text:
\section{Introduction}\label{sec:introduction}

Three-dimensional topological insulators (TI) are materials with \textbf{Z$_2$} topological order that manifest conducting two-dimensional (2D) Dirac cone surface states protected by time reversal symmetry \cite{Zahidreview,FuOriginal}. The surface state electrons resist scattering from weak non-magnetic perturbations \cite{Zahidreview,SCZhangreview,FuOriginal,HsiehScience2009,roushanNature2009,MoorePRB2007,roushanNature2009,AlpichshevPRL2010,QiPRB2008}, however recent studies have shown that strongly perturbing point- and step- like surface defects can introduce new in-gap states and modify the band structure near the Dirac point \cite{ShafferPRB2014,BiswasPRB2010,TeagueSolidState2012,AlpichshevPRL2012,SchafferPRB2012,SchafferPRB2012_2,AlpichshevPRB2011,DmitrievJETP2014,WangPRB2011,BiswasPRB2011,RizzoPRB2013,FuPRB2011,fu2014anisotropic,LiuPRB2012,Xu2017disorder}. Here, we present a numerical and analytic analysis of the single quintuple-layer step defect of Bi$_2$Se$_3$-family TIs, to explore the nature of the associated edge state. These investigations establish that edge states with a stable topological connection to the 2D Dirac point of the TI surface state can exist, in scenarios that do not require fine tuning of the Hamiltonian. As with the surface states of Weyl semimetals, the connection is defined by a linear dispersion of the lower-dimensional (here 1D) state, converging on the Dirac point of higher dimensional (2D) band structure. The protected nature of this connection is considered with respect to broken symmetries and disorder, and it is shown that the occurrence of such states can be ubiquitous across a wide range of parameters for describing surface steps in a 3D TI tight binding model.

Bi$_{2}$Se$_{3}$ is widely seen as a model system for studying TI surface physics, as it has one of the largest band gaps presently known in a TI system ($\sim 300$ meV), which is spanned by a relatively ideal single Dirac cone surface state \cite{ZhangNatphys2009,XiaNatphys2009,ChenScience2009}. The crystal structure of Bi$_{2}$Se$_{3}$ is shown in Fig. \ref{fig:Structure}(a), with weak Van der Waals bonding between stacked quintuple atomic layers. Step defects one quintuple layer in height are very common at the surface of thin film samples in this material as shown in Fig. \ref{fig:Structure}(a) \cite{TeagueSolidState2012,HarrisonAPL2013}. Fig. \ref{fig:Structure}(b) shows the arrangement of Se atoms at a cleaved surface near a single step, seen from above. Viewed on a micron scale, the steps tend to run parallel to the in-plane nearest-neighbor axis, resulting in triangular plateaus as shown in Fig. \ref{fig:Structure}(c) \cite{TeagueSolidState2012,HarrisonAPL2013}.

\begin{figure}[t]
\includegraphics[width = 7cm]{Figure1}
\caption{{\bf{Structure of a Bi$_{2}$Se$_{3}$ surface step}}: (a) Side view of a single quintuple layer step parallel to the in-plane nearest neighbor axis. (b) Sample surface showing outermost Se atoms near a single quintuple layer step. (c) Large scale schematic of the triangular step plateaus found on Bi$_2$Se$_3$. The image is not drawn to scale, as real terraces tend to be over 100 nm in size.}
\label{fig:Structure}
\end{figure}

Protected 1D edge states are typically associated with 2D topological order, however several classes have also been proposed to occur at the surfaces of 3D material systems under specific circumstances.
Hinge states can occur at the intersection of two non-parallel faces of a so-called `higher order topological insulators' \cite{BernevigEdgeTI, HOTI}, and are expected in special cases for traditional 3D TIs \cite{TIsurface_junction}. In the 3D TI case, if the intersecting faces have Dirac points at the same energy, the edge can host an in-gap mode that intersects the 2D Dirac point, associated with a near-realization of the Jackiw-Rebbi Hamiltonian \cite{Jackw_Rebbi}. However, structurally simple intersections of this type are challenging to create and study experimentally. Another topologically protected edge state scenario has been identified at certain classes of step edges on a topological crystalline insulator (TCI) surface, and can be understood from extrapolation to a scenario in which particle-hole symmetry is unbroken \cite{sessi2016robust}.

Other 1D in-gap bound states that converge on the Dirac point of a massless 2D Dirac Hamiltonian have been identified for specific models, such as the bound states underneath a gate electrode \cite{Nagaosa_gate} or a 1D Gaussian potential \cite{Gaussian_2014PRB}. These scenarios are intriguing because although they do not require fine tuning of the Hamiltonian, they nonetheless appear to be almost \emph{coincidental}, and have not been identified explicitly with a distinct topological invariant of the system. The principal result of this paper will be to show that this class of topologically connected edge states is insensitive to the specific form of the TI Hamiltonian or the 1D feature to which edge states are bound, and is expected to be a generic feature of line-like defects on the surface of 3D TIs (or, equivalently, planar defects in a 3D Weyl kinetic Hamiltonian).

This paper is organized as follows: In Sec. \ref{sec:existence of edge state}, we establish a broad set of conditions allowing the existence of edge states with non-trivial band connectivity, bound to a 1D scalar potential. In Sec. \ref{sec:latticeModel}, we present numerical simulations on a 2D lattice model motivated by real TI surfaces, and demonstrate the robustness of the connectivity of 1D edge states against symmetry breaking. In Sec. \ref{sec:tight binding}, we show examples of this topological connectivity within a 3D tight binding model resembling Bi$_2$Se$_3$.

\section{Allowed existence of an edge state with non-trivial band connectivity}\label{sec:existence of edge state}

\begin{figure}[t]
\vspace{1.7 cm}
\includegraphics[width = 12cm]{Figure2}
\caption{{\bf{Topological connectivity of a 1D edge state}}: Step edge states on a surface with an (a) infinite and (b) finite 2D Dirac cone. Edge state dispersions that are non-degenerate with the 2D band continuum are traced in red and ungapped (ill-defined) edge state dispersions are shown with dashed lines. (c) A dispersion diagram showing how edge states created by different 1D scalar potentials connect back to the 2D surface state Dirac point, or merge with the 2D state continuum, as $K_\parallel$ momentum approaches zero. Arrows indicate the `flow' direction as momentum is reduced, and edge states that connect with the Dirac point are labeled as `Topological'. If these states are present, they will occur for a continuous range of step edge potentials beneath a critical value ($U<U_C$), constituting a red-shaded topologically ordered region in the phase diagram.}
\label{fig:Step edge}
\end{figure}

Bound states at quintuple-layer step edges have been observed for the related TIs Bi$_2$Se$_3$ and Bi$_2$Te$_3$ \cite{AlpichshevPRB2011,FedotovPRB2017}, and a recent STM analysis has been interpreted to suggest that they may be a form of 1D electron gas (1DEG) brought on by an effective scalar potential at the step \cite{FedotovPRB2017}. Because of this, and for the sake of analytical tractability,
We will begin by considering the scenario of a 1D delta function potential added to a 2D system defined by a massless Dirac Hamiltonian. Momentum along the 1D potential axis is a conserved quantity ($k_\parallel$), and the 1D bound state dispersion in this scenario is already known from Ref. \onlinecite{Nagaosa_gate} to converge on the 2D Dirac point with a constant group velocity.

Changing the delta function potential strength modifies the velocity of the bound state, but not the momentum-space connectivity. The connection to the 2D Dirac point can thus be called a topological property, in that it is robust for a continuous range of 1D perturbation strengths. However, the edge state connectivity is not generically protected from Coulomb perturbations, as a surface potential in the right form could in principle cause the group velocity of the edge state to exceed the Dirac velocity, pushing the edge state dispersion into the 2D Dirac cone, making it no longer a well-defined edge state (dashed lines in Fig. \ref{fig:Step edge}(a)).

The projection of the bound state onto kinetic basis states in the 2D Dirac cone is localized, and is negligible at energies outside of a $|E|>v_\L k_\parallel$ window around the 2D Dirac point, for sufficiently large values of a constant $v_\L$ (see discussion in Appendix \ref{appendix:energy_cutoff}). We observe that this has the consequence that a non-delta function potential will generally give a very similar linear dispersion converging on the Dirac point (at $k_\parallel\sim 0$). So long as the Fourier transform of the potential ($V(q)$) is nonzero at q=0 and effectively flat on a momentum scale of $\delta q\gtrsim v_\L k_\parallel/v_D$, the potential will be indistinguishable from a delta function within the low energy basis that composes the step edge state. This scenario is played out in a practical context in Ref. \onlinecite{Gaussian_2014PRB}, which establishes the linear dispersion for a Gaussian 1D potential. Qualitatively speaking, as the amplitude of $k_\parallel$ is increased, non-linearities in the surface state dispersion will emerge when the curvature of $V(q)$ becomes significant on a momentum scale proportional to $k_\parallel$, and/or when the kinetic state basis at energies within $|E|<|k_\parallel| v_\L$ deviates from a massless 2D Dirac Hamiltonian (see turning point indicated by arrows in Fig. \ref{fig:Step edge}(b)). Corrections to the edge state energy from these factors act at lowest order in proportion to $k_\parallel$ (see Appendix \ref{appendix:energy_cutoff}), meaning that they can influence the edge state velocity, but not the point of convergence.

Deviation from a massless 2D Dirac Hamiltonian is inevitable at large momentum in a real material, and must be accounted for to understand the band structure connectivity of the \emph{other end} of the 1D edge state in momentum space. If the 2D Dirac cone Hilbert space is curtailed by a high energy cutoff such that kinetic basis states outside a momentum window $|\textbf{k}|<\L$ are disregarded, the edge state will follow an arching dispersion like that drawn in Fig. \ref{fig:Step edge}(b) (see also an analogous simulation in Fig. \ref{fig:robustness}(a)). This scenario is close to what is expected at a real step edge, since the 2D Dirac cone surface states of TIs are only well defined over a small energy range inside the bulk band gap. Once the band momentum becomes sufficiently large, the edge state of a delta function potential curves in a direction opposite to the sign of the edge potential ($U$, defined below). It is required to merge with the 2D Dirac cone at or before the momentum cutoff, due to the lack of states for the 1D potential to couple between as momentum along the edge approaches the cutoff. This connection bridged by the edge state between the 2D surface Dirac point and the state continuum immediately above or below the 2D Dirac point is a further property that can be used to classify an edge state, and will be discussed later in the context of a more realistic model with full 3D topological order (Section \ref{sec:tight binding}).

The diagram in Fig. \ref{fig:Step edge}(c) shows a summary of the topological and non-topological dispersions that can be expected for a 1D edge state bound to a scalar potential parametrized by $U$. At a critical value of $U=U_C$, the edge state will converge towards the Dirac point with a velocity $v_S$ equal to the 2D Dirac velocity ($v_S=v_D$). Increasing $U$ causes the dispersion to intersect with the 2D Dirac continuum (white region), so that the edge state does not include a well defined dispersion that intersects with the Dirac point. For a continuous range of lower potentials $U<U_C$, the edge state converges on the Dirac point (red region, labeled Topological) until velocity of convergence becomes equal to the negative Dirac velocity ($v_S=-v_D$, not shown in Fig. \ref{fig:Step edge}(c)). The allowed existence of a topological connection that is protected over a finite range of constant prefactors for essentially any spatial form of the 1D potential is robust, and is not conditional on symmetries that do not destroy the Dirac point, such as positive reflection symmetry across the step, or particle hole symmetry in the kinetic Hamiltonian. Numerical simulations in the next sections will show that Dirac-point-intersecting 1D bound state dispersions are a common, and possibly ubiquitous, feature in typical models of step edges at TI surfaces.

\section{Edge states of a 1D scalar potential in a 2D lattice model}\label{sec:latticeModel}

To relate the above picture more closely to the step edge states seen in real TI materials, we consider a 2D hexagonal real space lattice that resembles the Bi$_{2}$(Se/Te)$_{3}$ surface, following the modeling implementation in Ref. \onlinecite{Xu2017disorder}. The step edge is described as a scalar potential that repeats along a chain of surface sites extending along the crystallographic a-axis (nearest neighbor direction). The modeled system has translational symmetry along this axis, and is simulated with a large (effectively infinite) number of sites along the y-axis. The non-interacting Dirac Hamiltonian for a 2D surface electron can be written as \begin{equation}
H_{T}=v_{D} (\textbf{k} \times \bm{\sigma} )
\end{equation}
where $v_{D}$ is the Dirac velocity, $k$ is the momentum of the surface electron and $\sigma$ is the Pauli vector. The Hamiltonian for the step is written as
\begin{equation}
H_{U}=U\sum_{\alpha} n_{\alpha}
\label{eq:Udef}
\end{equation}
where $U$ is the step potential, $\alpha$ indexes the sites intersected by the step, and $n_{\alpha}$ is the on-site electron number operator. The complete Hamiltonian for the modeled system is then $H=H_{T}+H_{U}$. The Dirac velocity is taken to be 3 eV$\cdot \AA$, the hexagonal lattice constant is 4.2 $\AA$, and energy cutoff for the kinetic basis is $v_D\L=0.4$ eV. Exact diagionalization is used to obtain the eigenstates and energies of the system.

The local density of states (LDOS) on top of the modeled step edge was shown in our previous work \cite{Xu2017disorder}, and closely matches the momentum-integrated LDOS profile of a step edge state seen by STM on Bi$_2$Te$_3$, at a step potential $U=3.8$ eV. The dependence of step edge LDOS on momentum parallel to the step ($k_{\parallel}$) is shown in Fig. \ref{fig:robustness}(a), and closely resembles the qualitative expectation depicted in Fig. \ref{fig:Step edge}(b), with identical connections to the 2D Dirac continuum at the $k_{\parallel}\rightarrow0^+$ and $k_{\parallel}\rightarrow \L$ limits. Local maxima of the dispersion result in LDOS maxima (square root anomalies) approximately 90 meV above the Dirac point.

Increasing the step potential causes the edge state to converge towards the upper Dirac cone dispersion (Fig. \ref{fig:robustness}(b-c)). State dispersions closely resemble the continuum-limit (CL) expectation for a delta function potential, derived in Appendix \ref{appendix:energy_cutoff}). In this idealized case, the edge state velocity approaches the Dirac velocity as $U\rightarrow\infty$, meaning that there is no finite value for $U_C$, and the system has topological connectivity for all values of $U$. The CL model includes just one surface state, and large deviations from the model are expected to occur when a new surface state appears, as will be shown in the 3D tight binding model simulations in Section \ref{sec:tight binding}.

\subsection{Protection of the edge state}\label{sec:protection of edge state}

\begin{figure}[t]
\includegraphics[width = 12cm]{Figure3}
\caption{{\bf{Robustness of the protected connectivity}}: (a) The $k_\parallel$ resolved LDOS within 21 $nm$ of a scalar-potential step edge in the discrete 2D lattice model described in Section \ref{sec:latticeModel}. Dashed lines represent results from the analytic continuum-limit (CL) theory (see Appendix \ref{appendix:energy_cutoff} and Eq. \ref{eq-gapless-bound}). The potential used to describe the step edge is $U=3.8$ eV, as fitted to STM on Bi$_2$Te$_3$ in our previous work \cite{Xu2017disorder}. (b) A similar simulation with $U=8$ eV. (c) Edge state velocity ($V_S$) at momenta slightly displaced from the 2D Dirac point ($K_\parallel \sim 0^+$) is shown as a function of the step potential ($U$) in the discrete lattice simulation and the analytic 2D continuum-limit theory. (d-f) LDOS showing step edge state dispersion for systems with $U=3.8$ eV and broken reflection, particle-hole, or time-reversal symmetry, respectively.}
\label{fig:robustness}
\end{figure}

The allowed existence of edge states with a protected connection to the Dirac point as established in Section \ref{sec:existence of edge state} is not conditional on Hamiltonian symmetries such as reflection symmetry or particle hole symmetry, so long as the 2D Dirac point itself is not destroyed, and the Fourier transform of the 1D potential does not vanish at $q=0$. For example, reflection symmetry of the 1D potential is broken in Fig. \ref{fig:robustness}(d) by parallel lines with $U=0.1$ eV and $U=-0.1$ eV one lattice site above and below the $U=3.8$ eV `step', respectively. Similarly, the simulation in Fig. \ref{fig:robustness}(e) breaks particle-hole symmetry of the kinetic Hamiltonian by reducing the negative energy cutoff to -0.3 eV. In each case, the Dirac point connectivity of the edge state is unchanged, but the velocity with which it intersects the Dirac point is slightly altered.

However when the 2D Dirac point itself is gapped by the addition of a Zeeman Hamiltonian term that breaks time reversal symmetry ($H_B=B_z\sigma_z$), the protected connection is also necessarily broken as shown in Fig. \ref{fig:robustness}(f). The edge state disperses through the gap with a new extremum at zero momentum that would create an additional square root anomaly in sufficiently high-resolution LDOS measurements. The precise dispersion can be extrapolated by noting that the Zeeman and $k_\parallel$ terms in the model Hamiltonian combine to create a Pauli vector that is orthogonal to the only other Pauli vector in the Hamiltonian (which comes from $k_\perp$). As such, the edge state energy at momentum $k_\parallel$ in the presence of a perturbing magnetic field will be identical to the unperturbed energy at a different momentum $k_\parallel'$, where $k_\parallel'=\sqrt{B_z^2+k_\parallel^2}$.

Disorder is another phenomenon that can render topological band features ill-defined, by causing momentum to no longer be a good quantum number. However, because the edge states appear in spin-chiral time reversal pairs, disorder that does not violate time reversal symmetry will only mix the edge states with bulk states, and not with the time-reversed partner. The effect of time-reversal invariant disorder is therefor expected to be proportional to the bulk density of states, which vanishes at the Dirac point. While the states may still be destroyed due to strong disorder, the connection to the Dirac point has qualitatively more protection than dispersions at other energies, suggesting that it will be a robust phenomenon.

\section{Physical steps in a 3D tight binding model}\label{sec:tight binding}

\begin{figure}[t]
\includegraphics[width = 8.6cm]{Figure4}
\caption{{\bf{Step edge state in a 3D tight-binding model}}: (a-b) The $K_\parallel$-resolved LDOS at the step edge in a tight binding model with 3D TI order and a 1QL or 2QL step, respectively. No scalar potential is applied in either cases ($U=0$ eV). (c) The same dispersion map for a 1QL step with a $U= 0.8$ eV scalar potential overlapping with the step edge. In this case, the step edge state visible in panel (a) has been pushed out of the topological regime ($U>U_C$$\sim$0.3 eV) and a new topologically connected edge state indicated by the green arrow has emerged from the lower Dirac cone. (d) High symmetry points in the 1D step edge Brillouin zone are labeled $\overline{\Gamma}$ and $\overline{M}$, and overlaid on the 2D surface Brillouin zone. (e) Edge state velocity ($V_S$) at momenta slightly displaced from the 2D Dirac point ($K_\parallel \sim 0^+$) is plotted with circles as a function of the added step potential ($U$), and compared with dashed line fits from the 2D continuum-limit (CL) theory (Eq. \ref{eq-gapless-bound}). The step edge velocity is only well defined outside of the 2D state continuum ($-1<V_S/V_D<1$). The new edge state traced in green at at $E>0.4$ eV is indicated with a green arrow in panel (c). In the shaded regions, edge states connect from the 2D Dirac point to the (blue) lower or (orange) upper band structure continua.}
\label{fig:tight binding}
\end{figure}

To explore the phenomenology of the step edge state connectivity in a less idealized scenario, we briefly examine single- and double- quintuple layer step edges in a minimal 3D tight binding model. Bulk and surface state kinetics in the model are similar to vacuum-cleaved Bi$_2$Se$_3$, and it incorporates the same TI topological invariants ($[1;000]$) derived from a band inversion at the 3D $\Gamma$-point. In this approach popularized by Ref. \onlinecite{FuOriginal}, a single Bi$_2$Se$_3$ formula unit is reduced to two $p_z$ orbitals displaced along the surface normal axis. Parameters of the model are listed in Appendix \ref{appedix:TB}, and the projection of 2D momentum space onto the 1D momentum axis parallel to the step is shown in Fig. \ref{fig:tight binding}(d). The step aligns with the 2D $\Gamma$ - K axis, and creates a new periodicity from $\bar{\Gamma}$ to $\bar{\Gamma}$ which is traced in red in Fig. \ref{fig:tight binding}(d), with Kramers degeneracy required at the $\bar{M}$ point.

In this case, incorporating the physical one-quintuple-layer step drawn in Fig. \ref{fig:Structure}(a) involves modifying only the \emph{kinetic} Hamiltonian, but nonetheless results in the appearance of an edge state that connects between the Dirac point and the lower state continuum (see Fig. \ref{fig:tight binding}(a)). Unlike other effectively 1D topological in-gap states, the edge state shown in Fig. \ref{fig:Structure}(a) does not depend on extrapolation to a scenario with particle-hole symmetry, and actually vanishes when particle-hole symmetry if restored to the Hamiltonian (by setting $h_0=0$; see Appendix \ref{appedix:TB}). Increasing the height of the step to 2 quintuple layers results in a larger edge state group velocity near the Dirac point (Fig. \ref{fig:tight binding}(b)), but does not change the Dirac point or lower continuum connectivity. We note however that a sufficiently large step edge will effectively introduce a new 2D state continuum that overlaps with and obscures the 2D Dirac point.

Turning on a positive scalar potential ($U>0$) acting at nearest neighbor sites bordering the step causes the edge state group velocity to increase at the intersection point with the Dirac point (Fig. \ref{fig:tight binding}(e)), matching the behavior predicted in the Fig. \ref{fig:Step edge}(c) phase diagram. The edge state merges with the upper Dirac continuum above a critical potential of $U>U_C\sim 0.3 eV$, and ceases to connect to the Dirac point. However, rather than the system entering an extended `non-topological' phase region as posited in Fig. \ref{fig:Step edge}(c), a new Dirac-connected surface state emerges as an antibound state of the lower Dirac cone. This new state is indicated by a green arrow in Fig. \ref{fig:tight binding}(c), and is the Kramers partner of the original step edge state at the $\bar{M}$ point. Tracing the dispersion, we see that these two edge states effectively connect between the 2D Dirac point and the \emph{upper} band structure continuum, whereas the original state connected to the lower continuum. This topological distinction is indicated by shading in Fig. \ref{fig:tight binding}(e).

Comparing with the analytic continuum-limit solution for a 2D Dirac surface with a delta function potential (CL model, see Appendix \ref{appendix:energy_cutoff}), we find that the analytic model gives a close match for the low-momentum dispersion as the step edge states emerge from the lower Dirac cone, but diverges as they approach the upper Dirac cone at $V_S/V_D>0.5$ in Fig. \ref{fig:tight binding}(e). For this plot, the analytic curves have been shifted to align with the tight binding model on the $U$-axis, and the input $U$ parameter has been rescaled upward by a factor of 3.9 for the left curve and 2.4 for the right curve. Taken together, this large upward rescaling of the $U$-axis, as well as the non-infinite critical potential for changing the Dirac point connection topology ($U_C\neq \infty)$, and the appearance of successive Dirac-connected states as a function of $U$, reveal that including 3D structure and coupling with bulk band symmetries can have an important role in defining the edge state properties. However, the rescaled 2D CL model can do an excellent job for edge states with group velocities not far removed from their band of origin (the lower or upper Dirac cone), and accurately describes the low-momentum dispersion for over half of the parameter space explored in Fig. \ref{fig:tight binding}(e).

\section{summary}\label{sec:summary}

In conclusion, we have established that step edge states in single-particle models of a 3D TI surface can manifest topological phase regions featuring protected connections to the 2D surface Dirac points, with no reliance on fine tuning in the bulk or surface Hamiltonian. This analysis builds on the previous observation of Dirac point connectivity in specific 2D models, and provides a guiding principle for understanding the likely form of in-gap states observed by STM at step edges. Realistically parametrized simulations of a Bi$_2$(Se/Te)$_3$ single-quintuple-layer step edge are performed using a 2D Dirac cone Hamiltonian and a 3D tight binding model, and establish that topologically connected step edge states are physically plausible in this material family.

\textbf{Acknowledgements:} We are grateful for discussions with F. Burnell, A. Kent, and P. Moon. This work was supported partially by the MRSEC Program of the National Science Foundation under Award Number DMR-1420073. R.R.B. was supported by Purdue University startup funds. L.A.W. acknowledges support from the NYU Global Seed Grant for Collaborative Research program. Materials development research at NYU is supported by NSF under MRI-1531664, and from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation's EPiQS Initiative through Grant GBMF4838. L.M. This research used resources of the Advanced Light Source, which is a DOE Office of Science User Facility under contract no. DE-AC02-05CH11231.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


As winter comes to a close and the weather starts to improve, Sony's decision to throw a Great Indoors Sale to keep you firmly planted in your houses is an odd one. Gotta drag out the profitable winter months as long as they can, I suppose.
However, my recommendation is to resist the urge to play on your home consoles this weekend and instead take your Vita out for a spin with some good, old-fashioned JRPG action with Capcom's classic Breath of Fire series.
Both PlayStation entries in the original series, Breath of Fire III and IV, are on sale until March 20. Breath of Fire IV is the cheaper of the two with the sale price of just $3.49 or even just $2.99 if you have PlayStation Plus. That's lunch money for 40 hours of rock-solid storytelling, a brilliant anime-inspired world of anthropomorphic beings, and some of the slickest pixelated graphics of their era.
Breath of Fire IV is probably the most liberal of the original four games, creating an unusual blend of Asian countryside imagery with cyberpunk, religion, and generic fantasy tropes. However, its brown and muddy atmosphere were clearly inspired by the post –Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VIII world, where serious, sci-fi storytelling took preference over lighthearted Dungeons & Dragons callbacks. NeiR Automata is maybe the closest comparison I can think of nowadays.
In terms of gameplay, Breath of Fire IV is the soundest of the original four games. It beat Final Fantasy X out of the gate by rewarding you for building the entire cast of characters as opposed to three favorites, and its battle system ranks among the best of the PlayStation's healthy offering of JRPGs. However, for all that it does right, Breath of Fire IV's main problem is that it's simply too easy. Don't jump in thinking you're getting a deep max-min experience.
This is one you play casually and hang around for the plot.
On the other hand, Breath of Fire III is a rough and brutal experience from beginning to end. This game is on sale for $5.99, $4.99 with PlayStation Plus, having the extra few bucks tagged on since its the PSP port instead of the original PSOne Classic release.
Breath of Fire III acts as a sort of bridge between the older games and Breath of Fire IV, starting off with the fantasy tropes of boys in the countryside before diving head first into darker themes like organized crime, manipulation of religion, genocide, and the constant struggle between nature and technology. Not the most original theme, but Breath of Fire III will keep you guessing until the very end with how it handles them.
As for the game, it's a challenging one. Its RPG mechanics are similar to those found in Breath of Fire IV, but the rewards and penalties for utilizing or ignoring them are that much greater. Characters, especially Ryu, can wind up entirely useless by the game's end if handled improperly or passed off to the wrong Master.
Either way, pick up one or pick up both. Breath of Fire is often seen as a b-tier entry in the history of JRPGs, meaning its games are solid but hardly revolutionary or groundbreaking. However, when you've given up the pretense of always playing the latest and the greatest that gaming has to offer, as I've done over the last few months, games that already have a solid grasp on established mechanics turn out to be the most fun.
In that regard, Breath of Fire III and IV are absolute delights and have been highlights of my gaming over the last year. If you're yearning for simpler times and good, old-fashioned adventure, you've found your games for the weekend.


text:
COMMONWEALTH v. JULIEN
COMMONWEALTH v. Spencer JULIEN.
Decided: October 17, 2003
Present: GRASSO, McHUGH, & MILLS, JJ. Joseph S. Berman, Boston, for the defendant. Amanda L. Lovell, Assistant District Attorney, for the Commonwealth.
After a jury trial, the defendant was found guilty of arson, G.L. c. 266, § 1; stalking, G.L. c. 265, § 43(a ); threats, G.L. c. 275, § 2; and thirteen counts 1 of assault with intent to commit murder, G.L. c. 265, § 15. On appeal, he claims the judge erred in (1) denying a motion to strike the arson expert's testimony; (2) denying a motion for a required finding of not guilty on the arson charge; (3) denying a similar motion on the stalking charge; (4) failing to give a specific unanimity instruction on the stalking charge; (5) admitting prior bad act testimony; (6) admitting various hearsay statements; and (7) making improper comments in final instructions. We affirm.
Factual background. While on routine patrol in the early hours of March 15, 1999, Boston police Officers Richard Fitzpatrick and Joseph Tse observed a small fire on the front porch of a residential property at 347 Bowdoin Street in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston (the property). They observed a black male with a black knit cap, three-quarter length olive jacket, and black pants walking out of the property. After the officers yelled, the individual fled and the officers were unable to catch him.
At trial, Officer Fitzpatrick testified that a resident of the property, Robin Peebles, who lived there with her three children, identified her boyfriend, the defendant, as having started the fire.2 Peebles herself testified, without objection, that she was first alerted to the fire on being awakened by her brother's screaming, "Spencer done burnt the house," and that after speaking with the police, she called her friend, Robin Nichols, and told her that "Spencer had burnt the house."
Peebles also testified about several incidents involving threatening and violent behavior by the defendant toward her 3 as follows: (1) in November, 1994, the defendant "smacked" a bottle in her teeth, breaking two of them; (2) the defendant beat her on her legs and stomach with a baseball bat a couple of weeks before the birth of her son on June 1, 1996; (3) on August 11, 1996, wearing boots, the defendant kicked her in the vagina, resulting in her hospitalization for a week and requiring two surgeries; (4) approximately one month later, the defendant, wearing the same boots, kicked her in the forehead, causing a gash and a subsequent scar; (5) on or about December 6, 1997, while she was visiting a friend, the defendant grabbed Peebles, threw her on a couch, and cut her on the neck and shoulder with a razor; and (6) approximately one week later, the defendant again cut her, this time on her arm.
Peebles testified that, on Saturday, March 13, 1999, the night before the fire, the defendant pushed in through the back door of her apartment, hitting her in the chest with the door as he did so, and told her he was going to kill her and her daughter, Nikita. She was afraid of the defendant. Sometime after he left her apartment, the defendant called her and said "he should burn the house down." 4 Peebles further testified that the defendant called her several times that night and during the next day, and the day after the fire, the defendant called her and admitted that "he set the house on fire but he didn't mean to hurt [her]."
Robin Nichols, a friend with whom the defendant stayed before the fire, testified that, while the defendant was staying with her, she noticed a bag with a can of lighter fluid in her bedroom; that the defendant was elusive when asked about the lighter fluid; that he left her apartment on the night of the fire wearing her own brown coat and a black knit cap; and that the can of lighter fluid was gone the night of the fire.
Captain Robert Staunton, an investigator with the Boston fire department arson squad, testified that he went to the property at approximately 12:45 a.m. on March 15, 1999, and, upon entry, saw "a burn in the bottom right hand corner of the hallway on the floor," and noticed an aroma that "smelled like lighter fluid." Staunton testified that he investigated approximately one hundred fires a year and had investigated between twenty and thirty fires in which lighter fluid was the suspected accelerant. He noted the burn pattern on the floor was "like someone had squirted and lit." He saw a single burnt cardboard match on the floor by the threshold. He opined that the fire was incendiary, set on purpose with a flammable liquid. No contemporaneous objection was made. The day after Staunton testified, at the conclusion of the Commonwealth's case, the defendant's motions to strike Staunton's testimony and for required findings of not guilty on the arson and stalking charges were denied.
The judge instructed the jury that their verdict must be unanimous. The defendant did not request a specific unanimity instruction as to the predicate incidents supporting the stalking charge, and no timely objection was made to the judge's general unanimity instruction.
Discussion. 1. Motion to strike expert testimony. Citing Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 509 U.S. 579, 113 S.Ct. 2786, 125 L.Ed.2d 469 (1993), and Commonwealth v. Lanigan, 419 Mass. 15, 641 N.E.2d 1342 (1994), the defendant argues that the judge erred in denying the motion to strike Captain Staunton's testimony because the testimony lacked an adequate foundation and any empirical basis. "Generally, a challenge to the foundation of [an] expert's opinion must be made before an expert testifies." Commonwealth v. Hill, 54 Mass.App.Ct. 690, 697, 767 N.E.2d 1078 (2002), citing Commonwealth v. Beausoleil, 397 Mass. 206, 220-221, 490 N.E.2d 788 (1986). See Commonwealth v. Sparks, 433 Mass. 654, 659, 746 N.E.2d 133 (2001) (to preserve objection based on scientific unreliability, a party must file an appropriate pretrial motion stating the grounds for the objections and request a hearing in accordance with the principles set forth in Canavan's Case, 432 Mass. 304, 309-312, 733 N.E.2d 1042 [2000], and Commonwealth v. Lanigan, 419 Mass. at 24-27, 641 N.E.2d 1342). No such challenge was made, and the defendant cannot preserve the error by means of a subsequent motion to strike. "The rule generally prevailing in this Commonwealth is that objections to matters of evidence must be seasonably made ․ and a party cannot of right insist upon saving an exception to evidence by thereafter seeking to have the evidence struck out." Commonwealth v. Baptiste, 372 Mass. 700, 706, 363 N.E.2d 1303 (1977), quoting from Commonwealth v. Theberge, 330 Mass. 520, 527, 115 N.E.2d 719 (1953). Absent a timely objection, we review to determine whether the admission of Staunton's testimony, if error, created a substantial risk of a miscarriage of justice. See Commonwealth v. Perkins, 39 Mass.App.Ct. 577, 584, 658 N.E.2d 975 (1995).
Certainly, the judge could take into account the lack of seasonable objection to Staunton's testimony in considering the motion to strike. The judge did not abuse his discretion in denying the motion. And, for the reasons discussed infra concerning the sufficiency of the evidence as to arson, the admission of the testimony, even if error, did not create a substantial risk of a miscarriage of justice.
2. Sufficiency of the evidence as to arson. The defendant further argues that the evidence was insufficient to support the arson conviction. We consider the evidence in the light most favorable to the Commonwealth and determine whether "any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt" (emphasis in original). Commonwealth v. Latimore, 378 Mass. 671, 677, 393 N.E.2d 370 (1979), quoting from Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979).
To prove arson, the Commonwealth was not required to establish that an accelerant was used. Under G.L. c. 266, § 1, the elements of arson are "first, that the defendant wilfully and maliciously, second, burned or caused to be burned or aided, counseled or procured, third, the burning, and fourth, of a dwelling house." Commonwealth v. Niziolek, 380 Mass. 513, 526, 404 N.E.2d 643 (1980). Even absent Staunton's testimony, the evidence that the defendant had set the fire was strong. The night before the fire started, the defendant had told Peebles that he should burn the house. Lighter fluid stored by him at Robin Nichols's apartment before the fire was gone after the fire. The defendant left Nichols's apartment shortly before the fire began and was dressed similarly to the man Officers Fitzpatrick and Tse saw running from the fire. The defendant admitted to Peebles that he had set the fire. The motion for a required finding of not guilty as to arson was properly denied.
3. Sufficiency of the evidence as to stalking. The elements of stalking as set out in G.L. c. 265, § 43(a ), as amended by St.1996, c. 298, § 11, consist of "(1) willfully and maliciously engag[ing] in a knowing pattern of conduct or series of acts over a period of time directed at a specific person which seriously alarms or annoys that person and would cause a reasonable person to suffer substantial emotional distress, and (2) mak[ing] a threat with the intent to place the person in imminent fear of death or bodily injury." 5 More than two incidents are required to satisfy the first element. Commonwealth v. Kwiatkowski, 418 Mass. 543, 547-548, 637 N.E.2d 854 (1994). Commonwealth v. Martinez, 43 Mass.App.Ct. 408, 411, 683 N.E.2d 699 (1997). Under the second element, the prosecution need only prove that "the defendant made a threat with the intent to place the victim in imminent fear of death or bodily injury" (emphasis supplied). Commonwealth v. Matsos, 421 Mass. 391, 394, 657 N.E.2d 467 (1995). "This element closely approximates the common law definition of the crime of assault." Ibid.
The indictment specified that the stalking took place "during February, 1999 through September, 1999." Peebles testified that (1) on March 13, 1999, the night before the fire, the defendant caused her to be fearful when he forcibly entered her apartment, hitting her in the chest with the door as he did so; (2) he told her he was going to kill her and her daughter; (3) later that evening, after he left, he called her and said "he should burn the house down"; and (4) on the day of the fire, he kept calling her, although she only spoke to him once. Further, as discussed above, the evidence was sufficient for a finding that the defendant committed arson on the night of March 14, 1999, by burning Peebles's home. Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the Commonwealth, the jury could have found, beyond a reasonable doubt, the first element of stalking in the March 13 forced entry into Peebles's apartment, the arson on the evening of March 14, and the intervening phone calls, and the second element in the defendant's assertion, on forcibly entering Peebles's apartment, that he was going to kill Peebles and her daughter. See Commonwealth v. Latimore, 378 Mass. at 677, 393 N.E.2d 370.
4. Specific unanimity instruction. The defendant further argues that the judge erred in failing to give a specific unanimity instruction sua sponte as to the predicate incidents supporting the stalking charge. If a defendant requests a specific unanimity instruction, and "where evidence of separate incidents is offered to the jury and any one incident could support a conviction, a general unanimity instruction may not suffice to ensure that the jury actually does reach a unanimous verdict" (emphasis supplied). Commonwealth v. Pimental, 54 Mass.App.Ct. 325, 329-330 n. 4, 764 N.E.2d 940 (2002), quoting from Commonwealth v. Conefrey, 420 Mass. 508, 513, 650 N.E.2d 1268 (1995). Here, however, the defendant did not request a specific unanimity instruction, and there was evidence of separate incidents, more than two of which had to be proved to sustain the stalking conviction.
We are not aware of any Massachusetts case addressing the need for a specific unanimity instruction in these circumstances. However, when a defendant does not request a specific unanimity instruction or timely object to its absence, "no substantial risk of a miscarriage of justice" exists where "the evidence satisfies each element of the statute and is sufficient to defeat a motion for a required finding of not guilty." Commonwealth v. Keevan, 400 Mass. 557, 567, 511 N.E.2d 534 (1987).
As no specific unanimity instruction was requested, and in light of our conclusion that the jury could have found the essential elements of stalking beyond a reasonable doubt, the judge's failure to give a specific unanimity instruction sua sponte, even if error, created no substantial risk of a miscarriage of justice.
5. Admission of prior bad acts evidence. During the trial, over the defendant's objection, Peebles testified about the defendant's prior abusive behavior toward her. The defendant argues that this testimony was prejudicial and irrelevant to any issue in dispute.
"Evidence of prior bad acts is not admissible to show that the defendant has a criminal propensity or is of bad character." Commonwealth v. Marrero, 427 Mass. 65, 67, 691 N.E.2d 918 (1998), quoting from Commonwealth v. Robertson, 408 Mass. 747, 750, 563 N.E.2d 223 (1990). However, "[i]t is well settled that the prosecution may introduce evidence of a defendant's prior bad acts, if relevant, to show a common scheme or course of conduct, a pattern of operation, absence of accident or mistake, intent, or motive." Commonwealth v. Roche, 44 Mass.App.Ct. 372, 380, 691 N.E.2d 946 (1998), citing Commonwealth v. Mamay, 407 Mass. 412, 417, 553 N.E.2d 945 (1990).
Evidence of the defendant's prior assaultive behavior was relevant to show the hostile nature of the relationship between the defendant and Peebles. See Commonwealth v. Bianchi, 435 Mass. 316, 322, 757 N.E.2d 1087 (2001). It was further relevant to the defendant's state of mind and motive to commit the charged crimes against Peebles and the children. See ibid.
In holding that the evidence was properly admitted, we also note that the judge adequately guarded against any potentially prejudicial effect by carefully instructing the jury, when the testimony was admitted, and again during the final charge, that the evidence was limited to demonstrate the relationship between Peebles and the defendant, motive, and intent, and not the defendant's propensity to commit the alleged crimes.
6. Hearsay testimony. (a) Peebles's statements. At trial, Officer Fitzpatrick testified that Peebles identified the defendant as having set the fire. Peebles herself also testified that, after the fire had been extinguished and the police had left her apartment, she called her friend, Robin Nichols, with whom the defendant was staying at the time, see supra at 681, and told her that "Spencer had burnt the house."
The defendant now claims error in the admission of both statements on hearsay grounds. Peebles's statement to Officer Fitzpatrick identifying the defendant as having set the fire involves a closer question as to the applicability of the excited utterance exception to the hearsay rule than does her later statement to Nichols. For the purposes of this appeal, however, we need not determine that question. Although the defendant initially objected to Peebles's statement to Fitzpatrick, the objection was subsequently withdrawn, and no objection was made to her statement to Nichols. Even if hearsay, "[a]bsent objection, the hearsay testimony was properly admitted, and the jurors were entitled to give it such probative effect as they deemed appropriate." Commonwealth v. Paniaqua, 413 Mass. 796, 803, 604 N.E.2d 1278 (1992), quoting from Abraham v. Woburn, 383 Mass. 724, 726 n. 1, 421 N.E.2d 1206 (1981). See Commonwealth v. Pimental, 54 Mass.App.Ct. at 330 n. 5, 764 N.E.2d 940.
The defense theory, at least in substantial part, was that Peebles had a vendetta against the defendant.6 "We will not second-guess the defendant's trial strategy," Commonwealth v. Harbin, 435 Mass. 654, 659, 760 N.E.2d 1216 (2002), and in light of the other evidence that the defendant had set the fire, discussed supra, we conclude that the admission of Peebles's statements, even if error, did not create a substantial risk of a miscarriage of justice. See Commonwealth v. Morgan, 422 Mass. 373, 379, 663 N.E.2d 247 (1996); Commonwealth v. Ivy, 55 Mass.App.Ct. 851, 856 n. 5, 774 N.E.2d 1100 (2002).
(b) Peebles's brother's statement. The defendant also claims error, on hearsay grounds, in the admission of Peebles's testimony that, on the night of the fire, she was awakened by her brother screaming, "Spencer done burnt the house." The defendant did not object to this testimony, and for the reasons discussed supra, there was no error, and even if so, there was no substantial risk of a miscarriage of justice.
(c) Defendant's statements to Peebles. As previously noted, Peebles testified that on the night before the fire, the defendant called her and said that "he should burn the house down," and the day after the fire, he called and admitted having done so. The defendant now argues that both statements were admitted in error because their prejudicial effect outweighed any probative value.7
"Any extra-judicial statement by a party may be admitted in evidence against that party by an opponent, and will not be excluded on the ground it constitutes hearsay." Commonwealth v. Marshall, 434 Mass. 358, 365, 749 N.E.2d 147 (2001), quoting from Liacos, Brodin, & Avery, Massachusetts Evidence § 8.8.1, at 496 (7th ed.1999). Both statements were admissible as admissions of a party opponent. The determination whether the prejudicial effect of a statement outweighs its probative value "rests in the sound discretion of the judge and will be upheld absent palpable error." Commonwealth v. Pike, 430 Mass. 317, 325, 718 N.E.2d 855 (1999). There was no error.
7. Jury instructions. Finally, the defendant argues that the judge erred by (1) embellishing the Webster 8 charge, apologizing for its language, and detracting from its gravity in such a manner as might have caused the jury to trivialize the government's burden to prove the crimes charged beyond a reasonable doubt,9 and (2) improperly commenting on the evidence.
We disagree. The judge's words could not have been taken by reasonable jurors to trivialize, or in any way diminish, the government's burden to prove the crimes charged beyond a reasonable doubt. To the contrary, taken in their true context, the judge's words actually emphasized the importance of the charge. While different language would have been preferable, the judge noted that, in the past, jurors had described the charge to him as "mumbo-jumbo." He was explaining to the jury why he was obliged to use the particular language mandated by Webster. In Commonwealth v. Dupree, 22 Mass.App.Ct. 945, 494 N.E.2d 54 (1986), we noted that the judge's own description of the language of the Webster charge as "silly" "trivialize[d] the awesome duty of the jury to determine whether the defendant's guilt was proved beyond a reasonable doubt" and could have suggested that they need not take the Webster language seriously. Id. at 946, 494 N.E.2d 54, quoting from Commonwealth v. Ferreira, 373 Mass. 116, 129, 364 N.E.2d 1264 (1977).
The defendant's argument that the judge's comments on the evidence demonstrated a pro-prosecution tone also lacks merit.10 Any possible appearance of partiality was negated by the judge's final instructions.11 And certainly, in light of the general weight of the evidence against the defendant and the judge's instructions concerning impartiality, any error did not give rise to a substantial risk of a miscarriage of justice.
The judgments are affirmed.
1. The Commonwealth proceeded on a theory that the alleged arson constituted an assault with intent to commit murder on the defendant's girlfriend and, on a theory of transferred intent, on twelve other people living in the same property.
2. The defendant initially objected to this testimony but then withdrew his objection on the prosecutor's proffer that the defendant "had been by the house, that he had threatened [Peebles] and the children on Saturday night, and [the testimony would] get into those parts of the stalking, as well as the threats."
3. The defendant objected to this testimony. The trial judge overruled the objections, instructing the jury that the evidence was limited to demonstrating the relationship between Peebles and the defendant, motive, and intent, and not the defendant's propensity to commit the crimes charged. During final instructions, the judge stated that evidence of the defendant's prior misconduct could not be considered "for the purpose of showing his bad character or propensity to commit the crime or crimes for which he is being tried. However, such evidence, as I said earlier, may be offered at trial for [the] very limited purpose ․ of the jury's consideration on the issues of the defendant's state of mind, intent, pattern of conduct, and motive with respect to the circumstances of the crimes charged."
4. The defendant made no objection to this testimony.
5. General Laws c. 265, § 43(a ), inserted by St.1997, c. 238, § 1, specifically provides that "[s]uch conduct, acts or threats ․ shall include ․ conduct, acts or threats conducted ․ by use of a telephonic or telecommunications device."
6. During opening statements, defense counsel summed up as follows: "In the end when the government completes its case they will assert through the same lay witness, it will all go back to this one person, well, we don't have the forensic evidence, we don't have the science ․ we don't have the police reports, but she said he did it." At the start of his closing argument, defense counsel stated, "I told you at the opening it's not going to be about the charges, it's going to be about the vendetta." Later, he returned to the same theory, stating, "Let's talk about this case. No forensic, no police report, no investigation. Okay. We have Robin said he did it․ That's what you're left with."
7. Again, the defendant offered no objection to either statement, and error in the admission of the statements, if any, is evaluated to determine whether it created a substantial risk of a miscarriage of justice. See Commonwealth v. Morgan, 422 Mass. at 379, 663 N.E.2d 247; Commonwealth v. Ivy, 55 Mass.App.Ct. at 856 n. 5, 774 N.E.2d 1100.
8. Commonwealth v. Webster, 59 Mass. 295, 5 Cush. 295, 300 (1850).
9. Instructing the jury, the judge introduced the charges, commenting that this was "not a complicated case." And instructing as to the Commonwealth's burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt, the judge stated the following: "Now the first thing I want to let you know is this: This definition that I'm about to give you may be somewhat archaic, difficult to understand. Jurors often send me out a note and they say 'Judge, I mean what is all that mumbo-jumbo? I mean could you break it down to everyday ordinary English so we could understand it ․ ?' And of course I have to say no, because this definition came down to us from a decision Commonwealth v. Webster, in 1850, and reasonable doubt has been defined based on that case ever since that time. So I'm not permitted to break it down into ordinary English. What I tell you is what I must tell you. To the extent that you want to hear it later on, I will make certain that you have that available to you and you can hear it as long as you want to, but this is the definition that you must go by, as I am bound by it as well." The defendant objected.
10. The defendant argues that the judge's pro-prosecution tone was manifest during final instructions by (1) his observation that "this is not a complicated case anyway in terms of cases"; (2) his comment that "arson is a crime which is not ordinarily established by direct evidence," implying that the lack of direct evidence as to arson was normal; and (3) his comment that the theory of transferred intent relative to the charge of assault with intent to commit murder was "very simple." The defendant further takes issue with the judge's comment to the jury, during the examination of Robin Peebles, that there was "nothing illegal" in her having a copy of her grand jury testimony. This comment, he alleges, evinced impatience with defense counsel and a lack of impartiality. The defendant objected to the Webster charge but not to the judge's comments.
11. At the start of his charge to the jury, the judge stated, "During the course of [the trial], you probably noted that there was some interaction on occasion between the bench and the lawyers or the bench and a witness․ That has nothing to do with the case as you should consider it. That happens in the course of every trial, it's just inevitable, nothing to do with how you should decide the case." He then added, "If the actions of this court, that is myself, the Judge, during the course of this trial ․ if any of these matters have in any way intimated to you how I think you should decide this case, you are to completely disregard any such intimations. How you decide this case is entirely up to you, it doesn't matter to me how you decide the case. I, as the judge, am neutral in this case, as I am in every case, and as I must be."
MILLS, J.

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text:
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Sanderella_
The Ramblings of a Mad Woman
30 Days of Music Meme
Day 23: Your favorite duet.
There's probably a gazillion duets that I'm not thinking of, but the first one to come to mind is Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush doing Don't Give Up. I also love the video - just the two of them holding each other, throughout the entire thing. Simple, and gorgeous.
Kate Bush / Peter Gabriel - Don't Give Up
30 day music meme
Day 22: Your favorite song from a movie.
Somebody already posted this one, but it's worth reposting... Pippin singing his "song of doom" in Lord of the Rings:
There's also one of the most beautiful pieces of opera I've ever heard... I love Opera and wish I could find out how to get more of the style that I love, but I don't know where to start looking. So unfortunately I just have to snap up carious pieces as I come across them. This is at the top of my list. From the movie Hannibal, please take a moment to close your eyes and appreciate Vide Cor Meum - inspired by La Vita Nuova by Dante.
Vide Cor Meum - Hanz Zimmer
Day 21: A song that makes you want to break stuff.
I had to take a break because I went to NYC on vacation (pictures on my Facebook!), then I forgot about the meme when I came back.
Ok, so here's a great song that makes me mad (in a happy way). See what happens to the singer in this video? That's me when I listen to this song. It's all kinda "whatevs" in the beginning, but as you get halfway through the first verse... you just start to lose it. But then you get a period of recovery, which sort of screws you up even more when the beat kicks back in. Then you start beating people up who invade your personal space, because you really just feel like you need to thrash about on your own and chuck microphones around with nobody to interfere.
Then you get another quiet moment.... and it comes a little too early. But you take a deep breath then head to bed, where you sorta know you belong.
NIN - March of the Pigs
September 21st, 2010, 10:07 am
Day 20: Your favorite breakup song.
Isn't "favorite" and "breakup" in the same sentence a bit of an oxymoron? I don't really know how to answer this one... Songs don't really match my normal breakups which tend to be pretty nice, amicable and mature.
But there is a breakup song that I love, but it doesn't relate to any of the breakups I've ever had. Anyway, here you go!
Love is a Battlefield - Pat Benatar
Day 19: Your favorite love song.
I'm not even sure if this song is a love song, or more about memories of a love lost, but either way, it makes me want to snuggle in the arms of a man and weep in happiness.
The Moody Blues - Nights in White Satin
Moody Blues - Nights in White Satin
Day 18: An instrumental song you like.
This is quite possibly my most favorite song ever, of all time, and will never change.
Luckily, I also get to post a video with the clip from the movie where this song impossibly stirred up even MORE emotion than it did before I saw this movie. I LOVE Beethoven. And I love all the stories - fact and based-on-fact - about him. This movie was freaking incredible, by the way. Especially if you love Gary Oldman.
Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata
Day 17: The last song in your mp3 folder.
Wait, is this supposed to go by artist, or by song, or by album??? If it's by song, it's 999,999 by Nine Inch Nails (no video, it's just a minute of filler noise). The last actual SONG is 976-Evil By the Deftones, but that last ARTIST (oddly, I would have expected numeric artists to be at the beginning, but iTunes puts them at the end)...
Actually kind of a fun video.... This song is SO much fun.... It makes me want to drink a bottle of bub, fist pump and grind my bootie into the crotches of random dudes at the club like all the Guidettes do... Plus, Fiddy's kinda hot....
*shakes head* Shit... what just happened there?
In Da Club - 50 Cent
Day 16: The first song in your mp3 folder.
Back in Black! I hate ABBA, and really, what else is there before AC/DC?
Back in Black - AC/DC
Day 15: A song you liked in high school.
Not because I like it..... anymore. But I remember riding the bus. And usually only one or two of us had a walkman. So those of us that did have a walkman would sing whatever song they were listening to, and the rest of the bus would join in. One of our favorite songs to sing was Under The Bridge by RHCP.
NOT RHCP, I'm so sick of them.
Day 14: A song from the year you were born.
There was lots of great stuff out the year I was born. There were also some pivotal moments in history the year I was born....
The Sex Pistols broke up, Chaka Khan, Prince, Dire Straits, Kate Bush, Black Flag, Yo-Yo Ma, The Police, Black Flag and Van Halen all released their debut albums. Grease and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band were released (the movies). Keith Moon and Louis Prima died, and Nelly Furtado, Clay Aiken, Julian Casablancas, Usher and half of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were born (Thank you, Wikipedia).
1978 saw the release of You're The One That I Want (Grease), Stayin' Alive and Night Fever (Bee Gees) and YMCA (Village People).
But I'm going to choose to play Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush for it's cheesiness, and the memories of playing this after the lights came on at Dominion in Dublin.
By the way, I know a LOT of people that dance like her in this video, and are serious about it.
Wuthering Heights - Kate Bush
MySpace (add me!)
Family Homepage (under construction)
My Bam LJ Community
My Days of our Lives community
mickey and jen
30 Days of Music Meme — 0
30 day Music Meme — 0


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SEVIS shows this information in the Travel, Passport, and Visa sections of the Student Information page.
Designated school officials (DSOs) can add information about any of these, if it is missing. DSOs cannot edit any information SEVIS gets from a government interface.
DSOs are not required to enter information on a student's passport, visa, and entry or exit from the United States.
Get the F or M visa.
Enter the United States in F or M status.
2. Click Edit in the Travel, the Passport, or the Visa section. The Travel, Passport and Visa Information Update page opens.
Note: The Edit buttons in all three of the Travel, the Passport, and the Visa sections bring the user to the same Travel, Passport and Visa Information Update page.
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Date of Entry Enter the date the nonimmigrant was admitted to the United States.
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We went grocery shopping at a local New Jersey market last week and were surprised to find fresh peaches, grown in the USA, individually labeled with a large OU symbol and the words "Certified Kosher."
We remember our teachers in Yeshiva telling us that kosher certification is not needed for fresh fruits and vegetables, because they are inherently kosher year-round, and even for Passover, when the restrictions are far greater.
So we contacted the Webbe Rebbe (no, we're not kidding) at the Orthodox Union's website, which promptly answers questions related to kashrut. We got a reply within one business day to the effect that no, kosher certification is not required for fruits and vegetables.
However, there are wax coatings on some fruits and vegetables. The OU poskim (Rabbinic decisors) are of the opinion that the wax does not present a kashrut problem. Apparently, because some people believe that it is problematic, the company that picks and packs the peaches has chosen to be certified as Kosher by the OU, for the sake of those who think that the wax coatings are a concern.
But we still wonder, why would a peach farmer get the idea that he should pursue kosher certification? Then it came to us.
On Purim 2009 we published the Purim Edition of The Kustanowitz Kronikle with the lead story, Rabbis To Require Shechita For Many Fruits And Vegetables. The Purim spoof maintained that a new tractate of the Talmud was discovered during Israel's incursion into Gaza, and that this tractate contained hitherto unknown laws that shechita (ritual animal slaughter) also applies to fruits and vegetables with visible stems.
If you missed the Purim Kronikle, here's a link to all the issues that you can read and print. Enjoy!


Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that have common traits such as, high eye pressure, damage to the Optic Nerve Head and gradual vision loss. It affects peripheral vision and eventually leads to blindness if left untreated. The current common methods of pre-diagnosis of Glaucoma include measurement of Intra-Ocular Pressure (IOP) using Tonometer, Pachymetry, Gonioscopy; which are performed manually by the clinicians. These tests are usually followed by Optic Nerve Head (ONH) Appearance examination for the confirmed diagnosis of Glaucoma. The diagnoses require regular monitoring, which is costly and time consuming. The accuracy and reliability of diagnosis is limited by the domain knowledge of different ophthalmologists. Therefore automatic diagnosis of Glaucoma attracts a lot of attention. This paper surveys the state-of-the-art of automatic extraction of anatomical features from retinal images to assist early diagnosis of the Glaucoma. We have conducted critical evaluation of the existing automatic extraction methods based on features including Optic Cup to Disc Ratio (CDR), Retinal Nerve Fibre Layer (RNFL), Peripapillary Atrophy (PPA), Neuroretinal Rim Notching, Vasculature Shift, etc., which adds value on efficient feature extraction related to Glaucoma diagnosis.


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Рентерия:

 Рентерия — населённый пункт и муниципалитет в Испании, входит в провинцию Гипускоа в составе автономного сообщества Страна Басков.

Фамилия
 Рентерия, Андрес (род. 1993) — колумбийский нападающий.
 Рентерия, Васон (род. 1985) — колумбийский футболист, нападающий.
 Рентерия, Жаклин (род. 1986) — колумбийская спортсменка, борец вольного стиля, двукратная бронзовая призёрка Олимпийских игр 2008, 2012 годов, бронзовый призёр чемпионата мира 2017 года.
 Рентерия, Эмилио (род. 1984) — венесуэльский футболист.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Keck School News
Announcements / Featured / Recent / It takes more than a catchy headline for health awareness campaigns to inspire action
It takes more than a catchy headline for health awareness campaigns to inspire action
A comparison of the Pinktober and Movember movements reveals that reach and engagement do not always lead people to research screening options. (Photo/Shutterstock)
A new study published in Lancet Oncology reveals that the internet popularity of health awareness campaigns may not always translate into a greater interest in related health behaviors.
Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC compared Pinktober and Movember, two monthlong cancer outreach campaigns with similar online popularity based on six years of search traffic data. They analyzed patterns of Google Trends search data for specific keywords associated with each campaign and the health behaviors that should result from increased awareness. For example, the Pinktober keywords included "Pinktober," "Breast Cancer" and "Mammography," while Movember keywords included terms like "Movember," "Mustaches," and "PSA Test OR PSA."
The researchers found that while the peaks in breast cancer related web searches corresponded with peaks for the Pinktober campaign throughout October, the volume of web-searches for prostate cancer did not appear to be influenced by the timing of the "Movember" campaign in November.
"Between the pink ribbons and mustaches, both these campaigns have very visual elements that can reinforce their online visibility," said Giovanni Cacciamani, MD, assistant professor of research urology at the Keck School and principal investigator of the study. "However, a successful health awareness campaign will need to go beyond reach and virality to ensure that the public understands the call to action."
Cacciamani emphasized that the data does not necessarily reflect poorly on the Movember movement, which encourages men to grow out their mustaches in November to raise awareness for men's health issues like prostate and testicular cancers, mental health and suicide prevention. Since its founding in 2003, the campaign has raised more than $700 million in funding.
The varied effectiveness of the two campaigns may be attributed to the target audience. The Pinktober campaign to raise awareness for breast cancer and the need for regular screening is targeted to women, who may be more likely to turn to the internet for health information. In contrast, Movember is most popular among younger to middle-aged men and lends itself to social media mustache selfies, while prostate cancer primarily affects a generation of men who may not be as active on these platforms.
Another possible explanation for the differences in search traffic could be that in 2012, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended against routine prostate-specific antigen testing for prostate cancer. Although the USPSTF has since updated their guidelines to encourage men ages 55-69 to speak to their doctor about the frequency of screening, Movember has seen a decrease in registered participants and donations since 2012.
Cacciamani and his team continue to analyze Google traffic for insights into how patients use the internet to obtain health care information.
"The pernicious trap of fake news is always around the corner," said Inderbir S. Gill, MD, chair and Distinguished Professor of Urology in the Catherine & Joseph Aresty Department of Urology and executive director of USC Urology. Gill is also the senior author of the study. "Understanding patients' internet search patterns can help the medical community combat misinformation and encourage healthier habits," concluded Gill, who is also the Shirley and Donald Skinner Chair in Urologic Cancer Surgery at the Keck School.
— Wendy Wolfson


- The Fukaji Temple is said to have been established in 701 A.D. (1,300 years ago) by the legendary preist GYOUKI. He created a "Jyu-ichimen (eleven face) Kan-non statue" and donated the statue to a small temple called "Raigo-in."
- In the Heian Period, FUJIWARA TADAHIRA visited the temple and prayed to the Kan-non statue. Then the Kan-non image frequently appeared in FUJIWARA's dream while he was sleeping. To worship the Kan-non further, TADAHIRA donated several buildings to the temple. A statue of TADAHIRA, commemorated in those days, is still stands in the temple.
- At the end of the Kamakura Period, ASHIKAGA TAKAUJI rose to power. SHINYO, a cousin of TAKAUJI, became the master priest of Fukaji, prayed for TAKAUJI. The prayers seemed to have been answered. After that, TAKAUJI won many successive battles against his political enemies, which made him powerful enough to beat the Kamamura Government. TAKAUJI made it to became the first SHOGUN of the MUROMACHI government. He attributed his success to the Kan-non power of Fukaji. To express his gratitude,he donated a large amount of land to the temple.
"The Sanzen-Butsumyou-Hoto" (the scroll of the tower of 3,000 Buddha names) is believed to have been given at that time.
- In the Azuchi-Momoyama Period, The IMAGAWAs came to power. The temple documents show that Fukaji was supported by governemts.
- At "the Uri-Castle Battle" in 1530, MATSUDAIRA KIYOYASU used Fukaji as his operation base.
- Throughout the Edo Period, Fukaji was protected by the TOKUGAWA administration..
- A major blow, however, hit Fukaji after the World War II. In the process of democratizaion after the war, Fukaji was deprived of most of its land possesion. Once being a huge temple with eighteen different halls, Fukaji has now become a cozy temple with 100 parishioner households. The temple lost its financial privilege, so temple staff members went out into the world to make their living.


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Family Voices: Piloting a New Qualitative Measure of Family Engagement for Head Start and Early Head Start Staff and Families. Final Report and Instrument Package.
This methodological report focuses on the development of qualitative instruments designed to better understand family engagement in Head Start and Early Head Start. The report draws on pilot data collected during the 2012-2013 program year and provides information about the performance of the…
Health/mental health/behavioral health (7)
Early childhood development/education (2)
Racially/ethnically/culturally diverse populations (2)
Safety-net/social services & providers (2)
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Book (x)Brief (x)Fact Sheet (x)Other (x)1999 (x)
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Fathers' Fair Share: Helping Poor Men Manage Child Support and Fatherhood.
One of the most challenging goals for welfare reformers has been improving the collection of child support payments from noncustodial parents, usually fathers. Often vilified as "deadbeats" who have dropped out of their children's lives, these fathers have been the target of largely punitive enforcement policies that give little consideration to the complex circumstances of these men's lives. Fathers' Fair Share presents an alternative to these measures with an in-depth study of the Parents' Fair Share program. A multi-state intervention run by the Manpower Demonstration Research…
The Fatherhood Movement: A Call to Action.
The fatherhood movement has established itself as an innovative and effective response to the most daunting crisis facing American families. Written by the movement's founders, The Fatherhood Movement illustrates methods for reconnecting men with their children and restoring the fragile bonds that hold our society together. It provides valuable insights into the historical, social, economic, and spiritual dimensions of the "disappearance" of fathers from society. Reflecting the complex nature of this problem, the contributors include activists, politicians, public intellectuals, and academics…
The meaning of father involvement for children.
Fathers are involved in their children's lives in a multitude of ways that go beyond the traditional roles of economic provider and playmate. However, few studies that include fathers tap all aspects of fathers' involvement in children's lives. Furthermore, the quality of father-child interactions is not as frequently studied or as well understood as is the quantity of father-child contact. This is especially problematic given the large number of U.S. fathers who do not live with their children. Researchers are now calling for an expansion of research to address aspects of father…
Daddy @ Work: Loving Your Family, Loving Your Job ... Being Your Best in Both Worlds.
You can be a good dad and a successful businessman by being the same person in both places. Daddy@Work shows you how openness and tenderness can work at the office and how your management and planning skills can work at home. As a young executive, Robert Wolgemuth discovered how work and home could become "graduate schools" for each other. This is the message of Daddy@Work: a successful man transfers skills in one sphere to the other, thereby improving them both.Whether you're a white- or blue-collar worker, whether a CEO or an…
The Faith Factor in Fatherhood.
Edited by founder and chairman of the National Fatherhood Initiative Don Eberly, The Faith Factor in Fatherhood addresses the key role that religious institutions can play in reviving what Eberly calls the "sacred vocation of fatherhood." In response to the wider debate regarding the increased expectations that are being placed by policy makers on faith-based institutions to serve important public purposes, contributors to this volume guide denominations, places of worship, and religious social agencies to recover the role they once played in reaching and supporting young men with a message…
The Single Father: A Dad's Guide to Parenting Without a Partner.
In this ground-breaking volume author Armin Brott gives single dads the knowledge, skills, and support they need to become-and remain-actively involved fathers. With the same thoroughness, accessibility, and humor that have made the books in his critically acclaimed NEW FATHER series the best and most popular fatherhood guides in the country, Brott steers divorced, separated, widowed, and never-married men through every aspect of fathering without a partner. Incorporating the advice of top psychologists, lawyers, and other experts, The Single Father offers a wealth of essential information…
Throwaway Dads: The Myths and Barriers That Keep Men from Being the Fathers They Want to Be.
Are fathers really important? Of course they are. Yet we as a society have wittingly and unwittingly built nearly insurmountable barriers that restrict men's involvement with their children and families. In Throwaway Dads, a noted researcher on fatherhood and a leading author on the art of being a father explode the myths of neglectful, uninterested, abusive, deadbeat, and lazy dads with real-life studies and statistics. They explain why the largely negative portrayal of fathers in books, movies, and on television is both inaccurate and harmful, training young boys and girls to see men as…
"Poppa" Psychology: The Role of Fathers in Children's Mental Well-Being.
Many people seem to be searching for answers to help explain their past, understand their current way of being, and create a happier, more satisfying future. It is the current trend to blame mothers for such emotional problems. "Poppa" Psychology calls into question this habit of blaming mothers, and focuses, instead, on the father-child relationship. Regardless of whether the father is present or absent, his actions will have a direct influence on the child's development. This book focuses on the ramifications of the father-child relationship and its effects on the child-turned-adult. (…
Did You Say "Movement"?
Concerns about the increase in fatherless families and the negative effects on children led to calls for social change from politicians, several national commissions, and a variety of articles and books. By the end of the 1990s, there were indications that a fatherhood movement was being formed as conferences were sponsored by organizations at the national, state, and local levels. This chapter evaluates whether recent actions to promote fatherhood represent a social movement, in terms of the identification of a core idea, the broad appeal of the issue, the distinction of the movement from…
Letters to Declan : A One-Man Performance with Jack Gallagher.
This 100-minute videotape presents a one-act play that stars a father who uses six letters to his son to discuss relationships, careers, and dreams. The transition to manhood and the responsibilities of life as a husband and a father are addressed.


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Industry accounting perceived as less ethical by CPAs
March 14, 2017, 6:16 p.m. EDT
CPAs employed in industry and government see the ethical environment around them as inferior to public accounting firms, according to a new study.
And despite the well-publicized lapses at the Big Four accounting firms, CPAs who work at the Big Four rate their environment as more ethical, compared to those who work in private industry and government.
The study, by Robin R. Radtke and Derek W. Dalton of Clemson University, Donna D. Bobek of the University of South Carolina, Brian E. Daugherty of the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, and Amy H. Hageman of Kansas State University, appears in the journal Behavioral Research in Accounting, published by the American Accounting Association.
Government accountants were particularly skeptical about the ethical environment they see around them.
"It was disheartening to find such a persistent ethics shortfall perceived in industry," Radtke said in a statement. "And, notwithstanding the diminished trust in government reported nowadays in public surveys, it was somewhat surprising to encounter an even greater ethical lack reported there."
The researchers were particularly surprised to see a high perception of ethics among Big Four accountants. They called the finding "counterintuitive."
"Big Four firms are now commonly assumed to have profit maximization as their primary motivation," they wrote.
The researchers suggested three possible reasons for the high perception of ethics at Big Four firms. With more reputational capital to lose than other public accounting firms, the Big Four have more incentive to promote strong ethical environments. The Big Four also spend more than the other firms on ethical training. In addition, they face greater risk of litigation and have deeper pockets, giving them extra motivation to maintain high ethical standards.
For the study, the researchers surveyed 904 accountants, drawing on lists from state CPA societies. The total included 676 accountants working for public accounting firms, 127 employed in industry, 62 who had government jobs, and 39 working for nonprofit organizations. They responded on a scale of 1 (for strongly disagree) to 7 (for strongly agree) to statements about their employers' ethical norms (for example, "firm has strong ethical values"); their practices (such as, "organization has an effective ethics training program"); and outcomes (e.g., "unethical behavior is severely punished"). The more they agreed with the statements, the higher the level of perceived ethics. As there were 12 statements, the scores could range from 12 to 84.
The CPAs' average rating of the ethical environment in public accounting was 73.32, compared to 67.0 in industry accounting. Because the former was 61.32 points above the minimum of 12 and the latter only 55 points above that mark, that translated into an 11 percent advantage for public accounting over industry accounting, a statistically significant margin, according to the researchers. Even higher was the 76.11 rating for the Big Four firms, and their margin over other public accounting firms was also deemed statistically significant. The researchers saw a correlation with a study by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. "Coupled with the findings of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners that accounting department employees commit the highest frequency of fraud, [our study] suggests organizations in industry may need to place more emphasis on developing and strengthening their ethical environments," they noted.
The mean rating of the ethical environment in government was only 63.81, which put it significantly below the levels for both public accounting and industry accounting.
According to the researchers' analysis of the factors affecting the various ethical environments, the biggest differences proved to be in ethics training. On a scale of 2 to 14, public accounting outscored industry, 11.71 to 9.86, and within public accounting the Big Four firms outpaced non-Big Four firms, by 12.86 to 11.41, with both gaps found to be statistically significant.
"Our findings may reflect the increased emphasis, particularly by Big Four firms, on ethics training and ethical behavior that has occurred since the scandals of the early 2000s, which resulted in the demise of Arthur Andersen," the researchers noted.
"It is certainly plausible that the collapse of Arthur Andersen explains, at least to some extent, the relatively high marks for the ethics of the Big Four and public accounting," said Radtke. "But there appears to have been little if any long-term effect of the failure of Enron and WorldCom, not to mention the passage of Sarbanes-Oxley, on the ethics environment in industry. And that is surely unfortunate."
Corporate ethicsAccounting


When it comes to Big Data, it's best, as the old saying goes, to start with the end in mind. With Big Data, it's easy to get lost in the data or the implementation. The outcome you want to achieve and the business questions you want to answer are what matter most. So the best place to start in Big Data is not with the data itself, but rather with your business objectives and questions.


Making its debut on PC Q1 of 2013; ACE COMBAT ASSAULT HORIZON - ENHANCED EDITION features controls and graphics that have been optimized specifically for PC users. The PC version will include many of the DLC items released on the console versions of the game. Players will have immediate access to additional aircrafts and numerous aircraft skins as well as skills and maps.
The multiplayer portion of the game will feature support through Games for Windows Live from Microsoft. The game will be available at retailers and for download via Steam and the Games for Windows Marketplace.
The mere fact of Ace Combat on PC is great news. It's not very well-adapted to the mouse and keyboard layout, but the graphic improvement is worth it. In any case, it's a great action game, whether you like the series or not.
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon provides frenetic gameplay and a funny arcade action experience with its blockbuster presentation and great multiplayer side.
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon with it's thrilling dogfights is an intense flight-simulation, that gives you a nice Top Gun-feeling.
Ace Combat Assault Horizon is one of the best air combat games on the PC platform. If you can go beyond the limits of gameplay (due to the entire genre) then consider buying.
The game is enjoyable thanks to a very immediate arcade formula and to the good variety of missions in the single player campaign. The competitive multiplayer and co-op are fun, but some may find the overall game experience a little too simplistic and the plot, as well as the soundtrack, does not go beyond a good routine. At this price, however, it's a good deal.
It's not going to blow your mind, but if you're happy with a total disregard for realism then Ace Combat: Assault Horizon will keep you happy and entertained for a good few hours.


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Sea Stuff
Great Northern Diver - good numbers this morning but none much closer than this one!
An 80 minute sea-watch from the raised beach huts, from 0735, produced 13 Great Northern Diver, 2 Red-throated Diver, 3 diver sp, c20/30+ Common Scoter, c50+ Gannet, c100+ Kittiwake, 14 auk sp, 3 Razorbill, 1 Great Skua (@0820) and 1 wader sp. All birds moving south apart from the Common Scoter, which were sat in small groups between Maer Rocks and Orcombe Point.
At least 11, probably 12 Purple Sandpipers on Maer Rocks mid-afternoon.
Little Gull, Little Egret, Little Duck
Female Teal - Countess Wear. About 15 Teal were on the river alongside the Water Treatment Works, along with a Grey Seal (more in the river than on) and a Common Sandpiper.
A twenty minute look off Maer Rocks after dawn was worthwhile, as an adult Little Gull flew past at 0745. I've seen fewer in Exmouth this year than last year. Also past there, a Red-throated Diver. About 20 Common Scoter were sat on the water off there, along with 5 Great Crested Grebe.
I had to drop Lu and Joel in Topsham for about 9am so I had a quick look at one of my old stomping grounds - Countess Wear Sludge Beds. The usual mix of species was seen, with a Firecrest, c10+ Chiffchaff, 3 Redwing, 1 Treecreeper and a Common sandpiper the highlights.
I always enjoy watching Little Egrets. They are a very common sight anywhere on the river now. This bird was keeping itself hunched up so as not to get blown over in the strong wind. I failed to find the Black Redstarts at Shelly Beach today. They were no doubt keeping their heads down.
Leaning into a strong wind.
Falcon Sp
I spent the last half hour of daylight stood just below Woodbury Fort, hoping for a late Hen Harrier or Short-eared Owl. I was a bit thrown by a large falcon that sped past at about 4pm, quite low and fast - a powerfully - built bird, not unlike Peregrine in structure, but perhaps a bit too large. Difficult to judge on a lone bird against a dark backdrop. The sighting was all too brief but I clocked very warm brown tones on the upperparts and a contrastingly pale head. This gave the whole bird an odd look and for a second I had to question whether it was a falcon at all, such was the unfamiliarity of the colour tones. I watched it until it soared out of sight and over the tree line. Unfortunately by the time I actually got on it, it was flying away from me so the views weren't great. It was perhaps a Saker or possibly some sort of falconer's hybrid but I don't think it was Peregrine.
Whilst stood in one spot there was continuous movement of passerines overhead, with several Meadow Pipit, Redpoll, 1 Brambling, a Yellowhammer and 1+ Reed Bunting recorded in a short space of time.
A quick glance off Mudbank earlier had revealed relatively high numbers of waders with 70+ Redshank, 2 Greenshank, 5 Ringed Plover, c100+ Turnstone, 7 Grey Plover and c1/200+ Dunlin. A single drake Teal and the Pale-bellied Brent Goose were also noted.
Good views of two Greenshank late pm.
More Action!
Orcombe Point at dawn - cue Pigeons!
It didn't get going immediately this morning, but when it did it was truly spectacular. A conservative count of c20,000 Woodpigeon, mostly before 0815, was made, but to be honest the flocks were so big that it could have been considerably more. It was a bit like that moment on 'Zulu' when the horizon is scanned to reveal an overwhelming number of warriors silhouetted against the horizon. At times, Nick and I literally couldn't see the end of the flocks! The movement seemed to dry up at 0815, but as we were getting back in to our cars, at 9am, another big wave went over west. All flocks were higher up today, in windless conditions, and none were observed off the coast.
Also this morning - 1 Purple Sandpiper (Maer Rocks), 2 Stonechat, c20+ Chaffinch, 3+ Brambling, 12+ Skylark, 9 Fieldfare, 2+ Reed Bunting and 30+ Starling.
Mudbank produced the Black Brant, 1 Pale-bellied Brent Goose, 2 Grey Plover, 13 Red-breasted Merganser, 2 Goldeneye and 7 Great Crested Grebe.
Finally, I managed to check the local Cirl Bunting feeding station. No Cirls today but 4+ Yellowhammer, 2+ Reed Bunting, 1 Redpoll, c15+ Linnet, 1+ Goldfinch, c5+ Greenfinch, c50+ Chaffinch and, best of all, 1+ Brambling. Also 1 Redwing, 1 Fieldfare and c100+ Woodpigeon. The field next to the feeding field is currently stubble, so it's going to be worth keeping an eye on it over the winter.
I've strongly adjusted the contrast on this photo so that the Pigeons stand out more. This was fairly typical of a number of flocks that swept over. All Nick and I could do was shrug our shoulders and make rough guesses!
Black Brant - Mudbank.
The long-staying adult Pale-bellied Brent Goose.
Grey Plover - a treat to see them up close. Grey Plovers normally stick to the middle of the estuary.
Counting Methodology
Forty 'blocks' of 10 = 400 birds. Not easy on a photo - impossible on a fast-moving, shape-shifting flock!
Last November Nick and I witnessed 16,000 Woodpigeon pass over Orcombe in a short space of time. It was, as always, an exhilarating experience. It was also very frustrating because despite our best efforts we felt we were under-counting. Nick reckons there could have been a margin of error of up to 25% (which could have put our total at 20,000) which I have to agree with. In fact, when I count on my own, I would say the margin is potentially even greater. It could be significantly more on a very large flock. One thing is for sure, counting in pairs or groups is much more accurate than counting on your own.
This morning (21/11) I was delighted to discover that I hadn't missed watching Woodpigeon migration this year. I thought I'd photograph the flocks, in an attempt to get a more accurate count. This proved useful but extremely time-consuming and tedious. You can see how I did it - still not 100% accurate but far more so than counting in the field.
This method is only useful up to a point though. Firstly, I didn't photograph every single bird and secondly the rate of movement changed in the short time I was there.
When I arrived at the top of Gore Lane, the birds were moving west, above Maer Valley in distinct flocks from c30+ to c900+. The majority of flocks appeared to swing around and head towards the river mouth but some shot straight out into Dawlish Bay and were lost to sight. By the time I stopped photographing, around 0815, the flocks were starting to stretch out and merge just off the coast. Some below cliff-top height, some just above. The 'flow rate' had increased and was still going full-tilt when I left at 9am. Counting these birds was near enough impossible. I was estimating 'chunks of 100 at a time - wildly inaccurate!
My rate of movement, based on photos, is estimated at 20000 per hour. If that rate was sustained throughout the morning then at least 80000 birds passed Orcombe yesterday. However I don't know that rate was the same all morning. I'm pretty sure it was considerably higher than that from 0815 - 0900 at least but I'm guessing it dropped off at some stage as the morning progressed.
At the Warren, to the west, they counted c54000 birds and at Sidmouth - c36000. This shows that birds were moving along a section of coast, but where did they come from and where did they go after that? As always, more questions than answers.
Counting these big flocks was a complete pain. The above is 870+ birds and below is 720+. As most birders will testify, the urge to quantify these movements is strong. It's a shame though because all you really want to do is absorb the spectacle. To just take it all in. Next November I think I'm going to try not counting them! This morning (21/11), some birds dropped and flew at ground level across the fields. It was truly awesome. Last November you could hear the wing-beats of hundreds of birds as they passed in still conditions. It was too windy to hear that today (21/11).
30 Mins of Woodies in Pics.
c140+
I decided to photograph every flock of Woodpigeons that passed between 0745 and 0815 this morning. I reckon c10,000+ in total. All the photos on this blog post represent just 30 minutes of movement, as observed from the Dung Field in this morning's biting northerly. My camera battery packed up at 0815 but I continued counting and stopped at 0900, by which time easily another 10,000 birds moved along the coast in an almost continuous 'ribbon'. So c20,000+ birds total, with birds still moving strongly as I left.
Also this morning - 1 Jack Snipe, 2 Lapwing, 1+ Golden Plover, c30+ Starling and 1 Reed Bunting.
On Maer Rocks there were 30 Dark-bellied Brent Geese, c10+ Turnstone and 2 Purple Sandpiper with 4 Common Scoter and a Pintail offshore.
c80+
Lapwing blur.
Busy Week......
Lost Goose Psychology
Willow Warbler
Fantastic Serin Photos
Today's Stuff


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Reso can signify multiple things:

 Raisio (Reso in Swedish), a city in southwestern Finland
 RÉSO, the current name for Montreal's underground city
 A nickname for the resonator guitar
 Jason Reso (born 1973), Canadian professional wrestler better known as Christian Cage or Christian