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Search results for: embassy in all categories
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181. A key for a Clockwork Orange (Winter 2016) [Free Article]
... Russia for reasons of Cold War espionage. ' 'No foundation' is not the same as 'no truth', and Biswell provides a moment of unintentional comedy in the following passage: 4 Andrew Biswell, The Real Life of Anthony Burgess, (London: Picador, 2006) p.236 'When I asked a former diplomat from the Russian embassy about the possibility that Burgess was secretly employed by British intelligence, he told me that a volubly indiscreet drunk such as Burgess, who also happened to be married to a suicidal alcoholic, would have been solidly at the bottom of the list when it came to recruiting potential secret agents, in spite of his considerable linguistic talents. ' ...
Terms matched: 1 - Score: 6 - 05 Sep 2016 - URL: http://www.lobster-magazine.co.uk/free/lobster72/lob72-clockwork-orange.pdf
182. A Who's Who of Appeasers, 1939-41 [Lobster #22 (Nov 1991)]
... -43 (at least) before being warned off by the Foreign Office. Club: Carlton. (FO, DDI) Holden (Lord) Angur William Eden Holden, b. 1898. Liberal peer. Ex Guards' Regiment; Hon Attache, H.M . Mission to Holy See, 1918; to H.M . Embassy, Madrid, 1922; to Berlin, 1925. Club: Guards', Royal Automobile. Advocate of negotiated peace, 1939-40. (FO, PREM, Stokes, Chamberlain, Cockett, De Courcy) Kerr, Lt-Col Charles Iain, M.P . B. 1874. Stockbroker (Kerr, Ware and ...
Terms matched: 1 - Score: 6 - 01 Nov 1991 - URL: http://www.lobster-magazine.co.uk/online/issue22/lob22-03.htm
183. Team mercenary GB: Part 1
the early years (Winter 2016) [Free Article]
... of notoriety from the Angolan recruitment, he authored a (shortish) book which, from its cover image, seems to have been aimed at the pulp readership end of the market.1 0 Since then he has continued to amuse and bemuse in equal measure with his antics. Convicted of 'demanding $250,000' from the Nicaraguan embassy in London in return for information he claimed to hold regarding 'A contract 8 See the archived UPI report 'Seven British mercenaries, released unexpectedly after eight years' at <http://www.upi.com/Archives/ 1984/02/28/Seven-British-mercenaries-released-unexpectedly-after- eight- ...
Terms matched: 1 - Score: 6 - 09 Oct 2016 - URL: http://www.lobster-magazine.co.uk/free/lobster72/lob72-team-mercenary.pdf
184. Was there a 'communist threat'? [Lobster Special Issue: The Clandestine Caucus (199]
... we know that the Soviet Union began sending money to the British Party after the Hungarian revolt was put down - apparently to compensate the British Party for the loss of its membership (and hence membership fees) incurred by the Party's refusal to condemn the Soviet invasion. Senior CPGB person, Reuben Falber, would meet the man from the Soviet Embassy and take delivery of the bags of used notes. These would be stored in the loft of Falber's house and then laundered through the Party's accounts as 'anonymous donations' and the like. It was as amateurish as that. The Moscow money seems to have been used chiefly to fund the Party's full-time staff. In the 1960s ...
Terms matched: 1 - Score: 6 - 01 Jun 1996 - URL: http://www.lobster-magazine.co.uk/online/caucus/lobcc-09.htm
185. The Pentagon's Psychic Research [Lobster #30 (Dec 1995)]
... logical step [to experiments proposed five years earlier - author], namely to reinforce, enhance, or aid NBIT in certain trained or gifted individuals after having discovered the basic communications carriers'. The DIA's follow up reports reinforced this, warning that; 'Soviets or Czech perfection of psychotronic weapons would pose a severe threat to enemy military, embassy or security functions. The emitted energy would be silent and difficult to detect electronically. The Soviets claim to have developed effective biological energy sensors and the only power source required would be the human operator. '( 32) RV work continued. Pat Price was asked on several occasions to provide his services to the Office of Naval Intelligence ...
186. Rebranding SIS [Lobster #40 (Winter 2000/1)]
... the top, but are sweeping up support staff too. So, for example, you have the US-owned Hill & Knowlton Brussels team. Appointments to that team this year include the assistant to the then Vice President of the European Parliament's Technological Development and Energy Committee; as well as a Japanese national who was formerly with the Japanese Embassy in Vienna as 'special economic assistant on assignment from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs'. (10) HMG - of which SIS forms a part - is outmanoeuvred not only because it does not have the money to compete but also because, in losing control of the consultancies, it loses control of one of the levers of patronage ...
187. Our Friends in the North West: The Owen Oyston Affair [Lobster #34 (Winter 1998)]
... had been constant reports of Oyston being involved in prostitution and blackmail. ' 12 June Murrin sent to Conservative MPs Edwina Currie and David Waddington, the company registration of Oyston Ltd and demonstrated its link with drugs money launderer Patrick Diamond, which had been explained to him by John Huber, Drug Enforcement Administration man at the U.S . embassy in London. 20 June Murrin published a press release entitled 'Royal Lies', releasing excerpts from many of the Oyston flotation proposal documents stolen from Oystons the year before and suggesting the Royal's purchase of Oystons was unwise and that there were still Inland Revenue problems. Sir Peter Blaker MP advised Michael Murrin on how to approach Sir David Waddington ...
188. The International Centre of Free Trade Unionists in Exile [Lobster #31 (Jun 1996)]
... adjuncts of the Soviet state; and besides attempting to dominate the WFTU, the Soviets opposed the Marshall Plan, which most of the trade union leaders in Western Europe and the United States supported. With considerable assistance from various American government agencies, including financial help, backed up by numbers of US trade unionists working as labour attachés in American embassies in Europe, the British TUC, the French FO, the Swedish LO, the American CIO (but not the AFL), and a number of other Western trade union organizations, broke away from the WFTU and, in December 1949, formed the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU). The ICFTU received considerable financial ...
189. Apocryphylia [Lobster #66 (Winter 2013) (free)] [Free Article]
... that city. Calvert 22 is sponsored (the exact wording used is 'strategic partner') by VTB Capital, an investment bank, 61% owned by the Russian government. Like any financial institution, the management board of VTB includes a range of personalities but in prominent positions are Andrei Kostin, formerly in 'diplomatic service' at the USSR embassy in London 1985-1990, during which time he presumably knew Alexander Lebedev the current proprietor of The Evening Standard and The Independent, Vasily Titor, who 'worked in the President's office' in the '90s and Gennadiy Melikyan, previously Minister of Labour in the Russian Federation, 1992-1997. According to Olga Podoinitsya at VTB their role ...
Terms matched: 1 - Score: 6 - 07 Nov 2013 - URL: http://www.lobster-magazine.co.uk/free/lobster66/lob66-apocryphylia.pdf
190. Harold Wilson, the Bank of England and the Cecil King 'coup' of May 1968 [Lobster #56 (Winter 2008/9)]
... In March the situation facing sterling deteriorated, as forecast. But although there is no doubt that the pound was vulnerable on the exchanges, the cause of the latest crisis lay outside the UK. Following the shock of the Tet offensive in Vietnam, when Viet Cong forces had for a time succeeded in reaching Saigon and even penetrating the US Embassy compound, pressure on the dollar had mounted. By early March it was being sold in favour of gold at the price of $1 = 35oz, which the US had guaranteed since the 1944 Bretton Woods Agreement. Indeed, it was the confidence that the US would always be able to redeem dollar liabilities in gold which had allowed ...
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Alabama Senate Committee Unanimously Approves Major Marijuana Law Reform Bill
Published by Medical Marijuana News at April 18, 2019
When people think of weed-friendly states, Alabama is probably not one of the states that comes to mind. But now, a new bill could introduce some important changes to Alabama’s cannabis laws.
While the new bill will not legalize cannabis, it could go a long way toward reducing the penalties for those caught with weed. And many in the state see that as a positive step forward.
Alabama’s New Marijuana Bill
Yesterday, Alabama’s new marijuana bill cleared its first major hurdle. Specifically, it was approved by the state’s Senate Judiciary Committee. In fact, the bill didn’t just pass, it passed by a unanimous 11-0 vote.
Now that it’s cleared that Committee, the bill is now in line to move on to the Senate.
If the bill eventually passes into law, it will introduce a number of potentially important changes to Alabama’s cannabis laws.
For starters, it will revise how the state defines marijuana-related offenses. These revisions dramatically alter current laws.
For example, under current laws a person caught with cannabis for purposes other than personal use, or a person with a previous cannabis conviction who gets caught with weed, can be charged with first-degree possession.
This is currently classified as a felony charge, carrying relatively severe penalties.
But under the new bill, first-degree possession will only apply to a person caught with two ounces of weed or more.
And a first conviction would only be a misdemeanor carrying a fine of up to $250. From there, a second conviction would also be a misdemeanor with a $500 fine, and all convictions after that will become Class D felonies.
Similarly, the new bill will redefine second-degree possession. Currently, this category is for people caught with weed for personal use.
This charge is currently a Class A misdemeanor, which is the most serious level of misdemeanor.
But the new bill would change that. Second-degree possession would apply only to people caught with less than two ounces of pot. And it would be a minor violation, carrying a fine of up to $250.
Addressing Problems With Alabama’s Criminal System
On top of these changes, the new bill also calls for a potentially important change for folks who already have cannabis charges on their records.
Specifically, the new bill will make it possible for cannabis charges to be expunged. Under the terms of the new bill, people convicted of first- or second-degree possession could have those charges expunged if they don’t have any other arrests for five years.
For many of the lawmakers supporting the bill, these changes are about addressing the harm caused by current laws.
Speaking to local media source AL.com, Senator Malika Sanders-Fortier said that upper class people are rarely punished for so-called marijuana crimes.
“It’s the low-income people, people who are impoverished,” Senator Malika Sanders-Fortier said. “And they pay a different kind of penalty, and I think that’s unfair. So, to me it’s a matter of mercy.”
Along with class, race is another primary source of inequity in Alabama’s current marijuana laws. Just last year, a study found that Alabama cannabis laws disproportionately harm black cannabis consumers.
This bill isn’t the first time Alabama lawmakers have tried to revise the state’s cannabis laws. Last year, a similar bill aimed at reducing the penalties for weed was brought before the Legislature. That bill failed to materialize.
The post Alabama Senate Committee Unanimously Approves Major Marijuana Law Reform Bill appeared first on High Times.
New Hampshire: Governor Signs Marijuana Annulment Measure
Senator Rice Needs to Get Woke About Weed, Pt. 2
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More in Class Notes
► 2010s
CAS class correspondent: David Craig BS ’90
“Please send me your news and updates!”
Jeff Alworth BA ’90
The Secrets of Master Brewers
Jeff Alworth BA ’90 has published his fourth book, The Secrets of Master Brewers (Storey Publishing, 2017), which focuses on the history, national traditions, and techniques of brewing classic styles of beer. It follows on the heels of The Beer Bible (Workman Publishing, 2015), which was an International Association of Culinary Professionals award-winning book in 2016. Alworth is a columnist for All About Beer and has written for a number of magazines and newspapers. He also blogs about beer on his popular website, www.beervanablog.com.
Elizabeth Bacher BA ’90
Elizabeth Bacher BA ’90 was a participant in Miami University’s Earth Expeditions global field course. She spent the summer of 2017 in the Galapagos, studying the forces of change in the area of the archipelago in order to devise better solutions for sustainability.
Gary L. Blacklidge JD ’90
Gary L. Blacklidge JD ’90 has joined the real estate practice group at Jordan Ramis PC. Blacklidge focuses on real estate law, assisting clients in transactional work as well as foreclosures of all types of liens and judgment executions on real estate. He is also experienced in debtor/creditor matters emphasizing creditor representation in bankruptcy cases. Prior to practicing law, Blacklidge worked as a title officer in an Oregon office of a national title insurance company. Over the years he has represented title companies and their insureds in resolving title claims. He is a member of the Multnomah Bar Association and American Bar Association and has been named in Best Lawyers in America for his work in bankruptcy and creditor debtor rights/insolvency and reorganization law.
Leslie Bottomly JD ’90
Was named to the Multnomah County Circuit Court to fill a vacancy created by the transition of Judge Youlee You to the U.S. District Court. A partner at Ater Wynne, Bottomly focused her practice on employment and health care law, and she has worked as an arbitrator and mediator for business disputes.
Susie Brown BA ’90
Susie Brown BA ’90, recently public policy director for the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits and now executive director for the Hennepin County Bar Association, was interviewed in St. Paul, Minnesota’s Legal Ledger in a segment called “Breaking the Ice.” In the interview, Brown discusses her hobbies, career highlights, and start in the nonprofit world.
Rong-Wei “Ron” Cai JD ’90
Rong-Wei “Ron” Cai JD ’90 was appointed to serve as arbitrator for the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC). Cai is partner-in-charge and chief representative of Davis Wright Tremaine’s Shanghai, China, office, where he has been working for the past 10 years. He concentrates his practice on foreign investment in China, handling general business and corporate matters for multinational companies doing business there, and brings more than 20 years of experience assisting clients in U.S.-China business projects. Cai also serves as a mediator for the U.S.-China Business Mediation Center. Beyond his law practice, Cai served as chair of the legal committee for the American Chamber of Commerce, Shanghai, between 2008 and 2010, and as a board member for the China Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth.
Cody Cain BA ’90
The Outstanding Youth Coach: A Total System to Help Young Athletes Reach Their Personal Best and Win More Often
Cody Cain BA ’90 offers a comprehensive guide to training high-performing youth athletes, showing what it takes to achieve success both on and off the field.
Tracey Cordes JD ’90
Was selected by Gratiot County commissioners to be the county’s new administrator. Cordes has been a county counselor in Oregon, a trial court administrator, and a deputy county administrator. From 2009 until 2015, she was Clerk of Court/Court Unit Executive, U. S. District Court, for the Western District of Michigan.
Zena BA ’90
Zena BA ’90 spent almost three years in Mongolia as a Peace Corps volunteer teaching teacher education at the university level as well as working with Mongolia’s Ministry of Education and the Mongolian National Theatre. Zena has now moved to Calais, France, where she is volunteering in “the Jungle,” an extremely crowded and underserved refugee camp.
Kristen Johnson BA ’90
Kristen Johnson BA ’90 has been promoted to dean of the health and sciences division at Pikes Peak Community College in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Robert Kyte JD ’90
Became the CEO at Healthwise in Boise, Idaho, on July 1, 2016, after the retirement of founder and CEO Donald W. Kemper. This is Kyte’s second stint at Healthwise, having served as its general and outside counsel for 15 years beginning in 1990. Prior to rejoining Healthwise, he served as the president and CEO of the nonprofit Adventist Risk Management. Previously, he was general counsel at the world headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Washington, D.C., and CEO and general counsel for Pacific Press Publishing Association in Nampa, Idaho.
Was named to succeed founder Donald W. Kemper upon his retirement as the CEO of Healthwise, effective July 1, 2016. Kyte returns to Healthwise after spending the last six years as president of the nonprofit Adventist Risk Management, a risk-management insurance broker and administrator. He was also president and CEO of affiliate Gencon Insurance Company. While with Adventist Risk Management, he led the organization to improved performance and reduced costs, while significantly increasing revenue growth. Prior to that, Kyte served Healthwise as general counsel and in other key roles from 1990 to 2009.
Derek Larson BA ’90
Keeping Oregon Green: Livability, Stewardship, and the Challenges of Growth, 1960–1980
Derek Larson BA ’90 provides a new history of the signature accomplishments of Oregon’s environmental era, including the revitalization of the polluted Willamette River, the Beach Bill preserving public access to the state’s coastline, the Bottle Bill that set the national standard for reducing roadside litter, and the nation’s first comprehensive land-use zoning law.
Wendy Manley JD ’90
Wendy Manley JD ’90, a partner at California firm Wendel, Rosen, Black & Dean LLP, joined the Environmental Law Section Executive Committee of the Alameda County Bar Association.
Jake Metcalfe JD ’90
Jake Metcalfe JD ’90, a Juneau native, was appointed executive director of ASEA/AFSCME Local 52, Alaska’s largest labor union, on January 1, 2018. Previously, Metcalfe was a district attorney in Bethel and served a term on the city council there before moving to Anchorage, where he worked as associate general counsel to the IBEW Local 1547. He became that union’s top lawyer in 2004. Metcalfe was elected to the Anchorage School Board in 2001 and served two terms. In 2009, he became director of the Public Safety Employees’ Association Local 803, the union that represents police and corrections officers. He had a brief run for U.S. House in 2008 as a Democrat but dropped out before the primary.
Steven M. Pratt BA ’90
Steven M. Pratt BA ’90, July 11, 2017, age 53. Pratt worked as a teacher for 26 years, three of which were spent in China. He also spent four years in Mexico doing mission work. Active in politics, Pratt worked for the Oregon State Senate and on the gubernatorial campaign staff of Barbara Roberts. He loved movies, comedy, and classic rock. Survivors include his two children, Addy and Zeph, as well as many other loving family members and friends.
MardiLyn Saathoff JD ’90
Was promoted to senior vice president and general counsel at Northwest Natural Gas Company. Previously, Saathoff was vice president of legal, risk, and compliance, and also served as chief governance officer and corporate secretary.
Kris Schuberg BA ’90
Kris Schuberg BA ’90 and Eric Hartmann BA ’90, MAT ’94 traveled to Ireland in 2016 to visit their son Eamonn, who was studying at the University of Limerick. Schuberg hadn’t been to Ireland since 1988, when she participated in a Lewis & Clark overseas study program during her sophomore year. She says “it was indeed quite something to visit my son, studying abroad in the same country where I was an international student 29 years ago. I can’t say that Ireland was just as I remembered it–in some ways it was better! I think if someone had told me 29 years ago that I would be coming back to Ireland to visit my son, who would be turning 20 there just as I had, I would have laughed. I also might have said that this was just the crazy talk of a cleasai (Irish word for trickster).”
Scott Snyder JD ’90
Launched Scott Snyder Arbitration & Mediation, which focuses on effective alternative dispute resolution services. Snyder has extensive experience in business and injury litigation having arbitrated and mediated hundreds of cases. He is a former in-house counsel for Safeco Insurance, KinderCare, and Rentrak Corporation. Snyder has also served as municipal judge for the City of North Plains. He can be contacted at 503-452-7747 and scottsnyderadr@gmail.com.
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Colonel William Anderson–Scotland to Virginia–Friend of George Washington
My 6th great grandfather, Colonel William Anderson, was not only a brave man, but also personified the descriptive word “Character”.
Born in Scotland prior to 1700, William was an adherent of Prince James, son of James II. After supporting the insurrection of 1715, he was forced to flee the country in disguise to Virginia. He eventually settled on the North Branch of the Potomac River in what is now Hampshire Co., West Virginia in a beautiful valley known to this day as the "Anderson’s Bottom".
Anderson's Bottom - West Virginia
Family stories state that his family shipped him a small trunk full of gold after hearing that he had safely arrived in America. He used some of that wealth to purchase multiple properties in Maryland and Virginia. The stories state that the remaining gold was still buried on his property at Anderson’s Bottom at the time of his death at age 104 in 1797.
William married Rachel Mary Lauren, a Scottish born beauty in 1732 in Hampshire Co., Virginia. The couple had four daughters and two sons, two of which, Catherine and Thomas are my direct ancestors.
Early in his adult life, George Washington was a surveyor who frequently stopped by the the Anderson home overnight for lodging, a meal and a visit with his old friends. The friendship continued on through the years and the Anderson’s were called up to defend the area from Indian raids prior to the Revolutionary War and against British-backed Indian raids during the war and the subsequent years thereafter. William Anderson Jr. was killed by Indians while still in his youth, a hard blow to the family who lived so deep in to Indiana territory.
Colonel William and his surviving son, Thomas, joined Braddock's forces at Cumberland and served during the western campaign. Col. William, so it is stated, always wore Scots dress.
William Anderson was found as a Private listed in Captain William Preston's Company of Rangers from 8 Jun 1757 - 4 May 1759 as authorized by an Act of the House of Burgesses.
William was a member of the Protestant Episcopal Church. He owned in 1738, and prior thereto, several plantations in the Conegochiege manor, in Prince Georges's County, Maryland, one of which called Anderson's Delight, he sold to Dr. George Stewart of the city of Annapolis in 1739.
Jim Burrows has posted an excellent research and documentation about the life and properties of William Anderson on his Anderson Papers site that I highly recommend to researchers and other Anderson descendants.
Additionally, another Anderson descendant, John Phillips, has written a historical fiction book about the life and times of William Anderson titled “Anderson’s Bottom”
From the book: Life and Letters of Judge Thomas J. Anderson and Wife:
"William Anderson of Scotland, descended from a family of considerable prominence, born in the Highlands in 1693, implicated in the rising of 1715 in behalf of the Pretender, Prince James, son of James II, fled in disguise, after the cruel suppression of this incipient rebellion, through England to Virginia, where British loyalists of his views ever found a warm welcome."
Marion, Ohio, Oct. 26, 1886.
Mr. J. H. Anderson, Columbus, Ohio.
My Dear Nephew:--
I now undertake to give you some account of my ancestors. My Great-grandfather, William Anderson, was born in Scotland, in the year 1693 and died in Virginia in 1797. He was a friend of the Stuart dynasty, and joined the standard of Prince James, the Pretender, (as he was styled by some) son of James II, the deposed King of England.
After the rising in 1715, he fled into England where he tarried awhile, and then made his way in disguise, I am told, to Virginia, where he had relatives. He went up the Potomac river till he came to a beautiful and fertile valley, or bottom, on the North Branch, and here he decided to settle. It has ever since been called the Anderson Bottom, and was afterward included within the boundaries of Hampshire County, Virginia. That was then a wild region, inhabited mainly by Indians, but there were a few French, and probably a few British subjects west of William Anderson's new home.
He was strong and brave, and helped to protect the frontier settlements from murderous Indian foes. In "Braddock's defeat" (Braddock's engagement with the French and Indians near Fort Duquense) though beaten he fought bravely.
He was the father of four children, two boys and two girls. One of his sons, William, was killed by the Indians in the mountains near home. One of his daughters married Captain William Henshaw, of Berkley County, Virginia, whose plantation was near Bunker Hill, on Mill Creek.
I have forgotten the name of the husband of the other daughter, although I have often heard it. (In a subsequent letter he says her name was Sarah and that she married a Mr. Wilkins.)
As he, William Anderson, was 104 years old at the time of his death he was a little childish, but at 80 he was as strong and active as ever. He brought a large amount of gold from Scotland, or it was afterward sent to him, and he was known to possess a great deal when he died, but after his death it could never be found.”
(Source: Life and letters of Judge Thomas J. Anderson and wife, including a few letters from children and others : mostly written during the civil war; a history by James House Anderson.)
From the now defunct Silver Family Organization website:
"He (William) owned in 1738 and prior thereto several plantations in the Conegochiege Manor in Prince George's County, Maryland, one of which, called Anderson's Delight, he sold to Dr. George Stewart of the city of Annapolis in 1739. It was soon after coming to the country that a rich and beautiful valley, far up the Potomac on the North Branch attracted his notice and on it he encamped and buit a hunting lodge. This valley has ever since been known as the Anderson Bottom. When Hampshire County, Virginia, was erected, it embraced the Anderson Bottom, which was only five miles from Fort Cumberland, constructed in 1754. William Anderson died on the Anderson Bottom in Hampshire County, Virginia."
WILLIAM ANDERSON’S WILL
Hampshire County, West Virginia
Made 10 September 1786
Proved 9 April 1796
Hampshire County Wills; Box 1-200; #18
In the Name of God Amen. I, William Anderson of Hampshire County and State of Virginia, farmer, being very weak in body but of perfect mind memory and understanding, and Mindful of my Mortality, do this Tenth day of September in the Year of our Lord one Thousand Seven hundred and Eighty Six, Make and publish this my last Will and (?testament) in the (?manner) following. First, I resign my Soul into the hands of Almighty God, hoping and believing a Remission of my Sins by the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ and my Body I commit to the Earth and desire to be decently and privately Buried at the discretion of my Executor and my Worldly Estate I give and devise as follows--
First, I give and bequeath to my Dear Beloved Wife all my Moveable or Personal Estate--Consisting of one Horse, Cows, Calves, and Hogs, to her and for her own proper use forever--also all my household Furniture to her forever, also I give and bequeath to her for and during her Natural Life, my now dwelling house, out houses and all there appurtenances (?therewith) belonging . One half of the Orchards and its profits, my Lower Meadow and one Field adjoining my Upper Meadow Containing Ten acres of Tillable Land to and for her own use during her Natural Life.
Next, I give and bequeath unto my five Daughters, Namely, Nancy, Rachel, Sarah, Catherine and Hannah, Each One Shilling Sterling. And Lastly, I Constitute Ordain make and appoint My Only Son Thomas Anderson my Sole Executor of this my Last Will and Testament all and Singular my Lands, Messuages and Tenements by him to be possessed and any (?--indecipherable lines) before to me (?--indecipherable) --Revoke and Disannull all and every other (?f----) and Bequests whatsoever by me in any Ways before bequeathed, Ratifying and Confirming this and no other to be my Last Will and Testament in Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and Seal the day and Year before written---(?__illegible)
(signed by mark) William X Anderson
(----)
declared by the Testator and for his last Will and Testament, in the
presence of us, who, at his request in his presence and in the presence of each other have Subscribed our Names
as Witnesses thereto--
Evan Gwynnes
Henry Hains
Arthur (?___) Ohara
Attached document was Recorded and Examined and
(Recorded in) Will Book 1-22; Page 26
At a Court held for Hampshire County the 9th day of April 1796.
This the last Will and Testament of William Anderson deceased was proved by the Oath of Arthur OHarra one of the Witnesses thereto and on the (?Motion) of Thomas Anderson the Executor therein named certificate is granted him for obtaining aprobate thereof in due (?form) he having taken the Oath of (?___ Executor and together with Arthur O'Harra and John House his Securities entered into and Acknowledged a Bond in the penalty of three hundred pounds Conditioned as the Law directs And at a Court held for the said County the 11th day of June (?three weeks) following the said Will was further proved by the Oath of Evan Gwynies another Witness thereto and is ordered to be Recorded
Test--
AudWodrow
Support provided by William Anderson to the Revolutionary War per Publick Claims:
Wm. Anderson for provisions & forage for cattle drivers £1-5-7.
William Anderson 86# flour 8s-7.
This surname, meaning 'son of Andrew', is prolific, being common in Lowland areas as well as in the north-east. The reason why this name arises in so many different locations is due to Scotland's patronymic system and little can be shown to suggest descent from a common ancestor. Thirteenth-century records give the earliest instances of the name and by the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, several burghs were represented in parliament by Andersons. The Furman-Workman MS of 1566 includes arms for Anderson of that ilk, implying that a notable Anderson was recorded as representer of the clan, but identification has never been established. In Privy Council records (James Y 2nd April 1526), one James Anderson of Sterheuch was made Carrick Pursuivant of Arms and in this position at the Court of the Lord Lyon, not to have borne and used arms is hard to reconcile. It has been suggested that he, and Anderson of that Ilk, were one and the same. This James is claimed as ancestor o the Anderson of North family in Strathbogle, yet the present senior line remains unknown. In more recent times their crest of an oak tree Proper with the motto 'Stand Sure', has been tacitly accepted by the Andersons as their clansman's crest badge. A Clan Anderson Society has been active for some years in North America and St Andrew's Day. 1993 saw the foundation of The Anderson Association in the United Kingdom.
Letter from Hiram H. Anderson to his nephew, James H. Anderson: "I do no know all the plantations my great-grandfather William Anderson owned, but I know he was vastly rich. He was married twice. His second wife, a Miss Barnett, wa a girl of seventeen, with whom he lived twenty-four years. At the time of his second marriage he was 80 years old. When he died he was 104, and his wife died the following year. I believe he had no children by the second marriage." "My great-great-grandfather William Anderson, acquired the Anderson Bottom plantation in Hampshire county Va., by patent from Thomas, Lord Fairfax. Besides his Maryland real estate, William owned a number of other tracts. William and his (first) wife Rachel, conveyed 100 acres of good land on new Creek, in Hampshire county, to John Baker, Nov. 9, 1772. William and his (second) wife Margaret conved Sept. 17, 1787, to James Malloy, 327 acres of choice land, situate on Gibbons and Crooked runin in said county. Thomas Anderson and Sarah his wife, conveyed Nov. 22, 1802, said 206 acres to Martin Shaffer. Thomas Anderson conveyed April 16, 1802, by deed of gift, 93 acres of the Anderson Bottom to his son James. Thomas Anderson conveyed Feb. 26, 1806, to Daniel Collins, all the Anderson Bottom land except said 93 acres. James Anderson and Priscilla his wife, conveyed February 26, 1806, to Daniel Collins said 93 acres. The deeds of conveyance and of said real estate, except of the Maryland property, are all of record in Romney, Hampshire county, W. Va. William Anderson obtained the most of his Virginia real estate from Lord Fairfax."
William Anderson of Scotland descended from a family of prominence, born in the Highlands in 1693, implicated in the rising of 1715 in the behalf of the pretender, Prince James, son of James II., fled in disguise, after the cruel suppression of this incipient rebellion, through England to Virginia where British loyalties of his views ever found a warm welcome; it was not long after his arrival in Virginia until he received remittances with which he bought real property in Maryland and Virginia. He owned in 1738 and prior thereto several plantations in the Conegochiege Manor in Prince George's county, Maryland, one of which, called Anderson's Delight, he sold to Dr. George Stewart of the city of Annapolis in 1739. It was soon after coming to the country that a rich and beautiful valley, far up the Potomac, on the North Branch, attracted his notice and on it he encamped and built a hunting lodge. This valley has ever since been known as the Anderson Bottom. When Hampshire county, Virginia, was erected, it embraced the Anderson Bottom, which was only five miles from Fort Cumberland, constructed in 1754. William Anderson died on the Anderson Bottom in Hampshire county, Virginia."
From Electric Scotland
http://www.electricscotland.com/webclans/atoc/ander2.html
The name Anderson meaning "son of Andrew" although widespread in Scotland is also found in Europe particularly in Scandinavia. In the Highlands the form MacAndrew is more commonly found and this family is thought to be connected with the Clan Anrias, a sept of Clan Ross who were also associated with the Clan Chattan federation from the beginning of the 15th century. In the Kinrara manuscript it is claimed that the MacAndrews came to Badenoch from Moidart about 1400. The first recording of this name appears on the Ragman Rolls of 1296 when David le fiz Andreu, Burgess of Peebles, and Duncan fiz Andreu of Dumfries were among those to swear allegiance to Edward I. One famous member of the family was John MacAndrew of Dalnahatnich - Iain Beg MacAindrea, Little John MacAndrew, a bowman of note and terror of all who fought against him; the family is, however, more renowned for its members' intellectual achievements. Aberdeen born Alexander Anderson was acclaimed as a brilliant mathematician in Europe when he published his works on geometry and algebra in Paris between 1612 and 1619. His cousin David Anderson of Finshaugh also had a fine mathematical brain and was known locally as "Davie-do-a'-things"; his best known achievement was to devise a method of removing a large rock which had been blocking the entrance to Aberdeen harbour. The family talent was passed on to a grandson, James Gregory, the inventor of the Reflecting Telescope. A later generation included James Anderson (1739-1808 ); his article on monsoons, for the first edition of the "Encyclopaedia Britannica" predicted, with remarkable accuracy, discoveries made by Captain Cook before he had returned from his expedition to announce them! Prominent Anderson families are Andersons of Dowhill, Wester Ardbreck in Banffshire and Candacraig in Strathdon. Arms were awarded in the 16th century to Anderson of that Ilk, but his family has not yet been identified as the leading family and as a result, the main house is considered to be that of Ardbreck.
ANDERSON or ANDREWSON simply means son of Andrew, and it must be understood that the prevalence of this surname throughout Scotland supposes that Andrew was early adopted as a popular Christian name - probably due to St. Andrew being our patron saint. Consequently, many families of quite differing origins now bear the name. Anderson is also a Lowland rendering of the old Gaelic personal name Gillaindreis (servant/devotee of (St) Andrew), and MacGillandreis is of like origin. The Clan Ross are sometimes called Clann Aindrea (the race of Andrew), and Gillanders, as a surname, is often equated with Ross, being a frequently found amongst the early Ross', whose descent was from Fearchar Mac-an-t-Sagairt, a Hereditary Abbot of Applecross. Early in the 15th century, another family, the Clan Andrish, natives of Moidart (not far from Applecross), reputedly founded by a Donald MacGillandrish, settled at Connage in Petty, and became embodied into the Confederation of Clan Chattan, under its Mackintosh Chief. In course of time their name was anglicized as MacAndrew. Though the Andersons are sometimes given as a sept of Clan Ross the idea that all are of Highland origin and share a common ancestry is quite absurd. NO clan connection should be assumed without additional evidence and such may be acquired through a compilation of one's personal ancestry. Many Andersons who trace an ancestry to Islay were once Macillandrais' who anglicised their name. In its present form the name is common in Aberdeenshire where we find the Andersons of Downhill, and of Candacraig in Strathdon, whereas, in Banffshire, the Andersons of Wester Ardbreck are long established. It should also be remembered that the name is also common outwith our shores, particularly in Scandinavia, and Andersons settled furth of Scotland should look to their ancestry before claiming Scottish descent, far less clan association.
Agnes (Anderson) Henshaw was a daughter of William Anderson, a Scotchman of good family, of property, and education. In his native country he stood by the Stuarts, an in 1715 befriended and fought for Prince James. Then he was forced to fly, and after wandering about England for some months, he continued to reach Virginia, where he found many people of his way of being relatives, and a permanent home. Very soon after his arrival in Virginia, he became the owner of a farm that has ever since been known as the "Anderson Bottom". It is on the North Branch of the Potomac in Hampshire County, that was afterward formed, embracing this place. Fort Cumberland, five miles distance, was erected a good many years after Col. William Anderson's occupation of the bottom.
This region was then for the most part a howling wilderness, and savage Indians were the principal human inhabitants. William Anderson was a soldier by nature, and brave, and in his efforts to protect the infant frontier settlements had many conflicts with the Indians. He and his son Thomas joined Braddock's forces at Fort Cumberland, on their way to Fort Duquesne, near which they were destined to suffer a disastrous defeat. Col. William Anderson was somewhat eccentric with all his noble qualities. He always wore a Scotch style of dress; and when he died in 1797, at the age of 104, his heavy head of hair was perfectly black, his teeth sound and white and his eyesight as good as ever, so that he read without glasses.
Yorktown–British Surrender 225th Anniversary
Technorati Tags: Anderson,Family History,Genealogy,West Virginia
Posted in Anderson, British Military, Family History, Genealogy, Scotland, West Virginia
Ink in the Worst Places – on Photos and Rice Paper
Posted on 1:48 AMby Lee Drew with 3 comments
Scanning old photos always brings a cry of despair from my lips. My mother and those before her, had a propensity to write on the face of photos. I’m happy to have the names and places, but oh how I wish they would have written on the back of them in pencil rather than with the acid-rich ink they seemed to all use.
The images are permanently defaced. Hours and hours of work with Photoshop helps in some cases, but in most situations, the old grainy small black and white or brown images were too small to allow a decent clean up on a digital copy.
I’ve entertained the offers of professionals, graphic arts students and others who profess an intimate relationship with Photoshop and other graphics programs, but alas, their results are little different than my own efforts. In fact, none of them can or will spend the tens of hours that I do in the effort nor could I afford to pay them to do so to make the images ‘perfect’ again.
Years ago, I found the photo album of a cousin in a box tucked away at the back of the top shelf in a closet at a historical society in California. I was absolutely delighted to find it. The odds were beyond random chance.
Apparently, when my cousin died in the early 1900’s, her precious photos were given to her step children who had no interest in them. The photos survived until the early 1980’s somehow, passing from one person to another, until they were rescued from the garbage by a sharp-eyed volunteer at the historical society who slammed on her brakes, jumped out of her vehicle in traffic and plucked the old album from the top of a garbage can.
The photos in the book included the old family home in Plymouth, Massachusetts, its rooms, contents and inhabitants. No living member of the family had ever seen them or had been to the home. The images were of my ancestral family and homestead! Additionally, the images showed photos of old family homes in California and events in the lives of the family. I didn’t recognize the faces of most of the folks in the images and wondered who they were …
Unfortunately, my cousin wrote the names on the rice paper pages of the album. Eighty years later, the pages now contained fine paper-free engravings where the ink used to reside. Sometimes the script outline was legible, sometimes it could be read when projecting a light source thorough it and studying the surviving image as it stuck black paper, but frequently, the holes surround the missing text looked like survivors of a young man’s work with a magnifying glass on a sunny day.
The photo identities were sorely missed, but the old photos were relatively intact and greatly appreciated.
Even with the old ink, smears, acid etching and crumbling layers, the photos are a precious, highly treasured part of our family history records.
In our generation, let’s do a better job of passing quality images on to our descendants. Don’t forget to embed the names and locations in you photos in the EXIF and Comments of our digital images. Don’t write on hard copy images. Store them in archival storage sleeves and boxes in a cool dark environment, and for your digital images, backup, backup and backup your files in numerous locations on archival quality disks in .TIFF or a subsequently newer universally accepted archival digital format.
For more information about preserving digital copies of your photos, read Gary Wright's excellent "Preserving Your Family History Records Digitally" white paper.
Restoring an old photo with Photoshop
Technorati Tags: Genealogy,Old Photos
Posted in Genealogy, Old Photos
Colonel William Anderson–Scotland to Virginia–Frie...
Ink in the Worst Places – on Photos and Rice Paper...
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What Happens If You Claim The Wrong Entity Status In The Patent Office?
Mark Malek
Intellectual Property, Patent
By: Mark R. Malek
In my last article, I outlined the new filing status in the Patent Office that can save inventors even more money in the patent process – that of the micro-entity. As you may recall from that article, when filing a patent application (and throughout the patent prosecution process), you must pay fees based on whether or not you are a large entity, a small entity or a micro-entity.
In short, a large entity has more than 500 employees. A small entity does not, and has not assigned its rights to the patent application to anyone that can be considered a large entity. A micro-entity is someone who has not been named on more than 4 previous patent applications and has not, in the previous year, made more than three times the median household income (which as I recall is just south of $50,000).
I have represented many clients who, when initially filing their application, were considered large entities, but over time became small entities. This does not usually mean that the company has fallen on tough times. For example, in one instance, the company that I represented was part of a much larger company, but some investors came in and purchase this portion of the larger company, and went out on their own. The result was that the company now had fewer than 500 employees, which means that patent fees were cut in half! In another case, the company that I represented spun off it’s manufacturing arm (which is labor intensive) and started to outsource its manufacturing. Again, patent fees were cut in half!
But what happens if a company that should be considered a large entity submits an application to the Patent Office and claims small entity status? In short, this equates to fraud on the Patent Office, and there really is only one remedy when fraud has been committed on the Patent Office – any patent that issues when such fraud has been committed is invalid. Section 509.02 of the Manual of Patent Examining Procedures (MPEP) defines small entity status and sets forth the requirements to establish small entity status.
Section 509.03 of the MPEP sets forth the procedure for claiming small entity status. In that section, there is a sub-section that specifically sets forth what happens if small entity status is improperly established. This section provides that “any attempt to fraudulently establish status as a small entity or pay fees as a small entity will be considered as a fraud practiced or attempted on the Office.” Arguably, however, it seems as though it would depend on intent. Therefore, and innocent mistake about the number of employees that one may have could lack intent. Please do not misunderstand me here – if you tell the Patent Office that you have less than 500 employees and indeed you have more, you have problems.
In future articles, I will discuss the ongoing obligation to ensure that you are still a small entity status, and the possibility of getting a refund if you have paid large entity status fees and you are a small entity. If you need some assistance in figuring out whether or not you can file as a small entity, or even a micro-entity, feel free contact me. You can also follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook for even more information.
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Blog posts of '2012' 'July'
King of the jungle humbled by stray dog in Gujarat -Tuesday, July 31, 2012
-Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Sounds strange but it is true. A stray dog called 'Fighter' is reported to be giving a group of lions a tough time at Kankarach village in Liliya taluka of Amreli district.
The dog is bent on ensuring that these lions, otherwise the undisputed kings of the forest, do not enter the village for a kill. On several occasions he has been seen chasing away them from the village, especially at night.
Rajan Joshi, a resident of the village says, "I was present there with a camera and saw the dog getting extremely close to the group of lions. It stood at a range of just eight or ten feet and challenged them, darting in as close as two feet and barking loudly."
Joshi says that as the lions turned on the dog to chase him, Fighter dove into nearby shrubs to evade them, and came back charging as soon as distance allowed. It was satisfied only when the annoyed lions returned to the wilds from where they came.
An astonished Joshi then decided to keep a close watch on the dog's movement and interaction with the lions, only to find that this was a routine affair. He says the lions are scared to enter the village from the side where the dog has lodged himself. Villagers claim that the dog has chased out lions from the village several times. On a couple of occasions people have been alerted to the lions after hearing Fighter bark. There have also been occasions when the dog was nearly caught by the lions but thorny bushes around helped him escape.
Officials say they have never heard of a dog daring to go as close as three feet and that too before a group of lions. They are of the opinion that perhaps it is a mutual arrangement where the lions and the dog have realized that they would not be harming each other.
Additional principal chief conservator of forests H S Singh says, "The lions would probably be moving away thinking that humans might be accompanying the dog."
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Intelligence Community Working on a Universal Translator
Jan 5, 2018 | 3:44 pm
The Intelligence Community wants to develop a kind of universal translator that will search documents across a full range of media and make sense of them for English-speaking analysts.
The Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) has launched a multi-year effort to create language processing software under a program called Machine Translation for English Retrieval of Information in Any Language, or “MATERIAL.” IARPA, which works for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, has awarded contracts to four organizations for the program.
MATERIAL would scour sources as varied as social media, newswires, radio, and TV broadcasts in search of foreign-language documents of interest to U.S. intelligence agencies. The cross-language information retrieval systems would, according to IARPA’s plans, be able to summarize the information they come across and quickly be adapted to new areas of interest.
“The collection and analysis of information required to accomplish a specific intelligence task has increasingly become a multilingual venture,” said Carl Rubino, IARPA program manager. “For most languages, there are very few or no automated tools available for cross-lingual data mining and analysis. The MATERIAL Program aims to investigate how current language processing technologies can most efficiently be developed and integrated to respond to specific information needs against multilingual speech and text data.”
The idea of a universal translator has been around at least since Murray Leinster’s 1945 short novel “First Contact,” and is probably most familiar to people through the “Star Trek” television series. On TV, it worked like magic, translating in both directions across a galaxy of alien languages. Researchers working on MATERIAL, by contrast, face some daunting real-world challenges.
Although language processing software has made tremendous strides in recent years, anyone who has trained a speech-to-text app or conversed with Alexa knows that even English-to-English translation can still encounter hiccups. Foreign languages present a different set of problems, including differences in syntax and usage within individual languages, compounded by the sheer number of languages in use.
At one end of the spectrum, Ethnologue currently counts 7,099 known living languages, although many of them are spoken by small groups of people. Google’s Cloud Natural Language API, which gives developers access to sentiment analysis, entity recognition, and syntax analysis, recognizes 80 languages. That’s likely more in line with IARPA’s intentions, but that’s still a lot of languages.
And while most language research is concentrating on verbal translations, IARPA’s project is looking to automate retrieval of information from a variety of formats.
IARPA has awarded contracts to teams led by Johns Hopkins University, Raytheon BBN Technologies, Columbia University, and the University of Southern California Information Sciences Institute for work on the project. Another four organizations–MIT Lincoln Laboratory, the University of Maryland Center for Advanced Study of Language, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and Tarragon Consulting–will act as the program’s test and evaluation team, assessing the performance of what IARPA expects to be complex end-to-end solutions.
MATERIAL represents the latest effort in IARPA’s wide-ranging efforts toward Anticipatory Intelligence, employing new technologies in a variety of fields, including cybersecurity, signals intelligence, big data analytics, and other fields.
Tags: Carl Rubino, Columbia University, Google’s Cloud Natural Language API, IARPA, Intelligence Community, Johns Hopkins University, Raytheon BBN Technologies, universal translator, University of Southern California Information Sciences Institute
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NBA 2017 All-Star Game Relocating Out of North Carolina to Protest Bathroom Bill
The 2017 NBA All-Star Game won't be held in North Carolina, as was originally planned, Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski first reported on Thursday. The league confirmed the move later that day in a statement denouncing the climate North Carolina's anti-trans HB2 law has created.
Passed in March, HB2 is colloquially referred to as the "bathroom bill," as one aspect of the bill forbids trans people from using the bathrooms that correspond to their gender identities.
"Since March, when North Carolina enacted HB2 and the issue of legal protections for the LGBT community in Charlotte became prominent, the NBA and the Charlotte Hornets have been working diligently to foster constructive dialogue and try to effect positive change," the league wrote in its statement.
The statement noted that the All-Star weekend events are "intended to be a global celebration of basketball, our league and the values for which we stand," adding that while the league cannot dictate the laws of all the locations in which it conducts business, "we do not believe we can successfully host our All-Star festivities in Charlotte in the climate created by HB2."
Shortly after the league issued the statement, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory's office issued its own, calling HB2 "common sense bathroom and shower privacy for our children":
The sports and entertainment elite, Attorney General Roy Cooper and the liberal media have for months misrepresented our laws and maligned the people of North Carolina simply because most people believe boys and girls should be able to use school bathrooms, locker rooms and showers without the opposite sex present.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver had said back in April that the league would move the 2017 NBA All-Star Game out of North Carolina if HB2 remained in place, the Charlotte Observer reported at the time. The NBA has not yet announced a replacement location, but New Orleans is reportedly being considered.
This is just one of a slew of monetary losses the state has endured thanks to the bill — a host of musical artists, including Bruce Springsteen, Ringo Starr, Ani DiFranco and Pearl Jam have canceled shows in protest, and several U.S. cities, including San Francisco, New York City, and Seattle, have banned "non-essential" travel to North Carolina because of the bill.
July 21, 6:30 p.m.: This story has been updated.
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Puerto Rico Primary: Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum Offend, While Attempting to Win Voters
By Sifat Azad
As the GOP primary in Puerto Rico approaches, frontrunner Mitt Romney criticized U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor for her lack of support of making English the official language of Puerto Rico and requiring that all citizens be proficient in it. The GOP candidates have chosen a harsh line as they attempt to appeal to Hispanic voters for tomorrow’s primary.
Romney stated, “In looking at Justice Sotomayor, my view was her philosophy is quite different than my own and that's the reason why I would not support her as a justice for the Supreme Court. I would be happy to have a justice of Puerto Rican descent or a Puerto Rican individual on the Supreme Court, but they would have to share my philosophy, that comes first."
This may come as a deterrent to Romney, as Sotomayor is the first Supreme Court Justice of Puerto Rican decent in the U.S. This puts him at an uncomfortable position with voters and at odds with Gov. Luis Fortuno, the Puerto Rican governor who has sided with him on policy.
But, though Romney’s comments may detract from his support on primary day, his opponent Rick Santorum received a fair share of his own criticism for proposing that Puerto Rico would adopt English as its official language in order to gain statehood, which has been a major political issue in the region. Santorum told a local Puerto Rican newspaper, "I have no doubt that one of the requirements that will be put forth to Congress is a requirement that English would be universal here on the island. That doesn't mean that people can't speak Spanish in their homes, or in their business, or on the street, but that everyone would have a proficiency in English."
Romney made clear that he holds the same view at the presidential debate in January. But he appeared to backtrack on that position yesterday, when he told reporters: “English has been an official language of Puerto Rico for 100 years. Selecting the words of your governor, Spanish is the language of Puerto Rico's heritage; English is the language of opportunity. I would hope that young people would learn both languages, but particularly English."
Romney’s effort to realign his words and regain Puerto Ricans’ allegiance on this issue may pay off. Former New Hampshire Governor John H. Sununu believes that Santorum’s language has ruined his campaign in Puerto Rico: “Santorum embarrassed himself so badly in Puerto Rico that it's quite easy for Gov. Romney to be in Illinois these days."
Romney originally planned to spend three days in Puerto Rico, but he has cut his stay to 24 hours so that he may return to Illinois, which will host the GOP primary on Tuesday.
There are 20 delegates up for grabs in Sunday’s primary.
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SMS Arpad
Predreadnought Battleship
SHIPS-IN-CLASS
SMS Arpad was one of three ships built to the Hapsburg-class standard for the Austro-Hungarian Empire and was developed for operations in the important Adriatic Sea.
ORIGIN: Austria-Hungary
SHIP CLASS: Hapsburg-class
SHIPS-IN-CLASS (3): SMS Habsburg; SMS Arpad; SMS Babenberg
OPERATORS: Austria-Hungary
Unless otherwise noted the presented statistics below pertain to the base SMS Arpad design. Common measurements, and their respective conversions, are shown when possible.
CREW / COMPLEMENT: 638
PROPULSION: 16 x Belleville boilers with 2 x 4-cylinder vertical triple expansion steam engines driving 2 x shafts.
DRAUGHT
miles-per-hour
3 x 240mm /40 Krupp C97 main guns; two in fore primary turret and one in aft primary turret.
12 x 150mm /40 Krupp C96 secondary guns in single-gunned casemates.
10 x 66mm L/45 caliber Skoda guns.
6 x 47mm L/44 caliber Skoda quick-firing guns.
2 x 450mm (17.7") torpedo tubes.
AIR WING
Detailing the development and operational history of the SMS Arpad Predreadnought Battleship. Entry last updated on 12/10/2017. Authored by Staff Writer. Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com.
The Hapsburg-class (also "Habsburg") pre-dreanought battleships of the Austro-Hungarian Empire were the first deep water warships constructed by the fledgling monarchy since the middle of the 1870s. This class was a group three ocean-going warships - led by SMS Habsburg herself and joined by sisters SMS Arpad and SMS Babenberg. The three were relatively effective battleships on paper, at least for their time, but were soon undone by the arrival of HMS Dreadnought in 1905 - which rendered all previous "mixed-gun" battleships obsolete.
SMS Arpad was built by STT and named after the Grand Prince of the Hungarians (the 10th Century Chief of the Magyars, a Hungarian national hero). Her keel was laid down on June 10th, 1899 and she was launched to sea on September 11th, 1901. The vessel was formally commissioned for service on June 15th, 1903.
Her basic design offered her the capability to operate in the important Adriatic Sea. The warship's armor protection was deemed a positive but it was in her limited and mixed armament (mainly her primary guns) that the vessel was to suffer in the upcoming war. Of note is that the class was one of the first anywhere in the world to make use of an electrically-driven main armament.
As built, the warship displaced 8,365 tons (short) and showcased a length of 375.9 feet, a beam of 65 feet and a draught of 24.5 feet. Her installed power was 16 x Belleville boilers feeding several vertical triple-expansion steam engines driving up to 14,307 horsepower to 2 x Shafts. In ideal conditions, the vessel could make headway at 19.5 knots.
Her profile involved a pair of smoke funnels seated inline near midships. These were book-ended by the twin mast arrangement. A primary gun turret was held over the forecastle and another facing out over the stern. Several smaller caliber guns were fitted in casements along her sides. The superstructure was typical of the time and ran from just aft of the forward turret to just ahead of the aft turret. Internally there was a crew of about 638 men. Armor protection reached up to 8.7" at the waterline, 1.6" along the deck, 11" at the turrets and casemates and up to 5.9" at the conning tower.
Armament was led by 3 x 240mm (24cm) /40 caliber Krupp C97 series guns, these fitted as two to the forward turret and one to the aft turret. Then there were 12 x 150mm /40 caliber Krupp C96 guns in limited-firing arc positions along the design followed by 10 x 66mm /45 caliber Skoda-made guns. Also installed were 6 x 47mm /44 caliber Skoda quick-firing guns, 2 x 47mm /33 caliber Skoda quick-firing guns and 2 x 450mm (17.7") torpedo tubes.
Arpad began her service with the Austro-Hungarian Navy in 1903. She participated in fleet exercises for the first few years of her operation and completed several voyages in Mediterranean waters into 1904. During her refit of 1910-1911, her superstructure was reworked as a weight-savings measure and it was in this form that the vessel was put to sea in time for World War 1 (1914-1918).
Arpad operated with IV Division when war broke out between the empires. When Italy allied against the Central Powers, the Austro-Hungarian Navy used Arpad and others to shell Italian ports. This was proven by her actions at Ancona in May 1915. As dwindling natural resources crippled the Austro-Hungarian war effort, Arpad was berthed in harbor and not allowed to travel out to meet the enemy - instead she was to serve as a floating, defensive-minded battery but her career ended in November of 1918 with the Armistice.
Arpad and her class were given to Britain as war prizes in the immediate post-war period to which the country then sold off the hulks to Italy who proceeded to scrap the trio in 1920-1921. By this time, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was no more, replaced by a collection of smaller countries heading into the 1920s.
Credit: Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
Modern Navies
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UFC - March 18, 2019
ESPN+ Becomes Exclusive Provider of UFC Pay-Per-View Events for U.S. Fans
Multi-year agreement gives ESPN+ subscribers exclusive access to purchase UFC’s biggest events
UFC® and ESPN+, the direct-to-consumer sports video service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN, today announced an agreement that will deliver value and simplicity to mixed martial arts fans, making ESPN+ the exclusive distributor of UFC Pay-Per-View events in the United States through 2025. The agreement will make ESPN+ the single point of purchase for consumers of the biggest UFC events throughout the year and the definitive destination for fans to get the most comprehensive coverage of UFC.
Starting with UFC® 236: HOLLOWAY vs. POIRIER 2 on April 13, ESPN+ becomes the exclusive distributor in the United States of all UFC PPV events, showcasing 12 blockbuster live events per year from the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, for each of the next seven years. The agreement adds a new business model to ESPN+ and builds upon the historic multi-platform rights agreement announced in 2018, which is now extended through 2025.
UFC PPV events sold through ESPN+ will include all bouts on the Main Event fight cards and will be streamed in high definition in both English and Spanish. Preliminary bouts for all UFC PPV events will continue to air nationally on ESPN (English) and ESPN Deportes (Spanish) under the agreement announced in 2018. Early preliminary bouts will be available to all ESPN+ subscribers, as well as on UFC FIGHT PASS® and to those who have purchased the PPV. UFC will continue to sell its PPV events to commercial establishments.
“With the addition of UFC PPV events, we are making ESPN+ an absolute must-have for any fan of the UFC and mixed martial arts,” said Kevin Mayer, Chairman, Direct-to-Consumer & International, The Walt Disney Company. “In less than a year, ESPN+ has established itself as the leader in direct-to-consumer sports and this new programming agreement adds a significant business to our platform while reinforcing the value and strength of our product and our content lineup.”
“Today’s announcement further establishes the strength of the partnership between UFC and ESPN,” said UFC President Dana White. “Now our fans will be able to watch all UFC events exclusively on ESPN platforms, including ESPN+, which is an innovative way to deliver fights to our young fan base. I couldn’t be more excited to work with ESPN for the next seven years. Together we’re going to do amazing things to help grow this sport.”
Jimmy Pitaro, President, ESPN and Co-Chair, Disney Media Networks added: “The extremely successful launch of the UFC on ESPN+ emphatically demonstrated the collective power and scale of ESPN and DTCI, and we couldn’t be more excited to continue to drive passionate fans to these new pay per view experiences.”
In addition to giving MMA fans a one-stop home for all UFC PPV events, ESPN+ pricing and packaging will deliver new value to fans as well:
New ESPN+ subscribers will get one-year of ESPN+ and a UFC PPV event for $79.99;
Existing ESPN+ subscribers will be able to purchase UFC PPV events for $59.99 per event.
ESPN+ may explore other potential packaging in the months ahead.
UFC® 236: HOLLOWAY vs. POIRIER 2 goes on sale via ESPN+ at espnplus.com/ppv on April 8. Fans must purchase the event on the web, and then can stream it via the web or on the ESPN App on any connected device. ESPN+ is available as an integrated part of the ESPN app on all major mobile and connected TV devices and platforms, including Amazon Fire, Apple, Android, Chromecast, PS4, Roku, Samsung Smart TVs, X Box One and more.
UFC’s digital brands — UFC.TV, UFC.com and UFC App — will continue to serve as a consumer entry point for PPV events. Once there, fans will be directed to ESPN+ on ESPN.com, where they will be able to purchase and watch UFC PPV events.
UFC made its record-setting debut on ESPN+ on January 19, 2019, logging 568,000 new subscribers over two days. The debut marked the largest event and subscription catalyst for ESPN+ to date. Through its base subscription package ($4.99 / month, $49.99 / year), ESPN+ already offers 20 UFC on ESPN+ Fight Night events, as well as hundreds of hours of original and on-demand programming.
About UFC®
UFC® is a premium global sports brand and the largest Pay-Per-View event provider in the world. UFC boasts more than 278 million fans worldwide and has produced over 460 events in 24 countries since its inception in 1993. Acquired in 2016 by global sports, entertainment and fashion leader Endeavor (formerly WME | IMG), together with strategic partners Silver Lake Partners and KKR, UFC is headquartered in Las Vegas with a network of employees around the world.
UFC produces more than 40 live events annually that consistently sell out some of the most prestigious arenas around the globe, while programming is broadcast in over 165 countries and territories to 1.0 billion TV households worldwide in 40 different languages. UFC FIGHT PASS®, a digital subscription service, delivers exclusive live events, thousands of fights on-demand and original content to fans around the world. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram: @UFC.
About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the multi-sport, direct-to-consumer video service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. It reached 2 million subscribers in less than a year and offers fans thousands of live events, on-demand content and original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks, along with premium editorial content.
Programming on ESPN+ includes hundreds of MLB and NHL games, exclusive UFC, Top Rank boxing and PFL fights and events, top domestic and international soccer (Serie A, MLS, FA Cup, UEFA Nations League, EFL Championship, EFL Carabao Cup, Eredivisie, and more), thousands of college sports events (including football, basketball and other sports), Grand Slam tennis, international and domestic rugby and cricket, new and exclusive series, acclaimed studio shows and the full library of ESPN’s award-winning 30 for 30 films. Fans subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) and can cancel at any time.
ESPN+ is available as an integrated part of the ESPN App (on mobile and connected devices) and ESPN.com. They are the industry-leading all-in-one digital sports platform, delivering a rich, personalized experience to tens of millions of fans every month.
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BUDGET: Offers hope and vision for prosperity
FEB 24, 2005 BUSINESS & FINANCE
Accra, Feb. 24, GNA - Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, on Thursday said this year's budget offered hope and vision for the prosperity of all Ghanaians.
He said the Government intended to be more prudent in the management of the economy, strengthen the Public Sector to help the Private Sector realise its potential.
The Minister, who was delivering the Budget Statement for 2005, said by breaking the myth of overspending during Election 2004, it had kept key factors of economic destabilisation in check.
He said the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew at 5.8 per cent, exceeding the targeted 5.2 per cent, while inflation dropped to 11.8 per cent from a high of 23 per cent in 2003.
Mr Baah-Wiredu said the cedis fought hard for its value but depreciated at 2.2 per cent against the dollar during 2004. He said the nation saved three months' of imports as its foreign reserves.
He, however, said the excessive subsidy on the petroleum could have destroyed the beauty of the economy.
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Spanish, 1893–1983
https://www.moma.org/artists/4016?locale=en
468 works online
Joan Miró’s painting The Hunter (Catalan Landscape) brings together the real and the imaginary, abstraction and figuration, and image and text in a way that would characterize much of his work to come. In the canvas—a landscape filled with personal symbols and evocations of life on his family’s farm in Montroig, Spain, such as a tree trunk sprouting a leaf and the eponymous hunter carrying a freshly killed rabbit—he rendered the everydayness of the farm with a poetic intensity. This impetus to reveal the marvelous in the quotidian attracted the attention of André Breton, the founder of Surrealism, who acquired The Hunter in 1925. Breton would later deem Miró’s arrival in Paris in the early 1920s “an important stage in the development of surrealist art.” 1 Indeed Miró’s studio in Paris soon became an “avant-garde laboratory”2 and gathering place for artists and writers, including André Masson (whose studio adjoined Miró’s), Antonin Artaud, and Robert Desnos.
According to Breton, the Surrealists sought to liberate “the real functioning of the mind” through “a pure psychic automatism,” free of “any control exercised by reason.”3 Their approach to art making, as defined by Breton, inspired Miró. He later recounted, “Rather than setting out to paint something, I begin painting and as I paint the picture begins to assert itself….,The first stage is free, unconscious.” But, he continued, “The second stage is carefully calculated.”4 The Birth of the World reflects this blend of spontaneity and deliberation. Although its brushy, atmospheric background was freely applied, the individual motifs and their arrangement were sketched out in advance. In this and many of his following works, Miró attempted to give free rein to the unconscious, as the Surrealists did, at the same time as he sought to formulate a new pictorial language.
Beginning in the late 1920s, Miró embarked on a period of experimentation with mediums and techniques, attacking the limits of painting in order to reinvigorate it. He successively made works on unprimed canvases, white grounds, flocked paper, cardboard, Masonite, and copper; collages, paintings based on collage, and so-called “drawing collages”; and constructions and objects. These experiments also included engagements with art history and with language. In Dutch Interior (I), part of a series based on 17th-century Dutch genre paintings, Miró reimagined illusionistic space, compressing and flattening the scene of the original painting into planes of non-naturalistic, unmodulated color. Later, the aerial, calligraphic “Hirondelle Amour” exemplified his peinture-poésie, or painting-poetry, as biomorphic forms and words seem to float in suspension above a blue expanse.
Still Life with Old Shoe brought an end to an intense, decade-long period of experimentation, as Miró announced his intention to do “something absolutely different.”5 The canvas, which he painted in Paris as the Spanish Civil War raged in his home country, marked his temporary return to working from life. It straddles the line between still life and landscape, even as the saturated, acidic colors and disproportionately scaled objects undermine its title’s—and Miró’s—proclaimed adherence to reality.
By 1939, World War II had come to the European continent. In this climate of danger and human catastrophe, Miró created the Constellations, a series of 23 gouaches on paper, including The Escape Ladder, which gave form to the transcendence and escape he longed for during those years. Interweaving his distinctive visual vocabulary with cosmic and earthly themes, these intimately sized works were easily transportable. In flight from the German invasion, he carried the earliest gouaches in the series, begun in France, back with him to the relative safety of Spain. Breton would later reflect that “Miró, at this hour of extreme anguish unfurl[ed] the full range of his voice,” sounding the same “note of wild defiance of the hunter expressed by the grouse’s love song.”6 After the war, Miró gained international recognition as he continued to experiment freely with different mediums, including ceramics, printmaking, book illustration, and sculpture.
Introduction by Natalie Dupêcher, independent scholar, 2017
André Breton, “Artistic Genesis and Perspective of Surrealism” (1941), translated in André Breton, Surrealism and Painting, trans. Simon Watson Taylor (New York: Harper & Row, 1972), 70.
Jacques Dupin, Joan Miró, Life and Work, trans. Norbert Guterman (New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1962), 137.
André Breton, First Manifesto of Surrealism (1924).
Joan Miró, in “Joan Miró: Comment and Interview,” by James Johnson Sweeney, in Partisan Review (New York) 15, no. 2 (February 1948); translated in Joan Miró: Selected Writings and Interviews.
Joan Miró to Pierre Matisse, January 12, 1937; translated in Joan Miró: Selected Writings and Interviews, 146.
André Breton, “Joan Miró: Constellations” (1958), in Surrealism and Painting, 263.
Joan Miró i Ferrà ( mi-ROH, also US: mee-ROH, Catalan: [ʒuˈam miˈɾo j fəˈra]; 20 April 1893 – 25 December 1983) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, and ceramicist born in Barcelona. A museum dedicated to his work, the Fundació Joan Miró, was established in his native city of Barcelona in 1975, and another, the Fundació Pilar i Joan Miró, was established in his adoptive city of Palma de Mallorca in 1981. Earning international acclaim, his work has been interpreted as Surrealism, a sandbox for the subconscious mind, a re-creation of the childlike, and a manifestation of Catalan pride. In numerous interviews dating from the 1930s onwards, Miró expressed contempt for conventional painting methods as a way of supporting bourgeois society, and declared an "assassination of painting" in favour of upsetting the visual elements of established painting.
View or edit the full Wikipedia entry
Information from Wikipedia, made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
Getty record
Miró attended the art school of Francisco Galí for 3 years from 1911, then attended the academy Círculo Artístico de Sant Lluc, until 1918, where he met the potter Josep Llorens Artigas. In 1917, he met Francis Picabia. In 1919, Miró went to Paris, where he settled more permanently from 1920. In Paris, he participated in the Dada movement, renewed his acquaintance with Picasso, who introduced him to Pierre Reverdy, Max Jacob, and Tristan Tzara. In 1924, Miró met André Breton, Louis Aragon, and Paul Éluard, and joined the Surrealist group, whose manifesto he signed. His mature works adhered to a vocabulary of simple shapes and symbols, often described as childlike. Comment on works: abstract
Spanish, Catalan
Artist, Ceramicist, Decorative Artist, Illustrator, Painter, Sculptor
Joan Miró, Joán Miró, Joan Miro, Joan Miró Ferrà, Z'uán Miró, Joan Miró Ferra, Z'uʼan Miro, Miluo, Miro
View the full Getty record
Information from Getty’s Union List of Artist Names ® (ULAN), made available under the ODC Attribution License
Joan Miró: Birth of the World
February 24–June 15, 2019
Soldier, Spectre, Shaman: The Figure and the Second World War
October 24, 2015–April 3, 2016
Painting and Sculpture Changes 2013
January 1–December 31, 2013
Exquisite Corpses: Drawing and Disfiguration
March 14–July 9, 2012
Gifted: Collectors and Drawings at MoMA, 1929–1983
October 19, 2011–February 12, 2012
Joan Miró has
198 exhibitions
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In-text plate (folio 10 verso) from À toute épreuve (Proof Against All)
1947–58, published 1958
Plate (folio 11) from À toute épreuve (Proof Against All)
Plate (folio 11 verso) from À toute épreuve (Proof Against All)
In-text plate (folio 12) from À toute épreuve (Proof Against All)
Double page in-text plate (folios 20 verso and 21) from À toute épreuve (Proof Against All)
Double page plate (folios 24 verso and 25) from À toute épreuve (Proof Against All)
Chapter title page (folio 29 verso) from À toute épreuve (Proof Against All)
Chapter title page (folio 30) from À toute épreuve (Proof Against All)
Prospectus title page (inserted at back of book) from À toute épreuve (Proof Against All)
The Magdalenians (Les magdaléniens)
Wood block for plate from À toute épreuve (Proof Against All)
Plate from Constellations
Joan Miró: Poetes, Sculpteurs, Peintres - Galerie Maeght
Galerie Maeght, Peintures, Murales, Miró
Galerie Maeght, Miro Cartons
Miró, Oeuvres Graphique
Various Artists, Jean (Hans) Arp, Hans Bellmer, Camille Bryen, Oscar Domínguez, Max Ernst, Alberto Giacometti, Stanley William Hayter, Valentine Hugo, Wifredo Lam, André Masson, Joan Miró
Feuilles éparses
Plate (page 87) from Feuilles éparses
1957, published 1965
Joan Miró, 13 lithographies - Maeght-Editeur, Paris
The Song of the Vowels
Palma de Mallorca, April 24, 1966
King Ubu (Ubu Roi)
Double page frontispiece from King Ubu (Ubu Roi)
Double page plate (between pages 20 and 21) from King Ubu (Ubu Roi)
Double page plate (between pages 60 and 61) from King Roi (Ubu Roi)
Double page plate (between pages 104 and 105) from King Ubu (Ubu Roi)
Moonbird
Solar Bird
1966 (cast 1966)
Equinox (Équinoxe)
Various Artists, André Beaudin, Camille Bryen, André Derain, André Dunoyer de Segonzac, Max Ernst, Alberto Giacometti, Alberto Magnelli, Louis Marcoussis, André Masson, Joan Miró, Jules Pascin, Pablo Picasso, Léopold Survage
Hommage à Roger Lacourière
Plate (folio 36) from Hommage à Roger Lacourière
Towards the Left (Vers la gauche)
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MoMA PS1 Open today, 12:00–6:00 p.m. 22-25 Jackson Avenue, Queens
Rogi André (Rozsa Klein). Joan Miró. 1935. Sitter: Joan Miró. Gelatin silver print, 11 x 11 1/8" (27.9 x 28.3 cm). Gift of Frank Crowninshield
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MutualOne Bank Promotes Maginnis, Chandley, Canal and Tyler
Mark R. Haranas, president and CEO of MutualOne Bank, has announced the promotion of four employees.
Brien Maginnis of Bourne, MA has been promoted to executive vice president and chief financial officer. Maginnis joined the Bank in 2011 and most recently served as senior vice president and controller. Maginnis’ prior experience includes seventeen years at the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston – his last five years as AVP operations – and five years at Commonwealth Co-operative Bank as vice president of finance. He holds a bachelor’s degree from McDaniel College, is a graduate of the New England School for Financial Studies and is a member of the Financial Management Society.
Kevin Chandley of Natick, MA has been promoted to senior vice president and treasurer. Chandley joined the Bank in 2012 and most recently served as vice president. He has a bachelor’s degree from the College of the Holy Cross, holds a master’s degree in business from Babson College, and is a graduate of the New England School for Financial Studies.
Carmela Canal of Hopkinton, MA has been promoted to first vice president. Canal joined the Bank in 1988 and most recently served as vice president. She earned a degree in business management from Newbury College and is a graduate of the New England School for Financial Studies.
Kimberly Tyler of Northborough, MA has been promoted to vice president and controller. Tyler joined the Bank in 2014 and most recently served as assistant vice president and controller. A certified public accountant, she is a graduate of Assumption College, holds a master’s degree in business from Framingham State University and is a graduate of the New England School for Financial Studies.
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That figures
Jess Braley l Mercury
Feb 1, 2012 at 12:01 AM Feb 1, 2012 at 11:41 AM
NEWPORT, R.I. - If two current painting exhibits at the Newport Art Museum are indicators, we're in for quite a year at the 100-year-old institution. Andrew Nixon's "I Am Here and You Are Not" and Ann Daum's "Now and Then" play off each other seamlessly in a painterly exercise in places and faces.
Nixon's expansive show covers work from 1994 to 2011 and features 11 paintings in the hallway and another 35 in the main gallery. Subject matter splits between pure landscapes and figurative works with a few other treats mixed in along the way, including a series study of clouds. The title "I Am Here and You Are Not" refers to "the way in which we routinely exchange the ineffable experience of real places (the immediacy of earth, air and light) with their representation in pictures, maps and new media. Although place is obviously external, our sense of it is deep in the fabric of being, inseparable from imagination and memory," according to Nixon.
For me, the 11 hallway paintings set the stage for the show, building a feeling of solitude and meditation, isolation and organization. Maps, grid, aerial views and landscapes of both personal and historic significance line the walls making way for a room full of landscapes and figurative paintings, including "O, America," a great white whale cresting a wave, "Everyman at the Quarterpole," a jockey racing down the track on a nearly detail-less black racehorse, and the show's namesake.
Nixon in the show's statement is "interested in the way character and landscape interact, and in how this relationship shapes people and the places they inhabit. He is also investigating time and themes of orientation and dislocation."
This shows most clearly in the show's namesake painted in 2007, "I Am Here and You Are Not," which depicts four people around a table, a tiny black dog, a giant map of the world and a hula-hoop. Their story is unknown but gives way in their clothing and actions. One erases the map as two others write on it. The fourth holds the hoop for the dog to jump through, but he holds it around the table, a blank book in hand. A toy top spins on the table.
"Now and Then" features 27 pieces, a mix of Daum's paintings and hand-pulled prints. Her work unlike Nixon's is of concrete places, people and things either here in her native state of Rhode Island or near her Maine summer home: a blueberry harvest, a girl hanging laundry on the line and an older man staring out the window pensively. While not the meditative studies of Nixon's landscapes and figures, the loneliness and isolation of Daum's subjects strike similar emotional chords.
The most dynamic painting in Daum's show is the one that won "Best of Show" in the 2010 Newport Annual: "Portrait of a Migrant Blueberry Harvester." A man in a brilliant blue windbreaker stares back at the viewer his face completely in shadow, his identity obliterated as he confronts the viewer. Faceless identity is something the artist revisits in many pieces, including "Edna." Only a small solar print entitled "No Tomorrow (After Katrina)" shows a face looking directly at the viewer. The subject looks back in despair, alone and isolated by circumstance.
In "From My Studio," Daum plays with the viewer, putting them in the claustrophobic isolation of a room looking out. A distant landscape blocked from your view by wires, poles, trees and buildings, the most obnoxious building of them all a candy pink box next door.
Nixon builds the same sort of tension and isolation in "The Lake." Is it the vulnerability of a swimsuit, black sheep status in the family, or something else that keeps the viewer from partaking in the fun and frolicking down by the water? A line of stern adults, from a bygone era, old enough to know better, block your way to the water. You're excluded and that's no mistake, they want it that way, with only one looking away, down at the swimmers.
Daum says her colors are inspired by the Impressionists' use of cadmium orange. Brilliant purple, blues, reds, yellows, peaches and pinks sing in her work and are exquisitely balanced by finely mixed neutrals. This can be seen most clearly in "Fishing in Roger Williams," in which a small red boat floats along in a see of dark greens and browns, or in Daum's mastery of the pink-green complement in "Purple Bush, Blithewold." Daum's shadows aren't flat and lifeless, they're filled with color.
Nixon's colors, while only rarely brilliant, with dashes of reds, oranges, pinks and lavenders making appearances, is vibrantly deep, with layers of patina built up on most of the works. He plays with contrast fancifully as well, with it shining in works like "Oxbow," where the viewer peers out through the darkness onto a sunlit river bend, made up of beautiful greens, blues and grays.
Perhaps the most interesting work in "Now and Then" is a small gray and red print tucked away in the far corner on the right as you walk in entitled "Beyond a Pale Horse." Much simpler than the other pieces, a tiny jockey of sorts sits upon a horse as it races along in space. Could it be the very same jockey who was visited by Nixon in "Everyman"? The crude figures scratched away from the print like a cave drawing, with just red and blackish silvery gray playing off each other. The nameless, faceless subject is perpetually alone, riding into the dark with the fiery-red burning at his white horse's heels.
Yes, these shows are bleak and desolate at times, but that doesn't make them any less brilliant. "Now and Then" and "I Am Here and You Are Not" are a great start to the new year at the Newport Art Museum.
The Newport Art Museum holds its members reception for winter exhibitions including the Daum and Nixon shows, "Bound Together: Sculpture by Jerry Ehrlich" and Newport Annual Members Juried Exhibition" Friday, Feb. 3, 5-7 p.m. $10, free museum members.
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Janet E. Dring
Apr 16, 2013 at 12:01 AM Apr 16, 2013 at 2:45 PM
MIDDLETOWN � Janet Ellen (Smith) Dring, 79, passed away peacefully in Middletown, RI on Sunday, April 14, 2013 surrounded by her family.����������
She was the wife of the late Arthur M. Dring, Jr. They shared 50 years of marriage.
Born in Newport, RI, she was the daughter of the late Raymond L. and Margaret (Coyle) Smith.
Janet leaves her children, Michael P. Dring of Middletown, RI and Merrimack, NH, James A. Dring of Newport, RI, John T. Dring and his wife Jennifer of Portsmouth, RI, and Catherine A. Roberts and her husband Charles of Middletown, RI; her grandchildren, Taylor A. Patterson, Masen Patterson, Owen Roberts, Christopher Dring, Jack Dring, Ella Dring, Julia Dring and Amelia Dring; her brother, Philip Smith of Merrimack, NH; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.� Her brother Raymond H. Smith predeceased her.
Janet graduated from St. Catherine�s Academy and also graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 1958 with a B.S. in Pharmacy. She was a Registered Pharmacist at Newport Hospital as well as several local pharmacies. Janet was an avid lawn croquet player and played in Newport, RI and Sarasota, FL. She was a lifelong communicant of St. Joseph�s Church in Newport and was a proud member of its choir. Janet was a former Lady Hibernian and a former member of the Preservation Society.
Her funeral will be held on Thursday, April 18, 2013 at 9 a.m. from Memorial Funeral Home, 375 Broadway, Newport, RI, with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. in St. Joseph Church, Broadway at Mann Avenue, Newport, RI. Burial will follow in St. Columba Cemetery, Brown�s Lane, Middletown, RI.
Calling hours will be held on Wednesday, April 17, 2013 from 4-7 p.m. in the funeral home.��
In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to the St. Joseph�s Church Choir, 5 Mann Avenue, Newport, RI 02840.
Condolences, information and directions are available at www.memorialfuneralhome.com
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What Is Derrick Rose Accused of? Plaintiff's Appeal to Be Heard in Pasadena
By Dan Cancian On 9/4/18 at 4:56 AM EDT
Derrick Rose then #1 of the Cleveland Cavaliers in action against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on November 3, 2017 in Washington, DC. The point guard signed with Minnesota in July this year. Rob Carr/Getty Images
Sports NBA Derrick Rose
A woman who has accused Derrick Rose of rape will have her appeal heard in November after the basketball player was cleared by a federal jury in 2016.
Sports attorney Daniel Wallach confirmed Tuesday that the Ninth Circuit will hear the appeal of the woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, in Pasadena on November 16.
Just in: Derrick Roseâs sexual assault accuser will have her appeal heard by the Ninth Circuit on November 16th. The oral argument will be heard in Pasadena. Each side is allotted 15 minutes. Back in 2016, a jury rejected her claims of sexual assault following a 10-day trial.
— Daniel Wallach (@WALLACHLEGAL) September 4, 2018
The three-time All Star and two of his friends were accused of rape and faced a civil trial in Los Angeles 2016.
The alleged victim claimed Rose and his two friends visited her in an apartment in Los Angeles in the early hours of August 27, 2013 and had sex with her. However, while the plaintiff said she had been drugged and was too intoxicated to give consent, the men claimed the sex was consensual.
The Los Angeles Police Department opened an investigation but observers at the time suggested the lack of physical evidence made charges unlikely. Rose and his two friends were found not liable as opposed to not guilty, given the trial was a civil litigation, rather than a criminal trial.
Had the verdict gone the other way, the trio would not have faced jail time or a criminal conviction but would have had to pay damages. The plaintiff reportedly sought $21.5 million in compensation.
Rose's decision to allow the matter to end up in court instead of agreeing to settle had initially puzzled observes, given a liable verdict would have in all likelihood jeopardized his career.
At the time, Waukeen McCoy, the plaintiff's lawyer, described the outcome as unjust and indicated his legal team was considering an appeal, the date of which has now been confirmed.
"I think it's a shame for this country that a celebrity can come to court and slut-shame a woman," McCoy said.
In his closing statement, McCoy claimed Rose and his two friends had committed rape.
"They have no remorse, they are not apologetic," he argued.
"She [his client] is not looking for a quick dollar. She's looking for accountability."
A jury of six women and two men ruled on the case. In comments reported by The Guardian, the jury forewoman, Janet, said: "I think most of us believe it's possible there are pieces of her story that were true, but there just wasn't any evidence."
The New York Post quoted one unnamed female juror as saying the alleged victim's story ultimatley "didn't add up."
Rose surprised reporters by posing for pictures outside the courtroom shortly after the verdict was announced.
Don't see this every day. @drose and atty posing with giddy jurors after verdict. #DoevRose pic.twitter.com/hbmxnPnyf6
— Joel Rubin (@joelrubin) October 19, 2016
The 29-year-old's career has been beset by injury since he became the youngest ever player to be named NBA MVP in 2011. Rose left the Chicago Bulls after eight years in 2016, before spending a season each with New York and Cleveland and signing with the Minnesota Timberwolves in July.
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fish & wildlife links About Us E-mail Lists Fishing Hunting Regulations Wildlife Feature Articles Education Merchandise Employment Volunteering Links Contact Us
Wildlife Diversity Tour - Cape May/Delaware Bay Region
The following Wildlife Diversity Tour is adapted from the Cape May/Delaware Bay Region section of the New Jersey Wildlife Viewing Guide. The guide is available from the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey. The tour includes several different viewing areas:
Heislerville Wildlife Management Area
Matts Landing
East Point Lighthouse
Thompson's Beach
Moore's Beach
Belleplain State Forest
Tuckahoe Wildlife Management Area
Cape May Point State Park
Stow Creek Viewing Area
Description: Bald eagles are making a comeback in southern New Jersey and this site provides a terrific opportunity to see an eagle. A large old sycamore stands next to an abandoned farmhouse at the edge of Stow Creek, providing a scenic location for one of New Jersey's first eagle nests following the Division of Fish and Wildlife's restoration efforts in the 1980s and 90s. However, the eagles abandoned this site for one nearby but not as visible. This site still provides plenty of opportunities to see bald eagles, nesting osprey, and a variety of wading birds and marsh wildlife species.
Diversity Tour Information: In New Jersey, nesting bald eagles reside year round, usually remaining in the area of their nest. Eagles generally build their large stick nests close to water in trees taller than the forest canopy. They begin courtship and nest building in early January, adding new material to their existing nest. Pairs lay 1 to 3 eggs in mid-February to early March, and incubate for about 35 days. Upon hatching, the chicks are helpless and require close parental care. After about 5 weeks the young birds begin to stand up and feed themselves when the adults deliver food. Young birds fledge the nest at 11 weeks of age in early July. Adults continue to feed the young near the nest for several weeks while the young learn flight and hunting skills. In late August young eagles leave the area as they learn to hunt and soar. Many juveniles and adults spend the winter in the Delaware Bayshore region where open water and abundant food provide good conditions.
The bald eagle is New Jersey's largest and most well-known raptor. These state listed endangered eagles are proven indicators of environmental health because they are so high on the food chain or "biotic pyramid." A dangerous chemical appearing at relatively low levels at the base of the pyramid, in grasses or insects, is not easily metabolized by the other fish, birds and mammals in the chain that eat these lower level species. The chemical becomes more concentrated at each step up the pyramid until it can be toxic or deadly to the highest species - like bald eagles. Eagles suffered serious population declines in the 1950s and 1960s. Prior to 1960, there were 22 nesting pairs in the state, and by 1970 the population dwindled to just one nest. Accumulation of fat-soluble contaminants, particularly the pesticide DDT, was the major factor in the eagles' decline.
However, the ban of DDT in 1972 set the stage for the eagles' recovery. From 1982 to 1990, NJDEP/DFW biologists raised and released 60 eaglets along the Delaware Bayshore and Atlantic Coast. This project bolstered the population of bald eagles in New Jersey to 64 nesting pairs in 2007. The Bald Eagle Restoration Program is funded by the Tax Check-Off for Wildlife on the NJ State Income Tax Form and the "Conserve Wildlife" license plate.
In addition to the eagle viewing opportunities, the Stow Creek area is a good example of a salt marsh habitat. Upstream and inland from here the creek is all fresh water. From this point south to the Delaware Bay the water is salty. Water covers the sand and mud flats part of each day. The sand flat becomes exposed to the air when the tide drops; and the remains of algae and other marine organisms begin to decay in the sun. This makes the flat very fertile for "halophytes," a class of plants that tolerate tidal flooding, waterlogged soil and a highly salty water source. One halophyte that has colonized this flat is saltmarsh cordgrass.
All marsh life is adapted to feed, move, rest and nest in rhythm with the tides. Some snails and insects climb the cordgrass twice each day to stay ahead of the rising tides. Look for wrens and swallows that feed on these climbers. In addition to the nesting osprey, other birds that you may see feeding in the tidal marsh include snowy egrets, green-backed and great blue herons, Canada geese and mallard ducks. Winter, Spring and fall are good times to visit this brackish, tidal marsh. When the eagles are away or quiet, watch the marsh for wading birds, rails, wetlands songbirds, muskrats, crabs and fish.
Stow Creek is a natural area with no facilities.
Directions: From the junction of New Jersey 49 and NJ 45 in Salem, travel 0.7 miles east on NJ 49 to County Route 658. Turn right onto CR 658 (Hancock's Bridge Rd.) at the sign for Hancock's Bridge. CR 658 makes a left turn on to Grieve's Parkway in 0.3 miles. Turn right onto CR 623 (New Bridge Road). Travel about 8 miles to the parking area on the right side of the road (south), just before the bridge over Stow Creek.
Ownership: NJDEP Division of Parks and Forestry - 856-935-3218 Size: About 30 acres Closest Town: Canton, Lower Alloways Creek Township
Amenities: parking, barrier-free
Description: The varied habitats of this WMA include river and tidal marsh boundary, salt water impoundments, diked hay meadows, and oak-pine uplands. The Maurice River, designated Wild and Scenic, flows past the area to the Delaware Bay. Delaware Bay is the premier resting and feeding stop for hundreds of thousands of shorebirds during their spring migration. The shorebirds are attracted by eggs laid by the world's largest concentration of breeding horseshoe crabs. East Point Lighthouse, an old, scenic structure still in service, is maintained by the Maurice River Historical Society. It is located at the southern end of the WMA and is open for tours during local festivals during the year.. A driving tour of the area includes a route around the impoundments, past the tidal marsh, and through the woods on sand roads. For your own comfort, avoid the biting-fly season in mid-summer.
Viewing Information: Delaware Bay is an historically critical area for both human and natural activity. It is the largest oil transfer port on the East Coast; and a thoroughfare for thousands of vessels carrying essential goods to the ports of Camden, Wilmington, and Philadelphia. For the natural world, Delaware Bay is strategically located midway between the wintering grounds of South America and nesting grounds of the Arctic. Bay beaches and salt marshes provide feeding and resting areas for shorebird species such as sanderlings, red knots, ruddy turnstones and semipalmated sandpipers. Many of these birds make the four-day flight non-stop across the Atlantic. Moore's Beach is one of about 6 Bay beaches which plays host to a large portion of the Western Hemisphere's population of these species. All told, nearly a million shorebirds pour into Delaware Bay each spring from about May 13 to June 6.
Delaware Bay beaches are also essential for spawning horseshoe crabs. In May and June, thousands of horseshoe crabs crowd Moore's Beach to mate and lay their eggs. Horseshoe crabs are found from Maine to Florida, but nest in greatest numbers on sandy beaches of the lower Delaware Bay. The female, larger than the male, digs a hole in the sand at the water's edge and deposit thousands of green pinhead-sized eggs which are incubated by the sun and hatch in 4-6 weeks.
The thousands of shorebirds, that arrive shortly after the crabs start spawning, feast on the profusion of readily available eggs. Shorebirds gorge themselves on these eggs, doubling their arrival weight in about two weeks. It is estimated that the total pool of shorebirds moving through Delaware Bay each spring will consume over 300 tons of the tiny horseshoe crab eggs! This feast fuels the second leg of the shorebirds' journey to their Arctic nesting areas.
Bird-watchers can also see thousands of wintering waterfowl, bald eagles, and migrating shorebirds. Northern pintails, buffleheads, ruddy ducks, red-breasted and hooded mergansers, scaup, and scoters spend the winter here. Spring brings blue and green-winged teal, American widgeon, and gadwall. Scan the river and bay for loons and the impoundments for grebes.
In the spring and fall, the tidal mud flats are filled with migrating shorebirds. Horseshoe crabs spawn on nearby Moore's Beach and the area at East Point during May. The horseshoe crab eggs provide protein-rich food for red knots, ruddy turnstones, dunlin, semi-palmated sandpipers and the occasional curlew sandpiper that stop here as they travel to their Arctic breeding grounds. Don't miss the herons and egrets that roost on the hummocks in the impoundment to your right as you drive down Matts Landing Road toward the river. Rental boats and boat ramps are available along the Maurice River and a one-mile bike path is part of Cumberland County's bike trail system. For your own comfort, avoid visiting on calm days during the biting fly season.
The impoundments at Matts Landing are one of the best places to see waterfowl, wading birds, and shorebirds. Check the open water near the spillways in winter to see foraging divers such as red-breasted mergansers, grebes, bufflehead and commorants. Wading birds also congregate here. Drive the dirt road that tops the dikes for good views of both the impoundments and salt marsh. Work the shrubs along the road for warblers and songbirds. Don't miss scanning the cedar hummocks in the first impoundment for snowy egrets and black-crowned night herons. Great blue and little green herons feed along the wooded edges.
East Point Light was built in 1849 by the United States Lighthouse Establishment to guide boats into the mouth of the Maurice River. Today, it is the second oldest lighthouse in existence in New Jersey. While decommissioned in 1941, the Coast Guard pressed East Point Light back into service in July of 1980 at the public's request. The Maurice River Historical Society rebuilt the lighthouse which had fallen into disrepair and now opens the lighthouse for tours during special events and local festivals during the year. East Point is one of the most photographed and easily recognized lighthouses on the east coast. It is also a great location from which to watch wildlife.
Don't miss the fall migration of butterflies and dragonflies. They hang off the cedar trees and high tide bush like living ornaments. While winter temperatures can be frigid here, take the time to wander the lighthouse grounds searching for winter sparrows. Be sure to scan the marsh for northern harriers, peregrine falcons and rough-legged hawks. In spring, the concentration of migrants is not to be missed. Warblers, thrushes, flickers, and sparrows feed and rest in the shrubs along the road and around the lighthouse and shorebirds feast on protein-rich horseshoe crab eggs on the beach. Diamondback terrapin come ashore in July to lay their eggs and this is one of the best spots to see the fall hawk migration in full swing.
Share the observation platform at the end of the paved section of Thompson's Beach Rd. with a variety of gulls and terns for a good look at the vast expanse of restored tidal marsh. You can see thousands of acres of marsh from this elevated vantage point, one reason it is so popular with wildlife. Look for a variety of gulls and terns, northern harrier, peregrine falcon, osprey, herons, egrets, clapper rail, black and turkey vulture, bald eagles and black ducks. A small boat ramp provides access to tidal creeks and the Delaware Bay for those who prefer to see their wildlife from the water (not accessible during low tide). Those who are brave-hearted may choose to walk the mile of unmaintained road out to Thompson's Beach itself to view the rafts of wintering waterfowl or great concentration of shorebirds in the spring. The walk is wet and muddy and best undertaken at low tide.
The beauty of the salt marsh at Moore's Beach can be enjoyed in any season. In addition to the crabs and shorebirds in the spring, there is plenty to see at this interesting site year round. For a good look at life in a salt marsh, park at designated area at the berm, or dike, on the edge of the marsh and take a one-mile walk on the old road that leads through the marsh to the beach. Due to wash-outs caused by the rising water levels and changing tides, it is not recommended to drive any further than the parking area. If you choose to walk out, it is best to go on a falling tide.
Watch for northern harriers (marsh hawks), egrets, great blue herons, northern diamondback terrapins and marsh wrens. Viewing opportunities are particularly good from spring through fall. At low tide, clapper rails are easy to spot digging for invertebrates in the creeks. In winter, look for snow geese feeding in the marsh, and northern harriers and red-tailed hawks hovering in search of prey. The salt marshes and mudflats also hold black-bellied plovers, dunlin and thousands of dowitchers. In the summer look for egrets, glossy ibis, nesting seaside sparrows and willets. Even white pelicans and ruffs have been sighted here before! From the beach, look for scoters and other bay ducks in the winter and early spring.
An active peregrine falcon nesting tower maintained by the NJDEP/DFW can be seen to the west of the road. Although coastal marshes are not considered typical nesting habitat for peregrines, an abundant prey base and freedom from predation by great horned owls made Delaware Bay sites a good place to reintroduce this endangered species. The peregrine completely vanished from the eastern part of the US in the mid-1960s as a result of toxins like DDT in the food chain. Beginning in 1975, NJDEP/DFW biologists released young captive bred at this and other areas along the coast. Today about 20 pair of peregrines nest each year in New Jersey.
Heislerville WMA is open for hunting during prescribed seasons.
Directions: Matts Landing - from the southern end of New Jersey 55 and its intersection with NJ 47, travel 5.3 on NJ 47 south to Mackey's Lane. Turn right onto Mackey's Lane and proceed 0.3 miles to CR 616 (Dorchester-Heislerville Rd.) Turn left and travel 2.2 miles to Matts Landing Rd. Turn right and proceed .5 miles. The impoundments will be on either side.
Directions: East Point - turn left at the end of Matts Landing Rd. and proceed past the marinas to the dirt road on your left. Take the dirt road on the left along the top of the impoundments to follow the 8-mile Auto-trail. The dirt road ends at East Point Rd. Or, follow Matts Landing Rd. back to CR 616 (Main St.). Turn right on CR 616 and right again on East Point Rd. Take East Point Rd. to Lighthouse Ln.
Directions: Thompson's Beach - take East Point Rd. back into Heislerville. Continue straight as East Point Rd. becomes Glade Rd. at its junction with CR 616. Turn right onto Thompson's Beach Rd and follow to the small parking area at the end of the paved road.
Directions: Moore's Beach - take Thompson's Beach Rd. to Glade Rd. Turn right on Glade Rd. and go approximately 1 mile to Rt. 47. Take Rt. 47 south (right) to Moore's Beach Rd. Turn right on Moore's Beach Rd. and travel to gravel parking area at the end of the paved road.
Ownership: NJDEP - Division of Fish and Wildlife - 856-785-0455
Size: 4,876 acres
Closest Town: Heislerville, Maurice River Township
Amenities: parking, hiking, Heislerville WMA map
Description: Belleplain State Forest has miles of marked trails and unimproved roads suitable for hiking, horseback riding, cross-country skiing, and wildlife-watching. American holly trees and mountain laurel are found along the roadsides. Atlantic white cedar swamps dot the lowlands around the waterways. Lake Nummy is the center of recreational activities including camping. The nearby Nature Center offers regular programs.
Diversity Tour Information: Belleplain State Forest, lying within the Pinelands National Reserve, offers visitors tremendous opportunities to see the greatest variety of habitats anywhere in New Jersey including saltwater marsh, Atlantic white cedar swamp, mixed hardwood swamp and oak-hickory forest. In the spring and fall, migrating songbirds such as blue-winged warblers, scarlet tanagers, and prothonotary warblers make the forest sparkle.
Belleplain contains one of the only oak-hickory forests in south Jersey. The southern portion of the forest provides a beautiful illustration of this biotic community. Food and shelter for wildlife is abundant in oak-hickory forests. Acorns and hickory nuts offer much valuable nutrition and require only a small outlay of foraging energy. In the summer, oaks and hickories sprout from their stumps, placing succulent leaves within easy reach of browsing animals. When leaves fall, they decay slowly because of the tannin in their cells. This creates a thick batting of leaves for small rodents, reptiles, and amphibians, including spotted and marbled salamanders, five-lined skinks, eastern box turtles and red-backed vole - to tunnel in, find food in, and keep warm or cool in
Another good way to see the forest is to walk the 1.5 mile, self-guided trail around Lake Nummy or the 6.5 mile trail connecting Lake Nummy to East Creek Pond. Look for signs of white-tailed deer, red foxes, raccoons, Virginia opossums, red, gray, and flying squirrels, muskrats and beavers. Also look for Cooper's and broad-winged hawks, blue-gray gnatcatchers, red-eyed vireos, scarlet tanagers and several varieties of woodpeckers.
Elsewhere in Belleplain, biotic succession, a natural occurring event in a normal ecosystem, is being dramatically accelerated by gypsy moths. Gypsy moths, an introduced species, have infested south Jersey's forests off and on since the 1970s. However, most defoliation has not been so severe or as frequent as at Belleplain. The repeated defoliation of many white, red and black oaks has killed some trees. Forest managers have salvaged some of the dying oaks for use as firewood. Other dead trees are left standing to provide vertical habitat diversity in the forested ecosystem. Wildlife species use the cavities in these trees for nests, others feed off of the insects that live in and on the dead wood and still others use the trees as roosts or perches. Look for cavity dwellers like flying squirrels, raccoons, Virginia opossums, pileated and red-bellied woodpeckers, and tufted titmice.
The forests along the Belleplain - Woodbine Road (County Route 550) are a good place to view the dead and dying oak forests. Note the massive amounts of regrowth in the understory of white pines, red cedars and maples. These early successional tree species are shade intolerant and would not have been able to grow here if it were not for the oaks dying. More shade tolerant hardwood species will eventually replace this new community of sun-loving species. These "seres", or stages, are all part of a predictable pattern of succession. An equally predictable group of wildlife species can be expected to appear with each sere.
Maps and trail guides are available at the office. The area is open for hunting during prescribed seasons.
Directions: From Route 9 in Oceanview, take County Route 550 west for about 8 miles to state forest office, following Belleplain State Forest signs.
Ownership: NJDEP Division of Parks and Forestry - 609-861-2404
Size: 21,320 acres
Closest Town: Woodbine
Amenities: parking, restrooms, barrier-free, picnic, camping, hiking, bicycling, horse trails, entry fee (seasonal)
Description: The scenic Tuckahoe River winds its way to the Great Egg Harbor River and Bay through an expanse of salt marsh and tidal creeks which is excellent for bird-watching. Six brackish water impoundments on the upland edges of the tract also provide good bird-watching opportunities. Located on the edge of the Pine Barrens, the woodlands bordering the salt marsh are a mixture of pine and oak trees. A hardwood swamp and small freshwater lake provide additional habitat for beaver, turtles, frogs and fish.
Diversity Tour Information: The Corbin City area offers an 8-mile drive on a sand and gravel road that runs between three large impoundments and the salt marsh and ends by going through a stretch of pine-oak forest. A short detour takes you through a series of small fields divided by hedgerows, a great place to see chipping sparrows, American goldfinches, pine warblers, and indigo buntings. You can drive the entire route, or use the pull-outs for a chance to walk the sand trails and look out over the impoundments and salt marsh. The Tuckahoe side of the river offers a similar opportunity to view wildlife along the road around the impoundments. This road runs directly through a number of small fields and a hardwood swamp and is bisected by a powerline. Listen and look for yellow-billed cuckoos, prothonotary warblers, common yellowthroats, marsh wrens, Carolina wrens, and northern flickers in the scrub-shrub and woodlands along the road. Scan the marsh and the impoundments for waders, shorebirds and waterfowl.
Facing the salt marsh, look for wildlife activity at the "ecotone," or edge, formed between the marsh and adjacent tidal creek. One key to wildlife activity in the ecotone is the abundant supply of food that arrives twice daily on the rising tide. The tall salt marsh cordgrass along the creeks' banks provide shelter for wary birds, like rails searching the exposed mud for invertebrates. Sora, black, clapper, and Virginia rails are all present here. Perhaps you will also see an otter swimming the tidal creeks in search of fish.
During spring and fall migrations, scan the exposed mudflats of the tidal creeks and impoundments at low tide. Shorebirds like sandpipers, plovers, and yellowlegs probe the mud for invertebrates. Muskrats, willets, egrets, and herons can be seen year-round. American bitterns and mink are present but elusive. Bald eagles nest nearby and are sometimes seen fishing over, or resting near, the impoundments. Waterfowl such as hooded mergansers, blue and green-winged teal, northern pintails, gadwalls, and American widgeons congregate on the impoundments during migration. Winter also brings the opportunity to see golden eagles and rough-legged hawks.
A growing problem throughout the world is the invasion of natural ecosystems by non-native plant and animal species referred to as "exotics". The beautiful mute swans seen in the impoundments are a good example of invasion by a non-native species. Mute swans are not native to this ecosystem, or even to North America. Although beautiful, the swans have a negative impact on native ducks and geese by competing aggressively for nesting territory. If the swans were not present, more species of nesting waterfowl would most likely be seen. Exotics represent a serious threat to biodiversity by competing with native species for food, water, and space. In some instances, exotics have caused species to become endangered.
The impoundments at Corbin City and Tuckahoe were created in the late 1940s and early 1950s to attract a greater diversity and abundance of wildlife than would normally be found on the same acreage of salt marsh. The impoundments are an example of the wildlife habitat creation and management that is carried out by the NJDEP/DFW on Wildlife Management Areas like this one throughout the state. Sluice gates on these impoundments hold back the fresh water that drains into them and allows salt water from the tidal creeks to enter as the tide rises. As the tide falls, water flows out of the impoundment into the tidal creeks.
Fluctuating water levels provide ideal feeding conditions for migrating and resident shorebirds and marsh birds; and allows the growth of vegetation which provides better food for waterfowl. Today, NJDEP/DFW biologists are doing experimental water level management in one impoundment. This effort is intended to help establish a new aquatic plant community that will provide important new food sources for migratory waterfowl and will also maximize feeding habitat for migrating shorebirds by increasing mudflat exposure times.
Tuckahoe WMA is a natural area with no facilities. It is open for hunting during prescribed seasons.
Directions: From the junction of U. S. Highway 9 and New Jersey 50 in Seaville, take NJ 50 north for 4.8 miles to County Route 631. Turn right and travel 0.3 miles to WMA entrance on the left. Turn left onto the sand and gravel road and travel 0.5 miles to the office on the right. Stop at the office for information and maps. To go to Corbin City, continue north on NJ 50 for 3.0 miles to Griscom Mill Road. Turn right. The road turns to sand and gravel and continues for 8.0 miles past the impoundments before it intersects again with NJ 50 as Gibson Creek Road.
Ownership: NJDEP Division of Fish and Wildlife - 609-628-2436 Size: 14,713 acres Closest Towns: Tuckahoe and Corbin City
Amenities: parking, boat ramp, large boats, small boats, hiking, Tuckahoe WMA map
Description: Cape May Point State Park includes a 157-foot tall lighthouse which dominates the park and serves as a contemporary reminder of New Jersey's maritime heritage. Nearby, an observation platform, known as the "Hawk Watch" area, provides excellent views of a freshwater pond, marsh and migrating hawks in the fall. A large portion of the park is a designated Natural Area and has over three miles of trails and boardwalks for nature study and hiking. There is easy access to the observation platform, trails and beach from the parking lot. A half-mile, self-guided nature trail is barrier-free. Visit the museum, visitor center and environmental education center for a glimpse into the natural history of the area.
Diversity Tour Information: The "Hawk Watch" observation platform provides a bird's eye view of one of the nation's most extraordinary autumn hawk migrations. Beginning in September and extending through December, tens of thousands of raptors, including bald eagles, peregrine falcons, ospreys, goshawks, Cooper's hawks, and various species of owls pass the platform on the 'Point'. New Jersey Audubon's Cape May Bird Observatory volunteers and staff provide informative programs for visitors throughout the fall.
The Cape May peninsula has become world renowned for its importance to migratory birds. The peninsula acts as a funnel for song birds, shorebirds, waterfowl, and hawks migrating along the Atlantic Flyway. Undeveloped habitats on Cape May are critical 'staging areas' providing important resting and feeding opportunities for migrating birds as they prepare for their arduous journey across the Delaware Bay. The shrubs, trees, and weeds are virtually alive with songbirds gleaning insects, seeds, and fruits to fuel their migration. Hawks perform aerial acrobatics pursuing those same songbirds that will fuel their migration. This scenario is repeated thousands of times everywhere on the Cape where housing and commercial development has not replaced natural habitats.
A short drive to Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area rewards visitors with glimpses of hundreds of species of migrating songbirds and hawks. Higbee Beach is managed specifically to provide habitat for migratory wildlife. At Higbee Beach you will see that birds are not the only migrants to pass through Cape May. Butterflies, particularly monarchs, dragonflies, and damselflies fill the sky with brilliant colors on their way south. Migrating dragonflies and butterflies also use the peninsula as a resting area.
The William D. and Jane C. Blair, Jr. Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge, owned by The Nature Conservancy, is just a short drive from Cape May Point State Park. A major restoration project was recently completed. The refuge provides a haven for two state endangered species: the least tern and the piping plover. These birds spend their winters from South Carolina to South America. New Jersey's beaches comprise a significant portion of the entire breeding population's nesting habitat. Therefore, the fate of least terns and piping plovers in New Jersey has worldwide significance. Piping plovers and least terns nest on sand beaches, dunes, or occasionally on sandy gravel or dredge spoil. Their nests are shallow depressions in the sand, frequently lined with clam shell fragments. The nests and chicks are well camouflaged and difficult to see.
Directions: From Cape May, take County Route 606 (Sunset Boulevard) west toward Cape May Point. Turn left (south) on Lighthouse Ave. Follow the signs to the State Park entrance on your left.
Size: 235 acres
Closest Towns: Cape May Point, Cape May
Amenities: parking, restrooms, barrier-free, picnic, hiking
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Selections of Durant, Green Herald New Era for Sonics
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Kevin Pelton, SUPERSONICS.COM | June 28, 2007
If there was any question entering Thursday that the 2007 NBA Draft was the dawn of a new era in Seattle SuperSonics history, it was removed when the Sonics followed the selection of Texas forward Kevin Durant No. 2 overall with a blockbuster trade. The Sonics dealt All-Star guard Ray Allen to Boston in exchange for the rights to No. 5 pick Jeff Green, guard Delonte West and forward Wally Szczerbiak in a trade that also saw the teams swap second-round picks.
With Durant and Green, the Sonics became the second team since 1983 to get two of the top five picks in the Draft (Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry went to Chicago in 2001) and instantly made over the team in the style envisioned by new General Manager Sam Presti.
"Our staff felt like Jeff would be a tremendous complement to Kevin," said Presti. "He's a player that doesn't need the ball to be effective. He's a tremendous facilitator and passer. He's got a great acumen for the game and playing in the system that he has, I think, has probably contained him a little bit. Those that have seen him play in venues other than the Georgetown system have a better understanding of what it is this guy brings to the table. His IQ and facilitation on the floor, as well as this is an impeccable young man, and everybody here will learn that over time. That is another big thing."
In a Draft considered one of the strongest in recent history, the Sonics got a pair of top prospects. The only drama with Durant was whether he or Ohio State center Greg Oden, the consensus top two players available, would be taken first overall by the Portland Trail Blazers. When the Blazers ended more than a month of speculation by selecting Oden, the choice was clear for the Sonics.
"Kevin Durant is a player that makes the job of everybody on the team easier," said Presti. "He's a guy that comes to work every day to get better. His background and how he's developed his game over time can be seen so clearly over time. This is not a young man that has developed his game by running up and down the floor in unorganized settings. This is a man that has drilled and his game is built on repetition and hard work. Those are things that we are going to value in this organization."
After taking Durant, the Sonics were nowhere close to done. Negotiations with the Celtics revealed a strong desire on their part to bring Allen to Boston and pair him with All-Star swingman Paul Pierce. Dangling the fifth pick in the Draft and veteran players, the Celtics convinced the Sonics to deal their star guard.
"You don't wake up one day and say that you're going to look to move a player like a Ray Allen," explained Presti. "Someone has to get them, and Boston did that here. What started as a smaller conversation began to build and their pursuit was impeccable."
In Green, the Sonics get a player widely considered the top small forward available in the Draft. Green's stock rose during the season as he helped lead Georgetown to the Final Four for the first time since 1985. Green led the Hoyas in scoring and was second in rebounding and assists, evidence of a versatility that is attractive to the Sonics front office.
"What we see in these players is tremendous versatility," said Presti, referring to Durant, Green and free-agent forward Rashard Lewis. "We see guys that are skilled with the ball and have a great size-to-skill ratio. We see players that can play real length defense and, when you put them in a system defensively, are going to be able to cover a tremendous amount of ground.
Szczerbiak
"With the direction of the league and the way teams are playing in terms of playing smaller and different matchups, this is a tremendous versatile lineup that defensively can be capable of a number of different schemes and actions."
Durant, like Green (and West) a native of the Washington D.C. area, was excited to hear about the deal. He and Green had played for the same AAU team, but at different times.
"To play with him is like a dream come true," said Durant.
West, a combo guard who has started and come off the bench in Boston, averaged 12.2 points and 4.4 assists per game last season. The lefty has the ability to shoot the basketball with three-point range and has a strong combination of size and ballhandling ability. Szczerbiak, an All-Star in 2002 with Minnesota, has averaged 15.6 points per game in his career.
PRESTI ON THE DRAFT
At the conclusion of the Draft, Sam Presti spoke about the Sonics moves and adding Kevin Durant and Jeff Green.
Presti called the duo, "hard-nosed competitors in that fit the direction that we are heading in."
The price the Sonics paid was high.
"Making the decision to move a player and a person like Ray Allen was tremendously difficult," said Presti. "I want to stress to everybody that what Ray Allen has done for this organization and the NBA can't be underestimated. He is a total pro."
After coming to the Sonics in the February 2003 trade that sent Gary Payton to Milwaukee, Allen spent four-plus seasons in Seattle. Voted a member of the Sonics 40th Anniversary Team last fall, Allen averaged 24.6 points per game in a Sonics uniform, second only to Spencer Haywood (24.9) in franchise history. He ranks 11th in Sonics history in career scoring (7,273) and third in three-pointers (869).
Allen earned Western Conference All-Star honors all four full seasons he played in Seattle and was named to the All-NBA Second Team in 2004-05. His career-high 54 points last season against Utah rank him second on the Sonics all-time single-game scoring list.
For four-plus years, Allen was the face of the Sonics. Today, however, that face has changed. A new era has begun in Seattle, and it is symbolized by the versatility, character and the potential of Kevin Durant and Jeff Green.
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The day’s top national and international news
U.S. Secretly Filed Charges Against Assange Last Year
Assange was taken into custody April 11 after spending more than six years under the protection of Ecuador's embassy in London
Published Apr 15, 2019 at 5:25 PM
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Victoria Jones/PA via AP
Julian Assange gestures as he arrives at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London, after the WikiLeaks founder was arrested by officers from the Metropolitan Police and taken into custody Thursday April 11, 2019. Police in London arrested WikiLeaks founder Assange at the Ecuadorean embassy Thursday, April 11, 2019 for failing to surrender to the court in 2012, shortly after the South American nation revoked his asylum.
Court documents reveal federal prosecutors filed criminal charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in late 2017, NBC News reports, more than two months earlier than the indictment disclosed when he was arrested last week.
Assange was taken into custody April 11 after spending more than six years under the protection of Ecuador's embassy in London. A federal indictment unsealed after his arrest accused him of trying to help a U.S. Army private crack an encrypted password to hack into a Pentagon computer and steal classified documents.
But charges for the same offense were actually filed in secret on December 21, 2017, in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia. The 26-page affidavit accompanying the charges listed what it said were hundreds of online exchanges between Assange and Chelsea Manning, the former Army private who provided hundreds of thousands of government documents to WikiLeaks, many of them classified.
Despite filing the criminal charges, the Justice Department sought a grand jury indictment only a few months later in order to make a stronger case for extradition in the event Assange was arrested, an administration official said Monday.
Assange’s Lawyer on Arrest: ‘This Sets a Dangerous Precedent’
Julian Assange’s lawyer, Jennifer Robinson, told reporters outside a London court Thursday that her client’s arrest sets a dangerous precedent for the rights of journalists.
(Published Thursday, April 11, 2019)
Get More at NBC News
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850d ago / 8:44 PM UTC
Secret Service Racks Up Bills for Trump Kids' Trips. Next Stop Aspen?
President Donald Trump's family is reportedly headed to the ski resort town of Aspen this weekend, a trip that could cost taxpayers a pretty penny in security costs judging by the clan's recent globe-trotting.
The Trump family visit to Aspen has not been officially announced, but the Aspen Times, quoting anonymous local law enforcement sources, reported Thursday that Donald Jr., Eric and Ivanka Trump and their families were expected and that the Secret Service had met with the Aspen Police Department.
There are no hotel bills for Aspen in the Federal Procurement Data System yet, but the database does show a $12,208.25 contract by the Secret Service with Aspen Valley Ski/Snowboard Club for "recreational good rental/ski equipment lease" between the dates of March 10 and March 23.
No further details were given, and the club's spokeswoman did not respond to requests for more information.
Federal documents examined by NBC News outline hotel bills for the U.S. Secret Service and State Department coinciding with other out-of-town visits by Trump's sons and daughters, including:
$53,155.25 during Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Tiffany Trump's business trip to Vancouver in late February.
$16,738.36 during Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump's business trip to Dubai in mid-February.
$97,830 for Eric Trump's business trip to Uruguay in early January.
In addition, the records show the Secret Service spent $4,0162.02 on rental vehicles in the Dominican Republic on Jan. 29, just ahead of Eric Trump's business visit to Cap Cana.
Edward Deitch
279d ago / 1:06 AM UTC
CIA Adds Eight Stars to Memorial Wall For Fallen Officers
Each year, new stars are carved into the marble of the CIA’s Memorial Wall in the agency’s main lobby. Each represents an employee who died while carrying out his or her duties, often clandestine.
When it was first dedicated in 1974, there were 31 stars. After a ceremony held Monday, the number is 125. As is true almost every year, some of the new stars honor fallen officers whose names and operations remain classified.
Four of the eight new stars represent officers whose names if revealed might unveil classified operations.
A fifth was added to honor Mark S. Rausenberger, an 18-year agency officer who died while serving overseas. The circumstances of his death remain classified.
In the past, the agency has reviewed the history of clandestine operations to determine if a name can be declassified. The identity of the man honored with the first star, Douglas Mackiernan, wasn’t revealed until 2006, 56 years after his death.
The three other new stars pay tribute to David Bevan, Darrell Eubanks, and John Lewis. All died when their plane crashed while carrying out a mission for Air America, the CIA’s Vietnam-era "airline," in Laos in 1961.
In remarks to those assembled before the wall Monday, including families of the fallen, CIA Director Mike Pompeo said that each star represents "a life that is dear to us … We remain forever devoted to them, as they were to us. And we will strive to make them proud of us, as we are of them."
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That North Korean Missile Really Worked, Say U.S. Officials
Two U.S. defense officials confirm that North Korea's launch of a KN-17 missile last Sunday was successful and that the missile's re-entry vehicle did successfully re-enter the atmosphere.
The re-entry was controlled and the vehicle did not burn up, the officials said. It landed in the sea near Russia.
The KN-17 is a liquid fuel single-stage missile. In boasting of the successful launch, the North Koreans called it a "medium long-range" ballistic rocket that can carry a heavy nuclear warhead.
The U.S. officials characterized Sunday's launch as an advancement for the North Korean missile program.
North Korea also launched one in mid-April, but it exploded seconds later.
U.S. Announces New Iran Sanctions, But Keeps Waiving Sanctions
The Treasury Department announced new sanctions on Iran for its ballistic missile program Wednesday, but also said it will continue to waive sanctions as required by the Iran nuclear deal.
"The Treasury Department is imposing new sanctions on Iranian defense officials, an Iranian entity, and a China-based network that supplied missile-applicable items to a key Iranian defense entity,'" said a statement released by the Treasury Department. "The action reflects concern with Iran’s continued development of ballistic missiles, which is in inconsistent with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231.
The statement also said the waiver of sanctions "does not diminish the United States' resolve to continue countering Iran's destabilizing activity in the region. ... [A]bove all, the United States will never allow the regime in Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon."
Ex-NSA Official Confirms Ransomware Based on Flaw Swiped from NSA
A former senior National Security Agency official who consults with the agency told NBC News that it's true, as cybersecurity researchers report, that the WannaCry ransomware epidemic is the result of a software vulnerability identified and stockpiled by the NSA. And it became public when it leaked as part of the Shadow Brokers disclosures.
The NSA releases 90 to 95 percent of the software vulnerabilities it discovers, he said, but it sits on the rest for use in hacking and spying activities. In other words, it doesn't tell Americans about software holes that make them vulnerable -- so it can exploit those weaknesses to spy on foreigners.
In this case, after the leak, the NSA warned Microsoft and other companies, the official said. Microsoft released a patch in March.
But not everybody patches, and those running outdated systems may not even be able to.
The former official said some people would like the NSA to alert industry to every software hole it finds. But then, he said, the NSA would lose intelligence collection. And hackers would still find holes to exploit, because such holes are inevitable.
That said, he praised a new system in the UK, where spies sit with private researchers and share vulnerabilities in real time. That doesn't mean the Brits don't keep some secret, he added.
He sees a Russian hand in the Shadow Brokers disclosures, which would be ironic if true. Russia has suffered heavily from the ransomware attack because it uses pirated and outdated software.
Tom Winter
Ransomware That Hit Europe's Computers Did Not Come From NSA Leak
Some media reports about the ransomware -- called WannaCry -- that rocked the UK health system, Spain's telecom industry, and other targets in Europe Friday say that hackers pulled it from a leaked NSA tool kit.
That's not really accurate.
Instead, computing experts say and a review of the computing code shows, the leaked NSA tool kit demonstrated to the hackers how they could attack these systems. The hackers didn't use NSA code, but they did copy something from the tool kit.
"WannaCry ransomware uses one of the exploits released recently by Shadowbrokers in the leaked NSA tools archive," said Andrew Komarov, chief intelligence officer for the cybersecurity firm InfoArmor. "This is pretty normal practice, where cybercriminals are using the latest vulnerabilities in order to increase the efficiency of their malware."
The name of the NSA tool that the hackers drew on to develop the new ransomware is called "Eternalblue".
The software fix for the vulnerability that the ransomware exploits came out in March, before the Shadowbrokers leak, so experts say there was theoretically time to patch systems in advance of an attack.
Komarov said there was no indication that WannaCry or Friday's attack had anything to do with the NSA "or any other state-sponsored cyber offensive activities."
Robert Windrem
CIA Creates New Korean Mission Center, Won't Say Who Runs It
The Agency announced late Tuesday that it has established a "Korea Mission Center" to "harness the full resources, capabilities, and authorities of the Agency in addressing the nuclear and ballistic missile threat posed by North Korea." The CIA also announced that Director Mike Pompeo has named a "veteran intelligence officer" to run the center — but declined to name the officer for security reasons.
Both publicly and privately, the agency has said North Korea has been one of, if not the most, difficult of intelligence targets.
"Creating the Korea Mission Center allows us to more purposefully integrate and direct CIA efforts against the serious threats to the United States and its allies emanating from North Korea," said Pompeo. "It also reflects the dynamism and agility that CIA brings to evolving national security challenges."
Ken Dilanian
Wyden Vows To Block Trump Nominee Till Senate Investigators Get Documents
Oregon Democrat Ron Wyden says he will block the nomination of Donald Trump’s pick to be the top Treasury intelligence official until Treasury’s anti-money-laundering agency produces documents requested by the Senate Intelligence Committee related to Trump.
Sen. Wyden says he will maintain a hold on the nomination of Sigal Mandelker to be under secretary of the Treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence until the documents are produced.
This week, Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, announced that the committee had asked the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) for records relating to President Trump and his associates.
"I have stated repeatedly that we have to follow the money if we are going to get to the bottom of how Russia has attacked our democracy," Wyden said. "That means thoroughly review any information that relates to financial connections between Russia and President Trump and his associates, whether direct or laundered through hidden or illicit transactions. The office which Ms. Mandelker has been nominated to head is responsible for much of this information."
Top Senate Intel Dem Doesn't Expect Mike Flynn to Provide Requested Documents
Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia told NBC News the Senate Intelligence Committee is meeting today to review material about Russia's meddling in the U.S. election — and that today is also the deadline for former Trump aides Mike Flynn and Carter Page to provide documents requested by the committee.
"The first round of information requests we made to General Flynn and some of the others were due today and we're going to be discussing first steps," said Warner, the committee's ranking Democrat.
"We've gotten word that we're getting some [documents]. Obviously some of the others, like Flynn, I'm not holding my breath on."
Courtney Kube
Iran Test Fires High-Speed Torpedo Sunday
Three senior defense officials report that Iran test-fired a high-speed torpedo near the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday.
The Hoot torpedo is still in the testing phase, the officials report, but once it is fully operational it should be able to travel about 12,000 yards (approximately six nautical miles) at a speed of about 200 knots per hour (approximately 250 miles per hour). None of the officials could say whether the test was successful or not.
The USS George HW Bush strike group is in the Gulf right now but all three officials said the test did not pose a threat to U.S. ships or assets in the region.
Two of the officials said that the Iranian military last tested this torpedo in February 2015.
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https://www.greenwichcitizen.com/news/article/Former-Brooks-publisher-Kevin-Lally-dies-53-539628.php
Former Brooks publisher Kevin Lally dies, 53
Published 9:32 am EDT, Monday, June 28, 2010
Former Brooks Community Newspapers publisher Kevin Lally died Friday, June 25, 2010. He was 53.
Photo: Contributed Photo
Kevin J. Lally died on Friday, June 25, at his Westport home. He was 53.
Born on Dec. 7, 1956, a son of the late Harry and Gail Lally, he was a resident of Westport for 35 years. He graduated from Skidmore College in 1979 with a degree in art and business and attended a graduate accounting and business program at Fairfield University. He was a 1974 graduate of Staples High School in Westport.
Kevin lived and worked in Westport for most of his life but, moreover, his name was synonymous with Fairfield County. His philanthropic spirit was integral in helping sustain the good works of numerous charities and nonprofit organizations.
He spent the majority of his career in the newspaper publishing business. Under the tutelage of B.V. Brooks and his father, Harry Lally, Kevin was instrumental in building Brooks Community Newspapers into a successful company that published six weekly newspapers and several monthly newspapers and magazines. He began working for Brooks when he was a teenager, and gradually rose up the ranks to publisher and president. During his 35-plus years at Brooks Community Newspapers, he saw the group of weeklies and twice-weeklies -- Westport News, Darien News-Review, Fairfield Citizen-News, Norwalk Citizen-News, Greenwich Citizen and New Canaan News-Review -- gain widespread recognition and readership and garner numerous national and industry awards. Kevin established the Brooks Community Newspapers grants program for nonprofit organizations throughout Fairfield County. With the grants program, scores of nonprofits were given greater visibility and consequently were able to raise more funds for their causes.
He also was community liaison for the Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts in Westport. He served on the governing committee of the Levitt as well as the building committee for a new pavilion.
He served on several professional and civic organizations. He was past president of the Darien Chamber of Commerce and past chairman of the Fairfield Chamber of Commerce and the Westport Chamber of Commerce. He was director emeritus of Elderhouse; former member of the boards of directors of the Fairfield County Community Foundation, the Mid-Fairfield County Child Guidance Center and the Westport Country Playhouse; past president of the New England Press Association; and ex-officio member of the Westport-Weston United Way. He also was chairman of Connecticut admissions for Skidmore College.
He was a recipient of the Faces of Achievement Award from the Westport Weston Family Y.
An avid tennis player, he was a member of the Shore and Country Club of Norwalk.
Most recently, he worked in sales and in consulting.
He is survived by his children, Meghan Campbell Lally and Trevor John Lally of Westport; his former wife, Nancy Lally of Westport; his brothers, Brian Lally of California and Steven Lally of Maine; and several cousins, nieces and nephews.
Friends may greet the family from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 30, at the Magner Funeral Home, 12 Mott Ave., Norwalk. A private family burial is planned.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Trevor Lally Providence College Fund, c/o Attorney Michael Laux, trustee, 66 Hillandale Road, Westport CT 06880.
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Politics, courts involved in U.S. health care's 2016 diagnosis
by Carol Zimmermann, Catholic News Service
Mercy Sr. Karen Schneider, who is a pediatrician, talks with the mother of a child in the emergency room at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore in 2014. (CNS / Bob Roller)
Washington — U.S. health care seemed stuck in the waiting room for part of the year, holding out for its future prognosis from courtroom and political decisions.
During the election year talk, health care as a whole was not a top issue as it competed against the economy, terrorism, foreign policy, gun control and immigration.
What did come up was the Affordable Care Act, which became law in 201, and was fully implemented in 2015 and has already been upheld twice by the U.S. Supreme Court.
For now, the future of the health care law remains unclear until the new administration takes control in the new year. President-elect Donald Trump and congressional Republicans have vowed to repeal and replace the law.
The Catholic church has had concerns with the Affordable Care Act. The U.S. Catholic bishops and Catholic hospitals have long emphasized that the poor and vulnerable must have access to health care, and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, in a 2010 letter to Congress, stressed that health care is "a basic human right" and "universal coverage should be truly universal." The health care law through federal and state exchanges allows people even with limited income to get subsidies to have a health care plan.
But there are still questions about coverage of abortion by health care plans and for church leaders, a major sticking point with the legislation also has been its contraceptive mandate — challenged in courts and sent back to the lower courts by the Supreme Court this past summer. The dispute has been over the Department of Health and Human Services' requirement that all employers, including most religious employers, provide contraceptive coverage in employees' health plans even if the employer morally objects to the coverage. The mandate provides a narrow religious exemption for houses of worship.
Even though the Supreme Court hoped the two sides could work out a compromise, that never happened and lawyers on both sides have instead been applying for extended deadlines to work it out.
But the mood changed somewhat after Trump was elected in a campaign in which he said he is pro-life, causing the Little Sisters of the Poor and other religious employers that had challenged the mandate to cautiously breathe a sigh of relief.
"Everyone is still protected by the Supreme Court's order, but they know with a new administration it could change in minutes," said Mark Rienzi, lead attorney for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which represented the Little Sisters of the Poor.
Rienzi seems confident Trump's campaign promises to repeal some or all of the Affordable Care Act would very likely take the contraceptive issue off the table.
"We feel optimistic," he told Catholic News Service Nov. 22, stressing that a major part of Trump's victory stemmed from religious voters convinced he would best represent them with pro-life policies and Supreme Court nominee picks.
And since the health law falls under HHS, many have been looking at Trump's pick to head that agency, Rep. Tom Price, R-Georgia, a physician and a critic of the Affordable Care Act. He, too, supports repealing it or at least its contraceptive mandate.
Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life, praised Trump's selection of Price for the post, saying he has a "strong record in defense of innocent human life" and "will empower the Department of Health and Human Services to protect the most vulnerable members of our society."
Prior to the election, Sr. Carol Keehan, a Daughter of Charity, who is president and CEO of the Catholic Health Association, said Catholic voters should be concerned that health care is accessible to everyone and that "people get health care they need, not health care they can afford."
She said a major concern is that millions of people still do not have access to health care, which she said has been a clear teaching of the popes from the previous eight or 10 popes to Pope Francis. She also stressed that "affordable health care is a non-negotiable priority in church teaching" and that a lack of access to health care not only causes early death but also suffering.
This year, besides defending the need for affordable health care, as she has in previous years, Keehan also has been outspoken in defending Catholic hospitals when they have faced criticisms and been the target of lawsuits.
This past spring, the American Civil Liberties Union issued a report called "Health Care Denied" that argued women's lives were jeopardized because Catholic hospitals, in adhering to church teaching, do not perform abortions, sterilizations and other "reproductive health" procedures.
The ACLU has represented women in a number of lawsuits brought against Catholic hospitals based on the same issue that to date have been dismissed.
This past summer, a small study in a health journal also suggested that Catholic hospitals were not able to fully care for women who encountered emergencies during their pregnancies and faulted them for not making referrals for abortions or sterilization procedures.
Keehan acknowledged that Catholic hospitals will not make abortion referrals or offer sterilizations, but she told CNS that these hospitals are fully equipped to deal with crisis pregnancies and are particularly competent in maternal and infant care.
She also told America magazine, a monthly Jesuit publication, that the journal's report reflected "a common misperception among a growing and aggressive chorus of critics of Catholic health care" that say the U.S. bishops' "Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services" prevents Catholic hospitals from acting in the best interests of women, especially those whose pregnancies are in crisis.
As she put it: "Many Catholic hospitals are the high-risk maternity facility for their area and have an incredible history" of helping women.
Catholic hospitals also have been the focus of a pension battle that the Supreme Court agreed in early December to look at next year. The dispute is whether religious hospitals and schools can be exempt from complying with federal laws covering employee pension benefits.
Two of the three hospital systems in the suit coming before the high court are Catholic. They argue that as church-affiliated organizations, they are exempt from providing some pension benefits. Their employees, and the lower courts, have said these pensions do not qualify as "church plans."
During a panel discussion about health care in November at Georgetown University, Dr. Lester Ruppersberger, president of the Catholic Medical Association, said his organization has long recognized the need for U.S. health care reform.
He said the group's 2004 white paper, "Health Care in America: A Catholic Proposal for Renewal" — which offered specific policy proposals based on Catholic moral and social teaching — was still relevant today because it points to a crisis in American health care stemming from the lack of health insurance coverage for millions of Americans in 2004 and even today.
"Changes in public policy are needed to foster a renewed climate in which individuals and families are free to make decision about their health care and its source based upon conscience," he said.
Politics | Politics, courts involved in U.S. health care's 2016 diagnosis
Editorial: We embrace a broader vision of government
A one-term president? Don't count Trump out
Catholic women tell candidates: 'Family values' not just a buzzword
It is up to us to defend human dignity
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SportJuniors
sport, juniors,
NEWCASTLE High School will make its debut in the Bill Turner Cup finals series at Speers Point on Tuesday, while Hunter Sports High continues a remarkable run of 15 straight finals series in the Bill Turner Trophy. The top four sides from each competition play in semi-finals at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility before finals and consultations on Wednesday. The Bill Turner Cup (boys) and Trophy (girls) are high school knock-out tournaments for students 15-years-and-under which commenced in April with teams from Cairns to Melbourne, including all of NSW and the ACT. The Cup began with 450 teams and the Trophy with 400. Newcastle High qualified for the finals with a 1-0 win over Byron Bay High School at Coffs Harbour in August, having defeated six sides from the Hunter beforehand. Archie Goodwin scored in the 13th minute against Byron Bay and the boys hung on to progress to the finals for the first time since the competition began in 1979. They face a tough challenge in Westfield Sports High in their semi-final at 4.30pm with the winner to face Toowoomba Grammar or Bosley Park High. “Really looking forward to it,” Newcastle High captain Pat Bond said. “Third place play-off if we lose and the final if we win. “Everyone is proud [of making the finals]; the principal, the coach and all the boys, heaps proud.” Hunter Sports High, who have finished second in the Trophy for the past two years, take on last year’s winner Westfield Sports High – who defeated them 6-1 in the 2017 final. The semi-final kicks off at 1.30pm.
https://nnimgt-a.akamaihd.net/transform/v1/crop/frm/max.mckinney/9e01db0d-8e60-453f-8cef-f56d8380f5bc.jpg/r0_261_2682_1776_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg
September 3 2018 - 6:30AM
Newcastle High and Hunter Sports High in Bill Turner finals at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility
Max McKinney
CLASH: Westfield Sports High School battle Hunter Sports High School in the 2017 Bill Turner Trophy final.
NEWCASTLE High School will make its debut in the Bill Turner Cup finals series at Speers Point on Tuesday, while Hunter Sports High continues a remarkable run of 15 straight finals series in the Bill Turner Trophy.
The top four sides from each competition play in semi-finals at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility before finals and consultations on Wednesday.
The Bill Turner Cup (boys) and Trophy (girls) are high school knock-out tournaments for students 15-years-and-under which commenced in April with teams from Cairns to Melbourne, including all of NSW and the ACT. The Cup began with 450 teams and the Trophy with 400.
Newcastle High qualified for the finals with a 1-0 win over Byron Bay High School at Coffs Harbour in August, having defeated six sides from the Hunter beforehand.
Archie Goodwin scored in the 13th minute against Byron Bay and the boys hung on to progress to the finals for the first time since the competition began in 1979.
They face a tough challenge in Westfield Sports High in their semi-final at 4.30pm with the winner to face Toowoomba Grammar or Bosley Park High.
“Really looking forward to it,” Newcastle High captain Pat Bond said.
“Third place play-off if we lose and the final if we win.
“Everyone is proud [of making the finals]; the principal, the coach and all the boys, heaps proud.”
Hunter Sports High, who have finished second in the Trophy for the past two years, take on last year’s winner Westfield Sports High – who defeated them 6-1 in the 2017 final. The semi-final kicks off at 1.30pm.
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‘Hot Tub Time Machine 2’ to get cinema release on Christmas Day 2014
Jamie Crossan Feb 2, 2014 4:03 pm GMT
Credit: MGM
Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, and Clark Duke return for the sequel
Hot Tub Time Machine 2 has been given a release date of Christmas Day (December 25) 2014.
Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, and Clark Duke return for the sequel, which will be directed by Steve Pink from a script by Josh Heald, according to Deadline.
The original Hot Tub Time Machine film focused on a group of four men, unhappy with their lives, who travel back in time via a hot tub to an important night in their teenage years in the ’80s. Watch the trailer for the original film below. Although the film wasn’t a big box office success grossing around $50 million, it became a big home entertainment hit.
In the sequel, Lou (Corddry) finds himself in trouble so Nick (Robinson) and Jacob (Duke) fire up the Hot Tub Time Machines once again in order to return to the past. However, the mistakenly end up in the future and must alter the future to change the past.
Meanwhile, director Steve Pink’s new movie About Last Night, starring Kevin Hart and Paula Patton, is set for release on 14 February in the US.
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2019/2020 Victoria State Budget update
Sarah Ralph
Martin Irwin
Elisa de Wit
Ganga Narayanan
Publication | May 28, 2019
State Financial Position & Tax
Jobs and employment
The State budget released yesterday is carefully crafted around delivering on election promises made in the course of last year’s election campaign, and sustaining ongoing infrastructure investment, especially in transport. It is sobered by reductions in revenue (primarily from reduced stamp duty returns because of a lower transaction volumes and prices).
There are a few pain points, most notably required reductions in public service expenditure, and increases in stamp duty surcharges for certain property transactions.
Perhaps the most re-assuring aspect of the Budget is its consistency with what has gone before, demonstrating a commitment to stay the course, which has proven so far to be both economically and electorally successful.
The following paragraphs provide relevant highlighted details and commentary on most of the key sectors.
The key takeaways on the State’s financial position are:
The budget papers estimate a slim operating surplus of $1 billion in 2019-20, and surpluses averaging $3.4 billion a year over the forward estimates.
Total revenue is expected to grow by a subdued 2.2% to reach $71 billion in 2019-20, then recover to an average growth rate of 5% per year over the forward estimates.
The growth of property-related revenue in the near term has been revised down as a result of the softening property market.
Growth in non-property related tax revenues continues to grow strongly.
The key tax and duty initiatives in the 2019/2020 budget are:
The current exemption for corporate reconstructions will be replaced, from 1 July 2019, with a duty rate of 10% of the duty otherwise payable. The qualifying provisions for such concessional relief will also be expanded.
An increase in the absentee landowner surcharge from 1.5% to 2% from the 2020 land tax year.
An increase in the land transfer duty surcharge on foreign purchasers of residential property from 7% to 8%. This will apply to contracts entered into after 1 July 2019.
An increase of motor vehicle duty imposed on luxury vehicles from 1 July 2019. Two new super-luxury thresholds will also be introduced with greater duty rates.
A cut to the regional payroll tax rate to 1.2125%, phased in by 2022-23. This will bring the regional payroll tax rate down to just 25% of the metro rate (down from 50% currently). The eligibility criteria for this payroll tax concession will also be expanded.
A 50% discount on land transfer duty for commercial and industrial properties in regional Victoria, phased-in by 2023-24.
An increase in the payroll tax-free threshold from $650,000 to $700,000 by 2022-23 (with incremental $25,000 increases in 2021-22 and 2022-23).
Removal of the land tax exemption for contiguous land in metropolitan areas.
Removal of the exemption for gold from royalties from 1 January 2020. The royalty rate will be 2.75% of the net market value of gold production.
The budget papers estimate a slim operating surplus in each and every year over the forward estimates, balancing the Government’s ambitious spending programs in infrastructure and core services with variable growth in revenue.
Revenue growth over the next 12 months has been revised down as a result of the subdued property market which will impact revenue from transfer duty and land tax. However, total revenue growth is expected to return to trend (circa 5%) from 2020-21 onwards.
Corporate reconstruction transactions that were previously exempt will be hit with a reduced rate of duty, which will no doubt cause some consternation. There will be an increase to the foreign stamp duty surcharge and the foreign land tax surcharge, as well as an increase in duty on luxury motor vehicles. Rural and regional areas will benefit from new and improved concessions relating to payroll tax and transfer duty.
The Government has continued to commit significant funds to existing and new infrastructure projects, with a particular emphasis on transport. The key initiatives in this area include:
North East Link: $15.8 billion to connect the M80 Ring Road with an upgraded Eastern Freeway.
Continuation of the $6.6 billion Level Crossing Removal project, with 25 additional level crossings to be removed in the following year.
$750 million to duplicate the Cranbourne line.
$530 million to duplicate sections of the Hurstbridge rail line.
$2.1 billion platform, stabling and traction power upgrades to the Sunbury line.
$300 million towards commencing detailed planning and pre-construction works for the Suburban Rail Loop, a 90km rail line circling Melbourne’s suburbs.
$145 million for 10 new E-Class trams and upgrades to Z-Class trams.
The Government is continuing its $6.6 billion railway crossing renewal programme, promising the removal of a further 25 level crossings in the coming year. Suburban and regional railway lines will also be upgraded. The Government has allocated funding for upgraded trams ($163 million), the State bus network ($50.1 million), and bike and pedestrian paths ($45.4 million).
The $15.8 billion North East Link is the long-awaited road project that the Government estimates will take thousands of cars off local roads.
The Government has also committed $29.4 billion for new infrastructure projects. These projects include the new Melbourne Airport Rail link, which will run from Melbourne Airport to Melbourne’s CBD via Sunshine, where it will link up with regional rail lines. A 90km rail line circling Melbourne’s suburbs is also planned, which will include the construction of potentially 12 new underground stations. The Western Rail Plan will involve the separation of regional and metro rail services, with a view to accommodate high speed rail lines to Geelong and Ballarat.
Infrastructure expenditure is expected to increase up to almost $15 billion in the 2020/2021 budget year, before declining in the 2020/2021 budget.
Against the backdrop of considerable investment in this sector over recent years, investment continues, with the major item being the investment in the Footscray Hospital of $1.4 billion.
Also of interest are a number of items directed to regional needs, including a further $100 million into the Regional Health Infrastructure Fund, to provide further support to regional health services. In a similar vein is $136 million to provide for 500,000 specialist appointments for regional and rural Victorians.
The Budget also provides $322 million to kick-start the rollout of free dental care to all Victorian government school students. This is also expected to have the collateral benefit of taking pressure of existing dental services.
There is also $300 million directed to supporting medical emergency services, in the form of more paramedics, ambulances and ambulance stations.
The key initiatives in this area include:
$882 million to establish the rollout of three-year-old kindergarten for every child.
$671 million for the construction of 17 new schools.
$402 million to build, expand and renovate non-government schools.
$363 million towards upgrading classrooms and facilities across 59 existing schools, with a further 44 schools receiving funding to plan for their upgrades.
$291 million for the Relocatable Buildings Program, School Pride and Sport Fund and Asbestos Safety Program.
$218 million to support children with disability and additional needs.
$86.2 million for education and student support programs.
$57 million for the Building Better TAFEs Fund.
The 2019/20 Budget has allocated significant funding towards reform of the early childhood education sector; infrastructure; education and student support programs and initiatives to support children with disability and additional needs.
In relation to infrastructure, the Government has committed funding towards the construction, development and upgrade of new and existing schools throughout metropolitan and regional Victoria. The Government plans to construct 17 new schools and upgrade approximately 42 schools across metropolitan Victoria. Funding has also been committed to constructing 2 new schools and upgrading 17 across regional Victoria. The Government plans to acquire land for new schools in Hume, Melton, Macedon Ranges and Wodonga. Substantial funding has also been allocated to non-government schools.
The Budget has also committed funding to support children with disability and additional needs. This includes funding for approximately 5,400 students with high needs to attend mainstream and specialist government schools through the Students with Disabilities program.
The Government has also committed funding to education support programs including funding to support the expansion of School Breakfast Clubs program which presently provides free breakfasts in 500 schools across Victoria. The Budget also allocates funding to assist families facing financial hardship with school uniforms, textbooks and other essential items through the State Schools Relief program.
The 2019/20 budget focuses on training and skills development, work health and safety and providing opportunities for business to grow. The key initiatives include:
Payroll tax: along with payroll tax changes the Government will introduce payroll tax exemptions to incentivise employers to offer parental leave to mothers and fathers.
Work Health and Safety (WHS): pledging $16.6 million to strengthen WHS across Victoria; $3 million on health checks for farm workers and to employ Farm Safety Officers; and $14.5 million on mental health support for emergency services workers.
Training Initiatives: investing over $900 million in teaching and training initiatives to improve the skills and supply of workers in the farming, medical, police and education industries.
Support for the unemployed: allocating $8.8 million to expand JobsBank and the Victoria Employment Network to help the long-term unemployed find work.
A $150 million investment to establish the Victorian Jobs and Investment Fund.
For the third budget in a row the Government also released a gender equality budget statement highlighting initiatives that support women and their participation in all aspects of the budget including education and jobs.
$139.4 million over the next year, and $1.3 billion over the next 10 years, has been allocated to continuing the Solar Homes program.
$43.3 million has been allocated to the Managing Bushfire Risk program over the next four years, which aims to work with local communities to mitigate the risks and impacts of bushfires throughout Victoria.
$34.9 million over the next three years will be invested in interim measures to strengthen the Victorian recycling sector by accelerating collaborative procurement of recycling services by councils, improving markets for recycled content, community and industry education, and behaviour change programs focused on waste minimisation.
$30 million has been allocated to rehabilitating a waste stockpile at Lara. These funds will be put towards maintaining fire prevention measures and commencing works to clean up the site. This initiative is to be funded from the Municipal and Industrial Landfill Levy.
$15 million has been allocated to strengthening the Environment Protection Authority.
$2 million has been allocated to developing the first climate change strategy under the Climate Change Act (2017) to guide Victoria in tackling emissions reduction, addressing climate change and creating jobs in a low-carbon future.
A contribution of $1 million will be made to a 10-megawatt solar farm for Newstead to help transition the town to 100 per cent renewable energy.
There is a continued focus on issues that have recently attracted community concern, such as the future of the recycling industry following China’s decision to ban foreign waste, rehabilitation of a waste stockpile at Lara, and reducing bushfire risk by increasing forest firefighting capacity and fuel management operations.
Significant funding is being directed towards the Environment Protection Authority in the lead up to the overhaul of Victoria’s environment protection laws. The Environment Protection Amendment Act 2018 is due to take effect on 1 July 2020.
The government has also invested significantly in its solar homes program, which offers rebates and interest-free loans for solar panels, solar hot water systems and battery storage (for homes with existing solar energy systems).
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The Ethics Of Tech NPR's Scott Detrow talks with former Google engineer Yonatan Zunger. He argues the tech industry should operate with a "higher standard for care."
The Ethics Of Tech
The Ethics Of Tech 3:32
April 7, 20188:11 AM ET
NPR's Scott Detrow talks with former Google engineer Yonatan Zunger. He argues the tech industry should operate with a "higher standard for care."
SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will be facing tough questions when he appears before Congress in the coming days. At the top of the list, the scandal involving Cambridge Analytica. That's the company that's been accused of improperly obtaining data from millions of Facebook users, then using that information for its work on political campaigns, reportedly including the Trump campaign.
Let's hear now from someone with a long history in Silicon Valley. Yonatan Zunger, the former Google engineer, recently wrote in The Boston Globe that this scandal is just more evidence that the entire tech industry faces an ethical crisis.
YONATAN ZUNGER: The method by which Cambridge Analytica got the data from Facebook was a system Facebook built almost specifically for the purpose of making it easy for companies to harvest information about networks of individuals.
DETROW: Right. And you write that over and over again throughout history, and also in recent years, in the tech field, companies work on something with a specific intention, and then the product is used with - only a slightly degree off from that intention in a way that nobody thought about and causes a lot of harm.
ZUNGER: Absolutely. Something I always tell people is that any idiot can build a system. Any amateur can make it perform. Professionals think about how a system will fail. It's very common for people to think about how a system will work if it's used the way they imagine it, but they don't think about how that system might work if it were used by a bad actor, or it could be used by just a perfectly ordinary person who's just a little different from what the person designing it is like.
DETROW: How do companies have those conversations like you mentioned about the downsides of the services they're coming up with?
ZUNGER: This is the single most important thing that most companies can be doing right now. First and foremost, companies need to pay attention. And, in fact, individuals working at these companies need to be thinking about how each product could actually be used in the real world.
If you build a product that works great for men and is going to lead to harassment of women, you have a problem. If you build a product that makes everyone's address books 5 percent more efficient and then gets three people killed because it happened to leak their personal information to their stalker, that's a problem.
What you need is a very diverse working group that can recognize a wide range of problems, that knows which questions to ask and has the support both inside the company and in the broader community to surface these issues and make sure that they're taken seriously and considered as genuine safety issues before a product is released to the public, as well as after.
This is different from a traditional compliance function, where they come in at the very end and say, no, I'm sorry. You can't launch this, at which point a business leader is just going to say, well, we need to launch it and it's too late to change it. Because they were in there from the room from day one, it makes a huge difference.
DETROW: A lot of people would say, especially here in Washington, where we are, that the answer could be federal regulation. Do you think that's the right way?
ZUNGER: I think regulation has a place, but it's important to handle it very carefully. In particular, everyone agrees that building codes are a great idea, and I think most people also agree that our elected representatives are not the right people to decide what kind of insulation is appropriate for use in the garage.
What you want is regulation and other mandatory mechanisms, like ethics standards or review boards or whatever processes you have, that specifies goals and objectives, which we can discuss as a society. And then the actual translation of that into implementation is something that should be done by people who deeply understand the field.
DETROW: Well, Yonatan Zunger, formerly of Google. Now he works for the tech company Humu. Thank you so much for joining us.
ZUNGER: Thank you very much.
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Home Culture Bullock, Timberlake top winners at People’s Choice awards
Bullock, Timberlake top winners at People’s Choice awards
Los Angeles- "Gravity" star Sandra Bullock, chart-topping singer Justin Timberlake and blockbuster "Iron Man 3" were the biggest winners at the public-voted People's Choice awards show.
Los Angeles- “Gravity” star Sandra Bullock, chart-topping singer Justin Timberlake and blockbuster “Iron Man 3” were the biggest winners at the public-voted People’s Choice awards show.
On the small screen, hit comedy “The Big Bang Theory” and drama “The Good Wife” were among the top winners, while actors earning prizes included Chris Colfer, star of “Glee” which started the night with most nominations.
Britney Spears was named favorite pop artist, while singer and actress Jennifer Hudson won hearts with an emotional speech in accepting a humanitarian award at Wednesday night’s event.
The People’s Choice awards kick off the main phase of Hollywood’s annual awards season, as Tinseltown prepares to gather for the Golden Globes on Sunday, the Grammys in two weeks before the Oscars climax on March 2.
Bullock, who is tipped for multiple awards in the next month or two for her turn in 3D space spectacular “Gravity,” picked up four awards Thursday including favorite movie actress.
She also won a share of favorite movie duo with “Gravity” co-star George Clooney, favorite comedy movie actress and favorite drama movie actress.
Veteran Johnny Depp won favorite movie actor — even though “The Lone Ranger” was a major flop — Robert Downey Jr. took best action star, Adam Sandler best comedy actor and Leonardo DiCaprio favorite dramatic movie actor.
Downey Jr. also helped “Iron Man 3” win both favorite movie and favorite action movie.
Timberlake dominated the music categories with three wins for favorite male artist, favorite R&B artist and favorite album for his mega-selling “The 20/20 Experience.”
On television, “The Good Wife” star Josh Charles won best dramatic actor, while top drama actress went to “Castle” star Stana Katic.
Colfer won best comedy actor, and Kaley Cuoco of “The Big Bang Theory” won best comedy actress.
Steven Colbert won best late night talk host, while best streaming series — a category reflecting the huge growth of online viewing — went to “Orange is the New Black,” which runs on pioneering Internet TV and movie service Netflix.
Hudson won the favorite humanitarian award, and accepted it with her sister Julia for the foundation they launched in the name of Julia’s son after his death in a 2008 murder which also killed their mother and brother.
“It’s one thing to be a celebrity and have power .. but it means nothing if we’re not making a difference by helping someone else,” she said.
Jay-Z tops Grammy nominations, snub for Timberlake
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Robyn: Röyksopp’s New Album Is “Fucking Amazing”
The kings and queen of Scandinavian electro-pop reveal juicy details before wrapping up a joint tour.
Patrick Caldwell
News EditorBio | Follow
Röyksopp's Svein Berge with Robyn at the UK's Latitude Festival last month. Richard Isaac/AP
Under the harsh fluorescent lights in the basement of a suburban DC concert venue, as they picked at a pre-show dinner of salmon and rice—I interrogated Swedish superstar Robyn and her Norwegian collaborators, the electro-pop duo Röyksopp, for details about their upcoming releases. The hugely popular Scandinavian acts are on a joint tour promoting Do It Again, their five-song, 35-minute, “mini-album” released in May.
“The Inevitable End” has “a dark energy,” says Röyksopp’s Berge. “And I think it’s very sincere.”
Robyn got her start back in the ’90s as a teen-pop idol, only to leave that image behind in the mid-2000s, ditching her major label and transforming herself into an electro-pop superstar who has pumped out a string of club bangers with the sort of feminist messages seldom heard on the radio. Norwegian duo Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland formed Röyksopp in 1998, and since then have remained at the forefront of a worldwide boom in electronic music.
During our chat, Berge dropped the previously undisclosed title of their upcoming album: The Inevitable End is slated for release in November. “It’s fucking amazing!” Robyn chimed in. The duo’s last full-length album, 2010’s Senior, was a relatively downtempo affair, full of instrumental tracks that lacked the electro-pop dance sensibilities defining the band’s previous work. With The Inevitable End, Röyksopp will return to its roots, re-adding vocals, while still holding onto a bit of that introspective tone. “It’s got a dark energy,” Berge says. “And I think it’s very sincere in many ways. Well, all the music we make is hopefully sincere, but it sits with me.”
Berge and Brundtland said they might just have to steal Robyn’s description of their album: “It’s sad, but it’s not cold. It’s very warm.” If Röyksopp keeps its promise to fans, a new version of “Monument,” the opening track of their partnership with Robyn, will be on the tracklist.
Robyn has been working on a new album herself, a follow-up to her three-part Body Talk series, which spawned megahits like “Dancing On My Own” and “Call Your Girlfriend” (below).
She’s hoping to have the new one out by year’s end, co-produced with her longtime collaborator Christian Falk, who died of cancer just a few weeks ago. “I worked with him for the first time on my first album—when I was 16. So I’ve known him half of my life. We became good friends and we kept working in different ways,” she told me. “We’re finishing the album without him, which is a really strange experience, but also a really beautiful thing because we get to be around the memory of him and the music a little bit longer.”
She’s been testing out some of the new material onstage recently. The show I saw this past Thursday included three fresh songs, which blended in seamlessly alongside her old hits.
Once the Röyksopp tour wraps up, she and Markus Jägerstedt, a member of her touring band and key collaborator on her latest songs, plan to head into the studio to put the finishing touches on the album. “I think it’s maybe messier than what I usually do, because Christian was messy,” she says. “It’s a raw energy and it’s based on a club world. I think it’s going to be fantastic, I’m really happy about it.”
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Gabrielle Canon
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Home / Archives / Moviemaking / Distribution / Articles - Distribution / Rise of the Planet of the Apes Rises to Number One
Rise of the Planet of the Apes Rises to Number One
By Hugh Cunningham on August 8, 2011
The apes have taken over the box office. New release Rise of the Planet of the Apes brought in $54 million over the weekend, making it the number one film by a considerable margin. The Smurfs held steady at number two; its weekend gross of $21 million brings its total so far to $76.2 million. Last weekend’s number one, Cowboys & Aliens, slid to the number three spot (weekend gross $15.7 million, total gross $67.3 million). Body-swap comedy The Change-Up had a relatively disappointing opening weekend, its $13.5 million gross being only enough to get it to spot number four. Rounding out the top five was Captain America: The First Avenger; its $13 million weekend gross brings its current total to $143.1 million.
Out in limited release were The Whistleblower ($58,100), Gun Hill Road ($37,800), Bellflower ($24,000) and Mysteries of Lisbon ($11,500).
Out in wide release next weekend are 30 Minutes or Less, Final Destination 5, Glee: The 3D Concert Movie and The Help. Hitting theaters in limited release are Aarakshan, Littlerock, Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow and Senna.
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How the Senate's Obamacare repeal bill would wallop the urban poor, and especially those who rely on Medicaid and public hospitals
By Dr. Mary T. Bassett and Stanley Brezenoff
Gutting public health (Evan Vucci/AP)
If there was any hope that Senate Republicans could bring some sanity into the national discussion around the future of our health care system, such hope completely vanished on Thursday. Like the House's health care bill, the Senate's proposal is nothing less than an all-out attack on public health and our public hospital system, and its consequences will be devastating for New York City and the country.
As the Senate prepares to vote on the bill next week, it's imperative to understand what is at stake if the federal government guts funding for public health insurance — as it is poised to do.
The Senate is proposing to save money by slashing Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor established in 1965. Under its bill, cuts to Medicaid would be even harsher than those proposed by the House — which axes $880 billion to Medicaid over 10 years. Even worse, these efforts would push millions of Americans to the uninsured rolls.
Adding to this concern is the President's budget, which targets Medicaid with a proposed cut of $610 billion. His budget would also cut $5.8 billion from the Children's Health Insurance Program over two years.
Taken together, these policy proposals threaten a death blow to public hospital systems across the country, including our NYC Health + Hospitals. More profoundly, both the House and the Senate's bills would destroy a national commitment made 52 years ago to provide health care to the elderly and low-income Americans.
By shifting risk and fiscal responsibility to each state, the Republicans want to change what it means to be one country united in protecting all its citizens from the hard times of ill health.
Roughly 40% of residents in New York City are on Medicaid. And many need care; 61% had a pre-existing condition in 2015. If federal Medicaid funding is restricted, costs in billions would shift to Albany, requiring New York State to choose between raising taxes, drastically reducing services, shifting costs to New York City or kicking entire groups of people off the program.
Where will all these people go? New York City's public hospitals and clinics currently serve 1.2 million patients annually, one-third of whom are uninsured. As proposed by Republicans, the cuts would lead NYC Health + Hospitals to absorb as much as $1 billion in losses, without even taking into account further cuts from the President's budget proposal.
And this doesn't count the underinsured, whose care private hospitals often shift to the public sector. As critical as primary care is, the biggest challenge for the under- and uninsured is costly specialty care — cancer treatment, for example. Those with "skinny plans" and the uninsured will land in public hospitals reeling from budget cuts.
The cost won't be measured only in dollars. It will be measured in lives, mostly of the poor and people of color.
Despite its precarious future, the Affordable Care Act helped further the truth that health care is a human right. Now is the time to double down on that right, not double back.
Bassett is the New York City health commissioner. Brezenoff is the interim president and CEO of NYC Health + Hospital.
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Opinion|The Founders Would Gag at Today’s Republicans
The Jefferson Memorial in Washington.CreditCreditDamon Winter/The New York Times
The Founders Would Gag at Today’s Republicans
The cult of Trump has embraced values and beliefs that Jefferson, Washington and Lincoln abhorred.
By Timothy Egan
Contributing Opinion Writer
Kids in cages and tanks for the tyrant. After that dictator-friendly Fourth of July, it’s time for all true patriots to conduct a political gut check.
Like many people, I’m worried about the Democrats. A majority of Americans are desperate for someone to dislodge the despot from the White House. And yet some Democrats are pushing policy positions — such as taking away private health insurance from more than 150 million people — that are deeply unpopular.
The smarter candidates will rethink this, and soon, or otherwise ensure that an awful American aberration is more than a one-off.
But as troubled as I am by the Democrats, I’m terrified of the Republicans. In numerous surveys of a party that has adopted the worst pathologies of President Trump, Republicans have shown themselves to be explicitly anti-American. The Founders would gag. So would Abraham Lincoln.
Consider the Republicans’ view of the First Amendment, the most sacred of the freedoms embedded in this country’s governing blueprint. Just under half of Republicans now believe government should be able to shut down “biased or inaccurate media.” And close to half of Republicans have adopted Trump’s authoritarian view that the news media is “the enemy of the people.”
I don’t expect Republicans to know Thomas Jefferson’s words by heart — that if he were forced to choose between “a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.” This from a man who was subject to a lifetime of biased and inaccurate press.
But what part of “Congress shall make no law” abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, do these citizens not understand?
Regarding the other foundational liberty in the First Amendment, restricting an “establishment of religion” by the state, the cult of Trump would throw that under a steamroller of bigotry as well.
A majority of Republicans think Christianity should be the established national religion. And half of all Southerners — the deepest, most anti-American part of Trump’s base, with the DNA of Civil War traitors still coursing through the region — believe the United States was founded as an “explicitly Christian” nation.
George Washington made clear it was otherwise in a letter to a Jewish congregation in 1790 celebrating religious tolerance and diversity. “The citizens of the United States have a right to applaud themselves for having given to mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy,” he wrote.
Jefferson expressed a similar feeling, touting a homeland for “the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and the Mahometan, the Hindoo, and infidel of every denomination.”
So, quick summary: Republicans of today would not approve of the First Amendment as written. They would give Big Government free rein to quash dissenting voices in the press, and would prefer a merging of church and state.
Another founder, the immigrant Alexander Hamilton, would get the boot from Trump’s Republicans. He distrusted populists who disdain the rule of law, so there’s no place for him, a due process enthusiast, among the “lock her up” crowd. And he believed that immigrants were a source of greatness and renewal — a sentiment still shared by a majority of Americans.
But as they have picked up Trump’s hatreds as their own, Republicans have turned a cold shoulder to the wretched masses yearning to breathe free. Less than 40 percent of Republicans, in three recent polls, now believe immigrants are a benefit to the country. This could be because of ignorance: Even though the vast majority, 77 percent, of immigrants in this country are legal, a plurality of Republicans believe they are not.
Trump has compared himself to Abraham Lincoln, which is like comparing a noxious weed to a redwood tree. When the anti-immigrant Know Nothing party was at its height in the 1850s, Lincoln had this to say: “I am not a Know-Nothing. That is certain. How could I be?” He continued, “As a nation, we began by declaring that ‘all men are created equal.’ We now practically read it, ‘all men are created equal, except negroes.’ When the Know Nothings get control, it will read ‘all men are created equal except negroes, and foreigners, and catholics.’”
The modern-day Know-Nothings are the pink-faced mobs calling for a wall at Trump rallies. They are the architects of a government policy that puts children in filthy cages and forces them to drink fetid water, that sees helpless and newly orphaned babies as subhuman — all while laughing at the cruelty.
You can see why Republicans with a sense of history and fealty to the great sweep of their party’s finer principles describe themselves as politically homeless in 2019.
And when Trump rolls out weapons of war to celebrate the birth of a nation that never even had much of a standing army until the 20th century, you can see why passionate pride in this country is at its lowest point since Gallup started measuring this sentiment in the modern era.
Democracy is not mentioned in the Constitution nor in the Declaration of Independence, as the historian Virginia Anderson recently noted. It’s a human construct, more fragile than any of us believed until now. But when it’s gone, no one should be surprised.
Timothy Egan (@nytegan) is a contributing opinion writer who covers the environment, the American West and politics. He is a winner of the National Book Award and author of the forthcoming “A Pilgrimage to Eternity.”
The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And here’s our email: letters@nytimes.com.
Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram.
More by Timothy Egan.
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A version of this article appears in print on , Section A, Page 16 of the New York edition with the headline: The Founders Would Gag at Today’s Republicans. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe
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PHOTOS: Ocoee Middle falls 45-43 to Apopka in county championship
Thursday, Mar. 14, 2019 |
After tying the game in the dying seconds of regulation, the Cardinals run out of time in OT.
by: Troy Herring Sports Editor
In front of a packed gym on the West Orange High campus, the Ocoee Middle Cardinals (8-2) fought Apopka tooth-and-nail before falling 45-43 in overtime of the county championship game on Thursday, March 13.
Following a 65-58 double-overtime win in the Final Four against Lockhart Middle on Wednesday, March 6, the Cardinals came into Thursday's game with a championship on their mind against Apopka — who beat the Cardinals earlier for the division championship.
After a back-and-forth game, which saw Ocoee and Apopka trade blow after blow, the Cardinals found themselves down 42-40 with just 40 seconds to go and needing to make something happen. Then, with just one second left on the clock, the Cardinals were fouled on a shot — sending Ahlston Ware to the line where he hit two free throws to tie the game.
What followed was a fast-paced overtime that saw Apopka take the lead, before a three-pointer from Ocoee missed its mark at the buzzer to cap off another epic game for the Cardinals.
The Author: Troy Herring
Troy Herring is the sports editor at the West Orange Times and Windermere Observer. He is a graduate of the University of Mount Olive (BS '12) and the University of Alabama (MA '16)....
See All Articles by Troy
Foundation Academy set to introduce new sports next school year
Alex Jacky lives in the fast line
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Gemello, Matthew
Matthew Gemello
Matthew Gemello, a corporate partner in the Silicon Valley office, is a member of Orrick's M&A and Private Equity group.
A seasoned deal lawyer, Matthew guides global technology companies and their financial sponsors through transformational domestic and cross-border transactions.
Matthew has been recognized as a leading lawyer by Legal 500 and Super Lawyers Northern California, and was selected by the San Francisco and Los Angeles Daily Journal (2015) as one of the top 10 Innovative Corporate Lawyers in California.
Prior to joining Orrick, Matthew was a partner at Baker & McKenzie, where he was chair of the firm’s North America corporate and securities practice and chair of its North America pro bono practice.
Matthew’s recent transactions (prior to Orrick) include:
Maxim Integrated Products in its acquisitions of Icron Technologies (2018), Volterra Semiconductor (NasdaqGM: VLTR) (announced deal value US$607 million) (2013), SensorDynamics AG (announced deal value US$166 million) (2011), Teridian Semiconductor (announced deal value US$315 million) (2010), Phyworks Limited (announced deal value US$72 million) (2010), and the storage products division of Vitesse Semiconductor (2007); the sale of MEMs business to Hanking Industrial (2016); the sale/outsourcing of its manufacturing facility in San Antonio to TowerJazz (2016); the sale of its smart meter/energy monitoring business to Silergy (2016), its capacitive touch business to Qualcomm (2015), its 12Gb SAS expander technology to PMC-Sierra (2012), and its digital video gaming business to GEO Semiconductor (2012); and certain confidential non-public transactions.
Bayer AG in the sale of its global vegetable seeds business to BASF (announced deal value US$1.19 billion) (2018) its Blue Rock Therapeutics joint venture with Versant Ventures (2017); and its Joyn Bio joint venture with Ginkgo Bioworks (2017).
Motorola Solutions in its acquisitions of Avigilon (TSX: AVO) (announced deal value US$1 billion) (2018), Interexport (announced deal value US$158 million) (2017) and Gridstone (2016); the sale/outsourcing of its manufacturing capabilities in Malaysia (2015); the sale of its Enterprise Mobility business to Zebra Technologies (announced deal value US$3.45 billion) (international aspects only) (2013-2014); the separation and spinout of Motorola Mobility (2008-2011); the sale of its Networks business to Nokia Siemens Networks (announced deal value US$1.2 billion) (international aspects only) (2010-2011), its biometric business to Sagem Sécurité (2008-2009), its automotive electronics business to Continental AG (announced deal value US$1 billion) (2005-2006); the separation and spinout of Freescale Semiconductor (2004); the sale of its Tianjin semiconductor foundry to Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation in an asset-for-share swap (announced deal value US$360 million); as a selling stockholder in SMIC’s subsequent initial public offering (2003-2004); the acquisitions of privately held Modulus Video (2007), the SecureM business of Cavalier Telephone (2009-2010) and 280North (2010); and certain confidential non-public transactions.
Trimble Navigation in its acquisition of Viewpoint from Bain (announced deal value US$1.2 billion) (2018), Müller-Elektronik GmbH (2017), Savcor Holding Oy (2017), Silvdata AB Oy (2017), Stabiplan Holding B.V. (2017), Network Mapping Group Limited (2017), PacketMobile Communications AB (2015), Vianova Systems AS (2015), Spatial Dimensions Holdings Limited (2015), Nexala Ltd. (2014), Amtech Group Ltd. (2014), Load Systems Holdings Ltd (2014), Information Alignment Pty Ltd (2014), Manhattan Software Group Ltd (2013-2014), Actronic Holdings Limited (2013), CSC World (Cobco 387 Limited) (2013), Ashtech S.A.S. (2010-2011); and several confidential non-public transactions.
Alpha Group in its sale to EnerSys (announced deal value US$750 million) (2018).
Konica Minolta in its acquisition of Ambry Genetics (announced deal value US$1 billion) (2017).
Symantec Corporation in the sale of its information management business (dba Veritas) to The Carlyle Group (announced deal value US$8 billion) (international aspects only) (2014-2015).
Platinum Equity in the acquisitions of Consolidated Flight Services (2015) and Worldwide Flight Services (2015).
Agilent Technologies in its spinoff of its electronic measurement business (2013-2014); the sale of its network solutions communications test business to JDS Uniphase (announced deal value US$165 million) (2009-2010), its N2X product line to Ixia (2009), and its semiconductor products group to Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and Silver Lake Partners (announced deal value US$2.66 billion) (international aspects only) (2005); the separation, spinout and initial public offering of its semiconductor solutions business (known as Verigy Ltd.) (2005-2006); and certain confidential non-public transactions.
NetScout Systems in connection with its acquisition of Danaher’s communication business (announced deal value US$2.6 billion) (international aspects only) (2014-2015) and the voice assurance technology of Accanto Systems OY (2013).
AgraQuest in its sale to Bayer CropScience (announced deal value US$480 million) (2012).
D:+1 650 614 7329
1000 Marsh Road
Menlo Park, CA 94025-1015
Member of the Board of Directors of the Youth Law Center
Trustee of the Board of Trustees for Keys School
Northwestern University School of Law, J.D.
University of California, San Diego, B.A., American History
Member of the Business Law Sections of the American Bar Association
Member of the State Bar of California
Member of the San Mateo County Bar Association
Former member of the Executive Committee of the California State Bar's Business Law Section
Former Co-chair of the Corporations Committee of the Business Law Section
Co-Editor, Legal Opinions in Business Transactions (excluding the Remedies Option), published by the Corporation Committee of the Business Law Section of the State Bar of California (May 2005).
Contributing Editor & Primary Contributor, Handbook for Incorporating a Business in California, published by the Corporations Committee of the Business Law Section of the State Bar of California (November 2006).
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New Belgian Code on Companies and Associations
Guiding your business through the reform
Code on Companies and Associations
Start/Scale-Ups
Written on 7 Dec 2018
Why is the reform important for start/scale-ups?
The new Belgian Code on Companies and Associations (BCCA) aims at making Belgian corporate law simpler and more flexible. Belgian company forms will therefore become more attractive to start/scale-ups and investors. Both new and existing start/scale-ups can benefit from these new rules and enjoy more options regarding governance and funding, amongst other things.
Private Limited Liability Company (BV/SRL): standard company form for start/scale-ups
The previous rules governing the BVBA/SPRL were often perceived as being overly complicated or too rigid. The reform aims to make the new BV/SRL a far more flexible company form (like the Flex BV in The Netherlands).
Hence, the private limited liability company (BV/SRL) will become the most suitable company form for start/scale-ups. This simplifies the current situation and it can be expected that this will lead to a better understanding by (foreign) investors of Belgian company law and eventually a greater willingness to invest.
BV/SRL: key features relevant for start/scale-ups
No minimum capital (requirements)
The minimum capital requirements which previously applied to BVBAs/SPRLs are abolished and replaced by the requirement to have sufficient funds upon incorporation. This must be determined taking into account the type of activities of the BV/SRL. The funds must originate in principle from the shareholders, although the BCCA states that other financial sources such as subordinated loans may also be taken into account.
The obligation to prepare a financial plan remains in place and becomes more stringent. Due to the increased importance of the financial plan, it is recommended (although not mandatory) to draft the financial plan with the help of an external financial expert (e.g. an accountant).
Labour contributions
Under the new BCCA it is not only be possible to contribute cash or assets (in kind) to a BV/SRL. It is also possible to contribute labour. This has been a hot topic among founders for quite some time. Specific provisions determine how the rules applicable to contributions in cash/kind are applied to contribution of labour. Some situations will, however, require further clarification. For instance, all contributions must in principle be entirely paid up upon incorporation. Yet, this is not possible when the contribution consists of future labour performance. The explanatory note (Memorie van Toelichting/Exposé des Motifs) stipulates that the Articles of Association (AoA) will need to determine the pace at which the labour will be performed. This way it can be determined when this contribution of labour will be considered paid up.
Funding: more categories of securities allowed
According to the previous Belgian Companies Code (“BCC”), private limited liability companies could only issue categories of securities that were explicitly permitted by the BCC. The BCC provided that in a private limited liability company only shares and (regular) bonds could exist (art. 232 BCC). Hence, profit certificates, warrants and convertible bonds could not be issued.
The BCCA overturns this rule. With the entry into force of the BCCA, it became possible for a BV/SRL to issue any category of security as long as such issuance is not prohibited by the BCCA.
Shares – Caveat Emptor (Shareholder beware)
Previously, there was a link between the value of the contribution and the rights attached to the shares. The new BCCA entails an entirely new way of governing the economic and membership rights attached to BV/SRL shares. The default rule remains that all shares have equal economic and membership rights attached to them. Yet, as of the reform, the shareholders may deviate from this default rule in multiple ways. A minimum requirement is that every share has at least economic rights attached to it.
All rules that relate to the concept of “capital” have been abolished or modified. Since there is no longer any share capital, the shares of a BV/SRL will no longer represent such capital. There is no longer any nominal or par value of BV/SRL shares. It is even prohibited for a BV/SRL to use these concepts or refer to them in any way.
There is no longer any connection between the value of the contribution (upon incorporation or afterwards) and the rights attached to the BV/SRL shares. Therefore, it is possible to grant different rights to shares that have been issued in return for a similar contribution, and conversely to grant similar rights to shares that have been issued in return for different contributions. It is also possible to exempt a shareholder from participating in any loss of the company. This removes any doubts related to lion’s share (leonijns beding/clause léonine) when granting put options for a fixed price. However, a shareholder may not be excluded from any participation in the profits. Furthermore, this increased flexibility means it is possible to agree freely upon a liquidation preference in a BV/SRL.
As a result of this increased flexibility, (potential) shareholders have to be informed thoroughly about the rights attached to shares, especially with regard to the voting rights attached to the shares and the rights with regard to profit distribution and any rights upon (deemed) liquidation. The board has a duty to duly inform (potential) shareholders and justify the issuance price in light of these rights attached to the shares.
According to the new BCCA, it is possible for a BV/SRL to issue the same types of bonds as were previously restricted to only public limited liability companies (NV/SA), including perpetual bonds and convertible bonds. This change aligns with the general intention to increase the flexibility of the BCCA. In countries such as the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, these types of instruments have proven to be useful tools for start/scale-ups.
Previously, it was not possible for a BVBA/SPRL to issue warrants. This was again a handicap for the BVBA/SPRL because start/scale-ups regularly use warrants to incentivise employees or to offer protection against dilution to investors (anti-dilution warrants). In the new BCCA, this has changes. The BCCA makes it possible for a BV/SRL to issue warrants, which is referred to going forward as “subscription rights” (inschrijvingsrechten/droit de souscription).
The terms and conditions relating to the right of a holder of subscription rights to exercise his/her right are determined at the moment of issuance of the subscription right. Previously, the period during which subscription rights may be exercised could not exceed ten years as from their issuance (art. 499 BCC). If the issuance of subscription rights is intended mainly for identified persons other than employees, the subscription rights could not exceed a five-year term. Under the new BCCA, the 10-year limitation remains in place. However, the notion of employees has become broader and also includes consultants, ManCo’s and members of the board of the company (and subsidiaries), even when these are legal entities with a permanent representative. Furthermore, under the BCCA, the 5-year limitation is not applicable if, upon issuance of the subscription rights, all existing shareholders waive their pre-emption right. This has now been expressly clarified in the BCCA to remove any doubt.
The BCCA also increases the flexibility to determine the exercise price of subscription rights. When the preferential subscription rights are cancelled to issue subscription rights to the benefit of identified persons (other than employees), the BCC had imposed a minimum exercise price. This minimum price has been abandoned under the BCCA, making it easier to issue anti-dilution subscription rights or to set the right exercise price for ESOP subscription rights.
Transfer of shares
A BVBA/SPRL previously had very strict conditions when it came to the transferability of its shares. Free transfers of shares – such as is possible in an NV/SA – was not possible.
Without prejudice to more stringent provisions in the AoA and on penalty of nullity, previously, the shares of a shareholder may only be transferred inter vivos or transmitted by cause of death with the consent of at least one half of the shareholders holding at least three-quarters of the share capital, less the rights in respect of which the transfer is proposed.
After the reform, it became possible for the shareholders of a BV/SRL to determine whether or not the shares are freely transferable. This way, the shareholding of the BV/SRL can be made very “closed” or “open”. It is believed that the BV/SRL will thereby become a far more interesting company form for start/scale-up investors than the (old) BVBA/SPRL.
The Belgian legislator leaves it to the shareholders to adopt rules on the transferability of their shares, in the AoA and/or in a shareholders’ agreement. The reform nevertheless provides a clear default rule of closed shareholding, which applies in the event that shareholders fail to adopt rules on the transferability of shares.
Possibility to have a single shareholder
Previously, in principle at least two shareholders were necessary to set up a Belgian BVBA/SPRL or NV/SA. One exception to this rule existed, namely the “EBVBA/SPRL-S”. However, there were various restrictions to this company form as compared to the BVBA/SPRL with two shareholders. For example, the paid up capital had to amount to at least EUR 12,400 instead of EUR 6,200. Furthermore, if the sole shareholder is another company, this shareholder was jointly liable for the BVBA’s/SPRL’s liabilities.
The new BCCA states that certain company forms such as the BV/SRL and the NV/SA may now be incorporated by one single shareholder. This may be a natural person or a legal person. Previous rules in respect to the liability of that sole shareholder will cease to apply.
Keeping control as a founder with new rules on multiple voting rights
As a start/scale-up founder, it is often difficult to remain in control of “your” company. After having multiple financing rounds, founders can find their shareholding (sometimes heavily) diluted. Of course, the company raised new funds and one might hope that the shares have increased in value over time. This is also to the benefit of the founders.
Yet, the economic rights attached to the shares (dividend rights, liquidation proceeds) are not the only aspects that are relevant to the founding shareholders. Membership rights are often key as well. As a founder, the loss of a majority stake in the shareholding of the company will probably imply a loss of power.
The new BCCA provides for a solution in this respect by making multiple voting rights possible in the BV/SRL. Previuolsy, multiple voting rights were expressly prohibited by the BCC. The principle of “one share, one vote” has been one of the cornerstones in Belgian corporate law. Under the BCCA, a BV/SRL may introduce multiple voting rights. Such multiple voting rights may be granted to certain shareholders irrespective of the amount of time they have held their shares. Assuming that the BV/SRL is not listed, the freedom to tailor these multiple voting rights is nearly unlimited.
The instrument of multiple voting rights can allow founders to better protect their “control” over the company for a longer period of time. Much will, of course, depend on the bargaining power of the founder as he/she will need to manage the expectations of investors in respect of balanced (management) powers and veto rights.
If you have further questions about the impact of the Belgian Code on Companies and Associations on your start/scale-up, please do not hesitate to contact us.
BCCA Toolkit
Impact assessment & implementation toolkit 1. BCCA Impact assessment We will provide you with an impact assessment of the Belgian Code on Companies and Associations ("BCCA") for your business at…
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Reforms to the director liability regime under the new Belgian Code on Company and Associations
The new Code on Companies and Associations ("BCCA") ishere. The Code on Companies and Associations entered into force on 1 May 2019 and has major implications for businesses. In this…
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The new Belgian Code of Companies and Associations (the "BCCA") aligns the Belgian restructuring procedures with European practice. It goes even one step further by increasing the flexibility in various…
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David Haex
Partner, Belgium
Frank Hoogendijk
Associate, Belgium
Email Frank
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Hursey’s Bar-B-Q
Barbecue is nothing without a pit, sauce, family, and a legend. For the Hurseys, it all began one night about 70 years ago.
written by Daniel Wallace
photograph by Travis Dove
Creation stories are as important to barbecue joints as they are to the culture and history of the entire world. For instance, some say the Great Smoky Mountains were formed when a giant buzzard fell out of the sky. This is the same sort of thing you’re going for with barbecue joints: something big, something memorable. Facts are never as important as the truth. I wager that if you ask a proprietor about the origins of his particular establishment, he will not tell you that “it just seemed like a good idea at the time,” or “market research indicated that this was a propitious location for an eatery of this size and kind.”
On the contrary, barbecue joints are created in the misty dawn of another time by an ancestor — most always a man — who was brave and strong and hell-bent. A wild, devil-may-care man. A legend along the lines of Daniel Boone and Paul Bunyan. A story kids tell their kids, who tell their kids, and it goes like this: Once upon a time, our town was terrorized by giant hogs. They weighed close to 1,000 pounds each and were as fast as a cat getting out of a frying pan. We lost everything: our crops, our homes, our dogs. Then Great-Grandaddy dug a pit as big as a football field and deep as an ocean and covered it over with saw grass and lured the pigs into it. Then he invented fire and cooked ’em, and we ate for several generations.
Hursey’s Bar-B-Q in Burlington has a tale like this to tell. In the mid-’40s, patriarch Sylvester Hursey and a good friend were engaged in a night of bacchanalian revelry — they had a little party that got out of hand — and at some point it seemed like a good idea to find a pig and cook it, so that’s what they did. I imagine them in the still heat of a Carolina summer’s night, climbing over a splintered wooden fence and into the pigpen. The moonlight broke through the limbs of the giant oak and shone on the chosen pig, as big as any pig there ever was, and the two of them wrestled with it into the night, coming this close to losing their own lives in the process, but finally emerging victorious. They had their pig, and then they dragged it halfway across Alamance County and fired up the pit and cooked it.
Something like that very well may have happened. Followed by merriment and cheer.
But when Sylvester woke up the next morning (probably in the middle of a cornfield somewhere, if I know Sylvester), his head hurt, his friend was gone, and he had a whole lot of pork on his hands. Folks from the neighborhood came around, lured by the irresistible porcine bouquet, and that’s when the first Hursey’s barbecue sold. When that pig was gone, they wanted another, and another, and Sylvester and his wife, Daisy, gave them what they wanted, and it happened like this again and again and again.
Backyard pit to Burlington icon
This is how barbecue history happens: one pig at a time. That same year they applied for and got the first license in the entire state to sell barbecue wholesale. According to his son Charles, Sylvester not only cooked a mean pig, he could train them to sit at a table and hold cards and play a game called Setback, and if the pig started winning, it’d be the first one on the pit that same night; if it lost, the second.
From its humble backyard beginnings, Hursey’s has become something of a pork powerhouse. There are now three locations in and around Burlington, billboards on Interstates 85 and 40, and there’s a wholesale plant out on N.C. Highway 87, where chili and dipping sauce and pork shoulders are cooked in quantities that will astound you.
Charles Hursey is, as his son Chuck calls him, “a living legend,” and the real reason Hursey’s has become a must-stop on the North Carolina Barbecue Trail. He’s somewhere around 70 years old, though you would never guess it. He’s warm and sincere, but if I were a hog about to give my life for the cause, his is the last face I’d want to see. At the flagship Hursey’s restaurant on Church Street in Burlington, he either knows you or is related to you, and if I’m exaggerating, I’ll turn vegan. Charles started working full-time in the business the day he graduated from high school in 1960, and since then he’s only stopped working long enough to make a family — a family that has ended up mostly working for him and his wife, Ellen. Ellen still comes in to work every day, and she’s usually at the cash register. It’s not because she has to work, but because this is the only way she can count on seeing her husband, her kids, her nieces, and her nephews.
Charles says, “If business doesn’t come first, nothing else comes under it,” and this is surely true of the Hursey’s family empire.
Pig by the pound
I ate a lot while I was there, one of everything, from the broasted chicken to the delicate barbecue to the perfect hush puppies to the hot apple turnovers, and, oh, it was all so good. Hickory-smoked pork shoulders along with Hursey’s Old-Fashioned Barbecue Sauce, which is just a little east of western, and west of eastern, is something you’ll want to eat before too long.
Charles also took me on a tour of the wholesale outlet. It’s as big as an elementary school football field, full of vats and high-tech pits and bag after bag of cabbage. Thousands of pounds of pork are shipped out of this place in a week, and, on a single day, enough chili is produced to complement 200,000 hot dogs. Simple math dictates an impossible, even frightening number of hot dogs complemented over a 10-day period.
Wholesale is a serious business. Federal inspectors visit the Hursey plant every single day, because when you’re shipping food across state lines — and Hursey’s ships food across all of them — it’s the law. Detailed logbooks are kept, in which the temperature of the meat is recorded, at every stage of its coming and going. One of the cooks even has to go to a kind of cooking school called HACCP — or Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point — so he’ll know how to make the Hursey magic at the specific temperature for the exact right amount of time. And they do it: Hursey’s has never had a single problem. All this from one night of Sylvester’s mischief, what a story. I want to be a part of it myself. I want to be the guy who played poker with the pigs.
1834 S Church Street
hurseysbarbecue.com
Second location:
Daniel Wallace
Wallace is the J. Ross MacDonald Distinguished Professor of English and director of the Creative Writing Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is the author of six novels, most recently Extraordinary Adventures. His illustrations have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Italian Vanity Fair, and many other magazines and books. His novel, Big Fish, was made into a motion picture by Tim Burton in 2003.
Books from the Heart: December Reading List
The Truth About Gingerbread
The Barbecue Sandwich, Deconstructed
Equal Parts Stealthy and Sleek, Peccadillo Delights
The Five-Star Gas Station: Saxapahaw General Store
Barbecue Returns to Basics at Chapel Hill's The Pig
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Goodyear, Cleveland Cavaliers Announce Relationship Built on Shared Principles of Drive, Determination and Commitment to the Community
Posted by Pamela Yeoh on May 26, 2017
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company and the defending National Basketball Association Champion Cleveland Cavaliers today announced a multiyear sponsorship agreement for Goodyear’s iconic Wingfoot logo to appear on Cavaliers player uniforms beginning in the 2017-18 season. The two Ohio-based organizations made the announcement today at Quicken Loans Arena, home of the Cavaliers.
The agreement between Goodyear and the Cavs acknowledges and extends the home-state pride of the two organizations and their shared principles of drive, determination and a deep commitment to the community.
In addition to the Cavs, Goodyear will collaborate with Turner Sports, a national broadcaster of the NBA and the official media extension of this agreement, who will bring to life the power of the jersey patch through custom branded content and advertising on TNT and other platforms.
“This is a natural fit between two organizations rooted in Northeast Ohio whose strong brands have a global following,” said Rich Kramer, chairman, CEO and president of Goodyear. “Goodyear has always been connected to the Cavs from our blimp coverage to the tremendous passion of our associates for the team, and we’re excited to make this relationship even stronger.”
“It was just meant to be that a global iconic brand like Goodyear is our neighbor headquartered in Akron, Ohio, and shares the same DNA of basketball, community purpose and drive for success as the Cavs,” said Len Komoroski, CEO of the Cavaliers. “The treads and threads of this partnership are real, and we couldn’t be more proud to wear the Goodyear Wingfoot and come together to champion Northeast Ohio.”
“This partnership had to be something that our entire franchise, and specifically our team, believed in and can now be inspired by. Having the Wingfoot become part of the actual fabric of our identity does that,” said David Griffin, Cavaliers general manager. “The connection represents something deeper than basketball and is forged on a common platform to operate physically and culturally at the highest level. We can’t imagine a more appropriate partner than Goodyear, and the team will have a unique depth of pride wearing the Wingfoot on the court as we compete.”
“Every Akron kid grew up seeing the Wingfoot in the sky on the blimp and feeling pride in our community,” said Akron native and Cavs NBA All Star LeBron James. “There is something special for me personally about having that logo on the Cavs uniform. Goodyear is also very supportive of the LeBron James Family Foundation. I can’t imagine a better situation with our new Cavs jersey than bringing together Nike and Goodyear, two companies that mean a lot to me and my family.”
Nike will become the NBA’s official uniform supplier beginning with the 2017-18 season.
“This is an amazing partnership that brings together organizations that are at the top of their game,” said David Levy, President of Turner. “We are excited to work with Goodyear to amplify their commitment to the Cavs and celebrate the sports culture that binds together the Northeast Ohio community.”
The connection between Goodyear and the Cavs begins with shared roots, but the relationship also is linked to performance on the basketball court. In the 1930s, Goodyear was a founding member of the National Basketball League, a precursor to today’s NBA. The Goodyear Wingfoots won the first NBL title in 1937. The Wingfoots captured the AAU National Championship in 1964 with a team that featured three Olympic Gold Medalists: Richard Davies, Pete McCaffrey, and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Larry Brown. The Cavs famously cemented their own championship legacy with their first NBA title in 2016.
The Cavs and Goodyear also announced Monday that the relationship will yield a very special community benefit to schools in Cleveland and Akron. The Cavaliers, in conjunction with Goodyear, are funding $1 million of support to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) programs in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and Akron Public Schools.
Both organizations have a long and deep history of supporting community initiatives in Akron, Cleveland and across northeast Ohio. This funding will expand their reach even further.
The Cavs sponsorship adds another global platform to Goodyear’s extensive position in sports sponsorships. The company is the official tire supplier of NASCAR’s top three series, the title sponsor of the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic and an official sponsor of the College Football Playoff and Pro Football Hall of Fame. Its fleet of Goodyear Blimps provide aerial coverage of the biggest sporting events across North America.
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Varun Dhawan’s Heart-warming Response To Mahira’s Message About Afghan Refugees Will Make You Smile!
Home » Must Read » Varun Dhawan’s Heart-warming Response To Mahira’s Message About Afghan Refugees Will Make You Smile!
By Mahnoor Aslam
Rumors had it that there is a secret project going on with Mahira Khan but nobody knew what it is. Just a day before she herself shared that she visited the Afghan refugee camp in Karachi. She has been consecutively working with UNHCR (united nations high commission of refugees). Mostly Afghan refugees, but this time the story that she shared on her Instagram was heart melting.
She wrote;
These two boys followed me around the whole time. They hadn’t watched any of my films but they insisted they knew someone called Raja. They said ‘Raja hero hai!’. We kept trying to guess who they are talking about. Finally, they sang a song from @varundvn ‘s film. They also said they want to be like him.
Told them one day inshAllah they will be.
These two boys followed me around the whole time. They hadn’t watched any of my films but they insisted they knew someone called Raja. They said ‘Raja hero hai!’. We kept trying to guess who they are talking about. Finally they sang a song from @varundvn ‘s film. They also said they want to be like him. Told them one day inshAllah they will be ❤️ #unhcrpakistan #unhcr @unhcrpakistan
A post shared by Mahira Khan (@mahirahkhan) on Sep 5, 2018 at 8:51am PDT
Varun then responded to Mahira’s call and was very happy.
“That’s so amazing that you’re doing this work @mahirakhan. I saw the video and it brought a big smile to my face. Sending lots of love, thank you for sharing.”
He also thanked Mahira for the video that she shared with him!
She’s the most humble yet elegant actress Pakistan could ever have! She’s making Pakistan proud
A lot of times my job has allowed me to witness days and moments that humble me. Today was one of those days. Today I’m also proud to say that my country is one of the most generous countries of the world. The Government and people of Pakistan – with the support of the international community – have been generously hosting Afghan refugees for nearly forty years. Since 2002, around 4.3 million Afghan refugees have returned back to Afghanistan under the largest voluntary return programme in the world. The UN refugee agency has been closely working with the Government of Pakistan and other partners to ensure that the rights of refugees are fully protected. Pakistan continues to host 1.39 million Afghan refugees. You may ask, why should we care? We must care because more than half of the refugees are kids. A lot of them came unaccompanied, without their mothers or fathers.. a lot of them were even born here. They are our future, every child in the world is. No one chooses to be a refugee. No one chooses to leave their home. #unhcrpakistan #UNHCR @unhcrpakistan
The message that she actually wanted to give, through her Instagram was that the kids, that are drawn to Pakistan by their unfortunate fate are the refugees. They also are the future of Pakistan. These are the kids who are accompanied without their parents and some of them are even born here.
Kudos girl! More power and prayers to you. May you grow and prosper to serve the ones in need.
Iqra Aziz Shares How The Use Of Social Media Can Harm People In So Many Ways And She’s Absolutely Right!
KIA Is Returning To Pakistan With New Vehicles And Finally, It’s The Welcomed-Change Our Roads Needed!
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God Grew Tired of Us
The Heartbreaking, Inspiring Story of a Lost Boy of Sudan
By John Bul Dau and Michael S. Sweeney
By John Bul Dau and Michael Sweeney
Category: Biography & Memoir
About God Grew Tired of Us
“Lost Boy” John Bul Dau’s harrowing experience surviving the brutal horrors of Sudanese civil war and his adjustment to life in modern America is chronicled in this inspiring memoir and featured in an award-winning documentary film of the same name. Movingly written, the book traces Dau’s journey through hunger, exhaustion, terror, and violence as he fled his homeland, dodging ambushes, massacres and attacks by wild animals. His tortuous, 14-year journey began in 1987, when he was just 13, and took him on a 1,000-mile walk, barefoot, to Ethiopia, back to Sudan, then to a refugee camp in Kenya, where he lived with thousands of other Lost Boys. In 2001, at the age of 27, he immigrated to the United States. With touching humor, Dau recounts the shock of his tribal culture colliding with life in America. He shares the joy of reuniting with his family and the challenges of making a new life for himself while never forgetting the other Lost Boys he left behind.
This unforgettable book is the first-person account of a miracle—indeed, a whole series of miracles. A tale of suffering, tragedy, and sorrow redeemed by indomitable resolve and a stubborn refusal to despair, it’s set in a Sudan shadowed by unrelenting war and ruthless violence, yet illuminated by faith, generosity, and steadfast commitment to the human spirit’s finest instincts. It’s also the eloquently plain-spoken self-portrait of a young man who has looked death in the face many times and come away with an inner strength as impressive as it is modest and a wisdom as inspiring as it is matter of fact.
One of the uprooted youngsters known as the Lost Boys of Sudan, John Bul Dau was 12 years old when civil war ravaged his village and shattered its age-old society, a life of herding and agriculture marked by dignity, respect, and the simple virtues of Dinka tribal tradition. As tracer bullets split the night and mortar shells exploded around him, John fled into the darkness—the first terrified moments of a journey that would lead him thousands of miles into an exile that was to last many years.
John’s memoir of his Dinka childhood shows African life and values at their best, while his searing account of hardship, famine, and war also testifies to human resilience and kindness. In an era of cultural clashes, his often humorous stories of adapting to life in the United States offer proof that we can bridge our differences peacefully. John Bul Dau’s quiet pride, true humility, deep seriousness, compassionate courage, and remarkable achievements will take every reader’s breath away.
"Lost Boy" John Bul Dau’s harrowing experience surviving the brutal horrors of Sudanese civil war and his adjustment to life in modern America is chronicled in this inspiring memoir and featured in an award-winning documentary film of the same name. Movingly written, the book traces Dau’s journey through hunger, exhaustion, terror, and violence as he fled his homeland, dodging ambushes, massacres and attacks by wild animals. His tortuous, 14-year journey began in 1987, when he was just 13, and took him on a 1,000-mile walk, barefoot, to Ethiopia, back to Sudan, then to a refugee camp in Kenya, where he lived with thousands of other Lost Boys. In 2001, at the age of 27, he immigrated to the United States. With touching humor, Dau recounts the shock of his tribal culture colliding with life in America. He shares the joy of reuniting with his family and the challenges of making a new life for himself while never forgetting the other Lost Boys he left behind.
Also by John Bul Dau, Michael S. Sweeney
See all books by John Bul Dau, Michael S. Sweeney
About John Bul Dau
JOHN BUL DAU is a Dinka from Southern Sudan and one of thousands of Lost Boys who fled their homeland… More about John Bul Dau
Published by National Geographic
Jan 22, 2008 | 304 Pages | 6-1/2 x 9 | ISBN 9781426202124
People Who Read God Grew Tired of Us Also Read
“This earnest, heart-on-the-sleeve memoir reinforces the preciousness of all human life and should serve as a reality check for the rest of world.” —Star Tribune (Minneapolis)
“This is a memoir of terror, triumph and humour as Bul Dau adapts to his new life, learning along the way that differences can be bridged peacefully.” —Windsor Star (Ontario)
“One sweetly funny moment in this book occurs when Dau meets a nice guy named Brad, who turns out to be the film’s producer, Brad Pitt.” —Times-Picayune (New Orleans)
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Ontario Minor Hockey Association
Practice for Success
By Ontario Minor Hockey Association, 11/12/13, 5:00PM EST
Register Now for the Latest Coach Seminar Series
As coaches we look at practices and games as one in the same. There is an opportunity to measure statistics in practice to raise the competitive level. Measuring statistics in games helps us shape what we do, and how we do it in practice. Presenter Dave Smith will have video from different game situations as well as different analytics to evaluate games and practices.
The Coach Seminar Series is part of the OMHA’s Continuing Education Program (CEP) for Coaches and this clinic carries a value of 5 CEP 5redit points. This program is intended to ensure that the knowledge, skill, and competence of trained and certified coaches remain at a high level throughout their coaching experience. Click here for more information on the Continuing Education Program (CEP) for Coaches
Clinics Details & Registration:
Date: Monday November 25, 2013
Time: 7:00 – 9.00 pm
Location: The Mohawk 4 Ice Centre -
Register for the Clinic
For more information contact: Wayne King
Dave Smith - Head Coach, Canisius College (NCAA)
Taking the Canisius College hockey team to new heights during his career, Dave Smith is in his ninth season as head coach of the Golden Griffin program. Smith has enjoyed a number of memorable moments during his coaching tenure and has continued to raise the bar while leading the Canisius program. Most recently, Smith led the Griffs to their most successful season in school history, while the program also received national attention with its graduates having unprecedented success at the professional level.
During the 2012-13 campaign, Smith guided Canisius to the program’s first conference title with a 7-2 victory in the Atlantic Hockey Championship against Mercyhurst and the team’s first appearance in the NCAA Division I Tournament. The Griffs also finished the campaign ranked 19th in the final USCHO.com national poll, marking the program’s highest finish in the national rankings.
The Arthur, Ontario, native was also instrumental in guiding Mercyhurst to two league championships and two NCAA Division I Tournament appearances in his three seasons with the Lakers.
Ensure You Have the Right Qualifications to Coach Next Season
By Ontario Minor Hockey Association 06/21/2019, 1:45pm EDT
Everything you need to know about coaching qualifications
Activating Defencemen in the Offensive Zone
By Ian Taylor, OMHA Executive Director 05/09/2019, 1:30pm EDT
Video Coach | Presented by Hockey Intelligym
The Recipe for Growing a Player's Confidence
By Dan Pollard 04/30/2019, 2:15pm EDT
Focus on the work and effort, not the end result
Tag(s): Coaches
©2019 Ontario Minor Hockey Association / SportsEngine. All Rights Reserved.
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Blanket parking ban considered by government
by Jamie Rogers | Apr 26, 2019 | Motoring | 10 comments
Image: Canva
At a time when parking your car is subject to extreme focus, mainly thanks to the ever-increasing parking charges, the House of Commons Transport Committee is to look into different options to potentially stop people from parking on pavements.
At first glance, this could be a great thing – the age of social media and sharing means that we constantly get to see the cases of inconsiderate parking splashed across the many digital channels open to us, whether that’s a young parent with a child in a buggy being forced in to the road, or someone less able-bodied in a wheelchair risking life & limb to get past a poorly parked car. We’d all agree that the person responsible should suffer consequences.
However, as the saying goes, let those without sin cast the first stone (or a variant thereof).
New guidelines
You may be thinking that you have never, and will never, be responsible for such inconsiderate behaviour, but the guidelines being considered would treat you the same; whether you’ve parked all four wheels on the pavement, or accidentally raised one wheel on the kerb in an effort to park. Using that definition, who can honestly say they’ve never parked on the pavement?
Personally speaking, if a poorly placed wheel constitutes parking on the pavement, my local council could make up any budget deficit simply by spending a week or two outside my mother’s house, and that’s the problem; the term ‘blanket ban’ and the definition of which that it constitutes.
A blanket ban on pavement parking, by its very definition, encompasses all roads (London introduced similar in 1974), and this would mean an increase in overhead for all local authorities, not only to implement the changes, but to police it, and of course there are roads where parking on the pavement is essential for the flow of traffic, which could also lead to a strain in available parking spaces.
Then there’s the definition – one wheel or four, you’re guilty of parking on the pavement and liable to a fine of £70 for each offence. (That’s each time it happens, not per wheel). Given the fact that implementing and running such schemes would likely involve significant cost, you’d have to assume that any ‘Parking Officer’ would be razor sharp on delivering tickets.
Inconsiderate parking
Surely a better solution would be to clamp down on inconsiderate parking? This would find almost universal favour with both pedestrians and motorists alike, costs would be lessened, and they could even look to the public to help with self-reporting – providing there is photographic evidence. Of course, the cynic would say that revenue generation wouldn’t be as high.
Local authorities say that parking on pavements (even with just one wheel) has cost implications, mainly due to the extra wear & tear on the pavement, which hasn’t been designed to carry the extra load of a car. However, that extra cost should be balanced against the cost for employing a 24-hour service of parking officers, unless of course, they sub-contract the work to the highest bidder, which then take a percentage of any fines levied. Conflict of interest anyone?
This is a similar issue to that of speed cameras – catching motorists with a blatant disregard for safety and speed limits is good, treating all motorists in all conditions for a minor infringement of an arbitrary limit, not quite so good.
Simple answer
Unfortunately, there is no simple answer. How should we stop repeat offenders without causing inconvenience (or expense) to those that are more innocent? In days gone by, perhaps there would be more faith in the relevant authorities to act fairly, to understand that sometimes, circumstances beyond our control gave rise to a situation, but we live in a target driven society, and what may have been a judgement call once, is now usually called in favour of the authority.
Edmund King, AA president said: “It is right that anti-social pavement parking, which prevents and restricts wheelchair users, blind and partially sighted people and pushchairs travelling around our communities must be tackled, however, a blanket ban would be a step too far. A street-by-street assessment is needed to decide where it may be suitable to allow pavement parking. Pavement parking poses problems on both inner city streets and rural lanes, so the outcome needs to be tailored to the circumstances.”
The House of Commons Transport Committee are actively looking for feedback on how this issue can be resolved, and the difficulties that it presents, if you feel that your voice should be heard, closing date for submitting written evidence is 14th May 2019.
How do you think this issue could be resolved? Is it as simple as introducing a blanket ban? Or perhaps the authorities should look to clamp down on purely inconsiderate parking? Let us know in the comments.
Put double yellow lines down one side of the street that is two narrow for parking on both sidees
To be honest, the councils have a lot to answer for. When my estate was built 35 years ago, the new residents begged and pleaded for the roads to be wider. The council ignored their pleas, and now, after 5pm, it’s anarchy.
Graham Dickinson
If this was the US with wide roads and adequate parking I would agree with a blanket ban, but this is the UK where some streets could simply not accommodate the residents cars and would lead to chaos. I don’t even think it is practical have parking officers to fine for inconsiderate parking either as that is totally down to the sometimes warped opinion of the jobsworth who can be unreasonable at the best of times. I think the best way forward is to have clear rules about only parking when there is enough room for disability scooters and prams… Read more »
I think most car drivers park on the pavement by habit. By parking 2wheels on the pavement they think they are being considerate to road users. What they fail to understand is that even in this case, the car on the same side will have to cross the crown in the road to pass. Therefore it is pointless to park this way. They are obstructing the pavement. Causing wheel chairs, buggies and people with walking difficulties to walk on the road! Fine people and give them 3 points every time they are caught. It’s madness! Let residents post camera shots… Read more »
Bring it in. The money recovered from such inconsiderate parking would pay for it to be enforced. It would also enable local councils to make up shortfalls in government funding. Most of the inconsiderate parking is from people just being lazy who don’t or can’t be bothered to walk a few more steps in order to park more considerately.
Totally agree there is no excuse for parking on pavements, the fine is a good Idea.
Same for inconsiderate parking, but then it is already an offence to park within 10m of a bend or junction, it just needs policing.
Driving standards are c**p in in this country and its way overdue that something was done about it.
Japan has a ‘parking’ solution, you can only have as many cars as you have registered parking spaces.
Go and live in Japan then
Sutton (S.London) have white lines painted on the pavements to indicate how far onto pavements that cars can park, then hedges grow out and the pavement gets blocked and all legal.
What happens when the road outside your house isn’t wide enough for 2 cars to pass each other, my brother lives on such a road with a green in front, when motorists parked on the green instead of the pavement the council sent a letter to all residents saying it was illegal to park on it so people went back to parking on the pavement?
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September 26, 2018 | by Staff Writer
Safeway, Target Among The Stores Where Ground Beef Recalled for Possible E.Coli
Safeway and Target are among the list of stores where the U.S. Department of Agriculture says contaminated meat was sold.
Earlier this month, Cargill Meat Solutions recalled more than 132,000 pounds of its ground beef products produced and packaged on June 21 due to the possibility of E. Coli.
An investigation involving the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other public health officials found that one person has died and 17 others have become ill since Aug. 16, according to a news release.
Symptoms of E.Coli include diarrhea, vomiting, and kidney failure.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service is urging people who purchased these products to throw them away or return them to the place of purchase.
For more information on this recall, click here.
Photo courtesy of USDA
Cargill Meat Solutions cdc Centers for Disease Control and Prevention health-slider spotlight-slider U.S. Department of Agriculture usda
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Nanotechnologies to mitigate global warming
(Nanowerk Spotlight) One of the greatest current environmental concerns both for the near term as well as for the future is global warming caused by man-made carbon emissions and its well-recognized impact on climate change. There has been a dramatic increase in greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide (CO2), in recent times. According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), CO2 levels in the atmosphere now stand at 387 parts per million (ppm), up almost 40% since the industrial revolution. The largest source of CO2 emissions globally is the combustion of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas in power plants, automobiles, industrial facilities and other sources. Fig. 1 shows the greenhouse gas emissions by economic sector in the USA as per a recent survey.
Fig. 1: U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by economic sector (2007) (Source: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Inventory of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and sinks: 1990-2007, Table ES-7, 2009)
These greenhouse gases have been known to inflict irreparable damage to the ozone layer, gquality of life, environment and health. In recent times, there has been growing awareness and concern among people about this phenomenon and it has become a global issue, prompting governments to look at diverse approaches to reduce CO2 emissions. The various strategies which can be adopted to combat global warming are shown schematically in Fig. 2. These strategies are classified under the following three categories:
1) Reducing energy consumption by employing more efficient technologies that minimize use of fossil fuels
2) Adopting technologies that utilize renewable energy and energy storage technologies
3) Addressing carbon management issues that involve separation, capture, sequestration and conversion to useful products
The present article will specifically address the first two topics mentioned above while the challenges and technological prospects relating to carbon management will be covered in a forthcoming issue of the Nanotech Insights newsletter by CKMNT.
Fig. 2: Various strategies to combat global warming.
Reduced Energy Consumption and Improving Efficiency
There are a number of approaches to reduce energy consumption in many major applications and, thereby, have a direct influence on decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. The major impact of nanotechnology on the energy sector is likely to be by way of improving the efficiency of present day technologies to minimize usage of fossil fuels. The transportation sector is one of the major contributors to CO2 emissions (about 28%, according to a report by the Environmental Protection Agency, USA). Therefore, any effort to reduce emissions in vehicles by reducing their weight and, in turn, decreasing fuel consumption can have an immediate and significant global impact. It is estimated that a 10% reduction in weight of the vehicle corresponds to a 10% reduction in fuel consumption (1), leading to a proportionate fall in emissions.
In recognition of the above, there is growing interest worldwide in exploring means of achieving weight reduction in automobiles through use of novel materials. For example, use of lighter, stronger and stiffer nano-composite materials is considered to have the potential to significantly reduce weight. Polymers like thermosets, thermoplastics and elastomers reinforced with colloidal silica, nanoclay and nanotubes are promising candidate materials. Employing nanocomposites can lead to reduced energy consumption in cars, with the impact of their use being likely to be even more dramatic in the aerospace sector. It is estimated by The Mitre Corp. that use of CNT reinforced polymer composite airframes in place of aluminum airframes would result in 14.05% decrease in structural mass of the aircraft, and as a consequence, likely to reduce fuel consumption by about 9.8% ("Impact of nanomaterials in airframes on commercial aviation, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics," – pdf downlaod). A number of key players like General Motors, Dow Automotive, Sud ChemieAG, Degussa, Hyperion Catalysis International etc. are intensively pursuing the development of nanocomposites for auto body parts, fenders, exterior panels etc.
Another strategy to improve fuel efficiency is by incorporation of nanocatalysts. Enercat, a third generation nanocatalyst developed by Energenics, uses the oxygen storing cerium oxide nanoparticles to promote complete fuel combustion, which helps in reducing fuel consumption. Recently, the company has demonstrated fuel savings of 8-10% on a mixed fleet of diesel vehicles in Italy.
Reducing friction and improving wear resistance in engine and drive train components is of vital importance in the automotive sector. Reducing friction can lower the fuel consumption by about 2% and result in cutting down carbon dioxide emissions by 500 million tons per year from trucks and other heavy vehicles in Sweden alone, based on the estimates made by a Swedish company, Applied Nano Surfaces. Nano based lubricants and nanocoatings can significantly reduce coefficient of friction and are being increasingly introduced in the market. ApNano in Israel has developed NanoLub™ lubricant based on inorganic fullerenes? like WS2, MoS2, NbS2 etc. NanoLub reduces friction and wear significantly and to a much greater extent than conventional lubricants, especially at higher loads. The company claims that NanoLub saves money, reduces pollution, is cost effective, safe and environmentally-friendly. Similarly, NanoBoron, UK has developed BORPower® to reduce fuel consumption and extend the lifetime of engines. This is achieved by reducing friction and abrasion during motion via the hard-coating and miniaturized bearing-ball effect. BORPower® contains two active ingredients, namely Mono Crystal Diamond Powder (MCDP) and Nano Boron. According to the company, use of BORPower® results in lower fuel consumption (8-15%), improved engine power (7-9%) and correspondingly lower CO2 emissions (8-15%).
Residential and commercial buildings contribute to 11% of total greenhouse gas emissions. Space heating and cooling of residential buildings account for 40% of the total residential energy use. Nanostructured materials, such as aerogels, have potential to greatly reduce heat transfer through building elements and assist in reducing heating loads placed on air-conditioning/heating systems (see p. 21-23 of this issue for an overview of the aerogel technology). Aerogel is a nanoporous super-insulating material having extremely low density (90-95% air). Silica aerogel is the lightest solid material known (density is less than 0.05 g/cm3) with excellent thermal insulating properties, high temperature stability, very low dielectric constant and high surface area. Aerogel is a breakthrough material technology for energy conserving buildings. Use of aerogel interior wall insulation can reduce U-values (U value is a measure of the flow of heat through an insulating or building material; the lower the U-value, the better is the insulating ability) by 44%, lowers energy consumption by 900 kW.hr/yr with attendant reduction in carbon emission of 400kg/yr for apartment buildings. Although, aerogels can make significant contributions to reduce energy consumption for heating and cooling of buildings, their high cost is one of the inhibiting factors in their widespread adoption.
Dr. Halimaton Hamdan and her team from the Universiti Teknologi in Malaysia have developed a method of producing aerogels, using rice husks (agricultural waste) as the feedstock that could reduce the production cost of aerogel by 80%. Rice husk has a high silica content, which is the main constituent of aerogel. In addition to potentially being able to produce aerogels at one-fifth the current cost, the above method also addresses the problem of rice husk waste disposal.
Aerogel, being a translucent material, also finds architectural applications as daylighting panels with excellent insulating characteristics. Advanced Glazings Ltd. and Cabot Aerogel have recently introduced a new line of their Solera® daylighting insulated glass units that, for the first time ever, will now be available with Nanogel® aerogel (a product of Cabot Corp.), which is a translucent form of silica aerogel. These systems will allow architects to design buildings with glass exteriors having an insulation value ranging from traditional R-2 to unprecedented R-12 (R value represents the resistance to heat flow through a building material. The higher the R value, the greater is the resistance to heat flow and the insulating value).
Artificial lighting fritters away a significant portion of all electrical energy consumed worldwide, which represents 20-40% of the primary energy consumption of residential and commercial buildings. The common incandescent light bulbs and fluorescent lamps are highly inefficient, with luminous efficiencies of 10-35 lm/W (5% efficiency) and 50-100 lm/W (20-25% efficiency), respectively. In recent years, new lighting devices based on white-light-emitting diodes (WLEDs) are being introduced in the market. These devices exhibit high luminous efficiency of up to 150 lm/W and long lifetimes (several thousand hours). Inorganic solid-state lighting is partly based on quantum dots while Organic LEDs (OLEDs) rely on nano-scale thin film technology. The LOMOX company of UK is developing OLED lighting technology, which promises to be 2.5 times more efficient than standard energy saving bulbs. This revolutionary technology has a wide variety of applications and, when coated onto a film, could be used to cover walls creating light-emitting wallpaper which replaces the need for traditional light bulbs. RTI International has developed a technology for high efficiency lighting devices by combining nanofiber based reflectors and photoluminescent nanofibers (PLN). These devices are at least 5 times more efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs and are environmentally safer than the compact fluorescent light bulbs as they do not contain mercury.
While decreasing energy consumption and improving efficiency is a near term solution, in order to meet the challenges posed by the looming crisis, disruptive technologies based on renewable energy sources will have to be developed. Some promising approaches are briefly discussed below.
Renewable Energy Generation
Thin Film Solar Cells or Photovoltaic Cells: A solar cell is a device which converts the energy of the sun into electricity. This technology has a huge potential, as sunlight is a non-exhaustible source of energy without contributing greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. It is also one of the most attractive solutions, because the amount of solar energy reaching the earth every day is 10,000 times greater than the present world energy consumption. Current solar cell technologies are mainly based on silicon (single or polycrystalline silicon). However, they are expensive to manufacture and have limited efficiency. The high cost of silicon-based solar cells has been the greatest barrier to their widespread adoption. Organic or plastic thin film solar cells are a low cost alternative, mainly based on nanoparticles and polymers, and are now being used to manufacture flexible solar panels. The thin film technology is also cost effective, and uses a cheap polymer substrate coated by a thin film of an active component. The active component comprises either amorphous silicon or nanoscaled CdS, CIS, CdTe, TiO2, ZnO, Quantum Dots, organic materials etc. The material requirement is much less than that in case of silicon wafers and, hence, the costs are further reduced. Flexible substrate technology also enables use of continuous roll processing technique, rather than the step processing technique being used in a semiconductor plant, thereby resulting in dramatic cost reductions. Some of the recent key developmental activities and breakthroughs in the area of solar cells applying nanotechnology are summarized below.
Recent Developmental Activities and Breakthroughs in Nanotech Solar Cells
Stanford University – Activity: Based on silicon nanowires, a solar cell which has achieved efficient absorption of sunlight while using only 1% of the active material used in conventional designs has been designed (2).
University of Texas at Austin – Activity: Spray-on nano-ink of copper-indium-gallium selenide (CIGS), that would allow the rooftops and sides of buildings to be spray painted with nanoparticles and do away with massive solar panels has been developed (3).
IBM Corp. – Activity: Low-cost, efficient (9.6%) solar cells using abundant elements (Cu, Zn, Sn, S or Se) and employing thin film technology based on a nano-ink method have been developed (4).
Stanford University – Activity: Nanodome solar cells using nano-coating of amorphous silicon have been developed. Nanodome structure captures the reflected light and improves the efficiency of a solar cell by 25% (5).
Lawrence Berkley National Lab. – Activity: Thin films fabricated from an array of vertical silicon nanowires are able to increase the light trapping of solar cells by a factor of over 70. This approach represents an economically viable path towards high-efficiency, low-cost thin film solar cells (6).
New Energy Technologies – Activity: A technology to spray a solar coating directly onto glass by replacing visibility-blocking metal with environmentally-friendly see-through compounds marks an advance in the development of see-through glass windows capable of generating electricity (7).
Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Economy
Fuel cells represent a key enabling technology for renewable energy systems. A fuel cell is an electrochemical device generating power by directly converting hydrogen into electricity at an efficiency that can approach 60% (compared to 25% efficiency for the best gasoline engines), with the sole exhaust product being non-polluting water. The fuel cells and hydrogen energy market was estimated to be US$ 8.8 billion in 2009 and expected to grow to US$ 14 billion by 2014, with a compound average growth rate of 9.6% (8). The key application of fuel cells is expected to be in automobiles, and limited mass production of fuel cell vehicles is expected to begin after 2015. Hydrogen fuel vehicles are capable of eliminating all toxic pollutants from road transport. However, there are a number of challenges to be overcome before the fuel cell car becomes a reality. The high cost of fuel cells is a major obstacle for their widespread adoption. Other challenges include safe and solid storage of hydrogen, and methods of producing and purifying hydrogen. Nanotechnology will play an important role in the efficient storage of hydrogen. A number of nanostructured material systems like CNTs, alanates, nano-Mg based hydrides, complex hydride/carbon nanocomposites, BN nanotubes, TiS2/MoS2 nanotubes and polymer nanocomposites are promising candidates for storage of large quantities of hydrogen (9). A noteworthy development in this area is metal-organic framework (MOF) compounds comprising metal-oxide clusters connected by organic linkages for hydrogen storage applications because of their tunable pore size and functionality. In addition, they offer advantages such as high surface area, low density, and both thermal and mechanical stability. In 2009, researchers from the University of Nottingham, UK have reported hydrogen storage concentration of 10wt% at 77bar/77K with the new desolvated polyhedral framework material NOTT-112.
Currently, the most economical way to produce hydrogen is from natural gas; however, it leads to greenhouse gas emissions. The best ?clean? approach to generate hydrogen is by photocatalytic splitting of water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen atoms using sunlight. Thomas Nann and Christopher J. Pickett at the University of East Anglia, UK have successfully demonstrated the photo-electrocatalytic splitting of water to produce hydrogen with an efficiency of 60% (19), employing a new system consisting of a gold electrode covered with layers of InP nanoparticles and including an iron-sulfur complex introduced into the layered structure to produce hydrogen via the photo-electrocatalytic reaction.
Another ?clean? process for hydrogen production involves electrolysis of water. Recently, QuantumSphere, Inc. (QSI) has made a breakthrough in the above area using electrodes coated with nano Ni-Fe alloy. These nano-structured electrodes increase hydrogen gas output by 300% at 85% efficiency, making it a commercially viable process for industrial and transportation applications. QSI has also developed a palladium based nanocatalyst which reduces the cost of direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC) by reducing platinum usage by 30 to 50%. The nanocatalyst significantly increases the catalytic surface area, resulting in enhanced durability, extended life cycles, and a reduction in device size of DMFCs. Other key players in the domain of fuel cell nanocatalysts are Nanostellar, Catalytic Solutions and Nanophase Technologies Corporation.
The membrane is an important component of a fuel cell, which allows only the positively charged ions (like hydrogen ions) to pass through towards the cathode. Nano-engineered membranes in fuel cells are more efficient and enable building of lighter weight and longer lasting fuel cells. PolyFuel Inc., USA has introduced in the market nano-architectured hydrocarbon membranes for both portable direct methonal fuel cells and for automotive hydrogen fuel cells. These are more durable and less expensive than the state-of-the-art fluorocarbon membranes. Recently, researchers from the University of Calgary in Canada have developed a new membrane based on MOFs that enables a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell to operate at higher temperatures ? an important step in terms of increasing the efficiency and decreasing the cost of PEM fuel cells (10).
Batteries and Supercapacitors: Plug-in electric and plug-in hybrid cars have the potential to dramatically reduce emissions that cause global warming and air pollution, and would also curb our dependence on oil. According to estimates made by the Argonne National Laboratory in USA, electric vehicles would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 26% over gasoline-powered vehicles and transform the automotive industry. Advanced battery technology is at the heart of this transformation because it determines how far an electric car can travel on a charge and how long it takes to recharge. Currently, the automotive battery market is dominated by nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) or lead acid batteries but experts predict that lithium-ion/ lithium-sulfur batteries would capture the market in the near future.
Nanotechnology holds great promise for improving the performance and life-times of the Li-ion batteries. It also has the potential to enhance the energy and power density, shorten the recharge time, as well as decrease the size and weight while improving safety and stability of the batteries (11). A large number of companies such as Altair Nanotechnologies, mPhase Technologies, A123 Systems, Li-Tec Battery GmbH, NanoEner Technologies, Next Alternative Inc., Nexeon Ltd. etc. are actively pursuing the development of nano-enabled batteries while some others are already producing them as summarized below.
Major Producers/Developers of Nano-based Batteries and Their Product Range
Altair Nanotechnologies – Product: Li-ion batteries with the anode containing lithium-titanate spinel nanoparticles. The key features are inherent safety, long life and very fast charging. Suitable for EV applications.
mPhase Technologies – Product: Smart nanobattery based on superhydrophobic nanomaterials having extremely long shelf life.
A123 Systems – Product: The cobalt oxide in lithium-ion cells is replaced by nanophosphate. It allows quick charge, while delivering high power density, with a long life-time. Suitable for use in power tools. The company is also in the process of entering hybrid vehicle market.
Li-Tec Battery GmbH (a Joint Venture of Evonik Industries AG and Daimler AG) – Product: Li-ion battery with a flexible ceramic separator membrane technology. It ensures enhanced performance and long service life, combined with increased safety.
NanoEner Technologies – Product: Electrodes based on LiMn2O4, LiCoO2, MnO2, C and Si, with nanoparticles of active material integrated into current collector for energy storage devices. Capable of faster charge and discharge than conventional electrodes.
Next Alternative Inc. – Product: CNT lead acid battery, which can be recharged in less than 1 hour and has an increased Reserve Capacity (RC) of at least 4 times higher than that of a similar unmodified battery.
Nexeon Ltd. – Product: The silicon anode Li-ion battery delivers extended cycle life and significantly increases anode charge capacity almost ten times the gravimetric capacity per gram (mAh/g) compared to carbon anodes. Used in combination with a standard cathode, this can increase cell capacity by 30-40%.
Recently, there have been major efforts in enhancing the performance of batteries by the application of nanotechnology, some of which are briefly discussed below.
Key Developments and Current Activities in Nanotech-enabled Batteries
Georgia Inst. of Technology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Superior Graphite and Streamline Nanotechnologies Inc. – Focus: Fabricated C-Si nanocomposite granules by a low-cost hierarchical bottom-up approach and made anodes for Li-ion batteries. Reversible capacities over 5 times higher than that of state-of-the-art graphite anodes (1950mA/g) High rate capability and stable performance achieved (12).
Stanford University – Focus: Developed nanostructured lithium sulfide (Li2S/silicon nanowire) rechargeable battery with theoretical specific energy of 1,550 Wh kg-1 (4 times higher than that of Li-ion battery) (13).
Boston College – Focus: Synthesized an anode based on unique hetero-nanostructure comprising two-dimensional TiSi2 nanonets and particulate Si coating. The combined high capacity, long life, and fast charge/discharge rate represents one of the best anode materials ever reported (14).
Arizona State University and Fluidic Energy, Inc. – Focus: Developing a new class of ultra-high energy (target energy density 5-20 times higher than that of Li-ion batteries)new metal-air batteries using AKA ionic liquids and at less than 1/3 the cost.
Inorganic Specialists, Inc., Ultramet, Inc., and Edison Materials Technology Center – Focus: Developing ultra high capacity anodes based on novel low cost silicon coated carbon nanofiber paper for next generation Li-ion batteries, with three times the energy storage capacity of the state-of-the-art battery with graphite anode, and Li(Ni,Co,Mn)O2 cathode (source).
Envia Systems and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) – Focus: Developing high energy density, low cost next generation Li-ion batteries using novel Si-C composite anodes and high capacity Mn rich layered composite cathodes.
The ultracapacitor or supercapacitor is emerging as a key enabling storage technology for use in fuel-efficient transport as well as in renewable energy. The current market is estimated to be US$ 180 million and is expected to double over the next five years (15). Supercapacitors offer a low-cost alternative source of energy to replace rechargeable batteries for various applications, such as power tools, mobile electronics, and electric vehicles. A number of automakers are exploring the concept of combining supercapacitors with Li-ion batteries as a next generation energy storage system for their electric hybrid vehicles. Supercapacitors are able to provide bursts of power and can assist highway acceleration, hill climbing, braking or cold starting and, thereby, can save the battery?s life. Although the energy density of capacitors is quite low compared to batteries, their excellent power characteristics are their main attribute-providing ?bursts? of electric energy that can help the new generation of cars to accelerate at comparable or better rates than traditional petrol-only engine vehicles, while achieving a significantly reduced fuel consumption. Recently, there have been major breakthroughs in enhancing the performance of supercapacitors by the application of nanotechnology. Some of these notable developments in nanotechnology based supercapacitors are summarized below.
Major Achievements in Nano Engineered Supercapacitors
Nanotek Instruments, Inc. – Achievements: Developed mesoporous nanocomposite based electrodes containing conducting polymer coating/binder for supercapacitors (16).
University of Southern California – Achievements: Built a supercapacitor based on In2O3 nanowires and CNT films and demonstrated enhanced specific capacitance (64F/g), power density, energy density (1.29 W-h/kg) and long operation cycles (17).
University of Maryland and Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology – Achievements: Developed electrostatic nanocapacitors formed in nanoporous anodic aluminum oxide film by sequential atomic layer deposition of metal. Expected to store 100 times more energy.
Drexel University, University of Pennsylvania and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory – Achievements: Nanoporous carbon derived from TiC by etching in chlorine. When used as electrodes for supercapacitors with an organic electrolyte, the hydrogen-treated carbide derived nanoporous carbon (CDC) showed specific capacitance up to 130 F/g with no degradation after 10,000 cycles (18).
Harbin Engineering University and Tsinghua University – Achievements: Supercapacitor based on Graphene Nanosheet/CNT/PANI composite was made by in situ polymerization, which exhibits specific capacitance of 1035 F/g (1 mV s-1) in 6 M of KOH, and excellent cyclic stabiliy (19).
Nanotechnology has a significant potential to solve or mitigate the problem of global warming. However, one has to approach this issue carefully. Nanotechnology invariably involves use of nanomaterials (nanocatalysts, nanomembranes, nanoparticles, aerogel etc.) and their production requires a significant amount of energy input. If the source of this energy input is fossil fuels, then the whole purpose of reducing CO2 gas emission and preventing global warming is nullified (20). The only option available at our disposal is to use renewable sources of energy, such as, solar or nuclear energy (clean and non-polluting), at every step.
The other aspect that needs to be closely examined is the economics of applying nanotechnologies to solve the problem of global warming. This calls for a detailed cost-benefit analysis. Needless to say, firm commitments from major industries and governments alike are also essential.
1. ?Quantifying the Effect of Nanotechnologies on CO2 Emissions?, Cientifica 2007
2. J. Zhu and Y. Cui, ?Photovoltaics: More Solar Cells for Less?, Nature Materials, 9, 183 - 184 (2010)
3. M. G Panthani, V. Akhavan, B. Goodfellow, J. P Schmidtke, L. Dunn, A. Dodabalapur, P. F. Barbara, B. A. Korgel, ?Synthesis of CuInS2, CuIn Se2 and Cu(InxGa1-x)Se2 (CIGS) Nanocrystal Inks for Portable Electronics?, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 130 (49), (2008) 16770-77
4. T. K. Todorov, K. B. Reuter and D. B. Mitzi, ?High Efficiency Solar Cell with Earth-abundant Liquid-processed Absorber?, Adv. Mater., 22, (2010) 1-4
5. J. Zhu, C. Hsu, Z. Yu, S. Fan and Y. Cui, ?Nanodome Solar Cells with Efficient Light Management and Self-cleaning?, Nano Lett., November 5, (2009)
6. E. Garnett and P. Yang, ?Light Trapping in Silicon Nanowire Solar Cells?, Nano Lett., 10(3), (2010) 1082-87
7. X. Jiang, ?Organic Semitransparent PV Energy Converter (OSPEC)-A Green Solution to Today?s Energy Needs?, AZoNano?s J. of Nanotechnology Online, December 12, (2009)
8. ?Fuel Cells, Hydrogen Energy and Related Nanotechnology- A Global Industry and Market Analysis? market research report by Innovative Research and Products, Inc., June (2009)
9. M. U. Niemann, S. S. Srinivasan, A. R. Phani, A. Kumar, D. Y. Goswami, and E. K. Stefanakos, ?Nanomaterials for Hydrogen Applications? J. of Nanomaterials, Vol. 2008, Article ID 950967, 1-9
10. J. A. Hurd, R. Vaidhyanathan, V. Thangadurai, C. I. Ratcliffe, I. L. Moudrakovski & G. K. H. Shimizu, Anhydrous Proton Conduction at 150?C in a Crystalline Metal?Organic Framework. Nature Chemistry, 1, (2009) 705-710
11. ?Impact of Nanotechnology in the Energy Industry (Technical Insights).? December 2007. Frost & Sullivan, http://www.frost.com/ (accessed May 7, 2009).
12. A. Magasinki, P. Dixon, B. Hertzberg, A. Kvit, J. Ayala & G. Yushin, ?High-performance lithium-ion anodes using a hierarchical bottom-up approach? Nature Materials, 2010, doi:10.1038/nmat2725 Article
13. Y. Yang, M. T. McDowell, A. Jackson, J. J. Cha, S. Sae Hong and Y. Cui, ?New Nanostructured Li2S/Silicon Rechargeable Battery with High Specific Energy?, Nano Lett., Article ASAP, February 10, 2010
14. S. Zhou, X. Liu and D. Wang, ?Si/TiSi2 Heteronanostructures as High-Capacity Anode Material for Li Ion Batteries?, Nano Lett., 10 (3), (2010) 860?863
15. ?The Future of Ultracapacitors: Market forecasts to 2014?, Market Research Report, Pira International, July (2009)
16. US Patent No., 7623340 B1, ?Nanoscaled Graphene Plate Nanocomposites for Supercapacitor Electronics,?Inventors: Lulu Song et al., Assignee: Nanotek Instruments, Inc.
17. C. P. Shen, G. Sukcharoenchoke, S. Z. Chongwu, ?Flexible and transparent supercapacitor based on In2O3 nanowire/carbon nanotube heterogeneous films?, Appl. Phys. Lett. 94, 043113 (2009)
18. R. Dash, J. Chmiola, G. Yushin, Y. Gogotsi, G. Laudisio, J. Singer, J. Fischer and S. Kucheyev, ?Titanium carbide derived nanoporous carbon for energy-related applications? Carbon, 44 (12), (2006) 2489-2497.
19. J. Yan, T. Wei, B. Shao, Z. Fan, W. Qian, M. Zhang and F. Wei, ?Preparation of graphene nanosheet/carbon nanotube/polyaniline composite as electrode material for supercapacitors?, Journal of Power Sources, 195 (9), (2010) 3041-3045
20. ?Nanotech could give Global Warming a Big Chill?, Nanotech Report by Forbes/Wolfe, 5 (7), (2006)
By Y. R. Mahajan, CKMNT. This article will appear in the forthcoming issue of Nanotech Insights. The second part of this article will appear in the following issue of the newsletter.
Intercalation energy tuning improves performance of multivalent ion batteries
[email protected] nanotube heterojunctions as promising material for photodetectors
Perfectly-absorbing photoconductive metasurface significantly improves THz detection
Estimating the occurrence of nanomaterials in the environment
Quantum-material-based proton-irradiation-immune electronics for space travel
Triboelectric nanogenerators for next-generation wearable health monitoring
Polymer composite film for ultrafast photonics
'Air chargeable' zinc-ion energy storage devices
'Cyborg' microfilter actively cleans decontaminated water
Iontronic sensing paper provides a new touch for pressure sensors (w/video)
Graphene transfer using an off-the-shelf office laminator
How nanotechnology enables wearable electronics
Exploring the impact of nanoparticle design on Parkinson's disease therapies
Light-induced active ion transport in graphene oxide membranes
Antimonene-based all-optical modulator
Bottom-up assembled chiral meta-molecules
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https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/o/orca.html
AnimalsPhoto Ark
About the Orca
Orcas, or killer whales, are the largest of the dolphins and one of the world's most powerful predators. They're immediately recognizable by their distinctive black-and-white coloring. Smart and social, orcas make a wide variety of communicative sounds, and each pod has distinctive noises that its members will recognize even at a distance. They use echolocation to communicate and hunt, making sounds that travel underwater until they encounter objects, then bounce back, revealing their location, size, and shape.
Hunting and Diet
Though they often frequent cold, coastal waters, orcas can be found from the polar regions to the Equator. They're at the top of the food chain and have very diverse diets, feasting on fish, penguins, and marine mammals such as seals, sea lions, and even whales, employing teeth that can be four inches long. They are known to grab seals right off the ice. They also eat fish, squid, and seabirds.
Orcas hunt in deadly pods, family groups of up to 40 individuals. There appear to be both resident and transient pod populations of orcas. These different groups may prey on different animals and use different techniques to catch them. Resident pods tend to prefer fish, while transient pods target marine mammals. All pods use effective, cooperative hunting techniques that some liken to the behavior of wolf packs.
Orcas are protective of their young, and other adolescent females often assist the mother in caring for them. Mothers give birth every three to ten years, after a 17-month pregnancy. They give birth to one baby at a time, which may nurse for up to two years. In most cases, the bond between juvenile and mother will eventually weaken, and the young orca will go its own way, but in some pods, the juvenile may stay with the pod it was born into its entire life.
Orcas in Captivity
Orcas are highly intelligent, social mammals that have long been a part of marine park entertainment, performing shows for audiences. However, it's become increasingly clear that orcas do not thrive in captivity.
They have evolved to swim up to 40 miles a day, foraging for food and exercising. They dive 100 to 500 feet, several times a day, every day. Whether they're born in the wild or in captivity, all orcas born have the same innate drive to swim far and dive deep. Artificial enclosures in captivity cannon offer that kind of range to orcas, contributing to boredom and stress. Orcas have been seen to develop stereotypies, also known as zoochosis—repetitive patterns of activity that have no obvious function, which range from self-mutilation to rocking and swaying. Usually related to stress and inappropriate habitats, stereotypic behavior has been documented in orcas in scientific research since the late 1980s.
In the wild, orcas live in tight-knit family groups that share a sophisticated, unique culture that is passed down through generations, research has shown. In captivity, orcas are kept in artificial social groups. Captive-born orcas are often transferred between facilities, breaking up social relationships. The stress of social disruption is compounded by the fact that orcas in captivity don’t have the ability to escape conflict with other orcas, or to engage in natural swimming behaviors in pools.
In 2013, the documentary film Blackfish laid bare the psychological toll of captivity, through the story of a wild-caught orca named Tilikum who had killed two trainers at SeaWorld Orlando. The film included testimony from former SeaWorld trainers and cetacean specialists, who argued that Tilikum’s stress directly led to his aggression towards humans.
WATCH: Looking for Killer Whales 26 Years After the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill
National Geographic travels to Prince William Sound in Alaska to meet with researchers who are studying the lingering effects of the catastrophic Exxon Valdez oil spill on the local orca population.
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About us > Our region
The Eyre Peninsula region covers a significant area of South Australia (80,000 square km / 8 million ha) and includes part of the upper Spencer Gulf, the City of Whyalla, across the southern boundaries of the Gawler Ranges, past Ceduna to the edge of the Nullarbor Plain and south to the fishing hub of Port Lincoln. The region supports a population of about 55,000 people.
Eyre Peninsula's economic well-being and lifestyle is almost entirely reliant on well managed and sustainable use of natural resources.
Tell us what you love about the Eyre Peninsula.
© Copyright, Department for Environment and Water 2013 | Disclaimer | Privacy | Accessibility | Updated 17 Oct 2017
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Pitzer College Art Galleries
Just another Pitzer College Sites site
Disruption! Art and the Prison Industrial Complex
Curated by Annie Buckley
Artists: Karla Diaz, Stan Hunter, Peter Merts, Javier Quintero, Tony Ramirez, Paul Rucker, Gregory Sale, Noelle Swan, Robert Yovanov
September 14 – December 6, 2019
Opening Reception: September 14 from 2–4 p.m.
The tragic facts of the history of incarceration in America are now widely recognized. That we imprison more people than anywhere else on the planet, for longer sentences, and in harsh conditions, is seen as a pressing problem across political aisles. Yet the trenchant issues of racial and economic injustice continue to plague a swollen system that ensnares millions of Americans. While incarcerated individuals are the most directly impacted, tendrils stretch into families and communities disproportionately impacted by violence and the criminal justice system. But the complexity of the system and efforts at reform are dwarfed by the cycle of trauma that inscribes and abets it. In the movement for prison reform, the expression “hurt people hurt people” has become a kind of mantra for a reason. Crime and its impacts are not individual issues but communal and familial ones, with deep roots in slavery, inequity, and domestic violence.
Where does art fit into all of this? How can the arts disrupt cycles of trauma and promote healing and connection, inspire education and social change? Within the strict confines and jagged social structure of the American prison system, art plays a particularly poignant and pressing role. It is often the only outlet an individual stripped of rights has to give voice to thoughts and ideas, memories and dreams. For contemporary artists beyond the walls, art can be a means to critique, dialogue, and imagine solutions to the intractable problems of the prison industrial complex.
Disruption! brings together artists directly impacted by the system with artists that address it in their work. The multimedia artist Paul Rucker’s immersive installation, Proliferation, 2005, demonstrates the social, geographical, political, and emotional impact of the growth of prisons in the United States from 1778 to 2005, making space for pause and reflection, while Peter Merts’ moving photographs of Arts in Corrections give voice to those trapped in the system and embody the power of the arts to cultivate joy, imagination, and freedom in the most restrictive environments. In a solitary cell, with nothing but the blue uniform on his back, Tony Ramirez uses precious morning coffee and a handmade brush to paint a series of portraits of his hero, President Barack Obama; also behind bars, Javier Quintero, innovates a painstakingly detailed drawing style to create photorealistic portraits of himself with his wife to mail to her.
Artists Gregory Sale and Karla Diaz each collaborate with system-impacted individuals and communities to create participatory performances and social practice works, respectively, that offer meaningful opportunities for connection, dialogue, and common ground. Photographer Noelle Swan explores the complex emotional layers of the impact of murder on her family and finds an unlikely avenue for healing in the restorative justice movement, where the incarcerated individuals that she meets connect deeply to her family tragedy. Stan Hunter similarly locates healing through art. Hunter taught himself to paint while incarcerated for 30 years. Recognizing the powerful impact art had on his own growth, Hunter began to teach others inside to paint. Now released, he is a Lead Teaching Artist with the Prison Arts Collective, taking the journey full circle.
Karla Diaz is an artist, writer, educator, and activist born in Los Angeles and raised in both Mexico and L.A. Her multidisciplinary work questions institutional power, investigates language, explores cultural relationships, and provokes dialogue. She received her MFA from CalArts in 2004 and has published and exhibited her work in local, national, and international venues including MOCA, LACMA, MD2011 Medellin Colombia, Museo Cervantez in Spain, the Whitney in New York, the ICA in Boston, and the Serpentine Gallery in London. She is co-director and founding member of Slanguage Studio, an artist community space/collective, and has received several awards, notably a city of Los Angeles Arts Recognition Award and an Art Matters award for her “Prison Gourmet” project. She teaches at Cal State University Long Beach.
Stan Hunter is a practicing artist who taught himself to paint while incarcerated for over thirty years. Finding deep healing through art, he dedicated himself to sharing it with others and has supported numerous peers to find joy and meaning through art. He finds purpose in sharing his skills and artistic techniques with those who may be struggling to find their own purpose. Hunter is a founding member and lead teaching artist with the Prison Arts Collective.
Peter Merts has been a photographer for 40 years, specializing in fine art, documentary, and portrait styles. He has published, exhibited, and lectured in the US and abroad. For the past 12 years, Peter has documented California’s Arts in Corrections program—first as a volunteer, then under contract with the California Arts Council. He has photographed in all of California’s 36 adult state prisons and serves on the advisory board of the Prison Arts Collective. Peter co-published, with Dr. Larry Brewster, the book Paths of Discovery: Art Practice and Its Impact in California Prisons (now in its 2nd edition).
Javier Quintero is an artist that is currently incarcerated and serving four life sentences that he received at age 15. He was sent to a maximum security prison at 17 and began to draw as a way to deal with a violent environment. Quintero explains that drawing “kept me sane” and, after many years behind bars, keeps him motivated and allows for enjoyment. In 2018, Quintero completed the Prison Arts Collective Facilitator Training. He often sends artwork to his wife, advocate Xochitl Quintero, who was instrumental in loaning pieces for this exhibition.
Tony Ramirez is an artist that is currently incarcerated in Ironwood State Prison. Ramirez paints, draws, and has been teaching others to do the same ever since he learned. He is well respected among his peers for his mentorship and innovation, evidenced in this exhibition by portraits made in coffee. Currently struggling with losing his eyesight, Ramirez is learning to play the guitar. Ramirez has also been a Peer Facilitator in the Prison Arts Collective since 2017.
Paul Rucker is a composer, musician, and visual artist who combines media, often integrating live performance, sound, video, animation, original compositions, storytelling, and visual art. His work is the product of a rich interactive process, through which he investigates community impacts, human rights issues, historical research, and basic human emotions surrounding particular subject matter. Much of his current work focuses on dismantling inequity in order to create positive change. Rucker has received numerous grants, awards, and residencies for visual art and music. Among many notable achievements are an award for Visual Art from the Creative Capital Foundation, the John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, the first artist-in-residence at the National Museum of African American Culture, a residency at the Joan Mitchell Center, and a TED Fellow.
Artist Gregory Sale brings together a multitude of individuals implicated in and working with the criminal justice system. His projects organize frameworks of engagement for individuals directly affected by the system, connecting them with communities and encouraging reciprocal dialogue and mutual learning. His projects include It’s not just black and white (2011) at ASU Art Museum, and Future IDs at Alcatraz (2018-19) for the iconic prison turned National Park in San Francisco Bay. His work has received support from the Kenneth Rainin Foundation, Creative Capital, A Blade of Grass, and Andy Warhol Foundation. He teaches at Arizona State University.
Noelle Swan is a documentary and editorial photographer that uses still and video images in visual storytelling. Her work has been published and exhibited internationally. In 2010, Noelle was a Critical Mass finalist for Life After Death, a body of work documenting the tragic effects of her sister’s murder, and in 2011, she was nominated for the Santa Fe Prize in Photography. Noelle is a founding member of SIX SHOOTERS, a group of six female photographers, and is currently focused on personal photographic projects, writing and restorative justice.
Robert Yovanov is an artist that is currently incarcerated at the California Institution for Men in Chino. He became involved in the Community-based Art program, now the Prison Arts Collective, in 2013 and has been an active peer leader in the program ever since. He is a cartoonist and is learning to paint. He also teaches a popular Foundations in Art class with the Prison Arts Collective and continues to support the growing arts community at the institution.
Annie Buckley is a multidisciplinary artist who has written extensively about art for leading publications in the field including Artforum, Art in America, The Huffington Post, Los Angeles Review of Books, and KCET Artbound. In addition to her role as professor of Visual Studies, at Cal State San Bernardino, she is the founding director of the Prison Arts Collective, where she co-teaches and oversees a teaching team that facilitates weekly programming on 12 yards in eight state prisons through a contract with Arts in Corrections, an initiative of the California Arts Council and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, with additional funding from CDCR and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Paul Rucker, Proliferation, 2009/2012, Video/audio/animation, Dimensions: 11:30 projected on large monitor
Special Event:
Murray Pepper and Vicki Reynolds Pepper Distinguished Visiting Artists & Scholars Lecture Series
Tuesday, December 3 at 4:15 p.m., Benson Auditorium, Pitzer College
Father Peter Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles
Keynote Lecture by Father Gregory Boyle, SJ, founder of Homeboy Industries, the largest gang intervention, rehabilitation and re-entry program in the world.
Gregory Boyle is the founder of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, the largest gang intervention, rehabilitation and re-entry program in the world.
A native Angeleno and Jesuit priest, from 1986 to 1992 Father Boyle served as pastor of Dolores Mission Church in Boyle Heights, then the poorest Catholic parish in Los Angeles that also had the highest concentration of gang activity in the city.
Father Boyle witnessed the devastating impact of gang violence on his community during the so-called “decade of death” that began in the late 1980s and peaked at 1,000 gang-related killings in 1992. In the face of law enforcement tactics and criminal justice policies of suppression and mass incarceration as the means to end gang violence, he and parish and community members adopted what was a radical approach at the time: treat gang members as human beings.
In 1988 they started what would eventually become Homeboy Industries, which employs and trains former gang members in a range of social enterprises, as well as provides critical services to thousands of men and women who walk through its doors every year seeking a better life.
Father Boyle is the author of the 2010 New York Times-bestseller Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion. His new book, Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship, was published in 2017.
He has received the California Peace Prize and been inducted into the California Hall of Fame. In 2014, the White House named Father Boyle a Champion of Change. He received the University of Notre Dame’s 2017 Laetare Medal, the oldest honor given to American Catholics.
* Please note: All exhibition events will take place on the Pitzer campus and in correctional institutions. Events on campus are open to the public. Events in corrections are by invitation.*
Thursday, September 26, 1:20 – 4 p.m., Pitzer College
The Actor’s Gang Reentry Project: Open Workshop/Performance of Commedia dell’Arte
The Actor’s Gang at the California Institution for Women, Sept 21 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
The Actors’ Gang Reentry Project will host an open workshop/performance of Commedia dell’Arte co-facilitated by formerly incarcerated alumni. Participants will experience the highly physical and emotional style of improvised theater taught by The Actors’ Gang Prison Project for the last thirteen years throughout California’s state prisons.
October 24, 1:20 – 4 p.m., Pitzer College
The Strindberg Laboratory and Kukunori co-lead a workshop together with over 50 organizations and individuals creating a world without labels and walls
Strindberg and Kukunori at the California Institution for Women, Oct. 24, 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
The Strindberg Laboratory joins with the Finnish group Kukunori and the international coalition, No Labels, No Walls, to conduct a theater art workshop to create flags for a world without labels and walls. The flags will represent the participants’ views on what it means to be free from stigma and in a world where equality is a reality. Join the movement!
November 21, 1:20 – 4:00 p.m., Pitzer College
Prison Arts Collective: Exhibition Walkthrough and Responsive Art Workshop
Prison Arts Collective at California Institution for Men, Nov. 8, 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
The Prison Arts Collective will present a guided exhibition tour and responsive art workshop. Participants will gain insight into the meaning and experience of art in prison, engage in dialogue about the impact of art in the restorative justice movement, and create art and writing projects to reflect on the issues, narratives, and emotional responses to the exhibition.
This exhibition and related events are generously supported by the Justice Education Initiative at the Claremont Colleges, funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Murray Pepper and Vicki Reynolds Pepper Distinguished Visiting Artists and Scholars Endowed Fund; and Office of the Dean of Faculty at Pitzer College.
Tags: Fall 2019, Upcoming Exhibitions
Curatorial Internship
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PSLS • News • PS Vita / PlayStation Vita News, Trophies, Reviews, and More • PS3 / PlayStation 3 News, Trophies, Reviews, and More • PS4 News, Trophies, Reviews, and More
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number Dev Tells Australians to “Just Pirate It”
Mark LabbeFriday, January 16, 2015
As you may have already heard, the brutal, top-down 2D game Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number has essentially been banned in Australia after the country’s Classification Board refused to rate it. However, it looks like the team behind the upcoming title is giving the okay for fans to obtain the game by pirating it.
Jonatan Söderström, a designer working on the game, recently responded to an email sent in by a fan who wanted to know how he could play the game if it is actually banned in Australia after coming out. The fan asks if there is a way he can pirate it and then send the team money for it through a private PayPal account. Söderström’s response is perfect.
If it ends up not being released in Australia, just pirate it after release.
No need to send us any money, just enjoy the game!
Jonatan.
So there you have it. If you live in Australia, then feel free to pirate Hotline Miami 2 after it releases sometime within Q1 of 2015 — you have the developer’s blessing. If you do not live in Australia, make sure to buy it through legitimate channels for either the PlayStation 4, PS3, PS Vita, PC, Mac, or Linux.
What do you think of the whole issue? Do you agree with Söderström’s response to his fan?
[Source: Reddit via Ars Technica]
Tags: Australia, Dennaton Games, Devolver Digital, Hotline Miami, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number, Jonatan Söderström
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/content/np/en/destinations/flights-to-pisa https://www.qatarairways.com/en-np/search-results
Pisa Pisa Clear
Flights to Pisa
Book a flight to Pisa with Qatar Airways
While the world-famous Leaning Tower may be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Pisa, there is so much more to this extraordinary city than its oblique icon.
Book a flight to Pisa with Qatar Airways and you’ll have the perfect opportunity to discover the many riches of this Tuscan jewel.
Pisa highlights
Pisa is much more than just a leaning tower; explore the countryside, sample the cafés and immerse yourself in laid-back ambience.
Pisa is a university city with a vibrant entertainment and café culture that welcomes visitors from around the world. It has a relaxed vibe despite its bustling commercial centre, which makes it attractive for entrepreneurs as well as tourists.
The Leaning Tower – or to give it its Italian name, the Torre Pendente – is situated in the Piazza dei Miracoli or “Field of Miracles”. It started leaning almost as soon as construction began in 1173, but its architects were convinced it would be safe to carry on its construction. The tower has managed to defy gravity to this day and was stabilised in 2001; so you can climb to the top for a stunning view, but be sure to reserve tickets in advance.
There are plenty of other sights to see when you travel to Pisa, including the Duomo di Pisa (the cathedral), the Romanesque dome of Battistero, and the Piazza dei Cavalieri, a square filled with historical buildings. Don’t miss out on the charms of the Museo delle Sinopie, a charm-filled art museum replete with dazzling bronze sculptures.
Pisa is a spa town, and you can relax in the thermal waters of the Casciana Terme or the San Giuliano Terme, which take advantage of the naturally-heated waters that pour from the foot of Mount San Giuliano. But be careful, the water is a piping 40 Celsius.
Tuscany is famous for its art, and there are plenty of opportunities in Pisa to capture some stunning vistas. Art classes are held throughout the city to give you a chance to get a different perspective on its architecture.
Cultural walking tours are incredibly popular and a guided tour is the best way to see all of Pisa’s best-loved sites while getting an insider’s perspective. Group tours usually include the more iconic monuments like the tower, but also look for tours that take you a little off the beaten track, to explore the piazzas and picture-perfect squares throughout the city.
Pisa is famous for its biscuits, and there are dozens of family-run bakeries throughout the city selling different types of biscuits.
For quality and affordable restaurants, head to the centre of the city, away from the tourist hotspot surrounding the Leaning Tower.
You can find some excellent restaurants in the vegetable market, Piazza delle Vettovaglie, and a good selection of traditional Italian eateries on the south bank of the river around Via San Martino.
The main shopping area in Pisa is focused on Corso Italia, which lies in a relatively small area between the railway station and the Ponte di Mezzo (the central bridge).
You will also find plenty of boutiques and designer shops on the north side of the bridge in Via Borgo Stretto, as well as other small outlets and specialty stores throughout the city.
Avoid the shops around the Leaning Tower, as these are usually geared towards tourists and can be overpriced. It’s also an offence to buy replicas of the tower from unlicensed sellers, who tend to be very persistent and persuasive!
Essential facts about Pisa
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Health & Human Rights
NILQ
Research Advocacy
Back to the Margins? A Crisis for Human Rights and Equality
When it comes to rights and equality, there is a crisis that merits urgent attention says Professor Colin Harvey.
This year will bring much careful reflection; the many anniversaries will be exhaustively probed. One thing should now be clear: there is a crisis for human rights and equality in Northern Ireland, and the place has not travelled as far as was hoped in 1998. The Human Rights Act 1998 has made a difference but it was coming anyway, as was the notion of ‘Convention rights’ within the ‘devolution schemes’. In formal human rights terms this is largely where we remain.
The Bill of Rights that was expected to take us beyond the European Convention on Human Rights never arrived, with expectations raised and then dashed. The Charter of Rights for the island has simply disappeared. The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission has been decimated in funding terms and steadily undermined. The equality agenda is marked by periodic victories, usually driven by popular mobilisation and determined legal action. A combination of plain old hostility, institutional inertia, absent leadership and design flaws continues to erode the promise of section 75. Discussions about the legacy of the conflict are now routinely detached from debates about a rights-based and socially just future; so we may well end up forensically dissecting the past in the ruins of a society that is collapsing in socio-economic terms.
Frequently neglected, but of profound significance, is the staggering failure to clarify and codify the concept of equal citizenship (British-Irish), thus leaving it to be fought out in the realm of partisan party politics. The assumptions about its status will be sorely tested during Brexit, and much more work should have been done in the last 20 years. The gains made on policing and justice are being eroded, with the danger that the rights-based approach to accountability is being damaged. The emerging picture is at times grim.
The points of light flow from individual and collective acts of moral courage, for example, by the LGBT community, women, Irish language activists and victims and survivors, among many others. There is a robust human rights culture within civil society here that persists, against great odds. Where even one person is prepared to confront authoritarianism and injustice then the flame of human rights and equality has not gone out. There are heroic figures you may never know but whose efforts are transformative. It is the quiet work that built the peace process.
The North-South Joint Committee on Human Rights has recently revived, in the wake of Brexit, and that is welcome news. More focus than ever will be needed on the concept of equivalence, as the two parts of the island potentially drift apart. There is a desperate need for special arrangements to reflect the unique circumstances of Northern Ireland/Ireland, and any such new status must respect human rights and equality. There is evidence that this is being recognised. The Westminster Parliament may even have a vital role in the time ahead in advancing this agenda.
As the work of the Joint Committee shows, the potential remedies for ensuring ongoing cooperation, and mitigating the worst aspects of current politics (including Brexit), are already there (and were envisaged in the Good Friday Agreement). On many of the outstanding challenges in this society we do not confront a blank page, credible solutions exist.
This is a current crisis that merits urgent attention. With Brexit looming, and the Westminster Government threatening further reform (that goes in a similar direction), a response is required. Whatever constitutional or political configurations emerge on these islands, the present threat to rights and equality is real and demands coherent action in the public interest. Human rights and equality were always intended to be central to the truly reconciled future imagined in the Agreement, and that is too often forgotten. Empty versions of a notionally shared society will only serve to promote shared sorrow for the most marginalised and vulnerable here. It is time to fix this, it is time to bring human rights and equality back into the frame.
Even in these difficult times, why not be appropriately ambitious for human rights and equality, however this place is governed and wherever our eventual constitutional future may rest?
This article was originally published on http://qpol.qub.ac.uk/ on 9th April 2018
Image:Human Rights by Nick Youngson CC BY-SA 3.0 ImageCreator
Learn more about Professor Colin Harvey
Dr Kathryn McNeilly wins the Vice Chancellor's Early Career Research Prize 2018
Sustainable Food Production Workshop Thursday November 29th – Friday November 30th, 2018
The Research Scholar Workshop: Professor Christopher McCrudden
Too soon until it got too late? Hissène Habré reparations
Amnesty International: 'Out of Egypt'
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The facts of the (dark) matter
By Dave Rideout, Senior Communications Officer
World leading researchers gather at Queen’s to discuss dark matter, galaxies, and the universe.
The Andromeda Galaxy (Photo credit: Jonathan Sick, Queen's University)
Top scientists from around the world have gathered at Queen's University this week to celebrate fundamental discoveries in the fields of dark matter and galaxy astrophysics, and to honour ten of the top minds in dark matter astrophysics. The symposium, entitled The Physics of Galaxy Scaling Relations and the Nature of Dark Matter, will feature a public lecture, and spotlight research results in the studies of dark matter, galaxy structure, and particle astrophysics during a time of unprecedented intellectual productivity and discovery in the field.
“To have these giants of dark matter and astroparticle physics gathered here in Canada is a truly rare opportunity that befits the prominent role that Queen’s scientists are developing in these research areas,” says Stéphane Courteau, Chair of the conference organizing committee and Queen’s Professor of Physics, Engineering Physics, and Astronomy. “Our guests of honour are the pioneers of these study areas and architects of models of our Universe in which a very large fraction of the matter is completely dark, so this is a unique and exciting opportunity to discuss the future of dark matter physics and to recognize our guests’ tremendous accomplishments.”
Running from July 15-20, the conference will not only feature panel discussions and invited lectures on some of the universe’s biggest mysteries, but will also serve as a celebration of the career contributions of the event’s ten guests of honour.
Among the distinguished guests is Sandra Faber, Professor Emerita from the University of California, who co-leads a Hubble Space Telescope project looking at galaxy formation back to the time of the Big Bang. She has been the recipient of major international awards, and was recognized most notably by U.S. President Barack Obama in 2013 with the National Medal of Science.
On July 19, Michael Turner from the University of Chicago – the researcher who originally coined the term dark energy – will be giving a free public lecture open to attendees, faculty, staff, students, and the Kingston community. Entitled The Dark Side of the Universe, his talk will explain what we know about the crucial roles of dark matter and dark energy play in shaping our universe.
“The complexities of the universe are vast and intricate, so the public lecture will be an excellent opportunity for the Queen’s and Kingston community to gain a clear, thought-provoking understanding of this research,” says Dr. Courteau. “It will also be valuable for current and prospective students who are considering pursuing this field of study, especially with the recent launch of the new McDonald Institute marking Queen’s University’s leadership role in astroparticle physics.”
Queen’s University recently launched the McDonald Institute (Arthur B. McDonald Canadian Astroparticle Physics Research Institute) in partnership with eight universities and five research organizations, cementing its reputation as a world leader in astroparticle physics. This week’s conference marks the most high-profile event hosted by the McDonald Institute since its May 2018 unveiling ceremony, organized in honour of its namesake, Queen’s professor emeritus and Nobel Laureate Arthur B. McDonald.
You can learn more about the conference or reserve your free space at the public lecture now.
Tags: Arts and Science|Internationalization|Research Prominence
Nobel Prize winner to speak on Einstein, black holes, and gravitational waves
Exhibit offers interactive look at Nobel Prize-winning research
World-class sex researcher joins Queen’s
Fostering international collaboration
Queen’s Women’s Network promoting workplace equity and career growth
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Dallas County settles PLN censorship lawsuit
Dallas News, Jan. 1, 2007. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/new...
Dallas County settles PLN censorship lawsuit - Dallas News 2007
PRISON MAGAZINE SETTLEMENT OK'D
Dallas County commissioners approved a legal settlement Tuesday over the distribution of a magazine in the jails.
Prison Legal News, a prisoner-rights magazine, filed a federal lawsuit against the county this year over a policy banning newspapers and magazines inside the jails.
The Washington-based nonprofit publisher argued that the policy, enacted in March 2006, violated its constitutional rights. The policy was issued to eliminate clutter, but the publisher said inmates have a right to receive its 48-page legal information magazine.
Under the terms of the settlement, Dallas County agrees to allow inmates to receive the magazine. But the county can withhold delivery if the magazine contains prohibited content, as long as the publisher receives a written explanation.
Also, the county agreed to pay the publisher $9,000 for attorneys' fees and other costs, according to the settlement.
Kevin Krause
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Telstra calls on SAS to keep customers engaged
SAS Graduate Program
SAS Executive Forum
300 Burns Bay Road
Private Bag No 52
Lane Cove NSW 2066
Tel: +61-2 9428 0428
Improving the flow of information with business analytics
Rijkswaterstaat drives better decisions and boosts long-term savings
Rijkswaterstaat, part of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment, is responsible for public works and water management, including the construction and maintenance of waterways and roads. With a long history of providing clean water and ensuring the roads are safe for traffic, the agency uses SAS® Business Analytics to improve the flow of operational information to optimize management processes.
With multiple information systems for the primary road, waterway and water networks, Rijkswaterstaat required an integrated view of all of its services to support optimized decision making and the management of public works and water services. To solve the problem, the Dutch agency built the Network Management Information System (NIS) using SAS Business Analytics.
Insight into the underlying data makes work more efficient and will help save money in the long run.
Jacorien Wouters
NIS Program Manager
"In recent years, the ministry implemented a more business-oriented approach to the management of public works and water management, creating more collaboration based on service level agreements," explains Jacorien Wouters, NIS Program Manager. "This new relationship between the ministry and agency involved clear agreements based on a cycle of 'plan, do, check and act' and required clear-cut reporting."
Reports must answer questions like: How many kilometers of highway is the agency responsible for? Is there sufficient sand in supply?
Before SAS, such questions could not be immediately answered, although they represented a huge part of the budget. "Currently, the standard reports in NIS can answer 80 percent of the questions that need to be answered," Wouters says. "For the rest, we use SAS analytical tools to answer the more complex questions."
Bringing data together
While overall public works and water management information was available before, it was spread among various information systems for more than 10 different regional services. In addition, all of those services collected and stored information differently.
For example, there were different ways of measurement for mapping the road system, such as in meters, kilometers or surface area. With the NIS, every region now uses consistent definitions, and all information about the primary road and waterway networks and water system is made available in a unified way.
"Insight into the underlying data makes work more efficient and will help save money in the long run," Wouters says. "In addition, the easy method of reporting saves time and enhances productivity. There are no more debates about definitions. In addition, employees who used to spend too much time collecting data for reporting can now generate reports in a few minutes."
As the official data source of the agency, the NIS is used by every employee – from the Director General who allocates budget to project managers responsible for operational activities. And, using the NIS, the Asset Management Department can regularly report on the status of the 24 key performance indicators – known as PINS – related to the agency's service level agreements.
"Take the PIN for roadway incidents response time, for example. On essential roads, our staff must be on location within 15 minutes 80 percent of the time," says Ronald Perluka, an agency business advisor. "With the help of NIS, we can focus on the PINs with greater objectivity and specificity."
The benefits of user-friendliness
"The number of users has increased by 70 percent," continues Perluka. "Now that access to information is simpler, regions are coming closer together to learn from each other."
According to Wouters, the NIS platform is also suited for the future integration of other source systems, such as the Traffic Information and Recommendations project, which will provide a better understanding of things such as traffic intensity.
"Once we combine this information with NIS in the future, Rijkswaterstaat will be able to operate with an even greater focus on service to the public," concludes Wouters.
Gain an integrated view of public works and water services for better decision making
Long-term savings through more efficient reporting.
Improved KPI tracking.
Easier access to more users.
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Crypto Seems Ready to Solve Gaming Industry’s Microtransaction Dilemma – BTC Ethereum Crypto Currency Blog
Bitcoin Bitcoin Cash Blockchain News Crypto News Ethereum Litecoin
Crypto may help to solve microtransaction problems, as gamers are becoming disillusioned with industry leaders.
The world of gaming has evolved immensely over the past decade, particularly when it comes to online transactions and purchases. For example, a market study conducted by LendEDU last year revealed that, out of a thousand gamers who were found to spend anywhere between six to 10 hours playing a game of their choice, nearly 69% of them made use of micropayments — with each individual, on average, spending $84.67 in the game.
However, before delving any deeper into this subject, it is better to outline the various earning models that video game developers have been making use of since the industry came to the forefront in the mid-1980s. During the first two decades of its existence, publishers primarily relied on a model referred to as “pay-to-play,” which essentially entailed a user paying the full price for a video game (CD-ROM/cartridge) to enjoy uninterrupted access to the title. However, over the past 10-15 years, publishers have started to use a new approach that essentially reduces the game into small parts, with the price of each supplement being charged separately through a digital transaction medium called “virtual currency.”
With that being said, micropayments have received a lot of flack from the global gaming community over the past couple of years: firstly, because they appear to serve as quick cash-grab schemes for game developers, and secondly, because they seem to take away a sense of accomplishment from the game itself.
Micropayments — shortcomings and advantages
Simply put, a micropayment is a commercial transaction that involves an extremely small amount of money — usually ranging from a several cents to a few dollars. Within this structure, there exist a host of business models (prepay, post-pay, pay-as-you-go, etc.) that are quite often employed by gaming companies to lure in more money from their clientele.
Popular titles such as FIFA, Fortnite and NBA2K have successfully made use of the microtransaction structure over the past decade. For example, even though Fortnite is a free-to-play video game, it was able to generate a whopping $2.4 billion in revenue for its publisher, Epic Games, last year. If that wasn’t enough, a recent study by Juniper Research indicated that in-game transactions are expected to surge past the $160 billion mark by 2022.
And while microtransactions get a lot of bad press on the internet, there are certain advantages for having such in-game content available. For instance, Fortnite’s cosmetic microtransaction system has largely been welcomed by the game’s followers, since it allows users to unlock new skins by simply playing the game for longer periods of time, without having to pay anything.
However, on the flipside, we can also see that there have been many instances in the past when developers have gone a little too far with their in-game payment schemes. This is best highlighted by a recent controversy that emerged when a Reddit user by the name of MBMaverick claimed that, even after purchasing EA’s latest Star Wars Battlefront 2 title, he still had to pay a whopping $80 to unlock Darth Vader — one of the series’ most central and iconic characters.
On the subject, he stated:
“This is a joke. I’ll be contacting EA support for a refund… I can’t even playing f—ing Darth Vader?!?!? Disgusting. This age of ‘micro-transactions’ has gone WAY too far. Leave it to EA though to stretch the boundaries.”
When is it too far?
The issue of microtransactions is on full display when one starts playing the hit game Grand Theft Auto Online, a multiplayer video game that comes as a free add-on with Grand Theft Auto V (a copy of which costs around $60). This is because the game’s developers have devised the narrative in such a way that it is extremely difficult for nonpaying players to earn any in-game money by going through the title’s standard missions. As a result, most gamers often get frustrated and resort to buying credit packs that usually cost them anywhere between $19.99 and $99.99.
Similarly, EA Sports’ FIFA franchise is also known to charge its players heavy microtransaction fees, even after they have purchased a licensed copy of the title. When playing the game, in order for users to unlock big packs containing a chance of obtaining a high-rated player, they need to either earn coins by completing a host of challenging tasks — or purchase FIFA Points. However, more often than not, players end up buying these points from EA’s online store — thereby shelling out up to $100. Even then, though, the players are not guaranteed to pack any of soccer’s biggest stars.
To further elaborate on this issue, we can see that there have been several instances of gamers in the past who have spent thousands of dollars on microtransactions, only to realize their mistake later down the line. For example, a United Kingdom-based gamer spent a whopping $10,000 on FIFA ‘17’s and FIFA ‘18’s in-game purchases. And even though his lavish spending didn’t have a noticeable effect on his overall finances, he did admit that the entire pursuit wasn’t really worth it.
In response to all this madness, United States Sen. Josh Hawley recently introduced a bill called the Protecting Children from Abusive Games Act, which (if passed) will essentially ban “pay-to-win” microtransactions within games that are designed exclusively for a young target audience.
So, how do crypto payments fit into all of this?
As online transactions have gradually become an integral part of the global gaming ecosystem, the past few years have also seen the advent of a new payment avenue for in-game purchases: virtual currencies. The idea was first brought to life back in 2017, a time when the industry as a whole was surging and the price of Bitcoin (BTC) was at its all-time high of nearly $20,000.
Related: Time to Chain Up: Is Blockchain About to Change the Gaming Industry?
Back in 2017, Steam and Twitch were the first big-name platforms to allow their customers to make use of cryptocurrencies (mainly Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash) in order to facilitate their in-game transactions. However, owing to the volatility of this nascent asset class, Steam soon disabled its support for cryptocurrencies within just a couple of months. With that being said, Twitch still accepts a few altcoins, despite the company having briefly relinquished its support for crypto previously in March this year.
Listed below are several platforms that have already become popular among the gaming community and that charge in crypto for the purchase of game-related content or apparel.
— Bitrefill: As the name suggests, Bitrefill is a crypto-trading platform that allows its customers to purchase a wide array of gift cards for online gaming services — such as Steam, Xbox Live and Blizzard’s Battle.net — using Bitcoin. For example, an Xbox gift card worth $15 currently costs 0.0016020 BTC on Bitrefill and a $50 card is available for 0.00534900 BTC.
— Gipsybee: This crypto marketplace allows for the purchase of a host of gaming hardware, such as wireless gamepads, video game consoles, VR headsets and much more. Not only that, the platform currently accepts Bitcoin, Ether and Bitcoin Cash as forms of payment.
— Scan.co.uk: This is a haven for crypto enthusiasts looking to spend their Bitcoin on professional gaming hardware, like niche graphics cards, gaming PCs, RAM cards, DIY water-cooling systems, gaming chairs, GPUs, etc. Additionally, it is worth mentioning that some of the brands whose products are available on the platform include Corsair, Nvidia, 3XS and Intel.
— BMI Gaming: Video game aficionados who still have a thing for arcade gaming may already be familiar with BMI Gaming. The company’s webstore is filled with a number of classic titles, such as Pacman, Luigi’s Mansion, Space Invaders, etc. However, as is to be expected, these arcade machines can cost anywhere between $4,000 and $20,000 (depending on the rarity of the selected game). Payments can be processed via a number of different crypto pathways, including Bitcoin, Ether, Bitcoin Cash and Litecoin.
— Caseking: Similar to Gipsybee, this German firm offers its clientele with a plethora of gaming items, such as GPUs, gaming laptops/PCs, gamepads, joysticks, headsets, etc. However, it is worth pointing out that Caseking’s crypto payment options are currently restricted to just Bitcoin.
The gaming industry as a whole raked in a mammoth $137 billion last year — which showcases a 13% increase in revenue when compared to 2017. Therefore, as time goes on, more and more game developers might start looking to explore the potential of cryptocurrencies within this burgeoning market space — primarily through the implementation of novel in-game, asset tokenization models.
Additionally, over the course of 2018, blockchain-based games — such as CryptoKitties, My Crypto Heroes and Gods Unchained — were able to generate a combined revenue of around $500 million. And this is quite impressive, considering how nascent this market really is.
And while a lot of people may not necessarily like the idea micropayments, it appears as though this mode of transaction is here to stay. Especially with crypto entering this space, the cost of individual transactions can be reduced quite substantially, thereby allowing developers to subsidize the overall price of their peripheral content (such as downloadable content, skins, etc.). Additionally, crypto assets like Bitcoin can be scaled down quite easily, thereby making it more efficient for gaming companies to process even the tiniest of transactions.
When it comes to individual privacy and security, cryptocurrencies blow traditional credit/debit card-based payment systems out of the water. To provide more context, it is worth remembering that the Equifax data breach, which took place a few years back, resulted in the credit card details of more than 143 million Mastercard and Visa users being leaked online and sold on the darknet.
Related: Video Games and Blockchain: New Experience for Players or More Profit for Developers?
Lastly, in regard to the crypto gaming boom that is currently being witnessed worldwide, Cointelegraph recently interviewed Morten Rongaard, CEO of Reality Gaming Group, about the future of the video game market. According to Rongaard:
“When talking about the future of the gaming market, the industry continues to catch the attention of not only players of all ages in the economy, but the attention of business owners and investors as well. As an industry, gaming is undergoing impressive growth.”
Rongaard also pointed out that his company was currently in the process of bringing blockchain into the gaming world, saying:
“My vision is for gamers to be able to truly own their character, their weapons and their resources. They should be able to trade, sell and buy securely using the blockchain. That is instead of taking a risk on platforms and where you as a player have spent thousands of dollars building up a profile that you don’t even own and have no control over.”
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Rodger Saffold spurns Rams, Ndamukong Suh…
SportsNFLLos Angeles Rams
Rodger Saffold spurns Rams, Ndamukong Suh expected to leave
Los Angeles Rams offensive guard Rodger Saffold watches against the Detroit Lions during an NFL football game in Detroit, Sunday, Dec. 2, 2018. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
By Ryan Kartje | rkartje@scng.com | Orange County Register
PUBLISHED: March 12, 2019 at 1:17 pm | UPDATED: March 12, 2019 at 4:22 pm
One prominent Rams free agent has already moved on, while another is likely to follow suit before long.
Left guard Rodger Saffold, who had been the longest tenured player in the Rams organization, officially signed with the Titans on Tuesday to a four-year deal worth up to $44 million — an offer that general manager Les Snead admitted was “too expensive for us.”.
Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, meanwhile, is also expected to sign elsewhere in the coming days or weeks, after just a single season in Los Angeles. Snead said the Rams were “projecting” that Suh’s salary would be similarly cost-prohibitive, after the team re-signed edge rusher Dante Fowler for $12 million and committed to a two-year deal with veteran safety Eric Weddle last week. The Rams have just under $18 million in cap space, according to OverTheCap.com.
Saffold’s expected exit after nine seasons leaves a second gaping hole along an offensive line that ranked among the best in the NFL last season. The Rams already parted ways with center John Sullivan this offseason and now must find a replacement at left guard, where, in recent seasons, Saffold had emerged as one of the league’s most consistent interior linemen.
Saffold, 31, had expressed interest in returning to Los Angeles, but a thin free agent market at offensive guard sent his value skyrocketing. His foray into the open market certainly paid dividends; only five other interior linemen in the NFL currently have more guaranteed money in their contracts than Saffold.
Barring an addition up front through the draft, the Rams are planning to replace him by turning to Joe Noteboom, a third-round pick from last year’s draft who impressed in limited reps at guard last season. Brian Allen, who was drafted in the fourth round last season, is expected to take Sullivan’s place at center.
“We did have a projection that at some point we need to groom them to become starters,” Snead said. “The great thing about Joe is that he is versatile. He can fill in for Rodger, and then, at the end of the day, you’re still grooming him to be a (Andrew) Whitworth heir apparent in time.”
Suh’s departure after one season had long been expected, after a stretch of dominance in the playoffs likely raised the 32-year-old defensive tackle’s asking price. Suh had six sacks in 19 games for the Rams, including the postseason.
The Rams have options, in terms of replacing Suh. Defensive tackle is likely to be one of the team’s top targets in the draft. And Michael Brockers, who started last season at five-technique, could slot in at nose tackle where Suh played, Snead said.
“What his flexibility allows you to do,” Snead said, “is maybe pick the best player and not necessarily say, ‘We have to have a nose tackle.’ You could pick maybe the best 5-technique.”
Ryan Kartje
Ryan Kartje is a sports features reporter, with a special focus on the NFL and college sports. He has worked for the Orange County Register since 2012, when he was hired as UCLA beat writer. His enterprise work on the rise and fall of the daily fantasy sports industry (http://www.ocregister.com/articles/industry-689093-fantasy-daily.html) was honored in 2015 with an Associated Press Sports Editors’ enterprise award in the highest circulation category. His writing has also been honored by the Football Writers Association of America and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Ryan worked for the Bloomington (Ind.) Herald-Times and Fox Sports Wisconsin, before moving out west to live by the beach and eat copious amounts of burritos.
Follow Ryan Kartje @Ryan_Kartje
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A Commitment to Code
Hack Arizona will bring together digital talent from colleges across the nation
Hack Arizona Recruitment Drive
On March 6, more than 450 students from colleges around the nation will descend on the University of Arizona campus armed with sleeping bags, toothbrushes and most importantly, a computer. For 36 hours, students will team up in small groups to “hack” solutions to difficult technical problems.
Hack Arizona, a first-ever hackathon hosted by the University of Arizona, will bring together the most talented undergraduate and graduate students from the burgeoning tech ecosystem in the Southwest and across the country.
Raytheon will be the event’s corporate sponsor, providing donations of hardware, mentoring students, acting as judges and awarding completed projects based on best implementation.
Undergraduate- or graduate-level future technologists can stop by the Raytheon booth in the University of Arizona Science and Engineering Library to learn more about the company, meet young engineers and interview for internship and permanent roles from 3-9 p.m. on Friday, March 6 and 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on March 7.
Students can apply for the competition through the hackathon website.
Hack Arizona
Raytheon Careers for Students & Recent Graduates
Raytheon on Twitter
Raytheon Jobs on Twitter
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Country Artist Levi Riggs tours with RCF HDL20-A Line Array system
Last year, country artist Levi Riggs started touring with an HDL20-A rig. An up-and-comer at the time, Riggs had a hit single last year “There’s Still A Place For That,” and is currently riding at #37 on the Nashville Music Row charts. If you like country music the Levi Riggs show is high energy, leave-it-all-on-the-stage, authentic, and as-real-as-it-gets country music.
When he got the HDL20-A rig last year, he told us at RCF, “I had been touring with a different system for the last year or two but as my fan base has grown so has the size of the venues I perform in,” Riggs explains. “It was important that I have a system that could produce the volume I need without any distortion. When I heard the D Line series array I knew it was exactly what I was looking for.” As Riggs prepares for this summer’s tour, including a stop at the CMA Fest this weekend (June 6-8), he tells us, “I couldn't be more proud of my RCF rig. It has been a difference maker when it comes to playing large events. Artists at my level that are touring with their own P.A. just can't compete with the RCF rig I am running and RandyWise (FOH engineer) really makes it shine. It sets me apart.” The system, which consists of eight HDL20-A line array modules and four SUB 8006-AS subwoofers, more than accommodates the current and future needs of the upcoming talent. “Because it’s scalable we can use four HDL20-As and two of the SUB 8006-AS subs to great effect in smaller venues or add more tops and bottoms seamlessly for more coverage at larger shows,” says Riggs. “It has also been extremely useful to be able to adjust the arrays so that they are covering audience areas directly in front of the stage or up in a mezzanine – it makes the system exceptionally flexible.”
Levi Riggs on tour (www.leviriggs.com) June 15 – Warren County Fair, Williamsport, IN June 21 – Danville Summer Sounds, Danville, IN June 28 – Southeast Harley-Davidson, Bedford Hts., OH July 9 – Kosciusko County Fair, Warsaw, IN July 14 – Clinton County Fair – Frankfort, IN July 17 – St. Joseph Car Show – St. Joseph, MI July 24 – Benton County Fair – Boswell, IN Aug. 3 – Fountain Park Chautauqua – Remington, IN
RCF designs and manufactures high-quality professional audio sound system components including transducers, powered and self-powered loudspeakers and line arrays, power amplifiers, digital loudspeaker management systems and recording studio monitors. Headquartered in Reggio Emilia, Italy, RCF USA is a subsidiary of the RCF Group, which is comprised of RCF S.p.A and AEB Industriale s.r.l. (which owns dBTechnologies). Additional information can be found at www.rcf-usa or 732-902-6100
Mondovisione Tour – Stadi 2014 - RCF and Ligabue are going strong!
2014 is the year of the Mondovisione Tour. The Italian rocker Luciano Ligabue will perform around all the main soccer stadiums in Italy throughout the entire summer. It is a journey full of expectation and emotion, as Ligabue has decided to tour with sound reinforcement from RCF, the legendary company from Reggio Emilia which sets the benchmark for excellence in the international professional amplification industry. In 2013 Ligabue and his band tested the RCF audio system, with great satisfaction, at both the Royal Albert Hall in London and at the Arena di Verona. RCF engineers along with the artist’s audio technicians were able to study the best system structure for this tour, conceived for the major Italian stadiums. 48 x TTL55-A speakers will be used as front fill (24 each side) and 40 x TTL55-A as side fill (20 each side). Two central clusters of 12 TTL36-AS subwoofers each, will be hung on the rear of the stage, in an unusual position over the band but technically optimised to avoid interference — thanks to the steering technology of RCF RDnet.
12 TTL 33-A modules, set on the stage, will help direct the sound toward the audience; the TT25-SMA and TT45-SMA stage monitors will be specifically dedicated for the musicians’ monitoring.
Providing low-end extension will be TTS56-A subwoofers, set in cardioid configuration on the floor, with a curved design to allow a uniform distribution of low frequencies throughout the listening area.
The main system will be controlled by RDNet, RCF’s proprietary network, which will allow the technicians to set and control the system parameters in an optimal way for every situation.
RCF @ INFOCOMM 2014
Visit us at INFOCOMM 2014 - Las Vegas, 18th-20th June RCF BOOTH is C12121
Don't miss the chance to listen to our big range of products during the show!
Demo Room is N120. Time slots are:
- 10 am - 11 am - 12am - 1 pm - 2 pm - 3 pm - 4 pm - 5 pm
http://www.infocommshow.org/
RCF USA Hosts RCF World Tour
Join us at the RCF World Tour May 20-21, Cotton Bowl, Dallas, Texas
As a leader in line array technology, come see and hear all the offerings from RCF in one place at one time!
Thunder Audio and RCF provide heavenly sound on Tyler Perry's Hell Hath No Fury Like a Woman Scorn
(Edison, New Jersey) Michigan’s Thunder Audio Inc. has a relationship with tour management company Peachez Entertainment Services that stretches back over 20 years – before Tyler Perry began his incredibly prolific theater, TV and film career. Since 1999, Mr. Perry has produced a new stage production almost every year, and the 300 live shows that he presents each year in association with Peachez Entertainment Services are attended by an average of 35,000 people per week. His latest stage play, “Hell Hath No Fury Like a Woman Scorned”, owes its clarity of sound to Thunder Audio and RCF.
“Hell Hath No Fury Like A Woman Scorned” is a production of nine actors, including Patrice Lovely from the hit TV sitcom "Love Thy Neighbor" and R&B Artist Cheryl "Pepsii" Riley. The show, which also includes a five-piece band and three backing vocalists, segues from spoken dialogue right into songs and back again, and requires a system to meet these unique sonic demands. Thunder Audio Inc. has provided an RCF system, including 28 TTL55-A Line Array Modules and 4 TTL36-AS subwoofers, that perfectly fills the bill. “The actors use lavalier mics, which aren’t really designed for loud-volume singing – the challenge is making that sound not too harsh and loud, while preserving the clarity of the spoken parts,” says Ron Hurd, Thunder Audio Engineer and FOH Engineer for the tour. Hurd has engineered sound on Tyler Perry’s shows since 2000, and he’s seen a dramatic turnaround in theatergoers’ post-show comments as they exit past the soundboard since incorporating RCF into the production. “With RCF, the transition from voice to song has been so seamless,” says Hurd. “We used to get some comments from patrons as they were leaving about how the vocals were hard to understand, or that the musical numbers were too loud… Now we get compliments on the music and the clarity of the actors’ voices.” Production Director Norman Williams of Peachez Entertainment Services has presided over every theater date of the tour, primarily venues with an average of 3,000 seats, and has similar praise for Thunder Audio and RCF.
“Sometimes we have very tight load-in schedules, and the RCF system is incredibly easy to load in and get positioned,” says Williams. “Thunder Audio’s customer service is outstanding,” Williams continues. He recalls a situation at a show in Chicago, where additional sound equipment was needed “Within six hours, Thunder Audio had a truck down here from Detroit with the necessary gear.”
8 SUB8006 for EDM in Houston
GRITSY is Houston’s very own infamous bass music event & movement that’s rocking the spot in Houston, Texas like no other & it just keeps on getting BETTER! GRITSY is the party/event/group of fwd thinking individuals that 1st brought the dubstep/bass music sounds to H-town in 2006 with what was intially a strictly 21+ event.
Thank you for visiting us at Prolight + Sound 2014 in Frankfurt
RCF would like to thank you for visiting our booth during the Prolight + Sound 2014 in Frankfurt.
It was our pleasure to inform you about our last new products and we received many positive feedbacks from all our visitors.
Please find here on the right column some pictures about the event.
Once again, thank you for the time you have spent on our booth and reserved for us during the Prolight + Sound 2014.
RCF S.p.a.
RCF Teams up with 242 Concepts and George Thorogood on his 40th Anniversary Tour
Italian loudspeaker manufacturer RCF has entered into a strategic alliance with Henderson, Tennessee-based tour audio provided 242 Concepts to showcase the RCF HDL20-A line arrays and SUB-8006AS subwoofers on the 2014 George Thorogood and The Destroyers 40th Anniversary Tour. “We excited to have a lightweight, fantastic sounding box that is self-powered, and can fit into the vast array of venues we encounter,” notes Production Manager/FOH Engineer Jeff Pitt. The band first got the opportunity to use the system at the Tennessee Theatre in Knoxville, Tennessee. “We had awesome coverage, and a great evening mixing on the boxes,” said Pitt.
For George Thorogood and his longtime band The Destroyers – Jeff Simon (drums, percussion), Bill Blough (bass guitar), Jim Suhler (rhythm guitar) and Buddy Leach (saxophone) – their 40th anniversary is indestructible proof that staying true to yourself and the music can still mean something. Over the course of sixteen studio albums (including six Gold and two Platinum), they would storm the charts over their illustrious career with a catalog of iconic hits that includes “Who Do You Love”, “I Drink Alone”, “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer”, “Move It On Over”, “Bad To The Bone” and more, being able to share it with audiences is what will always matter to Thorogood. The tour coincides with the release of the George Thorogood & The Destroyers ICON album and the Eagle Rock Entertainment live DVD Live At Montreux. For the tour, 242 Concepts is taking 24 HDL20-A along with 12 SUB-8006AS subwoofers for use dependent on size of venue. The RCF HDL20-A is a 1,400-watt two-way line array cabinet with two 10” low frequency/mid frequency transducers coupled with a 3” high frequency compression driver capable of achieving 135 dB max SPL. The SUB-8006AS is a 5,000-watt dual 18” subwoofer able to achieve 141 dB max SPL.
Ultimately, the 40 Years Strong Tour is 50% celebration, 50% declaration and 100% Thorogood throwdown. But after four decades as one of the most consistent – and consistently unique – careers in rock, can a guitar-slinger still at the top of his game choose a moment that sums it all up? “Stan Musial was once asked, ‘What was the greatest day of your career?’ And Stan said ‘Every day when I walk onto the field is the greatest day.’ I feel the same way,” George says. “Every night when I walk out on that stage is the highlight of my career. I hit that first chord, the band kicks in, and we hear the audience respond. That’s the rush. 40 years into this, and every night, that's still the only moment that matters.”
For George Thorogood & The Destroyers – and for rock & roll – it doesn’t get stronger than that. And their choice to make it happen – RCF. Tour dates and information are available at www.georgethorogood.com
RCF Tops Mix on Wheels Mobile DJ Entertainment Experience
Here’s the image of a true mobile DJ – the Mix on Wheels self-contained mobile DJ entertainment experience. After touring with a major soft drink company and working with Central Florida theme parks, DJ Charles Miles became inspired to create a self-contained mobile entertainment experience by building a complete system on wheels.
The success has been overwhelming, and Orlando, Florida-based Mix on Wheels now offers three system packages – one built into a Hummer H3, one in a Honda Element and one in a Mini Cooper Clubman. By designing the vehicles with a blank canvas exterior, clients can use for their own brand marketing with magnet signage or wraps rather than a billboard for a DJ company. The DJ system is self-contained, there’s onboard LCD screens for custom media playback, LED light effects and Lamborghini doors trick out the vehicles. The gear of choice – RCF loudspeakers for the PA and Pioneer gear for the DJ gear onboard. Why? “The stuff just doesn’t fail,” says company owner Charles Miles.
Once parked, the speakers are placed on a custom designed flat all-steel roof rack. Mix on Wheels choice of speakers include active RCF ART-725 15” 2-way cabinets or HD32-A 12” 2-way cabinets, depending on the vehicle. They simply plug into an input box on the roof panel, with the vehicle capable of generating its own power for outdoor events (and are certified for indoor events as well). With a high dispersion output, Miles sums up the sound of RCF – “they scream!” He notes he seldom has to add a subwoofer, even when playing EDM or Hip Hop music. “We find we don’t have to adjust EQ because of how the cabinets are tuned, getting the most out of the boxes without needing to add a subwoofer in the system. And we always get compliments on our sound,” Miles adds.
“We like the RCF boxes because they are so efficient they don’t pull a lot of power,” going on to note, “they are the only speakers that never shut down when it gets hot. We do a lot of outdoor events on the beaches and in the parks, and it gets hot in Florida. We’ve never had one ever go into thermal load.” A unique approach to the mobile DJ market, Mix on Wheels (www.mixonwheels.com) was named Best Industry Innovation Esprit Award from the International Special Events Society, as well as a Gala Award nomination as Best New Innovative Event Technology by Special Events magazine.
RCF Set Up a New Service Department in germany
The german RCF subsidiary will resume providing in-house customer service for all RCF products as of Monday, February 17, 2014.
Commenting on this development, General Manager and Sales Director Arne Deterts says, "There were just as many good reasons to bring the service unit back home now as there were to outsource it to an external provider a few years ago. From 2014 forward, we'll be taking customer service and after-sales support for our brands to a whole new level, and bringing the service department back home and having total control over is it a big part of that. For one, we're making this move to respond to a market where things like service, trust and good business relationships are becoming increasingly important alongside the actual product. For the other, we're optimizing our position in the professional rental and install business, which now accounts for a significant share of our activities."
Germany's other General Manager Thomas Kuck adds, "We want to thank Triplex for their good and professional collaboration over the past few years . At the same time, we are delighted that we were able to bring aboard employees Andrew Cullen, Alessandro Angeli and Victor Tolstich, who have many years experience to draw on and what it takes to meet our customers' expectations for our internationally renowned brands. We see this move as another important building block of our customer-centric outlook as we will now be able to offer even better and faster service."
The new service team can be reached as of February 17, 2014 by calling 0 22 03/ 9 25 37 50 or sending an email to service@dbtechnologies.de.
From left to right: Victor Tolstich (Service), Thomas Kuck (Management), Andrew Cullen (Head of Service), Arne Deterts (Management), Alessandro Angeli (Service)
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More Anthropic Reasons for the Extreme Fine-Tuning of Dark Energy
By Hugh Ross - February 11, 2019
Years ago, in a paper published in the Astrophysical Journal, theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss referred to dark energy as presenting “the most extreme fine-tuning problem known in physics.”1 Dark energy is energy embedded in the universe’s space surface that makes up about 70 percent of all the stuff of the universe (see figure 1). Krauss determined that the fine-tuning level is more extreme than one part in 10120! He has been joined by several other theoretical physicists who conclude that the required fine-tuning of dark energy is “the most difficult problem in physics.”2 The obvious question is does this most difficult problem point to a causal agent with the capacity to fine-tune to a degree far, far beyond anything we humans are capable of manifesting?
Figure 1: Relative abundance components of the universe. Diagram credit: Hugh Ross
Dark energy is the dominant factor controlling cosmic expansion. The larger the constant or constants governing dark energy, the more rapidly the universe expands from the cosmic creation event.
If the constant(s) governing dark energy is much larger than what we observe, then galaxies and stars will never form. If the constant(s) governing dark energy is much smaller than what we observe, then too much of the matter of the universe collapses into black holes and neutron stars.
Galaxies and stars of any kind will not form in the universe if the value of the dark energy constant, Λ, is greater than a hundred times more than what astronomers observe. However, a team of nine astrophysicists led by Luke Barnes used detailed computer simulations to demonstrate that increases in the value of Λ, even by a factor of 10–20 times, has only a small effect on star formation history and efficiency.3 The reason for such a small effect is that the rate of star formation in our universe peaks when the universe is about 3.5 billion years old, which is well before Λ would begin to accelerate the expansion rate of the universe. In fact, Barnes et al. showed that galaxies and stars will form in the universe even for values of Λ as high as 50 times greater than the observed value. This factor of 50 caused some astronomers to question the anthropic nature of Λ, the implication that Λ was personally fine-tuned (designed) to an extreme degree to make possible the existence of human beings in the universe.
Now, two papers have been published that establish that Λ must be fine-tuned to a very extreme degree after all. In the most recent issue of the journal Astrobiology, a team of six Japanese astrophysicists led by Tomonori Totani provides calculations that show that Λ must be as small as what we observe to prevent advanced life from being wiped out by lethal radiation from nearby supernovae (see figure 2).4 Totani’s team demonstrated that as the value of Λ increases from the observed value to 50 times the observed value, the density of stars in the universe proportionately increases. With an increase in the density of stars comes an increase in the number of nearby supernova eruptions in the vicinity of a planet that could potentially support advanced life.
Figure 2: Supernova 1994D in the Galaxy NGC 4536. At the height of its supernova eruption, Supernova 1994D (lower left) was as bright as all the rest of the more than 100 billion stars in the NGC 4536 galaxy. Image credit: High-Z Supernova Search Team, NASA, Hubble Space Telescope
A number of research studies establish that high-energy gamma and cosmic rays from a core-collapse supernova within 10 parsecs (32.6 light-years) of Earth would prove lethal for all terrestrial animals and especially for human beings.5 For the solar neighborhood the expected number of such nearby supernova events is 1 per 500,000,000 years.6 For global human civilization to be possible terrestrial animals must be abundant throughout the past 400,000,000 years. Therefore, Totani’s group concludes that for global human civilization to be possible the value of Λ cannot be significantly larger than the observed value.
As it is, humans must live in a large spiral galaxy and in a fine-tuned location in a large spiral galaxy for the frequency of lethal supernova events to be less than 1 per 500,000,000 years. If we were located in one of the much more common spheroidal or elliptical galaxies, or if we were closer to our galaxy’s bulge or one of our galaxy’s globular clusters or spiral arms, we would be exposed to a much higher frequency of lethal supernova events. That higher frequency would rule out our possible existence. This limitation on our location within the universe yields another reason why the value of Λ cannot be any greater than what astronomers observe.
A separate research study establishes that the value of Λ cannot be any smaller than what we observe. A paper published in Physical Review Letters by five theoretical astrophysicists led by Tsvi Piran showed that in a universe where Λ does not presently dominate the control of the cosmic expansion rate (true if Λ is just the tiniest smaller in value than what we observe) the density of dwarf galaxies skyrockets.7 In such a universe, a planet like Earth would be exposed to a lethal-to-animals gamma-ray burst event at a rate much higher than 1 per 400,000,000 years. Consequently, for our existence to be possible the value of Λ cannot be any smaller than what astronomers observe.
The bottom line is that dark energy really does present scientists with the most extreme fine-tuning problem known in physics. If the value of Λ were the slightest bit greater, nearby supernovae would have ruled out our existence. If the value of Λ were the slightest bit lesser, nearby gamma-ray burst events would have ruled out our existence. Thus, the value of Λ ranks as the most spectacular measurable scientific evidence for the supernatural, super-intelligent design of the universe to make possible the existence of human beings.
Featured image: Cosmic expansion history. Diagram credit: NASA/ESA
PS: For those of you curious as to how much of the annual expansion of your waistline you can blame on dark energy, the answer is less than a quadrillionth of an inch. If your waistline expands by a measure greater than a quadrillionth of an inch per year, some other cause is responsible for that expansion.
Lawrence M. Krauss, “The End of the Age Problem and the Case for a Cosmological Constant Revisited,” Astrophysical Journal 501 (July 10, 1998): 461, doi:10.1086/305846.
Robert R. Caldwell and Marc Kamionkowski, “The Physics of Cosmic Acceleration,” Annual Review of Nuclear and Particle Science 59 (November 2009): 397–429, doi:10.1146/annurev-nucl-010709-151330; Sean M. Carroll, “The Cosmological Constant,” Living Reviews in Relativity 4:1 (December 2001), doi:10.12942/lrr-2001-1.
Luke A. Barnes et al., “Galaxy Formation Efficiency and the Multiverse Explanation of the Cosmological Constant with EAGLE Simulations,” Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 477 (April 2018): 3727–3743, doi:10.1093/mnras/sty846.
Tomonori Totani et al., “Lethal Radiation from Nearby Supernovae Helps Explain the Small Cosmological Constant,” Astrobiology 19, no. 3 (January 2019): 126–131, doi:10.1089/ast.2018.1895.
Neil Gehers et al., “Ozone Depletion from Nearby Supernovae,” Astrophysical Journal 585, no. 2 (March 10, 2003): 1169–76, doi:10.1086/346127; G. C. Reid, J. R. McAfee, and P. J. Crutzen, “Effects of Intense Stratospheric Ionisation Events,” Nature 275 (October 12, 1978): 489–92, doi:10.1038/275489a0; R. C. Whitten et al., “Effect of Nearby Supernova Explosions on Atmospheric Ozone,” Nature 263 (September 30, 1976): 398–400, doi:10.1038/263398a0.
Gehers et al., “Ozone Depletion from Nearby Supernovae.”
Tsvi Piran et al., “Cosmic Explosions, Life in the Universe, and the Cosmological Constant,” Physical Review Letters 116 (February 23, 2016): id. 081301, doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.081301.
Earth Design
Universe Design
Dark Energy & Dark Matter
Anthropic Principle
Supernovae
Star Formation
gamma ray burst events
The AuthorHugh Ross
Reasons to Believe emerged from my passion to research, develop, and proclaim the most powerful new reasons to believe in Christ as Creator, Lord, and Savior and to use those new reasons to reach p… Read more about Hugh Ross.
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Darnell Moore's Reads for Black History Month
Reniqua Allen's Reads for Black History Month
Mychal Denzel Smith's Reads for Black History Month
Darnell L. Moore is the head of Strategy and Programs at BreakthroughUS. He is also a columnist at LogoTV.com and NewNowNext.com, and a former editor at large at CASSIUS and senior editor at Mic, where he hosted their widely viewed digital series The Movement. He writings have been published in Ebony, Advocate, Vice, Guardian and MSNBC. Moore is a writer-in-residence at the Center of African American Religion, Sexual Politics, and Social Justice at Columbia University, has taught at NYU, Rutgers, Fordham, and Vassar, and was trained at Princeton Theological Seminary...
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Trump-Pence 2020: Racism in action
Heather Digby Parton
What's behind the AOC-Pelosi feud?
Trump's vile outburst: Why be surprised?
Chauncey DeVega
They called me a child pornographer
I took some photos of my kids naked on a camping trip. A drugstore employee called the police -- and my family's life became a living hell.
Check out this article! https://www.salon.com/2006/07/18/photos_18/
Jody Jenkins
July 18, 2006 4:30PM (UTC)
Shortly before Thanksgiving 2004, I took my three kids camping in Mistletoe State Park near Augusta, Ga., with my best friend and his two kids. After six years in Savannah, my family was about to move to France for my wife's new job as an administrator for an American company. We had all been camping together before and figured the trip would be a great getaway from all of the packing, painting and stresses of moving, and would allow the kids to be together for one last time. Our wives decided to stay home to organize the packing and spend some quiet time together to say goodbye.
For us, camping has always been a back-to-basics experience. We pack in all food and supplies to our remote site and take out trash and whatever is not consumed. For toilets, we dig holes with entrenching shovels and cover our traces. We teach our kids respect and responsibility in the forest. And we teach them to have a good time.
During the three-day weekend trip, we fished and cooked kielbasa, hot dogs and marshmallows over an open fire. We pitched our tents near the tip of a small peninsula jutting into Clarks Hill Lake, where red clay beaches rimmed our site. We scoured the water's edge for mussel shells and arrowheads and skipped sleek stones on the water. The days were clear and cool, with high blue skies and wisps of moving clouds. Although the nights were cold, the weekend was as perfect as we could have hoped for.
The kids ran from one thing to the next with abandon, one minute scavenging wood for a fire, and the next returning breathlessly to tell us they had spotted a deer. At night, the tall pines sawed in the wind as my friend, whom I'll refer to as Rusty, melted aluminum cans in the campfire using a tin can as a crucible. His crude alchemy and the sudden sense of the world as laboratory lighted our imaginations as he poured the quicksilver-like liquid over the rocks ringing the fire. The kids grew excited and impatient, studying the metal-coated rocks and waiting for the aluminum to cool into odd-shaped medallions they salvaged as mementos.
Later, after the kids had gone to bed in their tent and the cold descended, Rusty and I sat in our camp chairs, having a beer and warming our boots a little too close to the fire. I still wear that pair of Wolverines with the half-melted soles. And every time I put them on, I think of what happened when we returned from that weekend and how it changed all of our lives.
As usual during the trip, we took several photos. Because I forgot my digital camera, I bought a disposable camera at a gas station on the way to the campground. I took pictures of the kids using sticks to beat on old bottles and cans and logs as musical instruments. I took a few of my youngest daughter, Eliza, then age 3, skinny-dipping in the lake, and my son, Noah, then age 8, swimming in the lake in his underwear, and another of Noah naked, hamming it up while using a long stick to hold his underwear over the fire to dry. Finally, I took a photo of everyone, as was our camping tradition, peeing on the ashes of the fire to put it out for the last time. We also let the kids take photos of their own.
When we returned on Sunday, I forgot the throwaway camera and Rusty found it in his car. He gave it to his wife, whom I'll call Janet, to get developed, and she dropped it off the next day with two other rolls of film at a local Eckerd drugstore. On Tuesday, when she returned to pick up the film, she was approached by two officers from the Savannah Police Department. They told her they had been called by Eckerd due to "questionable photos."
One officer told Janet "there were pictures of little kids running around with no clothes on, pictures of minors drinking alcohol," she recounted for me in an e-mail. "I asked to see the pictures and was told I couldn't. I explained there must be a mistake. I was kind of laughing, you know, 'Come on guys. There must be an explanation. This is crazy. Let me see the pictures.' The officer told me that he personally did not find [the photos] offensive and that he had camped himself as a kid and knows what goes on." But the officer also told Janet that "because Eckerd's had called them and that because there were pictures of children naked, genitalia and alcohol, they would have to investigate."
Janet asked the photo lab clerk what was on the photos and the clerk "replied very seriously that they were bad, that there was one that looked like a child's head had been cut off, one with children drinking beer and pictures of naked kids." As she drove to her house, Janet said, "I was in shock and felt sick to the pit of my stomach and was trying to process all of it." She called my wife, who was driving home, and explained what had happened. Sensing how bad this might become, my wife pulled her car to the side of the road and fought the urge to throw up.
Neither my wife nor I, Rusty nor Janet has a criminal record of any sort. Yet over the next several weeks, the Savannah Police Department and the Department of Family and Child Services (DFCS) investigated us for "child pornography" and then "sexual exploitation of a minor." We suffered the embarrassment of having DFCS interview our family, friends, employers and our children's teachers, asking them whether we were suitable parents and what kind of relationship we had with our kids.
During that time, my wife and I, our children and friends, lived in a kind of suspended animation, a limbo of unreality where our privacy was invaded and we were stripped of our sense of dignity and seemingly our rights. To be accused unjustly of any crime is a terrible thing. But to be accused of using your own children for pornographic purposes or sexual exploitation bears a special taint because no matter how highly people think of you, they don't know you in your most intimate moments, which forever leaves you open to suspicion.
Being investigated for child pornography is so grave that people might assume it has to be based in fact. And yet I would learn, as so many other horrified parents have, that it can begin simply by somebody picking up the phone.
"It's not going to be a big deal," Rusty told my wife, not long after we all heard the news. But after Rusty's initial visit to the police station to explain the photos to the officers, our optimism began to wane. "It was evident the police did not view us as innocent until proven guilty," Rusty told me in a recent e-mail. "I sought out the officer in charge of the unit that investigates these 'crimes,' and when he finally agreed to meet with me he was rude, unprofessional, and very accusatory before hearing from anyone involved."
The police, however, didn't file any charges against us. But they had digitized six of the photos and sent copies to DFCS for further investigation, which is standard practice in such cases. The officers wouldn't let Rusty see any of the photos in the station, and so we had no idea what was on them, as we had allowed the kids to take photos of their own. One of the photos, an officer said, showed a child drinking beer.
After our case was turned over to DFCS, we began what seemed like an excruciatingly long period of waiting to hear what would come next. As the days ticked by, Janet told me, "It was impossible for me to function, concentrate or focus on work. I couldn't eat, felt sick and scared." My wife and I began to question even our routine judgment because of a sudden awareness of being observed by some unseen entity that seemed everywhere and nowhere at once. A hug or a quick goodnight kiss with our little girls and boy suddenly seemed questionable. Were my hands in the wrong place? Did that kiss on the corner of the lips of my 3-year-old look more than merely innocent to someone? A pat on the bum as our kids ran past suddenly seemed dangerous through our second-guessing, suddenly all-critical eye.
Each intimate moment entailed a profound searching, an almost paralytic invasion of our deepest privacy. We began to observe ourselves until each moment became one long scrutiny and the pressure it created in our daily lives grew and grew. We feared that if we were found guilty, our children would be taken away and put in a foster home. We worried about my wife's new job in France because we might have to stay in the U.S. to fight any charges. Everything was pure assumption because DFCS didn't communicate at all and so we were left to imagine the worst.
Our friend Rusty stood to lose his prominent job in government, which he had held for years, simply from the appearances of the investigation. "I waited in constant anxiety of the wildfire of whispers about my arrest for being a child pornographer, molester or worse," he said. "It was terrifying."
At this point, our children, who were already stressed by the upcoming move and leaving their schools and friends, were unaware of what was happening. Like Janet and Rusty, we tried to keep it that way by not discussing the case around them. But our kids knew by our blank stares and depressed demeanor that something was seriously wrong. As the pressure grew, my wife and I began to lose our tempers more often over small, simple things. I would explode when my daughter spilled a glass of Juicy Juice at the dinner table or overreact and deny everything when the kids would ask us if there was something wrong. And then I would be overcome with guilt and shame at my inability to take control of what was happening to us.
At night, my wife and I lay side by side in bed in the darkness, staring up into the ceiling, unable any longer to find words in the face of the vast, voidlike possibility of losing our children based on pure accusation. It was a secret too painful to keep but impossible to talk about to anyone else. We felt ashamed simply by association with the charge. As a journalist, I have lived for weeks in terrible conditions in war refugee camps and been under fire on the battlefield. But those weeks of waiting and wondering what would happen to our family were by far the most stressful I have ever experienced.
On the advice of my wife's mother, a former Florida public utilities commissioner, we contacted Mills Fleming, a local lawyer who was also a childhood friend of my wife. We needed expert help navigating the accusations. He told us that when he contacted the Office of Child Protection at the Chatham Department of Family and Children Services, the agency was surprised and annoyed that we had retained a lawyer. We were shocked it wasn't routine.
But that was the least of his revelations. We soon discovered that we had no right to retain a lawyer on our children's behalf. DFCS would become protector of our children and judge as to the validity of the charges against us. The presumption of innocence until proven guilty had been turned on its head: The burden had been placed on us, not the legal system, to prove our innocence. Our most basic right and instinct as parents -- to protect our children -- had been usurped by a single accusation.
Over the next few weeks, our only communication with DFCS was through Mills. He told us the agency would call on Thanksgiving and announce what they were going to do about our case. We had planned to leave for the long weekend but stayed home and waited for word from DFCS. They never called.
Afterward, I spent the days taking the kids off to school and preparing the house, climbing up nearly three stories on a ladder to paint. At times I became so lost in an absorbing daydream of sorting through the events that I almost stepped right off the ladder. Terrified at my complete lack of awareness, I would force myself to focus. I would dip my brush into the paint and drift off into the possibility of what might happen if a police officer or sheriff's deputy appeared at our front door with papers to take our children. As I stroked the brush along the boards, I became lost in intricate, heated conversations that led to arguments that devolved into helpless anger. We had no understanding of the process and the DFCS bureaucracy seemed some large, amorphous beast threatening us from just beyond our view.
I began to feel dangerously angry. When my anger and fear were such that I was having difficulty coping, I called my brother in North Carolina, who knew nothing about the charges. He is two years older than I am and we have always been close. I thought he might help me put things into some sort of perspective. I wanted to call him numerous times but I hesitated because of my shame. I wanted to solve this on my own.
But now I felt I was starting to come apart and feared I might do something that could wind me up in jail. I had no choice but to call. But he wasn't home and when his answering machine came on, the sudden realization of what was happening to me, and the reason I was reaching out to him, caused me to simply break down and cry. I hung up without leaving a message and he told me later that from the crying on the phone, he was certain someone close to us had died.
As Christmas approached, our lawyer felt that the DFCS investigation into sexual exploitation of a minor was running aground because the agency began airing the possibility of charging us with a lesser crime. Now they wanted to hit us with "endangerment of a child," the result of letting the kids be near an open campfire. The suggestion seemed absurd, given that nearly every weekend of the year, parents across the country go camping with their children and roast marshmallows over an open fire. My wife, our friends and I felt that DFCS was on a fishing expedition, but one with potentially dangerous consequences.
The agency had requested to interview our children at the Childrens Advocacy Center, a safe haven used for questioning children who have been sexually or physically abused, or have witnessed violence. But we resisted because we were not allowed to have a lawyer present and we had heard horror stories from teachers who had witnessed sessions of children being fed leading questions and being directed what to answer by caseworkers. We requested that any interviews be taped. DFCS relented and switched the meeting to the Office of Child Protection.
The change in venue and charge against us was seen by our lawyer as a stand-down. He felt DFCS realized it had a weak case and the interviews were essentially a procedural hoop the caseworker had to jump through to satisfy bureaucratic demands in order to exit the case. I was angry at what appeared to be an absurd game with our lives. But Mills told me I had to get a grip because my anger could undermine our case. Although I heard him, acting accordingly was another matter.
Finally one weekday afternoon, my wife and I, our friends and our kids convened at the Office of Child Protection of DFCS to be interviewed. We had still not been charged with anything and the investigation remained open-ended. When I picked the kids up from school, I explained on the drive back where we were going and why. I struggled because while I wanted them to know everything that was stake, I didn't want to frighten them. They were full of questions. They wanted to know who these people were, why they wanted to talk about our camping trip and what kind of questions they would ask. The questions were the same ones I had myself and yet hearing the children pose them brought back all the absurdity of the situation and my anger quickly surfaced. I blurted out, "I don't know! I don't know! But these people can take you away from us!"
"They can take us away?" one of them asked.
"I don't know!" I yelled. "I don't know anything!" And when I looked in the rearview mirror I could see tears running down their faces as they began to cry.
The Office of Child Protection was housed in a new building, recently relocated from downtown Savannah into a poor neighborhood. Directly across the street was Hitch Village, one of the city's most notorious housing projects in a city that in several recent years has been ranked among the most dangerous metropolitan areas in the country. As we stepped into the elevator -- all dressed in our best, all combed and neat because we knew now how much appearances mattered -- our families suddenly seemed so vulnerable.
The waiting room was neat and sterile and empty except for us. No window. No attendant. No one to tell us what to do or expect. We weren't even sure if we were in the right place. But after a moment we decided to sit in the chairs that lined the walls, a surveillance camera with its wide-angle lens staring down on us. Magnetic strip readers were mounted beside each door along the hallways and from time to time someone would emerge from one door, slide their card through a reader on another and quickly disappear into it. I was struggling to find some calm and balance, but I didn't trust anyone's judgment anymore and was seething at this moment so lacking in logic.
When our caseworker, Patricia Oney, finally appeared, the amorphous bureaucracy that for weeks had haunted us suddenly had a face. That she appeared gentle with the kids and intelligent and caring gave me a small ray of hope. She explained that we would go one at a time, beginning with the kids, and she and our 8-year-old daughter, Sophie, Noah's twin, disappeared into the maze of cubicles hidden behind the card-reading doors. As we were soon to learn ourselves, the interviews were not recorded on video or tape.
Sophie has a keen memory for details and when she returned, and Noah went in, she recounted the questions that had been posed. They ranged from whether she could distinguish between "good touch" and "bad touch" to whether, after the kids went to bed while camping, the fathers made sounds outside the tent that, in the words of my daughter, "sounded like things they shouldn't do."
When our son returned, he didn't want to talk about what happened except to question why he was being asked about good touching and bad touching. One after another the kids went in. Eliza, our 3-year-old, has wispy, bright-blond hair. As she disappeared behind the door, I couldn't help wondering what it was they might ask her and, given what had happened so far, how it might be construed. We sat in the waiting room, trying to occupy the remaining kids while waiting. There was a gravity to the moment that the children were aware of and everyone was mostly quiet. As each of the kids reappeared from their interviews, they seemed relieved.
When my turn came, I followed Oney back to a cubicle where an assistant sat with pad in hand. As we sat down and began to talk, the assistant seemed to take notes. But as it went along, I noticed she hardly wrote anything. Though I was tempted to call her on it because it seemed absurd that this might become the official record, I didn't want to antagonize them and remembered the lawyer's intuition that DFCS was looking for a way out. But I was thinking about how accurately she had noted what the children had said.
Oney's main concern seemed not to be with the photos or with our behavior as parents, but rather if I had any questions about what had happened and about the process as a whole. Although I had nothing but questions, I refrained from asking them. I wanted to put the camping trip in context. Because the police had only sent six photos to DFCS, and not the rest of the roll, Oney had never gotten the full story.
Also, by now, I had seen all of the photos, including the six in question, as the police had allowed Rusty to take them home with him. There were explanations for each one. The photo of a child whose head had been "cut off" was simply one where a child's head fell outside the border. The photo of a child drinking beer was actually one of Rusty's daughter carrying a broken beer bottle she had found and planned to put into her makeshift xylophone.
I began explaining to Oney that by camping, our aim was to take our kids out of their normal routine and to teach them to appreciate not only nature but the luxuries our daily life afforded. As I told her that we dug holes for latrines and covered our traces, Oney, who said she had never been camping, seemed genuinely surprised. When she asked me about the danger of my son drying his wet pants with a stick over an open fire, I explained that when I took the picture, I was no more than a few feet away and he was safe.
As I felt my anger rising, I told her I couldn't believe anybody would find a photograph of a 3-year-old making her way into a lake to skinny-dip titillating. I had wiped my daughter's bottom thousands of times, and for me that photo was nothing more than trying to capture a fond memory. I acknowledged the difficulty and necessity of her job, but explained that for me this was clearly a case of the system gone astray, and I was angry that it had gone as far as it had.
Oney responded by asking for the names of friends, family, employers, teachers and any others she might interview to discern what type of people and parents we were. We decided it was best to call everyone in advance so they would know to expect a call. I watched my wife break down and cry on the phone with one of our children's teachers, ashamed at having to explain why DFCS would be calling.
Janet felt the same way. "I was so embarrassed having to tell [my youngest daughter's] teacher," she wrote. "I was the room mother for the class, did lots of things with all the kids and was very involved at school." "Can you imagine telling your boss, 'I'm being investigated for child pornography and child endangerment?'" Rusty wrote. "This was incredibly embarrassing and increased my fears this would get out beyond our control."
Oney had told me she would be paying a visit to our house. Our lawyer said she could look anywhere -- in our drawers, closets, attic -- without a warrant or without specifically stating what she was looking for. So before she came, we scoured the house top to bottom, looking for anything that might arouse her suspicion or interest.
On the mantel in our living room was a handmade book of photos done by a friend who is a professional photographer. Besides mundane photos of the kids, it contained a few of my wife in the nude when she was several months pregnant with Eliza. We hid it. I scanned the book titles on the shelves, never having thought until now of their having questionable contents. On the refrigerator, we had 1950s-style magnets with humorous sketches of a man holding up a mug and saying, "Beer: Makes you see double and feel single," and another of a man holding up a condom and saying, "I'm just two people short of a minage à trois." They had been given to us years before as a gag gift from a friend. We hid them. We realized we no idea what could be deemed unfit. My wife was born in Haiti and she had a beaded voodoo flag hanging up in our room. I took it down.
Janet and Rusty went through the same nerve-racking process. On the day Oney was to show up at their house, Janet noticed her neighbor's 3-year-old son playing naked on the swing set in their yard. Janet was so paranoid that Oney would show up right then "that I panicked, went to the neighbor, and told her that I was having a visit from DFCS and could she please remove her naked son from my yard. I was upset that I was put in the situation that I had to tell her."
My wife and I decided, given my anger at the situation, it was best that I not be there during our home visit. So I drove around the neighborhood and sat in the car until Oney left. In the end, she didn't even search the house. She told my wife the investigation was closed, that the case against us was unsubstantiated and no further action would be taken. My wife said Oney seemed apologetic but offered no apology. The same scenario was played out at Janet and Rusty's house. Despite the fact that the case was unsubstantiated, a record of the accusation and ensuing investigation will be kept on file for three years -- in case, we were told by our lawyer, other complaints should be filed against us. Our children's records will show the incident until they are 21 years old.
Shortly after our case ended, we moved to France and I slipped into a depression. Perhaps it was something akin to the helplessness that victims feel. Or perhaps it resulted from suddenly being released from the constant and intense pressures of moving, combined with the fear and anger we had been feeling for so long. But I felt violated and exposed and vulnerable. In the mornings, we would awake and prepare our children and then hurry them to school. And on many days when I returned home, instead of getting to work writing I would go into the bathroom, sit on the toilet and cry uncontrollably.
For months, I felt as though I was moving almost unconsciously through daily life, numb to the world and yet overly sensitive to everything. Finally one day, six months later, unable to bear the sense of helplessness and unjustified shame about what happened to us, I sat down at the computer and began to write about it. And I began to feel something shift inside me, a subtle but distinct change from a sense of powerlessness to taking back some sort of control of our lives. I wrote in a fury, and when I sent the story to my wife, she sat in her office and cried. I sent it to our friends who had gone through this with us. Although seven months had passed, they still had not come to terms with what had happened. Rusty's boss had been understanding, but they said their children still talked about it in the most unexpected moments. "My youngest daughter will say, 'Why did they think that, Mommy?'" Janet said. "'Why did they think we were drinking beer and doing things wrong?'"
I set out to answer those kinds of question myself. As I did, I discovered there are simply no uniform standards for police officers, teachers, childcare workers -- or photo lab employees -- to tell lewd and illegal photos from harmless family pictures.
Following passage of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, established in 1974, states established laws that required police, lawyers, and social and medical personnel to make "good faith" reports of perceived child abuse or neglect. It is an important law, having arisen out of the fact that one in 10 children brought to hospital emergency rooms was a victim of physical abuse. But the law, under which child pornography falls, contains no provision for training personnel to identify abuse or pornographic photos. As a result, false and damning allegations have risen by the thousands in the past three decades. In fact, in most states it's a misdemeanor for law enforcement officers and health providers not to report.
In Georgia, state law defines sexual exploitation of a minor, which includes pornography, as "knowingly to employ, use, persuade, induce, entice, or coerce any minor to engage in ... any sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing any visual medium depicting such conduct." Yes, no charges were filed against us. But that somebody could interpret our camping photos as knowingly pornographic, and cause the state to investigate us for intending to exploit our children, was what was so agonizing.
Dr. Douglas Besharov, a child abuse expert at the Maryland School of Public Affairs, and the first director of the U.S. National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, estimates that out of the nearly 3 million child abuse reports made every year, seven in 10 of them are without merit. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, nearly 60 percent of child abuse or neglect reports are "unsubstantiated." While there are no separate statistics concerning child pornography, there have been dozens of cases similar to ours documented in recent years.
For instance, in Dallas in 2003, as the result of a complaint by an Eckerd drugstore employee, a 33-year-old woman was charged with "sexual performance of a child," a second-degree felony punishable by 20 years in prison, based on a picture of her breast-feeding her 1-year-old son. Although the district attorney dropped the charges in the case, the parents had to fight for weeks to get their two children back from the Dallas County Child Protective Services.
I realize no one would argue with sincere efforts to protect children from harm. As a parent, I know all too well the real dangers our kids face on a daily basis and I applaud any efforts to make their world a safer place. But our experience underscores the harm that is being inflicted on children and parents by investigations based on uninformed definitions of pornography or abuse.
"If we get down to the bottom line, there is no clear-cut definition," said Dean Tong, who wrote "Elusive Innocence: Survival Guide for the Falsely Accused," after being jailed and then spending 10 years and $150,000 to clear himself of abusing his young daughter. Now a forensic consultant in thousands of false-accusation cases across the country, Tong told me that even most police officers are not well enough trained to interpret the law, let alone photo lab employees. Tong said that when facing the slightest doubt, law enforcement officers "err on the side of the child," noting the potential results: "I see families stripped and ripped apart in the middle of the night."
I called Lt. Harry Trawick of the newly consolidated Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department to ask about my own case. He is the former head of the Special Victims Unit, which deals with child pornography. "A lot of times [photo lab employees] don't know what pornography is," he told me. Although he wouldn't comment on any specific case, Trawick said the department is "fairly aggressive" in investigating reports of child pornography and that, "generally, our officers are going to act with an abundance of caution" in favor of protecting the rights of children. He said the department has made a number of important convictions based on reports from photo labs. He added that he's unaware of any training programs that photo lab employees are required to undergo to identify child pornography and said the employees often call the Special Victims Unit for an explanation of the law.
But Helene Bisson, director of public relations for the Jean Coutu Group, which operates the Rhode Island-based Brooks/Eckerd drugstores, told me that employees had "videos we have to view and information sessions," though she wouldn't specify the depth of training involved. "As far as Eckerd's is concerned we do have very strict guidelines," she said. "It's Eckerd policy to report all incidents of child abuse and child pornography."
"With all due respect, they don't have a freaking clue," said Tong. "I'm not saying most of these cases are witch hunts," he said. It's just that without strict guidelines for identifying child pornography, photo lab employees must resort to "their subjective discretion and opinion," and that's the root of the problem. "If we required the same concern for accuracy in reporting child abuse as other types of crimes, we would see far fewer innocent people falsely persecuted," Tong has written. At the very least, a pair of trained legal eyes -- those of either a lawyer or a public official with specific expertise in child pornography -- should look at the evidence and make an informed decision before starting this demeaning, costly and painful process.
Besharov also said that the current law should be amended to grant immunity to those who in good faith deem a situation not to be child abuse or pornography. That way, those who report cases of abuse of questionable merit, simply to err on the side of mandatory reporting laws, might feel less pressure to do so. In our case, maybe the responding officer, who initially commented that he didn't find the pictures pornographic, would have dismissed the case at the drugstore and not reported us to child services.
It has been over a year and a half since the day we got the call from Janet. Time has finally granted me some distance from the terrible ordeal, and my wife and I have become lost in the immediate demands of life in another language and culture. We live in a small village of about 400 people, what a French friend jokingly refers to as the "bled," the Moroccan-Arabic word for the "boondocks." The surrounding countryside is mostly farmland and in the searing summer heat the air smells of rosemary and lavender. The fall brings out the truffle hunters and wild boars. My wife's commute to work is about two minutes up a steep, stone-paved street that has been worn shiny by centuries of foot traffic. From her office perch high up on the hillside, you can look out across the cherry orchards covering the valley and hear the shouts of the 30 or so children playing in the village schoolyard below. Our kids among them.
Jody Jenkins is a freelance journalist living in France.
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https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/The-machine-that-changed-the-world-The-first-2807809.php
The machine that changed the world / The first human-friendly computer, the Mac, turns 20
Benny Evangelista, Chronicle Staff Writer
Published 4:00 am PST, Saturday, January 24, 2004
A frame from the Apple "1984" commercial.
Twenty years ago today, Apple Computer Inc. officially introduced the Macintosh, and the employees who designed the new personal computer fervently believed they had created something that would change the world.
In many ways, they were right.
That first $2,500 Macintosh, and the way Apple marketed it as the "computer for the rest of us," popularized the idea that you didn't have to work for a big company or be a computer scientist to benefit from owning a personal computer.
Twenty years later, inexpensive personal computers, controlled with the point and click of a mouse, are as embedded in the fabric of everyday American life as the automobile and the airplane, even though most people now own computers built by companies other than Apple.
"It helped catalyze a total change in the way computers were used," said Jef Raskin, the former Macintosh project manager credited as the father of the Mac.
The Mac unveiled by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs before a packed house at Cupertino's Flint Center on Jan. 24, 1984, wasn't a totally new invention. It combined and built upon concepts that had been developed in Silicon Valley for years.
At the time, the IBM PC dominated the personal computer market, especially in businesses. But Macintosh designers were "driven by a religious fervor, because we knew how computers should be," said Bud Tribble, who Jobs lured away from medical school to join Apple as the first employee hired to write Mac software.
The Mac "was a computer for the rest of us, those of us who didn't want to learn computer-ese," Jobs said during his keynote speech at this month's Macworld Expo in San Francisco. "Nobody had ever seen a mouse. We had to teach people what pointing and clicking was, what cutting and pasting was."
The Macintosh platform has stood the test of time, remaining the cornerstone for the profitable Cupertino company. Even though the overall computer market is dominated by machines that are based on Microsoft's Windows operating system, Apple generated a robust $6.2 billion in revenues during its last fiscal year.
An entire generation of Americans has grown up knowing only computers that use pictures or icons to launch programs on color monitors. And when someone says "mouse," they're referring to the device that controls their desktop.
But back in 1979, when Raskin began drafting a design and marketing plan (naming the project after his favorite variety of tree-grown apple, the McIntosh), computers were still expensive and operated by typing strings of text-based commands with a typewriter-style keyboard. And a mouse was still a rodent or a cartoon character.
The idea of a "graphical user interface" or a hand-operated device that resembled a mouse with a long tail had already been developed by others, such as the Augmentation Research Center at the Stanford Research Institute and Xerox's Palo Alto Research Center.
Yet their use in a personal computer was still controversial, even among computer scientists.
"We were going against the grain," said Tribble.
"The feeling at the time was that these precious (computer) cycles should not be spent on frivolous things like drawing graphics on the screen," said Tribble, who is now Apple's vice president of software technology. "This whole concept that we should harness the power of the computer to make things easy to use was not in the mainstream."
In March 1979, Raskin began proposing that Apple build an inexpensive computer designed to work around the ways humans would operate it, not how the computer would process applications.
In a prescient report he wrote later that year, Raskin advocated development of an "Apple Computer Network" that would give people reasons to use a computer at home and make it appeal to a wider mass market.
Raskin wrote that such a network would give users access to an infinite variety of applications, including news, stock market reports, soap opera summaries, message forwarding and distribution, weather travel information, plane and TV schedules and computer dating.
At the time, Apple had the successful $1,200 Apple II and Jobs was heading a division working on the Lisa, a higher-end computer that also used a mouse and a graphical user interface.
Jobs, who was unavailable for comment, took over the Macintosh project in 1981 after being forced off the Lisa project. Raskin, who left Apple in 1982, said he and Jobs disagreed on a number of design decisions, including Jobs' insistence that the Mac would use a mouse and his rejection of an Apple Computer Network.
But the Macintosh team, famous for putting in long hours and raising a pirate flag atop their building, drove on, hoping to beat the Lisa team to market.
"We all believed that the world could be a better place because of the personal computer," said Guy Kawasaki, the 50th employee hired for the Macintosh division. His title of "software evangelist" told of his mission to spread the gospel according to Apple and get developers to write programs for the Mac.
The first Lisa debuted in 1983, but at $10,000, was not a big commercial success. Then on Jan. 22, 1984, the huge TV audience watching the then-Los Angeles Raiders defeating the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII saw "1984," a memorable Apple commercial that helped bring the Mac into the mainstream.
Directed by Ridley Scott, already known for movies "Alien" and "Blade Runner," the $1.5 million Orwellian-style spot showed an athletic woman running past rows of oppressed humans and smashing a giant telescreen image of "Big Brother," which at the time was supposed to represent IBM.
Two days later at an Apple stockholder's meeting, with his trademark flair for marketing dramatics, Jobs pulled the cover off of the first Macintosh, which had a 9-inch black-and-white display, 128 kilobytes of memory and a 32-bit microprocessor.
The folks over at Big Blue were impressed, but not blown away. After all, IBM already had sold 4 million IBM PCs, introduced two years earlier, said Dave Bradley, a member of the original IBM PC development team and a current member of IBM's Academy of Technology.
"As clever as it (the commercial) was, I personally didn't think anyone needed to be freed from the tyranny of the personal computer," Bradley wrote in an e-mail. "From a hardware engineering perspective, the Macintosh was state-of-the-art, but not revolutionary. I'll remember the Mac for its major contributions in software architecture, and, most importantly, marketing."
Technology analyst Tim Bajarin, who also witnessed the unveiling, noted that officials at Microsoft also did not see the Mac as a "revolutionary device." However, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates did ask then-Apple Chief Executive Officer John Sculley to license the Macintosh operating system so Microsoft could extend it to the IBM PC side of computers.
Sculley, a onetime PepsiCo marketing mastermind who was ousted from Apple in 1993, turned Gates down and also decided to stick with using microprocessors made by Motorola instead of chips from Intel Corp.
Bajarin, president of Creative Strategies Inc. in Campbell, said it's hard to fault Sculley, because at the time, IBM was still the dominant computer maker, Microsoft was a relatively small player in the software market and Apple could still enjoy a large profit margin per computer by maintaining proprietary control over its hardware and software.
But Bajarin said the fact is Microsoft went on to become a software behemoth by aggressively developing its own operating system, although it would be more than a decade before its Windows 95 interface approached the Mac's. And Intel's chips went on to power the rise of upstarts like Compaq and Dell, which would even overshadow IBM.
Meanwhile, Bajarin said the Mac's inherent strength for graphics led Apple into more of a niche market for publishing and engineering. However, Apple is tapping into the new lucrative markets in digital home entertainment with its new generation of Macs and the popular iPod.
"I think if you were to ask the Macintosh division employees today are you disappointed in the results of the Macintosh, we would say we really thought it would be the predominant operating system in the world today," Kawasaki said. "On the other hand, it has made millions of people happy and has lasted 20 years."
The Mac turns 20.
April: Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs form Apple Computer.
December: Apple goes public, sells 4.6 million shares at $22 each.
April: John Sculley joins Apple as president and CEO.
January: Apple airs its famous "1984" ad during the Super Bowl, giving viewers their first glimpse of the Macintosh computer. Directed by Ridley Scott, the spot depicts an Orwellian scene in which an IBM world is being destroyed by a new machine -- the Macintosh.
The Mac, which has a CPU speed of 8 MHz, 128K of RAM, built-in monitor, 3. 5-inch disk drive and a mouse, begins selling Jan. 24 for $2,495.
February: Wozniak resigns to start his own company, planning to make home video products.
September: Jobs resigns to start a new computer company, NeXt.
March: Macintosh II, the first color Mac, is introduced. It has a CPU speed of 16 MHz and sells for $3,898.
July: Apple and IBM form an alliance to design new software and microchips. The plans eventually lead to the PowerPC processors.
February: Apple ships its 10 millionth Mac.
June: Michael Spindler replaces Sculley as CEO, with Sculley remaining as chairman.
October: Sculley leaves Apple. A.C. Markkula becomes chairman.
March: Apple introduces Power Macintoshes, which use the PowerPC chip co- developed with IBM and Motorola.
September: After a decade of refusing to license its software, Apple says it will let other companies clone the Mac.
December: Milpitas' Power Computer becomes the first company to announce plans to build Mac clones.
February: Gilbert Amelio takes over as chairman and CEO. Markkula becomes vice chairman. Spindler leaves.
December: The company hires co-founder Steve Jobs as a consultant and buys his NeXt Software Inc. for $430 million.
January: Market researcher Dataquest reports that Apple's market share has fallen to 5.2 percent in 1996 from 7.2 percent in 1995.
March: Apple Computer announces it will lay off 4,100 workers -- the largest cutback in its 21-year history and one of the biggest ever in Silicon Valley.
September: Jobs is named interim CEO.
July: Apple releases Mac OS 8.
May: The iMac is introduced. The $1,300 computer is housed in a sleek, translucent plastic case that glows when the power is turned on. It comes with a 15-inch color screen and a 233-MHz G3 processor.
July: Jobs takes the wraps off a mobile Macintosh: the iBook. The new laptop priced at $1,599 and is modeled closely on the iMac. It comes with a 12. 1-inch active-matrix color screen and is powered by a 300-MHz PowerPC G3 chip. It also features optional wireless connectivity.
January: At the MacWorld Expo, Jobs says he's dropping "interim" from his title.
May: Apple announces plans to open 25 retail stores.
March: Apple introduces Mac OS X.
January: Apple introduces a line of iMacs that features a swiveling 15- inch flat screen connected to a circular base containing a G4 processor. The 800-MHz version of the new iMac is priced at $1,799.
October: Declaring "Hell Froze Over," Jobs introduces a Windows version of the Mac music jukebox software iTunes.
Chronicle Researcher Kathleen Rhodes and Cnet contributed to this report
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Britain Votes To Put Blists Hill Victorian Town On Google Street View
The British public has voted Blists Hill Victorian Town, near Ironbridge in Shropshire, onto the shortlist of the UK's top ten tourist treasures to be brought to Google Street View via a new, groundbreaking invention - the Google Trike.
The trike has the same capability as Street View cars for collecting street-level imagery and is designed to help Google make special imagery collections in places less accessible by cars, such as historic landmarks and narrow paths.
Last month Google and VisitBritain asked everyone to name their top visitor attraction. Google was flooded with over 10,000 suggestions, ranging from the well-known to the more unusual, reflecting the breadth of culture and history within Britain.
Britons can now cast their final vote from within the five categories to decide which three locations the Google Trike will visit first, pending good weather this summer. The categories are: Castles, Coastal Paths, Natural Wonders, Historic Buildings & Monuments and Sports Stadiums.
One of the ten amazing museums in the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site, Blists Hill Victorian Town (www.ironbridge.org.uk) is a living history museum where visitors can step back in time to the late Victorian period, chat to the costumed 'townsfolk' and walk into replica Victorian shops, workplaces, homes, a bank, school and even a pub. Delighted with the possibility of being on Street View Paul Gossage, Director of Marketing and PR, said: 'Being able to take a look at the Victorian shops on our newly opened Canal Street will give visitors a taster of what can be discovered at Blists Hill and, we hope, inspire them to come along for the full experience' Blists Hill falls into the Historic Buildings & Monuments category and a link to the voting page can be found at www.maps.google.co.uk/streetviewinfo.
The finalists are: Angel of the North, Bamburgh Castle, Cheddar Gorge, Colchester Castle, Corfe Castle, Durdle Door, Eden Project, Blists Hill Victorian Town Ironbridge, Kenilworth Castle, Lands End, Leeds Castle, Loch Ness, Millennium Stadium, Pembrokeshire Coast, Stonehenge and Warwick Castle.
Justin Reid, head of online marketing for national tourism agency, VisitBritain, said: "People have really been caught up in the potential of the Street View Trike with thousands nominating the locations they'd like to see captured on camera. They've suggested familiar and unfamiliar attractions from Scotland to Land's End, the east coast to the west and everywhere in between.
"With some five million extra Brits considering taking a holiday in their own country this year, Google's Street View is already helping us inspire them with some great urban destinations. The Street View Trike will help us inspire visitors with a small taste of what they can discover off the beaten track".
Google said: "We've been thrilled with the suggestions made by the British public and are excited to see where our tricyclist will visit first. Whatever takes a person's fancy, from the modern to the historic, the natural to the man-made we hope the public will get voting to put their tourist gems on he map".
Due to operational factors such as light levels and the weather (and what could be a pretty tired cyclist), the trike will only be in the UK for a limited time during the summer. Images collected by the trike will be processed and carefully stitched together, a technological process that can take several months. They will be made available at a later date in Street View on Google Maps. As Google only collect images from public roads they will work closely with the relevant organisations to secure permission to collect images of privately-owned locations. The trike is a mechanical masterpiece comprising three bicycle wheels, a mounted Street View camera and a specially decorated box containing image-collecting gadgetry. It comes replete with a very athletic cyclist in customised Google apparel.
Date Posted: 24th June 2009
Shropshire Tourism
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Read Next Bad Religion Expand 'Age of Unreason' Tour With New Fall Dates Send Us a Tip Subscribe
Watch Chris Martin, Conan Sing Coldplay’s ‘Yellow’ in Cockney Accents
Singer, comedian employ hats, bad accents for goofy late-night rendition of 2000 song
Ryan Reed
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Conan O’Brien, master of the bad Cockney accent, teamed with Chris Martin for a chimney sweep-styled take on Coldplay‘s “Yellow” on Thursday’s Conan.
The hilarious performance arose after Martin explained that, as a child, his lack of singing ability shot down his aspirations to perform musical theater. “I did one audition, which that didn’t go so well because I couldn’t dance,” he said. “And I got one part in a musical, but they said, ‘You can’t sing.'”
Martin eventually landed the role of Cockney chimney sweep Alfred in a production of My Fair Lady. O’Brien, meanwhile, grew up impersonating Dick Van Dyke’s extreme accent from Mary Poppins.
“I don’t do it perfectly,” the host said of his Cockney take. “I do it horribly, and it’s offensive to many people in the U.K.” Nevertheless, the pair united for a ridiculous version of “Yellow,” with Martin employing a thick vibrato and O’Brien crooning like a cartoon character.
Martin suggested the duo should tour under the banner “Conan and Chris’ Cockney Classics,” an idea O’Brien encouraged: “We could do all of Jay Z’s songs,” he joked. “Everything: Beyonce. We could do it all.”
In This Article: Chris Martin, Coldplay, Conan, Conan O'Brien, Late-Night TV
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HomeWorld News
Down to -50C: Russians freeze to death as strongest-in-decades winter hits (PHOTOS)
Published time: 19 Dec, 2012 15:00 Edited time: 19 Dec, 2012 19:58
RIA Novosti / Yakov Andreev © RIA Novosti
Russia is enduring its harshest winter in over 70 years, with temperatures plunging as low as -50 degrees Celsius. Dozens of people have already died, and almost 150 have been hospitalized.
The country has not witnessed such a long cold spell since 1938, meteorologists said, with temperatures 10 to 15 degrees lower than the seasonal norm all over Russia.
Across the country, 45 people have died due to the cold, and 266 have been taken to hospitals. In total, 542 people were injured due to the freezing temperatures, RIA Novosti reported.
The Moscow region saw temperatures of -17 to -18 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, and the record cold temperatures are expected to linger for at least three more days. Thermometers in Siberia touched -50 degrees Celsius, which is also abnormal for December.
RIA Novosti / Aleksey Malgavko
The Emergency Ministry has issued warnings in 15 regions, which have been put on high alert over possible disruptions of communication and power.
Across the country, heat pipelines have broken down due to the cold. In southeastern Russia’s Samara, the cold has broken down many heat pipelines, leaving hundreds of homes without heating, including an orphanage and a rest house. Many schools and kindergartens have been closed for almost a week.
The cold spell, along with snowfalls, has disrupted flights all over the country, and led to huge traffic jams. In the southern city of Rostov-on-Don some highways were closed due to snowfalls over the past two days, triggering a traffic collapse.
More cold in the capital
Over the weekend, meteorologists predict temperatures will plunge even lower in the Moscow region, hitting -25. The Russian capital is also expected to be swept with snow, RIA Novosti reported.
Temperatures have been 7 degrees lower than the norm for five days already, which is considered an anomaly, according to the Meteonovosti.ru website. The cold spell in the Moscow region is expected to continue for at least three more days.
Due to the high humidity, these freezing temperatures will feel even colder than they actually are, meteorologists explained.
RIA Novosti / Yakov Andreev
RIA Novosti / Aleksandr Kryazhev
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39 Million U.S. Consumers May Be Shopping Globally Featured
Written by Adam Blair
Published in Trend Watch
Adam Blair
E-Commerce has the ability to bring the world's products to your doorstep, and more than three quarters (77%) of U.S. consumers have either bought across borders or are ready to do so. A new consumer survey reports that 42% already have purchased products from non-U.S. digital retailers, and another 35% are open to the idea. As many as 39% of shoppers who already have shopped globally had completed purchases during the week prior to participating in the survey.
The survey, conducted by IPSOS for Bronto Software, reveals major opportunities for global e-Commerce retailers in the U.S. market. Titled, Where We Buy: Consumer Attitudes On Global Commerce, the report confirms that domestic merchants are now competing in a truly global marketplace.
Key findings include:
• Younger consumers are the most likely to buy overseas: 57% aged 16 to 24 and 58% aged 25 to 34. The 65 and older group is the least likely to do so, at 25%.
• By a small margin, men are more likely to have made cross-border purchases than women: 44% compared to 40%;
• The greatest percentage of cross-border purchases originate in China (56%), followed by the UK (27%), Canada (20%) and Japan (19%).
• By a wide margin, shipping costs are the biggest barrier to cross-border purchases, cited by 67% of respondents.
"These results indicate that competition is getting steeper everywhere, and marketers, regardless of where they're coming from or selling to, need to differentiate themselves," said Carolyn Sparano, General Manager, Bronto Software, in an interview with Retail TouchPoints. "They can do this with unique merchandise that provides value, but they also can work on providing value after the sale. There are a lot of things marketers can do to continue the conversation with customers so that they will want to come back for more in the future."
Focus On Retailing 101: Fulfillment And Security
Retailers selling internationally should pay close attention to two basic capabilities: order fulfillment and secure checkout. Among the top barriers consumers cited about buying from non-U.S. countries, shipping costs were number one, but fear that delivery would take too long (43%) was also a significant concern. Close behind was a distrust of online payment methods, at 41%.
"Retailers need to work on providing very competitive shipping rates, because 'free shipping' offers are very common," noted Sparano. "And when it comes to checkout, consumers need to feel secure about conducting transactions on their sites."
This ability to master retailing basics might explain the popularity of China's e-Commerce merchants among U.S. consumers. Another factor is the immense power of Alibaba, the China-based e-Commerce marketplace. While the survey didn't delve into the reasons why consumers bought from one country versus another, Sparano noted that "China has been shipping products around the world for a long time, so they have lowered some of the barriers to the global marketplace. And when you look at the concerns consumers express about purchasing from other countries — namely shipping and secure payments — Alibaba works hard to eliminate those barriers as well."
High Recency Rates For Cross-Border Buying
U.S. consumers who are buying from international e-Commerce merchants are doing so with some regularity. As noted above, nearly four in 10 survey respondents had bought an item during the previous week, and another 20% purchased during the previous month, with 15% buying during the previous quarter. The survey estimates that the current U.S. market for cross-border purchasing totals nearly 39 million U.S. adults each week.
Even given the size of the current global marketplace, international merchants have a significant opportunity for growth in the U.S. market. There's a wide gap between the countries U.S. consumers would consider purchasing from compared to those that they actually do buy from. For example, 46% would consider buying from Germany, but only 10% of consumers have done so. There are similar gaps for France and Italy (both 46% vs. 6%), Sweden (39% vs. 2%) and even Canada (72% vs. 20%).
The survey of 1,000 adults aged 18 and older was conducted online. Respondents had to own at least one Internet-capable device, such as a smartphone, wearable, tablet, desktop or laptop.
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More in this category: « Lessons Learned From The Hanjin Shipping Bankruptcy In-Store Services: The Next Phase Of Experiential Retail »
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Green Light for Solar Farm from Purbeck District Council
A solar farm that will generate enough clean electricity to power 1,500 homes has been given the green light by planners.
Renewable electricity supplier and generator Good Energy has received the go-ahead from Purbeck District Council to develop a 5.8MW solar farm at the Oaklands Plantation, just north of Wareham.
The scheme will make a valuable contribution towards meeting Dorset’s renewable energy targets while enhancing Britain's energy security.
Its development will also release an annual £5,000 to be spent in the community by local people – for the 30 year lifetime of the project.
Hugo House, Good Energy's senior project developer, said: “We are very happy that this scheme has been backed not only by the planners but also the local community.
“Our solar farm will help make a significant contribution towards Dorset’s renewable energy targets.
“Councillors and local residents who backed our plans have shown their own commitment to a future where more electricity is supplied by green and clean sources.”
The site at Oaklands is very well-screened, positioned between a landfill site and a commercial forest. Approximately 20,000 solar panels will be installed across the 20 hectares of land which is currently used as a Christmas tree plantation, grazing pasture and a motorcross track.
The land surrounding the panels will be recreated as grassland which can be grazed by sheep and will be managed to improve its quality and biodiversity.
Some areas of the site will also be adapted to recreate heathland and a wetland area will be introduced to provide habitat for heathland species. These measures will provide valuable new habitats for a variety of wildlife.
Purbeck District Council’s planning report on the scheme concluded that the solar farm met its policy which positively supports appropriate development of renewable energy schemes and the promotion of a strong rural economy, including farm diversification.
The application also received the support of Wareham St Martin Parish Council and attracted 26 letters of support from residents.
Construction of the Oaklands solar farm, which will operate for 30 years, will get underway in spring next year.
Tags: Solar Installation News, Solar Industry News, e-lec.org
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NYSERDA announces first contract awards for $30 million energy efficiency program
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) today announced six design contracts have been awarded to solution provider teams under RetrofitNY’s High-Performance Retrofit Solutions pilot program. The contracts are the initial step for RetrofitNY, a first-of-its-kind program in the U.S. launched earlier this year by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. The program is intended to create standardized, scalable deep energy-efficient retrofit solutions that can be replicated throughout the entire housing industry and support Governor Cuomo’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030.
“RetrofitNY capitalizes on the expertise of building owners and designers for identifying and creating scalable energy efficiency solutions for New York’s building stock that will reduce energy costs and improve the quality of life for residents. Under Governor Cuomo’s clean energy economy, the state is creating opportunities for market-wide transformation and we are thrilled with the market response to the first phase of this innovative energy efficiency program,” Alicia Barton, NYSERDA President and CEO said.
RetrofitNY was created to stimulate a new industry capable of delivering replicable net-zero, or near net-zero, energy retrofits to residential building stock at scale. Statewide, buildings account for 60 percent of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions and improving energy efficiency in existing buildings is a critical component of achieving the Governor’s nation-leading clean energy and climate goals. The energy efficient retrofit products designed through the RetrofitNY program will offer multi-family buildings cost-effective and efficient means for cutting emissions and reducing their residents’ energy costs while making their homes more comfortable.
These six contracts are the first step in a two-step competitive application process led by NYSERDA. Under this process, review committees qualified both solution-provider teams to design high-performance retrofit solutions and multifamily affordable housing buildings to receive the prototype retrofit designs.
Each solution-provider team was awarded $75,000 for the design phase of their project, which will last approximately six months. Designs are also required to exclude the use of fossil fuels onsite, and demonstrate that the designs are cost-effective, standardized, scalable and aesthetically pleasing.
To initiate the design phase of these six projects, kickoff meetings are being held with the contract winners. Once complete, NYSERDA will offer additional funding for developing and installing the designs under a separate solicitation. NYSERDA will then monitor the construction and performance of the solutions to incorporate learnings from this first phase into future requests for proposals for improved designs, ensuring the program will be rolled out on an ever-larger scale until a self-sustaining market is created.
The RetrofitNY program supports the state’s greenhouse gas emission reductions of 40 percent by 2030 as well as the new 2025 energy efficiency target announced in April. The components developed and tested under RetrofitNY are anticipated to be applicable to new construction projects as well as retrofits, and serve the broader emerging net zero market in New York.
The winning contract teams are:
The International Center for Appropriate and Sustainable Technology (ICAST): working with Beacon Communities on a two-story, six-unit building that is part of a six-building campus in Troy.
The Levy Partnership: working with Joint Ownership Entity (JOE) NYC on a six-story, 21-unit building in Harlem.
Bright Power: working with Volmar on a five-story, 42-unit building in the Bronx.
SWBR Architects: working with Conifer Real Estate on a two-story, 24-unit building in Portville in the Western NY Region.
King + King Architects: working with Rock PMC on a two-story, eight-unit building in Phoenix outside Syracuse that is part of a five-building campus.
Chris Benedict, RA: working with RiseBoro Community Partnership on a four-story, 46-unit building in Brooklyn.
RetrofitNY is a $30 million program funded over 10 years and made available through the State’s Clean Energy Fund. It intends to bring a substantial portion of New York’s affordable housing units to or near net-zero energy over the next decade. Net-zero energy buildings consume no more energy, on an annual basis, than they produce onsite through renewable energy technologies like solar panels or other distributed energy resources.
RetrofitNY is based on a successful European program, Energiesprong, which has brought over 5,000 units of affordable housing to net-zero energy with 20,000 more units in the pipeline.
News item from NYSERDA
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RISING PROPERTY VALUES: Here's how much people MADE when selling their homes last year
By Paul Jones @GazettePaul Editor/Head of News
MAKING A PROFIT: Selling homes
JUST over nine in 10 people who sold their home across England and Wales last year made a profit on what they originally paid - with an average gain of more than £88,000.
Some 91% of sellers sold their property for more than they paid for it, edging up from 90% in 2017, analysis by Hamptons International found.
The average gain in 2018 was £88,470 more than what sellers had paid, having owned their home for nine years on average.
While the proportion of sellers making a profit increased, the average gain edged slightly down compared with £90,580 in 2017.
Hamptons said sellers in London and the South East were less likely to sell their house for a profit in 2018 than they were the year before.
In all other regions of England, as well as across Wales, house sellers were more likely to sell for a profit in 2018.
In the South West, the average gain for sellers was more than £81,000.
Aneisha Beveridge, head of research at Hamptons International, said: "With more sellers in the North but fewer sellers in London making a profit in 2018, the average gain has fallen since 2017."
She said this was because sellers in the North do not tend to make gains as large as those in the South, but despite some recent slowdowns in house price growth "most owners are still sitting on plenty of growth from previous years".
In another change compared with 2017, sellers in the East of England were more likely than those in London to make a profit last year, with 98% compared with 97%.
Hamptons International analysed Land Registry data to make the findings.
It purely looked at house sale prices, so the findings do not take into account moving-related costs such as stamp duty that sellers may incur which would eat into any gains made on the sale.
It also looked at the hotspots where sellers were particularly likely to make large gains last year.
In London, sellers in Kensington and Chelsea made an average profit of £992,340, with 93% making a gain.
This equates to just over 11 times the average seller profit made last year generally.
Across London, the average profit was £237,190 - around two and-a-half times the average across England and Wales.
In Wales, sellers in the Vale of Glamorgan made the biggest gains at £70,520 on average..
In northern England, Trafford, Harrogate and North Tyneside were areas were sellers were particularly likely to have made large gains.
Ms Beveridge said: "House prices have grown considerably over the nine-year period that the average seller has owned their home.
"As a result, the proportion of sellers making a profit on their property continues to rise.
"Many sellers will have added value by renovating, extending or developing, but the bulk of their gains have come from house price growth."
Here are the average seller gains in 2018, with the percentage of sellers making a gain, according to Hamptons International:
- East Midlands, £56,520, 93%
- East of England, £111,920, 98%
- London, £237,190, 97%
- North East, £25,190, 70%
- North West, £44,690, 83%
- South East, £123,380, 97%
- South West, £81,170, 95%
- Wales, £41,600, 85%
- West Midlands, £58,450, 91%
- Yorkshire and the Humber, £43,010, 84%
Here are the seller hotspots by region for 2018 with the average gain:
- East Midlands, South Northamptonshire, £100,880
- East of England, Three Rivers, £224,600
- London, Kensington and Chelsea, £992,340
- North East, North Tyneside, £37,280
- North West, Trafford, £112,880
- South East, South Buckinghamshire, £260,990
- South West, Bath and North East Somerset, £138,360
- Wales, Vale Of Glamorgan, £70,520
- West Midlands, Warwick, £108,510
- Yorkshire and the Humber, Harrogate, £89,080
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'We're borrowing to build as opposed to buying groceries
B.C. back in black, deep in debt
NDP denounced the pre-election spending plan as a "bogus budget" but audited books show health spending reined in, books balanced
Jul. 22, 2014 9:00 a.m.
VICTORIA – When the audited public accounts confirmed a $353 million surplus for the last fiscal year, B.C. Liberal political staff were quick to remind reporters of the NDP’s main theme from last year’s election campaign.
Pages of election quotes from almost every NDP MLA were waiting to be distributed. It was a “bogus budget,” one of the more polite tags applied to the government’s pre-election fiscal plan.
“It underestimates the costs in a whole bunch of ministries and we’re going to have to review that because all of the decisions that we propose in our platform will have to be implemented,” said then-leader Adrian Dix, describing the NDP’s plans to tax and spend more.
Skeena MLA Robin Austin targeted health care in the budget debate: “Bearing in mind that our population is actually increasing, bearing in mind that our population is aging, I think it’s very unrealistic to think we can actually limit health care expenditures to 2.7 per cent.”
As it turned out, health care spending grew by just over two per cent. It still went up by $360 million from the previous year, but after annual increases of six or seven per cent had become the norm, this is quite an achievement. New agreements remain to be negotiated with doctors and nurses, so we’re unlikely to see the same cost control results for the current year.
Ottawa’s health care transfer payment formula has changed, and increases are to be capped at three per cent a year by 2016, so this is the kind of spending restraint all provinces are expected to produce.
Education was the only other ministry to receive significant extra funding last year, up $299 million despite continuing enrolment decline. Like health, the education budget goes up every year, and these increases, along with strong student performance results, expose the rhetoric of the B.C. Teachers’ Federation about a cash-starved system for what it is.
But the biggest fabrication of last year’s election was the “debt free B.C.” slogan emblazoned on the side of Premier Christy Clark’s campaign bus.
The public accounts confirm that the province’s total debt rose to just over $60 billion, the latest of a series of increases since 2008. The much-touted balanced budget is on the operating side, while the province continues to pile up debt to pay for the Port Mann mega-project, hospitals, schools and other big infrastructure.
Finance Minister Mike de Jong emphasized the difference between capital and operating expenditures.
“We’re borrowing to build as opposed to paying for the groceries,” he said.
“Debt free B.C.” was not an outright misrepresentation, merely one of the most far-fetched promises ever delivered in the history of B.C. politics. The legislature is to convene in October so the B.C. Liberals can pass a taxation framework for the nascent liquefied natural gas industry, which the government hopes will generate the revenues to ultimately pay off the province’s $60-billion mortgage.
Meanwhile there is more capital debt ahead. The cabinet is expected to green-light the Site C dam on the Peace River this fall, a decade-long project estimated to cost $8 billion.
Along with the public accounts, the finance ministry released a list of surplus land sales. The sale of 50-odd properties, some of them closed schools, netted the provincial treasury about $310 million, which accounts for most of the surplus.
Was this “selling off the family silverware to try and balance the books,” as now-NDP leader John Horgan termed it before the election? It’s certainly not a revenue source to be matched next year.
Tom Fletcher is legislature reporter and columnist for Black Press. Twitter: @tomfletcherbc
Letters: Election good time to push for more policing
Letters: Town without mercy
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IZ*ONE, Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeon, And BOL4 Top Weekly Gaon Charts
by U. Kim
On April 11, Gaon Chart revealed its weekly rankings for the week of March 31 through April 6.
This week’s charts featured strong debuts of new releases from IZ*ONE, BOL4, EXO’s Chen, and more, while Girls’ Generation’s Taeyeon and Jang Bum Joon maintained their spots from last week.
Check out the top five of each of the major charts below:
Overall Digital Chart
Taeyeon kept her spot at the top of the overall digital chart with “Four Seasons.” BOL4 newly entered the charts with “Bom” and “Stars Over Me” at No. 2 and No. 5, respectively. Jang Bum Joon’s “every moment with you” fell one step to No. 3, and Chen’s debut title track “Beautiful goodbye” took the No. 4 spot.
Streaming Chart
Taeyeon and Jang Bum Joon switched spots, making “Four Seasons” No. 1 for this week’s streaming chart. BOL4’s “Bom” made its debut at No. 3, and Jang Bum Joon’s “Karaoke” soared to No. 4. Baek Yerin’s “Maybe It’s Not Our Fault” fell to No. 5.
Download Chart
BOL4’s “Bom” and “Stars Over Me” debuted at No. 1 and No. 3 on the download chart, while Chen’s “Beautiful goodbye” entered at No. 2. Taeyeon’s “Four Seasons” fell three steps. IZ*ONE’s “Violeta” rounded up the top five.
Album Chart
IZ*ONE’s new mini album “HEART*IZ” and Chen’s “April, and a flower” debuted at the album chart recording physical album shipments. BTS’s double-million-certified “Love Yourself: Answer” and million-certified “Love Yourself: Tear” rose to No. 3 and No. 5, respectively. BTS’s “Love Yourself: Her” also ranked at No. 4.
Social Chart
IZ*ONE entered at the top of the social chart, which combines data from YouTube, Twitter, and YinYueTai. MAMAMOO’s “gogobebe” skyrocketed to No. 2, while BTS’s “Idol” maintained its No. 3 spot. “DNA” rose slightly to No. 4, and Taeyeon’s “Four Seasons” soared to the No. 5 spot.
Jang Bum Joon
Baek Yerin
BOL4
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SKNIS
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PRIME MINISTER HARRIS LEADS DELEGATION ON AN OFFICIAL VISIT TO TAIWAN
By Editor in Press Releases
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, June 4, 2017 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – St. Kitts and Nevis’ Prime Minister, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris is currently on an official visit to the Republic of China on Taiwan, where he is expected to hold several high level meetings aimed at further strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries.
The Honourable Prime Minister’s trip came as a courtesy of the Government of Taiwan.
While there, Prime Minister Harris will make an official call on Taiwanese President, Her Excellency Tsai Ing-wen and other high level officials during the week-long working visit.
Dr. Harris is accompanied on his trip by Cabinet Secretary, Mrs. Josephine Huggins; Ambassador and Special Advisor to the Prime Minister, His Excellency Michael Powell; St. Kitts and Nevis’ Resident Ambassador in Taiwan, Jasmine Huggins; Senior Assistant Secretary, Chelesa Rawlins; Assistant Secretary, Jacqueline Prentice; Consultant, Warren Thompson and Superintendent of Police, McCarta Browne.
Resident Taiwanese Ambassador to St. Kitts and Nevis, His Excellency George Gow Wei Chiou is accompanying the Prime Minister’s delegation on the official visit.
In 1983, Taiwan became the first country to establish diplomatic relations with the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis – a relationship that has proven mutually beneficial.
Most recently, the Government of the Republic of Taiwan has assisted St. Kitts and Nevis in its crime fighting efforts, particularly in terms of enhancing the country’s Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) project.
The Governments of St. Kitts-Nevis and Taiwan also entered into a formal arrangement that would see police cooperation between the two countries. This cooperation agreement provides for a law enforcement personnel exchange, to include a technical component and study opportunities in Taiwan.
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Introduction to Graph Databases
Data Modeling with Neo4j by Neo4j 43126 views
Getting started with Graph Database... by Suroor Wijdan 3394 views
Neo4j - 5 cool graph examples by Peter Neubauer 82081 views
Introduction to Gremlin by Max De Marzi 18858 views
Graph database Use Cases by Max De Marzi 55385 views
Case Study: Real-time Recommendatio... by DATAVERSITY 5989 views
Max De Marzi
, Software Field Engineer
Quick look at trends in data, nosql, graph databases, and Neo4j.
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An undirected graph is one in which edges have no orientation. The edge (a, b) is identical to the edge (b, a).A directed graph or digraph is an ordered pair D = (V, A)A pseudo graph is a graph with loopsA multi graph allows for multiple edges between nodesA hyper graph allows an edge to join more than two nodes
A weighted graph has a number assigned to each edgeAlabeled graph has a label assigned to each node or edgeA property graph has keys and values for each node or edge
Atomic = all or nothing, consistent = stay consistent from one tx to another, isolation = no tx will mess with another tx, durability = once tx committed, it stays
1. Introduction toGraph Databases Chicago Graph Database Meet-Up Max De Marzi
2. About Me Built the Neography Gem (Ruby Wrapper to the Neo4j REST API) Playing with Neo4j since 10/2009• My Blog: http://maxdemarzi.com• Find me on Twitter: @maxdemarzi• Email me: maxdemarzi@gmail.com• GitHub: http://github.com/maxdemarzi
3. Agenda• Trends in Data• NOSQL• What is a Graph?• What is a Graph Database?• What is Neo4j?
4. Trends in Data
5. Data is getting bigger:“Every 2 days wecreate as muchinformation as we didup to 2003”– Eric Schmidt, Google
6. Data is more connected:• Text (content)• HyperText (added pointers)• RSS (joined those pointers)• Blogs (added pingbacks)• Tagging (grouped related data)• RDF (described connected data)• GGG (content + pointers + relationships + descriptions)
7. Data is more Semi-Structured:• If you tried to collect all the data of every movie ever made, how would you model it?• Actors, Characters, Locations, Dates, Costs, Ratings, Showings, Ticket Sales, etc.
8. NOSQLNot Only SQL
9. Less than 10% of the NOSQL Vendors
10. Key Value Stores• Most Based on Dynamo: Amazon Highly Available Key-Value Store• Data Model: – Global key-value mapping – Big scalable HashMap – Highly fault tolerant (typically)• Examples: – Redis, Riak, Voldemort
11. Key Value Stores: Pros and Cons• Pros: – Simple data model – Scalable• Cons – Create your own “foreign keys” – Poor for complex data
12. Column Family• Most Based on BigTable: Google’s Distributed Storage System for Structured Data• Data Model: – A big table, with column families – Map Reduce for querying/processing• Examples: – HBase, HyperTable, Cassandra
13. Column Family: Pros and Cons• Pros: – Supports Simi-Structured Data – Naturally Indexed (columns) – Scalable• Cons – Poor for interconnected data
14. Document Databases• Data Model: – A collection of documents – A document is a key value collection – Index-centric, lots of map-reduce• Examples: – CouchDB, MongoDB
15. Document Databases: Pros and Cons• Pros: – Simple, powerful data model – Scalable• Cons – Poor for interconnected data – Query model limited to keys and indexes – Map reduce for larger queries
16. Graph Databases• Data Model: – Nodes and Relationships• Examples: – Neo4j, OrientDB, InfiniteGraph, AllegroGraph
17. Graph Databases: Pros and Cons• Pros: – Powerful data model, as general as RDBMS – Connected data locally indexed – Easy to query• Cons – Sharding ( lots of people working on this) • Scales UP reasonably well – Requires rewiring your brain
18. Living in a NOSQL World RDBMS Graph DatabasesComplexity Document Databases BigTable Clones Key-Value Relational Store Databases 90% of Use Cases Size
19. What is a Graph?
20. What is a Graph?• An abstract representation of a set of objects where some pairs are connected by links. Object (Vertex, Node) Link (Edge, Arc, Relationship)
21. Different Kinds of Graphs• Undirected Graph• Directed Graph• Pseudo Graph• Multi Graph• Hyper Graph
22. More Kinds of Graphs• Weighted Graph• Labeled Graph• Property Graph
23. What is a Graph Database?• A database with an explicit graph structure• Each node knows its adjacent nodes• As the number of nodes increases, the cost of a local step (or hop) remains the same• Plus an Index for lookups
24. Compared to Relational Databases Optimized for aggregation Optimized for connections
25. Compared to Key Value StoresOptimized for simple look-ups Optimized for traversing connected data
26. Compared to Key Value StoresOptimized for “trees” of data Optimized for seeing the forest and the trees, and the branches, and the trunks
27. What is Neo4j?
28. What is Neo4j?• A Graph Database + Lucene Index• Property Graph• Full ACID (atomicity, consistency, isolation, durability)• High Availability (with Enterprise Edition)• 32 Billion Nodes, 32 Billion Relationships, 64 Billion Properties• Embedded Server• REST API
29. Good For• Highly connected data (social networks)• Recommendations (e-commerce)• Path Finding (how do I know you?)• A* (Least Cost path)• Data First Schema (bottom-up, but you still need to design)
30. Property Graph
31. // then traverse to find results start n=(people-index, name, “Andreas”) match (n)--()--(foaf) return foafn
32. CypherPattern Matching Query Language (like SQL for graphs) // get node 0 start a=(0) return a // traverse from node 1 start a=(1) match (a)-->(b) return b // return friends of friends start a=(1) match (a)--()--(c) return c
33. GremlinA Graph Scripting DSL (groovy-based) // get node 0 g.v(0) // nodes with incoming relationship g.v(0).in // outgoing “KNOWS” relationship g.v(0).out(“KNOWS”)
34. If you’ve ever• Joined more than 7 tables together• Modeled a graph in a table• Written a recursive CTE• Tried to write some crazy stored procedure with multiple recursive self and inner joins You should use Neo4j
35. Language LanguageCountry Countrylanguage_code language_code country_codelanguage_name country_code country_nameword_count primary flag_uri Language Countryname name IS_SPOKEN_INcode codeword_count as_primary flag_uri
36. name: “Canada” languages_spoken: “[ „English‟, „French‟ ]” language:“English” spoken_in name: “USA”name: “Canada” language:“French” spoken_in name: “France”
37. Country name flag_uri language_name number_of_words yes_in_langauge no_in_language currency_code currency_name Country Languagename nameflag_uri SPEAKS number_of_words yes no Currency code name
38. Neo4j Data Browser
39. Neo4j Console
40. console.neo4j.orgTry it right now:start n=node(*) match n-[r:LOVES]->m return n, type(r), mNotice the two nodes in red, they are your result set.
41. What does a Graph look like?
42. Questions? ?
43. Thank you! http://maxdemarzi.com
Test Prep: GRE
Data Modeling with Neo4j
Getting started with Graph Databases & Neo4j
Suroor Wijdan
Neo4j - 5 cool graph examples
Peter Neubauer
Introduction to Gremlin
Graph database Use Cases
Case Study: Real-time Recommendations with a Graph Database
DATAVERSITY
Relational to Graph - Import
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Home FEATURED POSTS COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF SATELLITE TELEVISION RECEPTION PLACES EUTELSAT AS MARKET LEADER ACROSS...
COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF SATELLITE TELEVISION RECEPTION PLACES EUTELSAT AS MARKET LEADER ACROSS NIGERIA, CAMEROON AND IVORY COAST
A far-reaching in-depth study, led by Nielsen, of television reception throughout Nigeria, Cameroon and Ivory Coast, has positioned Eutelsat (www.Eutelsat.com) as satellite market leader within these countries. The face-to-face interviews were conducted with 3,000 households in Nigeria, 2,000 in Cameroun and 2,000 in Ivory Coast, representative of the population of the geographical area surveyed.
Satellite television is high in the rankings
Satellite television reception is the dominant technology in Ivory Coast reaching 68% of TV households (1.5 million households) and is also a major technology in Nigeria reaching 41% (10.3 million households) and in Cameroon with 38% households (1.3 million households).
“Eutelsat is pleased to have established a strong presence in the regional audiovisual landscape, providing millions of households with access to a wide range of local and international channels. This study confirms that Eutelsat’s 16° East position is the leading position for free-to-air broadcasting in Cameroon and Ivory Coast and that Eutelsat’s three positions, 36° East, 7° East and 16° East, serve the largest combined audience in the Nigerian market. It is a testament to our long-standing partnership with many of Africa’s leading TV channels and bouquets. We look forward to strengthening these partnerships to develop our services as these dynamic markets continue to evolve,” said Nicolas Baravalle, Vice President for Sub-Saharan Africa at Eutelsat.
READ ALSO AMBODE, OBASEKI, OTHERS CELEBRATE RETIRING CLERGY, ADEMOWO AT 70
Eutelsat’s 16°East neighbourhood in pole position across Cameroon and Ivory Coast
The study also revealed that Eutelsat’s 16° East neighborhood is the leading FTA position in Cameroon and Ivory Coast with a combined reach of 1.2M households in those 2 countries. In Cameroon, 16° East is the leading position and reaches a total of 940,000 households representing 73% of the DTH installed base. In Ivory Coast, it has the largest FTA installed base, reaching 240,000 households (37% of the DTH installed base).
16°East position caters for a wide variety of tastes with over 160 channels, among which are highly sought after local channels such as CRTV, Canal 2 International, Trace Africa, Novelas TV, RT1 and RT2 as well as popular international channels in French and English.
READ ALSO GUBER ELECTION: KANO ELECTORATE GO SPIRITUAL… KILL CAMEL, TRAVEL TO MECCA
A winning combination across Nigeria
Eutelsat has the highest combined reach across the Nigerian market between its 3 positions, 36° East, 7° East and 16° East. Over 5M households in Nigeria (one out of two DTH households) point towards a Eutelsat position.
Eutelsat’s 36° East neighbourhood is Nigeria’s leading Pay-TV position, reaching 1.3M households. It hosts DSTV, the leading satellite Pay-TV platform in the region and groups together around 400 channels including 43 channels in HD accessible throughout region and includes top most watched channels in Nigeria such as AIT International, CNN International, Silverbird TV and Zee World.
Eutelsat’s 16° East neighbourhood is a leading free-to-air position reaching a total of 2.2M households and offers a diverse line-up of popular Nigerian channels such as CRTV, Channel TV and Silverbird TV, local content specifically popular to the Hausa community; My TV Hausa and Alwilayah TV Hausa, as well as international channels such as Aljazeera, France 24.
READ ALSO COURT ORDERS FORFEITURE OF $200,000 CONCEALED BY BIZMAN TO FG
Eutelsat’s 7°East neighbourhood has a reach of 1.4M households in Nigeria, mainly catering to English-speaking locals, with Channel TV, TVC News Nigeria and international content such as CNN, Fox, BBC World news, Bloomberg TV Africa, CNBC Africa and Al Jazeera.
High definition in high demand
According to study findings, the need for HD is rising in Sub-Saharan Africa with a growing demand for HD content specifically in Pay-TV. This is coupled with a rise in the affordability of equipment such as televisions and set-top-boxes. The number of HDTV equipped households is already sizeable: in Nigeria 9.5 million (38%) households were identified to be HDTV compatible homes, 0.9 million (18%) in Cameroon and 0.5 million (22%) in Ivory Coast.
Eutelsat is exhibiting at AfricaCom in Capetown from November 13 until November 15 on booth D40.
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Business Briefs: Jan. 31, 2010
Home Instead Senior Care has promotions
Home Instead Senior Care offices in Jacksonville and St. Augustine announced a new president.
Mary Beth Johnson assumed the office of president of Hills Home Care Inc. and Jax Home Health Inc., both companies doing business as Home Instead Senior Care. Johnson joined Home Instead in 2004 as a community service representative. She has also served as director of marketing and most recently, vice president of business development. Her primary responsibilities will continue to assist both offices in the areas of business development, public relations and long-term strategic planning. In her new role as president, Johnson will assume office staff supervision, hiring and promotions, along with determining final resolutions on any issues affecting company operations.
Rachel Douglas, who has served as a community service representative for 2 1tilde;2 years, has been promoted to director of marketing in the Jacksonville office. Douglas will work closely with Johnson in developing Home Instead's 2010 business plan.
St. Augustine Investment Management moves
St. Augustine Investment Management Inc. is moving to a new location effective Monday. After five years at their current location, they are moving to the Ponce De Leon Executive Suites at 2200 N. Ponce De Leon Blvd., Suite 7. The phone numbers, e-mail address and Web site www.StAugustineInvestmentManagement.com all remain the same. They invite everyone to come see their new office during their open house from 4 to 6 p.m. on Feb. 18.
Anastasia Medical Group has new Web site
Anastasia Medical Group, at 1301 Plantation Island Drive, Suite 203, has launched its new Web site at www.AnastasiaMedicalGroup.com. It was designed and developed by Avid Design Group LLC of St. Augustine. Anastasia Medical Group physicians Suhas Neerukonda, MD, Ryan Pereira MD, Anil Shrestha MD and David Ross MD commissioned the Web site to provide information on the medical services offered at the practice and patient resource information.
Woody's reopening on Monday
Woody's Bar-B-Q owner Brent Morris who is opening the Ponte Vedra Beach restaurant as a new owner with a new look on Monday.
Morris was originally associated with the Ponte Vedra location for three years when it was a corporate Woody's Bar-B-Q. He successfully became a Woody's franchisee/owner in Fernandina Beach and is now returning to his hometown to own one of the most popular locations in Northeast Florida.
Another familiar face is co-owner and entrepreneur Ellen Mills who created Tempforce Staffing Services in Jacksonville.
Woody's is at 226 Solano Road in the Winn-Dixie Shopping Center. For informatioin, call 280-1110.
St. Augustine's new Zaxby's opens Monday
Zaxby's licensees Matt and Tara Strickland will open the doors to St. Johns County's first Zaxby's restaurant on Monday.
"We are thrilled to offer St. Augustine residents their first Zaxby's location," said Matt Strickland, who also owns and operates two other Zaxby's, along with his wife Tara. "Zaxby's exceptional taste and family atmosphere are what first attracted us to this restaurant concept -- we are confident St. Augustine residents will become as passionate about it as we are."
The new restaurant showcases Zaxby's unique interior design, featuring a bright, open-interior decor, complemented by vintage memorabilia and signage. The approximately 3,800-square-foot restaurant will provide comfortable booths and tables, with a seating capacity of 92. Zaxby's also provides drive-through services to meet the needs of customers on the go.
Zaxby's is at 1107 N. Ponce de Leon Blvd. Zaxby's will operate daily from 10:30 a.m. until 10 p.m.
ABD will open model for Flagler Parade of Homes
ABD Development Company, which is developing Toscana luxury community on Old Kings Road in Palm Coast, will open its Courtyard model home in time for the Flagler County Parade of Homes in March.
David Kohn, president of ABD Development Company, said the Courtyard model home offers 3,500 square feet of living space with four bedrooms, a second floor option and private interior courtyard.
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About Spectrum > Organization > Executive Management
Rune Eng – President & Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Eng has a broad range of experience in the seismic industry. He has held various executive positions in the oil industry, most recently in Petroleum Geo-Services (PGS) and before that Fugro-Geoteam, Sevoteam and a senior consultant position in Digital Equipment Computing (DEC). Mr. Eng is a Norwegian citizen based in the Oslo office.
Dean Zuzic – Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Dean Zuzic joins Spectrum from the position of CFO at Norsk Gjenvinning. Zuzic has broad experience from several companies where he held positions as CFO and CEO and as a member of the Board of Directors. Among others, he has previously worked at Kid Interiør AS, Plantasjen ASA, Saga Securities and McKinsey & Co. Zuzic is a graduate of economics from BI Norwegian Business School. Mr. Zuzic is a Norwegian citizen based in the Oslo office.
Jan Schoolmeesters – Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Mr. Schoolmeesters holds a PhD in Geophysics from Delft University of Technology (the Netherlands) and joined Spectrum as COO in August 2011. He has substantial experience in the seismic industry having served 16 years in various roles in PGS with a technical, operational, and commercial background. His previous position was with PGS as President of Asia Pacific. Mr. Schoolmeesters is a Dutch citizen based in the Oslo office.
Svein O. Staalen – General Counsel
Mr. Staalen was previously Corporate Legal Counsel in Det Norske Veritas (DNV). Prior to that, he worked eight years as a lawyer in the law firm Haavind and two years as Corporate Legal Counsel in the Nycomed Group. He holds a Master’s of Law degree from the University of Oslo and a Diploma in English Commercial Law from the College of Law, London. Mr. Staalen is a Norwegian citizen based in the Oslo office.
Neil Hodgson – Exec. Vice President Geoscience
Dr Hodgson joined Spectrum in 2012 having previously worked for BP, BG and Premier Oil in a number of exploration and development roles over a 30+ year career. His last role prior to joining Spectrum was Exploration Director for Matra Petroleum. Neil directs a team of geoscientists working globally who are helping place new seismic programmes in the most prospective areas, and develop new ways to illustrate how Spectrum’s seismic library will help clients discover oil and gas. Neil is AAPG Europe President Elect, and a British citizen based in the UK office.
Richie Miller – Exec. Vice President Multi-Client, Americas
Mr. Miller holds nearly 30 years of experience within the seismic industry. He joined Spectrum from CGGVeritas where he held the position as Director of Marketing & Business Development. During that time, he was responsible for developing the data library, identifying new opportunities and general business development of the US and South American libraries. Additional positions with other global companies included Marine Acquisition Manager, Senior Geophysicist and Director of Geology & Geophysics. Mr. Miller is an American citizen based in the Houston office.
Graham Mayhew – Exec. Vice President Multi-Client: Africa, Mediterranean & Middle East
Mr. Mayhew joined Spectrum in March 2013. He brings with him over 30 years’ experience in the seismic industry, having previously worked for Western Geophysical, Cogniseis, Landmark and WesternGeco in various managerial roles. During the last 15 years Graham has been focusing his efforts on developing new ventures and the Multi-Client business in Africa for WesternGeco where his last role was Multi-Client manager for Europe and Africa. Mr. Mayhew is a British citizen based in the UK office.
Ian T. Edwards OBE – Exec. Vice President, North-West Europe and Asia Pacific
Mr. Edwards brings a wealth of knowledge from the oil and gas industry, with a career that has spanned almost 50 years. He started his career in 1970 with Phillips Petroleum. In 1982 he became one of the initial team of JEBCO Seismic Ltd and focussed on the UK and then the Soviet Union. This was followed in 1992 by his move to Digicon Geophysical where he was responsible for starting the Data Library and Geological Services departments for the EAME Division. Throughout his time with Digicon/Veritas and finally CGGVeritas in 2010, he held various senior positions with his last role as Senior Vice President Data Library EAME and Global New Ventures. In late 2010 Mr. Edwards was one of the original members of the Executive Team of Dolphin Geophysical responsible for Global Multi-Client Surveys and New Ventures. During his career Mr. Edwards has initiated many unique Multi-Client seismic surveys which have stimulated industry investment and exploration. He was also responsible for the concept of the highly successful PROMOTE Licensing mechanism in the UK. Ian studied Geology at Birkbeck College, University of London and later Law at London University externally. He has also studied at the Rice University School of Management in Houston and completed the Veritas Global Leadership Development Program in 2004. In January 2018 Ian was awarded an OBE in the Queens New Year Honours for Services to the UK Exploration Industry. Ian is a British Citizen.
Mike Mellen – Exec. Vice President, Seismic Imaging
Mr. Mellen joined Spectrum in July 2017 bringing over 30 years of diverse experience in petroleum exploration & development, E&P technology, operations, research and leadership. He began his career at Marathon Oil Company as a geophysicist focusing on seismic acquisition/processing and prospect development primarily in Africa/Middle East and the Gulf of Mexico. He later joined Halliburton where he held a variety of technical and leadership roles including Global Director – Subsurface Evaluation and Sr. Director Landmark Technology (head of R&D). Prior to joining Spectrum, Mike was Business Unit Vice President of Data Processing & Imaging at ION Geophysical (GX Technology). Mike has an M.Sc. in Geophysics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and attended the Executive Development Program at Wharton. Mr. Mellen is an American citizen based in the Houston office.
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Talking Movies: Yesterday, Greta and I Am Not an Easy Man
Movie Review: Spider-Man – Far from Home
Talking Movies: Stockholm, Table Manners and The Polka King
Movie Review: Stockholm
Talking Movies: Murder Mystery, What’s My Name: Muhammad Ali and The Colour of Wine
Movie Reviews, Podcasts, Interviews with Film Critic, Spling
Ty Keogh and Stephanie Schildknecht on ‘Accident’
November 24, 2017 September 4, 2018 Spling accident movie, Stephanie Schildknecht, ty keogh
Ty Keogh and Stephanie Schildknecht star in Accident, an upcoming action thriller from writer-director Dan Tondowski in his directorial debut. The story follows a group of California teenagers on a joy ride after a car accident finds them trapped at the bottom of a ravine. Filmed in Cape Town, South Africa, Accident premiered at the Cape Town International Film Market & Festival and is opening on 1 December.
Rising star, Ty Keogh, has featured in many international productions over the years, but is best known for Dominion, The Wild and most recently 24 Hours to Live. Botswanan-born, Stephanie Schildknecht, is an up-and-coming actress who has appeared in numerous TV and film productions from Cape Town to LA. Spling met up with Ty and Stephanie to discuss Accident and the many acting challenges they experienced.
How did you come to be involved in this production?
Stephanie: I was actually living in Johannesburg at the time, got the audition and had to self-tape over there. I happened to be in Cape Town for a weekend, I don’t think they were actually going to call me back, but they thought she’s here already, banging the door down. From there, I got the part, the script and the rest is history.
Ty: My wife was shooting something in Cape Town, so we were here for a while… went in the morning, auditioned and got the part that afternoon… so it was a bit of a wham, bam, thank you mam.
I’m also curious to know how much preparation went into the opening shot?
Stephanie: The one with Roxanne and I? We didn’t do a whole lot of rehearsal before. We did a lot of blocking trying to get it right because Dan wanted to do it in one long shot, everything had to be in place and everyone had to know what they were doing. We had to do it a few times to get it right, and they were like “the light’s getting bad guys… the day is almost over it’s either now or it’s never!” Then we got that, yeah.
Ty Keogh, ready to roll…
It’s really impressive because of the way they framed it and merged the gaps, if they did it in one go that’s amazing, but you can’t really tell where it was joined together, so well done on that… what was it like shooting this film in such hostile conditions? Being subjected to continuous rain, cramped car, underwater…
Ty: Atrocious!
Stephanie: I think a lot of us are still suffering from PTSD!
Ty: Basically, it’s the middle of winter in Cape Town with the rain machines, shooting at night in the cold, I think a lot of the time we weren’t acting, we were honestly just responding to our environment, which was very hostile. Challenging physically and emotionally, there were more than a few times, where I was like “I’m out of here.
I need a time out before I lose my sh*t in front of all of you!” Actually I still did a few times but you know, rewarding at the same time especially after the fact, I think in the moment it was like “I hate you all, why did I do this? I’m not getting paid enough”. But then after the fact, I can say I grew as an actor and as a person…
You earned some stripes?
Ty: I earned some stripes and didn’t kill anyone.
Stephanie: That is actually impressive.
The movie could have taken a slightly different turn… more tension with someone being dead… murderer on the loose(!)
Ty: It probably would have created a bit more hype for the film!
The film is set in California, was it easy to adjust in terms of accent and environment, considering it was shot in South Africa?
Stephanie: We had the voice coach early on, Judy Phillips, and we were just speaking in our accents for the rest of the time. We were encouraged to do so even when we went home, which only some of us did because it was a bit weird… for example, going to the supermarket, “yesterday you were here, you did not speak like that!”
Ty: The environment, you’re on a set dude so that’s how much you have to play with, you’re living within a frame. Well we can, until they see Lion’s Head! I haven’t done any South African work for a long time, pretty much everything we shoot in Cape Town is for the international market so it’s all American accent stuff. If I get an audition in a South African accent, I struggle… my default goes straight to American when the camera rolls. I feel comfortable doing that.
On the road – Roxanne Hayward and Stephanie Schildknecht
I thought they did a reasonable job, I mean you sold it very well with the accents but just in terms of recreating a forest roadside situation because I knew it was shot in South Africa, but I think it will sell quite well on an international stage.
Ty: I hope so. I spent half my year in California and it’s a pretty good match you know… if you head out to Palm Springs and head out to the desert area up to like Idlewild it’s like a pine forest… so it kind of works.
I think that’s the thing with Cape Town, it’s so versatile and has lots of patches that could be anywhere and I suppose the same for LA being a bit warmer.
Ty: Yeah, but it never rains like that in LA though.
Have you guys done a stint in Los Angeles?
Ty: I’m kind of based there.
Stephanie: I was there to test the waters for a couple of months. I did a little insert for Jimmy Kimmel and then I did a conceptual trailer with Ving Rhames… that was quite fun, but haven’t been back for a while now.
I also understand that you guys did your own stunts, what was the most difficult undertaking in terms of that… who’s got the best war story?
Stephanie: I feel like I do. I should get the pictures of my leg after the fight scene… because it was so muddy, anything could have happened… we were just going free for all. It was choreographed to an extent, but all the slipping and sliding… it was kind of crazy and I did come away with a few battle scars from that… plenty actually! The next day we were doing the underwear scene, so my entire leg needed to be airbrushed to hide the bruising.
Ty: I think the worst for me was the point of being trapped inside the car underwater. The car was on a rig which dropped you straight down underwater and we went down quite deep, then they would pull us up after the take but it was quite hard to indicate from inside the car to the guys that you needed to go up. Also, when you rise from a depth and come up, you can get pretty sick. We had rebreather’s so we are taking in pure oxygen at the bottom and usually I’m cool, but the idea of being trapped in something underwater with poor visibility and not being able to get out was terrifying!
Dan seems to have been inspired by Michael Bay in terms of his objective to create this big, loud action thriller… what was it like working with him?
Stephanie: A laugh a minute… he was a lot of fun to work with.
Ty: He’s a very sweet guy… it was his first time playing with all the toys, I think he was making the film he wanted to see as a kid… kind of like Michael Bay, he’s making it for the audience and he was very energetic trying to bolster our moods the whole time… we got a bit down sometimes, and he was always there to try encourage us.
Did he come out in the rain with you or was he just calling the shots?
Stephanie: He came out… of course they were all wearing enormous jackets, paunchos and hoodies.
Ty: We were all in our flimsy little t-shirts.
Stephanie: He was a lot of fun to work with… at one point I did have to ask him to tone it down… there was a serious scene and I could hear him saying jokes over the mic and I was like “Dan, I’m trying to get into character here!”.
You seem quite comfortable together on screen, have you worked together before and was there plenty of time to jel in rehearsal?
Stephanie: I hadn’t worked with either of them before.
Ty: In rehearsal we were kept apart, so the girls worked together and Keenan and I worked together. I used to share an apartment with Keenan in Joburg and we did a show called The Wild together. We were also at film school together, so we’ve known each other for 14 years. I hadn’t worked with Stephanie or Roxanne before. We met for the first time on set, which was an intentional thing. We were kept apart… I think Dan was looking at what directors in the ’70s did.
It’s a bit like Saving Private Ryan… sending everyone except Matt Damon to boot camp?
Ty: Exactly, it was that kind of thing.
Stephanie: He had his little ways… remember when we had that scene in the car where we’re making out.
Ty: Oh gosh, I’m so sorry about that(!)
Stephanie: Right before that… Dan put an ice cube down my pants. I don’t know what his intentions were, but I think it was to keep me in the moment.
Ty: You could probably sue him now… with the whole Harvey Weinstein thing. Seriously, that’s so out of line!
Stephanie: I don’t think those were his intentions then… I thought it was some sort of director’s trick, but all I could think of was my bottom getting wet and very cold… the one scene I had where I could be warm, dry and inside the car!
Ty: …and he had to f*ck it up.
That’s an interesting point… I attended one of the workshops at the CTIFM&F, where three actresses discussed the whole “Harvey Weinstein thing”… and they were saying it’s important for actresses to band together and protect one another… the veterans need to look out for the newbies when they come on set in terms of that political dynamic.
Ty: It’s awful, we were just saying… the fact that men in positions of power feel they have the right over any woman’s body, or to use that power to try and pressure someone do something… it’s just disgusting. It’s not just the job of the mother hen, it’s the job of everyone on set… if someone sees something like that you step in and say something. There’s no room for locker room boys talk on set. Those days are over! My friend Morgan was his assistant for a year and a half… she was employed because his wife didn’t see her as a threat… and she left working for him because she was completely disgusted by the man.
There’s such a pressure especially when you’re starting out, not wanting to rock the boat… and they kept coming back to not wanting to act like a diva or being perceived as an ice queen, which can jeopardise future work, but it’s really about boundaries, owning your space, being able to say no and knowing your rights.
Ty: …because you do have rights as a human being.
Saying I need a closed set, if you’re doing a nude scene you don’t need everyone there.
Ty: The story gets repeated so often.
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Daniel Snaddon on ‘Zog’
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Reine Swart on ‘Siembamba’ aka ‘The Lullaby’
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Reds scouting director talks about Nick Senzel and Taylor Trammell.
Cincinnati Reds draft Tennessee 3B Nick Senzel in first round
David Jablonski, Staff Writer
CINCINNATI —
Nick Senzel watched the baseball draft at home Thursday night in Knoxville, Tenn. His family surrounded him. When he got the call from his agent, who told him the Cincinnati Reds would select him with the No. 2 overall pick, he kept calm and didn’t tell his dad Jeff.
“I wanted him to be surprised,” Senzel said. “When they called my name, it was tears of joy and getting to hug him. Since I was little, this was what I dreamed of happening. For it to be a reality, I’m honored. It’s unbelievable.”
Senzel, a junior from the University of Tennessee, is the first third baseman drafted by the Reds in the first round since Brandon Larson in 1997.
PHOTOS: Bark in the Park Night
NOTES: Simon to remain in rotation
SERIES FINALE: Reds fall to Cardinals
The Reds drafted outfielder Taylor Trammell, of Mount Paran Christian School in Kennesaw, Ga., with the 35th overall pick in the competitive balance round. With their second-round selection, the Reds drafted Chris Okey, a catcher from Clemson.
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Senzel turns 21 on June 29. He hit .352 with eight home runs, 25 doubles and 59 RBIs in 57 games this spring.
“We’re really excited,” said Chris Buckley, the Reds’ senior director of amateur scouting. “This is the guy we wanted. He’s a very polished player, one of the better hitters, if not the best hitter, in the draft. We think his power will improve the more he plays. He’s a complete player, runs, throws and plays his position well.”
The Philadelphia Phillies drafted outfielder Mickey Moniak, of La Costa Canyon (Calif.) High School, with the first pick.
The Reds had not drafted this high in the first round since they selected shortstop Kurt Stillwell with the No. 2 pick in 1983. The challenge now becomes signing Senzel, who is represented by Scott Boras.
“I’m ready, but there is business to be taken care of,” Senzel said. “I’ve got the best team in the world that takes care of that. They’ll let me know when the business side is taken care of. Once it’s taken care of, I’ll be ready to go.”
Senzel, who was undrafted out of high school, moved up the draft board with his performance in the Cape Cod League last summer. He was named the league’s most outstanding pro prospect. He hit .364 with four home runs, 16 doubles and 33 RBIs.
“It was an unbelievable experience, one I’ll never forget,” Senzel said. “The time up there really helped me going into my junior year. It gave me more confidence.”
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Commentary: Ex-Red Dunn not finished
Marc Katz, Staff Writer
The Chicago White Sox are hanging around first place again, and one of the reasons is designated hitter Adam Dunn.
Yes, that Adam Dunn, who more than a few were dismissing last season when he handed in a .159 batting average, 11 homers (about 30 fewer than expected) and knocked in 42.
He struck out 177 times in 496 at-bats. You do the math, please.
This was the same guy who over eight straight seasons hit 38 homers or more; 40 or more in six of those. The lone year in those eight he didn’t knock in 100 runs was 2006, when he drove home 92.
At 31, people were calling him finished.
He’s not, although he does have to work on that .225 batting average, about 20 points below his usual.
Dunn, who was with the initial Dayton Dragons in 2000, leads the majors in homers with 23. He had 53 RBIs as of Thursday. He has struck out 109 times — who wouldn’t with that large strike zone (Dunn stands 6-foot-6) — but he has also walked 55 times, on a run to his ninth season of 100 or more walks.
He knows the strike zone.
With 388 homers, he should easily reach 400, most likely this year. If last year was the anomaly, not this one, he’ll reach 500 in a few years and maybe even come close to 600.
That’s Hall of Fame territory if he can figure out a better batting average.
I just hope they’ve stopped booing him in Chicago. He got too much of that in Cincinnati, which he didn’t deserve.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2157 or mkatz @DaytonDailyNews.com.
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At the White House, the idea of digital fakery is eroding the truth
The frightening future of digital fakery has arrived, in the form of a video of CNN reporter Jim Acosta. The footage on the right shows Acosta roughly handling a White House aide during a press conference yesterday—or does it? (The original clip is shown to the left.)
Fact or fake: A fight has broken out on social media over whether the right-hand clip was, in fact, doctored by an editor at the right-wing conspiracy site Infowars to make it seem as if Acosta was being more physically aggressive than he actually was. That would be alarming because the White House press secretary, Sarah Sanders, later retweeted the clip as justification for revoking Acosta’s press credentials.
Truth or scare: As a number of keen-eyed Twitter users have pointed out, it looks like the clip was ever-so-slightly sped up at the moment contact is made.
It’s possible that this was an artifact of turning the clip into a jittery animated GIF, says Hany Farid, a world-renowned expert on digital forensics and a professor at Dartmouth. “A combination of a reduction in the quality of the video, a slowing down of the video, and the particular vantage point of the CSPAN video gives the appearance that there was more contact between the reporter and the intern than there probably was,” he adds. Farid has looked at the clip, but he has not analyzed it in detail.
AI trickery: The incident is all the more troubling given that artificial intelligence is making it ever easier to manipulate video footage. Even I was able to create a ridiculous clip of a Ted Cruz doppelganger with relative ease. The power videos hold as “ground truth” will be eroded as these digital tools become more commonplace. And this will also make it easier for those in power to discredit evidence against them as just more “fake news.”
Truth out there? But the clip also shows you don’t need really clever AI to mislead people or stir up controversy. Videos that have been carefully staged and edited can be just as effective. As Farid says: “This is a good example of precisely the problem that emerges when video can be easily manipulated—anyone can claim that a video is fake, and that claim is credible. In many ways, this may be the larger threat than the actual fake footage.”
ImageWashington Post
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Talitha Kum - Nigeria
http://www.ncwr.org.ng/committee-for-the-support-of-the-dignity-of-woman.html
In April 1999, The Committee for the Support of the Dignity of Women came into being with the inspiration of Major Superiors of Nigeria, under the umbrella of Nigeria Conference of Women Religious (NCWR). Rev. Sisters Blandina Ryan, MMM, Rev. Sr. Florence Nwaonuma SSH, were the first to bring together all the responsabiliteis and activities of the early life of COSUDOW. As Major Superiors of different congregations travels to different Europe Countries, they came face to face with the problems of human dignity being eroded. As a result, the body, that is NCWR decided to take action in fighting against this evil of human trafficking and other forms of exploitation in women and girls. TO rescue the victims of exploitation, hence the formation of (COSUDOW in 18th April 2015) of this formidable organization COSUDOW. September 12, 2018 following the experiene of COSUDOW and after the participation of Sr. Mary Rita Adebambo to the Talitha Kum Course for leader and the involvment of Sr. Patricia Ebegbulem Talitha Kum Nigeria was officially established.
to promote the dignity of young girls and women through education of their dignity, rights, sex, family and responsabilities and advance the wellbeing of the downtrodden womanhood exposing them of their equal opportunities in the social-political sphere. The objectives: 1. to educate families and young people on the hazards of being lured to other parts of the world for greener pastures. 2. to educate families and young people on the hazard involved in traveling around the home country and other parts of the world for prostitution 3. to resettle and rehabilitate those young women who may be repatriated or who wis to pull out of prostitution 4. to have a "Welcoming Home" where these young women will be accommodated and helped to regain themselves through counseling and spiritual direction. (a welcoming home is now in place) 5. to provide security for these young women and their families after they have opted out of prostitution 6. to find ways of giving them marketable skills and help them to set up ventures that will give them come self support 7. to address other social issues that affect women and children 8. to work in collaboration with Government Agencies and non-governmental Agencies that are working on this purpose
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Home / Bible Commentaries / Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments/ 2 Samuel
Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments
2 Samuel 2 Samuel 16
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2 Samuel 15:1. Absalom prepared him chariots, &c. — When he thought he had established himself in his father’s good affection, he began to take great state upon him, set up, as we now speak, a splendid equipage, and was royally attended, as being the king’s eldest son, (now Amnon was dead,) and next heir to the crown. For it seems Chileab, who was elder than he, 2 Samuel 3:3, was either dead also, or, through some cause, was incapable of the government. Absalom undoubtedly designed, by taking this course, to draw the eyes of the people to himself, who, as they were much in love with his beauty, so were doubtless mightily taken with this fine sight of chariots and horses, especially as it was unusual, not being allowed by the law. David was, however, so indulgent that, it seems, he took no notice of it. And fifty men to run before him — An honour this such as his royal father had neither had, nor thought of. These, though attendants in appearance, were, in effect, guards.
2 Samuel 15:2. Absalom rose up early — He accustomed himself to rise betimes in the morning, that he might make a show of solicitude for the good of the public, and of every private person. When any man came to the king for judgment — The king, it appears, reserved all weighty causes for his own hearing; and appeals were made to him from the other courts. Absalom called to him — Preventing him with the offers of his assistance. And, as if he were ready to make particular inquiry into the state of his cause, and intended, to take peculiar care of his interest, kindly inquired concerning his city, family, situation in life, and the place of his abode.
2 Samuel 15:3. Absalom said, See, thy matters are good and right — Upon some very slight hearing of any man’s cause he approved of it, that he might oblige him; flattering all that they had right on their side, so that, if their causes should go against them, they might conclude, if Absalom had been judge, it would have been otherwise. There is no man deputed of the king to hear thee — None that will do thee justice. The other sons and relations of the king, and the rest of the judges and rulers under him and them, are wholly corrupt; or, at least, not careful and diligent as they should be, and my father, being grown in years, is negligent of public affairs. So Absalom said, or insinuated. And it is always the way of turbulent, aspiring men, to reproach the government they are under. Even David, we see, one of the best of kings, could not escape the worst of censures, and that even from his own son; for what could be worse than that which is here thrown out against him, that he neglected to administer true and impartial justice and judgment to his people? It is marvellous that David did not observe and nip this growing insurrection in its bud. But Delaney is of opinion that he was dangerously ill at this time, and that therefore Absalom seized this as a fit opportunity to take the steps here mentioned to increase his popularity, and draw the people after him.
Verses 4-6
2 Samuel 15:4-6. Absalom said, O that I were made judge in the land! — Though he was admitted to come to court, and see the king, he had no office there, as, it seems, the rest of the king’s sons had. This he took ill, and endeavoured to bring the people to do so too, by persuading them that, if he were in authority, he would take speedy care to do them justice. When any man came nigh to do him obeisance — To fall prostrate before him as the king’s son. He put forth his hand and took him — That is, prevented him from prostrating himself, and condescended even to salute him with a kiss. In this manner did Absalom to all Israel — Robbed his father of the affections of the people, and possessed himself of them; some admiring his beauty and gallantry; others his courtesy and civility; and others being taken with his magnificent promises of the noble things he would do if he were their king.
2 Samuel 15:7. After forty years — That is, as some say, from the change of the government into a monarchy, which change took place about ten years before David began to reign. So that this fell out about the thirtieth year of his reign. But the Syriac and Arabic, whom Houbigant follows, read, After four years; that is, from the time of his father’s reconciliation with him. Josephus, Theodoret, the manuscripts mentioned in the Benedictine edition of Jerome’s version, the canon of the Hebrew verity, (supposed to be made about the ninth century, and altered by some correcting hand,) the reading of the famous Latin Bible of Sextus, the Latin manuscript in Exeter college library, marked C. 2. 13., and the ancient Latin manuscript written in Gothic characters, the variations of which are published in Blanchini’s Vindiciæ, all have it, four; so that Grotius, and, after him, Patrick, were well supported in having pronounced so decisively, that it would admit of no doubt that an error had crept into the text, and that instead of ארבעים, arbagnim, forty, should be read ארבע, arbang, four. See Kennicott’s Dissert., vol. 2. p. 358, and Houbigant’s note. Let me go and pay my vow which I have vowed to the Lord in Hebron — To wit, to perform there by some solemn sacrifice. As Delaney is of opinion that a very grievous sickness of David gave Absalom occasion to take the forementioned steps, so he thinks that his father’s unexpected recovery, perhaps through God’s extraordinary influence, broke Absalom’s measures for some time, and made him postpone his wicked purpose. In the mean time, his popularity had all the field he could wish. As all the people of Israel resorted to Jerusalem thrice in every year, on the three solemn festivals, he had so often an opportunity of paying his court, and insinuating his poison, till the infection spread through the whole body of the realm, and wanted nothing but a fair occasion to display itself in all its malignity, which Absalom sought by going to Hebron.
Verse 8-9
2 Samuel 15:8-9. If the Lord shall bring me again to Jerusalem, &c. — This vow, we see, of Absalom is conceived exactly in the style of the patriarchal piety; and plainly implies, that however he was tempted by his grandfather to serve the gods of Geshur, yet he continued steady to the true religion, and determined against idolatry. This, we may be sure, David was highly delighted to hear, and therefore gave a ready consent to the performance of his vow, saying, Go in peace. So he arose and went to Hebron — This place he chose as being an eminent city, and next to Jerusalem, the chief city of the tribe of Judah. It was also the place of his birth, the place where his father had begun his kingdom, which he took for a good omen, and where the seat of government had been several years. Here, likewise, they were wont to sacrifice till the temple was built. It was at a convenient distance from Jerusalem, and, no doubt, he had here secured many friends. He therefore thought it the most commodious place for his purpose, next to Jerusalem.
2 Samuel 15:10. Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes — Before he left Jerusalem he took care to send his emissaries into all parts; doubtless under colour of inviting persons of distinction to the sacrifice; but in reality to carry the watchword and signal, before agreed on between them. As soon as ye shall hear the sound of the trumpet, &c. — This was the signal which was to be given for the people’s taking up arms, their hearing the sound of the trumpet, which Absalom took care should be blown in all the tribes at the same time, by persons purposely placed in the towns and villages, at such a distance from one another as that each trumpet could be heard by the person appointed to blow the next. The spies, or emissaries, immediately upon hearing the sound of it, were to proclaim that Absalom was crowned king in Hebron. Upon this being done, all his partisans, it is likely, shouted, God save King Absalom.
2 Samuel 15:11. With Absalom went two hundred men that were called — That is, that were invited by him to feast with him on his sacrifice, and were such as he had picked out as fit for his purpose; principal persons of the city, no doubt, and of some reputation with the king and people. These he took with him that they might give a countenance to his undertaking, and cause the people at first to think that he was acting in all this by his father’s consent and approbation, as being now aged and infirm, and willing to resign the kingdom to his son. They went in their simplicity, and knew not anything — Of his design, but only went to attend him, and pay him respect as the king’s son, who did them the honour to invite them to a holy feast. It is no new thing for good men to be made use of by designing men, to put a colour on ill practices.
2 Samuel 15:12. Absalom sent for Ahithophel, David’s counsellor — None are more capable of doing mischief to kings than those who have been of their privy council, and know their secrets. It is supposed by the Jews that Ahithophel was incensed against David for his conduct to Bath-sheba, who they think, was his grand-daughter, being the daughter of Eliam, 2 Samuel 11:3, and Eliam the son of Ahithophel, 2 Samuel 23:34. It doubtless must have been matter of great surprise and inexpressible affliction to David, to find the two men, whom of all others he seems to have most loved and confided in, combining against him, and compassing his death, Absalom and Ahithophel, his son and his counsellor. While he offered sacrifices — Or, rather, after he had offered sacrifices: for it seems he sent for him while he sat at dinner. And the conspiracy was strong — Ahithophel was too cunning to discover himself till he saw all things favourable and prosperous on the part of Absalom: and they both very well judged that his accession to the conspiracy, in those circumstances, was the likeliest means to ensure its success. For the people increased continually — Most of whom, it is probable, intended no harm at first, perhaps not even to divest David of his crown and dignity, much less to take away his life; but only to substitute Absalom as a coadjutor to him, for the executing of the royal authority during David’s life, and to be his successor after his death. However, it is evident they did proceed so far, at last, as to design to kill David for their own greater security. For so Ahithophel advised, and they all consented to it, 2 Samuel 17:2; 2 Samuel 17:4; which shows how dangerous it is to go out of the right way; for we do not know down what horrid precipices we may fall afterward. And it may serve as a warning to us never to begin any thing that is wrong, which may lead us to commit that in the issue which we abhorred at the first, when we find we cannot be safe in one wickedness, unless we commit a greater.
2 Samuel 15:13. There came a messenger to David — It is probable some of the two hundred men who went innocently with Absalom from Jerusalem sent this messenger, who, however, did not go immediately on the first appearance of the conspiracy, but after it became manifest, through a great concourse of people openly thronging to him.
2 Samuel 15:14. David said, Arise, and let us flee — As soon as he had received information of what had passed, he saw the danger was instant, and took his measures accordingly. He knew Absalom would lose no time to accomplish his design, and that the nature of it required him to strike home at once. David therefore orders his servants, soldiery, and friends, to depart from Jerusalem immediately. For, though the fort of Zion was strong, and he might have defended himself there for some time, yet he had not laid in provisions for a long siege; and, if he had been once besieged there, Absalom would have got speedy possession of his whole kingdom, whereas, if he marched abroad, he might raise a considerable army for his defence. Besides, the greatest part of Jerusalem could not be well defended against an enemy. And if it could, “he did not care to expose a favourite city, built by himself, and the residence of the tabernacle of God, to all the evils incident to sieges, and almost inseparable from them. Nor, perhaps, did he incline to trust the inhabitants of a place so long exposed to the taint of Absalom’s temptations.” This, some think, appears from the 55th Psalm, which, they suppose, was meditated and poured out in prayer to God upon the discovery of Absalom’s conspiracy. And from thence it is evident that he had discerned the seeds and workings of a conspiracy in the city, and that Ahithophel was at the bottom of it: and not only so, but that David foresaw his sudden and sad end. — Delaney. For we shall not else escape from Absalom — He was well acquainted with the young man’s impetuosity, and the madness of the people, and therefore judged that the only method to be pursued, in order to safety, was to give way to the fury of the flood, and not attempt to stem it in the fulness of its overflowing.
2 Samuel 15:16. The king went forth, and all his household after him — Or, as the Hebrew, ברגליו, berag-laiv, rather means, on foot: which the king probably chose to do, that he might humble himself under the hand of God; might encourage his adherents in this hard and comfortless march; and might move compassion in his people toward him. The king left ten women — Supposing that their sex and quality, and especially their relation to him, being his concubines, would be a sufficient protection to them, and gain them some respect, or, at least, safety from his son. What became of his wives is not here related; but it is probable they went along with him, to take care of him; as the other women were left to take care of the house.
2 Samuel 15:17-18, The king went forth, and all the people after him — That is, all those of Jerusalem who were well affected to him. And tarried in a place that was far off — At a good distance from the city, where, it is likely, he put the people, that had come out in a confused state, into good order, and waited to see what other friends would join him. And all his servants passed on beside him — His household servants, or body-guards, marched probably on both hands of him. And all the Gittites, six hundred men — These marched in the front of his little army; but who they were it is hard to say; for we read nothing of them before. Some take them to have been proselytes, born in Gath of the Philistines, and think they came with Ittai to David, being attracted by the fame of his piety and happy success. Others take them to have been Jews, who had fled to David in his exile, when he was at Gath, and accompanied him ever after, not only in the time of Saul’s persecution, but after he came to the crown of Israel and Judah.
Verse 19-20
2 Samuel 15:19-20. Then said the king to Ittai the Gittite, &c. — He seems to have been the commander of those six hundred men before mentioned. And the Jews make him the son of Achish, king of Gath, who, they say, out of religion and friendship came to David. Return to thy place — To Jerusalem, where thy place of residence is. And abide with the king —
With Absalom, king by usurpation. For thou art a stranger and an exile — Not much concerned in our affairs, and therefore thou oughtest not to be involved in our troubles. And, as a stranger, thou mayest hope to be civilly treated by Absalom. Whereas thou camest but yesterday — That is, very lately; should I this day make thee go up and down with us? — Should I unsettle thee again so soon? Seeing I go whither I may — Or, I know not whither, having now no certain dwelling-place. Take back thy brethren — Thy countrymen the Gittites. Mercy and truth be with thee — Since I am now unable to recompense thy kindness and fidelity to me, my hearty prayer to God is, that he would show to thee his mercy, in blessing thee with all sorts of blessings, and his faithfulness in making good all these promises which he hath made, not to Israelites only, but to all true-hearted proselytes, such as thou art.
2 Samuel 15:21. Ittai answered, Surely in what place, &c. — Admirable and noble fidelity this in a stranger, when a son was a rebel against the father! He is a friend indeed, who loves at all times, and will cleave to us in adversity. Thus should we cleave to the Son of David, so that neither life nor death may separate us from him. Reader, is this the resolution of thy heart? Dost thou belong to Christ, and is it thy disposition never to leave him?
2 Samuel 15:22. Ittai the Gittite passed over — The brook Kidron, as it follows in the next verse. And all the little ones that were with him — This shows that his whole family were come to sojourn in Judea. And being so deeply engaged for David, he durst not leave his little ones to Absalom’s mercy.
2 Samuel 15:23. All the country wept — All about Jerusalem, and the generality of the people by whom they passed, being extremely afflicted to see their king, under whom they had lived in great peace and prosperity, reduced to such extremities. It must be considered, that Absalom’s friends and partisans were gone to him to Hebron, and the rest of the people thereabouts were either well-wishers to David, or at least moved with compassion at the sad and sudden change of so great and good a king, which was sufficient to affect a heart of stone. All the people passed over — All that continued faithful to David in those parts. The king also passed over the brook Kidron — Or Cedron, which was near Jerusalem. The very same brook which Christ passed over, when he entered upon his sufferings, John 18:1. Toward the way of the wilderness — Which lay between Jerusalem and Jericho.
2 Samuel 15:24. Zadok also, and all the Levites were with him — They knew David’s great regard for them and their office, notwithstanding his failings; and the arts which Absalom had used to gain the people’s affections had made no impression upon them. They saw that he had little religion in him, and therefore they steadily adhered to David. Bearing the ark of the covenant of God — As a pledge of God’s presence and assistance. And they set down the ark of God — Either in expectation of drawing forth more people to David’s party, if not from their loyalty to their lawful king, yet from their piety and reverence to the ark; or, that all the people might pass along, and the ark might come in the rear of them, for their safeguard and encouragement. Abiathar went up — From the ark to the city, which was on higher ground; that so he, being high-priest, might use his authority with the people, to persuade them to do their duty; and there he stayed until all those whom he could persuade were gone forth.
2 Samuel 15:25-26. The king said unto Zadok, Carry back the ark — This he ordered, 1st, Through his care of and reverence for the ark, which, though it might be carried out to a certain place, yet, he might justly think, ought not to be taken about from place to place, he knew not whither. And, 2d, Lest, if he had carried it about with him everywhere, he should seem to trust in that which was but the token of God’s presence, more than he did in God himself, who had preserved him in the persecution of Saul, when he had not the ark with him. But was he not exposing the priests to the violence of the usurper, by thus sending them back to Jerusalem; especially as they had just given such evidence of their fidelity to their king? To this it may be answered, that David hoped the sacredness of their character would be a security to them against all violence. If I find favour in the eyes of the Lord, &c. — If he shall be pleased to pardon the sins for which he is now justly, although so severely, chastising me. He will bring me again, and show me both it and his habitation — Will restore me to the enjoyment of the privileges of his house, and the ordinances of his worship, which I shall consider one of the greatest evidences of the return of his favour, and one of the greatest blessings his goodness can confer upon me, even greater than the being restored to my palace and throne. But if he say, I have no delight in thee — I will not receive thee into my favour, nor restore thee to thy throne and city, and to the enjoyment of my ordinances. Here I am — Ready to obey him, and to submit to his will and pleasure concerning me. David saw plainly that God, according to his threatening, had raised up this evil to him out of his own house, and was punishing him for his sins, and he receives the chastisement with resignation. “I imagine,” says Dr. Delaney, “I now hear him taking up the same lamentation which Alphonsus the Wise, king of Arragon, afterward did upon a like occasion: ‘I wonder not so much at my people’s ingratitude to me, as at my own to God.’ Hence, in this spirit of humiliation, David would not presume to have the ark, the symbol of the divine presence borne before him in that war: that was an honour of which he deemed himself utterly unworthy. And, therefore, referring himself and his affairs to the disposal of the Divine Providence, he remanded Zadok and Abiathar back to the city with the ark.” Let him do with me as seemeth him good — I have nothing to object; it is all well that God doth. Thus ought we cheerfully to acquiesce in the will of God, whatever befalls us. And that we may not complain of what is, let us see God’s hand in all events. And that we may not be afraid of what shall be, let us see all events in God’s hand.
2 Samuel 15:27. Art thou not a seer? Return into the city in peace — “It should seem from hence,” says Delaney, “that Zadok was a prophet: however, as a priest, he was a teacher; and as such, bound to stay with his people in the greatest exigencies, and instruct them in their duty: besides that, by staying to do his duty to his people, he might also do good offices to his prince.” Indeed, the word ראה, roeh, here rendered seer, means also a seeing, discerning and observing man: an interpretation which suits well with the present state of David’s mind and affairs. As if he had said, Thou art a wise man, fit to make observations on what is passing in Jerusalem, and to give me information thereof. Accordingly David concerted a plan, both with Zadok and Abiathar, of corresponding with him, and sending him intelligence of all his enemies’ measures by their sons, Ahimaaz and Jonathan.
2 Samuel 15:30. David went up by the ascent of mount Olivet, and wept as he went up — To think that one who was the offspring of his own body should thus lift up the heel against him, and reflecting on his own conduct in the matter of Uriah, as the cause of this calamity. And had his head covered — Through shame and confusion. And he went up barefoot — In testimony of his deep sorrow and humiliation for the sins whereby he had procured this evil to himself; for these were the habits of mourners; and to take a holy revenge upon himself for his former delicacy and luxury. “A more memorable event, surely, was never recorded in history, nor a more moving spectacle exhibited to mortal eyes! A king, venerable for his years and victories; sacred in the characters, both of his piety and prophecy; renowned for prowess, and revered for wisdom, reduced to the condition of a fugitive! to a sudden and extreme necessity of fleeing for his life, from the presence of his own son, his darling and delight; and a whole country loudly lamenting his fate! In this condition, David went up the mount, and when he reached the summit of it, fell down prostrate before God. Josephus tells us, that when David reached the top of the mountain, he took a view of the city, and prayed to God with abundance of tears. The reader will perhaps think it worth his notice, that Josephus should tell us, that David wept and viewed the city in the same spot from which, the evangelist informs us, our blessed Saviour wept over it.” — Delaney. And is this the glorious king of Israel, the beloved of God, the wise, the victorious David, who slew his ten thousands? Strange change indeed! What has produced this sad reverse? Sin alone has wrought all this! These are its baneful effects: he forgot the commandment of the Lord his God, and from hence has flowed all this evil! You that plead an excuse for sin, because David, the man after God’s own heart, fell into it; remember, likewise, what bitter and grievous punishments he underwent for it. Are you willing to pay such a price for sin? And yet, be assured, the inviolable laws of God require you to pay it in one way or other.
2 Samuel 15:31. One told David — Or, David told; that is, being informed that Ahithophel was among the conspirators, he mentioned it to his friends, to excite them to join with him in the following prayer against him. Turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness. Either infatuate him, that he may give foolish counsel; or let his counsel be contemned and rejected as foolish; or let it miscarry in the execution. Thus David’s constant recourse, in all his dangers and difficulties, was unto God by prayer.
2 Samuel 15:32. The top of the mount, where he worshipped — Looking, doubtless, toward Jerusalem, where the ark and tabernacle, which he had made for it, were. Hushai, the Archite came to meet him — Probably he was from Archi, a city in the tribe of Ephraim, (see Joshua 16:2,) and coming to Jerusalem, was made one of David’s privy council because of his wisdom; otherwise, it is not likely that Absalom would so readily have entertained him, and admitted him to his secrets. The coming of Hushai just at this time seems to have been ordered by God’s peculiar providence, in answer to David’s prayer mentioned in the preceding verse. With his coat rent, and earth upon his head — In token of his great sorrow on David’s account.
2 Samuel 15:33. If thou passest on with me, thou shalt be a burden, &c. — For he was not provided, it seems, with sufficient support for his own family; and Hushai, though famous as a counsellor in the cabinet, being unpractised in the camp, and no soldier, could not be so useful to him in the army as he might be at court. David therefore, conceives the idea of employing him in endeavouring to defeat or render abortive the counsel of Ahithophel.
2 Samuel 15:34. Say unto Absalom, I will be thy servant, O king, &c. — This crafty counsel of David to Hushai, advising him to use such great dissimulation, cannot be justified. It must, of necessity, be reckoned among his sins, as being a plain violation of the law of truth, and only intended to deceive. Nevertheless, as this was with David the hour of temptation, and this evil advice was suggested by his present and pressing straits, God was mercifully pleased to pardon and direct it to a good end. Thou mayest for me defeat, &c. — That is, by advising different measures, which, considering the great reputation that Hushai had for wisdom, David judged Absalom would be inclined to hearken to, rather than to those proposed by Ahithophel.
2 Samuel 15:36-37. They have there with them their two sons — Not in Jerusalem, but in a place near it, to which they could easily send upon occasion. So Hushai came into the city — Where, it is likely, he waited for the coming of Absalom. And having got thither before him, he so ordered his affairs that it was not known to Absalom’s party that he had been with David to offer him his services. And Absalom came into Jerusalem — How soon do royal cries and royal palaces change their masters! But we look for a kingdom which cannot be moved.
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Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
Bibliography Information
Benson, Joseph. "Commentary on 2 Samuel 15:4". Joseph Benson's Commentary. https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/rbc/2-samuel-15.html. 1857.
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Clown with borders
Multilateral Youth Exchange CLOWNS WITH BORDERS engaged 42 participants from Hungary, Slovenia, Greece, United Kingdom, Italy, France and Croatia. It took place in Bela krajina from 20. to 29. June 2016. The youth exchange focused on bringing laughter and freedom to the Schengen border of European Union which recently witnessed many difficulties due to the wired fence that the governments put on the border territory to prevent uncontrolled refugee flow. The aim of the project was to bring together young people with interest in circus/ theatre performing, clowning, storytelling, video making and compose a Caravan that visited the villages along the border between Metlika and Adlešiči, which were known by local's hospitality and surrounded by beautiful nature. The caravan brought life, vitality, joy, laughter and humour in the villages which recently got affected by the wired fence. Besides, we tackled the civil rights issues, made a documentary video essay, made interviews with locals along the way and took care that stories from the margins reached the centre(s). Youth exchange raised awareness about recent border issues related to controlling the refugee flow which opened up many questions of democracy, human and environmental rights and free access to the common goods. As we believed that laughter was the best way to fight fear, we tackled the subjects that were raising deep concern all over Europe, but in a way that strengthened our inner resilience and ability to be creative, to learn and prosper. This is especially important because many participants of the exchange derived from socially deprived backgrounds, such as Roma, immigrants and young people with economic obstacles. We made events such as storytelling evening, circus stunts and press conference and invited all stakeholders in the region and broader. Short video films that participants made during the exchange were distributed through web channels and social platform networks. The activities were a framework of gaining 8 key competences of lifelong learning through which our deep intention for creating a more solidary, inclusive Europe was formed.
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Association Tackles Science Role in Society
WASHINGTON—A new association to address the scientific and technical issues affecting society will be formed next month. The National Association for Science, Technology and Society will hold its first meeting during the Third National STS Conference on Technological Literacy February 5-7 in Arlington, Va. More than 1,000 scientists, educators and others are expected to gather to hear such speakers as William Baker, former chairman of Bell Labs; Rep. Robert Roe (1)- N.J.), chairman of
The Scientist Staff
WASHINGTON—A new association to address the scientific and technical issues affecting society will be formed next month.
The National Association for Science, Technology and Society will hold its first meeting during the Third National STS Conference on Technological Literacy February 5-7 in Arlington, Va. More than 1,000 scientists, educators and others are expected to gather to hear such speakers as William Baker, former chairman of Bell Labs; Rep. Robert Roe (1)- N.J.), chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology; Faye Wattleton, president of Planned Parenthood; Jerry Brown, former governor of California; Jeremy Rifkin, president of the Foundation on Economic Trends; and Jacques Ellul, author and social commentator.
“Our goal is to create an identity within the scientific community that makes it perfectly respectable to be an STS professional,” explained Rustum Roy, director of the STS program at Pennsylvania State University, conference chair and a prime mover behind the new association. “The purpose is to make scientific and technical information available to the general population.”
The organization has received a three-year, $250,000 grant from the Carnegie Corp., after which it is expected to become self-sufficient.. Program officer Mary Kiely, currently a visiting scholar at Stanford University, said that Carnegie was attracted to NASTS because of its expected mixture of scientists, teachers, lay persons, journalists and others interested in science policy.
“It’s important to have a group that can analyze key scientific issues as they arise and convey the results to the public,” said F. James Rutherford, chief education officer at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, who has helped to organize the annual literacy conferences. “And it’s just as important to make educators aware of the connection between the science itself and its impact on society”
The organizers or the new association acknowledge that their task is formidable. “A slogan like, ‘Everybody needs to understand the connection between science and society,’ is too broad to be useful,” said Rutherford. “What we are trying to say is that progress in science depends on public support, and that an investment in science will affect and improve our lives. It's not simply that A leads to B.”
Membership in NASTS is a year, Roy said, and the dues include a newsletter and a discount subscription to various journals in the field. Roy said that beginning next year the literacy conference, now funded by Carnegie and the National Science Foundation, will probably become the association’s annual meeting.
For more information, write NASTS, 128 Willard
Building, Pennsylvania State University,
University Park, PA
(The Scientist, Vol:2, #2, p.4, January 25, 1988)
(Copyright © The Scientist, Inc.)
WE WELCOME YOUR OPINION. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO COMMENT ON THIS STORY, PLEASE WRITE TO US AT EITHER ONE OF THE FOLLOWING ADDRESSES:
editorial@the-scientist.com
The Scientist, 3600 Market Street, Suite 450, Philadelphia, PA 19104, U.S.A.
Infographic: N-of-1 Studies Tackle Limitations of Randomized Controlled Trials
Artificial Intelligence Tackles a World of Images
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Movie Review: A United Kingdom (2016)
A biographical romance and historical drama based on a true story, A United Kingdom couples a story of deep love with colonial geopolitical intrigue.
It's 1947, and Seretse Khama (David Oyelowo) is studying law in London, as part of his preparation to take over as King of Bechuanaland, the tiny landlocked British protectorate bordering South Africa. Bechuanaland is being ruled by Seretse's uncle Tshekedi (Vusi Kunene) as Regent until Seretse comes of age. At a dance event Seretse meets Ruth Williams (Rosamund Pike), a humble office assistant. After a whirlwind courtship they fall deeply in love and decide to get married.
He is black, she is white, and this represents a big problem for the South African government, which is embarking on the abhorrent policy of apartheid. Britain needs natural resources from South Africa, and is therefore pressured to scupper the marriage. Alistair Canning (Jack Davenport), the British government representative in Southern Africa, delivers the message to Seretse and Ruth that they are not to wed. But the young lovers are as stubborn as they are in love, and indeed do head off to Bechuanaland as a married couple, setting off a diplomatic crisis that would last for years.
Directed by Amma Asante and written by Guy Hibbert, A United Kingdom is an inspirational story of nation building. While the film is almost too reverential towards the central couple, who are portrayed as essentially without any faults, Asante succeeds in constructing a remarkably gripping tale of love and idealism holding firm against dirty games of global economic convenience.
The film clocks in at 10 minutes under two hours, and Asante packs an exceptional amount of content into the efficient running time. With uniformly brisk pacing, A United Kingdom gallops through the romance, introduces the ominous diplomatic forces lining up against the mixed marriage, follows the couple through their difficult early days in Africa, and delves into the power struggle between Seretse and his uncle. And that's just the first half.
Still to come is a dramatic escalation of British muscle flexing, a heartbreaking separation, a broken promise that exposes that futility of ever trusting politicians, and invigorating machinations involving natural resource exploration and misrepresentations of government inquiry findings. The film never stands still, and if anything can be accused of all too rarely pausing for reflection. A clever use of contrasting colours maintains the energy level: the African scenes burst with yellows and oranges; the London scenes are more staid and grey.
David Oyelowo owns the film with a domineering performance, whether quietly expressing his resolve or emotionally rallying his countrymen. Rosamund Pike gets relatively fewer scenes to shine, holding steady as the stoically resilient woman and supportive wife.
A United Kingdom deserves plenty of credit for allowing the romance to underpin the story rather than dominate the narrative, and for not shying away from often underrepresented issues of disreputable international diplomacy as practiced by fading colonial powers. A good love is hard to find, but better still is devotion to the land and an unwavering commitment to justice.
Labels: David Oyelowo, Rosamund Pike
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No smoke detectors in fire-death house
An elderly Victorian man who perished in a house fire had no smoke detectors installed, fire authorities say.
The 76-year-old man was found dead in his Kyneton home, about 80km northwest of Melbourne, last night.
A neighbour noticed smoke billowing from the chimney about 8.15pm (AEST) and broke into the back of the house to try and save the man.
"Apparently a neighbour across the road was a young guy and attempted to gain access and was driven back by the smoke," Country Fire Authority spokeswoman Andrea Brown said.
"There were no smoke detectors in the house, which is disappointing."
About 20 firefighters battled the blaze, containing it to the loungeroom of the weatherboard house.
They discovered the man's body in the same room.
He was the sole occupant of the house.
It was the second fatal blaze in Victoria this week.
The cause of the fire is still being investigated but it is not considered suspicious.
"There's nothing to indicate it's suspicious but we had arson squad and forensic services there overnight and they'll continue the investigation today," Police spokeswoman Marika Fengler said.
Firefighters pleaded with people, particularly the elderly, to ensure their house had working smoke detectors.
"They're absolutely vital," Ms Brown said.
"They're a lifesaving device, particularly at this time of the year when people have fires going, heaters going, electric blankets.
"It's necessary to have them as an early warning device to allow people to escape a fire."
Police will prepare a report for the coroner.
On Tuesday a 73-year-old bedridden woman died in a blaze at Blackrock, in Melbourne's southeast.
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Home > node > Olivia Williams interview: 'Are you on drugs?' 'No I've just spent the day acting'
Olivia Williams interview: 'Are you on drugs?' 'No I've just spent the day acting' | reviews, news & interviews
Olivia Williams interview: 'Are you on drugs?' 'No I've just spent the day acting'
The actress summoned to Hollywood who lived to tell the tale, wittily
by Jasper ReesMonday, 24 July 2017
Olivia Williams at the National Theatre in rehearsal for Mosquitoes by Lucy KirkwoodRehearsal images by Brinkhoff/Moegenburg
Olivia Williams’s first film was, (in)famously, seen by almost no one. The Postman, Kevin Costner’s expensive futuristic misfire, may have summoned her from the depths of chronic unemployment, but the first time anyone actually clapped eyes on her was in Wes Anderson’s Rushmore, in which Bill Murray most understandably falls in love with her peachy reserved English rose. Then came The Sixth Sense, in which with great subtlety she in effect gave two performances as the wife/widow of Bruce Willis, depending on whether you were watching for the first or second time.
The summons to Hollywood was quite an introduction for someone whose entire twenties had been missed by all but fans of poetic dramas dutifully exhumed by the RSC. Her career since then has been a shining example of the old adage that a well-planned acting career is a marathon not a sprint. When Williams, armed with a degree in English from Cambridge, started attending auditions various famous contemporaries were always ahead of her in the queue. Some now work a great deal less than she does. Her CV includes her readings of great icons – Jane Austen in Miss Austen Regrets, Eleanor Roosevelt in Hyde Park on the Hudson. She was the tragically betrayed sister in The Heart of Me (source: Rosamond Lehman) and, by complete contrast, the finally triumphant wife of a PM in The Ghost (source: Robert Harris). There was a tragic echo of her nursery teacher from Rushmore in the secondary school teacher she played in An Education who is eager for her pupil not to throw off her future for love. She has also joined the trail of British actors starring in major US TV series in Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse and Manhattan, which told the story of the Manhattan Project. She was back on the BBC in The Halcyon, as the chatelaine of a smart hotel in wartime.
In all this screen work, Williams has been an occasional visitor to the stage. Whenever she does go back, as often as not it’s to the National: the Princess of France in Love’s Labour’s Lost, Amy O’Connell, who dies after an abortion in Harley Granville Barker’s Waste, and now in Lucy Kirkwood’s Mosquitoes. In Kirkwood’s first play since the award-winning Chimerica, Williams plays a high-achieving physicist domiciled in Switzerland, lured thither by the Large Hadron Collider at Cern. Her sister Emily, played by Olivia Colman, a low-achiever stuck in Luton. Hark what discord follows (pictured below: the two Olivias in rehearsal). Olivia Williams talks to theartsdesk. JASPER REES: Mosquitoes is not entirely a science play, but is there a part of you that reads a script with a lot of arcane language in it and thinks, how am I going to make this fly?
OLIVIA WILLIAMS: No because as an actor you’re constantly pretending you can do things that you can’t, be it speak a foreign language, dance, ride a horse, juggle. You find ways of looking like or sounding like or dressing as if you do know what you’re talking about, and you try and learn the lines well enough that it falls out of your body as it would out of somebody who does know what they’re talking about. Problems arise if anything goes in any way off piste. At the moment I’m struggling with logarithm and algorithm which I am sure are two very different things, and I swear I heard a physicist snort with derision when I stumbled over the line last night – and then you fall into a black hole, which is a relevant analogy in this play, and you can’t get out again. But it’s no more frightening than if you’re trying to pretend you can juggle and you drop a ball or when the horse turns left when you thought you were telling it to turn right – neck reining in the US works on the opposite principle to UK reins, which makes for disaster when acting on a horse on a precipice.
On Manhattan they found us physicists to talk to and they sort of rolled their eyes in an “I thought as much” way. Because actors don’t ask them about particle physics; we ask them what model of Birkenstock they wear to work or what they had for breakfast or whether they have time to brush their hair in the morning. You ask all the wrong questions for a physicist but the right questions when you’re trying to impersonate a physicist.
When reading the play it was fairly clear to me that you would be playing Alice not Jenny.
I’m very very offended by that. Nonetheless you are correct.
Is there a part of you that would love to be cast as the calamitous dimwit? When I did The Heart of Me I clearly stated in the audition that I wanted to be up for the Helena Bonham Carter ditzy arty sister with loose morals and a free spirit, not the uptight needed-a-good-shag-against-a-firm-surface sister. And recently when I was in Waste there were two roles I could have played – the earnest, possibly lesbian, bluestocking sister and the tragic party girl. I asked if I might be considered for tragic party girl. I owe it to the broadmindedness of Roger Michell that he agreed to cast me as Amy O’Connell. So on one occasion that has come to pass. Not one disapproving or over-educated phrase escaped her lips (pictured above: Williams with Charles Edwards in Waste, photo by Johan Persson).
In Mosquitoes you’re playing a scientist from a family of scientists and Jenny is the odd one out. That is somewhat analogous to your own position as the only non-barrister in a family of barristers. Do you ever wonder what would have happened if you’d gone into law or has the decision to veer away from the family trade felt right all the way through?
No, I’m constantly yearning for the barrister’s life. I consider it a stupid mistake on a regular basis. But the thing that convinces me that it wouldn’t have gone so well is I do have a zero capacity to read things I don’t want to read and lawyers do have to do a lot of homework. The only reason I learn lines is because I love acting. And if I don’t love something I really can’t do it. I’m just incredibly lucky that I manage to earn money doing something I love. It’s a terrible example to my children. I am constantly telling them to do things they don’t want to do when I know I never did and I never could. I think my greatest regret is I’m never cast as a lawyer. Never been a lawyer. I’ve actually been in an audition and given them my best lawyer and they go, “No, no, lawyers don’t do that.” And I’m like, “No they do, that’s exactly what they do!”. But I look forward to impersonating my parents one day. Maybe I’ll make it onto the Bench instead. Time for a TV series about judges.
Why do you love acting?
I’m just about as happy as I can be between action and cut and between curtain up and curtain down. I remember coming back from my first day of acting in The Sixth Sense. I’d been hanging around in Philadelphia for weeks and then I got to do a scene. I came off the set and the driver said, “Are you on drugs or something? You’ve got a dumb smile on your face.” And I said, “No, I’ve just spent the day acting. I couldn’t be happier.”
Although you didn’t go into law, you do have a very good degree from a very good place. Has it been useful to you, that immersion in English literature?
For the record it was a pretty average degree from a very good place. but that’s a good question. On immediately leaving that university and going to drama school I think I was given a hard time about it and I was resentful of that. “You come here with your Oxbridge ways” was the underlying tone. But the truth is that I did go there with my Oxbridge ways, and when I started acting professionally and watching other actors act I finally realised that a critical approach to the text is a massive handicap - you shouldn’t be finding fault with the text, or tracing its roots in the Indo-European tradition, you’re trying to be it. I learned so much from [the actress] Anastasia Hille – more about acting than anybody else. Her approach to the words was entirely emotional, and that needs to be your response. You need to stop judging it and incorporate it in the literal sense of the word – turn the text into a part of your body. Embody it.
But I have found as I got older that a facility with language, an understanding of how it’s constructed and connecting what I learned with what I’ve observed, feeds my pleasure in what I do. Lucy Kirkwood breaks down language and punctuation in a completely courageous way – it’s almost like doing a verbatim play where actors have to learn exact pauses and intakes of breath. But what you find with Mosquitoes is that it looks like it’s verbatim and all very naturalistic, then you realise it’s incredibly musical. It’s like jazz. I say that cautiously because there was a programme on Radio 4, which is the fount of most things interesting and truthful, about how the phrase “it’s like jazz” is overused and misused. But there is incredible syncopation and layering of different rhythms in Lucy's language. When you see it on the page it’s terrifying. I have a wonderful accent and voice coach called Jill McCullough and she has a learning technique where you click your fingers for a comma and clap your hands for a full stop. And that has made learning Mosquitoes – and I say this advisedly – like jazz. When were you last asked about The Postman?
There was a nasty rash of conversations that came up over coffee in the rehearsal room. I was being asked by the young ones about my professional snog list which I still maintain is pretty impressive even though it only is appreciated by someone of our generation. To younger actors it’s just this list of old men that their grannies fancied. That was the last time I was asked about The Postman.
That phase when you were in three big films with Kevin Costner, Bill Murray and Bruce Willis was quite an introduction to the film industry. How do you now think of that phase of your career?
I had a great time and I can’t really believe it happened in some ways. It was like being kidnapped by aliens. I guess if you look at some of my contemporaries, I’m not there any more, I’m not in Hollywood, not living there and not fighting the fight. And yet rehearsing this play here and now I really can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be. I do genuinely believe that if that hadn’t happened to me I wouldn’t be doing this work now. I got incredible access and insight to amazing things (Carrie Fisher's Oscar party) and amazing places (dropped from a helicopter onto a snowy peak at Jackson Hole). I went from complete ignorance to working with some of the foremost people in their field and I would have been an idiot not to learn from that - to appreciate that.
The Sixth Sense was shot by Tak Fujimoto who shot Rosemary’s Baby. I made a film with Roman Polanski, seeing what lens he uses, where he puts the camera, how he constructs a scene. I’ve made a film with Wes Anderson. And just to be in the orbit of Bill Murray – he is an extraordinary man and an extraordinary actor and an extraordinary mind. I’ve worked with him twice in two inconceivably different films. I took Bill Murray to see Richard Briers in Ionesco’s absurdist play The Chairs on Broadway. Bill knelt at Richard’s feet in awe. It’s making me smile now, to remember it. And I learned about acting on film. Kevin was directing and acting in The Postman so he would haul me over to the monitor and show me my work and show me how to make it better. Absolute masterclass. Whatever you say about Kevin – you might not say anything about Kevin, never mind have an opinion on his oeuvre – but he knows how to work it on film. He knows what he’s doing.
You have done two big television shows in the States, Dollhouse and Manhattan, both of which were cancelled. Was two seasons enough for you in both cases?
Whenever I do a job I do it to be best of my ability. I might fight like a dog during negotiations not to go away from my family for four months of the year, and certainly I fight being trapped in feudal contracts that were made illegal in England around the time of Magna Carta. But once again I have been very lucky. I adored Dollhouse (pictured above) and was directed by Joss Whedon who wrote all my dialogue and I joined his crazy Whedonesque world – I had absolutely no idea of its existence, but a working knowledge of Comic Con and sci-fi is probably more relevant to an actor now than reading The Empty Space.
I loved Manhattan. I fought going to live in Santa Fe, but ended up galloping around the high desert with some fearless cowboys and I learned things about the atomic weapon that are very useful to an Eighties member of CND. I would not have missed it for the world and it was heartbreaking when it was cancelled. We needed another season of Manhattan. We shot the Trinity test but never made it to the dropping of the bomb, and I think it is a matter of some urgency that we remind ourselves of the consequences of atomic warfare. The fallout from the Trinity test is still killing people in New Mexico. Countess Vronsky in Anna Karenina, Lady Priscilla Hamilton in The Halcyon (pictured above), Mrs Adam Lang in The Ghost, Eleanor Roosevelt in Hyde Park on the Hudson: there’s a common denominator there in that all your husbands go off with another woman. Is there a certain type of person you get asked to play on screen?
When you first start acting, a young woman’s drama is traditionally centred around finding a husband, and ends with her marriage. I suppose it is progress that in the middle period of my career, the drama followed me into marriage but seemed to centre on the fact that every single one of my husbands died – The Postman, Rushmore, [spoiler alert] Sixth Sense. I had to warn any man cast as my husband, “You’re not going to make it to the final credits.” I am grateful that great parts are being written for middle-aged women, but as you rightly point out, the drama now seems to centre on the fact that aged around 49, my character’s husband – if she has managed to find one and he’s not dead – is going to fuck somebody else.
Mosquitoes is at the National Theatre until 28 September
Overleaf: Olivia Williams's filmography in pictures
Actors don’t ask physicists about particle physics; we ask them what model of Birkenstock they wear to work
The Best Plays in London
Waste, National Theatre
The Halcyon, Series 1 Finale, ITV
Mosquitoes, National Theatre review - Olivias Colman and Williams dazzle amid dramatic excess
Chimerica, Harold Pinter Theatre
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Debt Rattle October 23 2015
October 23, 2015 Posted by Raúl Ilargi Meijer at 9:27 am Finance Tagged with: aluminum, car loans, China, crisis, currency war, Draghi, EU, oil, Putin, refugees
DPC Harlem River Speedway and Washington Bridge, New York 1905
• ECB Rings The Bell For Pavlov’s Market Dogs (AFR)
• ECB President Mario Draghi Reignites Currency War Talk (AFR)
• The Great Negative Rates Experiment (Bloomberg)
• Every Day’s a Crisis for Europe as Merkel Heads Back to Brussels (Bloomberg)
• Oil’s Big Slump Looks Like the 1980s ‘Lost Decade’ (Bloomberg)
• As China Weakens, Recession Stalks North Asia (Reuters)
• Credit Suisse Exiting Bond Role Sounds Alarm for Debt Market (Bloomberg)
• US Regulator Raises Red Flag on Auto Lending (WSJ)
• US Junk-Bond Default Rate May Nearly Double in a Year: UBS (Bloomberg)
• Valeant Slump Poses Big Threat To Small Hedge Funds (Reuters)
• Revised US Swaps Rule to Spare Big Banks Billions in Collateral (Bloomberg)
• The ‘Miserable’ Metal Sinks to Its 2009 Low (Bloomberg)
• ‘Flash Crash’ Trader’s Lawyer Calls US Extradition Request False (Guardian)
• Inside Massive Injury Lawsuits, Clients Get Traded Like Commodities (BBG)
• Millennials Face ‘Great Depression’ In Retirement: Blackstone COO (CNBC)
• American Farmers Want Student Loans Forgiven (MarketWatch)
• Inside Swiss Banks’ Tax-Cheating Machinery (WSJ)
• Greece, A Unit For Measuring Catastrophe (Konstandaras)
• A New Low: Czech Authorities Strip-Searched Refugees To Find Money (Quartz)
• Rights Group Reports Fresh Assaults On Migrants In Aegean Sea (AFP)
• Permafrost Thawing In Parts Of Alaska ‘Is Accelerating’ (BBC)
Excellent metaphor.
Sharemarkets around the world are as well-trained as Pavlov’s dogs. This time, it was the European Central Bank giving them good news with the pledge of more cheap money – and it didn’t take them long to start salivating again. But in the next few weeks it could just as easily be the Federal Reserve talking about taking that cheap money away, and sharemarkets may well retreat whimpering with their tail between their legs. Friday was definitely a salivating day, however, sparked by the inevitable rally in Europe and on Wall Street after the ECB said it was on alert to adjust the “size, composition and duration” of its quantitative easing policy. Each month the bank buys €60 billion of predominantly government bonds and it will keep doing this until at least September 2016.
It’s now been just over three years since Mario Draghi, the ECB’s president, said he would do whatever it takes to hold the euro together and since then the S&P 500, and a benchmark of Europe’s top 50 stocks, have increased by more than 50%. The major S&P ASX 200 index is up around 30% over that same period. But apart from the United States, economic growth in Europe and Australia has been hard to come by while earnings from companies has been very sluggish. Sharemarkets don’t rise and fall precisely in line with economic activity, they are more a forward-looking indicator and, despite lots of requests to do so, no one rings the bell or waves the white flag when the sharemarket hits the top or bottom. But for the past three years or so growth forecasts have been revised down and bond yields have tumbled, implying that all is not well, and yet there has been no break in the sharemarket’s psychology; shares are the place to be.
The bottom will hurt.
Global currency wars are back on in earnest, with the euro tumbling after ECB boss Mario Draghi signalled the bank stood ready to boost the “size, composition and duration” of the bank’s bond-buying program. The ECB’s move to boost its monetary stimulus, which drives down eurozone bond rates and puts downward pressure on the euro, comes as US Federal Reserve board members appear deeply divided on whether to proceed with plans to raise US interest rates this year. While the Fed dithers, the market has already ruled out an interest rate cut this year, which has pushed lower both US bond yields and the greenback. But as it grapples with feeble economic activity and inflation falling into negative territory, the last thing the ECB wants is to see the euro strengthening against the US dollar.
A stronger euro will act as a drag on eurozone growth, because it will make the region’s exports more expensive in global markets. And the ECB cannot stand by idly and watch as the slight progress it has made in terms of boosting economic activity is destroyed by a strong currency. As a result, Draghi has little choice but to fire up the printing presses even more by signalling that the central bank’s €1.1 trillion bond-buying program could be “re-examined” in December, and by refusing to rule out further interest rate cuts. Speaking in Malta, Draghi said the European central bank’s “governing council recalls that the asset purchase programme provides sufficient flexibility in terms of adjusting its size, composition and duration.”
At the moment, the ECB is buying €60 billion of mostly government bonds each month, and many analysts expect this will be increased to €80 billion a month at the ECB’s December meeting. The ECB might also cut the rate charged on banks’ deposits parked at the ECB, which is minus 0.2% at present, even further. “The degree of monetary policy accommodation will need to be re-examined at our December policy meeting when the new … projections will be available,” Draghi told reporters. Not surprisingly, the euro sank against the US dollar on Draghi’s comments and bond yields, which move inversely to prices, dropped sharply. Benchmark 10-year Italian and Spanish bond yields fell to their lowest level since April, while the yield on two-year German bonds hit a record low of 0.32%.
Why does this make me think of alchemy?
When the Federal Open Market Committee decided in September to leave its main policy rate where it’s been for seven years—close to zero—it included an extraordinary detail. According to the “dot plot,” the display of unattributed individual policy recommendations, one committee member believed that the rate should be below zero through 2016. That is, rates should go to a place the U.S. has never had them before. In theory, it shouldn’t be possible for a central bank to keep short-term interest rates below zero. Banks would have to pay the Fed to hold reserves. Consumers would have to pay banks to hold deposits. Banks and people can hold physical cash, which charges no interest. This is why economists see zero as the lowest possible rate. It’s just theory, though; real-world experience shows the actual lower bound is somewhere below zero.
Denmark’s key bank rate dipped below zero in 2012 and is at minus 0.75%. Economists recently surveyed by Bloomberg see negative rates in that country continuing at least into 2017. Switzerland has kept the rate at minus 0.75% since early this year, and Sweden’s is minus 0.35%. These countries have a different monetary goal from that of the Fed. Denmark and Switzerland have been working to remove incentives for foreigners to deposit money in their banks. Massive foreign inflows would drive their currencies to appreciate so much they would become seriously misaligned with the euro, the currency of their main trading partners. Sweden has been attempting to create inflation. The strategy has had some success. Denmark has been able to hold on to its peg to the euro.
Switzerland dropped its euro peg, and after an initial runup, the Swiss franc has traded within a predictable band. Sweden’s inflation has seesawed. In all three countries, banks were reluctant to pass negative rates on to their domestic customers. In Denmark deposit rates have fallen, and some banks have raised fees for their services, but “real rates for real people were actually never negative,” says Jesper Rangvid, a professor of finance at the Copenhagen Business School. The same is true for Sweden, according to a paper by the Riksbank, the central bank. In Switzerland, one bank, the Alternative Bank Schweiz, will impose an interest charge on retail deposits starting in January.
There’s no evidence of a flight to cash in any of the three countries. According to central bank data, Danish households have added 28 billion kroner ($4.3 billion) to bank deposits since rates shrank to their record low on Feb. 5. That’s because a sack of bills has to be stashed somewhere safe, and protection costs money. According to Rangvid, rates would have to drop as low as minus 10% before people start “building their own vaults.” In its paper, Sweden’s Riksbank pointed out the same possibility but declined to say how far below zero rates would have to go to trigger depositors’ exit from the banks in the largely cash-free country.
Europe’s crises are only just starting.
Welcome to Europe, where almost every problem is a crisis. If it’s not Greece’s debt threatening to topple a currency or the largest influx of refugees since World War II, it’s Russian aggression toward its neighbors. The EU’s response: hold another summit. Over the past 10 months, leaders and government finance chiefs have trudged to Brussels for 19 summits and emergency meetings – with a 20th planned for Sunday – as they wrangled over a financial lifeline for Greece, the surge of migrants and Russia’s violent inroads in Ukraine. That tally compares with eight meetings last year and nine in 2013. While summit inflation illustrates the proliferation of crises on Europe’s doorstep, it also underscores the difficulty of doing business when 28 leaders with 28 sets of domestic concerns talk through the night and then blame the EU when they fail to make progress.
“These summits are happening almost permanently because the EU is in the middle of an existentialist crisis,” said Drew Scott, a professor of EU studies at the University of Edinburgh who argues that only national leaders have the legitimacy to take on major challenges. “In a world of euro-skepticism, we’ve seen a major return to domestic politics that we haven’t seen since the sixties.” As the refugee crisis worsens, the next gathering – little over a week after the last fractious summit – will see German Chancellor Angela Merkel join leaders from eight countries in central and southeastern Europe gather in Brussels to focus on the flow of migrants through the Western Balkans. “The EU decision-making itself has become so infuriatingly complex that it becomes a source of crisis itself,” said Fredrik Erixon, director of the European Centre for International Political Economy.
European decision-making has never been straightforward, of course, and there were arguments and crises before – the lifting of the Iron Curtain posed a threat to the EU’s very rationale. The bloc’s last-minute success in preventing Greece’s euro-area exit in July and leaders’ willingness to at least discuss a common solution to the refugee crisis show the system still has enough resilience to avoid a major breakdown. With more than a million migrants set to reach the EU this year, that system faces further tests. Leaders at last week’s summit in Brussels clashed over sharing the cost of refugees from countries riven by violence in the Middle East and Africa and how to police the bloc’s borders.
“It takes years to clear the additional capacity that a bull market generates, meaning a “long winter in commodities” lies ahead..”
Crude oil’s collapse is bringing back memories of the decade of low prices that started in 1985 when Saudi Arabia began targeting market share. Oil has dropped by almost half since last October when crude entered a bear market as the U.S. pumped near record rates and China’s economic growth slowed. Despite the longest decline in decades, some including Shell CEO Ben Van Beurden and Morgan Stanley head of Emerging Markets Ruchir Sharma think there’s more pain to come. The current downturn resembles that of 1985 and 1986, Bloomberg Intelligence analysts Peter Pulikkan and Michael Kay wrote in a report on Thursday. Just as price gains in the 1970s saw new technology open up fields in the North Sea and Alaska, Chinese-led demand in the first decade of this century helped unlock oil and gas from shale rocks in the U.S.
Now, companies such as BP Plc are predicting crude will stay “lower for longer.” “The lower-for-longer scenario will likely be even lower and even longer,” Pulikkan said. “In 1985, Saudi Arabia changed policy to raise its market share, ushering in a lost decade for oil. There’s a possibility there’s another lost decade.” [..] As prices dropped, the Saudis refused to cut production, opting to defend market share instead, Pulikkan said. Oil averaged less than $20 in the 12 years from 1987. In November last year, OPEC, led by Saudi Arabia, adopted a similar strategy and chose not to defend oil prices. A 200-year history of commodity prices shows they typically move between a decade of a bull market and two decades of a bear market, Sharma said last month. It takes years to clear the additional capacity that a bull market generates, meaning a “long winter in commodities” lies ahead, he said.
“..new orders falling at the fastest pace since early 2009, and inventories piling up..”
The slowdown in China’s economy, the world’s second largest, is sucking the growth out of North Asia and tilting some economies toward recession. As China undergoes a painful rebalancing of an economy that accounts for 16% of global GDP – up from below a tenth a decade ago – the IMF predicts 5.5% growth this year for a region that also includes export powerhouses Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan. That would be the weakest growth rate since the global financial crisis. Japan’s exports grew by 0.6% from a year earlier in September, the slowest since August last year, data showed on Wednesday, as shipments to China dropped by 3.5%.
“Without a doubt, as long as China remains in a very soft spot … it’s natural that North Asia, which is very highly oriented to China’s market, whether directly or as a conduit, also takes a knock,” said Vishnu Varathan, a senior economist at Mizuho Bank in Singapore. Japan’s weak export numbers have heightened concerns that its economy may slip into recession in the third quarter, with a weak yen not doing enough to support its overseas shipments. Singapore narrowly missed a third-quarter recession after the export-reliant economy expanded just 0.1% from the previous three months, but Taiwan still looks very close to one.
China’s rapid growth and liberalization, especially after accession to the World Trade Organisation in 2001, gave a tremendous boost to Asian trade. Supply chains spread across the region, sucking in everything from coal to fuel its factories, to electronic components for mobile phones to be shipped to markets in the West. Now, though, things are different. PMI readings are contracting across most of Asia-Pacific, with new orders falling at the fastest pace since early 2009, and inventories piling up, meaning that production may have further to fall before economies shake off spare capacity, according to HSBC.
Only 800-pound gorillas will remain.
Credit Suisse shook Europe’s bond markets by deciding to drop its role as a primary dealer across the continent, the latest signal that some the world’s biggest banks are scaling back in one of their key businesses. The move coincides with the Zurich-based bank’s overhaul of its trading and advisory services, after fixed-income revenue plunged. Credit Suisse will withdraw from the U.K market on Friday, the nation’s Debt Management Office said. It’s the first time a gilt primary dealer – which buys sovereign debt directly from the government – walked away since December 2011, when State Street’s European division withdrew. “This is a dramatic move for Credit Suisse, and a step back for bond-market liquidity,” said Christopher Wheeler, an analyst at Atlantic Equities in London.
“This is probably designed to reduce costs and capital tied to its investment bank business. I hope it’s not a shape of things to come for the bond market.” The world’s biggest banks are shrinking their bond-trading activities to comply with regulations such as higher capital requirements imposed following the financial crisis. These restrictions have curbed their ability to build inventory or warehouse risk. The result is that prices can be more volatile for money managers and private investors. The situation has worsened in the past five years. The size of U.S. Treasury market, for example, has expanded by more than 45% in five years to $12.9 trillion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
At the same time, the five largest primary dealers – those financial institutions that trade with the Treasury – have cut their balance sheets by about 50% from 2010, according to data from Tabb Group. Credit Suisse will remain a primary dealer for the U.S. Treasuries market, according to a London-based company spokesman, Adam Bradbery. “This is part of scaling back the macro business,” Bradbery said. “We are in the process of exiting all our European primary dealer roles.” [..] “You’re seeing pressure at every single bank,” said Harvinder Sian at Citigroup in London. “If you’re not something of a monster in terms of presence and market share, then the economics just don’t stack up.”
Why not say this two years ago?
A top financial regulator warned of risks in the fast-expanding auto-lending sector, raising the prospect of fresh regulatory pressure in an area that has been a bright spot for banks. While policy makers have generally declared the U.S. banking system recovered from the financial crisis, Comptroller of the Currency Thomas Curry raised a rare red flag, saying in a speech that some activity in auto loans “reminds me of what happened in mortgage-backed securities in the run-up to the crisis.” “We will be looking at those institutions that have a significant auto-lending operation,” he told reporters after the speech. Many mortgage-backed securities thought to be safe turned sour during the financial crisis, leading to heavy losses across Wall Street.
The comments are likely to raise concerns in particular at firms like Wells Fargo and other national banks active in auto lending that are regulated by the comptroller’s office. Mr. Curry’s vow of closer scrutiny wouldn’t affect their competitors at lenders owned by large auto manufacturers. When the comptroller in the past has raised questions about loans being risky—as it has done since 2013 with leveraged loans to heavily indebted corporations—regulators have turned up the heat to the point that banks have dialed back products, even when they were profitable. Auto lenders denied they were taking excessive risks.
Richard Hunt, president of the Consumer Bankers Association, said the lenders his group represents “are applying prudent underwriting standards in order for consumers to have access to safe and affordable transportation.” [..] This isn’t the first time regulators have cast a spotlight on auto lenders. In March, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau raised concerns about consumers taking on too much auto debt, and some large financial firms have faced investigations regarding unfair auto-lending practices. But Mr. Curry’s concerns focused on the risks auto loans may pose to banks’ safety and soundness. Lower-level OCC officials have previously raised similar concerns.
The edge of finance.
U.S. junk-bond defaults could nearly double by the third quarter of next year, led by energy, metal and mining companies under pressure from depressed commodities prices, according to UBS. The high-yield default rate may climb as high as 4.8%, UBS analysts wrote in a note to clients Thursday. The default rate for speculative-grade debt in the U.S. was at 2.5% at the end of September, according to Moody’s Investors Service, up from 2.1% in the second quarter and 1.6% a year earlier. The default rate for junk-rated energy and natural-resources companies – which make up the bulk of speculative-grade debt – may increase to 15% over the next year, Zurich-based UBS said, up from the current 10% rate reported by Moody’s.
“The sector is out of whack,” UBS strategist Matthew Mish said. “Capital markets are showing much greater tiering of credit quality. It’s not just energy issuers that can’t tap the market right now.” The default rate increased as the price of oil plunged by about 60% from last year’s June high amid slowing growth in China, the world’s biggest commodity importer. The lowest-rated debt is poised for more pain, said Mish, even as what investors demand to hold debt rated CCC and below versus the broader high-yield market has risen to the highest level since the financial crisis, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch Indexes. “Valuations there are still too tight for the underlying risk,” Mish said.
Enron redux.
Valeant Pharmaceuticals’ market slide has hurt the returns of several large U.S. hedge funds, but for smaller players with outsized bets on the drug company the fallout could be far more painful, according to industry watchers. Among smaller hedge funds invested in Valeant, at least three had more than 20% of their assets tied up in the stock as of June 30, according to data from Symmetric.IO, a research firm that provided the data to Reuters on Thursday. They include Tiger Ratan Capital Management, Marble Arch Investments, and Brave Warrior Advisors, according to the numbers, which are based on publicly reported stock positions and may not include hedges. It is not known whether the funds have maintained their holdings into this week, but if they did, they could be looking at losses worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
“The major risk is with funds that have an unstable, short- term oriented capital base, where a poor few months of performance can lead to significant capital flight,” said Jonathan Liggett, Managing Member at JL Squared Group, an investment advisor. Smaller hedge funds can quickly collapse if investors demand their money back all at once, forcing managers to exit profitable positions to raise cash quickly. Valeant shares are down 35% this week after a short-seller’s report accused the company of improperly inflating revenues, igniting fears about federal prosecutors’ probes into its pricing and distribution. Valeant has denied the allegations and its Chief Executive Michael Pearson and other board members are due to address them in more detail in a call with investors on Monday.
The slump has trimmed billions of dollars off the ledgers of investors such as hedge fund mogul William Ackman’s Pershing Square Capital Management, activist hedge fund ValueAct Capital, and investment firm Ruane, Cunniff & Goldfarb. But the impact could be far worse at smaller funds that typically have less than $5 billion in assets and also bet on a stock that had been one of this year’s early winners. Nehal Chopra’s Tiger Ratan owned roughly 1 million shares of Valeant at the end of the second quarter, accounting for about one fifth of her $1.6 billion fund. Through August, Chopra had been one of the year’s best performers, showing a gain of 21.6% for the year. But people familiar with her numbers said heavy losses in September wiped out all gains putting the fund into the red for the year. If the firm still held that Valeant position this week its losses on that bet alone would have totaled roughly $370 million for the week.
Because derivatives are so devoid of risk?
Wall Street banks will escape billions of dollars in additional collateral costs after U.S. regulators softened a rule that would have made their derivatives activities much more expensive. Two agencies approved a final rule on Thursday that will govern how much money financial firms must set aside in derivatives deals. A key change from recent draft versions of the rule – and the focus of months of debate among regulators – cut in half what the companies must post in transactions between their own divisions. A version proposed last year called for both sides to post collateral when two affiliates of the same firm deal with one another, such as a U.S.-insured bank trading swaps with a U.K. brokerage. The final rule requires that only the brokerage post, cutting collateral demands by tens of billions of dollars across the banking industry.
Those costs would still be significantly higher than the collateral they currently set aside. “Establishing margin requirements for non-cleared swaps is one of the most important reforms of the Dodd-Frank Act,” Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Martin Gruenberg said before his agency’s vote, noting that changes were made in response to objections raised by the industry. While the bank regulators’ approach is good news for Wall Street, all eyes now turn to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which is writing a parallel rule. Firms also would need that rule to be softened before claiming a clear victory. Like the CFTC, the Securities and Exchange Commission is also drafting a final version of similar requirements to be imposed on separate parts of banks.
Aluminum.
Dwight Anderson had a point when it came to aluminum. The price sank to the lowest level in more than six years on Friday on concern that a global glut will endure, extending a losing run after the hedge fund manager dubbed the metal as miserable. Three-month futures fell as much as 0.4% to $1,484.50 metric ton on the London Metal Exchange, the lowest level since June 2009. The metal is set for an eighth daily loss. Aluminum fell 20% this year as global supply exceeded demand, with output from top producer China surging even as economic growth slowed, spurring increased exports. Anderson, founder of hedge fund Ospraie Management, described aluminum in an interview this week as “miserable,” probably forcing closures and bankruptcies. BNP Paribas expects a surplus of 1 million tons this year.
“The fundamental outlook is weak for the metal with some miserable factors like oversupply not easing in China even as prices keep falling,” Wang Rong, an analyst at Guotai & Junan Futures Co. in Shanghai, said on Friday. Speculation about government subsidies for local producers worsened sentiment in recent days as smelters were seen continuing producing with the policy encouragement, according to Wang. Primary aluminum production in China expanded 12% in the first nine months of this year while the expansion of the country’s gross domestic product was the weakest since 2009. Shipments of unwrought aluminum and aluminum products from Asia’s top economy surged 18% between January and September.
Alcoa, the top U.S. aluminum maker, said last month it will break itself up by separating manufacturing operations from a legacy smelting and refining business that’s struggling to overcome the booming production from China. While the company forecast a global surplus this year, it sees a shift to a deficit in 2016. A total of 58% of traders and executives picked aluminum as their “favorite short” in a survey by Macquarie at this month’s London Metal Exchange’s annual gathering. It was the only LME metal seen with downside over the coming year, Macquarie said. “Aluminum is miserable and is going to stay miserable and will have to force closures and bankruptcies,” Anderson told Bloomberg. “For most industrial metals, we have a negative outlook for the near term.”
“..because it misrepresented the way markets work..”
The US request to extradite London-based trader Navinder Sarao, accused of helping to spark the 2010 Wall Street “flash crash”, is “false and misleading” because it misrepresented the way markets work, his lawyer has told a court. Sarao is wanted by US authorities after being charged on 22 criminal counts including wire fraud, commodities fraud, commodity price manipulation and attempted price manipulation. The 36-year-old, who lives and worked at his parents’ modest home near Heathrow airport, is accused of using an automated trading programme to “spoof” markets by generating large sell orders that pushed down prices. He then cancelled those trades and bought contracts at lower prices, prosecutors say.
The flash crash saw the Dow Jones Industrial Average briefly plunge more than 1,000 points, temporarily wiping out nearly $1tn in market value. Sarao’s team are looking to block extradition on the grounds that the US charges would not be offences under English law, and if they are, that he should be tried in Britain. At a court hearing in London on Thursday to consider whether a US trading expert could give evidence when the case is decided next year, Sarao’s lawyer James Lewis said his testimony was needed to debunk the US extradition request because it demonstrated that there was nothing unusual in traders cancelling orders.
“Americans had to create the crime of spoofing,” Lewis told Westminster Magistrates’ court in London, citing a report by Prof Lawrence Harris from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California. “The [US extradition] request is false and misleading,” he added. “It’s simply not the reality of what happens in any market. It’s arrant nonsense.” Mark Summers, representing the US authorities, said they were not suggesting cancelling trades was in itself wrong, but that Sarao had never planned to execute the orders he had posted. “His intention was to manipulate the market process by creating a false impression of liquidity. It was bogus from the outset,” Summers said, adding the US disputed the report by Prof Harris, a former chief economist at the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
How distorted has the US justice system become?
For all the black robes and ceremony, the American legal system often operates more like a factory assembly line than a citadel of individualized justice. 95% of criminal prosecutions end in plea deals. Many defective-product claims settle in mass pacts that benefit attorneys more than putative victims. Now a legal dispute within a plaintiffs’ law firm that organizes massive torts is threatening to pull back the curtain on the mechanics of high-volume litigation. It’s not a pretty picture. Amir Shenaq, a 30-year-old financier, sued his former employer, the Houston law firm AkinMears, over $4.2 million in allegedly unpaid commissions. To earn those fees, Shenaq says he raised nearly $100 million used to purchase thousands of injury claims from other lawyers.
The suit portrays a claim-brokering marketplace that normally operates in secret, with clients recruited en masse through TV and Internet advertising who are then bundled and traded among attorneys like so many securitized mortgages. AkinMears “is not run like a traditional plaintiffs’ law office, and the firm’s lawyers do not do the types of things that regular trial lawyers do,” according to the Shenaq suit, which was filed in Texas state court in late September by another Houston firm, Oaks, Hartline & Daly. AkinMears doesn’t do “things like meet their clients, get to know their clients, file pleadings/motions, attend depositions/hearings, or, heaven forbid, try a lawsuit,” Shenaq alleges.
Rather, AkinMears “is nothing more than a glorified claims-processing center, where the numbers are huge, the clients commodities, and the paydays, when they come, stratospheric.” In court filings, AkinMears denied wrongdoing and said Shenaq had been fired last July 31 for unspecified reasons. Shenaq, a former Wells Fargo Securities leveraged-finance banker, alleges Akin fired him to avoid paying the multimillion-dollar commissions. AkinMears asked the trial judge to seal Shenaq’s suit, saying his disclosures “will cause immediate and irreparable harm to the continued nature of financial and other information belonging to AkinMears and those with whom it does business under terms of confidentiality.” Judge Randy Wilson granted the gag order earlier this month, but only after the original filing had been disseminated online.
He’s right about the problem, but so wrong on the “solution” (forced savings supposed to yield 7-8%) it’s clear all he wants is easy access to all that ‘capital’.
Americans in their 20s and 30s are facing a retirement crisis that could plunge them back into the Great Depression, Blackstone President and Chief Operating Officer Tony James said Wednesday. “Social Security alone cannot provide enough for these people to retain their standard of living in retirement, and if we don’t do something, we’re going to have tens of millions of poor people and poverty rates not seen since the Great Depression,” he told CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” The solution is to help young people save more by mandating savings through a Guaranteed Retirement Account system, he said. Right now, young people cannot save enough on their own because they face stagnant incomes and heavy student-debt burdens.
The Guaranteed Retirement Account was proposed by labor economist Teresa Ghilarducci in 2007 as a solution to the problem of retirement shortfalls that inevitably arise when contributions are voluntary. A GSA system would require workers to make recurring retirement contributions, which would be deducted from paychecks. Employers would be mandated to match the contribution, and the federal government would administer the plan through the Social Security Administration.
Ghilarducci has proposed a mandatory 5% contribution, but James said a 3% requirement rolled into GRAs could outperform retirement savings vehicles like IRAs and 401(k)s. He noted that a 401(k) typically earns 3 to 4%, while a pension plan yields 7 to 8%. The average American pension plan has a 25% allocation to alternative investments — including real estate, private equity and hedge funds — with the remainder invested in markets, he said. “The trick is to have these accounts invested like pension plans, so the money compounds over decades at 7 to 8%, not at 3 to 4,” he said.
We’re going to need robot farmers.
Are the farmers who grow the nation’s food public servants? Not according to the government — but some advocates and bipartisan legislators are trying to change that, pushing a proposal to add farming to the list of public service fields entitled to student debt forgiveness. The effort is an indication that the student debt crisis has fueled concerns about the future of one of the country’s oldest professions and, perhaps, even endangered the food supply. Advocates say that debt may be keeping young Americans from starting farms, buying land, or even considering farming to begin with, perhaps meaning there won’t be enough farmers to take over when the current generation retires.
“We’re increasingly moving toward a system where the barriers to entry in farming as a young person are too high,” said Eric Hansen, a policy analyst at the National Young Farmer’s Coalition, the advocacy group behind a push to include farming in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. But some question whether characterizing for-profit farming as a public service is the right way to tackle issues facing potential farmers — and, more broadly, whether the program, meant to encourage educated workers to enter relatively low-paying professions such as social work, early childhood education and government — is in need of refinement, rater than expansion.
It’s hard to find precise statistics on the share of farmers who have student loan debt, but available data nevertheless suggests a sizable population. Nearly a quarter of principal farm operators had completed college in 2007, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture survey, and more than 70% of bachelor’s degree recipients graduate with student debt. Just 6% of the nation’s approximately 2.1 million farmers were under 35 in 2012, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, down from nearly 16% 20 years earlier. Mechanization has allowed farmers to work longer, raising average ages, and farm families often struggle to convince their children to stay in the business. But student loan debt is also a large part of the problem, some say.
Some Swiss banks loaded funds onto untraceable debit cards. At another, clients who wanted to transfer cash used code phrases such as “Can you download some tunes for us?” One bank allowed a client to convert Swiss francs into gold, which was then stored in a relative’s safe-deposit box. Dozens of Swiss banks have been spilling their secrets this year as to how they encouraged U.S. clients to hide money abroad, part of a Justice Department program that lets them avoid prosecution. It is part of a broader U.S. crackdown on undeclared offshore accounts that has ensnared big Swiss banks such as UBS, but has received scant attention because it mostly involves little-known firms and relatively small fines.
A Wall Street Journal analysis of Justice Department documents from more than 40 settlements with these banks provides a rare window into foreign firms’ tax-haven techniques and their myriad methods of keeping clients’ accounts under wraps. The offenders range from international banks to small-town mortgage lenders, which together helped secrete more than 10,000 U.S-related accounts holding more than $10 billion, according to the analysis. “Helping Americans conceal assets from the IRS was a big business for many sizes and types of firms in Switzerland, and now we’re seeing how extensive it was,” said Jeffrey Neiman, who led the Justice investigation of UBS in 2009 that pierced the veil of Swiss-bank secrecy. He is now at law firm Marcus Neiman & Rashbaum LLP in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
The firms that have admitted to the misconduct have paid a total of more than $360 million to resolve the cases and avoid criminal charges. Lawyers for U.S. account holders and Swiss banks estimate that 40 other firms in this program are in talks with the Justice Department. “Banks large and small are naming individuals and firms that helped U.S. taxpayers hide foreign accounts and evade taxes,” said acting Assistant Attorney General Caroline Ciraolo. “It is now clear that asset-management firms, investment-advisory groups, insurance companies and corporate service providers—not just banks—facilitated this criminal conduct.” More than 54,000 U.S. taxpayers with undeclared accounts have paid more than $8 billion to the Internal Revenue Service to resolve their cases and avoid criminal prosecution.
It’s now Putin’s monologue.
• Vladimir Putin Accuses US Of Backing Terrorism In Middle East (Guardian)
The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has launched a stinging attack on US policy in the Middle East, accusing Washington of backing terrorism and playing a “double game”. In a speech on Thursday at the annual gathering of the Valdai Club, a group of Russian and international analysts and politicians, Putin said the US had attempted to use terrorist groups as “a battering ram to overthrow regimes they don’t like”. He said: “It’s always hard to play a double game – to declare a fight against terrorists but at the same time try to use some of them to move the pieces on the Middle Eastern chessboard in your own favour. There’s no need to play with words and split terrorists into moderate and not moderate. I would like to know what the difference is.”
Western capitals have accused Moscow of targeting moderate rebel groups during its bombing campaign in Syria, which Russia says is mainly aimed at targets linked to Islamic State. However, Putin’s talk of “playing with words” and other statements by government officials suggest Moscow believes all armed opposition to Bashar al-Assad is a legitimate target. Putin received Assad at the Kremlin on Tuesday, and on Thursday he underlined that he considered the Syrian president and his government to be “fully legitimate”. He said the west was guilty of shortsightedness, focusing on the figure of Assad while ignoring the much greater threat of Isis. “The so-called Islamic State [Isis] has taken control of a huge territory. How was that possible? Think about it: if Damascus or Baghdad are seized by the terrorist groups, they will be almost the official authorities, and will have a launchpad for global expansion. Is anyone thinking about this or not?”
“Greece has become synonymous with a country that cannot meet its obligations. It has become a unit of measure. Like Richter, decibels, kilos…”
“Is Kenya Africa’s Greece?” a newspaper poster in South Africa asked a few days ago in a photo on Twitter that caused a stir in Greece. Kenya is finding it difficult to pay its state employees, raising questions about the state of its finances. A couple of days later, Paulo Tafner, an economist and authority on Brazil’s pension system, described his country’s problems to the New York Times in this way: “Think Greece but on a crazier, more colossal scale.” Greece has become synonymous with a country that cannot meet its obligations. It has become a unit of measure. Like Richter, decibels, kilos…
Our prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, boasts that his government made the Greek problem an international issue. He may believe that the resistance he put up against our creditors for several months gained the international public’s sympathy – and, up to a point, he is right – but our country’s international image is not his achievement alone. Greece became a symbol because of decades of mismanagement, waste and populism. The SYRIZA-Independent Greeks coalition inherited these problems but it differed from previous governments in that it made no effort to correct Greece’s failings; instead, it presented them as virtues that could be maintained and imposed on those who lend us money. This effort resulted in resounding defeat and has not won any admirers.
Even SYRIZA’s Spanish brethren, Podemos, are trying to persuade their compatriots that they are very different from the Greeks. It is sad and humiliating to see Greece being used as a symbol of failure. After having inherited so much, it is a heavy burden to be known chiefly for an inability to manage the present. But the very fact that our country is a unit for measuring failure reveals the only comforting fact in this sorry tale: Obviously we are not the only country to screw up so badly. The problems that we face challenge other countries, too, whether in Europe or Africa or South America, whether they are small and poor or emerging giants.
Mismanagement, waste, corruption and supporting specific groups at the expense of the general public are not exclusively Greek phenomena. Our problem here is that we allowed them to grow without any serious effort to control them. For decades. Like investors thrilled by bubbles, we were seduced. We forgot that what goes up comes down. And when we crashed and needed help we still behaved as if we did not need a radical change of mentality. It was as if we did not want to save ourselves.
But by no means the lowest.
The Czech Republic is locking up refugees and migrants in degrading conditions, according to a scathing criticism by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights released Oct. 22. Not only are new arrivals kept involuntarily in detention centers, but many are being forced to pay $10 per day for it. In some cases, refugees have been strip-searched by authorities looking for the money. The required payment does not have “clear legal grounds,” said UNHCR commissioner Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein in the release. It leaves many of the detainees destitute by the end of their stay, which in some cases can last 90 days. Children have also been detained, a violation of minors’ rights by UN standards.
“International law is quite clear that immigration detention must be strictly a measure of last resort,” emphasizes Zeid. “According to credible reports from various sources, the violations of the human rights of migrants are neither isolated nor coincidental, but systematic: they appear to be an integral part of a policy by the Czech Government designed to deter migrants and refugees from entering the country or staying there.” Zeid points out in his statement that the Czech Republic’s own Minister of Justice Robert Pelikán has described conditions in the Bìlá-Jezová detention facility as “worse than in a prison.”
Can things get any worse? You bet.
Human Rights Watch on Thursday reported fresh assaults by unidentified gunmen in the Aegean Sea endangering the lives of migrants trying to reach Europe. The rights group said witnesses had described eight incidents in which assailants “intercepted and disabled the boats carrying asylum seekers and migrants from Turkey toward the Greek islands, most recently on October 7 and 9.” A 17-year-old Afghan called Ali said a speedboat with five men armed with handguns had rammed their rubber dinghy on October 9. “At first when they approached, we thought they had come to help us,” Ali told HRW.
“But by the way they acted, we realised they hadn’t come to help. They were so aggressive. They didn’t come on board our boat, but they took our boat’s engine and then sped away,” he said. The Afghan teen said the masked men attacked three other boats in quick succession before speeding off toward the Greek coast “They spoke a language we didn’t know, but it definitely was not Turkish, as we Afghans can understand a bit of Turkish,” he said. Similar allegations had been made by migrants and rights groups during the summer. The latest attacks had occurred near the island of Lesvos, HRW said. A Greek coastguard source said the claims were under investigation but despite a search for the alleged perpetrators on land and at sea, no evidence had been found.
One word: methane.
One of the world’s leading experts on permafrost has told BBC News that the recent rate of warming of this frozen layer of earth is “unbelievable”. Prof Vladimir Romanovsky said that he expected permafrost in parts of Alaska would start to thaw by 2070. Researchers worry that methane frozen within the permafrost will be released, exacerbating climate change The professor said a rise in permafrost temperatures in the past four years convinced him warming was real. Permafrost is perennially frozen soil that has been below zero degrees C for at least two years. It’s found underneath about 25% of the northern hemisphere, mainly around the Arctic – but also in the Antarctic and Alpine regions.
It can range in depth from one metre under the ground all the way down to 1,500m. Scientists are concerned that in a warming world, some of this permanently frozen layer will thaw out and release methane gas contained in the icy, organic material. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas and researchers estimate that the amount in permafrost equates to more than double the amount of carbon currently in the atmosphere. Worries over the current state of permafrost have been reinforced by Prof Romanovsky. A professor at the University of Alaska, he is also the head of the Global Terrestrial Network for Permafrost, the primary international monitoring programme.
He says that in the northern region of Alaska, the permafrost has been warming at about one-tenth of a degree Celsius per year since the mid 2000s. “When we started measurements it was -8C, but now it’s coming to almost -2.5 on the Arctic coast. It is unbelievable – that’s the temperature we should have here in central Alaska around Fairbanks but not there,” he told BBC News. In Alaska, the warming of the permafrost has been linked to trees toppling, roads buckling and the development of sinkholes. Prof Romanovsky says that the current evidence indicates that in parts of Alaska, around Prudhoe Bay on the North Slope, the permafrost will not just warm up but will thaw by about 2070-80.
Home › Forums › Debt Rattle October 23 2015
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DPC Harlem River Speedway and Washington Bridge, New York 1905 • ECB Rings The Bell For Pavlov’s Market Dogs (AFR) • ECB President Mario Draghi Reigni
[See the full post at: Debt Rattle October 23 2015]
Debt Rattle October 22 2015 Debt Rattle October 24 2015
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Debt Rattle August 23 2017
August 23, 2017 Posted by Raúl Ilargi Meijer at 9:17 am Finance Tagged with: cyber unit, Greece, Monsanto, profits, refugees, renewables, savers, Schaeuble, Trump
William Merritt Chase Back Of A Nude 1888
• Banks Earn Record Profits in Q2, Savers Sacrificed: FDIC (WS)
• The Silent Crisis in US Housing Finance (Whalen)
• The New Economic Science Of Capitalism’s Slow-Burn Energy Collapse (Ahmed)
• Switch to Renewables Won’t End the Geopolitics of Energy (BBG)
• No U.S.-Russia Cyber Unit Without Trump Notifying Congress (R.)
• The Imperial Collapse Clock Ticks Closer to Midnight (Krieger)
• The Confederate General Who Was Erased (Dailey)
• EU Opens Probe Into Bayer Takeover Of Monsanto (AFP)
• Schaeuble Wants To Allow Eurozone Countries To Tap ESM For Investments (R.)
• Fears Of Tensions As Refugee Arrivals in Greece Rise Again (K.)
And who are you going to turn to to protest this? Not your politicians, they’re in on it.
Savers have been shanghaied into doing an enormous job, in small increments, day after day, for nine years: Recapitalizing the collapsed US banking system and making it immensely profitable again, leading to high core-capital ratios, record bonuses, big-fat dividends, and massive share-buybacks. And the FDIC, in its Quarterly Banking Profile released today, shows how. The total number of FDIC-insured commercial banks and savings institutions fell by 271 to 5,787 by the end of the second quarter. Of them, 5,338 were community banks. Most of this shrinkage was due to consolidation. But there were a handful of bank failures: in 2016, five banks failed. So far this year, six banks failed. The remaining banks get a bigger slice of the pie.
Here’s the good news: Almost everything in the report is good news! That is, unless you’re a saver whose income stream has been confiscated in order to make this good news possible. FDIC-insured banks and savings institutions booked a combined net income of $48.3 billion in the second quarter 2017, a post-crisis high. That’s up by $4.7 billion, or 10.7%, from a year ago (chart via FDIC):
This $4.7-billion increase in earnings was caused by a jump in net interest income of $10.3 billion (9.1%). Net interest income is the difference between a bank’s revenues generated by interest-bearing assets, such as loans, and the costs of its liabilities, mainly deposits but also bonds and the like. Currently banks borrow money from depositors at near zero cost. And it’s a lot of money. At the end of Q2, all commercial banks held $11.2 trillion in domestic deposits. Of that, $9.1 trillion were savings deposits. This is money that banks owe savers. A lot of nearly free money. [..] One of the most important performance metrics for banks is Return On Assets. In Q2, for all FDIC-insured banks combined, the Average ROA reached 1.14%, the highest since Q2 2007. Yes, thank you hallelujah dear savers (chart via FDIC):
Nothing to do with inflation (we know because money velocity is way down), but with trapping people into debt: “Even adjusted for inflation, the median home price in 1940 would only have been $30,600 in 2000 dollars”.
The big picture on housing reflected in the mainstream media is one of caution, as illustrated in The Wall Street Journal. Borodovsky & Ramkumar ask the obvious question: Are US homes overvalued? Short answer: Yes. Send your cards and letters to Janet Yellen c/o the Federal Open Market Committee in Washington. As we’ve discussed in several forums over the past few years, home valuations are one of the clearest indicators of inflation in the US economy. While members of the tenured world of economics somehow rationalize understating or ignoring the fact of double digit increases in home prices along the country’s affluent periphery, sure looks like asset price inflation to us. In fact, since WWII home prices in the US have gone up four times the official inflation rate.
“Houses weren’t always this expensive,” notes CNBC. “In 1940, the median home value in the U.S. was just $2,938. In 1980, it was $47,200, and by 2000, it had risen to $119,600. Even adjusted for inflation, the median home price in 1940 would only have been $30,600 in 2000 dollars, according to data from the U.S. Census.” Inflation, just to review, is defined as too many dollars chasing too few goods, in this case bona fide investment opportunities. A combination of slow household formation and low levels of new home construction are seen as the proximate cause of the housing price squeeze, but higher prices also limit the level of existing home sales. Many long-time residents of high priced markets like CA and NY cannot move without leaving the community entirely. So they get a home equity line or reverse mortgage, and shelter in place, thereby reducing the stock of available homes.
Two key indicators that especially worry us in the world of credit is the falling cost of defaults and the widening gap between asset pricing and cash flow. Credit metrics for bank-owned single-family and multifamily loans are showing very low default rates. More, loss-given default (LGD) remains in negative territory for the latter, suggesting a steady supply of greater fools ready to buy busted multifamily property developments above par value. We can’t wait for the FDIC quarterly data for Q2 2017 to be released next week as we expect these credit metrics to skew even further. Single-family exposures are likewise showing very low default rates and LGDs at 30-year lows, again suggesting a significant asset price bubble in 1-4 family homes. The fact that many of these properties are well under water in terms of what the property could fetch as a rental also seasons our view that we are in the midst of a Fed-induced investment mania.
Nice and interesting, but don’t present it as something new. At best all the scientists et al quoted have only recently found out. And as the Automatic Earth has said forever, don’t say the 2007/8 crisis was caused by energy issues. The financial world didn’t need any help causing it.
Recent studies suggest that the EROI of fossil fuels has steadily declined since the early 20th century, meaning that as we’re depleting our higher quality resources, we’re using more and more energy just to get new energy out. This means that the costs of energy production are increasing while the quality of the energy we’re producing is declining. But unlike previous studies, the authors of the new paper [..] have removed any uncertainty that might have remained about the matter. Court and Fizaine find that the EROI values of global oil and gas production reached their maximum peaks in the 1930s and 40s. Global oil production hit peak EROI at 50:1; while global gas production hit peak EROI at 150:1. Since then, the EROI values of oil and gas-the overall energy we’re able to extract from these resources for every unit of energy we put in- is inexorably declining.
Even coal, the only fossil fuel resource whose EROI has not yet maxed out, is forecast to undergo an EROI peak sometime between 2020 and 2045. This means that while coal might still have signficant production potential in some parts of the world, rising costs of production are making it increasingly uneconomical. Axiom: Aggregating this data together reveals that the world’s fossil fuels overall experienced their maximum cumulative EROI of approximately 44:1 in the early 1960s.
Since then, the total value of energy we’re able to extract from the world’s fossil fuel resource base has undergone a protracted, continuous and irreversible decline. At this rate of decline, by 2100, we are projected to extract the same value of EROI from fossil fuels as we were in the 1800s. Several other studies suggest that this ongoing decline in the overall value of the energy extracted from global fossil fuels has played a fundamental role in the slowdown of global economic growth in recent years. In this sense, the 2008 financial crash did not represent a singular event, but rather one key event in an unfolding process. [..] Going back to the new EROI analysis by French economists, Victor Court and Florian Fizaine, the EROI of oil is forecast to reduce to 15:1 by 2018. It will continue to decline to around 10:1 by 2035. They broadly forecast the same pattern for gas and coal: Overall, their data suggests that the EROI of all fossil fuels will hit 15:1 by 2060, and decline further to 10:1 by 2080.
Whole new resources wars lie ahead.
Yes, there are many reasons to be enthusiastic about a shift toward renewables. Unfortunately, an escape from energy geopolitics is not likely to be among them. [..] Among the most interesting of possible trends we highlight is the idea that a more renewable-heavy future will likely bring with it new forms of the “resource curse” – the phenomenon that political and economic development in many resource-wealthy countries seems stymied when compared to resource-poor ones. In many resource-rich nations, economic growth is actually slower and political institutions are more likely to be repressive and nondemocratic. In the world of fossil fuels, this curse has generally applied to big producers of oil and gas.
In a world heavier on renewables, the curse will probably not be so relevant for producers of power; solar, wind and geothermal energy are more likely to be generated and consumed within the borders of a country than to become profitable exports and generators of huge windfall cash flows. Rather, we may see this curse surface in countries rich in the materials required to produce the components that make renewable energy possible. Many of these resources are rare-earth metals and other commodities deep underground. For example, indium and cobalt – neither is technically a rare-earth metal, but they are still relatively hard to come by – are essential for making solar panels and batteries.
China provides approximately half of the indium consumed globally today, whereas the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the source of more than half the world’s cobalt. The big producers of lithium, another material essential for the production of batteries, are Argentina, Australia, Chile and China. Yet Bolivia’s large untapped reserves of lithium could catapult it into this league in the future. Tellurium is not a rare-earth mineral, but it is another key component of solar panels. The U.S. has imported most of this material from Canada, but relies to some extent on Belgium, China and the Philippines. By some estimates, China supplies as much as 95% of all the rare-earth elements in the global market. Given Beijing’s dominant position, the world should expect repeats of the 2010 episode when China halted the sale of rare earths to Japan – where they are vital for the production of solar panels and batteries – in the wake of a maritime dispute.
Whatever anyone thinks of this, do note that one political freely body voting itself the powers of another is scary.
U.S. President Donald Trump would be required to notify U.S. lawmakers before creating a joint U.S.-Russia cyber security unit – an idea that has drawn criticism across the political spectrum – under legislation advancing in Congress. The proposal, if it became law, would be the latest in a series of maneuvers by Congress that either limit the president’s authority on Russia matters or rebuke his desire to warm relations with Moscow. A provision contained within the annual Intelligence Authorization Act and passed by the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee 14-1 would require the Trump administration to provide Congress with a report describing what intelligence would be shared with Russia, any counterintelligence concerns and how those concerns would be addressed.
The bill, which grants congressional approval for clandestine operations carried out by the CIA and other U.S. intelligence agencies, passed the Senate Intelligence Committee in July, but its text was only recently made public because it involves sensitive intelligence operations. Trump last month said on Twitter that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin had discussed establishing “an impenetrable Cyber Security unit” to address issues like the risk of cyber meddling in elections. Trump quickly backpedaled on the idea, which was criticized by Democrats, senior Republicans and the National Security Agency director. [..] Trump wants to improve relations with Russia, a desire that has been hamstrung by the conclusions of U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election to help Republican Trump against Democrat Hillary Clinton.
U.S. congressional panels and a special counsel are investigating the interference and possible collusion between Russia and members of Trump’s campaign. Moscow has denied any meddling and Trump has denied any collusion. Previously, Congress tied the president’s hands on Russia by passing a bill that Trump cannot ease the sanctions against Russia unless he seeks congressional approval. In August, the Senate blocked Trump from being able to make recess appointments while lawmakers were on break, fearing the president would fire Attorney General Jeff Sessions over his handling of the Russian probe. Lawmakers have also introduced legislation to stop Trump from having the ability to fire Robert Mueller, the special counsel appointed to determine whether there was collusion between Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and Moscow.
If you haven’t watched Trump’s Afghanistan speech by now you really should. It’s not good enough to read anyone else’s summary, you need to hear it for yourselves. It’s only 25 minutes long. As I started listening, I sensed myself getting angry. It was the same empty, bullshit propaganda I’ve been hearing from U.S. Presidents my entire life. This broken record of disingenuousness has become simply unbearable, and even worse, I know it’s going to work on millions upon millions of Americans. We refuse to think for ourselves, and we refuse to admit the obvious. There will be hell to pay for this ignorance and denial. [..] towards the end of the speech, Trump says the following:
“In every generation we have faced down evil, and we have always prevailed. We prevailed because we know who we are and what we are fighting for.”
Unfortunately, here’s the cold hard truth: We have no idea who we are, and we have no idea what we are fighting for. We’ve become the very evil he claims to be fighting against as the nation morphed into a pernicious, destructive, and immoral empire. This is the heart of the problem — we are constantly lying to ourselves. Of course, we’ll never set things on the right track if we can’t diagnose the disease in the first place. We’ve torched our national treasure and goodwill by running around the world trying to push everybody around, and simultaneously institutionalized a corrupt and predatory neo-feudal society at home. We’ve ignored our own people in a foolish and self-destructive quest to maintain and grow empire and the results will not be pretty.
Good story. The world is not black and white, there are simply people who don’t want to see color.
A native Virginian, a railroad magnate, a slaveholder, and an ardent secessionist, Mahone served in the Confederate army throughout the war. He was one of the Army of Northern Virginia’s most able commanders, distinguishing himself particularly in the summer of 1864 at the Battle of the Crater outside Petersburg. After the war, Robert E. Lee recalled that, when contemplating a successor, he thought that Mahone “had developed the highest qualities for organization and command.” General William Mahone has not been forgotten entirely. Rather, he has been selectively remembered. There is a Mahone Monument, for example, erected by the Daughters of the Confederacy, at the Crater Battlefield in Petersburg, and Civil War scholars have treated Mahone’s military career with respect.
There is an able biography. The problems posed by William Mahone for many Virginians in the past — and what makes it worthwhile for us to think about him in the present — lie in his postwar career. Senator William Mahone was one of the most maligned political leaders in post-Civil War America. He was also one of the most capable. Compared to the Roman traitor Cataline (by Virginia Democrats), to Moses (by African American congressman John Mercer Langston), and to Napoleon (by himself), Mahone organized and led the most successful interracial political alliance in the post-emancipation South. Mahone’s Readjuster Party, an independent coalition of black and white Republicans and white Democrats that was named for its policy of downwardly “readjusting” Virginia’s state debt, governed the state from 1879 to 1883.
During this period, a Readjuster governor occupied the statehouse, two Readjusters represented Virginia in the United States Senate, and Readjusters represented six of Virginia’s ten congressional districts. Under Mahone’s leadership, his coalition controlled the state legislature and the courts, and held and distributed the state’s many coveted federal offices. A black-majority party, the Readjusters legitimated and promoted African American citizenship and political power by supporting black suffrage, office-holding, and jury service. To a degree previously unseen in Virginia, and unmatched anywhere else in the nineteenth-century South, the Readjusters became an institutional force for the protection and advancement of black rights and interests.
At the state level, the Readjusters separated payment of the school tax from the suffrage, thereby enfranchising thousands of Virginia’s poorest voters. They restored and reinvigorated public education in the state, and they lowered real estate and personal property taxes. They banned the chain gang and the whipping post. At the municipal level, Readjuster governments paved streets, added sidewalks, and modernized water systems.
The Readjusters lost power in 1883 through a Democratic campaign of violence, electoral fraud, and appeals to white solidarity. While Democrats suppressed progressive politics in the state, other groups of elite white Virginians worked fast to eradicate the memory of Virginia’s experiment in interracial democracy. These were mutually reinforcing projects. Convinced that black enfranchisement was “the greatest curse that ever befell this country,” members of the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (APVA), founded in 1889, equated the Readjuster’ rule with “mobocracy” and called for radical pruning of the electorate. After 1900, William Mahone was characterized by whites in Virginia as a demagogic race traitor with autocratic tendencies. This representation was so powerful that as late as the 1940s the worst charge that could be brought against an anti-Democratic opposition candidate was that he had been associated with Mahone and the Readjusters.
Monopolizing food should be fought for reasons much more profound than legal or economic ones.
The European Commission said Tuesday that it was opening an in-depth investigation into the proposed $66 billion (56-billion-euro) takeover of US seed and pesticide supplier Monsanto by Germany’s Bayer, citing concerns it could reduce competition in key products for farmers. “Seeds and pesticide products are essential for farmers and ultimately consumers,” said EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager. “We need to ensure effective competition so that farmers can have access to innovative products, better quality and also purchase products at competitive prices.” In its own statement, Leverkusen-based Bayer said it “believes that the proposed combination will be highly beneficial for farmers and consumers.” The firm “will continue to work closely and constructively with the European Commission” and still aims to receive approval for the deal by the end of the year, it added.
After a months-long pursuit in which it raised its offer price several times, Bayer won over Monsanto’s management in September for the deal, which would create the world’s largest integrated pesticides and seeds company. If the tie-up goes ahead, the new company would have some 140,000 employees around the world with combined annual revenues from agriculture alone of about €23 billion. But the deal has drawn criticism from environmental groups because of Monsanto’s long history of promoting genetically modified crops. “There’s not much to investigate. One monster corporation controlling our food is a bad idea for farmers and citizens everywhere,” said Nick Flynn of the Avaaz advocacy group. “Over a million people are hoping Commissioner Vestager comes back with a long-term rejection of Monsanto and Bayer’s marriage from hell.”
Trojan.
German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble is working on a proposal that would allow southern eurozone countries to tap into the single currency bloc’s bailout fund to boost investments during recessions, a newspaper said on Wednesday. If the unsourced report in the mass-selling German daily Bild is confirmed, the plan would mark a major change of policy for Schaeuble who had until recently always opposed transfers from richer eurozone countries to poorer members like Greece. Germany is the biggest contributer to the European Stability Mechanism, the eurozone’s bailout fund. Bild said Schaeuble intended to make the proposal after Germany’s Sept.24 election, which his conservatives led by Chancellor Angela Merkel are expected to win. In exchange for more flexible access to the ESM, Schaeuble wants the fund to have more say over national debt and budgets.
Bild added that the proposal was a goodwill gesture toward French President Emmanuel Macron who has vowed to work with Merkel on a roadmap for closer eurozone integration. Schaeuble said earlier this year that he shared Macron’s view that financial transfers from richer to poorer states are necessary within the eurozone. A joint eurozone budget and a common finance minister are among ideas for deeper European Union integration around the single currency after Britain leaves the EU in 2019. Completing a banking union has also been proposed. Schaeuble is loathed in many southern eurozone countries and especially in Greece, for insisting on tough austerity measures in exchange for bailout funds during the bloc’s debt crisis that started seven years ago.
Time for Greece to get scared again.
Authorities on the islands of the eastern Aegean were unnerved on Tuesday by the arrival of 397 undocumented migrants in just one day, though it remained unclear whether a recent spike in newcomers is the beginning of a new, stronger influx from neighboring Turkey. The 397 new arrivals – 225 on Chios, 61 on Samos, 93 on Leros and 18 on Kos – came on the heels of 643 who landed on the islands over the weekend. August has seen the people smugglers intensify their operations, with more than 2,400 migrants landing on Greek shores following journeys aboard smuggling vessels from Turkey. The renewed influx is putting further pressure on already overcrowded migrant reception facilities on the islands, with authorities acknowledging that a key problem is the slow rate at which hundreds of asylum applications are being processed.
“There has been a noticeable increase in refugee and migrant arrivals over the past few days, which underlines the need for asylum services to be boosted immediately so that the the process is completed more quickly and the islands can be decongested,” the regional governor for the northern Aegean, Christina Kalogirou, told Kathimerini. Most migrants who see their inital asylum claims rejected lodge appeals, which drags out the process even longer, Kalogirou said, adding that the presence of hundreds of migrants in crowded venues for months on end leads to “aggravated situations, tension and even outbreaks of violence.”
Home › Forums › Debt Rattle August 23 2017
This topic contains 5 replies, has 6 voices, and was last updated by seychelles 1 year, 10 months ago.
William Merritt Chase Back Of A Nude 1888 • Banks Earn Record Profits in Q2, Savers Sacrificed: FDIC (WS) • The Silent Crisis in US Housing Fin
[See the full post at: Debt Rattle August 23 2017]
olo530
EROI 15:1 means I get 93% of the total energy produced as profit that I can use for whatever I want and I need to spend 7% to keep the party going. At EROI 10:1 it’s 90% and 10%, respectively. This whole drama over 3 percentage points? Isn’t available energy per capita a more interesting metric?
August 23, 2017 at 10:53 pm #35598
anticlimactic
Energy returned om energy invested [EROI] is an important metric when it comes to fossil fuels. However it is also important when it come to renewables.
Electric cars for example use more energy than conventional cars. Modern cars convert 25-30% of the fuel in to useful energy, but fossil fuel power stations achieve 40%. However electricity is lost in transmission lines and transformers making electric cars less efficient. The only justification for electric cars is ‘saving CO2’ because most Western countries have some non-fossil fuel energy, mainly nuclear. A major issue is that if electric cars become a significant percentage of vehicles then no power grid could cope with the massive demand for power, requiring an upgrade costing tens or hundreds of billions.
Biofuels need as much or more energy to create then they provide [the exception may be oil from soya beans]. The use of biofuels was only ever a reason to subsidise farmers: sugar beet farmers in the EU and corn farmers in the US. Why any Green organisation would back them needs explanation.
Wind and solar CAN be effective, however they are often misused. Solar panels make no sense in Northern Europe but on German roofs they provide a nice subsidy to the middle class. [and elsewhere]. Wind turbines can produce useful energy but can cost a lot to connect remote locations to the grid. Also they are often misplaced so need subsidies to make them profitable, of course.
‘Renewables’ are often promoted because they ‘save CO2’ but Mankind only contributes around 3.5% of the annual CO2 production and the amount of CO2 ‘saved’ is so small it makes no difference. However ‘saving CO2’ is an excuse to transfer tens or hundreds of billions to the better off. A bit sickening when so many are being badly affected by ‘austerity’. There is never austerity on renewables! Also, you would think that if it is ‘saving the planet’ people and companies would do it on a ‘not for profit’ basis. I have never heard of such a case! Although marketed as ‘saving the planet’, as ever. it just another case of making the rich richer.
Finally I would say that if I produce a widget which produces more energy than it take to create I would never need a subsidy. As a rule of thumb : if it needs a subsidy it is NOT saving the planet!
Here in New Zealand we have an election in a month. One of the parties is promoting renationalisation of our electricity. Bring it on I say. Before it was privatised in the 1990s we had such a good system and it was cheap. Now we a a myriad of private companies providing electricity and the cost is horrific.
August 24, 2017 at 11:51 am #35609
Dr. Diablo
Thank you anticlimactic. There are so many problems with renewables it’s hard to know where to start — particularly the grid, the infrastructure, and line losses. It’s also astonishingly bad as a transportation fuel, and no one calculates the huge input energy for mining and re-refining lithium, etc.
If anyone were serious about anything, they would use renewables according to their engineering parameters: they are a weak but dispersed power source and therefore cannot tolerate any transmission losses, much less the up to 20% loss here in the U.S.. Therefore any renewable, wind, solar, etc needs to be used on site in small-scale, distributed manner. This cuts off concentrated, centralized control, as power made is power used, and as no one is buying power through the money system, steadily cuts GDP even as it improves society, the environment, and quality of life. These three items are the reason it will never, ever be promoted or used, and instead is installed in the diametric opposite of its engineering logic: a concentrated, centralized, controlled, and monetized use which is a blatant wealth transfer from the poorest (rate and tax payers) to the rich (government-approved and connected, subsidized corporations and insiders. Lookin’ at you, Tesla).
Nevertheless, we can buck the trend and for modest cost, install low-level, distributed energy collectors in our own houses. …At least until none of us own our houses anymore, which seems increasingly likely.
There you go, Patricia. What always results when Zioglobalist/neoCON principles are put in play. There is going to be renationalization of lots more than electricity with the reversion to the mean…and beyond.
Debt Rattle August 22 2017 Debt Rattle August 24 2017
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A Tale of Two Patricks
Europe Ireland
All Ireland
Saint Patrick, Palladius and the History of Irish Christianity
By Bernd Biege
© Bernd Biege 2014
When we are celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day, are we (just maybe) celebrating two saints that became conflated? Or, to pose a maybe controversial question, was Saint Patrick really the "lone gunman" of the Christianization of Ireland? Or did he have some help? Was he even the first missionary to come to the Irish? Or ... are there (at least) two historical Patricks, which we now see as one person? Questions that may well be asked. Though the popular image of the saint could suffer a bit ... in a quest for historical probabilities and (maybe) truth.
Saint Patrick - the Official Story
According to some hagiographers (these are official, yet very biased biographers - basically fans of the saint, and intending to further his cult), folklore and legend, Patrick was the main man. Alone. Coming from somewhere East with a Papal blessing, he single-handedly converted the Irish to Christianity, spread the gospel in all parts of the island and, of course, banished the snakes while he was at it.
He was the undisputed superstar of Irish Christianity, which did not even exist before him, and would not exist without him. So far folk knowledge. But even Patrick’s own words contradict this ...
Saint Patrick - the Evidence
We have two works attributed to Saint Patrick, his autobiographical "Confessio" and a letter to a renegade chieftain, both of which contain almost none of the claims above.
Taking these as evidence, Patrick was a deeply troubled, though successful, missionary, more than likely working on a fairly local basis. He was also not adverse to self-congratulation: He honestly believed that by bringing the gospel to "the end of the world" (at that time, Ireland), and by converting the last Pagans, he would bring about the end times. Second coming imminent, prepare for the kingdom of heaven, milk, honey, and hosannas. Geographical problems notwithstanding (even in Patrick’s time there was knowledge about other “ends of the world”, in Asia and Africa) ...
if Patrick was even remotely as active and important as his hagiographers wanted him to be, he would have told us so. In all humility.
What is more ... there is evidence that a certain Palladius was sent on a Papal mission to Ireland before Patrick was dispatched. And even Patrick’s marching papers sent him “to the Christians in Ireland”, so there must have been some before he arrived on his mission.
Palladius - the Great Contender
Palladius was, in fact, the first Bishop of the Christians of Ireland, preceding Saint Patrick by a few months. He may have been deacon of Saint Germanus of Auxerre. Ordained a priest around 415, he lived in Rome between 418 and 429. Remembered fondly for urging Pope Celestine I to send Bishop Germanus to Britain, to bring the Britons back (!) into the Catholic fold.
Then, in 431, Palladius himself was sent as "first bishop to the Irish believing in Christ". Notice that even here it is assumed that there are already Christians in Ireland. Who just need encouragement and guidance from Rome. Assumed? We may take it for certain - Saint Ciaran Saighir, first bishop of Ossory, died in 402. Thirty years before Palladius and Patrick headed for Ireland.
Thus Palladius was handed his marching orders. And somehow disappeared off the earth ... or so it seems.
Muirchu, author or compiler of the "Book of Armagh", wrote two centuries later that "God hindered him". What is more, "those fierce and cruel men" wanted everything but to "receive his doctrine readily". As Muirchu fails to explain how those same savages apparently greeted Patrick a year later with (at least moderately) open arms, and not by taking up arms ... it seems that it was God's will that Palladius was doomed to failure. Maybe because he was not cut out of missionary material, as the learned follower of Patrick further explained: "He did not wish to spend time in a strange land, but returned to him who sent him." A shirker in the face of the Lord!
But Muirchu may have had a vested interest in promoting Patrick over Palladius, and thus be considered a far from reliable source.
Other evidence points to Palladius being actually successful. He is associated with some places in the Province of Leinster, especially Clonard in County Meath. But there is also a cluster of places dedicated to Palladius in Scotland. The village of Auchenblae is even believed to be his last resting place - an annual "Paldy Fair" was held here. Remember – the northern part of Britain, inhabited by Picts and Welsh, became only known as Scotland after the Scots made their mark on it. And “Scots” was what the Irish were called for a long time.
In the "Annals of Ulster", we also find an intriguing reference: "Repose of the elder Patrick, as some books state." Hang on ... the elder Patrick? Meaning there is a younger one?
Patrick - What's in a Name?
Actually there may have been several Patricks - today Patrick is a common name in Ireland, at least. But was it in the fifth century? Maybe not. And what is more: in Latin it would be "Patricius", and this can also be a honorific, a title, somewhat like "The Honourable". So any big cheese at the time may have been called “Patrick”, despite actually being Tom, Dick, or Harry.
Two Patricks Would Explain a Lot
It was T. F. O'Rahilly who first expounded the "Two Patricks" theory. According to this, much of the information that we think we have on Saint Patrick today originally concerned Palladius.
Churches associated with Palladius (and some of his followers) are clustered around Leinster power centres - close to the Hill of Tara for instance. But we find none in Ulster or Connacht. Here Patrick seems to have flourished.
In later times, Palladius was still remembered in Scotland (at least up to the Reformation), while Patrick's memory eclipsed Palladius' in Ireland. And as both may have been referred to as "Patricius" (in honorific title at least), their separate traditions merged into one. With Patrick becoming the lone star ... and missionary gunman.
Finally - Can We Prove It All?
No, unless indisputable documentary evidence turns up - which is unlikely, though not impossible. But would it really matter?
Those Things You Know About Saint Patrick ... Are Wrong!
All You Need to Know About the Irishman Who (Maybe) Discovered America
Saint Valentine - He Really is a Dubliner!
Meet the Most Important Female Saint of Ireland - Brigid of Kildare.
Travel on the Trail of Saint Patrick
Where Saint Patrick Called the High King Out - the Hill of Slane
What You Really Need to Know About Ireland's History
Get to Know Ireland, From A to Z, Literally!
Say Hi to the High Crosses of Ireland
William the Conqueror's Most Norman Castle Is in the Middle of London
Take a walk through West Belfast's troubled history
Charlotte's Liberty Walk Step by Step Tour
What You Need to Know About the Loug Ree Monster
Giant's Causeway: The Complete Guide
What You Need to Know About the Irish Samhain
Here's Why You Should See Dublin's St. Patrick's Cathedral
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Underrated UNESCO World Heritage Sites That Should Be On Your Travel Bucket List
12 Underrated UNESCO World Heritage Sites That Should Be On Your Travel Bucket List
Have you been to any of these wonders?
Alyosha RobillosJan 17th, 2019
Do underrated UNESCO World Heritage sites even exist?
What we mean to say is, UNESCO World Heritage Sites are declared as such for a reason — they are deemed to be “of outstanding universal value” upon the perusal of an esteemed panel of heritage, history, culture, and tourism experts. To become a UNESCO World Heritage Site means the destination has ticked off more than one item from a very hefty criteria.
But this isn’t the place to discuss this matter. What we’re getting at is: Some sites are more popular than others. If you’re a history and culture buff with a serious case of wanderlust, you might want to check out these underrated UNESCO World Heritage Sites. We assure you, they’re all bucket list-worthy.
Age-old cities
1. Berat and Gjirokastra, Albania
Gijrokastra | Image credit: Adam Jones
There are places that simply transport you back in time. Berat and Gijrokastra in Albania are two cities that do exactly that. While Berat is situated in Central Albania near the Osum River and Gijrokastra farther down south by the Gjerë mountains, both cities are known for architectural features that reflect the Ottoman period.
Image credit: StepWorld
Aside from having traditional two-storey Ottoman houses, Berat is also home to a 13th-century castle called the Kala. In Gijrokastra, travellers often visit 18th-century churches and a mosque of the same period.
2. Ouro Preto, Brazil
Image credit: Raquel Mendes Silva
Ouro Preto (or Black Gold in English) is a historical town in Eastern Brazil. Located in the Serra do Espinhaço mountains, it was a hotspot for mining during the country’s gold rush from the 17th to the 18th centuries. Its obvious wealth meant that at one point, it was also a centre for culture and trade.
3. Valetta, Malta
Image credit: Mike McBey
The capital city of Malta is a popular tourist spot, but not a lot of people know that Valetta is home to a whopping 320 monuments dedicated to the Order of the Knights of St. John Valleta. According to the Unesco website, “It was ruled successively by the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, and the Order of the Knights of St John.” Now that’s a rich history.
4. Bukhara, Uzbekistan
Image credit: Dan Lundberg
The city of Bukhara in Uzbekistan is a historic centre because it lies directly on the Silk Route, a known trading route that’s more than 2,000 years of age. You’ve probably heard about it in history classes at school. With a past that long, you’re bound to be amazed by breathtaking structures and practices that have stood the test of time.
1. Mt. Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary, Philippines
Image credit: Kleomarlo
Located in Davao Oriental in Mindanao, Mt. Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary is a haven for threatened flora and fauna endemic to the Philippines. It’s mostly known for housing the world’s largest pygmy forest — so if you’re a fan of miniature trees, this would be a must-see! Here, you can also spot the Philippine Eagle and the Philippine Cockatoo.
2. Banc d’Arguin National Park, Mauritania
Image credit: Pinpin
A diverse terrain in the Northwest African country of Mauritania, Banc d’Arguin National Park boasts of sand dunes, coastal swamps, shallow coastal waters, and even islets. This is where you see the desert’s harsh environment not so far away from a beautiful seascape.
3. New Zealand Sub-Antartic Islands, New Zealand
Image credit: Lawrie Mead
Five island groups make up the New Zealan Sub-Antartic Islands: Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands, Campbell Islands, and the Snares. What will you see here? Flocks of seabirds and penguins — something that definitely draws crowds of animal lovers!
4. Lut Desert, Iran
Image credit: Erik Albers
We’ve already talked about how much of an underrated destination Iran is. But here’s another thing you have to see on your first trip — the UNESCO-enlisted Lut Desert.
Also read: Iran Tourist Circuit: A 12-Day Itinerary for Your First Trip
5. Socotra Archipelago, Yemen
Image credit: Rod Waddington
Have you ever seen a Dragon’s Blood Tree? Well, that’s what Socotra Island is known for — along with several animal and plant species that you’ll only see in that part of the world. UNESCO says that “37% of Socotra’s plant species, 90% of its reptile species, and 95% of its land snail species do not occur anywhere else in the world.” How amazing is that?
Architectural marvels
1. Sanahin Monastery, Armenia
Image credit: Diego Delso
In countries steeped in faith, like Armenia, you’ll be able to see ecclesiastical architecture that dates back to the 10th century. A notable example is the Sanahin Monastery, a structure that artfully combines Byzantine and Caucasus elements of design.
2. Preah Vihear Temple, Cambodia
Image credit: Tetsuya Kitahata
Cambodia is home to probably one of the most iconic UNESCO Heritage Sites in the world. We doubt that you’ve never heard of Angkor Wat. But it has a lesser-known counterpart in the Dângrêk Mountains and you’ll find it sitting on top of a picturesque cliff. Aside from that, the UNESCO affirms that Preah Vihear Temple is an outstanding example of Khmer architecture to this day. That’s saying a lot since it was completed sometime in the 4th century.
3. Selimiye Mosque, Turkey
Image credit: Stylommatophora
One look and it cannot be denied: The Selimiye Mosque in Edirne, Turkey is breathtaking from all angles. Inside, the dome is vibrant, marked with intricate carvings and calligraphy. Its exterior commands attention even from a distance with minarets that pierce through the city’s skyline. Beyond the mosque is a complex that houses madrasas or Islamic schools, a clock house and library, and a covered market.
Have you been to any of these destinations? If not, then it’s the perfect excuse to update that travel bucket list!
Also read: 16 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Southeast Asia For Your Next Weekend Getaway
Alyosha Robillos
In Russia, Alyosha is a boy's name popularized by literary greats Dostoevsky and Tolstoy—but this particular Alyosha is neither Russian nor a boy. She is a writer from the Philippines who loves exploring the world as much as she likes staying at home. Her life's mission is to pet every friendly critter there is. When she isn't busy doing that, she sniffs out stories and scribbles away on the backs of old receipts. She is an advocate of many things: culture and heritage, the environment, skincare and snacking, to name a few. She will work for lifetime supplies of french fries and coffee. Or yogurt. Or cheese, preferably Brie.
CLICK TO SEE MORE ARTICLES BY Alyosha Robillos
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The grand puzzle of climate research
At the Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, more than 100 climate scientists work to study the climate – past, present, and future. The centre celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2012.
Researchers from Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research outdoors. Picture shot in May 2012 specifically for Hubro international edition 2012/2013.
Eivind Senneset
By Jens Helleland ÅdnanesPublished: 29.08.2012
The Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research celebrates its first decade in 2012 — a ten-year anniversary conference took place 3-6 September — and has established itself as the leading natural sciences climate centre in the Nordic region. Eystein Jansen is head of research and was heavily involved in the establishment of the centre in 2002. Today the centre has more than 100 scientific staff, about half of whom are from outside of Norway.
– Over the last decade, the Bjerknes Centre has been recognised as a major academic participant in climate research. But just as important is the fact that we have been recognised for our work in society outside of academia as well. We provide knowledge that is useful. It has always been our aim to be relevant and this is particularly obvious in our basic research, says Jansen.
He believes there is one particular reason why the research at Bjerknes is of such high quality.
– It’s the people here. We simply enjoy working together. There is diversity and a lot of interdisciplinary action, which means that the research expands into new areas all the time. Our research demands heavy-hitting teams with broad expertise across disciplines, he says.
Read about the Bjerknes Centre's involvement with the next IPCC report here.
Solving the puzzle
Like a large puzzle, the scientists, working in five interdisciplinary groups, create a bigger and clearer picture of climate change – past, present, and future. the overall goal is to understand and quantify regional climate change as part of the global climate system.
Geologist Bjørg Risebrobakken and atmospheric scientist Camille Li are two of the centre’s best puzzle solvers. Together, the two lead the four-year project DYNAWARM: Dynamics of Past Warm Climates at the Centre for Climate Dynamics (SKD), a Bjerknes offshoot.
A physicist by training, Camille Li decided to go into atmospheric sciences after her bachelor’s degree. She has worked at Uni Research and Bjerknes for approximately a year, and before that for three years at UiB. She chose to join Bjerknes because the expertise in paleoclimatology and physical oceanography would allow for exciting interdisciplinary work.
– There’s a great enthusiasm and wide expertise at SKD and the Bjerknes Centre. It’s a mix of people from different disciplines, and the effort we’ve put into understanding one another and working together is well worth it, she says.
She believes the interdisciplinary work methods at Bjerknes are unique.
– I’ve worked in other projects where we wanted to do this, but didn’t quite succeed. I think Eystein has established an environment where cooperation between disciplines is possible. He’s seen how important it is for climate research to move in this direction, Li suggests.
Bjørg Risebrobakken agrees that the interdisciplinary approach taken at the Centre strengthens the research at Bjerknes and the DYNAWARM project.
– At Bjerknes we have teams with different skills, that are able to view things from several angles and provide us with a larger picture, she says.
Hippo teeth and palm trees
By extracting columns of sediment from the bottom of the ocean, the DYNAWARM researchers explore how climate has changed through the ages. There is every indication that there have been periods when the entire planet, including the polar regions, was very warm.
– Fossil remains have been found of forests in the Arctic and Antarctica, and hippopotamus teeth in the arctic regions of Canada. The climate certainly must have been quite different from what it is today, Risebrobakken suggests.
According to Risebrobakken, the objective of the project is to understand how and why these warm climate periods existed, and develop an increased awareness of the interplay between the atmosphere, the oceans, and the cryosphere. Many different factors can contribute to climate change, such as variations in solar radiation, atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations, sea level, and tectonic regimes.
The past helps to predict the future
Knowledge of climate in a historical perspective is crucial if we are to understand the complexity of the climate changes currently taking place, and to distinguish between natural variations and human-made climate change.
– Right now, the earth’s climate is warming at a very fast rate. The last time atmospheric CO₂ concentrations were this high was 2.5 to 3 million years ago. Looking into past climates can give us an idea of what might happen in the future, says Li.
– What will happen if the global temperature rises by 3° C? Our research gives us insight into long time scale processes and lets us see what climate conditions were like when the global temperature actually was 3° C higher than today. Not only is this exciting material to work on, it is also essential work. It is a puzzle, where we find small bits here and there and put them together to see the bigger picture, Risebrobakken says.
This article was first printed in UiB's research and education magazine Hubro international 2012/2013. Translated from the Norwegian by Sverre Ole Drønen.
FACTS/The Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research
• The Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research celebrates its tenth anniversary in 2012.
• Consists of four partners: the University of Bergen, Uni Research, the Institute of Marine Research, and the Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center.
• The scientific staff consist of more than 120 researchers and scholars, hailing from Norway and several other European countries, the United States, Canada, China, and a number of countries in Africa, Asia, and South America.
• The Centre had more authors in the last IPCC report than any other Nordic research institution, and is one of four European centres that contributed climate scenarios to the report.
• The Centre coordinates Norwegian activities for developing climate models/earth system models in advance of the next IPCC report.
• A benchmarking of international climate centres in 2008 placed the Bjerknes Centre as number two, ranging ahead of many known climate centres in the US, Europe, Asia, and Australia.
• The centre is named after Vilhelm Bjerknes and his son Jacob Bjerknes, who were the leading figures of the «Bergen School» of the physics of atmosphere and ocean.
Researchers on the roof of Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research. Picture shot in May 2012 specifically for Hubro international edition 2012/2013.
post@ka.uib.no+47 55 58 69 00 University of Bergen Postboks 7800, N-5020 Bergen
Nygårdsgaten 5, 2. et. View campus map
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Johnny Depp Reportedly Planning To Marry Russian Go-Go Dancer 30 Years Youn...
Johnny Depp Reportedly Planning To Marry Russian Go-Go Dancer 30 Years Younger Than Him
By : Tim Horner On : 25 Apr 2019 09:15
In his latest audition to join the Rolling Stones, Johnny Depp is reportedly planning to marry his twentysomething Russian go-go dancer girlfriend.
Captain Jack Sparrow was based on guitarist Keith Richards and Depp’s latest act is reminiscent of the band’s dating history.
Hate it when you have to explain a joke to people who won’t get the reference. Look it up, and listen to some of their tunes while you’re at it.
Out of the time machine and with our feet well and truly planted in 2019, Johnny Depp, 55, has a new girlfriend – Polina Glen, twentysomething, a trained dancer and choreographer, the MailOnline has deduced.
Polina was papped walking alongside him in May 2018 while he was on tour with his band, The Hollywood Vampires, in Moscow and now she’s said to be living with him in his Sunset Boulevard mansion.
A friend told MailOnline:
Polina met Johnny at a party in LA. She gets invited to a lot of stuff and ran into him. She’s a dancer and a hot girl.
She was just chilling at the party and didn’t know who he was when he came over to introduce himself. They hit it off.
Do you hear wedding bells? I hear wedding bells.
Polina Glen/Instagram
The friend continued:
He’s got legal issues with his ex-wife and then here’s this beautiful young Russian dancer, that doesn’t want anything and doesn’t even know who he is. The Russian girls don’t know him. They have no clue about actors and people always look different in person
When she found out who he was, she was happy.
Depp hasn’t been romantically linked to anyone since splitting from Aquaman star Amber Heard, who filed for divorce in May 2016 stating he had been ‘verbally and physically’ abusive towards her. The divorce was finalised in January 2017 with Heard receiving a $7 million settlement.
The Pirates of the Caribbean star is currently involved in multiple lawsuits against his former business managers who claim he has squandered the majority of his $650 million fortune. He has also filed a $50 million defamation lawsuit against Heard.
The source told MailOnline:
She’s really sweet and caring. She’s very talented. I’m sure Johnny assists but she’s off doing her own thing.
She is very low-key. She goes to her dance choreography from his place and she comes back. I don’t think anyone knows she’s living there.
In regards to their future together, they said:
Polina said that they are going to get married and that he wants to go to Russia to meet her parents.
Good luck to the pair.
Tim Horner
Tim Horner is a sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated with a BA Journalism from University College Falmouth before most his colleagues were born. A previous editor of adult mags, he now enjoys bringing the tone down in the viral news sector.
Topics: Film,Gossip,Johnny Depp,Relationships
MailOnline
EXCLUSIVE: Meet the woman Johnny Depp, 55, plans to marry - a 20-something Russian go-go dancer who was caught in a passionate PDA with the actor and has moved into his Hollywood home
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Sewing Machine Battles: Karen Memory by Elizabeth Bear
Lee Mandelo
Wed Jan 28, 2015 3:00pm 2 comments Favorite This
Elizabeth Bear’s newest novel Karen Memory takes a different direction than her last several projects: it’s a steampunk romp set on the west coast during the late 19th century, narrated by the titular character, a young woman who works as a “seamstress” in a high end bordello.
One night, she helps (along with her housemates) to rescue two young women who have escaped the crib brothels down by the port—one the rescuer, one the rescue-ee. The incident brings the already-strained relationship between our antagonist, Peter Bantle, and the house’s Madame to a head; and, not long after, murdered women begin appearing around the city—also bringing to town the Federal Marshal Bass Reeves.
There are also dirigibles and steam-powered sewing machines like exoskeletons, of course, and the wider conflict over the future of the West lingers in the submerged layers of the narrative as well. There’s a mix of actual history and invented, real places and people and imaginary, that adds a certain depth to the fun—plus, there’s also a diverse cast, from our protagonist’s love interest Priya to the Marshal and his posseman.
The first and most direct thing I’d say about Karen Memory is that if you appreciated—or, say, really really loved—the movie Wild Wild West, but wished it had dealt more with the women of the frontier and their struggles, this is probably the book you’ve been waiting for. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a complex narrative with difficult characters and provocative concepts, something like Bear’s Jacob’s Ladder novels, this is quite firmly not that. Nor does it want to be. Karen Memory is exactly what it claims to be: a lighthearted and playful adventure yarn.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but it’s actually even framed as a dime-novel; there’s technically something like a twist at the end, but it’s fairly clear throughout the novel that our narrator is writing this for some particular audience that appreciates conversational reading and crackling adventure—as well as a touch more social commentary than the actual dime presses probably would have printed.
Karen as narrator gives us the whole of the tale through a fairly direct and “unpolished” prose, which does manage to feel a lot like listening to a story be told during the reading process. It’s a fast read, also. Though it is certainly a full length novel, it read quicker and lighter—and treaded, in some ways, rather close to feeling like a young adult story with a lot of the adult bits added back in. Karen is a young protagonist, after all, as is Priya. It is made a point of quite frequently that the Karen writing the story is older and wiser, though, which is perhaps the thing that pushes this firmly back into an adult generic audience.
The plot is fast and has a surprising amount of stuff going on in it: murder and politics and rescues and stakeouts abound. It seems as if the problems just keep compounding on themselves, as of course they tend to in this sort of book, until they all coalesce and have to be dealt with in one grand finale. It’s a structure that works, and it works here too. I was perfectly willing to keep turning pages to find out what happened next in Karen’s adventure.
In the end, though—despite all that—I wasn’t quite sure if I felt one-hundred percent satisfied by Karen Memory. That’s perhaps implicit in the expectations the novel sets for itself: it isn’t a serious and intense read, it’s an action-adventure sort of Western with girls and guns and steam-powered trappings. (There’s such thing as a Mad Scientist’s license in this world, for example.) It skims over much of the potential for depth and reflection in favor of a fast-snapping plot, which makes perfect sense and wouldn’t likely work any other way, but it’s definitely a trade that’s been made. I found myself wanting to slow it down a moment, sometimes. Karen, for example, seems to fall head over heels for Priya almost instantaneously; there are also a lot of stakeouts and daring escapes and ambushes that all began to make me feel a touch fatigued.
On the same note, there was something about the lack of depth in the majority of the cast that unsettled me as well. It sometimes feels as if our primary engagement with the characters is just the knowledge of their (markedly Other) skin color or gender—and it’s difficult to frame that as a criticism while simultaneously appreciating the diversity of the cast in what was historically a diverse frontier. Yet, I wanted more than just the sensation that I was being informed of their difference, and I’m not certain that I feel I necessarily got that “more.” This goes hand in hand, though, with the pace of the novel and the surface-level engagement it offers. Hard to do that work of expansion and development in this kind of book, and I’d certainly rather see the frontier represented near its wide-ranging totality than have all the cast and crew filled out with entirely white folks, et cetera. So, perhaps it’s a mealy-mouthed criticism; it’s a difficult one to make, certainly, but it was a sensation that lingered with me after finishing the read.
Which is not to say that Karen Memory isn’t making its arguments and presenting its particular worldview and politics as well. The Karen of the story in particular is living through the cusp years of a young woman who feels generous and unprejudiced—except she hasn’t quite faced down some very basic and implicit things she assumes about the world. Near the end, for example, Marshal Reeves refers to the house’s male assistant, Crispin, by his last name—and Karen doesn’t know it, because she never bothered to ask a black man’s surname. It shames her, even after her victories and with her progressive opinions about women, that she could make such a mistake. And that’s a message I appreciated throughout the novel: that she’s trying, but it doesn’t make her perfect, and the world she lives in certainly isn’t. The use of historical language to present people like Reeves’s Native American posseman and Miss Francina, a woman who is transgender, is also an interesting choice—it gives us some insight, uncomfortably, into the blind spots Karen and her associates have regardless of their progressive intentions.
They’re products of their world, and they’re trying—which is perhaps the most depthy thematic message a reader could try to pull from amongst the mechanical exoskeleton (sewing machine) battles and the Jack-the-Ripper murder mystery and the Russian sabotage plots.
Overall, I think that Karen Memory makes for a good weekend read—curl up in a blanket, have some whiskey, and dive into some wild west adventures with the “soiled doves” of Madame Damnable’s house. It’s silly and fun, and that is worth something, particularly if that’s the sort of thing you’re feeling in the mood for. It also does manage to do something with steampunk I was willing to read, too, which is a high compliment after the recent years’ deluge. And lastly, it has a head on its shoulders about making its social criticisms and commentary through a historical lens and historical language—sometimes that’s interesting too, like peering back through time (though never stepping out of the contemporary experience). Bottom line: it’s a lesbian steampunk western, and if that’s your deal, you’ll enjoy it.
Karen Memory is available February 3rd from Tor Books.
Read an excerpt from the novel here on Tor.com, and get a closer look at the cover design.
Brit Mandelo is a writer, critic, and editor whose primary fields of interest are speculative fiction and queer literature, especially when the two coincide. She can be found on Twitter or her website.
book reviewsElizabeth BearKaren MemoryqueerreviewsSteampunkTor Books
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Good PR for Corinth Police Department- Law Offices of Tim Powers, Denton, Texas
By TPowersCMS
| November 24, 2015
Late last month, the dean of the Mayborn School of Journalism at the University of North Texas spoke out on some racial allegations against the Corinth Police Department. Dorothy Bland published an article on the Dallas Morning News stating that she was pulled over for "walking while black."
This accusation was taken very seriously (as it should have been); however, there is always a well defined line that no one should ever cross, especially a journalist. Bland was well within her right to talk and write about how she felt. No one can tell her she didn't feel like she was profiled; nevertheless, she crossed that line when she fabricated some information in her published story.
Last month Bland was walking in the middle of the street near her Corinth home. She was wearing a sweatshirt with a hood and athletic pants and was waving her arms doing her exercises for the day. A car pulled up behind her and nearly went to a complete stop before going around her. The police drove up and got out of their squad car and stared walking towards her. She turned around, saw them and started walking to meet them halfway. The dash cam video shows one of the officers telling her nicely that if she is going to walk in the middle of the street then she needs to walk on the opposite side going towards traffic. They assured her it was for her safety. The officer then asked for her identification. In the video she told the officers that she didn't have any because she was working out and could go get it if need be. The officer said she didn't need to but continued to call in which is normal protocol. At this point, Bland got really sassy and began taking pictures of the officers and the Texas license plate on the squad car. The officers did not issue any tickets and just warned her to stay on the other side of the street. They said it was considered impediment of traffic but mainly stopped her because it was a safety concern. After this happened, Bland went and posted on her Facebook claiming she was stopped for her color. She then wrote an article on the Dallas Morning News telling her version of the story and fabricating facts. On her article she claimed she was stopped for her color. In the video, there is no way to tell her color, she is wearing a sweatshirt with a hood and Nike running pants. In addition, she claimed that the officers never stated why they pulled her over which they did. Corinth PD responded immediately by releasing the dash cam video to the Dallas Morning News and the rest of the public.
I don't want to get into the issue of race. I strictly would just like to assess the situation and talk strictly based on facts. Whether she did feel profiled or not, that is not our place to say. Based on the fact that she lied on her article was unethical and possibly diminishes the fact that crimes like this does happen. However; in this case, it does not appear to be a matter of race. The Corinth PD handled the situation correctly and responded to the situation in an appropriate matter. What do you think?
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/metro/20151111-dorothy-bland-on-her-walking-while-black-column-i-didnt-intend-to-become-a-public-figure.ece
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/nov/5/dorothy-bland-unt-journalism-dean-says-walking-whi/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh_OvluMqxI (video)
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Kayala
Homilies, News and Stories
SM Icons
Cycle C
Weekday Homilies
Easter 5 Sunday C - Love One Another
5th Easter C from Jaimelito Gealan
Michel de Verteuil
General Textual Comments
It is traditional in the Church that on the 5th and 6th Sundays of the Easter season, the gospel readings are taken from the long discourse which St John tells us Jesus had with the apostles at the Last Supper, and which is recounted from chapter 13:31 to the end of chapter 17. This is very deep teaching, so you must make a special effort to experience that it is also down-to-earth, and helps you to understand your own life.
This year’s first extract is the beginning of the discourse. It is in clearly distinct sections:
Verses 31 and 32 are the response of Jesus to the departure of Judas. You may have difficulty interpreting the word “glorify” which occurs several times. It is a biblical term indicating the victory of God’s power. It is significant that “hallowed” in the first petition of the Our Father means the same thing.
In verse 33, Jesus says clearly that he is at a point in his life when he must make his journey alone. The saying is repeated and clarified in verse 36, which is not included in this passage, but which you may want to look up in a Bible.
In verses 34 and 35 the commandment of love – which is the dominant theme of the last discourse – is enunciated for the first time. Read the verses carefully, letting them touch you as if you were reading them for the first time.
Prayer Reflections
“The tyrant dies and his rule ends.
The martyr dies and his rule begins.” …Kirkegaard
Lord, we thank you for the great martyrs of our time,
Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Archbishop Romero.
Those who put them to death have long been forgotten,
gone like Judas into the night,
but they have been glorified and you have been glorified in them.
Lord, there was a time when we struggled with some sin for several years,
lust, jealousy, racial prejudice, the inability to forgive.
Then one day we knew that this Judas had gone and left us,
that we had been victorious or rather that you had been victorious in us,
and like Jesus we knew that even if we face a great crisis,
you will be with us and soon bring us to safety with you.
Lord, forgive us that as a Church community we make compromises
in order to please powerful people, fearing that otherwise they may harm us.
Teach us that sooner or later Judas goes away
and if our trust has been in our fidelity to your teaching,
you will be glorified in us and you will glorify us in yourself.
Lord, all of us who have charge of young people,
as parents, teachers, youth leaders or spiritual guides,
help us not to be possessive as Peter was with Jesus,
wondering why we cannot accompany them in all their crises,
and looking for them even though they tell us clearly
that where they are going we cannot come.
Lord, there comes a time in life for each of us, as it did for Jesus,
when we have to make a decisions alone:
• to marry;
• to enter religious life or the seminary;
• to run for public office;
• to accept terminal illness.
Often before, we have had to distance ourselves from those who did not love us.
Now we say to those dearest to us
that where we are going they cannot come.
Lord, we thank you for the time that we experienced selfless love for someone,
for one of our parents, a friend, a leader in our community.
At that moment it was as if we had understood love for the first time;
we had received a new commandment to love others as we had been loved.
Lord, there is a history of love in the world,
so that when we see people who are able to reach out to one another,
we know that they have experienced love themselves.
“Non-violence is the greatest and most active force in the world.” GandhiLord, when people love unconditionally, as Jesus did,
everyone knows that your disciples are at work in the world.
Thomas O’Loughlin
Liturgical Resources for the Year of Lukewww.Columba.ie
Introduction to the Celebration
The Paschal Candle burning before us alerts us to the fact that on these Sundays after Easter we are trying to grasp the mystery of what it means to follow Jesus who has risen from death and who is sharing his new life with us. Jesus has called us out of darkness, he has renewed us in baptism, he calls us to give new life to the world, and he beckons us to the glorious city beyond history where we shall be one with him in praising the Father.
Homily notes
1. Some words keep corning up in Eastertime: ‘new life,’ ‘new creation,’ ‘renewal,’ ‘new birth,’ ‘baptism,’ ‘being a baptised people,’ and you could add many more to the list. However, these words all suffer a burn-out in meaning for people. Baptism is just a fancy name for a christening which is just a party after a new baby – and even those who are regular church-goers will have been to many such family events where they know that christening is an event and that’s the end of it. As for ‘new’ and ‘renewal’, these words belong to the stock and trade of advertising. The effect of this exhaustion of meaning within words is that some of our most basic beliefs about the life that the Christ shares with us become, when expressed in phrases like ‘he gives us new life’, sounds that are indistinguishable from trite cliches.
2. So can meaning be restored? The two great means of restoring religious symbols – and words are just one kind of symbol – are (1) re-inventing rituals which capture the imagination anew, and (2) reflection which brings those symbols into new alignments within our minds (so baptism is not linked to a private family occasion nor new life with someone offering a ‘lifestyle makeover’).
3. If the theme of new creation, new life through baptism is to be explored and given back its ‘saltiness’ then the homily and the rest of the ritual need to gel together. So make more of the sprinkling with water at the beginning that involves movement and action and touch by all concerned: effective ritual always needs at least these components if it is to be affective.
4. At the homily time ask people to reflect with those near them what saying ‘we are a new creation’ means to them? Does it have implications for how we treat one another? Does it mean replacing the instinct for vengeance with that of forgiveness? Does it have any implications for how responsible we must be with the earth’s resources and care of the environment?
Such questions touch some of our most deeply held beliefs in contemporary western societies – areas of belief where often we do not want the light of Christ to penetrate lest it cause us discomfort. But it is only in discomfort that the basic symbols of our faith can be renovated from flippant phrases into life-giving words.
3. Sean GoanLet the reader understandwww.columba.ie
This gospel is taken from John’s account of the last supper. It differs from the others because John leaves out any mention of the bread and wine and speaks rather of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples. Our text begins with Judas departing the scene and continues with Jesus’ words to his disciples. He is explaining to them that the events that are about to unfold, i.e. his passion and death, are not a disaster but rather the culminiaton of his life’s work. His faithfulness to his task of revealing God has brought him to this point and so God is glorified in all that will unfold. Even though it appears at first sight that evil triumphs, nothing could be further from the truth for on the cross Jesus will reveal the glory of God who has ‘loved us to the end’. That is why the commandment that Jesus now gives is so important. The disciples must love one another in the way that Jesus has loved them. This is what his life’s work has been: to draw the disciples into the relationship of love that Jesus shares with his Father.
The strange sounding place-names of the first reading and the exotic symbolism of the second reading might seem far removed from our every day lives as we sit in the familiar church pew on a Sunday morning. So is there any point at which we can connect with these texts? If we have ever heard a homily or read a story which gave us new heart, or if we have ever been moved at the sight of a tear being gently wiped from the face of someone in sorrow, then these readings can speak to us. For they are all about encouragement. All of us from time to time need to know that we are not on our own, and we need also to be reminded that any words of encouragement that we can find for another are rarely wasted.
4. Donal Neary S.J.
Gospel reflectionswww.columba.ie
Christ is alive
Peter got great joy out of being a fisherman, a businessman, with his business partners. Especially when the catch was good and the money was flowing in from Rome and the cities east and west of Galilee.
Jesus offered more – for then, for now and for always. Life to the full was to follow, even in suffering, humiliation and death for Peter,
Christ is alive in love of our family network, our deep friendships, our care for the needy, and our care for the earth. Our volunteers in many places bring the fullness of life of Jesus.
The fish in the story represent all the people who will be found for Christ. And he’d say to Peter, Took at the fish and think of the people and know that I am alive.
Sharing and educating in faith is bringing Christ to life. The teachers and chaplains, priests, religious, parish personnel, all educators in faith are in partnership with the Lord Jesus.
All sincere faith knowledge leads to love of God and each other. Conversion is being in love with God and his creation, with each and with everyone. We want to be in a state of love. Only the one who can love can know God, for God is love. That’s the challenge to all of us in passing on the faith as best we can to another generation. We pass on our faith in love.
It’s not just a catechism but the conviction, belief and joy that Christ is alive. To us Christ would say there will always be fish to be caught and people to be served, the generous gift of God. To us he says there is always love, also the generous gift of God.
From the Connections:
Today’s Gospel takes place in the cenacle the night of the Last Supper. Jesus has just completed the dramatic washing of his disciples’ feet and has further shocked his disciples with the warnings of Judas’ role in the events to come. After Judas leaves, Jesus addresses his own, his dearest friends. He leaves them a “new” commandment of love -- what is “new” is the model Jesus leaves them of selfless, sacrificial, forgiving love. This same “new” model of love is the indispensable sign of discipleship.
HOMILY POINTS:
To those who profess to follow him -- from the apostles to us to the very last generation who will inhabit this planet -- Jesus gives a “new” commandment, a new standard for all human relationships: as I have loved you, so must your love be for one another. It is that concept of unconditional, sacrificial love that distinguishes us as men and women of faith, as true disciples of the Risen One.
As a Church, we come together at the “command” of Christ to accompany one another through our lives’ journeys to the reign of God, to support one another in life’s joys and sorrows, to “be Christ” to one another in love and compassion.
Jesus leaves his Church a “new” standard of love, a standard that transcends legalisms and measurements, a standard that renews and re-creates all human relationships, a standard that transforms the most Godless and secular world view into the compassion and justice of God. It is a love that grows stronger the more it is tested, a love that endures and remains steadfast the more it is pulled, a love that continues to heal and forgive the more it is engaged.
Our very identity as disciples of Christ is centered in such persistent and constant love; our faithfulness in imitating the compassion and forgiveness of the Risen One is lived in our openness of heart and spirit to love selflessly, completely and unconditionally, as God has loved us in his Christ.
Homily from Father James Gilhooley
Do you remember the tale of the dreadful accident on the battleship USS Iowa. It occurred in the spring of 1989. Forty seven young men were killed in a still unexplained explosion in a gun turret. There is much tragedy in the sad story. But also one can find strong threads of glory. The storyteller reminds us the glory belongs, paradoxically perhaps, not to the survivors but to the casualties. The heroes were not the men who may have kept the battleship afloat after the accident. Rather, the heroes were the sailors who died. They shall ever be numbered among the Navy's honored dead. Writes the poet, "They shall not grow old...At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them." As it was for these young men, so it was for Jesus. So can it be for you and me if of course we have spiritual courage and discipline. Today's Gospel takes us back to the Last Supper. We listen to the opening strains of the Teacher's last talk with His closest followers. If you listen even with your hearing aid turned down to low, you will detect no anxiety and no fears in the Christ. Clearly He is not running scared.
This is remarkable. Remember He knows of the impending betrayal of one of His own. He sees His fast approaching crucifixion with its dreadful pain. The Teacher is circled in majesty. He is the original Mr Cool. He does not require blood pressure pills. This is not a prisoner sitting in a death cell ready to eat the traditional last meal. Rather, He is a King hosting a sumptuous victory banquet. Let me support my statement with irrefutable proof. In the opening two sentences of today's Gospel, you will find the word glory mentioned an extraordinary five times. Does this sound like a Man who feels He is a loser? Quite the contrary! You would not be surprised to discover this Host pouring aged Napoleon brandy in Baccarat snifters for each of the apostles. Then He would pass around a box of the finest Havanas.
No doubt, He would say, "Take a second one for the celebration Sunday." One scholar sums up the situation succinctly. In John's Gospel, the passion, death, and resurrection of the Teacher are not told as distinct tales. Rather, they are part and parcel of one large story. And the thought that runs throughout the narration is supreme glory. The greatest glory in life, says William Barclay, is glory which comes from sacrifice. Following long-standing traditions, the crew members of the USS Iowa will come together for regular reunions. Their first toast will not be to the survivors but always to the fallen forty seven. Whenever we Catholics and Christians come together as today, we salute not the apostles who survived that Good Friday but our Leader who sacrificed Himself for us. John argues today that the more one puts out, the more one will receive in turn. Thus, the generous giver happily finds himself the subject of Bunyan's riddle, "The more he threw away, the more he had." For example, who was the hero of Charles Dicken's A Tale of Two Cities?
The beautiful Lucie Manette or Sydney Carton who allowed himself to be guillotined to insure that she might live a life of bliss? Most would answer Mr Carton. Thus, if you and I can somehow break out of the confining envelope of our own selfishness, if we stop hoarding our time, money, and energy, the bigger will the payoff be for our own Christian selves. If we take this Gospel message with the seriousness that John intended, we might well become different men and women. When you grow weary, bring to mind the tested advice of William Ward. "When we are unable, God is able.
When we are insufficient, God is sufficient. When we are filled with fear, God is always near." Reflect daily on the dictum which advises Christianity is not just Christ in you but Christ living His life through you. It goes on to say our love for Christ should be faith with working clothes on, So, we must tell everyone about Someone who can save anyone. Your sacrifices will someday bring you much glory. That is both the teaching of history as well as a chief principle in life.
Homily from Father Joseph Pellegrino
While on vacation a few summers ago I met a wonderful Moslem man who asked me about Jerusalem. His question shocked me. I don't know if his question represented a popular thought in Islam, but what he asked was, "Do Christians support the Jews because they believe that someday Israel will rule the world from Jerusalem?” Perhaps, his question was based on the second reading for this Sunday from the twenty-first chapter of the Book of Revelations. This chapter speaks about the New Jerusalem. I thought it might be helpful today for us to do a little reflection on the Book of Revelations and on the New Jerusalem. First of all, the Book of Revelations is part of that form of literature called apocalyptical material. Some bibles still refer to it as the Apocalypse. Apocalyptical material is actually a literary genre somewhere between prose and poetry.
It is meant to stir up the emotions of the listener or reader and motivate him or her into action. In the Book of Revelations we hear about horrible scourges, those of the seven seals, the seven bowls and the seven trumpets. These are meant to scare us into recognizing what sin is doing to the world. At the same time, in the midst of terror, God is triumphant. In fact, the main theme of the Book of Revelation and all apocalyptic material is that the world might seem to be out of God's control and in the control of the devil, but God knows and God will intervene. For example, in the sixth chapter of Revelation the angel of God opens the seals of the Book of God's plan for his people. A plague upon evil doers accompanies each seal. When the fifth seal is opened voices are heard under the altar of God's sacrifice.
These are the voices of the martyrs, the witnesses of Jesus Christ. "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true,” the voices call out, "how long before you will judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood.” They were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number would be complete both of their fellow servants and of their brothers and sisters, who were soon to be killed as they themselves had been killed. A little longer. God is in control. The horrors happening around us will continue for a little longer until more can be added to the saved, even if more will also be added to the martyred. The Book of Revelation is a profound expression of the Christian experience. Only the Lamb that was slain can unseal the Book of God's plan for mankind. Only Jesus Christ can restore God's plan. He alone is our salvation. The death of the Lord, swept up into heaven, is the conquest of the Forces of Death. Evil no longer has a hold in the world of Jesus Christ. The New Jerusalem is in our immediate future. Those who hold out for the Lord will be citizens of "the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.” They will hear a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, God's dwelling is with the human race.
He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them as their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order has passed away." The former heaven and former earth will pass away. The sea, chaos, will be no more. There will be a new heaven and a new earth. The One who sits behind the throne says, "Behold, I make all things new.” There is no room for pessimism in Christianity. The basic attitude of the Christian is optimism. God is in control. God will cure the evils of the world and answer the questions of existence in ways that are beyond our imagination. I see this Christian optimism when I'm with a family gathered around the deathbed of a loved One. "He is in God's hands now,” they proclaim in the midst of their grief. I see this Christian optimism in our parents and godparents who see a new world in the faces of their children.
I see this Christian optimism in the care givers and servants of the sick and poor. I see this Christian optimism whenever I am confronted with a seemingly impossible situation. Somehow or other, God will work it out. He is in control. What could never happen in the world that had rejected God, can now take place in the New Jerusalem. The Blind will see, the deaf will hear, the lame will walk and the poor will have the Good News preached to them. Jesus Christ has won the battle. He is the victim who has become the victor. We are part of the New Jerusalem. The trials and pains of our lives have meaning and purpose because they are part of the witness of the Christians of the ages that Jesus wins. Don't be negative.
Don't be pessimistic. No matter what you are facing physically, in your home, in your lives. No matter what you may fear for your loved ones. No matter what questions you have for the future, be positive. It's a whole new world. God is in charge. We are citizens of the New Jerusalem. Christian optimism must permeate every action of our lives. Sin will never win the final battle. Evil, no matter how powerful it may seem, will never conquer the world. Jesus Christ has won. God is in control. So what is the New Jerusalem that Christians believe will someday rule the world? The New Jerusalem is not a physical place. The New Jerusalem is the Kingdom of God among us. And we are called to be its citizens.
Fr. Jude Botelho:
This Sunday’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles reminds us of the many missionary journeys of the apostles and the growth of Christianity. It was not all easy but the gentle encouragement of Barnabas, and the personal witness of Paul was a great blessing for the early Christian communities and they grew in number. Every day of our life we are called to witness to the fact that Jesus is alive and in our midst. We are also called to be like Joseph, the real name of Barnabas. He was nicknamed Barnabas, ‘son of encouragement’. He encouraged Paul when he was just beginning his ministry and his encouragement built the early church. We need less of critics and more of encouragers to build the Christian community.
Newspaper columnist Art Buchwald once wrote about a friend in New York City. Let’s call his friend Oscar. One day Art and Oscar were getting out of a taxi. As they did, Oscar said to the driver, “You did a superb job of driving.” The cabbie looked at him and said, “What are you? A wise guy?” “Not at all,” said Oscar. “I really mean it. I admire the way you moved about in traffic.” “Yeah, sure,” said the cabbie and he drove off. “What was that all about?” asked Art. “I’m trying to bring love back to New York,” Oscar replied. “How can you do that?” said Art. “Take that cabbie,” said Oscar. “I think I made his day. Let’s suppose he has 20 fares today. He’s going to be nice to those 20 people. They, in turn, will be kinder to other people.” Just then they passed a construction site. It was noon, and the workers were eating. Oscar walked up to a group of them and said, “That’s a magnificent job you men are doing. When will it be finished?” Oscar asked. “June”, grunted one of the hard-hats. “That’s great,” said Oscar. “It is going to be a splendid addition to the city.” As they continued their walk, Art said to Oscar, “Boy, I haven’t seen anyone like you since The Man of La Mancha.” “That’s okay,” said Oscar, “But when those men digest my words, they will be better for it.” “But even if they are better for it, you’re still only one man,” said Art. “And one person can’t change New York City.” “Yes he can,” said Oscar. “The big thing is not to get discouraged. Bringing back love to New York is not easy. But if I can get other people to join me in my campaign.” “Hey!” Art interrupted. “You just winked at a very ugly woman.” “I know I did,” said Oscar. “And if she is a schoolteacher, her class is in for a fantastic day.” Buchwald never tips his hand in the article. Some readers believe he was more serious than we might think.
Sunday Homilies; Mark Link, SJ
The Gospel continues this theme of newness that John spoke about and also gives us the key to letting this newness happen: “I give you a new commandment, love one another just as I have loved you.” Jesus then speaks of the newness he himself will be experiencing very soon. “Now has the Son of Man been glorified and in him God has been glorified.” We may be surprised but the hour of his glory is his being lifted up on the Cross and lifted in his Resurrection. Suffering and death are tied together and both are the moment of his glorification. This perhaps is one aspect of the newness that we are called to discover and live. The cross is not just the place of suffering; it is the place where we can see how much God loves us. In John’s Gospel Jesus being lifted on the cross is a revelation of the greatness of God’s love. Jesus’ task of making God’s love known did not end with his death. The story of Jesus among us is about to end as he is about to leave his disciples. But how is the world still to know and feel the greatness of God’s love? In today’s gospel we see Jesus telling his disciples that they have the task of making his love known. “A new commandment I give you, love as I have loved you.” This will be the hall-mark of every Christian, love! What is this newness that is promised by the Risen Lord? Perhaps it is making God’s love known; Perhaps it is not our loving and doing things for God but rather letting God love us and do things through us; Perhaps it is seeing suffering as an essential part of loving; Perhaps it is experiencing life through death; Perhaps it is saying ‘Thy will be done’ when we would rather have things differently; Perhaps it is love that is ever-forgiving; Perhaps it is love that is unconditional; Perhaps it is discovering through love, the God-who-dwells-with us; perhaps it is discovering the wonderful works of God through the power of his Spirit released through love.
Miracle of love
This story of love comes from 1976. A car accident tore open the head of 21 year old Chicago boy named Peter. His brain was damaged and he was thrown into a deep coma. Doctors told family and friends that he probably would not survive; even if he did, he would be in a comatose state. In the sad days ahead, Peter’s fiancée Linda spent all her free time in hospital. Night after night, for three and a half months she’d sit at Peter’s bedside, pat his cheek, rub his brow and talk to him. All the time Peter remained in a coma, unresponsive to Linda’s presence. Linda continued to speak lovingly to him, even though he gave no sign that he heard her. Then one night Linda saw Peter’s toe move. A few nights later she saw his eyelash flutter. This was all she needed. Against the advice of doctors, she quit her job and became his constant companion, spending hours massaging his arms and legs. Eventually she arranged to take him home; she spent all her savings on a swimming pool, hoping that the sun and the water would restore life to Peter’s motionless limbs. Then came the day when Peter spoke the first word since the accident. It was only a grunt but Linda understood it. Gradually with Linda’s help these grunts turned into words- clear words. Finally the day came when Peter was able to ask Linda’s father if he could marry her. Linda’s father said, “When you can walk down the aisle, Peter, she’ll be yours.” Two years later, Peter walked down the aisle of Our Lady of Pompeii Church in Chicago. He had to use a walker, but he was walking. Every television station in Chicago covered that wedding. Families with loved ones in comas called to ask their advice. Their love had made a miracle happen!
Mark Link
Quest for Fire
In the early 1980s, an unusual film was playing in movie theatres across the nation. It was called Quest for Fire. Its French producer said it fulfilled a lifelong dream. He’d always dreamed of celebrating, in film, the discovery of fire. For it was the discovery of fire 80,000 years ago that saved people on the planet Earth from total extinction. It was the discovery of fire that made it possible for them to make tools for survival and to protect themselves against the cold. Today, people on planet earth are beginning to worry that we are on the brink of global disaster. This time the danger comes not from something basic like the lack of fire but from something even more basic – the lack of human love, the kind of love Jesus preached. This makes us wonder. It makes us ask ourselves a question, a frightening question. Do we really love?
Mark Link in ‘Sunday Homilies’
United with Christ we stand, separated we perish
J.C. Penny Stores is the largest chain of dry goods stores in the world. There are more than sixteen hundred of them in every state of the United States. Mr. J.C. Penny, the owner of these stores had a very serious mid-life crisis. He was beset with fatal worries. He was so harassed with worries that he couldn’t sleep, and he developed an extremely painful ailment called the shingles – a red rash and skin eruptions. His doctor put him to bed and warned him that he was a very sick man. A rigid treatment was prescribed. But nothing helped. He grew weaker day by day. He was physically and nervously broken, filled with despair. One night the doctor gave him a sedative, but its effects wore off soon, and he awoke with an overwhelming sense of his death. Getting out of his bed, he began to write farewell letters to his wife and to his son saying that he did not expect to see the dawn. When he awoke the next morning, he was surprised to find himself alive. Going downstairs, he heard singing in a little chapel where devotional exercises were held each morning. He heard them singing the beautiful hymn: ‘God will take care of you’. He went to the chapel and listened with a weary heart to the singing, the reading of the Scripture lesson and prayer. Suddenly, something happened which were beyond any explanation. He called it a miracle. In his own words, he said, “I felt as if I was instantly lifted out of the darkness of a dungeon into warm, brilliant sunlight. I felt as if I was transported from hell to paradise. I felt the power of God as I had never felt before. I realized then that I alone was responsible for all my troubles. I knew that God with His love was there to help me. From that day to this, my life has been free from worry. I am seventy-one years old, and the most dramatic and glorious twenty minutes of my life were those I spent in that chapel that morning: ‘God will take care of you.’”
John Rose in ‘John’s Sunday Homilies’
The demand of unconditional love
A soldier was finally coming home after having fought in Vietnam. He called his parents from San Francisco. “Mom and Dad, I’m coming home, but I’ve a favour to ask. I have a friend I’d like to bring home with me.” “Sure” they replied, “we’d love to meet him.” “There is something you should know,” the son continued, “He was injured pretty badly in the fighting. He stepped on a landmine and lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go and I want him to come and stay with us.” “I’m sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can help him find somewhere to live.” “No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us.” “Son,” said the father, “you don’t know what you are asking. Someone with such a handicap would be a terrible burden on us. We have our own lives to live, and we can’t let something like this interfere with our lives, I think you should just come home and forget about this guy. He will find a way to live on his own.” At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing more from him. A few days later however, they received a call from the San Francisco police. Their son had died after falling from a building, they were told. The police believe it was suicide. The grief-stricken parents flew to San Francisco and were taken to the city morgue to identify the body of their son. They recognized him, but to their horror they also discovered something they didn’t know, their son had only one arm and one leg.
John Pichappilly in ‘The Table of the Word’
From Father Tony Kadavil’s Stable:
1: “Little children love one another:” St. Jerome relates of the apostle John that when he became old, he used to be carried to the assembled Churches, everywhere repeating the words, “Little children, love one another.” His disciples, wearied by the constant repetition, asked him why he always said this. “Because,” he replied, “it is the Lord’s commandment, and if it only be fulfilled, it is enough.” John knew that the greatest truth was most apt to be forgotten because it was taken for granted. This is one of the greatest calamities in the Christian Church and the one that causes divisions. http://frtonyshomilies.com/
2: “I wouldn’t do that for a million dollars.” One day, as St. Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa, 1910-1997) and her Missionaries of Charity were tending to the poorest of the poor on the streets of Calcutta, they happened across a man lying in the gutter, very near death. He was filthy, dressed in little more than a rag and flies swarmed around his body. Immediately, Mother Teresa embraced him, spoke to him softly and began to pick out the maggots that were nesting in his flesh. A passerby was repulsed by the sight of the man and exclaimed to Mother Teresa, “I wouldn’t do that for a million dollars.” Her response was immediate, “Neither would I!” Obviously, monetary gain did not motivate the diminutive woman known as the Saint of Calcutta; love did. In her writings, Mother Teresa frequently affirmed the motivating power of love. Quoting Jesus in today’s Gospel, she wrote, “Jesus said, ‘Love one another. Such as my love has been for you, so must your love be for each other.’” She continued, “We must grow in love, and to do this we must go on loving and loving and giving and giving until it hurts – the way Jesus did. Do ordinary things with extraordinary love: little things, like caring for the sick and the homeless, the lonely and the unwanted, washing and cleaning for them.” Elsewhere, Mother Teresa remarked that the greatest disease in the West today is not tuberculosis, leprosy or even A.I.D.S.; it is being unwanted, uncared for, unloved. That she did her part in trying to “cure” this disease was attested in everything she did and in every word she said. (Sanchez Files) http://frtonyshomilies.com/
3: Catherine Lawes who transformed a notorious prison with love: In 1921, Lewis Lawes became the warden at Sing Sing Prison in New York state. No prison was tougher than Sing Sing during that time. But when Warden Lawes retired some 20 years later, that prison had become a humanitarian institution. Those who studied the system said credit for the change belonged to Lawes. But when he was asked about the transformation, here’s what he said: “I owe it all to my wonderful wife, Catherine, who is buried outside the prison walls.” Catherine Lawes was a young mother with three small children when her husband became the warden. Everybody warned her from the beginning that she should never set foot inside the prison walls, but that didn’t stop Catherine! When the first prison basketball game was held, she went … walking into the gym with her three beautiful kids, and she sat in the stands with the inmates. Her attitude was: “My husband and I are going to take care of these men and I believe they will take care of me! I don’t have to worry.” She insisted on getting acquainted with them and their records. She discovered one convicted murderer was blind so she paid him a visit. Holding his hand in hers she said, “Do you read Braille?” “What’s Braille?” he asked. Then she taught him how to read. Years later he would weep in love for her. Later, Catherine found a deaf-mute in prison. She went to school to learn how to use sign language. Many said that Catherine Lawes was the body of Jesus that came alive again in Sing Sing from 1921 to 1937. Then, she was killed in a car accident. The next morning Lewis Lawes didn’t come to work, so the acting warden took his place. It seemed almost instantly that the prison knew something was wrong. The following day, her body was resting in a casket in her home, three-quarters of a mile from the prison. As the acting warden took his early morning walk he was shocked to see a large crowd of the toughest, hardest-looking criminals gathered like a herd of animals at the main gate. He came closer and noted tears of grief and sadness. He knew how much they loved Catherine. He turned and faced the men, “All right, men, you can go. Just be sure and check in tonight!” Then he opened the gate and a parade of criminals walked, without a guard, the three-quarters of a mile to stand in line to pay their final respects to Catherine Lawes. And every one of them checked back in. Everyone! They learned the commandment of love as practiced by Catherine. [Stories for the Heart compiled by Alice Gray (Portland: Multnomah Press, 1996), pp. 54-55.] http://frtonyshomilies.com/
15-Additional anecdotes:
1) The bomber and the victim: Two World War II veterans, a German and an American, were attending a three-day seminar. As they were washing dishes one evening after dinner, they exchanged stories about the war. The American told of the horror he felt as a young pilot during the particularly savage bombing of a city in Germany. He had orders to bomb a hospital, which he would know by the huge Red Cross painted on the roof. The German — somewhat shocked by the story — revealed that his wife had been giving birth to their baby in that very hospital when it was being bombed, resulting in the death of the mother and the baby. After a few minutes of silence, the two men fell into each other’s arms weeping. Imagine being in Heaven, at the end of the world, where we fall weeping upon one another, waves of reconciliation breaking upon us as we adjust ourselves to this dimension of pure love which Jesus demands from his followers in today’s Gospel passage. http://frtonyshomilies.com/
2) Quest for Fire: In the early 1980s, an unusual film was playing in movie theatres across the nation. It was called Quest for Fire. Its French producer said it fulfilled a lifelong dream. He’d always dreamed of celebrating, in film, the discovery of fire. For it was the discovery of fire 80,000 years ago that saved people on the planet Earth from total extinction. It was the discovery of fire that made it possible for them to make tools for survival and to protect themselves against the cold. Today, people on planet earth are beginning to worry again that we are teetering on the brink of global disaster. This time the danger comes not from something basic like the lack of fire but from something even more basic – the lack of human love, the kind of love Jesus preached. This makes us wonder. It makes us ask ourselves a question, a frightening question: ‘Do we love? Have we learned to love?’ (Mark Link in Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho). http://frtonyshomilies.com/
3) Love is the Christian uniform: The renowned French artist Paul Gustave Dore once lost his passport while traveling in another country in Europe. When he came to a border crossing, he explained his predicament to one of the guards. Giving his name to the official, Dore hoped he would be recognized and allowed to pass. The guard, however, said that many people attempted to cross the border by claiming to be persons they were not. Dore insisted that he was the man he claimed to be. “All right,” said the official, “we’ll give you a test, and if you pass it we’ll allow you to go through.” Handing him a pencil and a sheet of paper, he told the artist to sketch several peasants standing nearby. Dore did it so quickly and skillfully that the guard was convinced he was indeed who he claimed to be. Dore’s action confirmed his identity. In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us the mark of Christian identity: “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:34-5). Love is the Christian identity. Love is the Christian uniform. Love is the Christian habit. If you are wearing the habit of love, you are in. If you are not wearing love as a habit, you are out. (Fr. Essau). Let us remember the words of Shakespeare in Measure for Measure (Act V: Scene 1, l. 263): “Cucullus non facit monachum” [a cowl does not make a monk]. A Christian name or a cross on a chain will not make us Christians, unless we practice Jesus’ new commandment of love given in today’s Gospel. http://frtonyshomilies.com/
4) “This is an Arab bus”: The Reverend Timothy J. Kennedy tells of traveling by bus throughout Israel one summer. On one part of the journey, the bus driver placed a big white sign by the passenger side windshield. Since it was in Arabic, Kennedy asked their guide to translate. The sign said, “This is an Arab bus, owned and operated by Arabs. Please do not throw stones.” When they got close to Tel Aviv, the driver pulled another sign from behind his seat, and replaced the first sign in the windshield. Since it was in Hebrew, Kennedy asked their guide to translate again. The new sign said, “This is a Jewish bus, owned and operated by Israelis. Please do not throw stones.” How do you tell the difference between an Arab bus and a Jewish bus? A big plastic sign in the windshield. But back to our primary question, how do you identify a Christian? I guess we could wear plastic signs. But would that really do the trick? (1. http://grace-lutheran-church.com/sermons/2006/03/1). http://frtonyshomilies.com/
5) “I missed!”: President Reagan told a humorous story during the last days of his administration. It was about Alexander Dumas. It seems that Dumas and a friend had a severe argument. The matter got so out of hand that one challenged the other to a duel. Both Dumas and his friend were superb marksmen. Fearing that both men might fall in such a duel, they resolved to draw straws instead. Whoever drew the shorter straw would then be pledged to shoot himself. Dumas was the unlucky one. He drew the short straw. With a heavy sigh, he picked up his pistol and trudged into the library and closed the door, leaving the company of friends who had gathered to witness the non-duel outside. In a few moments a solitary shot was fired. All the curious pressed into the library. They found Dumas standing with his pistol still smoking. “An amazing thing just happened,” said Dumas. “I missed!” I am amazed how many Christians have been in the Church all their lives and still have missed the Gospel of Jesus’ new commandment. http://frtonyshomilies.com/
6) Christian love in action: Comedian Jerry Clower tells a story about Christian love in action. Two Christian businessmen were having lunch in a downtown restaurant. The waitress serving their table dumped a bowl of hot soup right over one of these businessmen. Everybody gasped and stared. As Clower tells it, “They just couldn’t wait for the manager to run out and fire this lady. They just couldn’t wait for this man, standing there, dripping, with his suit ruined, to cuss this waitress out, but the fellow looked at that waitress and said, ‘Young lady, I am so sorry this happened to you. I know it embarrasses you.” How would you have handled that situation? Can you love as the Master would have us love? Can any of us do that? How? [Jerry Clower, Life Ever Laughter (Nashville, Tennessee: Rutledge Hill Press, 1988.] http://frtonyshomilies.com/
7) Mother Teresa’s love: One day, as St. Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa) and her Missionaries of Charity were tending to the poorest of the poor on the streets of Calcutta, they happened across a man lying in the gutter, very near death. He was filthy, dressed in little more than a rag and flies swarmed around his body. Immediately, Mother Teresa lovingly lifted him up him, cleaned his body, spoke to him softly and laid him comfortably in her ambulance. A passerby was repulsed by the sight of the man and exclaimed to Mother Teresa, “I wouldn’t do that for a million dollars.” Her response was immediate, “Neither would I!” She demonstrated the type of love that Jesus wants from Christians. http://frtonyshomilies.com/
8) “Grandma, please”: In Chicago there is a unique telephone service called “Grandma, Please” that is geared to latch-key kids. “Grandma, Please” provides free number kids can call if they are home alone and need someone to talk to. Senior citizens volunteer their time to answer telephones and talk to kids who are lonely or scared and need a little adult company. The “Grandma, Please” switchboard gets about 800 calls per month. Many of the children want to share the news of their school day with someone. Some will call because they heard a noise outside and got scared. Most call simply for the chance to connect with another human being. They are so lonely. One volunteer reports that her phone calls often end with the child saying, “I love you, Grandma. What is your name?” http://frtonyshomilies.com/
9) Christian love of a coach: Author James Moore tells about K.C. Jones, the former coach of the Boston Celtics basketball team. Jones became famous for his unique ability to give his players some unforgettable words of encouragement when they needed it most. If a player scored 50 points or made the game-winning basket, Jones would not say much more than, “Nice game!” But when a player was down and really struggling, Coach Jones would be there to comfort and help and inspire. All-star forward Kevin McHale asked Coach Jones about this one day, and K.C. Jones answered: “Kevin, after you’ve made the winning basket, you’ve got 15,000 people cheering for you, TV commentators come rushing toward you, and everybody is giving you high fives. You don’t need me then. When you need a friend, most is when nobody is cheering.” (Collected Sermons, King Duncan, Dynamic Preaching, 2005, 0-000-0000-20) http://frtonyshomilies.com/
10) The dreadful accident on the battleship USS Iowa: Do you remember the tale of the dreadful accident on the battleship USS Iowa? It occurred in the spring of 1989. Forty-seven young men were killed in a still unexplained explosion in a gun turret. The investigation showed that the explosion was the result of a significant overrun of the powder bags into the already-loaded guns. There is much tragedy in the sad story. But also, one can find strong threads of glory. The storyteller reminds us the glory belongs, paradoxically perhaps, not to the survivors but to the casualties. The heroes were not the men who may have kept the battleship afloat after the accident. Rather, the heroes were the sailors who died. They shall ever be numbered among the Navy’s honored dead. Writes the poet, “They shall not grow old…At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.” As it was for these young men, so it was for Jesus. That is why you will find the word glory mentioned an extraordinary five times in the opening two sentences of today’s Gospel. So can it be for you and me – if, of course, we have spiritual courage and discipline. (Fr. James Gilhooley) . http://frtonyshomilies.com/
11) Love changes everything: In 1976 a car accident tore open the head of a 21-year-old Chicago boy named Peter. His brain was damaged, and he was thrown into a deep coma. Doctors told Peter’s family and friends that he probably wouldn’t survive. Even if he did, he’d always be in a comatose state. One of the people who heard that frightening news was Linda, the girl Peter planned to marry. In the sad days ahead, Linda spent all her spare time in the hospital. Night after night, she’d sit at Peter’s bedside, pat his check, rub his brow, and talk to him. “It was like we were on a normal date,” she said. All the while Peter remained in a coma, unresponsive to Linda’s loving presence. Night after night, for three and a half months, Linda sat at Peter’s bedside, speaking words of encouragement to him, even though he gave no sign that he heard her. Then one-night Linda saw Peter’s toe move. A few nights later she saw his eyelash flutter. This was all she needed. Against the advice of the doctors, she quit her job and became his constant companion. She spent hours massaging his arms and legs. Eventually she arranged to take him home. She spent all her savings on a swimming pool, hoping that the sun and the water would restore life to Peter’s motionless limbs. Then came the day when Peter spoke his first word since the accident. It was only a grunt, but Linda understood it. Gradually, with Linda’s help, those grunts turned into words — clear words. Finally, the day came when Peter was able to ask Linda’s father if he could marry her. Linda’s father said, “When you can walk down the aisle, Peter, she’ll be yours.” Two years later Peter walked down the aisle of Our Lady of Pompeii Church in Chicago. He had to use a walker, but he was walking. Every television station in Chicago covered that wedding. Newspapers across the country carried pictures of Linda & Peter. Celebrities phoned to congratulate them. Families with loved ones in comas called to ask their advice. Today, Peter living a normal life. He talks slowly, but clearly. He walks slowly, but without a walker. He and Linda even have a lovely child. Today’s Gospel message is to love others as Jesus did. (Mark Link in Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho). http://frtonyshomilies.com/
12) “Boy! I would like to be that kind of brother.” In the lovely book, Chicken Soup for the Soul, there’s a story about a man who came out of his office one Christmas morning and found a little boy from a nearby project looking with great admiration at the man’s new vehicle. The little boy asked, “Does this car belong to you?” And the man said, “Yes. In fact, my brother gave it to me for Christmas. I’ve just gotten it.” With that, the little boy’s eyes widened. He said, “You mean to say that somebody gave it to you? And you didn’t have to pay anything for it?” And the man said, “That’s right. My brother gave it to me as a gift.” With that the little boy let out a long sigh and said, “Boy, I would really like…” And the man fully expected the boy to say, “I would like to have a brother like that, who would give me such a beautiful car,” but instead the man was amazed when the little boy said, “Boy! I would like to be that kind of brother. I wish I could give that kind of car to my little brother.” Somehow that child understood the secret of the “new commandment” of love, which Jesus gave to his apostles during his last discourse, as described in today’s Gospel: “Love one another as I have loved you.” True love consists, not in “getting” something from the lover, but in “giving” something to the loved one. The most familiar example of this type of love is a mother’s love for her child. http://frtonyshomilies.com/
13) The humble lady: There is a beautiful legend about a king who decided to set aside a special day to honor his greatest subject. When the big day arrived, there was a large gathering in the palace courtyard. Four finalists were brought forward, and from these four, the king would select the winner. The first person presented was a wealthy philanthropist. The king was told that this man was highly deserving of the honor because of his humanitarian efforts. He had given much of his wealth to the poor. The second person was a celebrated physician. The king was told that this doctor was highly deserving of the honor because he had rendered faithful and dedicated service to the sick for many years. The third person was a distinguished judge. The king was told that the judge was worthy because he was noted for his wisdom, his fairness, and his brilliant decisions. The fourth person presented was an elderly woman. Everyone was quite surprised to see her there, because her manner was quite humble, as was her dress. She hardly looked as the greatest subject in the kingdom. What chance could she possibly have, when compared to the other three, who had accomplished so much? Even so, there was something about her the look of love in her face, the understanding in her eyes, her quiet confidence. The king was intrigued, to say the least, and somewhat puzzled by her presence. He asked who she was. The answer came: “You see the philanthropist, the doctor, and the judge? Well, she was their teacher!” That woman had no wealth, no fortune, and no title, but she had unselfishly given her life to produce great. She practiced love as Jesus instructs). http://frtonyshomilies.com/
14) The leader who led the army from the front: In 1336 BC Alexander the great began his conquest of the world. It was his dream to conquer India, the land of legends. With his army he marched towards India and reached the city of Multan. Alexander saw that the city was well fortified. He was not ready to give up. He led the assault against the city of Multan. He climbed the fortress and ascended on the top of the city walls. Below he saw a large army aiming their poisoned arrows at him. He did not wait. He jumped into their midst. Two of his soldiers followed him. The great leader of war led from the front and his soldiers followed him. History presents a few examples of such heroic men who led from the front and others followed him. We do not see any leader other than Jesus admonishing his followers to imitate him. Jesus told his apostles, “love one another as I have loved you.” (Fr. Bobby Jose). http://frtonyshomilies.com/
15) Emperor who abdicated his throne for the realization of his love. Edwards VIII ascended the throne of the British Empire after the death of his father. But his proposal to marry Wallis Simpson, a divorced American Socialite, led to a constitutional crisis in British Empire. Religious, legal, political and moral objections were raised. Mrs. Simpson was perceived to be an unsuitable consort to him. But king Edward was not ready to give up his love for the throne. The conservative leaders and people were unwilling for any compromise. Edward abdicated his throne for the realization of his love. Jesus came down from his heavenly glory and lived like one of us to teach demonstrate how God loves mankind and gave us his new commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you” (John 13: 35). (Fr. Bobby Jose). http://frtonyshomilies.com/
From Sermons.com:
A junior high music teacher had just organized a band in her school. The principal was so proud of the music teacher's efforts that without consulting her he decided that the band should give a concert for the entire school. The music teacher wasn't so sure her young musicians were ready to give a concert, so she tried to talk the principal out of holding the concert, to no avail. Just before the concert was ready to begin, as the music teacher stood on the podium, she leaned forward and whispered to her nervous musicians, "If you're not sure of your part, just pretend to play." And with that, she stepped back, lifted her baton and with a great flourish brought it down. Lo and behold, nothing happened! The band brought forth a resounding silence.
Sometimes we in the church are like that junior high band, unsure of our parts, tentative in our roles, reluctant to trumpet forth the music of faith that God desires of us. And that's because we have trouble deciding what's most important.
Most of the choices we make in life are not between what is trivial and what is important. Rather, most of the choices we make are usually between what is important and what is more important. This morning's Gospel reading is so timely for us because it shows us what is most important. As we gather in worship today we affirm that the greatest blessing that God has given us is God's love for us -- God's love that forgives us our sins and makes us children of God; God's love that brings us together into a fellowship with one another...
Has it occurred to you that in those parts of the United States where it comes on at 11:30 p.m., "Saturday Night Live" is also Sunday Morning Live? It might be good if we could bring a little more of the humor of that show with us to church on Sunday mornings. The skits on Saturday Night Live aren't always the greatest, but Sunday morning in church isn't always as lively as it should be either, so let's not throw stones. Together with cartoonists like Doug Marlette who gave us the comic strip "Kudzu," and Dana Carvey's "Church Lady," satirists from Mark Twain to Mark Russell help us to see ourselves from refreshing and often enlightening new perspectives.
Marlette sparked renewed appreciation for familiar biblical texts - and it reminds us that translation is as much an art as it is a science, when he gave us gems like this souped-up version of the Beatitudes: "Blessed are the bummed out, for they shall be mellowed ... Blessed are the wimpy, for they shall inherit the whole nine yards ... Blessed are they who are really into righteousness, for they shall pig out ... Blessed are the squeaky clean, heartwise, for they shall check out the chief mucky-muck."
Slightly irreverent, without a doubt, but certainly not sacreligious. The grace of God makes it possible for us to lighten up and develop a sense of humor. Some church calendars recognize this day as Cantate Sunday - a day to celebrate singing and music. Hence, it can also be a day to remind ourselves that the liturgy of the worship service is a kind of play or drama, and that, like the church organist, we can all "play the service," not taking it with the wrong kind of seriousness. Just as we have been learning not to take our physical and historical images of Jesus too seriously because Jesus is as much a symbolic figure as he is an historical person, so too we need to recognize that the liturgical drama of the church is a symbol. Jesus is a symbol for the themes of.....
How Do You Know My Name?
I've always loved the little story about the boy who's trying to learn the Lord's Prayer, and one night as he knelt by his bed, these words came out:
Our Father, who are in heaven
Such individualized affection will always remain a mystery to us mortals, and at the same time, let us never forget we're made in the image of that extraordinary love. And doing what Jesus did in loving each one he ever met as if there were none other in all the world is at least an ideal toward which we can reach even if it always remains utterly beyond our complete grasp.
John R. Claypool, Loving as Jesus Loved
Closer to Christ
God never intended God's boundaries to be less than the whole world. Therefore, none of us have a monopoly on God's love. We may feel like we do when we look down on someone different than we are, or when we snicker at someone's misfortune, or when we say, "Thank you, Lord, that I am not like them," or when we say, "It's too bad they do not believe as we believe." But woe be unto us whenever we reek of such arrogance! For when we try to restrict God's grace to ourselves, we cut ourselves off from that very grace. Why? Pierre Teilhard de Chardin may have said it best, "It is impossible to love Christ without loving others, and it is impossible to love others without moving nearer to Christ."
John K. Bergland, Love without Limits, One Heaven of a Party: Year C Sermons on the First Readings, CSS Publishing Company
Remember You Are Brothers
I am the eldest of three very strong-willed boys. When I was growing up we had all of the fights and arguments you can imagine of rambunctious boys. Sometimes our disagreements would get so intense we would go to mother to have our righteous indignation ratified. She would often say to us, "You boys go back and resolve it, but remember you are brothers." "But Mom," we would reply, "he took my ball; he said I was a liar." "Mom, he broke the rules." But all she would say was, "You boys go back and resolve it and, remember, you are brothers." It was eventually clear that what was most important to Mother was that we behave, in such a way that demonstrated our bond as brothers. This was even more important to her than our resolution (which she also expected).
I think this is what God says to the church. "I know you have differences, but you must struggle to resolve them as brothers and sisters. This is what I expect of you because you are my children."
Jesus said it this way in the Gospel of John: "By this, everyone will know you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" [John 13:35].
Nathan D. Baxter, What a Christian Community Can Offer a Polarized Society
A Sympathetic Gesture
Edgar Guest, a renowned American poet at the turn of the century, tells of a neighbor by the name of Jim Potter. Mr. Potter ran the drug store in the small town where Edgar Guest lived. Guest recalled that daily he would pass his neighbor and how they would smile and exchange greetings. But it was a mere casual relationship.
Then came that tragic night in the life of Edgar Guest when his first born child died. He felt lonely and defeated. These were grim days for him and he was overcome with grief. Several days later Guest had reason to go to the drug store run by his neighbor, and when he entered Jim Potter motioned for him to come behind the counter. "Eddie," he said, "I really can't express to you the great sympathy that I have for you at this time. All I can say is that I am terribly sorry, and if you need for me to do anything, you can count on me."
Many years later Edgar Guest wrote of that encounter in one of his books. This is how he worded it: "Just a person across the way--a passing acquaintance. Jim Potter may have long since forgotten that moment when he extended his hand to me in sympathy, but I shall never forget it--never in all my life. To me it stands out like the silhouette of a lonely tree against a crimson sunset."
[Suggestion for follow-up on this story]
I have wondered how it is that I want people to remember me when I come to end of life's journey.
[name some accomplishments followed by]
But I really don't care if someone remembers me for that. I really don't.
I do hope that people are able to say of me at the end of my life's pilgrimage: When we were sick he came to us; when we needed help, he was there; when I was down, he lifted me up. In short, I hope that my ministry is remembered for simple acts of kindness. For if that is the case, then my life would have been worth it and I might have come close to fulfilling the greatest commandment in life: Love God and love your neighbor.
Brett Blair and Staff, www.Sermons.com
Didn't Look Like an Elephant
There is a story about a man who had a huge boulder in his front yard. He grew weary of this big, unattractive stone in the center of his lawn, so he decided to take advantage of it and turn it into an object of art. He went to work on it with hammer and chisel, and chipped away at the huge boulder until it became a beautiful stone elephant. When he finished, it was gorgeous, breath-taking.
A neighbor asked, "How did you ever carve such a marvelous likeness of an elephant?"
The man answered, "I just chipped away everything that didn't look like an elephant!"
If you have anything in your life right now that doesn't look like love, then, with the help of God, chip it away! If you have anything in your life that doesn't look like compassion or mercy or empathy, then, with the help of God, chip it away! If you have hatred or prejudice or vengeance or envy in your heart, for God's sake, and the for the other person's sake, and for your sake, get rid of it! Let God chip everything out of your life that doesn't look like tenderheartedness.
James W. Moore, Some Things Are Too Good Not To Be True
A Lie
Now I want to tell you a lie. Hate is an emotion we can't help. Hate is a feeling we cannot overcome. If we hate someone, it is because we just can't help ourselves. We're human. We have no choice but to hate. That is a lie. Unfortunately, it is a lie many people believe. They believe this lie in order to excuse their hatred. After all, if we can't help but hate, if hate is a feeling we simply cannot help, then hatred is never our fault, is it?
But we can help it. Hatred is a choice. We choose to hate, just as we choose to love. Oh, I know, there are people out there who believe love isn't a choice, that love is primarily an emotion, a feeling, a stirring in the loins. These are the same people who stay married for six months, then divorce. These are the people who love the idea of love but seem unable to stay in it. Love is a matter of the will - something we decide to do. Love is a choice.
Philip Gulley, For Everything a Season, Sisters, Oregon: Multnomah Publishers, p. 204
We are judged by our actions, not our intentions. We may have a heart of gold, but then, so does a hard-boiled egg.
A Great Inheritance
One of the great preachers of our time is Dr. Fred Craddock. Craddock tells a story about vacationing with his wife one summer in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. One night they found a quiet little restaurant, where they looked forward to a private meal. While they were waiting for their food, they noticed a distinguished looking, white-haired man moving from table to table, visiting with the guests. Craddock leaned over and whispered to his wife, "I hope he doesn't come over here." He didn't want anyone intruding on their privacy. But sure enough, the man did come over to their table. "Where you folks from?" he asked in a friendly voice.
"Oklahoma," Craddock answered.
"Splendid state, I hear, although I've never been there," the stranger said."What do you do for a living?"
"I teach homiletics at the graduate seminary of Phillips University," Craddock replied.
"Oh, so you teach preachers how to preach, do you? Well, I've got a story to tell you...
tk@tkayala.com
Stories for Homilies
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HomeExtant
Extant is a TV show on Australian national television from Network 10 with an average rating of 3.3 stars by TVCatchUpAustralia.com's visitors. We have 23 episodes of Extant in our archive. The first episode of Extant was broadcast in October, 2015. Did you miss an episode of Extant but don't you wan't that to happen in the future? Please set an alarm and add Extant to your favourites, so we can remind you by email when there's a new episode available to watch. Completely free: handy!
Expired 05/10/2015 3.0 169 x
In the season finale, Molly and JD rush to the hybrids to try to stop the Humanich plot. Lucy has a shocking realisation about the GSC that forces her to question her allegiance to the Humanich cause.
Season 2, Episode 11 of Extant was broadcast by Network 10 on Tuesday 22 September 2015 at 1:37.
Season 2, Episode 9 of Extant was broadcast by Network 10 on Tuesday 8 September 2015 at 0:48.
Season 2, Episode 8 of Extant was broadcast by Network 10 on Monday 31 August 2015 at 23:47.
Season 2, Episode 6 of Extant was broadcast by Network 10 on Tuesday 18 August 2015 at 0:54.
Season 2, Episode 2 of Extant was broadcast by Network 10 on Wednesday 5 August 2015 at 16:24.
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Buckingham Palace Guards Impressed By First Lady’s Ability To Never Crack Smile
SEE MORE: Melania TrumpSEE MORE: Melania Trump
LONDON—Saying the first lady’s skills were of the highest caliber he’d ever witnessed, Buckingham Palace guard Robert Addington told reporters Thursday that he was impressed by Melania Trump’s ability to never crack a smile on her visit to London. “There were all sorts of people waving in her face and yelling things at her, hoping that she would break, but she managed to hold that same stern, emotionless expression the entire time. It was incredible,” said Addington, who was in awe over how, even when Prime Minister Theresa May attempted to make Melania Trump laugh or smile with a joke or by giving her a compliment, not one single muscle moved in the first lady’s face. “Sentries go through months of training to maintain that kind stoicism, and Mrs. Trump’s abilities just blow us out of the water; she’s a natural. It’s inspiring. Even when the president put his arm around her at one point to take a photo, she didn’t flinch. If anything, she just became even more detached.” Addington, who said that there was one point where he almost thought he saw Mrs. Trump relax into a smile after the President walked several feet away from her, acknowledged that it was just his eyes playing tricks on him.
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Home Old_Posts My racist experiences in Nigeria
My racist experiences in Nigeria
Dr Augustine Tirivangana
AS a patriotic Zimbabwean, I thought I could share with you my face-to-face contact with subtle racism at a recent International Conference on Africa and the Modern World held at the historic Ibadan University, Nigeria, a week ago. The reason behind my sharing with you this experience at this important conference is clear — to conscientise fellow Zimbabweans and other Africans to be wary of subtle racism in their interaction with members of the white intelligentsia who purport to be liberal and accommodating when they are outand- out racists. The experience taught me and fellow participants that it is rather early to bask with some of the European professors in the same sunshine under the banner of scholarly brotherhood. While we may be sincere, the story below teaches that our counterparts may not always be. Here is the gist of the incident that sparked the racial row. Ibadan University was hosting their first Biennial Conference of the Faculty of Arts from the 6th to the 9th of June 2011. It was attended by many people from Africa, USA and Europe. I happened to be the only one from Zimbabwe participating on behalf of myself, my university and our Great Nation. There were two keynote papers for the plenary address, one by Professor Mary Kolawole and the other by Professor William Beinart. The two were expected to set the tone for the conference whose theme was “African Culture in the Making of the Modern World”. The first paper was presented by Prof Mary Kolawole. It was entitled “Invention, Reinvention and African Transnational Interconnectivity”. The paper presented a general intellectual terrain for the other papers by setting the tone and atmosphere for the rest of the participants to interrogate and dialogue about what African culture’s contribution to the making of the modern world. Then came Professor Beinart, ironically a Professor of Race Relations at Oxford University. He began with a mild apology before a rendition of Africa’s prominence as a creative perennial borrower of foods from Mexico. The paper’s main focus was on the prickly pear (dhorofiya), a very common plant that grows wild in Zimbabwe and South Africa. According to the professor, this plant came from Mexico. It found its way to Africa through the Portuguese — the Vasco da Gamas — on their way to India. Africans must therefore be thankful to Mexico for such a plant which is now a common source of food especially during droughts. The learned professor proceeded to lecture that besides the prickly pear, Africans need to be thankful to Mexico for more, in fact for most of their staple foods. These included maize, cassava, rapoko and yam. At the end of his paper, there was literally nothing said about African culture nor its contribution to modernity except the pervading impression that it was a consumer of borrowed foods. After the presentation there was a round of applause. I was not part of it though, I was angry. I hoped that fellow professors from Africa had sensed the racist undertones which pervaded the paper, let alone the paper’s thematic diversionary trajectory. Although it was clear that the chairperson was a little unsure about what to make of the paper, judging from the expression on her face, she still handled the occasion with unbefitting civility. However, when no other participant seemed too keen to comment on the paper, I decided to take the bull by the horns. I raised my hand until I was given an opportunity to contribute. I grabbed the occasion, not to be brief, but to vent my anger, whatever it would take. I went straight to the point. I took great exception to the entire paper by Prof Beinart, I began, not wanting to mince my words. First, for its affront to the theme of the conference and to Africa as a whole by ‘lying’ blatantly that Africans ‘borrowed’ the prickly pear, maize, yam and rapoko from Mexico. I pointed out that it was in fact Mexico and other Latin American destinations for slaves that had benefited from the translocation of some of these foods from Africa during slavery. Secondly, I reminded him that his paper oozed of subtle racism. Was it not strange that honoured to present a keynote address the professor should find himself presenting a paper that says nothing about Africa’s contribution to world civilisation, choosing to delight himself with depicting the continent as a survivor on alms as it were? Was this not a modern version of presenting Africa as a ‘heart of darkness’ that could only be saved by the alien, a dark continent with no history to talk about? I reminded him how his paper sounded very much like the open racist nonsense of Trevor-Proper and others of his ilk. I then reminded the participants that Africa is not only the cradle of civilisation, but that the civilisations of Europe and America were, in fact, built and continue to be propped by the sweat and resources of Africa. This then took me to the conclusion that the theme of the conference was, in fact, misleading because it subordinated African culture to modernity as if to say everything modern was necessarily desirable. Rather, I reinvented the theme by stressing that, in fact, it is the modern world that should learn from Africa, not vice-versa. Indeed my paper was later to deal with the need to apply our own theories in the interpretation of our own and other people’s literatures rather than depend on Western lenses (theories) to interrogate especially our own literature. A deafening roar greeted how I had rescued and re-aligned the conference that had just been hijacked. The time has come for Africa to assert and re-assert itself without apology. Beware of the unrepentant racism of white liberals, soul brothers and sisters. Much later, on a guided tour of the Olumo Rock Tourist Site in the Ogun State capital, Abeokuta, Professor Beirnat casually remarked how the rock reminded him of the Matopos in Zimbabwe and my heart sank deeper. That is where they buried Cecil Rhodes.
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Home News Lack of racial diversity in BBC’s The Moorside, say critics
Lack of racial diversity in BBC’s The Moorside, say critics
LOCAL councillors have hit out at the lack of racial diversity shown in the Shannon Matthews kidnap drama, The Moorside.
The second part of the BBC drama, which starred BAFTA-winner Sheridan Smith, aired on Tuesday night, portraying the investigation which led to Karen Matthews and Michael Donovan both being sentenced to eight years in prison.
Large numbers of the district’s Asian population were involved in different ways in the 24-day search for nine-year-old Shannon.
However, The Moorside’s cast was made up almost entirely of white actors.
Dewsbury West councillor Mumtaz Hussain, who was involved in the search in 2008, thought there should have been more Asian actors in the two-part programme.
“The Asian community played a big part and a lot of Asian people were working in this group,” he said.
“But when they showed the drama there were hardly any Asian people in it. They could have made it more diverse.
“At the end of the day, with the information the BBC have, they never contacted me.”
Coun Hussain was pictured in a number of well-publicised images of the search, including the iconic banner walk through Dewsbury. Former Dewsbury West councillors Karam Hussain and Naz Hussain were also at the front of the march.
Coun Hussain added: “When we were holding the banner and walking with the banner, they must have had all this footage, they must have known.”
Fellow Dewsbury West councillor Darren O’Donovan, who lived nearby and was present for the events of February and March, 2008, was also critical.
“When I witnessed what was going on there, there were a number of different communities involved in that search for Shannon and that didn’t play out in the drama I saw,” he said.
“When I remember those few weeks there were more people from that south-east Asian background involved in that search than what was portrayed.
“I’ve not spoken to any of the producers of the programme to understand why they’ve represented it that way. They said they did their research but that was a notable omission.
“I’ve spoken to people who think it was a pretty fair reflection of the events, and others who don’t think it was accurate.”
He also said he did not think it was necessary for the show to be made in the first place.
“I think it’s brought the story back unnecessarily and, without mentioning a name, I hope certain people didn’t watch it,” he said.
“I also hope it will be forgotten about tomorrow. Dewsbury stands for a lot more than what happened for one month in Dewsbury Moor.
“I hope we can go back to being a town known for other more positive reasons.”
WHAT YOU THOUGHT:
Shaun Gardner: I genuinely think the truth of the whole sad charade came out in the meeting in the car. The whole so-called plot to kidnap the poor girl and then claim the reward is complete nonsense. Learning disabilities played a huge part in this case. Neither Matthews nor Donovan had the intelligence to pull off such a scam. They had no idea how to handle the enormous media interest. Let’s just hope that the little girl in all this goes on to live a happy and stable life.
Louise Thewlis: I found it quite emotional viewing; for Julie to care so much and go against the community when the truth came out, what a strong lady she is! A sad story all the same for Shannon and her siblings.
Susan Sayles Wilkinson: For whatever reason she did it, it still cost at least £3.5m of taxpayers’ money. Let’s hope the children are now in a happy family environment. All in all, it answered a lot of questions. Great acting from all involved.
Adelle Woodcock: If it was the truth about her leaving Craig and it escalating etc, why was Shannon found drugged and bound?
Jayne Heaton: Exploitation... that’s what I think of it! Continual unnecessary upset for poor Shannon! Sick world.
Linda Harrison: It’s been interesting viewing and answered a lot of questions.
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Good news for Trump: He’s getting a tax refund
By Christine Stapleton cstapleton@pbpost.com
Amid what has been described as one of the worst periods of President Donald Trump’s 23 months in office, there is some good news for the president: He’s getting a tax return.
Five years of legal wrangling with Palm Beach County, Fla., over the taxable value of Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter has ended with the county retroactively cutting the value it assigned for each year. That means Trump will be refunded the taxes he overpaid on $10.6 million worth of property valuation.
The exact amount of the refund to the Trump entity that owns the club is not known. However, based on the property appraiser’s 2017 valuation of $19.7 million, the Palm Beach County Tax Collector sent Trump a bill for $398,315.
As president, Trump has rarely played at the club in Jupiter, opting instead for Trump International Golf Club, his course in West Palm Beach, which is much closer to Mar-a-Lago. However, he did play the Jupiter course with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in February 2017.
Trump, as a matter of routine, challenges the values of nearly all of his properties.
He filed his first property-tax lawsuit in Palm Beach County in January 1987 — just 13 months after he purchased Mar-a-Lago. Trump claimed the estate was worth $7 million. The property appraiser valued it at $11.5 million. Trump initially won, but an appeals court overturned the lower court’s decision.
As Trump did with Mar-a-Lago, he sued the county’s property appraiser in 2013, a year after he purchased Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter. Trump’s tax bill was based on a valuation of $13.7 million for the 213-acre property. Under the settlement signed in November, the value was cut to $11.6 million.
Soaring property values in Palm Beach County have jacked up tax bills for properties owned by Trump-related properties to $1.36 million, according to an analysis of Palm Beach County property-tax data by the Palm Beach Daily News.
Of that total, the 17-acre Mar-a-Lago Club generates the highest single tax bill, at $488,943. That’s based on its assessed value of $25.4 million, as assigned by the county property appraiser’s office. Last year, the club’s bill was $459,164 on a value of $23.1 million.
In addition to Mar-a-Lago, the bills covered three houses next door to the private club, along with Trump National Golf Club and the clubhouse at the Trump International Golf Club near West Palm Beach. Trump leases the land on which Trump International Golf Club sits.
The president is expected to return to Palm Beach County Friday for his annual Christmas holiday at Mar-a-Lago. He is expected to depart on Jan. 6.
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BOYS' BASKETBALL: Waynesboro pulls away from Shippensburg 72-59
Lee Goodwin
WAYNESBORO — The Waynesboro varsity boys' basketball team grew up a lot Tuesday night, and it came against a pretty good opponent.
The Indians relinquished a 17-point lead in the second half but regained their composure to pull away late en route to a 72-59 win against the Shippensburg Greyhounds in a Mid-Penn Colonial Division contest.
When Cole Rhyne converted a turnover and a nice pass from Derek Buhrman into a layup, Waynesboro led 48-31 with a tad under three minutes to play in the third period. But Waynesboro experienced a deja vu moment, the kind that saw the Tribe lose a 49-33 lead at Northern York and ended with a loss.
The Greyhounds (3-2), who played from behind for most of the last three quarters of the game, bumped back and went on a 14-0 run spanning nearly five minutes.
Finally, and it couldn't have come at a better time, Hunter Clever fought his way in for a close-range bucket at the 6:01 mark of the fourth quarter and the scoring drought was over. And, just like that, the pendulum swung Waynesboro's way, and the Tribe scored 12 of the game's next 18 points to take a much more comfortable lead, 60-51.
"Hopefully, it helps us grow up a little bit," said Waynesboro coach Tom Hoffman, whose team improved to 3-1 on the young season and still has two games to play before the weekend.
The Indians benefited from solid free throw shooting and some good transition play to enable the run at the end of the game. Factoring in the closing points of Shippensburg's surge, Waynesboro outscored the Greyhounds 24-14 in the final six minutes.
Buhrman sank a pair of free throws and then ignited a fast break to help the Indians open up a 54-47 lead. Shippensburg answered with a two-point field goal, but Aidan Campbell made a three-pointer and a two-pointer after Clever made a stop at the other end for a 59-51 advantage.
The Greyhounds couldn't get closer than seven points the rest of the way, and it bulged to a double-digit deficit when Rhyne stole the ball and dribbled the length of the floor for a layup and a 66-55 lead.
"I'm very proud of how they responded," Hoffman said. "We have become a solid half-court defensive team, but they took advantage of the offensive boards. You can work on boxing out all you want, but sometimes it's physics. A lot of their offense was based on offensive rebounds."
Shippensburg had a 16-9 advantage on the offensive boards and outrebounded Waynesboro 34-24.
The Indians, who were led in scoring by Rhyne with 21, made 13 of 14 free throws while keeping their fouls to a minimum. The Greyhounds were 6 of 7 from the foul line.
Jay Alvarez finished with 18 points. Campbell had 15 points and Clever added 14 to give Waynesboro four double-digit scorers.
NEXT: Waynesboro is back on the road Thursday against South Western.
Contact Lee Goodwin at 717-762-2151, lgoodwin@therecordherald.com or on Twitter: @LeeG_RH
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