Use Amazon S3 as a lower-cost alternative to running your own backup cluster.
Run batch workloads such as ETL data pipelines on data stored in S3 on transient clusters run by Cloudera Altus or AWS instances provisioned by Cloudera Director.
Run Hive and Impala queries directly against data on S3 without copying it to HDFS first.
Migrate the data from long running AWS clusters using local storage into to S3-backed clusters.
This blog post takes you through a BDR-S3 replication use case. Initially we will backup the Hive tables from an on-premise cluster to Amazon S3. There will be another cluster deployed in AWS with only a small amount of storage to reduce the operating cost. We will then restore Hive tables to the cluster in the cloud. During the restore, we will choose the option of Hive-on-S3 which will not copy data to HDFS, but instead creates Hive external tables pointing to the data in S3. We will be able to run all possible operations on Hive tables while data remains in S3.
Backup to and restore from Amazon S3 is supported from CM 5.9 onwards and CDH 5.9 onwards.
When Hive data is backed up to Amazon S3 with a CDH version, the same data can be restored to the same CDH version.
The first step for using BDR's S3 replication is to add your AWS credentials in the Cloudera Manager Admin Console. Please refer to the documentation for configuring AWS Credentials. You'll need the AWS access key and secret key for Access Key Authentication.
Go to "Administration" -> "AWS Credentials".
Add the AWS S3 access key and secret key. This is a one-time setup step. Add the credentials using the Cloudera Manager Admin Console on both the source cluster and the cloud cluster where you will restore the data.
Backup to and restore from Amazon S3 operations use these keys to access the given bucket.
Suppose we have "customers" table in the "sales" database in Hive in the on-premise cluster and we want to take a backup. The following screenshot shows the information for the table. Please note the location of the table is in local HDFS.
Go to the source cluster from which you want to backup the Hive table.
Go to Backup -> Replication Schedules.
Click Create Replication -> Hive Replication.
Select the hive service as the source and select the AWS account that you added above as the destination. You will need to provide the S3 path and the names of databases and tables to backup.
Because we want to backup the data as well as the metadata of the table to S3, select the "Metadata and Data" option.
After successfully running the backup operation, you will see data in the S3 path you specified. Please login into AWS console and go to the S3 service. Then locate the S3 path specified to see that the data was copied successfully. As Amazon S3 provides eventual consistency for read-after-write, it may take some time for data to be in consistent state.
The "export.json" file created at root level of the specified s3 path contains Hive metadata in JSON format. The restore operation uses this metadata to create entities in the destination Hive service. The data files are created in S3 with the exact same path. The hidden file ".cdh_status_meta" created contains HDFS attributes for the "customers" folder. The hidden file ".000000_0.cdh_status_meta" created contains HDFS attributes for the data file 000000_0. The meta files are used for creating the files on the destination HDFS with full fidelity (all metadata attributes).
Note: We do not recommend manual changes to the files inside the given S3 path.
Now we want to restore the Hive data to the cluster on cloud with Hive-on-S3 option. With this option, the operation will replicate metadata as external Hive tables in the destination cluster that point to data in S3, enabling direct S3 query by Hive and Impala. The destination cluster can be created using Cloudera Director. Please refer the documentation for creating a cluster using Cloudera Director.
Go to the destination cluster where you want to restore the Hive table.
Click "Create Replication -> Hive Replication".
Select the AWS account you added above as the source and the Hive service as the destination. You will need to provide the S3 path containing the data and the names of databases and tables to restore. The S3 path should be the same path where export.json was created during backup.
Because we want to keep data in S3 and do not want to copy data to the destination HDFS, select the "Hive-on-S3" option. Before using this option, please make sure that Hive can access s3 locations. The documentation provides the steps for the same.
You can now run any operation on the "customers" table.
When restoring Hive tables using the Hive-on-S3 option, we create an external table pointing to data located in Amazon S3. When using this option, data is immediately available to query, and also can be shared across multiple clusters. This approach is especially useful for ETL and batch reporting workloads run on transient clusters where clusters are quickly created and torn down as needed. However, although the same queries may continue to be executed seamlessly after the restore, because data is in Amazon S3 and not a local HDFS filesystem (where compute nodes access data in direct attached storage), query performance will be slower, and will vary considerably based on the type and location of EC2 instances used for the cluster. Customers should consider this when using the Hive-on-S3 option, and allocate cluster resources for their workloads accordingly. We recommend consulting the AWS documentation on how to optimize the performance of accessing S3 data from EC2. Specifically, customers should always use EC2 instances located in the same region as their S3 buckets. Also, please review Cloudera's documentation for more performance tuning tips for running Hive on S3.
Performance of backup to Amazon S3 operation is better when there is a small number of large files vs. a large number of small files. Users should consider aggregating small files into one large file before running this operation. In our testing, backup to Amazon S3 of 100,000 7KB-files was around 150x slower than backup to Amazon S3 of 1000-1MB files. Note that these performance numbers are mere indicators of this effect, and your performance numbers may vary.
Due to network latency, the performance of backup to and restore from Amazon S3 is better when the cluster and the Amazon S3 bucket are closer geographically, particularly within the same AWS region.
Replicating HDFS data to Amazon S3 is an incremental operation. When files at the target location in Amazon S3 have not been modified, BDR will skip copying these files in successive replication runs, copying only the new files. As such, the initial replication run for may take much longer than subsequent runs, and is proportional to the size of new or modified files. Frequent replication will reduce the time it takes to keep the replica in sync.
How about support with Netapp s3 instead of Amazon S3 for backup and recovery ?
Netapp S3 and other S3 emulating appliances are not supported at this point in time.
This would greatly reduce the cost of having Active-Active environment. All we need to pay only for S3 storage which is pretty cheap.
Thanks a million, I really enjoyed reading your post!
Will BDR support Azure storage as well (e.g. BLOB, ADLS) for Hive and Impala?
Thank you Mark for your interest. The support for BDR to/from Azure storage is on our roadmap, but dates are not final yet.
Do you support BDR from to Azure blob storage and is it incremental?
With Cloudera Manger 5.15.0, we started supporting ADLS backup and restore of HDFS and Hive. We do not support Azure Blob for BDR in any version.
HDFS replication is incremental. Hive replication is full backup and restore in both S3 and ADLS.


The Pathway group is a forum for people to discuss general issues affecting their caring role such as finance, changes to services or housing for example. The group has two-way communication with the Carers Providers Forum and commissioners at the Islington Council. Islington Carers Hub chairs the meetings and they are attended by the Carers Commissioner from the Council. The group is also a way for the Council to consult with carers with the aim of improving carer involvement in service planning and evaluation of services.
The meetings will often have a guest speaker talking about a current topic of interest – suggestions for topics from carers are encouraged.
Membership is open to anyone in Islington age 18 or over who is providing unpaid care to another adult. Please note that we cannot provide individual casework at the meetings – but we can at our Advice Sessions! You may also find one of our Support Groups helpful.
We are looking for new members for the group to strengthen its voice and build on the excellent work that the members have put in to date. You are welcome to attend a meeting and just observe to see if it's for you. Meetings are usually once every two months in Islington Town Hall, Upper St., London N1 2UD (click on this link for how to get there) unless stated otherwise.
For more information about the group please contact us and you can download the Terms of Reference at the bottom of the page.
Click here to read latest minutes of the Pathway meeting.


text:
How to Dress Like Yuri Plisetsky
Yuri!!! on Ice Male TV Shows Anime
DryBlend Short Sleeve T-Shirt
Yuri Plisetsky Wig
Jersey Plisetsky Costume
Men's Tricot Lined Figure Skates
DryBlend Short Sleeve T-Shirt See on Amazon
Yuri Plisetsky Wig See on Amazon
Running Tights See on Amazon
Jersey Plisetsky Costume See on Amazon
Converse Chuck Taylor See on Amazon
Men's Tricot Figure Skates See on Amazon
Best Yuri Plisetsky Costume Guide
Yuri Plisetsky is and up-and-coming 15-year-old Russian ice skater and the main character in the Japanese anime sports series, Yuri!!! on Ice. The popular award-winning anime series, and soon to be movie, depicts the talent and sport of figure skating. The young prodigy, Yuri Plisetsky, has outrageous skills but is much more disgraceful off the ice having earned the nickname, nicknamed "Russian Punk." He is arrogant and how talented he truly is. Yuri believes that he is above everyone else and doesn't need to be kind to others. Dress up like the ice skating star with this Yuri Plisetsky costume guide.
Cosplay Yuri Plisetsky's look with a Yuri Plisetsky Wig, DryBlend Short Sleeve T-Shirt, Running Tights, Jersey Plisetsky Costume, Converse Chuck Taylors, and a pair of Men's Tricot Figure Skates.
Yuri Plisetsky Cosplay Costumes
Yuri Plisetsky from the Crunchyroll anime sports series Yuri!!! on Ice is a fun anime costume idea that may not be your first thought for a costume, but it's a great choice! Yuri is a gifted and good looking Russian figure skating star. He's the guy everyone wishes they could be. Now you can! Even if you don't have the figure skating skills (and even better if you do) this costume is still a great option for having a fun time at your next cosplay event!
First, you will want to wear a black short sleeve shirt with black running tights. Figure skaters need clothing that is flexible and breathable. Put on a medium length shaggy blonde wig that is similar to Yuri's hair style. Over you black clothing, throw on the Russia jacket that Yuri is often seen wearing in the series. To finish Yuri's look, lace up a pair of black Chuck Taylor Converse shoes with a pair of figure skates thrown over your shoulder. Now you're officially the most talented and popular figure skater from Russia! Send in a quick picture of your best Yuri Plisetsky cosplay look after following this costume guide!
About Yuri Plisetsky
Yuri Plisetsky is a 15-year-old Russian figure skating prodigy starring on the Crunchyroll anime sports show Yuri!!! on Ice. He's full of beauty and grace like you would imagine any championship figure skater to be. He has won the Junior World Championship twice and is on his way to winning even more competitions. While his figure skating skills are immaculate, his attitude is not quite as admirable.
Yuri is also known as the "Russian Punk" because he has quite a nasty attitude, looks down on others, and doesn't think he needs any additional training to improve his figure skating skills. Yuri has wonderful talents within the world of figure skating. Even though this sport is known for it's beauty, Yuri is known for his nastiness and for being down right rude to others. He learns throughout his journey how this affects others and what it does to diminish his reputation toward others.
Headmistress Fiora
Turn heads and be the focus of the party with this Headmistress Fiora costume from League of Legends.
Become a Supreme Being of the universe, dressed as Leeloo from the 1997 movie The Fifth Element.
Motoko Kusanagi
Cosplay Major Motoko Kusanagi, the cybernetic human that leads Public Security Section 9 in Ghost in the Shell anime.
Dress up like the evil villain Dick Dastardly, the star of Hanna-Barbera's Wacky Racers who races in "The Mean Machine"
Prepare to take the red pill dressed as Neo, the computer hacker leads a rebellion in the Matrix franchise.
Dress up in the trademark yellow gown as Belle, the princess from Disney's Beauty and the Beast.
Tai Kamiya
Get ready for your Digimon adventures with this Tai Kamiya costume, as seen throughout the popular Digimon series.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


JAKARTA: Indonesian stocks today may move in consolidated way with tendency to weaken. Several stock recommendations are quoted by Bisnis Indonesia today.
Jakarta Composite Index (JCI) will weaken but in limited room as it will test strong support level at 3,330.
The securities sets the second support at 3,315 and resistance level at 3,402. Reliance recommends buying SGRO, BBRI, BDMN, and ASII.
The brokerage predicts the index to move around 3,334-3,457 with recommended shares like ASII, SMGR and BMRI.
The JCI may move at the range of 3,334-3,414. Techically, the JCI is estimated in mixed position and nearly oversold despite unfavorable regional factors.The sentiment of Garuda Indonesia's IPO is predicted to propel the JCI. Stocks to watch: BBCA, SMCB, and BNGA.


Peripheral Arterial Disease (P.A.D.) is when plaque builds in the major arteries of the legs, arms and pelvis. Stemming from the accumulation of hardened low-density lipoprotein in your circulatory system, P.A.D. can lead to numbness, pain and dangerous infections.
Plaque is composed of fat, calcium, cholesterol and other substances found in the blood. Plaque can build up in the arteries and when this occurs, the condition is called atherosclerosis.
Plaque reduces the blood flow to your heart muscles and narrows the arteries.
Plaque accumulates in your arteries and prevents oxygen from reaching the heart muscle.
Plaque can also form cracks, causing blood cells called platelets to clump together and form blood clots at the site of the cracks, increasing chances of angina or heart attack.
By not maintaining the right cholesterol levels, you're increasing the chances of P.A.D. A nutritious diet, consistent physical activity, being at your healthiest weight and not smoking are what's needed to live free of worry over what could be going wrong in your arteries.
Don't distress if you find your cholesterol to be on the high side. Talk to your physician to help get your cholesterol back on track. There are many options to bring your cholesterol back to a "healthy" level and your Spirit of Women hospital will work with you to figure out what positive steps are both doable and agreeable for you.


text:
INDIE SPOTLIGHT: SECRET IDENTITY CRISIS
9/21/17 11:42AM 0K 0 +1
In an era when diversity in Hollywood is at the forefront of many people's minds, an Asian American superhero seems a no-brainer. Yet actors of Asian descent still often struggle to find meaty lead roles. That dilemma is at the heart of Paul Yen's indie one-man play, SECRET IDENTITY CRISIS — which reimagines Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man to examine the history of Asians in America and Yen's own struggle with identity in the film industry. Yen shared with RECURSOR about the show's inspiration, why Batman could easily be Asian.
In an era when diversity in Hollywood is at the forefront of many people's minds, an Asian American superhero.


text:
The Arab Posts / / Politics / The Egyptian parliament authorized the deployment of troops in Libya
The Egyptian parliament authorized the deployment of troops in Libya
Alaina
The Egyptian parliament has authorized on Monday the deployment of troops in Libya to support the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by the General Khalifa Haftar against the armed militias affiliated with the Government of National Accord (GNA) and backed by Turkey. "The House of Representatives unanimously approved deploying members of the Egyptian armed forces on combat missions outside the country's borders, to protect Egyptian national security against criminal armed militias and foreign terrorist elements," the parliament said in a statement after its closed session.
The move follows a statement of the Egypt's president Abdel Fatah al-Sisi threatening military action against Turkish-backed forces in Libya. On June, 20th Sisi affirmed that his country has a legitimate right to intervene in Libya and ordered the army to be prepared to carry out missions if necessary. Hundreds of soldiers have been already deployed along the boarder between Libya and Egypt starting from early July. Clashes between the two main warring parties in the North African countryhave intensified recently around Sirte and al-Jufra with great preparative from both sides.
Read More: Sirte waits at the edge of battle
Many foreign powers have backed different sides of the conflict with varying degrees of support, with the most prominent countries being Turkey backing the GNA along with Italy, UK, Germany and USA, while Egypt, Russia, Saudi Arabia and France are backing the LNA. The Egyptian parliament's greenlight for troop deployment overseas could potentially put Turkey and Egypt into direct confrontation in Libya.Last week, Sisi hosted dozens of tribal leaders loyal to Haftar in Cairo, where he repeated that Egypt will "not stand idly by in the face of moves that pose a direct threat to security."
Libya's east-based parliament, the sole elected body in the oil-rich country, also urged Sisi to send troops.Earlier on Monday, Sisi spoke with US President Donald Trump and emphasized that Egypt aims to "prevent further deterioration of security in Libya," according to a statement from the Egyptian presidential spokesman. It said the two leaders agreed on maintaining a cease-fire and avoiding a military escalation in Libya.
Tags:Egypt, GNA, Khalifa Haftar, Libya, LNA
Coronavirus doesn't seem to discriminate as infection spreads across the poor and rich nations alike across Middle East and North Africa
Food insecurity pushes Lebanon towards subsistence agriculture
EXCLUSIVE: Libyan political parties condemn terrorist threats to Tunisia stability
Russians have built a trench in the Libyan desert, Ankara and the Kremlin obstruct the peace process and put Europe at risk
As Libya prepares for a stable political system, UN asks for exit of mercenaries
The Libyan Political Dialogue Forum comes to an end Success or failure?


E- Commerce also known as online store, e-shop, web-store or virtual store, whatever one calls, it has become the most popular way of buying and selling products through electronic devices. This can be the most important tool for your business that will need to do business-to business and business-to-consumer transaction. Lately we have seen thousands and thousands of online services to cater to the human need at the door step. So if you looking to give a larger exposure to your business, there is no better way than taking full advantage of our e-commerce solutions.
• WebKarya designs, develops, Integrates, runs and market effective websites to make your business reach to the global market.
• We provide excellent features to add edit and remove products at ease and at will.
• Assure to provide a safe payment and password transaction zone to manage your products, customer information and related settings.
• Provide various images re-sizing feature to help customer enjoy a clear view of the available products.
• Provide excellent inventory management services.
• Provide excellent product management services.
• Remember and recognize your customer when they visit and re-visit. Provide them offers they prefer based on their last transaction and provide relevant products that are available from stock.
• We provide user-friendly transaction by giving minimum clicks and ensure to make them our loyal customers.
• We provide email alerts to targeted customers to have a sneak peak at the new product and product they prefer by carefully analyzing the customer preferences and purchase patterns.
With the best of the team we ensure to provide best of Inventory, product, customer management services to ensure your business enjoys secure and user-friendly virtual shopping experience.


text:
Jamila AbdulAzeez Buba
School of Languages, Department of English, Federal College of Education, Yola P.M.B 2042, Yola, Adamawa State, Nigeria
Yasir Bdaiwi Jasim Al-Shujairi
Faculty of Modern Language and Communication, University Putra Malaysia 43400 Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
Mohammed Sani Ya'u
Faculty of Languages and Education, Bauchi State University, Gadau P.M.B. 65, Gadau, Bauchi State, Nigeria
Home > Vol 5, No 2 (2016) >	AbdulAzeez Buba
Attitude Regarding Nigerian Pidgin English among Nigerian Students in Malaysia
Jamila AbdulAzeez Buba, Yasir Bdaiwi Jasim Al-Shujairi, Mohammed Sani Ya'u
It is quite interesting to note that Pidgin which essentially began as a demanded language between the white importers, who later turned colonial masters, and their black traders has now become a campus language-spoken of the majority of the population among the Nigerian students in advanced institutions of learning. Nigerian Pidgin English evolved as a result of language contact with the British colonialists. This study seeks to assess the use, and also determine the recognition of Pidgin English among Nigerian postgraduate students in Universiti Putra Malaysia. Questionnaires were administered on selected students in the university in an attempt to elicit the attitude and usage of the informants to Nigerian Pidgin English. The results were calculated in percentages. It was found that the attitude of Nigerian students regarding the Nigerian Pidgin English in UPM is positive. To conclude, in the next few years, Nigerians are expected to use Nigerian Pidgin English in all situations when they communicate.
Pidgin, Nigerian Pidgin English, language contact
Adeyanju, D. (1998). A comparative sociolinguistic analysis of the form and function of taboos in English and Yoruba. A thesis submitted at the Department of Modern European Languages, University of Ilorin, Ilorin.
Adegbija, E. E. (1994). Language attitudes in Sub-Saharan Africa: A sociolinguistic overview (Vol. 103). Multilingual matters.
Akande, A. T. (2008). The verb in standard Nigerian English and Nigerian Pidgin English: a sociolinguistic approach (Doctoral dissertation, University of Leeds).
Akande, A. T., & Salami, L. O. (2010). Use and attitudes towards Nigerian Pidgin English among Nigerian University students. In Marginal Dialects: Scotland, Ireland and Beyond. Aberdeen: Forum for Research on the Languages of Scotland and Ireland (pp. 1-79).
Agheyisi, R. N. (1971). West African Pidgin English: simplification & simplicity. Committee on Linguistics, Stanford University.
Bamgbose, A. (1971). The English language in Nigeria. The English Language in West Africa. London: Longman, 35, 48.
Bender, M. L. (1987). Some possible African creoles: A pilot study.
Brooks, N. (1964). Language and Language Learning, theory and practice.
Dada, S. A. (2007). Language contact and language conflict: The case of Yoruba-English bilinguals.
Danladi, S. S. (2013). Language Policy: Nigeria and the Role of English Language in the 21stCentury, European Scientific Journal, 9(17).
Egbokhare, F., Oyetade, S. O., Eno-Abasi, U., & Ahmed, H. A. (2001). Language Clusters in Nigeria. CASAS Monograph Series, (12).
Elugbe, B. (1995). Nigerian Pidgin: problems and prospects. New Englishes: A West African perspective. Pp284-299. Ibadan: Mosuro (British Council).
Gordon, R. G. (2005). Ethnologue: Languages of the world (Vol. 15). Dallas, TX: Sil international
Holmes, J. (2013). An introduction to sociolinguistics. Routledge.
Hudson, R. A. (1996). Sociolinguistics. Cambridge University Press.
Ihemere, K. U. (2006). An integrated approach to the study of language attitudes and change in Nigeria: The case of the Ikwerre of Port Harcourt City. In Proceedings of the 36th Annual Conference on African Linguistics. Olaoba FA and Michael AP Eds (pp. 194-207).
Obiechina, D. (1984). Towards the Classification of Nigerian Pidgin English.
Onjenwu, M.A. & Okpe, A. A. (2015). Investigating the preference for pidgin
instead of Standard English by students of English as a foreign language, Social and Behavioral Sciences, 199, 737-742.
Quirk, R. (1985). The English language in a global context. English in the world: Teaching and learning the language and literatures, 16.
Salami, L. O. (1991). We speak code-mix: some perceptions of the Yoruba language in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Journal of Asian and African Studies, (41), 35-48.
Stockwell, P. (2002). Sociolinguistics: A resource book for students. Psychology Press.


Filmmakers Tony Hendriks (right) and Letay Williams celebrate their wins as each person won a J$500,000 grant to produce their projects "Shoot the Girl" and "Traytown", respectively.
Two filmmakers have won J$500,000 each towards the production of their films as the result of a film pitch competition held on Friday, March 29, 2019, at JAMPRO's Film, Animation and Music Local Investor Forum.
The pitch, which was held as a part of the British Council, JAMPRO, and Jamaica Film and Television Association (JAFTA) film development programme, Film Lab, awarded Tony Hendriks' project "Shoot the Girl" with the first-place prize of J$500,000. The prize was provided by the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport.
In a surprise move, the second placed pitch "Traytown" was also awarded J$500,000 by Trinidadian investment management firm Aspire Fund Management and C15. Letay Williams' compelling pitch motivated the judges to provide the grant to support the production of the film.


text:
You Are Here » Home » » Terms Of Service
Introduction to the Terms and Service of GhanaGospelSongs.com
In accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 (the text of which may be found on the U.S. Copyright Office website at http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/ ) GhanaGospelSongs.com will respond expeditiously to claims of copyright infringement that are reported to GhanaGospelSongs.com designated copyright agent identified below. If you are a copyright owner, or are authorized to act on behalf of an owner of the copyright or of any exclusive right under the copyright, and believe that your work has been copied in a way that constitutes copyright infringement, please report your notice of infringement to GhanaGospelSongs.com by providing GhanaGospelSongs.com designated copyright agent listed below with the following information:
Identification of the copyright work claimed to have been infringed, or, if multiple copyrighted works at a single online site are covered by a single notification, a representative list of such works at the Website;
Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing or to be the subject of infringing activity and that is to be removed or access to which is to be disabled, and information reasonably sufficient to permit GhanaGospelSongs.com to locate the material;
Information reasonably sufficient to permit GhanaGospelSongs.com to contact the complaining party, including a name, address, telephone number and, if available, an email address at which the complaining party may be contacted;
A statement that the complaining party has a good-faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent or the law; and
A statement that the information in the notification is accurate and, under penalty of perjury, that the complaining party is authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.
Unless otherwise stated, GhanaGospelSongs.com and/or its licensors DO NOT own any intellectual property rights in the website and material on the website.
You may view, download for caching purposes only, and print pages or content from the website for your own personal use, subject to the restrictions set out below and elsewhere in these terms and conditions.
edit or otherwise modify any material on the website; or
redistribute material from this website except for content specifically and expressly made available for redistribution
You must not conduct any systematic or automated data collection activities (including without limitation scraping, data mining, data extraction and data harvesting) on or in relation to this website without GhanaGospelSongs.com's express written consent.
You must not use this website for any purposes related to marketing without GhanaGospelSongs.com's express written consent.
Access to certain areas of this website is restricted. GhanaGospelSongs.com reserves the right to restrict access to other areas of this website, or indeed this entire website, at GhanaGospelSongs.com's discretion.
If GhanaGospelSongs.com provides you with a user ID and password to enable you to access restricted areas of this website or other content or services, you must ensure that the user ID and password are kept confidential.
GhanaGospelSongs.com may disable your user ID and password in GhanaGospelSongs.com's sole discretion without notice or explanation.
You grant to GhanaGospelSongs.com a worldwide, irrevocable, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, adapt, publish, translate and distribute your user content in any existing or future media. You also grant to GhanaGospelSongs.com the right to sub-license these rights, and the right to bring an action for infringement of these rights.
Your user content must not be illegal or unlawful, must not infringe any third party's legal rights, and must not be capable of giving rise to legal action whether against you or GhanaGospelSongs.com or a third party (in each case under any applicable law).
You must not submit any user content to the website that is or has ever been the subject of any threatened or actual legal proceedings or other similar complaint.
GhanaGospelSongs.com reserves the right to edit or remove any material submitted to this website, or stored on GhanaGospelSongs.com's servers, or hosted or published upon this website.
Notwithstanding GhanaGospelSongs.com's rights under these terms and conditions in relation to user content, GhanaGospelSongs.com does not undertake to monitor the submission of such content to, or the publication of such content on, this website.
This website is provided "as is" without any representations or warranties, express or implied. GhanaGospelSongs.com makes no representations or warranties in relation to this website or the information and materials provided on this website.
Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing paragraph, GhanaGospelSongs.com does not warrant that:
GhanaGospelSongs.com will not be liable to you (whether under the law of contact, the law of torts or otherwise) in relation to the contents of, or use of, or otherwise in connection with this website. The extent that the website is provided free-of-charge, for any direct, indirect, special or consequential loss; or
These limitations of liability apply even if GhanaGospelSongs.com has been expressly advised of the potential loss.
You accept that, as a limited liability entity, GhanaGospelSongs.com has an interest in limiting the personal liability of its officers and employees. You agree that you will not bring any claim personally against GhanaGospelSongs.com's officers or employees in respect of any losses you suffer in connection with the website.
Without prejudice to the foregoing paragraph,] you agree that the limitations of warranties and liability set out in this website disclaimer will protect GhanaGospelSongs.com's officers, employees, agents, subsidiaries, successors, assigns and sub-contractors as well as GhanaGospelSongs.com.
You hereby indemnify GhanaGospelSongs.com and undertake to keep GhanaGospelSongs.com indemnified against any losses, damages, costs, liabilities and expenses (including without limitation legal expenses and any amounts paid by GhanaGospelSongs.com to a third party in settlement of a claim or dispute on the advice of GhanaGospelSongs.com's legal advisers) incurred or suffered by GhanaGospelSongs.com arising out of any breach by you of any provision of these terms and conditions[, or arising out of any claim that you have breached any provision of these terms and conditions].
Without prejudice to GhanaGospelSongs.com's other rights under these terms and conditions, if you breach these terms and conditions in any way, GhanaGospelSongs.com may take such action as GhanaGospelSongs.com deems appropriate to deal with the breach, including suspending your access to the website, prohibiting you from accessing the website, blocking computers using your IP address from accessing the website, contacting your internet service provider to request that they block your access to the website and/or bringing court proceedings against you.
GhanaGospelSongs.com may revise these terms and conditions from time-to-time. Revised terms and conditions will apply to the use of this website from the date of the publication of the revised terms and conditions on this website. Please check this page regularly to ensure you are familiar with the current version.
GhanaGospelSongs.com may transfer, sub-contract or otherwise deal with GhanaGospelSongs.com's rights and/or obligations under these terms and conditions without notifying you or obtaining your consent.
All claims of copyright infringement on or regarding this Website should be delivered to GhanaGospelSongs.com designated copyright agent at the following email address:
Mina Morrison – My God
Agnes Opoku Agyemang – Animonyam
Lady Prempeh – W'agyina Mu (Bail)
Mercy Aseidu – Aseda Ben


Shopemalls.com, your number one online shopping destination to find the best deals and largest selection of things you need for both your home and everyday life. Whether you're planning a party and need a gown, wine glasses and decorations, or refurnishing your living room and need the perfect room accessories or electronics, shopemalls.com has all your needs covered!
Stop by frequently; our promotions and discounts change daily and you won't want to miss the fantastic offerings for the whole family. Online Shopping is an easy shopping experience.
Shipping is often free when purchasing goods from our affiliates depending on the daily offering and the total balance of your order. Most affiliates offer flexible payment plans and include accepting major credit cards from MasterCard, Visa, American Express, and Discover.
Buying online is as safe as buying in person at a brick and mortar store and has all that you want like an Online Warehouse. We offer a full refund upon the return of undamaged goods.
Shopemalls.com is independently owned and operated. Any returns or issues with product quality or performance should be directed to the company from which the goods or services where originally purchased.
We wish you the best in shopping at our user-friendly website. So, enjoy!


text:
The difficult coronavirus problem South Africa is facing
The difficult coronavirus problem South Africa is facing right now: Mkhize
Health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize says that South Africa will need to brace itself for a 'major spike' in new coronavirus cases as the country opens more sectors of its economy.
Mkhize's warning comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that South Africa will move to an 'advanced' level 3 lockdown, with a number of business sectors reopened to the public.
Ramaphosa said that this will include the reopening of restaurants for sit-down meals, and personal care services including hairdressers.
However, the president has made it clear that specific and stringent safety requirements will have to be followed as part of this reopening. He added that protocols will need to be strictly adhered to for these activities to remain open.
Speaking in a Power 98.7 interview on Thursday (18 June), Mkhize said that while there will be an increase in cases as more people mix together, South Africa has to make this difficult decision as it faces living with the coronavirus for years.
"If you didn't open up, you were going to have a different problem. That problem was going to be that for the next two years we were going to co-exist with the virus. You can't stop schools, you can't stop churches, you can't stop work and you can't stop people getting income.
"(If you do these things) you face problems of hunger and an economy that has ground a halt. We need to balance the two by easing certain things slowly and ensuring that people move to a new way of behaviour."
Breakthrough drug
Mkhize also commented on the availability of dexamethasone for the treatment of coronavirus in South Africa.
Dexamethasone is a steroid that has been used since the 1960s to reduce inflammation in a range of conditions, including inflammatory disorders and certain cancers.
It has been listed on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines since 1977 in multiple formulations and is currently off-patent and affordably available in most countries.
The drug has recently seen a successful trial in the UK and will now be used in South Africa, Mkhize said.
"Every hospital has dexamethasone. It is a drug that has been available for a long time and has typically been used to treat people with auto-immune problems.
"What has happened is that there is direct evidence linking the survival rate of people with coronavirus and the drug. It is going to be a in a clear protocol so that we can use it. "
Mkhize added that the country does have stock of the drug and that pharmaceutical company Aspen also has the ability to manufacture it.
Officially Published by Business Tech


Takeaway menu from Shanghai Tang in High Wycombe. Order takeaway online for home delivery or collection. A wide selection of Chinese, Other Asian takeaway food.
Takeaway menu from Shanghai Tang in High Wycombe Chinese. Order takeaway online for home delivery. A wide selection of Chinese, Other Asian takeaway food.


Glenview Serenity housing prices have seen a decrease of -0.0% over the last one hundred eighty days compared to the previous twelve months. The average house price over the last six months is $1,714,500. Below you'll find numerous charts and graphs breaking down real estate market trends in Glenview Serenity.
Below you'll see a comparison between the square footage and price per square foot for each Glenview Serenity house price over the last 180 days. Hover over a point to see more information about each home that sold.
Properties in Glenview Serenity can be divided into three categories: small interior square footage, average interior square footage, and the higher end of interior square footage. This data can give you a rough overview on which bucket your home may fall into with Glenview Serenity home prices.
Glenview Serenity house prices have seen a median sales price of $1,769,000 over the last 180 days - a 3.9% increase in comparison to the previous twelve months. In the same 180 days, 4 properties have closed escrow in the area, 4 of which were single family residences, and the remaining 0 of which were condos or townhomes. The single family residences in Glenview Serenity had an average list price of $1,728,250 and were on the market for 14 days on average, with a sold to list price ratio of 99% in the past 180 days. In terms of size, the median square footage for single family residences was 2642, with the average price per square foot sitting at $693. The median sold price for a three bedroom home in the area was $1,410,000, compared with $1,905,000 for a four bedroom. Over the last 180 days, housing prices in Glenview Serenity had a median sold to list price ratio for single family residences of 99%, which is -4% less compared to the past 12 months. This shows a slightly downward trend in the Glenview Serenity real estate market.
According to the MLS, there are currently 0 single family residences for sale in Glenview Serenity in addition to 0 condos and townhomes, all of which are averaging NaN days on the market. Of the single family residences, the average list price is sitting at $0 – -1% less than the sold prices of the past 90 days. Regarding the condos and townhomes, an average list price of $0 means that prices are sitting at NaN% less compared to the past 90 days.
Glenview Serenity has approximately 560 households, with the average home built around around 1974. Of all of the households found in Glenview Serenity today, roughly 71% are married and 42% have children, with an average income of $148,036 and about 29% of residents possessing a bachelor's degree.


text:
Ritorni è un film documentario del 2006 diretto da Giovanna Taviani, presentato alla Festa del Cinema di Roma 2006 e, fuori concorso, al 27º Festival del Cinema Africano di Verona.

Trama
Sul molo del porto di Trapani  centinaia di magrebini sono in attesa di imbarcarsi sul traghetto per Tunisi.
La storia narra del ritorno per le vacanze di tre nordafricani, "che ce l'hanno fatta", al loro paese di origine. Il tunisino Karim Hannachi, che fa il professore di lingua araba all'Università degli Studi di Catania, lo scrittore marocchino Tahar Ben Jelloun e la regista e scrittrice algerina Assia Djebar.

Note

Collegamenti esterni

Film ambientati in Africa
Film documentari italiani
Film documentari francesi
Film documentari tunisini

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Most Unique Display Of Christmas Trees At Lecompton's Territorial Capital Museum
The Christmas spirit expands even more than imaginable with nearly 150 unique trees of the season being exhibited.
"We're really proud of the large display of beautiful Christmas trees at the Territorial Capital Museum in Lecompton," exclaimed Paul Bahnmaier, president of the Lecompton Historical Society.
"It's the most unique Christmas tree presentation in the Midwest and provides an opportunity for visitors to relive the past," Bahnmaier insisted.
The trees are decorated with Victorian, antique, collectible and themed ornaments and the 100-year-old feather trees are a special highlight.
Trees will be on display in the museum at 640 E. Woodson Avenue in Lecompton until January 2. For the special holiday tree display, the museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10 to 4, and Sunday 1 to 5.
A few decorated trees have traditionally been displayed at the museum for some time. "Then, three years ago, the historical society decided to make the trees the focus of the museum during the holidays,"Bahnmaier reflected.
About 25 volunteers helped put up the trees on display. "I think it's the best display of antique Victorian decorations and collectible ornaments anywhere," Bahnmaier said.
"There's a lot of history in those trees especially the 100-year-old feather trees," Bahnmaier said. "They were made of goose feathers. Some of the feathers have deteriorated over the years, but you can still see goose feathers dyed green."
The family of A.K. Winter donated one of the feather trees when he died in 2014 at 90 years of age. "He brought it over from Germany, but he didn't know how old it was," Bahnmaier said.
There's even a barbed wire tree. "We really don't know where it came from," Bahnmaier said, "but barbed wire is certainly something you could use if you were someplace without many trees."
The collection of antique ornaments started through donations from historical society members. It has continued to grow as more visitors view the annual display.
"We get them from people who come through and say they would like to donate their decorations or ornaments," Bahnmaier said. "It's a good way to preserve the ornaments forever."
"We have people who return every year to see what's new and bring their friends," he said.
A candy cane tree is particularly popular with children on school tours who receive a piece of the candy.
There are trees decorated in the style of Germany, the Netherlands, Japan and other nations,
A University of Kansas tree with Jayhawk ornaments is beside a Kansas State University tree with Wildcats hanging from its branches.
Yet another tree is adorned with owl ornaments, the mascot of the now-closed Lecompton High School.
"It's Christmas from all over the world and Christmas back 100 years," Bahnmaier welcomed. "It's just captivating and it's absolutely beautiful. You really do have to come to see it to enjoy it."
Information is available by calling the Territorial Capital Museum 785-887-6148, on Facebook and at www.lecomptonkansas.com.
December 3, 2017 / Frank J. Buchman
Winter Brings Increased, But Treatable Arthritis Pain in Horses
Living Impaired Forever Worthwhile


text:
Storyful, analytics firm taking aim at fake news
File photo - Newspapers and magazines are seen in a kiosk in Paris, France, April 22, 2016. (REUTERS/Charles Platiau)
Storyful and Moat announced Tuesday the launch of a new initiative aimed at combatting the spread of fake and extremist content
The Open Brand Safety (OBS) database will track web domains and video URLs identified as purveyors of intentional misinformation with the aim of protecting brand content.
Video content specialist Storyful is a division of News Corp.
FACEBOOK ROLLS OUT FEATURES TO CURB FAKE NEWS
As part of the initiative, the journalism department of the City University of New York (CUNY) is establishing an internal journalism team dedicated to identifying web domains that knowingly present fiction as news. The group will work with numerous outside partners in the academic and nonprofit worlds with expertise in independent fact-checking and studying extremism online.
The project will evolve to flag signals of both vice and virtue for marketers and advertisers. Tracking the proliferation of misinformation and extremist propaganda will be the first of several steps toward building a broader system to help brands, agencies, and digital platforms make smart decisions about where to place their advertising.
In recent months, companies such as Verizon and AT&T have decided to pull ads, for instance, from YouTube over extremist content in the video platform owned by Google. Alphabet Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt told the FOX Business Network's Maria Bartiromo: "What we do is, we match ads and the content, but because we source the ads from everywhere, every once in a while somebody gets underneath the algorithm and they put in something that doesn't match. We've had to tighten our policies and actually increase our manual review time and so I think we're going to be okay."
FOR THE LATEST TECH FEATURES FOLLOW FOX NEWS TECH ON FACEBOOK
In a blog post about the partnership, CUNY journalism professor Jeff Jarvis said, "I count this as a very big deal. Google and Facebook — like news media before them — contend that they are mirrors to the world. Their mirrors might well be straight and true but they must acknowledge that the world is cracked and warped to try to manipulate them."
Trending in Tech
FaceApp security concerns: Experts say Russians might own your old photos
Former Microsoft employee bought $1.6M house after stealing millions in digital currency, feds allege
Oakland bans the use of facial recognition, becoming third US city to do so


text:
This article was published on September 14, 2020
This real-world multiplayer game lets you spend other people's money — really
"Spending your own money feels bad. Spending someone else's money feels good."
Mix is a tech writer based in Amsterdam that loves cinema and probably hates the movies that you like. Tell him everything you despise about (show all) Mix is a tech writer based in Amsterdam that loves cinema and probably hates the movies that you like. Tell him everything you despise about his work on Twitter.
Move over Apple, there's a new fintech disruptor on the block.
Meet Card V. Card — the world's first competitive multiplayer bank account. Sound confusing? Let me break it down for you in simple words: a shared bank account that you get to spend from without depositing any funds. Yep, it's practically free money.
There's one catch, though: there are 499 other people with access to the account that are rushing to bottom it out before you can.
"Credit cards are inherently predatory," the company says in its manifesto. "American Express is dying to layer gamification upon gamification until the credit card itself is all but invisible: cash back, points, frequent flier miles, lounge access, industry-specific rewards."
"Card V. Card fulfills the promised allure of Credit Card America without the dire back-end ramifications of the fine print," it continues. "An unmarked credit card tied to someone else's money is pure extractivism, with no thought towards origins or consequences."
"Spending your own money feels bad. Spending someone else's money feels good."
Okay, so here's how it works:
You'll need to sign up on Card V. Card's website to be waitlisted for a debit card.
Participants will then have to refer other individuals to sign up for the service.
Each referral will be added to a participant's tally, with all referrals being recorded in a leaderboard.
On September 17, the top 500 participants in the leaderboard will then receive an email with a code that lets the claim a Card V. Card debit card.
The actual spending game will start on September 21, so make sure you've claimed your card before that.
The tricky bit is that while you can use the card to buy anything (that's not illegal) so long as its from a physical store (so no online purchases), you can't go in overdraft — meaning you can only spend a sum lower than the total account balance. While that won't be an issue if you were the only person with access to the account, you'll technically be racing another 499 people to spend the money.
Each time Card V. Card tops up the account, it'll notify card holders with a text. The company says the phone number it'll contact card holders from is +1 940 220 3898, so you might want to add it to your address book if you manage to claim a card.
The company behind this bizarre initiative is creative agency MSCHF, which previously created a Slack vocabulary game that gave away money for no reason and a finger-holding app that promised a $25,000 reward to the person who can keep their finger stuck to their screen the longest.
It's not clear how much cash exactly Card V. Card will deposit in the account over time, but MSCHF's Daniel Greenberg tells me it's in "the deep 5 figures range." The company adds the game will run over the next few months. That said, its terms of service clearly state it could end at any given point in time.
If you've got trouble on my mind, let me warn you: Card V. Card's terms strictly forbid using the card for illegal purchases. That said, Greenberg assures me "MSCHF ain't no snitch."
Let the reckless spending begin by clicking here. Godspeed, consoomers.
Published September 14, 2020 - 3:00 pm UTC
Ugh, I wish this portable EV charger concept was already a reality
[Updated] Tesla reportedly double charged its customers, and there's no refund in sight
Video calls make us less creative — but that's no reason for your boss to force you back to the office
PSA: Those 'your porn name' games are scams trying to get your personal info


Ashleigh Court, Wellington. Image courtesy of www.flickr.com.
Copyright: Greg Trezise. Taken By: Greg Trezise. Date: 5/02/2009.
Ashleigh Court, Wellington. Looking south from Riddeford/Rintoul intersection.
Copyright: Heritage New Zealand. Taken By: James A Jacobs. Date: 15/06/2017.
Ashleigh Court, Wellington. Building detail, plaster decoration.
Extent includes part of the land described as Lot 1 DP 86593 (CT SRS WN56B/74), and part Legal Road, Wellington Land District, and the building known as Ashleigh Court thereon, including its verandah posts on Riddiford Street. The two-storeyed timber building at 124-126 Riddiford Street comprising units 16 and 18 of SRS WN56B/74 is not included in the extent. (Refer to map in Appendix 1 of the List entry report for further information).
From the time of its conception in the early-twentieth century, Ashleigh Court in Newtown, Wellington has embodied optimism and grand ambition, indivisible from its surrounding community. The building is aesthetically, architecturally, and historically significant. It was designed to have maximum impact on a high-profile triangular site that dated back to Wellington's earliest plan, and was conceived during the suburb of Newtown's heady days of rapid and substantial expansion in the decades around the turn-of-the-twentieth century. Located within a notably uniform and unbroken precinct of two-story, timber, commercial buildings, the three-story masonry building housing ground-level stores and a hotel far outstripped its neighbours in size, materials, and architectural articulation. While its admirable effects as a design endure, its heritage significance has been heightened with the widespread loss of Victorian and Edwardian building, particularly masonry hotels, throughout Wellington.
Ashleigh Court was the boldest and most elaborate building devised by builder-developers John Thomas Hawthorn and Colin Campbell Crump, a material representation of their confidence in the burgeoning suburb then booming from the advent of the tramline. Although presently unknown, the architect or designer was without question a skilled practitioner. As completed in 1908, the masonry wedge with its continuous façade along two street fronts featuring superbly executed plaster decoration could only impress. Its excellence in design resulted from an enlightened merger of architecture and siting within the community's otherwise uniform commercial streetscape. The outcome was a building so successful and embodying such great aesthetic value that it has come to represent the community in which it is located.
The hotel initially struggled, possibly because it was completed in the year that Newtown voted in favour of banning licensed establishments within its borders. However, after being used as a hostel for returning soldiers during World War One, it remained a hotel and/or boarding house until 1990. Since then, the upper levels' residential purpose has continued in the form of four apartments; the ground-level stores have had a sustained history of use for retail and commerce. Except for the loss of the segment of its verandah along the Rintoul Street elevation, the building's exterior remains in fine condition and it continues to be Newtown's principal architectural and aesthetic anchor.
Ashleigh Court is significant to the history of Newtown, one of Wellington's most distinctive and identifiable suburbs. In particular it is an architectural and functional cornerstone for the first large self-contained shopping district beyond the city centre. The suburb and its shopping district prospered because of the tramline. It permitted large numbers of people to live in Newtown, which created demand for goods, services, and leisure activities. As the tramline expanded further out from the city, connecting with Island Bay to the south and Kilbirnie to the east, the shopping district also provided a more convenient alternative than going all the way into town.
Ashleigh Court was constructed during Newtown's initial boom and, with five stores and a hotel, it was an integral part of its commercial sector. The hotel occupying its first and second storeys appears to have been planned without a bar, perhaps showing the influence of the temperance movement among Newtown's residents around the time it was designed and constructed. Except for its use during World War One as a hostel for returned soldiers, the hotel remained functioning more-or-less continually as such until 1990. The transformation of its Riddiford Street hotel entrance into a retail space in 1951 attests to the continued vibrancy of its shopping district into the post-World War Two period. Over the past thirty years, the conversion of the hotel into four apartments and the partial restoration of its façade speak to an on-going process of gentrification in the suburb.
Ashleigh Court has a high level of aesthetic significance for its architecture and unrivalled presence within the commercial streetscape of Newtown, and is a landmark building within Wellington. The building is not merely a conventionally designed edifice altered to fit the requirements of an unconventional site resulting from the peculiarities of Wellington's original plan. Rather, it is one where prevailing architectural trends at the time of its conception and challenging site within the urban landscape merged and equally informed the final composition.
The result was a building that is best understood as a continuous façade, which has a much greater effect than merely being a noteworthy and decorative component within a significant streetscape. Ashleigh Court enlarges the sense of the streetscape, making itself known when still at some distance away traveling south on Riddiford Street and becoming a visual anchor overlooking a broad intersection having a quality of openness not unlike a plaza. The aesthetic value of this building and its particular setting has captivated photographers since its completion up to the present. Such views are not just important as a demonstration of Ashleigh Court's aesthetic value, but also have resulted, over time, in the building and its immediate surroundings coming to represent the Newtown and its urban appeal.
Ashleigh Court has architectural significance as a fine example of Edwardian commercial architecture and as one of a handful of Edwardian hotels extant in Wellington. Although no architect can presently be identified for the design, it is clear from the building's eclectic classical decorative program and its complicated structure that a skilled practitioner was involved. When it was built, only the most important buildings in Newtown—edifices such as the hospital, the library, and the Newtown Hotel—were constructed of brick. By this time, Wellington's CBD was in the process of being rebuilt in masonry, mostly brick, and the material's association with progress and permanence was already well established. Hawthorn & Crump's decision to develop the site of Ashleigh Court with a masonry building reflects the ambition the developers had for the project and their confidence in the continued prosperity of Newtown.
Lacking sources of quality building stone for fashioning street facades, architects and builders most often turned to plaster for executing the decoration widely seen in late-Victorian and Edwardian Wellington. Thus, the plain brick wall structure of Ashleigh Court was transformed through the artistry, and artifice, of plasterwork, which was well executed and drew broadly from classical architectural vocabulary. This vocabulary was deployed using a framework and hierarchy for façade design in urban buildings developed during the Renaissance, but interpreted within a contemporary aesthetic sensibility that placed a particularly high value on a multiplicity of parts.
The current verandah is less than half its original extent and no longer has a terrace on its roof. Still, it is still supported along Riddiford Street by iron posts that date from its initial construction. Even in their reduced number, the fluted colonnettes with Composite Order capitals are among the largest collections of heritage verandah posts remaining in the city.
This place was assessed against, and found to qualify under the following criteria: a, b, e, g, j, k. It is considered that this place qualifies as a Category 1 historic place.
Ashleigh Court is reflective of the history of urban development in New Zealand. The building is located in Newtown, which, although included in the original city plan for Wellington, only boomed with an extension of the tramline in 1879. Located within a notable, nearly continuous group of commercial establishments along the Riddiford Street spine, the building stood apart as the tallest and most ambitious architectural statements. Its scale of development and its architecture are clear evidence of Newtown's period of confidence as a pioneering suburban community.
Ashleigh Court has associations with World War One history. For the duration of World War One, the hotel portion of the building functioned as a hostel for returned soldiers who were unable to find lodging or were in outpatient treatment at the nearby hospital.
Ashleigh Court is closely associated with the identity of the Newtown neighbourhood. Whatever the motivations of the developers, their high ambition for Ashleigh Court resulted in a building that almost immediately captivated Wellingtonians. The building has been the focus of an unknown number of photographs from just after its completion until the present. The aesthetic attributes of the building almost certainly were and continue to be a reason for its interest as a subject for a photograph. Yet, the duplication of the same view over and over, in time, has permitted Ashleigh Court to represent Newtown—from photographs taken just after its completion to a recent flyer about community planning and the building being featured on Newtown's Wikipedia page.
Ashleigh Court is a particularly handsome example of Edwardian commercial architecture as designed to take advantage of its location in the urban landscape. The building's intriguing form, dictated by the shape of the section, was enhanced through the building's visual organisation of architectural elements. Its complex decorative scheme executed in plaster, demonstrates a high level of ability and vision by the designer, builders, and artisans and stood among a very small group of Newtown's most important buildings.
The decision to treat both major street elevations as a single façade—with a substantial continuous verandah on the ground floor and upper storeys utilising a single classical architectural vocabulary—made what could have been merely a prominent building into a distinguished one that both enlivened and enlarged a sense of the Newtown streetscape. It is the intertwined consideration of siting and architecture that sets Ashleigh Court apart from its contemporaries. The ornate plaster rendering over the load-bearing structural brick walls and the elegant, attenuated iron verandah posts are an important reminder of the in-process architectural transformation of Wellington around the turn-of-the-twentieth century from timber to masonry, of transience to permanence.
Beyond Ashleigh Court's significance as an enlightened work of architecture and urbanism, it has special significance as an increasingly rare building type. During the 1970s and 1980s, Wellington lost an immense amount of its Victorian and Edwardian commercial built heritage as part of a conscious plan to both reduce perceived and real earthquake risk as well as to create an entirely modern commercial metropolis. In terms of materials and structure, unreinforced masonry edifices faced with ornate plasterwork dating from the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries were believed to constitute one of the biggest hazards, and scores were demolished in the CBD and Te Aro. Among these, as a type, hotels were lost at a particularly high rate.
Economic downturns and a growing heritage consensus that emerged both in reaction to the cultural losses as well as through the continued professionalisation of the heritage conservation field slowed the losses, but the twin threats of earthquake risk and development pressures remain. Within the relatively modest group of Edwardian survivors only a handful of buildings display a comparable level of architectural and urban effect to Ashleigh Court. The rarity of Ashleigh Court is further augmented by the surviving portion of the ground-floor verandah along Riddiford Street around the building's north-facing corner and its notable collection of decorative iron support posts.
Ashleigh Court has special significance as the most prominent building within Newtown's principal commercial centre. Recognised in particular for its architectural and historical values by the Wellington City Council (through scheduling of the Newtown Shopping Centre Heritage Area), the commercial spine grew up along the tramline and became densely populated with mainly two-story retail establishments fronted by verandahs. In the early-twentieth century, the size of Newtown's commercial centre and the variety of its stores led to the district becoming a self-contained shopping destination in its own right. It was only surpassed by Lambton Quay and Cuba Street within Wellington City and Jackson Street, Petone in the greater region.
Hawthorn & Crump were in active partnership between 1897 and 1908, sometimes in collaboration with Colin Crump's brother, the well-known speculative builder Harry Crump. Among the small number of documented Hawthorn & Crump works in Wellington, Ashleigh Court was by far the firm's most ambitious project. Colin Crump retired from contracting and building activities around the time that the building was completed and later served in public office before his death in 1930. John Hawthorn's activities after Crump's retirement up to his death in 1936 remain obscure.
Wellington's Māori history extends back to Kupe, who according to oral tradition was the first Polynesian to reach New Zealand. Before returning to Hawaiki, Kupe provided names for a number of distinctive landforms in the Wellington area including: Matiu (Somes Island) and Mākaro (Ward Island) in the harbour and Pari-whero (Red Rocks) on the south coast. Sometime after the arrival of the Kurahaupō canoe led by Whātonga, his son Tara settled in the area of Wellington and his descendants became known as Ngāi Tara.
As the centuries passed, other tribes joined Ngāi Tara, some settling in the vicinity of the harbour and others who were only passing through on their way to the South Island. In the early nineteenth century, European muskets changed the balance of power and settlement among the Māori throughout New Zealand. The Taranaki tribes Te Āti Awa, Ngāti Tama, and Ngāti Mutunga moved south with Ngāti Toa during the 1820s, with the Taranaki arrivals ultimately displacing Ngāi Tara as Wellington's tangata whenua. Ngāti Mutunga established Te Aro Pā in 1824 and it continued to be occupied by Taranaki iwi, including Ngāti Ruanui, after Ngāti Mutunga's departure for the Chatham Islands. Covering approximately five acres with an additional sixty to eighty acres of related cultivated land, Te Aro Pā was one of the largest Māori settlements in the Wellington region when European colonisation began in 1840. There were also a number of settlements on Wellington's South Coast, including several pā and kainga on the foreshore and hills of Island Bay and Tapu Te Ranga Island.
Ashleigh Court is arguably the most prominent and best known architectural cornerstone marking the commercial centre of Newtown, one of the Wellington's earliest, largest, and best-known suburbs. William Mein Smith laid out what became Newtown in 1840 as town acres in the original plan devised for Wellington by the New Zealand Company, a plan that included the acute-angled lot at the corner of Riddiford and Rintoul Streets. Existing Māori pā and kāinga, including Te Aro Pā, were located further north and were oriented to the waterfront, and even sites of cultivation do not appear to have extended as far to the south as Newtown, although the area would have been travelled through to access the settlements on the South Coast. The town acres that would come to make up Newtown and Berhampore were in an outlying part of Wellington as surveyed and the area remained thinly populated by households engaged in farming for the first generation of European settlement.
The fortunes of Riddiford Street rose with those of Newtown. While all of the land in Newtown had for the most part been subdivided into lots by 1889, construction remained most strongly evident on the parcels on or nearby the tramline with both residential and retail establishments lining Riddiford Street. In 1904, horse-drawn cars gave way to electric trams at last making the suburb both convenient and affordable to workers who flooded Newtown. As blocks further away from the tramline filled with houses, Riddiford Street became even more intensively developed with retail establishments. In short order, Newtown became a self-contained shopping destination of its own that in terms of numbers of retail outlets was only outpaced by Cuba Street and Lambton Quay. It is within this context of feverish development and firm establishment of Newtown's identity that Ashleigh Court came into existence.
Building contractors John Thomas Hawthorn (ca. 1864-1936) and Colin Campbell Crump (1859-1930) became associated with the prominently located triangular property at the intersection of Riddiford and Rintoul Streets in August 1898. At that time, they entered into a twenty-one year lease with the option to buy with landowner Lucy Mary Compton. They may have become familiar with the site and its potential while they developed a commercial premises for a chemist across Riddiford Street in 1898.
The site seems to have remained underdeveloped when, in 1902, Wellington City Council acquired the property as part of the widening of Riddiford Street. The subsequent compensation to the land owner and the leasees became the topic of complicated court proceedings. The resolution of the case also saw Hawthorn & Crump purchase the property, minus the road reserve, from the city in November 1903. The outcome also required the removal of a 'dwellinghouse' that was located in part on the property transferred to the city for the road widening. The Thomas Ward map documents that no building was present in 1892 and it is not known whether Lucy Mary Compton had previously constructed the dwelling or whether Hawthorn and Crump did so under their lease.
On the newly resized and cleared site Hawthorn & Crump envisioned something much bolder and in keeping with the intensive development trends in Newtown and along Riddiford Street. In January 1904, they initially proposed a wedge-shaped, two-storey building of masonry construction with no basement that was estimated to cost £4000. The plans show four shops on the ground floor and a public hall with men's and women's toilets on the first floor. There were no exterior wall elevations included in the set, but the verandah appears in plan, elevation, and section, which shows it stopping just after turning the corner onto Rintoul Street. The stunted verandah and location of the door for the public hall on Riddiford Street indicates that the building was conceived to principally address the more important thoroughfare.
More than two years passed with presumably no activity occurring on the site when in the autumn 1906 Hawthorn & Crump submitted an even more ambitious three-storey plus basement design for consideration by the city. As with the earlier scheme, retail shops occupied most of the ground floor, but the upper two levels now accommodated a hotel. The building not only featured an additional storey, but also had an enlarged footprint. The original proposal had four shops on the ground floor and a straight party wall between Riddiford and Rintoul Streets. Space for the stair up to the public hall was borrowed from the area of one of the stores. The new design took in additional land to the south—presumably now the entire parcel—and the party wall was angled following the property line. The enlarged ground-floor plan accommodated five shops plus a central hallway extending fully between Riddiford and Rintoul Streets containing the stair. The upper levels included all public spaces, bedrooms, and service areas required for a hotel and a substantial cellar under the entire building was envisaged, which would have included necessary storage for the hotel.
At present, Hawthorn & Crump's reasoning for so dramatically altering the development scheme for the parcel is not conclusively known. The Newtown branch of the city library opened less than a year prior to the submission of their first proposal. The building featured 'a large hall…fitted with a platform and seating accommodation for 150 to 200 people…with anterooms for both ladies and gentlemen,' a description of a space not unlike the one originally proposed by Hawthorn & Crump. Perhaps they believed that Newtown could support two such spaces and later reconsidered, possibly in light of the fact that the library was public space and would not have required the fees that likely would have been associated with a privately-owned facility. Still, their turn to a hotel as an alternative was a possibly risky one in terms of investment. By 1906, the residents of Newtown had already backed a prohibition of licensed premises and this goal would be fully accomplished just a few years later. Perhaps the proximity of Athletic Park, slightly further south along Rintoul Street was enough to consider a hotel for the property regardless of an impending liquor licensing ban.
The high level of architectural ambition evident in the scale and design of the building almost certainly would have involved an architect or, at the very least, a very highly skilled draftsman. However, the drawings are unsigned and no other evidence at present confirms an individual or firm. James Bennie is a tempting architect to consider as he was involved in the design of at least two other buildings on wedge-shaped sections in Wellington. Yet, the drawing style used for Ashleigh Court's plans is distinct from the one used by Bennie around the same time for other buildings.
If Bennie can likely be eliminated for simple associative reasons, then a few others can be introduced as intriguing possibilities using the same approach. Aspects of Edward Blake and Joseph Burr's drawing and lettering styles are similar to the first (unbuilt) or second (built) schemes for Ashleigh Court. Blake was one of the more prolific Wellington architects around the turn-of-the-twentieth century. Burr was a celebrated draughtsman, and later architect, who around the time of Ashleigh Court's design worked for Blake's firm with Francis Penty. Finally, William Chatfield who 'had a reputation for designing buildings of great strength and with High Victorian forms of plaster decoration' was also active at the time of its design and construction. Additionally, Chatfield lived in Island Bay from the late-1880s and must have been quite familiar with Newtown and its rapid development.
In devising an eye-catching building for the site, the architect or designer would have immediately benefited from the parcel's location and shape as well as prevailing architectural trends for commercial buildings. Although reduced in size for the road widening, the lot's prime position at the intersection of Riddiford and Rintoul remained the same and assured that the building would have a high level of visibility in the Newtown commercial streetscape. Additionally, its acute triangular shape delineated a striking wedge or 'flatiron' form for the building. The building further stood out among its neighbours in its scale—three tall storeys among more modest two storey structures—and with its masonry construction. Finally, the building was, essentially, all façade, featuring an array of fully articulated classical elements rendered in plaster applied to its load-bearing brick walls along both the Riddiford and Rintoul fronts.
Construction appears to have taken longer than anticipated. The east elevation submitted with the 1906 drawings includes a central plaque bearing the year 'A.D. 1906,' but major construction dragged on through 1907, the year ultimately recorded in the plaque on the facade. Finishing work and the interior fit-out seems to have taken even longer as the Langham Private Hotel did not open for business until May 1908. Even then, completion of the interiors and the business opening seems to have been rushed as the New Zealand Times reported in September 1908: the 'hostelery [sic] has recently been taken over by Mr J. Russell…[and] has been converted into an up-to-date house, having been renovated throughout, as well as being refurnished from top to bottom, with new furniture.' The article appears to have misrepresented the name of the proprietor, known to have been Russel J. Langham.
The building was of interest to photographers almost immediately following completion with one of the earliest known photographs possibly taken as early as 1909. This view, looking south from the intersection of Riddiford and Rintoul Streets, remains the signature one for the building. Over time, its individual appeal based on distinctive architecture and urban form came to be a marker of the specific locale—Newtown. This association appears to be purely a visual and aesthetic one. There is no evidence in the historical record of a particular affection for its varied commercial establishments, which have been typical or, at times, marginal in terms of function. Rather, the association is based in its intimately related architectural presence and position within Newtown's urban landscape.
The original business may have prospered for a time; however, despite being 'full of boarders,' it was put up for sale—for 'immediate possession'—in January 1915. There were apparently no takers as the 'sale by public auction of the entire contents of the Langham Private Hotel' amounting to 30 rooms was announced on 24 April. It is not known whether it was a case of simple mismanagement or whether the business struggled because Newtown was among the Wellington suburbs that voted to become dry in the year the hotel opened (although there was no bar indicated on the 1906 drawings for the hotel). Hawthorn and Crump had previously sold the building in 1912, yet that could as much suggest building contractors disinterested in also being landlords as any concern about the financial health of their investment.
The subsequent history of the building saw its continued use for ground-floor retail and the upper floors for various types of accommodation. In January 1916, the Defence Visiting Committee leased the hotel as 'a home for returned soldiers who are out-patients at the hospital, or are convalescent, or on furlough.' The prime minister formally opened the 'soldiers' hostel' the following April at which time the press described its bedrooms as 'airy, clean, simple, and comfortable' and reported that 'the soldier inmates look happy and very pleased with their surroundings.' After the war the facility reopened as the Langham Private Hotel catering to long-term boarders and remained in operation as the Langham Hotel into the 1950s. The hotel's proximity to the 'show and sports grounds' (Newtown Park and Athletic Park) and to the hospital was included in its marketing.
Frank B. Baudinet purchased the property around 1950 and over the next two decades made a number of changes that remain evident as well as proposed alterations that for the most part never eventuated. One of the first changes Baudinet made after purchasing the property was to alter the stair and to cut a new door through the masonry along Rintoul Street, which became the main building entrance and permitted the transformation of the original entrance/stairhall into a small commercial premises.
Baudinet used the first floor for his own company offices in the mid-1950s, but the remainder of the property continued to be essentially utilised as a boarding house that, with some upgrades to the shared toilet and bathing facilities, Baudinet later positioned as having been a 'High Class Private Hotel.' These upgrades occurred after a Department of Health investigation into complaints about the living conditions at the Langham Hotel, an event that likely also resulted in its rebranding as the 'Ashleigh Court Private Hotel,' a name in use by 1957.
As the property owner and no longer an occupant, Baudinet still seemed uncertain of how to best utilise the edifice. In 1966, he was again considering its full conversion to offices before proposing its transformation into modern ' 'Batchelor' type of Flats' three years later. This scheme stalled when the city requested seismic upgrades and it was eventually abandoned. In ca. 1974-75, the building 'got a facelift without and within and now its proprietors…can boast of one of the spickest and spannest private hotels in the city.' Not long after the renovations, a proposal was also put forth to put a restaurant in the cellar that seems to have included the removal of the small shop in the former entrance/stairhall and the installation of an open stair down to below grade space. The restaurant seems to have been scuttled in all or part because of dampness and drainage issues and although the 1976 proposal for the stair was rejected the work eventually occurred as the stair presently (2017) exists in the building.
Ashleigh Court remained a hotel/boarding house until at least 1989; however, one year later the first floor again seemed to be viewed as possible commercial office space. By the early- to mid-1990s, the first and seconds storeys of the building had been divided into four self-contained apartments, two on each floor one to either side of the stair. A degree of seismic strengthening occurred in the mid-1990s and, in 1997, consent was granted for the restoration of the façade. This work included: the removal of external fire escapes; repair and repainting of the exterior; and the reinstatement of continuous glazed panels below the verandah eaves. While stopping a bit shy of a full restoration, the work eliminated incompatible elements and moved the building closer to its original exterior heritage character obscured since the mid-twentieth century.
One year later, parts of the cellar and ground floor were incorporated into a bar/café/gaming establishment that largely occupied a two-storey, timber heritage building on the adjacent section to the south. The construction linked the two, previously non-communicating buildings via door openings cut through the masonry of the south wall of Ashleigh Court. One opening (and connecting ramp) provided access to the southernmost ground-floor shop in Ashleigh Court, which became a gaming area. A second opening in the cellar wall permitted the installation of stair down to a lower level of the new bar/café. The four apartments on the upper levels of Ashleigh Court continue to be used for residential purposes, with the other ground-level stores tenanted by cafes and the office of the Newtown Community Constable.
With the notable exception of Wellington Hospital, Ashleigh Court remains the most prominent building in the Newtown streetscape. Some of the more recent construction along Riddiford Street is larger scaled, but no other building—historic or modern—approaches Ashleigh Court's level of distinction and architectural responsiveness to its high-profile siting.
Ashleigh Court remains the visual focus of the spacious intersection at Riddiford and Rintoul Streets and is the principal landmark marking the northern terminus of the Newtown Central Shopping Centre Heritage Area. This precinct is characterised by two-storey, timber buildings fronted by verandahs; their interiors feature ground-floor retail space with commercial or residential space above. Other heritage buildings in this area include Castles the Chemist at 139 Riddiford Street, also developed by Hawthorn & Crump, and Commercial Building, 179 Riddiford Street (both scheduled but not listed). With a presence more in keeping with the heritage buildings along Lambton Quay and Cuba Street than its immediate neighbours, Ashleigh Court rises up from this relatively uniform commercial landscape.
Ashleigh Court is a three-storey edifice that occupies an urban lot terminating in an acute triangle at the intersection of Riddiford and Rintoul Streets. The building's wedge or 'flatiron' form is entirely discernible even at some distance while traveling south along Riddiford Street. The east (Riddiford) elevation has always been the functional 'front,' but this demarcation did not have an emphatic corresponding architectural expression. The east and west (Rintoul) elevations—as well as the short wall segment connecting them at the building's blunted north end—should be read as a continuous façade. On the ground floor, the physical differences between the 'front' and 'back' were originally obscured by a single, V-shaped verandah that ran fully around the building.
The decoration on the upper levels unifies the three most visible elevations. The eclectic melange of classical elements rendered in plaster include such features as banded rustication; alternating triangular and segmental arched pediments; oversize keystones; cornices, beltcourses, and bands of dentils; fluted pilasters with squat Ionic capitals; and swag-draped plaques.
Only the centre bay of the east elevation markedly distinguishes it from the west. It denoted the location of the ground-floor entrance to the hotel and the windows lighting its stair and central corridor. The first- and second-floor openings are separated by a plaque bearing the date 'A.D. 1907' and all are contained under a single arch.
The diminutive north elevation features three panels defined by simple frames and smoothly finished. They historically and presently have signs advertising businesses within the building.
The west elevation lacks the articulated centre bay of the east and the southernmost bay differs with a wide arched opening on the first floor once opening onto the hotel's service areas. The single round-headed window above this opening is original with the small adjacent one added in the 1950s as part of bathroom renovations.
The south wall party wall bends at its centre along the property line. It is masonry covered in smooth plaster with two window openings on the first floor filled with glass block and a series of small windows on the second floor.
The building's exterior, on the whole, remains in good condition with most of its original plaster decoration in situ. The sash windows appear to be a mix of original and replaced units, but generally keep to the original design concept.
The removal of the portion of the verandah along Rintoul Street remains a particularly adverse effect in terms of integrity. Without the verandah, the west elevation has a decidedly secondary visual status, accentuated by first-floor pilasters left visually hanging in space (even the faux pilasters painted onto the ground-floor wall stop short of meeting the three-dimensional ones).
That said, the uniformity of the extant verandah along Riddiford and its collection of historic iron posts constitute a rare survivor of a once widespread architectural form.
Formerly a complicated arrangement of ridges and troughs, the modern, metal clad roof has a monopitch sloping down and back from the top of the parapet in the northeast corner to well below the parapet in the northwest corner.
The five ground-floor shops and the entrance/stairhall for the upper levels are partitioned with masonry walls and remain more or less intact. The shops have had some minor changes to their service areas and a door has been cut through the south exterior wall into the southernmost store as part of a bar/café in an adjacent building.
The original hotel entrance/stairhall has been significantly altered. In 1951, the stair was altered to be accessed via a new door opening onto Rintoul Street. The space opening from Riddiford Street was then closed off and became a shop. At some time subsequently, perhaps as early as the late-1970s, a wide stair accessing the basement was opened and the remainder of the space turned into a closet.
The Riddiford Street stair connects to a basement bar that extends under the southern half of the building, also accessible via a stair cut through the masonry foundation wall and connecting to the formerly separate premises to the south.
Glass laylights set into the surface of the footpath remain extant and allow light to pass through the thick concrete foundation walls. A brick partition wall running east to west incorporates a broad arch on the basement level and runs up the full height of the building.
The first and second floors have been divided into four apartments. While some original rooms and features survive in each apartment, the interiors of the two first-floor units and the one on the north side of the second floor have been significantly changed. Alterations include the subdivision of large rooms, combination of smaller rooms, insertion of bathrooms and laundries, new floors and wall linings, and new decorative features such as ceiling rosettes that suggest original elements.
The second-floor apartment on the south side remains the most intact. The original Y-shaped corridor remains readable and lined with a series of doors opening onto rooms that appear to retain their original divisions. The arrangement of cubicles for the toilets and a shower and the bathroom in the southwest corner reflects its mid-twentieth century state with some spaces likely dating from the time of the building's completion in 1908.
Cities and towns in New Zealand abound with building sites that have interesting shapes for reasons that include challenging topography, organic development histories, and relieving the monotony of the rectilinear street grid. Despite the design potential held by high-profile triangular and polygonal sites, builders, developers, and architects do not always capitalise on their advantages. Ashleigh Court and a number of those that follow—urban, suburban, and provincial—were notably successful in their sensitive design that responds to their sites.
Completed in 1901, this building was designed by the important architecture firm Thomas Turnbull and Son as the head office of the Bank of New Zealand (List No. 212, Category 1). The confident Edwardian Baroque wedge-shaped building shares affinities with Ashleigh Court, in particular its design as a continuous façade at a prominent intersection. However, its scale and the robustness of its decoration are much greater and stronger as befitting the head office of a major bank in the centre of the city.
Unconventional sites also result from the irregularity of the original shoreline. In this case, a prominent site located directly across from BNZ No 1 features an obtuse angle that shaped this esteemed building. Architect William Chatfield designed the Edwardian commercial building for jeweller Stewart Dawson (List No. 1871, Category 2). Like Ashleigh Court, the three-storey commercial building features well-crafted plaster decoration using classical motifs, yet the building visually stands out primarily in its width.
The rigidity of Christchurch's gridiron plan was in part relieved by diagonal High Street and the resulting triangular sections along it lent themselves to the development of attractive wedge-shaped buildings with continuous street facades. Fisher's Building and Strange's Building were listed as Category 1 historic places and the ANZ Bank as a Category 2 historic place, prior to being demolished in the wake of the earthquake on 22 February 2011.
The distinctive Italianate/Renaissance Revival Commerce Building (List No. 4756, Category 2) and the comparatively lofty Edwardian Imperial Building (List No. 4747, Category 2) are located on opposing corners of Dowling Street facing Queens Gardens. Taken together, both buildings contribute to an attractive urban streetscape in a portion of the city defined by its grid of concentric octagons connected by radiating streets, although the Imperial Building makes better use of its corner site with a unified design more comparable to Ashleigh Court.
Buildings with towers constitute a special group in terms of visibility and urbanism. As an architectural device for drawing attention, towers are highly successful. Sometimes they are oddly perched on top of a building and at other times they are integrated into the design to a particularly striking outcome. When coupled with a prominent corner site they can have even more of a dramatic effect.
Despite having a comparable suburban setting to Ashleigh Court in the same neighbourhood, this expanse of seven attached shops with residences above was conventionally designed to face Riddiford Street. The elevation facing Adelaide Road is decidedly less articulated before stepping in to become gardens behind Nos 8-14. The comparative scale of the building and its line of attached units is the intriguing aspect of the design rather than the way it did, or in this case, did not exploit the corner site.
Woods Grocers (unlisted, but scheduled as Category B in the Auckland Unitary Plan (Operative in part, 15 November 2016) is located at an intersection of a principal road running through a suburb developed in the late-nineteenth and early twentieth century. The two-storey timber building's continuous façade with a small domed corner tower faced traffic coming from the city centre in the same way as Ashleigh Court. However, Woods Grocers was located some blocks north of the suburb's commercial centre as a standalone enterprise.
When considered against the universe of comparatives, Ashleigh Court is indeed an example of design excellence in its inspired merger of architecture and urbanism. Successful works such as this do not passively exist on the sidelines as attractive, yet static components of their environments, but rather are essential to the active definition and identity of a place. A mundane building on a unique site or an attractive building on a conventional site is not empowered with the special level of impact as a building shaped by both its architecture and siting combined.
Beyond its inherent architectural qualities, Ashleigh Court is significant as an increasingly rare example of a large, masonry Edwardian commercial building with plaster decoration and one of a small number of traditional hotels extant in Wellington. Beginning in the late-1960s, a large swathe of Wellington's Victorian and Edwardian heritage was levelled because of perceived earthquake risk as well as the demands of a commercial building boom that radically transformed the city centre. The Golden Mile—Lambton Quay, Willis Street, Manners Street, and Courtenay Place—was particularly devastated and hotels and pubs were a type that was especially hard hit.
Only half of the planned demolitions occurred by the early 1980s and a reduction in lending following the 1987 stock market crash and the global economic recession in the early 1990s further slowed the process. Surviving Edwardian former hotels in Wellington include Albemarle Hotel (List no. 3633; Category 2 historic place), People's Palace Hotel (List no. 3626; Category 2 historic place), Columbia Private Hotel (List no. 3636, Category 2 historic place), the Temperance Hotel at 8 Cambridge Terrace (unlisted but scheduled in the Wellington City District Plan Map 16 Symbol Ref 51/2), and the Bristol Hotel (List no. 3629, Category 2). The Tramway Hotel at Adelaide Road, Newtown, is also relevant to this discussion; however, its 1899 construction places it the late Victorian era.
While a heritage consensus is more widespread now than at that time, development pressure remains strong in the CBD and parts of Te Aro. More problematic, particularly for the city's collection of Victorian and Edwardian masonry buildings, is the return of a high degree of concern about structural integrity and risk in the wake of Christchurch's earthquakes and also the Seddon (2013) and Kaikoura (2016) events that caused damage in Wellington.
Main stair altered to be accessed from Rintoul Street; Riddiford entrance turned into store.
Additional toilets and new kitchen added to southwest corner of second floor (configuration still present in current apartment).
Ground-floor verandah along Rintoul Street removed.
Apartment conversions on first and second storeys.
Exterior plasterwork was repaired and the whole repainted; this work included elimination of the exterior fire escapes. Reconstruction of the shop fronts along Riddiford Street. Reinstatement of the glazed panels at the roofline of the verandah. Introduction of Juliet balconies on the first floor for the French doors that originally opened onto the terrace positioned on the verandah roof.
Two doors were opened through south wall of Ashleigh Court, connecting spaces on its ground and basement levels with the building/premises on the adjacent section, which historically had been a physically and architecturally separate entity.
Wellington City Council. 'Newtown Central Shopping Centre Heritage Area, Riddiford Street, Constable Street, Rintoul Street.' Unpublished report. 28 October 2008.
Geoff Mew and Adrian Humphris, Raupo to Deco: Wellington Styles and Architects, 1840-1940, Steele Roberts Aotearoa, Wellington, 2014.
Plumb Productions, 'Hometown Boomtown.' Three-part television documentary. 1983. Available through NZ On Screen.
A fully referenced New Zealand Heritage List report is available on request from the Central Region Office of Heritage New Zealand.


text:
Welcome to the Need for Speed: Rivals section.
Guides, Cheats & Secrets
Cheats, Codes & Secrets
View Latest News & Articles
Need for Speed Rivals is the spiritual successor to 1999's Need for Speed: High Stakes and has similar gameplay to 2010's Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit with exotic cars and high-speed police chases. The game is to be released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on 19 November 2013, will also be released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One later in 2013. It is a spiritual successor to 1999's Need for Speed: High Stakes.
Developer: Ghost Games
Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC
Release Date: November 19, 2013 for PS3, Xbox 360 & PC, PS4 & Xbox One TBA