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An Overview of the Metro Area
Birmingham has indeed come a long way in its relatively brief history. Born in the aftermath of the Civil War (1871), the city quickly burgeoned into the iron and steel industry's "Pittsburgh of the South" by the early 20th Century. The city's explosive growth in its first forty years earned it the nickname of the "Magic City". Although it soon became the state's largest city, Birmingham has always been considered a brash industrial upstart by the more genteel antebellum cities of Mobile and Montgomery.
Birmingham's reliance on the iron and steel industry would be a curse and a blessing as dependence on one industry would lead to a boom and bust cycle throughout most of the 20th Century. During the last 20 years the steel industry has waned to secondary importance as Birmingham has pegged its future to banking and medicine.
The banking industry of Birmingham has recently succumbed to the on-going national trend in bank consolidation and three of it's four largest banks have changed form. Southtrust was swallowed by Wachovia which was in turn forced into Wells Fargo. Regions Bank bought their slightly smaller rival AmSouth. The smallest of the four largest banks, Compass, retains it's name but is now owned by a Spanish bank. Voila! There is now only one large bank headquartered in Birmingham: Regions Bank. As of June 30, 2009, Regions was the 10th largest bank in the United States with deposits of $93.7 million.
The University of Alabama-Birmingham's large medical center is nationally recognized as a leader in many specialties and has been critical to the stabilization of the central city. The university itself was essentially grafted onto the medical center and has blossomed into a respectable urban university in spite of weak state support. The city also has two highly regarded large Baptist hospitals and St. Vincent's, a very large formerly Catholic hospital.
The city is located in Jones Valley in the foothills of the Appalachians, and the bulk of the city limits lies in the flat lands of the valley. Upscale neighborhoods developed along the flanks of Red Mountain in the early part of the twentieth century as the city's aristocracy escaped the industrial pollution and captured today's panoramic views. Don't bother looking for expensive housing north, east or west of the city; the upscale development of the metro region is found along U.S. Highway 280 to the Southeast of the city. The upscale neighborhoods in this area are very beautiful due to the rugged, heavily wooded topography. Homes are built along the sides, in the valleys and on the crests of Red, Shades, and Oak Mountains. Of course, Birmingham has no real "mountains," but none-the-less, these three rather steep, heavily wooded Appalachian ridges make for very attractive suburbs and neighborhoods. Suburban sprawl has brought development to the flanks of a fourth Appalachian ridge, Double Oak Mountain.
Higley 1000 Neighborhoods in the Greater Birmingham Metro Area
Birmingham will forever be tainted by its fierce and violent resistance to racial integration. Although the city's race relations have progressed along the lines of the rest of the nation, a social and cultural gulf between whites and blacks persists. White flight from the central city (now 73.5% black) continued at a torrid pace during the 1990s with the white population dropping from 91,000 to 58,000. This trend continues into the new Century as the American Community Survey estimates the White population at 48,000 in 2006. The Birmingham city schools are over 99% black, heralding ever more residential segregation. Social and religious life in Birmingham is almost completely segregated. Mountain Brook, easily Birmingham's most prestigious suburb, is 98.1% Non-Hispanic White. Even Forest Park, a city neighborhood that is much more liberal than the suburbs in outlook and voting, is 96.2% Non-Hispanic white. Unfortunately, there is a latent and sometimes outright hostility between Black Birmingham and the White suburbs.
The Arrival and Demise of Hurricane Larry (Langford)
In November of 2007 Birmingham began a new era with the election of Larry Langford as Mayor. Langford is a controversial character in local politics. Vainglorious and egotistical, he started his political career as the mayor of Fairfield, a struggling, small poor Black suburb adjacent to Birmingham that is famous as the location of the formerly huge US Steel works. Langford spent profusely in Fairfield leaving the small poor city struggling financially to pay off a new city hall and civic center. A man of unbounded ambition, he soon jumped to the Jefferson County Commission where he made waves and headlines by creating what may have been one of the most unusual fiascos in the annals of county governance by railroading through an amusement park with public money. He named his brainstorm Visionland and it was a disaster from the get-go. After $90 million of taxpayers money was poured into this albatross that was in a dreadful location, this money hemorrhaging loser was sold to a private developer for $5 million and rechristened Alabama Adventure. Commissioner Langford also raised the sales tax in Jefferson County to an astronomical 10% to finance a vast rebuilding of the Jefferson County school buildings. As head of the county commission he reigned over the rebuilding of the county's sewer system that has saddled the county with $3.2 billion dollars in debt after he pursued a policy of debt swaps and was hoodwinked by the city slicker bankers in New York City. Look for the largest municipal bankruptcy in the history of the United States when Jefferson County goes under. It is not a matter of whether it will happen…. it is just when. As of June 2011, the Jefferson County Commission has managed to stave off bankruptcy for now, but it is only a matter of time.
Langford was indicted in 2009 for taking $238,000 in bribes for steering the Jefferson County bond business to a brokerage firm run by the highly connected Blount family in Montgomery. The trial, that began on August 31st, 2009 and the jury quickly found Mayor Langford guilty. He has begun serving a 15 year term in a federal penitentiary.
Langford brief tenure was a whirlwind of activity. He immediately raised taxes and "found" money to start an incredible array of initiatives that are too numerous to catalog here. One bad idea that preceded Langford was the quest for a domed stadium downtown… a sort Visionland Stadium that will push the envelope with a half a billion dollars of additional debt. No professional teams would consider relocating to Birmingham as the market is too small. If the stadium is ever built, Birmingham will have a gold plated stadium that will be used for gun shows and tractor pulls. Considering the impending bankruptcy of the County, the on-going financial problems of Birmingham and the intransigence of the White suburban counties and cities to help the central city, means that it is very unlikely that this boondoggle will ever be built.
Fortunately for Birmingham, Langford has been succeeded by William Bell, an honest career politician who has been tasked with cleaning up the mess left by his predecessor. Mr. Bell is just what Birmingham needs: professional, realistic, and willing to make some tough funding proposals to deal with a difficult economy and the accounting shenanigans of the brief Langford mayoralty. Bell has been forthright in wrestling with a $77 million deficit. He has proposed some tough cutbacks and it will be up to the city council to come up with a better plan for fixing the problem.
One notable and timely Langford intervention has been in the local "mass transit system". I use quotation marks in that what passes for mass transit in Birmingham is a joke. The local bus system is an embarrassment and Langford proposed non-existent money money for 100 new buses and 8 antique trolley cars that Prague, Czech Republic is trying to unload on the rubes of Alabama. Fortunately, the city council decided the street cars might have to wait and that harebrained scheme seems to have been put to rest. The 100 buses never materialized (surprise) as the money that was given to the mass transit district had to be used to cover a whopping budget deficit and makeup for lost federal transit subsidies.
Whether it is a bus system that actually works, or some other combination mass transit system, a source of dedicated revenue is necessary beyond sales tax increases. Sales taxes, in all of there regressive glory, are the only tax venue open to raising in Alabama without going through the completely corrupted Alabama state legislature. At 10% through much of the metro area, they have been raised to the breaking point.
Taxes: The Third Rail of Alabama Politics
Taxes are the third rail of Alabama politics. The state has the lowest per capita taxes in the United States and yet to hear the politicians talk, you'd think they we're living in Massachusetts or Minnesota. No matter how horrible the schools are, no matter how inhumane the prisons, no matter how many federal court orders castigate the wretched public services of Alabama, Republicans and "Democrats" will not raise taxes in any meaningful way. One must remember that the difference between Republicans and Democrats in Alabama is negligible and laughable: they are both hard core right-wing conservatives. There is nary a Liberal or Progressive thought to be heard in any meaningful forum from the state legislature in Montgomery to the salons of Mountain Brook…
The voters have made themselves loud and clear on the issue of taxes and any politician that has the courage and audacity to speak the truth on taxes is in peril. Alabama's current Governor, Bob Riley (R) lived to prove that it is possible to have a political life after proposing a tax increase, but he has a rare amount of courage in my humble estimation.)
Hence, it is difficult to make progress in any meaningful way. Progress on one front means another is neglected. And yet there is progress in an unplanned plodding kind of way.
Whether the domed stadium ever gets built, or the Olympics will choose Birmingham over Chicago, this is a metro area that can't even get the lights burning on the freeway system! Mayors have made promises about fixing our darkened byways ever since I have lived here and nothing ever happens. Whole sections of the freeway have no lights as all levels of government show that they are totally incompetent in solving this most complex of urban problems facing the 21st Century American city: changing light bulbs.
The state is mismanaged and under taxed and its antiquated 1910 Constitution gives local authorities little discretion in solving their financial problems. This inability to solve local problems is no more evident than in the U.S. Highway 280 corridor. The highway is the proverbial "golden goose" of Birmingham's economic development, and it is literally being strangled to death by traffic. The 280 corridor has witnessed a boom in commercial, retail, and residential construction that has overwhelmed the six-lane commercial strip with grinding traffic. This strip of highway has become an unplanned overbuilt jumble and is as ugly as it is dysfunctional…. and still the developers build more…. while the politicians wring their hands and commission another study. Urban planners commit suicide after looking at 280. .
The highway runs through seven competing jurisdictions, and their cutthroat competition for sales tax revenue and unwillingness to control growth have made this an area to avoid for sane motorists. There's nothing like crawling along behind giant SUVs (drill, baby drill) contemplating the exhilaration and freedom of the open road. The willing residents who live along 280 have no alternative routes to get to the CBD, and if the tolled, double-decked section is ever built, this future "improvement" will promise staggering traffic disruption as it is built. Oh well, as one local Realtor told me in downplaying the dreadful traffic on 280, "It's no worse than Atlanta".
I'll let that speak for itself!
Not that any real improvement for 280 is actually in the planning stage…. The latest proposal is to double deck the highway from the end of the current commercial development to I-459. Opposition from the wealthy suburb of Mountain Brook extending the double decker toll road through their corporate limits would be ugly and especially problematic for 30 or 40 large/mansion homeowners as well as other more modest homeowners who were allowed to build too closely to such a major arterial (see lack of planning).
The city of Birmingham survived the loss of most of its white middle class by the shrewd stewardship and long-running tenure of the city's first black mayor, Richard Arrington. Arrington made peace with the white business establishment and embarked on an aggressive annexation campaign that long-lassoed some of the most desirable commercial properties along the booming Highway 280 corridor. These include the wildly successful Summit, a lifestyle shopping center (essentially an upscale, heavily landscaped strip mall), a Target SuperCenter, and two struggling yet potentially successful older shopping centers, The recently remodeled Colonnade and Brook Highland, a somewhat forlorn shopping center in a perfect location.
These smart annexations were coupled with an aggressive defense of the central business district. There are currently more than 80,000 people working in the extended downtown… more than ever before in the 130-year history of the city. Unfortunately, this healthy employment base has not translated into a vibrant downtown: there is no significant retailing downtown, the department stores are long gone, and the streetscape is dominated by commercial property. The downtown is devoid of pedestrian traffic after dark.
Operation New Birmingham, a joint local operation has been very successful in rescuing literally hundreds of vacant downtown buildings and finding new uses for them. Birmingham has managed to avoid the curse of Charlotte (whole scale demolition the old CBD). As law firms and architectural design firms have moved into the small and medium sized buildings, work is now in progress on some of the largest abandoned buildings. A wonderful old 1920s skyscraper, the City Federal Savings & Loan is going condo. Similarly, there if hope that the long abandoned Thomas Jefferson Hotel will burst forth in all of its terra cotta beauty reincarnated as the Leer Tower, another condominium development. Leer Tower update: canceled due to recession.
There are few middle class residents in the city center, however, several hundred residential lofts have been constructed in the last few years and city officials are hopeful that these urban pioneers will be the vanguard of revitalization. The recent demolition of the huge, crime-infested Metropolitan Gardens public housing project and its replacement with a mixed-income, federally subsidized Hope VI housing development (Park Place) may augur well for Birmingham's central business district. Nothing helps a downtown more than removing 900 crime and drug infested public housing units and replacing it with 580 units that are composed of 1/3 carefully vetted poor people and 2/3 market rate (that means lower middle class) apartments!
The Wealthy Neighborhoods of Birmingham in the Higley 1000
There are nine Higley 1000 neighborhoods in Birmingham: Two in the city, three in Birmingham's premier upscale suburb of Mountain Brook, and four standard issue gated suburban fortresses.
Forest Park and Redmont Park: Birmingham's Two Elegant City Neighborhoods
View Larger Map of Forest Park
View Larger Map of Redmont Park
Forest Park and Redmont Park are urban neighborhoods on the city's commonly called the "Southside". They were both developed in the early 20th Century (1914 and 1925 respectively) and have flourished in the last twenty years. Forest Park suffered through the 1960s and 1970s only to return to its former glory through gentrification in the 1980s and 1990s. Redmont Park has some of Birmingham's grandest mansions peering down on the city from Red Mountain, a steep 350 foot tall ridge that overlooks the city below. Both Redmont Park and Forest Park are very small with a few hundred homes each. They are also noteworthy in that in spite of the fact that the central city is 75% Black, they are even Whiter than the suburbs! Along with the contiguous gentrified neighborhood of Highland Park, these three neighborhoods are the only upscale places left in the central city.
Mountain Brook: The Tiny Kingdom
Mountain Brook is a large suburb with about 21,000 overwhelmingly Non-Hispanic White residents. Local wags refer to it as "The Tiny Kingdom" due to its insular culture and social dominance.
I have carved out three "neighborhoods" out of the wealthiest sections of the city. Two of these neighborhoods are centered and named after the two towering institutions of social prominence in Birmingham, the Mountain Brook Club and The Country Club of Birmingham. The third neighborhood in Mountain Brook I have dubbed Mountain Brook Estates-Canterbury. Mountain Brook Estates was really the start of this gilded suburb in the in-fortuitous year of 1929. For statistical purposes I have joined it with the adjacent neighborhood of Canterbury.
Mountain Brook's Higley 1000 Neighborhoods
Mountain Brook Estates-Canterbury
View Larger Map of Mountain Brook Estates - Canterbury
The Country Club of Birmingham
View Larger Map of The Country Club of Birmingham
The Mountain Brook Club-Shook Hill
Mountain Brook, without question, is the place where Birmingham's upper class lives along with a good portion of the metro area's upper-middle class. Few wealthy suburbs in the United States command such a disproportionate majority of a metro areas wealthy and influential families. Mountain Brook has more than 80% of Birmingham's Social Register families and anyone with a shred of social aspiration must live within its golden boundaries. It is a world apart from the crime infested streets of Birmingham and its genteel forested streets and clubs are truly a kingdom unto themselves.The Mountain Brook public school system is rated the highest in the state, and the suburb unquestionably has the largest number of Birmingham's movers and shakers. It is home to the aforementioned blue-blooded Mountain Brook Club and the The Country Club of Birmingham as well as the social matrix of clubs and social alliances associated with the wealthy. The social system is difficult to break into in Mountain Brook unless one has a sterling pedigree. If you're an internet entrepreneur from Boston… forget it… move to Greystone or Liberty Park. Nouveau riche households abound, but don't hold your breath for an invitation to join the Mountain Brook Club!
As mentioned previously, Mountain Brook is incredibly white. Not one of the 62 African-Americans that lived in Mountain Brook in the 2000 Census was a householder. My guess is that they would mostly be live-in servants. There are plenty of well-to-do African-American families that could afford to live in Mountain Brook, however, they choose not to. This is a mystery I have not been able to figure out at this time. Anyone with some ideas, please leave a note below.
Greystone and Liberty Park
Greystone and Liberty Park are similar in that they are relatively new, gated master-planned communities centered on golf courses. They are both unusually large in scope and have developed neighborhoods with distinctly different price points. Of the two, Greystone has a wider range of single family houses ($200,000 to $3,000,000). Liberty Park is uniformly more expensive although it has a high end rental complex that is carefully segregated from the expensive single family homes. Each of these developments will have close to 3,000 housing units when complete, and a majority of those homes will be worth more than $500,000.
View Larger Map of Greystone
Greystone is part of the suburb of Hoover, a large (70,000) and aggressively pro-growth suburb with the state's third best school system. Located at the southern end of the 280 corridor, Greystone has been extremely successful in spite of worsening transportation problems associated with 280. I drew the boundaries for Greystone to include only the three high income gated sub-neighborhoods for the Higley 1000: two country club themed neighborhoods and a third (Greystone Ridge) with multi-million dollar view estates. There are hundreds of many more downscale houses available in Greystone…. houses as low as $200,000! Would that buy a pool house in Greenwich?
View Larger Map of Liberty Park
The second gated community in the Higley 1000 is called Liberty Park. If you can get past the hokey replica of the Statue of Liberty, this master planned community is located on a lovely patch of rolling wooded land that is ideal for beautiful homes. Liberty Park is part of Vestavia Hills, Birmingham's second wealthiest suburb (after Mountain Brook) and its second highest rated school system. Vestavia Hills is a large (30,000) overwhelmingly white upper-middle class suburb with one exception, the recently annexed lower-middle class community of Cahaba Heights. The architecture of Cahaba Heights is unremitting expanses of dreadful post-war ranches. Cahaba Heights has a perfectly central location in the metro area and the physical environment is beautiful…. can you say TEARDOWN!?
The addition of Cahaba Heights to the corporate limits of Vestavia gave the city a geographic link to Liberty Park formerly a non-contiguous isolated piece of development. But that's another story…..
Highland Lakes
View Larger Map of Highland Lakes
Highland Lakes, is a very large gated community located out the 280 corridor in the rolling Appalachian foothills south of the city. Highland Lakes is a planned development where every house essentially looks the same. The "lakes" are dammed (damned?)narrow valleys in the Appalachian foothills. As a native of Wisconsin, I can say with full-throated condescension, these puddles are only "lakes" in a developer's dream! Highland Lakes is solely residential and will ultimately be home to thousands of people that live in a monument to Stepfordian socio-economic and Republican homogeneity.
Shoal Creek-Stonegate Farms
View Larger Map of Shoal Creek and Stonegate
The final Higley 1000 neighborhood is Shoal Creek, another gated golf community and the adjacent newly constructed gated community of Stonegate Farms. After more than twenty years of development, only about 90 of the 230 large wooded lots in Shoal Creek have had houses constructed on them. The development includes suburban Shelby County's answer to Versailles, an over-the-top 45,000 square foot (empty) chateau built by a local entrepreneur. I think it's visible from space. Years ago, Shoal Creek's golf course gained some unwanted national attention when the PGA threatened to cancel a golf tournament at the club unless it was integrated. A token Black guy was recruited, given a membership, and the PGA was happy. The Club was technically integrated and the tournament proceeded. The token Black guy reported in a recent newspaper article that he was treated well at the club, but, unfortunately he died recently. Never fear though for Shoal Creek's integration as they have found another Black guy to replace him that doesn't caddy or mow the fairways.
The Village of Mount Laurel
Although not a Higley 1000 neighborhood, there is one newly developing community that merits mentioning. If you're a fan of New Urbanist design principles, Mt. Laurel is a planned community in the middle stages of development on the far urban fringe of the metro area. Yes, suburban fringe, auto dependent New Urbanist design is a oxymoron, but it's pretty. The question I would havd for the developers of Mt. Laurel is: when you jettison any pretension at having a mixed income community and build on the auto dependent fringe, can you still call yourself "New Urbanist"? Sales have been slow in spite of a charming and unusual design aesthetic. The general consensus is that it's a bit pricey.. and no more than a cute architectural conceit for the upper-middle class.
Homewood: Birmingham's Coolest Suburb
And finally, a word about one of my favorite of Birmingham's suburbs, Homewood. Ideally located in the metro area, Homewood is a predominately lower-middle class suburb adjacent to Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills. Most of Homewood is made up of well-maintained bungalows and small homes and it has a significant number of rental apartments. Thanks to a strong sales tax base, Homewood has managed to maintain a good school system and has continued to attract young families that have turned vast tracts of forgettable bungalows into beautifully remodeled houses in tidy wooded neighborhoods.
Homewood has two very interesting upscale neighborhoods: Mayfair & Hollywood. Hollywood has a wonderful collection of stuccoed, flat roofed houses built in the 1920s that have been remodeled for the the 21st Century. I love Hollywood: great architecture and a great location. Mayfair is more traditional, with its rolling, heavily wooded landscape, it share's Hollywood's ideal location for getting anywhere in Birmingham.
Birmingham is a very interesting town with a wide array of housing choices. This is but the first of my essays on Birmingham. After all, it has been my home town for 15 years and as an Urban Geographer, I have much to say about my adopted home. It is my fervent hope that I will be able to use my web site to express my critical thinking about the metro area.. something that is woefully absent from the boosterism so characteristic of what one finds published locally. The Birmingham News, an achingly Conservative newspaper does a fairly good job of covering the city and bankrupt county, but sounds like a the local arm of the Chamber of Commerce when covering the suburbs. I hope that my website counters the flackery and drivel that passes for journalism about the suburbs of our fair metro area.
Posted in Metro Briefs, Racial Diversity on Jun 7th, 2011, 11:48 am by Stephen Higley
101 Responses to "The Wealthy Neighborhoods of Birmingham, Alabama"
Stephen Higley
September 17th, 2018 | 5:00 pm
Roebuck Springs is a lovely small subdivision in a beautiful physical environment. Although it is impossible to extricate statistics on Roebuck Springs from the surrounding area, if you look carefully at the overall quality of the houses, you will see this place is barely upper middle class by any measure. I bet there aren't more than 10 impressive homes…


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NAMS - Non-Contiguous Atom Matching Structural Similarity
What is NAMS? NAMS is an algorithm that aims at quantifying molecular similarities using a very robust and efficient graph matching algorithm. It compares favourably to other structural similarity approaches like molecular fingerprints. It is very flexible and can be used a generic tool for molecular analysis and has been used in actual research projects for in silico drug discovery. NAMS has been published in 2013
NAMS has a number of advantages over molecular fingerprints. In the first place it is totally unambiguous. If two molecules have a similarty of 100% then they are the same molecule; NAMS can discriminate between stereo-isomers and cis-trans isomers. Also it does not rely on any arbitrary hashing function that can cause difficult to understand mismatches. The output of NAMS is clear and can be understood, as it is based on molecular atom matching, so any user can verify which atom in one molecule best matches the other atoms in the second molecule.
As a drawback the NAMS algorithm is not as fast as molecular fingerprints and comparing large molecules can take more than linear time. Nevertheless its speed is typically very fast for screening even moderately sized databases. With modest hardware and without any parallel code optimization, using the C version over the ChEMBL database, each comparison takes on average 12 ms, but is very dependent on the size of the molecules being compared. On databases with a majority of small molecules (MW < 200 Da), the processing takes 1-3 ms per comparisos, while on very large molecules (MW > 2000 Da) it can take much longer.
Since its humble beginings as a proof of concept tool developed in Python[probably dead link!], NAMS has come a long way. In the first place it was rewritten in C and it became about 100x faster. Also a flexible command line interface to the basic algorithm was made making it very easy to integrate in other tools. NAMS was further separated from all eventual chemical libraries necessary for "understanding" a molecule focusing on the graph matching algorithm, and now, each data set can be transformed into a "NAMS ready file" by using a separate Python utility that uses OpenBabel and PyBel.
This page aims at giving the resources for using NAMS by a wider community. Firstly by providing the source code of the NAMS tool in C and the dataset processing tool in Python. The Windows binaries of the tool are also provided as well as a make file for compiling the code in any other platform.
Here we will also be providing some tutorials for using NAMS by itself or within other platforms. This will be an ongoing effort but the first tutorials for using NAMS within R are already available.
NAMS Downloads
NAMS Tutorials

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Speakers' Association And Study Circle
SAASC, also known as the Speakers' Association and Study Circle is the college's only official literary club. It is responsible for initiating logical thinking, creativity and a sense of leadership within the students. The three forums that SAASC supports are quizzing, writing and speaking for which SAASC as an organization helps the budding engineers of PEC develop a lot of important skills necessary for their growth not only academically but also socially.
Among the many events this club has hosted, in order to develop the above mentioned skills in students, has been PEC's only literary fest – Verve'. Verve is a challenging fest which allows an individual to improve his or her thinking capability and also help inculcate communication skills. At Verve we hosted a series of events ranging from parliamentary debates, group discussions, just a minute sessions, quizzes which saw the participation of students not only from the college but from all over the tricity as well. Cash prizes up to a whopping amount of 1 Lakh were awarded to the winners.
PECMUN was introduced last year by the club as a part of the technical fest. Students from various schools and colleges had registered as delegates for this event in a huge number. The event was a tremendous success.
Trivium for schools shows that SAASC is not only restricted to the colleges but it also takes immense interest in teaching the students of schools. This event not only helps improve debating skills but also helps student with their social and communication skills. TFS saw a lot of students participating from various schools from all over the tricity after which parliamentary debating was introduced to the students during the workshops that was conducted few days before the main event. During the main event a series of rounds of Parliamentary Debates' which were adjudicated by members of the club.
Every year the Intra-PEC PD is hosted by the club for the new recruits so that they get a brief idea about parliamentary debating. Also, they are made aware of how a parliamentary house functions. The recruits form teams and are made to compete against each other whereas the existing members adjudicate.
SAASC is a very prominent club of this university. Be it the technical or the cultural fest, SAASC members show active participation and they are valued for their contribution by the university.
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As you may have noticed, my blog posts are becoming less and less frequent. Recently, I've had a hard time balancing all of life's demands, and my blog has definitely suffered. In an effort to try and regain some balance in my life, I'm trying to spend 10-15 minutes each morning outside. During this time I stretch, do yoga, or sometimes just sit and watch the birds, chipmunks, etc that frequent my yard. I find this routine helps me re-focus and re-energize before a busy day.


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Dirty Diaries
Find sources: "Dirty Diaries" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
DVD cover
Ester Martin Bergsmark
Sara Kaaman
Pella Kågerman
Wolfe Madam
Elin Magnusson
Tora Mårtens
Universal Pussy
Jennifer Rainsford
Nelli Roselli
Ingrid Ryberg
Joanna Rytel
Åsa Sandzén
Marit Östberg
Bonnie Li
Fox'n Wolf
Hanna Lejonqvist
Marinella Angusti
Njutafilms
500,000 SEK
Dirty Diaries is a 2009 collection of thirteen short films of feminist pornography made by Swedish activists and artists and produced by Mia Engberg. The individual films are highly diverse in content, although many of them feature humour and different forms of queer sex. The creative decisions were based on a manifesto with the aim to create pornography that is non-commercial and follows feminist ideals.
The film sparked controversy before and after its release because of sexually provocative content and the fact that it was mainly financed through public funds. Film critics were split in their reception; some found the film amusingly provocative while others thought it was dull.
3 Dirty Diaries Manifesto
5.1 Political reactions
Plot[edit]
The thirteen short films that make up the entire collection vary considerably in length and style.
Skin features two figures, one male and one female, clad in full-body nylon stockings caressing and kissing each other intimately. After a while, the two figures begin to cut open the nylon with a pair of scissors to reveal the naked skin underneath, and engage in oral and penetrative sex. There is no dialogue and only soft background music. Directed by Elin Magnusson.
Fruitcake is a mix of close-up shots of various objects and human anuses being licked, dripped with saliva, fingered or penetrated with sex toys. The images are accompanied by a monologue. Directed by Sara Kaaman and Ester Martin Bergsmark.
Night Time shows a woman kissing a man passionately while filming herself. They both proceed to perform oral sex on each other while the woman later uses a vibrator to reach orgasm. Directed by Nelli Roselli.
Dildoman is the only animated film in the collection. It shows images of a men's club where masturbating adult or middle-aged men watch two women having sex on a pool table. One of the men is then suddenly grabbed by one of the women, who now dwarfs him. The woman proceeds to insert the man into her vagina. When she reaches climax, the man inside her goes limp. The film ends with a shot of the front of the men's club. Directed by Åsa Sandzén.
Body Contact portrays two women, one filming the other, searching for a man to have sex with on the Swedish dating site Body Contact. A man with a Scanian dialect shows his penis to the women through a webcam. Later the man pays them a visit, but is unnerved by the presence of the camera. The two women convince him to have sex. Directed by Pella Kågerman.
Red Like Cherry is a series of quick, blurred clips of unidentifiable people swimming in the surf of a beach and then having sex in a room. Directed by Tora Mårtens.
On Your Back Woman! is a series of clips of nude or semi-nude women wrestling each other. Directed by Wolfe Madam.
Phone Fuck features a newly separated lesbian couple who talk over the telephone and eventually engage in phone sex. Directed by Ingrid Ryberg.
Brown Cock shows the naked pelvis of a Caucasian woman. Her vagina is penetrated by a brown dildo held by a mixed-race woman, who then goes on to fist her. The two women engage in sex-related dialogue throughout the scene, commenting the sex act. Directed by Universal Pussy.
Flasher Girl on tour is a semi-documentary manifesto of Swedish artist Joanna Rytel and her alter ego Flasher Girl, a woman flasher. In the film she travels to Paris where she exposes herself to men and expounds on her motives for doing so. Directed by Joanna Rytel.
Authority starts with a lightly clad androgynous woman breaking into an abandoned lot in Berlin and spraying graffiti. She is caught in the act by a similarly androgynous female police officer, who chases her into an empty building but is eventually overpowered and bound. The two then engage in rough sexual activities, including spitting, slapping and anal sex. Directed by Marit Östberg.
For the Liberation of Men is an abstract mix of clips of a man clad in women's clothing masturbating and close-ups of an old woman's face. Directed by Jennifer Rainsford.
Come Together, the short that Engberg and others made before the twelve actual Dirty Diaries shorts, is included last in the collection. It consists of Engberg and several others filming themselves with mobile phones while masturbating and eventually reaching orgasm. Directed by Mia Engberg.
Production[edit]
The idea for creating Dirty Diaries emerged after Engberg and some of her friends made Come Together for the Stockholm International Film Festival. It was a short film where all the participants filmed themselves with mobile phone cameras while masturbating. Come Together received a large amount of negative commentary, primarily from men, who complained about the actor-photographers being unattractive. To Engberg, this was proof that pornographic films demanded that their female participants should be seen as pleasing to their primarily male audience.[1] Engberg had previously made another feminist pornographic short called Selma and Sofie, which enjoyed some success. This and Engberg's record of other successful cultural ventures motivated the Swedish Film Institute to supply an initial 350,000 Swedish kronor, later supplemented with an additional 150,000.[2]
Dirty Diaries Manifesto[edit]
The film was based on a ten-point manifesto made available on the official website:
1. Beautiful the way we are
To hell with the sick beauty ideals! Deep self-hatred keeps a lot of women's energy and creativity sapped. The energy that could be focused into exploring our own sexuality and power is being drained off into diets and cosmetics. Don't let the commercial powers control your needs and desires.
2. Fight for your right to be horny
Male sexuality is seen as a force of nature that has to be satisfied at all costs while women's sexuality is accepted only if it adapts to men's needs. Be horny on your own terms.
3. A good girl is a bad girl
We are fed up with the cultural cliché that sexually active and independent women are either crazy or lesbian and therefore crazy. We want to see and make movies where Betty Blue, Ophelia and Thelma & Louise don't have to die in the end.
4. Smash capitalism and patriarchy
The porn industry is sexist because we live in a patriarchal capitalist society. It makes profit out of people's needs for sex and erotica and women get exploited in the process. To fight sexist porn you have to smash capitalism and patriarchy.
5. As nasty as we wanna be
Enjoy, take charge or let go. Say NO when you want, to be able to say YES when YOU want.
6. Legal and free abortion is a human right!
Everyone has the right to control their own body. Millions of women suffer from unwanted pregnancies and die from illegal abortions every year. Fuck the moral right for preaching against birth control and sex information.
7. Fight the real enemy!
Censorship cannot liberate sexuality. It is impossible to change the image of women's sexuality if sexual images in themselves are taboo. Don't attack women for displaying sex. Attack sexism for trying to control our sexuality.
8. Stay Queer
A lot of opposition to erotica is homophobic and even more transphobic. We don't believe in the fight between the sexes but in the fight against sexes. Identify as any gender you want and make love to whoever you want. Sexuality is diverse.
9. Use Protection
"I'm not saying go out an' do it, but if you do, strap it up before you smack it up." (Missy Elliott)
Erotica is good and we need it. We truly believe that it is possible to create an alternative to the mainstream porn industry by making sexy films we like.
Release[edit]
Dirty Diaries was first shown at a gala premiere at the small neighbourhood cinema Bio Rio near Hornstull in Stockholm on September 3 and released on DVD the same day. There were further screenings on the weekend of September 5–6, which drew large crowds. Though public interest was intense and all screenings were sold out, no further shows in Stockholm were scheduled. The reason stated by Bio Rio and Engberg was that the cinema screenings were intended to be limited, and that the films were intended to be enjoyed on DVD.[3]
The film also saw limited theatrical distribution in Finland.[4]
Political reactions[edit]
The funding from the Swedish Film Institute (SFI), which receives most of its funding directly from the Swedish government, sparked controversy in Sweden. Using tax money to finance pornography was considered offensive by some. Beatrice Fredriksson, member of the Moderate Party youth organization and author of the Anti-Feminist Initiative Blog, labelled the use of public funds as hypocrisy, since mainstream pornography would never receive the same financial support.[5] Marit Östberg, one of the film's directors, defended the public financing of the project by stressing that the values behind Dirty Diaries are radically different from that of mainstream pornography.[6] Dirty Diaries also received criticism from feminists critical against pornography in general. Prolific Swedish director and feminist Suzanne Osten voiced scepticism, referring to her belief that pornography is inherently objectifying and that feminist pornography would therefore constitute an oxymoron.[7]
A scan of the letter from the director of the Swedish Film Institute Cissi Elwin Frenkel to Minister of Culture, Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth.
Due to the debate over the use of tax money for financing a pornographic feature, the director of the SFI Cissi Elwin Frenkel considered it necessary to write a letter to Swedish Minister of Culture, Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth, and explain exactly why it received the financing.[8] Elwin Frenkel repeatedly maintained that SFI does not support pornography, and that Dirty Diaries received financing because it aimed to try a new approach to depicting female sexuality.[2]
Rasmus Malm in Göteborgs-Posten summarized the controversial potential of Dirty Diaries as "a Kinder Egg from hell, specially designed to provoke Christian Democrat columnists. Three nightmares in one: porn and gay sex paid for with tax money".[9]
The unusual circumstance of government-sponsored pornography also led to the topic being the butt of a parody by US talk show host Conan O'Brien.[8]
Critical response[edit]
Critical reception of the films themselves were mixed. Hynek Pallas of Stockholm-based Svenska Dagbladet praised the shorts as "amusing, provoking and exciting", especially the opening short Skin".[10] Lars Böhlin of Västerbottens Folkblad described it as "dull, ugly and rather artistic"[11] and criticized its being filmed with mobile phone cameras in an age of large television screens. Böhlin also noted his negative reactions to the portrayal of a man being lured into having sex in front of a camera in Body contact and expressed sympathies for the people exposed to the advances of Johanna Rytel in Flasher girl on tour. Some of the films, like Dildoman and Skin, were considered to be of good quality, but Böhlin was doubtful whether they should be considered to be pornographic at all.[12] Camilla Carnmo, writing for Smålandsposten was more positive, commenting that it was "good-looking and professional" despite being filmed only with phone cameras, but also added that it was "more art than porn",[13] even if it fulfilled the technical criteria for traditional pornography. Unlike Böhlin, Carnmo praised Flasher Girl on tour for "combining humor, sex and politics in a liberating way".[14] The soundtrack provided by Fever Ray was described as appropriate, though repetitive.[15]
^ Oscarsson, Mattias Sydsvenska Dagbladet, "Porr mot erotikens klichéer Archived September 19, 2009, at the Wayback Machine". August 17, 2009. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
^ a b Roger, Susanne, Filmnyheterna, "Pornografi ur feministisk synvinkel Archived September 16, 2009, at the Wayback Machine". September 3, 2009. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
^ Lundin, Thomas, Metro, "Ingen chans att se 'Dirty diaries' på bio", September 3, 2009; Sköld, Jenny, Statliga medel bakom hårdporr på film Archived 2009-09-05 at the Wayback Machine, September 7, 2009. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
^ Dirty Diaries[permanent dead link] at Elonet
^ Fredriksson, Beatrice, The Local, "'Taxpayers should not have to fund feminist porn' Archived September 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine". September 3, 2009. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
^ Östberg, Marit, Aftonbladet, "'Rätt att ge skattepengar till feministisk porr'". September 5, 2009. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
^ Curman, Sofia, Dagens Nyheter, "Porr för feminister? Archived 2010-03-26 at the Wayback Machine". August 28, 2009. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
^ a b Helmerson, Erik, Dagens Nyheter, "Filminstitutet förklarar porrfilmen Archived September 25, 2009, at the Wayback Machine". September 22, 2009. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
^ Original quote in Swedish: Herregud, det här är ju som ett Kinderägg från helvetet specialdesignat för att reta upp KD-ledare. Tre mardrömmar i en: porr och homosex för skattepengar, Malm, Rasmus, Göteborgsposten, "Ett annat sätt att berätta om lusta[dead link]". September 3, 2009. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
^ Pallas, Hynek, Svenska Dagbladet, "Kvinnor visar en ny sida av porren". September 4, 2009. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
^ Original quote in Swedish: Hur ser feministisk porr ut? Tråkig, ful och ganska konstnärlig.
^ Böhlin, Lars, Västerbottens Folkblad, "Inte ens feministisk porr känns lovande". September 4, 2009. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
^ Original quote in Swedish: Dirty Diaries ger nya bilder. Men är det porr i betydelsen runkrulle? Njae. Porr i betydelsen närbilder på kön? Ja, definitivt. Men övervägande mer konst än porr.
^ Original quote in Swedish: Bäst gillar jag Joanna Rytels Flasher Girl on tour som kombinerar humor med politik och sex på ett befriande sätt.
^ Carnmo, Camilla, Smålandsposten, "Dirty Diaries Archived 2009-09-13 at the Wayback Machine". September 4, 2009. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dirty Diaries.
Dirty Diaries on IMDb
Dirty Diaries at the Swedish Film Institute
Elin Magnusson, homepage
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dirty_Diaries&oldid=914276006"
2000s pornographic films
Feminism in Sweden
Feminist pornography
Swedish LGBT-related films
Swedish pornography
Queer pornography
Articles with dead external links from February 2017
This page was last edited on 6 September 2019, at 09:33 (UTC).


Metal Wall Decor is a wall home design concept using metal as the chief of the material. Although it seems rigid, but decorating using this design is interesting indeed. Many houses in USA and Roumany was decorated using metal wall decor because it seems more artristic.
Metal Wall Decor is a right choice for you who want to decorate your home wall using kinds of metal types which can be built as your wish. Metal Wall Decor is not only suitable for your interior wall, but it also suitable for your exterior wall, such as for your terrace wall and others.
Thanks for your visiting. You can see other articles in our blog, and you will find more Wall Decor ideas to decorate your Home Wall Decor.


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In the Shadow of the Moon és una pel·lícula de ciència-ficció dels Estats Units del 2019 dirigida per Jim Mickle i protagonitzada per Boyd Holbrook, Cleopatra Coleman i Michael C. Hall.

Sinopsi
El 1988, l'oficial de policia de Filadèlfia Thomas Lockhart, a punt de ser pare, desitja fer-se detectiu. Comença a rastrejar amb el seu company Maddox els misteriosos assassinats que tenen lloc a la mateixa nit. Quan nou anys després tornen a produir-se les morts, i els crims comencen a desafiar tota explicació científica, l'obsessió de Lockhart per trobar la veritat amenaça de destruir la seva carrera, la família i el seny.

Repartiment
 Boyd Holbrook com a Thomas Lockhart
 Cleopatra Coleman com a Rya
 Bokeem Woodbine com a Maddox
 Rudi Dharmalingam com a Naveen Rao
 Rachel Keller com a Jean
 Michael C. Hall com a Holt

Pel·lícules dels Estats Units del 2019
Pel·lícules de Netflix
Thrillers dels Estats Units
Pel·lícules de ciència-ficció del 2019

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Bullington is een civil parish in het bestuurlijke gebied Test Valley, in het Engelse graafschap Hampshire.

Civil parish in Hampshire
Plaats in Hampshire


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Apply for an SBA Paycheck Protection Program loan here.
Get information about the Stimulus Checks here.
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Bank of the West's Unique Job Perk: An Employee Tennis Tournament at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells
Indian Wells, CA | Mar 21, 2019
The We Are Tennis Cup promotes a culture of teamwork – on and off the court
Teams from Denver, Omaha, Irvine and San Francisco qualified for U.S. finals
Winning team to move on to We Are Tennis Cup finals to be held in Paris at Roland-Garros.
This week, top athletes from around the world will hit the courts at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. Also present: Bank of the West employees enjoying a unique job perk – the We Are Tennis Cup, an international employee team tournament.
Over the last two months, Bank of the West employees have competed in regional We Are Tennis Cup tournaments held in Irvine, San Francisco, Omaha, and Denver. Employees of varying skill levels were placed into four-person teams of mixed gender and playing abilities. Of the original 132 players, 16 employees—four teams--will compete against the backdrop of the BNP Paribas Open, the fifth-largest tennis tournament in the world.
The employee team tournament is scheduled for March 16 in Stadium 2 at Indian Wells. The winning team will then play against global colleagues at the We Are Tennis Cup International Finals in Paris. An estimated 32 teams from around the world will convene on the legendary clay courts of Roland-Garros for the final tournament, held in conjunction with the French Open this June.
"The We Are Tennis Cup celebrates our tennis community and brings our global team culture to life in a fun and engaging way," said Nandita Bakhshi, Chief Executive Officer, Bank of the West. "We're thrilled our employees share a passion for tennis and look forward to seeing all finalists come together in Paris in June." Now in its fourth year, the We Are Tennis Cup is BNP Paribas' largest internal sporting event. More than 2,500 participants from 40 countries participated in 2018, with thousands of employees following the tournament outcome from their home countries.
The company tournament leverages the bank sponsorships with the BNP Paribas Open and the French Open for a unique employee perk. It also promotes a company culture of team work and collaboration. When employees can communicate effectively with each other and develop team strategies, they are more likely to enjoy success on—and off—the courts.
"I've been playing tennis for 30 years," said John Koh, a banker in the Wealth Management Group at Bank of the West and team captain of the Southern California team heading to Indian Wells. "Win or lose, I'm happy. The opportunity to play at Indian Wells is a once in a lifetime opportunity."
About Bank of the West
The fundamental belief that a bank should have a positive impact on society drives Bank of the West. At a time when people demand more from companies, we are taking action to ensure our activities help protect the planet, improve people's lives, and strengthen communities. That's why we are investing where we can have a real impact: supporting energy transition, helping enable female entrepreneurs and financing innovative start-ups. As the bank for a changing world, Bank of the West is committed to sustainable finance along with our parent company BNP Paribas, which is one of the only financial organizations in the world to adopt the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Through Digital Channels and offices across the U.S., Bank of the West provides financial tools and resources to more than 2 million individuals, families and businesses.
Joe Rauch
Media.relations@bankofthewest.com
For media inquiries, please call 415-432-3696 or email media.relations@bankofthewest.com
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Memoria Press' geography is ideal for all students - whether they're pursuing a classical education or just want to know where the countries mentioned on the news are located.
Geography III: Exploring and Mapping the World solidifies the mapping skills learned in levels I & II. Students will label major landforms and topography while studying the climate, recent history, culture, and religion of every continent; chapters include many illustrations of famous landmarks, architecture, and people from around the world.
This is the textbook only; the teacher's guide and student workbook are sold separately. 115 pages, softcover. Grades 7 & up. Non-reproducible; non-consumable text.


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President Kagame receives UN Special Envoy to discuss Rwanda's security development
Rwandan President Paul Kagame received the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General on Great Lakes, Huang Xia, who is visiting the region to review regional political and security developments.
During their discussion, which took place on Thursday, 12 September 2019, the two parties also exchanged views on current progress on the implementation of the national and regional commitments under the peace agreement, it said.
The visit comes after Rwanda had threatened to withdraw from the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) in September 2018, questioning the body's role and impact in the prevention of insecurity in the region.
Rwandan officials argue that ICGLR has not taken an active role in addressing the issue of genocide fugitives and negative forces in the region, despite having a security pact that obliges member states to take action.
ICGLR is composed of 12 member states, namely: Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Republic of South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Zambia.
Mr Huang Xia took office in March 2019 and is the third envoy to be appointed to the Great Lakes region of Africa after Mary Robinson of Ireland and Said Djinnit of Algeria.
Before his appointment, he served as the Ambassador at large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China.
Prior to that he served as ambassador of China to Gabon, Niger, Senegal and the Republic of Congo.
– APA
Related Topics:Huang XiaPaul KagamePaul Kagame Latest NewsRwandaRwanda Latest NewsThe United Nations (UN)


Don't miss out on your chance to apply for these hunts.
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Read about those who are stealing your wildlife.
A central California seminar offers good information for turkey hunters.
Here is a product made for waterfowl hunters.
Those protected lions continue to cause problems.
You have only 30 days left to get your entries in for a free wild pig hunt.


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Video: Dancer Kaffy Opens Up On Divorce From Husband Joseph Ameh
Choreographer Kaffy has opened up on her divorce from her husband, music director and drummer, Joseph Ameh.
Taking to Instagram, she spoke about her marriage and the reasons why they had decided to walk away from the union.
Real name Kafayat Shafau, Kaffy in a video uploaded to Instagram, said, "I have always wanted to see my ex be the best version of himself and even breaking up the marriage was also to see that we both grew into what we really are supposed to be.
Marriage is supposed to be an alignment of destinies driving towards a place that God wants us to be, and mine really did not work out that way."
"Rather than looking at somebody as a problem, you could be the problem of that person. Being an enabler of someone not being able to do what they are supposed to do can also be that you are not supposed to be in that space."
"So, there was a lot to learn, and there is still a lot more to learn. I want to express that and motivate you to understand that life is not all about reaction to the world; it is not about reacting to what want you to say or what the world wants to hear; what the world wants you to be or what the world wants you to wear; what the world wants you to look like or get married," she continued.
In her video caption, she wrote, "Separation isn't the end of life for both parties involved. In fact, if you both are honest about why you have to go apart, you will realize how much better life can be."
"Some people make it back; some don't. What is ultimate is the outcome borne out of love!"
The duo got married on June 2, 2012, and they have two children together. Last year, news of the couple's rumoured split had hit social media.
A post shared by Dr.Kaffy™ Shafau (@kaffydance)
Related Topics:Kaffy
Video: NDLEA Officials Invade Instagram Comedian DeGeneral's House, Assault Him And Friends
Music producer, Spellz and wife build a mansion in Lagos


With funding from The Dana Foundation, Utah State University will provide professional development for fulltime music teachers in Utah's rural schools using three modalities: site visits by faculty, remote mentoring using Macromedia Breeze software with two-way audio and video, and summer training in Orff Schulwerk music and movement education on campus. During the site visits, cameras and microphones needed for remote mentoring will be installed and tested, and the USU mentor will observe classes of the teacher and share observations on teaching techniques, organization, classroom management, pedagogy, conducting, methods, materials and musicianship. Following the site visits and for the rest of the school year, mentoring "visits" will consist of weekly remote observation of a particular class and a videoconference follow-up. During these follow-ups, teaching strategies will be discussed and specific goals for improvement will be set. During the summer of 2007, each of the five public school teachers will attend the USU Level I Orff Schulwerk Teacher Training Course.


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Jamshid Arjomand, PhD
Home / About Us / Our Team / Jamshid Arjomand, PhD
Chief Science Officer
Jamshid Arjomand is a neuroscientist with more than 15 years of pharmaceutical and biotechnology experience in chronic pain, neurodegeneration, neuromuscular disorders and human stem cell disease modeling. He comes to the FSHD Society from Genea Biocells, a San Diego-based biotechnology company where he served for five years as Vice President of Business Development. At Genea, he managed the scientific direction and collaborative efforts necessary to expand the company's drug discovery efforts, internal R&D capabilities and revenue streams. Genea's pipeline included FSHD for which their lead asset, GBC0905, received orphan drug designation by the FDA in May 2018.
From 2005 to 2013, Arjomand served as Director of Basic Research at CHDI Foundation. There he designed and managed a complex portfolio of academic, clinical and industry driven projects, primarily related to biomarker discovery, stem cell development, and target discovery and validation efforts for Huntington disease.


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Home > Journals > Candollea > Volume 65 > Issue 2 > Article
1 December 2010 Revisión Taxonómica de las Especies del Género Schizachyrium (Poaceae: Andropogoneae) de Sudamérica
Myriam C. Peichoto
Myriam C. Peichoto1
1Dirección de la autora: Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste (UNNE-CONI
Candollea, 65(2):301-345 (2010). https://doi.org/10.15553/c2010v652a9
Peichoto, M. C. (2010). Taxonomical revision of the species of the genus Schizachyrium Nees (Poaceae: Andropogoneae) of South America. Candollea 65: 301–346. In Spanish, English and French abstracts.
A taxonomical revision of the genus Schizachyrium Nees in South America is presented. Twenty-two taxa are recognized, ranging from Colombia and Venezuela to Río Negro province in Argentina. The identity of Schizachyrium bimucronatum Roseng. & al., Schizachyrium lactiflorum (Hack.) Herter, and Schizachyrium plumigerum (Ekman) Parodi, is reevaluated and these taxa are accepted. A new species Schizachyrium glaziovii Peichoto is described and illustrated. Two new combinations are validated: Schizachyrium salzmannii var. aristatum (Hack.) Peichoto, and Schizachyrium tenerum var. hirtiglume (Henrard) Peichoto. A lectotype is chosen for the names Andropogon condensatus subvar. latens Hack., Andropogon condensatus subvar. lactiflorus Hack., Andropogon feensis E. Fourn., Andropogon schottii Hack., Andropogon schottii subvar. asperiglumis Hack., Andropogon semiberbis var. incertus Hack., Apogonia glabrata E. Fourn., Deyeuxia spicata Spreng. and Schizachyrium tenerum Nees. A neotype is chosen for the names Schizachyrium weberbaueri Pilg. and Schizachyrium weberbaueri var. minus Pilg. The area of distribution of Schizachyrium spicatum is extended in Argentina and the species is recorded for the first time for Chile. Schizachyrium hatschbachii Peichoto is mentioned for the first time from Paraguay and Schizachyrium semitectum (Swallen) Reeder from South America. A diagnostic key for recognizing species and varieties is given, and the description, illustrations, geographical distribution, ecological observations and vernacular names for each species are provided.
© CONSERVATOIRE ET JARDIN BOTANIQUES DE GENEVE 2010
Myriam C. Peichoto "Revisión Taxonómica de las Especies del Género Schizachyrium (Poaceae: Andropogoneae) de Sudamérica," Candollea 65(2), 301-345, (1 December 2010). https://doi.org/10.15553/c2010v652a9
Received: 7 November 2008; Accepted: 1 September 2010; Published: 1 December 2010
Candollea
Myriam C. Peichoto "Revisión Taxonómica de las Especies del Género Schizachyrium (Poaceae: Andropogoneae) de Sudamérica," Candollea, 65(2), 301-345, (1 December 2010)


VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - June 29, 2010) - Lucara Diamond Corp. (TSX VENTURE:LUC)("Lucara" or the "Company") and partner African Diamonds Plc ("AFD") are pleased to announce the appointment of Ribson Gabonowe as CEO and with the conclusion of diamond marketing arrangements with the Government of the Republic of Botswana ("GRB") for Boteti Mining (Pty) Ltd. ("Boteti") AK6 project in Botswana. Lucara, the project operator, holds a 60% interest in Boteti and AFD 40%.
Lucara is pleased to report, that Mr. Ribson Gabonowe has accepted the appointment as Chief Executive Officer of Boteti. Ribson brings many years of experience as Director of Mines in Botswana, where he was responsible for the administration of mineral licenses and involved in negotiations of major mineral agreements for diamonds, copper/nickel, soda ash and coal. He represented the Government of Botswana in various mine executive committees and currently serves as a director in coal, copper/nickel and diamond businesses. Ribson retired from his recent position of Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government before joining African Diamonds, where he has been for the last two and a half years. Ribson graduated with a BSc in Mining Engineering, MSc in Mineral Economics and MBA from Canada, USA and Botswana Universities respectively.
Subsequent to discussions between Boteti and the GRB the diamond marketing terms in the Mining License have been amended. These amendments entitle Boteti to sell its entire production of diamonds either through open tender sales or exclusive contract.
Mr. William Lamb, President and CEO of Lucara, commented, "We are very pleased that Ribson has joined the Boteti team. His experience will add significant value to the development of the AK6 mine."


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WENGER TAUGHT US ALL A FRENCH LESSON
OVER the past 10 years, there have been some great managers in the Premiership but one stands out.
Updated 19:06, 2 FEB 2012
Arsene Wenger has been the best boss in the top flight by some distance because of what he has achieved with the resources at his disposal, and the style in which he has done it.
Sir Alex Ferguson, Rafael Benitez and Jose Mourinho have been excellent managers but Wenger is on a higher level.
When he first arrived 10 years ago, people were asking: 'Who is the French teacher?' Now, if I was a chairman and had just bought a club, Wenger would be the manager I would want.
Wenger has introduced new methods and masterminded moves to a new training ground and stadium.
Even the way he conducts himself in the media is class.
Wenger has a great sense of humour too and you can only admire him. His teams are criticised for over-playing but if you'd had an Arsenal season ticket for the past 10 years then you would not be complaining.
Wenger has built new teams time and again after losing great players like Petit, Overmars, Vieira and Bergkamp.
Coming through now is a new exciting generation of players who can be just as good if not better than those of the past. Fabregas, Henry, Toure, Gallas, Rosicky - all brilliant players.
Compare Wenger to Sven Goran Eriksson. One is an outdated dinosaur' the other is constantly evolving.


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Sir Shridath assures that Guyana's border case is in Good Hands; "We go to work again to finish the job"
Sir Shridath said that the day has come for Venezuela to face the International Court of Justice over its claim to Guyana's territory, adding that "they have stalled, they have filibustered, they have tried to avoid this day, but the day has come".
Guyana's case that will be presented to the International Court of Justice on the border controversy with Venezuela, is in good hands. That assurance came today from Guyana's Chief Legal Advisor on the issue, Sir Shridath Ramphal.
He explained to reporters today that the same team that won the maritime case for Guyana against Suriname is the same team that has been brought together to take on the case against Venezuela.
Mr. Ramphal made it clear that "the case is in good hands. In the hands of the same team that won the judicial proceeding with Suriname, we go to work again to finish the job".
Sir Shridath said that the day has come for Venezuela to face the International Court of Justice over its claim to Guyana's territory, adding that "they have stalled, they have filibustered, they have tried to avoid this day, but the day has come".
The border controversy case was recently referred to the International Court of Justice by the Secretary General of the United Nations after the UN Good Office process failed to reach any agreement.
Guyana has now started full preparations to present its case to the ICJ even as Venezuela continues with its objections over the move by the UN Chief.
When asked about Venezuela announcing that it will not recognise the decision by the ICJ on the matter, Sir Shridath said that is an issue for Venezuela, but the ICJ remains the highest judicial body in the world. He said Guyana is moving ahead with pushing its application forward.
"When that is done, the case is in the hands of the highest judicial authority in the world. Guyana could not have expected better. It is time now for Guyana to establish to the world what has always been the case".
For decades Guyana has been pushing back against Venezuela's claims to its territory. Today, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched a new song to rally the Guyanese people and raise awareness on the issue. The song "Guyana Our Own" has been released by local artiste, Blaze Antonio and embraced by the Government.
It will serve as the new rallying cry in an effort to rekindle the same energy that came from Dave Martin's "Not Blade of Grass".
Everything is at stake for Guyana in move to the International Court in territorial row with Venezuela -Sir Shridath
Venezuela's contention that ICJ lacks jurisdiction has no foundation -Sir Shridath tells International Court
Greenidge unlikely to take up MP post because of border case -Sources
Guyana must stand united as border case set to begin -Sir Shridath
ICJ Begins Hearing of Guyana vs Venezuela Border Matter Today
Venezuela staying away from ICJ hearing on border controversy


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The Victoria Symphony is a Canadian orchestra based in Victoria, British Columbia. It is considered Vancouver Island's largest and best-known performing arts organization. Currently conducted by Danish conductor Christian Kluxen, the orchestra consists of 34 full-contract, and 15 part-contract musicians. Typically, the orchestra delivers more than fifty main series programs per season, as well as a two-week-long summer series. A highlight of the year for many Victorians was the annual Symphony Splash fund-raising concert, held on the Sunday of the August long weekend. For more than 30 years, the orchestra performed on a barge in Victoria's Inner Harbour for an estimated audience of thirty thousand— including those attending in kayaks, canoes or dragonboats immediately in front of the barge. The orchestra administration consists of a staff led by Matthew White, CEO, a board of directors, and many volunteers.

History

The Victoria Symphony was founded in 1941 by members of the Royal Canadian Navy as an amateur ensemble. Melvin Knudsen served as the group's first conductor, leaving after seven years in 1948 when he was succeeded by Hans Gruber. Otto-Werner Mueller was appointed principal conductor in 1963, followed by Laszlo Gati in 1967. The orchestra became a professional ensemble during Gati's years in the mid 1970s.

In 1979, Paul Freeman left his junior position at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra to assume the position of principal conductor of the Victoria Symphony. Glen Fast served as his associate conductor beginning in 1983 and eventually replaced him for a short time as principal conductor in 1988 when Freeman retired. Peter McCoppin was appointed as conductor in 1989, a position he held until 1999 when Kees Bakels succeeded him. Bakels left in 2002 at which time Timothy Vernon was appointed interim music director. Tania Miller was the music director from 2003–2017. Danish conductor Christian Kluxen was appointed music director in 2016, and started this position in the 2017–2018 season.

The Canadian conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin, who currently holds the position of music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Metropolitan Opera—and has held or currently holds positions with the London Philharmonic and Rotterdam Philharmonic—held the position of Principal Guest Conductor of the Victoria Symphony from 2003 to 2007. Another Québécois musician and conductor, Alain Trudel, succeeded Nézet-Séguin in 2009, a position he held until 2013.

In 2016 the orchestra went on a cross-Canada tour to celebrate its 75th season.

Music Director Emeritus Tania Miller and the orchestra released two CDs of music by the Dutch composer Wim Zwaag, including a violin concerto performed by the orchestra's concertmaster Terence Tam.

See also
 List of symphony orchestras
 Canadian classical music

References

External links
Victoria Symphony Official Site

Canadian orchestras
Musical groups established in 1941


The department shall advise individuals and municipalities on the proper methods of rodent and insect abatement. The department is currently applying for a grant that would provide a more aggressive mosquito abatement program for Montgomery County. The department uses grant funding to conduct and administer a vector control program.


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Coach Tom Coughlin
Q: Can you shed more light on Kenny Phillips?
A: I really can't. He is on IR. And that is all I know at this point.
Q: Are you absolutely convinced that he will come back and play football again?
A: I am, yeah. First of all, what we have done is in the best interest of the player and the New York Giants because we feel like this young man has an outstanding future. Now you know that I don't have a medical degree, right?
Q: What is the next step in the process with the timetable for deciding as to whether he may or may not have surgery?
* *A: I don't know a whole lot about that. I think that he is probably exercising his options in terms of listening to the doctors. That is what I would say. When that decision is made then you will probably know it as well as I will.
Q: What can you tell us about Aaron Rouse?
A: Big, strong player what we were fortunate to find available on the waiver wire. I think that he is a guy that we can work with and certainly can make an impact with our team both on special teams and in the secondary.
Q: C.C. Brown - what have you seen from his playing time?
A: We know that he is a physical guy that has been a starter in this league and finds himself in that role again and he is very happy about that. He is glad to have the opportunity.
Q: Why did you target him in free agency? What did you see that you liked about him?
A: We liked his physical play. We liked his physical play.
Q: Did you have any inkling that Phillips had a situation that could develop into what it has, and is that why you signed Brown?
A: No, no. But you are talking about last winter with free agency. We actually thought we were adding depth to that position, which we were. And as it turns out, you never have enough.
Q: One of the things that Kenny was doing was playing up top in space. Do you feel C.C. will be able to do that?
A: I think he can, yeah. I think he can. And there are ways to maneuver so that one guy is up and one guy is down the majority of the time. It is not going to be an all of the time thing. But both guys have to be able to play at the line of scrimmage and play in deep center field position – or deep half.
Q: That was my next question. Johnson plays a lot down low. We have seen him play up top as well. Do you think he can do that, too?
A: Yes. I think he is going to have to.
Q: Do either Tuck or Canty have a chance to play on Sunday?
A: Canty? Tuck, we will just hold out until ….
Q: What kind of progress has he shown?
A: He is a little better every day. He is a little better every day.
Q: A team that deals with injuries well – how much of it is due to coaching and just having a really good system in place?
A: I think it is a mentality. And I think players have to understand it as well. And they do. Our people seem to do a good job. And I think it goes back to leadership again. Now, there isn't any question about when you take an outstanding player out of your team, or off your team, there is a void. And that void has to be filled in by everybody else. There are examples of it out there right now.
Q: In training camp did the doctors have an idea that Kenny's season could end like this?
A: No, there wasn't. The term was, "we could manage it." And he was all for it. You saw his camp – he had a great camp.
Q: Did they kind of know what it was?
A: They knew what it was, sure. They knew what they were dealing with, yes. Because they did all of the tests. But did I know that coming in? No.
Q: Is there a possibility that he can rehab this without surgery at all?
A: I don't know. You are asking the wrong guy. I'm not a doctor. I can't tell you.
Q: But it does sound like from what you have been told this is not a long term or career threatening situation, nothing like that?
A: That is what we certainly believe.
Q: How is he doing, by the way?
A: Well, he is very emotional about it. He expected to play and wanted to play. And he is playing well. And he is very upset that it wasn't the direction that this was to go in. And he fully understood the management part of it. And obviously he could it, played well in the game with it. So he is very emotional about it. And as I said – and I have tried to be consistent with this – the first thing that I say is: our concern is about the player – the player's health and his emotional well-being and all of those things. We want to be there for him – to support him. And I'm talking about our team, our players, and everyone. And then we want to have the circumstances corrected and want to put a smile back on his face and get him back out on the field playing the game that he loves to play.
Q: Were you stunned to get the news after such a good game?
A: I was not a happy camper. Every day is a new day in this business.
Q: They looked at it again and it wasn't progressing the way you had hoped?
A: No, it swelled and then he has to go back to doing all of the things that he does in the training room to get the swelling out of it and then they felt that on Sunday morning that – he was in great shape. He felt good. The swelling was down, he was ready to go.
Q: But when they looked Wednesday --?
A: It's not just Wednesday. It was the next morning and all of that business, too.
Q: By the time we got here Pierce was walking off. He looked like he had all of his gear off already. Was he limited or did he not practice.
A: No, he practiced – the full practice.
Q: Hixon?
A: We will see. He is another one.
Q: Dockery?
A: He is another one.
Q: If Tuck can't play, is Sintim the guy that will step in?
A: We'll see.
Quotes: GM Joe Schoen, HC Brian Daboll
General Manager Joe Schoen and Head Coach Brian Daboll spoke to the media on Monday.
Postgame Quotes: HC Brian Daboll, RB Saquon Barkley, QB Daniel Jones
Head Coach Brian Daboll and several players spoke to the media Saturday following the loss to the Eagles.
Quotes: Coach Brian Daboll, DL Leonard Williams
Coach Brian Daboll and Defensive lineman Leonard Williams spoke to the media from practice Thursday.
Quotes: DC Wink Martindale, OC Mike Kafka, STC Thomas McGaughey, RB Saquon Barkley, S Xavier McKinney, OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux, CB Adoree' Jackson, WR Isaiah Hodgins
The Giants' coordinators and several players spoke to the media from practice Wednesday.
Quotes: HC Brian Daboll, QB Daniel Jones, DL Dexter Lawrence, S Julian Love, OT Andrew Thomas, OT Evan Neal
Head Coach Brian Daboll and several players spoke to the media from practice on Tuesday.
Quotes: HC Brian Daboll recaps Wild Card victory over Vikings
Coach Brian Daboll spoke to the media on Monday following the team's WIld Card game against the Vikings.
Postgame Quotes: HC Brian Daboll, QB Daniel Jones, RB Saquon Barkley, OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux, WR Isaiah Hodgins, WR Darius Slayton, S Xavier McKinney
Head Coach Brian Daboll and several players spoke to the media Sunday following the win over the Vikings.
Quotes: DC Wink Martindale, OC Mike Kafka, STC Thomas McGaughey, RB Saquon Barkley, DL Dexter Lawrence, DL Leonard Williams, OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux
The Giants' coordinators and several players spoke to the media from practice Thursday.
Quotes: HC Brian Daboll, QB Daniel Jones, S Julian Love, S Xavier McKinney
Head Coach Brian Daboll and several players spoke to the media from practice on Wednesday.
Quotes: HC Brian Daboll recaps regular-season finale vs. Eagles
Coach Brian Daboll spoke to the media on Monday following the team's Week 18 game against the Eagles.
Postgame Quotes: HC Brian Daboll, QB Davis Webb, CB Nick McCloud
Head Coach Brian Daboll and several players spoke to the media Sunday following the loss to the Eagles
Quotes: Coach Brian Daboll previews matchup vs. Eagles
Coach Brian Daboll met with the media Friday to preview the team's Week 18 matchup against the Eagles.


These are enormous! They seem to surround the sun and at about the same distance.
Are they tapping some energy?
Thousands of ships are parked around the sun most of them humans cannot and will never see. They are watching something in the sun, something not for human eyes to see.
are they seeing the birthing of a planet lou? why they are not fully stealth?
They are watching something else.
Some UFOs choose to be visible, it's not as if humans will be alarmed by Alien ships. Have you noticed how few people notice the strange things going on around the sun and other places in the solar system? They call them glitches or natural phenomena, makes it easier to sleep at night when you don't know what lurks in the darkness of space.
As noface pointed out, "Scared cows make the best hamburger".
No need to be scared of the dark...should dark happen... momentarily...or not.
Almost undeniable images as the quality of images of the sun improve the evidence will gather it is a gradual process but no scientific authorities will acknowledge the facts. Fear of ridicule is such a strong force in our existance. It is comforting to know someone is monitoring our energy source.
"Scared cows make the best hamburger".
Pretty cras....but I sort of get it.
Lou, is it that you are not allowed to explain or is it that we would not understand what is happening with the sun?
If the sun should ever go out even for a few minutes what would that do to the people of this world? And other worlds in this solar system? Talk about mental meltdown, confusion and despair. Will the sun reignite? will it happen again? For a longer period? Will it explode? People could lose confidence in everything. The experts would say that could never happen. It can happen. I only mention it because if it does happen it will only be short lived, a glitch, a reboot. And then perhaps a surprise, or not.
Anyway, nothing to fear plenty of top brass in the area.


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If you've driven through Chandler recently, you may notice a billboard that says "Merry Christmas Cathy" and it may have you wondering why is Chandler celebrating Christmas so early? Well it turns out the reason, is very touching.
You see Cathy on the billboard, is a warrior. Cathy was diagnosed with breast cancer. After undergoing a double mastectomy she recently learned the devastating news that the cancer has spread, and chemo is no longer working for her. Her favorite holiday happens to be Christmas, so the community has really come together to spread Christmas cheer in her honor!
You may remember recently we shared the story of a house covered in Christmas lights in Chandler, that house is Cathy's. According to her friend Terra while Cathy as at Race for the Cure her niece and friends decorated her house for her favorite holiday to surprise her! You can see that story, here!
Cathy's story has touched many hearts, and many have tried to spread as much Christmas cheer as possible for her!
According to Terra, the billboard came from a couple who wanted to do something big to really spread Christmas cheer, they decided something big and a billboard was just the right size!
Check out the video below of Cathy's reaction, it will warm your heart!
Merry Christmas Cathy, the community is all thinking of you, thank you for bringing everyone together and spread a little Christmas cheer!


I`m totally peed off with the quality of digital TV reception. I realise it`s largely due to the amount of traffic ( particularly motorbikes and busses )but I`m just sick of the picture freezing, and sound dropping out.
Can anyone point me in the direction of who to complain to. I feel like venting my spleen.
Probably Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt.
The person who fitted your antenna.
errrrm.. that wouldn`t be rhyming slang would it?
Digital TV should be reasonably free of interference. Looks as though you don't have enough signal. Does your freeview box give an indication of signal strength. Some MUX's are more powerful than others, for example where I live the BBC Mux is more powerful than say ITV.
Shakes head; You need a new TV, aerial, cables and antenna. £2000. And probably a new roof.
Has analogue been turned off in your area yet? I understand that the digital broadcasts at Crystal Palace are running at only 20Kw and power will be increased massively when analogue is switched off.
But it was lined up with a meter, and also the Humax box shows a signal strength of 100% most of the time and the quality varies between 80 and 100%.
It`s frustrating when you can hear a moped or motorbike in the distance and you know it`s going to make the picture break up as it gets closer. Sure enough thats exactly what happens.
The system looks to me like it`s basically shite and I can`t see DAB radio being any better.
I`ve no idea about that, I shall enquire.
It`s just a bit frustrating when the football is just a series of stills and the commentary sounds like it`s being provided by Norman Collier.
I am up in the NW, we were switched off last November..
Prior to change over the digital signal was quite weak and not all free view boxes would get a good signal suffering from the problems you describe.
After switch over they boosted the free view signal (given the bandwidth they had freed up) and the situation righted itself.
Sorry, but that is rubbish. This was the story in the South West to make people look forward to digital swicthover but when it happened there was a weaker signal and the minor channels became unwatchable.
i) cabling. Check co-ax connectors, if they have just been pushed on they will have oxidised. Take off, scrub with a wire brush and re-attach. It's best to solder them on.
ii) junction boxes / splitters. If there are any again check connectors. Maybe look at getting a booster there.
iii) Boosters. I have on both tellies. £10 from Argos.
iv) Aerial direction. Apparently it matters more with digital. It needs to be pointing exactly at the transmitter. Trial and error or map and compass.
v) Intra-box connections. Unplug and replug connections between compnenst to remove deposits.
Bit of a pain but once you have done it you forget you ever had feezing / break-up.
It must vary by region then. Without question it was worse after switchover in the SW. Maybe the terrain affects the signal.
Most of this is urban myth.
iii) Boosters from Argos is a classic. They will often worsen the problem.
v) There MIGHT be something in this advice if we were talking Hi-Fi, but I can`t say that I`ve ever found that "deposits" on connections cause any problem. Yes, if your aerial plug is rusty (due to water getting into the coaxial cable), rusty deposits are cause for concern. Slight oxidisation on an aerial plug will make hardly any difference, or no differenece.
iv) Believe it or not, aerial alignment doesn`t have to be exact, and in some situations the aerial needs to be pointed slightly away from the transmitter for best performance.
As far as picture breakup when vehicles pass nearby is concerned, it is often due to electromagnetic interference from ignition systems, or even things like electric drills, lawnmowers etc. There are a few steps to help solve this problem, but sometimes it is impossible to totally cure. I`d recommend fully screened coacxal cable, all the way from the aerial to the TV. Log Periodic aerials are supposed to be better at rejecting electrical interference, so it`s worth looking into getting one of those fitted if the problem is bad, but no aerial can be totally immune to interference from external sources.
The digital TV signal comprises of lots of binary data, transmitted at relatively low levels (the levels should increase onces digital switchover has taken place). A badly supressed ignition system "transmits" a dirty great chunk of "noise", which can destroy the data in a digital TV signal within a small radius.
A decent shielded aerial cable (say £30-ish) might help.
When I used to use my TV card on my old PC, it made a big difference to signal breakup. And that was before the council upgraded my communal aerial.
Very much not my experience. I had one and tried it on both TVs. They both were substantially better on the weaker channels with the booster, which is why I bought two.
You can't beat basic empiricism.
You'll probably find that the output power is being altered from the particular transmitter your antenna is directed at. It occurs all the time with my transmitter in particular with the mux that broadcasts ITV4 and Film4 although when you look up transmitter works on google, hey presto there is apparently no works or faults with my transmitter.
The problem is that most transmitters are still broadcasting analogue too and in my particular case the mux that causes problems for me has been reduced in power because otherwise it interferes with other RF signals/transmissions, so they keep pratting around with it which means a sudden loss of channels overnight. I have a friend who works as an TV antenna installer and he just doesn't want to know when he gets people phoning up saying they've lost ITV3 etc etc. There's not much he can do until the analogue signal is switched off and engineers stop pratting around with the digital broadcast.
This is the only schedule for digital switchover. Digital services cannot be introduced before the dates listed for "testing purposes" as they will generally use the same transmission frequencies as the services they replace. Another alternative, available today, is Freesat.
Is the road in the same direction as the transmitter? You are suffering from too little signal and too much noise, and as you said you get enough signal, so it's the noise (from ignition systems and alternators). Can you get the aerial higher and/or the cable shorter? The previous advice about checking the cable connections is sound, btw. There is a large signal loss in coaxial cable, especially at the higher frequencies. Bad connections and sharp bends in the cable alter it's transmission qualities and need to be avoided. Sometimes over-vigorous stapling crushes the cable with similar deleterious effects.
I have a distribution amplifier in my loft - every TV outlet in the house is OK, except the one in the lounge, where the extra cable length means that I can't get the higher frequency transponders satisfactorily. They break up at the slightest signal path problem / rain / overflying aircraft, and I can even see the transmitter from next door's house (I'm in a bungalow).
Problem is if the original signal is bad a simple booster wil only amplifier the noise. In most cases they will help a bit though. Main problem is usually the at aerial / feed.
Decent aerial / alignment usually fixes most problems. Some transmitters are at large distances away and still seem to require signal boosting though.
You also can`t beat 25+ years experience in the TV repair/ aerial installation trade.
Yes, the "magic" amplifier can sometimes do the trick, but I`ve been to so many customers who have been down to Argos for an amplifier, then called me in.
They work well for us.
and in some situations the aerial needs to be pointed slightly away from the transmitter for best performance.
Why on earth would that be ? a high gain antenna like a Yagi is going to give you max signal pointed straight at the transmitter.
Here (SE Wales) the digital quality has improved immeasurably since they switched off analogue - as you'd expect with the increased transmitter power.
Presumably if you are too close to the antenna for the type of aerial and gain that it has.


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Enterprise AI, Regime Change,
and the "Corona Effect"
Author: Stu Bailey, Co Founder and Chief AI Architect, ModelOp
Enterprise AI, Regime Change, and the "Corona Effect"
To say that the COVID-19 pandemic has turned our world upside down is an understatement, made more so with each passing day. The impacts on daily lives - lockdowns, masks, the threat of grave illness, extraordinary economic dislocations and uncertainties - these are concrete and tangible to nearly everyone. But along with the many obvious changes that are taking place, a number of more subtle but equally powerful changes are occurring that will have a profound impact on the way that AI will be viewed and used going forward by financial services companies and their customers.
As 2019 came to a close, no one was predicting that predictive statistical models would be dominating the collective consciousness, and yet the term "flatten the curve" has become a top global meme. Charts and graphs showing the expected progress of Covid-19 under different sets of assumptions have become front page news. Even those who know nothing about statistics are increasingly aware that predictive models are being used to make extremely important decisions about many aspects of our lives.
For data science professionals, there's been a stark wake-up call regarding the speed with which the world can change, and how rapid change impacts the ability of AI to drive good decisions. For AI, and in particular machine learning (ML) systems to produce meaningful and valuable results, it's essential to train ML models using data that accurately reflect the underlying reality, or operating regime, about which the model is expected to make predictions. A good model, trained with stable data, is able to inform appropriate actions in the broadest possible range of anticipated operating conditions. In the normal course of events, the operating regime will change as consumer sentiment, regulations, new technologies, competitive dynamics, methods used by fraudsters and any other number of factors change. The key is to be able to retrain and redeploy models faster than changes in the operating regime. Equally important, especially in financial services, is the ability to simulate or "stress test" models to anticipate possible scenarios and understand how models will behave. Without frequent, rapid retraining and simulation, the value of an organization's models and thus the impact of their decisions can be highly vulnerable to changes in the operating regime, especially if the changes are large, rapid and without precedent.
Consider a real-world example: Suppose you have a model that predicts muni bond prices that has been trained with data from Jan 2010 until Dec 2019, during which several things held true, e.g. bond and stock prices are inversely correlated. What happens if, for a week in March, 2020, stocks and bonds both go down together, something never seen in the training data. How will the model react? How quickly does one need to retrain the model? How do we know if the model even holds anymore? And suppose we actually do have a model that was trained during stress testing with simulated data reflecting the current regime and could therefore make much better predictions. How long will it take to get that model into production?
As many organizations have found out - or will shortly - getting models from the lab into production and keeping them updated as operating regimes change is very challenging. In many large enterprises, the process of moving models into production is immature and replete with delays. Many departments need to be involved in and sign off on the deployment after the data science team's work is done, including DataOps, DevOps, IT Ops, Compliance and the Line of Business. In most organizations, getting from "model ready" to deployment takes weeks or months, with inefficient processes and organizational friction contributing as much or more to the problem as technical issues. As a result, the notion of responding effectively to a fast moving change in operating regime - like a pandemic - is simply not yet possible.
Financial institutions have been using models for decades and have dealt with crises before, so what's new? One key factor is that AI models are very different from traditional statistical and decision-rules models and from conventional software. Yet most enterprises have not yet organized themselves around the principles of Enterprise AI in which the traditional business, actuarial, optimization and other types of models are modernized to be driven by ML/AI algorithms and operationalized, automated, and governed at enterprise scale.
A new discipline is emerging in the large enterprise called ModelOps that, in ways analogous to (but different from) DevOps combines process, technology and organizational alignment to enable models to move quickly from data science into production - without compromising visibility, operational control or governance. When implemented as an enterprise-wide capability accountable to the CIO, ModelOps enables organizations to ensure that they can get new and updated models into production as fast as the operating regime is changing - which as we now know can be much faster than we'd previously imagined. The alternative is to see AI investments squandered, or worse, to drive business decisions based on models that no longer reflect the world we live in. This is the "Corona Effect", and those of us in the business of developing and using AI in the real world need to take heed.
For the moment, consider where the operating regimes of interest to you have shifted (and will continue to shift) as the pandemic peaks, ebbs and returns us to a "new normal." The ability to respond to these unanticipated and potentially dramatic shifts in your business's operating conditions as they occur is the ultimate goal of Enterprise AI.
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