text:
Gov election: FRSC Corps Marshal visits Osun, asks personnel to be neutral

FRSC Corps Marshal Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi

Ahead of the coming governorship election in Osun State, the Federal Road Safety Corps has called on its personnel to show a high level of commitment and professionalism by shunning corrupt and unethical standards before, during and after the election.

Dr Boboye Oyeyemi, the FRSC Corps Marshal, who made the call during a visit to the Sector Command on Monday in Osogbo, charged the personnel to be apolitical.

He said that 60 patrol vehicles, alongside both regular and special Marshals, would be deployed across the state, cautioning the officers against being used by politicians to disturb the electoral process.

READ ALSOQatar to produce electric vehicles by 2023

“We are deploying our men across the state, and I have cautioned them against being used by any political party.

“The image of the corps is very important, and every officer must remain apolitical; knowing that the corps does not belong to any political party,” the corps marshal said.

He said that the agency was partnering with other sister agencies, with the Nigeria Police being the lead agency, in order to ensure a free, fair, credible and peaceful election.

“There is a pool of deployments which comprises the DSS, Police, NSCDC, NIS, among others, and not just FRSC alone.

“The Nigeria Police is the lead agency, and there have been series of meetings in order to ensure that the election is peaceful.

“Also, there has been security inter-agency collaboration, and all hands must be on the deck to ensure a safe election,” Oyeyemi said.

He said the corps was also working with the Independent National Electoral Commission in terms of logistics, which they have requested to mitigate any form of violence likely to surface.

Oyeyemi charged officers that would be deployed in local government areas in the state to show professionalism and good moral conduct.

FRSC recruitment: Screening, physical assessments to commence Sept 24

The Federal Road Safety Commission has scheduled its screening and physical fitness assessment on recruitment for Sept. 24 to 29.

The FRSC Public Education Officer, Mr Bisi Kazeem, said in a statement on Friday that the screening would be conducted in all the state capitals.

READ ALSO: Osinbajo presides over minimum wage meeting on Tuesday

Kazeem advised applicants to check the email used for submission of the applications on Sept. 19 for information on the exercise.

“The information in the email will contain the venue, date, time of screening and required items to be taken along for the exercise,” he said.

According to him, shortlisted applicants are to come with the summary data page earlier received and the email notification slip which shall admit them to the screening venue.

The FRSC image maker said that any candidate without the printout of the summary data page and notification slip for the phase of the exercise would not be admitted into the venue.

The FRSC recruitment started on May 28, with the uploading of the application forms on the FRSC recruitment portal.

FRSC promotes 20 personnels

The board of Federal Road Safety Corps has approved the promotion of 8 Corps Commanders to the position of Assistant Corps Marshals and 12 Deputy Corps Commanders to the position of Corps Commanders.

The approval came after the deliberation of the  board on Friday.

In a statement made available to the press by the Corps Public Education Officer, Bisi Kazeem, the names of the newly promoted ACMs include: PO Osadebamwen, Abayomi  Olukoju, M. Shehu, MI Garba, DD Sayi, SU Umar, Yekeen Salami, and Sunday Maku.

While the names of the newly promoted CCs include: O Kalu, JI Dagwa, MA Jatau, EA Asaniyan, RN Monyei, TD Sifawa, SO Adepoju, U Wihioka, P Olaye, KM Kabo, R Ogom, and S Akinyemi.

According to Kazeem, the Chairman of the FRSC board, Barrister Bukhari Bello, expressed his satisfaction at the transparency of the exercise and urged the newly promoted staff to put in more efforts in ensuring that the highways are safe for all categories of road users.

Kazeem added that the Corps Marshal, Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi, equally congratulated the newly promoted Officers for their performances. He stated that Oyeyemi encouraged them to continually put in their best in the course of their duties.

The Corps Marshal promised to continue to improve the welfare of the Corps’ personnel in general to the satisfaction of all. He advised those who did not get promoted to keep faith and hope for the best in the next exercise.

Southern city

FRSC, Guinness advise truck owners on safety

AS part of efforts to address road crashes, the Federal Road Safety Corps has called on truck owners and fleet operators to carry out adequate routine checks on their drivers and vehicles before deployment.

 The Edo State Sector Commander, Mr Anthony Oko, stated this at a training organised for 600 truck drivers by Guinness Nigeria Plc, during its transport and safety week.

 Oko, who was represented by the sector’s Head of Operations, Emea Orji, noted that the attitude of some truck drivers to safety on the highways had continued to be a major challenge for the agency.

He also urged drivers to create time to assess their state of health, including eye tests to prevent accidents.

The sector commander said, “We had an incident this morning (Wednesday) around First East Circular junction, Benin. A truck, as it was turning, landed on a jeep. It (truck) was just on top of the jeep; in fact, it was God that saved the driver.

 “So, we preach safety for the vehicles and also for the drivers. The drivers should be exposed to how they can adequately manage their health.”

 The Supply Chain Director of the company, Hanna Colman, said the Safety Week was designed to ensure that the company’s transport operations were executed with smart, alert, focused and educated drivers, through its third-party contractors.

Colman, who was represented by the Site Director of the Benin brewery, Adebayo Alli, added, “We have taken safety in our operational environment very far. We have moved from a baseline to almost mastery, when it comes to safety in the operational world.

 Also speaking, the Manager, Logistics and Customer Safety, Adebayo Oluwafemi, stated that the company had zero tolerance for poor road safety standards by its contractors and would not hesitate to sanction offenders.

 Oluwafemi said, “We have had transporters that have been suspended from our fleet because of the importance we place on human life.”

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Contact: [email protected]

Southern city

Police arrest FRSC officials in Calabar

FRSC operational vehicle

Mudiaga Affe, Calabar

The Zone Six Command of the Nigeria Police with headquarters in Calabar, Cross River State on Wednesday detained two officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps for 10 hours over complaint from an alleged reckless driver that was booked.

Southern City News learnt on Thursday that a man driving a black BMW with Registration Number Cross River, KAM 715 AA, had tried to manoeuvre his way when he was flagged down by FRSC officials.

The driver, who was said to have been stopped along Marian Road because he did not wear seat belt, reportedly hit the  FRSC vehicle with his car.

It was learnt that as soon as the incident happened, the driver ran into the nearby Akim Police Station to get policemen to stop the FRSC officials, led by Victor Igwe, from towing his vehicle.

A top FRSC officer at the state command, who spoke on condition of  anonymity, said despite allowing the booked vehicle to be towed by policemen to their station, his men, who were invited for interrogation by the Zone Six Police Command, were detained unjustly for several hours.

He said the case was moved from the Akim Police Station to the Zone Six Command on the influence of the traffic violator.

The source said, “My men were on patrol along Marian Road in Calabar when an incident happened following the reckless driving of one black BMW owner. He was flagged down for not wearing his seat belt and in an attempt to escape, he collided with our operational vehicle.

“Immediately it happened, the reckless driver went to the nearby Akim Police Station to ensure that his vehicle was not towed to our yard. We had already booked him for seat belt use violation, dangerous driving and assaulting regular marshals.

“But before we knew what was happening, the matter was immediately transferred from Akim Police Station to the Zone Six Command. In less than 24 hours, my men were invited to the command where they were detained for over 10 hours for no just cause.

“Our lawyers went there, but they insisted that we should come and sign a bail bond. These men were detained with their uniforms and this is disturbing.”

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in charge of Zone Six Command, Mr Abeng Oyom, said the driver of the BMW had come to lodge a complaint that his car was damaged by FRSC operational vehicle driven by an official.

He, however, denied the claims that the FRSC officials were detained.

He said, “The complainant had come to lodge a complaint that his vehicle was damaged by FRSC operational vehicle.

“He complained to the state traffic unit, but was not pleased with the way the matter was being handled. That was why we took it over. The FRSC officials were not detained.”

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All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.

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Sallah: FRSC conducts eye test, arrests 4,983 traffic offenders

FRSC officials on duty Photo: File

The Federal Road Safety Corps engaged 1761 drivers nationwide in a free and voluntary Eye Test during the 2018 Eid-El Kabir special patrol operations.

The free eye test which ran from Friday, August 17 to Sunday, August 26, 2018, was successfully carried out in collaboration with the Optometrists Association across the country.

According to the Corps Public Education Officer, Bisi Kazeem, out of the total number of 1761 drivers tested by the optometrists, 350 drivers were discovered to have sight defects while 35 drivers went home with free eyeglasses.

Kazeem also revealed that a total of 4,983 offenders were apprehended over 6,097 offences committed across 2,360 routes covered by the Corps during the Sallah special patrol operations.

He said the most prevalent offence recorded during the period was Seatbelt Use Violation with 1,540 offenders apprehended.

Kazeem also revealed that a number of Mobile Court sittings were conducted across the country during the period.

A total of 102 persons were arraigned during the mobile court operations compared to 218 persons in 2017; while 99 offenders were convicted compared to 208 in 2017, and 3 persons were discharged and acquitted.

Corps Public Education Officer said the Corps recorded a significant increase in the number of people rescued without injury during the 2018 Eid El Kabir Sallah special patrol operations.

He said a total of 612 persons were rescued without injury as against 552 persons in the same period in 2017 representing 10.87% increase. Accordingly, the increase was as a result of improved patrol operations.

Quoting the Corps Marshal, Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi, Kazeem stated that the Corps now has a wider coverage due to the establishment of more FRSC Commands, Outposts, Roadside clinics, and Zebra points that now feed in reports from different routes that were hitherto not thoroughly covered.

He stressed that the increase in the number of road crashes, persons involved, and persons killed were due to the reports that emanated from the new FRSC formations.

The positive changes in the reduction of offences and offenders can be attributable to the increase in public enlightenment, enforcement, traffic control, cooperation from stakeholders, and the fully automated process of obtaining drivers licence, Kazeem emphasised.

FRSC conducts free eye screening for motorists

Screening of motorists in Katsina

Olaide Oyelude, Katsina

The Federal Roads Safety Corps, Katsina Sector Command, on Saturday conducted free eye screening for commercial drivers in the state, as part of efforts aimed at reducing road accidents.

The Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (Taxi cabs chapter), Muntari Suleman, led his colleagues for the eye tests.

Specialists from Katsina Eye Centre, including Dr Damilola Ariyo and Dr Nwagu Bright, conducted the eye tests.

Eye glasses were also donated to some of the tested drivers.

The acting Sector Commander, Muhammed Muktari, who stood in for the Katsina Sector Commander, Godwin Ngueku, admonished the drivers to ensure that their vehicles were always in good condition before embarking on any journey.

He added, “The campaign is not a one-off event. Rather, after this Central Motor parks, we are going to conduct the eye test on the NURTW drivers in other motor parks in Katsina, on NATO drivers as well as on KSTA drivers and other registered commercial motor companies.

“When a vehicle is road-worthy for a trip, its driver must be fit and must have good eyesight. This matters most in ensuring accident-free trips. That is why we are embarking on this campaign of eye test on all commercial drivers in the state.”

One of the doctors,  Ariyo, advised the drivers to take care of their eyesight and cautioned them against taking their health for granted.

He said, “If there is an obstacle along the highway while you are driving, your eyes must be able to see the obstacle clearly and not just managing to see it. That is why we are here to help you in taking care of your eyes. If you don’t take care of your eyes, it may affect your performance behind the wheel.”

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All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.

Contact: [email protected]

50% of road crashes caused by drivers’ poor sight – FRSC

FRSC officials on duty Photo: File

The Edo Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Mr Anthony Oko, says 50 per cent of the road crashes in the country are due to poor sights of drivers.

Oko made the assertion during a sensitization programme and free eye test organised in Benin by the command, in collaboration with the Optometrists Association of Nigeria, Edo chapter.

READ ALSO: CBN worker begged me to kill him, says murder suspect

He said that because of this drivers needed to check their sights regularly, adding “to prevent accidents, we need to do eye tests,” he said.

He said that the essence of the programme was to enhance accurate driving and prevent accidents on the road.

He said road crashes were caused by human, mechanical and weather errors, stressing that the human element usually led to colossal loses.

“Not everybody knows how to drive under the rain,” he added.

In his remarks, Dr Onoriode Ateka, Secretary, Optometric Association of Nigeria, Edo chapter, said it had been observed that most road accidents were as a result of unclear vision of drivers.

Ateka said there was the need to educate drivers on the importance of sight to guarantee safety on the road.

He said that during the exercise, eye glasses would be recommended for those who needed them while those who would need treatment would be advised accordingly.

He therefore advised drivers to endeavour to go for eye checks as least once in a year to update their vision.

Some of the beneficiaries of programme, commended the organisers because it had enabled them to seek solution to their eye problems in order to avoid accidents on the road.

Eid Mubarak: FRSC urges motorists to co-operate with personnel

FRSC officials on duty Photo: File

The Federal Road Safety Corps has called for co-operation of members of the public and motorists in obeying the directives of its personnel and other law enforcement agencies.

The Corps Public Education Officer, Mr. Bisi Kazeem, made the call in a statement in Abuja on Monday.

Kazeem quoted FRSC Corps Marshal, Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi, in his Sallah message as assuring members of the public that Corps’ commitment to ensuring safer road environments before, during and after any celebration that attracts increased human and vehicular traffic remains unwavering.

Oyeyemi called on the motorists to drive with care and show patience to other road users as a reflection of the spirit of sacrifice which the season symbolises.

SEE ALSO: I slaughtered my wife after she murdered our daughters —Man suspected of killing own family

He said that following the declaration of Tuesday and Wednesday as public holiday by the Federal Government to mark the 2018 Eid-el-kabir celebration, Oyeyemi called for patience and collective vigilance on the roads to make the celebration hitch-free.

According to him, Eid-el-kabir is traditionally a feast of sacrifice, which provides opportunity for all Muslims to reflect on the sanctity of lives and mercies shown to mankind by God as evidenced by the substitution of a ram with the life of Ismail.

He further noted that the lesson of the sacrifice demonstrated how God took the sanctity of lives and the need for people to take measures that could ensure human safety.

“The magnanimity shown to prophet Abraham by way of God substituting a ram for the life of his son, Ismail as is being observed in the Eid-el-kabir celebration is a great lesson for mankind,” he stated.

Oyeyemi, therefore, enjoined the people to avoid acts capable of exposing their lives and that of their neighbours to dangers during the celebration.

He said, “adequate numbers of FRSC regular and special marshals as well as logistics have been mobilised for effective traffic management, rescue operations and support to road travellers across the country.

“To achieve the desired results, the Corps Marshal directed patrol teams to focus more on specific offense like wrongful overtaking, use of phone while driving.

“Also, traffic light violation, drunk driving, overloading and lane indiscipline as well as use of extra lights by articulated vehicles during the special operations”

He appealed to members of the public not to hesitate to contact the FRSC Call Centre through the toll-free line:122 in the event of a road crash and other emergencies for prompt response.

He said that all FRSC facilities would remain opened and functional during the celebration and beyond to attend to members of the public.

Taraba: 23 killed in 61 road crashes says FRSC

FRSC officials on duty Photo: File

Justin Tyopuusu Jalingo

At least 23 people have died and many others injured in 61 road crashes in Taraba State between January and June 2018.

This is according to the official data obtained from the Taraba State Sector Command of the Federal Road Safety Corps by our correspondent.

Mr. Ben Akunne,  Assistant Corps Commander Operations,  Taraba State Sector Command of the FRSC, said the command was making efforts to establish more units of the corps in Gembu, Bali, and Zing to ensure more impact in their operations.

Akunne noted that the command had intensified education and awareness among road users in churches, mosques, motor parks and other public places on the need to ensure safety while on the road.

On the menace of Tricycle operators popularly called KEKE NAPEP in Jalingo the State capital, Akunne said the State government had set up a task force to contain the excesses of the operators.


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QMotor Mobile App

Find it on the App Store.

QMotor Mobile App

Find it on the Google Play..

QMotor App on Google PlayQMotor App on App Store

How to Clean your Car Dashboard?

By, 2018-06-13

Cleaning your car is one of the most important ways to protect your car and keep it new though time and also to increase the life of your car. Because cleaning your car reflects your personality, you should always keep it clean. Imagine the amount of psychological comfort that you will feel when you drive your car clean from inside and outside.

There are many people who depend on car laundries to wash their car, but you can wash your car by yourself and keep money and time as well and make sure that all parts of your car are washed the way you want.

You may think that the process of washing the car from inside needs experience, time and effort, but it is not difficult; you can on your holiday have time to clean your car and give yourself some fun.

The car dashboard is one of the most important parts of the car that many laundries neglect to clean and a lot of people feel lazy to clean, also. We will give you the easiest and most effective ways to clean your car's dashboard:

Further reading: How to Clean Car Seats efficiently?

How to clean your car dashboard? What are the steps to clean it?

  • Buy Detergents for cars:

It is very important that you buy detergents for the interior parts of the car and not to use car wash powder and other cleaning materials because they contain chemicals that damage your car's interior parts. These non-auto cleaners work to make some cracks in the dashboard and make it loses its luster.

  • Put the car cleaning liquid inside the dashboard:

It is best to put a little detergent at the beginning and then wipe the plastic area immediately using the towel gently to remove the oil and dirt above the plastic and then wash the towel for later use.

  • Use soft brush:

Use a soft brush after applying more detergent to remove the inner dirt and make sure that some foam is formed to help to remove the dirt and make sure the process is gentle.

  • Rub the leather gently:

Be careful in this step so as not to remove the leather of the car or the dye on it and use a cleaning detergent for the leather, and try to rub the dirt with a towel at first. If the dirt is not removed, use some types of soft cleaning fibers.

If you have a steam device that you can use by rolling the nozzle with a towel and then rubbing some places in the dashboard, this also eliminates bacteria accumulate over time.

Further reading: Cleaning your car engine is not a difficult mission anymore!

  • Dry the dashboard:

After finishing the cleaning process and cleaning all the dirt, you should not forget the process of drying the dashboard so that the dirt does not accumulate again. This will not make it smells especially if you close the doors of the car and left it for a long time. It is best to dry the car with a dry towel.

  • Polish the dashboard :

Now, after cleaning and drying it, you can polish your car by using a special polisher to give it a shine.

Further reading: How to Get Your Car Ready After Winter?

Sell your used car or buy a car here.

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Supply Chain Coordinator - Almere

Do you like beauty, lifestyle, supply chain and do you want to contribute to the growth of Herôme Cosmetics, the cosmetics brand in the Netherlands in the field of hand and nail care? Then we are looking for you!
Herôme has been a market and industry leader in hand and nail care for over 35 years. Herôme Cosmetics is one of the only independent Dutch cosmetics manufacturers. This means that Herôme Cosmetics develops, manufactures, distributes and sells all of its own products at home and abroad. Their products find their way to consumers through wholesalers, drug stores, perfumeries, beauty salons and the Internet.

In this position as a Supply Chain Coordinator, you will be involved in the whole supply chain process from A to Z, starting from the material stage to production, transport up and till sales and delivery of the goods.
During this process, you will actively coordinate suppliers, purchasers, internal clients and external production facilities. Next to this, you will also be involved in improvement projects such as implementing a new ERP system.

We are looking for a candidate with the following skillset:

  • Bachelor degree in supply chain, logistics or relevant area;
  • Minimum of three years of relevant working experience;
  • Experience with overal supply chain planning;
  • Hands-on, pro-active person who is able to work on improvement projects;
  • Knowledge of the purchasing process is a pre;
  • Experience with Exact is a pre;
  • Excellent oral and written communication in the English language and a good understanding of the Dutch language.

What is offered?

  • An extensive role both internally and externally;
  • Managerial possibilities;
  • Competitive salary;
  • Very good secondary employment conditions.

In case you are interested in this job, or would like to know more, feel free to contact me directly.

Marcel Thor

+31(0)23-75 48 660

+31(0)6-36 224 353

To find out what QTC Recruitment can do for you, please contact us.
Contact us


text:
Queen of Color Diamonds

Where fascination and education about Natural Fancy Colored Diamonds meet

Month: September, 2013

GIA Alumni Gem Identification Event at The Bourse

Last night I attended GIA Alumni’s Gem Identification evening at the Diamond Bourse of Canada.  The concept of the event was to look at a number of gemstones up close and personal.  Some gems were marked and some weren’t and you had to figure out what they were based on a variety of equipment, charts and books as reference material.

It was so much fun to meet the gang from the Alumni Chapter and of course meeting Leila Haikonen, the General Manager of the Diamond Bourse of Canada.

Nicole with Leila Haikonen, General Manager of the Diamond Bourse of Canada

Here I am with Lanis Mosher

I will admit I am a novice when it comes to gemstones, so it was so it was quite nice to get to see new stones and of course the amazing equipment.   I think that for me, looking at stones in a new way was the best part.  For instance, I really enjoyed using the gem refractometer.

And here I am using a spectroscope for the first time.  Very cool to be able to see the different colors in a gemstone even though the colors are so close to one another.

And then there are the qualities used to determine a gemstone.  With diamonds, they are either real or treated so there isn’t much detection necessary.  Gems have the refractive index, and an array of variables to consider (doubling, descriptive elements).  All I could think about was – how hard is this lab course going to be when I go to GIA in the spring.?

Ok, so I have to be honest…. I enjoyed the evening, meeting everyone in person and being around other industry enthusiasts, but honestly I didn’t have the same fascination or appreciation of gemstones, that I do for a diamond, particularly a natural fancy color diamond.  I wanted to be as interested or as excited as the other GIA Alumni members but I lost a bit of interest after I looked at the first few gems (Garnet, Beryl and Zircon) .  Sure, I like rubies, sapphires  and emeralds as much as the next girl but there is something about the dispersion of a well cut diamond, the facet arrangement and the ray of spectral colors that bounce off of a diamond that is so beautiful and exciting to me particularly when it has a highly saturated hue. – not to mention modifying colors which is an entirely other subject that fascinates me.

I also found it interesting that I naturally gravitated towards smaller well cut gems with high concentration of body color: blues, pinks and greens.   It felt very comfortable for me to pick up a .26 vivid green Garnet and examine it under the microscope and jewelers loupe like I was sitting in my office at work.  I suppose I’ve been pretty spoiled by looking at the most magnificent diamonds every day that it’s just hard to look at anything else!

Having said that, it was a great night and I’m totally looking forward to the next GIA event!

My father – the color diamond perfectionist

In preparing for a seminar that I’m giving this evening, one of the topics is about how we select our color diamonds and about my training in the industry.  This really got me to thinking…

I am a GIA Diamonds Graduate and I’ve also had the privilege of being mentored by a Diamantaire in the industry who comes from a long line of cutters in Israel.  But the single most important influence and training I have acquired is by working closely with my father and President of Guildhall Diamonds Inc. for the past 10 years.

What I love about my father is not only his exceptional eye for beautiful diamonds but his incredible work ethic and unwavering commitment to only purchasing the highest quality Natural Fancy Color Diamonds for our clients.  It is this passion and unwavering dedication that is so inspiring to me.  He never settles for anything other than the most exceptional diamonds with the utmost brilliance, fire, symmetry and above all else, remarkable color.  He will only purchase Internally Flawless Yellows.  Pinks must be VS, Blues have to be Flawless or Internally Flawless and on and on.

Even when my father is offered “deals” in the industry, he will always pass if the diamond is less than top clarity grades.  If the color is a light fancy, he will pass too.  In fact, he has a way of finding diamonds with the most saturated hues possible.  The fancies he selects always seem to look intense, and the intense diamonds he finds tend to look vivid.  Vivid diamonds at Guildhall are naturally the most concentrated and saturated color possible.

I would like to think that having a keen eye and appreciation for beauty is innate and even inherited!  I know how a diamond calls me and how I can pick a Guildhall diamond out of a parcel of diamonds but I also know that this has a lot to do with working alongside my father every day and following his lead.

What I do know is that I will pass these exceptional values and passion on to my children who already at such a young age want to follow in the family business and I will  teach them in the same way my father has taught me – by doing and being exceptional.


text:
and there goes my second career choice

Last night I finally bit the bullet and forced myself to attend a free pole dancing class that I’ve had my eye on for a while.  I’ve been hesitant to try it for obvious reasons: I’m terribly uncoordinated and the closest thing to sexy I ever get is when I’m drunk and make bug eyes at the Southerner while simultaneously picking my wedgie.

After stopping to ask around 20 New Zealanders the location of a street that actually turned out to be an alleyway with only two buildings located on it, I managed to arrive at the class only 6 minutes late.  Next time, I’m just going to take the bus to downtown Wellington, close my eyes, spin around three times, and I’m pretty sure when I open them I’ll have found the dance studio again.

The first thing I noticed upon arriving to the studio was that I was dressed entirely wrong.  WHY DOES THIS ALWAYS HAPPEN TO ME? I meticulously scoured the dance class website for an hour, memorizing their “what to wear” list and STILL managed to look like a wannabe homeless dancer amidst a bouquet of life-long ballerinas.  In my defense, I didn’t bring any skin tight boy shorts or lycra tops with me to New Zealand.  They probably would have fit in my suitcase (or in my ass crack given how tiny some of the girls in this class were) but I was too busy trying to make room for my copy of “The Handbook of Test Development.”  Big mistake.

And how on earth did every other person know to bring a towel with them? It was supposed to be a beginner’s class for Christ’s sake.  Our first exercise was to grab on to the top of the pole, lift our bodies up and bend our knees so that our legs extended out and up in the air.  WHATEVER.  Do these poles come in velcro? Because then I might have a chance in hell of actually sticking to one.  My hands are sweaty.  So are my armpits.  And my ass for that matter.  They always have been.  I’m not sure why I didn’t take this life-long affliction into consideration when I decided to take a class that’s very essence requires grace and the nubile, dry hands of a doctor, not some sweaty beast who might as well wrap a towel around her pole for all the good it will do her.

As I was leaving the class, I heard the instructor ask an incoming student if she had practiced her “sexy faces” since the last class.  You’ve got to be kidding me. What are sexy faces and how do you make one? Especially while hanging on to that pole for dear life.  I tried to practice my idea of sexy faces in the mirror this morning and I think these two truly embody sexiness at its best:

“You’re my sexy dancer” face

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text:
I dislike characterizations of authors as fearless. Unless writing in a regime where censorship can result in incarceration or death, writing is not a fearless act. The subject of written work can be fierce. Capturing the event(s) in context and exploring the emotional consequences of them is an art form of an accomplished writer.

Han Kan, the Korean recipient of the 2017 Man Booker International Prize for “The Vegetarian” is such an author. “Human Acts’ recounts the Gwandju Uprising in the southeastern South Korean City that started on May 18, 1980. The Introduction by translator Deborah Smith is interesting not only because it summarizes the military crackdown on dissent by Chun Doo-hwan after the coup overthrowing Park Chung-hee, and discusses nuances  in translating the Korean language into English.

The Uprising is viewed from the perspective of the active student participants in the protest, bystanders, their friends and families, and a later editor’s compilation of recollections of the event. The traumatic memories, particularly of torture, maintain the fierceness of these events. A majority of innocents who are swept up in these events because political fear is the goal regardless of facts. North Korean Communist infiltration was the trumped excuse for the expansive martial law imposed on the more democratic Gwandju metropolitan area. Gwandju is relatively far from Seoul and the DMZ. In the increasingly industrial important southeast of Korea where there were later uprisings in Bosun (then Posun) and Masan, control was important to the new central government. Gwandju, now the 6th largest city in South Korea, is still under central government control, unlike the more conservative and larger Bosun.

The core of the plot is the death of a middle-school boy, Dong-ho, who because of his youth was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The other students involved in the protest or handling the corpses for family viewing at the University gym, considered him too young to be there. Few were political. The irony of youth is that they were only three years older, than Dung-ho and should also not have been there. They did not understand their youth and vulnerability.

Recurring themes in the novel are the separation of body and soul and the meaning of humanity. There are probably no answers for the latter, but Ms. Kang has an interesting twist on the former.

This is another work in the unfortunate “I Will Bear Witness” genre. It would be nice if humanity could extinguish the need for such works.


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Bernard Chaudron Necklace - Modigliani Face

Bernard Chaudron Necklace - Modigliani Face

Regular price $0.00 Sale

Bernard Chaudron Necklace made out of Bronze. This piece has a great juxtaposition between the carved detail and the smooth surface. Very mid century and unique. It looks to have been inspired by Modigliani.

Chaudron's jewelry is very rare, only creating his jewelry in his early career. Most of his designs are abstract/geometric but occasionally he would create figural pieces. His jewelry career lasted from the late 1960's to the end of the 1970's.

His work is uniquely different but comparable to the other great Canadian Brutalist artists such as Larin, Vidal and Alfandary.

The Pendant is 2.25" long x 1" wide..
Neckring is about 5.25" in diameter, 16.5" inner circumference.
Signed "B. Chaudron"
Necklace is in good vintage condition with appropriate heavy wear and patina for it's age.

Materials: Bronze

Only 1 available


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Guy Vidal Shadow Box Earrings

Guy Vidal Shadow Box Earrings

Regular price $0.00 $0.00 Sale

Guy Vidal earrings in a shadow box design.  Textural rectangles are balanced with a single smooth peg.   These are bold easily wearable, their design is almost contemporary.
A sensational piece, by one of the best Canadian sculptors.

Vidal is a true master at sculptural pieces of wearable art, his work contains depth, texture and stunning stylized design. Often regarded as the best of the Canadian Modernist of the 1960-70's due to his unique and highly stylized designs.
A true work of wearable Modernist Art.

Measures apporx 2" long (includes the earring hook)  x 0.5"wide
No visible hallmarks but appears in his catalog.
Good Vintage condition with dark original patina and wear appropriate to age.

Materials: Silver Pewter

Only 1 available


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The top 16 attractions in Sochi

Sochi is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Russia, welcoming over 4 million tourists every year. Located in a unique climate zone, the city is an attractive beach destination in the summer and an equally attractive skiing destination in the winter. Known for the stunning nature of the Caucasus mountains and abundance of hiking trails and nature resorts, it is also considered Russia’s sports events capital having hosted the 2014 Olympic Games and Formula 1 Grand Prix.

Here are the top 16 destinations to explore during your first visit to Sochi:

Sochi Arboretum

The Sochi Arboretum (or Dendrary Park) is the largest subtropical park in Russia, with over 1500 species of trees and shrubs. This tree haven spans over 30 acres and gives you a chance to leave all your city troubles behind and be at one with nature. It was built in 1892 and has a large number of different exotic plants, all of which can be admired in a relaxing, calm and pleasant atmosphere. Visitors are welcome to enjoy the panoramic view of the sea and coast from the local cable car.

Rivera Park

Founded in 1898, Park Rivera was the private property of the famous Khludov Moscow merchant dynasty. It’s the most popular weekend spot among the locals and a must-visit on any tourist itinerary, especially if you want to experience the Soviet southern beach town atmosphere. Although not too big, it’s a lively spot housing more than 250 species of plants, attractions, amusement rides, art galleries, cafes, statues, a pool, and beautiful magnolia trees planted by Russian astronauts in the name of peaceful space exploration.

Museum of Sochi History

This is a quaint, little museum that opened in 1920. It was closed for some years, but it has now been renovated and is open to all who want to delve into Sochi’s archaeological history, its maritime roots, its role in WWII and other aspects of its social history. A collection of classic Russian art was introduced some decades ago, with many of the artefacts and photos related to the city’s rich history.

Sochi Art Museum

The Sochi Art Museum, built in 1936, resides in the center of a leafy park, in a classical building that’s in itself a work of art. The museum collection features about 5,000 art pieces, including age-old icons and paintings from the 19th to 21st centuries, and works of renowned Russian artists like Shishkin and Serov, as well as coins and weapons from the 1st century AD. The museum is also a regular venue for Debut exhibitions of local painters.

Sochi Discovery World Aquarium

This Aquarium located on the territory of 6000 square meters and containing 30 aquariums, a total of 5 million liters of water, is considered to be one of the biggest oceanariums in Europe. Here visitors can spend hours enjoying colorful fish doing what they do best… swim and observe sharks, penguins, seahorses, dolphins, and many other marine inhabitants. If you feel adventurous, you can even do a diving tour into some of the tanks.

The Singing Fountains

Built in 1970, the fountains are situated right in front of the Sochi Trade Gallery and are undoubtedly one of the most visited places in the city. They are only active when it’s hot outside and usually closer to dusk, which is usually quite early in the south.

Lenin Mosaic

This is a sparkling, red, 8m-high head shot of Lenin unveiled in 1980 to mark the 110th anniversary of the birth of the father of the Bolshevik Revolution. Today it often serves as a backdrop for holiday selfies.

The Promenade

Located in the central part of Sochi, it’s the major pedestrian embankment about 2 kilometers long running from the Marine Station and to Prospekt Pushkina. Locals call it the Promenade, for this large and beautiful street is one of the most popular recreation areas in the city. Stretching along the Black Sea coast, it has numerous fairground attractions, souvenir shops, cafes with open terraces, bars and clubs with loud music. Beautifully decorated with flower beds, green trees and subtropical palms, graceful lanterns and benches, it’s the center of day and night life in Sochi.

Festival Concert Hall

A massive hall with its front open to the sea embankment below, many significant performances in Sochi take place right here.

Skypark AJ Hackett Sochi is a unique place in Russia and the largest altitude extreme entertainment park in the world, located in the picturesque relic forest of Sochi National Park near Krasnaya Polyana ski resort. Here those brave at heart can go bungee jumping from the longest pedestrian bridge in the world, check out the world’s tallest 170-meter Sochi Swing and other rides, take the fastest trolley, visit the rope adventure park, and enjoy magnificent panoramic views of the Caucasus Mountains and the Black Sea coast from the height of 207 meters.

Akhun Mountain

The highest point of the coastal area is the 700-meter Akhun Mountain, providing an awesome and spectacular view of the local countryside and the city to all of the visitors. There are also many ancient caves in the Sochi area, making this city even more mysterious and exciting.

Krasnaya Polyana

The capital of the mountain cluster of XXII Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2014, Krasnaya Polyana is an urban village in the Adler region of Greater Sochi offering a breathtaking panoramic view of the magnificent West Caucasus mountains in any season and some quality skiing in the winter.

Публикация от Max (@maxpestov)

Matsesta SPA Resort

Matsesta meaning ‘fire and water’ is a micro-district in Sochi. It’s located on the Black Sea coast and is surrounded by hot springs, where water contains more than 27 types of minerals and is known for its health benefits. It’s especially popular among those with respiratory and cardiac problems. It is also a perfect place for spa relaxation and treatments. With bathing rooms and massage cabinets, it’s everything one needs for a perfect spa day.

Ritsa Lake

Large and absolutely breathtaking, this lake is surrounded by green hills and beautiful plants. The lake is located outside Sochi in the north-west of Abkhazia, at a high of 950 metres above sea level in the West Caucasus mountains, presenting visitors with the most picturesque spots. The best way to get there is to book an excursion tour from a travel agency in Adler or Sochi. Unfortunately, there are no direct buses to the place, so if you want to visit the lake on your own, you’ll have to get to the border with Abkhazia (by bus, minibus, train or taxi), cross the border, get to Gagra , New Athos, or Pitsunda and take a sightseeing bus or a taxi.

Stalin’s Villa (Dacha)

Sochi was always one of the most favorite resorts of Soviet leaders. Stalin’s big dacha located in the mountains on the way to Ritsa Lake is open to the public. He paid regular visits, and not just for vacation purposes, but to host meetings with political leaders of that period. Nowadays, there’s a small museum displaying Stalin’s waxwork and personal belongings. Visitors have an opportunity to rent a room to experience the true spirit of Russian communism of the past.

33 Waterfalls

Sochi residents take pride in the 33 Waterfalls because of the beautiful natural scenery they create. These waterfalls, true wonders of nature, are a part of the Dzhegosh Stream. They are a great collection of 33 waterfalls varying in height, with the highest one only 10 metres. All of these falls are very picturesque, particularly when the snow of the Caucasus Mountains starts to melt in spring.

Very Hostel in Sochi
Very homey place in the city by the sea
Rosa Khutor resort
The ultimate outdoor sports destination
Very Hostel in Sochi
Very homey place in the city by the sea
Rosa Khutor resort
The ultimate outdoor sports destination
Top 6 round-the-clock restaurants in Moscow
  • Top 6 round-the-clock restaurants in Moscow
  • Best breakfasts in Kazan
  • Mini Routes Saint Petersburg


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Wetland Science

We have performed over 2,000 individual wetland projects in the Puget Sound region, ranging in size from less than an acre to over 1,500 acres. We provide everything from simple wetland reconnaissance to assessments, delineations, and mitigation plans. Our in-depth expertise in this field enables us to complete projects accurately, on time and on budget. In short, we help clients get their projects built.

We succeed based on respectful working relationships with local, state, and federal agencies. The project manager assigned to each wetland study is familiar with the study area and the requirements of the permitting agencies. The project manager will work closely with these agencies by keeping them apprised of the project status and resolving any issues that may arise during the study.

Our services include:

  • Wetland delineation
  • Wetland functions and assessment
  • Wetland impacts assessment
  • Wetland mitigation, planning and design
  • Wetland construction management
  • JARPA applications
  • SEPA checklist preparation

Latest News ItemPark Improvements Would Honor Zina Linnik

Latest News ItemEasy Steps to Successful Wetland Mitigations


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Raag Bhairav

Aaroh: S r~ G M, P d~, N S’
Avroh: S’ N d~, P M G, r~, S
Pakad: S, G, M P, d, P
Vaadi: d (Komal Dhaivat)
Samvaadi: r (Komal Rishabh)
Aandolit: d~ (Komal Dhaivat), r~ (Komal Rishabh)
Meend: M↘r (Madhyam to Komal Rishabh)
Jaati: Sampoorna—Sampoorna
Thaat: Bhairav
Samay: Praatah Ka Pratham Prahar

Excerpt related to Bhairav from an interview of Ustad Hussain Sayeeduddin Dagar:

Full Interview of Ustad Hussain Sayeeduddin Dagar:

Bhairav Recital of Ustad Hussain Sayeeduddin Dagar:

Two famous Hindi film songs:

Film: Jaagte Raho (1956)
Music: Salil Chowdhury
Singer: Lata Mangeshkar

जग उजियारा छाये, मन का अन्धेरा जाए
किरणो की रानी गाये
जागो हे, मेरे मन, मोहन, प्यारे
जागो, मोहन प्यारे जागो
नवयुग चूमे, नैन तिहारे
जागो जागो मोहन प्यारे

जागो रे जागो रे जाग कलिया जागी
नगर नगर सब गलिया जागी
जागो रे जागो रे जागो रे
जागो रे जागो रे जाग जाग

भीगी भीगी अंखियो से मुस्काये,
यह नयी भोर तोहे अंग लगाए
बाहे फैलाओ दुखियारे
जागो मोहन प्यारे, जागो
नवयुग चूमे, नैन तिहारे
जागो जागो मोहन प्यारे

जिसने मन का दीप जलाया,
दुनिया को उसने ही उजला पाया
मत रहना अंखियो के सहारे
जागो, मोहन प्यारे जागो
नवयुग चूमे, नैन तिहारे
जागो जागो मोहन प्यारे

किरण परी गगरी छलकाए,
ज्योत का प्यासा प्यास बुझाए..
फूल बने मन के अंगारे
जागो, मोहन प्यारे जागो
नवयुग चूमे, नैन तिहारे
जागो जागो, मोहन प्यारे

Film: Baiju Bawra (1952)
Music: Naushad
Singer: Lata Mangeshkar
[Note: Generally, it is accepted that this song is based entirely on Raag Bhairav. However, some experts opine that this song is based on Raag Bhairav, with few shades of Raag Kaalingadaa. Whereas, some state the reverse that this song is based on Raag Kaalingadaa, but with few shades of Raag Bhairav. It is an ongoing debate. Nevertheless, the enjoyment is not lessened in any way, irrespective of it being based on Bhairav or Kaalingadaa.]

जो मैं ऐसा जानती
के प्रीत किये दुख होय
हो, नगर ढिंढोरा पीटती
के प्रीत न करियो कोय

मोहे भूल गए साँवरिया, भूल गए साँवरिया
आवन कह गये, अजहुं न आये
लीनी न मोरी खबरिया
मोहे भूल गए साँवरिया

दिल को दिए क्यों दुख बिरहा के
तोड़ दिया क्यों महल बना के
आस दिला के ओ बेदर्दी
फेर ली काहे नजरिया
मोहे भूल गए साँवरिया

नैन कहे रो-रो के सजना
देख चुके हम प्यार का सपना
प्रीत है झूठी, प्रीतम झूठा
झूठी है सारी नगरिया
मोहे भूल गए साँवरिया

Mahi Ve Mohabbatan Sachiyan Ne

Film: Wajah Tum Ho
Neha Kakkar & Amit Gupta:

दर्द भरा दिल में इतना के
रोने को दिल करदा
तेरे बिना बेजान सा अब तो
होने को दिल करदा

तुझे चाहा रब से भी ज्यादा
फिर भी न तुझे पा सके
रहे तेरे दिल में मगर
तेरी धड़कन तक ना जा सके

जुडके भी टूटी रही इश्क दी डोर वे
किसको सुनाये जाके टूटे दिल का शोर वे

माहि वे मोहब्बतां सचियाँ ने
मंगदा नसीबा कुझ होर ऐ
किस्मत दे मारे असी की करिए
किस्मत दे मारे असी की करिए
किस्मत दे मारे हो असी की करिए
किस्मत ते किसदा ज़ोर ऐ
माहि वे.. माहि वे..

वक़्त का करम है के तू
बैठा है मेरे रूबरू
है इश्क कितना तुझसे
लफ़्ज़ों में कैसे मैं कहूँ
इक नज़र तू देख ले बस मेरी ओर वे
किसको सुनाये जाके टूटे दिल का शोर वे
माहि वे..

तुझको बना कर ज़िन्दगी
मैंने तो हर पल सांस ली
तू फासलों पे है तो
दूर दिल से धड़कन है कहीं
ना रहे तन्हाइयों का जो दौर है
किसको सुनाये जाके टूटे दिल का शोर वे
माहि वे..

Film: Kaante
Sukhwinder Singh & Richa Sharma:

माहि वे मोहब्बतां सचियाँ ने
मंगदा नसीबा कुझ होर ऐ
किस्मत दे मारे असी की करिए
किस्मत दे मारे असी की करिए
किस्मत दे मारे हो असी की करिए
किस्मत ते किसदा ज़ोर ऐ
माहि वे.. माहि वे..

इक तरफ इश्क़ है तनहा तनहा
इक तरफ हुस्न है रुसवा रुसवा
दोनों बेबस हुए हैं कुछ ऐसे
करें तो करें किस से हम शिकवा

दिल न टूटे ख़ुदा का ये घर है
तेरे सजदे में मेरा ये सर है
मौत से डर नहीं लगता मुझको
सिर्फ तुमसे जुदाई का डर है

माहि वे इनेतां सच्चियां ने
मंगदा नसीबा कुझ और है
माहि वे.. माहि वे..

Neha Kakkar:

Daler Mehndi & Richa Sharma:

Nainon Ki Mat Maniyo Re Naina Thag Lenge

Film: Omkara
Music: Vishal Bhardwaj
Lyrics: Gulzar
Singer: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan:

नैणों की मत माणियो रे
नैणों की मत सुणियो
नैणां ठग लेंगे

जगते जादू फूकेंगे रे जगते जगते जादू
जगते जादू फूकेंगे रे नींदें बंजर कर देंगे
नैणां ठग लेंगे

भला मंदा देखे न पराया न सगा रे
नैणों को तो डसने का चस्का लगा रे
नैणों का ज़हर नशीला रे

बादलों में सतरंगियां बोंवे
भोर तलक बरसांवे
बादलों में सतरंगियां बोंवे
नैणां बांवरा कर देंगे

नैणां रात को चलते-चलते
स्वर्गां में ले जांवें
मेघ मल्हार के सपने बीजें
हरियाड़ी दिखलांवें

नैणों की जुबान पे भरोसा नहीं आता
लिखत पढ़त ण रसीद ण खाता
सारी बात हवाई रे सारी बात हवाई

बिण बादल बरसांवें सावण
सावण बिण बरसातां
बिण बादल बरसांवें सावण
नैणां बांवरा कर देंगे

नैणां ठग लेंगे…

Parthiv Gohil:

Swar Vistaar : 60 Hindustani Raaga

Title: Swar Vistaar : 60 Hindustani Raaga
Paperback: 138 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace (25 June 2018)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1721822119
ISBN-13: 978-1721822119
Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.3 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 7.4 ounces

An essential book for students of Hindustani Classical Music.

This book presents sixty Hindustani Raaga with Meend, Aandolan, Kan, and Vakra, wherever applicable. Rajen Jani skillfully expands the Swars in Mandra, Madhya, and Taar Ashtak.

The sixty Raaga are as follows:
Aasaavari, Adaanaa, Baageshri, Bahaar, Basant/Vasant, Bhairav, Bhairavi, Bhimpalaasi, Bhupaali, Bihaag, Bilaawal/Alhaiya Bilaawal, Brindaabani Saarang, Chaayaanat, Chandrakaant, Darbaari Kaandaa/Darbaari Kaanhadaa, Des, Deshkaar/Desikaar, Desi, Devgiri Bilaawal, Gaudsaarang, Gauri, Gondmallaar/Gaud Malhaar, Hamir, Hem Kalyaan, Hindol, Jait Kalyaan, Jaunpuri, Jayjayvanti, Kaafi, Kaalingadaa, Kaamod, Kedaar, Khamaaj, Lalit, Maalgunj/Maalgunji, Maalkauns, Maalshri, Maarva, Miyanmallaar/Miyan Malhaar, Multaani, Paraj, Patdip/Patdipki/Pradipki, Pilu, Puriyaa, Puriyaa Dhanaashri, Purvi, Raageshwari, Raamkali, Saavni Kalyaan, Shankaraa, Shri Shuddha Kalyaan, Shyaam Kalyaan/Shyaam, Sohani, Tilak Kaamod, Tilang, Todi, Vibhaas, Yaman (Aiman)/Yaman Kalyaan, and Yamani Bilaawal.

85. Medea takes vengeance on Pelias

Once upon a time, Jason, the husband of Medea, had asked her to take vengeance on old King Pelias of Iolcus, for the murder of his father Aeson and his younger brother Promachus. Hence, Medea pretending that she had a quarrel with Jason and for her safety, fled to Pelias. Burdened with heavy age, Pelias was unable to greet her, but his daughters, the Peliades, received her with kindness.

In a very short time, the perceptive and shrewd Medea, with her fake display of friendliness, gained the confidence of the Peliades. She recounted her previous experiences and particularly dwelt upon, for a long time, on how she had rejuvenated her father-in-law, old Aeson, to his former youth. Medea subtly induced the Peliades, to desire that their old father Pelias, may also be likewise revitalized with youthful vigor. To flame their desire, Medea changed an old ram to a lamb. Thus tempted to wishful thinking, the Peliades begged Medea, to perform the feat, and make their old father Pelias, once again young.

They went to Pelias’ room, where with incantations, Medea made Pelias and all the guards, fall asleep. Then she set clear water to boil over blazing fire, added some herbs having no potency at all, and falsely demonstrated that she was preparing a magical elixir. Thereafter, Medea urged the Peliades to cut their father’s body with swords, so that the old blood may flow out, and his veins may be filled with the youth-granting magical elixir. The Peliades hesitated, but Medea went on urging them. So, with averted faces, the Peliades wildly struck at their father. Pelias was fatally wounded, but to finish him off with certainty, Medea swiftly slit his skinny throat. Thereafter, she threw his mangled body in the boiling water, while the hopeful Peliades expected their father to emerge as a youth.

Just at that moment, Medea’s chariot of dragons came and she escaped. Fearing punishment for murdering and boiling their own father, the Peliades also fled away.

Excerpt from the book “Once Upon A Time-II: 150 Greek Mythology Stories” by Rajen Jani

84. Medea restores the youth of old Aeson

Once upon a time, Medea, the daughter of King Aeetes of Colchis, had prepared a magical potion, to restore the youth of old Aeson, the father of her husband Jason. The magical ingredients, collected from mysterious places, over nine days and nine nights, boiled in a cauldron. Meanwhile, with loosed unbound hair and flowing garments, Medea moved in wild abandon, like a Bacchanalian.

Three times, she paced the two blazing altars, the right devoted to Hecate and the left to Hebe. Thrice, she dipped the top-splintered ends of torches, into the dark mixture of blood, wine, and milk, which was poured in the trenches dug around the altars. Three times, she lit the dipped ends of the torches, with the fire of the burning altars. Thrice with flames, she purified old Aeson’s sleeping body, following it up three times each with sulphur and water.

Then, taking an old, withered olive branch, she stirred the seething mixture boiling in the cauldron. As the stirring progressed, the branch changed its color, new leaves began to sprout, and the entire branch was heavy with several juicy olives. The bubbling mixture created a sizzling froth, which rising above the cauldron’s edge, spilled over and fell on the ground. Where the mixture fell, immediately new plants, flowers and luxuriant grass, began to grow.

Seeing this miracle, Medea unsheathed her sharp knife and cut the old king’s throat, in such a manner that all the old blood from his body, drained out. Then, through the wound, she poured the hot fizzy mixture in his body. Aeson’s beard and hair changed from white to black. New youthful blood coursed through his veins, and his sallow old body became young. Aeson woke up astonished. His body was young but his mind was still old. His memory recollected that he was forty years younger from that day.

Bacchus witnessed this wonder from his celestial home. He earnestly appealed to Medea, to rejuvenate all his nurses, and the Colchian sorceress granted his request.

Excerpt from the book “Once Upon A Time-II: 150 Greek Mythology Stories” by Rajen Jani

83. Medea prepares a potion for old Aeson

Once upon a time, after collecting magical ingredients that could restore youth to an old person, Medea, in her Hecate-gifted chariot driven by dragons, reached home. But she did not enter and stayed in the field, shunning all contact with her husband Jason, son of Aeson. From the ever-living turf, she built two altars, the right dedicated to Hecate and the left to Hebe, the goddess of eternal youth.

After adorning these altars with boughs and flowers, she dug trenches. Then, she butchered a black ram, whose fresh blood she poured in the trenches, along with wine and warm milk. With such an offering, she added her sacred incantations, to satisfy the Deities of earth and Pluto, lord of the deathly shades, so that they may not in undue haste, deprive the life from the limbs of old Aeson while she performed her magic on him.

When she was certain that her long prayers were heard and approved by Pluto, she went near the palace and ordered the people, to bring the worn out body of her old father-in-law. She cast a spell on Aeson, who went into a deep sleep, so deep as if he were a dead man. Then she laid his body on a bed of herbs, commanded the servants and told Jason, to completely go away. She warned all, not to spy on her with irreverent eyes and obeying her, all left.

Taking a brazen cauldron, she boiled and mixed all the magical ingredients, which she had gathered from distant places. She put seeds, herbs, plants, grass, flowers, acerbic juices, elixirs, oriental stones of amazing virtue, sifted sands from the tides of oceans, white frost gathered under a full moon, flesh and unlucky wings of a screeching owl, the sloughed scaly skin of a water snake, the liver of a stag who had lived long, the beak and head of an ancient crow alive nine centuries ago, entrails of the bizarre animal who changed from wolf to man and then again, from man to wolf, and many other things. Thus, Medea prepared the magical, youth-imparting potion for old Aeson.

Excerpt from the book “Once Upon A Time-II: 150 Greek Mythology Stories” by Rajen Jani


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text:
Our epic weekend tastings started by heading south from Portland with a plan to take in some wineries along the way in Dundee and south of McMinnville, which would put us close to our stay at Youngberg Hill B&B late in the afternoon. It doesn’t take long to get from Portland to Dundee so we were there shortly after places start to open at 11.

As preface to these notes, there weren’t any wines we tasted that we thought were bad. On the contrary, everywhere we went, the quality was excellent. No doubt, a lot of the reason for that was because everywhere we went was either a return visit for me or had been recommended in advance by someone. In fact, I got so many recommendations in advance there was no way to take them all in. I guess that means I’ll just have to return another time.

1st up along our route was Argyle. It’s right off the highway leading through Dundee. While good, I think our impression of the Pinots was they all seemed pretty lean and very light bodied. We tried the 2012 Reserve Pinot, the 2011 and 2012 Nuthouse Pinots and the 2011 Clubhouse Pinot. The latter I liked better than the former ones. Without a doubt though, our favorite wine by a landslide at Argyle was the 2010 Brut Rosé. My notes gave it which for me means I loved it and I’d buy it again and again. Winery tasting notes can be found here.

I’ve been to Lange on previous visits but I always find good Pinot Noir there and this visit was no exception. And aside from the wines, Lange has a great view and there’s always something beautiful in bloom.

My favorite of the ones we tasted at Lange was the 2012 Magma Opus Pinot noir. Of all the tastings we did, this was one of only two wines I ended up bringing back home with me.

On Friday and at that hour, we were the only people doing a tasting. Maybe it’s typical or maybe it was because we the only ones there but a couple of the tastings were done – like this ‘Soil Series’ set – side by side. I always like that approach because it’s much easier to compare one to the others several times.

Stoller is another winery I’ve been to before. I enjoyed the wines and the grounds around the winery are beautiful. There’s a great view from inside the tasting room. I included a photo below.

Stoller included a couple of Chardonnays. The 2013 Dundee Hills Chard was stainless steel fermented and it suited my taste better.

The standout wine for me though at Stoller was the 2013 Pinot Noir Rosé. You can see a photo above. Denise bought two of them.

I guess we looked like we were enjoying things (and Denise was having a great conversation with the woman helping us) so she let us try a couple additional wines. One was a 2008 Pinot Noir. I did not catch any other info about it, but it was fantastic. The other wine we tried was a 2011 Syrah from their Single Acre series.

As we wound our way to our our stay for the duration, the rest of the afternoon was spent south of McMinnville. Perhaps no surprise, Brooks is another winery I’ve been to before. But Brooks does several Rieslings so I knew it would offer something different. From my notes, I enjoyed the 2010 Willamette Valley Riesling but I really, really enjoyed the 2010 Temperence Hill Pinot Noir.

One of the things I like about Brooks is that it is a very small place. Often what comes with being small – and certainly no exception here – is they spend a lot of time with you and the attention and service you get is outstanding. The people behind the counter at Brooks have been exceptionally knowledgable and friendly and somehow they always find just one more interesting wine you weren’t expecting before you leave. (We also learned that Lumpy’s is the place the wine folks go when they just want a beer.) Sadly we didn’t find time to pull into Lumpy’s when we drove by the next day. 😉

Bethel Heights

Bethel Heights was new for me and a nice find. It had been recommended before the visit by a friend of Denise’s and by one of the folks at one of the wineries above. Given it was Memorial Day weekend we were again surprised to find so few people in the tasting room. I think we may have been the only people in there when we stopped by. The standout fav by far in my opinion based on my notes was the 2013 Pinot Blanc. Loved it. Others I really enjoyed: The 2012 Estate Chardonnay, the 2013 Pinot Gris and the 2012 Riesling. Of the Pinot Noirs, I particularly liked the 2012 Aeolian.

One additional thing that Bethel Heights was doing, I think, because it was Memorial Day weekend was having 3 local cheeses available to try with the wines. I wish I could remember exactly what they were but I didn’t jot that down or take a picture. One though was definitely an aged Gouda. Anyway, it was a nice addition.

Bryn Mawr

Bryn Mawr had also been recommended earlier in the day and was literally a stone’s throw from Bethel Heights. Bryn Mawr is also a very small winery. If my notes are right, their 2014 vintage expectation was somewhere in the 2K to 3K case range.

We were spoiled here by being the only people in the tasting room late in the day and perhaps because of that and because it’s a very small place, the wine maker Rachel Rose personally gave us our tasting. You can see her in the photo below.

Like Bethel Heights, they had a nice local cheese plate out. But in this case, I’ve got some notes. It included Blueberry Havarti and some smoked Fontina along with some Marcona almonds. The cheese was from Willamette Valley Cheese Company.

Standouts for me at Bryn Mawr were the 2013 David’s Cuvee Pinot Blanc, The 2013 Rosé of Pinot Noir and the 2009 Reserve Pinot Noir.

Youngberg Hill

The finally stop of the day was both winery and B&B. We arrived after their normal tasting hours but they greated us with a nice glass of Youngberg Hill Pinot Blanc. And excellent way to finish the afternoon. As you can see by the photo, we enjoyed it from the deck overlooking the valley.

One final note regarding dinner. That night we were off to a fantastic little place in McMinnville called Thistle. If you make the trip to McMinnville, definitely check this place out. I had the rabbit and it was fantastic. Unless you’re looking for it, the sign to the place is not obvious so keep an eye peeled. It’s a small place made up of 3 rooms. At one end, the kitchen is visible and everyone looked busy. At the other end, there’s the small bar. In between, a few tables in what looks to be the main dining area. We were lucky enough to have reservations and scored a nice table.


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Texas Frightmare Weekend 2015 Event Report

This past weekend marked the tenth anniversary of the annual premier horror event, Texas Frightmare Weekend.  Thousands of genre fans converged at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, located in the DFW Airport, for celebrity appearances, exclusive parties, screenings, panels, vendor rooms, and more.

While Texas Frightmare Weekend never disappoints with celebrity guests, Founder Loyd Cryer upped the ante for this milestone year with celebrity guests.  Neve Campbell made her convention debut in Texas, appearing alongside Rachel True and Skeet Ulrich. Huge genre favorites Brad Dourif, Malcolm McDowell, Sid Haig, Elvira, and many more showed up to greet fans over the three day event.  With the celebrity guest list nearing 60, fans were spoiled for choice.  Marking the 30th anniversary of A Nightmare on Elm Street 2, stars mark Patton, Kim Myers, Robert Rusler, Marshall Bell, and director Jack Sholder were all in attendance for panels and fan signings.

The core group behind the Phantasm series also held their reunion at the event, with appearances by cast members Michael Baldwin, Reggie Bannister, Angus Scrimm, Kat Lester, Bill Thornbury, Gigi Bannister, Bob Ivy, and creator Don Coscarelli.  The director of Phantasm V: Ravager, David Hartman, also attended, sharing a special clip of the upcoming film for those lucky enough to attend Dallas’ Alamo Drafthouse’s screening of the original film just prior to Texas Frightmare Weekend.

Phantasm panel

Tucked away in a quiet corner of the convention space fans could peruse the Dark Art Show.  The exhibit featured a lot of local artists, but the original Grandma Sawyer from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was on display in her rocking chair alongside an original painting from serial killer Henry Lee Lucas.

Grandma Sawyer
Grandma Sawyer

Acclaimed horror podcast Killer POV hosted a version of the insanely popular L.A. Dead Right Horror Trivia Night.  While the L.A. incarnation lasts for three hours monthly at the Jumpcut Café, the event version was condensed to an hour.  It’s no wonder why this event has a waiting list to get in; teams compete for some amazing prizes.  Piles of CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, Fangoria magazines, t-shirts, buttons, and more awaited the team that won each category.  With five rounds, teams could get weighed down with the goodies.

Killer POV also recorded the 100th episode of their podcast, live at the event.  Hosts Rebekah McKendry (Fangoria), Rob Galluzzo (Fearnet), and Elric Kane (Inside Horror) discussed the direction of the genre, indie horror versus mainstream, and many more insightful topics alongside special guest A.J. Bowen (You’re Next, House of the Devil).  Always passionate and eloquent about horror, fans can listen to new episodes every Friday here.

Killer POV
Elric Kane, Rebekah McKendry, A.J. Bowen, and Rob G
Killer POV fan
A fan all the way from Australia was invited to participate
AJ Bowen
A.J. Bowen on the industry and digital media

Many of the guests were featured in Q&A panels, and the reunion casts had special panels as well.  One of the highlights, of course, was seeing an aging Angus Scrimm recite his famous Tall Man quotes from the first Phantasm.  Did you know that Angus Scrimm won a Grammy for his work on writing liner notes for many albums?  Perhaps you’ve heard of the Beatles?  Angus Scrimm comically was nonplussed when he heard their first album prior to release, and felt they needed all the help they could get.  Don Coscarelli seems just as enthused about the Phantasm series as ever, and shows no sign of slowing down.  As long as he has ideas, he’ll want to continue.

Attendees also had early access to Mondotees.com releases of beautiful genre art prints and the vinyl soundtrack to Phantasm featuring liner notes by Don Coscarelli.  These have yet to be released online to the masses.  Also in early release, fans could snag an early copy of Madman on Blu-ray at the Vinegar Syndrome.  Street date was initially May 12, though that has been pushed back to later this month.  Severin Films screened their documentary Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Dr. Moreau, with a Q&A after.  An often comical film documenting the disastrous events behind the scenes of this abysmal flick, this is a must see and is now available on VOD platforms including Amazon.

What most impresses about Texas Frightmare Weekend, however, is the people.  From the hardworking volunteers to the attendees themselves, everyone shows such joy toward the genre and each other.  Fans are eager to show off their costumes or strike up a conversation at any time about their favorite films.  The camaraderie amongst attendees, strangers and friends alike, lends to a close knit feeling.  This extends to the celebrity guests, as well.  Guests and attendees both stay in the Hyatt Regency, so it’s quite common to step into an elevator and strike up a conversation with Reggie Bannister and Gigi Bannister (did you know she took over yellow blood duties in Phantasm Oblivion, and no, it’s not pleasant for Reggie to get a mouthful of it in those scenes) or eat breakfast across from Sid Haig in the hotel’s café.

Loyd Cryer and his team put together a well-run machine, and they continue to raise the bar each year.  This is an event that has something for ever fan, but most of all it’s an event to gather with fellow horror hounds and revel in the genre.

About the Author

Meagan Navarro is a blogger from Houston, TX. She fell in love with monsters at age four after being exposed to them via Ghostbusters, and her passion grew into an obsession for all things horror and Halloween (which is the entire month of October, as far as she’s concerned). Meagan also loves traveling and chocolate.

4 thoughts on “Texas Frightmare Weekend 2015 Event Report

  1. The wife and I were there and had a GREAT time! We saw you guys all over the place 🙂 What a great memory That weekend has become. Great review, The best thing about this convention besides meeting a lot of legends was the stories that were swapped with random people from all over the world while buying merchandise or standing in line:) Everything that you do at these events are so much fun.

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text:
Opinion – Who Defends our Defenders?

Last week Defence admitted former Lt Colonel Karel Dubsky was an innocent victim of the Jedi Council witch hunt that terminated his career and left him a shattered man. That makes it hard to miss the irony that another of nation’s defenders was led to the scaffold last week in the shape of Australia’s most decorated contemporary soldier, Ben Roberts-Smith VC, MG.

In an extraordinarily tasteless article, Fairfax Media alleged Mr Roberts-Smith was being investigated for unspecified “breaches of the laws of armed conflict” in Afghanistan. It was claimed this was part of Major-General Paul Brereton’s wide-ranging trawl through 15 years of service by Australia’s special forces soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

By Fairfax’s own admission, this inquiry is supposed to be conducted behind closed doors. There are very good reasons for this, not the least of which is that many of the operations in question were and remain classified. Another is that the evidence of such crimes is notoriously unreliable, especially when if comes from possible enemies.

The greatest difficulty, though, is the nature of war itself. Combat pits men against each other in circumstances where the exigencies of battle, and the need for self-preservation, often take precedence over the rules of war. This has always been so.

Claims of Australian soldiers killing surrendering Germans in the First World War were so prevalent that even Bean refused to dismiss them, and cited the “primitive bloodthirstiness” of battle for soldiers performing unseemly deeds.

In “Storming the Falklands”, former paratrooper Tony Banks related the distressing scenes at the Wireless Ridge, where British troops made a night attack with fixed bayonets and were told to take no prisoners. A terrified young Argentine soldier surrendered, pleading for his life, and begging not to be killed. A brief argument occurred among Banks and his comrades as to who was going to kill the man before a tarpaulin was thrown over his head; he was shot and then bayoneted.

If these things happen in war between uniformed combatants, how much more difficult is it to strictly comply with the rules of war when the enemy deliberately does not? Insurgents do not wear uniforms; they stash their weapons to blend into the population and pull them out when it suits them to attack. They use non-combatants as human shields. It is easy in these circumstances for innocent civilians to die.

Add to that the frustration of seeing colleagues killed, dismembered and wounded, and seeing rescue helicopters shot at, or enduring renegade Afghan “allies” murdering Australian soldiers in their compounds. The moral certainty of Punt Road pundits is a luxury often unavailable to the Australian soldiers in combat zones.

None of these things was a deterrent, however, to the almost salacious way in which this most recent story was reported, including the claim Ben Roberts-Smith “declined to answer a series of detailed questions sent to him by Fairfax Media.”

Given this is a confidential investigation he should not have to. In fact, details of the investigation should never have been published until they were completed.

What is most disturbing is the frequency with which investigations of allegations against soldiers make their way into the media, when details of military operations do not. Even when investigators illegally seize soldier’s psychological records – which are supposed to be confidential – this rarely makes it into the press. It suggests the source of the leaks is not soldiers themselves, but powerful and deeply entrenched interests within Defence.

All of this leads many to suspect that political interests are triumphing over military imperatives. When two cadets at the Australian Defence Force Academy in 2013 streamed images of one of them having sex with a female cadet, the Sex Discrimination Commissioner was sensationally invited to conduct a wide-ranging investigation into the role of women in the ADF.

Although Broderick herself had no military service and no expertise in military operations, she took it upon herself to make sweeping recommendations about the participation of women in frontline units. Normally, decisions about the structure and composition of military units are determined solely by the nature of the enemy and what is necessary to capture or kill them. Disturbingly, her recommendations were accepted in spite of her total absence of military qualification.

Fears and suspicions of political agendas are now running rife throughout Australia’s service personnel. They fear the insidious attacks on their dignity by those who have always found reason to confuse service of one’s country with militarism. They fear all they stand for being sullied by cheap shots from moralising television hosts.

Most of all, many fear there is nothing to protect them against civil litigation by supposed Iraqi and Afghan “victims” bringing claims through Australian courts. In the United Kingdom, hundreds of soldiers have suffered years of torment before the courts and the Iraq Historic Abuse Team (IHAT) inquiry, with no end to their nightmares yet in sight.

The same could happen here. Our service men and women are all too aware that the Brereton Inquiry could be but the start of an avalanche of inquiries and investigations stretching years into the future.

Hanging Australian service personnel out to dry now happens with distressing frequency. It certainly happened in service at home to Karel Dubsky. It has also happened on numerous occasions to Australian soldiers operating in Afghanistan. Consider the soldiers who spent years facing charges regarding the death of civilians in a night attack in Afghanistan, only to have the charges eventually withdrawn. There are other similar cases to which I am privy, each of which has brought untold distress to decent men and women doing their best in a morally vacant world.

Allegations of war crimes by Australian servicemen and women need to be seen through the prism of a war where front lines do not exist, and where it is almost impossible to judge the outcomes of their actions against the moral standards prevailing in leafy suburbs back home. At the very least, the media should abandon the sensationalism and scandal in which a small portion now revel.

Against this backdrop, it is only fair to ask, who defends our defenders?

Bill O’Chee is a former senator and a former officer in the Australian Army.

  1. Matt Fawkner says:

    What are Maj Gen Brereton’s qualifications to conduct this witch hunt?
    Is he another reservist (short on combat related experience like the reservist who enquired into RCB Butterworth conditions)? Who appointed Brereton and what were his terms of reference?

  2. Michael Bevan says:

    I don’t think suggesting the media not sensationalise it is going to have any effect. You may as well ask a dog not to bark. I agree whole heartedly with the thrust of this article, there are many out there with personal agendas and don’t really care who gets hurt or what the consequences are for the ADF.

  3. Neil Churches says:

    GEN Brereton is a respected judge of the Victorian Supreme Court and has extensive Reserve service. Your mistake in trying to single him out because you disagree with the accurate result of the RCB inquiry shows your own bias.

    • Chris Howells says:

      That Brereton has failed to contain his investigation from the press is indicative of a slipshod approach to this inquiry. All inquiries seem to require victims, and this slipshod approach is going to guarantee it.

      Roberts-Smith is not a Geoffrey Rush or a Craig McLachlan open to any slander or innuendo at the whim of the press. Roberts-Smith is a valorous person who fought at our instruction and on our behalf. That his name has even been mentioned, should excise him from Brereton’s inquiry.

    • Russell Linwood says:

      Here’s where YOU are wrong Neil. The RCB Inquiry is riddled with errors, omissions and blatant political posturing. Check the facts; we all now have access to them. The real threat is not individual senior investigating officers (although rank is not necessarily a weather indicator of ethical behaviour any more, if in fact it ever was). No, the real threat to a decent and ‘fair go’ is the collective manipulation of the real evidence by groups who are either research-incompetent when the primary data is blindingly obvious, or they are staff being directed to come up with a pre-determined outcome. Either or both of these issues lie behind so many disgraceful developments in military ‘support’ matters of late, including this issue regarding the alleged atrocities etc. Like all things, one needs to check the facts, and be fair dinkum about telling the truth. At least, that what the good guys taught me when I was responsible for soldiers’ lives and overall wellbeing.

  4. Linton Solomon says:

    What accurate result from what inquiry. There has never been an inquiry or otherwise that takes into account all the evidence now available in relation to RCB without peering in hindsight for inspiration. The bias is clearly weighted in the direction of the misinformation being peddled by Govt and its agencies. The same institutions that allow this sort of witch hunt to propagate. Well said Bill.

  5. Michael King says:

    Well I suppose it’d be the exact same as comparing two lawyers, one who prosecuted & the scumbag who defends the scum of the earth.
    Brereton falls into the latter category.
    An accusation no matter how small defames the greatest of men.
    Sad but truthful……….

  6. fred dobson says:

    What happens on the battle field should stay on the battlefield.
    Decisions made in milliseconds that could mean you live or die, no one has time to weigh up all the consequences.
    If your not involved in the combat you have no right to question the moral capacity of those who were.
    These kangaroo courts are a waste of money and oxygen.
    God bless the men and women who defend our country and also defend those politically correct social justice warriors who aim to condemn them.

  7. Clive Mitchell-Taylor says:

    Excellent article thanks for reposting Ted. Karel is pleased to have received the letter exonerating him from involvement in the Jedi Council fiasco and is resigned, as am I, to the fact that Morrison is far too morally bankrupt to ever apologise.
    It’s bad enough that many of our soldiers take their own lives because they measure actions they took many years ago during war, against the standards in peacetime Australia. To have others with no experience of war make such judgements is unconscionable.

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text:
Multimedia Content Analysis

  • Jens Ohm

Part of the Signals and Communication Technology book series (SCT)

Table of contents

  1. Front Matter
    Pages i-x
  2. Jens-Rainer Ohm
    Pages 1-8
  3. Jens-Rainer Ohm
    Pages 9-50
  4. Jens-Rainer Ohm
    Pages 51-86
  5. Jens-Rainer Ohm
    Pages 87-222
  6. Jens-Rainer Ohm
    Pages 223-294
  7. Jens-Rainer Ohm
    Pages 295-332
  8. Jens-Rainer Ohm
    Pages 333-366
  9. Back Matter
    Pages 367-417

About this book

This textbook covers the theoretical backgrounds and practical aspects of image, video and audio feature expression, e.g., color, texture, edge, shape, salient point and area, motion, 3D structure, audio/sound in time, frequency and cepstral domains, structure and melody. Up-to-date algorithms for estimation, search, classification and compact expression of feature data are described in detail. Concepts of signal decomposition (such as segmentation, source tracking and separation), as well as composition, mixing, effects, and rendering, are discussed. Numerous figures and examples help to illustrate the aspects covered. The book was developed on the basis of a graduate-level university course, and most chapters are supplemented by problem-solving exercises. The book is also a self-contained introduction both for researchers and developers of multimedia content analysis systems in industry.

Audio, Image and Video Feature Extraction Multimedia Signal Processing Multimodal Signal Analysis Signal and Parameter Estimation Feature Transformation and Representation Feature Based Retrieval and Classification Multimedia Signal Segmentation and Source Separation Multimedia Signal composition and Rendering

Authors and affiliations

  • Jens Ohm
    • 1
  1. 1.Institut für NachrichtentechnikAachenGermany

Bibliographic information

  • DOI
  • Copyright Information Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2016
  • Publisher Name Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
  • eBook Packages Engineering
  • Print ISBN 978-3-662-52826-6
  • Online ISBN 978-3-662-52828-0
  • Series Print ISSN 1860-4862
  • Series Online ISSN 1860-4870
  • Buy this book on publisher's site
Industry Sectors
Finance, Business & Banking
IT & Software
Energy, Utilities & Environment
Oil, Gas & Geosciences


text:
St. Luke’s Lutheran Church

Sunday Worship

10:30 a.m.
Holy Communion Served Every Week                                                           Coffee Hour held before and after worship in the parlor.

Sunday School

9:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Room

Ministries & Fellowship

Rowdy Seniors

St. Luke’s “Rowdy” Seniors is a senior adult group that meets every Wednesday. Some of our activities are held at St. Luke’s and others are trips where we use our church van to travel.

Food Pantry

1st & 3rd Tuesday of every month

1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.

Contact Information

Pastor: Rev. William B. Fryer
Organist: Kathy Keifer
Sexton: Luis Cruz
Office Administrator/Senior Ministry Coordinator: Robin L. Heckman
Phone: 610-375-9216
Fax: 610-372-1091

449 N. 9th St
Reading, PA 19601


text:
Film Reviews

Review – The Dark Tower

What’s this?

Recently, on our Stephen King podcast episode, I pondered whether King was the most movie-adapted author of all time. My colleague removed all doubt with a positive confirmation that he is. Thinking back, I feel stupid for even questioning that statement. He obviously is.

The Dark Tower is based on a continuation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower Series, which consists of eight books. I have not read them but research explains that the novels are based on multiple genres. The unique selling point of a Stephen King adapted movie is that they are usually rich in narrative with deep but interesting detail. With the leading roles performed by Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey, I was excited. Surely this had all the makings to be a classic?

What’s it about?

It is not difficult to explain. You have to expand your imagination to fully convey the plot but the premise is pretty simple. The Man in Black (Matthew McConaughey) seeks to destroy The Dark Tower, the key that holds the universe together. Roland Deschain (Idris Elba), the last Gunslinger, is on a mission to stop the Man in Black. If the Man in Black succeeds, it will be a fatal end to the universe. The poetic component to the premise is that only an innocent child’s mind can bring down The Dark Tower. This leads to the second part of the premise.

In New York, Jake Chambers is experiencing multiple horrifying visions of this world that the Man in Black and the Gunslinger reside in. Coincidentally, earthquakes appear to happen all over the world when he has the visions. Nobody believes him of course. His conspiracist nature and curiosity leads him to the Gunslinger, and this ultimately triggers the Man in Black wanting to find him. Jake and the Gunslinger go on a mission to stop the Man in Black from achieving his objectives.

It sounds like this needs some backstory right?

Hold up…

I find myself in a strange predicament. Usually, on our podcast, I find myself incessantly complaining about film lengths and the commercial appetite to make multiple films. The Hobbit is a fine example and I needn’t say more. The Dark Tower is 1 hour and 35 minutes long. This length is the minimum a feature needs to be in order to fulfil a premise. Unfortunately, for the latest King adaptation, it falls short for the newcomer. Dare I say it; the movie either needed to make the best use of its time or make it longer or make it into a film series. I almost feel ashamed saying this. Due to the window it has, the movie spends most of the time explaining the plot. Everything and I mean everything, is explained, to the point where it felt obsessive. Due to the over-explained plot, it felt like the movie was trying to get from a to b rather quickly. Rushed is an understatement.

This flaw hurts your interest in the characters. There is no ordinary dialogue where the lead protagonists have an interesting normal conversation to form some character development that gauges your interest. Each segment of the script is explaining what is happening in the story. In one scene, one of the extras is aghast that her goats are scared and she blurts out a statement questioning why the goats are scared. I wish I was kidding. As the movie progresses it gets more noticeable. Sometimes ambiguity provides an answer.

The Dark Tower is a great shame.

Because a sorry part of me had vested interest. Frustratingly, from a setting and a visual standpoint, the movie delivers, especially the other world where all the problems lie. It really sells the concept to you in how it looks. The performances are actually okay. Idris Elba has drawn praise from many quarters. I was impressed by both star actors. Matthew McConaughey really enjoyed being the villain, you can almost tell. Elba feels like he is making the best out of poor writing as he delivers his lines, however,  it does make his character look a little clumsy. As a newcomer, I wanted to know more: I need to know why The Dark Tower exists, where the Man in Black comes from, why children are the solution and what the Gunslinger has had to suffer with. If you have read the book then that is great, but surely even the fans of the novels cannot be satisfied with this entry. The editing exposes this film as it cannot decide what order it should push everything together.

Simply put, I needed more.

Is there anything you enjoyed?

Despite its clunkiness, zero back stories and lack of character depth I found myself trying to enjoy it. In the three quick-fire acts, I visually imagined three different stories that could have easily been a movie. I understand that The Dark Tower is the starting point for a TV series that will be released in 2018. This series already has Idris Elba’s signature but that feels like a feeble excuse to create a one-off movie on this source material. Earlier in this review, I expressed my admiration that Stephen King film adaptations are rich in narrative. This maybe the most wafer-thin narrative in a King movie to date.

Anything else?

By the way, if this was not an adaptation then on the surface you have a fun, less serious fantasy movie. I guess that is a plus. If you enjoy movies that convince you that Earth is one city in the USA then you have your film. That sounded like a swipe. I guess it is.

If you are a reader of the books then you will watch this regardless of my review. The problem is that you cannot ignore that this is based on a Stephen King novel series and that is the reason why this film draws many negatives. If you are not a reader of the book then ignore, it does not respect its newcomers.

Enjoyed reading this review? Then you will probably like listening to us too so check out our podcast

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Halo: MCC Achievements Unlock Halo 5 Content!

As one of the final treats we have received as part of IGN First, 343i has announced 4 exclusive armour sets for both the Halo 5: Guardians MP beta and full game, that players can unlock through completing specific Achievements in Halo: The Master Chief Collection!

Mark VI [GEN1]

“Technically obsolete, the Mark VI [GEN1] Mjolnir armor maintains a legendary luster among Spartans and the general public.”

Full armour unlocked by earning the “Your Journey Begins” achievement in Halo: MCC.

Mark VI [GEN1] – Scarred

“The Mark VI was able to remain functional until all of its triply-redundant auto-repair and bypass nodes failed.”

Full armour unlocked by earning the “Cairo Stations” achievement in Halo: MCC.

“The HELIOSKRILL is a work of art crafted by a Sangheili prodigy inspired to test her skill against the best that humanity could muster.”

Full armour unlocked by earning the “Legend” achievement in Halo: MCC.

“Spartans with Marine experience prefer NIGHTFALL armor when stationed on inhospitable worlds, due to its best-of-class life support.”

Helmet unlocks by watching the Halo Nightfall Episode 1 Second Story, armour unlocks by watching all 5 Halo: Nightfall episodes.

343 Industries advises that the images shown here are early hi-res armour images and are not fully representative of their in-game versions. They’ll be less shiny and more “worn” and “weathered” in-game, making things more realistic.

What do you think of these armour sets? Excited to see more?

Let us know in the comments!


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Real estate professional Vs Broker

Real estate professional Vs Broker

You most likely aren't the only person who's confused about the gap from a property agent and a broker. Your confusion is understandable since there are both similarities and important differences.

=real estate brokerage Clearwater=

Actually, to accomplish the sale or buying your home, you will need the expertise of both an estate agent along with a broker - however, not simultaneously, and not for similar purposes.

Let's start having a very simplified description of every estate representative:

� A home agent is someone who is licensed to sell property. The agent cannot work independently: she must work within the supervision of your property broker.

A house broker also is licensed to trade property but has gotten additional education courses and passed a broker's license exam. The broker can work entirely independently, or may hire agents to use them in the brokerage, or may become a co-broker, utilizing other brokers within a joint business relationship.

As an estate agent

Each state has specific requirements for as an estate agent. The needs vary, but generally include completing the absolute minimum amount of property classes and passing an actual estate exam for being licensed.

Upon successful finishing the coursework and licensing exam, new agents must be sponsored by and work with an estate brokerage. Estate agents work as real-estate salespersons under the supervision with the broker.

This is a very important learning period then one of the primary ways in which an estate agent actually starts to make a clientele.

The property broker already can be a licensed agent having a number of years of property experience and who chooses have a broker's license. The agent will be required to complete additional property-related coursework, pass the state-mandated broker's exam and be licensed as being a realtor. Property brokers are held into a higher standard of industry knowledge.

Property brokers lead to what of these salespersons (the real estate agents) and oversee all activities of the brokerage. He could function as mediator if you have a conflict between client and agent. She may part of to aid with additional complex negotiations.

The broker may be the person with whom the sales commission will be paid at the successful conclusion of the property transaction. The broker determines the way to split the commission with the property agent who had previously been directly mixed up in the transaction.

The broker boasts the fiduciary responsibility for getting the "earnest money" deposit from your real estate buyer, opening an escrow account and depositing that money inside the account.

Do you need both a real estate agent as well as a broker?

 =real estate brokerage Clearwater=

The fast answer is yes. Sometimes, the agent and broker is one and also the same person. Whether purchasing or selling real estate, you'll be having a licensed estate agent. Because transaction reaches the point where funds are transferred, the broker is going to be handling the escrow deposit process. And when any conflict arises or help is needed during negotiations, you and the agent will call upon the experience and skills in the broker.