text:
AWCP Letter In Opposition to H.R. 2245
Jul 31st
Posted in DSC News Center
The Honorable Raul Grijalva Chairman
House Natural Resources Committee United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Rob Bishop Ranking Member
Re: Opposition to H.R. 2245; the
Conserving Ecosystems by Ceasing the Importation of Large Animal Trophies Act
The undersigned hunting and
conservation organizations strongly oppose the passage of H.R. 2245, the
"Conserving Ecosystems by Ceasing the Importation of Large Animal Trophies
Act." This bill represents an ill-conceived attempt to substitute uninformed
prejudices for the management strategies of the wildlife authorities
successfully conserving the world's largest populations of lions, elephants and
other African species in their range countries. If implemented, H.R. 2245 would
undermine some of the most effective strategies for conserving the world's
wildlife.
Well-regulated hunting
programs, particularly those that involve rural communities in the management
and protection of wildlife, have repeatedly played a key role in conservation.
These sustainable hunting programs generate the incentives and funding to
protect habitat and encourage tolerance of dangerous game. Species such as
black and white rhino, bontebok, markhor, and wood bison owe their conservation
success to sustainable use programs. If enacted,
H.R. 2245 would put an end to these successes. Congress
must not let this happen.
H.R. 2245's title claims that its
provisions are intended to "conserve ecosystems." Not only will the bill do
nothing to benefit ecosystems, it more likely will undermine the very programs
that conserve the most habitat in Africa. Countries such as Namibia, South
Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe have some of the world's largest
populations of elephant, leopard, lion, and white and black rhino. Experts such
as the scientific and management authorities of these countries, the Parties to
the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and
Fauna (CITES), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the
(FWS), credit sustainable hunting programs as a cornerstone of the successful
conservation and wildlife management strategies that are responsible for these
wildlife populations. Any law that discourages, rather than facilitates, these
hunting programs will harm ecosystem conservation.
On its face, H.R. 2245 does not
advance the concept of collaborative wildlife management because it fails to recognize
the monumental efforts wildlife management experts, particularly those of the
range countries, undertake to conserve these species. H.R. 2245 will harm the
very wildlife that the bill attempts conserve. For example, the IUCN has
explained that "[p]oorly targeted or blanket bans or restrictions affect both
good and bad hunting practices. They are blunt instruments that risk
undermining important benefits for both conservation and local livelihoods, thus exacerbating rather than addressing the
prevailing major threats of habitat loss and poaching." Briefing Paper,
Informing Decisions on Trophy Hunting, April 2016, at 2 (emphasis added).
H.R. 2245 poses numerous other
impediments to international wildlife conservation. It removes the federal
Endangered Species Act (ESA) distinctions between listing categories and
thereby reduces the FWS's ESA-based authority to use every available means to
recover "threatened" species where well-regulated, sustainable hunting programs
provide such means. Similarly, the bill restricts imports of species that are
only "proposed" for listing. If implemented, this provision would eliminate the
participation of the public and range countries, undercut the ESA's reliance on scientific data and the
FWS's expertise, and circumvent the science-based process necessary to
determine whether a species qualifies for federal protections.
The bill's blanket prohibition
against the importation of any elephant or lion from Tanzania, Zimbabwe, or
Zambia ignores the science that demonstrates the conservation benefits of
existing hunting programs – programs that enable these countries to support
some of the largest elephant and lion populations in the world. Sadly, if
implemented, this import ban would directly conflict with Section 8 of the ESA,
which specifically requires the FWS to encourage foreign conservation programs
in range countries. Instead of providing incentives to programs that have
demonstrated conservation success, H.R. 2245 would deprive these countries of
significant sources of conservation funding generated by the fees and other
expenditures of U.S. hunters that are essential to range country efforts to
maintain these large wildlife populations.
H.R. 2245 would eliminate the International Wildlife
Conservation Council (IWCC) federal advisory committee simply because it is
composed, in part, of individuals who hunt in Africa and import their animals
into the U.S. The IWCC serves as a forum for presentations by those with
information that can help
inform the FWS's decision-making. H.R. 2245 would silence those who have the
most direct expertise in the conservation of the world's wildlife.
Enacting H.R. 2245 will severely
hinder the importation of some legally-hunted animals and ban the importation
of others. Congress should not pass a bill that would undermine successful
conservation programs, substitute prejudice for the rational decisions of
wildlife management experts around the world and turn a blind eye to science.
The undersigned organizations ask you to make sure that H.R. 2245 never becomes
law.
American Woodcock Society
Archery Trade Association
Camp Fire Club of America
Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation
Conservation Force
Dallas Safari Club
Delta Waterfowl Foundation
Houston Safari Club
Masters of Foxhounds Association
Mule Deer Foundation
National Wild Turkey Federation
North American Grouse Partnership Orion – The Hunter's Institute
Pheasants Forever/Quail Forever
Professional Outfitters and Guides of America
Quality Deer Management Association
Ruffed Grouse Society
Sportsmen's Alliance
Whitetails Unlimited
Wild Sheep Foundation
Wildlife Forever
Wildlife Mississippi
The views expressed by the editors, authors or users of this linked article are expressly theirs, and do not necessarily reflect the policies or opinions of Dallas Safari Club, its employees, members or assigns. Any concerns about a site user's post should be addressed appropriately to that person. Any concerns about an advertiser, a user or any content on this site should be addressed to social@dscnortheast.org.
Read the original post.


jaw crushers, cone crusher . jaw crushers, cone crusher, impactors, rolls, second hand jaw crushers, mining machine manufacturers, crusher machine . learn more.
malaysia crusher machine gyratory cone highway stone crushing plant scmis a professional mobile crushing station ( highway construction aggregate. >. more details.
hst single cylinder hydraulic cone crusher. widely used in metal and nonmetal ores, cement, sand, metallurgy and other industries, hp cone crusher machine.
cone machine using in mining crushing,us $ 1 - 999,999,999 / set, new, cone crusher, mining factory.source from zhengzhou mega industry co., ltd. on alibaba.com.
china supplier mining machine gyratory hydraulic cone crusher. china supplier hydraulic cone crusher, hydraulic cone crusher for sale.
machines.cone crusher is suitable to crush… download maintenance manuals+spring cone crusher | crusher … coal crusher machine manual pdf. provide the c read mor.


text:
Home > Trending NSE Music News > NSE NEW SOULFUL POP GEMS OF 2020: With a mighty powerful and emotional modern 'Shangri-Las' sound, 'Madison McWilliams' releases a big song that will stick in your heart and soul with the irresistible ballad 'Back Like I Never Left'
NSE NEW SOULFUL POP GEMS OF 2020: With a mighty powerful and emotional modern 'Shangri-Las' sound, 'Madison McWilliams' releases a big song that will stick in your heart and soul with the irresistible ballad 'Back Like I Never Left'
June 26, 2020 June 26, 2020 newsoundexpress
In a time where most pop music is dark and brooding, Madison McWilliams is a shining light, swooping in and breathing new life into the genre with her soaring vocals and youthful charm.
Her new song "Back Like I Never Left" was co-written by Tia Rice and produced by Bhav and is out now at all digital platforms and streaming services.
"Back Like I Never Left" tells a relatable story with its charming lyrics that transcend age and demographics, with a video that goes beyond geographical limitations.
"The song is about returning to a lost love and realizing that no time or distance can change the bond you have. With the inability to connect due to the pandemic, the song takes on a new meaning, showing that we can always find creative ways to stay connected," explains McWilliams.
With a few song releases already on her resume McWilliams has garnered over two million views on YouTube and over 1.5 million streams on playlists with her edgy stylings. Her song and video for the vulnerable "Hurt Me" alone has garnered over 1.5 million views and over 500,000 streams, and saw her social platforms grow significantly with over 100,000 followers.
Deemed by legendary songwriter, Billy Steinberg (Madonna, Whitney Houston, Cyndi Lauper) as the "One To Watch" expect more new music to come from Austin, TX based McWilliams.
NSE NEW SOULFUL POP GEMS OF 2020: With a mighty powerful and emotional modern 'Shangri-Las' sound, 'Madison McWilliams' releases a big song that will stick in your heart and soul with the irresistible ballad 'Back Like I Never Left' – New Sound Express UK
When she's not writing, recording or performing she dedicates time to her work as a Make-A-Wish ambassador. She is also an official spokesperson for the Art of Kindness campaign, which is partnered with Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation and she plans to continue her ongoing efforts to support HAAM – Health Alliance for Austin Musicians.
www.madisonmcwilliams.com
https://www.instagram.com/madisonmcwilliamsmusic/
https://twitter.com/madisonmcw7
Trending NSE Music News Art of Kindness campaign, Austin, Back Like I Never Left, Bhav, Billy Steinberg, Cyndi Lauper, HAAM - Health Alliance for Austin Musicians, Hurt Me, Lady Ga Ga, Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation, Madison McWilliams, Madonna, Make-A-Wish ambassador, Texas music, Tia Rice, Whitney Houston
NEW SOUND EXPRESS BEST NEW POP ROCK OF 2020: 'By Small Ruin' a.k.a Bryan Mullis is back with a warm, uplifting, boppy pop rock number that sticks in your head and heart with 'Take Me With You'
NEW SOUND EXPRESS GLOBAL SONGS OF WORLD TRANSFORMATON: 'Etienne Stadwijk' is an accomplished and exceptional musician who joins forces with many voices to deliver his powerful message in the form of the heavenly world jazz ballad "Then Why?!"

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
TypeAlbumEPSingleMerchandise
FormatCassetteCDDigitalVinyl
School of X
Armlock
Signed by Rasmus Littauer aka School of X
Download voucher included
Instant download of lead single "Collarbone (feat. Lord Siva)" included
Digifile sleeve
MP3 (320 kbit/s)
Forgot Me On The Moon
Collarbone
School of X's debut album Armlock opens with the bombastic and desperate-sounding cut "Where do I start" and spans across alt-pop gems like lead single "Collarbone (feat. Lord Siva)" and "Forgot Me on the Moon" to hugely intimate ballads like "Flowers",. "Parking Lot" and the heartbreaking closing track "Blood Flow". In other words the new album bridges the explosive indie pop from 2017's debut EP Faded.Dream. and the minimalistic intensity of 2019's Destiny.
"They're definitely love songs. But they're about moving on (together or separately), maturing from the experience, and actually ending up in a better place,"
says Rasmus Littauer about the overarching theme on his new album and moves on to talking about how the record came to life.
"This time I've included other artists in both the recording and writing process which has been so good for me and my own process. I've always been collaborating with lots of artists, as a session musician, co-writer or in other bands. But I honestly also have issues with not being in control why School of X has been less collaborative historically. But with Armlock I found it so fulfilling to have my friends and colleagues record and pitch in with creative ideas that I could filter, adapt, refine, and merge with songs on my own"
As a result of the collaborative approach described above, artists like Spencer Zahn, Yangze, Ary, Vera, Trentemøller, Lord Siva, and more have contributed to Armlock.
Aesthetically speaking Armlock might feel very contemporary on first listen, however as one listens closely layers of modern music history reveals themselves. "I always loved bands like Slowdive, Spiritualized, and Primal Scream. At the same time I have a soft spot for slowly paced pop songs like those of Sade and Whitney Houston for example. 90's hip hop beats are also very close to my heart. These were all sources of inspiration to me on this record, and while making it I rediscovered a ton of great albums and songs. That way Armlock to me is also the wonderful feeling of being close to home and to what's shaped me musically and personally."
Armlock is recorded in both Denmark and New York City. And it was after a night out in New York that the record's title revealed itself to Rasmus:
"The title of the album is Armlock. I came up with the title while driving in a taxi in NYC at 4am in the morning arm in arm with one of my best friends. We were pretty ecstatic about being together in this city at that moment. Literally Armlock of course also has a negative meaning. And this duality means a lot to me because one of my only real struggles is that I'm always trying to break out of what I'm doing. I'm simply scared of being stuck and of being held down by the world around me. It's not just in music I feel like this - the impermanence of my entire existence is really a lot on my mind"
School of X, Trentemøller
Write My Name (Trentemøller Rework)
Destiny (EP)
Faded. Dream black tee
Faded. Dream white tee
School of X - Flowers
Video of School of X - Flowers
School of X - Bad Love
Video of School of X - Bad Love
School of X - Destiny
Video of School of X - Destiny


text:
The Decade in Review: Kinda Sh.tty
The Sunday Times – 9/11: When all that was solid melted into the air
The twin towers were there, then they were gone. Money was there, then it disappeared. Welcome to the age of insecurity
In March 2000 the dotcom bubble — based on delirious stock-market valuations of companies that could never possibly make a penny — burst and precipitated a recession. Then, on September 11, 2001, a date became a name, 9/11, as two planes slammed into the twin towers in New York, a third into the Pentagon and a fourth into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
He missed one. In March, 2000, Survivor premiered. So: Economic collapse. Cultural collapse. Security collapse. The economy rebounded, and then fell apart again. Reality television has started to wither, mostly because they've run out of islands, or plausible bachelors. And the security was good, or so we hoped, and now we start to wonder if anyone was doing anything at all:
The Sunday Times – Why was this bomber allowed to fly?
I'd quote it, but meh. They seem remarkably relaxed about the coming security regime. No getting out of seats for the last hour, no more than one carry-on, no access to carry-on for the last hour, nothing in laps for the last hour and now: No electronics at all.
So you had a terrorist. He was on a terrorist watch-list. He went to the toilet. What do our intrepid authorities choose to view as the greater threat to air travel safety? The toilet.
Now you have a terrorist. He was on a terrorist watch-list. He went to the toilet. The threat to air travel safety? A Kindle. (This link has an amusing illustration, as well as details about the potential Kindle threat.)
Here's another happy topic:
Slate – Saying No to Obama
The U.S. president is popular, but world leaders are finding it easy to defy his wishes. By Shmuel Rosner
Praising and admiring Obama are still common, but raising doubts about him, even scoffing at him, is now becoming fashionable. …
Obama can write—and he can speak—but if he can't fight, he'll find it hard to achieve his goals. If he can't fight, he isn't scary. And evidently, being popular didn't help him much. In fact, you might even say that being popular made it more difficult for Obama to succeed. He was too popular for his own good, annoyingly popular, distractingly popular.
The Washington Times – EDITORIAL: Obama the party crasher
Foreign leaders were avoiding the president in Copenhagen
The Obama team tried to schedule a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and was told he was at the airport readying to leave. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva also was unavailable. South African President Jacob Zuma said there was no point meeting without India and Brazil. Then the Chinese pushed the bilateral meeting back to 7 p.m.
"We were told they were at the airport," a senior administration official said. "We were told delegations were split up. We were told they weren't going to meet." So imagine Mr. Obama's surprise when he arrived for the bilateral powwow and found all four leaders in the room already in deep discussion. "Are you ready for me?" he said with an "uncharacteristic edge" to his voice, according to a CBS News report. …
There was no chair at the table for Mr. Obama so he announced he would sit next to his "friend Lula," whose staff had to scramble to make room for the president and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. On Monday, Mr. da Silva used his weekly radio program to rebuke the United States for its stance at Copenhagen.
After Mr. Obama arrived, the BASIC group was basically held hostage. They had tried politely to keep Mr. Obama at arms length, but since he showed up, decorum mandated that they find a way to save face.
It says a great deal about American power and prestige when international leaders go to so much trouble to avoid meeting with the president of the United States. The American Century is over.
Well, that was fast.
Maybe I shouldn't be so hasty. The decade has a few days left. We could still turn it around!
Then of course there's healthcare. Maybe this will have been the last decade of American healthcare?
Date: Dec 27th, 2009 · Comments RSS · Tags: People and Current Events
3 Responses to "The Decade in Review: Kinda Sh.tty"
RC2 Says:
Maybe Dave Barry's year in review will make you feel better; it did me. http://tinyurl.com/y949k9m
Here's a sample from the July entries: "In government news, top Washington thinkers, looking for a way to goose the economy along, come up with the "Cash for Clunkers" program, under which the federal government provides a financial inducement for people to take functional cars, which are mostly American-made, to car dealers, who deliberately destroy these cars and sell the people new replacement cars, which are mostly foreign-made. This program, which was budgeted for $1 billion, ends up costing $3 billion and is halted after a month. The administration declares that it has been a huge success, which everybody understands to mean that it will never, ever be repeated. With this mission accomplished, the top Washington thinkers are free to train all of their brainpower on the nation's health-care system."
The whole thing is the most clear-headed summary I've seen.
Liberal Death Wish | ninme Says:
[...] See the previous-plus-two post for more on that. [...]
ninme Says:
I'm up to April right now. LOVING it.


❶Can I buy coursework here?
If you need high-quality papers done quickly and with zero traces of plagiarism, PaperCoach is the way to go. Great rating and good reviews should tell you everything you need to know about this excellent writing service. Biology Coursework — Getting the Best Biology Coursework HelpAre you scratching your head trying to figure out what you are going to write for your biology coursework?
I'm confused as my friend and other people on here have mentioned that they have had AQA Biology corusework. Alevel Biology Coursework ideas!!!!
OrgHello I am in desperate need of some ideas for my biology coursework!! It can be anything as far as i no as long as it is measurable.. Aqa A2 Biology Essay Help — buyfastpaperessay. Find past papers and mark schemes for AQA exams, and specimen papers for new courses. A level biology coursework help — dc. A level biology resources past paper questions coursework help: The quizzes are suitable for all abilities and have feedback designed to Aqa a level biology essay — — p9u5dk2b.
Biology unit 5 essay aqa science — niswan. One you have decided the topic of your future work, create the plan of your work. Here are some simple coursework help tips that will help you to write a good coursework:. Do not forget that the course work at the university is written in a formal style and the third person. Use only formal language and write in a simple formal style, do not use colloquial and informal language;.
Course work should be organized into paragraphs, and it must have a logical flow and make logical sense;. Try to use your own experience, in any case, if something is wrong with it, the tutor will help you and tell, whether it is ok or not. All of our writers follow all these steps and write only high-quality works. They are trained and highly-educated individuals who hold all the necessary qualifications to write a perfect custom coursework in any field of expertise.
Any subject is not an issue. Whether you need humanities-related or science coursework, there would be no hitch at all. Our coursework help will make your work better and help you to get a higher grade!
Many pupils and students wonder, where to buy coursework online. They often ask us: Can I buy coursework here? We all know that it takes lots of pain to write an essay or research paper, but course work is much more difficult to write. All of our works are unique and plagiarism free. Also, they are all written in a good English.
We always keep in touch with the customer to make sure that the work will be completed in terms and by all the requirements. We can make your life easier and better.
Stop hesitating and order a coursework right now! Be sure; you will never regret it! We write only good and unique works.
AS Level Biology Coursework; A Level Biology Coursework; GCSE Biology Coursework; IB Biology Coursework; And More! A Level Biology Coursework And Others Coursework Types We Can Offer You. Whatever you want to be done, we can do it. Whether it be the above-mentioned coursework or if it would be A2 biology coursework ideas, biology coursework brewing or biology coursework examples.
May 10, · I'm doing AQA A level Biology and so far there's been no mention of coursework. Units 1 and 2 were exams that we took at the end of the AS year. Units 4 and 5 are exams we're going to take at the end of this year (A2) and Units 3 and 6 were practical assessments - either the EMPA or the ISA depending on the centre.
You are Here: Home > Forums > Help > help > Biology, biochemistry and other life sciences. AQA GCSE Biology Coursework? watch. Announcements. Official AQA Biology Unit 1 GCSE 5th June NEW SPEC ; see more. A-level Biology: Getting started Course focus This course is designed to help those teachers new to delivering AQA A-level Biology to understand the specification and assessment requirements.


text:
Lake Delton, WI - Events of Monday, July 25, 2011
The Dells of the Wisconsin River, also known as the Wisconsin Dells, is located only a few minutes from where we were staying in Lake Delton. The Wisconsin Dells is a gorge that was formed in the soft sandstone near the end of the last Ice Age. The area where the Dells are located was never covered by glaciers, but the area adjacent to it was. An ice dam backed up water to form a large lake known as Lake Wisconsin. When the waters of Lake Wisconsin eventually broke through the ice dam when the glaciers started to melt, there was a catastrophic flood that cut deep, narrow gorges in the sandstone of the Dells. The photo below is a view of the Dells from the riverwalk in the town of Wisconsin Dells.
The region around the Dells started out as a lumber area. When the railroad came through in 1857 and built a bridge across the Wisconsin River at the Dells, Kilbourne City sprang up near the bridge.
The Dells has been a tourist attraction since the 1850s when tour guides took guests out in rowboats - and the guests were asked to help row. Small paddle-wheel steamboats later replaced rowboats. When the railroad arrived, tourism really began to flourish. Motor launches replaced the steamboats around the end of the 1800s and in the early 1900s.
The name of the town was changed from Kilbourne City to Wisconsin Dells in 1931 to better identify the town with the natural landscape. Today, Wisconsin Dells is a major tourist town with rows of motels, restaurants, go-cart tracks, family-style shows, mini-golf and water parks - both outdoor and indoor. It reminds us a lot of Branson, MO, except Branson has more shows and Wisconsin Dells has more mini-golf courses and water parks. In fact, Wisconsin Dells has so many water parks they are the self-proclaimed "Water Park Capital of the World."
But we didn't go to Wisconsin Dells to play mini-golf or ride water slides - we went to see the sandstone walls and rock formations of the Dells. Since the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources controls most of the land along the Dells, the best way to see the rocks is by boat. Several companies offer different types of tours of the Dells. There are duck tours that conduct part of the tour on land. There are also jet boat tours that offer thrill rides on the river with frequent quick stops and spins that pretty much guarantee you will get wet.
We opted for the more conventional tour boat with a more leisurely pace so we could see the beauty of the rock formations along the way.
The gorge is divided into the Upper and Lower Dells by a hydroelectric dam located right in town. The dam was built in 1909.
Dells Boat Tours offers tours of both the Upper Dells and the Lower Dells. Tours of the Lower Dells last about an hour, but tours of the Upper Dells last two hours and include two stops with short walks to explore some of the rock formations up close. We decided on the tour of the Upper Dells.
A short way up the river, we approached the first rock cliffs as we entered a narrower part of the river through the formation known as the Jaws of the Dells.
Right past the Jaws is Chimney Rock...
...followed by Chief Blackhawk. Can you see his profile?
Most of the way through the Dells, the river is quite narrow, but about 4 miles up the river, it widens out into a lake that was created when the dam was built in town. There were lots of pleasure boats in this area, and there was even someone parasailing.
Off the main river on the eastern side just after the river begins to widen is Witches' Gulch, which is a narrow side canyon. Passengers can disembark and walk up a boardwalk a few hundred yards through the narrow slot canyon. We lagged back to allow the other passengers to get ahead so we could enjoy the cool beauty of the canyon in relative silence.
It was interesting to see how the swirling water had shaped the rock.
About halfway up Witches' Gulch, we began to hear water echoing in the canyon. Under the boardwalk was a small waterfall.
At the end of the canyon there is a consession stand and rest rooms. The walk up the canyon and back took us about 20 minutes, and it took about 10 more minutes to get all the passengers back and on board the boat.
Our next stop was right across the river at Stand Rock. It was a short walk up a small hill to the rock.
H. H. Bennett was a photographer who became famous for photographs he took of the Dells back in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Bennett also invented a stop-action shutter that enabled him to photograph moving subjects. Previous cameras required long exposures, and any movement of the subject caused a blur. Bennett demonstrated his new shutter with a now-famous, 1886 photograph of his son jumping onto Stand Rock from the adjacent ledge.
Today, the jump from the ledge to Stand Rock and back is recreated for cruise passengers by a German shepherd. Actually, there are several dogs who take turns jumping to make sure they are well-rested. The dog was very anxious to show off for the crowd, and we could hear it barking excitedly waiting for the command to go. The photo below shows the dog jumping back from Stand Rock.
After the jump, passengers can walk the rest of the way up the hill (paved, and not all that steep) to see more rock formations, or they can choose to return to the boat if they don't want to walk further. Of course, we did the walk. In the next photo, Paul is exploring a small tunnel through one of the rocks along the way.
At the top of the hill, there was a scenic view of the river. The rock formation in the foreground is called Demons Anvil.
Toadstool Rock has several pillars holding it up.
The edges of Visor Ledge are so straight, they look like they were cut with a masonry saw.
From the dock at the bottom of the hill we could see the entrance to Witches' Gulch (the dark area just to the right of center) across the river with Sunset Cliffs on either side. The cliffs are so named because they catch the red glow of the sunset. The Palisades are in the foreground to the right.
After we got everyone back on board, the boat headed back downriver to the dock. It was a nice day, and there were a lot of boats on the river. We all waved at each other as we passed. We can only imagine how busy it must be on weekends.
We only have a few more days in the Lake Delton area, and we have one more day trip we want to make to Madison. We'll tell you all about it in our next post.
De Soto, WI
De Soto, WI - Events of Friday, July 15 - Monday, July 18, 2011
It was only about a two-hour drive from Osseo to our next destination of Blackhawk Park in De Soto, WI. Blackhawk Park is an Army Corps of Engineers park and campground along the banks of the upper Mississippi River. There are picnic areas, a boat launch, fishing, and a sandy swimming beach in addition to the campground.
The campground has about 70 RV sites with electric-only hookups. About 1/3 of the sites are non-reservable, but since we arrived on a Friday, we made reservations in advance. There is an older section of the campground that is heavily wooded, and a newer section with only a few small trees. We chose the new section for our satellite dish. We think the old section has only 30-amp electric, while the new section has 30/50 amps. Since is was hot and humid when we were there, we were glad we had 50 amps.
The main road is paved, but the roads around the camping loops, the pads and the patios are gravel. The sites at Blackhawk Park are extra long, but they're not as wide as we're used to seeing in a Corps of Engineers campground. But it's a nice campground, especially for the half-price rate of $12 a night with our America the Beautiful Pass.
There were a few empty sites when we first arrived around noon, but most of the sites had reserved tags on them. The place was pretty much filled by late afternoon.
As we said, Blackhawk Park is located on the Mississippi River. There are lakes, ponds and wetlands all along the river; but surprisingly, there were no mosquitoes at Blackhawk Park.
What there are, however, are trains. Two tracks run along the river bank between the highway and Blackhawk Park. Fortunately, the closest crossing is about a mile to a mile and a half away depending on what part of the campground you're in, so the horns aren't real loud, but you can hear the trains rumble past. We must have started to get used to the trains, because by the latter part of our stay, we didn't seem to hear as many. Of course, our air conditioner was running 24 hours a day during the latter part of our stay, too.
There are numerous islands in the river (the new section of the campground is actually located on an island), and there's a long, narrow island that runs along the outer edge of the campground. The second island forms a nice, protected waterway where boaters can tie up their boats right behind the waterfront campsites. The main river channel is beyond the trees to the left in the next photo.
We have been trying to walk after dinner in spite of the heat and humidity. We walked up the road one evening to see the swimming beach. Not surprisingly (the temperature was 95º and the humidity was 70% at 7:30 in the evening), the beach was fairly crowded.
One of the reasons we went to Blackhawk Park was because it is sort of in the middle of nowhere and there isn't much to do. We wanted a break from a lot of sightseeing to just chill out (poor choice of words given the temperatures) at a nice Corps of Engineers campground. However, we can't sit still too long, and we did find a Victorian mansion called Villa Louis we wanted to see about 30 miles south of Blackhawk Park in Prairie du Chien (pronounced doo sheen), WI.
Prairie du Chien was named by French explorers, and the name means "Dog's prairie." The name came from the chief of the Native Americans living there whose name meant "Dog." Prairie du Chien is a large, open prairie located just to the north of the confluence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers, and it became an important center for fur trade from the mid 1700s to the mid 1800s.
In 1826, Hercules L. Dousman, who was a prominent fur trader working on Mackinac Island, was sent by the American Fur Company to the frontier town of Prairie du Chien to assist the company's local representative, Joseph Rolette.
In the early 1840s, Hercules Dousman bought land near Prairie du Chien on an island in the Mississippi River at the site of Fort Crawford. We'll have more about Fort Crawford later. He built a large, two-story brick home on an old Indian mound on the island. The home became known as the "House on the Mound."
In 1842, Joseph Rolette died; and in 1844, Hercules married Rolette's widow, Jane. Hercules and Jane had one son they named Hercules Louis. The son went by the name of Louis, Louie or H. Louis Dousman, and was never known as Hercules or Junior. It was Louis who built the house that stands on the site today that came to be known as Villa Louis.
Guided tours of the mansion start on the hour. We arrived at 10:30, so we walked over to check out the fur trade museum located near the visitor center. This building was a fur warehouse and trading post built in 1851 by a trader by the name of B. W. Brisbois when an earlier log structure burned. Fur traders brought goods to the warehouses to trade to the Indians for furs.
Inside, there are displays of furs and the types of goods that Brisbois would have traded to the Indians and sold to the local settlers.
Hercules Dousman initially made his money in the fur trade. When fur-bearing animals started becomming scarce, he invested in lumber. Then he invested in steamboats that transported the lumber. When railroads began to replace steamboats, he invested in railroads. Hercules Dousman became quite wealthy.
Following the death of Hercules Dousman in 1868, Louis returned to Prairie du Chien and convinced his mother to allow him to tear down the two-story brick home and build a larger, more modern home with indoor plumbing, central heat and electric lighting. The next photo shows the front of the house built by Louis.
Louis didn't stay at Prairie du Chien long. Preferring the excitement of a bigger city, he moved to St. Paul, MN leaving his mother to occupy the estate he built. He married Nina Sturgis, and the couple moved to St. Louis where they had 5 children.
Louis mother died in 1882, and in 1885, Louis decided to move his family to Prairie du Chien so he could establish a stock farm to breed horses. Louis never realized his dream because he died in 1886 of a ruptured appendix at age 37.
As with many historic houses, photography isn't permitted inside. Ninety percent of the furnishings, paintings and decorative items in the house are original. The Dousman family left the estate in 1913, but they continued to own it. They rented it out for use as a boarding school, among other things. Following the death of Louis' wife Nina in 1930, two of the Dousman children began restoring the mansion. In 1950, the site was acquired by the Wisconsin Historical Society which operates it today.
When the family left the home in 1913, most of the furnishings were divided up among the family members. Since the furnishings were out of fashion, some were sold, but most were put into storage. Later, the family was able to turn over furnishings, decorative items, letters, family records and old photographs to the Historical Society. Some items that were sold have been repurchased.
One thing Paul noticed about the house - the availability of fine wood must have been limited in the frontier town of Prairie du Chien because the woodwork at Villa Louis was all pine that was faux finished to look like oak and mahogany. In contrast, the woodwork at the James J. Hill mansion in St. Paul and at Glensheen in Duluth that we visited recently were real wood.
Adjacent to the main house is the office. The original office, which was only one room (the door and window on the first floor to the left) was built by Hercules Dousman. The building was later expanded to include a billiard room to the right on the first floor and class rooms on the second floor. The classrooms became guest rooms following Louis' death because Nina didn't think she could afford private tutors for the children with Louis gone.
Behind the main house was the ice house (not shown) and the preserve house.
The preserve house had privies for servants, servants' quarters, storage space and a kitchen for canning.
Also behind the main house was the laundry and a kitchen garden.
Louis built a large, two-story stable on the property for his horse farm. There were stalls on the first floor and sleeping quarters for grooms and stable hands on the second floor. Unfortunately, the stable was all but destroyed by a fire in 1911. The WPA reworked the small portion that remained in the 1930s to create a museum, but the museum is now closed because of recent flooding.
Speaking of flooding, flood protection was the reason Hercules built his original two-story brick house on the old mound. Louis raised the mound even higher before he built the current mansion. Although the basement has had water in it during floods, the first floor has never been flooded. You can see the height of the mound in the photo below that shows the front entrance to the mansion.
The mound was also the site of one of the two blockhouses for Fort Crawford. Fort Crawford was built in 1816 to protect the new frontier at Prairie du Chien when the previous fort was captured and later burned by the British during the War of 1812. Hercules Dousman removed the remaining buildings of Fort Crawford when he built his two-story brick home on the site.
When the WPA was working on the site in the 1930s, they uncovered the stone foundations of some of the old Fort Crawford buildings including the foundation of the second blockhouse behind Villa Louis. The WPA reconstructed the second blockhouse on its original site.
We appreciated the opportunity to learn about the history of Villa Louis and of Prairie du Chien. Afterward, we stopped at the Walmart in Prairie du Chien to pick up a few groceries, then made our way back to the motor home. We had another day to relax before heading out to our next stop. There will be a good bit of sightseeing to report on, so stay tuned.
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
Superior, MN - Events of Friday, July 8, 2011
The Apostle Islands are a group of small islands along the southern shore of Lake Superior near Bayside, WI, which is about 75 miles from Superior. All but two or three of the islands are part of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.
All the islands are only accessible by boat. Madeline Island, which is the largest island, has a ferry; but it has year-round residents, and it's not part of the national lakeshore. If you want to see any of the islands that are part of the national lakeshore, the only real way to do it is by private boat or by means of the Apostle Island Cruises. Apostle Island Cruises has about half a dozen different cruises that include several sightseeing cruises of the islands and several cruises that stop for the day at specific islands or stop to drop you off on any of several islands for overnight camping.
We decided to take a day trip to Bayfield and take one of the longer sightseeing cruises. The cruise we took was aboard the Island Princess and went all the way out to the farthest island.
Below is a view of Bayfield harbor with the town of Bayfield behind it.
The cruise left Bayfield harbor and began sailing northeast. The captain gave us a history of the islands and a running commentary on what we were seeing.
The islands were the spiritual home of the Chippewa people. A French explorer named the islands for the 12 apostles even though there are 22 islands.
Madeline Island, the largest island, is about 12 miles long and 3.5 miles wide at its widest point. The smallest island, Eagle Island, is only a little over ¼ mile long. The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore was created in 1970.
The sandstone that makes up the islands is called brownstone.
Brownstone was a popular building material in the 1800s, and several of the islands had quarries. When the quarry on one of the islands ceased operations in the late 1800s, they left a stack of cut brownstone blocks on the shore.
We saw numerous boats anchored near many of the islands. There are lots of places where boaters can take their dinghy ashore to hike, or they can just anchor offshore and enjoy the view.
There was, and still is, commercial fishing on Lake Superior. Before steam power, fishing boats were powered by sails or oars. Since it would take a lot of time to get the boats out to where the fish were, the fishermen established fish camps on several of the islands. Other boats would stop by the fish camps every several days to pick up the catch and to drop off ice for the fishermen to use to preserve their catch until the next pickup. The fish camps had bunk houses, a dining hall and storage buildings.
One such camp is on Manitou Island. The camp has been restored by the National Park Service, and they conduct guided tours.
The highlight of the cruise was the sea caves and lighthouse on the far side of Devil's Island, which is the outermost island. The island's name comes from the fact the Native Americans thought the sound of the waves crashing in the caves during storms sounded like evil spirits.
A boater had backed in to explore one of the caves.
The air was cool out on the lake, especially when we were sailing into the wind. We brought jackets, but left them in the car because it felt so warm when we arrived. We knew it would be cool out on the water, but not that cool. There is an enclosed deck below, but we stuck it out on the upper deck to get a better view. Fortunately, the sun was warm and helped counteract the cool air.
Margery enjoyed the sun, too.
After rounding Devil's Island, the cruise started back toward the harbor at Bayfield. We took a different route than we did on the way out and went along the western side of the islands. Rasberry Island has the most picturesque of the 6 or 7 lighthouses in the Apostle Islands.
As we approached Bayfield, we could see some of the many sailboats participating in that day's race of a week-long regatta. A different course is set up each day depending on wind direction and weather conditions. The sailors tried to see who could complete the course in the least amount of time.
Our cruise lasted about 2½ hours, which seemed a little long; but maybe that's just because we decided not to take our jackets, and it turned out to be a little cool. That particular cruise is long because it goes to the caves on Devil's Island, which is about 20 miles out into the lake.
At any rate, we were pretty hungry when we got back even though we took some snacks with us. One of the crew members suggested a restaurant in town called Maggie's, but when we stopped to check their menu, their sandwiches ranged in price from $8 to $12. We decided to pass and tough it out and wait until we got back to the motor home to have something to eat.
After our long day on the lake, we took a day off to relax. Well, actually, it rained so we went to Walmart to restock the larder. The day after that, however, the sun came out, and we did more sightseeing. We'll tell you what we saw in our next post.


It's been a long time since I've mentioned any books, but it's not because I haven't been reading. I have so many to mention that I'm going to put in a few a week until I catch up.
Today, a book recommended to me by DQ reader My Mom: Agent Zigzag: A True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love, and Betrayal.
Giving little thought to the morality of his decision, Chapman offered to work as a spy for the Germans in 1940 after his release from an English prison in the Channel Islands, then occupied by the Germans. After undergoing German military intelligence training, Chapman parachuted into England in December 1942 with instructions to sabotage a De Havilland aircraft factory, but he surrendered after landing safely. Doubled by MI5 (the security service responsible for counterespionage), Chapman was used to feed vital disinformation to the enemy and was one of the few double agents to delude their German handlers until the end of the war.
Everyone makes an appearance in Chapman's life, seemingly--even magician Jasper Maskelyne (I've mentioned him several times), who was part of the team that created the faked destruction of the De Havilland factory to deceive the Germans.
It's a riveting piece of writing as well by author Ben Macintyre, a terrific read, and it again reminded me how underused espionage is as a theme in games. With the exception of Spycraft, which came out fifteen years ago, I can't remember another PC game where espionage played a prominent role.


text:
Stocks Rise on Easing Mideast Tension; Gold Drops: Markets Wrap
Adam Haigh and Sam Potter
(Bloomberg) — Stocks rose across Europe and Asia alongside U.S. equity futures on Thursday, extending a relief rally after America and Iran appeared to step back from a deeper military conflict. The yen and gold declined and oil steadied after a plunge.
The Stoxx Europe 600 Index jumped at the open, setting the stage for a third day rising as every industry sector except energy and real estate climbed. Contracts on the S&P 500 pointed to further gains on Wall Street a day after the underlying gauge advanced when President Donald Trump's measured remarks on Iran suggested tensions were easing. The major equity benchmarks in Asia all rallied as the region's bond yields also climbed.
"The backdrop remains benign for equities," Mona Mahajan, an investment strategist at Allianz Global Investors, told Bloomberg TV. "Low rates, low inflation and low growth. A mild Goldilocks in many ways."
It's been a roller coaster start to 2020 for global markets as investors grapple with America's killing of an Iranian military leader and its aftermath. Wednesday saw risk assets begin to climb again while havens and oil turned lower amid signals from both sides there will be no further escalation.
If the relative geopolitical calm holds it will allow traders to switch focus to the next clues on the health of the world's biggest economy, which will come with the non-farm jobs report on Friday.
Here are some events to watch for this week:
Federal Reserve officials Richard Clarida, John Williams, James Bullard and Charles Evans speak on Thursday.The U.S. monthly non-farm employment report is due Friday.
These are moves in major markets:
Futures on the S&P 500 Index rose 0.3% as of 8:03 a.m. London time.The Stoxx Europe 600 Index rose 0.4%.The MSCI Asia Pacific Index gained 1.3%.
The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index was little changed.The euro increased 0.1% to $1.1113.The British pound climbed 0.1% to $1.3105.The Japanese yen weakened 0.2% to 109.35 per dollar.
The yield on 10-year Treasuries fell less than one basis point to 1.87%.Germany's 10-year yield climbed one basis point to -0.19%.Britain's 10-year yield increased one basis point to 0.83%.
West Texas Intermediate crude fell 0.1% to $59.57 a barrel.Gold decreased 0.6% to $1,546.31 an ounce.


Colleges and universities are adept at tapping a variety of sources—taxpayers, investors, donors, and, yes, students—to fund their growth ambitions.
Campus construction and renovation projects often come with hefty price tags. A few years ago, Duke University spent nearly $80 million on a new dining hall. Two recent projects that SmithGroupJJR designed include the $50 million Mike Ilitch School of Business at Wayne State University, now under construction in downtown Detroit, and the $82 million, 188,000-sf University of Wisconsin–LaCrosse Instructional Science Facility, a combination of allied health and STEM that will open next year.
As colleges sign off on ever-more-extravagant physical plant to help in their recruitment efforts, tuition hikes are putting college beyond the financial reach of the high school students they are trying to attract.
But colleges and universities are adept at tapping a variety of sources—taxpayers, investors, donors, and, yes, students—to fund their growth ambitions.
Bonds are one time-tested route. The University of New Mexico's five-building construction program is being paid for primarily with bonds. Last year, North Carolina completed a $2 billion issue of Connect Bonds, $1.33 billion of which are earmarked for the 17 colleges in its UNC system.
Other colleges are asking their student bodies to approve annual user fees that would defray the cost of planned construction and renovation before the work gets started.
The University of New Mexico's five-building construction program is being financed by a combination of bonds, student fees, school funds, and private donations. Courtesy University of New Mexico.
State governments are also willing to finance college construction, albeit on a limited basis. Supplemental funding by the Massachusetts State Legislature helped pay for the $52 million, 87,500-sf Design Building at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, which had its official ribbon cutting in April. This is the first cross-laminated timber academic building in the U.S.
Greggrey Cohen, Simpson, Gumpertz & Heger's National Practice Leader for structural repair and rehabilitation, who worked on the UMass Design Building, says that in recent years there has been a "big push" among colleges and universities in the Bay State to replace older buildings.
"The underlying strategy of our capital plan is to target investment in the areas of the highest impact, while balancing these investments across deferred maintenance, modernization, and new construction," says Shane Conklin, UMass's Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities and Campus Services. Construction projects scheduled to open in the next two years include the relocation of a physical sciences building that will be integrated with a new 95,000-sf research building for chemistry and physics.
This isn't to say that colleges and universities have unlimited access to capital. And their "reno-first" inclinations are a sign of their budgetary constraints.


text:
2. Get a Job
This is a story of 4 American kids who graduated and landed up in the job hunting space. Struggling through their hobbies and passions for videography, coding iOS apps, being a badass sports coach and stockbroker, the movie revolves around the central character, played by Miles Teller, his girlfriend, father and his 3 other weird friends. A comedy with a great message about the real crude life after college, which turns out to be exact opposite of what these guys thought it to be. They do all sorts of stuff, struggle hard, had good times and at the end, they all found their way to be happily working or rather discovering their hidden talents by being entrepreneurs in life, profession and job.
Having a mere 5.3 as IMDB ratings, this is a much-underrated movie of 2016 but surely fun to watch with a lot of takeaways.
3. The Boss
Again a comedy with the Queen of comedy, Mellisa McCarthy. Set up in today's world, The Boss is portrayed around the protagonist Mellisa McCarthy (aka Darnell in the movie) and her assistant-cum-business partner Kristen Bell (aka Claire in the movie). It's a kind of RomCom without a male lead which will tickle you throughout. They go through a lot of ups and downs in their journey of entrepreneurship and leadership and finally what happened is a total surprise. With great music, the movie gives you a nice feeling about being confident and being very comfortable in your skin. Directed by Ben Falcon, The Boss is certainly fictional and melodramatic, but it's a guarantee that you are going to enjoy this film.
4. Joy
Joy is all about a woman wannabe entrepreneur, played by Jennifer Lawrence. She's divorced with 2 kids and lives with her mother and grandmother. Her parents are divorced. Growing up in the 80s, Joy is inspired by her grandmother Mimi, always wanted to be creative. Having a poor family background and very hard to handle father (played by Robert De Niro), the film is set in 1980-90s. The television shopping boom was there in the US those days. Joy makes her way through very tough times handling a whole lot of things and meets a highly paid professional with the TV shopping network played by Bradley Cooper, to introduce her new product to him, which could solve a daily problem of many households across the world. The movie is slow paced and biographical, run through 3 generations, but engages with the audience with lessons of perseverance, marketing skills, resilience, leadership skills and much more. Rather it depicts the multi-tasking ability of the women of that era. A must watch for women entrepreneurs.
5. War Dogs
A new age drama in the backdrop of America's employment situation, the war in the Middle East and two old buddies from the neighbourhood. Released in 2016, this comedy drama gathered a 7.2 on IMDB and attracted a phenomenal cast to the likes of Miles Teller, Noah Hill, Bradley Cooper, Anna De Armas. The movie revolves around David (aka Miles Teller) and Effraim(aka Noah Hill). David is a loser massage man struggling to get his daily bread and butter, being married, he's a worried man. He meets Effraim after a long time and gets along with him in his Arms dealing business. Post this, his life gets a complete makeover. This is not an illegal Arms dealing-gangster movie, it's a real story created on screen by director Todd Phillips (Road Trip and The Hangover Trilogy fame). Later, how greed takes over David and Effraim and what they do with all the money they earned by supplying Arms to the American marines deputed at different war sites across the middle east. Though the movie ends with a little tragic drama, because it's a real story, it will give you a freshness and glistening feeling afterwards.
These movies have tales untold of entrepreneurs, businesses, founders. This will make you realise where you need to draw the line, what perseverance means, how you deal with the rock bottom situation in your life. The central characters in all the pictures are shown as full of life but eventually they are being put into situations where they often succumb to the pressure, depression, however, the gist is all about how you hail from those situations and stand up again and finally succeed. Watch them with a chuckle. Good Luck.
reallifestory


The INI Director of Strategic Relations is part of the INI Strategic Initiatives team and is responsible for cultivating mutually beneficial partnerships with companies, foundations, governments and other external organizations with the goal of developing partnerships and sponsorships to support the INI Practicum, research projects, student scholarships, and other strategic initiatives at the INI. This involves developing, implementing and evaluating strategies and programs to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward various external prospects as well as managing ongoing relationships and serving as a primary liaison with key external and internal stakeholders.
In this role, you will be working closely with the INI Academic Affairs team to identify new market opportunities for the INI globally, in the U.S. and in the Pittsburgh region, such as corporate and government pipelines for executive education programs, international governments and organizations interested in funding student scholarship opportunities, companies and organizations interested in collaboration and sponsorship of educational and research projects, and other.
In addition, you will collaborate with the INI Strategic Initiatives team to ensure the successful implementation of the INI's Pittsburgh strategy to leverage our strengths, increase brand awareness and cultivate partnerships with local industry, government and organizations. This includes identifying and developing prospective corporate sponsors for the INI Pittsburgh Practicum student projects as well as other focus areas and strategic priorities for the INI.
You will engage in a high level of collaboration within and outside the organization to support the INI mission through our strategic initiatives; provide exceptional customer service to all constituents including but not limited to faculty, staff, students and community at large; and contribute to the overall success of the INI.
Cultivating mutually beneficial partnerships with companies, foundations, governments and other external organizations with the goal of developing partnerships and sponsorships to support the INI Practicum, research projects, student scholarships, and other strategic initiatives at the INI.
Developing, implementing and evaluating strategies and programs to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward various external prospects; manages ongoing relationships and serves as a primary liaison with key external and internal stakeholders.
Collaborating closely with the INI Academic Affairs team to identify new market opportunities for the INI globally, in the U.S. and in the Pittsburgh region, such as corporate and government pipelines for executive education programs, international governments and organizations interested in funding student scholarship opportunities, companies and organizations interested in collaboration and sponsorship of educational and research projects, and other.
Collaborating with the INI Strategic Initiatives team to ensure the successful implementation of the INI's Pittsburgh strategy to leverage the INI's strengths, increase brand awareness and cultivate partnerships with local industry, government and organizations; identifies and develops prospective corporate sponsors for the INI Pittsburgh Practicum student projects as well as other focus areas and strategic priorities for the INI.
We are looking for someone with a demonstrated ability to relate well to, and understand the needs and interests of corporations or foundations in order to develop relationships between them and the university. You will have the ability to initiate, follow-through, analyze, monitor, and evaluate strategy plans for qualification, cultivation and solicitation of prospects. Interest in all aspects of education and a dedication to promoting the university's funding priorities through developing excellent working relationships with faculty, senior academic leaders, trustees and other volunteers, and the university and college advancement teams. A personal belief in the mission, goals and objectives of private higher education is highly desirable.


The Coast Guard searched the waters off Truro, Massachusetts on Saturday for a 26-year-old man, but suspended those efforts by nightfall pending further developments.
State and local agencies plan to resume Sunday morning.
Authorities were notified of a person in the water near Ballston Beach at 2:30 p.m., according to a Coast Guard statement. A response boat crew from the Provincetown Coast Guard station and an air crew from the Cape Cod Air Station responded.
Anyone with additional information is asked to contact Sector Southeastern New England, at (508) 457-3211.


To be successful in tree establishment, an assessment of land suitability would be necessary. The aim of this study was determining the potential habitats of three native tree species (Quercus persica, Pistacia atlantica, Amygdalous scoparia) in Siahkoh region of Ilam County, using Boolean method and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). For this regard, the slope, aspect and hypsometric maps of the area were produced using topographic maps. To provide soil properties maps, 40 soil samples in depth of 30 cm were randomly taken from the defined region (about 954 ha). Soil sample properties such as pH, texture, electrical conductivity, and organic material were measured. Soil maps and soil data layers were produced in GIS environment. With respect to ecological needs of the selected tree species and combining of all provided maps, about 890 ha of the total area could be reforested or afforested. The results show that from the total suitable area, 368.72 ha (41.41 %) for Quercus persica, 353.44 ha (36.69 %) for Pistacia atlantica and 176.2 ha (19.78 %) for Amygdalus scoparia were found to be suitable for these species. The results of comparing the extracted suitability map with the existing 30 ha afforestation in the region show that, from 10 hectares afforested by each species, Quercus persica, Pistacia atlantica and Amygdalus scoparia 7.65, 3.11 and 4.25 ha are located in the high suitable areas, respectively.
Department of Forest Sciences,Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ilam, Ilam, Iran.
Key words: Native species, Suitable areas, GIS, Forestation.
The changes in species diversity, structural diversity and abundance of non-native species are also common concerns that are parts of the international criteria for assessing sustainability of forestry practices (Kerns & Ohmann 2004). As the current crisis of species extinction has become apparent (Debinski et al. 1999), land managers and biologists have sought to identify important habitats to the reservation of species diversity (Mahdavi & Jamshidifard 2014). Understanding the potential distribution of rare plant species is a key component in managing and regulating land-use activities (Nock 2002). Therefore, with respect to the importance of protection guarantee and continuing of this valuable heritage (rare species) for the future generation, afforestation and reforestation should be done with a cautious selection (Zeng et al. 2007).
The selection of suitable species for planting is one of the most important factors in afforestation or reforestation activities to development and inter-planting of forests (Eslami et al. 2010). The wrong choice of suitable species or appropriate area according to site conditions and ecological needs of species would not have been producing desired results or most of species would be destroyed. The potential areas for afforestation and reforestation should be determined by an evaluation of climate, soil, topographical and environmental components, ecological needs of the species and the understanding of local biophysical limitations (Ceballos-Silva & Lopez-Blanco 2003).
Nowadays, due to rapidly increasing destruction of natural resources and problem of desertification, it seems to be essential to employ new techniques for accelerating the identification, control and management of natural resources (Sedighian 1996; Eshraghi 1996). The integration of multi - criteria evaluation within Geographic Information System (GIS) context helps users to improve the decision - making processes about these issues. There are many studies about the identifying of the potential habitat of plant or tree species. We referred to some of them here.
Gupta and Owais (2000) attempted using GIS techniques to determine the areas that have the potential for planting Cardamom elttaria in Ratechaha watershed in Askim at the North and East of India.
The results of the study showed that about 3.39 % and 55.21 % of the total areas have a very good and good potential for cultivation of this plant, respectively. Shahadat & Kwei (2003) used GIS for the selection of suitable areas for the afforestation of mangrove species in the coastal areas of Bangladesh.
They showed that the mangrove forest could be in both natural and artificial conditions in Bangladesh. Dilek et al. (2007) conducted a study about afforestation in Golbasi protected area in Turkey. They concluded that for determination of the afforestation area the hydrological landscape and erodibility of the sites should be considered. Abbasi et al. (2009) determined the potential suitable habitat for three industrial and Mediterranean trees species (cypress, black pine and olive) using RS and GIS techniques in forested areas of Armand in Chaharmahal-o- Bakhtiari Province.
In this study, various maps such as topography, geology, climate, soil, land use, forest cover, irrigated and dry farm lands and rangelands were prepared using TM data.
Results showed that about 1150 ha of the area for cypress species, 996 ha for black pine and 5199 ha for olive had the potential of suitable habitats. Eslami et al. (2010) investigated the application of GIS for the selection of suitable species for afforestation in Caspian forests of Iran.
They determined the ecological requirements of 16 species and also topographic and edaphic conditions of the area.
They used Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method for weighing different map layers. Mahdavi & Jamshidifard (2014) determined the potential habitats of two rangeland species in semi-desert area of Qasre-Shirin based on soil factors using GIS. The results of their study showed that in total, two locations with surface area of 1677.3 ha and 1356 ha were suitable for growing of Salsola rigidia and Agropyon trichophorum, respectively.
The forest ecosystems of the study area (Siahkoh in Ilam County) are destroyed due to the vicinity to Ilam City as well as neighboring villages and excessive grazing which resulted in soil erosion and loss of the vegetation cover and also the species diversity in this region (Tolabi 2014). Hence, it is essential to adopt an appropriate way to conserve this forest ecosystem and to try in the reforestation, afforestation and development of forests by the native tree species. So, we should plant the native tree species resistant to drought and also be able to adaptto the area such as Oak, Pistachio and Almond.
The most important reason for choosing these three species is that they are indigenous species to the Zagros region and widely employed in the reforestation and afforestation activities in this region. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to determine the suitable areas for the three native species, Quercus persica, Pistacia atlantica and Amygdalous scoparia within GIS context in Siahkoh area, Ilam County.
The study area (in Siahkoh region) covers an area of 954 ha located near the county of Ilam in Ilam Province, southwest of Iran. The studied area limited between 45° 24' east longitude and 31° 58' north latitude (Fig. 1). Its maximum elevation above sea level is 1850 m and minimum elevation is 1250 m. Rainfall is started in the first half of October and ends in early June. Summer is the dry like other places in Zagros region. The annual rainfall and temperature averaged 589 mm and 23.5°C, respectively (Fig. 2).
August with the average temperature of 48.3°C is the warmest month. The average minimum temperature in January is (9.7°C) (Ilam General Meteorological Office 2014).
Fig. 1. Map of the location of the study area in Ilam County and Iran.
Fig. 2. Omberotermic curve of Ilam station.
This research was conducted in four phases.
The different land uses were delineated on map for afforestation and reforestation activities including agricultural, rangeland, rocks and other suitable areas (Fig. 3). Some basic thematic maps also were provided from related organizations.
The land use map and the other required ones were created by Arc GIS 10.2 software.
After identifying the suitable areas for afforestation and reforestation, soil sampling was carried out to determine soil characteristics of the area and also the soil requirements of some species. 40 profiles in depth of 0-30 cm were randomly digged and soil samples were taken. Among certain characteristics of the soil, the most influential factors were measured including: soil texture (using the particle size and hydrometer methods), electrical conductivity (by extraction method and EC apparatus), soil acidity (by pH meter) and soil organic matter (%) (Walkley Black method) (Xu et al. 2006; Mahdavi & Jamshidifard 2014).
Fig. 3. The land use map of study area.
After providing required topographic and physiographic maps, the slope, aspect and hypsometric maps were created using topographic map and Digital Elevation Model (DEM). In these maps, the elevation, aspects and slope were divided into 6, 4 and 4 classes, respectively.
performed according to the land unit components as separate fields. Each field represented one of the soil factors prepared as a separate layer according to the land capability maps. In addition, an information layer was prepared for each of the investigated soil factors. Another data layer was provided concerning the waterways and streams map in the area. Hence, at first, the waterway and stream lines were digitized, then a waterways and streams map was drawn using a distance buffer of 50 m (Figs. 4-7).
The suitable habitats for all the three species on the map were specified by combination of the data layers and adjusting with soil and ecological needs of each species separately. The latter were provided from literature review, books and published articles about this species from similar areas in Zagros region. Thus in each ecological and environmental data layers, the suitable areas for growth and establishment of intended species were classified as a class (with numerical value of 1) and unsuitable areas for growth and establishment as another different class (with numerical value of zero). Boolean logic method was employed to weight the data layers in GIS. Boolean algebra is based on the basics of binary logical operations. It forms a mathematical structure that is based only upon the values 1 (true) and 0 (false). In addition, Boolean algebra provides different links that can be "true" or "false" but never both (Heywood et al. 2006). In this study the criterion maps were converted to 0–1 maps based on the constraints and then the Boolean operation was used to combine the maps. Finally, after combining all data layers, the suitable areas were identified for the growth and establishment of each species according to the ecological needs and ecological restrictions of each one, separately. Base on the resulted maps, we could measure the suitable areas for reforestation and afforestation of certain species. To check the adjustment of existing plantations of the three species in the region with maps of their potential suitable sites, the data layers of existing plantations boundaries were overlaid and then compared with the extracted maps.
Fig. 4. The map of soil texture (A) and soil pH (B) in the study area.
Fig. 5. The map of amount of organic matters (%) (A) and the depth (B).
Fig. 6. The map of soil EC (A) and slope (%)(B) in the study area.
Fig. 7. The map of aspect (A) and elevation (B) in the study area.
The results for soil samples characteristics are shown in Table 1.
irrigated farming 10 ha, rocks and unplantable 12 ha and plantable areas 890.36 ha.
The result of combination of soil data layers showed that in terms of EC, organic matters and texture, 890.36 ha (100 %) of the total plantable area had the suitable condition for Q. persica.
Q. persica afforestation and reforestation activities (Figs. 8-12).
Table 1. Soil analysis results.
Fig. 8. The map of suitable area for Q. persica in terms of pH (A) and EC (B).
Fig. 9. The map of suitable area for Q. persica in terms of soil texture (A) and depth (B).
Fig. 10. The map of suitable area for Q. persica in terms of soil organic matters (A) and slope (B).
Fig. 11. The map of suitable area for Q. persica in terms of aspect (A) and elevation (B).
Fig. 12. The final map of the most suitable area for Q. persica.
reforestation and afforestation activities. For other characteristics such as pH, texture, depth, slope, aspect and elevation, the best suitable areas were defined as follow, 864.35 ha (97.7 %), 806.42 ha (90.79 %), 145.3 ha (16.31 %), 818.78 (91.96 %), 257.79 (32.8 %), 285.67 (32.8 %), of the total plantable areas, respectively. Finally, after combining all the data layers, 353.44 ha (36.69 %) of the plantable areas had the best conditions for P. atlantica plantation activities (Figs. 13-17).
Fig. 13. The map of suitable area for P. atlantica in terms of pH (A) and EC (B).
Fig. 14. The map of suitable area for P. atlantica in terms of depth (A) and soil texture (B).
Fig. 15. The map of suitable area for P. atlantica in terms of soil organic matter (A) and slope (B).
Fig. 16. The map of suitable area for P. atlantica in terms of aspect (A) and elevation (B).
Fig. 17. The final map of the most suitable area for P. atlanticain the study area.
(46.73 %) and 487.25 ha (54.72 %) of total studied rangeland area had suitable conditions for A. scoparia in terms of pH, EC, organic matters, soil texture, depth, slope, aspect and elevation, respectively (Figs. 18-22).
Fig. 18. The map of suitable area for A. scoparia in terms of pH (A) and EC (B).
Fig. 19. The map of suitable area for A. scoparia in terms of soil texture (A) and depth (B).
Fig. 20. The map of suitable area for A. scoparia in terms of soil organic matters (A) and slope (B).
Fig. 21. The map of suitable area for A. scoparia in terms of aspect (A) and elevation (B).
The results of combining all the prepared maps for A. scoparia showed that 176.20 ha (about 19.78 % of the total plantable area had the best condition for almond afforestation and reforestation activities (Fig. 22).
In this stage, the areas of existing plantation of the three species in the study area were compared with their extracted suitable areas. The results showed that from 10 ha plantation in the study area, 7.65 ha, 4.25 ha and 3.11 ha were located in suitable areas for Q. persica, A. scoparia and P. atlantica, respectively (Fig. 23).
Fig. 22. The final map of the most suitable area for A. scoparia in the study area.
Fig. 23. The map of existing plantation of P. atlantica in the study area.
reforestation and afforestation with native species is an important approach for reducing and reversing biodiversity loss and mitigating climate changes. Afforestation and reforestation if done with proper planning and at appropriate sites with suitable native species can become a commercially viable good solution for many human needs without harming the balance and biodiversity of nature (Cunningham et al. 2015). The purpose of this study was to identify the suitable areas for plantation (reforestation and afforestation) of the three native important species in Siahkoh region of Ilam County.
The choice of appropriate species of trees and shrubs is a major factor determining success of an afforestation program.
Choice of species is therefore a decision that should be made while keeping in view the objectives of the program as well as the edaphic-climatic and socio-economic conditions prevailing in the area (Siyag 2014).
In this research, the selection of studied species was based on this fact that introduction of exotic species may cause major loss in biodiversity and species extinction either due to direct replacement by exotics or indirect effects on the forest ecosystem. In addition, there are 30 ha plantations of the selected species in the study area and we could examine the prepared suitable area maps with the existing plantation map of examined species.
The method of determining suitable areas for the three species was based on a multi-layered GIS approach, so that, after accessing to soil, terrain and climate species needs (Siyag 2014), we started searching the similar areas in the range of soil conditions and environmental characteristics. The applied approach in the study could be quite valuable in determining potential sites for the tree species with specialized habitat requirements.
It is important to find the suitable habitats for growing plants in order to establish successful reforestation and afforestation in Zagros regions. So, the relatively new techniques such as GIS and RS can be used to accelerate plantation activities.
Development of GIS could simplify the analysis of environmental gradients over large spatial scales and provides a tool to digitize the gradients.
These methods are reducing the failure possibility in reforming the plans and reducing costs with their acceptable accuracy.
GIS was used in this study to digitize and analyze the environmental variables. The results presented here was close to the hypothesized estimation that this approach would be able to predict habitat suitability for the three species.Most of the reviewed studies (inside and outside of Iran) have used this method to analyze the distribution of plant species and plant communities and determination of their potential habitat along environmental gradients (Franklin 1995; Austin 1998; Irvani 1999; Abbasi et al. 2009; Mahdavi & Jamshidifard 2014).
Afforestation and reforestation are important activities for restoration of terrestrial ecosystem productivity in arid and semiarid areas. Application of appropriate technology, institutional arrangements, and enabling conditions for participation by local communities are the necessary conditions of successful afforestation and reforestation programs in arid and semiarid zones. As a result of large-scale degradation of forest resources and widespread concern among governments and public institutions, afforestation and reforestation are considered as serious money – expending practices to prevent the land degradation.
A regional scale habitat mapping approach should be developed to meet this need using RS and GIS, and soil properties. These potential habitat maps provide effective tools for conservation and development planning as well as monitoring and management of plants (such as rare plant) habitat.
As global climate is changing, plant distributions are dynamic in both spatial and temporal dimensions which may need to be carefully interpreted, re-evaluated and updated by the new-available potential maps. It means that an exotic species may be sometimes preferable for afforestation and reforestation programs. A number of potential risks that may affect the accuracy of the method must be considered in the future researches, as follow: the location of potential habitat may be limited to one region which may result in the perception that the species grow under certain conditions when other areas were simply not examined. Selected environmental variables may not be sufficient to describe all the parameters of species habitat requirements.
Most land areas in the developing countries in arid and semiarid regions are likely to be grazed by livestock or by wild animals. Therefore, the plantation site may need to be fenced at least for several years till trees were too tall to be reached by the animals.
Abbasi, AP, Khajeddin, SJ & Khademi, H 2009, Determination of potential habitats of three Mediterranean and industrial arbor species at forest in Armand watershed, chaharmahalbakhtyari Province, using GIS and RS techniques. Journal of Wood & Forest Science and Technology, 16: 15-31, (In Persian).
Austin, MP 1998, An ecological perspective on biodiversity investigations: examples from Australian eucalypt forests. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden , 85: 2-17.
Ceballo-Silva, A & Lopez-Blanco 2003, Evaluating biophysical variables to identify suitable areas for oat in Central Mexico: A Multi-criteria and GIS approach. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 95: 371-377.
Debinski, DM, Kindscher, K & Jakubauskas, ME 1999, A remote sensing and GIS-based model of habitats and biodiversity in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 20: 3281-3291.
Dilek, FE, Sukkran, S & Illyas, Y 2007, Afforestation areas defined by GIS in Golbasi specially protected area Ankara/Turkey. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. 144: 251-259.
Eshraghi, M 1996, Application of GIS and provision of plans for management, utilization, rehabilitation and conservation of vegetation in Zagros region. Abstract papers, National Conference for Zagros region, Khoramabad, pp. 7-8. (In Persian).
Eslami, A, Roshani, M & Hassani, M 2010, Application of GIS in selection of suitable species for afforestation in southern forest of the Caspian Sea. Research Journal of Environmental Sciences, 4: 223-236.
Franklin, J 1995, Predictive vegetation mapping: geographic modelling of bio-spatial patterns in relation to environmental gradients. Progress in Physical Geography, 19: 474-499.
Gupta, S & Owais, ST 2000, Potential Agriculture- A GIS implementation in evolution cardamom potential sikkim Himalayas. 21st Asian conference on Remote Sensing, Taipei, Taiwan. 8 p.
Heywood, I, Cornelius, A & Carver, S 2006, An introduction to geographical information systems. Harlow: Prentice Hall, 426 p.
Irvani, M 1999, Determination of potential habitats of three rangeland species in Vahregan Stream using GIS and RS. MSc. Thesis in rangeland management, Faculty of Natural Resources, Industrial University of Isfahan, Iran, 147 p. (In Persian).
Kerns, BK & Ohmann, JL 2004, Evaluation and prediction of shrub cover in coastal Oregon forests (USA). Ecological Indicators, 4: 83-98.
Mahdavi, A, Jamshidifard, M 2014, Determination of potential habitat of two rangeland species in semi-desert area using GIS (Case study: watershed of Kolahderaz, Qaser-e-Shirin, Iran). Journal of Rangeland Sciences, 4: 118-128.
Moradi, M 1999, Determination of potential habitats of Calligonum comosum in Sistan Province using GIS. MSc. Thesis, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Zabol, 125p. (In Persian).
Nock, EE 2008, A simple GIS approach to predicting rare plant habitat: North- central Rocky Mountains, United States Forest Service, Region one. MSc. Thesis. University of Montana, 80 p.
Sedighian, A 1996, Identification and control on renewable natural resource in Zagros region using GIS and RS. Abstract papers, National Conference for Zagros Region, Khoramabad, Iran, pp. 14-15. (In Persian).
Shahadat, HM & Kwei, LC 2003, Remote sensing and GIS application for suitable mangrove afforestation area selection in the coastal zone of Bangladesh. Geocarto International, 18: 61-65.
Siyag, PR 2014, Afforestation, reforestation and forest restoration in arid and semi-arid tropics, a manual of technology & management. Springer, 300 p.
Xu, L, Liu, H, Chu, X & Su, K 2006, Desert vegetation patterns at the northern foot of Tianshan Mountains: The role of soil conditions. Flora, 201: 44-50.


The following changes to skilled occupation lists apply from 17 January 2018. Some new caveats (special conditions) apply for specific occupations. Please note, more than 1 STSOL and MLTSSL exists. To ensure that you meet requirements to apply for a visa, book an assessment with one of our Registered Immigration Specialists. Find out more about what a migration assessment involves.


text:
La fontana di piazza San Marco si trovava al centro dell'omonima piazza di Roma, quella che oggi è la molto più estesa piazza Venezia.

La più antica presenza di una fontana in quel sito è attestata verso il 1460, quando papa Paolo II (che aveva la residenza nell'attuale palazzo Venezia) vi fece sistemare una vasca ovale decorata in granito, probabile reperto recuperato dalle terme dell'antica Roma. Circa un secolo dopo la vasca venne regalata alla famiglia dei Farnese in cambio di un'altra vasca esagonale, un po' più piccola e con meno decorazioni.

Subito dopo il restauro dell'acquedotto dell'Aqua Virgo, terminato nel 1570, furono iniziati i lavori per una ramificazione sotterranea secondaria del condotto, in modo da raggiungere l'area dell'antico Campo Marzio, tra le zone più popolose di Roma, e venne di conseguenza progettata anche l'edificazione di un certo numero di fontane. Dopo alcune importanti fontane, su incarico di papa Gregorio XIII Giacomo Della Porta, intorno al 1580, progettò anche quella di piazza San Marco, utilizzando la vasca precedente.

Il progetto abortì molto presto, perché l'eccessiva distanza dalla conduttura principale e le numerose utenze che attingevano al condotto riducevano talmente la pressione che l'acqua non era in grado di zampillare dalla fontana.

Una decina d'anni più tardi, la realizzazione del nuovo acquedotto dell'"Acqua Felice" consentì l'alleggerimento dello sfruttamento dell'Aqua Virgo e il vecchio progetto del Della Porta, divenuto finalmente realizzabile, fu approvato dal papa Sisto V, con una sostanziale modifica: la vecchia vasca venne inserita in una più grande, interrata, in modo da sfruttare al massimo la pressione dell'acqua con l'abbassamento del punto di fuoriuscita.

Come aveva già proposto, ma inutilmente, in occasione della realizzazione della fontana di piazza Colonna, Giacomo Della Porta chiese e questa volta ottenne di poter utilizzare, come sfondo, la statua di Marforio, che si trovava sul Campidoglio. La soluzione non ebbe fortuna, e dopo pochi giorni Marforio fu riportato sul Campidoglio, sostituito da un prospetto con un'iscrizione.

Ma fu la stessa fontana a non incontrare particolare fortuna. I problemi tecnici che ne impedirono la prima realizzazione non furono evidentemente risolti completamente, e ben presto l'acqua cessò di zampillare, con la conseguenza che la fontana venne completamente trascurata ed abbandonata.

Il monumento venne recuperato solo nella prima metà del XIX secolo, quando papa Pio IX lo trasferì sul Pincio, dove attualmente si trova.

Note

Collegamenti esterni

Piazza San Marco (Roma)
Roma R. IX Pigna

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


4-Methylcatechol (4MC), a stimulator of the synthesis of neurotrophin family members in various cells, was able to up-regulate the expression of heme oxygenase (HO)-1, a redox-sensitive inducible stress protein, in neural stem/progenitor cells (NS/PCs). RT-PCR analysis showed that 4MC induced HO-1 mRNA expression in a dose- and a time-dependent manner. The increase in HO-1 mRNA was followed by an increase in HO-1 protein content, which was confirmed by ELISA and Western blotting analysis. When NS/PCs were pretreated with 4MC before exposure to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), most of the cells were rescued from the H2O2-induced death. 4MC enhanced the phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) and Akt in a time-dependent manner. Pretreatment of cultures with a selective inhibitor of PI3 kinase (PI3K)/Akt, but not with one of MAPK/ERK, inhibited both the 4MCinduced HO-1 expression and neuroprotective effect, demonstrating that PI3K/Akt signaling pathway played a significant role in 4MC-induced HO-1 induction and neuroprotection. Taken together, our results suggest that 4MC activates the expression of HO-1 through the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and that the HO-1 protein inhibits the death of NS/PCs induced by oxidative stress.


text:
/*
 * SmallDeck.h
 *
 *  Created on: Oct 29, 2013
 *      Author: Eli Siskind
 */

#ifndef SMALLDECK_H
#define SMALLDECK_H

using namespace std;

#include "Deck.h"

class SmallDeck: public Deck {
public:
	SmallDeck();
	~SmallDeck();
	Card getCard(int num);
	int getSize();
};

#endif /* SMALLDECK_H */

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
How to Set a Custom Logon Screen Background on Windows 7, 8, or 10
Chris Hoffman @chrisbhoffman
Updated July 3, 2017, 1:35pm EDT
Windows makes it possible to change the welcome screens that appear when you start your computer to just about any image you want to use. It's easy to do in Windows 8 and 10, but fairly well-hidden in Windows 7.
In Windows 8 and 10, you actually see two different screens at sign in. The first is the lock screen—the one you have to click or swipe to get out of the way so you can sign in. The second is the sign in screen itself where you enter your password, PIN, or picture password. You can change the lock screen background through a simple setting, but you'll have to dive into the Registry to change the sign in screen background. In Windows 7, there's only one sign in screen and you'll have to enable a custom background for it in the Registry (or through Group Policy) before you can select a new background.
RELATED: How to Add a PIN to Your Account in Windows 10
Windows 8 and 10 Users: Set Custom Lock Screen and Sign In Backgrounds
RELATED: How to Customize the Lock Screen on Windows 8 or 10
Windows 8 and Windows 10 make customizing your lock screen easy—all you have to do is head to Settings > Personalization > Lock Screen. The screens look slightly different in Windows 8 than they do in Windows 10, but they're the same settings.
RELATED: How to Change the Login Screen Background on Windows 10
Unfortunately, there's no equally simple, built-in way to change your sign in screen background in Windows 8 and 10. Instead, you'll have to rely on a few workarounds. We encourage you to check out our full guide for details, but in short you have a few options:
To change the sign in background to a solid color, you'll need make a quick edit the Windows Registry.
To change the sign in background to a custom image, you'll need to grab a third-party tool named Windows 10 Login Image Changer.
And again, we suggest reading our guide for the full instructions.
Windows 7 Users: Set a Custom Login Background
To use a custom login background in Windows 7, you'll need to take two steps. First, you'll make a Registry edit that enabled custom backgrounds, and then you'll store the image you want in a special Windows folder. We'll also show you a third-party tool you can use as an easier alternative.
Step One: Enable Custom Backgrounds in Windows 7
For Windows 7, the ability to set a custom logon background is intended for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to customize their systems, but there's nothing stopping you from using this feature yourself. All you have to do is change a single Registry value and then put an image file in the correct location.
This feature is disabled by default, so you'll have to enable it from the Registry Editor. You can also use the Group Policy Editor if you have a Professional version of Windows—we'll cover that a bit later in this section.
Launch Registry Editor by hitting Start, typing "regedit," and then pressing Enter.
In the Registry Editor, navigate to the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Authentication\LogonUI\Background
In the right pane, you'll see a value named OEMBackground. If you don't see that value, you'll need to create it by right-clicking the Background key, choosing New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and then naming the new value "OEMBackground."
Double-click the OEMBackground value to open its properties window, set its value to 1 in the "Value data" box, and then click "OK."
Note: If you at any point select a new theme in the Appearance and Personalization window, this will reset this registry value. Selecting a theme will change the value of the key to the value stored in the theme's .ini file—which is probably 0. If you change your theme, you'll have to perform this Registry tweak again.
If you have a Professional or Enterprise edition of Windows, you can make this change using the Local Group Policy Editor instead of in the Registry. As an added bonus, changing the setting in group policy allows it to persist even when you change your theme.
Launch Local Group Policy Editor by pressing Start, typing "gpedit.msc," and then hitting Enter.
On the left-hand side of the Local Group Policy Editor window, drill down to the following location:
Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\Logon
On the right, you'll find a setting named "Always use custom login background." Double-click that setting and, in the setting's properties window, select "Enabled" and then click "OK."
Whether you enabled custom background images by editing the Registry or using Local Group Policy Editor, your next step is to actually set the image you want to use.
Step Two: Set A Custom Background Image
You can use any image you like, but there are two things you'll need to keep in mind:
Your image must be less than 256 KB in size. You may need to convert your image to something like JPG format to make that happen.
Try to find an image that matches the resolution of your monitor so it doesn't look stretched.
Windows looks for the custom logon screen background image in the following directory:
C:\Windows\System32\oobe\info\backgrounds
By default, the "info" and "backgrounds" folders don't exist, so you'll need to navigate to C:\Windows\System32\oobe folder and create the subfolders yourself.
After creating the folders, copy your desired background image to the backgrounds folder and rename the image file to "backgroundDefault.jpg."
Note: If you're interested, the image we're using comes from here.
The change should take effect immediately—no need to restart your PC. The first time you log out or lock your screen, you'll see your new background.
Alternative: Use a Third-Party Tool Instead
RELATED: Customize the Windows 7 Logon Screen
You don't have to do this by hand. There are a variety of third-party tools that automate this process for you, like Windows Logon Background Changer, which we've covered in the past. Windows Logon Background Changer and other utilities just change this registry value and put the image file in the correct location for you.
To get the default logon screen back, just delete the backgroundDefault.jpg file. Windows will use the default background if no custom background image is available.
Chris Hoffman
Chris Hoffman is Editor in Chief of How-To Geek. He's written about technology for nearly a decade and was a PCWorld columnist for two years. Chris has written for The New York Times, been interviewed as a technology expert on TV stations like Miami's NBC 6, and had his work covered by news outlets like the BBC. Since 2011, Chris has written over 2,000 articles that have been read more than 500 million times---and that's just here at How-To Geek.
JOIN GEEK TALK ON FACEBOOK


This versatile rectangular undermount bathroom sink by Marzi features a a flat bottom and a central drain. The flat rim makes it ideal for undermount installation. Shown above in #79 Bright White glaze color, but is also available in other white/off-white glazes (see Specifications). Includes a built-in overflow.


text:
Official UVI Website
UVI Bucs Triumph at Paradise Jam Exhibition Game
Students adorned the Sports and Fitness Center (SFC) with their UVI gear
and painted faces to cheer the Buccaneers to victory.
With a score of 77-61, the UVI Buccaneers defeated the British Virgin Islands All Star team during the annual Paradise Jam exhibition game, held Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015 in UVI's Sports and Fitness Center. Paradise Jam gives men's and women's college basketball teams a pre-season opportunity to test and fine-tune their skills while having some fun in the sun.
Coach Myron Brown gives the team a pep talk
during the 2015 Paradise Jam game against the BVI All Star team.
The Bucs earned an early lead in the game and held on to it throughout the first and second quarters, bringing the halftime score to 36 – 21. In the third quarter, BVI pulled ahead quickly and forced UVI to play catch up; but in the end, the Bucs sealed the victory.
Captain of the Bucs, John Nunnally, led the way, contributing 20 points to the team's win. Paul Watson and Leo Castillo both chipped in with 10 points apiece; and Steven "Ace" Watkins, forward, managed to block six shots and grab eight rebounds.
Coach Myron Brown has been conditioning the players since October 2015 and describes practice as "structured and organized." After reviewing plays, the players work the defensive side of the ball for more than half of an intense three hour practice.
John Nunnally seized the moment
for a dunk at the 2015 Paradise Jam
Basketball tournament.
The game included halftime performances by the UVI Treasures Dance Team and the cheerleaders. The dance team took the floor and energized the audience with their shimmering gold outfits and an original hip hop, R & B and Spanish infused routine. The cheerleaders followed with an exceptional rhythmic and acrobatic number, jam-packed with smiling faces, pompoms, and even more energy.
While the action taking place on the court was, of course, the highlight of the night; there was action stirring on the bleachers as well. Behind the dance team and cheerleaders sat a dedicated crowd of painted faces, blue and white shirts, and a placard that read, "What the Bucs." It all came together as a creative and exciting display of school pride. "I have dreamed of this during various basketball games in the past, and to see it manifest itself was very touching and inspiring," said President David Hall in his emailed community address.
What's next on the Bucs docket? For spring 2016, they will participate in the Liga Atletica Interuniversitaria, the Intercollegiate Athletic League of Puerto Rico. According to Coach Brown, the team's toughest challenges have to do with support – from the University campus and the VI community. "We hope to represent the University in high class model where everyone will be proud to call themselves a Buccaneer," he says.
Posted by UVI today... at 4:54 PM
Entry Categories
Why UVI?
One of UVI's goals is to produce graduates who are academically excellent, globally sensitive, entrepreneurially focused, emotionally and spiritually balanced, and committed to serving the world.
Click here for online giving page.
+ Announcements
+ News Releases
+ Event Calender
+ Admissions
+ Registration & Class Schedules
+ Financial Aid
+ School of Education
+ School of Business
+ School of Nursing
+ College of Science & Mathematics
+ College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
+ Center For Student Success
+ Student Affairs
+ Athletics
+ Library
UVI Innovation Center to Spark Creativity and Entr...
Buccaneer Empowerment Seminar Helps Students Prepa...
Submit photos and submit Success Story ideas for possible posting on UVI Today...
+ Email photos to pr@uvi.edu
+ Submit Success Stories
Visit the UVI home page
+ LinkedIn
+ SoundCloud
We Are UVI
A look back at stories and photos from the first 50 years of CVI/UVI.