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Q: Packing problem I have the following problem:

*

*I have a given number of identically formed items with different colors (I know how many there are from each color)

*I pack these items into boxes that can hold each a given number (n) of item in such way that I use the minimum number of boxes: round_up(total_nr_of_items/n)

*There are some colors I am not allowed to put in one box except if I can't otherwise have the ideal number of boxes.

*There is a minimal number of items from each color (different for each color) that I'm allowed to put in a box. That is I can decide to put 0 pcs. of a color into a box or a minimum of k pcs. or above. This constraint can also be broken (as few times as possible) if the packing could not be done with the minimum number of boxes.

*I want to find a solution where as few colors as possible are split between boxes.

I think this is a kind of packing problem but I don't know which one.
Please suggest into which packing problem can the above be converted into and/or an algorithm that I could use to solve this problem.

A: Looks like an NP-Hard constraint satisfaction problem. You'll have hard and soft constraints something like this.
Build-in constraints:

*

*I have a given number of identically formed items with different colors (I know how many there are from each color)

Hard constraints:

*

*There are some colors I am not allowed to put in one box.

*There is a minimal number of items from each color (different for each color) that I'm allowed to put in a box. That is I can decide to put 0 pcs. of a color into a box or a minimum of k pcs. or above.
Soft constraints:

*

*I pack these items into boxes that can hold each a given number (n) of item in such way that I use the minimum number of boxes: round_up(total_nr_of_items/n)

Softer constraints (or really low weight soft constraints):

*

*I want to find a solution where as few colors as possible are split between boxes.

For algorithms to solve this, take a look at Simulated annealing, Tabu search, Branch and bound, ...
For software which implements such algorithms and support constraints, take a look at Drools Planner (java, open source).

A: This could be NP-Hard.
The partition problem (for positive integers) seems to reduce to it.
Given an array of positive integers A[1,...n] of which we need to find some subset has the same sum as its complement.
Consider your colours to be 1 to n. You have two boxes. the minimum a box can hold for colour i is A[i] and you have exactly A[i] items of colour i.
The max number of items each box can hold is (A[1] + .. + A[n])/2.


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Jess Smith July 8, 2015, 14:21 November 11, 2019
On Monday, the Washington Legislature approved a two-year budget that would slice tuition by 15 to 20 percent, and simultaneous increasing state funding for higher education. Community college students would also see a decrease in tuition, around five percent. Both the budget and the tuition-policy still need the governor's signature.
Washington isn't the first state to propose tuition cutbacks (Minnesota passed a tuition cut for community college students for fall 2016), but the changes are larger than previous proposals.
Thomas L. Harnisch, director of state relations and policy analysis at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities told Associated Press that he's never seen anything like the Washington plan in the eight years he has been tracking college tuition nationally.
Dustin Weeden, education policy specialist at the National Council of State Legislatures agreed. "Tuition freezes are much more common," Weeden said. "You'd have to go back before the recession to find any other examples."
According to Associated Press, many private universities are also beginning to consider tuition cutbacks, though they operate under a different budget than state-funded universities, and rely more on private donation.
For Washington students and families, this news brings tentative hope. "The lowering of tuition for resident undergraduates is great news for them and their parents," University of Washington interim President Ana Mari Cauce said. However, she also cautioned parents to continue saving for college with potential tuition increases in mind, as she believes the cost may continue to go up and down.
What do you think? Should all states adopt a policy similar to Washington's?
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Manton and Daniel discuss the paralysis of choosing what to work on as an indie, Manton's mysterious Kickstarter campaign, and the allure of company stickers and other marketing stuff.
Release Notes Conference – Indianapolis conference about indie software business.
Kickstarter – Crowdfunding site on which Manton will soon launch a campaign.
MarsEdit – Daniel's Mac-based blog editing app.
Why can't it be like email? – Brent Simmons's original notes about the design of MarsEdit 1.0.
Studio Neat – Austin based product design company.
Thoroughly Considered on Relay.fm – Podcast from the Studio Neat folks.
Indie Go Go – Kickstarter alternative that lets you keep the money regardless of turnout.
Patreon – Crowd-sourced patronage contribution service.
Typed: A Better Blog Platform – Indie Go Go page for Realmac's blogging service.
Manton's New Stickers – Mysterious star-based logo for a forthcoming product.
StickerMule – Really nice folks who make really nice stickers.
Sponsored by Fabric, Twitter's mobile SDK: Leverage the power of Crashlytics, Twitter and MoPub to help you build the best mobile apps.
October 15, 2015 at 4:21 pm.


text:
Our Founder: Bob Kaehler
Triathletes
Coaches & Trainers
Founder: Bob Kaehler
"My personal mission is to explore, develop and advance training and conditioning techniques that build a solid platform for athletic success, and to empower athletes to train with a balanced approach that will extend their athletic longevity, increase strength and power, and significantly reduce injury risk."
–Coach Bob Kaehler
Bob Kaehler's Story
Coach Kaehler is a three-time U.S. Olympian, four-time World Champion rower. Raised in Huntington, New York, Kaehler began rowing at the age of sixteen at the Sagamore Rowing Club, NY, and continued through his undergraduate college years at Rutgers University, and as a graduate at Columbia University where he earned his Master's Degree in Physical Therapy in 1991. During the course of an athletic career that spanned three decades, Kaehler participated in three Olympic Games (1992, 1996 and 2000) as a member of the U.S. Men's National Rowing Team. He also competed in seven World Rowing Championships, winning in 1994 as well as an unprecedented three-year run in 1997, 1998 and 1999 in the Men's Open 8+.
During his ten years on the U.S. national team, Kaehler trained with several of the world's top rowing coaches including, Igor Grinko, Mike Spracklen and Mike Teti. This exposure to many and often radically different, training methods and philosophies helped shape Bob's unique perspective on training to maximize athletic performance.
Column Core Training™ and Conditioning
With almost three decades of experience as a licensed, practicing Physical Therapist , Coach Kaehler now devotes his efforts to helping athletes reach their optimal physical state through his true passion as a health, fitness, and athletic performance expert. Combining his rowing, physical therapy, and strength and conditioning background, Coach Kaehler has developed a unique training and conditioning system called Column Core Training™ which creates total body muscle balance. Bob's innovative column core approach helps athletes understand how to ideally train their bodies and can be learned at any skill level. Column Core Training™ has helped thousands of athletes from the professional level, to Division 1 athletes, as well as high school and master's athletes. It is the Column Core Training™ system that provides each athlete with the perfect combination of strength and flexibility allowing them to reach their maximum power and efficiency while simultaneously reducing risk of injury for any sport.
Coach Kaehler's body balanced Column Core System has been successfully used by thousands of athletes to improve their performance, while significantly reducing sports-related injury risk.
"Every athlete possesses the qualities of a true champion. We all have the ability to reach our maximum potential by aligning ourselves with proper natural principles that enhance our health, athletic performance and overall well-being."
Kaehler Core Product FAQ
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text:
"Everyone can cultivate an inner place of stillness – a safe harbor so to speak – where they can retreat and regroup on a regular basis. I want to help people find that inner harbor inside themselves."
- Robin Elizabeth Williams
Robin Elizabeth Williams, Director
With over 35 years in visual and performing arts education and with over 10 years as a meditator and meditation teacher, Robin Elizabeth Williams is uniquely qualified to create innovative programming in mindfulness and the arts for children, adults, and the wider community.
As the Director of Education at the Baltimore Shambhala Meditation Center, Robin coordinated programs in meditation and contemplative arts and invited noted teachers in the areas of mindfulness, meditation, Buddhism, Buddhist psychology, qigong, tai chi, poetry, yoga, calligraphy, and ikebana. She partnered with other people and organizations to creatively and experientially learn about challenging topics such as faith, grief, death, race, spirituality, and peacemaking. After a teaching visit with Vietnam veteran and Zen Monk, Claude Anshin Thomas, Robin was inspired to continue to bring meditation and art to veterans at the Maryland Center for Veteran Education and Training and mindfulness to the Veterans Court in Baltimore City.
Robin realized that she wanted to demystify the meditation experience and to bring the beneficial life skills of mindfulness and creativity to a wider community – and so she founded Inner Harbor Wellness. Along with providing opportunities in meditation and art, her intention for Inner Harbor Wellness is to create space for community conversations on relevant topics, service projects that benefit the wider Baltimore community, and self-care programs for care givers.
Mindfulness and Meditation Training
The Center for Mind-Body Medicine, Washington, DC
Mindfulness in the Schools Project, UK
Baltimore Shambhala Meditation Center
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Program, Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society, University of Massachusetts Medical School
Baltimore Tai Chi
Seven Stars Taoist Training
Laban Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies
Partnerships and Organizations
In the past Robin has worked for or partnered with the Maryland Center for Veteran Education and Training, The Baltimore Station, The American Red Cross, The Veteran Court of Baltimore, Gilchrist, Baltimore Shambhala Meditation Center, Baltimore Office of Promotion and Tourism BrightStARTS, Young Audiences of Maryland and Atlanta, St. James Academy, Georgia Council for the Arts, Baltimore School for the Arts, and the Baltimore Bureau of Recreation's Arts and Aging Program.
© 2017 Inner Harbor Wellness


Looking for meaning of zella name in Urdu or English . Here the the complte details of name zella , what it means and should you name your boy or girl this name. zella is mostly the name of Girls in muslim countries and is from arabic origan. If we translate name zella then its meaning in Urdu and Engish is In german meaning is : Little Marcus چھوٹا مارکوس .


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NPR's Scott Simon talks about Unforgettable: A Son, a Mother, and the Lessons of a Lifetime--and so much more
I don't remember when I first met Scott Simon but I do know it was on Twitter. I'm pretty sure he responded to a hopefully-witty tweet of mine, and then we began conversing online, which is pretty amazing to me considering he has 1.25 million fans. He's totally hilarious, uncommonly smart, with a heart the size of Jupiter.
One of America's most admired writers and broadcasters, he's also the award-winning host of Weekend Edition Saturday--hey, it has over 4 million listeners and is also the most listened to news program on NPR. He also hosts TV specials, does stories for CBS Sunday Morning and he's the author of the highly acclaimed nonfiction books Home and Away: Memoir of a Fan, Jackie Robinson and the Integration of Baseball, and Baby, We Were Meant for Each Other. But wait, there's more! He's also the author of the extraordinary novels Pretty Birds, and Windy City. His new book, Unforgettable: A Son, a Mother, and the Lessons of a Lifetime, shares his beloved mother's dying process in a way that's actually filled with wonder and with life. It became an instant New York Times bestseller, a Morning Joe Book Club pick, and it is still racking up the raves.
And deservedly so.
I'm so thrilled to have Scott here. Thank you, Scott!
I know you were tweeting as all this was going on, and it had a profound impact on you. Did it change the way you saw social media--and see it now? Were you surprised by how many people your tweets touched?
Yes I was surprised, and it did change the way I see social media. I had always known that my mother was funny, charming, and wise. But to see so many others come to realize that about my mother, in real time, was extraordinary.
At the same time, though, social media has been growing and changing since my mother died in July, 2013. The tweets about my mother demonstrated to some that social media is as serious or frivolous as we choose to make it (and I do a little of both).
The pope (and I like this one a lot, by the way) reaches more people on Twitter, in a way, than he does in his appearances at St. Peter's. A number of people who have declared their candidacies for president recently have used Twitter to do so. Even as the number of cat photos and fart jokes have also expanded.
I've now come to see social media platforms as our papyrus scrolls. It's where a lot of people record scraps of their lives for others to read, ignore, respond to—or ignore and react to later (as Trevor Noah, the young comic chosen to succeed Jon Stewart at The Daily Show, has so recently discovered).
How did writing the book change you? What did you learn in writing it, about both yourself and your mother, that surprised you?
Writing the book confirmed for me why I became a writer; how, in a way, it just fulfilled me as the kid who always put out the class newspaper. I don't keep things to myself (well, some things I do, but not many). There's a good reason why I didn't go into espionage work. It's just in my nature to try to fathom my experience and share it with others, be it the war in Bosnia, an interview with Bill Cosby, or my mother's death.
In our last days together, my mother did surprise me by confiding a conclusion she'd reached a long time ago: that my father, who was a serious alcoholic, more or less willed himself to die when I was sixteen because he couldn't stop drinking and realized he would drag us down with him. "It was the last gift he could give us," is how my mother put it.
My mother didn't want me to grow up with that thought pressing on my mind. I'd blame myself for not helping my father more (which, by the way, no one can do for a real problem drinker, especially not a truculent teenager). I'd wonder if I should have done something. So she waited until she felt I could understand and accept my father's death as a gift to tell me.
I also felt that your relationship with your mother was a blueprint for parents. She opened you up to the world, to art, and was so unconditionally loving, often in a non-traditional way. Do you find yourself raising your daughters with her in mind?
Oh yes. Especially now, when she's not around to encourage my wife and I to do that. But her presence, in a way, becomes more powerful in death. We see her lessons as nuggets of imperishable wisdom. We do what we can to drag our daughters through all kinds of places and experiences to let them know that—what was Auntie Mame's phrase?—life's a buffet and some poor bastards are starving to death. Our daughters, gosh knows, may often doubt my sanity. But not my love.
To me, the book is really all about how life--and death--are really all about love. Can you comment on that?
It boils down to this: love is all that endures. I've learned, too: you can take it with you. My mother sure did.
I was really interested in your descriptions of the hospital system. It was impossible to get in touch with your mother's pulmonologist, for example, when just her simple appearance would have soothed your mother immeasurably. Yet, the nurses should have been awarded guardian angel status. Can you talk a little more about that please?
The nurses were ever-present, kind, considerate, and wise. That seems to be who they are. But the doctors, near as I could tell, just look at laptops, enter keystrokes (and, in the case of the pulmonologist, send bills for "consultations" they make without seeing the patient). Medical care has become cold, remote, and data driven; maybe we've forced it to be that way, too, with so many demands. Our veterinarian is more attentive to our cat that my mother's doctors were to her, or, presumably, any of their patients. I'm not sure why some of them have become doctors if they spend most of their time looking at screens, not people.
I've often asked you silly questions like this upcoming one, but now that I feel I know your mother through these pages, I want to know how do you think she would have answered this: If you had to choose, would you rather be trapped in a room with a coconut crab (they are the size of really large dogs and they do eat dogs, as a matter of fact) or a giant squid?
Oh, a squid for sure. My mother loved dogs too much to be trapped with a coconut crab. But out of curiosity, how do they find a dog to eat? In the Great Barrier Reef? It seems to me that however giant a giant squid might be, they are soon rendered powerless on dry land. In which case, I think my mother would choose a giant squid and a tub of marinara sauce.
It's got nothing to do with my mother but: the increasing use of drone warfare. War was destructive enough. But drone warfare offers the dotty illusion that damage can be inflicted on an enemy without cost or risk. I think it may be reaping a dangerous whirlwind.
June 2 is stop gun violence day
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Lily King's Kirkus Prize-winning novel EUPHORIA is...
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Andrew Roe talks about his astonishing novel, The ...
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text:
Q: What kendo datasource schema-model are all about? I tried to explore this example on dojo
And then, I just noticed these lines of code:
      dataSource: {
            data: products,
                schema: {
                    model: {
                       fields: {
                            ProductName: { type: "string" },
                            UnitPrice: { type: "number" },
                            UnitsInStock: { type: "number" },
                            Discontinued: { type: "boolean" }
                        }
                     }
                 },

I tried to delete the whole schema thing and it works just fine. It doesn't affect the columns and fields and even the loading performance.
Now I wonder the purpose of that thing. I do some quick research, and I found nothing specific.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Cyber security narrative has rapidly been thrust onto the world's technology stage over the past several months with the increase of hacking, ransomware, cyber sabotage, phishing and other predatory characters.
A very timely opportunity is coming soon to learn all about the current state of cyber security (CS), its trends, tools and much more at the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) conference to be held 14-16 March, 2017 in Canberra. Leading experts from Australia and around the globe will present prevalent information pertaining to threats, mitigations and advances in cyber security.
In its third year, this event is reputed as one of the premier CS conferences offering a plethora of information and opportunities to network and develop quality partnerships. A list of local and international experts are scheduled to present on a wide range of relevant topics geared to inform, educate and generate substantive narrative.
Over 1,000 attendees are expected to attend ACSC, with a wide spectrum of representatives ranging from C-suite executives to IT and cyber security managers, administrators, architects, engineers and developers. Please refer to the conference prospectus for information on available sponsorship and exhibition opportunities.
For registration and all other information, please visit the conference website.
Anyone interested in learning more about the current state of cyber security should greatly benefit from attending this event.


text:
Travel, What's Happening
Fall Colors of New England – 2
November 30, 2009 kasilofrvpark
NEW HAMPSHIRE FALL PHOTO
Ashland Mill pond
Ashland Mill
We moved to New Hampshire when the Limehurst Campground closed for the winter and we had finished with the northern Vermont covered bridges. Our first stop in New Hampshire was at the Ames Brook Campground in Ashland. It's just south of Plymouth and convenient to the northern part of the state.
Mill below the falls
The town of Ashland has a beautiful mill obtaining it's power from the pond above although it is no longer functioning as a mill. It has been renovated and turned into business offices.
Smith Mill Covered Bridge over the Baker river, Plymouth
We stopped by the Smith Mill Bridge on our way through Plymouth (our first in NH). It was reconstructed in 2001 after a fire destroyed the first bridge at this location. The first was built in 1850.
New Hampshire map with tours
I decided to do the New Hampshire blog a little different. Instead of showing all of the bridges, falls, churches, etc. separately, I thought I would show the photos as we took our tours around the state. We did three tours in the northern and middle part (outlined in blue) from the campground in Ashland. Then we moved south to Henniker to the Mile Away Campground and toured the southwest portion of the state. These tours (plus the lower blue tour) also included covered bridges in Vermont that we hadn't covered previously. However, I did include those Vermont photos in the Vermont blog.
The covered bridges that we photographed are shown by green X's although not all are included in the photos (just too many!) You may ask why we didn't cover the north and southeast portions of the state. There were three bridges further north, but we ran out of daylight and they were too far north for a return trip. The southeast portion of the state only had two and we again ran out of time to get to them. I'm sorry we missed the Dover bridge as the photo in the book looked good, but the Stowell bridge was a non-traditional bridge built in the 1990's.
Squam Covered Bridge,1990, over edge of Little Squam Lake, Ashland
Tour 1 was a long trip leaving Ashland and heading north east on the eastern side of the White Mountains. Our first stop was at a small covered bridge just outside Ashland on the lake. It was a beautiful small bridge which replaced an old, condemned steel and concrete bridge. The town of Ashland raised the money to convert the old bridge to a covered bridge.
Durgin Covered Bridge, 1869, over Cold river near Sandwich
Durgin Covered Bridge was off the main road several miles and we were again touring through the colorful woods on good gravel roads. The original bridge was built on this site in 1828, but was washed away in 1844. It was rebuilt three more time before this final bridge was built. Durgin bridge played a part in the underground railroad between 1830 and 1865.
Swift River Covered Bridge, 1869, over Swift river
Swift River Covered Bridge first built in 1850, destroyed by a flood in 1869, then rebuilt. The current bridge was completely restored by the town of Conway in 1991 after the road was replaced with a highway a short distance away and a new steel and concrete bridge built.
Swift River upstream from the Covered Bridge, Conway
The beautiful restored covered bridge is used for foot traffic only. The view upstream from the bridge is the Swift River, a rocky stream lined with pines and hardwoods which are just beginning to show their color.
Albany Covered Bridge, 1858, over the Swift River near Albany
The Albany Covered Bridge is located along the scenic Kancamagus Highway which cuts through the White Mountains. A windstorm destroyed it a year after it was built, but it was rebuilt in the same spot and has been continually rebuilt to allow traffic through it to the Covered Bridge State Campground.
Rocky Gorge Falls along the Kancamagus Highway
A short ways downstream from the Albany Covered Bridge is a concentration of granite rock in the Swift River stream bed. Over the years the water has carved out a gorge in the rock creating a falls and pool through the granite. The state has built a picnic area and a bridge over the gorge so that the gorge can be viewed from above.
Wentworth Golf Course Covered Bridge over Ellis river
Built in 1990 on the Wentworth Golf Course to provide access across the Ellis River for golf carts, this beautiful little bridge is privately owned and not accessable to the public. It is a replica of a larger bridge that was built back in the 1800's over the river in a different location, but was destroyed by a flood and never replaced.
Upper Glen Ellis Falls
Lower Glen Ellis Falls
We were heading north up 16 highway through the White Mountians and were climbing up toward Pinkham Notch when we spotted a sign stating Glen Falls State Picnic area. Of course we had to see what it was and it turned out to be a spectacular set of falls cascading down the upper Ellis river. The upper falls was a short walk under the highway and along a well developed pathway with railings along the cascading river. As we passed the first smaller falls we approached a stairway cut into the shear wall of rock that led down to the lower falls. It was a long, wet trip down as the stream was bouncing along from rock to rock creating a fine mist. Then the cascade suddenly stopped and as we went lower, much lower, we began to see the arch of water at it poured over the edge of rock, bounced several times before dropping into a deep pool. It was a beautiful falls, but it sure was a long, tiring climb back up to the top. We were both tired, but happy that we did it.
Snow on Mt. Washinton in the distance
As we drove over the Pinkham Notch, we got our first look at the back side of Mt. Washington. It is the tallest mountain in New Hampshire at 6288 feet and had very little snow on it for the time of year. As we drove down the other side of the mountain area, we came upon a turnout above a grove of oaks and maples that had turned bright red. The colors were fantastic and we couldn't pass up taking a bunch of photos here (thanks for digital cameras!).
Red Oaks and Maples near Great Glen Trails
Mechanics Covered Bridge, 1862, over the Israel river
We turned west at Gorman and followed Highway 2 across to Lancaster where the Mechanics Covered Bridge was located. It was getting late by the time we were there and we still had three more covered bridges to see before dark.
Groveton Covered Bridge, 1852, over the Ammonoosuc river
By the time we made it up to Groveton Covered Bridge the sun was beginning to get low in the sky, thus the warm colors on the trees and support structure. The bridge is actually located within the town limits of Northumberland in the township of Groveton. It is no longer used for traffic as route 3 was rerouted in the late 30's. It is one of the few bridges in New Hampshire painted both inside and outside.
Sunset on the Connecticut River
We tried to make it down to the Mount Orne Covered Bridge which connects the town of Lancaster, New Hampshire with Lunenberg, Vermont crossing the Connecticut river. The original bridge was built in 1860's, but was destroyed by a log jam. The new bridge was built in 1911 and is 267 feet long. Unfortunately, it was late and we were unable to get a good photo of it. It was impressive crossing the wide Connecticut.We drove back to Lancaster and got on I-93 for the drive back down to Ashland and the campground. I was a long day and a long drive of 227 miles with a lot of wonderful stops.
Livermore falls on the Pemigewasset river
This tour turned out to be two days long as we got a very late start. We slept in and then had a great breakfast at a little hole-in-the-wall cafe in Ashland. Since it was almost noon we decided to just drive to a few covered bridges north of Plymouth. Our first stop was at the Livermore falls near Campton. It is the site of an old mill that used the water power of a rock cascade above it. The mill was built next to the railroad with loading platform to move the goods onto the railroad cars. The mill is now in ruins with nothing but a brick and rock base remaining. Although just barely visible in the photo, the mill and falls are beyond the railroad trestle. The old railroad crossing of the Pemigewasset river has also been abandon with one section entirely missing.
Bump Covered Bridge, unknown builder, over the Beebe river
On a gravel road well back from the busy traffic of I-93 in what one would call a sleepy little hollow is located Bump Covered Bridge.
Blair Covered Bridge,1869, over the Pemigewasset river
It is actually in the small village of Campton Hollow although well on the outskirts and provides access to the town for several farmers in the hollow. It was reconstructed in 1972 when Blair Covered Bridge in Campton was destroyed by a fire. The new builder made a deal with the city of Campton to restore Bump at the same time that he rebuilt Blair.
Jack-O-Lantern Covered Bridge, 1986
The Keating family of Woodstock built a golf course just south of the town in the early 80's. On a pond in the golf course, they had built a replica of a beautiful covered bridge that once spanned the Pemigewasset River in the town of Woodstock. The original covered bridge was built in 1878 and was destroyed by fire in 1971. The town was unable to rebuild the original bridge again so the Keating family decided to build the replica of it on their golf course. Of course now the only traffic are golf carts and an occasional goose.
Swiftwater Covered Bridge, 1849, over Ammonoosuc river
The Swiftwater bridge was first erected in 1810 although it was destroyed by floods four times before this final bridge was built in 1849. It is unique because of the series of cascades that start above the bridge and end in two falls on the downstream side making it one of the most scenic bridges that we visited. We sat down below the pool on the rocks for awhile enjoying the view.
Haverfill/Bath Covered Bridge, 1829, over Ammonoosuc River
The Haverfill/Bath bridge located in Woodsville is the oldest still standing bridge in all of New Hampshire and New England. It is no longer used for traffic as the highway was moved in 1999. However; it is the first and only bridge on this site.
Haverfill pond on the Ammonoosuc River
The pond formed above the covered bridge site was back water for the original mill and now provides power for the electric generating plant beside the bridge.
Bath Covered Bridge, 1832, over the Ammonoosuc River
At 375 feet, the Bath Covered Bridge is the longest bridge in the interior of New Hampshire. It is a four span bridge crossing the railroad tracks as well as the river.
Jan & friends at the Brick Store
It is in the old village of Bath which boasts 'America's Oldest General Store'. It was still operating as a General Store and was filled with goods as well as antiques, photos, posters, plus merchandise that was sold in the 1800's. Of course it was also decorated for Halloween which was obviously an important holiday in the northeast as extensive decorations were everywhere we went. Jan is sitting here between two of her pumpkin head friends. As one fellow said when we asked why the big deal about Halloween; "It's the last holiday we have before we get snowed in for the winter!"
Mt. Washington Hotel located at Bretton Woods
In 1772, the Royal Governor of New Hampshire set aside a grant of land at the base of Mt. Washington for Bretton Woods named for his home in England. In 1900, John Stickney, a wealthy entrepreneur built a luxury hotel at the base of the mountain. It took two years to complete and has 200 luxury rooms. The hotel had every advanced amenity available at the time, two golf courses, tennis courts and indoor swimming pools. After it was built, the wealthy from Boston, New York and Philadelphia traveled by train to vacation at the hotel. In the 1990's, several New Hampshire businessmen purchased the hotel and surrounding area to built a winter resort at Bretton Woods. The area is now a year around resort with summer and winter activites.
Flume Gorge Covered Bridge,1871, over Pemigewasset River
Flume Gorge is a wonder and worth an afternoon of sightseeing. It is in the Franconia Notch State Park and there is an admission fee which includes a short bus ride to this beautiful covered bridge. It was built by the Lincoln Turnpike Company for the purpose of bringing people to the Flume Gorge. Currently the tour bus takes most of the visitors through the bridge to an information and restroom building at the start of the mile and a half hike up to the top of the Flume Gorge.
The climb starts with a half mile climb along side a granite outcropping with the Pemigewasset river cascading down over the rounded granite rocks. The Flume Gorge was created when a split occurred in a granite wall of rock. Over time the split was widened by water freezing and cracking away the granite walls. Now the gorge itself is over 800 feet long with up to 90 foot shear walls on each side. The state has built walkways and stairs along the base of the gorge where visitors can enjoy the beauty of the gorge and the falls within it.
Flume Gorge
Sentinel Pine Covered Bridge in Flume Gorge
After reaching the top of the flume, the trail continues along through the woods and begins to go back down to the base visitor center. It was a beautiful hike with several small brooks cascading down through the granite rocks. Crossing another branch of the Pemmigewasset high above the river is the Sentinel Pine Covered Bridge. This is not considered a historic bridge, but does have an interesting history. A white pine over 175 feet tall, called the Sentinel Pine, stood along side the canyon of the Pemmigewasset river. The trail down from the Flume went around the pine and around the canyon. In 1938, a hurricane hit the White Mountains and the Sentinel Pine was blown down. In 1939, 90 feet of the pine was used to span the canyon as the main beam of the new covered bridge across the river above the falls and large pool.
Clark's Trading Post Covered Bridge, 1904, over the Pemmigewasset River
The railroad covered bridge was originally built across the Winooski river in Vermont on a short line between Montpelier and Barre. When the line was shut down in 1960, the Clark brothers purchased the bridge, dismantled it and moved it to their trading post in New Hampshire. There they added some old steam engines and passenger cars to carry tourists on a short trip up the Pemmigewasset river basin. The old steam engine was fired by wood and in beautiful condition. The passenger cars were gaily done which made you want to take a ride in them. Unfortunately, they were putting the cars and engines away by the time we arrived there to see the bridge or we probably would have enjoyed a ride on it.
It was a beautiful sunny day with a lot of spectacular sights, beautiful fall trees, interesting covered bridges and a natural wonder. What better way to end the day than to enjoy a delicious dinner in the Woodstock Brewery. Our good friend, Jennifer Judge (who is the Exaulted Ruler in our Elks Lodge), moved from North Woodstock, New Hampshire to Soldotna, Alaska. She recommended the Brewery (where she used to work) to us for dinner. It was a great way to end the day.
We again started west from Ashland on this tour with the intent of visiting the Quechee Gorge and a few of the covered bridges that we had missed in Vermont. This would be continued on tours 4 and 5 also. However, the highlights of those covered bridges were shown in the Vermont blog and will not be shown again here.
Packard Hill Covered Bridge, 1878-1991, over the Mascoma River
Originally an open wooden bridge was built on this site in the 1780's to reach Ichabod Packard's combination grist mill and sawmill southwest of the town of Lebanon. The span was replaced by a covered bridge in 1878, then a Bailey bridge replaced the ruined covered bridge in 1952. That bridge was replaced in 1991 with a reproduction of the original covered bridge.
Croydon Branch of Sugar River
Along the back roads on the way to Newport, we came across a beautiful park-like setting with a pool with ducks in it surrounded by trees in bright fall colors.
Home and Farm near Newport
Next to the river was a large home which was the main building in a extensive farm.
Blow-me-down Covered Bridge, 1877, over the Blow-me-down Brook
Blow-me-down bridge covers a very deep gorge of the brook of the same name near the town of Planfield. It is the same bridge that was built in 1877 and has only been restored once in 1980.
Cascading falls below Blow-me-down Covered Bridge
The cascading brook below the bridge is very beautiful although the trees and shrubs are dense and the sides of the gorge too steep to get a photo of the brook except from the bridge.
Falls downstream from Blow-me-down Covered Bridge
Further downstream the brook is dammed and a picturesque falls occurs. Although the bridge itself is not outstanding, the combination of the bridge, gorge, cascades and falls make it unique.
Dingleton Hill Covered Bridge, 1882, over Mill Brook
Near the town of Cornish Mills is the Dingleton Hill bridge. This area is on the western side of New Hampshire within a few miles of the Connecticut River. The bridge was built by James Tasker for $812 in 1882 and restored in 1983 by Milton Graton.
Kenyon Hill Covered Bridge, 1881, over Mill Brook
Kenyon Hill otherwise known as Blacksmith Shop bridge is located at Cornish City just upstream of the Dingleton Hill bridge. It was also built by James Tasker part of the eleven covered bridges he built in the area. It was also restored by Milton Graton.
Mill Brook connecting Dingleton Hill & Kenyon Hill bridges
Mill Brook wanders out of the Cryodon Mountain area through the Cornish township area and eventually enters the Connecticut River very near the Cornish Winsor Covered Bridge which spans the Connecticut.
Fall trees reflecting in French Pond
With the intent of touring the southwestern portion of New Hampshire and southeastern side of Vermont, we moved south to the town of Henniker and the pretty Mile Away Campground. It was a large campground on the edge of French Pond which was vivid with the colorful trees along it edge.
Rowell Covered Bridge, 1853, over the Contoocook River
Since we were planning to visit several bridges in Vermont on this tour and there were only a few in New Hampshire, we decided to visit several in the Henniker area. The first was a pretty bridge below the Hopkinton reservior and electric power plant.
Henniker Stone Bridge on Contoocook river
The town of Henniker is a beautiful small college town located close to the State Capitol of Concord. Therefore, the major malls and retail stores are located in the Capital and the businesses in Henniker are the local small town Mom and Pop businesses. This gives the town a homey quality and a beauty often seen in the small New England towns.
New England College Covered Bridge, 1972, over the Contoocook River
New England College is located in the town of Henniker. As part of the college, there is a covered bridge built in 1972 to provide access from the college dormitories to the college campus across the Contooook river. The bridge was built for foot traffic only.
Waterloo Covered Bridge, 1857, over the Warner River
Just east of the town of Warner, the Waterloo bridge was set in an area of colorful trees. Although the banks of the river below and above the bridge were too dense to take photos, the Warner river was bubbling over rocks into a large pool at the base of the bridge.
Fall tree colors on New Market road
The New Market paved road was a beautiful drive through trees that were just beginning to get their fall color. Here the along the lower altitudes of southwestern New Hampshire, the trees had not reached the peak of their color except in a few places higher on the hill sides and mountain sides.
Bement Covered Bridge, 1854, over the Warren River
The New Market road took us to our next covered bridge near the village of Bradford. Mr. Long of Hopkinton, who was an engineer and designer for the US Army used his bridge truss to build the Bement Bridge. The bridge was made only with Hemlock.This was the last bridge on our Loop 4 so we drove back to Mile Away Campground.
Fall trees near a County Farm
It was a foggy morning on the 22nd of October when we started out on our last loop looking for covered bridges. We were again touring both southwestern New Hampshire and southeastern Vermont.
Jan and I had both agreed that we were getting a little tired of covered bridges after seeing over a hundred, but we decided to do this last loop to finish the last concentration of ones in both states. It was also getting late in the season, the campgrounds were beginning to close or already closed and most of the trees had passed their peak in color. However, as we began to see this loop, the southern parts of the state still had a lot of beautiful trees.
Powder Mill Pond near Greenfield
We got lost several times trying to find our first covered bridge of the morning. The covered bridges book we were using to direct us to the bridges was either wrong about the name of the road or the name of the road had changed. At first we were disappointed when we saw the bridge. It was just another small bridge spanning a pond. Wow, were we going to be surprised! We drove across the bridge and found a small state park with a boat ramp and picnic tables. We pulled into the park and notice some bright orange and yellow trees reflected into the lake at the boat ramp. It was definitely worth a photo, so we drove into the park. As it turned out, it was one those photo opportunities that you are rarely privileged to experience. As we took the photo, we turned back to look at the bridge and were astounded.
County Farm Covered Bridge, 1937, over Powder Mill Pond
There wasn't a breath of breeze, thus the pond surface was so smooth that it became a perfect mirror with the exception of a few leaves floating on the surface. In the background, the trees were slightly muted by the remnants of the early morning fog. The fall colors on the trees were visible, but not vibrant except on the pond surface. The Bridge was perfectly mirrored in the surface of the pond and in fact, in the photo it is difficult to tell which was the top of the photo except that the bridge in the pond was slightly darker color. This bridge definitely became the highlight 'Covered Bridge of New Hampshire'.
Carlton Covered Bridge, 1869, over the Ashuelot River
We continued on the loop to find a grouping of four bridges near the village of Swanzey. Among them was the Carlton bridge. The earliest crossing here was a wooden bridge built in 1789 although it wasn't covered. In 1869, local farmers built the covered bridge. In 1996, the bridge was completely rebuilt.
Thompson Covered Bridge, 1832, over the Ashuelot River
The Thompson bridge is in the middle of the village of West Swanzey. Just downstream from the bridge is a large dam to hold back the water of the Ashuelot river which is used for power by the mills along the river. There still several mills to left of the photo that are still in use.
Slate Covered Bridge, 1862, over the Ashuelot River
Continuing along the Ashuelot river southward, we found the third in the series of bridges in the Swanzey area. This bridge had a difficult past. The first covered bridge replaced an uncovered span across the river in 1837. The covered bridge was destroyed when a local farmer was crossing with four oxen causing the bridge to collapse dropping the oxen and farmer in the river. In 1862, the bridge was completely destroyed by a fire. Then in 1987, a snow plow caused extensive damage to it. Finally in 2001, the bridge was restored to it's original condition.
Coombs Covered Bridge, 1837, over the Ashuelot River
And finally, the Coombs bridge was the last in the Swanzey area. This pretty little bridge was nestled among the trees just off the main road. Although the bridge is now limited to car traffic only, it is still in use by those who inhabit the other side of the river.
Road side trees in Fall colors
This drive along the Ashuelot river was beautiful with the hardwoods in full color. Although they had an early winter storm south of the area in Massachusetts and Connecticut earlier in the month that damaged the fall color, the color of the leaves in southern New Hampshire were just reaching their peak.
Ashuelot Covered Bridge, 1853, over the Ashuelot River
Ashuelot bridge was a beautiful bridge in a colorful setting. Along the right side of the bridge road were a series of red berry bushes.
Red Berry Bush
Unfortunately we were unable to see the bridge when we were taking photos of the bushes. Ashuelot bridge was originally built to transport the Ashuelot Railroad trains across the river. In 1999, the bridge was completely restored as a vehicle traffic bridge by the town of Winchester.
Maple Syrup Cook House
As we were traveling through Vermont and New Hampshire, we continually saw small out-buildings with smoke coming out the tin chimneys. Spending our summers in Alaska, we naturally thought of a smoke house for curing meat or fish. Finally after seeing all the Maple syrup available for sale almost everywhere , the light finally dawned that these were sugar cooking buildings. This was one of the best ones we saw on the trip.
So ends our covered bridge tour through Vermont and New Hampshire. We came to enjoy the fall tree colors. With the help of searching for covered bridges, we got to see more of the beautiful areas of these two states that the average tourist never sees. We also were able to take photographs, some which are shown in these two blogs that we will enjoy for years to come. Many of these pictures will reappear again on notecards and hopefully someday on paintings by both of us.
It was time to head to Maine. We found by calling ahead that the Acadia National Park was closing the 25th of October for the winter and with it, most of the campgrounds. We managed to make it there for the last weekend. But that's another blog story which you can read next month with our travels to see the Maine lighthouses.
Fall Color in Vermont
November 19, 2009 kasilofrvpark 1 Comment
Sorry this took so long to put together. I know that many of you were anxious to see some of the photos we were bragging about from our East Coast Trip. 1, we didn't have time nor often adequate internet access to put this together during our trip. 2. It turns out that I would have been unable to put this on our blog earlier (even if it had been done) because there was a software glitch in the blog program which didn't allow the insert of a photograph. And as you will see, there is no way that I would update the blog without the photographs! So, here is Vermont!
We started on our fall vacation on the first day of October. We had been told by one of our summer guests that the peak time for the trees in Vermont was Columbus Day so we traveled fast along I-80 to Pennsylvania stopping for a quick visit with my cousin Betsy Sterns just outside Cleveland.
We got off the freeway as we arrived in Pennsylvania and took the two lane 6N highway (our normal preference) across the state enjoying the scenery, the new crop apples and the really good sweet corn roasting ears. Through southwestern New York, we skirted the eastern side of the Adirondack Mountains up to the Canadian border. As we were traveling through Pennsylvania and lower New York the leaves were beginning to turn, but just hadn't reached the peak that we would see in northern Vermont.
Farm north of Colchester
We crossed into Vermont at the upper end of Lake Champlain and drove down the length of Grand Isle to Colchester just north of Burlington where we parked the 5th wheel for a few days. We planned to leave the 5th wheel and then travel around the area with the truck which turned out to be an excellent idea. The weather around Burlington was still warm for most of the trees. It was influenced by Lake Champlain and of the unusual late start to fall.
Autum trees of Vermont hillside
However, the trees higher up in the mountains were at their peak of beauty.
Our first day in Vermont started with a chance meeting with a local farmer in a filling station. He told us to be sure to drive through Smuggler's notch as it was at it's peak in color. As we drove northeast toward the mountains, we could begin to see the wide range of colors on the mountain sides.
Grist Mill on Browns River, Jericho
We were on a paved, narrow road winding through the trees and fields of northern Vermont and entered the small town of Jericho. A stream cascaded down from the mountains through the town and an old Grist Mill stood along the side of the stream.
Poland Covered Bridge, Cambridge Junction, VT
As we were passing through the small village of Cambridge, we noticed a small covered bridge just off the side of the road. The combination of the Grist Mill and the covered bridge really peaked our interest.
Smugglers' Notch is a ski area on one side of the mountain and then a narrow, winding pass between the mountains and on the other side the famous Stowe ski area. As we climbed up toward the pass, the trees turned to orange and reds and as we gained altitude they turned bright yellow.
Brilliant yellow lane up Smuggler's Notch
It was a beautiful drive and made us realize that the real beauty of Vermont was on the back roads, many of which were winding, narrow one-lane gravel roads climbing through the mountains and hills. And that was where the covered bridges were located.
We obtained a book titled 'Covered Bridges of Vermont', written by Ed Barna which gave directions to locate them, photos and facts about the bridges. There were 106 classified as original and partially functional plus others that were reproductions of destroyed original bridges. Originally there were over five hundred documented covered bridges of which most were destroyed by time, damaged beyond repair by floods or destroyed by the hands of man.
We outlined roads from our campground in Colchester which allowed us to find most of the bridges in the northwestern Vermont mountains. Each of the loop roads could be driven in less than a day. Then we moved the camper south of the state Capitol in Montpelier outside a small town called Williamstown. There we outlined loop roads which covered most of the northeastern and middle portions of the state.
We spent the next ten days touring the state. Of the 106 existing bridges in Vermont listed in the book, we found 75 and took photos of them. In addition to the fascinating covered bridges, we encountered old mills, small villages, steepled churches, mountain streams and falls, beautiful farms and old barns. Jan and I took almost a thousand photos in Vermont. Obviously I can't and won't show all of them to you; however, I will show you what we thought were the most interesting and beautiful bridges, mills, farms, churches and scenery in the state.
A. M. Foster Covered Bridge, Cabot-Plain
Up high on one of the ridges was probably the most photogenic covered bridge in Vermont. It is the A. M. Foster bridge located in the Cabot Plain region and is really a reproduction of an original bridge in the region that was destroyed by flood. There was a light dusting of snow on the roof and lots of it in the grass. I was in tennis shoes and got wet, cold feet, but the photo was worth it!
I chose bridges to show you because they were interesting or had some or lots of fall color. Trying to decide which ones to show in limited space was difficult.
Upper Morgan Covered Bridge, 1887, on Lamoille river
Schribner Covered Bridge, date unknown, Cihon river near Johnson
Codding Covered Bridge, 1877, Kelly river on Codding Hollow road
Seguin Covered Bridge, 1850, Lewis river near Charlotte
Upper Morgan, Codding and Scribner Covered Bridges were chosen because of the fall foliage colors, the streams below the bridges and they were similar to the many other bridges we saw. Codding was especially interesting because it was called the 'Kissing Bridge'. Back in the 1800's courting was a little difficult due to the presence of a chaperon when the boy and girl were together. However, Codding bridge was fairly long and it took awhile for the horses to pull the carriage through to the other end. It was very dark inside the bridge which gave ample time for the young couple to kiss. Scribner was special not only for the cascading stream, but also for the farm on the other side which raised Elk. There were some beautiful antlers on some of the bulls in the pen. We were delighted with Sequin Bridge. It was set way off the main road down a narrow gravel road lined with glorious fall trees. The Bridge turned out to be very old and very small, but it was still used regularly. I took a lot of photos of it.
Smith Covered Bridge, 1870, Barnard Brook near South Pomfret
Smith Bridge was different in that the sides were open with a lattice structural design which was a common form of structure, but this was the first bridge where the sides were left open. Actually the hillsides behind the bridge were beautiful, but didn't show in the photo. It was the entrance to a farm property and was a private bridge. We didn't go across it, but took photos from the front.
Upper Falls Covered Bridge, 1840, Black river near Downers Four Corners
Upper Falls Bridge was unique because it had just been renovated with a new metal roof and siding. Put into an area where the hardwoods were at their peak of color and the bridge became spectacular! Located west of the Connecticut River, it was owned and restored in 1975 by the local town. Nearby, there were stone remains of old mills that were destroyed by floods of the past.
Willard Twin Bridges, 1870, above the Ottauquechee river dam near North Hartland
Willard Bridges were built over two separate dams on a lake feeding power to a woolen mill on the side of the first bridge. There was an island in the middle of the dam, thus requiring two separate bridges. The falls over the dam were both spectacular, but we were unable to get close to them because it was private property WELL POSTED! I have included them here because it was very unusual that two bridges were so close together.
That did bring up an interesting antidote from the book. It seems that in a small village in Vermont the locals were trying to decide whether to build another covered bridge across the stream that bisected the town so other farmers from that area could come to the town. One of the councilmen made the following statement: "We already have four covered bridges on the stream in town. Why don't we just cover the whole damned stream?" The bridge never got built.
FALLS AND CASCADES
Streams and covered bridges go together obviously the latter to get over the former. But in addition, water was a main source of power for all the towns and villages in the early Vermont. Upper Vermont being mostly mountainous provided many beautiful falls and cascades through the rocky mountainsides. Put streams and covered bridges together and the photo opportunities increase exponentially.
Sayers Covered Bridge, date unknown, over Ompompanoosuc river near Thetford Center
A magnificent example of the beautiful combination of cascading water and covered bridge. Not only were the cascades beautiful, but the right sides of this area was covered with the stone walls of a grist mill and a sawmill. However, they were so overgrown with vegetation that they were barely visible.
Warren Covered Bridge, 1879, over Mad river in Warren Village
A dam was constructed below the bridge to produce electricity is located on the left side of the photo although not visible. The water from the dam fed a huge tube which dropped through a turbine creating electricity for the town. Originally the white building on the left was a woolen mill with a water wheel. It had been renovated into a home.
Mill Bridge built in 1883 just outside of Tunbridge was another example of a bridge, waterfall over a dam that generated power. Originally there was a Grist Mill next to Mill Covered Bridge using the water from the dam, the Saw Mill had its own wheel and a blacksmith shop as part of a mill complex using the river power.
Old Grist Mill converted to Power Generator plant on Gihon river
An example of a mill that was changed into a power generating station was found on the Gihon river. We took this photo from the center of the covered bridge that crossed the stream. This mill channeled the water off the stream upstream, ran it through turbin-wheels under the building and out the rear into the stream again.
Renovated Grist Mill on Brewster river, Jefferson
This Grist Mill was located on a very small stream using a water wheel. However, the mill had be sold and then renovated into a home. The water wheel was moved from the stream side of the home to the street side where is was visible for the tourists. There was also a covered bridge upstream from it.
Old Sawmill at Kent Corners
Then there was the old 1803 sawmill that had be abandoned over a hundred years ago. It was fed by the water through a pipe from the small lake where the water is falling over the dam. It was under restoration by the locals in Kent's Corner, but had a long way to go. A very small, private covered bridge drew us to the area and we were able to photograph it hidden in the trees at the back of the owners yard (we tried to get permission, but nobody was home).
Old Mills on Otter river downtown Vergennes
The ultimate use of water for power was at the city of Vergennes where a very large dam held back a lake in the center of the city. We drove over the dam noticing the water cascading down the under the city street and then drove around the back to see the falls. There were two of them and they had originally provided power for several mills, but were now used to generate electricity for the city. It was interesting because the dams were a natural barricade of rock across the Otter river damming it. The mills were built on top of the rock base forcing the water to go through two separate cascades. The city street over the dam was actually a bridge.
Moss Glen Falls between Granville & Warren
We were driving up a winding mountain road looking for another covered bridge when we saw this beautiful falls cascading down the side of the mountain. It wasn't on our map, but later found it on the topographic map and it was called Moss Glen Falls. There were many falls and cascades on the streams in Vermont and we stopped to enjoy them as we covered the back roads in the mountains.
CHURCHES, FARMS, OLD BARNS, OLD HOMES & BEAUTIFUL TREES
It seems to be a tradition to photograph the white churches of New England and far be it from me to be any different. It seems that the people of New England made the bright white spires on the their churches to stand well above the surrounding forests to guide the parishioners to their doors. The results were often quite spectacular.
Boyden Winery Farm, Cambridge
On that first loop tour through the Smuggler's Notch we came over a hill to see the Boyden Winery Farm down below us. The tasting room was closed for the year so we didn't stop to taste the local wine.
The original bridge across the Ottauquechee river was old iron Union Street bridge when the yellow home was built in 1812. It was condemned in 1965 and Middle Covered Bridge was constructed by the last of the covered-bridge builders, Milton Graton.
1883 Home at Mill Bridge, Tunbrid
Another beautiful old home was found behind the Mill Covered Bridge in Tunbridge. The sign on the side of the home indicated it was built in 1883. These are but a few of the beautiful homes and farms that we photographed on our tours through the back country of Vermont.
And finally, I can't finish this overview of Vermont without showing a few of the photos of the fabulous autumn trees in the Green Mountain State.
Vermont fall trees


We know visiting a church can be intimidating, and we aren't going to put you on the spot. We want you to put all your fears to rest so that you can enjoy your experience with us! We hope to see you at one of our weekly worship services. We want to make you feel at home. No matter where you've been or what you've done; no matter what your experience has been with a church in the past; no matter whether you've been a Christ follower since you were a child or you're just checking out what this faith thing is all about, you are welcome here.
Check out this brief video to learn more about who we are at County Line.
We sure do, from infants right through to college age.


Indonesia's 2007 strategy for saving the endangered Sumatran and Bornean orangutans has not gone according to plan, with both species continuing their decline.
The authors of the 2007 action plan thought Indonesia's worst environmental problems, such as the rapid loss of forest where orangutans live, would be solved by now, according to a government official who helped to write the plan.
Last year, the government set a new target to increase the population of 25 "priority species," including the Bornean orangutan, by 10% over 2013 levels by 2019.
In 2007, Indonesia launched its Strategy and Action Plan for National Conservation of Orangutans, with the goal of stabilizing all wild populations — and their dwindling rainforest habitats — by 2017.
In July, the IUCN declared the Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) as "critically endangered," the highest risk category. That put it on par with its cousin, the Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii), which has been listed as critically endangered — one step away from extinction — since 2008.
Now, the government intends to revise the action plan, whose ambitious targets were either missed or vague to begin with. Both species' numbers have continued to decline, with only 54,000 Bornean orangutans and 14,600 Sumatran orangutans thought to remain.
An estimated 1,500 still live in rescue centers located across Sumatra and Borneo, even though the 2007 plan called for the rehabilitation and reintroduction into the wild of all captive orangutans by 2015.
Other goals included enhancing public support for orangutan conservation and implementing a management system to ensure their survival — too imprecise, according to Erik Meijaard, a Jakarta-based conservation scientist who coordinates the Borneo Futures Initiative.
Although the government has declared saving orangutans a priority, it has also set ambitious targets for increasing the production of palm oil, one of Indonesia's biggest exports. The breakneck expansion of oil palm plantations is one of the biggest drivers of deforestation in a country that lost 6 million hectares of primary forest — an area larger than Croatia — from 2000 to 2012.
Tachrir Fathoni, the Environment and Forestry Ministry's director of ecosystem conservation, agreed that the government "must work harder" in order to save the orangutan.
"The key is we need to preserve its habitat. If the habitat is good, and there's enough food, and there's no more hunting and enough protection, they can grow on their own," Fathoni told Mongabay.
The Bornean orangutan's new "critically endangered" status was not surprising, said Chaerul Saleh, a wildlife conservation specialist with WWF-Indonesia who worked on the 2007 action plan.
Saleh said that when the plan was drafted, the authors assumed that many of Indonesia's environmental problems would have been brought under control by now.
"Not to point fingers at anyone, but at the time, we didn't imagine that forest conversion, habitat loss and hunting could still be happening," he said.
After last year's devastating agricultural fires, caused by slash-and-burn land clearing practices and an extended dry season brought on by El Nino, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo declared a ban on new oil palm permits and on developing peat bogs, whose widespread draining and drying for agriculture creating the conditions for the fires to spread.
Many orangutans are trafficked for sale as pets. More than 70 were traded in this way between November 2015 and April, according to the WWF.
"That's something we never imagined — that [owning] an orangutan would somehow become a trend, a lifestyle, even a status symbol. To me that's a horrible fact," Saleh said.
Last year, the Environment and Forestry Ministry named 25 "priority species," including the Bornean orangutan, and set a target to increase each of their populations by 10% over 2013 levels by 2019. That's 2% per year.
That's an ambitious target, said Meijaard, the conservation scientist, considering the Bornean orangutan is currently declining at a rate of 2.5% per year.
"Orangutans are very slow breeders, so an increase of 2% [per year] is pretty much impossible," he said.
Saleh added that the government needs private sector support, since more than half of all orangutan habitat overlaps with forest area designated for something other than conservation.


text:
16 songs that sound as much (or more) alike than Sam Smith's "Stay With Me" and Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down" (Part 1 of 2)
Mike Vago,
Katie Rife,
Sean O'Neal,
Alex McLevy,
Josh Modell,
A.A. Dowd,
Kyle Fowle,
Joshua Alston,
Noel Murray,
David Anthony,
and Evan Rytlewski
There's no doubt that Sam Smith's "Stay With Me" bears some resemblance to Tom Petty's hit "I Won't Back Down." But the history of pop music is full of such similarities, and only some of those end up with songwriting settlements. This list—part one of two, with the other half publishing tomorrow—explores some songs that sound just as similar as "I Won't Back Down" and "Stay With Me." Some of them led to judgments, others were simply acknowledged or ignored.
1. Chuck Berry, "Sweet Little Sixteen" (1958) and The Beach Boys, "Surfin' U.S.A." (1963)
The Beach Boys' "Surfin' U.S.A." isn't so much an homage to Chuck Berry's "Sweet Little Sixteen" as it is a rewrite, with essentially the same music and some new lyrics. Sure, the Boys' hook is much bigger ("Everybody's gone surfin' / Surfin U.S.A."), but it's Berry's song—his publishing company was given the entire monetary, though various "Surfin' U.S.A." releases have credited Brian Wilson, Berry, and both. [Josh Modell]
2. The Chiffons, "He's So Fine" (1962) and George Harrison, "My Sweet Lord" (1970)
"My Sweet Lord" is one of copyright law's greatest hits, having sparked one of music history's most infamous court battles over its similarities to "He's So Fine." Both songs are built on the same pair of musical phrases, which are sequenced in such a unique way even Harrison's expert witness admitted how uncommon it was. Harrison later attributed his transgression to "subconscious plagiarism," and a judge awarded Bright Tunes Music over $1.5 million, though that was cut by two-thirds in subsequent appeals. In addition to the legal win, The Chiffons also made the better song, thanks to the "doo-lang" refrain. [Joshua Alston]
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3. Beyoncé, "Halo" (2008) and Kelly Clarkson, "Already Gone" (2009)
"Halo" and "Already Gone" have such similar arrangements, seven years could have separated them and people would have still noticed how alike they sound. Unfortunately for Kelly Clarkson, her single was released a mere seven months after "Halo," making the similarity that much more glaring. "Already Gone" sparked a public feud between Clarkson and Ryan Tedder, who co-wrote both songs, and she was equally furious with her label for releasing the song after she discovered the resemblance. Tedder dismissed the complaints, saying the songs were totally different and that he would never be so stupid as to pen twin tunes for two huge pop stars. If you say so, Tedder. [Joshua Alston]
4. Wire, "Three Girl Rhumba" (1977) and Elastica, "Connection" (1994)
Rock radio in the grunge era opened up to previously unwelcome genres like punk and post-punk, which meant that a lot of what sounded fresh and new in the early 1990s was actually a more polished version of music from 10 or 15 years earlier. But as cool as it was to hear the riff from a Wire song blasting from car stereos and sports arenas circa 1995, Elastica's unconscious (?) homage to "Three Girl Rhumba" in its international hit single "Connection" crossed the line from throwback to ripoff. Elastica eventually agreed to an out-of-court settlement with Wire for "Connection," then gave the band another pile of money to legally sample the song "Lowdown" for a track on the 2000 LP The Menace. [Noel Murray]
5. Bon Jovi, "Livin' On A Prayer" (1986) and Belinda Carlisle, "Heaven Is A Place On Earth"
To be fair to Belinda Carlisle—and to "Heaven Is A Place On Earth" co-writers Rick Nowels and Ellen Shipley—the major-label hit factory is incestuous and trend-driven, which could very well explain how a song with a near-identical structure and melody to Bon Jovi's "Livin' On A Prayer" could hit No. 1 on the Billboard pop charts nine months after the Jon Bon Jovi/Richie Sambora/Desmond Child composition did the same. ("Professional courtesy" may also explain why no lawsuits were filed.) Still, for Top 40 radio-listeners in the late 1980s, the similarities between the two songs led to more than a little confusion, as rocker dudes everywhere would pump their fists excitedly for a few seconds before realizing they were listening to an ex-Go-Go. [Noel Murray]
6. Bauhaus, "Dark Entries" (1980) and Hole, "Mrs. Jones" (1991)
Courtney Love has long been accused of taking all her good ideas from ostensibly more talented men, including Kurt Cobain and Billy Corgan. It's an inherently sexist argument, but one Love reinforced with "Mrs. Jones," from Hole's debut album, which borrows the descending guitar riff from Bauhaus' "Dark Entries." The Hole song is technically built on a Bauhaus "sample," though the writing credits don't reflect that, and Love has been transparent about her love of Bauhaus. But even the most generous punk-rock interpretation does little to repair Love's reputation for plagiarism. [Joshua Alston]
7. T. Rex, "Ride A White Swan" (1970) and Morrissey, "Certain People I Know" (1992)
Morrissey is a well documented T. Rex fan; not only is The Smiths' "Panic" something of an homage to "Metal Guru," but Morrissey has also hinted that the star he was pining for in "Paint A Vulgar Picture" was Marc Bolan. His love has never been more overt than on "Certain People I Know," which glides along the same little rockabilly-inspired lick as T. Rex's 1970 hit "Ride A White Swan." You can also hear Morrissey honking a little bit at the end, as if to acknowledge the bird. [Josh Modell]
8. Suicidal Tendencies, "I Saw Your Mommy" (1983) and Puddle Of Mudd, "She Hates Me" (2001)
As a forerunner in the '80s crossover thrash scene, Suicidal Tendencies' legacy is tied to its breakout hit, "Institutionalized." While it's remained an influence in the metal world, that crossover status was truly achieved when in 2001 the chord progression from "I Saw Your Mommy" turned up in Puddle Of Mudd's "She Hates Me." There are differences between the tracks—the self-proclaimed "cycos" in Suicidal go into warp speed midway through—but "She Hates Me" rides the same tempo and progression throughout, driving home the similarities at every turn. [David Anthony]
9. Rae Sremmurd, "Safe Sex Pay Checks," (2013) and Alley Boy (Featuring Ty$), "RNGM" (2015)
Despite having a golden chorus from hook man Ty$, rapper Alley Boy wasn't able to score a hit with his 2013 contender "RNGM," but considerable elements from that track were lifted for a song that still has a chance of becoming one. The youthful rap duo Rae Sremmurd closes its debut album SremmLife with "Safe Sex Pay Checks," a likely single that glides on a similarly stuttery electronic beat and borrows the same unmistakable melody; even the rhythmic pauses land at the same time. The most substantial difference between the two is the energy level. Where Ty$ mutters his chorus with cool indifference, Rae Sremmurd dials up its chorus into a rowdy party chant. [Evan Rytlewski]
10. Spoon, "I Turn My Camera On," (2005) and Aranda, "All I Ever Wanted" (2008) and Kelly Clarkson, "All I Ever Wanted" (2010)
When Kelly Clarkson's All I Ever Wanted was released in 2009, it had been a few years since Spoon's Gimme Fiction, and that album's "I Turn My Camera On." Clarkson has always incorporated rock into her pop, more so than many similar artists, though in this case, it sounds less incorporated than baldly appropriated. But while the logical assumption would be that some enterprising young producer didn't do as good a job as they should have reworking Spoon's verses into something new, it turns out that it was actually a cover—the song was written by Oklahoma rock group Aranda, who released it the year before Clarkson's title track. So if anyone may be biting Spoon's style, it's not Kelly—at least not directly. However, both versions deviate significantly during the choruses, which probably explains why Spoon didn't feel the need to make a big thing of it. [Alex McCown]
11. Huey Lewis And The News, "I Want A New Drug" (1983) and Ray Parker Jr., "Ghostbusters" (1984)
Ray Parker Jr. claims he was only given a few days in which to write the irresistible theme song for Ghostbusters, a song that was nominated for an Oscar and knocked "When Doves Cry" from the top spot on the Billboard chart. The rush job may have been necessary because the film's producers had already been turned down by Huey Lewis and Lindsey Buckingham, who both claim they were approached before Parker. They got the next best thing to Lewis, however, as Parker's tune shares a bass line and a fair amount of melody with "I Want A New Drug," the News' hit from the previous year. Lewis sued over the similarity and won, although Parker later sued Lewis for discussing the terms of the confidential settlement. [Mike Vago]
12. Tom Petty, "Last Dance With Mary Jane" (1993) and Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Dani California" (2006)
Tom Petty is consistently wrapped up in sound-alike comparisons; you might start to think he's the originator of most rock and pop melodies. After all, he's apparently influenced everyone from Sam Smith to The Strokes, who admitted to ripping off the riff from "American Girl" for "Last Nite." When the Red Hot Chili Peppers released "Dani California" in 2006, it didn't take long for many listeners to notice a similarity between that song's melody and the one Petty used on "Last Dance With Mary Jane." The minor chord progressions are very similar (thought not exactly the same), and the staccato delivery of the vocals by Anthony Kiedis even seems to mimic Petty's. While news of a lawsuit floated around for some time, Petty ultimately played the situation like the cool rock dad he is, telling Rolling Stone that "there are enough frivolous lawsuits in this country without people fighting over pop songs." [Kyle Fowle]
13. Madonna, "Express Yourself" (1989) and Lady Gaga, "Born This Way" (2011)
If Lady Gaga was going to intentionally rip off anyone for her LGBT anthem "Born This Way," you'd think she would know better than to rip off Madonna. (It's Madonna. Folks are going to notice.) Gaga has acknowledged Madonna's influence on her music, and on the public image that is half of a pop singer's allure. But the line between homage and ripoff can be a fine one, especially here—Gaga's beat is a glitchier, sped-up version of Madonna's, and the melody, while not exactly the same, is suspiciously Madonna-esque. (There's some "Vogue" in there, too.) The influence is especially obvious in the chorus and in the spoken-word segments of the song, which recall Madonna's "Come on girls! Do you believe in love?" exhortation at the beginning of "Express Yourself." Rather than address the similarities in court, Gaga and Madonna let their feud play out onstage in the form of passive-aggressive mashups and catty asides about things being "really different now than they were 25 years ago," proving that these divas have more in common than just melodies. [Katie Rife]
14. The Kinks, "All Day And All Of The Night" (1964) and The Doors, "Hello, I Love You" (1968)
Ray Davies may be the most affable victim of riff theft on this list, having long laughed off the fact that The Doors' "Hello I Love You" borrows heavily from The Kinks' "All Day And All Of The Night"—even sometimes cheekily inserting Jim Morrison's lyrics into live performances of the song. Of course, it's easy to laugh when you're getting paid: Despite guitarist Robby Krieger's insistence that he was actually inspired by Cream, U.K. courts determined the two songs to be so similar that The Doors had to pay all of its "Hello, I Love You" royalties to Davies. [Sean O'Neal]
15. The Kinks, "Picture Book" (1968) and Green Day, "Warning" (2000)
What's perhaps most interesting about the similarity between The Kinks' "Picture Book" and Green Day's "Warning"—they essentially share the same bass-led melody—is that nobody with The Kinks ever got involved with a lawsuit. In fact, an unsigned, obscure English rock band by the name of The Other Garden decided that it was way more likely that Green Day had ripped them off, rather than stealing from one of the most popular, influential rock bands of all time. For a brief time, The Other Garden threatened a lawsuit and pushed to have the royalties on "Warning" frozen. That lawsuit was swiftly dropped though, and The Other Garden went back to being a band nobody has ever heard of. [Kyle Fowle]
16. Oasis, "Wonderwall" (1995) and Green Day, "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams" (2004)
"They should have the decency to wait until I'm dead," Noel Gallagher told Stuff magazine when asked about the suspicious similarities between his own 1995 hit "Wonderwall" and Green Day's melancholic, decade-later smash "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams." The Oasis frontman wasn't the only one to pick up on the nearly identical chord progression: San Francisco DJ Party Ben scored a minor radio hit with his mash-up "Boulevard Of Broken Songs," which laid Billie Joe Armstrong's vocals over the acoustic strum of Gallagher's guitar and Gallagher's vocals over the crunch of Armstrong's electric. (The song also shrewdly worked in samples from Travis' "Wonderwall"-quoting "Writing To Reach You" and Eminem's "Dream On"-sampling "Sing For The Moment.") The irony of the accusation—however founded it may be—is that Gallagher has spent much of his career dodging copycat charges of his own, with many still insisting that his former arena-rock outfit is just a bad Beatles clone. [A.A. Dowd]


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Browse SAGE Books
Key Concepts in Public Relations
The SAGE Key Concepts series provides students with accessible and authoritative knowledge of the essential topics in a variety of disciplines. Cross-referenced throughout, the format encourages critical evaluation through understanding. Written by experienced and respected academics, the books are indispensable study aids and guides to comprehension.
Key Concepts in Public Relations:
Provides a comprehensive, easy-to-use overview to the field
Covers over 150 central concepts in PR
Paves the way for students to tackle primary texts
Grounds students in both practice and theory
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Bob Franklin
Mike Hogan
Nick Mosdell
Elliot Pill
In:Key Concepts in Public Relations
Chapter DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781446269084.n36
Subject:Public Relations, Mass Communication, Public Relations
Continuous professional development (CPD) is the name for the schemes run by a variety of professional institutes, including the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR). In the USA the Public Relations Society of America's (PRSA) scheme is simply called Professional Development. CIPR's CPD scheme is branded as 'Developing Excellence'. CPD schemes are not qualifications. Most, including Developing Excellence, require keeping a record of developmental activities such as attending training events and involvement with professional institutes. In general, institutes without compulsory CPD find that enrollment of around 25 per cent is normal. In some professional institutes CPD enrollment is compulsory. The Institute of Chartered Accountants England and Wales (ICAEW), for example, has this requirement. Without it, professional practice certificates will not be ...
Franklin, B., Hogan, M., Langley, Q., Mosdell, N., & Pill, E. (2009). Continuous professional development. In Key concepts in public relations (pp. 58-58). SAGE Publications Ltd, https://www.doi.org/10.4135/9781446269084.n36
Franklin, Bob, Mike Hogan, Quentin Langley, Nick Mosdell, and Elliot Pill. "Continuous Professional Development." In Key Concepts in Public Relations, 58-58, The SAGE Key Concepts Series. London: SAGE Publications Ltd, 2009. http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781446269084.n36.
Franklin, B., Hogan, M., Langley, Q., Mosdell, N. and Pill, E. 2009. Continuous Professional Development. In: 2009. Key Concepts in Public Relations, The SAGE Key Concepts series, London: SAGE Publications Ltd. pp. 58 Available at: <http://www.doi.org/10.4135/9781446269084.n36> [Accessed 21 Jan 2021].
Franklin, Bob, et al. "Continuous Professional Development." Key Concepts in Public Relations. London: SAGE Publications Ltd, 2009, pp. 58-58. SAGE Knowledge. The SAGE Key Concepts Series. 21 Jan 2021, doi: http://www.doi.org/10.4135/9781446269084.n36.
Link to this page directly with a permalink: http://sk.sagepub.com/books/key-concepts-in-public-relations/n36.xml
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Africa Went a Year Without Any Polio
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Missiles Hit Israel After Hezbollah Member's Death in Syria, Debate Features Sanders' Apology to Clinton
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This is a tough time to feel optimistic about the future. With the notable exception of impressive global cooperation on climate change and energy, our papers and screens have been dominated for months by stories about terrorism and war. But this barrage of negative stories is obscuring the full picture of what's happening around the world. For three years now, I've ended the year by sharing a short list of good-news stories that you might have missed. This exercise feels especially important this year. I'm happy to report that it was hard to winnow the list down to just a handful of stories.
National Journal, Gates Notes
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On July 24, Nigeria marked one full year without a single new case of locally acquired polio, the crippling and sometimes fatal disease. It is the last country in Africa to stop transmission of wild polio. This milestone represents a huge victory — one that some experts feared would never come. It required mapping every settlement in the north of the country, counting all the children in every house, delivering oral polio vaccine several times a year, working with hundreds of thousands of traditional leaders and community mobilizers, and operating in areas dominated by extremist groups. Nigeria's efforts show that smart strategies can work even under the most difficult conditions. When the global campaign to eradicate polio began in 1988, polio was endemic in 125 countries. The list is now down to just two: Afghanistan and Pakistan. We've come more than 99 percent of the way to eradication. I am confident we can finish the job.
Healthy Pursuit
Gates Notes
In April, health officials declared the Americas the first region in the world to be free of endemic rubella, thanks to a massive, 15-year effort to vaccinate men, women and children everywhere in the hemisphere. Rubella, also known as German measles, leads to death or severe birth defects when women get the disease during pregnancy. The campaign to eliminate rubella from the Americas prevented more than 100,000 children from contracting rubella syndrome, saving $3 billion that countries could then use to meet other critical health needs. This milestone lends momentum not only to efforts to wipe out rubella around the world — it also gives a shot in the arm to efforts to eliminate measles, which is more deadly and more contagious than rubella, because the rubella and measles vaccines are often given in combination.
Melinda and I sat down with OZY earlier this year to discuss some of the most exciting advances around the globe, from greater access to contraceptives to higher vaccination rates. One of the great things about our job is getting to travel so we can see the impact these advances are having in people's lives. In the video, Melinda tells a great story about some young women — all 19 or under, all with at least one child — who are now taking advantage of contraceptives to plan their families. It's just one of the many examples of progress we got to see this year.
Israel hit by missiles after Hezbollah figure killed in Syria. (AP)
In Democratic debate, Sanders apologizes and Clinton takes aim at GOP. (NYT)
Arrests follow discovery of suspicious device on Paris-bound flight. (CNN)
Today's election signals end of two-party rule in Spain. (AFP)
Protests follow release of young convict in Delhi gang rape case . (BBC)
As Melinda and I highlighted in this year's annual letter, we believe that mobile banking is one of the best tools we've ever seen for helping people lift themselves out of poverty. Today, more than 2 billion people have no access to financial services, severely limiting their ability to borrow, save, invest and participate in the mainstream economy. But that is changing fast. A new report by scholars at the Brookings Institution shows that many countries are making national commitments to financial inclusion and helping mobile banking reach critical mass. Kenya is a good example of what's possible. Today 75 percent of adults there have accounts with a bank or mobile-money provider, up from only 42 percent in 2011. Other countries that are making huge strides include Brazil, Rwanda, Tanzania, Bangladesh and India. I love the fact that when I've traveled in these countries, I've seen digital financial innovation that's even outpacing what we see in rich countries.
Cashing In
Gates Notes, Brookings
This past June, the company that created the SAT helped Khan Academy launch a free online learning portal for any student who wants help getting ready for the SAT or PSAT. Check out the site for yourself. If you're like me, you'll look at these interactive tools and video lessons and wish they had been around when you were in high school. I'm very excited about this development because of what it means for kids who can't afford expensive test-prep classes and tutors.
On October 5, I woke up to the wonderful news that this year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine had been awarded to three researchers who developed indispensable tools for fighting diseases of the poor. William C. Campbell of the United States and Satoshi Ōmura of Japan were honored for work that led to the drug Ivermectin, which is super effective at treating a wide range of diseases caused by parasitic worms, such as river blindness and filariasis. Tu Youyou of China was honored for developing Artemisinin, which is the centerpiece of treatments that have made malaria entirely treatable and save more than 100,000 lives every year. Ivermectin and Artemisinin are true miracle drugs — and proof of the outsized impact that can flow from a single great discovery.
Top Honor
NobelPrize.org
In April, the astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson accepted the National Academy of Sciences' most prestigious award. I've included this on my list not because of the award itself; Dr. Tyson has received lots of big honors during his distinguished career. I've included it because of the brilliant speech he gave that day. He makes the best argument I've ever heard for ensuring that science plays a big role in policymaking. You can watch it here. Inspired by the short and eloquent Gettysburg Address, Dr. Tyson makes his case in just 272 words. Dr. Tyson's speech should be required reading (or viewing!) for all students, just like the speech on which it was based.
Scientific Wonder
There's more good news in many of the books I read this year. For example a team of researchers at the University of Cambridge looked at various ways to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions involved in making and using materials — cement, steel, etc. — and found that we can cut them by 50 percent without asking people to make big sacrifices. And New York Times columnist David Brooks profiled various historical figures who were paragons of character. If you're feeling down about the state of the world today, these portraits will remind you of the great things people are capable of doing for each other.
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Kansas Governor Sam Brownback signed a bill into law last night that will ban intact dilation and evacuation, the most commonly used second trimester abortion method. The law, which was written by the National Right to Life Committee, is effective July 1. Brownback signed the measure in a private ceremony, surrounded by NRLC members and pictures of fetuses.
''Dismemberment abortion'' means, with the purpose of causing the death of an unborn child, knowingly dismembering a living unborn child and extracting such unborn child one piece at a time from the uterus through the use of clamps, grasping forceps, tongs, scissors or similar instruments that, through the convergence of two rigid levers, slice, crush or grasp a portion of the unborn child's body in order to cut or rip it off.
''Medical emergency'' means a condition that, in reasonable medical judgment, so complicates the medical condition of the pregnant woman as to necessitate the immediate abortion of her pregnancy to avert the death of the woman or for which a delay necessary to comply with the applicable statutory requirements will create serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function. No condition shall be deemed a medical emergency if based on a claim or diagnosis that the woman will engage in conduct which would result in her death or in substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function.


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What does it mean to be magical?
Who decides who is magical?
What does it take to be magical?
Am I magical?
Welcome, everyone, to the world of magnifiqueNOIR, a young adult book series that delves into the lives of a group of extraordinary magical girls who defend the lives of the people around them. Along the way, they face new challenges that may undo everything that they've become, but even so, they always work to be the best women they can be.
It starts out simple enough: there's monsters roaming around the city, and there's girls ready to save the day. They balance their normal lives with their magical lives, and attempt to follow the magical girl formula of proper transformations, elegant attacks, and stunning poses. But even the most dedicated magical girl begins to ask questions. Where are the monsters coming from? Where did their powers come from? Were they the first ones to be appointed as magical girls, because these transformation tools feel well-worn, as if there's some history behind them.
Is it worth seeking answers to these questions, or is it better to follow the status quo?
Our Creation
In March, 2016, Briana was getting ready for her first convention of the year. She had a pile of things to do, but instead, she felt the urge to create something new. She began sketching a girl on a piece of wood, then, once she sketch was done, she woodburned the image onto the wood and painted it. At the time, she didn't think much of it, but that girl would later become the leader of a group of extraordinary women. "Galactic Purple" was the first magical girl Briana created, and soon, three others joined her: "Cosmic Green," "Radical Rainbow," and "Prism Pink." She also created one more character, a goddess only known as, "Heavenly Universe."
At the time, none of the characters had names beyond their magical girl titles. They didn't have personalities, back stories, likes, dislikes… they were blank slates. But, over time, each girl developed into a character. More importantly, the girls came together as a team, and Briana began putting together an outline for a book series. Each book will explore each of the girls and their relationships with one another, along with their interactions with others — both in their magical, and everyday, lives. Along with the books there will be other things you can collect for each of the girls: buttons, prints, crafts, and more!
Don't forget: You Are Magical.