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Subscribe To Someone Made A Real Life Lightsaber, And It's Awesome Updates
Someone Made A Real Life Lightsaber, And It's Awesome
Corey Chichizola
Every Star Wars kid grew up wanting to wield a lightsaber. Unfortunately, we had to settle for the toy lightsabers which you’d have to physically whip to bring the blade to life, and without the cool sound effects. Well, one Star Wars fan has had an excalibur moment and created the closest thing to a lightsaber we’re likely to see in our lifetime. Check out the video of the ancient weapon in action below.
I mean, this is pretty damn cool. Of course, this isn’t quite as powerful as a lightsaber in George Lucas’ universe is, but considering that we’re not living in a space opera, it’s pretty impressive.
The man who created this bit of nerd gold is named Allen Pan. He has both an engineering degree, as well as an urge to make the props and weapons from sci-fi movies into reality. These two factors combined in a labor of love to create this modern lightsaber contraption. Once you see the video, it becomes pretty clear how Pan was able to use his engineering skills to create the saber.
Essentially, the lightsaber is just the most giant lighter ever. Allen Pan was able to create the “blade” by making a lighter that would ignite a flame the length of a lightsaber. The saber runs on alcohol, and apparently sprays a bit of excess liquor from it’s tip. After using his impressive engineering skills to create the flame itself, he then essentially put it in the hilt of a lightsaber model. Finally, he was able to make the trigger functional, so one activates the blade by pressing the same button the Jedi do. Plus, he kept the mechanism from the original model which made the satisfying lightsaber sounds; this makes for an added level of authenticity in the legendary weapon.
Of course, this version of the Jedi weapon is not quite as powerful as the ones we’ve seen in movies like The Force Awakens. As the blade is pure flame, it couldn’t be used as a sword the way the movies depict. Plus, the flame itself is of course thinner than what we’re used to seeing, but their way it’s an epic creation from a clearly brilliant mind.
This isn’t the first time that Allen Pan has created a fictional weapon in reality. He recently made his own version of Thor’s hammer Mjolnir. Taking note from a hilarious scene that was in Avengers: Age Of Ultron, he used a powerful magnet and a fingerprint scanner to create a hammer which could only be lifted by his touch. That video is on his youtube channel and it’s definitely worth a gander.
Take a look below at how Allen Pan was able to create his version of Luke’s blue lightsaber, and try not to get too jealous that he has that around his house.
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Star Wars' Mark Hamill Reveals Backstory Of Hilarious Set Photo With Carrie Fisher
Surprise! Star Wars The Mandalorian Season 2 Is Already Being Developed
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Immigration Non-EEA nationals Are you subject to immigration control?
Are you subject to immigration control?
If you're a non-UK and non-EEA national coming to the UK from abroad you may want to claim benefits. The right to claim benefits depends on the terms on which you've been allowed to enter the UK. This is called your immigration status. If you have limited rights and are subject to immigration control, you are not normally entitled to claim benefits and you may damage your chances of being allowed to stay in the UK if you do try to claim benefits.
This page explains what your rights are if you're subject to immigration control.
You may need advice about your immigration status. If you need advice, seek the help of an adviser.
If you're subject to immigration control you can't normally claim means-tested benefits, such as income support or housing benefit. Making a claim could affect your right to stay in the UK. You're subject to immigration control if you:
need permission to enter or remain in the UK but don't yet have it. For example, you've applied for a visa
have permission to enter or remain in the UK only if you don't claim benefits or use other public funds, such as getting NHS treatment
were given permission to enter or remain in the UK within the last five years on the grounds that another person signed a maintenance undertaking agreeing to support you.
Maintenance undertaking
A maintenance undertaking is a formal, legal agreement, in which a friend or family member has agreed to support you financially while you're in the UK. If the person who supported you has died you may be able to claim benefits. You should seek advice about this.
If you have 'indefinite leave to remain' you are no longer subject to immigration control.
If you're in a couple and one of you is not subject to immigration control, they may be able to claim benefits. However, in most cases that person will need to make a claim as a single person. You should seek advice beforehand as your immigration status could be put at risk.
British and EEA Citizens
If you're an EEA or British citizen, you won't be subject to immigration control. This does not necessarily mean that you will be entitled to claim means-tested benefits. You may still have to satisfy the habitual residence test if you have recently returned to the UK from living abroad.
Case-law examples of the habitual residence test at www.parliament.uk - go to page 12
What the European law says: the EC Directive 2004/38 - EUR-Lex at www.eur-lex.europa.eu
What the UK law says: Immigration (EEA) Regulations 2006 - Legislation at www.legislation.gov.uk
Non-EEA nationals
Claiming benefits
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Bronze Age Comic Books
WHY Hulk #181 is more valuable than #180
Started by Chuck Gower, May 19
Chuck Gower
Location: Thailand
I keep seeing this discussed here and there over the years and occasionally I'll state WHY, but then still see it discussed. There is a very legitimate reason why Hulk #181 is more valuable than #180...
IH #180 is the first appearance of Wolverine (last panel cameo). But it's not as valuable on the open market as the first FULL appearance of Wolverine, which is #181.
People always seemed to be more attracted to #181 and that was the issue they sought out. And it has to do with how much different the hobby was in 1974 through 1986 than it is now. For one thing, no one even considered an advertisement as a first appearance, and there wasn’t a Previews to go through...
So let’s say you picked up a copy of IH #180 and #181 in July of 1974. Both issues came out in the same month on the newsstand, so publication numbers should have been about the same. That’s not a FACT, but if anything influenced the unscientific reasoning behind publishers print totals of the day - the time of year - was one of those things. And both of these issues came out in the same month - July.
Now, let’s say you lent the copy to your cousin who lives an hour and a half down the highway. That’s a MILLION miles away to a 13 year old. So you’ve lost them forever. But man, you thought that Wolverine character was kinda cool.
The following spring (April of 1975) you pick up Giant Size X-Men #1 off the newsstand and you see Wolverine. Wow! He’s a part of the new X-Men team! Cool!
Now keep in mind - there is no trade paperback you can get for Hulk #180-181 at this time. If you missed (or in this case, lost) those issues - there was no way to read it. No reprint was available. It would not be reprinted for the first time in any form - that I’m aware of - until 1986 (#180 and #181 were reprinted for the first time in 1986 as a stand alone comic) - 12 years after they were first published!
There was no internet - at least not for general use - and the idea of a ‘digital’ file sounded like something out of a spy movie. The concept didn’t exist for comics.
BUT you start reading the new X-Men series and you think… I WANT to go back and read about when this character first appeared - it was different then - collectors were READERS - you wanted to READ about Wolverine’s first appearance… so which issue would you buy?
You’d buy #181. Because that’s the actual STORY of his first appearance.
In 1974-1986 (and longer) the majority of comic book ‘collectors’ were readers, first and foremost. It isn’t like today where the majority of comic book ‘collectors’ are sellers. Collectors READ and kept their books. The regular collection of reprints and trade paperback was still 25+ years away.
THIS is why, #181 is more popular than #180. It grew out of a natural collecting process built around readership. Not speculation.
There’s no shortage of #180. There’s more #181’s on the census because it’s a more valuable book to get graded. There was no real speculation at the time compared to today. DEALERS at some point figured it out, I’m sure (if they were good), but they almost certainly went by DEMAND, and that demand was from ‘collectors’ who were - READERS - and they chose #181.
Note: There were hoarders and speculators out there even in 1974, 1975 - but they were much, much, fewer and farther between. Today... it seems the majority of anyone collecting is a hoarder and speculator...
jokiing, The Brain, GM8 and 7 others reacted to this
Great analysis Chuck, let me see if I can add anything to that. As a full-on collector by 1974, I had no concept of hoarding or speculating comics. I was addicted to buying them and reading them. I had never bought more than one copy of any issue until just about that time - the summer of 1974. I had just finished my freshman year at college, and resumed my job at the local drugstore. Positioned as I was, I started to stash two copies of every title - one to read and one to put away. Honestly, that had never occurred to me before then. Only in my first year of college did I actually make friends who also collected comics. Before then, it was a purely personal and private pursuit. I certainly did not have any idea that someday they would be worth anything (but to me.) And Hulk 180 and 181 were just another couple of books in The Incredible Hulk run, a character I always liked from the beginning, but frankly, at the time it seem to be dog-paddling. It didn't seem to be relevant in any way, and although not dying, it didn't fly off the shelves. I think the drugstore actually returned copies of both issues to the distributor.
IIRC, It also took me a couple of months to get around to reading them. No big deal - Wolverine didn't change my enthusiasm either way for the title. I continued to buy and collect comics through college, and I think the last book I actively bought was in 1979. From there on, I lost focus (because of various life developments) and didn't buy or much look at another title, or look at my collection either for that matter . . . until 1995. So comics were a big part of my life from 11 to 22, but not much after that. In fact, I had moved to California in late 1979, and left my collection at my parents' house. They retired to Florida in '95 and I had to ship a bunch of my stuff out of the house just before the move, including my comic collection. It wasn't until the internet came along to widespread use and eBay popped up that I took notice of what books were selling for - 6 years later in 2001.
I saw copies of of IH 181 selling for upwards of $1,800 on eBay. YIKES! I knew I had at least one copy of the book from my hand-written inventory of my collection. My daughter was born in 2000, and to say the least we needed a little extra cash, so I went down to the "basement" (which wasn't really a basement because it was a California house) and pulled out a big old trunk of comics. There were 2 copies of each in plastic bags (no boards). So we cashed in. My wife till says to this day, "Don't you have any more copies of Hulk 181?"
GM8, 1950's war comics, speedcake and 4 others reacted to this
Lazyboy
But I'm more interested in WHY this thread is in the Copper Age forum.
GeeksAreMyPeeps reacted to this
LOL... good point! Maybe one of the mods will be paying enough attention to move it!
RockMyAmadeus
Location: Argo
3 hours ago, Chuck Gower said:
That's an important point that a lot of newer readers and collectors don't understand, in this era of instant "at your fingertips" availability of just about everything.
From the 30s to the 70s...Silver Age Marvel being the lone exception...comics were not serialized. If you picked up the latest issue, you could enjoy it, without needing to know "what went before" (with a few rare exceptions.) Even the reprints of the 60s weren't vital...except for Marvel. Marvel's serialization of the 60s and 70s changed that. Continuity became important.
But if you missed Hulk #181, and didn't have access to a store, or a convention, or even mail order, you were out of luck. The first reprint of Hulk #181 came in 1986, as Chuck mentioned. Now, it's been reprinted a hundred different ways, but then...not so much. It would have been reprinted in Marvel Super Heroes #129...but that series was cancelled with issue #105, reprinting Hulk #157.
It was tough out there to find stories you missed, especially for folks in non-metropolitan areas.
Chuck Gower, waaaghboss and MR SigS reacted to this
waaaghboss
Collector is an understatement.
People consider ads as first appearances now?
Comic speculation is just getting silly Although I just got the first appearance of the beagle boys, and after reading it, they appear in exactly 1 panel of the book. So I guess if you consider WDC 134 the first appearance of the beagle boys, then hulk 180 should be the first wolvie.
And rockmyamadeus is spot on. I started reading late 80's/early 90's, and paying over cover price for a book wasnt so much that I wanted to collect it, but that I really wanted to read it and that was usually the only way how.
Edited May 20 by waaaghboss
Von Cichlid, Ira K and RockMyAmadeus reacted to this
GeeksAreMyPeeps
21 hours ago, waaaghboss said:
Hulk 180 *is* the first Wolvie; it's just not the more desirable book to the average collector.
And the other point explains why the hobby has changed so much. A well-written run had value for all books in the run when I was growing up. Those Claremont/Byrne X-Men were always out of my price range. Until Classic X-Men came along, the only way to read any of those stories was to buy all of the books. Whether you wanted to collect them or just read them, everyone was in the same market.
Howling Mad reacted to this
mrwoogieman
Location: THE LOST LAND
I like having this thread in Copper. Gotta loosen it up a little around here!
HighVoltage reacted to this
HarrisonJohn
Talkative?
On 5/19/2019 at 2:47 PM, Chuck Gower said:
I agree. I said in another thread where this came up, if pre-internet a kid went into a store and asked for the first appearance of Wolverine, it would be mean to sell him 180 as the kid most likely wants to read Wolverine's first story, not "omg I must own the first time Wolverine appears on a page be it an ad or a one panel introduction because I collect these random things". Something else I remember from reading back then, is that if you liked a character, their first appearance was often referenced in editor's notes (where there was an * telling you what issue was being referenced) which, of course, would make you want to read that issue.
Now that these stories and character information are easily accessible in trades, or even Wikipedia, these seems to be confusion about why these issues are sought after, and why it is not about the LITERAL first appearance in the form of an ad or shadow.
Edited May 29 by HarrisonJohn
divad reacted to this
But 180 is more than the last page - the Hulk is in Canada fighting Wendigo! and then Mr. Wolverine pops up - context, baby context.
On 5/19/2019 at 5:41 PM, RockMyAmadeus said:
13 hours ago, HarrisonJohn said:
Yep, and even Marvel paved the way for fans by determining in Wolverine's first X-Men story, where to go to previously read about him...
divad and HarrisonJohn reacted to this
Wolverinex
Also, 181 had Wolvie on the cover too.
Lethal_Collector and ADAMANTIUM reacted to this
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cmich.edu > CMU News > CMU News > CMU delayed due to inclement weather
CMU delayed due to inclement weather
The university will reopen at 11:30 a.m.
1/12/2017 | Updated: 1/12/2017 4:33 AM
Contact: Heather Smith
Central Michigan University is delaying operations on its main campus and its Global Campus headquarters in Mount Pleasant until 11:30 a.m. today due to inclement weather. This means the university is closed until 11:30 a.m., including classes that begin at 11 a.m. In addition, all offices, buildings and events are closed or cancelled with the exception of residence halls. Employees who work in 24-hour operations or whose services may be needed during the closure should check with their supervisor for specific instructions relative to reporting to work. All other employees are not expected to report to work until the university reopens.
UPDATE (9:30 a.m.): The university will resume operations beginning at 11:30 a.m.
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Massive Uprising by Polish Women Just Forced Right-Wing Government to Drop Abortion Ban
Ruling far-right party surprised opponents by reversing position on draconian abortion ban
Nika Knight, staff writer
"In previous anti-government protests, it was our parents' generation on the streets," one protester told the Guardian. "But with this, they have managed to mobilize the young, and we are very angry." (Photo: Czarek Sokolowski/AP)
Poland's ruling far-right Law and Justice party has reversed its support for a draconian abortion ban after women across the country went on strike to protest the proposed legislation.
Jarosław Gowin, the minister of science and higher education, "said on Wednesday that [Monday's] protests had 'caused us to think and taught us humility,'" the Guardian reported.
"In one of the biggest policy climb-downs since winning power 11 months ago, Law and Justice lawmakers on Wednesday voted down the same measure they passed two weeks earlier," Bloomberg reported, "sending it back to the lower house of parliament for a final vote."
"As part of 'Black Monday,' more than 100,000 protesters [around the country] vowed to boycott work or school," as Common Dreams reported, launching a massive mobilization against the legislation that would have criminalized abortion in nearly all cases, including rape and incest. "Solidarity protests were also held in Paris, Berlin, Brussels, London, and elsewhere in Europe, as well as in the United States."
The protests exceeded even organizers' expectations, according to the Guardian:
Despite wretched weather, approximately 30,000 people, many dressed in black, had gathered in Warsaw's Castle Square, chanting "We want doctors, not missionaries" and carrying placards bearing messages like "My Uterus, My Opinion," and "Women Just Want to Have FUN-damental Rights."
"The protest was bigger than anyone expected—people were astonished," said Agnieszka Graff, a commentator and activist. "Warsaw was swarming with women in black. It was amazing to feel the energy and the anger, the emotional intensity was incredible."
"In previous anti-government protests, it was our parents' generation on the streets," Aleksandra Włodarczyk, a bank administrator who participated in Monday's protest, told the Guardian. "But with this, they have managed to mobilize the young, and we are very angry."
Abortion is already outlawed in Poland, with exceptions only permitted in cases of rape, incest, or when the mother's or fetus's life is threatened. "In practice, though, some doctors, citing moral objections, refuse to perform even legal abortions," the CBC observed.
The Guardian noted that the "so-called 'Black Protests' appear to have shifted public opinion on the abortion issue, with recent polling suggesting not only near-overwhelming opposition to the proposed ban, but increasing support for liberalization of existing laws."
Our work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License. Feel free to republish and share widely.
Describing 'Future We Want to Live In' Scores of Groups Unveil New Blueprint for Reproductive Rights
'Time for Puerto Rico to Wake Up and Rise Up': Thousands Take to Streets Demanding Embattled Governor Resign
'Devastating, Illegal, and Unethical': Trump Denounced for Imposing Sweeping Attack on Abortion Rights Nationwide
World, Rights
Reproductive Rights, Poland, Women, People Power
(Click to see more comments or to join the conversation)
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« First Snowfall of the Year
Fall – Time to Get a Soil Test »
World of Laura Ingalls Wilder
The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Marta McDowell
It is hard to imagine that any family with young daughters is not familiar with Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie books which include Little House in the Big Woods, Life on the Shores of Silver Lake and the Little Town on the Prairie. Now, Marta McDowell who has written Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life and Emily Dickinson’s Gardens has come along to tell us the story of the Ingalls family’s life in her new book The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Frontier Landscapes that Inspired the Little House Books (Timber Press $27.95).
The Ingalls’ life is an odyssey taking Charles and Caroline Ingalls and their daughters, Mary, Laura, Grace and Carrie from Wisconsin to Iowa, Kansas, South Dakota, Minnesota and Missouri. I never imagined that pioneers crossing the plains and prairie might have done so much moving around, or the trials that might have inspired those moves. They were always a farming family, but from time to time Charles found himself also working temporarily at other jobs.
Laura was born 150 years ago, in 1867. She earned her teaching certificate in DeSmet, South Dakota when she was 16. In 1885, she and the young homesteader Almanzo Wilder married. She was 18 and he was 28. Their daughter Rose was born a year later.
Those early years were difficult for the young couple moving from place to place, but in 1894 they settled at Rocky Ridge Farm in Mansfield, Missouri for good. Their farm came with a bonus, 1000 small apple trees, many of them just heeled in waiting to be planted. During their first year they cleared the land and got the rest of the apple trees in the ground. It took up most of their energy, but those orchards turned out to be a great gift.
It was while living at Rocky Ridge Farm that Laura began her writing career. In 1911 her first article was published in the Missouri Ruralist but soon she had articles published in other in other newspapers and magazines.
Of course, daughter Rose was growing up all this time. She graduated from high school in 1904 and began to learn how to operate the telegraph. She did not stay in Mansfield, but was soon working for Western Union and for the next five years she worked as a telegrapher in Missouri, Indiana, and California.
It was Rose who encouraged her mother’s writing, especially after she herself began writing professionally beginning with the San Francisco bulletin. With her own writing career well on its way Rose was not only able to encourage her mother, but to help her place articles and inspired her to begin writing the Little House books.
In later life Laura once commented that “she told the truth in her books – but not the whole truth,” so we have to remember that the Little House books are not autobiographies. It is Marta McDowell who gives us a well-researched book about the life of three Ingalls/Wilder generations. The book is illustrated with some of the charming drawings by Helen Sewell and Garth Williams in the Little House books, botanical drawings of plants that were important or loved by the family, maps and family photographs.
It is amazing to contemplate the changes in our country and in every day life over the course of Laura’s life between 1867 and 1957 when she died at the age of 90.
The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder is a remarkable book. It gives us a history of a wonderful family, a history of farming and a reminder of the changes in communication and transportation. But that is not enough for McDowell.
Marta McDowell – Courtesy of Timber Press.
The final section of the book is devoted to the scenes of the Wilder’s lives as recreated or preserved by various organizations like the Almanzo and Laura Ingalls Wilder Association which cares for the museum in Malone, New York. Those who love the Little House books can continue on to Burr Oak, Iowa and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Park and Museum; the Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Society and Ingalls Homestead in DeSmet South Dakota; and the Laura Ingalls Wilder Home and Museum in Mansfield, Missouri.
This book is not for children, but it might be a spur to present one or two of the Little House books to a child in your family. Christmas is coming. It is a book for people who are interested in the history of our country, the plants that fed a population, the plants that brought delight, the character of the people who settled the lands beyond the Mississippi River, and their tenacity in continuing on even when the challenges of weather and change seemed insurmountable.
The always spectacular fall Chrysanthemum Show at the Lyman Conservatory at Smith College continues Saturday and Sunday, November 18 and 19, 2017. The greenhouse is open from 10 am to 4 pm. It showcases the hybridizing experiments of the horticulture class. The public gets a chance to vote on their favorites. A donation of $5 is suggested.
Between the Rows November 11, 2017
Natural World of Winnie-the-Pooh
Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life by Marta McDowell
The View From Wilder Hill
How Tea Changed the World
November 17th, 2017 | Category: Between the Rows
2 comments to World of Laura Ingalls Wilder
Beth @ PlantPostings
How wonderful! My sister, especially, was a very big fan of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books. I enjoyed them, too. This book sounds interesting–I’ll check it out. Thanks!
Beth – The book is really fascinating, such a slice of history with the Little House books as the cherry on top.
It is hard to imagine that any family with young daughters is not familiar with Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie books which include Little House in the Big Woods, Life on the Shores of Silver Lake and the Little Town on the [...] ', ' http://www.commonweeder.com/laura-ingalls-wilder/ ', 5)" onmouseover="displayBookmark('MySpace')" onmouseout="displayBookmark('')" title="MySpace">
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petra's blog »
Leaving no country behind: Niger – A personal insight
Niger.JPG
Niger is an incredible country, the largest (by area) in West Africa, a relative haven of safety sandwiched between more turbulent neighbours (Libya, Mali, northern Nigeria), and of strategic importance for the security of the region. Ancient trade routes snake across the Sahara, where the Tuareg people are able to navigate endless dunes using the stars at night. Natural resources such as uranium and gold, oil and coal can be found. The Niger River runs through the west of the country, where island communities are skilled in building beautifully decorated mud houses. You can even find the last giraffes in West Africa, not far out of Niamey at Kouré. Not many people have ever heard of this land-locked country.
However, the usual narrative about Niger is depressing, not without reason. It is ranked 187th out of 188 on the Human Development Index in 2017. It has one of the highest population growth rates in the world (4.0% for 2010-2015), as well as extremely high maternal and child mortality rates. Access to water, sanitation and hygiene is low, especially in rural areas (80% of the population), where only 49% have access to improved water sources, and less than 5% to improved sanitation. The boundary between relief and development is blurred – many people live in situations that would be considered emergency conditions elsewhere in the world. With this catalogue of statistics, it’s no wonder that Niger was considered the worst place to be a child in 2017.
One problem with this narrative is that, while it may be true, it doesn’t tell the full story and eventually, a sense of hopelessness can begin to pervade the culture itself. The individual stories of resilience, courage, generosity, endurance and perseverance are rarely heard. Neither are the successes and improvements. The Diffa region in the East of the country welcomed 105,000 Nigerian refugees fleeing Boko Haram violence, with only 7,500 living in camps and the rest accommodated side by side with the local population. Since 1990 the child mortality rate has reduced by two-thirds3.
Having lived and worked in Niger for more than three years, trying to assist the government to meet some of the basic needs of water, sanitation and hygiene, I noticed that Niger doesn’t come up much in English-speaking WASH research (certainly there is more in French, but one can find little crossover between the two languages). In Africa, we see a lot of research activity in Ghana and Nigeria, Kenya and Uganda amongst others. Understandably, there are historic ties and the benefit of a common language, as well as the comparative ease of collaboration, with highly regarded academic institutions generating their own research. But there is also a danger, in the context of “no one left behind”, of leaving a whole country behind. Niger is one of two countries (with Burkina Faso) identified as having high water stress (>0.8), agricultural GDP more than 20% combined with low income. The challenges are vast and complex, and there is a need for strong collaborations and good science. So I was pleasantly surprised on one day of the UNC Water and Health conference, to find that Niger came up in almost every session!
In the morning, the IRC/Hilton Foundation session on District-based initiatives for achieving SDG6 shared experiences from Ghana, Burkina Faso, Uganda and Ethiopia. Niger and Mali were included, though as the work is still in the early stages there was no specific feedback from either country. This study looks specifically at leveraging partnerships and building capacity at District level. Niger is going through a process of decentralisation which makes Mayors at commune level responsible for water and sanitation provision with very few resources, while technical departments for these remain at District level and above. The progress of this study should be interesting to follow.
Another presentation was on assessing conflict in water resources projects. We saw photos of a typical water point in rural Niger – a concrete-lined large diameter open well with a walled apron and blue painted pulley system. Clearly heavily used, there was potential for conflict between the sedentary Hausa families drawing water for domestic use and semi-nomadic Fulani with their herds of cattle, sheep and goats. In the cases that were studied, no conflict was recorded. While it can and does happen, primarily around grazing rights and agricultural land between pastoralists and agriculturalists, my experience is that Nigeriens are masters of finding peaceful solutions.
Luis Andres from the World Bank presented some results from studies in 18 countries (WASH Poverty Diagnostic Initiative) with a focus on Niger in his presentation. Poor people are 2-3 times more likely to be stunted, which is a risk factor associated with 53% of infectious disease-related deaths. Of four dimensions that can prevent malnutrition in the UNICEF framework (adequate food, care, WASH and healthcare), 66% of children in Niger lacked all four of these. Clearly there is much to be done to improve access to WASH, healthcare and food for all children in Niger. The study also found that the impact of combined factors is more than the sum of the parts, for example WASH plus healthcare gives an overall reduction in stunting of more than WASH and healthcare separately.
The final presentation was looking at the sustainability of a USAID –funded WASH Programme in West Africa (Niger, Burkina and Ghana). A series of questions across institutional, technical, social, environmental and financial factors enabled sustainability scores for each factor to be calculated. Four surveys between August 2016 and September 2017 showed changes over a one-year timeframe. Scores for Niger were good, but with a notable change in the rainy season. Without further detail on the questions it’s difficult to delve into further analysis, but Niger has a clear policy for the sustainability of water systems through delegated management.
There is so much more I could write about this incredible country. The statistics tell one story, but not the whole reality. Let’s not undermine with our narrative the efforts of millions of Nigeriens working towards a better future for their children.
Susie Goodall is a Research Associate at WEDC, Loughborough University.
Susie Goodall
Reflections from the Pan Africa project annual review meeting in Lilongwe (Day 1)
Thoughts from Day 2 of the Pan African annual review meeting
Visiting CLTS communities in Malawi
Highlights, questions and take-aways from the Pan Africa review meeting
Access to sanitation still a luxury for the very few
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Guardian Express
EXCLUSIVE: Australian League legend Ian Roberts says working with Kevin Spacey made him ‘uncomfortable, angry’
November 30th, 2017, 12:40PM Written by Greig Johnston Guardian Express
Kevin Spacey. Photo: Getty
FORMER rugby league champion Ian Roberts has described how his experience working with Kevin Spacey left him “uncomfortable and angry”.
Roberts played for South Sydney and Manly during his 12-year league career, and in 1995 became the first high-profile Australian team sportsman to come out as gay.
Spacey was one of Hollywood’s most respected actors until a raft of accusations of sexual impropriety recently surfaced, firstly from actor Anthony Rapp, who alleged Spacey tried to seduce him when he was aged 14.
Since then further allegations of improper behaviour have emerged, 16 from former male staff of London’s Old Vic Theatre, where Spacey served as artistic director for 11 years.
Roberts appeared with Spacey in the 2006 film Superman Returns, which was shot in Sydney.
Kevin Spacey (front) and Ian Roberts (third from right) on the set of Superman Returns.
The film was directed by Bryan Singer, who also directed Spacey in the 1995 film The Usual Suspects.
Students at the University of Southern California’s film school recently started a petition to have Singer’s name removed from the school after allegations of improper behaviour were aired.
Roberts said Spacey and Singer appeared to be close on set.
But he said his experience shooting the film was not all he hoped it would be.
“I was really quite excited about working with Kevin Spacey,” Roberts said.
“I was on set five or six weeks with him, in close proximity – I played basically his bodyguard in the film, so all the scenes I was in, he was in.
“But he was a very difficult person to like.
“Plus, Bryan Singer the director has also got a dubious past.
“Bryan’s history is quite dark.”
Ian Roberts during his playing days. Photo: Getty
According to Roberts, he was reminded repeatedly that Spacey’s sexuality was not a topic for discussion.
“I thought everyone knew Kevin Spacey was gay, I didn’t know it was a secret,” he said.
“He’s camp as a row of pink tents.
“I didn’t know it was one of those things we couldn’t talk about on set.
“I got reminded about that.
“I was like ‘really, we’re actually supposed to play dumb here? You’ve got young men, late teenagers, hanging around your trailer’.”
Spacey issued an apology of sorts after Rapp’s allegations surfaced, claiming he could not remember the incident and declaring that if it had happened it would have been due to excess alcohol consumption.
He also used the statement to come out as gay.
“I didn’t think there was a bad way to come out – but he f***ing found it,” Roberts said.
pic.twitter.com/X6ybi5atr5
— Kevin Spacey (@KevinSpacey) October 30, 2017
Spacey’s coming out drew fire from many quarters, with Star Trek and Heroes actor Zachary Quinto one who criticised the Oscar winner.
pic.twitter.com/pg2PLnHpXt
— Zachary Quinto (@ZacharyQuinto) October 30, 2017
Roberts said that after his experience on the set of Superman Returns, he did not find the allegations about Spacey at all surprising.
“Does that surprise me? No, not at all,” he said.
Bye bye, Spacey goodbye, it’s your turn to cry, that’s why we’ve gotta say goodbye. #ROSEARMY
— rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) October 30, 2017
“That abuse of power and position, it does not surprise me at all that he’s been accused of that.”
Roberts said men who abused their power for sexual gain angered him.
“I’m as gay as you get,” he said.
“They claim to be gay, but they use the word very loosely.
“They’re not your average gay men.
“The abuse of power with very young men, it’s such a discrepancy – it’s not just the age difference, it’s the power difference.
“It reflects badly on all gay men.
“I just get so angry at men like that.”
Win a festival pass to the Raine Square Fashion Film Festival at Palace Cinemas
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Carbon Nanotubes Can Affect Lining of the Lungs
Inhaled carbon nanotubes could be
carcinogenic in the lungs; © sxc
Carbon nanotubes are being considered for use in everything from sports equipment to medical applications, but a great deal remains unknown about whether these materials cause respiratory or other health problems.
Using mice in an animal model study, the researchers set out to determine what happens when multi-walled carbon nanotubes are inhaled. Specifically, researchers wanted to determine whether the nanotubes would be able to reach the pleura, which is the tissue that lines the outside of the lungs and is affected by exposure to certain types of asbestos fibers which cause the cancer mesothelioma. The researchers used inhalation exposure and found that inhaled nanotubes do reach the pleura and cause health effects.
Short-term studies described in the paper do not allow conclusions about long-term responses such as cancer. However, the inhaled nanotubes "clearly reach the target tissue for mesothelioma and cause a unique pathologic reaction on the surface of the pleura, and caused fibrosis," says Dr. James Bonner, associate professor of environmental and molecular toxicology at NC State. The "unique reaction" began within one day of inhalation of the nanotubes, when clusters of immune cells (lymphocytes and monocytes) began collecting on the surface of the pleura. Localized fibrosis, or scarring on parts of the pleural surface that is also found with asbestos exposure, began two weeks after inhalation.
The study showed the immune response and fibrosis disappeared within three months of exposure. However, this study used only a single exposure to the nanotubes. "It remains unclear whether the pleura could recover from chronic, or repeated, exposures," Bonner says.
COMPAMED.de; Source: North Carolina State University
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Internet-Based Therapy Relieves Persistent Tinnitus
© Pixelio
The outcome of both the internet-based therapy and group therapy sessions was significantly better than that of a control group that only participated in an online discussion forum and thus demonstrated both the former to be effective methods of managing the symptoms of irritating ringing in the ears. The study was conducted by the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) in Germany and the Linköping University in Sweden.
According to the German Tinnitus League (Deutsche Tinnitus-Liga, DTL), two per cent of the population suffer from moderate to unbearable tinnitus. But the symptoms of tinnitus can be successfully managed by means of cognitive behavioural therapy. However, not everyone has the opportunity or the desire to take a course of psychotherapy. As shown by the new study, those affected by tinnitus can now achieve the same level of outcome with the help of an internet-based therapy program, which encourages them to adopt individual and active strategies to combat their tinnitus. For the purposes of the study, the training program developed in Sweden was adapted so that it could be used for German patients and then be evaluated for its effectiveness.
The study showed that distress measured using the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory was reduced on average from moderate (40 points) to mild (29 points) in participants who completed the internet-based training course. The results for subjects in the cognitive behavioural therapy group were also very good, with distress levels being reduced from 44 to 29 points. In contrast, there was hardly any change in this respect in the control group subjects participating in the online discussion forum. Their average distress level was 40 points at the beginning of the study and remained at 37 points thereafter. "Our internet-based therapy concept was very effective when it came to the reduction of tinnitus-related distress or, to put it another way, at increasing the tolerance levels of subjects with regard to their tinnitus," concludes Doctor Maria Kleinstäuber of JGU.
At the same time, another interesting result was produced with regard to the preferred method of therapy. A significant number of subjects were initially sceptical with regard to the internet-based therapy concept and expressed a preference for the group therapy course. However, they were randomly assigned to the groups. To everyone's surprise it turned out on the completion of treatment that there was no difference in the effectiveness of the two strategies. "This means that the internet-based therapy concept produced as positive a result as group therapy despite the initial scepticism," says Kleinstäuber. Initial evaluations indicate that the effects of both therapy forms were still persisting after six months.
COMPAMED.de; Source: Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU)
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[Posted: 9:30 AM EDT] Good morning! U.S. equity futures are modestly lower this morning. There is a lot of news to digest this morning. Here is what we are watching:
Trade wars: There is little evidence that the trade situation in China is improving. If anything, conditions are worsening. Here is what we are seeing:
The trade negotiations are turning from a mere discussion of tariffs and the trade deficit to a direct attack on China’s tech sector. As we have noted in the past, China’s economy is in the midst of transitioning from a high-growth/low-cost manufacturer to a moderate-growth, mature economy. Like virtually all nations that have developed since the industrial revolution, China has developed by expanding investment and has now reached the point in its development where it has excess capacity. It needs to address that excess capacity through a combination of methods: (a) finding new markets for this production, (b) writing down the value of this investment to make it profitable for a new buyer, and (c) transforming the old investment capital into new higher value-added capital. It is mostly trying to deploy options (a) and (c); the former is through the belt and road project, a modern form of 19th century imperialism, and the latter through the China 2025 project, where it wants to dominate the tech sector. The U.S. is trying to prevent either method; if China is forced to deploy option (b) then it can either take the American sub-option, which is also affectionately known as the “Great Depression,” or the Japan sub-option, which means 30+ years of stagnation. Needless to say, China is resisting. Preventing China from dominating tech seems to be rapidly evolving into the thrust of U.S. policy. If this is truly the goal of U.S. policy, relations between the U.S. and China will be forever changed. Consequently, the trade talks, though they still matter, may not give the financial markets the boost that a deal would have given us just a few weeks ago.
We are starting to see other developed nations fall in line with U.S. tech policy regarding China. Initially, it looked like other nations were defying Washington; however, that defiance has waned. It is possible that continued bad behavior by Chinese tech firms has changed sentiment. This adds to the argument that we are seeing a fundamental shift. Essentially, since Deng, American policy has been to foster China’s economic development, assuming that increased development would eventually lead to democratization and acceptance of the U.S. global order. That idea was steadily fraying under Obama but it’s dead under Trump.
We fear financial markets are misreading the situation with China. Faith in the “Trump put” remains high. The assumption is that Trump will cave to China if financial markets buckle and accept a trade agreement, lifting risk assets. However, financial markets may be missing the fact that there is strong bipartisan support for opposing China. It appears blue collar workers are very supportive of Trump’s China policy.
China may be misreading the U.S. and President Trump’s situations as well. Yesterday, we saw scheduled infrastructure talks canceled in anger as the president ended them due to Speaker Pelosi’s comment that the White House was engaged in a “cover up.” Although we view this as normal political sniping, it could have wider implications if Beijing views the cycle of investigations and lawsuits as evidence that Trump is under pressure and needs a trade deal. In fact, that assumption may be completely wrong; given the support the president gets from his tough stance on China, he may need that support more than a deal…unless the economy tanks. And, that may have more to do with the FOMC (see below) than the China trade deal. In fact, Trump may hold even tighter to his hardening position on China with the leading Democratic Party candidate downplaying the Chinese threat.
China appears to be dusting off a ploy it first unveiled in 2010—using its dominant position in rare earths as negotiation leverage. Rare earth minerals are critical components of modern technology, including not just smartphones but also green energy and missile guidance systems. To some extent, the term “rare” is a misnomer. The minerals are actually accessible in most of the world, but the production is extraordinarily “dirty,” causing serious environmental problems in mining. Because China doesn’t have strong environmental regulations or a tort bar, China became the leader in rare earth production because it was willing to bear the environmental costs internally. The U.S. and others could restart rare earths production but, given our environmental restrictions, the costs of these minerals would increase.
Meanwhile, the U.S. is continuing to build pressure on China in other ways, such as sailing U.S. Navy vessels through the Taiwan Strait.
The bottom line is that the likelihood is falling for a trade deal at next month’s G-20 meeting. Although President Trump’s mercurial nature could lead to a surprise agreement, in reality, China and the U.S. are now strategic competitors. While it’s possible the two nations could eventually accommodate each other, that sentiment suggests a level of optimism we struggle to share. In the immediate situation, financial markets continue to cling to hope that this will all pass. That hope is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain.
Gaming trade: Trade restrictions have been around for centuries and producers and consumers have worked on ways to evade them. A prominent American protein producer has apparently figured out a way to evade Chinese trade sanctions.
Gaming tech: Drivers for the various ride-sharing companies have developed a new tactic to force up their pay. At large airports, all the contractors coordinate to shut off their apps, leading the algorithms to assume there is a shortage of drivers. This leads to surge pricing, allowing the drivers to increase their pay.
Fed minutes: Overall, the minutes were a bit hawkish, more reflecting Chair Powell’s press conference comments about transitory inflation than leaning toward a rate cut. There were comments expressing concern that continued low inflation might lead to lower inflation expectations, with the term “several” being used. But, the general tenor is that current low inflation is an aberration and won’t be maintained. One reason for this position is based on the Dallas FRB Trimmed Mean PCE. The “trimmed mean” process essentially throws out the most extreme component readings of the PCE that could be skewing the data. Their yearly reading does show stable prices.
At the same time, it does not suggest a decline in inflation that would strengthen the need to cut rates. In looking at the extreme distributions, 26.7% of the PCE components indicated monthly price changes in excess of 26.7% annualized. Price changes from zero to 2% were around 14%. Overall, this distribution would suggest caution on being overly worried about disinflation. The minutes suggest a Fed on hold, with a “few” members pressing for tightening, but the financial markets are leaning even more heavily toward a rate cut.
This chart shows the two-year deferred implied LIBOR rate from the Eurodollar futures market and fed funds. The upper line shows the spread. The relationship has been remarkably accurate in signaling when policymakers should end tightening cycles. We inverted these rates in late March; the implied LIBOR rate is now down to 2.01% (see chart below), suggesting monetary policy is too tight. That is not the message the FOMC is sending, which is increasing the risk of a policy error.
The end of May: It finally looks like the end for PM May is coming. Andrea Leadsom resigned from her cabinet position yesterday, indicating she could no longer support the PM’s Brexit plan. Tory MPs are furious with May’s flirtations with Labour by offering a customs union and hinting at supporting a second referendum. At the same time, the Brexit Party looks like it will win the majority of EU Parliament seats, a further blow to May. Internal Tory party leadership is expected to meet with May in the coming days and will likely press her to step down. All this political turmoil has been bearish for the GBP.
Weaker economy: The Atlanta FRB GDPNow forecast is signaling GDP for Q2 at 1.2%, a significant slowdown from Q1 3.2% growth. Here is the forecast chart.
And the contributions.
The largest drag on growth is inventory liquidation, which accounted for 65 bps of growth in Q1.
Those pesky Russians: Russian warplanes were buzzing the coast of Alaska earlier this week; two incidents were reported that led the U.S. to intercept in both cases. The Russians sent two Tu-95 bombers and two Su-35 fighter escorts. The Tu-95 is a Cold War-era large turboprop bomber; it is essentially Russia’s answer to the B-52. The bomber is a lumbering aircraft; although it can act as a platform for cruise missiles, its ability as a bomber is minor due to its large size and low speed. But, it is a perfect aircraft to send a message as one can’t miss it in the air. However, it isn’t obvious what that message is except to signal that Russia isn’t afraid to make provocative acts.
Foreign political news: EU parliamentary elections begin today. We covered them in detail in yesterday’s report. Election disputes in Indonesia led to riots yesterday. It is hard to see how Joko Widodo could have won by fraud given the size of his win, but the loser, Prabowo Subianto, protested the outcome and apparently triggered the response. We continue to wait to see how the incumbent responds. In India, as expected, Narendra Modi has returned to power in a landslide.
Energy update: Crude oil inventories rose 4.7 mb last week compared to the forecast drop of 1.9 mb. There was a 1.1 mb draw of the SPR, meaning the actual build was closer to 3.6 mb.
In the details, refining activity unexpectedly fell 0.6% compared to the 0.5% increase forecast. Estimated U.S. production rose slightly by 0.1 mbpd to 12.2 mbpd. Crude oil imports fell 0.7 mbpd, while exports fell 0.4 mbpd.
(Sources: DOE, CIM)
This is the seasonal pattern chart for commercial crude oil inventories. We are now well within the spring/summer withdrawal season so the continued build is bearish for prices. The seasonal pattern remains below normal but the gap is closing rapidly.
Based on oil inventories alone, fair value for crude oil is $49.10. Based on the EUR, fair value is $51.24. Using both independent variables, a more complete way of looking at the data, fair value is $49.45. Geopolitical risks are adding nearly $13 per barrel to crude oil prices. Although the geopolitical risks are formidable, this spread is unusually wide and raises the odds of a deeper price correction in the coming weeks, assuming that inventories remain elevated and the dollar remains strong. Of course, this rich price is due to geopolitical risks; Iran has been using covert actions in response to U.S. sanctions, and the U.S. is considering boosting its troop presence in the Persian Gulf.
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Suffering from an injury on a cruise ship accident in Miami? Call The Law Office of Andrew Winston
For years, the Port of Miami has been known as the “Cruise Capital of the World.” When it comes to both passenger traffic and cruise lines, Miami is considered one of the busiest ports on Earth. This reputation has helped the city become an ideal getaway destination for international and domestic travelers, but such a reputation comes with its disadvantages as well.
Unfortunately, the high volume of cruise ships sailing out of Miami also sets the city up for a high volume of cruise-related injuries and accidents. Luckily, The Law Office of Andrew Winston serves the city of Miami and is always available to help victims of cruise line accidents.
Why Turn to Law Office of Andrew Winston after a Miami Cruise Ship Accident?
The Law Office of Andrew Winston has been based in south Florida since its conception—that’s over two decades of experience working under Florida law. All of our partners uphold a commitment not only to the legal system of south Florida, but to the people as well.
Because cruise injury cases are considered matters of maritime law, not all lawyers are qualified to handle them. At The Law Office of Andrew Winston, however, all four partners have experience in the field of maritime law. With a combined 70+ years’ experience, The Law Office of Andrew Winston can guarantee you the attention, professionalism, and care that you deserve.
At The Law Office of Andrew Winston, we know that even the biggest name cruise companies are not completely free of mishaps. Accidents can and have occurred on all of the major cruise companies, and Lawlor Winston has the know-how to go up against all of them, including:
If you have endured pain or suffering on a cruise as a result of a negligent cruise, don’t waste any time—contact The Law Office of Andrew Winstony right away.
On Any Cruise, There’s a Lot That Can Go Wrong
Despite the cruise lines’ best efforts to ensure that everything goes smoothly during each voyage, occasional accidents aboard cruise ships are unfortunately inevitable.
Just about any accident that can happen on land can also happen aboard a cruise ship. Ships, however, come with a few added dangers, such as the prevalence of slippery surfaces, inadequate access to medical care, and close quarters that enable the rapid spread of germs. Some of the more common accidents that occur aboard cruise ships include:
Slips and falls. Slip and fall accidents occur relatively frequently aboard cruise ships, thanks to wet decks and high traffic walkways. While these incidents are often minor, serious injuries can be sustained. Slip and fall accidents can be especially bad for older passengers and may result in broken bones, spinal cord injuries, or brain trauma.
Drowning. “Man overboard” accidents tend to get a lot of attention—and they certainly can happen on cruise ships—but swimming pools actually pose a greater risk for drowning than falling into the sea. No cruise line except for Disney employs lifeguards, which means that young children who can’t swim well are particularly at risk for drowning in one of the ship’s swimming pools.
Shore excursion accidents. You may have signed a waiver stating that you understand your assumption of risk during a shore excursion, but the cruise line may still bear some blame depending on the type of accident that occurs. For example, if staff members fail to keep their parasailing equipment in good condition and the rope snaps as a result, the cruise line may be liable for any injury that occurs.
Gangway accidents. Maritime law still applies to cruise ship accidents even if they don’t take place at sea. If a passenger injures him or herself as a result of an improperly secured gangway, or if a gangway completely collapses, the cruise line may be at fault.
Medical negligence. Cruise line infirmaries just don’t always have the staff or resources to adequately treat all sick or injured passengers. If your illness of injury is made worse due to medical negligence onboard a cruise ship, contact Lawlor Winston.
Norovirus. Norovirus, an insidious gastrointestinal illness, is becoming more and more of an issue on cruise ships. In just the first few months of 2014, the virus infected hundreds of passengers and crew members on several different ships. In some cases the outbreaks were so bad and the infirmaries were so overwhelmed that the ships had to return to port early.
While some accidents are just bad luck and could not have been prevented by the cruise line, other accidents may have been prevented if the cruise line took reasonable precautions. If your accident falls into the latter category, contact The Law Office of Andrew Winston as soon as possible to get the defense you deserve.
What Should You Expect from Our Miami Cruise Injury Attorneys?
Maritime law is a complicated subject, completely distinct from “regular” US law. As a result, not every personal injury lawyer is going to be comfortable handling your cruise ship accident case. That is not something you have to worry about with Lawlor Winston. All four of our partners and Of Counsel Mark J. Leeds have experience practicing maritime law in Florida.
Many cruise lines, despite the fact they sail from ports around the United States and the world, have contractual “venue” provisions in their tickets that require you file suit, if at all, in Federal Court located in Miami-Dade, Florida. That is why you need a South Florida cruise accident firm like The Law Office of Andrew Winston.
Rely on our combined 70+ year experience and in-depth knowledge of both maritime law and the south Florida community, The Law Office of Andrew Winston are your best advocates for all Miami cruise ship cases. Our clients are more than clients—they are our friends and neighbors and we know that they are entitled to fair treatment and compensation. We also understand that maritime law may be unfamiliar to many men and women, so we always make sure to communicate with our clients through every step of each case in order to make the process as simple as possible.
The Law Office of Andrew Winston Won’t Surprise You with Hidden Attorney Fees
Thanks to our track record of success, our law firm is able to operate on a contingency basis. That means that you won’t owe us anything unless or until you recover compensation. We know you have enough to worry about in the wake of a cruise ship accident, and we will not add unexpected attorney fees to your list of concerns.
Contact The Law Office of Andrew Winston with Your Miami Cruise Injury Case Today
If you are ready to start building your case or just want to learn more about our firm, please call us at one of the numbers below, email awinston@aywlaw.com, or fill out our quick and easy case review form. When you’re ready, you can set up a free, no-obligation initial consultation with one of our experienced cruise ship accident attorneys.
South Florida: 954-606-6606
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LHS Girls' Swimming & Diving
Dave Fowler - Girls Diving Coach
Dave Fowler was born and raised in Evanston, IL. He now lives in Lake Bluff with his wife Sue and daughter Merritt. Dave has a BS in Physical/Health Education from St. Cloud State University (MN). Dave is now in his sixthyear of coaching at LHS. Past coaching positions have included St. Cloud Tech HS, St. Cloud State University, Deerfield HS, and Lake Forest College. Along with coaching girls and boys diving at LHS and running the CATS Diving Club, Dave is a Sales Engineer for Nu-Tec Systems, a welding and plasma manufacturer in Gurnee.
Amanda Pechauer - Asst. Swim Coach
Greg Herman - Asst. Swim Coach
Greg Herman has been part of Libertyville swimming for over 30 years. Greg swam for Libertyville and was voted most valuable and team captain his senior year. Greg went on to swim four years at Wheaton College where he was all conference CCIW. Greg has coached at the club level, the junior varsity level, and the varsity level of Libertyville High School swimming. When not at the pool, Greg serves as the Science Department Chair and teaches Physiology. Greg lives in Libertyville with his wife Doreen and has two children, Brian and Casey, in college.
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Kelly Jackson Higgins
Wave Of DDoS Attacks Down Cloud-Based Services
Feedly fends off ransom demands of its attackers.
The popular Feedly news and information aggregator service continues to struggle to get back up and running today after suffering a powerful distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack that it says included the attackers demanding ransom.
Feedly officials said that they had no intention of paying the attackers to curtail the attack, and that they were working with law enforcement officials and other victims of DDoS attacks by the same group. The note-taking app service Evernote and the music-streaming service Deezer have acknowledged they were hit by attacks this week, with Evernote alerting its customers this morning. Both of those services are back up and running.
The RSS provider gave users a heads up about the attack around 2:00 a.m. PT today, noting that the attackers were demanding they pay a ransom fee to stop the attack. "Criminals are attacking feedly with a distributed denial of service attack (DDoS). The attacker is trying to extort us money to make it stop. We refused to give in and are working with our network providers to mitigate the attack as best as we can. We are working in parallel with other victims of the same group and with law enforcement," company officials posted in a blog today. "Please know that [your] data is safe and you will be able to re-access your feedly as soon as the attack is neutralized."
The cloud-based service shifted its infrastructure to get back online, but it warned that it would take time. "These things take some time to put into place and it may still be a few more hours before service is restored. Thank you so much for your patience and for sticking with us," Feedly said in its blog post. "Remember, none of your data was compromised or lost in this attack."
Feedly turned to CloudFlare to restore its service. "As soon as that's complete, I'm sure they'll be back online, and we'll know more about the details of the attack," Matthew Prince, CEO of CloudFlare, said in an email exchange with Dark Reading.
The attacks on Feedly and Evernote do not appear to be related to the ongoing Anonymous DDoS attacks on Brazilian government websites and companies associated with supporting the World Cup, which kicks off tomorrow in Sao Paolo. The so-called #OpHackingCup DDoS campaign waged by a Brazilian arm of Anonymous is protesting the Brazilian government. "We are pursuing the government of Brazil because of their corruption and actions against the people. You have created a system which ensures the poor remain poor, and the wealthy remain wealthy. It is very clear to us that you have no intention of running the country for the people, but you will continue to run it for your own personal interest," the hacktivist said in an online post. "Anonymous demands that the Government of Brazil put an immediate end to corruption and stop the use of force and violence against peaceful demonstrators. We cannot stand idly while these injustices are being done. Know that we stand together and united to fight against this oppression."
Ransom demands in DDoS attacks are more the handiwork of financially motivated cybercriminals. "A lot of software-as-a-service companies are getting extorted and, believe it or not, for ridiculous amounts of money," says Marc Gaffan, chief business officer and founder of Incapsula, an anti-DDoS provider.
Gaffan says attackers typically demand anywhere from $300 to $800, purposely low fees, so that companies wanting a quick fix can get it done quickly, rather than battling the attacks, which can be time-consuming to recover from fully. "Some companies say, 'Let's just do it if they are willing to go away.'" His firm sees dozens of these types of extortion DDoS attacks on a weekly basis.
Feedly and the other victims have not revealed any details on the type or form of DDoS attacks they suffered. Gaffan says it's likely a network-based attack, but it could also have elements of a layer seven attack that overloads the application.
Barrett Lyon, a DDoS expert and principal strategist for F5 Networks, says Feedly likely was hit by a multipronged DDoS attack, especially since it has taken so long to recover. "It could be going to all kinds of different layers of their network," he says. "We are seeing mixed attacks" that combine NTP and DNS reflection attacks, as well as application-layer traffic overload.
"They typically go after several sites in the same community and end up focusing on one site, moving to another. The sites go up and down at various times," Lyon says.
Different DDoS attacks from different groups often occur simultaneously, he says, with different botnets and techniques. "At the same time [of these extortion attacks], Anonymous is doing their whole OpHackingCup thing. The two combined result in a bloody day."
Kelly Jackson Higgins is Executive Editor at DarkReading.com. She is an award-winning veteran technology and business journalist with more than two decades of experience in reporting and editing for various publications, including Network Computing, Secure Enterprise ... View Full Bio
Kelly Jackson Higgins,
User Rank: Strategist
6/12/2014 | 11:53:52 AM
Re: The future of doing business on the internet
That goes along with the overarching incident response reality that you're going to get attacked, so have a plan in place. There's no way to stop a determined bad guy, whether it's a DDoS or a hack into servers.
Robert McDougal,
User Rank: Ninja
The future of doing business on the internet
I fear that the cost of doing business on the internet will include a subscription to a scrubbing service like CloudFlare or Prolexic. DDOS is a very tricky issue with no simple solution and as such I believe internet based companies need to view scrubbing services as a form of online insurance.
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View and Search Selected Documents, 1761-1865
Biography and Footnote Tour
Who's Who in the Collection
Perry Remembered
Please note that this is a digital collection only; the Dartmouth College Library does not have the original documents, which remain in a private collection.
This collection contains correspondence between and from naval officers, five different Secretaries of the Navy, friends, family, and peers of Perry's, and others involved with the U. S. Navy who wrote to Perry for favors or with commendations. The bulk of the papers were written to Oliver Hazard Perry from 1807 to 1819 and are centered around his naval career and accomplishments, including his tenure on the USS Revenge, his leadership of the U. S. naval forces on Lake Erie during the War of 1812, his command of the USS Java, and the diplomatic mission to Venezuela that culminated in his death.
Correspondents include Oliver Hazard Perry, Matthew Calbraith Perry, Smith Thompson, William Jones, Christopher Raymond Perry, Benjamin Hazard, Benjamin William Crowninshield, Langdon Cheves, E. D. Wood, Hugh Campbell, Isaac Chauncey, John Chambers, Paul Hamilton, R. H. Barclay, Robert Smith, Sarah Perry, William Bainbridge, William Reed, Rees Hill, and John Rodgers, among others.
This collection is indexed by subject, biographical period, and document's relationship to Oliver Hazard Perry. To explore those indexes, click here. The collection is also searchable by date, place written, sender, and recipient; to search those fields, click here.
About Oliver Hazard Perry
Oliver Hazard Perry, born August 23, 1785, was a commodore in the United States Navy. He is best known for his War of 1812 victory on Lake Erie in September 1813, when his squadron captured the British naval forces battling for control of the lake.
Perry began his career in 1799 as a midshipman on the General Greene, sailing to Haiti to assist General Touissant L'Ouverture in the suppression of his rival, André Rigaud. From 1802 to 1806, Perry served in the Mediterranean, participating in the blockade of a Tripolitan cruiser and, later, witnessing a change of government in Algiers.
By 1807, Perry had returned to the United States and received his commission as a lieutenant, as well as his orders to oversee the construction of gunboats. As tensions grew between the United States and Britain, Perry received his command of the USS Revenge, in 1809, with orders to prevent British and French privateers from attacking merchant vessels off the southern coast of the United States. In 1810, the USS Revenge was ordered north, to the coast of Rhode Island, to chart the area; in early 1811, the USS Revenge ran aground and was lost. Perry was court-martialed but exonerated. Later in 1811, Perry married Elizabeth Champlin Mason.
When the War of 1812 began the following year, Perry was given command of a flotilla of gunboats near Newport, Rhode Island. In 1813 he was directed to take command of the U. S. naval forces on Lake Erie. With few resources and a lack of men, he defeated the British naval forces led by General Barclay on September 10 of that year. However, that battle led to a longstanding controversy between Perry and his second-in-command Lieutenant Elliot concerning Elliot's lack of action with the ship under his command, the USS Niagara.
Perry was honored for his victory and given a Congressional gold medal. In July of 1814, he was offered command of the USS Java and began to superintend the outfitting of the vessel. However, the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the War of 1812, was signed before the USS Java was ready to sail. In 1815, Perry and the USS Java were sent to the Mediterranean to fight in the Second Barbary War. During this time, Perry slapped a Marine officer, John Heath, and both men were court-martialed. Neither were severely punished, but both this conflict and the heated opposition between Perry and Elliot had a negative effect on some opinions of Perry.
In 1819, Perry was sent to Venezuela to undertake a diplomatic mission to Simon Bolivar. He completed his mission successfully, but became ill with yellow fever before he could return to the United States. He died on August 23, 1819, on his thirty-fourth birthday.
After Perry's death, his brother-in-law, Alexander Slidell Mackenzie, gathered correspondence and anecdotes from those who had known Perry and wrote a two-volume biography of Perry's life and career.
Sources and Related Information
Biographies in Naval History. Naval History and Heritage Command, U. S. Navy, n.d. Web. 2 February 2012.
Mackenzie, Alexander Slidell. The Life of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry. New York: Harper, 1840. Print.
Niles, John. The Life of Oliver Hazard Perry. Hartford: William S. Marsh, 1820. Print.
People: United States. Online Library of Selected Images. Naval History and Heritage Command, U. S. Navy, n.d. Web. 2 February 2012.
Skaggs, David Curtis. Oliver Hazard Perry: Honor, Courage, and Patriotism in the Early U. S. Navy. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 2006.
Dartmouth College Library assigns a Creative Commons BY-NC license to the digital work and associated web site.
This website was researched and created by Laura J. Neill '13, The Edward Connery Lathem ’51 Digital Library Intern for Winter Term 2012, for the Dartmouth College Library Digital Program.
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Standards Today
March – April 2010
Vol IX No 2
Closing The "Standards Sophistication Gap"
Giving it a Name
Executives are fond of observing that you can't manage something until you can measure it. Communications experts have another insight: you need to give a problem a name before you can get people to solve it.
H.R. 5116: It's Time to Close the "Standards Sophistication Gap"
Leveling the international playing field is an important function of government. When it comes to standards-related trade issues, winning on that field requires government help as well. H.R. 5116 can provide a first step in forging the kind of public-private partnership in standards matters that can keep America competitive.
FEATURE ARTICLE:
Expanding the Role NIST: Reconnecting Government to Standards Development
For over 100 years, the National Institute of Standards and Technology has fulfilled a vital role in supporting industry, science, public safety and more. In the standards arena, its mission has focused primarily on defining and enabling the measurement of weights and measures. A bill now in Congress would expand NIST's historical authorization to institutionalize the important role it is now playing addressing complex, cross-sectoral, standards-dependent challenges such as the SmartGrid.
Testimony Before the House Committee on Science and Technology Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation
On March 23, testimony was heard on a bill to support the work of NIST, and to ask NIST to undertake a new role in support of Congress and the federal agencies.
STANDARDS BLOG:
Oracle's ODF Pricing: What's Up With That?
Ever since Oracle announced it would acquire Sun Microsystems, ODF supporters have been wondering: what will Oracle do with OpenOffice?
THE ALEXANDRIA PROJECT:
Chapter 2: The Plot Thickens
In this chapter, the mysteries deepen as Frank Adversego tries to get to the bottom of the cyber attacks being launched against the Library of Congress.
How Now, Gold Bug?
To William Jennings Bryan, the gold standard was a cross upon which the monied classes would crucify the working man. But in times of economic turmoil, some yearn for a return to a standard you can see, touch, and even hide under your mattress. Really, though, it's just another case of "turtles all the way down."
Download PDF of this issue
Andrew Updegrove
The year was 1960, and a dynamic young Democrat from Massachusetts was searching for points of vulnerability in his opponent's record, the vice president to the retiring, Republican incumbent. And the Cold War was in full swing.
One chink in the armor of Richard Nixon that John Kennedy thought he could exploit was the perception (inaccurate, as it later became apparent) that the Soviet Union had more nuclear weapons targeted at the U.S. than the U.S. had targeted at the U.S.S.R. In short, as the politically perfect sound byte had it, there was a "Missile Gap."
The concept of a gap in defensive or offensive military resources is not only ancient and important, but also easy to grasp. In modern times, we've begun to quantify areas in which national competitiveness can rise or fall depending on whether there is a "gap" between the resources of one nation and its trade rivals, most commonly in higher education (how many engineers are we graduating? How many biochemists?) and job skills (how many trained software developers are in the employment pool?)
But national competitiveness also depends on the efficiency with which the public and private sectors collaborate to promote national interests abroad. And if one half of that partnership isn't knowledgeable in an area of importance while other governments are, well you've got a gap that matters.
In this issue, I focus on one such gap for the U.S. in comparison to some of its largest competitors in global trade. That gap is the low level of awareness relating to standard matters in Congress and within some federal agencies. The premise of this issue is that this "Standards Sophistication Gap" needs to be recognized and closed.
In my Editorial, I focus on a small, but important first step being taken to raise the level of the government's game, and urge rapid passage of H.R. 5116, a bill that would authorize the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to play a more active role in supporting the federal agencies and Congress in addressing important standards-related issues.
This month's Feature Article, as usual, explores the same topic in greater detail. In it, I review NIST's historical role in the standards arena, and the ways in which its past experience have prepared it to play an expanded role in meeting complex, cross sectoral, standards-dependent challenges to our national competitiveness. I supplement this article with the Testimony that I delivered to the House Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation in support of this broader role.
For my Standards Blog selection, I return to a saga that I have tracked for many years in this publication: the fortunes of the OpenDocument Format (ODF). The best-known implementations of that standard are the free, open source productivity suite historically supported by Sun Microsystems known as OpenOffice, and StarOffice, the expanded and supported version of that suite that Sun sells to enterprise customers. Ever since Oracle announced its agreement to acquire Sun, proponents of ODF have wondered how well, and to what purpose, Oracle would continue to support these products. In my blog entry, I give my reading of the latest tea leaves that Oracle has made available on this topic.
Next up is Chapter 2 of my new mystery eNovel, a tale of espionage, intrigue, and technology called The Alexandria Project (the first chapter appeared in the last issue of Standards Today. If you are enjoy it, you can find 17 more chapters on line, and a new one every Monday at the same location.
I close, as usual, with a Consider This piece, and explore the enduring appeal of the gold standard in times (like these) of economic turmoil.
As always, I hope you enjoy this issue. But either way, it's always great to hear what you think. Let me know, why don't you?
Editor and Publisher
2005 ANSI President's
Award for Journalism
The complete series of Consortium Standards Bulletins can be accessed on-line at http://www.consortiuminfo.org/bulletins/. It can also be found in libraries around the world as part of the EBSCO Publishing bibliographic and research databases.
Sign up for a free subscription to Standards Today.
H.R. 5116: It's Time to
Close the "Standards Sophistication Gap"
One of the key goals of any properly motivated government is to ensure that its domestic industries will enjoy fair access to foreign markets — in other words, to assure the proverbial level playing field. With globalization and the penetration of the Internet becoming more complete, achieving that goal for U.S. interests is becoming both more achievable — and also more difficult. More achievable, in that our economy is increasingly based on the provision of services, and more and more services can now be delivered remotely. But also more difficult, because the same holds true in both directions.
This dichotomy applies in many other areas as well: those goods we still manufacture competitively tend to be high value, innovative goods (e.g., technology products) that can be marketed globally, because they conform to globally-adopted standards. But that edge disappears when the same products become commoditized.
There is a bill in committee in the House of Representatives that would take an important first step towards making America more standards-competitive in international trade.
In short, competing on a level playing field means that you still need to put the best team on the field, or you're no better off than before.
Just as the design of the equipment, and even high tech attire, of Olympic athletes can now spell the difference between success and failure, prowess in addressing the finer points of international trade competition increasingly separates the winners from the losers. The role of governments can therefore no longer end once the trade barriers have come down. This is particularly true if governments abroad are forming more effective public-private partnerships in pursuit of international trade opportunities.
One area where this is already happening involves standards, because standards can play a huge role in closing — as well as opening — markets to foreign competition. While there are protections against the former under the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (applicable to those that have acceded to the World Trade Organization), those protections are at best cumbersome, complex and slow moving. By the time that a standards-based complaint has been brought to the attention of the Department of Commerce, registered internationally, adjudicated and settled, years of damage will already have been done.
The better way, as with any other area of international relations, is to spot and act on problems when they are brewing, rather than react to them after hostilities have already broken out. In the standards arena, that requires two competencies that have historically been in short supply in the United States: institutionalized, intra-agency sophistication and cooperation on standards matters, and a government-wide awareness that standards and competitiveness are inextricably intertwined.
Why worry now? Because the two largest markets in the world today besides our own, China and the European Union, are years ahead of the U.S. in their breadth and depth of institutional understanding of the relationship between standards and trade. They are also far ahead in integrating standards development and uptake into their international trade policies, and in connecting their public and private sectors to advantage in capitalizing on their standards policies in areas such as aerospace (in the EU) and wireless telephony (in China).
Meanwhile, in the private sector in the U.S. — by its own choosing — largely goes it alone when it comes to standards. Under the Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 1995, the leadership of the private sector in standards development was not only recognized, but the federal agencies were directed to use private sector standards rather than developing its own.
In the past, this "bottom up" system has served the national interest well, in part because the U.S. has also been a leader in standards development in economically vital areas such as information and communications technology. In the future, however, that advantage will be increasingly challenged, as massively standards-dependent, policy-imperative goals such as deploying SmartGrid technology provide commercial opportunities too large for governments to willingly cede to foreign vendors.
Happily, there is a bill in committee in the House of Representatives that, if passed in its current form, would take an important first step towards making America more standards-competitive in international trade. In short, towards closing what might fairly be called an incipient "Standards Sophistication Gap." That legislation is found in Title IV of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (H.R. 5116), and is titled the National Institute of Standards and Technology Authorization Act of 2010.
Among other actions, the bill would elevate the Director of NIST to Undersecretary status and approve an extensive internal reorganization of the National Laboratories. Section 4.05 of the bill would also expand NIST's historical standards-related mission, by empowering and directing the agency to play a more central role in coordinating standards-related matters of importance among the increasingly technology-dependent federal agencies. NIST has already been authorized to play such a role to support specific policy initiatives, such as developing the extensive framework of standards needed to make the SmartGrid a reality.
By institutionalizing this role, administrations could more easily recruit NIST in the future in support of important standards-dependent initiatives requiring public-private collaboration. Similarly, NIST would be encouraged to invest in the resources needed to train personnel and evolve methodologies to perform this function in the most effective and cost-effective manner.
Less noticeably, but equally significantly, H.R. 5116 would also recruit NIST to support national competitiveness by tasking it with bringing national and international standards-related issues to the attention of Congress at a time when those issues are just emerging, and can therefore be addressed in the most opportunistic and productive fashion. This would be a dramatic shift from the present, when standards related issues, if they reach Congress or the Administration at all, are likely to do so in a more urgent, damage-control mode after we have already been challenged abroad.
H.R. 5116 alone will not close the Standards Sophistication Gap. It does not, for example, instruct NIST to proactively and preemptively develop an ongoing, formal interface between the public and private sectors so that possible new initiatives in areas such as cyber security and global warming could be launched in a less ad hoc fashion. But it is a first, important step towards recognizing that our government must raise the level of its game at home if U.S. commercial interests are to truly capitalize on the benefits of a level playing field aboard.
I urge you to lend your support to H.R. 5116.
Copyright 2010 Andrew Updegrove
Expanding the Role of NIST: Reconnecting
Government to Standards Development
Abstract: Over the past 100 years, the United States has evolved a unique separation of responsibilities in the standards area: the private sector standards development process provides almost all of the standards needed by government as well as the marketplace, with the governmental agencies (since 1995) obliged to participate in that process, and to report annually to Congress on their compliance with this charge. In parallel, since 1901, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has performed a multipurpose role supporting industry and science, including by defining and providing the means to test for weights and measures. However, the advent of the Internet and other recent technological advances presents complex, cross-sectoral, standards-reliant opportunities, as well as challenges to the national interest at home and national competitiveness abroad that this existing system is ill-equipped to address. A new bill in the House of Representatives would provide an important first step towards creating the type of public-private collaboration needed to address such challenges.
If the governments of the major industrialized nations of the world were to be tested for sophistication in matters involving standards, the United States would score poorly in comparison with many of its peers.
Strange to say, such a sorry showing would not trouble much of the private sector, because over much of the last century private industry has made the most of its opportunities to develop the standards it needs, largely unhindered (except in the case of standards involving health and safety) by federal intervention. Over the past thirty years, American national, and especially multinational, companies have shown increased innovation by launching most of the hundreds of global standards consortia that now supply the great majority of the myriad information and communications technology (ICT) standards that have enabled the transformation of the American economy from one based on traditional manufacturing to one relying on modern technology and the remote provision of services.
Such a system of identifying, developing and adopting standards within the private sector as the need arises is usually referred to as a "bottom up" system, and contrasts with systems that operate in the opposite direction, with the same functions being assumed by the government. Such a system, inevitably, is referred to as a "top down" system. Most countries operate somewhere between these goal posts, with some (such as China) being very government oriented, and others (most notably the United States) being almost entirely industry-driven.
Historically, the bottom up approach has served U.S. interests very well. But the same motivations that led industry to assume the burden of developing its own standards also resulted in the creation of standard setting organizations (SSOs) that are very sector-specific, and often turf conscious as well. And in fact, until now, the national interest has not required a different system. To the extent that there has been a need for SSOs to collaborate, those needs have typically been limited to a desire to maintain communications to avoid redundancy, or to collaborate on the development of a single standard. These goals are usually met by the establishment of ad hoc networks among self-selecting SSOs using high-level, typically non-binding liaison agreements. Such systems are far too limited in sectoral breadth, commitment and resources to address challenges such as creating a SmartGrid, either within the ambitious time frames set by the current administration, or indeed at all.
If the governments of the major industrialized nations of the world were to be tested for sophistication in matters involving standards, the United States would score poorly in comparison with many of its peers
In contrast, a "top down" approach should be capable of addressing such challenges, and in fact might be expected to have more (if not all) mechanisms needed to achieve such goals already in place.
To an important extent, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has been able to ameliorate this lack of a formal, collaborative infrastructure by providing a venue within which the many traditional SSOs that it accredits can meet and address matters of common concern.1 However, the global consortia that create the great majority of information technology standards, and to a lesser extent communications standards, have to date been hesitant to participate widely in activities sponsored by the representative of a single nation.
ANSI has been successful in bringing both consortia and traditional SSOs together with varying degrees of success in the several "standards panels" that it has launched in recent years, in some cases unilaterally, and in others in cooperation with government agencies. These useful exercises have focused on areas such as biofuels, homeland security and nanotechnology. In the case of the Health Information Standards Panel launched with public funding and defined goals in October of 2005, the initiative represents the type of formal, public-private partnership contemplated by this article. In others, the goals have been more general.2
Despite the recent innovative examples of HITSP, the SmartGrid and EHRs, what remains lacking is an in-place mechanism that can not only identify and prioritize cross-sectoral standards-dependent issues before the need to resolve them becomes urgent, but also identify those existing SSOs competent to assume the duty of supplying specific categories of standards, recruit them to the task, resolve the inevitable differences that will arise between them, and then promote the results to industry and government for adoption — all within the space of a few years when the national interest depends on rapid action.
Although the lack of such an infrastructural mechanism has been exposed as a serious weakness in the process of launching the SmartGrid and EHRs, the significance of this weakness has not been widely appreciated, perhaps because few have realized that such efforts will need to be launched with increasing frequency in the future. What has become clear is that in order to reap the benefits of the complex, interactive, Internet-based systems that such initiatives seek to create, new ways are needed to integrate, control, secure and analyze their operations. In order to do so, an unprecedented number and variety of stakeholders, with more divergent needs and interests, must be brought into the pool within which consensus must be established before standards can be developed that must ultimately be voluntarily adopted or supported by all.
It is also clear that successfully accomplishing aggressive and complex standards-dependent initiatives will often require active government participation for additional reasons, since not only "top down" facilitation and coordination are crucial, but regulatory and financial support will be required needed to guarantee rapid, pervasive and effective adoption. The Obama administration has found it necessary to incentivize the private sector by providing huge subsidies to ensure that the resulting standards are actually implemented in order to achieve these ambitious goals within the aggressive schedules set out for them. The same will be likely to hold true to a greater or lesser extent in order to address other standards-dependent challenges already in view, such as tackling systemic cybersecurity vulnerabilities, enabling open government, and monitoring and addressing global warming.
In a definitively top down country like China, such challenges can be addressed within existing systems and utilizing traditional lines of authority. But when the Obama administration committed to its multi-billion dollar SmartGrid and EHR initiatives, it found that it had few tools at its disposal to generate the complex standards frameworks needed to make such systems viable. As a result, it found it necessary to jury-rig a process from whole cloth, convening ad hoc meetings of stakeholders (even at the White House) to gather input in an effort to achieve consensus, and then legislatively charge the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) with selecting and overseeing private contractors hired to coordinate the creation of guidelines and frameworks that can be populated with standards already developed, and with others identified as needing to be developed, by existing SSOs.
While recognizing and crediting the creativity, speed, and rapid progress of these ad hoc efforts, it must also be acknowledged that this is not the wisest and safest way to expend tens of billions of dollars of public funding. Given that the SmartGrid and EHRs are only the first challenges that will require public-private collaboration, it is important to face up to the fact that if such efforts will be required on a periodic basis, a methodology should be developed and institutionalized to ensure that they will be met efficiently and well. Ad hoc measures such as those being employed to launch the SmartGrid and EHRs can be excused once, and perhaps even twice. But to make a habit of the practice would be to betray the public trust.
Top down, bottom up (or something else?) If it is accepted that a reliable way of addressing such challenges should be institutionalized, the next question is how? Should it automatically be assumed that the United States should convert to a top down system, or is a different solution possible? Similarly, would new bureaucracies be needed to fill the gap?
The experience to date with the SmartGrid and EHR initiatives suggests that the answer to each of these questions is "no." In each case, it is instructive to note that Congress opted to create a new type of collaborative, incentive-based partnership between the public and private sectors rather than to invert the control pyramid. And in each case, it selected the same, existing federal agency to establish and administer that partnership — the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
In fact, Congress had almost nowhere else to turn. Despite the essential role that the approximately one million standards in use today play in making just about everything we use useful, or even possible, throughout our national existence the federal government has maintained a remarkably aloof attitude towards their creation, investing essentially nothing in their development while relying heavily on their availability. This has been especially so since the passage of the Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of 19953, which directs the federal agencies to replace, wherever possible, "government unique" standards in their procurement activities with private sector standards, and to participate in their development. The result is that rather than having systemic knowledge across government regarding standards, there are only isolated pockets of competence within individual agencies.
The historical role of NIST and standards: Despite the word "standards" in NIST's name, the United States has tasked this single agency with an astonishingly diverse range of duties. Among the remits that have accumulated under NIST's mission of promoting "U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve quality of life" are activities as varied as managing multiple scientific laboratories, operating over 400 local offices throughout the country to support small businesses, providing more than 1,300 reference materials from the mundane to the exotic4 to industry, and administering the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Awards program. For all of these purposes, NIST has been given a budget of less than $1 billion per year.5
Given this broad current offering of duties and services, it is easy to forget that NIST's role in the traditional world of standards harks back to Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution, which grants Congress the power to "fix the standards of weights and measures." Notwithstanding this charge from the founding fathers, it was not until 1830 that the first (unofficial) U.S. office of weights and measures was established. It took Congress another 70 years to take action to support the development of federally determined, national standards of weights and measures to replace the welter of local and regional standards that had emerged in the vacuum of the national marketplace. Such measurement against standards as was performed was via instruments that had to be sent abroad for calibration, because the domestic competence to perform that function did not exist.
Despite the word "standards" in NIST's name, the United States has tasked this single agency with an astonishingly diverse range of duties
The NIST of today therefore traces its direct descent only from the National Bureau of Standards that Congress created in 1901 under the Department of Labor and Commerce.6 From the beginning, only some of its activities focused on standards. Indeed, as NIST explains its own origins in the "Welcome" paragraph of its Web site, it was not created as the nation's first bureau of standards, but as America's first "federal physical science research laboratory." The introduction goes on to note:
Over the years, the scientists and technical staff at NIST have made solid contributions to image processing, DNA diagnostic "chips," smoke detectors, and automated error-correcting software for machine tools. Just a few of the other areas in which NIST has had major impact include atomic clocks, X-ray standards for mammography, scanning tunneling microscopy, pollution-control technology, and high-speed dental drills. We invite you to explore our web site to learn about our current projects, to find out how you can work with us, or to make use of our products and services.
When compared to the agencies that are charged with standards development in other nations, it may seem surprising that NIST's self description places so little emphasis on its standards capabilities. The reason harks back to its origins.
When NIST was created, the challenge in establishing standards for commerce was not so much in defining the standards themselves as in developing the capabilities of testing compliance with them, and to calibrate the equipment used to do so. The exact weight assigned to the word "pound," after all, is irrelevant. But it is essential that when a vendor assigns a weight to a product in pounds, it does so accurately.
NIST's greatest challenge in its earliest days, then, was to not only define standards, but to perform the research and development necessary to provide the marketplace with the tools needed to reliably utilize these standards. That role has continued through to the present in such areas as the definition and calibration of time, and essential duty that NIST has addressed using technologies of increasing scientific sophistication, including (since 1949), atomic processes. Its current atomic clock is accurate to within one second every 20 million years. So precise is the measurement of time now required to be that the on-line Internet Time Service provided by NIST to scientists and commercial interests, such as commercial aviation, is updated 3,000 times per second.
The example of time determination illustrates the clearest historical demarcation between the roles assumed by the public and private sectors in this country. First, the development of means to test weights and measures is quite expensive. Second, ensuring that weights and measures are properly utilized in commerce is a traditional government regulatory function. Third, from its earliest days, NIST's mission has been to actively support commerce, and not simply engage in an isolated technical exercise. And lastly, the foundational responsibility established by the Constitution was limited to weights and measures.7
A final point bears mention in even so brief a review of the varied history of NIST, because it figures prominently in the context of the current discussion. Since its inception, NIST has played a remarkably agile role in supporting government and the public interest, taking on both new and transitory duties as the times have demanded. Those duties have changed and expanded as new industries have emerged that needed NIST's unique support (e.g., aerospace), when new issues have arisen that required intensive research and investment to address (e.g., in connection with automobile safety), when wars have placed sudden demands on the nation's industrial capabilities, and as more and more areas of scientific endeavor became essential drivers of national competitiveness.
In each of these cases, Congress has called upon NIST to step in to address new needs. Along the way, NIST therefore has been required to become not only a jack of many trades (and an expert in each of them), but to repeatedly step in as a pinch hitter when sudden needs have arisen.
At the same time that NIST was tackling the capital intensive and research-dependent standards-related tasks, industry was stepping in to create the types of standards (e.g., to enable interoperability) that can be created by private parties without great expense. The earliest private sector standards, such as those defining screw threads, did not require expensive testing at all. Other early standards, such as those regulating boiler construction and pressure, were developed by commercial firms in order to lower the frequency of well-publicized explosions, and therefore the insurance costs of their potential customers as well.
Industry came to appreciate the benefits of developing standards, and also the fact that the private sector could create them more quickly than government. Government, in turn, was happy to allow industry to assume the burden of this quasi-governmental function, while reserving to itself the right to set standards (via regulation) where it felt the need, as in areas of safety and public health. Even then, however, it was happy to incorporate private sector standards where they were appropriate and available.
Over time, private industry formed hundreds of dedicated standards bodies, trade associations, and more recently, industry consortia to create the thousands of standards that commerce required to permit healthy, successful, well-insured industries to develop and prosper. And NIST continued to do the basic research, laboratory development, and (when needed) actual testing of those standards that science, industry and government needed, but that required significant monetary and physical resources.
At the same time that private industry was developing broad competence in standards development, the federal agencies were developing their own unique standards for use in procurement. Often, these standards duplicated private sector standards in coverage, if not in detail. The result was that while competition drove the prices of private-sector standards compliant products down, the costs of government procurement continued to rise.
This bifurcation between public and private standards development was largely eradicated when Congress passed the Technology Transfer and Advancement Act in 1995, later augmented by the Office of Management and Budget's Circular A-119.8 The thrust of these two enactments was that the federal agencies should use private sector standards wherever possible, and also participate in their development.9 For most purposes, therefore, government had opted out of the standards development business, except to the extent that its employees took their place next to industry representatives in SSO technical working groups.
Congressional authorization of NIST: NIST's specific areas of authority arise under the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. Ch. 7), originally enacted on March 3, 1901 upon NIST's creation as an agency within the Department of the Treasury.10 The Act, and NIST's authority and duties under it, have been often been amended since 1901, with the most extensive, recent revision of the Act occurring in 1988.11
Section 271(a) of the NIST Act establishes NIST as "a science, engineering, technology, and measurement laboratory." The Congressional findings supporting the adoption of the Act in the same Section read as follows (the most directly standards-related sections are highlighted):
(a) The Congress finds and declares the following:
(1) The future well-being of the United States economy depends on a strong manufacturing base and requires continual improvements in manufacturing technology, quality control, and techniques for ensuring product reliability and cost-effectiveness.
(2) Precise measurements, calibrations, and standards help United States industry and manufacturing concerns compete strongly in world markets.
(3) Improvements in manufacturing and product technology depend on fundamental scientific and engineering research to develop (A) the precise and accurate measurement methods and measurement standards needed to improve quality and reliability, and (B) new technological processes by which such improved methods may be used in practice to improve manufacturing and to assist industry to transfer important laboratory discoveries into commercial products.
(4) Scientific progress, public safety, and product compatibility and standardization also depend on the development of precise measurement methods, standards, and related basic technologies.
(5) The National Bureau of Standards since its establishment has served as the Federal focal point in developing basic measurement standards and related technologies, has taken a lead role in stimulating cooperative work among private industrial organizations in efforts to surmount technological hurdles, and otherwise has been responsible for assisting in the improvement of industrial technology.
(6) The Federal Government should maintain a national science, engineering, and technology laboratory which provides measurement methods, standards, and associated technologies and which aids United States companies in using new technologies to improve products and manufacturing processes.
The second section of the NIST Act that is worthy of note is Section 272(b), which provides a list of the 13 functions that NIST is currently authorized to fulfill (the list has grown over time). Those sections that relate most directly to standards are as follows:12
(b) Functions of Secretary and Institute
(2) to develop, maintain, and retain custody of the national standards of measurement, and provide the means and methods for making measurements consistent with those standards;
(3) to compare standards used in scientific investigations, engineering, manufacturing, commerce, industry, and educational institutions with the standards adopted or recognized by the Federal Government and to coordinate the use by Federal agencies of private sector standards, emphasizing where possible the use of standards developed by private, consensus organizations;…
(6) to assist industry in the development of measurements, measurement methods, and basic measurement technology;…
(9) to assure the compatibility of United States national measurement standards with those of other nations;
(10) to cooperate with other departments and agencies of Federal Government, with industry, with State and local governments, with the governments of other nations and international organizations, and with private organizations in establishing standard practices, codes, specifications, and voluntary consensus standards;…
(13) to coordinate Federal, State, and local technical standards activities and conformity assessment activities, with private sector technical standards activities and conformity assessment activities, with the goal of eliminating unnecessary duplication and complexity in the development and promulgation of conformity assessment requirements and measures….
Two aspects of the language above bear mention in the context of the current discussion. This first is the tight focus on certain limited areas of standardization. But the second is the assigning to NIST of the role of facilitator in standards matters among the federal agencies, between the federal agencies and the private sector, and between the federal agencies and domestic as well as foreign governments.
Expanding the future standards role of NIST: Under a bill now in committee in the House of Representatives (H.R. 5116), two new functions would be assigned to NIST that are crucial to allowing it to become an ongoing public partner in the type of public-private partnership that will be needed to address future complex, cross sectoral standards challenges.
Under the current form of the draft bill, those functions would be as follows:
(14) to promote collaboration among Federal departments and agencies and private sector stakeholders in the development and implementation of standards and conformity assessment frameworks to address specific Federal Government policy goals; and
(15) to convene Federal departments and agencies, as appropriate, to—
(A) coordinate and determine Federal Government positions on specific policy issues related to the development of international technical standards and conformity assessment-related activities; and
(B) coordinate Federal department and agency engagement in the development of international technical standards and conformity assessment-related activities.
The first of these two new functions accurately describes the role that NIST is currently playing under separate Congressional authority with respect to the SmartGrid. By institutionalizing this role within the NIST Act itself, Congress would not only permit the administration to call upon NIST more quickly as future needs arise, but would also encourage NIST to invest in the creation of the type of human and other resources, and accumulate the type of experience, needed to support those requests as they arise.
H.R. 5116 would also require NIST to compile and deliver a new annual report to Congress, identifying:
(1) current and anticipated international standards and conformity assessment-related issues that have the potential to impact the competitiveness and innovation capabilities of the United States;
(2) any action being taken by the Federal Government to address these issues and the Federal agency taking that action; and
(3) any action that the Director is taking or will take to ensure effective Federal Government engagement on technical standards and conformity assessment-related issues, as appropriate, where the Federal Government is not effectively engaged.
Of greatest interest for current purposes is subsection (1), which would allow NIST to not only coordinate activities as requested by the administration, but to independently bring issues to the attention of Congress that NIST believes may impact national competitiveness.
Conclusions: Two of the great strengths of the American economic system are the robust, bottom up standards infrastructure that has been developed within the private sector, and the highly skilled, capital intensive resources of NIST, which provide standards-related tools and services that the private sector is not likely to develop on its own. Both of those resources should be preserved at all costs, but they should be supplemented by new, more direct public-private infrastructures that will allow American industry to meet policy needs at home while remaining competitive abroad.
Among all existing agencies, NIST is the most experienced and most obviously empowered public body to provide the public half of this equation. While H.R. 5116 is perhaps more modestly worded than might be hoped, it sets the tone, and would provide sufficient authority to take up that challenge. Hopefully, its passage by both houses of Congress, without diminishment, will be rapid.
1 It must be noted that while I am a member of the Board of Directors of ANSI, all characterizations of, and observations regarding, that organization are mine and mine alone.
2 A list of ANSI Standards Panels can be accessed at http://www.ansi.org/standards_activities/
standards_boards_panels/overview.aspx?menuid=3. The HITSP Web site can be found at http://www.hitsp.org/. All on-line resources cited in this article were last accessed on May 21, 2010.
3 15 U.S.C. 3701. The Act may be accessed at http://ts.nist.gov/standards/information/113.cfm
4 And sometimes even downright bizarre, as I explore I explored in a Consider This essay titled For Your Reference (June 22, 2005), at http://www.consortiuminfo.org/blog/considerthis.php?ct=29
5 A very readable history of the evolution of NIST's role during its first 100 years can be found at http://www.100.nist.gov/cent_toc.htm
6 When Commerce and Labor were later separated, NIST not surprisingly followed Commerce, where it remains today.
7 Of course, at the time the Constitution was written, weights and measures were the only empirical standards in existence. While the limitations on government powers in the standards arena that Congressional "strict constructionists" might nonetheless impose can be imagined, those limits will be left to the imagination of the reader.
8 Office of Management and Budget Circular No. A-119 (Revised February 10, 1998), Federal Participation in the Development and Use of Voluntary Consensus Standards and in Conformity Assessment Activities, may be accessed at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/rewrite/circulars/a119/a119.html
9 The Act also requires NIST to report annually to Congress on the Agencies compliance with the Act.
10 NIST was later moved to the Department of Commerce and Labor, and when that agency was divided, NIST remained with what is today the Department of Commerce.
11 The full text of the NIST Act, with amendment history, may be accessed at http://uscode.house.gov/download/pls/15C7.txt
12 The purposes of the NIST Act also bear mention:
(b) It is the purpose of this chapter —
(1) to rename the National Bureau of Standards as the National Institute of Standards and Technology and to modernize and restructure that agency to augment its unique ability to enhance the competitiveness of American industry while maintaining its traditional function as lead national laboratory for providing the measurements, calibrations, and quality assurance techniques which underpin United States commerce, technological progress, improved product reliability and manufacturing processes, and public safety;
(2) to assist private sector initiatives to capitalize on advanced technology;
(3) to advance, through cooperative efforts among industries, universities, and government laboratories, promising research and development projects, which can be optimized by the private sector for commercial and industrial applications; and
(4) to promote shared risks, accelerated development, and pooling of skills which will be necessary to strengthen America's manufacturing industries.
Testimony Before the U.S. House of Representatives
Committee on Science and Technology Subcommittee
On Technology and Innovation
Recently I was invited to present testimony before a House subcommittee considering a portion of a wide-ranging House bill (H.R. 5116), part of which would amend sections of the Act under which the authority of the National Institute of Technology (NIST) is established. One of these changes was intended to elevate the status of this non-regulatory agency by raising the rank of its Director to Undersecretary within the Department of Congress, and another would consent to a reorganization of the National Laboratories recommended by President Obama's appointed head of NIST, Dr. Patrick D. Gallagher. A third would enlist NIST to assist the Federal agencies in addressing standards-related issues internally, and to assist Congress in recognizing and addressing standards-related issues of external importance.
It was the third series of changes that was of interest to me, and about which the Subcommittee had asked me to share my views, based in part on the recommendations that I had made in earlier issues of Standards Today, and in particular in two articles from the October/November 2008 issue: Behind the Curve: Addressing the Policy Dependencies of a "Bottom Up" Standards Infrastructure and 10 Standard Recommendations for the Obama Administration.
The text in question appears in Section 405 of the H.R. 5116, and as currently drafted, would add the following two new functions to the existing list of tasks previously assigned to NIST by Congress under Section 272(b) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 272(b):
The bill would also assign a new reporting function to NIST, described as follows:
(b) REPORT.—The Director, in consultation with appropriate Federal agencies, shall submit a report annually to Congress addressing the Federal Government's technical standards and conformity assessment-related activities. The report shall identify-
In my written testimony, as well as in my oral testimony and responses to later written questions, I strongly supported the amendment, as did the other witnesses. My testimony appears below, and links to the statements of each witness, as well as video and audio recordings of the hearing, can all be accessed through the meeting Web page:
http://science.house.gov/Publications/hearings_markups_details.aspx?NewsID=2774
Chairman Wu, Ranking Member Smith, and Subcommittee Members. Thank you for the opportunity to testify on this important topic.
I ask that my written testimony be accepted into the record.
My name is Andrew Updegrove, and I am a partner in the Boston law firm of Gesmer Updegrove LLP. I am also on the Board of Directors of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), but the opinions I will express today are mine alone. Those opinions are primarily informed by my experience in representing almost 100 non-profit membership organizations that develop and/or promote standards over the past 22 years.
I will seek to frame my testimony today in the context of three important areas where standards play a crucial role: achievement of policy goals, maintaining national competitiveness, and ensuring the efficient use of taxpayer dollars.
Over the last hundred years, our "bottom up," private sector-led standards development structure has served this nation well. This approach was wisely affirmed and strengthened by Congress in 1995 when it passed the Technology Transfer and Advancement Act (TTAA). But today, the world is changing in ways that I believe require us to optimize this "bottom up" partnership.
To whom can Congress turn when it determines that multiple industry sectors must be motivated to provide the standards tools needed to address ambitious policy goals? In the examples noted above, the answer has been clear: to NIST.
To whom can Congress turn when it determines that multiple industry sectors must be motivated to provide the standards tools needed to address ambitious policy goals? In the examples noted above, the answer has been clear: to NIST
As we have become ever more dependent on technology in general and the Internet in particular, thousands of new standards have been required to simply make things work. Major policy initiatives such as the SmartGrid and lowering healthcare costs through national adoption of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are each dependent on the availability of scores — and even hundreds — of standards, many of which did not exist when these initiatives were launched.
Unfortunately, while the private sector is capable of developing individual standards quickly for specific purposes within a single sector, it lacks the will to tackle complex, cross-sectoral challenges rapidly, in part due to the inherent difficulties of resolving competing economic interests. While adequate cross-sectoral solutions can, and usually do, evolve over time, urgent challenges such as cybersecurity and the rising costs of healthcare do not permit us the luxury to allow normal market forces to provide solutions. As a result, when the national interest demands the rapid development of a wide, cross-sectoral range of coordinated standards, a catalyzing force is needed. And note this well: challenges such as the SmartGrid and EHRs are but the advance party of a host of similarly cross-sectoral, complex, standards-dependent challenges that policy makers will face in the future.
Let me turn now to the topic of National Competitiveness
The development and deployment of standards is essential to creating new technologies and new product markets — and therefore to jobs creation and maintaining a healthy balance of trade as well. This lesson has not been lost on many governments abroad. In particular, policy makers in the European Union and China have integrally woven standards development and adoption into their national strategies.
Indeed, in 2005, a U.S. aerospace industry working group concluded:
Without a clear strategy and support from industry and government space agencies, the US is in the process of ceding the development of standards for the commercial space industry to venues outside of our influence.
The Chinese government has observed this process, and today is sponsoring the creation of more and more "homegrown" standards for the benefit of its domestic industries. This is especially worrisome, because standards are essential to every emerging area of potential manufacturing job growth on the horizon today.
But how are we to achieve such sophistication without abandoning our "bottom up" model? The answer, I believe, is to charge a single agency or department with the role of tracking emerging needs for public-private coordination, with marshalling facts and data for lawmakers and the administration to support the development and deployment of standards-aware international trade policy, and with providing a coordinating function between the public and private sectors.
Who could provide such a function better than NIST, which is not only the governmental domain expert in the area of standardization, and has acted in this capacity in the past with respect to multiple individual initiatives, but a part of the Department of Commerce as well?
Lastly, let me highlight the relevance of standards to the Efficient Use of Resources
There is no argument that widely adopted standards create competition, increase product choices and drive costs down. Hence, supporting the development of standards can have a very material impact in lowering government costs directly in procurement, especially where any agency can buy products from a single approved list. The same support can lower costs indirectly, because government-side standards adoption allows information to be entered once, and then exchanged widely, securely and rapidly across departments and agencies.
Because of the immense "soft power" of government purchasing, government can also provide incentives to industry to move rapidly in directions that are beneficial to society in general, such as towards greater cybersecurity, and towards greater accessibility for those with disabilities.
With these observations as background, let me turn to the three questions posed to me in your invitation.
1. Why is coordination amongst Federal agencies and departments on technical standards issues important? How can it be improved?
Achieving goals such as protecting Homeland Security and making government more open, interactive and transparent requires the ability to seamlessly and securely exchange data among agencies, and in a consistent fashion with citizens, first responders and others externally. In order to meet that goal, I believe that it will be necessary to charge a single agency or department with the responsibility of facilitating the exchange of information and the coordination of action across agency and departmental boundaries. That body should also be required to report back to Congress on compliance with the program.
Given NIST's competence in the standards area, as well as its experience in compiling and reporting Agency compliance data under the TTAA, it appears to be the obvious candidate for this task.
2. What could a future NIST role in technical standards be? How can NIST foster federal agency collaboration on international technical standards issues?
I believe that there are three ways in which our "bottom up" process needs to be optimized. In each case, NIST would be the logical choice to act on behalf of government:
Most crucially, I believe that the role that NIST has played in initiatives such as the SmartGrid and EHRs should be institutionalized and optimized over time. The private sector simply does not have the will to self-organize and drive large, cross-sector, standards-based initiatives through to a rapid conclusion without the support and, frankly, the prodding of the government.
In contrast to most other nations, there is no government-appointed spokesperson for the United States in all but one of the major formal international standards bodies, or in the hundreds of "informal," but often more influential, SSOs generally referred to as "consortia." ANSI is internationally recognized as the United States representative in several of the formal organizations, but it lacks an explicit Congressional appointment to serve in that capacity. In fact, NIST and ANSI have worked together productively on many initiatives in the past, and I believe that this relationship should be formalized as the principal conduit between government and private industry, thereby ensuring an ongoing and efficient flow of information. Among other benefits, NIST and ANSI could facilitate formulating joint positions between government agencies and relevant industry sectors on international issues when such unanimity would be useful.
With the convergence of technologies and the rising importance of systemic concerns such as global warming, the need to develop positions relating to standards will regularly cross agency and departmental boundaries. NIST can act as a clearinghouse for communication between agencies to help them understand their respective needs and priorities. Similarly, NIST can coordinate their participation in SSOs to minimize cost, and maximize government input into the standards development process.
3. Please share any perspectives on the proposed NIST realignment.
For historical reasons, NIST has become the custodian of a variety of missions, each of which must compete for necessarily limited resources. To the extent that realignment will help NIST support the goals that I have highlighted above, I think that it is crucial for Congress to support that realignment.
For decades, the United States has been a global leader in standardization, led in large part by private industry. The leadership of the private sector remains necessary, but it is no longer sufficient. The U.S. needs a more empowered, more activist NIST to bring our historical public-private partnership in the standards arena up to the demands of the present and the future, and to assist the Federal agencies and departments in efficiently managing the jobs that they have been asked to perform.
Mr. Chairman, ranking member Smith, and Subcommittee members, I would like to thank you for committing your time to these important matters, and for the opportunity to testify before you today.
Oracle's ODF Plug-in Pricing:
What's up with That?
When news of Oracle's intended acquisition of Sun Microsystems broke long ago, many people wondered what that would mean for OpenOffice, the most widely adopted full desktop implementation of ODF. But Oracle immediately imposed a company-wide "no comment" policy on that topic, so everyone has been wondering what the answer might be ever since.
So like many others, I expect, I'm trying to get my brain around Oracle's reasoning in deciding to charge $90 for a formerly free ODF conversion plug-in developed by Sun Microsystems. That downloadable plug-in was intended for Microsoft Office users who wanted to import ODF-compliant documents created, most obviously, by users of the free, open source OpenOffice.org (OOo) version, or of Sun's StarOffice, the for-sale, supported productivity suite based on the free OOo code.
Moreover, it's not just $90 you'll need to fork over — the plug-in is only available in packages of 100.
Before you ask: (a) yes, an Office 2007 service pack released some time back by Microsoft allows users of that version of Office (and also of Office 2000, 2003 and XP) to work with documents using ODF 1.0, but not the most current version of ODF, which is version 1.2; and (2) no, unlike OpenOffice, the plug-in was never made available by Sun as open source software.
For me, this raises three important questions:
1. What is Oracle trying to accomplish?
2. Is it likely to work?
3. Given that Oracle controls OpenOffice.org, developer of the most widely used desktop direct implementation of ODF, what does this indicate for the future of that software?
Here's my best take on answering those questions, but first here's some back story on how the plug-in came to be created to begin with, and why it was so important.
It all goes back to August of 2005, when the ODF story first burst onto the international scene. What happened back then was Peter Quinn, then the CIO of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, decided that only the ODF and (Adobe's PDF) document format standard, but not Microsoft's competing XML-based specification (usually referred to as OOXML), qualified under the Commonwealth's Enterprise Architecture definition of an "open standard." With that, ODF vaulted into the public eye, and the most closely contested standards war of the last decade was on.
Opting for ODF over OOXML, however, didn't mean that Massachusetts could suddenly convert all of its 50,000 desktops over to ODF-compliant software. Among other difficulties, it had millions of legacy documents created using various versions of Office (none of which, by the way, were compliant with OOXML at that time, either). Thus, before Massachusetts, or any other large enterprise user that might want to follow its lead, could switch over, a way had to be found to at minimum convert over these existing documents, as well as deal with documents coming in from outside that were created using, most often, Microsoft Office and Word.
One has to ask, though, is there enough profit to offset the benefits of continuing to offer the plug-in for free to help promote further uptake of ODF?
Unfortunately, neither OpenOffice, StarOffice, nor any of the other open and proprietary suites that had some degree of compliance at that time with ODF could pull that feat off with any high degree of fidelity. Proponents of ODF therefore had a great incentive to close the interoperability gap in order to seize the opportunity that the Massachusetts decision had suddenly opened.
Back then, Sun was walking an interesting line: under a court settlement it was not free to openly criticize Microsoft about OOXML, but behind the scenes it was doing a lot to support ODF. Not surprisingly, given its familiarity with OpenOffice and its investment in StarOffice, it created the first and best plug-in to provide reasonable interoperability between those programs and Microsoft's Office. That plug-in quickly became, and has continued since then to be, widely downloaded and used by both individual and enterprise users. (If you're a glutton for back stories, you can find all 223 blog entries I've previously written on this topic here.)
To summarize: for five years, Sun Microsystems developed, offered for free, and continued to maintain, a plug-in that supported OpenOffice and StarOffice. How? By making it easier for non-ODF users to deal with documents created by ODF users, so that more non-ODF users would be likely to become ODF users. Got it?
And it worked. Over time, more and more Microsoft shops downloaded the plug-in, so that today many, many SMEs and enterprise users can deal with ODF-based documents as they come in the door, which put more pressure (among other factors) on Microsoft to eventually include ODF support in Office and Word as well.
So if the free plug-in strategy worked so well for so long, why change now? Let's return to my three initial questions.
1. What is Oracle trying to accomplish? First, let's take note of another bit of news — the fact that, prior to its previous promises, Microsoft recently admitted (as contended by OOXML BRM convenor Alex Brown) that even its next release of Office will not support the "strict" version of OOXML that was adopted by ISO/IEC. That means that if you are, for example, one of the governments that preferentially buy products that comply with ISO/IEC standards, you will be more likely to buy natively ODF-compliant products than Office. The products that they will turn to (like StarOffice and OpenOffice) will not only be able to output documents that comply with the currently approved ISO/IEC version of ODF (version 1.0), but also the newer and more up to date version (1.2). Preferentially, users will output in 1.2.
That means that more ODF-compliant documents will be created using ODF 1.2 in those jurisdictions, which means that there will be more demand for plug-ins that can read those documents — because current versions of Office cannot.
Result? There's a profit opportunity for Oracle here.
One has to ask, though, is there enough profit to offset the benefits of continuing to offer the plug-in for free to help promote further uptake of ODF? After all, Larry Ellison has always taken delight in tucking it to Microsoft whenever he can, and even highly robust plug-in revenues will disappear into the rounding error of Oracle's balance sheet. So profit as a motive really doesn't make any sense.
What does make sense is this: you can still download a copy of OpenOffice for free, and then use OpenOffice to open the document that comes over the transom. Then you can export it again as an Office-readable document. In short, you can get a 100 downloads of a complete office suite for nothing instead of 100 copies of just a plug-in for $9000. What would you do?
That's where the beauty of the plug-in price comes in. Now, instead of 100 users with a plug-in, you've got 100 people who discover how easy OpenOffice is to use. How easy is that? Much easier than you expect, particularly if you own a computer that uses a post-Office 2003 office suite, and hate it. When you download OpenOffice, you'll feel like you have your nice, familiar copy of Office 2003 back again — and for free. Now isn't that nice?
Well, for an individual, yes. For a business, well, maybe not so much (see below).
2. Is it likely to work? For this one, you have to ask the time-honored question, "Who's the customer?" For individuals and small businesses, not only is it a no-brainer, but it's also no choice, since they are hardly likely to buy 100 copies of something when they only need one or a few copies. For the enterprise user, the $18 volume discount price would be an annoying, but presumably bearable, addition to the cost of maintaining each desktop if it made use, integration and maintenance easier. But for a smaller business, $90 would be too much. Unfortunately, integrating OpenOffice might be a non-starter as well. Ultimately, someone else will probably come out with a cheaper alternative.
Now let's take a look at the pricing for Oracle Open Office (the new name for Sun's former StarOffice and StarSuite). Here's what you'll see at the Oracle site.
Oracle Open Office Standard Edition (perpetual license): $49.95
Enterprise edition: $18 – $90, depending on volume
Office plug-in: $18 – $90, depending on volume
Let's see now; so I can get the full, supported suite for the same price as just the plug-in. Hmm. What should I do?
No, this certainly won't convert many Office users to an Oracle Open Office user. But with a new version of Office coming out, which will require new license fees, new integration fees, and new training costs, it might make some users more likely to make the switch, particularly if they are facing an upgrade decision. After all, StarOffice is still a whole hell of a lot cheaper than Office, and continues to get better and better.
Does Oracle's decision indicate that it is taking its ODF-compliant office suite unit seriously as a money maker, or that it is simply imposing a bean-counter's discipline on the unit to make money?
So assuming that this is what Oracle is up to, will it work, and if so, to what extent? That's a pretty complicated question, because there are so many different types of users and individual situations. But I think it's fair to say that it makes as much sense as keeping the plug-in free (at least, for Oracle), and also helps to justify the substantial ongoing costs of maintaining and upgrading both the proprietary as well as the open source versions of ODF.
3. What does this indicate for the future of ODF-compliant software? Overall, I don't think this is a good thing for ODF, and maybe not, when all is said and done, maybe for Oracle, either. Happily, the future of ODF is not tied to the future of OpenOffice any more than it is now to the procurement decisions of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Just as Peter Quinn's decision was later reversed, ODF now has sufficient traction around the world that it is no longer dependent on the existence of OpenOffice as a credible alternative to Office. After all, there are other quality open source as well as proprietary ODF-compliant suites (the SoftMaker version is apparently particularly good), and there are cloud-based compliant office suites available as well, such as Google Docs.
Conclusion: While the existence of OpenOffice was essential to ODF in the first few years after Peter Quinn's quixotic decision to support the rebel standard, ODF is now past the point where its future is dependent on it. And in point of fact, Sun was always at best a flawed steward for the poster child implementation of ODF, keeping too close control over it to attract the kind of broad individual and enterprise support that flocked to contribute to Linux and Apache, for example.
Overall, though, I think that Oracle has probably made a reasonable decision insofar as its own self interest is concerned. It does leave open one tantalizing question though, that's harder to read: does the decision to charge for the plug-in indicate that Oracle is taking its ODF-compliant office suite unit seriously as a money maker, and plans to put serious resources behind it, or that it is simply imposing a bean-counter's discipline on the unit to make money?
If it's the former, than that's good news for the ODF community, because OpenOffice still has the most dedicated users, and the most credibility, of all the alternatives. And if the paid version gets traction, there will be more third party software developers, like those that create crucial software, such as document management tools, that will take the time to integrate with it. This is essential to creating a true proprietary as well as an open source competitor to Office.
But if it's the latter, well, that would be a real shame. But it wouldn't be the end of ODF.
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New to The Alexandria Project? Find a plot synopsis and guide to the characters here, find the earlier chapters here, and follow the Further Adventures of Frank on Twitter
Frank wondered how long his phone had been buzzing. He was about to turn it off when he saw that it was his daughter Marla calling.
"Hi Kid," he said, "Listen…"
His daughter jumped in. "Hey, Dad, thanks for picking up. I considered worrying about you for a second, and then figured you'd never really jump out the window — you're only on the second floor, after all, and broken bones don't solve anything. I mean, you're just much too logical not to think of that.
"So how's your big morning-after-the-night-before coming along?"
Frank tried to escape again, "Listen, Marla, this just isn't a good time. I'm in the middle of something, and…"
"Right. Fat chance YOU got lucky last night. I'll be right over." She hung up.
Frank looked helplessly at the phone. He started to call her back, and then snapped the phone shut. She wouldn't answer anyway.
Frank turned back to his laptop and took stock. All he really knew so far was that a file directory in the most secure part of a government computer system had been compromised by someone with hard to guess motives. That, and the fact that whoever had broken in either had a snarky sense of humor, or wanted to lead him down the wrong path — or both. No matter how you looked at it, there wasn't a lot to work with.
Frank's fingers drummed on the kitchen table for a full minute, and then opened the Alexandria Project screenshot again. This time, Frank opened it using a photo editing program. But cleaning the image up as much as possible uncovered no new clues. More finger drumming didn't help, so for want of anything more productive to do, he deleted the Greek text, typed in the English translation where the Greek characters had been, and stared at it some more.
Frank wondered how seriously to take what had just happened. After all, someone with truly malicious intent would never have left a message. Instead, whoever had launched the exploit would do everything he could to avoid detection. But if the intruder wanted his exploit to be known, what exactly was he trying to prove? Perhaps he was just showing off.
That would still be troubling enough, Frank thought, given how deeply inside the LOC's defenses the intruder had penetrated. And what if the files the mysterious cracker had decided should be "contributed" had been really important files? Or files that had just been created, and hadn't yet been backed up?
On a hunch, Frank started typing again. A few new passwords and a number from a different RSA SecurID token than he'd used before, and he was staring at the same directory at the offsite backup center for the Library of Congress. He hesitated, and then clicked on the enter key for his security proposal. Nothing. And then the following message appeared:
The material you have requested is being catalogued
by the Alexandria Project Acquisitions Department
Frank was impressed; he also had to grudgingly admit he liked the guy's sense of humor. Whoever had hacked the LOC's system was good — really good. He had not only penetrated the LOC's primary security system, but managed to pass a virus through to the Library's backup site as well, thereby ensuring that whatever had been "contributed" was gone for good. That was truly disturbing. If the cracker could do that with one file, theoretically he could do it with every file on every server available from his point of entry. Frank would have to put some real effort into working this one out.
And then it struck him: why bother?
Frank smiled slowly and leaned back, all of the tension that had been building up inside him disappearing all in a rush as he laced his fingers behind his head and stretched his legs out under the table. This was actually rather cool, wasn't it? No, he corrected himself, this was really, really cool.
Up until that moment, Frank had been secretly dreading checking his email. Now he opened it with relish.
Yes, there was an email from George waiting for him. Frank grinned wickedly as he read the subject line — in all caps, even: "WHAT IS THE ALEXANDRIA PROJECT?"
"Great question!" Frank banged out happily. "Better get Rick on that right away!" He hit the "send" button with a flourish, and leaned back again, staring gleefully at the screen as the message disappeared.
Frank poured himself another cup of coffee and toggled back to the screen with the Alexandria Project logo in translation. Now he saw it with a new sense of appreciation. It actually was an awfully good looking image, wasn't it? Just right to replace his old screen saver. Amazing how quickly a day could take a turn for the better.
For all our wealth and strength, any third world country — or even a terrorist organization — can theoretically crash an entire agency — or, for that matter, Wall Street — if they put some smart guys to work on it
Just then he heard a knock, followed by Marla's key rattling in the door down the hall. Frank got up to usher her in.
"Hey, kid!" he greeted her, smiling broadly. "It's great to see you."
"My, you sound perky," she said, looking at him with curiosity. "I thought after last night's little passion play I'd find you huddled in the corner in a fetal position, moaning softly."
Marla put the bagels and fruit she'd brought with her on the kitchen table, and then went into the hall to hang up her coat. Returning, she found her father standing behind his laptop with arms crossed, and a goofy grin spread across his face.
"So what gives, Charles Atlas? Somebody else holding all the world's cares on their shoulders for you this morning? I haven't seen you look this happy since Rush Limbaugh got busted for popping illicit pain pills."
Frank just continued to grin and pointed at the laptop. Marla's face looked a question, but she didn't want to ask for an explanation if her father hadn't chosen to offer one. She sat down and stared at the screen, searching for clues.
"Okay," She said. "So you've found a new charity you like, and that makes you all giggly?" Frank just raised his eyebrows, so she looked at the screen again, vexed that her father had posed a riddle she couldn't solve.
Finally, she had to give up. "Alright, whoever you are, what have you done with my cranky old man? I'm not saying this isn't a huge improvement, but unless you agree to keep him, you might as well let him go now."
Frank traded the goofy grin for a simple smile and sat down. "Sorry to be so mysterious," he said, pouring her a cup of coffee. "It's just that it's not every day I get to savor something this delicious. And this really is good."
"Fine," she said. "Now share."
"So here's what's up: you've certainly figured out by now that I expected to get the project that Rick was given last night. And you've also assumed, I'm sure, that it was a security project, or my nose wouldn't have been so far out of joint." Marla shrugged. Of course that much had been obvious, but she didn't want to embarrass her father further by admitting it.
"If so, you're right on target. Now here are two things you don't know: first, the project is an important one: the boys up on the Hill suddenly have their knickers all in a twist about cybersecurity. And it's a damn good thing they do, too, because there are bad guys out the wazoo out there with plenty of reasons to want to tuck it to us — North Koreans, Revolutionary Guards from Iran, the big boys in Al Qaeda, wherever they're hiding out, criminals in Eastern Europe and Russia, and who knows who else. And the easiest way to wreak havoc on the only remaining super power in the world is via an Internet connection.
"Isn't that a bit of an overstatement, Dad? I mean, with all the money we spend on defense, how could some rogue nation, much less a criminal outfit, manage that?"
"How? Because we haven't done enough to prevent it. In fact, it wasn't until last June that the Department of Defense formally acknowledged that cybersecurity protection needed to be part of national defense. That's when Secretary of Defense issued an order establishing a Cybersecurity Command — but it won't be fully operational until this October. That's just the first step needed.
"And that's pretty scary, because if you think about it, our $600 billion annual defense budget makes us more vulnerable, not less so. Why? Because everything we do now is controlled by computers — all the bombers, all the rockets, all the ground troops — everything. Worse, it's all controlled through the Internet.
"Sure, the government uses passwords and firewalls and all that, but data still has to get in and out or it isn't useful. The CIA bigwigs at Langley have to suck information in from their resources all over the world, and they also have to get instructions back out to their agents in the field. Same with the Department of Defense. The generals and civilian managers back at the Pentagon need to bring information in and send orders back out. All that data is spewing in and out like a giant fire hose — video from predator drones flying over Afghanistan, satellite data from all over the world, battlefield intelligence from spotters in forward positions, and much, much more — gigabytes of it every hour.
Marla looked unconvinced. "Okay, so why is this any different from the old days, when all they had were secure telephones and secret codes for anything that went out by radio? It may be more information now, but aren't the challenges just the same?"
"Yes and no," he admitted, "and the ‘yes' bit is by far the smallest part. The first thing to realize is that in the old days, besides sending paper documents by courier, all you had to worry about were voices and Morse code signals. Both of those data streams relied on "analog" technology — telephones and radios generated electric, and electromagnetic, pulses. Even if a bad guy managed to intercept the call or transmission, all he could do was record it and play it back later. These days, of course, we can send all kinds of information electronically in addition to voice — everything from text to spreadsheets to video to radar images to you name it. And all that information is transmitted as "digital" data — as you know, that's just ones and zeroes. But those ones and zeroes can be analyzed, stored, searched, repurposed and altered in ways that a voice recording never could.
"So?" Marla asked. "That should just make things a whole lot easier to deal with, shouldn't it? I mean, computers can just encrypt all that information automatically, right? In the old days, someone had to use code tables and other tricks to encrypt messages at one end, word by word, and then someone else had to do the same thing in reverse at the other end before they could be read. And if someone broke the code and you didn't know it, you were cooked. Remember how the Brits cracked the Nazi's Enigma machine code and the Germans never figured it out.
"All that's true," Frank said, "but there are some important differences. Back when most information existed only in paper form, it was easy to control how many copies of a top secret document there were, and who had access to them. And you could put them behind walls, locks and guards. Now they're all on servers, and those servers are all linked together, and…"
"Ok, Ok," Marla interrupted. "You've ranted at me about this often enough before."
"Hardly ranting," he said primly. "Simply fulfilling a father's duty to pass along important information to the next generation." Marla made a face at him. "But to continue: every day, every big enterprise is adding new computers for new employees; swapping out old routers as part of normal maintenance; updating obsolete software and adding new programs. All of that has to be done according to strict protocols, or it introduces points of vulnerability. And as you know, when you allow email to be received, bad stuff can come in that way, too.
"These are all very real vulnerabilities. Every moment, the bad guys are probing our systems for gaps in our defenses. It only takes one vulnerability to allow a bad guy to get something through the firewall, and it may be very difficult for us to find it thereafter. Once it's inside, it can start prowling around, and when it finds what it's looking for, it will try and open up a port so it can send that data back out again to whoever planted it in the first place. Or maybe it will corrupt or delete the information so it's no longer available, or perhaps subtly alter it in such a way that while it may seem fine, it's actually no longer trustworthy.
"Or maybe the virus just sits there, like a living member of a sleeper cell, just waiting for the right time. You don't know it's there, but it is. One day its clock runs out, or it gets a signal from outside, or maybe even gets triggered by something inside it's been waiting for. Then it does something truly destructive, like take down a key system just when it's needed the most.
Marla broke in. "OK, I'm appropriately impressed. But if this is so dangerous, why don't we hear more about this kind of risk?"
"But you have, my dear," he replied. "Do any of these names ring a bell? Heartland? T.J.X? Hannaford Brothers?"
"I remember hearing the name Heartland before. Wasn't that the big credit card security breach that was in the news awhile back? So I'm guessing the other two were also security breaches, right?"
"Bingo." Frank nodded. "In the biggest breaches, like those, the credit and debit card information of millions of people gets compromised, and often even by the same guy, a cracker named Albert Gonzalez." Frank had been pulling Gonzalez's mug shot up on his computer while he was speaking. "Here — that's the guy."
"Hmm. Not a bad looking hacker," Marla observed appreciatively, watching her father out of the corner of her eye.
"Cracker!" Frank corrected her. "Crackers wear black hats. Hackers aren't criminals. Your father is a hacker."
"Whatever," Marla responded emphatically. "Are we getting any closer to the point here?"
"Yes," Frank replied tartly. "And I doubt Gonzalez will look like that by the time he gets out of Federal prison. Anyway, in the data breach you remember, Gonzalez got a virus called a "sniffer" inside the firewall of an information processing company that sits between the merchants downstream that take in credit card information, and the financial institutions upstream that complete the card transactions.
"What a sniffer program does is look for information, and when it finds what it wants, it sends it back to the cracker that planted it to begin with. All it took was one employee adding a wireless router to the system and forgetting to set the security settings up properly. Probably in no time flat, the automated software Gonzalez was using found this vulnerability, and in went the sniffer. It was two years — and 40 million pirated customer records — before Heartland realized it was broadcasting sensitive personal financial data to criminals.
"Okay, so a company goofed up," Marla objected. "I would certainly expect our government to be much more careful."
Her father raised his eyebrows, and Marla paused. "Or maybe not," she admitted.
Frank smiled smugly and continued. "Unfortunately, the federal government is a lot like the credit and debit card system — it's got thousands of locations with computers, countless types of hardware and software products in use (and changing) at any time, and millions of people who might be a little bit lazy or not well enough trained. So every government agency has thousands of points of potential vulnerability. All it takes is one careless moment by one individual, and this time it could be the Department of Defense, or the CIA, or the White House that gets the sniffer.
"And it's worse than that," Frank continued. Check out this article in the New York Times, which describes a recent top brass meeting on how the U.S. could respond to a cyber attack:
The results were dispiriting. The enemy had all the advantages: stealth, anonymity and unpredictability. No one could pinpoint the country from which the attack came, so there was no effective way to deter further damage by threatening retaliation. What's more, the military commanders noted that they even lacked the legal authority to respond — especially because it was never clear if the attack was an act of vandalism, an attempt at commercial theft or a state-sponsored effort to cripple the United States, perhaps as a prelude to a conventional war.
"And what state are our defenses in? Check this quote out:"
William J. Lynn III, the deputy defense secretary, who oversaw the simulation, said in an interview after the exercise that America's concepts for protecting computer networks reminded him of one of defensive warfare's great failures, the Maginot Line of pre-World War II France.
"So I'm getting the "not good" part here loud and clear." Marla acknowledged. "But what does that have to do with you and Rick and the LOC? And what does it especially have to do with the gnomic message on your laptop, by the way? Remember your laptop? I believe it's what I see on your laptop we were actually talking about."
"I'll get to that." Frank responded, but Marla groaned and put her head on the table; she was all too familiar with simple questions posed to her father that were still unanswered fifteen minutes later.
Frank made a face this time. "Alright. I'll move on. But just keep this part in focus: for all our wealth and strength, any third world country — or even a terrorist organization — can theoretically crash an entire agency — or, for that matter, Wall Street — if they put some smart guys to work on it.
"Fine. I'm appropriately terrified. Now Daddy, make your little girl feel warm and secure again. You are going to make it all better now, aren't you? Please?
Frank smiled ruefully. "That's a tall order. But I will tell you what we're trying to do about it, or at least the non-classified details that make their way down to someone at my level.
"The new administration is much more aware of cybersecurity than the old one, thank goodness, and more creative, too. They've decided to take a competitive approach to the problem and have told every single agency and semi-independent department, like the LOC, that it has to design its own security plan — and fast. We've only got until February 28 to submit our security proposal to the White House.
"And that's a really good idea. The thought is that if we get fifty different teams competing, we'll come up with a lot more clever ideas than we would if we had just one design team. And if we cherry pick the best ideas that come back, we'll get better system-wide solutions than if we hired just one outfit to design a plan. Even better, we should be able to come up with and implement several different system plans, rather than just one. That way the whole government won't be vulnerable to a single attack across the board, or as likely to permit a successful exploit in one agency to infect another once it's inside the first one.
"And George thinks that Rick is going to be able to pull that off better than you?" Marla looked both dubious as well as offended on her father's behalf.
Frank suddenly looked less cheerful. "Yes, and George may be right. This is one of those projects that requires getting a whole lot of people on the same page. It will take lots of meetings; lots of compromises; lots of cajoling. That's not exactly where I shine. Last night I could have punched George in the nose, but this morning I have to admit that everybody else would probably want to punch me within a week if I was in charge.
"Still having trouble with that ‘smartest guy in the room' problem, huh? And it sounds like it would involve actually having to talk to people. I know how that makes your day.
"It's not only that," her father replied wearily. "Yes, I'd be frustrated when some people couldn't keep up with me. But at the same time, I probably wouldn't focus well on the big picture, either. Plus, whoever is in charge is going to have to spend a lot of time grinding away on administrative details, and I get too impatient.
"Finally, anybody that tackles something like this has to balance what's perfect with what's practical, so that overly strict security requirements don't bring everything to a standstill, or require people to do more than you can actually get them to do. And that rubs up against the purist in me. In order to come up with a really good solution, we need to take into account how people really act. Otherwise, people will be tempted to take short cuts that leave security gaps.
"In short, doing something like this takes lots of things I just don't have the patience for, or for that matter, much talent.
Marla interrupted him and gently changed the subject: "So what about this Alexandria Project thing?"
"Ah yes!" Frank responded, brightening considerably. "It seems that my good friends George and Rick may be facing a deadline that's much earlier than they expected, and a challenge that I bet is a lot more than either of them bargained for.
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#63 How Now, Gold Bug?
Sometimes, its just turtles, all the way down
Courtesy PHGCOM, CC A-S 3.0
Standards cover an awful lot of ground — how big things are; how much they weigh; how fast they go; how much power they consume; how pure they are; how they must be shaped so that they fit together — the list goes on and on. But despite the enormous range of characteristics that standards define, you notice that they all have one thing in common: you can describe them by using the word "how."
In short, standards relate to measurable things. Indeed, the earliest formal standards created in societies everywhere were usually those related to weights and measures. Invariably these were established when trade became more sophisticated than tribal bartering. Ever since, the history of standards has largely been one of establishing ways to define more and more measurable characteristics as they became important and as the scientific ability to test them came along.
There is, however, one exception to this rule. Curiously enough, it involves a standard that is as old as weights and measures themselves. And despite its ancient lineage, nations still can't agree for very long on what measuring stick should be used, or how it should work. This is rather remarkable, given that the standard in question is perhaps the only one that nearly everyone makes use of almost very day of their lives.
That standard, of course, is money — dollars, Euros, renminbi — each one a measure of value.
The problem starts with the fact that while any two people may agree on what it means to say that a given object weighs a pound, the value of the object in Pounds is necessarily in the eye of the beholder. There are temporal issues to address as well. While the weight of the object in question will still be one pound tomorrow if left undisturbed, its value in the marketplace will likely have changed, even if only slightly.
All well and good, you may say, but a standard is the way we measure value, not the value of the object itself. So if it's worth £3.01 tomorrow instead of £3.00, what's your point? We can still measure the difference (domestically, at least) in new pennies. Fair enough. But consider this: if something's value changes, it must be changing relative to something.
Now what exactly might that be? When we say that the object in question is one metre long, we are more efficiently saying (thank heavens) that its length is the same as the distance that light would travel, in a vacuum, in 1/299,792,458 of a second. With the kilogram, the earth's gravitational force at a certain place and altitude provides our yardstick. But where is that certain something we use as the reference point for that Pound of which you speak?
Tricky, that. Trying to find the reference point for that dollar is rather like finding out what the true foundation of the world might be from the perhaps apocryphal person who famously believed that the earth is a giant bowl residing on the top of an enormous turtle. When asked what the turtle was standing on, she scornfully replied, "Don't talk such nonsense! It's turtles all the way down!"
Trying to find the reference point for a dollar is rather like finding out the true foundation of the world from the person who believed the earth is a giant bowl residing on the top of an enormous turtle.
Determining what the dollar is "standing on" matters, because even if we are dealing with perceptions rather than empiricism, the rise and fall of markets, interest rates, and even nations rests on the perception of the relative wealth and creditworthiness of those involved.
So it is that people have struggled from the dawn of time with how to measure what is, in fact, an abstraction. That effort has too often involved forcing the round peg of traditional standards rules into the square hole of monetary policy. When that happens, people time and again have turned to a single gleaming, elemental reference point to give some sort of reality to the value of their dollars and pounds, roubles and francs.
I refer, of course, to gold — the "Mama Bear" of monetary reference points. There's neither too much of it available to be unwieldy to store securely nor too little to go around for everyone to rely on; it doesn't oxidize, so it doesn't require special care to avoid deterioration; its supply doesn't grow faster than the global economy (the opposite is true); and perhaps best of all, it has intrinsic visual credibility — it looks valuable, and desirable, too.
As a result, gold has always provided an appealing option as a reference point for establishing value. Even from ancient times, it has been used far less often as coinage than to back up the credibility of coinage made of lesser metals. Because the amount of gold in the treasury of the sovereign whose mint struck a given type of coin supposedly equaled the amount of coinage placed in circulation, the coins had credibility. Indeed, in some countries in some eras coinage could actually be presented at a mint in exchange for gold.
In the modern era, bank notes have largely replaced coins, but in many cases (as in the United States) those bank notes could be exchanged for actual gold coins, and later for silver. Only in the mid twentieth century were "silver certificates" removed from circulation in the U.S. After World War II, the gold standard was internationally formalized with the dollar as the first link in the valuation chain: under the Bretton Woods treaty, the value of the dollar was fixed at 1/35th of a Troy ounce of pure gold, and other nations indirectly established the value of their currency relative to gold via conversion rates into dollars.
Nor was this completely an abstraction. By the same agreement, treaty parties had the right to redeem dollars for actual gold. All this ended in 1971 when an economically beleaguered U.S. President (Richard Nixon) unilaterally dropped out of the treaty. Today, modern nations issue only "fiat currency," backed by nothing tangible at all.
Meanwhile, domestically as well as internationally we increasingly employ less and less to represent more and more — pieces of plastic, or indeed nothing tangible at all — simply digital numbers displaying above ATM keypads, electronic signals exchanged between banks, and debits applied to accounts as we drive at speed through toll booths.
In such a world, one might reasonably ask whether there is any empirical measurement of "value" at all? The answer, I would submit, is "no."
As evidence, witness the enormous increase in the money supply issued by central banks in countries such as the United States during the recent recession. Despite the fact that the value (however measured) of gross national production declined in the U.S. relative to the years preceding the economic crisis, the amount of exchangeable currency (both printed and virtual) was made to increase dramatically. In other words, there was no measurable relationship between the supply of money and any underlying value at all. Instead, the Federal Reserve relied on the marketplace to believe that somehow everything would all work out, with neither the type of catastrophic inflation or deflation to follow that would lead a holder of government debt to suffer.
The result has been a call from a surprising number of quarters to roll the clock back a hundred years and revert to a gold standard, ideally on a global basis. One express goal of such a move would be to prevent a government from issuing more currency and loans than it could pay back if the holders of currency sought to redeem their holdings in gold (necessarily valued now at something like $6,000 an ounce, given the size of the global economy relative to the available supply of bullion).
Superficially, such a suggestion sounds rational. This being economics, of course, there are as many who hold the opposite view, pointing out that in the Great Depression, the speed with which a nation's economy revived after the Crash correlated closely with the rapidity with which it abandoned the gold standard in favor of easing credit. Sometimes, it seems, delinking the currency supply from the value behind it may be a good idea.
Perhaps it would help gold bugs abandon the dream of resurrecting the past to find the future by pointing out one simple fact: if we're going to peg everything to gold, what is it that we're going to peg gold to? Yes, such a system might to some degree rationalize economic relations between countries, but the world as a whole would remain unsupported. Sadly, there simply aren't any more turtles underneath to support whatever value it is we agree to give to gold.
All of which leads me to conclude that arguments over a return to the gold standard only distract us from developing the kinds of standards we really need to ensure the credibility and stability of the financial system. Those standards go by a different names, though. We call them laws and regulations.
Read more Consider This… entries at: http://www.consortiuminfo.org/blog/
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Vietnam calls on Dutch support to boost national aviation capacity
09 December 2016 Consultancy.uk
Vietnam has reached out to a consortium of Dutch aviation experts, as well as support from the Netherlands Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment, to provide expert know-how to drive the country’s aviation ambition. The move is part of Vietnam's broader roadmap to become a regional aviation hub.
Vietnam has, in recent decades, transformed its economy to become one of the more prosperous South East Asian economies for its people; a recent BCG report highlights the country’s above the mark performance in turning wealth into well-being. The country too has managed to rapidly expand its general wealth, with average GDP growth at around 6.5% over the past 20 years. The economic growth has increased its domestic and international demand for air travel, in line with overall growth to the region’s market.
In a bid to improve the country’s capacity and performance in aviation, the Vietnamese Government, as part of its wider economic development plans, has introduced a number of liberalising policy measures. Projects include the development of Vietnam’s aviation infrastructure into a regional hub for both passengers and cargo – with Vietnam Airlines, a SkyTeam member, earmarked to become a major force on the global aviation stage.
To support the country’s ambitions, the Dutch Aviation Vietnam (DAV)*, as well as experts from the Netherlands Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment (NMIE), are taking part in the joint Dutch-Vietnamese Government programme to cooperate on aviation and airport development in Vietnam. The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) and DAV recently formalised their relationship through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
The MoU will see the DAV and NMIE transfer know-how for attracting and managing private investment, related to financing, development and operation of large civil (airport) infrastructure projects. The programme also focuses on wider capacity building for the Vietnamese Aviation industry.
NACO, a Royal HaskoningDHV subsidiary, will provide leadership to DAV. Remarking on the MoU, NACO Chairman, Craig Huntbatch, says, “The entire South East Asian region is an important region for aviation development due to the growth in travel. Vietnam is of particular importance, because of the high GDP growth and the recent signing of trade agreements with the EU and US. This will accelerate the flow of travel and tourism which means that airport infrastructure will need to be adapted in parallel to meet this demand.”
The Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Nienke Trooster, adds, “The partnership between the Dutch and Vietnamese airlines, airports and aviation service providers will contribute to Vietnam’s ambition to become a regional hub for both passenger and cargo services. Vietnam has the potential to develop into the gateway to ASEAN.”
Related news: Ricardo supports Vietnam government develop GHG monitoring.
* A number of key Dutch companies representing the Netherlands’ expertise in civil aviation research and development, education, management and operations, including NACO and InterVISTAS, both companies of Royal HaskoningDHV, and Vanderlande, Netherlands Aerospace Group, STRATAGEM, Districon, Ciconia Aviation Services, MovingDot and Avia.
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Courant Community Bristol
Tunxis Professor Receives Women of Innovation Award
Posted by mlamar, Community Contributor
Karen Wosczyna-Birch, Ed.D. (center), was presented the award by Kari Mull and Angela Throm, Ph.D., representatives from Medtronic, an event sponsor.
Karen Wosczyna-Birch, Ed.D. (center), was presented the award by Kari Mull and Angela Throm, Ph.D., representatives from Medtronic, an event sponsor. (Posted by mlamar, Community Contributor)
Community Contributor mlamar
Tunxis Community College professor Karen Wosczyna-Birch, Ed.D., received an award for postsecondary innovation and leadership during the Connecticut Technology Council's Women of Innovation awards presentation on March 28 at the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville.
She is one of 13 women who received awards in separate categories from among 50 finalists that included researchers, educators, engineers, managers, entrepreneurs and students accomplished in science, technology, engineering and math.
"I am pleased that Karen's expertise and commitment are being recognized with this award," said Dr. James Lombella, President of Asnuntuck Community College and Tunxis Community College. "She has been a tireless champion of STEM education throughout the state and the country. Her efforts have directly benefited countless students at Tunxis and beyond."
Wosczyna-Birch has provided leadership in engineering and technology education, and has been instrumental in creating nationally recognized pathway programs among high schools, community colleges and universities as state director of the CT College of Technology (COT), a consortium of all 12 CT Community Colleges and eight public and private universities that was formed through Connecticut legislation to establish seamless pathways in engineering and technology. She is also executive director and principal investigator of the COT's Regional Center for Next Generation Manufacturing (RCNGM), one of seven National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education Centers in the United States. Since 2004, she has received over $25 million in funding from the NSF ATE including over $10 million to create and expand the Regional Center for Next Generation Manufacturing.
Wosczyna-Birch's knowledge of NSF funding has led to additional grants for the creation of high school outreach programs in engineering technologies and industry research projects for interdisciplinary and inter-institutional teams of community college and university students from COT member institutions, one of which won a national Innovative Program Award from the National Science Foundation at the High Impact Technology Exchange Conference.
For the past five years, Wosczyna-Birch has participated on higher education and manufacturing committees for the New England Council and the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (AMP) led by the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology to make legislators aware of the needs for education and workforce development in manufacturing. She has received numerous awards and grants and has been recognized for her accomplishments as a professor and for her passion for increasing the diversity of the engineering and technology population.
Wosczyna-Birch is the Connecticut contact for White House Maker Movement initiatives. She also serves on many boards including the International Honor Society EPT, the National Coalition of Advanced Technology Centers, National Visiting Committees for three NSF Centers, past president/board member for the National Association for Workforce Improvement, and Hartford High School's Academy of Engineering and Green Technology.
Tunxis Community College in Farmington is in the process of launching advanced manufacturing technology programs, coming this fall. The college offers over 60 associate degrees and certificates, including eight associate degrees with science, engineering and technology emphases, and certificates in lean manufacturing and computer aided design. For more information on the College of Technology and the Regional Center for Next Generation Manufacturing, contact Karen Wosczyna-Birch at 860.723.0608, or kwosczyna-birch@commnet.edu. For more information on programs at Tunxis, call 860.773.1490, or visit tunxis.edu.
David Benedict optimistic for UConn football future, as Randy Edsall focuses on 2019
Mayor Luke Bronin asks state for help with city violence as latest homicide suspect faces judge
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Assistant Editor Rob Hiaasen Killed In Newsroom Shooting
Rob Hiaasen, an assistant editor and a columnist at The Capital newspaper, was the first person identified as one of the five people killed in Thursday's newsroom shooting in Annapolis, Md. Hiaasen's death was confirmed by his brother, author and Miami Herald columnist Carl Hiaasen.
Rob Hiaasen, who was hired at The Capital in 2010, was 59.
"There was no finer human being, there just wasn't," Rob Hiaasen's widow, Maria, said Thursday night, her 58th birthday. "And certainly no finer father, and he was a damn fine journalist too."
A birthday package from her husband still awaited her, Maria Hiaasen said. Rob Hiaasen had asked her if she wanted to open her gift Thursday morning, but she told him she'd rather wait until he got home from work.
[Related] Prosecutors name Farmington campaign treasurer in $10K embezzlement »
The shooting on the first floor of the newspaper's building occurred at about 2:40 p.m. The couple had celebrated their 33rd wedding anniversary six days earlier.
The Hiaasens grew up in the Fort Lauderdale area. Rob graduated from Plantation High School before attending the University of Florida. He previously worked at the Palm Beach Post and for 15 years at the Baltimore Sun.
This last spring the father of three taught his first reporting course at the University of Maryland's journalism school. He looked forward to the fall term, Maria Hiaasen said.
Five people were confirmed dead and two suffered superficial injuries, Acting Anne Arundel County Police Chief William Krampf told reporters at an 8 p.m. news conference.
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The gunman, a Maryland resident identified as Jarrod Ramos, 38, has been taken into custody and is currently being questioned but is not cooperating with authorities. He had a long-running dispute with the paper.
[Related] Tech innovators arrive in Hartford for 13-week summer startup ‘accelerator’ sponsored by Stanley Black & Decker and Techstars »
Investigators are looking into social media threats that "indicated violence" sent to the newspaper possibly by the shooter as recently as Thursday afternooon, Krampf said.
Carl Hiaasen's agent, Esther Newberg, confirmed Rob Hiaasen's death in a tweet: "Rob Hiaasen was murdered in the Maryland shooting today. He loved journalism — brother of Carl Hiaasen. Devastating."
The Capital is owned by the Baltimore Sun, a sister paper of The Courant and South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Most Read • Connecticut
Fotis Dulos, estranged husband of missing New Canaan mother Jennifer Farber Dulos, attempted to get judge removed from his contentious divorce case
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Character-driven Yorkshire prevail at Edgbaston to the delight of coach Andrew Gale
Ryan Sidebottom will not be back in action in the County Championship until next month. Picture: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
YORKSHIRE first-team coach Andrew Gale praised his team’s character after they required just 42 balls on the final morning to complete an innings and 88 run victory over Warwickshire at Edgbaston.
The home side, trailing by 203 on first innings, resumed on 85-9 and last pair Jeetan Patel and Olly Hannon-Dalby took the score to 115 before the latter missed a forward push at Adil Rashid and was bowled.
Patel, who had just lifted Rashid straight for six, was left unbeaten on 49, having hit five fours and one six, while the continually-impressive young seamer Ben Coad ended with 5-50 to earn himself match figures of 10-102.
Yorkshire’s resounding victory was an emphatic response to their surprise defeat to Hampshire in their opening game last week.
“It was a big week for us having played so well last week when we didn’t get anything out of the game,” said Gale.
“I thought we showed a lot of character.
“After last week’s game we spoke a lot about winning key passages of play. In the third innings we let Hampshire back in the game, but in this game we got an opportunity to get ourselves in front and get away from them and we took it.
“If I was being ultra-critical I would have liked one of our top six to go on and get a hundred after they all got starts.
“But, on the whole, winning those key sessions was the difference.”
Yorkshire’s next Championship match is against Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl on Friday when they will have prized England duo Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root available.
Liam Plunketis expected to return to action for Yorkshire's Royal London Cup campaign later this month.
While there is good news there, captain Gary Ballance will continue to have to make do without three key bowlers, with seamers Jack Brooks, Liam Plunkett and Ryan Sidebottom still injured on the sidelines.
There had been hope that Plunkett and Sidebottom might be available for the trip to the south coast, but the rematch with Hampshire has come just too soon.
Brooks, on the other hand, was always going to be out injured for a longer period of time.
“Ryan and Liam are another week away,” said Gale.
I don’t think we can afford to rush a guy who is nearly 40-years-old. If he breaks down, it could be the end of his career. We have to do what’s right by him.
Andrew Gale, on the fitness of Yorkshire bowler, Ryan Sidebottom
“Ryan was going to play in the second team this week, but it’s come about that he’s still not quite right.
“Liam is still feeling it a bit, so we can’t risk him.
“Fingers crossed, he will be available for the 50-over stuff. I’m pretty sure he will be available for the first game of that (away to Nottinghamshire on April 29).”
After travelling to Hampshire, Yorkshire will then turn their attention to their final Championship game before the Royal London One-day Cup starts in earnest at Trent Bridge.
They then resume their four-day campaign against Lancashire at Emirates Old Trafford on May 19.
“The break will give Ryan a good block of training, so when he does come back he’ll be ready to go,” added Gale.
“I don’t think we can afford to rush a guy who is nearly 40 years old. If he breaks down, it could be the end of his career. We have to do what’s right by him.”
Warwickshire, meanwhile, must dust themselves down from successive innings defeats from which they have taken just three points.
It has been a bracing start to the regime of sport director Ashley Giles and first-team coach Jim Troughton and one that has hurt a set of experienced players, which was viewed in some quarters as potential title-challengers.
The first two games have supplied a serious reality check, ahead of another tough fixture, at home to Surrey starting on Friday.
“The first two games have been really disappointing after such high hopes during the winter,” said Giles. “We’ve done a lot of good preparation, but just not put it into practice. It’s certainly hit the dressing room hard, but all we can do is try to turn it around.”
Elsewhere, defending champions Middlesex started the defence of their Division One title with a hard-fought draw against Hampshire.
Both sides took 10 points from the Ageas Bowl, but the 2016 champions were staring down the barrel of a nail-biting conclusion when a three-wicket new-ball strike left them 215-7.
Had Hampshire rolled over the tail an achievable run chase would have been left, but tail-enders Toby Roland-Jones (25), Ollie Rayner (17no) and Tim Murtagh (19no) dug deep.
In the end the sides shook hands at 278-9 declared, Kyle Abbott’s good form continuing as he claimed 5-59.
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Didericksen Memorial
| 87 W Main Street
| Grantsville, UT 84029
| jr@didericksenmemorial.com
Headstone Restoration
Death Certificate & Pre-Arrangement
Cremation Authorization
Gregory Bottelberghe
November 1, 1957 ~ June 9, 2018 (age 60)
Gregory Bottelberghe, proud father of five children and treasured friend to many, died unexpectedly on June 9, 2018 at the age of 60.
Greg was born November 1, 1957, in Marshall, Minnesota, to Don and Marie Bottelberghe. After graduating from Southwest Minnesota State University, he moved to Lyons, Kansas to work at a salt production plant. His work eventually brought him to Grantsville, Utah. There he met his wife Sharon Anderson Bottelberghe and raised his children.
Greg's two great passions were hang gliding and ham radio. In 1993, he installed a distinctive ham radio tower at his home, which he used to talk to people around the world from his basement, using the call sign KG7QT. In the late 90s, he discovered hang gliding and developed a fascination with soaring over the mountains and valleys of Utah's deserts. In this pursuit, he met many new friends who knew him as 'Berg' and who became a very important part of his life.
Greg's greatest joy and achievement was raising his five children to be successful, by teaching them the value of hard work and by being an example of someone who helps the people around them.
He is survived by his wife Sharon, his children (and their spouses) Eric (Monica), Isaac (Lauren), Jacob (Camilla), Thomas (Heather), and Kate, his parents Don and Marie, his brothers Richard, Rolland and Gary, four grandchildren, and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. He is preceded in death by his brother Mark and sister Joan.
Visitations will be held Friday, June 15th from 6-8pm and Saturday June 16th from 10am-11am, with a memorial service following at 11am, at Tate Mortuary, 110 South Main St, Tooele, Utah. In lieu of flowers, you may make a donation to assist with memorial expenses at www.gofundme.com/bottelberghe.
We love you Dad, and we will always remember to "Work Hard, Play Hard!"
© 2019 Didericksen Memorial. All Rights Reserved. Funeral Home website by CFS
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Gemeente Halderberge
www.visithalderberge.com Read the feature on issuu
Discover religious heritage the Dutch way
TEXT: MICHIEL STOL | PHOTOS © GEMEENTE HALDERBERGE
The southern parts of the Netherlands are predominantly Catholic regions, so it comes as no surprise that the area is brimming with religious heritage sites. For instance, the south-western municipality of Halderberge has amazing historical buildings and museums, dedicated to this legacy. “And the best way to discover all this splendour, is by doing it the Dutch way; on a bicycle,” says José Besters of Halderberge Municipality.
Although the towns of Oudenbosch, Oud Gastel, Hoeven, Bosschenhoofd and Stampersgat have been around for centuries, the municipality to which these towns belong is fairly new – it was established in 1997. Each town has its own uniqueness to it, but it is the Roman Catholic heritage that binds them all together.
Oudenbosch is the biggest of the five. Here, you simply cannot escape the heritage, in part thanks to the Oudenbosch Basilica of the Holy Agatha and Barbara. If not for its sheer size, people are overwhelmed by this copy of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. “The basilica came to be in 1880, after 15 years of construction, thanks to father Willem Hellemons. He lived in Rome for a while and was in awe of St. Peter’s Basilica. He studied as many details as possible, so he could create a replica in Oudenbosch,” explains Besters. “It is now one of the Netherlands’ most famous churches, with over 70,000 visitors each year.” The basilica was designed almost entirely by famous architect P.J. Cuypers, who was also responsible for the Rijksmuseum and Central Station in Amsterdam. Cuypers went on to build the monastery Bovendonk in Hoeven, also part of the municipality. This marvellous building, characterised by its neo-gothic style, looks sober from afar, but up close you will notice the stained glass windows, beautiful ornaments and high ceilings.
Touring Halderberge by bike
Today, the monastery is the location of a beautiful hotel, where the priests’ study rooms and lodgings have been turned into comfortable rooms. Bovendonk is centrally located between Breda, Bergen op Zoom and Willemstad, making it the perfect base for a cultural and historic trip, not to mention a great spot for discovering this amazing region by bicycle. Oudenbosch is only five kilometres away, so the basilica can be reached within a few minutes. From Bovendonk, you can also follow one of the many bicycle routes that have been set out not just in Halderberge, but throughout the whole region. They are categorised by length, but also by theme. For instance, they have the ‘Lost Peat’ route, which will take you along the history of the Peat and even extends into Belgium. Other routes take you along the different towns and museums, as well as the two marinas in Halderberge, where you have the perfect opportunity to take a break along the waterfront, with a nice refreshment or a local specialty beer.
During the Ascension Day weekend, Hoeven has a four-day bicycle event, where thousands of families and tourists ride along a 25 kilometre, 40 kilometre, 60 kilometre or 100 kilometre route each day, with live music at the different checkpoints. Perfect if you want to get to know Halderberge and beyond – and meet other cyclists too.
And do not think Halderberge is just about monumental buildings; thrill seekers can get their shot of adrenaline by going skydiving at Breda International Airport, a private airport located in Bosschenhoofd. The skydiving club was founded by a very active parachutists club, who will take you to as high as 9,000 to 10,000 feet. From there, you tandem jump out of a plane. It is quite a popular attraction and not the only one at Breda International Airport. The Flying Museum, also located there, has a unique collection of historical aircraft, which are all airworthy and frequently take off. And for water enthusiasts, ‘Splesj Water Park’ in Hoeven is one of the Benelux’ biggest water parks.
In addition to all that, Halderberge still has even more to offer, such as an observatory, several museums and a beautiful arboretum with amazing varieties of bushes and trees.
“Short or long stay, you’ll find plenty to enjoy in our city and in the West-Brabant region. Hop on your bike or start hiking, but above all, enjoy and have a pleasant stay.”
visithalderberge.com
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Cigarette sales increase as health campaigns fail to stub out smoking
BusinessHealthSociety
New figures suggest smoking is becoming more popular in the Netherlands again, ending a five-year downward trend.
A total of 10 billion cigarettes were lit up in 2016, 200m more than in the year before, the AD reports.
The finding comes from the annual SUN report drawn up by accountancy firm KPMG for the tobacco industry, which looks into illicit cigarette trade in the European Union. It appears to confirm figures from the CBS indicating that smoking, especially among the young, is on the increase.
The cigarette industry, however, puts the rise down to the fact that fewer people went abroad on holiday, when smokers often take advantage of duty-free prices. ‘Fewer cigarettes were bought legally in other countries. Those cigarettes were legally purchased in the Netherlands,’ Philip Morris spokesperson Stefanie Pollet told the AD.
The report, which was published on Monday, signals a significant increase in illegally produced cigarettes. Some 720 million illegal cigarettes were smoked in the Netherlands in 2015, up 100 million compared with 2015. The rest of the 12 billion cigarettes smoked in this country were legally imported or bought tax free at airports.
Most illegal cigarettes are smuggled in from Poland, Belarus and Russia although some of the production also takes place in the Netherlands. In Utrecht police recently shut down a factory producing hundreds of thousands of cigarettes a day.
According to Pollet, the clampdown on illicit cigarette trading in Eastern Europe has meant production has moved to Western Europe.
Despite the increase in purchases, tax revenue has not gone up significantly, the AD writes. Smoking accounted for some €2.478bn in revenue last year, €55m more than in 2015. However, based on a tax increase on cigarettes the tax office had expected an increase of €100m.
The tobacco industry is against large tax hikes that it says will only favour the illicit trade in cigarettes. According to the AD revenue for the treasury has gone down in spite of four consecutive tax rises. The industry therefore favours a moderate increase on cigarettes, the paper writes.
The KPMG’s annual reports have not been uncontroversial. Last year’s report was heavily criticised by anti-smoking organisations for being biased.
‘Our own studies show that the illicit trade in cigarettes has not increased in Europe in the last twenty years,’ the AD quoted spokesman for the Belgian Anti-Cancer Association Luk Joossen as saying. ‘But such a finding would not be advantageous to the tobacco industry. Even when cigarette smuggling is down, tobacco companies will keep saying it is a huge problem and that hikes in tax will be a huge boost to illicit trade,’ Joossen told the AD at the time.
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Nonprofit companyÂ’s energy vision lights Nicaraguan villages' future
BLUEFIELDS, NICARAGUA - As dark clouds approached, Guillaume Craig packed up his tools, climbed into a rickety boat and sped off from a small fishing village, hoping to make the three-hour commute downriver before nightfall. The boat wasn't quite fast enough, so the former Oakland resident used a flashlight to guide his way back through endless miles of tropical forest.
"That was actually our easiest site to reach," said Craig, whose San Francisco-based Blue Energy foundation is delivering renewable energy to hundreds of residents along Nicaragua's remote Caribbean coast.
Craig, 31, his brother, Mathias, 33, and a small crew of volunteers have been traversing the muddy backwaters, installing solar panels and windmills for free and bringing renewable energy to villages, schools and health clinics where none existed before.
"It could make a huge difference in rural areas," said Mathias Craig, who says he has always been fascinated with wind power. "You can't even reach a lot of these places with power lines."
The San Francisco nonprofit has attracted the attention of the government of President Daniel Ortega, who has expressed interest in alternative technology to help alleviate the country's energy crunch.
Within the next six months, the Craigs say, Blue Energy wind turbines will be tested at a UC Berkeley field station in Richmond. If they pass international standards, the Ortega government will consider using them countrywide.
Since June, many regions across the nation have experienced four- to eight-hour-a-day blackouts, prompting even Pacific Coast resort developers to knock on Blue Energy's doors. For now, the brothers say, the tourist areas will have to take a backseat to underserved rural communities. "We are a nonprofit," said Guillaume Craig.
Nearly 80 percent of Nicaragua's electricity is powered by oil. In July, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez financed the construction of a 150,000-barrel-a-day, $2.5 billion refinery - the largest in Central America - as part of his oil-funded battle against U.S. influence in Latin America. Chavez has also sent generators to help offset the rolling blackouts.
Mathias Craig, who studied civil engineering at UC Berkeley, says Blue Energy began as a graduate project at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before being incorporated in 2003. The next year, the Craigs arrived in Nicaragua - the only country where they are currently operating - at the behest of their mother. Colette Grinevald is a linguistics professor who specializes in indigenous languages along the Caribbean coast.
Blue Energy works mainly with Rama and Miskito Indians, who form part of an autonomous zone of 650,000 inhabitants with greater independence from the national government than the rest of the country. Since it began operations in Nicaragua, Blue Energy has provided electricity to five villages and 1,400 residents. To date, the foundation's most remote site is Punta de Aguila, a five-and-a-half-hour trip south of Bluefields over choppy waters.
While Hurricane Dean nearly destroyed several turbines earlier in the summer, this month's Hurricane Felix missed Blue Energy's area of operation.
The Craigs are convinced that wind and solar power are the most practical ways to bring energy to isolated indigenous villages far removed from any power grid. Currently, the only option for most coastal dwellers is diesel-powered generators.
"Our community has always lived in darkness," said Edgar Swartz, 32, standing in the shadow of an 80-foot Blue Energy wind turbine that powers the village of Kakabila, home to 700 people. "We think plenty about electricity."
Separated by geography and culture, the region is among the poorest in a nation that has the dubious distinction of being the second poorest in the Western Hemisphere, with Haiti being the poorest. On the Caribbean coast, basic health services are spotty, illiteracy is 65 percent in rural areas, and an estimated 80 percent go without regular electricity.
Blue Energy operates on an annual shoestring budget of about $120,000 in grants from the government of Finland and contributions from mainly American and French donors. The Craigs hope to eventually turn a profit that will sustain their nonprofit work.
The foundation currently churns out one new wind turbine a week from the rustic port town of Bluefields, the region's largest city with 50,000 people. Following a common design to harness wind power, the turbines are hand built and shipped in pieces in 15-foot wooden boats with outboard motors.
Blue Energy also buys solar panels from local distributors to keep communities powered during hot, non-windy days. The full wind and solar package costs $12,000 for 1 kilowatt of power. In contrast, a small diesel generator costs about $500 and is typically affordable only for those operating local businesses.
The foundation pays for installation for entire communities, but those who want power for private use, such as charging cell phones and hooking up television sets, must purchase a special $300 battery and pay roughly $4 a month for recharging fees.
Though more expensive than generators, alternative energy will pay for itself in the long run, the brothers argue. Using nothing but wind and sun, the Blue Energy installation pumps out roughly 3,500 watt-hours of electricity each day - enough to power five homes using a small radio and refrigerator over a 24-hour period.
The Craigs estimate that it takes three windmills to sufficiently power small communities of up to 700 people with basic energy needs. They hope alternative energy will allow these villages to open night schools and improve refrigeration for the main industry along the coast - seafood.
Mathias Craig, however, said his heart sank when he saw the first installation three years ago in Punta de Aguila being used to power television sets tuned to Spanish-language soap operas.
"We don't promote using television," he said. "But they get to pick."
In the meantime, the Craigs hope to train Nicaraguans in solar and wind power that will one day rival the nation's largest privately owned electrical companies.
That makes perfect sense to Poochy Newton, 48, a Miskito fisherman who is selling his diesel generator to become the first nonbusiness user of alternative energy in Set Net Point, a four-hour boat ride north of Bluefields. Newton calculates that he will save about $30 a month by not using diesel fuel, which is shipped in, for his generator.
"Diesel is very expensive," Newton said. "The wind is going to work out much better."
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Hedonistic Rapture and Corporate Esponiage: ADE 2014 Reviewed
The biggest club festival in the world, Amsterdam Dance Event, takes place every October in various venues around the city. Its central nervous system is concentrated along two blocks of the Keizersgracht canal in the city’s Grachtengordel neighborhood west of the Red Light District, with headquarters at the Dylan Hotel, K264, and the Felix Meritis building. So, for five days every year, the western side of Keizersgracht between Runstraat and Reestrat is clogged with industry representatives who nervously tug on badges that dangle from ADE lanyards around their necks or bark into cell phones while they try to spot other industry representatives with whom they have scheduled a business meeting.
ADE is a three-headed beast that encompasses all facets of the contemporary electronic music universe, from business to pleasure and from underground heroes to EDM superstars, with a conference, a “Playground” and a festival. The conference is, according to its website, “the ultimate annual business and inspiration platform in the field of electronic music,” and it inspires business people with a series of lectures, panels, and networking opportunities. The Playground consists of film screenings, art exhibits, pop-up performances, and tech showcases that take place throughout the city. The festival is the fun bit, the parties and club nights that occur after dark at local spots like Trouw, the Sugarfactory, and the North Sea Jazz Club. These three heads merge all aspects of club culture and the clubbing industry into one comprehensive electronic music fair.
The designated subject of this Electronic Beats article is the 19th annual ADE, 15-19 October 2014. Total attendance for the festival clocked in at 350,000, with 5,200 conference-goers, 15,000 Playgrounders, 125 participating venues, 400 events, and over 2,200 artists, according to statistics sent via email by the ADE press agent two days after it closed. Electronic Beats’ assigned correspondent, me, was one of 425 journalists and media representatives at the festival this year, and I absorbed as many of its charms as I could, but the sprawling layout was both exhausting and impossible to navigate to its fullest potential without a significant budget for taxi rides, or at least another person to split the fares.
Highlights included closing sets at Trouw on Thursday and Friday nights, first by the Hessle Audio crew and then by resident DJ Sandrien. The three Hessle honchos—Pangaea, Pearson Sound, and Ben UFO —banged out a massive and suitably eclectic back-to-back set that paid equal attention to slightly weird and salty techno jackers as it did to jewel-bright UK garage jams. After several thrilling hours, they were joined by some of the other artists who had been booked on the same bill, a roster that included the likes of Clone label boss Serge and Dutch stalwart Dexter.
The next night was more stylistically focused. The only break in a steady flow of techno came from Sandrien, who opened her set with an ambient track that went on for longer than any non-resident would have dared. From there, she delved into a few hours of heads-down techno tunes that she blended with an expert level of dexterity over the course of several minutes per transition, which made over-the-shoulder voyeurs astonished and envious.
But the lived experience of clubbing in Amsterdam contrasted sharply with the intellectual abstractions that took place at ADE’s industry panels. On Thursday, I hiked nine floors to attend a discussion titled “The Academisation of Nightlife,” which took place in conference room F10 of the Felix Meritis. The building is named after the Felix Meritis Foundation, the organization that opened the building in 1788 in order to provide Amsterdam with a cultural center for the arts and sciences that simultaneously promoted industry.
A few minutes into the introductions, I realized that I had been looking at the Friday program instead of Thursday’s, and had accidentally arrived at a panel called “The Future of Music Copyrights in the Digital World.” In retrospect, it seems ironic that I hadn’t planned to attend the discussion, as it revolved around several companies’ efforts to eliminate chance, happenstance, and mystery from nightlife using unseen surveillance technologies to map out everything that happens therein.
The panelists, six male representatives from copyright-related companies, analyzed technology that monitors live DJ sets and identifies the tracks that were played in order to distribute royalties to each of the artists featured that night. They debated the possibility of developing technology capable of identifying 100 percent of the tracks played during a given DJ set, an aim that seems to be at odds with the mystical and liberal spirit of clubbing, as well as the environment that successful nightclubs attempt to create.
Clubs are, ideally, temporary autonomous zones where people are freed from the behavioral norms imposed on them in everyday life. Particularly famous clubs like Trouw employ no-photo policies in order to (among other functions) seal its interior from the outside world so that people can focus on living in the moment instead of attempting to capture it for future reflection. Yet there’s obviously money to be made in violating these foundational premises of club culture, which allow us to feel safe and separate from the rest of the world, by supervising and monitoring those spaces with voyeuristic technologies that clubbers don’t know are in place. (Obviously, now we know about Kuvo and its ilk, but it was only after those companies and their wares were established in nightclubs and the music industry that we started to talk about and reflect on them.)
It turns out that many of the ephemeral and unphotographed DJ sets I’ve enjoyed have been recorded, audited, and cataloged by external business interests. Of course, knowing about this corporate espionage after the fact doesn’t retroactively change the experience in a practical sense—they were still liberating adventures because I perceived them to be that way at the time—but I don’t think that’s necessarily proof that these technologies have negligible effects. What it does is cast a different light on the attraction of going out to clubs, which is to get lost in hedonistic rapture and leave all other woes somewhere outside the club’s impenetrable walls. And in this light, it seems like the ideal of clubbing nirvana, and all the measures clubs and DJs and clubbers take to achieve it, encourages us to ignore any facets of that experience that aren’t immediately present and pertinent. The troubling detail is that those other components of the dance music universe are still there, and the empty mindscape required to achieve clubbing nirvana leaves us vulnerable manipulation by those other forces, sort of like the way TV programming is designed to inspire in its viewers a mood conducive to accepting messages from its advertising sponsors.
If that comparison seems a bit hysterical to you, I’m curious to know exactly why. I’m also curious as to whether the reader can identify with any of these realizations, reservations, and skepticisms. Furthermore, I’m concerned not to give the impression that I think track ID technology is bad, or that it negatively affects club culture and its constituents, when I’m really more interested on the relationship between club culture and industry, and how their basic impulses might be at odds. After all, if ADE has taught me anything, it’s that business and music and technology and art and clubbing are elements of the same ecosystem.
And, if you think this piece over-intellectualizes a technology whose aim and effect is to improve an existing system by distributing royalties more fairly, I’ll admit that it strikes me as gullible to think that a business’s only or primary interest lies anywhere besides profit. It also strikes me as gravely naïve to think that, even if noble non-profit motivations greatly influence the development and deployment of those technologies, those premises aren’t subject to change at some point in the future. And what really bugs me is the idea that those changes might happen as imperceptibly as the technologies were installed.
Published on November 4, 2014 12:28 Berlin Time
Vote for Cat People’s EB Radio livemix
The other day we replied to a Facebook post by Munich based production team Cat People (Trrbo and Kleimheist), who then had just finished their unofficial edit of Jamie xx’s ‘Far Nearer’. We suggested that the brilliant The29Nov Films, a German music video bootleg production duo should create a video for the track. Cat People then asked us to post the track on EBnet to giving them more visibility on ‘the interwebz’, to bookings etc etc and then they’d “‘get (themselves) a The29Nov vid with the gig moneyz”.
We didn’t do that, until now. You might remember Cat People from their ridiculously brilliant liveset for Electronic Beats Radio. Cat People entered this mix to the Amsterdam Dance Event’s (ADE) ‘Let’s Mix’ competition with the chance to win a showcase during this year’s ADE. So, maybe you can take the time to vote for the Cat People X Electronic Beats Radio liveset by clicking here, adding some starzz for Cat People and make them *purr*. Kthxbai.
Jamie XX – Far Nearer (Cat People ‘Wayfarer Afterhour’ Bootleg) by Trrbo
Cat People X Electronic Beats Radio by CPG9L
© Amsterdam Dance Event Archives – Telekom Electronic Beats
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The Final 'Fantastic Beasts: Crimes Of Grindelwald' Trailer Uncovers Nagini's Origin Story
Wands at the ready, witches and wizards, because we're closer than ever before to seeing Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. The film won't hit theaters until November, but the last trailer has spilled a juicy secret that will convince you to buy your midnight screening tickets ASAP. The final Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald trailer reveals an unexpected twist about Voldemort's snake Nagini that has definitely already inspired fervent fan theories.
With the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) on the loose after Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) has enlisted Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) to help him track down his contemporary before he wrecks havoc in the relationship between the Muggle and Wizarding worlds. Although he helps Newt along the way in the dangerous mission, Dumbledore's mysterious past with Grindelwald prevents him from searching for him myself. Longtime Potterheads know that an even younger Dumbledore had romantic feelings for Grindelwald, and the trailer's brief scene of the professor at the Mirror of Erised definitely hints at this.
While Dumbledore's connection to Grindelwald isn't much of a surprise for anyone well-versed in Harry Potter, the trailer uncovers an origin story that fans definitely weren't anticipating. After inspiring chaos in New York in the first film, Ezra Miller's Credence has run off with the circus, where he has met a literal shapeshifter named — wait for it — Nagini.
Warner Bros. Pictures on YouTube
Played by Claudia Kim, the character appeared in the group shot of Crimes of Grindelwald's ensemble, but her identity was a mystery until now. As seen in the trailer, Nagini has the power to transform into a snake, but she eventually becomes Voldemort's deadly sidekick and Horcrux. She met her demise in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows when Neville Longbottom used Godric Gryffindor's sword to kill her, but Kim tells Entertainment Weekly that meeting Nagini as a human introduces a complicated, relatable journey, saying:
It will be so interesting to see another side of Nagini. You’ve only seen her as a Horcrux. In this, she’s a wonderful and vulnerable woman who wants to live. She wants to stay a human being and I think that’s a wonderful contrast to the character.
Kim also revealed that while Nagini can easily shift from human to snake in the film's 1927 setting, a curse on her blood will eventually force her to become a snake permanently. Such is the life of a human Maledictus, which Pottermore describes as a person with a blood curse whose destiny is to become a beast. In further clarification, author J.K. Rowling explained on Twitter that Maledictuses are always women, and in case you missed Rowling's past reminders, Nagini is not the snake that Harry inadvertently let loose from the London Zoo.
In another surprising twist, Kim also hinted to EW that Nagini isn't quite a wizard, saying:
She does feel sometimes [that her powers are] not controllable. She is bound to [permanently] transform at some point to a beast so she feels this pressure that the clock is ticking. She has powers that are yet to be explored. I can’t confirm she has powers like wizards have. And she doesn’t have a wand.
Potterheads aren't always happy with the newest additions Rowling announces about the Wizarding world, but Nagini's story is an update that I certainly don't mind. The land of magic is obviously a small world, and it'll be mind-blowing to see how Nagini's origins tie into the snake we know from the original Harry Potter series.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is in theaters on Friday, Nov. 16, 2018.
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Our Lady of Fatima University-Antipolo
Km. 23 Sumulong Highway, Sta. Cruz, Antipolo City, Rizal, Philippines
PHP 44,000 to 51,000
Typically replies within few days
(Updated as of May 30, 2018)
Wifi / Internet
Airconditioned Classrooms
Audio-Visual Rooms
What does Our Lady of Fatima University-Antipolo stand for?
Our Lady of Fatima University (OLFU) - Antipolo is a private university in Antipolo, Rizal widely known for its paramedical courses. It is one of the campuses under the Our Lady of Fatima University system which was established by Jose C. Olivares and his son-in-law, Dr. Vicente M. Santos.
From the former Our Lady of Fatima Hospital, the founders transformed the institution into a training ground for healthcare providers paving way for the rise of Our Lady of Fatima College of Nursing. The school was later recognized as one of the top producers of passers in Nursing Board Examinations. Throughout the years, OLFU continued its feat and expanded its facilities. It added other programs in its curriculum.
OLFU Antipolo campus’ peaceful atmosphere provides security and relaxation to students. It is a sprawling campus, having expanded to several buildings with state-of-the art facilities such as an indoor gym and regulation size basketball courts. Transportation is readily available through access to the Sumulong and Marcos Highways. The campus is also located near several commercial establishments and in the Antipolo City and Masinag Areas. It is also home to Fatima Phoenix Basketball Teams.
Solidly guided by its vision and mission, Our Lady of Fatima University - Antipolo is dedicated to providing students with modern and innovative learning experiences as well as producing competent individuals. Through its efforts to make education accessible to all, OLFU has also various scholarship grants for deserving students.
Our Lady of Fatima University - Antipolo Facts:
Member of the National Athletic Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (NAASCU).
Member of the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA).
Recognized by the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
What programs & courses does Our Lady of Fatima University-Antipolo offer?
Choosing the right program can help you set your future goals and visualize where you want to be. Whether you want to be an engineer, a teacher, an accountant, or you want to level up in your profession, making yourself informed with the right choices will surely back you up in the future. Are you ready to map your career with Our Lady of Fatima University-Antipolo? Make the best decision in choosing the right path for you, click through the list of programs offered by Our Lady of Fatima University-Antipolo below:
College (Undergraduate) Programs
What are the tuition & fees for students at Our Lady of Fatima University-Antipolo?
Tuition and miscellaneous fees vary by program and course.
Bachelor's degree: PHP 22,063 to 25,671 (Per Term)
For a complete list of details, please send an inquiry here.
Where is Our Lady of Fatima University-Antipolo located?
(Updated as of Apr 25, 2019)
(+02) 571-8993; (+02) 661-3023
(Not stated)
Website http://www.fatima.edu.ph/
Email Address [email protected]
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MORRIS, TERENCE
Regal FC Barcelona 23 Forward
Height: 2.07 Born: 11 January, 1979 Nationality: United States of America
Totals 21 11 416:09 149 33/40 22/53 17/21 15 65 80 13 17 14 22 0 29 19 215
Averages 21 11 19:49 7.1 82.5% 41.5% 81% 0.7 3.1 3.8 0.6 0.8 0.7 1 0 1.4 0.9 10.2
22 * vs CSKA Moscow 12:30 2 1/1 0/1 1 5 6 1 1 1 1 7
23 vs Olympiacos 19:11 8 1/1 1/4 3/4 1 1 1 1 2 2 3 10
2 Totals 31:41 10 2/2 1/5 3/4 1 6 7 1 2 1 3 0 3 3 17
Average 15:50 5 100% 20% 75% 0.5 3 3.5 0.5 1 0.5 1.5 0 1.5 1.5 8.5
17 vs Real Madrid 2:27
19 * at Real Madrid 33:43 8 1/1 2/5 1 1 2 1 1 1 5 4
20 * at Real Madrid 18:59 3 1/3 1 1 1 1
3 Totals 55:09 11 1/1 3/8 0/0 0 2 2 2 1 1 1 0 6 0 5
Average 18:23 3.7 100% 37.5% 0% 0 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.3 0.3 0.3 0 2 0 1.7
11 vs Maroussi 16:18 10 1/1 2/2 2/2 1 1 2 1 10
12 at Partizan 15:44 2 1/1 2 1 3 1 6
13 vs Panathinaikos 17:06 6 1/2 1/1 1/2 1 3 4 1 1 3 1 6
14 * at Panathinaikos 8:02 1 2 2 -1
15 * at Maroussi 28:21 12 3/4 2/3 3 5 8 5 2 1 20
16 * vs Partizan 23:35 4 1/3 0/2 2/2 2 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 5
6 Totals 109:06 34 7/11 5/8 5/6 6 12 18 2 7 5 4 0 9 3 46
Average 18:11 5.7 63.6% 62.5% 83.3% 1 2 3 0.3 1.2 0.8 0.7 0 1.5 0.5 7.7
1 at Fenerbahce Ulker 17:18 8 3/3 0/4 2/2 1 6 7 1 1 13
2 * vs Cibona 19:51 15 5/5 1/2 2/2 1 3 4 1 1 2 3 21
3 at Zalgiris Kaunas 23:43 13 5/5 1/5 2 3 5 1 1 2 2 14
4 * vs Asvel Basket 26:05 0/1 4 4 1 1 1 2
5 * at Montepaschi Siena 23:18 9 3/4 1/3 0/1 1 4 5 2 2 1 1 4 2 12
6 vs Fenerbahce Ulker 20:11 7 1/1 1/2 2/2 7 7 1 2 2 1 2 19
7 * at Cibona 27:07 11 1/1 2/4 3/4 9 9 1 2 4 1 3 22
8 vs Zalgiris Kaunas 19:02 11 1/1 3/4 1 3 4 1 1 1 17
9 at Asvel Basket 23:00 10 2/3 2/2 1 3 4 2 1 1 2 1 18
10 * vs Montepaschi Siena 20:38 10 2/3 2/5 1 3 4 1 9
10 Totals 220:13 94 23/26 13/32 9/11 8 45 53 8 7 7 14 0 11 13 147
Average 22:01 9.4 88.5% 40.6% 81.8% 0.8 4.5 5.3 0.8 0.7 0.7 1.4 0 1.1 1.3 14.7
Index rating 31 Real Madrid vs. Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv 3/13/2008
Points 23 Real Madrid vs. Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv 3/13/2008
Offensive rebounds 7 Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv 1/3/2008
Defensive rebounds 13 Cibona Zagreb vs. Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv 1/17/2008
Total rebounds 19 Anadolu Efes Istanbul vs. Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv 1/3/2008
Assists 5 Aris Thessaloniki vs. Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv 1/31/2008
Steals 5 Maroussi vs. FC Barcelona Lassa 3/3/2010
Blocks 6 Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv vs. Zalgiris Kaunas 3/20/2008
Minutes 40 Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv vs. Olympiacos Piraeus 3/6/2008
Played high-school basketball at Thomas Johnson HS, Frederick, Md.
Played college basketball at Maryland University (1997-2001).
Signed for the 2001-02 season by Houston Rockets.
Played there also the 2002-03 championship.
Signed for the 2003-04 season by Columbus Riverdragons, NBDL.
Moved to Greece on January'05, signed by Apollon Patras.
Signed for the 2005-06 season by Orlando Magic.
Moved to Israel on December'06, signed by Hapoel Jerusalem.
Signed for the 2007-08 season by Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Moved to Russia for the 2008-09 season, signed by CSKA Moscow.
Moved to Spain for the 2009-10 season, signed by FC Barcelona.
Won the 2010 Euroleague with FC Barcelona.
Named the 2007-08 Euroleague January MVP.
Named the 2007-08 Euroleague Week-17 MVP..won the 2010-11 Spanish National Championship with FC Barcelona.
.won the 2010 and 2011 Spanish National Cup (King's Cup) with FC Barcelona.
Led the 2007-08 Euroleague in blocking shots (1.76 bspg.).
Won the 2008-09 Russian National Championship with CSKA Moscow.
Won the 2007 Israeli National Cup with Hapoel Jerusalem.
Won the 2009 and 2010 Spanish Super Cup with FC Barcelona.
Named to the 1999 NCAA First Team.
2007-08 Maccabi Elite 25 309 12.4 96/158 60.8 30/61 49.2 27/37 73 208 16 39 44
2008-09 CSKA Moscow 21 141 6.7 33/61 54.1 22/44 50 9/17 52.9 102 11 24 21
2009-10 Regal FC Barcelona 21 149 7.1 33/40 82.5 22/53 41.5 17/21 81 80 17 13 22
2010-11 Regal Barcelona 20 131 6.5 28/49 57.1 22/64 34.4 9/13 69.2 81 14 13 11
Totals 87 730 8.4 190/308 61.7 96/222 43.2 62/88 70.5 471 58 89 98
Averages 87 730 8.4 190/308 61.7 96/222 43.2 62/88 70.5 5.4 0.7 1 1.1
2006-07 Hapoel Migdal 6 32 5.3 7/19 36.8 3/14 21.4 9/11 81.8 24 4 4 2
Totals 6 32 5.3 7/19 36.8 3/14 21.4 9/11 81.8 24 4 4 2
Averages 6 32 5.3 7/19 36.8 3/14 21.4 9/11 81.8 4 0.7 0.7 0.3
1997/98 Maryland 32 236 7.4 78/137 56.9 13/37 35.1 41/59 69.5 113 27 25 29
1998/99 Maryland 34 521 15.3 168/332 50.6 27/76 35.5 104/126 82.5 242 50 56 77
2000/01 Maryland 36 439 12.2 132/276 47.8 26/90 28.9 97/122 79.5 277 32 68 79
2001/02 Houston 68 255 3.8 96/211 45.5 15/78 19.2 18/28 64.3 211 21 64 27
2002/03 Houston 49 182 3.7 75/144 52.1 7/32 21.9 11/14 78.6 128 8 25 17
2003/04 Columbus 48 526 11 194/402 48.3 26/80 32.5 60/83 72.3 340 32 87 72
2004/05 Apollon 15 171 11.4 48/78 61.5 22/60 36.7 9/11 81.8 102 11 11 24
2005/06 Orlando 22 35 1.6 16/47 34 0/2 0 3/3 100 38 6 4 5
2006/07 Hapeol Jer 20 260 13 83/113 73.5 17/36 47.2 43/54 79.6 140 21 21 42
2007/08 Maccabi TA 26 294 11.3 101/145 69.7 20/48 41.7 32/51 62.7 213 20 63 44
2008/09 CSKA 5 42 8.4 13/25 52 4/11 36.4 4/9 44.4 26 4 4 5
2009/10 Barcelona 40 272 6.8 66/93 71 40/113 35.4 20/33 60.6 191 30 37 29
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Sunshine and Showers
Canaries legend Jeremy Goss launches new charity bid
David Bale
david.bale2@archant.co.uk
@DBaleReporter
17 October, 2010 - 08:23
Jeremy Goss kicks off a series of children's football matches at Brisley fete on Saturday afternoon. Photo: Bill Smith Copy: Richard Parr For: Archant Archant © 2010 01603 772434
Canaries legend unveiled as the new fundraising face of Norfolk charity
Canaries legend Jeremy Goss has been unveiled as the new fundraising face of a major Norfolk charity.
The man who scored against Bayern Munich in City’s 1993 Uefa Cup run is the new Events Fundraising Co-ordinator for the Norfolk and Norwich Association for the Blind (NNAB), which helps enrich the lives of 20,000 blind and visually impaired people across Norfolk each year.
His appointment was announced at the association’s annual meeting, chaired by its president, the Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Rev Graham James.
Former Welsh international Mr Goss said: “This is a fantastic challenge for me and I think the most rewarding job I will ever have. I am really proud to be able to play a part in the association’s vision of making a difference to the lives of so many people by helping them remain independent and active.
“I hope I’ve got some good ideas for furthering the work of the association and using my
contacts to raise much-needed funding for it.”
He said he was attracted to the position because of the passion the volunteers, the community workers and the staff put in to the charity to make it such a force for good in the community.
Mr Goss ensured a permanent place in the hearts and minds of Canary fans with his spectacular goal against Bayern and was voted into the club’s hall of fame in 2002.
NNAB director John Child said: “We are delighted to have Jeremy as our new signing. We are sure such a high profile ambassador for our charity will help our work across Norfolk.”
The association, formed in 1805, receives no state or public sector funding, yet provides a range of services and facilities to help blind and partially sighted people in Norfolk, including supported accommodation, educational and recreational services and in-home outreach through a network of 300 volunteer workers.
Derek James, the Sheriff of Norwich, described the charity at the annual meeting as “a shining example of how a charity ought to be run.”
He added: “Thanks to the association blind people can get the most out of life.”
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Home Tags Wwe World Heavyweight Championship
Tag: Wwe World Heavyweight Championship
Seth Rollins vs. Brock Lesnar – Battleground 2015 Full Match, Noelle Foley Interviews Sasha...
News Andrew Thompson - July 22, 2017
As covered here on eWn, the ladies of WWE were present at yesterday's San Diego Comic-Con event. After being presented with the newest edition...
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WARNING: This article will contain spoilers for tonight's episode of Monday Night Raw and the tournament going forward. After Seth Rollins was injured and forced...
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Now that Seth Rollins has gone down with an injury, all signs point to Roman Reigns being not just the favorite to win the...
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The Original World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship (1905-1956) The original World Championship was made to determine the best "catch as catch can" professional wrestler in the...
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Articles Staff - February 5, 2015
If you were new to the WWE Universe and the first pay-per-view you watched was this year's Royal Rumble, you would swear that the...
The WWE World Heavyweight Championship Needed A Break.
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I was recently discussing the current status of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, and it got me thinking, maybe I should write something about...
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So as we all know Daniel Bryan came out this Monday on Raw and announced that he will have surgery on Thursday, for a...
Cesaro
Claudio Castagnoli
He was previously known for his work in Ring of Honor (ROH), various independent promotions including Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) and Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW), ...
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Doctor Who Returns! Jenna-Louise Coleman on Clara and the Scary Spoonheads
The Doctor's search for his elusive (and twice-dead) companion Clara has come to an end. On Saturday, Doctor Who returns at 8/7c on BBC America for the first episode with Clara Oswin Oswald (Jenna-Louise Coleman) in her official capacity ...
The Doctor's search for his elusive (and twice-dead) companion Clara has come to an end.
On Saturday, Doctor Who returns at 8/7c on BBC America for the first episode with Clara Oswin Oswald (Jenna-Louise Coleman) in her official capacity as companion to the Doctor (Matt Smith). We previously met her as the futuristic hacker Oswin ("Asylum of the Daleks") and Victorian governess Clara ("The Snowmen"), but those run-ins merely set up the mystery of the woman who was destined to travel with the Time Lord. Now he's found her in contemporary London.
Returning Shows: Where we left off and what's next
"They're different and from different time periods, but there's a similar essence and spirit throughout them," Coleman tells TVGuide.com. "Our Clara has grown up and is born and raised in contemporary London, so her lifestyle is very different from Oswin who's been locked up on her own for a year and has kind of gone mad and is not as feisty as the Christmas Clara. This Clara doesn't wear her heart on her sleeve. She has quite a lot of secrets."
Despite that reserved nature, Clara is willing to take a gamble on this funny man in tweed and a bow tie. "She's always wanted to travel and explore the world. She's got a book called The 101 Places to Go that was given to her by her mother," Coleman explains. "She's in that stage of her life where she's finished university and she's floating around. She doesn't know what she wants to do with her life. She just knows that she wants something kind of more. This is when the Doctor comes into her life and offers her all of time and space."
That adventurous spirit leads her to enter the time-travel spacecraft the TARDIS with a man who tells her, "I'm the Doctor. I'm an alien from outer space, I'm 1000 years old, I've got two hearts and I can't fly planes." Check out the clip below to see their strange introduction:
After that rollicking start, the pair zip around London. "We had to go and shoot in London for a couple of days and ride on the back of a motorcycle and go around the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. I felt incredibly British that day," says Coleman. "We were both on the back of the bike, but when I had read it in the script, I had imagined me clinging onto the Doctor, the wind blowing in my hair and all that action. You get to set, and obviously being Doctor Who, you get these comedy goggles and this funny hat. And Matt's so tall that I can't see over his shoulder, so I'm totally not looking like the sexy James Bond girl whatsoever."
In this London, the ubiquity of wi-fi is actually quite dangerous. Guest star Celia Imrie (Bridget Jones's Diary) plays Miss Kizlet, the episode's villain. "She's running what is kind of the iCloud. It's the wi-fi that sucks people up into the iCloud," Coleman says. "It's kind of like being sucked into your computer and your iPad. People keep vanishing and disappearing."
TV Scorecard: What's canceled? What's renewed?
Of course merely having your entire being uploaded isn't scary enough for Doctor Who. The people are uploaded by a new type of monster that executive producer and writer Steven Moffat calls the Spoonheads. "You can basically see their face, and it revolves around and it's a Spoonhead. You can see their reflection and it's pretty scary," Coleman says. "I seriously don't know what goes on in Steven Moffat's genius to come up with these things.
"The funny thing is that obviously shooting it, you don't see anything because it's all CGI," she adds. "It almost is quite funny because whoever is a Spoonhead, they just have a green cap stuck on the back of their head. And they get put on this spinny-like turntable. And there's a guy on the floor spinning them."
Check out this clip of Miss Kizlet, and check back next week to learn more about Coleman and the mystery surrounding Clara.
Are you glad the Doctor is back with Clara in tow? Doctor Who airs Saturdays at 8/7c on BBC America.
View original Doctor Who Returns! Jenna-Louise Coleman on Clara and the Scary Spoonheads at TVGuide.com
Other Links From TVGuide.com Bridget Jones: The Edge Of ReasonMatt SmithSteven MoffatDoctor WhoJenna-Louise Coleman
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Guard units stretched thin
Richard Lodge
Richard Lodge writes a column on the demands on the National Guard and the impact that has on the Guard's ability to respond to natural disasters.
In a roundabout way that even the most Machiavellian Bush administration official could not have imagined, the "war on terror'' has come to America's heartland.
Yes, there are many people who would count the Americans killed fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan as victims in this ongoing war on terror.
But further evidence of the war's impact came last week, after an F-5 tornado destroyed the small town of Greensburg, Kan.
When Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius lashed out at the Bush administration for draining her state's National Guard troops and equipment off to the war in Iraq, she was echoing the concerns of almost every governor across the country.
Sebelius said the delay in bringing in troops and heavy equipment to help dig through the rubble of Greensburg resulted from at least half of the Kansas National Guard being deployed in Iraq. Maj. Gen. Tod {cq} Bunting, the Kansas Guard's adjutant general, told the New York Times this week the state Guard was down from the normal 660 Humvees to 350, and from 30 large trucks to 15, because of the overseas deployments.
That means, in a state the size of Kansas, there are fewer vehicles spread over a large area, making it harder to scramble them to the right places in an emergency.
In an interview Wednesday, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick expressed his own concerns about each state's ability to handle a local disaster, given the high number of National Guardsmen and women deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Patrick noted that Massachusetts, with a regional Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters, was in better shape than most because the stocks of vehicles and equipment are maintained at a higher level for FEMA.
But Patrick also noted that, like Sebelius, he had talked with many of his fellow governors this year who shared concerns over the drain on Guard personnel and equipment.
The Times also reported that all 50 governors signed a letter last year asking the president to immediately re-equip National Guard units returning from overseas.
In many cases, trucks and Humvees deployed to the Middle East and Iraq are left in-country, either for use by other troops or because the wear and tear from the war zone make it impractical to return them to the U.S. for further use.
After a brief war of words Tuesday between Sebelius and the White House, both sides backed down somewhat, with the Kansas governor saying she had enough equipment and personnel to handle the crisis in Greensburg, and the Bush administration acknowledging the governor had requested – and received - several items from the federal government to deal with the tornado's aftermath.
Although the tornado that ripped through Greensburg is devastating for that community, the death count and destruction pales in comparison to the destruction by Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf Coast and the tremendous flooding that swamped much of the city of New Orleans.
The slow response by FEMA and the folks in Washington is now well documented.
Reports out of Kansas point to a quicker response by FEMA for this latest disaster, which might mean there were lessons learned from the debacle in Louisiana.
But as members of the National Guard and Army Reserves serve and die overseas, the home front has been left short to deal with, and recover from, the natural disasters that come as surely as tornado season in the Midwest and hurricanes along our coastline.
As Kansans try to clean up from the tornado without their full complement of Guardsmen and woman, those part-time soldiers continue fighting the full-time war in Iraq.
Kansas National Guard members number among the thousands of Americans killed or wounded in the fighting. In fact, Army National Guardsmen and women account for about 20 percent of the 2,215 Army troops killed in Iraq.
When you add in members of the Air National Guard, Army, Navy and Marine Reserves, the total number of deaths comes to 553 out of the 3,381 Americans killed in Iraq as of this week, according to the Web site icasualties.org. Of that total, 37 of the dead hailed from Kansas.
As the battle over war funding - and whether to set deadlines for troop withdrawals - continues in Washington, the impact of that war on the battlefield and on the homefront, continues.
Judging from the concerns raised by Gov. Sebelius this week over the diminished resources of the National Guard, the solution to this problem could be elusive and long term.
With apologies to Dorothy, we're not in Kansas anymore, Toto. We're in Iraq.
Richard Lodge is editor of The MetroWest Daily News in Massachusetts, a GateHouse Media newspaper. His e-mail is rlodge@cnc.com.
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Jenna Kirk
400 - 444 7 AVE SW
jkirk@fieldlaw.com
601 - 4920 52 ST
Yellowknife, NT X1A 3T1
Irma Alvarado
ialvarado@fieldlaw.com
Jenna Kirk is a lawyer in our Calgary office practicing in the Labour and Employment Group, focusing on Business Immigration, Employment and Cannabis Law. She also has experience in Workplace Human Rights and Occupational Health and Safety.
Jenna has successfully helped individuals and employers with applications for admission to Canada as temporary residents and foreign workers, and with applications for permanent residence and citizenship. She also has experience with U.S. visa applications, waivers and NEXUS applications, as well as Canadian record suspension applications, applications based on humanitarian and compassionate grounds and residency appeals. She has worked with clients all over the world to create and develop business and immigration opportunities.
With respect to employment law, Jenna has experience advising on a wide range of employment related matters including employment contracts and agreements, workplace policies and procedures, wrongful dismissal claims, discrimination, the duty to accommodate, discipline and termination. She has successfully helped employers and employees understand their legal rights and responsibilities under provincial employment standards and human rights legislation.
Prior to joining Field Law, Jenna articled with a local boutique immigration law firm and worked in the areas of immigration and employment law for a large Canadian oil company. Jenna received her Bachelor of Science in Physics (2008) from Brandon University and her Juris Doctorate (2013) from the University of Calgary. Jenna was called to the Alberta Bar in 2014 and is an active member of the Alberta Bar Association, the Canadian Bar Association and the Calgary Bar Association.
Jenna is an active community member, and uses her time outside of the office to engage with those around her in positive, productive ways. She volunteers with immigration-related causes, and is also a volunteer lawyer for Student Legal Assistance. The organization provides legal information and pro bono legal representation for individuals who do not have the resources to engage legal counsel on their own.
Law Society of the Northwest Territories
Canadian Bar Association, National Immigration Law Section
Canadian Bar Association
Law Society of Alberta
Calgary Bar Association
Young Lawyer Coordinator
Canadian Bar Association Alberta Branch (South)
Student Legal Assistance
Volunteer Lawyer
Student Volunteer
Maintaining Permanent Residency When Faced With a Departure Order
Immigration Alert
In order to maintain a permanent residency in Canada, residents must be physically present in Canada for at least 730 days (2 years) in every 5-year period. The 5-year period is assessed by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (“IRCC&rdqu...
2018 Year in Review for Northern Employers
Join Field Law for a review of the most important legal cases from 2018. Topics covered will include: Labour Employment Human Rights Occupational Health + Safety Privacy Immigration Cannabis This seminar will be broadcast live via ...
2018 A Year in Review Seminar Series
The Field Law Labour and Employment Group presents the annual Year in Review seminars in Calgary and Edmonton. Join us for legal updates and practical challenges for management and employee groups in the areas of: Part 1: Human Rights ...
Health Canada Unveils Proposed Edibles Legislation
Keeping Up With Cannabis
Health Canada launched a public consultation on its proposed regulations governing cannabis edibles today and stated that the legal sale of cannabis edibles will be permitted no later than October 17, 2019. While certain cannabis use was legalize...
Upcoming Criminal Code Changes + Its Effects on Entering Canada
On December 18, 2018, Canada will begin imposing tough new penalties on those who drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, including cannabis, or commit cannabis-related crimes. The maximum penalty for impaired driving offences w...
Avoid Border Battles: 5 Tips for Travel to the U.S. Now That Cannabis is Legal in Canada
Aboriginal Business Quarterly
Upcoming Impaired Driving and Cannabis-Related Penalties
On December 18, 2018, Canada will begin imposing tough new penalties on those who drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, including cannabis, or who commit cannabis-related crimes. Most impaired driving offences will be considered serious ...
"Did You Roll That Yourself?": Travelling Tips Now that Cannabis is Legal in Canada
Keeping Up With Cannabis Legislation
Today’s the day! Cannabis has become legal in Canada for adult use, possession, purchase and distribution. As an important reminder, it remains illegal to take cannabis across any international border by any means, (land, water or air). The...
October 3 + 10, 2018
Cannabis in the Workplace: Implications for Employers
Recreational cannabis will be legal in Canada on October 17, 2018. Join Field Law’s Labour and Employment Group for a detailed, scenario-based half-day workshop providing practical advice and useful tips to prepare your organization for situat...
Cannabis Complicates Crossing the Border
The legalization of cannabis in Canada poses a unique opportunity for entrepreneurs, investors, and businesses. It is estimated that the recreational cannabis market in Canada may generate approximately $23 billion in annual revenue, creating jobs and ...
Legal Cannabis: Coming to Canada on October 17, 2018
Countdown to Cannabis Legislation
On June 20, 2018, the federal government announced that Canadians will be able to possess and consume cannabis recreationally under the Cannabis Act as of October 17, 2018. Until that date, cannabis possession and consumption remains illegal, other tha...
Cannabis in the Workplace - Implications for Northern Employers
What Northern Employers Need to Know About Cannabis in the Workplace Join Field Law’s Labour and Employment Group for a detailed, scenario-based half-day workshop providing practical advice and useful tips to prepare your organization for situ...
HR Undefined 2018
HR Undefined is CPHR Alberta’s largest annual event. It provides an environment where you can learn solutions to HR challenges through professional development and networking with Alberta’s HR pros. In April 2018, Human Resources and busine...
If You Haven't Heard About the Upcoming Changes to the Alberta Employment Standards Regulation, You Need to Read This!
Important changes to Alberta’s Employment Standards Code (the “Code”) come into effect in just a few short weeks. In order to align the Employment Standards Regulation with these changes, on December 7, 2017 the Government of Alberta ...
Legalized Recreational Marijuana in Alberta - Is Your Workplace Prepared?
On April 13, 2017, the federal government tabled two new cannabis-related bills before Parliament, Bill C-45: An Act respecting cannabis and to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, the Criminal Code and other Acts and Bill C-46: An Act to ame...
Accommodating Medical Marijuana Use in the Workplace
Alberta’s Highest Court Clarifies OHS Law: Privilege Must Be Proven
Labour and Employment Alert
With its decision this week in Alberta v. Suncor Energy Inc, 2017 ABCA 221, the Alberta Court of Appeal has considered and clarified the application of solicitor-client privilege and litigation privilege to incidents under Alberta’s Occupational ...
Taking the High Road: the Federal Framework and Preparing for the Legalization of Marijuana
On April 13, 2017, the federal government tabled two new cannabis related bills before Parliament, Bill C-45: An Act respecting cannabis and to amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, the Criminal Code and other Acts and Bill C-46: An Act to ame...
Thinking of Immigrating to Canada?
To the astonishment of many around the globe Donald Trump has been elected as the 45 th President of the United States of America; and for the second time this year, the Government of Canada’s immigration website crashed ...
An Update to our Latest Article on Electronic Travel Authorization Becomes Mandatory
Only days before the electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) requirement was to become mandatory for all visa-exempt foreign nationals* the Government of Canada announced its decision to extend the leniency period to November 9, ...
Alberta Minimum Wage Increases Affect All Foreign Workers, Especially Caregivers
Effective October 1, 2016, Alberta’s minimum wage will increase from $11.20 per hour to $12.20 per hour. This is the first step in the Provincial government’s plan to raise the minimum wage in Alberta to $15.00 per hour by October...
Electronic Travel Authorization Becomes Mandatory
On September 29, 2016 the leniency period will end and all visa-exempt foreign nationals travelling to Canada will require an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA). An eTA can be obtained through an online prescreening process that ...
Alberta's Minimum Wage is on the Rise
State of the Nation: Canada’s Immigration System
Clarifying Irving: Can an Alberta Employer Implement a Random Drug and Alcohol Testing Policy in a Safety Sensitive Workplace?
Despite a new decision on the issue from the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench (the “Court”) on May 18, 20161, the answer to this question remains “maybe.” The Court has, however, provided us with a measure of ...
What's to Come
There has been a lot of excitement lately, as the new Liberal Government has begun to address the promises made during their campaign last year. Proposed amendments to immigration legislation and policy are currently focused on the areas...
Donald Drumpf - Good for Canadian Immigration
During this years’ Super Tuesday, Donald Trump led the Republican primaries winning 7 states and 256 delegates. Perhaps more interesting than the voting polls on Super Tuesday, was the Google trends that followed. Within hours...
On average, Canada approves approximately 10,000 refugee applications for permanent residence each year. Due to the Syrian refugee crisis, the Government of Canada announced last year that it would admit 25,000 Syrian refugees to Ca...
BIG Alert
Program Delivery Update for the Artists
Further to a letter from Minister John McCallum in December 2015, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (“IRCC”, formerly Citizenship and Immigration Canada) issued a program delivery update on February 3, 2016 introdu...
Temporary Foreign Workers: Best Practices for Employer Compliance
New Job Bank January 31, 2016
Job Bank is undergoing massive modernization as part of efforts by Employment, Workforce Development and Labour (previously Employment and Social Development Canada). On January 31, 2016 the new Job Bank will replace the current system, eliminating the...
Express Entry Review
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not of Field Law.It has been eleven months since the Government of Canada unveiled Express Entry as the new application management system for the economic immigration p...
Strengthened Rules Around Canadian Citizenship
New Requirements for Canadian Citizenship Bill C-24 came into force on June 19, 2014 amending the Citizenship Act and the requirements for eligibility for Canadian citizenship. The changes include: Increased residency requ...
"I was looking for a lawyer to help me with a human rights complaint against my employer. When I met with Jenna she immediately showed empathy for my situation and I felt she really cared about working on my file. Jenna is compassionate and easy to speak to. She speaks clearly, not in legal language where I would have been lost and she listened to what I had to say. Her confidence and experience in human rights matters made me feel comfortable that I was doing the right thing. Her schedule was flexible and she made me feel like I was her most important client. Jenna’s staff were helpful and caring as well."
University of Calgary, 2013, Juris Doctor
Brandon University, 2008, Bachelor of Science
Northwest Territories,2017
Yukon,2018
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Salman Khan’s Bharat To Release In Multiple Languages
by Filmfare | February 13, 2019, 6:49 PM IST
Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif are all set to return with yet another Eid release this year titled Bharat. Ever since the project was announced the film has been surrounded by a lot of hype. Be it the ban on cellphones on the sets of the film or the curiosity surrounding Salman Khan’s look in the film, Bharat has been grabbing a lot of attention.
A report in a leading daily now claims that the film will also have a release in multiple languages. The report claims that along with Hindi, Bharat will also release in Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam. A source close to the project revealed, “They are scouting for dubbing artistes in different language in different languages to lend their voices to various characters.”
The source also claims that the makers want to make Bharat Salman Khan’s biggest release domestically and in the international market. The cast is currently shooting the final schedule and is expected to soon shift base to Delhi to shoot the climax. However, the source reported the entire set, in Delhi, which costs around Rs 10 Crore will be destroyed as a part of the climax.
Bharat is based on the South-Korean film, An Ode to My Father and is slated to release on Eid 2019.
More on: Salman Khans Bharat to release in multiple languages
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Strategy & Operations » Leadership & Management » What FDs need to know about the Alternative Investment Fund Management Directive
What FDs need to know about the Alternative Investment Fund Management Directive
Kam Dhillon of Gowling WLG provides a guide to the AIFMD, including what Brexit means for the European marketing passport introduced under the directive regulations
by Emma Smith | Managing Editor - March 20, 2017
Kam Dhillon of Gowling WLG provides a guide to the AIFMD, including the directive requirements and penalties, as well as how Brexit could affect the European marketing passport introduced under the regulations
Basics of AIFMD
The Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive (AIFMD) came into force in July 2011, and was implemented into UK law in July 2013 via the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Regulations and the FCA Handbook. Its scope is broad and covers the management and marketing of alternative investment funds (AIFs) to investors in the European Economic Area (EEA).
What is an alternative investment fund?
It is a collective investment undertaking, which raises capital from a number of investors with a view to investing it in accordance with a defined investment policy for the benefit of those investors (and does not require authorisation under the UCITS Directive). This includes hedge funds, private equity funds, real estate funds, fund of funds and investment companies. However holding companies and securitisation special purpose entities are expressly excluded from the definition of an AIF.
What requirements does it introduce?
AIFMD regulates alternative investment fund managers (AIFMs). Under AIFMD, an AIF must be managed by an AIFM. Managing, for these purposes, means providing at least portfolio management and risk management services to the AIF.
The obligations on the AIFM vary, depending on its aggregate assets under management and where the AIFM and the investors are located. In summary, full scope AIFMs (with assets under management over a prescribed threshold) in the UK are subject to authorisation and supervision by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and must comply with rules on conduct of business, transparency, reporting, remuneration, valuation, regulatory capital, marketing and the safekeeping of investments. Sub-threshold AIFMs are subject to a lighter touch registration regime and limited reporting.
Marketing passport
AIFMD introduces a European marketing “passport”. The passport is currently available to full scope EEA AIFMs marketing EEA AIFs to professional investors in the EEA, however in due course we expect it to be extended to non-EEA AIFMs. Where no passport is available under AIFMD, AIFs must be marketed to professional investors in the EEA using the national private placement regime (NPPR) (to the extent that it is available).
Post-Brexit, what will be the status of the marketing passport for UK AIFMs?
Once the UK withdraws from the European Union, and assuming there are no transitional arrangements in place, the UK is likely to become a “third country” and UK AIFMs will be classified as non-EEA AIFMs and UK AIFs as non-EEA AIFs. Pending access to the marketing passport as a non-EEA AIFM, UK AIFMs will have to market on a country-by-country basis using the NPPR.
Penalties for breaching AIFMD as implemented in the UK
The FCA has publicly pledged itself to a policy of “credible deterrence” and is placing the alternative fund management sector under greater scrutiny than ever before. The FCA has already begun investigating a number of AIFMs for a range of alleged regulatory breaches. The range of penalties for beach of AIFMD, as implemented in the UK, includes public censure, suspension or cancellation of authorisation, fines and imprisonment. In addition, any agreements entered into as a result of unlawful marketing may be unenforceable.
Working with regulators to ensure compliance and best practice
UK AIFMs authorised by the FCA have an on-going duty to comply with the general principles and operating conditions set out in AIFMD. This includes acting honestly, with due skill, care and diligence and fairly in conducting their activities. It also includes complying with all regulatory requirements applicable to the conduct of their business activities so as to promote the best interests of the AIFs or the investors of the AIFs they manage and the integrity of the market. Further, UK AIFMs have an on-going duty to keep the FCA informed of any material changes to the conditions for their authorisation.
The alternative investment fund sector is still developing best practices to address the various requirements imposed by the AIFMD. While market practice continues to evolve, AIFMs should nonetheless take steps to ensure that they can sufficiently demonstrate compliance with AIFMD.
Kam Dhillon is principal associate at Gowling WLG.
The City scrambles to make plans for an uncertain post-Brexit future
By Nash Riggins
Labour pushes business credentials over Brexit
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Pat McGee Band
Sea Level Oyster Bar Concert Series
TICKETS*:
*Firehouse members receive a 10% discount
Bio’s are, well, boring and who’s got time to read boastful facts about a musician.
So, here’s the scoop on Pat McGee...
Cart Before The Horse. Always.
October of 1994 McGee, books a studio to record his debut album. One, small concern, he wasn’t written a single original song, ever. “I’ll figure it out” has always been his mentality. Pat’s first two songs he penned that fall in the mid-nineties are, still to this day, the crowd favorites, “Rebecca” & “Haven’t Seen For A While”.
Honest, from the heart songwriting with musical influences deeply rooted in classic rock is prevalent throughout his entire 10, soon to be 11 album catalog. His first obsessions were the guitar driven styles of Eric Clapton, Allman Brothers Band & Grateful Dead paired with the Laurel Canyon singer-songwriters scene such as Jackson Browne and James Taylor.
McGee spent his early years, touring colleges throughout the Mid-Atlantic & Southeast. He had long envisioned forming a band that could carry out his ideal lineup. It was all about the songs, but backed by three part harmonies, acoustic and electric guitars, percussion along with drum set and of course melodic bass and keyboards—-all the elements that made those classic albums come alive on wax and stage.
Pat McGee Band finally formed in 1996 and immediately hit the road, touring relentlessly for the better part of 10 years, in one stretch doing 98 shows in 103 days. The band signed to Warner Brothers in 1999 after their rabid fanbase devoured over 100,000 copies of their first 3 Independent releases. Along the way, McGee fulfilled lifelong dreams of touring with the bands he grew up worshipping…Allmans, James Taylor, The Who and many more. PMB was invited to perform for President Clinton, toured overseas with USO as well as recently to The Middle East and Africa. This allowed McGee and his band the opportunity to land on The USS Eisenhower to play for 5,000 brave men and women serving on the Arabian Sea–an experience that was a highlight of his career.
In October of 2006, PMB was crushed with the untimely death of founding member, drummer Chris Williams. He was the backbone of the band and an integral part of the signature sound of the group, both live and in the studio.
McGee has assembled various star-studded ensembles over the years and continues to reunite with the original band from time to time.
His career is thriving. In 2015 he released a self titled album, that started off as just another record, but ended up being a dream project. McGee assembled musical legends to join him in the studio: Russ Kunkel, Leland Sklar, Waddy Wachtel, Danny Kortchmar, and Jeff Pevar (nicknamed “The Section”). Other notable musicians such as Little Feat’s Paul Barrere, Blues Traveler’s John Popper, Train’s Pat Monahan, Punchbrother’s Gabe Witcher as well as Pat McGee’s own band contributed to the album’s sound.
2019 will bring touring of the entire US, a recording session for his next album and continued growth of McGee’s homegrown music festival’s Ocean State Of Mind & Down The Hatch.
www.patmcgee.net
Friday, July 26 @ 8:00pm
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Johnny Depp to marry Amber Heard on NYE?
Amber Heard Johnny Depp Vanessa Paradis Steven Tyler Marilyn Manson Helena Bonham Carter Tim Burton
Ah, rumours. You've got to love just how hypocritical they are... "They're dating, they're not dating, they're more in love than you'll ever know, they're getting married but he's wearing the engagement ring, she's going to dump him over that thing, they're getting married, they're not getting married, they're getting married on New Year's Eve just like they do on the Soaps, and so on.
The latest one the mill has churned out involves Johnny Depp and Amber Heard getting married on the 31st. The 51-year-old actor has apparently sent out invitations to many of his closest pals, including Steven Tyler, Marilyn Manson, Helena Bonham Carter and, of course, Tim Burton, to ring in 2015 with him and his 28-year-old fiancée on his private island in the Caribbean.
The usually low-key star's bash - held at Amber Beach (Lord knows what they did on that beach, but it was enough for him to name it after her) - has sparked speculation among his guests that the party may in fact turn into a surprise wedding. Much like every time Jennifer throws a party and Ellen reckons she's getting married to Justin. No pressure.
A source told The Sun: "Johnny is normally very low key, so the big New Year party came as a surprise. He's invited most of his closest friends and their families to join him on his island. The highlight will be a big party. It could be a straightforward bash but friends have wondered if it could be a ruse to have a wedding without a big fuss."
The couple always intended to tie the knot at Amber Beach, but no definite date has ever been set. And, if it was set, we'd be the last to know about it.
Johnny and Amber confirmed their engagement in January after less than two years of dating and threw a party to celebrate their betrothal in March.
The Lone Ranger star was previously in a long-term relationship with Vanessa Paradis, with whom he has two children, daughter Lily-Rose, 15, and son Jack, 12.
Story by Sheena McGinley | 09:52 | Friday 19th December 2014 | Celebrity
Watch: This semi-naked, roller skating ring bearer stole the show at this wedding
Jennifer Aniston is an insomniac
Angelina Jolie kidnapped Chris Martin?
Amanda Bynes wants to enroll in USC
Watch: This Irish guy surprises his family for Christmas
Watch: People are Awesome 2014 will restore your faith in humanity
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Coupe de France Predictions
Join us for the latest predictions, betting tips, match previews and analysis for the 2019/20 Coupe de France.
Coupe de France trophy (PA Images)
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2019/2020 Coupe de France
The Coupe de France is one of two major knockout competitions in the French footballing pyramid. Alongside the Coupe de Ligue, which features teams only from the league system in much the same way that the EFL Cup does in England, the Coupe de France pits teams from all levels against each other with over 8,500 entrants in this year’s competition.
The dominant force in the competition is perhaps unsurprisingly Paris Saint-Germain. The team from the capital may have only formed in 1970, but they’ve won the competition in the last four consecutive seasons to take their total tally of wins to 12 overall. They’re currently through to the semi-final stage again this term where they will face Nantes, the winner of which will take on the winner of Lyon v Rennes in the final in May.
Want today’s Coupe de France predictions?
There’s only one stop for your Coupe de France predictions and football betting tips particularly as we reach the latter stages of the competition. This page will include all our latest match previews which will each include a handful of tips and best available odds for all the big games in the final stages of the tournament.
You will also be able to find our latest multiple bets for the current stage of the tournament as well as our outright tip on this page and if you’re looking for games that are taking place today, head to the Match Previews page in the top bar and you will be able to find our coverage games not only in the Coupe de France but all major tournaments around the world.
Get free French Cup betting tips
And the best thing about all of our tips at FootballTips.com is that they are always completely free! We’ll never ask for a subscription fee to check out our tips and when it comes to the business end of the Coupe Charles Simon tournament we’ll give our selections for each important fixture.
Risk Free 1st Play
Any entries placed in your first purchase transaction will be refunded if your entry doesn't have a winning match and you paid using a credit card. If you purchased those entries using a non-credit card method, they double that money!
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Here's Why 'Game Of Thrones' Has Exploded In Popularity Across Asia
Luke Kelly Forbes Staff
I'm a Multimedia Editor on the Asia channel, based out of Hong Kong.
Game of Thrones fever has swept the globe like wildfire in recent weeks as television's most popular show enters its final run of episodes (with the remaining six scheduled to air late in 2018). Although the show has been among the most popular on TV for some time in the U.S. and Europe, Asia has somewhat lagged behind. The most recent two seasons, however, have seen viewership figures skyrocket across the region, to the delight of HBO and its parent company Time Warner.
Although a certain amount of this surge can be attributed to the increasing popularity of Game of Thrones around the world, that alone doesn’t tell the full story. In most English-speaking territories, viewership figures have consistently ticked upwards over the past seven seasons rather than rising dramatically in recent years, as has been the case in Asia.
“Game of Thrones has had a significant spike in viewership in Asia,” Jonathan Spink, CEO of HBO Asia told Forbes. “Compared to Season 6, the first episode of Game of Thrones Season 7 saw an increase of 50% in Singapore, 47% in the Philippines and 24% in Taiwan.” Here are a few key factors behind the show's recent success across the region.
HBO has made an increased effort to market its original programming globally, and has invested time and money into ensuring that audiences in all territories can access their programming in ways that suit them. For example, Game of Thrones has been dubbed into several new languages across Asia over the past two years, making it easier for local audiences to understand, including Thai for the first time in 2017.
The company has also worked hard to combat piracy, which had long been an issue in overseas territories, by simulcasting the more recent seasons of the show across the globe. Almost all original programming is now simulcast across HBO’s territories including Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Myanmar and Vietnam.
These tactics have definitely borne fruit for HBO, with almost all territories showing viewership gains since simulcasting was made a priority. In the UK, Sky Atlantic witnessed a record number of viewers for its 2 a.m. showing of the season 7 premiere. The episode eventually racked up 4.7 million viewers within a week, making it the largest audience for any program ever on Sky Atlantic.
Scaling The Wall
In China, where the show debuted in 2012, viewership figures are not easily obtainable, but it seems clear based on promotional efforts and fan engagement online that the show is doing extremely well. Chinese viewers are typically more primed for the show’s medieval setting than the typical Western viewer, as big-budget historical shows are already some of the most popular in the country. Airing as 权力的游戏, or "Game of Power" in China, the show currently holds a 9.6/10 rating on Douban, the country’s most popular review site.
However, piracy is still a problem for Game of Thrones in China, but not for reasons you might expect. Episodes are edited and censored to adhere to strict rules on “public morality,” resulting in a much shorter cut. The pilot episode of the first season, for example, is around 11 minutes shorter than HBO’s version when edited and dubbed into Mandarin. One article likened it to “watching a documentary of European castles on the History Channel.”
For this reason, fans have continued to skirt the Great Firewall or turned to streaming services in order to see full, unedited episodes.
Increased Marketing In Asia
Capitalizing on the show’s popularity, HBO has stepped up its marketing efforts across the region in recent years. Ahead of the season six premiere, actress Maisie Williams (Arya Stark) visited Japan and Liam Cunningham (Davos Seaworth) went to Thailand to promote season seven.
In mid-2017, the Indigo shopping mall in Beijing was subject to a Game of Thrones-inspired takeover, where shoppers could take pictures sitting on the Iron Throne and view prop replicas from the show. In 2016, Singapore hosted Asia’s first "Worlds of Westeros" immersive experience, where fans could scale The Wall in VR and browse concept art from the show. And earlier this summer, White Walkers were spotted wandering the streets of Hong Kong, posing for pictures and handing out free frozen yogurt.
These efforts have resulted in the show breaking worldwide viewership figures for its season premiere just six weeks ago, with subsequent episodes easily pulling in more than 10 million viewers each week. Game of Thrones is likely to shatter those records again when the final episode of season 7 airs on Sunday, and when it does, Asia will play no small part.
I'm a Multimedia Editor with Forbes Asia. My work has appeared on DigitalRev and Discovery Magazine. I'm also a host and producer of '80 Days: An Exploration Podcast', w...
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Scientists Want To Replicate Nuclear Fusion - The Sun's Energy Source. How On Earth Do They Do That?
Melanie Windridge Contributor
The Sun photographed at 304 angstroms by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA 304) of NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). This is a false-color image of the Sun observed in the extreme ultraviolet region of the spectrum.
NASA/SDO (AIA)
Anyone who visited London’s Science Museum in the last few months may have been fortunate enough to enjoy their latest exhibition, a tribute to our Sun.
The exhibition deals with the history of mankind’s long fascination with the Sun. Long before it was understood, its importance was recognised, and for many civilisations it was steeped in mythology.
This reputation is much deserved. The Sun is the source of nearly all energy. Its electromagnetic waves deliver light and heat which allow plants to grow, which are eaten by animals. In time these die and become crushed beneath the earth’s surface, slowly compacting the energy they have stored into the coal and oil. These fuels have powered industrial growth, but at great environmental cost.
More recently we have begun capturing energy from the Sun in real time, using solar panels which turn photons of light into electricity, or wind turbines which capture the energy created when the Sun heats the air, making it rise and allowing cooler air to rush in to replace it.
But all this energy is second hand, cast off by the Sun. Perhaps the most fascinating way in which the Sun could meet our growing energy needs is by replicating the way the Sun creates its energy in the first place.
Where does the Sun’s energy come from?
How the Sun creates energy is a fascinating question.
We’ve been using coal on industrial levels for a century or so, and already we are being told that the earth’s natural resources are running out. The Sun has burned for over 4.5 billion years, and has plenty of fuel left. Just one billionth of its energy output reaches the Earth, a tiny fraction of which could meet all of our energy needs.
So, how does the Sun create so much energy?
The Sun is huge. The earth could fit into it 1.3 million times. This means the Sun’s gravity is much bigger than Earth’s. Gravity pulls the matter of the Sun in on itself, collapsing into the centre, which gets very hot and very dense. If you’ve tried to compress air in a blocked bicycle pump you may have noticed it gets a little hotter as you push it down and the atoms get closer together, so imagine how hot it would get under the weight of 1.3 million planets.
Under these really dense, really hot conditions we get a reaction which doesn’t happen anywhere else: nuclear fusion. This creates enough energy to power the Sun. Imagine what we could do with a tiny fraction of that.
What is fusion?
To understand fusion, we need to look at a couple of concepts in physics…
There are four forces in the universe. They are: gravity which pulls matter together; electromagnetic which attracts and repels electrically charged particles (like electrons or nuclei); and the strong and weak nuclear forces which hold the nuclei of atoms themselves together.
Einstein famously discovered that energy is equivalent to mass multiplied by the speed of light squared (E=mc2). So, atoms can, in theory, be turned into huge amounts of energy, if only we can manipulate their nuclei. When we burn coal, we release energy stored in electromagnetic bonds, and the chemical reaction turns the coal into ash and nasty gases. In nuclear reactions, we release energy stored in the strong bonds holding the nucleus together, converting tiny amounts of mass from the nuclei of atoms into energy.
The Sun is powered by hydrogen, the simplest atom (one proton and one electron). Under the intense conditions in the centre of the Sun, atoms break apart and form a charged gas called plasma. The positively charged nuclei generally repel each other, but at the high temperatures created by gravitational collapse (15 million degrees at the centre of the Sun), some nuclei are moving fast enough to collide hard and fuse.
(Incidentally, this fusion reaction is the start of a chain which creates all the matter in the universe, with nuclei coming together like building blocks. But that’s another story).
Can we replicate the Sun on Earth?
Fusion is the perfect energy-creating reaction, turning small amounts of matter into huge amounts of energy. Unlike nuclear fission, which pulls heavy atoms apart creating potentially radioactive products, fusion fuses light atoms together and creates – in the case of hydrogen – stable helium.
On Earth, we need to use bigger building blocks than simple hydrogen. This is because the process that happens in the Sun can take billions of years. We want fusion to happen quicker. Instead, we will use deuterium and tritium, types of heavy hydrogen. Combining these produces helium and an energetic neutron, whose energy we would extract to drive electricity turbines.
Replicating the conditions of the Sun on Earth is tricky. We need temperatures over 100 million degrees for fusion to occur – hotter than the Sun. We don’t have something as big as Sun at our disposal, so gravity is no use, but scientists are getting close to creating those conditions artificially.
There are two main methods being developed to confine and heat these fuels to the point where they fuse: magnetic and inertial confinement.
Inertial confinement uses powerful lasers to heat and pressurise small pellets of fuel. Multiple laser beams blast the outside and cause the pellets to implode.
Magnetic confinement uses powerful magnets to squeeze plasma away from the walls of its container, so that it can be heated to high temperatures by external methods. Often this is done inside a tokamak, a toroidal (doughnut-shaped) chamber with large magnets coiled around it, but scientists also investigate other configurations.
This picture, a blend of computerised imagery and photography, shows a section of plasma (pink - authentic colour) superimposed on JET vessel equipped with the ITER-Like wall. In actuality the plasma would not be confined to a small section of the vessel as in this image, but would extend the whole way around.
EUROfusion
Fusion has often been said to be thirty years away – always promised but never quite achieved. There are two main reasons for that. One, it’s really hard to make a star on Earth; two, the funding of fusion has not been commensurate to the challenge or the future impact.
However, the situation is changing. Over the last ten years the number of private fusion start-ups has increased to around 20 companies, and a fusion industry is beginning to emerge. Fusion has been achieved in the lab (back in 1997!) but not yet on a commercial scale – the energy produced was less than the energy required to create the conditions. Various companies and government projects are achieving or approaching the temperatures needed for fusion. Moreover, new technologies are being adopted. For example, new superconducting magnets are being developed to create higher magnetic fields and improve tokamak efficiency, supercomputers can better model plasma turbulence and advanced manufacturing could reduce the costs of commercialisation.
Commercially viable fusion remains elusive so far, but we know from studying the Sun that it is possible under the right conditions. Success would mean a source of clean energy that could power the world forever. It may not happen soon enough to help with the IPCC’s short-term emissions reductions targets, but – whether we meet these or not – the threat of climate change will not disappear, and the world needs a long-term, abundant sustainable energy solution.
It may have been a long road, but we are getting closer to being able to replicate conditions in the centre of the Sun here on Earth. We’ve certainly come a long way since ancient man first worshipped the Sun as the bringer of life.
Melanie Windridge
How do physical forces shape the world’s most extreme environments? How does human ingenuity help us explore and understand those environments, and what is the effect of...
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Worship, Vatican, Terry Mattingly, Social Media, Religious Liberty, Politics, Mormons, Orthodoxy, Mainline, Jews and Judaism, Godbeat, Evangelicals
Why did Latterday-day Saints change brands? That news story (oh no) may be linked to doctrine
In the months since the leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced the attempt to tone down use of the word “Mormon,” I have heard two questions over and over from people outside the Latter-day Saint fold.
Yes, that sentence was somewhat long and awkward, for obvious reasons.
Question No. 1: What are they going to call The Choir.
Question No. 2: Why did Latter-day Saints leaders take this step, at this moment in time, to change their brand?
If you are interested in that first question, a long, long feature story in The New York Times — “ ‘Mormon’ No More: Faithful Reflect on Church’s Move to Scrap a Moniker” — has a fabulous anecdote that shows up at the very end. Here we go:
For many Latter-day Saints, the most important cue came from the church’s iconic musical organization, known since 1929 as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The group was on tour in Los Angeles last year, singing in Disney Hall, when a bishop asked choir leaders to begin thinking about new names.
At first many performers felt “a little uptight” about the idea, said the group’s president, Ron Jarrett. … They mulled options: the Tabernacle Choir in Salt Lake City, the Tabernacle Choir in Utah, the Tabernacle Choir of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and finally landed on the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square.
Still, the group had to manage a swath of legal issues, like how to protect copyrights and recording labels all made under the former name. Products and recordings made before 2019 will maintain the previous legal name, but new ones will not.
“For me, it has been an opportunity to really evaluate who we are and what we stand for,” Mr. Jarrett said. “I was able to say, ‘I will follow a living prophet, and our music will remain the same.’”
The singers have retired their catchy nickname, the MoTabs. They are trying out a new one, Mr. Jarrett said: the TCats, or TabCats.
I think legions of headline writers would embrace that kind of short, catchy, option, should the church’s leaders come up with an unofficial official nickname. After all, you may recall that use of the “LDS” brand was also discouraged, along with the big change in the status of “Mormon.” The Times story notes the practical implications online:
The church’s longtime website, LDS.org, now redirects to ChurchofJesusChrist.org, and Mormon.org will soon switch over, too. In May, the church stopped posting on its @MormonChannel Instagram feed and encouraged followers to move to @ChurchofJesusChrist instead.
OK, but why did this change happen?
Tagged: Mormons, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Mitt Romney, Trinity, Trinitarian, Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Evolution, Julia Duin, Mormons, Science, Tech
Medium wants to know: Can Mormon transhumanists revitalize the Latter-day Saints?
When Jeff Bezos, the world’s richest man, decided to tell the world that the National Enquirer was blackmailing him with nude photos, he turned to the blog platform Medium to tell the world about it.
Everyone, from Mashable to USA Today asked why someone worth $150 billion would self-publish not in the Washington Post, which he owns.
Instead, he turned to a humble (but neutral) place that’s accessible to everyone and anyone. I joined Medium a month ago — after perusing it for over a year — because the writing was about unusual topics with unique angles. There isn’t an army of editors going over the prose; what you see is raw copy straight from the writer’s laptop.
As it turns out, I’m not writing about Bezos, but I am writing about a recent piece on Medium about Mormon transhumanists, whatever they may be. Fellow GetReligionista Dick Ostling has written about them before, but some things bear repeating.
Mormons are the opposite of cafeteria Catholics. Instead of a pick-and-choose religion of faith du jour, they inhabit a closed system with a unique holy book and scriptures; certain beliefs that only they own and a place as the preeminent American-founded religion. Its legends and history are uniquely that of the Western hemisphere.
Before we start, please note the author isn’t just any old pajama-clad writer wannabe. Erin Clare Brown has worked for the Wall Street Journal and New York Times. although her stint with the Times lasted only seven months. Whatever. (See here for a piece on Nordic Mormons she wrote for the WSJ three years ago). Her Linked-In account mentions she is a former Mormon missionary to the Russia, which explains her insight into these folks.
The piece starts with an anecdote by Michaelann Bradley, a young woman who was having a crisis of faith and had drifted from her Latter-day Saint roots.
In 2013, Bradley met her future husband, Don, at an academic scripture study group. He was a thoughtful historian 18 years her senior whose own faith in the LDS Church had been shaken years before. Many of their early dates were to “Mormon-adjacent gatherings,” Bradley said, so she hardly batted an eye when Don invited her to a meeting of the Mormon Transhumanist Association. He billed it as a group of thoughtful folks tackling slightly different ideas about Mormonism. “I thought he meant ‘transcendentalist,’” Bradley told me. “I came prepared to talk about Thoreau.”
The meeting was as far from Walden as the moon or a terraformed Mars. Held in a local tech entrepreneur’s basement, it was a philosophical free-for-all of ideas that were closer to science fiction than scripture. The 10 other attendees — all male, all white, all in their 20s and 30s, and mostly with backgrounds in computer science or the tech world — batted around theories that reframed deeply held Mormon beliefs, like the notion that “As man now is, God once was; as God now is, man may become,” in terms of cryonics and the singularity. They quoted futurists in the same breath as Latter-day Saint Apostles and Carl Sagan. They asked whether we could become like God through technology — could we live forever now and not just after we die?
Taking certain Mormon beliefs to their logical conclusion, I’m guessing.
Tagged: Mormons, transhumanism, Erin Clare Brown, Medium.com
Food, International News, Refugees, Mormons, Middle East, China, Environment-Climate, Godbeat, Journalism, World Religions, India, Social Issues, Africa, Health, Ira Rifkin, Hinduism, Islam-Muslims, Latin America
A Hindu story of garlic and onions, and what it means for our "tribal" religious divisions in 2019
Onions and garlic, slowly simmered with tomatoes and olive oil.
Does that make you hungry? It leaves me salivating. Pour it -- generously, if you don't mind -- over a heaping plate of pasta and I'm your best friend.
Perhaps that’s why I found this story out of India (first sent my way by a friend, N.K.) so interesting. It's about Hindus who reject eating onions and garlic for religiously ascribed health and spiritual reasons.
Moreover, given that it’s the end of the year, I’m also inclined to offer up this story as a metaphor for the world of religion, and its concurrent global political and social machinations, as 2019 prepares to dawn.
But first, here’s a bit of the gastronomical Hindu brouhaha story, courtesy of the liberal-leaning, India-focused news site Scroll.in.
(So you understand: In the Indian numerical system, a lakh equals 100,000; Karnataka is a state in southwest India, and ISKCON is the official name for what Westerners tend to call Hare Krishnas, a modern iteration of an ancient Hindu school of religious thought. Additionally, Ayurveda is an Indian dietary and health care system rooted in early Hindu scripture.)
The Akshaya Patra Foundation, which has been providing mid-day meals to 4.43 lakh school children in Karnataka, has refused to sign a memorandum for 2018-’19 following a directive by the state government to include onions and garlic in the food prepared for the meal, based on recommendations from the State Food Commission.
This is not the first time that the foundation has refused to follow recommended nutritional guidelines in the government scheme. The NGO had earlier refused to provide eggs in the meal saying it can only provide a satvik diet – a diet based on Ayurveda and yoga literature.
The foundation, an initiative of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness or ISKCON, has a religious prerogative of “advocating a lacto-vegetarian diet, strictly avoiding meat, fish and eggs” and considers onions and garlic in food as “lower modes of nature which inhibit spiritual advancement”.
Akshaya Patra, which claims to supply mid-day meals to 1.76 million children from 14,702 schools across 12 states in India, has flouted these norms from the beginning of its contract, failing to cater to children from disadvantaged communities, almost all of whom eat eggs and are culturally accustomed to garlic and onion in food.
But why onions and garlic? What do members of this Hindus sub-group know that the cooks of so many other global cuisines don’t or don’t care about? Even Western and natural medicine practitioners say that onions and garlic are particularly good for our health.
So what’s up?
Tagged: Tribalism, Buddhists, Russia, Food prohibitions, Middle East, Mormons, ISKCON, Jains, China, Hindu diet, Akshaya Patra Foundation, Europe, Globalization, Taoists, Ayurveda
Social Issues, Scriptures, Richard Ostling, Academia, Baptists, Catholicism, Evangelicals, Godbeat, Lifestyle, Methodists, Surveys & polls, Mormons, Islam-Muslims
Have most Protestants in the United States gone soft on drinking alcohol?
What do today’s U.S. Protestants believe about the use of alcoholic beverages? Have attitudes softened?
THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER:
Yes, without question. And there’s been a bit of soul-searching about this in America’s largest Protestant denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention. Its press service reports ongoing concern especially about teen alcohol abuse has increased somewhat since recent Senate testimony about Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s Catholic prep school experience.
Further, just afterward USA Today reported a study showing from 2007 to 2017 U.S. deaths attributed to alcohol increased 35 percent, and 67 percent among women (while teen deaths declined 16 percent). These fatalities well outnumber those from opioid overdoses that have roused such public concern.
Not so long ago, total abstinence predominated among many or most Protestants, who effectively mandated this for clergy and expected the same from lay members. (Other faith groups such as Muslims and Mormons elevate abstinence into a divine commandment.)
In a 2007 survey of Southern Baptists, only 3 percent of pastors and 29 percent of lay members said they drink alcoholic beverages. This survey showed that across other U.S. Protestant denominations 25 percent of pastors and 42 percent of lay members said they drink.
A 2016 Barna Group poll showed 60 percent of adults who are active churchgoers (both Protestants and Catholics) said they drink, compared with 67 percent for the over-all U.S. population. Among evangelicals there was a nearly even split with 46 percent who drink. (Barna defines “evangelicals” by conservative beliefs, not the loose self-identification political polls use.) Only 2 percent of evangelicals admitted they sometimes over-indulge.
Otherwise, Barna found, regular churchgoers consume smaller amounts on average than others. Asked why they don’t drink, 10 percent of abstainers acknowledged it’s because they are addicts in recovery. Notably, 41 percent of the population said alcohol causes trouble for their families.
The Bible does not teach total abstinence, and says wine can be a blessing (Psalm 104:15) and helpful medicine (Proverbs 31:6 or 1 Timothy 5:23).
Tagged: wine, alcohol, Barna Group, Muslims, Mormons, Southern Baptists, USA Today, abstinence
World Religions, Social Media, Scriptures, Richard Ostling, Mormons, Journalism, Godbeat
Nix 'Mormon' talk in news! How can media handle major faith’s unreasonable plea?
The venerable Mormon Tabernacle Choir has announced that it is now named “The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square.” (Will newswriters trim that to “Tabernacle Choir”?)
Reason: President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has declared that “the importance of the name” that God “revealed for His Church,” means believers and outsiders must drop “Mormon” and use that full nine-word name. (Copyreaders will note: definite article with capital T, hyphen, lower-case d.)
Church scriptures say this name was given to founder Joseph Smith, Jr., on April 26, 1838, the same day God granted him “the keys of this kingdom.”
Nelson, a former surgeon who became Smith’s successor as prophet in January, even asserts that use of “Mormon” is "a major victory for Satan." He admits “it’s going to be a challenge to undo tradition of more than 100 years,” but change is “non-negotiable” because “the Lord wants it that way.”
The faith will lose something, because the “Mormon” people have long built up respect for their nickname through upright and neighborly living. Indeed, the church spent serious money on an image-boosting “Meet the Mormons” movie and “I’m a Mormon” ads.
The name game is a blame game that puts the media in a bind, as news executives said after Nelson’s August edict, so The Religion Guy adds some guidance to GetReligion’s prior article and this tmatt interview with an LDS journalism professor.
Obviously, The Guy gave this perennial problem considerable thought in co-authoring the book “Mormon America” with his late wife Joan.
The Associated Press Stylebook deems the long-ingrained “Mormon” label acceptable — although it originated with 19th Century antagonists — and was only gradually adopted by the believers themselves.
Since “Mormon” is no slur for 21st Century audiences, what’s going on here?
Tagged: Mormons, Joel Campbell, Brigham Young, Mormon Tabernacle, LDS, AP, Associated Press Stylebook, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Russell Nelson, Joseph Smith
Julia Duin, Mormons, Pentecostal-Charismatics
Salt Lake Tribune explores how Mormon leaders claim to hear directly from God
A few weeks ago, I was cleaning up my back yard in the Seattle suburb where I live when two Mormon missionaries walked up. Of course they wanted to talk.
I didn’t agree with their theology, nor did I want start a discussion of the Mother God and other doctrinal clashes between Trinitarian Christianity and their faith.
How could I, I wondered, engage them as human beings? It was getting on in the evening and they were clearly tired.
An idea occurred to me. I mentioned how the Pentecostal and charismatic movement is the world’s fastest-growing kind of Christianity and how it shares something in common with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Prophecy, I explained, is a current reality with both groups. The missionaries clearly perked up and we had a good talk.
Now, what would this look like in the news?
It was unusual to see Tuesday’s story in the Salt Lake Tribune about how the prophetic gift actually works. Veteran religion reporter Peggy Stack began the piece this way:
By his own account, Russell M. Nelson speaks often to God, or, rather, God speaks often to him.
Nelson, the 94-year-old president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said recently that he was awakened at 2 a.m. with a distinct impression that he should go to the Dominican Republic.
Within days, the Church News reported, the energetic nonagenarian was on a plane to that Caribbean nation.
This is an “era of unprecedented revelation,” Nelson told the missionaries gathered to hear him there Sept. 1.
Indeed, in his first nearly nine months as the Utah-based faith’s top “prophet, seer and revelator," Nelson has used the term “revelation” again and again to describe his motivation for initiatives and changes.
Few of his predecessors were so open –- or blatant –- about claiming that God personally revealed truths to them as Nelson has been ever since he took over headship of the church in January.
Tagged: Mormons, Salt Lake Tribune, Peggy Fletcher Stack, Russell Nelson, prophecy, LDS history
World Religions, Terry Mattingly, Social Media, Scriptures, Mormons, Music, Godbeat
Editors: Try to imagine using 'Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' in all those headlines
Any journalist who has ever worked on a newspaper copy desk knows the following to be true, when it comes to religion news.
It would be absolutely impossible to write headlines about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- especially dramatic, one-column headlines in big type -- without using the word "Mormon" or the abbreviation "LDS."
Well, we're about to find out if journalists are willing to develop some new "work around" to address that style issue. Here is last week's big news out of Utah, care of The Salt Lake City Tribune:
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints really, truly, absolutely wants to be known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Not the LDS Church. Not the Mormon church.
It made that clear Thursday -- even though the last attempt to eradicate those nicknames for the Utah-based faith flopped. The new push came from God to President Russell M. Nelson, the church said in a news release Thursday.
“The Lord has impressed upon my mind the importance of the name he has revealed for his church,” Nelson is quoted as saying, “even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
Attention members of the Associated Press Stylebook committee: Here is that new release from on high. You need to see this, before we get to an interesting think piece on the implications of this change, care of a thoughtful journalism professor at Brigham Young University.
The Lord has impressed upon my mind the importance of the name He has revealed for His Church, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We have work before us to bring ourselves in harmony with His will.
Tagged: Mormons, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Associated Press Stylebook, Deseret News, Joel Campbell, Horace Greeley, Brigham Young
Julia Duin, Mormons, Sex, Women, Godbeat, Catholicism
And yet another #ChurchToo scandal, this time from the Mormons
In a week that’s been a continuous wave of #ChurchToo revelations –- including a massive investigation of Bill Hybels of Willow Creek Community Church and yesterday’s news about Southern Baptist Convention President Frank Page –- I wanted to draw your attention to a related debate and quasi-scandal occurring in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Long-time Salt Lake Tribune religion reporter Peggy Stack, along with education reporter Benjamin Wood, came out with a story Monday about a church decision to allow a second adult in the room while bishops question teenagers about their sexual sins.
Say what? This is a fascinating look at Latter-day Saints’ lives that one wouldn’t know unless you were in a culture where your bishop can ask you pointed questions about whether you’ve been chaste.
It's not easy writing about sexual matters in a PG-rated fashion fit for a daily newspaper, but these reporters did a pretty good job at it. The key: The reporters have provide enough background to help outsiders, but not overstate the obvious for regular readers in Mormon country.
For more, read here:
Amid a grass-roots outcry about sexually explicit interviews with children and sexual assault allegations leveled at a former Mormon mission leader, the LDS Church’s governing First Presidency unveiled revised guidelines Monday for one-on-one meetings between members and local lay leaders while emphasizing that most abuse allegations are “true and should be taken seriously.”
In a document titled “Preventing and Responding to Abuse,” congregational leaders in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are encouraged to invite a parent or other adult to sit in an adjoining room when meeting with women and children.
The Deseret News also had a piece on the document here.
Those of you who’ve been following the various accusations leveled at evangelical Protestant ministers in recent weeks may have missed a bombshell that broke last week in Utah.
Tagged: Salt Lake Tribune, Peggy Fletcher Stack, bishop interviews, Mormons, Latter-day Saints, The Deseret News, church sexual abuse, confession
Church & State, Cults, Fundamentalism, Julia Duin, Marriage & Family
Gaps abound in articles on new female mayor in polygamous Mormon town
The story of how a polygamous sect rules the sister towns of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz., has fascinated journalists and law enforcement for years.
I’ve previously written about the sect for GetReligion here. The latest news has been how an influx of new residents into the area is slowly loosening the FLDS’ grip.
One’s worst enemies are always from within, as the Associated Press told us last week. It turns out that Hildale’s new mayor, who is stirring up things, knows the ins and outs of the sect only too well.
The new mayor of a mostly polygamous town on the Utah-Arizona border is finishing off a complete overhaul of municipal staff and boards after mass resignations when she took office in January to become the first woman and first non-member of the polygamous sect to hold the seat.
Six of the seven Hildale, Utah, town workers quit after Mayor Donia Jessop was elected and took charge of the local government run by the sect for more than a century. They were joined by nine members of various town boards, including utility board chairman Jacob N. Jessop. All were members of the sect, the mayor said.
Jacob Jessop said his religious beliefs prevented him from working for a woman and with people who are not sect members, according to resignation letters obtained Thursday by The Associated Press through a public records request. The mayor’s husband is distantly related to Jessop in the town of about 3,000 people where many have that last name.
Most are members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, an offshoot of Mormonism that continues polygamy more than a century after mainstream Mormons ceased doing so.
What’s really interesting is the nature of the new mayor herself:
Tagged: FLDS, Hildale, Mormons, polygamists, The Associated Press, Newsweek, Donia Jessop, The Salt Lake Tribune, Warren Jeffs
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Hadrian's Wall: Life on the Roman...
0:11Skip to 0 minutes and 11 secondsThe inscriptions from Coventina's Well are particularly interesting, because they give us such an interesting insight into the people who are dedicating to the goddess. The main stele there, which shows Coventina lying on a river bank, has lovely lettering, very carefully done lettering. And the man who is dedicating there is a prefect of the first cohort of Batavians. He is clearly a Roman citizen. He has three parts to his name. But the other altars are very different. We have here, for example, a small altar set up by Mausaeus a junior officer of the first cohort of Frixiavones. And we know that came from Coventina's Well because you can see the green staining from the coins.
0:54Skip to 0 minutes and 54 secondsYou then have a man who is from the first cohort of Cubernians, which is this one here, Aurelius Campester. That gives us two units which are different to the Batavians, who are the main unit at Carrawburgh. Over here, though, we have an altar to the goddess nymph Coventina set up by Maduhus, a German, for himself and his family. Now, this is a particularly interesting thing to say, because mostly if you came from the German provinces, you would say that you came from a particular tribe. But here, he is saying he is a German. And we have another one tucked behind the big altar here, which is Aurelius Crotus also says he is a German.
1:42Skip to 1 minute and 42 secondsSo it may be that they were serving in a unit of Batavians, but their tribal identity was from another tribe altogether. But the fact that Maduhus is setting up the altar for himself and his family may suggest that he is moving as a family unit as well as a soldier. These small altars-- and some of them are very small indeed-- do give us an insight into the personal religion of individual people. In addition to the stonework that was found in the well, there were also some small offerings which were thrown in by the worshippers to give the goddess a present.
2:20Skip to 2 minutes and 20 secondsThis includes little brooches like this little one here, which shows a running deer, which is enamelled and very pretty, and there's some glass beads, that sort of thing. There are also some artefacts which suggest that the rituals didn't just involve throwing material into the well, but involved burning incense, such as the thuribles here, which are made of clay. And quite a number of broken vessels, most of which seem to be drinking vessels, so it may be that there was a ritual feast involved. As well as the artefacts that you might imagine are offerings, there are also some objects which may just be pure rubbish, which may include the glass bottle.
2:59Skip to 2 minutes and 59 secondsThough it is also possible that the glass bottle contains some interesting liquids-- wine, oil, or perfumes-- that were given to the goddess. But there are also two very puzzling objects in the well. One is a Bronze Age axe hammer, and the other is half a skull. Now one of things that the Romans were very keen on is that human sacrifice was not legal. And therefore it is highly unlikely that the skull was actually thrown into the well as part of a human sacrificial event.
3:31Skip to 3 minutes and 31 secondsIt is possible that this actually was found, like the Bronze Age axe hammer, was found somewhere in the region, and because it was human, they may have felt that the safe, sensible place to put it would be in a religious context such as the well. Certainly, the bottom jaw and teeth were not found with the skull, just the top part of the cranium.
Case study: Coventina's Well
Much has rightly been made of the cult buildings unearthed just outside the western wall of Carrawburgh fort. We will tackle the most famous of these, the mithraeum, later this week.
But in 1876, long before the mithraeum was discovered, another very different cult building emerged. It consisted of a well 2.45 m (8 ft) square and at least 2.13 m (7 ft deep) surrounded by an enclosure approximately 12.20 m(40 ft) square. Investigation at the time by John Clayton revealed that the structure contained altars, many coins (13,487 were recorded, but more were found), incense burners and some very peculiar pieces, including part of a human cranium and a Neolithic axe, made several thousand years before the Romans arrived in Britain. The range of material and the place where it was found suggests that most, perhaps all, of these objects were ritual offerings deposited during the Roman period.
The finds remind us that study of ritual and religion on the Wall is not restricted to buildings, sculptures and inscriptions, but that other material has an important role to play. Many of these items are now on display in the Clayton Collection at Chesters Fort Museum. In this video, Lindsay Allason-Jones OBE discusses several key pieces.
© Newcastle University
Hadrian's Wall: Life on the Roman Frontier
1.18video
Facing the enemy: why bother with a ditch?
Reading and recording cult objects using laser scanning
The University of Newcastle Australia
Fairy Tales: Meanings, Messages, and Morals
Build your skills in literary analysis and creative writing by exploring the meaning of fairy tales.
University of Roehampton
Go back in time to learn about the dramatic rule of the Tudor monarchs and religious change of the sixteenth century reformation.
The British Film Institute (BFI)
The Living Picture Craze: An Introduction to Victorian Film
Film takes a starring role in this course exploring the emergence of a new medium that was set to capture the world's imagination
Browse more in History
Archaeology · Roman History
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Family leans on each other after losing home in fire
From left, Nathis Touchet, Alyssa Rhodes-Touchet, 12, Tristan Chance Rhodes, 16, and Jessica Rhodes-Touchet stand together at the remains of their Lula home. - photo by Jennifer Jacob Brown
After a long series of tragedies and accidents, Jessica Rhodes-Touchet said she doesn’t know which way to turn, but she does know whom she can lean on.
Thursday night, Rhodes-Touchet’s Lula home was lost in a fire. Sunday, she stood next to what little remained of the home — mostly shaky beams and warm, pungent ash — and gestured toward her family. “Those guys, they’re what keeps me going,” she said.
The fire, which caused no injuries but destroyed the home and everything inside, was just the latest bad news for Rhodes-Touchet, her husband Nathis Touchet, and her children Alyssa Rhodes-Touchet, 12, and Tristan Chance Rhodes, 16.
Rhodes-Touchet lost her grandfather and adoptive father, LeRoy Maness, less than a month ago to an infection, and the family depleted its savings to cover the funeral costs.
They had been living with Jessica Rhodes-Touchet’s grandmother and adoptive mother, Berdelle Maness, to serve as caretakers while Maness fights cancer, but they still kept most of their possessions at their nearby mobile home, which they visited daily.
Rhodes-Touchet, who was disabled after a 1998 car wreck and later survived a ruptured stomach, said she is unable to work and her husband lost his job after taking time off to deal with the loss of their home.
“I keep thinking I’ll pull up (in the driveway) and our house will still be here,” she said. “I know everybody says God won’t give you more than you can stand. I should be able to lift a Buick by now.”
Along with all their furnishings, their electronics and most of their clothing and school supplies, the family lost many mementos of LeRoy Maness, who was an Air Force veteran.
LeRoy Maness carved furniture by hand, and the fire took several of those pieces, including Rhodes-Touchet’s childhood cradle.
They also lost temple rubbings that LeRoy Maness had brought home from an Air Force assignment in Okinawa, their collection of autographed memorabilia, years worth of photo albums and a record collection that had belonged to another late family member.
“She had every Beatles album on vinyl,” Rhodes-Touchet said. “All of the Jethro Tull. Some of (the other records) were autographed.”
They even lost the concert tickets that had been hidden in the house to surprise the kids with later.
“We’re thankful that we weren’t here and that our (pets) were with us,” Rhodes-Touchet said, “but everything, our beds were here. Everything since (the kids) were born was here.”
The house itself was another memory of LeRoy Maness, who had helped Rhodes-Touchet purchase it when she was just 17. She had just finished paying it off.
“It was finally mine,” she said. “I still don’t even know what state of grief I’m in losing my grandfather.”
Even with everything that’s happened, Rhodes-Touchet still finds time to think of others, and said she worried about the safety of the firefighters throughout the blaze.
“All I could see was our house in flames,” she said. “Thank God none of them were hurt.”
She was also eager to express her thanks to the people who have helped them, especially Tristan’s football coach at East Hall High School, Bryan Gray.
“If it wasn’t for Coach Gray who sat and prayed with us and offered us advice,” she said. “Through so many trials and tribulations, he’s been there with us.”
Tristan plays football and wrestles for East Hall, while Alyssa is an award-winning cheerleader at East Hall Middle School. Their awards and trophies were among the items lost in the fire.
Rhodes-Touchet said Tristan offered to give up his extracurricular activities and get a job to help support the family, but she told him not to.
“It just wouldn’t be right,” she said.
The cause of the fire is still a mystery.
Rhodes-Touchet said it began with an explosion, and the home was a total loss within three minutes. What’s left resembles the remains of a bomb site.
“Our neighbors said it shook their house,” she said. “They said they could feel heat on their windows.”
Rhodes-Touchet said the power had been temporarily cut off at the house, and that it was not hooked up to gas or any other power sources, save for a wood-burning fireplace.
There was a thunderstorm in the area Thursday evening, but Rhodes-Touchet points to what’s left of the home — a charred front wall with an empty doorway, a floor covered in black ash, a ceramic vase resting on a pile of ruined clothes — and says, “Can you imagine lightning doing that?”
Only one artifact is still in one piece — a framed illustration of a ghost, bought at a yard sale 25 years ago by an aunt.
“It’s funny,” she said. “That’s the only thing.”
Sunday, Rhodes-Touchet looked at the pages, burned around the edges, of the family Bible scattered around the ruins of her home.
“They’re scattered, but they’re not completely ruined,” she said. “I guess that’s a message that in the heart of the matter, there’s still hope.”
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Alex Cunningham MP
Cash pulled for Billingham school bike sheds
PUPILS at a Billingham primary school have been left disappointed after the Government said their school would not be getting the cash for much-needed bicycle sheds.
Oakdene Primary School had been hoping to get £10,000 for bike and scooter storage through the School Travel Plan fund, set up to discourage the use of cars on the school run.
But the Government has now decided to scrap the fund saying it has made little difference to car use.
Disappointed headteacher Liz Bramley said: “We were eligible for £10,000, we did lots of consultation and it was at least nine months’ worth of work.
“But as a result of the change in Government that funding has been pulled.
“We had spent a lot of time on it and had built up trust with pupils and they had a voice in what they wanted. They wanted storage for bikes and scooters and every Year 5 and 6 pupil took part in cycle training.
“The school is a Climate Change school and a Food for Life school, promoting healthier lifestyles. It’s a massive disappointment after all the hard work.
“The biggest thing for me is that children have worked so hard on this project.
“All the other schools have had funding but ours hasn’t because it was the last.”
A spokeswoman for the Department for Education said: “There has been only a small shift away from car use on the home to school run. Based on this evidence and the fact that over £108m had already been paid out across the country, a decision was made in the best interests of all taxpayers.”
Alex Cunningham, Labour MP for Stockton North, said: “Staff and pupils at Oakdene School had all engaged with this project and were excited about being able to bike to school without having to worry about where to store their bikes and scooters.
“To pull the funding when so much time and energy had gone into this project is a real shame.
“We should be encouraging young people to travel in a sustainable way that also helps to keep them fit and active. Staff and pupils at Oakdene Primary School recognise that. It’s just a shame the Government doesn’t.”
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International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning
The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning (www.irrodl.org) is a refereed, open access e-journal that disseminates original research, theory, and best practice in open and distributed learning worldwide.
This journal was formerly named the "International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning", the name change from "distance" to "distributed" to emphasise the new focus on openness and particularly on open educational resources (OER).
The Globethics.net library contains articles of the International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning as of vol. 1(2000) to current.
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International. The copyright of all content published in IRRODL is retained by the authors.
Website of the International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning
Join to receive e-alerts for new Articles of International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning
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Mid Century Modern Designer in Scotts Valley, CA
Looking for a Mid Century Modern Designer in Scotts Valley?
We make you re-live Nostalgia in a modern context!
About Mid-century modern
Mid-century modern (MCM) is the design movement in interior, product, graphic design, architecture, and urban development from roughly 1933 to 1965. The term, employed as a style descriptor as early as the mid-1950s, was reaffirmed in 1983 by Cara Greenberg in the title of her book, Mid-Century Modern: Furniture of the 1950s (Random House), celebrating the style that is now recognized by scholars and museums worldwide as a significant design movement.
The Mid-Century modern movement in the U.S. was an American reflection of the International and Bauhaus movements, including the works of Gropius, Florence Knoll, Le Corbusier and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.[1] Although the American component was slightly more organic in form and less formal than the International Style, it is more firmly related to it than any other. Brazilian and Scandinavian architects were very influential at this time, with a style characterized by clean simplicity and integration with nature. Like many of Wright’s designs, Mid-Century architecture was frequently employed in residential structures with the goal of bringing modernism into America’s post-war suburbs. This style emphasized creating structures with ample windows and open floor plans, with the intention of opening up interior spaces and bringing the outdoors in. Many Mid-century houses utilized then-groundbreaking post and beam architectural design that eliminated bulky support walls in favor of walls seemingly made of glass. Function was as important as form in Mid-Century designs, with an emphasis placed on targeting the needs of the average American family.
About Scotts Valley, California
Scotts Valley is a small city in Santa Cruz County, California, United States, about thirty miles (48 km) south of downtown San Jose and six miles (10 km) north of the city of Santa Cruz, in the upland slope of the Santa Cruz Mountains. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 11,580. Principal access to the city is supplied by State Route 17 that connects San Jose and Santa Cruz. The city was incorporated in 1966. Scotts Valley is named for John Scott, who discovered gold at Scott’s Bar.[4]
Approximately ten thousand years ago there was a lake in the lowest elevation of Scotts Valley, and Paleo Indians lived near its shores.[5] The lake receded to form a peat bog. Later, around 2000 BC, Ohlone people occupied areas along the remaining creeks, spring and seep areas, along with permanent and seasonal drainages, and on flat ridges and terraces.[6] Therefore, areas along watercourses are considered likely locations for prehistoric cultural resources. Several watercourses, including portions of Carbonera Creek, Bean Creek, MacKenzie Creek and the San Lorenzo River, are within the city. Permanent villages were usually placed on elevations above seasonal flood levels. Surrounding areas were used for hunting and seed, acorn, and grass gathering.
Scotts Valley to Go2 Design Studio
Mid Century Modern Design
Scotts Valley, CA
Mid Century Modern Design in Scotts Valley, CA
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IfA graduate receives prestigious award for work on extrasolar planets
UH News » People » IfA graduate receives prestigious…
Benjamin J. “BJ” Fulton
A 2017 University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Institute for Astronomy (IfA) doctoral graduate has been awarded the Robert J. Trumpler Award from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. The distinction recognizes a recent PhD thesis considered unusually important to astronomy. Benjamin J. “BJ” Fulton is the fourth IfA graduate to receive the award in the past six years.
Fulton’s landmark doctoral dissertation focused on the discovery and categorization of extrasolar planets, particularly smaller planets between the sizes of Earth and Neptune. Fulton analyzed data from the W.M. Keck Observatory for more than 1,300 planets that were initially discovered by NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope. The primary result of Fulton’s thesis, under the advisement of Professor Andrew Howard, is the discovery that the size distribution of extrasolar planets has a gap separating two types: super-Earths with sizes smaller than about one-and-a-half Earth diameters, and sub-Neptunes with sizes two-to three-Earth diameters.
The interpretation of this gap is that it represents the separation of rocky planets from low-mass planets with gas atmospheres, and its discovery has already sparked numerous theoretical and observational studies. Fulton’s paper announcing this gap garnered immediate attention. A measure of how important this effect is on the field is that it has been given a name, the Fulton Gap.
One nominator stated the Fulton Gap “will undoubtedly be in undergraduate and graduate textbooks. It demonstrates a natural division among planets, on par with the division between rocky planets, ice giants and gas giants in our Solar System.”
Fulton is currently a staff scientist at the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute, based at the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, a science and data center for astronomy at Caltech. He serves as the deputy project scientist for the NASA-National Science Foundation Exoplanet Observational Research program, which funds and operates the NEID spectrograph, an instrument with the ability to discover Earth-like planets orbiting the nearest stars.
This award continues a remarkable streak for graduates of IfA’s PhD program who have won four awards in the past six years. The previous recipients were H. Jabran Zahid in 2015, who is now a Clay Postdoctoral Fellow at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics; Brendan P. Bowler in 2014, who is now an assistant professor in the Department of Astronomy at the University of Texas at Austin; and Emily Levesque in 2012, an assistant professor in the University of Washington’s astronomy department.
Exoplanet family tree gains a new branch
Planets with the highest likelihood of harboring…
Earth-like planets among 100+ identified by UH,…
alumni recognitionastronomyawardInstitute for AstronomyUH Manoa
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Pearl Jam Set to Make Announcement Monday, July 8, Following Online Countdown
By Guitar World Staff 2013-07-03T15:14:31Z News
Who doesn't love a good Facebook countdown?
Led Zeppelin used it to great effect last year when they counted down to a long-awaited announcement regarding the release of Celebration Day, a live album/DVD recorded five years earlier.
Now Pearl Jam is up to something over at their Facebook page and official website. They've launched a countdown that will end Monday, July 8.
It's logical to assume the countdown pertains to the band's upcoming studio album, but who knows? However, the band revealed in May that the disc is "almost done," and that it "might resemble U2" and have a "Pink Floyd vibe," as guitarist Mike McCready said in April. He added that the album would be "way better than Backspacer," the band's latest studio release.
What do you do think they're counting down to? Tell us in the comments below!
PRS Introduces New Classic Series Instrument and Speaker Cables
Joe Satriani: “Even Steve Vai Told Me I Shouldn’t Have Written This Solo”
Prime Day 2019: Save A Massive 30% On 106 D'Angelico Electric And Acoustic Guitars
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Born to Use Mics
Reading Nas's Illmatic
Edited by Michael Eric Dyson
Edited by Sohail Daulatzai
At the age of nineteen, Nasir Nas” Jones began recording tracks for his debut albumand changed the music world forever. Released in 1994, Illmatic was hailed as an instant masterpiece and has proven one of the most influential albums in hip-hop history. With its close attention to beats and lyricism, and riveting first-person explorations of the isolation and desolation of urban poverty, Illmatic was pivotal in the evolution of the genre.
In Born to Use Mics, Michael Eric Dyson and Sohail Daulatzai have brought together renowned writers and critics including Mark Anthony Neal, Marc Lamont Hill, Eddie S. Glaude, Jr., and many others to confront Illmatic song by song, with each scholar assessing an individual track from the album. The result is a brilliant engagement with and commentary upon one of the most incisive sets of songs ever laid down on wax.
Genre: Nonfiction / Social Science / Ethnic Studies / African American Studies
On Sale: December 29th 2009
Civitas Books Logo
You Might Also Like . . .
Black History Month Reads
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Mark Wahlberg - Biography
When Marky Mark changed his name back to Mark Wahlberg and swapped the music world for the big screen, many scoffed at the idea of a washed up rapper thinking he could act. But he had the last laugh.
Horoscope : Gemini
The American star proved doubters wrong from the start, eventually ending up as an Oscar-nominated star and world-class producer – while still in his 30s.
Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg was born on June 5, 1971 in the working class Boston district of Dorchester. He was the youngest of nine children to Alma Elaine - a bank clerk and nurse's assistant - and Donald Edward Wahlberg, a Teamster (a US trade union member) who worked as a delivery driver.
The actor's parents divorced when he was 11, and the young Mark went off the rails. By age 14 he had dropped out of school and had problems with drug addictions and was regularly in trouble with the police.
At 16, the troubled youth was convicted of assaulting two Vietnamese men he was trying to steal beer from. He spent 45 days in jail for the offence, and says that experience changed his life.
"I was there, locked up with the kind of guys I'd always wanted to be like," he remembers of the time. "I realised it wasn't what I wanted at all. I'd ended up in the worst place I could possibly imagine and I never wanted to go back. First of all I had to learn to stay on the straight and narrow."
With the support of his parish priest, Mark – who is a devout Catholic - turned his back on crime, severing his links with his street gang.
Also helping him find a new direction in his life was his brother Donnie – who was then famous as a member of boyband New Kids on the Block. Mark had been one of the original members aged 13, but quit over his reservations about the group's squeaky-clean image.
Donnie thought his brother's look, background and attitude gave him the right credentials to be a rap artist. So he set up meetings with record company execs, and soon Mark began recording under the name Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch.
His debut album, Music for the People was a smash hit that eventually went platinum. Teenage girls couldn't get enough of Mark, who had a buff new physique after getting into working out in jail.
And his willingness to strip down to his boxer shorts while on stage didn't hurt either - something that soon landed him the job of Calvin Klein's chief underwear model.
At the start of the Nineties the media was full of stories concerning the rapper's bad boy antics – including a fight with Madonna and her entourage.
And the musician fell out of favour with the public when news of his earlier arrest for assault surfaced. There were also accusations of a racist motive, something Mark denies.
His second album – which hadn't been doing so well anyway – bombed out of the charts. Attempting to salvage his career, his recording company tried to push him down a more commercial route, but his heart wasn't in it. Mark decided to wait out his contract – which meant six long years before he could take his business elsewhere.
It was at this point the star decided to try his hand at acting, after director Penny Marshall persuaded him he could really be good at it. At the time, he remembers: "It was the last thing I wanted to do." But with nothing else on his plate, he thought he would give it a go.
After spending 20 weeks filming Renaissance Man - in which he delivered a convincing performance as a tough-talking soldier from a trailer park – Mark caught the acting bug. "I truly felt like I'd found my calling, " he remembers.
He put his heart and soul into his new profession, churning out one great role after another. He played Leonardo DiCaprio's best friend in The Basketball Diaries and scared audiences with his portrayal of a psychotic boyfriend in Fear.
But the part that made the critics really sit up and take notice was when he played the protagonist of Boogie Nights - a look at the Seventies porn scene. His metamorphosis from reclusive youngster Eddie Adams into ego-driven porn star Dirk Diggler showed off his range of abilities brilliantly.
After that he was firmly in demand – starring with big name stars like George Clooney – with whom he appeared in Three Kings and A Perfect Storm - and Dustin Hoffman, Jude Law and Naomi Watts – who made up the ensemble cast of 2004 flick I heart Huckabees.
There were a few box office misses on the way, but award recognition came calling when he teamed up with Leonardo again on Martin Scorsese film The Departed in 2006.
It earned him a Golden globe nod and an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. But more than that – it allowed him to form a bond to the critically acclaimed director which would see them working together on Boardwalk Empire. He didn't appear in it, but instead Mark produced the highly praised gangster series.
It hit screens in the US in 2010, but before that he already made a name for himself as a successful producer with Entourage, How to make it in America and In Treatment.
That's not to say Mark has turned his back on acting. In 2010 he filmed his first comedy - The Good Guys, opposite Will Ferrell and won widespread acclaim - and another Golden Globe nod - for his portrayal of boxer "Irish" Mickey Ward. The actor trained for four years to get the muscular physique for the film, often getting up at 4.30am to fit in training around other film roles.
Early on in his career Mark dated Reese Witherspoon and China Chow – his co-star from The Big Hit. But ultimately there was only one woman for him – model Rhea Durham.
The couple got married in August 2009 after dating for eight years, and are parents to four children. Ella Rae was born on September 2, 2003, and Michael Robert arrived three years later on March 21. Two more years went by before they added to their family again with Brendan Joseph, born September 16, 2008. And Grace Margaret made her appearance on January 11, 2010. Mark is Horoscope Geminis
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> Royalty
Princess Beatrice and boyfriend Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi pictured with Sarah Ferguson for the first time
Taking their relationship to the next level!
April 01, 2019 - 07:23 BST Sharnaz Shahid Princess Beatrice took her property developer boyfriend Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi to join her mum Sarah Ferguson at the Grand Prix in Bahrain...
Princess Beatrice looked every inch the doting girlfriend as she took her boyfriend Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi to the Grand Prix in Bahrain this weekend. Surprisingly, the couple - who recently went public with their romance - were joined by the royal's mother, Sarah Ferguson. They were no doubt later accompanied by Prince Andrew, who is on an official trip to Bahrain. This trip is a clear sign that things are going from strength to strength for Beatrice and Edoardo.
Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi with Sarah Ferguson in Bahrain
Earlier this month, the couple made a glamorous arrival at the Portrait Gala. Although they have been pictured together on a number of occasions, this was their first official public appearance. It is thought that they have been dating since September 2018 but it wasn't until November that the royal reportedly introduced her boyfriend to her friends at an exclusive party. The happy pair were first snapped at the same event in December, at the Berggruen Prize Gala in New York - and while they weren't pictured together, they were seen chatting to fellow attendees including Beatrice's good friend Karlie Kloss.
MORE: Who are Prince Harry's closest friends?
When the romance first came to light last year, it was reported that Beatrice had already introduced her partner to her parents, Prince Andrew and Sarah. "They've been on holiday together and Beatrice introduced him to Fergie and her dad," a friend told The Sun. "Things are moving very quickly and it wouldn’t surprise anyone if they got engaged within a short period of time." This is believed to be the royal's first relationship since her split from her partner of ten years, Dave Clark, in 2016. Edoardo, who is the stepson of ex-Prime Minister David Cameron's late friend, Christopher Shale, is a father to a young son from a previous relationship.
READ: The royal family's most romantic gestures
Make sure you never miss a ROYAL story! Sign up to our newsletter to get all of our celebrity, royal and lifestyle news delivered directly to your inbox.
More about princess beatrice
Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice in hysterics over this old royal photo – see it here
Is this Princess Beatrice's most stunning date night outfit, EVER?
Princess Beatrice pays tribute to boyfriend Edoardo with stunning £2k bracelet
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The Court of Appeal found that a ladder had a safety defect, which caused the appellant to fall, such that the manufacturer was liable for damages under section 138 of the Australian Consumer Law.
Freida Stylianou
There has been a further Supreme Court decision regarding the legislative anomaly which has created great uncertainty over the power of the District Court to determine “Commercial” matters.
Dr.Tim Channon
On 6 April 2014, Mr Bridge slipped and fell in a below ground carpark at Coles’ Coffs Harbour store.
The recent decision by the Court of Appeal in Argo Managing Agency Ltd v Al Kammessy [2018] NSWCA 176 serves as a reminder that the duty of care owed by a contract cleaner in a shopping centre is not an expectation of “perfection”.
Emma Loong
On 26 June 2018, the Insurance Council of Australia (“ICA”) released its Review of the General Insurance Code of Practice final report (“the Final Report”).
Susannah Fricke
The Queensland District Court recently considered the effect of a ‘flood exclusion clause’ arising out of the 2011 Brisbane floods.
Child Sexual Abuse: all states now on board for National Redress Scheme due to start on 1 July 2018
In June 2018, the Commonwealth Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse Bill 2017 (“the Bill”) was passed, establishing the National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse (“the Scheme”).
When is that which occurred not an “Occurrence”?
In the recent case of Weir Services Australia Pty Ltd v AXA Corporate Solutions Assurance [2018] NSWCA 100, the NSW Court of Appeal looked at the meaning of “Occurrence” in a policy wording in the context of the distinction between the damage that occurred and what caused that damage to occur.
Claims directly against third party insurers – the application of the “leave” requirement tested
The Courts continue to be presented with opportunities to consider and apply the relatively new and importantCivil Liability (Third Party Claims Against Insurers) Act 2017 (NSW).
Beware the Unfair – lessons to be learnt from JJ Richards?
The protections afforded to consumers under the “unfair contract terms” regime by the Australian Consumer Law and the ASIC Act 2001 has been extended to cover small businesses for over a year now.
Offers of Compromise – take your medicine early
Malek Fahd Islamic School Limited v The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils Inc (No 2) [2018] NSWSC 361 is a recent reminder of the importance of offers of compromise and the consequences of ignoring them.
Todd Porman
Gold and Good faith – County Court rejects an insurer’s denial of claim on the basis of fraud
The County Court of Victoria recently considered a case involving a range of insurance issues, including what is required to substantiate a claim, the duty of utmost good faith, fraud and the application of s54 of the Insurance Contracts Act 1984 (Cth) (“ICA”).
Ensuring Competition for Consumers; a Burden for Insurers?
The Productivity Commission released its draft “Competition in the Australian Financial System” report on 7 February 2018, with the driving message being that financial service providers, including general insurers, ought to be engaging in more competitive behaviour.
The final report into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse was tabled by the Royal Commission on 15 December 2017
After five years, 1,300 witness accounts, 57 public hearings and more than 8,000 personal stories from survivors the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse officially concluded on 14 December 2017.
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Home » Articles » A breath of fresh air Over 46142 entries
A breath of fresh air
Wendy Thomas of Nuaire discusses the importance of filtering the air in existing homes, particularly when the occupants are some of society’s most vulnerable
The Chief Medical Officer’s 2017 report, released in 2018, focused on air pollution as a major threat to public health and called for tougher standards to combat wide ranging health challenges. Clearly prevention is better than cure, so the long-term goal has to be to reduce air pollution, but in the meantime what should and could we be doing to protect those most at risk?
Air pollution: cause for concern?
Air pollution now regularly makes headline news, with 44 UK cities identified by a recent World Health Organisation (WHO) report as having air too toxic to breathe safely. While the focus remains on particulate matter, notably PM₁₀ and PM₂.₅, the presence of large quantities of NOx, the collective name for Oxides of Nitrogen (with NO and NO² having the most effect on the environment and human health) is also a danger. The main culprit for NOx emissions is motor vehicles, in particular diesel engines. The WHO annual mean target for NO² is 40 micrograms per cubic metre but in 2015 only six of the 43 UK air quality assessment zones met the annual mean limit value for NO².
What can be done to protect the most vulnerable?
Children and vulnerable groups, such as the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions, are at a disproportionately high risk of respiratory problems. Certainly, it can have a significant impact on people with asthma causing more frequent and more intense attacks. Reducing levels of particulate matter and NOx are essential in our cities and steps are being taken, but it’s a slow business as it requires major changes such as building schools away from main roads and phasing out diesel cars. But it can be done! German cities now have the right to ban diesel cars from their cities (70 German cities exceeded EU limits for NO² in 2017). What’s more it MUST be done as the population living in UK cities is set to rise to 92.2 per cent by 2030 (from 79 per cent in 1950). In the meantime, we need to take measures to protect those most at risk and not just those who can afford it. It’s a well-quoted figure, but worth restating here: every £1 spent on improving homes saves the NHS £70 over 10 years. Investing in our housing stock, especially our social housing where some of our most deprived live, is essential for our wellbeing.
Filtering out pollutants
Carbon filtration remains one of the best options we have for removing pollutants from our homes. Pollutant gases like NOx are attracted to the surface of activated carbon, where they are trapped through a process called adsorption. By installing carbon filters within the duct of a mechanical ventilation system, it is possible to control and dramatically reduce the level of pollutants entering a dwelling. Incorporating a carbon filter into a standard MVHR (Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery) supply air valve that is part of a ducted ventilation system is an effective way to do this as long as access to the filter is quick and simple. Nuaire’s IAQ-VALVE, for example, has a simple ‘twist-and-clip’ bayonet fixture which enables quick release for easy maintenance that can be carried out every two years, without the need for tools. Most MVHR systems however, are designed for new build properties, as they require extensive ducting in voids and through ceilings and walls. So, while there is an effective solution for the 170,000 new homes built each year, the remaining 27 million existing homes in the UK have had no alternative carbon filter product for the retrofit market. Retrofit options are few and far between, but that is beginning to change as manufacturers react to demand.
The industry has turned to Positive Input Ventilation (PIV) incorporating a carbon filter.
PIV units, traditionally used as a cost-effective method of eliminating moisture from the home, gently pressurise a dwelling to expel stale and humid air through natural ventilation points; these are very common in older properties as most of you probably know! PIV units can be mounted in the loft area of a house. By adding a powerful carbon filter into a PIV unit, existing properties can benefit not only from reduced concentration but reduced pollution also. In the case of our own Noxmaster system, it removes up to 99.5 per cent of NO² and up to 75 per cent of PM2.5. While most existing properties can benefit from this combined PIV and carbon filtration system, it’s social housing providers that can use it to make the most immediate difference to the most deprived and vulnerable members of our society. Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) are, after all, the leading suppliers of affordable homes and providers of a wide range of vital welfare services to the most vulnerable in our communities. It’s time for action when it comes to air pollution and we have to look at both the long and short-term solutions. Reducing air pollution is the goal but can we really afford to wait that long? In the meantime, some of the most vulnerable members of our society living in high pollution areas are slowly being poisoned in their homes without even knowing it.
Wendy Thomas is residential product manager at Nuaire
New report highlights condensation issues in UK social housing
Article submitted by 1 found
Nuaire
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Govt to push unlisted firms to go public
The government will soon come out with a roadmap to encourage unlisted companies to visit the bourses.
business Updated: Jul 09, 2012 23:16 IST
Mahua Venkatesh
The ministry of corporate affairs is working on it along with other stakeholders.
“We will soon come up with a strategy to push companies to get listed, the move will not only help firms but it also deepen the capital market and protect it from volatility,” said corporate affairs minister M Veerappa Moily.
Amid negative sentiments and uncertain global conditions, several companies have called off their plans to launch initial public offerings.
The roadmap could outline a few “incentives” for companies that go public. At present several companies, which have the scale and turnover, are not listed. A senior government official said that it is important to identify the reasons that have discouraged firms from listing.
A government official on condition of anonymity, however, said that until market conditions improve, few companies would be willing to get listed. “But we want the roadmap to be in place so that once the market conditions improve, firms that are not listed can be encouraged to launch their IPOs,” the official said.
Listing of companies would also increase transparency and level of corporate governance, while deepening the capital markets.
The official added that though the government cannot ask any firm to list, the endeavour would be to create appropriate conditions that would be attractive for firms to go public. The government would also nudge the unlisted public sector undertakings to visit the market.
Earlier, it was looking to push profitable central public sector undertakings (CPSUs) each with a net worth of over Rs. 200 crore to get listed, through initial public offerings without diluting the “public character”.
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you are here: Home Veneto Rovigo, Vicenza and Treviso Bassano del Grappa
The town's name derives from the Latin name "Bassius" with the addition of the suffix "-anus", which indicates the ownership.
Municipality in the province of Vicenza, located between the hills and the River Brenta, which passes through the foothills of the Alps of Vicenza, Bassano del Grappa is rich in historical elements and is famous for its traditional pottery. The river is overlooked by houses that feature several floors and particularly suggestive wooden balconies. The typical medieval main centre is divided into districts and its elegant Renaissance palaces are embellished with mullioned windows, arcades and loggias.
Archaeological findings attest that the area was inhabited since Pre-historic times and later, was colonized by the Romans. After the dissolution of the Empire, the town was exposed to the Barbarian invasions: events that pushed the populations of lowlands to seek shelter on the high ones and build fortifications. At these times the urban core expanded between the hills towards to the plain. The area submitted the succession of several conquerors: from the XIII century, it belonged to the Ezzelini, to the Della Scala, to the Carrara family and the Visconti. At the beginning of the XV century it became part of the territory of the Serenissima Republic of Venice and later was the scenario of memorable battles with the Austrian troops.
- the Cathedral, located within the walls of the Upper Castle, was built in the XI century. Altered, for the first time in the XV century, it has, over the centuries submitted several refurbishments. It houses a precious wooden crucifix dating from 1100 and a XV century Cross attributed to the artist Filarete;
- the Church of San Francesco, built in the XII century, was enlarged several times. It features a Romanesque style and contains several valuable artworks;
- the XIV century Church of St. John the Baptist, which was restored in the XVIII century by Giovanni Miazzi;
- the Castle, a complex rebuilt by the Ezzelini, which was seriously damaged in the late Middle Ages;
- the Town Hall, built in 1582 and adorned with a XV century loggia with traces of frescoes;
- the Bridge of the Alpini, designed by Palladio in the second half of the XVI century;
- the XIV century Praetorian Palace;
- the XVI century gateway Porta Dieda;
- the Porta del Magnan;
- Casa Remondini;
- the Museum of Ceramics;
- the Museum of the Capuchins;
- the Museum of Grappa;
- the Museum of the Alpini;
- the Civic Museum.
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you are here: Home Veneto Rovigo, Vicenza and Treviso Trecenta
The town's name has Latin roots, and derives from "triginta centum", the distance between the main center and the nearby city of Rimini. Municipality in the province of Rovigo, located on the banks of Canalbianco, Trecenta is a rural center characterized by the presence of numerous "gorghi", ponds fed by springs and rich in typical lake flora and fauna.
Originally an Etruscan settlement, the territory was conquered by the Romans in 163 B.C., who built here a military camp. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the area was invaded by barbarian tribes and became the first possession of the Estensi family, who later ceded the lands to the Vatican State, while the history of Trecenta was tied to the family Uguccione dei Contrari for a long time. At the end of the XVIII century the territories were conquered by French troops led by Napoleon and submitted their domain, until in 1866 it was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy. In 1951 the city was devastated by a disastrous flood of the Po, which led to a certain exodus.
- the Parish Church of St. George the Martyr, built in the XVII century to a design of the architect Santini. Its façade is articulated on two levels divided by a conspicuous horizontal frame. Both the lower and upper floored are handled by pilasters, niches with statues and columns, two pairs of pinnacles finish the lower part of the nave that adorn the prospectus on the upper body, on top of everything a pediment with statues. The bell tower at the rear, features an open belfry with mullioned windows and decorated with a small tympanum and is surmounted by a second cell and a bulb-shaped roof;
- the Church of San Maurelio in Sariano, within which is located the chapel of the Uguccione with frescoes of the XIV century;
- the Oratory of Our Lady of Consolation;
- the Gorghi, seven lakes formed by the disastrous floods of the past and constitute an environment rich in flora and fauna;
- Villa Trebbi, built in the second half of the XVIII century;
- Palazzo Pepoli, which dates back to medieval times;
- the Watchtower of the second half of the XIX century;
- Casa Pepoli.
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Students' message taken to Westminster by Sir Gary Streeter
Staff and students at Ivybridge Community College were delighted to learn that important issues they had raised and discussed during meetings last year with Sir Gary Streeter to gather views concerning the Green Paper based around children’s mental health provision, had been presented in a speech at Westminster.
Speaking in Westminster on Tuesday, 7 May 2019, Sir Gary Streeter, Conservative MP for South West Devon said,
"I ask the Minister to join me in thanking the students at Ivybridge Community College—Lucy, Amelia, Evie, Ela, Lilana, Izzy, Annabelle, Nell, Ella, Katy, Katie and Cameron—for being so clear and robust about these important issues. They all contributed to an excellent discussion.
Can I invite the Minister to fully take on board the comments made by those excellent pupils?
They are pupils at one of the largest and most successful state comprehensive schools in the UK, which has been outstanding for as long as I can remember.
They are intelligent and articulate young people, who demonstrated an extraordinary understanding of the issues affecting them.
They were able to talk confidently and openly about how they feel their schooling could be improved, in the presence of their teaching staff.
We should take notice of those fine young people and work as hard as possible to deliver for them."
Please click here to read the full transcript.
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Refugees adopt energy-saving stoves to save trees
April 26, 2018 | Lilian Namagembe | The Daily Monitor
Conservation. The loss of green vegetation including swamps has caused floods whenever it rains and prolonged drought in the district.
The situation is no different in Bidi Bidi refugee camp in Yumbe District, which is the largest in the world.
After years of deforestation has taken its toll on the environment, energy saving activities such as stone stoves are gaining popularity, writes Lilian Namagembe.
Ms Charity Gune, a widow, arrived at Agojo settlement camp in Uganda’s West Nile District of Adjumani in October 2016.
It was at the peak of the now five-year-old South Sudan war between President Salva Kiir and his former vice Dr Riek Machar. Ms Gune was allocated a 30 by 30 metres plot of land by government where she settled with her three children.
It was a forested land with different tree species such as shea nut, mahogany, but they were cut down to pave way for firewood and construction of houses.
Since hundreds of Gune’s countrymen started flocking to Uganda from troubled South Sudan, the world’s youngest State, there has been increased destruction of natural trees in refugee hosting communities.
As they pour in, the green canopy of different tree species and bushes pave way for settlement. Refugees had to slash the bushes and forests to get firewood to cook food supplies provided by the United Nation High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).
“When we arrived here, we were using the three stones for cooking and the fire wood could easily be blown away,” Ms Gune says, adding that that they had to fulfill their fuel needs.
Gune is not alone. She is part of the close to one million South Sudan refugees in different camps who have since fled South Sudan to Uganda to seek safety. Districts such as Adjumani, Arua, Yumbe, Moyo and other Uganda-South Sudan border districts are among the most affected areas.
According to the UNHCR report on Refugee and Host Community Ratios by District in November last year, the number of refugees in Adjumani district surpasses that of natives by 61 per cent compared to 39 per cent of the latter.
Mr Charles Giyaya, the district natural resource officer says, this has put much pressure on the natural resources of forests, lakes, rivers, and swamps as refugees in the district’s 18 settlement camps continue to use their traditional way of cultivation that involves cutting vegetation and burning bushes during the dry seasons.
“A total of 116 square kilometres of the land were allocated for refugees …and that size of area has been affected, losing 15 million trees[since 1989] because those areas where people (refugees) were settled had trees,” Mr Giyaya states.
The loss of green vegetation, including swamps, has caused floods whenever it rains and prolonged drought in the district. The dry season which used to fall from December to February now extends up to April due to changes in the eco-system, Mr Giyaya says.
The situation is no different in Bidi Bidi camp in the West Nile district of Yumbe, which is the largest refugee camp in the world with a total of 287,000 refugees according to current statistics from the Office of the Prime Minister.
Mr Steven Taban, a resident in Bidi Bidi camp says people clear trees and burn bushes for their own fire wood which sometimes also causes conflict with the host communities who share the same resources.
“…we have not yet got any organisations that have come up with seedlings,” states Taban, also a member of the refugee welfare committee in the camp’s zone two.
Given the interminable presence of the refugees in the country, conservation organisations in partnership with UNHCR have introduced energy saving stoves made out of clay soil among refugees. The refugees have also been equipped with skills of making the stoves, together with briquettes made out of dust.
Refugees who use the covered design of energy saving stoves say it provides a low rate of heat loss to reduce the amount of wood needed, save more trees from being cut, as wells as lift the burden off women and girls from collecting firewood.
A view of the camps shows wood burning stoves built afront almost every shack with barely any household using the traditional three stones for cooking.
I found 32-year-old Gune using pocket-sized pieces of firewood to prepare millet porridge and tea at the same time. She says: “When we used three stones, fire would easily be blown away by wind.”
Mr Denish Odongo, the Livelihoods and environmental coordinator Lutheran World Federation (LWF), which promotes environment conservation in one of the zones says they have so far achieved 60 per cent coverage of refugees who use energy saving stoves.
“These energy saving stoves are very efficient and use less firewood and does not need the whole tree trunk to be cut down; even the branches pruned are enough to make firewood at home. We sensitise and even train our beneficiaries, both refugees and host communities on how to construct,” Mr Odongo says.
The lower demand for firewood has helped bring down the prices of both charcoal, firewood and discourage people from cutting trees, Musa Tombe, another refugee in Mirieyi camp in Adjumani District, says.
“The cost of firewood is high… a bundle, which takes an average family for three to four days, costs Shs5,000 and people are now forced to embrace energy saving stoves,” Tombe adds.
Although five refugee camps in northern Uganda were visited for this particular story, this newspaper understands that with the help of non-government organisations, similar initiatives have been introduced in the other camps across the country as part of efforts to save more trees.
Environment degradation, however, remains one of the cracks in the country’s open refugee policy where degradation of natural resources goes unchecked.
Despite the introduction of the stoves to check deforestation in the region, other activities, especially charcoal burning, brick making and sand mining (which breaks river banks), are ongoing as refugees strive to secure a sustainable source of income and food.
But with the reduction in the firewood consumption, the residents and district authorities are optimistic that natural resources like Oliji wetland will be restored as their destruction caused floods whenever it rains, something that never happened before.
The use of energy saving stoves is also complemented with the replanting of both fruit and other tree species which are provided by local NGOs in partnership with UNHCR.
On the other hand, the host communities say they had lost valuable indigenous tree species like shea nut whose seeds are extracted to make oils and other products.
Ceasar Oyabo, a finance administrator at Romogi Subcounty in Yumbe District notes that some of their sacred trees like Mili tree which is of huge cultural significance had been destroyed in the search for firewood and timber.
Unfortunately, these have been replaced by different species like fruits given the limited land accorded to the refugees who cannot accommodate traditional tree species which occupy more space.
In other interventions, UNHCR has started marking other remaining trees within the settlement camps that are not supposed to be cut down.
Other than firewood, trees are also cut down to construct temporary shelters such as tents, prefabricated huts, or dwellings, and latrines constructed of locally available materials.
The use of energy saving stoves restores hope in a country where majority of the population use charcoal or firewood for cooking, accounting for the loss of large tracts of government forest reserves annually.
Forest conservation beyond the camps
President Museveni has on a number of occasions publicly expressed displeasure at the performance of the National Forestry Authority based on national statistics like the 2016 Joint Water and Environment Sector Review Report, which indicated that forest cover had reduced from 24 per cent in 1990 to just 11 per cent in 2015.
The report adds that between 1990 and 2005, natural forest estate outside protected areas reduced from 3.46 million hectares in 1990 to 2.3 million hectares in 2005 as people convert hitherto forested land into agricultural land, timber and charcoal burning zones.
The result is the current effects of climate change like dry spells and extreme temperatures experienced in the country as a result of the destruction of vegetation cover including forests which help to absorb industrial emissions, scientists say.
As a source of food to humans and animals, forests influence rainfall formation, provide energy, promote employment and enhance incomes, and nourish soils with nutrients that in turn support the agriculture sector.
An investigation by this newspaper in 2016 showed that much of Mabira forest in the central district of Buikwe had been encroached on by charcoal burners, farmers and others people in search for timber. Annually, Uganda loses over 200,000 hectares of forest cover and plants less than 7,000 hectares annually, an indication that the country does not have the capacity to replace the number of trees equal to those lost annually, according to findings by FAO.
The government economic interests have also compromised its will to protect natural forests as witnessed in 2016 when parts of Bugoma Central Forest Reserve in Hoima District, just like Zoka Forest Reserve in Adjumani District, were proposed to be degazetted for sugar cane growing.
This story was done in partnership with the, International Women Media Foundation (IWMF), an organisation working to elevate the status of women in the media.
Lilian Namagembe
My name is Lilian Namagembe. I was born in Kampala, the capital of Uganda. I am a journalist with the Daily Monitor, Uganda’s leading independent daily. I joined the Daily… Read More.
The Daily Monitor
War, HIV/Aids and hunger: Tales from South Sudanese
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Few rock groups of the '80s broke down as many musical barriers and were as original as the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Creating an intoxicating new musical style by combining funk and punk rock together (with an explosive stage show to boot), the Chili Peppers spawned a slew of imitators in their wake, but still managed to be the leaders of the pack by the dawn of the 21st century. The roots of the band lay in a friendship forged by three school chums, Anthony Kiedis, Michael Balzary, and Hillel Slovak, while they attended Fairfax High School in California back in the late '70s/ea... Read more
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FOR PUBLICATION
ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT: ATTORNEY FOR APPELLEES:
STEPHEN M. TERRELL WILLIAM T. HOPKINS, JR.
Landman & Beatty Barnes & Thornburg
Indianapolis, Indiana Fort Wayne, Indiana
COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA
BEVERLY M. BRAZAUSKAS, )
Appellant-Plaintiff, )
vs. ) No. 71A05-9806-CV-280
FORT WAYNE-SOUTH BEND DIOCESE, )
INC., SACRED HEART PARISH, and )
JOSE MARTELLI, )
Appellees-Defendants. )
APPEAL FROM THE ST. JOSEPH COUNTY SUPERIOR COURT NO. 7
The Honorable Michael D. Cook, Judge
Cause No. 71D07-9302-CP-10017
OPINION - FOR PUBLICATION
BROOK, Judge
Appellant-plaintiff Beverly M. Brazauskas ("Brazauskas") appeals from three separate orders for summary judgment in favor of appellees-defendants Fort Wayne-South Bend Diocese, Inc. ("the diocese"), Sacred Heart Parish ("the parish"), and Jose Martelli ("Martelli") (collectively referred to as "defendants"). The trial court granted defendants' first motion for summary judgment with respect to Brazauskas' claims for breach of her employment contract with the parish; fraud; promissory estoppel; breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing; and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The trial court also granted defendants' third motion for summary judgment on Brazauskas' defamation claim. Finally, the trial court granted defendants' fourth motion for summary judgment on Brazauskas' amended complaint for fraud, constructive fraud, and equitable estoppel. These interlocutory rulings were certified as final and appealable by the trial court pursuant to Ind. Trial Rule 54(B) and will be discussed in greater detail below.See footnote 1
Brazauskas raises three primary issues and numerous secondary issues for review, which we combine and restate as whether the trial court erred in granting defendants' first, third, and fourth motions for summary judgment.
Facts and Procedural History
The essential facts relevant to our review indicate that on or about May 14, 1986, Brazauskas entered into an employment contract with the parish, whereby she was hired as the director of religious education ("DRE") for the period beginning July 1, 1986, and ending June 30, 1987 ("1986 contract").See footnote 2 The 1986 contract provided in relevant part:
This contract is for a one year period. Upon completion of the contract period a new contract will be signed. If either party does not wish to renew the contract, notice in writing shall be given at least 90 days before the existing contract expires.
The PARISH agrees that the DRE shall not be discharged without good and sufficient cause. The PARISH further agrees that the person to whom the DRE is accountable will be responsible for giving the DRE notice, wherever possible, of any dissatisfaction with service or conduct. Moreover, if the DRE is dismissed or the contract terminated, due process procedures shall be followed.
On May 19, 1987, Brazauskas signed a second employment contract with the parish, whereby she was hired as the pastoral associate ("P.A.") for the period beginning July 1, 1987, and ending June 30, 1990 ("1987 contract"). The 1987 contract was also signed by Father William B. Simmons ("Simmons"), the parish pastor, and provided in relevant part:
This contract is for a [t]hree year period. Upon completion of the contract period a new contract will be signed. If either party does not wish to renew the contract, notice in writing shall be given at least 30 days before the existing contract expires.
In accordance with Parish policy, the performance of the P.A. shall be reviewed and evaluated after six months of employment and again after two years of employment.
The PARISH agrees that the P.A. shall not be discharged without good and sufficient cause. The PARISH further agrees that the person to whom the P.A. is accountable will be responsible for giving notice, wherever possible, of any dissatisfaction with service or conduct. Moreover, if the P.A. is dismissed or the contract terminated, due process procedures shall be followed.
On or about July 1, 1990, Brazauskas allegedly executed a second three-year contract with the parish that was to run through June 30, 1993 ("1990 contract").See footnote 3 The 1990 contract allegedly contained the same or similar provisions regarding dismissal as the 1987 contract. On June 28, 1992, Martelli replaced Simmons as the parish pastor. Brazauskas left for vacation on or about June 30, 1992, and returned on August 1, 1992. On August 6, 1992, Martelli met with Brazauskas and gave her the choice of either resigning or being fired from her position. Martelli fired Brazauskas on August 7, 1992. The circumstances surrounding Brazauskas' firing are vigorously disputed by the parties. Brazauskas alleges that Martelli's stated reasons for firing her were "that she intimidated him, that they could not get along, and that he did not like working with her"; defendants claim that she was fired for her "expression of unorthodox theological views and conduct offensive to Church teachings."
Brazauskas filed her initial complaint on February 11, 1993. Defendants filed a motion to dismiss on April 20, 1993, which was apparently denied by the trial court on July 12, 1993.See footnote 4 On August 5, 1993, Brazauskas filed an amended complaint. She claimed that Martelli had "unlawfully, untruthfully, and intentionally made misleading and slanderous
remarks" about her and had "implied that there was something of a bad and sinister nature" about her, "thereby causing her irreparable harm, injury, and damages and rendering her sick, stressed, and physically debilitated." Brazauskas specifically asserted claims against defendants for breach of contract; fraud; promissory estoppel; breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing; tortious interference with business relationship; defamation; and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Defendants filed an answer to the amended complaint on September 7, 1993, in which they denied Brazauskas' allegations and raised nine affirmative defenses. Defendants asserted, inter alia, that the trial court lacked subject-matter jurisdiction to hear Brazauskas' claims; that any statements made by defendants were privileged; that her claims were barred by the applicable statutes of limitation; that she had waived any right she may have had to bring her stated claims; and that she had "failed to pursue and exhaust her internal and/or administrative remedies."
On September 7, 1993, defendants filed their first motion for summary judgment, claiming that the trial court lacked subject-matter jurisdiction over several of Brazauskas' claims. They argued that the "First Amendment to the United States Constitution, applicable to the courts of Indiana by the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution,See footnote 5 prohibit[ed]" the trial court from "exercising judicial authority to hear [Brazauskas'] claims" for breach of contract, fraud, promissory estoppel, breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Defendants argued that because
her primary duties had been "religious and clerical," her claims were "all inextricably linked to the circumstances of her termination" as an ecclesiastical matter that could not be considered by the trial court. Defendants also contended that Brazauskas would be able to appeal her termination within the Catholic Church ("Church") pursuant to canon law, and that she had been aware of this remedy.
Brazauskas filed a memorandum in opposition to defendants' first motion for summary judgment on September 28, 1993. She argued that "no doctrinal issue [was] at stake" in her case that would prevent a trial court from addressing her claims; she further claimed that "defendants [had] gone to extraordinary lengths to misconstrue this matter as an ecclesiastical dispute whereas in reality it is clearly a breach of contract action together with other causes of action which civil courts are clearly able to resolve."
The trial court granted defendant's first motion for summary judgment on December 28, 1994, as to all five "theories of recovery" listed in the motion. The trial court observed in its accompanying memorandum that "the plaintiff's position was pastoral and that her duties involved the preservation and propagation of the Catholic faith." The court also noted that "[i]n an hierarchical church, with adjudicatories to resolve disputes, the firing of a pastor is an ecclesiastical matter"; it further concluded that the First Amendment rendered Brazauskas' contract illusory: "an ephemera which vanishes when the Church invokes the free exercise clause." With respect to the contract's due process clause, the court reasoned that "[i]f the right to procedural due process is construed to grant a hearing on whether there
was good cause for dismissal, then it has taken us full circle and hard against the wall between Church and State erected by the first amendment."See footnote 6
Defendants filed their third motion for summary judgment on February 23, 1995, asserting that the trial court lacked subject-matter jurisdiction to hear Brazauskas' defamation claim on First Amendment grounds; they argued that an examination of defendants' alleged defamatory statements would "require[] an evaluation of [Brazauskas'] action in an ecclesiastical light and [could not] be examined without . . . reference to church teachings and governance." Defendants also asserted that the statements were protected by a qualified privilege of common interest; that they did not harm Brazauskas' reputation or deter third persons "from dealing or associating with her"; and that she had consented to their publication.
Brazauskas filed a brief in opposition to defendants' third motion for summary judgment on October 6, 1995. She argued that defendants did not have an absolute privilege under the First Amendment to defame her, and that their freedom for religious action "remain[ed] subject to regulation for the protection of society." Brazauskas also attacked defendants' assertions of qualified privilege and of her consent to the publication of the alleged defamatory statements. The trial court granted defendants' third motion for summary judgment without comment on December 5, 1997.
On October 15, 1996, Brazauskas amended her complaint for fraud, constructive fraud, and equitable estoppel. With respect to her fraud claim, she asserted that the diocese had knowingly and intentionally misrepresented her employment contract as binding and enforceable in civil court, and that she had detrimentally relied on this misrepresentation. As to the constructive fraud claim, she maintained that defendants "stood in a special confidential and fiduciary relationship" with her as a member of the parish in the diocese "and by virtue of the special and confidential relationship" between her and Simmons, Bishop John D'Arcy, and other diocesan officials. She claimed that these special relationships, in conjunction with their alleged fraudulent actions, constituted constructive fraud. Brazauskas also asserted that she had relied on defendants' acts of alleged fraud and constructive fraud with respect to her employment contract, and that defendants were therefore estopped from denying the enforceability of the contract.
Defendants filed their answer to Brazauskas' amended complaint on October 24, 1996, denying her allegations and raising seven affirmative defenses. They filed their fourth motion for summary judgment with respect to the fraud, constructive fraud, and equitable estoppel claims on May 2, 1997. Defendants asserted that the trial court lacked subject- matter jurisdiction to hear these claims because of First Amendment constraints. They also argued that her fraud claims were barred by the statute of limitations; that Brazauskas could not prove all the elements of either a fraud of constructive fraud claim; and that she could not establish a claim of equitable estoppel. The trial court granted defendant's fourth motion for summary judgment without comment on December 5, 1997.
On March 20, 1998, Brazauskas filed a renewed motion for the trial court's entry of final judgment as to its orders granting defendants' first, third, and fourth motions for summary judgment pursuant to T.R. 54(B).See footnote 7 The trial court granted this motion on April 23, 1998. Brazauskas then filed a praecipe to initiate this appeal.
Discussion and Decision
Standard of Review
A trial court's ruling on a motion for summary judgment comes before this Court clothed with a presumption of validity. Harvest Life Ins. Co. v. Getche, 701 N.E.2d 871, 874 (Ind. Ct. App. 1998), trans. denied (1999). As the party appealing the grant of summary judgment, Brazauskas bears the burden of persuading us that the trial court erred. Id. "When reviewing a grant of summary judgment, we use the same standard as applied by the trial court." Id. "Summary judgment should be granted only when there are no genuine issues of material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law." Id.; Ind. Trial Rule 56(C).
We consider the designated evidence in a light most favorable to the non-moving party, and we resolve any doubt about a fact or inference in her favor. Id. Summary judgment is inappropriate where material facts conflict, or where undisputed facts lead to conflicting material inferences. Id. This Court may not reverse a grant of summary
judgment "on the ground that there is a genuine issue of material fact unless material facts and relevant evidence were specifically designated to the trial court." Brunner v. Trustees of Purdue University, 702 N.E.2d 759, 760 (Ind. Ct. App. 1998); Ind. Trial Rule 56(H). "Summary judgment should not be used as an abbreviated trial." Id.
I. Defendants' First Motion for Summary Judgment: Breach of Contract
In granting defendants' first motion for summary judgment for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction, the trial court drafted a three-page memorandum that outlines the reasoning behind its decision. We may not rely on any findings of fact and conclusions of law entered by a trial court on a motion for summary judgment, but must instead base our decision on the materials properly presented to the trial court. Harvest Life Ins. Co., 701 N.E.2d at 874. Consequently, we "will affirm a grant of summary judgment if it is sustainable on any theory or basis found in the record." Id.
What the trial court neglected to consider, however, and what neither party mentions on appeal, is that an attack on the court's subject-matter jurisdiction cannot form the basis of a motion for summary judgment.See footnote 8 Albright v. Pyle, 637 N.E.2d 1360, 1362 (Ind. Ct. App. 1994); Perry v. Stitzer Buick, 637 N.E.2d 1282, 1286 (Ind. 1994). A claim of lack of subject- matter jurisdiction should be pursued through a motion to dismiss under Ind. Trial Rule 12(B)(1). Albright, 637 N.E.2d at 1363. There are several important substantive distinctions
between motions for summary judgment and motions to dismiss for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction:
A summary judgment is a decision on the merits which merges or bars the action for res judicata purposes and which may not be rendered by a court that itself lacks subject matter jurisdiction[.] . . . See footnote 9
Dismissals under [T.R. 12(B)(1)] serve simply to hold a matter in abatement such that the plaintiffs may still avail themselves of any existing administrative remedies[.]
Id. "When a court lacks subject matter jurisdiction, any action it takes is void." Perry, 637 N.E.2d at 1286. The lack of subject-matter jurisdiction can be raised at any time, and either the trial court or the Court of Appeals is required to consider the issue sua sponte if it is not questioned by the parties. Albright, 637 N.E.2d at 1363. We will therefore treat defendants' first motion for summary judgment as a motion to dismiss for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction under T.R. 12(B)(1). See Walters v. Modern Aluminum, 699 N.E.2d 671, 673 (Ind. Ct. App. 1998), trans. denied (worker's compensation case).
In Perry, our supreme court reiterated the procedural guidelines for a trial court in considering a motion to dismiss under T.R. 12(B)(1):
In ruling on a motion to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, the court may resolve factual disputes[.] The court has considerable latitude in devising procedures to ferret out the facts pertinent to jurisdiction, and it is well established that in doing so it may consider not only the complaint and motion but any affidavits or other evidence submitted[.] Moreover, when considering a motion to dismiss for want of subject matter jurisdiction, a court may weigh the evidence to determine the existence of the requisite jurisdictional facts[.]
637 N.E.2d at 1286-1287. This Court will affirm the trial court's judgment "on any theory supported by the evidence of record." Walters, 699 N.E.2d at 673.
It is worth noting that Indiana appellate courts have decided relatively few cases regarding a trial court's ability to adjudicate employment-related disputes involving religious organizations; it is therefore not surprising that both parties rely heavily on decisions from other state tribunals and from the federal bench. Before we may engage in a First Amendment analysis of Brazauskas' breach of contract claim, however, we must confirm the presence of its three essential elements: "the existence of a contract, the defendant's breach thereof, and damages." Holloway v. Bob Evans Farms, Inc., 695 N.E.2d 991, 995 (Ind. Ct. App. 1998).
Ind. Trial Rule 9.2(A) reads as follows: "When any pleading allowed by these rules is founded on a written instrument, the original, or a copy thereof, must be included in or filed with the pleading. Such instrument, whether copied in the pleadings or not, shall be taken as part of the record." In her amended complaint, Brazauskas alleges the existence of the 1990 contract and insinuates that Martelli removed it from her desk before he fired her; in their answer to the amended complaint, defendants deny that the contract ever existed. Whatever the reason, the fact remains that the 1990 contract was not filed with Brazauskas' complaint and is not a part of the record before this Court. Ind. Trial Rule 9.2(F) gives a trial court discretion to order a party to attach an instrument to its pleading if it has not already done so; however, it is obvious that compliance with T.R. 9.2 would be impossible in this case. See Ahnert v. Wildman, 176 Ind. App. 630, 639, 376 N.E.2d 1182, 1188 (1978) (appeal
from summary judgment; plaintiff's breach of contract claim "without substance as there is no such contract in the record" or attached to the complaint as required by T.R. 9.2(A)); cf. Wilson v. Palmer, 452 N.E.2d 426, 430 (Ind. Ct. App. 1983) (trial court erred in failing to comply with T.R. 9.2(F); court should have ordered plaintiff to attach instrument to complaint or held a hearing to dismiss pursuant to Ind. Trial Rule 41(E) instead of summarily dismissing claim).
In summary, we hold that the trial court erred in granting summary judgment in favor of defendants on Brazauskas' breach of contract claim; instead, it should have treated defendants' motion for summary judgment as a motion to dismiss for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction under T.R. 12(B)(1). Regardless of this procedural error, because Brazauskas has failed to produce the employment contract upon which she bases her claim, the trial court is ordered to vacate its order of summary judgment and hold a hearing pursuant to Ind. Trial Rule 41(E)See footnote 10 in contemplation of dismissal of the claim.See footnote 11 See Rumfelt v. Himes, 438 N.E.2d
980, 983-984 (Ind. 1982) (necessity of holding a hearing before dismissal); see also Chesterfield Management, Inc. v. Cook, 655 N.E.2d 98, 101 (Ind. Ct. App. 1995), trans. denied (1996) (documents outside the record cannot be considered by this Court on appeal or used by party to support its arguments). Consequently, we need not address the parties' arguments on this issue regarding the First Amendment and subject-matter jurisdiction.
II. Defendants' Third Motion for Summary Judgment: Defamation
Defendants' initial argument in their third motion for summary judgment concerned the trial court's lack of subject-matter jurisdiction to hear Brazauskas' defamation claim under the First Amendment. We have observed that the proper procedural vehicle for claiming lack of subject-matter jurisdiction is a motion to dismiss under T.R. 12(B)(1). See Albright, 637 N.E.2d at 1363. Defendants also argued that the alleged defamatory statements were protected by a qualified privilege of common interest; that these statements did not harm Brazauskas' reputation or "deter third persons from dealing or associating with her"; and that she had consented to the publication of these statements.
According to the 1987 contract, some of Brazauskas' responsibilities as P.A. included sharing responsibility for staff development; exercising "responsibility for the spiritual development of the specific components of [the] faith community, e.g., faith development, teen formation, liturgy and worship, and the like"; assuming a "public role in the leadership
of prayer in various parish celebrations and functions"; and assuming responsibility for "various types of sacramental programs," "[t]he training and function of liturgical ministers," and "[t]he catechumenate and Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults." Regardless of whether she may be considered a member of the Roman Catholic clergy--a question disputed at various points in the record--Brazauskas clearly was responsible for developing, implementing, and supervising various ecclesiastical programs for the parish.
Some of the allegedly defamatory statements Martelli made after he fired Brazauskas include the following: that she "cannot be trusted with seven-year-old children";See footnote 12 that the reasons for her termination were "personal and confidential"; and that she was "incapable of Christian ministry" and had a "vindictive heart." In an interview with a reporter for the National Catholic Reporter, diocese Vicar-General Monsignor James Lester ("Lester") mentioned that he did not think Brazauskas had a "leg to stand on"; when asked about the specific nature of the defendant's case against her, Lester replied, "What else can I tell you without going into the bad parts? In strict justice, I don't think we have to pay her a penny." While Brazauskas argues that the First Amendment does not allow church officials to "maliciously set out to destroy a person's reputation," the defendants claim that a trial court is prohibited from delving into the reasons for Brazauskas' termination because it is "an ecclesiastical concern." In their respective briefs, each party advances its interpretation of
the allegedly defamatory statements and attempts to show that the statements either do or do not involve questions of religious doctrine that may or may not be considered by a trial court.
In Konkle v. Henson, 672 N.E.2d 450, 454-455 (Ind. Ct. App. 1996), which involved a church's alleged negligent hiring and retention of a minister accused of sexual molestation, we began our analysis with a brief examination of First Amendment principles regarding tort claims against religious organizations:
The First Amendment, applicable to the states through the Fourteenth amendment, contains two freedoms with respect to religion: the freedom to believe and the freedom to act. Cantwell v. Connecticut, 310 U.S. 296, 303, 60 S.Ct. 900, 903, 84 L.Ed. 1213 (1940). The freedom to believe is absolute, while the freedom to act is subject to regulation for the protection of society. Id. at 303-04, 60 S.Ct. at 903-04. . . .
Excessive entanglement [between church and state] occurs when the courts begin to review and interpret a church's constitution, laws, and regulations. Serbian Eastern Orthodox Diocese v. Milivojevich, 426 U.S. 696, 709-10, 96 S.Ct. 2372, 2380-81, 49 L.Ed.2d 151 (1976), reh. denied, 429 U.S. 873, 97 S.Ct. 191, 50 L.Ed.2d 155 (1976). The First Amendment prohibits courts from resolving doctrinal disputes or determining whether a religious organization acted in accordance with its canons and bylaws. Id. at 713, 96 S.Ct. at 2382..
The United States Supreme Court has instructed that the First Amendment does not prohibit courts from opening their doors to religious organizations [footnote omitted]. Presbyterian Church in the United States v. Mary Elizabeth Blue Hull Memorial Presbyterian Church, 393 U.S. 440, 449, 89 S.Ct. 601, 606, 21 L.Ed.2d 658 (1969). Instead, a court can apply neutral principles of law to churches without violating the First Amendment. Id. The First Amendment only prohibits the court from determining underlying questions of religious doctrine and practice. Id.
Applying this analysis to tort claims against religious organizations, several courts have determined that when purely secular conduct is at issue, courts can apply secular standards and hold churches responsible for the effects of their conduct on third parties.
It is important to note that the "neutral principles of law" approach as enunciated in Presbyterian Church and further developed in Jones v. Wolf, 443 U.S. 595, 99 S.Ct. 3020, 61 L.Ed.2d 775 (1979) has been applied only to disputes involving church property, although the United States Supreme Court noted in Serbian that the necessity of deciding church disputes without inquiring into doctrinal issues "applies with equal force to church disputes over church polity and church administration." 426 U.S. at 710, 99 S.Ct. at 2381, 49 L.Ed.2d at 163. In Konkle, we held that the defendant's alleged acts of sexual molestation "were not religiously motivated," and that the court was "simply applying secular standards to secular conduct which is permissible under First Amendment standards." 672 N.E.2d at 456.
In the instant case, Brazauskas argues that defendants' alleged statements constitute a "defamation of character, pure and simple, to be decided by 'neutral principles of law'"; conversely, defendants claim that the "First Amendment prevents civil courts from exercising jurisdiction over claims related to the employment of church employees whose duties are primarily religious." We note that the initial determination of whether a communication is defamatory is a question of law for the trial court, and that the communication must be viewed "in context and given its plain and natural meaning, 'according to the idea [it is] calculated to convey to whom [it is] addressed.'" Rambo v. Cohen, 587 N.E.2d 140, 145 (Ind. Ct. App. 1992), trans. denied, quoting Jacobs v. City of Columbus, 454 N.E.2d 1253, 1264 (Ind. Ct. App. 1983). "Moreover, the allegedly defamatory words are to be construed in light of the circumstances of their utterance." Rambo, 587 N.E.2d at 145.
In conducting the above analysis, however, the trial court in the instant case would be engaging in an impermissible scrutiny of religious doctrine. We find the following analysis from the Court of Special Appeals of Maryland to be persuasive:
When the conduct complained of occurs in the context of, or is germane to, a dispute over the plaintiff's fitness or suitability to enter into or remain a part of the clergy, however, it is difficult to see how the forbidden inquiry could be avoided. Questions of truth, falsity, malice, and the various privileges that exist often take on a different hue when examined in the light of religious precepts and procedures that generally permeate controversies over who is fit to represent and speak for the church.
Downs v. Roman Catholic Archbishop of Baltimore, 111 Md. App. 616, 624, 683 A.2d 808, 812 (Md. Ct. Spec. App. 1996) (former candidate for priesthood brought defamation suit against members of church hierarchy).
Both society and the state have rightfully conferred significant importance on the protection of an individual's personal and professional reputation, even to the point of restricting the rights of others to communicate freely in this regard. However, when officials of a religious organization state their reasons for terminating a pastoral employee in ostensibly ecclesiastical terms, the First Amendment effectively prohibits civil tribunals from reviewing these reasons to determine whether the statements are either defamatory or capable of a religious interpretation related to the employee's performance of her duties. Brazauskas characterizes defendants' reasons for terminating her employment and their explanations for their subsequent statements as post hoc rationalizations, calculated to grant them sanctuary from civil inquiry into the allegedly harmful effects of their words and actions. Regardless of the validity of this assertion, the First Amendment prevents this Court from scrutinizing
the possible interpretations of defendants' statements and their purported reasons for uttering them; to conclude otherwise would effectively thrust this Court into the forbidden role of arbiter of a strictly ecclesiastical dispute over the suitability of a pastoral employee to perform her designated responsibilities.
In conclusion, the trial court erred in granting defendants' third motion for summary judgment because it never had subject-matter jurisdiction to decide Brazauskas' defamation claim. The trial court is therefore ordered to vacate its motion for summary judgment and to dismiss the defamation claim.See footnote 13
III. Defendants' Fourth Motion for Summary Judgment
In their fourth motion for summary judgment, defendants asserted that the trial court did not have subject-matter jurisdiction to decide Brazauskas' claims for fraud, constructive fraud, and equitable estoppel. As stated above, defendants should have challenged the trial court's subject-matter jurisdiction through a motion to dismiss under T.R. 12(B)(1). See Albright, 637 N.E.2d at 1363. Defendants also attacked these claims on substantive grounds, and the trial court granted the summary judgment motion without comment. However, we need not address the merits of Brazauskas' arguments on appeal because her fraud and estoppel claims are inextricably linked to her breach of contract claim. Because we have held that the breach of contract claim must fail, the fraud and estoppel claims likewise cannot succeed.
"To sustain an action for fraud, the plaintiff must prove that the defendant made a material misrepresentation of a past or existing fact, which was false, was made with knowledge or in reckless ignorance of the falsity," was relied upon by the plaintiff, and proximately caused the plaintiff's injury. First Bank of Whiting v. Schuyler, 692 N.E.2d 1370, 1372 (Ind. Ct. App. 1998), trans. denied. Brazauskas' fraud claim was based upon the defendants' "knowing and intentional misrepresentation" of the enforceability of her written employment contract; without proof that the contract at issue ever existed, we may not inquire into defendants' alleged misrepresentations or Brazauskas' reliance on them.
The essential elements of constructive fraud are (1) a duty existing because of the relationship between the parties; (2) "representations or omissions made in violation of that duty"; (3) "reliance thereon by the complaining party"; (4) "injury to the complaining party as a proximate result thereof"; and (5) the gaining of an advantage by the defendant at the expense of the plaintiff. Wells v. Stone City Bank, 691 N.E.2d 1246, 1250-1251 (Ind. Ct. App. 1998), trans. denied. Again, the defendants' representations of which Brazauskas complains relate to the enforceability of her employment contract.
To support a claim for equitable estoppel, a plaintiff must prove "(1) a representation or concealment of a material fact, (2) made by a person with knowledge of the fact and with the intention that the other party act upon it, (3) to a party ignorant of the fact, (4) which induces the other party to rely or act upon it to his detriment." Wabash Grain, Inc. v. Smith, 700 N.E.2d 234, 237 (Ind. Ct. App. 1998). Here, as above, the representation relates to the enforceability of Brazauskas' employment contract.
Because there are no genuine issues of material fact with respect to at least one essential element of each of Brazauskas' claims of fraud, constructive fraud, and equitable estoppel, we affirm the trial court's grant of defendant's fourth motion for summary judgment. See Colen v. Pride Vending Service, 654 N.E.2d 1159, 1162 (Ind. Ct. App. 1995), trans. denied (1996) ("a defendant is entitled to judgment as matter of law when undisputed material facts negate at least one element of plaintiff's claim"); Harvest Life Ins. Co., 701 N.E.2d at 875 (grant of summary judgment may be affirmed "if it is sustainable on any theory or basis found in the record").
The trial court's orders for summary judgment are vacated with respect to defendants' first and third motions and affirmed with respect to their fourth motion, and this case is remanded for further proceedings consistent with the instructions contained in this opinion.
Affirmed in part, vacated in part, and remanded with instructions.
STATON and RILEY, JJ., concur.
Footnote: 1 In her reply brief, Brazauskas takes issue with appellees' apparent "effort to circumvent this Court's page limitation [by placing] extended arguments and discussion of cases in single-spaced footnotes." This contention is well taken, and appellees are encouraged to refrain from engaging in this practice in the future.
Footnote: 2 We note that the contract was not signed by either Brazauskas or any parish representative.
Footnote: 3 The 1990 contract does not appear in the record. Brazauskas clearly insinuates that Martelli was involved in the disappearance of both her copy and the parish's copy of the contract; in their brief, defendants merely refer to the 1990 contract as "alleged."
Footnote: 4 The chronological case summary merely notes that an order on defendant's motion to dismiss was entered on July 12, 1993; neither the motion nor the order is included in the record.
Footnote: 5 The First Amendment to the United States Constitution reads in relevant part as follows: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."
Footnote: 6 Brazauskas filed a "motion to vacate and/or set aside" the trial court's order granting defendants' first motion for summary judgment on July 31, 1995; the chronological case summary notes that this motion was denied on October 31, 1995. She also filed a "motion to vacate and/or set aside" the trial court's order "to conform with [a] recent Indiana Court of Appeals decision" on May 1, 1997, which was denied by the trial court on December 5, 1997. The decision to which Brazauskas referred is Konkle v. Henson, 672 N.E.2d 450 (Ind. Ct. App. 1996).
Footnote: 7 See also Ind. Trial Rule 56(C), which provides in relevant part:
A summary judgment upon less than all the issues involved in a claim or with respect to less than all the claims or parties shall be interlocutory unless the court in writing expressly determines that there is not just reason for delay and in writing expressly directs entry of judgment as to less than all the issues, claims or parties.
Footnote: 8 In her memorandum opposing defendant's summary judgment motion, Brazauskas questioned this procedural error in passing but did not attack it with any supporting authority. We also note that defendants raised the issue of subject-matter jurisdiction as an affirmative defense to Brazauskas' amended complaint.
Footnote: 9 Omitted citations are hereinafter indicated by "[.]" for legibility purposes.
Footnote: 10 T.R. 41(E) provides in relevant part:
Whenever there has been a failure to comply with these rules or when no action has been taken in a civil case for a period of sixty [60] days, the court, on motion of a party or on its own motion shall order a hearing for the purpose of dismissing such case. The court shall enter an order of dismissal at plaintiff's costs if the plaintiff shall not show sufficient cause at or before such hearing.
Footnote: 11 In her brief, Brazauskas argues that because neither party gave 30 days' notice of intent not to renew the 1987 contract, "the contract simply renewed itself." Not only has she waived consideration of this argument by raising it for the first time on appeal, but the 1987 contract also states that "[u]pon completion of the contract period a new contract will be signed." See Evans v. Tuttle by Tuttle, 645 N.E.2d 1119, 1121 (Ind. Ct. App. 1995) (party may not raise issue for first time on appeal); see also Mehling v. Dubois County Farm Bureau Co-op. Ass'n, Inc., 601 N.E.2d 5, 6 (Ind. Ct. App. 1992) (contracts that cannot be performed within one year must be in writing and signed by party to be charged to be enforceable under Statute of Frauds [Ind. Code § 32-2-1-1]). The 1986 contract contains a similar "notice of non-renewal" provision; however, there are many substantive differences between the 1986 contract and the 1987 contract, including job title/description, salary, and contract duration. Without having the alleged 1990 contract in the record before
us, we may not consider the merits of Brazauskas' breach of contract claim. We also note that merely by assuming that the 1990 contract existed for purposes of summary judgment, defendants cannot be said to have acknowledged its existence for all other purposes. Finally, we note that with respect to defendants' first motion for summary judgment, Brazauskas appealed only on her breach of contract claim and did not appeal on her claims for fraud, promissory estoppel, breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Footnote: 12 With respect to this statement, perhaps the one most obviously susceptible to a defamatory interpretation, defendants assert that Martelli meant he was unable to trust Brazauskas with the religious education of young children. Without considering the validity of this interpretation, we merely note that it is at least nominally supported in the depositions of parishioners Susana M. Cahill and Sally M. Vance- Trembath, both of whom were present at the meeting where Martelli made this statement.
Footnote: 13 T.R. 41(B) reads in relevant part: "[A]ny dismissal not provided for in this rule, other than a dismissal for lack of jurisdiction, operates as an adjudication upon the merits."
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InfoQ Homepage News A Human Error Took Down AWS S3 US-EAST-1
A Human Error Took Down AWS S3 US-EAST-1
A mistake took down more S3 servers than it should, including two subsystems essential to S3 operation. This resulted in S3 failure, affecting the S3 service and other services depending on it. Normal functioning was restored in about four hours.
Rarely Amazon AWS fails, but when it does the internet finds out about it and many are directly impacted. It was the case of the recent AWS S3 failure that took place on February 28th in the Northern Virginia (US-EAST-1) region. It was not just S3 functioning that was disrupted, but also a number of AWS services that depend on it, including EC2, EFS, API Gateway, Athena, Cloudsearch, MapReduce and others. These services either had an increased number of errors in functioning or simply did not work at all.
During the four hour disruption, it was reported that Expedia, GitLab, GitHub, GroupMe, IFTTT, Medium, Nest, Quora, Slack, The Verge, Trello, Twitch, Wix and many others were either taken offline or severely affected by the glitch. Even Amazon’s Alexa had trouble working and the AWS status dashboard was not updated for about two hours. Amazon relied on Twitter to inform about the problem and they added a temporary banner edited by hand on the status page.
Amazon published a post mortem analysis of the events. An Amazon team was debugging an S3 billing issue, and someone entered a command to remove a small number of servers from one of the S3 billing subsystems. That person entered the command incorrectly and took off a larger pool of S3 servers including two that played an important role in two other subsystems, one of them being the index subsystem for the entire S3 in the region affecting GET, PUT, LIST and DELETE commands. The second subsystem was for S3 placement, involved in the allocation of space for new objects. Because these two subsystems stopped working, S3 encountered a large number of errors in functioning affecting many customers.
While AWS has measures in place to quickly restore the functionality in case of failure of the respective subsystems, in this case the subsystems took considerably longer to reboot because they had not been restarted in years and the index grew quite large. The functionality was eventually restored but later than expected. Amazon had plans to partition the index subsystem some time this year, breaking up the index in smaller chunks that can be rebooted faster. Now, they will proceed with partitioning immediately to be better prepared for a future disruption. They have also changed the tools to limit the number of servers taken down in one command, and also avoid taking down an entire subsystem. They also distributed the dashboard, which depends on S3, across multiple regions to make sure it works even when one of the regions is down.
Back in 2011 Amazon experienced another disruption in the US East region, but that was a four day blackout. Then and now, the basic lesson to be learned and applied is to create systems that do not rely solely on one region, and instead be able to switch between regions if the current one is down. Netflix has such measures in place, and others could too. But it has an impact on cloud hosting costs, businesses preferring to lower them as much as possible. Amazon AWS is generally considered reliable, but services get disrupted from time to time. And that happens to any cloud provider.
This content is in the Cloud topic
by Dave Wieneke /
Re: A Human Error Took Down AWS S3 US-EAST-1
by Abel Avram /
AWS S3 US-EAST-1: Let me put it this way, Mr. Amer. The AWS S3 series is the most reliable computer ever made. No AWS S3 computer has ever made a mistake or distorted information. We are all, by any practical definition of the words, foolproof and incapable of error. Well, I don't think there is any question about it. It can only be attributable to human error. This sort of thing has cropped up before and it has always been due to human error.
AWS Sydney suffered a massive disruption last year because of power failure. aws.amazon.com/message/4372T8/
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Hospital for Special Surgery set to open Westchester offices in White Plains
The Journal News—October 11, 2017
The Journal News reported that HSS will host an opening ceremony for their new center in Westchester County on Wednesday, October 18, 2017. According to the article, the new center is located at 1133 Westchester Ave in White Plains, NY.
"Our strategy is about treating patients closer to home. We already see a number of Westchester patients coming to (HSS in Manhattan) and we’re trying to create more access in a more convenient setting," said HSS vice president of regional markets Jennifer Rentas.
The article reported that HSS Westchester will offer services in adult reconstruction and joint replacement, foot and ankle, pediatric orthopedics, physiatry, sports medicine and rheumatology. It will also offer rehab and sports performance services, such as motion analysis and training.
According to the article, other hospitals have been involved in mergers prompted by the consolidation incentives under the Affordable Care Act. However, HSS plans to remain independent.
"We are not consolidating…That’s not our path," said Rentas. She explained that HSS is unique because it offers specialized care from some of the top doctors and surgeons in the country.
When asked if the ongoing healthcare debate will affect the HSS expansion, Rentas said "the uncertainty in the Affordable Care Act is not going to change the HSS strive to increase access and improve care."
Read the full article at lohud.com. The article also appeared in the October 13, 2017 print edition.
Additional Coverage:
Becker's Spine Review: Hospital for Special Surgery unveils new White Plains office: 5 things to know
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Call us toll-free at:
Online request form
mediarelations@hss.edu
Social Media Contacts
socialmediacontact@hss.edu
HSS Newsroom
HSS in the News
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Paris attacks suspect Mohamed Abrini arrested in Belgium
By Umberto Bacchi
Updated April 8, 2016 18:24 BST
Mohamed Abrini is a suspect in the Paris Attacks which left 130 civilians dead Belgian Federal Police
Belgian authorities have arrested fugitive Paris attacks suspect Mohamed Abrini, local media have reported. A second suspect was also held during a police operation on 8 April, according to broadcaster VRT.
Federal prosecutors confirmed several arrests have been made in an anti-terror raid but did not release the identities of those targeted. Abrini, 31, has been on Europe's most wanted list since the 13 November shootings and bombings in the French capital.
The Belgian-Moroccan national was filmed with another suspect, Salah Abdeslam, at a petrol station on a highway to Paris on 11 November aboard a Renault Clio that was used in the attacks two days later. Abdeslam was captured in Brussels at the end of a four-month manhunt in March and is said to be cooperating with police.
Days after his arrest a series of suicide bombings claimed by the Islamic State (Isis) killed 32 people in the Belgian capital. Abrini is believed to have travelled to Syria after serving short stints in jail for petty crime and robberies.
His reported arrest comes a day after Belgian prosecutors appealed for information on an unidentified man who is believed to have played a role in the 22 March bombing at Brussels airport. The so-called 'man in the hat' was seen leaving the Zaventem terminal shortly after it was devastated by a twin explosion.
He was earlier captured on security camera walking inside the premises alongside the two suicide bombers named as Najim Laachraoui and Ibrahim el-Bakraoui.
Police have not identified the suspect and refused to say whether they believed the mysterious man was Abrini. Investigations have revealed the same network of Islamist militants was behind the attacks in both Paris and Brussels.
A CCTV image shows Salah Abdeslam and Mohamed Abrini at a petrol station in Ressons, north of Paris, on 11 November 2015 AFP
Rabbi on the run: Hasidic fugitive wanted for sex crimes snared in South Africa
Isis: What we know about Ayman Al-Awlaki Brigade, as Pentagon confirms death of group\'s \'deputy-emir\'
Panama Papers reveal ownership of contested £17m Modigliani looted by Nazis
Related topics : Salah Abdeslam
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UNESCO declares Temple Mount – Judaism's holiest site – as Muslim
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu reacts angrily on Twitter after resolution was passed.
By William Watkinson
Updated October 15, 2016 12:53 BST
UNESCO declares Temple Mount – Judaism's holiest site – as Muslim IBTimes US
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has reclassified Judaism's holiest site as solely Muslim, in a move branded as absurd and "anti-Semitic" by Israel.
The Temple Mount and Western Wall in Jerusalem have been viewed as holy territory under Jewish faith. But UNESCO has now classed them as Muslim sites, which are known in Islam as the Haram esh-Sharif and Buraq Wall.
The resolution, passed on Thursday (13 October), condemns Israel for its activities in Jerusalem and the West Bank. The edict asserts that the site is holy to three monotheistic religions: Judaism, Islam and Christianity.
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It is considered the third holiest site to Muslims, believed to be the place where the Prophet Mohammed made the miraculous night journey to and from Mecca in order to ascend to heaven.
The site is also home to the al-Aqsa mosque. which has been the scene of clashes between Jews and Muslims in 2016.
The resolution only refers to the site in its Muslim name and not by its Hebrew term, Har Habayit, or its English translation, the Temple Mount.
However, the resolution did not mention its importance and sacred status to the Jewish faith, as it is believed to be location of First and Second temples. The First Temple is believed to have been built by King Solomon in 957BC and was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586BC. Building work began on the Second Temple in 538BC and it was destroyed by the Romans in 70AD.
"What's next? A UNESCO decision denying the connection between peanut butter and jelly? Batman and Robin? Rock and roll?," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted angrily after the decision.
What's next? A UNESCO decision denying the connection between peanut butter and jelly? Batman and Robin? Rock and roll?
— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) 13 October 2016
The text of the Unesco resolution reads that the bloc "firmly deplores the continuous storming of the Al-Aqṣa Mosque/Al-Ḥaram AlSharif by Israeli right-wing extremists and uniformed forces."
A balloon flies near the disputed site in July 2016 Getty
Agriculture Minister, Uri Ariel, sent an urgent letter to Netanyahu, calling on him to act by encouraging nations to end funding for the UN. "We in the government in general, and you as the foreign minister, should demand that the nations of the world condemn these anti-Semitic decisions, and immediately stop funding the UN," he wrote according to the Times of Israel.
Under Israeli law, Jewish citizens are not allowed to pray at the holy site in order to avoid potential violence, but many Jewish activists still rally there. In recent months Israeli police have clashed with Palestinians outside the temple, with police releasing tear gas and stun grenades.
In total, 24 member states in the UNESCO organisation backed the document, while six voted against and 26 abstained at a meeting in Paris. The UK and the US — alongside Estonia, Germany, Lithuania and Holland — all voted against.
This article was first published on October 13, 2016
Related topics : Israel
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Competition Bureau Canada
Information requests from private parties in proceedings for recovery of loss or damages
Draft for Public Consultation — March 8. 2017
This publication is not a legal document. It contains general information and is provided for convenience and guidance in applying the Competition Act .
For information on the Competition Bureau's activities, please contact:
Competition Bureau
Gatineau QC K1A 0C9
Tel.: 819‑997‑4282
Toll free: 1‑800‑348‑5358
TTY (for hearing impaired): 1‑866‑694‑8389
Fax: 819‑997‑0324
Website: www.competitionbureau.gc.ca
This publication can be made available in alternative formats upon request. Contact the Competition Bureau's Information Centre at the numbers listed above.
Permission to reproduce
Except as otherwise specifically noted, the information in this publication may be reproduced, in part or in whole and by any means, without charge or further permission from the Competition Bureau provided due diligence is exercised in ensuring the accuracy of the information reproduced; that the Competition Bureau is identified as the source institution; and that the reproduction is not represented as an official version of the information reproduced, nor as having been made in affiliation with, or with the endorsement of the Competition Bureau. For permission to reproduce the information in this publication for commercial redistribution, please Apply for Crown Copyright Clearance or write to:
Communications and Marketing Branch
C.D. Howe Building
235 Queen Street
Email: ISED@Canada.ca
Aussi offert en français sous le titre Demandes de renseignements présentées par des parties privées dans le cadre d’actions en recouvrement de dommages‑intérêts
Bureau’s general position
Preventing interference with ongoing examinations, inquiries or enforcement proceedings
Importance of confidentiality for the Bureau’s administration and enforcement of the Act
Public interest privilege
Bureau’s financial and opportunity costs
How to contact the Competition Bureau
Under section 36 of the Competition Act ("Act"), private parties can commence proceedings to recover loss or damages incurred as a result of conduct contrary to Part VI of the Act or the failure of any person to comply with an order of the Competition Tribunal or a court under the Act.Footnote 1 Section 36 of the Act is intended to foster the ability of victims to recover any loss or damage they may have suffered as a result of anti‑competitive conduct. The Competition Bureau ("Bureau") views private actions under section 36 of the Act as an additional and important enforcement mechanism, separate and independent from its administration and enforcement of the Act. Section 36 of the Act serves not only the private interests of consumers to recover losses or damages but also the broader public interest of deterrence.
Persons contemplating, or who are parties in, proceedings under section 36 may believe that the Bureau possesses information that could be relevant to these proceedings. In this regard, the Bureau has received requests for such information, particularly from private parties involved in class proceedings in Canada. This Bulletin outlines the Bureau’s general position in administering and enforcing the Act with respect to requests for access to information in the Bureau’s possession or control from persons contemplating, or who are parties in, proceedings under section 36 of the Act.Footnote 2 This Bulletin also discusses the Bureau’s general basis for its position. This Bulletin supplements the "Private Actions for Damages" section of the Bureau’s Information Bulletin, "Communication of Confidential Information under the Competition Act ."Footnote 3
II. Bureau’s general position
To protect the integrity of the Bureau’s investigative process and the confidentiality of information in its possession, it is the Bureau’s general position to not voluntarily provide information to persons contemplating, or who are parties to, proceedings under section 36 of the Act. As described more fully in this Bulletin, the Bureau relies heavily upon voluntarily provided information, and the Bureau’s ability to administer and enforce the Act would be seriously compromised if it could not provide persons who provide such information an assurance of confidentiality over the information it obtains and the person’s cooperation with the Bureau. Accordingly, if served with a subpoena, the Bureau will inform the information provider and oppose a subpoena for production of information if compliance would potentially interfere with an ongoing examination, inquiry or enforcement proceeding or otherwise adversely affect the administration or enforcement of the Act. If the Bureau's opposition is unsuccessful, it will seek protective court orders to maintain the confidentiality of the information in question.Footnote 4‑Footnote 5
The Bureau’s general position is important to prevent interference with ongoing examinations, inquiries or enforcement proceedings and to maintain the confidentiality of information the Bureau receives pursuant to the Act, as described more fully below.
III. Preventing interference with ongoing examinations, inquiries or enforcement proceedings
The production of information in the Bureau’s possession or control during an ongoing examination, inquiry or enforcement proceeding under the Act would potentially interfere with the ongoing examination, inquiry or enforcement proceeding. Accordingly, such production would adversely affect the Bureau’s ability to administer and enforce the Act.
IV. Importance of confidentiality for the Bureau’s administration and enforcement of the Act
Confidentiality is a governing principle of the Bureau’s approach to the administration and enforcement of the Act. The principle of confidentiality remains important whether the request for information relates to an ongoing or closed examination, inquiry or enforcement proceedings.
The Bureau has a statutory duty to conduct its inquiries in private and to maintain the confidentiality of information it receives pursuant to the Act.Footnote 6 In addition to its statutory obligations, the Bureau’s ability to administer and enforce the Act is affected by its ability to maintain confidentiality of the information it obtains. This importance holds two dimensions:
First, the Commissioner and Bureau personnel require a substantial amount of information from a variety of sources so that examinations, inquiries and enforcement proceedings pursuant to the Act can be effectively conducted. The Bureau relies heavily on information that is voluntarily provided, which is frequently confidential, proprietary and/or commercially sensitive. The Bureau’s ability to provide persons who voluntarily provide information an assurance of confidentiality under the Act makes them more willing to cooperate with the Bureau and provide information the Bureau requires to effectively fulfil its mandate.Footnote 7
In addition, whistleblowers, immunity and leniency applicants, other confidential informants and market participants are often reluctant to cooperate with Bureau investigations for fear of reprisal from the subjects of Bureau investigations and others. The Bureau’s ability to properly conduct its investigations would be seriously compromised if the Bureau could not provide these persons with an assurance of confidentiality over the information it obtains and the person’s cooperation with the Bureau.Footnote 8
Second, as noted, information provided to the Bureau is often confidential, proprietary and/or commercially sensitive. Disclosure of such information, particularly where competitors of the person(s) who provided such information can access it, undermines the goals of the Act and frustrates its purpose of promoting competition and protecting consumers.
V. Public interest privilege
The Bureau will rely upon applicable privileges to protect against the disclosure of information in its possession or control, including public interest privilege.
Public interest privilege protects against the disclosure of information possessed by government where such disclosure is not in the public interest.Footnote 9 Public interest privilege in the context of the Act has developed in its own unique way and is well established.Footnote 10 In this regard, a class‑based public interest privilege attaches to information collected or created by the Bureau during the course of an examination, inquiry or enforcement proceeding.Footnote 11
Class-privilege results in a prima facie presumption of inadmissibility over a class of documents (and therefore the documents are not subject to disclosure) because of an overriding policy reason to exclude it.Footnote 12 As discussed above, it is in the public interest to maintain confidentiality of information collected or created by the Bureau during an examination, inquiry or enforcement proceeding.Footnote 13 Consequently, the onus on a person attempting to override a class privilege is heavy.Footnote 14 In the context of the Act, a party is required to show "compelling circumstances" or "a compelling competing interest", such as impairment of a respondent’s ability to answer the case against it, although it would be "difficult to conceive of a situation" where this would be the case.Footnote 15
Public interest privilege applies to information collected by the Bureau during the course of an examination or inquiry, whether in enforcement proceedings under the Act or private actions under section 36 of the Act.Footnote 16 In other words, there is no distinction in principle in the application of public interest privilege between an enforcement proceeding under the Act and a private action under section 36 of the Act.Footnote 17
The Bureau recognizes that section 29(1) of the Act contains an exception to the non-communication of information in the Bureau’s possession or control where the communication is for the purposes of the administration or enforcement of that Act, and that proceedings commenced under section 36 of the Act fall within that exception.Footnote 18 However, the Bureau’s position is that this exception does not restrict or otherwise impact the application of public interest privilege to information in the Bureau’s possession or control. The Courts have consistently found that neither section 29 nor section 36 of the Act serve as a basis for compelling the Bureau to disclose information in its possession or control.Footnote 19 Private plaintiffs in proceedings commenced under section 36 of the Act, despite their private enforcement of the Act, are not in the same position as the Commissioner, and are accordingly not entitled to the same information that the Bureau has in its possession or control.Footnote 20
VI. Bureau’s financial and opportunity costs
The Bureau’s position is that its financial and opportunity costs arising from responding to a request for information ought to be taken into account by persons requesting information from the Bureau and by the Courts when disposing of such requests.
Information sought from the Bureau, particularly from parties in class proceedings under section 36 of the Act, is typically voluminous. Responding to such requests is time-consuming and requires the Bureau to incur considerable costs. The costs to the Bureau are considerable in terms of the financial and human capital costs involved in responding to the request for information and relate, not only to direct costs, but opportunity costs.Footnote 21 It can take considerable time to find, examine, classify and, if required, redact documents. Even if salary and overhead costs are repaid, the Bureau employees and counsel will not be available to carry out the Bureau’s public interest mandate. The Bureau’s position is that this would be contrary to the public interest.
The Bureau recognizes the importance of private actions under section 36 of the Act as a tool for victims of anti‑competitive conduct to recover any loss or damage they may have suffered. However, pursuant to its administration and enforcement the Act and in order to protect the integrity of its investigative process and the confidentiality of information in its possession, the Bureau’s general position is to not voluntarily provide information to persons contemplating or who are parties to a proceeding under section 36 of the Act.
Anyone wishing to obtain additional information about the Competition Act, the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act (except as it relates to food), the Textile Labelling Act, the Precious Metals Marking Act or the program of written opinions, or to file a complaint under any of these acts should contact the Competition Bureau's Information Centre.
Gatineau, Quebec
K1A 0C9
Toll‑free: 1‑800‑348‑5358
National Capital Region: 819‑997‑4282
Competition Act , RSC 1985, c C-34, s 36 Competition Act .
Return to footnote 1 referrer
This bulletin is limited to Canadian private actions under section 36 of the Act.
Competition Bureau, "Information Bulletin on the Communication of Confidential Information Under the Competition Act ", September 30, 2013. See, in particular, section 7.6 of the Bulletin entitled "Private Actions for Damages."
Further, persons who, pursuant to subsection 36(2) of the Act, would like a copy of the record of proceedings in any court in which a person was convicted of an offence under Part VI of the Act or convicted of or punished for failure to comply with an order of the Tribunal or another court under the Act should seek that record directly from the relevant Court.
The Bureau recognizes that Courts in various jurisdictions in Canada have made different conclusions arising from the specific facts before them regarding the production of information in the Bureau’s possession or control. See, for example: Pro-Sys Consultants Ltd. v Microsoft Corporation, 2016 BCSC 97; Imperial Oil v. Jacques, 2014 SCC 66; Forest Protection Ltd. v. Bayer A.G., [1996] N.B.J. No. 238, aff’d in part [1998] N.B.J. No. 484; Canada (Attorney General) v. Thouin, 2015 QCCA 2159 affirming Thouin c. Ultramar ltée, 2015 QCCS 1432.
Subsection 10(3) of the Competition Act provides that "(a)ll inquiries under this section shall be conducted in private." In practice, the Bureau extends this protection to all preliminary examinations being pursued to determine whether or not grounds exist for the commencement of an inquiry by the Commissioner. Section 29(1) of the Act reads: "(n)o person who performs or has performed duties or functions in the administration or enforcement of this Act shall communicate or allow to be communicated to any other person except to a Canadian law enforcement agency or for the purposes of the administration or enforcement of this Act
the identity of any person from whom information was obtained pursuant to this Act;
any information obtained pursuant to section 11, 15, 16 or 114;
whether notice has been given or information supplied in respect of a particular proposed transaction under section 114;
any information obtained from a person requesting a certificate under section 102; or
any information provided voluntarily pursuant to this Act."
Section 29(2) of the Act reads: "(t)his section does not apply in respect of any information that has been made public or any information the communication of which was authorized by the person who provided the information." The approach of the Commissioner and the Bureau with respect to the communication of confidential information obtained in the course of the administration or enforcement of the Act is set out in the Bureau’s "Information Bulletin on the Communication of Confidential Information Under the Competition Act ", September 30, 2013.
See Canada (Commissioner of Competition) v Sears Canada Inc., 2003 CACT 19 at para 35 [Sears]; Canada (Commissioner of Competition) v Air Canada, 2012 CACT 21 at para 5 [Air Canada]; Pro-Sys Consultants Ltd. v Microsoft Corporation, 2016 BCSC 97 at para 11 [Pro-Sys]; See also Canada (Director of Investigation and Research, Competition Act ) v D & B Companies of Canada Ltd. [1994] FCJ No 1643 at para 4-5, 51 ACWS (3d) 601 [D&B]; Canada (Commissioner of Competition) v Chatr Wireless Inc., 2013 ONSC 5386 at paras 17-18 [Chatr]
Further, pursuant to section 66.1 of the Competition Act , any person who has reasonable grounds to believe that a person has committed or intends to commit an offence under the Act, may notify the Commissioner of the particulars of the matter and may request that his or her identity be kept confidential with respect to the notification. The Commissioner must keep confidential the identity of a person who has made such notification to the Commissioner and to whom an assurance of confidentiality has been provided by any person who performs duties or functions in the administration or enforcement of this Act. See also Canada (Director of Investigation and Research, Competition Act ) v Southam Inc. [1991] CCTD No 16 at para 26, 38 CPR (3d) 68 [Southam]; D&B, supra note 5 at para 2-3; Canada (Director of Investigation and Research) v Hillsdown Holdings (Canada) Ltd. [1991] FCJ No 1021 at para 3, 29 ACWS (3d) 778 [Hillsdown]; Canada (Commissioner of Competition) v Toronto Real Estate Board, 2012 CACT 8 at para 6 [TREB]. See also Chatr, supra note 5 at para 17.
Chatr, supra note 5 at para 11; Air Canada, supra note 5 at paras 3-6; See also Pro-Sys, supra note 5 at para 11
Footnote 10
Chatr, supra note 5 at para 15; Pro-Sys, supra note 5 at paras 15, 25.
Return to footnote 10 referrer
Air Canada, supra note 5 at paras 3‑6; Pro-Sys, supra note 5 at paras 11, 26.
Chatr, supra note 5 at paras 14-15; Pro-Sys, supra note 5 at para 11.
Canada (Director of Investigation and Research) v NutraSweet Co. [1989] CCTD No 54 at para 16; Southam, supra note 6 at para 26; D&B, supra note 6 at para 2-3; Hillsdown, supra note 6 at para 3; Sears, supra note 5 at para 35. Air Canada, supra note 5 at para 5; TREB, supra note 6 at para 6; See also Pro-Sys, supra note 5 at para 11.
L.L.A. v A.B. [1995] 4 SCR 536 at para 65; Air Canada, supra note 5, at para 7.
Canada (Commissioner of Competition) v United Grain Growers Ltd., 2002 CATC 35 at paras 51-54.
Pro-Sys, supra note 5 at paras 21, 25.
Ibid, at paras 21, 25.
Competition Act , supra note 1 s. 29(1); Forest Protection Ltd. v Bayer AG, [1996] NBJ No 238 at para 60, 68 CPR (3d) 59 [Forest]; Pro-Sys, supra note 5 at paras 23-24.
Imperial Oil v Jacques, 2014 SCC 66 at paras 27, 29, 43; Pro-Sys, supra note 5 at para 23; Forest, supra note 16 at para 21.
Pro-Sys, supra note 5 at para 24.
British Columbia's Children's Hospital v Air Products Canada Ltd. [1997] BCJ No 494 at paras 56-58.
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Faith & Sustainability Forum 2015
Sharing Approaches
That Work
Resource Lunch
Oct. 23rd @ 11:45AM Lunch with Resource Providers
This segment of the day is where attendees self-selected to eat lunch and chat with organizations about their available resources.
Northern Illinois Conference of the United Methodist Church: The purpose of the Conference is to make disciples who, empowered by the Holy Spirit, will make a difference in the world—by equipping its local faith communities for a ministry of witness, justice, hope and love, and by providing a connection for mission beyond the congregation.
Archdiocese of Chicago: Office for Peace & Justice: Built on the seven principles of Catholic Social Teaching, the Office for Peace & Justice of the Archdiocese of Chicago prayerfully engages the Catholic community in justice as a unitive force in the Church and the world. Our vision invites all Catholics to build strong relationships and work collectively in their parishes, communities, and the world to advance Christ’s love through social and systemic change.
WindFree Solar: Transforming How We Power Our Lives - We believe in a better way to power our homes and businesses at a lower cost that contributes to creating a healthier planet. Our team includes professional sales, project managers and installers with nearly 40 years of solar, wind, and electric vehicle infrastructure expertise. Our team members with master’s degrees in environmental management, sustainability, and business, bring added value to every project. Our business partners include a LEED Certified and certified women owned architectural and design firms, licensed and bonded city electrical contractors, city and state certified installers, and minority owned suppliers.
We search for the best available products, equipment, and services required to put the power of solar and wind energy in your hands. Our vast experience with solar, over 280 installations, familiarity with small to large projects, and our commitment to renewable energy makes us the best choice for your project. The Windfree Foundation has provided renewable energy grants to local schools and worked with teachers to develop curriculum around these technologies and put solar and wind power into the hands and minds of the next generation of energy users. We are committed to transforming how we think about and make power. From our perspective it’s how we will thrive in the future.
Chicago Sustainability Interfaith Partnership (CSIP): CSIP was founded to help not-for-profit religious
organizations: (1)Save money on energy and water (2) Maintain the charitable water fee exemption in the City of
Chicago and (3) Benchmark (track) energy and water use for further conservation benefits. All not-for-profit houses of worship in the Chicagoland area are eligible to participate. Incentives vary by location.
Chicago Sustainability Leaders Network (CSLN): We envision inclusive and just communities of civically engaged residents working together to address social disparities and promote environmental health, human well-being, and community vitality for present and future generations. Join us - we are a diverse, intergenerational group working on issues in communities across Chicago.
Chicago ROAR (Regional Organizing for AntiRacism): A social justice organization which provides organizing, training, and consulting to institutions. Regional organizing empowers institutions in a specific geographic area to pool resources and work together toward antiracist transformation in their greater community. This is vital because isolated institutions cannot be fully transformed until their community — and ultimately society — are also transformed. Sharing Crossroads’ philosophy, values and training methodology, our Regional Partners organize to advance the deeply interconnected racial justice movement.
Elevate Energy/CNT: Elevate Energy is a community of thinkers and doers who believe that everyone should have access to the resources that enable more efficient energy use. We design and implement efficiency programs that lower costs, protect the environment, and ensure the benefits of energy efficiency reach those who need them most. This “triple bottom line” approach—and the holistic solutions that result—makes us unique.
Faith in Place: Faith in Place inspires religious people of diverse faiths to care for the Earth through education, connection, and advocacy. Since 1999, Faith in Place has worked with over 1,000 houses of worship throughout Illinois to protect our common land, water, and air. With outreach staff working across the state and offices located in Chicago, Lake County, and Central Illinois, Faith in Place inspires faithful people to care for the Earth through our four program areas: Energy & Climate Change, Sustainable Food & Land Use, Water Preservation, and Advocacy.
Gaia Movement: Our mission is to create awareness about the plight of the environment, to educate the public about caring for our planet, humanity and the environment, to run recycling operations and to support environmental projects and programs locally and globally. Gaia is collecting gently used clothes, shoes and other items thus diverting it from the landfills while saving on the resources, reducing greenhouse gasses and providing good clothes for hundreds of thousands of people. Through our green drop off bins we provide a convenient way for people in local communities to drop their unwanted clothes and other items. Through our green bins we constantly make people aware of the need to act environmentally conscious.
One Earth Film Festival: The Midwest's Premier Environmental Film Festival - Stimulate, energize and activate Midwest communities through deep involvement in the One Earth Film Festival, maximizing citizen reach and expanding the movement beyond “greenies.” Movies are shown in various locations in Chicago and surrounding communites such as Oak Park and River Forest.
Technology of Participation (ToP): ToP provides structured facilitation methods to help groups think, talk and work together. The methods (1) Recognize and honor contributors (2) Deal with more data in less time (3) Pool individual contributions into useful patterns and (4) Welcome diversity; minimize conflict.
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List charts
Charts: Lists
This page shows you the list charts. By default, the movies are ordered by how many times they have been marked as a favorite. However, you can also sort by other information, such as the total number of times it has been marked as a dislike.
movie count
user:joe_chris_
IMDb's Top 250
Favs/dislikes: 2508:96. The IMDb top 250 is probably the most well-known movie list in the world. It has earned this reputation through the fact that it has been composed by aggregating the votes of many normal moviegoers. In other words, this is a list by and for the people and not some elite movie-critics list.
Reddit top 250
Favs/dislikes: 1999:121. To reward the help iCheckMovies has received from the reddit.com community with testing our site, we have awarded reddit.com with their own top list. This list was compiled by having reddit.com users choose their favorite movies, of which the top 250 were compiled into this list. [url=https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/87knff/time_to_update_the_reddit_top_250_for_2018_come/]Source[/url]
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
Favs/dislikes: 1718:25. The 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die list is actually a film reference book compiled by various critics worldwide and edited by Steven Jay Schneider. The list spans movies from as early as 1902 up to recent releases. [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1001_Movies_You_Must_See_Before_You_Die]Source[/url]
They Shoot Pictures, Don't They?
Favs/dislikes: 924:12. The They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? 1,000 greatest films list is primarily compiled by using 1,825 individual critics' and filmmakers' best-films-of-all-time lists/ballots. The resulting list is very diverse and spans virtually all movie-producing decades and countries. [url=http://www.theyshootpictures.com/gf1000.htm]Source[/url]
Academy Award Best Pictures
Favs/dislikes: 888:22. The movies on this list have all been awarded a Best Picture Academy Award (also known as an Oscar). The winner is chosen by all members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Award_for_Best_Picture#Winners_and_nominees]Source[/url]
Alfred Hitchcock filmography
Favs/dislikes: 853:20. A list of all feature films directed by Hitchcock. This list excludes the various shorts, TV episodes and lost films he directed.
Pixar feature films
Favs/dislikes: 756:9. A list of all feature films from Pixar Animation Studios.
The 21st Century's Most Acclaimed Films
Favs/dislikes: 738:16. The 21st Century's Most Acclaimed Films list serves as a companion to the They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? 1,000 Greatest Films of all time list which, - by its nature - tends to have very few films from the 21st century in it. The 21st Century's Most Acclaimed Films list attempts to highlight and honour this century's most critically revered films and act as a sort of 'resting bay' for many great films that are likely to be included in the 1,000 Greatest Films list sooner or later. [url=http://www.theyshootpictures.com/21stcentury.htm]Source[/url]
Favs/dislikes: 736:6. Since 1984, the Criterion Collection, has been dedicated to gathering the greatest films from around the world and publishing them in editions that offer the highest technical quality and award-winning, original supplements for a wider and wider audience. The foundation of the collection is the work of such masters of cinema as Kurosawa, Fellini, Bergman, Tarkovsky, Hitchcock, and Kubrick. Each film is presented uncut, in its original aspect ratio, as its maker intended it to be seen. To date, more than 150 filmmakers have made it into the collection. [url=https://www.criterion.com/library/list_view?b=Criterion&m=dvd&s=spine]Source[/url]
Stanley Kubrick's Feature Filmography
Favs/dislikes: 732:12. A list of movies by Stanley Kubrick
jonfje
iCheckMovies - Most Checked
Favs/dislikes: 674:37. The most checked movies on the iCheckMovies.com website.
Studio Ghibli Feature Films
Favs/dislikes: 668:16. Feature films from the award-winning Japanese animation studio.
Roger Ebert: the great movies
Favs/dislikes: 665:10. A list of movies which famous movie critic Roger Ebert considers to be the best movies of all-time. Ebert has written extensive reviews for each and every one of these movies. [url=https://www.rogerebert.com/great-movies]Source[/url]
500 Essential Cult Movies
Favs/dislikes: 586:8. From the book by Jennifer Eiss. The list is arranged by chapter. Each chapter starts with a top 10 (in alphabetical order), followed by the "best of the rest" (in alphabetical order). #1-83: Dramatic Situatons #84-133: Gripping Tales #134-165: Lights, Camera…! #166-228: Visionary Universes #229-280: Criminal Underworlds #281-360: Tales of Terror #361-432: Cult Humor #433-453: The Wild Wild West #454-502: Film Lab [url=https://www.amazon.com/500-Essential-Cult-Movies-Ultimate/dp/1402774869]Source[/url]
Woody Allen filmography
Favs/dislikes: 571:53. A list of all feature films directed and/or written by Woody Allen.
Christopher Nolan Filmography
Favs/dislikes: 554:21.
jfgr
IMDb's 2010s Top 50
Favs/dislikes: 538:37. The best movies of the 2010s.
IMDB Top 1000
Favs/dislikes: 529:15. An extended version of the IMDB top films (found at the site through advanced search) that includes 1000 titles. Lowest rating: 7.5 Last update: March 2018 (previous data: April 2017, March 2016, August 2015, February 2015, September 2014, April 2014, August 2013, March 2013, December 2012) You can check previous versions by clicking the little green chart icon.
lampadatriste
AFI's 100 years...100 movies
Favs/dislikes: 519:4. Through the collective judgment of 1,500 leaders from across the American film community - screenwriters, directors, actors, producers, cinematographers, editors, executives, film historians and critics -, AFI has identified 100 movies which set the standard and mark the excellence of the first century of American cinema. The first version of the list only contained films that were made in the first 100 years of American cinema (1896-1996). However, this list is the updated version. [url=http://www.afi.com/100Years/movies10.aspx]Source[/url]
Disney Animation Canon
Favs/dislikes: 498:9. The following is a list of the animated films that were either entirely produced in-house by Walt Disney Productions prior to 1986, or were produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, formerly known as Walt Disney Feature Animation, after 1986.
spartacus007
Martin Scorsese Filmography
Favs/dislikes: 491:8. A list of shorts, documentaries, and feature films directed by Martin Scorsese.
mikeythecamel
The mindfuck movie list
Favs/dislikes: 483:15. Many definitions exist for defining what makes any given movie a 'mindfuck'. At Class Real we look for movies which have the following elements and themes: -Surreal atmosphere -Identity surprises -Reality surprises -Existentialism -Postmodernism -Time Travel (updated 25/3/14)
mawbey
Steven Spielberg Filmography
Favs/dislikes: 458:10. This is a list of Steven Spielberg's complete filmography as a director. I did not include his short films but I did include Duel because it's the only TV movie he directed that's still available. I also am not including any films currently in production.
mi-16evil
Coen Brothers Filmography
Favs/dislikes: 454:9.
coenbrother
All-Time Worldwide Box office
Favs/dislikes: 451:99. The All-Time Worldwide Box office list includes movies that have grossed over $200,000,000 at the box office during their theatrical runs. Only theatrical box office receipts (movie ticket sales) are included, video rentals, television rights and other revenues are thus ignored. The total may include theatrical re-release receipts. Figures are not adjusted for inflation. [url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/world/]Source[/url]
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Home » Attorneys » David Akerib
Attorneys Search
David Akerib
1-877-JMLAWYER
Admissions & Membership:
New York State Bar Association Member
David Akerib joined the firm of Jacoby & Meyers, LLP in September 1999, as Managing Attorney, after being admitted to the New York State Bar in 1995. David had already been practicing personal injury law since 1995 and came to the firm with four years of Personal Injury experience.
Originally from Singapore, David obtained his Bachelor of Laws Degree (L.L.B.) from the National University of Singapore in 1988. Since obtaining his Law Degree, Mr. Akerib pursued a Master’s in Jewish Philosophy at the Ohr Somayach Institution in Israel and Monsey, New York from 1988 to 1992.
Over the past 13 years with Jacoby & Meyers, David has managed over a Thousand Personal Injury cases from initial contact with an injured party to depositions. The Personal Injury cases that David handles include motor vehicle accidents, trip and falls, dog bite cases, sexual assault, head injuries, construction accidents, and labor law cases.
In addition, David focuses on the needs of the individual client and aims to provide personal service, which include but is not limited to handling No fault issues that arise, resolving liens, Workman’s Compensation or excess Pip, assisting with Medicare issues, arranging reasonable funding, sorting out an intricacy of legal issues, and assisting clients to navigate the complexity of their case. David has arranged meetings with clients whether in upstate New York offices or in the City offices.
Of the many cases that David handled, he was able to successfully resolve over hundreds of cases, about 60-70%, prior to depositions.
The cases are too numerous to list however, a sampling include:
A plaintiff, an immigrant construction worker, falls off a scaffold while on the job at a NYC building project and suffers knee and shoulder tears resulting in the need for surgery. David worked the case up and it subsequently settled at a Mediation for $750,000.
860K settlement from a foster care agency where the plaintiff was a 6 year old minor who suffered third degree burns on her chest resulting in plastic surgery from a hot apple sauce spill. David was able to structure the settlement so that the child would receive 3 million dollars over her lifetime. David was even able to obtain lifetime medical care coverage through the insurance carrier.
60K settlement for a slip and fall on ice on an uncleared sidewalk owned by a municipality. Plaintiff suffered a knee tear with subsequent surgery. This was a difficult case as it was questionable that there was any fault against the municipality that owned the sidewalk.
200K settlement for a 48 year old alarm specialist who lost 2 months from work after falling off a ladder while on the job in a NYC building and suffered a fractured left leg requiring surgery and hardware.
250K settlement for a 50year old plaintiff who was injured while on the job working at a military base.
100K settlement for a 31 year old mail worker who slipped and fell on wet exterior steps sustaining a shoulder tear with surgery, while on the job.
100K settlement for a 58 year old truck driver injured while on the job. The Plaintiff suffered a hernia as a result of the accident and required surgery.
150K settlement for a 38 year old who slipped and fell on ice at a parking lot. Plaintiff was already disabled prior to the accident but suffered a left knee tear with surgery.
175K settlement for a 61 year old tourist who tripped over a raised threshold lip in her hotel room in NYC. Plaintiff suffered a broken elbow requiring surgery.
75K settlement for a 44 year old who fell in a hole in a grassy area, located in the backyard of a home she was renting. Plaintiff suffered an ankle fracture requiring surgery.
450K settlement for a slip and fall on an icy Yonkers sidewalk. A homeowner chose to not put salt or sand down as required, our 25 year old Yonkers client broke 2 bones in his ankle so severely he needed multiple surgeries including the insertion of a metal rod.
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Solicitors For Business
Business Crime
Solicitors For You
Armed Forces Claims
Serious Injury
Liverpool Family Law Office
Lawshare
Sepsis and JMW - your questions answered
Sepsis is an abnormal immune system response to micro-organisms, such as bacteria in your body, that causes damage to internal organs and tissue. In the UK, at least 150,000 people suffer from severe sepsis each year.
Sepsis can develop as the result of common infections such as a chest or urine infection and can affect anyone. Those at particular risk are those with weakened immune systems or other serious conditions, as well as the very young and very old.
Symptoms of sepsis will present differently in adults and children and can be confused with other conditions. In children, the symptoms might include breathing very quickly, having a fit or appearing blue or pale. The child may have a rash that does not fade when you press it or may feel very cold to the touch.
In adults, the symptoms can include confusion, severe shivering or muscle pain and severe breathlessness. Some will suffer discoloured skin and will not be passing urine.
Sepsis can be life-threatening, and people who develop sepsis need hospital treatment immediately as the condition is treatable if caught early enough.
Q&A with JMW’s sepsis expert, senior associate solicitor Steven Brown
1. Are there any complications associated with sepsis?
Sepsis can cause a number of significant medical complications that can mean impairments in the patient’s ability to carry out normal activities of daily living or work.
It can be fatal if treatment is not received quickly enough, and the tissue damage it causes can, in some circumstances, lead to limb amputations. Some patients also suffer permanent organ damage and may need treatment such as dialysis for the rest of their life. Sufferers may also be left with cognitive problems such as memory loss and diffiulties with problem-solving.
In addition, post-sepsis syndrome affects approximately 50 percent of people, a condition that can cause insomnia, nightmares, muscle pains and extreme fatigue.
2. Describe some of the high profile sepsis cases JMW have seen
"Mr B"
Mr B, 54, died after a hospital failed to diagnose sepsis. Mr B attended an urgent care centre with severe abdominal pain and diarrhoea and was referred to A&E where tests revealed signs that he had severe sepsis. The doctor who initially treated Mr B suspected he had a severe infection and planned to provide intravenous antibiotics. While a diagnosis of sepsis was not made at this stage, this plan would have brought the sepsis under control and limited the damage done to his organs. However a short time later Mr B was referred to a more senior doctor who decided intravenous antibiotics were not needed and so Mr B did not receive the treatment that would have saved his life.
Mr B continued to deteriorate and more than eight hours after his admission to hospital the IV antibiotics were provided to him. However, by this point it was too late to successfully treat him and he suffered a cardiac arrest and died.
Mr B’s wife got in touch with JMW, who brought a case against the hospital trust. The hospital admitted failing to diagnose and treat sepsis and agreed to pay Mr B’s family £370,000 in compensation to help them to cope with the financial implications of their loss.
"Mr J"
Mr J, 62, almost died when a hospital failed to treat an infection for five days, causing him to develop severe sepsis and multiple organ failure. A doctor who initially examined Mr J correctly suspected he had an infection in his hip and planned to test for infection and then start antibiotics. However, he was wrongly overruled by a consultant and the blunders that followed meant that Mr J did not receive urgently-needed treatment for five days.
Mr J, came close to death due to the failures and his heart stopped five times. He was in hospital for nine-and-a-half months while he battled to recover. However, his ordeal would have been completely preventable had he been diagnosed and treated when he was first admitted into hospital. Mr J went on to have both his hip joints removed in the wake of the trauma and is now reliant on a wheelchair for mobility, with doubts over whether he will ever be able to walk independently again.
After Mr J sought help from JMW, Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust admitted failing to treat the infection and that this resulted in multiple organ failure, the spread of the infection and the removal of his left hip joint. A compensation settlement was later agreed.
3. How can claiming compensation help those with sepsis?
People who have suffered sepsis may have been left with debilitating injuries that may affect their ability to work or even carry out normal activities of daily living. In addition, if they have a limited income, lack of support network or live in a property that is unsuitable to their new needs and requirements, they may struggle to adjust to life after sepsis.
In a successful claim a claimant will receive compensation to put them in the position they would have been in had the negligence never occurred. Commonly, a significant proportion of compensation will be awarded to pay for support such as home carers or adaptations around the home. If someone needs medical treatment as a result of the negligence then it may be possible to claim the costs on a private basis in the future.
If you, or a loved one, have suffered from sepsis that could have been avoided, our solicitors can help establish whether you are entitled to make a claim.
To speak to a member of our friendly and understanding team about your potential claim, call us today on 0800 054 6512. If you would prefer for us to contact you, simply leave your details via our online enquiry form.
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« When It’s Hard to Believe Life Will Get Better
The Rubik’s Cube »
Lessons from My Younger Son
June 18th, 2012 | Author: Billy
On June 10, 2012, an era came to an end for our family. Beginning eight years ago, in 2004, and continuing every half-year since, either Jonah or Aiden (and often both) has performed in a production at The Play Group Theatre in White Plains, NY. I’ve written extensively about Jonah’s shows there (see “Clown Mensch of White Plains,” parts one and two), but I’ve rarely commented on Aiden’s involvement. As it turns out, both of my boys were profoundly affected and shaped by their time at The Play Group Theatre, and Aiden, now graduated from high school and PGT, has chosen to pursue his drama interest professionally.
Aristotle wrote, “The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” Whenever I sit in the auditorium at PGT, I can’t help but adore what Aiden’s doing onstage and, at the same time, feel Jonah’s presence deep inside. So whenever words are recited or sung, I can’t help but sense the Jonah-connections.
Aiden performed in two shows during this last season. A Sondheim musical and a Shakespeare comedy. A pretty perfect cap to his incredible eight years there. True to form, there were moments that plopped Jonah right down next to me, reminders of how much I miss him and how much I continue to learn from his absence.
Stephen Sondheim’s and James Lapine’s Into the Woods brings together a number of fairy-tale characters on a shared journey beyond happy endings. The show illustrates how many of us get to live beautiful stories, sometimes for a good long while. But being human, life becomes both emotionally and physically complicated, and those become part of our stories too.
In “Lament,” the Witch sings of her daughter’s having just been killed by a Giant. For so many years, the Witch had locked her child away to protect her from a dangerous world. But parents can only succeed at doing that for a brief time. Eventually, our children leave home because they’re supposed to. At one point or another, we no longer take them to school; they ride the bus. At one point or another, they go away for a vacation, or camp, or a school trip, without us. And then, at one point or another, college (or some other post-high school adventure) comes along, and our kids begin the process that will carry them into their independent-of-us, rest-of-their lives. Sometimes, they don’t make it. An illness, an accident. And their story ends. All the possibilities, all the brightness – finished. And it can happen to anyone. It happens a lot. “This is the world I meant,” the Witch sings. “Couldn’t you listen? Couldn’t you stay content, safe behind walls?”
And then she points out the most difficult lesson for us parents: “Children can only grow from something you love, to something you lose!” In its best expression, this is what makes parents into “empty nesters.” Children, grown and matured, begin new lives for themselves, with new partners and children of their own to love – elsewhere. We phone, we visit, but their lives are away from us. It’s as things should be, and we learn to appreciate that. But sometimes we lose our children to illness and to death. They go elsewhere, and we have to learn to live with that. And to appreciate what we had. And also to appreciate what still remains – memories, love, and those things we do to try and build something good, something positive, on top of all we’ve lost.
Aiden, “Into the Woods”
Toward the end of the show, Aiden, playing the role of the Mysterious Man, counsels his son about running away from the mess his life has become (something the Mysterious Man knows much about, having done so for nearly a lifetime … something I also know about, having experienced a pain that no one would wish to own). But the Mysterious Man points out, “Trouble is, son, the farther you run the more you feel undefined for what you have left undone and, more, what you have left behind.” So we continue to show up. Show up for life. To make our contribution. To take our fill. And to honor our dead by not allowing our love for them to disappear.
The Mysterious Man’s son is shocked to be speaking with his father who he had watched die. “I thought you were dead,” the son asks. “Not completely,” comes the response. This may be the most difficult question of all. Not merely in terms of the afterlife, but in how we live after the life of someone we love has fled. For three years, I have been the curator of Jonah’s memories, writing down stories, archiving photographs and carefully preserving memorabilia. Starting this past April, our family established The Jonah Maccabee Foundation. Its mission is to assist young people in growing good lives for themselves. Suddenly, I’m not just looking back at Jonah but I’m carrying his memory forward. And his memory is carrying me, as that irrepressible spirit of his seems to defy even death by helping me to reach out and do something good with all of this. Maybe we don’t have to completely die.
Even closer to the show’s end, Cinderella comforts Little Red Riding Hood, who has experienced violent deception and loss in her young life. “Sometimes people leave you halfway through the wood.” Of course, I think only of Jonah, who has indeed left us far too soon. Part of me feels forever lost inside those woods, fearful of continuing the journey without him. Cinderella tempers the harsh lesson by offering these words of comfort, “But no one is alone.” And she’s right. I’ve learned throughout this sad course of events that in the worst of it, humanity is a pretty caring crowd. There’s always someone to offer a leg up, or a warming embrace. We may have to climb out of our basement depressions to see them, but good people are rarely far away.
In Aiden’s final PGT production, Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, he plays Lysander, one of four lovers whose story wends a most confusing path through a different woods, and whose ending finds all things set right. I’m tempted to dismiss this as another fairy-tale, but who’s to say what’s possible and what’s not? We all lose some (even much) of what is dear to us. But we don’t lose it all. The great challenge in life is to find a happy ending despite abundant detours and traumas along the way. We’re all in the woods where, yes, there is much to fear but much beauty as well.
The fairy king, Oberon, completes Shakespeare’s fantasy with these words. “Now, until the break of day, through this house each fairy stray. To the best bride-bed will we, which by us shall blessed be, and the issue there create ever shall be fortunate. So shall all the couples three ever true in loving be, and the blots of Nature’s hand shall not in their issue stand. Never mole, hare lip, nor scar, nor mark prodigious, such as are despised in nativity, shall upon their children be. With this field-dew consecrate, every fairy take his gait, and each several chamber bless, through this palace, with sweet peace. And the owner of it blest ever shall in safety rest.”
I have lost my middle child just as his life was emerging into shimmering adulthood. Now, my youngest, his friends beside him, has stepped forward to teach me that life has not come to an end. Nor has beauty. Nor has love. And while, in time, there will be more sadnesses (for we are fragile beings), there is no reason we shouldn’t feel that our house is watched over and blessed by the most generous of angels. Jonah was a sight and a joy to behold, and now his physical essence is gone. But the beauty and the laughter he once unstintingly shared, these remain with us forever. As do Aiden, Katie, Ellen, Charlie, my friends, my colleagues, my communities, and a phenomenally exquisite planet upon which to experience it all.
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QuakeSim and NASA Mobile App Win NASA Software Award
NuSTAR Celebrates First 100 Days
Dawn Sees Hydrated Minerals on Giant Asteroid
PASADENA, Calif. - NASA's Dawn spacecraft has revealed that the giant asteroid Vesta has its own version of ring around the collar. Two new papers based on observations from the low-altitude mapping orbit of the Dawn mission show that volatile, or easily evaporated materials, have colored Vesta's surface in a broad swath around its equator.
Pothole-like features mark some of the asteroid's surface where the volatiles, likely water, released from hydrated minerals boiled off. While Dawn did not find actual water ice at Vesta, there are signs of hydrated minerals delivered by meteorites and dust evident in the giant asteroid's chemistry and geology. The findings appear today in the journal Science.
One paper, led by Thomas Prettyman, the lead scientist for Dawn's gamma ray and neutron detector (GRaND) at the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Ariz., describes how the instrument found signatures of hydrogen, likely in the form of hydroxyl or water bound to minerals in Vesta's surface.
"The source of the hydrogen within Vesta's surface appears to be hydrated minerals delivered by carbon-rich space rocks that collided with Vesta at speeds slow enough to preserve their volatile content," said Prettyman.
A complementary paper, led by Brett Denevi, a Dawn participating scientist based at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., describes the presence of pitted terrain created by the release of the volatiles.
Vesta is the second most massive member of the main asteroid belt. The orbit at which these data were obtained averaged about 130 miles (210 kilometers) above the surface. Dawn left Vesta earlier this month, on Sept. 4 PDT (Sept. 5 EDT), and is now on its way to its second target, the dwarf planet Ceres.
Scientists thought it might be possible for water ice to survive near the surface around the giant asteroid's poles. Unlike Earth's moon, however, Vesta has no permanently shadowed polar regions where ice might survive. The strongest signature for hydrogen in the latest data came from regions near the equator, where water ice is not stable.
In some cases, other space rocks crashed into these deposits later at high speed. The heat from the collisions converted the hydrogen bound to the minerals into water, which evaporated. The holes that were left as the water escaped stretch as much as 0.6 miles (1 kilometer) across and go down as deep as 700 feet (200 meters). Seen in images from Dawn's framing camera, this pitted terrain is best preserved in sections of Marcia crater.
"The pits look just like features seen on Mars, but while water was common on Mars, it was totally unexpected on Vesta in these high abundances," said Denevi. "These results provide evidence that not only were hydrated materials present, but they played an important role in shaping the asteroid's geology and the surface we see today."
GRaND's data are the first direct measurements describing the elemental composition of Vesta's surface. Dawn's elemental investigation by the instrument determined the ratios of iron to oxygen and iron to silicon in the surface materials. The new findings solidly confirm the connection between Vesta and a class of meteorites found on Earth called the Howardite, Eucrite and Diogenite meteorites, which have the same ratios for these elements. In addition, more volatile-rich fragments of other objects have been identified in these meteorites, which supports the idea that the volatile-rich material was deposited on Vesta.
The Dawn mission is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. It is a project of the Discovery Program managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. UCLA is responsible for overall mission science. Orbital Sciences Corporation of Dulles, Va., designed and built the Dawn spacecraft.
The framing cameras were developed and built under the leadership of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany, with contributions by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Institute of Planetary Research, Berlin, and in coordination with the Institute of Computer and Communication Network Engineering, Braunschweig. The framing camera project is funded by the Max Planck Society, DLR and NASA. The gamma ray and neutron detector instrument was built by Los Alamos National Laboratory, N.M., and is operated by the Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, Ariz.
JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena.
To view new images and for more information about Dawn, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/dawn and http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov .
Jia-Rui C. Cook 818-354-0850
jccook@jpl.nasa.gov
Dwayne Brown 202-358-1726
dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov
Hydrogen Hot Spots on Vesta
JPL's coverage of the Mars InSight mission is among the efforts that will be up for an award in mid-September.
Researchers are studying whether a wonder material used in Mars rovers could help warm parts of the Red Planet rich in water ice.
Working like a finely honed machine, a team of engineers in this time-lapse video clip install test wheels on another finely honed machine: NASA's Mars 2020 rover.
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Nine people shot at Mantua barbecue
by Mark Fazlollah, Inquirer Staff Writer, Posted: June 20, 2015
Nine people were shot, including a baby and two children, during a barbecue Saturday night in Philadelphia's Mantua section, police said.
The shotgun blasts left the three juveniles and three of the six male adult victims in stable condition at West Philadelphia hospitals late Saturday night, police said. Two other male victims arrived at Hahnemann University Hospital with minor wounds and were to be released, authorities. The condition of a last victim could not be immediately learned.
Photo Gallery: Nine people shot at Mantua barbecue
The shooting took place about 9:50 p.m. near 41st and Ogden Streets in the 16th District, authorities said.
Detectives said it appeared that the barbecue - involving as many as 50 people - had been fired upon by one shooter, who fired two buckshot blasts from a shotgun. He fired from the street, they said, but may have arrived or left in a car. "There were a lot of people out there," Lt. John Walker, of Southwest Detectives, said Saturday night, saying the toll could have been even higher.
No immediate arrests were made.
Tracy Stewart, who lives on 41st Street across the street from the shooting scene, said she and her husband, Martin, assisted the 18-month-old girl, who police said suffered a graze wound to neck. Police arrived and took the child to the hospital.
A boy, 12, was shot in the chest, police said. The other young victim - a 11-year-old girl - sustained graze wounds to the left knee and right shoulder, police said. Apart from the men who arrived at Hahnemann, the adult victims included a 22-year-old man shot in the right arm, a 26-year-old man shot in the left side, and a 46-year-old man shot in the left leg, all in stable condition. The condition of the ninth victim, shot multiple times, was not immediately clear.
A spokeswoman for Penn Health System said seven of the victims were taken to the emergency room at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. Police said the baby and children were being treated at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and four men at Presbyterian.
Posted: June 20, 2015 - 11:28 PM
Mark Fazlollah, Inquirer Staff Writer
Newsletters: Inquirer Morning Headlines
Inquirer Morning Headlines
Michael Weissenstein and Joel Colon, Associated Press
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Facebook Fake News Writers: Here’s How Much They Earn By Posting Hoax Articles
Lorenzo Tanos
Ever wonder how much the writers of those Facebook fake news articles earn? Is it really possible to earn a comfortable living picking trending topics, thinking of a sensationalist and false spin to those topics, and passing the hoax article off as legitimate news? A new report claims that writing these articles could earn their creators thousands of dollars in advertising revenue per month.
Earlier this week, tech giants Google (through parent company Alphabet) and Facebook announced crackdowns on bogus news reports, with both firms announcing initiatives designed to hit the fake news writers where it hurts – their wallet. According to Business Insider, Google is working on a policy change that would prohibit websites with fake content from earning via its AdSense advertising platform. Facebook’s anti-fake news initiatives focused on changing its advertising policies to classify hoax websites as having “deceptive and misleading” content.
Following accusations that Facebook helped elect Donald Trump as U.S. President, company CEO Mark Zuckerberg spoke out on the issue in the aftermath of the 2016 U.S. presidential elections, saying that the percentage of phony articles on the platform was too small to have influenced the elections’ outcome.
“Of all the content on Facebook, more than 99 percent of what people see is authentic. Only a very small amount is fake news and hoaxes.”
However, Facebook posts promoting fake news aren’t limited to American events and target readers. A report from the New York Times talked about how the trend is “often stronger overseas,” and how readers from developing countries are often more easily fooled into believing the hoax articles and images. One example took place in the Philippines, where a supporter of President Rodrigo Duterte published a photo of a young girl’s corpse, with the girl purportedly having been raped and murdered by a drug dealer. Although it was revealed that the photo actually originated from Brazil, many of Duterte’s supporters still saw the photo as justification for the Philippine president’s allegedly violent war on illegal drugs.
But how much do these Facebook-based fake news writers earn? According to the Washington Post, the amount of money could reach as much as $5,000 to $10,000 per month. The publication cited an interview it had with Paul Horner, the owner of an ersatz ABC News site that impersonates the news network’s logo and has a very credible-looking URL, as well as an authentic, if “rudimentary” interface. According to Horner, he makes “like $10,000 a month” worth of AdSense advertising revenue.
That’s about twice the amount of money several Macedonian teenagers make by purveying fake news on U.S. events. BuzzFeed‘s Craig Silverman spoke to one of those teens, who said fake Donald Trump news articles could earn them as much as $5,000 a month.
The Washington Post interviewed Horner earlier this week, as the 38-year-old Facebook fake news “impresario” took credit for Donald Trump’s election victory.
“Honestly, people are definitely dumber. They just keep passing stuff around. Nobody fact-checks anything anymore — I mean, that’s how Trump got elected. He just said whatever he wanted, and people believed everything, and when the things he said turned out not to be true, people didn’t care because they’d already accepted it. It’s real scary. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
While Zuckerberg was vehement in denying the role of hoax articles in assisting Trump’s election day victory, it cannot be denied that Facebook users shared tons of fake news articles in the run-up to the elections. The Washington Post mentioned a report claiming Pope Francis endorsed Trump as president in an official statement that had gotten more than 100,000 shares. Even more egregiously, the article “FBI AGENT SUSPECTED IN HILLARY EMAIL LEAKS FOUND DEAD IN APPARENT MURDER-SUICIDE” (capitalized accordingly for sensationalism) got over 500,000 shares, while a twist on the “Ending the Fed” hoax was shared over 900,000 times.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. [Image by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]
Additionally, the Post looked at how easy it is for fake news writers to make much more than legitimate writers do. Even if some of their sites are “tough to look at” with poorly-formatted articles and writers having a tenuous grasp of the English language, all it takes is just one click, as well as a way for these content creators to share their pieces.
That platform, in most cases, was Facebook. Fake news writers were able to dupe thousands of people into sharing their work, but according to the Washington Post, these people included some “political personalities connected to the Trump campaign,” who bought into the hoaxes and shared the articles anyway.
According to New School associate professor of media design David Carroll, this added unwanted credibility to the fake news writers, yet lined their pockets with even more money. He believes that fake news shares from Trump campaign officials on social media could have netted writers up to $10,000 worth of revenue for the share. As such, writers have a “huge economic incentive” to create bogus stories on the Internet.
But even with Google and Facebook’s fake news crackdowns potentially costing them a good deal of revenue, Carroll added that their recent crackdowns still “show an initial willingness” to sacrifice money in the name of legitimate content.
[Featured Image by marekuliasz/iStock]
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UK 'second most popular country'
Positive views of the United Kingdom have risen, making it the second most popular country in the world.
The BBC World Service Country Rating Poll asked nearly 29,000 people to rate the global influence of 16 major nations and the European Union.
The UK's positive rating rose from 53% in 2010 to 58% this year. It is the first time it has been the runner-up in the annual poll.
Negative views of the UK decreased by 2%, now standing at 17%. Of the 27 countries polled, 24 lean positive towards the UK while two, Pakistan and Mexico, have overall negative views of the UK. One country, Turkey, remains divided.
Those with the most positive views of the UK were the US, at 80%, followed by Australia at 79% and Canada at 69%.
Germany was the most positively viewed nation overall, with 63% of those surveyed rating its influence as positive.
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Knife Angel to go on display at Liverpool Cathedral
The Knife Angel, a sculpture which stands 27ft high, will be installed outside Liverpool Cathedral on Thursday (29 November) and will remain in place until 31 January 2019. Created by Alfie Bradley, it is memorial to those whose lives have been affected by knife crime.
A national monument against violence and aggression, Alfie has designed and created the artwork single-handedly at the British Ironworks Centre. 100,000 knives were surrendered and collected during nationwide amnesties in 2015/2016. The Centre provided knife banks for the amnesty with 43 police forces across the country involved.
Dr Sue Jones, Dean of Liverpool said: “Sadly scarcely a day goes by without hearing another tragic story of knife crime. Through hosting the Knife Angel at Liverpool Cathedral we want to show solidarity with the victims of this crime and make a powerful statement to everyone who comes to visit.
“As people encounter the artwork, we hope this helps them make sense of the issues it raises by coming in, lighting a candle or reflecting in one of our chapels. We will continue to pray for peace in our city and beyond.
“As well as standing alongside all those affected by knife crime we want to urge those who carry knives to recognise the pain they cause themselves and others as we work to a day when we truly see peace in our streets.”
Rob Jackson has been instrumental in bringing in the Knife Angel to Liverpool Cathedral. In his role as a nurse clinician at the Royal Liverpool Hospital has spoken to 95,000 young people across the area of the realities of being involved with knife crime.
Inspired by the story of the attempt to site the Knife Angel in Trafalgar Square, Rob contacted Clive Knowles CEO of the British Ironworks Centre to see about coming to Liverpool. He said:
“We’re hoping that by bringing the Knife Angel to Liverpool Cathedral it opens the debate about knife crime and its impact. It’s not about scaring people, but to get them to start talking about its effect on real people, something I witness in my job on a regular basis.
"This is about prevention of knife crime, using the Knife Angel so people to understand how carrying a knife and the reality of knife crime will not only affect other people but them personally.”
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Economy Economics
What Is a Monopoly?
A monopoly refers to when a company and its product offerings dominate one sector or industry. Monopolies can be considered an extreme result of free-market capitalism in that absent any restriction or restraints, a single company or group becomes large enough to own all or nearly all of the market (goods, supplies, commodities, infrastructure, and assets) for a particular type of product or service. The term monopoly is often used to describe an entity that has total or near-total control of a market.
What's a Monopoly?
Understanding Monopolies
Monopolies typically have an unfair advantage over their competition since they are either the only provider of a product or control most of the market share or customers for their product. Although monopolies might differ from industry-to-industry, they tend to share similar characteristics that include:
High or no barriers to entry: Competitors are not able to enter the market, and the monopoly can easily prevent competition from developing their foothold in an industry by acquiring the competition.
Single seller: There is only one seller in the market, meaning the company becomes the same as the industry it serves.
Price maker: The company that operates the monopoly decides the price of the product that it will sell without any competition keeping their prices in check. As a result, monopolies can raise prices at will.
Economies of scale: A monopoly often can produce at a lower cost than smaller companies. Monopolies can buy huge quantities of inventory, for example, usually a volume discount. As a result, a monopoly can lower its prices so much that smaller competitors can't survive. Essentially, monopolies can engage in price wars due to their scale of their manufacturing and distribution networks such as warehousing and shipping, that can be done at lower costs than any of the competitors in the industry.
A monopoly refers to when a company and its product offerings dominate one sector or industry.
Monopolies can be considered an extreme result of free-market capitalism and are often used to describe an entity that has total or near-total control of a market.
Natural monopolies can exist when there are high barriers to entry; a company has a patent on their products, or is allowed by governments to provide essential services.
Pure Monopolies
A company with a pure monopoly means that a company is the only seller in a market with no other close substitutes. For many years, Microsoft Corporation had a monopoly on the software and operating systems that are used in computers. Also, with pure monopolies, there are high barriers to entry, such as significant start-up costs preventing competitors from entering the market.
When there are multiple sellers in an industry with many similar substitutes for the goods being produced and companies retain some power in the market, it's referred to as monopolistic competition. In this scenario, an industry has many businesses that offer similar products or services, but their offerings are not perfect substitutes.
In a monopolistic competitive industry, barriers to entry and exit are typically low, and companies try to differentiate themselves through price cuts and marketing efforts. However, since the products offered are so similar between the different competitors, it's difficult for consumers to tell which product is better. Some examples of monopolistic competition include retail stores, restaurants, and hair salons.
Natural Monopolies
A natural monopoly can develop when a company becomes a monopoly due to high fixed or start-up costs in an industry. Also, natural monopolies can arise in industries that require unique raw materials, technology, or it's a specialized industry where only one company can meet the needs.
Companies that have patents on their products, which prevents competition from developing the same product in a specific field can have a natural monopoly. Patents allow the company to earn a profit for several years without fear of competition to help recoup the investment, high start-up, and research and development (R&D) costs that the company incurred. Pharmaceutical or drug companies are often allowed patents and a natural monopoly to promote innovation and research.
There are also public monopolies set up by governments to provide essential services and goods, such as the U.S. Postal Service (though of course, the USPS has less of a monopoly on mail delivery since the advent of private carriers like United Parcel Service and FedEx).
The utilities industry is where natural or government-allowed monopolies flourish. Usually, there is only one major (private) company supplying energy or water in a region or municipality. The monopoly is allowed because these suppliers incur large costs in producing power or water and providing these essentials to each local household and business, and it is considered more efficient for there to be a sole provider of these services.
Imagine what a neighborhood would look like if there were more than one electric company serving an area. The streets would be overrun with utility poles and electrical wires as the different companies compete to sign up customers, hooking up their power lines to houses. Although natural monopolies are allowed in the utility industry, the tradeoff is that the government heavily regulates and monitors these companies. Regulations can control the rates that utilities charge its customers, and the timing of any rate increases.
Why Are Monopolies Illegal?
A monopoly is characterized by the absence of competition, which can lead to high costs for consumers, inferior products and services, and corrupt behavior. A company that dominates a business sector or industry can use that dominance to its advantage, and at the expense of others. It can create artificial scarcities, fix prices, and circumvent natural laws of supply and demand. It can impede new entrants into the field, discriminate and inhibit experimentation or new product development, while the public—robbed of the recourse of using a competitor—is at its mercy. A monopolized market often becomes an unfair, unequal, and inefficient.
Mergers and acquisitions among companies in the same business are highly regulated and researched for this reason. Firms are typically forced to divest assets if federal authorities believe a proposed merger or takeover will violate anti-monopoly laws. By divesting assets, it allows competitors to enter the market by those assets, which can include plant and equipment and customers.
Antitrust laws and regulations are put in place to discourage monopolistic operations— protecting consumers, prohibiting practices that restrain trade, and ensuring a marketplace remains open and competitive.
In 1890, the Sherman Antitrust Act became the first legislation passed by the U.S. Congress to limit monopolies. The Sherman Antitrust Act had strong support by Congress, passing the Senate with a vote of 51 to 1 and passing the House of Representatives unanimously 242 to 0.
In 1914, two additional antitrust pieces of legislation were passed to help protect consumers and prevent monopolies. The Clayton Antitrust Act created new rules for mergers and corporate directors, and also listed specific examples of practices that would violate the Sherman Act. The Federal Trade Commission Act created the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which sets standards for business practices and enforces the two antitrust acts, along with the Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice.
The laws are intended to preserve competition and allow smaller companies to enter a market, and not to merely suppress strong companies.
Breaking Up Monopolies
The Sherman Antitrust Act has been used to break up large companies over the years, including Standard Oil Company and American Tobacco Company.
In 1994, the U.S. government accused Microsoft of using its significant market share in the PC operating systems business to prevent competition and maintain a monopoly. The complaint, filed on July 15, 1994, stated that "The United States of America, acting under the direction of the Attorney General of the United States, brings this civil action to prevent and restrain the defendant Microsoft Corporation from using exclusionary and anticompetitive contracts to market its personal computer operating system software. By these contracts, Microsoft has unlawfully maintained its monopoly of personal computer operating systems and has an unreasonably restrained trade."
A federal district judge ruled in 1998 that Microsoft was to be broken into two technology companies, but the decision was later reversed on appeal by a higher court. The controversial outcome was that, despite a few changes, Microsoft was free to maintain its operating system, application development, and marketing methods.
The most prominent monopoly breakup in U.S. history was that of AT&T. After being allowed to control the nation's telephone service for decades, as a government-supported monopoly, the giant telecommunications company found itself challenged under antitrust laws. In 1982, after an eight-year court battle, AT&T had to divest itself of 22 local exchange service companies, and it has been forced to sell off assets or split units several times since.
Why Natural Monopolies are Allowed
A natural monopoly is the domination of an industry or sector that is a result of the high fixed or start-up costs of operating a business.
The Characteristics of Monopolistic Markets
A monopolistic market is typically dominated by one supplier and exhibits characteristics such as high prices and excessive barriers to entry.
Antitrust Laws: Keeping Healthy Competition in the Marketplace
Antitrust laws apply to virtually all industries and to every level of business, including manufacturing, transportation, distribution, and marketing.
Celler-Kefauver Act
The Celler-Kefauver Act strengthened powers granted by the Clayton Act to prevent mergers that could possibly result in reduced competition.
Monopolistic Competition Definition
Monopolistic competition characterizes an industry in which many firms offer products or services that are similar, but not perfect substitutes.
A gorilla is a company that has managed to dominate an industry or sector without necessarily achieving a monopoly.
Understanding Antitrust Laws
Sectors & Industries Analysis
A History Of U.S. Monopolies
What Are the Characteristics of a Monopolistic Market?
What's the Difference Between a Monopoly and an Oligopoly?
Monopoly vs. Monopsony: What's the Difference?
Perfect vs. Imperfect Competition: What's the Difference?
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Best Customer Marketing
Prize Competitions
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» United Nations
» U.N. Security Council
United Nations Sanctions Committee Presents Recent Cases of Reported Violations by Iran
Multilateral Organizations » United Nations » U.N. Security Council
The head of the Security Council committee monitoring the arms embargo imposed on Iran over its nuclear programme today said new cases of sanctions violation have been brought to its attention during the past three months.
In his quarterly report, covering the period between 21 December 2011 and 20 March 2012, Ambassador NÃstor Osorio of Colombia, noted that on 28 February, four Member States submitted a report regarding a violation of the resolution prohibiting Iran from carrying out activities related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, in the wake of Iran's launch of a Navid satellite into space using its own space launch vehicle.
A Member State had also provided information on the results of inspections carried out on material confiscated in February last year from a truck on Iran's border with Syria; while another Member State had brought to the committee's attention a public statement by the Secretary-General of Hizbollah, dated 7 February, in which he acknowledged that his group had received "materialistic support in all possible and available forms from Iran."
Mr. Osorio's report also mentioned a Member State which had informed the committee about the transfer to Iran of items "intended for nuclear power plants with light-water reactor."
Iran's nuclear programme - which its officials have stated is for peaceful purposes, but some other countries contend is driven by military ambitions - has been a matter of international concern since the discovery in 2003 that the country had concealed its nuclear activities for 18 years in breach of its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
The resolution under which the Security Council committee was established - resolution 1737 of December 2006 - banned trade with Iran in all items, materials, equipment, goods and technology which could contribute to the country's enrichment-related, reprocessing or heavy water-related activities, or to the development of nuclear-weapon delivery systems.
Resolution 1747 of the following year tightened the sanctions by imposing a ban on arms sales and expanding the freeze on assets.
The Council imposed further sanctions against Iran in resolution 1803 in 2008. These included the inspection of cargo suspected of carrying prohibited goods, the tighter monitoring of financial institutions and the extension of travel bans and asset freezes, over its nuclear programme.
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Location: Home > Health and Safety > Publications > Lift Trucks > Safety Program: Guideline for Safe Operation of Powered Lift Trucks
Table of Contents | Print This Page
Safety Program
Issued: July 1999
Content last reviewed: June 2009
Analysis of the accidents in the Ministry's 1996 study revealed a wide variety of immediate causes (collisions, shifting loads, tip-overs), but generally the same root cause: the lack of an effective safety program. Workers were poorly trained; supervision was inadequate; and the work and workplace were not organized with safety in mind. The result was unsafe work practices that made an accident almost inevitable. The development and implementation of a program to address these problems is an obvious first step towards improving powered-lift-truck safety.
While it may be tempting to see truck operators as responsible for accidents and thus better training for them as the way to safe lift truck operations, it is important to recognize that training, although essential, will not be enough to eliminate accidents. To be most effective, operator training should be part of a larger comprehensive powered-lift-truck safety program. This program should include the following elements:
training (of both truck operators and those working near lift trucks)
maintenance and repair procedures
facility design
lift truck selection criteria.
Although the employer is responsible for implementation of the program, it will likely be more effective if all the workplace parties are involved in its development. The joint health and safety committee or health and safety representative, where there is one, along with supervisors and workers should all be involved not only in the development of rules and procedures to prevent injuries, but in identifying the causes of accidents and "near misses", and the monitoring of lift-truck-safety improvements.
Clause 25(2)(d) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) requires an employer to "acquaint a worker or a person in authority over a worker with any hazard in the work… ." This means that the employer at a workplace where there is a powered lift truck must identify all hazards associated with the truck as it used in the workplace. In practical terms, the following measures and procedures should be carried out:
Identify the ways in which a worker who operates or works around a powered lift truck could be harmed or injured, taking into consideration the equipment that will be used, the jobs to be done and the workplace environment.
Prepare a written report that mentions all the potential sources of harm or injury identified in step one above. This report can be used to inform workers about the hazards in their work (as required by clause 25(2)(d) of the OHSA).
Periodically review the hazard assessment, in case there is a significant change in how the work is carried out, and make appropriate changes to the written report if necessary.
Both workers and supervisors should be involved in the hazard identification process. It should include a review of information provided by the lift truck's manufacturer, an analysis of work processes and a consideration of accident and injury data. If there is a concern that the workplace does not have sufficient expertise, advice should be sought from the relevant safe workplace association or other safety specialists.
Clause 25(2)(a) of the OHSA places an obligation on an employer to "provide information, instruction and supervision to a worker to protect the health or safety of the worker". Regulation 851 is more specific and states that a lifting device is only to be operated by a competent person. "Competent person" is defined by the OHSA as someone who:
is qualified because of his knowledge, training, and experience to organize the work and its performance,
is familiar with the provisions of this Act and the regulations that apply to the work, and
has knowledge of any potential or actual danger to health or safety in the workplace.
An employer has a clear duty to establish the competence of the worker who is to operate a powered lift truck, either through training or in some other way. What this entails in practice is explained in Section 4 of this Guideline. Through training an operator should learn: the fundamentals of powered lift trucks, how environmental conditions can affect lift-truck performance, basic lift-truck operating skills, and the rules and practices for safe lift-truck operation. The training should include practice sessions, under the supervision of a qualified trainer, on load handling, maneuvering, travelling, stopping, and starting. Appendix III is an outline of the knowledge and skills (in terms of learning outcomes) that a truck operator should acquire through a successful training program. The Canadian Standards Association also has a training standard (Industrial Lift Truck Operator Training B335-94, [updated to B335-04]), which may be useful in designing or evaluating training programs. (View CSA standards)
In addition to ensuring that the operator of a powered lift truck is appropriately trained, an employer has a responsibility to those whose work in the vicinity of a lift truck may place them at risk. The following measures are suggested:
For each potential source of harm or injury noted in the hazard identification (above), prepare written rules and procedures for preventing accidents and injuries.
Ensure that all supervisors and workers who work around lift trucks have been informed of the hazards, instructed in the rules and procedures to avoid harm, and know where the written rules and procedures are located.
inform supervisors and workers of any revisions to the rules and procedures arising from changes in the work.
Clause 25(2)(c) of the OHSA states that an employer must appoint a competent person as a supervisor. For powered lift truck operations, this means someone who, through training and experience, knows the hazards associated with: the type of lift truck being used, the loads being handled and the environment in which the truck will be operated. A competent supervisor must also be able to identify unsafe acts and conditions and implement corrective measures. Employers, for their part, should encourage supervisors to be vigilant in identifying hazardous situations and correcting them immediately when they are detected.
As a minimum, employers should ensure that the following existing regulatory requirements are complied with:
no part of a load must pass over any worker;
a lift truck left unattended must be immobilized and secured against accidental movement and forks, buckets or other attachments must be in the lowered position or firmly supported;
no load may exceed the maximum rated load and loads must be handled in accordance with the height and weight restrictions on the vehicle's load chart;
when a load is in the raised position, the controls must be attended by an operator;
if an operator does not have a clear view, a signaller who has been instructed in a code of signals for managing traffic in the workplace must be used;
loads must be carried as close to the ground or floor as the situation permits;
loads that may tip or fall and endanger a worker must be secured;
where a lift truck is required to enter or exit a vehicle to load or unload, that vehicle must be immobilized and secured against accidental movement;
a lift truck must not be used to support, raise or lower a worker on a construction site and must only be so used in an industrial establishment if the work is carried out in accordance with Regulation 851 (Section 52);
barriers, warning signs, designated walkways or other safeguards must be provided where pedestrians are exposed to the risk of collision.
In addition to the safe operating procedures above, which apply to all workplaces, a second set of rules and safe operating procedures should be developed and implemented to address hazards that are specific to the workplace where the lift truck is to be used.
The operating procedures should include a truck inspection to be carried out at the beginning of the truck operator's shift. A checklist, to facilitate this pre-shift inspection, should be developed. It should cover fork condition and wear; tire condition and pressure; fluid and fuel levels; battery condition and electrolyte levels; steering, brake, and limit switch operation; and cleanliness. The operator should also examine the chains and mast; check for damage or leaks; and inspect the condition of the lift mechanism. Any defects should be reported to the operator's supervisor.
The OHSA, in clause 25(1)(b), places a general duty on employers to ensure that equipment is maintained in good condition. When the equipment is a lifting device, clause 51(1)(a) of Regulation 851 states that it must be constructed and equipped in a way to adequately ensure the safety of all workers; clause 51(1)(b) deals with its lifting capacity. The only way to ensure these requirements are being met is through a periodic inspection and, where necessary, repair and maintenance of the equipment (powered lift truck). The repair and maintenance should focus on worker safety, not just for the truck's load-handling characteristics, but for all aspects of the truck's operations. The points that should be covered in a regular powered-lift-truck inspection are listed in Appendix IV. Repair and maintenance are more fully discussed in Section 5 of this Guideline.
Poor workplace design can contribute to accidents and injuries. Employers should ensure that the following measures are taken as a minimum:
Overhead and side clearances (at loading docks, through doorways and in rooms) are adequate to permit the safe operation of the lift truck.
Floors, aisles and passageways are kept clear and free of hazards.
The workplace is adequately ventilated to prevent the accumulation of vapours from the refueling and operation of lift trucks.
Lift Truck Selection Criteria
It is important to develop criteria for the selection of trucks for use in a particular workplace. Different trucks are designed and manufactured to operate in different work environments and the hazards associated with the use of a specific powered lift truck will depend on its type, make, and model. Steps must therefore be taken to ensure that the fire hazard designation, carrying capacity, reach capabilities and the features of the lift truck selected to do a job are suitable for the types of loads to be handled, the terrain over which loads will be carried, the atmospheric conditions in the workplace and the design of the workplace. Gas-, petrol- or diesel-powered lift trucks should not be used where explosive concentrations of combustible dusts, flammable gases or flammable vapours may be present or in areas where exhaust gases may accumulate creating a hazard of carbon monoxide poisoning, for example.
To protect operators and other workers, every lift truck should have clearly displayed information showing the maximum rated load and the variation of the rated safe load capacity with the reach of the equipment. If a truck has been modified, the information should be revised to reflect new load ratings. Every truck should also be equipped with the following:
a suitable screen, guard, grill or other structure to protect the operator from falling or intruding materials (which may be mandatory under clause 54(1)(b) of Regulation 851; see Appendix I);
warning devices and lights that are appropriate for the work environment; and
a seat belt or other restraining device that is likely to contribute to the safety of the operator, if it is feasible.
Last Modified: January 06 2011
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Peter Nix pours a bag of coal onto a blanket at the B.C. legislature Tuesday
Coal exports boom, climate worries bloom
Jan. 25, 2011 8:00 p.m.
With coal exports booming and more mines opening in northeastern B.C., federal and provincial officials are looking for ways to fast-track an expansion of Prince Rupert port facilities to keep up.
Demand for metallurgical coal and other minerals is rising globally, and what capacity was left at Ridley Terminals in Prince Rupert has been taken up by a contract announced last week with U.S. producer Arch Coal for shipments sent by rail from Wyoming.
Speaking to reporters from a mining conference in Vancouver Tuesday, B.C. Minister of State for Mines Randy Hawes said even without the U.S. coal shipments, the remaining capacity at Ridley wouldn’t be enough to keep up with demand that has now emerged.
Mines in the Tumbler Ridge area have reopened, new ones have been developed and Teck Resources is studying whether to reopen the Quintette coal mine that closed in 2000.
Ridley Terminals has indicated it could accelerate an expansion planned for 2015 to 2012, and federal Transport Minister Chuck Strahl is looking at ways to finance it, Hawes said.
The federally-owned Ridley port has been “swamped with demand” as commodity producers discover it is the shortest ocean route to Asia-Pacific markets, he said, and government marketing of the Pacific Gateway project has worked better than expected.
As well as coal, Ridley is sending shipments of wood pellets and logs harvested by Coast Tsimshian communities in northwestern B.C.
As politicians and mining executives celebrated a major turnaround in coal and metal mining in B.C. this year, protesters gathered at the B.C. legislature to call for all coal exports to be halted by 2015.
British Columbians for Climate Action brought a letter to B.C. cabinet ministers, pointing out the hypocrisy of promoting B.C.’s modest carbon tax on fossil fuels while promoting the export of 35 million tonnes of coal in 2010.
“When burned, this coal more than doubles the amount of carbon dioxide emissions that British Columbia acknowledges in its official domestic inventory,” the group states.
B.C. Liberals woo coastal loggers
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GSL Colombia: A sense of community
by Roman S. '20
“Yo quiero saber la verdad” (I want to know the truth), stated a woman in a television ad last night – referring to discussion surrounding Colombian internal conflict. People across the nation received the message of coming forward and talking about difficult events – events that have shaped the history of Colombia, and on a smaller scale, the daily events right here where we are staying in the village.
Meanwhile, in the U.S., millions of people sat down at their TVs and watched the Oscars, an event dedicated to honoring people for crafting and embodying false personas. In Colombia, false personas are forced on people as they are killed and labeled as guerillas to maintain a show of aggression; these innocent men and women are known as “false positives” and deter people from speaking out or resisting against powerful political and military forces. Experiencing the extreme trauma that plagued Colombian villages for decades has led to stronger communities that constantly strive to be more self-sustainable and integrated. With only four days left in the village, every moment we spend here solidifies our knowledge of the community’s strength and unity.
Discussions with my host family have led me to understand many of the large and small differences between life at home and life here. Even things as simple as wake-up time impact daily life. People here are all awake by six – although many are up by five – to milk cows, check on and feed the chickens and pigs, and get ready for the day. Back home, we typically have to be up around seven to be ready for school. School starts here at six to be done at one, avoiding the blistering afternoon heat that has left many of us with red shoulders and backs. We typically stay out or awake until past ten or eleven at night in Seattle, but most here are asleep by nine thirty.
A conversation two days ago with my host dad, Juan Carlos, along with some conversions, revealed that minimum wage in Seattle would be equivalent to the salary of a doctor or lawyer in most parts of Colombia. In terms of transportation, practically everyone here takes motorcycles, cramming three of four people to a seat while we sit in traffic in luxury cars back in Seattle. Lights are only on here for part of the day, and street lights are a rarity. Most showers are with buckets, and water usage overall is minimal. On the other hand, every day is a new juice that leaves us refreshed and rejuvenated. Animals are everywhere, because every house is practically a farm. Everywhere we look there are hammocks, which serve as perfect devices for lengthy siestas.
Above all, the largest difference I have noticed between Seattle and P_____ is the sense of community. Throughout our stay, everyone has been incredibly welcoming and hospitable, showing nothing but care for all students. While this has been true the whole time, the past couple days exemplified the community’s efforts the most. Two days ago was Akira’s birthday, and yesterday there was a youth event in the morning. On Saturday, we had our retreat day – spending more than six hours at a beach resort nearby. It was a nice break from the more constrictive day to day schedule, and allowed us to spend leisure time together as a group.
While we played volleyball on the sand, threw Frisbees in the ocean, snacked on ice cream and lounged in the pool, the youth of P_____ went door to door with Juan Carlos to collect donations from the community. As I learned last night, every single household had something to give, including money (which was used to buy soap and oil), ñame, yucca, cheese, suero, rice, coconut milk, salt, and more. Those donations went towards providing for Akira’s birthday celebration, and making a hulking pot of mote de queso, a soup that is commonly made for large groups and relies on the local ingredients of P_____. The soup complimented a day of rhumba in the morning led by a dance instructor from the neighboring town, a relay race with sack running, hopscotch and balancing a ball on a spoon in the mouth, and softball with fists as bats.
Everything was put together by Juan Carlos, who balances his time between running the village chicken farm – which is at my homestay – and coordinating youth events to bring young people together in the time following the P____ massacre of 1996 and the residual fear that has carried over ever since the conflict between the ELN, paramilitary forces, guerilla resistance, the FARC, and the Colombian government. The cohesion this community has created, relying on themselves for all of their basic needs, promoting self-sustainability through cow excrement energy, is truly incredible. I could never picture my neighborhood coming together for celebrations and social events as often as they do here. I don’t even know most of the names of almost all the people in my neighborhood, which isn’t supported by the fact that people are constantly moving.
Here, everybody is connected. All residents of P____ know everyone and everything about each other, and support each other without question. The community even goes so far as to provide for foreigners, putting on an incredible surprise celebration for Akira’s birthday. I could never imagine my neighbors happily handing over food, let alone every single person in my community.
Overall, P_____ has exposed us all to a true sense of community. The residents of this town have extended their kindness even to us, people they barely know, and have practically no shared experiences with. Our time here has shown me what self-reliance really looks like, and how much can be accomplished with just the people in one place.
We depend on so many people in our day to day lives, at stores, school, work, and more. Here, almost everything is achieved independently. As cliché as it may sound, I am glad that we have had the opportunity to be exposed to what a community really is, and am excited for the days to come.
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STOR-i Menu University Menu
STOR-i
Browse STOR-i
STOR-i Centre for Doctoral Training,
Science and Technology Building,
Lancaster University,
LA1 4YR
stor-i@lancaster.ac.uk
We receive a lot of email to this address - typically we try and respond within 24 hours, but this can be extended during busy periods.
The STOR-i Centre for Doctoral Training is based at Lancaster University in the north-west of England. The University is situated in an idyllic campus setting sheltered by the Bowland Fells and set in 250 acres of parkland less than four miles south of the historic city centre of Lancaster.
The STOR-i CDT is centrally-located on the University campus in the Science and Technology Building. In order to strongly support the development of a group identity, you will have an office based in the Science and Technology Building alongside your peers and integral STOR-i academic and administrative team members.
The majority of STOR-i training is focused in the prestigious Postgraduate Statistics Centre. The award-winning building provides innovative state-of-the-art teaching and socialising spaces with features focused on environmental performance. This facility houses purpose-built lecture rooms with podcasting and video recording facilities, an access node, computing labs, conference space, offices, formal meeting rooms for group activities, open plan learning zones and mixing space for socialising and informal work discussion. One of the architects' aims was the creation of a vibrant building of natural light to encourage students and staff to interact in a relaxed and informal way. Experience to date suggests they have been successful.
For information on how to get to STOR-i, please see the following links to the main University travel pages:
Commuting to Campus
The STOR-i CDT is centrally-located on the University campus in the Science and Technology Building. In order to strongly support the development of a group identity, you will have an office alongside your peers and integral STOR-i academic and administrative team members.
Visit the University and find your way around with the campus maps.
STOR-i Centre for Doctoral Training Science and Technology Building Lancaster University Lancaster United Kingdom LA1 4YR stor-i@lancaster.ac.uk
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Is it Wookie or Wookiee? The Times’ definitive ‘Star Wars’ style guide
Mark Hamill, left, Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford in “Star Wars."
(Lucasfilm)
By Blake Hennon
When most people think of “Star Wars” style, Princess Leia’s side-buns hairdo and white robe or Darth Vader’s fearsome black helmet and cape probably come to mind. For copy editors, it’s more likely how to punctuate a jumble of words such as Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope or whether to spell Chewbacca’s species as Wookie or Wookiee.
With the venerable space opera about to start bringing new stories to the big screen at the planned rate of one per year -- and the upcoming fleet’s worth of Times stories that will cover all the developments and details of the on- and off-screen “Star Wars” saga -- The Times’ copy desk decided it would help in editing to have an organized guide to facts, names and terms that might appear in our coverage.
FULL COVERAGE: 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens’
I volunteered to put it together, and relied on the films; Lucasfilm’s publicly available databank; the Academy Awards’ database; images of officially licensed products; and Times precedents, stories, style rules and tendencies (which sometimes override other groups’ preferences). To answer the questions above: “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope”; Wookiee.
Digging back into the George Lucas-created galaxy’s stories was a pleasure; deciding what would or wouldn’t be included in the style guide was sometimes unpleasant. This was to be a handy, searchable guide for my colleagues, not a galactic encyclopedia.
The guiding principles were: What can we reasonably expect to come up in coverage? What’s certifiably canon?
Among the new characters in “Star Wars: Episode VII -- The Force Awakens” is Finn (John Boyega), who may or may not have the power of the Force.
(Lucasfilm / Disney)
BB-8 pops up in “Force Awakens."
(Disney)
A firefight in the sky in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” shows the back end of a new X-Wing.
Daisy Ridley as Rey in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."
John Boyega as Finn in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens."
Adam Driver as Kylo Ren in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens."
Rey (Daisy Ridley) speeds across the desert in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”
Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron and John Boyega as Finn in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens"
Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) is an ace pilot in “The Force Awakens.”
(David James / Lucasfilm)
Chewbacca and Han Solo (Harrison Ford) in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” (Lucasfilm / Disney)
R2-D2 and C-3PO are also returning in “The Force Awakens.”
( David James / Lucasfilm)
The villainous Empire of the original trilogy has been replaced by the sinister First Order in “The Force Awakens,” which takes place about 30 years after the events in 1983’s “Return of the Jedi.”
The First Order displays its mght in "The Force Awakens.”
(Lucasfilm )
First Order stormtroopers are shown in a scene from "The Force Awakens.”
(Film Frame / Associated Press)
Shown is Captain Phasma, played by “Game of Thrones” star Gwendoline Christie, in a scene from “The Force Awakens.”
Domhnall Gleeson stars as General Hux in “The Force Awakens.”
(David James / Associated Press)
Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) is another new villain in “The Force Awakens.”
Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) wields his fancy new lightsaber in “The Force Awakens.”
(Associated Press)
The Millennium Falcon is back in action in “The Force Awakens.”
A dogfight takes place near what looks like the wreck of an Imperial Star Destroyer in "The Force Awakens.”
Rey (Daisy Ridley), left, the pint-sized droid BB-8, and Finn (John Boyega) make a break for it in a scene from “The Force Awakens.”
The droid BB-8 and Rey (Daisy Ridley) cross paths with a scavenger named Teedo mounted on a Luggabeast in a scene from “The Force Awakens.”
Finn (John Boyega) runs past a crashed TIE fighter in “The Force Awakens.”
Finn gets a helping hand in a scene from “The Force Awakens.”
Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) appears with stormtroopers in a scene from “The Force Awakens.”
A lightsaber changes hands in a trailer for “The Force Awakens.” Why didn’t this scene make it into the movie?
A explosion hurls a stormtrooper in the air in “The Force Awakens.”
So, sorry, sabacc, Mara Jade and Jaxxon. Out go the entries for every single Imperial officer choked or strangled by Vader on screen -- Adm. Ozzel is more likely to be a “Star Wars” trivia night answer than a reference in coverage of new films. The same goes for any number of tie-ins and spinoffs that fans have enjoyed over the years, for so many of the now-not-canon novels and comics I read in the ’90s.
See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour >>
And there’s still enough stuff to fill every compartment of the Millennium Falcon – with more to be added as new projects are released or announced.
Style guides can be dry, but I tried to instill some of the science-fiction adventure’s sense of fun. The Times shares this style guide here for readers who might be curious about the subject matter or interested in a refresher before seeing “The Force Awakens.”
I hope you enjoy it, but don’t be shy about letting me know what I should be thrown into the Pit of Carkoon for leaving out or getting wrong.
May the Force (lowercase t, capital F) be with you.
Hennon is a multiplatform editing supervisor on The Times’ features copy desk who has written for The Times’ Hero Complex website.
“STAR WARS” STYLE GUIDE
This guide offers information about the film franchise to date, starting with film titles and numbers and notes about upcoming films, altered releases, Academy Awards and TV projects before an alphabetical list of characters, real people, creatures, vehicles, planets and terms with some key plot and relationship details that might be mentioned in coverage. Though long (there’s a whole galaxy to consider!), the list is by no means complete, and more information can be found at the official “Star Wars” databank: www.starwars.com/databank
Film titles and numbers
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” opens Dec. 18 in the U.S. and is directed by J.J. Abrams; screenplay credit goes to Abrams & Lawrence Kasdan and Michael Arndt (Arndt wrote a treatment; Abrams and Kasdan teamed on the script). The cast includes original trilogy actors Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, Anthony Daniels and Warwick Davis. New-to-the-saga cast members include Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, Gwendoline Christie, Lupita Nyong’o, Andy Serkis and Max von Sydow.
“The Force Awakens” is the saga’s seventh live-action film and seventh episode. It is the franchise’s eighth film overall, counting the 2008 animated theatrical release “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.” Lucasfilm does not appear to be using “Episode VII,” as it was known before it had a title, on posters or in trailers, but could retitle it for home releases.
“Star Wars”: The full title of the franchise’s first release is “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope.” It may be called simply “Star Wars” in conjunction with “the original” or “1977” or when context is clear, or “A New Hope” to avoid confusion with other films.
The seven live-action films’ full titles, in episodic order, followed by original U.S. release date and director:
“Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace” (May 19, 1999) d. George Lucas
“Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones” (May 16, 2002) d. George Lucas
“Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith” (May 19, 2005) d. George Lucas
“Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope” (May 25, 1977) d. George Lucas
“Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back” (May 21, 1980) d. Irvin Kershner
“Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi” (May 25, 1983) d. Richard Marquand
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (2015) d. J.J. Abrams
It is acceptable to refer to any of these films by only its subtitle in most references, including first reference for flow, but include the full title somewhere.
Special Editions / DVD releases / 3-D versions / digital releases
Special Editions and DVD: The original trilogy was theatrically rereleased in 1997 with some new scenes, new / refurbished special effects and new music overseen by George Lucas -- “Star Wars” on Jan. 31, “The Empire Strikes Back” on Feb. 21 and “Return of the Jedi” on March 14 (U.S. release dates). One notably unpopular change was having the bounty hunter Greedo shoot at Han Solo before Solo kills him in “A New Hope.” These versions of the films underwent further changes for a 2004 DVD release.
One of the added scenes from "Star Wars: Special Edition" involved Han Solo and Jabba the Hutt.
(Industrial Light & Magic)
Original trilogy on DVD: The untouched original theatrical versions are on DVD, but only as bonus discs to their updated versions in a 2006 limited-edition set. The untouched original theatrical releases are not available on Blu-ray.
Blu-ray: The updated versions had a “Star Wars: The Complete Saga” Blu-ray release with the prequel trilogy in 2011; those six films were released digitally via streaming services in April 2015.
3-D: The prequels were scheduled to be theatrically rereleased in 3-D format in 2012. “The Phantom Menace” was released in 3-D on Feb. 10, but planned 3-D releases of “Attack of the Clones” and “Revenge of the Sith” were scrapped after Disney acquired Lucasfilm.
Planned films
“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” is the first of the announced stand-alone “anthology films” (Lucasfilm’s term) set in the “Star Wars” galaxy, and is scheduled for a Dec. 16, 2016, release. The director is Gareth Edwards (“Godzilla”). The writers are Gary Whitta and Chris Weitz. The cast includes Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Jiang Wen, Forest Whitaker, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk (as a performance-capture character) and Riz Ahmed. Lucasfilm has announced it’s set between “Revenge of the Sith” and “A New Hope” and will be about resistance fighters uniting to steal plans for the first Death Star.
Riz Ahmed, left, Diego Luna, Felicity Jones, Jiang Wen and Donnie Yen in "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story."
(Jonathan Olley, Leah Evans / Lucasfilm )
“Episode VIII” is not yet formally titled and is scheduled to open May 26, 2017. It will be directed by Rian Johnson (“Looper”).
A not-yet-titled Han Solo anthology film is scheduled to open May 25, 2018. It will be directed by Christopher Lord and Phil Miller (the team behind “The Lego Movie”) and written by Lawrence Kasdan and son Jon Kasdan.
“Episode IX” is not yet formally titled and is slated for a 2019 release. It is to be directed by Colin Trevorrow (“Jurassic World”).
To date, the “Star Wars” franchise has received nine Oscars, all for films in the original trilogy.
“Star Wars” was nominated in 10 categories; it won six of those -- art direction, costume design, film editing, music (original score) (John Williams), sound and visual effects -- and it received a special achievement award for sound effects artist Ben Burtt, for a total of seven Oscars at the ceremony in 1978. It was nominated, but did not win, for best picture, director (George Lucas), original screenplay (Lucas) and supporting actor (Alec Guinness).
“The Empire Strikes Back” was nominated in three categories and won one, for sound, and received a special achievement award for visual effects at the ceremony in 1981. It was nominated, but did not win, for art direction and music (original score).
“Return of the Jedi” received a special achievement award for visual effects at the ceremony in 1984. It was also nominated in four categories that it did not win – art direction, music, sound, sound effects editing.
Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman), left, Qui–Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) in "Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace."
(Keith Hamshere / Lucasfilm)
“The Phantom Menace” was nominated in three categories (sound, sound effects editing, visual effects) but won none at the ceremony in 2000.
“Attack of the Clones” was nominated for visual effects but did not win at the ceremony in 2003.
“Revenge of the Sith” was nominated for makeup but did not win at the ceremony in 2006.
“The Star Wars Holiday Special” aired in November 1978 on CBS. It featured film cast members Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Mayhew, Kenny Baker and Anthony Daniels; TV stars including Bea Arthur, Art Carney, Diahann Carroll and Harvey Korman; and the band Jefferson Starship. It features a story about getting Chewbacca home to Kashyyyk and his family for Life Day. There’s also a cartoon that marks the first screen appearance of Boba Fett. The special is not officially commercially available, though the cartoon was an Easter egg on the 2011 “Star Wars: The Complete Saga” Blu-ray set.
“Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure” was a 1984 TV movie on ABC. Warwick Davis returns as Wicket. Burl Ives narrates. The Ewoks help two shipwrecked human kids find their parents.
“Ewoks: The Battle for Endor” was a 1985 TV movie on ABC. Warwick Davis as Wicket. Cast includes Wilford Brimley. After all but the little girl, Cindel (Aubree Miller), from the family in the previous TV movie are apparently killed, she and the Ewoks must fend off marauders.
“Droids” was a one-season, 13-episode animated series that ran Saturday mornings on ABC in the 1985-1986 season; it followed the adventures of C-3PO (voiced by Anthony Daniels) and R2-D2.
“Ewoks” was a two-season, 35-episode animated series that ran Saturday mornings on ABC in 1985 and 1986.
“Star Wars: Clone Wars” and “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”: The former is a 2003-2005 animated series on Cartoon Network with episodes from two minutes to 15 minutes in duration; the latter is a 2008-2014 animated series with half-hour episodes that was on Cartoon Network through 2013, with its final season released on Netflix in 2014.
“Star Wars Rebels” is an animated series that premiered Oct. 3, 2014. It’s shown on Disney XD. Voice talent includes Freddie Prinze Jr. as young protagonist Kanan Jarrus and David Oyelowo as the Empire’s Agent Kallus. Its second season premiered Nov. 4, 2015. The story is set between “Revenge of the Sith” and “A New Hope.”
The list (actors mentioned are those who played the characters in live-action films)
“A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away …”: The first words that appear on screen in every live-action “Star Wars” film, always in blue text.
Adm. Ackbar is a Rebel Alliance military leader seen in “Return of the Jedi,” in which he commands the Rebel fleet in the attack on the second Death Star. His species is called, no joke, Mon Calamari. Brought to life by puppeteer Tim Rose with voice by Erik Bauersfeld.
Alan Ladd Jr. was the 20th Century Fox executive who championed the production of the original “Star Wars.”
Alderaan is the planet the Death Star destroys on Grand Moff Tarkin’s orders in the original “Star Wars,” and is where Princess Leia was raised by Bail Organa.
Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader is the main character of episodes I-III and a major villain in episodes IV-VI (so, yes, this is the longest entry). Born into slavery on Tatooine, he’s raised by his mother, Shmi, and shows a talent for mechanics as a kid, building the droid C-3PO and a podracer. He’s also strong in the Force and an excellent podracer pilot, as seen in “The Phantom Menace.” Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn believes the young boy is the prophesied chosen one who will bring balance to the Force. In “Attack of the Clones,” Anakin falls in love with and secretly marries Padmé Amidala, whom he’d met when he was a child in the previous film. He slaughters Tusken Raiders who had abducted and fatally wounded his mother. It’s also in “Attack of the Clones” that he is maimed by Count Dooku and gets a robotic arm. In “Revenge of the Sith,” he is seduced to the dark side by Palpatine, helps largely kill off the Jedi, is defeated in a lightsaber duel by Obi-Wan Kenobi (wounded so badly he will need that familiar Darth Vader suit), and is informed by the emperor that Padmé, who had been pregnant, has died. (“Noooooo!”)
Anakin Skywalker in "The Phantom Menace," left, "Revenge of the Sith," and "A New Hope."
In “A New Hope,” Darth Vader captures Princess Leia and later kills his old master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, in a lightsaber duel on the Death Star. Vader pilots a TIE fighter in the Battle of Yavin but is taken out of it by the Millennium Falcon before he can stop that strong-in-the-Force X-wing pilot from destroying the Death Star. By “The Empire Strikes Back” he’s realized that the X-wing pilot is his son and tells him so during a lightsaber duel, adding that Luke can destroy the emperor, and that they can rule the galaxy together as father and son -- an offer that’s declined. Vader severs Luke’s hand during the fight. In “Return of the Jedi,” he again tries to recruit Luke to the dark side but then turns on Palpatine, redeems himself, and gets to be an all-healed-up ghost Jedi Anakin Skywalker hanging out with fellow ghosts Obi-Wan and Yoda.
Played by Jake Lloyd in “The Phantom Menace,” then by Hayden Christensen in “Attack of the Clones” and “Revenge of the Sith.” In “Star Wars” and “The Empire Strikes Back,” David Prowse is in the costume, with the voice by James Earl Jones. In “Return of the Jedi,” Jones voices and Prowse is in the full costume, but the actor who plays the unmasked, dying Anakin and the character in spectral form in the original theatrical version and theatrical Special Edition is Sebastian Shaw. In the 2004 DVD release and subsequent releases, Shaw is replaced in the scene with spectral Anakin by Christensen.
AT-AT is the common shorthand for All Terrain Armored Transport, a four-legged Imperial vehicle used in the Battle of Hoth in “The Empire Strikes Back.”
An AT-AT on the planet Hoth from a scene in Disney's Star Tours attraction.
(Disney / Lucasfilm Ltd)
AT-ST is the common shorthand for All Terrain Scout Transport, a two-legged Imperial vehicle used on Endor (and taken down by Ewoks) in “Return of the Jedi.”
Aunt Beru is the common reference to Beru Lars, who raised Luke Skywalker with her husband, Owen, on Tatooine and was sympathetic to the young man’s desire to leave home. She appears in the original “Star Wars” and was killed offscreen by Stormtroopers. She’s seen as a younger woman in the prequels. Played by Shelagh Fraser in “A New Hope” and Bonnie Piesse in “Attack of the Clones” and “Revenge of the Sith.”
Bail Organa was a member of Alderaan’s royal family and a senator in the Galactic Republic. After his friend Padmé Amidala dies, he takes the infant Leia to be raised as a princess on Alderaan. Played by Jimmy Smits in “Attack of the Clones” and “Revenge of the Sith.”
Bantha refers to an elephant-size furry creature with curved horns seen ridden by Tusken Raiders on Tatooine in the original “Star Wars.”
Bantha fodder is a term used as an insult by Jabba the Hutt in “Return of the Jedi” when he tells Han Solo (according to the subtitles), “You may have been a good smuggler, but now you’re bantha fodder.”
battle droids: They’re used by the Trade Federation against Naboo in “The Phantom Menace” and then by the Separatist Alliance in “Attack of the Clones” and “Revenge of the Sith” against the clone troopers of the Republic.
BB-8: the soccer-ball-ish droid in “The Force Awakens”
BB-8 in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."
Bespin is the gas planet where Cloud City is located in “The Empire Strikes Back.”
Ben Burtt is an Oscar-winning sound designer and editor who has worked on all seven live-action “Star Wars” films to date. His first Oscar was a special achievement award for his work on the 1977 “Star Wars.”
Biggs Darklighter was a Rebel X-wing pilot who grew up on Tatooine with Luke Skywalker. He’s reunited with his old friend on Yavin IV, but dies in the attack on the first Death Star in “A New Hope.” Played by Garrick Hagon.
blaster: generic term for energy-blasting pistols and rifles in the “Star Wars” galaxy.
Boba Fett is a Mandalorian-armor-wearing bounty hunter and a clone of Jango Fett, who raises him as a son. He’s the one who tracks the Millennium Falcon to Bespin and gets to take the frozen-in-carbonite Han Solo in “The Empire Strikes Back.” In “Return of the Jedi,” he’s seen in Jabba’s palace, where he’s delivered Solo, and on Jabba’s barge before being knocked into the pit of the sarlacc. In “Attack of the Clones,” he’s seen as a child helping Jango escape Obi-Wan Kenobi and witnesses Jango’s death at the hands of Mace Windu. Played by Jeremy Bulloch in “Empire” and “Jedi.” Played in “Attack of the Clones” by Daniel Logan. Also had a cameo added to Special Edition of “A New Hope” with other people in the costume.
Bothan spies are unseen characters, many of whom Mon Mothma says died getting information about the second Death Star -- and the Emperor’s presence there -- to the Rebel Alliance in “Return of the Jedi.”
R2-D2, left, and C-3PO in "Star Wars."
C-3PO (the letter O, not zero) is an etiquette and protocol droid fluent in over 6 million forms of communication. Casually called Threepio. Built by Anakin Skywalker. Long associated with R2-D2: They are the first characters seen in “A New Hope” and the witnesses at Anakin and Padmé’s wedding in “Attack of the Clones.” In “A New Hope,” Threepio and Artoo are aboard Princess Leia’s diplomatic ship when it’s boarded by Darth Vader but take an escape pod to Tatooine, where they’re bought by Owen Lars and become servants to Luke Skywalker. In “The Empire Strikes Back,” Threepio stumbles upon Stormtroopers hiding in Cloud City and is blasted apart before being reassembled with his head on backward by Chewbacca. In “Return of the Jedi,” Threepio and Artoo are sent to Jabba’s palace by Luke Skywalker to barter for Han Solo’s return; Threepio is put to work as Jabba’s translator. Later in the film, he’s revered as a god by Ewoks (though it’s against his programming to impersonate a deity). He has a habit of trying to tell Han the odds. In all films, cartoons and radio dramas, the character is voiced by Anthony Daniels, who’s also in the suit for the films.
Capt. Phasma is Gwendoline Christie’s First Order character in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”
Chewbacca is a Wookiee from Kashyyyk and Han Solo’s co-pilot on the Millennium Falcon. Friends call him Chewie. He is prominent in the original trilogy and now “The Force Awakens,” and appeared in “Revenge of the Sith.” Peter Mayhew is the actor in the costume in all the films. His vocal sounds were designed by Ben Burtt. When it comes to holographic chess, let him win.
Chewbacca and Han Solo (Harrison Ford).
(Lucasfilm Ltd)
clone troopers: Used by the Republic against the Separatists’ battle droids in the Clone Wars. Seen in “Attack of the Clones” and “Revenge of the Sith.” They were grown on the planet Kamino based on bounty hunter Jango Fett, as Obi-Wan Kenobi discovers in “Attack of the Clones,” allegedly under the orders of the late Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas. The Jedi Council did not know of the army, but the Republic under Palpatine makes use of the army beginning with the Battle of Geonosis. Commanded by Jedi generals during the Clone Wars, the troopers turn on the Jedi and kill them when Palpatine issues Order 66.
comlink is a generic term (a la “cellphone”) for a communication device.
Coruscant is the capital planet, where the Galactic Senate and Jedi Temple are seen in the prequel trilogy. It’s where Qui-Gon Jinn is taking Padmé Amidala in “The Phantom Menace”; where an attempt is made on her life and Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker chase the would-be assassin in airborne speeders in “Attack of the Clones”; and above which Republic and Separatist Alliance ships have a battle in “Revenge of the Sith”; where in the same film Padmé informs Anakin that she’s pregnant. Before Coruscant was seen onscreen, it was mentioned in Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn trilogy of novels in the early 1990s. In the “Return of the Jedi” Special Edition in 1997, a short scene was added of Coruscant celebrating after the second Death Star has been destroyed.
Count Dooku / Darth Tyranus was the leader of the Separatist movement. A former Jedi who was trained by Yoda and was master to Qui-Gon Jinn, he went to the dark side as a Sith serving Darth Sidious. He cuts off part of Anakin Skywalker’s arm but is driven away by Yoda in “Attack of the Clones.” In “Revenge of the Sith,” he and Gen. Grievous kidnap Palpatine. Anakin kills him at Palpatine’s urging. Played by Christopher Lee.
Darth Maul is an apprentice to Darth Sidious in “The Phantom Menace.” He’s tasked with capturing Queen Amidala. He kills Qui-Gon Jinn but is bisected by Obi-Wan Kenobi. Uses a double-bladed lightsaber. Ray Park is in the makeup; voiced by Peter Serafinowicz.
Darth Maul in "The Phantom Menace."
Darth Sidious was an alias of Palpatine. Under this nom du Sith, the senator from Naboo influenced the Trade Federation to blockade his own planet, using the resulting crisis to oust and succeed Supreme Chancellor Valorum in “The Phantom Menace.” In “Attack of the Clones,” it is as Sidious that he engineered the Separatist crisis that brought him emergency powers as chancellor.
Dagobah is the swampy planet where Yoda retreated after the end of “Revenge of Sith.” It is here where Luke Skywalker finds him in “The Empire Strikes Back” and where Yoda dies in “Return of the Jedi.”
dark side: the aspect of the Force from which the Sith draw their power; the path here is fear.
Death Star: It’s no moon, but “an armored space station with enough power to destroy an entire planet.” The first is commanded by Grand Moff Tarkin in “A New Hope” and used to destroy Alderaan. Fatal design flaw: A small thermal exhaust port at the end of a trench wide enough for an X-wing to fly through. The second one (looking incomplete but -- surprise! -- fully operational) is where Luke Skywalker meets the Emperor and duels Darth Vader in “Return of the Jedi.” Fatal design flaw: A main reactor accessible by areas wide enough for the Millennium Falcon to fly through. Plans for it are seen in “Attack of the Clones,” and it’s seen under construction at the end of “Revenge of the Sith.”
The second Death Star is seen in "Return of the Jedi."
Disney: the Walt Disney Co. has been the parent company of Lucasfilm since buying it in 2012 for more than $4 billion.
Emperor Palpatine began as a politician from Naboo who rose from senator in the Galactic Republic to its supreme chancellor before becoming emperor, ending the Old Republic, and founding the Galactic Empire.
A Dark Lord of the Sith who was also known as Darth Sidious (see that entry for more info), in the prequel trilogy he’s behind the Clone Wars, largely wipes out the Jedi, and recruits Anakin Skywalker to the dark side of the Force.
In the original trilogy, he appears via hologram in “The Empire Strikes Back” (saying the son of Skywalker must not become a Jedi but agreeing with Vader that Luke could be an asset if turned to the dark side), then arrives in “Return of the Jedi” to personally oversee completion of the second Death Star. In the latter film, he’s seen shooting Force lightning out of his hands at Luke Skywalker and is killed by his longtime ally Darth Vader.
He’s played by Ian McDiarmid in “Return of the Jedi” and the prequel trilogy, but was voiced by Clive Revill in the original theatrical version and 1997 Special Edition of “The Empire Strikes Back.” In subsequent releases, Revill’s voice has been replaced by McDiarmid’s.
Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), left, and Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) in "Revenge of the Sith."
the Empire: This term is acceptable in all references to the Galactic Empire founded by Palpatine as the successor state to the Galactic Republic. It is the opponent of the Rebel Alliance in the original trilogy. As an adjective, Imperial is capitalized.
Endor is home to the Ewoks and site of the generator for a shield protecting the unfinished second Death Star in “Return of the Jedi.” The phrase “the forest moon of Endor” in “Return of the Jedi” might make it seem as though Endor is a planet and the Ewoks live on an unnamed moon that orbits it, but Lucasfilm uses the name Endor for the moon itself.
Expanded Universe: The “Star Wars” Expanded Universe encompasses all the loosely interconnected novels, comic books, video games, etc. that filled out the history and space of the galaxy outside of the first six episodic films. The EU was officially written off in April 2014 as having no bearing on any new “Star Wars” stories produced thereafter, though many are still commercially available and now labeled as Star Wars Legends.
Ewoks are a furry, short and resourceful species who live in the forests on Endor. They are prominent in “Return of the Jedi,” in which they help the Rebels defeat Imperials who are guarding the second Death Star’s shield generator. They also featured in two TV movies and an animated series in the mid-1980s.
Finn is a character played by John Boyega in “The Force Awakens.”
First Order: the villainous organization in “The Force Awakens”
A look at the First Order in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."
the Force: In “A New Hope,” Obi-Wan Kenobi explains it as “what gives a Jedi his power. It’s an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us. It penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together.” Darth Vader says the ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to it.
Fox: 20th Century Fox distributed both the original and prequel trilogy films and retains full distribution rights for “A New Hope.”
Galactic Republic: The Republic, known in the original trilogy as the Old Republic, is seen in its final years in the prequel trilogy.
Galactic Senate and Imperial Senate. The former was the legislative body of the Galactic Republic. The latter was its successor under the Galactic Empire, but was dissolved during the time period of “A New Hope.”
Gary Kurtz was the producer of “A New Hope” and “The Empire Strikes Back.”
Gen. Grievous is a robotic-bodied villain with a nasty cough in “Revenge of the Sith,” a military leader of the Separatist Alliance who abducted Supreme Chancellor Palpatine. He’s killed in a fight with Obi-Wan Kenobi on the planet Utapau. The computer-generated character was voiced by Matthew Wood.
Gen. Hux is a First Order officer played by Domhnall Gleeson in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”
Geonosis is a planet seen in “Attack of the Clones” and “Revenge of the Sith” where battle droids are manufactured by Geonosians for the Separatist Alliance.
Composer John Williams, left, with George Lucas at London's Abbey Road studios on Jan. 20, 2002.
(Jonathan Player / For the Times)
George Lucas is the creator of “Star Wars” and wrote and directed the 1977 original and the prequel trilogy (Jonathan Hales shared a screenplay credit on “Attack of the Clones”). He founded Lucasfilm and Industrial Light & Magic.
Grand Moff Tarkin was the commander of the first Death Star and the man who orders the destruction of Alderaan in “A New Hope.” He underestimates the Rebels’ chances. Played by Peter Cushing.
Greedo is a Rodian bounty hunter who confronts and is killed by Han Solo in the Mos Eisley Cantina on Tatooine in “A New Hope.” In the original theatrical film, Han shot first. In the Special Edition and subsequent releases, Greedo shoots first.
Han Solo is the Millennium Falcon-owning smuggler who becomes a Rebel leader over the course of the original trilogy. In “A New Hope,” he and Chewbacca are hired by Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker to take them to Alderaan, help rescue Princess Leia, and appear to take their pay and leave before returning to help in the attack on the Death Star. In “The Empire Strikes Back,” he rescues an injured Luke on Hoth before helping Princess Leia escape the Imperial attack on the planet and pursuit through an asteroid field, and proceeding to Cloud City. There, he’s betrayed by old pal Lando Calrissian, has a memorable exchange with Leia (“I love you,” she says; “I know,” he replies) before being frozen in carbonite (as a test case before Luke), and is turned over to Boba Fett. In “Return of the Jedi,” he’s thawed by Princess Leia and rescued in an elaborate operation on Jabba’s barge. Solo is declared a general in the Rebellion and leads a strike team in disabling the second Death Star’s shield generator on Endor. He’ll also be in “The Force Awakens,” and has been played in all films so far by Harrison Ford, though an upcoming anthology film about Solo is to feature the character as a younger man. Never tell him the odds.
Chewbacca, left, Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Han Solo in the Millennium Falcon.
Hoth is the snowy planet where the Rebel Alliance has its Echo Base and comes under attack at the beginning of “The Empire Strikes Back.” It’s here where Princess Leia kisses Luke Skywalker during an argument with Han Solo.
hyperdrive: The component of a starship that helps it jump to hyperspace.
hyperspace: It’s how starships in the “Star Wars” galaxy get from one place to another so quickly.
“The Imperial March (Darth Vader’s Theme)” is the foreboding leitmotif by John Williams, familiar from the films and pretty much every marching band, that was first featured in “The Empire Strikes Back.”
Jabba the Hutt was a gangster who was based on Tatooine. He had a bounty out on Han Solo in “A New Hope” (unseen in the original theatrical release, the familiar slug-like character was digitally added to its Special Edition over a previously unused scene that had originally been shot with a human Jabba). In “Return of the Jedi,” his high exaltedness keeps the frozen-in-carbonite Han Solo in his palace as his favorite decoration, sends Luke Skywalker to fight a rancor via trapdoor, and plans to feed the heroes to the sarlacc (the last mistake he’ll ever make). But he’s strangled by Princess Leia aboard his sail barge with the chain he’d used to keep her captive. He also appears in “The Phantom Menace” at the podrace. A puppet in “Return of the Jedi,” he’s computer-generated in his other film appearances. Voiced by Larry Ward in “Return of the Jedi” and the Special Edition, etc. of “A New Hope.”
Jango Fett was a bounty hunter who was used as the genetic basis for clone troopers. He had one clone created as a child and raised him as his son, naming him Boba Fett. Jango wears Mandalorian armor and uses a starship called Slave I. Obi-Wan Kenobi discovers he’s working for the Separatists in “Attack of the Clones,” and Jango is killed in battle by Mace Windu. Played by Temuera Morrison.
Jango Fett in "Attack of the Clones."
Jar Jar Binks is an exiled Gungan from Naboo. When he meets Qui-Gon Jinn and Anakin Skywalker on his home world in “The Phantom Menace,” he becomes swept up in galactic intrigue. He helps the Naboo ally with the Gungans and becomes a general of the Gungan army in fighting off the Trade Federation. In “Attack of the Clones,” he represents Naboo in the Galactic Senate in the absence of his friend Padmé Amidala, and introduces the motion to grant Palpatine emergency powers. Motion-capture and voice performance by Ahmed Best.
Jawas are short, robed scavenger-traders with yellow eyes who travel in sandcrawlers. Some Jawas capture R2-D2 and C-3PO on Tatooine in “A New Hope” and sell them to Uncle Owen and Luke Skywalker.
Jedi: an order of Force-using guardians of peace and justice for over a thousand generations in the Republic – before the dark times, before the Empire. The Jedi Temple, home to the Jedi Council, and archives were on Coruscant. Jedi candidates were generally identified as children and progressed from youngling to padawan to knight to master. Capitalize Jedi but lowercase the stages/ranks unless directly before a name.
John Williams is the Oscar-winning composer of the music for all seven live-action films. He won his third career Oscar for the first “Star Wars” at the 1978 ceremony.
Kathleen Kennedy is the president of Lucasfilm and a producer on “The Force Awakens.”
Kenner was the toy company that made the original “Star Wars” action figures -- but famously not in time for Christmas 1977, when it sold gift certificates that could be redeemed after the toys had been produced.
Kevin Kiner became the first composer other than John Williams to score a “Star Wars” film with the animated 2008 theatrical release “The Clone Wars.” He’s since done the music for the 2008-2014 “The Clone Wars” and “Star Wars Rebels” animated series.
Kessel Run: Something Han Solo claims the Millennium Falcon has made in less than 12 parsecs during a conversation with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker at Mos Eisley Cantina in “A New Hope.” C-3PO mentions that there are spice mines on Kessel.
Kylo Ren is a character played by Adam Driver in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” He uses a cross-guard lightsaber.
Kylo Ren in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."
Lando Calrissian is the former owner of the Millennium Falcon and an old friend of Han Solo who by the time of “The Empire Strikes Back” is the administrator of Cloud City on Bespin. Forced into a deal with Darth Vader, he betrays Han Solo but then helps Princess Leia, Chewbacca, C-3PO, R2-D2 and Luke Skywalker escape. In “Return of the Jedi,” he goes undercover in Jabba’s palace and helps rescue Han and company from Jabba’s sail barge. Lando pilots the Millennium Falcon as a general in the Rebellion during the Battle of Endor and helps destroy the second Death Star. Played by Billy Dee Williams.
Lawrence Kasdan is a co-writer of “The Empire Strikes Back,” “Return of the Jedi” and “The Force Awakens.” He’s also co-writing the Han Solo anthology film.
Leigh Brackett is a co-writer of “The Empire Strikes Back.”
lightsaber: an elegant weapon of a more civilized age, it’s used by Jedi and Sith alike.
Lucasfilm Story Group: This team oversees the continuity and authenticity of new stories told in the “Star Wars” universe. Members include Kiri Hart, Carrie Beck, Rayne Roberts, Leland Chee and Pablo Hidalgo.
Luke Skywalker is the son of Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala (born in “Revenge of the Sith”), brother of Princess Leia (revealed in “Return of the Jedi”) and master of C-3PO and R2-D2. In “A New Hope” he was a farmboy who became a Rebel X-wing pilot, and fired the proton torpedoes that started the chain reaction that destroyed the first Death Star. First instructed in the ways of the Force by Obi-Wan Kenobi in “A New Hope,” then Yoda in “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi,” he becomes a Jedi. Luke finds out during a lightsaber duel against Darth Vader in Cloud City in “The Empire Strikes Back” that Vader is his father and loses a hand. In “Return of the Jedi,” he engineers the rescue of Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt; later, on the second Death Star, he rejects his father’s and the emperor’s invitations to the dark side and helps his old man find redemption before burning Anakin’s remains in a funeral pyre on Endor. Will appear in “The Force Awakens.” Played in the original trilogy and “The Force Awakens” by Mark Hamill.
Luke Skywalker with Yoda in "The Empire Strikes Back."
Mace Windu was a Jedi master who sat on the Jedi Council in the prequel trilogy. In “The Phantom Menace,” he declined Qui-Gon Jinn’s request that Anakin be trained as a Jedi and doubted Anakin was the chosen one or that the Sith had returned. In “Attack of the Clones,” he doubted Count Dooku would try to have Padmé Amidala assassinated but later led an assault against Dooku, during which he killed Jango Fett. In “Revenge of the Sith,” he didn’t like Palpatine’s request that Anakin be the chancellor’s representative on the Jedi Council. He later tried to arrest Palpatine and subdued him in a lightsaber duel, but was then wounded by Anakin Skywalker and killed by Palpatine. Played by Samuel L. Jackson.
Marcia Lucas was an editor on the original trilogy. Was married to George Lucas.
Max Rebo Band: The band at Jabba’s palace in “Return of the Jedi”
midi-chlorians: According to Qui-Gon Jinn in “The Phantom Menace,” these are microscopic, symbiotic lifeforms that exist within all living cells, are essential to life, and tell us the will of the Force; he finds a very high midi-chlorian count in the blood of young Anakin Skywalker. An oft-criticized element of the prequels.
Millennium Falcon: the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy; Han Solo won this starship from Lando Calrissian fair and square. In “Star Wars,” it’s used in the rescue of Princess Leia (though Vader has a homing beacon attached that leads the Empire to the Rebels on Yavin IV) and attack on the first Death Star. In “The Empire Strikes Back,” it survives an asteroid field and gets Han Solo, Princess Leia, Chewbacca and C-3PO to Cloud City. After Han is captured, Lando Calrissian and Chewbacca use it to escape with Leia and rescue Luke Skywalker. In “Return of the Jedi,” Han lends it to Lando for the assault on the second Death Star, during which it’s co-piloted by Nien Nunb and fires the shots that destroy the station. It will appear in “The Force Awakens.”
Mon Mothma is a leader of the Rebel Alliance who helps plan the assault on the second Death Star in “Return of the Jedi.” She’s played by Caroline Blakiston. In “Revenge of the Sith,” she appears briefly, played by Genevieve O’Reilly, but two further scenes involving her didn’t make the final cut, though they are available as deleted scenes on DVD.
Mos Eisley Cantina is located in Mos Eisley spaceport, a wretched hive of scum and villainy on Tatooine, but it has a good band: Figrin D’an and the Modal Nodes. It’s where Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker hire Han Solo and Chewbacca to ferry them to Alderaan, and where Han Solo shoots Greedo. It doesn’t serve droids.
Mustafar is the volcanic planet seen in “Revenge of the Sith” where Anakin Skywalker, by then allied with Palpatine, chokes Padmé and loses a lightsaber duel with Obi-Wan Kenobi, who leaves him there. He’s found there by Palpatine.
Naboo is the home planet of Padmé Amidala, Palpatine and Jar Jar Binks. Its capital is Theed. “Naboo” also refers to the humans of the planet.
Nute Gunray was viceroy of the Trade Federation in “The Phantom Menace,” working with Darth Sidious. He tried to get Queen Amidala to sign an agreement legitimizing the Trade Federation’s occupation of Naboo. Played in all three prequels by Silas Carson.
Obi-Wan Kenobi in "Revenge of the Sith," left, and "A New Hope."
(Ralph Nelson Jr. / Lucasfilm; Associate Press)
Obi-Wan Kenobi was a Jedi trained by Qui-Gon Jinn who in turn trained Anakin Skywalker and was a general for the Republic during the Clone Wars. As a padawan apprenticed to Qui-Gon, he meets the young Anakin in “The Phantom Menace.” Later, on Naboo, he bisects Darth Maul after Maul has killed Qui-Gon, whose dying wish is that Obi-Wan train Anakin. Kenobi is made a knight, with Anakin as his padawan. In “Attack of the Clones,” he discovers a clone army being produced on Kamino, is captured by Count Dooku on Geonosis, and escapes and fights alongside clones against droids as the Clone Wars begin. In “Revenge of the Sith,” he falls out with Anakin, survives Order 66 and defeats but does not kill Anakin in a lightsaber duel, though he takes his former apprentice’s weapon. He’s by Padmé Amidala’s side on Polis Massa when she dies giving birth to twins, and takes the infant Luke to Anakin’s stepbrother Owen Lars and wife Beru on Tatooine.
In “A New Hope,” he’s hiding on Tatooine under the name Ben when he meets Luke Skywalker, whose R2 unit has a message from Princess Leia for him, in the Jundland Wastes. At home, Kenobi tells Luke that his father was a Jedi and great pilot until being betrayed and murdered by Darth Vader, and gives the young man his father’s lightsaber, offering to teach him the ways of the Force. On the Death Star, Obi-Wan willingly loses a lightsaber duel with Darth Vader so Luke and company can escape. Obi-Wan dies, and his body disappears. During the later assault on the Death Star, his voice encourages Luke to use the Force. In “The Empire Strikes Back,” Obi-Wan appears to Luke in spectral form on Hoth, telling him to go to Dagobah to be trained by Yoda. Obi-Wan also appears in spectral form on Dagobah, imploring Luke to complete his training before facing Darth Vader (doesn’t work). In “Return of the Jedi,” Luke sees the spectral form of Obi-Wan twice: First on Dagobah after Yoda has died, when Obi-Wan explains why he hadn’t said Darth Vader was Luke’s father and confirms Leia is Luke’s sister, and then again on Endor, when he’s gathered with the spectral forms of Yoda and Anakin. Obi-Wan is played by Alec Guinness in the original trilogy and Ewan McGregor in the prequel trilogy.
Order 66: Palpatine’s order to his clone troopers to wipe out the Jedi in “Revenge of the Sith.”
Otoh Gunga is the underwater city on Naboo where Jar Jar Binks takes Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi to meet Boss Nass and get transport to Theed in “The Phantom Menace.”
Queen Amidala in "The Phantom Menace."
Padmé Amidala was queen of Naboo, then a senator from Naboo, secret wife of Anakin Skywalker and birth mother of Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa. In “The Phantom Menace,” she is Queen Amidala and ends the Trade Federation’s occupation of Naboo and meets young Anakin Skywalker. In “Attack of the Clones,” her time as queen is over but she’s a senator and assassination target guarded by Anakin Skywalker, with whom she falls in love. She accompanies him to Tatooine, where, when he returns with his mother’s body, he confesses to her what he did to the Tusken Raiders. After being rescued from Count Dooku on Geonosis, they return to Naboo and wed in secret. In “Revenge of the Sith,” she is pregnant and increasingly wary of Palpatine. Informed by Obi-Wan that Anakin has turned to the dark side, she travels to Mustafar to learn for herself whether it’s true. She’s not enthused by Anakin’s suggestion that they can overthrow Palpatine and rule the galaxy together. Anakin chokes her into unconsciousness when he thinks she’s betrayed him by bringing Obi-Wan. She later dies while giving birth to twins on an Outer Rim planetoid called Polis Massa. The medical droid diagnosis: She lost the will to live (another criticized aspect of the prequels). Padmé is played by Natalie Portman in the films.
Princess Leia is the most familiar name for the handy-with-a-blaster Leia Organa and is acceptable in all references for the key Rebel Alliance figure, daughter of Padmé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker, sister of Luke Skywalker (somehow, she’s always known), adopted daughter of Bail Organa and killer of many Stormtroopers. In “A New Hope,” she gets the stolen plans for the Death Star and a message to Obi-Wan Kenobi into R2-D2 before her consular ship is captured by Darth Vader, is made to watch as the Death Star destroys Alderaan, aids in her own rescue, and presents Luke, Han and Chewbacca with medals. In “The Empire Strikes Back,” she directs the Rebel evacuation of Hoth and escapes with “stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf herder” Han Solo aboard the Millennium Falcon. They kiss while aboard the ship after landing on an asteroid in what turns out to not be a cave, but a space slug. On Cloud City, as Han is being lowered to be frozen, she says she loves him (he knows). Aboard the Millennium Falcon while escaping, she senses Luke reaching out to her through the Force and has Chewbacca turn the ship back to get him. In “Return of the Jedi,” she enters Jabba’s palace under the guise of a bounty hunter called Boushh and presents a handcuffed Chewbacca to Jabba. At night, as the palace sleeps, she unfreezes Solo but is discovered by Jabba and company. Chained and wearing a slave girl outfit, she strangles the gangster with the chain on his barge. On Endor, she hijacks an Imperial speeder bike, befriends an Ewok, learns from Luke that they’re siblings, and helps take and shut down the shield generator (“I love you,” Solo tells her; “I know,” she replies). Leia will also appear in “The Force Awakens” and is played in all the films by Carrie Fisher.
Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia.
proton torpedo: a weapon used in space battles; X-wing fighters have them. Not “photon torpedo,” which is used in “Star Trek.” Someone will complain if we get it wrong.
Qui-Gon Jinn was a Jedi master who trained Obi-Wan Kenobi and discovered young Anakin Skywalker’s strength in the Force, believing the boy to be the prophesied chosen one who will bring balance to the Force in “The Phantom Menace” (so, story-wise, this is all his fault). He helps Queen Amidala and is killed in a lightsaber duel with Darth Maul. Played by Liam Neeson.
R2-D2 is the droid paired with C-3PO that’s entrusted with Death Star plans and a message for Obi-Wan Kenobi by Princess Leia in “A New Hope” and serves as Luke Skywalker’s X-wing astromech in all three of the original trilogy films. Artoo also helps Luke and company out of a number of scrapes (by plugging into the systems of the Death Star, Millennium Falcon and Cloud City, or launching Luke’s hidden lightsaber), and often frustrates Threepio. You’ve never seen such devotion in a droid. Artoo also appears in the prequel films. It’s Kenny Baker inside. The little droid’s sound effects were designed by Ben Burtt.
Ralph McQuarrie did conceptual art and design on the original trilogy.
rancor: the type of beast Luke Skywalker faced in the pit at Jabba’s palace in “Return of the Jedi.”
Rebel Alliance: The group that fights the Empire in the original trilogy. Also known as the Rebellion, the Rebels.
Rey is a character played by Daisy Ridley in “The Force Awakens.”
Rey in "The Force Awakens."
Rick McCallum produced the prequel trilogy.
Salacious Crumb is the little laughing creature that sits by Jabba the Hutt in “Return of the Jedi.”
the sarlacc: It lives in the Pit of Carkoon in the Dune Sea of Tatooine. Jabba the Hutt plans to feed Han Solo, Luke Skywalker and Chewbacca to it in “Return of the Jedi.” As Threepio puts it in translating their death sentences, “in his belly you will find a new definition of pain and suffering as you are slowly digested over a thousand years.” Mandalorian armor might make it burp.
Sith are the dark side counterparts to the Jedi. Palpatine, Darth Vader, Darth Maul and Count Dooku are all Dark Lords of the Sith, also called Sith Lords.
Shmi was the mother of Anakin Skywalker and a slave on Tatooine in “The Phantom Menace.” She became wife to Cliegg Lars and stepmother to Owen Lars, and died from injuries inflicted by Tusken Raiders in “Attack of the Clones.” Played by Pernilla August.
“Splinter of the Mind’s Eye” by Alan Dean Foster was the first “Star Wars” spinoff novel. It was published in 1978.
Star Destroyer: A large Imperial starship. There’s also a larger version called a Super Star Destroyer.
Star Tours is a “Star Wars”-themed motion simulator ride at various Disney parks. The first one opened at Disneyland in 1987. A revamped version with 3-D and variable story lines opened at Disneyland in 2011.
Star Wars Land refers to planned themed areas at Disneyland in Anaheim and at Disney World’s Hollywood Studios park in Orlando.
Starkiller Base is a setting in “The Force Awakens.”
Stormtroopers are white-armor-clad, blaster-wielding Imperial troops.
An assembly of Stormtroopers gathered to form the centerpiece of the Star Wars Spectactular at the 118th Rose Parade in 2007.
(Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
Supreme Chancellor Valorum is the character in “The Phantom Menace” whose ouster from office is engineered by Senator Palpatine from Naboo, who then succeeds him. Played by Terence Stamp.
Supreme Leader Snoke is a character played by Andy Serkis in “The Force Awakens.”
Tatooine is a crime-ridden desert planet orbiting twin suns that’s a major setting in “A New Hope” and “The Phantom Menace” and “Attack of the Clones.” Home at various times to Anakin Skywalker, Jabba the Hutt, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker. If there’s a bright center to the universe, this is the planet it’s farthest from.
tauntaun: The type of animal Han Solo put an injured Luke Skywalker inside for warmth in “The Empire Strikes Back.” Its innards stink.
TIE fighter: a single-pilot starfighter used by the Empire; TIE is an acronym for Twin Ion Engine. There are also TIE bombers (doubly wide) and TIE interceptors (bent wings).
Timothy Zahn wrote the Thrawn trilogy (1991’s “Heir to the Empire,” 1992’s “Dark Force Rising” and 1993’s “The Last Command”), bestselling novels that played a role in rejuvenating the “Star Wars” franchise and growing the Expanded Universe in the 1990s; the new villain was Grand Adm. Thrawn.
Trade Federation: A group opposing Republic taxes on trade routes that blockades Naboo in “The Phantom Menace.” It’s secretly under the influence of Darth Sidious.
Tusken Raiders are a dangerous group on Tatooine who ride banthas and attack humans. Some attack Luke Skywalker in “A New Hope” (Obi-Wan Kenobi scares them off); some are responsible for the death of Shmi in “Attack of the Clones.” The latter group is slaughtered by Anakin Skywalker. Also known as Sand People. Both terms are acceptable.
Uncle Owen is the common name for Owen Lars, who with his wife Beru raised Luke Skywalker on Tatooine and wanted the young man to stay on the farm for one more season, as seen in “A New Hope.” He’s killed offscreen by Stormtroopers. It’s revealed in “Attack of the Clones,” in which he’s seen as a younger man, that he’s the stepson of Shmi and stepbrother to Anakin Skywalker. Played by Phil Brown in “A New Hope” and Joel Edgerton in “Attack of the Clones” and “Revenge of the Sith.”
wampa: The type of creature that knocks out Luke and loses an arm to his lightsaber on Hoth in “The Empire Strikes Back.”
Watto was a junk dealer on Tatooine and owner of Shmi and Anakin Skywalker before losing Anakin to Qui-Gon Jinn in a bet when the boy won a podrace in “The Phantom Menace.”
Junk dealer Watto in "The Phantom Menace."
Wedge Antilles is a Rebel pilot. He’s a member of the X-wing Red Squadron in “A New Hope,” pilots a snowspeeder against AT-ATs on Hoth in “The Empire Strikes Back,” and leads the Red Squadron of X-wings against the second Death Star in “Return of the Jedi.” Played by Denis Lawson.
Wicket is the common name for Wicket W. Warrick, an Ewok who befriends Princess Leia and helps the Rebellion in “Return of the Jedi.” First name only is acceptable in all references. Played by Warwick Davis in that film and the Ewok TV movies. Davis is also in the cast of “The Force Awakens” in an as yet unknown role.
X-wing: a single-pilot-with-droid attack spaceship used by the Rebel Alliance. There are also A-wing and Y-wing fighters.
Yavin IV was where the Rebels were hiding in “A New Hope.” The first Death Star is destroyed in a battle above it.
Yoda was a Jedi master who trained Luke Skywalker on Dagobah in “The Empire Strikes Back.” Among his words of wisdom: “Do, or do not. There is no try.” The character dies in “Return of the Jedi,” after confirming to Luke, re: Vader, “Your father he is” and revealing “there is another Skywalker”; he appears in spectral form at the film’s end. A puppet in those films and “The Phantom Menace,” he’s computer-generated in “Attack of the Clones” and “Revenge of the Sith,” and got CG treatment in the 2011 Blu-ray release of “The Phantom Menace.”
In the prequels, he’s seen as a member of the Jedi Council. He initially opposes the training of Anakin Skywalker in “The Phantom Menace” but relents. In “Attack of the Clones,” he has his first onscreen lightsaber duel, with Count Dooku. In “Revenge of the Sith,” he has a lightsaber duel with Palpatine; he recommends the infant Luke and Leia be hidden.
Voiced in all the films by Frank Oz, who was also the primary puppeteer for the character in the original trilogy films and did some puppet work in “The Phantom Menace.”
Twitter: @BlakeHennon
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Entertainment & ArtsHero Complex
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Editorial: The Supreme Court shouldn’t grab power from administrative agencies
The Supreme Court at sunset in Washington on Oct. 4, 2018.
(Manuel Balce Ceneta / Associated Press)
The Supreme Court on Wednesday heard arguments about whether federal courts should be required to defer to the executive branch’s interpretation of its own rules, if that interpretation is reasonable. This may sound like a technical, legalistic dispute — and it is — but the wrong decision could make it vastly harder for the federal government to protect the public.
If courts start to second-guess executive-branch agencies’ reasonable interpretation of their own rules, it will be easier for business and other interests to undermine efforts to protect the environment, keep workplaces safe and promote public health. Deference to agency interpretations also makes sense because those charged with enforcing federal laws typically possess more expertise than federal judges and can set national standards.
The case argued on Wednesday grows out of a challenge by James L. Kisor, a Marine veteran of the Vietnam War, to a decision by the Department of Veterans Affairs to limit the disability payments he could collect for post-traumatic stress disorder.
The dispute turned on an interpretation of language in a VA regulation. In ruling against Kisor, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit concluded that, even though the rule in question was open to several meanings, the court would defer to the interpretation made by the Board of Veterans Appeals.
To the maximum extent possible, agencies should proactively publish their regulations — and their interpretations of those regulations.
In deciding to defer, the appeals court followed a 1997 Supreme Court decision, Auer vs. Robbins, in which the justices unanimously held that an agency’s interpretation of its own regulations “is controlling unless plainly erroneous or inconsistent with the regulations being interpreted.”
Kisor’s lawyer asked the Supreme Court to overturn the Auer decision and a 1945 decision, Bowles vs. Seminole Rock & Sand Co., on which it relied. Some justices were receptive. Justice Neil M. Gorsuch suggested that having judges, not agency officials, interpret ambiguous regulations would better serve the interests of “the least and most vulnerable among us, like the immigrant, like the veteran, who may not be the most popular or able to capture an agency the way many regulated entities can today.”
But Justice Stephen Breyer countered that overruling Auer would look like a “judicial power grab” and would involve judges in interpreting from scratch “hundreds of thousands, possibly millions of interpretive regulations,” some based on technical or scientific considerations with which judges aren’t familiar. Breyer also noted that, under the Auer decision as it has been recently interpreted, judges can set aside regulations that are unclear, “unreasonable” or “inappropriately considered.” No one is suggesting that federal courts abdicate their responsibility to strike down regulations that are clearly illegal.
Representing the Trump administration, Solicitor Gen. Noel Francisco argued for a similarly pragmatic approach. One of the advantages of the 1945 precedent, he told the court, is that when there are multiple reasonable interpretations of a regulation, “the choice of which one to adopt is made by a single more politically accountable agency, rather than in dozens and perhaps hundreds of different district courts across the country.”
Enter the Fray: First takes on the news of the minute »
Gorsuch suggested that always putting judges in the driver’s seat would benefit vulnerable people. But it’s far more likely that allowing judges to substitute their own interpretation for that of an agency — even if the court accepts that the agency’s interpretation is reasonable — will weaken regulatory protections and create confusion.
In suggesting that the VA’s interpretation of the rule should prevail in this case, we aren’t saying that administrative agencies always operate in a transparent and responsive way. There would be less litigation about how to interpret ambiguous regulations if agencies revised them to remove confusion. Congress also is at fault for enacting vague or open-ended statutes that encourage improvisation by agencies, just as it bears the blame for inaction on important issues (such as immigration) that tempts presidents to overreach with executive action.
Finally, the Administrative Procedure Act provides for a process by which many regulations don’t take effect until after notice and a period of public comment. It’s true that not all legal determinations by regulatory agencies are preceded by notice and comment. Some arise in adjudication of claims such as Kisor’s. But to the maximum extent possible, agencies should proactively publish their regulations — and their interpretations of those regulations. That’s a better cure for confusion than a “power grab” by the courts.
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Trump’s asylum ban would only worsen problems at the border
Trump’s latest proposed asylum ban will make problems at the border worse and encourage people entering the country illegally to hide.
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Opinion: Michael Dell: Poster boy for a Proposition 13 tweak?
Dell Chairman and CEO Michael Dell.
(Kimihiro Hoshino / AFP/Getty Images)
By Jon HealeyDeputy Editorial Page Editor
Here’s a suggestion for Assemblymen Raul Bocanegra (D-Pacoima) and Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco) as they push a bill to close an outrageous loophole in Proposition 13: Call it “Michael’s Law.”
Lawmakers routinely play on the public’s sentiments when advancing legislation, tying their proposals to sympathetic individuals whose plights exemplify the need to change policy. For example, young Ryan White, a hemophiliac who contracted HIV through a blood transfusion, became the symbol driving Congress to provide more support for people with AIDS. Nine-year-old Amber Hagerman, who was abducted and murdered in Texas, became the poster child for the Amber Alert system. Laura Wilcox, a temporary worker gunned down at a mental health clinic, because the inspiration for Laura’s Law. The list goes on and on.
So why shouldn’t the same be true when one person brings attention to a problem not by being a victim but by taking advantage of a flaw in the law? When his actions persuade legislators to gin up enforcement, raise penalties or address unintended consequences?
In short, why can’t Bocanegra and Ammiano name their bill after Michael Dell, the billionaire founder of the computer manufacturer that bears his name? Because his purchase of the Fairmont Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica seems to be their Exhibit A.
California voters enacted Proposition 13 in 1978 to cap property taxes at 1% of the assessed value of a property at the time it is sold, with the value allowed to rise no more than 2% per year. This protected property owners in at least two ways: no longer could multiple jurisdictions jack up a resident’s property taxes by piling on levies, and owners wouldn’t have to worry about their tax bills skyrocketing if their neighborhood became a hot market.
The measure wasn’t meant to keep property taxes artificially low in perpetuity, however. As soon as a home or building is sold, it gets a new assessment based on the full cash value at the time of sale.
Nevertheless, buyers of commercial property have found a way to avoid this reassessment. Instead of buying the property, they buy the legal entity that owns the property. Under rules set by the Board of Equalization, a change in ownership of such an entity doesn’t trigger a new assessment of its properties unless more than 50% of the entity is acquired by a single person or business.
Think of it this way: Say an entity owns five multiplexes across the city. If one investor buys the entity, the multiplexes are reassessed. But if four investors each take a 25% interest in the entity, the multiplexes hold on to their previous assessment.
How that squares with the language of Proposition 13 is a mystery to me, but that’s how the Board of Equalization rolls. Defenders of the system argue that buying the entity that owns a commercial property amounts to buying the business, and the value of the business doesn’t rise just because the property value might have increased since its last sale. But that doesn’t explain why a sole purchaser of the entity would face a reassessment but a partnership wouldn’t.
At any rate, the loophole has been evident to tax lawyers for years. But it wasn’t until The Times wrote last year about Dell’s purchase of the Fairmont Miramar that efforts to change the law started to gain traction.
According to that article, Dell agreed to buy the entity that owns the Fairmont Miramar for $200 million in 2006. But after the deal was struck, Dell rewrote the contract, bringing in his wife and two investment advisors as partners. Because none of them held more than a 49% interest in the entity that owned the hotel, the hotel kept its assessment from 1999: $86 million, or 43% of its cash value.
County assessors tried to raise the valuation, only to be rebuked by a Superior Court judge, who said Dell had followed the rules laid down by the Board of Equalization. The lower valuation saves Dell about $1 million a year.
To be fair, Dell plans a major renovation of the property, and that investment will trigger a reassessment and generate a significant amount of revenue for the city. Is it such a bad thing that Dell structured his deal in a way that minimized his property taxes prior to the renovation? I’d say no, if those savings were crucial to Dell being able to achieve his ultimate goal of transforming the aging hotel into a high-rise hotel and condo complex. Because over the long run, the city stands to gain much more than is being lost in the short term.
Yet there’s something grating about commercial real estate buyers being able to avoid reassessments that a typical home-buyer can’t. That strikes at least some lawmakers as unfair. The bill by Ammiano and Bocanegra would require a property to be reassessed whenever 100% of the entity that owns it is sold over a three-year period, regardless of how the buyers divvy up their shares.
Even business groups are supporting the proposal, although they may be simply trying to defend themselves against something more drastic: say, a ballot measure to eliminate Proposition 13 protections entirely for commercial real estate. Meanwhile, real estate attorneys are no doubt figuring out a way to keep future sales of commercial properties below the 100% threshold, just in case the bill becomes law.
Jon Healey
Jon Healey is the deputy editorial page editor, which means he’s one of the individuals editing (and sometimes writing) byline-free screeds that, technically speaking, reflect the views of the organization.
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Klinsmann is working to convince U.S. that Messi, Argentina are beatable
U.S. Coach Juergen Klinsmann believes that facing Argentina and Lionel Messi is a challenge that can be overcome.
(Frederic J. Brown / AFP/Getty Images)
By Kevin Baxter
Reporting from HOUSTON —
Matt Besler has spent the past couple of days studying film of Argentina’s Lionel Messi, searching for flaws and weaknesses, only to come to a frightful conclusion: there aren’t any.
And that could be a huge problem for the U.S., which faces Messi and Argentina, the world’s top-ranked team, in a Copa America Centenario semifinal Tuesday before a sellout crowd of approximately 70,000 at NRG Stadium (6 p.m., FSI, Univision, UDN).
“I don’t think there’s a comparison to that guy. You say you want to get pressure on Messi and not let him have time on the ball, but how do you do that?” Besler asked rhetorically before training Monday. “Even when guys step up to him and are right on him, he finds ways to wiggle out.”
“It’s a huge challenge,” the defender continued. “Probably the biggest challenge for us as a defensive unit. “
But it’s a challenge that can be overcome, insisted U.S. Coach Juergen Klinsmann.
“Anything is possible,” he said. “It’s not that they win every game. They lose games as well. And when they lose games, they make mistakes.”
Klinsmann first learned that lesson in the 1990 World Cup final, when he played on a West German team that beat Argentina and Diego Maradona, the Messi of his day.
“We all admire these types of players. But there are also ways to stop them,” Klinsmann said. “I’m not the type of a person who pulls out old stories and tells players how we did it. But there are ways, obviously, to play against these wonderful players.
“It’s down right now to confidence, being proud of yourself and tak[ing] it to another level. Give it a try. So we’re going to pump our guys up.”
Messi is not a one-man team through. Although he ranks second in the Copa with four goals, he came into the event with a back injury that has limited him to one start and two other appearances off the bench. And even without him, Argentina outscored opponents, 9-2, the second-largest goal differential in the tournament.
It’s also the only team with a perfect record.
“It’s a very good team,” U.S. captain Michael Bradley said. “We all understand that.”
The U.S. has also put together a pretty performance in this tournament, though it’s happened quietly. While Argentina has won its last three games by a total of 11 goals, two of the three U.S. wins have been a goal each – the first over Paraguay, with the U.S. hanging on despite playing half the game a man down, and the second against 13th-ranked Ecuador in the quarterfinals.
With three goals and three assists, Clint Dempsey trails only Messi and Chile’s Eduardo Vargas in scoring. And Brad Guzan is the only goalkeeper in the tournament who has yet to allow a goal from open play.
If Tuesday’s game is tied after the 90 minutes, the teams will skip extra time and go straight to penalty kicks to determine a winner.
The team Klinsmann sends out Tuesday will necessarily differ from the one he used to such success in the first four games though. After making just two lineup changes in the tournament, the suspensions of forward Bobby Wood and midfielders Alejandro Bedoya and Jermaine Jones – Wood and Bedoya for accumulated yellow cards and Jones for a straight red – will force wholesale changes for this match.
Kyle Beckerman is almost certain to replace Jones and play as a holding midfielder, forcing Bradley forward into an attacking role; Graham Zusi figures to take Bedoya’s spot on the wing. However there is no clear candidate to replace Wood, whose repeated runs into the box have cleared space for Dempsey.
And if Klinsmann has chosen a replacement, he’s keeping it a secret
“We don’t know anything yet,” said the Galaxy’s Gyasi Zardes, one option to replace Wood. “We’re curious to see what’s going to happen.”
He’s also curious to see Messi, he added with a grin.
“I love playing against the best players. And I consider him the best player,” Zardes said. “To play against Argentina, it’s a huge accomplishment.”
A bigger one would be beating them.
“Although they create numerous opportunities, they also give up a handful,” Zardes said. “If you bury those opportunities, the game could be different.”
kevin.baxter@latimes.com
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UNM planning flat-rate tuition proposal
Updated: 11:43 AM MDT Jun 16, 2014
University of New Mexico officials are considering several proposals designed to offer students guaranteed flat-rate tuition for the four years it takes them to graduate.The plans are designed to remove the uncertainty of tuition increases during the time it takes a traditional student to earn a degree. One of several plans officials are considering would offer the guarantee to the first 500 applicants and year, and a second would offer it only to scholarship recipients.The Albuquerque Journal reports planning for the guaranteed tuition is in the preliminary stages but the Board of Regents discussed the issue last week.The university's associate vice president for enrollment management is charged with developing a viable plan.A handful of states have already adopted various guaranteed tuition rate plans.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —
University of New Mexico officials are considering several proposals designed to offer students guaranteed flat-rate tuition for the four years it takes them to graduate.
The plans are designed to remove the uncertainty of tuition increases during the time it takes a traditional student to earn a degree.
One of several plans officials are considering would offer the guarantee to the first 500 applicants and year, and a second would offer it only to scholarship recipients.
The Albuquerque Journal reports planning for the guaranteed tuition is in the preliminary stages but the Board of Regents discussed the issue last week.
The university's associate vice president for enrollment management is charged with developing a viable plan.
A handful of states have already adopted various guaranteed tuition rate plans.
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WATCH: Coast Guard jumps onto submarine during $569M drug smuggling bust
Posted: Jul 11, 2019 / 05:54 PM PDT / Updated: Jul 12, 2019 / 05:05 AM PDT
CORONADO, Calif. (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard has offloaded tons of cocaine and marijuana seized from boats and even a semi-submarine in the Pacific.
Vice President Mike Pence was on hand Thursday as 39,000 pounds (17,690 kilograms) of cocaine and 933 pounds (423 kilograms) of marijuana were taken off the cutter Munro at Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado.
The Coast Guard says the drugs have an estimated street value of $569 million.
The drugs were seized in 14 operations since May in international waters off Mexico and Central and South America.
Fifty-five smuggling suspects were taken into custody.
Video: U.S. Coast Guard
TUOLUMNE COUNTY (KRON) -- A Watsonville man was shot and killed after allegedly breaking into a tent where two campers were sleeping at the Stanislaus National Forest last week.
The man was identified Tuesday as Timothy Edward Smith, 36, of Watsonville.
WASHINGTON (AP) - In a remarkable political repudiation, the Democratic-led House voted Tuesday night to condemn President Donald Trump’s “racist comments” against four congresswomen of color, despite protestations by Trump’s Republican congressional allies and his own insistence he hasn’t “a racist bone in my body.”
Two days after Trump tweeted that four Democratic freshmen should “go back” to their home countries — though all are citizens and three were born in the U.S.A. — Democrats muscled the resolution through the chamber by 240-187 over strong GOP opposition.
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How To Get Into Grad College With A DUI.
June 4, 2016Harvard Law SchoolComments: 0
As you can see by Professor Stadler’s biography, she has taken her guidance and moved to Nebraska. In other words, it makes almost no difference to graduate employment outcomes regardless of whether a college is ranked 34th or 49th, but a decline of that magnitude will be considered a disaster by a college that experiences it, requiring a vigorous response (in the kind of spending even a lot more money of course). Langdell Hall, the biggest developing on the law school campus, consists of the Harvard Law School Library, the most substantial academic law library in the world. How to Get into Health-related College with a Low GPA delves into the particulars of the application type and the a variety of steps in the entire application procedure.
Reclaim Harvard Law y el Gremio Nacional de Abogados están en solidaridad con los trabajadores en su demanda para un comité especial de diversidad. The blog, Royall Asses, grew out of an incident final year where pieces of black tape had been placed on the portraits of black law professors. Naturally, based on extremely clear stats, those thousands of tiny law firms in need of assist are not really taking any action to ameliorate their dire need. Ah, Dante and his Inferno, how acceptable, I was just seeking into that once again not too long ago… certainly, all the law school pigs and scammers should be thrown straight into the eighth circle (Fraud) as for which of its ten rings is the ideal match for them, I will let much more knowledgeable minds figure that out.
You’re not studying torts for the enjoy of the subject or to acquire a viewpoint on this location… if you had been, you would study a certain jurisdiction’s law and learn its context and policy rationales. If there’s one particular factor most law professors hate is coming across a phrase like ‘it seems from the proof that there may possibly be a possibility of supporting the argument that…’. She knows damn nicely that law does not open doors to the presidency or other high-status positions.
Georgetown University: The president of the university announced in November that the school will rename two buildings that are at the moment named soon after former presidents who organized the sale of slaves to settle campus debt in the 1830s. Well, there have been 81 graduates in the class of 2014 and 25 discovered complete time/extended term bar passage price jobs in which 7 had been in solo practice and 17 have been in firms of 2 to 10 attorneys, all according to the ABA essential disclosure. It may be due to that reality that both my wife and I attended college in deep red states.
When my daughter attended a private Selwyn college for two weeks, she had all but NO opportunites for socializing with the other kids. The tape had allegedly been utilised previously to cover up the Harvard seal in its different iterations across campus in protest against the seal’s supposed racist connotations. Men and women believe you’ve got some kind of Wonka Golden Ticket following passing the Bar or even ahead of that, basically by graduating from law college. For now I will merely note that if individuals enjoying the extraordinary protections afforded by tenure are not prepared to confront institutional corruption, then academic tenure is an indefensible privilege. The Taiwan Community Curriculum conforms to the public school year schedule of Taiwan since, for congruence, it runs concurrent in an after-school format.
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Home > Michigan > Cornerstone University
Cornerstone University
1001 E Beltline Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI
Cornerstone University, a nonprofit private institution, offers an assortment of degree programs, allowing students to choose which major is right for them. Located in Grand Rapids, MI, the campus resides in an urban setting for students to study in. The Interdenominational affiliation of this school is an important part of the history, education and curriculum that defines the school. Nearly 2,900 students enroll at Cornerstone University per year.
Students may select from many areas of study, including but not limited to:
Theology And Religious Vocations
The admissions process begins with the submission of an application, transcripts, and standardized test scores, which are then evaluated by admissions officials. Students may submit either the SAT or ACT exam scores to be considered for admissions at Cornerstone University. A score in a range of 1497 - 1844 on the SAT, or 21 - 27 for the ACT is common among accepted students. 63% of students that apply are accepted to Cornerstone University, of which 26% choose to enroll. More information on admissions can be found at cornerstone.edu.
The cost of tuition is close to $25,000, but may change yearly. Students are encouraged to use the school's tuition calculator to better understand their personal tuition costs. Cornerstone University may help with costs by offering financial aid for students that qualify by way of loans, grants, scholarships and work study programs.
The Cornerstone University "Golden Eagles" have a number of intercollegiate athletic programs through participation in the NAIA. Athletic programs available include:
Basketball (NAIA Division II)
Golf (NAIA Division II)
Soccer (NAIA Division II)
The admission details below may give an overview of the students Cornerstone University accepts. The details may include application requirements and recommendations, as well as any college credits that may be transferred.
Total enrollment at Cornerstone University is around 2,600 students. The enrollment breakdown by academic level is 13% enrolling as graduate students and 79% as undergraduate students.
For part-time students, charges are between $980-$1,200 per unit
The average estimated cost for on campus dorms & meals is listed to be around $10,000, the cost includes eighteen meals per week
The table listed below helps break down the types of financial aid students receive and the percent receiving aid, as well as the average amount of aid per student per year.
Any Financial Aid 100% -
Receiving Grants & Scholarships 100% $17,189
To help students and alumni, Cornerstone University may provide services to students including:
Remedial courses
Work study style employment
Assisting students to find work
Cornerstone University has an overall graduation rate which is close to 46%.
Theology (Ministry) Program
* Accredited by the Commission on Accrediting of the Association of Theological Schools (since 2002)
Cornerstone University is a Member of National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), with many of the sports being in the NAIA Division II classification. The most popular sports played are listed below:
Basketball (Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conf)
Track and Field, Indoor
Track and Field, Outdoor
Track and Field, X-Country
Get more information about the programs offered by Cornerstone University by clicking the request information to the right.
Environmental Biology (B)
Business Administration (A, B, M)
Accounting (B)
Advertising and Marketing (B)
Finance (B)
Organizational and Nonprofit Management (B)
Communications (B)
Media Studies (B)
Radio and Television (B)
ESL (M)
Educational Leadership and Administration (M)
Science Teacher (B)
English and Language Arts Teacher Education (B)
Technology Teacher Education Teacher Education (M)
Early Childhood Education (A)
Education, Teaching Individuals with Specific Learning Disabilities (B)
Mathematics Teacher Education (B)
Spanish Language Teacher Education (B)
History Teacher Education (B)
Social Studies Teacher Education (B)
Family Studies (B)
Ancient Eastern Biblical Languages, Literatures and Linguistics (B)
Healthcare Administration (M)
Health Preparatory Programs (B)
Humanistic Studies (B)
General Studies (B)
Christian Studies (M)
Counseling Psychology (M)
Public Administration and Social Services
Social Work (B)
Human Services (A)
Kinesiology And Exercise Science (B)
Theological and Ministerial Studies (B, M)
Ministry (M)
Biblical Studies (B, M)
Youth Ministry (B, M)
Missionary Studies (B)
Christian Counseling (M)
Religious Education (M)
Cinematography And Film (B)
The list of schools below have been selected by researching which schools offer similar programs to Cornerstone University.
Indiana University - South Bend in South Bend, IN (96 miles away)
University of Wisconsin - Parkside in Kenosha, WI (117 miles away)
Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago, IL (128 miles away)
Indiana University - Northwest in Gary, IN (133 miles away)
Chicago State University in Chicago, IL (135 miles away)
See a list of all the colleges and universities by clicking on one of the links below:
Compare schools and see a list of all colleges in Michigan
Review a list of Michigan private colleges
Find out what other Bible and Christian Colleges are located in Michigan
Information displayed on this page has been obtained from Institution, State, and Federal data sources, including the US Dept. of Education's Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) Survey 2010-2016. Information should be solely used for informational purposes only and may not be accurate for the current year. Contact Cornerstone University for official up-to-date information.
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The Commons: Jack Layton and the politics of faith - Macleans.ca
The Commons: Jack Layton and the politics of faith
There is love and there is hope and there is optimism, but there is also policy and debate and conflict
by Aaron Wherry
A few minutes before 11, the Parachute Club’s Rise Up began playing over the speakers that had been set up in front of the steps that lead to Centre Block and the Peace Tower. A poster of Jack Layton—leaning forward, looking out intently, shirt and tie, but with the top button of his shirt undone—had been set up on an easel. A small crowd had gathered, some wearing orange shirts or carrying orange signs or clutching orange flowers. Two smaller photos of Mr. Layton adorned the steps, each adorned with a bottle of Orange Crush.
The song ended and the Peace Tower clock rang 11 times for 11 o’clock and the crowd of 200 or so got quiet and a fellow from the Broadbent Institute stepped to the microphone. “We were all moved by the outpouring of affection that followed Jack’s passing last year,” he said. “There was something comforting about so many people talking openly about love. But that was Jack’s greatest strength, his ability to pull people together.”
Next was Nycole Turmel, the Hull-Aylmer MP who stepped in for Mr. Layton last year. “On the first anniversary of Jack’s death,” she said, “we remember him as an exceptional man who fought with hope, love and optimism to make life for every Canadian.”
Finally, Paul Dewar, the Ottawa Centre MP who ran to succeed Mr. Layton as NDP leader. “I remember last year … talking to a couple of young people who had read the letter and then decided that they would leave their imprint. And they put in chalk, just across the way, because security wouldn’t let them do it here, the last paragraph of the letter. And it remained there for a couple of days, just by the bus shelter. And I thought, you know, that’s really what Jack was about, inspiring young people. And talking about, yes, love in politics. Talking about hope and optimism. And it’s really difficult to find politicians who talk about those ideas and sincerely mean it. Jack meant it.”
Love, hope and optimism. These are matters of faith. Which might make them hard to fathom in this context.
We have generally decided that politics is an ugly thing, debased and cynical. “Playing politics” is a terrible thing to do. “Politicization” is to be avoided on sensitive matters. Politicians are not to be trusted and politics is an obscure construct that is removed from the daily life of the average man. At best, it is theatre. “Nothing is personal in politics, because politics is theater,” Michael Ignatieff wrote a couple years into his adventure. “It is part of the job to pretend to have emotions that you do not actually feel.”
Jack Layton defied this idea that there was a difference between the politician we saw and heard and the person who otherwise existed when the cameras were off. Attempts to get him to break character went nowhere. By various accounts there was no distinction. He was a politician. And he revelled in this stuff. “There isn’t anything about campaigning I don’t enjoy,” he said last year, at the end of the first week of that last campaign, when he was still running a distant and doubted third. Maybe that’s how Jack Layton “meant it.” Maybe when he smiled it was because he genuinely and unabashedly loved what he was doing. The search for authenticity is a fool’s errand, but maybe that much was genuine.
(“It is a common spectacle in legislatures for representatives to insult one another in the chamber and then retreat for a drink in the bar afterward,” Mr. Ignatieff claimed in 2007. The trick maybe is in understanding that it is possible to have profound disagreements without hating the individual with whom you disagree. That it is possible to be both political and human. And that however much the professional practice of politics requires projecting one’s voice and gesturing assuredly, the words and the emotions expressed are still meaningful.)
Did that make Jack Layton someone you could believe in? Maybe. Who knows? It is always only just a guess. But the unspoken truth is that there is hope in every vote. Hope that the individual being voted for will somehow help do some good. Or at least hope he will be less bad than the other guy. When Harvey Milk said, “you’ve got to give them hope,” he was speaking of something very specific (the hope that gays and lesbians would take from seeing other gays and lesbians elected to public office), but he was also putting his finger on the central demand of the politician. The politician has to give the voter hope. He has to do various other things, too—silly things, weird things and, sometimes, serious things—but without hope there is nothing. And hope requires faith. And so however much we don’t believe, we still bring ourselves to believe, if even just a little bit.
In the 12 months since Jack Layton’s final words were put to paper and then scrawled near bus shelters and emblazoned on T-shirts and posters, they have also been mocked. They have been turned around to chide the party he left behind and the leader who succeeded him when political opponents have judged them to be in contravention of those principles. As a general rule it should probably be considered unseemly to mock someone with the dying words of their dead friend. But it is possible to imagine Jack Layton looking on and smiling and understanding that this is politics too. Because it is all politics. And nothing is, nor should be, sacred. (Disagreement does not preclude respect.) Mr. Layton would no doubt smile too at the protest and demonstration that has marked this past year—the student, the scientists and the doctors in the streets, the points of order and the hours of voting in the House. This was a man whose last act as a party leader was the launching of a filibuster. But he would no doubt know that protest and demonstration can only accomplish so much. This was a man whose legacy includes a significant real estate deal. Politics, like life, is periodically romantic, but mostly practical.
So there is love and there is hope and there is optimism, but there is also policy and debate and conflict. There is ultimately, unavoidably, politics. Because it is all politics. And there is nothing inherently wrong with that.
“He would be telling us all right now to roll up those sleeves, get to work and getting moving with making a difference,” Mr. Dewar continued. “And I have to say, since we have the audience here, there’s a couple of things we need to do. Little bit of homework. We need to restore the help for refugees who have been caught off of access to health care. That’s something that he would want to see done.”
The crowd whooped and applauded.
“And it’s a shame that the Conservatives have cut it,” Mr. Dewar continued, talking over the cheers. “That’s what it means to love. It’s to embrace. Let’s talk about homelessness and let’s get moving shelter to every single Canadian. Let’s stand up for our country as a voice of peace.”
More applause.
“And let’s look to our environment and take care of that,” Mr. Dewar declared.
Mr. Dewar finished and then there were more words from the fellow from the Broadbent Institute. Finally, there was a moment of silence. And then the Peace Tower carillon played O Canada and John Lennon’s Imagine and members of the crowd came forward to place their orange flowers and orange signs on the steps between the two bottles of Orange Crush.
Broadbent Institute
Nycole Turmel
Paul Dewar
C-377, the NDP, the PMO and the future of the Senate
The Topp memos
Layton statue unveiled on Toronto waterfront, ferry terminal named after him
In other news, Tom Mulcair is also here
Jack Layton statue to be unveiled today on Toronto waterfront
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Proposal for new Edinburgh performance venue
Arts, culture and sport
Call for auditorium to be included in City Region Deal.
The Scottish Government is keen to see proposals for a new performance venue in Edinburgh included in the forthcoming City Region Deal, Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop confirmed today.
The charitable trust IMPACT Scotland and Scottish Chamber Orchestra (SCO) are behind a proposal to create a new 1,000 seat world-class auditorium in St Andrew’s Square, which would become the new home of the SCO. It would also be a venue for musical performances, conferences, public educational engagement and be used each August by the Edinburgh International Festival.
Speaking in a Scottish Parliament debate to highlight the importance of the Edinburgh Festivals in the 70th anniversary since they were founded, Ms Hyslop said:
“The Scottish Government has been a strong supporter and fully engaged in the development of the proposed IMPACT performance venue since initial conversations in 2013 when I met with the donors and Royal Bank of Scotland.
“We saw great value in the proposal and funded the initial feasibility study. Since then, we have been in discussion with partners involved in the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal to secure their support for the venue, and I’m pleased that these negotiations have progressed.
“This project will secure a critical new performance venue in the centre of Edinburgh; provide a home for the Scottish Chamber Orchestra; and will be used exclusively for Festival performances in August. The economic and cultural benefits of such a venue will be felt widely across Edinburgh and its surrounding regions and across Scotland. “In the face of increasing national and international competition, this support will optimise Edinburgh’s position as an international festival city and Scotland’s reputation as a leading centre for music and the performing arts.”
City Region Deals establish new collaborative regional partnerships, focused on long-term strategic approaches to improving regional economies. The Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region comprises six local authorities (City of Edinburgh Council, Scottish Borders Council, Fife Council, Midlothian Council, East Lothian Council and West Lothian Council).
They have joined together with the region’s five universities, five colleges and the business community to develop an interconnected set of proposals that they consider will deliver a positive step change to the regional economy over the next ten years.
We are currently in the advanced stages of detailed discussion with the city region partners and the UK Government as we further develop the proposals and negotiate towards a Heads of Terms agreement. The scale of the ambition of the deal and the projects included within it will be subject to negotiation between the partners and Governments.
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Montpelier-Berlin, VT (MPR)
Although the Montpelier station serves the state capital, the stop is located in the adjacent town of Berlin; a branch line originally allowed direct access to downtown opposite the capitol.
297 Junction Road
Annual Station Revenue (FY 2018): $534,452
Annual Station Ridership (FY 2018): 7,874
Facility Ownership: New England Central Railroad
Parking Lot Ownership: New England Central Railroad
Platform Ownership: New England Central Railroad
Track Ownership: New England Central Railroad
Vermonter
Town of Berlin
City of Montpelier
City of Barre
Although the Montpelier station serves the state capital located approximately two miles to the east, the depot is located west of the Dog River in the town of Berlin. A caretaker opens and closes the station at train times, and a taxicab service provides transportation between the station and downtown Montpelier.
There has been a passenger rail station at this location—known to locals as Montpelier Junction—since the mid-19th century. The junction takes its name from the joining of the old Vermont Central Railroad mainline and a branch line that allowed direct service to the capital. Opened in July 1849, the branch line carried passenger trains to Montpelier until regular service was discontinued in 1938 and replaced by a bus between downtown and Montpelier Junction. Passenger rail service along the railroad mainline ended at the junction in September 1966 and did not resume until the introduction of the Montrealer (Washington-New York-Montreal) in 1972.
Documentation shows that the current depot, a red-painted wood-frame building with a gabled roof, is likely the third to occupy the site. It was constructed for the successor Central Vermont Railway and opened in 1934. Passengers use a small waiting room with wooden benches and large windows that allow in ample natural light. The rest of the depot, which is divided from a freight room by a covered passageway, is used by the New England Central Railroad.
Along the platform is a projecting three-sided bay lined with windows; from this spot, the station master could monitor traffic up and down the rail line. The station also features a central tower with a gabled roof. A 1934 photograph shows that a canopy once ran along the platform to protect passengers from inclement weather, but it was removed many years ago.
Montpelier Junction originally served as a wood stop for the Vermont Central Railroad (VCR), which built through the area in 1848-49. The trains stopped at the junction and other designated communities to load up on wood to power the steam locomotives. The VCR and its successor eventually completed a rail network that linked the state with the important international ports of Boston and New York City, as well as Montreal in Quebec.
In 1872 the VCR was reorganized as the Central Vermont Railroad (CVR). In the early 20th century, the CVR undertook a number of infrastructure improvements along its network. Between 1906 and 1910, Montpelier Junction gained a new engine house, a 50,000 gallon water tank and a new coaling facility. None of these structures remain.
When European explorers first visited what is now central Vermont, it was primarily inhabited by the Abenaki American Indians who belonged to the Algonquian language family. Unlike portions of the New England coast, Vermont was difficult to access due to mountain ranges and thick forests. Many scholars believe that it was not densely settled and was instead used as a seasonal hunting ground by various tribes. Vermont remained beyond the sphere of European colonists well into the mid-18th century and acted as a buffer zone between the French towns of southern Canada and the English settlements of coastal New England. The region only became attractive to a greater number of English colonists after the British defeated the French in 1760 and gained permanent control of Canada.
Vermont did not come into existence as a separate entity—an independent republic—until 1777, and until then the land was heavily disputed by New York, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. As early as the 1730s, hunters and traders explored the area, but settlement was not forthcoming. By the 1760s, Governor Benning Wentworth of New Hampshire began chartering numerous towns throughout Vermont, leading to complaints from the government of the New York colony. Wentworth was especially interested in the region due to its stands of timber which could be used in boat building, a lucrative industry centered on the New Hampshire coast. Trees like white pines were highly valued for ship components such as masts.
Berlin was chartered in June 1763, but the first permanent European-American settlers did not arrive for two more decades. As families came to farm the land and make use of its wooded hillsides, the first saw and grist mills were built in the early 1790s. They were located north of Berlin Pond where a series of falls provided ample water power. A village center subsequently developed in this busy area. While Berlin experienced its first growth spurt, Vermont achieved statehood in 1791.
To the east of Berlin, in the steep valley where the Winooski River and its North Branch meet, sits Montpelier. One of its first European-American settlers was Colonel Davis, who built a log cabin along the North Branch in about 1787. A grant to settlers from Massachusetts brought more people to the area along the North Branch. Due to the community’s proximity to the Winooski, as well as its residents’ willingness to donate land, Montpelier was chosen to be the state capital in 1805. Its central location also meant that it was equally accessible from the farthest reaches of the state.
Aside from government functions and the milling of grist and wood, the financial and insurance sectors were prominent in early Montpelier. The Vermont Mutual Fire Insurance Company organized in 1828, and the National Life Insurance Company was established in 1848. The latter eventually became the third largest in the nation. Among the founders of the National Life Insurance Company was local physician Julius Dewey. His son, George, was born in Montpelier in 1837. He is probably best known for his 1898 victory at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War. He is the only person in the history of the country to attain the rank of Admiral of the Navy, the most senior position in the United States Navy.
The railroad bolstered growth in the mid-19th century by connecting the region to distant markets and ports while cutting down transport times. On July 4, 1849, the first train, hauling flour, stopped in Montpelier. The president and general manager of the VCR served as conductor. There was initially no depot in town, but this situation was quickly remedied with the opening of a two story brick Greek Revival structure the next year. It was located south of the capitol complex between the buildings fronting State Street and the Winooski River.
Thirty years later, the CVR replaced the first depot with a larger, more modern structure befitting the town’s position as the state capital. Featuring a soaring clock tower with elaborate corbelling, it had a central hall flanked by gentlemen and ladies’ waiting rooms, ticket office, baggage room, telegraph and express offices. The building’s end gables were embellished with elaborate stickwork and cutout designs that delighted the eye.
Passenger rail service over the branch line to the downtown depot ceased in 1938 as Americans embraced new travel options such as the automobile. The Vermont Transit Company subsequently converted the building into a bus depot, and there were connecting shuttles out to the Montpelier Junction depot. In 1963, onlookers watched as the 1880 depot was dynamited, its grand tower falling to the ground in a pile of rubble and dust. Today the site is a parking lot.
In 1895, Montpelier reorganized as a city, and within three years annexed the northern part of Berlin across the Winooski. Another addition came in the form of a 185-acre park donated by John E. Hubbard in 1899 as well as a further land grant in 1911. Hubbard, the beneficiary of a large inheritance, also built the city’s Kellogg-Hubbard Library.
Montpelier is often paired in descriptions with its neighboring city, Barre, which lies six miles to the southeast. Barre was chartered in 1780 and settled about the same time as Montpelier and Berlin. Granite quarrying and refining became its primary industries after the War of 1812. The extensive granite deposit in the area is estimated at four miles long, two miles wide and ten miles deep. Processing the stone quarried in Barre became one of Montpelier’s main industries. Forty-one granite-related businesses were recorded in 1914.
Skilled laborers came from all over Europe to work the stone deposits. Barre Gray granite, which is known for its superior weather resistance due to its low iron content, as well as its fine grain and even texture, is still much preferred by artists.
The CVR extended a branch known as the Montpelier and Wells Railroad (M&W) to Barre in 1873. About 1880, at the time the CVR opened the new State Street station, the M&W constructed its own red brick depot a few blocks to the southeast at the crossing of Main and Barre Streets. The Main Street façade featured five bays defined by pilasters, as well as an elaborate cornice. At street level, full-height, round-arched doorways and windows allowed ample natural light to flood the interior. A canopy supported by brackets protected passengers from inclement weather as they awaited the arrival of the train. Having long since ceased operation as a passenger rail station, the building was rehabilitated in 1977 and today serves as a commercial space.
The Montpelier and White River Railroad began running between Barre and the capital in 1875; it soon became part of the CVR network. Rail connections allowed the sought-after granite to be shipped to growing cities across the United States where it was used in many grand edifices.
Although called the “smallest state capital,” Montpelier nonetheless enjoys substantial cultural activity due to its governmental, educational and business institutions. The city is home to Vermont College, the New England Culinary Institute, the Vermont Historical Society Museum and the T.W. Wood Gallery and Arts Center. The town of Berlin is home to the Edward F. Knapp Airport, Central Vermont Medical Center and a variety of shopping options along the Barre-Montpelier Road (U.S. Route 302).
Amtrak does not provide ticketing or baggage services at the Montpelier station, which is served by two daily trains. The Vermonter is financed primarily through funds made available by the Vermont Agency of Transportation, the Connecticut Department of Transportation and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.
No ticket sales office
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“I don’t really think it’s that much of a difference,” Abello said. “I work with a great group of men and women that don’t look at it as gender-based.”
Miami Beach Fire Chief Virgil Fernandez recognized Abello’s commitment almost immediately.
“Very early on I observed her tenacity and dedication,” he said.
Fernandez joined the Beach fire department in February. When he assessed the department, he recognized that training needed special attention, and called for someone well-versed in the latest trends, equipment and technology.
Some of Abello’s new job duties include being in charge of training for the department’s 192 firefighters, recruiting and training new firefighters, meeting accreditation standards and adhering to the requirements of federal agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration and Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
“The major advancements in the fire service has come in training and technology,” Fernandez said. “I wanted a strong leader that is well respected by the fire department.”
For Fernandez, Abello met all of the requirements for her new post. And while he did not take into account her gender, he thinks it’s worth mentioning.
“It has been a male-dominated profession,” Fernandez said. “To be able to exceed and to break down the barriers, perform at a level where you are just as good as the men you are working with and be fully capable of holding these positions are definitely worth noting.”
Sports Illustrated holds an open casting call in Miami Beach during Swim Week
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The final-day-of-the-season move that is paying dividends for Heat
By Douglas Hanks
After Malaysia casino operator Genting partnered with Chinese firm BYD to propose a monorail between Miami and Miami Beach, US Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, Florida Republicans, cited espionage concerns.
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‘Like I’m in The Twilight Zone.’ Debate rages over music in Miami Beach restaurants
Miami Beach cop stops a car with a stolen license plate. That wasn’t the only problem.
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Order the 3 Full Sample LSAT Tests ($12.90), Click here >>>
One of the truisms of the advertising industry is that it is rarely necessary to say something of substance in an advertisement in order to boost sales. Instead, one only needs to attract the potential customer’s attention; memory does the rest, for it is more important for sales that people know of a product than that they know something about it.
Which of the following is assumed by the argument?
(A) People can remember a product without having much information about it.
(B) Advertisements, in their own way, function to improve people’s memories.
(C) Attracting a potential customer’s attention is a simple matter.
(D) The advertising industry knows little of substance about the products it promotes.
(E) Advertisements seldom tell the truth about a product.
The passage discusses how advertising usually need only draw people’s attention to a product and need not provide any substance for people to remember the product. Thus, the passage implies that people can remember a product without having much information about it, and A is the correct answer.
B is incorrect. The passage suggests that if advertisements draw people’s attention to a product, the people are more apt to remember the product. The advertisement is not said to improve people’s memories, only to draw people’s attention so they will use their existing memories.
C is also incorrect. The passage says that all one usually needs to do is attract a potential customer’s attention. It does not say how easy or difficult that is.
The fourth answer choice is incorrect. The passage says that it is rarely necessary to say something of substance in an advertisement but does not suggest that the advertising industry knows little of substance about the product.
The last answer choice is incorrect. The passage does not suggest that advertisements make false claims about products.
2.Why save endangered species? For the general public, endangered species appear to be little more than biological oddities. A very different perception is gained from considering the issue of extinction in a wider context. The important point is that many major social advances have been made on the basis of life forms whose worth would never have been perceived in advance. Consider the impact of rubber-producing plants on contemporary life and industry: approximately two-thirds of the world’s rubber supply comes from rubber producing plants and is made into objects as diverse as rubber washers and rubber boots.
The point of the passage is made chiefly by
(A) acknowledging the validity of two opposing points of view
(B) appealing to the emotions of the audience rather than to their intellects
(C) suggesting a useful perspective for viewing the question raised at the beginning of the passage
(D) trying to discredit the view of an opponent without presenting an alternative hypothesis
(E) generalizing from similar to dissimilar cases.
The passage suggests that considering the possibility of extinction with an eye toward the possible utility of a previously unvalued species will lead to a different answer to the question than considering the possibility of extinction from a more general perspective. C describes the author’s procedure of suggesting a new perspective and is thus the correct answer.
The first choice is incorrect. The author argues that it is important to preserve endangered species without endorsing any opposing point of view. The view attributed to the general public is not accepted; rather, an argument is given to show what that view misses. B is incorrect. The author uses an approach that is primarily factual, and does not seek to arouse the emotions of its audience. D is also incorrect. The author tries to undermine an opposing position by presenting an alternative to it. The last answer choice is incorrect. The generalization about the potential value of life forms whose value was not perceived in advance is supported by an example of a similar case, namely that of rubber plants.
3.Only a member of the Regionalist party would oppose the bill for a new recycling law that would protect the environment from industrial interests. Ellen cannot be a member of the Regionalist party because she supports the bill.
Which of the following statements points out why the conclusion is invalidly drawn?
(A) Regionalist party members have organized to oppose industrial interests on several other issues.
(B) Industrial interests need not oppose the protection of the environment.
(C) Past attempts to protect the environment through recycling laws have failed.
(D) It is possible that some Regionalist party members may not oppose the bill for a new recycling law.
(E) Ellen has attended programs and distributed literature prepared by the Regionalist party.
The fact that only a member of the Regionalist party would oppose the bill does not imply that all members of the Regionalist party would oppose the bill. Based on the initial statement, Ellen may or may not be a member of the Regionalist party if she supports the bill. For the conclusion to be valid, the initial statement would have to read, “All members of the Regionalist party would oppose the bill for a new recycling law…” Thus, the choice of D makes the relevant logical point.
The first three answer choices are incorrect. Each presents at best a piece of background information without being specifically related to the question of whether all Regionalist party members would oppose the bill. The last answer choice is also incorrect. Ellen’s attending programs and distributing literature prepared by the Regionalist party might appear to make it likely that the conclusion is false. But suggesting that the conclusion might be false does not help show why the conclusion is invalidly drawn.
4.Roberta was born in 1967, and so in 1976 she was nine years old. It is clear from this example that the last two digits of a person’s birth year will be the same as the last two digits of the year of that person’s ninth birthday, except that the position of the digits will be reversed.
Which of the following is the best criticism of the assertions made?
(A) The generalization is valid only for those birth years that do not end in two zeroes.
(B) The example does not exhibit the same principle as is expressed in the generalization based on it.
(C) The generalization is valid only for those birth years in which the last digit is one greater than the second-to-last digit.
(D) The example cannot be shown to be correct unless the truth of the generalization is already presupposed.
(E) The generalization is valid only for those birth years in which the last digit is greater than five.
The generalization is only true for some birth years. A good criticism of the generalization would show when the generalization is not true. C does just that and thus is the correct answer.
A is incorrect. It is false that the generalization holds for all years that do not end in two zeros. For example, 1970 is a birth year that does not end in two zeros. However, 1970 plus nine equals 1979, and hence this is a case for which the generalization is not valid. Since this answer choice is false, it cannot be a good criticism of the assertions.
The second answer choice is also incorrect. In the example, the last two digits of the person’s birth year-67-are the same as the last two digits of the year of the person’s ninth birthday-76-except reversed. Thus, the example does in fact exhibit the same principle as the generalization.
The fourth answer choice is incorrect. The difference between 1976 and 1967 is nine. The correctness of the first statement depends only on this fact and the fact that Roberta was born in 1967 and was still alive in 1976. Thus, the truth of the generalization is not presupposed.
The last answer choice is also incorrect. Consider birth year 1923. a person born in 1923 would have been nine in 1932 and the generalization holds. So E is false.
5.The greatest chance for the existence of extraterrestrial life is on a planet beyond our solar system. The Milky Way galaxy alone contains 100 billion other suns, many of which could be accompanied by planets similar enough to Earth to make them suitable abodes of life.
The statement presupposes which of the following?
(A) Living creatures on another planet would probably have the same appearance as those on Earth.
(B) Life cannot exist on other planets in our solar system.
(C) If the appropriate physical conditions exist, life is an inevitable consequence.
(D) More than one of the suns in the galaxy is accompanied by an Earth-like planet.
(E) It is likely that life on another planet would require conditions similar to those on Earth.
In stating that planets may exist that are similar enough to Earth to make them suitable for supporting life, the author implicitly rules out planets dissimilar to Earth as likely to support life. The assumption underlying the statement is that life on another planet is likely to require conditions similar to those on Earth. Therefore, E is the correct answer.
A is not correct. The statement presupposes nothing about the appearance of extraterrestrial life. B is incorrect. The statement implies that it is relatively unlikely that life exists on other planets in our solar system, but it makes no presupposition absolutely ruling out the possibility that such life exists. The answer choice of C is incorrect. Although the statement suggests that there is the greatest chance for life when physical conditions are appropriate, it leaves open the possibility that no life will exist even with appropriate conditions. D is also incorrect. The statement says that it is possible that more than one of the suns in the galaxy is accompanied by an Earth-like planet, but it does not presuppose that there are actually any such suns.
6.The state with the greatest fraction of its population in urban areas, if the urban areas are considered to include the suburbs, is California. The West is highly urbanized, but California is exceptional even in that region: 91 percent of its population lives in urban areas. Geographically, however, California is rural: 96 percent of its land is outside urban areas.
If all of the statements are true, which of the following is best supported on the basis of them?
(A) No state has a smaller fraction of its population in rural areas than California has.
(B) The current rate of population growth in California’s urban areas exceeds that current rate of population growth in California’s rural areas.
(C) In California 96 percent of the population lives on 9 percent of the land.
(D) No state has a smaller area devoted to urban settlement than California has.
(E) California’s population density is among the highest of all states in the United States.
The passage states that of all the states, California has the greatest fraction of its population (91 out of 100) living in urban areas. That means only 9 out of every 100 California residents live in rural areas. The greatest fraction of any other states’ population living in urban areas, to be smaller than California’s fraction, must be 90 or fewer out of every 100. That means that, in every other state, 10 or more out of every 100 residents live in rural areas. Since 9 out of every 100 is smaller than 10 or more out of every 100, so A is the correct answer.
B is incorrect. In order to decide whether this statement is true, it is necessary to know about rates of population growth. No such information is provided in the passage. The third answer choice is also incorrect. Since 96 percent of the land is outside urban areas, 4 percent is inside urban areas. Thus, 91 percent of the population lives on 4 percent of the land. The fourth answer choice is incorrect. The passage does not provide enough information to determine whether this statement is true or false. No comparison is made between the amount of land area in California devoted to urban settlement and the amount of land area in other states devoted to urban settlement. E is incorrect. The passage does not provide sufficient information to determine whether this statement is true or false. Information on the actual size of the population as compared to total land area of California and other states would be necessary to make a judgment about population density in these states.
7.A ten-year comparison between the countries of Arudia and Cazonia in terms of crop yields per acre revealed that when only planted acreae is compared, Cazonian yields are equal to 68 percent of Arudian yields. When total agricultural acreage (planted acreage plus fallow acreage) is compared, however, Cazonia’s yield is 114 percent of Arudia’s yield.
From the information above, which of the following can be most reliably inferred about Arudian and Cazonian agriculture during the ten-year period?
(A) A higher percentage of total agricultural acreage was fallow in Arudia than in Cazonia.
(B) Arudia had more fallow acreage than planted acreage.
(C) Fewer total acres of available agricultural land were fallow in Cazonia than in Arudia.
(D) Cazonia had more planted acreage than fallow acreage.
(E) Cazonia produced a greater volume of crops than Arudia produced.
If crop yield per planted acre was less in Cazonia than it was in Arudia, yet crop yield per total (planted plus fallow) agricultural acreage was greater in Cazonia than it was in Arudia, there must have been a lower percentage of the total acreage that was left fallow in Cazonia than there was in Arudia. Therefore, the correct answer is A.
B is incorrect. From the information in the passage, it is impossible to tell whether Arudia had more or less fallow acreage than planted acreage. C is not correct. Since the comparisons made in the passage are based on crop yields per acre, it is impossible to tell whether there was more or less fallow acreage in Cazonia than in Arudia. D is also incorrect. From the information in the passage, it is impossible to tell whether Cazonia had more or less planted acreage than fallow acreage. The last answer choice is incorrect. Since the comparisons made in the passage are based on crop yields per acre, it is impossible to tell whether Cazonia produced a greater volume of crops than Arudia produced.
8.In the United States between 1850 and 1880, the number of farmers continued to increase, but at a rate lower than that of the general population.
Which of the following statements directly contradicts the information presented above?
(A) The number of farmers in the general population increased slightly in the thirty years between 1850 and 1880.
(B) The rate of growth of the United States labor force and the rate of growth of the general population rose simultaneously in the thirty years between 1850 and 1880.
(C) The proportion of farmers in the United States labor force remained constant in the thirty years between 1850 and 1880.
(D) The proportion of farmers in the United States labor force decreased from 64 percent in 1850 to 49 percent in 1880.
(E) The proportion of farmers in the general population increased from 68 percent in 1850 to 72 percent in 1880.
The passage indicates that the proportion of farmers in the general population decreased from 1850 to 1880. the fifth answer choice says exactly the opposite-that this proportion increased; therefore, it contradicts the passage and is the correct response.
A is incorrect. The passage also indicates that the number of farmers increased between 1850 and 1880, and thus agrees with this choice. B is also incorrect. The passage does not tell us about the rate of growth of the labor force. It can be inferred from the passage that the general population grew, but this choice agrees with, rather than contradicts, this conclusion. The choice of C is not the correct answer. We cannot draw any conclusions about the proportion of farmers in the labor force from the passage alone. The fourth is also incorrect. We cannot draw any conclusions about the proportion of farmers in the labor force from the passage alone.
9.The 38 corporations that filed United States income tax returns showing a net income of more than $100 million accounted for 53 percent of the total taxable income from foreign sources reported on all tax returns. Sixty percent of the total taxable income from foreign sources came from the 200 returns reporting income from 10 or more countries.
If the statements above are true, which of the following must also be true?
(A) Most of the total taxable income earned by corporations with net income above $ 100 million was earned from foreign sources.
(B) Wealthy individuals with large personal incomes reported 47 percent of the total taxable income from foreign sources.
(C) Income from foreign sources amounted to between 53 and 60 percent of all reported taxable income.
(D) Some of the corporations with net income above $ 100 million reported income from 10 or more countries.
(E) Most of the tax returns showing income from 10 or more countries reported net income of more than $ 100 million.
If 38 tax returns in one category account for 53 percent of the total taxable income from foreign sources, and if 200 tax returns in another category account for 60 percent of the same amount, then the two categories must overlap to some extent. Only if the two percentages, added together, amounted to 100 percent or less is there not necessarily any overlap. Here, the two percentages add up to 113 percent. The answer choice that expresses an overlap between the category of corporations with a net income of above $ 100 million and that of corporations with income from 10 or more countries is D, which is thus the correct answer.
A is not correct. Whereas corporations with net incomes of above $ 100 million account for more than half of the total taxable income from foreign sources, we cannot tell from the information given what proportion of their own total incomes from all sources is derived from incomes from foreign sources. The second answer choice is incorrect. All we can infer is that 47 percent was reported by taxpayers other than corporations with net incomes above $ 100 million. These taxpayers could be other corporations with somewhat lower incomes. C is not the correct answer choice. The figures of 53 and 60 percent refer to percentages of total taxable income from foreign sources. Neither these nor any other figures in the passage refer to or imply any percentages of all reported taxable income. E, the last choice, is also incorrect. Since there are only 38 corporations with reported net incomes of more than $ 100 million, but 200 taxpayers with income from 10 or more countries, at the very most somewhat less than 20 percent of those 200 taxpayers could report net incomes of more than $ 100 million.
10.The greater the division of labor in an economy, the greater the need for coordination. This is because increased division of labor entails a larger number of specialized producers, which results in a greater burden on managers and, potentially, in a greater number of disruptions of supply and production. There is always more division of labor in market economies than in planned economies.
If all of the statements given are true, the which of the following must also be true?
(A) Disruptions of supply and production are more frequent in planned economies than in market economies.
(B) There are more specialized producers in planned economies than in market economies.
(C) The need for coordination in market economies is greater than in planned economies.
(D) A manager’s task is easier in a market economy than in a planned economy.
(E) Division of labor functions more effectively in market economies than in planned economies.
C is the correct answer. If, as the first statement claims, greater division of labor entails a greater need for coordination and if, as the second statement claims, there is always more division of labor in market economies than in planned economies, then it must be true that the need for coordination in market economies is greater than in planned economies.
The first choice is incorrect. If the statements are true, then it is possible, and even expected, that disruptions of supply and production are NOT more frequent in planned economies than in market economies. The statements suggest that since there is always more division of labor in market economies than in planned economies, there is potentially a greater number of disruptions in market economies than in planned economies. B is not correct. One would expect there to be fewer, not more, specialized producers in planned economies than in market economies, other things being equal. This is because, according to the statements, there is always more division of labor in market economies than in planned economies and because increased division of labor entails a larger number of specialized producers. The fourth answer choice is incorrect. The statement lead to the conclusion that a manager’s task would be harder, not easier, in a market economy than in a planned economy. This is because the increased division of labor that exists in a market economy entails a larger number of specialized producers. The last answer choice, E is also incorrect. The statement that division of labor functions more effectively in market economies than in planned economies does not follow from the statements given. The statements imply that such effectiveness is dependent on the amount of coordination available, but no information concerning that amount is given.
11.Therapists find that treatment of those people who seek help because they are unable to stop smoking or overeating is rarely successful. From these experiences, therapists have concluded that such habits are intractable, and success in breaking them is rare.
As surveys show, millions of people have dropped the habit of smoking, and many people have successfully managed a substantial weight loss.
If all of the statements are correct, an explanation of their apparent contradiction is provided by the hypothesis that
(A) there have been some successes in therapy, and those successes were counted in the surveys
(B) it is easier to stop smoking than it is to stop overeating
(C) it is easy to break the habits of smoking and overeating by exercising willpower
(D) the group of people selected for the survey did not include those who failed to break their habits even after therapy
(E) those who succeed in curing themselves do not go for treatment and so are not included in the therapists’ data
If, as this choice suggests, the very people who would lead the therapists to view such habits as more tractable do not come for treatment, it is quite understandable why therapists persist in their pessimistic view. At the same time, E is consistent with the survey results. Therefore, the last choice is the correct answer.
A is incorrect. Even assuming that this choice is true, no light is shed on why successes should be so rare in therapy, and yet, if the surveys are to be believed, so common overall. B is also incorrect. Since the comparative strength of habits is not an issue in the therapists’ findings or the surveys, it cannot have anything to do with the apparent contradiction; consequently, information about it cannot help resolve that contradiction. C is also not the correct answer choice. If C were true, the survey results would appear rather unremarkable, but the therapists’ findings would be baffling. The apparent contradiction would not be diminished but underscored. The fourth answer choice is incorrect. The survey results as reported focus on the numbers of people who have successfully fought a habit, not on the proportion of those who tried to break their habits who succeeded. This answer choice pertains only to the latter and so is essentially irrelevant.
12.”On the whole,” Ms. Dennis remarked, “engineering students are lazier now than they used to be. I know because fewer and fewer of my students regularly do the work they are assigned.”
Which of the following identifies a flaw in Ms. Dennis’ reasoning?
(A) Plenty of people besides engineering students do not work as hard as they should.
(B) Ms. Dennis does not consider the excuses her students may have for being lazy.
(C) The argument does not propose any constructive solutions to the problem it identifies.
(D) The argument assumes that Ms. Dennis’ students are representative of engineering students in general.
(E) Ms. Dennis does not seem sympathetic to the problems of her students.
Since the constantly decreasing work output of Ms. Dennis’ students could stem from causes specific to those students, Ms. Dennis is not logically justified in extending her judgment about her own students to engineering students in general. D is a concise statement of the logically flawed assumption Ms. Dennis must be making in so extending her judgment. Thus, this answer choice is the correct answer.
A is incorrect. Whether or not other groups resemble engineering students has no bearing on whether or not certain conclusions about engineering students follow logically from certain observations about some engineering students. Thus, Ms. Dennis’ lack of attention to people who are not engineering students is not a flaw in her reasoning. B is also incorrect. Any excuses offered for laziness do not alter it, though they might help us understand it. Ms. Dennis is only concerned with establishing that the laziness of engineering students is a fact; she does not inquire into possible explanations. It is not a flaw of her reasoning as it stands that it addresses the particular concerns it addresses. C is not the correct answer choice. Ms. Dennis’ reasoning is involved in reaching a conclusion on the basis of certain evidence. It does not go beyond that. This choice concerns itself with matters beyond the ones Ms. Dennis reasons about, and thus cannot be considered a flaw in her reasoning. The last answer choice is also incorrect. The logical merits or flaws of an argument are independent of the emotional attitudes of the person making the argument. Since this choice describes an emotional attitude, it cannot identify a reasoning flaw.
13.The overall operating costs of many small farms are reduced when the farmers of small farms eliminate expensive commercial chemical fertilizers and pesticides in favor of crop rotation and the twice-yearly use of manure as fertilizer. Therefore, farmers of large farms should adopt the same measures. They will then realize even greater total savings than do the small farmers.
The argument assumes that
(A) it is more cost-effective for small farm farmers to eliminate the use of commercial fertilizers and pesticides than it is for large farm farmers to do so
(B) a sufficient amount of manure will be available for the fields of large farm farmers
(C) large farm farmers would not realize similar cost benefits by using treated sewage sludge instead of commercial chemical fertilizers
(D) large farm farmers generally look to small farm farmers for innovative ways of increasing crop yields or reducing operating costs
(E) the smaller the farm, the more control the farmer has over operating costs
B is the correct answer choice.
It would be impossible to argue reasonably that large farmers should use manure as fertilizer because they would realize even greater savings than the small farmers without also assuming that there is a sufficient amount of manure available for the fields of large farmers.
A is not the correct answer choice.
The argument implies that it would be more cost effective for large farmers to eliminate commercial fertilizers and pesticides than it would be for small farmers to do so. The third answer is incorrect. No statements are made in the argument concerning treated sewage sludge and no assumption is made about it. D is not the correct answer choice. This statement is not assumed because if it were false—if large farmers seldom or never looked to small farmers for innovative ways of increasing crop yields or reducing operating costs—this would not affect anything relevant to the argument about the total savings that large farmers might gain by adopting new farming practices. E is also not the correct answer choice. It may well be true that the smaller the farm, the more control the farmer has over operating costs. However, with respect to control, the argument only that large farmers have enough control over their farming methods to adopt the recommended measures.
14.Factory workers in Beltania are guaranteed lifetime jobs, bonuses paid on the basis of productivity and corporate profits, and a wage rate that is not attached to a particular job. Paradoxically, these guarantees do not discourage factory owners from introducing labor-saving machinery. Such innovations are to the factory owners’ advantage despite the fact that the owners must protect the wages of their workers.
Which of the following, if true, most helps to explain why the introduction of labor-saving machinery is advantageous to factory owners?
(A) Before a Beltanian Factory worker is hired, he or she must present a record of his or her previous productivity.
(B) Labor-saving machinery increases productivity, thus yielding profits that more than cover the cost of retraining workers for other jobs.
(C) The purchase and maintenance of new machinery adds significantly to the final cost of the goods produced.
(D) Factory workers demand a change of procedure in the routine tasks they perform.
(E) Limited competition exists among Beltanian factories for consumer markets.
If the second answer choice is true, introducing labor-saving machinery results in additional profits even if it also requires the retraining of workers. Hence, this answer choice demonstrates the advantages to the factory owners of labor-saving machinery. Thus, B is the correct answer.
The first answer choice is incorrect. Productivity in a previous job may relate to productivity in the job for which a worker is hired. However, if the worker’s job is eliminated by new machinery, the factory owner loses the advantage of having been able to select a highly productive worker for that job. There is no indication in this answer choice of what advantage, if any, the owner gains. C is incorrect. Since increased costs, other things being equal, mean decreased profits, this answer choice suggests the change is disadvantageous to the factory owners. D is also incorrect. Changes of procedure may result for those employees whose jobs are eliminated by the introduction of machinery, but would not necessarily result for a substantial number of factory workers. The owners have an advantage only if a substantial number of workers have been satisfied. Thus, this fourth answer choice cannot explain why the change is advantageous. The last answer choice is incorrect. Limited competition might imply that the factory owners will be able to sell their products, even if the price must be raised to cover new machinery as well as wages. Although this does not harm the factory owners, it does not suggest an advantage either.
15.During the day in Lake Constance, the zooplankton D. hyaline departs for the depths where food is scarce and the water cold. D. galeata remains near the warm surface where food is abundant. Even though D. galeata grows and reproduces much faster, its population is often outnumbered by D. hyaline.
Which of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent paradox?
(A) The number of species of zooplankton living at the bottom of the lake is twice that of species living at the surface.
(B) Predators of zooplankton, such as whitefish and perch, live and feed near the surface of the lake during the day.
(C) In order to make the most of scarce food resources, D.hyaline matures more slowly than D. galeata.
(D) D. galeata clusters under vegetation during the hottest part of the day to avoid the Sun’s rays.
(E) D. galeata produces twice as many offspring per individual in any given period of time as does D. hyaline.
The presence of predators of zooplankton, feeding near the surface during the day, would suggest that D. galeata is consumed at a higher rate than D. hyaline.
Therefore, if this choice were true, it would help resolve the apparent paradox that D. galeata grows and reproduces faster than D. hyaline, yet D. hyalian has the greater population.
A is incorrect. Nothing is said in the paragraph to show the relevance of the presence of other species of zooplankton to the relative population size of the two species. C is not correct. This information explains the slower growth and reproduction of D. hyaline, which is one aspect of the paradox; but it does nothing to show how D. hyaline can grow and reproduce more slowly and yet have the greater population. D is incorrect. Nothing is said in the paragraph to show the relevance to the paradox of D. galeata’s clustering under vegetation. E is also incorrect. More information on the faster reproduction of D. galeata does not show how, despite faster growth and reproduction, D. galeata has the lesser population.
16.A study attitudes toward prime-time television programs showed that programs with identical rating sin terms of number of people watching received highly divergent marks for quality from their viewers. This additional piece of information could prove valuable for advertisers, who might be well advised to spend their advertising dollars for programs that viewers feel are of high quality.
Which of the following, if true, supports the claim that information about viewers’ perceptions of the quality of television programs could be valuable to advertisers?
(A) The number of programs judged to be of high quality constituted a high percentage of the total number of programs judged.
(B) Many of the programs judged to be of high quality were shown on noncommercial networks.
(C) Television viewers more frequently remember the sponsors of programs they admire than the sponsors of programs they judge mediocre.
(D) Television viewers tend to watch new programs only when those programs follow old, familiar programs.
(E) Television viewers report that the quality of a television advertisement has little effect on their buying habits.
C is the correct answer, because advertisers are interested in having their products remembered favorably. By linking viewer perception of program quality with this goal, this choice gives advertisers a reason to care about the quality of programs they sponsor.
A is incorrect. That a large portion of programs are judged to be of high quality does not bolster the conclusion that information about viewer perception of program quality will be useful to advertisers. Rather, if a large portion of programs are judged to be of high quality, an advertiser may feel relatively safe in looking only at the ratings. B is incorrect. Programs on noncommercial networks cannot contain ads. Information as to their quality will not help advertisers place ads with programs judged to be of high quality. D is incorrect. This answer makes no mention of either program quality or viewer buying habits and thus neither strengthens nor weakens the connection between the two. The idea expressed in the answer thus has nothing to do with the importance of program quality to advertisers. The last answer choice is also incorrect. This answer connects the perception of the quality of advertisements to buying habits. It does not determine a connection between perception of the quality of programs and buying habits and thus is irrelevant to any interest advertisers may have in program quality.
17.Each year, fires in the United States cause $ 12 billion in property losses, insurance costs, fire-fighting expenses, and loss of worker productivity. These fire losses are seven times those in Japan on a per capita basis.
Which of the following, if true, would be LEAST likely to be a factor contributing to the difference between fire losses in Japan and those in the United States?
(A) Significantly more money per capita is spent each year on fire-prevention efforts in the United States than is spent on such efforts in Japan.
(B) The rate of arson, a major contributor to fire statistics in the United States, is almost negligible in Japan.
(C) Most Japanese homes, unlike those in the United States, are equipped with specially designed and effective fire-extinguishing equipment.
(D) Foam-based and plastic furniture, less popular in Japan than in the United States, ignites readily and releases twice the heat energy of equivalent weights of natural fibers.
(E) Japanese fire departments devote proportionately more personnel time to inspection, training, and public education than do United States fire departments.
The fact that more money per capita is spent on fire-prevention in the United States than in Japan would be a factor likely to contribute to greater fire loss in Japan than in the United States. Therefore, this factor would be very unlikely to contribute to lesser fire loss in Japan, and A is the correct answer.
B is incorrect. A greater incidence of arson in the United States would indeed be likely to contribute to greater fire loss in the United States. C is also incorrect. More effective fire extinguishing equipment in more Japanese homes would indeed be likely to contribute to lesser fire loss in Japan. D is incorrect. The greater popularity of foam based and plastic furniture in the United States would indeed be likely to be a factor contributing to greater fire loss in the United States, since such furniture is a greater fire hazard than furniture of natural fibers. E is also incorrect. Greater attention to prevention and training by Japanese fire departments would indeed be likely to contribute to lesser fire loss in Japan.
18.Some would have you believe that the economic problems of Western Europe in the 1980s were caused by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) oil cartel. This is nonsense. After all, Great Britain was not dependent on OPEC oil and yet Great Britain suffered from the same economic problems that afflicted France and West Germany.
The author’s point is made primarily by
(A) offering Great Britain as a counterexample
(B) analyzing the economic difficulties of France and West Germany
(C) pointing out a misconception in reasoning
(D) proposing an alternative Explanation
(E) drawing an analogy between France and West Germany
The author argues that the economic problems of Western Europe are not caused by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) oil cartel. This point is made by using Great Britain as an example of a Western European country that is not dependent on OPEC oil but has the same economic problems as France and West Germany. Thus, the first answer choice is the correct answer.
B is incorrect. The author’s point (that the economic problems of Western Europe are not caused by the OPEC oil cartel) is made by stating that the economic problems of France and West Germany are the same as those of Great Britain and by pointing out that Great Britain does not depend on OPEC oil as France and West Germany do. This in no way implies what the nature of the economic problems of France and West Germany is. C is also incorrect. The author does not present or discuss the reasoning used to arrive at the conclusion that the OPEC oil cartel has caused the economic problems of Western Europe. Rather, the author presents evidence suggesting that the conclusion cannot be true. The fourth answer choice is not the correct answer. The author presents evidence that the economic problems of Western Europe are not caused by the OPEC oil cartel, but no suggestion is given about the true cause of those economic problems. This last answer choice is also incorrect. The author’s point is made by comparing Great Britain with France and West Germany.
19.Why save endangered species? For the general public, endangered species appear to be little more than biological oddities. A very different perception is gained from considering the issue of extinction in a wider context. The important point is that many major social advances have been made on the basis of life forms whose worth would never have been perceived in advance. Consider the impact of rubber-producing plants on contemporary life and industry: approximately two-thirds of the world’s rubber supply comes from rubber-producing plants and is made into objects as diverse as rubber washers and rubber boots.
Any of the following facts could be used as illustrative examples in addition to the example of rubber-producing plants EXCEPT:
(A) The discovery of the vaccine for smallpox resulted from observing the effect of the cowpox virus on the hands of dairy workers.
(B) The major source of our pharmaceutical supplies is plants, some of them commonly thought of as weeds.
(C) Certain antibiotics were originally derived from mold growing on cantaloupes.
(D) Plastic is a unique product derived from petroleum and petroleum by-products.
(E) Hamsters and other rodents have played an important role in laboratory tests of medicine for use on humans.
Examples that would serve the same function as rubber producing plants must involve a situation in which an organism previously thought to be useless is seen to be extremely beneficial for some human endeavor. Petroleum is not an organism and is useful itself and thus is not such an example. Thus, the fourth choice is the correct answer.
Responses one, two, three and five are incorrect. They are examples of situations in which an organism previously thought to be useless is seen to be extremely beneficial for some human endeavor.
20.Superficially, college graduates in 1982 resembled college graduates of 1964; they were fairly conservative, well dressed, and interested in tradition; they respected their parents. But there was a deep-seated difference: a majority of the members of the class of 1982 who were surveyed in their freshman year stated that making a good income was an important reason for their decision to go to college.
The statements in the passage, if true, best support which of the following conclusions?
(A) The concerns of college graduates of 1964 were superficial compared to the financial worries of college graduates of 1982.
(B) Fewer than half the students of the class of 1964 declared as freshmen that they entered college in order to increase their earning potential.
(C) Educational background did not play as significant a part in determining income in 1964 as it did in 1982.
(D) A majority of the members of the class of 1964 revised their reasons for attending college between their freshman year and college graduation.
(E) College graduates of 1964 were actually less conservative than college graduates of 1982.
The passage claims that 1982 and 1964 college graduates were similar except that a majority of the 1982 graduates stated during their freshman year that making a good income was an important reason for going to college. This implies that fewer than half of the 1964 class, as freshmen, stated that making a good income was an important reason for going to college. B states a consequence of this implication and is the correct answer.
A is incorrect. The passage discusses differences in financial reasons for attending college, as expressed by freshmen in the two classes. Nothing is stated about the financial worries of either class as graduates. Neither is it clear from the passage that financial worries are necessarily implied by the desire to make a good income. C is also incorrect. The passage implies that desire for a good income was a more important reason for the members of the class of 1982 to decide to go to college than for the members of the class of 1964. However, the passage does not provide information on whether a college education provides more, less, or the same impact on income for the 1964 graduates as compared to the 1982 graduates. This fourth choice is incorrect. The passage does not describe or imply any difference in the reasons for attending college between freshman year and college graduation for either class. The last answer choice is also incorrect. The passage states that the 1964 and 1982 college graduates were both firmly conservative. Thus, the passage does not support any conclusion that the two classes differed in degree of conservatism.
21.The Supreme Court is no longer able to keep pace with the tremendous number of cases it agrees to decide. The Court schedules and hears 160 hours of oral argument each year, and 108 hours of next year’s term will be taken up by cases left over from this year. Certainly the Court cannot be asked to increase its already burdensome hours. The most reasonable long-range solution to this problem is to allow the Court to decide many cases without hearing oral argument; in this way the Court might eventually increase dramatically the number of cases it decides each year.
Which of the following, if true, could best be used to argue against the feasibility of the solution suggested?
(A) The time the Court spends hearing oral argument is only a small part of the total time it spends deciding a case.
(B) The Court cannot legitimately avoid hearing oral argument in any case left over from last year.
(C) Most authorities agree that 160 hours of oral argument is the maximum number that the Court can handle per year.
(D) Even now the Court decides a small number of cases without hearing oral argument.
(E) In many cases, the delay of a hearing for a full year can be extremely expensive to the parties involved.
The passage suggests that the number of cases heard by the Supreme Court each year might eventually be increased dramatically if the Supreme Court were allowed to decide many cases without the customary oral argument. If A is true, however, then the number of cases decided by the Supreme Court is primarily determined by time other than the time spent hearing oral argument. Thus, the time spent hearing oral argument does not constitute a significant bottleneck. So this choice could be used rather well to argue against the proposal made in the passage.
B is incorrect. This argues not against the feasibility of the proposed solution; it merely warns that the benefits from it would be delayed. The fact that, in view of this answer choice, there would probably not be any significant immediate relief from the burdens of hearing oral argument is irrelevant: the passage expressly concerns itself with finding a long-range solution. C is also incorrect. The thrust of the proposal is to make the 160 hours available for hearing oral argument go farther. The person making the proposal accepts the 160 hours as an upper limit. Thus, this statement supports rather than argues against the proposed solution. The fourth answer choice is incorrect. From a knowledge of the information in this answer choice no further conclusions regarding the proposal follow. This information is simply part of the current state of affairs that the proposal is designed to improve. The last choice is also incorrect. The concern of the choice-the cost to the parties involved—plays no part whatever in the argument developed in the passage; the passage is concerned solely with time-related limitations on the number of cases the Supreme Court is able to decide.
22.Some insects are able to feed on the leaves of milkweed, a toxic plant, by first cutting and draining the vein that secretes the toxin. This method of detoxification guarantees that some insects will always be able to eat milkweed, because the plant could never evolve to produce a toxin that is lethal in the trace amounts left after the vein is cut.
The argument depends on which of the following assumptions?
(A) The insects that successfully detoxify milkweed are not able to undergo the evolutionary changes necessary to allow them to detoxify other plants.
(B) Unlike milkweed, other kinds of toxic plants would be able to overcome their vulnerabilities to predators through evolutionary changes.
(C) The toxin-carrying veins of the mildewed plant can never evolve in such a way that insects cannot cut through.
(D) The method of detoxification used by insect predators of mildewed would not successfully detoxify other kinds of toxic plants.
(E) There are insects that use means other than draining the toxin in order to feed on toxic plants.
C is the correct answer. It is impossible to argue logically that the insects’ method of detoxification by cutting and draining guarantees that some insects will always be able to eat milkweed without assuming that for some reason that toxin-carrying veins of the milkweed can never evolve to become so strong that they would thwart the insects’ attempts to cut through them.
A is incorrect. The passage does not make any claims about plants other than mildewed. The insects that detoxify mildewed by cutting veins might evolve an ability to detoxify other plants without this affecting anything relevant to the argument offered about their ability to eat mildewed. The second answer choice is incorrect. The passage is not concerned with other types of toxic plants and makes no assumption about them. The fourth answer choice is also incorrect. The method of detoxification used by the insects on milkweed might also be used to detoxify other plants without this affecting anything relevant to the argument offered about the insects’ ability to eat milkweed. The fifth answer choice is incorrect. It may be true that there are insects that use means other than draining toxins in order to feed on toxic plants, but the conclusion drawn in the passage does not depend on there being any such insects.
Ms. Dennis’ conclusion depends on which of the following assumptions?
(A) Engineering students are working less because, in a booming market, they are spending more and more time investigating different job opportunities.
(B) Whether or not students do the work they are assigned is a good indication of how lazy they are.
(C) Engineering students should work harder than students in less demanding fields.
(D) Ms. Dennis’ students are doing less work because Ms. Dennis is not as effective a teacher as she once was.
(E) Laziness is something most people do not outgrow.
The conclusion that engineering students are lazier now than they used to be does not follow from the stated observation that fewer and fewer of Ms. Dennis’ students regularly do the work they are assigned. In fact, the conclusion is not in any way supported by the reported observation unless it is also true that failure to do the assigned work indicates laziness. That latter proposition must therefore be one of the tacit assumptions underlying the conclusion. B best expresses this assumption and is thus the correct answer.
A is incorrect. Ms. Dennis concludes that her students are lazy on the basis of what she sees as a consequence of that laziness. This choice suggests a cause of that laziness. But Ms. Dennis does not have to make any assumptions about the causes of that laziness in order to draw her conclusion. C is also incorrect. This comparison between the work demands on engineering students and those on other students is irrelevant to the question of whether the work habits of engineering students have changed over time. The fourth answer choice is incorrect. If Ms. Dennis believed that the reason for her own students’ decreasing performance was her own declining effectiveness, she would not think of her students as exemplifying trends among engineering students in general. The last answer choice is also incorrect. Whether laziness is outgrown is irrelevant to the question of whether work habits of engineering students have changed over time.
In recent years shrimp harvests by commercial fishermen in the South Atlantic have declined dramatically in total weight. The decline is due primarily to competition from a growing number of recreational fishermen, how are able to net young shrimp in the estuaries where they mature.
Which of the following regulatory actions would most help increase the weight of shrimp harvests by commercial fishermen?
(A) Requiring commercial fishermen to fish in estuaries
(B) Limiting the total number of excursions per season for commercial fishermen
(C) Requiring recreational fishermen to use large-mesh nets in their fishing
(D) Putting an upper limit on the size of the shrimp recreational fishermen are allowed to catch
(E) Allowing recreational fishermen to move out of estuaries into the South Atlantic
If recreational fishermen were required to use large-mesh nets when fishing, fewer young shrimp would be trapped in those nets (making the reasonable assumptions, of course, that young, immature shrimp are smaller than mature shrimp and that by “large-mesh nets” is meant net with spaces big enough for young shrimp to pass through them). Thus, there is a strong likelihood that such a requirement would help increase commercial shrimp harvests. This makes C the best answer, and thus the correct answer.
A is incorrect. This requirement is most unlikely to bring relief; if anything, it will exacerbate the problem if commercial fishermen, too, start netting young shrimp. The second answer choice is also incorrect. This requirement would presumably make sense if the problem were caused by commercial fishermen catching too many mature shrimp. But the passage clearly indicates that the main problem is that too many young shrimp are netted before they reach maturity. D is not the correct answer choice. Since the problem lies mainly in the numbers of immature, and thus presumably small, shrimp that recreational fishermen catch, preventing those fishermen from catching large shrimp above a certain size is unlikely to provide an effective solution. The last answer choice is also incorrect. Nothing in the passage suggests that recreational fishermen are not already free to move into the open ocean if they own ocean-going craft. And if they are not already free to move into the open ocean, there is still nothing to suggest that they are interested in doing so in large enough numbers to relieve the over-fishing of young shrimp in estuaries.
Veteran screenwriters, aiming at creating a 120-page screenplay for a film, usually turn in 1 135-page first draft. As one screenwriter put it, “That gives those in charge of the movie a chance to be creative when they get the script: at the very least, they can cut 15 pages.”
The screenwriter’s statement cited above conveys which of the following propositions?
(A) Screenwriters for a film are generally not involved in any aspects of filmmaking besides providing the script.
(B) Seasoned screenwriters are resigned to, and make allowance for, draft scripts being altered by those evaluating them.
(C) Truly creative screenwriters are too temperamental to adhere to page limits set for their work.
(D) It takes a special kind of creativity to recognize what is best left out of a film script.
(E) Even experienced screenwriters cannot be expected to write scripts of consistently high quality throughout.
The screenwriter’s statement implies an acknowledgement that those evaluating screenplays will want to alter them, and it implies that screenwriters adjust the length of a first draft in order to allow evaluators to make alterations. The second answer choice restates these implications and is the correct answer.
A is incorrect. The statement says nothing about whether screenwriters do more than provide a script. C is not correct. The statement says nothing about the temperament of screenwriters, and it gives a reason other than temperament for the length of first drafts. D is incorrect. The statement does not imply that the cuts made by evaluators are always the best cuts that could have been made. The last answer choice is also incorrect. The statement says nothing about the quality of first draft and so does not imply that they are of uneven quality.
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Bharat Shiromani Award 2019 awarded to Mr. Rohit Kochhar
We are delighted to inform you that the founding member & managing partner of the Multilaw member firm for India, Mr. Rohit Kochhar has been awarded the prestigious Bharat Shiromani Award 2019 for “Excellence in the field of Corporate Law and Legal Entrepreneurship”.
The other recipients of the Bharat Shiromani Award this year include Lord Swraj Paul who was felicitated with the lifetime achievement award and Mr. Rikhipal Singh Thakral, the leading Indian entrepreneur in Singapore.
Instituted in the year 1977, the Bharat Shiromani Award honours Indians (both resident & non-resident) from across the world in recognition of their outstanding achievements in various fields. Over the years, the Shiromani Awards have felicitated achievers from different walks of life including arts & culture, business and industry, education, judiciary, science & technology and social services. Some of the prominent personalities who have been bestowed with the Bharat Shiromani Award in the past include Her Holiness Mother Teresa (in 1992), cricketing legend Mr. Sachin Tendulkar, world chess champion Mr. Vishwanathan Anand, noted industrialist Mr. Russi Mody and leading lawyer Mr. Ram Jethmalani.
Originally published 15 May 2019 by Kochhar & Co.
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Editors and advisors
Music & Practice: Volume 1
Female Epiphanies in Twentieth- and Twenty-First-Century Monodrama:
Experimental Study and Artistic Production
DOI: 10.32063/0206
Francesca Placanica
Francesca Placanica, Classical Singer, has a wide background as a soloist in diverse vocal and instrumental ensembles. A recent PhD graduate from University of Southampton (2013), she also works as an artistic researcher, joining both her academic and artistic competencies. www.francescaplacanica.com
by Francesca Placanica
Reports + Commentaries
Tags: Artistic Research, Berio, Monodrama
This report is an initial attempt to investigate the long and complex processes involved in one of the many stage works for female voice composed in the twentieth century, Recital I (for Cathy), conceived by Luciano Berio for Cathy Berberian in 1972.1)This report refers to initial work undertaken on Recital I between September 2013 and September 2014. Our fully staged adaptation for voice and piano of the work, entitled Monodrama I, was then produced on three different occasions throughout 2014 and 2015. Its première featured in the ‘New Vocalities’ event organized by Bath Spa Live and the Department of Performing Arts at Bath Spa University, under the artistic direction of Dr Pamela Karantonis (Michael Tippett Centre, 22 October 2014; Maria Garcia, piano); a second performance of Monodrama I took place during the 2014 edition of The Cornerstone Festival on the Liverpool Hope University Creative Campus, under the artistic direction of Dr. Alberto Sanna (The Cornerstone Theatre, 27 November 2014; David Walters, piano); and a third performance was hosted in Aveiro at the Auditorium of the Department of Communications and Arts DeCA, at the invitation of Jorge Salgado Correia (DeCA Auditorium, 5 March 2015; Dr. Francisco Monteiro, piano). All performances featured acting and music students of the hosting departments, who undertook a workshop on the work and played the mime characters on stage.
Further performances of the abovementioned musical monodramas will take place within the next two years under the aegis of Maynooth University, Ireland, where Francesca is currently the recipient of a postdoctoral fellowship funded by the Irish Research Council. Under the mentorship of Professor Christopher Morris, she is the leader of the project “En-Gendering Monodrama: Artistic Research and Experimental Productions”. The work is scored for mezzosoprano, two pianos, harpsichord and chamber orchestra: a total of 17 instruments. It was premiered by Berberian with the London Sinfonietta conducted by Berio, in a 1972 concert for the Calouste Gulbenkian Fundation in Lisbon. A more thorough discussion of the musicological aspects of the work and its genesis is available elsewhere, but a few insights into the score and its genealogy are necessary when discussing the practical and experimental approach to it.2)Francesca Placanica, ‘Arranging and Performing Recital I: An Open Approach to Twentieth-Century Musical Monodrama’, paper delivered at the international seminar ‘The Limits of Control’, Orpheus Research Centre in Music, Ghent, 26 February 2014 (article forthcoming).
Figure 1 Recital I: Sketch for stage lights, courtesy of Velín Edrov, 2013.
Recital I unfolds in a monologue written by Edoardo Sanguineti, Andrea Mosetti and Luciano Berio, and heavily edited by Cathy Berberian.3)For a full discussion of Berberian’s editing of the text, see Placanica, ‘Arranging and Performing Recital I’, n. 7. An actress-singer walks on stage and begins her recital, but realizes that her pianist has not shown up; she then begins to sing ‘Amor’ from Il Lamento della ninfa by Claudio Monteverdi. Having left the scene disappointed, she returns to begin her monologue, and little by little through her spoken words and scattered musical quotations she explicates, in a kind of stream of consciousness, her views on musical life combined with private vicissitudes, theatre and academic discourse, in due course making her madness apparent. The audience eventually perceives the protagonist (Figure 1) to be a patient in a nursing home, where the wardrobe mistress, who arrives to piece together her costume, is actually head nurse. In addition to the protagonist, the wardrobe mistress and the pianist, who all act on stage, a few instrumentalists emerge to populate the scene (Figure 2).
Figure 2 Recital I: Sketch for on stage actors/musicians, courtesy of Velín Edrov, 2013.
Musically, the work constitutes a heterogeneous journey through musical quotations extrapolated mainly from Berberian’s repertoire, all contained within a stream of consciousness. Within this text, as suggested by Berberian and by the performance instructions provided in the published edition of the work, performers are free to insert their own musical fragments, provided they belong to their vocal repertoire; thus the work is created anew with each performer, and is tailored to each performer’s vocal and performative strengths.4)See performance indications in Luciano Berio, Recital I (Vienna: Universal Edition, 1972/ repr. 2002). Thus, Recital I expresses its open nature through the subjective rendition of each performer, whose responses to inputs suggested by the text represent a formalized musical type of Rorschach test, triggered by the lines of the monologue. Needless to say, the piece raises numerous challenges, both vocally and physically. The interpreter negotiates between speaking and singing, with the singing voice acting as an actual and spontaneous ‘prolongation’ of the speaking voice. At the same time, an unspoken requirement of the work is the possibility of re-creating different stylistic worlds and exploring as much as possible – always in accordance with the performer’s taste and ability – the idiomatic palette available to the interpreter.5)This philosophy is indeed commensurate with Berberian’s own quintessential philosophy of the singing voice, as expressed in her manifesto, ‘La nuova vocalità nell’opera contemporanea’, see Francesca Placanica, ‘La nuova vocalità nell’opera contemporanea’ (1966): Cathy Berberian’s Legacy’, in Cathy Berberian: Pioneer of Contemporary Vocality, ed. Pamela Karantonis, Francesca Placanica, Anne Sivuoja-Kauppala and Pieter Verstraete (Farnham: Ashgate, 2014), pp. 51–66.
In coming to terms with the work itself, therefore, the performer will provide a thorough reading of the text, and nurture his or her own imagination, thus feeding a stream of consciousness to construct new and customized meaning.
‘The Artistic Turn’
Figure 3 Douglas Gould: Recital I, Autograph Arrangement for 2014 Production, page 3 (courtesy of Douglas Gould).
My practical work on the score of Recital I began in summer 2013, with Douglas Gould producing an arrangement for piano and voice.6)Berio, Recital I, n. 9. Under the wider umbrella of an overall project on monodrama, the aim of our work was initially to embody the performer’s role in the making and delivery of the work; it thus started more as a speculative undertaking than as a process devoted to the actual performance of the work. Little by little, and encouraged by composers and musicologists encountered along the way, the project assumed a more audacious experimental side, and brought to the fore the central objective of making our new arrangement, sustained by our rationale, ultimately performable.7)A lecture recital was presented during the Biennial International Conference on ‘Music since 1900’ at Liverpool Hope University on 17 November 2013, at the international seminar ‘The Limits of Control’, Orpheus Research Centre in Music, Ghent, 26 February 2014, and at the CMPCP Conference in Cambridge in July 2014.
In this section, I concentrate in particular on my encounter with the score itself and its heavily charged background, and on processes leading to my personal rendition of it, in accordance with the performance indications within the score and inspired by Berberian.8)See Placanica, ‘Arranging and Performing Recital I’, n. 7.
The score, conceived by Berio for orchestra and soloist, presents conspicuous challenges in terms of orchestration, staging and performance. Becoming acquainted with the work and its background implied the need to observe and deconstruct it, reviving the symbolic implications that Cathy Berberian intended for the piece while compiling her musical collage. The fragments of music that Berberian first inserted represented her subjective musical reactions to the meaning conveyed by the monologue. In her hands, the text became a fluid material to which musical imagery added, amplifying its subjective meaning. These micro-responses may have been more or less manipulated and induced by Luciano Berio, who was apparently working on the score while Berberian was editing and troping the text.
While internalizing the score, I realized that the more familiar I became with the verbal monologue, the more I felt compelled to provide my own reading and interpretation of the imagery conveyed by the text and portrayed by the music. However, this process of re-appropriation, largely envisaged by Berberian and Berio in the first instance, was in my case substantially supported but also heavily biased by my background knowledge of Cathy Berberian’s orientations in choosing her repertoire. Such knowledge allowed me to interpret and disentangle her reactions to the music and the logical progression she established between text and musical fragments. One main difference stood out in the whole process: my own creative rewriting was indeed very personal and customized, and was dictated exclusively by my own experience and taste, whereas Berberian’s was certainly redirected and orientated by Berio.
In my case, the most challenging phase of re-appropriation was in fact that of escaping the strong Berberianesque imprint extant in the score and in the interpretation of the work. My choice of repertoire initially formed a dialogue between me and Berberian, as I decoded and parodied her responses. However, as I went on to memorize the piece, my own reading of the text became increasingly independent of hers: the more I inhabited the text, the less I was subject to Berberian’s and Berio’s rendition of the piece, finding it necessary almost to avoid them. I almost deliberately ‘purged’ the text of their musical associations, unless they complied with my own experience and knowledge of the piece. While adapting the piece I realized that, practically, mechanisms of reminiscence and recall, typical of performance memorization processes, were spontaneously triggered in my rewriting. A direct interpretation of the meaning of the monologue and its reflection on my own personal and artistic experience helped me retrieve memory stimuli, the imagery of which was recalled symbolically, or ironically contradicted by musical excerpts belonging to my extant repertoire. These excerpts, which functioned as metaphorical or paradoxical elements integrated into the score itself, became creative elements of my customized version of Recital I.9)Jane Ginsborg, Roger Chaffin and Alexander P. Demos, ‘Different Roles for Prepared and spontaneous Thoughts: A Practice-Based Study of Musical Performance from Memory’, Journal of Interdisciplinary Music Studies, 6/2 (2012), pp. 201–31; Jane Ginsborg and Roger Chaffin, ‘The Effect of Retrieval Cues Developed During Practice and Rehearsal on an Expert Singer’s Long-Term Recall for Words and Melody’, Proceedings of the International Symposium on Performance Science, Porto, 2007, ed. Aaron Williamon and Daniela Coimbra (Utrecht: AEC, 2007); Jane Ginsborg and John Sloboda, ‘Singers’ Recall for the Words and Melody of a New, Unaccompanied Song’, Psychology of Music, 35 (2007), pp. 421–40.
Not only did the re-creation of the musical text proceed almost simultaneously with spontaneous mechanisms of recall and response, but my work on the text and the responses I produced were already structurally incorporated when I began the memorization process. The memorization of the work overlapped with the mechanisms of recall and response triggered by the text in its new format. This acquisition process was substantially different from methods applied to the learning of songs with words. In this case, my way of proceeding was more similar to processes related to the learning of scripts for theatrical plays. This process could be described following the framework identified by cognitive researchers:10)See, for example, Helga Noice and Tony Noice, ‘What Studies of Actors and Acting Can Tell Us About Memory and Cognitive Functioning’, Current Directions in Psychological Science, 15/1 (2006), pp. 14–18.
extensive elaboration (imaginative embellishment);
perspective taking (adopting the perspective of one character in a narrative);
self-referencing (relating material personally to oneself);
self-generation (remembering one’s own ideas better than ideas of others);
mood congruency (matching one’s mood to the emotional valence of the material); and distinctiveness (considering details that render an item unique).
Quite strikingly, this framework also structurally fitted the process of re-elaboration undertaken on the score, and presided over the criteria for the application of the new fragments, naturally stimulating mechanisms of recall and response emerging from the text. The processes leading the structural functioning of the musical components of this stream of consciousness were typical of memorization processes.
The connection between memory and musical writing on the one hand, and embodiment and creativity on the other, sheds light on the strong psychoanalytical implant of the work. Recital I, with its open nature, is the acid test of performers’ subjective acquaintance with their musical repertoire, and requires performers/composers to narrow the boundary between their subjectivity and performance skills. The performer gains at least the same centrality as the composer, and becomes the exposed medium of her/his own stream of consciousness that, through processes related to memory and subjectivity, relinquishes the realm of interpretation to become the naked embodiment of the self.
The ‘Recital’ envisaged by Berberian and Berio is therefore an arena in which the solo singer not only ‘plays’ the protagonist of the work, but also becomes the scapegoat of his or her personal and idiomatic artistic self-reflection.
Video 1 Project trailer: One-Woman Act: (Post-)Modernist Monodrama.
Recital 1 is a part of a trans-disciplinary study of twentieth-century musical monodrama, which focuses on modern musical stage works set for female solo performer. Through methodologies and creative processes appropriate to artistic research and applied to a number of case studies (among them Recital 1), this undertaking critically challenges the role of female solo performers in this genre, and integrates artistic experimentation as an additional structural element to the discourse.
Musical monodrama is a form of melodrama that originated in Germany in the late eighteenth century, featuring one character, sometimes with chorus, and alternating speech with short passages of music or sometimes speaking over music.11)Anne Dhu McLucas, ‘Monodrama’, in D. Root, ed., Grove Music Online (accessed 4 August 2014). In modern times, the term is usually used to define a one-character opera, as in Schoenberg’s Erwartung (performed 1924), Poulenc’s La voix humaine (1959), Berio’s Recital I (1972) and Feldman’s Neither (1977), which all feature in this project. Twentieth- and twenty-first-century composers have almost exclusively conceived musical monodramas as the natural performance space of a female performer and a female stream of consciousness, emphasizing the lyrical qualities of the female voice, and adopting it as their favourite means to inspire their creative process. They undoubtedly drew on the experiments of their literary contemporaries, such as James Joyce, e.e. cummings and Jean Cocteau. However, in this case the composer was able to rely on an additional agent, the female performer, who contributed a unique personal interpretation of the poetic and bodily narrative to the piece, thus amplifying the dramatic space and expanding the gamut of expressive means. The ultimate objective of this project is to challenge and expand the creative role of the female performer in the production and delivery of twentieth- and twenty-first-century musical monodrama, introducing experimental performative processes led by the female artist-researcher as a contribution to the ongoing discourse on authorship, identity and subjectivity in the genre.12)Judith Butler, Bodies that Matter (New York: Routledge, 1993); Ruth A. Solie, ed., Musicology and Difference: Gender and Sexuality in Music Scholarship (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993).
The theoretical question underpinning the research originates from Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht’s essay Production of Presence, Interspersed with Absence: A Modernist View on Music, Libretti, and Staging. Gumbrecht frames opera as the product par excellence of a culture of presence rather than meaning, and defines the core of opera as the ‘epiphany of a synaesthesia of substances’.13)Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht, ‘Production of Presence, Interspersed with Absence: A Modernist View on Music, Libretti, and Staging’, in Music and the Aesthetics of Modernity: Essays, ed. Karol Berger and Anthony Newcomb (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2005), pp. 343–56.
Gumbrecht argues that an ideal production is one that supports, develops and brings out the epiphany of musical substance: the complexity and intensity of the interplay of voice and instruments and the filling of space on the stage, as well as favouring the choreography of bodies over the mimetic play of costumes, gestures and facial expressions. The entrances and exits of the various singers, then, and the way in which their voices strike up and fall silent, create strong event effects. Whereas Gumbrecht’s analysis focuses on multi-character opera, in musical monodrama, in which there is no interaction between the dramatis personae, a single performer is responsible for recreating an equivalent to such ‘events’ in a constant dialectic between presence and absence. Musical monodrama therefore represents a unique case, because the embodiment of a single character on the stage accentuates its present-ness more than any other operatic form: the performing body of the soloist plays a conspicuous part in the epiphany of synaesthesia.
Starting from research and experimentation on a traditional patriarchal repertoire, this project incorporates a new vision of the role of female solo performers in twentieth- and twenty-first-century musical monodrama, and integrates the gender-orientated experience of the artist-researcher as a structural element of the discourse in the genre of musical monodrama. The outcomes of this work add critical inquiry to the performance milieu expressed by modernist and post-modern musical monodramas in the making, thus aiming to re-define and re-locate the role of the solo female performer, and to test new performative devices and dramatic possibilities in the repertoire. The musicological background to the experimental research emphasizes particularly the connection between the creation of the work and the role of its first performer, philologically reconstructing the earliest performances of each work. On the artistic side, in undertaking the process of inhabiting, producing and performing these works, the artist-researcher will field test her embodied role in the creative process.
This multi-faceted vision challenges the traditional definition of the genre, obfuscated until now by its contamination with other musical forms, and traces its development in the twentieth- and twentieth-first centuries, investigating the genealogy and implications of works created for solo female performer against the backdrop of historical, performance and sociological backgrounds. In particular, the artistic research carried out on musical and dramaturgical materials will retain quintessential contemporary accounts from other performing arts repertoires centred on the solo female interpreter, evidencing the physiological connections that the embodiment of the female interpreter has been able to re-create and evoke across performing arts.
In addition, through its experimental approach, the project challenges and expands the role and subjectivity of the female solo performer in current performing arts, thus observing empirically how the female body, voice and narrative became predominant in twentieth-century aesthetics related to solo performance and has carried through to the present time.
Ultimately, modernist musical monodrama evokes the aesthetics of the Renaissance and baroque lamento, a genre that also envisaged the introduction of extemporary vocal embellishments and spoken inflections known as recitar cantando. Originating in ancient Greek drama and further developed in Latin poetry, the lament topos enjoyed a privileged status in European literature and theatre. Featured in exceptional moments of emotional climax or particularly intense expression, it provided an occasion for special formal development and for the display of expressive rhetoric and affective imagery. Laments were most often associated with female characters and the female voice.14)Wendy Heller, Emblems of Eloquence: Opera and Women’s Voices in Seventeenth-Century Venice (Oakland CA: University of California Press, 2004); Elizabeth Anderson, ‘Dancing Modernism: Ritual, Ecstasy and the Female Body’, Literature and Theology, 22/3 (2008), pp. 354–67; Andrew Parker and Eve Kosofsky, eds, Performativity and Performance (New York: Routledge, 1995); Carrie Preston, Modernism’s Mythic Pose: Gender, Genre, Solo Performance (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011). Self-pity and a free stream of consciousness over a loss or abandonment were the emotional landmarks of the genre, which was increasingly structured into rigid metric and harmonic grids and eventually emancipated as an independent semi-staged form.
In arguing that twentieth-century monodrama paralleled baroque laments in genere rappresentativo and classical cantatas scenicas, this research ties modernist musical monodrama to the aesthetics of loss, absence and betrayal already extensively explored in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century solo performance.15)A few examples of the genre are Monteverdi’s Il Lamento di Arianna (1607–08), D’India’s and Monteverdi’s Il Lamento di Olimpia (resp. 1623; c. 1620), Haydn’s Arianna a Naxos (1789). As in the case of the baroque recitar cantando typical of those genres, modernist and post-modern monodrama became a productive crucible for vocal experimentation and extended vocal technique. As observed above, Recital I fits perfectly the scope and framework of the research with its baroque reminiscences and psychoanalytic layers.
Thus, this research reconsiders the weight imposed by and on the solo female protagonist, enacts a radicalization of gender and sexuality on stage, and redistributes the forces present during the staging process, in which the solo female interpreter becomes a creative agent in the dramatic process. The artistic research methodology interrogates musical materials, providing an original insight into twentieth- and twenty-first-century musical monodrama. At the same time, the experimental process analyzes and experiments with creative processes in the making, and proposes alternative readings of contemporary staging. Therefore, the investigation relies extensively in its documentary section on primary sources (scores, letters, reviews, etc.) and on secondary literature relating to the genealogy of the works studied, and adopts data collection strategies typical of ‘field’ work (such as participant observation, performance ethnography, ethnodrama, biographical/autobiographical/narrative inquiry, etc.) entailed by the artistic approach applied to the works.
Staging a monodrama with a solo female protagonist triggers a set of expectations and processes that mirror contemporary attitudes toward the ‘female’ in Western culture. A solitary female performer commands the entire theatrical stage, and the way in which her manifestation embodies this challenge necessarily has to do with her identity and marketability. The project looks at sexual and gender exploitation and appropriations of performance devices associated with the ‘female’ (including the voice, high register, screaming, losing power, etc.), through or despite the embodiment of the performer’s subjectivity, and proposes an innovative reading based on historical performance practices and performances transferred to the current performance scene. This artistic research approach promises original findings through experimental acquaintance with the repertoire, and aims ultimately to integrate the active role of the female performer into the definition of musical monodrama. Furthermore, this project interrogates a field occupied predominantly by female performers on one side and male composers on the other, challenging traditional notions of authorship – a topic still extant in the current epistemological debate – and of composition, and questioning the creative imprint injected by the performer during both creative and performance processes.16)See for instance Michel Foucault, ‘What is an Author?’ Lecture presented to the Societé Francais de Philosophie on 22 February 1969, translated by Josué V. Harari.
References [ + ]
1. ↑ This report refers to initial work undertaken on Recital I between September 2013 and September 2014. Our fully staged adaptation for voice and piano of the work, entitled Monodrama I, was then produced on three different occasions throughout 2014 and 2015. Its première featured in the ‘New Vocalities’ event organized by Bath Spa Live and the Department of Performing Arts at Bath Spa University, under the artistic direction of Dr Pamela Karantonis (Michael Tippett Centre, 22 October 2014; Maria Garcia, piano); a second performance of Monodrama I took place during the 2014 edition of The Cornerstone Festival on the Liverpool Hope University Creative Campus, under the artistic direction of Dr. Alberto Sanna (The Cornerstone Theatre, 27 November 2014; David Walters, piano); and a third performance was hosted in Aveiro at the Auditorium of the Department of Communications and Arts DeCA, at the invitation of Jorge Salgado Correia (DeCA Auditorium, 5 March 2015; Dr. Francisco Monteiro, piano). All performances featured acting and music students of the hosting departments, who undertook a workshop on the work and played the mime characters on stage.
Further performances of the abovementioned musical monodramas will take place within the next two years under the aegis of Maynooth University, Ireland, where Francesca is currently the recipient of a postdoctoral fellowship funded by the Irish Research Council. Under the mentorship of Professor Christopher Morris, she is the leader of the project “En-Gendering Monodrama: Artistic Research and Experimental Productions”.
2. ↑ Francesca Placanica, ‘Arranging and Performing Recital I: An Open Approach to Twentieth-Century Musical Monodrama’, paper delivered at the international seminar ‘The Limits of Control’, Orpheus Research Centre in Music, Ghent, 26 February 2014 (article forthcoming).
3. ↑ For a full discussion of Berberian’s editing of the text, see Placanica, ‘Arranging and Performing Recital I’, n. 7.
4. ↑ See performance indications in Luciano Berio, Recital I (Vienna: Universal Edition, 1972/ repr. 2002).
5. ↑ This philosophy is indeed commensurate with Berberian’s own quintessential philosophy of the singing voice, as expressed in her manifesto, ‘La nuova vocalità nell’opera contemporanea’, see Francesca Placanica, ‘La nuova vocalità nell’opera contemporanea’ (1966): Cathy Berberian’s Legacy’, in Cathy Berberian: Pioneer of Contemporary Vocality, ed. Pamela Karantonis, Francesca Placanica, Anne Sivuoja-Kauppala and Pieter Verstraete (Farnham: Ashgate, 2014), pp. 51–66.
6. ↑ Berio, Recital I, n. 9.
7. ↑ A lecture recital was presented during the Biennial International Conference on ‘Music since 1900’ at Liverpool Hope University on 17 November 2013, at the international seminar ‘The Limits of Control’, Orpheus Research Centre in Music, Ghent, 26 February 2014, and at the CMPCP Conference in Cambridge in July 2014.
8. ↑ See Placanica, ‘Arranging and Performing Recital I’, n. 7.
9. ↑ Jane Ginsborg, Roger Chaffin and Alexander P. Demos, ‘Different Roles for Prepared and spontaneous Thoughts: A Practice-Based Study of Musical Performance from Memory’, Journal of Interdisciplinary Music Studies, 6/2 (2012), pp. 201–31; Jane Ginsborg and Roger Chaffin, ‘The Effect of Retrieval Cues Developed During Practice and Rehearsal on an Expert Singer’s Long-Term Recall for Words and Melody’, Proceedings of the International Symposium on Performance Science, Porto, 2007, ed. Aaron Williamon and Daniela Coimbra (Utrecht: AEC, 2007); Jane Ginsborg and John Sloboda, ‘Singers’ Recall for the Words and Melody of a New, Unaccompanied Song’, Psychology of Music, 35 (2007), pp. 421–40.
10. ↑ See, for example, Helga Noice and Tony Noice, ‘What Studies of Actors and Acting Can Tell Us About Memory and Cognitive Functioning’, Current Directions in Psychological Science, 15/1 (2006), pp. 14–18.
11. ↑ Anne Dhu McLucas, ‘Monodrama’, in D. Root, ed., Grove Music Online (accessed 4 August 2014).
12. ↑ Judith Butler, Bodies that Matter (New York: Routledge, 1993); Ruth A. Solie, ed., Musicology and Difference: Gender and Sexuality in Music Scholarship (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993).
13. ↑ Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht, ‘Production of Presence, Interspersed with Absence: A Modernist View on Music, Libretti, and Staging’, in Music and the Aesthetics of Modernity: Essays, ed. Karol Berger and Anthony Newcomb (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2005), pp. 343–56.
14. ↑ Wendy Heller, Emblems of Eloquence: Opera and Women’s Voices in Seventeenth-Century Venice (Oakland CA: University of California Press, 2004); Elizabeth Anderson, ‘Dancing Modernism: Ritual, Ecstasy and the Female Body’, Literature and Theology, 22/3 (2008), pp. 354–67; Andrew Parker and Eve Kosofsky, eds, Performativity and Performance (New York: Routledge, 1995); Carrie Preston, Modernism’s Mythic Pose: Gender, Genre, Solo Performance (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011).
15. ↑ A few examples of the genre are Monteverdi’s Il Lamento di Arianna (1607–08), D’India’s and Monteverdi’s Il Lamento di Olimpia (resp. 1623; c. 1620), Haydn’s Arianna a Naxos (1789).
16. ↑ See for instance Michel Foucault, ‘What is an Author?’ Lecture presented to the Societé Francais de Philosophie on 22 February 1969, translated by Josué V. Harari.
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Eastern blanks Lady Tomcats, 12-0
TUPPERS PLAINS, Ohio — Powerful offense and masterful pitching, the best of both worlds.
The Eastern softball team blasted four home runs and EHS sophomore Tessa Rockhold tossed a complete game no-hitter on Monday in Meigs County, as the Lady Eagles breezed to a 12-0 mercy rule victory over Tri-Valley Conference Hocking Division guest Trimble.
Eastern (5-3, 5-1 TVC Hocking) led 5-0 after the first inning, which was highlighted by a two-run Kelsey Roberts home run. EHS led 8-0 following a second inning in which Cera Grueser blasted a two-run homer of her own.
After being sent down in order in the third, the Lady Eagles wrapped up the 12-0 victory in the bottom of the fourth, as Mollie Maxon hit a three-run home run, and Tessa Rockhold followed with a solo shot.
Tessa Rockhold struck out nine batters and walked four in her complete game no-hitter, allowing just one ball to make it out of the infield.
Leading EHS at the plate, Tessa Rockhold was 3-for-3 with a home run, a double, two runs scored and two runs batted in, and Grueser was 3-for-3 with a homer, three runs and two RBIs. Mollie Maxon was 2-for-2 with a home run, three runs and three RBIs, while Megan Maxon was 2-for-4 with a trio of runs. Roberts contributed a two-run home run, and Faith Smeeks chipped in with a single for the victors.
The Lady Tomcats were responsible for all-5 of the game’s errors. EHS left four runners on base, one more than THS.
These teams are set to rematch on April 25 in Glouster.
Following Tuesday’s bout at Southern, Eastern is scheduled to visit South Gallia on Thursday.
Hi! A visitor to our site felt the following article might be of interest to you: Eastern blanks Lady Tomcats, 12-0. Here is a link to that story: https://www.mydailyregister.com/sports/39342/eastern-blanks-lady-tomcats-12-0
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Insights Investment Insights The EDGE: CRISPR
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The EDGE: CRISPR
Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) is a new tool for genetic research that allows scientists to locate specific segments of DNA and then replace or delete those segments. It enables scientists to alter organisms for either therapeutic or research purposes, both before and after they have developed. For investors, it has the potential to birth new industries and disrupt existing medical treatments.
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Orlando Nightclub Massacre
Coverage of the Orlando nightclub massacre, June 12, 2016
Officials Piecing Together Orlando Killer's Movements
A U.S. attorney said it would be premature to consider charging others in the massacre
By Mike Schneider
Published Jun 15, 2016 at 12:24 PM | Updated at 4:11 AM PDT on Jun 16, 2016
Police cars surround the Pulse Orlando nightclub, the scene of a fatal shooting by Omar Mateen (inset), in Orlando, Fla., Sunday, June 12, 2016.
Investigators Wednesday worked to piece together a picture of nightclub gunman Omar Mateen and his crime and zeroed in on how much his Palestinian-American wife may have known about the plot that left 49 victims dead.
The FBI said it is still gathering evidence at the Pulse and poring through volumes of leads and tips about Mateen and those who knew him, and it urged anyone with any information about the killer to contact the bureau.
"We need your help in developing the most complete picture of what he did and why he did it," FBI agent Ron Hopper said.
Orlando Survivor: 'Was It Supposed to Be Me?'
Demetrice Naulings decided to flee a bathroom at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, and lived. His best friend, Eddie Justice, got left behind, and died. Through tears, Naulings talks about that night. "My friend wasn't supposed to die in the bathroom on the floor," Naulings said.
(Published Wednesday, June 15, 2016)
Salman feared he was going to attack a gay nightclub but did not call the police or give anyone a warning, NBC News reported Wednesday.
The FBI has also recovered Mateen's phone and will use location data to verify whether he previously visited the club, the official said.
At a news conference Wednesday, U.S. Attorney Lee Bentley repeatedly refused to say whether any charges might be brought against anyone. He said authorities are talking to hundreds of people and investigating everyone associated with Mateen, including family, friends and business associates.
Who They Were: Portraits of the Orlando Victims
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said Mateen drove around the Orlando area Saturday evening, going from one place to another, before he opened fire at the gay nightspot about 2 a.m. Sunday. The attack ended with the 29-year-old American-born Muslim being killed by a SWAT team.
Orlando is nearly a two-hour drive from Mateen's home in Fort Pierce, Florida.
"What I know concretely is that he was driving around that evening and visited several locations," Dyer said.
Tributes to Orlando Shooting Victims Pour in From Around the World
When asked exactly where Mateen visited, and whether the locations included theme parks as reported in news accounts, the mayor said: "I think it's been pretty accurately depicted on the news." He gave no further details.
In Fort Pierce, Florida, where Salman and Mateen lived, Salman made a brief visit to their first-floor apartment late Monday, escorted by police and her brother-in-law. Her father-in-law said she came to retrieve clothing. She did not speak with reporters.
She has otherwise been in seclusion.
Broadway Stars to Record Song to Benefit Nightclub Victims
Three people identifying themselves as FBI agents visited Salman's childhood home in Rodeo, California, on Tuesday and spoke with her mother, said Jessie Rojas, a next-door neighbor. Rodeo is in the dry hills near the oil refineries 25 miles northeast of San Francisco.
Salman and Mateen married in 2011 and have a 3-year-old son. Marriage documents on file in the Contra Costa County Recorder's office list Salman's parents' birthplace as Palestine. Their naturalization papers allowing them to stay in the country were approved in 1984.
In other developments:
— A newly unearthed clip from a film documentary about the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico shows Mateen — then working as a security guard at a cleanup site in Florida — talking cynically about people who make money off disasters.
Orlando Survivor: 'I Regret Having the Second Chance'
Luis Burbano felt his bones shake when bullets started flying early Sunday at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. At first, he thought it was part of the music. Burbano, who rushed to the aid of the injured, is now unable to sleep and struggling to understand why he was spared.
The clip from 2012's "The Big Fix" shows Mateen telling a woman who pulls up to his guard booth that everyone is "hoping for more oil to come out and more people to complain so they'll have the jobs."
Security firm G4S confirmed Wednesday that the guard in the clip is Mateen and said he was stationed in Pensacola, Florida, for several months in 2010 to assist with the cleanup.
— Florida documents obtained by The Associated Press under open-records laws show that Mateen passed a psychological evaluation in 2007 as part of his application to be a security guard. The records say he took a written psychological test or was evaluated by a psychologist or psychiatrist.
Stories of Bravery Amid Horror at Pulse Nightclub
On Tuesday, a survivor of the massacre, 20-year-old Patience Carter, shed more light on Mateen's thinking, saying he talked about wanting America to "stop bombing my country" — a possible reference to his father's native Afghanistan.
A number of possible motives and explanations have emerged, with Mateen calling 911 to profess allegiance to the Islamic State group, his ex-wife saying he was mentally ill and his father suggesting he hated gays.
The picture grew more complex when a U.S. official said the FBI was looking into a flurry of news reports quoting people as saying Mateen frequented the nightspot and reached out to men on gay dating apps. The official was not authorized to discuss the investigation and also spoke on condition of anonymity.
Deadly Nightclub Shooting Leaves Orlando Reeling
AFP/Getty Images
Some psychologists raised the possibility that Mateen was sexually conflicted and lashed out, or else was casing the nightclub and trying to find potential victims online.
Mateen's father, Seddique Mateen, denied his son was gay and said that if he had been in the nightclub before, he may have been "scouting the place."
Mateen's ex-wife, Sitora Yusufiy, said earlier in the week that he was mentally ill and abusive. Amid the latest reports about his club-going, she told CNN: "Well, when we had gotten married, he confessed to me about his past that was recent at that time and that he very much enjoyed going to clubs and the nightlife and there was a lot of pictures of him."
Obama Blasts Trump's Proposed Muslim Ban
"I feel like it's a side of him or a part of him that he lived but probably didn't want everybody to know about," she said.
Copyright Associated Press / NBC Southern California
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