As Fall slowly fades away, I’m preparing for November 15th, when central heating for Beijing finally turns on. Pollution for the next 3 months is worth a warm winter, right? Ironic that as I was posting this I received a notification from my AQI app warning me of ‘heavy pollution’. GOOD TIMES BEIJING! Keep 'em coming…
The Raspberry Pi is a low cost, credit-card sized, programmable computer which has been developed by the Raspberry Pi Foundation. The Raspberry Pi Foundation is a charitable organisation linked to Cambridge University.
We have been working in collaboration with Raspberry Pi and with leading practitioners to create resources that support the use of the Raspberry Pi in the classroom.
Knights workout with free weights backstage several hours before the show at Medieval Times in Buena Park. The knights also get free health club memberships with the job.
Head knight Jesse Camarena, left, and head horse trainer Redha Gharsa practice with horse before an evening performance at Medieval Times in Buena Park.
Knights look on as others practice their jousting before an evening performance at Medieval Times in Buena Park.
Medieval Times has been staging 11th century-style tournaments and feasts on Beach Boulevard since 1986. And for the knights who joust, swordfight and throw javelins each night, the job is a seminar in medieval techniques.
“That’s the most difficult, to learn how to be a good rider,” said Jesse Camarena, the head knight. “Horses used to terrify me.”
To prepare for the nightly dinner shows, the knights come in at 1:30 p.m. each weekday for training and practice until 6. The first hour or so is leisurely. Some knights work out on the weight machines. Some prepare their equipment. On Tuesdays, there’s yoga.
Then, it’s time for the real work. What they do each day depends on who is at training, said David Manuel, a marketing manager for Medieval Times. If there are mostly new employees, who start out as squires, then the training will be more basic, such as getting comfortable with the horses. If there are more longtime employees, then the training is more advanced, maybe practicing jousting.
You don’t have to be an experienced equestrian to join the show; trainers would rather work with a novice so they can teach riding skills.
Newcomers to Medieval Times start as squires, who train as knights but play squires in the shows. When they get promoted to knight depends on whether the head knight feels they are ready. Sometimes squires get to play knights in the daytime education shows, which are less intense than the nighttime shows and act as training.
On a recent Tuesday, mostly squires were on the horses while the more experienced knights helped set up the practices. They started by warming up their horses with some loops around the arena. Then, it was on to games training. First, they practiced a game in which two knights race to each grab a flag, and then pass the flags back and forth three times.
After that, it was time to practice with the javelins. Each rider raced on horseback toward a hanging target to try and stick the javelin through the bull’s-eye. With this game, there were a couple mishaps, including one squire falling off his horse.
In the wake of the fallout from the police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., last year, President Barack Obama announced a three-year, $263 million community policing initiative, which included $75 million to help local law enforcement agencies purchase 50,000 body cameras. The Justice Department doled out $19.3 million in such grants this year, which, along with a 50 percent match by the local police agencies, will purchase an estimated 21,000 cameras.
We agree with the use of police body cameras, although we strongly disagree with federal involvement and the use of federal tax dollars. Policies of local police agencies should be determined by the jurisdiction’s taxpayers and political leaders, not cross-subsidized by taxpayers nationwide.
The oft-cited experiment of the Rialto Police Department with body cameras in 2012-13 illustrates why their use is good for protecting both police officers and the wider community. The department found that after the body cameras were instituted, officers used force nearly 60 percent less often, and the number of citizen complaints against officers dropped by 88 percent. Since then, numerous police departments across the country have adopted body cameras.
But in yet another case of “Do what I say, not as I do,” the Obama administration has so far refused to adopt body camera policies for federal agencies. This prompted the U.S. Marshals Service, an agency of the Justice Department that frequently teams with local police to track fugitives and violent criminals, to announce that it will not allow local police wearing body cameras to serve on Marshals task forces.
And an internal review for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the largest law enforcement agency in the nation, recommended against widespread use of body cameras, according to a report recently obtained by the Los Angeles Times. This is especially alarming considering a new American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona report that documents pervasive Border Patrol abuses of people’s constitutional rights and a lack of basic record keeping, oversight or accountability.
What is good for the goose is good for the gander. In the interests of public safety, transparency and accountability, the Obama administration must stop dragging its feet and adopt body cameras for federal law enforcement officers who come into contact with the public.
On August 23, 2014, Mio Michigan in Oscoda County will host the first ever OcRiverfest. The OcRiverfest is a festival designed to celebrate our most prized natural asset, the AuSable River.
The AuSable River caters to all people and tastes. Whether you’re after some of the best trout fishing in the world, a leisurely float with the family or a weekend river trip that is a little loud, our river has something for everybody. That is what we wanted to recreate with the OcRiverfest, something for everybody.
Ever wonder where that funny little word Mio came from or how it ended up the county seat? How about who started Fairview or why is it the turkey capital? You can find out at our Oscoda County history attraction. Along with the displays, visitors will also have the opportunity to listen to guest speakers. Learn things like what it takes to compete in the AuSable River Canoe Marathon or how do you tie a fly.
If you like music, we got you covered. You can kick back at the South Stage and listen to some folk and bluegrass with the backdrop of our historic courthouse or if you want something just a little more loud, our North Stage will feature modern and classic rock.
You can check out our family area with our inflatable midway. These inflatables aren't just your baby bounce houses (but we have those too). We have giant slides, water slides and obstacle courses for all ages. If you want to test your skills you can try your hand in the game area. Think traditional carnival games with an AuSable River Twist.
Our goal is to have something for everybody, like the AuSable River, from craft and outdoor vendors to guided tours of our local attractions.