7 Disney Movies That Were Accused Of Stealing Ideas
Be prepared... to have your childhood favourites ruined.
by Alex Leadbeater
Aug 16, 2014 August 16th, 2014
Although it would like to be known for its consistently family-friendly approach and ability to squeeze childlike-joy out just about anyone, Disney's reputation is mired by some less savoury elements. For years the anti-Semitic views of studio founder Walt (who is, let's not forget, currently in suspended animation) have been prevalent, while eagle eyed fans have discovered some rather raunchy, 'accidental' easter eggs; a nude woman in The Rescuers, dust spelling SEX in The Lion King and a rather phallic looking tower on King Triton's castle on the VHS cover of The Little Mermaid. And that's not even getting onto the issue of stealing ideas. Some of the animation studio's best loved films have become mired in lawsuits from authors, filmmakers and cartoonists they've been accused of flat-out ripping off. Normally the cases are dropped and if not they're settled out of court with the official compromise not made public, but it's certainly something that tarnishes the reputation of a company whose biggest crime is only releasing their classics on DVD for painfully short periods. Today we look at seven films from Disney (and its sister Pixar) that have had accusations of intellectual thefy thrown and them and evaluate how potent the arguments actually are.
Honourable Mention: Antz Stole From A Bug's Life
The autumn of 1998 saw two very similar films hit our screens. First came Antz, Dreamworks' debut animation that transplanted a traditional Woody Allen existential crisis into a tiny version of Starship Troopers. Then, only a month later, there was A Bug's Life, Pixar's sophomore outing about ants fighting back against oppressive grasshoppers. The dim-witted accused the latter of copying, not comprehending how long animations take to make. They were right, however, in that there was some dodgy dealings going on. But it was the other way round. Jeffrey Katzenberg had been head of Disney at the start of the nineties, but ended up leaving on rather bad terms. Forming Dreamworks and heading up the animation division, his aim was to beat the Mouse House at there own game, thus rushing Antz into production to compete with the already in progress A Bug's Life.
Posted On: 16th Aug 2014
Alex Leadbeater
Film Editor (2014-2016). Loves The Usual Suspects. Hates Transformers 2. Everything else lies somewhere in the middle. Once met the Chuckle Brothers.
See more from Alex


Add to cart Add to wishlist Find sales consultant
Format:Paperback
Author(s):Allan Todd
Available from: October 2016
This History for the IB Diploma Paper 3 The People's Republic of China (1949-2005) coursebook covers Paper 3, HL option 3: History of Asia and Oceania, Topic 14: The People's Republic of China (1949-2005) of the History for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma syllabus for first assessment in 2017. Tailored to the requirements of the IB syllabus, and written by an experienced examiner and teacher it offers an authoritative and engaging guidance through China during the rule of the Chinese Communist Party, the changes experienced under Chairman Mao Zedong and the modernisation of the country's economy. This History for the IB Diploma Paper 3 coursebook offers activities throughout the chapters to encourage an exploratory and inquiring approach to historical learning, a wide range of primary and secondary sources to inspire engagement with multiple historical perspectives and interpretations, and develop students' analytical skills. It also offers links to Theory of Knowledge to stimulate reflective discussion and Paper 3 exam-style questions to help improve student performance and provide preparation for assessment.
Chapter 2. The consolidation of the communist state, 1949-55: 2.1. How did the Communists establish their political rule in the years 1949-55?
2.2. What were the main economic policies during the period 1949-55?
2.3. What social reforms did the Communists implement during the years 1949-55?
Chapter 3. Mao's Revolution, 1956-61: 3.1. Why was the Hundred Flowers' Campaign launched?
3.2. What were the main features of the 'Great Leap Forward'?
3.3. What were the immediate consequences of the 'Great Leap Forward'?
Chapter 4. Power Struggles and the Cultural Revolution, 1962-71: 4.1. How did Mao begin to re-establish his political leadership after 1961?
4.2. What were the main features of the Cultural Revolution?
4.3. Why was there a new power struggle during 1970-71?
Chapter 5. Foreign policy, 1949-1976: 5.1. What were the main features of Communist China's early foreign policy?
5.2. Why did a serious rift develop between China and the Soviet Union in the 1960s?
5.3. What was the significance of Communist China's rapprochement with the USA in the 1970s?
Chapter 6. The struggle for power, 1972-82: 6.1. Why were there tensions within the CCP from 1972-75?
6.2. What was Mao's legacy?
6.3. What were the main stages of the power struggle 1976–82?
Chapter 7. Deng's Economic Revolution (1976-1989): 7.1. What economic policies were followed by Hua in the period 1976–78?
7.2. What were the main features of Deng's 'Revolution', 1979–89?
7.3. How successful were Deng's economic reforms?
Chapter 8. Political Developments under Deng, 1976-89: 8.1. What was Deng's political approach in the period 1976–79?
8.2. Why did political unrest re-emerge in the period 1980–87?
8.3. What led to the Tiananmen Square Massacre of June 1989?
Chapter 9. Developments in China, 1989-2005: 9.1. How did China's politics change after 1989?
9.2. What were the main economic developments after 1989?
9.3. How far have China's leaders created a 'Harmonious Society'?
9.4. How did China's relations with the rest of the world develop after 1989?
9.5. To what extent was China still communist by 2005?
Civil Rights and Social Movements in the Americas Post-1945


Unclaimed Property Resources
Louisiana Joins 39 States In Effort to Collect Unclaimed Property From Holders
Louisiana Unclaimed Property
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana has recently joined nationwide effort underway in 39 states to collect billions of dollars in Unclaimed Property from holders and to reunite owners with money that rightfully belongs to them, according to Secretary of Revenue John Kennedy.
To encourage holders of abandoned property to report and turn these funds over to state Unclaimed Property programs, the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA) has adopted a 10-month voluntary compliance program. The program allows companies and other holders of unclaimed funds to come into compliance with the Unclaimed Property laws of all participating states without penalties or interest until October 31, 1999. The states will hold the funds in trust and try to find the rightful owners.
""We are happy to join this nationwide effort to collect and return Unclaimed Property to their rightful owners,"" says Secretary Kennedy, whose Department has aggressively returned more than $47 million of over $196 million of Unclaimed Property collected in Louisiana since 1972. ""The huge success of Louisiana"s Unclaimed Property program under the Foster Administration has meant more money returned to our economy, which is good for everybody.""
NAUPA estimates that banks, businesses, government agencies and other entities across the nation are holding more than $10 billion that does not belong to them. Approximately 26 million Americans are the rightful owners of this Unclaimed Property, which may include payroll checks, checking and savings accounts, royalties, utility deposits, interest, dividends, stock certificates, and life insurance proceeds.
""It is understandable that some holders of Unclaimed Property have not fully understood their responsibilities under the law,"" says Secretary Kennedy. ""The NAUPA voluntary compliance program enables us to work with holders to promote compliance with those laws, which in turn allows us to focus on returning property to the rightful owners.""
Under some state laws, holders of unclaimed property can be assessed a penalty of 5 percent a month, up to 25 percent of the value of all abandoned property that they fail to report. In most states, the abandonment period ranges from 5 to 7 years. While many holders have taken advantage of voluntary compliance programs sponsored by individual states, many large holders fear penalties from other states if they ""come clean"" in only one state. NAUPA"s nationwide voluntary compliance program is an attempt to alleviate the reluctance of holders to report their abandoned funds.
The states that are participating in the NAUPA program have agreed to waive penalties and interest on holders who come forward to voluntarily remit Unclaimed Property. This voluntary compliance program ends on October 31, 1999.
The states currently participating in the voluntary compliance program are: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.
This program is not available to delinquent holders who have already been identified and contacted by a state"s audit staff or third party audit firm. Holders can learn more about the voluntary compliance program by contacting Denise Ducharme at 207-287-6671, Scott Harper at 573-751-2082 or at www.unclaimed.org on the Internet.
To find out if you or somebody you know has Unclaimed Property waiting at the Louisiana Department of Revenue, contact the Unclaimed Property Section toll-free at 1-888-925-4127, or search for names at www.rev.state.la.us on the Department"s Internet website. Written inquiries can be sent to: Louisiana Department of Revenue, Unclaimed Property Section, P.O. Box 91010, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-9010.
BlueSoft
Published by BlueSoft at January 1, 2011
BATON ROUGE unclaimed money
Louisiana unclaimed money
naupa
Department of Revenue and Metairie's Lakeside Shopping Center to Host "Unclaimed Property Awareness Day"
Unclaimed Property Could Provide Extra Cash this Christmas
Alabama Unclaimed Property
Alaska Unclaimed Property
Arizona Unclaimed Property
Arkansas Unclaimed Property
California Unclaimed Property
Colorado Unclaimed Property
Connecticut Unclaimed Property
Delaware Unclaimed Property
Florida Unclaimed Property
Georgia Unclaimed Property
Hawaii Unclaimed Property
Idaho Unclaimed Property
Illinois Unclaimed Property
Indiana Unclaimed Property
Iowa Unclaimed Property
Kansas Unclaimed Property
Kentucky Unclaimed Property
Maine Unclaimed Property
Maryland Unclaimed Property
Massachusetts Unclaimed Property
Michigan Unclaimed Property
Minnesota Unclaimed Property
Mississippi Unclaimed Property
Missouri Unclaimed Property
Montana Unclaimed Property
Nebraska Unclaimed Property
Nevada Unclaimed Property
New Hampshire Unclaimed Property
New Jersey Unclaimed Property
New Mexico Unclaimed Property
New York Unclaimed Property
North Carolina Unclaimed Property
North Dakota Unclaimed Property
Ohio Unclaimed Property
Oklahoma Unclaimed Property
Oregon Unclaimed Property
Pennsylvania Unclaimed Property
Rhode Island Unclaimed Property
South Carolina Unclaimed Property
South Dakota Unclaimed Property
Tennessee Unclaimed Property
Texas Unclaimed Property
Unclaimed Property Articles
Unclaimed Property Divisions
Utah Unclaimed Property
Vermont Unclaimed Property
Virginia Unclaimed Property
Washington Unclaimed Property
West Virginia Unclaimed Property
Wisconsin Unclaimed Property
Wyoming Unclaimed Property
Get The Weekly Scoop On
If you get tired of our emails, you can unsubscribe easily any time.
Start Your Search Today!
Unclaimed Property Search
Founding Vision
Copyright © 2019 UnclaimedPropertySearch.org. All Rights Reserved.
Made by BlueSoft


Tag Archives: New York
2018 ➤ Vogue promotes pot-stirring Linard as inspiration for its Met Gala creatives
Posted on 6 May 2018 | Leave a comment
Stephen Linard's 1980 Neon Gothic collection modelled by Myra Falconer and Michele Clapton: one wears a lace hat, the other a skullcap, both by Stephen Jones. (Photo by Graham Smith)
New York's Met Gala 2018 signifies the highly anticipated grand opening of the Costume Institute's annual fashion exhibition Heavenly Bodies, which opens on May 10. At Vogue online this week Laird Borrelli-Persson recalls how a Blitz Kid's 1980 collection anticipated Heavenly Bodies by 38 years:
" FASHION'S BIGGEST NIGHT OUT" is the Met Gala. As a pinnacle of iconic style, this annual fundraising benefit for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, welcomes celebrity stars, young creatives, and industry paragons alike.
The British designer Stephen Linard deserves credit for many innovations in fashion and its presentation that we take for granted in 2018. One of the Blitz Kids whose dandyish ways had an outsize impact on 1980s style, his early work was distinguished not only by irreverence, but also by a strong sense of narrative. Linard's 1981 St Martin's graduation show, Reluctant Emigrés, was a smash success. "The clothes were instantly covetable, thoroughly masculine in an entirely new way, and electrifying in the way that only the truly innovative can be," historians Alan J Flux and Daryl F Mallett have noted.
The collection Linard presented a year earlier at St Martin's unofficial Alternative Show was a pot-stirring presentation titled Neon Gothic – clothes with an ecclesiastic twist. Captured in the image above are models Myra Falconer, who shared a squat with Linard, and Michele Clapton, now an Emmy Award-winning costume designer. Their jewellery, upside-down crosses and menorahs of black-painted wood, was made by a friend of Clapton's. The headpieces are by Stephen Jones, who graduated ahead of Linard, and has stayed in the spotlight. Linard recalls the audience reaction: "Everyone stood up and gave it a standing ovation and my models wouldn't get off the catwalk…" / Continued at Vogue online
Linard's 1981 degree show Reluctant Emigrés: classically tailored menswear with eccentric twists. . . Traditional pinstripe trousers had contrast patches at the derrière, solid dark waistcoat fronts and shadowy organza backs. Striped city shirts had curious underarm patches, and all were concealed beneath swirling black greatcoats. And modelled by his masculine pals among the Blitz Kids. (Photo: Shapersofthe80s)
➢ Elsewhere at Shapers of the 80s: The year the Blitz Kids took their first steps into the headlines
Posted in Britain, Fashion, London, North America, photography, Swinging 80s, Youth culture
Tagged Blitz Kids, Heavenly Bodies, Met Gala 2018, Michele Clapton, Myra Falconer, Neon Gothic collection, New York, St Martin's Alternative Show, Stephen Jones, Stephen Linard, Vogue
2014 ➤ Video gems unearthed by the Spandau Ballet biopic premiering at SXSW
Posted on 3 February 2014 | Leave a comment
Spandau ahoy! Houseband of the New Romantics playing aboard HMS Belfast in 1980. Martin Kemp on bass, Steve Norman on guitar. (Photo by Virginia Turbett)
FEB 12 UPDATE FROM SPANDAU AT FACEBOOK:
Spandau Ballet (Official)
"Awesome Spandau meeting yesterday! 2014 and 2015 are shaping up rather nicely, I would say."
"Look out for MORE exciting Spandau news coming very soon! This is just the start."
❚ SEVERAL MOVIE DISCOVERIES have been made by the researchers on Spandau Ballet's new biopic Soul Boys of the Western World, due to be premiered on March 12 in the USA at SXSW. One is footage of the band's secret live performance aboard the World-War Two cruiser HMS Belfast. In order to emphasise the newness of their synthesised pop music, the band's ground rule was never to appear at established rock venues. So for their seventh invitation-only date on July 26, 1980, a glittering horde of Blitz Kids descended on the warship moored in the Thames near the Tower of London.
Precious footage of Spandau's HMS Belfast gig, 1980: two reels of Super8 exhumed from the vaults by ex-Blitz Kid Nick Jones
Songwriter Gary Kemp says: "There are two pieces of archive that most surprised me. The first was the HMS Belfast performance from 1980. I never knew it existed until last year when our manager Steve Dagger had a vague memory that one of the Blitz Kids, Nick Jones, had a Super 8 camera. (He went on to play in the Latin-tinged dance-band Funkapolitan with Tom Dixon and Kadir Guirey, and today he's a successful director of commercials.) It was some time before Nick could gain access to his storage and at first found nothing. Then we got sent the pic you see alongside."
Kemp adds: "The footage is in beautiful Super 8 colour and shows the raw energy of that night inside the hot and steamy ship. It lasts eight minutes, but was enough to evoke the moment when Spandau were THE band of London, elusive, unique, magnificent."
Peter Capaldi at 23: comic support on Spandau's 1982 Diamond tour. (Photo by Shapersofthe80s)
He adds: "The other archive that revealed itself, 33 years after being filmed, was the entire New York gig that we did in the Underground club in 1981." This footage emerged after painstaking inquiries only last autumn and Spandau can be seen onstage in all their glory sporting their nomadic serfs garb from the Musclebound video.
Some of us also remember the 23-year-old Scottish stand-up who was invited to support Spandau Ballet on the Diamond tour of the UK in 1982. This was Peter Capaldi who has enjoyed spectacular success in the years since then and was revealed recently as the BBC's 12th Doctor Who.
Kemp adds: "The new Doctor Who is definitely seen in the film – on a tour bus I believe – which explains his new Tony Hadley style as Doctor Who! Come and see the movie and enjoy our history."
ENTRY TO SXSW EVENTS CANNOT BE GUARANTEED
❏ Plan before you travel: SXSW is an industry event which charges hefty registration fees, for example, Films-only registration costs $650 for walkups. However the website says if, after delegates with badges and wristbands are seated at film events, any seats remain, "single-admission tickets will be sold for $10 starting 15 minutes before showtime".
SXSW update after the live gig is announced, Feb 21: "For the music portion of the event, the situation is very similar. There will most likely be tickets for sale at the door but it varies from venue to venue. Tickets may be sold if capacity allows. Our best advice is to get to the venue early or contact them to see if they will be selling tickets at the door and also see how long the wristband/badge lines are to judge if you could even get in."
➢ 1982, How Spandau put Capaldi on the road to play
the new Doctor Who
➢ Spandau together again as their 'surprise' movie is slated for Texas premiere – more on SXSW 2014 at Shapersofthe80s
Blitz Kids ahoy! A dazzling audience aboard HMS Belfast for Spandau Ballet's seventh date. (Photo – Getty)
Posted in Clubbing, Fashion, Film, North America, Pop music, Youth culture
Tagged Blitz Kids, Gary Kemp, HMS Belfast, New Romantics, New York, Nick Jones, Peter Capaldi, premiere, Soul Boys of The Western World, Spandau Ballet, SXSW, Video
➤ Searching for that last kiss
on the third anniversary of McLaren's death
Posted on 8 April 2013 | Leave a comment
My lips are open wide
Stretched so far apart
Searching for that last kiss
With my hands pressed tight to my heart
A thousand hungry flowers
Loving you for hours and hours
Soon smothers me so tenderly
A thousand kisses say goodbye
And then they say you'll never die
A lonely fanfare blew
And then they sing to you
– Revenge of the Flowers
© Chrysalis Music Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing
◼ MALCOLM McLAREN died three years ago today and is remembered on his website by his partner Young Kim with these lyrics from Revenge of the Flowers, a track from the concept album Paris… In 1994, he recorded his own music and words through performances by such prominent French stars as Françoise Hardy, seen above in the Duncan Ward video of 1995 singing Revenge of the Flowers. The album was essentially a love letter to the city he was to make a home in his final years. At AllMusic Stephen Thomas Erlewine's verdict is: "The heavily orchestrated cabaret jazz backdrops tend to accentuate the sleaziness of McLaren's words. And that's what makes the record perversely fascinating: every element is so poorly conceived and executed that the entire thing appears to be an intentional joke."
A Chanel punk-inspired look from 2011. Photo © David Sims courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
➢ Punk: From Chaos To Couture is the next Costume Institute exhibition at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, May 9–Aug 14 – British photographer Nick Knight is the creative consultant on a show that examines punk's impact on high fashion from its birth in the early 1970s, including a Couturier Situationists section dedicated to Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood. All presented as an immersive multimedia, multisensory experience, the clothes will be animated with period music videos and soundscaping audio techniques. Wow.
UPDATE APRIL 2013: A DEATH MASK FOR MALCY
McLaren bronze death mask by Nick Reynolds
❏ McLaren's ostentatious memorial in Highgate Cemetery, unveiled this month, is inscribed "Better a spectacular failure than a benign success". The black granite headstone holds a bronze death mask commissioned from Nick Reynolds, the sculptor, harmonica player and former Royal Navy diver, who has captured McLaren's "trademark sneer". Update 2017, in a Radio 4 programme about his trade the sculptor claimed: "I didn't put that on. He actually had the sneer in death. Defiant to the end. . . I did meet McLaren when he was alive and asked him if I could do a cast of his head and he in his own inimitable style told me to F– O–." Reynolds added: "I did him in the end."
Reynolds has also cast masks of his own father the Great Train Robber Bruce Reynolds, fellow robber Ronnie Biggs, gambler George "Taters" Chatham, journalist William Rees-Mogg, actor Peter O'Toole and composer Pat Castange. He also owns the death masks of many famous people from Ned Kelly and Napoleon to director Ken Russell. They decorate every wall in his flat.
➢ 2010, What a tear-jerker! McLaren mashes up his own musical 'Requiem to Myself' – exclusive to Shapers of the 80s
Posted in death, Europe, North America, Pop music, Youth culture
Tagged album, death mask, exhibition, Françoise Hardy, From Chaos To Couture, Highgate Cemetery, Malcolm McLaren, Metropolitan Museum, New York, Nick Reynolds, Paris, punk, Revenge of the Flowers, Video
➤ Anna's Army — how the English-born editor of Vogue became her own global brand
Posted on 25 March 2011 | Leave a comment
◼ ONCE IN A WHILE a piece of journalism actually reveals stuff you didn't already know and a great big penny drops. For its April issue, WSJ., the glossy magazine published by The Wall Street Journal, puts Anna Wintour on its cover (photographed by ex-Blitz Club barman Mario Testino), while writer Joshua Levine explains in thorough detail how her power and financial clout reach far beyond her own editorship of Vogue, which she assumed in 1988.
By mobilising a "fully connected network" of allies and celebrity shock troops Anna shapes micro-economic forces around the world, to become "basically a global brand", in the opinion of Deborah Needleman, editor of WSJ., "someone whose power extends beyond what she does". Or as a former colleague who attended corporate matchmaking sessions between fashion's biggest brands says: "She's really the McKinsey of fashion."
A coalition of the willing: Anna Wintour's army of allies extends her influence well beyond Vogue. Here are a few key people in what one academic calls her "fully connected network". Graphic © WSJ. magazine
When some of New York's 1,000 targeted stores balked at joining up to her Fashion's Night Out initiative to rebuild sales amid post-recessionary thrift, she was calling it in from command central — "I'll get you Sienna Miller at the store, I'll send you Justin Timberlake!" Timberlake and Miller are among Wintour's most zealous Hollywood allies. "She understands fashion is a frame of mind, not just the clothes," Timberlake says. "She's figured out that all these small moving parts come into play to make a bigger picture." A year later FNO had become an international event in 16 countries, when Istanbul, for example, logged clothing sales of $2 million in three hours.
At the age of 61, Anna's globe-trotting, matchmaking and event-planning have not only made her a force among fund-raisers but are fuelling rumours that she is angling for a job in Washington as an ambassador. Indeed, Michelle Obama is one of the first names Wintour mentions when asked whom she most looks up to. Read on to discover Anna's response…
➢ The business of being Anna — in WSJ. magazine
Posted in Fashion, Media, North America, Social trends
Tagged Anna Wintour, fund-raising, Interview, New York, Vogue, WSJ


Home / Make heroin and cocaine legal
Make heroin and cocaine legal
Randolph Bourne warned us that "war is the health of the state." So how does the state keep healthy? By declaring wars on everything. The war in Afghanistan is a disaster. The war in Iraq is a disaster. And the "war on drugs" is also a disaster. You'd have thought that governments would learn from prohibition that regulating things that people want only increases violence, while the people who want it still get it anyway. But, after all, government violence begets violence. Anyone with common sense could have told you that banning drugs would harm society. Sadly, "common sense" isn't a job requirement for people who work for government.
FTA: "Professor Sir Ian Gilmore said making drugs such as heroin and cocaine legal would "drastically" cut crime and addicts' health problems. State-regulated use of drugs would also save money and avert the need to try to stop drug production in countries such as Afghanistan, he said... He said: "This could drastically reduce crime and improve health." ...Sir Ian also said he was persuaded by a recent article in the British Medical Journal, which argued that the prohibition of drugs had been "counterproductive", made many public health problems worse, and stimulated organised crime and terrorism. Sir Ian said that banning drugs had harmed society. "There's a lot of evidence that the total prohibition of drugs, making them totally illicit and unavailable, has not been successful at reducing not only the health burden, but also the impact on crime," he said... He also suggested that regulating drug use would save money on policing and on international efforts to reduce the cultivation of narcotics. "It's more cost effective to try to treat people with drug problems than to close down poppy fields in disparate countries."
Cocaine should be legal, says top doctor. The use of drugs should be decriminalised, one of Britain's most senior doctors has said
Original posting by Braincrave Second Life staff on Aug 18, 2010 at http://www.braincrave.com/viewblog.php?id=296
sorted by top
upvotes - downvotes
drugs,
Written by braincrave permalink plaintext
Just read an article today about how successful Portugal's law to decriminalize drugs has been: "Portugal has definitively won the argument about how ineffective, irrational and counter-productive is drug prohibition."
Brazil's Latest Outbreak of Drug Gang Violence Highlights the Real Culprit: the War on Drugs
The makings of a good apology - act like a changed person in braincrave
Voluntary vs. coercive in braincrave
The legitimacy of higher education - do we need more scientists and engineers? in braincrave
Ayn Rand vs. Mike Wallace - liberty vs. collectivism in braincrave
Guilt begone - it was the sun all along in braincrave


This Week's Need to Know
QM Society Review
Traveling Seoul
Campus of the Dead
Rights and Sentiments
Damsel Undistressed
The (Un)Bearable Madness of Being
What We Owe Each Other
Sheikh-ing the Middle East
Flora Going Fuera
Blackett's Two Cents
…what if politics, but too much?
L'art Politique
Let There Be Breaking News And Analysis
We're All Mad Here
Headcandy
REVIEW of 'The Gradual Disappearance of Jane Ashland' by Nicolai Houm
By Louise Fligman / 21 Apr 2018 / No Comments
"A cleverly structured novel that explores the emotions of grief and loss."
After a tragic accident that changes American writer Jane Ashland's life, she travels to Norway in search of distant relatives. But when things begin to go wrong, she contacts a zoologist, who she met by chance on the plane, and ends up accompanying him on a taxing hike through the Dovrefjell mountains. However, that trip soon takes a turn for the worst too. Waking up alone in a tent, surrounded by a storm and dense fog, and with a dead mobile phone, Jane is completely cut off from civilisation, with no food or navigation equipment. In her isolation, she reflects on her past and her desperate endeavours to search for new meaning. But will she succeed? The landscape of the Norwegian mountain range is described so vividly and beautifully that readers feel as if they are transported to the wild, rugged, yet tranquil location. The misty environment really helps to accentuate the atmosphere of the novel and Jane's mindset. Equally, the scenery raises the tension at certain points in the story which triggers readers' curiosity and makes them eager to read on.
An element that stood out for me was the structure of the book as the plot flits between the past and present of Jane's life. Although it requires a bit of legwork from the reader to create a mental timeline of events, it is not impossible to work out what is happening. And who doesn't like a challenge? The alternating chapters between past and present act like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle in that Jane is behaving in a particular way in the present which initially perplexes you, but you are then informed of an event in the past which explains the reasons for her odd behaviour. As you move through the text, things begin to make sense and you gradually create an overall picture of both the story and Jane.
The oscillating chapters were very enlightening for Jane's character development as she evolves from her initial portrait as a strange woman to a psychologically complex and real individual. For as you learn about her mental health issues and the reasons behind them, you start to understand her feelings and actions. As a result, you not only think about the serious subject of mental health, but you also really sympathise with her; her life is a prime example of how life itself moves in cycles through both good and bad events. Even if she cannot understand or explain why things happen the way they do, Jane continues to move forward and attempts to find new purposes which is very inspiring to read.
Although Camilla is only a minor character, she is nevertheless significant because she highlights the struggles of a teenage girl, particularly in regards to appearance and body image. Despite the novel being fiction, it incites you to think about the deep and contemporary societal issue of self-image and confidence. In such a situation, Camilla seems weak but it is Jane who is inspirational because she confronts what is wrong and is determined to stick to her values and what is right. Whilst Ulf is an unusual man, his presence is reassuring for Jane and he exemplifies how it is better to communicate grief and loss with someone else, even a complete stranger, as opposed to carrying the burden alone.
The Gradual Disappearance of Jane Ashland is a story about life and its cyclical nature of ups and downs. Houm's narrative describes the Norwegian landscape so beautifully as he explores the tumultuous nature of grief, loss, coming to terms with things and acceptance.
The Gradual Disappearance of Jane Ashland will be available in store and online in paperback and Kindle formats from 26thApril.
Posted in: Book Club / Tagged: 26th april, acceptance, actions, alternating challenge, appearance, arts, Beautiful, beauty, body shaming, Book Review, challenge, character development, cleverly structured novel, coming-of-age, communicate, confidence, confront, cub magazine, curious, cyclical nature of life, eager to read on, emotions, evolves, explores grief and loss, feelings, good and bad, growing up, hike, inspiring, isolation, Jane Ashland, jigsaw puzzle, life, London, meaning, mental health issues, mental timeline, mountains, Nicolai Houm, norway, past, perplexes you, psychologically complex, reflects, relatives, self image, storm, stranger, struggles, teenage girl, tent, tragic accident, trip, understand, up and down, vivid, why?
← Connection is Genderless and Mentally Ill People Can Love
2018 Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition @ Somerset House →
Copyright © 2013-20 CUB Magazine.
About / Get Involved / Newsletter / Contact


Citation Journal Select journal Applied Mechanics Reviews ASCE-ASME J Risk and Uncert in Engrg Sys Part B Mech Engrg ASME Journal of Engineering for Sustainable Buildings and Cities ASME Letters in Dynamic Systems and Control Journal of Applied Mechanics Journal of Autonomous Vehicles and Systems Journal of Biomechanical Engineering Journal of Computational and Nonlinear Dynamics Journal of Computing and Information Science in Engineering Journal of Dynamic Systems, Measurement, and Control Journal of Electrochemical Energy Conversion and Storage Journal of Electronic Packaging Journal of Energy Resources Technology Journal of Engineering and Science in Medical Diagnostics and Therapy Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power Journal of Engineering Materials and Technology Journal of Fluids Engineering Journal of Heat Transfer Journal of Manufacturing Science and Engineering Journal of Mechanical Design Journal of Mechanisms and Robotics Journal of Medical Devices Journal of Micro and Nano-Manufacturing Journal of Nanotechnology in Engineering and Medicine Journal of Nondestructive Evaluation, Diagnostics and Prognostics of Engineering Systems Journal of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science Journal of Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering Journal of Pressure Vessel Technology Journal of Thermal Science and Engineering Applications Journal of Solar Energy Engineering Journal of Tribology Journal of Turbomachinery Journal of Verification, Validation and Uncertainty Quantification Journal of Vibration and Acoustics Mechanical Engineering Citation Year Citation Volume Citation Issue No Citation Page
Proceedings Papers (4)
Journal of Turbomachinery (6)
Journal of Fluids Engineering (3)
Journal of Heat Transfer (1)
Journal of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science (1)
Proceedings Article (4)
Filter by conference-series
Turbo Expo: Power for Land, Sea, and Air (4)
Fundamental Issues and Canonical Flows (2)
Natural and Mixed Convection (1)
Special Section: Selected Papers from the Ninth International Symposium on Supercritical Water-Cooled Reactors (1)
Separation (Technology) (11)
Turbulence (11)
Boundary layers (8)
Shear (Mechanics) (8)
Vortices (4)
Reynolds number (3)
Metin I. Yaras
A Critical Review of the Physics and Modeling of Deteriorated Heat Transfer in Supercritical Fluids
Andrew W. Copping, Metin I. Yaras
Journal: Journal of Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science
ASME J of Nuclear Rad Sci. July 2020, 6(3): 031112.
Paper No: NERS-19-1081
Published Online: June 5, 2020
Modeling of deterioration of heat transfer (DHT) observed in fluid flows at supercritical pressure remains a challenge due to incomplete understanding of the underlying physics. Given the challenges involved in the experimental and computational study of this phenomenon, it is crucial that the growing collective experimental and computational data be periodically analyzed in a comparative manner through critical reviews. This paper aims to provide such a critical review. The experimental and computational evidence continues to support the postulate that streamwise acceleration of the lower density, near-wall fluid layer relative to the higher density bulk flow promotes reduced turbulent mixing and hence reduced convective heat transport. At lower mass flowrates, this may be driven by buoyancy force, whereas at higher thermal loading, the dominant driver may be the increased favorable streamwise pressure gradient prompted by the bulk flow acceleration. A discussion of these physical mechanisms and an assessment of related semi-empirical models constitute the scope of this review.
Topics: Buoyancy, Flow (Dynamics), Heat transfer, Modeling, Turbulence
Measurements of the Effects of Streamwise Riblets on Boundary Layer Turbulence
Derek B. Ancrum, Metin I. Yaras
Journal: Journal of Fluids Engineering
J. Fluids Eng. November 2017, 139(11): 111203.
Paper No: FE-16-1591
This study presents experimental results on the effects of riblets on the coherent structures of turbulence within a turbulent spot. The riblet spacings of the study correspond to 0.5 and 1.5 times the natural spacing of the low-speed streak. The cross-sectional dimensions of the riblets were chosen to control the spatial distribution of wave packets consisting of streamwise-aligned hairpin vortices. Both riblet spacings demonstrated effective control on the spanwise positioning of the wave packets. The wider-spaced riblets reduced spanwise mutual interaction between wave packets. The closer-spaced riblets promoted this interaction via spanwise-oriented vortical structures which produced stronger turbulent fluctuations.
Topics: Boundary layers, Flow (Dynamics), Turbulence, Vortices, Wave packets
Similarity Criteria for Modeling Mixed-Convection Heat Transfer in Ducted Flows of Supercritical Fluids
Chukwudi Azih, Metin I. Yaras
Journal: Journal of Heat Transfer
J. Heat Transfer. December 2017, 139(12): 122501.
Paper No: HT-16-1567
A key subject of interest for technologies that involve flows of fluids at the supercritical thermodynamic state is the development of prediction methods that capture the fluid dynamics and convection heat transfer at this state. Due to the elevated temperatures and pressures associated with certain working fluids at this thermodynamic state, surrogate fluids are often used as substitutes for performing experiments during the design stages of prototype development. The success of this approach depends on the development of similarity criteria or fluid-to-fluid models. Similarity criteria for mixed-convection heat transfer in supercritical fluids are proposed based on a set of nondimensional dynamic similarity parameters and state-space parameters developed through our current understanding of the physical mechanisms that affect heat transfer in fluids at this state. The proposed similarity criteria are successfully validated using data from ducted flows of supercritical fluids with configurations having upstream, downstream, or wall-normal-oriented gravitational acceleration.
Topics: Flow (Dynamics), Fluids, Heat transfer, Mixed convection, Supercritical fluids, Water, Carbon dioxide
Computational and Experimental Study of the Effect of Inlet Swirl on Mixing Mechanisms in an Axisymmetric Lobed Mixer
Joshua R. Brinkerhoff, Metin I. Yaras
Proc. ASME. GT2014, Volume 1A: Aircraft Engine; Fans and Blowers, V01AT01A014, June 16–20, 2014
Paper No: GT2014-25691
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1115/GT2014-25691
The effect of circumferential inflow swirl on the instability of the shear layer formed between the core and bypass flows discharged from an axisymmetric twelve-lobed mixer is studied through a combined experimental and computational investigation. A series of unsteady Navier-Stokes simulations are performed with 0 and 31 degrees of circumferential swirl specified in the core stream of the lobed mixer. Comparison of the axial- and swirling-inflow cases highlights the effect of swirl on the instability-driven transient flow structures that develop within and downstream of the lobed mixer. Medium- and large-scale unsteady motions are captured by the fine spatial and temporal resolution of the unsteady Navier-Stokes simulations. The simulations are validated against four-wire thermal anemometry measurements in a scaled lobed-mixer wind-tunnel model with turbulent, swirling inflow conditions. The simulation results illustrate that while the axial-inflow case develops layers of streamwise vorticity uniformly along the lobe walls, the core flow in the swirling-inflow case separates from the suction side of the lobe wall near the lobe trough. Roll-up and axial stretching of the separated flow produces Λ -shaped vortical structures upstream of the discharge plane. The Λ -shaped structures interact with the shear layers discharged from the lobe trailing edge and accelerate the breakdown of the shear layer in the swirling-inflow case relative to the axial-inflow case. The extent of this interaction is shown to strongly affect the streamwise mixing rate of the flow downstream of the discharge plane.
Topics: Engineering simulation, Flow (Dynamics), Inflow, Navier-Stokes equations, Resolution (Optics), Shear (Mechanics), Simulation, Simulation results, Suction, Swirling flow
Direct Numerical Simulations of Transitional Separation–Bubble Development in Swept–Blade Flow Conditions
Proc. ASME. GT2012, Volume 4: Heat Transfer, Parts A and B, 805-817, June 11–15, 2012
This paper describes numerical simulations of the instability mechanisms in a separation bubble subjected to a three-dimensional freestream pressure distribution. Two direct numerical simulations are performed of a separation bubble with laminar separation and turbulent reattachment under low freestream turbulence at flow Reynolds numbers and streamwise pressure distributions that approximate the conditions encountered on the suction side of typical low-pressure gas-turbine blades with blade sweep angles of 0° and 45°. The three-dimensional pressure field in the swept configuration produces a crossflow-velocity component in the laminar boundary layer upstream of the separation point that is unstable to a crossflow instability mode. The simulation results show that crossflow instability does not play a role in the development of the boundary layer upstream of separation. An increase in the amplification rate and most amplified disturbance frequency is observed in the separated-flow region of the swept configuration, and is attributed to boundary-layer conditions at the point of separation that are modified by the spanwise pressure gradient. This results in a slight upstream movement of the location where the shear layer breaks down to small-scale turbulence and modifies the turbulent mixing of the separated shear layer to yield a downstream shift in the time-averaged reattachment location. The results demonstrate that although crossflow instability does not appear to have a noticeable effect on the development of the transitional separation bubble, the 3D pressure field does indirectly alter the separation-bubble development by modifying the flow conditions at separation.
Topics: Blades, Bubbles, Computer simulation, Flow (Dynamics), Separation (Technology), Pressure, Turbulence, Boundary layers, Shear (Mechanics), Gas turbines
Direct Numerical Simulations of Transitional Separation-Bubble Development in Swept-Blade Flow Conditions
Journal: Journal of Turbomachinery
J. Turbomach. July 2013, 135(4): 041006.
Paper No: TURBO-12-1102
This paper describes numerical simulations of the instability mechanisms in a separation bubble subjected to a three-dimensional freestream pressure distribution. Two direct numerical simulations are performed of a separation bubble with laminar separation and turbulent reattachment under low freestream turbulence at flow Reynolds numbers and streamwise pressure distributions that approximate the conditions encountered on the suction side of typical low-pressure gas-turbine blades with blade sweep angles of 0 deg and 45 deg. The three-dimensional (3D) pressure field in the swept configuration produces a crossflow-velocity component in the laminar boundary layer upstream of the separation point that is unstable to a crossflow instability mode. The simulation results show that crossflow instability does not play a role in the development of the boundary layer upstream of separation. An increase in the amplification rate and the most amplified disturbance frequency is observed in the separated-flow region of the swept configuration and is attributed to boundary-layer conditions at the point of separation that are modified by the spanwise pressure gradient. This results in a slight upstream movement of the location where the shear layer breaks down to small-scale turbulence and modifies the turbulent mixing of the separated shear layer to yield a downstream shift in the time-averaged reattachment location. The results demonstrate that although crossflow instability does not appear to have a noticeable effect on the development of the transitional separation bubble, the 3D pressure field does indirectly alter the separation-bubble development by modifying the flow conditions at separation.
Topics: Boundary layers, Bubbles, Flow (Dynamics), Separation (Technology), Turbulence, Pressure, Blades, Computer simulation, Shear (Mechanics), Suction
Transition Mechanisms in Separation Bubbles Under Low- and Elevated-Freestream Turbulence
Brian R. McAuliffe, Metin I. Yaras
J. Turbomach. January 2010, 132(1): 011004.
Through numerical simulations, this paper examines the nature of instability mechanisms leading to transition in separation bubbles. The results of two direct numerical simulations are presented in which separation of a laminar boundary layer occurs over a flat surface in the presence of an adverse pressure gradient. The primary difference in the flow conditions between the two simulations is the level of freestream turbulence with intensities of 0.1% and 1.45% at separation. In the first part of the paper, transition under a low-disturbance environment is examined, and the development of the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability in the separated shear layer is compared to the well-established instability characteristics of free shear layers. The study examines the role of the velocity-profile shape on the instability characteristics and the nature of the large-scale vortical structures shed downstream of the bubble. The second part of the paper examines transition in a high-disturbance environment, where the above-mentioned mechanism is bypassed as a result of elevated-freestream turbulence. Filtering of the freestream turbulence into the laminar boundary layer results in streamwise streaks, which provide conditions under which turbulent spots are produced in the separated shear layer, grow, and then merge to form a turbulent boundary layer. The results allow identification of the structure of the instability mechanism and the characteristic structure of the resultant turbulent spots. Recovery of the reattached turbulent boundary layer is then examined for both cases. The large-scale flow structures associated with transition are noted to remain coherent far downstream of reattachment, delaying recovery of the turbulent boundary layer to an equilibrium state.
Topics: Boundary layers, Bubbles, Separation (Technology), Shear (Mechanics), Turbulence, Simulation, Flow (Dynamics), Vortices
Passive Manipulation of Separation-Bubble Transition Using Surface Modifications
J. Fluids Eng. February 2009, 131(2): 021201.
Published Online: January 8, 2009
Through experiments using two-dimensional particle-image velocimetry (PIV), this paper examines the nature of transition in a separation bubble and manipulations of the resultant breakdown to turbulence through passive means of control. An airfoil was used that provides minimal variation in the separation location over a wide operating range, with various two-dimensional modifications made to the surface for the purpose of manipulating the transition process. The study was conducted under low-freestream-turbulence conditions over a flow Reynolds number range of 28,000–101,000 based on airfoil chord. The spatial nature of the measurements has allowed identification of the dominant flow structures associated with transition in the separated shear layer and the manipulations introduced by the surface modifications. The Kelvin–Helmholtz (K-H) instability is identified as the dominant transition mechanism in the separated shear layer, leading to the roll-up of spanwise vorticity and subsequent breakdown into small-scale turbulence. Similarities with planar free-shear layers are noted, including the frequency of maximum amplification rate for the K-H instability and the vortex-pairing phenomenon initiated by a subharmonic instability. In some cases, secondary pairing events are observed and result in a laminar intervortex region consisting of freestream fluid entrained toward the surface due to the strong circulation of the large-scale vortices. Results of the surface-modification study show that different physical mechanisms can be manipulated to affect the separation, transition, and reattachment processes over the airfoil. These manipulations are also shown to affect the boundary-layer losses observed downstream of reattachment, with all surface-indentation configurations providing decreased losses at the three lowest Reynolds numbers and three of the five configurations providing decreased losses at the highest Reynolds number. The primary mechanisms that provide these manipulations include: suppression of the vortex-pairing phenomenon, which reduces both the shear-layer thickness and the levels of small-scale turbulence; the promotion of smaller-scale turbulence, resulting from the disturbances generated upstream of separation, which provides quicker transition and shorter separation bubbles; the elimination of the separation bubble with transition occurring in an attached boundary layer; and physical disturbance, downstream of separation, of the growing instability waves to manipulate the vortical structures and cause quicker reattachment.
Topics: Airfoils, Bubbles, Reynolds number, Separation (Technology), Shear (Mechanics), Boundary layers, Vortices, Flow (Dynamics), Turbulence
Large-Eddy Simulation of Transition in a Separation Bubble
Stephen K. Roberts, Metin I. Yaras
Proc. ASME. GT2005, Volume 3: Turbo Expo 2005, Parts A and B, 1049-1055, June 6–9, 2005
In this paper, large-eddy simulation of the transition process in a separation bubble is compared to experimental results. The measurements and simulations are conducted under low free-stream turbulence conditions over a flat plate with a streamwise pressure distribution typical of those encountered on the suction side of turbine airfoils. The computational grid is sufficiently refined that the effects of sub-grid scale turbulence are adequately represented by the numerical dissipation of the computational algorithm. The large-eddy simulations are shown to accurately capture the transition process in the separated shear layer. The results of these simulations are used to gain further insight into the breakdown mechanisms in transitioning separation bubbles.
Topics: Bubbles, Large eddy simulation, Separation (Technology)
Effects of Surface-Roughness Geometry on Separation-Bubble Transition
This paper presents measurements of separation-bubble transition over a range of surfaces with randomly distributed roughness elements. The tested roughness patterns represent the typical range of roughness conditions encountered on in-service turbine blades. Through these measurements, the effects of size and spacing of the roughness elements, and the tendency of the roughness pattern toward protrusions or depressions (skewness), on the inception location and rate of transition are evaluated. Increased roughness height, increased spacing of the roughness elements, and a tendency of the roughness pattern toward depressions (negative skewness) are observed to promote earlier transition inception. The observed effects of roughness spacing and skewness are found to be small in comparison to that of the roughness height. Variation in the dominant mode of instability in the separated shear layer is achieved through adjustment of the streamwise pressure distribution. The results provide examples for the extent of interaction between viscous and inviscid stability mechanisms.
Topics: Bubbles, Geometry, Separation (Technology), Surface roughness
Numerical Study of Turbulent-Spot Development in a Separated Shear Layer
J. Turbomach. October 2008, 130(4): 041018.
The development of turbulent spots in a separation bubble under elevated freestream turbulence levels is examined through direct numerical simulation. The flow Reynolds number, freestream turbulence level, and streamwise pressure distribution are typical of the conditions encountered on the suction side of low-pressure turbine blades of gas-turbine engines. Based on the simulation results, the spreading and propagation rates of the turbulent spots and their internal structure are documented, and comparisons are made to empirical correlations that are used for predicting the transverse growth and streamwise propagation characteristics of turbulent spots. The internal structure of the spots is identified as a series of vortex loops that develop as a result of low-velocity streaks generated in the shear layer. A frequency that is approximately 50% higher than that of the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability is identified in the separated shear layer, which is shown to be associated with the convection of these vortex loops through the separated shear layer. While freestream turbulence is noted to promote breakdown of the laminar separated shear layer into turbulence through the generation of turbulent spots, evidence is found to suggest coexistence of the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability, including the possibility of breakdown to turbulence through this mechanism.
Topics: Bubbles, Separation (Technology), Shear (Mechanics), Turbulence, Vortices, Flow (Dynamics), Pressure
Numerical Study of Instability Mechanisms Leading to Transition in Separation Bubbles
J. Turbomach. April 2008, 130(2): 021006.
In this paper, transition in a separation bubble is examined through numerical simulation. The flow Reynolds number and streamwise pressure distribution are typical of the conditions encountered on the suction side of low-pressure turbine blades of gas-turbine engines. The spatial and temporal resolutions utilized in the present computations correspond to a coarse direct numerical simulation, wherein the majority of turbulence scales, including the inertial subrange, are adequately resolved. The accuracy of the simulation results is demonstrated through favorable comparisons to experimental data corresponding to the same flow conditions. The results of the simulation show linear Tollmien-Schlichting (T-S) instability growth downstream of the point of separation, leading to the roll up of spanwise vorticity into discrete vortical structures, characteristic of Kelvin-Helmholtz (K-H) instability growth. The extent of cross-stream momentum exchange associated with packets of amplified T-S waves is examined, along with details of the time-periodic breakdown into turbulence occurring upon the development of the K-H instability. Reynolds-averaged properties of the separation bubble are presented and provide evidence of the strong three-dimensional nature of the reattachment process.
Topics: Bubbles, Separation (Technology), Simulation, Turbulence, Flow (Dynamics), Shear (Mechanics), Momentum, Pressure
J. Fluids Eng. March 2006, 128(2): 232–238.
In this paper, large-eddy simulation of the transition process in a separation bubble is compared to experimental results. The measurements and simulations are conducted under low freestream turbulence conditions over a flat plate with a streamwise pressure distribution typical of those encountered on the suction side of turbine airfoils. The computational grid is refined to the extent that the simulation qualifies as a "coarse" direct numerical simulation. The simulations are shown to accurately capture the transition process in the separated shear layer. The results of these simulations are used to gain further insight into the breakdown mechanisms in transitioning separation bubbles.
Topics: Bubbles, Flow (Dynamics), Large eddy simulation, Separation (Technology), Turbulence, Shear (Mechanics), Simulation, Boundary layers
Topics: Bubbles, Pressure, Separation (Technology), Surface roughness, Boundary layers, Geometry, Flow (Dynamics)
Modeling Transition in Separated and Attached Boundary Layers
Article Type: Article
Published Online: March 1, 2004
This paper presents a mathematical model for predicting the rate of turbulent spot production. In this model, attached- and separated-flow transition are treated in a unified manner, and the boundary layer shape factor is identified as the parameter with which the spot production rate correlates. The model is supplemented by several correlations to allow for its practical use in the prediction of the length of the transition zone. Second, the paper presents a model for the prediction of the location of transition inception in separation bubbles. The model improves on the accuracy of existing alternatives, and is the first to account for the effects of surface roughness.
Topics: Boundary layers, Flow (Dynamics), Surface roughness, Turbulence, Bubbles, Separation (Technology), Modeling


10 pictures which capture Cambridge's quirky character
Can you spot yourself in our gallery of Cambridge's quirkiest moments?
Abigail Rabbett
Credit where credit is due, this does not look easy. (Image: Chris Porsz)
A keen photographer from Peterborough has captured some of Cambridge's quirkiest moments and characters on camera.
Paramedic Chris Porsz has shared some of his favourites with us, which have been featured in his new book, Streets Of Britain.
The 65-year-old has dedicated hundreds of hours to his project which features more than 350 pictures from cities around the UK, such as Belfast, Birmingham, Cambridge and London.
The photos offer a unique snapshot of life in Cambridge today, with pictures of people surfing down the Cam, singing from inside dustbins, cycling and exploring the city.
Chris said his work as a paramedic at Peterborough City Hospital helped with his street photography as he was able to "reassure complete strangers" and "react instinctively to the unexpected."
He caught the photography bug after buying a camera when his first child Simon was born in 1978.
The fascination began when he started taking pictures of his hometown, but it soon developed into a passion for snapping the weird and wonderful goings on of every day life.
"I have walked many miles over the years, unsure exactly what I am looking for but I just know when I see it and then 'snap!," he said.
"It's usually something surreal, bizarre, someone a bit eccentric who stands out from the madding crowd or everyday people caught up in some humorous interaction.
"I like bringing a smile to people's faces."
Scroll down for some of the brilliant moments Chris has caught while exploring Cambridge.
Anyone who wishes to buy a copy of Streets of Britain can purchase one on chrisporsz.com.
Rock on chaps!
(Image: Chris Porsz)1 of 10
Who remembers this classic Cambridge moment?
Not sure what this groovy dude is doing - but he's looking dapper doing it.
This bride-to-be certainly knows how to have a good time!
One for the photo album!
Ermm... twins?
Credit where credit is due, this does not look easy.
It's not real ladies - it won't bite!
Chris and Warwick Davis!
Tours galore!
(Image: Chris Porsz)10 of 10


Music festivals need more focus on safety, less on security
Liam McFadden | Staff Illustrator
By Julia Aldrich | Columnist
When I walked through the security gates at Electric Zoo — a dance music festival that takes place every Labor Day weekend in New York City — in 2015, there was a noticeable nervous vibe in the air.
Police walked dogs up and down the aisles of festival-goers waiting to enter the grounds, as security thoroughly patted down anxious entrants. These increased measures came after the deaths of two at the festival, reportedly due to MDMA overdoses, in 2013. These tragedies were only one example of an increasing trend: Mingled with the eclectic bands and vibrant fashion trends, abusing drugs has become a staple of festival culture.
The popularity of drugs — most of which are illegal and synthetic — combined with festivals' generally poor safety precautions, has led to dangerous instances across the country. Following the incidents at Electric Zoo in 2015, two and three college-aged kids died at Hard Summer in southern California in the summers of 2015 and 2016, respectively.
Approximately 32 million people will attend music festivals in the U.S. this year, according to Billboard— a 2016 report from Aloompa showed that 51 percent of Americans attended a music festival in 2015, up nearly 10 percent from 2014. As the number of music festival-goers increases, drug-related deaths at these festivals have likewise been increasing in recent years. While the large bulk of deaths are due to trampling, structural collapses or motor-vehicle accidents, a 2014 Canadian study found that 13 percent of all deaths at music festivals were related to drug and alcohol use between the years 1999 and 2014. Meaning that of the deaths not involving physical trauma, drugs and alcohol were by far the most prevalent causes. Additionally, the authors of the study noted that this number doesn't include unreported deaths, a figure that could be much higher. Add that to the number of people who are harmed by drugs, but not fatally: there are still numerous hospitalizations for sickness, injuries and arrests at festivals.
If we noticed an uptick in people dying or being injured from stage malfunctions — microphones short circuiting, platforms collapsing, roofs falling in — we'd be coming up with solutions immediately. We should do the same for increasing drug abuse at festivals. First, we need to acknowledge that young people attending concerts aren't going to stop experimenting with drugs, regardless of how many of their peers die from it or how aggressive security may be. The "just say no" to drugs approach isn't a relevant one here. Because many of the drugs most frequently taken at these events are illegal — MDMA, LSD and cocaine — people are less likely to report their usage, making it more difficult to determine how many attendees are consuming them.
DrugAbuse.com — a website dedicated to providing information and resources about drug addiction and recovery — conducted an Instagram-based study in 2015 that measured how often people hashtagged or mentioned certain types of drugs in the captions of photos taken at music festivals. The results showed that alcohol was the most commonly mentioned drug with MDMA/ecstasy a close second. Although this study does not decipher whether those who mention the drugs are in fact taking them or just talking about them, the correlation is still clear.
Although deaths from MDMA or other drugs are often reported as overdoses, this isn't always the exact case. DanceSafe — a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating people on how to safely take drugs — argues that most reported MDMA overdoses aren't even technically "overdoses" but rather deaths and injuries due to heatstroke and other complications from these drugs.
Music festival organizers know that their target ticket-buyers aren't going to give up drugs. And they know which kinds of drugs are most likely to be abused. So instead of ignoring the issue as an unfortunate side effect of "festival culture," we should be doing something to make safety a bigger priority.
Offering better access to water and medical help in addition to implementing drug-testing stations are steps that should be taken to immediately to help prevent possible deaths this upcoming festival season.
At an Avicii concert in Boston in June 2014, the temperature reached almost 90 degrees, and 36 concert attendees were rushed to the hospital, reportedly for dehydration, which is a side effect of both MDMA and alcohol.
In order to combat the negative effects of these illegal drugs, it is imperative that music festivals provide the resources for their ticket holders to be properly cooled and hydrated. Many festivals, such as EDC Vegas and Bonnaroo, provide water refill stations, but large crowds pile up into long lines at the fountains. And the cost of purchasing a bottle of water from a vendor with a shorter line can be high — with the average being $4, according to EDM.com — making people less inclined to buy them.
Festivals should make sure the cost of water bottles is affordable or that there are enough water refill stations to provide for the crowds.
Dehydration and hyperthermia aren't the only risk factors that accompany drug use, so it will take more than just a few extra water stations to fix the issue. Because so many drugs consumed at these festivals are illegal, a buyer doesn't always know what might be in them or if that ecstasy is really ecstasy.
Drug testing stations where attendees can check the contents of their pills with anonymity and no repercussions can help combat the danger of attendees accidentally consuming unknown drugs. In the United Kingdom, a nonprofit organization called The Loop makes its rounds to various music festivals with the purpose of testing drugs and providing drug safety information.
In the U.K., the group is allowed to test a sample of the drug, and since it's often destroyed during the process, there's nothing to be returned to whoever submitted it. In the U.S., groups who try to do similar work give out self-testing kits instead. Right now the process is not, strictly speaking, legal. So those in charge of the stations, usually nonprofit organizations, either have to convince the police at the festivals to look the other way or risk fines and confiscations.
By instituting greater safety measures, such as better access to water, and by allowing legal drug testing stations or self-testing kits in the U.S., we can make safety part of the vibe at music festivals.
Festivals have never been — and probably never will be — drug-free. But we can do more to make sure they're death-free.
Julia primarily writes about politics and social issues for The Pitt News.
Write to Julia at jla85@pitt.edu.
Tags: drugs, music, music festivals, youth culture


HomeTaurian Invasion 41: Tsunami
October 15, 2015 October 7, 2015 scintor Allen, Hard Sci-Fi, Invasion, Main Story, Mecha, Original Fiction, Original Novel, Original Work, PG-13, Powered Armor, Science Fiction, Sniper, Sylvia, Taurian, Web Novel
Part Four:
I awoke that morning with Sylvia at my side once more. She had rarely left my side for more than a few minutes and I had to admit, it was pretty nice. I was beginning to dream about what the future might hold for us while watching her sleep, when she stirred. "Good morning, dear one. How do you feel?"
"A bit stiff. I think I slept wrong because my neck is sore. Could you rub it for a moment?"
"I'd be happy to if you'll let me sit up." I proceeded to massage her neck in an inexpert fashion. "What do we have on the agenda for today?"
"How about we get breakfast and coffee and then you ask me again? I think that's all the massaging that my neck can stand. Can I have a kiss?"
"Of course, fair lady." She got up and got dressed quickly after that.
I was moving slowly this morning, and she caught me at it. "Are you feeling OK?"
I patted my side gingerly, "My ribs are just sore this morning. I was able to sleep most of the night, but there is still a price to pay."
She gave me one of her 'don't mess with me glares,' "I'll trust you to tell me if you so much as cough hard while I'm in the shower."
"Yes dear. So, what do you want for breakfast?"
"Just eggs and toast, and you'd better make some for yourself this time. No more sneaking cereal when I'm not looking."
"Guilty as charged." I put on a hang-dog expression and looked at my feet until she laughed.
I hobbled for the galley to make us breakfast, and was just finishing up when she came in. "You're just in time. I'll be done in a minute." She busied herself making coffee while I set up everything on the counter. "Since there is no one else here, does this count as private?"
She smiled coyly, "Yes."
"Then, can I have a kiss?"
"I thought you'd never ask."
When we parted I looked thoughtful, "I generally don't like coffee flavored things, but I think I could learn to like coffee kisses from you."
She whacked me gently on the shoulder, "You are terrible," and leaned in for another kiss…when her phone rang. "Hello…OK he'll be right there. They need you in the command center. You go ahead while I gather up breakfast."
I hobbled there as fast as I could.
"What's the situation, Eddie?"
"General Dupree has ordered an alert. They have bio-soldiers on the Goto islands near Nagasaki."
"Contact all units and tell them to get ready. I have a feeling that this is it. Let everyone else know to be on alert."
"Sir, I have a report coming in from Yakushima Island. Bio-soldiers are coming out of the sea on the southern part of the island. What should they do?"
"Eddie, tell them not to panic. Just stay out of their way and don't pick up anything until the bio-soldiers have cleared the area. They're probably just passing through."
"Got it boss."
I smelled breakfast approaching, "Is it starting?"
I grabbed a piece of toast, "It's too early to say for sure, but I think so." I crammed down the toast as fast as I could. I started to call on Eddie, but he was obviously very busy, "Dear, could you call up Sniper while I scarf some food?"
"Sure, but if you choke, it's you own fault."
Soon Sniper's face was on a small monitor, "I was just about to head to the morning meeting. What's up boss?"
"The Taurians are on their way. They are crossing over some of the outer islands as we speak. I need you to take the Giant Killers down to the southernmost peninsula east of Kagoshima Bay and be ready to blow away the first group of them."
"How long until the blinking things arrive?"
"The ones that have been spotted are still a good fifty miles from your defensive position. You should still have several hours, but I have no guarantees this morning."
"Alright Allen, we'll be there ASAP. We'll send those monkey farting things back to whatever hell they came from."
I gave him a salute, "Good luck and good hunting."
I had a few good feeds coming in from Yakushima, and they showed a new mob of around one thousand bio-soldiers arriving every ten minutes and they just kept coming. We established open channels with the HQ of the 2nd Infantry, and with those of General Dupree, and General Abe. Tight coordination was our key to victory, if we could pull it off at all.
I watched with a bit of envy as the troops moved out. Flatbed trucks were moving in and out constantly to take fresh troops out and bring tired troops in. It was one of the limitations of working with hybrid battlesuits. Regular battlesuits just needed to be recharged, which is easy enough to do in the field, but hybrid battlesuits need to be, recharged, fed, rested and put through dialysis. This takes a minimum of two hours, and we did not have as many care stations as we had suits coming in, which added to the time.
Only as our units were going to face the enemy did it occur to me that simply staggering the times I sent groups out would have solved this problem. I would have to put that into effect during combat, which is definitely not the best time.
I called up the 7th Air Force HQ, "Major Brenton here. What can I do for you Colonel?"
"I just need to know when your boys can be in the air."
"I have a full strike wing ready to take off as soon as we have a target."
"Then I have a target for you. Yakushima is directly south of here and apparently directly in their line of march."
"Isn't that on the restricted list? A world Heritage Site if I recall correctly."
"The forests in the center of the island are restricted, but the beaches are not. If you hit them going in and out of the water, that I think you can do some significant damage without ruffling too many feathers."
"I'll brief my pilots and they will be over the target in 20-30 minutes." He gave me a crisp salute and signed off.
Sylvia was looking dubious, "I thought you needed permission from General Abe to change the restrictions like that."
I winked at her, "What they don't know won't hurt them. I cover things with the General later."
"I think you're pushing it."
I sighed…and coughed. "Ow. Yes, your right, but this is not the time to worry about these things. If it saves even one life, it will be worth any amount of hassle later."
"You're probably right, but I still don't like it."
I thought about it and tried not to sigh again, "You're right, of course. Get Larry and we'll prepare a press release to let everyone know that we made this decision and why. No sense starting a PR nightmare when we can head it off." With Larry, Emmy and eventually Harry's help we crafted a statement about striking the Taurians on Yakushima that, in the end, kept it from being a real issue. By the time we got that to General Abe's HQ, the strikes were already on their way. I know for sure that they had already made several bombing and strafing runs before I got permission to launch them. That's not how the official reports read, but that's politics.
Quite a number of us were watching the feed from the Rumblers as they started their runs. Their napalm a bombs cut a swath through the enemy and we all cheered. Now Rumblers carry an insane amount of munitions, but watching the footage showed me clearly that this was not the answer to all our problems. Each strike could get twenty or so of them, but the sheer numbers of the bio-soldiers made them unstoppable. It was a great way of thinning their ranks though.
Sniper called in after a bit, "Hey boss, we're in place."
"Has your fire support team rendezvoused with you yet?"
"No, but they're on their way. Any ETA on the ugly butters yet?"
"You'll know how long it'll take them before I do.
"Seems a shame to tear up the scenery just to put up defensive works."
"I know, but what else can we do? Just keep your eyes open and don't let them get the drop on you, OK?"
"You got it boss, Sniper out."
The minutes dragged by as we waited for word on when the main force would arrive on Kyushu. Times like this are when the waiting is at its worst. You know they're coming, but you just don't know when, and aren't exactly sure where.
After nearly two hours of waiting, I heard Sniper's voice over the command channel. "Everyone look sharp and follow me. We have Centaurs on the rocks about two clicks from here." I changed my monitor to get the feed from his suit, "Holy crab-apples. Eric, do you read me?"
"Yes, I've been listening."
"As soon as they get off the rocks, they are taking off in a straight line at a dead run. They are not forming up or anything like that. Several have already gotten past my boys before we can get into range, and are heading your way."
"My boys will clean up for you. Eric out."
"Fire support three, are you listening?"
"We are already in route to your location."
"I've designated point Tango on road 564 which should give us some good ambush possibilities. Let me know when you're in position. Alright, my people. Let's hit them hard and fast from the side and they'll never see us coming."
Eight Centaurs were clambering up the rocks using all six limbs, and looking like giant bugs more than anything else when the Giant Killers let off a volley that blasted them back into the sea. Within ten seconds, they were replaced by another twenty who were flung back in turn. But for every one they killed, it seemed like two more came out of the sea.
"Sniper, this is Allen. Would you mind some advice?"
"I'd sure as shakes welcome it boss."
"Have Joey's squad start digging defensive works and have Leon's check the local houses for civilians."
"I thought that this area was under mandatory evacuation."
"That doesn't mean everyone listened. Those Taurs are going to gain the road soon and you need to be able to fire without hesitation."
"You guys heard the boss. Get to it."
I had to shift my attention elsewhere for a time as new reports of bio-soldiers were coming in from at least three other locations in southern Kyushu. Similar reports were coming from the northern and western coasts at the same time, but there were other forces poised to deal with them. The Taurians seemed to be arranged into loose columns that were all pointed toward the heart of the island. I instructed my forces to meet these thrusts where they were the most vulnerable; As they emerged from the sea.
It was immediately evident that they would need fire support if they were not to be overrun and destroyed. Fifty battlesuits against one thousand bio-soldiers just was not winnable. Each enemy line of march was assigned 3 companies of battlesuits, a company of tanks, and a company of attack helicopters. They could also call on support from naval batteries and artillery fire-bases when they were pressed too closely. Between each of these column forces were clean up companies of unarmored infantry whose job was to watch for additional alien forces and take out any strays that wandered into their areas.
I checked in with the Giant killers as soon as I had gotten all that in motion to see how effective these changes had been on the ground. "Sniper , this is Allen. How are you guys holding up?"
"Well, things were going blasted fine until we ran out of ammo. We're riding back right now to reload. I hope the other two groups can hold the line until we get our ashes back into the fight."
"Crud! Let me work on setting up closer resupply points. Anything else being a problem?"
"Other than the enemy bodies are piling up like crazy, none that come to mind."
I signed off with him and called Jeff Nelson over. Jeff is my head of logistics and was responsible for an awful lot of what was going right at the moment. "Jeff, I need you to do something stupid for me."
"OK, that makes me nervous."
"I need to set up mobile supply points just behind the tank companies where the battlesuits can go and get rearmed. I was thinking we could load all the ammo on a truck and send it out."
"That would be stupid. You need to send out the ammo in pick-up trucks and Humvees that can be loaded and unloaded easier and in smaller loads for better mobility."
"Take care of it ASAP." I switched channels, "Sniper, how close is your unit to the base?"
"It should be coming into view in a minute here."
"Good. I need you to release the Knight pilots for support work."
"OK, what do you need them for?"
"I need them to put out fires until I can get the mobile supply points set up. Let me run an idea past you. How about taking a squad and having them shuttle ammo and supplies to the rest. You could use what reserve pilots you have or rotate squads or something like that. Does that sound workable?"
"Sounds good. We've just never had to face this many enemies without a dog break before."
"I know. There's no way that we're going to be able to pin them on the coast for much longer without getting overrun."
"So have you come up with something barking brilliant?"
"I'm working out the details right now. I need to get the reports from the rest of the island next."
"Well let me know when you've got something, genius boy.."
He signed off and I began to review how the battle was going. Most of the alien columns had pushed in from the coast, as far as three miles in one case. This was not what I wanted to see, but it was not unworkable. "Encyclopedia, I need a map of Kyushu with the locations of all engagements with bio-soldiers." Each engagement was marked with a small red 'x' and as they filled in, a clear pattern emerged. There were eleven lines of march from the sea toward the center of the island. "Anyone seen Phil?"
"He's been in and out of the restroom all morning."
"I need him ASAP." I went back to working with the map and only looked up when I heard Phil approach. "Phil! You look nearly as bad as I do and I should be in the hospital."
"I either ate something bad or had a bad reaction to something I ate."
"Look at this map with me …" I explained the symbols that I had added and asked what patterns he saw.
"I can see what they are doing, but I have no idea why." Phil swayed a bit and then Sylvia pulled an airsickness bag out of thin air just in time.
As soon as he stopped heaving, I said. "Sylvia, please have the nurse escort him to the hospital and have Sir Jacobs go with them. As Phil was escorted out. I did some quick estimates and pulled up a real-time satellite map and found something after only a few minutes of searching. "Major Abe, I need your assistance." She hurried over, "I found the key to this battle, but I need you help explaining it to the general as quickly as possible." I brought up the map of Kyushu that Phil and I had modified. "The bio-soldiers are coming out of the sea and moving in a straight line as quickly as possible, but they are not heading for any traditional military target. Instead, they are heading for this." I brought up another picture.
"What is that?"
"This is a current satellite picture of a Taurian base right in the middle of Kyushu in the mountains of the Kumamoto province. Their objective is to get a large force of bio-soldiers here and use that force to start their conquests. Knowing their objective, the general must make a terrible choice and this what you must help him understand."
The major looked me in the eyes, "You have my full attention."
"If we wipe out this base, the Taurians will most likely call of the attack and withdraw from Kyushu. We will have won the battle, but the Taurians will be able to replenish their army and be ready to strike again within a few weeks at most with the lessons that they have learned from this battle."
A coughing fit took me before I could continue, "That hurt. The alternative is to use the knowledge to help draw the bio-soldier army in and destroy it completely. It will take them a minimum of four to six months to rebuild their forces in the region. Can I count on you to make sure he understands this message?"
"I swear that I will get him to understand if I have to write it on his forehead myself." She saluted and headed for her station. There was definitely the blood of warriors flowing in her veins.
"Eddie, I need to talk directly to General Dupree."
A unit of battlesuits came around the hill at a full run and began jumping into a set of trenches beside the road. The last of the armored warriors made it out of the rain of chaff and into the trenches as their pursuers came into sight. A mob of Centaur bio-soldiers that easily outnumbered the battlesuits five to one was backed up by three Cyclops. The battlesuits were temporarily out of sight, but a squadron of eight Schwartzkoff main battle tanks and eight Stryker III armored combat vehicles were in plain sight a half mile down the road behind a row of rebar stakes. Without pausing, the bio-soldiers charged and began firing.
The Strykers fired short barreled wide mouthed mortar-cannons high into the air and the tanks fired a volley that burst when halfway to their targets. The rounds from the tanks released dozens of thin chains with weights on each end that spun like bolas toward the mob. Unlike bolas, these chains did not wrap around their victims, but sheared through then like giant flying razor blades. Then the napalm rounds from the Strykers hit the rear ranks of the bio soldiers and exploded into an inferno. The battlesuits popped up from their trenches and began mowing down the few survivors while the tanks put standard rounds into the Cyclops.
"Clear. Giant Killer One to Echo Squadron Leader. That took care of this stinking mob. Head to the next ambush point and we will bring you some more suckers."
A venerable B-1 bomber cruised over a Kyushu beachhead at twenty-thousand feet. The bomb bay doors opened and a number of bundles of iron rods fell from the plane. The packets each separated into two dozen iron rods with thin steering fins. A small hover drone with a wide angle IR camera had a good view of the whole battlefield. It guided each rod towards a separate IR source until the tiny IR camera on the tip of each rod could see its target. On the ground, hundreds of bio-soldiers simply fell apart after being speared by the iron rods and sliced into sections by the steering fins. All without a single explosion.
Three Dragon and twenty Wyvern bio-soldiers broke the oceans surface ten miles south of Kyushu and struggled to gain altitude. A navy AWACS picked them up and relayed the information to Battleship California. The battle wagon had four giant turrets each with four guns, but the two turrets amidships had yet to participate in any of the bombardments. These turrets swung south toward the intruders. There was a popping noise a a white swirl at the cannons nozzles, and the flying bio-soldiers jerked suddenly in the air a several large holes appeared in each of them nearly simultaneously. Only a single Wyvern didn't immediately plunge into the sea, but it was losing altitude from the four large holes that had appeared in its wings. Another pop and two more holes appeared and the Wyvern went to join its brethren.
Barbara Sullivan looked over the cavern that had become her hospital. Patients appeared in irregular intervals, but the planning had paid off. She was checking on the progress of converting one of the motorhomes in to an ambulance flight for stable patients, when a trio of familiar faces walked in. Mike and Fredgar were carrying Rico in on a stretcher. She hurried over and asked the triage nurse accompanying them, "What's the situation?"
"He's in shock and has a traumatically separated right elbow."
She addressed Fredgar, "Do you know what happened?"
"A chain shot bounced off of something and hit his forearm. It completely shattered the armor joint and we had to cut the last few connections to get it off his arm. If it hadn't lost some of its momentum, it probably would have taken his arm off."
"You guys head back, I'll take care of him." She began by cutting the glove off of his hand. She suspected he might have a broken thumb, but she needed to make sure he didn't loose his arm before she dealt with that. "Rico are you with me?"
Without a trace of his usual accent he said, "Yes, Doc. I'm meditating to keep the pain at bay."
She moved the scanner into position and scanned from the shoulder down. The dislocated shoulder, broken thumb and fractured metacarpals could wait, but the severed radial artery couldn't. She calmly yelled, "I need a surgery kit and a blood recycler machine here."
Rico looked at her with eyes that were not quite focused, "Am I going to lose my arm?"
"With any luck you won't, but you're out of the fight for quite some time."
Allen took the call from General Abe in the conference room so that they could have a private discussion. "You have given me quite the difficult discussion, young man. Is there any more information you can give me?"
"There should be about one hundred total waves of bio-soldiers for each invasion corridor. There should also be a string of undersea bases to head out to each of eleven staging areas which will be vulnerable once the final wave comes ashore."
"I see. If we were decide to destroy this army of Taurians, what would you say?"
"I would suggest a deliberate and calculated fallback as the battle progresses in order to give the enemy the illusion of progress in order to minimise the chances of the enemy withdrawing their forces early."
"And if we were to decide to end this battle swiftly?"
"Then I would suggest that naval resources trace back each of the invasion routes until the staging areas are found, then consider the use of nuclear depth charges to reduce the enemy force as much as possible."
"I see. What of the Taurian base on Kyushu?"
"I would suggest that as soon as the final wave of bio-soldiers comes ashore, an overwhelming infantry force should assault the base as I expect there to be a sizable force of enemy soldiers waiting to take command of the bio-soldiers."
"You seem to think that we should draw in and destroy this army of bio-soldiers utterly. Why is that?"
"I believe that it is the shortest path to victory in this war and that it will also lead to the least casualties and destruction in the long run."
"Thank you Colonel Spencer-san. You have given me the information I need to make this decision."
Sniper frowned at his suit display. "Giant Killer One to control. Where is the bloody tactical data on the next wave of Taurs?"
"There isn't any."
"How can there be no FLAPPING DATA?"
"Because that was the last mob of bio-soldiers on this route. Return to base Giant Killers. Well done."
Sniper stood there for a moment and let the knowledge soak in. He fell back against a tree as his exhaustion caught up with him. "About damn time."
← Taurian Invasion 40: The Painful Waiting
Taurian Invasion: Epilogue →


Atlas Copco Introduces New Line of Hydraulic Demolition Multi Grapple Attachments
WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Atlas Copco Construction Tools LLC introduces its new line of hydraulic demolition multi grapple attachments. The new multi grapples feature large hydraulic cylinders that provide high closing forces and short cycle times, making the attachments ideal for sorting and loading rubble, as well as demolition of masonry and wooden structures.
The new multi grapple line includes the MG 1000, MG 800 and MG 500. At a service weight of 2,039 pounds, the MG 1000 delivers a maximum closing force of 4.7 tons. Suitable for carriers in the 12- to 20-ton weight class, the MG 1000 operates at a maximum pressure of 5,076 psi and requires hydraulic oil flow of 22 to 32 gallons per minute (gpm).
At 1,818 pounds, the MG 800 provides 3.8 tons of closing force. It fits carriers between 9 and 16 tons and accepts oil flow of 18 to 26 gpm at 5,076 psi. The 1,014-pound MG 500 offers 2.4 tons of closing force. It can be used on 5- to 9-ton carriers and requires oil flow of 10 to 13 gpm at 4,351 psi.
A standard 360-degree hydraulic rotation unit on each multi grapple allows for accurate positioning of the attachment to accelerate work progress. The MG 1000 features two hydraulic cylinders to maximize the grapple's closing forces. The two smaller models have one cylinder.
The cylinders are guarded to protect against outside debris, and a built-in rotation protection system reduces wear and tear on the carrier. To protect against unnecessary strain on the grapple's mobile components, the cylinders on the MG 1000 and MG 800 are also equipped with hydraulic-end-position damping. This system slows down jaw opening speed shortly before the grapples reach their full-width end position.
To provide ample jaw capacity for various demolition applications, the grapple jaws of the MG 1000 open to a width of 77 inches and can handle a load capacity of 0.65 cubic yards. The MG 800 and MG 500 provide jaw opening widths of 67 and 59 inches and load capacities of 0.52 and 0.26 cubic yards, respectively.
All major components of the multi grapples are made of durable carbon steel. The grapple jaws have large bearing surfaces for reduced wear and higher productivity. Additionally, each jaw tip features an easily replaceable wear edge that can be flipped to provide a second wear surface.
To reduce the likelihood of demolition or wood materials jamming in the grapple jaws, the multi grapples feature an open lattice jaw design with elongated slots. The slots allow loose material such as sand and mortar residue to fall through, making it easier to sort materials. The slots also provide improved visibility for the operator.
Atlas Copco is a world leading provider of industrial productivity solutions.The products and services range from compressed air and gas equipment, generators, construction and mining equipment, industrial tools and assembly systems, to related aftermarket and rental. In close cooperation with customers and business partners, and with more than 130 years of experience, Atlas Copco innovates for superior productivity. Headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, the Group's global reach spans more than 150 markets. In 2006, Atlas Copco had 25,900 employees and revenues of BSEK 51 (MEUR 5,600).
Learn more at www.atlascopco.com.
Atlas Copco Construction Tools is a division within Atlas Copco's Construction and Mining Technique business area. It develops, manufactures and markets hydraulic, pneumatic, and gasoline-powered breakers and drills, as well as pedestal boom systems worldwide under several brands. The division is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden and has production units in Europe, Africa and Asia.


91-year-old columnist becomes first to cover every Super Bowl
'As long as I can do it, I'm going to do it'
MIAMI, Fla. (NEXSTAR) — For many people, attending the Super Bowl is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
For veteran newspaper columnist Jerry Green, the Super Bowl has become an annual tradition.
Green, a retired columnist from Detroit, made history when he arrived in Miami this week. The 91-year-old is now the only newspaper writer to cover every Super Bowl. That's right, all 54 of them.
"It's totally different," Green said of how the big game has grown in popularity over the years. "Super Bowl I was a curiosity. I mean, it didn't sell out. Ticket prices were 15 bucks."
With 50-plus Super Bowls under his belt, Green is a walking, talking Big Game encyclopedia. His first Super Bowl was about Hank Stram and Vince Lombard after the Green Bay Packers won Super Bowl I.
Remember that famous picture from Super Bowl III when New York Jets legend Joe Namath held court with select media by the pool? He was there, too.
"He walked out in a bathing suit to the pool," Green recalled. "A few minutes later, another writer came out and said Namath has agreed to speak to a few of us. I said, 'are you bleeping kidding me?'"
Nowadays, at 91, Green doesn't venture far from his hotel. But he will still turn another column to add to his remarkable — and historic — archives. And he has no plans of stopping.
"I've always said that 'quit' is the worst four-letter word in the language," he said. "As long as I can do it, I'm going to do it."
As for which game over the years he considered to be the best, Green — without hesitation — quickly pointed to the Super Bowl just a few years ago in 2017 between the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons.


filed: September 25, 2010 • Oregon
Nest could nix wind plan; Wildlife Service asks for turbine-free nest area
Credit: By RaeLynn Ricarte, The Dalles Chronicle, www.thedalleschronicle.com 24 September 2010 ~~
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would like wind turbines in Wasco County to be sited no closer than six miles from a golden eagle nest.
On Monday, the Bend office of the federal agency submitted that recommendation in a letter to the Oregon Department of Energy. Under discussion is the Summit Ridge wind project proposed by LotusWorks of Vancouver, Wash. The company is seeking to site up to 87 wind turbines on private farm land one to four miles west of the Deschutes River Canyon.
ODE is responsible for reviewing wind turbine projects greater than 105 megawatts, while the county reviews those less than that number. Summit Ridge is expected to produce 200 megawatts of power.
"The service believes the project, including all turbines, transmission and roads, and associated facilities has the potential to result in injury and mortality of individual eagles and potential loss of nest sites over the life of the project," wrote Nancy Gilbert, USFWS field supervisor, in the Sept. 20 report.
The federal agency has also requested that:
Turbine operation shut down during the days and nights of peak migration periods.
Turbine blades be painted to increase visibility.
Federal Aviation Administration-required lighting for aircraft safety be minimized to protect eagles.
"On face value, you'd never get the project financed with those requirements," said Steve Ostrowski, president of LotusWorks. "We need to sit down with USFWS and see if we can find a course of action that will address both of our concerns."
He said the agency's recommendations have potential ramifications for all of the wind projects in the Mid-Columbia and beyond.
In her report, Gilbert stated that USFWS studies for Summit Ridge detected the presence of 12 golden eagles and four inactive large stick nests believed to have been used by the federally-protected species. She said the nests were located within 1,000 to 10,000 feet from where turbines would be placed.
According to the agency, four bald eagles were also observed in the area where turbines would be located.
"In the absence of clear solutions to address golden eagle mortalities at wind energy projects, to enhance populations through conservation measures, or to off-set losses in other ways, our best efforts should be directed at avoidance of mortalities by siting wind turbines well away from the areas where resident and migrating eagles are known to concentrate their activities," wrote Gilbert.
USFWS recommends that LotusWorks prepare an Avian and Bat Protection Plan that addresses bald and golden eagles, other migratory bird species of concern, and bats.
"That plan is usually developed during construction so we need to understand exactly what they are requiring here," said Ostrowski.
He said changes in the market have already delayed the completion of the Summit Ridge project from Dec. 31, 2011 to the end of 2012. He said the company was in the final stages of negotiating the sale of power to California when government leaders changed the rules to require that wind energy be purchased from producers within the state.
"We're now looking for a buyer for the power," said Ostrowski.
Summit Ridge would be the first wind power project in Wasco County and is expected to provide "significantly more than $1 million" in tax revenue per year. The exact amount of revenue that would be realized by the county is still under negotiation, said Ostrowski
Source: By RaeLynn Ricarte, The Dalles Chronicle, www.thedalleschronicle.com 24 September 2010