Things were a bit quiet in the beginning, last night. We were thinking that a lot of Agony were preoccupied with their class, though there were a few around Kourmonen to skirmish with a little.
We have high hopes that re-taking Kourmonen will bring a lot of fights. The fact that plexing it is giving us LP is definitely a plus, and a few of us have wagers on how long it will be before it goes vulnerable again. Sometimes, it feels like the entire war has narrowed down into a fight over one system.
However, it turned out Fweddit had quite a few more than ten. They made a beeline for Huola, probably expecting the usual Late Night role call and reship-to-match-to-get-a-good-fight call. Sometimes, I feel like we're treated like a pvp vending machine by the Amarr. They decide what kind of fight they want, then they romp over to our home system and sit there, waiting for us to reciprocate. They put a dessie gang in, and expect a dessie gang to pop out. They pop in a cruiser gang, they expect us to reship to match. Like we're they're personal "scale - to - match" pvp fairy godmothers who will wave our wand and grant their pvp wish when they come to call.
Usually, we comply since we want good fights too. But tonight was different for some reason. It became obvious that we were significantly outnumbered, and the response from people on coms was a little more conniving than usual.
So, we reshipped to battleships with two guardians for support. Just to troll them.
One set of battleship sized tech 2 guns - 30 million ISK.
One set of large trimark rigs - 15 million ISK.
Watching the rage in local when we warp our battleship gang into their mob of cruisers...priceless.
Anyway, they quickly made an exit, skittering back to their Egghelende home like a pack of barking dogs. We loled on coms for a little while, but was then informed that the Fwedditers were shipping up. Drakes. Lots and lots of drakes.
The suggestion was made to ship to noob ships and then rage in local at them for bringing battlecruisers to a noob ship fight, but some of us were distracted with unrelated stuff and it didn't end up happening. They romped right back to Huola, though I could hear the braying from at least two jumps out.
They were gaining momentum, and their fleet seemed to be growing. Someone counted well over twenty WT in local at one time.
We mostly ignored them. A few people harassed them with smaller ships, but most of us just docked up, with no intention of fighting them at all. Someone suggested posting the Benny Hill theme song into local, since that was about what watching their drake fleet mob after every little target sounded like.
However, Bahamut logged on around that time, rather chomping at the bit to kill ::all the things::. He decided that it would be a good idea to ship into Drakes and other battlecruisers of our own and leroy them at the Fweddit gang. Armor, Shield. Long-Range, Short-Range. Reship and undock already.
We were outnumbered quite unmistakably according to comparing my friendly overview tab with my hostile, though I never did get a good count.
We leroyed everything at them, sticking our drones on some of their tackle, and quickly pouncing on all the odd-ball non-drake ships. They fell like flies, honestly. They managed to focus fire enough to kill four of our BCs, but it seemed chaotic. Their damage became split all over the place. Some of them went back to the gate and jumped, and others ran away, but I counted at least a dozen yellow wrecks.
This number increased as some of their 'run-away' BCs attempted to warp back to the gate and get away, causing us to promptly execute them.
In fact, the entire fight felt a lot less like a brawl, and a lot more like an execution in many ways.
I don't see this massive outnumbering you're talking about. They have nineteem to your sixteen. LNA all upshipped to some major bling at some point during the fight. You fail to mention your local link boosting. Given the facts, which you either don't mention or gloss over, Fweddit was the outnumbered party in this fight.
i dont know what links were active for the minmatar. as minamtar died they came back in new ships. baha came back in a macharel, true.
fweddit was the larger group in the fight. for sure. but it was fairly close. 19 fweditt and 16 minmatar might be right by the end of the fight. i know some minmatar showed up late having just logged on and heard of a fight at gate.
huh? lucky minmatar? fight outnumbered and win... get to tier 5 often?... not sure why you are feeling sorry for them.


text:
The haematopoietic system is the system in the body involved in the creation of the cells of blood.

Structure

Stem cells

Haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) reside in the medulla of the bone (bone marrow) and have the unique ability to give rise to all of the different mature blood cell types and tissues. HSCs are self-renewing cells: when they differentiate, at least some of their daughter cells remain as HSCs, so the pool of stem cells is not depleted. This phenomenon is called asymmetric division.   The other daughters of HSCs (myeloid and lymphoid progenitor cells) can follow any of the other differentiation pathways that lead to the production of one or more  specific types of blood cell, but cannot renew themselves. The pool of progenitors is heterogeneous and can be divided into two groups; long-term self-renewing HSC and only transiently self-renewing HSC, also called short-terms.  This is one of the main vital processes in the body.

Development
In developing embryos, blood formation occurs in aggregates of blood cells in the yolk sac, called blood islands. As development progresses, blood formation occurs in the spleen, liver and lymph nodes. When bone marrow develops, it eventually assumes the task of forming most of the blood cells for the entire organism. However, maturation, activation, and some proliferation of lymphoid cells occurs in the spleen, thymus, and lymph nodes.  In children, haematopoiesis occurs in the marrow of the long bones such as the femur and tibia.  In adults, it occurs mainly in the pelvis, cranium, vertebrae, and sternum.

Function

Haematopoiesis (from Greek αἷμα, "blood" and ποιεῖν "to make"; also hematopoiesis in American English; sometimes also haemopoiesis or hemopoiesis) is the formation of blood cellular components. All cellular blood components are derived from haematopoietic stem cells. In a healthy adult person, approximately 1011–1012 new blood cells are produced daily in order to maintain steady state levels in the peripheral circulation.

All blood cells are divided into three lineages.
 Red blood cells, also called erythrocytes, are the oxygen-carrying cells. Erythrocytes are functional and are released into the blood. The number of reticulocytes, immature red blood cells, gives an estimate of the rate of erythropoiesis.
 Lymphocytes are the cornerstone of the adaptive immune system. They are derived from common lymphoid progenitors. The lymphoid lineage is composed of T-cells, B-cells and natural killer cells.  This is lymphopoiesis.
 Cells of the myeloid lineage, which include granulocytes, megakaryocytes and macrophages, are derived from common myeloid progenitors, and are involved in such diverse roles as innate immunity and blood clotting.  This is myelopoiesis.

Clinical significance

Stem cell transplant

A stem cell transplant is a transplant intended to replace the progenitor hematopoietic stem cells

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is the transplantation of multipotent hematopoietic stem cells, usually derived from bone marrow, peripheral blood, or umbilical cord blood. It may be autologous (the patient's own stem cells are used), allogeneic (the stem cells come from a donor) or syngeneic (from an identical twin).

It is most often performed for patients with certain cancers of the blood or bone marrow, such as multiple myeloma or leukemia. In these cases, the recipient's immune system is usually destroyed with radiation or chemotherapy before the transplantation. Infection and graft-versus-host disease are major complications of allogeneic HSCT.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation remains a dangerous procedure with many possible complications; it is reserved for patients with life-threatening diseases. As survival following the procedure has increased, its use has expanded beyond cancer to autoimmune diseases and hereditary skeletal dysplasias; notably malignant infantile osteopetrosis and mucopolysaccharidosis.

References

Blood
Hematopoietic stem cells
Bone marrow

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Z6_N1CG0841LGED10AH9IKH760GA6
Z7_N1CG0841LGED10AH9IKH760GQ4
International Regulations (IRegs) for Animal Product Exports
Export from the U.S.
Export Animal Products
Import into the U.S.
Laboratory Information and Services
Veterinary Services IT Applications
OIE International Standards
Veterinary Accreditation
Veterinary Biologics
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Veterinary Services (VS) has created the International Animal Product Export Regulations (IREGS) to provide exporters with our best understanding of importing countries requirements for certain animal-origin products.
Countries may change their import requirements without notice. In all cases, the exporter has the responsibility of having their importer confirm with the Ministry of Animal Health in the importing country the certification requirements prior to shipping. The exporter should obtain any required certificates prior to shipping. Most countries will not accept certificates issued after consignments have shipped. The availability of APHIS endorsement of certificates should not be assumed until after consultation with the pertinent Veterinary Services service center.
Exporters are responsible for confirming prior to shipment that they have all certification required for the consignment.
The primary role of APHIS, VS in the certification of animal products for export is to provide certification about the animal health status of the region of origin of the product. If other certifications are required, APHIS, VS may not be the Agency authorized to provide the required export certificate.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the procedures and requirements for exporting animals, animal products, or to obtain a zoosanitary certificate for an animal product, you should contact the Veterinary Services service center covering the area from which the animal or product will be exported, the area in which your office is located, or the area in which the product is manufactured. If you have a shipment on hold in a foreign country, please contact the Veterinary Services service center that issued your certificate. If you have a shipment of animal products or by-products that has been exported from the United States and you intend to return the shipment to the United States, please click here.
↓ VS Export Certificates and Instructions
Exporters are advised that the forms linked below are to be submitted to the endorsing office electronically by email after preparation consistent with the Special instructions for exporters regarding the preparation of the new VS forms. Exporters should contact the endorsing office officials regarding the correct email address to use and the proper formatting of emails so that the process flows well. If submission by email is not possible, exporters should contact endorsing office officials to discuss alternatives. Prior to endorsement, APHIS prints the forms on special VS Security Paper.
VS Form 16-4 (pdf 29kb)
VS Form 16-4A (pdf 25kb)
Combined VS form 16-4 and VS form 16-4A - (pdf 31kb)
Special instructions for exporters regarding the preparation of the new VS forms - September 2011
Prior to utilizing these forms, users should ensure Adobe Reader Version 9.0 (or above) is installed on their computer. Version 9.0 (or above) is necessary to ensure that the forms open and function optimally. Any Adobe software (Reader, Standard, or Professional) may be utilized as long as it is version 9.0 or above.
If you have a shipment on hold in a foreign country, please contact the Veterinary Services service center that issued your certificate. If you have a shipment of animal products or by-products that has been exported from the United States and you intend to return the shipment to the United States, please click here.
↓ Other Federal Agencies Involved in Providing Export Certificates for Animal Products
A. Dairy Products
The USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are the agencies primarily responsible for the certification of dairy products exported for human consumption. (APHIS, VS may provide certification in certain circumstances.)
AMS can be contacted at:
Dairy Standardization
Agricultural Marketing Service
DairyExportsQuestions@usda.gov
B. Meat and meat products; processed egg products bearing the FSIS mark of inspection
The USDA, Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is responsible for export certification of meat and some meat products, as well as many processed egg products (such as pasteurized eggs), for human consumption.
Office of Policy and Program Development (OPPD)
FSIS, USDA
importexport@fsis.usda.gov
C. Aquaculture and fish products
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Department of Commerce, certifies fishmeal, fish oil, and certain other seafood products intended for human consumption.
Contact information for NOAA is:
General questions from exporters not addressed on below websites: nmfs.seafood.services@noaa.gov
NOAA Seafood Certification Program:
U.S. Department of Commerce/NOAA Fisheries
Phone 301-427-8300 or Toll Free 800-422-2750
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/topic/seafood-commerce-certification/domestic-international-services
NOAA Inspection Offices:
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/contact-directory/contact-your-local-seafood-inspection-office
NOAA Fish Meal Program:
Fish Meal Program Manager
National Marine Fisheries Service
P.O. Drawer 1207
Pascagoaula, MS 39567
D. Table eggs and other egg products not bearing the FSIS mark of inspection
The USDA, AMS is the Agency that endorses export certificates for table eggs and certain other egg products (for human consumption).
USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service
Poultry Division-Grading Branch
South Agricultural Building
https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/imports-exports/eggs-egg-products
E. Honey and other Products of Apiculture for Human Consumption
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) are responsible for the certification of honey and other products of apiculture for human consumption. For more information, please contact:
Charlotte Liang, Ph.D.
Plant Products Branch
Division of Plant Products and Beverages
Office of Food Safety
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
charlotte.liang@fda.hhs.gov
Albert.Hoover@ams.usda.gov
F. Plant and Plant Products
The APHIS Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) is the Agency responsible for certification of certain plant products. For more information, please go to the "Plant Export" section of their website at: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/planthealth/sa_export/ct_export_services_program
For contact information for a PPQ Plant Export Specialist near you, please go to the following section of their website at: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/planthealth/sa_export/ct_export_services_program
G. CITES Documentation
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is the Agency responsible for providing CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) certification. If CITES documentation is required, exporters should contact the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
H. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for bulk gelatin and collagen shipments
In many cases, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the appropriate authority for the certification of shipments of gelatin and collagen. The pertinent FDA office for certification of gelatin and collagen intended for human consumption may be reached at:
BulkCGExport-LM-OFS@fda.hhs.gov
I. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for other commodities
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also provides certification of certain other products not listed above. Questions regarding certification by the FDA of commodities (intended for human consumption) not listed above may be directed to:
CFSANExportCertification@fda.hhs.gov
J. Veterinary Biologicals
The APHIS Center for Veterinary Biologics (CVB) is the agency responsible for export certification for veterinary biological products. For more information, please go to the following section of their website:
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/veterinary-biologics/ct_vb_import_export_products
CVB may also be contacted regarding these exports via:
Email: cvb@usda.gov
↓ APHIS PQAPlus Sourcing Verification Program for FSIS Establishment
Specific countries may accept pork products sourced from swine from farms following the PQAPlus program without requiring testing or treatment of the products as an alternative mitigation of Trichinella risk. The National Pork Board (NPB) is the entity that verifies if farms are participating with the PQAPlus program. NPB issues a certificate to farms that are found to be participating. FSIS establishments must source slaughter swine or pork from farms or plants in good standing in the PQAPlus program to export pork meat and pork products with FSIS certification that they were produced under the PQAPlus program. Either the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) or APHIS Veterinary Services may verify participation of an FSIS Establishment in a PQAPlus program. The certification of pork and pork products for export for human consumption is done by USDA FSIS inspectors. The APHIS program for recognition of an FSIS Establishment as participating in the PQAPlus program is the PQAPlus Sourcing Verification Program (PSVP). Based on the sourcing information the PSVP provides to USDA FSIS, the FSIS inspector is able to reliably certify that pork and pork products for export are derived from farms participating in PQAPlus.
For information on recognition as participating in the PSVP, the FSIS Establishment management should contact the Veterinary Services service center over the State in which they are located.
For countries not listed, the requirements are not known. However, exporters wanting to ship animal products should have the interested party (importer/buyer) in the destination country contact the appropriate ministry for the specific requirements.
Products: Select Country Albania Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Brazil British Virgin Islands Bulgaria Canada Canary Islands Chile China Colombia Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Estonia European Union Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia Georgia, Republic of Germany Greece Guadeloupe Guatemala Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Kazakhstan Korea Kyrgyz Republic (Kyrgyzstan) Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malaysia Malta Martinique Mayotte Mexico Morocco Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Norway Panama Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Reunion Romania Russian Federation Serbia Singapore Slovakia Slovenia South Africa Spain Sri Lanka St. Lucia Suriname Sweden Switzerland Taiwan Thailand Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Ukraine United Kingdom Uruguay Uzbekistan Vietnam
Animal Products Export Regulations Updates
— History of Requirement Updates for Animal Product Exports

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Guesses on travel time from Pattaya to Don Muang?
#1 Guesses on travel time from Pattaya to Don Muang?
Although there are more than likely a thousand variables involved with getting from Pattaya by car to catch a flight out of Don Muang airport I'm trying to come up with an answer for a friend visiting soon for the first time, and any & all input (well, beggars can't be choosers!) would be appreciated.
He'll be catching a flight out of there early on a Sunday afternoon, and the best I've been able to gather so far is to allow five to six hours. That means leaving Pattaya early on Sunday morning, so maybe the worst of the traffic would be in Bangkok itself? I've never made this transfer myself - haven't even been to DMK in seven years.
#2 Re: Guesses on travel time from Pattaya to Don Muang?
Of course 5 to 6 hours would allow for just about any contingency or unforeseen circumstance, but unless it's a heavy traffic holiday, 3 to 4 hours is plenty of time.
#3 Re: Guesses on travel time from Pattaya to Don Muang?
#4 Re: Guesses on travel time from Pattaya to Don Muang?
I would go at least 4 hours before including check in and immigration processing. Sunday morning is ok but the afternoon would see many returning to BKK from their weekend condos in Pattaya. I avoid Don Muang Airport unless there is no choice, although flying out is better than returning there with the long lines at immigration and terrible taxi queue system.
#5 Re: Guesses on travel time from Pattaya to Don Muang?
The real question is how much time does he want as a contingency. On a Sunday, the traffic could be quite busy with Bangkok residents returning home. As long as the car takes the expressway, though, I reckon he needs a maximum of 2 hours to get to Bangkok provided the traffic is relatively light and there are no jams. On a Sunday afternoon he will rarely need more than 30 minutes from Bangkok to Don Mueang since the car will already be on an expressway. Basically it's expressway all the way after hitting it outside Pattaya. Then allow an hour for check in and security - longer if he is on an international flight.
#6 Re: Guesses on travel time from Pattaya to Don Muang?
Thanks for all of the suggestions so far. This is a lunchtime flight out of DMK.
He's in Pattaya for a convention that weekend and has an obligation in Pattaya on Saturday evening that'll prevent an overnight in Bangkok - that was my first thought, too. I'm booking the taxi for him so I'll see if the suggestions on routes help. At this point I'm just building slack into the schedule so he doesn't miss the flight from DMK. There's still a couple of weeks before this needs to work.


Which fork do I use first? When can I start eating? How many meals can I order? What is fine dining etiquette?
Here are some great tips from Australian Finishing School on table manners, dining etiquette and which fork to use first.
2. Wait to be seated in signs require so.
This is policy at many restaurants, but even if a restaurant offers to seat you before everyone arrives, it's polite to wait for your entire party to arrive before being seated.
3. Don't leave your phone on the table.
This one seems obvious, but take your phone, keys, and other belongings off of the table. And don't take your phone out to text. This sends a message to your company that whoever you're texting is more important to you than they are. Sending a reply message or email can wait until dinner is over, but if it's urgent, excuse yourself before taking out your phone. Not texting at the table is just one of the basic etiquette rules. If you need to take a phone call as your company first prior to food arriving.
4. Put your serviette on your lap.
You can do this as soon as you sit down. However if someone is taking you out to a meal (especially if it is for business), wait until your host puts his or her serviette on their lap. If you excuse yourself to use the restroom, place the serviette on the chair. When you finish your meal, you can place the serviette on the table.
5. Wait for everyone to be served before you start eating.
6. Treat the wait staff with respect.
Make sure you still say please and thank you and give eye contact. We are dealing with humans not machines. Don't be afraid to ask questions, but if any of the food is not to your liking keep in mind that this is likely not the waiter's fault.
7. Everyone should order the same number of courses.
Agree with your companion or companions upon whether or not you want appetizers or desserts. That way, you will start and finish your meals at the same time.
8. Decide ahead of time how you're splitting the bill.
If you would like separately, ask the waiter ahead of time if this is possible so they can keep track of what each person orders throughout the meal. However, if you're with a large group, don't assume the restaurant will be able to accommodate this. If everyone's meal was around the same price range, it's best to just split the bill evenly. Bring cash or make arrangements to pay the payer back.
Is it proper etiquette to leave a little food on your plate?
What do you mean by dining etiquette?
What is fine dining etiquette?
What is the correct way to hold a knife and fork?
What are table manners? Table manners are the rules used while feeding, which may also include the inappropriate use of utensils. Learn more with our Finishing Touch Certification or Young adult courses.


8-hydroxy-2-deoxy-guanosine (8-OHdG) is an early marker for endothelial cells DNA damage associated with oxidative stress in diabetes. Whether endothelial damage precedes increases in cholesterol and associated vascular disease in the early stages of metabolic disease is not known and would provide additional information on the mechanism leading to coronary artery and vascular disease. The study included One-hundred and twenty-seven participants attended the Diabetes Screening Clinic, at Charles Sturt University, Australia. 8-OHdG level was significantly greater in the impaired blood glucose group compared to control group. This increase was not associated with a significant reduction in erythrocyte reduced glutathione, which is an early marker for oxidative stress. Cholesterol levels were in the normal range which is often considered as the primary risk marker for development of cardiovascular disease and hence are actively treated. However, biochemical analysis showed more complicated changes develop much earlier than in the diabetes stage. Endothelial damage and oxidative stress, measured as 8-OHdG have significantly changed in the prediabetes cohort despite non-significant increases in cholesterol levels and lipid peroxidation suggesting that the mechanism of lipid peroxidation leading to oxidative DNA damage needs to be reviewed in conjunction with decreased protection against oxidative stress considered at the prediabetes stage.


PlayBox Technology UK Ltd has launched its new Channel In A Box.
It is the most up to date engine from industry leader PlayBox Technology (UK), built around today's Automated workflows for OTT and IP Broadcast. The new Channel In A Box will speed up workflows whether it's SDI or IP and increase return on investment and also offers greater flexibility of operation style.
The official launch date for the new Channel In A Box is 07 December 2018.
PlayBox Technology (UK) believes that Channel In A Box will offer faster speed for putting channels on air with ease and will offer HTML5 graphics for the first time.
Channel In A Box offers a gateway from which new channels can be established with relative ease and efficiency, regardless of whether consumers are looking at traditional broadcast, web based or OTT services.
Customers globally have benefited from the flexibility of operation, which is a direct result of the automated approach that PlayBox has pioneered for the last 14 years.


Your search returned 21 result(s).
1 or 1a limit, boundary, extreme; confine, frontier of a terri- tory, etc.; Shore (of the sea), bank (of a river), brink, edge (of a pit, etc.); Side, edge (of a road, etc); edge, border; from end to end; side by side, alongsides 2 border, hem (of a garment)?


Source: In: Fosbroke, Sandra L.C.; Gottschalk, Kurt W., eds. Proceedings, U.S. Department of Agriculture interagency research forum on gypsy moth and other invasive species 2002; 2002 January 15-18; Annapolis, MD. Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-300. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station: 84.
Shields, Vonnie D.C.; Broomell, Brian P.; Salako, Jelilat O.B. 2003. Determining feeding preference hierarchy in gypsy moth larvae (Lymantria dispar) using choice test bioassays. In: Fosbroke, Sandra L.C.; Gottschalk, Kurt W., eds. Proceedings, U.S. Department of Agriculture interagency research forum on gypsy moth and other invasive species 2002; 2002 January 15-18; Annapolis, MD. Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-300. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station: 84.


This love story deserves to be told. What makes it so special is not only how this amazing couple chose to marry one another, but how truly moving it was for the SB Team to help weave their separate cultures, Indian and Korean, into a weekend celebration that wouldn't get lost in translation. Friends and family would travel close to ten-thousand miles to witness two beautiful souls unite as one, first in a traditional Indian ceremony at the bride's family home, followed by a Korean paebaek ceremony the evening of their rehearsal at Gunther restaurant in Canton. On Saturday, traditionally dressed in the wedding attire of each of their countries of origin, Nina and Chris hosted a blended ceremony in the BMA garden. At the close of the ceremony the two exchanged handmade lays and lead the group into their reception and dance party between the towering columns of one of the most exceptional museums on the east coast.
Togetherness is why they chose The Baltimore Museum of Art. The BMA is an environment that was built to celebrate different ideas, different cultures, and different aesthetics. It's a space void of politics or a specific religion. It's a space literally filled with tradition and passion. Every painting, sketch, sculpture, poem, and architectural detail tells its very own love story, but together they fill an otherwise empty room with curiosity, history, culture, and beauty.
If the secret to art is love, as Bourdelle famously stated, then we can only conclude, that the secret to love, Nina and Chris's love, is the art of togetherness. Thank you, Nina and Chris, for allowing us the privilege of helping you celebrate all of the above. Thank you for setting an example for so many of kindness, tradition, and a blended community—one where we all feel safe and surrounded by the things that matter most.


text:
Enbridge files to have state lawsuit moved to federal court
by: Madalyn Buursma
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Enbridge has requested Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel's lawsuit be moved to federal court.
Michigan had dropped a federal lawsuit weeks ago in order to focus on one it was hoping to keep in state court.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has pulled Enbridge's permits to operate Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac, but the company continues to run it. The Canadian company has cited a federal treaty — the 1977 Transit Pipeline Treaty — that guarantees the uninterrupted flow of petroleum products between the two countries.
"The removal of the Attorney General's case to federal court follows a November 16, 2021 ruling which held that the similar (and now dismissed) lawsuit brought by the Governor to force Line 5's shutdown raised important federal issues and should be heard in federal court," Enbridge said in a statement.
In a Wednesday statement, Nessel called the move "outrageous."
"This is an outrageous maneuver by Enbridge that flies in the face of federal law, which clearly establishes the process to remove a suit must be initiated within 30 days. We will address this flagrant attempt to undermine that process in court and remain fervently committed to our belief that the fate of Michigan's greatest natural resources should be determined in a Michigan court. Our residents deserve more than a company who seeks to profit from our natural resources while at the same time attempting to evade legal review of their actions by our state's courts."
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel
by Corinne Moore / Jan 18, 2022
BEDFORD CHARTER TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — A man has been arrested for allegedly murdering his significant other early Tuesday.
Around 12:30 a.m., a man called the Calhoun County Consolidate Dispatch Authority and said that his significant other had been shot on North Gardner Avenue, near Michigan Avenue.
by Anna Skog / Jan 18, 2022
MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) — The annual Taste of Muskegon has changed its dates permanently.
The event normally happens every year on the third weekend of June. Juneteenth celebrations often also happen on the third weekend of June. Last year, Juneteenth was declared a federal holiday.
Oath Keepers and founder planned Jan. 6 riot for weeks, documents show
'Keep learning': Calvin's January Series offers free lectures


Wolverhampton's Castlecroft Medical is a purpose-built health centre offering the very best of patient care. And we make sure that our facilities management service is delivered to the same high standards.
Called in to carry out services not covered by the local authority, we now provide full facilities management as well as specialist refurbishment projects. From heating maintenance and the replacement of vinyl slip-resistant flooring, to the installation of digital locks and NHS-compliant medical storage units.
All work is carried out to NHS standards by DRB-checked staff and with minimum disruption to patients and staff.


After Amazon announced cloud support for .Net users last month, Rackspace has now come up with its cloud proposal that will help Microsoft .Net developers to take advantage of cloud features and services for developing new and different applications.
Rackspace is offering a high-quality open cloud service to businesses of different sizes across the world.
After its successful acquisition of Exceptional Cloud Services and offering cloud based support to mobile developers, Rackspace on Wednesday has launched two tools for Microsoft .Net developers that will extend .Net support to Rackspace's cloud ― helping developers efficiently develop web and mobile apps using cloud features.
According to the company officials in a blog post, the new tools, Rackspace Cloud SDK and a PowerClient, will enable .Net developers to exploit public cloud services of Rackspace for their development projects.
The post also stated that with Windows Server operating on Rackspace monitored architecture, the offered tools can be used for managing development environments. These tools will ease the developer's job, making it simpler for them to transfer applications and information into the cloud; however they have not come up with any new technical innovation that can persuade developers to use Rackspace tools and cloud preferably over Windows Azure.
As mentioned in the post, Rackspace's Cloud SDK allows .Net developers to employ the language for developing with Rackspace's OpenStack cloud modules. The Cloud SDK comes along with a language API, a reference handbook, an instructional guide to make things start, publishing notes and some code examples. The SDK also offers features like cloud individuality, cloud servers, cloud mass storage space, cloud archives and cloud nets.
For Microsoft .Net users, Rackspace provided PowerClient is a replacement of Linux's NovaClient. The PowerClient gives a PowerShell's API client that is intended for the Rackspace public cloud, and is designed to work with its OpenStack servers.
As per the report on .Net development tools for Windows Azure, this new Rackspace offering appears as if Microsoft has commenced its next important release for the former by offering SDK support for .NET development framework. Now with Rackspace's Cloud SDK, .NET can handle requests for huge storage virtual machines as well as has a number of cloud service enhancements.
"What makes Rackspace valuable to the customers is its managed hosting experience," said Cole Humphreys, Rackspace product marketing manager.
However, unlike Amazon's AWS which is providing its support to .NET, Rackspace lacks high-level platform-as-a-service application automation cloud feature to make it easy for developers to run .Net on cloud.
As Microsoft Azure is still young and in its early stages with infrastructure-as-a-service cloud being available to everyone in April of this year, Rackspace with its tools for .Net users has tried to take benefit of the laziness that is shown by Microsoft to influence some developers.
So, what is your opinion about the new Microsoft .Net tools offered to developers? Let us know in the comments section.


text:
Hyundai Tucson Recalled in Pakistan Due to Fire Hazard
By Waleed Shah | Published May 24, 2021 | 3:13 pm
There's been a rise in the number of vehicle fire incidents across Pakistan, and the names that come up in such news more often than others, are Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson. Hyundai Nishat has identified the problem, issuing a recall of the Tucson SUV to fix the problem.
Last week, the automaker released the following message, reportedly addressing the Tucson SUV owners
The company informed the owners of a faulty Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) module that could possibly short-circuit, sending the vehicle ablaze as a result. Hyundai Nishat has advised the customers to take the vehicles to the nearest 3S dealership, where the experts will sort out the issue by installing an enhanced protective kit and upgrading the Electronic Control Unit (ECU) to comply with the upgraded ABS module.
Haval Jolion Vs. Kia Sportage Vs. MG HS [Comparison]
It bears mentioning that over the past year, Hyundai has issued close to a million recalls across several countries due to several malfunctions that could've resulted in a fire.
Most recently, the automaker recalled over 277,000 vehicles that had the 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engines over a possible fire hazard. Reportedly, the engine had poorly heat-treated piston oil rings, which could cause oil to leak onto hot exhaust components, resulting in a fire in the engine bay.
Bear in mind that the Kia Sportage – despite being a different vehicle from a different company – features almost entirely the same set of mechanical parts and engine components as the Tucson.
Furthermore, the Sportage has also reportedly been on fire a number of times, with the most recent incident occurring just a few weeks ago. Yet the Lucky Motor Company has remained silent on the development.
Hyundai Recalls 2019-20 Elantra Due to a Fire Hazard
Customer services and quality assurance measures are an important part of an automaker establishing its place in a particular market. Hyundai Nishat seems to recognize that fact and has taken the necessary step to garner more confidence from the public.
Hyundai Denies Involvement in Apple Car Development
Kia To Spearhead Apple Car Project Under Hyundai Motors
Hyundai Tucson's Specs & Price Revealed Ahead of Official Online Launch
Hyundai Unveils Latest Gen Sonata Sedan in Pakistan
Hyundai Nishat Gets Approval for Greenfield Auto Assembly Project
Waleed Shah
An automotive enthusiast with a knack for written expression.


text:
Dette er en liste over Ruslands zarer 1547-1917.

Russiske zarer
 Ivan 4. af Rusland – (1547-1584)
 Fjodor 1. (1584-1598)
 Boris Godunov – (1598-1605)
 Fjodor 2. (1605)
 Den falske Dmitrij 2. (1605-1606)
 Vasilij 4. (1606-1610)
 Vladislav 4. Vasa af Polen (1610-1613)
 Mikhail Romanov (1613-1645)
 Aleksej Mikhajlovitj (1645-1676)
 Fjodor 3. (1676-1682)
 Ivan 5. (1682-1696) regerede sammen med Peter den Store til 1696
 Peter 1. den Store (1682-1725)
 Katharina 1. (1725-1727)
 Peter 2. (1727-1730)
 Anna Ivanovna (1730-1740)
 Ivan 6. (1740-1741)
 Elisabeth (1741-1762)
 Peter 3. (1762)
 Katharina 2. den Store (1762-1796)
 Paul 1. (1796-1801)
 Alexander 1. (1801-1825)
 Nikolaj 1. (1825-1855)
 Alexander 2. (1855-1881)
 Alexander 3. (1881-1894)
 Nikolaj 2. (1894-1917)

Zarer

Lister over regenter
Moskvas historie
Zar-Rusland
Det Russiske Kejserrige

be:Імператары расійскія


Pennsylvania State Police officers check security at the north gate of Three Mile Island while, far left, an unidentified technician in a white T-shirt works to free the heavy metal gate from its housing.
What Hoover was referring to was the slew of terrorist attacks that occurred yesterday: four hijacked airplanes; the collapse of both World Trade Center towers, the plane crash into the Pentagon and the plane crash in Somerset County.
Considered the worst terrorist attacks by far in this country, Middletowners were left stunned and disbelieving.
Rumors abounded soon after the attacks on the World Trade Centers. Middletown Mayor Barbara Layne issued a release that the town was not going to be evacuated.
None of the schools in the Middletown area closed.
The scene at Lower Dauphin High School was described as chaotic, as radio and TV reported that the school was dismissing early, when it was not. Parents showed up to take their children home and were met by teachers who said the school was still in session.
Lower Dauphin Communications Coordinator Jim Hazen said he was having difficulty with the TV stations and that evening activities had been canceled.
At Harrisburg International Airport, the first ever shutdown of American air space resulted in a complete closing of the airport.
"We're asking people to leave," said Alfred Testa, airport director. He also said the airport has increased security, adding extra police and firefighters on site.
Once the U.S. Department of Transportation shut down the air space at 10:24 a.m., all planes in the air were directed to land at the closest airport. Testa said an American Airlines flight en route from Chicago to New York landed with about 100 people. Testa also said a US Airways flight that was to depart from HIA was grounded. He did not say where that flight was originally headed.
At the other end of the runway, Pennsylvania Air National Guard unit, the 193rd Special Operations Wing, has been put on highest alert. The sign outside the gates leading to the 193rd reads "Threat Condition Delta," which is the highest level of alert for the military. Threat Condition Delta means a terrorist attack has occurred or is imminent.
Shank said that after the original attack at the World Trade Center Towers, the base went to a heightened level of security, searching any civilian vehicles entering the base. After the attack on the Pentagon, at about 10:30 a.m., it went to the highest level, with no unauthorized personnel allowed on base.
Shank said as of 2:30 p.m., they were concerned about the whereabouts of one of their pilots, who flies out of the Boston area.
After the terrorist attack on Sept. 11, at 8:50 a.m., the federal government was quick to respond by placing high-level security risk status to such entities as national monuments, government buildings, nuclear facilities, airports, etc., on a heightened security status.
Three Mile Island nuclear power plant immediately fell under this security status. At 9:20 a.m., just a half-hour after the first attack in Manhattan, Robert Reid, former mayor of Middletown and effective mayor-elect, went to TMI's North Gate entrance to check on its security status. The reason for Reid's inspection was his concern about the north gate, the main access into TMI.
"When I arrived at the north gate, there were two people there [guarding], a woman and another guard armed with a machine gun," he said. Reid knew that the gate was typically unmanned and he was concerned about the welfare of residents in the area, especially in the aftermath of the most vicious attack on American soil that had just taken place.
"I was disturbed by the lack of security there," he said. What was even more unsettling, according to Reid, was the fact that the vehicle barrier was wide open.
Middletown Police Chief Keith Reismiller was also present. He, too, had driven down to check on the plant's security status and to offer the assistance of his officers, if needed, to "beef up" security.
And according to the chief, Middletown Mayor Barbara Layne had asked the chief to call the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency to ensure the integrity of the nuclear facility's security.
"It is unconscionable to me that somebody could do this [terrorism]," she said.
Doug Gellatly, Londonderry Township chairman of the Board of Supervisors, also stopped at the north gate and spoke with a guard. Gellatly had been concerned for quite some time as to what he saw as lax security at the north gate. He noticed that the gate that served as a vehicle barrier was still open.
Gellatly said a guard at TMI told Londonderry Supervisor Edward Swartz that morning that the reason the barrier was not secured was because it was not hooked up to electricity. Swartz later confirmed this had been the case.
A member of the Press And Journal staff drove by TMI about an hour and a half after the first terrorist attack and saw that the vehicle barrier was still open. It was at least an hour and a half after the attack before a State Police officer arrived as additional security backup.
• Half keg of Red Dog, $42.99. Milwaukee's Best Light and Best Ice, $7.99 for 24 12-ounce cans. Tony's Beverage, 100 Brown St.
• Julia Roberts and Billy Crystal in "America's Sweethearts." Adults $3, children $2. Elks Theatre, Middletown.


text:
Q: How to remove white screen on every navigation in Cordova app I've created a cordova application from my web app based on html, javascript. Everything works fine except the navigations, My Web app was not a single page application and in response to navigating to a link, my cordova app shows white screen for a split screen and then loads my page content. Some idea how to remove that white screen? Any help will be appreciated!

A: I can provide some hints for you:

*

*put your current a.html inside a div with id=divCurPage.

*create another div with id=divNextPage and make it invisible.

*Use jquery to load b.html into divNextPage, this jquery load function contains a callback function, which will only be run after b.html load completed.

*Inside this callback function:
divCurPage.innerhtml = divNextPage.innerhtml

*pls. note that any js to be run inside b.html, should not put inside b.html   Put them in separate js and include these js files inside a.html.  Because jquery load function delete all js inside the html file loaded.

ok, you just turn your multiple html pages app into an SPA.

A: I found the solution for the white screen flickering, I removed the ifrmaes from my code and set entry point for the project to my HTML file and everything works fine as expected.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Searching for hotels in Pau (France) or Pau accommodation? Pau is a renowned tourist destination of the great southwest. It is neighbours with Toulouse, Tarbes, Oloron, Bordeaux, Spain and Lourdes among others. Ideally located between Pyrenees, Atlantic Ocean and Aquitaine region of France, the city boasts numerous attractions toe entertain visitors.
From the charming medieval splendor of the Renaissance, the imprint of the early Romantic tourists who made the city an English town, Pau shimmers in all facets of a grand history. Wander throughout the centre of Pau, which boasts a dominating striking castle, the Château de Pau. Te castle has many features that are worth exploring. Visit the Musée des Beaux-Arts, which displays a collection of European paintings observe the art deco of the Place Clemenceau. In touch with its natural side, Pau features Palm trees, which creates an iconic backdrop of the Pyrenees as well as a Japanese garden, a Renaissance garden and a Mexican garden. The Musée National des Parachutistes, Pau Golf Club the oldest course on the continent and La Cité des Abeilles, or bee city are some other must see places.
Pau and its environs feature numerous events that allow visitors to learn about its heritage history and lifestyle. Some of these includes the Jazz Festival,Theatre Festival, Floral Festival and Tour de France. Other must attend events include the Celebration of the Tribute of the Three Cows, Bull running, the most famous festival in neigbouring Spain takes place in Pamplona and the International Pyrenees Folk Festival.
Stay at one of Pau's renaissance or contemporary accommodations tailored to meet your needs. Some of which are the Hôtel Parc Beaumont, Hôtel Roncevaux and Hôtel Continental. - Browse the Pau Map or compare Pau accommodation from Hotels, Motels, B&Bs, Lodging & Hostels to Holiday & Caravan Parks.
Resources, Information and guides on Pau. For things to do, attractions, restaurants, holidays and sites refer below.
About Page: Pau Motels, Family Packages, Holiday Stays, Caravan Parks, Apartments, Hostels, Last Minute Pau accommodation, 5 star Luxury to 2 star Budget hotels and resort deals. Compare Pau hotel reservations, bookings and cheap rates.


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Parishes bildeten in Schottland die Ebene der Gemeinden. Historisch entwickelten sie sich aus den gleichnamigen kirchlichen Verwaltungseinheiten, den Pfarreien. Nach deren Trennung wurde zur Unterscheidung der Begriff Civil Parish, abgekürzt CP, gebräuchlich. Im Zuge einer 1929 beschlossenen Verwaltungsreform wurden die ihnen zugewiesenen Aufgaben auf eine höhere Ebene verlagert, die gewählten Leitungsgremien aufgelöst. Fortan dienten sie nur noch verwaltungsinternen und statistischen Zwecken, 1975 wurden die Parishes endgültig abgeschafft. Die zugleich eingeführten Community Council Areas sind ihre Nachfolger, haben aber eine deutlich schwächere Stellung.

Geschichte
Wie auch in den anderen Teilen des Vereinigten Königreiches wurden bereits im Mittelalter im damals noch eigenständigen Schottland die Pfarrgemeinden () als kirchliche Einheiten zugleich mit der Übernahme von weltlichen Aufgaben betraut. Zunächst waren es diejenigen der römisch-katholischen Kirche, im Zuge der Reformation Ende des 17. Jahrhunderts wurden es die der Church of Scotland. Zu diesem Zeitpunkt bestanden um die 900 Parishes.

Die Trennung zwischen Kirche und Staat vollzog sich in zwei wesentlichen Schritten. Im Laufe der beginnenden Industrialisierung kam es zu Bevölkerungsverschiebungen, aufgrund derer die Abgrenzung der Parishes nicht mehr den Bedürfnissen der Kirchenverwaltung entsprach. Da die Parishes eine Doppelfunktion hatten, musste die Church of Scotland für beabsichtigte Änderungen jeweils die Genehmigung der Regierung einholen. Mit dem New Parishes (Scotland) Act von 1844 erhielt die Kirche nun die Möglichkeit, eigenständig Umgliederungen vorzunehmen, das Jahr 1845 wird daher als Entstehungsjahr der Parishes als staatliche Verwaltungseinheit angesehen. Es entwickelten sich in der Folge für die Parishes die Zusätze quoad sacra (nur kirchlich), quoad civilia (nur staatlich) und quaod omnia (sowohl als auch).

Mit dem Local Government (Scotland) Act von 1894 wurde in den Parishes das bis dahin aus einer Kombination von Grundbesitzern, Vertretern der Kirchengemeinde und teilweise aus dem Kreise der steuerzahlenden Bevölkerung gewählten Mitgliedern gebildete Leitungsgremium, das Parochial Board, ersetzt durch einen von der Bevölkerung in dreijährigem Turnus gewählten Gemeinderat, den Parish Council. Einen Bürgermeister gab es nicht, stattdessen wurde das Gremium von einem aus den eigenen Reihen für jeweils ein Jahr gewählten Vorsitzenden (Chairman) geleitet. Als übergeordnete Aufsichtsbehörde wurde zugleich ein Local Government Board installiert.

Nicht deckungsgleich waren die Grenzen der Parishes mit denen der Burghs, also den mit Stadt- und Marktrecht versehenen Gemeinwesen, die einen eigenen Magistrat und erweiterte Rechte hatten. Noch komplizierter wurde die Situation mit der Entwicklung der Police Burghs ab 1833. Sie entstanden nicht nur in bisher nichtstädtischen Gebieten, sondern konnten auch von bereits bestehenden Burghs als zusätzlicher Status mit anderem räumlichen Umfang angenommen werden.

Da das System der Parishes unabhängig von den Grafschaften entstanden war, gab es auch hier territoriale Überschneidungen. Nachdem der Local Government (Scotland) Act von 1889 festgelegt hatte, dass Grenzkommissionen () einzurichten seien, welche die Grenzziehungen auf ihre Sinnhaftigkeit zu überprüfen und Korrekturen vorzunehmen hätten, kam es hier insbesondere in den 1890er Jahren zu ausgedehnten Bereinigungen, Zusammenlegungen und Aufteilungen. Zu diesem Zeitpunkt waren 64 Parishes auf jeweils zwei dieser Counties aufgeteilt, bei Logie und Arngask waren es deren drei. Bei dieser Gelegenheit wurden auch verbreitet vorhandene Enklaven und Exklaven beseitigt.

Als exemplarisch kann hier die Situation des genannten Logies angeführt werden, das sich 1888 auf die Grafschaften Clackmannan, Perth und Stirling aufteilte und zugleich Teile der Burghs Bridge of Allan und Stirling umfasste.

Aufgaben
Zu den frühen Aufgaben der Parishes gehörten, neben der Unterhaltung des lokalen Wegenetzes, insbesondere die Armenfürsorge. 1579 mussten sie zunächst Listen der in ihrem Bereich lebenden Bedürftigen erstellen, 1597 wurde ihnen deren Unterstützung übertragen. Dieses System stieß ab den 1840er Jahren an seine Grenzen, bedingt durch eine starke Zunahme der Bedürftigen, aber auch durch die  sogenannte "disruption", die Abspaltung der Free Church of Scotland 1843, und den damit einhergehenden Verlust an Pfarrern, die es hätten organisieren können. Durch den Scottish Poor Law Act von 1845 wurden erstmals Leitungsgremien, die Parochial Boards eingeführt. Anders als in England und Wales war die Errichtung von Arbeitshäusern nicht verpflichtend und zudem auf Parishes oder Verbände hiervon mit mindestens 5000 Einwohnern beschränkt. Zudem konnten die Boards beschließen, eine lokale Steuer zur Finanzierung der Bedürftigen einzuführen. Sofern dies aber umgesetzt wurde, erhielt der besteuerte Teil Bevölkerung das Recht, Mitglieder in das Parochial Board zu wählen. Von den damals 880 Parishes machten bis 1853 von dieser Möglichkeit 680 Gebrauch. Entlastet wurden die Parishes ab 1872, weil die von ihnen betriebenen Schulen vom Staat übernommen wurden.

Sukzessive kamen im Laufe der Jahre weitere Aufgabenbereiche hinzu oder wurden wieder auf andere Ebenen verlagert. Manche waren freiwillig wie beispielsweise die Einrichtung und Betrieb von Bibliotheken, Freizeitanlagen, öffentlichen Bädern oder Schrebergärtenanlagen, andere verpflichtend, so etwa im Bereich der allgemeinen Gesundheitsvorsorge. Hier wären insbesondere der Public Health (Scotland) Act von 1867 und seine nachfolgenden Änderungen zu nennen. Gehörte ein Teil des Parish zu einem Police Burgh, so galt dies nur für den außerhalb dessen gelegenen Bereich. Hierfür wurde mit Ausschüssen () gearbeitet, zusammengesetzt aus den in diesem Gebiet in den Parish Council gewählten Vertretern, die über die betreffenden Belange zu entscheiden hatten.

Auflösung und weitere Entwicklung
Im Zuge des im Folgejahr in Kraft getretenen Local Government (Scotland) Act von 1929 wurden die Parish Councils aufgelöst. Die Städte wurden, je nach Größe, in Small Burghs und Large Burghs unterteilt und erhielten für den innerhalb des Stadtgebietes gelegenen Bereich des Parishes auch einen Teil von dessen Zuständigkeiten übertragen. In den übrigen Gebieten, im Gesetz als landward bezeichnet, gingen diese auf übergeordnete Einheiten, die Verwaltungsgrafschaften und Districts, über.

Die Parishes selbst blieben erhalten, allerdings nur als verwaltungsinterne Einheiten. So wurden etwa die Valution Rolls, eine Art erweitertes, jährlich aktualisiertes Grundbuch, weiterhin auf der Basis von Parishes geführt, ebenso Einträge in Denkmalschutzregister wie etwa die Listen der Listed Buildings oder der Scheduled Monuments. Parishes dienten auch als Basis für die Einteilung von Wahlbezirken.

1975 wurden die Parishes endgültig aufgelöst. Mit dem Local Government (Scotland) Act von 1973 wurden die übergeordneten Verwaltungseinheiten – damals die Districts, nach einer Verwaltungsreform seit 1996 die Council Areas – verpflichtet, in ihren Gebieten Regularien für die Installation von Gemeinderäten (Community Councils) aufzustellen und entsprechende Gebiete, die Community Council Areas, abzugrenzen. Sie sind als Nachfolger der Parishes anzusehen, haben aber eine deutlich schwächere Stellung.

Als statistische Einheiten sind die Parishes weiterhin existent. So bietet die für die Durchführung der alle zehn Jahre stattfindenden Volkszählung zuständige Behörde National Records of Scotland auch für 2011 eine Ausweisung der Bevölkerung nach Parishes. Hier sind es deren 871, von denen aber einige, mit einer geringen Bevölkerungszahl, bei einem benachbarten mit eingerechnet werden. Es finden sich auch andere Zahlen, etwa für die Ahnenforschung. Die schottische Regierung führt eine Codierungsliste mit 891 Agricultural Parishes, unter anderem für Fördermittel der Europäischen Union.

Hatte sich die britische Regierung 1973 noch an den bestehenden Strukturen orientiert und Parishes einzeln oder als Teil größerer Einheiten umgruppiert, so wich sie 1996 teilweise hiervon ab. Seither sind in einigen der Council Areas die heutigen Verwaltungsgrenzen nicht mehr deckungsgleich mit denen der Parishes.

Parishes als Grundlage der Statistical Accounts
Die "Statistical Accounts of Scotland", drei geographisch-historisch-statistische Reihen aus den 1790er Jahren, der Mitte des 18. sowie der ersten Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts, sind nach Parishes aufgegliedert. Sie umfassen jeweils mehrere Bände und gelten aufgrund ihrer formalisierten, ausführlichen Beschreibungen der einzelnen Gemeinden als wegweisende landeskundliche Werke.

Literatur
 Mabel Atkinson: The Organization of Local Government in Scotland. Political Science Quarterly, 18 (1), 1903, S. 59–87 (englisch)
 Shennan Hay: Boundaries of Counties and Parishes in Scotland as settled by the Boundary Commissioners under the Local Government (Scotland) Act, 1889, Edinburgh 1892. (englisch)

Gesetzestexte
 New Parishes (Scotland) Act 1844 auf dem Gesetzesserver der britischen Regierung (englisch)
 Poor Law Act (1845) auf einer Website zu den Arbeitshäusern im Vereinigten Königreich (englisch)
 The law relating to public health: being the Public Health (Scotland) Act, 1867, and Amending Acts of 1871, 1875, and 1882 im Internet Archive (englisch)
 Local Government (Scotland) Act 1894 auf dem Gesetzesserver der britischen Regierung (englisch)
 Local Government (Scotland) Act 1929 auf dem Gesetzesserver der britischen Regierung (englisch)

Weblinks
 Scottish Counties and Parishes: their history and boundaries on maps. Informationen zur geschichtlichen Entwicklung auf der Website der Schottischen Nationalbibliothek (englisch)
 Parishes and Districts auf der von National Records of Scotland betriebenen Website ScotlandsPeople (englisch)
 Scottish counties and parishes auf der Website des Scottish Cultural Resources Access Network (SCRAN) von Historic Environment Scotland (englisch)
 Ordnance Survey Maps One-inch 2nd edition, Scotland, 1898–1904. Satz von 105 Karten des Ordnance Survey mit kolorierten Parishes auf der Website der National Library of Scotland (englisch)
 The Statistical Accounts of Scotland 1791–1845. Digitalisierung des ersten und zweiten Statistical Accounts auf der Website der Universität Edinburgh, mit Suchmöglichkeit nach den Beschreibungen einzelner Parishes (englisch)

Einzelnachweise

!
Ehemalige Verwaltungseinheit (Vereinigtes Königreich)
Schottische Geschichte
Verwaltungsgliederung Schottlands


The Training and Placement Cell (TPC) functions with the objective of giving apt career guidance and placement opportunities. It is a group of zealous students guided by eminent faculty. The cell acts as a morale booster to extend all possible assistance to career conscious students. Targeting overall development, the following programs are conducted frequently.
The College has State-of-the-art facilities for conducting seminars and workshops. Well furnished seminar halls with LCD projector and interview rooms are few to be mentioned.


Zionist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened Hamas with 'very strong blows' following recent clashes at the Gaza border.
"Hamas, apparently, has not internalized the message. If they do not stop the violent attacks against us, they will be stopped in a different way and it will be painful — very painful. We are very close to a different kind of activity, an activity that will include very powerful blows. If it has sense, Hamas will stop firing and stop these violent disturbances — now," Netanyahu said at the weekly cabinet meeting, as quoted by the Haaretz newspaper.


Lush video for 'Ride The Prejudice', taken from Phonat's recent Identity Theft EP.
Phonat is Italian producer Michele Balduzzi and this EP follows up his 2008 debut. The video itself is a surreal but spectacular shape-shifting piece of modernism that really fits with the IDM / future 2-step sound of the song.
Check it out and go to Phonat's official website for more info.


text:
California Cup @ UC Berkeley (Feb 21 + Mar 7)
The Northern California Quiz Bowl Alliance and Quiz Bowl Club at UC Berkeley are pleased to announce that we will be holding the third annual California Cup. The California Cup consists of four quiz bowl tournaments held throughout the year, and it is widely considered the premier academic competition event in Northern California. The last two tournaments in the series will be held on Saturday, February 21 and Saturday, March 7. For the tournaments we will have registration at 8:30AM, the event will start at about 9:00AM, we will have a lunch break around noon, and we hope to finish around 5:00PM. A flyer can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/m27dabl.
We hope to attract many teams from across the state and elsewhere. We have previously attracted teams from as far away as Southern California and Mississippi. As we have in the past, we will guarantee teams a high number of games (8 or more) per tournament and ensure that teams are able to play others of the same skill level after preliminary placement rounds.
The top teams at each tournament will qualify for the 2015 PACE National Scholastics Championship (NSC; http://www.pace-nsc.org/nsc-2015/), which will be held June 6-7 at the Reston Hyatt in Reston, Virginia. Additionally, teams that perform well on NAQT sets during the California Cup will qualify for the 2015 High School National Championship Tournament (HSNCT; https://www.naqt.com/hsnct/2015/details.html), held May 29-31 at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare hotel in Rosemont, Illinois (near Chicago). California Cup tournaments have historically held the highest possible certification from PACE (platinum). Teams that do well at the non-NAQT California Cup competitions can also apply for wildcards to HSNCT and PACE, and many have received them. California Cup #3 and #4 will likely use the Brookwood Invitational Scholars Bowl (BISB) and Yale's Bulldog High School Academic Tournament (BHSAT), respectively, for both divisions.
Teams may choose to register separately for each tournament within the series, though we recommend registering for all four tournaments at once (the "package"), which ensures a significant discount. We will split the field into junior varsity and varsity divisions and evaluate each separately. After the cup results are tallied, we will crown a California Cup (NorCal) state champion! There will be book prizes and gift cards for the highest-performing teams and individual scorers at each tournament, and other prizes are in store for the top California Cup teams. When calculating final Cup standings, we will count the top three performances by each team, allowing teams to account for extenuating circumstances at one tournament (either a lower-than-expected performance or non-attendance). Only teams that register for the entire series of tournaments will be eligible for the title as well as prizes at the end. With four guaranteed tournaments and plenty of gameplay, this series will offer the best prizes, greatest value, and most national qualification opportunities available anywhere in the country!
Base fee per team for package of all four tournaments (paying by cash or check): $270
Base fee per team for package of all four tournaments (paying via Square): $260
If your school played zero Cal Cup events last year (i.e. new team discount): -$70
Referral discount: An established team can pay the new team price if they refer a previously non quiz bowl-playing school to the California Cup and that school ends up purchasing the package. This will be -$25 if that new school only ends up purchasing a single tournament.
Buzzer discount: -$10 per tournament (We will test buzzers and NOT accept them if they do not have four fully functioning units on each "side," so do not try to claim discounts on buzzers that are not in full working order. Also, PLEASE LABEL your buzzers with your school/team name so that you can promptly pick them up at the tournament's conclusion. Lastly, we will no longer accept buzzers that require a laptop to operate unless we really need them.)
Staff discount: -$10 per tournament for experienced, competent moderator (if needed)
-$5 per tournament for scorekeeper
Travel discount: -$20 per 75 miles one-way (determined by Google Maps)
Registering for a single tournament: $90
New school registering for a single tournament: $65
Minimum entry fee: $20 per tournament
*Buzzers and staff discounts apply on an as-needed, first-come, first-serve basis. When registering, please detail how many staff and/or buzzers you may be able to bring. As the tournament approaches, we will let you know whether they are needed or not. Payment will be taken either online via Square or at registration; please make checks payable to "Quiz Bowl Club". Note that discounts for future tournaments will NOT be given at any particular tournament. What this means is that if, for example, at the first tournament you claim a buzzer discount for all four tournaments, you must still pay as if you only claimed it for one tournament. Then, for each subsequent tournament in which you actually bring the buzzer, we will refund you $10 in cash. The same goes for the staffer discount. The entire distance discount may be claimed at the first tournament, though (that is, teams more than 75 miles away from UC Berkeley will pay $80 less).
We are setting a field cap of 48 teams (overall, not per division). Schools may register multiple teams--there is no limit. We might be able to expand if there is enough interest, but until that point, we will accept teams on a first-come, first-serve basis. Fields can fill fast, so sign up soon to reserve your slot!
To register for March 7, please fill out this Google Form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1uhvH5A ... w/viewform
The registration deadline for Cal Cup #2 is Wednesday, November 19. Please bring the cash or check for full payment of the series of tournaments to the first tournament unless you are paying via Square. You can still pay the base fee for three tournaments if you register by the second tournament.
Scoring and Gameplay
The California Cup assigns points to schools based on their performance at the tournaments that take place throughout the year. We have decided to adopt the following scoring system: 10 points for 1st place, 8 points for 2nd place, 6 points for 3rd place, 4 points for 4th place, 3 points for 5th place, 2 points for 6th place, and 1 point for 7th place. Since the scoring automatically drops the lowest result of a team, only three of the tournaments will end up counting in the final evaluation of a team's standing. Of course, attending all four tournaments will ensure that your team's worst performance is disregarded. This means, for example, if a team wins the first three California Cup tournaments, they will be declared the California Cup champion for that division. If a team that does not purchase the full package ends up placing high enough on the scoring system, then we will simply skip them in the California Cup overall ranking (but they will still retain their ranking for that individual tournament). At the end of the year, we will break ties by evaluating (1) the performance in the 4th tournament and (2) statistics from each team's performances throughout the year. We will maintain separate standings for JV and Varsity teams.
We will enforce all the gameplay rules as they are written in Sections D-H of the official rules of the Academic Competition Federation (http://acf-quizbowl.com/documents/official-acf-rules/), so all players must fully familiarize themselves with these rules before playing these tournaments. If you are having trouble remember them, we recommend you print out a copy and refresh your memory immediately prior to the tournament. Pay special attention to timing, pronunciation, and protest guidelines, as players often lose out on points by not knowing these. You can find out more about what quiz bowl is here: (http://www.norcalquizbowl.org/?page_id=18) and you can find more quiz bowl-pertinent resources here (http://www.norcalquizbowl.org/?page_id=51). Teams that owe the Berkeley club money from last year must reimburse us before paying for this tournament.
Thank you for your interest, and please spread the word to other high schools that are interested in quiz bowl or are heavily involved in other academic events like debate, AcaDeca, or Science Bowl. We look forward to another exciting year of academic competition!
Please contact us at [email protected] with any questions that you have. There will be a section on the NCQBA website (http://www.norcalquizbowl.org/) specifically devoted to the California Cup as well.
Cal Cup #4 Field (38):
Varsity (10):
Amador (1)
Bellarmine (1)
CA Crosspoint (1)
Cougars (1)
Guilder (1)
JV (28):
Berkeley HS (1)
Castro Valley (1)
Challenger- Strawberry Park (1)
Deer Valley (1)
Evergreen Valley (2)
Menlo (1)
Northgate (1)
Pi-oneers (1)
Rio+ML (1)
Valley Christian (2)
Last updated on 3/5-NK
The UC Berkeley Quiz Bowl Club is a student group acting independently of the University of California. The student organization is the host of the California Cup and takes full responsibility for the guests.
Last edited by njsbling on Fri Mar 06, 2015 2:26 am, edited 128 times in total.
Re: California Cup @ UC Berkeley (Nov 1 + Nov 22)
njsbling wrote: California Cup #2 will use NAQT sets appropriate for the varsity and junior varsity divisions.
The specific sets for the November 22nd California Cup event will be IS #140 (varsity) and #141A (jv).
Post by Important Bird Area » Sat Nov 01, 2014 5:44 pm
Through round 7 in varsity (11 teams, full round-robin):
1. Bellarmine A (6-0)
t2. Saratoga (5-1)
t2. Dougherty Valley (5-1)
t4. Escobar A (4-3)
t4. Palo Alto (4-3)
t6. Guilder A (3-3)
t6. Davis A (3-3)
8. Amador Valley A (2-4)
9. Guilder B (2-5)
10. Crystal Springs (1-6)
11. Albany A (0-6)
JV prelims are complete.
These are the playoff brackets for the afternoon:
Playoff bracket A:
Chinese Christian A
Valley Christian
Escobar B
Amador Valley B
Dougherty Valley B
Playoff bracket B:
Bellarmine B
Davis B
Dougherty Valley C
Amador Valley C
(the champions of each bracket will play a one-game final in round 11)
Consolation brackets:
first consolation:
Davis D
Washington A
second consolation:
Davis C
Team Krad
Dougherty Valley D
Leland A
Albany B
third consolation:
Escobar C
Pacific Grove A
Guilder C
Chinese Christian D
Pacific Grove B
fourth consolation:
Leland B
Washington B
Dougherty Valley E
Chinese Christian C
fifth consolation:
Chinese Christian B
Washington C
Dougherty Valley G
Dougherty Valley F
Post by njsbling » Sat Nov 01, 2014 6:08 pm
JV Prelim stats here.
JV Finals here.
Varsity Finals here.
Congrats to Bellarmine A for winning the Varsity division of Cal Cup #1 and congrats to Chinese Christian A for winning the JV division!
A big thanks to all of our Berkeley and team staffers (and I apologize for having the JV division take longer than expected).
Last edited by njsbling on Sat Nov 01, 2014 10:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Varsity results from Cal Cup #2 at Lunch
JV prelims results from Cal Cup #2
Congrats to Saratoga for clearing the field and winning the Varsity division of Cal Cup #2! Bruce from Saratoga was the top scorer.
Varsity Final Results/Stats
JV Final Results
Last edited by njsbling on Sun Nov 23, 2014 6:21 pm, edited 4 times in total.
JV playoff brackets:
Alpha:
Valley Christian A
Lynbrook A
Beta:
Archbishop Mitty
(the champions of Alpha and Beta will play a one-game final)
Gamma:
Saratoga B
Delta:
Lynbrook B
Monta Vista
Epsilon:
Zeta:
Valley Christian B
Dublin B
Theta:
Foothill
Amador Valley D
Saratoga A has cleared the field in varsity.
Post by t-bar » Sat Nov 22, 2014 8:03 pm
My god, 50 teams! Pay attention to the work Jeff Hoppes and Nick Karas are doing, everyone; this is how you build a circuit from the ground up.
JV results:
Five teams remain in contention.
From the beta bracket, Harker and Escobar B are playing a full-packet tiebreaker.
In the alpha bracket, we had a circle of death resulting in half-packet tiebreakers. Chinese Christian A and Valley Christian A are playing in the first half for the right to play Albany in the second half.
The winners of Harker/Escobar and Albany/tbd will advance to the one-game final. The losers of those games will meet in the third-place game.
Update: Chinese Christian defeated Valley Christian in the first phase of this tiebreaker. Albany defeated Chinese Christian in the second phase.
Harker defeated Escobar.
Setting up this final structure:
One-game final: Albany vs. Harker
Third-place game: Chinese Christian vs. Escobar
bird bird bird bird bird wrote: Saratoga A has cleared the field in varsity.
Varsity stats
Albany defeated Harker in the final. Chinese Christian defeated Escobar in the third-place game. JV stats forthcoming.
Post by Important Bird Area » Sun Nov 23, 2014 3:26 pm
bird bird bird bird bird wrote: JV stats forthcoming.
JV Stats
Re: California Cup @ UC Berkeley (Feb 21 + Mar 7)
Post by njsbling » Sat Jan 17, 2015 1:11 am
Good news! We have confirmed that Cal Cup #3 will be held on Sat, Feb 21 and Cal Cup #4 will be held on Sat, March 7. Registration for Cal Cup #3 is now open (the registration form can be found in the initial post above).
Post by njsbling » Sat Feb 21, 2015 9:05 pm
Congrats to Bellarmine A for defeating Saratoga A in a one-game final 360-305 to win the Varsity division of Cal Cup #3!
Varsity results/stats can be found here: http://www.hsquizbowl.org/db/tournament ... nal_stats/
Congrats to CA Crosspoint for defeating Davis B in a one-game final 370-150 to win the JV division of Cal Cup #3!
JV results/stats can be found here: http://www.hsquizbowl.org/db/tournament ... jv_finals/
A big thanks to all of our Berkeley and team staffers who helped out today! We'll see everyone at Cal Cup #4 on Sat, Mar 7.
Post by njsbling » Sat Mar 07, 2015 4:57 pm
Congrats to Bellarmine A for winning the Varsity division of Cal Cup #4 with a record of 9-0 ! With their win, Bellarmine has won the overall 2014-2015 Varsity "California Cup"
Complete Varsity stats are here: http://www.hsquizbowl.org/db/tournament ... nal_stats/
Congrats to Valley Christian A for winning the JV division of Cal Cup #4 with a record of 10-0! CA Crosspoint won the overall 2014-2015 JV "California Cup".
Complete JV stats are here: http://www.hsquizbowl.org/db/tournament ... jv_finals/
A big thanks to all of our team and Berkeley volunteers!
Last edited by njsbling on Sun Mar 08, 2015 4:02 am, edited 1 time in total.
Post by AKKOLADE » Sun Mar 08, 2015 3:17 am
The link for varsity should be http://www.hsquizbowl.org/db/tournament ... nal_stats/
University of Kentucky CoP, 2017
International Quiz Bowl Tournaments, co-owner
former (?) hsqbrank manager, former NAQT writer & subject editor, former hsqb Administrator/Chief Administrator


text:
Madhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica's Journey into the Dark Antarctic Night by Julian Sancton
The harrowing true survival story of an early polar expedition that went terribly awry–with the ship frozen in ice and the crew trapped inside for the entire sunless, Antarctic winter–in the tradition of David Grann, Nathaniel Philbrick, and Hampton Sides
In August 1897, thirty-one-year-old commandant Adrien de Gerlache set sail aboard the Belgica, fueled by a profound sense of adventure and dreams of claiming glory for his native Belgium. His destination was the uncharted end of the earth: the icy continent of Antarctica. But the commandant's plans for a three-year expedition to reach the magnetic South Pole would be thwarted at each turn. Before the ship cleared South America, it had already broken down, run aground, and lost several key crew members, leaving behind a group with dubious experience for such an ambitious voyage.
As the ship progressed into the freezing waters, the captain had to make a choice: turn back and spare his men the potentially devastating consequences of getting stuck, or recklessly sail deeper into the ice pack to chase glory and fame. He sailed on, and the Belgica soon found itself stuck fast in the icy hold of the Antarctic continent. The ship would winter on the ice. Plagued by a mysterious, debilitating illness and besieged by the monotony of their days, the crew deteriorated as their confinement in suffocating close quarters wore on and their hope of escape dwindled daily. As winter approached the days grew shorter, until the sun set on the magnificent polar landscape one last time, condemning the ship's occupants to months of quarantine in an endless night.
Forged in fire and carved by ice, Antarctica proved a formidable opponent for the motley crew. Among them was Frederick Cook, an American doctor–part scientist, part adventurer, part P.T. Barnum–whose unorthodox methods delivered many of the crew from the gruesome symptoms of scurvy and whose relentless optimism buoyed their spirits through the long, dark polar night. Then there was Roald Amundsen, a young Norwegian who went on to become a storied polar explorer in his own right, exceeding de Gerlache's wildest dreams by leading the first expeditions to traverse the Northwest Passage and reach the South Pole.
Drawing on firsthand accounts of the Belgica's voyage and exclusive access to the ship's logbook, Sancton tells the tale of its long, isolated imprisonment on the ice–a story that NASA studies today in its research on isolation for missions to Mars. In vivid, hair-raising prose, Sancton recounts the myriad forces that drove these men right up to and over the brink of madness.
An amazing story! I enjoyed this one as an audiobook which I'd highly recommend. It was narrated by Vikas Adam, who is a good story teller, great with accents, and helped me understand characterization and timeline. I think anyone would enjoy this especially those who may be interested in polar expeditions, survival stories, biographies, sailing and navigation, or first adventure type stories will love this one.
Meticulous in genuine research. Covers the entire voyage from start to end, details of the explorer culture, climate, setting, even touches on reasonings and application of space exploration along with all the emotion behind the journey.
From mysterious ice, polar history, the polar expedition with successes and failed attempts, winter over-syndrome with 3 months of upcoming darkness where no man had ever survived winter this far, perilous seas, hope, tragedy, antarctic stare, rats and their destructive behavior on the ship, the sounds, polar anemia, suffering health, the desire of wanting to chew with your teeth and wanting something crunchy, collisions of ice, crevasse, Drake Passage, and the game of Whist.
And of course the Belgica itself as a sailing vessel and the tension surrounding the feat in all its trepidation and glory.
Loved the visualization. Everything was interesting to me as described from both historical context, cultural matters, every day knowledge, and characterization. It was smooth as it went on, moving at a good pace from historical facts through periods of what would be mundane sailing for miles across the sea, to action and rationale for decisions made along the way.
The setups, overcoming the impossible, this one kept me going and I didn't want to put it down. I understand the title of Madhouse at the End of the Earth which is incredibly suiting.
I will look forward to more like this.
Check out the audiobook at Libro.fm
← Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
→ Celebrations at the Chateau by Jo Thomas


I love it when they match strides when they run together, which they seem to be doing a lot of lately. This picture would be amazing if Rondo was a touch closer so that his tail wasn't cropped out.
While they were taking a breather, I knelt down and was looking at my phone. Both horses came up behind me to see what I was doing, so I took advantage of the opportunity to get some candid selfies.
It was clear he knew exactly what he was doing. Panama looks a little harassed, doesn't he?
Such a beautiful afternoon with horses!


text:
Goodbye to Walden Pond
I never read Walden. I probably never will because, from what I've heard, Thoreau didn't write about real life, the struggle to survive against other creatures; hungry, cruel, desperate beings. Like us. Still, there is something to be learned from words, even when they reflect the author's imagination rather than reality.
My wife wanted a townhouse, something on the university bus route near campus; a place where the kids could live while attending Louisiana State University. An investment. We looked at some run-down units and weren't impressed. College housing was scarce in Baton Rouge back then, just five years ago, so we settled on a three-bedroom unit in a gated community. It needed some repairs. I was elected to move in six-months before the fall semester. There went my spring plans for traveling the country in my motorhome.
Our new townhouse's patio faced the retention pond, the size of an Olympic pool, surrounded by a steep bank covered by weedy grass. A culvert connected the shallow reservoir to a labyrinth of ditches, canals, sloughs, creeks, bayous, lakes, and ultimately to the Gulf of Mexico. A fountain accented the pond, running twenty-four hours a day. The fountain burbled when I went to bed, its steady cascade lulling me to sleep. It became the central point of my existence, the fountain of life, youth, dreams, disappointments, a microcosm of life. My world was centered on the unceasing flow of recirculated water. I shared this fascination, this dependence on its life-renewing sustenance, with other living beings, and that's what this story is about.
Of course, I watched from my patio, safely behind the fake wrought iron fence separating me from the pond. Prison bars to me. Zoo bars to the young neighbors walking their dogs past me as if on parade. The old guy.
The turtles living in my Walden Pond were the first to catch my eye. Their heads protruded from the water like the periscopes of submerged submarines, ready to strike. They clawed their way out of the primordial waters to sunbathe for hours. In the warm spring sun, they copulated, and reproduced. Despite the indifferent mothers' negligence, haphazardly dropping their gestating young among the pine mulch beneath the sparse, small trees, baby turtles appeared. No bigger than my palm, their offspring struggled against gravity to join their parents in the sun.
One morning, sunrise only a distant hope, I noticed something glistening on the grass, dimly lit by a streetlight. At first, I thought it was trash discarded by my adolescent neighbors. I investigated more closely, abandoning the safety of my patio to venture into the wilderness, following the path I'd memorized between the piles of dog feces left by young, unsocialized neighbors.
All kinds of fish—trout, catfish, bass, crappie, croaker—come to visit the pond, perhaps even copulate in the murky water, leaving their offspring to fend for themselves, and to die. A large one, perhaps nine inches long, had lunged for an insect near the bank, a feeding behavior they exhibited in the morning and evening, often landing several feet from the water's edge, flopping around until gravity pulled them back to the dark water. Again and again. Having accomplished this feat, the unfortunate gymnast and been caught in the jaws of a waiting snake. I watched in fascination from fifty feet away, standing in the parking lot where I could see clearly, as the snake struggled to keep from sliding into the water on the steep embankment. The fish was suffocating but desperately fighting, its silvery body writhing spasmodically, far too large for the jaw whose fangs had snagged it. The two of them fought for several minutes, the assassin undulating, seeking a firm hold on the damp grass. No ground was gained or lost when the snake, realizing the futility of its effort, released its victim and withdrew into the shadows. Its prey lay dead two feet from the water's edge.
Back in my refuge on the patio, I watched in horror as one of the denizens of the deep climbed slowly out of the dark water and pulled the assassin's victim into the stillness of the pond. The largest of the turtles, watching the battle from the water's safety, had come to claim the reward for its patience.
I finally escaped, taking my motorhome for a cross-country trip. Alas, my freedom was not to be long-lived. Dental implant surgery tied me to the fountain and the pond as surely as a chain. There was more for me to witness, to endure, to wish I had never seen.
When it rains in southern Louisiana, it rains, a lot. The pond fills up and is replenished with life. Immigrants arrive, eager for a bounty of food in the paradise they have stumbled across, lost. When the bayous, canals, and culverts dry up, the fish can't return to their home waters. They are left confused and hungry, finding the pond to have no sustenance, they are easy prey for adolescent humans. Fishing is a popular form of torture, not that different from the snake's method. Barbed hooks of steel sink into the soft flesh of hungry fish, snaring them like the fangs of a garden snake. Catch and release is the anthem of these would-be anglers because torture is more enjoyable when inflicted slowly. Keep the victim alive.
One hot summer, I watched the same hungry fish caught repeatedly by several fishermen; I couldn't hold my tongue, when a young boy caught the fish who had been tortured at least a dozen times before, by college students with expensive fishing gear. I told the boy that the fish were like pets. He looked at me skeptically, retreated with his pole and hook, and returned fifteen minutes later. He ignored me, and I ignored him.
He had been told the truth by his parents: "It's a stupid fish and you can do anything you want to it." At least that's what I think he was told…maybe his loving father added, "Fuck that old man It ain't his fuck'n pond."
Every pond in southern Louisiana is visited by migrating birds, perhaps drawn by ubiquitous fountains shimmering in the sun. They stopped by for a quick snack, sometimes a filling meal, feeding on the smaller fish relaxing naively in the shallows. First came a young egret, delighted to have a private fishing preserve. The young bird feasted, only being harassed occasionally by an older competitor, but the youngling was persistent. Every day, morning and evening, it would drop by to enjoy the fountain with me; until a blue heron, with long legs, a sharp beak, and a bad attitude challenged it for use of the pond.
The newcomer wasn't going to share its bounty with anyone, so it threatened the smaller egret until it left. My new companion was an experienced angler and soon depleted the pond of small fish, moving on to a new feeding ground. Another world to conquer.
High overhead, flights of geese and ducks flew in formation, not stopping at the pond, heading for the open wetlands a few miles from our house. The pond wasn't worth the effort of landing and retaking flight. No energy to waste on exploration. In the spring and summer, squadrons of young hawks circled, learning how to kill from the air. The mockingbirds stopped singing and playing during these displays of aerial prowess.
Migrant bluebirds, cardinals, and other colorful species visited me now and then. They never stayed, not being interested in the pond. Too flighty to be drawn by the allure of something so permanent, so eternal as the fountain.
Clumps of water grass appeared in the same spots every summer, as if following a design dictated by nature. Four floating islands, barely anchored to the soft bottom, spread until the landscape maintenance crew removed them at the end of summer. The fish loved the grass for the insects it attracted. They leapt through it in a feeding frenzy. I imagine the mosquitos loved it too, for shielding their larvae from the incessant pounding of the fountain. One of the patches would drift around like a barge broken loose from its mooring, gently joining the others, circumnavigating the pond as the wind changed direction, always pressed to the edge by the fountain's force.
No story of life on a pond would be complete without mentioning the year-round inhabitants hiding in the grass and trees. There are no real trees; only large shrubs trimmed to look like trees. Too open for nesting, the mockingbirds and sparrows chose the thick foliage of the bushes scattered around the neighborhood. But they came to play, flirt, dance, and copulate in front of my patio, perhaps because of the small trees that dumped flowers, berries, leaves, and pollen on my patio and in my face. Maybe they were showing off.
Where there are flowers, there are hummingbirds and bees. One warm spring day, I was having lunch when something hit my arm hard enough to spill food from my utensil. A strangely shaped, very-large bug was lying on the patio next to met, out of focus. It buzzed, shook itself, and flew to my prison bars, shaking rhythmically. Curious, I donned my reading glasses and took a closer look. The apparition was actually two large bees copulating. I didn't know bees did it like that. They did it for a while, so I lost interest, my curiosity satisfied.
I must mention my closest companions on Walden pond. Small lizards, adults less than six inches long, are always with me during the warm months. I learned a lot about them, like that the males are bright green and expand white air sacks under their throats as sexual and threatening displays. The females are dark green but the same size. I know which is which because they like to have sex right in front of me, on my prison bars, but they don't copulate in the rapid manner of the bees. They don't seem to copulate at all but remain frozen in a close embrace for a long time. I don't know how long because I get bored. The young lizards join me at the table, climbing, hunting for spiders, sometimes getting on me by mistake. They're cute.
One spring day, after a heavy rain, the water level in the web of waterways honeycombing southern Louisiana rose higher than usual, allowing a monster to enter the pond, the water's rippled surface disturbed by its progress. A stubby nose at its prow, two beady eyes following, the mass of its body submerged, the otter fed on the newly arrived fish. It cavorted, diving and whirling, its submerged movement marked by air bubbles breaking the water surface. Within five minutes, occasionally coming up for air, it left as silently as it had arrived. Sated no doubt on any fish it had found in the murky depths.
I'll never forget the year of extreme weather, which I won't blame on global warming because that winter was cold as hell. The summer was marked by a biblical deluge, not a tropical storm or hurricane, that flooded Baton Rouge but left my patio high and dry. The pond swelled to the top of the embankment, five feet above normal water level, but the fountain never stopped cascading. Indomitable. Eternal.
Winter brought snow, a rarity in southern Louisiana. The first snowfall was two inches, the world bright white, reminding me of why I didn't live in northern latitudes. The beauty didn't last because my young neighbors appeared to construct snowmen. All they accomplished was destroying the luster, creating an urban landscape of tracks and mounds of snow. Bare, dormant, grass and dirt. The second snowfall was less, not worth the effort of ruining. After the shock of snow, another surprise arrived; a cold front brought arctic air to the Gulf Coast, and the surface of the pond froze. The fountain never stopped flowing, however, the only open water near its base. I worried about the turtles.
When I returned for the last time, the world had changed ominously. The fountain no longer ran all day and all night; someone had installed a timer, so it shut down at ten p.m. and turned on at seven a.m., destroying the eternal harmony of the pond, upsetting the balance of nature.
The silence in the morning was golden, except for the wail of a train horn in the distance and the noisy air conditioners turning on constantly. Having discovered quiet, I began to hate the fountain that had centered my life. I fled upstairs to escape its roar. There was no respite, so I started getting up earlier and earlier; a couple of hours of silence.
The turtles must have felt the same. Like me, they had grown accustomed to a few hours of silence and the return of the cascading water in the morning was no longer acceptable. They were also unhappy with other changes that had occurred because of the eternal fountain. The unceasing ripples had worked on the soft bank too long and the land capitulated, accepting defeat, and eroded. Now, instead of a gentle slope surrounding the water, they faced a scarp more than six inches in height before they could reach the warmth of the sun. Their world in turmoil, the denizens of the deep began migrating, not through the culvert that led indirectly to the ocean, but instead over land, across the cement parking lot. Their destination was the drainage ditch at the edge of the subdivision. I think the emigres made it because I didn't see any squashed turtle shells. A few remained to wait for another dead fish to scavenge.
There is a peculiar kind of duck that is common along the Gulf coast: individuals who don't want to fly north for the summer make their permanent home in ditches that are seldom dry. Dogs and cats don't bother them, they reproduce and multiply, get fat on the bounty supplied by a warm climate and lots of rain.
Late this last summer, one of these ditch ducks was sitting on the grass next to the pond when I went to the patio to begin my morning ritual of drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes, and wondering when I would escape the fountain. To see a ditch duck in the pond was a rather surprising thing because they grow very fat and don't fly, choosing to waddle everywhere. I don't think it walked past the front gate or got through the fence enclosing the neighborhood. It remained three days, shuffling around, occasionally fleeing to the safety of the pond to escape a curious dog, flapping its wings futilely, fishing. It seemed to be on vacation.
The third morning after its arrival, the visitor shuffled to the parking lot, began flapping its wings furiously, stumbling forward, leaping in small bounds, and finally got off the ground. I watched in wonder as the strong wings fought to lift the corpulent body into the air. I grimaced in sympathy, directing my willpower to assist. It had less than six feet of altitude when it disappeared behind the building. It must have made it because I haven't seen it since.
The egret and the blue heron had worked out an arrangement to share the meager provender of the pond. The egret dropped by during the day whereas the larger, bad-tempered waterfowl took the morning and evening shifts.
With the fountain silenced in the morning, the heron began perching on it, maybe to sleep. I don't know because the gushing water didn't cease until after I went to bed. Perhaps the bird waited in the shadows for the fountain to rest. At any rate, the silent predator was always present when I went outside at five a.m. A ghost.
In the dark, it searched the murky water, dove in sometimes, fishing from its pedestal. I wondered if it could tell time because it always disappeared before seven a.m., when the fountain roared into life.
This morning, there it was as usual, getting its breakfast, watching for danger. After dumping a stream of green goo on the grass, it retook its perch on the fountain. I checked the time on my phone: six-fifty-one. Six-fifty-two…
I waited. The fountain waited. The bird didn't budge.
Six-fifty-nine.
The fountain waited silently, preparing to spring its trap on the unsuspecting interloper, who had no business standing on it, taking advantage of its vulnerability.
Seven a.m.
I laughed along with the fountain when it burst into life, tossing the startled bird in the air.
The kids graduated college and, like the migrating birds, set off to begin new lives. I'll be leaving soon as well, joining my wife on the other side of the world, my departure delayed by more home repairs.
I won't miss the fountain, but I'll always remember the time we spent together. It seemed like an eternity. I guess that every moment is a small piece of eternity, however, so let's just say I spent an eternity with that fountain on my Walden pond.
I'll let Henry David Thoreau finish the story:
"I learned this, at least…that if one…endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will…pass an invisible boundary…live with the license of a higher order of beings. In proportion as he simplifies his life, the laws of the universe will appear less complex…If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost…Now put the foundations under them." (Walden, 323- 324)
One response to "Goodbye to Walden Pond"
Patricia F Diaz says : October 8, 2020 at 10:58 am
Your Walden Pond story exquisitely captures the world of life all around us – loved it!