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The Tree Swallow Farmer: David Winkler
By Elizabeth Quill
After lifting the grayed, warped plank of wood on the side of nest box number 16, Cornell scientist David Winkler gently sweeps up a handful of seven-day-old Tree Swallows and drops them into a cotton pouch. He sits down in the ankle-high grass, surrounded by summer thistle.
"One of nature's miracles," he says, holding out his hand. A gooey, white fecal sack rests on his palm. "I like to get them to defecate in my hand. Then I can fling it away and keep predators guessing."
Winkler, also known as "Wink," calls himself a farmer. His crop is the Tachycinetagenus of swallows. His yield is scientific understanding. With more than 400 nest boxes, 60 percent of which are occupied, he has created a home for Tree Swallows beside some experimental ponds owned by Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. In return, the swallows provide Wink with an ideal outdoor laboratory. Mutualism at its finest.
Wink has been working with swallows for more than two decades, during which time he has authored, co-authored, and advised on more than two dozen papers specifically on swallows. He has studied parental investment and defense, nest construction, breeding, and natal dispersal. His students have banded, observed, recorded, and taken blood samples from swallows. He has brought others into his world. And his most recent passion connects colleagues across the Americas to study wide-scale swallow distribution and life-history characteristics within and between species.
Tree Swallows are perfect birds to study. These cavity dwellers do not excavate their own cavities, so they readily nest in human-made boxes. And, according to Wink, once the birds settle, they tend to hold on through whatever hardships may arise.
"They have a ton of gumption and a lot of character," Wink says. "They are tough birds, and they don't hold a grudge. They don't abandon their nests. You can just pick them like fruit. You can create your own populations."
After unzipping his stuffed, forest-green pack, Wink takes out the appropriate instruments—a digital ruler, pair of pliers, and scale.
He patiently removes the four young swallows from the bag, one at a time. Holding the blue-and-pink bodies between his flattened fingers and large thumb, he stretches one tooth-pick-thin leg and bands it, announcing the number.
The delicate fledglings still sit submissively. Wink measures the length of the head and beak and then the wing. He weighs each young bird by placing it into a manila envelope affixed to the scale. Then he puts the swallows into a new cotton sack, pulling the shoelace cord snug.
"We try to make it easy on the birds," he says. After gathering his materials, he returns the swallows to their nest box with one scoop. "We need more farmers."
A male and female Tree Swallow rested on a low power line as Wink approached the Ithaca field site in his brown Volvo. Thirteen more sat 20 feet away, while others foraged overhead, catching insects in midair as the sun glistened against their iridescent backs.
The species breeds throughout Canada and south to California, New Mexico, and Georgia, wintering as far south as Panama. They like Ithaca well enough; the more nest boxes Wink builds, the more swallows he attracts. And the 91 ponds and two reservoirs on the land north of the Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport, originally designed for aquatic plant growth and marsh ecology studies, satisfy the swallows' desire to be near water, where the bug catching is good.
Wink set up 10 nest boxes at Cornell in 1984, while he was working as a postdoc at Oxford University. He likens swallows to his Ph.D. subjects, gulls and shorebirds—they have big populations, are easy to study, and have undefined foraging territories. By the following spring, he had 100 more nest boxes. And when Wink began his first field season in 1986, he also set his other life's passion in motion. He began recruiting other swallow enthusiasts.
"When you start banding birds, you can't help but wonder: where do these birds go?" Wink said.
A man in Cortland, New York, started catching birds Wink had banded, so Wink and his colleagues at the Lab of Ornithology decided to start a swallow and bluebird dispersal study at the state level. With the help of about 60 volunteers, they were able to extend the study area to sites within 400 kilometers of the Ithaca site and continue the project for 11 years.
The results, published in an article titled "Breeding Dispersal and Philopatry in Tree Swallows" (The Condor, November 2004), revealed the species' tendency to stay around their home area. Of the 356 males and 1,459 females captured in more than one breeding year, only 4 and 14 percent respectively dispersed to new breeding sites.
Wink said the dispersal studies represent some of his most important research. The movement of the birds from their natal and breeding sites to new sites is not fully understood, and scientists who want to understand ecology, evolution, survival rates, biogeography, population genetics, and life-history traits must first understand dispersal.
While growing his network, Wink also focused on the birds he saw every day, monitoring them and collecting as much information as possible. His studies often focus on life-history traits, which are those that directly affect survival or reproduction. With these local birds, he has helped move the understanding of swallow ecology forward.
Working with colleague Paul Allen, Wink found that the clutch size is smaller when birds breed later in the season. In a paper titled "The Seasonal Decline in Tree Swallow Clutch Size: Physiological Constraint or Strategic Adjustment?" (Ecology, 1996), Winkler and Allen investigated whether environmental conditions or female quality, including body mass, breast muscle thickness, fat stores, and body size, explain the relationship. They found that the egg-laying date and age predict the size of the clutch of eggs, suggesting that the females may adjust the size of their clutch based on declining food supply and the prospects for offspring survival.
Wink would like to replicate similar studies across the Western Hemisphere in an effort to understand the role environment plays.
"I like to study huge populations," he said. "And after doing this for 22 years, it clearly is a long-term study."
With so many projects behind him and a lifetime of ideas in front of him, Wink is forever attached to Tree Swallows. He is also good at attracting other people who are interested in studying these slender fliers, and he gratefully opens his arms and nest boxes to them.
Studying Chilean Swallows in Argentina
For Baby Swallows, What You Eat Is As Important As How Much You Eat
Linda Macaulay, 2010 Recipient of the Arthur Allen Award
Housekeeping Secrets of Swallows
Wink's home base is a trailer just off Warren Road. A professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at Cornell, he oversees the work of about half a dozen undergraduate and an equal number of graduate students each year. He encourages the undergraduates to take advantage of the swallows in Ithaca. Wink says a lot of scientific literature on swallows already exists, but there are still unanswered questions.
As a sophomore at Cornell University, Kevin Ringelman sent letters to professors because he wanted to get involved in research. Wink emailed him back right away and later suggested that Ringelman study feather fighting.
Tree Swallows use the feathers of other bird species to line their nests for warmth. Wink found that an increase in feathers in the nest box leads to earlier fledging. But swallows have to get the feathers, and sometimes three or four birds will get into a loud and long-lasting chase over a single feather. It's a tough competition.
"The swallows just go nuts," Ringelman said. "There is even poetry written about it."
He tried to induce stress by taking all of the feathers out of some of his swallows' nest boxes. He predicted that birds with stolen feathers would be more aggressive and win more fights. Also unsure why some birds would drop the feathers, he cut away the downy parts. Maybe some feathers were not suitable, or the swallows just couldn't carry them.
Launching feathers into the air with a blowgun created from a PVC pipe, Ringelman watched. When a bird grabbed a feather, it would swoop, spiral, and climb, attracting attention. Frequently when the chase died down, the swallow with the feather would drop it and swing around to grab it again—"as if it was trying to bring the fight back," Ringelman said.
Though the stress he induced did not seem to have any effect on bird behavior, he did find that female birds are more determined to bring the feathers back to the nest.
Wink said he tries to create an environment that encourages students to ask questions. And with more than a decade of continuous work at the site, studies often build on each other. Each observation leads to fresh hypotheses, and Wink is committed to collecting loads of data.
He monitors prey availability at the site, running a 12-meter bug sucker from 7:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M. every day from April 1 until the last fledging. A tall white tube held up with wires, it collects bugs by sucking air in the top at about 45 miles per hour and then shooting it out the bottom after the bugs land in an ethanol bath.
"A sitting bug is not a bug to swallows," Wink said.
Wink is working to compile quantitative results, and he said that swallows do not start breeding until the insect sample reaches a certain size.
During her undergraduate work at Cornell, Melissa Bowlin took this information and Wink's earlier work with clutch size and planned her own study.She wanted to investigate variation in flight performance and any correlation it may have with the egg-laying date. Better fliers, she thought, might be able to get more insects and more nutrition, allowing them to begin laying eggs earlier in the season than poorer fliers.
"One of the things that makes birds so special is they fly," Bowlin said. "But we don't know a ton about flight."
So Bowlin and Wink built a flight tunnel with a series of wooden panels at the Ithaca site. The bird sits in a small box with a false bottom at the closed end of the tunnel. When the bottom is pulled out, the bird either falls or flies toward an opening at the other end. A camera records its actions, observing acceleration and maneuverability.
Bowlin found a positive relationship between clutch-initiation date and mean wing-beat frequency. Birds that laid eggs earlier accelerated faster when they were tested on the same calendar date. Her results, which were published in an article titled "Natural Variation in Flight Performance is Related to Timing of Breeding in Tree Swallows in New York" (The Auk, 2004), were the first to show that a nonheritable variation in phenotype is linked to a major component in fitness.
Bowlin said Wink made it possible for her to have a published scientific article while she was still an undergraduate.
"I don't think you can work with Wink for more than five minutes without hearing how swallows are the perfect study species," Bowlin said. "They are wonderful, patient birds. This is important because we worry about them. We have a really healthy respect for the birds."
Graduate projects are a bit different because the students have more freedom, and their studies do not always involve swallows. But the ones that do often look at the Tachycineta genus throughout a much greater geographic range, further fueling Wink's desire to connect swallow-studying scientists across the hemisphere.
Dan Ardia worked with Wink as a graduate student at Cornell. Ardia said scientists can ask a lot of questions of swallows that they can't ask of other species.
"I wanted to look at geographic variation, and Tree Swallows were an excellent study species because they are widespread," Ardia said.
He investigated parental investment in chicks by monitoring birds in Ithaca as well as at nest boxes in Tennessee and Alaska. He said tropical species tend to invest less in their chicks than temperate species, presumably because they have higher survival rates. Their best strategy is not to give their all in just one go.
"I was curious whether more southerly Tree Swallows would show differences in parental investment, and they do," Ardia said.
In a paper titled "Tree Swallows Trade Off Immune Function and Reproductive Effort Differently Across Their Range" (Ecology, 2005), Ardia revealed that in Alaska, where adult return rates are low, breeding females increase their reproductive investment to maintain the quality of their offspring. But in Tennessee, where return rates are high, breeding females invest less. As a result, Tennessee offspring are of lower quality.
Ardia's study was also one of the first to report geographic differences in immune function related to this different investment.
As Wink's reputation (and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's) grow, so do the depth and breadth of the work that students can accomplish. Valentina Ferretti currently works with Wink. A Ph.D. student, she came to Cornell from Argentina. She is using the variation in the Tachycineta genus to study mating systems and parental care as they relate to extra-pair paternity. Though these birds are socially monogamous, females can store sperm. And DNA fingerprinting shows that mating outside the partnership does occur at high rates.
"The swallows have a weird mating system," Ferretti said.
"I thought it would be interesting to look at the whole genus."
She is investigating four species at four locations: Tree Swallows in Ithaca, Mangrove Swallows in Belize, Violet-Green Swallows in Oregon and California, and White-rumped Swallows in Argentina. Using DNA analysis, she will determine the extra-pair-paternity rate and then test five hypotheses to try to determine why the rates differ.
So far, she can only see results for the first two species, but they do show variation. Tree Swallows engage in 80 percent extra-pair paternity, whereas for Mangrove Swallows it is only 23 percent.
"It is a neat way of comparing different species that are breeding at different latitudes," she said.
So Wink's students do more than create a constant stream of swallow studies at the Ithaca site. Wink has used his connections with students and colleagues to develop a network of swallow tenders and similar monitoring sites across the Western Hemisphere. He calls the project Golondrinas de las Americas, which translates as Swallows of the Americas. As part of their studies, both Ardia and Ferretti set up boxes away from Ithaca. And Wink hopes the comparative studies born from a widespread collaboration will shed light on life-history characteristics, and, possibly, the avian response to climate change.
Though environments across the Americas differ, swallows have similar physiology and behavior. So when biologists at 31 sites from Alaska to Argentina set up nest boxes, band birds, and collect data on the swallows and their relatives, they can also begin to understand differences in nesting and breeding biology between birds in tropical, temperate, and even polar ecosystems.
Ferretti has already taken advantage of the network. And Ardia's studies on survival rates and parental investment could be extended to all of the Americas. Sites in Saskatchewan, Wisconsin, New York, Iowa, Massachusetts, Colorado, California, Belize, Panama, and Argentina can share data on prey availability, egg-laying date, clutch size, and fledging success.
"I wanted a few people who I could do a lot with," Wink said. "At each new site, we learn so much."
Though the sites are currently too spread out to meaningfully study migration, Wink said one day he hopes it will be possible.
Martín Quiroga set up the first Golondrinas boxes in Argentina in 2000. After meeting Wink through the Internet and visiting Ithaca three times, he wanted to get involved. With help from students, he now runs the Santa Fe site in Argentina where he studies the White-rumped Swallow.
"This project is promising, because we can share ideas," Quiroga said. "The biology of birds is moving, and you can't really investigate it if you are working by yourself."
Wink is also following his farming intuition and enlisting others in swallow conservation. If he succeeds in collecting consistent data from the sites for 10 years, then he can look at the impact of local activities such as deforestation and development and can investigate global climate change.
More about David Winkler's research on swallows:
Tree Swallows on All About Birds
The Golden Swallow, one of several Tree Swallow relatives that Winkler and colleagues are studying, is a very rare species that lives only on Jamaica and Hispaniola
Professor David Winkler's website at Cornell
Eduardo Iñigo-Elias, project coordinator for Neotropical bird conservation at the Lab of Ornithology, said colleagues are requesting funding to work with local residents to recover habitats of three endangered swallow species by introducing nest boxes. The species include the Golden Swallow of Hispaniola, the Bahama Swallow, and the Tumbes Swallow.
"These are some of the most endangered swallows in the world," Iñigo-Elias said.
Swallows are sensitive to day-to-day temperature changes and have shown a 10-day advance in their egg-laying date in the past 30 years, according to a 2002 study Wink published with Peter Dunn in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences titled "Predicting the Effects of Climate Change on Avian Life-history Traits." Swallows offer warning signals that other species don't.
"There is no consensus regarding climate change in Central and South America," Wink said. "We want to be ready with data on both swallows and insects."
Wink said there is promise and potential, but the extension into Latin America is difficult. Money and people are harder to find and harder to keep. Attitudes are also different.
Central America especially, he said, lacks historical conservation figures like Aldo Leopold or Rachel Carson and like-minded individuals with a deep curiosity and appreciation for nature. Most conservation is motivated from outside Latin America.
Quiroga said that even in Argentina, conservation is a fancy word. But scientists are trying to redirect their research.
"This field work is key to understanding organisms where they live and is important for conservation," he said.
Wink experiences the challenges firsthand. He tried to set up a site in Venezuela with the help of a graduate student.
"We put up the nest boxes, and they all disappeared," Wink said. The local people were borrowing the nest boxes to get parakeets to nest in their own backyards.
Though he could not set up a permanent site in Venezuela, Wink was more successful in Belize, where he worked closely with a nongovernmental organization. But when the money dried up, progress slowed. And after setting up a bug sucker in the country, he found out there was not enough electrical power to keep it running—a problem that was fixed this past spring.
"Even checking boxes is more than they can afford," Wink said. "We can't just assume things will happen."
Wink travels to Belize to band the birds. He said the site survives moment to moment. He wants to teach people in Central and South America that someone can make a living being a biologist. Countries like Argentina have the intellectual horsepower and universities to support these efforts. Professors with a stable crew of eager students create a solid base. Unfortunately, Wink said, the word "volunteer" doesn't exist in Mexico or Central America.
Though he cannot change economics or politics, Wink does want to create awareness.
"I want to find a cadre of people who come to see nature the way we do," he said, "as a source of inspiration, knowledge, and understanding. Once you think this way, a conservation ethic follows."
Wink knows that to keep the project living on after him, he will need to prove to people at other sites that the project is worthwhile and belongs to them. Wink said they love the project, but they don't understand it and can't afford it. He wants to see homegrown biologists become conservationists.
"When you know it, you care for it," Wink said. "We are all gardeners."
The Ithaca site serves as a launching point for Golondrinas, but Golondrinas in turn influences daily business in Ithaca. Despite individual and group projects, everyone takes breaks to band more birds.
One day in late June, five students headed out with a canoe, kayak, and paddle boat to band birds in the boxes over one of the property's reservoirs. The extra bandings and boxes will boost Wink's sample size and aquatic expertise for other Golondrinas sites. He wants to study 10-year-old birds, so if he loses half his swallows each year, he needs to begin with a lot of birds.
Wink is building the swallow network from the ground up, but he is also holding together any cracking pieces as he goes. He recently traveled to Argentina to teach a course in Buenos Aires. While he was there, he worked with a site at the southern end of the Andes Mountains and also helped set up another site beside a beautiful waterfall in northern Argentina where White-winged Swallows live.
When he travels, he always tries to recruit more "Golondrinistas," preaching, rallying the troops, and solving problems "wherever the brushfire is most intense." Meanwhile, it was a busy year in Ithaca.
"In the 2006 season," Wink said, "We were in the midst of local chaos." After a cold June, the birds renested. Normally, they renest after losing eggs, but not after losing chicks.
Ringelman said that the temperature dropped once and about 60 percent of the birds renested. Another cold weekend in June brought more trouble. Many had chicks and many of them died. But still, some swallows renested.
In his 22 years of research at the site, that was the weirdest Wink had seen. And he worked with his undergraduates to write a paper about the "funny" behavior.
In addition to travel and this paper, Wink was renewing a grant and overseeing field-site work while his right-hand man spent time with his newborn baby. In short, for Wink, it is all swallows all of the time. But his business is a pleasure.
His office in the bird collection at the Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates is oddly shaped, a triangle with three acute angles. Windows cover one long side and bookshelves line the other. It makes for a narrow space. Wink's desk sits along the window littered with papers, books, and birding paraphernalia. He said sometimes he hears and sees the swallows as he sits there.
"That's a really different life they have," he said. "They live in a three-dimensional world. They are not flat like us."
Wink wants to encourage appreciation across the Americas, and at the same time continue to expand swallow studies. He believes partnerships like Golondrinas are crucial if conservation is to be more than just a colonial endeavor. After all, for half of the year the birds live in Central and South America. Activity there affects swallows here.
As soon as all of the current Golondrinas sites reach 100 or more nest boxes, with a bug sucker at half of them, Wink said he will feel as though he has arrived. Golondrinas is not there yet, but the first scientific papers with collective research are moving forward.
"That will engender further enthusiasm," Wink said. He'd like to do more, but for now he is doing everything he can wherever he can. "We're just now starting to harvest the first fruits."
How Changes in Temperature and Rainfall Affect Nesting Bluebirds and Swallows
The AOU Meeting: Blogged by the Scientists!


Welcome back to "Loveline"! Caller #2, go ahead.
Hi...this is John. I've been having some trouble getting a date.
What seems to be the problem, John?
Well, I've tried the local dating scene, but most women are repulsed by my facial deformity.
Oh, it's you! Can you stay on the line?
It must be Sweeps Week.
7 sure. I can get behind that.
5 Are they stringing him along? If so, why the sweeps week comment?
4 Don't fully understand why the person knows of him. Johnny's 3 is weak too.


While a move to Manchester United hasn't been confirmed, it looks certain that Romelu Lukaku will leave Everton during the current transfer window.
Romelu Lukaku continues to score regularly in the Premier League, fuelling speculation that he could depart Everton this summer.
Josh Bland picks his best Premier League offseason acquisitions.
What lies next for Romelu Lukaku?
Win Soon on the Belgian who will add plenty to Everton's attack following his loan move from Chelsea.


At McBride Financial Services, Inc., a CPA is always available to assist in acheiving your goals and objectives. Here are three reasons to work with a CPA.
1. Code of Professional Conduct - one of the most exacting of any profession - CPAs are governed by a code of professional conduct which stresses independence, integrity, objectivity, technical competence and adherence to professional standards. This Code emphasizes the CPA's commitment to serving and protecting the public interest.
2. Pass the rigorous two-and-one-half day uniform CPA Examination. CPAs are distinguished from other accountants by stringent licensing and testing requirements. To qualify for certification and a state license, CPAs must meet actual real world experience and/or additional post graduate study requirements.
3. Arizona requires CPAs to take specified amounts of continuing professional education annually to retain their professional licenses to practice. This requirement ensures that CPAs are exposed to ongoing education which will allow them to stay current with the ever changing rules that this profession is confronted with.


Trip Lee's highly anticipated fifth studio album, Rise, is now available! Featuring production from Gawvi, with appearances from Lecrae, Andy Mineo, Thi'sl and more, be sure to get your copy today! Share your thoughts using #RISENOW!


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Vol. 10 No. 2 (2019): CJNSE Vol 10 No 2 (2019) /
Research Study/Recherche
Les Méthodologies de recherche en orthographe : stratégies de rédaction d'une recension intégrative d'écrits scientifiques
Myriam Villeneuve-Lapointe Université du Québec en Outaouais
André C. Moreau
Conducting a synthesis of previous researches an essential activity in research, but can be a challenge for young researchers. Indeed, the diversity of methodologies used in the identified primary research leads to different interpretations of the results and their significance. This article proposes strategies to adopt when writing an integrative review of scientific literature on an object of study, here teaching practices in spelling, in addition to recall the steps of the integrative review of scientific literature. Reflection on the contributions of types of primary studies helps to understand the contribution of research methods.
PDF (Français (Canada))
Vol. 10 No. 2 (2019): CJNSE Vol 10 No 2 (2019)
Manuscripts submitted to CJNSE/RCJCÉ must be original work that has not been published elsewhere, nor is currently being considered for publication elsewhere. The author should confirm this in the cover letter sent with the manuscript.
Articles that are published within the CJNSE/RCJCÉ must not be published elsewhere, in whole or part, for one year after publication.
Copyright for articles published in this journal is retained by the authors, with first publication rights granted to the journal. By virtue of their appearance in this open access journal, articles are free to use, with proper attribution, in educational and other non-commercial settings. Granting the CJNSE/RCJCÉ first publication rights must be in the cover letter sent with the manuscript.
If the manuscript contains copyrighted materials, the author should note this in the cover letter sent with the manuscript, and indicate when letters of permission will be forwarded to the Editor.
If the manuscript reports on research with "human subjects," the author should include a statement in the cover letter that ethics approval has been received for the research, indicating the granting body and protocol number if applicable.
Authors are encouraged to use language that is inclusive and culturally sensitive.
Last updated November 2 2018

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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THE NORTH RUSSIAN INTERVENTION, 1918-1920
    THE NORTH RUSSIAN INTERVENTION, 1918-1920 © IWM (Q 69552)
[url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205215901][img]https://media.iwm.org.uk/ciim5/361/955/mid_000000.jpg?action=e&cat=Photographs[/img][/url] [url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205215901]THE NORTH RUSSIAN INTERVENTION, 1918-1920. © IWM (Q 69552)[/url] [url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/corporate/privacy-copyright]IWM Non Commercial License[/url]
American cruiser USS Brooklyn at Vladivostok.
Interwar (production), Interwar (content)
US official photographer
AMERICAN FIRST WORLD WAR OFFICIAL EXCHANGE COLLECTION
North Russia Intervention 1918-1920, Russia 1918-1920, First World War
Russian Civil War 1917-1921
Vladivostok, Primorsky Krai, Russia
THE NORTH RUSSIA INTERVENTION, 1918-1920
© IWM (O 2170)
How Britain Hoped To Avoid War With Germany In The 1930s
Instituted in the hope of avoiding war, appeasement was the name given to Britain's policy in the 1930s of allowing Hitler to expand German territory unchecked. Most closely associated with British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, it is now widely discredited as a policy of weakness. Yet at the time, it was a popular and seemingly pragmatic policy.
© Crown Copywright (OP-TELIC 03-010-17-145)
Contemporary conflict
Timeline of 20th and 21st Century Wars
Military conflict took place during every year of the 20th Century. There were only short periods of time that the world was free of war. The total number of deaths caused by war during the 20th Century has been estimated at 187 million and is probably higher.
RAF, MQ-9 Reaper, Waddington
A Brief History of Drones
The first pilotless vehicles were built during the First World War but drones now have many functions.


For the second year running Victoria will be leading her Christmas Jewellery Workshop. This has been a hugely popular workshop in the past, as attendees love learning how to make their own jewellery at home and were thrilled to take home several pieces of finished jewellery that were perfect for Christmas presents.
This is also a great chance for brides to make a piece of jewellery to wear to your own wedding, or for bridesmaids to make their jewellery.
The workshop will run on Tuesday 5th December from 7.30-9.30pm at The Boutique, 273 Wandsworth Bridge Road, SW6 2TX.
This course aims to show you how to make your own jewellery at home using only simple tools (jewellery pliers) and supplies (wire, beads, pearls, crystals) which can be purchased anywhere. After the course you'll have enough skills to be able to continue making jewellery at home.
We will then move on to actually making some jewellery. I will provide all the materials necessary for you to make at least 2 pairs of earrings with your choice of pearls/beads/crystals. We will then also make a necklace which will use the wire twisting technique.
The cost for the course is £35 which will include all materials and refreshments. If you know a friend who would also like to book you can book two places for £60 – please contact me in this case to book at the discounted price.


Floating the idea that "Green Light" Lou would have kaboshed a $50,000+ sale by refusing authentication on his own on the Namath helmet - if aeneas hadn't documented the basic issues with this helmet so publicly beforehand - is preposterous on its face for anyone that's watched this hobby for more than a week.
Everything since is simply spin by those that benefit financially from their relationships with the auction house. Personally, I think aeneas put Heritage in a position they had no choice but to pull the item. It speaks volumes about them that they'd promote such a supposed major piece without having it first "authenticated" by Sweet Lou. Frankly, I think auction houses have gotten too cocky about their ability to move millions in bad merchandise and now operate with a "list first, support or pull if challenged later" policy.
2) I sent that comment, as well as a few other thoughts, to you in an email last Friday. Could you please let me know if you received that email. I haven't heard back from you and I'm wondering if I have your most up-to-date email address.
Yes, chakes, that was the initial issue with the helmet. You spotted this by just viewing the pictures. Wouldn't you think a football historian would have noticed this also, without a trip to Dallas?
For the record: I am NOT an expert on anything, nor have I ever claimed to be. Folks who claim to be "experts" are flirting with disaster.
Why doesn't someone simply ask Chris Ivy if Lou looked at any pictures or did any premilinary work before they put it up in the previews instead of assuming that's what happened or must have happened...Someone should get the proper story from Chris on this and post it..
Always the auction houses' #1 advocate here, right Dave? At least you stick up for more than just your fav, AMI, I see.
The real question is why SCD chose to spin this story instead of focusing on the huge error by Heritage in so visibly promoting a bad piece - either prematurely before they had it authenticated, or after some preliminary flawed approval by Lou.
But then we know why don't we?
Your entire frame of reference for this hobby seems to be the forum, go broaden your horizons a bit.. All I said was somone should get the story of what happened from Chris Ivy...I'm not defending anyone, and personally see it as a big screw up on their part.
Your entire frame of reference for this hobby seems to be the forum.
Not even close, amigo, not even close.
the 6 faded behind the 12 looks to be the same style as the 6 on this roger finnie helmet from american memorabilia which sold in 04. that might support the idea that the "namath helmet" is another jets helmet from that era.


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Кавача (, , «броня») - тип захисного гімну в ритуальної літературі індуїзму. Кавачі були введені в ритуальну практику, щоб зробити її ефективнішою, звільнити практикуючого від перешкод, допомогти йому відчути тотожність з обраним божеством. Це введення спостерігається вже в найдавнішому минулому - певні елементи присутні в деяких гімнах Атхарва-веди.

Самі ранні посилання на використання кавач у ритуальній практиці - це фрагменти в Мрігендра-агами і Каміка-агами, в яких Вішну (Шрікантха - за версією Каміка-агами) наставляє Індру в практиці читання Нрісімха-кавачі (примітно, що Нрісімха, божество цієї Кавачі, не є однією з Дашаватар Вішну ) . Другий за давістю текст - це Субрамунья-кавача-стотра з Кумара-тантри , однією з упа-агам Каміка-агами.

Кавачі, так само як і Аргана-стотри,кілаки,рахасьї та інші належать до допоміжних текстів, потрапляючи в розділ практик Камья (kamya — за бажанням) і  Найміттіка (naymittika — з конкретного приводу). Зазвичай, кавачі використовуються при виникненні будь-яких проблем чи перешкод, що заважають або загрожують життю, садхані чи дхармі.

Композиція кавач

Переважна більшість кавач мають схожі композиційні особливості, і кожну кавачу можна розділити на кілька частин :
Пурва-Бхага [pūrva bhāga] - вступ. У вступі зазвичай перераховуються:
Ріші  - ведичний мудрець, який вперше почув конкретну кавачу від божества, читав її і досяг сіддх її рецитацій;
Чандас  - розмір, яким написана кавача;
Девата - божество, до якої звернуто текст кавачі;
 Кількість повторень кавачі (може знаходитися вУттар-Бхага [завершення]).
Ньяса [nyāsa] - розміщення. Іноді ділиться наКара-Ньяса [kara - обкладання] іАнга-Ньяса [anga - тіло, частина тіла]. Під час Ньяси читаються вступні мантри, які співвідносять частини тіла з тим чи іншим аспектом божества кавачі; виконуються в строго визначеній послідовності мудрі, з доторканням рук в мудрах до певних частин тіла, іноді додаються ритуальні поклони. Ця частина може повторюватися 3-5 разів.
Дхьяна  [dhyāna] - зосередження. Дхьяна-шлоки - ритмічні вірші для поглиблення медитації на точній формі божества кавачі з описом його обличчя, рук, атрибутів. Може ділиться на Саттва-дхьяна, Раджа-дхьяна і Тамас-дхьяна.
Манаса-Панча-пуджа [manasa pañca pūja] - уявна пуджа (вселенських) п'яти елементів - Землі, Води, Вогню, Повітря і Акаша.
 Сам текст кавачі. У ньому божество призивається через різні імена-епітети, кожне з яких вказує на специфічний аспект або атрибут божества Кавачі. У процесі читання практикуючий повинен підтримувати троїсту тотожність: між божеством і всесвітом; між всесвітом і практикуючим, та між практикуючим і божеством. Кожне з імен-епітетів співвідноситься з певною частиною тіла того, хто її читає:
 uchchhiṣṭaṃ rakṣatu shiraḥ shikhāṃ chaṇḍālinī tataḥ.

sumukhī kavachaṃ rakṣeddevī rakṣatu chakṣuṣī .. 5 ..

 Уччхішта нехай захистить мою голову, верхівку - Чандаліні, Прекраснолика Деві бронею нехай захистить очі.

 [Матангі Сумукхі кавача, Рудраямала тантра. Переклад з санскриту Ерченкова О. М.]

 Після завершення читання основного тексту знову читаються і повторюються Ньяса, Дхьяна і Манаса-Панча-пуджа. Послідовність їх читання визначається самим текстом кавачі.
Уттар-Бхага [uttara bhāga] - завершення.

Типи побудови основного тексту

Згідно з агамами, існують два типи побудови основного тексту кавач:
Мантра-віграха-кавача[mantra vigraha kavaca]. Кавачі цього типу складені з використанням складів мула-мантри божества, до которм звернена кавача.
Нама-віграха-кавача [nāma vigraha kavaca]. Цей тип складений з використанням основних імен-епітетів божества: так, наприклад, написання Шанмукха Кавача, в якій використовуються 64 основних імен-епітетів Сканду-Муругана.

Обидва типи кавач також можуть мати свої особливості:
 Текст може бути побудований відповідно до санскритського або іншимого алфавіту і всі імена починаються послідовно від першої голосної і до останньої приголосної алфавіту. Сюди ж можна віднести і тексти, у яких перші літери шлок починаються згідно з послідовністю алфавіту.
 Всі імена-епітети божества, до якого звернена Кавача, починаються з якою-небудь однієї літери
В основному ж, тексти не дотримуються цих умов і імена-епітети йдуть без будь-якої граматичної послідовності.

Джерела і кількість
Точна кількість кавач не відомо: Шрі С. В. Сітхаратна Ійер у виданому ним збірнику «Тисяча мантр до різним богам» говорить про декілька сотень текстів кавач, присвячених різним божествам індуїстського пантеону. Більшість кавач знаходяться в шактійскіх тантрах і агамах і присвячені різним іпостасей Деві - Калі, Лаліті, Бхайраві та іншим. Менше за все - до Вішну і його аватар . Крім кавач, присвячених верховним божествам, існують кавачі, присвячені різним другорядним божествам - локапалами, наваграхам, божествам-охоронців місцевостей тощо. Є також кілька кавач, звернених до гуру.

Деяка кількість кавач є в пуранах (в основному, в УПА-пуранах). Деякі кавачі є незалежними і не спираються на ходжен традиційний текст тантр, агам або пуран.

Правила та результати читання

Про правила і результати читання постійно говориться як у текстах самих кавач (у пурва-Бхага або в Уттар-Бхага), так і в тестах тантр і агам, в яких знаходяться кавачі. Регулярне і систематичне повторення кавачі дуже важлива для практикуючого - іноді прямо вказується на обов'язкове одноразове чи багаторазове щоденне читання. У деяких випадках є приписи про час читання, орієнтацію на певну сторону світу . Також неодноразово застерігається від самостійне читання кавачі без прямої вказівки, благословення або наказу Гуру - традиція стверджує, що подібне читання не тільки безглузде або марно, але і здатне принести шкоду як в цьому житті, так і в наступних. Аналогічне попередження є і щодо вільної передачі тексту кавачі.

Див. також
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Calling All Social Critics and Comedians!
By tefriedman on July 31, 2014 | 2 Comments
As I finalize my selections for a course on American Counterculture from the 1960s to present day, I slyly grin at the allotment of time dedicated to the late great cultural rebel George Carlin. The truth is, I miss him. I never had the opportunity to meet him or see a live show, but I've watched and read so much on, about, for, and from Carlin that he feels like an ostracized yet beloved great uncle. As with Lenny Bruce before him, Carlin's work demonstrated the honesty, passion, and brilliance of his predecessor. A look at a compilation of The Best of George Carlin proves this:
From the 1970s until his death in 2008, the self-proclaimed lover of language elucidated his countercultural propensities in albums such as FM & AM and Class Clown – the latter containing what would later become know as his infamous "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television" shtick. His jokes pertaining to religion, politics, drugs, war, government, human interactions, and relationships were legendary and established Carlin's unapologetic career in comedy. Through humor, he begged audiences in a 2004 CNN interview to "first of all, question everything you read or hear or see or are told . . . [a]nd try to see the world for what it actually is, as opposed to what someone or some company or some organization or some government is trying to represent it as, or present it as, however they've mislabeled it or dressed it up or told you."
As social critic and thinker, Carlin used humor as his vehicle – he did not mean for audiences to be purely and purposelessly entertained. I use Carlin to introduce students to humor as counterculture but also to show how to clearly support claims with evidence, how an informed participant is better than an unenlightened observer, speaker, and writer. His genius – as well as his comedic charisma – will hopefully illustrate the power of passion and awareness in a course dedicated to both.
Noticeably absent from my selections are women who were/are social critics and comedians. After watching Women Who Kill, a 2013 Showtime special highlighting Amy Schumer, Rachel Feinstein, Nikki Glaser, and Marina Franklin, I couldn't help but wonder if what was presented in this 59 minute show was the best I could find. I patiently watched each comedian present her ideas on dating, abuse, children, weight, and fashion with clever language and verbal trickery, but finished the show having laughed, felt, or thought very little.
I realize the pressure of the 'Carlin comparison' – no human, male or female, can match the genius of George, but the sustenance from his shows, and the shows of the likes of Bruce and Hicks, seems to be deficient in modern comedy, especially that showcased by females. Many comedians use a new sensationalism – similarly to what the modern world now relies on for entertainment purposes – which seems more grating than gift. In an article titled "Laughter the Best Medicine: Muslim Comedians and Social Criticism in Post-9/11 America," author Amarnath Amarasingam explores the role of Muslim standup comedians who challenge misperceptions about culture, religion, and relationships and could do well to be defined under Gramsci's classification of "organic intellectuals" (467). Comedians such as Azhar Usman and Maz Jobrani challenge societal expectations and push the limitations of previously held thought. Through discussions of social criticism, their humor is welcomed among the drivel so disliked by many, including Carlin himself.
© 2014 Tara Friedman
Posted in: 911, Comedians, George Carlin, Humor in America, satire, stand up comedy	| Tagged: humor, Humor in America, pedagogy, social critics, standup comedians, women comedians
Joker Poe, Part 4: The Critic's Laughter
By Robert T. Tally Jr. on July 28, 2014 | 1 Comment
In this series thus far, I have discussed the ways in which Edgar Allan Poe is perhaps best viewed as a literary prankster or practical joker. In Part 1, I argued that the great theorist of "Diddling Considered as One of the Exact Sciences" was also, in his various works, a master "diddler," frequently putting one over on his readers. In Part 2, I discussed the "poet as prankster," suggesting that even Poe's poetry is not always as serious as it seems, while examining one poem ("O Tempora! O Mores!") that was itself composed and presented as part of an elaborate practical joke. In Part 3, I argued that many of Poe's most well-known stories, which are usually read as Gothic horror or mystery, might be considered as humorous, frequently functioning as comical send-ups of popular fictions of the era. In this entry, I want to consider another genre of writing for which Poe was quite famous in his own time: literary criticism. Not surprisingly, Poe's literary criticism bears the mark of the prankster's spirit, as his book reviews and essays are often filled with sardonic humor.
As a literary critic and book reviewer for a number of magazines, Poe developed an infamous reputation as a "tomahawk-man," a harsh critic who, in the words of his great contemporary James Russell Lowell, "seems sometimes to mistake his phial of prussic-acid for his inkstand." Lowell's own humorous aside does not detract from his judgement, stated one line earlier, of Poe as "the most discriminating, philosophical, and fearless critic upon imaginative works who has written in America." Perhaps because of this discriminating, philosophical fearlessness, Poe-the-critic was loathe to suffer fools gladly or even at all, and some of his best known zingers have come at the expense of his fellow poets and fiction writers.
For example, in an 1843 review of William Ellery Channing's Our Amateur Poets, Poe writes: "His book contains about sixty-three things, which he calls poems, and which he no doubt seriously supposes so to be. They are full of all kinds of mistakes, of which the most important is that of their having been printed at all." A paragraph later he calls for the author to be hanged, but—out of deference to his good name (Channing Sr. having been a "great essayist")—Poe urges that the hangman "observe every species of decorum, and be especially careful of his feelings, and hang him gingerly and gracefully, with a silken cord." Presumably, the remainder of the book review represents that figurative execution.
Posted in: Humor in America	| Tagged: american literature, Edgar Allan Poe, James Russell Lowell, literary criticism, sarcasm
Cracking the Codes of Comedy: On the Anatomy of Jokes, Part 1
By Jeffrey Melton on July 24, 2014 | 1 Comment
What is your favorite joke? Do you know why it works for you?
In answering the first question, many people have clear, definite jokes in mind; others may have to run through their memories to choose from several. In either case, most humans enjoy the prospect of having "favorite" jokes, and sharing them. They are far less interested in considering WHY the joke works for them, that tougher second question from above. "Why? Because it's funny as hell. That's why." There could follow a series of insults to the questioner for ruining the whole idea of a joke. Hearing jokes can be funny; talking about why they are funny is not. So it follows that teaching humor, though a very good gig by all teaching measures, is still rather a risky proposition on the whole.
The Humor Code
The study of humor has earned quite a bit of attention in scientific circles in recent years, moving well beyond the more standard interests in the humanities (my comfort zone). Most recently, and most successfully in the marketplace, is the book The Humor Code: A Global Search for What Makes Things Funny (2014) by Peter McGraw and Joel Warner. The book has received quite a bit of publicity and attention from media. For a good overview of the topic and links to some of this popular attention (For example, see: Slate article with links on Studying Humor). It sets up the basic questions that start this post and applies both a journalistic and scientific methodology to seek answers. It is a good read, and often very funny in its own right.
The Science of What Makes Things Funny – watch more funny videos
Peter McGraw has been building the Humor Research Lab at the University of Colorado–Boulder, and has aggressively applied a scientific method to the study of humor. His approach, though not the first, has gained some worthy attention. Teaming up with a journalist is a stroke of geniuses (or common sense, really). Joel Warner helps provide an appealing voice for the study and makes sure the writing succeeds where so many academic books fail: it is readable. The Humor Code should appeal to teachers of humor on the whole. McGraw and Warner frame their study in terms of a romantic quest for scientific understanding of the seemingly inexplicable nature of laughter. It is a worldwide search for the keys to understanding the human sense of humor, that amorphous but essential part of the human experience. That is simply a great idea for the framing of a book, and it is hard not to hate them both for coming up with it.
Let's start with the book's epigraph from E.B. White. It reads:
"Humor can be dissected, as a frog can, but the thing dies in the process and the innards are discouraging to any but the pure scientific mind."
Frogs and Language
McGraw and Warner follow that quote with: "Let's kill some frogs." I should add here that no frogs will die in the process of reading this post. The E.B. White quote has earned formidable commentary on HA! already. See the related posts by Sharon McCoy and Tracy Wuster: Sharon McCoy on Dissecting Jokes and Tracy Wuster on Objects of Humor.
This beginning to the book hits home with any teacher of humor because it captures the dilemma exactly. E. B. White's comment gets plenty of play, as it should. It is a compelling statement that rings true but is a bit disingenuous with the facts in creating its metaphor of killing frogs. White asserts that any dissecting of a joke like a frog kills either party. Who needs dead frogs or dead jokes? Nobody.
My memory of 8th-grade biology is foggy, but I seem to recall that the frogs were quite dead before any of us started hacking away at them. Perhaps I am being defensive, but I don't want to be accused of killing frogs anymore than of killing jokes. I have spent a good, and pleasant, portion of my adult life dissecting jokes and asking others to do so as well. I think they (both the jokes and the students) survive the process. The "thing" does not die on the table, and the process of dissection does not require a scientific mind; rather, it demands only a curious one. A scientific method, however, can be helpful with funding. But I digress.
Trying to get students (or anyone) to begin examining the components of jokes–their structure, form and content; their cultural and historical context; their artistic qualities of language and nonverbal communication–can be worthwhile. It also forces those who try to answer the question the opportunity to assess their own preferences and personality traits that may push them to like one type of joke over another. This process could get rather personal rather fast. And, of course, it is political. Let's take a moment to look at a few examples of a popular and persistent joke: the Light Bulb joke. It is simple framework with seemingly limitless permutations. Here is a link to a website out of England that claims to be a repository for the best "Light Bulb" jokes. http://www.lightbulbjokes.com/directory/t.html. I know it is English because there are so many misspellings (too many u's and not enough z's). I also know it has English authors because the site chooses the following as its favorite light bulb joke:
Q: How many Irishmen does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Five, one to hold the light bulb and the other four to turn the ladder round and round!
That seems a rather odd choice if based solely on the humor implicit in it. That is rather political, eh? It certainly has a social and historical context that must be open to scrutiny, as in any classroom examining humor. This seems to be one of the most popular and oldest versions of this joke, wherein the premise of the punchline depends on stereotypical assumptions and underlying social tensions. Simple jokes have complex backstories. This joke as presented above will not play very well in most American settings, but that is not to say that there are not American versions filled with similar tension and bigotry. The number in the answer is somewhat off-point and generic (presumably, the more people involved in the process, the dumber they are); what matters is that it affirms an assumption from the audience that agrees–or is simply willing to laugh about–the supposed stupidity of the targeted group. Let's back off a bit and choose a version of the same joke above but directed at a more universally disliked group. This version has a more benign historical context:
Q: How many tourists does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Six: One to hold the bulb and five to ask for directions.
Tourists are sooooo stupid. Right? Well, yes. Well, no. But the joke can implicate almost anyone who has been in a unfamiliar place, and the characteristic of a tourist being uniformed and dependent on others and maps for their mobility (unlike Irish above) is not definitive of any single person's identity. Moreover, the condition of being a tourist is temporary so that the insult is much more benign. Yet the form of the joke is the same. The answer implies the same status: stupid. And it is funny. Here is another version with a slightly skewed punchline that offers a more complex context for consideration.
Q: "How many feminists does it take to screw in a light bulb?"
A: "You know that's not very funny."
This joke has a clear political target: humorless feminists who are so politically minded in response to centuries of oppression that they refuse to accept a joke that may mock them, This version of the joke seems to be stopped cold via the interrupting voice that challenges the joke's set-up. That voice provides the joke, a slight twist on the more standard punchline for light bulb jokes more typically provided by the questioner. This is the version of the joke as I remember if when I first heard in in the early 1990s. To my surprise, I found that the "lightbulbjokes" site provides twenty-nine answers to this set-up, the last of which is most closely aligned with my version. The answers on the whole carry a not-too-subtle backlash anger, more along the reactionary "feminazi" attacks popularized among the listeners of the idiotic but sometimes funny Rush Limbaugh in the 1990s. They, it seems, remain popular, and many of them are funny, it seems to me.
I still like the version quoted above, a version I first heard from students majoring in Women's Studies. That statement is intended to give me some street cred for defining this joke as allowable and even funny in the version above. Others may disagree, and students need to explore the variations of opinion.
Why do I think my version is funny and benign but see most of the others as harboring much more anger? Am I right? Am I wrong? Well, how did I get here? The same questions apply to all jokes in one way or another, and such questions are getting some big media attention and that is a good thing for humor and anyone who likes to laugh and think about why.
What is your favorite joke? What makes it funny? What does it say about our culture? What does it say about you? Why a frog?
In case you are interested, here is how to change a lightbulb:
Posted in: Humor in America	| Tagged: E.B. White, humor, Joel Warner, Jokes, Light bulb jokes, Peter McGraw, studying humor, The Humor Code
Nanu Nanu: Mork & Mindy & Robin Williams, 35 Years Later
By : on July 21, 2014 | 4 Comments
Happy Birthday, Robin Williams.
He's either one of your favorite actor-comedians or one of your least favorite. Polarizing funnyman Robin Williams turned 62 on July 21, which is almost hard to believe given his continued manic energy in person and on screen. Williams rose to fame as "Mork from Ork" on the ABC sitcom Mork & Mindy, which premiered 35 years ago this fall.
It was the request by an ABC executive's son that launched the new show and William's career as we know it. In 1978, the Star Wars was the biggest hit in cinematic history. The network exec's son asked him to "do a show about an alien," and thus, Mork from Ork's cameo on ABC's Happy Days became a new show.
Williams first appeared as Mork on an episode of Happy Days, a not-uncommon tactic to raise awareness of a new spin-off from an established show. While…
Posted in: Humor in America
Laura Who? A Study of Lost Cats and Missing Persons
By : on July 18, 2014 | Leave a comment
For reasons that are uninteresting and irrelevant, I recently had my photograph taken. I was kind of joking when I asked the photographer "Should I be causal or regular?" and only later realized that the question was much less funny than it was accurate: "casual" is not my default setting, but is something that I have learned to relentlessly effect in order to appear fit for human interaction. Which is to say that I worry a lot, and about everything. I am literally worrying now, because as the newest contributing editor to Humor in America – Visual Humor, check it – I would love to be writing a really stellar and memorable and job-keeping first post.
In lieu of a lengthy biography, then, let's just say that the joke with which I most resonate is Woody Allen's quip about his boyhood stint on a all-neurotic softball team: "I used to…
Using Political Cartoons in History Instruction
By larrybush2013 on July 13, 2014 | Leave a comment
If you are a college instructor as I am, the last thing you need is someone advising you of yet another strategy for enhancing your lessons. Nevertheless, I am going to do just that because I must write about something having to do with humor, and this is it.
I teach history at a community college. One of the requirements of history and other rhetoric-based classes is that we have to assign a term paper of 2,000 words per the Gordon Rule. I have found a way to make the assignment less of a burden on my students and less tedious for me.
Bloomerism
Since I teach Early American History (descent of man to about 1870), I assign political cartoons that were drawn contemporaneously to the time that the students are studying. I bring in copies of various cartoons that were published in Punch, Harper's Weekly, Vanity Fair, and Leslie's Illustrated prior to 1870—and there were many. Not only that, the subject matter of the cartoons is quite varied. I lay out copies of the cartoons on a desk during the first week of class, and the students choose which cartoon they will write on. I am fascinated by the cartoons the students pick and why they pick them. Most of them have no idea what the cartoon is about, but something in the illustration gets their attention.
After all of the cartoons have been chosen by the students, I project each cartoon on the screen in front of the class and briefly tell each student what direction s/he should go in the way of researching the subject matter. I only give them a thumbnail idea of what I expect; the rest is up to them. Because I go over all the cartoons in front of the entire class, all students get ideas of how to look at their cartoons and better understand the
A little unclear on the concept of an iron horse.
In a fourteen-week course, I assign the topics during the first week (second day of class). Students are responsible for turning in a rough draft by the ninth week. I tell them that the rough draft should be the best research and writing they are capable of. I even encourage them to get help from a friend, relative, or the Writing Center. I correct the rough draft and direct them on how to write at a higher level. One thing that I stress is Robert Graves's aphorism: There is no such thing as good writing, only good rewriting.
Because each student has a unique cartoon, I do not have to read the same term paper with pretty much the same content from thirty different students. Not only that, because the students have to write about seven pages, they must go into detail on the subject matter that they have chosen fairly deeply and some of them find information that I was not aware of. I end up learning from the students. That is a treat for me, and it usually helps the student get a better grade if s/he can find obscure and interesting information.
What price emancipation?
Not only do I require the term paper, but students are also required to present their cartoon and what it is about to the class during the last week. The presentation must be between five and ten minutes long. Some students get up in front of the class and stammer for five minutes. Others prepare a Powerpoint or use Prezi Presentations to help tell about their cartoon. Yes, they are graded.
Most of the feedback I have received on the project has been positive. The main reason is that the students feel that they have accomplished something positive. Another reason is that some of the students have told me that they enjoy seeing political cartoons of issues in the present and understand them better than they had in the past. The way I see it is that it is a win for me as an instructor and a win for the students as well.
First Transatlantic cable
A Salute to Lois Beebe Hayna
By Caroline Zarlengo Sposto on July 10, 2014 | 2 Comments
This summer I'm in a writers residency at The Helene Wurlitzer Foundation of New Mexico in Taos. When I arrived, my childhood friend, Amy Beebe, contacted me from Denver to tell me her Aunt Lois Beebe Hayna––an award winning poet, now 101 years old and with yet another book coming out––once lived and wrote in these very casitas, and later served on the jury to select new writers. By all accounts, Lois and her works are loved and admired.
I'm only beginning to delve into her many poems, but my favorite, so far, (Courtesy of The Regis University Library), is below. Not a "funny" poem per se, but ingenious, haunting, and visceral . . . with a bit of gallows humor.
A poem I believe everyone should read. ENJOY!!
My mother surely knew the world
lurked along that path.
She had to know the world's
filled with wolves, that their special
habitat is a forest
where little girls walk alone.
She dressed me
in the color of raw meat, she filled
my basket with warm-scented goodies
and sent me specifically
into the woods. A long way
into the woods. For years I believed
it was wolves that I had to beware.
Red Alert was Originally published in:
Keeping Still, 2005 and
Casting Two Shadows, 2010
Posted in: Humor in America, Lois Beebe Hayna, poetry	| Tagged: Gallows Humor, Lois Beebe Hayna, Red Alert, Red Riding Hood, Taos New Mexico, Wurlitzer Foundation
Who Inherited the Mantle of the Humor of the Old Southwest?
By jmcstras on July 8, 2014 | 1 Comment
The humor of the Old Southwest was regional in nature, although which parts of the country were considered the Southwest has changed radically in contemporary times. In the 1820s and 30s, the Southwest could have been anywhere from Ohio to Louisiana. The geographical area depended largely on where the moving target of the "frontier" was at any given time. Often the most well known humorists classified by critics as "southwestern" were neither born nor raised in the regional areas they wrote about. Johnson J. Hooper, who wrote the Simon Suggs stories, was born and raised in Ohio; however, he wrote about characters living in the relatively new areas of Alabama and Mississippi. George Washington Harris of Sut Lovingood fame was born in Pennsylvania and was later raised in Tennessee. Yet all of the humorists we think of as part of the Old Southwest school share the same characteristics in their writing. They feature backwoods, uneducated characters (like Sut Lovingood or Simon Suggs) whose vernacular dialect place them in the region of the frontier. They are all what we would call "street-savvy" today. Simon Suggs' signature line is "It is good to be shifty in a new country." They live on the outskirts of the law—law that is fluid at best in these areas. They are all primarily looking out for their own personal interests in their exploits. And in addition, the tales themselves most often involve slapstick humor; examples of slapstick include "Simon Suggs' Daddy Acting Horse" or "Parson John Bullen's Lizards." Finally, tales from the Southwest generally have similar, predictable plot lines: the fight, the horse swap or race, camp meeting cons, and courting games.
The primary advantage of slapstick is that it remains transferable to any time and place, making them more easily teachable. When I teach a humor course, students tend to think anything written earlier than their own lifetimes is "not laugh-out-loud funny;" however, the slapstick stories appeal universally. After all, who wouldn't laugh about a lizard dropping down a fat lady's dress or a middle-aged man pretending to be a horse (and hooked up to a plow)? But the fact remains that most of the stories included among the Old Southwest have little relationship to the present day. That being the case, one might question the relevance of teaching these pre-Civil War stories in the contemporary classroom. One of the best reasons is that while the situations might have changed for slapstick Southwestern humor's relevancy, the humor itself is still alive and well, and demonstrated in much more contemporary humorists. James Cox in The Fate of Humor and Walter Blair in Mark Twain and Huck Finn, the two earliest and most well known, have designated Mark Twain's work as the culmination of the Southwestern tradition in American Humor. In his most recent Collection (Southern Frontier Humor: New Approaches, 2014), Ed Piacentino sees the future of the Southwestern tradition in the authors from the South who come after them. William Faulkner's Snopeses are nothing more than a clan of Sut Lovingoods or Simon Suggses. Other authors have cited their influence on the grotesques of Southern Gothic humor—the most well known being Flannery O'Connor. It seems clear that these authors have inherited the spirit of the Old Southwest, and even some of the situations and plots as well. However, as the audience for this type of humor shifted, as the frontier itself moved on past what we would recognize as the southwestern frontier, and as technology moved on past the horse and carriage (and even the book in this current moment), the mantle of Southwestern humor appears to belong to stand up comedy.
The fact is, that while we may believe ourselves much more sophisticated than our Civil War predecessors, we still enjoy a good laugh at the rubes from the country. Trucks and souped up cars have replaced horses as both transportation and as competition, spawning jokes about NASCAR's fans. "People of Walmart" stand in for the country rubes at the camp meetings. But what remains the same is our propensity to laugh at Southern dialects and the cruder humor that was the Old Southwest's hallmark. Often these stand up the artists who represent humor south of the Mason-Dixon line perform in small comedy clubs or night clubs around the country, but most recently, the Blue Collar Comedy Tour has taken advantage of the explosion of media venues to increase their visibility (and revenue). While these four comedians (Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, Ron White, and Larry the Cable Guy) are certainly not the only comedians to use the Old Southwest as a jumping off point for humor, they are arguably the most well known.
The most obvious of the four as a contemporary Old Southwest humorist is Larry the Cable Guy (Daniel Laurence "Larry" Whitney). ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_the_Cable_Guy) His stand up comedy routines mirror the cruder humor and situations of earlier Southwesterers such as George Washington Harris's Sut Lovingood. His act centers on body and bowel humor—the fart joke, the poop joke, and comedy that centers on the humorously dysfunctional family. While he has clearly updated these standards to meet the 20th and 21st century, the hallmarks are present. For a sample of his routine, see this Youtube video:
Jeff Foxworthy's career signature features a series of one-liners following the "You might be a redneck if…"
tag line, to which he added material from existing stereotypes of people and things Southern. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Foxworthy#Comedy_albums). His routines highlighted the fact that the designation of redneck has less to do with the region of origin and more with a mindset. He began his "redneck" series of one-liners by focusing on Southern country folk, but has since expanded it to include Walmart people from all necks of the woods, demonstrating that your neck might be red no matter where you live; later versions of the bit begin with "Check your neck" rather than "You might be a redneck if.." to accommodate this shift in focus.
Bill Engvall's early work featured "Here's your sign.."
These bits are generally longer narratives than Foxworthy's one-liners, and while rooted in the South, do not depend upon location for the humor. They are more linguistic in nature, and follow a format in which the person who is the butt of the joke asks a question that, though logical on its face, is negated by the statement that comes before, making him or her look foolish.
Ron White (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_White) , the fourth member of the group, on the surface seems a less likely match to the 19th century Southwest Humorists. While some of the crudities and more off-color jokes are present in his routine, his language seems more intellectual. He routinely appears on stage with a cigar and a scotch, and offers a more "formal" stage presence. His act distills the Southwest into a perhaps more palatable and sophisticated type of humor—more in line with Mark Twain, whom James Cox, Walter Blair, and others have deemed the culmination of Southwestern humor. His resemblance to Twain's own lecture work depends upon what Jeffrey Steinbrink has called the "snapper." During his lectures for the Redpath circuit, Twain used two specific hallmarks of humor—the deadpan delivery, in which the humorist shows no emotion or humor himself, and seems to have no idea what he is saying is funny, and a build up of final one-liners, each one playing off of the previous one. Twain could stretch these to as many as three or four. In his stand up comedy acts for HBO, White has also delivered as many as four related "snappers" through several bits of his routine.
As inheritors of this tradition, we as audience run the risk of equating the level of sophistication of the humorist with that of the unsophisticated country types they depict in the personas they have chosen. This was also often true of the original 1820s and 30s humorists of the Old Southwest. In reality, all of the authors of the Old Southwest from this tradition were well educated—many were doctors or lawyers—yet they chose to represent as characters the uneducated but crafty, shrewd or sly con men of the frontier. In much the same way, Foxworthy, Whitney, White and Engvall's lives and work bely their stand up images. While their personas might lead one to believe the images they put forward and their personal lives are one and the same, in actuality, all four are clever, well educated (White is the only one of the four who did not attend a university), and well-versed in employing media for purposes of promotion nationwide and even internationally. Foxworthy, in addition to his comedy club work and presence on the Blue Collar Comedy Tour(s), has written several books of humor: three versions of Jeff Foxworthy's Redneck Dictionary (2005,6,7), How to stink at Golf (2008), How to Stink at Work (2009), and several children's books. He has appeared on radio in various venues, hosted a game show Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader, a sitcom named after him, and a country music countdown. White has also hosted his own variety show (2005)and has taped appearances on other shows. Whitney has focused more closely on radio, making appearance or hosting shows on stations from WJRR in Orlando, FL. to WHEB in Portsmouth, NH among others. Bill Engvall also starred in his own television comedy did a stint as a game show host for Lingo on the Game Show Network, and made an appearance on Dancing with the Stars.
As the most obvious inheritors of this long-standing tradition, These four gentlemen represent the shift that "frontier" humor has undergone since those pre-Civil War days. For Harris, Hooper, Baldwin, and the others, the only venue for publication/promotion was the newspaper, the men's magazines such as William T. Porter's Spirit of the Times, or a book of collected sketches. The addition of media between the 1830s and the present, and these humorists' ability to know and make use of it, has allowed for a greater saturation of their humor across the country and across the globe. Far from being an artifact, the humor of the Old Southwest is alive and well and living on the radio, television, and Internet.
© 2014 Janice McIntire-Strasburg
The Funny Ritual of the American Family Vacation
By : on July 3, 2014 | 1 Comment
Hope you are all having good summer vacations (and not moving, like me). Enjoy.
A Celebration of thirty years of National Lampoon's Vacation.
In the summer of 1983, Americans were treated to one of the best comedy films to examine the American family vacation and its inescapable heart of darkness: National Lampoon's Vacation, directed by Harold Ramis and written by John Hughes, who based the screenplay on his short story "Vacation '58." The film stands as the best cultural document to exploit the humor of the American family vacation, that mainstream celebration reasserting the right to own the landscape and be miserable in the process–and all at great expense. There is no cultural behavior that is so consistently marked with promise year after year and also, in equal proportions, disappointment–unless we talk about marriage itself, but I dare not suggest that.
Few movies tapped into the zeitgeist more effectively than Vacation. This is not only evidenced by its success in the…


Julian has been interested and actively involved in technology related activities for some time.
His latest obsession is programming and coding and he hopes to develop apps that would revolutionise the healthcare sector, and afford people the chance to have easier access to healthcare.
He loves going through gadget junks and put them into some other use. He believes that this is his own way of making the environment safer.


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Saturday, September 24 FAU Stadium The Ball State Cardinals take on the Florida Atlantic Owls on Saturday, September 24 at FAU Stadium. Here is a look at the ATS studs and duds in college football at the approximate halfway point: Studs Buffalo : The Bulls are just 3 straight up, but they have picked the right games to lose. Car batteries http://www.footballchiefsofficial.com/WOMENS_YOUTH_ERIC_FISHER_JERSEY.html have a limited life. Andrew Luck appeared to seize momentum with a touchdown pass that made it 24 early in the fourth quarter. The Eagles and Steelers went 13 and the Saints and Panthers each went 11. Nelson Cruz comes into this game hitting .256 and his on-base percentage is at .356. For now, rather than criticize Babcock for this, I'm going to go out on a limb and have faith in one of the best coaches in the league. If you would like to search for all players born on a certain day, for example all players born on December 25th in any http://www.columbusbluejacketsofficialonline.com/Adidas-Cam-Atkinson-Jersey year, choose the month and day with the drop down boxes and then choose the 'Month and Day Search' option. Anytime you document the play of the game you want the money shot or the defining moment.
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He's logged 53 carries for 240 yards and three TDs over his last two games and should continue his high-volume ways in Week 16. The postseason has arrived early for the Indianapolis Colts: It's win-or-go-home Sunday night in Tennessee. With cracks clearly beginning to develop within Toronto's previously pristine foundation, no personnel changes need to be made, although slight alterations to the Leafs' approach should clearly be considered. CBS Sports will keep you updated throughout the day with scores, news, goals and more. They assist on 56% of their shots, which ranks 80th in the country. Their Fenwick percentage is 48% as they Eric Fisher Youth jersey have 311 attempts while they have given up 337 shots on the defensive end. I just want to donate and give back to the community as much as I can.


While the awful shooting that killed 14 and injured scores more at the Century 16 Multiplex Theater in Aurora, Colorado caused an immense human toll, it's going to be tough for plaintiffs to collect against the studio or the theater company. The reasons are illuminating, and provide valuable lessons for other venue owners and anyone else who provides access to crowds of people.
As a result, theater and other venue owners across the country are reviewing their own insurance policies, as well as their internal risk management procedures.
At least one suit has already been filed, so far. Torrence Brown, a shooting victim, sued the theater company for failing to place a guard or alarm on the emergency exit door. He is also suing Warner Brothers, claiming the violent movie was contributory to his injury, and the shooter's doctor.
In one sense, The cinema company's liability is possibly limited because there was no track record of similar events at the theater to show a pattern of events. No theater company executive or employee could reasonably have foreseen the possibility that a deranged gunman would shoot up the theater. There was no reason to believe the theater was any more at risk for a mass shooting than any other venue hosting a large crowd of people anywhere. There was not even a communication of a threat.
Furthermore, hiring armed security guards over and above the presence of routine local law enforcement patrols is not an ordinary and customary procedure for suburban movie theaters in relatively low-risk areas, though some theater managers will hire off-duty law-enforcement officers for security for special occasions. There simply isn't much room to demonstrate that the theater owners or managers were negligent in not posting armed guards in or near the theater.
But the exposure is there, nonetheless. Plaintiff's attorneys will point to the unique nature of the Batman opening, the fact that it was a midnight showing with a large crowd expected, and they will point to the lack of any alarm system or controls on the emergency exit through which the killer left and then reentered the theater.
And experienced trial attorneys know you cannot always trust a jury to make the expected ruling. Juries have minds of their own, and frequently surprise both plaintiff and defense counsel. The risk is there any time a case goes to trial.
Because of the notoriousness of the case, the relatively large number of wounded (who are racking up medical bills), the disabled potentially requiring a lifetime of care and compensation for a lifetime of lost earnings, and the wrongful death related claims on top of that, the potential is there for a huge award is certainly there.
It's tough to find good news in the case, but it is fortunate that these kinds of events are so rare. Because of their high-severity and low-frequency nature, public liability insurance against mass casualty events such as the Aurora theater shooting lend themselves well to the insurance solution. Large amounts of liability coverage – sufficient to cover potential claims from an event like this many times over – can still be obtained at a very affordable premium. Because events like this are so rare, there are many, many theater companies paying into the risk pool.
But you do need to be proactive in reviewing your coverage.
We don't yet know the total potential liability involved in this case. We are still counting the cost of the medical bills, lost wages, and trying to put a dollar figure on the tragic loss of life. But damages of up to $10 million per plaintiff are not totally unimaginable.
Few people can look at the facts of this case and blame the theater staff or ownership. The lack of an alarm system on a door should not result in the bankruptcy and liquidation of a thriving business providing livelihoods to scores of people. That's where insurance coverage comes in.
If you own a public venue of any kind, take a good, hard look at your deductibles and insurance benefit caps for a situation such as this. Wargame the scenario: If this happened at your business, could your business survive? Would you become personally devastated because of the actions of a deranged individual beyond your control?
Talk to your insurance agent, and go over the language of your existing general liability insurance policies. You may find you need an additional policy, called a "public liability policy." This coverage is designed to protect public venues and other businesses that frequently bring in large crowds of people. If something should happen on the premises – a shooting, a structure collapse, an explosion, a terrorist strike – public liability coverage would provide needed protection your general liability and/or umbrella coverage may not be sufficient to provide.
You may also want to go over your own security measures and emergency response procedures. Do you have adequate security, given your neighborhood and the likely risk? Will it make sense to install metal detectors? Hire additional security, either permanently or for special events? Install security cameras, alarm buttons?
The Department of Homeland Security has created a checklist of measures to take, which theater groups have forwarded to their membership. But it is up to you to apply common sense to your particular situation, using the facts on the ground, as well as ensure you have insurance coverage adequate to protect your business from catastrophic events such as the Aurora shooting – however remote the likelihood.


text:
PARIS: EADS details near-hypersonic transport concept
By David Kaminski-Morrow2011-06-19T13:00:00+01:00
EADS has further detailed a concept for a ramjet-powered high-speed aircraft which would cruise at Mach 4 and cut the Tokyo-Los Angeles journey to as little as 2h 20min.
It is undertaking a feasibility study into the zero-emission high-speed transport (ZEHST) concept, an aircraft which would sequentially use three different engines in order to make the transition to and from the near-hypersonic regime.
The manufacturer maintains that a demonstrator would be possible post-2020, although EADS chief Louis Gallois stressed at a seminar ahead of the Paris air show that the company was emphasising its technological capabilities rather than launching a project.
© EADS
EADS showed a concept design with delta wings, twin vertical fins, twin underwing ramjets and rear-mounted cryogenic rockets and turbofans. It also featured helium, hydrogen and oxygen tanks running the rear two-thirds of the fuselage.
Using the turbofans the aircraft would depart from a regular runway, then accelerate into the supersonic regime with rocket engines before the ramjets took over.
EADS chief technical officer Jean Botti said the use of the rockets was necessary to bridge the void between subsonic cruise at Mach 0.8 and the ramjet ignition zone at around Mach 2.
"You can't do that directly," he said. "But you don't need big rocket engines."
He stressed that the ramjet engines were also relatively simple to manufacture. "We're not saying it's cheap," Botti said, but he did point out that the necessary components were not "oversized".
The aircraft would fly at an optimum cruise speed at or above Mach 4, at an altitude of 105,000ft (32,000m).
It would then enter a glide descent until it reached a height at which subsonic engine control was again required, at which point the turbofans would re-ignite. Loiter, approach and touchdown phases would be conventional.
Botti said the aircraft would probably function as a large business transport. EADS indicated that it would accommodate around 60 passengers.
EADS said the study, which has attracted Japanese interest, is sponsored by the French civil aviation administration DGAC, and added that it formed part of its Flightpath 2050 initiative to explore potential future aviation concepts.
Among the other futuristic proposals put forward by EADS at the seminar was an all-electric transport, designated Voltair, which would use a lightweight, low-drag airframe fitted with lithium air batteries as the "most promising possibility" for energy storage.
It would carry liquid nitrogen tanks for coolant and use a superconducting rear-mounted engine. Botti said a definition study was at an "early stage".
EADS and partners carried out the maiden flight of a Diamond Aircraft HK36 Dimona fitted with a serial hybrid propulsion system - backed by a battery motor - on 8 June, at Wiener Neustadt in Austria, and performed several circuits of 30-40min duration.
All the latest news, images and video from the 2011 Paris air show
Source: Flight Daily News
A350 obtains Russian certification ahead of Aeroflot delivery
Airbus has secured type certification for the A350-900 from Russian authorities, ahead of the delivery of the type to flag-carrier Aeroflot. Russian air transport regulator Rosaviatsia's official documentation shows the type certificate was drawn up on 13 December. Airbus says the approval is an "important step" and has ...
Airliner deliveries soar to 13,000 aircraft through 2010s
Shipments rise through 10-year period but Boeing 737 Max crisis dampens decade-end peformance


text:
Rouen, France
Continuing on our way to the Normandy coast, we stopped in the charming city of Rouen. This 2,000 year old city mixes Gothic architecture, half-timbered houses, and contemporary bustle like no place in France.
We started our sightseeing at the modern Joan of Arc Church.
Completed in 1979, this church is a tribute to the patron saint of France, Joan of Arc, and feels Scandinavian inside and out, which makes sense considering Normandy's Nordic heritage. Gorgeous sixteenth-century widows that were salvaged from a church lost during WWII were incorporated into the design. A ship's-hull style vaulting and sweeping wood ceiling soar over curving pews. Out in Place du Vieux Marché, a market square fronted by half-timbered buildings, was a street market and fair. We grabbed some delicious frites, sausages, and roasted potatoes to munch on. Delish. The produce market is a covered portion of the square and displayed the local bounty.
Doors. Detail of some old half-timbering. Because the local stone was a poor-quality chalky limestone and local oak was plentiful, half-timbered buildings became a Rouen specialty from the fourteenth to the nineteenth centuries. Oak beams provided the structural skeleton of the building which was then filled in with a mix of clay, straw, pebbles, and whatever else was available. Half-timbered in full greyscale.
A flower garden near the church and market square is the spot where Rouen used to publicly punish and execute people. In 1431, 19 year old Joan of Arc was burned at this same site.
A small plaque commemorates the area where Joan was executed by the English.
Jane being grumpy. Sorry, girlie!
This impressive Renaissance clock, known was le Gros Horloge, was built in 1528 and decorates a former city hall. The clock doesn't have a minute hand. In the sixteenth century, an hour hand offered sufficient precision.
Looking under the arch towards the cathedral.
This massive church, the Notre-Dame Cathedral, is a landmark of art history. Monet painted over 30 studies of this facade at various times of day studying light, shadow, and color.
The size of this cathedral reflects Rouen's former importance. Until the 1700s, Rouen was the second-largest city in France and was extremely wealthy from its wool trade and booming port.
The interior has a classic Gothic nave with four stories of pointed arch arcades.
Looking through an iron gate to behind the altar. Many portions of the exterior have been thoroughly cleaned in recent years so they gleam like they did when they were first carved.
Then it was on to St. Maclou Church down the Rue St. Romain.
Fountain with little putti peeing. Hopefully they don't cross streams. | Awesome doors. More half-timbered beauties. Love. This. Sign. Next we stepped into the Aître St. Maclou plague cemetery. During the great plagues of the middle ages, as many as two-thirds of the people in this parish died. For the decimated community, dealing with the corpses was an overwhelming task so this half-timbered courtyard was a mass grave and an ossuary were the bodies were interred.
I'll spare you the details of the process. Ghoulish carvings of gravediggers' tools, skulls, and crossbones.
And on that happy note, it was time to continue on. Love the higgledy-piggledy buildings. The Palace of Justice is a flamboyantly Gothic building that gleams after years of cleaning removed the grime that once covered it. This is the former home of Normandy's parliament. It seemed like every chance Chris had to stop and snag a baguette, he did. We snacked and enjoyed the ambience of the town, despite the rain (oh Europe), and then it was time to head to our next destination.
Our family in Rouen, France on Sunday October 16th 2016.
Next up: Honfleur!
Julie Tucker-Wolek October 30, 2016 at 8:15 AM
What a beautiful city! And thanks for not giving the grave details! LOL!! I don't have the stomach for that ;)
Julierose November 1, 2016 at 7:42 AM
What a truly beautiful city--thanks for sharing...that baguette looksyummy hugs, Julierose
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In a statement to TAP, the mayor of Tunis said that this initiative is part of the implementation of the co-operation and friendship agreement signed by the cities of Tunis and Florence in the Italian region of Tuscany in January 2016.
Florence was known to be an excellent student of mathematics and languages.
The Uffizi gallery is definitely my number one choice on what to see in Florence.
City officials are working on a streetscape plan called Re Vision Florence with the state Department of Transportation to improve the look and safety of the Highway 101 and Highway 126 corridors in Florence.
Florence - also known as Florry - is now recuperating well and getting ready to walk again.
And Florence is also earning millions after just two albums.
The offer includes three nights accommodation at the Brunelleschi in Florence on a B&B basis, followed by a further seven nights at the four star Palace Hotel on the Tuscany Coast on a B&B basis.
In January, I suggested that we came back to Coventry to spend our anniversary and Florence said "no" but she eventually came round to the idea," said Don, aged 79.
Sibley, in First Lady Florence Harding: Behind the Tragedy and Controversy, has tackled the difficult task of writing an honest biography of Florence Harding, the wife of Warren G.
All the available surviving writing of Florence Nightingale will be published in The Collected Works of Florence Nightingale--most for the first time.
BOSTON-Leonard Florence, industry founder of the tabletop and housewares company Syratech Corp.


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The Cinis Preemie Halo™ was developed in 1998 by a neonatal nurse to help very fragile preemie babies. She designed the Halo as a round, flesh-like cushion that provides the soft enveloping comfort of a mother's touch while helping with the development of a perfectly shaped head. The Cinis Preemie Halo™ is now being used in many hospitals in the United States.


Butser Ancient Farm - a few pics.
Our class teacher is: Mrs Amy Bennett.
Mrs Oulton teaches us when Mrs Bennett has her PPA time.
Our teaching assistants are: Mr Darvill and Mrs Brown-Watts.
Summer Topic: Invaders and Settlers.
5.4.17 Year 3&4's Rainforest Fair & Fairtrade Cafe raised over £217 for the Rainforest Alliance.
all profit will go to a charity.
Congratulations to the owner of raffle ticket number 53. Please come into the office to collect your Fairtrade goodies/hamper.
If we don't find the winning ticket owner tomorrow we will re-draw a new ticket on Thursday afternoon.
Lilianna - for winning the Rainforest Lucky Number prize and winning a special set of pens and pencils.
Jess W - for guessing the Green Lucky Number and winning a bar of Fairtrade chocolate.
Mrs Thomas - for guessing 64 sweets were in the jug (there were actually 65, very close!) winning the sweets.
Well done to a Super Warrior Trophy Winner -Spring Term!
We have written prayers about the Christian Value for this half term.
Beautifully coloured in front cover by a pupil.
We were fortunate to have a wonderful trainee teacher called Miss McDonnell working with the Class 3 team this term. Miss McDonnell joined us during the Spring term from Brighton University. We will miss her but wish her all the best as she goes back to finish her final year of teacher training.
Goodbye and Good Luck Miss McDonnell!
Happy Mothering Sunday to all the mums in Year 3.
Our Christian Value this half term is Creativity.
Pause Day 'RE through Art' - our art work celebrating the Year of the Bible.
Our Growth Mindset work and display in Year 3.
Maths - telling the time and solving time word problems with Miss McDonnell.
Super Girl – from Super Girl Takes off.
Wally - From Where's Wally.
Harry Potter – From Harry potter and the Goblet of Fire.
Dorothy - From the Wizard of Oz.
Maths with Miss McDonnell: Can I tell the time? Can I recognise Roman Numerals 1-12?
We were visited by a real rainforest explorer today!
Year 3 maths - multiplication and division work.
Even snow and ice doesn't stop us from learning! Snow falling at 11am today brought great excitement to Class 3!
The Y3/4 Spelling List from the new National Curriculum.
Wonderful rainforest models with hidden treasure!
Music lessons in Year 3.
Inter-generational Work within our local community. We sang songs, talked and did some art activities together.
Our class pet reindeer called Snowball goes home with someone each day.
Christian Value: Truthfulness display - Tree about Truth.
Class 3's Christmas Party - we danced, played games and had treats. Merry Christmas!
Our Christian Values Class Prayer Books.
Our Learning Reflections- Autumn 1 display.
Our Learning Reflections - December display.
Harvest 2016 - we learned about where food comes from. We went to Church to give thanks for the harvest.
We studied Ancient Egypt as our Autumn term Topic!
We learned all about Ancient Egypt in our first term - Autumn 2016.
Year 3 enjoyed their 'Introduction to Ancient Egypt Day' led by Horsham Museum.
Year 3 Homework Sheet for the Autumn term.