text:
Home Law and Justice Eight Principles for Reforming Solitary Confinement
Eight Principles for Reforming Solitary Confinement
How we can reduce, make more humane, and ultimately eliminate a practice that, in Justice Kennedy's words, drives prisoners "to the edge of madness"
by Amy Fettig, Margo Schlanger
This article appears in the Fall 2015 issue of The American Prospect magazine. Subscribe here.
After a half-century of steep increases in imprisonment, a bipartisan consensus is finally emerging that the United States keeps too many people locked up. The current incarceration rate is four times what it was in this country in 1970 and five to ten times higher than rates today in Western Europe and other developed democracies. The cost to the American public is enormous-over $85 billion a year. In this one area, the Koch brothers and Grover Norquist agree with a broad swath of religious leaders, civil rights and civil liberties advocates, and liberal politicians. All criticize our current criminal justice policies as inhumane, ineffective, and unduly costly.
As we move away from the harshly punitive policies of recent decades, our aim shouldn't only be cutting the rate of incarceration. We also need to ameliorate the conditions of confinement-and in fact, we've already begun making progress. In 2003, public concern about sexual assault in jails and prisons led to passage of the landmark Prison Rape Elimination Act, now (at long last) reflected in a nationwide regulation aimed at curbing sexual abuse.
A separate effort to reform solitary confinement is in an earlier phase. Although some states have taken steps to reform solitary, no one has yet spelled out systematically what needs to be done. That's the goal of this article: to set out the latent principles of current reform efforts and make the case for pursuing them intensively.
In July, reform efforts received a boost when President Barack Obama denounced the overuse of solitary confinement and ordered Attorney General Loretta Lynch to conduct a thorough review. But we already know, as the president himself noted, that the current overuse of solitary "is not going to make us safer. … It's not smart." What we need now are guidelines for change and commitments to carrying them out.
Many of the advocates who have fought for these reforms over the past decade want to end solitary confinement entirely, not merely reduce its use and make it less harsh. We agree with that ultimate objective, but we see the reduction and amelioration of solitary as necessary steps to its eventual elimination. Even those who oppose ending solitary may agree about ending the most brutal and inhumane aspects of the practice.
The Solitary Situation
In a remarkable concurring opinion in June, in a case involving a death-row prisoner who spent the past 20 years in solitary, Justice Anthony Kennedy described the "human toll" of long isolation. Being locked up alone brings prisoners "to the edge of madness, perhaps to madness itself," Kennedy wrote, citing a published summary of the "terrible price" that solitary exacts: "anxiety, panic, withdrawal, hallucinations, self-mutilation, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors." In states where data are available, such as Texas, California, and New York, half or more of all prison suicides take place in solitary confinement settings.
Humans are social animals, but life in solitary is characterized by extreme social isolation and environmental deprivation. Prisoners spend 22 to 24 hours a day in cells smaller than an average parking space, many without a window. The cells themselves are usually made of concrete blocks, while the doors are solid metal with a slot for a food tray. Thin slits in the door may allow officers to see into the cell but give the prisoner little view out. Inside, cells have a concrete platform or metal frame that serves as a bed, along with a built-in desk, shelf, stool, and a metal toilet. Prisoners sleep and eat in their cells, a foot or two from that toilet.
Typically, prisoners in solitary are allowed to leave their cell five hours a week to exercise-but exercise too, is solitary, in a bare cage or concrete enclosure not much larger than the cell itself. Bathing is limited to two or three 15-minute showers a week. Solitary prisoners move out of their cell only in handcuffs and shackles, restrained so they have to shuffle rather than walk, alongside two or more guards. Even then, they are prevented from conversing with others.
The practice of solitary confinement spread as a result of the severe institutional strains created by the rise in incarceration. Prison officials simply did the most expedient thing they could think of-they locked prisoners down. Once considered a punishment of last resort, solitary confinement soon became a regular, even commonplace feature of prison life. Beginning in 1983, many states built entire prisons-often called "supermax" prisons-dedicated to long-term solitary confinement.
Today, solitary confinement has become far too routine.
Solitary is not now, if it ever was, reserved for the "worst of the worst." Prisoners are in solitary for talking back to officers, posting on a Facebook page, or possessing too many stamps.
The estimate usually offered-out-of-date but the best information available-is that on any given day, approximately 80,000 people are held in solitary confinement settings in prisons across the country. That figure understates the number of federal prisoners in solitary and does not include any of the thousands of men, women, and children subject to solitary in jails, immigration detention centers, military facilities, and juvenile justice facilities.
While some prisoners spend days or weeks in isolation, many others are subject to solitary for months, years, and even decades. A recent lawsuit in California focuses on just prisoners who have spent more than a decade in solitary; that lawsuit has several hundred plaintiffs.
Emerging Principles for Reform
Since 2010, efforts to reform solitary confinement have made headway in almost half the states. Federal class-action lawsuits have led to changes in ten states, and additional legislative and policy measures in 14 others. Some measures have been halting and piecemeal, others more thoroughgoing. In California, to take one example of a significant reform, Federal Judge Thelton Henderson banned the state from housing inmates with serious mental illness at the state supermax at Pelican Bay. Placing these inmates in solitary confinement, Henderson wrote, is "the mental equivalent of putting an asthmatic in a place with little air to breathe."
Eight reform principles are emerging from these efforts. These principles would limit who is subject to solitary and for how long, make the conditions of confinement more humane, and provide necessary oversight of the practice.
1. Prisoners should never be subject to long-term solitary confinement when it is not truly necessary for safety and security.
Corrections officials have used solitary confinement not only to house disruptive or dangerous prisoners but also to discipline inmates for violating rules and even to provide "protective custody" for vulnerable prisoners. Some of these uses are unnecessary and counterproductive. Employing solitary confinement for protective custody discourages prisoners from reporting threats when they face such risks as assault or rape by other inmates. Instead of reporting those threats, they gamble on staying in the general prison population, and sometimes they lose. Special units for vulnerable prisoners are a better alternative.
(Photo: AP/Rich Pedroncelli)
Advocates gather in October 2013 at the Capitol in Sacramento, California, to protest the use of isolation units in state prisons. A recent lawsuit in California with several hundred plaintiffs focuses on prisoners who have spent more than a decade in solitary.
Prison officials use solitary confinement far too often to punish minor misbehavior that they could punish more appropriately through the revocation of various privileges. According to a recent report from the Vera Institute of Justice, prison officials in Illinois "found that more than 85 percent of the people released from disciplinary segregation during a one-year period had been sent there for relatively minor infractions, such as not standing for a count and using abusive language." Similarly, in Pennsylvania, 85 percent of prisoners found guilty of "failure to obey an order" were sent to solitary confinement. Washington state has led the way in avoiding the overuse of solitary and relying on more proportionate punishments instead.
In many states, corrections department leaders don't know why prisoners end up in solitary. They overestimate the number sent there for serious, violent misconduct. So every state needs to examine how solitary confinement is used and to create alternative practices and housing units that can equally or better serve safety and security. States that have undertaken this kind of review, such as Maine, Mississippi, and Colorado, have been able to drastically reduce the number of prisoners in solitary.
2. Solitary confinement should be used for the least time possible.
Although systematic data are unavailable, the months and years that many prisoners stay in isolation are too long. The average is nearly four years in Texas; before Illinois closed its supermax prison, the average there was six years. Prisoners and experts both report that the mental stress of solitary confinement is harder to withstand when it stretches on for years or without any limit. (In Massachusetts, prisoners can be assigned to a disciplinary term of ten years in solitary!) Where states have conducted prisoner-by-prisoner reviews, they often find that even among the prisoners housed in solitary confinement for violent acts, many could be returned safely to ordinary prison cells. Such reviews should be done frequently, and by a team that includes not just custody staff but also mental-health and case-management personnel who can make appropriate arrangements for alternative housing.
Washington state, for example, has developed what officials call an "Intensive Transition Program" for prisoners with chronic behavior problems, including repeat violence, moving them through a curriculum teaching self-control and gradually increasing opportunities for social engagement until they can safely return to the prison's general population. Germany, where long-term solitary confinement is all but unheard of, provides a model for minimizing the practice. Prison officials there have found that when solitary confinement is used only as a last resort, and only for as long as necessary, they do not need it for more than a few days or weeks at a time, even for the most dangerous prisoners.
3. Prisoners who are particularly vulnerable to serious medical and mental-health injury should not be confined in solitary confinement for more than an emergency period.
Prisoners with serious mental illness often adapt very poorly to life in prison; they may get along badly with other prisoners and violate both significant and minor rules. They may attack others and be vulnerable to attack. For all of these reasons, they are frequently sent to solitary-indeed, they may make up as much as one-half of those subject to solitary confinement. The results can include horrendous damage.
When placed in solitary, many of the mentally ill deteriorate dramatically and engage in bizarre and extreme acts of self-injury and self-destruction.
At the notorious federal supermax in Florence, Colorado, a mentally ill prisoner sliced off one of his own fingers with a safety razor and ate it with his instant ramen noodles. Later, he reported the action to officers, in distress because he was a vegetarian.
Nearly every federal court to consider the question has ruled that placing individuals with serious mental illness in such conditions violates the Eighth Amendment prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. The first wave of solitary-confinement reform has consisted of policies barring any but the shortest solitary terms for prisoners with serious mental illness.
Recent reforms have also sought to limit solitary confinement of other vulnerable prisoners. Immature brain development in people under 21 makes young inmates especially likely to be damaged by the stresses of solitary confinement. Prisoners with significant developmental or cognitive disabilities are similarly unable to cope. Solitary confinement should also be limited for prisoners who are pregnant, elderly, or chronically ill. For all these groups, the social isolation and idleness of solitary confinement, as well as the lack of access to care in segregated housing, create serious risks to health.
4. Out-of-cell time is critical.
Prisoners in solitary confinement are usually allowed less time out of their cells than are inmates of maximum-security prisons. Those in solitary get two hours, tops, a few days a week, and that time is spent alone exercising in a cage, showering, or shackled and handcuffed while being escorted by two correctional officers. In contrast, maximum-security prisoners typically have five or eight hours a day out of cell, and they can interact with other prisoners and staff during that time. Life in maximum custody remains harsh, boring, and stressful. But those extra hours out of cell and opportunities for social engagement make maximum security less damaging and more humane than solitary.
(Photo: AP/Ted S. Warren)
5. Solitary confinement should not include sensory deprivation or complete social isolation.
The purpose of locking prisoners alone in their cells should be to keep everyone safe, not to make them suffer. Even the most disruptive and dangerous prisoners should have access to television, radio, books, and some social interaction. Similarly, there's no penological reason to keep a cell brightly lit even at night, or too dim to see clearly even during the day; human health depends on daily rotation of light and dark. While many prisons do normalize lighting in solitary confinement, all prisons should. Another important reform is to give prisoners in solitary access to outdoor exercise and a window with a view of the outside: Daylight is important for mental health.
In addition, prisoners must be given a break from social isolation through increased access to phone calls, visits from friends and family, and closed-circuit television rehabilitative programming. Some prisons have also worked out ways to allow safe, regular, and meaningful human contact with custody and clinical staff as well as other prisoners. Training staff to engage with these prisoners in a positive and constructive manner is crucial.
6. When prisoners are placed in solitary confinement, they should be closely monitored by correctional and health staff.
Solitary confinement causes and exacerbates health problems. The conditions of isolation-the solid doors, low visibility inside cells, barriers to communication with health-care providers-are also obstacles to detection and treatment. As a result, some reform efforts include more frequent and in-depth medical and mental-health rounds by professional staff, allowing prisoners confidential opportunities to seek treatment and giving staff opportunities to observe prisoners and identify health problems before a crisis occurs. Again, capacity-building and enhanced training for staff are key.
7. Prisoners should be given realistic incentives and support to follow facility rules.
Once solitary is limited to genuine safety and security needs, the prisoners who get assigned to it may need help to get out and stay out. Enabling prisoners to exert some control over their environment is good for their mental well-being. So reformist state prison systems have started to define multiple privilege levels within solitary confinement and to give prisoners clear guidance about conduct needed to get from one level to the next. These step-down programs offer prisoners increasing out-of-cell time, access to group activities, and other incentives. They are often coupled with programming that helps prisoners learn and practice cognitive-behavioral techniques to reduce anger and violence. Although data on the efficacy of these programs are scarce, some prison systems report that they are reducing the number of inmates in solitary confinement and improving prisoner behavior and safety.
Experts have cautioned, however, that the participants in step-down programs are still in solitary confinement-and the psychological stresses of isolation often lead to behavior problems. For these programs to be effective, minor rule violations should cause only minor setbacks, not months of additional time in segregation. The goal should not be perfect behavior but sufficient compliance that solitary confinement is no longer needed for safety and security.
8. Empower independent oversight.
It's all too easy for prison officials to revert to overuse of solitary confinement. Sustained reform must include mechanisms for continued observation and intervention by committed, independent reformers. People outside corrections departments-in the legislature, prisoners' rights advocacy organizations, and other groups-need to be empowered at least to advise and ideally to oversee the reforms.
Solitary confinement has spread and grown without adequate information about the practice. That's one of the reasons the first step in reform has often been an internal review, nearly invariably with results that surprise corrections officials. Changing a system that is hidden from view is particularly challenging. Intelligent reform requires the systematic collection and analysis of data about who is sent to solitary, why, and for how long, and what happens while they are there and afterward.
In addition, because the changes often require significant shifts in everyday prison practices, some systems are bringing in outside experts with experience in emptying solitary units to make recommendations and assist in carrying out changes. Litigation frequently empowers both the prisoners' lawyers and independent experts to monitor and enforce remedial court decrees. One state, Colorado, has designated a group that includes prisoners' rights advocates to advise the Department of Corrections on the proper treatment of mentally ill inmates in segregation.
THESE EIGHT EMERGING principles will drastically shrink the extent of solitary confinement and ameliorate its worst problems. The principles do not, however, include abolishing prolonged solitary confinement altogether. Abolition is the recommendation of the U.N.'s special rapporteur on torture, Juan Méndez, who wrote that prolonged solitary "can amount to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and even torture" and called on the international community "to impose an absolute prohibition on solitary confinement exceeding 15 consecutive days." You don't minimize torture-you ban it.
Stopping solitary, not reducing it, is the goal of many in the reform movement. But minimization strategies-especially working to exclude vulnerable groups such as prisoners with serious mental illness and young prisoners-have broader public appeal.
Some reformers are concerned that emphasizing partial and ameliorative measures may undermine the goal of abolition. After all, if solitary is particularly inappropriate for certain populations of prisoners, does that make it appropriate for others? Will reforms entrench the practice of solitary confinement for some prisoners, even if they rule out solitary for others?
Our view is more optimistic. We see the reform and ultimately the abolition of solitary confinement as a long-term project. Shrinking the number of prisoners in solitary will help not just those who are rehoused in less-brutal conditions but also those who remain. In moving prisoners out of solitary, prison and jail officials develop alternative housing and custody strategies and facilities, which can then be extended. As Justice Kennedy implied in his opinion in June, abolishing solitary is more feasible-and may even be found to be constitutionally compelled-if "workable alternative systems for long-term confinement exist."
Reducing the extent and harshness of solitary confinement may also have indirect political advantages. When supermax solitary units are sufficiently depopulated, their per-prisoner cost may become unsustainable politically. Solving a large part of a problem may enable officials to see how they can address the remainder-as long as the remainder continues to be perceived as a problem. It is the role of advocates to ensure that solitary confinement continues to be seen as a problem.
Reformers ought to take some satisfaction from the direction in which things are moving. The public and prison officials in state after state are embracing more humane and effective practices for prisons. If the emerging principles of reform are fully implemented, there would be many fewer prisoners left in solitary and they would face less-damaging conditions. And once we've gone that far, the abolition of solitary will be within reach.
Issue: Our China Policy Makes No Sense Issue: Fall 2015 Health & Social Policy Legal Affairs
Amy Fettig
Amy Fettig is senior staff counsel for the ACLU's National Prison Project and directs the ACLU's Stop Solitary campaign, which seeks to end the practice of long-term isolation in our nation's prisons, jails, and juvenile detention centers.
Read more by Amy Fettig
Margo Schlanger
Margo Schlanger is the Henry M. Butzel Professor of Law at the University of Michigan.
Read more by Margo Schlanger


text:
Q: Storm test case backtype.storm.multilang failed with backtype.storm.multilang.NoOutputException exception I clone the latest version (master) of Storm source code from https://github.com/apache/storm.git. I am using Ubuntu 14.02.
But when I run "mvn test" command, the test process fails and terminates at backtype.storm.multilang-test.
Here is the context of backtype.storm.multilang-test.xml file:
171293 [Thread-1212-1] ERROR b.s.util - Async loop died!
java.lang.RuntimeException: backtype.storm.multilang.NoOutputException: Pipe to subprocess seems to be broken! No output read.
Serializer Exception:

    at backtype.storm.utils.ShellProcess.launch(ShellProcess.java:91) ~[classes/:?]
    at backtype.storm.spout.ShellSpout.open(ShellSpout.java:84) ~[classes/:?]
    at backtype.storm.daemon.executor$fn__4594$fn__4609.invoke(executor.clj:559) ~[classes/:?]
    at backtype.storm.util$async_loop$fn__643.invoke(util.clj:473) [classes/:?]
    at clojure.lang.AFn.run(AFn.java:22) [clojure-1.6.0.jar:?]
    at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:745) [?:1.7.0_79]
171294 [Thread-1212-1] ERROR b.s.d.executor -
java.lang.RuntimeException: backtype.storm.multilang.NoOutputException: Pipe to subprocess seems to be broken! No output read.
Serializer Exception:

    at backtype.storm.utils.ShellProcess.launch(ShellProcess.java:91) ~[classes/:?]
    at backtype.storm.spout.ShellSpout.open(ShellSpout.java:84) ~[classes/:?]
    at backtype.storm.daemon.executor$fn__4594$fn__4609.invoke(executor.clj:559) ~[classes/:?]
    at backtype.storm.util$async_loop$fn__643.invoke(util.clj:473) [classes/:?]
    at clojure.lang.AFn.run(AFn.java:22) [clojure-1.6.0.jar:?]
    at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:745) [?:1.7.0_79]
171297 [Thread-1221-2] INFO  b.s.d.executor - Preparing bolt 2:(2)
171297 [Thread-1221-2] INFO  b.s.u.ShellProcess - Storm multilang serializer: backtype.storm.multilang.JsonSerializer
171298 [Thread-1203-EventThread] INFO  o.a.c.f.s.ConnectionStateManager - State change: CONNECTED
171300 [Thread-1217-__acker] INFO  b.s.d.executor - Preparing bolt __acker:(13)
171301 [Thread-1217-__acker] INFO  b.s.d.executor - Prepared bolt __acker:(13)
171301 [Thread-1214-__system] INFO  b.s.d.executor - Preparing bolt __system:(-1)
171300 [Thread-1226-__acker] INFO  b.s.d.executor - Preparing bolt __acker:(3)
171302 [Thread-1214-__system] INFO  b.s.d.executor - Prepared bolt __system:(-1)
171302 [Thread-1226-__acker] INFO  b.s.d.executor - Prepared bolt __acker:(3)
171302 [Thread-1228-__acker] INFO  b.s.d.executor - Preparing bolt __acker:(14)
171302 [Thread-1228-__acker] INFO  b.s.d.executor - Prepared bolt __acker:(14)
171300 [Thread-1223-__system] INFO  b.s.d.executor - Preparing bolt __system:(-1)
171304 [Thread-1223-__system] INFO  b.s.d.executor - Prepared bolt __system:(-1)
171304 [Thread-1221-2] ERROR b.s.util - Async loop died!
java.lang.RuntimeException: Error when launching multilang subprocess

    at backtype.storm.utils.ShellProcess.launch(ShellProcess.java:87) ~[classes/:?]
    at backtype.storm.task.ShellBolt.prepare(ShellBolt.java:126) ~[classes/:?]
    at backtype.storm.daemon.executor$fn__4664$fn__4677.invoke(executor.clj:755) ~[classes/:?]
    at backtype.storm.util$async_loop$fn__643.invoke(util.clj:473) [classes/:?]
    at clojure.lang.AFn.run(AFn.java:22) [clojure-1.6.0.jar:?]
    at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:745) [?:1.7.0_79]
Caused by: java.io.IOException: Broken pipe
    at java.io.FileOutputStream.writeBytes(Native Method) ~[?:1.7.0_79]
    at java.io.FileOutputStream.write(FileOutputStream.java:345) ~[?:1.7.0_79]
    at java.io.BufferedOutputStream.flushBuffer(BufferedOutputStream.java:82) ~[?:1.7.0_79]
    at java.io.BufferedOutputStream.flush(BufferedOutputStream.java:140) ~[?:1.7.0_79]
    at java.io.DataOutputStream.flush(DataOutputStream.java:123) ~[?:1.7.0_79]
    at backtype.storm.multilang.JsonSerializer.writeString(JsonSerializer.java:96) ~[classes/:?]
    at backtype.storm.multilang.JsonSerializer.writeMessage(JsonSerializer.java:89) ~[classes/:?]
    at backtype.storm.multilang.JsonSerializer.connect(JsonSerializer.java:61) ~[classes/:?]
    at backtype.storm.utils.ShellProcess.launch(ShellProcess.java:85) ~[classes/:?]
    ... 5 more
171306 [Thread-1221-2] ERROR b.s.d.executor -
java.lang.RuntimeException: Error when launching multilang subprocess

    at backtype.storm.utils.ShellProcess.launch(ShellProcess.java:87) ~[classes/:?]
    at backtype.storm.task.ShellBolt.prepare(ShellBolt.java:126) ~[classes/:?]
    at backtype.storm.daemon.executor$fn__4664$fn__4677.invoke(executor.clj:755) ~[classes/:?]
    at backtype.storm.util$async_loop$fn__643.invoke(util.clj:473) [classes/:?]
    at clojure.lang.AFn.run(AFn.java:22) [clojure-1.6.0.jar:?]
    at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:745) [?:1.7.0_79]
Caused by: java.io.IOException: Broken pipe
    at java.io.FileOutputStream.writeBytes(Native Method) ~[?:1.7.0_79]
    at java.io.FileOutputStream.write(FileOutputStream.java:345) ~[?:1.7.0_79]
    at java.io.BufferedOutputStream.flushBuffer(BufferedOutputStream.java:82) ~[?:1.7.0_79]
    at java.io.BufferedOutputStream.flush(BufferedOutputStream.java:140) ~[?:1.7.0_79]
    at java.io.DataOutputStream.flush(DataOutputStream.java:123) ~[?:1.7.0_79]
    at backtype.storm.multilang.JsonSerializer.writeString(JsonSerializer.java:96) ~[classes/:?]
    at backtype.storm.multilang.JsonSerializer.writeMessage(JsonSerializer.java:89) ~[classes/:?]
    at backtype.storm.multilang.JsonSerializer.connect(JsonSerializer.java:61) ~[classes/:?]
    at backtype.storm.utils.ShellProcess.launch(ShellProcess.java:85) ~[classes/:?]
    ... 5 more
171308 [Thread-1231-__system] INFO  b.s.d.executor - Preparing bolt __system:(-1)
171308 [Thread-1231-__system] INFO  b.s.d.executor - Prepared bolt __system:(-1)
171309 [Thread-1233-__system] INFO  b.s.d.executor - Preparing bolt __system:(-1)
171310 [Thread-1233-__system] INFO  b.s.d.executor - Prepared bolt __system:(-1)
171315 [Thread-1235-__acker] INFO  b.s.d.executor - Preparing bolt __acker:(15)
171315 [Thread-1203] INFO  b.s.s.a.AuthUtils - Got AutoCreds []
171315 [Thread-1235-__acker] INFO  b.s.d.executor - Prepared bolt __acker:(15)
171315 [Thread-1203] INFO  b.s.d.worker - Reading Assignments.
171316 [Thread-1238-__acker] INFO  b.s.d.executor - Preparing bolt __acker:(16)
171316 [Thread-1238-__acker] INFO  b.s.d.executor - Prepared bolt __acker:(16)
171319 [refresh-active-timer] INFO  b.s.d.worker - All connections are ready for worker 7dea90e5-ca16-4136-a112-88d756cd9014:1028 with id a74f15a4-ce44-4959-89a5-483b4aff164f
171324 [Thread-1203] INFO  b.s.d.worker - Launching receive-thread for 6737d54e-6cc5-4de7-af27-171ba758fb5b:1025
171325 [Thread-1286-worker-receiver-thread-0] INFO  b.s.m.loader - Starting receive-thread: [stormId: test-1-1438588543, port: 1025, thread-id: 0 ]
171325 [Thread-1240-__acker] INFO  b.s.d.executor - Preparing bolt __acker:(4)
171325 [Thread-1240-__acker] INFO  b.s.d.executor - Prepared bolt __acker:(4)
171325 [Thread-1212-1] ERROR b.s.util - Halting process: ("Worker died")
java.lang.RuntimeException: ("Worker died")
    at backtype.storm.util$exit_process_BANG_.doInvoke(util.clj:332) [classes/:?]
    at clojure.lang.RestFn.invoke(RestFn.java:423) [clojure-1.6.0.jar:?]
    at backtype.storm.daemon.worker$fn__5151$fn__5152.invoke(worker.clj:532) [classes/:?]
    at backtype.storm.daemon.executor$mk_executor_data$fn__4493$fn__4494.invoke(executor.clj:261) [classes/:?]
    at backtype.storm.util$async_loop$fn__643.invoke(util.clj:485) [classes/:?]
    at clojure.lang.AFn.run(AFn.java:22) [clojure-1.6.0.jar:?]
    at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:745) [?:1.7.0_79]
171325 [Thread-1221-2] ERROR b.s.util - Halting process: ("Worker died")
java.lang.RuntimeException: ("Worker died")
    at backtype.storm.util$exit_process_BANG_.doInvoke(util.clj:332) [classes/:?]
    at clojure.lang.RestFn.invoke(RestFn.java:423) [clojure-1.6.0.jar:?]
    at backtype.storm.daemon.worker$fn__5151$fn__5152.invoke(worker.clj:532) [classes/:?]
    at backtype.storm.daemon.executor$mk_executor_data$fn__4493$fn__4494.invoke(executor.clj:261) [classes/:?]
    at backtype.storm.util$async_loop$fn__643.invoke(util.clj:485) [classes/:?]
    at clojure.lang.AFn.run(AFn.java:22) [clojure-1.6.0.jar:?]
    at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:745) [?:1.7.0_79]

Any help is highly appreciated.

A: This problem has been solved after I install nodejs manually. The error is due to the improper default nodejs installation on Ubuntu.
Here is a list of software required to pass all the tests in Apache Storm:

*

*List item

*nodejs

*python

*zmq

*ruby(requires json module to be installed)

Hope this list is helpful for anyone failing to pass the tests.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Mark Bennett Joins Qualys as V.P. Sales For The Americas & Asia Pacific
High-Tech Sales Executive Veteran Sees Qualys as Driving Next-Generation of Web-Based Network Security
Redwood City, CA — February 27, 2002 — Qualys™, Inc., the leader in Managed Vulnerability Assessment to secure corporate networks, today announced the appointment of Mark Bennett as Vice President of Sales for the Americas and Asia Pacific. Bennett brings to Qualys over two decades of sales and channel management experience in the technology industry. He will be responsible for building Qualys' channels and managing its growing sales force, and will report to Philippe Courtot, Chairman and CEO of Qualys.
Most recently Bennett was VP of U.S. Sales for Persistence Software, a public company selling high-end application servers and Web enhancement products, where he rebuilt the company's sales strategy and sales team, and negotiated OEM deals. Prior to Persistence, Bennett held senior sales management positions with Trimark Technologies and Intelligent Electronics, where he designed and implemented the first segmented channel model for computer reseller franchises. He began his high-tech business career as a reseller for Apple Computer. During his tenure at these companies, Bennett played a key role developing partnerships with companies such as Allstate, Cisco Systems, CSFB, Lucent, Motorola, Salomon Smith Barney, State Farm, and Sun Microsystems, while exceeding revenue objectives.
Qualys' advanced Web-based vulnerability assessment platform, QualysGuard™, fundamentally changes the way network security operates, enabling businesses to avert disaster by proactively monitoring their networks for disabling hackers and worms. Managed Vulnerability Assessment secures networks, hosts and desktop PCs through automated scans that produce concise management reports, enabling better identification and elimination of vulnerabilities. Enterprise customers can protect their network resources, while at the same time radically decreasing the costs to assess, identify, fix and verify elimination of vulnerabilities.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Here's a roundup of practical Thanksgiving Day advice for ways to collect family history around the Thanksgiving table. (Or before or after). I offer these in hopes that it adds some depth to your family holiday. These are blog posts and articles by others around the blogosphere.
Oh, and are you aware of a holiday tip that's not mentioned here? Please let me know. I'm happy to make this collection grow to reflect the good advice and suggestions that are out there.
I wish I had asked my Grandma Gert what it was like to be 21 when women earned the right to vote in 1922. I would have had asked her mother, Nana, for details on growing up without a mother and why did they leave Canada.
What was it like to walk the picket line during the ___ strike?
What were the family dinners like as you were growing up?
The Root features an essay by NPR's Michele Norris—ambassador for the National Day of Listening project. Norris remembers her father carving the Thanksgiving turkey.
He'd hover over the turkey for several minutes, holding his cherished electric knife and humming a little tune to himself before leaning in to apply his surgical skills to our supper. His whistle-while-you-work anticipation was a little ritual in our home, and I miss him so much, it aches during the holidays.
He died back in 1988, long before I married and had children. My kids now know a lot more about my father's triumphs and his struggles on a life journey that took him from the shadows of the steel mills in segregated Birmingham, Ala., to middle-class life in an integrated Minneapolis neighborhood. Even so, my kids will never hear the sound of their grandfather's voice because I never recorded him in conversation. That's a shame. And it carries even more sting because I have spent almost two decades working in broadcasting, first in television and now in radio, as a co-host of All Things Considered.
The Smithsonian Institution's Photography blog has a post devoted to capturing family memories at Thanksgiving, too.
Personal Historian Beth LaMie offers 6 ideas to stimulate family stories at holiday gatherings. I'm particularly inspired by her ideas to involve people of all ages. I can use that. I've heard lots of stories, but once I think about ways to make the old (to me) stories come alive for my nieces, it's all new again.
Here's your chance to get really creative. Write a variety of questions onto small slips of paper and put them into a hat or bowl or basket. You can customize the questions to fit your own family or group of friends, mixing serious questions with silly ones. Be prepared to allow guests to switch the question if they are embarrassed or reluctant to answer. Remember that the purpose of the questions is to learn more about them while having fun with everyone.
Now this sounds like a fun thing to do with my 9-year-old niece. She can collect question ideas from everyone. And then ask the questions. Get that storytelling ball rolling.
This is also the first Thanksgiving a year after my dad's death. Last year's was not long after his memorial. I think this year is time to start a new tradition.
p.s. see the photo in the header of this site? That's my nephew interviewing his grandma (my mother). Maybe it's time to bring on the big microphone again.
In the (currently snowy!) Tacoma, Washington News Tribune, Dorothy Wilhelm recalls a Thanksgiving overseas in Taiwan, and describes her plans for this year's Thanksgiving to get combined with an idea for getting the youngers involved.
I am planning to try something different this holiday. The grandkids are beginning to express an interest in family history. It's about time. So I hope to use the time that we would ordinarily spend critiquing the lifestyles of absent relatives to begin creating our own family history.
[…] I learned from Lakewood historian Cy Happy that sometimes it's easiest to start with one single event. Start with the elders at the table. Ask them to recall their first day of school, or the first Thanksgiving they remember. Who was there? Where did they come from? Who were their parents? Choose a moderator and record everything. Don't get bogged down in the details of what really happened. We do not all remember things the same way.
Maureen "photo detective" Taylor's November email (scroll down to Gather Round the Table: Family History at Thanksgiving) observes that there are family stories behind dishes, utensils, recipes, and picture-taking (but of course).
Families often pass on furniture, dishes and flatware to descendants.
If you have these objects in your house do you know their history? Do you know who owned them? In museum terms this is the provenance of the object-the whole history of ownership.
Let's get downright genealogical. I favor the stories and legends, but Bobbi Holmes at Ancestorsafari. Prepare a "standard questionnaire sheet" and interview the people there—oldest first. You write down the answers, don't make the person you're asking do it.
What is your full name and the correct spelling? You may be surprised to learn that your favorite Uncle Ronny is actually named Reginald.
What was the date and place of your birth and marriage?
What is the full name of your spouse, and his/her date and place of birth, death or divorce?
What were/are the full names of your parents, along with your parent's place of birth, marriage and death?
And, while you're at it…. Finally, another way to approach Family History. The United States Surgeon General declares Thankgiving Day to be National Family History Day (history? yes… medical history).
Over the holiday or at other times when families gather, the Surgeon General encourages Americans to talk about, and to write down, the health problems that seem to run in their family. Learning about their family's health history may help ensure a longer, healthier future together.


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Paint Guide
How to Market Your Rental to Attract a Dream Tenant
Jan. 01, 2018 Scott McGillivray
Scott McGillivray is a real estate expert and host of HGTV Canada's Income Property and Moving the McGillivrays.
When it comes to finding tenants you need to be proactive. Don't rely on luck. Put yourself in the driver's seat when searching for tenants. Never discount the fact that there are good people out there looking for good places – it's just up to you to find them.
I firmly believe that the better the condition your place is in, the easier it will be to rent, and the better the calibre of tenant you will find. With a high-quality property, tenants will be willing to pay more, stay longer and will be less likely to miss a payment. So make sure everything is clean, updated and of good quality. Every place is a little bit different, but ideally you want the following:
Updated kitchen
Updated bathroom
Hardwood floors (above grade)
Quality windows
Where to Advertise
The process of advertising an apartment for rent has changed a lot in the last 10 or 20 years. These days the best way to advertise a property is on an Internet rental site. Unlike print ads (which are going the way of the Dodo Bird) and traditional bulletin boards, online rental sites allow you to post plenty of pictures – and that's the number one thing that will help get your place rented.
Sites like Craigslist and Kijiji are certainly options, but I've always found that targeted rental sites are the most effective. Most cities have local rental search engines, and that's where you want to be.
Word of mouth is always a great way to reach people, so don't hesitate to tell family, friends and colleagues about your property. Put it out on social media and ask others to do so as well. However I always recommend being cautious about renting to family, friends and colleagues. Your rental property, whether it's an income suite or dedicated rental, is a business, and mixing business with personal can sometimes be tricky.
When it comes to advertising your property you want to make it sound as appealing as possible, but you also want to be honest. Make sure to include the following:
Proximity to public transit
Don't be afraid to show off a little. If there's a lot of natural light, say so. If the unit has high ceilings, say so. If there are special extras like Quartz counters or frameless glass shower doors, say so. And please, when taking pictures for the ad consider hiring a professional, or at the very least using a good camera. Dark photos of messy rooms will not appeal to the kinds of tenants you want.
Check the Competition
Before you write an ad make sure you've checked out the local competition. Find out what other similar units are going for, check out what they're offering and have a look at how they're writing their ads. How do other rentals describe the neighbourhood? What features are they calling out? Take note of what ads stand out to you and try to emulate them as best you can.
Schedule Showings
I always recommend including a date for showings in the ad. I find it works best to set aside a few hours (2-5pm for example) for all the appointments so that you can control your schedule. (As opposed to running back and forth as people call and ask to view the unit.) That said, make it clear that people should book an appointment. Otherwise you get an "open house" style free-for-all. Booking showings for 10 or 15 minutes apart means you can take the time to meet people and give a quick tour, but also, potential renters will see others coming and going and it will create a sense of urgency and a bit of buzz about the property.
Images courtesy of Getty Images
Condos vs. Houses: Which Should You Buy? Scott McGillivray Weighs the Pros and Cons
Real Estate RuPaul Lists Hollywood Hills Hideaway for $5M and It's as Fabulous as You'd Expect
Scott McGillivray Airbnb vs. Renting for an Income Property: Scott McGillivray Weighs In
Real Estate A Peek Inside the Five-Star Luxury Properties Offered by Airbnb
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Home Ground: Eden Street, Kempsey
Kempsey Saints Football Club was formed in 1971, celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year, making it one of the oldest clubs in both the FMNC and NCF zones. Since its inception the club has been about fostering sporting opportunity for all comers regardless of age, gender, cultural background or ability. Saints still prides itself that it follows this same philosophy 50 years later.
Saints has given thousands of youngsters the chance to play football wearing the famous green and white colours of the club. Saints is a relative newcomer to senior football only entering the FMNC Premier League competition in 2010. This was to give its juniors a pathway to play at the highest local level. For the same reason it entered Coastal Premier League.
The club has always built its squads through the development of its own juniors and prides itself on seeking success by promoting opportunity. The club is proud that two of its former juniors, Evan Clarke and Daniel Baker, have taken on co-coaching roles in 2021 and hope they enjoy this new experience and have a successful season.
Joint Coach/Captains
Evan Clarke: I grew up playing football with the Saints from U6s right through to Premier League. During this time, I was lucky enough to be a part of the most successful juniors' side in Saints history where we dominated the competition year in year out. Stepping up to premier league at 15 we had some solid years, making finals but never taking the cherry.
After this I spent 5 years on the Gold Coast playing for Surfer Paradise Apollo Soccer Club in the Gold Coast Premier League where I learnt more about the game. Now returning to Saints I am looking to build an era of success along with Dan and the incredible young talent we have. With an average age of 21 you'll see plenty of energy and commitment from our squads and an attacking style that won't lack any confidence.
Daniel Baker: I have played for Saints for the last 18 years, all the way from under 6's to First Grade. Throughout juniors Evan and I played together for both Saints and for FMNC, the Saints team we were a part of were able to win 4 of the 5 years of the competitive years we played until we moved into Premier League.
This is myself and Evan's first coaching venture and while we both know it will be a challenge, we are also confident in our ability and the squad we have behind us to really make a splash in both grades this year.


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Home New NBA season may start Dec. 22
New NBA season may start Dec. 22
THE National Basketball Players Association is close to a deal that would start the 2020-21 NBA season on Dec. 22 with a reduced schedule of 72 games per team, according to ESPN.
The Athletic previously reported the possibility of a 72-game season that would start just before Christmas. According to ESPN, the NBA's board of governors and the NBPA were holding separate meetings on the matter Thursday with the expectation that the start date would be approved.
The upcoming regular season, if agreed upon, would be 10 games shy of a typical NBA regular-season schedule.
The players association is expected to take a vote among team player representatives at some point Thursday, according to the ESPN report. A salary escrow in the vicinity of 18 percent was expected to be agreed upon for the next two years.
The NBA draft is scheduled for Nov. 18, with training camps likely to open Dec. 1.
The projected start date would leave the possibility that the regular season would finish before the start of the 2021 Summer Olympics, which are set to begin on July 23 in Tokyo.
There is no indication when or if games in the 2020-21 season would be played in front of fans. The NBA lost $800 million in ticket sales during the just-concluded season because of the ongoing pandemic, ESPN reported on Oct. 28.
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On March 20, 1969 I went to "Washington's Crossing" on the Delaware River And spilled white latex paint behind me as I walked from west to east across the river. I began at 1PM and reached the other side at 2:10PM. The river was 5 foot 6 inches (deep) at center and very cold.
A month after crossing the Delaware River, in April 1969, I put on a white shirt (worn backwards) and a raincoat. I teased and powdered my hair, and photographed myself disguised as George Washington-- my first and last selfie.
During the winter (1968) and spring of 1969, Italo Scanga, my professor at Tyler School of Art, and a wonderful artist himself, invited his friends and former students to backyard barbeques at his home in Elkins Park. These friends included Bruce Nauman (a former student of Italo's who nailed a bronze plaque to a tree in Italo's garden. It read, "A Rose has No Teeth.") Marcia Tucker visited. She was then a young curator of the Whitney Museum, who was soon fired for a controversial show of Richard Tuttle that she organized in 1975.
Sol le Witt visited too. He came to see my graduate works in my dorm room at Tyler School of Art. Later I met him at his show of wall drawings at Virginia Dwan Gallery on 57th Street in NYC. he saw my exhibitions in New York and we became friends. Sol died on April 8, 2007. Painted shrubs for Sol le Witt was my 1969 homage to Sol after meeting him at Italo's home in 1969. Italo had his students in his sauna naked and in his basement making watercolors on the back of Campbell Soup labels. He was a true gentleman.


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Stockport Martial Arts
Stockport Town Centre Martial Arts
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Bushido Martial Arts Stockport
Martial Arts in Stockport - Stockport Town Centre
Meadow Mill, Water Street, Stockport Town Centre, Stockport, SK1 2BU
http://www.bushidoma.co.uk
Bushido Martial Arts, Stockport, is a martial arts academy offering instruction of the highest standard in a comprehensive range of martial arts disciplines. Predominantly a traditional jiu–jitsu school, Bushido also offers traditional Shotokan karate and sport–based freestyle karate classes. Recent additions to the timetable are light continuous kickboxing and freestyle jiu-jitsu.
Tags: freestyle jiu jitsu, freestyle karate classes, jiu jitsu, kickboxing, Not the best, Shotokan karate
Bushido Martial Arts Stockport Reviews
Dhirst95
I was not there for long but all I can say is that the head instructor is not professional. He always complained about students not turning up. He was also a bit of a ladies man! 04-11-19
Tags: Not the best
What can I say, being a martial artist for over half a century I think I can speak with a totally honest vice that Bushido martial arts in Stockport is a very friendly and excellent place for both experienced and novice martial artists to train and develop. The instructor cadre is of the highest level and the statistics show this with the amount of students that have obtained both grades and become champions in their own right. The club is an excellent place for any person who wishes to learn effective traditional and modern martial arts. Martial arts clubs are not everyones cup of tea shall we say as we live in an era of people who want to learn the martial arts but are not willing to put the time and effort into achieving personal development and success. The club is very well organised and run on a friendly basis. Its a buyers market...if you don't like what you see ...go somewhere else but leave your negativity at home. 20-11-16
A friend of mine who is a parent of a student there suggested Bushido Martial Arts to me and I can honestly say it was the best suggestion!
My child was very quiet and lacked social skills, he thought every child should be into football, we were a big football family but my youngest just didn't get it! I wanted my child to do a sport, join a club.
The club welcomed us, not just the instructors but everyone, the club has a family feel about it.
Move forward nine or so years and my child is still there! He is English, European and World Champion! Not bad for a shy child.
My child has grown so much in confidence, he socialises with the students outside of the club.
I can fully recommend this club and have done to many!
Come and see what Bushido is about and give your child the confidence it has given mine. 19-11-16
KingToed208
Bushido Martial Arts Ia an amazing place, not only do you learn martial arts but the club is like a second home. Everyone is so welcoming & friendly and treats everyone equally. 19-11-16
I have trained at Bushido over the years and can honestly say that the commitment shown by all at Bushido including Master John is incredible. In particular, Master Johns level of martial arts knowledge and experience, his drive, passion and motivation along with his humbleness is invaluable. I am exceptionally honoured to be a part of the club and to be privileged to have the opportunity to train with the best of the best...OSS. 18-11-16
roundhouse75
Superb, friendly, hardworking, professional and committed club. Instructors, Senseis and Seniors are always ready and willing to give valuable feedback and tips on how to achieve your own personal goal. Lots of different styles taught to a high standard. All levels and abilities are welcome. 17-11-16
Marknolan1
Fantastic Club with a very friendly family atmosphere. A great team of dedicated World Champion instructors. A strong selection of varied Martial Arts all taught to a very high professional standard. Highly recommended. 17-11-16
Shotokanpaul
Hi guys, I am a 1st Dan black belt in shotokan karate and a 1st Dan in shorin ryu karate. I have trained in martial arts for 30 years, I was the all Ireland kata and kumite champion. I have also won the Welsh shotokan/shorin ryu gold medal for team and men's open kumite. I was European knock down karate champion gold medalist (kumite) in shotokan. Having researched many clubs in the city of Manchester, there was simply only one club that stood out BUSHIDO MARTIAL ARTS ACADEMY. I was really hoping that the club was as amazing as their website, as I was looking for an honest dojo that would accommodate both my sons and myself at the highest level of martial arts. Myself and my family instantly felt at home in the welcoming, relaxed and professional atmosphere.
Having trained with some of the highest ranking martial artist in the world including Japanese masters, I can honestly say Master John Robertson is simply one of the best Masters I have had the privilege to train under. He is a dedicated, loyal, approachable, honest man who admires and respects his students regardless of rank. I was recently awarded life long membership of Okinawa karate for 30 years of karate experience and I am really proud to be a student of Bushido Martial Arts as this is where my journey now lies and my sons are begining on their path in martial arts.
Oss 16-11-16
SPGHJ1
My children have been students of this amazing club for a few years now. I can honestly say i do not know what we did with our time before joining. They have learnt so many life skills since going and have achieved so much under the expertise and guidance of the very experienced Master J Robertson and his senior students. We were made to feel welcome from day one and it really is like a second home. A word often used within the club is "family". I am proud of all the students and their commitment to learning and helping one another.
My children lacked confidence and were shy before, but coming to the club has really brought them out of their shell. They have made lots of friends and socialise outside of the club also.
Lots of hours of hard work pays off. It has provided them with the social skills, discipline, respect and focus which is needed in life and we can't thank this club enough
Too many kids sat in front of TV, computers, hanging around street corners - get fit, learn new skills, learn life skills, meet new people, make life long friends and you never know you could be lucky enough and proud to represent your Country at the World Championships one day!!
Give it a go. You won't regret it 16-11-16
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text:
Q: pass some variables to awk I want to write a bash and pass some variables to it.
awk -v $3=lengthA -v $4=lengthB 'NF<=lengthA/lengthB' - >

But it returns this error
awk: fatal: `50' is not a legal variable name

A: The argument -v requires name=value. So you need to write -v lengthA=$3

A: If $3 is from the shell, then
awk -v var=$3 'NF<=var' file

If you like to use a shell variable then
lengthA=3
awk -v var="$lengthA" 'NF<=var' file

or
awk 'NF<=var' var="$lengthA" file

PS always use double quote with variable.


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Mel Ilomin possesses more than three decades of experience working at the highest levels of state and local government. He joined (then) Assemblyman Gil Cedillo's staff in 1998, and has remained with him through the Member's years in the Assembly and the Senate, as well as in the Council, for a total of 20 years. Mel graduated with a BS in Psychobiology and received the Chancellor's Marshall Award from UCLA and received his Juris Doctor from USC Annenberg School of Law and Masters in Communications Management from the USC Annenberg School of Communications. He wrote and composed the music for a silent 1930's student film, a Filipino in America and scored the music for a Filipino American musical based on the "America is in the Heart" by Carlos Bulosan.


Childhood asthma which is an upper respiratory disorder is characterized with inflammation of airways and lungs on exposure to certain triggers. It may get aggravated on inhaling pollen, cold or flu or due to other respiratory infection. Childhood asthma may create annoying and disturbing environment which directly affects the quality of life. If the condition is not controlled it can impose serious complications like asthma attacks.
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Dose:- 2 capsules, twice daily after meals with water.
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Shirish (Albizia lebbeck): It helps to remove accumulated poisons metabolites from body. According to Ayurveda, these ama or toxins in the body get disturbed the normal metabolism that results in problem.
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Anantmool (Tylophora asthmatica): The leaves of Anantmool possess amazing therapeutic properties. It is a very good expectorant, emetic and diaphoretic. Also used for treating and mitigating cold, asthma and allergies.
Bharangi (Clerodandrum serratum): It is useful in diseases where breathing is difficult, like asthma allergy, bronchitis, cough etc.
Mulethi (Glycerrhiza glabra): It is also known with the name Licorice. It has good anti-inflammatory and benefits a lot to reduce inflammation of bronchial tubes and also restores normal breathing. Other than this it also has immune-stimulant properties.
Benefits:- These herbs are known to very effective to manage the respiratory and lung infections. It is very effective for curing respiratory symptoms and also considered best remedy for asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory infections.
Dose:- 1 teaspoonful twice daily or take 1 tsp. of the powder and boil in 400ml water until it remains 50-60ml. approximately. Then strain it and drink at room temperature. Try to make it fresh every day. It is advised to have it twice daily after meals.
These capsules are obtained from standardized extract of Tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum). It is also known as Holy Basil. It has not only medicinal value but also has religious value. This herb is very effective in treating of various respiratory illness and also balances overall respiratory system. It is also effective against various infections like cold, flu which may be causative factor of asthma and enhance the immune system of body.
Dose:- 2 capsules with milk or water after meals.


Arriving at a respectable 10am on a Saturday morning, is Ruby-Rose!
This beautiful little girl is a full sister to Starbuck Saphira and Starbuck Celeste, who have both been extremely successful in the ring.
At this point the plan is to retain this little lady.
Below Ruby aged nearly 5 months!
Below 4 days of age, and on the move!
Left - 9 days of age!
Below - her full sister, 3 year old Starbuck Celeste!
9am the next morning THAT'S what I got and I am thrilled.
What a little doll THIS one is.... she will definitely be retained by the stud.
Complaining to her sister, Milly - who really didn't care!
And she has a cheeky attitude to boot!
Another Apollo daughter to be retained by the stud!
Below : 3 months of age after her first bath! She wasn't overly impressed!
Born 4 weeks early - which is common for Flash, is my FIRST filly from Flash!
This little lady wasn't planned, apparently Flash helped herself last season to Apollo - I'd been planning to give her a year off. Back in May I realized she was looking awfully fat, I tested her and sure enough she was pregnant.
So this little mistake has turned out to be the best thing in the world! I am thrilled with her, and we FINALLY got a daughter out of Flash! More photos coming as she dries out!
Below - this one is a little teddy bear.
Below 18 hours of age, enjoying a little scratch! She's such a cutie.


text:
Any Price (234) Under $100 (123) $100-499 (77) $500-4,999 (29) $5,000-19,999 (4) $20,000 and up (1)
The Burke and Wills Exploring Expedition: an Account of the Crossing of the Continent of Australia, from Cooper's Creek to Carpentaria, with Biographical Sketches of Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills
Adelaide, Libraries Board of South Australia, 1963 (facsimile)/ 1861. Originally reprinted from 'The Argus'. Peade A10: a total of 970 copies. More
A Census of the Plants of Victoria, with their Regional Distribution and the Vernacular Names as adopted by the Plant Names Committee of the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria
Melbourne, Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria, 1923. More
A Daily Prayer for Printers
Melbourne, Printing Industry Craftsmen of Australia, 1939. One of only 250 copies. More
Directory of Old Geelong Grammarians. Including Old Girls of Clyde School and The Hermitage. 1994
Canterbury, Michael Thornton for the Old Geelong Grammarians, 1994. More
Records of the Castlemaine Pioneers
Adelaide, Rigby, 1972. More
Report of Royal Commission into the Failure of West Gate Bridge
Melbourne, Government Printer, 1971 (first edition). With numerous diagrams and 7 pages of photographic illustrations. 'On The 15 October 1970, at 11:50 am, the 367-ft span of the West Gate Bridge, known as span 10-11, being one of the spans on the western side of the River Yarra, suddenly collapsed..... More
The Students of the University of Melbourne offer you some Stude Prunes. A kaleidoscope of beauty and ballyhoo in 27.5 radio-active scenes! Comedy Theatre, May 17th to 20th, 1933
Glen Iris, University of Melbourne, 1933. 'Visitors are requested not to tease the performers'. More
Victorian Aboriginal Group. Fourteenth Annual Report, 1943. (Together with nine other annual reports: the 17th to the 24th inclusive and the 37th)
[Melbourne], Victorian Aboriginal Group, 1943, 1946-53 and 1966. "Objects. To study the conditions of the Aborigines throughout Australia, to promote their welfare, and to help form a public conscience in favour of just and enlightened treatment of the people under our charge" More
The Victorian Government Prize Essays, 1860
Melbourne, Government Printer, 1861. The essays are 'Collection and Storage of Water in Victoria' by Frederick Acheson (49 pages); 'Agriculture in Victoria' by William Story (pages 163 pages plus a plan); 'Origin and Distribution of Gold in Quartz Veins' by Henry Rosales (31 pages) and 'Development of the Resources of..... More
[37th Battalion]. McNICOL, Norman Gordon
The Thirty-Seventh. History of the Thirty-Seventh Battalion AIF
Melbourne, printed by The Modern Printing Company, 1936. The book is not identified as such, but it comes from the personal collection of Lieutenant-Colonel Alexander Thomas Paterson (1886-1950), Commanding Officer of the 39th Battalion AIF, and the author of that battalion's history. Dornbusch 330; Fielding and O'Neill, page 228; Trigellis-Smith..... More
[38th Battalion]. FAIREY, Eric
The 38th Battalion AIF. The Story and Official History ... Foreword by Rt. Hon. W.M. Hughes, Prime Minister of Australia
Bendigo, 38th Battalion History Committee (printed by the 'Bendigo Advertiser' Pty Ltd and the Cambridge Press), 1920. The book is not identified as such, but it comes from the personal collection of Lieutenant-Colonel Alexander Thomas Paterson (1886-1950), Commanding Officer of the 39th Battalion AIF, and the author of that battalion's..... More
Bendigo, 38th Battalion History Committee (printed by the 'Bendigo Advertiser' Pty Ltd and the Cambridge Press), 1920. Dornbusch 312; Fielding and O'Neill, page 228; Trigellis-Smith 235. More
[7th Battalion]. STEWART, 2901 Private Ernest
[Souvenir of] Cairo. 24 Detachable Phototype Post Cards. Serie N. 5 [cover title]
The booklet was sent by 2901 Private Ernest Stewart, 7th Battalion, to his sister Lill in Hamilton, Victoria. He has written the date '26/10/15' on the front cover, and his address at the time was Zeitoun Camp, Egypt. He has written messages to her on blank pages at the front..... More
['A Comment' Publications]
The entire output of stand-alone works published by Cecily Crozier under the imprint '"A Comment" Publication', offered as one lot
As well as her signature little magazine 'A Comment', Cecily Crozier published four other little-known and now extremely scarce titles. All were printed by The Bradley Printers, Malvern, and three follow closely the format and bold designs seen in the magazine. This group includes all four titles, with two of..... More
AFFLECK, James
Geelong Grammarians at World War Two
Corio, The Old Geelong Grammarians Incorporated, 2002. Dated (11 November 2002) and signed in ink by the editor on the title page, and with the ink ownership signature of Flying Officer Robert Oswald Jose (sometime flying instructor at Point Cook and Sale, and later a Ventura pilot at 13 Squadron..... More
ALDER, Ronald M.
Eighty-plus Lucky Years
[Toorak, The Author, 1999]. Signed and inscribed by the author to 'Les' (Dr Leslie O.S. Poidevin). Loosely inserted is a signed handwritten letter from the author, with 'Les's inscription indicating his reply. More
[Allied Thanksgiving Pageant]
Souvenir Programme... Allied Thanksgiving Pageant, Como Park. Sunday, 14th November, 1943, at 2.45pm [cover title]
[Melbourne], Printed by A.B. Harding, Printer, Preston, [1943]. More
[Art Catalogue]
Catalogue of the Shepparton Art Collection
Shepparton, Shepparton City Council, 1949. More
ATTWOOD, Bain and Helen DOYLE
Possession. Batman's Treaty and the Matter of History
Carlton, The Miegunyah Press, 2009 (first edition). More
BARNARD, Jill and Sonia JENNINGS
Welcome and Farewell. The Story of Station Pier
Melbourne, Arcadia/ Department of Infrastructure, 2004. More
BARROW, Freda
The Transit of Nan
Melbourne, The Lothian Book Publishing Co. Pty. Ltd., 1923. Front cover illustration by Victorian artist Eileen Pearcey. Muir 540: 'Although classified by the publishers as a children's book, this story of the activities of an imaginary adopted child does not appear to have been intended for children.'. More
BARTLEY, Nehemiah
Australian Pioneers and Reminiscences (Illustrated), together with Portraits of Some of the Founders of Australia. By the late Nehemiah Bartley. Edited by J.J. Knight
Brisbane, Gordon and Gotch (for the Executrix and Children), 1896. With much on Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and the relevant states; subjects include 'The Lady Augusta', the Constitution, the Anti-Transporation debate, 'The Incursions of the Blacks', Squatting, John Petrie and the Liberty of the Press. More
BATCHELDER, Alf, RUSDEN, Ann, WEBSTER, Ray and Ken WILLIAMS
The Centenary Test. Melbourne Cricket Ground March 1977
Melbourne, MCC Library, 2002. Signed by all four authors. More


Remember That Big Slice Of Seven Layer Cake?
I had a lunch date with my husband/best friend the other day and we started reminiscing about the good old days. It's funny how you can look back at the years that you had very little and feel like you were so rich.
1977…I've got a baby in my arms and a toddler holding on to my knees and my husband walks in with a HUGE bouquet of flowers that a street vendor sold him at a red light for $1.00. My smile could have lit up Carnegie Hall.
1978…My exhausted husband comes home to a candlelit dinner with beef ribs (a rare treat) and a freshly baked cake.Though the ribs fall apart and the cake collapses, he tells me it is the best dinner EVER!
We talked all through lunch about the fun, silly, romantic things we used to do that cost almost nothing but got us through the best and worst of times.
P.S. Those were the days!


THE CEO of the state arm of a global real estate company has put his brand new Brisbane home on the market.
Colliers International Queensland chief executive Simon Beirne is selling his brand new, Hamptons style house in Camp Hill.
Mr Beirne and his wife, Siobhan, bought the property, which was originally a 1200 sqm block of land, in 2016.
The couple subdivided the block, built a home for themselves on one of the lots and this home at 46 Newman Avenue on the other 450 sqm block.
The home comes with four bedrooms — two of which are master-sized — three bathrooms, two back decks, city views and a pool.
The property is being marketed by Joanna Gianniotis of Place - Bulimba and Andrew Bradley of Place - Coorparoo is scheduled to go to auction on Saturday, October 27, at 10am.
"The views are outstanding and very difficult to surpass," Ms Gianniotis said.


Book 2 in the Award-Winning Bloodline of Yule Trilogy. The highly anticipated sequel to the Bram Stoker Award-winning Book 1, Snowed.
Kidnapped by his father, Aidan MacNichol returns home to a terrifying ice fortress in the Arctic Ocean. His dying father makes Aidan a deal: if Aidan finds a mysterious healing agent beneath the fortress, he's free to leave. Aidan sets out on the perilous journey for the cure, but finds the cost is far greater than he could possibly imagine. Meanwhile, Charity Jones leads her friends on an armed, high-tech expedition to the Arctic coordinates she's seen in her dreams. Their mission: to kill Krampus and save Aidan. But when Charity discovers Aidan's shocking fate, she makes a mistake that starts the countdown to apocalypse. Can Charity and her team stop the clock?


Extraco Consulting offers insights on how to turn products into sales engines for ancillary products and alternative business lines. In this webinar, attendees will learn how to ensure product support is easy, enhance the customer experience, and integrate marketing and compliance in order to realize social media success.
Lindsay Green has a background in innovation, project management, marketing, information technology and information systems management, retail banking, alternative delivery channels management, operations and public relations. While in management at Extraco Banks, she was responsible for retail innovation, alternative delivery channels, customer care, retail sales, retail training, talent development and retail hiring. Prior to Lindsay's career at Extraco, she was a part of a leadership team that initiated a de novo bank and grew the bank from de novo status to a mature community bank. Since 2011, Ms. Green has been assisting community banks across the United States through Extraco Consulting with retail branch transformation strategies, management consulting services, marketing outsourcing, and more.


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Tag Archives: Ashley Hutchings
Hark! The Village Wait
From 1970 comes the debut recording of Steeleye Span. My vinyl copy is on the original RCA label but my CD is a 1991 re-issue on the Mooncrest label (CRESTCD 003) with a different cover to the one shown here but a helpful sleevenote by John Tobler.
Formed by bass player Ashley Hutchings after he'd left Fairport Convention, the rest of the original line-up (which split-up pretty much on completing this recording and never toured) comprised two duos: From England these were Maddy Prior and the late Tim Hart (who'd made a couple of acoustic folk albums) and, from Ireland, Terry Woods (lately of Sweeney's Men) and his wife Gay Woods. This line-up lacked a drummer (a bit of shortcoming if the project was to make a folk-rock album) so they used two guests to fill-in as required – Dave Mattacks and Gerry Conway – hardly a surprise to anyone familiar with this genre!
There are twelve tracks, all credited to 'traditional' (although the opening 'A Calling-On Song' was adapted by Hutchings and the lyrics to 'Fisherman's Wife' are by Ewan MacColl). And the sound is much, much, 'folkier' than Mr Hutchings' previous recording (Fairport's 'Liege and Lief') with banjo and dulcimer high in the mix.
Although some sound very much 'of their time', this is a remarkable album – rather unlike anything else, including most of Steeleye's subsequent recordings (indeed the band's second album included a totally different version of track two 'The Blacksmith').
The standout tracks for me are track three ('Fisherman's Wife') driven by Gay Woods' autoharp and combining the two women's voices really well; track five, 'Dark Eyed Sailor' (same mix of voices plus Gay Woods' concertina) which was adapted pretty much straight by June Tabor and the Oyster Band (see this blog 13 October) ; and track 10 ('Lowlands of Holland') which benefits from great drumming by Dave Mattacks.
The rest aren't bad either: (Richard Thompson borrowed the version of 'Blackleg Miner' for his '1,000 Years of Popular Music' project and Maddy Prior's vocal on 'All Things Are Quite Silent', which has a great rock rhythm section backing courtesy of Hutchings and Conway) is outstanding.
If you're too young not to have been there first time round, I'd urge you to track this down – especially if you only know Steeleye Span through their pop-influenced period. This was a different band, a more delicate sound and great music.
Tags: Ashley Hutchings, Dave Mattacks, Gay Woods, Gerry Conway, Maddy Prior, Steeleye Span, Terry Woods, Tim Hart
Great Grandson of Morris On
This was issued on the Talking Elephant label in 2004 (TECD062) and credited to Various Artists – but the mastermind behind it and overall producer is Ashley Hutchings
It's hard to deny that Morris On was a truly pioneering album and that 'Son' and 'Grandson' have been subject to the law of diminishing returns. Nevertheless, with morris music enjoying a higher profile than for 30-odd years nobody should begrudge Mr Hutchings for returning to the genre. For heaven's sake, if it wasn't for what he and John Kirkpatrick in the seventies did to drag an ossifying tradition into the 20th century (see entry for 28 May 2013), the current revival wouldn't have happened.
Grandson has a cast of stalwart figures, several like Simon Care and Fairport Convention's Chris Leslie are wholly steeped in Morris music whilst others like Phil Beer, John Spiers and Jon Boden (the later two shortly afterwards to find success in Bellowhead) are simply damn good musicians. Also featured are long-time Hutchings collaborators Ken Nicol and Guy Fletcher.
If you key Mr Fletcher's name into your search engine along with that of Tom Hall (featured on this blog 9 May 2013 , you can access a YouTube audio recording of the former accompanying the latter at what would be Mr Hall's final gig – which just goes to show how, among musicians – and recorded music – the familiar idea of "Six Degrees of Separation" between individuals may be more like five degrees!)
Anyway, some might find the music a bit pedestrian – but this isn't grandstanding music, it's there to accompany dancing – and it's about the whole ensemble – not virtuoso playing. And it's a nice record which I'm never unhappy to hear.
Almost all the tunes are from the ever reliable Trad. Arr. but my particular favourite is 'Little Johnny England'. This is described as 'a playground song at Moulton Primary School, Northants' which is about four miles from where I live and which is/was the ancestral seat of Mr Care who cut his teeth playing for the Moulton Morris Men. It is probably an uncomfortable reminder of my own age to say that my wife used to work with Mr Care's mum for a while in the 1990s! This title (LJE) also gave its name to a rather good band,(including Mr Fletcher last time I heard them live) whose recordings I will feature in a future post.
Morris On (nicelyoutoftune.wordpress.com)
Tags: Ashley Hutchings, Bellowhead, Guy Fletcher, John Spiers, Jon Boden, Ken Nicol, Phil Beer, Simon Care
Morris On
I first bought this on vinyl on Island Records' budget HELP label for something like £1.49 in 1974, a couple of years after it first appeared. My current copy is a CD on the boutique Fledg'ling label (FLED3037). I got it largely because it featured three former members of the ground-breaking 'Liege and Leif' line-up of Fairport Convention (Ashley Hutchings, Richard Thompson and Dave Mattacks) along with a couple of others, (Barry Dransfield and John Kirkpatrick) who I didn't know at the time. This album was also the first time I heard the great English traditional singer Shirley Collins (credited as Shirley Hutchings because she was, at the time, married to Ashley) who provided vocals on a couple of tracks.
In its own way 'Morris On' is no less remarkable than 'Liege and Lief' because what Ashley Hutchings did (and while the album is credited to all five principals, it was Hutchings who assembled them and put the project together). This was to record twelve traditional morris dance tunes using their traditional accompaniment of fiddle and concertina supplemented by a rock trio of electric guitar, bass and drums. This sounds pretty simple now – but nobody had ever thought of it in 1972 and it worked surprisingly well! Morris dancing – and the music that supported it was, at the time, deeply unfashionable – but this project exposed it to a rock audience. While it didn't make it fashionable, it did help kick it out of a reverential, respectful 'preservationist' men-only custom into a more open and enjoyable revival of the tradition which continues to this day!
For readers outside the UK it may be necessary to explain that morris dancing is a traditional English custom, going back at least to the 15th century, in which men (and back then, it WAS just blokes), drink beer in between undertaking formation ensemble dances – generally in the open air. They are often dressed in white, sometimes wear bells on their knees and wave white handkerchiefs or large cudgels or swords, depending on local tradition. Some sides also perform with blacked-up faces – although since the custom goes back way before Britain became multi-cultural, there are no modern racist connotations). The word 'morris' appears to be derived from 'Moorish' and may relate to the expulsion of the Moors from Spain in the 15th century.
The players sound like they had a great time – it's energetic, exuberant, good-humoured and slightly eccentric. The tunes chosen are deeply evocative of rural England and the recording was done 'as live' – which gives it a homespun sound – complete with false starts. They even brought in a morris side to perform a couple of stick dances as the tape rolled.
Pretty much every time I play this I end up smiling and humming along!
Tags: Ashley Hutchings, Dave Mattacks, John Kirkpatrick, Morris dance, Richard Thompson, Shirley Collins
Blight & Blossom
Released in 2012 on Rooksmere Records, 'Blight and Blossom' is the debut solo album by Blair Dunlop and one of the best recordings I bought last year (it won the New Horizon Award and BBC Radio2 Folk Awards. Unusually, I bought it as a digital download.
Blair Dunlop is the son of Ashley Hutchings (founder of Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span, the Albion Band and Rainbow Chasers) and in the same way I've checked out Richard Thompson's children (Teddy and Kami) and Loudon Wainwright's (Rufus, Martha and Lucy) I'd followed his earliest steps and noted his precocious talent on a couple of early EPs.
It's an amazingly assured and mature record from someone who's only 21. Nine original compositions (of which the title track, 'Young Billy in the Low Ground' and 'Bags Outside the Door' are the best) , one traditional track and a hitherto-unreleased Richard Thompson song ('Seven Brothers'). Mr Dunlop's singing and writing are good and will get better – but if his guitar-playing also continues to improve it's that which will makes his reputation: It's quite awesome.
Mr Dunlop is also part of a 'next generation' Albion Band and has found time to cram parts as an actor into his working life! (While still a child he played the young Willy Wonka in the 2005 film of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.) Clearly the man has talent to spare and it will be intriguing to see where he goes next.
Tags: Albion Band, Ashley Hutchings, Blair Dunlop, Richard Thompson
The History of Fairport Convention
This is a great artefact as well as a collection of music! It's since been re-released as a single CD with a different cover but this review is of the double album issued on Island Records in 1972 when Fairport was taking time out re-convening before the Rosie album the following year. It was a package put together with real care: a gatefold sleeve, fronted by a Pete Frame family tree, detailing who was in which incarnation of the band between 1967 and 1972 . Inside was a bound-in booklet with an intelligent note about each track and photos and, on the early pressings, even the paper 'seal' and ribbon on the cover was real (and yes, on my copy it is blue – others are red or green).
I think I bought it in about 1974 having read about Fairport in Melody Maker and New Musical Express and, not quite knowing where to start, decided to go for an anthology first. Little did I realise that this would be a purchase that would define a large part of my musical landscape over a period now approaching forty years!
Although there's nothing from their debut album (which was on a different label back then – now the rights to both their Polydor and Island recordings belong to Universal), it was a pretty good summation of what the band was about at that time. Twenty tracks – some written by luminaries Richard Thompson and Sandy Denny (and less common inputs from Ashley Hutchings, Simon Nicol and Ian Matthews) plus the ever-reliable "Trad. Arr." which invariably showcase the fiddle of Dave Swarbrick.
Plenty of these still make appearances on today's Fairport setlist – although not as carbon-copies.
I'm not sure I'd recommend this as a first purchase for anyone unfamiliar with Fairport – and the abridged CD has less appeal – but if you still own a turntable and ever see a copy of the double album in good nick, snap it up!
Tags: Ashley Hutchings, Fairport Convention, Richard Thompson, Sandy Denny, Simon Nicol


Oliver Florent- scored one of 19 Vic Metro national combine invites.
FOR the draft crop of 2016, the AFL Draft Combine is the first sign that their AFL dreams are a step closer to fruition. An invitation to the AFL Draft Combine means that at least five AFL clubs have expressed interest in the player. The AFL Draft Combine is a way for clubs to determine the players' physical strengths as well as getting one-on-one time through combine interviews.
Draftees take on each other in a series of tests that challenge their speed, endurance, reflexes and skills to determine their strengths and weaknesses. Combine results are taken into account by clubs when deciding between players and whether they believe they can take the next step into the AFL. A total of 80 players have been invited to the 2016 AFL Draft Combine.
Vic Metro lead the other Under 18 sides with 19 players selected to take part in October's National Combine.
Metro went through the Division One carnival as the only side to go undefeated, winning their first title since 2012.
Their rivals Vic Country themselves weren't far behind with 18 nominations despite a winless carnival, down on their 22 nominations from 2015.
Coburg's Luke Ryan is the sole representative from the state leagues across Australia, with strong performances at VFL level averaging 21 disposals, seven marks and seven rebound 50s (to Round 15 of the VFL).
Father Son prospects Ben Jarman (Adelaide/Hawthorn), Callum Brown (Collingwood), Joshua Daicos (Collingwood) and Jake Waterman (West Coast) have all made the list and have caught recruiters eyes throughout the season.
Murray Bushranger tall Esava Ratugolea has made the cut and will be a name to keep an eye on throughout the Bushrangers final series.
Vic Country injured trio Alex Witherden, Jy Simpkin and Mitchell McCarthy have made the cut and will be hoping to take part in some form of testing at the combine.
Eastern Ranges forward Joshua Begley continues to rise in season 2016. After missing the original cut for the Ranges squad, 187cm Begley forced his way into the side and has kicked 23 goals in 11 games this season.
NSW-ACT led the way for the division two teams with 11 player picked, with only Todd Marshall and Benjamin Davis not eligible for academy selection. Queensland have six players nominated, while Northern Territory have three prospects nominated. Tasmania had no players nominated for the national combine.
Coburg's Luke Ryan is the sole representative from the state leagues.
Clubs will now again nominate players for the state combine, which is for players that have at least two but up to four clubs that are interested in them. Similar tests are conducted at the state combine.
The National Combine will begin on Thursday, October 6 and go through to Sunday, October 9 and will again be held at Etihad Stadium.


In this blog post I review an exciting new publication by IMTFI Fellow Mesfin F. Woldmariam, co-written with Gheorghita Ghinea, Solomon Atnafu and Tor-Morten Groenli. The article is based on Woldmariam's IMTFI supported research and appears in the journal, Human-Computer Interaction. The post ends with a brief update on Woldmariam's latest research endeavors, together with IMTFI fellow Ndunge Kiiti.
In their path-breaking and provocative research article, "Monetary Practices of Traditional Rural Communities in Ethiopia: Implications for New Financial Technology Design," the authors propose novel design applications for digital money and mobile money information systems with illiterate and low-literacy users at the focal point. Grounded in a fieldwork-based case study on the money practices of several village communities in Ethiopia, and in the context of religious and social practices, the authors make a case for incorporating peoples' existing practices and values into the design of dematerialized money forms. The authors, like many in the financial inclusion space, anticipate a time when all money is digital and no longer needs to be "cashed out" of an e-money system.
In a blog post for IMTFI Woldmariam wrote early on about the importance of metadata and information in conceptualizing how material money might be translated into digital form. His case study on cash management techniques in Ethiopian rural marketplaces has also been featured in IMTFI's Consumer Finance Research Toolkit.
More recently, Woldmariam has been collaborating with IMTFI Fellow Ndunge Kiiti on a project supported by the Institute for African Development at Cornell University to assess mobile money awareness and use/usage among smallholder farmers in rural Ethiopia. This project places research and on-the-ground dialogue with smallholder farmers and other stakeholders at the beginning and forefront of potential design and implementation of new technologies. Drawing on their respective field experiences and areas of expertise, Kiiti and Woldmariam's work emphasizes the importance of carefully assessing and documenting smallholders' existing practices and needs to develop appropriate and empowering solutions.
To read more about Mesfin Woldmariam's and Ndunge's IMTFI research, their project pages can be found here and here.