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International Journal of Clean Coal and Energy
Vol.3 No.2(2014), Article ID:46500,6 pages DOI:10.4236/ijcce.2014.32002
Benefaction and Pyrolysis of Şırnak Asphaltite and Lignite
Yildirım I. Tosun
Mining Engineering Department, Şırnak University, Şırnak, Turkey
Email: yildirimismailtosun@gmail.com, yildirimtosun@sirnak.edu.tr
Copyright © 2014 by author and Scientific Research Publishing Inc.
Depending on advanced technological developments in energy production the low quality coals needed the most economical technologies and even in order to make it possible to produce coalderived products. Compliance with environmental norms of coal pyrolysis or gasification of various type of coals, feasible combustion systems and energy production facilities are needed in today's modern technology, also enable the production of liquid and gaseous coal fuels. However, raw materials and chemical nature of them requires a variety of adaptation methods. This study examined the high sulfur and ash types of Kütahya, Denizli, Aydin, Soma lignite, Sirnak asphaltite and lignite. The representative samples were taken from local areas of the lignites. Fundamentally, the conditions regarding better desulfurization way, the high quality pyrolysis lignite oil production, high value light oil, coal tar and gas products were determined at the goal of high fuel producing yield.
Keywords:Coal Pyrolysis, Desulfurization, Oil Char Production, Semi-Pyrolysis
Lignite consumption in energy production is increasing in parallel with growing energy needs today. In terms of the available reserves and production amount, lignite natural resources are limited. The highest amount of coal resources are consumed in energy production in Turkey, as the most economical means [1] [2] . In Turkey approximately 80% (36 million tons) of total lignite production of almost 45 million tons was utilized in primary energy production. The clean coal fuels such as coal liquids, gases will also provide high value-added products for the benefit of the country and even will make a very positive growth and employment. Turkish Energy Ministry promotes to the highest priority researches and developments in coal cleaning and processing for evaluation low qualified coal resources in the southeastern Anatolian local region, for high coal reserves of Sirnak City and production of high quality asphaltite and lignite in Sirnak City. The most effective and cost-effective technologies are needed in today's modern technologies [3] [4] . Municipal authorities also seek to validate the feasibility of production of clean coal fuels such as coal liquids and gases and even injecting, storing and monitoring power station stack gases, CO2 in the subsurface (geologic storage) as an approach to mitigate atmospheric emissions of CO2. Coal industries promote technological developments required basic feasibility and the standard qualification tests [5] [6] . There are lots of signs for the co-production electricity from biomasses and lignite in various industrial fields even using irregular low capacity of cellulosic biomass wastes. Processing technologies using biomass should contribute to production of cleaner coal fuels [5] [6] . On the nature and characteristics of the based biomass and lignite, production of high value clean coal fuels should be commonly managed by pyrolysis and gasification of lignite and other cellulosic waste resources in the local region. Even, for this purpose, the country needs the further fuel cleaning technologies providing the essential clean oils and gases. For this reason, Kütahya Gediz, Denizli Çivril, Aydin, Tunçbilek, Soma, Sirnak lignites and Sirnak asphaltite were subjected to coal washing, pyrolysis and gasification and the production of coal liquids and gaseous fuels regarding energy development in the southeastern Anatolian region and further improve the diversification of fuels. Tunçbilek and Aydın washed lignite ash contents of clean coal products presented lower levels. For Tunç- bilek, Aydın lignites, various pyrolysis devices were used. Pyrolysis tests were carried out regarding the oil production ability and the efficiencies in the gasification of carbonized portion of coals, gas and liquid. The coal gas fuel production efficiencies were determined at the optimum values, and optimized pyrolysis parameters of the furnace equipment.
However, lignite-based technologies are examined on the basis of raw materials and contribute to the side of the forest waste biomass as raw material for cellulosic biomass can be processed together with the lignites. Some extent mixing was carried out in order to improve the pyrolysis quality of Sirnak asphaltite and lignite.
2. Literature Review
Considerable research on coal pyrolysis and gasification has been conducted over the years, but the pyrolysis results are widely dispersed because of the complex chemistry of coal [7] [8] . Time related coal-pyrolysis modelling assumes basically first-order kinetic equations, or less sensitive for heating rate. The other distributed activation model is dependent on the heating rate. The last two more advanced models need three and four constants, respectively, which basically depend on the coal properties but also cover to some extent, the effect of heat-and-mass transfer phenomena. That is the reason for the different values of the activation energy and preexponential factor cited in the literature and the lack of generally valid data. The same situation exists in the case of coal-char gasification. The reaction rate of char is influenced mainly by chemical and physical factors, which include coal type, catalytic effect of the ash and the specific surface area of char, which changes during the reaction course with the development of internal pores, and finally, their destruction [9] [10] . In the case of the scaling-up procedure, the uncertainty of a complex model of the reacting system may be very high and it is reasonable under some conditions to use a methodology based on quasi-equilibrium conditions, which can be reflected at a larger scale. This approach assumes basically that the process itself, with all specific features, is a decisive factor for the path of the reactions of coal decomposition. Therefore a static model of char gasification and coal pyrolysis was developed: it is based on the assumption that the final process temperature is a decisive factor for the required volatile-matter content in the char being in a quasi-equilibrium state with respect to the gas temperature [11] [12] . To achieve this, it is necessary to create conditions of internal circulation of the transported coal and char in a riser, where the average concentration of solids amounts to 0.05 - 0.15 m3·m3, i.e. the conditions for residence time are long enough for the thermal decomposition of coal and intensive mixing so enhancing mass and heat transfers. On the other hand, the gasification of circulated char is mainly chemically controlled due to the relatively short residence time of the gas. Additionally, the characteristic feature for a given circulating fluid-bed reactor is a very narrow range of operational residence time, both for the gas and coal, which allows us to use the quasi-equilibrium approach. The model developed reflects the kinetic processes (transport phenomena of coal species, reaction rate) by constants of the developed equations, which depend mainly on the coal properties.
3. Coal Pyrolysis in a Circulating Fluidised Bed
A circulating fluidised-bed reactor was used as a coal pyrolysis reactor. The process was tested at a scale of 1 - 2 kg/h: collecting operational and design data to build an industrial installation. A technological diagram of the coal-pyrolysis process development unit is presented in Figure 1. As illustrated in Figure 1, where 1st unit is coal storage, 2nd unit is pyrolysis reactor, 3rd unit is coarse char cyclone, 4th unit is fine char cyclone, 5th unit is coarse char bag, 6th unit is circulating coal recycle.
In this research, representative specimens the different types of Turkish lignites; Kütahya Gediz, Denizli Çivril, Aydın, Tunçbilek, Soma, Şırnak asphaltite and lignite coals, were crushed and comminuted to minus 1 mm size by controlled screening. Air dried samples 1 - 2 kg from each different coal types were prepared and sealed in nylon bags. Proximate analysis of Turkish lignites and coals used in the experiments are given in Table 1. The qualities of processed coal products are ascertained by chemical and standard coal analysis of ASTM 3173- 317
4. Results and Discussion
Screen analysis of Turkish lignite samples were made by standard Tyler Screens and particle size distributions and normal distributions of lignite samples are respectively illustrated in Figure 2. Coal particles in lignite samples were mainly distributed between 100 and 300 µm size fractions. High specific surface areas of 1160 cm2/gr for lignite samples were found and also highly sufficient in order to react with alkali.
In the pyrolysis experiments with addition hydrated lime, reactor temperature changed between 100˚C and 400˚C and lignite samples mixed only by lime and soda and ash addition at equal rates. Produced coal specimens were subjected to chemical analysis for sulfur hold-up determination. Test results of pyrolysis by lime and addition of Turkish lignite are seen in Figure 3. Some Turkish lignite could not easily be desulfurized so that ash and sulfur contents of these lignite samples were high and further washing would improve pyrolysis results. Higher temperatures over 350˚C decreased desulfurization rate due to high volatile lost from coal samples. Lime might not be dissolved in soda mixture in the concern of nonpenetrating and lower reacting by coal surfaces so that resulted in lower desulfurization rates.
From the point of view of pyrolysis experimentation, Sirnak asphaltite calorific value was significant. That char quantity in the experimental conditions is calculated on the basis of the gas composition in the ambient
Figure 1. Fluidized coal-pyrolysis process.
Table 1. Proximate analysis of Turkish lignites (ADB: Air dried base; DB: Dried base; DAB: Dried ashless base).
Figure 2. The particle size distributions and normal size distributions of Turkish lignites.
Figure 3. The sulfur hold-up rates in pyrolysis of Turkish lignites by hydrated lime and soda.
state. So neither the contained water vapor nor the condensing hydrocarbons are taken into account. Pyrolysis liquid and gaseous products of Sırnak asphaltite may equal to 5 - 20 g·m3 tar and 5 - 10 g·m3 of benzene, toluene, xylene in unit process gas. These components increase the gas calorific value by 320 - 1200 kJ and, in total, allow one to obtain a gas of calorific value of up to approximately 6000 kJ·m3 for Sırnak asphaltite (Figure 4). Char yield of Şırnak asfaltite and the other lignites increased at lower pyrolysis temperatures.
Test results of pyrolysis by the marble waste on desulfurization are seen in Figure 5. The specimens of Sırnak asphaltite and lignite, Soma lignite were efficiently desulfurized by marble waste (6% MgO). Semi pyrolysis and pyrolysis medium with marble waste decreased sulfur contents of chars and liquid products.
Research institutions mainly should search characteristics of lignite-to-date processes and improve technological applications and even advance processes to carry out performance tests, depending on the nature of the raw materials necessary to develop efficiencies.
Pyrolysis of different types of Turkish lignite was successfully processed in terms of deashing and desulfurization.
At higher rates of desulfurization of different types of Turkish lignites could be obtained from the tests using alkali reagents and hydrated lime mixtures. It has been clearly determined that lime and hydrated lime are much beneficial in caustic leaching of different types of Turkish lignites. It was also distinctly ascertained that marble
Figure 4. Comparison of experimental data and calculated results of char yield at pyrolysis temperatures.
Figure 5. Sulfur hold-up rates in pyrolysis of Turkish lignites by marble waste.
waste fine containing approximately 6% magnesia was much efficient as a desulfurizing agent in pyrolysis. Magnesia content was efficient as hydrous lime but much more advantageous in absorption stage of gaseous medium.
Şırnak asphaltite should be cleaned and high ash content reduced char and oil yield in pyrolysis. Benefaction from Turkish lignites in the various combustion systems, in order to receive clean energy with clean coal liquid and gaseous products must be generated in lower temperature pyrolysis. It is also adviced that the high amount of formation of flue gas will be managed at higher pyrolysis temperatures over 700˚C and even extracts more environmental friendly gaseous products. Also in the research works production of clean energy with the design of the addition of high-quality coal and biomass waste mixtures are processed and biomass fuels could be an alternative clean fuel sources. Clean coal fuels produced by pyrolysis may be supplied in southeastern Anatolian region in Turkey. Hence, those clean alternative resources will further enhance the industrial development in the region. For this purpose, further washing of Kütayha Gediz, Denizli Çivril, Aydın, Tunçbilek, Soma lignites, Sirnak asphaltite and lignite may improve pyrolysis products. Thus, the higher performance can be achieved by a certain mixture of solid fuel additives. A preferable advanced design in pyrolysis could produce clean coal fuels in the local site of the country so significant that needs to obtain the highest quality coal fuels.
Anonymous (2009) TKİ Lignite Report 2009, TC Energy Ministry Reports. Ankara, Türkiye.
Anonymous (2009) TTK Coal Report 2009, TC Energy Ministry Reports. Ankara, Türkiye.
Boynton, R.S. and Gutschick, K.A. (1983) Lime, Industrial Minerals and Rocks. AIME, New York
Culfaz, M., Ahmet, M. and Gürkan, S. (1996) Removal of Mineral Matter and Sulfur from Lignites by Alkali Treatment. Fuel Processing Technology, 47, 99-109. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0378-3820(96)01005-3
Reimers, G.W. and Franke, D.W. (1991) Effect of Additives on Pyrite Oxidation, RI: 9353. Bureau of Mines, Washington DC.
Tosun Y.I., Rowson, N.A. and Veasey, T.J. (1994) Bio-Column Flotation of Coal for Desulfurization and Comparison with Conventional and Column Flotation. 5th International Conference of Mineral Processing, Nevşehir, 1994.
Wheelock T.D. (1979) Chemical Cleaning, Coal Preparation. 4th Edition, AIME, New York.
Yoon, R.H. (1991) Advanced Coal Cleaning, Part 2, Coal Preparation. 5th Edition, AIME, Colorado.
Donskoi, E. and McElwain, D.L.S. (1999) Approximate Modelling of Coal Pyrolysis. Fuel, 78, 825-835. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0016-2361(98)00204-X
Wiktorsson, L.P. and Wanzl, W. (2000) Kinetic Parameters for Coal Pyrolysis at Low and High Heating Rates—A Comparison of Data from Different Laboratory Equipment. Fuel, 79, 701-716. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0016-2361(99)00138-6
Fu W.-B. and Wang, Q.-H. (2001) A General Relationship Between the Kinetic Parameters for the Gasification of Coal Chars with CO2 and Coal Type. Fuel Processing Technology, 72, 63-77. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0378-3820(01)00184-9
Liu, G., Benyon, P., Benfell, K.E., Bryant, G.W., Tate, A.G. and Boyd R.K. (2002) The Porous Structure of Bituminous Coal Chars and Its Influence on Combustion and Gasification under Chemically-Controlled Conditions. Fuel, 79, 617-625. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0016-2361(99)00185-4
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Now in case you seriously imagine that different drugs is cheaper than science based medicine, and that people who make these alternative medical products are not doing so for a profit, then I do know a Nigerian prince that wants to give you $15,000,000.
Sanitas supplementary insurance covers the cost of different drugs remedy, offered that the therapist is a full member of the Swiss Naturopathic Docs' Affiliation (NVS) or is licensed by the Swiss Foundation for Complementary Medicine (ASCA) or the Empirical Drugs Register (EMR).
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DepartmentsEducationNews UpdatePoliticsTechnologyWorld
Poverty in Nigeria above World Bank Index and Projection
admingogan November 18, 2022
The National Bureau of Statistics has disclosed that 133 million Nigerians are multi-dimensionally poor.
In its latest National Multidimensional Poverty Index report launched on Thursday, the NBS said that 63 percent of Nigerians were poor due to a lack of access to health, education, living standards, employment, and security.
The Multidimensional Poverty Index offers a multivariate form of poverty assessment, identifying deprivations across health, education, living standards, work, and shocks.
The Statistician-General of the Federation and CEO of the NBS, Semiu Adeniran, said this was the first time the bureau would conduct a standard multidimensional poverty survey in Nigeria.
"The survey was implemented in 2021 to 2022, and it is the largest survey with a sample size of over 56,610 people in 109 senatorial districts in the 36 states of Nigeria," he said.
He added, "Unlike the Global MPI, which uses three dimensions (health, education, and living standards), we added a fourth dimension, work, and shocks in the 2022 MPI Survey." This fourth dimension as well as other added variables such as food security, water reliability, underemployment, security shocks, and school lag were all added to reflect the current realities and priorities in Nigeria.
The 133 million poor Nigerians recorded by the NBS exceeded the World Bank's projection for Nigeria in 2022.
The World Bank, which said that poverty reduction had stagnated since 2015 under the regime of President Muhammadu Buhari, projected that the number of poor Nigerians would hit 95.1 million in 2022.
This projection was made in its report titled, 'A Better Future for All Nigerians: 2022 Nigeria Poverty Assessment.'
The report had read, "The COVID-19 crisis is driving up Nigeria's poverty rate, pushing more than five million additional people into poverty by 2022." With real per capita GDP growth being negative in all sectors in 2020, poverty is projected to have deepened for the current poor, while those households that were just above the poverty line prior to the COVID-19 crisis would be likely to fall into poverty.
"Were the crisis not to have hit (the counterfactual scenario), the poverty headcount rate would be forecast to remain virtually unchanged, with the number of poor people set to rise from 82.9 million in 2018–19 to 85.2 million in 2020 and 90.0 million in 2022, due largely to natural population growth."
"Given the effects of the crisis, however, the poverty headcount rate is instead projected to jump from 40.1 percent in 2018/19 to 42.0 percent in 2020 and 42.6 percent in 2022, implying that the number of poor people was 89.0 million in 2020 and would be 95.1 million in 2022. "Taking the difference between these two scenarios, the crisis alone is projected to have driven an additional 3.8 million Nigerians into poverty in 2020, with an additional 5.1 million living in poverty by 2022."
The rising poverty also defies the government's plan to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years.
In August 2019, Buhari said his regime would lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty between 2020 and 2030, which means that an average of 10 million Nigerians would be lifted out of poverty each year.
In June 2021, Buhari inaugurated the National Steering Committee of the National Poverty Reduction and Growth Strategy, chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
This, he said, re-echoed his commitment to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years, with a well-researched framework for implementation and funding.
The President was quoted in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, as saying, "If India can lift 271 million people out of poverty between 2006 and 2016, Nigeria can surely lift 100 million people out of poverty in 10 years." "Fortunately, we have already started, but we need to unlock the challenges of slow implementation, inappropriate targeting, and the absence of adequate resources."
In October last year, the World Bank Lead Economist for the Middle East and North Africa region's Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Group, Tara Vishwanath, described the goal of the Nigerian President to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years as ambitious.
She said the ambitious goal could only be feasible if certain swift policies were put in place to provide opportunities in the labor market and boost investors' confidence.
World Bank economists Jonathan Lain and Jakob Engel said in a blogpost on the bank's website that rising inflation, persistent population growth, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the war in Ukraine were threatening Nigeria's poverty reduction aspiration.
The NBS report further showed Sokoto, Bayelsa, Gombe, Jigawa and Plateau are the top poorest states in 2022.
Sokoto leads the poorest with 90.5 per cent of people in the state poor. It is followed by Bayelsa with 88.5 percent of poor people, Gombe with 86.2 percent, Jigawa with 84.3 percent, and Plateau with 84 percent.
The least poor states are Ondo with 27.2 percent poor people, Lagos with 29.4 percent, Abia with 29.8 percent, Edo with 31 percent, and Anambra with 32.1 percent.
The report said that 65 percent of poor Nigerians (86 million) were in the north, while 35 percent (nearly 47 million) were in the south.
The report noted, "Overall, 65 percent of poor people – 86 million people – live in the North, while 35 per cent – nearly 47 million – live in the South." In general, a disparity between the North and South is evident in both the incidence and intensity of multidimensional poverty, with the North being poorer.
"However, the level and number of poor people need to be addressed in all zones – each of which is home to between 11 and 20 million poor people, except for the North West, which has 45 million poor people due to its larger population and higher level of poverty."
It also noted that 72 percent of people in rural areas were poor. It is the same for 42 percent of people in urban areas.
He said this during a panel discussion at the Gender and Inclusion Summit organized by the Nigeria Economic Summit Group in Abuja on Wednesday.
Chaudhuri said, "In Nigeria, the goal is to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty." "It is a simple fact that without full economic participation and empowerment of women and girls, Nigeria will not attain that goal."
He stressed the need for the government to partner with communities and the private sector to empower girls and women.
Also, during the panel, the Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, Dr. Zainab Ahmed, said that the Federal Government was making efforts to drive gender inclusion in federal budgets and projects.
She noted that women had been the major beneficiaries of the government's cash transfer program for poor and vulnerable Nigerians.
A professor of economics and member of the Economic Advisory Council under Buhari's regime, Prof. Ode Ojowu, said that the report presented a negative outlook for the country.
He charged the government and key stakeholders to come up with policies, programs, and projects that would tackle rising poverty.
He said, "This document is a negative document for our government, but my prayer is that it does not remain the legacy document."
This is a document describing the conditions of people who are living and dying in this country.
"So, the most effective legacy will be that each of the representatives of the various sectors of the economy and levels of government will take this document home, study it, and work out policies, programs, and projects so that by the time we meet again, we will be reporting how many people have escaped from poverty."
In an earlier Punch report, an Associate Professor of Economics at Pan Atlantic University, Dr. Olalekan Aworinde, noted the link between inflation and poverty.
He said, "Once prices increase, knowing full well the disposable income of the consumer is constant, it means the purchasing power will fall." "And if the purchasing power falls, it will affect the standard of living, and once it affects the standard of living, it means these individuals will go into absolute poverty."
A professor of economics and chairman of the Foundation for Economic Research and Training, Prof. Akpan Ekpo, said that increased poverty posed a significant number of dangers to Nigerians.
The Minister of State for Finance, Budget, and National Planning, Prince Clem Agba, said that it was concerning that despite the Social Investment Programme, designed to tackle poverty, with more than five million people impacted, poverty still persisted in the country.
He expressed optimism that Nigeria would still be able to tackle the rising poverty rate.
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25-Nov-2015 Tweet
Struggles with kidney failure, like Jonah Lomu's, are preventable
Robert Little
As published in the Sydney Morning Herald
Jonah Lomu was a remarkable individual. Unfortunately I, like many others, have kidney failure in common with him.
I was born in 1973 with kidney failure. When I was 12, I was the youngest person to start dialysis in Canberra. At 14 I received a kidney from my mother which at 22 failed. At 29, I received a kidney from my father which at 39 also failed. Now at 42, I am back on dialysis hopeful of a third transplant.
I wish I could say I was surprised to hear that Jonah had died. I was not. I understand that Lomu had been back on dialysis since 2011. Statistically four years is the average someone lives for while on dialysis.
Lomu was an inspiration, not because of any exploits on the field but for his resilience. The fact that he had the energy to train while on dialysis, is proof of his strength and the strength we can all tap into when going through adversity.
Lomu should not have had to wait as long as he did for a transplant. New Zealand and Australia have abysmally low rates of organ donation. Not to say that a transplant would have absolutely prevented his death, but I am sure that any time off dialysis is good for one's body, mental health and allows one to do things that being tied to a machine preclude.
In May this year the Assistant Minister for Health, Senator Fiona Nash, asked independent consultants to look into the implementation of the organ-donation National Reform Program. This was a program prime minister Kevin Rudd put in place in 2008, vowing to transform Australia's in-hospital processes for managing organ donation so that Australia could become "a world leader in organ donation for transplantation".
Being a world leader would mean matching Spain at about 35 donors per million of population. Australia now languishes at just less than half that rate. We've dropped from 20th to 22nd in the last two years.
Clearly this is a long way from being a world leader as promised by the government. We're still behind countries such as Spain, Croatia, Malta, Belgium, Portugal, France, the US, Estonia, Austria and Slovenia to name just a few. What makes this tragic is there are people in the transplant "system" who are, seemingly, happy to accept Australia's low ranking.
This leaves an added bitter taste when $250 million, a quarter of a billion dollars, has been spent on the program! If this was sport it would be unacceptable.
This is a time of mourning for rugby fans but, as cliched as it sounds, Lomu's death offers an opportunity to bring attention to this important issue. I am hopeful that Minister Nash will soon announce changes to the organ donation and transplantation system that will start to reverse Australia's low rate of organ donation.
Vale, Jonah.
Robert Little is an inquiry secretary with the House of Representatives who has kidney failure.
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'Empire' star Jussie Smollett was reportedly attacked in Chicago in a possible hate crime.
"Empire" star Jussie Smollett says he was was the victim of a possible hate crime Tuesday in Chicago after he was targeted by two attackers who hurled racial and homophobic slurs at him and tied a rope around his neck.
Smollett, 36, was walking in the city early Tuesday in the 300 block of E. North Water Street, near the popular Navy Pier, when he was approached by his attackers, who gained his attention by shouting the hateful words in his direction.
The star plays a gay character on the Fox hit TV show that shoots in the Windy City, and revealed in 2015 that he, too, identifies as a gay man.
Smollett's attackers beat up the actor, poured an unknown chemical substance on him and wrapped a rope around his neck before fleeing the scene, police said.
Smollett, who had touched down in Chicago just prior to the incident and was reportedly on his way to a Subway restaurant, took himself to Northwestern Hospital, and is in good condition.
In a follow-up interview with detectives, the actor also told police that the suspects yelled, "This is MAGA country" as they attacked him, Gugliemi confirmed to The News.
Smollett was reportedly threatened one week prior to the attack via a letter with "threatening language," The FBI is leading the investigation into the written threat.
Lee Daniels, the co-creator, executive producer and director of "Empire" — who is also openly gay — recorded an emotional Instagram video for Smollett upon learning of the attack.
Smollett is a former child star who has appeared in films like "The Mighty Ducks" and "North," though his most notable role is as Jamal Lyon in the Fox drama "Empire." Jamal is the son of Terrence Howard's Lucious and Taraji P. Henson's Cookie.
He's been a series regular since the show premiered in 2015, and has won a slew of NAACP Image Awards for the role.
The company that produces the show, 20th Century Fox Television, said in a statement it was "deeply saddened and outraged" to learn Smollett was viciously attacked.
California Sen. Kamala Harris, a 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful, knows Smollett personally and called the attack "outrageous" and "awful."
"He is one of the kindest, most gentle human beings I've ever met," Harris said Tuesday, adding that she's still learning more details about the incident.
"To those in Congress who don't feel the urgency to pass our Anti-Lynching bill designating lynching as a federal hate crime — I urge you to pay attention," he wrote.


Oswego Village President Gail Johnson pops the cork on a confetti champagne bottle to celebrate the project kick-off for The Reserve at Hudson Crossing. Construction on the former Alexander Lumberyard property is anticipated to take three years to complete.
Oswego Trustees Ryan Kauffman and Judy Sollinger, Village President Gail Johnson, and Trustees Karin McCarthy Lange, Luiz Perez and Pam Parr celebrate at the project kick-off for The Reserve at Hudson Crossing, on the site of the former Alexander Lumberyard in downtown Oswego on Wednesday, Feb. 6. In the foreground, a poster shows a rendering of the future project.
An architect's rendering of The Reserve at Hudson Crossing set for construction on the site of the former Alexander Lumber yard in downtown Oswego. This view show the complex looking northeast from the corner of Washington and Harrison streets.
After a week-long delay due to sub-zero temperatures, the Village of Oswego recently celebrated the start of construction on The Reserve at Hudson Crossing.
On Wednesday, Feb. 6, Oswego Village President Gail Johnson and Shodeen President David Patzelt announced the commencement of work on the six-story, two building development; featuring luxury apartments, retail, restaurant space, free public parking and street improvements, on the site of the former Alexander Lumberyard along Washington Street (Route 34) in the village's downtown.
Joined by village administrators and Shodeen employees, Johnson and Patzelt popped a confetti-filled champagne bottle on one of the remaining structures, and counted down to its demolition. Crews will continue clearing the land over the next several days, to pave the way for the project.
In a press release issued Feb. 7, Johnson said, "Our residents told us that what they wanted most for Oswego was to strengthen the heart of this community with renewed interest in our downtown. They wanted more unique dining options, an enhanced shopping district, and places to gather with friends and neighbors on a Friday evening to connect and have fun.
"This is a day we've been looking forward to for a long time, and I am pleased to tell you today that this dream is becoming a reality."
The Reserve at Hudson Crossing began in the fall of 2016, when the Oswego Village Board voted to establish a downtown TIF district to encourage development in the downtown area. Among them was the former Alexander Lumberyard, which closed in 2006 and sat vacant for more than a decade.
In Dec. 2016, the village board voted to purchase the lumberyard, and set about seeking proposals for the property. The winning proposal, from the Geneva-based Shodeen, Inc., combined the lumberyard with adjacent rental properties to create The Reserve at Hudson Crossing.
When complete, the first of the $64 million, two-part project will feature approximately 175 luxury apartments, 10,000 square feet of retail and a a restaurant with outdoor dining along Washington Street, and completely reconstructed streets with benches and other amenities. In addition, parking decks on the lowest floors of the development will continue to be owned by the village, and will provide approximately 320 spaces of free, covered parking for downtown shoppers and diners.
"We knew when we first started that this was the key to development in downtown Oswego," Johnson said. "It's a difficult piece of land to develop, with shallow bedrock and other unique challenges, but it's also perfectly positioned to connect the banks of the Fox River to our charming downtown. We knew that whatever we were going to do with this land had to be something special, and I think we've got that with this project."
"Projects of this magnitude have a lot of working pieces to them," Patzelt said. "But what we have here in Oswego is not just a beautiful project planned for a great piece of land, but also strong, collaborative leadership with a vision for the future of this community.
"We are committed to building something together that will be a catalyst, bringing even more life and excitement to Oswego's engaging downtown."
Construction on The Reserve is expected to take at least three years, according to village officials.
Several construction projects will soon join The Reserve in downtown Oswego including a three-story mixed-use development with retail on the first floor and an office and residences on the upper levels, and a two-story Mexican restaurant along Washington Street, from the team behind the Naperville-based Potter's Place. Together, the two projects will anchor "Block 11," a re-imagined streetscape featuring a pedestrian-friendly shared promenade for shoppers and diners to gather in downtown.


Wow, am I glad it is the weekend!
Catch up time for laundry, house work, and knitting! Without these I'd have to leave the house naked, eating off paper plates, stressed beyond my limits! Yes, that would be a scary, scary world! Thus, I am making sure I get lots of knitting time in… that way I will be so relaxed I won't care that I am naked, and who needs to eat when you can knit, right?
Well, fortunately common sense has not left the Home for the Unemployed!
I am almost done with laundry and I did most of my house cleaning last night.
Which was perfect – I had my knit along for the Manos afgan today. Ann was there with her friend Alice – we laughed and had a good time. I have block #1 completed (can you believe that I needed to get another skein to finish block #1?????) and I have started on block #2.
As you can see, this fits for Project Spectrum 3 as well… although the photo does not show it very well… it is a very dark rusty, orange-y, golden-y varigated yarn. Block #2 will be a lovely golden yellow color.
Staying on the theme of Project Spectrum Flame – I have a picture of my Hemlock Ring Blanket … this is so fun to knit. I love how it is turning out!
I am about half way done with this, and it is going to be spectacular. As I said, I am knitting this with Cascade 128.
And, as if I did not have enough going on for Project Spectrum – I saw a cute scarf – Gust – on Anne Hanson's blog. You guessed it, when I learned that I could get some amazing orange Arequipa from Ball and Skein I had to order it!
What is not to love with 80% Alpaca and 20% silk? This will be my treat to cast on once I have finished clinicals at the nursing home this week!
And, in my house C stands for Copper – my Cav.
I love you, Mom, but why are you taking my picture????
D is for Decadence Daylight Savings Time The long and the short of life. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Have you seen Anne's stole in Interweave's new issue? I must knit it! Hmm, I have 1200 yards of Misti Alpaca Lace…..But I have no time to start a new kint! And I have 2 shawls to make for brides to be in the next 15 months. I have 4 already on the needles that I haven't finished! I need to stop visiting blogs, stop looking at Ravelry, and stop all subscriptions! Gah!
I love Anne's designs, and the color you've chosen is beautiful!
Love that Hemlock Ring blankie….so pretty.


What a great feature for jazz and concert groups alike! The famous Vince Guaraldi theme song from A Charlie Brown Christmas in an expressive a cappella setting.Available separately: SATB a cappella. Performance Time: Approx. 2:30.


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What should we include in a cultural competence curriculum? An emerging formative evaluation process to foster curriculum development
Purpose: To identify, prioritize, and organize components of a cultural competence curriculum to address disparities in cardiovascular disease. Method: In 2006, four separate nominal group technique sessions were conducted with medical students, residents, community physicians, and academic physicians to generate and prioritize a list of concepts (i.e., ideas) to include in a curriculum. Afterward, 45 educators and researchers organized and prioritized the concepts using a card-sorting exercise. Multidimensional scaling (MDS) and hierarchical cluster analysis produced homogeneous groupings of related concepts and generated a cognitive map. The main outcome measures were the number of cultural competence concepts, their relative ranks, and the cognitive map. Results: Thirty participants generated 61 concepts; 29 were identified by at least two participants. The cognitive map organized concepts into four clusters, interpreted as (1) patient's cultural background (e.g., information on cultures, habits, values), (2) provider and health care (e.g., clinical skills, awareness of one's bias, patient centeredness, professionalism), communication skills (e.g., history, stereotype avoidance, health disparities epidemiology), (3) cross-culture (e.g., idiomatic expressions, examples of effective communication), and (4) resources to manage cultural diversity (e.g., translator guides, instructions, community resources). The MDS two-dimensional solution demonstrated a good fit (stress = 0.07; R2 = 0.97). CONCLUSIONS: A novel, combined approach allowed stakeholders' inputs to identify and cognitively organize critical domains used to guide development of a cultural competence curriculum. Educators may use this approach to develop and organize educational content for their target audiences, especially in ill-defined areas like cultural competence. Copyright © by the Association of American Medical College.
Academic Medicine Journal
10.1097/ACM.0b013e3182087314
Crenshaw K; Shewchuk RM; Qu H; Staton LJ; Bigby JA; Houston TK; Allison J; Estrada CA


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Weather & Natural Disasters
Winter Weather: Southern Plains, South Hit by Sleet, Freezing Rain, Snow
Published Mon, Feb 23 2015 7:48 AM EST
Elisha Fieldstadt and Alexander Smith
Winter storm alerts stretched 2,000 miles from California to North Carolina early Monday, as a mix of snow, freezing rain and sleet canceled more than 1,000 flights and closed hundreds of schools.
The storm moved into the Southern Plains and the South on Sunday, and by 5 a.m. Monday parts of Texas, New Mexico, Kansas and Oklahoma were getting hit. The Texas Panhandle was among the areas forecast to be hardest hit.
More from NBC News:
'Birdman' soars on Hollywood's biggest night
Did you miss it: The Oscars good, bad and ugly
Far from Oscars, real 'Sniper' story reaches finale
More than 1,000 flights were canceled at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, and in preparation for a messy day, almost 700 schools were canceled or had class delayed across northern Texas, according to NBC Dallas Fort-Worth.
Parts of Tennessee faced a flood advisory as temperatures rose and melted the snow and ice that persisted there throughout the week. The dangerous weather has claimed 21 lives in the state since Monday, and more than 44,000 customers were without electricity on Sunday after ice buildup toppled power lines, according to the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.
The southern Plains braced for what Weather.com called a "widespread wintry mess." Even usually balmy mid-Texas would be under a winter storm warning for 24 hours starting at 6 p.m. Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. Many parts of the state could see up to an inch of sleet, and temperatures wouldn't rise above freezing on Monday, making for "treacherous" road conditions, the National Weather Service warned.
Meanwhile, parts of southern Utah and Colorado's Rockies could expect up to 2 feet of snow.
Heavy rain also put communities in Southern California under threat of flash flooding, NBC Los Angeles reported. The risk of "very heavy showers" was set to continue until midday Monday local time (3 p.m. ET), according to the National Weather Service.


Ffos-y-Bleiddiaid lies in the community of Abergele in the county of Conwy. It is located at Ordnance Survey national grid reference SH93527696. The mine is recorded in the CPAT Historic Environment Record as number 18070 and this number should be quoted in all correspondence.


Welcome to Reliance Auto Center Inc.
Reliance Auto Center Inc. has been providing quality car care in Dade City, FL since 1979. We are a family owned business delivering honest and professional automotive repair and auto maintenance services to the people of Dade City and surrounding areas Zephyr Hills, Brooksviile, and San Antonio. The quality ASE (automotive service excellence) certified technicians at Reliance Auto Center Inc. employ today's latest automotive technology and are equipped to handle all major and minor repairs on foreign and domestic vehicles.
Reliance Auto Center Inc. is a certified NAPA AutoCare Center, we are able to provide the benefits of an established national entity while maintaining the personal touch of a family owned business. We understand that your vehicle is a major investment, and that is why we care for each customer's vehicle as if it were our own.
Come by and visit our clean and professional shop in Dade City, Florida.


JUST AFTER SPRING'S OWN SNOW OF APPLE BLOSSOMS, crabapples and lilacs falls, I set to mulching the beds beneath them, timing my work to spare the fresh, dark coat of mulch any sullying. Flower-free beds got topped up first, with carefully chosen mulch that improves my soil, conserves moisture and suppresses weeds. Questions? My mulch FAQ page is at the ready, if you're wondering what makes a good mulch (and doesn't), or when and how much to apply, among other tactics and tips. Rather listen to the topic? My latest Robin Hood Radio weekly podcast tackled mulch; stream it now or subscribe free on iTunes.


I am a Technology Program Officer at the Ford Foundation where I focus on issues related to Internet Freedom.
In the past I have worked at SecondMuse where I lead Open Innovation and Internet Freedom work, as well as Federal Trade Commission. I received my Ph.D. in Computer Science from Drexel University where I also co-founded the Privacy, Security and Automation Lab.


Peter Hitchin's view of contemporary British politics.
His overall point is that the main two parties, Conservatives and Labour, are too alike, avoid any controversial debate and are thoroughly deserving of voter apathy. It may be of interest to US readers, as I've heard plenty of Americans complain in the same manner about Republicans and Democrats (or Republicrats for short), that they are largely identical, inert elitists.
If they [the Conservatives and Labour] were commercial outfits, they would not survive at all. It is as if forgotten grocery chains, such as International Stores or Fine Fare, still dominated the retail market even though their shops were dingy, their prices high, their merchandise old-fashioned and shabby. But the rules of commerce don't apply in politics. Habit and unreasoning tribal loyalty sustain brands, which would otherwise be dead.
There are several other subjects which are also effectively banned. You may not question the great social and political mistakes of the 1960s and seventies.
Crime can be debated, but shallowly, never in the light of its true cause, the laying waste of family life by the official encouragement of divorce and fatherless families, and by the death of absolute morality.
This is largely correct in the US as well. We break up the tribes into "conservative" and "liberal" even though it usually refers to republican and democrat respectively. Then people blindly follow whichever one they've chosen, without thinking for themselves, and with the same type of arguments that feminism makes: they ignore truth and just speak biasedly on anything. If you used the same exact facts and claimed the other party did it, you'd get a completely different stance on the exact same subject. And then people afterwards have the nerve to complain that people don't vote. It's not like one vote even means anything, and it's not like anything will change anyway. It seems the only way to have your "voice heard" in politics is to make a lot of money and then either run yourself or bribe politicians with "donations" and "lobbying." Democracy doesn't exist in any form that pundits claim it does.
It's interesting as Lord Howe (former Chancellor of the Exchequor under Maggie) purports quite the opposite.
He was being interviewed on Straightalk – BBC News24 – about Camerons image obsession, and how the two main parties policies were increasingly similar, which was contributing to voter apathy. After which he said that he was in favor of familiar policies – which could be interpreted as collusion, to an extent – , as it indicated that the parties were 'leading the country' instead of chasing voters. Which, when you phrase it like that, seems mightily sensible.
Universal Liberty is inversely proportional to Universal Suffrage.
It's been a very long time since the U.S. has had an honest two-party political system. It's amusing to listen to otherwise intelligent conservatives and liberals debating politics. They honestly believe the system, while flawed, is actually functioning as the authorities would have us believe.
Now, precisely WHO is in charge and pulling the strings behind the scenes, and just how many countries are under their power is open to question, but the fact remains that a small but immensely powerful group is running, or attempting to run politics, business and religion. Whether it's the Zionists, Masons, Catholics, atheists, or evangelical Christians is not fully known. Personally, I think the leaders of most, if not all, of these groups are part of the power structure that rules our lives. I'm not a Christian, but there may be some truth to what many Christians claim about the world being prepared for the Anti-Christ, or a similar dictator.
The break-up of marriage and family is certainly part of the plan, as men have been immobilized and financially castrated by the system. Most men are either divorced or live in constant fear of divorce, so practically speaking, no one is watching the store.
It's going to get nothing but worse, and the only hope a man has is to stay out of the system. By that, I mean do not get married, and do not risk getting a woman pregnant. By failing to act wisely in this area, a man places himself in the power of the family court system. Only a true celibate bachelor, such as myself, can hope to stay free.
Yes, the US is effectively like this as well.
Yes and who is responsible for all the fatherless families?….feminists, females and mangina governments who have used divorce and the family courts to rob children of their natural fathers. In the absent of male guidance children are now reared by females with the female view of morality i.e. if it suits me it's OK. Not surprising that kids often have no concept of right and wrong.
They are called Republicrats and Democrans. No difference in parties unless you count the fact that Republicans borrow money they dont have to spend it while Democrats tax money they dont have to spend it. Otherwise all they do is campaign year round fighting over the few people that still bother to vote over who can spend the most money we don't have.
Over here in Germany it's the same. In former times we basically had conservatives(with some liberal aid) and socialdemocrats. Now they are the same. SO we got now feminine socialists like in the past and the other big party feminine socialists pretending to be conservatives. fortunately germany has a multiparty system so the liberals, leftist and the green party(green party=all evil united) are on the rise. unfortunately it's too late for germany/europe. fortunately i am planning my emigration.
Here in the states I think our two parties have come to represent those who favor the mommy state and those who favor the daddy state.
The Dems, Liberals or Mommy Statists want a nurturing society that takes care of all the social ills. More programs, more entitlements, more welfare, more taxes, bigger government.
The Reps, Neo-Conservatives or Daddy Statists want a protective society that takes care of the people through being tough on criminals and terrorists. More laws, more restrictions, more soldiers, more police, better weapons, more taxes, bigger government.
In both cases the government is getting bigger and taking care of its children/citizens by not letting them grow up. Real conservatives are only now waking up to the fact that the Republitards are not conservative. They only talk the talk but they are not for smaller, less invasive govt. This next election is going to be a blood bath for the Republicans.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 25th, 2007 at 4:24 pm and is filed under bachelor, divorce, family court, feminism and politics. You can feed this entry. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.


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Business Assets
Do I buy the business or the shares?
Sometimes a manager or an executive will look to buy out existing owners or take over a new business. In these cases, there may be the question of whether one buys the shares or the business assets outright.
Before we delve into 3 things to help determine which one could be best, let's check out some big picture similarities and key differences between a share sale vs. business sale...
Give me the big picture
What is a sale sale? A shareholder decides to sell some or all of their shares, where the sale proceeds go to the shareholder. Once the share sale goes through, the company keeps trading and those shares remain in the company along with all of its existing assets and liabilities.
What is a business sale? The company decides to sell some or all of its assets, where the sale proceeds go to the vendor company. This includes tangible assets (i.e. machinery, equipment), stock in trade and intangible assets (i.e. IP). Where key contracts to leases, suppliers & employees are usually negotiated alongside the asset transfer as well. Once the asset sale goes through, the new owner may keep using the same trading name, but the legal owner will be different and any skeletons from the previous business owner should no longer exist.
1. How well do you know the business?
I know it very well: If you are well familiar with how the business operates, because you're say already its director or CEO, this may be a classic management buy-out.
You may plan to buy out the existing shareholders. You may already have certain access/authority to deal on behalf of the company/board and have access to its financials and accounts.
Buying the shares means you are taking over the whole history of the business. So if there's going to be a personal grievance, you're probably in the best position to forsee it. If there are tax arrears, again you would likely know. If the company gets slapped with a huge invoice from its supplier that would render it insolvent, you should be able to foresee this (and already have a plan to ensure the company's solvency when that hits).
Yes, there are key warranties and indemnities that you can (and should) put in place to help protect you if nasties appear after you settle the share sale. Although, remember the process to chase and enforce warranties is still one requiring your time and effort where there is no guarantee (unless you specifically ask the vendor to give you one (i.e. personal / bank guarantee)) that the vendor will have the funds to pay you.
I'm not entirely sure: If you've done some due diligence on the business, but still don't feel entirely comfortable with the risk of any skeletons biting you in time, you may be better suited to buy the business assets.
To buy a business means that you'll need to set up new contracts (where relevant) with suppliers, banks, employees and landlords. Note that if these stakeholders don't know you, it may take a while to establish relationships and negotiate trading terms. It's a bit more work, but you keep the nasties away by starting afresh.
2. What is involved?
The work required to buy shares versus business assets & contracts can be vastly different.
Due Diligence (both): This step of looking into the business can take a long time. Most of the time, we see clients undergo due diligence before they sign up to the agreement, subject to a confidentiality agreement (NDA). You can also have the agreement subject to DD and use it as grounds to cancel the agreement if DD doesn't work out.
Financing (both): Depending on your source of funding, there may be considerable time spent to engage a broker/investor, prepare term sheets, meet lending conditions & seek legal/tax/accounting advice.
Consents (varies): Examples of various consents to obtain include landlord consent to assign the lease to the purchaser; bank consent to a change in control or release of security & sometimes industry related consents (i.e. dairy supply).
Legal Paperwork (varies):
Shares: The paperwork pertains more to just the transaction of transferring shares. So were talking share transfer forms, share certificates, waivers of pre-emptive rights, other ways to confirm legal title to the shares, director resolutions, shareholder resolutions, non-competition deeds & written consents.
Business: The paperwork here on the other hand typically pertains to both the transaction itself and trading contracts / arrangements with people the business works with after the transfer of assets. We're talking assignment of supplier & customer contracts, assignment of lease, asset (tangible & IP) transfer forms, asset certificates, non-competition deeds, written consents, releases from security holders & transfer of employees.
3. What's the tax situation?
The tax result from selling assets depends on what type of asset is sold (i.e. tangible, intangible or stock in trade). Each type of asset will be treated differently for tax purposes where the buyer and seller can choose how much of the purchase price can be allocated to each. This arrangement of purchase price allocation for tax purposes is a kettle of fish for another day, although more details can be found here on IRD's website.
The tax result from selling shares is somewhat simpler than an asset sale. Where generally a vendor will set a price, then the purchaser will pay that price, and any capital gain (or premium paid by the purchaser) is non-taxable income.
It's more the tax considerations before transferring shares where there's a bit more to it. There are two basic tax concepts to consider when transferring a lot of shares, and that is imputation credits and losses. Note that these tax attributes are not transferred on a business (asset) sale, where they remain with the vendor company.
Imputation Credits: As you will know, companies pay income tax for money they earn in New Zealand. The IRD gives imputations credits to companies that represent how much tax the company has already paid. These credits can be passed onto shareholders alongside any dividends to reduce the tax payable on dividend income received by shareholders. If there are undeclared imputation credits continuity of at least 66% is required to carry forward imputation credits, meaning that one can only sell up to 34% of shares to a new person. When this happens, we may see that the company declares a dividend to clear out the company's imputation credit account before the share sale.
Losses: On the other hand, in any particular accounting year a company may make a loss. This is when its expenses are greater than its income. Situations where there may be a loss year include being a start up or going a significant stage of expansion. If there are losses to be carried forward continuity of at least 49% is required to carry forward company losses, meaning one can only sell up to 51% of shares to a new person. When this happens, an option can be to use up those losses on trading profits before the share sale.
Parties to any proposed sale of shares should be aware of any outstanding imputation credits or losses to be carried forward.
Take home messages
Watch out for business skeletons, especially if you're buying shares.
Become familiar with what's involved such as the documents, the stakeholders you'll need to reach out to for things like consents / negotiation & your time needed.
Engage your lawyer, tax & accountant advisors early in the process to save stress and time.
Please reach out to Janey at janey@jhlaw.nz if you have any questions regarding the above. The above is purely for informational purposes, where JH LAW will need to determine if the above information is applicable or appropriate to your particular situation.


Nocturn Keyboard is an intelligent plug-in/sequencer controller. It has a high quality 'Fatar' keyboard, with 8 drum pads and a total of 33 assignable controls, which allow you to get hands-on control of your plug-in instruments, effects and sequencer.
Most keyboard controllers have two big problems: The idea of being able to control software parameters with knobs and buttons sounds great. However, the hassle of assigning them, and remembering what they are assigned to becomes so tedious that you always end up turning back to your mouse.
Nocturn Keyboard's Automap control software solves both these problems. To assign controllers, simply click on the parameter, touch a knob or button, and it is assigned! It also enables you to keep track of what is assigned to what - instead of using a small monochrome LCD screen, Nocturn Keyboard displays control information where you really need it: on your computer monitor. The Automap software graphically displays Nocturn's control surface. The controllers themselves also tell you what is going on: LED rings around the 8 encoders show their current settings, and LED's behind the buttons tell you if they are on or off.
Apart from from high quality hardware, what really sets Nocturn Keyboard aside is the Automap control software. Automap is now even more powerful and easy to use. Nocturn Keyboard ships with Automap standard, which acts as a software interface for the unit.
Automap enables you to map parameters in your software plug-ins, straight to dials and buttons on the controller by simply clicking on a parameter, then touching the controller. There is no longer any need to sift through long lists of MIDI continuous controller numbers. This applies to encoders, control-buttons, drumpads, modulation wheel, sustain and expression pedals; Automap can instantly assign them all to software parameters. Automap can integrate with Logic, ProTools, Digital Performer and any other HUI compatible sequencers, using the HUI control protocol.
The Automap GUI graphically displays all the controls on Nocturn Keyboard, visually showing you what software parameter is assigned to each control, exactly as it is laid out on the unit. You can also name each control, turning the GUI into a giant screen where all information is instantly displayed and updated. With this, there is no need for a tiny LCD screen on the unit, which can only display very limited information.
Automap will automatically assign knobs and buttons to parameters on a huge number of the most popular plug-ins. We are constantly building more maps which are available on the community pages of the Novation website. Nocturn Keyboard will automatically assign controllers to mixer and transport functions in all major DAWs/sequencers.
• Velocity-sensitive, keyboard from Fatar, with assignable after-touch. The Nocturn Keyboard feels like playing an instrument rather than a computer peripheral.
• Brightly lit 11 segment LED rings around the eight smooth encoders, and backlit buttons throughout provide instant visual feedback for every physical control.
• All 8 oversized encoders are touch sensitive, bringing up mapping information and allowing you to 'touch' in automation data on DAW's with a 'touch' mode.
• Allows you to instantly 'learn' controllers to plug-ins. The GUI graphically displays Nocturn Keyboard's control surface on your computer monitor, enabling you to see exactly what is assigned to what, without using a tiny LCD screen.
• Nocturn Keyboard features 8 'softfeel' velocity sensitive drum pads. These can do more than just trigger notes and sketch drum patterns, all can be assigned to control software parameters.
• 8 trigger pads, 8 dials, 14 buttons, modulation wheel. Sustain and expression pedal control can also be added.
• The 9th encoder is a unique 'Speed Dial' which allows you to instantly change the value of any parameter the cursor is pointing at, with no assignment needed whatsoever.
• Nocturn Keyboard is powered by USB saving valuable plug sockets. It can also be powered down without being unplugged, preserving battery power in laptops.
Nocturn Keyboard can be set up for use as a serious DAW/sequencer controller, as well as its ground-breaking Automap control of all VST/AU/RTAS/TDM plug-ins. See below for details of how Nocturn integrates with major DAWs.
Further Control: More features can be controlled with Nocturn Keyboard via Ableton's 'learn' mode.


Sean Dyche admitted his side came up short as Everton made it a miserable Christmas for the Clarets.
The Merseysiders charged into an unassailable three-goal lead inside the opening 22 minutes, and despite Ben Gibson reducing the arrears, sealed matters with two second half strikes.
And Dyche accepted his side need to pick themselves up for a quartet of crucial games either side of the new year.
The Clarets boss said: "We're conceding too many loose, soft goals and not had enough details in both boxes, so there's a number of things, but there's no excuses.
"We are where we are and we haven't overly deserved to be better than where we are.
"We are in a results industry and results bring belief and the extra tiny details that can matter, and importantly that free-mindedness.
"Players think less about it and the game flows, whereas when results aren't going your way you get tight and more concerned about doing your own job.
"That mentality has to be clear now because we've got some absolutely massive games coming up now.
Everton were ahead within three minutes when Yerry Mina headed home from close range.
Lucas Digne soon added a second form a free kick, before Gylfi Sigurdsson tucked away a penalty for a harsh hand-ball decision against Ben Mee.
Gibson, making his Premier League bow in a three-man defence, bundled home a potential lifeline before half time, and fellow defender James Tarkowski spurned a golden chance to further reduce the arrears just after the break.
But as Burnley's efforts to claw themselves back into the game petered out, Digne and substitute Richarlison sealed the emphatic scoreline to keep the Clarets in the bottom three.
Dyche added: "Quite obviously Everton started the brighter of the two sides, but we shot ourselves in the foot right at the very beginning of the game.
"We changed the personnel because we're just trying to look for that edge, but it never got a chance to work.
"You can't judge something in the first 20 minutes when you are already three down. So much happened so early, and you can't always decide whether that is key, individual moments.
"Strangely, they hadn't had that many chances, but we've given three goals away.
"We've ended up conceding from effectively three set pieces and the penalty for the third one is a hard one for me because I think Ben has challenged with his arm up, for sure, but his arm comes up off their lad's shoulder.
"But don't get me wrong, that's not an excuse. They were the better side and deserved to win.
"In the last 10 minutes of the first half we tried to get back in it and got more on the front foot and got the goal.
"The next goal then became even more vital and there was a massive chance for Tarky early in the second half that, if he'd scored, who knows?


Annually published since 1930, the International bibliography of Historical Sciences (IBOHS) is an international bibliography of the most important historical monographs and periodical articles published throughout the world, which deal with history from the earliest to the most recent times. The works are arranged systematically according to period, region or historical discipline, andwithin t… his classificationalphabetically. The bibliography contains a geographical index and indexes of persons and authors.


Wishing everyone to have a greener and prosperous new year. Time do flies so fast!!! Another year ends and we all welcome and witness the new year in our lives. Let's take a moment and pause and remember those accomplishments with the year that we are leaving. Trials and problems let us all drop it and leave it together with the year 2012. I am happy to see everyone in the world is happy to welcome 2012. May we all have a great year and blessings in our lives. Once again, happy new year everyone.


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Dr. Christopher Sierra
Adjunct Instructor of Music (Vocal Studies)
sierrac@tcnj.edu
D.M.A., Voice Performance, Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University
M.E., Music Education, Teachers College, Columbia University
M.M., Classical Voice Performance, Manhattan School of Music
B.M., Music Education and Voice Performance, Westminster Choir College of Rider University
Christopher Sierra is an Adjunct Instructor of Vocal Studies at The College of New Jersey where he teaches:
MUS 200: Intermediate Private Voice
MUS 300: Advanced Private Voice
MUS 290: Vocal Methods
Peruvian-American tenor Christopher Sierra is recognized for his artistic sensitivity and versatility in repertoire ranging from Handel, Mozart, and Donizetti to Popov, Morrison, and contemporary premieres. He has performed with Santa Fe Opera, Opera New Jersey, Spoleto Festival USA, Princeton Festival Opera, Long Island Opera, and New York Lyric Opera Theater, among many others.
On the concert stage, Dr. Sierra has performed works such as Schumann's Spanisches Liederspiel, Britten's Les Illuminations, Bach's Weihnachts Oratorium, Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass, Brahms's Liebeslieder Walzer, Vaughan Williams's Serenade to Music, and Schubert's Mass in G. Recent engagements include performing as a featured soloist with The Harlem Chamber Players and the Palouse Choral Society. He is also an active recitalist and was invited to perform mélodies by Henri Duparc at the 2018 College Music Society Pacific Northwest Regional Conference.
As a recording artist, Dr. Sierra can be heard on The Flower of Beauty (2009) with the Westminster Choir, Landscape: Choral Music of Gerald Custer (2008) with Anam Cara, and Teaching Music Through Performance in Choir, Volume 2 (2007) with the Grammy-nominated Westminster Williamson Voices. He has sung under the baton of Pierre Boulez, Leon Botstein, Christoph Eschenbach, Ton Koopman, Lorin Maazel, Kurt Masur, David Robertson, John Rutter, Emmanuel Villaume, and Franz Welser-Möst during his time as a member of the Westminster Symphonic Choir, MidAmerica Productions, and New York City's MasterVoices.
A frequent guest clinician, Dr. Sierra has presented vocal master classes, choral workshops, public lectures, and scholarly performances at institutions such as Florida International University, Iceland University of the Arts, Lewis-Clark State College, University of Idaho, the Washington State University Choral Festival, and the Idaho Music Educators Association District II Elementary Music Festival. His voice students have placed in National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) competitions and have been accepted into notable training programs.
Dr. Sierra currently serves on the voice faculty at The College of New Jersey. He has taught applied voice at Columbia University, Monmouth University, Rutgers University, and Washington State University, as well as general music and choral ensembles at Hunter College Elementary School, 51st Avenue Academy, Yorkville East Middle School, and William Tennent High School.
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Ok one last photo from L.A. After posting yesterdays photo I went out one last time to get some food and luckily I was at least carrying my small camera because the streets were just crazy. Hollywood really just starts once it gets dark. There are artists and performers everywhere. Well my Sony might not be as good as my main camera but it still handles situations like this quite well. It definitely allows me to get closer to people than I could with my big camera for shots like this. So if anyone is looking for a compact travel-camera the Sony RX-100 series is a great recommendation from me and should I ever do such a long trip again I will definitely looking to get a smaller main camera. Anyways now I spend a day on airport and in planes to get to Costa Rica where the adventures start anew.
Another day in Hollywood comes to an end and with that my time in Los Angeles. Wow I really did not do much here. But well I have already seen all the important sights of the city in former travels and wasn't all that impressed back than and this city is really hard to explore without your own transport. The public transport system is just the worst and it takes you forever to get anywhere. So no beach and no Beverly Hills for my this time. Nevertheless I did do something new today which I really wanted to do here: I walked up to the Hollywood Sign. It's a nice walk up the hill and away from all the noise of the city. I had to organize some things this morning so I left for the sign relatively late and till I returned it was already late afternoon, so there wasn't much else to do. A really short and more of a relaxing time here I have to say....doesn't really compare to what I did in Beijing in almost the same time. Tomorrow is a day of travelling and then I will be in Costa Rica. It's gonna be fantastic!
After a long day waiting around at airports and a lost night (remember: over-night flights going east will steal you a night) I have finally arrived in Los Angeles. I'm only going to stay here for two days before moving on to Costa Rica. I have been to L.A. before and never really liked the city, there are just too many people and too little to do. Oh well but since basically every flight from Hawaii via a stopover in L.A. is, did I thought I might just stay there for a bit. This saves me from spending over two days just at airports and gives me time to organize some things before going south. I really won't be doing much while I'm here so I guess the pictures won't be that great either. Just wait till I'm in Costa Rica and till then read yesterdays post on Hawaii.
When planning this whole trip I knew I wanted to visit an island in the pacific on my way from New Zealand to America. There are a lot of islands to choose from but I decided on Hawaii. I just thought they had a bit more to offer than just palmtrees on white beaches. I know that doesn't sound to bad but as I wanted to spend about two weeks there I knew I would be bored really quickly. So I booked flights to and from Honolulu and just waited what happened.
After a trip through time I arrived in Honolulu late Wednesday evening after leaving Auckland Thursday morning. Yay I won an extra day of travelling. Honolulu was actually quite a shock, after my time in New Zealand I wasn't anymore used to such big cities and that many skyscrapers. Well but it is the capital of Hawaii and Waikiki is of course so full with tourists they need that many hotels. I decided right there that I'm not going to spend two weeks just on that one island.
Nevertheless my first destination in Honolulu were of course the beaches of Waikiki. They are nice but overrun by tourists and well quite frankly I have seen many beaches on my worldtrip which are a lot prettier. But if it's just a 5 min walk from the Hostel you'll end up spending a lot of time there anyways….and the sunsets are incredible. I went out there almost every evening for some photos.
But as you might have figured out by now my style of travel never really involves relaxing. So on my second day I was already of to see Pearl Harbor. Anyone whose ever been to school or seen the Micheal Bay movie should know what this is all about. Great thing is you can just take a public bus for 2,50$ to get there, it might take two hours from Waikiki but it's way cheaper than going on a tour-bus. Once there you can visit the museum for free as well as the Arizona Memorial. The memorial is on top of the battleship Arizona which was sunk during the battle and lays on the bottom of the harbor to this day. And that basically concludes my educational experiences on Hawaii.
Most of the other days were spent exploring the rather boring downtown of Honolulu and waiting for the sunset. Oh and of course some small hikes. The first was to the top of Diamond Head. The famous crater just outside of Waikiki. It's a short rather undemanding hike to the top, only the sun can get a bit intense but the views from the top are as expected really great. This viewpoint lets you see all of Honolulu. The other hike was to the Manoa Falls. Quick tip here: If it hasn't rained in a while don't bother going there, they will barely exist. Actually don't walk there at all, spend the 2,50$ on the bus instead of walking through town for 2 hours before even reaching the trailhead.
I didn't rent a car on Oahu so to see some the rest of the island I had to join a tour and as I also wanted to take good pictures I joined Oahu Photography Tours. They offer great tours to the most interesting photospots on the island at a reasonable prices. Most importantly for me, they start of at sunrise. That gave me the opportunity to get the shoot I was hoping to get on this island. Another highlight of the tour is the Northshore. That's the place where the gigantic waves are braking. An actionfilled surfshot was exactly what I was after. I might not need the instructions they give you on the tour but they did take me to places I would have never been able to find on my own and that totally made it worth it.
And with that my days on Oahu were almost over. There was just one last picture I had to get: A Hula Girl. I know it's a cliche but isn't that what most travel-photography is about? Anyways there is a free Hula show every other night at Waikiki beach just after sunset. Guess who sat in the first row with a gigantic camera on his last evening? The show was really nice and surprisingly long considering it's for free. The girls were pretty and my seat perfect so I left Oahu with all the pictures I wanted.
In my mind the highlight of Hawaii isn't Oahu and definitely not Honolulu, it's the Big Island and that's were I went next. You can only travel in between the islands by plane and as it is america this makes island hopping a bit more expensive. Otherwise I would have probably visited even more.
The Big Island started of great with dozens of sea turtles right at the beach just hours after I arrived. I was actually just thinking to spend a relaxing evening at the beach but then a saw a turtles head looking out of the water. I was stoked, grabbed my tele lens at ran to the shoreline hoping to see it pop up again. Well it didn't show up in the water again as it was right next to me a minute later. In fact there were dozens of turtles coming to shore all along the beach. An amazing experience and a good indication of how awesome my time on Big Island was going to be.
The next day I decided it was time for some stars and as you might know the Big Island is actually the best place in the world for stargazing, that's why all the big observatories are there. And by there I mean Mauna Kea in particular. The highest mountain on Hawaii at about 4200m, tallest mountain in the world, darkest place in the world and of course guarantied clear skies every night. Getting up there was actually quite an adventure on it's own. This is america so of course you can reach the summit by car but I was only driving an incredibly crappy rental. My car was already struggling just on the way to the visitorcenter which is about halfway. The rest of the road to the summit is actually a steep gravel-road. There was no way my car was going to make that.
I was really disappointed as I really wanted to go up there and see those observatories. Luckily I met a really nice Canadian couple with an SUV that gave me a lift to the top. That was perfect as the top of the mountain is really something you do not want to miss. You feel like you are on another planet, you are on top of the clouds, red volcanic stones everywhere, no plants just white futuristic domes everywhere. Absolutely breathtaking (not just because of the height) and a photographers dream, I took so many photos up there. Afterwards I got back down to the visitorcenter to watch the sunset over the clouds and then ultimately watch the stars. The moon was a bit bright but you could still see an incredible amount of stars. This is one of the most do things if you are on Hawaii.
The Big Island is of course the island of volcanoes so after the stars that's what I had to see next. So I went to the Volcanoes National Park. A huge park and you can definitely spend more than one day there exploring all the hikes and visiting all the craters. It's just such a surreal landscape with the old lava flows everywhere forming and reforming it all the time. Also it's just cool walking on solid lava. All the big flows have been in the 70s and 80s and unfortunately there is no lava flowing at the moment. I really wished I could have seen that, it would have made for some awesome photos. But it wasn't all just cold black rocks, the highlight is the Halema'uma'u crater.
Said to be the home of the god Pele this gigantic crater is still the most active on the island. You can't see the lave as it is to deep and you are to far away but once the sun sets the glow of the lave turns the smoke orange. An incredible sight especially when the stars are starting to show up at the same time. If you are on the island, you have to wait there till after sunset.
So there are the two highlights of the island but it has of course so much more to offer. There are for example volcanic black sand beaches, a completely strange sight but cool photo spot, and of course an extremely rugged and beautiful coastline all along.
My personal highlight of the coast was in the north and is called Pololu Valley and seems to be directly out of a movie. You have to drive a tiny and narrow road through the rainforest to get there but that just makes it so much better. Less accessible means less people. The valley itself is in between rugged cliffs covered in waterfalls and end into the ocean via another black sand beach. Inside the valley is an untouched forest where you just expect dinosaurs behind every corner. A great off the beaten path location especially since the other end of the valley, Waipio Valley is currently closed due to a Dengue outbreak.
The only thing Hawaii is not good in is cities, Kona as well as Hilo are really rather boring and pretty empty, you can skip those without regrets and just focus on the incredible nature. Oh by the way, did I tell you there are also great waterfalls all over the island? The most impressive one is Akaka Falls just outside of Hilo.
Well that concludes my time on Hawaii. It was an incredible time and although I did not really like Honolulu, the Big Island is a place I would love to visit again at some point. By the way I did manage to drive over 2100km in my rental in just one week, not to bad considering I was on an island. Now I'm waiting for my flight to Los Angeles where I will stop for just two days before it is time for my next big adventure in Costa Rica. I can't wait to get there. Anyways here are some more photos from Hawaii, as always clicking on any of the photos will enlarge them.
Well the sun isn't shinning every day on Hawaii, in fact I didn't saw it at all today. Nevertheless I can't spend a whole day just doing nothing, especially if you can't even go to the beach. That's why I went to see the last thing I so far hadn't seen on the Island: Waterfalls. Only problem was they are all on the other side of the island, so it was once again a lot of driving involved. First I visited Rainbows Falls which are nice but the real highlight were the Akaka Falls. The highest falls on the island and completely surrounded by jungle. If only it wasn't raining all the time. Top tip here: park your car outside the gates to the official carpark and you only pay 1$ instead of 5$ to see the falls. This was my last day here, tomorrow I'll be flying back to Honolulu and from there to Los Angeles. It's going to be a long day of just traveling but watch out for my complete Hawaii posting tomorrow as well.
Welcome to Jurassic Park! While exploring the westcoast and far north of the Big Island I found this unbelievable place. Pololu Valley is really a place like straight out of a movie. You have those high tree-covered cliffs surrounding a black sand beach. And don't forget the waterfalls pouring into the sea in the distance. On top of it all it's still really deserted, especially down in the valley you can walk around the forest without seeing anyone, I was really expecting a dinosaur coming around the corner any second. This was truly one of the coolest places I found on the island. I mean the volcanoes are incredible and Mauna Kea simply breathtaking but this almost empty and primal piece of nature is just something you don't find often. The Big Island has once again outdone itself. Now I have only one day left before I have to move on again. I'll be very sad to leave but new adventures await.
It's been another day of driving and I mean a lot of driving. It's not just seems like a lot of driving because you have to go so slow most of the time, no I have already driven over 900 miles since I picked up the car on Thursday. Well they call it Big Island for a reason. First stop today was Hilo, the second bigger town on the Island opposite of Kona. Everyone recommends going there but to be honest it was rather boring, the downtown is tiny and pretty much empty. There are a few old buildings from about a 100 years ago. Unfortunately most of them are in a pretty bad condition, Hawaiian cities really seem to have a problem with poverty. To get there I took the highway straight through the island over the mountain, which was quite a challenge for my car but at least there was no traffic, on the way back I decided to take the coastal road. I still had a lot of time, so I could visit Volcano NP again and also stop at this spot. I actually saw this old pier on my first trip to the volcanoes and knew it would make for a great photo at the right time. And today was that right time. I set up my camera (or better balanced it in the wind on a narrow ledge leading to the pier) and got the shot surprisingly quick, I only got a little bit trenched in sea water, those waves were massive. It was one of those situations where I was happy for the extra weight of a weather proofed camera and glad I spent the extra money on the carbon fiber tripod. My gear, my clothes, my body, everything gets pretty roughed up on this journey.
No Stars today...the weather is to bad and I'm to lazy and don't feel like driving in the dark for hours. But I have been active today, I went and hiked the Cook-Trail. A short trail that starts close to my hostel and takes you down to the ocean to the exact place Captain Cook was killed. I know that because there is a monument to his honor. This place is also popular with snorkelers, although most of them arrive by boat instead of hiking. Afterwards it was time for some driving today, there were a few spots I saw along the way yesterday and wanted to take a closer look at. One was Southpoint which unfortunately was closed due to a bush-fire. The other is what you see here: Black Sand Beach. Another reminder of the islands volcanic origin and unsurprisingly a popular tourist spot. I didn't get exactly the photo I had in mind because of all the people but I guess this one is still acceptable and shows the black sand in a more interesting way.
Why did I waste so much time in Honolulu? I should have come here way earlier, Big Island is just a dream come true for every photographer. Where else do you have jungles, volcanoes and the ocean in such close proximity? I especially love those night-skies, even outside of Mauna Kea it's so dark everywhere and the sky so clear. Anyways today I explored the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, which as you can guess by the name all about volcanoes. There are dozens of craters in all shapes and sizes and basically everything in covered in volcanic rocks, the result of hardened lava from old and recent eruptions. Unfortunately (well at least for photographers) there is not much activity at the moment and the little bits of flowing lava there is can't be visited on any normal ways. But even those desolated landscapes alone are worth it. The highlight of the trip was of course Halema'uma'u, the most active volcano of the park. You can only the see smoke from the viewpoints as the magma is to far inside the crater but once the sun sets the spectacle begins. The orange glow of the magma starts illuminating the smoke...orange glowing smoke with the stars shining over the whole sight. The photo can't really do it justice, I have once again found the most spectacular sight of the journey. This view and the photos made even the 2,5 hour trip back to the hostel worth it all. Let's see what tomorrows adventure will be, I hope something that allows for an earlier sleep.