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Everybody who has been involved in scientific research knows that it can be very difficult to publish negative results. Knocking out a gene and finding a severely altered mouse (and thereby confirming the gene's importance) can net you a paper in a high-profile journal; knocking it out and seeing nothing can make it really difficult to publish anything. Some researchers have now performed a geographic analysis of positive and negative results, and they found that the rate of positive results is highest in states with the most productive (and hence the most competitive) research environments.
The difficulty of publishing negative results, those that indicate a hypothesis that doesn't hold water in light of relevant data, can cause significant problems for the scientific community. If the information isn't out there, researchers might waste time chasing after experiments that are predicated on these hypotheses, or ignore alternative ideas. So ensuring that negative data eventually reaches the scientific community is essential.
The authors of the new study proposed their own hypothesis on the publication of negative results: researchers in a competitive environment, who are most sensitive to the "publish or perish" mentality that prevails in the sciences, would be less likely to publish papers that describe negative results.
To test the idea, they obtained data from the National Science Foundation on the number of researchers per capita in each state, and then randomly selected research papers that contained the phrase "test* the hypothes*". Those papers were characterized as either confirming (positive result) or rejecting (negative result) the hypothesis. To link the papers to the geographic data, the researchers used the address of the corresponding author, who is responsible for getting the paper to the journal and answering any further inquiries on it.
The end conclusion of the analysis is that "those based in US states where researchers publish more papers per capita were significantly more likely to report positive results, independently of their discipline." In other words, as local competition increases, the fraction of papers that confirmed a hypothesis went up.
The authors looked at a number of factors that could confound the effect—the total number of PhDs per capita, total publication output per state, and R&D expenditure per state—and found no correlation. So, they feel that their hypothesis is well supported by the data that's available. Which makes it seem like the publish-or-perish mentality is seriously distorting the scientific record.
Caveats galore
But even the authors recognize a few factors that they can't control could be distorting their own results. For example, they recognize that it's possible that the most competitive research environments produce more perceptive scientists, who are better at choosing the correct hypothesis to test. The authors also acknowledge that "We cannot exclude the possibility that authors in more productive states simply tend to write the sentence 'test the hypothesis" more often when they get positive results."
That latter possibility is probably more significant than it sounds. In many cases, it's relatively easy to take a set of negative results from a hypothesis-driven experiment and present them as purely descriptive, an indication of how a given experimental system behaves. If that's done, the word "hypothesis" wouldn't appear at all, and the authors of this analysis wouldn't have ever seen the paper.
Another situation that may have a similar impact is when experiments are done to discriminate between two competing hypotheses. The work is likely to confirm one of them—if it's easier to get the work published by focusing on that and downplaying the negative alternative, who wouldn't take that approach?
Based on these possibilities, we could propose an alternate hypothesis: researchers in competitive environments are better at presenting their results in a way that's likely to get them published. The data presented here is consistent with that hypothesis as well.
None of this is to say that negative results aren't a problem for the scientific community. The authors noted that they're such a widely recognized issue that scientists have developed terms for common ways of dealing with them. (The "file-drawer effect," for when researchers put the data aside and then forget about it, and "HARKing," which is shorthand for "Hypothesizing After the Results are Known.") The publish-or-perish attitude comes with its own set of problems, as it tends to deemphasize science education skills, and creates the sort of high-pressure atmosphere that has led to scientific fraud.
But, even though both of these issues are problematic, it's not clear whether the new data is sufficient to link them. The authors themselves raise some significant questions about their interpretations without even going into some of the basic issues with the data—the corresponding author may not always reside at the site where much of the work was performed, and a US state is generally not a fine-grained measure of a research environment.
Fortunately, the authors are careful enough to say that the data supports their hypothesis, rather than confirm it. And, in the process, they neatly avoid the possibility that their own paper would qualify for the selection criteria of any follow-up research they do.
PLoS ONE, 2010. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0010271 (About DOIs).


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A uniquely textural and entirely new addition to our lineup of handcrafted glass trees. Each Echo Lake Evergreen is formed by master glassblowers nimbly wrapping fine strands of glass around a conical center.
This product is a Second.
What makes a second?
The heat of the room, the hum of the furnace, the weight of the tools... a glassblowing studio is itself a living, breathing thing, in which even the world's most masterful craftspeople can expect variations in the work they create.
Unlike mass-produced design, handmade pieces yield divergent outcomes, owing to even the smallest differences in conditions. A change in breath, a flick of the wrist or a shift of foot can and will affect the final product.
Unique beauty lives in imperfection. Each Seconds piece captures a moment of the human hand at work, where unique conditions lead to slight variations and differences, preserved in glass. The quality and functionality aren't inferior to firsts, but rather, a thoughtful option for those who value character and an organic quality to their household objects.

subset: commoncrawl


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Here's a great recipe from AllRecipes.com:
What To Get:
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast meat – cubed1/8 cup red wine vinegar, 1/2 lime, juiced, 1 teaspoon white sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, 2 green onions, chopped, 2 cloves garlic, minced, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 10 (6 inch) flour tortillas, 1 tomato, diced, 1/4 cup shredded lettuce, 1/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, 1/4 cup salsa.
What To Do:
- Saute chicken in a medium saucepan over medium high heat for about 20 minutes. Add vinegar, lime juice, sugar, salt, pepper, green onion, garlic and oregano. Simmer for an extra 10 minutes.
- Heat an iron skillet over medium heat. Place a tortilla in the pan, warm, and turn over to heat the other side. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Serve lime chicken mixture in warm tortillas topped with tomato, lettuce, cheese and salsa.
Photo may not be direct image of recipe product.


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'Outstanding warrior' killed in Saturday's motorcycle wreck
EGLIN AFB — The 28-year-old motorcyclist killed Saturday afternoon in a wreck north of Crestview was a soldier with the Army 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne).
Staff Sgt. Andrew Koerner died after his motorcycle crashed into a pickup truck on State Road 85. A 73-year-old woman from Crestview who was in the truck also was killed.
"This is a tragic incident, and the hearts and prayers of the soldiers and families of the 7th Special Forces Group are with everyone involved," Col. Robert Kirila, the 7th Group's deputy commander, said Tuesday. "Staff Sgt. Koerner was an outstanding warrior who will be missed by his teammates and all who knew him."
The news of Koerner's death reverberated through the Special Forces community early this week.
On Tuesday, Kristin Freehling-Steiner posted a note from Koerner's friend and teammate, Kyle Steiner, on the Daily News Facebook page: "With a heavy heart … all the way from Afghanistan."
" 'Rest in Peace Buddy, you will be missed; by myself and the entire Team.' "
A native of Fond du Lac, Wis., Koerner joined the Army in July 2008. He attended basic and advanced training at Fort Benning, Ga, before graduating as an infantryman.
Koerner was assigned to the 31st Infantry, 2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division when he first deployed to Iraq in 2009 for almost a year.
After his deployment, he volunteered for the Special Forces, earning his Green Beret and joining the 7th Group in August 2012. He was assigned to the 4th Battalion.
His awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal and the Parachutist Badge.
He is survived by his mother, Pamela, of Fond du Lac, Wis., and father, Jeffrey, of Waupun, Wis., according to the 7th Group.
Koerner was the second local service member killed while riding a motorcycle in less than a week.
Senior Airman Ignacio Arostegui, stationed at Eglin Air Force Base, died Feb. 3 after he crashed his motorcycle into the back of a pickup truck on U.S. Highway 98 in Destin.
In Saturday's wreck, Koerner's motorcycle collided with the passenger side of the pickup truck as it was trying to cross State Road 85 from Lake Silver Road to Houston Lane, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Koerner died at the scene. He was wearing a helmet.
The passenger in the truck, 73-year-old Virginia Settles, died later at a hospital in Pensacola.
The FHP had not yet released the cause of the accident as of Tuesday.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Lauren Sage Reinlie at 850-315-4443 or firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow her on Twitter @LaurenRnwfdn.


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[p. 3]
Then my mother told us, The Nasara [Christians or French] have put your father in prison. Not because he did anything bad, but because he is a nationalist. Nationalist means someone who wants the Nasara to get out of our country, and thats honorable. But her moaning disturbed me much more than the news. Still, her distress made it difficult not to think of prison as something bad.
In El Ksiba, where we lived after leaving Rabat, certain [Moroccan] inmates of the local prison were assigned to us by the French administration to do errands in the village. Those prisoners had been arrested for minor infractions of the law; most had injured somebody or stolen something. One had been arrested because he did not salute the French contrôleur général when he passed him on the street. One day, while still serving his sentence, he [the Moroccan prisoner] was taking the dough for our bread to the village bakery when he met the same Frenchman, riding his horse. He put the breadboard on the ground and saluted him with both hands. The Frenchman asked,
Two salutes, why?
One is for your and the one is for the horse, answered the inmate. Every time my mother heard that story she would say, The poor man must have told himself, If he could put me in jail because I did not salute him, he might increase my punishment if I dont salute his horse. Then she would add, in a sad tone, It is the law of the powerful. The law of the jungle.
[pp. 36-37]
The summer was over. We were getting ready to enter school and my mothers old aunt Zineb came to her and said, Is it true that you intend to enroll the girls at school?
Are you crazy? Whos going to buy them notebooks and pens?
The nationalists, aunt. They are taking care of us. They send us money every month.
Send them to learn a craft and forget about school.
I would do that if it were only up to me, but their father says every time I visit him, Take them to school, and Ive never gotten a letter from him in which he does not emphasize it.
He spent his time having affairs with other women and spending money, then he went off to prison and now he decides to say school! What will a girl study, for heavens sake and what for? A girls destiny is marriage, pregnancy and breast-feeding, isnt it? One would think at they are going to learn that language you need to deal with djinns!
But my dear aunt, the Sultan Sidi Mohammed Ben Youssef himself has ordered the nationalists to send their girls to school. And every time I visit Si Hmed in prison he insists that I take them to school. I cant disobey him.
Your husbands crazy and youre crazier than he is. You should be the one to decide. The proverb says, Show your friend the way, but if he refuses to see it, go your own way and leave him.
We did go to school, as my father had insisted. But before we began, there was always laundry day and bath day. The laundry and the bath came every week, but in those days before we started school, my mother made special occasions out of these weekly rituals.


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Trek in the Park's Final Frontier
Now entering its fifth and final year, Trek in the Park has become the stadium rocker of local outdoor performances. Last year's lo-fi production of a Star Trek episode drew a whopping 1,000 audience members during its closing performance.
Trek in the Park founders (and siblings) Adam and Amy Rosko have decided to end their run—citing a desire to focus on original productions—with one of the most famously outlandish episodes ever: "The Trouble with Tribbles," in which multiplying furry little creatures threaten to choke the Enterprise in a sea of fuzzy cuteness.
But Trek in the Park needs your help to make thousands of the adorable aliens. Download the pattern, make your own tribble (or 10), and drop it off at Excalibur Comics.


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Many people in India own two wheelers. It is compulsory for you to buy a two-wheeler insurance policy if you own a bike or a scooter. But can you reduce the insurance expenses? Sure you can! Just follow these tips and you will see a difference.
Avoid making smaller claims: Before you make a claim, see how much the bill amount is. If it is a small amount, pay it yourself. Making numerous small claims will unnecessarily bring down your NCB to zero which will overall lead to a loss.
Attach anti-theft devices: A car insurance plan offers protection against theft and other dangers to the car. So if the car is found to be safe and less susceptible to thefts and break-ins, the insurer will offer a discount on the premium. Therefore look to install some anti-theft devices to the car to not only keep it safe but also to reduce your insurance costs.
Be a good driver and earn No-claim bonus: Driving carefully will reduce the chances of your car getting into mishaps. This will reduce the need to make claims and you will earn NCB. The NCB will in-turn pull down your insurance premium costs.
Renew two-wheeler insurance before expiry: Do not wait for the two wheeler insurance policy to expire before you renew it. If you have a lapsed policy, you may need to pay some fees and fines to get a new plan. So always try to renew the policy on time to save money.
Buy online: It is known fact that insurance bought online is cheaper. So buy a two wheeler insurance plan online and save a considerable amount of money.
Choose the right kind of cover: If you have a two wheeler that you use occasionally or is almost on its way out, opt for a third party cover. If however your bike is used daily and is a valuable vehicle, go for a comprehensive plan. Knowing which cover you need will help you save money.
Deductibles: Every two wheeler insurance plan has a deductible component. This means that as the policyholder, you will have to pay certain amount at the time of a claim and the insurance provider will pay the rest. A high deductible will lower your premium costs and vice versa. If you are confident of your driving skills and feel you won't need too many claims, opt for a higher deductible. This will help you save money on your two wheeler insurance plan.
Compare: Last but not the least, you most definitely need to compare the available car insurance plans to get the best deal at the best rate. This is one of the easiest and quickest ways to save money on your bike insurance plan. Compare when you buy a new plan or renew an existing one


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The Internet was originally only accessed by the military and scientific communities beginning in the 1960s. Later, with the advent of additional technology including the desk top computer there was an opening of the Internet to the general public. Today anyone with basic computer knowledge can set up a web page and publish anything they wish. I applaud and defend free speech; however, while this literary freedom can be quite stimulating it can present problems especially for students.
The main problem is that the accepted rules of publication in society are not always utlilized with web published pages. Students are fairly certain their textbooks, encyclopedias, and other research sources found in their media centers are correct, however, they have to be taught that many web sites on the Internet can be suspect.
Alan November, Senior Partner and Founder of November Learning, believes as I do. It's not the technology itself that is important; it's the way we use it. [November's] ideas about global communication, collaboration, assessment, and critical thinking have inspired schools, governments and corporations around the world to rethink and redefine their approach to education and technology.
I've held on to one of Mr. November's articles for quite awhile…..it's titled Teaching Zack to Think and it can be accessed here. The main premise behind the article is students must learn how to research, publish, and communicate working with the Internet…with the most important skill being research evaluation.
In my fourth and fifth grade classrooms I want to teach my students to view web resources with a critical eye. I want them to learn to sort information found on the web into categories such as fact and opinion. I want them to be able to look at a piece of information and determine questions and determine key words that can be used to cross check the information on the page.
For example, November mentions that students should validate an author of a webpage to find out what others might be saying about the webpage or the author by running a multi-search on his or her name or the name of the website. The same could be said for certain bits of information on the site. A quick key word search could determine more information about the item or could determine the original information was false.
After reading November's article in 1998 I held onto it and determined that I would provide students with several learning opportunities to evaluate websites over the course of our year together. The following lesson sketch is one of those opportunities. The lesson involves a fictitious website for the city of Mankato, Minnesota. The website can be found here . In actuality the website is a false one authored by a teacher and consultant, Don Descy, to use in his lessons in order to show students how easy it is to get sucked into a false site.
This particular learning opportunity takes place in the computer lab with students paired in front of the computers. Students are given a copy of the analysis chart seen below (click on the image for a closer view). Sometimes I provide an example of the chart on the board so students can create their own on notebook paper. I provide the web address to students and once everyone has access to it we read the opening paragraph on the page which states:
Mankato, Minnesota is truly a wonderland. Tucked into the Emerald Green Valley in Southern Minnesota, it is the hidden vacation Mecca of scores of knowing Midwesterners. Mankato has everything thanks to a freak of nature: the Sclare/Far Fissure. This fissure in the earth's crust takes water sweeping through the earth, heats it to well over 165 degrees, and sends it back up to the surface in steam pits and boil holes. The heat from these pits and holes heat the valley air to such extent that the winter temperature in many Mankato neighborhoods has never dropped below a balmy 70 degrees!!! Come enjoy our winters! Let's "Make It Mankato"! We are real, we are warm, and we would love to see you!
I advise students that the website is going to provide them with some interesting information about a city in the United States that many Americans don't know. Below the opening paragraph are several links that supposedly give additional information regarding Mankato. Students are directed to visit at least five links between the numbers one and twelve, review the information and pictures that are presented, discuss it with a partner, and complete their charts. Students will be directed to click a link and analyze what is there. For example, the map link looks like a professional map. It contains a compass rose, roads, and place names. Could this be a fake map? Is there anything that doesn't seem right? Students list things that help the information look real under the yes column and reasons why the information looks or could be fake under the no column. We also discuss some questions students might have about the map and I pose the question, "Can anyone think of a way we could check to see if this map is correct?" There is always at least one student who offers a search could be made for another map of Mankato. We chart the information together for the map link, so students have an example to use when charting other information.
Once students have had a chance to analyze their five items we do a quick tally to see which items they choose to look at. Together we take a whole class look at the top five links chosen. It's always interesting to see how the group as a whole makes their choices and the reasons behind them. Student pair share what they thought about the information. If students missed an aspect of the information that could be checked I will clarify it, and we will discuss how key words could be culled from the questions in order to do a web search.
At this point there should be a good number of students who think the website is valid and another group that thinks the website is fake. I usually direct students back to the beginning paragraph and remind them that now that they have had some experience in analyzing information on the web and arriving at questions and keywords to search further they should discuss with their partner problems and/or possible questions they can see in the opening paragraph. Successful students will list Mankato, Minnesota, Sclare/Far Fissures, and fissures as possible choices to search. Students are directed to visit Yahooligans, or another monitored safe search engine for students, and enter their key words to determine more information about the Mankato, Minnesota site. Students will reach a snag when they search sclare/far fissures since many of the entries will advise them about the false website created by Dercy. To finally end the lesson opportunity I ask students to click on some of the links from thirteen to the end of the page and collect more proof the website is false.
This lesson is an opportunity for students to begin the process of analyzing websites for their validity and usefulness. I end the activity by having students think about the thought processes they went through and analyze what they think they learned through the activity. I would ask students to commit their thoughts to paper in a reflection piece they would turn in along with the chart. Over the next few day s I would integrate other valid and non-valid websites into the curriculum for students to practice with so that students could build on their skills. Throughout the process I would monitor individual students to access strengths and weaknesses so I could adjust my instruction accordingly.
I usually introduce an activity like this early in the year and spread out the opportunities as we conduct more and more research.
As I stated in my post at American Presidents Blog….I want my students to be Internet savvy…to understand that just because something is printed in a book or on the Internet it doesn't necessarily mean that it's true. I want my students to understand they must verify sources and there are simple steps they can take to check out a website to know if it's a proper site for them as stated here.
You can find more information here to help students remember the steps for website evaluation, and this list from Philip Bradley can get you started if you would like to use fake websites with your students.
If you know of any fake websites please feel free to leave the URL in the comments section, however, there are some websites that are in very poor taste and are so factually incorrect (the one I'm thinking of involves Dr. Martin Luther King) that I would rather not boost their Google rankings by linking to them here.


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Wolf Blitzer delivers the most important breaking news and political, international, and national security stories of the day. Tune to The Situation Room weekdays 5-7pm ET on CNN.
A new report by CNN National Security Analyst Peter Bergen says that the NSA's data collection program hasn't done anything to prevent another 9/11-like terror attack from happening. Bergen and the Foundation for Defense of Democracies president Cliff May sit down with Wolf Blitzer to debate the point.
The best preventative for terror is, to never allow the Supreme Court to select Big Oil puppets like Bush and Cheney to be our President again . What can we do now is indict them for War Crimes, as well as Treason. 3000 dead on 9/11/2001, millions of Iraqis murdered, maimed and tortured (that had nothing to do with 9/11 at all) Thousands of our service men killed and maimed. Why, because Big Oil wanted Saddam to quit selling oil for 20 dollars a barrel. Our intelligence agencies said Saddam killed over 400,000 of his country men in his twenty five years of being a dictator. Bush and Cheney beat that mark the first month of the war. !5 of the terrorist hijackers we Saudis, not one was Iraqi. For we people of the USA to be safe we have to go after the people with in our own borders that play and commit falsehoods resulting in the death of innocent people, so that the very few become filthy rich. Follow the lies , the deceptions and the money. What ever Bush and Cheney put in place must be removed for us in the USA to regain our freedoms and privacy.
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After a good night's sleep, we set off after breakfast for a visit to the World of Wedgwood in nearby Barlaston.
The Wedgwood estate stretches for 240 acres with ample free parking in its grounds. The modern buildings have huge willow sculptures near the entrance in the shape of crockery. We planned our arrival for 10.00 a.m. just as the visitor centre was opening and loved the train themed lobby adorned with flowers and Wedgwood tableware.
The helpful receptionists welcomed us to Wedgwood and explained where we needed to meet for the factory tour at 10.45 a.m. as well as arranging further activities for later in the day. Tours cost £10 per person and are booked on the day on a first come, first served basis Monday to Friday, so at busy times it's advisable to arrive early.
Our tour guide was very informative as he led us around the factory explaining each process from starting with clay to hand painted finished items.
We observed most of the techniques looking down from balconies but were able to come down to the factory floor to watch intricate hand painting and gold edging being applied to cups and saucers. The tour lasted one hour and gave us an insight into the production of high quality ceramics.
Following the tour, there was an opportunity for visitors to try their hand at the potters wheel so we decided to roll our sleeves up, pick up an apron and have a go. For those of you who have ever watched The Generation Game, I had visions of it being like that, clay flying off the wheel, a total mess and mis-shaped objects being produced.
I was paired with Mandy, an experienced potter who guided me through the process. Firstly I had to bang a dome shaped lump of clay down onto the centre of the wheel, wet my hands and then cup the clay firmly as it turned on the wheel. Mandy explained that it was important to keep the clay flexible so that it could be stretched and elongated into shape.
It felt very therapeutic holding my hands around the clay trying to remember to keep it wet. As the clay formed into a cylinder, Mandy instructed me to gently press two fingers into the centre to create a hole. The clay then needed to be widened by pulling outwards whilst bringing the sides up. With the help of Mandy, my lump of clay had now been transformed into a smart looking vase. This was labelled and would be fired in the Wedgwood ovens, stamped with the World of Wedgwood logo, dated and posted to my home address as a lasting souvenir of my visit.
I would definitely recommend this activity as it was great fun with the friendly potters offering one-to-one tuition and ensuring that everyone produced an object to be proud of. Pot throwing costs £15 including postage but for those visitors who live nearby and can collect the item themselves, the cost is £10 with the activity lasting approximately 20 minutes.
We then removed our aprons and cleaned ourselves up, the clay coming off our hands easily with the use of a nail brush. Looking presentable again, we'd worked up an appetite so we made our way to the luxurious Wedgwood tea room to indulge in their afternoon tea. We were seated near the window from where we had views across the estate. Our friendly and efficient waitress brought glasses of Prosecco to set the mood whilst we browsed the menu. I selected Earl Grey tea which was of course served in the finest Wedgwood bone china.
The afternoon tea then arrived on a traditional three tier cake stand comprising a delicious assortment of open sandwiches, scones with jam and clotted cream, fruit jellies, meringues and cakes. Taking afternoon tea here is sheer decadence and a luxuriously self indulgent experience not to be missed.
We couldn't manage to eat all the cakes so our waitress kindly packaged them in a a box so we could take them away and enjoy them later. After popping the cakes back in the car we returned to the visitor centre to join our guided tour of the Wedgwood museum.
The Wedgwood collection of 80,000 works of art, ceramics, letters and photographs is now owned by the V & A but continues to be on display at the World of Wedgwood. The tour started with a chronological history of the company where we learnt that Wedgwood was founded in 1759 by Josiah Wedgwood. He had previously worked with the established potter Thomas Whieldon until 1759 when relatives leased him the Ivy House in nearby Burslem which enabled him to start his own pottery business. Our guide explained that his marriage to Sarah, a distant cousin also helped him become established in the ceramics industry.
In 1766 Wedgwood bought Etruria, a large Staffordshire estate as both his home and factory. The company's best known product is Jasper ware, created to look like ancient cameo glass with Greek, Egyptian and Roman themes, traditionally in pale blue with white cameos. During the 1930's Wedgwood's success continued and in order to increase efficiency the 5th Josiah Wedgwood decided to build a new factory near the village of Barlaston where our visit was taking place. Wedgwood was a philanthropic entrepreneur who took responsibility for constructing both a modern factory, worker's housing and sporting facilities ensuring he had a devoted and healthy workforce.
The museum contains many exquisite items, hand painted figurines and examples of the iconic blue and white Jasper ware and although visitors can just wander around the museum themselves, by taking a 45 minute guided tour we undoubtedly learnt much more.
Before leaving the site, we visited the Wedgwood flagship store and factory outlet shop which were both doing a brisk trade. Next to these stores is the Dining Hall which has an outdoor terrace providing an alternative to dining in the tea room. I didn't quite know what to expect before we arrived, but we left having enjoyed a splendid 5 hours and would recommend a visit as there is something for everyone.
Feeling like a little exercise, we returned to the car and headed to Biddulph Grange Garden thirty minutes away. Biddulph lies in a valley on the edge of North Staffordshire and is famed for its Chinese landscape, Egyptian court and Italianate garden.
The house is privately owned but the National Trust gardens are open to the public. The garden was the vision of James Bateman who from 1841 spent more than 20 years collecting plants from all over the world. He didn't often travel himself but instead employed plant hunters to send specimens back to him by sea.
We began exploring from the terrace of the Italianate villa from where we had beautiful views over the formal Italianate garden and across the lily pond. Narrow paths, steps and short tunnels lead from one area to another resulting in an intriguing journey of discovery.
It took us awhile to locate the small Chinese temple which is absolutely beautiful and designed to reflect a willow pattern. Crossing an ornate bridge, we reached the temple sitting for a few moments in one of its alcoves. It was the perfect spot to relax whilst overlooking the magnificent Chinese garden.
Visiting the garden in June, the rhododendrons had all but finished and the renowned Dahlia Walk was not yet in bloom but there was still much to enjoy from the vivid shades of green to the pale pink and white hues of the water lilies. We left the gardens just before closing time and returned to our hotel for a little rest before having dinner in the attractive small market town of Stone.
If you have enjoyed reading this post you may also like:
Other posts in this series:
A short break in Stoke-on-Trent
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The Excellence Initiative of the German Federal and State Governments
On June 23, 2005 the German federal and state governments agreed on an initiative to promote top-level research at German universities, with the longterm goal to strengthen science and research in Germany on a sustainable basis.
The total funding budget of the Excellence Initiative is 1.9 billion Euros for the first 5-year period between 2006 and 2011; the second funding period will be decided on in 2012.
Funding is divided into three funding lines:
- Graduate Schools to enhance the education and training of young researchers
- Clusters of Excellence to promote world-class research
- Institutional Strategies to promote top-level university research.
In the first round of the Excellence Initiative, the federal and state governments approved of 39 Graduate Schools with a funding volume of 1 million Euros per year each, 37 Clusters of Excellence with a funding volume of 6.5 million Euros each, and nine Institutional Strategies.
In June 2009 the federal and state governments approved continuing the Excellence Initiative for another five years (2012 through 2017), allocating €2.7 billion in funding.
In June 2012 funding was awarded for 45 graduate schools, 43 clusters of excellence and 11 institutional strategies.
For detailed information on the funding programme, please visit the pages of the German Research Foundation and the German Science Council.