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May, 2009:
Collectable Guitars pt 29 – Ampeg Dan Armstrong Plexiglass
The Dan Armstrong Plexiglass was a very odd guitar originally made from 1969 to 1971 as an effort by popular amplification company Ampeg to draw in some more sales than their then-ailing amp lines were. The guitars came about from legendary guitar builder and repairer Dan Armstrong posing Ampeg the question:
"Since you make guitar and bass amplifiers, why not also make guitars and basses?"
Ampeg then asked Armstrong to design some guitars and basses for them to market. The design he came up with resides somewhere between a Strat and an SG, but with a surreal twist: the body was made entirely of a solid slab of Plexiglas (the trade name for a type of rigid, clear plastic) and the scratchplate of a piece of the wood-grain replica pattern Formica, popular on furniture in the 1960s and 70s.
The other very novel and inventive feature of the Dan Armstrong was the electrics arrangement. There was only one pickup "slot", at the bridge position. There was no pickup actually installed, but specially designed self-contained pickups were available, a twin blade humbucker or a blade single-coil. All the pickups were contained in the same size casing, but the upside was that the two types of pickups could be slotted in very easily and with no complex modification required. There was also an inbuilt volume boost circuit.
There were a couple of clear upsides of the Plexiglas Ampeg, which was available as a guitar or bass. The solid Plexiglas body had a lot more sustain than most other guitars available at the time, new pickups could be slotted in easily with the radical circuitry, and the Plexi body just looked refreshingly different. However, it was also very heavy, and more difficult to make than wooden guitars. Ampeg and Dan Armstrong parted ways in 1971, and the guitar was no more. However, the model has been reissued and is currently available. Ampeg also do cheaper versions made of mahogany or swamp ash.
The guitars have been most famously used by Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones.
Current prices for originals are high, and the 1970s models are rare. The armies of 1970s Ampeg copies by Ibanez and Shaftesbury are also rare and collectable, but prices for the reissue start at £450-ish for the wooden ones, and the Plexi reissues are about £1000.
Collectable Guitars pt 28 – Daion Guitars
Now here's one you might not have heard of.
Daion were an old Japanese company operating from the famed Matsumoku factory for a short period in the early 1980s. The Daions were very high quality, and full of innovative features.
They had a range of electrics, basses and acoustics which were often very different to the usual guitars available from the bigger companies.
One of the better known (and I use that term loosely) Daion models was the semi-solid ES-335-alike 555 Headhunter, which featured an innovative third cutaway on the bottom of the body.
The central solid block was a sandwich of maple and spruce, with ten grooves cut into each end for increased resonance. It also included a coil split function for each pickup and through-body stringing, a first for semi-hollow guitars.
The company also made two lines of solid-body twin cutaway guitars. The Savage utilised a bolt-on neck and two humbuckers, or three in the case of the Barbarian from the same line.
There was also a bass, similar in looks to a Gibson Ripper. The other run was the through-neck Power series.
This had the SG-alike Power Mk.X and the Mk.XX, which looked similar to a Westone or Ibanez Musician. These also had two humbuckers.
Daion also made acoustic guitars, some, in the Caribou and Gazelle series, with a similar bottom cutaway to the 555 Headhunter. There were even 12 string models.
The Caribou and Gazelle were Daion's response to the upcoming amplified acoustics market, while the Legacy and Year series were standard high quality acoustics.
Daion, for whatever reason, was a shortlived brand which never really took off.
Very few people have ever even heard of this underrated company, which is why, in the rare event of a Daion of any type coming up for sale, it never generates as much interest as it probably should.
Daions sell infrequently, so prices are unclear. I found a Daion Acoustic which sold for $850 a couple of years back, but Ebay searches didn't bring up any guitars at all. I would guess the 555 semis would be worth between £500-1000 and  if the trickle of enthusiastic players is to be believed they are worth every penny of whatever figure they sell for.
Ronnie Monrose sues Gary Moore over theft of '59 Les Paul
In a downer moment that must have left countless concert-goers blinking, shaking their heads, and bellowing, "drag, man!" Guitarist Ronnie Montrose actually stopped a show in mid-song, had the house lights turned on, and scoured the theater when his 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard was stolen right off the stage.
Montrose, a San Franciscan, hasn't seen his guitar (which he bought from J. Geils) since that night on Oct. 10, 1972 when he played Dudley, Mass. with the Edgar Winter Band … until now. The San Francisco musician — who has played with Herbie Hancock, Van Morrison and others — claims that after 37 years of scouring and thousands of dollars spent on private detectives, his guitar has turned up in the possession of British musician and guitar collector Gary Moore — and, last week,  Montrose filed suit in San Francisco District Court.
Gibson Les Paul models of this vintage are crafted of mahogany; only around 1,700 or so were ever made and no two guitars look exactly alike. Montrose claims he can identify his old axe from pictures of Moore's collection — but, more exactingly, he says the serial number of the guitar is the same as the one taken from him in Dudley. Â Â
Reached at his home in Brighton, England, Moore refused to discuss the matter, saying only that the "whole thing is a sham" and "I've had that guitar for more than 20 years." Montrose doesn't dispute that notion, but he insists that doesn't change the fact that Moore is in possession of his stolen guitar and must return it. An angry Moore refused to comment further on his tussle with Montrose over the decades-old instrument.
The legal ramifications of the case are complex, and Montrose hopes to get a judge to weigh in on several issues, including the statute of limitations on a 37-year-old case and an instance in which the current owner of a piece of stolen property is not alleged to have stolen it. Another major issue is jurisdictional, as the theft is alleged to have occurred in Massachusetts, its current owner lives in England and Montrose lives in San Francisco.
Ed Roman, owner of Ed Roman Guitars in Las Vegas, has served as an expert witness in stolen guitar cases for the estate of late guitar great Jimi Hendrix. He said Montrose faces an uphill battle, primarily because the alleged theft occurred so long ago.
Roman said the Hendrix estate and Paul McCartney have been unable to retrieve stolen guitars in cases where they knew who had them but were unable to overcome the years gone by. "If it is more than 10 years ago, the person who has it usually keeps it," he said. "I doubt Ronnie is going to be able to get it back."
Guitar thefts have long been common in the music business. R.E.M.'s Peter Buck had his prized Rickenbacker guitar stolen in September in Helsinki, Finland, only to have it returned anonymously two weeks later at a show in Luxembourg. Slash of Guns N' Roses fame had his Gibson Les Paul Goldtop guitar stolen from his studio in 1998, and Gibson eventually made a new one for its longtime star client.
Montrose's hunt for his guitar has been rife with false leads, missed opportunities and dead ends. In January 1977, someone contacted one of Montrose's bandmates about the guitar's whereabouts, only to disappear when Montrose hired a private investigator to look into it.
The hunt regained steam in the early 2000s when Indelicato was given a photo of a 1959 Gibson Les Paul by another guitar dealer at a Texas guitar show and told that Montrose's instrument was in the hands of an English guitar player. The photo showed the guitar's serial number, and Indelicato claims that an Internet search for the serial number sent him to a forum thread on the Gibson Web site that connected Moore and the serial number for Montrose's missing guitar.
But it was the November 2007 issue of the British magazine Guitar Buyer that ignited the standoff between Montrose and Moore, who once played for Thin Lizzy as well as being a well respected solo artist.
The publication featured a multi-page spread on Moore and his guitar collection, including several photos of a 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard. The Sunburst guitar is known for its distinctive maple wood face with unique wood grain patterns. Montrose claims a photo showing a pin-sized hole in the back of the guitar is the proof, as he drills such holes in all of his guitars.
The Guitar Buyer photos showed that the guitar had sustained significant wear and tear over the past 37 years, a sign that Montrose's complaint claims "substantiates a risk of future damage so as long as the '59 Gibson remains in Mr. Moore's possession."
An angry Moore refused to comment further on his tussle with Montrose over the decades-old instrument. But his quote in the Guitar Buyer story shed light on its value to both men.
When asked if he still played the '59 Gibson on the road, he replied, "Sometimes, but don't tell anyone that. I don't really like taking it out too much because it's getting a bit scary now. I don't think I'll find another Gibson Les Paul to replace it. I'd have to get one of the same vintage, because no matter what new ones I get, they're never going to be like that."
Collectable Guitars pt 27 – Fender Robben Ford Model
Blues/Jazz guitarist Robben Ford merges styles to redefine the term "fusion" music. His sound, delivery and conception are all his own – as unmistakable and personal as a fingerprint. He chose a deliberate reinterpretation of the unusual Fender Esprit Ultra as the basis for his signature instrument (the Fender Robben Ford Signature model), which reflects Robben's discriminating and diverse as both a soloist and rhythm player.
Designed in the mid-1980's, the Esprit effectively reconciled the differences between a blues, jazz and rock guitar, making it ideal for Robben's varied musical tangents. He was originally drawn to the smaller body size, double-cutaway comfort and remarkable playability of the Esprit as an alternative to the larger, honky-sounding semi-hollow-body he had been playing. Though the Esprit was discontinued by the late 1980's, Robben remained an ardent user.
The History of the "Master Series" Â (by Gary Koehler) is as follows;
Approximately 25 years ago, Dan Smith had an idea. He conceptualized a solidbody guitar with routed chambers. These chambers would, in theory, provide a more resonant tonal characteristic. He also formulated and designed a basic shape for the guitar.
Then, in the early 1980s, Fender became interested in producing and marketing instruments which would be viewed as alternatives to those offered by Gibson. These guitars would not be copies, of course, but highly playable guitars with versatile electronics and other features previously unavailable on instruments manufactured by Fender. The company asked Smith to submit a concept, and what followed was an adventurous effort to produce a new line of guitars unique to the Fender's catalog. The line was called the Master Series.
Two of Smith's designs were solidified – the Flame and the Esprit (pronounced espree). Both featured alder bodies with routed tone chambers, maple tops, and set-in necks.
The Flame's body is slightly larger than a Gibson Les Paul, and features two slightly offset cutaways, similar to Gibson's SG. Two special-design humbucking pickups were developed via Schaller, as was a tailpiece with fine-tuners. The intention was to offer an electronically versatile alternative to the Gibson Les Paul.
The Esprit's body is slightly larger than the Flame's, and features two symmetrical cutaways. As with the Flame, two special-design Schaller humbuckers were employed in conjunction with the fine-tuning tailpiece. This instrument was intended as an alternative to the Gibson ES-335.
A third model was an archtop designed by the late James D'Aquisto. His design included some imaginative, versatile features and stands as a testament to D'Aquisto's creativity as a luthier.Â
These three designs were marketed together as the Fender Master Series.
Once designs were approved, the company turned its attention to issues of manufacturing and production. Fender decided that, at that time, it did not possess the technology to build the instruments. The Japanese company Fujigen Gakki (which served as an Ibanez facility) was contracted by Fender to manufacture the line.
Fender ultimately decided to produce three models of both types. The suffixes Standard, Elite, and Ultra were added under the headings Flame and Esprit. Standards featured dot inlays and chrome tuners. The Elites featured diamond-flake inlays and pearloid-button tuners. And the Ultras had split-block shell inlays, ebony-button tuners and gold hardware. Finish options on the Standards were limited to black, autumn sunburst, and cherry sunburst. The Elite and Ultra were also available in white or pink frost, and candy red or candy green metallic burst.
Smith said Fender offered the Kahler tremolo bridge as an option on these guitars. He recalls Fender made the modification post-production, and relatively few were shipped.
He was unable to find records indicating quantities made, but estimated that between late 1983 and 1985, a few thousand were manufactured. In retrospect, Smith feels the guitars were successful in regard to quality and public perception. The line's downfall was the sale and subsequent transitional period experienced by Fender. In 1986, Robben Ford was brought on as an endorser of the Esprit model, then Fender reworked the production concept and dubbed the guitar the Robben Ford signature model.
In its incarnation as the Robben Ford signature model, it has retained many of the Ultra's significant features and deluxe appointments, as specified by Robben, including the Ebony fingerboard with fancy Mother-of-Pearl split-block inlays, Ebony tuning key pegs, multiple binding on the headstock, neck and body and gold-plated hardware. The solid Alder body with a carved Spruce top and built-in acoustical tone chambers is a clever variation on the classic solid-body construction theme of mahogany and maple and is a vital component in producing the rich and consistent sustaining Robben Ford solo guitar voice.
Another is the two-humbucker pickup configuration which yields both a mellow, neck-pickup jazz sound as well as a robust, bridge-pickup blues-rock tone. The coil-splitting switch provides interesting thinner and twangier single-coil timbres ideal for rootsy rock and roll, R&B and funky rhythm comping.
Current values of these rare and collectable guitars are in the £1500-2000 range.
New Guitar Collecting Magazine Launching
Guitar Aficionado magazine and GuitarAficionado.com from Future U.S., the publishers of Guitar World,  is a new upscale men's, niche lifestyle publication for music enthusiasts who collect, play and invest in new and vintage guitars.
According to Guitar Aficionado, readers know that guitars are among some of the best-performing, tangible asset investments available today. Traditionally, the value of collectible guitars has increased exponentially over the last 10 to 20 years.
An online brochure is available here
Neptune Bound: The Ultimate Danelectro Guitar Guide
You may have never heard of a Danelectro guitar.
But Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton certainly have.
The unorthodox instruments — known for their unique design and prized for their clear, bell-like tone — belong in the arsenal of every rock guitarist from Aerosmith to ZZ Top.
And with the publication of "Neptune Bound," Doug Tulloch has established himself as the world's foremost expert on the classic instrument, a passion that has put him in the company of some of rock's greatest guitarists.
"Neptune Bound" is a 437-page tome full of all things Danelectro. It is subtitled "The Ultimate Danelectro Guitar Guide."
The Danelectro was the creation of Nathan Daniel and was produced in America from 1954 to 1969. Danelectros are recognized for their inexpensive but durable construction. Today the American versions begin selling at $300 and can go up to as much as $5,000 if they are celebrity-owned. For the last 10 years, they have been made in Korea.
"The Danelectro is a no-frills instrument," Tulloch says. "They're light and comfortable, which makes it a user-friendly guitar.
They were sold out of the Sears catalog which gave young musicians the opportunity to start out with something that didn't mean spending a lot of money. Over the years they began to get more rare and expensive.
"Chances are that if you grew up in the 1950s or '60s you knew someone who owned a Danelectro," Tulloch says. "People reflect fondly on the instruments. They were a decent guitar for the money. They play as well as any other guitar."
Danelectros are constructed of Masonite around a pine frame with a poplar neck. One of the guitar's more notable features is pickups that were originally set in lipstick tube casings. And while most modern guitarists will first reach for Fenders or Gibsons, the performance that can be derived from a Danelectro has made it a studio favorite for many players through the years, including Page and Clapton.
In 1991, Tulloch opened City Guitar, an Acushnet Avenue business that dealt in used and vintage guitars, amplifiers and accessories. He was able to build a collection of Danelectros that eventually grew to 150 guitars. His interest in the instrument also allowed him to provide them for rockers such as Joe Perry and Brad Whitford of Aerosmith, Gregg Allman, Dean DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots and Warren Haynes of Gov't Mule.
"I started collecting Danelectros when no one else was," Tulloch points out. "I was selling more popular guitars such as Fenders and Gretsches which allowed me to fund my addiction to Danelectros. Since no one was collecting them when I started, I was able to build my collection for cheap."
Tulloch closed City Guitar in 1996, but not before establishing himself as the expert source on Danelectros.
"People play Danelectros all across the planet," he says. "I've been in touch with people from Sweden to Singapore. And now this is the book that solidifies the subject. This is the definitive book on Danelectros."
The book, designed by artist Matt Charros, took three years of persistent dedication. It is being sold in England, Japan, and Australia. It is available in America here:
When Tulloch sells the 200th copy of the book, he's going to raffle off one of his prized Danelectros — a silvertone amp-in-case model valued at $800.
Today Tulloch still buys and sells guitars as well as doing repair work. He occasionally writes articles for magazines such as Vintage Guitar and Japanese Guitar. The majority of the articles are about Danelectros.
"My life is all about guitars," he says. "I've surrounded myself with my passion."
By SEAN McCARTHY, www.southcoasttoday.com
Legendary Guitars Going on Tour
You lucky Californians!
Guitar Center will take its iconic "Legends Collection" on the road beginning May 23 for a 4-city tour that will make weekend stops in Fountain Valley, La Mesa, San Francisco and Hollywood.
The "Legends Collection" will feature three of rock's most famous guitars – Eric Clapton's "Blackie" Fender Stratocaster and Gibson ES-335, as well as Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Lenny" Fender Stratocaster. Purchased for over $2.4 million from the Clapton Crossroads Centre charity auction at Christies New York in 2004, these three guitars are among the most treasured guitars in rock history.
Assembled in 1973 by Eric Clapton himself from the parts of several guitars, Clapton played "Blackie" almost exclusively on stage and in the studio from 1973-1985, recording hits such as "Cocaine," "I Shot The Sherriff," "Wonderful Tonight," "Further On Up The Road," "Lay Down Sally" and various live versions of "Layla" as well as being featured on several album covers and videos. His Cherry Red Gibson "ES-335" was used to record Cream's versions of "Badge" and "Crossroads" as well as many other historical performances during the 40 years he owned it.
Steve Ray Vaughan's "Lenny," which Guitar Center purchased for $623,500, was used to record his classic love songs including "Lenny" and "Riviera Paradise."
Home to the largest collection of vintage instruments in the nation, Guitar Center is also proud to showcase a hand-picked selection of its most rare and sought-after vintage guitars as part of its Vintage Road Show.
With Vintage locations in Hollywood, Nashville and Manhattan, Guitar Center's vintage collection includes hundreds of the rarest and most valuable guitars, amplifiers and other instruments, including an impressive assemblage of '50s and '60s Strats and Les Pauls, handcrafted archtops, Jazz Basses, P-Basses and more.
Vintage guitar enthusiasts can visit the "Legends Collection" and Vintage Road Show at the following locations:
May 23-24
Guitar Center Fountain Valley
18361 Euclid Street
Guitar Center La Mesa
8825 Murray Drive
Guitar Center San Francisco
1645 Van Ness Ave.
Guitar Center Hollywood
Daddy Mojo Cigar Box Guitars
These are so cool..
Daddy Mojo builds handcrafted guitars from cedar and mahogany cigar boxes.
The instruments, which are smaller and lighter than standard guitars, sell for between $265 and $735 and have found a following among blues aficionados who can't get enough of the warm sound they provide.
"It has a very unique tone that you can't find in most other instruments," said Toronto musician Arthur Renwick, who owns two. "Most people can't believe just how great it sounds coming from a homemade cigar box."
The guitars originated as a form of "do-it-yourself" instrument and were used by soldiers during the American Civil War. The practice carried through to the 20th century with poor blues musicians in the Deep South making their own guitars out of discarded cigar boxes and fish wire because they couldn't afford any other kind.
Daddy Mojo's present-day incarnation is of better quality than its bare-bones forerunner, but company co-founder Lenny Piroth-Robert says the irony of making an instrument that was born in hard times isn't lost on him.
"It wouldn't surprise me if it's something that makes its mark these days, because it's really something that came out of a time when people didn't have much money and had to be creative," Piroth-Robert said.
"Theoretically the movement would be to make your own (cigar box guitar) in a recession. Mind you, I think we offer a nice, cheaper alternative to most of the guitars out there."
"(Piroth-Robert) is specifically going against that trend which isn't about music; it's about collecting and hoarding and driving the price up."
Since its inception in 2006, Daddy Mojo has made more than 1,000 cigar box guitars which have been shipped all over the world or sold through retailers in Canada and the United States.
www.daddy-mojo.com
Gibson Holy Explorer
The Gibson Explorer is a guitar most readers may be familiar with, and it is a well-designed, well-loved shape used by several distinguished rock and metal players. So what in the name of all that is holy (see what I did there?) have they done to this one, many will ask.
The Holy Explorer is a standard, natural finish Explorer with seven gaping holes cut through the body. There is also a Flying V which has had a similar makeover. The guitars feature the usual attributes of the Flying V and Explorer designs- mahogany bodies and necks, 496R and 500T pickups, and the usual 22-fret rosewood fingerboard. But, those holes…
The bad sides of the gaping holes would be the obvious deficits in the sustain. Less wood means less vibration can travel through the body, so the notes can't last as long. Explorers are famed for the colossal sustain of the large body, so this sort of defeats the objective in that sense.
Maybe the pickups make up for it, but I can't see that happening without use of a Fernandes Sustainer or an E-Bow. As well as that potential problem, the holes probably won't be to everyone's taste. I don't think it looks too bad, I just can't see the point.
On the other hand, the original Explorer's considerable weight would be very much reduced, and the design is quite original, although they could have made a better job of the placing of the holes. The classic Explorer's well proven sustain and feel would inevitably be compromised, but answer me this- the Holy Explorer or that utterly repellent Eye Guitar? Gibson are making a whole run of 2009 Limited Run ultra-low production guitars, which, beside the hideous Tribal V and Explorer, also has some very nicely executed guitars- a reissue of the famed 1970s Grabber bass, and a stunning SG with a carved maple top.
So, the Holy Explorer. I think it's nicely done, but a bit pointless.
An Explorer with less sustain?
And while the design is neat, it's far from perfectly executed. And, the price is a bit steep- $2775 against $2399 for the standard Explorer, but it will be a limited run of only 350 guitars, making it quite collectable.  Gibson have gone very much overboard on limited run special editions of late, and it's wearing a bit thin. We've had the slightly overcooked Dark Fire, the new all-maple Raw Power Les Paul and SG, which defeats the objective of those two guitars completely, the  Eye (sore) Guitar, and now the Holy V and Explorer.
Are any of these a match for Gibson's classic designs such as the Les Paul, SG, ES-335, Firebird, Explorer and Flying V? No. Gibson never used to muck around with expensive and ultimately pointless limited edition models, so why do they feel the need now? They have always stuck to what they're good at, which has produced some absolutely inspired pieces of guitar design, which is why it's so infuriating when they don't do what they're good at, and play around with decidedly uninspired limited editions such as this.
We need less of this from Gibson, and more inspired designs like the aforementioned classics above.


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14.3 - A SECOND ALIGNMENT WITH MACHUPICCHU
Machupicchu, Ollantaytambo, Saqsaywaman and Cusco are aligned with Ingapirca; Tazumal, Mixco Viejo, Bonampak, Palenque, and La Venta; Mesa Verde and Chaco Canyon; Shanghai; and the partially submerged ancient capital city of Oc-Eo in the Mekong Delta.
This alignment also crosses over the source of the Amazon River; the mouth of the Parana River at Buenos Aires; the mouth of the Mekong River at Oc-Eo; the mouth of the Xi river at Macau; the mouth of the Yangtze River at Shanghai; and the mouth of the Rio Grande River at Matamoros.
Distance To Axis Point:
31° 50' S 170° 40' W
Distance To:
13° 31' S
71° 59' W
Ingapirca
2° 31'S
78° 49'W
Tazumal
13° 59' N
Mixco Viejo
Bonampak
107° 59' W
Mesa Verde
121° 27' E
Oc-Eo
14.4 - A SECOND ALIGNMENT WITH PERSEOPOLIS
Perseopolis is aligned with the ancient Sumarian/Babylonian/Assyrian center at Nippur; Baalbek and the ancient Phoenician city of Byblos; the ancient cities of Palaikastro and Knossos on the Island Of Crete; the Island of Malta; the North African sites of ancient Roman construction at Volubilis and Timgad; and the Incan and Pre-Incan fortress, temples and astronomical observatories at Ingapirca.
54° 05'N 165° 20'W
2° 31' S
Volubilis
5° 33' W
6° 38' E
14° 31' E
Palaikastro
35 14' N
35 38' E
34° N
Perseopolis
14.5 - A SECOND ALIGNMENT WITH LUXOR AND PALENQUE
In Global Sacred Alignments, Terry Walsh diagrams the alignment of Palenque, Bimini, Luxor and Mecca. The large Mayan city of Coba, site of the tallest Mayan pyramid, is also on this alignment.
49° 52' S 23° 45' W
91°58'W
20° 31'N
14.6 - A CIRCLE WITH A CIRCUMFERENCE EQUAL TO THE 15TH PARALLELS
The Great Pyramid, Easter Island, Palenque, Dzibilchatun, Stonehenge, the Acropolis, and what remains of the Island of Thera are all equally distant from a point in the South Atlantic Ocean located at 20°55'S 26°10'W.
A circle drawn around 20°55'S 26°10'W with a great circle radius of 5,180 miles crosses over all of these sites.
It is interesting to note that the distance from the North Pole to 15° north latitude is also exactly 5,180 miles. Thus, the circumference of this circle is the same as the circumference of the 15th parallels.
Northwest of the Acropolis, Delphi is close to the circle. Northwest of the Great Pyramid, the ancient capitals of Alexandria and Sais in Egypt are close to the circle. Several pyramids and other sites of ancient construction are south-south-east of the Great Pyramid and close to the circle.
Likewise, a number of Mayan and Olmec sites between Palenque and Dzibilchitun on the Yucatan Peninsula are close to the circle. Similarly, in addition to Stonehenge, a number of megalithic sites in Southern England, Southern Ireland and Northern France are close to the circle.
Tiny Ilhas Martin Vaz, the last link in an old island chain running east from the coast of Brazil, is located at 20°28'S 28°51'W, just over two degrees west of 20°55'S 26°10'W.
Ilhas de Trindade is the next to last island in the chain, located at 20°30'S 29°19'W. The British astronomer, Richard Halley, once took over Trindade on behalf of the British Crown.
Trindade is famous for a UFO sighting that was photographed in 1958. In addition to the two locations that were suggested as possible sites for the submerged island of Atlantis in A New Look at an Old Design, another good place to look is just East of Ilhas Martin Vaz, at 20°55'S 26°10'W.
20°55'S 26°10'W
The Great Pyramid
29°59'S
31°09'E
27°04S
109°22'W
17°32'N
Dzibilchatun
1°49'W
The Acropolis

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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He's lovin' it
Ariane Sherine
Why would anyone jack in a job they love just because they're suddenly in the money?
Thu 27 Mar 2008 16.30 EDT
It seems the grass is always greener, even when it's being chewed by McDonald's cows. Why else return to your burger-flippin', floor-cleanin', "Would you like ketchup with that?" grind at the bottom of the food chain when you're a millionaire? That's the question being asked across the UK, as 25-year-old Welsh lottery winner Luke Pittard goes back to his job at McDonald's, and nearly every news source reports on it. "Why why whyyyy, Luke?!" the subtext screams. "You seem like a nice bloke, you've been handed a ticket to Freerideland, yet you're still institutionalised in a McJob! Wake up, smell the badly-brewed cheap coffee and get out now - you must be crazy if you think you're lovin' it!"
Pittard admits, "My colleagues think I'm mad". And yes: if you're trapped in a low-paid job you hate, unable to leave for anything better, the idea of your lottery-winning co-worker cheerily and voluntarily bouncing back in to get covered in chip fat must be baffling, if not slightly gutting. After all, he can leave whenever he likes, and will probably jet off to Bermuda for his holidays, not Bognor. Still, Pittard's splashed out on a £230,000 house, jetted off to the Canaries and taken it easy for a full 21 months. What now?
"Anything!" the jealous onlookers cry. "He could start his own business. Or, if he likes fast food so much, he could set up his own restaurant! Give me all that money, I'd know what to do with it." But maybe Pittard doesn't want his life to change in such a disorientating and confusing way. Maybe, as he says, he loves working for a fast-food joint?
McDonald's was the first place to offer me a job. I had the interview on my 16th birthday, and the manager apologised to me ("I'm sorry, this isn't a very nice thing to get today, is it?") as though he'd given me gonorrhoea instead of work. I was paid £3.75 an hour to wear a euphemistic badge saying "Arianne - Dinning Area Hostess" (sic) and clean the tables, trays and toilets, often stumbling in on men with their penises hanging out, mopping up after tramps who vomited in the straw container and kids who deliberately threw their half-drunk milkshakes on the floor ("I spilt my shake, can you get me a new one?").
And yet, like Pittard, I loved my shifts and found McDonald's a fun and straightforward place to work, because of the other employees. Everyone was there for one reason only - because nowhere else would have them - and being in the same grease-stained, straw-punctured, cheap-as-chips boat gave us a sense of togetherness and community you don't get from being handed £1.3m. Unlike in "better" day jobs, there was no pretence or politics, just humour and friendship - which must be appealing if your head's been in the cold hard cash-filled clouds for nearly two years.
So it's clear to me why a lottery winner might not want to leave a comradely workplace, where everyone treated him like "one of us" rather than a gallingly lucky anomaly. And maybe this isn't the story of a man with no imagination or dreams, but a modern-day morality tale, where the real question should be: "Why would anyone jack in a job they love for the sole reason that they're in the money?"


This year EXBO was offered sponsorship to attend Destination Asia Business Meet in Singapore. The event and similar meetings around the world allow our Federation to meet with exhibiting CVBs and Suppliers and explore destinations as potential locations for the WFTGA convention, among other tourism related business.
Sometimes a meeting location is also home to a WFTGA Member Association and this provides EXBO an opportunity to spend some live "face time" with members. It isn't often that EXBO gets to see members other than at convention - and convention is when EXBO is on duty 24/7, leaving limited time for visiting with members.
We try to combine official and personal travels with opportunities to be with members in their own areas. Sometimes we help them with a problem, other times it is WFTGA who benefits from the one-on-one.
Until I arrived in Singapore 23 hours after departing my Chicago-area home, I had no idea if, or when, any members in Singapore would be free, so I felt honored when licensed Singapore tourist guides Jean Wang LIT and Jimmy Sim were able to meet me on short notice. I'd met Jean before she became a WFTGA Lead International Trainer, and long before she and Jimmy traveled to Prague with a sizeable delegation from Singapore to present their bid for the 2017 convention (2017 was later hosted by Iran).
Now, you might think these hosted trips are all fun and games, but let me assure you each EXBO member thinks long and hard about whether to go. In addition to missing paid work while away, advance "paperwork" takes up considerable time, appointment days begin early and meetings run until late, detailed post-meeting reports to EXBO are required upon return, out-of-pocket expenses occur, and follow-up emails continue for weeks afterward.
On the plus side, quality time with first-class colleagues like Jean and Jimmy is priceless. And it isn't everyday one gets to meet a Merlion, visit Gardens By the Bay, or taste hawkers Bak kut teh in the company of Singapore's experts.


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Board index Life Humor
Paraprosdokians
A board where people can laugh about their day to day experiences with MS, to combat some of the stress that goes with this illness.
euphoniaa
Location: midwest U.S.
Contact euphoniaa
Post by euphoniaa » Sun Jul 24, 2011 4:17 am
PARAPROSDOKIAN: "Figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected; frequently used in a humorous situation." "Where there's a will, I want to be in it," is a type of paraprosdokian.
So now, here you go.
1. Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.
2. The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But it's still on my list.
3. Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
4. If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong.
5. We never really grow up, we only learn how to act in public.
6. War does not determine who is right - only who is left.
7. Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
8. Evening news is where they begin with 'Good Evening,' and then proceed to tell you why it isn't.
9. To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is research.
10. A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station.
11. I thought I wanted a career. Turns out I just wanted paychecks.
12. Whenever I fill out an application, in the part that says, 'In case of emergency, notify:' I put 'DOCTOR.'
13. I didn't say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you.
14. Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy.
15. Behind every successful man is his woman. Behind the fall of a successful man is usually another woman.
16. A clear conscience is the sign of a fuzzy memory.
17. I asked God for a bike, but I know God doesn't work that way. So I stole a bike and asked for forgiveness.
18. You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice.
19. Money can't buy happiness, but it sure makes misery easier to live with.
20. There's a fine line between cuddling and holding someone down so they can't get away.
21. I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not so sure.
22. You're never too old to learn something stupid.
23. To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target.
24. Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
25. Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.
26. Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.
27. A diplomat is someone who tells you to go to hell in such a way that you look forward to the trip.
28. Hospitality is making your guests feel at home even when you wish they were.
29. I always take life with a grain of salt. Plus a slice of lemon, and a shot of tequila.
30. When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember that the Fire Department usually uses water.
And here's another list of more famous ones from Wikipedia:
"He was at his best when the going was good." —Alistair Cooke on the Duke of Windsor
"There but for the grace of God — goes God." —Winston Churchill
"If I am reading this graph correctly — I'd be very surprised." —Stephen Colbert
"You can always count on the Americans to do the right thing—after they have tried everything else." —Winston Churchill
"If all the girls who attended the Yale prom were laid end to end, I wouldn't be a bit surprised." —Dorothy Parker
"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn't it." —Groucho Marx
"A modest man, who has much to be modest about." — supposedly Winston Churchill, about Clement Attlee
"She looks as though she's been poured into her clothes, and forgot to say 'when'." —P. G. Wodehouse
"I like going to the park and watching the children run around because they don't know I'm using blanks." —Emo Phillips
"If I could say a few words, I'd be a better public speaker." —Homer Simpson
"I haven't slept for ten days, because that would be too long." —Mitch Hedberg
"I sleep eight hours a day and at least ten at night." —Bill Hicks
Return to "Humor"


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WE NEED TO BE BETTER PREPARED FOR NATURAL DISASTERS'
by David Grace | Oct 19, 2021 | Community Services, Environment, media, Natural Disasters | 0 comments
Improved natural disaster preparedness including proactive rural lands management, closer alignment with the Rural Fire Service's (RFS) land clearing strategies in high bushfire risk areas, and ready-to-stand-up evacuation centre amenities will form a part of a Eurobodalla Labor for Council policy if it wins government in the 4 December elections.
Mayoral candidate David Grace said today the Eurobodalla Shire Council (ESC) acknowledgement the 2019-20 bushfires affected 80 per cent of the shire and damaged essential infrastructure, is a worrying sign of what lies ahead for the south coast with the growing impacts of unabated climate change.
"There is a serious need for ESC to actively seek state and federal funding, in comparison to what little is occurring presently, to ensure we're prepared for the next hit," Mr Grace said. "The need for urgent review of our planning documents to take into account climate change has never been more pressing.
"Labor wants to make a difference to ensure as much preparation possible before the next bushfires, floods or other natural disaster. We know in 2019-20 ratepayers were underwhelmed by some of the council's evacuation centres which lacked signage; public toilets which went unattended; a total lack of suitable sleeping space, kitchen facilities, or adequate back-up air-conditioning for the aged and unwell; and communities which lacked power when the grid went down.
"Upgrading the wiring for back-up generators since then is not what we call being prepared; it's piece meal and totally inadequate.
"We don't even have a resilience plan to ensure Eurobodalla residents are better prepared for future disasters, especially to address the needs of the most vulnerable members of our community.
"Mayor Liz Innes' Local Environment Plan has allowed large swathes of land clearing and questionable development in high bushfire risk areas, and she and her councillor mates ignored NSW agencies and the many community submissions to improve their and our readiness," he said.
Eurobodalla Labor for Council is concerned for the community's and volunteer firefighters' safety if the shire is not proactively better managing its lands and forests, according to Rosedale resident and Labor councillor candidate Jack Egan.
"We know from the work of Dr Portia Odell, director of Cities Power Partnership that it is possible for local governments to steer their communities towards a transition to a zero emissions future," Mr Egan said. "This reinforces our existing endorsement of the citizen's alliance ZeroSE – A Beyond Zero Future for South East NSW which plans to help residents, businesses and farmers create local jobs while ensuring a healthy environment for the future.
"There is plenty of evidence-based research showing that the shire's residents and businesses can transition to a low carbon economy to ensure Australia meets its emission target, which would deliver benefits for the climate in terms of natural disaster severity, regularity and the impacts on us all.
"It has already been reported ESC has to budget for the replacement of 14 bridges lost in the 2019-2020 bushfires.
"Replacing timber with timber is an attractive aesthetic, but practically speaking it's as vulnerable again when the next fire comes over the mountains. The bottom line is this all costs the ratepayers a lot of money.
"We need to do things differently and if we are elected on 4 December to steer the council in a new direction — to make a real difference for the residents' benefit — we will set to work securing new revenue streams from NSW and federal agencies to contribute to our infrastructure costs," he said.
Dr Odell recently told the media that spending public money on disaster preparation instead of on recovery was a better investment, yet 97 per cent of all Australian disaster funding comes after an event.
"If we want to avoid catastrophic impacts and create a prosperous future for local communities, all levels of government must ramp up their climate action," Dr Odell told journalists.
Eurobodalla has not yet joined the Cities Power Partnership — which if it does by November 15 — would enable it to also benefit from the Cities Activity Database (CAD) pilot program.
"As your mayor, I will give these sorts of initiatives a high priority and will listen to the community's views," Mr Grace said. "A report on actions we might be able to take that similar cities and towns are taking and how effective they have been would be very useful for future preparedness planning.
"The local government level is a key part of Australia's climate solution; we're not simply passers-by or incapable of taking action ourselves.
"There are 150 councils around Australia covering 60 per cent of the population which are already part of the Cities Power Partnership.
"In Victoria, for example, many councils are supporting their communities to reduce their energy bills by installing solar via a program that makes solar installation easy for homeowners through the provision of a vetted solar installer and working closely with them through the installation process.
"Once installed with solar panels, those households are able to take a loan and pay off their solar system through their rates notice.
"Councils pay to deliver the program, but are able to recoup costs by receiving a commission from each solar installation," he added. "These are not pie-in-the-sky aspirations; they're practical, sensible and achievable in the next term of council.


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By Jayson MacLean December 15, 2020 Filed under: All posts, American Tech Stock: intc
Take a pass on Intel, this portfolio manager says
Intel Core i7 6700K CPU bottom view
A down in the dumps stock like Intel (Intel Stock Quote, Chart, News NASDAQ:INTC) may look like a bargain but don't be tempted, says portfolio manager Christine Poole, who says the semiconductor company's future may not be so bright.
Intel's share price, coming off a positive year in 2019 where it rallied to finish up 28 per cent, has been a different story in 2020. The stock dropped hard with the wider market pullback in February and March but unlike plenty of other names in the tech field, INTC has failed to regain that lost ground and is on track this year for double-digit losses.
The market seems less sure of Intel's days ahead than perhaps any time in recent memory, as the storied chipmaker has seen its market share get whittled down over the years.
The stock dropped sharply with its last two earnings reports, for example, even as the company matched or beat expectations along the way.
Intel fell ten per cent in July after second quarter financials which surprised with $19.73 billion in revenue compared to analysts' consensus average at $18.55 billion and earnings of $1.23 per share compared to the expected $1.11 per share. Yet it was a weaker-than-expected guidance, calling for $1.10 per share in earnings for its third quarter compared to the consensus forecast of $1.14 per share, that was blamed for the pullback in the stock. (All figures in US dollars.)
Similarly, Intel fell in October even as earnings came in on par with the Street at $1.11 per share (and besting management's own call), while revenue was better than called for at $18.33 billion compared to the expected $18.25. But investors seemingly focused on a seven-per-cent drop in the company's Data Center Group which generated $5.91 billion in revenue, while enterprise and government revenue was down a full 47 per cent.
Potentially more foreboding was a release by Apple of new iterations of its MacBook which featured the company's M1 chip as opposed to Intel's microprocessors, a sea change after more than a decade of Intel chips running in Apple desktops and laptops. Going forward, Apple will use mobile-friendly ARM architecture instead of the x86 CPU architecture used by Intel.
The lack of momentum from Intel is noticeable, says Poole, who is CEO and managing director at GlobeInvest Capital Management.
"It's hard because Intel was kind of the dominant player in the semiconductor space, and we've seen one of its competitors AMD getting much more competitive and starting to gain more market share," said Poole, who spoke on BNN Bloomberg on Monday.
"Intel supplied the chips for the Apple MacBooks and we've seen Apple bring that in-house so that's another loss of business," Poole said. "So, generally speaking, semiconductors is a very cyclical [space] and, Intel, their share is almost theirs to lose over time because they were so dominant."
"So, even though I think the valuation on Intel is not excessive it's not really a growth technology stock anymore. I would not be buying it," Poole said.
Another big move is expected in the near future for Intel, which is planning on contracting out its chip manufacturing, with Taiwan's TSMC, who also makes Apple's chips and AMD's.
Intel CEO Bob Swan spoke in his third quarter 2020 comments on the company's prospects going forward, including on taking up an external foundry for its chips.
"As I look to the next several years of products, I'm excited about the products we have coming," said Swan. "We are now sampling our 2021 client CPU, 'Alder Lake,' and will be sampling our 2021 data center CPU, 'Sapphire Rapids,' later in the fourth quarter. Both will deliver significant capabilities enabled by our six pillars of innovation, including our Enhanced SuperFin technology. We have another great lineup of products in 2022, and I'm increasingly confident in the leadership our 2023 products will deliver on either Intel 7nm or external foundry process – or a combination of both. I look forward to providing a further update in the January call."
Vivek Arya, analyst for Bank of America Securities, lowered his rating on Intel after the company's latest earnings, saying Intel is facing big challenges in the near term, including manufacturing problems involving their current generation products, stronger competition from Advanced Micro Devices on PCs and Nvidia.
Intel is also dealing with a shift in technology towards the cloud, Arya said.
"Even though the demand for PCs and servers is strong, the mix is weak and unfavourable for Intel because it's weaker on the enterprise side where they're usually very profitable but it's stronger on the cloud and the consumer side where they are less profitable because it's just a lot more competitive area," Arya said to CNBC on October 23.
Arya downgraded his rating on Intel to "Underperform" and dropped his target from $60 to $45 per share, implying a projected 12-month return of negative 17 per cent.
About The Author / Jayson MacLean
Jayson is a writer, researcher and educator with a PhD in political philosophy from the University of Ottawa. His interests range from bioethics and innovations in the health sciences to governance, social justice and the history of ideas.
American Tech avgo intc qcom
Is beaten down Intel stock a buy?
Semiconductor stocks just had a great year —with the notable exception of industry giant Intel (Intel Stock Quote, Chart, News,...
American Tech intc
Investors may be thinking that Intel (Intel Stock Quote, Chart, News NASDAQ:INTC) looks attractive from here, with its share price...


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


The Life Story Network is a CIC, offering consultancy and training in relation to the use of life story work and narrative practice to support vulnerable people, as well as broader strategy review and development, particularly in relation to dementia. The LSN hosts tide – together in dementia every day, a national involvement network for carers and former carers of people with dementia. tide is being established as a separate charity, with LSN becoming a wholly owned subsidiary company, and the post-holder will be responsible for operations within both LSN and tide. A core principle of tide is to value, respect and support carers and former carers of people living with dementia. Using lived experience, tide enables a diverse range of carers to have a powerful collective voice, which raises awareness of their unique needs and rights, ensuring that these influence practice, policy and research at all levels.
The Head of Operations will work closely with the Chief Executive, Chair and Board Members to provide strategic leadership for the development of the LSN and for tide. They will have overall responsibility for all operations within LSN and tide, including office systems and functions, sales, procurement, quality assurance, finance and Human Resources. They will provide line management for the National Carer Involvement Leads, Finance and Resources Manager and the Learning and Development Lead. The post holder will require business and financial acumen to ensure that current and future operations continue on a sustainable and viable basis and can evidence positive outcomes and value for money in the market we are operating in.
With the Head of Business and Performance, monitor and review contracts with internal and external suppliers, including insurance, to ensure best value for LSN and tide.
Provide regular reports to the executive management team and the Board as required.
Manage and oversee the regular financial management accounts for the Finance sub-committee and the Board as required.


Men's Alvord 10 X-Wide Trail Running Shoe is rated 4.6 out of 5 by 48.
Take on the open trails in the Air Alvord 10 trail running shoes by Nike.
Rated 4 out of 5 by NO I dont think so from Nice shoe I received my shoes last week and put off wearing them for a week. I am so hard to fit that I dread buying shoes. I put the right shoe on and wore it around the house for a while and thought I would be able to wear them. I was so excited. I put the other one on and it was way too tight. I don't normally have a problem with the left foot. This time I did. It was like it was a different size shoe.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Ellie 12 from Great sneakers I bought these for my husband and he said they're the most comfortable sneakers he has.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Robert111 from It is great! I bought this pair of shoes with extra wide which is Comfortable and fashionable.
Rated 5 out of 5 by LauSav from great daily wear shoes Bought these for my dad and he loves them! they are great for guys with X-wide feet.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Rayy from Shoe is JUST RIGHT I have worn this pair of shoes for a month or so and find them very comfortable and stable. They do not rock side-to-side on rough ground so there is little chance of turning an ankle. the insole is well and firmly padded so stepping off a curb or into a depression is not a shock to knee or ankle. Width is sufficient for D o E size.
Rated 5 out of 5 by smithgirl040982 from Sharp looking shoe! Bought online for my son for school, nice looking shoe.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Boerboel from GREAT SHOE I have had these for a couple of months and they are amazing.
Rated 5 out of 5 by aBROhamlincoln from Very durable These are my favorite shoes. I bought extra to keep in the closet.


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John Carroll Awards 2018
Each John Carroll Weekend culminates with a black-tie banquet celebrating the John Carroll and Patrick Healy Award recipients. These awards are conferred upon members of the Georgetown community who...
Dr. Sylvia Morris
If you don't recognize Dr. Sylvia Morris (M'98) from school, you may have seen her on TV. She's been on CNN and the Weather Channel, just to name a few, talking to audiences about how to stay healthy...
Connecting and Uniting
CURA Program Brings Medical Alumni Together The CURA (Connecting and Uniting Residents and Alumni) Program was founded in 2005 with the goal of connecting Georgetown medical alumni, wherever they may...
Wall Street Alliance Honors Bill Anderson
Georgetown Delegation Tours East Asia
By Chelsea Burwell Continuing the university's commitment to strengthening engagement with East Asia, Georgetown President John J. DeGioia and a high-level delegation of university administrators...
Wall Street Alliance Honors Michael Psaros
Georgetown's African-American Community Celebrates the Annual Healy Dinner
Georgetown's African-American Community Celebrates the Annual Healy Dinner By Chelsea Burwell More than 200 alumni, students, faculty, and friends of the university came together to honor and...
What's in My White Coat?
Michelle Roett, MD, MPH (M'03), chair of the department of family medicine at Georgetown. "My lucky stethoscope!" laughs Michelle Roett, MD, MPH (M'03), chair of the department of family medicine at...
Black Alumni Summit Brings Thought Leadership to Campus
Alumni community discusses racial justice, arts, philanthropy, and more Alumnus Ayo Aruleba (C'17), Professors Soyica Colbert (C'01) and Marcia Chatelain, and Mélisande Short-Colomb (C'21)—a current...
Georgetown University Dental Legacy Classroom
Thanks to the generosity of more than 300 Georgetown Dental School alumni, a transformed space has opened in Med-Dent to host classes and serve as a permanent home for reunions. Dean Mitchell gives a...
Each John Carroll Weekend culminates with a banquet celebrating the John Carroll and Patrick Healy Award recipients. These awards are conferred upon alumni whose achievements and records of service...
John Carroll Weekend 2017 Austin
April 20-23, Georgetown welcomed alumni, family, and friends of the university for a weekend of social, cultural, and intellectual engagement at John Carroll Weekend Austin 2017. During four days of...


New four-star hotel opened in Budapest on Clark Ádám square on March 8th.
The four star Hotel Clark is perfectly situated in downtown Budapest, on the Danube bank, right next to the famous Chain Bridge, one of the most emblematic sights of the city. From the hotel you have easy access to all popular sites of Budapest, the station of the Buda Castle funicular is also next to the hotel entrance.


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Adaptations for Aquatic Life
Life in water
In the beginning, all life on Earth was aquatic. Although water covers over two-thirds of our planet, precisely how life in the oceans came to be is one of our unanswered questions. Many of these animals have been around for millions of years. Over time, they have adapted in such a way that allows them to live and reproduce in water. One unusual example of long-term ocean survival is that of the coelacanth. Fossils of this armored fish dating back more than 75 million years have been discovered, and it was thought to have been extinct. In 1938, however, one was caught off the coast of South Africa. Since then, more than 100 of these prehistoric, deep-dwelling fish have been examined. They have no scales or eyelids, as do "modern" fish, and have quietly kept to themselves in the deepest areas of the ocean.
For the most part, aquatic creatures spend their entire lives submerged. However, a few aquatic animals—those that are descended from land animals—come all or part of the way out of the water for one reason or another: sea turtles, pinnipeds, and penguins come ashore to breed, for example. Mammals, such as whales and dolphins, have also acquired some handy adaptive techniques for life in the water, coming to the surface only to breathe.
The smallest of the marine mammals is the sea otter (Enhydra lutris), at 5 ft (1.5 m) long, including the tail, and up to 70 lb (32 kg). The largest is the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus)—the largest animal alive—which can be 110 ft (33.5 m) long and weigh 300,000 lb (136,000 kg). To varying degrees, these mammals that have returned to the water have retained vestiges of their terrestrial forms, including hair, which only mammals have. Sea otters, seals, and sea lions are thickly furred; manatees and dugongs have a sparse pelage, but they have many whiskers around their mouths. Dolphins and whales are hairless, but in some species hairs are present at birth (they are soon lost). Sea otters have hand-like paws on their front legs, but their hind feet have become webbed, so that they're almost flippers. The four legs of pinnipeds have become flippers, and the sirenians have front flippers (some of them have fingernails), but no hind legs, and a flattened tail for propulsion. Whales and dolphins have no hind legs, flippers instead of forelegs, and a horizontal tail (fluke) for propulsion.
Evolution of aquatic animals
Marine fossils paint an idyllic scene of aquatic animal life in its infancy some 670 million years ago (mya): soft coral fronds arch from the ocean floor, jellyfishes undulate in the currents, and marine worms plow through the ooze. But a geologically brief 100 million years later, at the dawn of the Cambrian period, the picture suddenly changes. Animals abruptly appear cloaked in scales and spines, tubes and shells. Seemingly out of nowhere, and in bewildering abundance and variety, the animal skeleton emerges.
For more than a century, paleontologists have tried to explain why life turned hard. Hypotheses abound, some linking the skeletal genesis to changing chemistries of the seas and skies. Yet a recent analysis of old fossil quarries in Canada and new ones in Greenland is providing evidence supporting the notion that the skeletal revolution was more than a chemical reaction—it was an arms race.
High in Canadian Rockies of British Columbia, in an extraordinary 540-million-year-old fossil deposit called the
Burgess shale, a mid-Cambrian marine community comes to life. Like many less exceptional deposits, the Burgess harbors mollusks, trilobites (the ubiquitous, armored "cockroaches" of the Cambrian seas), and clam-like brachiopods. But other imprints in the smooth black shale dispel any image of a peaceful prehistoric aquarium. In these waters lurked a lethal cast of predators, eyeing little shells with bad intent: Sidneyia, a flattened, ram-headed arthropod with a penchant for munching on trilobites, brachiopods, and cone-shelled hyolithids; Ottoia, a chunky burrowing worm that preferred its hyolithids whole, reaching out and swallowing them with a muscular, toothed proboscis; and even some trilobites with predatory tastes. These findings have helped resurrect the arms race hypothesis: the 80-year-old idea that skeletons evolved primarily as fortresses against an incoming wave of predators.
Take Wiwaxia, a small, slug-like beast sheathed in a chain-mail-like armor. With two rows of spikes running along its back, Wiwaxia was the mid-Cambrian analogue to a marine porcupine. The chinks in its armor are telling. Some of Wiwaxia's spines appear to have broken and healed. The healed wounds of trilobite and Wiwaxia specimens suggest that predators strongly influenced the elaborate new skeletal designs of the mid-Cambrian.
What sort of creature could gouge such wounds in a tough trilobite? One likely culprit is Anomalocaris, the largest of Cambrian predators. This half-meter-long creature glided through the seas with ray-like fins and chomped with a ring of spiked plates that dispatched trilobite shells like a nutcracker.
From the treacherous maw of Anomalocaris to the healed wounds of Wiwaxia, much of the support for the arms race argument hinges on the Burgess shale collection. But what about the small shelly fauna that emerged 30 million years earlier? For an arms race hypothesis to be complete, predators must have roamed then, too.
New finds strengthen the case for an early Cambrian arms race. From an extraordinary fossil bed discovered in 1984 in north Greenland, predating the Burgess shale by perhaps as much as 15 million years, comes a jigsaw puzzle already assembled: a suspiciously familiar, slug-like beast sheathed in chain-mail armor, proposed to be the long-sought ancestor of the armored slug Wiwaxia.
The creature sports a disproportionately large, saucer-like shell at each end of its elongated body. From another fossil discovery at a quarry in south China, which appears even older than the Greenland site, emerges the bizarre Microdictyon. Unveiled in 1989 by Chinese paleontologists, Microdictyon is a wormish creature with a row of pointed appendages and a body studded with oval phosphate plates. About 30 quarries
worldwide are beginning to yield Burgess-quality fossils, with perhaps many more waiting to be discovered.
Since that explosion of new forms some 530 mya, however, few new marine animals have evolved. Analysis of the evolution of marine animals suggests that a sufficient variety of life forms in an environment suppresses further innovation. About 530 mya, during the Cambrian period, after a long period in which animals were essentially jellyfishes or worms, marine animal life exploded into a variety of fundamentally new body types. Arthropods turned up inside external skeletons, mollusks put on their calcareous shells, and seven other new and different body plans appeared; an additional one showed up shortly thereafter. But since then, there's been nothing new in terms of basic body types, which form the basis of the top-level classification of the animal kingdom called phyla.
Research presented at a 1994 meeting of the Geological Society of America lends support to the idea that once evolution fills the world with sufficient variety, further innovation may be for naught. There are only so many ways marine animals can feed themselves—preying on others or scavenging debris, for example. And there are only so many places to
do it: on the sea floor, beneath it, or some distance above it. When all the nooks and crannies of this "ecospace" are filled, latecomers never get a foot in the door.
Because water is so dense (up to 800 times denser than air), it can easily support an animal's body, eliminating the need for weight-bearing skeletons like terrestrial animals. Water is also more viscous than air, and this coupled with the high density has resulted in aquatic animals adapting a very streamlined shape, particularly the carnivores. This makes them very fast and powerful swimmers, enabling them to catch their prey.
Many of the adaptations of aquatic organisms have to do with maintaining suitable conditions inside their bodies. The living "machinery" inside most organisms is rather sensitive and can only operate within a narrow range of conditions. Therefore, aquatic organisms have devised ways to keep their internal environments within this range no matter what external conditions are like.
Most aquatic animals are ectotherms, or poikilotherms, or what is often referred to as "cold-blooded." As the temperature of the surrounding water rises and falls, so does their body temperature and, consequently, their metabolic rate. Many become quite sluggish in unusually cold water. This "slowing down" caused by cold water is a disadvantage for active swimmers. Some large fish, such as certain tunas and sharks, can maintain body temperatures that are considerably
warmer than the surrounding water. They do this by retaining the heat produced in their large and active muscles. This allows them to remain active even in cold water.
Aquatic mammals are able to keep their body temperatures more or less constant regardless of water temperature. Marine mammals deposit most of their body fat into a thick layer of blubber that lies just underneath the skin. This blubber layer not only insulates them but also streamlines the body and functions as an energy reserve. The fusiform body shape and reduced limb size of many marine mammals and organisms decreases the amount of surface area exposed to the external environment. This helps conserve body heat. An interesting example of this body form adaptation can be seen in dolphins: those adapted to cooler, deeper water generally have larger bodies and smaller flippers than coastal dolphins, further reducing the surface area of their skin.
Arteries in the flippers, flukes, and dorsal fins of marine mammals are surrounded by veins. Thus, some heat from the blood traveling through the arteries is transferred to the venous blood rather than the outside environment. This countercurrent heat exchange also helps to conserve body heat.
The air-breathers
Some water birds, such as cormorants and pelicans, simply hold their breath until completely out of the water. However, it is not appropriate for all air breathers to leave the water to breathe, especially if only a small portion of them can do it. This also has two evolutionary advantages: it reduces the amount of time at the surface of the water so they can spend more time feeding, and it reduces the amount of wave drag they encounter. The external nares of aquatic mammals, such as beavers, hippopotamuses, and dolphins, are always dorsal in position, and the owner seems always to know when they are barely out of water. A ridge deflects water from the blowhole of many whales. When underwater, the nares are automatically tightly closed. Sphincter muscles usually accomplish this, but baleen whales use a large valve-like plug, and toothed whales add an intricate system of pneumatic sacs so that great pressure can be resisted in each direction.
To avoid inhaling water, aquatic mammals take very quick breaths. Fin whales can empty and refill their lungs in less than two seconds, half the time humans take, even though the whale breathes in 3,000 times more air. Exhaling and inhaling takes about 0.3 seconds in bottlenosed dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). When swimming quickly, many pinnipeds and dolphins jump clear out of the water to take a breath. Cetaceans have the advantage of having a blowhole on top of the head. This allows them to breathe even though most of the body is underwater. It also means that cetaceans can eat and swallow without drowning.
The long, deep dives of aquatic mammals require several crucial adaptations. For one thing, they must be able to go a long time without breathing. This involves more than just holding their breath, for they must keep their vital organs supplied with oxygen. To get as much oxygen as possible before dives, pinnipeds and cetaceans hold their breath for 15 to 30 seconds, then rapidly exhale and take a new breath. As much as 90% of the oxygen contained in the lungs is exchanged during each breath, in contrast to 20% in humans. Not only do diving mammals breathe more air faster than other mammals, they are also better at absorbing and storing the oxygen in the air. They have relatively more blood than nondiving mammals. Their blood also contains a higher concentration of red blood cells, and these cells carry more hemoglobin. Furthermore, their muscles are extra rich in myoglobin, which means the muscles themselves can store a lot of oxygen. To aid in diving, marine mammals also increase buoyancy through bone reduction and the presence of a layer of lipids (fats or oils).
Aquatic mammals have adaptations that reduce oxygen consumption in addition to increasing supply. When they dive, their heart rate slows dramatically. In the northern elephant seal, for example, the heart rate decreases from about 85 beats per minute to about 12. A bottlenose dolphin's average respiratory rate is about two to three breaths per minute.
Blood flow to nonessential parts of the body, like the extremities and the gut, is reduced, but it is maintained to vital organs like the brain and heart. In other words, oxygen is made available where it is needed most.
Another potential problem faced by divers results from the presence of large amounts of nitrogen in the air. Nitrogen dissolves much better at high pressures, such as those experienced at great depths. When nitrogen bubbles form in the blood after diving, they can lodge in the joints or block the flow of blood to the brain and other organs. Aquatic mammals have adaptations that prevent nitrogen from dissolving in the blood, whereas human lungs basically work the same underwater as on land. When aquatic mammals dive, their lungs actually collapse. They have a flexible rib cage that is pushed in by the pressure of the water. This squeezes the air in the lungs out of the places where it can dissolve into the blood. Air is moved instead into central places, where little nitrogen is absorbed. Some pinnipeds actually exhale before they dive, further reducing the amount of air, and therefore nitrogen, in the lungs.
Unlike fishes, secondary swimmers (terrestrial animals that returned to an aquatic environment) have no such specific adaptations to the buoyancy problem. They all rely on simple density adaptations to help them. For example, the bones of diving birds are less pneumatic, and their air sacs are reduced (loons, penguins). Mammals that dive deep may hyperventilate before submerging, but they do not fill their lungs. Indeed, they may exhale before diving. Deep-diving whales have relatively small lungs. Sirenians, which may feed while resting on the bottom or standing on their tails, have unusually heavy skeletons; their ribs are swollen and solid. Likewise, the skeleton of the hippopotamus is also unusually heavy. The presence of blubber in marine mammals also contributes to their overall density, and walruses (Odobenidae) have two large air pouches extending from the pharynx, which can be inflated to act like a life preserver to keep the animals' head above water while sleeping.
The largest group of marine mammals, the cetaceans, is also the group that has made the most complete transition to aquatic life. While most other marine mammals return to land at least part of the time, cetaceans spend their entire lives in the water. Their bodies are streamlined and look remarkably fish-like. Interestingly, even though all marine mammals have evolved from very different evolutionary groups, there are certain similarities in lifestyle and morphology, and they are considered good examples of the principle of convergence. Convergent evolution is the process by which creatures unrelated by evolution develop similar or even identical solutions to a particular problem; in this case, life in water.
Ellis, Richard. Aquagenesis. New York: Viking, 2001.
Alexander, R. McNeill. "Size, Speed, and Buoyancy Adaptations in Aquatic Animals." American Zoologist 30 (Spring 1990): 189–196.
Butler, Patrick J., and David R. Jones. "Physiology of Diving Birds and Mammals." Physiological Reviews 77 (1997): 837–894.
Fish, Frank E. "Transitions from Drag-based to Life-based Propulsion in Mammalian Swimming." American Zoologist 36 (December 1996): 628–641.
Graham, Jeffrey B. "Ecological, Evolutionary, and Physical Factors Influencing Aquatic Animal Respiration." American Zoologist 30 (Spring 1990): 137–146.
Thompson, David, and Michael Fedak. "Cardiac Responses of Grey Seals During Diving at Sea." Journal of Experimental Biology 174 (1993): 139–164.
Webb, P. M., D. E. Crocker, S. B. Blackwell, D. P. Costa, et al. "Effects of Buoyancy on the Diving Behavior of Northern Elephant Seals." Journal of Experimental Biology 201 (August 1998): 2349–2358.
Gretel H. Schueller
Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia
"Adaptations for Aquatic Life ." Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. . Encyclopedia.com. 28 Dec. 2021 <https://www.encyclopedia.com>.
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"Adaptations for Aquatic Life ." Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. . Retrieved December 28, 2021 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/environment/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/adaptations-aquatic-life
Osmoregulation , Osmoregulation Osmoregulation means the physiological processes that an organism uses to maintain water balance; that is, to compensate for water los… Ecophysiology , Physiological Ecology The earth offers a huge variety of possible environments to inhabit: the hot arid environments of the desert, the salty environ… Locomotion , Animals have evolved an amazing variety of ways to get around. There are animals with no legs; animals with one appendage that serves as a "leg" (sna… Vertebrate , A vertebrate is an animal with a backbone. They also have internal skeletons and a system of muscles and bones that allows them to move about easily.… Estuary , Estuary Estuaries are unique and complex environments located between oceans and river mouths. As freshwater flows into the sea from land, it dilutes… Desertion , Desert A desert is generally a very hot, barren region on Earth that receives little rainfall. Most sources describe a region as being a desert if it…
Aquatic Ecosystems
Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises: Cetacea
adaptation, modes of individual
ADAPSO
Adapidae
adapical
Adapazari
adap.
Adani, Samuel ben Joseph
Adani, Saadiah ben David
Adani, Mizraḥi Shalom
Adani, Mahalal
Adani, David ben Yesha Ha-Levi (15th century)
Adani, David ben Amram
Adana, Plain of
Adana Conference
Adamz-Bogus, Sdiane
Adamthwaite, Michael 1981- (Michael Adamthawaite, Michael D. Adamthwaite)
Adams–Onís Treaty (1819)
Adamson, Robin 1938-
Adamson, Robert
Adamson, Mary Jo 1935-
Adamson, M(ary) J(o)
Adamson, Joy (1910–1980)
Adamson, Isaac
Adaptations for Flight
Adaptations for Subterranean Life
Adaptec, Inc.
Adapted Leisure Formats
adaptedness
Adapting to Climates and Landscapes
Adaptive Behavior Scales for Infants and Early Childhood
adaptive breakthrough
adaptive channel allocation
adaptive compression
adaptive culture
adaptive enzyme
adaptive interface
adaptive maintenance
adaptive meshing
adaptive process
adaptive quadrature
adaptive ray tracing
adaptive threshold
adaptive-control system
ADAPTS


CAROLYN M. ENG1,2, DANIEL E. LIEBERMAN1 and ANDREW A. BIEWENER2.
The human iliotibial band (ITB) is a complex structure in the lower limb derived from the fascia lata (FL) of the thigh that is unique to humans among apes but whose function is not well understood. The anatomy of the ITB makes it a candidate for elastic energy storage and recovery of the limb's fluctuating energy in swing. Because in vivo measures of human muscle and tendon function are limited and the FL of cursorial quadrupeds may be convergent with the human ITB, we used a goat model to examine energy storage. Sonomicrometry crystals were implanted in the FL to measure strain during locomotion. Using sonomicrometry and electromyography, we also examined how the tensor fascia lata and gluteobiceps (GB) muscles contract to transmit force via the FL.
If the goat FL stores energy at the end of stance and recovers the energy in initial swing, we would expect the FL to stretch through stance and then shorten after initial swing. During trotting and galloping, the FL stretches through the stance-swing transition and then shortens after initial swing. While the FL stretches GB actively shortens, indicating that the FL is stretched by GB contraction. These data indicate that the goat FL stores and recovers elastic energy during swing. These results suggest that swing phase energy storage in the human ITB should be explored further. The role of the human ITB in energy storage is likely to improve the economy of human gait and may provide insight into the evolution of bipedalism.


BING Control for Windows Phone 7 is used to provide the best mapping experience for the real time users in their application for location search or location variations etc. With the BING Map control, developers can combine the power of the Silverlight and Map control to provide rich user experience on to the mapping scenarios. Now let us see the process on how to use the BING Map control on to a Silverlight Windows Phone 7 applications and use some of its features.


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Home Intel News BizJet Bombardier to Expand Singapore Service Center
BizJet
Bombardier to Expand Singapore Service Center
Bombardier announced a significant expansion in the growing Asia-Pacific region.
Their Singapore Service Center will more than quadruple its current footprint, transforming the facility into a high-capacity, one-stop-shop super center, offering its customers a full gamut of maintenance, refurbishment and modification services required throughout an aircraft's life, directly on site.
"Our high-capacity, optimized Singapore Service Cener will bring industry-leading aircraft availability, faster turnarounds and greater convenience and peace of mind to Bombardier's growing customer base in Asia," said Jean-Christophe Gallagher, vice president and general manager, Customer Experience. "Customers will enjoy access to the complete range of OEM customer service and support right on their doorstep, 24/7, 365 days a year. This expansion is another key building block in our drive to enhance the accessibility of our OEM expertise for customers worldwide and to solidify our position as a leader in aftermarket services in the Asia-Pacific region, a pivotal growing part of our global network."
"This expansion is another testament to the robust ties that bind our two countries together," said the Honourable Jim Carr, Minister of International Trade Diversification. "This important Canadian investment in Singapore is a platform that will create new opportunities for Canadian business in the region, and further diversify Canada's export markets."
The Singapore Service Center announcement follows the October 3, 2018, news that Bombardier is growing its North American maintenance capabilities with the construction of an expanded service centre at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport. This facility will be inaugurated in 2020 and will more than double the current customer service footprint in Florida. These major investments and expansions are the next steps in providing worldwide customers with new, enhanced maintenance and refurbishment options. Located at Seletar Aerospace Park, the Singapore Service Center, which opened in 2014, will more than quadruple its current footprint from 100,000 sq. ft. (9,260 m2) to approximately 430,000 sq. ft. (40,000 m2) by 2020. The expansion will introduce exceptional new customer facilities, a full-service 37,000 sq. ft. (3,500 m2) paint facility, advanced interior finishing capabilities, with key support functions, such as training, sales and customer support and an expanded portfolio of component, repair and overhaul (CR&O) services. It will also offer heavy structural and composite repair capabilities, in addition to a 10,000 sq.ft. (929 m2) integrated parts depot.
The new expanded Singapore Service Centre will be capable of supporting more than 2,000 visits annually. The groundbreaking of the expansion will occur on February 27, 2019, with the facility being operational in 2020.
The Singapore Service Center currently employs more than 150 staff, including 100 licensed engineers and technicians, and has received more than 20 certifications and authorizations from international regulators to service the full range of Bombardier Global, Challenger and Learjet aircraft including the largest, most luxurious and longest range business jet ever built, the flagship Global 7500 aircraft.
In addition to offering scheduled and unscheduled maintenance and aircraft on ground (AOG) support, the Singapore Service Center is recognized as a center of excellence for complex retrofit work, including avionics and Ka-band installations.
"Bombardier's decision to establish a full suite of aftermarket capabilities at its Singapore Service Center will add to the vibrancy of activities at Seletar Aerospace Park," said Tan Kong Hwee, executive director, Capital Goods, Singapore Economic Development Board. "Bombardier's expansion in Singapore is testament to our attractiveness as an aerospace hub, and our ability to capture growth opportunities in the Asia-Pacific region. We look forward to forging stronger ties with companies like Bombardier, to grow the sector and create more good jobs for Singaporeans."
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CommBizJetMilitary


The wait is almost over – the 85th Oscars (formerly known as the Academy Awards) finally takes place this Sunday, February 24th.
This year's Oscars will be hosted by Seth MacFarlane, known for his work with the TV show "Family Guy." This will be his first time hosting the show.
The 85th Oscars will be airing on TV on ABC at 7 p.m. EST / 4 p.m. PST.
Update: Unfortunately the the Oscars awards ceremony is not streaming online at all. If you don't have a TV, you're out of luck. You can catch some sneak peeks, news updates, and exclusive access through the following websites at least.
Oscar.Go.Com is your one stop shop for anything and everything related to the Oscars, including a complete list of nominees. Another feature of this site is an in-depth history of the Oscar Academy Awards.
The Associated Press offers some streaming coverage of the Oscars, in addition to detailed news coverage of the event.
Oscars is the offical 85th Oscars app. While you can't watch the actual event through this app, it is still a great resource for tracking the Oscars – before, during, and after the event.
You can research nominees, view photos, watch trailers of the nominated films, and view video clips as well. Oscars also includes MyPicks, an interactive feature that allows you and your friends to predict the winners of the 85th Oscars.
In addition, the Backstage Pass feature gives you access to behind the scenes interviews, backstage and on the red carpet.
Like the Oscars app, you unfortunately can't stream the 85th Oscars with E! Entertainment's Live From The Red Carpet. But you do get live coverage from the red carpet, plus some more features.
This app focuses mainly on fashion – what the celebrities wear, what E! thinks they should wear, and what they've worn in the past. Live From The Red Carpet also includes interviews with celebrities and coverage of movie premieres and parties.
In addition, this app covers many other events such as the Grammys, SAG Awards, Sundance, Brit Awards, Golden Globes and the Emmys.
The Hollywood Reporter's Race To The Oscars app does not stream the 85th Oscars either. What it features is news stories about the upcoming event, plus a Twitter feed covering The Hollywood Reporter's tweets.
The Twitter feed also includes tweets from notable Hollywood figures such as film critic Roger Ebert.
The Race Blog is also included in the app, which covers news about Oscar rełated topics, ranging from interviews with directors, who will be presenting the awards at the 85th Oscars, and analyses of nominees.
Which nominees would you vote for in the 85th Oscars?
In your opinion, is there anyone or any movie that should have been nominated that wasn't?


With the ever changing times and laws, subscribing to a legal newsletter sounds less silly each day. Passing up the chance to review what is being said about what is going on regarding rights, legal actions, and what can be done to help put in the public word actually seems more silly.
There are many options for those who want to stay up to date with what is happening legally. The first one would be an attorney newsletter. Whether you are working for a firm that is interested in what is going on or you just want to be informed as an individual, newsletters are easy ways to get information quickly. Not to mention the fact that whatever you receive in print will be completely up to date.
Another option is a lawyer newsletter. You do not even necessarily have to be looking for a lawyer in order to pick one up. Heck, you really do not even need to be a lawyer. If legal affairs interest you, or if you are in fact looking to become a lawyer, receiving a legal newsletter can be beneficial in many ways.
Not only do legal newsletters offer information on the current events that are happening regarding to the law, but they refer to law that is happening world wide. It is a newsletter, after all, and they tend to want to contain as much information on their target subject as possible.
There are also quite a few reasons to want to pick up a legal newsletter the first of which is the fact that most of them are free. Granted most information can be found for free on the web, or even given from word of mouth, but having what you want to know on a page right in front of you does add a sense of convenience.
Legal newsletters also have purposes other than to provide information to the general public as well. They offer a helping hand to law firms and legal corporations in drumming up business and gaining reputations. A firm that writes a newsletter is sure to have clients become interested in them, because by having a newsletter in the first place shows that they care about what they do and how informed they want the people to be.
The law is not something that should be ignored or dismissed simply because it seems too complex or because it is easily disagreed with. There are many opportunities to get acquainted with what is going on legally that should be taken advantage of.
Besides, not many people should want to pass up the chance to sound incredibly knowledgeable should they get into a discussion on law. Especially if that person happens to be a lawyer!
When you are looking to find out what the recent changes in the laws are and keep on top of things in your industry, you can subscribe to an attorney newsletter. By subscribing to an attorney newsletter, you will have the best chance of keeping up to date on what is happening with your sector of law. The law is constantly changing and while you may get law books to read, getting a newsletter is a great way to make sure that you know what is happening.
Finding the best attorney newsletter to subscribe to can make a world of difference in how easily you are able to keep up to date on recent law changes. When you are searching for the right lawyer newsletter to subscribe to, you can find a website that will give you the help that you need. Finding a lawyer website will allow you to read about an assortment of information that is pertinent to legal professionals.
Finding a great attorney newsletter to read will help you find out all the changes that are occurring on a regular basis. Whether you are interested in seeing what laws have actually been passed or just more information on what is happening in your state's judiciary system, you can find a legal newsletter that will give you the best chance of finding the information that you are searching for.
Subscribing to an attorney newsletter can be one of the best decisions that your firm makes. A newsletter can provide you with a wealth of information that is targeted to your industry and will help you to stay abreast of the changes that are occurring. A newsletter that is specific to your field is one of the best tools that you can have to find out what changes have happened and what your firm needs to do to stay on top of these changes. Finding the best newsletter source will give you the greatest chance of being able to acquire the information that you need.
You will be able to find an attorney newsletter that is exactly what you have been searching for. Reading the right newsletter can provide you with the information that you need to be able to make changes in your firm to stay compliant with the new laws. Also reading an attorney newsletter will help you to find out information for your clients.
After the University of Cincinnati studied the results of divorces during August 2012, they discovered men are far more likely to turn to drinking than women are. Furthermore, studies show more than one million people every single year in the United States have parents that file for divorce or separate. The sad news is around 41 percent of marriages in America end up in divorce. The good news is there are ways to help alleviate the stress and dreadful process that is typically associated with filing for a divorce. Hiring an Orange County family law attorney will help you reduce the amount of stress you are experiencing during family problems. Comparing attorneys and reading reviews is a move in the right direction if you are looking for the best Orange County family law attorney.
If you are in your second marriage, your chances of getting a divorce increase for 41 percent to 60 percent. Studies show a higher percentage rate of second marriages ending in a divorce. Things get even worse if you are in your third marriage, as studies show the divorce rate for third marriages begin around 73 percent. A family law attorney orange county will walk you through the entire process on how deal with your divorce, or other family issues, such as child custody. An Orange County family law attorney also handles DUI cases, which cause problems in families as well. Whether you are seeking an Orange County DUI lawyer, or you need to find the best Orange county dui attorneys, you have plenty of options to choose from online.
There are a number of legal newsletters and periodicals available for legal professionals. Some of these lawyer newsletters are produced by individual firms, advertising newly hired personnel, successful cases, and directing clients and business partners to articles published by the partners, and other attorney newsletters are published by professional legal councils, associations, and more. These lawyer newsletters offer a number of forums and topics for legal professionals to consider, contribute to, and read. Many of these articles regard imminent legal decisions and the precedents they could set, debating the implications of precedent, and various aspects of civil liberties, while others examine the historicity of attorneys and their career. Some of these articles look at laws around the world and other pressing global issues.
Even if you are not a professional lawyer, picking up a lawyer newsletter will help to keep you apprised of domestic and foreign affairs, as well as giving you insight into the implications of the various courses of action that the courts could take. Lawyers benefit from maintaining a critical approach to the legality and implications of various decisions, and they are generally trustworthy with their research and findings. Lawyer newsletters often use currently contentious issues to increase their readership, offering various opinions and differing viewpoints. These newsletters have also begun to publish some of their articles online and venture into the social media sphere in order to reach an increasingly technological generation. Some of these online subscriptions that are now available offer interesting posts, such as debates between lawyers, judges, and law professors. Some may even offer job postings from local law firms or other companies focused on the legal profession.


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Filini, Broad Quay: Review
La Passione, St Michaels Hill: Review
I recently blogged about a new Italian restaurant that has opened on St Michaels Hill, on the site of a former curry house. We finally had the chance to pay them a visit for a pre-pub meal, with mixed thoughts on the food…
Owned by the people with the restaurant with the same name in Kingswood, La Passione offers a variety of pastas, pizzas and meat and fish dishes at fairly standard prices. It's a tardis of a place, with a narrow exterior opening up to a small waiting area and a spacious dining room inside.
Despite the smartly laid tables and luxuriously comfortable chairs, the bare walls and the silence of the place (there was one other table dining on the night that we chose to visit) gave the restaurant a slightly strange feel, punctuated only by the dulcet tones of Frank Sinatra crooning through the speakers.
Prices here are fairly standard for Italian restaurants – most pizzas and pasta dishes are under £10, with meat and fish dishes hovering between £10 and £15. They also offer a lunchtime deal of any pasta or pizza for £5.95.
Expect to see a lot of standard Italian fare on the menu – lasagne, carbonara, cannelloni – but also a range of dishes that are a little different, including my choice of main course. The menu features some of the same dishes as the Kingswood restaurant (you can see the Kingswood menu here), but it's refreshing to see that it's not completely the same.
All three of us went for starters – a Prosciutto Con Bufalo Mozzarella (£4.95) which was quickly demolished, and a Polpette Della Casa (£5.50)…two large meatballs in a rich tomato sauce. Very impressive portion sizes for the price!
I decided on the Bruschetta Napoli (£3.95), simply topped with tomato, onion, basil and olive oil, and served with a large side salad.
The bread itself was delicious, saturated but not overly so by the olive oil, with the crust still nice and crisp and the centre soft and full of flavour. Fresh basil and tomato are always a winning combination, and again, the size of the portion was certainly generous. I'm not sure the side salad was needed, though – I ended up with a massive plate of food that looked rather sloppy as a result.
Onto the mains, and a Spaghetti Al Pesto (£8.95) for one of our table. A bit of a deceptive title, as the sauce included tiny shell-off prawns as well as a huge amount of pesto – tasty enough, but there was a little disappointment about the fact that such small prawns had been used and didn't have a great deal of flavour. Our table also ordered the Penne Con Pollo (£9.95) which was deemed a hit, the combination of chicken, cream, garlic, mushrooms and chilli working well together.
I normally go for a pizza or pasta dish when at Italian restaurants…but this time I branched out and chose from the 'Poultry' section of the menu. The Pollo Caserola (£12.50) intrigued me, having not seen it on the menu anywhere else before. Chicken on the bone, stuffed with cheese and ham before being breadcrumbed and cooked in a Marsala and cream sauce…maybe not the healthiest option, but it sounded great!
The chicken itself was beautifully cooked, still tender and moist, and the amount of cheese and ham was perfect. Sadly, the sauce let the meal down, though, being overly sweet and sickly, and destroying a lot of the flavours. Without the sauce, it would have been great.
The chicken was served with 'a selection of vegetables of the day'. The potatoes were fantastic, but the carrot, cauliflower and broccoli added a bit of a 'school dinner' feel to the dish. A shame, as with a few tweaks I'd have really enjoyed my meal…
It would have been rude not to look at the dessert menu when it was offered…but here we faced a further disappointment when presented with a card with photographs that suggested that the tiramisu, banoffee pie, cheesecake and other desserts (most of which were not Italian) were bought in.
We passed on dessert, but were offered a complimentary shot of sambuca each by our waiter (no idea why, but the other table were also given a free drink), paid our bill, and left.
A bit of a mixed experience overall, with both hits and misses. As I say, it's not an overly expensive place, and the lunch deal sounds like great value. It's good to see that their Kingswood restaurant is thriving enough for them to open a second restaurant, and I wish them every success.
Address: 146 St Michaels Hill, Bristol, BS2 8DA
Website: Not available at the time of writing.
Tags: eating out, italian, la passione, restaurant review, st michael's hill
2 Responses to "La Passione, St Michaels Hill: Review"
1 | Alex B
Passing the other day, it looks like it's closed down. The curse of St Michaels Hill strikes again!
Oh wow. That didn't last long at all!