View allAll Photos Tagged consistent

"Frida Mekari along with renowned los angeles talent manager Kathleen Checki" "President of Simply Consistent"

"-Kathleen Checki."

"-Checki."

"-Simply Consistent."

"-Simply Consistent Management."

 

First night 2019!

 

Consistent Quality Capture -- Always

It's YOUR Moment!

 

Follow on Instagram: www.instagram.com/http.www.DaveGill.Photography/

 

Full Un-Watermarked Gallery -- Proceeds to benefit SPCA of Wake County: davegillphotography.shootproof.com/gallery/8516390

Etta James and Beyonce's Mom Tina Knowles at LA Premier for Cadillac Records. Etta James arrived with her manager Kathleen Checki of Simply Consistent Management.

 

"-Etta James."

"-Kathleen Checki."

"-Checki."

"-Simply Consistent."

"Simply Consistent Management."

"-Etta James and her manager Kathleen Checki."

Singapore Zoo ranks consistently (after San Diego Zoo) as one of the best in the world.

 

“… and what with the slippery-slidy shadows of the trees falling on them, the Giraffe grew blotchy, and the Zebra grew stripy …”

– Rudyard Kipling, Just-So Stories

 

For the story, please visit: www.ursulasweeklywanders.com/travel/teeth-claws-and-colou...

www.simplyconsistent.com/services/medical%20spa%20and%20p...

Beverly Hills Medical Office, Gym & Spa Designed & created by the Simply Consistent design team.

Beverly Hills Chiropractic office ( Peak Wellness ) was designed by the Simply Consistent team. The Simply Consistent team developed and created a concierge practice and spa experience from conception to execution by incorporating eastern and western medicine. Our goal was to ensure each patient was able to exhale as soon as they entered the office and escape from the craziness of their daily life. Simply Consistent developed and designed the "Peak Wellness" concept, created products and managed and created the day to day operations for the Dr's office. lastheplace.com/2007/08/06/peak-wellness-beverly-hills-ce...

  

" IMAGINE PEACE

 

Yoko Ono, among the earliest of artists working in the genre known

Conceptual Arts, has consistently employed the theme of peace

and used the medium of advertising in her work since the early 1960s.

Yoko Ono Imagine Peace Featuring John & Yoko's Year of Peace

explores these aspects of her work over the course of more than

forty years.

 

Three recent pieces - Imagine Peace (Map) (2003/2007); Onochord

(2003/2007); and Imagine Peace Tower (2006/2007) - offer gallery

visitors to an opportunity to participate individually and collectively

with the artist in the realization of work. Consider the world with

fresh eyes as you stamp the phrase "Imagine Peace" on the location

of your choice on maps provided for this purpose. Using postcards

provided send your wishes to the Imagine Peace

Tower in Reykjavik, where they will shine on with eternally more than

900,000 others. Or beam the message "I Love You" to one and all

using the Onochord flashlights. Take a flashlight and an Imagine

Peace button, the artist's gift to you, and carry the message out into the

world. As Ono has often observed, "the dream you dream alone is

just the dream, but the dream we dream together is reality."

 

The exhibition continues in nine locations with Imagine

Peace/Imaginate La Paz billboards across the San Antonio region.

 

YOKO ONO IMAGINE PEACE Featuring John & Yoko's Year of Peace is made

possible by the generosity by Bjom's Audio Video-Home Theater, Colleen

Casey and Tim Maloney, Clear Channel Outdoor, Rick Liberto, Smothers

Foundation, and Twin Sisters Bakery & Cafe. "

   

" John & Yoko's Year of Peace (1969 - 70)

 

Ono's Imagine Peace project carries conceptual and formal

strategies the artist had employer from the earliest years of her

career, not only in her seminal solo works, but in her collaborations

with John Lennon. In 1965, she created works specifically for the

advertising pages of The New York Arts Calendar. Picking up from

her Instructions for Paintings, a 1962 exhibition at Tokyo's Sogetsu Art

Center in which she exhibited written texts on the gallery walls

designed to inspire viewers to create the described images in their

minds, Ono created purely conceptual exhibitions with her

Is Real Gallery works.

 

The theme of peace is also evident in works sush as White Chess Set,

recreated here as Play It By Trust (Garden Set version) (1966/2007).

Lennon's songwriting during this period had shifted from more

conventional themes of romantic love to grander anthems for the

Flower Power generation. The Baetles' worldwide satellite broadcast

of Lennon's "All You Need Is Love" in the summer of 1967 featured a

parade of signs with the word "love" in multiple languages.

 

The couple's most famous collaborative works, the Bed-Ins (1969)

and the War Is Over! campaign (1969 - 1970), were conceived as

elements of a large peace advertising campaign. The Bed-Ins took

advantage of the inordinate amount of press attention the couple

received by inviting the world press to their honeymoon suite where

they talked about peace! Ono told Penthouse magazine's Charles

Childs: "Many other people who are rich are using their money for

something they want. They promote soap, use advertising

propaganda, what have you. We intend to do the same."

 

In December of 1969, they launched their War Is Over! campaign, a

project that included billboards and posters in 11 cities of the world

simply declaring "War Is Over! If You Want It. Happy Christmas from

John & Yoko." As with Ono's earliest instruction pieces, viewers were

invited to transform their dreams into reality. Ono has explained,

"All my work is a form of wishing." "

   

YOKO ONO: IMAGINE PEACE Featuring John & Yoko's Year of Peace

September 26th - October 28th, 2007

UTSA Art Gallery / Department of Art and Art History

The University of Texas at San Antonio

  

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

 

Toronto is Canada's largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of about 2.8 million people. It's a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world's most livable cities.

 

Toronto is a city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario, with the original city area lying between the Don and Humber rivers.

  

For more information on visiting Toronto visit:

www.seetorontonow.com/

 

For more information on visiting Canada visit:

us-keepexploring.canada.travel/

  

********

About this day of the trip:

 

Day 2

Niagara Falls - Niagara Falls Canada - Toronto (83 miles)

 

We will continue our tour Niagara Falls by heading into Canada to take the Hornblower Cruise boat ride and see an informational movie at the IMAX Theater. We will also ascend the Skylon Tower. The tour then departs for Toronto, ON, one of Canada's largest cities. There we will visit the CN Tower and guests will have the option to take a Lake Ontario Cruise. During the winter when the cruise is not running, we will instead visit Casa Loma. We will have dinner in historical Chinatown.

 

Niagara Falls Canada, Canada

 

Skylon Tower This observation tower on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls offers a bird's-eye views of one of the world's favorite natural wonders. The tower stands 520 feet from street level and 775 feet from the bottom of the falls.

 

Rainbow Bridge The Rainbow Bridge across the Niagara River connects Niagara, Ontario to Niagara, New York. It is an international landmark and impressive architectural feat. In addition to private vehicles, pedestrians and bikes can cross the bridge for a small toll.

 

Niagara Falls IMAX This amazing movie experience, presented on an unbelievable IMAX screen, chronicles more than 12,000 years of history and examines human interaction with the falls from ancient time through the people-- like you-- who come to see them today.

 

Hornblower Niagara Cruise Get ready to get wet: this world-famous boat ride takes passengers as close to the falls as it is possible to get. Formerly Maid of the Mist, Hornblower now runs Niagara cruise operations on the Canadian side of the Falls.

 

Skylon Revolving Restaurant Lunch The impressive Skylon Tower, jutting into the air above Niagara Falls, features the Revolving Dining Room, a one-of-a-kind eatery the makes a full revolution every hour. Sitting just below the observation deck, guests can enjoy views and food!

 

Toronto, ON

 

Lake Ontario Cruise Lake Ontario Cruises offer gorgeous views of the city of Toronto from the waters of Lake Ontario, one of the famous Great Lakes of North America. See the city of Toronto and the surrounding area in a new way!

 

Toronto City Hall This unique building complex is one of the most famous in Toronto, and also the home of the city's municipal government. The Toronto City Hall offers self-guided tours which are available in five languages (including English).

 

University of Toronto Routinely placed in the top 30 institutions of higher learning in the world, the University of Toronto has been educating the masses since 1827. Widely considered the best university in Canada, it is known for its pioneering research.

 

Casa Loma This century-old Gothic-style house in Toronto was originally the home of financier Sir Henry Mill Pellatt. Today, it serves as a museum that showcases the history of life in Toronto and what life was like in the early 1900s.

 

CN Tower Toronto's CN Tower is a Canadian icon and one of the most recognizable North American buildings. Made entirely of concrete, this massive monolith was the tallest structure in the world at the time of its completion in 1976.

 

Ontario Legislative Building The Ontario Legislative Building in Toronto, Ontario, Canada is the seventh structure to function as the parliamentary building of the province of Ontario. This impressive building is in the Richardsonian Romanesque architectural style and was built in 1893.

 

Chinatown One of the largest Chinatowns in North America is located in downtown Toronto, Ontario. Toronto contains several Chinatowns. This one is the oldest, dating back to the 1870s, and the historical area features many authentic groceries, restaurants, and shops.

 

Toronto Chinese Dinner Treat yourself to a specialty dinner in one of the largest Chinatowns in the Western Hemisphere! Freshly-cooked meats and vegetables decorate the windows of the esteemed restaurants, from whole cooked ducks to beef ribs and so much more. Enjoy!

 

Deluxe Hotel: Crowne Plaza or similar

 

**************************

 

3-Day Niagara Falls, Toronto Canada Tour from New York

 

Tour Code: 655-68

 

July 11th, 12th, 13th 2014

 

Visit:

 

Watkins Glen State Park New York

 

Niagara Falls, NY USA

 

Thundering Water Cultural Show

 

USA / Canada international border crossing on Rainbow Bridge from New York United States of America to Ontario Canada

 

Niagara Falls, Ontario Canada

 

Skylon Tower

 

Niagara Falls IMAX

 

Hornblower Niagara Cruise

 

Skylon Revolving Restaurant Lunch

 

Toronto which is the largest city in Canada

 

Lake Ontario Cruise

 

Toronto City Hall

 

University of Toronto

 

CN Tower

 

Ontario Legislative Building

 

Chinatown

 

Toronto Chinese Dinner

 

Thousand Islands, Ontario Canada

 

Thousand Islands Cruise

 

Thousand Islands Cruise Breakfast

 

Thousand Islands Tax and Duty Free Store in Lansdowne, Ontario Canada

 

Canada / USA international border crossing Thousand Islands Bridge from Hill Island, Ontario, Canada across the Saint Lawrence River to Wellesley Island, New York, United States of America

 

For more information on the 3-Day Niagara Falls, Toronto Canada Tour from New York visit:

 

www.taketours.com/new-york-ny/3-day-toronto-niagara-falls...

 

**********

 

Hashtag metadata tag

#Canada #Canadian #Toronto #TorontoCanada #CityofToronto #TorontoCity #CityToronto #Ontario #TorontoOntario #TorontoOntarioCanada #LakeOntario #The416 #HollywoodNorth #TO #T.O. #Tee-Oh #TeeOh #T-dot #Tdot #CNTower #VisitToronto #VisitCanada

 

Photo

Toronto city, Ontario province, Canada country, North America continent

July 12th 2014

Visita nuestro Blog de Semana Santa en:

asociacionredobles.blogspot.com

 

Actos que se van a desarrollar durante la conmemoración del 200º aniversario del

rescate del Cristo de la Cama, consistente en el traslado de la Imagen desde la Iglesia

de Santa Isabel de Portugal (vulgo San Cayetano) a la Basílica del Pilar.

El rescate se produjo el 17 de febrero de 1809 del Convento de San Francisco, lo que

actualmente es la Diputación Provincial. El día 10 los franceses volaron el Convento,

que era defendido por unos cuantos aragoneses y por los voluntarios de Valencia. El

día 17, María Blánquez entro en el convento y vio que todos los pasos que

procesionan en Semana santa, quince en total, estaban destruidos, salvo el Santísimo

Cristo de la Cama, que estaba indemne en su Capilla de la Hermandad. Salió a la

calle, cogió a cuatro hombres, volvió a entrar al convento y todos ellos cogieron al

Cristo de la cama. Lo llevaron primero a la parroquia de la santa Cruz, después a la

de Santiago y finalmente al Palacio Arzobispal, lugar en donde vivía el general

Palafox, que enfermo lo venero y ordeno fuera llevado al interior de la Basílica del

Pilar, siendo colocado en el Altar de los convertido mirando a su Madre, la virgen del

Pilar.

Este hecho es el que conmemoramos.

A las 18´00 horas se oirá en la Ciudad de Zaragoza a los Artilleros de Aragón

anunciando el comienzo de la procesión cívico religiosa.

Con la salida desde San Cayetano de la Bandera de la Hermandad de la Sangre de

Cristo dará comienzo la procesión, encontrándose el resto de participantes ubicados

en la plaza. Seguidamente saldrá la peana, portada a varal, del Cristo de la Cama. Lo

hará con un toque preparado para la ocasión por la Sección de Tambores de la

Hermandad de San Joaquín y Virgen de los Dolores. Una vez que nuestro Cristo de la

Cama este en la plaza sonara el Himno Nacional interpretado al órgano por Ignacio

Navarro Gil.

Finalizado el himno, se descubrirá una placa en cerámica de Muel, promovida por la

Asociación Cultural Redobles. Dicha placa será descubierta por el Ilmo. Sr. D.

Francisco Javier Lambán Montañés, o persona en quien en delegue, acompañado por

el Hermano Mayor de la Hermandad de la Sangre de Cristo. A la vez que se descubre

la placa, don José Antonio Armillas, Comisario del Bicentenario glosara brevemente

la figura de María Blánquez y lo que ella significo.

Finalizado este acto, dará comienzo en sí el desfile.

Por la calle Manifestación, calle Alfonso y calle Coso, nos dirigiremos a la plaza de

España, en donde se realiza el segundo acto del desfile. Este consiste en depositar dos

coronas de laurel. La primera en la placa que recuerda al Convento de San Francisco

y la segunda en el monumento a los Mártires.

La del Convento de San Francisco será portada por mujeres ataviadas con el traje

regional, en recuerdo y homenaje a María Blánquez. Entregada por don Francisco

Javier Lambán Montañés (o persona en quién delegue), le acompañaran el

Comandante Militar de Zaragoza, General Juan Pinto y el Hermano Mayor de la

Sangre de Cristo. La recibirán dos soldados del Batallón Pardos de Aragón.

La segunda corona, la entregara don Juan Alberto Belloch Julve (o persona en quién

delegue), acompañado también por el Comandante Militar y el Hermano Mayor,

siendo recibida por dos soldados del Batallón de Infantería Voluntarios de Aragón.

Durante este acto sonara en la plaza el Carillón de la Diputación Provincial con

marchas alusivas a los Sitios.

Finalizado el acto, continuaremos el desfile en dirección a la Plaza de la Seo por calle

don Jaime, calle Mayor, calle Dormer, calle Cisne y calle Cuellar.

En la plaza de la Seo se realiza el tercer y último acto. Consiste en una breve

alocución del General Pinto, Comandante Militar de Zaragoza y Teruel, en recuerdo

y homenaje del General Palafox. A Su conclusión, el Batallón de Infantería

Voluntarios de Aragón hará una descarga de fusilería.

Ya para finalizar, nos encaminaremos a la plaza del Pilar, finalizando el desfile,

alrededor de las 20´30 horas, con la entrada del Cristo de la Cama en la Basílica, en

donde permanecerá hasta el miércoles 25 de febrero.

Finalizado el desfile y por lo tanto el traslado, la Hermandad de la Sangre de Cristo

realizara una ofrenda a la Virgen del Pilar.

La Hermandad de la Sangre de Cristo, con el fin de dar mayor realce a este

acontecimiento histórico, ha invitado a participar a todos aquellos Ayuntamientos e

Instituciones galardonados con la Medalla del Bicentenario “Defensor de Zaragoza”,

distinción que también ha obtenido la propia Hermandad. Han confirmado su

asistencia una representación de los Ayuntamientos de Alcañiz, Barbastro, Calatayud,

Cariñena, Chelva, Huesca, Jaca, monzón y Valencia. También han confirmado su

participación los Artilleros de Aragón, Batallón Pardos de Aragón, Batallón de

Infantería Ligera Voluntarios de Aragón, la Asociación Cultural Royo del Rabal

(ronda y escenificación de personajes históricos de la época), la Asociación Cultural

Los Sitios (personajes históricos de la época), la Hermandad de San Juan de la Peña,

la Cofradía del Santo Sepulcro, la Hermandad del santo Refugio, la Real Ilustre

Congregación de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad de Madrid y la Real Maestranza de

Caballería.

La parte musical durante el desfile correrá a cargo de la Banda de Guerra de la

Brigada de Caballería Castillejos II, de la Banda Música de la Academia General

Militar y la Ronda de jotas de la Asociación Cultural el Rabal. Durante el desfile y

con el fin de que los peaneros lleven el ritmo adecuado, les acompaña un piquete de

diez instrumentos, cuyos miembros son de la cofradía de la Institución de la Sagrada

Eucaristía, que lo harán sin los distintivos propios de la Cofradía.

Cabe destacar el estreno de una marcha procesional en las calles de Zaragoza. La

primera y ultima pieza que interprete la Banda de Música será la Marcha al Cristo de

la Cama, cuyo autor es don Abel Moreno y que fue donada a la Hermandad por la

Asociación para el Estudio de la Semana Santa.

Ernesto Millán Lázaro

Hermano Mayor

Hermandad Sangre de Cristo

Visita nuestro Blog de Semana Santa en:

asociacionredobles.blogspot.com

 

Actos que se van a desarrollar durante la conmemoración del 200º aniversario del

rescate del Cristo de la Cama, consistente en el traslado de la Imagen desde la Iglesia

de Santa Isabel de Portugal (vulgo San Cayetano) a la Basílica del Pilar.

El rescate se produjo el 17 de febrero de 1809 del Convento de San Francisco, lo que

actualmente es la Diputación Provincial. El día 10 los franceses volaron el Convento,

que era defendido por unos cuantos aragoneses y por los voluntarios de Valencia. El

día 17, María Blánquez entro en el convento y vio que todos los pasos que

procesionan en Semana santa, quince en total, estaban destruidos, salvo el Santísimo

Cristo de la Cama, que estaba indemne en su Capilla de la Hermandad. Salió a la

calle, cogió a cuatro hombres, volvió a entrar al convento y todos ellos cogieron al

Cristo de la cama. Lo llevaron primero a la parroquia de la santa Cruz, después a la

de Santiago y finalmente al Palacio Arzobispal, lugar en donde vivía el general

Palafox, que enfermo lo venero y ordeno fuera llevado al interior de la Basílica del

Pilar, siendo colocado en el Altar de los convertido mirando a su Madre, la virgen del

Pilar.

Este hecho es el que conmemoramos.

A las 18´00 horas se oirá en la Ciudad de Zaragoza a los Artilleros de Aragón

anunciando el comienzo de la procesión cívico religiosa.

Con la salida desde San Cayetano de la Bandera de la Hermandad de la Sangre de

Cristo dará comienzo la procesión, encontrándose el resto de participantes ubicados

en la plaza. Seguidamente saldrá la peana, portada a varal, del Cristo de la Cama. Lo

hará con un toque preparado para la ocasión por la Sección de Tambores de la

Hermandad de San Joaquín y Virgen de los Dolores. Una vez que nuestro Cristo de la

Cama este en la plaza sonara el Himno Nacional interpretado al órgano por Ignacio

Navarro Gil.

Finalizado el himno, se descubrirá una placa en cerámica de Muel, promovida por la

Asociación Cultural Redobles. Dicha placa será descubierta por el Ilmo. Sr. D.

Francisco Javier Lambán Montañés, o persona en quien en delegue, acompañado por

el Hermano Mayor de la Hermandad de la Sangre de Cristo. A la vez que se descubre

la placa, don José Antonio Armillas, Comisario del Bicentenario glosara brevemente

la figura de María Blánquez y lo que ella significo.

Finalizado este acto, dará comienzo en sí el desfile.

Por la calle Manifestación, calle Alfonso y calle Coso, nos dirigiremos a la plaza de

España, en donde se realiza el segundo acto del desfile. Este consiste en depositar dos

coronas de laurel. La primera en la placa que recuerda al Convento de San Francisco

y la segunda en el monumento a los Mártires.

La del Convento de San Francisco será portada por mujeres ataviadas con el traje

regional, en recuerdo y homenaje a María Blánquez. Entregada por don Francisco

Javier Lambán Montañés (o persona en quién delegue), le acompañaran el

Comandante Militar de Zaragoza, General Juan Pinto y el Hermano Mayor de la

Sangre de Cristo. La recibirán dos soldados del Batallón Pardos de Aragón.

La segunda corona, la entregara don Juan Alberto Belloch Julve (o persona en quién

delegue), acompañado también por el Comandante Militar y el Hermano Mayor,

siendo recibida por dos soldados del Batallón de Infantería Voluntarios de Aragón.

Durante este acto sonara en la plaza el Carillón de la Diputación Provincial con

marchas alusivas a los Sitios.

Finalizado el acto, continuaremos el desfile en dirección a la Plaza de la Seo por calle

don Jaime, calle Mayor, calle Dormer, calle Cisne y calle Cuellar.

En la plaza de la Seo se realiza el tercer y último acto. Consiste en una breve

alocución del General Pinto, Comandante Militar de Zaragoza y Teruel, en recuerdo

y homenaje del General Palafox. A Su conclusión, el Batallón de Infantería

Voluntarios de Aragón hará una descarga de fusilería.

Ya para finalizar, nos encaminaremos a la plaza del Pilar, finalizando el desfile,

alrededor de las 20´30 horas, con la entrada del Cristo de la Cama en la Basílica, en

donde permanecerá hasta el miércoles 25 de febrero.

Finalizado el desfile y por lo tanto el traslado, la Hermandad de la Sangre de Cristo

realizara una ofrenda a la Virgen del Pilar.

La Hermandad de la Sangre de Cristo, con el fin de dar mayor realce a este

acontecimiento histórico, ha invitado a participar a todos aquellos Ayuntamientos e

Instituciones galardonados con la Medalla del Bicentenario “Defensor de Zaragoza”,

distinción que también ha obtenido la propia Hermandad. Han confirmado su

asistencia una representación de los Ayuntamientos de Alcañiz, Barbastro, Calatayud,

Cariñena, Chelva, Huesca, Jaca, monzón y Valencia. También han confirmado su

participación los Artilleros de Aragón, Batallón Pardos de Aragón, Batallón de

Infantería Ligera Voluntarios de Aragón, la Asociación Cultural Royo del Rabal

(ronda y escenificación de personajes históricos de la época), la Asociación Cultural

Los Sitios (personajes históricos de la época), la Hermandad de San Juan de la Peña,

la Cofradía del Santo Sepulcro, la Hermandad del santo Refugio, la Real Ilustre

Congregación de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad de Madrid y la Real Maestranza de

Caballería.

La parte musical durante el desfile correrá a cargo de la Banda de Guerra de la

Brigada de Caballería Castillejos II, de la Banda Música de la Academia General

Militar y la Ronda de jotas de la Asociación Cultural el Rabal. Durante el desfile y

con el fin de que los peaneros lleven el ritmo adecuado, les acompaña un piquete de

diez instrumentos, cuyos miembros son de la cofradía de la Institución de la Sagrada

Eucaristía, que lo harán sin los distintivos propios de la Cofradía.

Cabe destacar el estreno de una marcha procesional en las calles de Zaragoza. La

primera y ultima pieza que interprete la Banda de Música será la Marcha al Cristo de

la Cama, cuyo autor es don Abel Moreno y que fue donada a la Hermandad por la

Asociación para el Estudio de la Semana Santa.

Ernesto Millán Lázaro

Hermano Mayor

Hermandad Sangre de Cristo

via WordPress ift.tt/2hkUDL9

Wolfenfiiiiiiiine

 

Game: Wolfenstein 2: The New ColossusDeveloper: Machine GamesPublisher: Bethesda SoftworksReviewed on: PS4 (Review copy provided)

 

Captain ‘BJ’ Blazkowicz, star of Wolfenstein’s newest reboot, is not a great protagonist on paper. He has an annoyingly square head, like a child’s drawing of Superman, and consistently speaks so gruffly as to be borderline unintelligible, as if words just get tangled up in all his testosterone. It’s like Solid Snake and Christian Bale’s Batman had a really phlegmy child. He’s nothing new. Big, handsome white guys with guns and difficulty conveying emotions are not original in the world of videogames.

 

Ol’ BJ has one redeeming feature though. He properly hates Nazis, like an X-rated Captain American pre-heel turn. I don’t mean ‘nazi’ in the way your mate Karen from Twitter uses it to describe everyone who disagrees with her because she once followed a vegan account for a week and thinks she’s basically a communist for voting Labour. I don’t even mean a pejorative term for people who point out you can’t use basic English so you try to cover up for it by comparing your corrector to the literal third reich. No, I mean proper Nazis.

 

It used to always be that Nazis were a pretty stock villain. You knew where you were with a Nazi. Even Britain, a country that can’t make a single decision that doesn’t send us further down shit creek at the moment, used to be united behind one thing; Nazis are shit, mate. Recently things got a bit muddied, though. Nazis got twitter and tiki torches and started acting like they were real people who should be listened to. Some people got confused by this; are Nazis human after all? Should we hear them out?

 

But Nazis aren’t for listening to, lads. Nazis are for punching.

 

Enter Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus. Much of the build-up to this has been Bethesda happily trolling alt-right mouth-breathers online through their promo materials and trailers, so much so that these stings may have even stolen some attention away from the game itself. The rebooted Wolfenstein series is not only here to remind everyone what Nazis are for, though. I fully expected predecessor The New Order to be a by-numbers FPS, like CoD: Steampunk Edition. What I found instead was a game full of fun ideas and set-pieces with a strong identity, trying it’s best to do something with a fairly tired genre. Picking up directly after this, The New Colossus sees our man BJ not feeling exactly 100%. He’s frail, literally in a wheelchair at one point, and having quite a serious think about death and that.

 

I want to start with the less enjoyable parts of the game. This is because Wolfy 2 is indeed (spoiler alert) a great experience worthy of attention; a single player game (something that’s practically on the endangered species list these days) that isn’t demanding any money from you during the gameplay, and with a strong story and excellent characters.

 

First of all… the game is hard. Some of this is undoubtedly intentional; Blazkowicz believes he is on his way out from the off, and he’s a weaker soldier for it for a significant part of the game. Find yourself in a room full of Nazis and it’s easy to come a cropper unless you’re super careful with cover, which is at odds with the game constantly urging you on to be gung-ho and batter every Nazi as soon as they appear. The aforementioned wheelchair section, in which your turning speed is reduced and you’re not able to hold a gun ready at all times, is the FIRST SECTION. At least give us a warm-up here, guys. Without ruining things, he does regain some of his old strength in later parts, but by then the enemies have gotten a little stronger as well.

 

Some of those enemies are far tougher than they have any right to be, too. Despite wearing minimal armour, some standard-issue assailants can take a serious amount of bullets before they take a nap, while some of the bigger behemoths are total bullet sponges. Add into that the airborne drones that dart around unpredictably during every mass brawl and things can get frustrating quite quickly, even on a lower difficulty setting. To confuse things further, the game decides not to opt for the mechanic most of it’s cousins use these days; slowing down time while you choose your next gun on the weapon wheel selector. That said, you can now use the weapon wheel to dual-wield whatever you’re carrying, which is a nice touch, but a few seconds grace to navigate the sometimes sticky gun selector would have been quite nice, thanks.

 

What’s great about those enemies, though, is how you can just completely avoid some of them. On occasion, you’ll be confronted by a huge, Nazi behemoth robot, only to realise you can run away from it easily because they’re big and slow. I really liked having the choice that most people would probably make when confronted with a 20ft right-wing robot; to get out of there and leave it to whatever it was doing before you turned up.

 

The stealth doesn’t quite add up, either. On occasion while sneaking up behind a grunt they’d turn at the very last second, and spot me for all of a millisecond before I busted them up with my hatchet, which is an animation triggered by a single button press. Yet in that wordless moment they would somehow be able to raise an alarm that summons Nazis faster than a woman having an opinion online. It didn’t really wash, and seems quite unforgiving in what was already quite a tricky experience. Despite it’s protestations, Wolfy 2 is definitely a shooter; the stealth is there, but it may as well not be.

 

Finally, there is BJ’s vocal cords. He’s so low and gruff it’s unintentionally comical; mid-action quips and lines may as well just be fucking gargled for all the sense they make, particularly when fighting for decibels against the game’s improbably loud techno soundtrack. When the scenes arise in which the mother of his unborn children says she can’t understand him, I think she means emotionally, but she may well be talking about his appalling annunciation. Stop mumbling, you square-headed prick.

 

But that is the negative done with. I promise. It’s all downhill from here, or uphill depending on how you read that analogy. Because the characters and casting (even BJ with his RIDICULOUS voice) are wonderful. Following on from my time in The New Order, I chose the Fergus timeline, and was thrilled to have the hardest yet most nonchalant Scotsman (quite the achievement) in all of videogames back in my life. All of the main cast are voiced and acted beautifully, and the culmination of every caustic first meeting is a solid group of personalities you’ll miss once the credits roll.

 

Frau Engel takes the role of main target this time. Right from the first encounter she’s established as a completely hateful psychopath, and this is where the new Wolfy’s have always done brilliantly. They’re more than adept at eliciting the perfect emotional response; rather than being presented with cookie-cutter villains who you have to kill because the developers say so, you *really* want to take these people down, and that’s the difference between being propelled through a game rather than being dragged through it. This is built upon even further with flashbacks to BJ’s childhood, one of which was distressing in a way only cruelty to animals can be. These flashback sections are surprisingly good; rather than being poorly-aimed schmaltz they’re well acted and often funny insights into what made BJ the world’s premiere Nazi killer. Indeed, there’s even delightful new characters being introduced 4/5 of the way through, a particular favourite introduction of mine involving a fist-fight and a sniping session to the sounds of jazz clarinet.

 

And even beyond the characters themselves, the game oozes personality all over the gaffe. Set in an alternative reality where Hitler and his gang of pricks won the second world war, forcing the USA to surrender by way of an atom bomb, it’s a little steam-punk in places, the mesh of an old world with as-yet unknown technology. Feeling somewhat under the weather, Blazkowicz can only get around by the aid of a suit of armour that looks like something from Silent Hill in 2049. There are big, far-right robots that resemble Warhammer’s Ultramarines to contend with on a regular basis. The game is also bizarrely crude and humorous at points, something much needed in amongst all the dying and reflections on mortality. Fairly happy to have you wading through hoards of genocidal maniacs one minute and make obscene references the next, it’s a jarring sense of humour that is too rarely seen in the often po-faced world of FPS. The diaries and passing dialogue you find amongst the environments is often hilarious and most importantly brief; nobody wants to read a four page extract from a journal during a shoot-em-up, but a brief excerpt here and there to build the world is largely welcome.

 

The problem with the world of Wolfenstein 2 is that the good bits make the bad bits far more apparent. For example, an area many of you may have seen is the Roswell town setting. Y’know, it’s the bit from the footage where everything looks like a perfect 50’s sitcom town, all Cadillacs and ice cream parlours. But in amongst that facade, there are Nazis and KKK members rolling around, sewn in amongst everything like shit in a flan. It’s an area I;d have loved to have spent more time in, but alas, immediately from this part you’re sent packing off to yet more tunnels and grey corridors, and that’s a running theme throughout; corridors and murky, dull areas. The locales do indeed ‘go places’ and by the time the finale rolls around you’ll have laid out Nazis in quite a surprising range of places, but more often than not these are a bit standard-looking. Nevertheless, MachineWorks produces a couple of surprising ways to navigate these environments at least. Rather than showing its hand right at the start, it’s over halfway through the game before you’re suddenly thrown something of a curve ball which results in BJ’s skills expanding.

 

VERDICT

 

What we have here, then, is a game contrary to the developing trend. Whereas for other big developers, the main focus is on perfecting open world environments, online communities and loot boxes *vomits*, Wolfenstein flies in the face of that. It’s a contained single-player game that’s real strength is story and personality, but also has solid and satisfying gun-feel and cathartic shooting. There are numerous set-pieces to bring a smile to your face that show real invention, all of which adds up to mean this is well worth checking out, particularly if you want to fuck up some Nazis.

 

And if you don’t? Well, you definitely wouldn’t want to be on the wrong side of Captain Blazkowicz…

 

9/10

 

The post Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus Review (In Progress) appeared first on Next-Gen Gaming Blog.

 

Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus Review (In Progress) published first on ift.tt/2zb23eR

  

Communicore

RetroCOT Series

 

Consistent throughout this series is the "Prototype" font, which is EPCOT Center's original font

 

This one is a little more abstract, seeing as this is the most recognizable part of Communicore that still retains the look and feel of the former tenant. All of the other windows are covered in murals and blocked by foliage from the outside, and the ceiling lights above in the other Communicore buildings no longer let light in.

Round at the Opera House... it's all reassuringly familiar and consistent!

bauhaus building, dessau, germany, 1925-1926, architect: walter gropius

 

Gropius consistently separated the parts of the Bauhaus building according to their functions and designed each differently. He thereby arranged the different wings asymmetrically – in relation to what is today the Bauhausstraße and the Gropiusallee respectively. In order to appreciate the overall design of the complex, the observer must therefore move around the whole building. There is no central viewpoint.

 

The glazed, three-storey workshop wing, the block for the vocational school (also three storeys high) with its unostentatious rows of windows, and the five-storey studio building with its conspicuous, projecting balconies are the main elements of the complex. A two-storey bridge which housed, e.g., the administration department and, until 1928, Gropius’s architectural practice, connects the workshop wing with the vocational school. A single-storey building with a hall, stage and refectory, the so-called Festive Area, connects the workshop wing to the studio building. The latter originally featured 28 studio flats for students and junior masters, each measuring 20 m². The ingenious design of the portals between the foyer and the hall and a folding partition between the stage and the refectory, along with the ceiling design and colour design, impart a grandiose spatial coalescence to the sequence of foyer-hall-stage-refectory, shaping the so-called Festive Area. The façade of the students’ dormitory is distinguished in the east by individual balconies and in the south by long balconies that continue around the corner of the building.

 

The entire complex is rendered and painted mainly in light tones, creating an attractive contrast to the window frames, which are dark. For the interior, the junior master of the mural workshop, Hinnerk Scheper, designed a detailed colour plan that, by differentiating between supporting and masking elements through the use of colour, aimed to accentuate the construction of the building.

 

June 19th 2009

 

Fish Fry, Cookies, Rain and a little Research.

 

Hopefully I will get more consistent about writing these entries, things have been a little chaotic here!

 

SO - Thursday (yesterday) the SSF boys (all 9 of them), who all live in "the barn" hosted a fish fry. Basically, one of their guys fishes like a mad man, so they decided to host a little party. It was pretty fun, and good food. There were probably 50 people in a building that is designed to house about 12, so it was a little chaotic, but it was a good excuse to mingle and make an effort to meet some of the other summer students. I still feel kinda out of place - everyone else knows whats going on when the genetics of micro-organisms comes up... uh... right.

 

For the Fish Fry, Or house (6 girls) decided to make cookies - or rather, I decided that making a billion cookies would be a good idea. So, wednesday night we made lots of cookies, not uneventfully. For some reason the cookie sheets we have are oversize, which prompted a trip to the grocery store. Our apartment was quite festive, it was Jordan's (my roomie) birthday, so we had cake, the neighbors over and it was fun! (The fish fry liked the cookies!)

 

Research:

My project is progressing. As I said before, the goal is to create a reflector which will optimize deep sea LED lighting for the deep sea photography. I have succesfully simulated the reflection of a coffee cup (perfectly circular reflector) in matlab, and now I am moving on to modeling a parabola. Basically, I need to get comfortable with the math and the optical properties, then the "reflector" or surfaces will become more complex. Then when we find a surface which creates a high intensity uniform light field - we will send it to the 3-d printer and test!

 

I will leave you with a very insightful quote of the day - found in a paper on ocean optics:

"Because of its spectral characteristics and constant output power, the sun is the light source of choice of optical oceanographers"

  

The New Chanel Boutique Opening and Charity Event hosted by SIMPLY CONSISTENT INC.

www.simplyconsistent.com/management

www.simplyconsistent.com/non-profit/childhood-obesity

"-Chanel Boutique."

"-Kathleen Checki."

"-Checki."

"-Simply Consistent."

"-Simply Consistent Management."

"-Kathleen Checki and Kathleen Hilton."

www.simplyconsistent.com/services/medical%20spa%20and%20p...

Beverly Hills Medical Office, Gym & Spa Designed & created by the Simply Consistent design team.

Beverly Hills Chiropractic office ( Peak Wellness ) was designed by the Simply Consistent team. The Simply Consistent team developed and created a concierge practice and spa experience from conception to execution by incorporating eastern and western medicine. Our goal was to ensure each patient was able to exhale as soon as they entered the office and escape from the craziness of their daily life. Simply Consistent developed and designed the "Peak Wellness" concept, created products and managed and created the day to day operations for Dr's office. lastheplace.com/2007/08/06/peak-wellness-beverly-hills-ce...

Visita nuestro Blog de Semana Santa en:

asociacionredobles.blogspot.com

 

Actos que se van a desarrollar durante la conmemoración del 200º aniversario del

rescate del Cristo de la Cama, consistente en el traslado de la Imagen desde la Iglesia

de Santa Isabel de Portugal (vulgo San Cayetano) a la Basílica del Pilar.

El rescate se produjo el 17 de febrero de 1809 del Convento de San Francisco, lo que

actualmente es la Diputación Provincial. El día 10 los franceses volaron el Convento,

que era defendido por unos cuantos aragoneses y por los voluntarios de Valencia. El

día 17, María Blánquez entro en el convento y vio que todos los pasos que

procesionan en Semana santa, quince en total, estaban destruidos, salvo el Santísimo

Cristo de la Cama, que estaba indemne en su Capilla de la Hermandad. Salió a la

calle, cogió a cuatro hombres, volvió a entrar al convento y todos ellos cogieron al

Cristo de la cama. Lo llevaron primero a la parroquia de la santa Cruz, después a la

de Santiago y finalmente al Palacio Arzobispal, lugar en donde vivía el general

Palafox, que enfermo lo venero y ordeno fuera llevado al interior de la Basílica del

Pilar, siendo colocado en el Altar de los convertido mirando a su Madre, la virgen del

Pilar.

Este hecho es el que conmemoramos.

A las 18´00 horas se oirá en la Ciudad de Zaragoza a los Artilleros de Aragón

anunciando el comienzo de la procesión cívico religiosa.

Con la salida desde San Cayetano de la Bandera de la Hermandad de la Sangre de

Cristo dará comienzo la procesión, encontrándose el resto de participantes ubicados

en la plaza. Seguidamente saldrá la peana, portada a varal, del Cristo de la Cama. Lo

hará con un toque preparado para la ocasión por la Sección de Tambores de la

Hermandad de San Joaquín y Virgen de los Dolores. Una vez que nuestro Cristo de la

Cama este en la plaza sonara el Himno Nacional interpretado al órgano por Ignacio

Navarro Gil.

Finalizado el himno, se descubrirá una placa en cerámica de Muel, promovida por la

Asociación Cultural Redobles. Dicha placa será descubierta por el Ilmo. Sr. D.

Francisco Javier Lambán Montañés, o persona en quien en delegue, acompañado por

el Hermano Mayor de la Hermandad de la Sangre de Cristo. A la vez que se descubre

la placa, don José Antonio Armillas, Comisario del Bicentenario glosara brevemente

la figura de María Blánquez y lo que ella significo.

Finalizado este acto, dará comienzo en sí el desfile.

Por la calle Manifestación, calle Alfonso y calle Coso, nos dirigiremos a la plaza de

España, en donde se realiza el segundo acto del desfile. Este consiste en depositar dos

coronas de laurel. La primera en la placa que recuerda al Convento de San Francisco

y la segunda en el monumento a los Mártires.

La del Convento de San Francisco será portada por mujeres ataviadas con el traje

regional, en recuerdo y homenaje a María Blánquez. Entregada por don Francisco

Javier Lambán Montañés (o persona en quién delegue), le acompañaran el

Comandante Militar de Zaragoza, General Juan Pinto y el Hermano Mayor de la

Sangre de Cristo. La recibirán dos soldados del Batallón Pardos de Aragón.

La segunda corona, la entregara don Juan Alberto Belloch Julve (o persona en quién

delegue), acompañado también por el Comandante Militar y el Hermano Mayor,

siendo recibida por dos soldados del Batallón de Infantería Voluntarios de Aragón.

Durante este acto sonara en la plaza el Carillón de la Diputación Provincial con

marchas alusivas a los Sitios.

Finalizado el acto, continuaremos el desfile en dirección a la Plaza de la Seo por calle

don Jaime, calle Mayor, calle Dormer, calle Cisne y calle Cuellar.

En la plaza de la Seo se realiza el tercer y último acto. Consiste en una breve

alocución del General Pinto, Comandante Militar de Zaragoza y Teruel, en recuerdo

y homenaje del General Palafox. A Su conclusión, el Batallón de Infantería

Voluntarios de Aragón hará una descarga de fusilería.

Ya para finalizar, nos encaminaremos a la plaza del Pilar, finalizando el desfile,

alrededor de las 20´30 horas, con la entrada del Cristo de la Cama en la Basílica, en

donde permanecerá hasta el miércoles 25 de febrero.

Finalizado el desfile y por lo tanto el traslado, la Hermandad de la Sangre de Cristo

realizara una ofrenda a la Virgen del Pilar.

La Hermandad de la Sangre de Cristo, con el fin de dar mayor realce a este

acontecimiento histórico, ha invitado a participar a todos aquellos Ayuntamientos e

Instituciones galardonados con la Medalla del Bicentenario “Defensor de Zaragoza”,

distinción que también ha obtenido la propia Hermandad. Han confirmado su

asistencia una representación de los Ayuntamientos de Alcañiz, Barbastro, Calatayud,

Cariñena, Chelva, Huesca, Jaca, monzón y Valencia. También han confirmado su

participación los Artilleros de Aragón, Batallón Pardos de Aragón, Batallón de

Infantería Ligera Voluntarios de Aragón, la Asociación Cultural Royo del Rabal

(ronda y escenificación de personajes históricos de la época), la Asociación Cultural

Los Sitios (personajes históricos de la época), la Hermandad de San Juan de la Peña,

la Cofradía del Santo Sepulcro, la Hermandad del santo Refugio, la Real Ilustre

Congregación de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad de Madrid y la Real Maestranza de

Caballería.

La parte musical durante el desfile correrá a cargo de la Banda de Guerra de la

Brigada de Caballería Castillejos II, de la Banda Música de la Academia General

Militar y la Ronda de jotas de la Asociación Cultural el Rabal. Durante el desfile y

con el fin de que los peaneros lleven el ritmo adecuado, les acompaña un piquete de

diez instrumentos, cuyos miembros son de la cofradía de la Institución de la Sagrada

Eucaristía, que lo harán sin los distintivos propios de la Cofradía.

Cabe destacar el estreno de una marcha procesional en las calles de Zaragoza. La

primera y ultima pieza que interprete la Banda de Música será la Marcha al Cristo de

la Cama, cuyo autor es don Abel Moreno y que fue donada a la Hermandad por la

Asociación para el Estudio de la Semana Santa.

Ernesto Millán Lázaro

Hermano Mayor

Hermandad Sangre de Cristo

Joel Parkinson Leads ASP Top Stars in Assault on Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Round 1

 

BELLS BEACH, Victoria/Australia (Wednesday, April 20, 2011) – Today marks the commencement of the 50th Anniversary of competition surfing at Bells Beach as Round 1 of the 2011 Rip Curl Pro Bells presented by Ford Ranger got underway in clean four-to-six foot (1.5 - 2 metre) surf.

 

The Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, the second stop on the 2011 ASP World Title season, enjoyed consistent surf throughout the day as the world’s best surfers unleashed a barrage of high-performance ripping on the classic canvas of Bells Beach.

 

Joel Parkinson (AUS), 30, 2009 Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach Champion put in a sensational performance this afternoon, electing to sit up at Rincon to secure the day’s highest scores.. Parkinson locked in the highest wave score and the highest heat score of the opening day of competition scoring 17.74 (out of a possible 20.00) to advance directly through to Round 3 of competition.

 

"I fell off twice on the bowl," Parkinson said. "It was really hard to ride. Then CJ (Hobgood) went across to Rincon and got a score, so we followed him over and it worked out for me. It's great to get that opening heat win, especially at Bells. You never know what conditions you're going to get in a heat, so to be able to skip round two and maybe get a day off is a huge advantage."

 

Kelly Slater (USA), 39, reigning 10-time ASP World Champion and defending event winner, was clinical in his attack in his Round 1 heat. Slater had his fellow competitors Adam Robertson (AUS), 28, and Kai Otton (AUS), 31, on the ropes only minutes into the heat, scoring an impressive 16.00 (out of a possible 20.00) on his opening two rides.

 

"I don't free surf out at Bells a whole lot," Slater said. "When the waves are good the comp is on and outside of that it's pretty crowded. So I'm still learning with each heat out there still, surfing against a guy like Robbo (Adam Robertson) you've got to watch where he's sitting, how far our and how deep."

 

Mick Fanning (AUS), 29, currently equal 13th in the hunt for the 2011 ASP World Title, went into today’s competition with renewed vigor after a shock early exit at the last event on the Gold Coast. The past two-time ASP World Champion came out and dominated his Round 1 battle over Tiago Pires (PRT), 31, and Gabriel Medina (BRA), 17.

 

"I'm stoked to get a good start," Fanning said. "It's been 10 years since I won here as I wildcard, I got close last year but Kelly Slater got me in the final. You want to win every event, but being the 50th Anniversary and so much history at this event, it's like the Wimbeldon of surfing, it's a hard one to win but it's the one everyone wants."

 

Alejo Muniz (BRA), 21, led today’s rookie charge, continuing his sensational run after the and equal 5th on the Gold Coast, and dispatching of fellow Brazilian Ranoi Monterio (BRA), 28, and Australian Adrian Buchan (AUS), 28 in this morning’s opening round heat.

 

"It's so good out there!" Muniz said. "This is my first time surfing at Bells and it's the most amazing place. It's got perfect rights, and it's the kind of wave that I love to surf. It's the best place ever, best waves, best weather and I love surfing in wetsuits."

 

Jeremy Flores (FRA), 22, bounced back after missing the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast with a knee injury, to score a comprehensive win over Taylor Knox (USA), 39, and Cory Lopez (USA), 34.

 

"I wasn't very confident before the heat," Flores said. "But I got that first wave and did a big turn at the end and got a good score. I think that's what you need to do these days, finish the wave strong. My knee still isn't 100%, but I went for it and it's good to win. Big thanks to everyone at the Gold Coast Suns Football Club for helping with my knee, it's feeling much better now."

 

Stu Kennedy (AUS), 21, scored a last minute wildcard into the event and caused the upset of the day, eliminating 2010 ASP World Title runner-up Jordy Smith (ZAF), 23, and Dusty Payne (HAW), 22.

 

"I've been coming here for years," Kennedy said. "I won a Pro Junior here in 2008 and I know where to sit. I don't think Dusty and Jordy know the break as well as I do so that helps. I've been up since 3am because I'm jet-lagged from coming home from Scotland. I woke up with a bunch of energy it's my shaper's birthday so I woke him up at 5am to go surfing. I had to win my heat for him for his birthday."

 

When men’s competition resumes, up first will be 2010 ASP World Runner-Up Jordy Smith (ZAF), 23, up against Trials Winner Adam Robertson (AUS), 28, in the opening heat of Round 2.

 

Following the completion of the men’s Round 1 today, the ASP Top 17 hit the water for Round 1 of the Rip Curl Women’s Pro Bells Beach presented by Ford Fiesta.

 

Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 23, reigning four-time ASP Women’s World Champion and defending three-time Rip Curl Women’s Bells Beach winner, returned to her winning ways today, after bowing out early at the last event, the Roxy Pro Gold Coast.

 

"My first two years on tour I didn't have great results on the Gold Coast," Gilmore said. "I always bounced back at this event and then finished the year well, so hopefully I'll do that again this year. The Gold Coast was a fine showing of what women's surfing is up to now and everyone has to try and keep up. It really pushes me and I think anyone who wins an event from now on will be a very deserving winner because of that fact."

 

Pauline Ado (FRA), 19, the French rookie caused the upset of the women's event, defeating current ASP World Title front runner Carissa Moore (HAW), 18, in a nail biter of a heat.

 

"I'm really happy, I had a lot of fun out there," Ado said "I got one of my good waves in the first few seconds so after that I felt confident and knew I could be more selective and wait for the right wave. A heat against Carissa is always a tough one, so I'm really stoked to win."

 

When women’s competition resumes, up first will be Paige Hareb (NZL) and Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS) in the opening heat of Round 2.

 

Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 7am to assess conditions for a possible 7:30am start.

 

Highlights from the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach presented by FORD will be webcast available via www.live.ripcurl.com and broadcast live on Fuel TV in Australia and ESPN in Brazil.

 

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

  

RIP CURL PRO BELLS BEACH ROUND 1 RESULTS:

Heat 1: Alejo Muniz (BRA) 13.23, Adrian Buchan (AUS) 11.26, Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 7.37

Heat 2: Adam Melling (AUS) 14.50, Josh Kerr (AUS) 12.30, Taj Burrow (AUS) 11.00

Heat 3: Heitor Alves (BRA) 14.36, Bobby Martinez (USA) 14.14, Owen Wright (AUS) 10.60

Heat 4: Mick Fanning (AUS) 15.60, Tiago Pires (PRT) 11.07, Gabriel Medina (BRA) 9.27

Heat 5: Stu Kennedy (AUS) 11.70, Dusty Payne (HAW) 10.50, Jordy Smith (ZAF) 9.00

Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA) 16.00, Kai Otton (AUS) 10.13, Adam Robertson (AUS) 8.53

Heat 7: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 13.17, Cory Lopez (USA) 5.83, Taylor Knox (USA) 4.67

Heat 8: Michel Bourez (PYF) 12.60, Kieren Perrow (AUS) 10.20, Gabe Kling (USA) 3.50

Heat 9: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 14.60, Damien Hobgood (USA) 11.23, Daniel Ross (AUS) 11.07

Heat 10: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 17.74, C.J. Hobgood (USA) 11.44, Bede Durbidge (AUS) 8.17

Heat 11: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 14.60, Chris Davidson (AUS) 10.83, Julian Wilson (AUS) 9.83

Heat 12: Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 13.40, Jadson Andre (BRA) 9.43, Brett Simpson (USA) 8.93

 

RIP CURL PRO BELLS BEACH ROUND 2 MATCH-UPS:

Heat 1: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. Adam Robertson (AUS)

Heat 2: Owen Wright (AUS) vs. Gabriel Medina (BRA)

Heat 3: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. Bobby Martinez (USA)

Heat 4: Adrian Buchan (AUS) vs. Josh Kerr (AUS)

Heat 5: Damien Hobgood (USA) vs. Raoni Monteiro (BRA)

Heat 6: Bede Durbidge (AUS) vs. Cory Lopez (USA)

Heat 7: Brett Simpson (USA) vs. Gabe Kling (USA)

Heat 8: Jadson Andre (BRA) vs. Daniel Ross (AUS)

Heat 9: Chris Davidson (AUS) vs. Julian Wilson (AUS)

Heat 10: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. Kai Otton (AUS)

Heat 11: Kieren Perrow (AUS) vs. Dusty Payne (HAW)

Heat 12: Taylor Knox (USA) vs. Tiago Pires (PRT)

 

RIP CURL WOMEN’S PRO BELLS BEACH ROUND 1 RESULTS:

Heat 1: Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 12.93, Chelsea Hedges (AUS) 8.70, Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS) 8.66

Heat 2: Silvana Lima (BRA) 14.94, Laura Enever (AUS) 8.84, Melanie Bartels (HAW) 7.54

Heat 3: Pauline Ado (HAW) 14.60, Carissa Moore (HAW) 14.44, Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 10.63

Heat 4: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 16.30, Courtney Conlogue (USA) 9.00, Bethany Hamilton (HAW) 6.50

Heat 5: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 16.10, Alana Blanchard (HAW) 12.83 Paige Hareb (NZL) 7.47

Heat 6: Coco Ho (HAW) 12.90, Tyler Wright (AUS) 12.00, Pauline Ado (FRA) 6.37

 

RIP CURL WOMEN’S PRO BELLS BEACH ROUND 2 MATCH-UPS:

Heat 1: Paige Hareb (NZL) vs. Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS)

Heat 2: Laura Enever (AUS) vs. Melanie Bartels (HAW)

Heat 3: Carissa Moore (HAW) vs. Nikki Van Dijk (AUS)

Heat 4: Chelsea Hedges (AUS) vs. Bethany Hamilton (HAW)

Heat 5: Tyler Wright (AUS) vs. Alana Blanchard (HAW)

Heat 6: Courtney Conlogue (USA) vs. Rebecca Woods (AUS)

 

Photo ASP/Scholtz

"IMAGINE PEACE (Maps)" (2003/2007)

by Yoko Ono

maps, rubber stamps, badges

maps: variable dimensions

rubber stamps: 2 3/4 x 3 3/4 x 7/8 inches

badges: 1 3/8 inches diameter

  

" IMAGINE PEACE

 

Yoko Ono, among the earliest of artists working in the genre known

Conceptual Arts, has consistently employed the theme of peace

and used the medium of advertising in her work since the early 1960s.

Yoko Ono Imagine Peace Featuring John & Yoko's Year of Peace

explores these aspects of her work over the course of more than

forty years.

 

Three recent pieces - Imagine Peace (Map) (2003/2007); Onochord

(2003/2007); and Imagine Peace Tower (2006/2007) - offer gallery

visitors to an opportunity to participate individually and collectively

with the artist in the realization of work. Consider the world with

fresh eyes as you stamp the phrase "Imagine Peace" on the location

of your choice on maps provided for this purpose. Using postcards

provided send your wishes to the Imagine Peace

Tower in Reykjavik, where they will shine on with eternally more than

900,000 others. Or beam the message "I Love You" to one and all

using the Onochord flashlights. Take a flashlight and an Imagine

Peace button, the artist's gift to you, and carry the message out into the

world. As Ono has often observed, "the dream you dream alone is

just the dream, but the dream we dream together is reality."

 

The exhibition continues in nine locations with Imagine

Peace/Imaginate La Paz billboards across the San Antonio region.

 

YOKO ONO IMAGINE PEACE Featuring John & Yoko's Year of Peace is made

possible by the generosity by Bjom's Audio Video-Home Theater, Colleen

Casey and Tim Maloney, Clear Channel Outdoor, Rick Liberto, Smothers

Foundation, and Twin Sisters Bakery & Cafe. "

   

" John & Yoko's Year of Peace (1969 - 70)

 

Ono's Imagine Peace project carries conceptual and formal

strategies the artist had employer from the earliest years of her

career, not only in her seminal solo works, but in her collaborations

with John Lennon. In 1965, she created works specifically for the

advertising pages of The New York Arts Calendar. Picking up from

her Instructions for Paintings, a 1962 exhibition at Tokyo's Sogetsu Art

Center in which she exhibited written texts on the gallery walls

designed to inspire viewers to create the described images in their

minds, Ono created purely conceptual exhibitions with her

Is Real Gallery works.

 

The theme of peace is also evident in works sush as White Chess Set,

recreated here as Play It By Trust (Garden Set version) (1966/2007).

Lennon's songwriting during this period had shifted from more

conventional themes of romantic love to grander anthems for the

Flower Power generation. The Baetles' worldwide satellite broadcast

of Lennon's "All You Need Is Love" in the summer of 1967 featured a

parade of signs with the word "love" in multiple languages.

 

The couple's most famous collaborative works, the Bed-Ins (1969)

and the War Is Over! campaign (1969 - 1970), were conceived as

elements of a large peace advertising campaign. The Bed-Ins took

advantage of the inordinate amount of press attention the couple

received by inviting the world press to their honeymoon suite where

they talked about peace! Ono told Penthouse magazine's Charles

Childs: "Many other people who are rich are using their money for

something they want. They promote soap, use advertising

propaganda, what have you. We intend to do the same."

 

In December of 1969, they launched their War Is Over! campaign, a

project that included billboards and posters in 11 cities of the world

simply declaring "War Is Over! If You Want It. Happy Christmas from

John & Yoko." As with Ono's earliest instruction pieces, viewers were

invited to transform their dreams into reality. Ono has explained,

"All my work is a form of wishing." "

   

YOKO ONO: IMAGINE PEACE Featuring John & Yoko's Year of Peace

September 26th - October 28th, 2007

UTSA Art Gallery / Department of Art and Art History

The University of Texas at San Antonio

  

El io-io és una joguina consistent en un disc de fusta, plàstic

 

o altres materials, amb una ranura profunda al centre de tota la

 

vora, al voltant de la que s'hi enrotlla un cordó, un fil o un

 

cordill prim que, lligat a un dit serveix per a fer pujar i

 

baixar el disc alternativament. Es maneja el disc mitjançant

 

sacsejades cap amunt i cap avall i cal un cert aprenentatge i

 

habilitat per a fer-ho durant estones llargues.

Mès a

ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yo-yo

 

The yo-yo in its simplest form is an object consisting of an

 

axle connected to two disks, and a length of twine looped around

 

the axle, similar to a slender spool. It is played by holding

 

the free end of the string (usually by inserting one finger in a

 

slip knot) allowing gravity or the force of a throw to spin the

 

yo-yo and unwind the string (similar to how a pullstring works),

 

then allowing the yo-yo to wind itself back to one's hand,

 

exploiting its spin (and the associated rotational energy).

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yo-yo

 

El yo-yo es un juguete formado por un disco de madera, de

 

plástico o de otros materiales con una ranura profunda en el

 

centro de todo el borde, alrededor de la cual se enrolla un

 

cordón que, anudado a un dedo se hace subir y bajar

 

alternativamente. Se maneja el disco mediante sacudidas hacia

 

arriba y hacia abajo.

 

es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yo-yo

The National Wallace Monument commemorates Sir William Wallace. He was one of the very few who consistently opposed the efforts of King Edward I of England to impose his will, and ultimately his supremacy, over Scotland and the Scots in the years around 1300.

 

The Wallace, as he is often known, is one of the most powerful, most evocative, and most well recognised figures from Scottish history. It is a fair bet that today his name is better known worldwide than most, if not all, of Scotland's monarchs.

 

Yet he was never a king; his notable deeds took place over a very short period of time, part of which he actually spent in France; he fought just two major battles and emerged with a score of won one and lost one, and in the end he was betrayed and executed.

 

There's a contradiction here. Behind it lies the stunningly good press that William Wallace has received over the centuries. Most notably, the bard Blind Harry wrote an epic 1470 poem, The Acts and Deeds of Sir William Wallace, Knight of Elderslie. This introduced the story of Wallace as the heroic figure we now all know, at times without too much regard for the actual historical facts.

 

But it was not Blind Harry who brought Wallace's story to the attention of a worldwide audience, it was Mel Gibson. His 1995 film Braveheart added another layer of artistic license to the one already applied by Blind Harry. The result has been criticised for its lack of historical accuracy. But critics of what is, without doubt, a superbly entertaining and enormously popular film, miss the point. The point is that the historical accuracy of the film doesn't really matter, just as the historical accuracy of Blind Harry's poem didn't really matter. People believe what they want to believe, and for a nation in search of national heroes, William Wallace fitted the bill perfectly: and still does.

 

But let's wind the story back to the mid-1800s. Scotland, with more than a little help from Sir Walter Scott, was going through an earlier phase of the rediscovery of its sense of national pride and identity after a period during which for many it had become "North Britain". Blind Harry's William Wallace was a perfect focus for the celebration of this new sense of identity and as a result statues of him and monuments to him began to spring up all over the country, with more than 20 being built in all.

 

But many wanted a national monument to William Wallace that could be venerated by everyone in Scotland. Funds were raised from the public, and a competition was launched for a design for the monument after an initial proposal was deemed too anti-English (of a Scottish lion in the act of killing a mythical English creature). 106 entries were submitted and the design that was selected was by the Scots Baronial architect J.T. Rochead.

 

His approach was to marry together two uniquely Scottish features. He took the traditional design of a Scottish tower house castle, complete with an external stair turret, and stretched it vertically. Then he added to the top a stone crown spire, of the sort seen atop the towers of St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh and King's College in Aberdeen.

 

The question of location had been decided some years earlier. Both Edinburgh and Glasgow wanted to be home to the monument, and Stirling was chosen mainly because it could be seen as neutral territory. Having decided on Stirling, the choice of the rocky outcrop of Abbey Craig was an obvious one for the monument, for three main reasons. Firstly, if you are going to build a monument intended to make a statement, putting it on top of a high outcrop of rock allows it to make the biggest statement possible. Secondly, Abbey Craig could be quarried to provide the stone needed to build the monument.

 

The third reason for the location was that Abbey Craig overlooks the site of William Wallace's most notable victory over the English, the Battle of Stirling Bridge, which took place on 11 September 1297. This was fought around the original wooden bridge over the River Forth at Stirling, in the shadow of Stirling Castle and just below Abbey Craig. The original bridge lay a short distance upstream from the stone bridge known today as Old Stirling Bridge. The Scots attacked from the Abbey Craig when the English were half deployed across the bridge and won an overwhelming victory. After the battle, Wallace was knighted by an unnamed Earl and became Sir William Wallace "Guardian of the Kingdom of Scotland and leader of its armies." His co-leader, Andrew Murray fared less well, dying some time later from wounds received during the battle. Wallace followed up the victory by leading the Scots into Northumberland and Cumbria, retreating only when the weather became too bad to continue the campaign.

 

The true historical significance of the Battle of Stirling Bridge is debatable. The English returned to Scotland in early 1298, trying to draw Wallace into open battle. This eventually happened at the Battle of Falkirk, on 22 July 1298. Defeat there was the beginning of the end for Wallace who was eventually executed in London on 23 August 1305. But as we've already said, none of this is really about history: the myth of Wallace has a life of its own that remains hugely influential.

 

The National Wallace Monument you see today was completed in 1869 after eight years' construction. It stands some 220ft or 67m high, and Abbey Craig adds a further 300ft or 91m, meaning that the top of the monument stands 520ft above the (tidal) River Forth below.

 

  

" IMAGINE PEACE

 

Yoko Ono, among the earliest of artists working in the genre known

Conceptual Arts, has consistently employed the theme of peace

and used the medium of advertising in her work since the early 1960s.

Yoko Ono Imagine Peace Featuring John & Yoko's Year of Peace

explores these aspects of her work over the course of more than

forty years.

 

Three recent pieces - Imagine Peace (Map) (2003/2007); Onochord

(2003/2007); and Imagine Peace Tower (2006/2007) - offer gallery

visitors to an opportunity to participate individually and collectively

with the artist in the realization of work. Consider the world with

fresh eyes as you stamp the phrase "Imagine Peace" on the location

of your choice on maps provided for this purpose. Using postcards

provided send your wishes to the Imagine Peace

Tower in Reykjavik, where they will shine on with eternally more than

900,000 others. Or beam the message "I Love You" to one and all

using the Onochord flashlights. Take a flashlight and an Imagine

Peace button, the artist's gift to you, and carry the message out into the

world. As Ono has often observed, "the dream you dream alone is

just the dream, but the dream we dream together is reality."

 

The exhibition continues in nine locations with Imagine

Peace/Imaginate La Paz billboards across the San Antonio region.

 

YOKO ONO IMAGINE PEACE Featuring John & Yoko's Year of Peace is made

possible by the generosity by Bjom's Audio Video-Home Theater, Colleen

Casey and Tim Maloney, Clear Channel Outdoor, Rick Liberto, Smothers

Foundation, and Twin Sisters Bakery & Cafe. "

   

" John & Yoko's Year of Peace (1969 - 70)

 

Ono's Imagine Peace project carries conceptual and formal

strategies the artist had employer from the earliest years of her

career, not only in her seminal solo works, but in her collaborations

with John Lennon. In 1965, she created works specifically for the

advertising pages of The New York Arts Calendar. Picking up from

her Instructions for Paintings, a 1962 exhibition at Tokyo's Sogetsu Art

Center in which she exhibited written texts on the gallery walls

designed to inspire viewers to create the described images in their

minds, Ono created purely conceptual exhibitions with her

Is Real Gallery works.

 

The theme of peace is also evident in works sush as White Chess Set,

recreated here as Play It By Trust (Garden Set version) (1966/2007).

Lennon's songwriting during this period had shifted from more

conventional themes of romantic love to grander anthems for the

Flower Power generation. The Baetles' worldwide satellite broadcast

of Lennon's "All You Need Is Love" in the summer of 1967 featured a

parade of signs with the word "love" in multiple languages.

 

The couple's most famous collaborative works, the Bed-Ins (1969)

and the War Is Over! campaign (1969 - 1970), were conceived as

elements of a large peace advertising campaign. The Bed-Ins took

advantage of the inordinate amount of press attention the couple

received by inviting the world press to their honeymoon suite where

they talked about peace! Ono told Penthouse magazine's Charles

Childs: "Many other people who are rich are using their money for

something they want. They promote soap, use advertising

propaganda, what have you. We intend to do the same."

 

In December of 1969, they launched their War Is Over! campaign, a

project that included billboards and posters in 11 cities of the world

simply declaring "War Is Over! If You Want It. Happy Christmas from

John & Yoko." As with Ono's earliest instruction pieces, viewers were

invited to transform their dreams into reality. Ono has explained,

"All my work is a form of wishing." "

   

YOKO ONO: IMAGINE PEACE Featuring John & Yoko's Year of Peace

September 26th - October 28th, 2007

UTSA Art Gallery / Department of Art and Art History

The University of Texas at San Antonio

  

Francavilla di Sicilia is a town and comune in the Province of Messina on the island of Sicily, Italy.It has a population of about 4,000 people and is situated in the southern part of the province, close to the northern slopes of Mount Etna. The distance to Messina is about 50 km, and the town is about 70 km away from Catania airport. It is located in the valley of the River Alcantara between Taormina and Randazzo. Taormina and the Mediterranean Sea are about 15 km to the south-east. Neighboring towns and villages include: Antillo, Castiglione di Sicilia, Fondachelli-Fantina, Malvagna, Montalbano Elicona, Motta Camastra, Novara di Sicilia and Tripi.

 

Francavilla di Sicilia è un comune italiano di 4.065 abitanti della provincia di Messina in Sicilia.È situata al centro della Valle dell'Alcantara, a nord dell'Etna, sulla riva sinistra del fiume Alcantara. Il suo territorio è solcato dal fiume San Paolo e dal torrente Zavianni, ambedue affluenti dell'Alcantara.L'antico abitato, ancora anonimo, si rivela importante e assai consistente e data anteriormente al VII secolo a.C., era in cui forte fu l'impronta dell'espansionismo ellenistico. Tuttavia una forte presenza di complessi megalitici legati ai culti della fertilità, e soprattutto a quelli della Dea Madre (culto fortemente rappresentato dai reperti archeologici del VI sec. in poi- nella vasta area Piano di Marco/Via don Nino Russotti- i cui legami con Demetra e Kore sono inequivocabili, secondo gli studiosi), e disposti secondo precisi allineamenti, multiformi nell'aspetto e dalle forti impronte antropozoomorfe (con molti riferimenti ai rettili e alle divinità ctonie, al corredo di animali propri della dea Afrodite, arieti in particolare), rivelano essere sentinelle di peculiari percorsi che tracciano le grandi vie di comunicazione, sacre in quanto tali, di un'antichità tanto lontana quanto ancora ignota, ma che riserva quasi quotidianamente scoperte che destano tanta meraviglia quanti sono gli interrogativi che pongono. Disposti secondo mappe celesti che, spesso, le stesse pietre riportano sotto forma di fori allineati secondo varie figure e cerchi, rivelano la presenza di una civiltà ignota ma sicuramente evoluta. Non è difficile- ecco una traccia a nostro favore- collegarli con simili complessi megalitici sparsi un po' in tutto il mondo, ma possiamo forse datarli ad un'era anteriore alla stessa Stonehenge e ai complessi megalitici del nord Europa, per via delle loro forme e le gigantesche dimensioni. L'argomento è oggetto di attenti studi. L' antico nome di età greca fu presumibilmente Camastra, da cui la denominazione di Motta col predicato Camastra già in età medievale. Riporta Vito Amico che fu distrutta da Camestrio, generale di Gelone di Siracusa, ma possiamo affiancare a questa interpretazione del nome Camastra una forte assonanza con la Dea Madre-Amastris (Demetra, Demether per i Greci) che fu la divinità principale anche per i Fenici (Astarte). Un legame, ancorché sottile, lega i culti della Dea Madre ad un toponimo di probabile derivazione fenicia, presente tuttora nel taorminese con una contrada, Mastrissa, che insiste in un territorio caratterizzato da forte attinenza con la dea Venere romana e con Santa Venera cristiana. Mentre a Francavilla, sul monte Cucco/Orgala, prospiciente l'abitato, una contrada viene ancor oggi denominata " "a Matraria", che assona con "Demetra" secondo la pronuncia dialettale, oltre alla contrada 'san Dimitri' (san Demetrio) nei pressi di Rocca Badia, altro sito ad alta intensità megalitica, per non parlare, inoltre, della contrada santa Venera, disseminata di allineamenti litici visibili e ben concentrati secondo precise convergenze dal fiume s. Paolo alla vetta del colle omonimo.Francavilla medievale sorge tra il 1000 ed 1100. I primi dati storici non sono legati alla figura di San Cremete, un eremita che, durante la dominazione araba, viveva sulla piattaforma rocciosa nella zona chiamata Placa (o "A Badiazza") e che si trova nei pressi del bivio Novara - Mojo, come certa storiografia dei secoli scorsi ha perpetuato, ma già dal IX sec. si accenna all'abitato retto in campo religioso da un protopapa di rito greco. Sull'Abbazia del san Salvatore della Placa troviamo notizie in una pergamena che fa del 1100, nella quale si accenna a Clemente abate e non ancora santo all'epoca.La memoria popolare riporta che quando il conte Ruggero d'Altavilla passò in questa zona con il suo seguito, Cremete, o Clemente, secondo la denominazione latina, gli chiese un aiuto per costruire un Monastero sulla rocca dove egli conduceva la sua vita solitaria. Il conte Ruggero acconsentì e tra il 1090 ed il 1100 fu restaurato il già all'epoca "antico" Monastero di S. Salvatore di Placa dove si stabilirono i monaci dell'ordine basiliano.Intorno ad esso si formeranno poi degli agglomerati di case. In un primo momento si trattava solo di insediamenti di gruppi di contadini che lavoravano per i monaci in quanto, si racconta che Ruggero avesse stabilito che fossero proprietà del Convento tutte le terre che si vedevano dall'altura su cui esso era posto. Vedi Privilegio di Ruggero del quale esistono due versioni ufficiali e una locale corrotta (certamente artatamente) nella traduzione latina.Il castello è coevo al restauro o alla ricostruzione dell'abbazia del San Salvatore della Placa e sorse qualche decennio più tardi perché esistente come possibile acropoli dell'ancora anonima importantissima città sicula che fu Francavilla e come kastron in epoca bizantina. Sorge ancora sotto forma di ruderi su una collina distante 3 km in linea d'aria dalla Placa ed è in posizione strategica. Costituisce il centro della Valle dell'Alcantara ed è protetto e difeso dai castelli di Castiglione di Sicilia, Motta (la Mocta di la Placa), il forte della Placa (cioè la stessa abbazia col suo presidio militare). Vero è che restauri ed interventi siano stati effettuati sotto Guglielmo I D'Altavilla "il Malo" (1120 - 1166); per altri invece esso venne edificato sotto il regno di Guglielmo II detto il "Buono" (1153 - 1189), figlio del precedente. Il castello, maestoso come doveva essere nella sua integrità ed imprendibile (forse difeso da una tripla cinta muraria), pur essendo stato nei secoli teatro della storia non solo locale ma dell'intera Sicilia non è citato tra i castelli di Sicilia. Due chiese ne presidiavano i versanti Est ed Ovest, la chiesa di San Teodoro e la chiesa di San Giorgio.Oggi l'antico Castello feudale è ridotto ad un cumulo di macerie. Le pietre sono saldate con calce malfitana molto usata dagli antichi e di cui esiste ancora una cava nel territorio di Francavilla di Sicilia. Dal lato Est, i ruderi sono rappresentati da grosse ed alte mura, che svettano monumentali sul ciglione sovrastante la ripida parete del colle. Resta inoltre la saldatura muraria tra la linea del ciglione e l'alta muratura. Tra i ruderi della divisione interna; in un cortile, si trovano gli avanzi di una grande cisterna che doveva essere di primaria utilità per i presidiatori del luogo.

 

Font : Wikipedia

"Betty White's passion regarding Cecil comes from her heart.

I have had the privilege of working and observing Betty's veracity as an animal activist. Go Get him Betty! What this dentist did is unconscionable and barbarous." Kathleen Checki

  

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Betty White, a passionate animal activist, has harsh words for the Minnesota dentist who killed Cecil the lion while on a hunting trip in Zimbabwe this month.

  

"You don't want to hear some of the things I want to do to that man," the 93-year-old actress told The Associated Press on Thursday.

  

"It's such a heartbreaker. You can't even talk about it, and to see this king of the jungle and personifying it in every way, this gorgeous creature. How can somebody do that?"

  

Cecil was drawn from a wildlife preserve and shot by American hunter Walter James Palmer on July 1. Palmer is believed to have shot the lion with a bow and then the wounded cat was tracked for 40 hours before he killed it with a gun.

  

Palmer released a statement this week through a publicist saying he was with professional guides and believed the hunt was legal. The firm is no longer helping Palmer.

  

White, who said she's "loved animals since the womb," was promoting a new block of programming in August on Discovery Family Channel called "Pawgust," with shows, specials and movies about animals. White will serve as the host of "Pawgust," and be featured in promos.

  

"Anything that promotes positive animal knowledge or talk I'm all for," said White of her involvement.

 

"-Kathleen Checki."

"-Simply Consistent."

"-Checki."

"-Simply Consistent Management."

"-Betty White."

AirDrain Drainage SynLawn Chesapeake Bay Courtyard Install

 

Installing the AirField System results in a more stable surface area and a more consistent GMAX across the project. AirDrain’s delivers a 14.7% reduction on cement and a 19% reduction on an aggregate base in GMAX. And that reduction and consistency will stay for the life of the field with AirDrain.

 

The result is a more stable surface area all but eliminating infill migration and inconsistent GMAX across the entire field, (which can drastically affect the safety of the players on project putting owners in an at risk liability scenario).

 

Unlike traditional shock pads / e-layer the AirDrain is 1″ high and has a 92% air void. This unmatched vertical and horizontal drainage all but eliminates standing water, even at a 1/2% slope.

 

No other product stacks and ships more compactly, reducing the number of trucks and the amount of fuel required to transport to a job site to 1 truck on a 95k sqft. project. Don’t forget shipping costs that goes to the bottom line ! AirDrain cant be beat!

 

There is a big difference between real world drainage on an installed project and some manufacturers claims of drainage per hour, where they run water through their product being held vertically in the air and claim drainage per hour. Remember you have to drain it vertically and them horizontally to the perimeter drains, that's drainage !

 

AirDrain drainage can’t be beat by anyone’s product period.

 

AirDrain’s strength and durability allow it to be used under multiple turf replacements on the project.

 

In a cost value and performance comparison there is only one choice, AirDrain!

.. o porque hasta lo más consistente necesita de anclajes..

 

para saber

Niagara Falls is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 48,671. It is adjacent to the Niagara River, across from the city of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and named after the famed Niagara Falls which they share. The city is within the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area and the Western New York region.

 

While the city was formerly inhabited by Native Americans, Europeans who migrated to the Niagara Falls in the mid-17th century began to open businesses and develop infrastructure. Later in the 18th and 19th centuries, scientists and businessmen began harnessing the power of the Niagara River for electricity and the city began to attract manufacturers and other businesses drawn by the promise of inexpensive hydroelectric power. After the 1960s, however, the city and region witnessed an economic decline, following an attempt at urban renewal under then Mayor Lackey. Consistent with the rest of the Rust Belt as industries left the city, old line affluent families relocated to nearby suburbs and out of town.

 

Despite the decline in heavy industry, Niagara Falls State Park and the downtown area closest to the falls continue to thrive as a result of tourism. The population, however, has continued to decline from a peak of 102,394 in the 1960s due to the loss of manufacturing jobs in the area.

 

Before Europeans entered the area, it was dominated by the Neutral Nation of Native Americans. European migration into the area began in the 17th century. The first recorded European to visit the area was Frenchman Robert de la Salle, who built Fort Conti at the mouth of the Niagara River early in 1679, with permission from the Iroquois, as a base for boatbuilding; his ship Le Griffon was built on the upper Niagara River at or near Cayuga Creek in the same year. He was accompanied by Belgian priest Louis Hennepin, who was the first known European to see the falls. The influx of newcomers may have been a catalyst for already hostile native tribes to turn to open warfare in competition for the fur trade.

 

The City of Niagara Falls was incorporated on March 17, 1892, from the villages of Manchester and Suspension Bridge, which were parts of the Town of Niagara. Thomas Vincent Welch, a member of the charter committee and a New York state assemblyman and a second-generation Irish American, persuaded Governor Roswell P. Flower to sign the bill on St. Patrick's Day. George W. Wright was elected the first mayor of Niagara Falls.

 

By the end of the 19th century, the city was heavily industrialized, due in part to the power potential offered by the Niagara River. Tourism was considered a secondary niche, while manufacturing of petrochemicals, abrasives, metallurgical products and other materials was the main producer of jobs and attracted a large number of workers, many of whom were immigrants.

 

Industry and tourism grew steadily throughout the first half of the 20th century due to a high demand for industrial products and the increased mobility of people to travel. Paper, rubber, plastics, petrochemicals, carbon insulators and abrasives were among the city's major industries. This prosperity would end by the late 1960s as aging industrial plants moved to less expensive locations. In addition, the falls were incompatible with modern shipping technology.[further explanation needed]

 

In 1956, the Schoellkopf Power Plant on the lower river just downstream of the American Falls was critically damaged by the collapse of the Niagara Gorge wall above it. This prompted the planning and construction of one of the largest hydroelectric plants to be built in North America to that time, generating a large influx of workers and families to the area. New York City urban planner Robert Moses built the new power plant in nearby Lewiston, New York. Much of the power generated there fueled growing demands for power in downstate New York and New York City.

 

The neighborhood of Love Canal gained national media attention in 1978 when toxic waste contamination from a chemical landfill beneath it forced United States President Jimmy Carter to declare a state of emergency, the first such presidential declaration made for a non-natural disaster. Hundreds of residents were evacuated from the area, many of whom were ill because of exposure to chemical waste.

 

After the Love Canal disaster, the city—which had already been declining in population for nearly two decades—experienced accelerated economic and political difficulties. The costs of manufacturing elsewhere had become less expensive, which led to the closure of several factories. The city's population eventually dropped by more than half of its peak, as workers fled the city in search of jobs elsewhere. Then, much like the nearby city of Buffalo, the city's economy plummeted when a failed urban renewal project destroyed Falls Street and the tourist district.

 

In 2001, the leadership of Laborers Local 91 was found guilty of extortion, racketeering and other crimes following an exposé by Mike Hudson of the Niagara Falls Reporter. Union boss Michael "Butch" Quarcini died before trial, while the rest of the union leadership was sentenced to prison.

 

In early 2010, former Niagara Falls Mayor Vincenzo Anello was indicted on federal charges of corruption, alleging the mayor accepted $40,000 in loans from a businessman who was later awarded a no-bid lease on city property. The charges were dropped as part of a plea deal after Anello pleaded guilty to unrelated charges of pension fraud, regarding a pension from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, of which he is a member. He was sentenced to 10 to 16 months in prison.

 

The city's decline received national exposure from Bloomberg Businessweek in 2010.

 

On November 30, 2010, the New York State Attorney General entered into an agreement with the city and its police department to create new policies to govern police practices in response to claims of excessive force and police misconduct. The city committed to create policies and procedures to prevent and respond to allegations of excessive force, and to ensure police are properly trained and complaints are properly investigated. Prior claims filed by residents will be evaluated by an independent panel.

 

In 2020, a public square named Cataract Commons opened on Old Falls Street. It is a public space for outdoor events and activities.

 

The city has multiple properties on the National Register of Historic Places. It also has three national historic districts, including Chilton Avenue-Orchard Parkway Historic District, Deveaux School Historic District and the Park Place Historic District.

 

Niagara Falls is at the international boundary between the United States and Canada. The city is within the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area and is approximately 16 miles (26 km) from Buffalo, New York.

 

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 16.8 square miles (44 km2), of which 14.1 square miles (37 km2) is land and 2.8 square miles (7.3 km2) (16.37%) is water. The city is built along the Niagara Falls and the Niagara Gorge, which is next to the Niagara River.

 

Niagara Falls has a humid continental climate (Dfa). The city experiences cold, snowy winters and hot, humid summers. Precipitation is moderate and consistent in all seasons, falling equally or more as snow during the winter. The city has snowier than average winters compared to most cities in the US, however less than many other cities in Upstate New York including nearby Buffalo and Rochester. Thaw cycles with temperatures above 32 °F (0 °C) are a common occurrence. The hottest and coldest temperatures recorded in the decade through 2015 were 97 °F (36 °C) in 2005 and −13 °F (−25 °C) in 2003, respectively. 38% of warm season precipitation falls in the form of a thunderstorm.

 

Buffalo Avenue – runs along the south end along the Niagara River once home to a vast number of old families with architecturally significant mansions; further east (past John Daly Boulevard) the street is surrounded by a number of industrial sites to 56th Street before returning to a residential area and ending at the Love Canal area at 102nd Street.

Central District

Deveaux – Located in the northwestern corner (west of the North End) along the Niagara River is residential area built in the 1920s to 1940s. Named for Judge Samuel DeVeaux who left his estate to be established as the Deveaux College for Orphans and Destitute Children in 1853 (closed 1971), now the site of DeVeaux Woods State Park and DeVeaux School Historical District.

Downtown – Area around the Falls and home to hotels including Seneca Niagara Resort Casino, Niagara Falls State Park, Niagara Falls Culinary Institute (formerly Rainbow Centre Factory Outlet)

East Side – the area bounded by the gorge on the west, Niagara Street on the south, Ontario Avenue on the North and Main Street (NY Rt 104) on the east.

Hyde Park – Located near the namesake Hyde Park next to Little Italy as well as home to Hyde Park Municipal Golf Course.

LaSalle – Bounded by 80th Street, Niagara Falls Boulevard, Cayuga Drive and LaSalle Expressway was built up in the 1940s to 1960s. Cayuga Island is linked to neighborhood. The actual neighborhood where the Love Canal was to be built.

Little Italy – home to a once predominately Italian community that runs along Pine Avenue from Main Street to Hyde Park Boulevard

Love Canal – Established in the 1950s on land acquired from Hooker Chemical Company. Most of the neighborhood was evacuated in the 1980s after toxic waste was discovered underground. Resettlement began in 1990.[24]

Niagara Street – residential area east of Downtown along Niagara Street (distinct from Niagara Ave.) once home to a predominately German and Polish community.

North End – runs along Highland Avenue in the north end of the city before it merges with Hyde Park Boulevard.

 

As of the census of 2010, there were 50,193 people, 22,603 households, and 12,495 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,987.7 people per square mile (1,153.5 per square km). There were 26,220 housing units at an average density of 1,560.7 per square mile (602.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 70.5% White, 21.6% African American, 1.9% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0% Pacific Islander, 0.8% from other races, and 3.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.0% of the population.

 

There were 22,603 households, out of which 23.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 29.8% were married couples living together, 19.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.7% were non-families. 38.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 4.02.

 

In the city, 22% of the population was under the age of 18, 10.1% aged from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 28.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.4 males.

 

The median income for a household in the city was $26,800, and the median income for a family was $34,377. Males had a median income of $31,672 versus $22,124 for females. 23% of the population was below the poverty line.

 

Niagara Falls has a number of places of worship, including the Salvation Army, First Assembly of God Church, First Unitarian Universalist Church of Niagara, St. Peter's Episcopal Church, First Presbyterian Church, St. Theresa Roman Catholic Church in Deveaux, and the Reform Jewish Temple Beth El. The Conservative Jewish Temple Beth Israel closed in 2012.

 

Niagara Falls has struggled with high rates of violent and property crime; FBI crime data indicate that the city has among the highest crime rates in New York state. In response to gun violence, volunteer groups such as Operation SNUG mobilized to promote positive community involvement in the troubled areas of the city.

 

Comptroller reported that Niagara Falls has "struggled through decades of population losses, rising crime and repeated attempts to reinvent itself from a manufacturing town with some tourism to a major tourist destination." The city became a boomtown with the opening of the New York State Power Authority's hydroelectric Niagara Power Plant in the 1960s; the cheap electricity produced by the plant generated power for a burgeoning manufacturing industry. Along with the rest of Western New York, Niagara Falls suffered a significant economic decline from a decline in industry by the 1970s. Today, the city struggles to compete with Niagara Falls, Ontario; the Canadian side has a greater average annual income, a higher average home price, and lower levels of vacant buildings and blight, as well as a more vibrant economy and better tourism infrastructure. The population of Niagara Falls, New York fell by half from the 1960s to 2012. In contrast, the population of Niagara Falls, Ontario more than tripled. In 2000, the city's median household income was 36% below the national average. In 2012, the city's unemployment rate was significantly higher than the statewide unemployment rate.

 

Significant sources of economic activity in the region includes the Niagara Falls International Airport, which was renovated in 2009; the Seneca Gaming Corporation's Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel, which opened in the 2000s respectively; and the nearby Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station.

 

In late 2001, the State of New York established the USA Niagara Development Corporation, a subsidiary to the State's economic development agency, to focus specifically on facilitating development in the downtown area. However, the organization has been criticized for making little progress and doing little to improve the city's economy.

 

From 1973 to 2002, the city had a Convention and Civic Center on 4th street. In 2002 the venue was converted into the Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel. In 2004, a new Niagara Falls Convention Center (NFCC) opened on Old Falls Street. The Old Falls Street venue has 116,000 square feet for exhibitions and meetings, and a 32,200-square-foot event/exhibit hall.

 

The city is home to the Niagara Falls State Park. The park has several attractions, including Cave of the Winds behind the Bridal Veil Falls, Maid of the Mist, a popular boat tour which operates at the foot of the Rainbow Bridge, Prospect Point and its observation tower, Niagara Discovery Center, Niagara Falls Underground Railroad Heritage Center, and the Aquarium of Niagara.

 

Several other attractions also near the river, including Whirlpool State Park, De Veaux Woods State Park, Earl W. Brydges Artpark State Park in nearby Lewiston (town), New York, and Fort Niagara State Park in Youngstown, New York.

 

Attractions in the downtown include the Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel and Pine Avenue which was historically home to a large Italian American population and is now known as Little Italy for its abundance of shops and quality restaurants.

 

The Niagara Power of the New York Collegiate Baseball League play at Sal Maglie Stadium. The team is owned by Niagara University. The Cataract City Wolverines of the Gridiron Developmental Football League are a minor league football team based in Niagara Falls. The team played their inaugural season in 2021.

 

In 2017, the Tier III junior North American 3 Hockey League team, the Lockport Express, relocated to Niagara Falls as the Niagara Falls PowerHawks.

 

Former sports teams based in Niagara Falls include the Class-A Niagara Falls Sox, the Class-A Niagara Falls Rapids, the Niagara Falls Lancers of the Midwest Football League, and the Western New York Thundersnow of the Premier Basketball League and American Basketball Association.

 

The City of Niagara Falls functions under a strong mayor-council form of government. The government consists of a mayor, a professional city administrator, and a city council. The current mayor is Robert Restaino.

 

The city council serves four-year, staggered terms, except in the case of a special election. It is headed by a chairperson, who votes in all items for council action.

 

On a state level, Niagara Falls is part of the 145th Assembly District of New York State, represented by Republican Angelo Morinello. Niagara Falls is also part of the 62nd Senate District of New York State, represented by Republican Robert Ortt.

 

On a national level, the city is part of New York's 26th congressional district and is represented by Congressman Brian Higgins. In the United States Senate, the city and the state are represented by senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.

 

Founded in 1892 Niagara Falls Police Department provide local law enforcement in the city with 155 sworn officers. This force is not to be mistaken for the Town of Niagara, New York which has a smaller force founded in 1954.

 

Residents are zoned to the Niagara Falls City School District. Niagara University and Niagara County Community College are the two colleges in Niagara County.

 

Since Niagara Falls is within the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area, the city's media is predominantly served by the city of Buffalo.

 

The city has two local newspapers, the Niagara Gazette, which is published daily except Tuesday and The Messenger Of Niagara Falls, NY which is published quarterly. The Messenger Of Niagara Falls, NY, which is officially Niagara Falls, New York's, first black-owned and operated news publication, founded October 2018. The Messenger Of Niagara Falls, NY published its inaugural issue April 2019. The Buffalo News is the closest major newspaper in the area. The city also is the home to a weekly tabloid known as the Niagara Falls Reporter.

 

Three radio stations are licensed to the city of Niagara Falls, including WHLD AM 1270, WEBR AM 1440, and WTOR AM 770.

 

Niagara Falls is primarily served by the Buffalo Niagara International Airport for regional and domestic flights within the United States. The recently expanded Niagara Falls International Airport serves the city, and many cross border travellers with flights to Myrtle Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Punta Gorda. Toronto's Pearson International Airport on the Canadian side is the closest airport offering long-haul international flights for the Niagara region.

 

The city is served by Amtrak's Maple Leaf and Empire train services, with regular stops at the Niagara Falls Station and Customhouse Interpretive Center at 825 Depot Ave West.

 

Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority is the public transit provider in the Buffalo metro area, with hubs at the Portage Road and Niagara Falls transportation centers.

 

Six New York State highways, one three-digit Interstate Highway, one expressway, one U.S. Highway, and one parkways pass through the city of Niagara Falls. New York State Route 31, New York State Route 104, and New York State Route 182 are east–west state roadways within the city, while New York State Route 61, New York State Route 265, and New York State Route 384 are north–south state roadways within the city. The LaSalle Expressway is an east–west highway which terminates near the eastern edge of Niagara Falls and begins in the nearby town of Wheatfield, New York. The Niagara Scenic Parkway is a north–south parkway that formerly ran through the city along the northern edge of the Niagara River. It remains in sections and terminates in Youngstown, New York.

 

Interstate 190, also referred to as the Niagara Expressway, is a north–south highway and a spur of Interstate 90 which borders the eastern end of the city. The highway enters the city from the town of Niagara and exits at the North Grand Island Bridge. U.S. Route 62, known as Niagara Falls Boulevard, Walnut Avenue, and Ferry Avenue, is signed as a north–south highway. U.S. Route 62 has an east–west orientation, and is partially split between two one-way streets within Niagara Falls. Walnut Avenue carries U.S. Route 62 west to its northern terminus at NY 104, and Ferry Avenue carries U.S. Route 62 east from downtown Niagara Falls. U.S. Route 62 Business, locally known as Pine Avenue, is an east–west route which parallels U.S. Route 62 to the south. Its western terminus is at NY 104, and its eastern terminus is at U.S. Route 62.

 

Two international bridges connect the city to Niagara Falls, Ontario. The Rainbow Bridge connects the two cities with passenger and pedestrian traffic and overlooks the Niagara Falls, while the Whirlpool Rapids Bridge, which formerly carried the Canadian National Railway, now serves local traffic and Amtrak's Maple Leaf service.

 

New York, sometimes called New York State, is a state in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders New Jersey and Pennsylvania to its south, New England and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec to its north, and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. With almost 19.6 million residents, it is the fourth-most populous state in the United States and eighth-most densely populated as of 2023. New York is the 27th-largest U.S. state by area, with a total area of 54,556 square miles (141,300 km2).

 

New York has a varied geography. The southeastern part of the state, known as Downstate, encompasses New York City, the most populous city in the United States, Long Island, the most populous island in the United States, and the lower Hudson Valley. These areas are the center of the New York metropolitan area, a sprawling urban landmass, and account for approximately two-thirds of the state's population. The much larger Upstate area spreads from the Great Lakes to Lake Champlain, and includes the Adirondack Mountains and the Catskill Mountains (part of the wider Appalachian Mountains). The east–west Mohawk River Valley bisects the more mountainous regions of Upstate, and flows into the north–south Hudson River valley near the state capital of Albany. Western New York, home to the cities of Buffalo and Rochester, is part of the Great Lakes region and borders Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. Central New York is anchored by the city of Syracuse; between the central and western parts of the state, New York is dominated by the Finger Lakes, a popular tourist destination. To the south, along the state border with Pennsylvania, the Southern Tier sits atop the Allegheny Plateau, representing the northernmost reaches of Appalachia.

 

New York was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that went on to form the United States. The area of present-day New York had been inhabited by tribes of the Algonquians and the Iroquois Confederacy Native Americans for several thousand years by the time the earliest Europeans arrived. Stemming from Henry Hudson's expedition in 1609, the Dutch established the multiethnic colony of New Netherland in 1621. England seized the colony from the Dutch in 1664, renaming it the Province of New York. During the American Revolutionary War, a group of colonists eventually succeeded in establishing independence, and the former colony was officially admitted into the United States in 1788. From the early 19th century, New York's development of its interior, beginning with the construction of the Erie Canal, gave it incomparable advantages over other regions of the United States. The state built its political, cultural, and economic ascendancy over the next century, earning it the nickname of the "Empire State." Although deindustrialization eroded a significant portion of the state's economy in the second half of the 20th century, New York in the 21st century continues to be considered as a global node of creativity and entrepreneurship, social tolerance, and environmental sustainability.

 

The state attracts visitors from all over the globe, with the highest count of any U.S. state in 2022. Many of its landmarks are well known, including four of the world's ten most-visited tourist attractions in 2013: Times Square, Central Park, Niagara Falls and Grand Central Terminal. New York is home to approximately 200 colleges and universities, including two Ivy League universities, Columbia University and Cornell University, and the expansive State University of New York, which is among the largest university systems in the nation. New York City is home to the headquarters of the United Nations, and it is sometimes described as the world's most important city, the cultural, financial, and media epicenter, and the capital of the world.

 

The history of New York begins around 10,000 B.C. when the first people arrived. By 1100 A.D. two main cultures had become dominant as the Iroquoian and Algonquian developed. European discovery of New York was led by the Italian Giovanni da Verrazzano in 1524 followed by the first land claim in 1609 by the Dutch. As part of New Netherland, the colony was important in the fur trade and eventually became an agricultural resource thanks to the patroon system. In 1626, the Dutch thought they had bought the island of Manhattan from Native Americans.[1] In 1664, England renamed the colony New York, after the Duke of York and Albany, brother of King Charles II. New York City gained prominence in the 18th century as a major trading port in the Thirteen Colonies.

 

New York played a pivotal role during the American Revolution and subsequent war. The Stamp Act Congress in 1765 brought together representatives from across the Thirteen Colonies to form a unified response to British policies. The Sons of Liberty were active in New York City to challenge British authority. After a major loss at the Battle of Long Island, the Continental Army suffered a series of additional defeats that forced a retreat from the New York City area, leaving the strategic port and harbor to the British army and navy as their North American base of operations for the rest of the war. The Battle of Saratoga was the turning point of the war in favor of the Americans, convincing France to formally ally with them. New York's constitution was adopted in 1777, and strongly influenced the United States Constitution. New York City was the national capital at various times between 1788 and 1790, where the Bill of Rights was drafted. Albany became the permanent state capital in 1797. In 1787, New York became the eleventh state to ratify the United States Constitution.

 

New York hosted significant transportation advancements in the 19th century, including the first steamboat line in 1807, the Erie Canal in 1825, and America's first regularly scheduled rail service in 1831. These advancements led to the expanded settlement of western New York and trade ties to the Midwest settlements around the Great Lakes.

 

Due to New York City's trade ties to the South, there were numerous southern sympathizers in the early days of the American Civil War and the mayor proposed secession. Far from any of the battles, New York ultimately sent the most soldiers and money to support the Union cause. Thereafter, the state helped create the industrial age and consequently was home to some of the first labor unions.

 

During the 19th century, New York City became the main entry point for European immigrants to the United States, beginning with a wave of Irish during their Great Famine. Millions came through Castle Clinton in Battery Park before Ellis Island opened in 1892 to welcome millions more, increasingly from eastern and southern Europe. The Statue of Liberty opened in 1886 and became a symbol of hope. New York boomed during the Roaring Twenties, before the Wall Street Crash of 1929, and skyscrapers expressed the energy of the city. New York City was the site of successive tallest buildings in the world from 1913 to 1974.

 

The buildup of defense industries for World War II turned around the state's economy from the Great Depression, as hundreds of thousands worked to defeat the Axis powers. Following the war, the state experienced significant suburbanization around all the major cities, and most central cities shrank. The Thruway system opened in 1956, signaling another era of transportation advances.

 

Following a period of near-bankruptcy in the late 1970s, New York City renewed its stature as a cultural center, attracted more immigration, and hosted the development of new music styles. The city developed from publishing to become a media capital over the second half of the 20th century, hosting most national news channels and broadcasts. Some of its newspapers became nationally and globally renowned. The state's manufacturing base eroded with the restructuring of industry, and the state transitioned into service industries.

 

The first peoples of New York are estimated to have arrived around 10,000 BC. Around AD 800, Iroquois ancestors moved into the area from the Appalachian region. The people of the Point Peninsula complex were the predecessors of the Algonquian peoples of New York. By around 1100, the distinct Iroquoian-speaking and Algonquian-speaking cultures that would eventually be encountered by Europeans had developed. The five nations of the Iroquois League developed a powerful confederacy about the 15th century that controlled territory throughout present-day New York, into Pennsylvania around the Great Lakes. For centuries, the Mohawk cultivated maize fields in the lowlands of the Mohawk River, which were later taken over by Dutch settlers at Schenectady, New York when they bought this territory. The Iroquois nations to the west also had well-cultivated areas and orchards.

 

The Iroquois established dominance over the fur trade throughout their territory, bargaining with European colonists. Other New York tribes were more subject to either European destruction or assimilation within the Iroquoian confederacy. Situated at major Native trade routes in the Northeast and positioned between French and English zones of settlement, the Iroquois were intensely caught up with the onrush of Europeans, which is also to say that the settlers, whether Dutch, French or English, were caught up with the Iroquois as well. Algonquian tribes were less united among their tribes; they typically lived along rivers, streams, or the Atlantic Coast. But, both groups of natives were well-established peoples with highly sophisticated cultural systems; these were little understood or appreciated by the European colonists who encountered them. The natives had "a complex and elaborate native economy that included hunting, gathering, manufacturing, and farming...[and were] a mosaic of Native American tribes, nations, languages, and political associations." The Iroquois usually met at an Onondaga in Northern New York, which changed every century or so, where they would coordinate policies on how to deal with Europeans and strengthen the bond between the Five Nations.

 

Tribes who have managed to call New York home have been the Iroquois, Mohawk, Mohican, Susquehannock, Petun, Chonnonton, Ontario and Nanticoke.

 

In 1524, Giovanni da Verrazzano, an Italian explorer in the service of the French crown, explored the Atlantic coast of North America between the Carolinas and Newfoundland, including New York Harbor and Narragansett Bay. On April 17, 1524, Verrazzano entered New York Bay, by way of the Strait now called the Narrows. He described "a vast coastline with a deep delta in which every kind of ship could pass" and he adds: "that it extends inland for a league and opens up to form a beautiful lake. This vast sheet of water swarmed with native boats". He landed on the tip of Manhattan and perhaps on the furthest point of Long Island.

 

In 1535, Jacques Cartier, a French explorer, became the first European to describe and map the Saint Lawrence River from the Atlantic Ocean, sailing as far upriver as the site of Montreal.

 

On April 4, 1609, Henry Hudson, in the employ of the Dutch East India Company, departed Amsterdam in command of the ship Halve Maen (Half Moon). On September 3 he reached the estuary of the Hudson River. He sailed up the Hudson River to about Albany near the confluence of the Mohawk River and the Hudson. His voyage was used to establish Dutch claims to the region and to the fur trade that prospered there after a trading post was established at Albany in 1614.

 

In 1614, the Dutch under the command of Hendrick Christiaensen, built Fort Nassau (now Albany) the first Dutch settlement in North America and the first European settlement in what would become New York. It was replaced by nearby Fort Orange in 1623. In 1625, Fort Amsterdam was built on the southern tip of Manhattan Island to defend the Hudson River. This settlement grew to become the city New Amsterdam.

 

The British conquered New Netherland in 1664; Lenient terms of surrender most likely kept local resistance to a minimum. The colony and New Amsterdam were both renamed New York (and "Beverwijck" was renamed Albany) after its new proprietor, James II later King of England, Ireland and Scotland, who was at the time Duke of York and Duke of Albany The population of New Netherland at the time of English takeover was 7,000–8,000.

 

Thousands of poor German farmers, chiefly from the Palatine region of Germany, migrated to upstate districts after 1700. They kept to themselves, married their own, spoke German, attended Lutheran churches, and retained their own customs and foods. They emphasized farm ownership. Some mastered English to become conversant with local legal and business opportunities. They ignored the Indians and tolerated slavery (although few were rich enough to own a slave).

 

Large manors were developed along the Hudson River by elite colonists during the 18th century, including Livingston, Cortlandt, Philipsburg, and Rensselaerswyck. The manors represented more than half of the colony's undeveloped land. The Province of New York thrived during this time, its economy strengthened by Long Island and Hudson Valley agriculture, in conjunction with trade and artisanal activity at the Port of New York; the colony was a breadbasket and lumberyard for the British sugar colonies in the Caribbean. New York's population grew substantially during this century: from the first colonial census (1698) to the last (1771), the province grew ninefold, from 18,067 to 168,007.

 

New York in the American Revolution

Further information: John Peter Zenger, Stamp Act Congress, Invasion of Canada (1775), New York and New Jersey campaign, Prisoners of war in the American Revolutionary War, and Intelligence in the American Revolutionary War

 

New York played a pivotal role in the Revolutionary War. The colony verged on revolt following the Stamp Act of 1765, advancing the New York City–based Sons of Liberty to the forefront of New York politics. The Act exacerbated the depression the province experienced after unsuccessfully invading Canada in 1760. Even though New York City merchants lost out on lucrative military contracts, the group sought common ground between the King and the people; however, compromise became impossible as of April 1775 Battles of Lexington and Concord. In that aftermath the New York Provincial Congress on June 9, 1775, for five pounds sterling for each hundredweight of gunpowder delivered to each county's committee.

 

Two powerful families had for decades assembled colony-wide coalitions of supporters. With few exceptions, members long associated with the DeLancey faction went along when its leadership decided to support the crown, while members of the Livingston faction became Patriots.

 

New York's strategic central location and port made it key to controlling the colonies. The British assembled the century's largest fleet: at one point 30,000 British sailors and soldiers anchored off Staten Island. General George Washington barely escaped New York City with his army in November 1776; General Sir William Howe was successful in driving Washington out, but erred by expanding into New Jersey. By January 1777, he retained only a few outposts near New York City. The British held the city for the duration, using it as a base for expeditions against other targets.

 

In October 1777, American General Horatio Gates won the Battle of Saratoga, later regarded as the war's turning point. Had Gates not held, the rebellion might well have broken down: losing Saratoga would have cost the entire Hudson–Champlain corridor, which would have separated New England from the rest of the colonies and split the future union.

 

Upon war's end, New York's borders became well–defined: the counties east of Lake Champlain became Vermont and the state's western borders were settled by 1786.

 

Many Iroquois supported the British (typically fearing future American ambitions). Many were killed during the war; others went into exile with the British. Those remaining lived on twelve reservations; by 1826 only eight reservations remained, all of which survived into the 21st century.

 

The state adopted its constitution in April 1777, creating a strong executive and strict separation of powers. It strongly influenced the federal constitution a decade later. Debate over the federal constitution in 1787 led to formation of the groups known as Federalists—mainly "downstaters" (those who lived in or near New York City) who supported a strong national government—and Antifederalists—mainly upstaters (those who lived to the city's north and west) who opposed large national institutions. In 1787, Alexander Hamilton, a leading Federalist from New York and signatory to the Constitution, wrote the first essay of the Federalist Papers. He published and wrote most of the series in New York City newspapers in support of the proposed United States Constitution. Antifederalists were not swayed by the arguments, but the state ratified it in 1788.

 

In 1785, New York City became the national capital and continued as such on and off until 1790; George Washington was inaugurated as the first President of the United States in front of Federal Hall in 1789. The United States Bill of Rights was drafted there, and the United States Supreme Court sat for the first time. From statehood to 1797, the Legislature frequently moved the state capital between Albany, Kingston, Poughkeepsie, and New York City. Thereafter, Albany retained that role.

 

In the early 19th century, New York became a center for advancement in transportation. In 1807, Robert Fulton initiated a steamboat line from New York to Albany, the first successful enterprise of its kind. By 1815, Albany was the state's turnpike center, which established the city as the hub for pioneers migrating west to Buffalo and the Michigan Territory.

 

In 1825 the Erie Canal opened, securing the state's economic dominance. Its impact was enormous: one source stated, "Linking the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes, the canal was an act of political will that joined the regions of the state, created a vast economic hinterland for New York City, and established a ready market for agricultural products from the state's interior." In that year western New York transitioned from "frontier" to settled area. By this time, all counties and most municipalities had incorporated, approximately matching the state's is organized today. In 1831, the Mohawk and Hudson Railroad started the country's first successful regularly–scheduled steam railroad service.

 

Advancing transportation quickly led to settlement of the fertile Mohawk and Gennessee valleys and the Niagara Frontier. Buffalo and Rochester became boomtowns. Significant migration of New England "Yankees" (mainly of English descent) to the central and western parts of the state led to minor conflicts with the more settled "Yorkers" (mainly of German, Dutch, and Scottish descent). More than 15% of the state's 1850 population had been born in New England[citation needed]. The western part of the state grew fastest at this time. By 1840, New York was home to seven of the nation's thirty largest cities.

 

During this period, towns established academies for education, including for girls. The western area of the state was a center of progressive causes, including support of abolitionism, temperance, and women's rights. Religious enthusiasms flourished and the Latter Day Saint movement was founded in the area by Joseph Smith and his vision. Some supporters of abolition participated in the Underground Railroad, helping fugitive slaves reach freedom in Canada or in New York.

 

In addition, in the early 1840s the state legislature and Governor William H. Seward expanded rights for free blacks and fugitive slaves in New York: in 1840 the legislature passed laws protecting the rights of African Americans against Southern slave-catchers. One guaranteed alleged fugitive slaves the right of a jury trial in New York to establish whether they were slaves, and another pledged the aid of the state to recover free blacks kidnapped into slavery, (as happened to Solomon Northup of Saratoga Springs in 1841, who did not regain freedom until 1853.) In 1841 Seward signed legislation to repeal a "nine-month law" that allowed slaveholders to bring their slaves into the state for a period of nine months before they were considered free. After this, slaves brought to the state were immediately considered freed, as was the case in some other free states. Seward also signed legislation to establish public education for all children, leaving it up to local jurisdictions as to how that would be supplied (some had segregated schools).

 

New York culture bloomed in the first half of the 19th century: in 1809 Washington Irving wrote the satirical A History of New York under the pen name Diedrich Knickerbocker, and in 1819 he based Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in Hudson Valley towns. Thomas Cole's Hudson River School was established in the 1830s by showcasing dramatic landscapes of the Hudson Valley. The first baseball teams formed in New York City in the 1840s, including the New York Knickerbockers. Professional baseball later located its Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Saratoga Race Course, an annual summer attraction in Saratoga Springs, opened in 1847.

 

A civil war was not in the best interest of business, because New York had strong ties to the Deep South, both through the port of New York and manufacture of cotton goods in upstate textile mills. Half of New York City's exports were related to cotton before the war. Southern businessmen so frequently traveled to the city that they established favorite hotels and restaurants. Trade was based on moving Southern goods. The city's large Democrat community feared the impact of Abraham Lincoln's election in 1860 and the mayor urged secession of New York.

 

By the time of the 1861 Battle of Fort Sumter, such political differences decreased and the state quickly met Lincoln's request for soldiers and supplies. More soldiers fought from New York than any other Northern state. While no battles were waged in New York, the state was not immune to Confederate conspiracies, including one to burn various New York cities and another to invade the state via Canada.

 

In January 1863, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed the slaves in states that were still in rebellion against the union. In March 1863, the federal draft law was changed so that male citizens between 20 and 35 and unmarried citizens to age 45 were subject to conscription. Those who could afford to hire a substitute or pay $300 were exempt. Antiwar newspaper editors attacked the law, and many immigrants and their descendants resented being drafted in place of people who could buy their way out. Democratic Party leaders raised the specter of a deluge of freed southern blacks competing with the white working class, then dominated by ethnic Irish and immigrants. On the lottery's first day, July 11, 1863, the first lottery draw was held. On Monday, July 13, 1863, five days of large-scale riots began, which were dominated by ethnic Irish, who targeted blacks in the city, their neighborhoods, and known abolitionist sympathizers. As a result, many blacks left Manhattan permanently, moving to Brooklyn or other areas.

 

In the following decades, New York strengthened its dominance of the financial and banking industries. Manufacturing continued to rise: Eastman Kodak founded in 1888 in Rochester, General Electric in Schenectady, and Endicott-Johnson Shoe Company in the Triple Cities are some of the well-known companies founded during this period. Buffalo and Niagara Falls attracted numerous factories following the advent of hydroelectric power in the area. With industry blooming, workers began to unite in New York as early as the 1820s. By 1882, the Knights of Labor in New York City had 60,000 members. Trade unions used political influence to limit working hours as early as 1867. At the same time, New York's agricultural output peaked. Focus changed from crop-based to dairy-based agriculture. The cheese industry became established in the Mohawk Valley. By 1881, the state had more than 241,000 farms. In the same period, the area around New York harbor became the world's oyster capital, retaining that title into the early twentieth century.

 

Immigration increased throughout the latter half of the 19th century. Starting with refugees from the Great Famine of Ireland in the 1840s, New York became a prominent entry point for those seeking a new life in the United States. Between 1855 and 1890, an estimated 8 million immigrants passed through Castle Clinton at Battery Park in Manhattan. Early in this period, most immigrants came from Ireland and Germany. Ellis Island opened in 1892, and between 1880 and 1920, most immigrants were German and Eastern European Jews, Poles, and other Eastern and Southern Europeans, including many Italians. By 1925, New York City's population outnumbered that of London, making it the most populous city in the world. Arguably New York's most identifiable symbol, Liberty Enlightening the World (the Statue of Liberty), a gift from France for the American centennial, was completed in 1886. By the early 20th century, the statue was regarded as the "Mother of Exiles"—a symbol of hope to immigrants.

 

New York's political pattern changed little after the mid–19th century. New York City and its metropolitan area was already heavily Democrat; Upstate was aligned with the Republican Party and was a center of abolitionist activists. In the 1850s, Democratic Tammany Hall became one of the most powerful and durable political machines in United States history. Boss William Tweed brought the organization to the forefront of city and then state politics in the 1860s. Based on its command of a large population, Tammany maintained influence until at least the 1930s. Outside the city, Republicans were able to influence the redistricting process enough to constrain New York City and capture control of the Legislature in 1894. Both parties have seen national political success: in the 39 presidential elections between 1856 and 2010, Republicans won 19 times and Democrats 20 times.

 

By 1901, New York was the richest and most populous state. Two years prior, the five boroughs of New York City became one city. Within decades, the city's emblem had become the skyscraper: the Woolworth Building was the tallest building in the world from 1913, surpassed by 40 Wall Street in April 1930, the Chrysler Building in 1930, the Empire State Building in 1931, and the World Trade Center in 1972 before losing the title in 1974.

 

The state was serviced by over a dozen major railroads and at the start of the 20th century and electric Interurban rail networks began to spring up around Syracuse, Rochester and other cities in New York during this period.

 

In the late 1890s governor Theodore Roosevelt and fellow Republicans such as Charles Evans Hughes worked with many Democrats such as Al Smith to promote Progressivism. They battled trusts and monopolies (especially in the insurance industry), promoted efficiency, fought waste, and called for more democracy in politics. Democrats focused more on the benefits of progressivism for their own ethnic working class base and for labor unions.

 

Democratic political machines, especially Tammany Hall in Manhattan, opposed woman suffrage because they feared that the addition of female voters would dilute the control they had established over groups of male voters. By the time of the New York State referendum on women's suffrage in 1917, however, some wives and daughters of Tammany Hall leaders were working for suffrage, leading it to take a neutral position that was crucial to the referendum's passage.

 

Following a sharp but short-lived Depression at the beginning of the decade, New York enjoyed a booming economy during the Roaring Twenties. New York suffered during the Great Depression, which began with the Wall Street crash on Black Tuesday in 1929. The Securities and Exchange Commission opened in 1934 to regulate the stock market. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected governor in 1928, and the state faced upwards of 25% unemployment. His Temporary Emergency Relief Agency, established in 1931, was the first work relief program in the nation and influenced the national Federal Emergency Relief Administration. Roosevelt was elected President in 1932 in part because of his promises to extend New York–style relief programs across the country via his New Deal. In 1932, Lake Placid was host to the III Olympic Winter Games.

 

As the largest state, New York again supplied the most resources during World War II. New York manufactured 11 percent of total United States military armaments produced during the war and suffered 31,215 casualties. The war affected the state both socially and economically. For example, to overcome discriminatory labor practices, Governor Herbert H. Lehman created the Committee on Discrimination in Employment in 1941 and Governor Thomas E. Dewey signed the Ives-Quinn Act in 1945, banning employment discrimination. The G.I. Bill of 1944, which offered returning soldiers the opportunity of affordable higher education, forced New York to create a public university system since its private universities could not handle the influx; the State University of New York was created by Governor Dewey in 1948.

 

World War II constituted New York's last great industrial era. At its conclusion, the defense industry shrank and the economy shifted towards producing services rather than goods. Returning soldiers disproportionately displaced female and minority workers who had entered the industrial workforce only when the war left employers no other choice. Companies moved to the south and west, seeking lower taxes and a less costly, non–union workforce. Many workers followed the jobs. The middle class expanded and created suburbs such as the one on Long Island. The automobile accelerated this decentralization; planned communities like Levittown offered affordable middle-class housing.

 

Larger cities stopped growing around 1950. Growth resumed only in New York City, in the 1980s. Buffalo's population fell by half between 1950 and 2000. Reduced immigration and worker migration led New York State's population to decline for the first time between 1970 and 1980. California and Texas both surpassed it in population.

 

New York entered its third era of massive transportation projects by building highways, notably the New York State Thruway. The project was unpopular with New York City Democrats, who referred to it as "Dewey's ditch" and the "enemy of schools", because the Thruway disproportionately benefited upstate. The highway was based on the German Autobahn and was unlike anything seen at that point in the United States. It was within 30 miles (50 km) of 90% of the population at its conception. Costing $600 million, the full 427-mile (687 km) project opened in 1956.

 

Nelson Rockefeller was governor from 1959 to 1973 and changed New York politics. He began as a liberal, but grew more conservative: he limited SUNY's growth, responded aggressively to the Attica Prison riot, and promulgated the uniquely severe Rockefeller Drug Laws. The World Trade Center and other profligate projects nearly drove New York City into bankruptcy in 1975. The state took substantial budgetary control, which eventually led to improved fiscal prudence.

 

The Executive Mansion was retaken by Democrats in 1974 and remained under Democratic control for 20 years under Hugh Carey and Mario Cuomo. Late–century Democrats became more centrist, including US Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (1977–2001) and New York City Mayor Ed Koch (1978–1989), while state Republicans began to align themselves with the more conservative national party. They gained power through the elections of Senator Alfonse D'Amato in 1980, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani in 1993, and Governor George Pataki in 1994. New York remained one of the most liberal states. In 1984, Ronald Reagan was the last Republican to carry the state, although Republican Michael Bloomberg served as New York City mayor in the early 21st century.

 

In the late 20th century, telecommunication and high technology industries employed many New Yorkers. New York City was especially successful at this transition. Entrepreneurs created many small companies, as industrial firms such as Polaroid withered. This success drew many young professionals into the still–dwindling cities. New York City was the exception and has continued to draw new residents. The energy of the city created attractions and new businesses. Some people believe that changes in policing created a less threatening environment; crime rates dropped, and urban development reduced urban decay.

 

This in turn led to a surge in culture. New York City became, once again, "the center for all things chic and trendy". Hip-hop and rap music, led by New York City, became the most popular pop genre. Immigration to both the city and state rose. New York City, with a large gay and lesbian community, suffered many deaths from AIDS beginning in the 1980s.

 

New York City increased its already large share of television programming, home to the network news broadcasts, as well as two of the three major cable news networks. The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times became two of the three "national" newspapers, read throughout the country. New York also increased its dominance of the financial services industry centered on Wall Street, led by banking expansion, a rising stock market, innovations in investment banking, including junk bond trading and accelerated by the savings and loan crisis that decimated competitors elsewhere in New York.

 

Upstate did not fare as well as downstate; the major industries that began to reinvigorate New York City did not typically spread to other regions. The number of farms in the state had fallen to 30,000 by 1997. City populations continued to decline while suburbs grew in area, but did not increase proportionately in population. High-tech industry grew in cities such as Corning and Rochester. Overall New York entered the new millennium "in a position of economic strength and optimism".

 

In 2001, New York entered a new era following the 9/11 attacks, the worst terrorist attack ever to take place on American soil. Two of the four hijacked passenger jets crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, destroying them, and killing almost 3,000 people. One flew into the Pentagon demolishing the walls. The final one was almost taken back over by the passengers aboard and crashed into an open grassland with 296 out of the 500 people dead. Thousands of New Yorkers volunteered their time to search the ruin for survivors and remains in the following weeks.

 

Following the attacks, plans were announced to rebuild the World Trade Center site. 7 World Trade Center became the first World Trade Center skyscraper to be rebuilt in five years after the attacks. One World Trade Center, four more office towers, and a memorial to the casualties of the September 11 attacks are under construction as of 2011. One World Trade Center opened on November 3, 2014.

 

On October 29 and 30, 2012, Hurricane Sandy caused extensive destruction of the state's shorelines, ravaging portions of New York City, Long Island, and southern Westchester with record-high storm surge, with severe flooding and high winds causing power outages for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers, and leading to gasoline shortages and disruption of mass transit systems. The storm and its profound effects have prompted the discussion of constructing seawalls and other coastal barriers around the shorelines of New York City and Long Island to minimize the risk from another such future event. Such risk is considered highly probable due to global warming and rising sea levels.

The chimps have sounded the alarm: they've spotted the keepers coming with the food throwover, and they are all taking up their positions. There are two separate food throwover spots, so the chimps are split up into 2 groups.

 

Some of the chimps, like shiba, are very consistent in sitting in the same spot each time. Others, like Kuma, vary their position, presumably depending on where they think they'll get a better throwover. Interestingly, when fumo was younger, kuma was much more consistent in coming over to this section near shiba. Now, kuma can be anywhere. And as for fumo ... i rarely see him. I think he's running round independently of kuma, maybe even at opposite food throwover spot to kuma, presumably scoring some food for himself. I really should go check it out ... but i tend to be as consistent as shiba in coming up this end when the food throwover chimp alarm is sounded :)

 

The chimps get pretty excited when food is coming, and that can lead to some interesting interactions ... as in this little snippet of video ...

 

The first interaction i see is Shiba (with sudi on her back) turned around to greet Lisa (who's got Liwali on her belly). Lisa is high status: it's always good to keep on good terms with her! And next comes Kamili to give Lisa a very elaborate greeting.

 

Over to the right, koko appears to give shiba a bit of a greeting as shiba passes by. Up the back, Lubutu (Lisa's son, the alpha male) and behind him Sembe (shiba's daughter) are approaching. (Or maybe that's sule, not sembe, behind lubutu ... and sembe approaches from the next level down) And Sasha has taken up a position in the back right hand corner. (Sasha will go and greet Lubutu as he gets closer to her).

 

Shiba sits down in "her" spot and looks up to see if the keeper has arrived up on the wall above yet. And Koko approaches Shiba, and shiba greets her. And Koko turns around and politely presents her bottom for examination. (I've heard a rumour that in an unofficial vote, Koko has won the award for having the worst looking bottom of all the girl chimps). And while shiba is checking out koko's swelling, koko reaches her hand back to pet sudi. Well! That had me intrigued. It's been truly surprising to see how Koko and Fumo have developed a special relationship. And now to see Koko start to display an interest in sudi as well ... absolutely fascinating!

 

Next, Lisa/Liwali arrive, and Lisa plonks herself down practically in shiba's lap. I wouldnt want someone crowding the spot i've chosen for the food throwover, but maybe in chimp terms Lisa is being nice to shiba. Shiba's daughter sembe is hovering over to the left, not coming any closer. On previous occasions, since sembe has lost her white tuft of bottom hair, i've seen Lisa make a point of chasing sembe off (i can imagine her saying to sembe "you, girlie, you get to the back of the line ... leave the prime spots to your betters!").

 

And finally Kamili turns up to give Liwali, Lisa's baby, a stroke or two. Kamili hasnt shown all that much interest in the baby chimps, and i suspect this interaction with Liwali is more of an attempt to curry favour with high status Lisa (oooh Lisa, what a cute baby you have!) than an actual interest in Liwali. But then i'm just guessing. It's all guesses! But more educated guesses these days :)

Visita nuestro Blog de Semana Santa en:

asociacionredobles.blogspot.com

 

Actos que se van a desarrollar durante la conmemoración del 200º aniversario del

rescate del Cristo de la Cama, consistente en el traslado de la Imagen desde la Iglesia

de Santa Isabel de Portugal (vulgo San Cayetano) a la Basílica del Pilar.

El rescate se produjo el 17 de febrero de 1809 del Convento de San Francisco, lo que

actualmente es la Diputación Provincial. El día 10 los franceses volaron el Convento,

que era defendido por unos cuantos aragoneses y por los voluntarios de Valencia. El

día 17, María Blánquez entro en el convento y vio que todos los pasos que

procesionan en Semana santa, quince en total, estaban destruidos, salvo el Santísimo

Cristo de la Cama, que estaba indemne en su Capilla de la Hermandad. Salió a la

calle, cogió a cuatro hombres, volvió a entrar al convento y todos ellos cogieron al

Cristo de la cama. Lo llevaron primero a la parroquia de la santa Cruz, después a la

de Santiago y finalmente al Palacio Arzobispal, lugar en donde vivía el general

Palafox, que enfermo lo venero y ordeno fuera llevado al interior de la Basílica del

Pilar, siendo colocado en el Altar de los convertido mirando a su Madre, la virgen del

Pilar.

Este hecho es el que conmemoramos.

A las 18´00 horas se oirá en la Ciudad de Zaragoza a los Artilleros de Aragón

anunciando el comienzo de la procesión cívico religiosa.

Con la salida desde San Cayetano de la Bandera de la Hermandad de la Sangre de

Cristo dará comienzo la procesión, encontrándose el resto de participantes ubicados

en la plaza. Seguidamente saldrá la peana, portada a varal, del Cristo de la Cama. Lo

hará con un toque preparado para la ocasión por la Sección de Tambores de la

Hermandad de San Joaquín y Virgen de los Dolores. Una vez que nuestro Cristo de la

Cama este en la plaza sonara el Himno Nacional interpretado al órgano por Ignacio

Navarro Gil.

Finalizado el himno, se descubrirá una placa en cerámica de Muel, promovida por la

Asociación Cultural Redobles. Dicha placa será descubierta por el Ilmo. Sr. D.

Francisco Javier Lambán Montañés, o persona en quien en delegue, acompañado por

el Hermano Mayor de la Hermandad de la Sangre de Cristo. A la vez que se descubre

la placa, don José Antonio Armillas, Comisario del Bicentenario glosara brevemente

la figura de María Blánquez y lo que ella significo.

Finalizado este acto, dará comienzo en sí el desfile.

Por la calle Manifestación, calle Alfonso y calle Coso, nos dirigiremos a la plaza de

España, en donde se realiza el segundo acto del desfile. Este consiste en depositar dos

coronas de laurel. La primera en la placa que recuerda al Convento de San Francisco

y la segunda en el monumento a los Mártires.

La del Convento de San Francisco será portada por mujeres ataviadas con el traje

regional, en recuerdo y homenaje a María Blánquez. Entregada por don Francisco

Javier Lambán Montañés (o persona en quién delegue), le acompañaran el

Comandante Militar de Zaragoza, General Juan Pinto y el Hermano Mayor de la

Sangre de Cristo. La recibirán dos soldados del Batallón Pardos de Aragón.

La segunda corona, la entregara don Juan Alberto Belloch Julve (o persona en quién

delegue), acompañado también por el Comandante Militar y el Hermano Mayor,

siendo recibida por dos soldados del Batallón de Infantería Voluntarios de Aragón.

Durante este acto sonara en la plaza el Carillón de la Diputación Provincial con

marchas alusivas a los Sitios.

Finalizado el acto, continuaremos el desfile en dirección a la Plaza de la Seo por calle

don Jaime, calle Mayor, calle Dormer, calle Cisne y calle Cuellar.

En la plaza de la Seo se realiza el tercer y último acto. Consiste en una breve

alocución del General Pinto, Comandante Militar de Zaragoza y Teruel, en recuerdo

y homenaje del General Palafox. A Su conclusión, el Batallón de Infantería

Voluntarios de Aragón hará una descarga de fusilería.

Ya para finalizar, nos encaminaremos a la plaza del Pilar, finalizando el desfile,

alrededor de las 20´30 horas, con la entrada del Cristo de la Cama en la Basílica, en

donde permanecerá hasta el miércoles 25 de febrero.

Finalizado el desfile y por lo tanto el traslado, la Hermandad de la Sangre de Cristo

realizara una ofrenda a la Virgen del Pilar.

La Hermandad de la Sangre de Cristo, con el fin de dar mayor realce a este

acontecimiento histórico, ha invitado a participar a todos aquellos Ayuntamientos e

Instituciones galardonados con la Medalla del Bicentenario “Defensor de Zaragoza”,

distinción que también ha obtenido la propia Hermandad. Han confirmado su

asistencia una representación de los Ayuntamientos de Alcañiz, Barbastro, Calatayud,

Cariñena, Chelva, Huesca, Jaca, monzón y Valencia. También han confirmado su

participación los Artilleros de Aragón, Batallón Pardos de Aragón, Batallón de

Infantería Ligera Voluntarios de Aragón, la Asociación Cultural Royo del Rabal

(ronda y escenificación de personajes históricos de la época), la Asociación Cultural

Los Sitios (personajes históricos de la época), la Hermandad de San Juan de la Peña,

la Cofradía del Santo Sepulcro, la Hermandad del santo Refugio, la Real Ilustre

Congregación de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad de Madrid y la Real Maestranza de

Caballería.

La parte musical durante el desfile correrá a cargo de la Banda de Guerra de la

Brigada de Caballería Castillejos II, de la Banda Música de la Academia General

Militar y la Ronda de jotas de la Asociación Cultural el Rabal. Durante el desfile y

con el fin de que los peaneros lleven el ritmo adecuado, les acompaña un piquete de

diez instrumentos, cuyos miembros son de la cofradía de la Institución de la Sagrada

Eucaristía, que lo harán sin los distintivos propios de la Cofradía.

Cabe destacar el estreno de una marcha procesional en las calles de Zaragoza. La

primera y ultima pieza que interprete la Banda de Música será la Marcha al Cristo de

la Cama, cuyo autor es don Abel Moreno y que fue donada a la Hermandad por la

Asociación para el Estudio de la Semana Santa.

Ernesto Millán Lázaro

Hermano Mayor

Hermandad Sangre de Cristo

Actresses Terri Garr and Betty White, along with Kathleen Checki, president of Simply Consistent, Inc., came out to support Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic’s Hollywood studio on April 5 at their 16th annual Record-A-Thon.

www.simplyconsistent.com/

simplyconsistent.com/non-profit

"-Kathleen Checki."

"-Simply Consistent."

"-Simply Consistent Management."

"-Checki."

Betty Mayes and husband Arlo consistently staff the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center on Friday mornings. Both do an excellent job of helping public visitors and assisting Refuge staff.

 

Credit: Bob Danley / USFWS

Mark Grace starred on Cubs teams that included Ryne Sandberg, Andre Dawson and Sammy Sosa and was a consistent, steady hitter, compiling almost 2,500 hits and more than 500 doubles during his 16-year career and for a few years batted clean-up for the Cubs. He had a career on-base percentage of .383 and collected four Gold Glove Awards and was a three-time All-Star (1993, 1995, 1997).

 

Grace helped lead the Cubs to the NL Eastern Division title in 1989 and the NL Wild Card in 1998. In the 1989 N.L.C.S., Grace batted .647 in the five game contest with a home run and three doubles, while driving in 8 of the total 16 runs scored by the Cubs in the series.

 

In 1995, Grace hit .326 with a .395 OBP and a .516 SLG, and hit 51 doubles (which led the National League). He was once again named to the National League All-Star team. Grace has the most hits (1,754) of any player in the 1990s.

 

Mark Grace was one of the most beloved Cub of his era.

  

Tony Pérez was born in Ciego de Ávila, Cuba in 1942, the son of José Manuel and Teodora (Rígal) Pérez. Tony and his parents and siblings all lived in a two-bedroom row house owned by the sugar mill where Tony's father, and eventually Tony, worked. Tony later played shortstop for the mill's baseball team, Central Violeta.

 

He was signed to a pro contract in 1960 at age 17 by Cincinnati Reds scout Tony Pacheco while playing on the Camagüey sugar factory team. He was assigned to the instructional team of the Reds' AAA affiliate Havana Sugar Kings. His "bonus" for signing with the Reds was the $2.50 cost of a visa and a plane ticket to Miami, Florida.

From 1964 through 1966, he platooned at first base, primarily with Deron Johnson and Gordy Coleman. His first career home run, a grand slam, came in the Reds' second game of 1965, at home in Crosley Field against Milwaukee — and again against Denny Lemaster. The grand slam came with 2 outs and scored Vada Pinson, Frank Robinson, and Deron Johnson.[12]

 

Pérez became the Reds' starter at third base in 1967 and was selected to his first All-Star team in 1967. The game, played on July 11, 1967, at Anaheim Stadium, went into 15 innings, the longest All-Star Game in history (since equaled by the 2008 game).[13] Pérez's home run off future fellow Hall of Famer Catfish Hunter propelled the National League to a 2-1 victory. He was subsequently voted the Most Valuable Player of the 1967 All-Star Game.[14]

 

In 1970, Pérez hit the first home run in Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium. The 1970 campaign was his finest year, statistically: in addition to his 129 RBIs, Pérez hit .317, slugged 40 home runs and scored 107 runs. He came in third in the Most Valuable Player voting behind Billy Williams and Reds' teammate and winner Johnny Bench.

 

After platooning and playing first base in the early part of his career (1964–66) with the Cincinnati Reds, he became a perennial all-star starting at third base from 1967 to 1971. From 1972 onward he starred at first base. Pérez was one of the premier RBI men of his generation, driving in 100 or more runs seven times in his 23-year-long career. In an eleven-year stretch from 1967 to 1977, Pérez drove in 90 or more runs each year, with a high of 129 RBIs in 1970. During the decade of the 1970s, Pérez was second among all major-leaguers in RBI, with 954, behind only his teammate Johnny Bench.

 

Beginning in 1970, the Reds went to the World Series four times in seven years, winning back-to-back world championships in 1975 and 1976, with Pérez starting at first base. Following the Reds sweep of the Phillies in the 1976 League Championship Series and New York Yankees in the 1976 World Series (the only time a team has ever swept the postseason since the League Championship Series was introduced in 1969), Pérez was traded to the Montreal Expos with Will McEnaney for Woodie Fryman and Dale Murray.

 

After his trade, the "Big Red Machine"—considered one of baseball's all-time greatest teams—sputtered and never again got into the Series, reaching the playoffs but one more time in 1979. Sparky Anderson, the Reds manager during the championships of the 1970s, has stated in many interviews since that Pérez was the leader, and heart and soul of those teams.

 

Although Tony Perez was the embodiment of an RBI Machine, he was often overlooked by Reds fans. Until, of course, he was traded away.

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

 

Toronto is Canada's largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of about 2.8 million people. It's a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world's most livable cities.

 

Toronto is a city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario, with the original city area lying between the Don and Humber rivers.

  

For more information on visiting Toronto visit:

www.seetorontonow.com/

 

For more information on visiting Canada visit:

us-keepexploring.canada.travel/

  

********

About this day of the trip:

 

Day 2

Niagara Falls - Niagara Falls Canada - Toronto (83 miles)

 

We will continue our tour Niagara Falls by heading into Canada to take the Hornblower Cruise boat ride and see an informational movie at the IMAX Theater. We will also ascend the Skylon Tower. The tour then departs for Toronto, ON, one of Canada's largest cities. There we will visit the CN Tower and guests will have the option to take a Lake Ontario Cruise. During the winter when the cruise is not running, we will instead visit Casa Loma. We will have dinner in historical Chinatown.

 

Niagara Falls Canada, Canada

 

Skylon Tower This observation tower on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls offers a bird's-eye views of one of the world's favorite natural wonders. The tower stands 520 feet from street level and 775 feet from the bottom of the falls.

 

Rainbow Bridge The Rainbow Bridge across the Niagara River connects Niagara, Ontario to Niagara, New York. It is an international landmark and impressive architectural feat. In addition to private vehicles, pedestrians and bikes can cross the bridge for a small toll.

 

Niagara Falls IMAX This amazing movie experience, presented on an unbelievable IMAX screen, chronicles more than 12,000 years of history and examines human interaction with the falls from ancient time through the people-- like you-- who come to see them today.

 

Hornblower Niagara Cruise Get ready to get wet: this world-famous boat ride takes passengers as close to the falls as it is possible to get. Formerly Maid of the Mist, Hornblower now runs Niagara cruise operations on the Canadian side of the Falls.

 

Skylon Revolving Restaurant Lunch The impressive Skylon Tower, jutting into the air above Niagara Falls, features the Revolving Dining Room, a one-of-a-kind eatery the makes a full revolution every hour. Sitting just below the observation deck, guests can enjoy views and food!

 

Toronto, ON

 

Lake Ontario Cruise Lake Ontario Cruises offer gorgeous views of the city of Toronto from the waters of Lake Ontario, one of the famous Great Lakes of North America. See the city of Toronto and the surrounding area in a new way!

 

Toronto City Hall This unique building complex is one of the most famous in Toronto, and also the home of the city's municipal government. The Toronto City Hall offers self-guided tours which are available in five languages (including English).

 

University of Toronto Routinely placed in the top 30 institutions of higher learning in the world, the University of Toronto has been educating the masses since 1827. Widely considered the best university in Canada, it is known for its pioneering research.

 

Casa Loma This century-old Gothic-style house in Toronto was originally the home of financier Sir Henry Mill Pellatt. Today, it serves as a museum that showcases the history of life in Toronto and what life was like in the early 1900s.

 

CN Tower Toronto's CN Tower is a Canadian icon and one of the most recognizable North American buildings. Made entirely of concrete, this massive monolith was the tallest structure in the world at the time of its completion in 1976.

 

Ontario Legislative Building The Ontario Legislative Building in Toronto, Ontario, Canada is the seventh structure to function as the parliamentary building of the province of Ontario. This impressive building is in the Richardsonian Romanesque architectural style and was built in 1893.

 

Chinatown One of the largest Chinatowns in North America is located in downtown Toronto, Ontario. Toronto contains several Chinatowns. This one is the oldest, dating back to the 1870s, and the historical area features many authentic groceries, restaurants, and shops.

 

Toronto Chinese Dinner Treat yourself to a specialty dinner in one of the largest Chinatowns in the Western Hemisphere! Freshly-cooked meats and vegetables decorate the windows of the esteemed restaurants, from whole cooked ducks to beef ribs and so much more. Enjoy!

 

Deluxe Hotel: Crowne Plaza or similar

 

**************************

 

3-Day Niagara Falls, Toronto Canada Tour from New York

 

Tour Code: 655-68

 

July 11th, 12th, 13th 2014

 

Visit:

 

Watkins Glen State Park New York

 

Niagara Falls, NY USA

 

Thundering Water Cultural Show

 

USA / Canada international border crossing on Rainbow Bridge from New York United States of America to Ontario Canada

 

Niagara Falls, Ontario Canada

 

Skylon Tower

 

Niagara Falls IMAX

 

Hornblower Niagara Cruise

 

Skylon Revolving Restaurant Lunch

 

Toronto which is the largest city in Canada

 

Lake Ontario Cruise

 

Toronto City Hall

 

University of Toronto

 

CN Tower

 

Ontario Legislative Building

 

Chinatown

 

Toronto Chinese Dinner

 

Thousand Islands, Ontario Canada

 

Thousand Islands Cruise

 

Thousand Islands Cruise Breakfast

 

Thousand Islands Tax and Duty Free Store in Lansdowne, Ontario Canada

 

Canada / USA international border crossing Thousand Islands Bridge from Hill Island, Ontario, Canada across the Saint Lawrence River to Wellesley Island, New York, United States of America

 

For more information on the 3-Day Niagara Falls, Toronto Canada Tour from New York visit:

 

www.taketours.com/new-york-ny/3-day-toronto-niagara-falls...

 

**********

 

Hashtag metadata tag

#Canada #Canadian #Toronto #TorontoCanada #CityofToronto #TorontoCity #CityToronto #Ontario #TorontoOntario #TorontoOntarioCanada #LakeOntario #The416 #HollywoodNorth #TO #T.O. #Tee-Oh #TeeOh #T-dot #Tdot #CNTower #VisitToronto #VisitCanada

 

Photo

Toronto city, Ontario province, Canada country, North America continent

July 12th 2014

Visita nuestro Blog de Semana Santa en:

asociacionredobles.blogspot.com

 

Actos que se van a desarrollar durante la conmemoración del 200º aniversario del

rescate del Cristo de la Cama, consistente en el traslado de la Imagen desde la Iglesia

de Santa Isabel de Portugal (vulgo San Cayetano) a la Basílica del Pilar.

El rescate se produjo el 17 de febrero de 1809 del Convento de San Francisco, lo que

actualmente es la Diputación Provincial. El día 10 los franceses volaron el Convento,

que era defendido por unos cuantos aragoneses y por los voluntarios de Valencia. El

día 17, María Blánquez entro en el convento y vio que todos los pasos que

procesionan en Semana santa, quince en total, estaban destruidos, salvo el Santísimo

Cristo de la Cama, que estaba indemne en su Capilla de la Hermandad. Salió a la

calle, cogió a cuatro hombres, volvió a entrar al convento y todos ellos cogieron al

Cristo de la cama. Lo llevaron primero a la parroquia de la santa Cruz, después a la

de Santiago y finalmente al Palacio Arzobispal, lugar en donde vivía el general

Palafox, que enfermo lo venero y ordeno fuera llevado al interior de la Basílica del

Pilar, siendo colocado en el Altar de los convertido mirando a su Madre, la virgen del

Pilar.

Este hecho es el que conmemoramos.

A las 18´00 horas se oirá en la Ciudad de Zaragoza a los Artilleros de Aragón

anunciando el comienzo de la procesión cívico religiosa.

Con la salida desde San Cayetano de la Bandera de la Hermandad de la Sangre de

Cristo dará comienzo la procesión, encontrándose el resto de participantes ubicados

en la plaza. Seguidamente saldrá la peana, portada a varal, del Cristo de la Cama. Lo

hará con un toque preparado para la ocasión por la Sección de Tambores de la

Hermandad de San Joaquín y Virgen de los Dolores. Una vez que nuestro Cristo de la

Cama este en la plaza sonara el Himno Nacional interpretado al órgano por Ignacio

Navarro Gil.

Finalizado el himno, se descubrirá una placa en cerámica de Muel, promovida por la

Asociación Cultural Redobles. Dicha placa será descubierta por el Ilmo. Sr. D.

Francisco Javier Lambán Montañés, o persona en quien en delegue, acompañado por

el Hermano Mayor de la Hermandad de la Sangre de Cristo. A la vez que se descubre

la placa, don José Antonio Armillas, Comisario del Bicentenario glosara brevemente

la figura de María Blánquez y lo que ella significo.

Finalizado este acto, dará comienzo en sí el desfile.

Por la calle Manifestación, calle Alfonso y calle Coso, nos dirigiremos a la plaza de

España, en donde se realiza el segundo acto del desfile. Este consiste en depositar dos

coronas de laurel. La primera en la placa que recuerda al Convento de San Francisco

y la segunda en el monumento a los Mártires.

La del Convento de San Francisco será portada por mujeres ataviadas con el traje

regional, en recuerdo y homenaje a María Blánquez. Entregada por don Francisco

Javier Lambán Montañés (o persona en quién delegue), le acompañaran el

Comandante Militar de Zaragoza, General Juan Pinto y el Hermano Mayor de la

Sangre de Cristo. La recibirán dos soldados del Batallón Pardos de Aragón.

La segunda corona, la entregara don Juan Alberto Belloch Julve (o persona en quién

delegue), acompañado también por el Comandante Militar y el Hermano Mayor,

siendo recibida por dos soldados del Batallón de Infantería Voluntarios de Aragón.

Durante este acto sonara en la plaza el Carillón de la Diputación Provincial con

marchas alusivas a los Sitios.

Finalizado el acto, continuaremos el desfile en dirección a la Plaza de la Seo por calle

don Jaime, calle Mayor, calle Dormer, calle Cisne y calle Cuellar.

En la plaza de la Seo se realiza el tercer y último acto. Consiste en una breve

alocución del General Pinto, Comandante Militar de Zaragoza y Teruel, en recuerdo

y homenaje del General Palafox. A Su conclusión, el Batallón de Infantería

Voluntarios de Aragón hará una descarga de fusilería.

Ya para finalizar, nos encaminaremos a la plaza del Pilar, finalizando el desfile,

alrededor de las 20´30 horas, con la entrada del Cristo de la Cama en la Basílica, en

donde permanecerá hasta el miércoles 25 de febrero.

Finalizado el desfile y por lo tanto el traslado, la Hermandad de la Sangre de Cristo

realizara una ofrenda a la Virgen del Pilar.

La Hermandad de la Sangre de Cristo, con el fin de dar mayor realce a este

acontecimiento histórico, ha invitado a participar a todos aquellos Ayuntamientos e

Instituciones galardonados con la Medalla del Bicentenario “Defensor de Zaragoza”,

distinción que también ha obtenido la propia Hermandad. Han confirmado su

asistencia una representación de los Ayuntamientos de Alcañiz, Barbastro, Calatayud,

Cariñena, Chelva, Huesca, Jaca, monzón y Valencia. También han confirmado su

participación los Artilleros de Aragón, Batallón Pardos de Aragón, Batallón de

Infantería Ligera Voluntarios de Aragón, la Asociación Cultural Royo del Rabal

(ronda y escenificación de personajes históricos de la época), la Asociación Cultural

Los Sitios (personajes históricos de la época), la Hermandad de San Juan de la Peña,

la Cofradía del Santo Sepulcro, la Hermandad del santo Refugio, la Real Ilustre

Congregación de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad de Madrid y la Real Maestranza de

Caballería.

La parte musical durante el desfile correrá a cargo de la Banda de Guerra de la

Brigada de Caballería Castillejos II, de la Banda Música de la Academia General

Militar y la Ronda de jotas de la Asociación Cultural el Rabal. Durante el desfile y

con el fin de que los peaneros lleven el ritmo adecuado, les acompaña un piquete de

diez instrumentos, cuyos miembros son de la cofradía de la Institución de la Sagrada

Eucaristía, que lo harán sin los distintivos propios de la Cofradía.

Cabe destacar el estreno de una marcha procesional en las calles de Zaragoza. La

primera y ultima pieza que interprete la Banda de Música será la Marcha al Cristo de

la Cama, cuyo autor es don Abel Moreno y que fue donada a la Hermandad por la

Asociación para el Estudio de la Semana Santa.

Ernesto Millán Lázaro

Hermano Mayor

Hermandad Sangre de Cristo

It "confirms our worst fears," says Mayor Kasim Reed. "There is no doubt that systemic cheating occurred on a widespread basis in the school system." The news is “absolutely devastating," said Brenda Muhammad, chairwoman of the Atlanta school board. "It’s our children. You just don’t cheat children.”

.

 

........*****All images are copyrighted by their respective authors ........

 

.

..........................................................................................................................................................................................

.

.....item 1).... Yahoo! News ... The Christian Science Monitor...

 

By By Patrik Jonsson | Christian Science Monitor – 14 hrs ago .......Wednesday July 06, 2011

 

news.yahoo.com/americas-biggest-teacher-principal-cheatin...

 

Award-winning gains by Atlanta students were based on widespread cheating by 178 named teachers and principals, said Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal on Tuesday. His office released a report from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation that names 178 teachers and principals – 82 of whom confessed – in what's likely the biggest cheating scandal in US history.

 

This appears to be the largest of dozens of major cheating scandals, unearthed across the country. The allegations point an ongoing problem for US education, which has developed an ever-increasing dependence on standardized tests.

 

The report on the Atlanta Public Schools, released Tuesday, indicates a "widespread" conspiracy by teachers, principals and administrators to fix answers on the Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT), punish whistle-blowers, and hide improprieties.

 

It "confirms our worst fears," says Mayor Kasim Reed. "There is no doubt that systemic cheating occurred on a widespread basis in the school system." The news is “absolutely devastating," said Brenda Muhammad, chairwoman of the Atlanta school board. "It’s our children. You just don’t cheat children.”

 

RECOMMENDED: Education reform: eight school chiefs to watch in 2011

 

On its face, the investigation tarnishes the 12-year tenure of Superintendent Beverly Hall, who was named US Superintendent of the Year in 2009 largely because of the school system's reported gains – especially in inner-city schools. She has not been directly implicated, but investigators said she likely knew, or should have known, what was going on. In her farewell address to teachers in June, Hall for the first time acknowledged wrongdoing in the district, but blamed other administrators.

 

The Atlanta cheating scandal also offers the first most comprehensive view yet into a growing number of teacher-cheating allegations across the US, reports of which reached a rate of two to three a week in June, says Robert Schaeffer, a spokesman for the National Center for Fair & Open Testing, which advocates against high-stakes testing.

 

It's also a tacit indictment, critics say, of politicians putting all bets for improving education onto high-stakes tests that punish and reward students, teachers, and principals for test scores.

 

"When test scores are all that matter, some educators feel pressured to get the scores they need by hook or by crook," says Mr. Schaeffer. "The higher the stakes, the greater the incentive to manipulate, to cheat."

 

Cheating in Atlanta Public Schools

 

The 55,000-student Atlanta public school system rose in national prominence during the 2000s, as test scores steadily rose and the district received notice and funding from the Broad Foundation and the Gates Foundation. But behind that rise, the state found, were teachers and principals in 44 schools erasing and changing test answers.

 

One of the most troubling aspects of the Atlanta cheating scandal, says the report, is that the district repeatedly refused to properly investigate or take responsibility for the cheating. Moreover, the central office told some principals not to cooperate with investigators. In one case, an administrator instructed employees to tell investigators to "go to hell." When teachers tried to alert authorities, they were labeled "disgruntled." One principal opened an ethics investigation against a whistle-blower.

 

Investigations by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) and state investigators found a pattern consistent with other cheating scandals: a spike in test scores in one critical grade would be followed by an equally dramatic drop the next year. A USA Today investigation in March found that erasure data in six states and the District of Columbia showed these "abnormal patterns," according to testing expert Thomas Haladyna at Arizona State University.

 

The Atlanta testing allegations led to the first major law enforcement investigation of teacher cheating.

 

Scandals in other states have typically been investigated by state officials. In response to recent teacher cheating allegations in Baltimore, Michael Sarbanes, the district's community engagement director, told District Management Journal, an industry publication for school administrators, that manipulating a test is "inherent in human nature, [although] we think people who do that are outliers."

 

The high stakes for teachers

 

Ten states now use test scores as the main criterion in teacher evaluations. Other states reward high-scoring teachers with up to $25,000 bonuses – while low scores could result in principals losing their jobs or entire schools closing. Even as the number of scandals grows, experts say it remains fairly easy for teachers and principals to get away with ethical lapses.

 

"I think the broadest issue in the [Atlanta scandal] raises is why many school districts and states continue to have high-stakes testing without rigorous auditing or security procedures," says Brian Jacob, director of the Center on Local, State and Urban Policy at the University of Michigan. "In some sense, this is one of the least worrisome problems in public education, because it's fairly easy to fix. The more difficult and troubling behavior would be teaching to the test, which we think of as a lesser form of test manipulation, but which is much harder to detect, and could warp the education process in ways that we wouldn't like."

In response to cheating scandals, some states and school districts have instituted tougher test-auditing standards, employing software that analyzes erasure rates and patterns. Meanwhile, the Obama administration is reforming NCLB to reduce pressure on teachers and principals. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in June that NCLB “is creating a slow-motion train wreck for children, parents, and teachers.” On the other hand, an Obama administration proposal – to pay bonuses to teachers who improve test scores in their classes – may shift the stakes without lowering them.

 

"The [Atlanta] teachers, principals and administrators wanted to prove that the faith of the Broad and Gates Foundations and the Chamber of Commerce in the district was not misplaced and that APS could rewrite the script of urban education in America and provide a happy, or at least a happier, ending for its students," writes the AJC's education columnist, Maureen Downey.

 

"And that’s what ought to alarm us," adds Ms. Downey, "that these professionals ultimately felt their students could not even pass basic competency tests, despite targeted school improvement plans, proven reforms, and state-of-the-art teacher training."

 

RECOMMENDED: Persistent achievement gap vexes education reformers: Six takeaways

.

.

..............................................................................................................................................................................................

.

.

Visita nuestro Blog de Semana Santa en:

asociacionredobles.blogspot.com

 

Actos que se van a desarrollar durante la conmemoración del 200º aniversario del

rescate del Cristo de la Cama, consistente en el traslado de la Imagen desde la Iglesia

de Santa Isabel de Portugal (vulgo San Cayetano) a la Basílica del Pilar.

El rescate se produjo el 17 de febrero de 1809 del Convento de San Francisco, lo que

actualmente es la Diputación Provincial. El día 10 los franceses volaron el Convento,

que era defendido por unos cuantos aragoneses y por los voluntarios de Valencia. El

día 17, María Blánquez entro en el convento y vio que todos los pasos que

procesionan en Semana santa, quince en total, estaban destruidos, salvo el Santísimo

Cristo de la Cama, que estaba indemne en su Capilla de la Hermandad. Salió a la

calle, cogió a cuatro hombres, volvió a entrar al convento y todos ellos cogieron al

Cristo de la cama. Lo llevaron primero a la parroquia de la santa Cruz, después a la

de Santiago y finalmente al Palacio Arzobispal, lugar en donde vivía el general

Palafox, que enfermo lo venero y ordeno fuera llevado al interior de la Basílica del

Pilar, siendo colocado en el Altar de los convertido mirando a su Madre, la virgen del

Pilar.

Este hecho es el que conmemoramos.

A las 18´00 horas se oirá en la Ciudad de Zaragoza a los Artilleros de Aragón

anunciando el comienzo de la procesión cívico religiosa.

Con la salida desde San Cayetano de la Bandera de la Hermandad de la Sangre de

Cristo dará comienzo la procesión, encontrándose el resto de participantes ubicados

en la plaza. Seguidamente saldrá la peana, portada a varal, del Cristo de la Cama. Lo

hará con un toque preparado para la ocasión por la Sección de Tambores de la

Hermandad de San Joaquín y Virgen de los Dolores. Una vez que nuestro Cristo de la

Cama este en la plaza sonara el Himno Nacional interpretado al órgano por Ignacio

Navarro Gil.

Finalizado el himno, se descubrirá una placa en cerámica de Muel, promovida por la

Asociación Cultural Redobles. Dicha placa será descubierta por el Ilmo. Sr. D.

Francisco Javier Lambán Montañés, o persona en quien en delegue, acompañado por

el Hermano Mayor de la Hermandad de la Sangre de Cristo. A la vez que se descubre

la placa, don José Antonio Armillas, Comisario del Bicentenario glosara brevemente

la figura de María Blánquez y lo que ella significo.

Finalizado este acto, dará comienzo en sí el desfile.

Por la calle Manifestación, calle Alfonso y calle Coso, nos dirigiremos a la plaza de

España, en donde se realiza el segundo acto del desfile. Este consiste en depositar dos

coronas de laurel. La primera en la placa que recuerda al Convento de San Francisco

y la segunda en el monumento a los Mártires.

La del Convento de San Francisco será portada por mujeres ataviadas con el traje

regional, en recuerdo y homenaje a María Blánquez. Entregada por don Francisco

Javier Lambán Montañés (o persona en quién delegue), le acompañaran el

Comandante Militar de Zaragoza, General Juan Pinto y el Hermano Mayor de la

Sangre de Cristo. La recibirán dos soldados del Batallón Pardos de Aragón.

La segunda corona, la entregara don Juan Alberto Belloch Julve (o persona en quién

delegue), acompañado también por el Comandante Militar y el Hermano Mayor,

siendo recibida por dos soldados del Batallón de Infantería Voluntarios de Aragón.

Durante este acto sonara en la plaza el Carillón de la Diputación Provincial con

marchas alusivas a los Sitios.

Finalizado el acto, continuaremos el desfile en dirección a la Plaza de la Seo por calle

don Jaime, calle Mayor, calle Dormer, calle Cisne y calle Cuellar.

En la plaza de la Seo se realiza el tercer y último acto. Consiste en una breve

alocución del General Pinto, Comandante Militar de Zaragoza y Teruel, en recuerdo

y homenaje del General Palafox. A Su conclusión, el Batallón de Infantería

Voluntarios de Aragón hará una descarga de fusilería.

Ya para finalizar, nos encaminaremos a la plaza del Pilar, finalizando el desfile,

alrededor de las 20´30 horas, con la entrada del Cristo de la Cama en la Basílica, en

donde permanecerá hasta el miércoles 25 de febrero.

Finalizado el desfile y por lo tanto el traslado, la Hermandad de la Sangre de Cristo

realizara una ofrenda a la Virgen del Pilar.

La Hermandad de la Sangre de Cristo, con el fin de dar mayor realce a este

acontecimiento histórico, ha invitado a participar a todos aquellos Ayuntamientos e

Instituciones galardonados con la Medalla del Bicentenario “Defensor de Zaragoza”,

distinción que también ha obtenido la propia Hermandad. Han confirmado su

asistencia una representación de los Ayuntamientos de Alcañiz, Barbastro, Calatayud,

Cariñena, Chelva, Huesca, Jaca, monzón y Valencia. También han confirmado su

participación los Artilleros de Aragón, Batallón Pardos de Aragón, Batallón de

Infantería Ligera Voluntarios de Aragón, la Asociación Cultural Royo del Rabal

(ronda y escenificación de personajes históricos de la época), la Asociación Cultural

Los Sitios (personajes históricos de la época), la Hermandad de San Juan de la Peña,

la Cofradía del Santo Sepulcro, la Hermandad del santo Refugio, la Real Ilustre

Congregación de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad de Madrid y la Real Maestranza de

Caballería.

La parte musical durante el desfile correrá a cargo de la Banda de Guerra de la

Brigada de Caballería Castillejos II, de la Banda Música de la Academia General

Militar y la Ronda de jotas de la Asociación Cultural el Rabal. Durante el desfile y

con el fin de que los peaneros lleven el ritmo adecuado, les acompaña un piquete de

diez instrumentos, cuyos miembros son de la cofradía de la Institución de la Sagrada

Eucaristía, que lo harán sin los distintivos propios de la Cofradía.

Cabe destacar el estreno de una marcha procesional en las calles de Zaragoza. La

primera y ultima pieza que interprete la Banda de Música será la Marcha al Cristo de

la Cama, cuyo autor es don Abel Moreno y que fue donada a la Hermandad por la

Asociación para el Estudio de la Semana Santa.

Ernesto Millán Lázaro

Hermano Mayor

Hermandad Sangre de Cristo

A consistent day with one stage win had it all looking like it was going to go Greg Callaghan's way

Brenda Strong can be seen -- but mostly heard -- as Mary Alice Young, the recently departed narrator of Desperate Housewives

simplyconsistent.com/

323-653-1205

simplyconsistent.com/services/creative-direction-production

Justine Dupont Clinches ASP 1-Star Breti’ Girls Pro Junior in Excellent Surf

  

LA SAUZAIE, Brétignolles, France (Wednesday, April 20, 2011) – Justine Dupont (Lacanau, FRA), 19, has won the ASP 1-Star Breti Girls Pro Junior ahead of Maud Lecar (Saint Martin, FRA), Garazi Sanchez (Sopelana, EUK) and Leticia Canales (Sopelana, EUK) today, in excellent and consistent four-to-five foot (1.2 to 1.5 meter) waves. Second stop on this year’s ASP European Women’s Junior Series, the event enjoyed good to excellent surf conditions over its two-day waiting period, Dupont finding her way through three heats to finish atop a twenty-woman field aged under 21 and take out the crown.

 

Dominating the final with smart wave picks and fast on-the-rail surfing, Dupont left no chance to her three followers, the 2010 ASP Women’s World Junior No. 7 finishing atop the four-woman final with a solid 13.75 point heat result.

 

“It’s been a great event with beautiful weather and great waves and I am super happy I made the trip all the way from Reunion Island to get this win here today,” Dupont said. “The waves were good, the level was high and after my fifth place finish in the opening event of the year, I was really hungry to win and get my campaing going right.”

 

Dupont, whose career is already one of the most impressive ones including an ASP European Women’s Junior title, an ASP European Women’s title, a runner-up finish in the prestigious ASP World Junior tour event at Narabeen in Australia, let her surfing make the talking today, stepping-up in the ASP 1-Star rated European junior event.

 

“I was disappointed with my result last week but I managed to bounce back and clinch the title here,” Dupont said. “I am aiming at doing well on both the ASP Star Series and the ASP Junior series in Europe, with the ASP Women’s World Longboard Tour at the back of my head as it would be great to also shine in that division. I want to thank Billabong, the event organizers, my team managers and the surfers for making this event here a success.”

 

Placing second in the event and following her equal 3rd finish last week in Reunion, Caribbean native from Saint Martin Maud Lecar lacked a second good ride in the final, after a two-day domination and high-scoring run in the event. Lecar, rocketed to No. 2 on the ASP European Women’s Junior rankings with her result in Vendee, has now become a serious title contender.

 

“I’ve been training hard all winter to get results and it’s paying-off well in a couple of events,” Lecar said. “ I was aiming at winning here because I felt really good throughout the event but couldn’t get my game going in the final and Justine (Dupont) deserved to take that one.”

 

Lecar, who led proceedings from Round 1 through to the final, has now made her intentions clear and showed her ss towards a possible ASP Women’s World Junior tour qualification, amongst an ever-improving level from European Under-21 surfers.

 

Placing third for a second consecutive event and also showing serious improvements for her 2011 campaing, Basque native Garazi Sanchez made a strong impression in the cool-water line-up, lacking some heat tactics and bigger set waves in the final.

 

“I feel good and looking at building on these first couple of good results,” Sanchez said. “I am happy to keep going well through two events and hopefully I can train and continue on the same track when the tour restarts in a month time.”

 

Making her first final in an ASP Junior sanctioned event, Leticia Canales was able to make her way through to a promising fourth place, the goofy-foot athlete going left during the final but lacking some verticality on a couple of rides to keep any win hopes alive.

 

The ASP European Junior Series will continue next mionth with:

ASP 1-Star Men’s Junior, Somo Cantabria Pro Junior, May 6 to 8

ASP 3-Star Men’s Junior, Islas Canarias Santa Pro Junior, May 11 to 15

ASP 2-Star Women’s Junior, Swatch Girls Pro Junior, June 1 to 5

 

The event is web LIVE via www.aspeurope.com

 

BRETI’ GIRLS PRO JUNIOR FINAL

1st, Justine Dupont (FRA), 13.75

2nd, Maud Lecar (FRA), 9.20

3rd, Garazi Sanchez (EUK), 9.05

4th, Leticia Canales (EUK), 7.10

 

BRETI’ GIRLS PRO JUNIOR SEMIFINALS

Heat 1: Justine Dupont (FRA) 11.75, Leticia Canales (EUK) 8.25, Joanna Giansanti (FRA) 8.00, Erika Franco (ESP) 4.25

Heat 2: Maud Lecar (FRA) 13.25, Garazi Sanchez (EUK) 9.65, Fanny Brice (FRA) 8.70, Ana Morau (FRA) 5.25

  

Visita nuestro Blog de Semana Santa en:

asociacionredobles.blogspot.com

 

Actos que se van a desarrollar durante la conmemoración del 200º aniversario del

rescate del Cristo de la Cama, consistente en el traslado de la Imagen desde la Iglesia

de Santa Isabel de Portugal (vulgo San Cayetano) a la Basílica del Pilar.

El rescate se produjo el 17 de febrero de 1809 del Convento de San Francisco, lo que

actualmente es la Diputación Provincial. El día 10 los franceses volaron el Convento,

que era defendido por unos cuantos aragoneses y por los voluntarios de Valencia. El

día 17, María Blánquez entro en el convento y vio que todos los pasos que

procesionan en Semana santa, quince en total, estaban destruidos, salvo el Santísimo

Cristo de la Cama, que estaba indemne en su Capilla de la Hermandad. Salió a la

calle, cogió a cuatro hombres, volvió a entrar al convento y todos ellos cogieron al

Cristo de la cama. Lo llevaron primero a la parroquia de la santa Cruz, después a la

de Santiago y finalmente al Palacio Arzobispal, lugar en donde vivía el general

Palafox, que enfermo lo venero y ordeno fuera llevado al interior de la Basílica del

Pilar, siendo colocado en el Altar de los convertido mirando a su Madre, la virgen del

Pilar.

Este hecho es el que conmemoramos.

A las 18´00 horas se oirá en la Ciudad de Zaragoza a los Artilleros de Aragón

anunciando el comienzo de la procesión cívico religiosa.

Con la salida desde San Cayetano de la Bandera de la Hermandad de la Sangre de

Cristo dará comienzo la procesión, encontrándose el resto de participantes ubicados

en la plaza. Seguidamente saldrá la peana, portada a varal, del Cristo de la Cama. Lo

hará con un toque preparado para la ocasión por la Sección de Tambores de la

Hermandad de San Joaquín y Virgen de los Dolores. Una vez que nuestro Cristo de la

Cama este en la plaza sonara el Himno Nacional interpretado al órgano por Ignacio

Navarro Gil.

Finalizado el himno, se descubrirá una placa en cerámica de Muel, promovida por la

Asociación Cultural Redobles. Dicha placa será descubierta por el Ilmo. Sr. D.

Francisco Javier Lambán Montañés, o persona en quien en delegue, acompañado por

el Hermano Mayor de la Hermandad de la Sangre de Cristo. A la vez que se descubre

la placa, don José Antonio Armillas, Comisario del Bicentenario glosara brevemente

la figura de María Blánquez y lo que ella significo.

Finalizado este acto, dará comienzo en sí el desfile.

Por la calle Manifestación, calle Alfonso y calle Coso, nos dirigiremos a la plaza de

España, en donde se realiza el segundo acto del desfile. Este consiste en depositar dos

coronas de laurel. La primera en la placa que recuerda al Convento de San Francisco

y la segunda en el monumento a los Mártires.

La del Convento de San Francisco será portada por mujeres ataviadas con el traje

regional, en recuerdo y homenaje a María Blánquez. Entregada por don Francisco

Javier Lambán Montañés (o persona en quién delegue), le acompañaran el

Comandante Militar de Zaragoza, General Juan Pinto y el Hermano Mayor de la

Sangre de Cristo. La recibirán dos soldados del Batallón Pardos de Aragón.

La segunda corona, la entregara don Juan Alberto Belloch Julve (o persona en quién

delegue), acompañado también por el Comandante Militar y el Hermano Mayor,

siendo recibida por dos soldados del Batallón de Infantería Voluntarios de Aragón.

Durante este acto sonara en la plaza el Carillón de la Diputación Provincial con

marchas alusivas a los Sitios.

Finalizado el acto, continuaremos el desfile en dirección a la Plaza de la Seo por calle

don Jaime, calle Mayor, calle Dormer, calle Cisne y calle Cuellar.

En la plaza de la Seo se realiza el tercer y último acto. Consiste en una breve

alocución del General Pinto, Comandante Militar de Zaragoza y Teruel, en recuerdo

y homenaje del General Palafox. A Su conclusión, el Batallón de Infantería

Voluntarios de Aragón hará una descarga de fusilería.

Ya para finalizar, nos encaminaremos a la plaza del Pilar, finalizando el desfile,

alrededor de las 20´30 horas, con la entrada del Cristo de la Cama en la Basílica, en

donde permanecerá hasta el miércoles 25 de febrero.

Finalizado el desfile y por lo tanto el traslado, la Hermandad de la Sangre de Cristo

realizara una ofrenda a la Virgen del Pilar.

La Hermandad de la Sangre de Cristo, con el fin de dar mayor realce a este

acontecimiento histórico, ha invitado a participar a todos aquellos Ayuntamientos e

Instituciones galardonados con la Medalla del Bicentenario “Defensor de Zaragoza”,

distinción que también ha obtenido la propia Hermandad. Han confirmado su

asistencia una representación de los Ayuntamientos de Alcañiz, Barbastro, Calatayud,

Cariñena, Chelva, Huesca, Jaca, monzón y Valencia. También han confirmado su

participación los Artilleros de Aragón, Batallón Pardos de Aragón, Batallón de

Infantería Ligera Voluntarios de Aragón, la Asociación Cultural Royo del Rabal

(ronda y escenificación de personajes históricos de la época), la Asociación Cultural

Los Sitios (personajes históricos de la época), la Hermandad de San Juan de la Peña,

la Cofradía del Santo Sepulcro, la Hermandad del santo Refugio, la Real Ilustre

Congregación de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad de Madrid y la Real Maestranza de

Caballería.

La parte musical durante el desfile correrá a cargo de la Banda de Guerra de la

Brigada de Caballería Castillejos II, de la Banda Música de la Academia General

Militar y la Ronda de jotas de la Asociación Cultural el Rabal. Durante el desfile y

con el fin de que los peaneros lleven el ritmo adecuado, les acompaña un piquete de

diez instrumentos, cuyos miembros son de la cofradía de la Institución de la Sagrada

Eucaristía, que lo harán sin los distintivos propios de la Cofradía.

Cabe destacar el estreno de una marcha procesional en las calles de Zaragoza. La

primera y ultima pieza que interprete la Banda de Música será la Marcha al Cristo de

la Cama, cuyo autor es don Abel Moreno y que fue donada a la Hermandad por la

Asociación para el Estudio de la Semana Santa.

Ernesto Millán Lázaro

Hermano Mayor

Hermandad Sangre de Cristo

Taken 24/09/18; with the help of Wikipedia the following notes hopefully provide some background:

 

Zurich's Tram Network

Trams have been a consistent part of Zürich's streetscape since the 1880s, when the first horse tram ran. Electrified from the 1890s, they have seen off challenges including proposals to replace them by trolleybuses and by a metro or U-Bahn. With a relatively static city network from the 1930s to the late 1970s, the city's trams have been expanding again since then. Recent expansions have taken the network into the suburbs beyond the city boundary, covering areas it retreated from in the first part of the 20th century. Further extensions have been approved, both to the city tram network itself, and by the introduction of a new light rail system in the Limmat Valley that will interwork with the city trams.

As of 2012, the VBZ owns 313 tram vehicles, which between them cover over 16 million vehicle-kilometres per year. All regular public services are covered by 289 vehicles of two basic classes, with the remainder of the fleet made up of a number of assorted works vehicles, including some used for the cargo tram service, and heritage vehicles. The heritage fleet sees occasional use on special services

 

The 2000 Series Trams

The 2000 Series Tram vehicles a re a high-floor tram design that were originally designed for the VBZ and were delivered in two stages from 1976 to 1978, and from 1985. The 20XX series (as shown here) are two section articulated sets. The 21XX series were originally two section units that have been rebuilt with a third central low-floor section. The 23XX series are two section articulated units without a drivers cab. These cars must run as the second unit in multiple with another 2000 unit. The 24XX series are single section non-articulated units without a drivers cab which also must run as the second unit in multiple with another Tram 2000 unit.

 

Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich (VBZ)

Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich (VBZ) is a public transport operator in the Swiss city of Zürich, and is wholly owned by the city. Previously known as the Städtische Strassenbahn Zürich (StStZ), the organisation was founded in 1896 and adopted its current name in 1950.

The VBZ owns and operates trams, trolleybuses, buses, and a funicular. It also operates, but does not own, a further funicular, a rack railway, and the Stadtbahn Glattal light rail system.

All of VBZ's passenger services are operated within the tariff and ticketing system provided by the cantonal public transport authority Zürcher Verkehrsverbund (ZVV). The ZVV tariff also covers other passenger transport services in and around the city, including the Zürich S-Bahn, although these are not operated by the VBZ

John John Florence, the hottest young surfer on the planet today, has continued his winning streak by taking out the ASP Prime rated Telstra Drug Aware Pro at Margaret River today.

 

Nineteen year old Florence won a hotly contested, all-Hawaiian final against 25 year old Olamana Eleogram, who could not continue his giant-killing dream run after earlier eliminating top seeds Owen Wright and Josh Kerr in the man on man heats.

 

Florence was clearly the form surfer of the event heading into the final, having consistently recorded 16 point plus heat scores over the week. Florence progressed after an amazing face-off against fellow teen prodigy Kolohe Andino in the Round of 16 late on Friday afternoon. John John made up for loss to Andino in a No Loser round earlier that day with a scorching score of 19.70 featuring the first and only ten point ride of the competition.

 

The wind died down and the swell began to pulse for the Men’s final after strong offshore winds made surfing in the early morning finals difficult. Eleogram was the first to strike in the 35 minute final, catching a right hander to bank an early score of 6.00. Florence soon responded with a 7.00 point right hander and backed it up straight away with another nice right, nailing an enormous finishing turn to score 7.83.

 

The final then became a backhand battle between the two natural footers as the lefthander began to offer the best scoring potential in the changing wind. Eleogram went left under priority hitting a number of critical turns to score an 8.83 to take the lead. But that only seemed to make Florence more determined as he aggressively attacked consecutive lefthanders, taking to the air on both waves to land scintillating backside reverse aerials, impressing the judges with scores of 9.43 and 9.33 to take a solid grip on the final by the half way mark with a total of 18.76.

 

That left Eleogram needing a perfect ride for the win, as Florence continued to put on a jaw-dropping display of new-school innovative surfing. The challenge proved too great for the affable Eleogram, who had to be content with making an ASP Prime final for the first time in his career.

 

“I was so stoked about being in the final with a good friend, a guy I grew up surfing with as a young kid,” said Florence after he had been chaired up the staircase from the beach by his mates. “Some great waves came through early in the heat and I felt loose and relaxed and hit a few airs. The wind here is just like home and it was pushing into the left for a change and gave me a chance to get up on a couple.” But the cool Florence did admit to some jitters midway into the final. “I started to get nervous with about fifteen minutes left, just thinking this could turn around on me, you just never know.”

 

The win for Florence continues a hot start to 2012, his rookie year on the ASP World Tour, as he won the season starting ASP 5 star Volcom Pipe Pro at his home beach in Hawaii, before going through to the last 16 at the opening World Tour event at Snapper Rocks on the Gold Coast earlier this month. It marks a rare streak of form for the Hawaiian prodigy who first rose to prominence on the tour when he became the youngest ever surfer to clinch the coveted Vans Triple Crown at his home breaks in Hawaii at the end of 2011, clinching his place on the ASP World Tour for 2012.

 

Florence’s performance at this event will go down as one of the most dominant in the event’s history. Florence has collected five of the top ten single wave scores and the top thee two-wave heat totals thanks to his full repertoire. Florence defeated fellow Hawaiian Olamana Eleogram (HAW) in the Final by scoring two 9-point-rides, for mixing huge power gouges with technical aerials.

 

“I’ve been having a lot of fun this week,” Florence said. “The waves are are a lot like at home, even the wind when it’s good for airs is a lot like Hawaii. The waves have been fun in all of my heats. I’m so stoked to win. This gives me a lot of confidence going into Bells because I hear the waves are similar. I was so stoked to make the Final with Ola (Eleogram) at Margaret River.”

 

Mark Occhilupo (AUS), 1999 ASP World Champion, although retired from full-time competition decided to come to Margaret River and attempt to win the event for his third time. Occhilupo’s affinity for Margaret River was clear from day one, with surf fans being treated to watching his iconic style and flair as he progressed through the contest. His dream run ended in the last minute of his Semifinal today, when Olamana Eleogram (HAW) posted a 6.50 and took the lead, sending Occhilupo home with an equal 3rd place finish.

 

“I have had the best time this week,” Occhilupo said. “In that Semifinal I had a pretty bad heat. A wave came at the end that I could have gotten the score on, but I fell. I’m going to go away and keep thinking about that. I’m still beating myself up about it. By the time I get home it will have sunken in and I will be stoked with third. That competitive nature doesn’t ever leave you.”

  

Courtney Conlogue Goes Back-To-Back At The Telstra Drug Aware Pro Margaret River

 

Courtney Conlogue (USA), reigning Telstra Drug Aware Pro event champion, today won the event for the second year in a row. Conlogue’s powerful backhand attack is perfectly suited to these powerful South West WA waves. The young Californian dominated the Final against Hawaiian Malia Manuel (HAW), posting two scores in the 8-point-range (out of a possible 10), to etch her name on the winners list once again.

 

“I was trying not to think about going back-to-back too much because I didn’t want to put pressure on myself,” Conlogue said. “I’m stoked to have gotten two in a row. This place taught me a lot last year and the years before. The first time I came here I lost in the second round and it was quite an embarrassing heat. Going from that to what I’ve done now feels great, and each year I come back I feel like I get to know the waves better and better. Now I’m looking forward to going to Bells because this place is great training for down there.”

  

TDAP 2012: Men's R48, Heats 1-2

 

TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO MEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:

John John Florence (HAW) 18.76 def. Olamana Eleogram (HAW) 15.43

 

TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO MEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:

SF 1: Olamana Eleogram (HAW) 11.67 def. Mark Occhilupo (AUS) 9.84

SF 2: John John Florence (HAW) 19.13 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 14.37

 

TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO MEN’S QUARTERFINALS RESULTS:

QF 1: Olamana Eleogram (HAW) 14.83 def. Josh Kerr (AUS) 2.34

QF 2: Mark Occhilupo (AUS) 17.63 def. Tom Whitaker (AUS) 16.03

QF 3: John John Florence (HAW) 15.44 def. Nic Muscroft (AUS) 13.10

QF 4: Kai Otton (AUS) 16.90 def. CJ Hobgood (USA) 13.93

 

TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO WOMEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:

Courtney Conlogue (USA) 16.23 def. Malia Manuel (HAW) 11.03

 

TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO WOMEN’S SEMIFINAL RESULTS:

SF 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) 15.90 def Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 13.40

SF 2: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 15.67 def. Rebecca Woods (AUS) 11.00

 

TELSTRA DRUG AWARE PRO WOMEN’S QUARTERFINALS RESULTS:

QF 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) 12.00 def. Pauline Ado (FRA) 9.83

QF 2: Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 12.17 def. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 11.17

QF 3: Rebecca Woods (AUS) 10.33 def. Laura Enever (AUS) 9.06

QF 4: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 15.26 def. Kirby Wright (AUS) 12.90

 

For more information, visit www.telstradrugawarepro.com

21 April 2012. David has consistently supported the campaign by Downhills Primary School to resist the attempts by Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Education, to force it to become an academy. In this he has joined with the school's Governing Body, parents and staff.

 

Click here to view this and other videos from the conference, posted on YouTube.

 

About the Conference

¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

The conference was a free event for parents, governors, school staff, councillors, local residents and everyone who cares about the education of our children.

 

View conference speakers and interviews on YouTube by clicking the blue links below.

 

• Sarah Williams and Susan Moyse, Downhills School Parents, speaking at the conference - bit.ly/JGW4hD

• Melian Mansfield chaired and introduced the event - bit.ly/L6QpAk

 Melian interviewed bit.ly/LgIzSZ

• David Lammy MP. Speaking at the conference - bit.ly/KEv8Pf

 David interviewed - bit.ly/KRHF09

• Dr John Adams, Vice-President National Governors Association - bit.ly/M8g2AT

• Henry Stewart, Local Schools Network, interviewed at the conference bit.ly/L6Stbp

 Henry's critique of Michael Gove's statistics videoed at the conference by film maker Rhonda Evans.

• Alasdair Smith, Anti-Academies Alliance, speaking at the conference bit.ly/K3H5uC

 

There were also contributions from head teachers; and from Jon O'Connor of the Cooperative Schools Trust; Dr Ross McKibbin historian, St John's College Oxford; and Brian Foster, an educator who works with Roma and traveller communities.

 

The Conference was organised in partnership with Haringey Governors' Association.

_____________________________________

 

§ Please use the blue link below to tweet, blog, email or otherwise tell people about the campaign by Downhills parents.

bit.ly/JPC1KC

Around the Sourderie's lake: a consistent architecture programme

The construction of the Lake Temples in 1986 ends the area made by Catalan architect Ricardo Bofill. These 200 apartments add to the 387 ones of the Arcades and the Viaduct (1979-1982) located on the other side of the reservoir of rainwater. Despite its location straddling two towns, this whole housing all around the lake, now shows a strong unity, reinforced by the lake itself designed as a link. The architecture of the Lake Temples is another aspect of "Versailles for the People" wished by the architect. It also reminds the Greek antiquity, among other things because of the triangular pediments at the top of the buildings. These references to historical shapes, combined with industrial construction techniques, are characteristic to the post-modern movement.

Source: City information panels

O'Keefe at the Whitney. The first gallery had many small watercolors and oils that O'Keefe painted in 1916 while working with Arthur Dove. That room is the only room with consistently good paintings. The rest of the show....not so much. An occasional painting with a little spark, but too often she paints like an amateur trying to fill in the coloring book. Points for daring to paint sublimated female genitalia, but innovation is not much if it's not also inspired.

 

I was tricked into seeing the show by the friend I was with. He had a show he wanted to see, and neglected to tell me what, who and where knowing how I loath the Whitney. The Whitney is a propaganda machine for the American branch of the cabals that run the world art market. The academic minded pop culture biased directors little understand art, and are much enamored of their own presumed culture power. They look down on low brows and chastise them with their exhibitions to get with the kitty litter and lard and exclude high brow by branding it elitist. They misunderstand their own mission statement and are exclusionary while dictating what is and what isn't "worthy to be contemplated". The mission for museums is as lost as the directors and curators notion of art and it's purpose. Museums are not supposed to be fascist tools of their own power. Most mission statements are to sample and preserve for future generations the best of this time, the best from a cross section of the work being done, kitsch, middlebrow, and fine art, art that adds to the canon and the conversation between generations 30,000 years continuously. This conversation is in jeaopardy of being ended by the nihilist, dadaist anti art crowd that arrogantly rules the art world today to the exclusion of all others. Granted, most museums across the world have fallen into this decadence, but the Whitney, it seems to me in my life time, was the first and most egregious example for the rest. I was already talking myself into having to go there to see the Burchfield show in the summer. Oh well, consorting with the enemy twice in one decade!!! I hope it's not a capitol offense!!! It should be. I loathe giving them a dime to cross their threshhold or any other support by word or inferrence!!!

 

O'Keefe became an icon and a celebrity and was of course latched onto as cause celeb by the women's movement, and truly there were more women in the following generation accorded their just place in the art of their time, but it was not BECAUSE of O'Keefe. It was partly inevitable and partly due to the pioneering work of many women and men and the time had come, consciousness had risen. O'Keefe had the good fortune to be adopted by culture as the poster child, if you will, of the continued often un-sung contributions of women to art and society - culture. Mary Cassatt is a way better painter. There is a painting of hers in the Turner to Cezanne exhibition recently here in Syracuse that blew the Renoir's' and Vlaminck's' nearby right out of the water. No O'Keefe I know of would blow any number of "just good" Doves, Marin's' or Hartley's' out of the water, just to compare her with her stablemates at her husband's, Alfred Stieglitz, Gallery 119.

 

It was, perhaps an unconscious acknowledgement on the curators of the exhibition part, that the show was an unadvertised two man show. There was one gallery that was only the famous photos of the nude O'Keefe by her husband Stieglitz. Certainly nude photos of Helen Frankenthaler would not be necessary to establish the worthiness of her art. We've come a long way baby, but we still have a long way to go. Helen is as much a token in her time as O'Keefe was in hers. The good news is Helen Frankenthaler is a way better painter, the equal of any in her generation and rightfully recognized as such, even for all the doubters still out there.

Amber Valletta, Kirsty Hume

The New Boutique Opening and Charity Event, on Robertson Blvd , SIMPLY CONSISTENT INC.

 

May 29,2008

 

www.simplyconsistent.com/artist-management

www.simplyconsistent.com/

www.simplyconsistent.com/non-profit/childhood-obesity

"-Chanel Boutique."

 

"-Kathleen Checki."

 

"-Checki."

 

"-Simply Consistent."

 

"-Simply Consistent Management."

 

"-Simply Consistent Charity Event."

 

"-Kathleen Checki Charity Event."

 

"-Kathleen Check."

 

1 2 ••• 25 26 28 30 31 ••• 79 80