Tomorrow is the longest day of this year when sunrise in the north of England will be at 4.45 am and sunset at 9.34 pm.
Times for your region can be found here: http://www.timeanddate.com/sun/
The summer solstice occurs when the sun is at its highest point above the equator and takes place between 20-22 June in the northern hemisphere. ‘Solstice’ is derived from a Latin word meaning ‘the sun stands still’, because the sun appears to stop on the horizon before night closes in. This year a new moon will also rise on June 20, an infrequent astronomical occurrence.
Now what you worship as something unknown, I am going to proclaim to you:
‘The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth
and does not live in temples built by human hands.
And He is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything.
Rather, He himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. …..
“For in him we live and move and have our being.”
As some of your own poets have said, “We are his offspring.”
A poor life this, if full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
Click on the 'Take Action' icon above to get in touch.
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The New Scientist frets that the forestation of the arctic tundra is bad news for the planet:
A 10-year study across eight countries reveals that rising temperatures will kill off lichen and moss across up to 40 per cent of the tundra, while encouraging woody plant species to grow in their place. The trees and shrubs will then accelerate warming because dark vegetation absorbs more solar radiation.
To make matters worse, it turns out that plants are responsible for “10 to 30% of the methane pumped into the atmosphere.” Methane is an even worse greenhouse gas the carbon dioxide – which one should remember is also released by plants.
As currently written, the Kyoto Protocol views planting trees and discouraging logging as a long-term solution to fighting global warming. However, new thinking is called for.
This is called for:
An Environmentalist Fights Global Warming


Today, we'll start with photography's most basic compositional formula, and we'll later build from here.
What is the golden ratio?
The golden ratio is a mathematical equation determined by ancient Greek scholars to explain natural ratios. The ratio uses the irrational number 1.61803 to 1. It's still used in Western culture to create pleasing art ratios.
In common practice, the ratio is roughly 2 to 3. It applies both vertically and horizontally. It determines the heighth and width of most classically-cropped images.
This ratio also happens to be the same approximate ratio as most film formats. Consequently, as most images are made, they conform to the golden ratio. This also explains why 8 by 10 prints are not as faithful to the negatives as 8 by 12 prints are.
The golden ratio is also called the divine proportion, golden mean, golden number, golden proportion and golden section. This can get confusing when we talk more about the rule of thirds and power points because older PJs may call these intersections the golden mean points. Let's hang with the term "golden ratio" while we talk about the image edges.
What do we do with it?
If an image is well composed and full frame, there's no need to worry about the golden ratio. It's automatic.
If crops are needed, it's wise to consider the golden ratio. However, most crops should be obvious and the images should dictate the crop. We'll talk more about this soon.
With this said, we still need to use the golden ratio when cropping "plain" shots such as mug shots and the like. We want to use this ratio because it also fits layouts best. Publications are also based on the golden ratio. Magazines, newspapers, flyers, photographic prints and many computer monitors conform to this ratio because it's universal to all graphic arts.
When images conform to the ratio, they create a pleasing flow within the larger publication. Designers can easily insert an image with this ratio either vertically or horizontally into the layout. Additionally, the image gets more cumulative space by conforming to this ratio.
Frequently, square format images get the most space in publications with text. However, this is also a result of modular design and designers using the golden ratio for the entire text/art package area.
At this point, let's simply say images with severe horizontal or vertical crops don't get the space they often deserve. It comes back to the golden ratio and how ingrained this ratio is in Western culture.
Again, don't get glued to the ratio. When there is doubt, use the ratio. It's most often the correct answer.
In this example, four images are cropped loosely to the golden ratio while one is not. It should be easy to spot the different image.
How to easel crop to the ratio
On an easel, it's simple math. Divide the longest side by three. Multiply the result by two and you have the other dimension.
L / 3 = X
X * 2 = S
L = Long side
S = Short side
X = multiplication factor
For an exact number, divide the long side by 1.61803 or multiply the short side by this same number.
To make sense of this, here's an example. A hypothetical horizontal image must have an exact width of 5.25 to fit within an odd-shaped frame. To make the image we're printing conform to the rough golden ratio, let's do the math:
5.25 / 3 = 1.75
1.75 * 2 = 3.5
5.25 / 1.61803 = 3.244686439682824175077099930162
3.244686439682824175077099930162 * 1.61803 = 5.25
For an image to meet the rough golden ratio with a known limitation of 5.25 upon the longer side, the shorter side would be 3.5. The exact measurement is closer to 3.25.
Note we didn't say inches, feet or yards. It could be miles and still conform to the golden ratio. It's a pleasing ratio at any size.
How to Photoshop crop to the ratio
For once, Photoshop is actually easier than the old way. Choose the Crop tool. Set the long side to 3 (either the height or width) and the other side to 2. If resolution has any number, delete it. Moving from the upper left corner to the lower right corner, click and drag the mouse to make a crop box.
Once the crop box is made to fit within the image area, click and hold anywhere within the crop area to move the box until the crop is in the best location (we'll eventually discus edge inevitability). Once the crop box is located in a pleasing location, double click inside the crop box to set the crop. It's now set to the rough golden ratio.
If a specific image resolution is required after the crop, do the following: Image, Image Size, uncheck Resample Image (it defaults to Constrain Proportions), type in the required resolution, hit OK and it's done. Save.
Enough for now,


In the July 13, 1917 apparition of Our Lady at Fatima, we can discern the basis of the strict analogy between devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Together with the role of Mediatrix that God wills for Mary, this analogy is the theological foundation for consecration to Our Lady.
In the last article, we considered how the Fatima apparition of July 13, 1917 gives a clear illustration of Mary’s mediation, that is, of Her role of intercession between us and Her Son and as distributrix of graces. Such mediation is one of the fundamental principles on which the practice of consecration to Her Immaculate Heart is based. Another is the analogy of Her Immaculate Heart with the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Let us look, now, at how this analogy is manifested in the signs and message of the Fatima apparitions.
One indication is in the similarity of the respective devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The similarity appears from a brief comparison of Our Lady’s revelations regarding devotion to her Immaculate Heart with the Holy Father’s teaching on devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
In the July 13, 1917 apparition at Fatima, Our Lady taught the children this act of offering: “O Jesus, it is for love of You, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.” She also showed them hell, and said that God wished to establish in the world devotion to Her Immaculate Heart to save poor sinners from going there. She predicted that World War I would end, but warned that, “if people do not cease offending God, a worse [war] will break out during the pontificate of Pius XI.” She announced that, to save mankind from such evils, She would “come to ask for the consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of reparation on the First Saturdays.”
By these words and revelations, Our Lady was effectively stating that the fundamental elements of devotion to Her Immaculate Heart—a devotion explicitly willed by God—are consecration and reparation. It is particularly interesting to note, then, that Pius XI, the Pope whom She mentioned in the 1917 apparition and who would only come to be elected in 1922, was to later write in his encyclical Miserentissimus Redemptor of May 8, 1928 that the two principal acts of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus are precisely consecration and reparation (Acta Apostolicae Sedis 20  167–169). Incidentally, we see here the remarkable harmony between what we may call the “hierarchical order” and the “charismatic order.” Almost eleven years before Pius XI solemnly enumerated the principal acts of devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus as consecration and reparation, Our Lady had spoken of these as the principle acts of devotion to Her Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart, in strict analogy to devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It should also be pointed out that reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a fundamental feature of the Message of Fatima, which was already presented to the shepherd children in the third apparition of the Angel at Valhinos in 1916.
In addition to this Magisterial concordance with the Fatima message, suggesting similarity between the two hearts, there is also the testimony of the saints. The statement made by Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort in his Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary is worth underscoring: “We consecrate ourselves at one and the same time to the most holy Virgin and to Jesus Christ; to the most holy Virgin as to the perfect means which Jesus Christ has chosen whereby to unite Himself to us, and us to Him; and to our Lord as to our Last End, to whom, as our Redeemer and our God, we owe all we are” (no. 125).
These are just a few examples illustrating the analogy between Jesus and Mary, between His Heart and Her Heart, between consecration to His Heart and to Her Heart. Needless to say, it is an analogy and not an identity. Consecration to Her and to Her Heart is always a means of arriving at Him and His Heart. Thus we see that consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary is justified on the basis of the concept of analogy and mediation. We consecrate ourselves to Mary in order to belong more entirely to Jesus. Saint Louis-Marie gives us the rationale in this way: “All our perfection consists in being conformed, united and consecrated to Jesus Christ; and therefore the most perfect of all devotions is, without any doubt, that which the most perfectly conforms, unites and consecrates us to Jesus Christ. Now, Mary being the most conformed of all creatures to Jesus Christ, it follows that, of all devotions, that which most consecrates and conforms the soul to Our Lord is devotion to His holy Mother, and that the more a soul is consecrated to Mary, the more it is consecrated to Jesus” (True Devotion, no. 120).
This, of course, seems like utter foolishness to our Protestant brothers and sisters and—unfortunately— to not a few of our Catholic brothers and sisters, but this is part of the mysterious design of God who wills Mary’s mediation as the most direct way to Jesus. Now the specific plea of Our Lady at Fatima, clarified subsequently to Sister Lucia at Tuy, Spain on June 13, 1929, was the consecration of Russia, but the principle remains valid for all.
The second major act of devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary formulated in the July apparition of Our Lady is that of reparation. Just as She would come later to Sister Lucia to ask for the consecration of Russia, so the Lord himself would also come later to her to ask for the Communion of reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart on the five First Saturdays of the month. This happened in Pontevedra, Spain on December 10, 1925 and on February 15, 1926. As I have noted elsewhere, the theology of reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary remains virgin terrain. It is repeatedly illustrated in the lives of the three shepherd children in all four memoirs, but its theological elaboration remains to be further explored.
The analogy between the Two Hearts is not hard grasp. God willed Mary, Jesus’ Immaculate Mother, from all Eternity, in the one and same decree of the Incarnation of His Son, the Eternal Word and Redeemer, that she should cooperate with Him in the regeneration of human kind. The appearance of the Blessed Virgin at Fatima, and the salvation message which she delivered there, once again point us to the unity of the Two Hearts, and help us understand that the Immaculate Heart of Mary is the surest way to the Jesus’ Sacred Heart.


Sleeping is part of our overall function on a daily basis. Even though there are people who can live a day with a good two-hour of sleep, most of us can’t function accordingly when sleep deprived. Aside from the struggle of completing six to eight hours of sleep, snoring is another common problem being faced by both men and women.
Snoring has been a widespread problem that many individuals who suffer from this just take it for granted. Most of the snorers believe that as long as they can still sleep on a regular basis, snoring isn’t really a problem. Truth be told, snoring is a common problem that can affect up to 45 % of the total population of normal adults. Snoring can be experienced as early as the age of 20 depending on different factors and circumstances. The factors that can cause snoring includes uncomfortable sleeping position, drinking alcoholic beverages and taking sedatives, and a lot more.
Occasional snorers don’t actually consider snoring as a problem. However, individuals who are suffering from severe snoring might be a little more conscious of this problem. Severe snoring might be the end product of an underlying health problem that is waiting to be discovered. So, if you’ve been dealing with snoring problems for quite some time, you might need to consider visiting your doctor or physician for medical and professional help. On the other hand, if you noticed that your snoring problem started when you gained a few pounds, it might be the culprit.
Gaining excess weight is one of the most common reasons why men and women snore. The extra pounds building up in the neck area can affect the passage of air in the mouth and throat. Thus, it aggravates the vibrations in the area that produces the sound of snoring. The fatty tissues at the back of your throat can block the air as you inhale or exhale while sleeping. In other words, if you try to lose extra weight by exercising and become physically active, it can offer a significant change in the way you snore. Plus, burning the fatty tissues at the back of your throat can totally eradicate your snoring problem as a whole. Exercising offers a good amount of benefits for people who snores.
When it comes to exercising, you don’t have to just focus on the neck area. This is due to the fact that overall body exercise can help to burn the excess pounds in the other parts of the body. But, if you feel like you want to focus on exercising your mouth, here are the simple and easy mouth exercise that you can try. For sure, there is a mouth exercise that will make you feel sexier and sleep better.
- Suck your tongue upward and do it for at least 20 times.
- Lift your soft palate for 20 to 30 times.
- Whenever you’re eating or chewing, bite down and lift your tongue to the roof of the mouth as you start to swallow.


was the predecessor of the firearm known to modern folk as a musket
. It was classified as a handgun
, weighing in at under 6-7 kg
; it consisted of a simple smoothbore
barrel wedded to a wooden frame. Trigger mechanisms were rudimentary
, but are important in distinguishing the harquebus from earlier hand cannon
The term harquebus means 'gun with a hook' and may have originally come into use due to the early shape of the weapon. They were designed as firearm replacements for the crossbow, and early models retained the general shape of the crossbow, with a decorative or at least vestigial crosspiece in front.
Differing from hand cannon in its method of ignition, the harquebus owes much of its introduction to the invention of the slow match. A slow match consisted of a bit of twine soaked in a retardant fuel, typically ammonium nitrate, and then dried. When lit, it would smolder for an extended period without consuming the match, as well as being resistant to extinguishing. These were quickly popular with cannoneers, as it allowed them to easily retain ready flames with which to touch off their pieces. German gunsmiths in the mid 15th century hit upon the idea of fastening a metal piece to the side of a firearm in the shape of a large 'S' with a pivot in the middle and a set of clamps at the top end. The clamps would hold a slow match, and when the contraption was pivoted around the center by moving the bottom of the 's' (where the holder gripped the weapon) the slow match would be brought into contact with the flashpan around the touchhole - and BANG.
The craftsmen most able to produce moving durable mechanisms of metal were, at the time, locksmiths; they were pressed into service to manufacture these firing mechanisms. As a result, to this day, mechanisms to fire a gun are called 'locks' - and this, the matchlock, was the first of its kind. It made the difference between a simple hand cannon and a harquebus.
Eventually, the matchlock become more complex with the addition of a side-mounted flashpan, then with covers for the flashpan to protect the primer, and eventually with a spring to drive the match against the primer when the match holder had passed a particular position. The 's' of metal migrated from the outside of the gun to the interior of the butt, which grew to accomodate it as well as allow the firer to hold the weapon against his shoulder (rather than the original - and painful-looking - practice of bracing it against the breastbone). The interior-mounted 's' piece evolved into the modern trigger mechanism by splitting into three pieces: the arm holding the match, a trigger at the bottom, and a connecting piece known as the sear. Around 1500, the matchlock was joined by the wheellock, which rather than using a lit match rotated a metal cylinder against iron pyrites (pyrite - fire stone - get it?) to produce sparks inside the flashpan. This allowed the weapon to be carried charged, without requiring the ignition of the match; however, wheellocks were complex and fragile, which kept them out of general weapons and in the guns of nobles.
The term harquebus came to mean a smaller shoulder arm, midway between a musket and the newer pistols; more of a carbine in size. Typically, a harquebus of the 16th century was a weapon that was highly ornate or customized, used as a noble's personal arm rather than the weapon of a common soldier - occasionally with a wheellock rather than a matchlock. The musket was the next step; a larger weapon, longer and more accurate due to better powder mixtures and improved methods of barrel construction. The introduction of the flintlock finally made the carrying of a charged weapon practical, as the flintlock was much simpler, hence cheaper and more durable, than the wheellock.
The flintlock musket eclipsed the matchlock harquebus by the end of the 17th century.


Pi Not Always Best Random Number Generator
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – If you wanted a random number, historically you could do worse than to pick a sequence from the string of digits in pi. But Purdue University scientists now say other sources might be better.
Physicists including Purdue’s Ephraim Fischbach have completed a study comparing the “randomness” in pi to that produced by 30 software random number generators and one chaos-generating physical machine. After conducting several tests, they have found that while sequences of digits from pi are indeed an acceptable source of randomness ““ often an important factor in data encryption and in solving certain physics problems ““ pi’s digit string does not always produce randomness as effectively as manufactured generators do.
“We do not believe these results imply anything about a pattern existing in pi’s number set,” said Fischbach, who is a professor of physics in Purdue’s College of Science. “However, it may imply that if your livelihood depends on a reliable source of random numbers, as a cryptographer’s might, then some commercially available random number generators might serve you better.”
Fischbach conducted the study with Shu-Ju Tu, a former graduate student who has since moved to a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Their research paper appears in the International Journal of Modern Physics C, vol. 16, no. 2.
Pi, the ratio between a circle’s diameter and circumference, has fascinated mathematicians for centuries. A bit larger than the number 3, pi cannot be expressed as a ratio of two whole numbers, and its apparently endless string of digits is sometimes expressed as 3.14159″¦ Modern computers have enabled mathematicians to calculate the value of pi to more than 200 billion digits to the right of the decimal point. But no one has ever found evidence that calculating finer and finer values of pi will ever reveal an end to the string or that there is any regular pattern to be found within it.
Tu and Fischbach decided to test pi’s randomness against the outputs of 31 commercially available random number generators (RNGs) that are frequently used for encrypting confidential information before it is stored or sent electronically. To produce numbers, many of these RNGs use an algorithm ““ a short set of instructions that can be repeated quickly ““ and it is the quality of the algorithm that makes one RNG more valuable than another.
“Strictly speaking, an algorithm does not produce a truly random number,” Fischbach said. “Because its instructions are fixed, an RNG’s output could, in theory, be predicted, if you knew what the algorithm was. Of course, anyone using a particular RNG will want to keep its algorithm secret, and for the most part RNGs are cleverly designed enough that they produce numbers that are ‘sufficiently random’ for encryption purposes.”
The scientists took approximately the first 100 million digits of pi, broke the string up into 10-digit segments, and gave the segments a form that defines a point somewhere within a cube with sides one unit long. To specify each point, three such segments are necessary ““ one for each dimension. For example, the sequence 1415926535 was given the form 0.1415926535, which specifies the point’s distance along the x-axis. Similarly, the two subsequent sequences give the point’s y and z coordinates. All of the sequences thus became coordinates between zero and one, giving millions of points that lay within the imaginary cube.
“Each point within a cube lies at some distance from the cube’s center ““ some are close, some farther away,” Fischbach said. “If you graph their distribution from the center, what you get resembles a familiar bell-shaped probability curve. What we wanted to find out, in essence, was whether the points derived from pi’s digits generate an identical curve, and also whether the commercially available RNGs do.”
In addition to checking these curves against the predicted ideal, the scientists created a computer program that was able to test randomness even further. It also took groups of points, formed angles from the lines between them, and compared the measure of those angles. The program even took groups of coordinates and tested their randomness within imaginary cubes of six dimensions.
“This was our attempt to leave fewer stones unturned,” Tu said. “We hoped additional tests might reveal hidden correlations between number sets that a single test might not have shown.”
From the tests Tu and Fischbach ran, each RNG was given a letter grade according to how great its standard deviation, or sigma, was from the expected value. Pi’s scores were consistently high across all the experiments, but what surprised them was that some of the RNGs performed even better in some situations.
“Our work showed no correlations or patterns in pi’s number set ““ in short, pi is indeed a good source of randomness,” Fischbach said. “However, there were times when pi’s performance was outdone by the RNGs.”
Pi never scored less than a B on the tests, and in one case outperformed all the RNGs, which in addition to mathematical algorithms included a device that uses turbulence in a fluid as its source of randomness. But in most cases, pi lost out to at least one RNG, and in several it finished decidedly in the middle of the pack. Fischbach emphasized that the results do not imply the existence of any patterns in pi’s digit string, though he said would like to see more tests done.
“This study probably says more about our commercially available random number generators than the nature of pi,” Fischbach said. “Some of them failed our tests outright. But they, and pi as well, might perform differently if the tests were run under different circumstances.”
Fischbach mentioned that less than 1 percent of pi’s known digits were used in the tests, and that cubes of dimensions other than 3 and 6 could be imagined.
“These tests are simple to reproduce with a desktop computer. All you need is time,” he said. “It took us almost a year of work to crunch these numbers. We have included the program we used in the paper if anyone would like to try doing the analysis with a larger number set. I hope someone will because pi shows up in security systems, cryptography and other places that have nothing to do with circles. That’s part of what gives it a fascination that will not go away.”
This research was funded in part by the U.S. Department of Energy.
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There is a need to develop an integrated policy and programme of action worldwide to provide quality, universal and free education that is relevant and accessible to children of poor families to which the majority of child labourers belong. Child labour concerns should be explicitly addressed and integrated into such a policy. A holistic approach to education is necessary. In addition, quality education must not stop at primary level if young people are to be adequately prepared for the labour market and for decent work within it, rather than being confined to low-skilled, unprotected jobs in the informal economy.
Experience has shown that providing basic literacy and numeric skills through non-formal education does not guarantee that children will be permanently withdrawn from work, which is why mainstreaming these children into formal education systems is vital. Furthermore, investments in basic education normally only reach the more privileged social groups, whereas efforts should be spread more evenly, focusing more on children at risk. Social exclusion mechanisms are another strong factor that keep children out of school and push them into work.
There is a need to give priority to the expansion of public educational systems to accommodate the numbers of children who still do not have access to school. This means that:
- More schools need to be built, teachers need to be recruited and trained and educational materials need to be made available.
- Alternative approaches need to be developed to provide for the education of children when geographical conditions pose obstacles or the community’s lifestyle involves mobility.
- The formal and non-formal education systems need to be linked in a more systematic manner to allow for easier transitions from the non-formal to the formal sector, and both systems need to be improved and upgraded in many countries.
- School admission and retention policies should facilitate the entry or re-entry of children into schools by providing alternative placement options and independent learning approaches with adequate guidance and support for over-aged children or children who re-enter school.
A substantial increase in the availability of public education in rural areas at the pre-primary, primary and secondary levels will diminish the pressure and existing congestion in schools in the urban centres where poor families migrate in search of both jobs and educational opportunities for their children.
In many cases, children in the worst forms of child labour belong to the lowest strata of society in terms of ethnicity and culture. In this regard, IPEC is working in collaboration with the ILO's INDISCO programme and ILO PRO 169 in order to understand better how these exclusion mechanisms affect the education of indigenous and tribal peoples and to develop models to counteract them. These models can then be adapted and replicated in various countries. ILO PRO 169 is the Project to Promote ILO Policy on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples which operates at the policy level. It aims to promote the rights of indigenous and tribal peoples, encourage dialogue on the issues affecting them and to build the capacity of these peoples to promote and protect their own rights. IPEC is working with PRO 169 to establish the close links between indigenous children, child labour and education.
Further IPEC action against child labour through education training focuses on the following key areas:
- Enlisting the support of teachers, educators and their organizations;
- Replicating good practices in formal and non-formal education;
- Establishing Education Task Forces;
- Education of girls;
- Mainstreaming education in IPEC’s Time-Bound Programmes (TBPs);
- Investing in Early Childhood Development programmes;
- Educating children and their families on children’s rights and child labour.


Befreiungshalle was built by decree of King Ludwig I on a picturesque hilltop above the Danube River. Construction began in 1842, but it was not complete until it's opening on October 18, 1863 (the 50th anniversary of the Battle of the Nations).
The area hasn't really changed that much since it was built.
Post Card from 1900
After Napoleon's disastrous retreat from Russia, his humbled military faced the newly united armies of the Sixth Coalition at the Battle of Leipzig (or the Battle of the Nations). As the Sixth Coalition seized the initiative on the battlefields of Central Europe, French forces were successively driven back towards France. This series of setbacks for Napoleon would eventually culminate in the liberation of German states and the eventual French defeat at Waterloo. So while the English speaking world saw this as the gradual undoing of Napoleon, those in Germany saw these series of battles from 1812 to 1814 as their liberation from France. It's only fitting then that so many locales chose to commemorate their freedom.
The approximately 150 foot tall memorial is heavy with symbolism related to the number eighteen. This is because the Battle of the Nations occurred on October 18, 1813, and the Battle of Waterloo was fought on June 18, 1815. On the outside of Befreiungshalle, there are eighteen statues holding placards for each of the historic Germanic tribes: Franconians, Bohemians, Tyroleans, Bavarians, Austrians, Prussians, Hanoverians, Moravians, Saxons, Silesians, Brandenburgers, Pomeranians, Mecklenburgers, Westphalians, Hessians, Thueringians, Rheinlaenders, and Swabians.
Inside, the large domed hall is supported by 54 columns (3 times 18) and an equal number of pillars, and 36 columns (2 times 18) in the upper gallery. Around the edge of first floor are eleven-foot tall winged Victories in a ringed circle representing the members of the German Confederation, alternatively holding hands and shields. On the shields are displayed the battles in the liberation of Germany and above the upper gallery are inscriptions for key generals and recaptured strongholds.
In the center of the hall on the floor is inlaid the following:
Translated into English, it reads:
never forget what
the struggle for freedom
and by what means they
Of course the Nazis were always up for a good monument to honor German struggle and unity and the site wasn't overlooked for their exploitive purposes.
But I have to wonder what Hitler thought of the gold six-pointed stars surrounding Ludwig's words in the center of the hall.


The teacher and student continued their discussion about branding based on the book, The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding, by Al and Laura Ries. They completed a discussion about publicity and are now ready to discuss advertising.
“Once you establish your brand through publicity, getting others to write about or broadcast information about your product, you need to advertise.” said the teacher. “Publicity is important, but remember, the news likes to publicize new things. Once your brand becomes established, you are no longer new. Now, you need to advertise to keep your brand in the minds of your customers.”
“Advertising acts as a constant reminder. It is an investment.”
“You can think about advertising as an investment, but do not think about it as only a return on investment.”
“Why?” asked the student.
“While advertising keeps your product in the minds of customers and potential customers, it is not directly proportional to sales. Not all of your customers will buy your product or service every time you advertise. They may not need your product or service at the time of your ad.
The most important aspect of customer relationships are the relationships. Relationships are built on trust. Advertising helps establish that trust. It tells customers and potential customers that you are doing well, you have new products, services, and what is on your business’s mind. Remember My Rule of Business: Business is about people. It doesn’t matter what you sell, all business is about people. In personal relationships you tell your significant other that you are doing well, what you are thinking about, and plans for the future. Advertising your business does the same for your customers; you want them to know that your business is doing well. If you advertise well, your customers will contact you when they need you.”
“What are the best form of advertising?”
“The best form of advertising is the form that reaches your customers and your market.” replied the teacher. “If the Internet best reaches your market, use email, blogs, Twitter and other Internet technologies. If radio is the key, use radio. If print works the best, use magazines, newspapers, flyers and so on. The best method is the one that reaches your customers. Use one, a combination, or all.
“Thank you.” said the student. “What will we discuss next time?”
“Rule #5 – The Law of the Word.” answered the teacher.


Today 26th February 2013 was spent surveying Whinney Hill, south west of Longhorsely. Ancient woodland held ramsons, primroses, and the first evidence of bluebells. A male great spotted woodpecker was in full drumming mode on a dead branch.
Arable land held small numbers of skylarks (4), 2 pairs of grey partridge, brown hares (3), roe deer (3) and flocks of both yellowhammers (9+) and reed buntings (5). The first shoots of hare's tail cotton-grass and lesser spearwort were found on a small area of upland bog. A small pond in an arable field held a good amount of frog spawn.
The lake held 28 mallard, 9 goosander, 3 mute swan, a pair of gadwall, 1 moorhen and evidence of otter. Great tits were investigating nest-boxes


Aponogeton madagascariensis is one of the most highly prized plants in the hobby. It requires a tank with clean and clear water conditions. The tank should have a high filtration system with strong water flow along with soils low in organic matter. Nutrient rich substrates or those with added peat or manure should be avoided. It is best kept in soft water with a pH of 5.5-7.5, hardness of 2-15 dGH and a temperature of 68-720 F (20-220 C). Lighting should be medium in the range of 3 to 5 watts per gallon, using full spectrum (5000-7000K) bulbs. This plant requires CO2 additions to do its best, along with careful maintenance of all micronutrients and macronutrients. The lace plant is especially sensitive to a lack of soluble iron in the water. Older leaves get brown spots which makes them rather less attractive to look at. In this case trim any dead or older leaves to make an attractive aquarium. Sometimes dead spots are seen on the leaves which indicate that the soil is too rich in the plant. Do not allow algae growth or any other debris to settle on or within the leaves. Algal growth is difficult to remove from the leaves. In this case, algae eating fish is suitable to control the overgrowth of algae. Madagascar Lace Plant should be planted singly in the mid-ground part of the aquarium among the other plants because roots from other plants help the lace plant get established. Ideally, these ‘companion plants’ should not overgrow or shade the lace plant leaves.
Tall Aponogeton. This species tolerates temperatures above 30°C which makes it suitable for discus tanks. Use as a solitary plant or as a background plant in large aquaria.
Aponogeton Capuroni Aquarium Plant Bulb | Arizona Aquatic Gardens
Aponogetons are lovely, if somewhat under-appreciated plants in freshwater and brackish aquariums. Part of the difficulty with these plants is that it is difficult to determine what sort of plant you will get (leaf length, presence of waves, color) until it sprouts. Some aquarists also have troubles getting them to sprout, as they often rot when tossed straight into an aquarium. This post should tell you a bit about Aponogetons and how to get them started.
Aponogeton Ulvaceus Aquarium Plants - Arizona Aquatic Gardens
The genus of aquarium plants is a very enigmatic group of aquarium plants. With the exception of the Madagascar Lace Plant (), most Aponogetons in the trade are hybrids of certain species, with , , and being common.
Aponogeton Capuronii Bulb - Large Aquarium Plant - Cambridge LSAT


E-safety is an integral part of children’s education in today’s digital world and is embedded in their learning at school. We want to help our parents and children improve their own understanding of e-safety issues so they can learn to use the internet and all digital media in a safe and secure way.
As a parent you'll know how important the internet is to children - they use it to learn, play, socialise and express themselves. It's a highly creative place of amazing opportunities, but the technology children use every day can seem a bit daunting and you might worry about the risks your child can face online - such as bullying, contact from strangers or the possibility of them seeing illegal or inappropriate content.
You can download a simple checklist here that may help you start to protect your children online and decrease the risks they face. Or you can engage with your children regarding their use of the internet while at home. Here are some conversation starter ideas from www.childnet.com
- Ask your children to tell you about the sites they like to visit and what they enjoy doing online.
- Ask them about how they stay safe online. What tips do they have for you, and where did they learn them? What is OK and not OK to share?
- Ask them if they know where to go for help, where to find the safety advice, privacy settings and how to report or block on the services they use.
- Encourage them to help. Perhaps they can show you how to do something better online or they might have a friend who would benefit from their help and support.
- Think about how you use the internet as a family. What could you do to get more out of the internet together and further enjoy your lives online
To try and help parents with the fast moving and changing world of internet and social media we've suggested a few internet sites below. They contain information on different types of social media and how to help keep children safe.
As part of your child’s curriculum and the development of Computing skills, we provide access to the internet only in teacher supervised lessons. We strongly believe that the use of the web and email is hugely worthwhile and an essential tool for children as they grow up in the modern world. But because there are always concerns about children having access to undesirable materials, we have taken positive steps to deal with this risk in school. Our school internet access provider operates a filtering system that restricts access to inappropriate materials.
At the start of the school year, each class discusses how we can all stay safe online and the dangers we may face on the internet. We then ask every child in Key Stage One and Key Stage Two to sign an Acceptable Use Agreement KS1 and Acceptable Use Agreement KS2 so that we know they have read and understood our school's rules on staying safe.
For more information please see our E-Safety policy


How Dynamic Microphone Works
A dynamic microphone is an example of dynamic transducer. The principle of dynamic transducer is a movement of a thin metallic diaphragm because of sound wave. This diaphragm attach coil of wire. Based on Faraday’s electromagnetism law there will current flow caused by the motion of within the field. The motion speed affect the current amount that is produced by the dynamic transducers. Figure below illustrates how the dynamic transducer works:
Dynamic microphones that use dynamic transducer is called as velocity sensitive. This kind of microphone has some advantages such as no battery or external power supplies required, durable, their and reliability ruggedness and can produce extremely high sound levels without excessive distortion or damage. It also capable to produce smooth extended response and can be easily “tailored” in response for special applications. However, for the extreme frequencies, this microphone can’t give good response. This mic is the best choice if it used in “severe environments” like fellowship halls, outdoors, etc.