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Wish to visit another Military Museum in the Sydney area ?
The New South Wales Lancers' Memorial Museum at Parramatta is OPEN DETAILS HERE .
Army Museum of New South Wales
Victoria Barracks is one of the best-known examples of military architecture in Australia. The Regency-style Victoria Barracks were designed by Lieutenant-Colonel George Barney, who also built Fort Denison and reconstructed Circular Quay. Most of barracks was constructed using locally quarried sandstone between 1841 and 1849. The barracks were occupied by British troops up until 1870 and then taken over by the New South Wales colonial forces. After the Federation in 1901, Victoria Barracks housed the various headquarters responsible for administering and co-ordinating the military. Between 1931 and 1936 the barracks was home to the Royal Military College of Australia and from July 1938 to July 1940 it also housed the Command and Staff School. Today, Victoria Barracks is home to the Headquarters of Forces Command.
The Barracks are widely considered to be one of the best examples of a military barracks in the world.
The Army Museum of New South Wales is housed in the original 25-cell District Military Prison which was constructed in 1847. The Museum features many army uniforms from the earliest Colonial times through the Boer War, WWI and WWII; medals awarded including Victoria Crosses, Military Crosses, Distinguished Service Orders, Campaign Medals, Royal honours; and various historical .
An interesting gossip: the prison is reputedly haunted by a ghost, Charlie the Redcoat, who hanged himself while incarcerated for shooting his sergeant.


No hyperbole is necessary here, nor breathless embellishment.
This lot in Heritage Auctions August 7 Nature & Science event is nothing less than as advertised: a large piece of the moon.
To be precise, 6.4 pounds large. That is a staggering size for a moon meteorite, considering there are but a few hundred pounds of lunar material known to have crash-landed on our planet.
And that is what this is: a 7.5-inch piece of the moon sliced off the lunar surface by a passing asteroid that eventually made its way to the desert of Morocco, where it was discovered and first sold from a dealer to a collector-curator only six years ago. It bears the classification NWA 8641 because its the 8,641st meteorite discovered in northwest Africa.
The Meteoritical Bulletin reveals plenty about its petrography, its geochemistry, its physical characteristics. The literature explains, dryly, what the eye can plainly see: This is a large rounded, ellipsoidal dark gray stone with white clasts visible and with a beige, clayey coating on one side.
But academia misses the most obvious lure.
The moon is the only extraterrestrial body any human has ever touched, said Craig Kissick, Heritage Auctions Director of Nature & Science. Its the satellite of our planet. It doesnt get more human than that. And, without question, this is one of the finest large lunar meteorites that can be privately owned.
That one can even purchase such a thing, 51 years after Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins first landed Apollo 11 on the moons surface, seems almost unfathomable. After all, fewer than 0.5% of all meteors found are lunar in origin; The Meteoritical Bulletin reports there only some 200 meteorites classified as lunar in origin, and those moon meteors that are discovered are usually diminutive the size of small rocks.
The Apollo astronauts, of course, were not allowed to keep those samples returned to Earth. All of those are the property of the United States government, and reside with NASA or the Smithsonian Institutions National Air and Space Museum.
The truth is, this is a museum-quality specimen, period, Kissick said of the lot being offered August 7. We use that phrase a lot. We tend to throw it around museum-quality. But the truth is, this is a piece that would appeal to the most sophisticated collector or institution. Its so classic-looking: the outer part looks like the surface of the moon, and the interior allows you to see the composition of the moon. This really is one of those Holy Grail pieces.
The upcoming Nature & Science auction is not wanting for significant space artifacts including several associated with the Apollo astronauts.
Theres also a 5.14-pound Martian meteorite also discovered in northwest Africa. Like its lunar counterpart, this slice of Mars is one of the largest examples of its kind discovered and, now, brought to market.
The Meteoritical Bulletin notes there are but 225 meteorites classified as Martian in origin; and they, too, are usually small. The one being offered by Heritage Auctions is sizable and significant.
Quite simply, its a large, exquisite example of a rare meteorite that just doesnt come in big sizes like that, Kissick said. There is a finite amount of this material around of the moon, of Mars. Can you imagine owning it? How amazing. How cool.
to browse all the items in the August 7 Nature & Science event and view high-resolution photos.


Being in a creative rut can make artists feel helpless, but there are always actions that can be taken to create change. If you find yourself in a creative rut, or experiencing ‘artist’s block’, first identify whether this is due to a lack of motivation to create, or inspiration of what to create. Sometimes we cling onto a painting or project that isn’t finished even though mentally we are already done with it; acknowledge that and allow yourself to move on and start again. You may be procrastinating on starting or finishing pieces, yet you have dozens of ideas of what you would like to sculpt, paint, illustrate, or design, or perhaps you may be searching for your next muse or spark. Whether it’s due to lack of motivation or inspiration, this article will provide you with five ways to get out of a creative rut.
Drew Beamer, Unsplash
The Psychology of Productivity
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) works under the belief that our thoughts create feelings, which create behaviors, which shape our lives. If you find yourself in a creative rut, you can start by thinking as if you are not. Fill your thoughts with words of praise, affirmations, and positivity, as opposed to those of self-doubt. Self-efficacy is the belief that you are fully capable of success with the tools you already have. According to CBT, our thoughts create our feelings, therefore, as simplistic as it may sound, thinking positively really can make a major difference in your feelings, which will show in your behaviors. Cognitive distortions have the ability to shape our lives without us even realizing, a common example of this is all-or-nothing thinking.
All-or-nothing thinking refers to thinking of the extremes of a situation. Typically perfectionists tend to battle with all-or-nothing thinking, artists are known for battling with all-or-nothing creating. Say you have a painting that will take you approximately 12 hours to complete, if you are the type of artist who often does it all at once, start to finish, or won’t paint at all, this could be because you view creating as an all-or-nothing pursuit. Implementing ‘chunking’ can be incredibly beneficial to anyone guilty of all-or-nothing creating. Chunking refers to breaking up your to-do list, or your presenting problem, into ‘chunks’, or smaller segments. Then you would go on to complete one portion of the project at a time without feeling overwhelmed by the project as a whole. An example of chunking when creating could be committing to sketching for a small period of time every day.
Since many artists tend to identify as perfectionists, let’s take a deeper look at how a perfectionist mindset could be blocking you creatively. I personally know astounding artists that talk themselves out of creating, typically this is rooted in insecurities or fears. Whether it be their fear of rejection, failure, or lack of success, their insecurities have clouded them to the point of stillness. As an artist, it is important to remind yourself that your only competition is yourself. Don’t allow yourself to get swept up in comparing your artwork to others. Instead, reflect on your works that have brought you the most joy to date, work to experience that feeling again. Not everything you create is going to be ground-breaking, remind yourself each sketch, doodle, drawing, and painting are all essential parts of the process.
1. Do the Inner Work First
As cliche as it may sound, the most important relationship you have is with yourself. Artists are known for discovering or exposing sides of themselves through their work; is it possible you could be preventing yourself from creating due to a desire to shelter yourself? Are there parts of yourself that you aren’t completely comfortable with, or perhaps don’t want to share with others? Shadow work may be necessary to continue on your creative, and life path. Shadow work is the psychological practice of healing and accepting all parts of yourself, including those you repress deep into your unconscious. Many believe that until you make your unconscious conscious it will guide your life. There are several art-based self-guided activities one can participate in to address their shadows.
Matthew Ansley, Unsplash
Inner work is not something that necessarily has a start and end. Your inner work should be constant to keep yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy. Other inner work that can make a tremendous difference in your daily life, to hopefully get you out of your current creative rut: exercise, yoga, meditation, affirmations, and clearing your space. Clear your space by cleaning your home, art studio, or wherever you frequent. Having a tidy space helps us feel more organized and ready to move forward. You may also benefit from creating a to-do list of everything that you’ve been putting off. Spend a day addressing all of your errands, chores, tasks, and appointments, then you won’t feel guilty creating, as everything else is already taken care of.
2. Discover Your Most Creative Hours
Have you ever sat down to paint, yet found yourself doing everything else instead? This could be because you’re not working during your natural creative hours. The 9-5 work schedule doesn’t work for most artists, while every artist differs, midnight hours tend to be productive for many. Whether it be due to a lack of the outside world interfering, feeling guided by the moonlight, or having the bulk of your day already addressed, working during the night may be most productive for you. On the other hand, perhaps you work best first thing in the morning. Figure out exactly which time frame, and hours of the day, you feel most creatively productive and make a mental note of that.
3. Create Deliberate Associations
The Pavlovian theory will be of great use when creating positive associations to promote creative productivity. Pair a stimulus with a conditioned response and you should yield positive results, for optimal success try to involve all five of your senses. For example, wearing the same outfit, eating the same snacks, and listening to the same album every time you create will naturally result in a conditioned association with the stimuluses and creating within yourself.
Perhaps you take a shower before you start creating to cleanse yourself physically and metaphorically. Create your own associations that trigger you to create. Also recognize how your already established associations could be stunting you; if you are constantly trying to draw from your bed, but have no success, this could be because your mind already deeply associates your bed with sleep. Allocating one area of your home strictly for creating, even if it's just one desk, should help establish a setting associated with creating.
Kelly Sikkema, Unsplash
4. Spend Time Consuming Artwork
Watch a documentary, a film, or even experience a virtual tour of an exhibition! Allow yourself to feel fully immersed in another artist’s work to refuel your inspiration. Shifting your lens to that of a consumer, as opposed to a creator, can be a liberating and necessary process in getting your creative juices flowing. Make sure to consume artwork that is new to you, don’t just watch your favorite television series again; encourage yourself to really experience other artists' work. Explore the great outdoors as well, since life imitates art.
Clem Onojeghuo, Unsplash
5. Just Move!
This may seem like an obvious one, but in order to create you must move. Express yourself through movement via dance, exercise, stretching, yoga—whatever feels natural. Even while you are creating it's important to give yourself breaks to just get up and move. Allow yourself to feel the sensation of movement. Emotion has been remarked as ‘energy in motion’, therefore to create work that reflects emotion we must first create motion. Even if you don’t have an idea of what you want to sketch, draw, paint, or sculpt, just allow yourself to feel the movement of creating, without focusing on the end result. Perhaps even draw with your eyes closed, however you get there, demand movement from yourself.
Morgan Petroski, Unsplash
You will get out of this rut, speak it into existence. You already have all the tools you need, just believe in yourself and trust your limitless potential.


3D printing has become increasingly popular in recent years, and with it comes the need for user-friendly software to create and edit 3D models. Enter 3D Builder, a free 3D printing application created by Microsoft. This program is designed to allow users to create 3D models from scratch or edit existing ones.
3D Builder is a powerful tool that comes pre-installed on most PCs with Windows 10, making it easily accessible for anyone interested in 3D printing. With its simple and intuitive interface, users can easily transform shapes, meshes, and existing models, as well as add colors, textures, and materials to their designs. Additionally, 3D Builder can print models in various file types, including 3MF, STL, OBJ, PLY, and VRML, and it can save models in 3MF, PLY, and STL file types.
Whether you’re a professional designer or a hobbyist, 3D Builder provides a wide range of tools and features to help you create and edit 3D models with ease. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at what 3D Builder is, how it works, and why it’s a valuable tool for anyone interested in 3D printing.
What is 3D Builder?
Microsoft 3D Builder is a free 3D printing application created by Microsoft. It is a lightweight 3D tool that is available on Windows. The program comes pre-installed on most PCs with Windows 10. However, if it is not installed on your computer, you can download it for free.
3D Builder lets you create and print your own 3D models. You can create 3D models from scratch or edit existing 3D models from a library of both free and paid designs. The program includes tools for transforming shapes, meshes, and existing models, as well as adding colors, textures, and materials.
The program supports a variety of file formats such as 3MF, STL, OBJ, PLY, and VRML file types. It can print models in 3MF, PLY, and STL file types. You can also save models in 3MF, PLY, and STL file types.
One of the best features of 3D Builder is that it is easy to use. The program has a simple and intuitive user interface that makes it easy for beginners to create and print 3D models. You can also find tutorials and guides online to help you get started with 3D Builder.
In summary, 3D Builder is a free and easy-to-use 3D printing application created by Microsoft. It allows you to create and print your own 3D models, as well as edit existing 3D models. The program supports a variety of file formats and has a simple and intuitive user interface.
Features of 3D Builder
3D Builder is a free 3D modeling software developed by Microsoft that allows users to create, modify, and print 3D models. It is available for download on the Windows Store and is compatible with Windows operating systems, including PC, cell phones, Xbox One, HoloLens, and Surface Hub. Here are some of the key features of 3D Builder:
3D Builder comes with a library of pre-built models that users can choose from to get started. These models include a variety of objects such as animals, vehicles, and household items. Users can also modify these models to suit their needs.
In addition to built-in models, 3D Builder allows users to create their own designs from scratch. The software provides a range of tools for creating and modifying shapes, adding textures and colors, and adjusting lighting and shadows. Users can also import 2D images and turn them into 3D models.
Import and Export Options
3D Builder supports a range of file formats for importing and exporting 3D models. These include STL, OBJ, PLY, 3MF, and VRML. Users can also export their models as 3D printable files, which can be sent to a 3D printer for physical production.
3D Printing Tools
One of the most useful features of 3D Builder is its built-in tools for 3D printing. The software provides a range of settings for adjusting the size, orientation, and quality of 3D prints. Users can also preview their prints before sending them to the printer.
Overall, 3D Builder is a versatile and user-friendly software that allows users to create and modify 3D models with ease. Whether you are a hobbyist or a professional, 3D Builder has something to offer.
How to Use 3D Builder
3D Builder is a user-friendly app that allows you to create and print your own 3D models. Here are some tips on how to use it effectively.
Creating a New Design
To create a new design in 3D Builder, follow these steps:
- Open the app and click on “New” to start a new project.
- Choose an item from the library or search Bing for downloadable models to start playing with them.
- Alternatively, you can create a new design from scratch by choosing “New Scene” and selecting the type of object you want to create.
- Use the tools provided to create your design. You can add shapes, text, and images to your design.
- Save your design as a 3MF, PLY, or STL file type.
Editing an Existing Design
If you want to edit an existing design in 3D Builder, follow these steps:
- Open the app and click on “Open” to select the design you want to edit.
- Use the tools provided to edit the design. You can change the size, shape, and color of the object.
- Save your changes as a 3MF, PLY, or STL file type.
Preparing for 3D Printing
Before printing your design, you need to make sure it is ready for 3D printing. Here are some steps to follow:
- Click on “Print” to open the print dialog box.
- Choose the printer you want to use and select the material you want to print with.
- Adjust the print settings as necessary, including layer height, infill density, and support structure.
- Preview your print to make sure it looks correct.
- Click on “Print” to start the printing process.
In conclusion, 3D Builder is a powerful tool that can help you create and print your own 3D models. By following these tips, you can use the app effectively and create amazing designs.
Compatibility and System Requirements
Microsoft 3D Builder is compatible with Windows 10 and Windows 8.1. It is not available for earlier versions of Windows or other operating systems.
To use 3D Builder, your computer should meet the following system requirements:
- 64-bit processor
- 4 GB of RAM or more
- Graphics card with DirectX 10 or higher
- Internet connection (for downloading models from the web)
3D Builder supports a variety of file formats, including STL, OBJ, PLY, and 3MF. It can also export models in STL, PLY, and 3MF formats.
In addition to using 3D Builder on a desktop or laptop computer, you can also use it on a Surface device with a touch screen. This allows you to use touch gestures to manipulate and edit your 3D models.
If you plan to use 3D Builder for 3D printing, you will also need a compatible 3D printer and printing software. 3D Builder supports a range of 3D printers, including those from MakerBot, Ultimaker, and Printrbot.
Overall, if you have a Windows 10 or 8.1 computer with a 64-bit processor, 4 GB of RAM or more, and a compatible graphics card, you should be able to use 3D Builder without any issues.
In conclusion, Microsoft 3D Builder is a free 3D printing application created by Microsoft that allows users to create 3D models from scratch or edit existing 3D models from a library of both free and paid designs. It includes tools for transforming shapes, meshes, and existing models, as well as adding textures, colors, and patterns.
One of the best things about 3D Builder is its ease of use. The interface is intuitive and user-friendly, making it accessible to beginners and experts alike. Additionally, the program is compatible with a wide range of 3D printers, so you can print your creations with ease.
Another great feature of 3D Builder is its library of templates, objects, and models. This makes it easy for users to create 3D designs without having to start from scratch. The library includes a wide range of objects, from animals and vehicles to household items and tools.
Overall, Microsoft 3D Builder is an excellent tool for anyone interested in 3D printing. Its ease of use, compatibility with a wide range of 3D printers, and library of templates and models make it a top choice for both beginners and experts alike.


Father of MysteryLiterature is something that has been changing and developing for centuries. Without the writers of the past, who were creatively expressing themselves, literature would not be what it is today. Emily Dickinson, William Wordsworth, and T.
S. Elliot are just a few authors who contributed to these developments. Perhaps one of the most influential was Edgar Allan Poe. Edgar Allan Poe’s life was not an easy one, which explains why poetry was so dark and disturbing. Poe’s father abandoned him when he was a baby, and his mother died of tuberculosis when he was only three years old.
He was adopted by a couple named John and Frances Allan. Frances was very loving toward Poe, but sadly died of tuberculosis just before he went to college. Poe attended the University of Virginia, but then dropped out and enrolled at West Point. He was soon expelled and then began a life of drinking and gambling. Poe gained some credibility from his poems, stories, and book reviewing, but he never earned very much money.
When Poe was 27 he then married his 13 year old cousin, only to watch her die of tuberculosis just like his mother and Frances Allan. Poe died three years later; he only lived to be 40 years old. During Poe’s short life he wrote nearly seventy short works of fiction. He is duly credited with creating the detective story genre, and with transforming the Gothic mystery tale of the Romantic Period into the modern horror or murder stories. But he also wrote several comic and satirical pieces, literary parodies, sketches, and experimental stories, including “A Descent into the Maelstrom,” and The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym.
His most famous poems, “The Raven,” “Ulalume,” “The Bells,” “The City in the Sea”, were enormously influential. A huge wave of enthusiasm and influence is what inspired Poe to write these famous poems. Most of his inspirations came from other writers of Europe during his lifetime. However, Poe also wrote three volumes of poetry during the first period of his literary career.
The short story is something that Edgar Allan Poe deserves more credit for than any other writer. Poe transformed the short story into art. He helped establish the short story by using existing and innovative elements. By doing this he revolutionized short literature, practically created the detective story, and perfected the psychological thriller.
When writing short stories, Poe believed that the author had to visualize the effect that they wanted to achieve. Poe’s Works were always carefully planned out. He was always in control of his writing, so he was able to introduce literary devices and new plot elements. While writing his main concern was design and composition. He was concerned with the impact the story would have upon the reader.
Poe’s desire for the reader’s entertainment and his dark, creepy, dramatic style is what has made him the father of mysteries and detective stories. Even today Poe’s short stories are read in schools and in literary circles. His literary devices and entertainment value is what has earned him a place in history. Poe’s poems have also had a large impact on the writers of later generations. His poems including, “To Helen,” “The Raven,” “The City in the Sea,” “The Bells,” and “Annabel Lee”, are rich with musical phrases and sensuous, and sometimes frightening images.
Poe was also an intelligent and witty critic who often theorized about the art of writing. Poe’s poetry also had a direct impact on southern writers. John Gould Fletcher, who was a Pulitzer Prize winning poet, was known to read and re-read Poe’s poetry since he was ten. Just as aspiring young writers of the 1950s tried to imitate William Faulkner, even earlier generations imitated aspects from Poe’s poetry. Walker Percy, who like Poe lost both his parents under traumatic circumstances, also followed the Poe tradition.
Poe’s poetry uses basic themes that have endured for centuries through other writers, readers, and listeners. Another of Poe’s contributions to literature was his theories and kinds of stories he created. Poe developed a theory of composition that he applied to both his short stories and to his poems. Its basic principle was that in a short fiction or poetry, the writer’s main goal should be to create a total psychological or spiritual effect upon the reader. The theme or plot should always be secondary to the author’s goal of a single, intense mood in the reader’s or listener’s mind.
Poe also invented the prose tale, which was a prose narrative that was meant to be read in a half-hour to an hour. The prose tale is meant to keep the reader absorbed in the story until the very end, that way there wouldn’t be any breaks to disturb the effect of the story. Poe thought that all stories should be written to entertain the reader. Today, Poe is known, read, and appreciated on the foundation of a fairly narrow body of short stories and poems, compared to many other great writers of his time. His writings offer an entry into his unique and terrifying world that is Poe’s tragic life. The total effect of all this is undeniable, and Poe himself would certainly approve.
He wrote for the reader, using his own technique to reach the people of his day and to then elevate their minds and emotional reactions. Along with Mark Twain and Ernest Hemingway, Poe ranks among the foremost literary stars in the firmament of popular American culture. A century and half after his death, Poe is instantly identifiable. Poe could be called infamous in modern terms. Poe stands on his own and cannot be compared.
His short stories, mysteries, and poems and remain greatly enjoyable. Poe’s legacy will continue to grow through his readings and other writers, who are still greatly inspired by him centuries later. BIBLIOGRAPHY1. The Museum of an American Author, James Southall Wilson. January 25, 2005,. 2.
The Man behind the Legend, Edward Wagenknecht. February 16, 1963, Toronto. 3. The Longman Anthology of World Literature, Marshall Brown & Bruce Robbins. Pearson Education, Inc 2004.
4. Poe Society of Baltimore, Steven Webster. October 14, 2004, California. . 5. A Poe Webliography, Heyward Ehrlich.
January 30, 1997, California. .


In what ways and with what effects has “The Doll’s House” offered a critique of the culture?
Ibsen wanted to use his play “A Doll’s House” to challenge the norms of society and criticize the way middle-class married woman were looked at. He wanted to portray Nora’s struggle through the restriction of society. The theme of a woman’s right to individuality and the theme of a man and his wife trying to live their own individual lives were the cause of harsh criticism and controversy in the play because the audience of the late 19th century had never seen women as equals to men. They felt the play was too unrealistic, as in those days women were not seen as individuals but as dependent on their husbands or their fathers. The play created uproar in the contemporary theatres with Nora rejecting her family life and separating from Torvald. Nora’s character and her relationship with Torvald were Ibsen’s tools to criticize society’s portrayal of a typical housewife Ibsen challenged the views of the people at that time by portraying middle class women in a way they had never been seen in.
The theme of a middle-class woman trying to be independent and do business behind her husband’s back was Ibsen’s way of challenging the stereotype of a middle-class woman. He portrayed Nora as the typical 19th century housewife at the start of the play as can be seen in the dialogue between her and her husband, Torvald and by how she goes along with her husbands whims and fancies. But you also see her keeping secrets from her husband when she hides the macaroons from him –
“Hel: [wagging his finger at her] Hasn’t Miss Sweet Tooth been breaking rules in town today?
Nora: No; what makes you think that?”1
This was a foreshadow to the other much bigger secret that Nora kept from Torvald about borrowing money from Krogstad. Nora realized that she could not be bound down by the norms of society and by her husband’s views. Torvald wanted Nora to do what he wanted and think what he thought. He wanted her to be able to live up to his image in society. Nora decided that she could not take that sort of treatment. She wanted to start working and living for herself, not having to be tied down by social customs. This made her leave her children and Torvald. Her decision to leave shocked theatergoers, as they had never seen anything like it before as it totally went against the culture of the time.
The theme of a husband and wife both having to live separate lives was also criticized harshly because it was not considered proper in society for a man and is wife to be divorced at that time. Torvald was portrayed by Ibsen as the typical husband who thought his wife could not live independently. He also was only concerned with his social position. He did not care what trouble Nora would have to face because she forged her father’s signature but was worried about what society would think of them. Ibsen went against the culture at that time by showing the wife as an independent person who could live without the help of her husband or her father. Divorce was frowned on by society and divorcees were shrouded with social stigma. Ibsen felt hat showing a wife and her husband, as two individual entities would challenge the culture’s prejudice that a wife needed her husband or her father to provide for her.
Nora’s character was the main component of Ibsen’s rebellion against the 19th century society. She was rebellious and independent. She lied to Torvald and ultimately left him when she found out that he only worried about his social position. She may have appeared to be a simpleton but it was only a guise. She actually knew a lot about business because of the loan she had taken. She also was able to keep a lot of secrets from Torvald for a very long time. Ibsen used her character to show what the new age woman would be like. He wanted the audience to feel that she was what modern woman would be like.
The relationship between Torvald and Nora and the gender roles was also a challenge to the culture by Ibsen. In most of the play, Torvald is the one with the power in the relationship while Nora is the subdued servile one. Torvald’s choice of nicknames for Nora like “squirrel” and “skylark” almost imply that Nora is more of a pet than an equal for Torvald. This was almost like a typical middle class relationship at that time. But towards the end of the play Nora realizes that she does not want to be treated as an inferior anymore. She felt that Torvald did not love her but was concerned with his social position. Their relationship turned on its head when Torvald read Krogstad’s letter. Nora realized that Torvald was only concerned with his social position. She left Torvald and her children to live by herself. She did not care what society would think of her. It was social convention that decided what her role would be but her individuality made her separate from Torvald. Ibsen used Torvald and Nora’s relationship to bring about the conflict between freedom and society’s norms.
Ibsen used the themes of his play and Nora’s character to challenge the culture of his time. Society looked down upon independent women and divorces. Ibsen wanted to change the views of society. The play is based on the clash between societal norms and independence. When the play ends with Nora becoming independent critics were flabbergasted by Ibsen’s portrayal of women. The portrayal of women in “A Doll’s House” though controversial in the 19th century is accepted view in today’s day and age which was just what Ibsen expected it to be.


Top Ten Free Web Resources for
Arts & Culture Leaders
Summer is here! Time for outdoor concerts, arts festivals, summer stock, and Arts Consulting Group’s list of the top ten free web resources for arts and culture leaders! Here are ACG’s recommendations to bookmark for your travel and leisure reading.
1. Americans for the Arts
Americans for the Arts continues to provide invaluable creative resources and information on top issues affecting the arts today. Its new Arts + Social Impact Explorer is an online tool that illuminates the important ways the arts intersect with the day-to-day lives of Americans. Explore topics such as education, culture and heritage, social justice, and health and wellness.
BoardSource is the leading organization focused on inspiring and supporting excellence in nonprofit governance and board and staff leadership. Its Fundamental Topics of Board Service & Resource Library provides an extensive list of downloadable resources, topic papers, and publications that pertain to fundamental aspects of nonprofit board service. These topics include the board-staff partnership, oversight and accountability, fundraising, advocacy and ambassadorship, and board composition and recruitment.
3. Canada Council for the Arts
As Canada’s public arts funder, Canada Council for the Arts champions and invests in artistic excellence through its grants, services, prizes, and payments to Canadian artists and arts organizations. Its Research Library provides an abundance of useful research from the past 20 years. Arts and culture leaders can filter through a variety of subjects, including audiences and access, statistical insights on the arts, arts management, indigenous reports, and arts funding. In May 2018, The Research, Evaluation and Performance Measurement Section of the Canada Council for the Arts began working with the Université du Québec à Montréal and a team of university researchers to carry out a study that aims to document the Deaf and disability arts practices in Canada. This research will contribute to a better understanding of issues surrounding Deaf and disability arts, collaborations between Deaf and disability arts sectors and art sectors more broadly, and practices that allow for the recognition, support, and promotion of Deaf and disability artists.
Foundation Center and GuideStar joined forced this year to form Candid. Through research, collaboration, and training, Candid connects people with the resources they need to change the world. Candid’s data tools on nonprofits, foundations, and grants are the most comprehensive in the world. By merging their databases, these two resources can now present more uniformity and context in its nonprofit information. Visitors can filter, analyze, and download data on 2.7 million nonprofits in the United States, search 140,000 funders and 14 million grants to find funding, confirm a nonprofit’s eligibility for grants and contributions, and explore funding landscapes on critical global issues.
5. Free Management Library
Since 1995 Free Management Library has offered indispensable board governance resources, including fact sheets, forms, sample policies, board manuals, and other helpful tools. A collaborative effort by several entities, this website continues to be the best online source of free information, covering nearly every aspect of effective management and nonprofit operations. Select from a wide variety of topics such as career advancement, cultivating desired culture, organizational change, and more.
6. National Assembly of State Arts Agencies
National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) is a professional association of the nation’s 56 state and jurisdictional arts agencies. As a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, NASAA champions public support for the arts in America, working with state arts agencies to advance the arts as an essential ingredient in the well-being and prosperity of individuals, families, and communities. In addition to advocating for the policy interests of state arts agencies, NASAA is an authoritative resource for information about state arts agencies and public funding for the arts. NASAA’s research and member education programs drive excellence and spark innovation. Research topics in areas such as funding, arts education, federal reporting, grant making, and creative economy supply relevant statistics, information on best practices, and guidance on collecting and using data.
7. Nonprofit Tech for Good
Nonprofit Tech for Good is a leading technology resource for nonprofit professionals, providing valuable, easy-to-understand information, news, and resources related to nonprofit technology, online communication, and mobile and social fundraising. Download Nonprofit Tech for Good’s free 2018 Global NGO Technology Report, the only annual research project dedicated to studying global web and email communications, online fundraising tools, social media, mobile technology, data management, and security software. This is the sister report to the Global Trends in Giving Report, which shows the impact of technology, gender, generation, and ideology upon giving worldwide. The 2019 editions will be available in September.
8. Performing Arts Alliance
Providing excellent advocacy tools for arts and cultural organizations and individuals, the Performing Arts Alliance is the national policy advocate, leadership forum, and learning network for nonprofit performing arts organizations, artists, and allies. Its website includes detailed recommendations on arts policy and current updates on pending arts legislation. Its Arts Advocacy Issue Center offers overviews and analyses on topics ranging from federal funding for arts education to international artist visa processing. Additionally, its Take Action Now! button provides a quick and easy way to take a stand for a current policy affecting the arts industry.
9. SMU DataArts
Launched in 2012, Southern Methodist University’s National Center for Arts Research (NCAR) was the leading provider of evidence-based insights on the nonprofit arts and cultural industry. In 2018 NCAR merged with DataArts, the respected Philadelphia-based resource for in-depth information about nonprofit arts, culture, and humanities organizations in the United States. The newly formed SMU DataArts provides analytic reports, training and support, and cultural data networks. Examines the results of more than 2,000 organizations’ fundraising efforts across 11 different arts and cultural sectors throughout the United States, The Fundraising Report highlights trends for over the four-year period from 2014 to 2017. This newly released report offers valuable insights and useful tools to help arts and cultural leaders tell their story, overcome challenges, and increase impact.
10. Volunteer Match
For more than 20 years, VolunteerMatch has been an effective source for recruiting highly qualified volunteers. The website pairs passionate and committed people to nonprofit organizations, placing them when and where they are needed. VolunteerMatch is packed with helpful advice for governance leaders and volunteer managers. Its Learning Center offers webinars on advanced topics such as developing a strategic plan for volunteer engagement and managing difficult volunteer transitions. The organization has paired more than 15 million people to more 120,000 organizations. Arts and culture leaders can register as a VolunteerMatch Member to find volunteers for their organization’s cause.
Sign up to receive Arts Insights, ACG’s free publication featuring articles on a variety of topics ranging from effective board summits to fundraising strategies. Visit ACG’s website to review past issues.
Contact ACG for more information on how we can help your organization with interim management,
executive search, revenue enhancement, strategic planning & community engagement,
and facilities & program planning services for the arts and culture industry.
Click here for the downloadable PDF.


With the constant increase in the cost of living, personal loans have started to play an important role in our lives today. Unlike the days when you had to queue in banks for days, nowadays digital loans are disbursed almost instantly. Experts say that while quick access to cash is very convenient, it is important to pay off these loans on time.
Atul Monga, CEO and Co-Founder of BASIC Home Loan, says, âWhile it’s nice to get your mortgage approved quite easily, it’s just as important to pay it off on time. This helps to keep the financial condition of the borrower in good health and also saves time and money in the long run.
With digital advancement, getting a loan has never been easier, but it’s not free money – the borrower has the responsibility to pay the money back on time, especially with interest rates. students. Therefore, if you have more than one loan at a time, pay off the one with the highest interest rate first.
Gaurav Jalan, CEO and founder of pocket, says: âIt is important to keep in mind that the interest rate on a personal loan is much higher than the interest rate on a home loan or mortgage. a vehicle loan. First, pay off loans with a higher interest rate.
Hence, if one has sufficient funds, he / she should consider entering the loan. This will turn out to be a much cheaper option compared to paying full interest over the originally stipulated period.
Here are some tips to pay off the mortgage on time and make it faster;
Make reimbursement a priority – Paying the EMI on time helps to increase the borrower’s credit rating. Scheduling the IME close to the pay date and ensuring sufficient funds will help pay the IME on time. Missing an IME will result in penalties from the lender and also hurt the borrower’s credit rating.
Invest in various programs – âYou can start making different investments to secure the lump sum payment and the loan down payment. If the down payment is large, the loan amount will be less, which would help lower interest rates further, âsays Monga. Lowering the EMI becomes easier for the pockets to pay it back on time.
Negotiate for better rates – There are many tariffs on the market. Experts say you have to negotiate the terms of service with the lender to get the best possible interest rates. Lower interest rates will ease the burden on the borrower and in turn contribute to better repayment.
Choose a short duration – An important factor to consider when taking out a home loan is the length of tenure. The shorter the term of office, the faster the loan assignment will also be. Monga adds, âEven though this will cause the borrower to pay out a larger amount as a NMI each month, the interest rates will be lower. The longer the term, the higher the interest rates.
Even with such metrics, tracking multiple payable IMEs can become difficult. Experts say debt consolidation is another alternative for those with many loans.
Jalan says, âDebt consolidation allows the borrower to consolidate several loans into one. This will allow the borrower to make only one payment each month, with only one associated interest rate. He further adds: âLenders often have attractive offers to consolidate existing loans. This can help the borrower to reduce their overall interest charge, thus making it easier to manage their finances.
Just like debt consolidation, another alternative that one can avail is a personal loan balance transfer. This is basically a process whereby the borrower can transfer all of their outstanding personal loan from one bank to another, and the new bank grants a lower interest rate on the outstanding loan amount. . However, note that to qualify for a personal loan balance transfer, you must have a good credit rating.
Jalan of pocket says, âA good credit rating is just one of the many benefits one would get from paying off loans on time. This will have lasting benefits for the borrower in the long run.


How many people do you know go to the doctor for minor aches and pains and are given a pill to relieve the pain? Massage relieves these same aches and pains, for most minor soft-tissue injuries. Now wouldn’t that be nice not to have to take another pill! They only mask the problem and do not actually fix it.
Facilitated stretching is an extremely useful technique in the treatment and rehabilitation of soft tissue injuries. When used appropriately, it can safely and effectively help restore suppleness and flexibility to injured muscles. Massage alone can be effective in reducing pain and restoring flexibility to fibrotic tissue. The addition of facilitated stretching fosters a dramatic reduction in the overall healing time and the restoration of pain-free motion.
As a massage therapist and certified personal trainer, I have the ability to work with injuries to the soft tissues in a way that few other practitioners do. When using facilitated stretching in conjunction with massage techniques to help rehabilitate injured tissue, I focus the stretch to a specific area of the muscle. The isometric contraction further activates the muscle and prepares the fibers to lengthen. It also helps to break free adhesions that have just been softened by the massage technique.
Why wait? Schedule your massage with Brie today!


Oregon Butterflies: What They Need to Thrive
March 9 @ 1:00 pm
Join JCLS and the Jackson County Master Gardeners to learn about native butterflies and their habitats! This virtual presentation by Master Gardener Lynn Kunstman will share information about butterflies found in Oregon, their native landscapes and food sources, and how we can help them thrive.
Lynn Kunstman is a Master Gardener living in Medford, Oregon. She has lived in the Rogue Valley since 1986. She holds a bachelor’s degree in wildlife management and a Master’s Degree of Science in Education. A retired middle school science and special education teacher, Lynn’s students at Ashland Middle School established the school’s butterfly garden. Her first project upon retiring and moving from Ashland to Medford was to mulch out all the lawns on her property. Lynn’s entire front yard in Medford is now given over to wildlife, planted with edible trees and shrubs, as well as pollinator plants. The back yard is planted in fruit trees, berries and vegetables, for the humans. She is an enthusiastic advocate of gardens planted with wildlife, pollinators, and butterflies in mind.


When it involves maintaining your dog secure, there are numerous issues you can do. Some of this stuff embody buying them a collar and leash, making certain they get sufficient exercise and coaching them to know the method to behave round different people and animals. But one other important approach to hold your dog safe is by ensuring that they’re sporting the right type of collar.
The Foraisv anti-bark dog collar has three correction modes – sound, vibration, and elective shock operate. The modern-looking show exhibits you all the necessary data and lets you choose the correction mode and regulate the strength of correction your dog receives.
The different level of importance is how many collars the remote will work with. If you may have a couple of dog, you can usually find a model that accommodates multiple bark collars for dogs in a single system. It’s hard to think about a dog’s bark collar as clever, however in fact, there was fairly a little bit of thought put into the logic of this system.
Spray collars can be utilized with remote controls or be sound-activated. This different collar that provides a fast spray of citronella by WWVVPET comes with distant control. The remote control function permits the dog parents to manually management the spraying of citronella on their dog’s face. It additionally has a built-in rechargeable battery that lasts as a lot as eleven days on the spray collar whereas lasting 27 days for the distant.
It could possibly be that your pooch is simply being naughty, or one thing more critical could be afoot, like an harm or sickness. Below are the bark collars we’re testing for an replace to this information in summer time 2021. If worn longer or fitted improperly, the probes can rub and irritate the skin. Users report that the shock correction on this product is fairly intense and ought to be used with warning. This collar may additionally be set off if the dog scratches or jars the collar too much. If you’re on the lookout for a high-quality bark collar with technology to prevent unintended shocks, we advocate making an attempt the TBI Pro Collar first.
In 1905 the English Coonhound was first registered by UKC beneath the name of English Fox & Coonhound. That’s to not say that there’s something mistaken with the PetSafe Basic Bark Collar. Great for canines who don’t want static shock collars to discourage them from barking. The collar also has a LED gentle that helps you see when your canine is barking. The light will turn off when the dog stops barking, so that you don’t have to fret about accidents brought on by the sunshine turning on whereas your canine is barking. We discovered that when our canine started to bark, the collar started emitting a high-pitched noise, stopping their barking immediately.
No matter which sort of collar you use, all of them are not painful at all. While there are different kinds of bark control methods corresponding to static correction, we advocate you seek the guidance of with a professional trainer before attempting this technique. Simply put the collar is not going to pick up on or shock when barking happens. I can put it into test mode and it works no downside however dogcarehq.com/dog-collars/bark when it’s turned on and the canine barks it doesn’t do anything. If your canine barks at folks or different dogs during walks, distract him with particular treats, like hen, cheese or hot canines, before he begins to bark. Some canines do best when you ask them to take a seat as people or canine cross. Make certain you praise and reward your dog with treats anytime he chooses to not bark.
The sensitivity stage could be modified to match your dog’s preferences. The vibration and sound functions work nicely and assist to maintain your dog underneath control.
The most effective means for discouraging excitement or frustration barking is to show a annoyed canine to regulate his impulses through obedience coaching. You can train your canine to attend, sit and stay before gaining access to fun actions like walks, playing with different dogs or chasing squirrels.
But if your pup is the particularly cussed type, then a sonic, static, or vibration collar will likely be a more suitable option for them. For example, a sensitive or fearful canine is healthier off with a extra gentle spray collar. Learning might be fast, and the distraction will generally be sufficient to deliver out the desired action.
The collar runs on a chargeable battery, and the manufacturer estimates 10 days of normal use on a full charge. Many canine homeowners are reluctant to use shock collars in the first place, for fear that they are inhumane. While this isn’t the case if they’re used properly, choosing dog barking collars that only vibrate does certainly take this question out of the equation. This anti-bark collar comes with a specifically designed bark counter.
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The National Diabetes Education Program says holiday family gatherings are a good time for the older and younger generations to share information that can help us lower the risk.
Diabetes might not seem like the ideal topic of conversation during holiday visits—yet in many ways, this is a very good time to raise the subject. It’s a time when family members who are living with the disease can talk about ways they are keeping the condition under control, what with the temptations of the holiday table and the hectic schedule. And, even more important, it’s a time for family members to share information about their health, because one of the top risk factors for diabetes is a family history of the disease, and the holidays are when family members are most likely to be together.
Why This Conversation Is Important
Your family health history is an important part of understanding your chance for developing a number of serious diseases, including type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is a serious disease that, if left untreated, can lead to serious health problems including blindness, loss of limbs, kidney failure, heart disease, and early death. In fact, most people with type 2 diabetes have a family member—such as a mother, father, brother, or sister—with the disease.
The National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) encourages all families to gather their family health history this holiday season and help prevent or delay type 2 diabetes in future generations.
Once you learn about your family health history, share it with your health care team, and take important steps to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes. Studies show that losing 10-15 pounds if you are overweight, walking 30 minutes a day at least five days a week, and following a low-fat, low-calorie meal plan are action steps to help prevent or delay the disease.
Four Questions You Should Ask
The answers to these key questions could help you prevent type 2 diabetes in your future:
- Does anyone in the family have type 2 diabetes? Who has type 2 diabetes?
- Has anyone in the family been told they might get diabetes?
- Has anyone in the family been told they need to lower their weight or increase their physical activity to prevent type 2 diabetes?
- Did any women in the family develop diabetes when they were pregnant? (This condition is also known as gestational diabetes.)
If the answer to any of these is yes, or you have a mother, father, brother, or sister with type 2 diabetes, you may be at an increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Talk to your doctor to learn more about managing your risk and preventing or delaying type 2 diabetes.
Other Risk Factors for Type 2 Diabetes
In addition to having a family history of diabetes, there are other factors that increase your risk for developing the disease. Be sure to talk with your health care team about your chance of developing type 2 diabetes and whether you should be tested, if you:
- are age 45 or older
- are overweight or obese
- exercise less than three times a week
- have other health problems such as high blood pressure
- had gestational diabetes when you were pregnant, or gave birth to a baby weighing 9 pounds or more
- have prediabetes, which means your blood sugar is higher than normal, but not high enough to be called diabetes
- are African American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian, Alaska Native, Asian American, or Pacific Islander.
For more ways to lower your risk for type 2 diabetes, check out NDEP’s Choose More than 50 Ways to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes, available at www.YourDiabetesInfo.org or call
Adapted from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Diabetes Education Program is jointly sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with the support of more than 200 partner organizations.


22 April 2012
Beyond calories in, calories out -- look to the Amish
What is wrong with "eat less, move more"? Most of us are familiar with this mantra as weight-loss advice. However, a new consensus statement from the American Society for Nutrition (ASN) and the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) contends that this energy-in-energy-out framework isn't really so simple.
The problem lies in that consuming fewer calories and burning more through physical activity doesn’t always translate well to weight management. That is not to say that the framework of energy balance—negative energy balance for weight loss; positive energy balance for weight—is wrong. At some level, it’s right; however, several factors come into the equation.
During a Saturday morning session of Experimental Biology (#EB2012) in San Diego, Calif., researchers discussed the topic of this complexity and promoting a new paradigm on energy balance.
Energy balance is not just about addition of diet and exercise; each affects the other, so that changing one changes the others, explained Jim Hill, professor of pediatrics and medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver, and new recipient of the W.O. Atwater Lectureship awarded by the American Society for Nutrition.
What must be appreciated is the body's system of active regulation, he said.
"It's not just a little man in your head that," he said, adding that the body may rely on a 'set point' or 'settling point' type of system that attempts to balance energy, energy stores, glucose, glycogen, fat stores, and temperature.
"You might argue that up to the 1970s, the system worked pretty well," Hill said. "This whole system is based on inherited factors. If you look at what’s really changed since the 70s, it's really the environmental factors. We don't have to hunt and kill our food anymore. We go to the supermarket and fill our carts. We also sit in some form of fashion every day."
Obesity, a problem of overwhelmed "active regulation"
Most of these environmental influences are designed to increase energy intake. It becomes more difficult to avoid overeating and underactivity. These influences, summed up, overwhelm active regulation and the body’s energy balance system. Then the body's physiology adjusts.
Are there things in the food supply that cause to eat more? Are they influences that affect our brains and nervous system? Hill said that however they may affect us, it is still through energy balance. He said he "laughs every time" he sees studies questioning whether the rise of obesity epidemic is related to energy intake or expenditure.
"Diet and physical activity interact," he said. "Please don't ask if it's diet or physical activity. The answer is 'yes'."
What wrong with diets? No matter which diet, Hill said, the results are always the same: Body weight may increase, may not change, or may decrease. The inconsistent outcomes may be because of poor compliance, physical activity, metabolic rate differences, or food intake adjustments. Eventually, what goes wrong is that environment affects behavior so strongly that over time that people are gaining a little weight. They don’t gain a lot, but they gain about a pound or two a year with some push back from their active regulation systems.
One way to combat the obesity epidemic is by encouraging an environment more like that of a half a century ago, Hill said. How the old order Amish live today is a good example.
"The Amish walk 18 thousand steps a day. They don’t have spandex or a gym membership. That explains about 400 to 600 calories a day. A typical person in the U.S. walks only five to six thousand steps a day," Hill said.
Hill suggests preventing weight gain with small steps—or, more specifically, 2 thousand steps daily.
"We have a poor ability to maintain weight loss, but we have a better ability to prevent weight loss,” he said. “This is why we started a movement to move. Two-thousand steps a day is not going to create weight loss, but might prevent weight gain."
What role can small changes play in an environment where we need bigger systemic changes? Hill argues that it will "set the table" for bigger change. Another factor may be that it may help to improve performance or "reset" active regulation.
"Our biology works best at high levels of physical activity. Obesity is in the 'unregulated zone.' When physical activity increases, you enter 'regulated zone'. Physical activity may help the 'regulatory system' work better."
Until bigger changes can be created in the environment, Hill is a fan of "stealth health" strategies for reducing obesity. That is, finding ways of encouraging better energy in, energy out balance without the public noticing.
For example, Hill explains, at Disney parks and at Starbucks, drinks are now made with low-fat milk. Does anyone notice the difference? What about portion sizes? Would anyone notice a 5 percent reduction at restaurants?
Another idea Hill proposed was that of regulation of school drop offs—so that they would be 500 steps away from the school. Would it be so far that the children would notice a difference?
The implementation of these "stealth health" strategies would increase physical activity and reduce overeating. Combined with teaching children energy balance skills, it could reduce childhood and overall obesity.
What also may be important is to combine both diet and physical activity guidelines for society? But how can this be achieved when studies show that energy balance is such a dynamic versus static process?
Learn more about the questions raised about energy balance at Experimental Biology from the American Society for Nutrition’s cover page story in Nutrition Notes Daily.


Takashi Uesugi, who says he is an ex-journalist and now a "hyper golf creator" (whatever that means), went inside the no-entry zone in Fukushima (I believe it was in May or June) with his dosimeters to ostensibly visit his favorite golf course in Fukushima.
Mr. Uesugi, former New York Times reporter, created the bilingual (Japanese/English) video below, which is on his website, as a teaser for the longer, full version to be released later.
In the early days of the Fukushima nuclear accident, he was more active, accusing the government and TEPCO for withholding the information about the accident, particularly about the "meltdown" of the reactors.
On his visit to his favorite golf course, Uesugi also dropped by near Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant. His dosimeter showed 106.87 microsieverts/hour.
What's astonishing to me about the video than the radiation level (yes it is high) is that Uesugi visited a family who continues to live inside the no-entry zone because of the very old mother who is bed-ridden. The daughter, herself in her 60s or 70s, says even the doctors tell them it was a good choice to remain there, because her mother wouldn't have made it in the temporary shelter. But there is no water, no gas, no propane delivery, nothing. How do these people survive? Why should they suffer like this? Because of the arbitrary circle that the inept government marked on the map in March last year. But the daughter is reassuring the mother, "This is your house, you don't need to go anywhere."
Many who saw this video are crying "TEPCO lies!" on Twitter because one of the monitoring posts at the plant on July 12 was only 9.3 microsieverts/hour, nowhere near 106 microsieverts/hour that Uesugi measured.
That is an unjust accusation, though. TEPCO says on its webpage that summarizes the monitoring post data that the company did the thorough decontamination from February to April this year around the the monitoring posts MP2 through 8 in order to reduce the background radiation levels to better monitor the radiation fluctuations. The radiation level near the Main Building has been extremely stable around 220 microsieverts/hour.


The American P-61 Black Widow nightfighter enjoyed an inauspicious start to its combat operations in the ETO. Some believed the P-61 was too slow to effectively engage in combat with German fighters and medium bombers, a view which the RAF apparently shared, based on the performance of a single P-61 they had received in early May. And in one of the Black Widow’s first engagements over northern Europe during August 1944 a 422 NFS P-61 sustained heavy damage attempting to down a Heinkel He 177 bomber. This incident was the subject of an article in Jet & Prop magazine (issue 6/97) entitled " Schwarze Witwe contra Greif " (‘Black Widow versus Griffon’) written and compiled by Michael Balss.
The 422nd Night Fighter Squadron was the first P-61-equipped squadron to ship to England and began flying operational missions over England in mid-July 1944. The first P-61 engagement in the European Theatre occurred on July 15 when a P-61 piloted by Lt. Herman Ernst was directed to intercept a V-1 Doodlebug . Diving from above and behind to match the V-1's 350 mph (560 km/h) speed, the P-61's plastic rear cone imploded under the pressure and the attack was aborted. The tail cones would fail on several early P-61 A models before this problem was corrected. On 16 July, Lt. Ernst was again directed to attack a V-1 and, this time, was successful, giving the 422nd NFS and the European Theatre its first P-61 kill. In early August 1944, the 422nd NFS transferred to Maupertus (near Cherbourg, Normandy) and began to encounter German aircraft for the first time.
During the late evening of 14 August 1944 Heinkel He 177 bombers of I./KG 40 took off from Schwäbisch Hall to attack Allied targets in France. One of the ‘Greif’ bombers was the 2. Staffel machine coded F8+AN, Werknummer 550077, flown by Hptm. Stolle. Stolle’s crew reported that the night was ‘clear and light, in fact it was too light..’ The silhouettes of further 2. Staffel He 177s flying in loose formation could be clearly made out from F8+AN. The first part of the mission was uneventful. The flight engineer Fw. R takes up the story;
"..it was shortly before half past midnight. I had just carried out my instrument checks and was about to make my report to Hptm. Stolle when our tail gunner Uffz. Fabinger shouted over the EiV (Eigenverständigung - crew intercom), “ Achtung! Lightning at 6 o’clock. Maintain heading, I’m opening fire. ” At the same time we felt the fuselage shudder as Fabinger’s 2 cm cannon opened up. Fabinger was soon reporting “ .I’ve hit him, he’s alight, his starboard engine is on fire, he’s going down. Abschuß!.." The two other He 177s witnessed the downing (Abschußbestätigung) and confirmed it north of Bafleur (sic), France..(Barfleur, Normandy). The rest of the flight was quiet. Over the target there was some flak, but nothing in our direction and it was around 04:00 when we landed back in Schwäbisch Hall and were able to congratulate our gunner on his success.."
In fact the ‘Lightning at 6 o’ clock’ was a P 61 A "Black Widow" flown by 2nd Lt Lewis A. Gordon (pilot) and 2nd Lt Creel H. Morrison of the 422nd NFS. The Black Widow pilot wrote an account for his niece Allison Gordon in an unpublished memoir entitled "War in the Night Sky";
"..On my eleventh mission, 14 August 1944, we were doing a night patrol over the English Channel, and we got a bogie. So they put us on a heading to intercept, and pretty soon my RO says, "I got him". And we called GCI, and said, "We have him." We closed in, and my RO would tell me, gentle port, gentle starboard, increase your speed, decrease your speed. And he brought me in..Unfortunately he saw me before I saw him, and his tail gunner cut loose knocking out my starboard engine which immediately caught fire.."
The P-61 pilot Al Gordon continued;
“ Some of the enemy fire entered the top of my canopy, and lodged in and exploded the hydraulic reservoir just above and behind my head. That knocked out part of the hydraulic system. Fortunately the P-61 controls didn't operate hydraulically; they were operated by cables. So the hydraulic failure didn't affect the ‘flyability’ of the plane. My first reaction was complete shock—they didn’t tell us about this! Then all the training kicked in and I proceeded to function. I was scared, of course. I'd have to be a liar to say I wasn't. But I was so damn busy, trying to fly the aircraft at that point that I really didn't have much time to think about it. But I knew that I was in trouble, and I was trying to work my way out of it. I could communicate with my RO over the radio, but in hindsight I should have talked more, because he didn't know what the hell I was doing, and he was scared to death...So here I am, a flamer, 50 miles out over the English Channel. I feathered the starboard engine right away-- I did the right thing there. And I dove it a little bit to gain speed, and put the fire out. My radio was still somewhat operational, so GCI vectored me back. My guess is that it might have been fifteen minutes before we reached the airfield, but it seemed like a long, long time. I came in on one engine, and I lowered my landing gear, not realizing that my nose wheel had been shot out from under me. Considering everything, it was a good landing, except that when it came time for the nose wheel to drop, there was no nose wheel. So I skidded on the front of the plane to a stop..."
Impatient Widow" # 91, tail number 42-5591 had its starboard engine shot out along with oil lines and hydraulics. Arriving back at their base in Maupertus the nose-wheel failed to come down but the crew escaped the ensuing crash-landing unscathed, with damage assessed as CAT B/E. The Widow’s fuselage, engines and other salvageable equipment were used for spares of which the ETO Black Widow squadrons had little during their time in northern Europe.
“Nobody was hurt, but I learned a valuable lesson on that mission. Never come in for an attack from the rear, shallow—so the tail gunner can see you. Rather you synchronize speed and heading well below the bogie, then identify, drop back, and shoot. The important thing is to live beyond an experience like this and of course learn from it. One tends to be a little more cautious, increasing one’s chances of lasting through the war.”
Back in Germany Fabinger was awarded the EK 1 for his alertness, marksmanship and observational prowess. As the unnamed flight engineer Fw. R reported ;
“ Fabinger had almost certainly saved the aircraft and our lives. The pictures were taken two days later and we proudly painted a victory marking on the tail fin of the He 177 which was surmounted with an American star. (photo below) I don’t know what became of Fabinger – the crew was split up towards the end of the war and was dispersed to the four winds..”
At that stage of the war the P-61 was a fairly ‘rare’ type, almost certainly completely unknown to the Luftwaffe He 177 crews, so as Balss makes clear, researching the actual circumstances of this incident from the German side posed considerable difficulties. The story was not complete until the discovery of a USAAF photo depicting ‘Impatient Widow’ following its crash landing – the official caption; ‘This P-61 returned home safely after combat with a Heinkel He 177 on the night of 15 August. The He 177 did not escape unscathed..”


Open and generous, Ann Coulter enjoys a wide circle of friends and acquaintances and she thrives on sociability and fellowship. She is adventurous, playful, freedom loving, and always ready for a good time. Coulter rarely allows obstacles or difficulties to keep her down, for no matter how bleak the past or present, Ann always expects a better, brighter future. In fact, she is uncomfortable with her own or other people's problems and emotional pain. Ann Coulter often tries to "cheer up" or offer philosophical advice to those who are hurting, but she unwittingly avoids or ignores the emotions involved.
Friendship means a great deal to Coulter, perhaps even more than love relationships or romance. For Ann Coulter to be happy, her mate must be her best friend and encourage Ann's aspirations and ideals. Ann Coulter also needs a great deal of emotional freedom and mobility.
Coulter works well with the public and has an instinct for what the public wants and will respond to. Having a "nest" is not especially important to Ann, and she may invest more of her emotional energy into her career or public life than in her private life. Providing and caring for others, in a professional capacity is very likely.
She is uninhibited and spontaneous and will often do something unexpected or humorous in order to loosen people up and get them out of their rut. Ann Coulter craves emotional stimulation, excitement, surprises and anything new. Coulter also loves to feel free and unfettered.
In love relationships, Ann Coulter seeks companionship and friendship with someone who is fun loving, playful and open to adventure and new experiences. She enjoys traveling together, meeting new people and making new friends. Honeymooning in a distant location appeals to Ann, and she is also attracted to foreigners or people with diametrically different backgrounds than her own. Ann Coulter supports her partner in taking risks and making positive changes, rather than preserving the status quo. She also very much wants a partner who will encourage her own aspirations and dreams. It is very important to Ann that she have a spiritual or intellectual rapport with her love partner, perhaps more important than the emotional/physical aspect. Ann Coulter is not especially sentimental and her love partner may feel that she is too casual and not serious or romantic enough.
Ann is attracted to foreigners, exotic places, traveling, and to people who can expand her horizons, teach her something, or show Coulter places and worlds she has never experienced before. Sharing a philosophy or ideal with her love partner is important to her.
Also, Ann Coulter feels love and kinship for people everywhere, not only with her own family, nationality, or group. Finding similarities and making links between people from differing backgrounds or with different perspectives is a gift of hers.
Ann Coulter loves to laugh, celebrate, and to enjoy herself with her companions. Emotionally open and easygoing, Ann considers just about anyone a friend or potential friend. Her good humor and friendliness make her quite popular and well-liked. At times, Ann Coulter overdoes the festivities, but she rarely regrets this.
Her love feelings are easily aroused and her romantic relationships begin with a sudden electric attraction, but they often end abruptly, and Coulter may be in and out of love relationships - especially in her younger years. Ann Coulter craves emotional excitement and needs to feel spontaneous and free, so she may avoid making firm personal commitments. Unusual or nontraditional forms of love and relationships appeal to Coulter, and she is attracted to unique, creative or unstable people.
Somewhat over-enthusiastic in matters of love relationships, Ann Coulter could fall in love with the wrong person. She may be too selfless and have the illusion that her only need in relationships is to make the other person happy, leading to disappointments and regrets.
It is easy for Ann Coulter to show others the love she feels for them and she talks freely to them about her feelings. Ann likes nice surroundings and wants to beautify her environment as quickly as possible, once she has come up with an idea to do so.
Astrological factors in this Astro Profile section:
Moon in Sagittarius
Moon in 10th house
Moon Trine Uranus
Venus in Sagittarius
Venus in 9th house
Venus Sextile Jupiter
Venus Square Uranus
Venus Conjunct Moon/Neptune
Venus Opposition Uranus/Asc.


The Mittelalterliche Burgfestspiele - Medieval Fest was put on by the Ronneburg Castle Preservation Society and the present owners. The Fest was great! There were several shows including medieval music performed by Mosswood, tightrope clowns, a jester's troop, and several skits performed by a traveling theatrical group.
We liked the skits the best of all. They had everything; tavern scenes, knights, cannons, sword fights and all. The German fighters were so intense and really seemed to be going after each other. We rooted for a formidable man with a beard that put Blackbeard's to shame. Sparks were flying from his sword blows. One of the fighters' sword point broke off and arced through the air into the spectators. Not to worry, New Mexico Man snatched the projectile from mid-air with his lightning speed. Compared to American safety standards, it seemed quite reckless. However, as observers imaging ourselves back in time we found it to be Super!
After the skits, we wandered the grounds, we drank sourmash, and we ate flatbread with dried onions and yogurt sauce. We watched chainmail smiths, blacksmiths, coin smiths, etc., work their trades. I climbed the Central Tower rising high above the castle via endless winding spiral stone steps and wooden ladders up to the crowning dome designed by a Welsh stone mason. Stepping off of the final rung revealed spectacular views of the surrounding country-side. Spent a bit too much time up top to escape notice and were given a replica Medieval coin newly minted at the event. All in all one of our favorite days!
Most people are afraid of flying sparks. Admit it, I am Fearless.


[Ffmpeg-devel] FFMpeg as shared library
Fri Jun 17 16:14:49 CEST 2005
I wrote a small program that makes use of ffmpeg libavcodec and libavformat.
I compiled ffmpeg with
but when I compile my program I get an executable around 8-9 MB in
size. If I compile ffmpeg with --disable-shared I get the same size
for my program.
I compile my prog with this flags: -lavcodec -lavformat
How can I solve this? do I have to compile ffmpeg with some other flag?
More information about the ffmpeg-devel


Chinese Film Funds: A Cookie Without A Fortune
Over the past couple of years, a number of sovereign funds have emerged in China, initially to exploit the television arena, and once that proved responsive, a new focus was directed on movie production. The number of theater screens has increased an impressive 50% in the past two years, proving that there are fast-growing outlets available for new content to be seen by Chinese audiences.
Unfortunately, the indigenous, government-backed film industry can’t survive on the intermittent successes of its big budget, mega-epic, sword-wielding, martial arts blockbusters, and the Government has therefore been looking to attract foreign productions to the country (the bigger the better). This is seen as mandatory to China’s long-term media success. Providing production services for foreign producers wishing to access cheap labor in China is certainly a win-win that helps satisfy the country’s mandate to provide jobs and training to their local film industry, while also providing a pipeline for mainstream, commercial movies that can fill its quickly multiplying theaters.
Recognizing that a reliance on foreign productions is never a good model for sustainability, the Chinese government has taken the extra step of subsidizing investment funds specializing in financing independent films. These sovereign-backed film funds (some which are “managed” by Hollywood insiders) are tasked with structuring Co-Productions with movie producers such that selected projects are provided with early stage, development funding; once the potential for a film’s success becomes tangible to a fund’s directors, additional money is allocated for its production. The country’s largest film studio, China Film Group (CFGC), has a strong hand in the expansion of these programs. The China Film Co-Production Corporation, a subsidiary of CFGC, is responsible for 100% of foreign co-productions (known as Sino-foreign co-productions). According to the CFCC website, a Sino-foreign co-production is defined as a “contractual arrangement between a foreign party and a SARFT (State Administration of Radio, Film and Television) accredited Chinese party to conduct filming in China.” What’s important to note is that the China Film Group maintains not only the country’s largest studio, but also full control of a wide distribution network that owns a majority of China’s screens. This means that the “private” Chinese studios are forced to compete with the federal government to make the next big blockbuster.
SARFT, meanwhile, maintains ultimate control as the governing authority for any Sino-foreign co-production. To facilitate this, SARFT has appointed the China Film Co-Production Corporation as it’s “sole agent to assist in managing and coordinating the applications, conducting preliminary review of the screenplay and completed film, and other logistical matters relating to Sino-foreign co-productions.” Translation: The Chinese government ultimately controls everything.
Go back five years, and you’ll recall a time when hedge fund money was pouring into the coffers of studios and fly-by-night film funds. Movies were being made because they could be, not because they should be. Major, Mini-Major, and Independent films flooded the market. Distributors had their pick of the litter, but it wasn’t a very pretty litter at that. After passing on those films that shouldn’t have been made, the distributors were still saturated with films trying to find a market. The bubble popped, the music stopped.
In the U.S., many high budget films with recognizable stars ended up going straight to DVD/VOD. Hundreds of millions of investment dollars evaporated almost overnight.
Fast forward to today, each week somebody new seems to have a Chinese film fund in their back pocket, looking for films with Chinese themes, that can be partially shot in China. China-centric finance plans are combing the streets, looking for Chinese-esque movies. You can be sure screenplays all over town are being rewritten in order to qualify as Chinese Co-Productions. These new funds all claim to have money in the bank; so why then, despite all the hype and hope, are we not seeing movies actually going into production? Because the scripts can’t pass censorship. It’s no different than the myriad completed films that can’t get Chinese distribution. He who has the gold makes the rules, and in this case the rules are that the screenplays needs to conform with Chinese political ideology (or at least not question, offend or threaten the governing ideology). With some exceptions, films that meet those criteria tend to not engage mainstream audiences. If indeed these films are going into production, then you will soon see a Sino-bubble rising in the East.
This is an alluring prospect for the average US producer who’s just looking to close their next deal. I hear so many producers saying: “…as long as there is some sort of relevant Chinese content…” Appealing as that is, I challenge you to not be the average US producer — be the above-average producer. If you have a compelling project that organically checks all the boxes, then take a shot at some Chinese dough, but thoroughly understand that there are many strings attached, they can move the goal posts at will, their paper is generally not bankable, and you have no legal recourse to sue for anything, period. If your project doesn’t check the boxes, then don’t waste your time pursuing a mirage. You’ll never get that time back.


|Balthier: I'm afraid the jury's still out on that one.||This article is about a location from a game that's still to be released. As such, some of the information might be inaccurate or likely to change. Please look over our policy for updating articles covering upcoming games before editing this page.|
The Kingdom of Lucis (ルシス王国, Rushisu-Ōkoku?) is a nation in Final Fantasy XV, said to keep the last known crystal in the world. It is described as a nation both highly advanced and developed, and culturally intact, with tradition vibrant and still alive with the "songs of swords and sorcery."
Its capital city is Insomnia, a sprawling metropolis. Despite this, all trailers to date have depicted the city as being largely deserted. In the January 2011 trailer, toll gates located outside the city were seen stopping incoming traffic. It is unknown as to why the city may have been on lockdown. Locations within or around the city include Vallis Acerba (Latin for "Harsh Valley") and Nihilsomno (Latin for "Sleepless").
Through the power of its crystal, Lucis is an advanced country. Though its vast power bears great influence, allowing its citizens have a high standard of living, its standing has alienated Lucis from the rest of the world, now controlled mostly by the Empire of Niflheim. Niflheim seeks the last crystal, but Lucis is protected by its King, Regis Lucis Caelum CXIII, the crystal's current guardian, who maintains the shield around the kingdom to repel all enemy attacks toward the nation.
Lucis is ruled under a monarchy, whose current ruler is King Regis. His only son, Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum, is the heir to the kingdom's throne. The royal family has been compared to a mafia crime family, and are said to have reigned and protected over the kingdom since its ancient beginnings. Regis is around fifty years old, but has aged well beyond that due to maintaining the magic barrier around Lucis. The rapid aging is the unfortunate fate of the king, and Noctis could also meet this fate if he inherits the throne.
When a Lucian king dies, their wisdom is passed to the next generation, and thus, the royal line lives on. This accumulated wisdom and power is held within the Ring of the Lucii, the heirloom of the dynasty, and the summoned swords each king can wield are also inherited from his predecessors.
Lucis is attacked by Niflheim under the ruse of a peace treaty signing, its soldiers clad in medieval armor and wielding guns. Regis, Noctis, as well as the oracle Lunafreya Nox Fleuret of Tenebrae are reported dead, but in truth Luna escaped to the city of Altissia, and Noctis was not in Insomnia when it was invaded. He embarks on a journey to rendezvous with Luna and save the last crystal.
Creation and developmentEdit
Lucis is based on Shinjuku, a part of the city of Tokyo. The kingdom is associated with the color black and the motif of a Grim Reaper. In old Final Fantasy Versus XIII material a large Grim Reaper statue held a painting of Etro, but the figure also appears in crests, banners and on the throne.
Director Hajime Tabata has explained that black has historically been treated as a special color in Lucis. Thus the attire of the royal family, and those in occupations closely tied to it, wear black. Due to age-rating concerns in some countries, the theme of reaper-worship originally present in Final Fantasy Versus XIII had to be toned down for XV; explicit references were replaced by the use of black as a special color.
Etymology and symbolismEdit
Tenebrae exists in juxtaposition to Lucis, its name meaning "darkness" in Latin. Lucis's capital of Insomnia is an urbanized metropolis with skyscrapers, neon lights, modern society in modern clothes, whose royals use the Crystal's magic and magical summoned weapons. Tenebrae on the other hand represent an "old school" fantasy kingdom overgrown in nature with floating castles and rock formations with giant physical sword-like pillars around the kingdom, and, judging by Luna, physically carried weapons. Luna, from Tenebrae, dresses in white, whereas Noctis, the prince of Lucis, dresses in black.
- In a community-driven Q&A, Tabata called Lucis's government "friendly" when compared to the administration of Japan's current prime minister Shinzō Abe, but stopped short of making exact comparisons.
- ↑ TGS 2015: New Final Fantasy XV story beats, chocobos, fishing and more in latest ATR (Accessed: September 18, 2016) at Nova Crystallis
- ↑ http://www.siliconera.com/2014/12/20/final-fantasy-xv-tons-details-jump-festa/
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Luna shows up as a guest party member in Final Fantasy XV (Accessed: September 18, 2016) at Nova Crystallis
- ↑ http://www.finalfantasy.net/xv/final-fantasy-xv-director-japan-expo/
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Why Noctis and his companions are dressed in black? Hajime Tabata's answer (Accessed: September 18, 2016) at Official Final Fantasy XV Forums
- ↑ Final Fantasy XV Japanese community questions answered (Accessed: September 18, 2016) at Gematsu


Bend points are the portions of your average income (Average Indexed Monthly Earnings – AIME) in specific dollar amounts that are indexed each year, based upon an obscure table called the Average Wage Index (AWI) Series. They’re called bend points because they represent points on a graph of your AIME graphed by inclusion in calculating the PIA.
If you’re interested in how Bend Points are used, you can see the article on Primary Insurance Amount, or PIA. Here, however, we’ll go over how Bend Points are calculated each year. To understand this calculation, you need to go back to 1979, the year of the Three Mile Island disaster, the introduction of the compact disc and the Iranian hostage crisis. According to the AWI Series, in 1979 the Social Security Administration placed the AWI figure for 1977 at $9,779.44 – AWI figures are always two years in arrears, so for example, the AWI figure used to determine the 2016 bend points is from 2014.
With the AWI figure for 1977, it was determined that the first bend point for 1979 would be set at $180, and the second bend point at $1,085. I’m not sure how these first figures were calculated – it’s safe to assume that they are part of an indexing formula set forth quite a while ago. At any rate, now that we know these two numbers, we can jump back to 2014’s AWI Series figure, which is $46,481.52. It all becomes a matter of a formula now:
Current year’s AWI Series divided by 1977’s AWI figure, times the bend points for 1979 equals your current year bend points
So here is the math for 2010’s bend points:
$46,481.52 / $9779.44 = 4.7530
4.7530 * $180 = $855.54, which is rounded up to $856 – the first bend point
4.7530 * $1,085 = $5,157.01, rounded to $5,157 – the second bend point
And that’s all there is to it. Hope this helps you understand the bend points a little better.
Photo by JennyHuang