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'Dixie Swim Club' story of strong friendships, support and sorrow on Marco Island
The Marco Players bring one of community theater's best known, and most touching, comedies to the island for a Southern-fried run through Jan 19.
'Dixie Swim Club' story of strong friendships, support and sorrow on Marco Island The Marco Players bring one of community theater's best known, and most touching, comedies to the island for a Southern-fried run through Jan 19. Check out this story on naplesnews.com: https://www.naplesnews.com/story/life/2020/01/08/marco-players-offer-sweet-savvy-friendships-dixie-swim-club/2823061001/
Harriet Howard Heithaus, Naples Daily News Published 12:00 p.m. ET Jan. 8, 2020 | Updated 1:09 p.m. ET Jan. 8, 2020
Left, Kay Wylie-Jacob (Sheree), Patti Caroli (Lexie), Judy Scribner (Jeri Neal), Carla Grieve (Dinah) and Rhonda Davis (Vernadette) in 'The Dixie Swim Club" on Marco Island. (Photo: Denise Wauters Johnson)
Those of us who are lucky have forged a bond with friends that the years can never break — even if time and circumstances threaten to fray them.
Such are the strong women of "The Dixie Swim Club," a comedy by a trio who have a strong bond themselves: the playwriting trio of Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten, writers for film or beloved TV fare such as "Golden Girls" and "Teacher's Pet" before they joined forces 15 years ago. The Marco Players bring one of their best-known comedies to the island for a Southern-fried run through Jan 19.
"Swim Club" details selected reunions of a championship collegiate swim team as they age into their twilight years, carrying their sense of obligation, their wacky humor and their personal problems along with them. Snappy repartee and strongly held persona don't crowd out their understanding of — and support for — each other.
Most of us will recognize someone we know in each of their personality types: the youth-conscious center of attraction, the organizer, the jinxed one, the forever-willing-to-please sweetheart, the overachiever.
It's directed by Anna Segreto, whose last local work was directing The Studio Players' "Venus in Fur."
The cast includes Patti Caroli (Lexie), outspoken and determined to hold on to her youth; Rhonda Davis (Vernadette), acutely aware of the dark cloud that hovers over her life; Kay Wylie-Jacob (Sheree), the spunky team captain trying to maintain her "perfect" life; Judy Scribner sweet and eager-to-please (Jeri Neal); and, Carla Grieve (Dinah), wisecracking overachiever.
This is the second play from the Jones-Hope-Wooten trio that The Marco Players has done. Last season they presented "The Savannah Sipping Society," about four Southern women who develop a regular weekly happy hour, and in it their triumphs, hopes, woes and worries all begin to come to the fore.
Beverly Dahlstrom, executive director for The Marco Players, said she's especially happy that Segreto, who also directed "The Savannah Sipping Society" last season, is directing this one. "She really has a knack for getting the most out of her characters."
What Segreto sees as the play's irresistible ingredient is its theme of "enduring friendship. That's so important."
"Of course, it's a comedy and people laugh and that's very appealing," she said. "But there's poignancy." Things happen to its characters, and they have to deal with that, she added. That is when enduring friendship is so valuable.
"They're very popular here," said Dahlstrom of the Jones-Hope-Wooten dramatic canon. "They're about relationships that have been long-term. And they're easily identifiable characters."
The interesting thing about the plays, she added, is that they might be considered "chick flick" material because they're about women: "But the men seem to really enjoy them too."
Harriet Howard Heithaus covers arts and entertainment for the Naples Daily News/naplesnews.com. Reach her at 239-213-6091.
What: The story of five lifelong friends whose lives shatter or shed layers as they age together at their annual reunions
When: 8 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays through Jan. 19
Where: The Marco Players Theater, Marco Town Center Mall, 1089 N. Collier Blvd., Marco Island
Tickets: $32, $34
To buy: www.TheMarcoPlayers.com or by phone at 239-642-7270
Read or Share this story: https://www.naplesnews.com/story/life/2020/01/08/marco-players-offer-sweet-savvy-friendships-dixie-swim-club/2823061001/
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Home Cover
Kyari 'very best of us', Buhari pays tribute to late chief of staff, friend
in Cover, National
Late Chief of Staff Abba Kyari with President Muhammadu Buhari
Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Muhammed Buhari has paid tribute to his late Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, describing him as the best.
This is even as he said he will not be available for condolence visitors, urging instead that prayers be offered for the repose of the soul of the departed Chief of Staff.
Buhari noted Kyari's enormous sacrifices and contributions, saying it contributed to the success of his politics and administration and to the overall development of the nation.
The President used the sad event to reiterate strict observance of the social distancing rules as prescribed by the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC), the Federal Ministry of Health, and other safe hygiene practices as advised by relevant health authorities.
Related: NCDC supervised Kyari's burial – Presidency
Buhari conveyed his deep appreciation to foreign leaders and all Nigerians, from whom a stream of messages have been reaching him over this irreparable loss.
The President's tribute reads:
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TO MY FRIEND, MALLAM ABBA KYARI
Mallam Abba Kyari, who died on 17th April, 2020, at the age of 67 from complications caused by the Coronavirus, was a true Nigerian patriot. My loyal friend and compatriot for the last 42 years – and latterly my Chief-of-Staff – he never wavered in his commitment to the betterment of every one of us.
He was only in his twenties when we first met. A diligent student, soon after he was blessed with the opportunity to study abroad – first at Warwick and then law at the University of Cambridge. But there was never any question Abba would bring his first-rate skills and newly acquired world-class knowledge back to Nigeria – which he did – immediately upon graduation.
Whilst possessing the sharpest legal and organisational mind, Abba's true focus was always the development of infrastructure and the assurance of security for the people of this nation he served so faithfully. For he knew that without both in tandem there can never be the development of the respectful society and vibrant economy that all Nigerian citizens deserve.
In political life, Abba never sought elective office for himself. Rather, he set himself against the view and conduct of two generations of Nigeria's political establishment – who saw corruption as an entitlement and its practice a byproduct of possessing political office.
Becoming my Chief of Staff in 2015, he strove quietly and without any interest in publicity or personal gain to implement my agenda.
There are those who said of him that he must be secretive – because he did not have a high public profile. But Abba was the opposite: he simply had no need, nor did he seek, the cheap gratification of the crowd; for him, there was nothing to be found in popular adulation. He secured instead satisfaction and his reward solely and only from the improvement of the governance of this great country.
Working, without fail, seven days each and every week, he acted forcefully as a crucial gatekeeper to the presidency, ensuring no one – whether minister or governor had access beyond another – and that all those representing and serving our country were treated equally.
He made clear in his person and his practice, always, that every Nigerian – regardless of faith, family, fortune or frailty – was heard and treated respectfully and the same.
Mallam Abba Kyari was the very best of us. He was made of the stuff that makes Nigeria great. Rest In Peace, my dearest friend.
To his loving wife and doting family who survive him, I extend my heartfelt sorrow at your loss.
President, Federal Republic of Nigeria
Related: US, EU mourn Kyari
Sun News Online team
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Peter Okeke says:
Kyari was a great man. May his soul rest in peace. However the president should not have been telling Nigerians about social distancing when it was obviously violated during the burial of his friend. No matter the situation, a leader should at all times show an example. If gold rust what will iron do?
He was the very worse of you. May his soul roast in hell fire. End of cabalism in Aso Rock.
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Q: Why isn't my brackets previewer not working? I've been using Notepad++ but decided to install Brackets. However, when I try to open my document to preview it live, I get an error saying "Open an HTML file or make sure there is an index.html file in your project in order to launch live preview". I dont understand why its not working when I set the name of my html document to "index" and have the "getting started" files they gave me as well. Can someone please help? Ive uploaded two screenshots to Imgur to show whats its saying:
http://imgur.com/a/zLTo5

A: First check to ensure you have a default browser set on your computer. After that, try duplicating your code into another folder, import that into adobe brackets, and than attempt to live preview it. If all else fails delete all traces of adobe brackets and reinstall it (you can save any programs you made, and import those back in later).
If problems persist post a bug on the offical brackets trello to get assistance by a developer.
Although, personally I reccommend just going into the folder directory, and selecting the .html file like you would if you were still using Notepad++. Everytime just save in brackets, and refresh in your browser. In my opinion, live preview doesn't offer that many beneficial features, the best just being recently added in version 1.9 (able to click a html element and jump to that code).

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Want C-suite buy-in for your program? Choose your words carefully.
Examine the language and touch points used to garner executives' attention.
"Ultimately, managing a CW program is about coordinating a company's contingent workforce and associated staffing partners for the betterment of the company's operations," Stephen Clancy, SIA's senior director of contingent workforce strategies, knowledge and research, wrote in a CWS 3.0 article back in 2015. And while much has changed over the past several years, this statement still rings true.
Everyone in the organization, from the top down, is interested in the "betterment of the company" — especially the executives sitting in the C-suite. However, contingent workforce program managers often struggle to get their firms' top execs to buy-in to their programs.
So what can be done to bring them into the fold? A good starting point is examining the language and touch points used to garner executives' attention.
The SIA QECR Performance Framework for CW program performance management, which focuses on key dimensions that define a program's overall performance: Quality, efficiency, cost and risk has been much discussed by professionals in the space. These four words also happen to be top-of-mind for those occupying the C-suite.
Globally, across all regions, CEOs and other C-suite executives rank attracting and retaining top talent as their top internal concern, according to The Conference Board's C-Suite Challenge 2019 survey. The survey also found that developing the next generation of leaders was the third internal concern for CEOs globally.
This presents an opportunity for contingent workforce program managers to tout their programs and the roles they can play in talent acquisition.
"As global competition increases while the pool of available workers decreases, it comes as no surprise that executives cited talent as a top issue in 2019 that's keeping them up at night," said Rebecca Ray, a report author and the executive VP of human capital at The Conference Board. "Moreover, they think talent shortages will only intensify beyond 2019, which underscores why organizations should constantly reexamine how they're attracting and retaining their best and brightest."
The report is based on a survey of over 800 CEOs and over 600 other C-Suite executives, primarily from the United States, Asia, and Europe.
Cost and risk
Evaluating a contingent workforce program based on QECR can provide metrics that reveal the cost savings and/or ROI attributed to the program, leading to more C-level support. However, security and risk garner much more attention and engagement from company leadership than cost alone.
Depending on their roles, executives' concerns about risk in their contingent worker programs can range from legal compliance, such as co-employment and independent contractor classification, to security concerns such as data privacy, data security and identification security. For marketing and PR execs, a data breach can present a risk to the brand and its public image, which ultimately negatively affect the firm's bottom line.
Without executive skin in the game, achieving genuine program maturity can remain a distant dream, rather than an achievable objective, according to Peter Reagan, SIA's senior director, CWS and research. Reagan will lead a panel on the topic at SIA's CWS Summit North America, held Sept. 9 to Sept. 12 in San Diego. Contingent workforce program peers will share stories of how they have been able to effectively get the attention and sponsorship from the C-Suite to drive and improve the programs' strategic value to the organization. More information is available online.
In an upcoming article, I'll discuss what some programs are doing that could not be done without executive input and sponsorship.
Katherine Alvarez | July 24, 2019|No Comments
Katherine Alvarez
Katherine Alvarez is an associate editor for Staffing Industry Analysts. She can be reached at kalvarez (at) staffingindustry (dot) com.


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£2bn package to accelerate shift to active travel
The Government has brought forward plans to invest heavily in walking and cycling, to relieve the pressure on public transport.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps used the Government's daily Covid-19 briefing to unveil plans to boost greener, active transport.
Pop-up bike lanes with protected space for cycling, wider pavements, safer junctions, and cycle and bus-only corridors will be created in England within weeks as part of an initial £250 million emergency active travel fund - the first stage of a £2 billion investment, in turn part of a wider £5 billion investment cycling and buses that was announced in February.
Capitalising on a marked increase in levels of walking and cycling across the UK during the pandemic, the Government plans will encourage more people to choose alternatives to public transport to travel – helping ensure road, bus and rail networks can cope to future increases in demand as people return to work.
The government will fund and work with local authorities across the country to make it easier for people to use bikes to get around. Manchester's Bee Network and London's "bike Tube" above Underground lines are cited as examples of schemes that could receive funding.
Statutory guidance, effective immediately, will instruct councils to reallocate road space for significantly increased numbers of cyclists and pedestrians. In towns and cities, some streets could become bike and bus-only while others remain available for motorists. More side streets could be closed to through traffic, to create low-traffic neighbourhoods and reduce rat-running while maintaining access for vehicles.
Vouchers will be issued for cycle repairs, to encourage people to get old bikes out of the shed, and plans are being developed for greater provision of bike-fixing facilities.
Shapps said: "During this crisis, millions of people have discovered cycling – whether for exercise or as a means of safe, socially-distanced transport.
"When the country does get back to work, we need those people to stay on their bikes and be joined by many more. Otherwise, with public transport's capacity severely restricted, our trains and buses could become overcrowded and our roads gridlocked.
An updated Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy will be launched by the Prime Minister in the summer, with further measures to transform cycling and walking to deliver the government's aims to double cycling and increase walking by 2025 – including:
The creation of a national cycling and walking commissioner and inspectorate
Higher standards for permanent infrastructure across England
Getting GPs to prescribe cycling and exercise
Creating a long-term budget for cycling and walking similar to what happens for roads
Making the case for active travel. Laura Laker outlines why urban planners must prioritise walking and cycling over cars and road investment
Smart Travel Insight: Planners need to think more about cycling and walking and less about the road network and car ownership, suggests Laura Laker
Active travel: Creating Manchester's 'Bee Network' for cycling
Olympian Chris Boardman wants to change Manchester, but he needs to take people with him.
Active travel: How Seville built a cycle network, fast
Seville, in southern Spain, has a 75-mile cycle network, much of which was built very rapidly. We could do it here, too, and here's how.


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What age group is Montessori for?
Who should study with The Montessori Campus?
Are all Montessori programmes the same?
How are Montessori teachers trained?
Montessori practice is always up-to-date and dynamic because observation and the meeting of needs is continual and specific for each child. When physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional needs are met children glow with excitement and a drive to play and work with enthusiasm, to learn, and to create. They exhibit a desire to teach, help, and care for others and for their environment.
The high level of academic achievement so common in Montessori schools is a natural outcome of experience in such a supportive environment. The Montessori method of education is a model which serves the needs of children of all levels of mental and physical ability as they live and learn in a natural, mixed-age group which is very much like the society they will live in as adults.
Experience and research both indicate that children attending Montessori schools tend to be competent, self-disciplined, socially well adjusted, and happy.
Children in Montessori schools are often several years above grade level in their basic skills. Also, since the Montessori education is comprehensive, children are often exceptionally knowledgeable in a number of other areas as well.
Montessori schools are well known for children's development of self-discipline. Children choose to work long and hard. They treat materials and others with respect. They display patience and resistance to temptation and the ability to attend for long periods.
Montessori school children usually strike a visitor as friendly empathetic, and co-operative. The classroom is a cheerful social community where children happily help each other. It is not uncommon to see a child offer to help another child. Also, learning social grace and courtesy is a part of the Montessori curriculum.
Most parents of children in a Montessori school comment on how much their children love school.


Boris Johnson has given us an example of how to distort the truth with statistics which should enter the text books. In his speech this week to the right wing Centre for Policy Studies Johnson doesn't actually lie: he presents absolute truth, but in such a way as to give a hugely twisted impression.
Johnson points out that 16% of "our species", as he calls us, have an IQ of less than 85 whereas only 2% have an IQ of more that 130. Absolutely correct.
For those unfamiliar with the background, many natural phenomena display a Gaussian, or Normal, distribution, which , in graphical terms, produces a bell-shaped curve with the vast majority in the middle and few at each of the extremes. This can be validated by actually measuring observable features such as, for example, human height.
Most educational psychologists presume that human intelligence is similarly distributed, but, since intelligence is hard to measure (and perhaps even harder to define) this is impossible to prove. However, intelligence test are constructed so as to produce a Gaussian distribution, with both a median and modal score of 100, and questions in IQ tests are deliberately chosen to produce this. Questions which generate results which do not fit this "normal" distribution are rejected.
Johnson's distortion is to appear to balance the 16% with an IQ below 85 against the 2% with IQs above 130, thus giving the impression that the "gifted" 2% have to carry the "subnormal " 16%. But note that the 2% are 30 points above the norm whilst the burdensome 16%, with IQs below 85, are only 15 points below the norm.
In actual fact, there will be precisely 2% of the population with IQs below 70 who will exactly balance the 2% with IQs above 130, and 16% with IQs above 115 to balance those below 85.
What ever the figures, who owes what to whom by no means follows. IQ may affect propensity to pass exams, but it doesn't measure hard work, ambition, care, consideration, empathy, sense of adventure, willingness to take risks, or how good a partner, parent (or teacher or nurse) you're likely to be. In the hackneyed phrase, "It takes all sorts to make the world," and in a modern democracy we all merit equal respect and consideration as citizens.
Today Vince Cable, our very own Liberal Democrat economics guru and Secretary of State for Business, is to appear before a parliamentary committee to account for his handling of the privatisation of our Royal Mail. Here are some of the things he needs to explain.
First and most obvious, why were the shares of this publicly owned asset, first nationalised by Oliver Cromwell I believe, flogged off to private owners at a 30% discount? They were priced at £3.30 and promptly rose to £5.50 when placed on the market, thus robbing the public treasury of £2.2bn. Dr Cable initially dismissed the price difference as "froth" but six weeks later it's still there, and rumour has it that the value of the Royal Mail's property has not been properly taken into account, so there's uncounted potential for asset stripping.
The floatation was supervised by the investment bank Lazards. Are they and the other banks involved going to be sued for the bad advice they've given, or asked to return some of the £12.7million they've been paid, or to be struck from the list of firms eligible to advise governments in future?
Why were the sovereign wealth funds of Kuwait, Singapore and Abu Dhabi offered shares when British retail buyers and pension funds could have taken the lot, which would at least have kept the bonanza in the family?
And there is every expectation that, now our postal delivery service it is in the hands of short-term profit-maximisers, the prices will rise even further, the extent and quality of the service will be reduced and pay and working conditions will deteriorate.
Well, from reports in the papers the committee seems to have taken a very Panglossian view . The bankers all feel they did a good job and Dr Cable said, ". . .this has been a very professional well managed and successful operation."
I wonder, if he were to sell his house, the estate agent valued it at £330 000, so he sold it for that, and the buyer sold it the following week to someone else for £550 000, he would think the estate agent had done a good job for him?
Unless he has evidence, Dominic Grieve, the Attorney-General, was probably unwise to single out the Pakistani community in Britain for special mention in his accusations of "corruption in some minority communities."
However, my friend John Cole, for 15 years a member of Bradofrd City Council, has writen to Mr Grieve pointing out that there is ample reason for concern about the possibility of corrupt practices in British elections.
"I would strongly recommend (assuming you have not already done so) that you get hold of a copy of "Purity of Elections in the UK: Causes for Concern". This is a report by Stuart Wilks-Heeg of Liverpool University on behalf of the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust. Publication = 2008, ISBN = 0-9548902-3-x.
This is a carefully researched academic report which I think gives substance to the comments you made earlier this week and which you are now being pressurised to retract."
At the time of the publication of the Wilks-Heeg report John tried to raise the matter privately within City Hall. His attempts were squashed: certain party leaders were wary of giving offencet. The pressure now being placed to squash further consideration of Mr Grieve's remarks are not healthy for our democracy: we should be ruthless in ferreting out corruption wherever it happens.
If a thorough enquiry results in our returning to the rule that, wherever possible, voting should be "in person, in private," so much the better.
Christine lost the seat to Labour last year and admittedly we had an advantage this time round in that that Labour man who defeated her resigned rather prematurely.
Interesting that the Ukip vote was almost half that if Labour, and pleasing that the Green beat the Tories into fifth place. David Cameron needs to look to his credentials and his promise to be "the greenest government ever."
Talking of promises, Tory Minister Tristram Hunt smugly made great play on the BBC's "Question Time" last night of the fact that the Tories wouldn't touch all those freebies we pensioners because because "David Cameron had promised they wouldn't."
One of the first audience contributors pointed out that Cameron has also promised "no top down re-organisation of the NHS."
I'm keen member of the retail Co-op (I actually go to the meetings), pay for my broadband and telephone line via the Phone Co-op and have an account at the Co-op Bank. So I'm naturally distressed by the amount of negative publicity being generated by the collapse of our (yes our) bank and allegations of incompetence and wickedness directed at its former chairman Paul Flowers. (Journalists, even on the BBC, please note that in British English its the Rev'd Paul Flowers, the Rev'd P Flowers, or Mr Flowers: the Rev'd Flowers is American English).
The Labour Party tries to claim a monopoly of the co-operative principle, but it has strong roots in Liberalism as well: profit sharing in Theodore Taylor's mills in Batley, just down the road from me; our many attempts, against trade union resistance, to introduce employee representation on boards; Jo Grimond's enthusiasm for Mondragon.
The Co-op Bank's present problems, largely if not mainly caused by the take-over of another mutual, the Britannia Building Society, give ammunition to supporters of traditional (exploitative) capitalism to mock the mutual ideal: OK for the Women's Institute perhaps, but not suitable for serious business.
But hang on a moment. The Co-op Bank has not, so far at any rate, needed taxpayers' money to shore it up. And its directors have retired with only ignominy, unmitigated by fat bonuses. All very different from the collapse of capitalist RBS and Lloyds TSB.
A couple of weeks ago I attended a lecture by Hugo Radice, writer and recently retired lecturer on international political economy at Leeds University. The lecture discussed the nature and soundness of the present economic recovery in the UK and examined who will be the most likely major beneficiaries if it continues: not the majority of us, I'm afraid.
As a result our democracies grow weaker whilst business goes from strength to strength. A recent article by George Monbiot describes how investor-state dispute settlements written into international trade agreements enable business to sue supposedly sovereign governments if the businesses feel their rights to make profits have been infringed. Argentina has been forced to pay over $1bn to international utility companies for freezing the people's energy and water bills (so watch out, Ed Miliband). The tobacco firm Philip Morris is suing the Australian government for the alleged loss of profit arising from their decision to allow cigarettes to be sold only in plain packets.
The courts which make these decisions meet in secret and there is no right of appeal.
So while here in the Britain UKIP and the Tories splutter about ceding sovereignty to Brussels, where decisions are made openly and subject to democratic accountability, our democratic rights are being ceded to big business without a murmur.
Someone, not least Liberal Democrats in government, should be making a big fuss. Come on Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, our very own Vince Cable - lets hear it for the people.
Two of my friends who are railway buffs are enthusiastic supporters of HS2 (the plan to build a high speed railway form London to Birmingham, and, eventually, to Manchester, Sheffield and Leeds). One ruefully admits that the project is unlikely ever to be achieved because "Britain is no longer capable of implementing long term ventures such as this." The other challenges my argument that the money could be better spent on other transport projects, by pointing out that the sort of money required is only available for grandiose projects, and not for titsy-bitsy improvements to the existing infrastructure. He could be right, but, if so, that is a damning indictment of the quality of the vision of our leaders.
The initial justification for HS2 was that it would cut the journey time from London to Birmingham by 40 minutes. When that was laughingly ridiculed the justification shifted to the need for extra capacity. (There are lots of other ways of gaining extra capacity: not least longer trains. The necessary extension of a few platforms would cost only a tiny fraction of HS2.) Then we were threatened that, if the existing rail network were to be improved, that could involve weekend closures on some services for up to 14 years. It is good to know that the powers that be have such concern for our access to weekend leisure activities.
It is argued also that, by improving connections with London, the project will generate growth and prosperity in the Midlands and North. It is just as likely to drain enterprise and resources from the North to the South by turning the entire nation into a vast suburb of London. In any case, we are a small island and, with the advent of new communication facilities such as Skype and whatever other new tricks the IT people are going to invent in the next 30 years, the need for businessmen or anybody else to go whizzing up and down it is highly questionable.
Already the projected cost has risen by £10bn and the projected benefits recalculated and reduced. In addition, the man placed in charge of the HS2 project is a Sir David Higgins, the same David Higgins who was chief executive of the 2012 Olympics Delivery Authority, a project which was originally estimated to cost £2.4bn and eventually came in at £8.77bn, a whopping increase of 265%? If Higgins's cost-management skills do not improve then we can expect HS2 to cost well over £100bn rather than the present estimate of £42bn.
I think I've read somewhere that the government has already squandered over £400m on consultancy fees. If the scheme goes ahead then further billions, yes billions, will be spent on lawyers, planners, contract negotiations, land purchases and compensation. Not much of that will "trickle down" into local economies.
To avert this waste we need to "bend up every spirit to its full height" to get this swanky project abandoned in favour of shovel-ready improvements to the existing network, which, as well as dragging the rest of the infrastructure into the 21st Century, will generate local employment now when it is wanted, and not in some distant dream future.
"Nothing," he said. "I must try harder."
So our Tory party and their supporters in the overwhelmingly right-wing press have not only succeed in blaming Britain's Labour party for a world-wide economic crisis causes by Tory policies of financial deregulation, but have now managed to convince the principal sufferers from the crisis that their plight is their own fault.
It seems to me that the age of 15 to 30 is the most exciting period of a person's life in what we had come to assume were normal circumstances: growing independent of one's parents, gaining qualifications, finding a suitable career, changing it if it turned out not to be suitable, finding a partner (and, sadly, these days, changing that if not entirely suited), setting up home, starting a family, progressing in one's career. Those wonderful years when the world is your oyster and everything seems possible .
There is much talk of austerity and it is true that some of the poorest in our society are suffering real inconvenience, even hardship. But the principal sufferers are those from whom their rightful experience of these golden years has been stolen.
Contrast the predicament of today's youth with the easy-going generosity of state and economy experienced by earlier generations, and aptly described by Professor Danny Dorling.
for each child parents should be able to afford a £50 birthday present plus £50 for a party.
The male footwear allowance seems a bit on the stingy side, and the children's birthday allocation wildly lavish.
However, to bring the latter into perceptive I apply my "divide by 40" rule. This is based on the fact that when I began teaching in the late 1950s we new recruits were paid just under £500 a year. Today they are paid around £20 000 a year, or 40 times as much. In other words today's pound in my mental calculation of the true value of things, is equivalent to the old sixpence (that's 6d, not the modern pence. There were 20 shillings in a £ and therefore 40 sixpences).
On that scale a birthday present worth just over a 1950s pound doesn't seem to way out. Similarly my current pre 09h30 bus fare to Bradford, £2.90, is reasonably near to the 1/3d or so that it used to be, although the Guardian, now at £1.40 (= about 8d) is almost three times the 3d it was in my college days, when I started reading it.
Although I'm sure that any increase in wages will be a help to those at the bottom of the pile, mostly, I believe, women in such jobs as cleaners, it would not be sufficient to maintain that socially acceptable lifestyle if the employees were on a zero hours contract or working part-time when they really want a full-time job. Weekly or annualised rates for the living wage, £298 and £15, 496 respectively outside London, are more meaningful.
Ed Miliband's suggestion of a temporary tax-break has caught the headlines. If this is administratively feasible (and doubts have been raised: will it, for example, go to employers who already pay the living wage, or just those who up their ante in order to get the allowance, and do we have enough civil servants to do the checking when we don't seem to be able to employ enough in HMRC to collect the taxes already owed?) it may be a good temporary nudge, since once wages have been raised they are difficult to lower again.
However, although negative income tax (now called working tax credit) was the Liberal policy from the 60s and 70s to top up low incomes, I have reservations about the state's subsidising employers, thus lowering their costs and increasing their profits. What is really needed is Keynesian pump priming to stimulate the economy to provide all the jobs that are needed at decent wages.
I do not want to equate myself with the (perhaps apocryphal) high court judge who asked "Who are the Beatles?" but I admit that I knew nothing about Russell Brand until I caught his splendid besting of Jeremy Paxman on Newsnight. I find Paxman's interviewing technique bullying: aggressive rudeness to politicians, secure in the knowledge that they dare not lose their rag and answer back in kind. It was good to see Brand, who clearly felt he had nothing to lose, indeed, as it turns out, much to gain, by giving Paxman a taste of his own medicine.
When I was poor and I complained about inequality people said I was bitter, now I'm rich and complain about inequality they say I'm a hypocrite. I'm beginning to think they just don't want inequality on the agenda. . .
Most of the people who criticised me have a vested interest in the maintenance of the system. They say the system works. What they mean is "the system works for me."


Environmental issues like clean air, water, waste management and clean energy have made a significant appearance in India's 2019 elections.
Mongabay-India analysed manifestos of several national and regional political parties and found that issues related to water and air pollution, water scarcity, clean energy, coasts and Himalayas are a prominent part of party manifestos this year.
The manifestos also have a significant focus on the agricultural sector and on the welfare of the tribal communities and forest dwellers.
In the run up to the elections, Mongabay-India has covered over 50 stories exploring the link between environment and elections. With the elections now in progress, stay tuned for more from around the country.
Who will win India's parliamentary elections, will be known only on May 23 when the results are announced. But for now, there is a small win for the people of India, with environment-related issues finally featuring in nearly all manifestos of major national and regional parties.
Tackling air pollution is one of the examples of this change in priorities as the issue now finds a prominent space in the manifestos of both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Indian National Congress, the leading national parties in the 2019 elections.
"Air pollution has come to the forefront from being a non-issue five years ago. From being a little demand to clean air, it has now become something that politicians can't ignore. But what is the action on the ground is the biggest question to answer. If the intention and the political will is from the top and you can take hard and harsh measures then the change is possible. The words are nice but the question is about the on-ground implementation," Aarti Khosla, who is the director of Climate Trends, told Mongabay-India.
India has seven national and 64 state parties with more than 2300 registered unrecognised political parties.
Mongabay-India analysed the manifestos of over half a dozen major political parties, including national and regional parties, to find what place environmental issues have received in these declarations by parties. The analysis found a significant development from the 2014 manifestos, with issues related to clean environment, water, forests and tribal communities becoming a prominent part of all the manifestos analysed. Compared to the 2014 manifestos, the number and range of promises made on environmental issues have also increased in 2019.
The parties have made promises to tackle air pollution, clean rivers, water bodies, protect forests, preserve water and ensure piped water supply, protect Himalayas, focus on renewable power and take steps to address concerns of tribal people.
On air pollution specifically, the BJP, in its manifesto promised a comprehensive clean air programme in 102 cities to reduce pollution by 35 percent in the next five years. This continues from the 2014 promise that cleaner fuels will be promoted to bring down pollution in cities.
Congress, meanwhile, promised to recognise air pollution as a national public health emergency but didn't mention any specific targets areas or timeline. The Samajwadi Party too has promised investment in clean air.
Nearly every party, whose manifesto was analysed, promised to focus on renewable power. For instance, state political party from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), promised to pursue 20,000 megawatt of solar power from Tamil Nadu alone. The All India Trinamool Congress meanwhile, promised a new energy policy which is defined by clean energy sources.
Controlling air and water pollution is one of the major promises made by almost all the political parties. Photo by CIAT/Flickr.
Many of the parties also voiced concerns about climate change and promised measures for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. They also emphasised on waste management in Indian cities. Congress even promised to impose a complete ban on the import of all types of waste.
BJP and Congress both promised an urban transport policy with a special focus on walking and cycling.
As far as clean rivers, water bodies and piped water supply are concerned, BJP promises a clean Ganga river but is silent about the cleaning of other rivers. The Ganga cleaning also continues from the party's 2014 manifesto when it had promised to launch a massive 'Clean Rivers Programme' across the country driven by people's participation. However, the issue of cleaning of rivers is more critical this time round because between 2015 and 2018, the number of polluted river stretches in India have increased from 302 to 351. Aside from the holy river cleanup, the manifesto made a mention of strategies to map pollution in cities and rivers but no specific cleanup action rivers has been declared.
The Congress party, on the other hand, promises to double the budget allocation for cleaning rivers, including the Ganga, stop discharge of effluents into the rivers and tackle illegal sand mining on riverbanks. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and the Communist Party of India (CPI) too talked about checking the pollution of rivers and other water bodies.
Cleaning of rivers is not a new promise for India's parties. In 2014, the BJP had promised to clean the Ganga river but there has been no significant improvement in its quality so far.
Are clean rivers a distant dream for India?
Bathing in Ganga during Kumbh may wash away sins, but what about diseases?
"They still have not understood that they would get water only until rivers continue to flow. Everyone is talking about water but not talking about rivers. This lack of understanding about rivers has to be rectified. Everyone talks about cleaning of rivers, we have to talk in terms of rejuvenation of rivers. Water security cannot be achieved without rejuvenation of rivers. Another important thing that people are yet to recognise is the relationship between dying and drying rivers and dams," Misra told Mongabay-India.
The All India Trinamool Congress discussed about developing water transport corridors for rivers covering Ganga and Hooghly, Brahmaputra and Teesta, Brahmani, Mahanadi, Krishna Godavari, Narmada and other rivers and water-bodies across India. The NCP too promised to promote inland water transport.
The political parties have also promised a series of measures to address problems in the agricultural sector. Photo by Christopher Michel/Flickr.
Another major promise made in the manifestos was about ensuring piped water supply to all households. BJP, DMK and Trinamool Congress have promised piped water supply, with BJP adding a timeline to complete it in five years, by 2024. Congress, on the other hand, promised universal access to potable drinking water and a comprehensive water use policy.
BJP and Congress also promised to create a water ministry to oversee all major water related issues. BJP also promised to focus on conservation of rural water bodies and groundwater recharge.
Meanwhile, both Trinamool Congress and DMK vowed to eliminate groundwater contamination.
In India, 15,811 habitations are affected by arsenic and 9,660 habitations are affected by fluoride. Of those affected my arsenic, almost 85 percent are in West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress' stronghold.
DMK additionally promised to develop a drinking water supply grid in the water scarce areas and Trinamool promised a national plan on rainwater harvesting for domestic use and irrigation.
But one issue that can run into some controversy is the promise made by some parties on the interlinking of rivers. The issue has debated for many years with environmentalists pointing out that interlinking could turn into an ecological disaster. For instance, the BJP, who has been propagating the idea for years, promised to constitute an authority to work on river interlinking, while CPI said it would work on building a national consensus and DMK promised to promote river interlinking and start with a push for linking of peninsular rivers.
CPI (M) promised to recognise people's right to water and oppose privatisation of water resources. It also promised to tackle depletion of the groundwater and formulate a national water policy to treat water as a scarce public good.
Continued agrarian and rural stress in India has aggravated over the past few years and the 2019 manifestos showcased that with giving prominence to these issues. Even during the assembly elections in five states in December 2018, the issue of stress in agriculture played a role in deciding the fortunes of the political parties. As farmers were dissatisfied with actions by the ruling party, BJP, it lost power in three major states, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, and voters opted to bring Congress into power. Congress had promised a series of steps for reducing farmers' stress including farm loan waivers.
Read more: How will the environment fare as India prepares for elections?
Following the realisation, that the agricultural situation played a major role in voting preferences, most of the political parties whose manifestos were analysed, have given a dedicated space for the agriculture sector. Aside from the BJP, which is in power at the centre and in a number of states, most of the parties like Congress, NCP, CPI, DMK and Samajwadi Party have made promises to waive off farmers' loans.
The parties have also promised to promote organic farming, ensure fair price to farmers for their crops, and several of them have promised a separate agriculture budget and dedicated parliament session on agricultural issues.
In the past couple of years, the issue of tribal people and their rights over forests has been in the media spotlight. On several occasions, tribal communities have taken out protest marches to demand proper implementation of the Forest Rights Act 2006. Most recently, in February 2019, the Supreme Court of India directed for eviction of tribal people from forests, whose claim over forest land was rejected under the FRA 2006.
In their manifestos, most of the parties promised to take steps to properly implement the FRA 2006, which aims to recognise and give the forest rights to forest dwelling scheduled tribes and other traditional forest dwellers residing in the forests for generations but whose rights could not be recorded.
The parties have also promised to ensure that the rights of tribal people are protected. Photo by Simon Williams/Ekta Parishad/Wikimedia Commons.
Some of the opposition parties like Congress, CPI (M) and Trinamool Congress promised to reverse changes brought in by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government in laws that they feel have harmed the rights of tribal people, forest dwellers and coastal communities.
For instance, Trinamool Congress promised to formulate people-friendly environmental laws, have a fresh look at the land acquisition policy and enact a new forest law for tribal people.
CPI (M) promised to stop privatisation of forests and replace it with an appropriate policy protecting the rights of tribal people. It vowed to reverse the amendments to forest conservation and environment-related rules that dilutes the role of gram sabhas (village councils).
Congress promised to correct distortions brought into 2013 Land Acquisition Act by the current government and initiate a time-bound review of all claims rejected under the FRA, stop eviction of tribal people from forests, constitute an independent Environment Protection Authority (EPA), reverse dilutions in the coastal zone regulations brought in by the current government, increase forest cover from around 21 percent to 25 percent of India's total land by 2025 and manage human-wildlife conflict.
CPI promised to take steps to tackle human-wildlife conflict to control damage to crops.
"They have talked about proper implementation and strengthening of the FRA while the Modi government, in the last five years, undermined and weakened it. Another important thing is that they are promising to not consider farmers defaulting on loans as criminals. Implementation of promises is a thing of the future but we can say that Congress has come out with a solid manifesto. Congress has addressed issues where the Modi government in the last five years took steps that were against tribal people and farmers," Shukla told Mongabay-India.
The parties also promised several steps to protect the Himalayas.
For instance, the BJP promised a green bonus for Himalayan states for protecting and promoting forests. BJP also promised to launch a mission for achieving self-sufficiency in oil seeds, a national bee-keeping and honey mission and launch a national feed and fodder mission to end fodder shortage. DMK promised to promote large scale urban afforestation and promote the development of palm plantations.
Banner image: Environmental issues hold a prominent place in manifestos of the political parties. Photo by Raghuraj Hegde/Wikimedia Commons.


text:
Hear our Sound
Last Night of the Proms
Friday 25 February, 7:30pm at Dunedin Town Hall
Saturday 26 February, 7:00pm at Oamaru Opera House
The Southern Sinfonia presents this annual Proms concert at which the City of Dunedin Choir provides the choral support. Featuring a dazzling line-up: Conductor Hamish McKeich with soloist Anna Leese and the City of Dunedin Choir, and introducing Miles Chen, Cello, and Chris Geddes, Composer.
The Choir performed "Laudate Dominum" from Mozart's Vesperae Solennes de Confessore, and "Arrival of the Guests" from Richard Wagner's Tannhauser.
Bach's Mass in B minor
Saturday 16 April, 7:30pm, Dunedin Town Hall
The City of Dunedin Choir, supported by the Southern Sinfonia and conducted by David Burchell, presents Bach's Mass in B Minor. The soloists for this performance are:
Lois Johnston, Soprano
Sarah Court, Mezzo-Soprano
John Murray, Tenor
Daniel O'Connor, Baritone
The Mass in B Minor (BWV 232) is a musical setting of the complete Latin Mass by Johann Sebastian Bach. The work was one of Bach's last, although much of it was made of music that Bach had composed earlier. Bach assembled the Mass in its present form in 1749, just before his death in 1750. Read more about the Mass...
Belshazzar
Walton's Belshazzar's Feast
Saturday 16 July, 8:00pm, Dunedin Town Hall
Dane Lam, Conductor, Paul Whelan, Bass Baritone, and City of Dunedin Choir perform in this concert presented by the Southern Sinfonia.
Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
Copland: Appalachian Spring
Walton: Belshazzar's Feast
Drama in Babylon! The king commits sacrilege and is miraculously killed, the kingdom falls, and the Jews regain their freedom. This strongly rhythmic and richly orchestrated work, with soloist and choir, has remained one of Walton's most celebrated compositions. By contrast, Appalachian Spring depicts a happy celebration of the American pioneers, and includes a section based on a well-known Shaker melody. "Unlike many bass voices, Paul Whelan's is a wondrously flexible (voice)... that most other basses would give their eye teeth to emulate." Wellingtonian Paul won the 1993 Cardiff Singer of the World Competition, and since then has appeared at the world's most prestigious opera houses, including the New York Metropolitan Opera and English National Opera. Talented young Australian conductor Dane Lam set the orchestra and audience alight at his Dunedin début concert last year. Expect a thrilling and inspired performance!
Claire Barton Farewells Dunedin
Saturday 20 August, 8:00pm, Dunedin Town Hall
In September 2011 Claire will begin study towards a Post Graduate Artist Diploma at Trinity Laban in London. Before she leaves she is performing in a fundraising concert with proceeds going towards fees, travel and living costs.
Expect an evening full of entertainment from some of Dunedin's best performers including Claire Barton, mezzo-soprano, the City of Dunedin Choir, the Dunedin RSA Choir, pianist Julia Horsnell, and many more.
City of Dunedin Choir performed:
Bach: Mass in B Minor 'Kyrie eleison'
Mozart: Requiem: 'Sanctus' and 'Benedictus'
Handel: Messiah: 'O Thou That Tellest Good Tidings to Zion'
Tickets are available from www.ticketdirect.co.nz or from the Regent Theatre Box Office, phone 03 477-8597
Thursday 22 September, 7:30pm, Dunedin Town Hall
The Southern Sinfonia presents a second Proms concert this year and as usual the City of Dunedin Choir provides the choral support. Featuring a dazzling line-up with conductor Tecwyn Evans and MC Kate Meade. The solist is bass-baritone Judd Arthur.
The Choir performs with the Southern Sinfonia:
Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture
Verdi: Il Trovatore, the Anvil Chorus (Gipsy Chorus)
NZSO: Odes to Joy
Wednesday 28 September, 6:30pm, Dunedin Town Hall
Presented by NZSO
Pietari Inkinen conductor
Madeleine Pierard soprano
Sarah Castle mezzo-soprano
Simon O'Neill tenor
Jonathan Lemalu bass
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Voices NZ Chamber Choir and City of Dunedin Choir
FARR Kaitiaki
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 9 Choral Symphony
New Zealand's proud tradition of producing great voices continues into the next generation, and four of our modern greats are assembled here with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra to perform the magnificent Ode to Joy. Beethoven's intensely emotional expression of hope for mankind is the apotheosis of Romantic optimism, a work which your soul needs to hear to gain replenishment and exhilaration. It is paired with a specially-commissioned new work by Gareth Farr, revered among today's composers for his ability to conjure spectacular and magical sound-worlds, with words by Witi Ihimaera. An evening of uplifting music you won't want to miss, led by NZSO Music Director Pietari Inkinen.
Tuesday 13 December, 7:30pm, Regent Theatre
The City of Dunedin Choir and the Southern Sinfonia jointly present Handel's admired oratorio Messiah.
Conductor: David Burchell
Anna Leese, Soprano
Wendy Doyle, Mezzo-soprano
Cameron Barclay, Tenor
Chalium Poppy, Bass-baritone
Messiah (HWV 56) is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, with a scriptural text compiled by Charles Jennens from the King James Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742, and received its London premiere nearly a year later. After an initially modest public reception the oratorio gained in popularity, eventually becoming one of the best-known and most frequently performed choral works in Western music. For over 260 years people of different religious persuasions have enjoyed this grand choral work.
Posted by Leta at 8:08 PM
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Tyrone McCarthy practises in property and banking and finance law, with a strong emphasis on property acquisition, financing and development. He has acted for major corporations, private client groups and entrepreneurs in a broad range of property development and finance matters.
"Excellent communicator, problem solver and articulator".
Tyrone has been ranked in successive editions of Doyle's Guide in the category of 'Leading Property & Real Estate Lawyers – Victoria' from 2015 to 2017.
Tyrone joined Arnold Bloch Leibler as an articled clerk in 2004 and was admitted to practice in 2005. In 2008, he moved to Dubai as a member of the projects group at Allen & Overy before returning to Arnold Bloch Leibler as a senior associate at the end of 2012. Tyrone was appointed as a partner in July 2014.
property investment and joint ventures.
Al Futtaim Group: in relation to the financing and development of Dubai Festival City.
Take a look at Insights & News articles referencing Tyrone McCarthy.
Two Arnold Bloch Leibler (ABL) Senior Associates have been included in the 2019 Property Council of Australia's (PCA) 500 Women in Property program.
Is your leased property 'retail premises'?
Arnold Bloch Leibler has advised privately owned group Dial-A-Dump Industries in relation to the sale of the group to ASX listed Bingo Industries for $577.5m.
Arnold Bloch Leibler (ABL) has advised the Caras family on the sale of the Punthill Apartment Hotels business to Sydney based boutique hotel operator, Veriu.
Buyers beware! CGT withholding, are you ready?
A new capital gains tax (CGT) withholding regime will apply from 1 July 2016.
This year marked the 10th anniversary of Chain Reaction, a corporate challenge fundraising initiative whose mission is to raise money for children's charities through the running of challenging cycling events.
Changes to the Duties Act 2000 (Vic) and the Land Tax Act 2005 (Vic) signal important changes for both foreign purchasers of property in Victoria, and local developers with off-shore investors.
Arnold Bloch Leibler (ABL) has advised impact investment fund manager Impact Investment Group (IIG) on all legal aspects of its acquisition of the K1 office tower at 1 King Street, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane.
The Sale of Land Amendment Act 2014 (Vic) was assented to on 13 May 2014 and comes into full effect on 1 October 2014. The Amending Act makes changes to the vendor disclosure obligations of the Sale of Land Act 1962 (Vic) (SLA).
The partners of Arnold Bloch Leibler are delighted to announce that on 1 July 2014, Susanna Ford and Tyrone McCarthy will become partners of the firm.


Residents of Maine are called "Mainers," people in Texas are "Texans," those in Wisconsin are "Wisconsinites," and people in Phoenix are … "Phoenicians"? Grant and Martha explain that there are consistent rules for the naming the locals. The book they reference is Paul Dickson's Labels for Locals. This is part of a complete episode.


text:
Fury of the Wastewalker
An Obsidian Rain
Elemental Assistance
Keeping the darkened sky of the obsidian storm behind them and moving far from any known trade routes, the adventurers began to approach the foothills of the Ringing Mountains. The day was brutally hot and the they were forced to keep a quick pace to stay ahead of the storm. Morg's endurance allowed him to endure with little hardship while Vinara's knowledge of nature and Gwyn's athleticism allowed them to make good time. The party saw an oasis in the distance but recognized it as a mirage before too much time was wasted.
From a vantage point, they saw a valley littered with the exotic bones from long-extinct creatures. In a clearing, a mass of flames appeared and began beckoning them towards it. Vinara sent her companion, Bear, to investigate, as they were unsure about the potentially dangerous situation. Vinara sensed that the fire spirit was not dangerous and the group descended into the valley.
The spirit was able to communicate with Vinara and told her his tale…
I am a Spirit of the Flame, an elemental force. I once walked Athas as you do, patrolling these lands as a protector of life. I collected here centuries ago, shortly after the lush Athasian lands were destroyed by warfare. Now I am bound to this place by strong elemental forces unknown to me, awaiting the return of another Green Age to free me.
These bones are the victims of the Dragon – sacrifices made to the beast in order to appease it and preserve the cities. Each year thousands die, consumed by the Dragon to fuel its magic. It has been nearly a year since the last sacrifices were made, soon the Dragon will come to claim more sacrifices.
Athas ruined by the defilers and they must be defeated before the new Green Age can come about. You have the potential to bring about the restoration of Athas, but only a collective effort by all Athasians can restore Atha's lands to their long-lost fertility.
During the spirits conversation with Vinara, Morg and Gwyn examined the bones. Morg sense they they had some residual primal magic, which might be used to treat some of their injuries. While they were collecting the bones, they began to notice the ground trembling slightly.
With a puff of smoke and the stench of brimstone, the fire spirit winked out of existence and the rumbling ground heaved to reveal a small swarm of kanks. With their feet clicking against the rocky terrain and bones they moved to attack the adventurers. The soldier and spitters ruthlessly attacked using their paralyzing poison to great effect on Vinara and Gwyn. Morg's dwarf heritage allowed him to ignore the effects of the poison as he cleaved through the insects. Although they managed to defeat the kanks without too much trouble, their exertions began to take their toll, with Gwyn virtually exhausted.
Fruits of the Desert
With only a few moments to catch their breath, the obsidian storm was nearly on them, and the adventurers were forced to continue their flight. Morg's athleticism helped his companions through increasingly treacherous terrain while Vinara continued to find the best routes through the canyons. Gwyn utilized her arcane talents to try and cover their tracks. Despite the treacherous terrain them managed to gain a good lead on the storm.
In the badland's canyons, the adventurers lost track of the obsidian shower briefly. They stumbled upon a ripened cactus plant bearing fruit, but as they caught their breath, they were set upon by a group of human wasteland nomads clad is strange bone masks. The nomads, and their tamed spiretop drake, had the adventurers surrounded with bows drawn.
Fortunately for the adventurers, the nomads were more interested in the supplies they carried and maintaining their secret location. After a tense negotiation the two groups reached a compromise: Heroes gave several days worth of supplies and left the fruit, promising to leave quickly so the storm wouldn't hit the nomads camp and not reveal the location of the nomads. In exchange the nomads granted them safe passage and gave them an enchanted amulet and axe. The goods were exchanged with the aid of the drake, who took a liking to Gwyn, and both groups left as night began to fall.
After they learned that Governor Arisphistaneles was the leader of the Veiled Alliance chapter in the city of Altaruk, the heroes were asked to decide whether or not to side with them and oppose the socerer-kings. The sorceress Gwyn had been trained by member of the Alliance and she hated the defilers. Morg, a former slave in Gulg, had no love of the sorcerer-kings had no reason to reveal the governors secret. The druid Vinara, already empowered by the primal spirits had interests aligned with the Alliance.
Pleased that he would not have to take radical action to preserve his position, the Governor tasked the group with making a journey to the city-state of Tyr to discover how the sorcerer-king Kalak was killed. Although the situation in Tyr had apparently become more calm, there was little information on the actual events that lead to Kalak's death. What was known was that the former High Templar Tithian along with a noble named Agis and several slaves were involved.
If the heroes could discover how Kalak was overthrown, other city-states could be freed from their bondage.
Escape the Storm
Several days later the heroes joined a large caravan of House Wavir on it journey to Tyr, posing as guards. The large Inix made slow progress during their first day but Gwyn still found it difficult to keep up, despite her elven traits. During the night, as the group ate its evening meal, a subtle meteor showered appeared in the sky, portending dire events. Gwyn recalled that the last time such a shower was seen was the night before her former master, Gavin.
The next day, a sandstorm erupted early in the morning and quickly turned deadly. The scouring sand was filled with unnatural obsidian shards that tore through the travelers and pierced the thick hide walls of the wagon, shredding the cargo. Familiar with the power of nature, Vinara recognized that only a powerful ritual could bring about such a storm. Gwyn told her companions of her masters death during a similar storm.
After a few hours the winds lessened enough to make it possible to leave their shelter. They were greeted to a gruesome sight, the rest of the caravan had been destroyed by the storm and all the supplies were scattered across the desert. From the swirling dust emerged a number of silt runners and shapes within the dust suggested more were in the area.
Unable to stay within the wreckage of the caravan the heroes attempted to quickly gather supplies and escape the hordes of silt runners. Morg and Gwyn moved to engage the reptiles, picking up what supplies they could, while Vinara focused on supporting them and getting supplies before they took flight. The battle with the silt runners took its toll on the heroes, especially Gwyn, but before they fled they managed to collect enough supplies to ensure their survival in the harsh desert.
Veiled Threat
Matinée of Webs
After returning from the rescue of the House Wavir caravan, the heroes took a few days to recover from their ordeals. Gwyn continued her search for the elusive Veiled Alliance, trusting her friends with her secret. Although she was able to learn a little information that suggested the Alliance did indeed have a chapter in Altaruk, she was unable to uncover much more information.
She decided that the best course of action was to covertly display her magical skills in a more public venue, in the hopes of being noticed by a member of the Veiled Alliance. She and her friends Morg and Vinara signed up for the next available arena match in the city. Their previous victory in the arena gave them the clout needed to be accepted and their match was scheduled for that afternoon.
The late afternoon sun made the stench from the day's games almost unbearable as they stepped into the arena. The arena had been reworked with half a dozen large columns having been erected, each adorned with razor sharp obsidian spines. Between the columns, massive spiderwebs obscured their view. At the sound of the gong, their opponents, four Gith armed with javelins and spears, entered the arena. Vinara noticed one section of the arena floor shifting and suspected one or more ambush spiders lying in wait.
One of the gith, using its talent with the Way, teleported to the top of one of the columns and began hurling down javelins. The gith moved forward and met the gladiators with spears, however each fell quickly to Morg, Vinara and Bear. Gwyn used her magic to attack the remaining gith with a orb of radiant energy, wounding him badly. However the lurking spiders launched an ambush attack on Morg and Gwyn, wounding each with their poisonous bites. With a mighty blow, Morg split his spider in two, and Gwyn nearly killed her's with another spell, knocking into the column and impaling it on the spines, to the great joy of the crowd. It was quickly finished off by Morg who then turned to the remaining gith on the column. Eventually it fell to the hail of weapons from the three gladiators.
Murder at the Games
As the gladiators stood victorious after their match, the cheers from the crowd turn into frightened shrieks. Over the cacophony the words "Murder! Guards, help!" could be heard. Within moments guards began to clear the stands and the gladiators were hurried into the staging area and were told to stay put. After waiting for an hour, a hooded half-elf appeared and introduced himself as Selonius, an agent of governor Arisphistaneles.
Selonius informed the group that Tellemon had been killed and that the governor was worried an insider might be involved. The group was charged with investigating the murder and bringing the criminal to the governor's estate for questioning. They agreed and began a search of the arena and Tellemon's body and questioned a few witnesses that were detained.
Vinara's investigations revealed that Tellemon was killed by a poisoned blade, and that the poison was magical in nature. Gwyn, sensing the magic, located the dagger, poison still on the blade, with a cloth glowing with arcane glyphs. Morg strong-armed the witnesses who professed their innocence and claimed that a large man in a white tunic was next to Tellemon just before he died. The guards at the arena exit mentioned seeing a similar individual heading towards the barracks district.
In the barracks district, the off-duty guards were drinking, playing games of chance and participating in contests of strength. Morg eagerly joined in the drinking games, earning the respect of the guards with his fortitude. Meanwhile Gwyn mingled with the guards and learned that a dwarf had been asking questions about Tellemon earlier that day. The dwarf matched the description of a beggar they had encountered their first day in the city. Vinara spotted the dwarf and the group began to tail him.
After almost loosing the dwarf, the group eventually caught up with him in a training hall, talking to a large mul gladiator. Moving close to use his exceptional hearing, Morg overheard a brief exchange and then was spotted. Trying to escape, the dwarf was cutoff by Vinara and Gwyn, while Morg engaged the other gladiator. Although the fight was short, both sides suffered injuries, but the dwarf eventually surrendered along with the gladiator. Under interrogation the dwarf admitted to having the gladiator kill Tellemon, but claimed that if he hadn't done so, Tellemon would have killed the governor. Both were brought before Arisphistaneles for questioning.
At the governors estates it was revealed that the dwarf, named Birk Suntouched was an associate of the governors, and that both were members of the Veiled Alliance chapter in Altaruk. Birk told the governor that the death of Tellemon was needed because the captain of the guard was spear-heading a True cabal plot to assassinate Arisphistaneles, whose leadership in the Veiled Alliance had become known. The gladiator, Arnye is exonerated for killing Tellemon to protect the governor and the group gains his trust and gratitude. Gwyn is given the chance to undergo the initiation tests to join the governor's chapter of the Veiled Alliance.
Sand Raiders
Dinner with the Captain
After being released from the arena the heroes split up to take care of personal business within Altaruk before meeting at Tellemon's villa for the dinner gathering. Morg and Vinara traveled back to the Elven Market where they were able to secure supplies for the encampment in the Ringing Mountains with a shipment of goods purchased from House Wavir. Gwyn spent time searching for signs of those who could help continue her training and then smartened up before dinner.
At Tellemon's villa the heroes enjoyed an excellent meal and learned more about Tellemon and his views on the situation in Tyr, the governor of Altaruk and arcane magic. The others at the party echoed his views that the chaos in Tyr was a terrible consequence of the Deposers of Kalak's actions and no good comes from disrupting the order.
The party was interrupted when a messenger arrived telling one of the guests, a Dwarf named Rhotan Vor of House Wavir, of a missing caravan. Morg, using the Way to overhear the conversation, offered to help find the caravan in exchange for regular shipments of supplies to his encampment. Agreeing in principle, the Heroes stayed at Tellemon's villa and headed out in the morning.
Hunting Party
The heroes set forth the next morning to try and find the missing caravan. The day quickly became brutally hot and although the sandstorms had subsided during the night, there was still a sweltering breeze.
After a few hours of searching the party located some wagon tracks in jumble of boulders and creosote bushes. Unfortunately, the heroes were not alone, and if not for Vinara's keen senses, the party would have been ambushed by a small pack of silt runners. Although the battle was fierce, the heroes prevailed and none of the silt runners remained.
Plundered Wagon
After a short rest, the search for the wagon continued. With no luck for several hours, the party was about to give up, when the wagon, half buried by sand, was spotted in a jumble of rocks. From the distance there was no sign of the cargo or the drivers, instead the wagon was crawling with a large number of creatures with chitinous shells and spike-like claws, Kruthik. They were so focused on picking over the wagon and chattering to each other that the heroes were not immediately spotted.
Seizing the opportunity, Morg and Vinara managed to sneak close without detection. In unison they charged the largest creature while Gwyn unleashed her magic. Taken by surprise the beast was severely wounded before it knew what happened. Though they fought well, the tenacious creatures managed to inflict many wounds on the heroes before finally falling.
While they rested the heroes discovered more tracks and drag marks leading further into the hills. Although they were nearly spent, they were too close to their goal to give up, and so they continued on.
Broken Tower
The tracks ended at the weathered ruins of an ancient tower. Although nothing remained above ground, a flight of stone stairs were found in the foundation, which ended at a set of wide doors. Fearless, Morg opened the doors revealing a large vault which was home to a small band of silt runners and a Ssurran.
The battle was fierce as the ssurran demonstrated strong mental powers and the silt runners wielded poisoned blades. It took every last ounce of strength the heroes could muster to finally defeat their reptilian adversaries, but they were eventually victorious. Unable to continue, the party found shelter in the vault.
Throughout the vault the heroes were able to recover the majority of the caravan's cargo and three of the four drivers (the final driver having been the last meal of the silt runners). After resting, the heroes, along with the drivers Milos, Alia and Flaron salvaged all they could and made the journey back to Altaruk.


text:
Ontario police seize stolen 'MR SEXY' license plates found on Maserati
The Maserati was being driven by a 17-year-old, who police say was speeding
Ontario Provincial Police are looking for the rightful owner of a very unique set of licence plates.
OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said in a tweet Saturday that the stolen license plates dawning 'MR SEXY' were recovered in Mississauga attached to a Maserati.
According to Schmidt, the 17-year-old behind the wheel was pulled over after they were spotted speeding at 150 kilometres an hour.
Are these yours?….Looking for the rightful owner of #MrSexy
They were unlawfully attached to a Maserati driven by a 17 year old G2 driver going 150km/hr in Mississauga….#NotCool 🤨 pic.twitter.com/8l26r1qIXL
— Sgt Kerry Schmidt (@OPP_HSD) February 2, 2019
This isn't the first time – and probably won't be the last – that head-turning license plates have made Canadian headlines.
In 2013, the Canadian Taxpayer Federation obtained a list of "vanity" plates that had been turned down by B.C's insurance corporation, ICBC, through a freedom of information request.
The rejects included a number of combinations deemed offensive, suggestive, political or simply not in good taste.
Of the 2,193 plates turned down by the Crown corporation, BEER ME, OVRKLL, LMAO, HAMSTER and 4 JESUS were just a few.
A Manitoba man had his plate that read ASIMIL8 confiscated by Crown-owned Manitoba Public Insurance in 2017, after two Indigenous people complained the word "assimilate" is offensive because of the long history of government assimilation policies.
READ MORE: Insurer exec shocked ASIMIL8 plate was ever issued
But Nick Troller said at the time his plate refers to the catchphrase "you will be assimilated'" that is used on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" by aliens called the Borg, who absorb their enemies into a hive-like collective.
A man in Nova Scotia has also gone to court over a personalized licence plate. Lorne Grabher has been trying to reinstate his "GRABHER" plate since it was revoked in 2016 by the Registrar of Motor Vehicles following an anonymous complaint.
With files from The Canadian Press
New Brunswick village inundated with calls after offering land for a loonie
Baby, it's snowing outside: Light dusting covers B.C.'s south coast


text:
Concert Report by Claus Heining
Michael Schenker / Temple of Rock at Jazzhaus, Freiburg, Germany
Hello Ritchie!
On Octorber 27th came Michael with his Temple Of Rock to Freiburg, the main city of the Black Forest area, playing at the Jazzhaus club. I think there were about 300 fans watching the show. And what a show it was! The support act was HighWay, a great young band with good songs and an asskickin' live performance. They got a lot of applause. After them, the mighty Temple Of Rock! From start to finish, Michael & Co. simply rocked the house to the ground. They took no prisoners, a very good mixture of the old UFO, Scorpions and Temple Of Rock tunes. And I saw for the first time Michael playing the double neck Flying V, also another Flying V with a hollow body which had a great deep sound. Michael used the double neck V mainly during Saviour Machine. He played slide on the lower neck and did rhythm on the upper one. For the next song he kept the Double V but played it only on the upper neck. I think it was Too Hot To Handle. The hollow body Flying V has got a deep, warm, electric/acoustic sound. It gave especially Rock Bottom and Blackout a special note. Doogie was like everytime a standout leadsinger, he hits all the notes and is very sympatic. What will come next? As everytime when I see this band, these guys enjoy what they are doing. The Jazzhaus is a little club, so it was an intimitate gig, too. I was never standing so close to the band. Wayne did a fantastic job when playing the leads for rock you like a hurricane and blackout. Michael was again very extroverted with lots of smiling, singing, laughing, pointing out some fans, looking directly in your eye. He is in great shape! And they played attack of the mad axeman, therefore no holiday! All in all it was a perfect rock night with a lot of happy faces, onstage and in front of it. Hermann did some nice words at the end of the show to the crowd.The sound could have been a little better, especially Wayne`s rhythm guitar and his keys were much too low. When UFO played a few month before at the Jazzhaus, I think there were only half of the people in the audience but they rocked, too. But Schenker with Temple Of Rock are the better ones these days and much better than the Scorpions!
Interview by Christian Platz
Michael Schenker at Jazzhaus, Freiburg, Germany


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Twenty Livestock Companies Produce More Greenhouse Gas Emissions Than Germany, Britain, or France
Lead Image Source : Martin Adams/Unsplash
Twenty livestock companies are responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than Germany, Britain, or France.
A new report from environmental campaigners exposed the truth behind greenhouse gas emissions from livestock companies. Not only do they produce huge amounts of greenhouse gases, but they also receive billions of dollars in financing to do so.
Raising livestock for meat and dairy contributes 14.5% of gas emissions. With the huge amount of financial backing that these industries get, they have created 366m tonnes of meat a year since 2019.
The report also pointed out, "To keep up with this [level of animal protein production] industrial, animal farming is on the rise and keeps pushing sustainable models out of the market."
Even the introduction of more meatless options hasn't helped to solve the issue, as the meat industry is too thoroughly financed to slow down or scale down their output.
Paolo Patruno, deputy secretary-general of the European Association for the Meat Processing Industry, said, "We don't believe that any food sector is more or less sustainable than another. But there are more or less sustainable ways to produce plant or animal foods, and we are committed to making animal protein production more sustainable. We also know that average greenhouse gas emissions in the EU from livestock are half that of the global average. The global average is about 14%, and the EU average is 7%."
It is more clear than ever that the meat and dairy industry needs to scale down, making way for more sustainable practices. There needs to be a huge shift in our food production systems if we are going to have any hope of saving the planet.
Sign this petition to demand that IFC divest from factory farming, and invest in humane, sustainable practices and our future!
Tell IFC to Divest from Factory FarmingClick Here to Sign Petition
New Report Provides Alarming Facts About Meat and Dairy Production
Study Finds Environmental Impact of Meat Versus Vegetables is Staggering
10 Scary Facts About Meat and the Environment
Meat and Its Impact on the Environment: Should We Blame Farmers or Meat Eaters?
For more Animal, Earth, Life, Vegan Food, Health, and Recipe content published daily. Subscribe to the One Green Planet Newsletter! Lastly, being publicly funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high-quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!


Color matters for every visual message we receive. We make subconscious judgments about things within 90 seconds of first seeing them. Up to 90 percent of our judgments are based on color alone. Color can trigger certain emotions, which affect the actions we take – or don't take.
Color also matters for every visual message we send. As much as IMN believes great content matters, we also believe great presentation of that content entices people to read and engage.
Those 90 seconds in which readers judge and assess your email newsletter can directly affect their willingness to click through that email and open subsequent emails. Yet, choosing colors for your newsletter can be downright daunting. Never fear. We're here to shed light on simple, effective techniques for using color to help put your best (digital) foot forward.
Who remembers the color wheel? Many people haven't used the color wheel since art class in middle school, but thankfully, it's virtually unchanged. The color wheel is a simple tool to find colors that work well with one another.
Color schemes are infinite and varied, but there are a few basic types. The three most common types of color schemes are monochromatic, complementary, and analogous.
A monochromatic color scheme uses different shades of a single color by going into the center and out to the edge of the color wheel (or put another way, variations of a single color in dark, medium, and light shades).
A complementary color scheme uses two colors found on opposite sides of the color wheel.
An analogous color scheme uses several colors found side-by-side on the color wheel.
Monochromatic colors are soothing, balanced, and create a sense of unity. Complementary colors are very striking and eye-catching, but can overwhelm people if overused. Analogous colors create a sense of harmony and richness, but they lack the bite of contrast found in complementary schemes.
Marketers have used colors for decades to inform their logo and advertisement choices. Conventional wisdom (and sources such as The Logo Company) defines the rainbow as a series of adjectives, where red equals bold and blue equals trustworthy.
But Entrepreneur has pointed out there's no hard and fast rule for marketing with color. Color, much like the content we write, depends upon its context to invoke a certain mood or reaction.
How does color work in my email newsletter?
Ideally, your readers can distinguish plain text from text links and easily read both against the background color of your newsletter. The background color of the email message isn't competing with the newsletter color. Any additional colors, whether from tables or images within the newsletter, aren't contradicting the overall color scheme.
In general, there are some big color no-nos.
First, your newsletter shouldn't have a dark-colored background with light-colored text for the main content. It's OK to have this scheme for logos and headers (for example, the IMN Post), but it strains the eyes for main text.
Second, while contrasting colors can make a big impact, avoid using opposite colors as background color and text color for main text. The text can appear as flashing words on the screen, which may induce seizures for people with photosensitive epilepsy or other light sensitivities.
What color scheme should I choose for my email newsletter?
As we said, no color scheme is guaranteed to work for an audience. Choosing the right color is much like choosing the right content. You want to understand your audience, their needs, their preferences, and their personalities before deciding on a color scheme.
So you're no longer scared of using color because you have the tools at your disposal to find and correct color scheme flaws. However, how do you feel about choosing images? Don't worry – we have your back in the next post of this series.
How do you create email newsletter success? Share your newsletter secrets with us on Facebook or Twitter, hashtag #BetterEmail.


90 sqm refurbished flat with terrace in Ourense (Galicia).
The house is organized according to its vains and to the light it can get. The 'livable' rooms in which most activities are carried out are placed towards the exterior, while towards the inner courtyard we have placed the other rooms.
There is also second division between the public spaces and the private ones according to their uses.
Beginning in the hall we find two ways (although they might seem three if we don't notice the trompe l'oeil made by means of the mirror and the loose stone), marked by the discontinuous benches that get curved along the path. A library serves to divide them while crossing the midsection entirely, turning permeable in two points: the hall itself and the room connecting the dinning room with the kitchen, drawing therefore two verges enclosed by books.
The main areas of the house are connected by means of different resources. The pavement is used as counterpoint of the furniture to link atmospheres separated by it and the other way around, creating discontinuities in previously linked volumes. This way we create a sort of game of associations between living room, dinning-room and kitchen -or even terrace- that will get dissolved as we go into de deepest and most private part of the house.
Spatial links vs material links to distinguish the different uses.
The choice of hydraulic tiles is based on its natural positive qualities as much as on its meaning for the owner. The design has been completely customized to get the desired result.
Movable made-to-measure furniture was necessary to fit special requirements and to improve the overall usefulness of the house, so it is really important to understand the whole project.
The kitchen itself, located in the heart of the apartment (adjoining four different rooms), is a frequent transit point, although it can be totally isolated if needed by means of different easier or more difficult to perceive door-systems.
As the pavement drawings get blurred we get into the most private part, to which we should enter by using a small corridor full of wardrobes with lights that get turned on when detecting movement.
Once in the bathroom, there is only one "visible" door, given that a mirror hides a second door that takes to the main bedroom.
Two washbasins form a single piece natural acrylic stone made countertop. The mirror, lighted inside, seems to be hanging from a structure that doesn't break the visual connection between the hidden bath that need to be accessed using the shower tray.
Here we find a way to get into de main bedroom through the dressing room. Two different beech wood made volumes that hide devices and pieces that make them easy to be used. The main bedroom is in turn linked to the adjoining room by means of a rotatory bookcase that doesn't attract attention.
There are many possible uses for this room that can be a simple office or even a complete bedroom according to the property requirements.
Windows in the bedrooms (as in living room and kitchen) look at the exterior terrace, in which we have requested an intense cleaning and waterproofing labor to be able to build a new pavement and a loose stone area to make it easier to absorb water. The existing lock is replaced by a iroko-wood latticework.
Regarding the lighting, we have combined LED strips located in the ceiling, walls and pieces of glass with some secondary lights in very specific spots, using rails (dressing room), or cascading (bathroom), with heat detector (corridor), oriented (bar and hall) or underground spots.
Thanks as well to all the professionals who, with their careful and engaged work, contributed to achieving this outstanding result.


text:
Bardo Pond
On The Ellipse
I've got this friend who has this theory about the indie-rock jam band, how they're nothing more than hippies in thrift-store disguise. At first all I could do was disagree, but after thinking about it a little, is there anything wrong with this?
The indie-rock jam band can let loose with 15-minute improvised solos and think nothing of having songs with no words — and fans eat it up. These are bands who are one step away from playing (or have already played) at festivals like Bonnaroo. Can you smell the patchouli in the air? If you could imagine hearing one of these bands as the soundtrack to your own personal planetarium show, you're probably on the right track.
Sonic Youth could be the new Grateful Dead. The Flaming Lips — hey, they're up for a Jammy award this year (really, I couldn't make that up). Or Built to Spill. Tortoise. Wilco. For historical purposes, the Velvet Underground. And Bardo Pond — they are well on their way to being the next Phish. Just wait and see.
Don't fret! This does not make you a hippie. On the contrary, maybe you're just putting the hip back in hipster! Capturing the hipster ears and hearts of young and old jam-band fans alike, Bardo Pond's On the Ellipse is another great release from one of my favorite bands.
Bardo Pond recently parted ways with Matador Records and released their latest album, and sixth proper full-length, on Barry Hogan's All Tomorrow's Parties label. And while it isn't worlds away from such recent releases as 2001's Dilate or 1999's Set and Setting, it's an album that fans of the band will want to hear.
A lot of people would describe Philadelphia-based Bardo Pond's sound as psychedelic — and it is, but there's more to it than that. Their music is simultaneously subtle and complicated. It's noisy, yet quiet. And when its swirling guitars wash over you, you'll be lost in their sound before you know it.
"JD" — with its somber yet compelling violin solo — opens the album. It sits on the edge, ready to descend into something noisier, but Isobel Sollenberger's slow, haunting vocals keep things steady. When she sings, "You're always there/ Black of night/ Gossamer light/ Out of the corners/ Of my eyes," it reminds me of the cold Philadelphia nights we've been experiencing. But then the rest of the band chimes in — currently, guitarists/ brothers Michael and John Gibbons, bassist Clint Takeda, and drummer Ed Farnsworth — and I remember it's winter and it's got to be cold at least some of the time.
"JD," like much of Bardo Pond's other work, walks this fine line between melody and mania. A lot of the lyrics for these songs touch upon aspects of this physical world we call home. Night and day, light and dark, the sun and stars — you get the idea. Yet it's almost as if the lyrics are really just the conduit for the music. And somehow it works — the discordant guitar and drums, the occasional flute, and the poetic lyrics give these songs texture and complexity, making their overall sound more important than the lyrics themselves. It's this abstraction that makes this album so compelling.
"Dom's Lament," the shortest song at just less than seven minutes, doesn't need the lyrics to pull you in. It's somehow sad and hopeful all at the same time, a glorious and noisy affair. You might even feel sorry for Dom in the end.
The closing track, "Night of Frogs," starts off slowly, bragging of speed and our wondrous solar system, but reaches a fabulous droning crescendo that makes me want to play the album again. And every time I do that, I pick up on another layer of sound or some nuance I didn't hear before.
by Anne Leavitt-Gruberger


text:
Frozen Messages
---------------

(New in 1.2.)

Since Mido messages are mutable (can change) they can not be hashed or
put in dictionaries. This makes it hard to use them for things like
Markov chains.

In these situations you can use frozen messages:

.. code-block:: python

    from mido.frozen import FrozenMessage

    msg = FrozenMessage('note_on')
    d = {msg: 'interesting'}

Frozen messages are used and behave in exactly the same way as normal
messages with one exception: attributes are not settable.

There are also variants for meta messages (``FrozenMetaMessage`` and
``FrozenUnknownMetaMessage``).

You can freeze and thaw messages with:

.. code-block:: python

    from mido.frozen import freeze_message, thaw_message

    frozen = freeze_message(msg)
    thawed = thaw_message(frozen)

``thaw_message()`` will always return a copy. Passing a frozen message
to ``freeze_message()`` will return the original message.

Both functions return ``None`` if you pass ``None`` which is handy for
things like:

.. code-block:: python

    msg = freeze_message(port.receive())

    # Python 3 only:
    for msg in map(freeze_message, port):
        ...

    # Python 2 and 3:
    for msg in (freeze_message(msg) for msg in port):
        ...

To check if a message is frozen:

.. code-block:: python

    from mido.frozen import is_frozen

    if is_frozen(msg):
        ...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub