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For every Sleigh , for every question, we hope we will have the correct answer. During all those years we were building and restoring Sleighs, we have seen all kinds of problems. We have seen great designs, but also the small common Sleighs. We have also been allowed to restore the most beautiful Sleighs we had ever seen. And therefore , we have the knowledge and the craftsmanship to give your old Sleigh a brilliant glorious second life, or ….. built that special new one !
All designs have their own problems and their very own special effects, and only thanks to our great experience, we can give your Sleigh that special attention she needs. We can built it the way you want, but we always try to stay within the classical lines.


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Alphanso Tech @ CeBIT 2018
We are happy to announce that this year we are going to Hannover, Germany in CeBIT 2018.
What is CeBIT?
CeBIT is Europe's Leading Business festival for Innovation and digitization. Its four segments — d!conomy, d!tec, d!talk and d!campus — signify a totally new strategy, but one thing remains: the show's center focus on generating leads and company for all concerned!
The meeting place for revolutionary ideas and technology that change the market. From the exhibition halls, disruptive business models are from the spotlight — and everything about the subjects of blockchain, chatbots, immersive technologies, combined reality, artificial intelligence, and profound learning. The future begins here. New age — new seminar format: For the very first time, the stars and leaders of digitization is going to be showcased on stage in over 10 exhibition halls, sharing know-how and fantasies of specific relevance to the subjects covered in every hallway. Be there for inspiration and enter which may make all of the difference for future achievement.
d!tec And d!campus
Live audio, virtual worlds to explore, road food served by culinary musicians — this sets the scene for on-stage presentations certain to generate a large splash. And prepare for media at its best, too! Digitization has a new house: In seven halls, leading innovators present the complete range of transformation. Get to understand the tendencies, find inspiration, and above all: do good organization! The best event for electronic transformation. Where startup business Is get Best media and interaction in the expo showgrounds Thoughts are, led by a Company. As a triple-punch occasion featuring displays, conferences and media, CEBIT covers the digitization of business, society and government from each angle.
Come and Visit our stall at Hall 27, Stand C62.
If you want to win free passes for CeBIT 2018. Please get in touch with us.

subset: commoncrawl


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Mayor de Blasio on Thursday spent a large chunk of his second straight workday huddling with his lawyer — apparently prepping for a long-anticipated sit-down with federal prosecutors investigating his campaign fund-raising.
De Blasio spent more than five hours at the Midtown law office of Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel, arriving with his security detail in a black SUV around 11:30 a.m. and leaving around 4:40 p.m.
On Wednesday, de Blasio had no public schedule and spent several hours at the law office.
De Blasio's spokesman Eric Phillips said the mayor did not meet with the feds, but declined to elaborate on what Hizzoner and his lawyer, Barry Berke, spent much of the past two workdays discussing.
Mollie Fullington, a spokeswoman for GOP mayoral candidate Paul Massey, slammed de Blasio for his leisurely schedule.
"New Yorkers need a mayor who will focus on sensible policies and excellent service for its residents, not someone who is distracted by a record number of criminal investigations, and who may even have a pay-to-play deal with his law firm," she said.
De Blasio — who had already met with Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance Jr.'s office in relation to a state probe, had just two scheduled events for the day, and took no media questions.
In the evening, the mayor hosted a Black History Month Celebration at the American Museum of Natural History and spoke at the One Hundred Black Men Annual Gala at the Sheraton in Midtown.
And after his not-so-busy workday, de Blasio planned to skip town Friday for two days to attend the Democratic National Committee meeting in Atlanta to campaign for Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison to become DNC chair.
The mayor plans to form a legal defense fund to cover his expenses as the bills pile up.
Phil Walzak, his campaign fund spokesman, declined to comment when asked whether Hizzoner would take Comptroller Scott Stringer's advice and seek guidance from the city's Conflicts of Interest Board on how to structure the defense fund.
COIB previously issued an opinion on the same topic after Councilwoman Debi Rose (D-SI) asked for a ruling for her own legal defense fund when her 2009 campaign fund was probed.
The board determined that Rose's fund should operate under the same campaign contribution limits set under city campaign finance laws. That would limit the mayor to donations of $4,950 from individuals and $400 from those doing city business.
Walzak wouldn't say if de Blasio planned to follow Rose's lead and abide by contribution limits.
Lawyer Randy Mastro, who launched a lawsuit against Rose that led her to set up the fund, told The Post he believes de Blasio would be skirting his responsibilities to the public if failed to seek COIB advice.
"It would seem prudent that an elected official creating a legal defense fund go to the Conflicts of Interest Board for guidance, and if there have been precedents" on certain fundraising restrictions that have been set "then that is something that should be followed going forward," said Mastro, a former deputy mayor under Rudy Giuliani.
COIB Executive Director Carolyn Miller declined comment about the mayor's legal fund. She also declined to discuss the board's ruling of Rose's fund, saying it was "private."
However, she did say the board "strives to be consistent" with earlier opinions when asked to rule on similar topics. Miller also said de Blasio is not required to seek an opinion with COIB.


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In 1899, the first "police car" — an electric-powered wagon — hit the streets of Akron, Ohio. My, how far we've come.
From the outset, Ford has been a dominant force in the police car market. Starting in 1932, Ford redefined police cruisers with its introduction of the first police V8 engine, quickly taking over the market. In 1950, the first Ford police package car was introduced, and since then, Ford police cars have become standard fixtures in almost every law enforcement agency's fleet.
- RELATED STORY: The Atom PL1 Is the World's Fastest Police Car
In 2015, Ford decided to try and take its Police Interceptor models to new heights. Working with input from the Ford Police Advisory Board, the company designed and built two police vehicles that can handle the extreme duties demanded from any law enforcement agency. The results: The 2016 Ford Police Interceptor Utility is the only "pursuit-rated" mid-size SUV, and both the Utility and Sedan versions of the Police Interceptor are the only pursuit-rated vehicles with standard all-wheel drive.
As mentioned, to create these next-evolution Police Interceptor vehicles, Ford listened to its experts on the Ford Police Advisory Board, which was "created by Ford to refine and develop future products that meet the needs of law enforcement agencies." Created in 2000, this board is made up of a rotating panel of 25 experts from the law enforcement community. The current board is made up of cops from Canada and the United States, from Alaska to Florida and parts in between.
The vehicles have been designed to stand up to the demands of police work, with heavy-duty powertrain mounts, reinforced sub-frame mounts, and unique hubs and bearings. Larger-diameter springs are used in the suspension systems. Their tires were even designed to meet durability and pursuit standards, with some departments logging as many as 50,000 miles per year.
Ford's Police Interceptor vehicles have unibody structures with boron steel in the "A" pillars and hydroformed, high-strength steel tubes that run the width of the vehicles to improve structural rigidity.
After the assassinations of NYPD Detectives Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos in 2014, Ford focused on officer safety and added Surveillance Mode technology to its 2016 Police Interceptors. This system warns officers when someone approaches the rear of the vehicle — a potentially lifesaving feature. This is a long overdue first in the industry. When someone is detected approaching from the rear of the vehicle, the driver's side window will automatically rise and all of the doors will lock, giving the officer some time to react to a potential threat.
All of the doors also come with factory-installed National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Level III ballistic panels for officers to use as cover for protection from gunfire. If the rounds are coming downrange, the vehicles also have dual lift gate release switches accessible to both occupants in the front seat. Designed from officer feedback, this feature gives each officer a 45-second delay once the switch is activated to access the rear cargo area of the vehicle, where lifesaving gear can be stored.
The Police Interceptor were overhauled from top to bottom, with both Sedan and Utility versions receiving new instrument panels with enhanced systems to distribute electrical loads more efficiently. The Police Interceptors also include camera technology, with a standard rear camera with a 4-inch screen in the center of the dashboard or, as an option, shown inset within the rearview mirror.
Like many new vehicles out on the market, the Ford Police Interceptors come wired with SYNC hands-free information technology that allows officers to operate various communication and audio equipment by voice command—a great tool when in hot pursuit or under fire.
The newest Ford Interceptors can also "read" the traffic with the Blind Spot Information System (BLIS), a built-in radar that detects vehicles in the surrounding lanes, and if a vehicle enters the driver's blind-spot zones, the system alerts the driver with a warning light in the side-view mirror. The radar also provides a cross-traffic alert system, which senses oncoming traffic when slowly backing out and warns when cross traffic appears within three car widths. This is coupled with a Reverse Sensing System, which makes an alert sound when the vehicle comes within 6 feet of an object.
Pursuit Mode
If the bad guys run, these cars can rein them in with standard 3.7-liter V6 engines producing 304 horsepower and 279 foot-pounds of torque, or optional 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engines putting out 365 horsepower and 350 foot-pounds of torque. Those engines are set to power the vehicles' standard all-wheel drive for some low-speed traction and high-speed handling and stability.
According to Ford, "both engines have been calibrated to meet extreme test requirements defined by the Michigan State Police and Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Tests include aggressive driving on road courses and racetracks, braking and acceleration, top speed and city pursuit testing."
Both Interceptor models have a standard six-speed transmission with a unique Pursuit Mode specifically (Please turn to page )programmed for law enforcement use. The transmission will automatically switch from normal fuel-saving operation to Pursuit Mode when it detects aggressive driving situations, giving the officer the full power of the Interceptor's engine.
Once in Pursuit Mode, the transmission is optimized for aggressive driving, including J-turns. Once the car senses the that the aggressive driving has ceased, it will return to its normal fuel-saving mode.
While hitting these high speeds, the Interceptors feature a unique cooling system designed for extreme use with custom-
designed brakes that can withstand the hard driving inherent in law enforcement operations on the mean streets.
The Police Interceptor Utility and the Police Interceptor Sedan are built at Ford's Chicago assembly plant. Once the initial work is done, the vehicles are transported less than a mile away to Troy Design and Manufacturing to be outfitted with all of the law enforcement equipment. This includes multiple light patterns, as there are up to 25 different patterns available for the 2016 Police Interceptor Utility alone. The lights are now better integrated into the new front and rear fascia, allowing for a more seamless design and a stealthier look for patrol duty, and in a nod to police vehicle nostalgia, Ford added a blinking white function called "wig-wag" to the incandescent high-beam light bulbs.
- RELATED STORY: Tactical Trucks: Top 15 All-Terrain War-Zone Wheels
Troy Design and Manufacturing is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ford and works out of a 54,000-square-foot facility. It offers over 125 different police packages that agencies can chose from to personalize their Interceptors. Approximately 200 American workers perform that work and help put together these innovative, ready-for-anything Ford Interceptors.
For more information on Ford's Interceptor line, visit ford.com or call 800-343-5338.


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NBA playoffs: Booker, Paul lead win over Nuggets as Suns stretch series advantage
The Phoenix Suns are one game away from winning their Western Conference semi-final against the Denver Nuggets after a 116-102 victory on Friday.
Devin Booker scored 28 points, Chris Paul had 27 and the visiting Phoenix Suns beat the Denver Nuggets 116-102 Friday night to take a 3-0 lead in their Western Conference semi-final series.
Suns can wrap up 4-0 series win on Sunday
Deandre Ayton had 10 points and 15 rebounds, Jae Crowder scored 14 and Mikal Bridges added 11 for Phoenix, which will aim for a sweep of the best-of-seven series on Sunday in Denver. Paul contributed eight assists.
The Suns have won six consecutive playoff games and are one win from advancing to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2009-10 -- the last season in which they made the playoffs before this year.
NBA MVP Jokic scores 32 points for beaten Nuggets
Nikola Jokic had 32 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists for the Nuggets on the night he received his NBA Most Valuable Player award. Monte Morris scored 21, Michael Porter Jr. had 15 and Will Barton added 14 for Denver.
Phoenix jumped out to a 21-8 lead early and was on top 37-27 after the first quarter. The Suns never trailed after being down 3-2.
Denver closed within 40-36 in the second quarter, but Torrey Craig hit a 3-pointer and a layup to start a 9-0 Suns run that got the lead back to 13.
It was a 10-point gap late in the second before the Nuggets scored the final six points of the half to trail just 59-55 at intermission.
Phoenix opened the third quarter on an 11-3 run to go ahead 70-58 on a floater by Booker. Denver tried to cut into the deficit, but two free throws and a pair of pull-up jumpers by Paul kept the lead at 10.
Following a short jumper by Jokic that made it 82-74, Cameron Payne and Cameron Johnson hit two 3-pointers to give the Suns an 88-74 lead, and they took a 90-76 edge into the fourth quarter.
Phoenix started the final period by scoring the first six points to lead by 20 with 10:17 left. The Nuggets called a timeout and responded with seven straight points and had several chances to get closer before Crowder hit a 3-pointer.
Jokic picked up a technical foul, Paul hit the free throw and then sank two jumpers to make it 104-85. Paul sealed the outcome with a corner 3-pointer with 2:43 left to give Phoenix a 17-point edge.
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Singapore Management University and TCS renew SMU-TCS iCity Lab Partnership
- New urban challenges to be identified for research, development of IT solutions
- Innovation to focus on intelligent, inclusive, integrated solutions for Smart Nation
- TCS to invest $1.5 million in technology systems, software and applications research
Singapore, November 27, 2017: The SMU-TCS iCity Lab today announced that Singapore Management University (SMU) and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) have extended their partnership for another three years until 2020 to focus on new initiatives in research and development. The ongoing partnership, launched in 2011 and renewed for a second time, will enhance and broaden multi-disciplinary academic research efforts in digital technology to create innovative, technology-enabled solutions to emerging urban challenges.
TCS will invest a total of $1.5 million over the next three years in developing intelligent infrastructure, software and applications. SMU will leverage on its capabilities to generate leading-edge research and strategic linkages with business, government and the wider community to enable the most relevant and contextual ecosystem to deploy the technology solutions.
"At SMU-TCS iCity Lab, our endeavor is to dig deep into our research and development resources to help produce broad-based, creative and collaborative solutions to problems that Singapore faces in its ascent to be a Smart Nation. In TCS, we have found a technology partner with the right tools and expertise to supplement our research capabilities in a way that gives flight to new ideas in healthcare and smart living—from prototype to deployment—not just in Singapore but beyond its shores," said Professor Steven Miller, Vice-Provost of Research and Professor of Information Systems at Singapore Management University.
The extension of the partnership in SMU-TCS iCity Lab comes on the heels of a very successful pilot project in elderly-care that set a new paradigm in personalized, sustainable and tech-enabled care for senior citizens in Singapore. The pilot project named SHINESeniors, under a Singapore Government grant, was launched in 2014 to test run technologies for ageing-in-place in 100 elderly homes. It proved to be a highly successful experiment in innovative use of IoT technology to enable the elderly to age-in-place in Singapore.
"The SHINESeniors project by SMU-TCS iCity Lab has created significant intellectual property in the space of personalization, sensors and embedded systems. The solution for non-intrusive monitoring of elderly at home, uses algorithms and digital technologies and aligns well with the concept of citizen-centric intelligent cities. The iCity Lab is a good example of collaboration under the TCS Co-Innovation Network (COIN™) program. We look forward to the iCity Lab pursuing more Smart Nation themes and creating an impact globally," said K. Ananth Krishnan, Chief Technology Officer, TCS.
With the renewed partnership, SMU-TCS iCity Lab will:
- Deepen and broaden capabilities of an IoT-enabled preventive care and self-care ecosystem, including new citizen segments.
- Explore how citizens can participate as consumer and producer of services to create a sustainable city, aligned with its vision of citizen-centric intelligent cities.
- Look at novel and viable business models, partnership models, care models and large scale deployments, using technologies such as AI and Machine Learning as necessary.
"Digital technology will be a key differentiator in how we deal with the problems of day-to-day living in intelligent cities of tomorrow. The extension of the SMU-TCS iCity Lab partnership gives us an opportunity to delve deeper into the emerging challenges of citizen services and health surveillance and develop collaborative, flexible and innovative solutions that align with Singapore's agenda to be a Smart Nation", said Girish Ramachandran, President, TCS Asia Pacific.
About Singapore Management University
Established in 2000, Singapore Management University (SMU) is recognised for its high-impact multi-disciplinary research that addresses Asian issues of global relevance, and for its innovations in experiential learning. With 10,000 students, SMU offers bachelors, masters and PhD degree programmes in Accountancy, Business, Economics, Information Systems, Law and Social Sciences, and executive development programmes. Through its city campus, SMU enjoys strategic linkages with business, government and the wider community in Singapore and beyond. www.smu.edu.sg
About SMU-TCS iCity Lab
SMU-TCS iCity Lab is a joint initiative between Singapore Management University and Tata Consultancy Services, a leader in the global marketplace and among the top 10 technology firms in the world. The partnership combines TCS' industry leading IT services expertise and culture of innovation with SMU's globally recognized excellence in research and education in social sciences, management, analytics and computing in partnership with both the public and private sectors.
Both SMU and TCS are known for their ability to integrate IT with business in ways that creates innovative IT solutions that meet public and private sector management needs. The lab will work together with selected partnering cities in China, India and other rapidly developing ASEAN countries to create urban management solutions. https://icity.smu.edu.sg
About Project SHINESeniors
Project SHINESeniors is a SMU-initiated effort to enable elderly Singaporeans to age-in-place, whereby the elderly can stay within the comfort of their homes and familiarity of their neighborhoods, and with minimal disruptions to their lives and activities. Through multi-disciplinary Research and Development efforts, spanning across both technology and social behavioral sciences, SHINESeniors aims to enhance community care to support sustainable ageing-in-place.
By using nonintrusive techniques to capture real-time data on the location and activity patterns of the elderly in sensor-enabled homes, SMU-TCS iCity Lab has devised a solution to detect any anomaly such prolonged inactivity or an emergency situation that triggered an automatic alert to care givers for timely intervention. The path-breaking solution is not only pre-emptive and effective in controlling any untoward outcome but is creating a new paradigm in the elderly-care industry by enabling them to live a life of dignity in their own homes and in the familiarity of their neighborhood with minimal disruption to their lifestyle.
About Tata Consultancy Services
Tata Consultancy Services is an IT services, consulting and business solutions organization that delivers real results to global business, ensuring a level of certainty no other firm can match. TCS offers a consulting-led, integrated portfolio of IT, BPS, infrastructure,engineering and assurance services. This is delivered through its unique Global Network Delivery Model™ (GNDM), recognized as the benchmark of excellence in software development. A part of the Tata group, India's largest industrial conglomerate, TCS has over 389,000 of the world's best-trained consultants in 46 countries. The company generated consolidated revenues of US $17.6 billion for year ended March 31, 2017 and is listed on the BSE (formerly Bombay Stock Exchange) and the NSE (National Stock Exchange) in India.
For more information, please contact:
Tata Consultancy Services Ltd
Neerja Pawha Jetley
Singapore Management University
Teo Chang Ching (Mr)
Senior Assistant Director
Corporate Communications
Mobile: +65 9431 8353
Email: email@example.com


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Sushi To Go Express
Sushi To Go Express Game Description
Dive into the exciting underwater world of Tony Tortuga. Help him develop his business and become the best sushi delivery service in town. Use your profits to upgrade your business, hire employees and to increase customer service. Collect valuable trophies as Tony's amusing adventures keep you glued to the screen. Life as a delivery turtle can be challenging out on the reef, so let's see you excel!
Game belongs to genres: Arcade & Action, Strategy, Time Management
Full version features:
- A Variety Of Tricky Mini Games!
- Become The Best Delivery Service In Town!
- Tons Of Upgrades!
- 50 Challenging Levels Out On The Reef!
Sushi To Go Express Screenshots:
System requirements:
OS: Windows XP, Windows Vista
Memory: 512 MB
CPU: P1 GHz


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Over a decade of experience has provided CSIPL® with expertise in developing business applications from scratch, aimed to help improve workflow of client companies.The CSIPL® team carefully examines requirements, designs and implements solutions tailored to the client's individual needs. These take the form of advanced apps that ensure the client's business processes perform optimally.
CSIPL® development process is always focused on application flexibility and scalability. The design of the database structure receives special attention as further development may be required as applications grow and new features are constantly added. Standard and current technology and database solutions are deployed, ensuring flawless performance and maintenance of flexibility for future updates.


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It is possible to have a winning streak in online casinos of the future. What's more, this winning streak is not going to disappear any time soon. In fact, the odds are just better for these gamblers today than they were yesterday. Therefore, online players should be looking for a good online casino in 2020.
In recent years there has been much concern over the explosive growth of gambling in North America. It is estimated that 1% of American adults, or two million people, could accurately be classified as pathological gamblers in any given year. A further 2-3% or four to eight million are problem gamblers, who share some of
Gambling was originally a part of the male-dominated sphere of society and it was unacceptable for women to gamble in earlier times. In recent times, however, women started gambling but they were not as pervasive as the men in the gambling world. Women used to act as mere companions of gambling men who go into
Many people love to gamble to see if they can win. That is all fun and should be considered when they have the extra money to spare. However, one clear sign that you may need to rethink your gambling tendencies, is when you decide to go with money you cannot afford to lose. This means


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Home Tags Aarti thal decoration
Tag: aarti thal decoration
Theme Decoration Ideas For Janmashtami
We Indians are very well aware of Janmashtami. It is also known as Gokulashtami is an annual Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu. Hindus celebrate Janmashtami by fasting, singing, praying together, preparing and sharing special food, night vigils, and visiting Krishna temples.


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Not since A Clockwork Orange has a novel been so creatively written and designed. Written as though the reader has discovered loosely discarded pages of a manuscript on a coffee table edited in what seems to be a chaotic attempt of thought, and concentration of a mind soaked in acid. The primary character in this epic novel journeys us on his drug induced highways of fractured love, racing thoughts tearing through anxiety, and feverish episodes of delirium. Surrounded by murder, kink, the multiple realities of drug induced Philip K. Dick like levels of 'what is and is not real, or what seems to be unreality', comes to life in the multitude of colors of burning mind within the pages of Mackoushian's masterpiece. Not a hack writer nor a declared over compensator of literary ego but a writer of progression towards the layers of discovery of truth from the relative points of view that a drug addicted character inhales. Mackoushian has done more than leave a subtle footprint in the literary community he has created a landmark imprint on it.
-Colin Sinclair
The Jesus Chronicles


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Get to Know The Area
If you're looking for old-town charm with a unique twist, Uxbridge is the town for you. Known for its arts and theatre district, Roxy Movie Theatre, antique shops and restaurant scene, downtown Uxbridge provides a unique cultural experience. Known as the Trail Capital of Canada, Uxbridge is a beautiful, forested community just 20 minutes away from Newmarket, 30 minutes to Richmond Hill and Markham, and 45 minutes to Toronto.
This mostly-suburban area (surrounded by rural hamlets) is home to historic villages, mixed forests, meadows, streams, and wetlands, as well as farmland and suburban streets. Quaint cafes and restaurants often use local, seasonal ingredients while the neighbourhood boutiques offer handmade and one-of-a-kind clothing, gifts, and furniture.
Community Highlight
Uxbridge is home to hundreds of kilometres of countryside trails, ideal for activity at all levels, from hiking and cycling to jogging or dog walking. From the Durham Regional Forest to the Oak Ridges Trail or the Trans Canada Trail, strap on your hiking boots and check out some of Ontario's most beautiful natural scenery.
What To Do In Uxbridge
Uxbridge organizes a number of community events like fitness and exercise classes, historical tours, musical theatre events at the Uxbridge Music Hall, and sports leagues. Join local chefs for a four-course meal on the Durham Heritage train or visit the Uxbridge Farmers' market at Second Wedge Brewing Company.
Uxbridge Real Estate
Uxbridge real estate is made up of mostly detached bungalows and two-storey homes with the recent addition of some condominiums and townhomes. With prices mostly above $700,000 (the average is about $1 Million), Uxbridge real estate tends to be the highest in North Durham. Uxbridge boasts a mixture of older residential homes, mixed with newer developments that all tend to be well-maintained and manicured. In the rural communities of Uxbridge, you will find small country-style subdivisions mixed with farmland and equestrian operations.
- Uxbridge Farmers' Market
- Farm to Train dinner event
- Marion Abbot Theatre Company shows
- Durham Heritage Railway events
- UxCycle
- Holiday events such as Santa Claus Parade and the Festival of Lights
- Uxbridge Rib Fest
- Joseph Gould Public School
- Quaker Village Public School
- Scott Central Public School
- Uxbridge Public School
- Goodwood Public School
- Joseph's Catholic School
- Uxbridge Secondary School
- Durham College (Satellite Location)
- Family Worship Centre
- Goodwood Baptist Church
- Goodwood United Church
- Goodwood-Uxbridge Lutheran Church
- Leaskdale St. Paul's Presbyterian Church
- Living Water Community Church
- Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church
- Sandford United Church
- Siloam United Church
- Andrew's-Chalmers Presbyterian
- Paul's Anglican Church
- Trinity United Church
- Uxbridge Baptist Church
- Uxbridge Free Methodist Church
- Zephyr United Church
- The Fifth Line Church
Interested In Uxbridge Real Estate?
See what's on the market and learn more about the area by completing the form below.


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The online advertising industry has changed dramatically and many advertisers are wondering what these online trends in the advertising industry will bring about. Most noticeable, social media has launched itself into the forefront of internet PPC advertising and contextual targeted advertising.
If your online business is looking to utilize the online advertising industry, which type of social media should you invest your time in?
The top ranking social media sites include Facebook and Twitter. Here are some interesting stats that can help ad targeting in the online advertising industry:
Facebook online trends:
Twitter online trends:
For more information on the online trends advertising industry in social media, visit http://www.directcpv.com
Posted in: contextual advertising, cost per view advertising, featured articles, industry news, internet advertising, tips & tricks.
Tags: advertising business home online work, advertising trends in an economic downturn, articles about using social media as a marketing tool, contextual advertising, facebook infographic, internet marketing online advertising, online advertising, online advertising industry, public scrutiny of the work of social workers through the media doesnt effect their service delivery, search engine for twitpic flickr social network media, social media marketing, targeting social media, twitter infographic
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Yet another reason to kick that nicotine habit: A new study attempting to explain why smoking during pregnancy may increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) has found that prenatal cigarette smoke exposure in rats affected breathing responses and immune function of their offspring.
Researchers from the University of Calgary in Canada studied rats that were exposed to cigarette smoke in the womb—previous studies have shown that babies born to moms who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to develop infection—and compared them to a control group. Both groups were exposed to the same infection-causing bacteria, high ambient temperatures, and low-oxygen environments.
The researchers found that the smoke-exposure group had more episodes of apnea (temporary interruption of breathing), faster heart rate at warmer temperatures in rats with bacterial infection, and more inflammation-signaling proteins. They also found that maternal cigarette smoke exposure primed the inflammatory system to elicit a stronger response to bacteria.
In addition to the negative findings regarding prenatal smoking and SIDS, the study revealed that high body temperature and infection suppressed the heart rate response normally seen in a low-oxygen environment. And according to the researchers, human responses may be similar to those of the rats.
"Our observations emphasize the importance of minimizing risk factors for cardiorespiratory instability in infants including safe sleeping environment, avoidance of high microenvironment and body temperature, and maternal cigarette smoke exposure," they explained.
The takeaway? If you're pregnant or trying to become pregnant, kick your smoking habit. And if you did smoke while pregnant, know that avoiding germs and keeping Baby from overheating may help decrease the risk of SIDS.
Hollee Actman Becker is a freelance writer, blogger, and a mom. Check out her website holleeactmanbecker.com for more, and then follow her on Twitter at @holleewoodworld.


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An attritional opening few minutes gave San Diego time to ease into the contest and find their feet. An early attack into Austin's half saw the Elite pinged for infringement, giving Legion fly-half Tadhg Leader his first opportunity to kick for goal. Leader capitalized on the opportunity, giving San Diego a 3-0 lead.
The Legion extended their lead just a few minutes later thanks to the efforts of hooker, Patrick Blair who crossed over the line for the first try in club history. Leader easily tacked on the conversion to push the score to 10-0 before the tenth minute mark.
Austin battled back before the end of the first-quarter and scored a strong try of their own through captain Mason Pederson. Elite fly-half Timothee Guillimin missed the conversion as the first quarter ended, cutting the visitors' buffer to five points.
The two sides battled through the opening minutes of the second quarter before the referee found issue with San Diego's scrummaging technique, reducing the Legion to 14 men for 10 minutes. Despite the yellow card, the boys in red didn't let themselves be deterred and responded in the 33rd minute with an unconverted try from second-rower Cam Dolan. Leader bounced back from the missed conversion to add to San Diego's advantage on the stroke of half time, giving the visitors a comfortable 18-5 lead at the break.
The second half opened with a flurry of action from the home side who, within the first 11 minutes of the half, scored two converted tries. Mason Pederson and Deon Minaar found the try zone for Austin, and Timothee Guillimin converted both times to give the Elite their first lead of the match.
Despite Austin's rebound, the Legion roared back to life with 20 minutes to go. A 59th minute score from Faitala Talapusi and a 62nd minute try from Cam Dolan pushed the Legion's lead to 32-19 in the blink of an eye. Austin scored in the 77th minute delivering one final, epic play. However, the final score finished in San Diego's favor, 32-24.
Season Preview April 7 with a curtain raiser at 5pm between San Diego State University & Cal Poly and a pre-season match against the Houston SaberCats at 7pm!


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By Donna Lyons
For two generations, increasing prison populations and their associated costs have been as certain as death and taxes. Recently, however, states have been moving the needle in the other direction. In 2009, for the first time in 37 years, the number of state prisoners declined and has continued to do so. In
a growing number of states, "justice reinvestment" strategies are contributing to this trend with reforms that have been bipartisan, cross-governmental and effective.
s. Resources are reallocated to support policy changes, and a portion of the savings is reinvested into programs proven effective at reducing recidivism. Ongoing evaluation is put in place to ensure desired results are achieved.
An important objective o
f all of this: Stop the revolving door that traditionally sees at least a third of former inmates return to prison within three years. Doing so can save money and reduce crime.
"We know that increases in state prison populations are not the result of an increase in crime rates, but a product of state policies," says Adam Gelb, director of the The Pew Charitable Trusts, public safety performance project. The project, which analyzes prison populations and policies, has been involved in many state justice reinvestment efforts. Gelb says the large growth in prison populations that started four decades ago was fueled by sentencing and release laws and decisions by courts and parole boards that sent more offenders to prison and kept them there longer.
"We also know a tremendous amount more today about how to supervise and k
eep people from returning to prison," Gelb says. This includes improved methods to assess risk, as well as better supervision techniques and technologies. "Combine these strategies, and you can have strong results," says Gelb.
Indeed, the work and recommendations of intergovernmental and bipartisan study groups in a number of states have changed the tenor and course of discussion and moved corrections policies in a different direction.
Texas and Kansas were among the first states to make justice reinvestment changes. In 2007, Texas lawmakers saw a growing number of probation violators being sent to prison, a high number of offenders with substance abuse and mental health problems, and a low parole rate. Instead of spending $500 million on new prisons, the Legislature allocated $240 million to expand in-prison, residential and outpatient mental health and substance abuse treatment; establish maximum parole caseloads; shorten the length of probation for drug and property crimes; and increase funding to local corrections agencies for community supervision.
The state saved $443 million, which allowed corrections officials to increase funding in other areas to help reduce crime and recidivism.
"The reduction in parole revocations in Texas has been substantial—from about 10,000 to 6,800—in just a few years," says former Representative Jerry Madden (R), one of the architects of the reforms. "That's two prisons we don't have to fill."
Prison populations in Texas are at a five-year low, and the state's crime rate is declining even more than the national average, in both violent and property crimes. And, for the first time in the state's history, Texas closed a prison.
In Kansas, reforms approved in 2007 reduced the number of probation and parole violators sent to prison, allowing the state to reinvest the savings into proven community supervision programs. The Legislature created state-local incentive funding—a mechanism that rewards local supervision agencies that successfully supervise offenders in the community instead of sending them to prison. Legislation also increased the amount of "good time" nonviolent inmates can earn and allowed additional earned time for completing education or treatment.
The Legislature reinvested $7 million to expand community corrections and in-prison programs, and for staff training to improve how offenders are supervised in the community. Last year, Kansas lawmakers modified the incentive funding structure to give grant preference to counties that are meeting the state's benchmarks. A work group created by the Legislature continues to consider ways to sustain the positive results and further reduce recidivism and corrections costs.
Similar changes occurred in Vermont as well. Following the recommendations of a cross-governmental study group, the General Assembly passed a law in 2008 to expand screening and assessments of offenders for substance abuse and mental health needs and to establish intensive treatment programs. The law also reduced probation terms for some compliant offenders and targeted treatment and monitoring resources to the highest risk offenders, including those who are re-entering the community.
One prison has since closed, and another was converted into a therapeutic work camp. The reforms are expected to yield about $54 million in savings by 2018, including the initial $3.9 million reinvestment in assessments, treatments, supervision and transitional housing. The legislature has since expanded the eligibility criteria for alternatives to incarceration, such as house arrest and furlough, and reinvested an additional $8 million in prison and community-based treatment and re-entry services.
By 2010, reviews and reforms were under way in a growing number of states. New Hampshire lawmakers passed legislation to focus resources on offenders with the highest risks for returning to prison. The law requires that nonviolent offenders be paroled after serving 120 percent of their minimum sentence. It also ensures at least nine months of active supervision for all released offenders; allows judges to impose short, swift jail sanctions for minor probation violations; and sets intermediate sanctions for some parole violators.
The state's prison population quickly began to drop. By 2021, the state expects to have saved up to $10.8 million and averted $179 million in new prison construction and operating costs. The savings also are covering the costs of new technologies that analyze data, which helps officials monitor the programs and track results.
South Carolina lawmakers passed an omnibus reform act in 2010 after analyzing the sentencing guidelines, the parole and probation system, and the alternatives to incarceration that were available. The act increased penalties for certain violent crimes, allowed community supervision for some drug offenders and required supervision of all offenders after leaving prison. The act also required corrections officials to monitor and evaluate the reforms and to use cost savings to fund proven practices that reduce risks and serve victims.
The law is projected to save up to $175 million in construction costs and $66 million in operating costs in the first five years. A report to the General Assembly in late 2011 showed the state had saved $4.2 million in prison expenditures because of a nearly 20 percent decrease in the number of probationers and parolees sent to prison for committing new crimes or breaking the rules of their supervision.
Basing these reinvestments on what works, rather than theories of what might work, is vital, says South Carolina Senator Gerald Malloy (D). "We've seen that approaches based on information and evidence can not only increase public safety, but also save money." South Carolina is among several states receiving funding from the federal Bureau of Justice Assistance to help make these changes.
The Arkansas Public Safety Improvement Act of 2011 reserves prison space for the most dangerous offenders and strengthens community supervision for others. It also grew out of recommendations from a work group that analyzed sentencing and community supervision policies. The law revises sanctions for some drug and theft crimes, requires risk and needs assessments of probationers, and sets sanctions for breaking supervision rules. Funding to localities is based on how well supervision strategies reduce prison admissions.
Arkansas expects to save $875 million in prison construction and operating expenses through 2020. The state already is experiencing declines in parole and probation revocations and in the prison population, according to analysts who track the new law.
"Corrections expenses were costing Arkansas an unsustainable 8 percent of our general revenue budget," says Representative Darrin L. Williams (D). "We are now looking at the needs of inmates coming into the system and becoming better prepared to keep them out."
Kentucky, Ohio and North Carolina followed in 2011 with tailored justice reinvestment approaches. Kentucky expects to save $422 million over 10 years with changes to sentencing, treatment of drug offenders, graduated sanctions for probation and parole violators, and other improvements in community supervision. For the next biennium, the General Assembly has reinvested nearly $6.8 million in savings into new substance abuse treatment programs and allocated nearly $9 million through 2014 to local correctional facilities and programs.
Leaders and stakeholders came together on these reforms in a "harmonic convergence of bipartisan support," says former Senate President David Williams (R). "So many families are affected by substance abuse, and we see too many low-level offenders become persistent criminals."
Similar reforms in Ohio are expected to save corrections budgets $500 million in prison construction and $46 million in reduced prison populations by 2015. The Department of Rehabilitation and Correction plans to reinvest $20 million of the savings over four years in improved local supervision of felony probationers.
And in North Carolina, a recent report by the Sentencing and Policy Advisory Committee says that a combination of factors, including justice reinvestment reforms, will reduce the projected prison bed needs by more than 4,000 by 2017. Savings will allow for reinvestment of at least $4 million to expand community-based treatment programs.
Other states had data-driven corrections and sentencing reforms on the drawing board by 2012. Georgia lawmakers responded to a report that the state's prison population doubled in the last 20 years, and was on pace to grow another 8 percent in the next five years without policy changes. The General Assembly decided to reserve prison space for the most serious offenders and strengthen community supervision. Theft thresholds were raised, and penalties for simple drug possession decreased. The legislation is expected to avert all previously projected prison population growth and actually decrease the prison population by about 1,000 by 2017, saving at least $264 million.
"This will make a positive difference in our state," says Representative Jay Neal (R). "It's about keeping the public safe, holding offenders accountable, and saving or at least redirecting money to do the right things."
Legislatures in Delaware, Hawaii, Missouri, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania have passed justice reinvestments reforms within the last year, also with expected savings: a projected $142 million over the next five years in Delaware, $130 million in five years in Hawaii and $120 million in Oklahoma over 10 years.
"The cost of doing nothing was too much," says former Oklahoma House Speaker Kris Steele (R), whose leadership there helped bring both sides of the aisle together on the recent legislation. "If you can focus on the data, on the real issues before you, people from across the political spectrum can come together on this."
Donna Lyons directs the NCSL Criminal Justice Program. Alison Lawrence, who tracks sentencing and corrections for NCSL, contributed to this article.


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The uproar over Judge Persky's lenient sentencing has resurfaced with his otherwise standard sentence in a routine domestic violence case. The mob now appears to put this fine judicial officer under the microscope in hope of generating more ridiculous headlines and over the top demands for a pound of flesh. It is yet another instance of society's passions lead to out of whack sentencing guidelines and an overpopulated prisons.
It is worth while to examine the sentence in the Brock Turner matter. A judge is obligated to consider several factors in deciding a sentence. The first, obviously, is the conduct itself. What is important is that the sentence falls in line with other sentences for similar criminal offenses. Judge Persky did just that. Mr. Turner was sentenced to Felony probation and the automatic life time registration as a sex offender pursuant to CA PC 290. Judge Persky sentenced Mr. Turner to six months in county jail, in line with the recommendation from the probation department. What is CRUCIAL to understand is the probation department interviewed both Mr. Turner and the complaining witness in this case. They have assessed his risk factors and determined that he poses a very slight risk of reoffending.
The second factor that a sentencing court must look at is the defendant himself. Mr. Turner was, by all accounts, a very accomplished and decent young man. A Stanford student with Olympic aspirations, Mr. Turner was, indeed, a promising young man. His conduct does not completely negate that.
Still, the reaction from the public has been one of mindless emotional and one that seeks revenge rather than any sort of justice. Judge Persky is exactly the sort of judge we want on the bench. Anyone who tells you otherwise, is selling fear.


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The Festool RG 80 renovation grinder is universal machine designed for grinding medium-sized and large surfaces, The large range of available heads can remove both hard and soft adhesives, paints, coatings, synthetic resin plaster, porous concrete and limestone from floors, walls and ceilings with ease. The 1100W motor produces unbeatable power and is monitored for constant speed and smooth start-up for uniform performance. VIBRASTOP auxiliary handle ensures user comfort. The integrated extraction port guarantees extremely efficient extraction when paired with Festool extractor and the extraction hood accessory. The grinder is covered by Festool's comprehensive 3-year warranty.
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Festool's RenoFix range was developed to quickly and thoroughly overcome any material removal task, eliminating the need for hard manual work or ineffective work with chisels, rotary hammers and angle grinders.
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A wide range of grinding and milling heads and variable speed control allow you to adapt the RG 80 to many different applications. single machine and you almost have the entire building site under control.
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|Product Set Name
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July 21, 2021 – High fashion brands like Common Projects, Koio and Greats have showcased their own luxury sneakers, but a savvy new designer is hot on their heels.
Fresh-faced luxury footwear brand Giovvani puts comfort next to fashion. Since its founding, the brand has seen remarkable growth.
"When launching The Lorenzo in 2020, we wanted to test market demand with just three initial colorways of black, grey, and white sneakers to see how [buyers] would react. The demand was staggering… towards the end of the year, we were forced to pause some marketing campaigns due to demand outstripping supply," said an internal source.
Giovvani handcrafts its shoes in small quantities out of soft, enduring, fine leather. This, along with the brand's minimalistic approach to luxury, is a huge competitive edge. But what stands out most is how these sneakers are more than an accessory.
The casual yet classy authority behind Giovanni's name is one reason why its sneakers have flown off shelves. It caters to a comfortably lavish lifestyle, with designs to match an upscale bar scene or casual business meeting.
Aside from Giovvani, the luxury sneaker market itself is experiencing significant growth; global revenue within the industry was estimated to be worth $28 billion in 2020 and is forecast to reach $49 billion by 2027. The growth namely coming from high-net-worth millennials keen to flaunt their wealth with status symbols such as luxury footwear.
"It's not really even a trend anymore – it's become a category," said Bruce Pask, Men's Fashion Director at U.S. department store Neiman Marcus.
Looking at the forecast of 5-6% growth annually over the next seven years, it's safe to say the style is more than a fad. Unlike neon and hot pants, luxury sneakers are here to stay.
In comparison to big brand names like Gucci, Fendi, or Burberry, Giovvani is unique in its versatility, class and minimalism. In less than a year, it's grown exponentially and even struggled to keep up with demand–some may say that's a good problem to have as a new company.
Rooted in the belief that less is more, Giovvani's versatile and subtle styles fit casual, business casual, or even mystery settings (perfect for traveling). There is finally a go-to luxury shoe brand for any occasion.
About Giovvani
Founded in 2020, the luxury shoe brand caters to ambitious millennials who enjoy quality comfort in high fashion. Summer 2021 marks a pivotal era for Giovvani with its release of six new colorway designs.
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The present research paper outlines the environmental climatic challenges in Bihar, highlighted the climatic environmental issues describes the measures undertaken by Government of Bihar and reviews an extensive number of studies to address the environmental issues of different districts of Bihar state. The major aim of and objective to this present dissertation of environmental issue and challenges is to provide a sound foundation for the framework of future strategies to came out with these environmental issues to secure clean environment for future generations. Furthermore, the Government of India has also introduced the National Rural Drinking Water Supply Program in order to address the environmental issues in Bihar. The present dissertation highlights the potential future, risk and justifies a comprehensive research effort directed to obtaining definitive results. Indeed, a quick assessment, and adoption of remedial measures without delay, is imperative for the future of this aquatic system. The results indicated that, if the state address and talking into account the environmental climatic issues, there will be a great positive impact on state economy.


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Promoting his new PBS special "Constitution USA with Peter Sagal," the NPR "Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me" host went a step further than the typical liberal explanation that the nation's governing charter was a "living document." No, "[w]hat makes the Constitution a successful document... is less the document itself than the people's willingness to believe in it," Politico's Patrick Gavin informed readers of his April 23 profile on Sagal, which summarizes a 13-minute interview (embedded below page break).
"The Constitution is only as alive as we collectively have decided it is today," Sagal told Gavin, adding, "I've been calling it the Tinkerbell of national charters because Tinkerbell only lives if you clap, right? Or if you say, 'I do believe in fairies, I do!'"
One thing Sagal "learned, among other things, is that most Americans don't know their Constitution terribly well," Gavin explained a few paragraphs earlier.
While that may be true, that's certainly no excuse to deride the Constitution as akin to a fictional fairy who befriends -- and effectively enables -- a boy who refuses to grow up. One wonders if Sagal's Tinkerbell comparison might additionally have a deeper level of derision to it, that it's constitutional conservatism which is a political philosophy which refuses to grow up.
Read more about Sagal's bias here.


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Morton Hock, who spent five decades in marketing and advertising for Broadway and the motion picture industry, died at his home in New York on April 25 after a long struggle with leukemia. He was 85.
He did a stint with Broadway impresario David Merrick in the late 1950s. During the 1960s, he was advertising manager at United Artists and later VP and global marketing director for Paramount, overseeing campaigns for films such as "Rosemary's Baby," "Barbarella," "Goodbye, Columbus," "Love Story" and the original "True Grit," for which he orchestrated the Academy Awards campaign that resulted in the only Oscar for John Wayne.
Later, while working for the producer Ray Stark, Hock created the campaign for "The Way We Were," and then worked with the independent filmmaker John Cassavetes on "A Woman Under the Influence," for which Hock received a Clio Award.
Hock stayed in New York despite many attempts by Hollywood to lure him out West, and ran motion picture advertising firm Charles Schlaifer and Co., then became executive VP at DDB Needham, where he oversaw the Universal Pictures account until he retired at age 72.
In all, he oversaw the release of over 500 films.
Hock serving in the U.S. Army from 1951-53 before beginning his career.
He made time to serve as president of the New York chapter of show business charity the Variety Club, created fundraising campaigns for the Variety Club and for Burke Rehabilitation Center (including the ubiquitous short films that preceded feature films in theaters around New York during the 1970s and '80s). Hock was a member of the Friar's Club for more than 40 years while also serving as a key member of the New York branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, where he was a fixture at screenings and events until the last months of his life.
Survivors include Hock's wife of 55 years, Anita (Zagerman); a son and a daughter; and four grandchildren.
Funeral services will be at Riverside Memorial Chapel, 76th & Amsterdam, on Tuesday at 11:45 a.m.


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Only those members who agreed to post their membership profiles are listed, together with their areas of expertise.
There is no physical address permanently associated to the International Society for Plant Spectroscopy. For contact, use the either the affiliation and email address of the Head and Board directly (see below), or send an email to the Board.
András Gorzsás
Vibrational Spectroscopy Core Facility
Department of Chemistry
Umeå University
Cécile Barron
UMR IATE, CIRAD, INRA, Montpellier SupAgro, Montpellier University
Catherine Deborde
INRAE Nantes
Marie-Francoise Devaux
INRAE Nantes
Notburga Gierlinger
Department of Material Sciences and Process Engineering
BOKU - University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences
Fabienne Guillon
INRAE Nantes
Membership is free of charge and is valid until further notice.
To become a member, send an email with your CV to the Board. Please indicate whether you are willing to be listed as a member to non-member visitors of the page, or only feature on internal mailing lists. Please include a list of areas of your expertise.
Contact details are not shared without explicit permission
Area of Expertise
US Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
Raman spectroscopy, cellulose nanomaterials, enzyme hydrolysis of wood, wood cell wall nanostructure, methods for estimating crystallinity of cellulose-containing materials, Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS), cellulose interactions with water, Raman database of lignin models and interpretation of spectra
Institute of Organic Chemistry with Centre of Phytochemistry
Inter- and IntraMolecular Processes Group
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria
Natural products (wine polyphenols, Bulgarian rose aromatic products, essential oils, medicinal plants).
Analytical Chemistry (Molecular spectroscopy: UV-Vis Abs/Fl, IR/NIR, NMR; MS; chromatography: GC, GC/MS, HPLC, LC/MS, chemometrics), Quantum Chemistry (equilibria, reactivity, DFT methods development), Pharmaceutical and food analsysis
Laboratory for Instrumental Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry,
Institute of Organic Chemistry with Centre of Phytochemistry,
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria
Natural products, Essential oils, Instrumental analytical chemistry, Chromatography, Mass spectrometry
Baranska, Malgorzata
Jagiellonian University
Faculty of Chemistry
Raman Imaging Group
3 Ingardena, 30-060 Krakow, Poland
Raman microscopy and imaging, FT-IR microscopy and imaging, Raman Optical Activity, chemometrics, plant tissue and single cell analysis, secondary metabolites, carotenoids
Universite de Lille Campus Cite Scientifique Dept Biologie
Plant Cell Wall Differentiation (terrestrial plants, algae)
Cellulose, Lignin (click chemistry)
Developmental and ectopic lignin
Raman microspectroscopy and Raman Imaging
(a)biotic stress and impacts on cell wall
Plant Fibers (flax, hemp)
Plant Histology and Cytology
In situ hybridization (genes involved in Lignin pathway)
Plant Development, Anatomy and Embryology
Istituto di Fisica Applicata "Nello Carrara", Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche , Sesto Fiorentino (FI), Italy
fluorescence spectroscopy, fluorescence imaging, application of portable fluorometers for the non-destructive detection of leaves and fruits phytochemicals, photoacoustic spectroscopy
Chabbert, Brigitte
Fractionation of AgroResources and Environment, INRA, University of Reims Champagne Ardenne, Reims, France
Lignoceluloses, bast fibres, lignin, cell wall deconstruction, microscopy, FTIR, NMR, fluorescence
Chaix, Gilles
CIRAD, AGAP unit, Cedex Montpellier, France
Departamento de Ciências Florestais, ESALQ/Universidade de São Paulo, Brasil
Genetic and environmental controls of wood properties, forest breeding, selection, material multiplication, seed production, plantation management, wood properties measurement, high throughput phenotypying by Near InfraRed Spectroscopy for physical, chemical, mechanical wood properties and non-wood products, Eucalyptus, Acacia, Teak
Cuello, Clement
INRA - Centre Val de Loire
Orléans, France
ATR FT-IR imaging
Deborde, Catherine
Bordeaux Metabolome Facility – INBS MetaboHUB
Fruit Biology & Pathology, INRA – Bordeaux University
NMR-based plant metabolomics
Devaux, Marie-Francoise
Biopolymers, Interactions, Assemblies
Plant Cell Wall and their Polysaccharides
INRA-Nantes, Nantes, France
FT-IR, Raman, Fluorescence imaging
hyperspectral image analysis
chemometry, image analysis
plant histology, plant cell wall
maize stem, wheat grain, apple
Scion Research, Rotorua, New Zealand
Fluorescence microscopy of plants, especially wood, leaves, and reproductive structures. Light and electron microscopy of biomaterials
Durand, Sylvie
Biopolymers, Interactions, Assemblies
Plant Cell Wall and their Polysaccharides
INRA-Nantes, Nantes, France
FT-IR spectroscopy and micro-spectroscopy, microfluidic, plant cell walls polysaccharide (cellulose, hemicelluloses and pectins) and lignins, maize stem and grain, wheat, brachypodium.
The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
Cell wall micro-characterization, silica in plants, silicon bio-mineralization by plants, hygroscopic movement in seed dispersal, Raman micro-spectroscopy, polarized light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy
Fagerstedt, Kurt V
Department of Biosciences, Viikki Biocenter 3, Helsinki University, Finland
Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology, Umeå Plant Science Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
Plant hormone signalling, plant development, ethylene, auxin, wood, ectomycorrhiza, plant cell walls, FT-IR and Raman micro-spectroscopy, hyper spectral image analysis, transcriptomics, histology, Populus, Arabidopsis
The Australian National University
Research School of Biology
46 Sullivan's Creek Road
Acton ACT 2601
Near-infrared Spectroscopy in ecological studies, in particular in studies of plant animal interactions
Biological Systems Engineering, Washington State University, USA
Hyperspectral imaging application in crops stress detection
Department of Material Sciences and Process Engineering, BOKU - University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
FT-IR spectroscopy, FT-IR microspectroscopy, Raman microspectroscopy, hyperspectral image analysis, plant cell walls, wood,
IHSM-CSIC-UMA, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Department at University
Plant biology, plant
Department of Chemistry, Umeå University, Sweden
FT-IR spectroscopy, FT-IR microspectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, Raman microspectroscopy, hyperspectral image analysis, chemometrics
Guillon, Fabienne
Biopolymers, Interactions, Assemblies
Plant Cell Wall and their Polysaccharides
INRA-Nantes, Nantes, France
FT-IR, fluorescence imaging, microscopy
hyperspectral imaging
plant histology, plant cell wall polysaccharides
maize stem, wheat grain, tomato, cereal grain
Hauser, Marie-Theres
Division Plant Genetics and Cell Biology, Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology, BOKU-University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
Raman spectroscopy, cell wall formation and signaling, responses to abiotic stressors
Heredia Bayona, Antonio
IHSM-CSIC-UMA, Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, Spain
FTIR, plant cuticle, cutin, waxes, phenolic compounds, polysaccharides
Heredia-Guerrero, José Alejandro
Smart Materials, Department of Nanophysics, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Italy
FTIR, plant cuticle, cutin, waxes, phenolic compounds, polysaccharides
Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
Hyper- and multispectral sensing of plants for early biotic and abiotic stress detection
Hinterstoisser, Barbara
Department of Material Sciences and Process Engineering, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
FT-IR, FT-NIR, dynamic FT-IR, hyperspectral imaging, chemistry of lignocellulosic materials, wood chemistry
Huss, Jessica
Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Department of Biomaterials, Potsdam, Germany
Raman microspectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, structure-function relationships, plant biomechanics
Jamme, Frédéric
Synchrotron SOLEIL
L'Orme des Merisiers
Saint-Aubin - BP 48
91192 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex France
Synchrotron radiation imaging, FT-IR micro-spectroscopy, Raman, UV micro-spectroscopy, Multi-Photon and SHG Imaging, Hyperspectral Image analysis, Chemometrics
Division of Surface and Corrosion Science
KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Drottning Kristinas väg 51
SE-100 44 Stockholm
Nano infrared microscopy
Vibrational sum frequency spectroscopy (VSFS or SFG)
Infrared reflection/absorption spectroscopy (IRRAS)
Model cell membranes
Langmuir-Blodgett films
de Juan, Anna
University of Barcelona, Department of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Chemistry, Solution Equilibria and Chemometrics Group, Barcelona, Spain
Chemometrics, Image Analysis, Resolution/Unmixing
The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Limited
Raman spectroscopy, chemometrics, analytical chemistry and natural products chemistry
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Department of Chemistry
Room 2'311
Brook-Taylor-Str. 2
D-12489 Berlin, Germany
Raman microspectroscopy, surface-enhanced Raman scattering, hyperspectral imaging, multivariate statistics, MALDI-MS, pollen, cell wall
University of Belgrade, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of
Chemometrics, Raman and FT-IR spectroscopy in plant and food analysis
Research Group Pteridology
Department of Biology
Ghent University
KL Ledeganckstraat 35
9000 Gent
In situ localization of cell wall components, histology, (immuno)cytochemical analysis, light and electron microscopy, plant biodiversity, plant anatomy, vascular plants, Arabidopsis, Selaginella
Molecular-Physical Chemistry R&D Group
Dep. Life Sciences
Calçada Martim de Freitas
University of Coimbra – 3000-456 Coimbra
Drug development and new diagnostic methods for an early detection of cancer, using vibrational spectroscopy (including neutron techniques and synchrotron-based methods)
Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology, Umeå Plant Science Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
Wood cell wall formation, wood cell differentiation, cell wall polysaccharides, carbohydrate active enzymes
China Agricultural University, Beijing, P. R. China
Application of molecular vibration spectrum and chemical imaging in biomass
Morel, Julien
Department of Agricultural Research for Northern Sweden,
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå,
Radiative transfer modeling, hyper- and multispectral images analyses, crop modeling, coupling of models and remotely sensed data, leaf diseases
Moore, John
Institute for Wine Biotechnology, Department of Viticulture and Oenology, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
FTIR and NMR spectroscopy, chromatography, mass spectrometry, analytical chemistry, molecular biology, protein biochemistry, plnat glycobiology, wine chemistry
Institute of Plant Nutritiion and Soil Science, Kiel University, Germany
Plant nutrition, phytochemistry, food quality, abiotic stress, apoplast, wheat grain proteomics, chromatography (HPLC, IC, GC), mass spectroscopy (IRMS, ICP-MS), fluorescence microscopy and macroscopy, ratio imaging, microspectroscopy, in situ localization of nutrients
Faculty of Agriculture, University of Belgrade, Department of Agrobotany, Nemanjina 6, Zemun, Serbia
Anatomy and cytological analysis of fruit pericarp during development; Effects of biotic and abiotic stress on plant anatomy; Raman spectroscopy in plant material
Pedersen, Nanna Bherregaard
National Museum of Denmark
Environmental Archaeology and Material Science, Lyngby, Denmark
FT-IR spectroscopy, FT-IR micro-spectroscopy, Raman micro-spectroscopy, wood cell walls, bacterial and fungal decay, archaeological wood
Piispanen, Riikka
Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke)
Bio-based business and industry
PO Box 18
FI-01300 Vantaa
FT-IR mir, wood extractives, especially lignans, forest nutraceuticals
University of Copenhagen
Raman micro-spectroscopy on wood, acquisition and data analysis
Prats Mateu, Batirtze
Department of Material and Process Engineering, Institute of Physics and Material Science, BOKU-University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
Raman microspectroscopy, hyperspectral image analysis, plant cell wall, lignification
Ragauskas, Arthur J
Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA
Lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose, biorefining, biofuels, bio-based chemicals and materials, green chemistry, NMR, ToF-SIMS, SEM, FTIR, UV/Vis
Rancic, Dragana
Faculty of Agriculture University of Belgrade, Serbia
Plant anatomy, histochemistry, Raman microscopy, fluorescence microscopy, agricultural plant science, biotic and abiotic stress, crop plants, medicinal plants, vascular system
Reinecke, Andreas
Applied Zoology / Animal Ecology
Institute of Biology - Freie Universität Berlin
Harderslebener Str. 9
Chemical ecology, with practical expertise in GC-MS, GC-FID, and these techniques coupled with biological detectors: GC-EAD, GC-Ca+-Imaging etc. Chiral and preparative GC.
Salmén, Lennart
Biorefinery and Biobased Materials, Innventia AB, Stockholm, Sweden
FT-IR spectroscopy, dynamic FT-IR spectroscopy, lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose, biorefining, biofuels, bio-based chemicals and materials
Innorenew CoE, Izola, Slovenia
NIR, MIR, PTR-MS and XRF spectroscopies, Chemometrics,
Wood surface characterization,
Wood chemistry,
Evaluation of degradation level of bio-based products,
Materials modelling,
Wood modification,
Biomasses characterization,
Service life performance
Department of pharmaceutical sciences, Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa
NIR and MIR spectroscopy,
Quality control of herbal products and medicines, Hyperspectral imaging, Chemometrics, Biochemistry, Chromatography
Umeå Plant Science Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Sweden
Programmed cell death, secondary cell wall formation, lignification, cell-to-cell interaction, lateral root emergence, peptide signaling
University of Copenhagen, Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, Copenhagen, Denmark
Plant biomass characterisation, biorefining, plant cell wall microstructure, cell wall-water-enzyme interactions, Raman and IR microspectroscopy, vibrational spectroscopy, time domain NMR relaxometry, chemometrics
China Agricultural University, Beijing, P. R. China
Application of molecular vibration spectrum and chemical imaging in biomass
Faculty of Science and Technology
Norwegian University of Life Sciences
Drøbakveien 31, 1432 Ås, Norway
FT-IR spectroscopy, microspectroscopy, imaging and high throughput screening
FT-Raman spectroscopy
Raman spectroscopy and microspectroscopy
Chemometrics, multivariate data analysis and image analysis
Plant pollen, spores, seeds and leaves
Fungal spores and mycelium
Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB)
Max-Eyth-Allee 100
14469 Potsdam-Bornim
frequency resolved spectroscopy, fruit development, fruit quality, imaging, multispectral analysis, physiological plant modelling, precision horticulture, spatially resolved spectroscopy
International Society for Plant Spectroscopy, since 2015


text:
Entering the 2021 Water Year on October 1 there was a great deal of excitement about the possible "La Nina" winter forecasted for the fall and winter seasons. What would this mean for Montana's winter air temperatures and one of Montana's most precious resources, the snowpack?
The Natural Resources Conservation Service in Bozeman said in a news release that October delivered the predicted outcome, well below normal temperatures statewide, and above average precipitation for most areas of Montana. Only the eastern border and southwest corner of the state would be missed by passing storms. Ending the month, snowpack was off to a strong start in most mountain locations.
Weather patterns changed in November. The northern half of the state was favored for precipitation while the southern half of the state experienced below normal monthly totals. November air temperature was reported as near to slightly above average for many locations in the western half of Montana, but well above average in the southeast corner of the state.
"Unfortunately, as we have seen in previous La Nina years in Montana, a forecasted La Nina winter isn't a guarantee of cold and wet conditions during every month of the snow season, it's only an increased probability of that occurring over a given period of time," reported Lucas Zukiewicz, NRCS water supply specialist in Montana.
The last week of November marked the beginning of a prolonged dry period for almost all mountain locations, with many mountain Snowpack Telemetry (SNOTEL) sites receiving little snowfall between November 20 and December 12. This prolonged dry period caused snowpack percentages to decline across the state, especially at low- to mid-elevation mountain locations. "The weather over the final two weeks of December was more active, and storms before the new year began helped to build the mountain snowpack and stop the decline in percentages," said Zukiewicz.
Snowpack on January 1 varies widely across Montana. Snowpack in some river basins along the Rocky Mountain Front is above normal for this date while snowpack is near to slightly below normal in other western Montana river basins. "Southwest Montana, which didn't receive the early boost in snowpack totals during October, is the only region in the state with snowpack that is well below normal for this date," stated Zukiewicz. Snowpack in the Gallatin, Madison and Jefferson River basins ranges from 66 to 87 percent of normal.
On January 1, around 35 to 45 percent of the seasonal peak snowpack has typically accumulated at mountain locations across the state, leaving plenty of time for snow totals to recover before runoff begins this spring and summer. "You don't have to look far back in time to find a winter where early season snowpack totals weren't looking good in certain parts of the state," said Zukiewicz. "Just last winter, snowpack totals in many river basins in western Montana along the Idaho border were below normal, only to have the weather patterns change and improve conditions before we got to runoff."
According to forecasts published January 6 by NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, the next two weeks are predicted to bring higher probabilities of above normal precipitation to many parts on Montana and the warmer than normal temperatures are likely to persist. "At this point we'll take what precipitation we can get, especially in southwestern Montana," said Zukiewicz.
The NRCS will continue to monitor conditions across the state, and a full report of conditions for January 1 can be found in the monthly Water Supply Outlook Report available on the Montana Snow Survey website on Friday, January 8.
Monthly Water Supply Outlook Reports can be found on the NRCS website after the fifth business day of the month.


text:
An Unpublished Letter of Lord Byron
Book and pictures courtesy of Stephen and Paulette Modiano. Description courtesy of Paul Jackson.
An Unpublished Letter of
Lord Byron
by Arthur E. Anundsen, 1913
This book measures 8" x 6" and has 24
unnumbered pages plus a title page. The title page and first page running head
and initial are hand illumined. The book was printed in one color on Roycroft
watermarked paper. This book is not listed in McKenna and printing numbers are
unknown but thought to be quite small. This book prior to its' purchase by
Stephen Modiano and publication here, was unknown to and previously unseen by
all the major Roycroft collectors.
The Unpublished Letter was originally published in the June 1901 Philistine and was later published in Volume #9 of the Selected Writings series and reprinted in the Philistine. In the June 1901 Philistine Hubbard leaves the impression that this was actually written by Lord Byron. In the Selected Writings and the Philistine reprint Hubbard states; "In answer to many questions as to where the original was found, I will say it was discovered under a Cabbage Leaf in the Roycroft Garden, which is in East Aurora, by Ali Baba."
This letter was actually written by Arthur E. Anundsen, a lawyer from Decorah, Iowa. This letter was written regarding a private incident in his life and was a work of art and a farewell to a young lady after a "grand passion". Anundsen gave a copy of it to his friend Major James B. Pond who also incidentally booked speaking engagements for Elbert Hubbard. Pond is actually the one who humorously named it An Unpublished Letter From Lord Byron and showed it to Elbert Hubbard. According to David Balch, Hubbard pocketed the letter and to Pond's astonishment published it in the June 1901 Philistine.
Above information is excerpted from pages #234 and 235 of Elbert Hubbard Genius of Roycroft by David Arnold Balch, published by Frederick A. Stokes Company in 1940.
| Home | | 1913 Links |


text: "The City of Chicago is thrilled to take the second spot on TripAdvisor's Top U.S. Destination in their annual Traveler's Choice Destination Awards. From our hotels and restaurants to festivals and conventions, Chicago is home to some of the best attractions that the country has to offer, and our ranking is a reflection of that. Expanding tourism in Chicago is a key part of creating local jobs and growing the Chicago economy, which is why we have significantly increased our investments in tourism and set a goal of 55 million visitors to the city annually by 2020."


text:
I am always on the lookout for fabric for wholecloths and as backing. You may remember the turkey red paisley fabric throw from Glasgow that turned out to be too nice to dismember and use for fabric!
Well, here is another of my finds which arrived today.
It is unused - from the 1960's, supposedly....and the fabric is a nice blue cotton sateen, and a large piece of a print. Red ribbon enclosing a leaf or flower motif, nice and cheerful..
These throws were an inexpensive way to make warm bedding from an old woollen blanket. It was easy to sew them up, no quilting needed....careful sewing was not required, either!
The older cloth is of a higher quality, I feel, than modern fabrics...and will be very suitable to use for other projects.
This throw is from Fraserburgh, Scotland. The best part - the cost of this throw was only £10. I doubt that I could buy suitable modern fabric for that price!!
I feel a small wholecloth coming on....


text:
HAPO Credit Union, Richland, WA
The ACUIA Region 1, Spring 2013 meeting will be held on Friday, April 19, 2013 at HAPO Community Credit Union.
Meeting Cost: $99
Includes continential breakfast and lunch on Friday. Meeting starts at 8am and goes to 5 pm.
For registration information, click here.
Who Should Attend?
Internal Auditors, Supervisory/Audit Committee Members, Board Members, Compliance Officers, Risk Managers
Operational Risk Relating to IT
Tom Schauer, Trust CC
Sandy Thomas, CliftonLarsonAllen
Auditing Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery
John Ames, Inline Consulting
Small CU Strategic Planning
David Cobia, CliftonLarsonAllen
Audits review of and use for annual audit plan
SC Committee Reporting and Relationship
Carrie Kennedy, Moss Adams
Business Loans
Ryan Sturgis, Moss Adams
Controls over monitoring and recent issues regarding securitization.
Effective Merger / Acquisition Transactions
Ryan Sturgis, Moss Adams
Revised Credit Impairment Model & Impact to to ALL Estimate
Ryan Sturgis, Moss Adams
ALL Best Practices
Ryan Sturgis, Moss Adams
Focus on Q&E - independent validations
Site and Hotel Information:
HAPO Community Credit Union
7601 W Clearwater Ave
Kennewick, WA 99336
(360) 992-4233
(CU Location)
Comfort Inn
7801 W. Quinault Ave
Kennewick, WA 99336
(509) 783-8396
Cedar Inn & Suites
602 North Young Street
Kennewick, WA 99336
(800) 589-1941
Questions or need more information?
Contact the Region 1 Director, Julie Wilson.
Email: email@example.com or phone: (360) 992-4233
From I-82:
Take exit 109 for Badger Rd
Turn right onto E Badger Rd
At the traffic circle, take the 2nd exit onto W Clearwater Ave
Go 2.3 miles and the HAPO Business Complex will be on the right
7601 W Clearwater Ave
From US-395 S:
Take the exit onto I-182 W/US-395 S toward Richland/Pendleton
Take exit 12A to merge onto US-395 S toward Kennewick/Pendleton
Keep left at the fork; follow signs for Kennewick Pendleton/US-395 S
Continue straight onto US-395 S
Turn right onto W Clearwater Ave
Go 3.2 miles and the HAPO Business Complex will be on the left
7601 W Clearwater Ave
Event Date:
Event Type:


text:
Their inspiration has come from an unlikely source: UCLA. But the Bruins' run to the 2006 NCAA title has helped the Hawaii men's volleyball team keep the faith the past few weeks.
"If UCLA can do it, why not us?" It was more of a statement than a question from Warrior senior setter Brian Beckwith.
Why not, indeed. Last year, the sub-.500 Bruins kept winning. First, it was eight straight to get into the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament, then four in the MPSF tourney to earn the automatic berth into the NCAA tournament and then two more for UCLA's 19th championship.
The Bruins needed 14 in a row to do it. The Warriors, riding an eight-match winning streak, would need 15 -- 16 if they have to compete in the play-in match.
But what Hawaii (11-13, 9-11 MPSF) wants right now is to hit .500. The Warriors can do that with wins over Stanford (3-23, 2-18) tomorrow and Saturday to close out the regular season.
Possibility has taken on probability the past four weeks. Possibility has continued to be the improbable winner.
Given the season the Hawaii men's volleyball team had been having through mid-March -- losing 12 straight, 0-6 on the road -- the possibility of the Warriors winning out and reaching .500 was there ... just as was the probability they wouldn't.
Yet ... Hawaii is two victories away from having a win streak that matches its ranking: 10. Over the next two nights, the Warriors (11-13, 9-11 MPSF) can accomplish even more, the least of which is silencing their doubters.
Probably seventh (hosting Wednesday's play-in match), possibly sixth (traveling to the third seed for a quarterfinal Saturday), outside chance of eighth (traveling to the seventh seed for Wednesday's match). Hawaii has the tiebreakers with the other teams involved -- Cal State Northridge (10-10), currently sixth; USC (9-12) in eighth; and Pacific (8-12) in ninth.
The only way the Warriors miss the playoffs entirely is if they wind up ninth. For that to happen, they would have to lose both matches to the Cardinal to finish 9-13 and Pacific would have to beat No. 2 BYU and USC would also have to beat CSU Northridge.
"The only scenario I like is the one where we keep winning, keep on winning this week and get into the playoffs," Hawaii senior setter Brian Beckwith said. "I'm happy that we're back home to play after two weeks on the road and I'm looking forward to playing in our arena."
Depending on the playoff situation, Saturday may be the final home match for the four Warrior seniors. Regardless, Beckwith, middle Dio Dante, opposite Lauri Hakala and hitter Eric Kalima will be honored after the match.
"I'm excited, have a lot of family members in town," Beckwith said. "Senior night adds some pressure, but we're just going to approach it like any other match and keep the ceremony separate.
"Of course Stanford concerns us. It's teams that have nothing to lose that are the scariest. And they've got a local boy, Kawika (Shoji), and they're going to give it everything they've got."
Shoji (Iolani '06) moved from setter to left-side hitter a few weeks ago, a position he's never played. He had 19 kills Friday in the 3-1 loss to No. 1 Pepperdine and 17 kills in the 3-1 loss to USC on Saturday.
Shoji, son of Rainbow Wahine coach Dave, leads the Cardinal in assists, aces and digs and is fourth in kills.
"I'm looking forward to coming home," Shoji said. "I've played in the arena a couple of times and kind of grew up there, going to my dad's practice. I've told my team it's the best place in the country to play volleyball, how big the crowds get and how knowledgeable they are, applauding for good plays by both teams.
"I'm excited to share that with my team and be playing in front of a lot of family and friends. Hopefully, we'll play well, have two good matches in front of a good crowd."
Although the Cardinal have lost their last four, coach John Kosty remains very optimistic.
"I'm feeling great for us being 3-23 because we're not playing like that," Kosty said. "We thought we'd get one last week, but it didn't work out.
"Hakala, of course, concerns us. He's a tremendous volleyball player. And it seems like their blocking defense is doing really well.
"We want to play well, maybe get a split or even sweep Hawaii, and have that push us forward into the offseason on a positive note, because the future of Stanford volleyball is bright and it keeps getting brighter."
Joining the Cardinal next season will be two of Shoji's U.S. Junior National Team teammates -- Punahou's Spencer McLachlin and Kamehameha's Jordan Inafuku.
Tickets will be available online at HawaiiAthletics.com or at the Stan Sheriff Center box office (10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays). For more information, call 956-4482.


text:
Review: Söldner-X 2: Final Prototype
This is a re-print of an article originally posted on another site, included here so that the blog is a complete repository of my written work. The article is reproduced without pagination, formatting, images or editorial changes made on the original site prior to original publication.
Soldner-X 2: Final Prototype is the epitome of 2D scrolling shoot 'em up gaming, cloning the classic R-Type and improving on it in every respect. If you played Soldner-X: Himmelsturmer last year, you may be nervous about this purchase. I was too, but don't be: Eastasiasoft have taken everything that was good about the first game and fixed everything that was bad. The result is a slick, polished and highly playable 2D shooter.
Set across seven luscious levels (of which only five are accessible at the start), the aim is of course simple: shoot everything, avoid bullets and collect power-ups. Each level takes about ten minutes to complete including the final boss, and if that was all there was to it, it would become quickly boring. Fortunately, Soldner-X 2 is a dream for those who like challenge stages and unlockables.
Let's start with the gameplay first. Your ship has two weapons to start with, plus one extra which can be unlocked, or swapped out for weapons collected by power-ups. By taking out the baddies you collect chain rings which boost your chain bar. If you can manage to fill this within a certain time, a power-up is released in addition to those which spawn when you kill enemies. Conserving bullets and taking down opponents quickly extends the time you are allowed to fill this bar.
There are, as you might imagine, tons of different types of power-ups to collect. Chasers add mini-ships which follow you and shoot at the enemies; regular power-ups increase the firepower of your currently selected weapon, and to a lesser extent those of your other weapons. Shockwaves and so-called limit attacks can be acquired which do massive damage to everything on the screen, plus plenty of other goodies.
Dotted around the stages are various secret keys. Collect 4 out of 5 on each level to unlock additional stages. Collect all 35 for a silver trophy.
Difficulty-wise, Soldner-X 2 strikes gold. The game can be as easy or as difficult as you like, which is in stark contrast to the rather tricky affair that was the original game. Two difficulty levels are unlocked at first: Beginner is dead easy, you will be able to complete the whole game without losing a ship, and Normal is not that challenging either. Later difficulty levels up the ante considerably once you've unlocked them. The real masterstroke though is that the game features dynamic difficulty, relative to the base difficulty level you've selected. You have a rank, either S (the best) or A-G, which goes up and down and is indicated in the corner of the screen along with your trending as you play. The more efficient you are, the more enemies and bullets are thrown at you. Perform poorly and the difficulty will be cranked down.
This may sound like a recipe for disaster, but it is perfectly balanced – never making the game too easy or too hard, again, relative to the difficulty you originally selected. You can also start the game from any stage, and the game thoughtfully provides you with a bunch of power-ups at the start commensurate to how far into the stages you have selected. This also makes hunting down those secret keys less of a chore.
Allow your health to drop below a certain amount and Beserker Mode is activated; much like in the original game this reduces the damage you take but increases your damage output. Survive long enough to pick up some health and normal gameplay will resume.
A tutorial system has been added which is less intrusive than the original game – but a little too unintrusive in fact. The top-left of the screen blinks to tell you to press triangle when a new tutorial is available, but if you don't press it within a few seconds you'll miss it altogether. Some of the tutorials are somewhat important to understanding the finer points of the gameplay mechanics, required to get the most out of the game. Fortunately, they are all available for re-reading in the options menu, which is also accessible during the game's pause screen.
Soldner-X 2 includes two-player offline co-op which works seamlessly, with all power-ups shared except chasers. This does however mean that if your buddy picks up a naff weapon, your tertiary weapon slot acquires it too at the expense of what you previously had equipped.
The graphics are crisp and smooth, with excellent use of colour making this the most beautiful-looking 2D shooter on the PS3 to date. Boss designs are adequate but not breathtaking, and the music is the typical kind of mellow background dance noise you'd expect from any self-respecting 2D shooter. There is plenty of variety in enemies, however many of the backgrounds are quite dark so some of the levels can feel slightly samey – though there are many differences between them.
Onto the unlockables then. Soldner-X 2 features a challenge mode with a large number of tasks to complete, ranging from collecting 999 chain rings on a stage, to maxing out a weapon's power in a certain time, to finishing a level without missing more than 3 enemies, or without killing any enemies except the boss. Some of these challenges are fairly simple and can be attempted on any difficulty level; others are punishingly difficult. Trophies are awarded for some of the challenges and you will be able to rack up more than in the original game because they are better balanced. It is really in the challenge mode where most of the fun and replayability of this game lies.
Since many people looking for classic shooter action will have already purchased the first game, I'd like to touch on some of the differences. First of all, the ill-thought out gameplay mechanic which causes your chain bar to be reset when you switch weapon has been scrapped. Your health slowly regenerates if you perform certain tasks, which it doesn't in the first game. Issues with the backgrounds being too bright and easy to confuse with enemies have been resolved, with a much better contrast between foreground and background in the new game. The cheesy cut scenes between levels have been removed, and the difficulty can now be made much more forgiving if you are just in it to see what comes next. I also like the radio chatter during boss fights where your ground controller lets you know which parts you're supposed to be attacking. Finally, the vast amount of unlockables: ships, stages, weapons, 'specials', challenges and difficulty levels, plus trophy collecting, give Soldner-X 2 far more replayability than its predecessor.
Online leaderboards are present and correct, but a pain to scroll through; there is no online play.
- Addictive, massive replayability due to tons of unlockables
- Difficulty can be made as hard or easy as you want
- Good variety, good graphics
- Seamless offline co-op
- Only 7 stages, so you'll be replaying the same areas over and over
There are quite a few single-stick shooters on the PSN store now. In my opinion, this is the best of the bunch. It has been well-designed, balanced and tuned to perfection, and is a big improvement on the original. If you have been thinking of buying the bundle, I would recommend you save a few pounds and just go for this game as it will hold your attention much longer than Himmelsturmer.