text:
UFS agreement on staff salary adjustment of 7.5%
At this year's salary negotiations were from the left, front: Mr Lourens Geyer, Director: Human Resources; Ms Ronel van der Walt, Manager: Labour Relations; Ms Tobeka Mehlomakulu, Vice Chairperson: NEHAWU; Prof. Johan Grobbelaar, convener of the salary negotiations; back: Mr Ruben Gouws, Vice Chairperson of UVPERSU, Ms Esta Knoetze, Vice Chairperson of UVPERSU, Mr David Mocwana, fultime shopsteward for NEHAWU; Mr Daniel Sepeame, Chairperson of NEHAWU, Prof. Nicky Morgan, Vice-Rector: Operations; Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the UFS; Ms Mamokete Ratsoane, Deputy Director: Human Resources and Ms Anita Lombard, Chief Executive Officer: UVPERSU.
Salary adjustment of 7,5%
The University of the Free State's (UFS) management and trade unions have agreed on a general salary adjustment of 7,5% for 2012.
The negotiating parties agreed that adjustments could vary proportionally from a minimum of 7,3% to a maximum of 8,5%, depending on the government subsidy and the model forecasts.
The service benefits of staff will be adjusted to 9,82% for 2012. This is according to the estimated government subsidy that will be received in 2012.
UVPERSU and NEHAWU sign
The agreement was signed (today) Tuesday 8 November 2011 by representatives of the university's senior leadership and the trade unions UVPERSU and NEHAWU.
R2 500 bonus
An additional once-off, non-pensionable bonus of R2 500 will also be paid to staff with their December 2011 salary payment. The bonus will be paid to all staff members who were in the employment of the university on UFS conditions of service on 31 December 2011 and who assumed duties before 1 October 2011. The bonus is payable in recognition of the role played by staff during the year to promote the UFS as a university of excellence and as confirmation of the role and effectiveness of the remuneration model.
It is the intention to pass the maximum benefit possible on to staff without exceeding the limits of financial sustainability of the institution. For this reason, the negotiating parties reaffirmed their commitment to the Multiple-year, Income-related Remuneration Improvement Model used as a framework for negotiations. The model and its applications are unique and have as a point of departure that the UFS must be and remains financially sustainable.
Capacity building and structural adjustments
Agreement was reached that 1,54% will be allocated for growth in capacity building to ensure that provision is made for the growth of the UFS over the last few years. A further 0,78% will be allocated to structural adjustments.
Agreement about additional matters such as funeral loans was also reached.
"The Mutual Forum is particularly pleased that a general salary adjustment of 7,5 % could be negotiated for 2012. Taken into account the world financial downturn, marked cuts in university subsidies and the growth of the university, this is a remarkable achievement," says Prof. Johan Grobbelaar, Chairperson of the Mutual Negotiation Forum.
Increase for Professors, Deputy and Assistant Directors
According to Prof. Grobbelaar the Mutual Forum is also pleased that Professors and Deputy and Assistant Directors will benefit from the structural adjustments. These increases will align the positions with the median of the higher education market. The 1,54% allocated for growth will ensure that appointments can be made where the needs are the highest. The special year-end bonus of R2 500 is an early Christmas gift and implies that the employees in lower salary categories receive an effective increase of almost 9,5 %.
"The UFS is in a unique position when it comes to salary negotiations, because the funding model developed more than a decade ago, has stood the test of time and ensured that the staff receive the maximum possible benefits. Of particular note is the fact that the two majority unions (UVPERSU and NEHAWU) work together. The mutual trust between the unions and management is an example of how large organisations can function to reach specific goals and staff harmony," says Prof. Grobbelaar.
The implementation date for the salary adjustment is 1 January 2012. The adjustment will be calculated on the total remuneration package.


International Resistance, the anti-capitalist youth campaign initiated by the Left Socialist Party (the Belgian CWI-section) organised a school strike and an anti-capitalist youth march in Gent, on Friday 19 October. The main slogan of the demo was against the war and against capitalism. In total, 2, 500 youth attended the demo! They went dancing and shouting through the city. Geert and Els from report the Left Socialist Party (LSP).
"An Invasion of Peace", "An endless succession of colours" is how Liberazione - the paper of the Italian Communist Refoundation Party (Prc) - described the gigantic anti-war procession that made its way across 25 kilometres of Umbrian countryside last Sunday (14 October). Estimates range from 250 to 500,000 participants. One thing is certain: in the 40 years since it was inaugurated, the annual peace march from Peugia to Assisi has never been anything like as big!
The anti-war demonstration that took place in London on 13 October was significant for its size and mood. Socialist Party (CWI England and Wales section) members responded to the demonstration brilliantly, with hundreds making up our lively contingent and selling papers, writes Jane James.
Tuesday 9 October saw a 5, 000 strong rally called by the communist party in Athens, reports comrade Andros from Xekinima (Greek section of the CWI).


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The Best Natural Painkiller Is Closer Than You Imagine!
Next time you find yourself in pain and feel the urge to rush towards the pharmacy for some strong painkillers, think again! You may be closer to the strongest natural painkiller, than you can imagine!
Wild lettuce, the cousin of the regular lettuce, the one you buy in grocery stores, known by the scientific world as Lactuca Virosa is the Holy Grail for pain annihilation.
Wild lettuce is highly effective in getting rid of pain resulted from all sorts of injuries and disease. Besides being a strong pain relief, it is absolutely non-addictive, thus it can be used at all times with absolutely no sign of fear.
The natural sedative can treat insomnia, spasms and anxiety. It calms down the nervous system relaxing the muscles and healing the respiratory system. It treats cramps, migraines, period pain, headache and many others in a matter of hours.
Nicknamed as the plant version of opium, wild lettuce is in no way addictive.
It was actually used as a very popular substitute to opium back in the 19th century because of the euphoric state it produced. Later on, in the 70' it started to gain significant popularity among those who were looking for a natural pain relief as well as recreational purpose.
To enjoy all the benefits from this amazing plant, you should know it needs to be harvested in July and August, and then let to dry out on its own. There are also pharmacies that sell it dried and ready to use.
All you need to do is prepare a herbal tea (a teaspoon of wild lettuce for 250 ml of water), and have a cup to drink each time you feel the pain approaching.
Wild lettuce can be dried for smoking or vaporizing, yet tea remains the most popular form it is used in.


A big THANKS to everyone who has helped me spread the word! I will definitely run more giveaways in the future, so keep an eye out! The easiest way is to sign up for my newsletter, in which subscribers will usually get firsthand information. Or just connect with me on social media.
Now I'd better get back to work on the "sequel" novella!


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Lifestyle / Entertainment
I've lost a lot of weight by riding a bike, but I'm broken – Jeremy Clarkson
I've lost a lot of weight by riding a bike but I'm broken – Jeremy Clarkson (PA Archive/PA)
Jeremy Clarkson has said he was left "broken" after swapping driving a car for riding a bicycle, but that the exercise has helped him to lose two stone in weight.
The former Top Gear presenter, who has previously spoken out about his dislike of bikes and cyclists, also credited his weight loss to the diet of Southeast Asia, where he recently spent time off work.
Clarkson told The Jonathan Ross Show of his slimmer physique: "I went on a gap year to Indochina. They just have a better diet out there.
"Plus, I had a bicycle rather than a car. Cycling is not a good thing to do, I'm all broken as a result of it, but I did lose a lot of weight.
(Left) Jeremy Clarkson on The Jonathan Ross Show and (right) in 2016 filming The Grand Tour (Brian J Ritchie/Hotsauce/Shutterstock and Danny Lawson/PA)
"Where I was staying was separated from the small town by a mountain, but it was much bigger than Everest.
"It was only three kilometres and I cycled it every day, I said 'I can't have a drink unless I cycle into town'. I wanted to get fit."
Clarkson, 59, also told the programme that he considered getting a tattoo while on his exotic getaway.
He said: "I was this close (to getting a tattoo), I actually went past the tattoo store and thought, 'Come on'. A red star on my arse is what I had in mind."
He said his plans for a tattoo were thwarted after he became ill.
The broadcaster said he was taken to hospital by doctors in Vietnam, where he was staying at the time, after they discovered a "growth coming out of my abscess" on his abdomen.
He added: "It's a fabulous healthcare system. (The wound) is now as we speak (oozing out) because you can't close the wound. I'm leaking. I've got a skin disease as well."
Clarkson was asked by Ross: "On a scale of one to 10, how thrilled are you that Top Gear is nowhere near as successful now you're not on it?"
Vietnamese coffee this morning. Not bad. pic.twitter.com/u1wCwGVxjQ
— Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) March 3, 2019
Clarkson, who now presents Amazon Prime's The Grand Tour alongside his former Top Gear stars James May and Richard Hammond, said, while pulling a laughing expression: "It's a hard face to pull, this one. Let me try.
"James and Richard always wish them all the best. I don't."
Shaking his head at the same time, he added: "No I do."
Clarkson was joined by Emma Bunton, Sara Pascoe, Mumford and Sons and Samson Kayo on the chat show.
The Jonathan Ross Show airs on April 13 at 9.25pm on ITV.
The Jonathan Ross Show

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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text:
Naval Air Station Argentia
Fort McAndrew
IATA: NWP
ICAO: none
Argentia, Placentia Newfoundland
NST (UTC−03:30)
NDT (UTC−02:30)
28 ft / 9 m
47°18′22″N 053°59′24″W / 47.30611°N 53.99000°W / 47.30611; -53.99000Coordinates: 47°18′22″N 053°59′24″W / 47.30611°N 53.99000°W / 47.30611; -53.99000
Location in Newfoundland and Labrador
04/22 7,400 2,250 Asphalt concrete
Naval Station Argentia (IATA: NWP) is a former base of the United States Navy that operated from 1941 to 1994. It was established in the community of Argentia in what was then the Dominion of Newfoundland, which later became the tenth Canadian province, Newfoundland and Labrador.
Established under the British-US destroyers for bases agreement of 1940, the base was first occupied on 25 January 1941 following the expropriation of the flat headland formed by a small natural bay called Little Placentia Sound and the western end facing Placentia Bay by the Newfoundland government; over 400 families were displaced.
Civilian construction crews from civilian contractors George A. Fuller Company and Merritt-Chapman and Scott Corporation, rushed to build the base as well as an adjoining air field. On 15 July 1941, the Naval Operating Base was commissioned.[1] On 12 October 1942 the 17th Naval Construction Battalion began to arrive at the base and worked jointly with the civilians until 5 May 1943.[1] At that time it became a completely military operation.[1] Before that happened the 64th CB started to arrive in March followed by the 69th CB in June.[1] On 17 November 1943, Construction Battalion Maintenance Units (CBMUs) 525 and 526 arrived to take over the station maintenance with the CB's having completed the base's construction.[1]
Atlantic Conference
On 7 August 1941 the heavy cruiser USS Augusta carrying U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt arrived in the anchorage at Little Placentia Bay off the base. Roosevelt inspected the base construction progress and did some fishing from Augusta over the next two days. Augusta was joined by the British warship HMS Prince of Wales carrying British Prime Minister Winston Churchill on 9 August 1941. While in the Argentia anchorage from 9–12 August, the chiefs of staff of Britain and the U.S. met to discuss war strategies and logistics once the U.S. joined in the war. The two leaders and their aides also negotiated the wording of a press release that they called a "joint statement". That press release was issued on 14 August 1941 in Washington, D.C. and was issued simultaneously in London, England. Several days later the Daily Herald would characterize the public statement as being the Atlantic Charter. However, there never was a signed, legal document called the "Atlantic Charter". Neither Roosevelt nor Churchill signed it. The conference concluded the evening of 12 August 1941 with the British and American warships and their escorts passing in review before departing the area for their home ports. The joint declaration was publicly announced on 14 August, presumably after Prince of Wales had returned to UK waters.
Second World War operations
U.S. ships and aircraft in Little Placentia Sound, 1942
On 28 August 1941 Naval Air Station Argentia was commissioned. NAS Argentia was built on the plateau atop the triangular peninsula adjacent to Naval Station Argentia's anchorage and shore facilities. The air station was used to base convoy protection, coastal patrol and anti-submarine aircraft, both land-based aircraft and seaplanes. While NAS Argentia was nominally an independent facility from Naval Station Argentia, both facilities are largely viewed as one.
Beginning that summer, USS Prairie was used to house Flag Headquarters at the base.
A PBO-1 Hudson of VP-82 at NAS Argentia in early 1942
February 1942 saw the Argentia base at the centre of one of the worst accidental disasters in the US Navy's history when USS Pollux and USS Truxtun grounded and were lost with heavy casualties 75 mi (121 km) southwest of the base. Over 100 victims were buried in Argentia's military cemetery.[2][3]
United States Army Coast Artillery Corps troops were first deployed to Argentia in early 1941, at first a single coast defence battery with two or four 155 mm guns and an anti-aircraft battery.[4] In January 1942 construction began on two batteries of 6-inch guns, and in March 1942 the United States Army established Fort McAndrew at Argentia to provide security to the navy base through an anti-aircraft battery and additional coast defence guns. Later that spring the Royal Navy established a small maintenance base at Argentia to service its ships involved in convoy escort groups operating out of Halifax, Sydney, St. John's and in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.
A US Navy-manned indicator loop station (Station 1X) was at Argentia; this detected submarines via their magnetic signature.[5]
In the spring of 1943 a 7,000 ton floating drydock was installed at Argentia, along with a ship repair facility. In August 1943, Task Force 24 Flag Headquarters moved ashore to permanent facilities after having been housed aboard USS Prairie.[6]
In 1944, Argentia served as one of the two stopover bases for the refuelling, maintenance, and crew changes of the six United States Navy (USN) K-class blimps that made the first transatlantic crossings of non-rigid airships. Blimps K-123 and K-130 from USN Blimp Squadron 14 (also known as ZP-14, Blimpron 14, or "The Africa Squadron") left South Weymouth Naval Air Station in Massachusetts on 28 May 1944 and landed at Argentia about 16 hours later. The two K-ships then flew for approximately 22 hours to Lages Field on Terceira Island in the Azores, the second stopover base for the transatlantic flights. The last leg was a ~20-hour flight to the squadron's final destination with Fleet Air Wing (FAW) 15 at Port Lyautey, French Morocco (now Kenitra, Morocco). Blimps K-123 and K-130 were followed by K-109 and K-134 then K-112 and K-101 which left South Weymouth on 11 and 27 June, respectively, in 1944.[7] These six blimps initially conducted nighttime anti-submarine warfare operations to complement the daytime missions flown by FAW-15 aircraft (PBYs and PB4Y-2) using magnetic anomaly detection to locate U-boats in the relatively shallow waters around the Strait of Gibraltar. Later, ZP-14 K-ships conducted minespotting and minesweeping operations in key Mediterranean ports and various escort missions including that of the convoy carrying Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill to the Yalta Conference in early 1945. In late April 1945, K-89 and K-114 left NAS Weeksville (now Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City) in North Carolina and flew a southern route to NAS Bermuda, the Azores, and Port Lyautey, where they arrived on 1 May 1945.[8][9]
In approximately 1942 the aerodrome was listed as USAAF Aerodrome - Argentia, Newfoundland at 47°19′N 53°58′W / 47.317°N 53.967°W / 47.317; -53.967 with a variation of 29 degrees west and elevation of 50 ft (15 m). The field was listed as "all hard surfaced" and had three runways listed as follows:[10]
Runway name
7/25 5,000 ft (1,500 m) 300 ft (91 m) Hard surfaced
12/30 5,000 ft (1,500 m) 300 ft (91 m) Hard surfaced
6-inch gun M1905 from Fort McAndrew on shielded barbette carriage at Fort Columbia State Park, Washington state
United States Army Coast Artillery Corps troops were first deployed to Argentia in January 1941, initially Battery A of the 57th Coast Artillery (Tractor Drawn) (TD) Regiment with two or possibly four mobile 155 mm guns, and Battery B of the 62nd Coast Artillery (Anti-aircraft) (AA) Regiment.[4] A command known as the Harbor Defenses of Argentia and St. John's was established at this time to coordinate US coast defence activities in Newfoundland, under the Newfoundland Base Command.[11][12] On 20 July 1941 the 155 mm gun battery was redesignated[13] as Battery A, 53rd Coast Artillery (TD) Regiment, and on 1 August 1941 (some sources 1942) the AA battery was redesignated as Battery A, 421st CA (AA) Battalion (Separate).[14][15] After the US entered the war following the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, construction on two batteries (Batteries 281 and 282) of two 6-inch guns each began in January 1942 and was completed in October 1942. These guns were on shielded long-range carriages with reinforced concrete and earth bunkers housing magazines and fire control equipment.[16] On 16 February 1942 the harbour defence units in Newfoundland were redesignated as components of the 24th Coast Artillery (Harbor Defense) (Composite) Regiment, the headquarters and two additional batteries of which arrived at Fort McAndrew from the US on 25 March 1942.[17] In April 1942 the AA defences were strengthened with the arrival of the 422nd CA Battalion (AA).[15]
By the end of 1942 the coast defence gun batteries in the Argentia area were as follows:[18][16]
No. of guns
Gun type
Carriage type
Battery 281 2 6-inch gun M1905 shielded barbette Argentia North
Battery 282 2 6-inch gun M1905 shielded barbette Hill 195
Battery 954 2 6"/50 caliber gun (Navy Mark 8) pedestal Shalloway Point
Battery 604 2 6"/50 caliber gun (Navy Mark 8) pedestal Latine Point
Unnamed 2 155 mm gun towed on Panama mounts Unknown
Anti-Motor Torpedo Boat Battery (AMTB) Roche Point 4 90 mm gun 2 fixed, 2 mobile Roche Point
AMTB Ship Harbour Point 4 90 mm gun 2 fixed, 2 mobile Ship Harbour Point
Battery 955 2 3-inch gun pedestal Isaac Point, later north tip of airfield
In March 1943 the 24th CA Regiment was reduced to a battalion. In December 1943-January 1944 elements of the unit returned to the US for inactivation. In October 1944 the unit was reorganized, but was not fully inactivated until 8 September 1945. The date the unit was transferred to the US for inactivation is unclear.[17] Postwar, circa 1946 the coast defence batteries were inactivated. The 6-inch guns of Batteries 281 and 282 survive. Battery 282's guns are still in place, and in 1993 Battery 281's guns were moved to Fort Columbia in Washington state, US.[18]
Cold War operations
Following the war's end in August 1945, the first dependents of naval personnel were permitted to move to Argentia to live in permanent quarters on base.
In 1946, Fort McAndrew was transferred to the U.S. Army Air Forces which became the United States Air Force in 1947. In 1948, Fort McAndrew was renamed McAndrew Air Force Base.
In 1949, Newfoundland joined the Canadian Confederation as the 10th province. During the Cold War, Argentia Naval Station became a key "node" in the Northwest Atlantic's SOSUS network, helping to detect Soviet nuclear submarines. The base was the target of several espionage attempts between the 1940s–1990s as a result.
In 1955 McAndrew AFB was decommissioned and the facility was turned over to the US Navy with USAF personnel moving to other locations in Newfoundland such as Ernest Harmon AFB, Goose AFB or various radar installations being built in conjunction with the Royal Canadian Air Force such as the Pinetree Line, Mid-Canada Line and Distant Early Warning Line. Associated with the DEW Line, radar picket ships such as USS Hissem used the base, and Lockheed WV-2 Warning Star aircraft used the airfield. These ships and aircraft were called Barrier Force Atlantic (BARLANT) and operated from 1955 through 1965.[19]
In 1959 the Navy deployed a portable Transit tracking station at the station, which recorded the doppler data from the 24-minute flight of the Transit 1A satellite launched on 17 September 1959. An ionospheric refraction value was calculated using the doppler data recovered by the portable station, and a correction factor was then applied to the data to produce a doppler curve unaffected by ionospheric refraction. The Satellite 1-A trajectory thus determined was in close agreement with range track data.[20]
In 1959 the United States Naval Facility (NAVFAC) Argentia was established as a Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS) shore terminal. The next year NAVFAC Argentia was terminus for an atypical SOSUS shallow water system designated King Shallow Water composed of ten eight-element arrays, vice the usual forty element deep water arrays. The shallow water system was intended to monitor Soviet patrols into Hudson Bay.[21][22] In 1963 the first 2x20 array was installed terminating at NAVFAC Argentia. The shallow water system was deactivated in 1968.[21]
In 1972 NAVFAC became a joint operations station for the US Navy and the Canadian Forces[21] but Naval Air Station Argentia was decommissioned and the land transferred in 1975 to the Government of Canada. It was subsequently transferred to the provincial government for development. On 30 September 1994 the US Navy left Argentia completely when NAVFAC Argentia was decommissioned (Canadian operations were transferred to Canadian Forces IUSS Centre in Halifax) and the last personnel moved out.[21]
Until 1994, the runways of the former airfield were utilized by the Royal Canadian Air Cadets. The Air Cadets operated weekend glider familiarization through the Air Cadet Gliding Program. The Schweizer SGS 2-33 was launched using an auto-tow launch method, utilizing the entire length of the runway surfaces. Personnel were housed at the Naval Station Argentia facilities. After the US Naval Station was decommissioned, the glider program was operated without facilities support for a few years until the airfield was occupied for the Hydromet Test Facility owned by INCO. With the announcement that the INCO development would not be using the airfield, the Air Cadet Gliding Program once again started using the airfield for gliding operations in May 2008.
US Naval Advance Bases
^ a b c d e Naval Station Argentia, Building the Navy's Bases in World War II History of the Bureau of Yards and Docks and the Civil Engineer Corps, 1940-1946, Volume II, UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON, 1947, p.46 [1]
^ "Pollux II (AKS-2)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command.
^ "Truxtun III (DD-229)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command.
^ a b Gaines, pp. 33, 38
^ Indicator Loop Stations at Indicatorloops.com
^ For a history of CTF 24, see https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/Admin-Hist/139-CTF24/index.html#contents
^ "Blimp Squadron 14". Archived from the original on 13 November 2009. Retrieved 25 May 2009.
^ Kline, R. C. and Kubarych, S. J., Blimpron 14 Overseas, 1944, Naval Historical Center, Navy Yard, Washington, D. C.
^ Kaiser, Don (2011). "K-Ships Across the Atlantic" (PDF). Vol. 93 no. 2. Naval Aviation News. p. 20. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 February 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2012. Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
^ Staff Writer c.1942, p. 1
^ Stanton, p. 478
^ Harbor Defenses of Argentia at FortWiki.com
^ Technically, "transferred less personnel and equipment" back to their parent unit
^ Gaines, p. 28, 38
^ a b Stanton, p. 498
^ a b Fort McAndrew at FortWiki.com
^ a b Gaines, p. 16
^ a b Coast defences in Newfoundland at the Coast Defense Study Group website
^ Friedman, Norman (2004). US Destroyers: An Illustrated Design History (Revised Edition). Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. pp. 231–233. ISBN 1-55750-442-3.
^ Artificial Earth Satellites Designed and Fabricated. The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Page I-5 (starts PDF download)
^ a b c d "IUSS Alumni Association Home Page". www.iusscaa.org.
^ "Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS)". GlobalSecurity.org. 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
Gaines, William C., Coast Artillery Organizational History, 1917-1950, Coast Defense Journal, vol. 23, issue 2
Hein, David. "Vulnerable: HMS Prince of Wales in 1941." Journal of Military History 77, no. 3 (July 2013): 955–989.
Stanton, Shelby L. (1991). World War II Order of Battle. Galahad Books. ISBN 0-88365-775-9.
Staff writer (c. 1942). Pilots Handbook of Aerodromes and Seaplane Bases Vol. 1. Royal Canadian Air Force.
Media related to Naval Station Argentia at Wikimedia Commons
NAVFAC Argentia, Newfoundland established
Photos: NAVFAC NF Argentia, 1960–1999
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Caswell
Cheyenne Mountain
Fort Fisher
Hanna City
Lyndonville
Makah
Mica Peak
Mount Hebo
Mount Lemmon
Naselle
North Truro
Opheim
Port Isabel
Pyote
Rockville (Indiana)
Santa Rosa Island
Shemya
Snow Mountain
Two Creeks
West Mesa
Yaak
Baldy Hughes
Cape Makkovik
Cut Throat Island
Elliston Ridge
Fox Harbour
Langanes
Latrar
Puntzi Mountain
Saglek
Saskatoon Mountain
Spotted Island
Central Air Defense
Eastern Air Defense
Western Air Defense
Fourteenth
Fighter 1st
Detection and Control 71st
Air Defense 46th
4620th
4621st
Aircraft Control & Warning 503d
Aerospace Defense Command Fighter Squadrons
Aircraft Control and Warning Squadrons
EC-121
Propeller:
Subsonic Jet:
Supersonic Jet:
AIM-4
AIM-26
CIM-10
Interdictor
Pickett
Texas Towers
Texas Tower 2
Air Defense Command Emblem Gallery (on Wikimedia Commons)
General Surveillance Radar Stations
Naval Stations of the United States Navy
Military installations closed in 1994
Military airbases in Newfoundland and Labrador
Defunct airports in Newfoundland and Labrador
World War II sites of the United States
World War II sites in Canada
World War II airfields in Canada
Destroyers for Bases Agreement airfields
Military installations in Newfoundland and Labrador
1941 establishments in Newfoundland
1994 disestablishments in Newfoundland and Labrador
Closed installations of the United States Navy


text:
Q: Converting a BigInteger array to a byte array and back in C# Problem
I have a BigInteger array which I'm converting to a byte array as:
var ciphertext = new BigInteger[ciphertextBlocks];
...
byte[] ciphertextBytes = ciphertext.SelectMany(c => c.ToByteArray()).ToArray();

Now, I would like to get the original BigInteger array back. This seems impossible since the individual sizes of each BigInteger is lost when it is converted to byte[].
Context
I understand this could very well be an XY problem. Therefore, here's what I'm doing. I'm implementing a simple cryptosystem called Merkle-Hellman Knapsack Cryptosystem for encryption and decryption.
I know that rolling your own cryptographic algorithms is frowned upon but I'm doing it purely for educational purposes.
Since the output of a cryptographic operation is represented as byte[], I'm converting the resultant ciphertext (BigInteger[]) to a byte[] in Encrypt()).
However, I need access to the original BigInteger[] array in the Decrypt() method to individually decrypt each BigInteger. Is there a way to achieve this in the Decrypt() method?
If the type were a fixed-size primitive like long, I could do something like this:
long[] cipherTextInt = new long[ciphertext.Length / sizeof(long)];
Buffer.BlockCopy(ciphertext, 0, cipherTextInt, 0, ciphertext.Length);

But since BigInteger can be arbitrarily large, how can this be done?
public class KnapsackCryptosystem
{
    const int BitsPerByte = 8;

    public PublicKeyInfo PublicKey { get; }

    private PrivateKeyInfo PrivateKey { get; }

    public byte[] Encrypt(byte[] plaintext)
    {

        var plaintextBits = new BitArray(plaintext);
        var sequence = PublicKey.Sequence;

        // Calculate number of ciphertext blocks:
        // Dividing the length of the sequence by the bit length of the plaintext gives
        // the number of ciphertext blocks. If the plaintext bit length is not a multiple of
        // the sequence length (remainder != 0), an extra block is required.
        var (quotient, remainder) = Math.DivRem(plaintextBits.Count, sequence.Count);
        var ciphertextBlocks = quotient + (remainder == 0 ? 0 : 1);

        // Create a BigInteger array to hold the ciphertext integers
        var ciphertext = new BigInteger[ciphertextBlocks];

        // Apply the sequence to each plaintext block
        for (int i = 0; i < ciphertextBlocks; i++)
        {
            for (int j = 0; j < sequence.Count; j++)
            {
                // Calculate the end index of the current block
                int endIndex = (i + 1) * sequence.Count;
                // Calculate the index of the jth bit from the end;
                int bitIndex = end - j - 1;

                try
                {
                    var bit = plaintextBits[bitIndex];
                    //Console.WriteLine($"j={j} : idx={rIndex} : bit={(bit ? 1 : 0)} | ");
                    Console.WriteLine($"j={j} : idx={index} : bit={(bit ? 1 : 0)} : ");
                    if (bit)
                    {
                        // Add the jth element to the ith ciphertext block if the bit is set
                        Console.WriteLine($"+{sequence[j]} .");
                        ciphertext[i] += sequence[j];
                    }
                }
                catch (ArgumentOutOfRangeException)
                {
                    // thrown at the last block when the sequence length exceeds the last plaintext block
                    Console.WriteLine(nameof(ArgumentOutOfRangeException) + " " + index);
                    break;
                }
            }
            Console.WriteLine();
        }
        Console.WriteLine("Ciphertext Elements:");
        Array.ForEach(ciphertext, x => Console.WriteLine(x));

        // Convert the BigInteger[] array to byte[]
        var ciphertextBytes = ciphertext.SelectMany(c => c.ToByteArray()).ToArray();
        return ciphertextBytes;
    }

    public byte[] Decrypt(byte[] ciphertext)
    {
        var sequence = PrivateKey.Sequence;
        int wInverse = ModularArithmetic.MultiplicativeInverse(PrivateKey.W, PrivateKey.M);
        Console.WriteLine($"wInverse: {wInverse}");

        // RESTORE BigInteger[] FROM byte[] ciphertext. How to achieve this?
        // cipherTextInts is the restored BigInteger array containing the ciphertext for each block
        var ciphertextInts = BACK_TO_BIG_INTEGER_ARRAY(ciphertext);
        var plaintextBits = new BitArray(<UNKNOWN_LENGTH>);

        for (int i = 0; i < ciphertextInts.Length; i++)
        {
            var ciphertextElement = (wInverse * ciphertextInts[i]) % PrivateKey.M;

            // Solve the subset sum problem
            for (int j = PrivateKey.Sequence.Count - 1; j >= 0; j--)
            {
                if (PrivateKey.Sequence[j] <= ciphertextElement)
                {
                    // Calculate the end index of the current block
                    int endIndex = (i + 1) * sequence.Count;
                    // Calculate the index of the jth bit from the end;
                    int bitIndex = end - j - 1;

                    plaintextBits[bitIndex] = true;
                    ciphertextElement -= PrivateKey.Sequence[j];
                    //Console.WriteLine($"    Minus {PrivateKey.Sequence[j]}. element: {ciphertextElement}");
                }
            }
        }

        // Copy BitArray data to byte[] array and return
        var (quotient1, remainder1) = Math.DivRem(plaintextBits.Length, BitsPerByte);
        byte[] bytes = new byte[quotient1 + (remainder1 == 0 ? 0 : 1)];
        plaintextBits.CopyTo(bytes, 0);
        return bytes;
    }

    public static KnapsackCryptosystem Create(
        IReadOnlyList<int> sequence, int m, int w)
    {
        if (sequence.Count == 0)
        {
            throw new ArgumentException(
                "Sequence must be non-empty.",
                nameof(sequence));
        }
        int sum = sequence[0];
        for (int i = 1; i < sequence.Count; i++)
        {
            if (sequence[i] <= sum)
            {
                throw new ArgumentException(
                    "Not a superincreasing sequence.",
                    nameof(sequence));
            }
            sum += sequence[i];
        }
        if (m <= sum)
        {
            throw new ArgumentOutOfRangeException(
                nameof(m),
                "m must be greater than the sum of the sequence.");
        }

        if (MathHelpers.Gcd(m, w) != 1)
        {
            throw new ArgumentException(
                "w must be coprime to m.",
                nameof(w));
        }

        IReadOnlyList<int> publicSequence = GeneratePublicSequence(sequence, m, w);

        return new KnapsackCryptosystem(
            new PublicKeyInfo(publicSequence),
            new PrivateKeyInfo(sequence, m, w)
        );
    }

    private static IReadOnlyList<int> GeneratePublicSequence(
        IReadOnlyList<int> sequence, int m, int w) => (
            from item in sequence
            select (w * item) % m)
            .ToList()
            .AsReadOnly();    // Multiply each item in the sequence by w and mod by m

    public readonly record struct PublicKeyInfo(IReadOnlyList<int> Sequence);

    // M is the modulus greater than sum of public sequence
    // W is the integer coprime to M
    private readonly record struct PrivateKeyInfo(IReadOnlyList<int> Sequence, int M, int W);

    private KnapsackCryptosystem(PublicKeyInfo publicKey, PrivateKeyInfo privateKey)
    {
        PublicKey = publicKey;
        PrivateKey = privateKey;
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: changing size of array after subtraction I want to simply subtract 2 matrices with size 784×1
with this code
w2 = G.w - alpha *temp
print(w2.size)

but w2 is a 784×784 matrix. why doesn't element-wise subtraction work properly?
both temp and G.w are 784×1 matrices and alpha is a scalar (alpha = 0.1)
I'm using pycharm on windows 10.
rethink about creating G.w and temp

A: Use reshape() :
w2 = G.w - alpha *temp.reshape(-1,1)
print(w2.shape)
(784,1)

Or transpose() (which is slighlty slower, see examples):
w2 = G.w - alpha *temp.transpose()
print(w2.shape)
(784,1)

Examples
A = np.random.rand(100,1)
B = np.random.rand(1,100)

print(A.shape)
(100, 1)

print(B.shape)
(1, 100)

print((A - 0.1*B).shape)
(100, 100)

print((A - 0.1*B.reshape(-1,1)).shape) #3.86 µs per loop
(100, 1)

print((A - 0.1*B.transpose()).shape) #5.27 µs per loop
(100, 1)

A: This might be because you operators don't work the way you think
For e.g. if temp is array [1,2,3] and alpha is 2 then
alpha*temp = [1,2,3,1,2,3]

and not = [2,4,6]
you can use numpy array insted of normal python array
#!....initialize G ,w ,alpha, temp
w1 = G*w - alpha*temp
#w1 will be a 784x1 array
w2 = numpy.zeros((784,784))
for i in range(w1.shape[0]):
   w2[i][0] = w1[i]  #this will set first coloumn to w1


Join us for a lovely morning of connections, great coffee and for those interested, yummy breakfast!. Breakfast menu We will be meeting at Barangaroo so close to ferry and Wynyard Train Station (there is a path that takes you almost to the cafe's door!).
Sunday 5 march 2017 Lunch @The Lumberjack with Vancouverite Owner Jason Kittler & Canadian Chef - beautiful Manly!
Mardi Gras March - 4 March 2017 - March in Solidarity with our Canadian community for this fun night!
10 February 2017 - Ist mixer @ D Old Growler with Owner Marc Denis from Quebec!
1 January 2017 - Happy new Year to all our CAC members, families & friends! It's CAC's big 50th Birthday & Canada's 150th!!! Hope we can all join in to party like 1967 on 1 July 2017 6.30pm start @ Hyatt Regency Maritime Room, 161 Sussex Street, Darling Harbour SYDNEY!!! Early bird members ticket only $100 inclusive of drinks & Canadian buffet ! Dinner dance with DJ & live band to boogie into the night! Book your tickets now before the early bird deadline of 1 June 2017!!!
A great time was had by all at the Brewhouse on Friday 4 Dec. This was a new location for this event but an old location for us. We've held a few Canada Days here including last years which was tied in with an Australian Citizenship ceremony.
We would be interested in your feedback and your thoughts of the venue choice for our monthly mixers versus the Paragon Hotel in Circular Quay. It isn't a referendum as we won't be counting votes for either venue. A lot has to do with availability. You can email us at info@canadianaustralianclub.com with your comments.
Our next mixer will be Friday 5 February 2016. Stay tuned to hear details of the venue through emails and now again the newsletters!
Thanks to all the members and guests who came out to participate in our bowling challenge with the Quebec Oz club. We were defeated by a small margin, but look at all these smiles! It was a fun afternoon and we look forward to a repeat challenge.
Friday, September 4th is our last mixer at the Paragon until our Christmas event in December. We are planning to test our skills at Euchre, so if you are fan, come and join us!
Just announced, the Club has been invited to attend a concert by Canadian singer-songwriter and pianist Ann Vriend on September 17th in Surrey Hills.
Best of all this event is free!
You can learn more about Ann and hear some of her music through her website at www.annvriend.com.
The harbour walk is fast approaching on Sunday September 20th. The walk is a pleasant suburban stroll by the shores of Hen & Chicken Bay. The route is mostly paved, is considered 'easy' and will take approximately 2-2.5 hours in a single direction. Register your interest so that you are not left at the dock.
Our Thanksgiving celebration will be held on Sunday, October 11th. We have confirmed that the menu will the same delicious feast as last year at the same great location of Essen Restaurant in Ultimo. As we must confirm our group size in advance, we appreciate you registering as soon as possible if you plan to attend.
As you are aware, a Federal election is being held in Canada on October 19th.
If you are eligible to vote and would like to vote by special ballot, you should apply as quickly and as early as possible to allow time for your application to reach Elections Canada by October 13, 2015.
A special ballot voting kit will be sent to you, and must reach Elections Canada by the deadline, 6pm Eastern Time on Monday October 19, 2015. This is a tight turn-around for us far away in Australia.
The application for Registration and Special Ballot for Canadian citizens residing outside of Canada is available on Elections Canada's website. To download an application, please click on the link "Get a special ballot application form"
Canadian Firefighter Rudy Pospisil from Vancouver, BC is riding his bicycle around the globe for cancer charity and has already covered 1/2 of the Earth. He will cycle from Cairns to Melbourne starting in September 2015, arriving in Sydney on October 25th. Rudy is graciously accepting Cancer donations on his websitehttp://www.firefightercycle.com/ and is hoping to raise some funds for this Australian journey at http://www.gofundme.com/vk3rps. Let's plan to give him a warm Canadian welcome when he passes through Sydney and spread the word for this amazing effort and great cause!
A general election will be held on October 19, 2015.
To vote by special ballot, apply as early as possible, allow time for your application to reach Elections Canada.
You must request for a special ballot voting kit to be sent to you, and for your marked ballot to return to Elections Canada.
Your application must reach Elections Canada by 6.00 pm Eastern Time on Tuesday October 13, 2015.
Your marked special ballot must reach Elections Canada by the deadline, 6.00 pm Eastern Time on Monday October 19, 2015, or it will not be counted.
The application for Registration and Special Ballot for Canadian citizens residing outside of Canada is available on Elections Canada's website.
A warm thank-you to all of our friends who attended the Canada Day event this year. It was wonderful to see so many friendly faces and have a fun day filled with prizes, poutine, Ceasars, maple goodies and new Australian citizens – Congratulations!
A shout-out to thank all of our sponsors and the volunteers and helped us make it a successful event. There are a few pictures on Facebook, feel free to add any of your own and tag yourself.
On June 14th some of the club members met at the Canterbury ice rink to see if we could remember how to skate. There were no big falls or crashes and it a fun time was had by all.
Next up is our bowling event that has been postponed from July into August with a new date and location: August 30th at Strike Bowling in Darling Harbour ~ next door to King Street Brewery. We have a friendly challenge from the Quebec Oz club for bragging rights of what could become an annual event. So who's in? Register now for this fun, family-friendly afternoon of bowling. $15 for a game, all ages are welcome!
The new date for the Hen and Chicken Bay harbour walk is Sunday, September 20. May Mother Nature be kinder to us this time and bring blue skies for the event. Register your interest so that you are not left at the dock.
The monthly mixers are back in August and September at the Paragon. We have Canadian goodies left-over from Canada Day that we will raffle off at both events.
The mixers are then on hold for Thanksgiving and the AGM in October and November, returning for our Christmas event in December.
Did someone say pumpkin pie?
Thanksgiving dinner is planned for Sunday, October 11th, stay tuned for details.


From the confused, a-man-wearing-a-dress-is-automatically-hysterical mentality that brought you Sorority Boys comes... untitled comedy project about Ryan Reynolds wearing a dress!
Working title reportedly paid "high six figures against seven figures" for the concept, which is being painfully described as, "a dude-in-drag romantic comedy, with Reynolds playing a jilted lover who must disguise himself as a woman and befriend his ex in order to win her back." Because that concept is worth roughly a million dollars.
The studio is now presumably looking for a "Lois Lane type"--a woman who looks dim enough to make her not recognizing her boyfriend in a wig and makeup somehow believable--and an equally stupid-looking best friend who can inadvertently get a crush on Reynolds and convincingly deliver the line, "It's cool; I like 'em muscular, baby!" And also the rights to an Aerosmith song.
\n\nFrom the confused, a-man-wearing-a-dress-is-automatically-hysterical mentality that brought you Sorority Boys comes... untitled comedy project about Ryan Reynolds wearing a dress!\n\nWorking title reportedly paid \"high six figures against seven figures\" for the concept, which is being painfully described as, \"a dude-in-drag romantic comedy, with Reynolds playing a jilted lover who must disguise himself as a woman and befriend his ex in order to win her back.\" Because that concept is worth roughly a million dollars.\n\nThe studio is now presumably looking for a \"Lois Lane type\"--a woman who looks dim enough to make her not recognizing her boyfriend in a wig and makeup somehow believable--and an equally stupid-looking best friend who can inadvertently get a crush on Reynolds and convincingly deliver the line, \"It's cool; I like 'em muscular, baby!\" And also the rights to an Aerosmith song.


text:
Introducing GetFTR
How GetFTR works
Updating the community
We wanted to thank everyone that has expressed interest in GetFTR.
Over 100 providers of online research services and publishers have been in touch to ask for more detail, and we've seen lots of engagement on social media. We've even heard directly from several researchers who want to be kept up-to-date on GetFTR's progress.
We genuinely appreciate the feedback. It's been a week since we announced GetFTR so it feels like a good time to try and answer the key questions we have received.
We are committed to being open and transparent. We will consult all our stakeholder groups, particularly the organizations that have kindly agreed to be part of our Advisory Group, which includes Silverchair, Atypon and many others.
If the community feels we need to add librarians to our advisory group we will certainly do so and we will explore ways to ensure we engage with as many of our librarian stakeholders as possible. We will hold as many product demonstrations and briefings as we can for everyone (we have already presented at the STM Innovations Seminar in London and the Atypon User Conference).
We are very early in the timeline of GetFTR but wanted to encourage broad participation and feedback as soon as possible, as successful collaboration is fundamental to GetFTR's development.
Understandably, we have been asked about privacy. There are several key points we can clarify on this: No information that could personally identify a user is passed to GetFTR, and no information about the user's search terms is revealed.
GetFTR only receives Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) and information that uniquely identifies the user's institution. In addition, GetFTR has no visibility to what links a user clicks on in a discovery service. When clicking on GetFTR links, the user goes directly to the publisher's website and is redirected to the user's home institution for authentication.
GetFTR will have rigorous privacy policies on, for example, log retention, to ensure usage data through the entitlement API is not shared.
Questions about library link resolvers already providing alternative versions of an article and the impact GetFTR will have on them have also emerged. There is nothing that would prevent discovery services from implementing GetFTR in addition to existing link resolver integrations. However, these are understandable questions and we will consult with librarians and other stakeholders to come up with solutions that address them.
We have, or are planning to, consult with existing library advisory boards that participating publishers have, as this enables us to gather views from a significant number of librarians from all over the globe, at a range of different institutions.
There have also been questions about why this initial group of publishers have developed the solution. Researchers consistently tell publishers that providing a quicker, seamless pathway to access research is an urgent problem.
We felt the quickest way to address this and get the project off the ground was to be agile, get a relatively small number of technology and product experts together from several publishers, and have feedback from an Advisory Group that represent industry stakeholders.
GetFTR is fully committed to supporting third-party aggregators that want to integrate its service. A dedicated Developer Portal is being created to provide guidance and support to those wishing to integrate the solution. Our aim is to ensure GetFTR provides complete flexibility so that it can be successfully adopted by any integrators.
GetFTR's success now depends on wide adoption, with as many publishers and online research services taking part in its development and integrating the solution as possible. Researchers should have easy, seamless pathways to research, on whatever platform they are using, wherever they are.
We will provide regular updates on this website to address questions the community has and keep everyone informed as GetFTR develops. Thank you for all the interest so far.
We wanted to thank everyone that has expressed interest in GetFTR. Over 100 providers of online research services and publishers have been in touch to ask for more detail, and we've seen lots of ...


Based in Orpington Kent we are sited just 10 minutes from junction 4 on the M25. Our location allows us to service customers predominately in London and the Home Counties via our own transport and we offer a national service dealing with clients throughout the UK using third party carriers.
From the M25 leave at junction 4 signposted A21. At Roundabout take third exit signposted A224.
Continue on this road passing four sets of traffic lights and then take left turn into Cray Valley Road.
On entering Cray Valley Road turn first right into Oasthouse Way.
Continue to the end of Oasthouse Way turn left and unit 7 is the first unit on the right.


text:
Q: Any feature in ubuntu by which we can lossless compress images in bulk I am looking for a way in which I can do a lossless compression of all images in a directory in a batch process. I don't want images to loose quality.
I am running this website Winni.in, for this if you check in google's pagespeed tool, it suggests you to optimize images using lossless compression. For new product's images I can make changes in my algorithm of image saving but for existing images of products I need a way by which I can run a command which can do lossless compression for all images of products residing in a directory.
EDIT: Please see this site report http://gtmetrix.com/reports/www.winni.in/PzJBF0rW
Here you can find optimize images point in 5th suggestion, there you can see it is listing number of jpeg images to losslessly compress. If you optimize your images from an online image optimization utility like kraken.io then this warning is gone.

A: I do not think Google means you to compress the images. That simply will not work.
Instead it is suggested to switch on compression in your webserver.
See here: Google's PageSpeed help on Compression

A: If you want to further compress your images or convert them to a different format which has a better compression ratio, you might want to look at the convert command.
It has loads of options.

A: jpegoptim performs lossless compression of JPEG images
optipng performs lossless compression of PNG images

A: If you're looking for image compression, I would recommend you Hummingbird plugin. It's the best plugin for image compression for websites.


text:
Help is available with an online after care program.
Express your sympathies with a unique floral tribute.
We are available to speak to your group or organization.
Check back regularly for upcoming news and events!
Our Dedicated and Experienced Staff
Many of the families that call on us for help each year have cited different reasons for doing so. Some say, because of the beautiful facilities we have, others have indicated that it was a matter of costs and value. We believe it is our associates. " Any doctor can stitch up a wound, but those with experience leave very little scarring." We surround ourselves with only the very best in what they do, we always have. We are very proud of the people we work side by side with and we think you will be too.
Each of the staff members at Fred C. Dames Funeral Home is committed to providing your family with the finest in personal care. In fact, for years, it's been comforting for area families to know that we are available to help at any time of the day or night.
When a loved one is called home, all you need to do is make one phone call. From that moment on, we'll take on the responsibilities of the physical care of your loved one, and the emotional care of those left behind.
Please take a few minutes to get to know our staff. We're sure you'll find each of us to be all that you would hope for in a trusted funeral professional.
Mark L. Dames, Funeral Director
(1932 -2020)
Our father was eternally grateful that the good Lord gave him time for a commitment free life following retirement, because not everyone is graced with the opportunity to grow old. Being a dedicated Funeral Director leaves little time for anything other than helping those families when they call all hours of the day and night, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Upon retirement, a whole new world of adventure had opened up. His favorite thing in the world was spending quality time with his wife, children, grandchildren, family and friends; this would be living his best life. Traveling across this great country and overseas, with our mom by his side, was definitely in his the top ten of great moments. Walking and collecting shells on the Siesta Key Beach where he has spent most of his winters. Growing up we were astounded at our fathers ability to recall everyone's name, their spouse, their children, their parents names, where they worked and a myriad of other details. It didn't matter where we went in the country dad knew who he was talking to. Eating, drinking, dancing, laughing and telling jokes to anyone who would listen, and even to people that did not want to listen, was the retired Funeral Director way. We will miss his aura, the thing that made him unique, but we know we will see him again. We shall live our lives to the fullest because that is what he wants. Until we meet again, thanks for everything.
Jeffrey M. Dames, Funeral Director
Email: jeffrey@fredcdames.com
Jeffrey is a fifth generation funeral director, semi retired and the eldest son of Mark and Sharon Dames. He is married to Tina and has two children, Alexis "Lexie" and Jeffrey Jr. A graduate or Worsham College of Mortuary Science, Lewis University and Joliet West High School Class of 1980. Former commercial pilot ,chief pilot for hire flight and a licensed funeral service continuing education instructor. Former parishioner of the Cathedral of St. Raymond Nonnatus. A family man dedicated to his profession.
Brian L. Dames, Funeral Director
Email: brian@fredcdames.com
Brian, is also a fifth generation director. Married to Shelley, he has three children, Sarah (Nick) Holloway, Shannon (Grant) Simotes and Shaun Dames; two stepchildren and four step-grandchildren. A graduate of Worsham College of Mortuary Science, Joliet Junior College and Joliet West High School Class of 1983. Brian is starting to enjoy seniority, spending more time with family and less at the home. Given a lifetime of dedicated 24 hour call, we think that is ok.
Fred J. Dames, Funeral Director
Email: fred@fredcdames.com
Fred is the youngest of the fifth generation of directors. He is married to Theresa (nee Valdez) and has two children Mark and Julia Dames. He also is a graduate of Worsham College of Mortuary Science, University of South Florida and Joliet West High School. Fred the youngest of the three is now the first to arrive at work and the last to leave.
Patrick Prignano, Funeral Director
Email: patrick@fredcdames.com
Patrick is an associate director and can be counted on to be there day or night. His diverse skill set makes him an asset in any task that needs to be addressed. He is a graduate of Worsham College of Mortuary science. He is married to Dawn and has three children.
Joseph Newton, Funeral Director
Email: joe@fredcdames.com
Joseph is an associate director who is a former funeral home owner. Joe understands the personal commitment needed for every family you serve when it is your name outside on the sign. He has four children and six grandchildren. A graduate of Worsham College of Mortuary Science and the University of Illinois.
Michael Fantin, Funeral Director
Email: michael@fredcdames.com
Michael comes to us as a quite stalwart professional. He is a graduate of Ivy Tech of Mortuary Science, he is also a certified crematory operator. Michael has a daughter Alyssa who is the love of his life. Through rain or snow or dark of night, Mike will be there when he is needed.
Marlena Jurek, Funeral Director
Email: Marlena@fredcdames.com
Marlena Jurek is an Illinois Licensed Funeral Director, Embalmer and Crematory Operator. She has a long and consistent record of exemplary service in her chosen profession. She demonstrated that she understands this calling and that setting the bar high everyday is the only way to conduct yourself in this profession. One of the kindest and most considerate soul's that we have the pleasure of spending the day with.
She is a graduate of Chicago City Wide College of Mortuary Science. Marlena resides in Plainfield where she is raising her son Nathan and her daughter Parker.
Kelly A. Boyd, Funeral Director Email: Kelly@fredcdames.com
"There is no substitute for experience." We are pleased to announce a new addition to our family of care givers, Kelly Boyd. Kelly is a graduate of Southern Illinois University in 1997 and has over 20 years of experience as a Funeral Director. She has three children Michael, Dugan and Audrey. As a former Cub Scout leader she developed a love for camping and hiking with the kids, this is now their favorite family activity. A member of St. Mary Immaculate Parish and School in Plainfield, were she enjoys volunteering as needed. Service to humanity are not just words, it is a lifestyle.
Jay Schramm, Funeral Director Apprentice Email: jay@fredcdames.com
Jay Schramm was born and raised in the southwest suburbs of Chicago and currently makes his home in Romeoville, IL with his wife Lisa and their two adult children Jake and Alyssa. Jay has lived a life filled with incredibly varied personal and professional experiences which allows him to bring a unique and broad perspective to his second career as a Funeral Director and Embalming Intern. His motivation for entering the Funeral Service industry is to share as much of himself with the people and community that we serve, in order to help facilitate the healthiest possible transition from grieving to healing. Jay enjoys using his creativity to write poetry and music in his free time, and can always be counted on to find the necessary words in the most challenging situations. Jay has a Bachelor's Degree from Governors State University as well as a second Associate's Degree in Mortuary Science. He is quick with a smile and a laugh, but also ready to listen when a kind ear is needed most.
Larry Sakellaris, Pre Arrangement Funeral Counselor
Email: larry@fredcdames.com
Larry is a trained Pre-Arrangement Counselor and very detail oriented. His goal is to see that families who have questions, leave with answers. "Everyone should have a road map to follow if you are not there to guide them," says Larry. He is a native of the Washington, DC area, and currently resides in Mokena, he has 3 children that are the center of his universe. He is driven to conduct himself as gentleman to show by example that he is a good role model for his profession and his children. Larry is also Greek and if he hasn't told you" he loves being Greek."
Tina Dames, Comptroller
Email: Tina@fredcdames.com
Tina started as a fill in "temporary" bookkeeper 30 years ago. She is the part that touches almost everything. She does it all, answers the phones, pays the bills makes sure all of the details have been checked and rechecked. We appreciate her continued dedication to the best we can be. She is the moral support who everyone in the building turns to after a tragic or emotional day. She without a doubt with her unwavering support, an intricate part of this high functioning team.
Megan Matteson, Bookeeper and Funeral Directors Assistant Email: megan@fredcdames.com
Megan is a lifelong Chicagoland resident. She graduated from Morris Community High School in 2008 and went on to pursue a Bachelors Degree in Marketing at Ashford University. Her previous experience includes hospitality, finance and accounting. Megan is outnumbered by animals at home, she has two dogs (Charlie and Maizy) and two cats (Captain Meow Meow and Malarkey). Megan is an intelligent, capable, junior member of our experianced team. She is in the process of having the baton transfered to her for day to day operations by the Comptroller.
Bernadette Mahoney-Wheet / Cremationist and Funeral Directors Assistant Email: bernadette@fredcdames.com
Bernadette is a certified crematory operator and performs many of the myriad of tasks that adds to comfort of each family that we serve. She grew up and resides in the Plainfield and Joliet area. When she is not enhancing the quality of our services she enjoys outdoor activities with her husband and darling children.
Katie Peterson, Funeral Directors Assistant and Floral Design and Arrangement Specialist Email: katie@fredcdames.com
Katie has been with us for over ten years now. She graduated from Joliet Junior College with a degree in Floral Design. She is a Morris native who has a passion for helping in any way in her community. When she isn't working she loves to travel, spend time outdoors and with family but her greatest passion is taking care of her two sons.
Ashley Borkus, Funeral Directors Assistant Email: ashley@fredcdames.com
Ashley has been a Plainfield and Joliet area resident most of her life. She brings a dedicated business acumen coupled with a kind and generous personality. Her reassuring voice brings an innate calm to those whom she interacts with. Ashley is recently married, and has added another addition to their new family, a new baby girl, bringing them to a family of 6! Truth be told her hobby is combining the right grapes into a perfect pairing for her own homemade wine. She enjoys being helpful in many ways and we enjoy the cohesive environment she helps to foster.
Timothy Haller, D.D., Minister Email: pastortim@fredcdames.com
Pastor Tim is a native of Joliet and was born at the old Silver Cross Hospital. Pastor Tim serves as the resident Chaplain for the Fred C. Dames Funeral Homes, which includes officiating services, pastoral care, funeral assistant and aftercare for those who need or request his care. In his free time Pastor Tim enjoys baseball, music and reading. His mantra is "Love God, Love Life, Show it."
Rogelio Trevino, Operating Superintendent Email: rogelio@fredcdames.com
We are proud to announce our operating superintendent Rogelio Trevino. A former United States Marine, there is no task around the funeral home that is not completed with the comfort and experience of our families in mind. He tells us that he married to his high school sweetheart and best friend Cindy, they have two boys who are his self described sidekicks. His family is his drive, motivation and sets an example by deed and not word. He loves family time, hiking, playing sports, doing anything adventurous, and traveling. We are grateful to have this soft spoken, well mannered, hard charging individual be a part of our organization.


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Planet Tony Hawk
Skate will be ported to Wii and DS
In light of the news that there will be no Hawk game in 2008 what can skating and gaming fans look forward to? Well IGN is reporting that EA's Skate will be coming to both Nintendo's Wii and DS in the form of spin-off, Skate It. It'll be good to see how Skate will handle the handhelds, TH games have always been fun on portables but there has been little innovation and utilization of what the DS can do. So it's interesting to here that the game will "focus on utilizing Wii remote and Nintendo DS touch screen" and also that the Wii version will have support for the Wii Balance Board that will come with the highly anticipated Wii Fit, out a few weeks.
IGN had a quick word with executive producer Scott Blackwood and have a few screenshots too which you can see here.
News Story from Planet Tony Hawk
News Date: Saturday, 10 May, 2008
Link: http://planettonyhawk.gamespy.com/fullstory.php?id=150858
Printed On: Thu Jun 26 14:52:53 PDT 2014
©2008 IGN Entertainment


Midlife crisis: how to cope with a divorce?
There are various sources. It should start with your friends and family. These people will likely be the most willing and able to provide emotional support during your divorce but simply won't know how exactly they can help.
There are other outside sources of support. They include real-life support groups, online groups, and so on. These sources of support can also be helpful, but it's important to keep in mind they'll be more therapeutic and probably less personal than the support from family/friends.
It's important to find ways to deal with the divorce and the mid-life crisis. Go out with friends. Start a new hobby. When you're ready, start dating again. It's important to deal with the emotional pain you're dealing with, but it's also critical to starting moving on in life.
This is important because it's important to keep in mind that divorce is technically a legal matter. So it's important to get some professional advice about the steps you'll need to take. There are various issues involving your home, vehicles, savings, property, and so on. Unless there's a prenuptial agreement involved you'll be required to split up everything you and your spouse owns.
There are also details that have to be worked out if you and your wife/husband have minor children. Whoever wins custody of the children might be required to take out a life insurance policy to make sure that your children are taken care of in the case of the parent's death.
The exact amount of time needed to get over the divorce varies from person to person. It has a lot to do with your individual psyche, how many years you were married, and so on. What's most important is to give the process time as the marriage's relationship wasn't built in a day.
If you're planning to date after the divorce, it's a good idea to wait a while. When you're ready, make sure you're ready to know what you're looking for in the relationship. That will help you in your quest for happiness.
Midlife audition crises are nothing but just an over possessive nature about themselves and their loved ones. Florence, who owns French labor, Audioprothésiste Le Raincy, gives a little advice about midlife crisis and says that keep you engaged and do not look back on your sorrows, be happy and spread happiness.
Don't you think it is really counter-intuitive?
When the human race is living longer the midlife crisis is seen in them on a younger stage and the phase is even shifting to a younger stage as well. Today men and women become successful early in their career, but the couples are looking forward to starting their families at a later time. This confusion of doing the things sooner and later has made people look older at a young age only. And at the age of 40 only they are ending up becoming frustrated and annoyed by their environment.
If you call the doctor after sneezing every time than you are on a wrong path. As your over cautious nature towards yourself can end up getting you to the track that you do not want and you keep on being skeptical of everything you eat or any symptom you see on your body.
With age everything changes and your partner's beauty also. They will also not be as young as they use to be, so don't worry because their heart will always be the same for you. Do not hang out with the people who are younger and that you think will be a fancy ride for you as you will end up doing injustice to yourself only so do take the advice posted on specialized websites.
If you are working that is good, but if you are not, start preparing for them in spite of running for them. Preparation will give you the strength to overcome your weak points and to look forward to the next destinations and will surely make you passionate about the work you will do in the coming years. It will definitely have something new to offer you.
Please stop looking for the professional football lessons, maths tutorial or the pianist for your children. Your kids surely will not be a football star or perfect maths or a leading guitar player or pianist in the hereafter. So, do not worry about them as they are just a kid now and require lots of time to make their own choice.
And the best remedy is that stop worrying as everything will be fine in the coming time.
Public Health England is looking at the feasibility and potential benefits of including a dementia component in the midlife NHS Health Check, in pilot schemes at general practices in four areas of England.


This apartment is set on the fourth floor of a house with a pitched roof. You will holiday here in an apartment amid a serene location and close to the harbour (like a sandy beach) on the ocean. The beautiful attractions here are the impressive lighthouse and the extensive white sandy beaches. Explore the beautiful surroundings on several cycling routes and enjoy cruises to Bornholm. The owner speaks English and Danish.


This CLE program is designed to provide an in-depth analysis and dissection of the many aspects and clauses associated with the anatomy of an oil and gas lease. The composition of the mineral estate, the nature and purpose of the lease, miscellaneous provisions and current hot topics associated with oil and gas leases will also be addressed. This course features streaming video and audio (as well as downloadable MP3 audio) presentations from a live CLE seminar by the Houston Bar Association (HBA) on November 17, 2017.
Ryan Kirby, an attorney with the firm of Kirby, Matthews & Walrath, PLLC. Mr. Kirby earned his Bachelor of Arts in Government and Politics from the University of Texas at Dallas and his Juris Doctorate at South Texas College of Law. Mr. Kirby is a frequent speaker at seminars, both with Landman's groups and Continuing Legal Education seminars. His most recent presentation was Difficult Lease Provisions, presented to the Association of Lease and Title Analysts. Mr. Kirby is also an Adjunct Professor with South Texas College of Law, where he lectures the popular Texas Oil, Gas and Land Titles course. More information may be found on his firm's website.


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HIKING AND HORSES
Writing and Photography by
Josh Beaulieu
Getting Into the NET
Our mild winter thus far in Connecticut has been a disappointment for those who love snow activities this time of year. The warmer than average days have been great for hiking however! As we approach the end of February I've already logged over 40 miles on the trail in 2020. While it hasn't exactly all been "winter hiking", it is hiking in the winter months! Getting out as much as I have so far this year has really gotten me excited about the places I'll see on foot in the coming months. It has also gotten me thinking about setting some hiking goals.
There are a lot of common goals hikers set for themselves. In the Northeast many hikers do the 48 4,000 footers in New Hampshire, or maybe just the highest peak in each New England state. Thru-hiking the big trails like the Appalachian Trail or the Pacific Crest Trail are realistic goals for some. There are also plenty of shorter and equally popular thru-hikes to consider if taking half a year off isn't practical for you. There are a variety of other common hiking goals you'll hear about if you spend any time at all online reading hiking blogs and articles. I like the idea of challenging myself with goals that will take some work to achieve. To that end I've set two for myself, neither of which I'll likely complete this year, but both are goals that I believe to be realistic for me and will help me to focus my hiking trips for likely the next two years. One of these goals is to complete the New England Trail in sections.
If you're not familiar with it, The New England Trail (NET) stretches from Long Island sound in Guilford, CT 215 miles up to the New Hampshire boarder. It largely follows three other well-known trails: the Mattabesett, Metacomet, and Monadnock (M-M-M) Trail systems. While the trail has been around for about 50 years, it was just designated as a National Scenic Trail in 2009. You can learn more about this trail at www.newenglandtrail.org .
I felt section hiking the NET would be an achievable but challenging goal for several reasons. First, I like the idea of thru-hiking. I think that spending several weeks or months on a trip through the woods could be a really life-changing experience. Like many people my age however, I have a list of responsibilities and obligations that make completing a long thru-hike unrealistic. Section hiking a long trail like the NET allows me to fit in hikes over as long a period of time as I need. I also have the option of stringing together several sections for a multi-day hike if I can logistically make that happen. There are a few other benefits to choosing this long hike over others in New England as well. First, the furthest section of this trail is only a 1.5 hour drive for me. This puts the entire trail within reach for even a partial day hike. Also, unlike the Long Trail in Vermont or the 100 Mile Woods in Maine, the NET runs through suburban and urban areas, meaning it crosses roads and passes through towns very regularly. While this may increase the noise and traffic on some sections of the trail it also means that the entire NET is very accessible to section hikers. Getting on and off the trail is easy and stringing together sections of between 5 and 20 miles isn't hard to do either.
I decided to get right to it shortly after setting this goal and have already completed two section hikes totaling about 10 miles. I'm not sure it matters, but I did both in a southbound direction. I started with CT section 20, which runs from Rt 168 in Suffield to Rt 20 in Granby. This section picks up approximately 1,000 feet of elevation and follows a ridge that crosses Suffield Mountain and Peak Mountain. I followed this up with CT section 19 a week later. Section 19 starts at Rt 20 in Granby and runs across Hatchet Hill to Tariffville, totaling about 5 miles again. This section is a bit more interesting than the previous. It has a relatively mild elevation gain of about 700 feet and the trail passes by a couple of unique points of interest. One of these is a burial ground for members of a family who died of small pox in the 1750's. The site is being restored according to signs in the area. The next point of interest is a free-standing fireplace and chimney. There is no evidence left that a building ever surrounded this stone structure atop the ridge in the middle of the trail. Hiking these in February I found both sections to be dry and the weather was unseasonably warm. The blue blazes were easy to pick out and the trails were well maintained. It's worth noting however that close to Tariffville in section 19 the NET runs through a local web of trails that all seem to be blazed blue as well! This gets a little confusing if you're not paying attention to your route.
Both of these sections made for really pleasant hikes. Neither were very strenuous and both had nice views from a handful of scenic overlooks. One downside to hiking these this time of year is that everything is just brown. Both of these hikes passed through what I'm guessing are really pretty areas of forest when some color is again present in the spring.
The next section I complete may be up closer to the New Hampshire boarder or it may be nearby in Connecticut again. It will depend on how much time I can set aside for hiking. Regardless of where, I'm looking forward to the opportunity to get out in the woods. I'll keep you posted.
Hiking When It's Cold Outside
Hike Local
Moosilauke!
© 2020 by Josh Beaulieu. Proudly created with Wix.com


Should You Stop Buying Games at Launch?
It's been years since I've bought a game at launch. Now, I know what you're thinking: "Oh, it's easy for her to say; she's a journalist, so she gets all her games for free". Unfortunately, while that would be a truly marvelous world to live in (games are expensive in Canada!), it's most definitely not the case. This is even truer when it comes to the latest AAA releases; acquiring those requires me to go to the store (digital or otherwise) just like the rest of you.
No, the reason why I haven't been buying games at launch is because I see next to no value in it. Steam sales happen seemingly every other month, with most other digital storefronts following suit. Even brick and mortar stores have regular sales, particularly around the holiday season. During these sales, the year's biggest releases are frequently discounted from anywhere between 10 and 80 percent. Hell, taking a glance at the Steam store while writing this article yielded a 50 percent discount on NieR: Automata: a highly-praised game that came out less than a year ago. As it happens, I haven't had the luxury of playing through NieR, and said patience has been rewarded by allowing me to purchase it for half the price I would have paid at launch.
Of course, jumping into NieR: Automata this late in the game means that I missed out on playing it at the same time as the majority of gamers. I won't discover all the twists, turns, and secrets alongside my friends and coworkers. So what? I haven't had the game spoiled for me (this isn't a hint to do that in the comments), and it's not like a year is enough time for the game's shine to substantially wear off. As it happens, almost 2,000 people are playing it on Steam as I write this; I think it's safe to say that the NieR ship hasn't sailed.
Not only that, but waiting to buy games frequently results in better products overall for a lower cost. Season passes and other bits of DLC usually cost upwards of $30 when a game launches. Launch versions of games are often buggy, requiring day one patches and other hotfixes to ensure that they're actually playable. Why pay full price at launch for what amounts to a potentially broken, likely incomplete product, especially when you can wait a year or so and pick up the inevitable "Game of the Year" edition for a pittance? An example is the popular title Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor. At launch, it was $60-plus, depending on your region and whether you include the season pass as part of that pricing. These days, you can pick up the game and pretty every bit of additional content for around $7 during a Steam sale. And with that money you saved? Well, you can buy more games, obviously!
The only place where I can see problems arising is in the case of multiplayer games. In most instances, the community for a game is strongest when it launches, after which the player counts either dwindle and then stabilize, or disappear altogether. Getting in on the ground floor practically ensures that you'll have people to play with, even if the game goes to crap within a few months or years.
Then again, is that worth it? I'm not about to tell you how to spend your money, but I know of several people who have been exasperated when the player base for a game they paid full price for dries up in a short amount of time. I mean, if you could play non-stop post-launch, I suppose you'd have gotten your money's worth. However, if you're like the vast majority of gamers and have other life commitments, it's very possible that you'd have only scratched the surface of the experience. On the other hand, postponing your purchase allows you to monitor the health of the game's community and make an informed decision at a later date.
I understand that there are problems with this "buy it later" mentality when it gets placed on a larger scale. If nobody purchased games at launch, games probably wouldn't be a profitable venture. I guess I'm assuming that most gamers have a different perspective on the issue. Some people want to get the extra preorder bonuses, while others have friends who they want to play with when a game launches. Still others create content surrounding said games, and must keep on top of the latest trends to stay relevant. I understand the desire to buy a game when it comes out, and even my distaste for preorder culture isn't enough to make me actively hate on people who continually shell out full price for new games. All I'm saying is this: sometimes, it pays to be patient.


The building where kalarippayattu is practised is called the kalari. There are special guidelines regarding its construction which are based on the rules from the Vastushastra – the ancient Indian book on architecture and construction. The rules take into account among others the climate conditions that prevail in Kerala, and thanks to this in early mornings and evening – which is the time for practice – it is chilly inside a kalari.
Depending on the style, two traditional types of kalaris can be distinguished: kuzhikalari in the vadakkan style and nilakkalari (or tharakkalari) in the tekkan style. In the old times, for special duels also ankakalari was built. Kuzhikkalari is a rectangular room of dimensions usually 10,5m and 5,25m, the bottom of which is dug out around 0,5m under the ground level. Then it is compressed and hardened. The depth of the pit depends on the region of Kerala and it varies from 0,5m to 2m. Around the pit, a bricked wall can be built, or wooden or palm-leaf paravans can be erected. Sometimes there is no wall at all between the sloping roof and the ground, leaving just a little a slit.
A kalari of the Southern style used to built of the ground level, or was dug a small amount, and its walls were built from bricks or stones. At present, also measures of the kuzhikalari are applied. Usually though, it is wider than a kuzhikkalari because of a different character of training. While exercises and sparings in the Northern style usually take places in a line, forwards and backwards, in the Southern style students train in various directions, so they need more space.
Roofs, erected on wooden beams, are traditionally thickly covered with coconut palm leaves, nowadays though they can be made also of tiles or metal sheets. In the tekkan style, it is possible also to practise outdoors. In some schools, kalari can be a part of a bigger building which contains also other rooms (for example a doctor's surgery).
A Hindu kalari can not only be considered a temple, but in the past it was erected also as a part of a temple. It also happens sometimes that temples are built on the same spots where before kalaris were built. A kalari should be built on the axis East-West with an entrance located on the shorter side on the Eastern side so that the morning sunshine floods in and lights the puttara (an altar dedicated to gods and old masters) which is placed in the South- Western corner of the building. A puttara is formed of seven quarter-circles put one on another. Before a training session, it is sprinkled with fresh water and flower petals, and an olive lamp and incense are lit. In this way the gods and ancestors of the kalari, as well as the space are worshipped.
To the left from the puttara, on the Western wall of the kalari, portraits of ancestors of the guru are placed (gurutrara), as well as pictures of gods, for example Shiva, Parvati, Bhagavati, Durga, Parasurama. In the Christian kalaris, there can be portraits of the saints – St. George or St. Sebastian. Above the portraits and on the rest free space of the walls, weapons are placed. In case of kalaris ran by Christian or Muslim masters these rules do not have to be strictly followed. It is worth noting that in all kalaris believers of different religions can practise together. They should follow the rules of their school, but they can dedicate their work to any god.
Kalaripayattu training usually takes place from June to April. For two months – April and May – practice tends to be suspended owing to the fact that this is the time of various religious holidays, and also owing to the heat which would cause excessive tiredness of the body. A very good time for practising however is the time of monsoon (July-September) when the air is fresh and humid. It is believed that this is also the best time for massages.
Training takes place early in the morning (around 6 to 8 am) and/or in the evening (7-9pm). Usually each school has its own schedule which depends on the daily duties of the students – many of them go to school or work. On the other hand, there are foreigners who come more and more frequently to Kerala to learn kalarippayattu for a couple of months. Usually, special classes are held for them.
Traditionally kalarippayattu training should start at around the age of 7 years. Regular practice starting that early brings the best results – both in development of physical possibilities of an adept, and also in shaping his/her character and spirit. Nowadays though, people more frequently start their training in their teens or as adults.
Traditional practice dress for men is a langoti – a long piece of cotton cloth wrapped tightly around the hips and between the thighs instead of underwear. The langoti does not restrict movements, and it protects the delicate parts of the body. Traditional male dress comprises a special mundu, the kaccha and (sometimes) a cotton blouse with short sleeves. The mundu is a piece of usually white cotton cloth in a half-oval shape, with an edging of two stripes (usually red and black), and with a rope pulled through the straight end. The Mundu is worn like pants to enable freedom of movement. It is girded with a kaccha – a long belt of red cloth around two metres long, which is wrapped around the body at the level between hips and the navel. It protects the central part of the body, and also protects and sustains vital energy, which is generated in this place. Old traditional female dress comprises also a mundu, a short blouse choli (similar to the one worn with a sari) and a kaccha. Presently girls and women practise in cotton curidars (in other parts of India these are called punjabi or salwar kamiz), which are baggy pants and a tunic, girded with a kaccha. Common training dress though is very often simply sweatpants and t-shirts. Of course, students practise barefoot.
Currently in kalarippayattu the system called gurukula does not exist anymore in its original form. In earlier times this meant that children a few years old would go to their master's house to stay there for a long period of time – from a couple to a dozen or so years. Children would stay at the master's house, have daily duties – going to school, helping in the house, and of course studying for example a dance or playing an instrument. Nowadays in case of kalarippayattu, children just come to classes, they stay at their own homes and their duties are not strictly connected with their guru. However, they always owe him respect and help. A teacher of the Northern style of kalarippayattu is called gurukkal which exactly is a plural form of the noun guru (literally it means the one who lights the darkness, who leads out from the darkness of ignorance), and it symbolises the whole lineage of the master's ancestors. In the Southern style, a teacher is called asan. A teacher is inevitable in the process of transmission of knowledge, especially it's most advanced parts which in case of kalarippayattu concerns work with energy and the subtle body, and also arcana of the medical system. However, also in everyday work during training it is the master who decides when a student is ready to learn a new part of knowledge. Important moments – true rites of passage – in student's life are always treated very specially. Among them are: starting studies with a new teacher and joining the group of his students, and later also entering new phases of studies (for example when one begins to use sharp weapons, like the knife or sword). A kalarippayattu master is not only a teacher of a martial art, but usually he is also a doctor and physiotherapist. He has a deep knowledge of natural medicines which he often makes by himself. He gives healing massages, applies hot, herbal compresses with oils, and dresses simple mechanic injuries (twisted limbs, strained muscles etc).
To enter a kalari, one should step in with the right leg, touch the ground with the right hand and then touch the forehead (and chest). In this way, respect is paid to the soil on which practice takes place, and also students express their dedication to the space and the training itself. From this moment on, the student should focus solely on the practice, leaving matters of everyday life outside the kalari. Then s/he salutes gods and previous gurus of kalarippayattu, and in the end salutes the master. In this way s/he expresses respect to the teacher and to the knowledge received from him. In the Northern style, before the training starts, students put sesame oil on their bodies which keeps them cool and reinforces blood circulation and flexibility. In the Southern style, similarly to yoga, using oil is not practised. No matter what the style, all students practise together at the same time: seniors with juniors, beginners with advanced. The tempo of practice is individual according to abilities of each student. Often, the seniors help the juniors, which is common for the Eastern way of passing the knowledge. For a long time it focuses on imitation, and only later on the individual performance of exercises and sparrings. The guru watches the training, observes all the students carefully and judges their progress. Depending on them, he decides to introduce new areas of teaching to the student or increase their effort in learning previous elements. The point is not just the correct performance of exercises or forms, but also their general attitude and behaviour. The masters sees the student's attitude towards practice, and his/her mind and heart.
In the beginning, kalarippayattu practice focuses mainly on the physical aspect of the training. Students should train their bodies as much as possible so that they do not block them when realising the will of the mind. They should learn to control the mind, rule over their energy and manage it. This process requires a struggle with one's own limits, fear, and lack of skills, but regular practice undertaken with honest dedication can lead towards even a spiritual change. If the dynamics of kalarippayattu, character of gestures and steps, postures, the way of connecting them and philosophy accompanying the practice coincide with the inner rhythm and qualities respected by the student, the practice gains spiritual depth. The movements of the student are filled with energy and life, and they are not empty gestures any more. Strong concentration of mind focused on one point (ekagrata) results in concentration both of the body and mind. Correct performance of movements and proper breathing should bring a free flow of energy in the body, and at the same time bring phychophysical balance. The most advanced area of knowledge includes teachings about secret practices to bring about a special accumulation of power which at the moment are passed on very rarely.