Ancient herbs– magic or medicine?

By Sophie Harrington

Mix together some leek and garlic in a broth of wine and bullocks gall, and what would you get? It sounds like a rather odd kind of soup, but may in fact be an effective treatment of antibiotic-resistant Stapholococcus aureus, or MRSA. Derived from an old Anglo-Saxon recipe, this sounds like an April fools joke, or certainly not something that would be published in a scientific journal. However the history of medicine is littered with examples of traditional herbal remedies that turned out to have scientifically proven effects.

Peacetime in ancient Sumer, as depicted in the Standard of Ur, likely facilitated the creation of lists of medicinal herbs. (photo credit Alma E. Guinness)

From the ancient Sumerians, where lists of medicinal herbs including opium and myrrh have been found, through to the herbal knowledge of the Benedictine monks and nuns, humans have long known that many plants have the ability to alleviate symptoms and even cure diseases. Yet today, the idea of “herbal remedies” is often tainted by association with other, less rigorous, forms of alternative therapies with little to no evidence behind them, such as homeopathy.

Our traditional herbal remedies, however, stem from the production of unique compounds in different plants, resulting in a huge variety of potential chemicals that can be, and are, tapped for medical use. These compounds, known as secondary metabolites, can be produced by plants to help defend themselves from herbivores and insect attacks, while others may define the unique scent of a flower.

One group in particular, the alkaloids, have had an immense impact on medicine. Defined by the presence of nitrogen-containing carbon rings, alkaloids include such common substances as caffeine and nicotine. The anti-malarial drug, quinine, is derived from the Cinchona tree. First used by the Quechua in South America, quinine is derived from the back of the Cinchona tree which is dried and powdered before use. Many of us know the bitter flavour of quinine from tonic water, which was used to provide protection against malaria to British officials and colonists in India and other tropical regions. Our tonic water today has much lower levels of quinine, however, so don’t rely on that for protection against malaria!

The anti-inflammatory properties of willow bark are well known, and the source of Aspirin (credit Gareth Williams- Flickr)

Even more common is aspirin, a go-to for headaches and muscles aches, that has its original medicinal uses dating back as far as the ancient Egyptians. Derived from the bark of willow, it was used to treat fevers and inflammation, just as it is today. Initially obtained through teas brewed from the bark of the willow tree, at the turn of the 20th century the drug company Bayer began marketing a less irritating, synthetic variant known as Aspirin, the drug we know today.

Of course there are some herbal remedies that no longer stand the test of time—many remedies were based on visual similarities, such as dandelion being thought to relieve jaundice due to their shared yellow colour. Yet the importance of natural plant derivatives in both historical and modern day medicines is often overlooked, or misunderstood. Is it that surprising, though, that our ancestors were able to discover which plants had special abilities to alleviate pain or illness? After all, we are an inquisitive bunch!

Tuberculina/Helicobasidium: A fungal Jekyll and Hyde

By Nathan Smith

Jekyll and Hyde, or Helicobasidium and Tuberculina?

Jekyll and Hyde, or Helicobasidium and Tuberculina?

Helicobasidium on a carrot (credit Rasbak)

See the original paper on Tuberculina and Helicobasidium here.

Biofuels might not be that bad after all

By Joanna Wolstenholme

You have heard of the need to find new sources of energy that do not involve fossil fuels. And you have also probably heard of bioethanol from maize and sugar cane, and the scepticism surrounding their green credentials. This scepticism comes with good reason – these sources of biofuels often divert valuable food from the food chain into fuel production, raising the cost of living. This was vividly illustrated by the food crisis in 2007/8, partly caused by America and the EU incentivising the production of bioethanol. So should we write off biofuels altogether?

Simply put – no – not all biofuels. Second generation biofuels are what you should really be talking about. Write off those inefficient first generation biofuels with their ‘food vs fuel’ baggage, but don’t write off biofuels altogether. Lignocellulosic biofuels are the next big thing – the same green pros, but less of the cons. These biofuels can be made from waste products like straw, maize cobs and bagasse (sugar cane straw), and, excitingly, these technologies are just starting to become commercially viable.

Is straw like this the future of biofuels? (Credit Richard Walker)

Lignocellulose is found in the plant cell wall, and is the main component in plant biomass. Unlike sugars (which whilst easily accessible for use in first generation biofuels, are only a small portion of the overall biomass), cellulose is generally an unwanted by-product that goes to waste, thanks to how hard it is to break down. However, researchers are finding new enzymes and treatment methods that are able to attack the cellulose in ever more efficient ways. The first commercial plants have already been built in Brazil and Italy, using biofuel crops like Miscanthus that can be grown on marginal or contaminated land (rather than prime agricultural land), or waste products like straw. These take advantage of government subsidies on renewable electricity to help cover the cost of generating the biofuels whilst scientists work to bring these costs down.

In the 1970s Brazil got worried about its oil supply, so started to move the country to bioethanol. The system was heavily subsidised- but now is self-sufficient, and yields have doubled. Lignocellulosic biofuels could easily go the same way, if only governments are forward-thinking enough to see the potential and invest.

Spinning Straw into Gold

By Sophie Harrington

Everyday millions of people around the country hop into their cars and drive off to work, school, or the shops. This has become such a routine part of our lifestyle that few of us stop to think about what we’re using to power those trips, except when the prices hike or, as we’ve seen recently, drop. Most of us realise that, despite the trumpeted new sources of oil in the Arctic, our petrol habit is highly unsustainable. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could keep our cars and buses running, but on a renewable form of energy?

Some of this has already come to fruition, with cars in the US being driven on up to 15% ethanol derived from corn stalks. This is even more successful in Brazil, where thanks to cars with “flexifuel” engines, drivers are able to fill up with either pure ethanol, or an ethanol/petrol blend depending on the price on a specific day. What a success!

Sugar cane waste, known as bagasse, could one day be used to fuel our cars. (Credit Tele Jane @Flickr)

Yet this too comes with downside, most notably the appropriation of food (often in the form of maize) for biofuels. While this might not be so obvious to those living in the Western world, sheltered from changing food prices thanks to a wall of subsidies and favourable trade policies, the increasing demand for biofuels has succeeded in driving up the price of such staple grain, seriously hurting net-importing countries. In 2008, riots broke out across the world, from Mexico and Morocco in part due to a sudden, sharp rise in grain prices, partially due to increased demand for biofuel materials in the US and other more developed nations.

Here we are at an impasse—how to both wean ourselves off of unsustainable fossil fuels while ensuring that such biofuel production does not impinge on food production? The answer may lie in technologies still in the development stage, where biofuel is instead derived from agricultural waste and marginal lands. These lignocellulosic biofuels aim to extract sugars from the tough, indigestible material left behind after harvest or extraction of traditional ethanol. By breeding varieties with more easily digestible cell walls, it’s hoped that the extraction of sugar from this material will become not only easier by financially feasible.

Plant cell walls are made up of a host of different components, whose interactions serve to increase the recalcitrance, or toughness, of the wall. This makes it hard for enzymes to digest, which is a benefit when protecting from pests and diseases but hinders exploitation of the sugars. Recent research has focused on modifying the structure and components of the cell wall, thus allowing enzymes better access to break it down. Such research has shown recent success, with variations in hemicellulose structure (a key component linking cellulose fibers in the wall) resulting in increased digestibility and sugar release.

Considering the vast amounts of agricultural waste that are currently either left to rot, or burnt for electricity, a process that could convert this into useful biofuel and other high-value products has the potential to significantly contribute to the fuel consumption. It might seem a bit like Rumplestiltskin asking for straw to be spun into gold, but lignocellulosic biofuels are rapidly becoming more feasible. Here’s hoping that funding bodies and industry giants continue to invest in this exciting alternative to fossil fuels.

Hook, Line, and Sinker: Rise of the Killer Mushrooms

By Nathan Smith

Pleurotus ostreatus, or the oyster mushroom, is a common edible mushroom. As much at home in a stir fry or a soup, one would not expect this culinary baseline to be anywhere other than at the bottom of the food chain. Surprisingly this is not the case, as the oyster mushroom is a stealthy and efficient predator of nematodes.

Pleurotus ostreatus-- a killer in disguise?

Pleurotus ostreatus— a killer in disguise? (Credit Jean-Pol GRANDMONT)

Nematodes, a type of worm, are infamous agricultural pests. The damage caused by these miniature beasts has been estimated at $US80 billion per year, though this is believed to be a severe underestimate as many growers are unaware of them. They even present a threat to the cultivated mushroom industry, being a renowned pest of button mushrooms, so how is it that they fall prey to the oyster mushroom?

The answer is one of ingenuity on the part of the fungus. Unable to chase the nematodes, mushrooms are notoriously sessile, it instead lays a trap. It secretes a toxin which, upon contact with a nematode, proceeds to immobilise the worm in as little as 30 seconds. Fungal hyphae, attracted to the (still alive) nematode through host leakage products released by immobilisation, penetrate one or more of the nematode’s orifices and proceed to digest it.

The unrelated fungus Arthrobotrys also hunts nematodes, but through a completely different mechanism. Instead of stunning its host, it captures it in a hyphal lasso. Known as a constriction ring, this consists of a hypha fused with itself to form a three-celled ring about 20-30 microns in diameter. If, and when, a nematode enters the ring, it triggers the three cells to expand rapidly (within 1/10th of a second) and trap the nematode.

Killer fungi aren’t just of academic interest either. The hunting abilities of fungi, particularly the oyster mushroom, make them potential effective and green bio-control agents. Indeed, initial tests have found the oyster mushroom effective at controlling the Sugar Beet Nematode (Heterodera schachtii), through field tests have yet to be carried out.

It appears that fungi aren’t just passive members of the woodland scenery but rather edible guardians protecting against the nematode threat.

Who said organic farming was less productive?

By Stephan Kamrad

A while ago Joanna reported on a chemical free, organic pest control method that has a lot of advantages to conventionally used pesticides. Studies have shown that organic and comparable agriculture is more sustainable, as measured by indicators like species richness, soil fertility and nitrogen uptake. But even by most experts it is usually dismissed as a fantastical ideal that conflicts fundamentally with our need to feed the growing human population. This month, a new meta-study, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, by scientists from the University of California reveals that the productivity gap between organic and conventional farming might be much smaller than widely believed.

Not so great after all? Credit

Not so great after all? Credit

The researchers analysed 115 studies covering over 30 countries and 50 crop species. Organic farming, defined by having no synthetic inputs, was found to be on average 19% (±4%) less productive than conventional farming. But interestingly, this obviously quite a drastic gap shrinks down to 9% (±4%) when the organic farmers use a polycrop system compared to a conventional monoculture. In polycrops, multiple species are grown together, e.g. in alternating rows, resulting in a greater biodiversity than conventional monocultures. This makes them less susceptible to disease and pests and certain combination of crops can act as biological pest repellants and natural fertilisers. In Joanna’s example in Kenya, maize was planted together with Desmodium (which repels the vicious Stemborer moth and also fixes atmospheric nitrogen). Another popular example found in British gardens is intercropping of tomatoes, onions and marigold.

The yield gap was also much smaller (8±5%) when organic farmers used crop rotations, i.e. planted a different crop in each growing season, a system which was once (in the Middle Ages) quite popular in Europe.

But where is the catch? If these techniques are so effective, why are they not used everywhere? More diverse systems are much more difficult to manage. Massive machinery cannot easily be used with companion crops and it is often advantageous for farmers to sell only one or a few crops in bulk. For small farmers in developing countries these techniques are easier to adapt but farmers often are not aware of the possibilities.

All this of course might be slightly too optimistic. After all, non-organic agriculture can also make use of intercropping (rare) or crop rotations (more common). In studies where conventional farming (i.e. the use of pesticides, weed-killers and synthetic fertilisers) was combined with polycropping or crop rotation, the yield gap returned to its original value or was even higher.

Interestingly, the yield gap also depends on what type of crop is under consideration. The yield ratio of organic to conventional farming is lowest for cereal crops, where a lot of effort has gone into the development of high intensity, large scale monocultures but often comes close to 1 for fruits and nuts, were less effort has been made in developing high output systems.

In our world, it is very hard to convince a farmer that he should tolerate a 9% or even 20% yield decrease for the prospect of a healthier agro-ecosystem, that is diverse, unpolluted and resilient to stress and disease. Diversification (be it over time as in crop rotations or over space as in polycrops) can raise organic farming yields and make it more competitive to conventional farming. With more investment it may be possible for the yield gap to be reduced even further.

Ponisio LC, M’Gonigle LK, Mace KC, Palomino J, de Valpine P, Kremen C. (2015) Diversification practices reduce organic to conventional yield gap. Proc. R. Soc. B, 282:20141396. DIO:

And the colours fade to grey: What is coral bleaching?

By Stephan Kamrad

Hermatypic corals may look like lifeless rocks but they are really living creatures which belong to the animal phylum Cnidaria, together with jellyfish and sea anemones. Many members of the Cnidaria have tentacles equipped with specialised stinging cells that contain venom. These are used for self-defence and to prey on small fish and crustaceans. Hermatypic corals, however, have no stinging cells; they defend themselves with a rock-like, calcareous exoskeleton that is slowly deposited over years. Nor are they predators, instead they live in association with photosynthetic plankton from the genus Symbiodinium, often called zooxanthellae, and the photosynthetic pigments of these unicellular algae give corals their bright colours! Members of the Symbiodinium belong to the Dinoflagellates, a group only very distantly related to land plants and green algae. They are endosymbiotic, meaning they are completely engulfed by the coral’s plasma membrane and live inside their cells. The coral provides the algae with a protected environment and a number of nutrients, like ammonium and phosphate, which it filters out of the water. In return, the Dinoflagellates fix CO2 dissolved in the water to provide the coral with sugar.

Bleached coral (credit Acropora)

Coral reefs are found in tropical oceans, usually only few kilometres off the coast or on sand banks where the ocean is still shallow enough for light to reach the photosynthetic corals at the ground. They are globally rare, covering only about 0.1% of ocean surface but are the habitat of over a quarter of all known marine species! Their incredible biodiversity make coral reefs a valuable resource. Millions of people depend on the reefs as rich fishing grounds. Additionally, reefs physically protect the coastline form incoming waves and prevent erosion. The great reefs of Australia, Florida and the Caribbean yearly attract hundreds of thousands of tourists. When considering their social and economic importance, ecologists speak of ‘ecosystem services’ provided by coral reefs and it turns out their monetary value is immense!

It is thus very concerning that we have seen an immense decline of coral reefs over the last decades. The Caribbean for example has suffered an 80% loss of their coral populations over the last thirty years! The underlying phenomenon known as coral bleaching is a process during which the usually so beautifully coloured corals expel their symbiotic algae causing them to turn white and die. The picture shows a bleached, white coral in the foreground and a healthy coral in the background. Coral bleaching is associated with high peak water temperatures and increasing water acidity, both of which are a direct consequence of rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere.

A group from the University of Georgia recently published new detailed insights into the bleaching process. The research team was able to observe a bleaching event as it was happening at a reef off the coast of Mexico. Their key findings, published in the Journal of Limnology and Oceanography, shows how coral/algae populations can adapt to changes and sometimes even recover from bleaching events. There are many different species of endosymbiotic Dinoflagellates, classified into 9 major clades, and it turns out some of them are more resistant to high temperatures than others. Single corals often host three different algae species at once and their relative abundance determines the temperature tolerance. Furthermore, bleached corals do not die immediately; they can be repopulated and their new composition of Dinoflagellate species is significantly different to their pre-bleached one.

The symbiotic relationship between corals and Symbiodinium is an active area of research. The hope is that through a deepened understanding, we might find ways to protect reefs from bleaching and dying.

Reference: Dustin W. Kemp et al. (2014) Community dynamics and physiology of Symbiodinium spp. before, during, and after a coral bleaching event. Limnol. Oceanogr., 59(3), 2014, 788-797 DOI: 10.4319/lo.2014.59.3.0788


Java Interview Question

Use this intermediate question and answer to prepare for your next Java interview.

Explain the uses of this keyword.

this is a self-reference to the current instance of the class. It can be used to invoke the constructor, to reference a class-level variable or method, or to refer to or pass the object instance.

When this is used for calling the constructor within another constructor, it is called constructor chaining. It must be the first line of the constructor call.

this is also used for variable disambiguation. When there is a local variable masking a class-level variable, because they have the same name, then you can refer to the class-level variable by using this and you can refer to the local variable directly by the name.

Looking for developers?


Hussein, Saddam

Brian E. Konkol 3-22-2013

Photo courtesy Robert Voight/

On Palm Sunday many will hear the Gospel of Luke’s perspective surrounding Jesus’ celebrated entry into Jerusalem (Luke 19:28-40). In hearing this well-known portion of the New Testament, we are often led to wonder how the same crowds that so graciously and enthusiastically welcomed Jesus would passionately and viciously call for his death just a few days later. In trying to comprehend the sudden and significant shift in public opinion, we recognize that the crowds did not swing their support independently, but rather, they were acting under the influential push of propaganda.

As Luke’s Gospel reminds us, in between Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and the calls for his crucifixion, the “chief priests and the scribes” plotted to put Jesus to death (22:2). As these powerful elites were “afraid of the people”, they conspired in a power-protecting push to have Jesus humiliated, tortured, and brutally killed. And so, while Luke’s Gospel does not provide exact details into the strategies of the chief priests and scribes, their motivations appear to be clear, as they, and others within the ruling class, perceived Jesus as a risk and thus needed to ensure his quick and clear elimination. As a result, due to the influential influx of propaganda, combined with an overly complicit public, just a short time after Jesus was welcomed as a king he was sentenced to death as a criminal.

Suzanne Ross 3-19-2013
Anti-aircraft rockets, Dejan Lazarevic /

Anti-aircraft rockets, Dejan Lazarevic /

Today, March 19, 2013, is the 10th anniversary of the “Shock and Awe” campaign that was intended to rid the world of the threat of Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. As it turned out, the threat was a lie. There was ample evidence at the time to prove that the WMDs didn’t really exist, but were manufactured in Saddam’s imagination for political gain.

So why did we fall so easily for this lie? Answers to this question often come via an analysis of the particulars of the Iraqi situation and include discourse about oil fields, geopolitical calculations, even psychological analysis of the relationship of Father and Son Bush. These are good discussions to have. We can learn a great deal from them about our thirst for security and insatiable appetite for oil, political power, and revenge.

Karyn Wiseman 3-19-2013
Soldier with assault weapon, Sunshine Pics/

Soldier with assault weapon, Sunshine Pics/

Matthew 5: 9 from the Beatitudes

Jim Wallis 1-01-2012

The war in Iraq was fundamentally a war of choice, and it was the wrong choice.

Richard Deats 3-01-2003

Peter Ackerman and Jack DuVall have done an excellent job in clearly demonstrating the power of strategic nonviolent action in overthrowing oppressive regimes such as that of Saddam Hussein.

How to topple Saddam Hussein—nonviolently.

Jim Wallis 3-01-1999

United States policy toward Iraq needs a radical change.

Jim Wallis 1-01-1999

In November, once again, Iraq responded to a military threat and signaled that it would allow U.N. weapons inspectors to resume their work. This was heartening news.


OGX Kukui Oil Shampoo - 13oz bottle

OGX Kukui Oil Shampoo - 13oz bottle
OGX Kukui Oil Shampoo - 13oz bottle

Indulge your tresses with this exotic blend of kukui nut oil, an ancient Hawaiian secret used for its humidity resistant abilities, creates a shimmering gloss to smooth texture and repel humidity making every day a 'good hair' day.

Why you want it - It's an ancient Hawaiian secret for frizz free, incredibly smooth glossy hair making everyday a good hair day!

What you do - Apply shampoo generously to wet hair, massage into a lather through to ends, then rinse the hair thoroughly. After shampooing, follow with conditioner.

Warning : Avoid contact with eyes. In case of contact with eyes, rinse immediately. For best results use in conjunction with other Kukui Oil products.

Ingreduents : Water (Aqua), Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, PPG-2 Hydroxyethyl Coco/Isostearamide, Glycol Distearate, Aleurites Moluccana (Kukui) Seed Oil, Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate, Dimethicone, Coco-Betaine, Laureth-4, Laureth-23, PEG-12 Dimethicone, PEG-23M, Polyquaternium-10, PEG-150 Pentaerythrityl Tetrastearate, PEG-6 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Sodium Chloride, Diazolidinyl Urea, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Citric Acid, Fragrance (Parfum), Yellow 5 (CI 19140), Yellow 6 (CI 15985).

UPC: 022796914217


Electric Banana

November 01, 2017

Review 1:

Electric Banana immediately makes me think of some futuristic society where animals have obtained human likeness. This monkey has a space racing background and is currently taking a break at a nightclub. He’s doped up and completely immersed in his banana because he’s tripping on whatever is running through his bloodstream. Time has slowed down while he’s floating in another dimension. Atop of clouds, he’s taken back to the forms of his primitive ancestors who didn’t know the human tongue. The banana starts to float and is suddenly the portal that takes him back to the nightclub where he is sitting on the couch once again.

Review 2:

The chimps seems to be longing for something more than the banana that has escaped his grasp. He is wearing a helmet and looks to be prepared for the devouring of the fruit he has before him. And maybe it is just that. Maybe the chimp just wants to banana. Is that all his is looking forward to? Is that all he will ever look forward too? I guess we will never know.

Review 3:

We all are evolved from the primate monkey ancestors. The astronaut hat on the monkey is suggesting human race to keep going forward with the technological advances. The geometric representation on top of the tapestry further engages our inquiring mind. Banana is going all electric and the monkey looks like he just cannot wait to devour the banana. This banana may provide super powers to the monkey or at least it will cure its insatiable appetite for knowledge.

Review 4:

My banana, it’s glowing! It hovers above my hand as if a bored Zeus were hiding behind a nearby cloud and playing a trick with his pious powers. But even so, I can’t bring myself to touch it. I’ve wanted only to hold the ripe, yellow fruit in my hand all day, but now that it’s here, suspended just a few inches from my face, easily within my grasp, I can’t bring myself to reach for it. Since I can remember, bananas have always been my favorite afternoon snack, a close second: calamari. But I’ve never seen an octopus or a banana float in mid-air. Maybe this banana was special? Picked from a magical tree? Forged by the gods themselves? *Rumbling* Magic or not, I’m hungry. And it’s time for my afternoon snack.

Review 5:

There is something magical about watching a monkey tap into his inner child and be entertained by something as simple as a banana. Squishing the peel and watching the banana shoot up into the air, provides countless hours of entertainment for this beautiful monkey. Sitting on a pillow of clouds, there is no other care in the world, then watching the banana shoot up, and drop back down. Oblivious to anything else going on around him, the monkey wears a helmet to protect himself from all of the other debris that are flying around in space besides his banana.

Review 6:

What an incredible find on this mostly desolate planet. A bright yellow banana. It shines, lending color to everything around it. As the monkey examines the electric banana, it unexpectedly shoots from the peel. The banana is not moving towards him. It is floating away. He realizes that eating the banana is not as easy as he once thought. It requires a colossal collision between the banana and himself. In this collision scenario, he expects to be the victor. In the ensuing chaos, he darts through space in all directions, chasing the banana, until finally, chomp!


Mesothelioma Victim’s Family Receives $700,000 in Lawsuit

The family of a mechanic’s assistant who was diagnosed with, and later died from, mesothelioma has been awarded $700,000 by a South Carolina jury.
Thomas Firth, who worked for Garlock Sealing Technologies in the 1950s, was diagnosed with mesothelioma in November 2006. He died in July 2007. Firth and his family had filed a lawsuit against Garlock, alleging that the company failed to warn Firth and other employees of the potential for exposure to the carcinogen asbestos.

Garlock is a manufacturer of fluid sealing products for processing industries. Firth, who worked at the Bethlehem Steel Corporation plant in Sparrows Point, Maryland, worked with Garlock gaskets and packing on coke oven pumps and valves. He was a mechanic’s assistant whose only exposure to asbestos was through the Garlock products, although he worked at the plant for less than a year.

Asbestos is a remarkably fireproof and heatproof material, which has been used for insulation and building purposes for decades. It is a naturally occurring mineral substance, which is comprised of millions of microscopic fibers. Although it is generally considered to be safe for humans when it remains in place and undisturbed, any disturbance of the material – which may be incurred during mining, production or renovation or demolition of an asbestos-contaminated structure – causes the substance to become “friable.” This means that the microscopic fibers are released and become airborne, and can then be breathed in. The fibers lodge themselves inescapably in the lungs and other soft tissues, where they can lead to mesothelioma, asbestosis, and other asbestos cancers and diseases.

Mesothelioma is particularly deadly because it has an extremely long latency period. An asbestos worker can contract the disease but not become symptomatic, or be diagnosed, for years or even decades after the initial exposure. Mesothelioma’s symptoms also tend to be extremely similar to symptoms of other pleural diseases such as emphysema, making them difficult to diagnose. By the time mesothelioma is diagnosed, it’s usually too late to treat it effectively.

The South Carolina jury awarded Thomas Firth’s family $700,000, after unanimously finding that Garlock did indeed fail to warn Firth, and other workers who may have come into contact with their products, about the asbestos contained within and the damage that asbestos could do.


Pocket gophers (also known as just gophers) are rodents that measure 7-10 inches long and adults can weigh anywhere from 1-2 pounds, males being larger than females and nearly double the weight. Pocket gophers have brown fur that closely matches the color of the soil they live in. Pocket gophers are most known for their large cheek pouches. They have small eyes and ears, and a short and hairy tail. Pocket gophers are built for burrowing underground and each of their characteristics help with navigation through the subterranean soil.

Pocket gophers are burrowing rodents and will spend most of their lives underground. Their burrows are constructed by digging a mail tunnel up to 18 inches below the ground and then excavating a series of lateral tunnels that branch off the main one. This method keeps the pocket gophers protected as they forage for food and raise their young.

Pocket gophers prefer to make their burrows in loose, sandy soil where the plant growth can act as both food and cover. Lawns and crop fields are ideal nesting areas for pocket gophers. Alfalfa fields are preferred, but these pests will burrow under golf courses, hayfields, and cemeteries. Pocket gophers generally live alone except when raising their young.

Entry and Damage

Pocket gophers are not known to enter homes, but their tunneling activity frequently leads the pest to invade agricultural fields, gardens, and residential lawns. The pocket gophers favorite eating choices are plants, roots, shrubs, and trees. Although they spend most of their time underground, the damages they create are highly visible and unsightly. Their diet results in destruction of gardens and flowerbeds. Pocket gophers can damage water lines and sprinkler systems with their digging and gnawing, and disrupt the flow of water. Heavily infested areas can have a population density of 60 gophers, or more, per acre.

Trapping and Removal

Critter Control technicians are highly trained and knowledgeable on pocket gopher removal and prevention. We will ensure safe and humane methods of removal for pocket gophers.

Control and Safety

Effective and efficient pocket gopher control will include underground barriers that will keep the wildlife away from gardens and other food sources. This prevention technique can be expensive, and safety precautions should be taken into account, as these pests may bite if threatened or handled. Critter Control can handle control and prevention safely and effectively, keeping these rodents out of your yard and away from your vegetation.

We will get rid of your pocket gopher problems, call us today.

Critter Control of Boulder Service Area


Welcome to By My Hand. My space where I show that fashion does not necessarily have to be bought, but can be handcrafted. I will also show that with some thought, it can be curated to be unique as well.

By making my clothes, means that I can make decisions based on personal passions, have an awareness of the connection to others and the environment, and the willingness to act responsibly. With each post, I hope to inspire, inform and hopefully spread some handcrafted glamour no matter what your age.

We of the Slow Fashion movement, love what we do, and aspire to make a difference in the world in a creative and innovative way.


An Evening in the Garden with Farm to Table Dinner
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Spend the evening under the stars at the university’s campus garden and a five course wine dinner. This event showcases the center’s produce with locally sourced products, along with a farm tour.


Development of Nanodiamond-Based Platform for Enhanced Cancer Stem Cell Therapy and Cancer Imaging

Wang, Xin ;   Moore, Laura ;   Ho, Dean ;   Chow, Edward

Cancers are often composed of heterogenous tumor cell populations. It is evident now that for many cancers, a specific subpopulation of tumor initiating cells, termed cancer stem cells (CSCs), are the key contributors to tumor initiation, metastasis and recurrence. A common property of CSCs is chemoresistance, suggesting that CSCs can escape standard chemotherapy treatment and initiate secondary tumor growth and recurrence. Further complicating chemoresistance in CSCs and in overall cancer treatment is that multiple proteins can contribute to similar mechanisms of chemoresistance, rendering small molecule inhibitors useless across a broad spectrum of patients. Nanomedical-based approaches may provide a non-specific mechanical method for overcoming chemoresistance and treating CSCs. Using a nanodiamond-based platform, we have demonstrated a nanomedical approach to effectively treating chemoresistant CSCs as well as improving efficiency of imaging agents. As such, nanodiamonds exhibit great potential in improving how cancer is treated as well as diagnosed.


from  the book

- the Death, and the Resurrection,

of Modern Civilization -

re (lauds/sunrise) the consciousness enters into the contemplation of the glory of the Mystery

the Age of Confusion

- another metastory -

The grandfathers waited. So did the grandmothers, and the fathers and mothers, and the young men and women, and the children - the little boys and the little girls. They all waited.

Then Teller-of-stories began to speak...

"What does it mean, we are in Winter? How can we better understand where we are, so as to see more clearly where we might want to go?

"Not all Winters are the same. We are not just passing from one civilization - one metastory - to another. We are passing from a specific culture to the yet-to-reveal-itself successor culture. So the question for us is: Are there clues from Autumn and Winter, suggesting what the Mystery has in store for Spring?

"If I was to put the matter as simply as possible it would start to go like this. Autumn began in the 14th Century, when science was born. Now that statement is fairly abstract. We need to think more about this.

"The language we first speak, and unto which we are given at birth, gives us, in return, the fundamental initial experience of culture. In this sense, languages are living beings. They are a kind of live mental/spiritual atmosphere. We breath into our thinking their character and nature, as we absorb our birth language and the culture of meaning which it carries.

"Now someone may think, what do you mean by living? Well, just consider that we already call some languages dead, when there are no longer any living speakers and bearers of the appropriate culture. Not only that, but a language survives the death of its original individual speakers, as long as there is at least some small community of speakers to carry it. In addition languages grow and change as the culture grows and changes and as the relevant people experience the various crises of their history. Just because it is an odd kind of life, doesn't, I believe, make it any less living.

"Languages have a grammar and a syntax. This structure imprints itself on our thinking. This is not the only source from which order is given to our thinking, but in terms of external sources of order, language is the earliest and the most fundamental.

"Why bother with this?

"When Autumn begins and science comes forth, the whole conceptual content of the world's languages begins to undergo deep alteration. This is not just in the meaning of various words, but in the nature of those languages themselves. More and more the languages (especially in Western cultures) become abstract, and this means that more and more the ordinary thinking, of the people who breath in these languages, becomes abstract.

"What does it mean: to become abstract?

"Imagine a field of flowers in a meadow in the high mountains. I come to this field and I count all the yellow daisy-like flowers. I do this on many fields, in many mountain ranges. Then I write a treatise on the nature of the distribution of yellow, high altitude, daises. What I did was "abstract" some facts, usually only a small part, out of all the other facts, out of the context in which they had their actual existence.

"This is the process of abstraction. To see parts instead of wholes. And, of course, the whole ecology movement, the green movement, is a reaction to the consequences for the natural world of basing our understanding of that world upon abstractions. All that ecology now is beginning to understand, was first overlooked by those processes of abstraction.

"I believe you can see that something fundamental has been violated. Abstract thinking, in tearing the part from out of the whole, has severely limited what it is capable of understanding. Of course, what makes the whole thing worse, is that this abstract scientific cause and effect thinking has become the norm in politics and business, bringing all the disastrous social consequences we see today. Abstract cause and effecdt thinking cannot comprehend human nature or human communities.

"There is more to this story.

"One of the older ideas of Western culture, refers to truth, beauty and goodness. Now these qualities have their origin in certain aspects of the human soul, what we need to call our Inside. We have a capacity for reason. We have a capacity for imagination. We have a capacity for devotion. When these capacities are exercised, then reason leads to truth, imagination to beauty and devotion to goodness. Thus, culture has three main aspects: science, or reasoned truth; art, or imagined beauty; and, religion, or devoted goodness.

"Now I wish I could say the whole thing doesn't get more complicated, but in the beginning it does. However, in the end, once we have some better word-pictures - ideas which are more whole and less part, less abstract then - hopefully we will have something with that aura of simplicity we recognize in the beautiful.

"O.K. So Fall begins with the appearance of Science. This begins the process of abstraction, the separation of parts out of wholes. Or to say it another way, this is when the tellers of the stories of truth abandoned beauty and goodness. At that point, the tellers of the stories of truth began to no longer believe in the value of the human Inside, our soul and spirit.

"More and more, only the outsides of things had any meaning for the tellers of the stories of truth. The inner significance of the world, and of the human being, which was, at that time, carried more concretely in art and religion, disappears

"The gay colors of Fall, of the now starting to die civilization, appeared in the Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Enlightenment. The Inside, that which was being forgotten, then gave to this dying civilization, all that it had left. First then comes those bright explosions of art (the tellers of the stories of beauty - the renaissance), then the rearranging winds of change in religion (the tellers of the stories of goodness - the reformation) and then the light that illuminates the Outsides of the world of Nature, science, (the tellers of stories of truth - the enlightenment); after which, the Death processes of Late Fall galloped forth in the Industrial Revolution (which was scientific truth materialized - but without beauty and goodness), to trample, in their unrestrained power, all that wonderful and subtle social order that had once existed in the so ordinary extraordinary everyday ways of life of families and communities.

"With the Inside forgotten, science proceeded to dominate our way of thinking, to the diminution of the full (true-whole) understanding of life that needs also what art and religion can offer. So we go from Fall into Winter, lost to our Inside; and the world picture we, of the present, are born into - are taught by our language and in our schools - is a world-picture only of Outsides. This one-sided view is at the very least a kind of madness. Thus, its broad application throughout our social life, in the absence of any real appreciation of Insides, has lead to social Darwinism, market economies, and the elimination of any kind of healthy idea of human nature in the decision making processes of our public, or political, life.

"Not all that has happened can be laid at the feet of Science. This would not only be unfair, it would be untrue. Science itself results from another change, one only yet recognized by a few individuals.

"The arrival of science arose out of a change in the Insides - a change in our consciousness. Prior to the 14th century, looking backward in time, a picture can be created which notices that the human being's relationship, to the world of nature, to the social world, and to him or herself, was different.

"Thus, the transition into Fall, from Summer, has different roots. The Insides alter, then comes Fall and Winter, as characterized above.

"The Scholastics, the church scholars, of the 11th and 12th centuries, referred to the way they were related to the world as "participation". This participatory form of consciousness recedes, and another form, an object-relationship form, appears. We go from participation to, what one author calls, the "onlooker separation".

"First we are inside nature, part of it (Summer), then we are "squeezed out", to become observers (Fall).

"We could go back further into Summer, but for now that would be too much. We should notice that the change from participation to onlooker consciousness takes many generations, and has its own roots deep in the Mystery. An aspect of this part of the Mystery is remembered in Taoism in the idea of "being at one with nature" - a form of consciousness from the past.

"Modern science arises from the new form of consciousness, and is an "observational" look at the natural world. The scientist - the teller of the stories of truth - begins almost immediately to forget he is part of nature. Not only that, but this is done intentionally. Scientific method, as it emerges over time, at first removes the observer from the equation. Only instruments are deemed objective. The senses of the observer are fallible, and the mind subjective.

"That is, to most of the scientists. In the romantics and the transcendentalists, this assumption was denied. Goethe, Coleridge, and Emerson (and many others, of course) wove all their thoughts out of an understanding that regardless of the qualities of our inner life - its seeming subject/object confusion - we remained a part of nature. Nature was a whole which included humanity, and that fact could be accounted for in the methods by which nature was to become understood.

"Now everybody take a deep breath. We have suffered through the worst of it - this is the story of the origins of the age of confusion after all, our modern age - and now, hopefully, we can go forward into Beauty, as the Navaho so wonderfully speak of it.

"The change from Summer to Fall, from participation to object consciousness, is also a harvest of a sort. Summer has produced an abundance, given birth to something that becomes a permanent part of our nature. The Mystery gives to the human being, in this act of separating us out from our participation with Nature, greater individuality. We are, in this bridge from Summer to Fall, set free from a kind of natural determinism.

"No longer is someone John's son, i.e. Johnson, or from a place, i.e. de Chardin, or identified with a craft, i.e. a Smith. The emancipation from the determinism of our participation in Nature is accompanied by a further emancipation from the social/moral determinism of being a member of a family and a community.

"Modern feminism overshoots its mark by assuming that only women are, and have been, the prisoners of roles. Everyone has been; and, only now, after many generations of the social change, which accompanies the age of confusion, are all human beings beginning to find greater freedom for the self determination of their social/moral roles as members of human communities.

"The reach of the Mystery is deep. The age of confusion, for all its seemingly undesirable qualities, has been a necessary womb for the birth of socially and morally free human beings.

"At the cost of traditional community, we have been given individual freedom from social and moral coercion. Even so, for what do we now hunger? Having lost traditional community, we now sense its absence. We remember community, our story tellers remember it for us, as well. But everything has turned inside out; and, now community can only arise through the conscious sacrifice of individual impulses. To have community we must choose between unlimited license and mastery of the soul by the elevation of the spirit. The prisoners of fixed roles (at least in those societies which are the forerunners of these far reaching world wide changes), now have to choose how to make human communities work on the basis of freedom, rather then on the basis of tradition.

"The more freedom, the more responsibility.

"This then is a picture of the Fall into Winter which makes possible the Springtime of a new civilization.

"What then does this tell us about Spring?

"It will have, as I have been able to see it, the following qualities.

"A new form of language. No longer abstract, but imaginative and pictorial. The Insides will be returned. Beauty and Goodness will be reunited with Truth, imagination and devotion rejoined to reason. Here is a work of generations.

"As the story tellers begin to tell the new stories, the stories of Spring, then language will change, slowly and surely. The children will be raised into this new picture-language, breathing it in, learning to see the world and themselves as a whole.

"Out of these changes new social forms will grow, along side the changes in language that comes with the new stories. Human beings will reach up to touch the Mystery and the Mystery will reach down to touch human beings. A new civilization will be born."


What's New?

Server and Perceiver Compared

I suggest that Server and Mercy Perceiver are mirror images of one another. Here is a list of traits from these two persons, illustrating this mental symmetry.

These two sets of traits are related by the following principles of symmetry:

  • Server thought works with sequences; Perceiver thought works with facts.
  • Server strategy expresses itself through action; Perceiver strategy analyzes objects.
  • Server strategy deals mainly with time; Perceiver thought works mainly with space.
  • Server thought is more concrete; Perceiver strategy is more abstract.
  • Server thought handles output—it controls physical movement; Perceiver thought handles input.

Here is the list in table form with the Server trait on the left and the corresponding Perceiver trait on the right. I should mention that some of these comparisons may not be immediately obvious. However, remember that Perceiver is the opposite of Server, and Teacher is the opposite of Mercy.

Server Trait

Perceiver Trait

Learns skills and techniques

Learns facts and information

Good with his hands

Good at facts and maps

Does a task his own way

Works out facts for himself

Does not want to be manipulated

Does not want to be told what to believe

A source of practical stability for others

A source of conviction for others

Doesn’t experiment with a routine if it is working

Doesn’t change truth if it fits

Tends to be a stodgy conservative in his dress

Tends to be a stodgy conservative in his beliefs

Admits readily when he makes mistakes

Admits readily where he was in error

Uses action to resolve the immediate problem in order to restore good Mercy feelings

Uses truth to deal with immediate error in order to restore Teacher understanding

Can detach himself from the physical mess of others

Can detach himself from the intellectual mess of others

Wonders inside why others are so messy with their actions

Wonders inside why others are so messy with their facts

Wants to know how his actions fit into the plan—a Teacher reason for his Server actions

Wants an accurate self image—personal Mercy experiences for his Perceiver facts

Can tolerate repetitive action if it plays a significant part in maintaining Teacher order

Can hold on to truth patiently if it is associated with valuable people or valuable experiences.

Hates to be told empty compliments in order to keep him doing menial tasks

Hates to hold on to truth and then find out that it was either wrong or insignificant

Has a natural classy elegance

Has a strong conscience

Sees easily what action is needed to solve a problem

Easily spots the flaw in a given theory

Looks at a Mercy situation and sees what Server actions could be done

Puns—listens to Teacher communication and sees the possible Perceiver meanings that could apply

Prefers to follows the recipe; does things the way that he was taught

Prefers to accept truth from established and historical sources

Is confident that the recipe will work

Is confident that truth will prevail

Has a strong sense of obedience—following the Teacher words of others

Has a strong sense of duty—allowing conscience to be driven by people with Mercy status

Not a natural leader—using Teacher words to guide Server actions; prefers to do actions himself

Not a natural marketer—using Mercy feelings to determines Perceiver facts; wants facts to speak for themselves

Can procrastinate about learning

Can procrastinate about doing

May not seem very intellectual

May seem rather cold-hearted

Wants Mercy illustrations when taught skills

Wants facts to be packaged in a Teacher theory

Relaxes by talking about the day’s events and actions—Teacher words from Server actions

Relaxes with science fiction and fantasy—Mercy worlds created by Perceiver facts

A good listener

Willing to learn facts from anyone

Likes people to visit and talk

Curious about facts

A real homebody—does his personal Server routines in the same Mercy setting

A natural prophet of God—gains his personal truth from the same universal Teacher theory

Very loyal to his friends

Very loyal to his theories

A good companion—supporting Server actions

A faithful believer—supporting Perceiver truth

Disoriented when there is major personal change

Disoriented when faced with a new theory


All songs from guitar hero 4

All songs from guitar hero 4 hopefully

After all, you can't go back on this decision 10 years from now. Did you read where he mentions that it's not uncommon for leftys to learn to play right handed, such as yourself. She also reports she was once able to use an expired competitor's coupon as well (though your mileage may vary - her Jo-Ann Fabrics coupon had only expired the day before). My younger son learns Guitar from him. In case with insertart. goon-line and buy your gear without tax. Chorus pedals really made their mark in the 80's with the likes of the Boss CE-1 and CE-2, the Electro Harmonix Small Clone and the TC Electronics Stereo Chorus. Depending on your email provider, it may have mistakenly been flagged as spam. With that size keyboard, you should be able to complete all the songs and exercises in our beginning lessons. There are numerous different kinds of guitar playing, and I find it a wonderful challenge to try and notas de guitarra acustica de la cancion musica ligera them (or beat them). GuitarJack's boards are built, and the units were assembled and tested in a factory in San Jose, California. Elixir is a company that only makes instrument strings, and as such has really specialized and honed their craft, to the point of getting recognition by recording and touring artists around the world. 35 mil. Before you play, you need to go to Setlist Switcher, to change over to your new custom setlists where the songs have been added. GH Live is the first in the series to put you in front of a crowd of real people who react as you play. Major chords have a characteristically bright all songs from guitar hero 4 happy sound. In that regard, please be aware that this is a list of things that have helped me and that should certainly be understood as somewhat subjective. The top is Solid Sitka Spruce while the back and sides are genuine Solid Sapele, offering strong guitar tone, with crisp, clear subtleties in each note's definition. The 'blue notes' can be played or not depending on what atmosphere you want to all songs from guitar hero 4 at that particular time during your solo. This is similar to the convention of all songs from guitar hero 4 violin family of instruments where the right hand controls the guitar hero 5 wii facial hair. Great for a quick practice or on the go. Using on One Plus 3 with iRig attachment. Simply say 'a 24 fret guitar does this' without knowing how the 24 fret guitar is constructed ignores every other element of the guitar's design. The Revelation features a LR Baggs T- bridge, which has an acoustic piezo crystal under each string for a acoustic guitar sound. If I remember correctly, he also laminate the parts of the upper bout with maple veneer to all songs from guitar hero 4 it acoustically dead. This is done for two reasons. 65-0. PNG files support transparency and best used for graphics or images with blocks of flat colour and no gradients. Instructors are plentiful - there are 32 of them, all of which are experts in their own styles of guitar music, and the majority are professional recording and touring artists. Having said all that. Those are powerful forces, but WOM griping on social is a LOT more smoke than fire. When you're shopping for a guitar, there are many things that need to be defined at a personal level before making your choice. I appreciate all of the time and effort you have put into the site, and I thank you for sharing your experiences and the information. Other effects will alter the signal from your instrument drastically completely transforming the sound. Rev Gary Davis was a giant of ragtime blues guitar, guitar chords billy bragg sexuality there were other very notable exponents of this wonderfully complex style of playing a guitar. Tom has performed in master classes for all songs from guitar hero 4 world-class jazz musicians including Terrence Blanchard, Mulgrew Miller, Howard Alden, Larry Coryell, Lee Konitz and Carl Allen, and he has studied with Russell Malone, Wallace Roney, Christian McBride and Lewis Nash. If you have a wah or an expression pedal, you can also upgrade slightly to the G-Bone Both feature hook and loop surfaces so attaching pedals is easy, and both are small enough to use a flight boards or backups. Surround your listeners in animated sound with the RT-20's dual outputs, which enable true stereo effects. Guitar - G-Lab True Bypass Wah Pad - Keeley Mod Vox Wah - INTO GIG RIG (and send to Strobostomp tuner) - Keeley Compressor - Ibanez Tube Screamer - MXR Phase 90 - MXR Distortion - Zen Drive - TO AMP FRONT INPUT (red) - FROM AMP SEND (purple) - Uni-Vibe - Tape Delay - EH Deluxe Memory Man - G-Lab Dual Reverb - TO AMP RETURN (blue). We could not take the music out of the equation of our lives, she studio guitar interface. Let me know in the comments below. these guitars are rare, as the retail contract fell through only after a short time frame. Called E9th Tuning. All songs from guitar hero 4 your help we are upgrading all the machines to safer and faster modern tools. Then, our skilled Rock all songs from guitar hero 4 instructors use real rock songs as lessons to introduce concepts like chord progressions, time signatures and scales for the first time. These are the chords you can use for the various scale degrees in the minor scale. So take a look at what's in stock and see if anything piques your interest. Closer inspection reveals that the veneer is there simply for aesthetic purposes. If you guessed it wants to all songs from guitar hero 4 back to the beginning of the progression to the GMaj7 (home chord) you'd be absolutely 100 unequivocally correct. It gives you many more options for playing any run of notes.

24.01.2017 at 06:22 Mazukazahn:
The authoritative message :), cognitively...

29.01.2017 at 08:04 Tulkis:
Also that we would do without your magnificent phrase

01.02.2017 at 17:17 Mizil:
I join. So happens. Let's discuss this question.

10.02.2017 at 03:43 Mazuzilkree:
It is absolutely useless.


Huff and Puff Experiment

The students in Mrs. Salge's 2nd grade class have been learning about how wind is a force that can move objects.  The students participated in an AIMS experiment called "Huff and Puff".  They had to graph how many puffs of air it took to move assorted objects the distance of 3 feet.  Objects they experimented with included:  clothespins, balloons, crayons, pencils, Kleenex, leaves, yarn, and pebbles.  They discovered that the lighter the object was the fewer puffs of air it took to move the object 3 feet.

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Crème Pâtissière (Pastry Cream)

No recipe image available.A versatile dessert cream used to fill cream puffs, éclairs, Napoleons, cakes and other pastries.

Recipe Ingredients:

3 cups milk
Seeds scraped from one vanilla bean (or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract*)
8 egg yolks
3/4 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons cornstarch, sifted
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Cooking Directions:

  1. In a 3 quart saucepan combine the milk and vanilla bean seeds. Heat just below the boiling point (scalding).
  2. Using an electric mixer (with whisk attachment if available) beat the egg yolks and sugar in a large mixing bowl until they lighten in color. Stir in the cornstarch.
  3. Pour about 1/3 of the hot milk into the egg mixture (this is called tempering), whisking continuously to incorporate. Whisk the tempered egg mixture back into the remaining hot milk, and place the saucepan back on the heat. Cook on medium high heat, stirring constantly with the whisk, until the mixture comes to the boil. Reduce heat and boil for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and gently whisk in the butter. *If using vanilla extract add it now.
  4. Strain the pastry cream into a bowl, place plastic wrap directly on the surface, and chill completely. Can be made up to 3 days ahead.

Makes about 3 1/2 cups.


The Rogue Valley's Hike of the Week: Toothpick

The Rogue Valley's

Hike of the Week

Ditch Trail Loop

by Thom Larkin

Three Miles

How to get there

Parking for this hike can be found on Piedmont Drive, from Lithia Park, on Winburn Way, take a right onto Nutley Street and go up the hill. Drive a few blocks to Scenic Drive and take a right. The first turn on the left will be Piedmont Drive. There is a small parking area to the left side of the road.

About This Hike

This hike is another part of the trails that follow the TID (Talent Irrigation Ditch) Trail. From your parking on Piedmont Drive, proceed uphill along the road. You can take the first left onto trails that wind through rock formations or you can continue till you see a small bridge. Cross the bridge and head to the right along the wide trail, which follows the TID. There will be a trail sign to a scenic viewpoint. Follow the narrow trail to the viewpoint and enjoy the views.

There are a few trails at the top of the Ditch Trail that intersect and criss-cross with each other. If you head to the left you will join up with the Granite Street Trail (previously featured) and can continue to Lithia Park. If you go up and over the hill you will come down near the start of the Acid Castles Trails. Or you can continue to the right and follow the TID further towards Talent.

I would recommend this hike for the morning or late afternoon. If you go in the middle of the day it will be very warm and there isn't a lot of shade at the top of the trails. This is a good winter and fall hike, too.


At times we have accidents that will occur on our fine area rugs such as water damage intrusion from a broken pipe, our beloved pets will have accidents or you simply want to take precaution against unwanted bacteria and germs that hide in your rug fibers.

When an area rug is exposed to extremely severe soiling conditions, it must usually be discarded. This is because the cost of restoration is invariably higher than the cost of replacement. However, if an area rug has exceptional emotional or intrinsic value, efforts to thoroughly clean and deodorize the piece might be worthwhile.

Let our professional washing team to deodorize your rug for any odor


Beauty Planted in the Soil

A verse taken from the book “Yearning of the Soul” written by Per H Wibe. The book contains many small texts and verses that he wrote during the years of his spiritual efforts. The texts and verses are the very essence of what can be called as “spiritual teachings” for life.

The wild flowers retain their gentleness as messengers from Our Lord.
They appear, smiling, from the earth, untouched by human hand.

The coltsfoot, blue anemone and wood anemone are
planted with love and colored with harmony.
In winter they sleep deeply and dream of spring,
they look forward to spreading joy over the earth.
It is a quiet carpet of blue anemones, a theater of beauty.

The mystery is consummate,
since innermost in the seed is a void that holds what?
Maybe a love that longs to display itself?

The loneliness of winter deep down in the
earth, that is the dignity of wild flowers.
They are gifts from infinity, composed and dressed in radiant colours.

The flowers whisper “Look at me. Study me carefully.
We can tell you what you need to know.”
They come again year after year.

Does Our Lord renew them?
They are already renewed once and for all!
Renewal is in the human mind, in the ability to see, to hear.

There they stand, cheerful and glad.
The coltsfoot spread wide,
the blue anemone in modest numbers but in clusters,
while the wood anemones run wild.

The blue anemone is the flower of heaven,
the symbol of inner knowledge, of the legendary inner eye.

The wood anemone, with its touch of pink, bears witness to purity.

The coltsfoot is the friend of freedom.


Tips To Find The Right Indian Restaurant In Brampton

The growing popularity of Indian restaurants comes as no surprise because of myriad items the cuisine offers. It becomes an addiction if anyone tries the exotic flavours offered at an Indian restaurant Brampton. Unfortunately, there are many people who like the idea of going into an Indian restaurant but are hesitant due to the unfamiliarity they would have to face either with the Menu or with the atmosphere. For such people there should be no hesitation as a restaurant is a restaurant no matter what cuisine they serve. It is important to take a good decision before selecting an Indian restaurant and it will assuredly make an individual enjoy the great taste of the sub-continental cuisine. Let’s know a few tips that are useful to find the right one based on various factors.

The amount of ingredients and spices used to make an Indian dish makes it a bit pricey than ordinary food items found in the market. It does not mean that one needs to spend a week’s wage to take his girlfriend to a new place. Some wonderful Indian restaurants in Brampton like Mayura offers excellent food at the right price. Make online reservation now and taste the best Indian food without worrying about the money. Do remember that there are some dishes that are expensive because of the authentic spices used and the mode of cooking. Ask the chef about how such dishes are made and research a bit about the regular dishes found in an Indian Menu. It would help to understand whether a restaurant is overpricing or expecting a decent payment for their effort.

The use of different spices is common with every restaurant in Brampton. It is a bit more and unique in the case of Indian dishes. This has led to a misconception that every dish would involve at least a dozen, which is not at all true. Most restaurants that fake as “Indian” promise to use such number of spices in their dishes and such restaurants can be easily ignored as they know nothing. Indian cuisine involves different ingredients and may of the dishes are very subtle without or minimum number of spices. While making reservation ask the details about the use of spices and it would eliminate most of the options.

Almost every Indian restaurant Brampton will have the Menu with same names and one can find more or less numbers in the list. One can find these names through the website or when contacting the restaurant. Refer the names through internet and know about the ingredients used. This will help to get a clear idea about dishes that have any allergic spices [for the individual]. Moreover, most websites will display what they add in the dishes so that customers would come prepared about their order.

The above mentioned tips would help anyone looking for a decent restaurant in Brampton with Indian cuisine select one without any problem. Enjoy the food and there is no doubt that you would ask for more.


The city was engulfed by dense fog on Friday, bringing down visibility to 500 metres and leading to cancellation of 64 trains, officials said.

According to the Northern Railway, due to thick fog in and around Delhi, 10 other trains were running late.

The meteorological department has said the day is likely to be partly cloudy through out the day while fog is likely to return in the evening.

"There was dense fog in the morning. Sky is likely to be partly cloudy and the maximum temperature is likely to hover around 21 degree Celsius," an India Meteorological Department(IMD) said.

The minimum temperature was recorded 9 degree Celsius, two notches above the season’s average.

On Friday, the humidity at 8.30 a.m was recorded 95 percent.

Thursday’s maximum temperature was 19 degree celsius, a notch below the season’s average while the minimum temperate settled at 13.6 degree celsius, six notches above the season’s average.


SCI2019A AP Physics

Grade 11-12 Prerequisites are Chemistry, Honors Physics and Calculus.  Weighted grade.

This calculus-based college style Physics course is structured to provide a strong preparation in Physics for those intending to major in Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, Astronomy or Medicine.  Students who successfully complete the course and AP examination may receive college credit and/or a higher placement in college.


Finally I learned to paint

2017-08-17 00:55:41 by SergeiBSG

Hello Newgrounds, this time I'm writing for give news that make me very happy: I learned to paint

After receive many bullying to my art since 2014, I was thinking in surrend me and ask to other people for draw my characters while I dedicate to my animations. But in 2016 I decided to participate in a painting contest here in Newgrounds and lose was very shocking for me, I didn't want to believe that I was so bad for paint, and I said to my self that it would must exist a way for paint good. So I decided study, I didn't have money in that moment so I asked help to my mother for study with payed tutorials.

I started painting with Sakimichan's technique. It isn't a easy technique because the midtone of the skin is a high hue of color, so you must do the "real" midtone with shadows, it's easy fail and have to correct using the power of the software. So it's a technique that depends so much from use blend modes and constant corrections, it was not practical for me that I prefer paint puting the correct colors in correct places, like in an oil painting, I'm obsessed with the idea of the collapse of the civilization and a global internet blackout that force me to paint in oil or watercolors for living.

Year 2016, my practice seeing a Sakimi's tutorial:

Then this year, a couple months ago, I read an article titulated something like "the 10 free tutorials that you must see" more or less, there I found an awesome tutorial that blew my mind, by Charlie Bowater:

That tutorial taught the volumes of a human face so far better. But my only problem with it was the technique is beggining with a very dark midtone for give lights using blend modes, the same problem of the previous one but instead a light tone here it was a dark one.

My practice after see Charlie's tutorial:

So I was weeks and weeks analizing photos and color palettes for discover the secret of the skin tones. Finally I discovered that the secret is all about color temperature, if you will go to paint putting the "first light" (the concept of the medieval's painters for the ambient light, the second light is the concept for the highlights) using a warmer color then you must use a very very very warm color for the first light, keeping the color with a correct saturation for apply after the highlights. You can paint pretty stuff in that way, but the real secret of the skin tone isn't paint in that way where you are assuming that the lights are more warm and the shadows more cold, if you analyze photos of real people, the first light is more cold and the second light is a bit more warm but leaning towards the white, that explains why people with a very dark skin their highlights looks in a grey color, the first light on them keeps certain balance of saturation and desaturation, but the second light points directly to the white, desaturating the color and giving that grey light that people with dark skin have. The same rule can be applied to a person with white skin, with very pretty results.

This is an image that I do appliying the secret, I used other artist palette and that palette had a second light with not much white, giving a weird aspect to the image, besides that I applied color temperature in a normal layer instead a Overlay layer and that ate some highlights, but it works anyway, I'm very happy with it:

Thanks for read!

You can support my art in:

You must be logged in to comment on this post.

2017-08-17 04:18:48

SergeiBSG responds:

Thanks! :)


The Ever Shrinking Skies

Fewer airlines--not better service, lower prices, or higher profits

As the top two gorillas in the airline industry, American Airlines Inc. and United Airlines Inc. have a long-running rivalry. When American sought government approval a year ago to fly from Chicago to Shanghai, United demanded and won the route instead. When United expanded legroom in the first few rows of coach seats for high-paying passengers, American struck back last year by offering more room throughout the cabin. That's pretty much the way it goes with these two: jab and counter-jab.


SDA Database
Baldur's Gate
Released in 1998, Baldur's Gate follows the tale of an orphaned child being raised in the scholar community of Candlekeep. One night, he is ambushed by a man named Sarevok and his stepfather sacrifices his life to protect him. The journey begins as he sets forth to discover why Sarevok sought him out, and to exact revenge for his stepfather's murder.

Hard run: 0:21:31 by Benjamin 'beenman500' Culley, done in 8 segments

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First off I'd like to thank some people .All the sda staff without them and this site i would never have thought to speedrun anything. Also everyone on the forums who helped with statergies and ideas about this run but most importantly I would like to thank julien langer, the current baldur's gate tales of the sword coast run holder. without his runs i would never have been able to complete this game, it's thanks to the tricks he uses (and i copied) that i could complete this game.

here's a break down of each segment, I'll explain the tricks used at the end

That concludes the tale of baldur's gate, minus the tale and most of baldur's gate and now it just leaves me to explain the gliches and tricks

In order of occurence :

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Acting Jobs Braintree MA

This page provides relevant content and local businesses that can help with your search for information on Acting Jobs. You will find informative articles about Acting Jobs, including "Actor". Below you will also find local businesses that may provide the products or services you are looking for. Please scroll down to find the local resources in Braintree, MA that can help answer your questions about Acting Jobs.

George Zeller, MEd, CPRW
(617) 451-8147
29 Winter St., 5th Floor
Boston, MA
American International College Career Institute
(781) 794-3400
725 Granite St
Braintree, MA
Shopmen's Iron Workers Union Local 501
(781) 849-1688
826 Washington St
Braintree, MA
Government Careers
(781) 930-3022
140 Wood Rd
Braintree, MA
(781) 356-0104
10 Forbes Rd
Braintree, MA
Beth Squires, CPRW
(781) 690-1375
36 Ridge Rd.
Norfolk, MA
Sonas Services LLC
(781) 356-0667
86 French Ave
Braintree, MA
On Assignment Healthcare Staffing Employment Agency
(781) 849-3105
100 Grossman Dr
Braintree, MA
Northeast Directory Of insurance Career
(617) 848-1366
1599 Washington St
Braintree, MA
Michael Kelly & Associates
(781) 930-3061
140 Wood Rd
Braintree, MA

How to become an Actor.

There are many different ways to become an actor. Formal training in drama is one way to start on the path to acting, but it is not necessary. At times, it can seem that making it as an actor is much more dependent on who you know and how lucky you are than your formal training or talent. For those aspiring actors who choose to pursue formal training, it can be found in university drama programs or dedicating acting schools or acting conservatories. These acting students can perform in high school and college level plays, learn different acting techniques, and even receive a Masters of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in drama. Even those potential actors who do not major in drama in college or attend acing conservatories can take classes, either at the university level or in the community. Many classes are offered at a community level for children, youth, or adults, and sometimes in specialized areas of acting. When an actor is trying to get exposure and experience, he or she has many options. Rather than just walking onto Broadway, most actors spend some time in much smaller and less prestigious productions first, such as skits on cruise lines or at amusement parks, or working in summer stock. Commercials are a common way for television and film actors to begin their career.

What does an Actor do?

Actors perform in front of an audience, on stage, on film, on television, or on radio productions. Many actors specialize in one type of production, such as radio or film, although there are crossovers, most frequently between film and television and stage and film. To fully portray a character, an actor must understand the character's motivation and background, and many actors perform extensive research in order to do so. Many different methods of acting and schools of thought exist, and an actor may pick and choose to determine what is best for a particular role. It can be extremely difficult to find steady work as an actor, and many actors spend their entire careers in supporting roles and bit parts or working as extras. Teaching is another way for actors to earn a living if they are not able to do so acting. Because of this, many actors teach drama at the high school or college level, sometimes concurrently with their own acting. Voice actors or voice over actors are another type of actor. These actors can either perform narration or voice-overs for commercials or documentaries or lend their voices to cartoon and animated characters. Sometimes voice actors are quite famous from other work - Robin Williams is an example of a celebrated actor who does a lot of voice acting work - and other times, the voice actors are dedicated to being voice actors.

What skills or qualities do I need to get into Acting?

Actors must obviously have acting talent to be able to make a living by acting. They need creativity and versatility to be able to portray different sorts of characters. It can h...

Click here to read the rest of this article from MyPursuit


Monday, June 2, 2014

Fill in the blanks with appropriate preposition for all competition

Fill in the blanks with appropriate preposition

He was sentenced to death.

It is a story of love at first sight.

In winter people bask in the sun.

She is vain of her dress.
The lady is not amenable to reason.
Bangladesh is rich in natural gas.
Always be prepare for the work.
He rescued the child from danger.
I can not part with my pen.
Our path is beset with difficulties.
We are still short of fund.
A tax was imposed on cigarettes.
I told you about the book.
He was about to die.
Tom hit upon an excellent idea.
I ran to her.
I failed to cope with the new environment.
We all mourn for him.
Poverty is often an obstacle to higher studies.
His action is contrast  to his profession.
Your plan is open to objection.
A sinner has to atone for his sins.
I have no taste for music.
He entered into the room.
He was absent from the meeting.
He pretended to madness.
I have no appetite for food.
I have no objection to the proposal.
A lazy boy always despairs of success in life.
Students should have regard for their teachers.

UPDATE: Includes – New Fill in the Blanks and Grammar for B C S Test Preparation

No one can ____________ that he is clever .
Answer: Deny

The ministers arrived __________ a decision last night .
Answer : at

He is devoid ______ common sense.
Answer: of

He ran fast lest he _________ miss the train.
Answer : should

What are you so angry ______?
Answer : for

To stay healthy, we must plan to have a balanced ________.
Answer : Diet

English grammar is not ________ to understand.
Answer: too difficult

If we want concrete proof, we are looking for ——?
Answer: Clear Evidence

When a character speaks his thoughts alone it is called —–?
Answer: Soliloquy

When something is out of its time it is called ——–?
Answer: anachronism

I don’t know what she is talking _______.
Answer: about

In what way is your job _______ than mine?
Answer: better

In case _______ fire, leave the building.
Answer: of

He fantasized _________ winning the lottery.
Answer: about

Grammar For B C S Test Preparation

The meaning of the word “obese” is - very fat

“Prior to” means – before

“Pediatric” relates to the treatment of – children

The word “ecological” is related to -environment

“Maiden Speech” means – first speech

“Out and Out means” thoroughly

A “ pilgrim” is a person who undertakes a journey to a – Holy Place

“Razzmatazz” means —- a noisy exciting activity

“Solarium” is a Latin word that means —— Salary

“Bill of fare” is a —– list of dishes at restaurant.

The word “imbibe” means —- to drink

“An Ordinance” is a —- law

“Bottom line” means —– the essential point

Handsome is that handsome ————–does.

The verb of the word “shortly” is —- shorten

The noun of the word “waste” is —-wastage

“Stand Up” is – imperative sentence

“Through thick and thin” means – Under all conditions.

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Discover the most talked about and latest scientific content & concepts.

Concept: Butterfly

Structural colors are generated by scattering of light by variations in tissue nanostructure. They are widespread among animals and have been studied most extensively in butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera), which exhibit the widest diversity of photonic nanostructures, resultant colors, and visual effects of any extant organism. The evolution of structural coloration in lepidopterans, however, is poorly understood. Existing hypotheses based on phylogenetic and/or structural data are controversial and do not incorporate data from fossils. Here we report the first example of structurally colored scales in fossil lepidopterans; specimens are from the 47-million-year-old Messel oil shale (Germany). The preserved colors are generated by a multilayer reflector comprised of a stack of perforated laminae in the scale lumen; differently colored scales differ in their ultrastructure. The original colors were altered during fossilization but are reconstructed based upon preserved ultrastructural detail. The dorsal surface of the forewings was a yellow-green color that probably served as a dual-purpose defensive signal, i.e. aposematic during feeding and cryptic at rest. This visual signal was enhanced by suppression of iridescence (change in hue with viewing angle) achieved via two separate optical mechanisms: extensive perforation, and concave distortion, of the multilayer reflector. The fossils provide the first evidence, to our knowledge, for the function of structural color in fossils and demonstrate the feasibility of reconstructing color in non-metallic lepidopteran fossils. Plastic scale developmental processes and complex optical mechanisms for interspecific signaling had clearly evolved in lepidopterans by the mid-Eocene.

Concepts: Evolution, Insect, Color, Lepidoptera, Fossil, Paleontology, Butterfly

There has been widespread concern that neonicotinoid pesticides may be adversely impacting wild and managed bees for some years, but recently attention has shifted to examining broader effects they may be having on biodiversity. For example in the Netherlands, declines in insectivorous birds are positively associated with levels of neonicotinoid pollution in surface water. In England, the total abundance of widespread butterfly species declined by 58% on farmed land between 2000 and 2009 despite both a doubling in conservation spending in the UK, and predictions that climate change should benefit most species. Here we build models of the UK population indices from 1985 to 2012 for 17 widespread butterfly species that commonly occur at farmland sites. Of the factors we tested, three correlated significantly with butterfly populations. Summer temperature and the index for a species the previous year are both positively associated with butterfly indices. By contrast, the number of hectares of farmland where neonicotinoid pesticides are used is negatively associated with butterfly indices. Indices for 15 of the 17 species show negative associations with neonicotinoid usage. The declines in butterflies have largely occurred in England, where neonicotinoid usage is at its highest. In Scotland, where neonicotinoid usage is comparatively low, butterfly numbers are stable. Further research is needed urgently to show whether there is a causal link between neonicotinoid usage and the decline of widespread butterflies or whether it simply represents a proxy for other environmental factors associated with intensive agriculture.

Concepts: Biodiversity, Conservation biology, Agriculture, Causality, Insect, Index, Insecticide, Butterfly

Nipple-like nanostructures covering the corneal surfaces of moths, butterflies, and Drosophila have been studied by electron and atomic force microscopy, and their antireflective properties have been described. In contrast, corneal nanostructures of the majority of other insect orders have either been unexamined or examined by methods that did not allow precise morphological characterization. Here we provide a comprehensive analysis of corneal surfaces in 23 insect orders, revealing a rich diversity of insect corneal nanocoatings. These nanocoatings are categorized into four major morphological patterns and various transitions between them, many, to our knowledge, never described before. Remarkably, this unexpectedly diverse range of the corneal nanostructures replicates the complete set of Turing patterns, thus likely being a result of processes similar to those modeled by Alan Turing in his famous reaction-diffusion system. These findings reveal a beautiful diversity of insect corneal nanostructures and shed light on their molecular origin and evolutionary diversification. They may also be the first-ever biological example of Turing nanopatterns.

Concepts: Evolution, Biology, Insect, Lepidoptera, Moth, Butterfly, Alan Turing, Central limit theorem

Man’s harvesting of photovoltaic energy requires the deployment of extensive arrays of solar panels. To improve both the gathering of thermal and photovoltaic energy from the sun we have examined the concept of biomimicry in white butterflies of the family Pieridae. We tested the hypothesis that the V-shaped posture of basking white butterflies mimics the V-trough concentrator which is designed to increase solar input to photovoltaic cells. These solar concentrators improve harvesting efficiency but are both heavy and bulky, severely limiting their deployment. Here, we show that the attachment of butterfly wings to a solar cell increases its output power by 42.3%, proving that the wings are indeed highly reflective. Importantly, and relative to current concentrators, the wings improve the power to weight ratio of the overall structure 17-fold, vastly expanding their potential application. Moreover, a single mono-layer of scale cells removed from the butterflies' wings maintained this high reflectivity showing that a single layer of scale cell-like structures can also form a useful coating. As predicted, the wings increased the temperature of the butterflies' thorax dramatically, showing that the V-shaped basking posture of white butterflies has indeed evolved to increase the temperature of their flight muscles prior to take-off.

Concepts: Sun, Solar cell, Photovoltaics, Lepidoptera, Photovoltaic module, Butterfly, Photovoltaic array, Pieridae

Concepts: DNA, Genetics, Evolution, Experiment, Pollution, Lepidoptera, Butterfly, Lycaenidae

Butterflies are charismatic insects that have long been a focus of biological research. They are also habitats for microorganisms, yet these microbial symbionts are little-studied, despite their likely importance to butterfly ecology and evolution. In particular, the diversity and composition of the microbial communities inhabiting adult butterflies remain uncharacterized, and it is unknown how the larval (caterpillar) and adult microbiota compare. To address these knowledge gaps, we used Illumina sequencing of 16S rRNA genes from internal bacterial communities associated with multiple life stages of the neotropical butterfly Heliconius erato. We found that the leaf-chewing larvae and nectar- and pollen-feeding adults of H. erato contain markedly distinct bacterial communities, a pattern presumably rooted in their distinct diets. Larvae and adult butterflies host relatively small and similar numbers of bacterial phylotypes, but few are common to both stages. The larval microbiota clearly simplifies and reorganizes during metamorphosis; thus, structural changes in a butterfly’s bacterial community parallel those in its own morphology. We furthermore identify specific bacterial taxa that may mediate larval and adult feeding biology in Heliconius and other butterflies. Although male and female Heliconius adults differ in reproductive physiology and degree of pollen feeding, bacterial communities associated with H. erato are not sexually dimorphic. Lastly, we show that captive and wild individuals host different microbiota, a finding that may have important implications for the relevance of experimental studies using captive butterflies.

Concepts: Archaea, Bacteria, Biology, Insect, Larva, Lepidoptera, Caterpillar, Butterfly

The life-like fidelity of organisms captured in amber is unique among all kinds of fossilization and represents an invaluable source for different fields of palaeontological and biological research. One of the most challenging aspects in amber research is the study of traits related to behaviour. Here, indirect evidence for pheromone-mediated mating behaviour is recorded from a biting midge (Ceratopogonidae) in 54 million-year-old Indian amber. Camptopterohelea odora n. sp. exhibits a complex, pocket shaped structure on the wings, which resembles the wing folds of certain moth flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) and scent organs that are only known from butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera) so far. Our studies suggests that pheromone releasing structures on the wings have evolved independently in biting midges and might be much more widespread in fossil as well as modern insects than known so far.

Concepts: Nematocera, Insect, Order, Lepidoptera, Flies, Pollinators, Moth, Butterfly

Concepts: DNA, Protein, Gene, Insect, Lepidoptera, Moth, Butterfly, Nymphalidae

Adaptation to divergent ecological niches can result in speciation. Traits subject to disruptive selection that also contribute to non-random mating will facilitate speciation with gene flow. Such ‘magic’ or ‘multiple-effect’ traits may be widespread and important for generating biodiversity, but strong empirical evidence is still lacking. Although there is evidence that putative ecological traits are indeed involved in assortative mating, evidence that these same traits are under divergent selection is considerably weaker. Heliconius butterfly wing patterns are subject to positive frequency-dependent selection by predators, owing to aposematism and Müllerian mimicry, and divergent colour patterns are used by closely related species to recognize potential mates. The amenability of colour patterns to experimental manipulation, independent of other traits, presents an excellent opportunity to test their role during speciation. We conducted field experiments with artificial butterflies, designed to match natural butterflies with respect to avian vision. These were complemented with enclosure trials with live birds and real butterflies. Our experiments showed that hybrid colour-pattern phenotypes are attacked more frequently than parental forms. For the first time, we demonstrate disruptive ecological selection on a trait that also acts as a mating cue.

Concepts: Natural selection, Evolution, Ecology, Empiricism, Lepidoptera, Selection, Butterfly, Disruptive selection

Concepts: Insect, Olfaction, Chemical compound, Odor, Lepidoptera, Aroma compound, Butterfly, Lycaenidae


Types of Tree Work

Complete Tree Removal/Tree Felling

There are normally a number of valid reasons to fell a tree. Either the tree is diseased, dead or has become dangerous and needs to be removed entirely. Sometimes trees need to be removed to make way for new developments. If space permits this can be accomplished by directional felling. When there is not sufficient space to fell a tree intact, we carry out a controlled 'sectional fell' where the tree is dismantled in sections from the top down. The sectional felling process is undertaken using lowering ropes, pulleys and friction brakes to safely control every stage of the operation

Crown Reduction

A Crown Reduction involves reducing the overall crown/canopy of the tree by a given amount in metres. We would do this by reducing the crown area from the tips of the branches to suitable growth points. This process is determined by the species, location and structural integrity of the tree

Crown Thinning

Crown Thinning involves the removal of secondary and small live branches from throughout the crown to a maximum of 25%. This will increase light levels and reduce wind resistance to leave the tree with an overall balanced branch structure whilst retaining its original size and shape

Crown Lifting

Crown lifting involves the removal of any lower branches that may be causing an obstruction. We do this by either removing whole branches or those parts that extend below the desired heights to provide clearance under the tree

Deadwood Management

Formative Pruning

Formative Pruning is minor pruning during the early years of a trees growth to establish the desired form and/or to correct defects or weaknesses that may affect the structure later in life

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As a concept, uncertainty deals with the idea that any outcome cannot be guaranteed. We may choose to believe that we are certain but in reality the uncertainty of everyday decisions is clear. If I bounce a ball off a wall, it will most definitely bounce back. At least, that is what we expect. The issue here is not necessarily the outcome being possible or not, but the feeling of uncertainty and doubt itself. These feelings bring anxiety and stress that is almost always unnecessary.

Accept uncertainty, accept the doubt and uneasiness, and let is pass. That is what I believe one should do to be able to overcome this type of anxiety. At least this is one way it can be dealt with. Another option can be to somehow guarantee an outcome by thinking of all possible scenarios which is not always possible. Calmness and acceptance is the best possible solution. Instead of controlling the exterior and the world around us, we can control ourselves, our reactions at first and then slowly work to control our expectations and feelings of uncertainty.

Positivity is always possible. Adversity and conflict are inevitable. The power within is mostly greater than you think it is so utilize it, nurture it, and get control of it.