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Business surveys in Latin America consistently show that skills gaps are a serious bottleneck to firm growth and competitiveness. Lack of responsiveness by providers of technical education and professional training is often blamed for this situation. What innovations are possible to improve the quality and relevance of those programs? What role should governments, employers, universities, and civil society play in shaping the approach to technical education and professional training in Latin America? What can we learn from reforms in the region and abroad? The Dialogue and CAF - Development Bank of Latin America hosted a wide-ranging full-day seminar that brought together academics, policymakers, and other experts from the Western Hemisphere to discuss the future of technical education and professional training in Latin America.
My weight used to be so consistent (182,175,176,177,176,176,185,178) before it started dropping off for no real reason. Now I struggle to maintain 162. Just kidding. I'm still overweight, but not nearly as much.
crushing bones.
blackest meadows, card suits, club, diamond, heart, numbers, rose, spade, winter dwelling.
bathroom, Clint and Carolyn's house, Alexandria, Virginia.
February 14, 2015.
... Read my blog at ClintJCL at wordpress.com
... Read Carolyn's blog at CarolynCASL at wordpress.com
Known for its consistent river mouth surf break, Sayulita was "discovered" by roving surfers in the late 1960s with the construction of Mexican Highway 200. Today, Sayulita is a prosperous growing village of approximately 5,000 residents. Hailed as a popular off-the-beaten-path travel destination, Sayulita offers a variety of activities such as horseback riding, hiking, jungle canopy tours, snorkeling and fishing.
Business surveys in Latin America consistently show that skills gaps are a serious bottleneck to firm growth and competitiveness. Lack of responsiveness by providers of technical education and professional training is often blamed for this situation. What innovations are possible to improve the quality and relevance of those programs? What role should governments, employers, universities, and civil society play in shaping the approach to technical education and professional training in Latin America? What can we learn from reforms in the region and abroad? The Dialogue and CAF - Development Bank of Latin America hosted a wide-ranging full-day seminar that brought together academics, policymakers, and other experts from the Western Hemisphere to discuss the future of technical education and professional training in Latin America.
TIDE POOLIN'
Leo Carrillo beach in Malibu is consistently one of my favorite places to visit and photograph. I just love climbing around the rocks and investigating the tide pool. There are several ways to get there, but I usually take the 101 North to Malibu Canyon, head south over to Pacific Coast Highway, then West (a right turn) on PCH approximately 25 miles until you hit Leo Carrillo. From the Valley to Leo it's about a 45 minute to hour drive each way. The tide pool is just in front of the #3 lifeguard tower (and incidentally, dogs are allowed on leash from this tower and continuing west up the beach). I just google low tide Malibu to find out the best time to go there and check out the tide pool. Usually there's a several hour window about an hour before to an hour after low tide that's good. If you go after that, the waves usually are just hitting the rocks too hard and it can be dangerous to stand there. I always see tons of starfish (many different colors including orange, light blue, and purple), sea anemones (they are really fun to touch), mussels, crabs (little teeny black ones and bigger red ones), and even little fish swimming in the watery crags and crevices of the tide pool rocks. And I've spotted dolphins and whales from this beach. After an outing at Leo Carrillo, I always stop at this little food shack called Malibu Seafood, located just before you find yourself back at Malibu Canyon. It's totally no frills - you order food inside, wait for your number to be called, and find an open bench to sit down. My fave meals there are swordfish with rice pilaf and salad (the ranch is really good), fish and chips, clam chowder, or a pot of steamed clams in a nice broth.
Leo Carrillo State Park / Malibu photos by Lydia Marcus
As seen on my blog: fotonomous.blogspot.com/2008/08/tide-poolin.html
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.
Very consistent. Ratemyprofessor cracks me up. I finally got a red chilli paper rating. But so did the 80 yr old Dean....
Consistently placed in the top ten best universities in the world category for science and medicine. This is the main entrance to Imperial College, London as well as the front of the Tanaka Business School, part of the college.
- Camera phone upload powered by ShoZu
The consistent creme de la creme of the Grade 1 bands and inspiration to all us pipers and drummers across the world.
2025 was a really good year for moths in my garden and further afield, the consistently mild and calm evenings through late Spring in to Summer was a huge contributing factor to the diversity and numbers.
Species wise, it was my best year in the garden with 672 species recorded in my tiny village garden. Field trips were also very profitable with always something of interest turning up for the effort.
This was my first year of dipping into larger battery territory, running 1 or 2 traps from a 1500wh battery pack, this will easily run a couple of actinics or a 160w blended bulb for 6 hours, more than enough time during the summer months.
It allowed me to drive to other areas of fenland or woodland and drop it off with a trap, further away from the main base of operations (where the heavy generator would be sited).
Happy mothing all and I will see you in the new year.
1. Caloptilia falconipennella 25/03/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) Netting at dusk seems to always throw up a good moth or two, and on a warm late March evening this was no exception, with several Caloptilia species including a garden first falconipennella which was dissected by Colin Plant. It is one of the less recorded species of Caloptilia in the county, particularly in adult form.
2. Mompha jurassicella 08/04/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for Cambs) Whilst out in the garden, I spotted a small moth fluttering around our shed during late afternoon, and luckily it landed! I shouted 'You are quicker than me, grab a pot'. He ran back and returned with practically a jam jar! which was way too big and wouldn't sit flush on the shiplap wood, so I told him to go and get a glass tube, quickly potted up I could already see what it might be, a regular moth in my old Herts haunt, a potential Mompha jurassicella, a few weeks later and dissection proved it to be correct.
3. Leucoptera laburnella 17/04/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) Conditions were fairly good for late April, and with highs of 17 degrees and little wind, it was time to put the net to good use once more out on the patio. I spent close to an hour searching the sky and sweeping at tiny specks in the sky, hoping that they were moths. Now you see, when I first started this dusk netting game, I found it very difficult to differentiate between a fly and a moth, now I think i've finally cracked it. In basic analogy, flies dance and moths flutter, it's as simple as that, and once you get your eyes adjusted it becomes a breeze. The best moth netted was an extreme tiny, a Leucoptera laburnella and a garden first.
4. Choreutis nemorana 27/04/25 - Stetchworth, East Cambs (New species for me) New moths for my records are few and far between now, having chased moths for nigh on two decades. So you can imagine my excitement when I saw a presumed Nettle-tap, land on a leaf whilst at work, which then turned out to be my first Choreutis nemorana. I ran back to the van for a pot (my prune tub), came back and it was still there! Note to self (again), when you've used a pot up in your pocket the previous day, replace it ready for the next day.
5. Cydia servillana 28/04/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New species for me) The best moth on a busy April night was a new moth for me, netted at dusk (the deadly method strikes again) a spankingly fresh Cydia servillana was very pleasing. I did have the lure for this particular species hanging in my garden at the time, so maybe just maybe it was mildly attracted to the scent? who knows, but it was the first time i've used the lure in the garden.
6. Coleophora otidipennella 30/04/25 - Chippenham Fen, East Cambs (New species for me & 2nd for Cambs) 69 species were recorded over the 4 hours at my local fen despite it rapidly cooling down after midnight. Best moth for me was a confirmed Coleophora otidipennella, a fairly distinct looking Coleophora with streaky white stripes on a grey background.
7. Grey Carpet 11/05/25 - Cavenham Heath, West Suffolk (New species for me) I did my (what it turned out to be) annual trip to Cavenham Heath during May, I really must do more than 1 trip a year here in 2026. It is a superb site and i've had great success in the daytime netting, although the Horse-flies can be quite problematic. A single Grey Carpet was a new moth for me. It is a nationally threatened species with it's UK stronghold around the Thetford area, so it was nice after 3 years of trying to see one, to finally nab the moth.
8. Teleiopsis diffinis 11/05/25 - Cavenham Heath, West Suffolk (New form for me) Amongst 10 Teleiopsis diffinis recorded on the night of the Cavenham Heath trip, one stood out as being 'odd' an unusual brown form that seems rarely recorded was worthy of a mention on this list.
9. Phtheochroa schreibersiana 17/05/25 - Fordham Hedgerows, East Cambs (New species) A few minutes in, netting at my local mature hedgerows, I didn't expect to get a new moth for me! A slightly shabby but equally impressive Phtheochroa schreibersiana. This fantastic little micro that came from a mixed deciduous hedge. With only a handful of Cambs records, I considered it an extremely lucky capture during an hour walk with the net.
10. Tinagma ocnerostomella 28/05/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) The best moth of the night was the rare and tiny Tinagma ocnerostomella, with it's fairly plain grey speckled wings and it's distinct 'Terminator' eye. The eye proved very hard to get a photograph of as the light wouldn't play ball. The moth was a nightmare itself to calm down as it raced around the pot even after fridging it. Then I lost it! with just a pot photo oops. Then luckily I caught another and then another. I think I ended up recording 5 during the course of the year.
11. Alder Kitten 30/05/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New species for me) A gloriously marked Alder Kitten was the highlight of a busy trap of 80 species, a May record for here. This completes the Kitten checklist for my garden.
12. Elegia similella 09/06/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (2nd for Cambs) Elegia similella Represented the 878th moth species for the garden at the time of going to press, and a second record for Cambs to boot. A moth that was more regular in broad-leaved ancient woodland in my old stomping ground in Hertfordshire. Even better was that I recorded another on the 26th.
13. Monochroa tenebrella 13/06/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (3rd for Cambs) After recording the first and the second of this species for Cambs in years past (In the garden and at Chippenham Fen) It was great but less surprising to record another at home. Sheep's Sorrel is its foodplant, and there are areas where it grows in dense sporadic patches locally.
14. Monopis fenestratella 19/06/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (Not seen in Cambs since 1877) Probably my best moth of the year, a drab little Tinea species. Luckily it didn't need the chop to get to species level. Monopis fenestratella is a jittery Tinea species that just wouldn't sit still. Finally it cooled down in the fridge for a few hours I was able to get it under a hand lens and notice that it wasn't all the same colour, with pale patches dorsally and ventrally, and a distinctive opaque window marking (fenestra meaning window in Latin). A new moth for me, and even more exciting was that it hadn't been seen in the county since 1877, which was the 1st British record! Since there have been less than 12 records nationwide.
15. Scarlet Tiger(s) 25/06/25 - Chippenham Fen, East Cambs (Sheer Abundance) The most shocking thing that happened on my late June trip to Chippenham Fen was a huge influx of Scarlet Tigers, counting over 500 in and around one trap, and a further 200 odd in the grass and on the walls, I then went to the next trap, and it was the same! All 4 traps were like this, so a conservative estimate would be around the 2500 mark, utter madness and sadly it was hard to see past them all and pick out the micros.
16. Small Mottled Willow 29/06/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) A migrant moth that has particularly good years and on others it is almost absent. This year was a good one, and I was lucky to bag two, one at home and one at my local nature reserve.
17. Hornet Moth 04/07/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) When I got home from work, I did the lure bucket trap rounds and saw a large yellow moth buzzing around inside one of them. It was to be a garden first Hornet Moth (In the initial excitement I mis-identified it as a Lunar). An excellent garden record and the 9th Clearwing species to be recorded in my garden, even better was that overnight I had two Hornets arrive at my trap, so it was nice to pop them side by side, showing the differences and also the similarities side by side.
18. Ypsolopha vittella 06/07/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) At the start of July there was a real drop in species and numbers of moths, with cooler conditions throughout the day and night, a north breeze was blowing into the garden (being north facing made this worse). But it was well worth the effort of getting up at 4am, as there was a tiny non-descript moth on one of the outer egg trays that I didn't initially recognise.
A quick fumble with a glass tube and it was safely retained for a better look.
The moth turned out to be Ypsolopha vittella, a first for the garden and the 8th species of Ypsolopha to be recorded here.
19. Mompha sturnipennella 10/07/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) A species I am familiar with from trapping on chalk grassland in Hertfordshire a couple of times. The biggest of the group, and when fresh like this one, sports black longitudinal streaks.
20. Depressaria sordidatella 10/07/25 - Hadstock, NW Essex (3rd for Essex) A second visit to this small nature reserve yielded some lovely moths. Of note was at least 20 Magpie Moths. One micro really stood out as something different, and indeed it was. I sent the moth off to Chris Lewis in Essex, and the genitalia dissection came back as Depressaria sordidatella a moth I recorded once on my parents old farm in Hertfordshire, a similar chalky habitat and both sites being roughly 400m above sea level. This record being the 3rd for Essex.
21. Isophrictis striatella 13/07/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) An unexpected species here. The caterpillars feed on the stems of Tansy & Sneezewort, neither of which I have seen locally. There are currently 7 county records, all at one site on the south Cambs/north Herts at RSPB Fowlmere, so a very good record indeed, and only my 2nd record of this species having taken my first one in Bedfordshire in 2021.
22. Acrobasis tumidana 14/07/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (2nd for garden) Another migrant that has done well this year, much like the Small Mottled Willow. I recorded 4 in the garden in 2025. It can be distinguished from the similar Acrobasis repandana by the ridge of reddish raised scale tufts next to a white crossbar.
23. Ground Lackey 17/07/25 - Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk (2nd for Norfolk) My first time at this site, which is technically a car park near the sea, I won't over-glamourise it! It did well though, with a spectacular female Ground Lackey, only the 2nd record for Norfolk, a female was found out of habitat in Norwich in 2013. My previous records have come from Dungeness.
24. Scrobipalpa nitentella 17/07/25 - Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk (New species for me) A new moth for me, and there were several present to the trap nearest the sea. It is listed as one of the more regular Scrobipalpa along the coastlines of Norfolk.
25. Dark Crimson Underwing 18/07/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New species for me) Some real quality moths as we headed just past the peak of moth trapping. A brand new moth for my records, a stunning Dark Crimson Underwing took top spot, the third Catocala species to grace my garden trap (Red & Blue being the other two). I have seen this moth before at Bramfield Woods in Hertfordshire, where two came to Trevor Brownsell's trap, but it felt like cheating ticking them off!
26. Scythris limbella 18/07/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) The best micro on the same night as 'big red', were not one but two Scythris limbella. My first encounter of this species was in 2017 in Hertfordshire.
27. Jersey Mocha 19/07/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden & 2nd for Cambs) A cooler night and it seemed the early rise wouldn't be worth it, with lots of repeats of brown moths. However, it only takes one moth to be worth it. Jersey Mocha was rather unexpected to say the least. It was to be the 2nd county record for Cambridgeshire, with the 1st one recorded in 2019 in Stretham. My first one was also extremely unexpected when Ian Bennell and I took one in Hertfordshire in 2016, nearly a decade ago! And then a second one turned up on the 8th of September, unbelievable.
28. Hellinsia carphodactyla 16/08/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) I was extremely pleased to pot up a Hellinsia plume species on the fence early evening in mid August. This is my second of this genus after taking Mugwort Plume (Hellinsia lienigianus) 3 years on a trot. This newest addition being the Citron Plume (Hellinsia carphodactyla) and was the 909th species for the garden.
29. Dark Spinach 19/08/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) Another new macro moth was a really fresh Dark Spinach on the 19th of August. It is one i've taken a few times before in Essex, and more recently in nearby Norfolk, a stunning looking moth.
30. Coleophora lineolea 20/08/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New species for me) Coleophora lineolea is a species I have never seen before, so I was very pleased to get two to my trap late on in the year. I must get out more to look for the larval cases next year.
31. Chevron 02/09/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) An expected species eventually I guess, a regular species at Wicken & Chippenham Fen and I've also taken it over the border in Norfolk a few times. Lively and hard to photograph!
32. Apomyelois bistriatella 08/09/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New species for me) Back on the 8th of September I potted up a rather dark pyralid that was flittering around the trap. initially it looked like a dark Ephestia species, but when brought inside and under a hand lens in good light, revealed that it was infact the scarce moth, Apomyelois bistriatella.
A new moth for me and my garden. There are a few records from one site in Cambridge but that is it (although there are no photographs available I assume these records are correct).
33. Four-spotted Footman 09/09/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) Best moth of the night went to the migrant Four-spotted Footman. A seemingly good year for this species in the south and east. I recorded another a week later and whilst on holiday in Hampshire back in August.
34. Agonopterix propinquella 17/09/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) A very welcome Agonopterix propinquella was potted up on a breezy night, I get subpropinquella regularly here, the slightly larger cousin to this species.
35. Epinotia caprana/maculana 16/10/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) The most interesting moth of the night was a medium sized micro moth, a tortrix spotted on the vanes of my actinic trap. Identifying it as one of the Epinotia species, things would get trickier now once it was potted!
A unincolorous form, so not easy to identify. I've ruled out sordidana on the darker hindwing, and leaning more towards caprana with the dark streak present, but then it could be maculana! A difficult one that will no doubt lead to dissection eventually, unless someone can enlighten me. Specimen retained for the time being.
36. Crocidosema plebejana 07/11/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) Crocidosema plebejana, a small migrant moth much like Plutella xylostella and Udea ferrugalis. I get these sporadically at various sites, but never in the garden, until this night.
Over 20 day one pounds for one of the most consistent anglers one tour--Alton Jones. That smallmouth, I believe, weighed 5-4.
Day one of what will perhaps be called the greatest smallmouth bass tournaments of all-time. Over half the field weighed more than 20 pounds in rough conditions on Lake Mille Lacs. Mille Lacs is the finest smallmouth fishery in the world, and it showed, with bag after bag of beastly brown bass brought to the scale.
2016 Bassmaster AOY Championship (Grand Casino). Onamia, Minnesota.
World’s Best Surfers Ignite Aproador to Complete Round 1 of Billabong Rio Pro
APROADOR, Rio de Janeiro/Brazil (Tuesday, May 17, 2011) – After a week of lay-days, the world’s best surfers tore into consistently changing conditions at the lefthand pointbreak of Aproador to complete Round 1 of the Billabong Rio Pro.
Stop No. 3 of 11 on the ASP World Title Series, the opening day of men’s competition saw ASP Dream Tour veterans earn the day’s top scores while defending event winner Jadson Andre (BRA), 21, made an impressive entrance in the Billabong Rio Pro’s opening round.
Kelly Slater (USA), 39, reigning 10-time ASP World Champion, got off to a strong start to open his Billabong Rio Pro campaign. Slater unleashed two furious tail-drifting backhand turns to notch the day’s highest single-wave score of a 9.00 (out of 10) midway through his bout to overtake ASP World Tour rookie Julian Wilson (AUS), 22, and event wildcard Peterson Crisanto (BRA), 18, after nearly missing the start of his heat.
“That 9 felt good,” Slater said. “I went down to grab my jersey and there was some confusion. By the time I got out, the heat had already started and Julian got that first one. It wasn’t a good start. I knew there were going to be some good ones and I just had to be patient. That one good wave actually let me bottom turn and hit the lip, most of the waves were soft and had a lot of horizontals.”
Slater, who finished runner-up at the Billabong Pro last year, was also quick to admit that several goofy-footers will be tough to beat at the lefthander of Aproador and noted that the natural-footers will need to be especially selective in their wave choice at the Billabong Rio Pro.
“A little left like this is going to play well for goofy footers,” Slater said. “Owen (Wright) and Jadson (Andre) are probably frothing on it and licking their chops ready to go. We (natural footers) have been on our frontside at Snapper and Bells and now it’s their turn. We’ve just got to try and be smart. Mick (Fanning) looked good and there are waves out there to do it, you’ve just got to be smart.”
Taj Burrow (AUS), 32, opened his Billabong Rio Pro campaign with a sharp backhand attack by belting two Arpoador lefthanders to the tune of a 16.83 (out of 20) on his first two waves to earn the highest heat-total of the day. The Australian veteran notched his Round 1 heat win over dangerous Brazilian rookie Alejo Muniz (BRA), 21, and event wildcard Ricardo Santos (BRA), 20.
“It was kind of scary for a second there, right when they decided to start the competition the wind started howling, but then it cleaned up heaps,” Burrow said. “I got two fun ones at the start so I’m happy.”
Jadson Andre, defending event winner, reveled in Aproador’s lefthanders with a combination of aggressive carves and snaps to take a convincing Round 1 heat victory with the support of the Brazilian crowd behind him.
“I’m so happy to be here competing in Brazil and I love Aproador, I feel like a local,” Andre said. “I’ve competed here several times before and have friends here. I know everyone says I should feel pressure as defending champion, but I’m not worried about it. I’m just thinking about the next heat. That’s what I did last year.”
Mick Fanning (AUS), 29, two-time ASP World Champion, slowly built momentum in his opening Billabong Rio Pro heat, eventually igniting two lefthanders by combining a series of seamless backhand turns to notch a 15.07 heat total to advance directly through to Round 3.
“It was tricky trying to find the right one out there, but I watched the heat before and noticed that guys that were doing turns back-to-back were getting scores, so I tried to concentrate on that,” Fanning said. “They weren’t the biggest waves, but they just allowed three turns straight away.”
The Australian talent also expressed the importance of advancing directly through to Round 3 with Brazil’s ever-changing conditions.
“It’s really good to skip as many rounds as possible, especially here in Brazil where it can be really unpredictable,” Fanning said. “I’m stoked to get through Round 1 and I’ll go back and assess what’s going on and hopefully keep going.”
Billabong Rio Pro event organizers will reconvene at Aproador at 7am local time tomorrow morning for a possible Round 2 start.
To watch the Billabong Rio Pro LIVE log on to www.billabongpro.com
For additional ASP information log on to www.aspworldtour.com
Billabong Rio Pro Round 1 Results:
Heat 1: Owen Wright (AUS) 13.60, Heitor Alves (BRA) 7.67, Bobby Martinez (USA) 7.47
Heat 2: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 11.84, Adam Melling (AUS) 11.16, Kai Otton (AUS) 7.90
Heat 3: Taj Burrow (AUS) 16.33, Ricardo Santos (BRA) 11.17, Alejo Muniz (BRA) 10.60
Heat 4: Mick Fanning (AUS) 15.07, Simao Romao (BRA) 12.36, Dusty Payne (HAW) 11.66
Heat 5: Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 8.13, Jordy Smith (ZAF) 8.07, Igor Morais (BRA) 6.34
Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA) 15.17, Julian Wilson (AUS) 14.37, Peterson Crisanto (BRA) 3.84
Heat 7: Jadson Andre (BRA) 14.33, Gabe Kling (USA) 10.66, Bede Durbidge (AUS) 7.90
Heat 8: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 13.56, C.J. Hobgood (USA) 10.80, Josh Kerr (AUS) 7.43
Heat 9: Damien Hobgood (USA) 12.00, Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 11.10, Tiago Pires (PRT) 10.93
Heat 10: Cory Lopez (USA) 11.54, Chris Davidson (AUS) 10.00, Michel Bourez (PYF) 8.57
Heat 11: Daniel Ross (AUS) 14.90, Adriano de Souza (BRA) 14.67, Kieren Perrow (AUS) 8.96
Heat 12: Taylor Knox (USA) 15.03, Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 14.70, Joel Parkinson (AUS) 8.34
Photo ASP/Scholtz
2025 was a really good year for moths in my garden and further afield, the consistently mild and calm evenings through late Spring in to Summer was a huge contributing factor to the diversity and numbers.
Species wise, it was my best year in the garden with 672 species recorded in my tiny village garden. Field trips were also very profitable with always something of interest turning up for the effort.
This was my first year of dipping into larger battery territory, running 1 or 2 traps from a 1500wh battery pack, this will easily run a couple of actinics or a 160w blended bulb for 6 hours, more than enough time during the summer months.
It allowed me to drive to other areas of fenland or woodland and drop it off with a trap, further away from the main base of operations (where the heavy generator would be sited).
Happy mothing all and I will see you in the new year.
1. Caloptilia falconipennella 25/03/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) Netting at dusk seems to always throw up a good moth or two, and on a warm late March evening this was no exception, with several Caloptilia species including a garden first falconipennella which was dissected by Colin Plant. It is one of the less recorded species of Caloptilia in the county, particularly in adult form.
2. Mompha jurassicella 08/04/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for Cambs) Whilst out in the garden, I spotted a small moth fluttering around our shed during late afternoon, and luckily it landed! I shouted 'You are quicker than me, grab a pot'. He ran back and returned with practically a jam jar! which was way too big and wouldn't sit flush on the shiplap wood, so I told him to go and get a glass tube, quickly potted up I could already see what it might be, a regular moth in my old Herts haunt, a potential Mompha jurassicella, a few weeks later and dissection proved it to be correct.
3. Leucoptera laburnella 17/04/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) Conditions were fairly good for late April, and with highs of 17 degrees and little wind, it was time to put the net to good use once more out on the patio. I spent close to an hour searching the sky and sweeping at tiny specks in the sky, hoping that they were moths. Now you see, when I first started this dusk netting game, I found it very difficult to differentiate between a fly and a moth, now I think i've finally cracked it. In basic analogy, flies dance and moths flutter, it's as simple as that, and once you get your eyes adjusted it becomes a breeze. The best moth netted was an extreme tiny, a Leucoptera laburnella and a garden first.
4. Choreutis nemorana 27/04/25 - Stetchworth, East Cambs (New species for me) New moths for my records are few and far between now, having chased moths for nigh on two decades. So you can imagine my excitement when I saw a presumed Nettle-tap, land on a leaf whilst at work, which then turned out to be my first Choreutis nemorana. I ran back to the van for a pot (my prune tub), came back and it was still there! Note to self (again), when you've used a pot up in your pocket the previous day, replace it ready for the next day.
5. Cydia servillana 28/04/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New species for me) The best moth on a busy April night was a new moth for me, netted at dusk (the deadly method strikes again) a spankingly fresh Cydia servillana was very pleasing. I did have the lure for this particular species hanging in my garden at the time, so maybe just maybe it was mildly attracted to the scent? who knows, but it was the first time i've used the lure in the garden.
6. Coleophora otidipennella 30/04/25 - Chippenham Fen, East Cambs (New species for me & 2nd for Cambs) 69 species were recorded over the 4 hours at my local fen despite it rapidly cooling down after midnight. Best moth for me was a confirmed Coleophora otidipennella, a fairly distinct looking Coleophora with streaky white stripes on a grey background.
7. Grey Carpet 11/05/25 - Cavenham Heath, West Suffolk (New species for me) I did my (what it turned out to be) annual trip to Cavenham Heath during May, I really must do more than 1 trip a year here in 2026. It is a superb site and i've had great success in the daytime netting, although the Horse-flies can be quite problematic. A single Grey Carpet was a new moth for me. It is a nationally threatened species with it's UK stronghold around the Thetford area, so it was nice after 3 years of trying to see one, to finally nab the moth.
8. Teleiopsis diffinis 11/05/25 - Cavenham Heath, West Suffolk (New form for me) Amongst 10 Teleiopsis diffinis recorded on the night of the Cavenham Heath trip, one stood out as being 'odd' an unusual brown form that seems rarely recorded was worthy of a mention on this list.
9. Phtheochroa schreibersiana 17/05/25 - Fordham Hedgerows, East Cambs (New species) A few minutes in, netting at my local mature hedgerows, I didn't expect to get a new moth for me! A slightly shabby but equally impressive Phtheochroa schreibersiana. This fantastic little micro that came from a mixed deciduous hedge. With only a handful of Cambs records, I considered it an extremely lucky capture during an hour walk with the net.
10. Tinagma ocnerostomella 28/05/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) The best moth of the night was the rare and tiny Tinagma ocnerostomella, with it's fairly plain grey speckled wings and it's distinct 'Terminator' eye. The eye proved very hard to get a photograph of as the light wouldn't play ball. The moth was a nightmare itself to calm down as it raced around the pot even after fridging it. Then I lost it! with just a pot photo oops. Then luckily I caught another and then another. I think I ended up recording 5 during the course of the year.
11. Alder Kitten 30/05/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New species for me) A gloriously marked Alder Kitten was the highlight of a busy trap of 80 species, a May record for here. This completes the Kitten checklist for my garden.
12. Elegia similella 09/06/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (2nd for Cambs) Elegia similella Represented the 878th moth species for the garden at the time of going to press, and a second record for Cambs to boot. A moth that was more regular in broad-leaved ancient woodland in my old stomping ground in Hertfordshire. Even better was that I recorded another on the 26th.
13. Monochroa tenebrella 13/06/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (3rd for Cambs) After recording the first and the second of this species for Cambs in years past (In the garden and at Chippenham Fen) It was great but less surprising to record another at home. Sheep's Sorrel is its foodplant, and there are areas where it grows in dense sporadic patches locally.
14. Monopis fenestratella 19/06/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (Not seen in Cambs since 1877) Probably my best moth of the year, a drab little Tinea species. Luckily it didn't need the chop to get to species level. Monopis fenestratella is a jittery Tinea species that just wouldn't sit still. Finally it cooled down in the fridge for a few hours I was able to get it under a hand lens and notice that it wasn't all the same colour, with pale patches dorsally and ventrally, and a distinctive opaque window marking (fenestra meaning window in Latin). A new moth for me, and even more exciting was that it hadn't been seen in the county since 1877, which was the 1st British record! Since there have been less than 12 records nationwide.
15. Scarlet Tiger(s) 25/06/25 - Chippenham Fen, East Cambs (Sheer Abundance) The most shocking thing that happened on my late June trip to Chippenham Fen was a huge influx of Scarlet Tigers, counting over 500 in and around one trap, and a further 200 odd in the grass and on the walls, I then went to the next trap, and it was the same! All 4 traps were like this, so a conservative estimate would be around the 2500 mark, utter madness and sadly it was hard to see past them all and pick out the micros.
16. Small Mottled Willow 29/06/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) A migrant moth that has particularly good years and on others it is almost absent. This year was a good one, and I was lucky to bag two, one at home and one at my local nature reserve.
17. Hornet Moth 04/07/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) When I got home from work, I did the lure bucket trap rounds and saw a large yellow moth buzzing around inside one of them. It was to be a garden first Hornet Moth (In the initial excitement I mis-identified it as a Lunar). An excellent garden record and the 9th Clearwing species to be recorded in my garden, even better was that overnight I had two Hornets arrive at my trap, so it was nice to pop them side by side, showing the differences and also the similarities side by side.
18. Ypsolopha vittella 06/07/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) At the start of July there was a real drop in species and numbers of moths, with cooler conditions throughout the day and night, a north breeze was blowing into the garden (being north facing made this worse). But it was well worth the effort of getting up at 4am, as there was a tiny non-descript moth on one of the outer egg trays that I didn't initially recognise.
A quick fumble with a glass tube and it was safely retained for a better look.
The moth turned out to be Ypsolopha vittella, a first for the garden and the 8th species of Ypsolopha to be recorded here.
19. Mompha sturnipennella 10/07/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) A species I am familiar with from trapping on chalk grassland in Hertfordshire a couple of times. The biggest of the group, and when fresh like this one, sports black longitudinal streaks.
20. Depressaria sordidatella 10/07/25 - Hadstock, NW Essex (3rd for Essex) A second visit to this small nature reserve yielded some lovely moths. Of note was at least 20 Magpie Moths. One micro really stood out as something different, and indeed it was. I sent the moth off to Chris Lewis in Essex, and the genitalia dissection came back as Depressaria sordidatella a moth I recorded once on my parents old farm in Hertfordshire, a similar chalky habitat and both sites being roughly 400m above sea level. This record being the 3rd for Essex.
21. Isophrictis striatella 13/07/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) An unexpected species here. The caterpillars feed on the stems of Tansy & Sneezewort, neither of which I have seen locally. There are currently 7 county records, all at one site on the south Cambs/north Herts at RSPB Fowlmere, so a very good record indeed, and only my 2nd record of this species having taken my first one in Bedfordshire in 2021.
22. Acrobasis tumidana 14/07/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (2nd for garden) Another migrant that has done well this year, much like the Small Mottled Willow. I recorded 4 in the garden in 2025. It can be distinguished from the similar Acrobasis repandana by the ridge of reddish raised scale tufts next to a white crossbar.
23. Ground Lackey 17/07/25 - Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk (2nd for Norfolk) My first time at this site, which is technically a car park near the sea, I won't over-glamourise it! It did well though, with a spectacular female Ground Lackey, only the 2nd record for Norfolk, a female was found out of habitat in Norwich in 2013. My previous records have come from Dungeness.
24. Scrobipalpa nitentella 17/07/25 - Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk (New species for me) A new moth for me, and there were several present to the trap nearest the sea. It is listed as one of the more regular Scrobipalpa along the coastlines of Norfolk.
25. Dark Crimson Underwing 18/07/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New species for me) Some real quality moths as we headed just past the peak of moth trapping. A brand new moth for my records, a stunning Dark Crimson Underwing took top spot, the third Catocala species to grace my garden trap (Red & Blue being the other two). I have seen this moth before at Bramfield Woods in Hertfordshire, where two came to Trevor Brownsell's trap, but it felt like cheating ticking them off!
26. Scythris limbella 18/07/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) The best micro on the same night as 'big red', were not one but two Scythris limbella. My first encounter of this species was in 2017 in Hertfordshire.
27. Jersey Mocha 19/07/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden & 2nd for Cambs) A cooler night and it seemed the early rise wouldn't be worth it, with lots of repeats of brown moths. However, it only takes one moth to be worth it. Jersey Mocha was rather unexpected to say the least. It was to be the 2nd county record for Cambridgeshire, with the 1st one recorded in 2019 in Stretham. My first one was also extremely unexpected when Ian Bennell and I took one in Hertfordshire in 2016, nearly a decade ago! And then a second one turned up on the 8th of September, unbelievable.
28. Hellinsia carphodactyla 16/08/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) I was extremely pleased to pot up a Hellinsia plume species on the fence early evening in mid August. This is my second of this genus after taking Mugwort Plume (Hellinsia lienigianus) 3 years on a trot. This newest addition being the Citron Plume (Hellinsia carphodactyla) and was the 909th species for the garden.
29. Dark Spinach 19/08/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) Another new macro moth was a really fresh Dark Spinach on the 19th of August. It is one i've taken a few times before in Essex, and more recently in nearby Norfolk, a stunning looking moth.
30. Coleophora lineolea 20/08/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New species for me) Coleophora lineolea is a species I have never seen before, so I was very pleased to get two to my trap late on in the year. I must get out more to look for the larval cases next year.
31. Chevron 02/09/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) An expected species eventually I guess, a regular species at Wicken & Chippenham Fen and I've also taken it over the border in Norfolk a few times. Lively and hard to photograph!
32. Apomyelois bistriatella 08/09/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New species for me) Back on the 8th of September I potted up a rather dark pyralid that was flittering around the trap. initially it looked like a dark Ephestia species, but when brought inside and under a hand lens in good light, revealed that it was infact the scarce moth, Apomyelois bistriatella.
A new moth for me and my garden. There are a few records from one site in Cambridge but that is it (although there are no photographs available I assume these records are correct).
33. Four-spotted Footman 09/09/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) Best moth of the night went to the migrant Four-spotted Footman. A seemingly good year for this species in the south and east. I recorded another a week later and whilst on holiday in Hampshire back in August.
34. Agonopterix propinquella 17/09/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) A very welcome Agonopterix propinquella was potted up on a breezy night, I get subpropinquella regularly here, the slightly larger cousin to this species.
35. Epinotia caprana/maculana 16/10/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) The most interesting moth of the night was a medium sized micro moth, a tortrix spotted on the vanes of my actinic trap. Identifying it as one of the Epinotia species, things would get trickier now once it was potted!
A unincolorous form, so not easy to identify. I've ruled out sordidana on the darker hindwing, and leaning more towards caprana with the dark streak present, but then it could be maculana! A difficult one that will no doubt lead to dissection eventually, unless someone can enlighten me. Specimen retained for the time being.
36. Crocidosema plebejana 07/11/25 - Fordham, East Cambs (New for garden) Crocidosema plebejana, a small migrant moth much like Plutella xylostella and Udea ferrugalis. I get these sporadically at various sites, but never in the garden, until this night.
VMI consistently reaches the top ten in the Forbes list of the best public colleges in the United States.
From www.forbes.com/2009/08/06/best-public-colleges-opinions-c...
To view large
robertmillerphotography.smugmug.com/Architecture/Best-of-...
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:
For more information on visiting Canada visit:
us-keepexploring.canada.travel/
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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
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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...
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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
No surprise, it’s consistently one of the most popular articles on our site: Five Signs Your Dog Loves You. But Dog knows there are many ways your pup might show his devotion. So with Valentine’s Day approaching, we figured it was time to update that list. Here then, are five more signs,...
Business surveys in Latin America consistently show that skills gaps are a serious bottleneck to firm growth and competitiveness. Lack of responsiveness by providers of technical education and professional training is often blamed for this situation. What innovations are possible to improve the quality and relevance of those programs? What role should governments, employers, universities, and civil society play in shaping the approach to technical education and professional training in Latin America? What can we learn from reforms in the region and abroad? The Dialogue and CAF - Development Bank of Latin America hosted a wide-ranging full-day seminar that brought together academics, policymakers, and other experts from the Western Hemisphere to discuss the future of technical education and professional training in Latin America.
Mike Krause knows the challenges sales leaders and business professionals face every day, having sold well over $100 million in products and services in his twenty years of professional sales, consistently achieving high levels of success in sales, management and training. He is a seasoned veteran of driving and achieving quantifiable results across a wide array of business models and organization sizes.
Since running his first lemonade stand at the age of seven, Mike’s proven approach to sales is to roll up his sleeves, jump into the trenches with his client’s salespeople and do whatever it takes to teach them his customized tools, tactics and strategies to generate income and strengthen positive branding.
From building a landscape company from inception to 130 accounts in two years to being recognized as a top producer in each of the Fortune 500 companies for which he worked, Mike always exceeds his goals. Mike funded his undergraduate education at St. Bonaventure University with his landscaping company and later obtained a Master’s degree in Strategic Leadership with a concentration in entrepreneurship from Roberts Wesleyan College.
After spending over twelve years in Corporate America, Mike discovered his true passion in helping business leaders and sales professionals achieve their sales objectives more rapidly through his highly effective selling processes. His previous book, Sell or Sink: Strategies, Tactics and Tools Every Business Leader Must Know to Stay Afloat! is available online through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
My latest book, SMART Prospecting: That Works Every Time! (McGraw Hill, March 2013)blends old school proven sales strategies with new age tactics and technology that make all sales people more productive and more effective. My clients have measured 40 to 65 percent growth in prospecting calls and increases of 22 percent in closed sales. In fact, Brian Tracy, universally acknowledged self-help author, motivational speaker, entrepreneur, business coach and keynote speaker − and 18 other top selling experts − endorse SMART Prospecting, “This is a terrific, intelligent book that shows you how to get in front of more and better prospects−faster than ever before.”
Today, Mike Krause is the president and founder of Sales Sense Solutions, Inc. where he delivers measurable results with his clients using Fortune 500 strategies, tactics, and tools. The company’s mission is to customize Fortune 500 sales experience and success systems for small and mid-sized companies. In addition to his thriving consulting work, Krause is an in-demand speaker and has received numerous awards for his acclaimed training programs. In his spare time, Mike enjoys piloting his sailboat on the Great Lakes, having successfully earned his marine captain’s license three years ago.
Visit: mdkrause.com/
To your sales success!
Michael D. Krause
585-704-6453
Author | Consultant | Strategist
Best Selling Author:
SMART Prospecting That Works Every Time!
Business surveys in Latin America consistently show that skills gaps are a serious bottleneck to firm growth and competitiveness. Lack of responsiveness by providers of technical education and professional training is often blamed for this situation. What innovations are possible to improve the quality and relevance of those programs? What role should governments, employers, universities, and civil society play in shaping the approach to technical education and professional training in Latin America? What can we learn from reforms in the region and abroad? The Dialogue and CAF - Development Bank of Latin America hosted a wide-ranging full-day seminar that brought together academics, policymakers, and other experts from the Western Hemisphere to discuss the future of technical education and professional training in Latin America.
The 53rd annual Bon Odori Festival at Camp Zama was held Aug. 4. The festival is consistently the largest bilateral event of the year for U.S. Army Japan, this year attracting more than 30,000 visitors to the installation. The festival featured live entartainment, games for children, a variety of ethnic foods, bilateral sports, and a fireworks show.
About the United States Army Garrison Japan:
The United States Army Garrison Japan and its 16 supported installation sites are located in the island of Honshu and Okinawa in Japan. The USAG Japan mission is to support the Headquarters, U.S. Army Japan / I Corps (fwd) to ensure mission readiness and the quality of life of the Army community in a sustainable, transforming joint and combined environment.
The USAG-J area of responsibility spans 1,500 miles from north to south of Japan. Camp Zama, home for both HQ USARJ and USAG-J is located approximately 25 miles southwest of Tokyo in the cities of Zama and Sagamihara in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The Camp Zama base cluster includes Sagamihara Housing Area and Sagami General Depot.
Akasaka Press Center is located in the center of Tokyo. The Akizuki/Kure area near Hiroshima is an ammunition depot. Yokohama North Dock is a port facility in the city of Yokohama, a major commerce port and a popular shopping area. USAG Torii Station is located 980 miles southwest of Camp Zama on the island of Okinawa.
We are the Army's home in Japan and the "Garrison of Choice" for Soldiers, Civilians and their Family members. We are committed in becoming the leader in the U.S. Army Installation Management Command by providing world-class installation services.
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To learn more about USAG Japan, please visit:
Official Website - www.usagj.jp.pac.army.mil
Facebook - www.facebook.com/usagj
Flickr - www.flickr.com/usagj
YouTube - www.youtube.com/usagjapan
Vimeo - www.vimeo.com/usagj
Twitter - www.twitter.com/usagjapan
Slideshare - www.slideshare.net/usagjapan
USARJ This Week on YouTube - www.youtube.com/usarjthisweek
TIDE POOLIN'
Leo Carrillo beach in Malibu is consistently one of my favorite places to visit and photograph. I just love climbing around the rocks and investigating the tide pool. There are several ways to get there, but I usually take the 101 North to Malibu Canyon, head south over to Pacific Coast Highway, then West (a right turn) on PCH approximately 25 miles until you hit Leo Carrillo. From the Valley to Leo it's about a 45 minute to hour drive each way. The tide pool is just in front of the #3 lifeguard tower (and incidentally, dogs are allowed on leash from this tower and continuing west up the beach). I just google low tide Malibu to find out the best time to go there and check out the tide pool. Usually there's a several hour window about an hour before to an hour after low tide that's good. If you go after that, the waves usually are just hitting the rocks too hard and it can be dangerous to stand there. I always see tons of starfish (many different colors including orange, light blue, and purple), sea anemones (they are really fun to touch), mussels, crabs (little teeny black ones and bigger red ones), and even little fish swimming in the watery crags and crevices of the tide pool rocks. And I've spotted dolphins and whales from this beach. After an outing at Leo Carrillo, I always stop at this little food shack called Malibu Seafood, located just before you find yourself back at Malibu Canyon. It's totally no frills - you order food inside, wait for your number to be called, and find an open bench to sit down. My fave meals there are swordfish with rice pilaf and salad (the ranch is really good), fish and chips, clam chowder, or a pot of steamed clams in a nice broth.
Leo Carrillo State Park / Malibu photos by Lydia Marcus
As seen on my blog: fotonomous.blogspot.com/2008/08/tide-poolin.html
Feral Swine Research Project – Savannah River and Southern Research Station (SRS)
Consistent collaboration and support by the USDA Forest Service Savannah River wildlife program, the Southern Research Station, and its partners, has enabled the ability to monitor, analyze and publish concerns relating to invasive feral swine populations and the economic security and safety of agricultural food sources.
The wildlife program at Savannah River is renowned for their consistent and long-term collaboration with Forest Service Research, State and Private Cooperators, and universities. The program consistently conducts and enables operational work to accommodate any questions and data needs the agency and our cooperators encounter. One wildlife project integrates invasive swine control efforts with research data needs to reduce both ecosystem damage and animal vehicle collisions.
Feral swine have been identified among the 100 most invasive species in the world, having expanded their range such that they now occur in both North and South America, Africa, and Australia, as well as many islands throughout the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean. In addition to ecosystem and property damage, feral swine destroy agricultural crops, contaminate water sources, and spread diseases that impact human, livestock, and wildlife health. The wildlife program and cooperators have compiled and provided data spanning nearly four decades from the Savannah River Site feral swine control program for management and research analysis. Data recorded by the wildlife program far exceeds that typically collected and, in this case, includes details on body size, sex, age, litter size, location, and date of each animal removed.
The impacts of these efforts are clearly demonstrated in a recent Journal of Wildlife Management article, published by the Savannah River National Laboratory and the USFS Southern Research Station, addressing invasive feral swine populations and the influences of a rural landfill. Invasive feral swine populations scavenging at the landfill have larger body sizes (creating greater damage during swine-vehicle impacts), larger litters, and reach higher densities than those occurring throughout the rest of the forest. The authors also presented these findings at multiple venues including the Canadian Ministry for the Environment.
These effects present unique challenges to population management, control, public safety, and disease transmission, including a heightened risk of the spread of African Swine Fever (ASF). If ASF-contaminated products were disposed of in the landfill and later consumed by the local feral swine population, the resulting infection could easily spread from feral swine to domestic pig and have serious adverse consequences for commercial pork operations. The continued collaboration between Savannah River’s wildlife program with Forest Service Research and our cooperators enables the ongoing scientific research and future findings needed to continue and target sound, effective management for control of this destructive, invasive species.
It really isn't consistent with full immersion in a local culture, but the pleasure of a morning cup of coffee was fully appreciated.
Served in the foyer of the Beijing Geosciences International Conference Center (BJGICC).
Beijing, China.
Phone 4 - Photograph taken with the camera on an iPhone 4.
Camera - The native camera app was used with the HDR option.
Filterstorm - Opened the original photograph in the native Photos app on my iPad3. Copied the image, opened the Filterstorm app, pasted the contents of the clipboard, and saved a copy of the image to the Camera Roll. This manoeuvre simplified the subsequent processing by having this copy as the most recent image in the Camera Roll.
Snapseed - Image straightened. Structure and Ambience filters applied. Overall lighting adjustments carried out.
Photoshop Express - Noise reduction and Sharpening filters applied with manual settings.
ExifEditor - EXIF data from the original photograph transferred to the final image.
(Filed as 20130629_iPad3 015 Filterstorm-Snapseed-PSExpress-ExifEditor.JPG)
Our winner is described as "Inspirational, determined, dedicated, hard-working, trustworthy and a consistent advocate for people with disabilities."
Diane has an incredible story to tell, having attended a day centre for people with learning difficulties for 25 years before being given the chance to prove what she could do. As one of her nominators says: "Diane is the one person I think of when I am trying to promote the life chances for people with disabilities because she has proved that it is a huge mistake to underestimate people, either through ignorance or prejudice."
As a Business Support Officer with the Adult Disability Short Break Service, Diane is described as having "all of the attributes that we seek in a Lancashire employee. Her professionalism and enthusiasm for the job is a constant. For me, she is one of the best employee role models any manager could wish to have on their team."
by Bill Kliewer, The Golf Warehouse (TGW.com)
Putting is one of the more challenging aspects of the game, but it can also be the most rewarding if consistently done well. Developing a good stroke is key to reducing scores, and the right putter can help get you there. If you’re one of many golfers struggling with consistency, the following sticks may provide the extra edge you need.
TaylorMade Rossa Monza Spider
When developing the Rossa Monza Spider, TaylorMade focused on increasing forgiveness to give players more consistency on miss-hits. The steel wire-frame and strong aluminum core allows weight to be distributed to the perimeter of the putter, and the “wings” extending back from the club face help to move the center of gravity toward the rear. These features combine to give the putter a high moment of inertia (MOI) so the club head twists less on off-center hits. The battle-tested putter was used by PGA Tour star J.B. Holmes to win the 2008 FBR Open.
Odyssey Sabertooth
The technology used to make the Sabertooth is as cutting edge as the putter’s sleek design. Highly prominent are the “fangs” on each side of the club head which distribute weight to the outer-most limits for a high MOI. The head is also fitted with a White Hot XG insert which makes for a soft and responsive core that delivers exceptional feel. Additionally, the aiming channels make it easy to align putts, so more shots will find their way to the hole.
NIKE IC Series
Because concentration is of utmost importance in golf, Nike’s new IC series is optically designed to allow the eyes to focus on the ball. Engineers analyzed the color of various putting surfaces when developing the line’s distinct green color. As a result, each IC putter blends into the background and the alignment aides standout, so golfers can focus on making perfect contact. Each of the five models has a CNC milled face to promote a soft feel, making these clubs a great fit for anyone’s bag.
Mizuno Black Carbon Series
Mizuno and legendary designer Bob Bettinardi teamed up to develop this series which delivers exceptional feel and fantastic results. Designed using Feel Impact Technology, these milled putters dramatically reduce the area where the ball makes contact with the face for an extra-soft feel. Choose from one of three unique models including the BC1 and BC2, both of which are heel-toe weighted blade putters, or the mallet-style BC3. Each putter is crafted from a single piece of carbon steel to increase shot consistency, and the black chrome finish helps to reduce glare.
Scotty Cameron Studio Select
Each golfer is different, which is why Scotty Cameron’s custom shop will tailor each Studio Select putter to fit anyone’s style. Factory-interchangeable weights in the heel and toe allow for multiple length-weight options in this series, which includes four blade-style putters. A high toe profile corrects the tendency to raise the toe at address which causes golfers to push the ball left, and the CNC milled face delivers fantastic feel.
Bill Kliewer is Senior Equipment Advisor of The Golf Warehouse (TGW.com), the world’s largest online golf store.
Consistent with support voiced by three-quarters of respondents during the just-concluded Liquor Policy Review, Parliamentary Secretary John Yap is endorsing liquor sales in grocery stores.
Learn more: www.newsroom.gov.bc.ca/2013/11/grocery-store-liquor-sales...
TIDE POOLIN'
Leo Carrillo beach in Malibu is consistently one of my favorite places to visit and photograph. I just love climbing around the rocks and investigating the tide pool. There are several ways to get there, but I usually take the 101 North to Malibu Canyon, head south over to Pacific Coast Highway, then West (a right turn) on PCH approximately 25 miles until you hit Leo Carrillo. From the Valley to Leo it's about a 45 minute to hour drive each way. The tide pool is just in front of the #3 lifeguard tower (and incidentally, dogs are allowed on leash from this tower and continuing west up the beach). I just google low tide Malibu to find out the best time to go there and check out the tide pool. Usually there's a several hour window about an hour before to an hour after low tide that's good. If you go after that, the waves usually are just hitting the rocks too hard and it can be dangerous to stand there. I always see tons of starfish (many different colors including orange, light blue, and purple), sea anemones (they are really fun to touch), mussels, crabs (little teeny black ones and bigger red ones), and even little fish swimming in the watery crags and crevices of the tide pool rocks. And I've spotted dolphins and whales from this beach. After an outing at Leo Carrillo, I always stop at this little food shack called Malibu Seafood, located just before you find yourself back at Malibu Canyon. It's totally no frills - you order food inside, wait for your number to be called, and find an open bench to sit down. My fave meals there are swordfish with rice pilaf and salad (the ranch is really good), fish and chips, clam chowder, or a pot of steamed clams in a nice broth.
Leo Carrillo State Park / Malibu photos by Lydia Marcus
As seen on my blog: fotonomous.blogspot.com/2008/08/tide-poolin.html
Consistent with its 70 years of commitment to nonpartisan discourse, the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia presented Steve Bannon, who addressed “America Fights Back: Our Economic War with China” and gave the audience, whether supporters or opponents, a unique opportunity for a personal experience of this public figure.
Autumn is consistently a great time to visit, with the foliage adding so much in spectacular, rich colors. And even during the latter part of the season, there is something so special about the bareness of many trees and vegetation. The nice thing as an observer of nature’s critters is that the birds are so much more visible. Even if they are at a fair distance, at least, one can appreciate their features. Also, many fall berries and other fruits and nuts, often with bright colors and interesting shapes, accentuate the landscape as seen only at this time of year. Cocoons are another fascinating gem of nature. Seeing so many speckled across the preserve leaves us feeling confident in a good, healthy spring.
The late, Doris Duke, had left a wonderful legacy in converting her magnificent estate into a Natural Wildlife Preserve for the public’s education and enjoyment. The paths throughout the estate offer such splendid scenery. One is forever exploring, always seeing something subtly beautiful. There are always pleasant surprises, from the general scenery to the world of the wildlife, even tiny insects and flowers are enjoyable to observe. The bucolic nature of the preserve is so relaxing—akin to meditating while experiencing the landscape. The beauty of visiting Duke Farms is that so many incredible views are there simply by observing all of the surroundings. Spotting new and fascinating wildlife—both animals and plants—always adds to the experience.
Miss Raven consistently turns her nose up at the freeze-dried BaRF, but she is definitely in better shape with the standard BaRF than Gumbo. At least what she eats stays down. Granted, feline dementia has been taking a toll on her. As sad as it is, I still find myself fascinated by her behaviors. Raven can eagerly dive into a bowl of food, but when she picks up a piece and turns to the side to eat it, she then sits back puzzled as to where the food went: what was I doing, wasn't I eating, oh well, I guess I'll just sit here. It's not just her eyesight, which hasn't been good for quite a while, because Gumbo has never had difficulty even without eyes. When I put the dish in front of Miss Raven again, she dives right in. Oh, she does then turn up her nose before she's finished, but I have another trick for her. I put a piece of freeze-dried chicken breast in the middle of her bowl. Instead of taking the piece, she eats all the BaRF around it so that she can eat the bit of breast meat. Now that makes no sense to my brain, dementia or not, but I'm glad putting the freeze-dried piece in her bowl typically helps. That means I don't need to depend upon the freeze-dried BaRF for her.
Another aspect of her dementia has her withdrawing to sleep holed up under the sofa. I have tried to encourage her to sleep with us, but she has a strong pull to be in her safe zone. However, last night I think she sensed I was a bit upset. I carried Gumbo and Miss Raven to bed with me, one in each arm, and I woke up in the morning with the two of them still by my side. All night long, as Magnus objected to his kennel (a new behavior since his training), I intermittently reached over and stroked their fur. In addition to those two, I had Cumin sleep up against me while HRH graced me with her presence on my pillow. Curio took his usual position down at my feet. Maybe Kevin wasn't so thrilled with all the company, but I was.
[SOOC, f/4.5, ISO 1600, shutter speed 1/80, -1 EV]
Kathleen Checki, president of Simply Consistent Management and MOM
Could not have been blessed with a better Mom.
MADRID RIO
Madrid Río es un parque de la ciudad española de Madrid, consistente en una zona peatonal y de recreo construida entre los años 2006 a 2012 en los dos márgenes del río Manzanares, en buena parte sobre el trazado soterrado de la vía de circunvalación M-30,1 desde el nudo Sur hasta el enlace con la A-5. En 2016, el proyecto se hizo con el galardón Veronica Rudge Green Prize in Urban Design de la Universidad de Harvard por su diseño e impacto social y cultural en la transformación del río
Entre 2003 y 2007 se llevó a cabo la obra de soterramiento del arco oeste de la M-30 en el ámbito del río, obra que hizo posible la eliminación del tráfico en superficie y la consiguiente liberación de más de cincuenta hectáreas de terreno ocupado anteriormente por las calzadas. A esta superficie se sumaron otras casi cien hectáreas correspondientes a los diferentes suelos infrautilizados adyacentes a la autopista.
Tras la construcción de los túneles afloró una herida vacía formada por un rosario de espacios desocupados, que atesoraban la potencia latente de convertirse en nexo de unión de un corredor ambiental de casi tres mil hectáreas dentro del término municipal, que se extiende desde El Pardo hasta Getafe y que enlaza importantísimas áreas verdes de la ciudad como la Casa de Campo, el Parque de la Arganzuela o el Parque del Manzanares Sur.
Por tanto, los beneficios obtenidos al enterrar la antigua autopista, obviamente, no han quedado reducidos a la mejora de ciertos aspectos de la movilidad urbana, ni siquiera a la rehabilitación local de los barrios, sino que pueden adquirir en un futuro próximo, una dimensión de gran escala que necesariamente deberá repercutir en las relaciones entre la ciudad y el territorio, entendidas en su mayor alcance. La enorme trascendencia para la ciudad de los espacios liberados como consecuencia del soterramiento de la M-30, llevó al Ayuntamiento de Madrid a convocar un Concurso Internacional de Ideas para concebir y proyectar los nuevos espacios libres en el entorno del río. El concurso lo ganó el equipo de arquitectos dirigido por Ginés Garrido y formado por Burgos & Garrido Arquitectos, Porras & La Casta y Rubio & Álvarez-Sala y West8, con la solución para la construcción de un parque urbano de más de ciento veinte hectáreas, que ocupa la superficie liberada por el soterramiento de la autopista. Los inicios del proyecto pasaron por el intento de comprender en su totalidad las cualidades geográficas de la cuenca fluvial. Las características del territorio y la diversidad de sus elementos naturales constituyen un conjunto de claves que han sustentado muchas de las ideas contenidas en el proyecto.
Sumariamente, la estrategia del éste se basa en la convicción de que, a través del río es posible conectar la ciudad, expresión máxima de la acción artificial, con los territorios del norte y el sur de Madrid, en los que aún perviven los elementos naturales propios de la cuenca fluvial. El río se convierte en puerta o enlace entre interior urbano y exterior territorial y, a través de sus márgenes, se establece la continuidad y la permeabilidad, hasta hoy aniquiladas por los sucesivos anillos concéntricos, hollados por los cinturones viarios, M-30, M-40, M-45, M-50 …, que fueron el resultado de aplicar a la red circulatoria los modelos de movilidad propios de mediados del siglo XX.
El proyecto se ha concebido en sucesivas aproximaciones o escalas a partir de las que se ha aplicado la reflexión sobre el campo de juego, obteniendo respuestas o soluciones diversas, desde el ámbito territorial o estratégico al local o específico.
En la escala territorial se han establecido los parámetros de partida para que, en el medio plazo, sea posible la regeneración de las márgenes del río en toda su longitud, como verdaderas áreas de integración entre el paisaje y la actividad humana, bajo un entendimiento contemporáneo capaz de superar el antagonismo implícito en el binomio urbano-rural.
En la escala metropolitana, a través del proyecto y de su concepción como gran infraestructura, se lleva a cabo la incorporación del corredor que se extiende sobre los bordes fluviales a su paso por la ciudad como parte del GR 124 (Gran Recorrido de la Red de Senderos Europeos) que ya, en 2011 se podrá transitar en toda su extensión, desde Manzanares el Real hasta Aranjuez.
En la escala urbana, el proyecto incorpora el río como doble línea de fachada inédita y configura un conjunto enlazado de espacios verdes que se infiltra en la ciudad; establece en la superficie un nuevo sistema de movilidad y accesibilidad; incrementa la integración y calidad urbana de los barrios limítrofes al río; protege y revaloriza el patrimonio histórico y detecta áreas de oportunidad que, sobre este ámbito de nueva centralidad, serán capaces de generar un cambio potencial del conjunto de la ciudad en el largo plazo.
En la escala local, la propuesta se ejecuta como una operación radicalmente artificial, materializada sin embargo con instrumentos eminentemente naturales. No se debe olvidar que se actúa mayoritariamente sobre una infraestructura bajo tierra. El proyecto se implanta sobre un túnel o, más bien, sobre la cubierta de un conjunto complejísimo de instalaciones al servicio del viario enterrado. Un edificio de hormigón de más de seis kilómetros de longitud, con enormes y determinantes servidumbres y con una topografía cuya lógica obedece exclusivamente a la construcción de la infraestructura, que emerge inopinadamente sobre el suelo y con la que ha sido necesario negociar. Sobre esta edificación subterránea, la solución adoptada se ha basado en el uso de la vegetación como principal material de construcción. El proyecto establece como estrategia general la idea de implantar una densa capa vegetal, de carácter casi forestal, allá donde sea posible, es decir, fabricar un paisaje con materia viva, sobre un sustrato subterráneo inerte, modificado y excavado para el automóvil, sobre una construcción que expresa por sí misma el artificio máximo.
Las familias, formas y asociaciones de especies vegetales seleccionadas provienen de la extrapolación del estudio de la cuenca del río y su adaptación, en cada caso, al medio urbano específico. La ordenación de los distintos entornos y su caracterización como lugares de uso público se ha producido teniendo en cuenta, por un lado, las funciones requeridas y las necesidades detectadas en cada distrito y por otro, la capacidad de conformar espacios habitables, inherente a los conjuntos organizados de vegetación de distinto porte.
La solución se concreta en tres unidades de paisaje principales. Primero, el Salón de Pinos, o corredor verde que discurre por la margen derecha del río. Es la estructura que permite la continuidad de los recorridos y reacciona en su encuentro con los puentes existentes dando lugar a distintos tipos de jardines de ribera (Jardines bajos de Puente de Segovia, Jardines del Puente de San Isidro, Jardines del Puente de Toledo y Jardines del Puente de Praga). Segundo, el enlace definitivo del centro histórico (representado por la imagen imponente del Palacio Real y la cornisa elevada de la ciudad), con la Casa de Campo, parque de más de mil setecientas hectáreas. En este entorno se incluyen la Avenida de Portugal, la Huerta de la Partida, la Explanada del Rey y los Jardines de la Virgen del Puerto. Tercero, la ancha franja sobre la ribera izquierda donde se sitúa el conjunto del Parque de la Arganzuela que incluye el centro de creación de arte contemporáneo de Matadero, y que representa la mayor superficie de espacio verde unitario de la propuesta.
Además de estas tres grandes operaciones paisajísticas coherentes entre sí, el proyecto propone ciento cincuenta intervenciones de diferente carácter, entre las que destaca el sistema puentes que dotan de un inédito grado de permeabilidad al cauce. Se han desarrollado soluciones sobre más de veinte puentes o pasarelas sobre el río, rehabilitando las siete presas, reciclando algunos puentes existentes y creando nuevos pasos, unas veces con un lenguaje silencioso y otras, intencionadamente expresivo. Como en una acción microquirúrgica el proyecto incorpora, eslabón por eslabón, una cadena de fórmulas de integración del río en la ciudad y de la ciudad en el río. Son elementos que garantizarán el contagio de los nuevos valores de las orillas regeneradas sobre los ámbitos y barrios cercanos. Con este efecto de resonancia, se prevé una sucesión de operaciones que aseguren una renovación de gran alcance. Desde ahora y de manera irreversible, se está fraguando una radical metamorfosis, sin precedentes para la ciudad de Madrid.
La superestructura lineal del Salón de Pinos es el elemento que organiza la continuidad de recorridos a lo largo de la ribera derecha del río. Está construida sobre los túneles en su práctica totalidad y tiene un ancho medio de treinta metros. Sobre la losa de hormigón que cubre el paso de los automóviles se han plantado más de 9.000 unidades de diferentes especies de pinos, de diversos tamaños, formas y agrupaciones con un marco de plantación forestal. Los ejemplares han sido seleccionados fundamentalmente en campos en los que hubiese posibilidad de extraer plantas con morfologías naturales (troncos no lineales, troncos dobles, troncos inclinados, etc.) De este modo se obtiene una prolongación controlada de los pinares de la sierra situada al norte de Madrid que parecen extenderse hasta el confín de la ciudad. Estos árboles han sido anclados a la losa de los túneles mediante cables de acero y bridas biodegradables, para potenciar su estabilidad y el crecimiento de sus raíces en horizontal sobre el paquete de tierras disponible. No obstante, este paseo se encuentra frecuentemente con estructuras de gran valor urbano o patrimonial.
Dos ejemplos simbólicos de esta intersección son los puentes históricos de Segovia (1582) y de Toledo (1732). En estos enclaves el salón reacciona como espacio de estancia, ampliando sus límites y ofreciendo un diseño específico, con árboles de ribera de hoja caduca y alineaciones de setos y bancos de piedra. Las actividades integradas en el salón se incorporan con un lenguaje coherente con su carácter forestal. Un claro ejemplo de este procedimiento lo forma el conjunto de áreas de juegos infantiles, diseñado específicamente como un sistema completo de formas naturales.
Jardines del Puente de Segovia
El puente de Segovia está declarado Bien de Interés Cultural. Fue construido a finales del siglo XVI por el arquitecto Juan de Herrera, por encargo de Felipe II. El proyecto de ajardinamiento de su entorno conforma una excepción en el ámbito del Salón de Pinos, constituyendo un ensanchamiento de éste y ofreciendo un modo diferente de aproximación al río. Los jardines se ordenan mediante una serie de líneas de traza orgánica que modelan sucesivas terrazas que descienden hacia el río. Estas líneas están construidas con unas piezas de granito de gran formato que sirven también de bancos. Entre ellos se extiende una superficie de hierba de bajo consumo hídrico arbolada con diferentes especies de árboles frondosos de ribera de la familia de los populus. En las inmediaciones de la fábrica almohadillada del puente se han construido dos estanques de agua limpia sobre los cuales, por un lado alza una fuente monumental de 16 chorros con forma de ciprés y por otro se extiende un pequeño jardín de lirios acuáticos. Los estanques son accesibles mediante unas gradas de piedra que se acercan a ellos hasta sumergirse.
Jardines del Puente de Toledo
Los jardines del Puente de Toledo constituyen una de las áreas más significativas del Proyecto Madrid Río, ya que se están situados en un enclave de excepcional importancia en el que el Salón de Pinos se encuentra con uno de los puentes monumentales de Madrid, el puente de Toledo, construido entre 1718 y 1732. El proyecto aprovecha dicho monumento en un doble sentido: Por un lado se compone un espacio concebido para ser visto desde lo alto del puente que se convierte así en un mirador privilegiado. De este modo los jardines ofrecen una nueva e inédita panorámica de Madrid ya que sus trazados dibujan un enorme tatuaje que se extiende como una alfombra sobre la superficie, reproduciendo un motivo figurativo vegetal. Por otro lado, los jardines incorporan el Puente de Toledo, que es una estructura barroca diseñada por el arquitecto Pedro de Ribera, como un objeto al que admirar, al que tocar y bajo el que pasar. La disposición de los setos está organizada de modo que conforma una serie de líneas que toman como referencia los jardines barrocos de la época borbónica, aunque están trazadas con un lenguaje contemporáneo. Asimismo en este punto se ha construido un graderío que permite la máxima aproximación a la lámina de agua del río, y la mejor contemplación de los arcos del antiguo puente.
Segunda unidad de paisaje: La Escena Monumental
La vinculación del centro histórico y el barrio de La Latina con la Casa de Campo ha estado vedada a los peatones de forma secular. El nuevo contacto, que ya es posible por la desaparición de los automóviles bajo tierra, ha sido resuelto con diversas intervenciones que asumen el carácter monumental y panorámico de esta zona, en la que el zócalo elevado del Palacio Real (germen primigenio del nacimiento de la ciudad) contacta con el río. Se han propuesto diferentes soluciones afrontando con extremada atención el contexto en el que se sitúan: La “Explanada del Rey”, explanada abierta pavimentada con un gran patrón figurativo y que sirve de gran atrio ante la Casa de Campo. La huerta de la partida, que es un recinto cerrado en el que se han plantado diferentes retículas de árboles frutales (perales, manzanos, moreras, granados, higueras, nogales, avellanos, etc) acoge un extraordinario mirador de la cornisa. La avenida de Portugal, convertida en un bulevar pavimentado por calceteiros portugueses y poblado por cuatro especies de cerezos (Prunus avium, P. avium ‘Plena’, P.yedoensis y P.padus ‘Watereii’ ) permite la contemplación de una espectacular floración que se alarga más de un mes en primavera. Por último, los jardines de La Virgen del Puerto, en la otra margen del río, estructurados mediante la disposición de parterres orientados según los ejes de los principales acontecimientos urbanos del área: el puente de Segovia, el puente del Rey, la avenida de Portugal y la puerta del Rey que ha sido restaurada y resituada según los datos disponibles en la cartografía histórica de Madrid.
Plataforma del Rey
En el acceso monumental que enlaza el centro histórico de Madrid con la Casa de Campo, antiguo cazadero real, destaca la Explanada o Plataforma del Rey, que es un espacio abierto de una superficie aproximada de 14.000 m2 y un frente paralelo al río de poco menos de 250 m. El destino de este espacio es el de formar un escenario capaz de acoger diferentes manifestaciones cívicas (conciertos, celebraciones oficiales, actividades culturales, etc.) en un entorno de extraordinaria calidad ambiental, que permite contemplar la Cornisa Histórica de la Ciudad. Este lugar está conectado con el Salón de Pinos y forma parte de él, aunque por exigencias de su uso, sea un área casi desprovista de arbolado. En ella el principal elemento organizador es el pavimento que, de forma muy suave, se adapta a una topografía que integra todas las emergencias de los túneles hasta hacerlas imperceptibles. En este pavimento las pequeñas piezas de granito y basalto forman un patrón que desciende desde la Avenida de Portugal y se esparce sobre la superficie del suelo a una escala en aumento progresivo. Dicho patrón vincula la plataforma con el pavimento proyectado en la avenida. De este modo la Plataforma es un elemento que liga de manera natural importantes piezas del escenario monumental que se produce en este punto, como son el Puente del Rey, la Casa de Campo, la Avenida de Portugal y el Salón de Pinos.
Huerta de la Partida
Se trata de un espacio recuperado que en las pasadas décadas se dedicó a albergar uno de los principales nudos de la autopista. La propuesta de regeneración de este lugar incluye varias operaciones: En primer lugar la construcción de una tapia, a veces opaca, a veces permeable que constituye un cierre que confiere al recinto el carácter de huerto cerrado. En segundo lugar, el modelado artificial del terreno, regularizando su superficie y tallando un único plano inclinado de suave pendiente que se desliza hacia el río. En tercer lugar la plantación de diferentes agrupaciones de árboles frutales (granados, moreras, manzanos, perales, avellanos, almendros, higueras, olivos y nogales) que se incorporan en el entorno describiendo cuadrantes reticulados con sutiles variaciones de orientación. Por último, se ha proyectado una ría húmeda que describe la trayectoria del Arroyo Meaques, actualmente entubado y oculto. Este proyecto ha sido fruto del estudio minucioso de la historia del lugar, ya que en el pasado, cuando Felipe II adquirió esta finca después de establecer la capitalidad de Madrid, en esta posición se plantaron algunas huertas que producían el alimento necesario para los trabajadores de la Casa de Campo.
Tercera unidad de paisaje: La Ribera del Agua. Arganzuela y Matadero
En la margen izquierda del cauce la ciudad se separa del río. El ejemplo más importante de la propuesta en esta orilla es el nuevo Parque de la Arganzuela, construido sobre antiguas dehesas de pasto de uso comunal. En este entorno se construyó el Matadero Municipal, notable ejemplo de arquitectura posindustrial de la segunda década del siglo XX. Con el soterramiento de la autopista, Madrid dispone ahora en este punto de 33 hectáreas de espacios libres que forman el mayor parque del proyecto. Éste se ha concebido como un gran espacio en el que el río se ha retirado dejando su huella ancestral. Está organizado con diferentes líneas que se entrecruzan, como surcos por los que pasó el agua, dejando entre sí espacios para distintos usos. Estas líneas, de carácter marcadamente longitudinal, son los caminos de distinta especie que recorren el espacio de norte a sur.
Paseo junto al matadero
Un camino más plano y ancho (el Camino Rápido), otro más sinuoso y de pendiente variable (el Camino Lento) y una franja empedrada de márgenes frondosos (el Arroyo Seco), que vertebra el centro del parque. La construcción del espacio se plantea como una gran arboleda que contiene varios paisajes, algunos más naturales y otros más construidos, configurados por una variación de especies, alturas, densidades y texturas. De este modo el parque, concebido como un retazo de la cuenca del río, incorpora tres áreas botánicas: bosque mediterráneo, bosque atlántico y fronda de ribera. El carácter de estos paisajes interiores está relacionado con los trazados longitudinales del parque, con árboles que siguen los caminos y las sendas, con sotos y bosques que emergen sobre la topografía. La textura boscosa se intercala con las superficies plantadas de aromáticas entre los caminos y el Arroyo Seco. Siguiendo la orilla izquierda del río, se dispone una franja húmeda y verde, con una pradera de césped que se inclina hacia el agua. Una constelación de fuentes ornamentales y un conjunto de tres láminas elípticas de agua pura introducen este elemento como materia narrativa que relaciona las distintas asociaciones de vegetación. Cada fuente presenta un distinto juego sonoro y visual y se rodea de pequeñas laderas plantadas de frutales que remiten a la imagen de los jardines de las leyendas o del Paraíso. Las líneas entrelazadas que estructuran el parque permiten la formación de recintos en los que se han situado importantes instalaciones para el recreo al servicio de los usuarios de todas las edades. En él se incluye un campo de fútbol , dos pistas de patinaje y tres importantes conjuntos de juegos infantiles. El parque así mismo incorpora el conjunto dedicado a la creación de arte contemporáneo de Matadero, como una gran dotación cultural que vive dentro de él. A través de los caminos se accede a las naves del antiguo complejo, cuya rehabilitación está a punto de finalizar. El diseño de los trazados permite entender la relación entre Matadero y el parque como un continuo entre el río y la ciudad.
El sistema de puentes sobre el río
La implantación de puentes sobre el Manzanares se lleva a cabo como una estrategia global, es decir, como un conjunto en que cada elemento resuelve problemas puntuales detectados en el entorno próximo, pero también forma parte a su vez de un sistema integral de conectividad transversal de acuerdo con la relación entre la ciudad y el río. Las unidades de este conjunto son de diferente carácter: puentes y presas rehabilitados o reciclados, puentes rodados existentes acondicionados al nuevo sistema de tráfico ciclista y peatonal, puentes singulares que constituyen hitos en el recorrido del río, pasarelas funcionales situadas en los nodos de máximo tránsito transversal y puentes de grandes luces que enlazan los recorridos del parque con los territorios exteriores a la ciudad al norte y al sur, haciendo realidad la principal aspiración territorial del proyecto.
Entre los puentes existentes destaca la operación llevada a cabo con las siete presas que han sido convertidas en pasarelas peatonales a través de su restauración integral y la incorporación de un tablero de madera accesible. En segundo lugar dentro de esta serie, se debe destacar el reciclaje del puente rodado de la M-30 que cruzaba el río al sur del Puente de Segovia, reconvertido en un puente peatonal y ciclista que incorpora un talud plantado con pinos. Entre los puentes singulares cabe mencionar el puente con forma de Y construido con cajones de perfiles metálicos, que evoca el lenguaje de los puentes ferroviarios del s. XIX colgados sobre los desfiladeros forestales y los puentes gemelos de hormigón que se dan acceso al complejo Matadero, proyectados como elementos de paso capaces también de configurar un espacio al que se ingresa, como pabellones que gravitan sobre el río, pero que verdaderamente pertenecen al parque.
Pasarela de Almuñécar
Fabricada de una sola pieza con fibra de carbono, para salvar una luz de algo más de 40 metros. Se sitúa sobre el único tramo del cauce que carece de cajero de hormigón. Su diseño final responde a las capacidades del material con que está fabricada, extremadamente ligero y resistente.
Restauración de Presas
Las siete presas que regulan el río a su paso de la ciudad han sido restauradas y puestas al servicio del nuevo sistema de pasos transversales. Sus mecanismos y exclusas han sido reparados y se les ha incorporado un tablero accesible de madera y una escala de peces para favorecer la continuidad de la fauna subacuática a lo largo del río.
Puente Oblicuo
Esta estructura viaria coetánea de la M-30 se ha reciclado para incorporarla al Salón de Pinos como un paso privilegiado a través del cual los peatones, los ciclistas y los árboles pasan de una a otra orilla. La losa aligerada que componía el tablero de hormigón postesado se cortó y apeó reforzándose para soportar las cargas debidas a su nuevo uso.
Puente del Principado de Andorra
Es uno de los nuevos puentes singulares del proyecto. Está construido por jaulas de perfiles abiertos, de expresividad algo arcaica, que toma como referencia las estructuras ferroviarias sobre los desfiladeros boscosos que se construyeron en Europa y Estados Unidos a finales de siglo XIX. Antes conocido como Puente Y, en julio de 2011 se le cambió de nombre al actual de Principado de Andorra, para agradecer al gobierno de Andorra la construcción del Puente de Madrid en Andorra la Vieja. Se escogió este puente para nombrarlo como Principado de Andorra porque representa también la geografía de Andorra: el país pirenaico está formado por dos valles, el del Valira del Norte y el del Valira de Oriente, los cuales confluyen en Escaldes-Engordany y se convierten en uno solo, de nombre Gran Valira. Esta disposición de los valles y sus ríos es similar a una Y.
Puentes Cáscara
Son dos puentes gemelos construidos con una lámina de 15 cm de hormigón autonivelante que forma una superficie con doble curvatura, de la que cuelga el tablero. Se conciben como dos pabellones a los que acceder para cruzar el río. Su bóveda se ha ornamentado con un mosaico creado por el artista Daniel Canogar.
Pasarela de la Princesa
El canto necesario para el funcionamiento de la pasarela se incorpora en las barandillas que en realidad conforman una pareja de vigas de alma llena y rigidizadores verticales. El lenguaje de la pasarela es intencionadamente sobrio.
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WASHINGTON - Consistent with the initiatives outlined in the 2011 Beyond the Border Action Plan, Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson and Canadian Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Steven Blaney signed the Agreement on Land, Rail, Marine, and Air Transport Preclearance Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of Canada. This new agreement reaffirms the United States and Canada’s commitment to enhancing security while facilitating lawful travel and trade, and supersedes the existing U.S.-Canada Air Preclearance agreement signed in 2001. Official DHS photo by Barry Bahler.
FOR 40 years, Ernie Wise was half of the greatest comedy double act in the history of British television, Morecambe and Wise.
Wise, the smaller in stature (a disparity in height being the feature of all the finest comedy duos), was the butt of Eric Morecambe's jokes, referred to as the one with the "short, fat, hairy legs", and teased about his non- existent toupee with the words "You can't see the join".
It was Wise who opened each show with the greeting, "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the show", and revelled in boasting of "a play wot I wrote", while Morecambe proceeded to sabotage such literary efforts, determined to knock his supposedly pompous partner down a peg or two.
"What do you think of it so far?" Morecambe would ask, replying himself, in ventriloquist style, "Rubbish!"
Morecambe and Wise's Christmas shows were consistently ratings-toppers, with audiences of as many as 28 million, and stars queued up to appear on screen with the pair, often only to be sent up.
Glenda Jackson performed with Morecambe in a pastiche of a Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers dance routine that finished with the Oscar-winning actress vanishing over the top of a staircase that led nowhere.
The newsreader Angela Rippon danced deftly across the screen in an evening dress split to the thigh.
The conductor Andre Previn leapt into the air while conducting his symphony orchestra so that Morecambe, playing a Grieg piano concerto rather amateurishly, could see him over the piano lid.
Even the former prime minister Harold Wilson appeared in one sketch.
The list of personalities who joined Morecambe and Wise on screen down the years read like a roll-call of Britain's finest actors and entertainers.
The joke was that Wise would grovel to these luminaries while Morecambe treated them with contempt and consistently forgot their names.
Morecambe and Wise had originally modelled their cross-talk act, combining quickfire gags with visual jokes, on the film giants Abbott and Costello and the more short-lived but hugely popular Wheeler and Woolsey - to whom they bore a remarkable physical resemblance - but their brilliant timing later caused critics to liken them to Laurel and Hardy.
In their act, crafted in music halls and variety theatres, Wise was the straight man, on the receiving end of Morecambe's buffoonery and insults, although this one-sidedness gradually changed as greater subtlety and characterisation took over.
The partnership ended only with Morecambe's death in 1984, which left Wise with the task of rebuilding his career.
Although he never reached the same heights as he had with his bespectacled partner, he branched out to work as both a West End stage actor and television game-show panellist.
He was born Ernest Wiseman in Leeds in 1925, and had his first taste of show business at the age of seven performing in northern working men's clubs alongside his father, a railway porter, in the amateur double act Carson and Kid, later known as Bert Carson and His Little Wonder and, at times, The Two Tetleys, after the local beer.
It was a songs-and-gags act but also included the youngster performing a high-speed clog dance.
"The faster I danced, the faster the crowds threw money," he later recalled.
He made his professional debut in January 1939 in the bandleader-turned- impresario Jack Hylton's stage production of the popular BBC radio programme Band Waggon, alongside Arthur Askey and Richard Murdoch, at the Prince's Theatre, London, after being auditioned by a talent-spotter, Bryan Michie, who had tipped off Hylton.
Just a couple of weeks after the production opened, the 13-year-old Wiseman was brought in to add a juvenile flavour to the proceedings, earning six pounds a week, three times his father's weekly wage.
It was Hylton who changed Wiseman's stage name to Wise.
In the same year, he was chosen to star in Bryan Michie's stage "discovery" show Youth Takes a Bow, again presented by Jack Hylton.
Sitting alongside the former bandleader in a Manchester cinema, Wise watched an audition at which the comedian John Eric Bartholomew did impressions of Flanagan and Allen and Fred Astaire.
Bartholomew, who had made his debut as a "gormless" comic in variety at the Empire, Nottingham, and was later to adopt the name of his Lancashire birthplace, Morecambe, joined Michie's touring show, but it was Wise who gained rave reviews as "the Jack Buchanan of tomorrow", "the young Max Miller" and "Britain's own Mickey Rooney".
Spurred on by Bartholomew's mother, Sadie, the pair eventually formed a double act, which they first performed as Morecambe and Wise at the Empire Theatre, Liverpool, in 1941, while still in Youth Takes a Bow.
They subsequently appeared two years later in the George Black revue Strike a New Note, which starred the legendary comedian Sid Field, at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London, although they were only understudies in that and performed their double act just twice.
However, they gained good broadcasting experience by landing regular work in the BBC radio series Youth Must Have Its Fling.
Then both went their separate ways to do National Service, Wise joining the Merchant Navy and Morecambe - after working for a short time with the comedian Gus Morris - becoming a Bevin Boy down the coalmines, only to be discharged after 11 months with a weak heart.
In 1947, the two met again by chance, when Morecambe joined Lord George Sanger's Circus and Variety Show as feed to the resident comic, who turned out to be Wise.
Standing in the centre of the circus ring, wearing dinner suits and gum-boots, they would sometimes perform with not a soul in the audience.
After the show folded, they eventually found an agent who booked them for a show at the Walthamstow Palace, in east London, where the duo were billed as Morecambe and Wisdom because there was already an act called Campbell and Wise on the bill.
They subsequently entertained the troops with Ensa (the Entertainment National Service Association) and performed at the famous Windmill Theatre in Soho, and in nude touring shows, providing comic relief in between the star turns.
After further work in variety theatres - working their way up to become second on the bill to international entertainers such as Lena Horne - and guest spots in the radio show Workers' Playtime and a long run in the broadcast revue Variety Fanfare, they landed their own series, You're Only Young Once, in the BBC's northern region, which cast them as owners of the Morecambe and Wise Detective Agency, with a guest celebrity bringing the pair of bungling sleuths a new case to tackle each week.
Then, in April 1954, the duo began their first television series, Running Wild, but the six BBC shows proved a disaster and took them several years to live down.
During that time, they continued to develop their act on radio and in summer shows.
After regular appearances in 1960 on Sunday Night at the London Palladium, the following year they bounced back on to television, on ITV, with The Morecambe and Wise Show.
It ran for seven years and established them as major stars.
It was during this series that they adopted a Johnny Mercer number, "Two of a Kind", as one of their theme tunes. Later, "Bring Me Sunshine" was to become their trademark song, played at the end of the show as they exited with a hornpipe-style dance, hands behind backs.
Their venture into feature films, with three comedy-thrillers - starting in 1965 with The Intelligence Men, followed by That Riviera Touch and The Magnificent Two in each of the following years - was less successful.
The Morecambe and Wise humour was never successfully translated to film, with storylines that were far removed from their usual patter and a method of shooting that did not suit their off-the-cuff style, but lack of success in this medium did nothing to abate their small-screen popularity.
They even travelled to America to appear regularly on The Ed Sullivan Show and had their own series, Piccadilly Palace, made in Britain by Lew Grade for screening in the United States.
The ITV show finished in 1968, when Eric Morecambe suffered a heart attack, but he recovered and The Morecambe and Wise Show switched channels, with Eddie Braben replacing Dick Hills and Sid Green as scriptwriter a year later after work lured the original writers to America.
The duo's 10 years at the BBC proved to be their most popular.
The series was a ratings topper and the annual Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show became an institution.
The sight of Morecambe wearing glasses on the side of his head and slapping Wise across the face was a guaranteed audience-puller and enticed some of the biggest stars to join them in front of the cameras during this time - so it was a blow to the BBC when the pair returned to ITV with their show in 1978.
They were lured back by Thames Television with the promise of more money and a chance to appear in films but, with a change of scriptwriters, The Morecambe and Wise Show never reached the heights it had done and only one television film was made, the poorly received Night Train to Murder (1984).
The BBC cashed in by repeating old programmes under the title Morecambe and Wise at the BBC and repackaging them into 70 half-hour shows for screening in America.
The move to ITV also saw Morecambe and Wise making a guest appearance in The Sweeney (1978), with Regan and Carter conducting an investigation at a club where the pair were supposedly performing in cabaret.
A year later, Morecambe suffered his second heart attack and had to undergo open-heart surgery.
Then, in 1984, after finishing a real-life stage show, at the Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury, in Gloucestershire, he died of another attack.
His death, at the age ot 58, signalled the end of British television's best-loved comedy duo, who had appeared in five Royal Variety Performances.
Picking up the pieces of his career, Wise had the difficult task of being the straight man who had to find new vehicles for his talents.
He performed in cabaret in Australia in 1986, played the chairman, William Cartwright, in the London West End musical version of the unfinished Dickens novel The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Savoy Theatre, 1987), which ran for only 10 weeks, and Det Sgt Porterhouse in the farce Run for Your Wife (Criterion Theatre, 1988) and was on television as a regular panellist in What's My Line?, as well as appearing in three Telethons in New Zealand and one in Australia.
He acted in the American television comedy series Too Close for Comfort (1985) and, back in Britain, presented The Morecambe and Wise Classics, featuring some of the duo's finest performances from their BBC shows.
Wise was also the subject of This is Your Life (1991) and a 40 Minutes programme subtitled The Importance of Being Ernie (1993), which charted the problems of facing up to life as a solo performer after years of endearing himself to the nation as half of a double act.
"We were ordained for each other," he said. "I wouldn't have teamed up with anybody else, only Eric. It was like a marriage."
Morecambe and Wise wrote two autobiographies together, Eric and Ernie (1973) and There's No Answer to That! (1981), as well as several other books based on their television shows, including The Best of Morecambe and Wise (1974) and Morecambe and Wise Special (1974).
Wise later wrote his own autobiography, Still on My Way to Hollywood (1990).
Ernest Wiseman (Ernie Wise), comedian and actor: born Leeds 27 November 1925; OBE 1976; married 1953 Doreen Blyth; died Wexham, Buckinghamshire 21 March 1999.
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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.
Comienzos, Tropiezos, Resurgimiento y Evolucion del SkateBoard !
Los primeros tipos de Tablas eran en realidad como scooters (parecidos a los que ahora conocemos como patines del diablo). Estas construcciones, de principios de siglo XX destacaban por llevar ruedas de patines clavadas a una madera, la que normalmente tenía una caja de madera clavada con manijas, poco aerodinamico e inestable.
Durante las siguientes cinco décadas, fue cambiando la apariencia del scooter, sacaron la caja y empezaron a poner ruedas de metal. Cientos de patines fueron desmontados y unidos a planchas de madera. En la década del 50 los ejes sufrieron modificaciones y los riders empezaron a maniobrar más fácilmente.
Junto con el aumento en la popularidad del surf en 1959 el primer Roller Derby Skateboard estaba a la venta.
Comenzaron a usarse ruedas de una especie de arcilla y al lado del surf comenzó a tomar consistencia. Para la década de los 60’s, el skateboard había ganado un impresionante seguimiento entre las masas del surf.
Asi mismo, se comenzo a publicitar este deporte en revistas de surf, lo que le empezo a dar mas auge que nunca.
La compañía Makaha, diseñó las primeras tablas profesionales en 1963 y un team fue formado para promover el producto. El primer campeonato de skateboard tuvo lugar en 1963 en la Escuela Pier Avenue Junior, en Hermosa en California.
Hacia 1965, el deporte fue elevado por campeonatos internacionales, películas, revistas (Quaerterly Skateboarder) y viajes que atravesaban los Estados Unidos con teams de skaters, lo que hizo expander a este deporte por el mundo entero.
Asi mismo, a partir de 1965 la popularidad del skateboard fue sufriendo una terrible baja, debido al poco progreso en el diseño y la construccion del equipo, es el caso por ejemplo de la construccion de ruedas, que pese a que las de arcilla no eran las mas seguras ni estables, eran las mas baratas y por ende las que mas se producian, esto hacia que los skaters viviesen cayendo de sus tablas ya que dichas ruedas no se sujetaban bien al suelo.
Todo esto hizo que muchas ciudades comienzen a prohibir el deporte por medidades de seguridad y salud.
El skateboard es casi totalmente eliminado hasta su resurgimiento en 1970 cuando un surfer llamado Frank Nasworthy desarrollo una rueda de skate hecha de uretano. Como era de esperar, el agarre era magnífico comparado con las ruedas de arcilla.
Con el pasar del tiempo, estas ruedas ganaron una continua difusión a través de California. Las empresas comenzaron a surtirse de nuevos productos, ideas y proyectos referidos al deporte, asi el skateboard recupero su merecida fama.
El primer skatepark al aire libre fue construido en Florida en 1976. Pronto fue seguido por miles de otros skateparks en todo Norte América. Apareció el vertical y el slalom y el freestyle se volvieron menos populares. También la apariencia de los skates cambió: pasaron de ser de 6 o 7 pulgadas de ancho a ser de mas de 8. Esto aseguraba mejor estabilidad en terrenos verticales. Wes Humpston y Jim Muir lanzaron la primer líneaexitosa de tablas con dibujos. Pronto, casi todos los productores lo hicieron.
En 1978 Alan Gelfand inventó el ollie o no hand´s aerial y movió al skateboard al siguiente nivel. Las raíces del freestyle se desarrollaron cuando los skaters comenzaron a llevar movimientos verticales a la calle.
En esos días, los skaters tenían un aspecto similar al de los hippies. Usaban el pelo largo y poleras con shorts de colores similares a los de los surfistas californianos.
La música que identificó a estos adolescentes agresivos sobre ruedas fue la de grupos como The Ramones, Manor Threat, Black Sabbath y Pink Floyd.
En los 80, las tablas, los trucks y las ruedas del skateboard se importaban desde Estados Unidos. Surgieron las tablas de fibra de vidrio que se vendían incluso en los supermercados. A mediados y fines de los 80 tres principales productores manejaban la mayoría del mercado del skateboard (Powell, Vision/Sims y Santa Cruz). Crecieron los ganadores de competencias y algunos skaters profesionales llegaron a ganar 10 mil dólares por mes. La National Skateboard Association, encabezada por Frank Hawk, realizó varias competencias en Norte América y en todo el mundo. Los calzados de Airwalk, Vans y Vision se volvieron muy populares junto con a ropa de skate.
El skateboarding en piletas era enormemente popular como resultado de la mejor tecnología, los skaters eran capaces de realizar saltos e ir más allá del coping.
Los seguros de los skatepark se volvieron un problema por la responsabilidad civil. De hecho, los seguros de los skateparks eran tan caros para la mayoría de los dueños que cerraron sus puertas y comenzaron a aparecer amenazas, intimidaciones.
Dado esto, en 1984, en un sin fin de ires y venires, los skaters parecieron desaparecer. Una que otra vez se encontraba alguno deslizándose en un estacionamiento de supermercado o de un mall del barrio alto.
En 1986, tímidamente, tras una moda llegada desde Estados Unidos, el skateboard comenzó a salir a las calles de este país. El estilo "street" (calle) llegó para quedarse. Estos fueron los skaters new wave que en sus modas tendieron también hacia el estilo punk y el hardcore. Los distinguieron sus zapatillas de cuero de caña alta, el pelo corto y peinado con gel hacia arriba y las calaveras en los diseños de sus poleras.
En 1995, el skateboarding fue muy expuesto gracias a los Extreme Games de ESPN. Empresas de calzado como Etnies y Vans empezaron a vender enormes cantidades de producto seguidos por otros productores para, una vez más, aumentar la popularidad del skateboarding. Hacia finales de los 90, el principal foco del skateboard sigue siendo el street y la industria está llena de numerosas compañias. En muchos casos, los profesionales desarrollaron sus propios productos y comenzaron con sus compañías.
En los últimos 40 años, el skateboard tuvo sus picos y caídas. Sin embargo, la tecnología ha progresado mucho desde las ruedas de arcilla.
Su popularidad, pese a las subas y bajas, nunca fue totalmente desbancada, siempre estuvo en la mente de todos esa loca idea de deslizarse sobre una tabla con ruedas haciendo saltos y piruetas sorprendetes, en sintesis, el deporte no desaparecio ni lo hara, porque vino para quedarse, para ofrecer atraccion, diversion y continuar renovandose.
Business surveys in Latin America consistently show that skills gaps are a serious bottleneck to firm growth and competitiveness. Lack of responsiveness by providers of technical education and professional training is often blamed for this situation. What innovations are possible to improve the quality and relevance of those programs? What role should governments, employers, universities, and civil society play in shaping the approach to technical education and professional training in Latin America? What can we learn from reforms in the region and abroad? The Dialogue and CAF - Development Bank of Latin America hosted a wide-ranging full-day seminar that brought together academics, policymakers, and other experts from the Western Hemisphere to discuss the future of technical education and professional training in Latin America.
TIDE POOLIN'
Leo Carrillo beach in Malibu is consistently one of my favorite places to visit and photograph. I just love climbing around the rocks and investigating the tide pool. There are several ways to get there, but I usually take the 101 North to Malibu Canyon, head south over to Pacific Coast Highway, then West (a right turn) on PCH approximately 25 miles until you hit Leo Carrillo. From the Valley to Leo it's about a 45 minute to hour drive each way. The tide pool is just in front of the #3 lifeguard tower (and incidentally, dogs are allowed on leash from this tower and continuing west up the beach). I just google low tide Malibu to find out the best time to go there and check out the tide pool. Usually there's a several hour window about an hour before to an hour after low tide that's good. If you go after that, the waves usually are just hitting the rocks too hard and it can be dangerous to stand there. I always see tons of starfish (many different colors including orange, light blue, and purple), sea anemones (they are really fun to touch), mussels, crabs (little teeny black ones and bigger red ones), and even little fish swimming in the watery crags and crevices of the tide pool rocks. And I've spotted dolphins and whales from this beach. After an outing at Leo Carrillo, I always stop at this little food shack called Malibu Seafood, located just before you find yourself back at Malibu Canyon. It's totally no frills - you order food inside, wait for your number to be called, and find an open bench to sit down. My fave meals there are swordfish with rice pilaf and salad (the ranch is really good), fish and chips, clam chowder, or a pot of steamed clams in a nice broth.
Leo Carrillo State Park / Malibu photos by Lydia Marcus
As seen on my blog: fotonomous.blogspot.com/2008/08/tide-poolin.html
TIDE POOLIN'
Leo Carrillo beach in Malibu is consistently one of my favorite places to visit and photograph. I just love climbing around the rocks and investigating the tide pool. There are several ways to get there, but I usually take the 101 North to Malibu Canyon, head south over to Pacific Coast Highway, then West (a right turn) on PCH approximately 25 miles until you hit Leo Carrillo. From the Valley to Leo it's about a 45 minute to hour drive each way. The tide pool is just in front of the #3 lifeguard tower (and incidentally, dogs are allowed on leash from this tower and continuing west up the beach). I just google low tide Malibu to find out the best time to go there and check out the tide pool. Usually there's a several hour window about an hour before to an hour after low tide that's good. If you go after that, the waves usually are just hitting the rocks too hard and it can be dangerous to stand there. I always see tons of starfish (many different colors including orange, light blue, and purple), sea anemones (they are really fun to touch), mussels, crabs (little teeny black ones and bigger red ones), and even little fish swimming in the watery crags and crevices of the tide pool rocks. And I've spotted dolphins and whales from this beach. After an outing at Leo Carrillo, I always stop at this little food shack called Malibu Seafood, located just before you find yourself back at Malibu Canyon. It's totally no frills - you order food inside, wait for your number to be called, and find an open bench to sit down. My fave meals there are swordfish with rice pilaf and salad (the ranch is really good), fish and chips, clam chowder, or a pot of steamed clams in a nice broth.
Leo Carrillo State Park / Malibu photos by Lydia Marcus
As seen on my blog: fotonomous.blogspot.com/2008/08/tide-poolin.html
I consistently enjoy spending time around the Flatiron District. On this night in early December 2015 it's unseasonably warm. It's in the low 60s, so this means that the streets are even more active than usual for this beast of a city. I love it!
The above installation is on display for the 2015 holiday season--Nova by SOFTlab.
From the Flatiron District website:
"In Nova, the placement of scopes, or viewing cones, is arranged to represent a centralized proverbial North Star for the Flatiron District, with each scope pointing to a distinct landmark. In effect, Nova acts as an observatory for the “constellation” of iconic sites in the neighborhood: the Flatiron Building, Met Life Tower clock tower, Empire State Building, and surrounding landmarks."
TIDE POOLIN'
Leo Carrillo beach in Malibu is consistently one of my favorite places to visit and photograph. I just love climbing around the rocks and investigating the tide pool. There are several ways to get there, but I usually take the 101 North to Malibu Canyon, head south over to Pacific Coast Highway, then West (a right turn) on PCH approximately 25 miles until you hit Leo Carrillo. From the Valley to Leo it's about a 45 minute to hour drive each way. The tide pool is just in front of the #3 lifeguard tower (and incidentally, dogs are allowed on leash from this tower and continuing west up the beach). I just google low tide Malibu to find out the best time to go there and check out the tide pool. Usually there's a several hour window about an hour before to an hour after low tide that's good. If you go after that, the waves usually are just hitting the rocks too hard and it can be dangerous to stand there. I always see tons of starfish (many different colors including orange, light blue, and purple), sea anemones (they are really fun to touch), mussels, crabs (little teeny black ones and bigger red ones), and even little fish swimming in the watery crags and crevices of the tide pool rocks. And I've spotted dolphins and whales from this beach. After an outing at Leo Carrillo, I always stop at this little food shack called Malibu Seafood, located just before you find yourself back at Malibu Canyon. It's totally no frills - you order food inside, wait for your number to be called, and find an open bench to sit down. My fave meals there are swordfish with rice pilaf and salad (the ranch is really good), fish and chips, clam chowder, or a pot of steamed clams in a nice broth.
Leo Carrillo State Park / Malibu photos by Lydia Marcus
As seen on my blog: fotonomous.blogspot.com/2008/08/tide-poolin.html
Business surveys in Latin America consistently show that skills gaps are a serious bottleneck to firm growth and competitiveness. Lack of responsiveness by providers of technical education and professional training is often blamed for this situation. What innovations are possible to improve the quality and relevance of those programs? What role should governments, employers, universities, and civil society play in shaping the approach to technical education and professional training in Latin America? What can we learn from reforms in the region and abroad? The Dialogue and CAF - Development Bank of Latin America hosted a wide-ranging full-day seminar that brought together academics, policymakers, and other experts from the Western Hemisphere to discuss the future of technical education and professional training in Latin America.
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