text:
\section{INTRODUCTION}

One of the ground breaking discoveries of the Hubble Space Telescope
was that massive stellar clusters, with properties that rival (or even
exceed) those found in globular clusters in terms of mass and stellar
density, are still forming in the universe today
\citep{holtzman1992}. These young massive clusters (YMCs) can be
broadly defined as stellar clusters more massive than
10$^4$\,M$_\odot$ and with ages that are $<$100\,Myr but that also
exceed the current crossing time by a factor of a few, so are
gravitationally-bound \citep[see e.g.][]{ashman_zepf2001,
  portegieszwart2010} . The discovery of YMCs in the Galaxy has
allowed a detailed study of their structural and stellar properties
\citep[e.g. Arches, Quintuplet, Westerlund 1 and 2, RSCG1, 2 and 3,
  GLIMPSE-CO1,
  NGC~3603:][]{figer1999,clark2005,ascenso2007,figer2006,davies2011,beccari2010}.
Like their extragalactic counterparts, these Galactic YMCs have
stellar masses of $10^4-10^5$\,M$_\odot$ and core stellar densities of
$10^4-10^5$ stars per cubic pc.  The stellar masses and densities are
orders of magnitude larger than typical open clusters and comparable
to those in globular clusters, super star clusters seen in
merging/starburst galaxies and those inferred from observations of
massive clusters forming at the epoch of peak star formation density
($z\sim2-3$) \citep{whitmore2000, johnson_kobulnicky2003,
  swinbank2010, danielson2011}. As such, YMCs are potentially
local-universe-analogs of these massive extragalactic and high-$z$
stellar clusters. Within our own Galaxy, observations show a smooth
continuum in the properties of young clusters, suggesting that YMCs
merely represent the extreme end of the open cluster (OC) distribution
function. Thus, understanding how YMCs form may provide a direct
handle on i) globular and super star cluster formation, ii) cluster
formation at the epoch of peak star formation density ($z\sim2-3$),
iii) the most extreme conditions for star formation in the local
universe, and iv) whether or not there are different formation modes
across the cluster mass range.

Despite their importance, the formation process of YMCs is not well
constrained observationally due to the lack of known potential gas
clouds as progenitors. As a result it has not been possible to study
the initial conditions of the molecular gas from which YMCs form
\citep[see e.g.][]{santangelo2009}. Progress requires first finding
and then deriving the properties of the most massive molecular gas
clouds which are on the verge of forming YMCs. Such YMC progenitor
clouds are expected to have a high mass ($\sim$10$^5$\,M$_\odot$) and
small radii (a few pc) with high volume and column densities
($\gtrsim$10$^4$\,cm$^{-3}$; $\gtrsim$10$^{23}$\,cm$^{-2}$). Before
the onset of star formation, the gas is also expected to be very cold
($\sim10-20$\,K). In order to resolve the internal structure of
objects with radii $\sim$pc requires limiting the search to gas clouds
within our own Galaxy.

Compared to the objects found in recent surveys of dense
cluster-forming molecular clumps, one object, ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$, stands out as
extreme \citep[e.g.][]{sridharan2002,hill2005, beuther2002,
  schuller2009, bally2010, aguirre2011, molinari2010,
  rathborne2006irdc, simon2006irdcs, simon2006irdc2, pillai2006,
  peretto_fuller2009, jackson2006grs, rathborne2009, longmore2007,
  purcell2006, purcell2009,
  walsh2008,walsh2011,jackson2011}. Identified as an infrared dark
cloud (IRDC), it is clearly seen as a prominent extinction feature in
mid-IR images (see Figure~\ref{fig:cont_image}). \citet{molinari2011}
place ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ in the ``elliptical ring'' feature orbiting the
Galactic center, putting it $60-100$\,pc in front of the Galactic
center, at a distance of $\sim$8.4\,kpc \citep{reid2009}.  With a dust
temperature of $\sim$20~K, volume density of $>$10$^{4}$\,${\rm cm}^{-3}$, dust
mass of $\sim$10$^{5}$\,M$_{\odot}$, and almost no signs of star-formation,
${\rm G0.253+0.016}$, has exactly the properties expected for the precursor to a
massive, Arches-like cluster \citep{lis1994,lis1998,lis2001,
  bally2010}.

Despite having the expected global properties for a YMC precursor, the
dynamical state and fate of future star formation in ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ remains
uncertain. While the detection of a weak water maser suggests there
may be a small number of low-mass stars forming \citep{lis1994}, it is
unclear whether the gas is globally bound and collapsing (and
therefore going to form a massive cluster) or unbound and transient
\citep{lis1998}. This ambiguity is complicated by the extreme
environmental conditions within the Galactic center region
(e.g. crowding, intense radiation fields, large magnetic fields, tidal
shear). Given its importance as a potential precursor to a YMC, we
make use of higher resolution and sensitivity data to study ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$
in detail and attempt to ascertain its dynamical state.

\section{Survey data and new observations}
\label{sub:obs}

\subsection{Survey data}
\label{sub:survey_data}

We make use of multi-wavelength archival data from the United Kingdom
Infrared Digital Sky Survey \citep[UKIDSS:][data release
  7]{lawrence2007}, the Spitzer Galactic Legacy Infrared Mid-Plane
Survey Extraordinaire \citep[GLIMPSE:][]{benjamin2003}, the
Submillimetre Common-User Bolometer Array (SCUBA) on the James Clerk
Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) \citep{difrancesco2008} and the methanol
multi-beam survey \citep[MMB:][]{caswell2010}. We also make use of
recently available data from the Herschel Infrared Galactic Plane
Survey \citep[HiGAL:][]{molinari2010PASP, molinari2011}, the H$_2$O
southern Galactic plane survey \citep[HOPS:][]{walsh2008, walsh2011}
and the Millimetre Astronomy Legacy Team 90\,GHz Survey
\citep[MALT90:][]{jackson2011,foster2011}. Details of the surveys
including observational parameters and references outlining the data
acquisition/reduction procedures can be found in
Table~\ref{tab:obs_summary}.

\begin{table*}
  \caption{Summary of observational survey data used in this work}
{\scriptsize
  \begin{tabular}{ccccccccccc}
    \hline
    Survey/Archive  & Telescope(s)   & $\lambda$                      & continuum/line & $\theta$         & Reference(s)          \\ \hline
    UKIDSS          & UKIRT          & 1.2, 1.6, 2.2\,$\mu$m          & continuum      & $<$1$\mbox{$^{\prime\prime}$}$    & \citet{lawrence2007}  \\
    GLIMPSE         & Spitzer        & 3.6, 4.5, 5.6, 8.0\,$\mu$m     & continuum      & 2$\mbox{$^{\prime\prime}$}$       & \citet{benjamin2003}  \\
    HiGAL           & Herschel       & 70, 160, 250, 350, 500\,$\mu$m & continuum      & 5$-$36$\mbox{$^{\prime\prime}$}$  & \citet{molinari2010PASP,molinari2011} \\
    SCUBA Archive   & JCMT           & 450, 850\,$\mu$m               & continuum      & 8$\mbox{$^{\prime\prime}$}$       & \citep{difrancesco2008} \\
    MALT90          & Mopra          & 3\,mm                          & line           & 35$\mbox{$^{\prime\prime}$}$      & \citep{jackson2011,foster2011} \\
    HOPS            & Mopra          & 12\,mm                         & line           & 2$\arcmin$       & \citep{walsh2008, walsh2011} \\
    MMB             & Parkes \& ATCA & 3\,cm                          & line           & $\sim$1$\mbox{$^{\prime\prime}$}$ & \citep{caswell2010} \\ \hline\hline

  \end{tabular}
}
  \label{tab:obs_summary}

\end{table*}

\subsection{VLT/NACO Observations}
\label{sub:vlt_obs}

Deep, near-IR data were obtained with the Nasmyth Adaptive Optics
System Near-Infrared Imager and Spectrograph (NAOS-CONICA, or NACO) on
the Very Large Telescope (VLT) on May 5th 2011. A field of view of $1'
\times 1'$ centered on $17^h42^m58^s$, $-28^\circ42'23"$ (J2000) was
imaged in $J$, $H$ and $K_s$. Although offset from the nominal center
of ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$, this position was chosen to be centered on a foreground
star which was bright enough to use the Natural Guide Star adaptive
optics system guiding with camera S54 and dichroic N20C80. After
flatfielding and sky subtraction using IRAF\footnote{IRAF is
  distributed by the National Optical Astronomy Observatories, which
  are operated by the Association of Universities for Research in
  Astronomy, Inc., under cooperative agreement with the National
  Science Foundation.}  standard tools, the six dithered exposures of
10s each in each filter were shifted and combined into the final $J$,
$H$ and $K_s$ images. The source extraction and PSF photometry were
done with IRAF DAOPHOT using standard techniques and error cuts. We
used Topcat\footnote{\citet{taylor2005}:
  http://www.star.bris.ac.uk/$\sim$mbt/topcat/} to match all the stars
towards ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ observed by VLT/NACO with the UKIDSS data (see
$\S$~\ref{sub:near_ir_extinction}). Differences in filter wavelengths
were corrected to first order using the principles described in
\citet{stead_hoare_2009} and Appendix A of
\citet{schodel2010}. Remaining uncertainties in color effects and
from the statistical scatter mean the error in calibration is no more
than $\pm0.1$\,mag at each wavelength. The final NACO catalog contains
358, 1001 and 1830 sources, detected to the $5\sigma$ level up to
21.3, 20.5 and 19.8 mag in $J$, $H$ and $K_s$, respectively. Despite
the error cuts, up to 2\% of the sources in the catalog in each filter
are still spurious detections.

\section{Results}
\label{sec:results}

Figure~\ref{fig:cont_image} shows continuum images of ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ at
3.6$-$8.0$\mu$m, 70$\mu$m and 450$\mu$m. ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ is elongated with an
aspect ratio of approximately 3:1 and is seen as an extinction feature
from 3.6 to 70$\mu$m with no obvious embedded emission sources. As
such it must be both cold and dense and sit in front of the majority
of the diffuse Galactic mid-IR background emission. At wavelengths
$\ge$170$\mu$m, bright emission is seen across ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$
\citep{molinari2011} with similar morphology to the 450$\mu$m emission
shown in Figure~\ref{fig:cont_image}. The lack of embedded emission
sources at wavelengths up to 70$\mu$m combined with results from
recent maser surveys which show no 6.7\,GHz CH$_3$OH masers
\citep{caswell2010} or new 22\,GHz H$_2$O maser detections
\citep{walsh2011} strongly reinforces the paucity of active star
formation within the cloud.

\subsection{Near-IR extinction}
\label{sub:near_ir_extinction}

From continuum observations alone it is not possible to determine
whether the emission from ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ arises from a single physical
entity or from multiple clouds along the same line of
sight. Extinction measurements can be used to distinguish between
these two scenarios. Additionally, given the confusion and the
difficulty deriving kinematic distances towards the Galactic center,
extinction measurements also offer an independent distance
determination.

We used data from UKIDSS, specifically the Galactic Plane Survey
\citep[GPS:][]{lucas2008}, and deep VLT/NACO observations (see
$\S$~\ref{sub:vlt_obs}) to investigate the near-IR extinction towards
${\rm G0.253+0.016}$. We downloaded the infrared sources in a 15$\arcmin$ x
15$\arcmin$ region centered on ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ from the UKIDSS data base,
which allowed for a direct and coherent comparison of the cloud and
off-cloud properties. The comparison of on- and off-source $K_s$ {\it
  vs.} $(H-K_s)$ color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) showed that there are
far fewer very red stars in the direction of ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ than in any of
the off-source diagrams, with a clear and maintained deficit in the
number of red stars well established by $(H-K_s) = 1.7 \pm 0.2$\,mag
(see top panel of Figure~\ref{fig:extinction})\footnote{ It should be
  noted that across the UKIDSS field examined there is also
  considerable variation in the foreground extinction, not surprising
  in a field so close to the Galactic Centre direction.  }. This is
equally clearly seen when comparing the NACO data for ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ with
similar field of view, albeit shallower, NACO observations toward the
Galactic Centre by \citet{schodel2010}: Figure~\ref{fig:extinction}
shows the $K_s$ {\it vs.} $(H-K_s)$ CMD, and the histogram of
$(H-K_s)$ colors for that Galactic Centre field and for
${\rm G0.253+0.016}$. Toward the Galactic center, the red giant branch bump
feature is clearly seen extending to $(H-K_s)$~$\sim$~2.6\,mag, after
which it is effected by completeness limits. However, despite being
$\sim$2\,mag deeper, the number of sources toward ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ drops
rapidly above an $(H-K_s)$ of $\sim$1.7\,mag, clearly showing that the
extinction is produced by a sharp increase in dust density as expected
from a dense cloud, as opposed to being produced by several
low-density clouds along the line-of-sight which would be seen as a
much more gradual decrease in the number of red stars.

We used the NACO data and Eq. 2 of \citet{nishiyama2006} to estimate
the distance to the cloud, using the red clump (RC) stars around
$K_s\sim15$ mag.  We assume an absolute magnitude for the RC stars of
$M_K = -1.54$ mag\footnote{ We adopt the \citet{schodel2010} value of
  $M_K = -1.54$ rather than that of $M_k=-1.59$ in
  \citet{nishiyama2006} as we are directly comparing our data to the
  former.}, a population correction $\Delta M_K = -0.07$, and the
extinction law of \citet{schodel2010} for the Galactic Centre
($A_\lambda \propto \lambda^{-2.21}$). The distance modulus is then
given by $\mathrm{DM}=K-M_{K_s}+\Delta M_K$, where $K$ is the
observed, de-reddened $K$ magnitude. We are looking for the distance
to the near side of the cloud, so we used $(H-K_s)=1.7$ mag to
determine the extinction, since this is the color where we start to
lose stars with respect to the Galactic Centre of Schodel et
al. (2010) (see Figure~\ref{fig:extinction}, right-hand panel). Using
the aforementioned extinction law, we derive $A_{K_s}=2.13$ mag for an
effective wavelength of $2.168 \mu$m, which, when applied to the
observed magnitude of the RC stars ($K_{S,obs}=15\pm0.3$ mag), yields
a de-reddened $K_s=12.87\pm0.3$ mag, or $K=12.86\pm0.3$ considering
the difference between $K_s$ and $K$ \citep{nishiyama2006}.  The
distance modulus is then $\mathrm{DM}=14.34\pm0.3$, translating into a
distance of $7.4\pm1.0$\,kpc and independently placing it just
foreground of the Galactic Centre. The greatest source of uncertainty
in this analysis is undoubtedly the extinction law, and we note that a
difference of only 10\% in the exponent of the extinction law in
particular translates into an approximately 10\% change in the derived
distance.

In summary, based on the UKIDSS and NACO data we conclude that we have
undoubtedly detected the extinction caused by ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$, and that this
is a single physical entity (as opposed to multiple clouds separated
by large distances along the line of sight) with a distance consistent
with being close in proximity to the Galactic Centre. Within the
uncertainties, the IR-derived distance to ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ of $7.4\pm1.0$\,kpc
is consistent with the distance of 8.4\,kpc that would be inferred if
${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ is part of the ``100\,pc'' ring orbiting the Galactic center,
as proposed by \citet{molinari2011}. The distance to the ``100\,pc
ring'', in turn, is based on the distance to the Galactic center
determined by \citet{reid2009}. As the formal uncertainty in the
distance to the Galactic center is smaller than that from the
IR-derived distance, we adopt a distance to G0.253+0.016 of 8.4\,kpc
for the remainder of the paper. The results of the paper remain valid
if the nearer distance were adopted.

\subsection{Dust temperature, column density, radius and dust mass}
\label{sub:higal_analysis}

HiGAL data of the inner 2$^\circ \times 2^\circ$ of the Galactic
center covering the Central Molecular Zone and ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ are presented
by \citet{molinari2011}. Because continuum emission at these
wavelengths is typically optically-thin and arises from the dust, we
can use the Herschel data to derive the dust temperature and column
density of ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$.

The dust temperature and gas column density of ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ were estimated
from a two-step pixel-to-pixel graybody fit to the Hi-GAL data. In the
first coarse-angular-resolution step, graybody fits were calculated
using the 170 - 500 $\mu$m data, scaled to the resolution of the 500
$\mu$m image ($\sim$36$\mbox{$^{\prime\prime}$}$). These results were used as inputs to
the second, high-angular-resolution graybody fits to the 170 - 350
$\mu$m data, which were scaled to the resolution of the 350 $\mu$m
image ($\sim$25$\mbox{$^{\prime\prime}$}$). Both steps used a fixed $\beta$ of 1.75 and
did not include the 70 $\mu$m point due to the high optical depth at
this wavelength. The fitting method is similar to that described in
\citet{bernard2010} and \citet{compiegne2011} but with the diffuse
component of the emission removed \citep[see][for full details on the
  methodology]{battersby2011}.

Figure~\ref{fig:temp_N_image} shows the derived dust temperature and
column density maps. We find the dust temperature overall is low,
increasing smoothly from $\sim$19\,K at the center to $\sim$27\,K at
the edge. There are no obvious small pockets of heated dust from any
embedded sources. The derived external temperature of ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ is
significantly warmer ($\gtrsim$35\,K).

The column density and dust temperature are anticorrelated as expected
for an externally-heated, dense clump. The derived peak column density
is $\sim$3.3$\times$10$^{23}$\,cm$^{-2}$ and decreases smoothly
towards the edge. The cloud area was defined using a column density
threshold of 3$\times$10$^{22}$\,cm$^{-2}$ which covers all the
emission at T$\le 27$\,K. Within this area the average column density
is $\sim$1$\times$10$^{23}$\,cm$^{-2}$. The emission is elongated with
semi-major and semi-minor axes of $1.\arcmin9\times0.\arcmin7$,
corresponding to a physical radius of 4.7$\times$1.7\,pc for a
distance of 8.4\,kpc. Taking the geometric mean, we derive an
effective radius of 2.8\,pc for ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$.

Given the strong dependence of dust emissivity with temperature and to
account for the dust temperature variation across ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$, we
calculate the dust mass directly from the derived column density
rather than from mm continuum emission which assumes a single dust
temperature. The dust mass was calculated by multiplying the column
density of each pixel by the pixel area, assuming a mean molecular
weight of 2.8$\times$M$_{H-atom}$ \citep{kauffmann2008} and
gas-to-dust ratio of 100:1 \citep{hildebrand1983}\footnote{Due to the
  metallicity gradient in the disk \citep{balser2011}, it is possible
  the gas-to-dust ratio in the CMZ may be lower than the canonical
  value of 100:1 commonly adopted in the literature. However, as
  individual metallicity measurements across the CMZ vary from 1 to
  $\sim$4 $\times$ Solar
  \citep{shields_ferland1994,maeda2002,najarro2009} and no independent
  measurements exist for ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$, we opt for the standard gas-to-dust
  ratio of 100:1, while noting the dust-based mass may possibly be
  lower.}, and summing over the pixels in the cloud area. The total
mass is not particularly sensitive to the column density threshold,
varying by $<$10\% for threshold values of
1$-$5$\times$10$^{22}$\,cm$^{-2}$. We derive a dust mass for ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$
of 1.3$\times$10$^5$\,M$_\odot$ and estimate the uncertainty to be of
order 20\%.

\subsection{Molecular line data: linewidth and virial mass}
\label{sub:hops_malt90}

To determine whether ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ is gravitationally-bound we compared the
dust mass with the virial mass, M$_{\rm vir}$. M$_{\rm vir}$ is
related to the measured radius, R, and linewidth, $\Delta$V, through
M$_{\rm vir} \propto R\, \Delta V^2$, where the constant of
proportionality depends on the geometry and gas density profile
\citep{maclaren1988,bertoldi_mckee1992,dunham2010}. Clearly, small
differences in linewidth can strongly affect the virial mass so it is
important to ensure the measured linewidth reflects the underlying gas
kinematics and has not been affected via other mechanisms
(e.g. different excitation conditions, outflows, shocks, chemistry and
optical-depth effects).

 We used recently available data from the ongoing MALT90 molecular
 line survey \citep{jackson2011,foster2011} to investigate the
 velocity structure of ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$. Detailed analysis and modelling of
 the emission from the many detected molecular line transitions are
 underway and will be presented in a subsequent paper (Rathborne et
 al. in preparation). Here we focus on the global line properties with
 the aim of deriving the most reliable, representative linewidth for
 ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$.

The brightest, optically-thick lines [e.g. HCO$^+$(1-0), HNC(1-0)]
show the velocity structure towards this region is
complicated. Emission is seen from several distinct velocity
components over the spatial extent of ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ defined in
$\S$~\ref{sub:higal_analysis}. The most prominent of these are: a
component at $\sim$0\,$\mbox{kms$^{-1}$}$ seen at the north-east edge of the
filament; a component at $\sim$35\,$\mbox{kms$^{-1}$}$ covering a similar emission
area as the spatial extent of ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ defined above; and a component
at $\sim$75\,$\mbox{kms$^{-1}$}$ seen towards the south west edge of the
filament. Given the spatial extent of the 35\,$\mbox{kms$^{-1}$}$ component closely
matches that of the dust emission, we take this component as the
emission from ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$, with the other components being from unrelated
clouds along the line of sight.

The 35$\,\mbox{kms$^{-1}$}$ component shows evidence for shifts in the peak
V$\rm_{lsr}$ with changes in spatial position (ie a velocity
gradient). This means that taking a spectra from an individual spatial
position would not accurately recover the integrated linewidth over
the whole region, as the linewidth-broadening from the velocity
gradient would not be taken into account. To overcome this requires
extracting spectra which are integrated over the spatial extent of
${\rm G0.253+0.016}$.

We selected bright, optically-thin emission as the most likely
reliable tracer of the underlying gas kinematics. The top panel of
Figure~\ref{malt90_opt_thin_tracers} shows Hanning-smoothed spectra
from the H$^{13}$CO$^+$(1-0) and HN$^{13}$C(1-0) transitions
integrated over the spatial extent of the cloud (as determined in
$\S$~\ref{sub:higal_analysis}). The line profiles for both transitions
are similar, giving confidence that they are robustly tracing the
underlying gas kinematics. Both the V$\rm_{lsr} = 35\,\mbox{kms$^{-1}$}$ component
from ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ and the V$\rm_{lsr} = 0\,\mbox{kms$^{-1}$}$ component are seen but
the 75\,$\mbox{kms$^{-1}$}$ component is too faint in these optically-thin
transitions to be detected. The bottom panel of
Figure~\ref{malt90_opt_thin_tracers} shows the spatially-averaged
HN$^{13}$C(1-0) emission with no Hanning smoothing. This emission was
fit with a two-component Gaussian profile using the tasks within the
CLASS\footnote{CLASS is part of the GILDAS software environment:
  http://iram.fr/IRAMFR/GILDAS/} software package. To avoid biasing
the fit results we did not constrain any of the parameters but rather
left them all as free variables. From the resulting fits, which are
overlayed on the spectra in the bottom panel of
Figure~\ref{malt90_opt_thin_tracers}, we derive the peak velocity and
FWHM of the gas associated with ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ to be V$\rm_{lsr}=
36.1\pm0.4\,\mbox{kms$^{-1}$}$ and $\Delta$V$=15.1\pm1.0\,\mbox{kms$^{-1}$}$, respectively. We
adopt an upper limit linewidth of 16\,$\mbox{kms$^{-1}$}$ for ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ for the
remainder of the paper.

The derived virial mass can vary by an order of magnitude depending on
the assumed geometry and density distribution. Assuming a spherical
source with a density distribution $\propto r^{-2}$ gives a virial
mass estimate of 9$\times$10$^4$\,M$_\odot$ \citep[][Eq
  3]{maclaren1988}. However, more realistically, for a
centrally-condensed cloud elongated with axis ratio 3:1 and density
$\propto r^{-1.8}$, the virial mass would be
4$\times$10$^5$\,M$_\odot$
\citep{bertoldi_mckee1992,dunham2010}. Despite the assumptions and
systematic uncertainties, the dust and virial mass estimates agree to
within a factor of a few. Thus it is likely ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ is close to
virial equilibrium.

\section{Discussion}

The global properties of ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ derived in $\S$~\ref{sec:results}
are summarized in Table~\ref{tab:global_properties}. Based on these
results, ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ is a strong candidate precursor of an Arches-like
YMC. The only other two similar Galactic YMC-forming clouds that have
been studied to date are Sgr B2 and W49A
\citep[e.g.][]{goldsmith1990,alves2003}. However, these are both much
more evolved, with massive cluster formation well underway. The
powerful feedback from ongoing star formation has strongly affected
the cloud structure in these regions, so observations of the gas do
not probe the initial conditions prior to the onset of star formation.

We speculate that ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ may be unique in representing the initial
conditions of a Galactic molecular cloud on the verge of forming a
YMC. As such, its detailed study can reveal important clues about
massive cluster formation and help test theoretical models. Current
theories suggest that the early evolution of stellar clusters depends
crucially on the spatial and kinematic distribution of stars
\citep[e.g.][]{goodwin_bastian2006,allison2010}. However, while the
distribution of emergent stellar populations as ``hierarchical'' or
``centrally-condensed'' may be straightforward to quantify when
analyzing stars, quantifying the small-scale distribution of the gas
in a similar way is complicated \citep[see e.g.][]{lomax2011}. Because
gas can not easily be counted in discreet, observationally-defined
units, the results of algorithms attempting to quantify gas
substructure are notoriously subjective to the values of user-defined
inputs \citep[see e.g.][]{pineda2009}.

Regardless of the exact details of the formation mechanism, the
properties of the emergent stellar population must be directly related
to the initial global gas properties. Assuming a reasonable star
formation efficiency (SFE) \citep[e.g. 30\% for gas
  $\geq10^4\,$cm$^{-3}$;][]{alves2007}, ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ may form a cluster
with stellar mass and density similar to that of other YMCs like the
Arches. Whether or not such a cluster remains gravitationally-bound
depends on the SFE and environmental conditions \citep[tidal shear,
  interaction with GMCs etc,
  e.g.][]{kruijssen2011,elmegreen_hunter2010}. However, it is clear
that ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ has enough mass to form an Arches-like cluster without
accreting any additional gas or stars from outside the present-day
observed boundary.

With only a single candidate YMC precursor it is not possible to
determine how representative ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ is of all YMC progenitors.  It
is clearly desirable to search for other proto-YMC molecular clouds,
especially within the Galaxy. In the last decade much observational
effort has been directed towards searching for, and characterizing the
physical properties of molecular clouds which are likely the
progenitors of stellar clusters. As a result, a large fraction of the
gas in the Galaxy available to form YMCs has been surveyed in dust
continuum and dense molecular gas tracers.

Figure~\ref{fig:radius_mass} summarizes the results from two of these
surveys and places ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ in the context of Galactic molecular
clouds and stellar clusters. Plus symbols show ammonia clumps detected
in HOPS \citep{walsh2011}. The critical density of ammonia is close to
the volume density threshold of $\sim$10$^4$\,cm$^{-3}$ proposed by
\citet{lada2010} as the threshold required to form stars. As such HOPS
is ideal for identifying and characterizing the properties of star
forming gas within the Galaxy.  Green crosses show IRDCs from the
survey of \citet{rathborne2006irdc}. IRDCs are thought to be
precursors of high mass stars and clusters. The region of the
mass-radius plane covered by the HOPS clouds and IRDCs is similar to
that of clouds detected in other surveys, both targeted \citep[e.g. as
  compiled by][]{kauffmann_pillai2010} and blind, large-area surveys
(BGPS -- \citet{aguirre2011}; ATLASGAL -- \citet{schuller2009},
Tachenberg et al submitted and Beuther et al. priv. comm). The hatched
rectangles show the mass-radius range of different stellar clusters
\citep[][]{portegieszwart2010} and the black dots show Galactic
YMCs. With the exception of a few clouds which may form small YMCs,
assuming a reasonable star formation efficiency, most of the observed
molecular clouds seem destined to form open clusters. ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ is
marked with a red star and clearly stands out. It is significantly
more massive for its size compared to the other Galactic molecular
clouds. It is potentially the only object with an observed gas mass
and density which may be able to directly form a cluster with stellar
mass and densities in the YMC/globular cluster regime.

The potential uniqueness of ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ has profound implications for YMC
formation in the Galaxy.  We posit three scenarios. If all YMCs form
from molecular clouds with similar properties to ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$, either i)
${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ is unique in the Galaxy, or, ii) surveys have missed the
other similar clouds. Alternatively, iii) if the properties of
${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ are not representative of other molecular clouds destined to
form YMCs, there may be precursors to YMCs in the Galaxy which have
already been observed but not identified as YMC precursors.

To distinguish between these scenarios it is important to predict how
many proto-YMC molecular clouds are likely to exist at any given time
in the Galaxy.  One way to estimate this is following the analytical
approach of \citet{gieles2009}. Assuming a star formation rate of 1
M$_\odot$/yr with 10\% of stars forming in clusters and a cluster mass
function index of $-2$, we would expect $\sim$10 clusters of
$>$10$^4$\,M$_\odot$ with ages $<$10\,Myr. This estimate is consistent
with the number of YMCs currently known in the Galaxy. If the number
of Galactic YMCs is constant, assuming it takes of order a Myr to
evolve from precursor to forming cluster we would expect from zero to
a few precursors at any given time. An alternative method to estimate
the expected number of proto-YMC molecular clouds in the Galaxy is
extrapolating the observed embedded cluster mass function (ECMF),
which, for embedded clusters up to $10^3$ M$_\odot$ within 2 kpc of
the Sun, is a power-law with index $-2$
\citep{lada_lada2003}. Assuming this represents the Galactic ECMF
\citep[see][]{gieles2009}, one can scale it to the total volume of the
Galactic disk to estimate the number of embedded clusters expected in
the Galaxy. Extrapolating this to higher cluster masses, we expect
$\sim 25$ young clusters with masses between $10^4$ and $10^5$
M$_\odot$. Assuming a cluster lifetime of 10 Myr we predict $\sim 2.5$
proto-YMCs per Myr in the Galaxy. Both of these approaches suggest
there may be other Galactic YMC progenitors. While these estimates are
approximate, they predict that only a small number of proto-YMCs
should exist in the Galaxy at any given time. However, the
uncertainties are sufficiently large that it is not possible to use
these estimates to rule out ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ as being unique. Therefore, it is
currently not possible to distinguish between scenarios i) and ii).

Returning to scenario iii), there are many molecular cloud complexes
known with sufficient mass to form YMCs but their present-day gas
density is much lower than the expected final YMC stellar
density. Examples of these are seen clearly in
Figure~\ref{fig:radius_mass} as clouds with mass $>10^4$\,M$_\odot$
and radii $>\sim8$\,pc. Such clouds seem destined to form massive, but
unbound, associations. However, it may be possible to form the
required YMC stellar densities over time from the convergence of
molecular gas flows on large scales and subsequent global
gravitational collapse. Indeed, such large-scale gravitational
collapse has been directly observed towards a number of massive
protoclusters (e.g. W33A \citep{galvan-madrid2010}, DR21
\citep{schneider2010}, G10.6 \citep{keto1988,baobab2010}, G8.67
\citep{longmore2011}) and is predicted by numerical simulations
\citep{smith2009,klessen_hennebelle2010}. In this scenario, star
formation would proceed over several crossing times, leading to a
large age spread in cluster members.  In this regard, it is
interesting to note that an age spread of $\ge 10$\,Myr among cluster
members are reported in several YMCs \citep[NGC~3603, NGC~346,
  30~Doradus --][]{beccari2010,deMarchi2011A,deMarchi2011B}. However,
there is some debate in the literature over the uncertainty in the age
determination of cluster members using this method and whether or not
these data are also consistent with age spreads of $\le$3\,Myr
\citep{tobin2009,baraffe2009,littlefair2011,jeffries2011}. Detailed
studies of the large-scale gas motions in the youngest and most
massive molecular clouds are needed to determine whether the
gas/stellar density will increase over time to form YMCs as opposed to
more diffuse and gravitationally-unbound OB associations as would be
predicted by their current global gas density.

With this scenario in mind, it is interesting to note that large-scale
emission from shocked-gas tracers is detected towards
${\rm G0.253+0.016}$. Combined with gas temperatures of 80\,K \citep[][Rathborne
  et al. in prep]{lis2001}, which is much warmer than the dust
temperature, this suggests ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ may have formed from a
cloud-cloud collision or convergence of large scale flows. As the gas
has not yet had the chance to heat up the dust, this must have
happened recently. If this is the case, before the postulated
collision/convergence, the gas properties of ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ may have been
much more similar to the typical Galactic molecular cloud population
and thus may not have stood out as extreme in
Figure~\ref{fig:radius_mass}.

Given the location of ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ near to the Galactic center, it is
tempting to invoke the extreme conditions at the Galactic center
(e.g. interstellar radiation field enhanced by 10$^3$, external
pressure P/k$\sim$10$^8$, strong magnetic fields, gamma rays) to
justify why it may be unique. In this regard it is interesting to note
that ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ lies at a projected distance of only 18\,pc from the
Arches and Quintuplet clusters. While it is not possible to directly
link the formation of the Arches with ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$, it seems plausible
that the Arches could have formed at its present distance from the
Galactic center. On larger scales ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ appears to be part of a
10$^6$\,M$_\odot$ filament of interconnected clumps of which ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$
is the most massive \citep{lis2001}. This filament is itself thought
to be part of the 3$\times$10$^7$\,M$_\odot$, 100\,pc ring identified
by \citet{molinari2011}.  The 100\,pc ring is orbiting the Galactic
center at $\sim$80\,$\mbox{kms$^{-1}$}$ so a single orbit would take
$\sim$3.6\,Myr. Given the free-fall time for ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ is $<$1\,Myr
(see Table~\ref{tab:global_properties}), it seems unlikely ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$
would survive a whole orbit without additional support -- not
implausible given the extreme conditions at the Galactic center. If
such additional support could be maintained against the rapid
turbulent energetic decay, this may explain why the cloud has remained
dense and starless.

Alternatively, the fate of the ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ may be more intimately linked
to the dynamics of the 100\,pc ring. Gas is thought to enter the ring
at the intersection points of the innermost stable X1 orbits and the
X2 orbits. These intersection or ``crashing'' points coincide with Sgr
B2 and Sgr C -- the only places in the 100\,pc ring with prodigious
star formation activity. If the gas comprising ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ were to have
entered the 100\,pc ring at Sgr C it would have joined only a small
fraction of an orbit time ago. In around a free-fall time, the whole
10$^6$\,M$_\odot$ filament in which ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ is located will have
reached the position of Sgr B2. As such, this larger filament could be
in the process of forming a 10$^6$\,M$_\odot$, Sgr~B2-like complex.

However, while it is tempting to invoke the extreme conditions at the
Galactic center to justify why ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ may be unique, several of the
most massive YMCs in the Galaxy are not located near the Galactic
center suggesting the extreme environmental conditions are not a
necessary condition to form a YMC.

\section{Conclusions}

We make use of existing multi-wavelength data including recently
available far-IR continuum (Herschel/Hi-GAL) and mm spectral line
(HOPS and MALT90) data and present new, deep, multiple-filter, near-IR
(VLT/NACO) observations to study the infrared-dark cloud
${\rm G0.253+0.016}$. From these data we have derived the global properties of
${\rm G0.253+0.016}$. It has a high mass (M$_{\rm dust}
\sim1.3\times10^5$\,M$_\odot$), low dust temperature ($\sim$23\,K),
small radius ($\sim$2.8\,pc), high volume density
(7.3$\times10^4$\,cm$^{-3}$) and high column density
(3.5$\times10^{23}$\,cm$^{-2}$). It is close to virial equilibrium
with almost no signs of active star formation. As such it appears to
be a prime candidate for the initial conditions of a molecular cloud
destined to form an Arches-like YMC.

Comparing the properties of ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ to other Galactic dense molecular
clouds shows it to be extreme. We discuss implications of this for the
formation of massive protoclusters and posit three scenarios. If all
YMCs form from molecular clouds with similar properties to ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$,
either i) ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ is unique in the Galaxy, or, ii) surveys have
missed the other similar clouds. Currently it is not possible to
distinguish between scenarios i) and ii). Nevertheless, clouds with
properties like ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ must be very rare in the Galaxy making
${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ extremely important for testing massive cluster formation
models. Alternatively, in scenario iii) the properties of ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ do
not represent those of other molecular clouds destined to form
YMCs. We note there are many molecular clouds in the Galaxy with
sufficient mass to form YMCs but their present-day gas density is much
lower than the expected YMC stellar densities. However, it may be
possible to form the required stellar densities over time from the
convergence of molecular gas flows on large scales and subsequent
global gravitational collapse, as observed towards several lower-mass
protoclusters. Detailed studies of the large-scale gas motions in the
youngest and most massive molecular clouds are needed to determine
whether the gas/stellar density will increase over time to form YMCs
as opposed to more diffuse and gravitationally-unbound OB associations
as would be predicted by their current global gas density.

In future work we will study the internal structure and kinematics of
${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ in detail to investigate its recent dynamical history, test
the plausibility that it formed from cloud-cloud collisions or
converging large-scale flows, and directly test models of massive
protocluster formation.

\section{Acknowledgments}

We thank the anonymous referee for constructive comments that improved
the manuscript. SNL would like to thank Jens Kauffmann, Thushara
Pillai, Qizhou Zhang, Henrik Beuther, Peter Schilke and Adam Ginsburg
for useful discussions. This research made use of the NASA
Astrophysical Data System. The research leading to these results has
received funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework
Programme (/FP7/2007-2013/) under grant agreement No 229517.

\begin{table*}
\begin{center}
  \caption{Global properties of {\rm G0.253+0.016}. The columns show mass (M),
    distance (D), radius (R), dust temperature (T$_{\rm dust}$),
    linewidth ($\Delta$V), volume density ($\rho$), column density
    (N$_{H_2}$), cloud-crossing time ($t_{cc}$), sound-crossing time
    ($t_{sc}$) and free-fall time ($t_{ff}$). }
  \begin{tabular}{cccccccccccc}
    \hline
    M          & D     & R     & T$_{\rm dust}$ & $\Delta$V & $\rho$     & N$_{H_2}$  & $t_{cc}$ & $t_{sc}$ & $t_{ff}$ \\
    (M$_\odot$) & (kpc) & (pc) & (K)          & (km/s)    &(cm$^{-3}$) & (cm$^{-2}$) & (Myr)   & (Myr)   & (Myr)     \\ \hline
    1.3E5      & 8.4   & 2.8   & 19-27        & 16        & 7.3E4      & 3.5E23    &  0.17   & 8        &  0.74    \\ \hline\hline

  \end{tabular}
  \label{tab:global_properties}
\end{center}
\end{table*}

\begin{figure*}
  \begin{center}
    \begin{tabular}{ccc}
    \includegraphics[width=0.3\textwidth,clip=true]{fig1a.pdf} &
    \includegraphics[width=0.305\textwidth,clip=true]{fig1b.pdf}&
    \includegraphics[width=0.3\textwidth,clip=true]{fig1c.pdf} \\
    \end{tabular}
    \caption{Continuum images toward {\rm G0.253+0.016}. The images are 14\,pc on
      a side for the distance of 8.4\,kpc. {\it Left to right:}
      GLIMPSE \citep{benjamin2003} three color (3.6, 4.5 and
      8\,$\mu$m), Herschel 70\,$\mu$m \citep{molinari2011}, SCUBA/JCMT
      450\,$\mu$m \citep{difrancesco2008}. The cloud {\rm G0.253+0.016}, is seen
      as an extinction feature in the mid-IR to far-IR but is a strong
      emitter in the sub-mm/mm. As such it must be both cold and dense
      and sit in front of the majority of the diffuse Galactic mid-IR
      background emission.}
    \label{fig:cont_image}
\end{center}
\end{figure*}

\begin{figure*}
 \begin{center}
   \begin{tabular}{cc}
 	\includegraphics[width=0.4\textwidth,angle=0]{fig2a.pdf} &
        \includegraphics[width=0.4\textwidth,angle=0]{fig2b.pdf}\\
 	\includegraphics[width=0.4\textwidth,angle=0]{fig2c.png} &
        \includegraphics[width=0.4\textwidth,angle=0]{fig2d.png} \\
   \end{tabular}
 	\caption{\small{[Top panel] $K_s$ {\it vs.} $(H-K_s)$
            color-magnitude diagrams for UKIDSS sources within a
            circle of radius 45$\mbox{$^{\prime\prime}$}$ centered on ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ [left]
            and an offset position at $l = 0.32^\circ$, $b =
            -0.02^\circ$ [right]. Although the UKIDSS data are
            confusion-limited in sensitivity and not as deep as the
            NACO data (bottom panel) a clear decrease in source counts
            towards ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ is seen at $H-K_s \sim 1.7 \pm 0.2$\,mag.
            [Bottom left panel] $K_s$ {\it vs.}  $(H-K_s)$
            color-magnitude diagram. The black dots show sources
            detected in the VLT/NACO data towards ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ (see
            $\S$~\ref{sub:vlt_obs}~\&~\ref{sub:near_ir_extinction}). The
            yellow dots and grey scale show the VLT/NACO sources and
            number density, respectively, detected towards the
            Galactic center from \citet{schodel2010}. Both VLT/NACO
            observations have the same $1' \times 1'$ field of view
            but the ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ observations are $\sim$2\,mag deeper (as
            illustrated by the dotted and dashed lines showing the
            approximate 5$\sigma$ sensitivity limits of the
            \citet{schodel2010} and ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ datasets,
            respectively). In the \citet{schodel2010} data, the red
            giant branch bump feature continues to
            $(H-K_s)$~$\sim$~2.4 mag and is still visible at 2.6 mag,
            where it becomes strongly effected by completeness
            limits. Despite being $\sim$2\,mag deeper and looking
            along similar lines of sight (and hence similar foreground
            extinction and expected stellar populations), the red
            giant branch bump feature is sharply truncated in the
            ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ observations.  [Bottom right panel] Histogram of
            the $(H-K_s)$ colors for the \citet{schodel2010} catalog
            [black], and for the NACO sources in ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ brighter
            than the \citet{schodel2010} detection limit [red]. Both
            distributions are similar for $(H-K_s)$~$\leq$~1.7 but the
            number of ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ sources shows a sharp cutoff at redder
            colors, despite the observations being $\sim$2\,mag
            deeper. This is clear evidence that we have detected the
            extinction from ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$, and that this is a single entity
            as opposed to multiple clouds along the line of sight. The
            distance determined from these data is consistent with
            ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ being in close proximity to the Galactic center
            ($\S$~\ref{sub:near_ir_extinction}).}}
    	 \label{fig:extinction}
 \end{center}
 \end{figure*}

\begin{figure*}
  \begin{center}
    \begin{tabular}{cc}
    \includegraphics[width=0.45\textwidth,clip=true]{fig3a.png} &
    \includegraphics[width=0.45\textwidth,clip=true]{fig3b.png} \\
    \end{tabular}
    \caption{Dust temperature [left] and column density [right] maps
      of ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ derived from the Hi-GAL data. The images are 12\,pc
      on a side for the distance of 8.4\,kpc. The temperature contours
      are 19, 20, ..., 28\,K and the column density contours are 5,
      10, ..., 35\,$\times 10^{22}$\,cm$^{-2}$. The color scale shows
      all pixels above the threshold column density of
      3$\times$10$^{22}$\,cm$^{-2}$ used to define the boundary of
      ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ (see $\S$~\ref{sub:higal_analysis}). The dust
      temperature overall is low, increasing smoothly from $\sim$19\,K
      at the center to $\sim$27\,K at the edge. There are no obvious
      small pockets of heated dust from any embedded sources. The
      derived external temperature of ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ is significantly warmer
      ($\gtrsim$35\,K). The column density and dust temperature are
      anticorrelated as expected for an externally-heated, dense
      clump. The derived peak column density is
      $\sim$3.3$\times$10$^{23}$\,cm$^{-2}$ which decreases smoothly
      towards the edge. The average column density in the region above
      the threshold cutoff is
      $\sim$1$\times$10$^{23}$\,cm$^{-2}$. Based on the column density
      maps we derive ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$'s effective radius and mass to be
      2.8\,pc and 1.3$\times$10$^5$\,M$_\odot$, respectively.}
    \label{fig:temp_N_image}
\end{center}
\end{figure*}

\begin{figure*}[!ht]
\centering
  \includegraphics[height=0.75\textwidth,clip=true, angle=-90]{fig4a.pdf} \\
  \includegraphics[height=0.75\textwidth,clip=true, angle=-90]{fig4b.png} \\
  \caption{[Top] Hanning-smoothed H$^{13}$CO$^+$(1-0) [blue] and
    HN$^{13}$C(1-0) [red] spatially-averaged spectra across ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$
    from the MALT90 survey. Emission from both these transitions is
    expected to be optically-thin so should reliably trace the
    underlying gas kinematics. The line profiles for both transitions
    are similar, with two components: a brighter one at V$\rm_{lsr} =
    35\,\mbox{kms$^{-1}$}$ from ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ and a weaker one at V$\rm_{lsr} = 0\,\mbox{kms$^{-1}$}$
    from an unrelated cloud along the line of sight. [Bottom] The
    black line shows the same HN$^{13}$C(1-0) line profile as above,
    but without any Hanning smoothing. The green line shows the
    results of a two-component Gaussian fit to this profile, from
    which a line FWHM of $15.1\pm1.0\,\mbox{kms$^{-1}$}$ is derived for the gas
    associated with ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$.}
  \label{malt90_opt_thin_tracers}
\end{figure*}

\begin{figure*}
 \begin{center}
 	\includegraphics[width=1.0\textwidth,angle=0]{fig5.pdf}
 	\caption{Radius versus mass for Galactic dense,
          cluster-forming molecular clouds. Plus symbols show ammonia
          clouds detected in HOPS \citep{walsh2011} (blue/brown denote
          an assumed near/far kinematic distance, respectively). Green
          crosses show infrared dark clouds (IRDCs) from the survey of
          \citet{rathborne2006irdc}. The hatched rectangles show the
          mass-radius range of different stellar clusters
          \citep[][]{portegieszwart2010}. The black dots show Galactic
          young massive clusters. With the exception of a few clouds
          which may form small YMCs, assuming a reasonable star
          formation efficiency, most of the observed molecular clouds
          seem destined to form open clusters. ${\rm G0.253+0.016}$ is marked with
          a red star and clearly stands out as unique. It has a mass
          and radius that would be expected of a molecular cloud
          progenitor of a large YMC or a globular cluster. The dashed
          lines show constant density and free-fall time.}
    	 \label{fig:radius_mass}
 \end{center}
 \end{figure*}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


For awhile now I've worked with and "mentored" various students doing their thesis and doctoral work and I've meet some of these students in the past but none quite like what took place at the SAP TechEd Vienna event. This was the first time I had meet a student that I had spent time over the past years working with at one of our own events.
It was kind of nerve racking as this particular student is doing a critical study of external facing communities and we are one of those "targets" so for a whole week I felt as though I was put on the spot to make sure what we "say" is what we are really doing and that we can stand up to the scrutiny of an academic doing their doctoral work.
OK, I was not so much worried that we were not living up to what we are telling the world it was more that they would discover some flaw, hole or otherwise negative aspect I myself missed and was not prepared to discuss or even defend – silly of course since no one can be prepared to be the ultimate defender of their community one has to sit back and have faith in what you have helped build and that it is strong.
So during the week, I got to know Georgia Demetriou better and we spoke in great detail about community, human interaction, social interaction I also introduced her to several community members of the SAP communities as well as many of the blogger present and we asked her to share her thoughts with during a live broadcasted interview.
What I found surprised many people was during our conversations and the interview we discussed other communities and who she should talk to as well. Personally I felt folks like Jake and Justin with Oralce would be perfect people for her to talk to as well as Lauren with Microsoft in addition to those two of course would be other strong external facing communities like Intel, AMD, IBM, etc. I mean there are not many of us in this enterprise level world with external facing communities so I've also considered it to be prudent to know the other folks one might or could classify as my counterparts and that we should attempt to keep some open lines of communications.
On many levels there are certain best practices that do not necessarily relate to our companies but to us an individuals in roles that are still relatively new to the world (e.g. Community Evangelists) and therefore I was more than happy to provide those names and emails that I had readily available.
So personally and professionally I want to wish Georgia all the best with her work and I'm very eager on both levels to read her findings when she is done!!


text:
May 03, 2012 City Week
City Week
By David Mendez @jdmendez and Alexandra K. Newman
click to flip through (3)
Ship of Fools, directed by Rory O'Rear, will screen at I Dream in Widescreen.
Comics Characters
Hoopleville: The Cartoon World of David Kish
Opening reception, 6 to 9 p.m., Saturday, May 5
The Drawing Studio
33 S. Sixth Ave.
Nearly 10 years ago, David Kish began refining the characters and drawings he created in high school as a way to keep himself sane.
Now, Kish, 43, is celebrating his creation, Hoopleville, with what he calls an "almost-10-year victory lap" with an exhibition at The Drawing Studio.
Since finishing degrees in architecture and economics at Lehigh University, the Pennsylvania native has lived in Florida, California, Tucson, and Florida again in search of the proper job to match both his architect training and interests ... and failed.
"I would take soil from the job site and draw with it—very precisely, masking things off with tape. Obviously, the job didn't last," he said with a laugh.
Around 2003, he abandoned architecture when a friend invited him to help paint a house in Portland, Me. It was there he realized that his career had become stuck. He found himself working at a Michaels craft store during the winter, his creative wheels spinning.
That's when he began to re-create his sketches from high school, refined his humor and began self-publishing them.
"They started as newsletters at Kinko's that I'd distribute every two weeks," he said. "I'd go out, trudging through blizzards ... to deliver them."
He started gathering a following. The University of Southern Maine's Free Press student newspaper picked the comic up for a year, followed by the Portland Phoenix, an alternative newsweekly.
In 2007, he moved back to Tucson, for "the sun, the sun and the sun ... plus the pace of life," as Kish put it. The Tucson Weekly has been the Western home of Hoopleville ever since.
"I take pride in having never dumbed it down," Kish said. "I've had a guy talk to me and say 'I don't get some of these, but I like them.' I love that."
The free exhibition continues through Monday, May 26.—D.M.
Eating Right, Living Right
Conscious Local Living
5 to 7 p.m., Wednesday, May 9
St. Philip's Plaza
4340 N. Campbell Ave.
Not sure how to go green? You can see how your fellow Tucsonans are doing it at the city's second Conscious Local Living event, and perhaps pick up some valuable tips.
Conscious Local Living is an effort by Green Living magazine and The FUSION Foundation to bring the community together by highlighting the city's innovative people and places.
The event will spotlight Lisa Krikawa of St. Philip's Krikawa Jewelry Designs, who sells free-trade gems at her store, and Melissa Diane Smith, the director of education for the GMO Free Project of Tucson, which advocates for labeling of genetically modified food.
"We highlight a local face in the community, someone doing something sustainable and innovative, and we highlight a local place, where we hold the event, and a community innovator," said Dorie Morales of Green Living. "The bottom line is community and sustainability."
Morales said the event is a great place to network, and that it has a small-community feel to it. Attendees can focus on getting to know one another and will also have a chance to talk to the people the event highlights.
Smith, who has written books on nutrition, said she believes most Americans, even those who focus on leading sustainable lives, are not aware of the genetically modified organisms that have been introduced to American food systems.
"I think this is just something that many people in the sustainable food movement haven't yet learned about or understand, so we're really looking forward to being at the Conscious Local Living event and educating people about this modern-day issue," she said.—A.N.
To the Big Screen
Magic Hour/I Dream in Widescreen
7 p.m., Wednesday, May 9 at the Loft Cinema
7 p.m., Saturday, May 12 at the Fox Tucson Theatre
3233 E. Speedway Blvd. (Loft)
17 W. Congress St. (Fox)
All year long, students in the University of Arizona's School of Theatre, Film and Television pour their blood, sweat and tears into their thesis projects. The result: Magic Hour and I Dream in Widescreen, free programs at the Loft Cinema and the Fox Tucson Theater that provide the public a chance to see the students' short films.
Lisanne Skyler, one of the professors for the students' production course, said the audience has spread beyond students and their families to include other members of the community.
"I've been teaching here for about seven years and you just see such unusual and creative work coming out of the school," Skyler said. "Kids are not afraid to take chances, they're not afraid to try new things, and the films are surprising and fresh and they're entertaining—the students know how to reach an audience."
Skyler said this year's collection of films is especially bold.
"There's a great commitment to style, but there's also a great commitment to tell a story as well ... you just have very original films, things that kind of push boundaries a little bit."
Nicholas Watts, one of the students showing a thesis, said he may have the most over-the-top film this year. He said he's not nervous about showing his film, just excited.
"Honestly we go through a year of hell and then nobody thinks were going to finish on time and then in the month of April, everything wraps up and everybody's happy," Watts said.
He said to expect a wide array of projects, with elements like singing, dancing, animation, fight scenes, drama and a whole lot more. —A.N.
Fisticuffs at the Casino
Noche de Boxeo
8 p.m., Friday, May 4
Desert Diamond Casino
1100 W. Pima Mine Road
Phoenix-based boxing promoter Michelle Rosado has come out swinging with her first event in Tucson. If her record is any indication, her company, Face II Face Events, looks to have another knockout on its hands.
Rosado, a boxing fan growing up, began promoting during a time when Arizona's boxing scene was in dire straits.
"I was tired of there not being enough shows," she said. "The quality was pretty bad—shows were getting canceled, fights were getting thrown out." Rosado started managing fighters, and when she got a behind-the-scenes look at how events are planned, she decided to try her hand at it.
Her first card was a huge success. Two follow-up events drew thousands to Phoenix's Warehouse District.
Now, she's set her sights on Southern Arizona. "It made sense to bring it here," Rosado said. "There's just a huge boxing fan base in Tucson."
Rosado doesn't have the resources top promoters have and she embraces that.
"I take it to the community ... and help the local guys stay active," she said. Rosado is holding true to that with a card that features local fighters Juan Suazo and Isaac Hidalgo in the main event, along with the professional debut of Robert Lopez.
At the prefight press conference, backers announced that ringside seats were sold out, a good sign for a company that hopes to hold at least two more events in Tucson before year's end.
Rosado describes her style of promoting events as "almost like a big party. ... When you leave, you're like 'When's the next one?'"
Tickets start at $20 and are available at facetofaceevents.net and at Food City stores in Tucson and Nogales. –D.M.
More City Week »
Tags: City Week, tucson events, hoopleville, tucson boxing
More by David Mendez
Welcome Back, Tiger: Tom Ziegler Returns to the Tap Room This Saturday, Oct. 11
by David Mendez
Alfonso Ribeiro Brought Back the Carlton Dance on Dancing With The Stars, and the World is Good Again
US Fries Poutine Restaurant Opens Saturday, Offers Free Food
More by Alexandra K. Newman
Trains, music, Mary Poppins, and art for a good cause.
by Irene Messina, Alexandra K. Newman and Michelle A. Weiss
Fusionfest, April 28 and 29
by Alexandra K. Newman
City High's annual festival; Legends of jazz come to Pima in photo form; El Encanto home tour; Tucson's celebration of Earth Day
by David Mendez and Alexandra K. Newman
by Emily Dieckman
Events to fill out your week.
Latest in City Week
Events to fill out your week!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The North Shelby Water Resource Recovery Facility serves about 4,000 customer accounts southeast of Birmingham in north Shelby County, Alabama.
Located in north Shelby County/south Jefferson County southeast of Birmingham, Alabama, the Riverview Wastewater Treatment Plant serves about 4,000 customer accounts.
The Morris Utility is a growing system currently serving approximately 150 customer accounts. It is located in Jefferson County, north of Birmingham, Alabama.
The Brookwood Utility is located in the Town of Brookwood, just off of Interstate 20/59 in Tuscaloosa County. It current serves approximately 300 customer accounts.
If you are a customer of a utility not listed above, please call our office at (205) 987-8352 for more information about your services.
Visit Cleaner Cahaba to learn about how SouthWest Water Company gives back to the communities we serve and about Alabama's own natural treasure, the Cahaba River.


You are here: Home / Engineering & Construction/Building Products & Materials / Ontic Engineering & Manufacturing, Inc.
Ontic Engineering & Manufacturing, Inc. is the leading provider of aerospace products & components through licensing relationships with aerospace OEMs, including: Hamilton Sundstrand, Goodrich, Woodward, Eaton, Moog, HR Textron and Parker Hannifin.
Ontic's shareholders desired to consider its strategic alternatives to generate shareholder liquidity, including a sale.
Initially, M&A Capital recommended that Ontic pursue certain business opportunities and strengthen management prior to entering a sale process, which Ontic did.
After achieving certain objectives over a few years, M&A Capital targeted a broad universe of financial and strategic investors and generated numerous proposals including: growth capital, leveraged recapitalization, both minority and control capital from financial buyers and purchase offers from strategic buyers.
Ontic's shareholders sold the company to BBA, as the price was attractive and BBA indicated a commitment to Ontic's business plan and management.


Probably very basic but suffering a brain freeze. Hoping someone can help.
I need to change the values in the table below that say True/False to a shape, either a tick for true or cross for false, but cannot remember how to make each row value a shape.
If you click on the shape tile, you'll get the option of re-assigning values to shapes (very similar to changing the colour pallet). There are quite a few shape sets (use the drop down to access different sets of shapes, or you can create your own (just create a folder in \Documents\My Tableau Repository\Shapes, and any images you drop in will be part of that set.
I think you need to change the fields to continuous measures, as you can't create marks for 'Label'/'Dimension' (aka Discrete) fields. This may require you to value up the True/False as 1/0.
Continuous fields is definitely the way Simon, however Im still stuck as water creating continuous fields for each true/flase value, I can't seem to assign more than one field to shapes.
Is there any way you can re-shape your data? If you were to de-pivot it (if it's in Excel you can use Installing the Tableau Add-In for Reshaping Data in Excel | Tableau Software) so that the value field was either True or False, and the different fields then become a dimension (i.e. go down the page), it would then be v.easy.
I've generally found (and it took me a while to realise) that I get back time spent getting data into the right 'Shape', 10 fold in the long run.
Thank you both for your quick and helpful suggestions, I have now completed what I wanted to achieve.
then dropped these continuous fields into my column view, and set the measure to Count, then dropped the field onto the marks area and into shapes, set my shapes accordingly and it works.
Great support from the Tableau community again, Thanks guys.


The Palmer House (also Joel Palmer House and Krake Residence) is the historic residence of Oregon pioneer Joel Palmer (1810–81), who co-founded Dayton, Oregon, United States.
The house, located at 600 Ferry Street in Dayton, is one of Oregon's finest historic homes. It has been on the National Register of Historic Places since March 16, 1987, and is on the Oregon Historic Register. It was the first of 48 Dayton properties to be listed and is the town's oldest standing structure.
Shortly after arriving in the Oregon Country in 1845, Palmer filed a donation land claim for himself in the Corvallis area, and one for his brother-in-law in the Dayton area. Palmer returned to Indiana for his family and came to Oregon again in 1847, to find that his land claim had been jumped. His brother-in-law decided not to return to Oregon, so Palmer settled that claim instead, located about six miles (10 km) south of Dayton.
Palmer was called away around December 15, 1847, to be Commissary General of the Military Forces of Oregon Territory to handle the Cayuse War at the Whitman Mission, and afterward left for the California Gold Rush. During his absence, his daughter Sarah married Andrew Smith and settled on Smith's land claim at the mouth of the Yam Hill River [sic].
When Palmer returned in February 1850, he purchased part of Smith's land and merged it with his brother-in-law's, Palmer's son's and daughter-in-law's to form a 465-acre (188 ha) tract which he platted to be Dayton.
The first building and Palmer's home was a hotel in the center of the newly-platted area. He kept it for a few years, but then built Palmer House near the town's outskirts in 1852 or 1857. The house has survived several floods and at least one major fire.
The house is located near the mouth of the Yamhill River at the Willamette River, and near Palmer Creek (previously known as Smith Creek), which was of early interest for powering machinery. Palmer operated a sawmill, a hotel and several other enterprises.
Since 1996, the house has functioned as an upscale restaurant featuring creative local cuisine.
^ "Oregon National Register List" (PDF). State of Oregon. July 16, 2007. p. 52. Retrieved 2008-03-30.
^ "Oregon - Yamhill County". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
^ "Site Information Joel Palmer House". Oregon Historic Sites Database. Oregon State Parks. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
^ "Mount Hood's Earliest Settlers: Sam Barlow, Joel Palmer and Others of the Oregon Trail". Archived from the original on 2008-12-01. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
^ Nelson; Cletus Moore (April 5, 2005). "House Committee on Elections & Rules Measure 13: Commemorates 125th anniversary of Dayton" (PDF). 73rd Oregon Legislative Assembly - 2005 Regular Session. Archived from the original (pdf) on 2011-06-11.
^ a b c "Dayton in the Early Years". Martha's Cottage. Archived from the original on 2008-06-07. Retrieved 2008-03-30.
^ Sources disagree, but the preponderance of references favors 1852. See cites of Klooster, Lilly Library, and Martha's Cottage.
^ "Palmer MSS". Lilly Library Manuscript Collections. Retrieved 2008-03-30.
^ "Joel Palmer House - Dayton, Oregon". Citysearch. Retrieved 2008-06-20.
^ Mac Montandon (January 19, 2005). "The Czar of the 'Shroom". Willamette Week. Retrieved 2008-06-20.
This page was last edited on 14 March 2018, at 11:42 (UTC).


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Biografia

Di lui abbiamo testimonianza nelle Noctes Atticae di Gellio. Da tale fonte risulta che possedeva un fondo nel territorio falisco (in Etruria), dove amava trascorrere le cene in dotte conversazioni con gli invitati. Fine conoscitore di letteratura arcaica, nutriva un notevole interesse anche per Virgilio. Sappiamo da Ausonio che pubblicò una raccolta di poesie intitolata Fescennini (di cui è difficile ipotizzare i contenuti) e da Terenzio Mauro conosciamo i Carmina Falisca, composti nel verso "falisco" (tre dattili e un giambo), metro forse inventato dal poeta o più probabilmente da lui usato e che in seguito fu adoperato anche da Boezio. Quella di Anniano Falisco è poesia leggera, di argomento campestre, di cui rimane qualche frammento.

Voci correlate
 Metrica
 Letteratura latina
 Poesia bucolica

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


As your local Farmers® agent in Albuquerque, NM, I am focused on educating customers like you on insurance and working together to find the coverage that best fits your lifestyle. Prior to entering the Insurance industry, I served in the United States Air Force for 24 years. It has been an honor to serve this amazing country. I understand the importance of insuring what is yours. Give me a call for your insurance needs--whether that's auto, home, life, business insurance, and more!
Give me a call at (505) 489-0379 and I'll be happy to answer any questions you might have.
Profit Minders is a well-run, locally owned accounting and payroll service company. They are great at what they do! Give them a call for your tax needs.
You can get the best haircut in town at at Kutz of a Dream in Albuquerque!
It's great to be a part of an organization that allows me to connect with the history of Albuquerque!
The DVRCNM is a resource to learn about any issues a family may face.
One of the most important coverages that people can overlook is life insurance. Let's set an appointment to discuss your options.
When you're a small business owner, you may have to make tough sacrifices. Insurance shouldn't be one of them. Come see me and I'll simplify the process and help you select the coverage you want and need most.


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Posted inCars
Toyota Yaris iA Outperforms Modest Sticker Price
by WI Guest Author November 12, 2017 October 31, 2020
DETROIT — You wouldn't think that there is much to say about a car that costs $16,815. But the 2017 Toyota Yaris iA was so nice that we actually forgot that its price was less than $20K.
We'll keep this simple. The Toyota Yaris iA had a 1.5 liter direct injected four-cylinder engine that made 106 horsepower. With power outputs this low you have to look a little deeper than usual to get the torque and so it was with the iA. However the spec sheet showed an output of 103 pound-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm.
The Toyota iA comes with either a six-speed automatic or six speed manual transmission. We had the manual gear box and it was surprisingly pleasant to drive. Normally, we don't care for lower horsepower engines mated to manual gear boxes but the iA was different.
Up shifts were smooth, we never sensed that the gear box was ill-fitted to the engine and we never felt like the car was underpowered. Transmission and engine were nicely matched. Downshifts were smooth too. It was a nice car to drive.
Acceleration was steady and of course it wasn't close to blistering. The Toyota Yaris iA was not quick but it was not slow either. Perhaps because of the manual gearbox it wasn't sluggish at all. There was a bit of pep. Cornering was good as were the slight lines. And never did we feel like we were driving a five-door sedan.
Of course at this price point, there were not a lot of creature comforts. There was no moon roof, no satellite radio, certainly no navigation system and no voice controls. However, the car did have Bluetooth that could connect to Pandora or Aha on your smartphone.
There was an HD radio that sounded pretty good and Bluetooth would reach out and grab music off our smartphone automatically. They did a couple of smart things to keep cost down. There was push button start/stop but no push button lock/unlock. And the mirrors were not of the automatic dimming variety.
Inside, the car was nicely done. The dash was constructed of soft touch material. It also had a silver colored blade that ran across the middle of the dash and split it in half. There was nothing on the upper half save the information screen, which was mounted perpendicular to the dash.
The bottom half held the three dial climate control unit and beneath that was a storage cove. That was where Toyota put two USB jacks and one auxiliary jack. There was a 12V plug there too.
There was a carbon fiber patterned trim used around the doors, center console, steering and climate vents. It broke up what would have been an awful lot of bland surfaces and gave them some texture.
This layout was clean and simple. And the materials used were pretty good. Thus the interior did not look or feel cheap. The seats were two toned. The seating surfaces and backs themselves were a blue and black herringbone. While the side and leg bladders were black. The headrests were long and they made the front seats look like sport seats.
We got into the back seats and found the rear doors a little short. In other words, they were more vertical than horizontal. There was plenty of headroom, but the legroom was a little cramped. However, we were sitting behind the driver's seat and had not slid it forward even a little. We think it would be a snug fit but four adults could get into the Toyota iA.
At $16K, the 2017 Yaris iA is certainly for the price-conscious. But it is a nicely equipped small hatchback that is not a drudge to drive, has some style and because of it's a Toyota it is a reliable piece of machinery.
Frank S. Washington is editor of AboutThatCar.com.
Car Review: 2015 Toyota Yaris
In "Business"
Toyota, GM Recalls Push US to Near-Record Pace
Car Review: 2016 Scion iA and iM
In "Transportation"
Tagged: 2017 Yaris iA, aboutthatcar.com, car reviews, Frank S. Washington, toyota


This complementary guide to hoof trimming basics will tell you more about how to effectively use a cow hoof trimmer from Trim-Tec. Our high-quality cattle hoof trimming discs and cattle hoof trimmer kits can help you keep your cattle healthier and happier, and this guide can give you the basics on how to get it done. Read through our guide then place an order in our online store for the cattle hoof trimmer gear you need today.
In order to avoid abnormal wear and therefore the possibility of lameness in cows, functional claw trimming is necessary regardless of the housing conditions, whether in straw yards, in wet conditions or housed on concrete surfaces. With the growth rate at the heel being greater than it is at the toe, overtime the situation can create an unstable foot as the shape of the sole changes.
It is important to note, that while correctly trimmed claws, done at least once a year, have been shown to extend the longevity of a herd by up to a year, milk production will be hampered for up to two days; a result of upsetting the cow's feeding routine. It is also important that trimming should not be done near milking areas and handlers should never perform the trimming of claws. The work should always be done by professionals in order to protect the claw health of the herd itself. The following are just the basic techniques of cow trimming but further information should be researched and followed when addressing specific issues.
The front, or dorsal surface, of a hind claw, should measure approximately 7.5 centimeters (or 3 inches) in length from the coronary band to the apex of the claw. With hoof pincers, the technique calls for the wall of the medial claw to be cut straight at the tip of the toe leaving a square end. The thickness of the toe is to be left 5-7 mm. The sole of the toe should not give under pressure. If so, the sole is too thin. Hoof trimming tools such as the hoof knife should always be held with the hand behind.
Then cut the outside claw to match . The sole should be trimmed flat from front to back and should be .25 inch thick at the toe. Avoid removing the horn from the heel of the inside hind claw. When trimming front feet, start with outer claw first.
Shape the the slope of the sole with the innermost back portion sloping towards the center of the claws. Be careful to avoid excessive cupping as it reduces the weight-bearing surface area.
Now begin any therapeutic trimming in regards to lesions. Lesions are generally found in the outer claw of the hind leg. In order for the inner claw to bear more weight and therefore, allowing the outer claw to rest, leave the apical region the same thickness of the inner claw. If still unable to bear weight, support the inner claw with a block or cowslip.
Paying special attention to save as much as possible of the posterior part of the inner claw, remove the loose horn and trim down all hard ridges. Do not dig into the claw to remove the loose horn and avoid bleeding.
The hoof trimming tools needed to perform the above techniques are available from Trim-tec. Made of titanium our hoof trimming blades are manufactured to last without distortion or failing.
These wheel blades cause less fatigue than traditional aluminum wheels. Other tools required for proper trimming include one-bladed hoof knives, hoof pincers and claw cutters.
3. Make a slope in the soles.
4. For damaged claws (usually the outer) lower the claw so that the weight in now transferred to the healthy claw. If needed, apply a block.
5. Remove loose horn and trim down hard ridges.


2012 IASJ Jazz Meeting. Uno de los eventos anuales más importantes del Jazz y la educación anivel mundial, este año, una vez más estaremos presentes.
This time I write to you in my dual capacity as both the chairman of the IASJ and the Host School Coordinator of the next IASJ Jazz Meeting, 24-29 June 2012 in Graz.


The not-for-profit Sutter Health network announced a new clinical collaboration with CVS Health today. CVS Health will securely and safely provide prescription and visit information from MinuteClinics, the retail medical clinic of CVS Health, to Sutter Health's electronic health record (EHR) for Sutter Health patients who seek care through the nearly 1,000 MinuteClinics nationwide, and/or have prescriptions filled at a CVS/pharmacy. Through this collaboration, Sutter Health and MinuteClinic practitioners will also work together on planning strategies around chronic care, wellness and patient care coordination.
Sutter Health, MinuteClinic and CVS/pharmacy will begin to work this summer toward enabling communication between our EHR systems to streamline and enhance communication. CVS Health will securely share prescription and MinuteClinic visit information to Sutter Health clinicians, as well as data on interventions conducted by CVS pharmacists via Sutter EHR only with patient approval.
CVS/pharmacy currently has more than 7,800 retail pharmacy locations across the U.S. In addition, there are nearly 1,000 MinuteClinic walk-in medical clinics available at CVS/pharmacy retail stores, including 14 throughout Northern California. MinuteClinic locations are open seven days a week, offering evening hours with no appointment necessary. They accept most health insurance plans. Nurse practitioners and/or physician assistants who provide treatment for common illnesses and administer wellness and prevention services, including health-condition monitoring for patients with chronic diseases, staff the clinics.


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Remembering Aiko Miyara
By Dalcroze USA | June 1, 2020
Our Dalcroze colleague in Japan, Aiko Miyara, passed away on May 21, 2020, Tokyo. Miyara sensei studied piano at Kunitachi College of Music, Tokyo. She earned a Dalcroze License in studies with Hilda Schuster from the Dalcroze School of Music in New York, NY (1986) and Longy School of Music in Boston, MA (1993). For 35 years, Miyara sensei directed the…
Remembering Virginia Hoge Mead
By Bill Bauer | April 21, 2020
"The study of Eurhythmics develops the inner ear which makes us musically imaginative, which guides the hand that plays the instrument, the voice that sings, the body that moves, and further develops the ears that hear." Virginia Hoge Mead (1930-2020) Revered Dalcroze Educator Virginia Hoge Mead passed away on Saturday, February 22, 2020 in Sugar…
Julia Schnebly-Black: Celebrating a Lifetime of Achievement in Dalcroze Education
By Bill Bauer | March 19, 2020
When Dr. Julia Schnebly-Black (1925-2019) passed away in December 2019, she had just turned 94 years old. In addition to being a beloved Dalcroze teacher, Dr. Schnebly-Black was also a former President of the Dalcroze Society of America, as well as a former editor of American Dalcroze Journal. She led this organization through a formative time in its…
Herb Henke Memoriam
By Alex Marthaler | May 28, 2019
Last week, we featured "Options for Improvising" from legendary Dalcroze teacher Herbert Henke (1931-2015). Today, we are remembering his legacy by sharing reflections of this influential and unforgettable American master teacher. (These reflections were shared following his death in 2015.) Herb Henke was a giant not only in his appearance but most importantly in his…
Teaching from Stillness
By Guy Mendilow | March 19, 2019
A Conversation About Lisa Parker with Guy Mendilow What makes Lisa Parker such a remarkable teacher? We could write quite a few blog posts here alone! But four qualities leap out right away — and each is wrapped up with the others. Before I get going, I should mention the obvious: this is just my…


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General Synod 2021 working group creating first virtual experience for July 11-18
by Connie Larkman | published on Sep 29, 2020
How will the United Church of Christ National Setting program a virtual General Synod with moving worship, interesting workshops, educational intensives, church business, youth programming and service projects? There are working groups for that.
Presenting General Synod 33 as a totally online event for the first time demands a lot of creativity. The staff in Cleveland has a structure in place to convert the biennial gathering from an actual to virtual experience.
The Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson, associate general minister of Wider Church Ministries and Operations, is serving as Synod administrator, with Valerie Smith as assistant Synod administrator. They are convening monthly meetings with working group leaders, each overseeing a specific focus of GS33. Here's the list of the areas of operation and those overseeing the groups:
Youth and Young Adults at Synod  – The Rev. Trayce Potter
Worship – The Rev. Tracy Howe Wispelwey
Workshops – The Rev. Chris Davies
Logistics – Valerie Smith
Revenue – Jacqueline Owen
Marketing and Promotion – Cindy Bailie
Digital Strategies – Chris Gabriel
"This group of UCC staff will be bringing to life the vision for a virtual General Synod that has been shaped by stakeholders in the UCC," said Thompson. "Each working group is comprised of representatives from the settings of the UCC. Along with the staff to guide the work of each team, we are ensuring that a variety of voices are at the table, reflecting the diversity that is present in the UCC."
The dates for the UCC's first virtual General Synod are July 11-18, 2021. The Sunday to Sunday schedule is the first in a series of changes planned for this event, themed "Rooted in Love, Special Edition." Daily sessions will run from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.  Pre-Synod events will occur July 7-10.
The GS planning team is meeting bimonthly to take what they know about arranging in-person Synods and adapting to virtual reality.
"I think it was Albert Einstein who said something like, 'If you always do what you did, you will always get what you got,'" said Bailie. "Working to market and communicate the UCC's first virtual General Synod is an incredible opportunity for the entire church to fully participate and meaningfully engage in this seminal event in the life of the church. Our group is having fun thinking of all the creative ways to bring that to life."
"While congregations are getting accustomed to virtual worship services, we are quite certain the nature and experience of GS33 will be both faithfully UCC and groundbreaking in expression and form," said Howe Wispelwey. "We (the Synod Worship Writing Group) have scheduled a series of virtual retreats over the month of October to study together and discern collectively both the continuing, never changing presence of God and the specific embodiment of the Still Speaking Living Spirit moving with, in and through our churches and world right now."
"The Workshops Team is working through what platform to offer digital workshops for General Synod on, how many workshops and what content will be featured for best use by local churches and beyond," said Davies. "We are imagining a way forward wherein workshops are part of General Synod, and also available thereafter for people to use in their own programming."
"Our team is excited to put together a program that intentionally focuses on a segment of the church that is often overlooked and undervalued: the young adults!" said Potter. "The goal outlined for the planning team is that every youth who attends walks away with a deeper understanding of their faith and connection to the church; creates authentic community; and finds a way to put their faith into action. A key component of the young adult program will be relational and building communities that can continue to live post-Synod."
"This is not just a new way of engaging the wider church. We see this as an opportunity to build something the future will  recognize as a turning point," said the Rev. John Dorhauer, general minister and president. "Karen Georgia has taken to calling this a 'Special Edition  Synod.' We are breaking new ground.
"We don't want this to be a 'normal'  Synod  forced into a virtual reality. We want it to exist in a virtual environment with integrity and authenticity. This will be hard work."
"The working groups are energized and very excited to take on this task of crafting and implementing this first virtual General Synod," said Thompson. "We are looking for new ways to conduct business and to invite a new generation to participate in General Synod online."
"There is a good deal of enthusiasm about what this new thing will be – and our role in giving birth to it," Dorhauer said. "There will be a lot – a lot! – of work to get this done. But what an amazing opportunity for us  all."
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Data Error PennsylvaniaLocal Weather Alerts
There was an error retrieving the National Weather Service alert data.
Northeast Weather
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Interactive Wind Radar
Weather Classroom
Weather Models
NASA To Launch Early Warning Weather Satellite
NASA is preparing to launch a weather satellite enabling earlier warnings for severe weather.
The technology was developed at a Lockheed Martin research lab.
When lightning is visible, it's too late. There is no time to prepare or seek shelter from severe weather. On the other hand, in space, there is lightning in clouds five to thirteen miles high.
The 200-pound satellite is going to capture each bolt on a massive digital camera. Once captured the data will be sent to the ground.
NASA spokesperson Jeff Vander Beukel said, "The camera operates at 500 frames per second and it looks for a certain wavelength of atomic oxygen that's created by lightning, so it can look and penetrate through clouds and see lightning."
This device in a #PaloAlto lab is going soon into space, and it might save your life. At 4:55pm #abc7now pic.twitter.com/tdmW3EXqB9
— David Louie (@abc7david) November 3, 2016
Lightning at such a high altitude is a good predictor of severe weather on Earth. This could allow meterologist to issue alerts hours in advance.
Researchers have been working on this for ten years. They hope if will acuratly map lightning and help forecasters issue life-saving warnings.
They plan to launch another instrument that will be repsonsible for monitoring solar flares. "Solar flares influence the Earth's atmosphere and they affect things like radio propagation and they can affect things like power grids on the ground," Beukel said.
The data from this NASA managed satellite will be available free to forecasters to help people know of fast-changing conditions.
"We're going to be saving lives by better-predicting weather on the ground and helping people to get to safety when severe weather's destruction," Beukel said.
This 200-pound instrument will be joined by five others aboard the GOES-R satellite, which will be launched on November 16 from Cape Canaveral and going up into space 22,000 miles.
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Lake George vineyard to be carved up, young guns go their own ways
14 July 2010 People, WineChris Shanahan
There are changes afoot in the Canberra wine district, following the departure of two of the district's most influential winemakers from Lake George Winery late last year. Nick O'Leary left the winery in winter 2009 and Alex McKay followed in December.
Part of the Lake George property is up for sale. And O'Leary and McKay are now making their wines separately – O'Leary at his in-law's Affleck Vineyard and McKay at a leased winery near Murrumbateman.
The Karelas family bought Lake George Vineyard from founder Edgar Riek in 1998. At Edgar Riek's urging, following Hardy's departure from Canberra, Theo Karelas and his son Sam hired Riek, O'Leary and McKay to oversee a complete overhaul of the vineyard in 2007. McKay was to make the wines. And McKay and O'Leary had freedom to develop their own labels, Collector and Nick O'Leary.
Then in March 2008, the Karelas family acquired the adjoining Madew property including land, vineyards and a winery-, cellar-door-restaurant complex. McKay and O'Leary led a rejuvenation of the neglected vineyards and consolidated the winemaking equipment into the Madew cellar. The combined properties produced wines under the Lake George Winery label and the Madew name was dropped.
Speaking from overseas last week, Sam Karelas said he was selling Riek's original Lake George property but would continue trading from the Madew property under the Lake George Winery name. He said he would continue to operate the restaurant.
Alex McKay said though he left Lake George half way through the growing season, he made two wines from the vineyard in 2010 – a tempranillo and riesling.
He says left Lake George because the winemaking obligation there had become a bit much with his Collector brand beginning to work well and demanding more attention.
In time for the 2010 vintage he arranged to lease a small winery owned by Vikki Fischer at Murrumbateman. Fischer made her Cardinia wines there. But, says McKay, as a working mother with three children she found little time for winemaking.
McKay says it's an efficient little winery and by adding a few bits and pieces it easily handled vintage 2010.
He made "some nice parcels of shiraz, which was a pretty good achievement in a tough vintage" but hasn't decide yet whether there'll be a "reserve" bottling as well as the standard Collector Marked Tree Shiraz.
He also has a single barrel of sangiovese, sourced from Wayne and Jenny Fischer's Nanima Vineyard, Murrumbateman. But it "may never see light of day".
The standout wine in 2010, he says, is a Rhone style, oak-fermented white blend of marsanne, roussanne and viognier. "I'm very happy with it", he adds (given McKay's modesty, that probably means sensational). He's also pleased with a 2010 riesling made for the Half Moon Vineyard at Braidwood.
McKay continues to work closely with O'Leary. "There's a fair bit of overlaps on our grape sources", he says, and it helps if they both keep an eye on the vineyards. They bring different perspectives, McKay adds. But, more importantly, as vintage approaches each year, they spend a great deal of time visiting and influencing the management of vineyards they're buying from. Ultimately, fruit quality drives wine quality – and their fussiness in this area shows in the wines they make.
On Friday 2 July, for examples, judges at the Winewise Small Vignerons Awards awarded the trophy for best shiraz to Nick O'Leary Canberra District Shiraz 2009 – further cementing Canberra's leadership with this style of shiraz.
O'Leary's success in this credible wine show follows similar applause for Collector Reserve Shiraz 2008, made by O'Leary's long-time winemaking mate Alex McKay, at the 2010 Royal Sydney Wine Show.
McKay says that when he and O'Leary source fruit from local growers they don't cherry pick the amount to suit their own brands. If they like a block of vines, they'll buy the lot as it's neater for the grower and, it seems, opens other winemaking options – like their just released joint-venture Bourke Street Shiraz 2008 ($19).
McKay says there's a limit to the volumes they can make and sell at the prices their own brands command (currently around $30 for the standard Nick O'Leary and Collector and $46 for Collector Reserve).
But there's an opportunity, especially in restaurants, for good quality regional wines at a more affordable $20.
They make all of their shiraz as if it'll be a component of the premium wines, says McKay. But as they move from oak maturation to final blending, for style, quality or volume reasons they eliminate some parcels. In 2008 these shiraz parcels became the first Bourke Street wine, released recently after a year in bottle. It's a terrific drop. And there's a 2009 in the wings, along with a few other wines, to be covered here when they're released.
The 2009 vintage of Collector Marked Tree Shiraz and Reserve Shiraz are to be released in September and they'll be reviewed here at the time. We'll also review O'Leary's trophy-winning 2009 Shiraz in the near future.
And we'll just have to wait and see who buys the original Lake George and what they do with it, and how the Karelas family fares with the piece they keep. We'll catch up with Sam Karelas when he returns to Australia and pass on any news.
Lake George renaissance part 2 — Lake George vineyard
Howland and Wiggs buy original Lake George vineyard
Karelas family buys Madew Lake George vineyards
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Great little but comprehensive identification guide. All colour illustrated.
Includes data on location, bait, gear, catch, and cook!
some scuff marks and minor edge wear.
A FIELD GUIDE FOR ANGLERS AND DIVERS.
Revised edition 1990 by West Australian Museum.
cover has some scuff marks and minor edge wear.
by R. H. Carcasson. London. 1977. Collins.
629 PAGES OF VARIOUS PHOTO'S AND DESCRIPTIONS OF FISHES IN AUSTRALIA.BOOK "HANDBOOK OF AUSTRALIAN FISHES" EDITED AND PUBLISHED BY JACK POLLARD CIRCA 1980.BOOK IN EXCELLENT CONDITION WITH DUST COVER.
by Gomon, Glover and Kuiter . State Print. Adelaide 1994 HB 994 pp.
Eastern Indian Ocean and Western Central Pacific.
Tropical Fishes of the Great Barrier Reef by Tom C. Marshall 238pp. Angus and Robertson.
Our Price £ 8 plus £6.50 postage.
Illustrated; Periplus Editions; 3rd revised edition, 1997 292 pages. The book is a field guide for divers and anglers covering the areas of tropical Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland, and Malaysia, Indonesia, Phillipines, New Guinea and Solomon Islands of SE Asia. Selected chapter headings: Biology of Reef Fishes; Ecology of Reef Fishes; Classification of Fishes; Dangerous Fish; etc... Excellent color photos.
Superb book. Not many fish (as most of the area is desert?) but a really interesting natural history book for zoologists worldwide.
This book is new, it has never been read. Softcover. 179 pages.
Includes all the fishes of surrounding areas.
full-colour pictures. 8.5" x 11.25"
A colourful and refreshing publication about marine life of the Australian rocky reefs, this hardcover, oversize volume provides readers with comprehensive materials on the ecology of Australia's rocky reefs and their fisheries. Divided into three parts and containing 26 chapters, UNDER SOUTHERN Seas is a pleasure to the eye. Richly illustrated with around 200 colour photographs, and contributions of 32 marine biologists, Neil Andrew's work maintains a good balance between text and photos."--Xavier Gros, European Commission, Joint Research Centre, The Netherlands, Electronic Green Journal, Issue 14, Spring 2001.This comprehensive volume includes chapters on sharks, rock lobsters, abalone and fishes, as well as many of the less familiar inhabitants of rocky reefs. It is suitable for marine biologists, oceanographers, underwater photographers, or anyone willing to discover Australia's underwater world.