information in return for immunity and undisturbed drug trafficking. Court documents obtained by El Universal show testimony from DEA and DOJ officials affirming the relationship.
El Universal, citing court documents, reports that DEA agents met with high-level Sinaloa officials more than 50 times since 2000.
... "The DEA agents met with members of the cartel in Mexico to obtain information about their rivals and simultaneously built a network of informants who sign drug cooperation agreements, subject to results, to enable them to obtain future benefits, including cancellation of charges in the U.S.," reports El Universal, which also interviewed more than one hundred active and retired police officers as well as prisoners and experts.
Natasha Lennard is an assistant news editor at Salon, covering non-electoral politics, general news and rabble-rousing. Follow her on Twitter @natashalennard, email nlennard@salon.com.
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Lace up your boots because you're about to embark on the journey of a lifetime with the family that's bringing khaki back! The Irwins – Terri, Bindi and Robert – return to Animal Planet in a new series that gives audiences an all-access, front row seat to experience the sights and sounds of their thrilling wildlife adventures around the globe and the amazing animals that continue to inspire their conservation efforts. From running Australia's largest family-owned zoo, Australia Zoo in Queensland, to crisscrossing the world protecting and celebrating the most wondrous animals on the planet, The Irwins work thoughtfully and tirelessly to carry on Steve's mission to bring people closer to animals and ignite the connection that will ensure an abundance of wildlife for generations to come. CRIKEY! IT'S THE IRWINS launches as a global series premiere beginning Sunday, October 28 at 8pm ET/PT and will be seen in Animal Planet's 360 million homes around the world.
CRIKEY! IT'S THE IRWINS features the Irwins working together to care for more than 1,200 animals at Australia Zoo; overseeing a world class wildlife hospital, the largest of its kind in the world; and conducting high-octane global expeditions. Animal Planet audiences ride along with Terri as she propels Steve's conservation mission forward, which has included expanding the once two-acre Australia Zoo into a world-class 750+-acre zoo with 105 acres open to the public. Bindi, now 20 years old, focuses her passion for animals at Australia Zoo's Wildlife Hospital, Australia's best equipped wildlife treatment facility which rescues, rehabilitates and releases sick, injured, or orphaned native wildlife. Robert demonstrates a curiosity, deep knowledge and expertise for all the animals around him, as well as an infectious enthusiasm to share this experience with others; a memorable trait often showcased by his father.
In the season premiere of CRIKEY! IT'S THE IRWINS, among other stories, audiences will see Robert, after months of croc wrangling training with Steve Irwin's best friend Wes, take the final step in his journey to feed Graham, a huge crocodile at the zoo's famous Crocoseum. Originally rescued by Steve, Graham is the Zoo's largest and most volatile big croc, with a history of dragging Steve Irwin into the water during a routine capture, and separately injuring Wes with a surprise death roll that left him hospitalized. Bindi helps tend to Cedar, a rescue koala that has given birth to a rare set of twin joeys who must now survive the 6 to 8-month period before they can leave Cedar's pouch. Bindi and the zookeepers face ongoing challenges to keep the twin joeys alive as nature and survival of the fittest comes into play as one of the rarest types of koala pregnancies leaves the two joeys struggling and fighting for life.
CRIKEY! IT'S THE IRWINS is produced for Animal Planet by Eureka where Paul Franklin, Chris Culvenor, Wes Dening and Rod Parker serve as executive producers. For Animal Planet, Erin Wanner is executive producer, Sarah Russell is producer and Paris Peckerman serves as production coordinator.


text:
HomeAsylum Seekers
Cricket Eases Angst As Refugees Wait On Processing
By New Matilda on April 15, 2015 Asylum Seekers
Since the age of six, Previn* has been a refugee. During the Sri Lankan civil war in 1990, his family was forced to flee to Tamil Nadu in India, where they were called agathigal by the locals: refugee.
For more than 20 years they lived in a crowded refugee detention camp, without the same rights as Indians, so in March 2013 Previn boarded a boat to Australia. "It's cruel in India," he says. "Some of my friends told me Australia is a good place. I don't know how they knew."
Previn, 30, is the opening batsmen for Ocean 12, a cricket team established in 2013 by Noeline Nagle and the Blue Mountains Refugee Support Group. Previn and his 15 teammates are stuck in a kind of purgatory – waiting for the Australian Government to grant him refugee status so he can move off his bridging visa.
Previn started playing cricket in India with other Tamils, but he loves the Australian opposition. "I prefer to make friends with the Australians," he explains. "I need to understand more of the slang English."
Previn's closest Australian friends are Noeline and her husband Paul. The Tamil men call her "auntie", and she's fiercely protective of her team. Whether it's visa issues, cuts and grazes, emotional support or a place to stay for the night, Ocean 12 can always rely on Noeline. "It's totally enriched my life," she says. "If anything happened to these guys I think my whole world would just crumble. I don't like to dwell on that."
For 22 days Previn and his friends sailed on a small fishing boat to Australia via Indonesia. There were 92 other people on board and provisions for just one meal a day and precious little water. "We just talked about the future, then sleep and eat," he says. "We got sick, it was very hot on the ocean. Our skin discolour and went very very dark. It was like God's grace that we here."
When they finally hit land, it wasn't the Australia he expected. Rather than being free on the mainland, he was ferried to Christmas Island. "I didn't know," he laughs, "I was so confused. Is this Australia? It was like India in a detention centre."
For three months he stayed locked away on Christmas Island, before moving to a different facility in Weipa, Queensland, where he stayed for another nine months. The guards were nice in Weipa, he says. On Christmas Island? "Horrible. Violent."
At Weipa he met other Tamils, five of whom he lives with now in north-west Sydney. Two to a room with no rights to work, it's Spartan living. "With my friends we just sit in our room for whole days and waste time. We just came out of the house for cricket on Saturdays and Sundays, but on the weekdays there was nothing to do."
The number one challenge facing the Tamil men is in keeping their mind occupied. Noeline says most are dealing with post-traumatic stress, but without work rights or permanent residency they can't earn money and it's difficult to integrate into the community.
"I used to worry terribly about the boredom of the men in community detention," says Noeline. "I drove home one day and thought 'this is ridiculous'." From that moment in 2013, Ocean 12 was born. They play in a 20/20 cricket competition in western Sydney with the support of Wentworthville Leagues Club.
Previn's best mate Jagen* is a fast bowler and a top order batsman. He hasn't seen his mum and dad since they left to work in Qatar nine years ago, and he misses his girlfriend, who he left back in Sri Lanka three years ago. Since arriving in Australia he's suffered deep depression, and like Previn he's had terrible nightmares of the boat journey.
"I'm better now for my mental health," he says. "My mind clear now. Monday to Friday, every day sleeping and talk with mum and dad on my phone. Saturday and Sunday very happy I can play cricket."
Jagen is waiting for a visa and work rights. He rolls up his sleeves to show me deep, dark scars where he would be routinely whipped by wire from the Sri Lankan army. "It's a very difficult situation," he says. "They suspect me of being part of the [Tamil] Tigers. The army would come in my home and torture." Whether this – as well as a boat-journey and a stint in detention – is enough to convince the refugee review committee that he's a 'genuine' refugee is yet to be known. But while he waits, playing cricket with Ocean 12 is crucial catharsis.
When Ocean 12 started, they were hopeless, says Noeline. "The men wouldn't talk to each other and they got beaten terribly. It took a couple of months to turn around, and then in the summer competitions we didn't lose a game. It just went from strength to strength. They became a team. They became supportive of each other."
Many members of Ocean 12 have taken Australian flags to the cricket World Cup matches, and it's through cricket that they're starting to feel Australian. The support has been particularly crucial for Previn, who is now striving for success in other areas. He's started umpiring local matches and he recently topped the class in his laboratory skills course at TAFE.
In March, Ocean 12 won their first grand final, making them champions of Sydney's Last Man Standing competition.
Despite the victories on and off the field, nothing is permanent until the Australian government accepts that Previn is a refugee, and the fear of being deported hangs over his head like a dark cloud.
Previn is especially worried that he'll be deported to Sri Lanka, not India. He calls it his "life triangle". Still, he's just received his work rights, and when he finds a job he's going to buy that new gold chain he's been eyeing off and then start saving some money.
Noeline says the team keep asking her when they can repay the Australian government. "I'm telling them about the tax free threshold," she says, "but they're not interested – they want to pay tax!"
"My goal for here is becoming a good person," says Previn, "then second goal I really want to speak good English. And then I want to become a scientist. After that maybe I will get married."
*Names have been changed.
Tags: asylum-seekersblue mountains refugee support groupchristmas islancricketfeaturejoe gormansri lanka
New Matilda is independent journalism at its finest. The site has been publishing intelligent coverage of Australian and international politics, media and culture since 2004.
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Got this during my scrub phase =_= I have a lot of these phases, where I will buy buy buy then lose interest in them. I remember there were other variants but I chose olive cos it's moisturizing.
It smells good (a little heavy, perhaps), spreads well, doesn't lather and is cheap. I think it's kinda watery though and there weren't enough beads inside to exfoliate properly. It leaves a film on skin after washing so skin is smooth. Smell lingers for a while so it's good to cover strong scents on your body like smoke, fishy smell or if you have BO. This scrub is neither moisturizing nor drying.
My conclusion : Not sure if I'll repurchase this. Doesn't really serve it's purpose but I do like the fact that it can cover smells quickly.
I have a tube of the facial scrub and I use it for my body LOL!
and, hahah, since im getting 100 canes and i dont have enough space, so im only gonna slice them when i need them. or slice a few first. xD IKR. SO BLOOOODY CHEAP THAT I FEEL CHEATED NOW BUYING FROM THOSE RESELLERS+PASAR MALAM.


A recent conversation in my house sparked interest in this current blog topic. The scenario goes like this….
Okay, end of story. And I'm sure you can ask any parent who helps their child with homework and they will say it is a common scenario. But then I must stop and remember that as a former first and third-grade teacher, I likely did the same thing to my students. Thought I taught a concept. Assigned some quick homework assignment just so the parents would see what we were covering. Gave students some extra practice. I am also a guilty party!
Homework is most effective when students are practicing material that has already been taught. Teachers should ensure that when sending home practice sheets, students already know what to do and how to do it. Otherwise, there is a great risk of practicing the task incorrectly, therefore reinforcing incorrect learning. And let's face it – it is easier to teach something the first time than having to unlearn and relearn a task.
The research on homework is mixed. Some say yes, homework is great! It improves student achievement! (Cooper, Robinson, & Patall, 2006; Marzano & Pickering, 2007). Some say no, homework is pointless, meaningless, and does nothing to facilitate learning (Bennett & Kalish, 2006; Kohn, 2006; Kralovec & Buell, 2000). Okay, so that is a bit of an exaggeration. But regardless of where you stand on the homework issue, there are some important key items to remember when designing these opportunities for your students. Marzano and Pickering (2007) maintain that "Teachers should not abandon homework. Instead they should improve its instructional quality." This blog will focus on practical tips to help improve both instructional quality and implementation of homework assignments.
An important, if not the most important, question that teachers must answer when assigning homework is "what is it going to be used for?" Homework that is simply given as busy work or so that students will have something to do at home is not a good enough reason. Homework should be purposeful, should naturally extend learning from the classroom, should provide meaningful and independent opportunities to practice new learning, and should connect to real world learning applications. Students should be able to explain what they are doing and why they are doing it. Additionally, teachers should be using homework as a piece of the formative assessment puzzle to inform them on student performance and comprehension of the material. Which means that homework should have some sort of descriptive feedback when returned to students. Unfortunately, I've known teachers who, once finished checking homework for completion and accuracy, simply throw it away. If the homework is not important enough to provide students with feedback, then it is not important enough to do at all.
Some research has suggested that students should spend no more than 10 minutes per grade level on homework assignments each night (Cooper, 2007). As a teacher, this is ideal, but not realistic. 21st century students are busy creatures with jam-packed extracurricular schedules. And we cannot underestimate the importance of play. Young children should be roaming, playing, and developing socially and emotionally. When too much homework is coupled with a heavy extracurricular schedule, students do not have time to engage in this free time. As a teacher and parent, I am personally in favor of weekly homework assignments given upfront. For instance, my third-grader always gets her weekly reading, writing, and math homework sent home on a Friday. The homework is always due the following Friday. Which means that she has the weekend or the week to complete her assignments and that we as a family, can look at our schedule and decide on homework time. Busy weekend – no problem, we can push it back. Busy week – no problem, we've got to plan ahead. Families greatly value FLEXIBILITY in home-based assignments. And so do older students with busy social lives.
Types of homework range from reading assignments, essays, worksheets, research papers, science projects, and other more complex versions of student projects. The important thing to consider here is that the assignment should be meaningful, relevant, and an extension of classroom learning. The more engaging a homework assignment, the more likely the student is to complete it. Homework done right should not feel like homework. It should feel more like fun learning. It should help the student feel intrinsically confident in his/her ability to learn and meet learning goals. Extensive projects such as science fairs, creating models, and research papers will undoubtedly require more completion time. Thus, these types of homework assignments should be communicated well in advance to allow the student (and his/her parents) adequate time to plan and complete.
Explain to a parent the author's purpose in writing the book.
Look up 3 unknown words and write down the definitions and an example sentence of each.
Tell the theme of the story you read.
Choose a main character and describe personality traits.
Describe the setting of the book you read.
Read a non-fiction book and identify/explain at least 3 non-fiction elements.
Read a biography and tell what you learned.
Explain something that you didn't like about the story you read. Tell why.
I am also a huge fan of "flipped classroom" style homework where instead of assigning a typical practice worksheet AFTER instruction, the teacher assigns video homework BEFORE coming to class. For instance, let's say that a teacher is introducing the concept of adding and subtracting fractions. The teacher would make a brief 5-10 minute recorded teaching video that the student is required to watch BEFORE coming to class. That way, when the student comes to class, he/she already has some foundational knowledge, the teacher can dive right in to guided practice, and can free up more time to provide individualized attention and instruction to students while they are working on practice activities during class. (This can't be done if they work on assignments at home). My favorite tool to implement this type of homework is EdPuzzle. EdPuzzle allows teachers to use existing videos (YouTube) or to import their own created videos into a video-editing system. Once the video has been assigned, teachers can create corresponding quizzes, can freeze the video so that students are not able to skip ahead, and can actually track when a student watches the video and if it is completed. Best of all EdPuzzle is free, easy to use, and can track and monitor student data.
Another tool that I have seen effectively coupled with homework is the SeeSaw Class/Student/Family app. Last year when my daughter was in second grade, the teacher introduced a new unit on regrouping. She knew that most parents were familiar with the old method of teaching adding/subtracting through "borrowing" when subtracting numbers greater than ten. Using the SeeSaw tool already connected to parent and student accounts, this teacher created a short 5-minute video that went out to PARENTS that explained how she was teaching adding and subtracting with the new terminology. It was awesome and allowed me great insight into what my daughter was learning at school and how I could help her with her practice activities at home.
Homework is undoubtedly an important hallmark of school. Teachers must remember that when done right, homework can be a very important learning opportunity that extends and enhances classroom instruction.
Cooper, H. (2007). The battle over homework (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Kohn, A. (2006). Abusing research: The study of homework and other examples. Phi Delta Kappan. 88(1), 9–22.
Kralovec, E., & Buell, J. (2000). The end of homework: How homework disrupts families, overburdens children, and limits learning. Boston: Beacon.
Marzano, R. J., & Pickering, D. J. (2007). Special topic: The case for and against homework. Educational leadership, 64(6), 74-79.


An object is a container of IP addresses, fully qualified domain names (FQDNs), or port numbers that you can use in one or more network policies. You can create them in CDO or, when you onboard a device, CDO recognizes all the imported objects, saves them, and lists them on the Objects page.
In CDO, you can create network objects and service objects. A network object contains an individual IPv4 address, a range of IPv4 addresses, or an FQDN. A network group is a collection of network objects. A service object contains a TCP, UDP, or other transport layer protocol, port number. A service object may also contain a collection of port numbers which CDO calls a port group. A service group is a collection of service objects.
You can view the objects managed by CDO by navigating to the Objects menu or by viewing them in the details of a network policy.
Search for and filter all your objects based on a variety of criteria.
Find duplicate, unused, and inconsistent objects on your devices and consolidate, delete, or resolve those object issues.
Discover shared objects that are common across devices.
Evaluate the impact of changes to an object on a set of policies and devices before committing the change.
Compare a set of objects and their relationships with different policies and devices.
Capture objects in use by a device after it has been on-boarded to CDO.


Summer is finally here ladies and gentlemen! And it's festival season. Time to be chilling in the sun and sipping on your favourite drink.
Are you a festival lover that enjoys the brilliant atmosphere and the fantastic music but you find yourself struggling with what to wear or what style to have your hair, clothes and makeup?
Well below are a few top trends for the 'festival look' to give you a few ideas to help make you look festival ready.
Most of the festival look involves a lot of glitter as well as flowers and shiny beads. Take inspiration from these photos to help you to become well on your way to the perfect look and get you into the festival spirit.
Make a splash in this classic rubber rain boot. Available in a spectrum of shades, the Sienna boot keeps feet dry and comfortable with waterproof construction and a plush sheepskin-lined insole. That's right ladies, the well-known brand 'UGG' have produced festival wellies so get purchasing to help you get through the festival seasons.


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Home >>Search Speakers >> Paula Deen
Southern Celebrity Chef
In Paula Deen's kitchen, no one is a stranger and she likes to keep it that way.
A native of Albany, Georgia, Paula Deen never dreamed she would become an American icon. Paula was living the American dream—married to her high school sweetheart and mother of two adorable boys when tragedy struck. Her parents died, her marriage failed and she began a prolonged battle with agoraphobia. With her boys in their teens and her family near homelessness, Paula took her last $200, reached deep inside and started "The Bag Lady," a home-based meal delivery service that marked the start of Paula's professional cooking. With sons Jamie and Bobby delivering "lunch-and-love-in-a-bag," beginning in June 1989, Paula turned around her life by using what she knew best, traditional Southern cooking.
Paula has become an American phenomenon, overcoming poverty, doubt and agoraphobia to achieve success and acclaim she could never have imagined. Yet the most remarkable part of Paula Deen's journey from her kitchen to fame and fortune is that Paula has remained every bit as genuine, real and full of love as the first meals to leave her kitchen.
The Bag Lady brought out Paula's strengths and stabilized her family. She began cooking outside her home and started preparing meals at a Best Western motel in Savannah and finally opening her first restaurant, The Lady and Sons, with Bobby and Jamie five years later. The restaurant was a hit and the popularity of Paula and her cooking led to her first cookbook, 1998's The Lady and Sons Savannah Country Cookbook. The book gave her fans the opportunity to try Paula's recipes at home, and led to her first television appearance on QVC. Paula's genuine warmth and folksy personality made her a natural for television. In 1999, USA Today food critic Jerry Shriver named The Lady and Sons "International Meal of the Year."
Paula's rise to stardom was underway but when she premiered "Paula's Home Cooking" on the Food Network in 2002, she was on the verge of superstardom. The network added "Paula's Party" in 2006 and Bobby and Jamie began making appearances with Paula on the programs. The family that began delivering lunch-and-love-in-a-bag in 1989 had become one of the most recognized and beloved families in the country. The Food Network gave Bobby and Jamie their own show, "Road Tasted," and today Paula has two shows running on the network, "Paula's Best Dishes," which debuted in 2008 and the long running "Paula's Home Cooking." Paula is a two-time Emmy Award winner.
The fact that success hasn't changed Paula; she is the same genuine, warm and caring soul today as she was when she first appeared on the scene, is probably the best indicator of the strength and grace of this remarkable woman. And her success has been prodigious, by any standard.
Now the author of 14 cookbooks which have sold more than 8,000,000 copies, she began her bimonthly magazine, Cooking with Paula Deen, which has a circulation of more than 1,000,000 today. Paula Deen, adored by millions of fans, is seemingly everywhere in American media and culture. In addition to her own television shows, she appears regularly and has visited virtually every network morning show, every daytime or late night talk show, has appeared in hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles and thousands of websites. Paula's vivacious energy combined with a dazzling smile and infectious laugh is like America's best friend and next door neighbor. When Paula tours the country making personal appearance to talk about life, family and cooking, thousands of people come to participate. On New Year's Day 2011, Paula was the Grand Marshall of the Tournament of Roses Parade.
Paula's business interests have grown considerably. Named for her brother, Paula and her brother own Uncle Bubba's Oyster House, a leading seafood restaurant in Savannah. There are Paula Deen Buffets at Harrah's Tunica in Mississippi, where the décor is based on Paula's Savannah home and kitchen; another at the Horseshoe Southern Indiana Casino and a full service restaurant at Harrah's Cherokee, also decorated like Paula's home and kitchen.
Paula Deen, known at first for her traditional Southern cooking, is now an American lifestyle icon. In addition to a long-running partnership between Paula Deen and Smithfield Foods, Paula Deen Enterprises now includes 17 different licensees and covers a broad gamut of good living products. The product line includes a full line of cookware and dishes, assorted food products, sauces, spices and bakery goods. In recent years Paula also introduced a complete line of furniture, greeting cards and the Paula Deen and Family Party at Sea Cruise.
Ever grateful for all she has been blessed with, Paula and her family continue to give back to the community. Paula is a member of the board of the Bethesda Home for Boys, works tirelessly for America's Second Harvest and partners with Smithfield Foods Helping Hungry Homes™ which has donated protein for more than 10,000,000 meals for America's hungry. To book celebrity chef Paula Deen call Executive Speakers Bureau at 901-754-9404.
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Are you 50 years old or older? Are you interested in meeting people and staying active? If you answered "yes" to these questions, we encourage you to consider joining the Iowa City/Johnson County Senior Center! As a member, you receive numerous benefits, including access to a rich variety of programs, services and amenities.
As Friends of The Center, we raise funds to make access to The Center affordable for all community members. To provide assistance to seniors living on fixed incomes, the Friends organization funds the low-income Discounted Membership Program. As a result, all of our community's older adults can stay active, curious and connected!
Parking is located in the Tower Place Parking Ramp, conveniently connected to The Center by a skywalk. Additional handicapped parking is also available on Linn Street. To learn more about parking options, Learn More.
Friends of The Center appreciates your help in funding discounted memberships for low-income seniors, as well as the programs and services that help make the Iowa City area a great place to live. Please consider making a donation today.
"I was floundering in retirement until I discovered courses at the Senior Center. Gradually my days became filled, both at home preparing for class, in class, and meeting with new friends outside of class."


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Social care services 'at risk'
Social care services 'at risk': Budget cuts of up to £85m would put severe pressure on Northamptonshire's adult and children's social care services, a report finds. BBC Northamptonshire
A mounting case for change, but will it drive change in a 'liberated NHS'?
A mounting case for change, but will it drive change in a 'liberated NHS'?: Less than two weeks ago, we said that the current health and social care system is not fit to meet current and future demands and requires radical reform.
Now the publication from the Royal College of Physicians, Hospitals on the edge? Time for action, – and hot on its heels, The state of medical education and practice in the UK, from the General Medical Council – provide further compelling evidence for the need for change. In essence both these reports describe a fundamental misalignment of the medical workforce, and the way in which care is organised, with the needs of the patients. The RCP report in particular makes salutary reading.
Dental mouth cancer checks urged
Dental mouth cancer checks urged: More dentists need to be checking their patients for mouth cancer, say experts. BBC News
Incapacity benefits appeals heap unpaid work upon GPs
Incapacity benefits appeals heap unpaid work upon GPs: Practices have faced a huge surge in unfunded work in the past 18 months as thousands of patients ask for help with benefits appeals, GP leaders say. GP Online
CCGs plan to limit private sector role
CCGs plan to limit private sector role: Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are planning to add clauses to their constitutions to limit the role of private providers, GP can reveal. GP Online
Care and support at home: The Good Governance Institute has published a report into out of hospital care. 'Care and support at home: an audit of telecare services in England' examines how care services in the future need to be developed. It provides a number of recommendations aimed at Government and local authority officials about how telecare services and user outcomes can be improved. It is targeted at policy-makers, local authority councillors with an interest in adult social care, local authority directors of adult social services, and health and wellbeing board members. Its purpose is to encourage decision-makers to understand the current provision of telecare services in England and how services can be improved for the future.
Report: http://www.good-governance.org.uk/Product%20Menus/audit-of-telecare-services-in-england.htm
Good Governance Institute
Atlas of Variation in healthcare for people with respiratory disease
Atlas of Variation in healthcare for people with respiratory disease: Right Care has produced a new themed Atlas which highlights variation in care for people with respiratory disease. The indicators presented in this document underline the substantial scope clinicians and commissioners have to improve outcomes by ensuring that all patients receive the quality of care that is delivered in the best-performing localities.
GMC trialling new system to improve how complaints against doctors are investigated
GMC trialling new system to improve how complaints against doctors are investigated: A new system to improve how complaints against doctors are investigated is to be trialled by the General Medical Council (GMC), it was announced today.
More support needed for smokeless tobacco cessation in South Asian communities, says new NICE guidance
More support needed for smokeless tobacco cessation in South Asian communities, says new NICE guidance: NICE has published final guidance on providing support for people in South Asian communities on stopping the use of smokeless tobacco products, such as Paan, Gutka, Shupari, and Betel Quid. Contrary to perceptions that these types of products are healthy or beneficial, they are in fact associated with serious health problems such as oral cancer, serious dental problems, heart attack and stroke, and problems in pregnancy.
New 'SARS-like' virus detected
New 'SARS-like' virus detected:
A new "SARS-like" virus has been detected in the UK, according to widespread media reports. The headlines are based on press releases from the UK's Health Protection Agency (HPA) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Coroners make record number of recommendations to NHS
Coroners make record number of recommendations to NHS: Coroners have issued a record numbers of recommendations to hospitals in order to prevent future patient deaths. The Daily Telegraph
Nurse and midwife total falls by 6,000
Nurse and midwife total falls by 6,000: The number of nurses and midwives working in the NHS has fallen by almost 6,000 in two years, figures show. The Independent
Cardiologist struck off for molesting young boys
Cardiologist struck off for molesting young boys:
An internationally renowned former Great Ormond Street cardiologist has been struck off the medical register after he was found guilty of molesting young boys. The Independent
New features to be added to mental health report following successful consultation
New features to be added to mental health report following successful consultation: The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) is to further enhance one of its biggest annual mental health reports following a successful con... NHS Information Centre
A mounting case for change, but will it drive chan...
Incapacity benefits appeals heap unpaid work upon ...
Atlas of Variation in healthcare for people with r...
GMC trialling new system to improve how complaints...
More support needed for smokeless tobacco cessatio...
Coroners make record number of recommendations to ...
New features to be added to mental health report f...


IDICBeer 40k: Eldar tanks "Less is more?"
Eldar tanks "Less is more?"
The Eldar anti-grav tank is a wonderful piece of machinery, but how are you gearing them up? Not so much as the guns you put on them as we all have our own favourites. I'm talking about the upgrade options like Star engines, Vectored engines, Holo-fields and Spirit stones? Ok, lets forget Spirit stones as everybody takes them, all the time no matter what, right?
I currently have one Wave Serpent, one Falcon and two Fire Prisms and I am still in the process of building up my army with the plan of getting myself two more Serpents in the future. I started off in the usual fashion of just using the models that I had purchased so far and trying out the different combinations of units available.
It didn't take me long to discover that Mech Eldar/Saim-Hann style was the first direction I wanted to go and the rest of my efforts have been to get this style of army up first, followed by a Harlequin list and finally onto a Hybrid style list. As you can probably tell I am the type of person who goes all out, rather than taking a fixed list approach. I just love having all the options open to me to play and have some fun with.
Focussing on a IDIC Hann style Army List, lead me to taking all the options on my tanks that are available. After all, I am going to need to keep them in action ready to contest/control for as long as possible.
Holo-fields (wish you could take these on the Wave Serpent) for durability. Star Engines for the extra speed and for some sneaky Eldar cover save tricks and Vectored engines so that I don't go down after the high speed movement when contesting.
So this brings me on to the whole reason of this post. So far I have been very happy with my very expensive versatile tanks. I am at a stage now where I am so used to having my geared up tanks, that I am almost afraid to take the upgrades off! But should I be? Am I missing something? Is less, more? After all I could probably get another tank for the cost of the upgrades?
What are your views on Anti-Grav upgrades? Is less More?
Vectored Engines only work if you go flat-out. Going flat-out, means no shooting. Eldar are a Shooting army...no brainer, IMO.
Star Engines, same beef, although they don't cost 15 points more than they're worth, and a re a LOT better than Vectored's.
Even Stones aren't truly a necessity.