I've had some interesting reactions to my well-being role. I think some people may see it as fluffy/superfluous. Head of Happiness. Little Miss Sunshine. I get it.
There are many assumptions made about the role of positive psychology and well-being in education. Having conversations and shifting any misconceptions is an important first step in developing an holistic understanding. It's about getting on the same page. And the skeptics hold valuable perspectives that are an important part of the process.
Yup, the interest in what makes a flourishing human life is nothing new. For much of human history, religious leaders, philosophers and psychologists have contemplated what makes a good and meaningful life. St Andrew's College was founded and developed on strong Christian guiding values. In the 1960's, progressive educationalists and humanist psychologists like Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers had already influenced education to consider the whole child- cognitive, social and emotional.
What is new, is that in the last 20 years we have generated a scientific body of research in the field of positive psychology and neuroscience. Large and rigorous randomised control studies are showing positive impact.
Australian schools like Geelong Grammar and St Peter's College, are sharing the quantitative and qualitative measurement of their interventions. There is a road map emerging.
Well-being: It's the next thing to detract from our primary focus- academic achievement.
No way. Well-being is fully proven to be synergistic with better learning. A focus on staff and student well-being will impact positively on academic achievement. Research clearly shows that positive emotions influence student achievement. With a positive mood, we broaden our perspective, think more creatively, collaboratively and can focus and memorise.
Character matters in learning too; perseverance, curiosity, social intelligence, and self-control.
At St Andrew's College, our learning framework, informed by John Hattie, fully appreciates that students need the skill, the will, and the thrill of learning if they are going to achieve academically.
Well-being: It's all about happiness.
No, it's not. The term positive psychology can be misleading. Some people see it as only promoting positive emotions- like happiness. A focus on well-being is not about making everyone happy all of the time. Of course, we want our students to broaden and build their experience of positive emotions. But to be happy all of the time? That is an unrealistic expectation, and simply not what it means to be a human being.
I think wholeness is what we should be striving for and part of that is sadness, disappointment, frustration and failure: all the things that make us who we are.
The key to well-being is resilience and emotional intelligence. We want our students to bounce back from their inevitable setbacks and understand that they can choose to have control over their thoughts and emotions. By conceptualising that our emotions provide us feedback, about what is working, and what is not – we can continue to grow. It's about self-awareness.
Well-being is about experiencing accomplishment and meaning. To read about our holistic definition of well-being see here. We want our students to understand that the pursuit of meaningful goals will not always feel comfortable. Short term stress can be a good thing, it's a call to action.
You can't teach well-being or character.
Many people see well-being or character as something that is fixed- it just naturally emerges out of life. You can't teach it. Character and optimism are seen to be determined by the childhood experience and genetic make-up of a person.
Award winning psychologist, Sonja Lyubomirsky has spent years researching the factors that influence human happiness. Her research estimates that around 50% of our positive affectivity is determined by our genetic make-up. Yes, genes do play an important role. Denise Quinlan, from the University of Otago, likens our genetic set-point to either being born with a weight belt or flippers in the sea of life.
Interestingly, Lyubomirsky's research estimates only 10% of our happiness is created by our external circumstances. Yes, 10%. You need to read about hedonic adaption.
Importantly, approximately 40% of our happiness is about what we do and what we think- that is, our intentional activities and strategies. And these are things that can be taught and that we can be made conscious of.
Scientific research is showing us that you can teach well-being, character and emotional intelligence. Neuroscientific research is uncovering fascinating insights about the plasticity of the human brain. I'm intrigued by Richard Davidson's research. His studies, analysing fMRI scans on Tibetan monks, show the impact that meditation has on the structure of the brain. It seems that we can learn happiness, and compassion as a skill, just as one learns a musical instrument.
We want our students to value knowledge, to think critically and to appreciate different perspectives. As a staff, it is also important that we ask questions and promote discussions about well-being. Debate, skepticism and considering multiple perspectives will be an important part of the process.
Davidson, R. (2012). The Emotional Life of Your Brain. New York: Hudson Street Press.
Lyubomirsky, S. (2007). The How of Happiness: The Scientific Approach to getting the life you want. London, England: Penguin Press.
Norrish, J. (2015.) Positive Education: The Geelong Grammar School Journey. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.
White, M.A. & Murray, S.A. (Eds) (2015). Evidence-Based Approaches in Positive Education. New York, U.S.A: Springer.
Previous Post Well-being: What do our students think?
Good blog post Kerry. I wondered if there were any plans to attempt qualitative or quantitative measurement of well-being at St Andrew's College?
Hi Dave, Currently we use the NZCER survey as our quantitative measure and have been collecting student voice for qualitative information. The measurement of well-being, as you would understand, is complex due to it's multidimensional nature. There are companies that are marketing measurement tools. St Peter's, Adelaide are a good example of a school that has focused on pre and post intervention measurement.


text:
Demolition Careers
Demolition News Demolition News is the premier source of updated information about the global demolition industry.
Curse of the keyboard warrior…
This is NOT a Halloween tale. But it is a horror story.
Just under a week ago, a demolition crew in New Orleans was waiting for the sun to come up to allow them to make their final preparations ahead of a high profile explosive demolition job that would be watched live by thousands of local people and that would be broadcast into millions of homes around the world.
Demolition is never easy. But the task facing this particular crew was especially challenging. They were required to bring down a pair of tower cranes, the integrity of which had been compromised by the collapse of the Hard Rock Hotel building to which they were attached a week before. That collapse had already claimed lives. There could be no repeat.
Now there's three things to note here, before we go any further.
The first is that tower cranes are the spawn of Satan; a verticla prison in which a highly trained man (or woman) with huge skill, precision and hand/eye co-ordination is punished unjustly with prolonged periods of solitary confinement, isolated from the camaraderie and banter taking place far below. I have been up two tower cranes in my life and I regretted it both times. I regretted it the first time because it was high and it was windy and it was swaying. I hated it even more the second time because it was all those things again AND I had allowed myself to be talked into repeating the exercise.
The second thing to note is that explosive demolition is an art practiced by just a very small handful of highly-experienced and highly-professional engineers around the world. And among that select band, there is an even smaller number of people that have ever blasted a tower crane.
The third thing to note is that blasting a tower crane is very different to blasting a building or a structure like a cooling tower. In that instance, there is months of planning and weeks of preparation. Explosives are packed into boreholes and charges are contained to create the implosion effect required to bring down the structure in its own footprint. On the New Orleans tower cranes, there were no boreholes and there was no implosion. There was no time for preparation.
With high winds barrelling towards the city, those tower cranes needed to come down quickly and in the most controlled way possible in the time allotted.
The blast when it came was spectacular. As the charges were not contained, huge fireballs ripped the sky before the crane jibs tumbled to the ground. In fact, several people on our Facebook page actually questioned whether the blast was real or part of some elaborate Hollywood CGI sequence.
Was it a perfectly executed job? You would need to ask the engineers that planned the descent of the crane jibs. Was it aesthetically pleasing; a balletic display of steel succumbing to the pull of gravity? No. Frankly, depending on which camera angle you looked at, it looked pretty bloody untidy; like so many giraffe falling down so many stairs. But no-one was hurt and no-one was killed. In fact, by getting the cranes on the ground before the high winds hit, there is every possibility that lives were actually saved by the actions of the demolition crew.
The timely intervention of the demolition crew should be applauded then, right? The fact that they dropped everything to attend to an emergency situation should see them praised and lauded by their peers, right? The bravery of the men that placed the explosives on the crane jibs high above "The Big Easy" could be worthy of a medal or something, right?
Sadly though, this is the world of demolition; this is the age of the Internet and social media; and this is the domain of the keyboard warrior.
There was still dust in the air when the criticism began. Armchair engineers and experts crawled out from the caves they generally occupy to hold forth on how THEY would have tackled this difficult and treacherous job. Of course, none of them had walked the site. None of them knew the true condition of the cranes. None of them were aware of the high winds forecast in the area. In fact, as far as I could tell, none of them had ever blasted anything in their lives, aside from each other. Yet, from the safety of their keyboards, THEY were the experts.
Maybe this is not unique to the demolition sector. But it does seem ironic that, in this of all sectors, that the best way to build yourself up is seemingly to tear down someone else.
I witnessed the same phenomenon in the aftermath of the Didcot disaster as TV crews spoke to one armchair expert after another, all of whom had "seen it coming" and had told EVERYONE that it was "an accident waiting to happen". I am calling BS. If you were that much of an expert my friend, you would have been INSIDE the site hoarding, not outside watching it unfold through your binoculars from your mother's dingy back bedroom.
Somehow, though, the online pronouncements upon the success (or otherwise) of the crane blast in New Orleans was worse. Many of the people making these pronouncements work in demolition. And while they might not be involved in the field of explosives, they know better than most what a tricky, hazardous and challenging business this is.
The fact that they chose to criticise their own so publicly and so vehemently perhaps sheds light on why so few men (and it is mainly men) in this industry are willing to share their concerns, their internal battles or their vulnerability. Because, based upon this latest episode, it wouldn't matter how bad your problems might be or how severe your depression is.
There will be an armchair expert out there that would have done it better.
Previous post Previous Right to be concerned…
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text:
Q: Why is localtime in ActivePerl on windows 7 not correct when I change $ENV{TZ}? I'm using Bugzilla on an IIS server which uses Perl's DateTime module.  Unfortunately the time is showing incorrectly.  gmtime shows the correct time in GMT but localtime does not give the correct time when I change $ENV{TZ}.
Here is some code to demonstrate the issue:
#C:\Perl64\bin/perl -w
$ENV{TZ} = 'America/New_York';
my $now = scalar localtime;
$TZone =  $ENV{'TZ'};
print "It is now $now $TZone\n";

$ENV{TZ} = 'America/Los_Angeles';
my $now = scalar localtime;
$TZone =  $ENV{'TZ'};
print "It is now $now $TZone\n";

my $GMTime = scalar gmtime;
print "It is now $GMTime GMT\n";

This prints:
It is now Wed Mar 18 17:02:46 2015 America/New_York
It is now Wed Mar 18 17:02:46 2015 America/Los_Angeles
It is now Wed Mar 18 16:02:46 2015 GMT

Here are the expected results:
It is now Wed Mar 18 12:02:46 2015 America/New_York
It is now Wed Mar 18 9:02:46 2015 America/Los_Angeles
It is now Wed Mar 18 16:02:46 2015 GMT

Here is my perl version information:
This is perl 5, version 20, subversion 1 (v5.20.1) built for MSWin32-x64-multi-thread
(with 1 registered patch, see perl -V for more detail)

Copyright 1987-2014, Larry Wall

Binary build 2000 [298557] provided by ActiveState http://www.ActiveState.com
Built Oct 15 2014 14:56:57

Perl may be copied only under the terms of either the Artistic License or the
GNU General Public License, which may be found in the Perl 5 source kit.

Complete documentation for Perl, including FAQ lists, should be found on
this system using "man perl" or "perldoc perl".  If you have access to the
Internet, point your browser at http://www.perl.org/, the Perl Home Page.

I have seen posts that say you have to run
POSIX::tzset();

after changing $ENV{TZ}, but when I try that, I get an error:
POSIX::tzset not implemented on this architecture.

Here are the server logs for IIS.  The times are in UTC and are correct.
#Software: Microsoft Internet Information Services 7.5
#Version: 1.0
#Date: 2015-03-18 20:15:34
#Fields: date time s-ip cs-method cs-uri-stem cs-uri-query s-port cs-username c-ip cs(User-Agent) sc-status sc-substatus sc-win32-status time-taken
2015-03-18 20:17:52 127.0.0.1 GET /bugzilla/skins/standard/show_bug.css - 80 - 127.0.0.1 Mozilla/5.0+(Windows+NT+6.1;+Win64;+x64)+AppleWebKit/537.36+(KHTML,+like+Gecko)+Chrome/42.0.2311.39+Safari/537.36 304 0 0 1
2015-03-18 20:17:52 127.0.0.1 GET /bugzilla/js/comments.js - 80 - 127.0.0.1 Mozilla/5.0+(Windows+NT+6.1;+Win64;+x64)+AppleWebKit/537.36+(KHTML,+like+Gecko)+Chrome/42.0.2311.39+Safari/537.36 304 0 0 24
2015-03-18 20:18:06 127.0.0.1 POST /bugzilla/process_bug.cgi - 80 - 127.0.0.1 Mozilla/5.0+(Windows+NT+6.1;+Win64;+x64)+AppleWebKit/537.36+(KHTML,+like+Gecko)+Chrome/42.0.2311.39+Safari/537.36 200 0 0 9498
2015-03-18 20:18:23 127.0.0.1 GET /bugzilla/show_bug.cgi id=1 80 - 127.0.0.1 Mozilla/5.0+(Windows+NT+6.1;+Win64;+x64)+AppleWebKit/537.36+(KHTML,+like+Gecko)+Chrome/42.0.2311.39+Safari/537.36 200 0 0 1164

How can I fix this?
Our Solution was to move Bugzilla to a Linux Guest OS on a VM.  This solved the problem.

A: You need to call POSIX::tzset() after changing $ENV{TZ}.

A: The code you posted is not using DateTime.
perl -MDateTime -E" say DateTime->now(time_zone => 'local');
                    say DateTime->now(time_zone => 'America/New_York');
                    say DateTime->now(time_zone => 'America/Los_Angeles');
                    say DateTime->now(time_zone => 'GMT');

                    my $now = DateTime->now(time_zone => 'local');
                    say 'before conversion: ', $now;
                    $now->set_time_zone('America/New_York');
                    say 'after conversion: ', $now;
                  "

Output (from CST):
2015-03-18T11:47:10
2015-03-18T12:47:10
2015-03-18T09:47:10
2015-03-18T16:47:10
before conversion: 2015-03-18T11:47:10
after conversion: 2015-03-18T12:47:10

A: The documentation for _tzset explains the acceptable format for $ENV{TZ}:

set TZ=tzn[+ | –]hh[:mm[:ss] ][dzn]
tzn: Three-letter time-zone name, such as PST. You must specify the correct offset from local time to UTC.
hh: Difference in hours between UTC and local time. Sign (+) optional for positive values.
mm: Minutes. Separated from hh by a colon (:).
ss: Seconds. Separated from mm by a colon (:).
dzn: Three-letter daylight-saving-time zone such as PDT. If daylight saving time is never in effect in the locality, set TZ without a value for dzn. The C run-time library assumes the United States' rules for implementing the calculation of daylight saving time (DST).

So, the following works:
 C:\> perl -E "$ENV{TZ}='PST-8:00PDT';say scalar localtime"
Wed Mar 18 15:44:57 2015
But, you'll find that some other values "work" as well, even though they are not documented:
C:\> set TZ='-08:00'

C:\> perl -E "say scalar localtime"
Wed Mar 18 12:27:33 2015
C:\> set TZ=

C:\> perl -E "say scalar localtime"
Wed Mar 18 15:28:03 2015
C:\> perl -E "$ENV{TZ}=q{'-08:00'};say scalar localtime"
Wed Mar 18 15:34:41 2015
C:\> perl -E "$ENV{TZ}=q{'America/Los_Angeles'};say scalar localtime"
Wed Mar 18 15:35:09 2015

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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text:
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text:
November 26, 2007 at 4:51 pm · Filed under Discussion
1. Post Fire – the after effects
2. The defacing of our 2008 Warrior's Society Event Sign
3. Endurance Training and Nutrition Seminar this Tuesday, 11/27
4. Next "Newbie" ride this Sunday, December 2nd
5. Trail work event on Saturday, December 8th
6. Let's let the Great Park Design Team know we want a VELODROME in Orange County!!!!!!!!
Although many gave a sigh of relief after these devastating fires we will not be out of woods in regard to the after effects for five years, and it is not fire that is the threat…
The fire destroyed thousands of acres in the Modjeska, Harding, Williams and Silverado Canyon Watersheds. The soil has been stripped of vegetation and made unstable by the tremendous heat, which evaporated any moisture in the soil and glazed/semi-seal the soil with the oils of the burnt chaparral; in effect creating a water barrier. Rain events as small as 1/4 inch an hour will cause severe problems; heavier rains could create hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of tons of debris flows into the watersheds and onto the canyon residents in the burn areas.
As stated in last Thursday's edition of the Orange County Register "All areas near the 28,464-acre fire are at risk, but risk is the greatest in Modjeska, Williams and the upper reaches of Silverado Canyon, according to the Burned Area Emergency Response report for the blaze."
Unfortunately there is not much the county or Forest Service can do to protect property affected by the fires and the subsequent debris flows. Aside from MAJOR debris dams set in deep footings and sheet piles being built on private property or on Forest service land they will be at the mercy of nature. Walls of sandbags and rows of hay bales will only become part of the debris flows in a major downpour.
The cost and time needed for such construction would be tremendous, not counting the time needed to do NEPA and other environmental studies for the permitting process. You must understand that many of the homes have had acres and acres of steep slope hundreds of feet high behind their houses burnt and as previously mentioned, the soil is severally destabilized.
Many people who live on the opposite side of the canyon may feel somewhat safe – but the debris flows down the creek and the possibility of "damming" in narrow parts of the creek – or under bridge crossings from the debris flows – and the resulting flooding of creek side property or damage to Silverado Canyon Road by the creek jumping its bank due to blockages – is something many have not considered.
The residents of lower Modjeska should remember that the Harding Canyon watershed up to the Main Divide, thousands of acres, has had the vegetation destroyed by fire. This major watershed eventually drains into a narrow portion of Harding Canyon before entering an off-shoot drainage in lower Modjeska Canyon that begins at the fire station. This narrow section actually had a dam built in it in the early part of this century to capture water but it has silted in to the top of this dam. If debris block this narrow section causing a damming effect – and this water lets loose – It could cause a lot of destruction. The public agencies responsible for addressing this possibility are cooperatively involved in finding a solution to it.
I've hiked to the upper reaches of this canyon to about 1/4 a mile from the Main Divide after an El Nino rain event, places very few have been. The damage from just the boulders that were undermined from above the creek and dropped into the creek was amazing. One huge boulder was straddling a side drainage entering the canyon.
The agencies involved in post-fire assessments considered dredging behind the dam (the dam is owned by the IRWD) in an area owned by the county, to remove the built up sediment/debris accumulated since the dam was built in
1919 – thus allowing it to act as a debris barrier. But the age of the dam, and the fact that it was constructed almost 100 years ago (under construction standards that in no way would be accepted today), ruled out this option.
The sediment behind the dam (by the friction resulting from its mass and compaction against the bottom of/and the canyon walls) built up and compacted by rain over the almost 100 years relieves much of the pressure placed on the dam. By dredging behind it you would direct intense debris flows and the energy behind these flows directly to the dam unimpeded or slowed down by the loss of surface area and friction built up by the sediment deposited behind the dam.
The truth of the matter is even if the dam was never built the problem would still exist, if not worsened, by the fact that the canyon would be even narrower without the dam to artificially raise the elevation of the canyon creating a grade stabilizer and a larger water flow and energy dispersal area behind it; the dam's existence probably assisted in the development of this offshoot of Modjeska canyon.
Though we need the rain – the continuation of the drought may be a blessing in disguise for the residents severally affected by the fires.
I am constantly amused by the Disney-ficaton of nature where the big male bear finds the orphan bear and decides to protect it. In nature the blunt truth is the big male bear would eat the cub. I sometimes find this same "emotional" viewpoint/sentiment in those that profess a love of nature.
Nature is not kind; it shows no mercy based on emotion. She has destroyed environments and habitats over eons, neither unimpeded nor aided by the actions of man – and truth be told in the case of the dinosaurs, before man ever existed.
Nature will dictate the fate of the canyon residents – there is very little the County, State or Federal Government can do to prevent her will – and the only rule she lives by:
"Only the strong survive."
It is not what people want to hear. My advice to the residents affected by the burn areas is to leave their houses during rain events for the safety of their families and to store valuables in a safe location.
There is no "magic" solution to the wrath of Nature for the residents of the canyons – but only to offer our help – and to pray for their safety.
As some of you know, we have a fairly large sign announcing our 2008 Events at the intersection of Silverado Canyon Road and Santiago Canyon Road.
Unfortunately this sign was vandalized with a big red paint stating that "events are canceled." Rather than repair the sign (and fight an on-going battle to keep it clean with those defacing it) we have notified Peltzer Pines to put a sign over it directing people to their Christmas tree farm off of Black Star Canyon Road. They may not get the chance to as those who defaced the sign might resort to removing it altogether once they find out about this email.
A small minority of residents of Silverado are upset that the Forest Service has permitted our events to go on despite the closures, yet they are not allowed to access the forest for 1 year. The course of the Pow Wow is not in the areas affected by the fires; there will be no impact or degradation of the burned areas. But this is not what is bothering them.
There are even a few that live outside the canyon that have criticized the Warrior's Society for continuing with our events. I also find their motivation to criticize the Warrior's Society more self-serving than "altruistic" in purpose.
As we stated in last week's news, the Forest Service's main concern is that the public not access these areas without supervision, (especially the Harding Trail because the fire severely destabilized the slopes), for their own safety and to protect the burned areas from illegal access. There were many fire breaks done as defensive shields in case fire fighters were trapped – and there is a real concern that unauthorized use of these temporary fire breaks, mainly by heavy motor vehicles such as motorcycles and automobiles, will delay or stop the rehabilitation efforts.
It is unfortunate that due to the 5-10 percent of the population that is irresponsible and does not follow the rules – the public at large has to pay the price of no access for 1 year.
One resident of Silverado who complained directly to our event director about us being able to continue with our events was the same person who last year during the Pow Wow – lifted his motorcycle over the gate at Maple Springs along with another motorcyclist – despite the road being closed to motor vehicles (except those supporting the event) – and gloated about his actions to our support staff.
I tried to stop him when I first saw him ride past me on Maple Springs Road and yelled to him that he was not supposed to be on the road – but he just glared at me. He knew that it was the policy of the Forest Service to close the gate to motor vehicles, not to hikers or mountain bikers, after rains for safety reasons (our event insurance policy protects the Forest Service from lawsuits). He is part of that 5-10 percent of the population that breaks the rules and ruins it for the rest of us.
Apparently he and his fellow poacher felt that, unlike the "Flatlanders" that live outside Silverado; they and their motorcycles are above the law. This resident is aware that the majority of fire fighters who fought to protect their property were "Flatlanders" and that our event director Sherry Panttaja, also a "Flatlander," was a volunteer evacuating horses from Silverado Canyon during the fire and placing them on her property until the fires were out and they could be returned safely to the canyon.
It is not all the Silverado Canyon residents that have this attitude or resentment and jealousy – and I don't want to paint them so; as a matter of fact, one of them called me personally to let me know that our event sign had been vandalized. This person knows the amount of work we do to maintain the trails in the Cleveland National Forest. The signs put up on the Maples Spring gate by the Forest service announcing the closure have also been vandalized / removed.
Do the person(s) who defaced our 2008 Event sign realize that the events support good causes?
The Pow Wow supports our trail maintenance activities in the Cleveland National Forest as well as the SOARA Ham Radio Club, which provides assistance at community events and will provide emergency communications during natural disasters. SOARA will be given our new hi-tech digital communications equipment when not in use for our events. SOARA and the Warrior's Society will be providing volunteers and our event trailer set up with the Communications equipment and first aid/trauma kits for the upcoming "Rwanda Ride" that will be raising funds to provide bicycles for the impoverished citizens of Rwanda.
"The Traverse" will be a fundraiser to provide scholarships for the children of our vets wounded or killed in action.
And the Toad Festival will be a fundraiser to help children affected by Autism.
Is the resentment and jealousy of those opposed to us continuing with our events so great and overwhelming that they believe these petty feelings are more important than supporting the maintaining of our public trails (which keeps them clear and maintained for fire fighters to access during future fires), assisting other organizations with communications/first aid support such as those promoting the "Rwanda Ride," providing scholarships for the children of our vets wounded or killed in action, and helping children affected by Autism?
Perhaps it would have been more honest to spray paint "Our feelings of resentment and jealousy are more important than:
A. Supporting the maintenance of our trails, providing communications equipment to be used to support community events or in a natural disaster and to support other community organizations.
B. Assisting the children of our vets wounded or killed in action.
C. Providing the resources for the parent's of children afflicted by Autism."
Unfortunately as it is now – our 2008 event sign is a testimony of the worst that humans have to offer – and not the best.
And if the 2008 event sign is further vandalized or removed altogether it will be further testimony of worst in human nature.
What a pitiful life they lead, a life driven by resentment and jealousy – and not by what is best for the greater good.
I find no pleasure dealing with confrontation, but I have found purpose. I do not let the petty feelings of resentment and jealously of others to distract me.
I have a Vision where mountain bikers no longer have to fight to protect their access, where our efforts can instead be directed to a greater goal of helping others outside the mountain bike community. This was supposed to be the year that this goal of contributing to the greater good happens, with our events supporting non-profits like those I mentioned.
We have gotten to the point where we can devote funds outside of the trail maintenance of (and advocacy to protect our access to) the multi-use trails of the Trabuco District of the Cleveland National Forest.
I don't feel anger towards the individual(s) who defaced our sign; I feel pity that they are so caught up in their resentment and jealousy that they cannot see the bigger picture, a Vision far beyond their grasp.
My thanks go out to the majority of canyon residents who – despite the tragedy they have faced – can look outside themselves and support these causes – and the greater good they provide.
And we also gratefully thank the Forest Service for allowing us to continue with the events and for supporting the good to the community that will come of them.
Chris "Dances With Hornets" Vargas
Executive Director of Advocacy, Trail Work and Event Support
The non-profits that will benefit from our 2008 Events:
A. The Mountain Bike Pow Wow:
The SOARA Ham Radio Club; SOARA, a non-profit corporation, was founded in March, 1974 to serve current and prospective licensed radio amateurs in the southern area of Orange County. The purpose and objectives of SOARA, as stated in the constitution and by laws are:
. To promote Amateur Radio and advance it's causes.
. To provide a communications capability and a source of technical support for the benefit of its members and the community
. To promote fraternalism and cooperation among its members.
To this end, SOARA and the members actively support and participate in ARES, RACES and other sanctioned organizations. We provide communications support for many public service events throughout the community:
http://www.soara.org/
B. "The Traverse" event:
A fundraiser for the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund; the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund honors the bravery and dedication exhibited by Americans in our Armed Forces who have sacrificed life or limb defending our country by providing educational scholarships to their children.
http://tinyurl.com/2rotck
C. The Toad Festival:
A fundraiser for "Talk About Curing Autism" (TACA):
TACA has been VERY important in helping parents navigate the world of autism
– education, therapy, biomedical information and emotional support.
TACA provides emergency financial assistance to families with a child with autism to cover costs associated with housing, utilities, automobile repair, insurance premiums, food, medical care, prescriptions, daycare, and other items.
http://www.tacanow.com/about_taca/taca.htm
Rock N Road Cyclery will be holding an Endurance Training and Nutrition Seminar from 7:00 to 9:00 at the Mission Viejo store on Tuesday, the 27th of November. The Store is located at the shopping center on the northwest corner of Rancho Santa Margarita and Margarite.
For more information contact the Rock N Road at: (949) 859-5076
On a more positive note the next Newbie ride is being held Sunday, DEC 2, in San Diego Co. We chose Daily Ranch as the venue. This ride is a joint ride with the "sladnas" firestorm ride. Mark aka Sladnas on STR lost everything in one of the San Diego fires. The members of STR pitched in and bought him a new bike and it will be presented to him on this ride. Here is the link to the ride.
http://www.socaltrailriders.org/forum/trailhead/9699-sladnas-firestorm-sd-newbie-ride.htm
Be sure and paste the whole link into your browser if it does not activate.
"Guides New Warriors" Frial
The Forest Service is not yet ready to start installing water bars and grade stabilizers on the Silverado Motorway so we will be brushing the trails in the Trabuco Canyon area, starting with the Trabuco Trail. The work will start at 7:00 a.m. and end at 1:00 p.m. and we will be meeting at the Holy Jim Trail Parking Lot.
Please RSVP if you plan on attending and bring gloves, snacks and water for on the trail when you are working. Pizza will be provided after the end of the event.
Please RSVP to:
SHOW YOUR SUPPORT AND ATTEND THE GREAT PARK OPEN HOUSE. MAKE THE GREAT PARK YOUR PARK!!!
The City of Irvine and the Orange County Great Park Corporation invite you to attend a public open house at the Orange County Great Park Balloon site.
When: December 1st and 2nd, 2007 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Great Park Balloon Site
Meet the Great Park Design Team and give us your feedback on programs related to:
.	Sports and Recreation
.	Festivals and Events
.	Ecology and Nature
.	Historic Preservation
.	Cultural and Social Institutions and Activities
If you are unable to attend the open house you can still participate in the planning process by taking an online survey. The survey will be available from December 1st – 8th.
For more information, please call (949) 724-7420.
Rock N Road Bike Shops and Sho-Air Racing are Major Sponsors of the Warrior's Society
The Warrior's Society is a Blue Ribbon Coalition (BRC) affiliated organization
The Warrior's Society is a Tax Exempt Organization under 501 (c) 4 of the IRS Code
"Far better it is to dare mighty dreams, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take the ranks with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in that gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat!"
www.warriorssociety.org


text:
Rachel Notley
After the attack Edmontonians gathered to show the unity
October 2, 2017 9:35 am gmt |
With police providing security, a crowd of 300 Edmontonians huddled together in Churchill Square on Sunday evening at a vigil for victims of Saturday night's suspected terror attacks. Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley, Education Minister Dave Eggen and federal Infrastruct...
Alberta Premier Rachel Notley tries to douse dragon's fire
January 13, 2016 10:04 am gmt |
With a smile on her face, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley breathed a little fire of her own today when asked about a wealthy businessman's pledge to invest in the province's oil industry if — and only if — she resigns from office. In his fantasy novel 'The Hobbitt', J.R.R. Tolkien wrote: &#...
Rachel Notley announces $103 million boost to education budget
Alberta Premier Rachel Notley says her new NDP government will make a $103-million infusion into the province's education budget, reversing cost-cutting measures by the Tories. Notley made the announcement yesterday (Thursday) as she addressed the media on day two of her first cabinet meeting i...
Rachel Notley sworn in as Alberta premier
Rachel Notley has been sworn in as the 17th premier of Alberta in a ceremony that took place in front of an enthusiastic crowd of thousands in Edmonton yesterday (Sunday) afternoon. "Today, we open a new chapter in the story of Alberta," Notley told the crowd. The 51-year-old former labou...
NDP attains the historic win in Alberta election 2015
May 6, 2015 6:51 am gmt |
It's a massive shock that turns Canadian politics on its head. The NDP has won a majority government in Alberta. "I think we might have made a little bit of history tonight," leader Rachel Notley told her supporters Tuesday night. "Friends, I believe, that change has finally c...


text:
In Emma Donoghue's latest masterpiece, an English nurse brought to a small Irish village to observe what appears to be a miracle-a girl said to have survived without food for months-soon finds herself fighting to save the child's life.
Tourists flock to the cabin of eleven-year-old Anna O'Donnell, who believes herself to be living off manna from heaven, and a journalist is sent to cover the sensation. Lib Wright, a veteran of Florence Nightingale's Crimean campaign, is hired to keep watch over the girl.
Written with all the propulsive tension that made Room a huge bestseller, THE WONDER works beautifully on many levels--a tale of two strangers who transform each other's lives, a powerful psychological thriller, and a story of love pitted against evil.
Akin
Frog Music
The Lotterys Plus One
Moth This is a True Story
Bee Ridgway
A Brief History of the Future


text:
Developing Urban Energy Models for Indian Cities: A case study of Ahmedabad
Industry Roundtable on Building Green: Approach & Insights for Market Transformation
ZerO-In
ZerO-In Dialogue #1 on Grid-Interactive Net Zero Energy Buildings (G-NZEB)
ZerO-In Dialogue #2 on Emerging Technologies in G-NZEBs
ZerO-In Dialogue #3 on Consumer Engagement for G-NZEBs
ZerO-In Dialogue #4 on Enabling Policies for G-NZEBs
G-NZEBs
South-Asia
Nalanda University
Net-Metering
California [USA]
European Union [EU]
About Alliance
Objectives and vision
Alliance Structure
showcase upload
Definitions & Policies
International Roadmaps
NZEB GoalsNZEB StrategiesNZEB ProgramsLink and Resources
NZEB Goals
The UK Government has committed to a challenging CO2 emissions reduction target for 2050. The UK's target for all new homes to meet the Zero Carbon Standard from 2016 and all new non-residential buildings from 2019. This policy advances the timelines set by Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), which targets for all new buildings in the EU to be 'Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings' from 2020 (Zero Carbon Hub , 2014).
NZEB Strategies
The implementation of this target is dependent primarily on the progressive tightening of Building Regulations. The country has had prescriptive energy efficiency requirements for buildings since 1976. In 2005, following the implementation of the 2002 EPBD, the first performance-based code was introduced. The 2010 code and related national policies have been further strengthened to reflect the provisions of the EPBD recast. These include, mandatory simulation calculation, air-tightness testing, thermal bridging and renewable energy requirements, pre-occupancy commissioning.
NZEB Programs
Zero Carbon Buildings Policy
The UK is committed to ensuring that new homes are zero carbon from 2016. From 2016 for homes and 2019 for non-domestic buildings, all new buildings in England will be required to be built to a zero carbon standard. The policy and standard has continued to undergo revisions since 2007 in order to protect economic and technical viability and ensure these requirements remain achievable.
Building Regulations Part L
Part L of the Building Regulations sets minimum standards for energy efficiency in new and existing buildings (it applies to new building work in England and Wales; Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate regulations). The current regulations came into effect in April 2014. ADL1A for dwellings and ADL2A for other buildings
http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/buildingregulations/approveddocuments/partl/
Code for Sustainable Homes (2007)
The code for sustainable homes is the national standard for the sustainable design and construction of new homes. It aims to reduce carbon emissions and promote higher standards of sustainable design above the current minimum standards set out by the building regulations.
Zero Carbon Hub
Zero Carbon Hub is a government/industry partnership body which gathers evidence and recommends appropriate requirements for on-home carbon reductions. Based on recently submitted findings of the Hub, on-home carbon reductions between 44% and 60%, dependent on house type are called for, compared to 2006 Building Regulations.
2nd National Energy Efficiency Action Plan (NEEAP)
The UK's 2nd Energy Efficiency Action Plan (NEEAP) brought together in one document all the then current and planned policies and measures the government and the Devolved Administrations have in place to improve energy efficiency. This updated the previous EEAP of 2007 and fulfilled the UK's obligation under the Energy End-Use Efficiency and Energy Services Directive (ESD) to report on progress towards an overall national indicative energy savings target of 9% by 2016. It was superseded by the 2014 Energy Efficiency Action Plan under the EU Energy Efficiency Directive.
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/48144/2289-uk-report-eu-enduse-esd.pdf
National Renewable Energy Action Plan ( NREAP) -2010
In the NREAP, various targets were set for UK to be achieved by 2020. These include:
15% share of energy generated from renewable sources in gross final energy consumption;
12% of heat consumption met by renewable sources;
31% of electricity demand met by electricity generated from renewable energy sources;
10% of energy demand met by renewable energy sources (Measures : Renewables Obligation (RO); System of feed-in tariffs; Introduction of Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI)
http://ec.europa.eu/energy/en/topics/renewable-energy/national-action-plans
Economic Instruments
Green Deal (Energy Act, 2010)
Policy designed to significantly reduce emissions from existing buildings by promoting increased retrofitting; market mechanism planned ( since 2012) that will enable EE retrofit in homes and businesses; financed through energy bill savings.
The Green Deal is a market framework which will enable private firms to offer consumers energy efficiency improvements to their homes, community spaces or businesses at no upfront cost with repayments recouped through a charge made in instalments on their energy bill.
Renewable Heat Incentive: increase generation of heat from RES
The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) is the world's first long-term financial support program for renewable heat. The RHI pays participants of the scheme that generate and use renewable energy to heat their buildings.
https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/increasing-the-use-of-low-carbon-technologies/supporting-pages/renewable-heat-incentive-rhi
Wales Home Energy Efficiency Scheme – Nest
Nest is a Welsh government scheme that can provide eligible householders with a "whole house" package of energy efficiency improvements free of charge.
http://nestwales.org.uk/
Information & Outreach
Smart Metering Implementation Program
The program aims for all homes and small businesses to have smart meters by 2020. Energy suppliers will be required to install smart meters and take all reasonable steps to install them for everybody.
https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/helping-households-to-cut-their-energy-bills/supporting-pages/smart-meters
Market Transformation Programme, including Energy Labelling for Appliances
The UK's Market Transformation Programme (MTP) effective since 1997 undertakes policy research, development and support projects that aim to bring forward products, systems and services that do less harm to the environment, using less energy, water and other resources over their lifetime. The MTP provides strategic support to a growing set of product policies. These aim to encourage resource efficiency through the development of supply-chain measures such as reliable product information, raising minimum standards and encouraging best practice and where consensus and joined-up thinking is essential to establish priorities and to deliver practical policies.
Demonstration projects by local authorities and voluntary/co-operative housing associations to deliver sustainable energy-efficient housing with minimum A2 energy rating; goal: advance knowledge and experience base in design, construction and use of high performing EE housing and promote awareness of relevant technologies.
Voluntary demonstration projects include use of RES in many regions and local areas. The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government provides funding for flagship low-carbon housing schemes in eight local authorities and annual prize for development of sustainable public buildings.
Report on Low Carbon Construction
This report consists of recommendations for achieving required improvement in construction. This led to development and maintenance of education and training by sector skills Councils, Universities and colleges, professional bodies and education funding agencies to support production of low and zero carbon buildings.
Independent experts
Energy assessors must be member of a specialist Accreditation Scheme approved by government.
Link and Resources
EPBD or Directive on Energy Performance of Buildings
http://www.epbd-ca.eu/
Passive House Standards
http://www.passiv.de/en/index.php
Renewable Energies European Law Adaptation Act (EAG EE)
http://www.res-legal.eu/search-by-country/germany/
Energy Saving Ordinance
http://www.enev-online.de/
Energy Saving Act
http://www.bmwi.de/EN/Topics/Energy/Buildings/energy-saving-legislation,did=667990.html
http://www.bmwi.de/EN/Topics/Energy/buildings.html
http://www.bbsr-energieeinsparung.de/EnEVPortal/DE/EnEG/Download/
EnEG2009,templateId=raw,property=publicationFile.pdf/EnEG2009.pdf
Economic Incentives and Financing Instruments
KfW Energy-efficient rebuilding – Municipalities (since 2009)
https://www.kfw.de/inlandsfoerderung/Privatpersonen/Bestandsimmobilie/
https://www.kfw.de/inlandsfoerderung/Privatpersonen/Neubau/index-2.html
http://www.iea.org/policiesandmeasures/pams/germany/name-24665-en.php
SME : Environmental and Energy Efficiency Programme (part B) – implemented by KfW
Funding Program for Promotion of Energy Management System
http://www.stromeffizienz.de/industrie-gewerbe/handlungsfelder/energiemanagement/foerderprogramm-energiemanagementsysteme.html
https://www.stromeffizienz.de/
http://www.zukunfthaus.info/tools/energieausweischeck.html
http://www.zukunft-haus.info/
GE-4:KfW Environmental and Energy Efficiency Programmes
http://iepd.iipnetwork.org/policy/kfw-environmental-and-energy-efficiency-programmes-formally-erp
https://www.kfw.de/inlandsfoerderung/Unternehmen/Energie-Umwelt/index-2.html
http://www.res-legal.eu/en/search-by-country/germany/tools-list/c/germany/s/res-hc/t/policy/sum/136/lpid/135/
Information and Awareness
BAFA On-site advice (since 1998)
http://www.bafa.de/bafa/en/energy/index.html
Energy hotline and Internet platform
Energy Efficiency Initiative
http://www.stromeffizienz.de/
http://www.die-stromsparinitiative.de/stromsparinitiative/partnerprojekte/initiative- energieeffizienz/index.html
Guide for Sustainable Building (2013) http://www.nachhaltigesbauen.de/sustainable-building-english-speaking-information/guideline-for-sustainable-building.html
The Alliance for Building Energy Efficiency (Geea)
https://www.geea.info/ueber-die-geea/geea/
Efficient House Pilot Project (2003)
( http://www.dena.de/en/projects/building/efficient-house-pilot-project.html)
Towards Energy Efficiency House Plus
www.zukunft-haus.info/effizienzhausplus
national policies
state-level policies


Flevox Spot-On for Cats : Buy Flea and Tick Spot-On Treatment.
Flevox Spot-On for Cats : Buy Flea and Tick Spot-On Treatment at cheap Price. FREE shipping, Price Match Guarantee, 100% Money Back.
Flevox Spot-On is a highly effective flea and tick control spot-on for cats. It is a fipronil based treatment that eliminates fleas, ticks, and lice. It protects cats against flea and tick infestation. The spot-on solution has insecticidal efficacy against new infestations with adult fleas for up to 4 weeks. Newly arrived fleas are destroyed within 48 hours. It provides the best control against fleas and ticks. Given regularly, Flevox is ideal for the long-lasting protection against parasitic infestations. It is easy to apply and has no negative reactions.
Flevox Spot-On for Cats is tried and tested flea and tick treatment. It contains popular insecticide – Fipronil. The active ingredient eliminates fleas and ticks by directly attacking their central nervous system. The solution remains effective for one full month. For year-round protection, repeat treatment every month. The spot-on acts against chewing lice infestation and further controls the infestation.
Choose the pack after weighing your cat or kitten.
Part the fur at the back of the neck until the skin is visible.
Place the tip of the Flevox pipette and squeeze the content on the visible skin.
Let the treated area dry completely.
Do not apply to open wounds or broken skin.
This is a very good product. I treat my cat, Loyla every month and the fleas are vanished.


text:
HomeNewsAgriculture
Farmers Urge NASS To Pass Seed Act, PVP, Biosafety Bills
NewsAgriculture
Arc. Kabir Ibrahim
Farmers across the country, operating under the aegis of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) have drummed up support for the passage of three bills, the Seed Act, Plant Variety Protection (PVP) and Biosafety respectively before the National Assembly (NASS).
A statement signed by the association's national president, Arc. Kabir Ibrahim, the farmers urged the lawmakers to pass the biosafety bill, saying nothing should be done to scuttle the effort to embrace biotechnology which leads to the production of GM technology that helps in the production of high yielding seeds which are drought and disease resistant, thereby taking them out of poverty
They pointed out that they were fully represented at the public hearing of the bills at separate occasions and gave their tacit support for their passage after studying the drafts and making input.
They argued that there is no scientifically established nexus between GMO and cancer, adding those opposed to the technology are all over the place trying to take the nation back from marching forward in term of development.
"We will start with the Biosafety Bill which is already in place and deals with the safety of GM technology and the release of GM crops for cultivation after ascertaining their safety for both human and animal consumption. The authority to regulate this technology is vested in the National Biosafety ManagementAgency (NBMA) which has the responsibility of permitting the use of GMO crops after due diligence," it said.
On the Seed Act 2019 already signed into law and makes the National Agricultural Seed Council (NASC) the regulating authority of agricultural seed in Nigeria, the statement said seed system is vital to agricultural growth and requires extreme care in handling and use because it has life, pointing out there is a clear distinction between seed and grain.
"Unless this is properly regulated the farmers will continue to plant grains instead of seeds and thereby remain poor due to low yield. Hybridization on farms and laboratories is allowed and regulated in the Seed Act as such the farmers can retain their seeds that they develop over time," it stated.
On the PVP, the association through it's president described the bill as the copy right over varieties developed by breeders and farmers alike.
"Without the protection provided by PVP the efforts of our researchers and breeders would be hijacked and other people will be reluctant to avail us with their material for use without control or remuneration. From the foregoing the farmers have a simple mind and fully understand these bills and believe they will help them to carry on with their businesses sustainably. Mr. President is invited to kindly assent to the PVP Bill for the benefit of the Nigerian farmers," it added.
GMOs: No Cause For Alarm – Ebegba
Ministry To Support Space Agency On Project Implementation


text:
FIVB GSTAAD Beach VOLLEYBALL LIVE STREAMING*
Watch FIVB Gstaad Beach Volleyball Live Stream* Matches Today at bet365
BEACH VOLLEYBALL ONLINE VIDEO | GSTAAD Live Streams
Watch now Live GSTAAD Beach Volleyball Streaming
Wacth FIVB Gstaad beach volleyball Major tournament have been played from July 4 to July 9 in Gstaad, Switzerland. This was one of the two beach volleyball Major tournament that has been played this season. Major tournaments are five-star tournaments, the highest rank of all, only behind World Tour Finals and World Championships.Men's and women's tournaments were played at the same time, and almost every team from the top took part in this competition.
American veterans, Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena, won the by defeating Bartosz Losiak and Piotr Kantor from Poland in the finals. The result was 21:18 and 21:19, and Lucena and Dalhausser won their second title in the season after they lifted Moscow Open trophy in June. Alvaro Morais Filho and Saymon Santos from Brazil defeated their compatriots Evandro Oliveira and Andre Stein in the match for the third place. The result was 21:12, 21:18.
In women's tournament, Chantal Laboureur and Julia Sude from Germany defeated Larissa Franca and Talita Antunes by 2:0 (21:18, 22:20). This was the first trophy for Sude and Laboureur in the season. Before this tournament, they qualified for the semis only once, at Fort Lauderdale Major tournament in February. Franca and Antunes won the title at Fort Lauderdale and Moscow Open previously. In the match for the third place, Sarah Pavan and Melissa Humana-Paredes from Canada defeated Joana Heidrich and Anouk Verge-Depre from Switzerland by 2:0 (21:15, 21:12). Both teams played in one final this season before this tournament, while the Canadians appeared in one additional semifinal as well.
How to watch live FIVB GSTAAD Beach volleyball streams


For the last year, MCCC has been selling books from its library as part of an effort to liquidate all of our holdings. Ken Swab has been bringing selections from the library to be sold at our monthly meetings. Since a number of books have sold, the online library catalog has been updated.
As part of the updated library catalog, some books that are missing or have sold without a record being made has been noted using red italic text. Should you have information about the book's whereabouts, please contact the club officers.
If you are interested in acquiring any of the books, please look over the library catalog and let librarian Wayne Mitchell or Ken Swab know of your interest, so they can price the volume for you. And, of course, you can still borrow books from the library. Just tell Wayne what books you are interested in.


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Il supergruppo del pirocloro è un supergruppo di minerali che cristallizzano nel sistema cubico secondo il gruppo spaziale Fdm aventi la seguente formula generale: A2-mB2X6-wY1-n.

Il sito A può contenere generalmente cationi di grande dimensione con coordinazione 8 di raggio di circa 0,1nm o una vacanza pertanto può contenere Na, Ca, Sr, Pb2+, Sn2+, Sb3+, Y, U o H2O o anche, meno comunemente, Ag, Mn, Ba, Fe2+, Bi3+, Ce (ed altri elementi delle terre rare), Sc, Th o una vacanza (□).

Il sito B può contenere cationi con coordinazione 6, principalmente Ta, Nb, Ti, Sb5+, W ma anche V5+, Sn4+, Zr, Hf, Fe3+, Mg, Al e Si.

Il sito X contiene solitamente O ma in alcuni casi può contenere OH e F.

Il sito Y solitamente è un anione ma può anche essere una vacanza, H2O o anche un catione con valenza 1 di grande dimensione (>>0,1nm). Per esempio OH-, F, O, □, H2O, Cs, Rb.

Con i simboli m, w ed n si può indicare un'occupazione incompleta rispettivamente dei siti A, X ed Y mentre non ve ne possono essere nel sito B. Gli intervalli di valori riscontrati sono i seguenti:
m: da 0 a 2
n: da 0 ad 1
w: da 0 a 0,7

Suddivisione in gruppi
Il supergruppo del pirocloro è suddiviso in cinque gruppi in base alla valenza dominante del sito B (e non in base allo ione dominante, come accade generalmente). Per calcolare la valenza dominante, occorre sommare il numero di cationi tetravalenti (M4+), la somma dei cationi pentavalenti (M5+), ecc. In base a questi valori, l'assegnamento ai gruppi è il seguente:
 se M4+ > M5+ ed M4+ > M6+ e se il catione dominante M4+ è Ti, la specie appartiene al gruppo della betafite.
 se M5+ > M4+ e M5+ > M6+, se il catione dominante M5+ è Nb allora appartiene al gruppo del pirocloro, se il catione dominante M5+ è Ta allora appartiene al gruppo della microlite, se il catione dominante M5+ è Sb allora appartiene al gruppo della roméite.
 se M6+ > M4+ e M6+ > M5+, se il catione dominante è W allora appartiene al gruppo dell'elsmoreite.

Gruppi del supergruppo del pirocloro
 Gruppo della betafite
 Gruppo dell'elsmoreite
 Gruppo della microlite
 Gruppo del pirocloro
 Gruppo della roméite

Note

Pirocloro

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


COMMIT - Flushing must occur only at transaction commit.
AUTO - (Default) Flushing to occur at query execution.
The following line of code will get the current JTA or non-JTA datasource in use by an entityManager in a container managed JPA application using a JTA transaction-type.
The following code will return a null connection or cause a $Proxy ClassCastException if run on a container managed EntityManager, it is supplied for SE applications or one using the JavaSECMPInitializer or a RESOURCE_LOCAL transaction-type.


Welcome to the 445th Tablescape Thursday!
I'm back home! Enjoyed my time in Morocco but there's definitely no place like home. When traveling, it seems like every time you turn around it's time to eat again, not that I'm complaining! Trying new foods is definitely one of the best parts of travel.
On Saturday, March 18th, we explored Fez, a place our guide-book states is often considered "the world's most well-preserved medieval city." It's also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. If you followed BNOTP on Instagram over the last few weeks, you may remember seeing a few photos I posted during our time in Fez.
Later in the day we stopped for lunch in one of the prettiest, most elegant places we ate during our entire trip. This was a view of one end of the room. The room was quite long and narrow and the other end was pretty much the mirror image of this end. Our group of fifteen settled in at the tables at both ends of the room.
I didn't have a chance to lighten these photos this morning since I got in so late last night. It was pretty dark and cozy in the room anyway, so you're experiencing it very much as we did.
One of the things I most missed while gone was just being able to turn on a faucet for a glass of water. All the reviews of this trip warn about drinking the water in Morocco. Our guide said that it's not always the water that creates a problem for those visiting, that sometimes it's the chemicals that are used to clean the water. In any case, we were always given bottled water when dining.
I tried to take a photo of the back of the plate, but it was too blurry to read when I looked at it later. The only thing I remember now about this pattern was that it wasn't by any brand/company I recognized and I don't remember seeing a "pattern name" for the dishware.
The red and white pattern is really pretty.
We were given embroidered napkins in several of the restaurants where we ate. I almost hated to use them, wondering how they would get the food stains out later without fading the pretty stitchery.
Many of our meals during this trip were cooked and served in a "tagine" an earthenware pot that is often used for preparing a meal in Morocco. Tagines, when purchased new, apparently take a bit of time to "season." Hearing that reminded me of the iron skillets that southern cooks often use for preparing cornbread. A new iron skillet just doesn't work like one that's been cooked in many times over the years.
Many of the folks in our group who like to cook, wanted to buy a tagine to take home with them, but they weigh a ton. Someone mentioned they are available online. I looked this morning and found some here: Tagines and here: Tagines. There are also cookbooks online with recipes for cooking in tagines like this one: Delicious Recipes for Moroccan One-Pot Cooking.
Have you ever cooked using a tagine? The design of the tagine is supposed to help keep the food moist and flavorful. I'll see if I can find the photos I took of the meal we had and add them onto this post or share them in a future post.
Thanks for sharing your trip- it's so interesting! I wanted to let you know that I purchased the Teva Delvina boots you recommended and they are perfect! Waterproof and feel great for walking! Wish I'd gotten them earlier, but they will be great for next fall. Thanks for the recommendation!
No, the safari was definitely better, but this one was less expensive and longer. They were both so very different, so hard to compare them to one another. Thanks, Lena! I'll write a post explaining more about the trip soon.
The Moroccan table is very handsome. It looks like both the tablecloth and napkins are hand embroidered. The dishes look like they match perfectly.
Yes, I think they both were, really pretty!
It looks so cozy in that setting–very relaxing and appetite inducing. Love the tablecloth pattern and how it radiates out to the placesettings. Did they serve wine also? Great adventure and thanks for sharing as many IG photos as you could.
Not for this meal. We did have wine with a couple of meals, though. Thanks, Mia! It's really good to be back home!
Welcome home! Pretty dishes & linens.
Thanks, Rita! Glad to be back!
What a charming place to dine. Love the plates and the linens. Thanks for sharing this unique experience, and thanks for getting TBT posted in spite of your late night.
Of course, I meant TST!
What a beautiful table! I love how the plates perfectly match the linens.That must have been an amazing trip!
Fez is one of u favorite places. We visited several times while living in Germany. We bought a tagine the first trip and took cooking lessons the second time at our riad. They cooked everything in the pressure cooker and served it in the tagine. Also, those beautiful napkins are done by ladies in the area. I bought placemats with that design because I couldn't buy the napkins for the very reason you talked about!
Fez is definitely an interesting place!
So happy you posted this! It's interesting to see the details from another country…those napkins especially caught my eye and I love the full shot outside! Where is the next journey?
Not sure, I was thinking of a trip here in the U.S. somewhere. I'd love to see Martha's Vineyard or some fun beaching place this summer. Do you have any vacation plans, Nancy?
I love those plates. I fell in love with Middle Eastern cuisine when I lived in Bahrain. I don't currently have a tagine, but would love to get one. The dining room looks so cozy and isn't that Pierre Deux fabric on those cushions? Whatever it is, I love it!
I'm not sure…it was very pretty!
Those charming red dishes caught my eye right away!!! Glad you had a good time and are home safely…..
Welcome home, Susan! What a thrill it must be to travel to such an exotic part of the world! I loved the dinnerware and linens you shared. Can't wait for more details about the things you saw and did. One of your shots on IG looks like you got to ride a camel! Not quite your Peloton cycle, huh? LOL.
Take care and drink lots of water to combat the jet lag.
lol No, definitely not like my Peloton. Ha! I'll have to share a post about that adventure. 🙂 Thanks for the reminder about the water…great idea!
I love your trip photos and it's so nice of you to share them with us. I've never had a meal prepared in a tagine but I've always wanted to buy one. Thanks for hosting each week.
Our guide kept saying to not buy the ones that were decorative, that they were for display only and that you couldn't cook in them. I want to do a bit of research on them and see if that's true. I liked the ones that were painted blue and white on the lid.
It's likely the lead in the paint that makes the decorative ones unsuitable for cooking. I'm sure you already know this, but you have to be really careful about that when buying from countries with more "liberal" health regulations, shall we say?? But they're gorgeous and soooo tempting.
I've made tangines, and debated buying the actual container from Williams Sonoma. I find you can use a cast-iron braising pot and get the same results. Not as pretty, though!
Susan, I so admire your dedication and intrepid spirit in posting under less than ideal conditions. As a reader, I'm very grateful for your energy and enthusiasm. I hope you recover from the jet lag soon.
Morocco is one of my all time favorite trips. I was crazy about the food and the way it was presented. I see you appreciated it as well.
Really enjoyed your pictures and description of your trip. Sounds wonderful.
I bought a tagine from Le Creuset. Very practical . The base is also great for searing meat.
I had not heard of Fez. It is interesting to read about your travels to exotic places.
Now you will have to watch the movie The Man Who Knew Too Much with your favorite Doris Day, the movie took place in Morocco! Glad you are safe at home. Anxious to hear more details of your trip.
Thanks, Barbara…I'm glad to be back sleeping in my own bed.
The placesettings are beautiful as was the room! Such a wonderful experience! Glad you are home!
Welcome home, Susan! So glad you had another great trip! Thanks again for hosting.
The tangine looks so heavy. I will be looking up how to cook in it, very interesting. The whole room looks so pretty. We had beautiful linens that my mother embroidered and crocheted I have some of them and still use them. Though the colors may have faded a little they still look good even after 50+ years and very much bleach. The old cotton fabric and threads held up very well. Welcome home!
That's awesome, Theresa! I know your Mom would be so happy to see them being used. Love that!
Happy you made it back safely and had a great trip! Thanks for taking us along! The tablescape and linens are really pretty! I really enjoy your posts!
Glad to hear you're back home safe and sound. Sounds like a wonderful trip. The seating at the restaurant looks posh and cozy. It's fun to travel, but I know what you mean about coming "home". Whenever we get back from a trip, I walk around the house just glad to be among familiar things that make me feel warm and fuzzy. Everything is in bloom up here and really starting to look so pretty. Hugs!
Happy Spring, Bobbi! Love this time of year, except for the messy pollen. lol Yes, it feels wonderful to be back home. Feels like I was gone forever!
use a dutch oven if you didn't have a tagine dish. I have done that many times, and it works perfectly. The tagine dishes are lovely, but take up too much room. Maybe some day. Looking forward to checking out those recipes.
Thanks, Cheryl! My storage is pretty limited so that's good to know! I do have a Dutch Oven so will keep that in mind.
Welcome Home!! I'll have to check out Instagram and see those pictures – had a busy week and didn't get a chance yet. Well, now you can scratch off one more country on your world map! Did I tell you, I purchased one of the great USA and I'm pleased to see that I only have the east coast – New England and the Carolinas and what I call the Big Sky states – Montana, Wyoming, the Dakotas, Minnesota and Hawaii to see. It is thrilling and so glad you told us about these maps. Traveling is fun, but "Dorothy" / Susan, there is no place like home!! Especially one with a great screened in porch! ha.
Glad you are safely back home and that this trip was a wonderful experience. I think Morocco is exotic and beautiful. Very different experience for me when my typical travel was to France or the UK. Your experience covered more territory. So happy for you, Susan! Thanks for sharing all your photos.
I specially love the china.
Thank you for the party Susan. You look like you had an awesome time in Morocco.
Susan, somglad you are home safe and I am sure jet-lagged! Morocco seems like a very exotic destination. Can't wait to hear more about it, love your IG photos. The linens are lovely and I know you enjoyed the food! Rest up this weekend!
Oh my that is beautiful. So beautifully feminine and attractive. Can't wait to hear your stories. Any double dipping on the tangine? Never knew that word – your blogs are an education.
On my trip to Asia – when in group settings, I wasn't thrilled about my travelmates "double dipping" in the communal platters after they had eaten off their silverware.
For some reason a big serving spoon never appeared so I made sure I got what I wanted the first time the plate was passed around while everyone had clean utensils.
I try not to sweat the small stuff but that irks me. I just tried to look on the positive side that after traveling a couple week with strangers, they all become family anyway even if for just a short period of time.
Teresa, you and I would do well traveling together because I don't like that either! There was one meal (thankfully it was only one) that I wouldn't even eat because it was served on one big platter and we weren't given plates at all. Everyone at my table (there were five of us) was supposed to eat off that same platter…and I do mean EAT OFF OF IT, placing our bones back on the platter. I think they served lamb, don't even remember now. It had been cooked in this big hole in the ground. It was supposed to be a special meal because the place we were eating was THE ONLY place in the country that still had those huge cooking ovens in a hole in the ground and could still cook that way. But I still wouldn't eat it. I just couldn't eat off a single platter with everyone else. If they had given us plates so we could eat off our own plate, I probably would have tried it, even though I didn't like the looks of the hole in the ground. They served one plate of vegetables the same way and everyone was eating with their forks off the plate. I asked for a small plate so I could serve myself some vegetables. Instead, they brought me out a big plate of vegetables. I scrapped most of them into the other plate of vegetables that was for the table, keeping some for myself. So, yeah, I'm not a fan of double dipping either! Ha!


text:
I've Been Expecting You, Mr Bond
Alpine horn for the tourists at Schilthorn: cut-out of James
Bond disguised as Sir Hilary Bray lurks behind!
A week by train in the Bernese Oberland
Ever since our first visit to the Alps five years ago we have wanted to return to visit some places we had not then had time to see. I had begun to think about spending a week at, say, Interlaken, which would enable us to trip out to The Schilthorn and Jungfraujoch plus any other places that might come to mind, and when I opened my latest Great Rail Journeys catalogue I saw the Inclusive Jungfrau tour which provided all that we needed and more, with seven nights in Grindelwald (and, bonus, a night in Colmar on the way there, a place we had wanted to revisit after a short stop there on a previous trip). A visit to Jungfraujoch was included, as well as visits to Röthorn and Schynige Platte, and there were two free days on one of which we could arrange to visit Schilthorn, so we simply booked the Great Rail Journeys package, with a night in London before departure, and waited for the date to come!
It was an early start from London St Pancras International so we did not have breakfast at our hotel but went straight to meet our tour manager Stephen at the Great Rail Journeys office at the station. Once through check-in we had coffee while we waited for our train to Paris, and then enjoyed the light breakfast served on the train (as usual we were travelling Standard Premier Class, with a light meal included). There was supposed to be a coach transfer from Paris Nord to Paris Est but it was a tight connection and an easy walk so Stephen decided it would be quicker simply to walk between the stations rather than find the coach, load the luggage, struggle through traffic and unload the luggage again, so we had a little exercise between stations in Paris before continuing by TGV to Colmar.
At Colmar the weather was almost as hot and sunny as on our previous visit, but we had both the evening and the following morning to enjoy this delightful little city, well worth seeing. And I am pleased to say that the Grand Hotel Bristol, conveniently opposite the station, was much improved on our previous visit.
We left Colmar earlier than planned so as to travel on a TGV straight through to Basel where we changed trains for Interlaken. Because we had started early we had a couple of hours at Basel and as well as enjoying coffee under the trees at a pleasant pavement café also had a walk though the city centre to a river bridge, a bakery supplying our needs for lunch.
From Basel we took a train through to Interlaken where we connected to a mountain railway train to Grindelwald, at the foot of the Eiger. We stayed with the rest of the group (forty including the manager, the biggest group with which we'd ever travelled) at the Romantik Hotel Schweizerhof, and I would recommend it to anyone. Our room was huge and stylish, reminiscent of a James Bond film set! We had a view of the Eiger through our patio window, a walk-in wardrobe, double bath (!) and separate shower and a control panel for lighting and window shutter that took a few minutes to learn! We were going to be there for a week so we unpacked and made ourselves at home.
Unlike any previous Great Rail Journeys tour we had done, we were supplied with a packed lunch each day by the hotel, so days out did not have to include a search for lunch; and after dinner, sleep and breakfast we picked up our little paper carrier bags and made our way through the village centre to the cable car station for first exciting excursion, to Grindelwald First. For me this was a bit of a test run: the planned trip to Schilthorn would involve several cable cars, many of them very high above the ground and very long, so this little trip to First would reveal how comfortable I would be with cable car travel. Fortunately it was fine, although in terms of the experience itself it was disappointing that there was dense fog - or cloud if you prefer - nearly all the way up. There was not a lot to see from the peak, either, but we did do the Cliff Walk around it even though the scenery was nowhere to be seen, and we enjoyed coffee before travelling back down to the village, eating our lunch in the cable car on the way. In the afternoon we discovered the local church and the local museum and browsed around these. Dinner at the hotel and bed, ready for the first Big Day tomorrow!
Approaching Schilthorn by cable car
"Tomorrow" was Day 4, Friday, the first of two free days, and we had planned that if the weather was suitable we would visit Schilthorn, one of the highest peaks in the region and from which great views could be had (in suitable weather) and which appeared as "Piz Gloria" in the James Bond film, "On Her Majesty's Secret Service." After taking invaluable advice from our Tour Manager we set off for Grindelwald station and bought our travel tickets for the day, out via Kleine Scheidegg and Stechelberg and return via Mürren and the short route via Zweilütschinen. All we needed was three tickets, all of which we were able to buy at the station using our half-fare passes supplied as part of our holiday package.
The view from the terrace
We set off on the next train to Kleine Scheidegg and changed trains there for Lauterbrunnen. We had been this way five years ago in winter and it was interesting to see it in June: not much different, really! Once we had climbed out of the valley from Grindelwald there was still plenty of snow until we descended the other side through Wengen to Lauterbrunnen, where we caught the connecting bus to the cable car terminal at Stechelberg. Here we started the long climb to Schilthorn. There were three changes of cable car on the way and each time we just had a few minutes walk, with a huge crowd of other people, and then continued onto the next stage. One change was at Mürren where would be leaving the cable car on our way back. The views on the climb were great, but nothing compared with what awaited us at the top. From Schilthorn it seemed that we could see most of Switzerland! We could certainly see the Jura mountains in the northwest (which we had visited twice on other occasions), and Mont Blanc in France to the southwest, and the huge stretch of the midlands plain looking north and east. The great bulk of the Eiger and Jungfrau hid the southeast from our view. It was said that you could see the Matterhorn from here but that did elude me. It was a very slightly misty day, but not far from perfect for the panoramic view.
Looking down on the 007 walk of discovery - a bit
snowbound for us
We ventured into the revolving restaurant which had been the set for Blofeld's base in the film, but we did not eat there, having our packed lunch from the hotel. Beneath was a number of 007-related displays which we visited but which were not the reason for our visit - although without the finance from the film the restaurant might never have been completed and the cable cars would not have survived so we would never have been able to visit at all! I am a bit of a fan of the film, actually, as it is one of those which fairly closely follows the book (apart from having Bond drive an Aston Martin instead of his Bentley).
Going back down we were bogged down in the crowds and twice had to wait half-an-hour for cable cars, but this cannot be helped if we visit a popular place on one of the the few days with good weather! We left the cable car at Mürren and walked through this cliff-top village to the rail station at the other end. On the way we visited a gift shop where we bought our souvenir (a gift for ourselves!) for the holiday, a fondue set - quite reasonable prices, unusual for Swiss resorts. We boarded the train and travelled to the other end of the line at Grutschalp where a waiting cable car took us down the cliff to Lauterbrunnen. From there we returned to Grindelwald by the shortest rail route for a shower, change of clothes and dinner with the rest of the group. I was hailed by one of the men, "I've been expecting you, Mr Bond:" four of the group had been behind us in the cable car queue on the way down, but we had not spotted them!
The train stops at a viewpoint on its way up
through the Eiger
On the Saturday was the inclusive trip to Jungfraujoch on the famous Jungfrau railway which actually climbs up through the Mönch and (the north face of!) the Eiger, to the highest railway station in Europe. Again there were lots of people (and we actually met a young couple who had been beside us in a cable-car queue the day before!) but this time we had group reservations on the trains so there was no problem with travel. We began with the train to Kleine Scheidegg again and this time crossed to the Jungfraujoch platform to the dedicated group travel area from where we were escorted to our carriage. Only the first part of the journey is in the open air, and all of it climbs steeply; soon were we in the tunnel and then the train stopped at an intermediate station for five minutes, the sole purpose of which was for us all to leave the train and look out through windows cut into the rock of the mountainside. (If you look at the north face when the sun is low and shining in an appropriate direction you can see the light glinting off these windows).
The view from the terrace of the
High Alpine Research Station
Back on the train we climbed up to the underground station at the "Top of Europe" and made our way through the pedestrian tunnels into a large sunlit space with a gift shop, coffee bar and the start of a suggested tour through all that the Jungfraujoch had to offer. Unfortunately a panorama viewpoint was closed for improvement work (indeed the station was full of contractor's plant as well, so we did not have the best introduction as we left our train, but there is not much space up there!). There were active things to do outside, but for me the main point was the view across Switzerland once again. We tried to see the Schilthorn where we had been the previous day, but cloud kept intervening and we never did see it. The view down over the Aletsch Glacier, still covered in snow, was breathtaking.
Aletsch Glacier
Speaking of which, we had to move slowly and carefully at these altitudes with thin air! No rushing about possible. There was an "ice palace" with sculptures made of ice - incredibly difficult to photograph - and much else to occupy our time until it was time to gather and make our way slowly to our train back down. Only in Switzerland have I ever experienced altitude ear-popping on a slow train!
From Kleine Scheidegg we went back to Grindelwald and dinner. Day 5 had come to an end, and with it the sunny weather. The rest of our time was to be murky and damp, but still exciting and rewarding.
The locomotives on the Brienz-Rothorn line are angled to
keep their boilers horizontal on the steep gradient
Sunday was the Feast of Pentecost and was a public holiday along with the Monday after it, but the tourist attractions were still open, although many shops were closed. Yet another mountain ascent awaited us, although this time the train itself was part of the attraction, for it was steam-powered and climber steeply up from its terminus opposite the main station at Brienz to the top of the Rothorn. We had to travel to Brienz via a change of train at Interlaken, following the coast of Lake Brienz. After a short wait we took our reserved seats on the Brienz-Rothorn train and were pushed up the steep gradient by a powerful little locomotive that made a great deal of noise with each exhaust blast. I had experienced nothing quite like it in all my years of train travel (going back to the days when steam trains were normal).
Again we climbed up to where there was still snow. The snow was staying longer this year than usual and many normally-open walking routes were still closed - this is June - and some mountain railways only started operation this week. From the peak we could look down on the line and see other little trains making this way up and down. It was cold and damp and many of us went down on an earlier train than the one booked because walking was limited and the views restricted by the mist and rain.
We were among the "advance party" on an early train back and so had an hour to spare in Brienz, where we walked along the promenade on the lakeside, then up through the town and past the shops - grateful that it was a Sunday and we could not spend any money! Amazingly both the greengrocer and a hardware shop had wares on display outside with no worry about theft. This is an amazingly honest part of the world. The town was preparing for a yodelling festival, but we would be long gone before it began.
The day out ended with a cruise along Lake Brienz from the mooring by the rail station in the town where we met those who had stayed the course at the mountain-top. Our Tour Manager had been given a free upgrade to First Class for us all on the lake steamer, and so we sat on the upper deck (under cover!) and enjoyed a glass of sparkling wine - pushing the boat out, as they say, at Swiss prices - as we travelled in style back to Interlaken Ost for the train home to Grindelwald. It had been a really great day out in spite of the cold and rain at the mountain-top. I would not have wanted to miss the train ride up there nor the views when we could see them, and it was not so cold or wet down by the lake.
The train at its mountain terminus
On the Monday came our last mountain railway of the holiday. I don't think I've ever travelled on so many, or such odd, railways in one holiday before. We began by travelling towards Interlaken again but this time leaving the train at Wilderswil, just outside Interlaken, to take the mountain railway to Schynige Platte. Like the train to Rothorn, this one had trains of just two coaches pushed up the hill by a locomotive in the rear, but this time they were electric locomotives and considerably quieter. They were antiques nonetheless and the ride was amazing.
The Alpine Garden
Schynige Platte is worth visiting for itself, as well as for the views from the top. We could only see well for the first ten minutes after leaving the train, and this was the first time I had been able to study the territory in which we had been staying for a week and which I had visited five year before on a day trip. We could see the valleys of the two branches of the river which come together at Zweilütschinen, each with a high cliff along each side. On the high plain between them sat Kleine Scheidegg and Manlichen and on the west clifftop was Mirren; beyond the cliffs on either side and in the distance beyond the plain were the enormous mountains that surround the whole Jungfrau region which we had been exploring on this fantastic holiday.
Looking back up the valley
There are many walks available from the station around the mountain top, but again with little to see and a cold rain we decided not to wander far and spent our time looking at the Alpine Garden and its little exhibition before going back down on an earlier train and then travelling back to Grindelwald the long way round via Lauterbrunnen and Kleine Scheidegg, back in time for dinner. It was so misty that at Kleine Scheidegg as we changed trains we could not see the Eiger!
A Neuchâtelois farmhouse at Freilichtmuseum Ballenberg
The next day, Tuesday, was our last complete day in Switzerland and was a free day. We had no agenda for the day when we set off from England, but while in Brienz we had found out about an open-air museum not far away at Ballenberg which had a collection of about a hundred historic buildings re-erected there from various parts of the country when their removal was required. The two areas we are most interested in, Neuchâtel and and Graubunden Cantons, were not well represented, but it still sounded like and interesting place to visit and so in the morning we set off once mare for Grindelwald station. Again, they were able to sell us tickets for the whole day, including vouchers for entry to the museum at a reduced price for train travellers; the travel tickets included the bus from Brienz to Ballenberg and back and well as the train to Ballenberg via the change at Interlaken Ost. It is all so much simpler in Switzerland than at home: even though a variety of public and private bodies provide the transport it operates as one system so changing to bus or cable car is exactly like changing trains, with through tickets available.
Although a free day, the hotel still provided the packed lunch again and we ate ours during our time at the museum, which was like a long country walk punctuated by visiting the old buildings, some of which were just as they had come, some restored extensively, and some re-purposed to display artefacts or bygone ways of life, crafts etc.. The rain came and went, but we had a great day before taking the bus back to Brienz then the trains "home" in time to shower and change before our last dinner at the hotel. Back to our splendid room to pack ready for the morning's (fairly) early start, for we were returning to London in one day.
International trains at Paris Nord
LNER "Azuma" at London Kings Cross
The trip back via Paris went well apart from a twenty-minute delay to our Eurostar to London: it came in late and left late, and the carriage numbers were wrong, too, so staff had to redirect us to the right part of the train - chaos but once aboard it was a good trip with the usual light meal. We had booked a hotel room in London for the night just in case we were late and could not get the last train to connect for Stamford at Peterborough, but on reflection it would have been cheaper to take a taxi from Peterborough than to stay overnight in London! However, staying did mean that we had an opportunity to visit family in London for a good part of the day before travelling home at our own convenience, having the flexible tickets which Great Rail Journeys had provided for us. Icing on the cake was that our train to Peterborough was one of LNER's new class 800 "Azuma" sets which it was nice to try; our first class 800 ride.
Labels: 007, Alps, cruise, day trip, Eiger, Europe, Eurostar, excursion, first class, Glacier, holiday, Interlaken, Jungfrau, lake, railway, snow, St Pancras, steam, tickets, tour


Water Heating Time Calculations The specific heat of water is 4.186 J/g°C The equation for calculating the needed energy value for a certain water heating process is: Q=c*m*(dT) c-specific heat (J/g°K) of the heated liquid m- the mass of the liquid that needs to be heated (g) dT- temperature difference during the process (°K) Q- needed amount of energy for the process (J) For example: In order to heat up 200L of water from 45°C to 90°C, we'll use the equation above: Q = 4.186 J/g K *200,000g * 45K = 37,674,000J Conversion of the energy (Q) to power (P): 1 Watt=1 J/s Thus, in order to calculate the time needed for the process (given a heating element of 2000W power) : t(s)=Q/P time=37,674,000J/2000(J/s)=18,837s=313.95min=5.23h=05:14:00 Meaning, it takes about 5 hours to heat up 200L of water from 45°C to 90°C with 2000W heating power. A few examples of the time needed to heat up various volumes of water in different powers: Assumptions: Optimal contiditions, no heat is lost to the environment, full conversion of the heating element's voltage into heat. If we were to increase the power twice- the heating time will shorten in half for the same volume, and so on.


The origins of Acupuncture in China can be traced back at least 2000 years, making it one of the oldest and most long-standing health care systems in the world.
Today, Acupuncture is an effective, natural and increasingly popular form of health care that is being used by people from a wide range of cultural and social backgrounds.
Acupuncture treatment involves the insertion of fine, sterile needles into specific points along the body's meridians to clear energy blockages. The practitioner may also stimulate the acupuncture points using other methods, including moxibustion, cupping, laser therapy, electro-stimulation and massage, in order to re-establish the flow of energy.


Econsultancy has created an infographic showing search engine market shares across 10 countries around the world. Is Google dominant worldwide?
We recently reported the web browser usage share statistics for November 2010 based on research by Net Applications.
While in the statistics groove, we were interested to see that Econsultancy has created a very nice infographic showing search engine market shares across 10 countries around the world.
Econsultancy collected the following data from various sources, including Comscore, Hitwise, Statcounter and several others.
Google is hugely dominant in Western Europe with 90%+ market share of the search sector.
Google is most dominant in Spain and Italy.
Google is least dominant the more West you go (USA) and the further East (China, Japan).
Google has grown its market share in all markets other than in China.
Bing's market share has grown in most markets.
Yahoo's market share has fallen in most markets.
Other serach engines have had their market share cannibalised by Google, Bing, Yahoo, and Baidu.
Some debate going on at Econsultancy regarding the accuracy but it is an interesting view on which search engine is ruling in particular corners of the globe.


A brothel manager of international women sent a message last week: "Thank you for coming to sing and give gifts! All the women were very happy and cannot stop talking about it!" The delight on the women's faces made it a joyful memory for all of NightLight's outreach team.
As I got on the older rickety bus at the border of Laos and Thailand, I had the slight feeling come over me that the upcoming ride through the mountains was not going to be the same as a trip in Thailand.
On Thursday, October 13, His Majesty, King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand, the ninth king of the Chakri dynasty, passed away at the age of 88.
Twenty years ago, American Baptist International Ministries (IM) missionary in Thailand Kim Brown founded the House of Love as a refuge for former brothel workers who had contracted AIDS.


text:
Q: How to apply GroupJoin properly with aggregate function? I'm a bit old school with using databases and not quite familiar with LINQ. I found a LINQ extension to achieve what I need but I'm stuck with using it properly. it's GroupJoin
what I exactly need to do is "The category & the number of this category with each post"

Models
PostContent
public class PostContent
{
    [Key]
    public Guid Id { get; set; }
    public string title { get; set; }
    public string subTitle { get; set; }
    public string description { get; set; }
    public DateTime postDate { get; set; } = DateTime.Now;
    public string post { get; set; }

    public Guid? postCatId { get; set; }
    [ForeignKey("postCatId")]
    public virtual PostCategory postCategory { get; set; }
}

PostCategory
public class PostCategory
{
    [Key]
    public Guid Id { get; set; }
    public string categoryName { get; set; }

    public virtual List<PostContent> postContents { get; set; }

}

My attempt " but return nothing"
    var NumberOfCategoriesForEachPost = context.postCategories
    .GroupJoin( context.postContents,
    cat => cat.Id,
    con => con.postCatId,
    (Category, Content) => new
    {
        Cate = Category.categoryName,
        Cont = Content.Count()
    });

A: If your LINQ query it does not specify group by on the categoryName column. GroupJoin seems to be grouping on the joining column.
You can use LINQ to SQL instead, as I find it more readable:
var query = from cat context.postCategories
         join con in context.postContents
         on cat.Id equals con.postCatId
         group new {cat, con} by new {cat.categoryName } into g
         select new
         {
              g.Key.categoryName ,
              Count = g.Select(s => s.con.postCatId).Count()
         };

A: Thanks @Nikhil Patil you inspired me to make it properly.
I found the correct way to do that as follows
        var query = from cat in context.postCategories
                    join con in context.postContents
                    on cat.Id equals con.postCatId
                    group new { cat, con } by new { con.postCatId, cat.categoryName } into g
                    select new
                    {
                        //g.Key,
                        CategoryName = g.Key.categoryName,
                        CategoryID = g.Key.postCatId.ToString(),
                        Count = g.Count()
                    };

the result