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The Free Library > Science and Technology > Physics > Journal of Nanotechnology > January 1, 2017
The Free Library > Date > 2017 > January > 1 > Journal of Nanotechnology
Flame Spray Synthesis and Ammonia Sensing Properties of Pure [alpha]-Mo[O.sub.3] Nanosheets.
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The orthorhombic phase of Mo[O.sub.3], commonly known as [alpha]-Mo[O.sub.3], has been used for variety of applications in gas sensing of ammonia [1, 2], Li-ion intercalation in batteries [3-5], pseudocapacitors [6-8], and hydrogen absorption [9]. Recent studies have led to development of [alpha]-Mo[O.sub.3]-polymer composite electrodes with a greatly improved cycling behavior for use in aqueous lithium [10] and sodium [11] rechargeable batteries. The layered structure of the material consists of Mo[O.sub.6] octahedra held together by Van der Waals forces. The layered structure and the ease of Mo(VI)/Mo(V) coupling enable Mo[O.sub.3] to be of interest in electrochemical systems [12]. For gas sensing, this polymorph has shown high specificity to detecting ammonia gas through a reaction process involving the reduction of the oxide [13,14].
[alpha]-Mo[O.sub.3] was synthesized by our research group through various different routes (sol-gel process, sputtering, electron beam deposition, electrospinning, etc. [2, 13, 15]). Also it was studied in diverse configurations (nanoparticles and nanowires [2,13]). However, in order to be able to manufacture ammonia sensors based on nanostructured [alpha]-Mo[O.sub.3] in large quantities, a scalable nanomanufacturing process needs to be used for the materials synthesis. Flame spray pyrolysis is such a process, and it is explored here for the synthesis of Mo[O.sub.3]. The methodology used to produce particles at a laboratory based FSP setup can be transferred to a foundry for bulk synthesis of the material. Aeroxide P25 Titania from Evonik Industries is an example of commercial Titania nanopowder synthesized via flame aerosol technique. Apart from the commercial aspect, the advantage of flame spray synthesis lies in ease of fabrication, elimination for the use of expensive raw materials, uniform size distribution, and high purity of product. Flame synthesized particles offer small particle size along with high surface-area-to-volume ratios; these characteristics make them desirable for gas sensing and electrochemical applications.
Earlier synthesis by other workers of Mo[O.sub.3] via flame spray pyrolysis relied on Ti[O.sub.2] doping to stabilize the [alpha]-phase [16]. However, doping agents tend to create long-term stability issues in sensing materials [17] and thus pure [alpha]-Mo[O.sub.3] is the desirable product of FSP processing.
2. Experimental Method
Mo[O.sub.3] particles were synthesized via flame spray pyrolysis (Tethis nps 10) technique. A 0.68 M solution of ammonium molybdate tetrahydrate (Sigma-Aldrich 277908) was prepared in a mixture of distilled water and dimethylformamide in a ratio of 5:1, respectively. The solution was vigorously stirred to obtain a homogenous mixture. The solution was then filled in a syringe and fed into the FSP system at a rate of 5mL/min. The flame was comprised of 1.5 slm (standard liters per minute) methane and 3.0 slm oxygen gas. A 5 slm oxygen gas flow was used as dispersion gas. The particles obtained after FSP process (as-synthesized particles) were black in color; upon thermal treatment at 500[degrees]C for 5 hours, the color of the particles changed to white (calcined).
The powders were characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM, LEO 1550) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM, JEOL 1400) and selected area electron diffraction was carried out on both as-synthesized and calcined samples. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA, Perkin Elmer Diamond) was conducted on the as-synthesized samples. The particles, both as-synthesized and calcined, were also characterized using XRD (Rigaku MiniFlex II) and FTIR (Thermo Scientific Nicolet 6700).
For sensing experiments, sensors were prepared by drop coating a slurry of as-synthesized particles in ethanol on sensor substrates. The sensors were then thermally treated at 500[degrees]C for 5 h. Sensing data was collected using a gas flow bench and multimeter. A stable baseline was obtained for the sensors in extra dry air; 485[degrees]C was used as the operating temperature. Sensing data was collected for ammonia in the concentration of 4, 2.5,1, and 0.5 ppm.
3.1. Phase Characterization and Thermal Stability. XRD data for powders before and after thermal treatment was obtained (Figure 1(a)). The XRD pattern obtained for as-synthesized powders coincides with JCPDS file 80-0757, which is for triclinic ammonium molybdenum oxide [(N[H.sub.4]).sub.2]([Mo.sub.4][O.sub.13]). The formation of compound can be attributed to the flame degradation of precursor, ammonium molybdate tetrahydrate, and entrapment of ammonia and water vapors inside the powders during particle formation. In case of XRD for powders upon calcination the peaks observed coincide with JCPDS file 05-508, which is for [alpha]-Mo[O.sub.3]. The FTIR analysis of the powders is shown in Figure 1. In case of the FTIR spectrum for as-synthesized powders, peaks are noticed at 840, 850, 980, 1400, 1640, and 3140 [cm.sup.-1]. The peaks at 3140 and 1640 [cm.sup.-1] can be attributed to water as per NIST database [18]; the peaks at 840 and 980 [cm.sup.-1] relate to N-H bonds and inclusion of NH3 in thesample [18]. Onlyonepeak found at 850 [cm.sup.-1] relates to the Mo-O-Mo [19]. For powders received upon thermal treatment, peaks were noticed at 818, 850, and 999 [cm.sup.-1]. The strong peak at 850 and the weak peak at 818 [cm.sup.-1] are a result of Mo-O-Mo bond, with the weak peak being a resultant of asymmetric molybdenum stretching [19]. The strong peak at 999 [cm.sup.-1] is a resul to f Mo=O [19,20], which indicates a layered structure. No peaks were obtained for water, indicating that the water molecules included in the precursor were decomposed during processing.
Thermogravimetric analysis was performed on the assynthesized powders from room temperature to 580[degrees]C under oxygen atmosphere. Figure 2 shows the effect of temperature on the powders. A sharp drop in the weight is noticed at 325[degrees]C, indicating the decomposition of ammonium salt and formation of [alpha]-Mo[O.sub.3]. The decomposition temperature for [(N[H.sub.4]).sub.2]([Mo.sub.4][O.sub.13]) was found to be in accordance with the literature [21], where an endothermic reaction was reported at 317[degrees]C; N[H.sub.3] and [H.sub.2]O were the decomposition products and [alpha]-Mo[O.sub.3] was reported as the final product. No change was noticed upon further increasing the temperature to 550[degrees]C or during the cooling process indicating formation of a thermally stable phase.
3.2. Particle Morphology. Figure 3 shows the Scanning Electron Micrographs obtained for as-received (Figures 3(a) and 3(b)) and calcined (Figure 3(c)) Mo[O.sub.3] powders. Metal oxides in the form of nanorods (20-40 nm diameter covering spheres (~1 [micro]m diameter)) were observed for the as-received powders. Since the morphology of [alpha]-Mo[O.sub.3] is usually in the form of nanorods/nanosheets/nanoribbons, due to its layered structure, the nanorods found on spherical particles of as-synthesized material were characterized using TEM and SAED (Figure 3(d)). The nanorods were found to be amorphous; SAED pattern picked up signals from lowly crystalline particles in the background. However, no evidence was found for the existence of [alpha]-Mo[O.sub.3] in as-synthesized samples. The micron sized particles, which were spherical in nature, were of ammonium molybdenum oxide and a product of the FSP synthesis.
For the calcined powders, the morphology observed was nanosheets with thicknesses in the range of 20-40 nm, width in the range of 700-800 nm, and length in the range of 1-1.5 [micro]m. Such morphology was reported earlier for flame synthesized Mo[O.sub.3] in doped form [16] and by our group for Mo[O.sub.3] obtained after thermal degradation of electrospun mats [2]. The formation of the nanosheets is due to the low energy configuration for [alpha]-Mo[O.sub.3] particles. The thermodynamically stable form consists of 2 similar chains of Mo[O.sub.6] octahedra aligned in ab configuration [22]. The as-synthesized particles reported here are bigger compared to those reported earlier due to higher concentration of precursor (increased agglomeration in chamber) and lower flame temperature (incomplete evaporation of particles).
3.3. Ammonia Sensing. The calcined Mo[O.sub.3] particles were tested as ammonia sensor operated at 485[degrees]C in extra dry air and ammonia in the concentration (denoted by C on graphs) of 4 ppm, 2.5 ppm, 1 ppm, and 0.5 ppm. The sensors showed fast response time of 40 seconds. The sensing data is plotted against time, as can be seen in Figure 4(a); R (y1 axis) versus time represents the change in resistance when a signal of ammonia was introduced; C (y2 axis) versus time represents the times when a 3-second pulse of ammonia was introduced. The sensors were found to show high sensitivity; the sensitivity of the sensors at different concentrations of ammonia is shown in Figure 4(b).
The sensors showed a fast response to ammonia, with a strong drop in resistance, even at low concentration. Most of the earlier reported Mo[O.sub.3] based ammonia sensors have been shown to detect 10 ppm or higher concentrations of ammonia. Gouma et al. [15] have been able to detect concentrations of ammonia down to 50 ppb using spin coated Mo[O.sub.3] synthesized through sol-gel process. The current flame synthesized sensor was not tested for such low concentration, however, when the two sensors are compared for their sensitivity for 1 ppm of ammonia; the flame synthesized sensors show a slightly better sensitivity (0.2) compared to spin coated ones (0.14). The sol-gel derived sensor showed a sensitivity of 0.012 at 50 ppb concentrations; the FSP sensor, although not tested for low ammonia concentration, can be expected to perform at the same level as the sol-gel derived sensor. The comparable performance of the FSP derived sensor to sol-gel opens the path for commercial synthesis of the sensors for breath diagnostics. In their current form, the flame synthesized sensors show a sensitivity of .05 at 500 ppb range and serve as better sensors in automotive applications [23].
Our study successfully demonstrates the synthesis of pure undoped [alpha]-Mo[O.sub.3] through flame spray pyrolysis process. The sensors obtained show fast response and recovery times, good sensing resolution, and high sensitivity at low concentrations of ammonia. Moreover, the sensing results were found to be comparable to sol-gel derived sensor developed for breath diagnostics. Hence, the synthesis method opens the pathway for commercial synthesis of [alpha]-Mo[O.sub.3] sensors for breath diagnostics.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/7016926
The authors state that there are no competing interests regarding the publication of this paper.
This project was sponsored by National Science Foundation DMR no. 1106168. Research was carried out in part at the Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, which is supported by the US Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, under Contract no. DE-SC0012704.
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Gagan Jodhani, Jiahao Huang, and Perena Gouma
Department of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Stony Brook University, 100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
Correspondence should be addressed to Perena Gouma; pelagia.gouma@uta.edu
Received 30 June 2016; Accepted 8 November 2016
Academic Editor: Carlos R. Cabrera
Caption: FIGURE 1: (a) XRD pattern on as-synthesized and calcined Mo[O.sub.3] powders. (b) FTIR pattern on as- synthesized and calcined Mo[O.sub.3] powders.
Caption: FIGURE 2: TGA analysis of as-synthesized powders.
Caption: FIGURE 3: Scanning Electron Micrographs of (a) as-synthesized molybdenum particles. (b) High magnification image of as-synthesized molybdenum particles. (c) Molybdenum particles after thermal treatment. (d) TEM image of nanorods in as-synthesized samples.
Caption: FIGURE 4: (a) Sensing data for ammonia at 485[degrees]C. (b) Sensitivity plot for ammonia.
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Q: Typescript cannot detect parameter types on generic methods in index signatures I have an interface defining an index signature:
interface MethodCollection {
    [methodName: string]: (id: number, text: string) => boolean | void;
}

Everything's good here, any method I add to such an object will have their parameter types recognized correctly:
var myMethods: MethodCollection = {
    methodA: (id, text) => {
        // id: number
        // text: string
    }
}

Now, I need to add a type parameter to these functions:
interface MethodCollection {
    [methodName: string]: <T>(id: number, text: string, options: T) => boolean | void;
}

The moment I do this, the TypeScript compiler barfs up:

Parameter 'text' implicitly has 'any' type
Parameter 'options' implicitly has 'any' type
Parameter 'id' implicitly has 'any' type

And indeed, neither can IntelliSense trace the correct types any longer, they all become implicit any:
var myMethods: MethodCollection = {
    methodA: (id, text, options) => {
        // id: any
        // text: any
        // options: any
    }
}

Why is this happening? How can I use generic methods with an index signature? I'm using Visual Studio 2013, my project is set to use TypeScript version 1.6.

A: You can make the type inference work by making the interface generic, and specify it when creating the variable.
interface MethodCollection<T> {
    [methodName: string]: (id: number, text: string, options: T) => boolean | void;
}

var myMethods: MethodCollection<string> = {
    methodA: function(id, text, options) {
        // id :number,
        // text: string,
        // options: string
    }
}

With VSCode and tsc 1.9.0 (current typescript@next), it's the only way it works.
That wouldn't allow you to have different types for different methods though.
You can however give an optional type to the MethodCollection.
var myMethods: MethodCollection<string | boolean> = {
    methodA: function(id, text, options) {
        // options is string | boolean
    }
}

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Naval Hospital Bremerton's Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Darrius A. Cooley was one of eight instructors teaching and supervising 15 corpsmen from mid-April to June 1, 2018 during the Hospital Corpsman Trauma Training.
The initiative is a unique partnership between Navy Medicine, Capt. James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center (Lovell FHCC) and John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County to improve the knowledge, skills, and abilities of corpsmen.
"This training was extremely valuable to any Sailor who may find themselves in a trauma environment. This training can almost guarantee that when they eventually encounter a trauma patient on the battlefield or on board ship, they will be prepared to provide medical care. We focused on real world trauma regardless of the environment," said Cooley, a Laurel, Mississippi native with Fleet Marine Force and Surface Warfare designations.
The training consisted of a week's worth of classroom training at Lovell FHCC, followed by six weeks of trauma training at Cook County, focusing on Trauma Resuscitation, Trauma Intensive Care Unit, Burn Unit, and the Emergency Department.
Cooley and his students witnessed patients arriving at all hours. Many were bloodied, some were bandaged – all were battered and bruised. They were wounded from stabbings, automotive casualties and gunshots.
"The primary focus of the training was to provide Sailors with the skills and clinical knowledge needed to provide medical care in a complete trauma environment. The opportunities provided were world-class. The amount of trauma opportunities far surpassed any training I had been exposed to prior to this temporary assigned duty," Cooley said.
Cooley, NHB's Directorate of Administration leading petty officer and surface force independent duty corpsman, knows firsthand of what he teaches. He has deployed on operational tours at sea, along with multiple combat tours in Iraq in 2003 and 2004.
During the seven-week HM Trauma Training, Cooley's typical day had him working 12-hour shifts from the initial didactic portion into the hands-on, hospital rotation phase. From classroom to clinical, his entire focus was on his students, responsible along with the other instructors, for the day-to-day coordination of all medical topics during the didactic phase.
"The curriculum held at FHCC included IV insertion, Basic Life Support and Tactical Casualty Care, to name a few. At the hospital, the trauma rotations consisted of shifts in the Trauma Resuscitation Area, Emergency Department, Burn Intensive Care Unit and Trauma Intensive Care Unit," said Cooley, noting that the other instructors were acute care nurses, clinical care nurses, and intensive care nurses.
Corpsmen also went through the Tactical Combat Casualty Care Course in the FHCC Simulation Center, featuring an immersive, interactive environment that realistically simulated conditions on an urban battlefield.
"The training was focused on real-world trauma regardless of the environment," said Cooley.
In the hospital, Cooley and the other instructors functioned as medical providers and extended members of the hospital staff during their shift rotations. The students worked alongside civilian counterparts as well as Navy peers.
"When dealing with any trauma care patient, the goal is to identify and treat the life-threatening conditions, while still managing similar medical concerns with other patients," Cooley said, adding that the students were taught to work as a team, rapidly assess other needs such as supplies and medical instruments required, all while trying to keep cool under enormous pressure to save someone's life.
"The most gratifying moment during the entire training evolution was when we had multiple trauma cases come in at once and every Sailor was able to use the training they received to provide continuous care during a staff shortage. During that moment, we were all like, 'hey, the training actually does work,'" related Cooley.
The benefits of the training included improved readiness and clinical competency, increased corpsmen knowledge, skills, and abilities and enhanced future partnership framework. The value of teamwork was also continually emphasized.
"Team dynamics were an important part of our clinical rotations. Teamwork was learned in the controlled (classroom) environment and sharpened in the actual trauma environment. Teamwork was an important skill used throughout every facet of the trauma center. Everything in the trauma environment requires teamwork," Cooley stated.
That teamwork and training also included guidance on the uncomfortable reality if – and when – a trauma patient didn't make it. Death in a simulation lab is academic. A fatality in real-life is a stark reminder that caring for severely wounded casualties can be an emotional rollercoaster.
"Unfortunately, as a team we experienced multiple deaths during our trauma rotations. However, I am extremely proud of how our Sailors conducted themselves during those events. They handled every situation with compassion and caring regardless of the situation. I am extremely proud to have worked with this group of Sailors," said Cooley.
The feedback from students, as well as instructors, has been positive.
"Overall, the opportunity to train and mentor the next generation of Navy Medicine professionals was an amazing opportunity that I will remember for the rest of my life," Cooley asserted.
As will those trauma care patients they worked to save.


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A lady in need of protection... Suffering through a short marriage to an enemy of Scotland, Lady Emilia MacCulloch manages to escape just before her husband dies. But the Ross Clan will stop at nothing to get her back, for she plays a big part in their plans to thwart Robert the Bruce. She fears not only for her life, but for her family who will be labeled traitors. Placed by her king as a governess in the household of a devastatingly handsome warrior, Emilia finds herself drawn to the man when she had previously sworn off love altogether. His passion, charisma, loyalty, and strength shake the very foundation she's built around her heart. A warrior in need of saving... Ian Matheson has spent his entire life trying to prove himself. To belong. When his father passes away and his mother takes her vows at a nearby abbey, he is suddenly left in a position he was wholly unprepared for. And then his father's dozen illegitimate children arrive on his doorstep in need of a father figure of their own. They are adorable and reckless, and he's certain they'll drive him mad. Just when he thinks he might actually need to find a wife to help him, Lady Emilia is presented to him by the king. She needs his protection and he needs her help with the bairns. Ian is tempted by her angelic face, her fiery tongue, and the secrets that surround her. He must resist the growing desire that's laying claim within him. He must prove to his clan that he is a worthy leader. But maybe, just maybe, he can have the respect of his people and Emilia, too.


text:
In Pursuit of Greed for PC DOS
GREED Demo v7.0
3D-Action / FPS sci-fi shooter 1st-person
In Pursuit of Greed
Online version of In Pursuit of Greed for PC DOS. In Pursuit of Greed (also known as "Assassinators") is a science fiction-themed first-person shooter (FPS) game released in 1995 on DOS, developed by Mind Shear Software and published by Softdisk. Greed was written in C and Assembly and based on the Raven Engine (also used in Shadowcaster) by Id Software. This engine was roughly between Wolfenstein and Doom tech-wise. The graphics were pre-rendered from 3D Studio Max. Music for In Pursuit of Greed was written by Andrew Sega (Necros of the Psychic Monks). The player's goal is to collect various artifacts to reach a required level of value. There are secondary artifacts as well but the primary is required to complete a level...
SoftDisk logo
Mind Shear logo
Cyborg - Tobias Locke
Intro - Welcome aboard hunter
Start of the game...
PC DOS, Gameplay
Mind Shear Software
In Pursuit of Greed downloads & info
In Pursuit of Greed is currently playable only in version for PC DOS.
Online emulated version of In Pursuit of Greed was originally developed for the IBM PC and compatible computers, with MS DOS - Microsoft Disk Operating System. It is an OS for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft and released in 1981 as PC DOS 1.0.


We are currently looking for Supply teachers to work in a variety of daily, short and longer term supply contracts across Radlett and Hertfordshire.
Radlett is extremely busy on the supply teaching front - with an excellent range of primary schools and parking at the majority of the schools, it makes Radlett an excellent area to supply teach in.
Working as a Supply teacher can give you the ability to choose, and can be a fun and flexible way of working in a job you love. We can take into account your preferences to travel, key stages you feel comfortable with and the number of days you want to work.


please tell me there is an easy way - other than reincarnation - to divorce a GOTA spouse?
There is a link somewhere which after pressing will automatically divorce you. I'll go look…..I think it's in the wiki.
There is no in-game way of breaking a Marriage Pact once it has been accepted. The following links can be used to remove a current Pact, but are unsupported by Disruptor Beam, and may result in unintended effects in your game.
have tried the first link a couple times today only to get a 500 error.
the problem was that copy/pasting the link into address bar results in error: link is preceded by forum address and all punctuation is transformed to ASCII. edited to appear correctly and VOILA! i am D-I-V-O-R-C-E-D!
why there isn't a simple button to do this in-game is beyond me!
For the code is dark and full of errors. Any DB employees who knew how to read it, let alone fix it have long since left the building. No one has the balls to attempt to edit anything for fear that the game might break into many pieces. Hence the quadzillion 'workarounds' created by players and lack of any bug or QoL fixes. None dare to enter the realm of DB codingesteros!
The official response is that there is no divorce in Westeros (despite a veritable panapoly of examples from the source material…) therefore there is no divorce in Game of Thrones Ascent.
End 10 pacts and you get the oathbreaker badge! Break three marriage pacts and you get the Married more than Margaery Achievement!
I am so happy I didn't have to RI just to get out of my marriage and SO GRATEFUL the geek squad here created this lovely work-around because no WAY was I going to start over and PL back to my 1800 level.
I would like to continue to be able to use my arm without surgery!
I think the options you discussed would be great and I've written the response for them already lol.
the problem was that copy/pasting the link into address bar results in error: link is preceded by forum address and all punctuation is transformed to ASCII. edited to appear correctly and VOILA!
This is the answer I'm looking for, but i don't understand what you fixed for the link to work. can you explain what you did.


Ayurvedic Blissful Indian Head Massage is known as a marma balancing massage; marmas are vital energy points in the body that are the junction of consciousness and matter. Meaning our vital life force energy flow called prana. The body has 107 marma points including the 7 major chakras with 25 located in our head and neck alone.
Experiencing this massage is remarkably beneficial to opening blocked energy channels and balancing both your mind and body. It is exceedingly detoxifying as it specifically works the lymphatic system throughout and encourages the elimination of toxins and toxic thoughts that connect to the brain and the conscious and subconscious mind. It also serves to relieve chronic neck and shoulder stiffness and stimulates the scalp for hair growth. You will experience a deep sense of calmness, clarity and connectedness in one treatment.
This is an upper back, shoulders, upper arms, neck, scalp, ears and face massage. Ayurvedic carrier oils are traditionally used in this form of massage specific to your mental, physical type and emotional state further personalized by my application of Certified Pure Therapeutic Essential oils by doTERRA.


Car Safety Features - Car is Useless if it Doesn't Have 6 Safety Features!
Your Car Is Useless If It Does Not Have These 6 Safety Features!
Car safety features – With the festive season round the corner, many car enthusiasts have plans to buy a new coupe.
The car manufacturers look geared up too, with many new launches lined up for the last quarter of the year.
These companies promise the best of features, making it confusing for the buyer to choose the best car available in India.
Which features are indispensable in a car? – This is the most pertinent question when buying a vehicle. While some features are avoidable and shelling out extra on them is a waste of money, there are some others which are essential.
This is one of the most common features of a car today. The car owner may open the vehicle with the help of a remote. Keyless entry into a car is useful when the driver is in a hurry to get into the four-wheeler, especially during emergencies.
ABS helps in preventing wheel lock-up and it automatically modulates the pressure of the brake at the time of an emergency stop. The driver can easily control the steering and stop the car immediately. This feature is of great use while driving on slippery surfaces.
Parking sensors alert the driver of obstacles during parking of the car. Various car brands use exclusive names for this feature, such as, Electric Power Steering (EPS), Market Park Distance Control, Parktronic, Park Assist, and more.
These headlights give a better view of the road at night and help prevent accidents. They work according to the steering speed, car elevation, and they also adjust as per the road conditions.
Some cars come with this special feature which gives an alert when the tyre pressure requires adjustment. It also gives an indication when the tyre is optimally filled.
This is another important safety feature available in some cars. These airbags work as a cushion during accidents and save the car passengers from injuries.
Contemporary cars come with many other specs, some of which are important, while others are not. It is significant for prospective buyers to do a good study of the features required and decide on buying the car based on these specifications.
Car safety features – In short, buy a car which has the features you need. Do not fall prey to the seller's marketing tactics!


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text:
Under the microscope: Dumble Overdrive Special
By Simon Law (Guitarist) 2017-06-23T10:12:42.173Z
Up close with Robben Ford's legendary guitar amp
(Image credit: Joby Sessions/Future)
As one of the true pioneers of boutique amplifiers, Alexander Dumble forever changed the tonal landscape of guitars in the 1960s - and with little more than 300 of his amps in existence, they remain the Holy Grail of tone. Here, Simon Law examines the Overdrive Special, with some help from his friend and colleague Robben Ford…
In a recent feature, I discussed how some of the biggest names in guitar playing history have invented their own unique guitar tones - sometimes very much by accident, coincidence or maybe something more. The name Howard Alexander Dumble may not mean much to the man on the street, but the amplifiers this gentleman has produced over the last 50 years have gone on to gain almost biblical status among us tonehounds.
Read more: Anderson Guitarworks Guardian Angel
Dumble's name will go down in tonal history and people will ask, 'Have you tried one?' To which most, unfortunately, will say no
I, myself, have been almost obsessed with the Dumble story since the mid-1980s. Here, I present to you the Dumble Overdrive Special - and not just any old Dumble. This is one of a pair that belongs to one of the legends in Dumble's story, Mr Robben Ford.
Both Robben Ford and Alexander Dumble (he dropped the name Howard in favour of his middle name) grew up in the Bakersfield area of California. At this time, the West Coast of the US was an absolute melting pot of music - and musicians who would gather from all over the world. Alexander's own family was hugely musical and from a very young age his interest in musical instruments and electronic equipment would throw fuel on the fire of his passion for rock 'n' roll and, most importantly, the electric guitar.
Alexander started producing amplifiers in the early to mid-1960s, and by the end of the 70s he had built amps for some of the very biggest names in guitar history, including David Lindley, Jackson Browne, Lowell George of Little Feat and Bonnie Raitt. Later, he would also go on to build amps for Larry Carlton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Johnson and, most importantly to this feature, Robben Ford.
Alexander was, and is, no slouch on the guitar. People who have heard him say that he's a most accomplished player. This guy actually played in a band called Captain Speed who opened for Jimi Hendrix. He has unwittingly gained absolute legendary status in the guitar world. This is a man with one goal: to make the finest, most responsive guitar amplifiers ever created.
He never wanted to be a hugely successful businessman or, heaven forbid, a household name. We must remember that he's only produced around 300 amplifiers, and yet to this day and for ever more, guitarists will whisper the name "Dumble" in dimly lit backstage areas, or type it into a search bar on an internet forum. His name will go down in tonal history and people will ask, 'Have you tried one?' To which most, unfortunately, will say no.
If I could keep one of Robben's Dumbles, it would be this one… but it would cost me in excess of £100,000
While on tour, Robben and I have spent many a happy hour in a van or tour bus discussing guitars, amplifiers and, most notably, Robben's Dumble amplifiers. His most famous amp is his Tan Dumble (serial number 102) bought from Alexander in around 1983. The pictures here feature Robben's second amp, one that he bought from Alexander around 1993.
To my ears, they are both slightly different. The Tan one has a more pronounced treble response and strong midrange, whereas this black head has an overall warmer tone with a gentle scoop in the midrange. If I could keep one of these amps, it would be this one… but it would cost me in excess of £100,000 and, of course, neither amp is for sale!
Robben joins me in conversation here to discuss how, over the years, he has forged a bond with Dumble that goes beyond mere friendship; they are tonal comrades. When Robben describes a sound, Alexander knows exactly what he means and how to achieve it. And the story of how this all came about is a little mystical in itself…
Stumbling on Dumble
Did you have any involvement with Alexander Dumble prior to him making an amplifier for you?
"I have a vague recollection of meeting him in a small club in Palo Alto, California, when I was playing with my brothers' band, The Charles Ford Band. Alexander has since told me we definitely met there and he introduced himself to me.
He told me he'd got the idea to build the Overdrive Special from listening to me play through a 60s piggyback Fender Bassman and cabinet
"We chatted for a while and he told me he'd got the idea to build the Overdrive Special from listening to me play through a 60s piggyback Fender Bassman and cabinet - I've always been very proud of that. I think it might have something to do with the really warm relationship we both have. I consider him a really close friend; I mean, like family."
When did you first get the chance to actually play through a Dumble amp?
"The first time I played through one, having not met him, [it] belonged to a guy called Andy Brauer, who had a little shop on Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood, and he rented out gear to musicians.
"I don't remember how I met Andy, but I knew he had an Overdrive Special and I would rent it from him for gigs. I had no amplifier that I really liked for what I was doing at the time. It was a while before I finally had enough money to afford one, but when I did we finally got together and he designed my amp."
So, Alexander got the idea to build the Overdrive Special from listening to you, but you still didn't own one yourself?
"That's right. He'd had the idea years before I'd bought an amp from him. He got the idea for the Overdrive Special in maybe 1971 or '72 after hearing me play, and he would come and listen to me often back in those days. We were playing the Santa Cruz area a lot at that time, and that's where he was based by then. In fact, we both moved to Southern California at pretty much the same time."
And this was all still way before you'd had your own amp built?
"Yeah, absolutely. It was, like, a whole 10 years earlier than that."
That's amazing. It's not how I'd have imagined it at all - I've always thought you were one of the first owners of those amps. How were those early Dumbles in comparison with what you had been using up until that date?
I really feel that a 100-watt Dumble amp is my amplifier and is very important
"They had way more clarity, more power. Of course, these were 100-watt amps and I had been using Fenders that were, like, 40 or 50 watts - so a lot more 'headroom', I guess you'd call it. I mean, they had the 50-watt switch on there and my own amp has that switch and I quite literally don't like it.
"Most of the combos were 50 watts and I never played through a combo that I liked, so I really feel that a 100-watt Dumble amp is my amplifier and is very important. The speakers also can make a big difference. I don't remember what cabinet I was using at that time; it may have been a Dumble also."
Going back to the early days when you were using the Fender Bassman, were you using any additional boost pedals or overdrive pedals at the time?
"Nope, just straight into the amp - no pedals, no reverb either - cranked way up."
Dry and loud!
"Yeah, I know! I cant even believe it myself. I mean, we were young, we didn't know what we were doing, everything was pure luck. It was pure luck I even had that amplifier. Would you like to know the story of how I acquired that [Bassman] amp? In junior high school I had a terrible little group, four of us. Nobody could really play. I played bass, saxophone and sang.
"The other guitar player's father was head of a savings bank in Ukiah, California, so they were pretty wealthy by our standards. The mother, who had to put up with all our rehearsals, would come into our room and talk to us. One day she decided to take her son down to San Francisco and buy him whatever he wanted for the band. He picked out a Fender Bassman for me and a Bandmaster for himself.
"At this point, I had bought my first cool guitar, a Vox violin bass, he had a Vox six-string guitar. We had these two amplifiers and we were in junior high school! I kept the amp at my house all the time and after we'd finished school and gone our separate ways I kept the Bassman amplifier. It really was by complete luck that I had that amp that lead onto the inception of the Dumble Overdrive Special."
If that had been any other amplifier you'd acquired, then, the Overdrive Special may never have been made?
It's crazy to think it may never have happened. It's similar to the story of why Jimi Hendrix ended up using Marshall amps: if he'd never been introduced to his drummer, Mitch Mitchell, who had been having drum lessons at Jim Marshall's music shop, then Jimi's relationship with Marshall amps may never have happened, either. He may never have conjured up the tones he did, and that could have been the same with you, too…
"It's true - very different."
Loud, not proud
You mentioned earlier on about the importance of speakers. Alexander was mainly fitting Electro-Voice (EV) speakers at the time - did you ever use EVs?
"I used EVs in the beginning in a 2x12-inch cabinet I asked him to build for me. It would have been at his suggestion, because at that time I knew nothing about speakers. It was also Alexander who suggested the Celestion 65s, because I'd told him, 'Man, I'm just so loud!' And they're also so damned heavy. I needed to get my volume down, but I do like the sound of the EV speakers. I still think they're the best speakers I've ever heard, but they're just too loud."
And too heavy. Leading up to the time of you getting your amplifier, who were you playing with then?
Along the way, as he's found ways to improve his amps, he would have mine back to make these improvements
"I'd been playing with Joni Mitchell and then George Harrison. I'd been using a Fender Twin fitted with Altec Lansing speakers. I'd saved up some money and was pretty much doing nothing for a year while living in Boulder, Colorado. I started playing with Joni again for a while and moved back to California. This was towards the end of the 70s. I had also landed my record deal, so I decided to buy a Mesa/Boogie. I'd heard Larry Carlton play through one and it sounded really great. However, I did not get on with it. I recorded my first album with everything but the Boogie.
"Steve Cropper produced that record [The Inside Story], so I was maybe using a tweed amp of his and an Ampeg. I was even using an early Roland amp. I was just trying everything to find my thing. I was really searching.
"The Boogie was then, again, too loud - you had to crank it way up to make it sound good. The Yellowjackets band was also coming together at that time, so I carried on renting the Dumble from Andy Brauer until I could afford my own in maybe '81 or '82."
Tell us about the process of purchasing the Dumble. Did you just order it or did you go to his workshop for a 'fitting' of sorts?
"I only remember an initial meeting of what I wanted, but not a lot was said. He was already building Overdrive Specials and he knew my sound and my playing. I was already in love with the amp I had been renting, so he just built it. I had a single 12-inch speaker cabinet I was using at the time with an EV or something in there, and I was going to use that with my new amp."
When you received your new amp, did you bond with it instantly or did it have to be modified in any way?
"I think maybe a few minor changes were made. One thing we did work on was the overdrive - yeah, we made some tweaks to the overdrive, but basically it's stayed the same. Along the way, as he's found ways to improve his amps, he would have mine back to make these improvements on [it]. He would get excited about improvements he would make to the amp, but, generally, things stayed much the same."
How important do you think that amplifier has been to you over the years - to your sound and to your growth as a player?
It's incredibly muscular. It makes it very hard to play anything else after that. I don't like having to adapt to other amplifiers now
"Yeah, well, one thing I find about the Dumble amplifier that is unique is that it's incredibly muscular. I think you know exactly what I mean by that. It does affect the way you play; you have to become more 'muscular' as a player to take advantage of the amp's muscle, and that has definitely affected the way I hit the strings and the way I play a note. It's all integrated. It also makes it very hard to play anything else after that. That's how it feels to me, anyway. I don't like having to adapt to other amplifiers now."
To players of your calibre, the smallest differences in your equipment can have a huge impact. If you get a crappy backline amp one night, how can you be expected to do 'your thing'? The Dumble seems so instantly responsive under your fingers - it's almost scary! It makes you want to become a better guitar player when playing through a Dumble, as there's nowhere to hide. It has such a touch-sensitive quality about it, it can be quite unnerving…
"Yeah, sure. Even recently, I've discovered how much these amps are a part of my sound. You were playing through my amp in soundcheck and I could hear 'my sound'."
Have you ever tried any of the amps that are trying to replicate the Dumble sound? If so, what have you thought of them and do they fall short?
"Yeah, I have. I've tried Bludotone and Two‑Rock - although they're quite different now - but they all fall short. I mean, they get maybe 70 per cent there, but that extra 30 per cent is enormous. It's way too much for me."
What is Alexander like to deal with? You get to hear such fabled stories about his eccentric character!
"Alexander and I have known each other for a long time, and he's a brilliant guy, but there can always be awkward moments. It's like having an awkward moment with Miles Davis - you always forgive it, because he's brilliant. What one person can bring to the party is so much more important than one awkward moment. I'm sure other people have had difficult dealings with him - and Alexander is way less forgiving than me - but we have always had a cool relationship. He's my friend."
The Overdrive Special By Howard Dumble: this 1992/3 amp features the very rare 'By Howard Dumble' signature in gold lettering. This was used for a very short time in the early 90s; up until then the inscription read 'By Dumble'.
This amp is currently fitted with JJ 6L6 GCs, but they were originally fitted with Philips 6L6s or Groove Tube 6L6s. Sometimes Mr Dumble even used the highly prized and rare Philips 7581s, which are a hard-to-find, super-high power variant of a 6L6.
The two inputs are marked FET and NOR (MAL). FET stands for 'field effect transistor' and, broadly speaking, is a solid-state, buffered input.
Mr Dumble added this so players could match their lower output guitars to their higher ones, single-coil versus humbuckers, etc. In this instance, the FET input is never used.
Signal Access sockets
The rear of the amp features a pair of 'Signal Access' sockets; these are effect send and return sockets for use with the Dumblelator device, which enables the player to match external effects units to the amplifier perfectly.
Robben rarely uses these now, but he has used the Dumblelator to sync with a TC 2290 Delay unit. If the sockets are not used it seems to sound nicer with a short patch cable inserted.
The front panel also offers the player some interesting presets: Bright on and off, Deep on and off, Rock and Jazz. Robben's playing and attack have plenty of natural brightness, so extra is never needed.
The Deep switch can get way too big if used at loud volumes; the Rock and Jazz gives the player the choice of either dead clean (Jazz) or big and dirty (Rock).
Overdrive section
The Overdrive section of the amp is very sensitive to how the first volume dial is set. When it's dialled in, the Overdrive can take you from smooth blues to full-on rock. Robben sits between the two, mostly.
Robben's board
Robben's touring pedalboard features the Hermida Audio Zendrive, itself often regarded as having Dumble-esque overdrive voicing, here with Volume and Gain set just below 12 o'clock and the Voice control at about 1pm.
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County Manager David Ellis will ask for the board's approval to begin negotiations to give the park to Fuquay-Varina, at no cost, Commissioner Greg Ford said in a Facebook post.
In his own Facebook post, Commissioner Matt Calabria said he also looked forward to the negotiations.
The county spent just over $4 million to buy the property from The Conservation Fund, a nonprofit that conserves natural and open space.
Fuquay-Varina Mayor John Byrne had no comment Wednesday. The next Fuquay-Varina Board of Commissioners meeting is Tuesday.
South Wake Park Project leader Ron Nawokczyk said he is cautiously optimistic.
"If the property is going to be saved permanently as a park, and not sold off as surplus property, then that is a huge step in the right direction," he said.
Meanwhile, Ford received a glitter bomb — a device that releases glitter when opened — at his home in late January.
The incident was first reported by CBS17. A related message said "Make better decisions next time," the TV station reported.
His daughter opened the package, thinking it was a recently ordered toy.
It was sent anonymously in the mail through a company called Ruin Days, which has several glitter bombs and other "pranks" listed on its website. Ford told other county commissioners about the glitter bomb in case they also received one. Eventually county staff was notified, including the Wake County sheriff. A deputy was sent to Ford's home to investigate the glitter bomb.
It's up to law enforcement whether to file charges, Ford said. Efforts to reach the Sheriff's Office were unsuccessful. A sheriff's office spokesperson speculated the glitter bomb might have been sent by someone unhappy with Ford's vote to list the former Crooked Creek Golf Course as surplus property, according to CBS17.
Members of the South Wake Park Project "categorically condemn such a childish prank," according to a statement Wednesday.


California Code of Regulations, Title 8, Section 3011. Machine Rooms and Machinery Spaces.
§3011. Machine Rooms and Machinery Spaces.
(a) Enclosure of Machine Rooms and Machinery Spaces. The enclosure shall be building walls, ceiling material, and fireproofing conforming to the governing building codes. The material and height limitations outlined in this section establish the minimum standards for machine room enclosures. These regulations are not intended to supersede applicable local building codes establishing higher standards.
(1) Elevator driving machines, motor generator sets, controllers, and auxiliary control equipment shall be installed in a room or enclosure set aside for that purpose.
Machines and associated equipment as installed before June 5, 1947, in machine rooms or machinery spaces accessible only to authorized attendants.
(2) Enclosures shall be of substantial construction at least 6 ft (1.83m) high, and if of openwork material shall reject a ball 2 in. (51mm) in diameter.
(b) Equipment in Machine Rooms of Power Elevators.
(1) Where the elevator machine and control equipment are located at the top of the hoistway, they may be located in a room or space containing other machinery and equipment essential to the operation of the building, provided that they are separated from the other machinery or equipment by a substantial metal grille enclosure not less than 6 ft (1.83m)high with a door or gate conforming to Section 3011(d). The grille enclosure shall be of a design which will reject a ball 2 in. (51mm) in diameter.
(A) Elevated machine or control areas within an equipment room shall have a wall or enclosure, including access means, that provides a barrier not less than 6 ft (1.83m) high above the adjacent floor. The raised platform shall be guarded by at least a standard guardrail with a standard toeboard.
(3) The enclosure for the elevator equipment shall be arranged so that passage through the machine room or enclosure is not necessary to gain access to other equipment or other parts of the building.
Exception: Passage to enclosed equipment installed within the elevator machine room to provide the ventilation required by Section 3011(f)(2)(A).
(4) Elevator machine rooms or enclosed areas shall be kept free of all materials except those used for repair or maintenance of the elevator. Machine rooms shall be kept reasonably clean.
(c) Access to Machine Rooms and Machinery Spaces. Permanent means for safe and convenient access shall be provided to all machine rooms, overhead sheave spaces provided with a floor, and secondary levels. This access shall be independent of the hoistway or car.
(A) A stairway, conforming to applicable building codes shall be provided from the top floor of the building to the exit door at the roof level.
(B) Where the passage is over a sloping roof having a slope exceeding 15 degrees from the horizontal, an unobstructed, permanent, and substantial walkway not less than 24 in. (610mm) wide, equipped on at least one side with a standard railing, shall be provided from the building exit door at the roof level to the means of access to the machine room or machinery spaces.
(A) Where the floor of the machine room or of the machinery space is more than 8 in. (203mm) above or below the floor or roof from which the means of access leads, stairs, or ladders shall be provided between such levels.
(B) Where the difference in levels is not more than 3 ft (914mm), a vertical ladder with handgrips may be provided.
(C) Where the difference in levels is more than 3 ft (914mm), stairs having a maximum angle of 60 degrees from the horizontal and equipped with a standard stair railing shall be provided.
1. Alternating tread stairs as permitted by Section 3234 of the General Industry Safety Orders.
2. Vertical ladders may be used where the differences in level are more than 3 ft (914mm)for access from interior building floors or from machine rooms to machinery spaces containing overhead sheaves, secondary and deflecting sheaves, or governors.
(D) A platform shall be provided at the top of stairs or ladders conforming to and where required by Article 4 of the General Industry Safety Orders.
(E) Standard handrails, guardrails, toeboards, and stair railings shall conform to the regulations of Article 2 of the General Industry Safety Orders.
(A) Have a minimum width of 30 in. (762mm) and a minimum height of 6 ft (1.83m) for machine rooms and a minimum height of 30 in. (762mm) for other spaces specified in Sections 3011(e)(2) and 3011(e)(3).
(C) Be provided with a spring-type lock to permit the door to be opened from the inside without a key.
Doors are not required at openings in machine room floors for access to deflecting and secondary sheave spaces provided the floor access opening is provided on all four sides with a standard railing, one side of which is arranged to slide or swing to provide access to the ladder or stairs leading to the secondary sheave space. Trap doors, where provided, shall have standard railings or guard wings on all open sides and shall be arranged to be secured in the open position. See Section 3011(e)(3).
(D) Keys to access the elevator machine rooms and machinery space enclosures shall be kept in the elevator pit. The keys shall be properly identified, located near the pit stop switch and shall be accessible from the pit access door. In buildings with banks of multiple elevators, the keys shall be kept in the elevator pit of the elevator with the lowest state identification number.
(e) Headroom in Machine Rooms and Overhead Machinery Spaces.
(1) Elevator machine rooms and machinery spaces not located over the hoistway shall have a headroom of not less than 7 ft (2.13m).
(A) Machine, control, and motor generator rooms, 7 ft (2.13m).
(B) Spaces containing only overhead, secondary or deflecting sheaves, 42 in. (1.06m).
(C) Spaces containing only overhead, secondary or deflecting sheaves, and governors, 54 in. (1.37m).
(D) Under Sections 3011(e)(2)(B) and 3011(e)(2)(C), the machine or supporting beams may encroach on the required headroom provided there is a clearance of not less than 3 ft (914mm) below the underside of machine beams or not less than 3 ft (914mm) above the top of overhead sheave supporting beams with at least a 2-ft (609mm)-wide clear passageway.
(3) Separate access to each secondary or deflecting sheave space shall be provided unless a clear passageway not less than 4 ft (1.22m) high and 2 ft (610mm) wide is provided from one space to another in multiple hoistway installations. This height may be reduced to 3 ft (914mm) between the machine beams and the sheave space floor.
(f) Lighting and Ventilation of Machine Rooms and Machinery Spaces.
(1) Permanent lighting and convenience outlets shall be provided and installed to comply with the requirements of CCR, Title 24, Part 3, Article 620.
(2) Machine rooms shall be provided with uniform natural or mechanical ventilation of sufficient capacity to maintain a temperature of not more than 104o F (40o C) regardless of outside temperature.
(A) Where mechanical ventilation equipment is provided, it shall be located outside the elevator machine room, where possible. When located within the machine room, it shall be isolated from the elevator equipment by an enclosure conforming to Section 3011(a).
(g) Work Space Required in Machine Rooms and Machinery Spaces.
(1) There shall be a clear work space and passageway at least 18 in. (457mm) wide on at least three sides of every elevator machine.
2. Parts that normally do not require service, repair, or inspection when the machine is in operation shall be provided with access, or can be made accessible when protective guards, etc., are removed, and adequate work space to perform the work is provided.
Note: The intent of this regulation is to locate the machine, with respect to the adjacent enclosure and other machine room equipment, so that safe and convenient access is provided for inspection, service, and adjustment.
Safe working conditions for future major repairs should be considered when locating the machine and adjacent equipment.
(2) Governors, motor generator sets, and other devices, shall have a clear work space and passageway at least 18 in. (457mm) wide and 78 in. (1.98 m) high on at least one side, and no passageway shall exist between various devices, or devices and the walls, less than 18 inches wide.
The commutator end of motor generator sets shall be exposed to allow safe access for servicing and adjusting.
(3) The clear work space in front of and in back of control panels and the passage space at the ends of control panels shall conform to CCR, Title 24, Part 3, Article 620.
(4) The clear work space in front of, and the accessibility of the power disconnect switches, shall conform to the requirements of CCR, Title 24, Part 3, Article 620.
(h) Identification Required. Where there is more than one elevator, each elevator shall be assigned a different number. This number shall be used to clearly identify all major components of that piece of equipment in the machine room and machinery spaces.
Authority cited: Section 142.3, Labor Code. Reference: Section 142.3, Labor Code; and Section 18943(b), Health and Safety Code.
1. Amendment of subsections (b)(3), (b)(4), (c)(2)(D) and (c)(2)(E) filed 6-23-77; effective thirtieth day thereafter (Register 77, No. 26).
2. Amendment filed 6-23-87; operative 6-23-87 (Register 87, No. 27).
3. Amendment of subsections (f)(1), (g), and (g)(3)-(4) filed 6-29-94; operative 7-29-94 (Register 94, No. 26).
4. Editorial correction of subsections (f)(2) and (g)(2) (Register 95, No. 26).
5. New subsection (d)(1)(D) and amendment of Note filed 5-8-2002; operative 6-7-2002 (Register 2002, No. 19).


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Home Sports News Cricket News Australia's Test skipper Tim Paine spills the beans on his retirement
Australia's Test Skipper Tim Paine Spills The Beans On His Retirement
Australia's Test skipper Tim Paine has spilled the beans on his retirement plans and has revealed that this might be his last summer for international cricket
Written By Koushik Narayanan | Mumbai | Updated On: November 19, 2019 09:35 IST
Australia's Test skipper Tim Paine has spilled the beans on his retirement plans and has revealed that this might be his last summer for international cricket with the side. Tim Paine, who etched his name in the records after leading Australia to retain the Ashes urn earlier this year, had assumed the role of the skipper during turbulent times when the Sandpapergate scandal rocked the Australian team. Taking over from Steve Smith, Tim Paine had quite a task on his hand and in the end, emerged as an able leader with the ability to marshall his troops. However, with the conclusion of Ashes, Tim Paine also spoke about when he was likely to bring the curtains down on his career.
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Tim Paine hints at his retirement plans
"It might be (my last summer), I'm not too sure," Paine told reporters. "But… I'm enjoying doing it. I feel good physically (and) mentally. So while that continues, I'm scoring enough runs and keeping well enough then I'd like to continue," he added.
"Our goal is to get back to that number one ranking and we want to win that Test Championship," he added. "To do that we're going to have to be good enough to win in India and we're going to have to be good enough to beat everyone, everywhere," he concluded.
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'Mental Well-being Is Our First Priority'
The Australia Test captain Tim Paine said that mental wellbeing is their first priority. Australia is going to play a two-Test series against Pakistan and Will Pucovski made himself unavailable for the Test squad in order to focus on his mental health. Apart from him, Glenn Maxwell and Nic Maddinson have also taken a break from the game to deal with mental health issues. The first match between Australia and Pakistan will be played in Brisbane from November 21-25.
Speaking to the media, Tim Paine said, "He's (Pucovski) a great young kid and it's sad to see him going through this. We know how talented he is. I think making the right decision to step away and take care of himself and get himself healthy and in the right state of mind is going to be important because we think he's someone who's got a huge Test future."
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We present a tractable, quantitative model of sovereign borrowing that delivers empirically relevant regularities, such as graduation from default, sovereign debt spreads that may be high for an extended period of time, high debt-to-GDP ratios, and high default rates. The model is an asymmetric-information extension of otherwise standard models of endogenous default on sovereign debt, with borrowing levels determined in equilibrium. Governments could be of different types based on their level of responsibility (cost of default as perceived by the politicians). Only the governments observe their level of responsibility. International investors try to infer the unobserved types based on the history of all observable actions, which gives irresponsible politicians an incentive to choose the same actions as responsible ones would. Governments could tolerate periods of high interest rates without defaulting to signal that they are of better type and to gain good reputation. This leads to lower interest rates during future recessions. For the same reason, even responsible governments should pay at first high interest rates in order to signal their type and thus "graduate from default" afterwards. A calibrated version of the model features these regularities, matches standard business cycle moments, and leads to a more realistic default rate in equilibrium, with parameter values same as in the existing literature.


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Hokuriku, Lacquerware and more
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Yamanaka lacquerware (called Yamanaka shikki in Japanese) is a type of lacquerware made in the Yamanaka Onsen (hot spring) district of the city of Kaga, Ishikawa prefecture. It utilizes an original Yamanaka technique for grinding wood. The main ob…
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Echizen lacquerware (called Echizen shikki in Japanese) is produced in the area around the city of Sabae in Fukui prefecture. Lacquer is at the center of life in the Echizen district of Sabae, which is known as the city of manufacturing. The notab…
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Unshu abacuses (called Unshu soroban in Japanese) are produced in the town of Okuizumo, Shimane prefecture. Japanese abacuses are traditional tools that use columns lined with beads that are quickly moved with the fingers to do calculations. They …
Wakasa lacquerware Wakasa nuri
Wakasa lacquerware (called Wakasa-nuri in Japanese) is produced in the area around the city of Obama, Fukui prefecture. It is said to have originated in the early Edo period (1603-1868) when a craftsman serving the Obama domain (now the city of Ob…
Kanazawa lacquerware Kanazawa shikki
Kanazawa lacquerware (called Kanazawa shikki in Japanese) is produced in the area around the city of Kanazawa, in Ishikawa prefecture. It was developed for the liking of feudal lords as it had the financial backing of the Kaga domain (present day …
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Kawajiri brushes are called "Kawajiri fude" in Japanese. Kawajiri brushes are mainly used for calligraphy and they are produced in the town of Kawajiri in the east of the city of Kure, Hiroshima prefecture. This town, lying at the foot of Mt. Noro…
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The Routeburn Track is another Great Walk in the Fiordland National Park. Well in facts, it is shared by two different parks (it's the only great walk on two of them!): Fiordland and Mount Aspiring.
As the hike is still around Te Anau, we decided to stay there for the three days we had after the Milford Track and take a bus that would bring us to the beginning of the track.
Going to and coming back from the Routeburn track is quite annoying, whatever solution you choose. The entry point (for us – because you can walk it both ways) is next to Glenorchy (about an hour away from Queenstown) and the end point is somewhere on the road that goes from Te Anau to Milford Sound (point called The Divide).
You see the problem? There is no short cut between the entry and the end point. You have to go all the way around Te Anau to get back to Queenstown and it takes about six hours to go from one side to the other by car.
The only viable option for us as we had to do the Kepler Track after (that starts in Te Anau) was to leave the car in the city and take a bus to the start and from the end. Otherwise we would have spent too much money on gas to get there and we would have to get the car back somehow (taking another bus which would have cost us the bus price + the gas).
The campground we were in in Te Anau offers to keep bags for as long as your walk is for $5 (if it is a small bag, $15 if it is a luggage or a bigger bag) and it also offers to park your car for $10 in the campground (or there is a free DoC parking in front of the camping). We preferred to take the paid option just for our peace of mind.
The bus that would bring us from and back the Routeburn track was leaving in front of the campground (perfect!). The company is called TrackNet and it costs $119 for the round trip. We left at 7AM on the morning of February 15th. The annoying thing was that we had to stop in Queenstown for lunch in order to get another bus to the start of the hike.
The good thing was that we had some friends in Queenstown and we got to see them a bit before leaving. They told us they were going to do the beginning of the Routeburn Track the next day, so we might get to see them on the track!
The second bus drove us through Glenorchy where the lake water was just stunning compared to the water in Queenstown. Surprisingly, when we got back to Glenorchy (after doing the Kepler Track), the water was not green at all. It was the usual blue you can think of for a lake.
I was a little scared to start the Routeburn Track because the day before it had snowed on the mountains and the DoC lady told us that on the day we will start the hike, at the higher point of it, it would be -6°C at 9AM.
We finally got to the starting point around 2PM.
The Routeburn Track is not like the Milford Track at all. Whereas in the Milford you can only walk it one way and sleep in all the huts (no camping allowed), on the Routeburn Track you can pretty much do whatever you like. You can walk it from The Divide to the Routeburn Shelter in Glenorchy or the opposite way. You can either sleep in tents or in the huts and you can do it in two days, three days, four days or even in one day (for the fittest one!), or do only a slice of it (on either side there is a summit to see).
We booked two huts and our first stop was Routeburn Falls. Not too far from the beginning, it allowed us to start the hike in the afternoon. The hike that day was kind if boring. We walked through the forest up to the hut.
Where the Milford Track forest was really beautiful, this one was not as much. You walk along a river that you can't really see in open views (always hidden behind trees).
There is a point where there is a really nice view over the valley though but you have the same view from the hut..
When we arrived to the hut, we saw first a huge one on the left. Ahah that is not the hut we were going to sleep in. That was a hut for the Guided Walks.
Milford Track had guided walks too. It is a walk that you pay much more than the unguided one but you don't have to carry anything except you clothes for the track and your bottle of water. Your lunch, break food and tea are carried by the guides. Same goes for the dinner, there is a restaurant in the hut where they take care of the food for you and you can even have hot showers. Plus, it is a real bed, kind of like in a hostel. Nice right?
Well I think it takes off the charm of doing a multiday hike but it is a nice option for those who would be scared to not succeed alone or for older people who still wants to see some beautiful landscapes without hurting their back too much (don't miss-understand me, you still have to walk).
The hut we had was quite big though with huge bunk rooms. The experience was kind of strange because during the Milford we were walking with the same people for the four days, here we didn't really know who was going to be with us for the three days, everyone was doing a different walk.
The ranger made a nice animation with making us group to recognize the more languages on the flags as we could. If we found 20, we got a chocolate bar. Unfortunately our team won but we only got 15 (that was really hard!).
The second day we woke up quite early (as usual on the tracks) in order to take our time on the hike. Well let me tell you something first. The night was FREEZING. It was so cold, gosh. I was hoping it would get warmer on the track because otherwise we would loose a finger or two.
The start of the walk with the sun rising over the valley was as cold as it was nice. We had the gloves, the hats and the hot jackets out.
The valley we had to cross was really beautiful. We go along on the side. We could see the sun rise over it all. What a magical spectacle. It is totally worth the cold and the lack of sleep.
I though that would be the best part of the Routeburn Track. My bad, that was only the beginning of the best part. When we reached the opposite side of the valley, the Harris lake revealed itself to us. Wao. That was beautiful.
You go along the side of a mountain to go around it with a perfect view on the lake.
The surprising thing at that moment was that we met a friend we made at the campground, he was doing the walk on the other side (as a day trip).
Reflection of the Darran's Mountains on a lake.
We finally arrived at Harris Saddle two hours and a half later. The view was already stunning but we decided to climb up the side track: Conical Hill.
This was quite a hard climb, very steep. You have to use your hands sometimes (often) and as the sun was not totally up yet, some rocks were slippery with light ice on them.
It took us a bit less than an hour to reach the top.
Oh my god. That view. 360° over the Darran Mountains, the Tasman Sea, the valley we just came from and we could even see the Te Anau lake. Add to that the snow on top of all the mountains because it snowed two days before.
No picture can ever tell how beautiful it was. You would have to make a 360° picture but even that wouldn't compare.
I was speechless. It was just so beautiful. I would have stayed for ever on top if I could.
Actually we stayed more than an hour on top. Our friends that we saw in Queenstown reached the top not long after us so we could catch up on top of the Fiordland.
Together on top of the Fiordland!
I was terrified of the Routeburn Track because it seemed way harder than the Milford Track (elevation wise), but it was not that hard and even if it had been, it was totally worth the climb.
The rest of the day was not as enjoyable (what could be after that!), we just walked along the side of the mountain, above the tree line for three hours, under the midday sun.
I was eager to reach the Mackenzie lake to be able to rest and enjoy that hut that is supposed to be the best hut of all the three hikes (Milford, Routeburn and Kepler).
Lake MacKenzie from the top! And the huts.
The walk was long but we finally made it.
Damn that lake was nice too. Surrounded by the mountains. I could see the night picture already. Zero light pollution and no sandflies.
What I liked about that hut was the beds. For once it was not only bunkbeds but there also was beds lined up next to each other.
The must? There was roof windows from which we could watch the stars falling asleep. What else could you ask for?
The hut ranger was from far the funniest one of them all. There is a "war" between the Fiordland rangers and the Mount Aspiring one. As the hike is divided between the two.
On the Mount Aspiring National Parc side, they say the others are "The Dark Side". And on the other side, the rangers also say crap about the other ones (in a funny way of course).
We were not the only one with the idea of going out to take night pictures that night. We were three or four out there next to the lake.
What a beautiful sky. I had never seen that many stars before. Even in Lake Tekapo that is supposed to be the darkest sky of New Zealand, there was not that many.
Shooting stars, Orion, the Magellan Nebulas and the milky way were our friends that night.
Day three was nothing compared to the previous day. We were back in the forest, walking up and down to the Divide where we had a bus waiting for us at 3:30PM.
There was a side track, called the Key Summit, that most people do in a day trip from the Divide (it's an hour up and down when you are on the track). I didn't want to do it as my feet were already dying and we had seen the most beautiful view the day before but Alexis went up. He confirmed what I thought, it was not as pretty as Conical Hill.
The end of the track is never ending, like on the Milford. When you know the end of the path is near, it looks like it is never going to be there.
We reached the Divide, finally around 1PM that day, glad to finally be back. I was a bit disappointed because there was no sign saying 'you did it!' like on the Milford.
Everyone told us that the Routeburn Track was more beautiful than the Milford Track (and more accessible because you can drive there and do one day trips contrary to the Milford). I don't know if I think that because I really loved the Milford Track and the experience there with the people and the MacKinnon Pass. But I also love day two of the Routeburn. Conicall Hill is definitely the best view you can ever get over the Fiordland and Lake Mackenzie the best night view ever.
If you had only one day, don't do the Key Summit. Keep your energy for Conical Hill. It will be way more worth it.
Have you done the Routeburn Track? How did you do it?