text:
Preview Mode Links will not work in preview mode

All of Whine and Space

Dec 19, 2019

Well, there we go

Apparently we’re at the end of ‘The Skywalker Saga’ and you can bet your bottom dollar that WHINE+SPACE are gonna be here to give you our thoughts. At length. Some would say too much length.

Before you begin, please bear in mind that this is a SPOILER FILLED review from the very outset, so...

Dec 9, 2019

Old dependable Star Wars, eh?

It comes around like clockwork, and each time the assembled fandom collectively welcomes the latest offering into their hearts to treasure for all time.

Except, no. Much like calling a poorly-judged referendum, ‘The Last Jedi’ had the effect of exposing some pretty...

Nov 27, 2019

Hank Silo!

He’s everyone’s favourite scoundrel, rogue, scruffy lookin’, nerf herder! So, as a result, a SOLO film about him, an anthology film, an origin film focused on him, is bound to be a complete success, a sure thing, box-office dynamite, a guaranteed slam-dunk, amirite?

No. No, I am not right. ‘Han Solo:...

Nov 9, 2019

It’s November!

And what says November better than yet another commentary for a ‘Halloween’ film? We’ve reached the end of our journey back through the franchise and are finally at 2018’s hard course-correction.

Michael’s retired. Laurie’s doing great. Loomis has set up a health food store. What crazy bunch...

Oct 20, 2019

It’s October! That’s the month that hallowe’en happens in! It’s also the month that many of the films in the ‘Halloween’ franchise take place, including ‘Halloween’, ‘Halloween 2’, ‘Halloween’ (‘2007’), ‘Halloween’ (2018) and even ‘Halloween II’ (2009) - the very film this podcast is...


Content-Type: application/http; msgtype=response

WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: application/xhtml+xml

WARC-Type: response

text:
Skip to content

Monday musings on Australian literature: Melbourne Centenary literary competitions, 1934

July 30, 2018

I came across a reference to the 1934/35 Melbourne Centenary literary competitions quite by accident, but they intrigued me so I decided to investigate further. Here’s what I found …

Melbourne Centenary

According to an article in the La Trobe Journal (no. 34, October 1984), there was much discussion about whether to celebrate the centenary in a major way or not, but it was eventually decided to go ahead because of its importance, and because visitors “would circulate money and create jobs”. A valid reason, given, as the article says, that “Australia was slowly recovering from the world-wide depression”.  Unemployment was falling, it says, but was “still at a serious level.”

So, a celebration was planned, to span last six months, starting with a Henty celebration at Portland in October 1934 and finishing with “the anniversary of the Batman and Fawkner settlements at Port Phillip in 1935.” The celebrations included, among other things, several competitions including the MacRobertson Centenary Air Race and the Melbourne Centenary Grand Prix.

The article also mentions that the Centenary Council sponsored The Centenary gift book. Edited by Frances Fraser and Nettie Palmer (who has appeared here before), it was, apparently, entirely written and illustrated by women. The things you learn.

Literary Competitions

There were four literary competitions – for a poem, short story, novel and war-novel. Before I discuss them, though, I’d like to share a comment about the competition which I found in the notes accompanying a 2007 exhibition mounted from the Monday University Library’s Rare Book Collection, Australian Women Writers 1900-1950. The comment comes from writer Marjorie Barnard (who has also appeared here before):

Marjorie Barnard pointed out to Leslie Rees with some irony that the 1934 Victorian Centenary literary competition was worth £200, while the golf championship attracted five times that amount.

Plus ça change, eh?

The first prize awarded was for the Poem, announced in August 1934. It was worth £50, and there were 179 entries. The winner was Furnley Maurice, pseudonym of Frank Wilmot who apparently founded the Melbourne Literary Club in 1916. His winning poem was ”Melbourne and memory”.  Ninety-six lines long, it was described by the judges – W. F. Wannon, Nettie Palmer, and Enid Derham – as “a work of beauty and permanence.” The announcement in Adelaide’s The Advertiser (11 August) says it “consists of irregular but cadenced and rhymed verse”, and describes its theme as “the impact of Melbourne today upon a sensitive observer.” I like the “sensitive observer” bit!

Commentators describe it as “an early attempt to capture the everyday life of a city through references to familiar places.” It opens Maurice’s collection, Melbourne odes. The Oxford companion to Australian literature says that the odes overall “deal with places and events familiar in the life of the city: the Victoria Markets, the annual agricultural show and orchestral concerts in the Melbourne Town Hall”. One, “Upon a row of old boots and shoes in a pawn-broker’s window”, describes the plight of the unemployed, and is, the Companion says, “a powerful radical commentary on the economic misery and injustice of the time.”

Short story

The Short Story prize, also worth £50, was announced next, in September. For the short story and novel prizes, entries had to be submitted under a pen-name, to ensure blind judging. The announcement in the West Australian (29 September) said the winner was “‘Caspar Dean’ for the story entitled ‘Sea Hawk.'” ‘Caspar Dean’, they then divulge, was none other than novelist Vance Palmer (whom you’ve also met here). There were 119 entries.

Brisbane’s columnist, “The Bookman”, in The Courier Mail (6 October) is more expansive:

In the writing of a short story, many attempt but few succeed. It is an art that requires both study and practice, for a good short story is the concentrated essence of incident and character, dovetailed in a manner that carries conviction. Mr. Vance Palmer is the present-day master of the short story in Australia, so it is not surprising that he won the prize for the best story in the Melbourne Centenary Short Story Competition. It is said that Henry Lawson’s outstanding success as a writer of short stories was that he hung a lamp on every place that he wrote about. Vance Palmer has many of the characteristics of Lawson, but he is less dramatic; he has a far greater vocabulary, a more polished style, and a better knowledge of the world. Sincerity is his strong suit in novels, stories, plays, or poetry.

In November, it was the Novel’s turn, and the result was more surprising. Firstly, there were joint winners, and secondly one of the winners was unknown. The prize, donated by “Mrs James Dyer”, the sister of Melbourne’s Lord Mayor, was worth £200. There were 153 entries, and the judges were, said Melbourne’s The Age (24 November), Enid Derham (senior lecturer in English at the University of Melbourne), H. W. Allen (Vice-master of Ormond College) and Frank Wilmot (Furnley Maurice who won the Poetry prize). The winners were ‘Redhead’ (Frederick Sydney Hibble) with his novel Karangi, and ‘Ivan Power’ (Vance Palmer) with The Swayne family. Sydney-based Hibble set his novel in country New South Wales, while Palmer’s was set in Melbourne.

The Age’s report says – somewhat politically incorrectly now – that:

… Mr. Hibble was overjoyed. He said he had written the book hurriedly, having spent only four weeks on it. Mr Hibble is a cripple, and in receipt of an invalid pension. Mr. Hibble has written a number of short stories, and had his book sub-edited by a Sydney woman journalist.

Hibble apparently became disabled in 1919 “after suffering an illness during the flu epidemic.”

Now, I’ve never heard of FS Hibble, but “Pegasus”, writing in the Book Talk column in Rockhampton’s Morning Bulletin (26 January 1935), is highly impressed:

The Swayne Family, by Vance Palmer, which I dealt with a few weeks ago, was an outstanding novel of its kind, and Karangi, by F. S. Hibble … which I have just read, is as fine a piece of well-balanced realism as has appeared in the history of the Australian novel … the beauty of both books, to a great extent, lies in the fact that the setting is not emphasised, as has been the tendency in many Australian books, but just taken for granted, as it should be, and treated as a strictly subordinate part in the creation of a work of art. Both take their vitality from the vividness of their characterisation, and the deft working out of relations between these characters; but, whereas The Swayne Family depends for its interest for the wide sweep which it takes over the various members of three generations, Karangi is a much more detailed study of the working out of one particular character upon the background provided by scarcely more than a dozen characters in all.

S/he goes on to say that while both are “outstanding” novels,

I think “Karangi” by far the finer achievement. If the writer’s hand appears to lack the mature experience of Vance Palmer, the depth of his insight into human nature might appear to be greater, his capacity to make the very ordinary people he has chosen for his characters appear unique, his handling of the development of the character through pressure of the emotions, and his sense of the dramatic in his presentation of the tale betoken an author who will yet go very far.

And yet, as happens surprisingly often, this was Hibble’s only book, though he had several short stories published.

War novel

Finally, the War Novel. This prize, also worth £200, was made by the Victorian branch of the Returned Sailors’ and Soldiers’ Imperial League as its contribution to the Centenary. The conditions, according to Hobart’s The Mercury (March 1934), were that:

Candidates must be persons who served abroad during the war as members of the Australian Imperial Force, the Royal Australian Navy, or the Australian Nursing Service. The novel must deal with the life of the Australian soldier in the war, and his reaction to the various conditions, environments, and the experiences through which he passed. The sequence of the story and the descriptive matter must be accurate historically and geographically, a condition which certainly will distinguish any war novel from any other one has read.

Hmm, so a Nurse could enter but the subject had to be a “he”, “the Australian soldier”?

JP McKinney, CrucibleThe winners were announced in Melbourne’s The Age on, appropriately, Anzac Day in 1935. I say winners because first (£150) and second (£50) prizes were awarded. The first went to Over the top by ‘Sar-Major’ (pen-name for JP McKinney, Surfers Paradise, Queensland), with the second going to Summer campaign, by ‘Roger Walters’ (C.W.W. Webster, Melbourne). There were over 50 entries, with the judges being Sir Keith Murdoch, Sir Harry Chauvel, and Mr. Phillips (a Melbourne barrister). A note in Miles Franklin’s papers at the State Library of NSW, states that her novel All that swagger “was entered in the Melbourne Centenary Prize Competition in 1934”.

Over the top was published by Angus and Robertson as Crucible.

But, JP McKinney of Surfers Paradise rang a bell. The newspaper reports didn’t help, though, because the reason I recognised his name came later. Yes, he’s the man who became the husband of one of Australia’s most famous poets, Judith Wright. The things you learn, as I said before!

42 Comments leave one →
  1. July 31, 2018 12:32 am

    It would be great if Text reprinted The Swayne family and karangi

  2. July 31, 2018 6:17 am

    It is really neat to go back and revisit this event. In some ways it seems so long ago. I think of all the people who participated. It is interesting that some of the authors are still remembered and some seem forgotten.

    • July 31, 2018 8:15 am

      It’s fascinating, I think Brian, to see forecasts from the past and how wrong they can be. It may have nothing to do with the quality of the book but the vagaries of time, readers, and publishers, eh. BTW, have seen your Eliot post and will visit it very soon.

  3. July 31, 2018 8:48 am

    What a fascinating post!
    I can see why they insisted on pen-names. In what would then have been a very small literary community it would have been the fairest way, though I reckon I would recognise Vance Palmer’s style anywhere even though I’ve only read one of his. I shall certainly keep an eye out for Karangi…

    • July 31, 2018 10:01 am

      I was thinking that too Lisa – I mean that Palmer’s style would probably have been recognisable pen-name or not.

      • July 31, 2018 10:41 am

        Still, what else could they do… you can’t disallow writers from competitions like this just because they’re well-established.

        • August 1, 2018 12:22 am

          Absolutely … a blind judging offers a fighting chance, but nothing is perfect is it?

        • August 1, 2018 1:17 am

          I do like the idea that they held the competition:)
          BTW I’m not getting too excited just yet, but I might have sourced a copy of K. My lips are sealed until I have it in my hot little hand in case someone beats me to it.

        • August 1, 2018 7:58 am

          Oh well done. Not the source that was $200 that I saw?

        • August 1, 2018 11:52 am

          No, definitely not:)

        • August 1, 2018 1:42 pm

          I didn’t think so! I would probably have questioned your sanity, even though you are a book lover!

        • August 1, 2018 3:36 pm

          Um, I do own a rather expensive first edition of Hemingway’s For Whom The Bell Tolls…
          But I was earning a salary in those days.

        • August 1, 2018 8:39 pm

          I was mistaken about the copy of Karangi I saw online – it’s $85 not $200. Still, your price is good compared to that!

  4. July 31, 2018 9:05 am

    FYI, I have a copy of the Centenary Gift Book here, if you are interested in looking at it.

  5. July 31, 2018 9:15 am

    So many interesting elements in this competition – thank you Sue.

  6. July 31, 2018 11:11 am

    I had no idea ‘blind judging’ was a thing, so early in the piece. Loved learning about this competition – thanks Sue.

    • August 1, 2018 12:26 am

      Thanks Michelle. Glad you enjoyed it. I’ve heard people discuss it for literary prizes but I haven’t actually read about its being done.

      • August 1, 2018 4:24 am

        My understanding is that these early literary prizes were for manuscripts, not for published work – in fact publication was generally part of the prize – and that the writer entered under a pseudonym. In passing, Jill Roe complains that it is very difficult to know what Miles Franklin wrote for newspapers – articles and book reviews – because it was all done under multiple odd pseudonyms.

        • August 1, 2018 8:02 am

          Yes you’re right, Bill, the Novel one was I believe, but not the War Novel one. Entries there could be published, though the two winners were I believe manuscripts.

  7. July 31, 2018 5:57 pm

    Interesting post Sue. Another point about Australia’s small literary community – the Palmers knew Frank Wilmot, had him to stay I think, which is to say the judge and the winner of the poetry prize were friends. As for recognizable entries I think the writer of All That Swagger (which eventually won the 1936 Prior Prize) would have been the most unmistakable of them all.

    • August 1, 2018 12:29 am

      Yes, probably Bill – re the writer of All that swagger.

      And as I looked at the judges I felt it was very likely various ones knew each other, but thanks for confirming that.

  8. August 1, 2018 7:37 am

    Melbourne is on my itinerary for our great adventure down under next year. does it have a strong literary culture still?

    • August 1, 2018 8:05 am

      Oh yes Karen. It is – was it the first – a UNESCO city of Literature. I wrote about it on my blog a few years ago. Would love to know the dates you’ll be there.

      • August 2, 2018 3:56 am

        Well we just took the plunge and booked it today. We’re doing a two month trip in total – starting Feb 6 in Hong Kong, then New Zealand followed by Australia. finishing in Melbourne about the 25th March…..

        • August 2, 2018 8:20 am

          Good for you … good time to come too. We often go to Melbourne in March. Will see how things pan out. One impact is a music subscription series we attend. Its dates are out next month. Where else in Australia are you going? I hope to some of the countryside. Melbourne is nice but it’s “just” a city! Then again you may love visiting cities. I like to get out of them.

  9. August 1, 2018 1:36 pm

    Yaaaay! I picked up my copy of Karangi today:) I’ve been coy about telling you where I got it from because Grant’s Bookshop ( is not open Mondays and Tuesdays and I didn’t want anyone else to beat me to it.
    It cost me $45, less than a quarter of the copy that you found, and I didn’t have to pay postage because Grant’s is just around the corner from where I live!

  10. August 1, 2018 3:06 pm

    PS Do have a look at this: It’s not about Hibble, it’s about a woman called Louise Hanson-Dyer, but if you scroll down you ill find that she was a judge, and the writer of the article describes the competition as farcical.

    • August 1, 2018 8:38 pm

      Very interesting Lisa. Thanks for sussing that out.

      I don’t think it says she was a judge though does it? She donated the prize, as I noted in my post (though none of the articles I read gave her full name – she was Mrs James Dyer!! At least I’m assuming Mrs James Dyer is Louise Hanson-Dyer!) She was the Lord Mayor of Melbourne’s sister. The newspaper articles I read did mention that she would look at publication in France if the work was suitable. I didn’t put all that in my post just to keep it shorter because I wanted to cover the four awards.

      You can see how small the literary firmament was then – eg that Wilmot who won the poetry prize was a judge on the novel prize. However, the article seems to imply that he was a judge of the novel prize and THEN won the poetry prize, but from what I can tell from the news paper reports, the poetry prize was announced in August and the novel prize not until November. How much of a problem that is I don’t know. The article doesn’t really fully explain their claims about its being farcical – I can’t see in the sources where they might have got that info. Nettie Palmer WAS a judge on the poetry prize, and academic Enid Derham judged both the poetry and the novel. How unusual is all this? I’d say that even now, authors and critics who are friends of other authors must frequently be on judging panels here. Anyhow, It would be great to find out more about this competition wouldn’t it. Do you have the Wakefield Press book on Louise Dyer that your article cites?

  11. August 1, 2018 9:25 pm

    You’re right, I must have misread that about her being a judge, sorry.
    And yes, a small circle indeed, and people say the same things now, that friends review each other’s books, get each other gigs at literary events, and judge each other’s work in competitions and grant submissions. I like to think, because I think most authors are decent people, that they behave well in these situations:)
    Yes, I did have the Wakefield book, but it’s not on my Art shelves, so I must not have kept it. My review is here:

  12. August 1, 2018 9:56 pm

    Very interesting! The golf prize/ literature prize….☹ Things never change.

  13. ian darling permalink
    August 1, 2018 10:41 pm

    A fascinating post. I wonder if Australia was a bit of a pioneer in literary prize giving? I suppose the largest prize for the war novel does support the idea of the First World War as the crucial event in revealing (enforcing?) an Australian national identity.

    • August 1, 2018 11:16 pm

      Interesting question Ian. I don’t know enough about prizes elsewhere. Might try to research that a bit. We certainly did have some early prizes.

      Fair point about the War Novel.

    • August 1, 2018 11:28 pm

      Another word might be ‘manufacturing’). CEW Bean and Keith Murdoch reconstructed accounts of the ANZAC experience to create a legend about Australian character in line with, or following on from, the Bulletin’s iconic ‘Lone Hand’

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: Logo

You are commenting using your account. Log Out /  Change )

Google photo

You are commenting using your Google account. Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s

%d bloggers like this:

warcinfo:
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2020-40
publisher: Common Crawl
description: Wide crawl of the web for September 2020
operator: Common Crawl Admin (info@commoncrawl.org)
hostname: ip-10-67-67-205.ec2.internal
software: Apache Nutch 1.17 (modified, https://github.com/commoncrawl/nutch/)
robots: checked via crawler-commons 1.2-SNAPSHOT (https://github.com/crawler-commons/crawler-commons)
format: WARC File Format 1.1
conformsTo: http://iipc.github.io/warc-specifications/specifications/warc-format/warc-1.1/


WARC-Identified-Payload-Type: text/html

text:
You have no items in your shopping cart.

Basic Sofa

Availability: Worth the wait! Due to popularity and COVID-19, allow up to 8 weeks for pick-up or delivery.

Manufacturer part number: 4480-KP BASIC WOOL
Product Price
WAS $1,229.99

Products specifications
Attribute nameAttribute value
LifestyleModern Farmhouse

Kick back in plush comfort with this versatile sofa. The inviting design features plush pillow cushioning, padded arms and block feet. The stylish cream upholstery and five accent pillows in varying patterns complement any color palette.

We Deliver!

Our teams are taking extra measures as well to prevent any unintentional spread of illness. We are using hand sanitizers and disinfectant wipes between each delivery and regularly disinfecting truck interiors and outside handles of vehicles.

Full Service Delivery

We do the heavy lifting! Service includes assembly, set up and trash removal. Items placed in room of customer's choice.

FREE Delivery

Drop off delivery in a box.
 Service
includes delivery across the first doorway.
 Customer is responsible for all assembly and trash
 removal.

FREE Pickup

You can pick up your order from our Distribution Center without stepping out of your vehicle. You will be greeted by our team, who will be wearing gloves and all interaction will occur from a safe distance. Our Distribution Center is open Monday through Saturday from 10am until 7pm.

Visit Us

Wichita Furniture & Mattress Map

Wichita, Kansas

Get Directions4502 E. 13th St.
Wichita, KS 67208


text:
Nusa Lembongan Diving Information

The first piece of information regarding Nusa Lembongan diving usually looks something like the following. This area is home to some truly amazing diving. Sitting in the South of the "Coral Triangle", this is one of the most Marine Biodiverse Regions in the world.

The rich marine life paired with clear, tropical waters provide some absolute world class diving. With such wide ranging dive sites and the chance to dive with the famous Manta Rays or Mola Mola, there is something here for everyone!

Nemo Fish laying in the coral during a dive in Nusa Lembongan

Diving conditions in the area are generally quite favorable throughout the year. There are two distinct seasons here. First the dry season which runs from May to October. Second, the wet season which runs from December to March. During the dry season, winds blow east to west and the humidity is not quite as strong. Daily surface temperature generally hovers in the low 30's. Water temperature does drop in the dry season, expect water temperatures to be in the 18-26 Deg C range. However, the visibility is consistently in the 25+ meter range and the chance to see the Mola Mola is much higher.

During the wet season, the diving conditions are still quite good. Additionally there is the added bonus of the dive sites being less crowded. Winds blow west to east bringing more humidity into the air, while the water temperature will generally stays in the 24-29 Deg C range. Visibility does tend to drop a little during the wet season. However, it is still common to get fantastic diving conditions.

diver drifting along in current in nusa lembongan
Diving with Currents

Just might be the closest feeling to flying!

This area is home to some of the fastest moving currents in the world. As such, extra care needs to be taken when diving in Lembongan, Ceningan and Nusa Penida. The currents found here, however, are one of the reasons this area is such an amazing place to dive. The major currents run North to South, while deep water swell comes in from the Southwest and when these two meet, it can create a bit of dump zone for eggs and Larvae. This one of the reasons the marine life is so rich and diverse in the area. The strong currents also help to keep nutrients flowing resulting in healthy, strong coral reef.

Diving with the current is known as "Drift Diving". Consequently, this is the way we dive many of the sites in the area. If you have never tried drift diving, it is one of the most exhilarating feelings in the world, possibly the closest feeling a diver can have to flying. With our Dive Center and boat located right on the beach, we always do our best to time our trips around the slack tides. Slack tides are generally when the current is the least powerful and safest for diving. We have many different dive sites to choose from. If we deem conditions unsafe at one particular site, we will always move to better suited, safer site to make our dive.

diver diving along in the current at nusa lembongan

Information on what you might see diving Nusa Lembongan

colorful coral reef on toyah pakeh dive site close to Nusa Lembongan
soft purple coral reef at mangrove dive site in nusa lembongan
green bubble coral seen during a dive in nusa lembongan
red soft fire coral at blue corner dive site in nusa lembongan

Coral reefs lay claim to the some of the richest flora and fauna found in the world. Covering less than 0.1% of the ocean, coral reefs are home to more then 25% of all marine species. Often described as "rainforests of the sea", these are some of the most complex ecosystems found anywhere on earth.

Coral reefs can be classed into 3 major groups - Fringing Reefs, Barrier Reefs and Atolls. Fringing Reefs are by far the most common of the three and will grow directly from the shoreline in shallow waters. Barrier Reefs usually grow along a major coastlines and are separated from shore by a Lagoon. The largest of this type found in the world is the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Atolls, are generally circular reefs that surround a deep water lagoon. Not as common as the other two, most Atolls form from fringing reef around volcanic islands.

The fringing reef that lines Lembongan and Nusa Penida is home to many different types of coral species. Blanketed with both hard and soft corals, some of the species you will come across include Brain Coral, Staghorn Coral, Spiral Wire Coral, Mushroom Coral, Tube and Barrel Sponges, Sea Fans, Wire and Tabletop Corals and many, countless others.

Marine Life

The marine life surrounding Lembongan and Nusa Penida is nothing short of spectacular. With the sheer abundance and varied marine species found here, there is only one question to ask. Is there is enough room in your logbook to record everything you have seen!

Common marine life that you can find diving around the area include Nemo (Anemone Fish), Turtles, Moray Eels, Moorish Idols, Bannerfish, Angelfish, Lionfish, Scorpionfish, Leaf Scorpionfish, Triggerfish, Pufferfish, Snapper, Sweetlips, Wrasse, Groupers, Butterflyfish and countless others.

Smaller species found here can be Shrimps, Crabs, Nudibranchs, Ribbon Eels, Pipefish and the infamously hard to find Pygmy Seahorse!

Some of the larger pelagics you can find here are Dogtooth and Yellowfin Tuna, Giant Trevally, White Tip Reef Sharks, Black Tip Reef Sharks, Bamboo Sharks, Barracuda, Marble, Eagle and Manta Rays and Mola Mola (Oceanic Sunfish).

Information on the big stuff you might see diving Nusa Lembongan

The famous Manta Rays Nusa Penida is home to draw many diving tourists each year to marvel at their beauty. The Manta Rays here are Reef Manta Rays and generally they grow to have a wingspan between 2-4 meters. Although the Mantas can grow to be quite large, they feed on plankton and pose no threat towards divers. Nusa Penida is home to both the traditional dark blue and white Mantas, as well, we have a few resident black Mantas roaming the area.

All year long you can see the Mantas at a few different Nusa Penida dive sites. So no matter what time of the year you come diving, there is a good chance to dive with them. Did you know the belly of a Manta Ray is like our fingerprint? Each one is unique and you can use it for identification purposes. For example, some of the Manta Rays found here have been tracked as far Komodo National Park (300km+ away). Please note, Mantas are quite curious and as such, there is a good chance to dive with them right up close. Just remember not to touch or chase them.

A common item to check off a Diver's checklist is the rare Mola Mola or Oceanic Sunfish. As a bit of a magnet for Mola Mola, more notably in the dry season (May-Oct). Lembongan and Nusa Penida dive sites offer one of the best chances in the world to see these gentle giants. It is the heaviest bony fish in the world and can weigh in at up to 2.5 tons. The Mola Mola can also grow up to between 3-4 meters in size.

Most of the time the Mola Mola will stay in deep, colder waters. However, during our dry season (May-Oct), the waters in the region will drop down into the low 20s; Sometimes even the high teens. These cooler temperatures are what bring the Mola Mola much closer to the surface. The Mola generally come up to be "cleaned". They will often be seen 30-40 meters deep, around large groups of Bannerfish. These fish act as cleaning stations for the Mola Mola. Please note, Mola Mola get nervous easily and with a good chance to see them right up close. Just remember not to touch or chase them.


text:
Pricing tools - the pricing waterfall is effective for detailed pricing strategy

Using Pricing Tools for Critical Conversations

By Nathan L. Phipps May 15, 2020

As pricing consultants, we spend a fair amount of time thinking about pricing tools. When discussing pricing topics with decision makers, pricing…

Pandemic Price Response

By Tim J. Smith, PhD April 16, 2020

For some, the COVID-19 pandemic presents business opportunities.  For most, it creates a crisis.  What should executives do with pricing during this…

How We’re Managing the Crisis

By Kyle T. Westra April 16, 2020

We are certainly cursed to live in interesting times. While individuals, families, communities, and governments struggle to adjust to the realities of…

Harvard Professor Provides Insight On How to Manage During a Pandemic

By James T. Berger April 16, 2020

A noted Harvard Business School marketing professor has offered his insights on how to manage an organization during a health crisis, such…

Reflections After a Year at Wiglaf Pricing

By Nathan L. Phipps April 16, 2020

This month, I am celebrating my 1-year anniversary at Wiglaf Pricing. It has been quite the year for me professionally. As a…

Strategic Movements: March 2020

By Tim J. Smith, PhD March 18, 2020

High Growth Billion Dollar Industry: Plant-Based Meat The plant-based meat market has grown to just under a billion dollars in sales for…

Does Dynamic Pricing Hurt Customers?

By Kyle T. Westra March 18, 2020

If you’ve ever used a ride hailing app, chances are that at some point you’ve experienced a higher than expected fee. Surge…

A hand give a face mask with many hands try to grab or capture ,

Price Gouging in the News

By Nathan L. Phipps March 18, 2020

As our nation responds to the coronavirus situation, stories have spread about the behaviors of some profit-seekers. The New York Times reported…

Looking in a small bookshop, with many books in a rack.

Why Indie Bookstores Are Thriving

By James T. Berger March 18, 2020

Who would have imagined, with the huge decline in retail and shopping center sales, that independent bookstores would be thriving? According to…

Big Food is Being Disrupted

By Tim J. Smith, PhD March 18, 2020

Consumer packaged food giants Kellogg’s, Mondelez, Kraft Heinz, Nestle, and Unilever are facing a long-term trend challenge.  At the low-end, increased competition…


text:
Tsurukame Josanin

From DramaWiki

Tsurukame Josanin

  • Title: つるかめ助産院
  • Title (romaji): Tsurukame Josanin
  • Title (tagline): 南の島から / Minami no Shima Kara
  • Format: Renzoku
  • Genre: Human drama
  • Episodes: 8
  • Viewership ratings: 8.1%
  • Broadcast network: NHK
  • Broadcast period: 2012-Aug-28 to 2012-Oct-16
  • Air time: Tuesday 22:00
  • Theme song: Kageboshi by Porno Graffitti

Onodera Tatsuya had proposed to Maria and soon they were happily starting life as a married couple. However, their happiness were short-lived, as Tatsuya had suddenly disappeared one day. Puzzled over her husband's disappearance, Maria remembered Tatsuya telling her about Mihamajima, a heart-shaped island in the archipelago of the Okinawan Ryukyu islands. She decided to head over to the island, to try and locae her missing husband.

Tsuruda Kameko is a middle-aged midwife who had struck the million dollar jackpot. She was tired of working at a Tokyo hospital, with all its abortions and complicated natural childbirths, and so with the money won, she decided to retire from her job and travel the world. Her first stop was Mihamajima, and there she met Choro, who had impressed upon her the need for more midwives around the area. She decided to open a midwifery clinic there, and called it "Tsurukame".

One day, Maria shows up at Tsurukame, and is surprised to see Kameko there, as back in Tokyo, she had met Kameko before while having her check up done at the hospital where Kameko worked. Maria then tells Kameko that she is pregnant... --NHK

User/Viewer Ratings[edit]

(0 votes)

Production Credits[edit]

External Links[edit]


text:
From The TAG Grid Wiki
Revision as of 15:53, 10 June 2019 by Constanza Amsterdam (Talk | contribs) (FAQ)

Jump to: navigation, search

Options for Tag Accounts

There are two account types in Tag Grid:

Basic Account

  • A basic account is completely free
  • You can own estates or Private Regions.
  • You can rent land anywhere, depending on the landowner's renting preferences.
  • You can have a covenant agreement on Private Regions or estates owned by other Residents.
  • You can submit support cases for a limited set of problems.
  • You can rent mainland plots

Premium Account

  • A premium account requires a monthly fee
  • You get a FREE mainland plot 2048sqm
  • You get 500Xs stipend per week(1)
  • You get 1000X's sign-up bonus(2) for first-time Premium Account subscribers
  • You get access to Premium Sandbox with 48hour return
  • You get 5USD discount on 1 private region per month

Premium Fees

  • Premium Monthly Membership: 5.95USD per month
  • Premium Halve Yearly Membership: 34.50USD per 6 months, which comes down to 5.75USD per month
  • Premium Annual Membership: 66.00USD per 12 months, which comes down to 5.50USD per month

  • (1)500X's will be deposited to your account weekly to shop.
  • (2)1,000Xs bonus will be deposited directly into your Tag Grid account if your Premium membership is active for 45 consecutive days after initial sign-up.

Initinal buy is via paypal, renewal of your Premium will be taken of your USD balance or via Paypal automatically. If no funds are available, your premium account will be discontued and the account locked until balance is paid.

What is a Premium account really worth?

A Premium account has a total worth of 126USD a year and you only pay 66USD for it when you choose the Annual Membership!

I already have a mainland plot, do i get a refund for the paid rent when i get a Premium?

Yes, you will get a refund for the paid rent of your mainland region, after youbought your membership

I want 5 regions, do they all get a 5USD discount when i take a Premium Membership?

No, only 1 region gets the Premium Membership Discount. Look at our Discount Plan for more information in regards to other discounts.

When are Premium Memberships billed?

The first payment will be billed immediately and will be recurring each month on the same date. For example, if you subscribe on the January 15, you will be billed immediately, then billed again on February 15


text:
Wild Philanthropy

Ethiopia adventures: Paul Herbertson reports on developments in the Omo

By | Tuesday, 23rd January, 2018

When I was first speaking with Will Jones about joining Wild Philanthropy one of the things that really caught my interest was Wild Philanthropy’s first impact investment in Wild Expeditions Ethiopia. Wild Expeditions is a tour operator based in Addis and offering a range of amazing bespoke trips around Ethiopia. Wild Philanthropy provided finance to help establish Wild Expeditions. We now help to drive business to Wild Expeditions through our Conservation Journeys and through our sister company Journeys by Design, as well as supporting the business with technical assistance. In return, Wild Expeditions is developing its travel offerings with a core aim of having a positive social and environmental impact.

Back in September 2017 I was privileged to head out to Ethiopia to spend two weeks with Graeme Lemon (Wild Expeditions Country Manager) and his team to understand more about our work there. I travelled with Zuzana Galatova from Journeys by Design. You can see her blog on the trip here.

Lale’s Camp

In addition to developing bespoke itineraries, Wild Expeditions has established a semi-permanent camp in the Omo Valley working with Lale Biwa (Wild Expeditions Chief Guide and Kara himself) and the local Kara community. I’m excited to use this blog to announce that we have recently renamed the camp Lale’s Camp (which was previously called Lumale Camp) to help empower Lale in developing the camp’s future. It is a very unique product, with no one else offering this type of experience.

The people and wildlife of the Omo valley are under extreme pressures from drought, agricultural expansion and changing river patterns caused by giant hydroelectric dams upstream. There are very few livelihoods opportunities and many people have already been evicted from their ancestral lands. For more information on this please read Andrew McCarthy’s New York Times article. The motivation behind Wild Philanthropy, and in turn Wild Expeditions, is to help demonstrate how travel can support conservation but also help communities that want to protect their culture and do so whilst developing revenue streams for these communities. Lale is a shareholder in Wild Expeditions and the Lale’s Camp provides jobs to 20 people from the community, so arriving there gave me the opportunity to see how this is working in reality.

Our first night at the camp was amazing. We were able to explore and wander around the camp, play with the kids from the village, watch the sun set over the river and have a BBQ before an early night! The camp is incredibly peaceful and very well maintained. It’s very different to the tradition high end camps you’ll find in Kenya or Tanzania, but is very comfortable and has a charm of its own that you’d be hard pressed to find elsewhere. It’s a really magical place.

Mursi Fly Camp

The next morning, we headed off to the Mursi Fly camp to meet a guest who had already had a night there. It’s about 3 hours on the boat to the fly camp which is yet another unique experience. The Mursi people have the traditional lip plates and scarification practices that many will have heard of. I’ve seen many pictures but still wasn’t quite ready for seeing the lip plates in person. The community members that joined us were happy to show us the plates and spend time showing us how they make them. It was fascinating to spend time with these people, being really immersed in their daily life from breakfast, to playing games with the kids through to dancing at night. For anyone wanting to really get a chance to see a completely different culture, this has to be one of the most unique and rewarding experiences available.

Lale has spent much time developing this fly camp with the Mursi people. The Mursi live about a day’s walk away from the fly camp so in order to make sure they come down to the camp on the right day, a piece of string is sent to the community with a runner. The string has a number of knots in to represent the number of nights before they should head down to the camp to meet us. The idea behind the camp is to establish a trading post where the Mursi can come and trade useful items such as tobacco, razor blades, and food with us. They come and set up their own camp alongside ours and spend a few days with us before heading back home. This gives guests the opportunity to live amongst the Mursi for a few days which is quite an incredible experience.

Kara Community Farm

After a few days with the Mursi we returned to Lale’s Camp. It was quite a contrast, being back in the relative tranquillity of Lumale. It also gave me some time to speak more with Lale and Graeme. While speaking with Lale, I was able to get more of an understanding of the vision he has for the camp. We have joint plans to develop the community farm which we are currently fundraising for. If you are interested in supporting this work then please do contact me. The farm will grow food for the community and also for the camp, providing a more stable supply of food for the community. They also hope to attract other community members to settle closer to the camp, with opportunities for jobs at the camp, and for working on the community farm.

No cameras

Whilst speaking with Graeme, it was interesting to hear what has happened to places such as Jinka, which have been overrun by tourism being practiced poorly. We hope that we can maintain an experience that really does benefit communities and let them preserve their cultures how they wish to rather than pandering to tourists coming in for a quick picture. Our model is low volume, high value tourism which inherently limits the chances of this but we need to continue to work hard to ensure the community are really benefiting and we are not having a negative impact. As such, we are planning to implement a ban of cameras at the Mursi camp. We want people to fully experience being there and not be distracted by getting the perfect picture for social media. We appreciate this may be off putting for some potential travellers, but feel that the benefits of ensuring people are really immersed in the experience outweighs any negatives.

Looking forward

The model is not perfect. There are many things we need to do over the coming years to ensure that we are really continuing to have a positive impact. However, in ensuring that communities are getting the real benefits of tourism, what is really clear is that the potential to establish something that in the long term can really benefit the local community is huge. It’s an incredible place to travel to, and I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to start to understand some of the challenges complexities of the Omo Valley first hand. I look forward to working with Graeme and Lale in the future as we strengthen the model and really demonstrate the positive force tourism can be for local communities in areas such as the Omo Valley.

Paul Herbertson in Ethiopia's Omo Valley


text:
Royle Family’s Caroline Aherne Accidentally Left Her Mum with a £71,000 Inheritance Tax Bill

Inheritance Tax stress for Caroline Aherne's bereaved Mum

Recently published probate records of the estate of the late comedy legend Caroline Aherne show that her bereaved mother had to deal with a tax bill of £71,000 because of her tragic loss.

The nation mourned when Miss Aherne died at the age of just 52. As a single woman with no children, who did not make a will, her estate was inherited by her next of kin, her mother, to whom she was very close.

How the tax liability arose

Miss Aherne’s estate was valued for probate purposes at just over £500,000.

As she was single, there was a Nil Rate Band allowance for Inheritance tax, worth £325,000, which meant that the first £325,000 could be inherited by her mum tax-free.

But there was a whopping 40% tax liability on the rest of her estate, which is a form of double-taxation in her case, because her wealth was accumulated entirely from her earnings, on which she would have paid a considerable amount of income tax throughout her successful career.

HMRC is no respecter of bereavement.

To rub salt in the wound, the tax was payable upfront, within six months of Miss Aherne’s death. As her next of kin, Miss Aherne’s mother would have been burdened with the responsibility for administering her estate. Consequently, it immediately fell to her mother to raise the cash to satisfy HMRC at a time of rawest grief.

As Miss Aherne’s business had cash reserves of £76,000 at the time of her death, her mother might have been able to use that cash to satisfy the tax demand. But this wouldn’t have been possible if the bank’s policy was to insist on a Grant of Letters of Administration before they could release cash.

Many banks have “small balance” exemption, which lets them immediately release a deceased customer’s funds to their family if the balance is below a certain level. But a £76,000 balance may not have fallen within the bank’s small balances exemption.

Unfortunately, a Grant of Letters of Administration, the Probate document her mother would need to access major assets, can’t issued unless and until Inheritance Tax is paid. So, unless Miss Aherne’s bank was willing to help, her mother may have had the extra worry of having to take out a short-term loan to cover Inheritance Tax bill.

Could this have been avoided?

The short answer is: yes. With intelligent estate planning advice, Caroline Aherne could have saved her mother a great deal of unnecessary extra stress on top of her bereavement.

For example: -

  • In her will, she could have chosen an additional executor with money and business skills, such as her accountant, to act as business executor and help her mother.
  • For a relatively modest monthly premium – typically £30-£40 a month for a woman of her age group – she could have taken out a life insurance policy, set up to pay £71,000 directly to the executors of her will on her death. This would have given her mother instant access to the funds needed to pay the Inheritance Tax and start the Probate process.

Why didn't she do this?

Miss Aherne may well have felt that making an estate plan wasn’t a priority. After all, she was a young, single woman who didn't have a spouse or children to worry about.

But her untimely death, and its consequences, show that we never know what’s around the corner, and that the consequences of not acting can be very tough on those we love.

The lessons to take from Caroline Aherne’s story are two important “don’ts”

Don’t put off making your estate plan until you’re “properly old”. If you’re a grown-up with assets and people you care about, it’s important to take responsibility for your affairs.

Don't assume that making an estate plan isn’t necessary just because you’re single. In many ways, it’s more important than ever. For more guidance on this take a peek at our Estate Planning Tips for Happy Singletons.

To find out more about making an estate plan, just give us a call on 0151 601 5399 or fill in the contact form below.

"Can I just say on behalf of Paula, Peter, myself & our children, a huge thank you for everything. You have always listened, and been a friend as well. Thanks Gina, for your professionalism, compassion and support, we really appreciate everything you have done for us."

Angela Kearns & Family

Read More Testimonials


text:
Word Gamers Love Microsoft Ultimate Word Games On Windows 10

Word games are games that almost anyone can get interested in, and doesn’t require a ton of skill to enjoy. They also capture the interest levels of all age types, age ranges, and are just simply fun. Microsoft has released Microsoft Ultimate Word Games, and it’s a hoot.

Microsoft Ultimate Word Games is an official Microsoft Studios release across all Windows 10 platforms. It includes three different word games to enjoy, and they promise to give you hours of enjoyment. Best of all, its a free Windows 10 game package to enjoy.

Crossword Players Rejoice With Microsoft Word Games App On Windows 10

What’s Inside?

With the Microsoft Ultimate Word Games app, you get three different word games inside. You get Crosswords, Wordament, and Jumble. Crosswords as it sounds is a crosswords word game, but it offers multiple board sizes, difficulties, and plenty of options to enjoy.

With Wordment, users get this cross-platform game on their Windows 10 machine, and it lets you find as many words as possible on a 4×4 grid of tiles. You can play solo or against friends. Jumble is a rack of letter tiles game, meant to inspire words and more.

Play Wordament On Your Windows 10 Machine Today

Daily Challenges & Xbox Live Integration

All of these three games offer both simple player and multiplayer options, and they include daily challenges available to the user. This keeps it interesting, and the games offer special badges for playing. It helps users solve puzzles, gain on intellect, and simply have fun.

What is interesting about this app, is the Xbox Live Integration. You sign in with your Microsoft account, and then compete against others on leaderboards. You can also track gameplay and scores, and it syncs across devices with the cloud storage options for desktop, phone, and mobile users.

If you love puzzle games, Microsoft Ultimate Word Games is a great free app. It’s a fun and free download, and a great way to enjoy time on your Windows 10 machine.

Published: Thursday, June 22nd, 2017 Last Modified: June 22, 2017

Related Posts

Rate This Article


text:
Çılbır (Poached Eggs w/ Garlic Yogurt)

Tender eggs poached to perfection in a bed of creamy garlic yogurt and with a drizzle of olive oil and red pepper flakes.

This dish is such a prime example of the beauty of Turkish cooking. It is true that there are some Turkish dishes that are complex and laborious to prepare but this one is quite the contrary. Perhaps some might argue that poaching the eggs is the hardest part but even this step is not as difficult as you think.

Paired with a Turkish chai, this dish is so satisfying and delicious for breakfast or for any time of day.

Here’s the recipe*

Çılbır (Poached Eggs w/ Garlic Yogurt)

  • 1 fresh large egg
  • 1/8 c thick yogurt
  • 1 garlic clove (crushed into a paste)
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 T white vinegar
  • salt (to taste)
  • chopped parsley (optional garnish)

Boil a pot of water and then reduce to a barely a simmer. Add the vinegar and stir.

In a small bowl, mix together the garlic (crushed into a paste by sprinkling salt on top of chopped garlic and using the flat part of a knife to rub against the garlic until it forms a paste) and the yogurt. Season with salt & stir. Place the yogurt on a plate.

To poach the egg: crack the egg in a measuring cup with a handle. Lower the measuring cup into the water and gently drop in the egg. Allow it to cook for 2-4 minutes, depending on how you like your eggs.

This is how the egg looks when it is first dropped into the water.
After a few minutes of cooking it will start to rise to the surface.

Gently pat the poached egg dry and then place on top of the garlic yogurt. Drizzle over the olive oil and red pepper flakes. Garnish with parsley.

Serve & Enjoy!

Afiyet Olsun!

*Note: this recipe is for one. For more servings, multiply it accordingly.

Peynirli Künefe

A sweet delicious dessert packed with sweet cheese, pistachios and a crunchy base and top layer! A Mediterranean classic dessert.

Okay so I’ll admit that way before I started learning about Mediterranean cooking, the idea of cheese in a dessert (besides marscapone) didn’t sound so appetizing to me. It wasn’t until a friend took us out for a couple of rounds of künefe, that I finally wised up to discover just how delicious this combination is.

The cheese that used, is not salty and savory like what you use in pizza or pasta. It’s thick like ricotta in some variations while in others it has the flavor of ricotta with the texture of mozzerella.

Filled generously with pistachios and covered with a sugar syrup it’s actually not too sweet. It’s hits the palate as a perfectly balanced dessert.

At my favorite künefe place, they serve it with clotted cream, fresh fruit and shot glasses of milk. It’s a beautiful thing and worth experiencing at least once in your life. But once you try it, once will never be enough.

Although making künefe is an art, it is possible to make it at home. The biggest challenge may be acquiring the ingredients but once you’ve jumped over that hurdle then the rest will seem like a breeze.

Here’s the recipe:

  • 6 c kadayıf (made from shredded yufka or phyllo dough. NOTE: buy pre-prepared)
  • 2 c sugar water (equal parts sugar and water, simmered on low heat to form a thick syrup)
  • 2 c unsalted pistachios (shelled & chopped)
  • 3 c Urfa peynir (substitute a moist, crumbly ricotta cheese)
  • 2 TBSP oil
  • 4 TBSP butter (for greasing the pans)

Grease two 12 inch round shallow pans with 2 TBSP of butter each.

Fill one of the pans with 3 cups of the kadayif. Press down gently.

Sprinkle the chopped pistachios evenly over the kadayif.

Then evenly crumble the cheese on top of the pistachios.

Cover with the remaining 3 cups of kadayif and press down gently.

Then drizzle the oil on top.

Cook the künefe over an open flame until it is light brown on the bottom. Remove the künefe from the heat. Using the other pan, cover the künefe and flip into the other pan so that the browned side is facing up.

Cook until the other side is light brown. Pour over the sugar water and let simmer for a few seconds. Then remove the pan from the heat.

Serve & enjoy warm with some clotted cream.

Afiyet Olsun!

Tasty Tabbouleh Salad

A delicious Mediterranean twist on your salad night, try this Tasty Tabbouleh Salad!

     Tabbouleh is a common salad eaten throughout many countries in the Mediterranean and Middle East. It is a simple salad but packed with flavor in every bite. It starts with fresh veggies that are mixed together with bulgur and tossed with olive oil and lemon juice. Finally, it’s seasoned with a little salt and pepper and Voila! You have a delicious and quick salad that makes the perfect side item or meal!

Here’s the recipe:

Tasty Tabbouleh Salad

  • 1 bunch of parsley (finely chopped)
  • 1 small cucumber (finely chopped)
  • 1 small tomato (finely chopped)
  • 1/4 fresh mint (finely chopped)
  • 1/2 c (dry) finely ground bulgur
  • 1/2 lemon (juiced)
  • 2 T olive oil
  • salt & pepper (to taste)

Finely chop the parsley, mint, cucumber and tomato.

To prepare the bulgur: place the bulgur in a bowl and add 1 cup of boiling water. Cover with plastic wrap and let “cook” for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl mix together the parsley, mint, cucumber, tomato and bulgur.

Add the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Toss everything together until it is well combined.

Serve & Enjoy!

Guten Appetit!

Lamb Chop & Quince Stew (Ayvali Taraklik Tavasi)

Savory and a bit sweet, this dish will make you say Mmmmm.

      If you’ve ever had pork chops and apple sauce, then this recipe is a comparable dish. Packed with flavor, the lamb chops are slow roasted in the oven and then added to a savory tomato and red pepper spiced broth to simmer until finally the quince slices are added and cooked just until they are tender and a bit sweet.

Perfect for a cold day outside, this stew is satisfying and a comforting Turkish classic meal.

Here’s the recipe:

1 kilo of small lamb chops (about 4 inches long)

  • 2 medium white onions (diced)
  • 1 TBSP flour
  • 1 TBSP sugar
  • 2 TBSP butter
  • 2 TBSP olive oil
  • 2 TBSP red pepper paste
  • 3 cups crushed tomatoes
  • 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
  • 2 quinces (cored and sliced into sixths)
  • salt & pepper (to taste)

Pre-heat the oven to 190 C (375 F).

Place the lamb chops on a baking sheet in one even layer. Coat with olive oil and place in the oven until browned (approximately 30 to 45 minutes).

While the lamb chops are roasting, melt the butter in a large stock pot and add the onions and garlic and sauté until translucent.

Sprinkle in the flour and sugar and stir.

Remove the chops from the oven and add to the pot. Fill the pot with boiling water (just enough to completly cover the chops) and simmer for 20 minutes.

Stir in the red pepper paste, crushed tomatoes and salt and pepper. Simmer for another 30 minutes.

Add the quince slices and simmer for another 15 minutes until the quince are soft but not soggy.

Serve and enjoy!

Afiyet Olsun!

This recipe is from the culinary classes at the Gaziantep Mutfak Sanatları Eğitim Merkezi. For more information or to take a class, visit their website

Mini Turkish Meatballs (Arap Köftesi)

A delicious mini meatball that’s packed with so much more than just meat. Served with yogurt and a spice oil drizzle, it’s a beautiful and delicious creation!

Essentially, I would consider this dish a meatball. Although the ratio of bulgur to meat is 2 to 1 so maybe it’s more like a bulgur & meatball but regardless, it’s delicious.

While it is a bit of a labor of love to prepare them, the lovely end product is what makes it all worth it. It’s a good dish to make with friends or with kids because it requires a lot of kneading and rolling into the small balls.

Here’s the recipe:

  • 6 oz ground beef
  • 1.5 c simit bulgur (a fine, small bulgur variety)
  • 1 small red onion (finely chopped)
  • 3 garlic cloves (minced)
  • 1 bunch of parsley (finely chopped)
  • 1 TBSP dried tarragon (crushed)
  • 2 TBSP red pepper flakes (non-spicey)
  • 6 1/2 cups of yogurt
  • 0.5 c water
  • 0.5 c sunflower oil (or any neutral oil: vegetable, canola, etc.)
  • 0.25 c olive oil
  • salt & pepper (to taste)

In a large shallow bowl mix together the ground beef, bulgur, red onion, garlic, tarragon, salt and pepper. Knead together for 5 to 10 minutes, adding the water tablespoon by tablespoon as needed.

Then add the finely chopped parsley. Continue kneading for 5-10 minutes, adding the water tablespoon by tablespoon as needed until the consistency is moist enough to roll into balls without falling apart or sticking to your hands.

Taking piece by piece of the mixture, roll it into small 1 inch balls.

Once all of the balls are made, pile them into a steamer basket and place on the stove to steam for about 10 minutes.

Remove from the stove and set aside for 10 minutes.

Fill a frying pan with the sunflower oil and olive oil. Once it is hot, add the meatballs and fry until lightly browned.

Stir in the red pepper flakes and remove the pan from the heat.

To serve, plate 1 TBSP of yogurt on each plate and then top with several meatballs and a light drizzle of the red pepper oil.

Serve and enjoy!

Afiyet Olsun!


text:
The Place to Find All Things Churchill

National Churchill Museum

Making a Breakthrough

Finest Hour 186, Fourth Quarter 2019

Page 14

By Edwina Sandys

Edwina Sandys is an award-winning artist based in New York City. Her books include Winston Churchill: A Passion for Painting (2015).

“May we dedicate ourselves to hastening the day when all God’s children live in a world without walls, that would be the greatest empire of all.”

President Ronald Reagan, 9 November 1990,
Fulton, Missouri

Thirty years ago on 9 November 1989 along with the rest of the world, I was glued to the television screen, watching the Berlin Wall crumble and fall.   The souvenir hunters immediately started chipping away. It was, however, only when I learned that the East Germans had removed long stretches of the Wall intact and were selling them that an idea came to me.

“Wouldn’t it be wonderful,” I thought, “to get a piece of the wall, make a sculpture out of it, and then place it at Westminster College?” This would forever link the Berlin Wall with my grandfather Winston Churchill’s “Iron Curtain” speech made at the college in Fulton, Missouri in 1946 and in which he famously said:

From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the Continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe…in what I must call the Soviet sphere, and all are subject…not only to Soviet influence, but to a very high and in some cases increasing measure of control from Moscow.

Read More >

The Iron Curtain and The New Fence THE FULTON REPORT - From the National Churchill Museum

Finest Hour 183, First Quarter 2019

Page 34

By Timothy Riley

Timothy Riley is the Sandra L. and Monroe E. Trout Director and Curator of the National Churchill Museum

On 12 February 1945, Peter Solly-Flood, former Special Operations Executive operative and then Second Secretary of the British Embassy in Washington, wrote to Major Gen. Harry H. Vaughan, chief aide to President Harry Truman. Solly-Flood’s message was short and his topic small.

When the letter arrived at the White House, Gen. Vaughan received a clear message: “on the occasion of his visit there on the 5th of March” Winston Churchill did not expect any sort of gift or present from Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. Solly-Flood noted that the former Prime Minister “is very much looking forward to visit there for its own sake alone.”

Churchill clearly appreciated the invitation to Fulton, which had been extended four months earlier. The great statesman was particularly pleased to know he would be introduced by President Truman. When the day arrived, Churchill, in the opening of his historic “Sinews of Peace” (“Iron Curtain”) speech, underscored his feeling on the matter:

It is also an honor, perhaps almost unique, for a private visitor to be introduced to an academic audience by the President of the United States. Amid his heavy burdens, duties, and responsibilities—unsought but not recoiled from—the President has traveled a thousand miles to dignify and magnify our meeting here to-day and to give me an opportunity of addressing this kindred nation….

Read More >

THE FULTON REPORT From the National Churchill Museum

Finest Hour 180, Spring 2018

Page 38

Timothy Riley is Sandra L. and Monroe E. Trout Director and Chief Curator of the National Churchill Museum.

The idea of establishing a permanent memorial to Winston Churchill in the United States began in 1961 during Westminster College’s commencement ceremonies, when Westminster President Dr. R. L. “Larry” Davidson and members of the St. Louis Branch of the English-Speaking Union hatched a bold plan to move the war-damaged church of St. Mary the Virgin, Aldermanbury from London, England, to Fulton, Missouri.

The original church dates to the twelfth century, but it was rebuilt in 1677 by Sir Christopher Wren following the Great Fire of London. It stood proudly at the corner of Love Lane and Aldermanbury, not far from the medieval Guildhall and near Wren’s masterpiece, St. Paul’s Cathedral.

On the night of 30 December 1940, catastrophe struck again when the church suffered a direct hit by an incendiary bomb dropped by the Luftwaffe. When morning came on the final day of that year, only the external stonework and the eight columns with acanthus-leaf capitals remained. Wren’s church lay in ruins. It remained so for more than twenty years until Larry Davidson saw an article in Life magazine just before Westminster’s commencement ceremony. That Life article prompted a discussion that transformed the Westminster College campus and established a permanent memorial to Winston Churchill in the United States.

Read More >

NCM Fellows Weekend Focuses on Churchill and Israel National Churchill Museum, March 25, 2018

Israeli Ambassador to Give Enid and R. Crosby Kemper Lecture at Fellows Weekend

The Association of Churchill Fellows, founded in 1969, is an honorary society of people dedicated to the development and use of the National Churchill Museum at Westminster College. Past Fellows include Churchill’s namesake grandson, Winston Churchill; Walter Cronkite; President Dwight D. Eisenhower; Sir David Cannadine, Lady Mary Soames; British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher; Sir Martin Gilbert, International Churchill Society Chairman Laurence Geller CBE; and the Right Honorable Earl Mountbatten of Burma. The Association of Churchill Fellows hosts annually a “Churchill Fellows Weekend,” an occasion that brings together renown speakers, statesmen, and Churchillians at the National Churchill Museum at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri.

His Excellency Ron Dermer, the Israeli Ambassador to the United States, will be the keynote speaker for Churchill Fellows Weekend 2018, to be held March 24-25.

Read More >

THE FULTON REPORT From the National Churchill Museum

Finest Hour 179, Winter 2018

Page 32

“Add my most loyal salutations to you-know-who and tell him I’m going to do him justice in bronze.”1
—Sculptor David McFall to Wendy Reves

Timothy Riley is Sandra L. and Monroe E. Trout Director and Chief Curator of the National Churchill Museum.

On 28 January 1958, sculptor David McFall RA arrived in the south of France with a singular mission: to capture an image of one of the most famous and most recognizable men in the world—Sir Winston Churchill.

The formal announcement that McFall, thirty-eight and a native Scot, would be commissioned to create an eight-foot bronze statue of Sir Winston as a tribute to the statesman’s thirty-three years representing Woodford (formerly Epping) would follow in the weeks ahead, but McFall wasted little time in getting to work.

When McFall arrived at Villa La Pausa, Rocquebrune, Cap Martin, the home of Churchill’s publisher Emery Reves and his American wife Wendy, the sculptor found his subject on the brink of illness.

Read More >

Join Now

Join or Renew NowPlease join with us to help preserve the memory of Winston Churchill and continue to explore how his life, experiences and leadership are ever-more relevant in today’s chaotic world. BENEFITS >BECOME A MEMBER >

The International Churchill Society (ICS), founded in 1968 shortly after Churchill's death, is the world’s preeminent member organisation dedicated to preserving the historic legacy of Sir Winston Churchill.

At a time when leadership is challenged at every turn, that legacy looms larger and remains more relevant than ever.


text:
Wiredja Online News Logo

WiredJa Online News

Wiredja Online News Logo

WiredJa Online News

Guyana:Cuban trained doctors may pursue early post-grad studies

  • Written by Denis Scott-Chabrol - CND
  • Published in Health
Cuban-trained Guyanese doctors taking the Hippocratic Oath to abide by a range of ethical standards in providing their services Cuban-trained Guyanese doctors taking the Hippocratic Oath to abide by a range of ethical standards in providing their services
In an effort to stem the brain-drain, Cuban-trained Guyanese medical doctors no longer have to complete five years of service before they become eligible to pursue post-graduate studies, Health Minister Dr. George Norton announced Saturday night.

“The need for higher training in clinical areas in post-graduate certification in the clinical specialties is becoming more pressing here in Guyana because of the continuing migration of doctors seeking, among other things, post-graduate training in the first instance and continued national dependence this country has on expatriate specialists at the consultative level,” he said.

He was at the time addressing the graduation ceremony of 93 Guyanese doctors who were trained in Cuba through a scholarship programme between Guyana and that Spanish-speaking Caribbean island. Of that number, 17 graduated with honours.

Norton explained that that the decision has been taken because evidence shows that many Guyanese doctors leave for other countries to pursue post-graduate studies instead of waiting until another five years. He hoped that the deployment of the doctors at large and medium hospitals across the country rather that in small health centres in remote interior locations was part of a plan for them to gain more experience for and during post graduate studies almost immediately. “Residency education is essentially training on the job. Doctors are engaged in service-delivery while training and this service delivery is similar to that which is provided by a Government Medical Officer but in the case of residency you have greater accountability and supervision and this you do as you progress upwards in your training programmes increasing your knowledge and skills- that is what I support,” he said.

He identified the need to expand the post graduate training with the aim of reducing maternal and child and infant mortality by having a larger pool of Guyanese gynaecologists, paediatricians and other specialists.  “That is when we are going to bring it down to a level that places us far below where we are at the moment because we have got advantages in post-graduate training,” he said.

Evidence shows, he said, that since the commencement of post graduate training in specialized areas of human medicine more Guyanese doctors have been staying longer than five years instead of one year to 18 months. Post graduate studies are being offered in surgery, emergency medicine, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, internal medicine, orthopedics, anesthesia, and family medicine. Masters in Psychiatry and Public Health are to be offered shortly.

The Public Health Minister announced the assignment of the doctors: 14 in New Amsterdam, 14 in West Demerara, 10 in Suddie, eight in Linden and 46 at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon magnanimously acknowledged the presence of former Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr. Roger Luncheon who was present for his daughter’s graduation and the Cuban scholarship programme as a legacy of the then People’s Progressive Party Civic administration. “We are proud to have actually inherited this programme  from the previous administration and we do hope, in handing over in many, many years to come, that we will be able to hand over a programme that is even stronger than the one we took over,” said Harmon who is Luncheon’s successor.

So far, 558 Guyanese have been trained in human medicine since Guyana and Cuba signed the scholarship agreement in 2000. As of 2002, the medical students complete their sixth and final year in Guyana under the instruction of members of the Cuban Medical Brigade.


text:
Superman (Nintendo 64) Review

Superman 64

Superman has had a rough history in regards to his transitions into the medium of video games, but none quite so infamous as his Nintendo 64 venture. This 1999 title – more famously known as “Superman 64” due to the console’s habit of dropping a “64” in the titles of its games – is widely considered to be one of the worst video games of all time. That reputation isn’t undeserved, as Superman 64 was broken in its day, and age has only magnified its notorious attributes.

I’ve already used the word “broken” to describe the game, and I’m not sure I could think of a more appropriate word to describe it, with the possible exception of “unfinished.” Superman 64 is supposedly a 3D action game, but it is void of so many basic video game elements it barely passes as a game at all.

Superman 64In regards to gameplay, you more or less just fly around going through rings or lifting cars, or walking on the ground fighting bad guys. There’s really no way to go more in-depth about the gameplay, because that’s literally all there is to it. The aforementioned “flying through rings” segments are easily the most excessive, and show up with such frequency that you may think the game is playing a sick joke on you. It couldn’t be more monotonous.

If the repetition of its bare-bones gameplay weren’t bad enough, the game is also plagued by some of the worst controls in video game history. The flying segments feel so awkward you’ll probably miss a good number of those ever-present rings even when steering dead-on in their direction. Somehow, the controls when walking are even worse. Combat, in particular, is so clunky that all you really do is mash the buttons, with your strikes hitting or missing your enemies seemingly at random.

To top all that off, Superman 64 suffers from a dreadful presentation. The plot supposedly revolves around Lex Luthor kidnapping Superman’s friends and trapping them in a “virtual world,” and Superman giving chase. This “plot” is explained via a single text box within a cinematic that probably lasts all of ten seconds, at which point players are immediately thrust into the game’s first ring segment without so much as a tutorial or any explanation. Couple that with the fact that the game’s visuals look worse than most of the N64’s earlier titles, and the music consists of the same stock, faux-heroic, seconds-long loop repeated over and over, and the whole experience just becomes an assault on the senses.

Further frustration occurs with the game’s often cryptic nature. There was one segment in the game’s first stage where the objective was to freeze three tornados with Superman’s ice breath, without explaining how you even use the ice breath to begin with. It felt like I struck gold when I realized the pause menu includes a list of the game’s controls, and that the ice breath is used by pressing the C-up button on the N64 controller. But when I attempted to freeze the tornados, nothing happened for the first several tries (with each failure sending me back to the ring segments). I only discovered by pure accident that you have to at first find a power-up before Superman can use his ice breath. Not that it ended up making much difference, since I still managed to fail the mission a few times even with this knowledge (not only does Superman have to be holding still directly in front of the tornados in order for the ice breath to work, but a number of times I still saw the “Lex Wins” screen even as I got rid of the third tornado).

Superman 64That may be a bit of ranting on my part for what is ultimately one small segment of the game, but that segment somehow represents the bigger picture of Superman 64. There’s not a single aspect of the game that feels even close to finished. In fact, I might argue that every element of the game feels like it barely even began. The mechanics are horrible when they even work at all. You’ll often fall through the levels or run into countless other glitches. Barely anything is explained to the player (and when it is, the text boxes appear so briefly you might miss them if you blink. It’s as if the text boxes just want to hurry up and get out of the game). And you’re so persistently haunted by those dreadful rings you may have nightmares about them.

Is Superman 64 one of the worst video games of all time? Oh, most definitely.

Author: themancalledscott

Born of cold and winter air and mountain rain combining, the man called Scott is an ancient sorcerer from a long-forgotten realm. He’s more machine now than man, twisted and evil. Or, you know, he could just be some guy who loves video games, animations and cinema who just wanted to write about such things.

13 thoughts on “Superman (Nintendo 64) Review”

  1. Wow, a 1! This was brutal. I applaud your willingness to experience this atrocity. It sounds so much worse than I could have imagined. A 10 second cutscene to explain the story? Cryptic controls? Rings?! Superman doesn’t even look right in the screenshot of him flying through the rings. Luthor pulled a number on Superman this time by putting him in this horrible virtual world, haha. Thanks for covering this so nobody else has to! It was a great read!

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Haha! Thanks for the kind words. I’m not done yet. I also have Sonic Boom to review, and am awaiting for my copy of Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero to arrive for yet another review. Thankfully, I will balance out this infamous dung heap by reviewing two great games really soon (one retro, one new, but I’ll keep them secret for now).

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Haha! I’m not sure I’ll be doing negative numbers, or even zeros (but then again, I haven’t played Plumbers Don’t Wear Ties or Big Riggs yet). So a 1 is as low as it goes for now. This is definitely deserving of it.

      Liked by 1 person

  2. It’s weird to me that of all the games they could have ripped off to make a Superman title, they chose Pilotwings, though somehow, I don’t think sets of rings you have to fly through in a specific order constitutes a maze. Is this the first time you’ve awarded the dreaded 1/10? In either case, it’s certainly a title that deserves that score from what I’ve heard. Even without playing it, I can tell it looks more like a pre-alpha build than a finished product. Apparently, the official title of the game is “The New Superman Aventures [sic].” Between that and Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures, it seems as though putting “New Adventures” in the name of your game is setting yourself up for failure.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. This is indeed the first time I’ve scored something with the big, smelly 1/10. It’s certainly warranted, because there’s nothing about this game that feels close to finished, and the sheer excess of ring-flying is just lazy beyond belief (and you’re right, I can’t think of any other time that flying through objects constituted a “maze”).

      I can’t blame people for not knowing the proper title of the game, considering both the box and game coverage don’t even say “Superman” on them. Instead, they just have that generic picture of Clark Kent taking off his shirt and revealing the Superman symbol. Why wouldn’t people just assume this was called Superman 64?

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Maybe it’s to hide the fact that the name of their game has a rather egregious spelling error (or at least in English at any rate)?

        Anyway, I went some time before using the 1/10 myself (Deadly Towers was the first instance). It’s a difficult score for me (and you, I’d wager) to award because most works that are this bad are ones I would never want to finish.

        Liked by 1 person

  3. Wow… Just wow. I never thought you’d ever drop a 1 for a game! But I guess this excuse of a video game deserves the aforementioned score 😛 I don’t know if I have it in me to play a game that bad for a review, you certainly are brave friend! I honestly don’t think I’ve ever played a game that bad before 😛 awesome review on a not so awesome game mate!

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Curiosity got the best of me and I gave this a shot sometime ago when I wanted to test legendary awful games. I regret trying to even get those flying controls to work. I kinda feel bad for the awful track record Super has had with videogames, and his movies as of late haven’t been much better.
    I imagine any fan of the animated series must have been heartbroken playing this back in the day.

    Liked by 1 person

Leave a Reply to themancalledscott Cancel reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: Logo

You are commenting using your account. Log Out /  Change )

Google photo

You are commenting using your Google account. Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s


text:
Preview Mode Links will not work in preview mode

21st Century Work Life and leading remote teams

Brought to you by Virtual not Distant, the 21st Century Work Life podcast looks at leading remote teams, online collaboration and working in distributed organisations.

Join Pilar Orti, guests & co-hosts as they shine the spotlight on the most relevant themes and news relevant to the modern knowledge worker.

For more on our services, check out

Dec 20, 2018

Our final podcast of 2018 – Pilar and Maya reflect on trends and changes through the year, and what we’re looking forward to in the months ahead, at

2018 has been a year of many changes in the workplace and in this podcast too, as we moved to the successful new magazine-style format in...

Dec 14, 2018

Following yesterday's episode, Pilar saw a few tweets she wanted to share with you, after she reached out to @erimbau to ask her about this article (article in Spanish, tweets in English!):

Dec 13, 2018

Today’s unusual episode brings us an interview originally recorded for another show, but it’s a great fit for our audience here, with whom we often share and discuss interesting research findings from the changing world of work.

Journalism and scientific evidence have always had an uneasy relationship because...

Nov 29, 2018

Today Pilar interviews her colleague and co-host Maya, who is wearing her ‘non – Virtual Not Distant hat’, and speaking in her role as CEO of BlockSparks OÜ. This business has some unique 21st Century Work-Life aspects, which we felt it was time to discuss.

06.30 21st Century Work-Life: Maya Middlemiss, CEO...

Nov 15, 2018

Former co-host of this show Lisette will be familiar to long-term listeners, who might have wondered where she’d got to – well, wonder no more! She was busy writing “Work Together Anywhere”, which gave us a great excuse to catch up in our featured segment today.

And don’t forget to join us over on twitter...


text:
Medina Mayor Talks Contact Tracing Positions and How to Apply

“Orleans County and New York State are looking for people to be contact tracers, team supervisors and community support specialists with the effort to reopen New York, especially the Finger Lakes Region in which we are a part.

“These positions from my understanding are completed with non-contact interviews. I also believe these are paying positions.  I added a link on how to get involved.  If you are interested, please apply.”

More information below:


text:
New Jersey’s foreclosure situation isn’t the acute crisis it once was, though its rate remains the highest in United States.

With that backdrop, state lawmakers are beginning to consider a 10-bill package addressing the issue, resulting from a 2017 report by a special committee convened by Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner.

In addition to making permanent a mediation program the courts began in 2008, the proposals seek to shorten the foreclosure schedule and create an interactive database of foreclosed properties, among other changes. It’s welcomed by both housing advocates and community bankers.

“If these bills become law, I’m sure New Jersey will join the rest of this nation in seeing the foreclosure crisis become a part of our history,” said Arnold Cohen, senior policy advisor for the Housing & Community Development Network of New Jersey.

“In my 15 years of working here in various capacities, this is really the first time that I’ve really seen all of the branches of government come together and actually execute on something and produce something that is very worthwhile,” said Michael Affuso, senior vice president and director of government relations for the New Jersey Bankers Association.

New Jersey is still the state with the nation’s highest foreclosure rate, as it has been since 2015, according to ATTOM Data Solutions. The Atlantic City and Trenton metropolitan areas have the highest foreclosure rates among the nation’s 319 metro areas with at least 200,000 residents.

However, the number of foreclosures started last year was down 12 percent, with 18,801 foreclosures begun in 2018.

“The statistics are pretty much well-known, but thankfully through the work of the executive, judicial and legislative branches, we are starting to bend that curve and put a break on that,” said Sen. Troy Singleton, D-Burlington.

State Sen. Steve Oroho, R-Sussex, said the bills include essential consumer protections: “Ensuring there’s a level playing field of accountability for out-of-state mortgage companies and to help create a more efficient system of getting these properties back into productive use.”

The bills in the package would:

  • Require that a notice, with the intention to foreclose, would not be sent more than 180 days in advance of taking that action. Currently, a notice must be sent at least 30 days in advance of initiating a foreclosure, with no outer limit on when that legal action must be commenced. (S3411)
  • Require the Department of Community Affairs to create a database with an interactive map which would detail the extent of foreclosed properties in New Jersey. The database would be developed, maintained and updated daily, funded through a new $30 fee on all deeds filed. (S3412)
  • Make changes to the summary action foreclosure process under the “Fair Foreclosure Act” by clarifying the method by which foreclosed properties can be sold on an expedited timeline. (S3413)
  • Permit all common interest community associations to record a lien for unpaid assessments, and to provide limited priority over prior recorded mortgages and other liens for nine months-worth of unpaid customary assessments. (S3414)
  • Require the filing of certain contact information of creditors with a residential mortgage foreclosure complaint and pending legal action. Among the information that would have to submitted to the county: Names and contact information for creditors and their in-state agents responsible for receiving complaints about property maintenance. (S3415)
  • Clarify that the “New Jersey Residential Mortgage Lending Act” applies to out-of-state persons and entities involved in residential mortgage lending in the state. Debtors would be provided with a notice that the lender is licensed. (S3416)
  • Require any person acting as a mortgage servicer to obtain a license from the state Department of Banking and Insurance for each main office and each branch office where business is conducted. (S3417)
  • Revise the statute of limitations in residential mortgage foreclosure actions from 20 years to six years from the date on which the debtor defaulted, in situations in which the date of default is used as the method to determine when the statute of limitations has expired. (S3418)
  • Revise certain procedures under the “Fair Foreclosure Act” to expedite residential mortgage foreclosure proceedings, such as require the sheriff to conduct a foreclosure sale within 120 days of the sheriff's receipt of a writ of execution. (S3464)
  • Codify the state judiciary’s Foreclosure Mediation Program and dedicate $25 from a new $75 foreclosure filing fee, as well as proceeds from fines, to reimburse the trained foreclosure prevention and default mitigation counselors. (S1244)

The bill package was endorsed by the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee. A few of the bills were referred to the Senate budget committee, but most of them now await votes by the full Senate.


text:
Here in Texas, we take our land and family seriously. With that comes our livestock and our possessions. So it’s no surprise that we Texans have always had the need for barns, whether for storage, livestock or even living quarters. The thing is, we use barns for everything, it’s in our nature.

History Of Barns In Texas

Some of the older barns in Texas date back to the start of the state, and in fact they were built as a result of early community events. Usually, when settlers moved to an area, the barn was the first to be built before the house. Today, barns evoke a sense of tradition, community spirit, and security attributed to the ranching and farming culture of Texas.

Settlers in the Houston and Lake Jackson area were efficient and resourceful with the materials they had. Sealants, paints, and other modern building materials were not available then, so settlers used rust, lime, and linseed oil. Rust was meant to protect the wood from elements, but with time it actually turned red. The red barn was so common that when paints become readily available, red barns started to fill The Lone Star State landscape.

An older barn in Texas with livestock

Wolf Barns is located in Brazoria County and builds barns in Texas

In Houston, TX, like other parts of North America, barns were used as a shelter for livestock, such as sheep, horses, and cattle. They were also used for storage of farm products, such as grain, fruits, and hay. Their uses determined the structure’s form. You can also find barns in Houston that were constructed for specific functions like fruit storage or dairying.

Barn Appearance

The attributes of these barns included sanitation, convenience and appearance Convenience involved reducing labor expended in regular farm tasks such as milking, feeding, and cleaning. The barns were very economical and involved provision of functional and cost-effective procedures and spaces for the practice of farming. Fortunately, farmers never forgot about the appearance, and it shows that the old beautiful historic barns showed how farmers were careful and paid attention to all the fine details.

Nowadays, most barns in Texas are used as community centers, retail space, and as wedding venues. Farm weddings with views of stately livestock grazing and manicured pastures have become quite popular. They have opened a new source of revenue for farmers with barns. They also serve as recreational areas where you can drink, eat, and be safe from pesky nightmare insects and rainstorms. A lot of investors are now turning old barns into modern venues for community gatherings and corporate events.

Which brings us lastly to the most modern type of barn that has spawned from so many years of crafting large, heavy structures. The pole barn is taking our state, and the whole country by storm because of its affordability, practicality and versatility. Folks are now living inside the barn very comfortably while using the building for it’s main intention like storage and livestock. We now see barndominiums in Texas gaining popularity, which is basically a barn on the outside, but a fancy house, or traditional condo on the inside.

What’ll they think of next?


text:
What do WMG Volunteers do?

Volunteers lend a hand in whatever needs to be done at Woman Made. That involves changing exhibitions which includes packing and unpacking art, sanding, spackling, touching up walls and installing art and related text. Volunteers assist at opening receptions,literary events and other gallery programs. They are responsible for various tasks at our annual gala and other fundraisers. Volunteers might do research, write press releases, and are involved with social media activities. They greet guests and talk to school groups about Woman Made Gallery. If a volunteer sticks around long enough, they will learn all there is to know about a non-profit arts organization.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please contact us!

For security purposes please answer the following question in the box below: