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Four talking points from AFL Round 14
Josh Elliott
23rd June, 2019
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Round 14 is over, and like most AFL teams, I’m limping through till the end of the bye rounds. This week’s column is a little bit shorter than most, which might have to do with a certain prominent northern states event happening later tonight. Hopefully, you enjoy this week’s talking points all the same.
Geelong blow it after the bye… again
It would have come as a massive surprise if it wasn’t so incredibly predictable: on Saturday night, the Geelong Cats, coming off the bye, suffered a slow start and were never able to recover, copping their second loss of the year.
This is a team whose only other defeat in 2019 has been by four points to a fellow top-four side, GWS. To put it in kind of a silly way, this weekend’s 11-point loss represents a 375 per cent increase on their total losing margin for season 2019, 14 rounds in.
Just quickly: no credit should be taken away from Port here. Ken Hinkley was brave to swing the axe at the selection table and it paid off. They’re a reasonably good side who’ve added a great scalp and deserve to be very happy with themselves.
Still, it’s hopefully not too reductionist to suggest that this one might really be as simple as Geelong still not knowing how to navigate the bye. And that’s something that should worry them in a season where nothing else so far really has.
In the three-and-a-half years since a pre-finals bye was introduced, Geelong have had eight matches played after a bye round (either mid-season, pre-finals or mid-finals), and they have lost seven of those. That’s over a period of time where they’ve won more AFL matches than any other side.
Most concerning, three of those seven post-bye losses have come in finals matches, with two of those proving enough to eliminate them from the premiership race (against Sydney in 2016, and Melbourne last year).
Their only post-bye win during this era was a 2-point qualifying final victory over Hawthorn, which only came after Isaac Smith missed a shot after the siren.
Port aside, the only teams who have really tested the Cats this year are GWS and Collingwood, sides both known for their extreme depth of midfield talent.
So what happens if it’s one of those teams up against them coming off a week’s rest in the qualifying final – or, if they win that, a prelim?
(Photo by James Elsby/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
St Kilda’s week of good news ends poorly
There were three really good pieces of news filtering through for St Kilda fans this week. Arguably four, depending on your perspective.
The first one – that arguable one – was that Max King’s injury scare in the VFL last weekend was not an ACL injury. Sure, ok, it turns out instead he needs season-ending ankle surgery, which is not a whole lot better, but at least this way he’s not copping two knee recos before his AFL debut.
More unambiguously positive was both Jake Carlisle and Dan Hannebery being cleared to play their first games for the season, and in the case of Hannebery, his first for the club. He was in good touch too in his first game back at the level – but more on that soon.
The final piece though is that Jack Billings recommitted to the club for another two years, taking him through until free agency. That solidifies what’s been a career-changing season for him, and has to give Saints fans a bit of faith that things are going in an upward direction.
Unfortunately, their performance on Saturday against the Brisbane Lions did much the opposite. Overall you could argue they played three quarters of reasonably passable footy, but the third, where they conceded nine goals and scored just one their own, was devastating.
Nick Hind kicked three goals in just his second AFL game, Josh Battle made a strong case again that he deserves a Rising Star nomination – and most importantly, the $800,000 man Hannebery not only got through the match but collected an impressive 27 disposals.
Still, the scoreboard didn’t make for pretty reading, and that’s the metric most headlines are written on. What could have been a really great week for the Saints is middling at best.
(Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
Hawks between a rock and a hard place
There’s still nine matches left in the season for each team so for a side like Hawthorn not sitting too far outside the eight, it’s too early yet to say that there’s no chance of them making it in, even if it’s looking unlikely.
What it’s not too early to say is that even if they do somehow make it in, they won’t be difference makers in the business end of the year. This team simply isn’t good enough for that.
Why? The simple explanation is that they just don’t have the cattle to be that good right now. The Brownlow Medallist is on the pine, as is Chad Wingard, and while Tom Scully still runs a lot he doesn’t do much else just yet.
Jarryd Roughead came back to AFL level which is nice, but didn’t really do anything to suggest his career won’t end in nine weeks time. He could be right back to the VFL next week and out-of-form Paul Puopolo might join him.
Hawthorn’s one genuinely elite performer who isn’t an old codger is James Sicily, and he’s being played out of position. I don’t mind the experiment – he was drafted as a forward – but it’s really hamstringing the club’s on-field performances.
Alastair Clarkson has said his side is in the process of building towards being a premiership contender again and that he’s looking to get them there before his contract runs out in 2022. Going to the draft is what they should probably do, but it doesn’t fit on that timeline, or with the decisions they made last year.
The Hawks built a generation of success through aggressively trading for players to fill their needs, but when they did it was based on a solid platform of quality draft picks, in 2001 (Luke Hodge, Sam Mitchell) and 2004 (Roughead, Lance Franklin, Jordan Lewis) particularly.
They have no such platform to work from this time, and to bust out a biblical metaphor, it’s like building your house on sand rather than rock. Not working out great.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)
Dreary Dons should have Worsfold worried
A 35-point loss isn’t a great result generally, but the margin if anything flattered Essendon on Thursday night as a team who had recently been touting the strength of their defence conceded 36 scoring shots to the West Coast Eagles and were ultimately lucky to see 22 of them become behinds.
The Eagles had two-and-a-quarter times as many scores as their opponents – if they had the same accuracy rate as them, they’d have scored 160 and won by 89 points.
Any progress we thought Essendon had made over the past few weeks – and really, the results they’ve had don’t justify thinking there was any large amount of it – was quickly wiped away. The club feels right back where it was in Round 1 this year, or in their 2018 malaise, for that matter.
As said with regards to Hawthorn, it’s far too early to say a side with a record like this can’t play finals this year. They’re 6-7 and that could easily be a launching pad to sneak in if a few things go right in the second half of the year. But, like Hawthorn, it’s hard to imagine them making a meaningful contribution to September if they do.
And, again like the Hawks, they’re a club that’s been aggressive at the trade table in recent years, seeking mature talent to hasten a rise up the ladder.
It’s yet to work for them. Announcing a big signing is a surefire way to make fans happy in October, but boy does it rachet up the pressure if the next season rolls around and bringing in a big name doesn’t translate to the team’s improvement.
Who is to blame when that happens – were they poor trade targets, or is it the coach who has failed to turn that boon of talent into improved peformance? In the case of Essendon, as much as I have great respect for John Worsfold, it feels like the latter.
Devon Smith, Jake Stringer, Adam Saad and Dylan Shiel have all played good footy for the club, in fact probably all of them have played the best footy of their careers in red and black or close to, discounting Stringer’s All Australian 2015 season.
So the recruits are firing but the team isn’t. What does that say about the coach? A topic perhaps needing more time than we have here, but to put it short, I’ll be surprised if he’s still leading the club in Round 1 2020.
(AAP Image/Julian Smith)
Everbody gets a turn
Brisbane Lions (8-5) – Michael Walters pretty much has that All Australian small forward slot sewn up – is Charlie Cameron next in line for one? Set to smash his previous career-high 29 goals.
Collingwood Magpies (10-3) – Second on the ladder and surely one of the Cats’ closest rivals for the flags – but have they really been all that impressive lately?
Essendon Bombers (6-7) – Darcy Parish is becoming a really interesting question for the Dons lately. Has been in great form, out of contract this year.
Fremantle Dockers (7-6) – You’re telling me that in a match featuring Melbourne one team lead for most of the game, lost it late, and that team wasn’t actually Melbourne? Poor Freo – that almost never happens.
Geelong Cats (11-2) – Jordan Clark is one of those players who surely needs to get a Rising Star nomination sometimes soon. Doesn’t star, but plays his role every week. That’d make three in a year for Geelong where they’re also top of the ladder.
Hawthorn Hawks (5-8) – Jack Gunston’s goal before the final break was one of the stranger ones I can recall seeing. One of the highlights of the round.
Melbourne Demons (4-9) – The entire organisation would be wishing him well, but Melbourne are quietly a bit lucky that Jesse Hogan’s had an indifferent season for Freo so far in 2019. If not, we’d be talking a lot more about that trade.
Port Adelaide Power (7-6) – Tom Rockliff to potentially come back in next week alongside Paddy Ryder, Justin Westhoff and Sam Powell-Pepper who were all dropped – all fighting for spots in a team that just beat the flag favourites. Gotta like it.
St Kilda Saints (6-7) – Are we really going to go through season 2019 with Nick Coffield only playing one game for the year? Surely it’s time.
Sydney Swans (5-8) – Buddy Franklin injured his hamstring on Friday night. I injured mine on Saturday morning. Are we the same person? The answer is yes.
West Coast Eagles (9-4) – Dom Sheed loves kicking great goals. Well, I suppose every player does, but he’s the one who keeps managing it.
Western Bulldogs (5-8) – If you don’t love Caleb Daniel, do you really love footy? No. No you don’t.
Josh Elliott may be The Roar's Weekend Editor, but at heart he's just a rusted-on North Melbourne tragic with a penchant for pun headlines - and also abnormal alliteration, assuredly; assuming achievability. He once finished third in a hot chilli pie eating contest.
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DOCUMENT: Stupid
New Wrinkle On Avoiding Jury Duty
In no uncertain terms, a Montana man tells judge why he won't serve
https://www.thesmokinggun.com/file/new-wrinkle-avoiding-jury-duty
APRIL 30--There are probably better ways to avoid jury duty than the approach recently taken by a Montana man.
After Erik Slye, 36, received a jury notice earlier this year, he filed a notarized affidavit seeking to be excused from serving on a District Court panel in Gallatin County. Slye's caustic affidavit, which he prepared with help from his wife Jennifer, can be found here.
The document, of course, did not sit well with court officials and led a judge to threaten to jail Slye. But after being summoned to court, Slye apologized for the affidavit and avoided being cited on a criminal failure to appear rap. And he also was excused from serving on a jury. (1 page)
jury duty, Montana
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Senior Smack Sisters Snitched
Submitted by Mo Ma' on Fri, 2011-03-04 16:19.
Damaged DNA plus pencil and something to write on equals= expressed insanity.
Submitted by llloyd on Fri, 2011-03-04 13:47.
Well, he does have a point, he worded it very badly, admittedly. But a lot of employers, mine being one, don't pay for time off for jury duty and you make next to *nothing* while serving, if you are the sole supporter of your family you're putting them at risk by taking time off. California, where I live, has gotten a *lot* tougher on the Economic Hardship excuse. Kinda blows. in a bad way, for us. If they paid decently and on a weekly or two weekly basis, for jury duty, like it was a job then yeah, sure, I'll listen through the BS and try to judge someone's guilt. But if you get stuck on a 6 month or longer trial, that's no income for all that time and when you do get the money it's not enough to catch up, well, it's a load of horse pucky. :( You might as well bend over as you'll be getting it like it or not. :(
Submitted by Aegis on Fri, 2011-03-04 22:46.
Interesting take on the matter, llloyd. I'm curious on how you think people refusing to take time off from work to perform jury duty doesn't put your family at risk. Here's hoping, should you ever be wrongly accused, there is a jury there for you. I've never avoided that call, even though I only get paid $8 per day for showing up. Then again, I don't have a flat screen TV in my house. Still have the old piece of crap ...and money in the bank to cover things like jury duty, et al. Just thinking of the welfare of my family, that's all.
Submitted by Tee on Fri, 2011-03-04 14:16.
llloyd - I'm also in California and I'm curious as to what county you reside in, because where I live, you can submit a letter from your employer that states that you do not get paid for jury duty. Everyone I know who has done this has been dismissed after the first day. And usually, if you present that letter when you sign in, you're let go within an hour or so. Yep...that pretty much sucks that you miss a day's pay, but you avoid a an extended stay in jury duty.
Submitted by PBSCRAIG on Fri, 2011-03-04 13:23.
Jury duty is a responsibility that should be taken with all seriousness. A suggested method of being taken out of the pool of selection is to send an intelligently written letter in response to the summons stating that you believe that if a suspect has been charged with a crime the probability is that they are guilty regardless of what evidence or technicalities a lawyer presents. I did this over 20 years ago and have never heard from them since.
Submitted by rochatter on Fri, 2011-03-04 13:48.
Thank you. The thought of you serving on a jury and thereby in the position of making an ~intelligent~ decision as to the guilt or innocence of a defendant is utterly frightening.
Submitted by azoutlaw on Fri, 2011-03-04 11:52.
FYI...to avoid jury duty, just don't respond. They don't send the letter certified & can't prove you received it. They will finally call you & ask about it, & you say "I never got a thing in the mail about jury duty." I also like Doug Stanhope's advice to go ahead and serve & then say "Not Guilty"...no matter what!
And to think that many people believe this country is presently make up of self-absorbed nitwits. Oh wait, you just confirmed it.
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Where to Get STD Vaccines – Preventing STDs – STD Testing
Types of STD Vaccines
Hepatitis A is a serious liver disease more commonly found in developing countries.
It is found in feces and contaminated food and water.
It can be transmitted by anal intercourse, from baby to mother at birth, as well as by ingesting infected water and food.
Hepatitis B is a serious liver disease.
It is found in blood, semen, and vaginal fluids.
It is very contagious and can be transmitted by sexual intercourse, sharing needles and from mother to baby.
Anyone who is exposed to blood (e.g. doctors, nurses, dentists, laboratory technicians) and men who have sex with men are strongly advised to have the Hepatitis B vaccine.
The Gardasil vaccine vaccinates against HPV types 6,11,16 and 18.
Genital Warts are generally caused by types 6 and 11 and can affect both men and women.
Cervical Cancer is mainly caused by types 16 and 18 which generally affects only women, although men can pass the virus on.
Where to Get STD Vaccines – STD Testing Clinics
For US Residents:
The CDC’s Locator Tool
For UK Residents:
FPA’s Clinic Locator
Better 2 Know’s Clinics
For Canada Residents:
CFSH’s Point of Service Locator
For Victoria or Australia Residents:
MSHC’s Clinic Finder
For New Zealand Residents:
Family Planning’s Clinic Locator
The STD Vaccine Process
You should have two doses of the vaccine.
The first dose protects for one year, but having a second dose six to twelve months after the first dose increases your immunity up to twenty years before you need to return to the STD testing clinic or your healthcare provider for a booster.
You do not need to have a Hepatitis A test before you have the vaccination, as the vaccine will not protect you against Hepatitis A if you already have it.
You need three doses to be fully protected.
The second dose is given one month after the first, and the third dose is given six months after the first dose.
If you need protection faster than that, you can have the quick course: with the second dose given one week later and the third dose at three weeks later, but you will need to return to the STD testing clinic or your healthcare provider for a booster dose one year after this.
You do not need to have a Hepatitis B test before you have the vaccination, as the vaccine will not protect you against Hepatitis B if you already have it.
You need three doses of Gardasil to be fully protected.
The second dose is given one to two months after the first dose, with the third dose six to twelve months after the first dose.You do not have to go to the same STD testing clinic or healthcare provider each time.
You will need to have a booster dose – currently, research says this should be given once every five years.
You do not need to have an HPV test before you have the vaccination, as the vaccine will not protect you against any HPV you may already have.
STD Blogs & Forums
Did you recently get your STD vaccine? What was your experience like? Is there additional information we should be listing above? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
Find STD Testing Near You
Information about STD Testing
Hepatitis Information
HPV Information
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Daily Ratings & News for Meridian Bioscience
Complete the form below to receive the latest headlines and analysts' recommendations for Meridian Bioscience with our free daily email newsletter:
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FY2019 EPS Estimates for Meridian Bioscience, Inc. Decreased by Analyst (VIVO)
Posted by Geri Gentry on Apr 7th, 2019
Meridian Bioscience, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIVO) – Equities research analysts at Piper Jaffray Companies lowered their FY2019 earnings per share estimates for Meridian Bioscience in a report released on Tuesday, April 2nd. Piper Jaffray Companies analyst W. Quirk now anticipates that the company will post earnings per share of $0.65 for the year, down from their prior estimate of $0.77. Piper Jaffray Companies currently has a “Underweight” rating and a $15.00 price target on the stock. Piper Jaffray Companies also issued estimates for Meridian Bioscience’s FY2021 earnings at $0.77 EPS.
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Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. BidaskClub downgraded Meridian Bioscience from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 15th. ValuEngine upgraded Meridian Bioscience from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 1st. Finally, Zacks Investment Research cut Meridian Bioscience from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $19.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Saturday, January 19th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. The stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $14.75.
NASDAQ VIVO opened at $13.17 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 6.75 and a quick ratio of 4.72. The company has a market capitalization of $570.21 million, a PE ratio of 17.80 and a beta of 0.49. Meridian Bioscience has a 1-year low of $13.06 and a 1-year high of $19.84.
Meridian Bioscience (NASDAQ:VIVO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 24th. The company reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.18 by $0.02. Meridian Bioscience had a net margin of 12.06% and a return on equity of 19.17%. The firm had revenue of $51.48 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $51.50 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.15 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year.
Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund bought a new stake in shares of Meridian Bioscience during the 4th quarter worth approximately $280,000. Jefferies Group LLC purchased a new position in Meridian Bioscience in the 3rd quarter worth about $217,000. WINTON GROUP Ltd bought a new position in Meridian Bioscience during the 4th quarter valued at about $3,724,000. New York State Teachers Retirement System lifted its stake in Meridian Bioscience by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 132,502 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,300,000 after acquiring an additional 2,100 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Meridian Bioscience by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc now owns 4,347,959 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,784,000 after acquiring an additional 94,180 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.06% of the company’s stock.
About Meridian Bioscience
Meridian Bioscience, Inc, a life science company, develops, manufactures, distributes, and sells diagnostic test kits primarily for various gastrointestinal and respiratory infectious diseases, and elevated blood lead levels worldwide. The company operates through Diagnostics and Life Science segments.
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/ Lifestyle
/ Health
Senate Rejects Obamacare 'Skinny Repeal'
Amid huge lingering doubts about its fate, Senate Republican leaders took their best shot a repealing portions of Obamacare early Friday morning.
William McConnell
Updated Jul 28, 2017 5:22 AM EDT
Amid huge lingering doubts about its fate, Senate Republican leaders took their best shot a repealing portions of Obamacare early Friday morning and failed . The legislation was voted down 49-51.
Even as the voted continued to be tallied, it became apparent the bill would be sunk as Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and John McCain of Arizona voted no early during the balloting.
The vote was the third time in three days that Republicans failed to coalesce around a way to repeal and replace Obamacare.
President Donald Trump took to Twitter to voice his annoyance over the result.
3 Republicans and 48 Democrats let the American people down. As I said from the beginning, let ObamaCare implode, then deal. Watch!
"This is clearly a disappointing moment," said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell after the voting closed.
"It's time to move on," McConnell said.
The Kentucky Republican also called on Democrats to unveil what they have in mind when it comes to improving the ACA.
Democratic leader Charles Schumer of New York said, "We are not celebrating, we are relieved." Passage would have meant adding millions to the ranks of the uninsured.
GOP's 'Skinny Repeal' Will Probably Hit You Badly in the Pocket in 2018
He called on McConnell to return to regular order, meaning rather than having Senate leaders craft a bill in private, to instead let the various committees craft legislation in a bipartisan way.
The bill, formally named the Health Care Freedom Act, but nicknamed "skinny repeal," was unveiled shortly before the Senate was slated to vote on the legislation. The bill would have repealed the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate to purchase insurance, repealed the employer mandate to provide insurance, defunded Planned Parenthood for one year, given states more flexibility to opt out of insurance regulations, and repealed the medical device tax over three years. It also would have raised limits on Health Savings Account contributions.
In the lead up to votes on the package, the Congressional Budget Office provided lawmakers an analysis of the bill's impact on the deficit, insurance premiums and the ranks of the uninsured. The GOP issued only the portion showing that the bill would decrease the projected federal deficit by $142 billion through 2026.
When Republicans balked, the Democrats released portions of the CBO estimates showing that 16 million people would lose their health insurance in 2018 and premiums would rise 20% annually over the next decade.
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/ Videos to Watch On TheStreet
Striking Options: NASDAQ, FX, and Equities
Stronger-than-expected jobs data along with heightened trade concerns over U.S.-China is giving boost to the U.S. dollar.
In this video Jeff Kilburg, CEO of KKM Financial and Bob Iaccino, Chief Market Strategist for Path Trading Partners discuss if the U.S. dollar can continue to hold its strength?
Learn more: https://activetrader.cmegroup.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CMEActiveTrader
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CMEGroup
CME Group is the world's leading and most diverse derivatives marketplace. The company is comprised of four Designated Contract Markets (DCMs).
Further information on each exchange's rules and product listings can be found by clicking on the links to CME, CBOT, NYMEX and COMEX.
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Take a bite of Domino's history as investors react to the latest round of earnings from the pizza-maker.
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How To Make Star Shower Laser Light Dancing With Music
Loves Music Loves To Dance Full Movie Online Youtube A REALLY NICE PLEASANT FIRST FULL DAY OF SPRING. SUN SETS AT 7:13. OVERNIGHT LOWS IN THE 40’S AND 50’S. BIG WEEKEND INCLUDING BOURBON FEST AND ARTS AND MUSIC. OF MOVIES, THIS IS PROBABLY THE BEST. Fully Accessible. Get Directions · FacebookTwitterFoursquareYoutube. A Night of Banjo Films with Live Music and Dancing. York with Library
Extremely high musical talent Extensive knowledge of rock music Playing instruments Singing Dancing Censorship Coding
Drax, also known as Drax the Destroyer, was a former intergalactic criminal and a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy.He sought revenge on Ronan the Accuser for killing his wife and daughter, and went on a rampage across the galaxy, ending with him being imprisoned by the Nova Corps in the Kyln.There Drax became uneasy allies with Star-Lord, Gamora, Rocket Raccoon, and Groot.
Now, Cheung is the general manager of Drone Light Shows at Intel and has helped put on hundreds of choreographed drone shows — and the drones can make a lot. electronic music synchronized to the.
Game Of Thrones Live Concert Experience Sprint Center "But the vast majority of white people and the vast majority of black people in this country want to live together. City officials fear the concert will encourage angry masses of people to gather. The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe Musical Soundtrack Narnia has the BEST music ever (other than Pirate of the Caribbean).
How To Motivate Yourself To Learn A Musical Instrument “But I see a lot of exciting things come out of it—primarily, the personal satisfaction at the idea of enriching yourself.” Here are four ways learning a musical instrument as an. s mission is to. "At times it’s subdued because I. have come to the understanding that you’ve got to be able to motivate yourself
We were working with Tommy English and we just came up with this track. we were all dancing around the room. I could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. For every song we do, it’s.
On the final verse, she repeats in soothing harmonies that she’s “taking on the light. a grand ol’ time just dancing to her own song "Binz" from her newly-released album When I Get Home. The.
But music returns to the UCC for a few weeks this month when the Red Bull Music Festival holds its Center Channel film series there, screening movies that make use of genres from. His music has.
Agree all the tips you offered here. To add to that, the IDEA, is the very important thing. One best suggestion is to make the title an incomplete sentence like, “You know you’re addicted to Facebook if…”
Get the latest celebrity news and hot celeb gossip with exclusive stories and pictures from Us Weekly.
Mario collecting a Star in Super Mario 64. Mario heads to Princess Peach’s Castle after he receiving a letter from her, inviting him to eat cake. Upon entering, Mario hears Bowser speaking and finds out that Peach and the Toads have been captured inside Painting Worlds that Bowser created. To save them, he enters the Painting Worlds and gathers the Power Stars that he scattered.
What Is By Far The Easiest Musical Instrument To Learn The Blues Brothers Version Of Think By Aretha Franklin Dance Studio Off The 4th Ave 9th Street R Train Stop The Met Fifth Avenue is located at 1000 Fifth Avenue. MoMA is located at 11 West 53 Street. General admission is $25. We owe much of what we consider modern dance to an unlikely source:
The display takes more than 4,000 lights, and features a Christmas light show. This house is a magnet in the cul-de-sac for sightseers, with its blow-ups galore, and laser light. with deer and.
During Yoshi’s Island DS, Kamek is once again the main antagonist, alongside Bowser.Kamek travels back in time with the adult self of Bowser in search of the star children, seven babies whose hearts possess unimaginable power.Kamek is shown with his Toadies kidnapping several babies, trying to obtain the star children.
When Robyn returned this summer, she was met by her adoring fans not as a queen nodding to her subjects, but more like the reappearance of badly needed weather—a shaft of light warming. an ecstatic.
In a casual conversation — like the ones I’ve had with him backstage at a recent Ford Theatre show following. You’ve managed to create your own genre of music that I’ve named diasporic.
That’s how country music star Kellie Pickler describes "Pickler & Ben. "One of my favorite parts of the show is we get to shine a light on small businesses and people who do amazing things in their.
This annual awards ceremony honors music. star Blythe Danner), finds out, she uncharacteristically takes Martin to task. Meanwhile, Karen’s (Megan Mullally) demands for Jack’s (Sean Hayes) wedding,
The order of the Gamache books, from first to most recent, is: Still Life, A Fatal Grace/Dead Cold (same book, different title), The Cruelest Month, A Rule Against Murder/The Murder Stone (same book, different title), The Brutal Telling, Bury Your Dead, A Trick of the Light, The Beautiful Mystery, How the Light Gets In, The Long Way Home, The Nature of the Beast, A Great Reckoning, Glass.
Biography. He was born as the second of two children of Margie and Herb Star. Sam was lost at sea when she and Patrick were children. He did not see her again until the episode "Big Sister Sam."Patrick met SpongeBob when the two were babies.
Because we got to cast so many people dancing, we cast a lot of women who are over 65 and 70. Old Jews love the show and I’m happy to make television for. there could have been more music over the.
(It certainly did for half the Uproxx Music team.) Kehlani’s mixtape. and although no album has been announced yet, this song and “New Light” would make some great lead singles. Queen of collabs.
But that is what has happened with Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez—she the singing, dancing, acting and business multi-threat. becomes the youngest-ever shortstop to play in the MLB All-Star Game.
A hologram is a photographic recording of a light field, instead of an image formed by a lens. Think of it as using light like music except the goal is to create. the use of laser light for.
The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe Musical Soundtrack Narnia has the BEST music ever (other than Pirate of the Caribbean). it’s evacuating london by lisbeth scott. get it on the original soundtrack of narnia. i want the complete score or at least a ripped dvd audio that sound good (without any talking)! c’mon disney!. The Chronicles Of Narnia – The Lion, The Witch
"He who is tired of Weird Al is tired of life." The reigning king of Song Parody, Alfred Matthew Yankovic (born on October 23, 1959 in Lynwood, California), is a musical humourist with a career spanning nearly 40 years. Sometime in 1966, a door-to-door salesman stopped by the Yankovic household.
Host Clinton Kelly and beloved judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Lorraine Pascale keep the critiques and the fun flowing as the competitors show off. s (guest star Jimmy Tatro) tales of heroism.
Dancers at Sadler’s Wells will be swapping Swan Lake for Sting after the singer gave the green light to a stage show inspired by his music. Choreographer. Hoods as well as Strictly Come Dancing,
Paris is no longer the big star of contemporary art and it seems to think. Almost as if on cue, several of the Israeli women joined a local woman who was dancing with great exuberance to the music.
CTM FESTIVAL, BERLIN, GERMANY 25 January –3 February 2019. One of Berlin’s best Avant-Garde events, this is visual and musical festival (pictured above) with a strong focus on left-field pop, contemporary electronic and experimental music genres. Immerse yourself in visual light installations, sound shows, and electronic raves that all bring attention to the world’s state of turmoil.
And while some of it is “nice to have” rather than “must have”, there are a few things that could help make your bike journeys. intention to turn, a rear light that gets visibly redder when you.
Delegation strategies for the NCLEX, Prioritization for the NCLEX, Infection Control for the NCLEX, FREE resources for the NCLEX, FREE NCLEX Quizzes for the NCLEX, FREE NCLEX exams for the NCLEX, Failed the NCLEX – Help is here
Butera Basin Street Blues Saxophone Solo Transcription As has been customary at Gambit Weekly for more than a decade, the Count has gone to great lengths to ensure that music lovers can get the advance scoop on every artist, from solo acts and trios to. SWING—TO BOP QUINTET — With Ed Lewis, trumpet, Harold Cumberbatch, baritone sax, backed by piano. THE GEORGIA
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The Untz Challenge X
The Untz Challenge X: Turn Your Dreams into a Reality
While much of the country is shrouded in sub-zero temps, we at TheUntz.com are thinking of hot, sunny days. It's time to start getting ready for The Untz Challenge. Once again, we are giving two rising stars a life-changing opportunity.
Our prize package includes sets at the best summer music festivals taking place across the United States—and this year, we're partnered with the absolute best. The two winners of The Untz Challenge X will be playing at FIVE major music festivals across a four month span.
Our two winning acts will hit Summer Camp Music Festival (May 24-26 — Chillicothe, IL), The Untz Festival (June 1-2 — Mariposa, CA), SONIC BLOOM (June 20-23 — Spanish Peaks Country, CO), Electric Forest (June 27-30 — Rothbury, MI), and Imagine Music Festival (September 20-22 — Hampton, GA).
Beginning February 11th and continuing until March 1st, The Untz will accept submissions for the competition via the process outlined below. Winners will be selected a little differently this year.
Because of rampant electronic cheating in our voting process (which we have had to combat since the very first competition), we along with our partner festivals have decided to eliminate the voting element of The Untz Challenge. Cheating techniques have grown far more sophisticated over the years, and our technological impediments were having difficulty sussing it out, and as a result, the public voting option has just become impractical. This is why we can't have nice things.
A total of 2 slots will be given away to the winners of this contest. Both winners will be chosen by the staff of TheUntz.com, and will have the opportunity to perform at the same dates along the run. Our staff is made up of impartial judges who bring a wide array of tastes to the table, so no genre will be overlooked. Now this competition is purely about the quality of the submission, so it doesn't matter if you have 10 fans or 10,000, if your song is brilliant, you have a real chance of winning.
Important Dates for The Untz Challenge IX
February 11 – Track submission begins
March 1 – Track submission ends 11:59pm PST
March 11 – Winners announced
We're using the same submissions process we have used in the past, so please read these extremely simple instructions carefully (then double check the rules and regs below to make sure you're complying with all our very specific criteria). We're making things as easy as possible for submission, so please, please don't screw it up and hurt your chances!
1. Upload your track to your Soundcloud account. The track can be public or private, and have downloads enabled or disabled—it doesn't matter, as long as the track has not been previously released via a label, media outlet, or self-released prior to the submission's begin date.
2. Fill out this online form. Please fill it out accurately and thoroughly. This will ensure you're in our system properly and your track doesn't get lost in the shuffle.
3. Sit back and relax. You're all done. That was easy, wasn't it? On March 11th we will announce the winners' names.
Now then, here are the rules and regulations of the competition:
ORIGINAL tracks can be submitted beginning February 11th, and we will continue to accept submissions until March 1st at 11:59 pm PST. (DO NOT SUBMIT TRACKS BEFORE 2/11/19)
Submitted tracks must be UNRELEASED prior to the contest start date, which covers singles, EPs, LPs, and compilations on major and independent labels, free/paid releases via Bandcamp, and free downloads/streams on SoundCloud.
Please submit only ONE track per DJ/producer. If you submit more than one, only your first entry will be considered—and it will annoy us to no end, which is not a good thing.
This is strictly a contest for PRODUCERS. No live bands, please. There are other contests for that. This is not one of them.
DO NOT submit MIXES, REMIXES, or STOLEN WORK. (Yes, we understand DJs create mixes, but we want ORIGINAL, SINGLE tracks for this particular competition.)
Each track may contain licensed, royalty free samples, but no unauthorized proprietary samples. All submitted tracks MUST NOT infringe US copyright law. Any track removed by SoundCloud for potential copyright infringement will also be disqualified from this contest.
The Untz staff alone will be responsible for selecting the winners.
The contest is restricted to residents of the United States. Winners will be responsible for providing their own transportation to and from the festivals. Additionally, they will be responsible for bringing whatever equipment necessary to perform at the various festivals, within the specifications outlined in the technical riders and contracts of each individual event. Each festival reserves the right to choose when and where to schedule the winners' slots, including but not limited to, pre-parties, after-parties, and silent discos. The winners may not be afforded full artist privileges at each event—certain events will grant the winners access to hospitality, accommodations, and restricted areas beyond that of regular ticketholders, but each individual festival will communicate restrictions/privileges with the winners.
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Home Business Firm Offers Bonus to Sports Fans
Firm Offers Bonus to Sports Fans
As Sports’ betting in the country continue to evolve, a new online betting site -Bettabet.ng, has entered the Nigerian market with a promise of exciting offerings for fans.
According to a statement issued in Lagos by the promoters of the new brand, Bettabet.ng, a sports betting website created and operated by International Lottery and Gaming Limited, owners of Naija Lottery, draws upon best practices from leading European bet markets. It is also stated that it was driven by top-notch safety systems as it ensures reliability and security for sports fans on all betting transactions.
“The launch of Bettabet.ng is premised on moves by International Lottery and Gaming Limited to transform betting and address contemporary challenges encountered by enthusiasts with exciting games and great odds on the online platform,” the statement stated.
Managing Director International Lottery and Gaming Limited, Mr. Manolis Lambrakis was quoted as saying that the birth of the company reflects ingenuities from the frontline gaming firm.
He said: “The desire of the company was not just to establish a sports betting platform but also to provide job opportunities for Nigerians. Addressing unemployment among Nigerian youths is the core philosophy behind the establishment of the company.
“We are not in the market to receive money from our customers alone, our desire is to provide social, economic and financial upliftment to youths and help the government reduce unemployment across the country”, He noted.
Bettabet.ng is a product of years of research into the yearning of sports betting fans in Nigeria, hence the decision to incorporate popular sports from other climes including basketball, volleyball, tennis, casino, jackpot, keno among others which are not yet household names in Nigeria but have received the craving of betting fans who longed for a platform that offers them the opportunity to bet on them.
Speaking on delivering value to betting fans, Mr Lambrakis notes: “Aside the popular top European leagues, Champions and Europa Leagues and other football leagues that commands tremendous followership among Nigerians, our research indicated that sports such as baseball, ice hockey, water polo, snooker, cricket, Aussie Rules, Futsal, floorball and darts, that are not traditionally accepted in this part of the world are attracting the attention of sport betting fans, hence our desire to offer fans the chance to make a living from betting on them.
The Managing Director says the firm has acquired all necessary documents from regulatory authorities, as the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC) visited the firm’s corporate headquarters in Lagos recently to inspect facilities and preparedness before granting license of operation.
On Bettabet.ng payment system, Marketing Director, Mike Ogor affirmed that the site’s mobile payment structure is reliable and ranks top in the betting industry. He allayed any fear of electronic fraud as he explained that the betting firm has put in place world class equipment.
Ogor noted that Bettabet.ng is partnering with leading payment solutions providers in Nigeria for fast digital payment once a player wins.
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Rifles cause UA student's suspension
By Jason MortonStaff Writer
TUSCALOOSA | A University of Alabama student has been suspended after he was found with a rifle in his dorm room and another in his vehicle.
Deborah M. Lane, spokeswoman for the university, said a vintage rifle was found Feb. 19 after University Police responded to a request by housing staff members at the Lakeside Dorms to assist in a search for a gun. Another rifle was later found in the student's vehicle.
University Police have received no indication that the student made any threats toward others.
The vintage, .303-caliber rifle is of British design and was manufactured in India in 1949, Lane said. University Police believe the student was restoring it. The other rifle, a .223-caliber, was apparently a gift from his father.
'My understanding is that the student and his father enjoyed target practice as a hobby together,' Lane said.
The student was placed on interim suspension. Lane said no criminal charges were filed because it's not illegal, and a license is not required, to possess a rifle Alabama.
However, possession of a weapon on campus is a violation of UA's student code of conduct, Lane said. The student has the option to submit to an administrative hearing as part of the judicial affairs process, which will determine his current and future status as a student.
'However, it should be noted that the university considers the possession of firearms on campus to be a very serious violation of our student code of conduct that will not be tolerated,' Lane said.
Reach Jason Morton at jason.morton@tuscaloosanews.com or 205-722-0200.
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Dr Clyde Francks, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Netherlands
Principal Investigator: Dr Clyde Francks
Department: Language and Genetics
Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Language and Genetics, Wundlaan 1, Nijmegen 6525XD, Netherlands
Tags: 16066, asymmetry, Brain, cognition, disorder, dyslexia, language
Lead Collaborators: Dr Fabrice Crivello
Collaborating Institutions and Addresses: University of Bordeaux, Neurofunctioning Imaging Group, UMR 5296 – CNRS CEA, 146 rue Léo Saignat CS 61292, Bordeaux 33076, France
Funding body: National Initiative Brain and Cognition, Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research.
1a: Left-right asymmetry is an important feature of the human brain. One prominently asymmetric brain network underlies the uniquely human ability to speak and understand language. A lack of brain asymmetry is associated with variation in human cognitive abilities linked to language, and also susceptibility to cognitive disorders including language impairment and dyslexia. The genetic basis of human brain asymmetry is unknown, while links between asymmetric anatomy and function are poorly understood. It is likely that genes involved in brain asymmetry contain variants in the population that influence cognitive performance and cognitive disorders.
1b: We will test whether certain genetic profiles affect asymmetric brain structure and function particularly for regions involved in speaking and listening. We will also test whether these same genetic variations affect susceptibility to language-related disorders including dyslexia and Specific Language Impairment. Both can be severe disorders with lifelong impacts on achievement and mental health. Dyslexia is identified as a disability in the UK’s Equality Act 2010. According to the British Dyslexia Association, roughly 4% of the population has severely impaired reading ability. Each illiterate pupil, by age 37, is estimated to cost taxpayers an extra roughly 50,000GBP.
1c: Some brain regions are asymmetrical and important for speech and language. We will use Biobank brain imaging data in combination with genetic data to identify genomic profiles linked to the thickness, surface area and volumes of these regions. If possible, we will also do a similar analysis with Biobank MRI data that measures how active the language regions are during rest. We will follow up the findings in other cohorts of people with brain imaging and genetic data, and language-related disorders and genetic data. We are leading members of scientific consortia that study these questions with meta-analysis.
1d: Data will be used from all Biobank participants who have done MRI scans (roughly 5000 at the time of writing, September 2015). We will also need the genotype data of as many of these participants as possible. The larger the available dataset, the more statistical power there is to detect and measure the individual and pooled effects of genomic variants on brain anatomy and function.
Project extension text:
This request concerns functional brain imaging data (fMRI), as we would like to investigate the functional asymmetry of task-invoked activations. This fits clearly with the rest of our approved project, which focuses on mapping brain asymmetry and exploring the underlying genetic factors. Similar to structural and intrinsic functional measures, considerable hemispheric asymmetries have been revealed in task-invoked activation (e.g., leftward language activation and rightward face processing). One task fMRI with well-known lateralization (Corballis, 1991) was included in the UK Biobank imaging protocol, the Hariri faces/shapes task. This functional asymmetry has been shown to be reliable within individuals (Yovel et al., 2008), heritable (Polk et al., 2007), and to interact with handedness (Willems et al., 2010). Using General Linear Modelling, we will map the asymmetry of functional activation and extract activation asymmetry phenotypes. Downstream analyses, including genetics, will proceed as described in our main project.
Project extension March 2018:
“As outlined in the project application, we are interested in left-right asymmetry of the human brain.
A functional reflection of brain asymmetry is hand preference. In twin studies, hand preference was shown to have a heritability of ~ 25%, while SNP-heritability in the UK-biobank data was 3%.
It seems clear both genetic and environmental factors influence hand preference.
Like other aspects of brain asymmetry, atypical handedness has been found to be associated with neurocognitive disorders, such as autism or schizophrenia.
In addition to genetic factors underlying brain asymmetry, which we also study in other parts of application 16066, we are interested in environmental correlates.
Hand preference has received a lot of attention in both scientific and popular literature. Preference gets established before or shortly after birth.
Previous studies have found various perinatal factors to be associated with the probability of being right or left handed, such as birth weight, being a twin, maternal smoking or having been breastfed and others.
One difficulty is that many of these factors are interrelated to some extent, but not all have necessarily been measured in any given study, or else the range of variation available across these various factors has been too limited or biased by sample selection in order to disentangle them.
The large, and thoroughly characterised, population-based cohort of the UK Biobank allows multiple potential factors to be considered together, while providing statistical power to begin to disentangle them.
We propose to study hand preference in relation to the available ‘Early life factors’ breastfed as a baby, adopted as a child, part of a multiple birth, maternal smoking around birth and birth weight, as well as month of birth to better understand this behavioural aspect of brain asymmetry.
As some of these factors are heritable themselves, we will also test whether genetic co-variation with hand preference can be detected.”
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Classic Voyeur
In Ulysse Nardin’s sumptuous “Maison Close” at SIHH 2018, a discreet screen in the closed door offers intrepid “voyeurs” a titillating glimpse into a secret world of forbidden love. Inside, spotlit pedestals showcase Ulysse Nardin’s most erotic creation ever — the Classic Voyeur — a Jaquemart minute repeater that literally makes love to time. Everything else in this voluptuous boudoir is carnal red — the carpet, the red velvet canapé in the shape of a woman’s mouth, and the walls, adorned with the evocative tools of the sex trade, all exquisitely framed. Do you dare enter?
An acknowledged pioneer of Haute Horlogerie innovation since 1846, Ulysse Nardin has long been the unrivaled master of repeater technology — complications that chime the hours and, in the case of minute repeaters like the Classic Voyeur, the quarter hours and minutes, at the press of a button. The Manufacture is also renowned for its Jaquemart repeaters, which traditionally feature an automated figure striking the hours and minutes on a clock tower bell.
The enticingly erotic Jaquemarts on the Classic Voyeur’s anthracite grey dial are of a different order all together: two beautifully proportioned couples fashioned from 18-carat pink gold or white gold and caught “in flagrante delicto.” In the foreground, one couple stand in their nightclothes, the woman behind the man, in a Louis XIV salon complete with meticulously engraved canapé and carpet.The man has pulled open a curtain dividing the room to reveal not just the time, but a naked couple, making passionate love. Each press of the button couples the background lovers, rhythmically moving back and forth the woman’s leg and her partner’s arm, torso and thigh; while, in the foreground, the woman’s hand reaches forward to touch her partner’s sex.
Audacious, yet delightfully elegant and charming, the Classic Voyeur is a very exclusive creation. The pleasant chimes are seductively low-pitched for the hours and higher-pitched for the minutes. The 42 mm case is in 18-carat pink gold or platinum. Only 18 pieces are in the edition. The sultry princess edition is in platinum, with 60 shimmering baguette diamonds on her bezel, for a total of 3.5 cts.
The latest iteration of Ulysse Nardin’s longstanding tradition of erotic watchmaking, it is an absolute must for Jaquemart enthusiasts, and an irresistible object of desire for adventurous collectors of provocative Haute Horlogerie.
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Single Touch Payroll: What is it and what changes will it bring?
The arrival of Single Touch Payroll is being described as the biggest revolution in tax since the GST was introduced in July 2000. But wrapping your head around how it all works can seem challenging from the outside. We spoke to the experts from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) about what small businesses need to know. In principle, it’s simple. From 1 July 2019, all businesses with fewer than 20 employees will be required to report their employees' payroll information to the ATO every time they pay them. This isn’t a completely new development. Businesses with 20 employees or more have already been using Single Touch Payroll since July 2018. But while the process may seem simple, there are still many implications for Australian small business owners.
Payroll system upgrades
Single Touch Payroll will provide the ATO with real-time information whenever payroll is completed. This means that businesses still using pen and paper will need to get online. But don’t panic if you’re currently in this bracket. Recent estimates show as many as one in five businesses will be making the change with you. Thankfully there are some big benefits to making the switch. For example, businesses that implement Single Touch Payroll with the relevant reporting software will be eligible for up to $100 in tax relief. If you need to implement or update the software but you don’t have the available cash flow for the investment, speak to your broker about your options. A small business loan could provide a short term cash flow solution before the deadline hits. For small business owners who already use accounting software like Reckon, Xero or MYOB, the transition will be relatively hassle-free. Like the name suggests, it will require the ‘push’ of a single button to send the data to the ATO at the time payroll is made. For these small businesses, the cost of the functionality associated with Single Touch Payroll is only around $10 a month, or a little more. While 40,000 businesses already use Single Touch Payroll, there will soon be a wave of newcomers, as approximately 700,000 more will need to start using it before 30 September 2019.
Payroll information and superannuation
Single Touch Payroll will send the ATO a range of information, including gross, tax, net and superannuation details. This is important because not all businesses pay superannuation entitlements in accordance with the law. Unpaid superannuation liabilities were also singled out in the recent Federal Budget. The ATO will be provided with additional funding to pursue businesses for not meeting their obligations.
ATO debt
The ATO says it’s owed $23.7 billion from Australian businesses, with small businesses accounting for $15.1 billion of that figure – well over half. Having instant visibility means the ATO is in a better position to manage debtors and have fewer debts outstanding. The ATO wants to reduce the amount of outstanding debt and stop Australian businesses using it as a revolving line of credit. Some suggest there could be billions of dollars in savings for the government should the program go to plan.
STP exemptions
The ATO says the first year of operation will be one of transition, and penalties will generally not apply until later. However, the Single Touch Payroll legislation includes a penalty for making false and misleading statements in any report. The Commissioner of Taxation has the discretion to correct a mistake without penalty, but if an employer knowingly reports false information and doesn’t correct it within 14 days, they will be open to further action.
“Our approach will be flexible, reasonable and pragmatic. Our immediate focus will be on helping micro employers transition to STP rather than penalising non-compliance,” an ATO spokesperson said. Like all big changes, adjusting to new rules and regulations around tax can be challenging. If you need to invest in software updates or other preparations before the transition, speak to your broker about how a small business loan could help.
The information on this website is provided for general information only and does not take into account your personal situation. You should consider whether the information is appropriate to your needs, and where appropriate, seek professional advice from financial, legal and taxation advisers. Although every effort has been made to verify the accuracy of the information, we disclaim all liability (except for any liability which by law cannot be excluded), for any error, inaccuracy, or omission from the information or any loss or damage suffered by any person directly or indirectly through relying on this information.
There's more than one way to nurture your business
We love helping businesses grow with the latest info and ideas to educate and inspire. We can also guide you to a funding solution to help bring those business dreams to life.
0294991100 Shop 3, 110 Hampden Rd, Artarmon NSW 2064
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Traveloscopy Travelblog
Stories, tales and yarns from the world of travel published in conjunction with travel portal, traveloscopy.com
Traveloscopy Site Search
WOOING A BILLION HEARTS – IT’S ON THE CARDS
BY the time you read this more than one-billion Valentine's Day cards will have been bought, written in, posted, pondered over, clutched to heaving bosoms, and either proudly shown-off – or chucked away without being taken out of the envelope.
World-wide, teens will have sent and received the most number of cards, followed by all the usual suspects of husbands, wives, boyfriends, girlfriends and other lovers.
And the biggest number to have received unsigned Valentine's cards will, amazingly, have been schoolteachers.
Something like 73% of men will also have included flowers or chocolates with their cards, an estimated 3% of pet owners world-wide will have given a Valentine's gift to their pet… and somewhat bizarrely in America 22,000,000 women (15% of the female population) who had not expected to receive a Valentine's card or flowers, will have sent flowers to themselves.
And all this because of just three words written by a condemned man in a prison cell 1,744 years ago – even though some still question today whether it was he after whom Valentine's Day is named.
These doubters say the day was named after the martyr, Bishop Valentine of Terni – a city near Rome originally known as Interamna – who was executed around AD 197 during the persecution of the Emperor Aurelian and his supporters.
But most money is on it having been named after St Valentine of Rome, the "Saint of Love" who was a third century priest beheaded on February 14 in AD 267 on the orders of the emperor Claudius II ("Claudius the Cruel") for carrying out marriage ceremonies against the emperor's instructions.
And then again there are those who believe that Valentine of Terni and Valentine of Rome were in fact one and the same…
A qualified doctor as well as a priest, Valentine of Rome angered the Emperor because he performed marriages at a time Claudius, who believed married men made poor soldiers, needed all the young single men he could get for his army.
While Valentine awaited his execution in prison, the blind daughter of one of his jailers regularly visited him, and on the eve of his execution he left her a note which he simply signed "From Your Valentine."
It is claimed that as he was executed, the young girl's sight was miraculously restored, allowing her to read his note.
The girl's jailer father recorded the return of his daughter's sight around the time of Valentine's execution, and as a result, 200 years later in AD 496 Pope Gelasius recognised the miracle of the priest and the blind girl.
Valentine was canonised and his remains removed to the Church of St Praxedes on Rome's Via Santa Prassede.
But it was a Frenchman, Charles – the Duke of Orleans – who is believed to have sent the world's very first "Valentine's card." He had been imprisoned in the Tower of London following the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, and began sending poems home to his wife on pieces of card, signing them as "her Valentine."
When word of this affection spread in Britain and France, others – mainly those who considered themselves as imprisoned secret lovers – started signing "From Your Valentine" at the end of their letters.
The first publicly-available "Valentine's cards" didn't appear in Europe until 400 years later in the early 1800s. They were large, cumbersome handmade affairs and in the 1840s in Massachusetts USA, a teenaged Esther Howland convinced her father, who owned a book and stationery business, to print a sample of a small "Valentine's Card" on lace paper that could be mailed using the new-fangled "postage stamps" that were just being introduced in America.
She also coerced a salesman brother to show her card to customers as he did his rounds selling their father's products, hoping to sell $200 worth of cards. But her brother brought back orders worth $5000, and with the help of friends Esther set up America's first greetings card production line, soon turning over $100,000 a year… a-then fortune.
Esther Howland died in 1904 at a venerable 76 years of age, and despite having brought love and joy into the world of millions of women as "the mother of the modern Valentine's Day Card," she never married and went to her grave a millionairess spinster.
PHOTO CAPTIONS:
St VALENTINE Baptises St Lucilla before his execution, a 16th century painting by Jacopo da Ponte.
ORNATE original Esther Howland lace paper Valentine's Day Card.
CONTEMPORARY print from the time showing Charles, Duke of Orleans, imprisoned in the Tower of London: he sent his wife the world's very first
Valentine's cards.
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WELCOME
About TREES (TRopical Ecosystems and Environmental Sciences lab)
TREES laboratory is a research group led by Dr Luiz Aragão. The group was created in 2009 when Dr Aragão moved from the Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford to the School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter in UK. Dr Aragão is now based at the National Institute for Space Research in Brazil, the current headquarters of TREES. The group's expertise is on assessing the impacts of environmental changes on tropical ecosystems using remote sensing and field surveys. TREES members are trained in a multidisciplinary range of techniques and a multitude of instrumentation, technologies and approaches.
FAPESP Post-doctorate Fellowship opportunity in Modeling a decade of carbon gross emissions from forest fires in the Amazon
The Tropical Ecosystems and Environmental Sciences Laboratory (TREES) at the Remote Sensing Division (DSR), National Institute for Space Research (INPE) is offering a FAPESP post-doctoral fellowship opportunity for “Modeling a decade of carbon gross emissions from forest fires in the Amazon: Conciliating the bottom-up and top-down views of the problem”. The deadline for applications is May 31, 2018.
The fellowship is part of the Thematic Project 2016 / 02018-2 entitled "Interannual variation of Amazon Basin greenhouse gases balance and their controls in a warming and increasingly variable climate - CARBAM - The Amazon Carbon Balance Long-term Study", under supervision of project principal investigator Dr. Luiz Aragão from INPE.
The selected candidate will integrate a project team that investigates the consequences and effects of climate change and human impacts on the greenhouse gas balance of the Amazon basin. The aim of the post-doctoral project within the Thematic Project is answer two questions: (1) What are the main sources (land-cover types) of fire emissions? (2) Are these emissions a result of fires from fast turnover grassland vegetation, with minor impact on the overall atmospheric CO2 accumulation, or are they related to slow turnover forest vegetation, with potentially high impact on the atmospheric CO2 accumulation? To answer these questions the general aim is to systematically quantify annual gross carbon emissions from forests affected by fires at the Amazon biome scale and attribute its relative contribution based on the potential CO2 emission sources from fires. This project is a part of the Thematic program to determine greenhouse gas balance, initiated in 2010, which by 2020 will complete a decade of atmospheric data capable to provide unique information to better understand the role of Amazon for the global carbon balance and how Amazon is changing with climate variations and land use change.
Candidates must have obtained their PhD degree within the last 7 (seven) years, in Brazil or abroad. The successful candidate must be fluent in English or Portuguese and have an excellent understanding of forest ecosystem functioning, specially the C cycle and skills in geographic information systems, image processing and computer programming as tools for quantifying gross C emissions from fires in Amazonia. The candidate is expected to dominate the analysis and visualization of scientific data using software or computer languages such as ARCGIS, QGIS, ENVI, Rstudio, PHYTON, IDL that will allow the successful development of the work. Previous experience in Amazonian studies, fieldwork experience, fire emission modeling and willingness to learn Portuguese is desirable.
The post-doctoral fellow will develop his/her research activities in the TREES lab at DSR, INPE, Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil.
Activities to be developed by the fellow involve the (1) creation of wall to wall maps of burned area at the end of the dry season using a linear spectral mixing model applied to surface reflectance images from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS); (2) integration of land use and land cover maps with burned areas using the outputs of TERRACLASS project from INPE and separate the different sources of fire; (3) improvement of the computational structure (IDL or translation to other language) of the emissions model to include long-term biomass loss data from forest areas based on field surveys (may involve fieldwork in remote areas of the Amazon); (4) estimation of carbon emissions based on the FATE model adjusted with empirical relationships for biomass losses during fire for different land use types for the studied period; (5) dissemination of results through public lectures, international conferences and research papers. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to supervise graduate scholars at Master and PhD levels. These estimates will be aligned with the atmospheric-based analysis proposed in the project. The final results from the model will be then used for the inter-comparison with the aircraft measurements data.
Candidates must send e-mail with the title "Pos-Doc CO2 FAPESP TREES" to luiz.aragao@inpe.br with copy to Luciana.gatti@inpe.br, attaching the following files:
Presentation letter describing your motivation to participate in this project;
Curriculum Vitae;
Letter describing their professional training and experience with forest ecosystem functioning, specially the C cycle, geographic information systems, image processing and computer programming as tools for quantifying gross C emissions from fires in Amazonia
Provide 3 professional reference names that can be contacted by the judging committee.
The opportunity is open to Brazilians and International applicants. The selected candidate will be granted with a Fapesp Post-Doctoral Fellowship. The fellowship corresponds to R$ 7,174.80 per month, in addition to an additional 15% of this value as Technical Reserve, which can be used for expenses with the project activities. In the initial concession, the duration of the grants may be up to 24 months. There may be renewal for another two periods of up to 12 months each, totaling a maximum of 48 months. More information at www.fapesp.br/bolsas/pd#2.2 and http://www.fapesp.br/5389.
New publication in Global Change Biology on Effects of climate and land‐use change scenarios on fire probability during the 21st century in the Brazilian Amazon.
Fonseca et al. (2019)
New publication in Nature Climate Change on Carbon-focused conservation may fail to protect the most biodiverse tropical forests
Ferreira et al. (2018).
New publication in Nature Communications on 21st Century drought-related fires counteract the decline of Amazon deforestation carbon emissions.
Aragão et al. (2018).
New publication in Biogeosciences on Fractal properties of forest fires in Amazonia as a basis for modelling pan-tropical burnt area.
Fletcher et al. (2014).
New publication in Biological Reviews on Environmental change and the carbon balance of Amazonia.
Aragão et al. (2014).
Books and Editions
New book on the causes and consequences of drought in Amazonia Published by Oficina de Textos
Have a look inside the book!
Three chapters authored by the TREES Team
New Special Issue of Plant Ecology and Diversity (2013): Ecosystem Dynamics of Amazonian and Andean Forests
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Find Holy Trinity Church
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The Very Rev. Canon Mary E. Hauck – Supportive of active, mission-minded lay ministry.
The Very Rev. Canon Mary E. Hauck is currently the Dean of the Sierra Deanery in the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California. She retired at the end of 2012 as Rector of St. Michael’s Episcopal Church and Day School in Carmichael, California, and served two other congregations prior to that ministry.
Her leadership style is supportive of active, mission-minded lay ministry. She has strong preaching and pastoral skills, as well as a solid background in education.
Fr. Mary Hauck is dedicated to calling people into relationship with God through Jesus Christ. With a deep commitment to Christian formation and a solid background in education, she has developed and led quiet days and weekend retreats centered on biblical spirituality mediated through rich Christian heritage. She is married to Paul Hauckand and has three adult children and two adult grandchildren.
2004 – 2012: Rector
St. Michael’s Episcopal Church & Day School in Carmichael, CA
Preach and lead worship, develop and nurture lay ministries, establish liturgy committee to assist in planning and implementing worship services
Administration of parish, including supervision of paid and volunteer staff
Serve Ex Officio as Rector of the School Board at St. Michael’s Episcopal Day School
Assist vestry in development of vision and goals for carrying out the mission and ministry of the parish; develop project for after-school children’s program
Pastoral and spiritual care of souls; support of youth, children, & family ministry
Adult education, preparation and formation for baptism and confirmation in the Episcopal Church
Support and supervision of the ministry groups within the parish
Participate in community ministerial association and ecumenical activities
St. Clement’s Episcopal Church in Rancho Cordova, CA
Assist vestry in development of vision and goals for carrying out the mission and ministry of the parish
Develop project for after-school program, including grant-writing for additional campus facilities
1997– 1999: Assistant Rector
Share in the preaching and celebration of worship and special services
Make pastoral visits, pastoral counseling, spiritual direction
Direct Christian education & formation for adults and children including preparation for baptism and confirmation
Recruit, motivate, and nurture volunteers in their ministries
Disseminate program information in bulletins, flyers, and newsletters
Take an advisory role in establishing a Health Ministries program
1995–1997: Priest-in-charge
St. Luke’s Mission in Galt, CA
1996–1997: School Chaplain
St. Michael’s Episcopal Day School in Carmichael, CA
Diocesan Activities
Regional Dean of the Sierra Deanery in the Diocese, 2013 to present
Standing Committee, 2008-2012
Member of Bishop’s Restructuring Committee, 2009
Member of Bishop’s Visioning Committee, 2007-2008
Standing Committee, 2003 to 2007, President for two years during Bishop Search/Election
Congregational Development Committee, 2003 to 2004
Commission on Ministry, Chair of the Academic Committee, 1995-2003
Chair of Bishop’s Conference on Children, Spring 2002
Province VIII Western Episcopal Educators, 1996-2002
Chair of the Christian Formation Commission, 1996-2002
Northern California Seminary Council, 1995-2001
1991-1995 – Church Divinity School of the Pacific, Berkeley, CA. Master of Divinity
1983-1985 – University of California, Davis, CA. Master of Arts, Education / Reading Specialist Credential
1972-1973 – University of California, Davis, CA. California State Teaching Credential
1971-1972 – University of California, Davis, CA. Bachelor of Arts, English
1968-1971 – University of California, Los Angeles, CA. Undergraduate degree in progress, English
Honors and Publications
Selected to serve on teaching faculty, Preaching Excellence Program, Villanova University, PA (2002 and 2003)
“Bernard Mizeki’s Special Day,” Sermons that Work, Vol XII, (2004)
“Letters to the Pastor,” Sermons that Work, Vol XIII, (2005)
“Preaching to the Children of God,” Sermons that Work, Vol XIII, (2005)
The Episcopal Diocese of Northern California
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“Hear what our Lord Jesus Christ saith: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
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A Groovy DSL for the Creation of Test Data using JPA
With the automated integrative testing of software that works with a complex JPA data model, it is invariably the case that sooner or later, one will face the question of how it is possible to create semantically meaningful test data without great cost. This article shows how Groovy can be used in order to define a Domain Specific Language (DSL) that enables test data to be defined so that it is easily readable, modular and separate from the actual test code.
The original article from the magazine “Java aktuell” is available here for download.
Automated software tests make certain assumptions before they ensure that the tested feature works correctly under the prevailing conditions. If the tests are performed at the integrative level, these assumptions frequently manifest themselves as data in a relational database. Therefore, before running a test, it is necessary to create the appropriate test data. Often the data required for the individual test cases are mutually contradictory, however, which means that it is impossible to approach matters on the basis of a single defined baseline. Rather, the data have to be defined per test case and inserted into the underlying database. This means that the test code rapidly becomes incomprehensible if large hierarchies or large volumes of data are required.
Outsourcing the creation of the test data so that the actual tests can focus on what is most important is therefore a good idea. In this respect, two alternatives initially come to the fore: native SQL scripts and the DBUnit test library. Both are oriented to tables and columns rather than Java objects, however. This means that an abstraction of the relational database gained via JPA in the productive code would be lost once again during the test. This becomes painfully clear when mapping references with foreign keys. The generation of the data can be separated from the test code, but nothing is gained in terms of clarity. The focus of other alternatives tends to be on the creation of large volumes of random data. These are suitable for performance tests, but are unsuitable for specific test cases.
What, however, would a solution that the database-shy Java developer approves look like?
1. Firstly, it would have to be possible to call the solution seamlessly from the Java test code.
2. Test data should be reusable and definable on a modular basis.
3. The solution should work on a completely object-oriented basis.
4. Saved entities should be made accessible to the calling code.
5. It should be possible to define the test data easily and in a readable form.
The Grails Fixtures plugin largely fulfils the aforementioned requirements on the basis of a Domain Specific Language (DSL). It is closely interwoven with the Grails Framework, however. Therefore, the following discussion will highlight how the requirements can be implemented at limited cost in a Groovy DSL which can be used directly in conventional Java projects. The complete code is available at https://github.com/triologygmbh/test-data-loader.
Groovy to the Rescue
With its dynamic nature and plenty of syntactic sugar, the JVM language “Groovy” provides the ideal conditions for being able to define one’s own DSL on a straightforward basis. More detailed information on Groovy is available at http://www.groovy-lang.org/documentation.html. Language features used in the described solution are briefly introduced in the event of use.
The biggest challenge when developing the envisaged DSL concerns finding a syntax for the definition of the test data that is as simple as possible and then converting this definition into actual JPA entities. To make this a little clearer, first of all, here is an example: With the following snippet, the goal is to instantiate a JPA entity user, to initialise the fields accordingly, to save the entity in the database, and to make the test code available under the name “Peter”.
create User, 'Peter', {
firstName = 'Peter'
lastName = 'Pan'
Reading in and running Groovy scripts
Before we look at how the definition becomes an initialised entity, solutions for the remaining requirements should firstly be discussed.
Groovy is compiled into Java byte code. For this reason, Groovy code can be called directly from Java code as though it were written in Java. This means that we get the seamless integration with Java for free.
It is also possible to use Groovy as a script language. In this context, it is relatively easy to programmatically read in and run script files with standard Groovy tools. This option is ideal for our purposes: In this way, we are able to outsource our test data definitions in .groovy files and load the required files according to the test case.
For this purpose, we introduce the EntityBuilder class, which accepts a file name and creates the entities that are defined in the file. The complete code is available in the GitHub repository referred to initially.
class EntityBuilder {
void buildEntities(String entityDefinitionFile) {
DelegatingScript script = createExecutableScriptFromEntityDefinition(entityDefinitionFile)
script.setDelegate(this)
script.run()
// …
buildEntities accepts the file name of an entity definition script. This definition is read in and converted into an executable script instance. In doing so, a class is created at runtime, that provides a run method which contains the content of the script. We can now call this run method like any other method and run the script accordingly. In this respect, it is necessary to remember that Groovy can resolve references which are unclear in the script at runtime. The DelegatingScript script subclass which is used allows setting a delegate, against which unclear references can be resolved. At this point, the EntityBuilder sets itself as the delegate of the script. The reason for this will become clear later.
With this implementation, we can now define test data on a modular basis in random script files and load it as required. Assuming that the entities defined in the scripts are acutally instantiated and initialised, raises the question of how the data enters the database.
The Glue Code
To decouple persisting the entities from their creation, the EntityBuilder provides the option to register EntityCreatedListeners. That way we can use a Listener in the Glue Code in the TestDataLoader class (seerepo) which that takes care of saving the data. The TestDataLoader expects a fully initialised JPA-EntityManager as a constructor parameter. Its loadTestData method can then be called by the Client passing entity definition files. After initializing the listener, it forwards the definitions to the EntityBuilder. The EntityBuilder in turn creates the defined entities and passes them to the EntityPersister through the listener interface for saving.
Definition of the actual DSL
We are now able to define entities in arbitrary scripts, to read in the definitions and to save the created entities. During the actual creation of the entities several features of Groovy take effect: When calling methods, Groovy allows the brackets that surround the parameters to be omitted. Additionally, it is possible to define closures with curly brackets, i.e. runnable sections of code similar to Java 8 lambdas, which can be referenced and transferred via variables like usual objects. Closures can then be run at any location.
With that in mind, it becomes clear that the expression
create User, 'Peter', { }
is nothing more than a call to the static method create in the EntityBuilder (static import) with three parameters (in Groovy, a class can be referenced simply via its name. The expression User is therefore equivalent to User.class.).
Let us now take a look at what happens when we call create in the DSL.
static <T> T create(Class<T> entityClass, String entityName, Closure entityData) {
return instance().createEntity(entityClass, entityName, entityData);
private <T> T createEntity(Class<T> entityClass, String entityName, Closure entityData) {
T entity = createEntityInstance(entityName, entityClass)
executeEntityDataDefinition(entityData, entity)
notifyEntityCreatedListeners(entity)
return entity
private <T> T createEntityInstance(String entityName, Class<T> entityClass) {
ensureNameHasNotYetBeenAssigned(entityName, entityClass)
T entity = entityClass.newInstance()
entitiesByName[entityName] = entity;
private void executeEntityDataDefinition(Closure entityDataDefinition, Object entity) {
entityDataDefinition = entityDataDefinition.rehydrate(entity, this, this)
entityDataDefinition.call()
We can see that the static create method just delegates the call to createEntity of the EntityBuilder’s singleton instance. Here, a new instance of the passed entity class is created and registered under the passed name in the java.util.Map entitiesByName. Please note: entitiesByName[entityName] = entity is equivalent to entitiesByName.put(entityName, entity). Once the new entity is initialized with data in the executeEntityDataDefinition, the registered listeners will finally be informed.
The actual magic takes place in the two lines of the executeEntityDataDefinition method. It takes the newly instantiated entity as parameter as well as the closure originating from the script in which the data for the entity are defined. To understand what happens, we have to do a little more research, however. Let us take another look at the closure which is passed to the create method as the last parameter in the script.
It appears as though values are assigned to variables. These variables are not declared, however, which means that an additional Groovy feature takes effect in this case. The expression
myObject.someProperty = 'value' is equivalent to calling a setter: myObject.setSomeProperty(‘value’). This means that two setters are called in the closure, the only question being: on what? Since the fields “coincidentally” correspond to the properties of the User entity to be created, wouldn’t it be useful if they were to be called directly on the entity? This is exactly what the two lines in executeEntityDataDefinition achive. Similar to the way it handles scripts, Groovy is able to dynamically resolve method calls within a closure at runtime. In this respect, it is also possible to define a delegate for the closure. The rehydrate method which is called in executeEntityDataDefinition creates a copy of the closure and sets the first parameter as the delegate, in our case, this is the previously instantiated entity. If the closure is now run with entityDataDefinition.call(), the setters in the example are actually called on the User entity so that it is initialised with the corresponding data.
Time to put what has so far been achieved to the test before we further refine the DSL. Let us therefore start by defining a user
import static de.triology.blog.testdataloader.EntityBuilder.create
import de.triology.blog.testdataloader.demo.User
The Demo.java class demonstrates the way in which the TestDataLoader can be used from the Java code, and that the created entities are actually persisted. The DSL snippets come from the testData.groovy file (see repo).
Nested Entities
So far, so good – we have completed the round trip from the DSL to the database to the test code. It remains to be seen as to whether a complex data model can be used, i.e. how we deal with references between entities. In this context, let us assume that a user can be assigned to a department. In this respect, the user gains a @ManyToOne relationship to the department. In the DSL, we are able to simply nest the creation of entities:
department = create Department, 'lostBoys', {
name = 'The Lost Boys'
What happens, however, if a second user belongs to the same department? Creating the department with the create method twice is obviously not an option. Therefore, we have to create a possibility for referencing previously created entities from the DSL. Since we are using normal Groovy code, it should be possible to store an entity created using the create method in a variable. With a little support from the EntityBuilder, however, it is easier:
create User, 'Tinker', {
firstName = 'Tinker'
lastName = 'Bell'
department = lostBoys
What is happening here? How can the allocation department = lostBoys work without lostBoys having been initialised? In this context, a variety of Groovy attributes come together: lostBoys is initially an identifier which cannot be resolved. In this case, Groovy calls a getter for a property with the name of the identifier –similar to the setter with the allocation of values to variables. In the same way, the expression myObject.someProperty is equivalent to the expression myObject.getSomeProperty(). In this respect, the question is again as to what the getter is called on. It cannot be the delegate of the closure. In this case, it is a user instance which certainly does not offer a getLostBoys() method. At this point, the above-described delegate of the script comes into play. We recall that the EntityBuilder positions itself as a delegate before the running of the script. The EntityBuilder does not have a getLostBoys() method either, but implements the propertyMissing method, which is called by Groovy in the case of access to a non-existing property. The missing property’s name is passed as argument. This way, we are now able to retrieve and return the previously created department with the name “lostBoys” so that it is set as a value in the script:
private def propertyMissing(String name) {
if (entitiesByName[name]) {
return entitiesByName[name]
// handle missing reference
We can even set Peter as the head of the department while we create the department and assign it to him:
head = Peter
This actually means we have everything that we need. But things could be a little more convenient. Until now, we are largely on our own with the definition of the actual entity data. Within the DSL, there is no way of finding out which properties an entity has and what their specific types are. This means that code completion by the IDE is also impossible.
We are able to tell the IDE what the delegate of the closure will be, however. All of the information are in the call of the static create method of the EntityBuilder. The delegate of the closure is always an instance of the simultaneously passed class. Let us therefore supplement the create method with two annotations to make this information known:
static <T> T create(@DelegatesTo.Target Class<T> entityClass, String entityName, @DelegatesTo(strategy = Closure.DELEGATE_FIRST, genericTypeIndex = 0) Closure entityData) {
As a result, the IDE (in this case, IntelliJ IDEA) knows that in our example calls within the closure are delegated to a user instance, and therefore offers the properties of the user.
Finished! Our DSL enables test data to be defined so that it is easily readable, modular and separate from the actual test code. Hierarchies can be nested and object-oriented instead of being mapped using foreign keys. In this context, we do not have to leave the world of Java, or to make any conceptual break towards the relational model of the database. Since we are using Groovy code within the DSL, we can enjoy all of the freedoms that a programming language is able to offer. One conceivable scenario, for instance, is generating large volumes of data via loops.
This article does not address the question of how the database should be cleaned after a test case. In the examples demonstrated (Demo.java), we make it easy for ourselves, and reverse the transaction after every test. For a genuinely integrative test, this is not available as an option. In “real” projects, we have so far emptied all of the tables with a database script and TRUNCATE TABLE. With large schemas however, this has had a considerable impact on the run time of the tests. It would be interesting to see whether it would be more efficient to clean the database programmatically. Via a stack, it should be possible to delete the created entities in reverse order of their creation.
And another small drawback: The DSL could be designed even prettier with a fluent API, for example:
create User named 'Peter' with {
Since, in this case, the definition is distributed across three method calls (create, named and with), I have not found any way of making the delegate of the closure known using annotations. This is because the class at which the delegating occurs is passed to a different method than the closure itself. For the benefit of the code completion, I have therefore decided on a somewhat less attractive DSL syntax. Can anyone think of how both can be achieved? Pull requests with improvements are particularly welcome.
Daniel Behrwind
As a passionate software developer and clean code advocate, he is fascinated by creative solutions for complex problems which appear so obvious that they may have simply emerged all on their own.
Behrwind
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Home › Mens › Mens Hoodies › As Worn By...
Type: Mens Hoodies X
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We’ve all been influenced by the larger than life superstars we see sporting awesome items of clothing on screen, and have wished we could own a replica version of the design – well now you can with TShirtGrill’s ‘As Worn By’ store, which makes available for purchase the best of the best from t-shirts popularised by the stars of today and the icons of yesteryear.
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To find out more about the history of a couple of our favourite ‘As Worn By’ t-shirts, head on over to TShirtGrill’s blog page and read all about it here on our ‘Dress Like The Stars’ post, where we take a look at the backstories behind Natalie Portman’s ‘Stop Wars’ t-shirt design, and Kurt Cobain’s ‘Olympia Beer’ tee. TShirtGrill’s ‘As Worn By’ range extends far beyond the confines of Seattle, or Star Wars, and encompasses classic bands of rock ‘n’ roll such as Bruce Springsteen, and A-list Hollywood mainstays and ‘as worn by’ t-shirts which have directly inspired by blockbusters such as Kubrick’s ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ and Ridley Scott’s ‘Alien’ series. Dress like your favourite icon and let the world know what you’re all about.
British Rail (As Worn By Damon Albarn, Blur/Gorillaz) Hooded Sweatshirt
Ford F*ck (As Worn By Hugh Cornwell, The Stranglers) Hooded Sweatshirt
My Way Or The Highway Hooded Sweatshirt As Worn By Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders)
Camp Funtime Hooded Sweatshirt As Worn By Debbie Harry (Blondie)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (As Worn By Sid Vicious, Sex Pistols) Hooded Sweatshirt
Olympia Beer (As Worn By Kurt Cobain, Nirvana) Hooded Sweatshirt
Choose Life (As Worn By George Michael & Andrew Ridgeley, Wham!) Hooded Sweatshirt
Ray Gun As Worn By Sheldon (Big Bang Theory) Hooded Sweatshirt
Girls Invented Punk Rock (As Worn By Kim Gordon, Sonic Youth) Hooded Sweatshirt
VIEW: 9 / 18 / 27 / 36 / 45 / products per page
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TSP Folio
TSP Funds
There are currently 10 investment funds in the Thrift Savings Plan. Five are individual stock and bond funds, and the other five are target retirement date funds. The table below summarizes the historical performance and risk characteristics of the five primary TSP Investment Funds [1]. Click on any link in the table header to see performance charts and other details for that fund.
TSP Investment Funds
G Fund
F Fund
C Fund
S Fund
I Fund
Last Price (7/15/2019) 16.2113 19.2003 43.7008 53.2473 30.6065
Change (1-Day) 0.02% 0.10% 0.02% -0.26% 0.16%
YTD Return 1.37% 5.83% 21.55% 21.08% 14.57%
1-Year Return 2.80% 7.21% 9.78% 0.66% 0.94%
3-Year Return 2.48% 2.38% 13.98% 12.31% 8.62%
5-Year Return 2.30% 3.22% 11.13% 8.72% 2.83%
10-Year Return 2.29% 4.08% 14.85% 14.90% 7.12%
Annual Return Since 8/31/1990 4.5% 6.0% 10.3% 10.9% 5.7%
Annualized Standard Deviation [2] 0.3% 3.8% 17.5% 19.4% 17.4%
Maximum Drawdown [3] - -6.6% -55.2% -57.4% -60.9%
Sharpe Ratio [4] - 0.40 0.40 0.40 0.15
Value of $1,000 invested on 8/31/1990 $3,605 $5,450 $17,159 $19,904 $4,940
Get free TSP Fund price and performance updates via email
The Thrift Savings Plan also offers five Lifecycle Funds. The table below shows their historical performance since they became available for investment on 8/1/2005: [5]
TSP Lifecycle Funds
L Income
Change (1-Day) 0.03% 0.03% 0.03% 0.03% 0.03%
3-Year Return 4.46% 6.09% 8.50% 9.54% 10.49%
Annual Return Since 8/1/2005 4.2% 5.7% 6.6% 7.1% 9.3%
Annualized Standard Deviation 3.7% 10.7% 13.2% 15.1% 12.6%
Maximum Drawdown -11.0% -36.9% -43.3% -48.4% -19.8%
Sharpe Ratio 0.38 0.31 0.34 0.34 0.60
Value of $1,000 invested on 8/1/2005 $1,782 $2,155 $2,435 $2,592 $2,115
Individual TSP Funds
The TSP G Fund (Government Securities Investment Fund) is invested in short-term U.S. Treasury securities.
The TSP F Fund (Fixed Income Index Investment Fund) is invested in U.S. investment-grade bonds, as tracked by the Barclays Capital Aggregate Bond Index.
The TSP C Fund (Common Stock Index Investment Fund) is invested in large capitalization U.S. stocks. It tracks the Standard & Poor's 500 (S&P 500) Stock Index.
The TSP S Fund (Small Capitalization Stock Index Fund) is invested in the stocks of small and medium-sized U.S. companies. It tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Completion Total Stock Market Index.
The TSP I Fund (International Stock Index Investment Fund) is invested in international stocks from 21 developed countries. It tracks the Morgan Stanley Capital International EAFE (Europe, Australasia, Far East) Index.
The five TSP Lifecycle Funds are target retirement date funds, invested in a professionally designed mix of domestic and international stocks, bonds and government securities. Each L Fund is invested in the five individual TSP funds (G, F, C, S, and I Fund). TSP investors choose a fund based on when they expect to retire and start making withdrawals:
The TSP L 2050 Fund is for participants who will need their money in the year 2045 or later.
The TSP L 2040 Fund is for participants who will need their money between 2035 and 2044.
The TSP L Income Fund is for participants who are already withdrawing their accounts in monthly payments, or who plan to need their money between now and 2014.
The first TSP fund became available to investors in April 1987, and others followed in 1988 and 2001. TSP.gov has published monthly fund returns since inception, and daily fund price history since 2003. To allow for a longer performance comparison, we extended the available TSP fund price history for the C, G, F, I, and S funds with their underlying index data. For example, we extended the TSP C Fund with the S&P 500 Total Return index. The same was done for the other TSP funds and their underlying index. The indexes we use do not account for fund expenses, so earlier returns are slightly higher. However, in practice the difference is not significant: the TSP funds have extremely low expense ratios (0.027% per year as of this writing).
Standard deviation, also known as historical volatility, is used by investors as a gauge for the amount of expected volatility. Volatile TSP funds like the C, S, and I fund have a high standard deviation, while the deviation of the G and F funds is lower. When comparing investments, a low standard deviation is preferable.
Drawdown: the peak-to-trough decline in the TSP fund value, measured as a percentage between the peak and the trough. Perhaps best expressed in the historical drawdown charts for each fund, which show the magnitude and duration of each periodic decline. A good investment strategy aims to minimize drawdowns.
The Sharpe Ratio measures risk-adjusted performance. It's calculated by subtracting the risk-free interest rate from the rate of return for a specific fund, and dividing the result by the standard deviation of the fund returns. Since we only track TSP funds on this website, we use the G fund returns as our risk-free investment. When comparing investments, a high Sharpe Ratio is preferable.
There are 5 active TSP Lifecycle Funds, and one retired fund. The L Income, L 2010, L 2020, L 2030, and L 2040 funds were introduced on 8/1/2005. The new L 2050 fund opened up to investors on 1/31/2011. The L 2010 fund was retired on December 31, 2010, its assets folded into the L Income Fund.
Try TSP Folio
Sign up for a free TSP Folio trial!
JOIN FREE FOR A MONTH
What is TSP Folio and how does it work?
All-weather investment strategy that performs in both good and bad markets.
Easy to use. It takes five minutes a month to follow the TSP Folio strategy.
Less investment risk. Focus on active risk management and capital preservation.
Diversified portfolio allocation with at least 40% invested in TSP bond funds.
Thrift Savings Plan
Copyright © 2010-2019 TSP Folio
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Facebook Creates New Webpage To Help Content Creators and Marketers
Advertising, Facebook, Marketing, News, Social Media Marketing
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Facebook has become a bit of a source of conflict among many content marketers as organic reach has plummeted in recent years, however most stick around because the social media platform still has a massive impact when it works.
In an effort to satisfy content creators and marketers, Facebook has introduced a new subpage called Facebook Media that highlights how content can help public figures and organizations connect with their audiences.
Along with sharing success stories, Facebook says they will also share data and best practices which will help other content creators increase the effect of their own Facebook marketing.
The new page, located at media.fb.com, is divided into four categories built around goals typically shared by both content creators and media marketers. Here is a breakdown of each section and what you can find there:
Engage Fans on Facebook: Here you’ll see how public figures can use tools like Facebook Mentions to reach out to their fans on their Facebook Page. You can also get insight into different types of engaging content you can share on your own page.
Drive Referrals: In this section you’ll see how to drive referrals by doing things such as sharing links on your Page, adding social sharing buttons to your website, and other best practices. “After Bleacher Report increased the number of posts it shared to its Facebook Page, the site saw a 15X increase in referral traffic from Facebook.”
Share Videos: This contains information about how to connect with a larger portion of your own Facebook audience with video. It also highlights how using video metrics and call to actions can better engage your audience.
Integrate TV and Social Content: If you produce content for other mediums like television, this section has information about how to get your TV audience to engage with you on Facebook. “…like the TODAY Show, which featured trending topics on air to highlight the most talked-about news moments on Facebook”.
Tags: content creators, content marketing, Facebook, Facebook marketing, Facebook Media, News
Taylor Ball https://www.tulsamarketingonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/TMO-Logo.png Taylor Ball2014-09-18 12:13:582014-09-18 12:13:58Facebook Creates New Webpage To Help Content Creators and Marketers
Facebook Updates Their Contest and Promotion Rules for Businesses
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Home headline 5 rights groups urge UN Committee Against Torture to start inquiry into...
5 rights groups urge UN Committee Against Torture to start inquiry into Turkish prisons
Photo by Uriel Soberanes (Unsplash)
Five advocacy and human rights groups urged the United Nations Committee Against Torture (UNCAT) to initiate an inquiry into increasing cases of torture and ill treatment in Turkey’s prisons and detention centers.
A petition submitted on Friday to the UN committee was signed by the International Association for Human Rights Advocacy in Geneva (IAHRA GENEVA), the Journalists and Writers Foundation (JWF), Advocates of Silenced Turkey (AST), HRD Human Rights Defenders e.V. and the Stockholm Center for Freedom (SCF).
These groups said Turkey had “seriously and systematically” violated Article 20 of the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
“Systematic, deliberate and wide-spread torture as a government policy, which manifested itself lastly with the torturing of diplomats in Ankara Police Headquarters, is made possible by, inter alia, practices of prolonged detention, prohibition of lawyer-client meetings and/or violation of their confidentiality, dissolution of all prison monitoring boards and prevention of obtaining fair medical examination reports,” the petition said.
“Not only Turkey lacks competent and willing judicial bodies to investigate well-grounded allegations of torture, it also suffers from obscuring of evidences of torture,” it added.
The cases of torture and ill treatment increased significantly after a failed coup attempt in 2016, for which the Turkish government blames the faith-based Gülen movement, although the movement strongly denies any involvement.
“The Erdoğan Regime’s security and intelligence arms have not abstained from abducting people either. All 26 cases of enforced disappearances in Turkey so far follow a similar pattern, which proves the fact that it is a systematic effort. The victims spend months with their conditions or whereabouts unknown, are subjected to torture and other forms of ill-treatment,” the petition said.
“Enforced disappearances are not confined within the borders of Turkey, the government abducts people abroad as well. Turkish Foreign Minister brazenly boasted about kidnapping of 100 individuals by the National Intelligence Agency (MIT) from 18 countries. These victims have also reported being subjected to severe torture.”
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Torture in Turkish Prisons
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View this email in your browser »
Ring Ceremony a Celebration of Accomplishments, Supporters
More than 70 UT Dallas students received their University rings in December as they gathered with family and friends to commemorate their personal achievements and thank those who have helped them on their journeys.
Comet Corner: Dietitian Stella Yan BS’15 Shares Five Ways to Make Your Resolutions a Reality
Instead of making unrealistic resolutions when it comes to your diet and overall health, Stella Yan BS’15 suggests five simple ways to create better eating habits in 2019.
Sports in Review: How Comet Teams Fared the Past Semester
From basketball to the new esports program, Comet teams competed with pride in the fall semester. Here’s a review of how men’s and women’s teams performed, along with events to look forward to during the spring semester.
Meet Cody Meyers, Director of Alumni Relations
Before coming to UT Dallas in 2017 to serve as the assistant director of alumni relations for the Naveen Jindal School of Management, Cody Meyers spent six years working in various roles for The University of Texas at Arlington’s Alumni Association. He is a proud graduate of UTA, where he earned his BBA in 2011.
Alumni in the News: Comets Making Headlines
From Gizmodo to WFAA and the Dallas Business Journal, UT Dallas alumni are making waves in the news.
Emily Luth BS’17 is the community relations coordinator for the Dallas Mavericks Foundation.
Frank Martinez MBA’07, MS’14 is a supervisor in the project management office of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.
Somasish Ghosh Dastidar MS’08, PhD’11 is a senior research associate at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.
Community Appreciation Day
Spring Career Expo
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About the Alumni Link
The Alumni Link is an email newsletter full of stories of interest to the University's graduates. View archives »
Changed jobs, received an award, gotten married or celebrated the birth of a child? Keep your fellow alumni updated. Share your news »
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Vedder Price
Vedder Thinking
Services/Industries
Vedder Thinking | News
Vedder Price Adds Private Equity Partner Andrew B. Harris to Firm's London Office
Vedder Price is pleased to announce that Andrew B. Harris has joined Vedder Price as a Partner in the Finance & Transactions group in London and has been appointed as the European Head of Private Equity and Corporate.
Mr. Harris focuses on private equity and private M&A transactions. He has considerable experience in share and asset purchases, disposals/exits, MBOs, MBIs, buy and builds, joint ventures and restructurings, and acts for private equity firms, entrepreneurs and high-net-worth individuals, as well as portfolio companies and management teams.
“Andrew extends Vedder Price’s ability to deliver excellent, commercially focused advice and support for our valued clients in Europe,” said Michael A. Nemeroff, President and CEO of Vedder Price. “His transactional and private equity practice slots in well with the strategic focus for the firm and aligns with our strategic vision to grow our practice and relationships in London.”
“Vedder provides a natural platform to not only give greater support and expertise to my private equity, corporate and individual clients, but also to work directly with our Global Finance, Leverage Finance and Employment teams here in the UK as well,” said Mr. Harris. “I’m thrilled to play a role in strengthening our Private Equity practice and look forward to collaborating with our clients and my new partners and colleagues.”
“This was the right time for the firm to expand on our transactional capabilities out of the London office based on market demand and the success of our attorneys there,” said Douglas M. Hambleton, Vedder Price Operating Shareholder. “Andrew possesses first class credentials and a real enthusiasm. He is a recognized leader in his field and will enhance our UK based corporate group.”
Mr. Harris joins Vedder Price from Arnold & Porter. He had previously served as London Managing Partner and Head of the London Private Equity and Corporate practice at Kaye Scholer LLP before its merger with Arnold & Porter. He earned his master’s degree in law from Queens’ College, Cambridge where he was awarded a scholarship for outstanding achievement and won the Clive Parry Prize for International Law. He is qualified in England and Wales.
Download Press Release
Vedder Thinking | News Vedder Price Adds Private Equity Partner Andrew B. Harris to Firm's London Office
Andrew B. Harris
aharris@vedderprice.com
Finance & Transactions
Vedder Connect
Attorney Advertising © 2019 Vedder Price
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Prince Phillip Asks Women Who They Sponge Off During Community Centre Openi...
Prince Phillip Asks Women Who They Sponge Off During Community Centre Opening
By : Sam Ridgway On : 17 Jul 2015 12:49
The Duke of Edinburgh is at it again after managing to insult some women at the opening of a community centre in London today.
While visiting Chadwell Heath Community Centre in Dagenham, Prince Phillip – who is a whopping 94 years of age these days – asked a group of women “who do you sponge off?”
It was after the Prince left the centre that a trustee of the centre, Nusrat Zamir, claimed the husband of Her Majesty had made the gaffe.
She said: “The Duke said to us “who do you sponge off?” We’re all married so it’s our husbands. He was just teasing and it’s similar to what I call my husband – the wallet.”
The girls who work at the community centre prepared a large sponge cake for the royal couple, but we assume they passed.
The comment comes a week after he was caught on camera telling a photographer to “hurry up and take the f*cking picture”. It seems he Duke is looking to go out with a bang in his old age!
Sam Ridgway
Jack of nothing. Master of f**k all.
Prince Philip does it again as he asks women at East End community centre group: 'Who do you sponge off?'
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File 132954246784.jpg - (415.08KB , 1200x600 , TheQueenInPurple.jpg ) [iqdb]
City Quest 6 Kahi 2012/02/18(Sat)05:21 No. 39968
As you think, you realize that words are scribbling across the blank white- no.
No, god damn it, she doesn't need to be able to read all of this. Not that, or that. Especially not that. Gibberish and nonsense scrawl itself over all of that, before fading away to a uniform white. The Demon Queen peers curiously at her walls, then adjusts her purple labcoat and readies a psychiatric notebook, waiting for you to begin this session.
Well, she's basically, like, the all knowing evil god here. Humbleness would probably be good, you're in no mood to catch a smiting in the teeth. Humbleness and self-effacement, and being very careful with your words...
"Oh, Demon queen, what I seek is only knowledge, I've lived in your world since my birth and there's so many unanswered questions, and I seek is the enligtenment of my human curiosity." You babble. "For I've come to interact with the creatures of your devise, beings made of pastry and filling, in the state between plant and animal, in the border of human-like but animalistic, beings that resemble people but... beings that don't exist in the world outside, so far as I know, and we've came to name "yukkuri", who therefore must be one of your great creations. What I seek is for you to show me their purpose, their workings, the people they take after their appearances and their names, the reason my mind tells me they looke like someone that I don't know yet must exist somewhere. What I ask is nothing more than understanding about the creation to know the creator itself and marvel in the glory of her wisdom, my queen."
You feel a little awkward about the rambling, and so follow up quickly with the first thing to come to mind.
"Also, in any other situation I'd be glad to share a spot of coffee with this lovely lady that controls my fate, yet I'm allured to seek her company...." Oh god. Oh god, that's terrible. And not just in the pathetically smarmy sense, why did you think hitting on her was a good idea....
You're answered with a long snore, and you realize that throughout your diatribe you were focused on the table between you, trying to keep your words sensible and coherent. You look up to find the Demon Queen's head tilted to one side, a trail of drool hanging out, and her eyes covered by a strip of purple cloth with ludicrously, obviously false eyes painted on and staring at you.
You try to ignore how they blink.
".... What the fuck." You say seriously.
The Demon Queen snorts, loudly, and stirs, seeming to come awake again as she yawns.
"... My, you're much better than most of my current monotonous droners." She says brightly, as the eye-covering disappears, as does the drool. "There may be openings available for you, somewhere, in the field of boredom induced slumber management."
"I was trying to be self-effacing and... and fucking humble and i don't know why I even bothered." You groan.
"I could tell you, if that's a question~" Yukari needles.
"No." You deny flatly, though it doesn't seem to deter her clear amusement.
"In any case, I gathered a general sense of what you were saying." She says, dismissively, waving a hand with a fan in it. "You want to know about yukkuri."
You start to answer, then pause to consider your words, then just nod.
"Alright. I'm afraid, however, I can't really tell you much about where they came from. Conflicting possibilities. Magical accident, a strong case for Godly meddling, why there's even a real probability that my future self sent some into the past to create a stable feedback loop of existence." She says, sipping at her wine. You realize you are back at a dinner table.
"What they are, however... I can tell you that. "Seeds"." She says, cryptically. "Of a sort."
"I don't understand..." You say. "You mean... how they're grown and dropped from stalks?"
"More than that. In both the metaphoric and the entirely literal sense." She says, snapping the fan shut and pointing it, tone taking on a lecturing note. "In one view, it is why Godly meddling is such a strong possibility. For the insignificant existences they are, they are... oddly potent, when it comes to their Belief. In some ways, they only exist as they do because they themselves Believe so strongly in their own existence. This Faith is the sort of thing Gods strive after, though it seems that if Godly hands were behind crafting their initial existence, then the experiment was either a partial or a complete failure. As while their Belief was potent, harvesting it would prove... problematic, and flawed."
A sly smile crossed her face.
"One could say the same of Humans, theoretically, one supposes." She seems to muse aloud.
.... You decide not to comment on anything. Okay. Gods. You live in a crazy floating patch of earth suspended in an infinite sea of eyes, ruled over by a Demon Queen. You aren't exactly in the best position to be skeptical about things.
"It may factor somewhat into the more literal sense of their being "Seeds"." She continues. "You see, even following 'birth', this is only the first potential phase of their existence. Their longevity gives them significant opportunity to transcend their initial state... provided, of course, that they don't fall prey to their unfortunate... general fragility, physically, and mentally."
"Wait." You interrupt. "Hold on, let me get this straight. Yukkuri can stop being yukkuri, and become... something else?"
"Oh dear." Yukari says, smiling. "I only promised to answer one question."
"Wait, that wasn't-"
"We'll call it you owing me a favor~" She says, ignoring your interruption. "But yes. It is every bit as possible for a yukkuri to Transcend its current existence as it is for a Human, or an animal, or a rock or plant. Though as I said, they must survive to manage the feat. As it happens, however, mental stability is not required to become something other than what you were." The Demon Queen says, smiling in a way that leaves you a little uncomfortable.
You bite your tongue, not willing to spill out any more questions that she can consider fair game to pounce on. Like she seems to be deliberately waiting for.
"In any case. It seems that's about all the time we have. As for the favor.... let's say, 'you aren't allowed to say 'no'', will do. You'll know what you can't refuse~" She says, as the world fades to a uniform shade of purply-gray.
You wake, staring at the ceiling, with Alice and Tenshi cuddling into the sides of your chest. The question you didn't ask is still sitting on the tip of your tongue.
'How many have managed this'. Or perhaps, 'What are the odds', is what you would have asked.
There is a slight noise that you guess comes from around the door.
7:00 AM, Day 7
[ ] What do you do?
>> Anonymous 2012/02/18(Sat)05:31 No. 39970
Heh, how interesting - yukkuri can become youkai of a superior sort. We should so research both the process of becoming a sennin/xianren in East Asian mythology and the process through which mundane animals and items become youkai/yaoguai when we have the time.
Who wants to say, on day 150 (probably circa CQ thread 134.5), we're all going to look back at today when Alice turns into a magician youkai?
Let me contribute a little.
Thread 1: >>37553
The City from City Quest was mentioned by Ran as a Yukari social experiment in Patchy Quest
Thread 1: >>/sdm/46379
Doll's Quest
Thread 1: >>/th/139185
>you aren't allowed to say 'no'
That's it, I'm out of here. Even if it's not what I think it is, it's still going to be used as a reason right up until what we're actually supposed to agree to comes along.
Have fun, guys.
I'm not so sure that the Alice is destined to become a magician youkai unless it transcends through a process that is somehow built into yukkuri, even more so than other, more natural entities. In most cases, the stories of sennin/xianren, whether humans or otherwise, suggest that they transcend by gathering natural energies into themselves - whether by performing austerities, respiring the essence of the sun and moon, natural accumulation with time's passage, ingestion of magical materials, or even sex in a ritualized manner. Youkai/yaoguai on the other hand, follow a lot of the same rules but can also come into existence because of strong emotions. For example, think of the human beings that become vengeful ghosts because of untimely deaths or the discarded items that become spirits. In sum, the life experience of the candidate should strongly influence what that candidate becomes and since the Alice has zero Alice-y leanings thus far, it'll be really, really weird if it became a magician youkai unless there was something else going on.
Which there very well could be.
>Kahitora: >That's it, I'm out of here. Even if it's not what I think it is, it's still going to be used as a reason right up until what we're actually supposed to agree to comes along.
>This guy needs to relax, sheesh.
>You shouldn't be in suspense too long. In any case, nowhere near long enough for yukari's shits and giggles to be argued to have any meaning regarding 'sex yukkuri, y/n'
>Since I assume that's what he's flaring up about.
The fuck, man?
[x] Kill bottle Reimu.
Because the last thing I want to see is a youkai with a grudge against us for putting in her a goddamned bottle.
Actually, bottle reimu turning into a youkai would be pretty good for us.
Why? Well, elephants are often tied to a post when they are young. They're too small to pull the post out of the ground, so they can't escape. But they still stay there when they're big enough to yank it out, because they learned that they can't get out when they were young.
It's like that, except with with not wanting to die and doing everything we tell it to do instead of being unable to escape and staying tied up.
Also, we have roughly a snowball's chance in hell of getting a transcended yukkuri.
jeez... I had to steel myself to read that. I was so sure it was going to blow up in our faces or something.
also is that Yukari's touhouvania outfit? Cool.
Ok, that was some interessting info. Still not as interessting as what the other votes would have gotten, so please don't spam next time, ok guys?
[x] Go check the noise.
What spam? They were all valid votes.
We might want to consider removing the collars from the bodied yukkuri and try finding some alternate identification such as bracelets. It was mentioned that the collars limited yukkuri growth, which to me seems to suggest that growth includes whatever it is that propels them to youkai. Besides, it might be interesting to test the theory that the bigger the yukkuri, the smarter the yukkuri.
To clarify what I think >>39986's saying, since I originally took it as a claim that there wasn't any votespam going on, the suspicious votes were ignored, and what we got was the winner among non-suspicious votes.
[x] Get dressed
Well we have a new objective now, I guess. If only we could know how the fuck we can do that.
Yukkuris don't grow on a fast enough timeframe to test. That one guy's Suika was found when his grandfather was a boy, and it's now just beachball sized, and pretty clearly not a youkai. There's no way for us to turn them into youkai. It's just plot, of which we'll learn more if Yukari tells us.
Blob yukkuri seem to hit a ceiling and then stop (unless dosus exist), but what Sam mentioned at the start about how collars limited the size of bodied yukkuri seemed to suggest that bodied yukkuri growth were within short enough a time frame that it was a potential concern, unless I'm drastically misremembering something.
I thought John said something about the tenshis hitting their "adult size" and that next their growth would be considerable slower or almost halt; but then Yukari basically said that yukkuri basically will themselves into existance, so maybe tricking them to believe really hard that they can easily reach human size then we get human sized bodied yukkuris, maybe. Probably the tenshi that believes that she is John's daughter would be easier to convince ("look, you are really my daughter so you'll grow as big as daddy really soon") altough maybe it won't work and John makes a fool of himself.
It's a little late to worry about dignity and humiliation and all that at this point - besides, no guts, no glory.
Blob yukkuri don't get collars because they're just heads and there's no place to put the collars, not because they stop growing.
While at first glance that seems like a really stupid idea, I guess it's worth a try. Let's try it with a Chen, though - I'm pretty sure we can convince any of them, and we won't lose a Tenshi if it goes cannibal in an attempt to get the nutrients for its belief-enhanced growth. We'll also need to have a reasonable-sounding excuse for Frank so we don't look like an idiot.
[x] Call over a blob Chen and take it to an empty room. Explain to it, making sure no other yukkuri overhear, that it will grow much faster than its siblings. Just get some handheld device that beeps or makes other science-like noises, point it at the Chen, make the device emit sound, and tell it something about it being exposed to Fasgro beams, which cause a yukkuri to grow fast. If Frank notices and inquires what the fuck you're doing, explain your dream and how the Demon Queen said something about yukkuri operating through belief.
I think you misread me here - the collar comment is in reference to bodied yukkuri rather than blob yukkuri.
No, I know that. The reason I talked about blob yukkuri is because you were saying that we know blob yukkuri don't grow unlimitedly because they aren't issued collars. So I said the reason blobs don't have collars.
I went back and found the relevant quotes:
>Y'see, these'll never stop growin' on their own, s'long as they keep gettin' fed regular, just slow down at it once they hit this point. They grow proportional, though, and they'll stop if there b'aint room to grow. Collar like this'll shut growth down once they get t'be close t' human size.
>Blobs have th' same problem, only they b'aint as useful as ones wi' bodies, and it be a lot harder t'set up a kind o' harness they can't slip loose of, deliberate-like or by accident, and won't accidentally squeeze'm t'death if they move wrong.
No, I never mentioned my reasoning for my belief that there's a size limit for blobs in the original post. If anything, I think blobs don't have the chance to grow past a certain point because of poor food access and high mortality rates. Collars have nothing to do with the matter.
>"Hold on, let me get this straight. Yukkuri can stop being yukkuri, and become... something else?"
Now I want the Bunny route even more.
I'm sad. There won't be another chance to do Yukari like that anymore (or will there). Most of the stuff we learned was of easy guessing (yukkuri with bones, sub-types, etc), and Yukari seems to have lost all interest in John with the long ass speech.
Yes, I'm mad, somewhat, even though I'm trying to rationalize and not be mad. Was there spam or not? What was the criteria for pickng the boring vote?
Let it go man.
>> Anonymous 2012/02/19(Sun)03:22 No. 40012
There is some info at wiki that belief can stop yukkuri growth (if I remember correctly), so maybe the same was used by Factory to make them big quick (a not so successful experiment).
Hmmm, this also might be a key to their potential evolution.
A malleable material in more than one sense.
[x]Groan. We screwed big time.
>> Kahi 2012/02/19(Sun)03:43 No. 40013
File 132962301155.jpg - (203.44KB , 798x600 , c3be87f57f785db452fd749a6c1aec05.jpg ) [iqdb]
You groan softly as you sit up. Somehow, your night wasn't what could be called 'restful'. After dragging yourself into the bathroom to splash your face with cold water, you dress and go to investigate the noise.
You're fairly sure it had to have been a noise of some sort made deliberately, as you shouldn't have been able to hear just someone slipping an envelope under the door. You open it and peer inside. There is a Card, and a note.
You decide to cut to the chase and read the note right away.
You have been selected for the opportunity to participate in a Secret bonus game. You may profit greatly, or suffer loss.
If you choose to-
Your eyes swim for a moment, and you blink the blur away. When you look again, the contents have changed somewhat.
Proceed to the following location by sun-down, with the enclosed card and at least 1 Ticket or Token. The note instructs. It continues on with a personal scrawl, in what you guess is the Demon Queen's handwriting. "Alone."
Subtle. Very subtle, Demon Queen. You suppose that it was just an assurance that you couldn't make a liar of her by claiming that, in fact, you didn't understand what it was you weren't allowed to say no to, when the time came.
In any case, you recognise the place. It is a construction lot: something had apparently been planned for construction there, but had fallen by the wayside when the Demon Queen laid claim to the City, and it had never been resumed. It's been left that way since the beginning, you understand, and now the few piles of cinderblocks and metal rebar are heavily weathered, rusty, and overgrown with weeds.
With the deadline being long enough to handle your current plans for the day, you don't think there'll be any real issue getting there in time.
[x] Interact with the yukkuri - focus on Shanghai and the Suika.
[x] Find the most gullible blob Chen - perhaps the one that had attachment issues earlier?
[x] Run experiment on the Chen - fool it into believing that it will become much bigger, stronger, and faster than its siblings because you used [insert random techno-babble] on it.
-[x] Explain to it, making sure no other yukkuri overhear, that it will grow much faster than its siblings. Just get some handheld device that beeps or makes other science-like noises, point it at the Chen, make the device emit sound, and tell it something about it being exposed to Fasgro beams, which cause a yukkuri to grow fast. If Frank notices and inquires what the fuck you're doing, explain your dream and how the Demon Queen said something about yukkuri operating through belief.
We must run this Experiment, for science!
[x] Get breakfast ready.
[x] After Alice wakes up, find the Tenshi who thinks you're it's father and the little Alice.
-[x] Tell it that yes, you are their father, so they should grow harder better, faster and stronger than the others. Tell the others that the two are special, and should be proud of them, for they will commit acts of valor. If Frank notices and inquires what the fuck you're doing, explain your dream and how the Demon Queen said something about yukkuri operating through belief.
--[x] Use the name tags. Tag the yukkuri acording to their parents, day of birth and preference. Use a notebook (or notepad on the computer) to list them all. Make a special note about the two yukkuri above.
I think it's better to use the ones who thinks John is their father. Believing they are children of a human should have a significant impact on them.
Also, their orientation includes human, so that will hopefully help their development.
We could run both experiments.
What is it with you people and wanting to 'experiment' with yukkuri, anyway? Isn't the point of this story to like run a business? It seems like everyone keeps trying to play scientist instead of business.
-[x] Tell that Tenshi that it either looks like its mother or father, and since it does not look like you or its mother, Tenshi must be its father.
[x] Run experiment on the Chen - fool it into believing that it will grow faster than its siblings because you used [insert random techno-babble] on it.
-[x] Keep a minor eye on it just in case it goes cannibal in an attempt to get the nutrients for its belief-fueled growth.
-[x] If Frank notices and inquires what the fuck you're doing, explain your dream and how the Demon Queen said something about yukkuri operating through belief.
[x] Use the name tags. Tag the yukkuri acording to their kind, body type and an identifying number (For example, L-Reimu 1 for the first bLob Reimu, O-Tenshi 7 for the seventh bOdied Tenshi). If unsure of the order of birth between siblings, number them in the order you grab them for tagging. Use a notebook (or notepad on the computer) to list them all and any pertinent information.
Let's not run the risk of people cracking the code and finding out we bother with the orientation. We can keep notes on orientation in our spreadsheet.
Also, I really don't think it's wise to tell yukkuri that we are their father, and even if we did, telling all the other yukkuri is dumb.
You are completely correct. Still, at least this experiment won't do any harm if it goes wrong and stands a remote chance of benefiting us. But seriously guys. If you want to do actual yukkuri experimentation, do it in Patchy Quest.
For me, it's because I find restaurants and their inner processes dull and boring. I rationalize it as the need to better understand yukkuri so that we can use them better, similar to how business managers pick up elements of psychology and sociology in their education so that they can get the most out of their employees.
Then may I ask why you're reading this story?
I mean, if its basic premise is boring to you, why are you reading it?
A couple of reasons - I like yukkuri and I actually really like stories about starting up an enterprise and seeing it to success. I just happen to dislike restaurants in particular because I'm somewhat familiar with their success rates and the grueling work needed to get one up and running. Since the process of running the cafe is largely abstracted in this story, it doesn't bother me one bit.
>> Anonymous 2012/02/20(Mon)11:12 No. 40038
Fair enough, just curious.
--[x] Use the name tags.
Something that was potential trouble may now be helpful? Sweet. And agreed on not using the code, but we can't let the items go to waste.
>O-Tenshi
This is a silly thing. We're not limited to text, remember. On another note, numbering blobs and bodied separately means we have to go "Bodied Tenshi Two, come here please."
[x] Use the name tags. Tag the yukkuri acording to their kind and the order in which they were obtained (For example, Reimu 1 for the first Reimu acquired, Tenshi 7 for the seventh Tenshi). For bodies, put the outline of a chibi bodied yukkuri on the left side, and the outline of a regular yukkuri for blobs. If unsure of the order of birth between siblings, number them in the order you grab them for tagging. Use a notebook (or notepad on the computer) to list them all and any pertinent information.
>> Kahi 2012/02/20(Mon)23:04 No. 40048
File 132977906320.jpg - (57.82KB , 640x506 , name-tags.jpg ) [iqdb]
You are driven, in your partially conscious state, to focus on what you've learned, probably accidentally, from the Demon Queen.
Belief is an important thing, apparently. Yukkuri exist because they believe they exist. Or something, you aren't really clear on the specifics. But you're pretty sure, from what you've gathered, that if you can convince them to believe something about how they'll grow, they'll grow to match that belief... you think. Or something like that.
You spend a bit looking for tools to enhance verisimilitude. Something... blinky. Something that whirrs, or makes noise. Something that flashes, or beeps. Maybe something that... whistles, or jiggles, or shines a ray like a flashlight?
God damn it, you don't have any pointless toys that do any of those things. Except maybe the microwave. But you somehow think trying to wiggle that into being a food cooker and a magic-growth-beam dispenser might not be the brightest idea. There could be unfortunate consequences, and all. Your phone wouldn't really work either, because you use it enough that they can probably recognize it as 'the talky thing' if nothing else, and so assuming it would also magically fiddle with their growth rates might be a bit of a stretch.
You guess you could try to bluff yourself as a fancy wizard or something, but you aren't sure you can pull it off. You guess you can try, but this experiment might be best delayed until you have bluffing equipment to help out. There's probably a toy store for children or something around somewhere.
Frank seems to be sleeping a little more lightly than normal anyway, as he's started groaning and shifting on the couch somewhere during your rummaging through drawers and cabinets in the hope of finding something you know you don't have.
For the moment, you just focus on the yukkuri that have started to drag themself awake, and play with the children while Alice sets up feed. You focus on Shanghai and the Suika.
Shanghai is as delighted as ever to have your attention, though... you have to admit that her eagerly snuggling against your ear is a little bit more awkward than before, in light of recent revelations. Suika's cheery, though unsuccessful, attempt to muscle your fingers around is much more comfortable to think about than whatever might or might not be going through Shanghai's head right now.
It seems like Suika is starting to grasp that she can't really wrestle you into submitting, though. Probably a good thing. Like... that elephant thing, where they teach them not to eat peanuts, by...
No, that wasn't it at all. It had nothing to do with peanuts. It was something else, though you can't remember the details just yet. Almost definitely relevant, though.
You spend a little while labeling name-tags once Suika's had enough play and wandered off to eat and fall over on a cushion. You don't need to go into too much detail, just a number for now. Or the greek letter 'Alpha', for the original three, Suika, and the Hatate from the roof. You'll think of something better later, since you only need to keep track enough to match them to a spreadsheet you can type more details into, and you can replace the labels later.
They don't all seem to grasp that there's any meaning towards the different numbers on the otherwise all but identical tags, but seem to flaunt the ornamentation as a point of pride.
I'm not sure why, but I'm really liking this part. Maybe the belief thing makes it feel like the story is progressing? Or maybe the thought of little Suika fighting against his fingers, little Shanghai floating around him or even the yukkuris walking proudly with their nametags.
We should expand on those anyway, as well as exploiting this belief thing.
>> Anonymous 2012/02/21(Tue)01:06 No. 40050
[x] Introduce the Marisas and Reimus to the new rule, and let them know if they continue to be difficult after they start getting less food, they might end up getting no food at all.
[x] Tell that Tenshi that it either looks like its mother or father, and since it does not look like you or its mother, Tenshi must be its father.
[x] Remember to pick up an LED keychain thing next time you go out, preferably one that makes plausibly science-like noises.
[x] Look up artists and graphic designers on the laptop.
Apparently one can get a noisemaking LED thingy for around $3. Also I love how there's more description of the playing with yukkuri. It warms my flinty, stonelike heart.
At this point, we still need to:
- Rent the place and purchase the equipment.
- Design or hire someone to design the cafe's processes and then train the labor.
- Contract for supplies and arrange for the equipment installation and general preparation of the site for use.
- Create a logo and then start marketing, the exact method should depend on what's available in the City. Under ideal circumstances, we'd be able to run an online campaign based around a City-limited social media site along with an offline marketing campaign based on radio and flyers.
We might want to try to complete 1 and 3 today. They should be doable before it's time for the secret bonus game.
[x] Check the chatrooms.
[x] Search the internet for what the Demon Queen said, including the effects of belief/faith/etc and if they can actively alter reality.
Don't know what to do right now...
It doesn't seem like bottle Reimu is still coherent enough to listen to orders. Why not use one of the more obedient yukkuri that we're planning to experiment on, like one of the baby Tenshis? We use the opportunity to bond and to build verisimilitude for the lie that we're going to feed it.
Here, allow me to show you what John will find from that last part: http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Can+belief+alter+reality%3F
Also, telling all the yukkuri to expect acts of valor was stupid last update and it's stupid now.
No, it's definitely coherent enough to follow orders, and apparently will follow them without question to boot. Not to mention it's still infant size, so it can fit in more places. Also, it doesn't matter if we lose it to rats or something.
Even if we were to not use the bottle Reimu, using a Tenshi would be silly as we're going to experiment upon a Chen.
Why would we use a Chen, while we have a perfectly fine subject as that Tenshi? It already think it's father is a human, the work is half done. Just need to make it think it can become human, now.
Because a sciencey-looking toy will only cost a couple money and doing it this way eliminates the risk of the yukkuri in question revealing something potentially damaging to us.
It's obedient and not slurring, sure, but it was too terrified to even be able to answer our questions properly the last time we interacted.
Like what? "Mister Human is my father because I saw him when I was born"? John could simply he adopted it because it's real father was crushed by a hater, or something.
If people aren't sure of the ability of the bottle Reimu to follow orders, how about we check? We've got plenty of time before we have to head out, after all.
[x] Test Reimu 1's ability to investigate enclosed spaces.
[x] Names, etc.
[x] Search for fake yukkuri for the Alices.
Seems fair. Was >>40060, revoting.
We also need to visit the city center and parkside locations at... one and two respectively. I suggest we bring bottle Reimu along so it can check the spaces behind furniture, the space in the walls for wiring, and such.
Also we need a name. Cafe Shanghai seems good to me, but apparently not John. How about Cafe Calma or Slowdown Cafe?
>> Kahi 2012/02/22(Wed)05:09 No. 40082
File 132988734533.jpg - (504.41KB , 500x1500 , 6c840597d7aab399245774a4c5977795be68622b.jpg ) [iqdb]
Chatting with the little Tenshi goes well enough, you suppose. It seems kind of stubborn, though, and not quite willing to let go of its initial assumption even as you lay evidence out in front of it. It seems to have been long since convinced not to advertise its conclusion, at least, which is... well, something.
The crib-yukkuri are not exactly enthused with the concept of their rations being cut. Marisa manages to mostly shush them into line, but it seems that the mother Reimu is starting to warm up to you and lose some of the timidity. You can tell this because she looks downright offended at the thought that her babies might not get food for doing nothing, and seems close to voicing her thoughts about it, such as they may be.
She thinks better of it after a long moment, though, and contents herself with just some quiet sulking.
Speaking of the children, you guess that they're 'young' now, but not 'young adults', just yet. There's still plenty of room to move in the crib, but once they all hit adult age... it's going to be a pretty tight squeeze, by your estimation. Especially with the particularly empty-headed ones bloating outwards more from their sluggish and sedentary existence. Where most of the blobs are recognizably supposed to be a head, although past the factory-bred's 'a little pudgy, really', and leaning towards obese, the dumb ones are basically balls of fatness that sit there, jiggling and smiling with that vacant stare of theirs.
The factory ones are probably bred for being as attractive as possible, and so a degree closer to human proportions than the stray ones, given things... but this is just ridiculous. If they had to actually move somewhere, you doubt they would 'bounce' so much as 'roll'.
By contrast, the bottle Reimu, clearly marked as '1' in an only partially thought out attempt to bolster its psyche somehow, has started growing some, and seems to be about the size of a 'Child' yukkuri now. Aside from that, it's grown... oddly. It's increased in size, yes, but its proportion and shape is slightly different, too.
It takes you a few minutes of holding it, quivering, in your hands and calmingly stroking her hair before you think you've figured it out. She seems to be going a bit even past the factory blobs... possibly even a little past the bodied yukkuri, which are pretty close to human already on the sliding scale of judging human faces vs yukkuri. She'll probably always have a little 'baby fat', if the term translates over well enough, but you can guess that people might easily mistake her for... well, a disembodied head. Or decapitated head. If you think about it too hard, that might actually be a little creepier than the ones a little further away from passing for human, somehow.
Well, whatever. Her unease seems to halt immediately, and she calms right down when you tell her to go around behind and beneath the furniture and come back, and she's off like a shot to do your bidding. Once she gets back, and you pick her up again, she starts trembling again. But not quite as much.
... You get the feeling that you're somehow both alleviating and reinforcing things, here, and you aren't really sure if that's a good or bad thing. ... Probably not healthy, psychologically speaking, but you can't really say you mind the instant obedience without question thing, either. Well, you're really hoping that there aren't any holes in the walls at either location, to be honest, but you guess she's still small enough that she could fit in them if they exist, presuming that the hole is big enough for her to squeeze through in the first place. It'll probably be dark inside, and there'll be at least a little chance of her getting stuck.
You'll have to think about this if you decide to bring her along. And also weigh the odds of mice or what-not, you guess. She can probably still peek around under and behind big, hard to move things like furniture and equipment, though.
For now, you resolve to pick up some sort of blinky keychain thing while shopping, along with maybe more name-tags if you plan to have more litters. You've half considered, already, taking another shot at trying to get a bodied Hatate, and now at least you've confirmed that the odds aren't so long as to be out of the question. In the meantime, though, you turn to the internet, deciding without really thinking about it to kill two birds with one stone by searching for artists and fake yukkuri at the same time.
The hunt for artists doesn't go very well. You find them, certainly, but every one seems to be living in the real world, outside of your reach. You would probably get results faster by just walking down the streets and asking pedestrians if they happen to know anyone who might fit the bill, you reflect.
The hunt for false yukkuri, however, goes... at the same time 'not well at all' and 'all too well', with unfortunate results. The worst of the lot, in some senses, are small beanbags and pillows with faces and hair poorly scribbled on them with markers. You're looking for more realistic.... toys.
And you find them, and startlingly enough, they're designed for what you plan for them. Essentially. More or less. It's just that they aren't designed for yukkuri to use them in that fashion. There are pictures and explanations, regarding how to use it, along with a short clip. One review gives it a one out of five, 'only because there isn't an option for zero out of five', and goes on to at length complain about having to warm up and lubricate the silicon rubber inside, and how it feels all wrong, 'much too loose', 'The tongue doesn't move or stretch at all, hardly any point to the fake mouth', 'They can move, sort of work around you, when they're getting into it and starting to enjoy themselves', and in every way compare the item unfavorably to the option of just finding a live yukkuri that was amenable enough to being made a 'pet'. There are many reviews that voice similar sentiment, though not in such detail.
... You're grudgingly forced to admit that this guy might have a point, weird as it seems, and it seems like they're out of stock and not bothering to make any more anyway. Toys like this don't seem to sell well when there's a more readily available, if not really publicly spoken, option available, you guess.
After leaving that behind, you find one more sort of toy. Only this vibrating one is, it seems, designed.... more to torment a yukkuri, really, than for it to enjoy itself playing with. It advertises that the vibrations are more than enough to 'get it going, drive it nuts trying to reach the end, but never actually get there', to paraphrase. There's a short clip, without sound, of an Alice blob sobbing as it desperately gyrates itself against the contraption, clearly getting nowhere but unable to stop. They're out of stock of this, too, but even though they have a listed day and time when more are available, this is pretty much exactly the opposite of the result you were hoping for, so it's not like you're going to buy one anyway.
You realize, belatedly, that while you set Reimu down a while ago, you never bothered to tell her to leave, having forgotten that it seems like she's not going to get bored and wander off on her own. She's still sitting on the arm of your chair, just by your elbow, wide-eyed and trembling again. She seems to relax some as you quickly close the window, as apparently the demonstration of the other product is much more palatable than the image of an Alice silently screaming with tears running down on its face as it desperately fails to reach some sort of relief.
Some rapid hair-stroking and soothing noises seems to calm her down more. You're really glad Frank has drifted off to a deeper sleep again, as you would really hate to have to explain this to him, even with the laptop muted. Once you think you can spare a hand again, the very first thing you do is close that window as well, followed by the laptop itself.
Some more effort seems to be enough to calm her sufficiently to fall right to sleep in your hands. She does seem a bit more relaxed than the last time this sort of thing happened, though, and doesn't shiver as much in her slumber.
>> Anonymous 2012/02/22(Wed)05:46 No. 40083
[x] Tell Alice to masturbate when the need is high or use the baster as a dildo, washing it before and after. Either way, she shouldn't bother you for sex.
[x] Tell Alice not to pass on any special training in the arts of sex with humans to its human-loving offspring.
[x] Enquire into the trained yukkuris' lack of yukkuri-speak. Could they go back and forth between it and normal speech on command?
[x] Well, you know Reimu 1 can be told to go places. But can it tell you about them? Question it about the strange realm that lies under the couch.
[x] Yeah, you should definitely get some more nametags.
[x] Pay attention to Reimu A. You'll definitely have to chastise it soon.
[x] Have Alice A fill up the baster and inject it into Hatate A. Wash it off, have Chen A fill it up, and inject Marisa A and Reimu A.
-[x] No, you won't help them fill it up.
Need more babies for more potential breeds we have bodies of. Also, I think some maid cafes offer a choice for a tsundere waitress, so maybe we could do something similar for yukkuri-obsessed customers and have their waitresses speak yukkuri?
[x] Have Alice A fill up the baster and inject it into Hatate A. Wash it off, have Tenshi A fill it up, and inject Marisa A. Repeat the process a third time with Chen A filling it up and Reimu A being injected.
Seems good, but let's get some Tenshis too.
You guys do know we are going to be drowning in pastry heads pretty soon, right? Do we really need more yukkuri at this point?
We're going to run out of space and it seems like we might need to arrange for exercise for the things.
I think the obese description of the wild ones and the 'bit pudgy' of the factory ones are compared to a normal person's head and only the buris are fat for a yukkuri. At least that's the impression I got.
That seems like a reasonable explanation - though acclimating the yukkuri to movement and rougher motion might also be wise. I suppose it depends on the pet culture surrounding them - do people take them on walks and so on?
Luckily, their play involves roughhousing:
>there's the occasional moment when one'll 'crawl' for a short way, before pouncing on one of its siblings, sending the both of them rolling end over end.
Unless you were talking about the buris, in which case it probably couldn't hurt.
Yep, I remember that, I was thinking more along the lines of the Marisas and Reimus because I wasn't sure they were getting as much playtime as the others. I consider the buris a lost cause in that regard.
[x] Inquire into the trained yukkuris' lack of yukkuri-speak. Could they go back and forth between it and normal speech on command?
[x] Yeah, you should definitely get some more nametags when you go shopping again.
-[x] Inject some Hatate into Alice again.
Wow, never expected THAT mutation of Reimu-1, it's a shame that it's a blob. Also, the internet in the city never stops to amaze me.
Anyway, do we really need more yukkuri? We don't even have buyers for the others.
Impregnate Alice again for better chances.
>Impregnate Alice again for better chances.
This. We're breeding the yukkuri again because we want bodied yukkuri, so we can get rid of the blobs. And I think we should reward Alice for giving birth to a blob's babies, again.
Also, it's too soon to put Reimu under watch right now. Let's wait for her to act before thinking of punishing her.
[x] Marisa A is behaving well enough. Give her a treat for good behavior.
>> Anonymous 2012/02/23(Thu)00:42 No. 40101
[x] Marisa A is behaving well enough. Give it a treat for good behavior.
>[x] Tell Alice not to pass on any special training in the arts of sex with humans to its human-loving offspring.
haven't we done that already?
We did, and it was misunderstood as an order not to give it's children the talk. We clarified, and Alice said that teaching depended on the yukkuri's orientation, but we didn't end up giving a concrete order.
>> Kahi 2012/02/23(Thu)20:57 No. 40113
File 133003063321.jpg - (2.80KB , 227x160 , baster.jpg ) [iqdb]
Usually, you'll admit, you're pretty prone to acting on whatever first pops into your head. You think you're similar to Frank, in that respect. The difference between you two is usually that you can hold back a moment, think about it, and restrain yourself if what you're about to do or say is completely pointless, or just really stupid.
The idea you just thought of is... it might be both, you think.
Just to start, in hindsight, you're pretty sure Alice already does that. And frequently. And to boot, it isn't just 'when the need builds up' but more 'to keep the need from building up too much'. Which is an important distinction, because as you understand it, once it gets that high no amount of just taking matters into her own hands would be fixing things. ... You also got the distinct sense, though not in so many words, that it was just a holding and delaying measure, slowing things to a crawl but not really stopping them, as such. It's the impression you got from what Alice said, anyway. She didn't really go into details about better approaches, actually, but you can hazard a guess or two even without knowing the specifics.
Aside from that, the baster is kind of... well, shape-wise at least, it might be a vague approximation of something that would work, but the thing is that it's a really hard material, and the end doesn't quite come to a sharp point, but it's close. You can all too easily see accidents happening with that, which is why you're careful about using it, since you aren't really enthused about the idea of having to pour orange juice down Alice's throat over something like that. Adapting it for use as an aid is really... you can think of a couple things in the apartment that might be a worse idea than the baster, on consideration. Not many, though.
But the point is, you're suddenly getting cold feet over the whole intercourse matter. You think you might be a little happier if she didn't look to you for help with it, even knowing as you do now that she needs this sort of thing to not devolve into a slobbering and barely coherent ball of unquenchable lust, and doesn't just really enjoy it and want to enjoy it with you. Though that is also true. Yes, never mind that she isn't asking for it right now, you should probably go right ahead and tell her not to bother coming to you for help. There's almost definitely some sort of moral imperative to this, too. Like how you shouldn't sleep with women you don't plan to marry, or men, full stop. Well, maybe you won't bring up the matter yourself, because if you did before anyone else put it on the table, just to insist on disinterest, it might come off wrong and be interpreted as you trying too hard to be convincing.
But if she does come to you over it... well, that's probably better phrased as a 'when', since it's likely going to happen sooner or later. When, then, you'll definitely shoo her away. Even if she looks up at you, trembling, with wide watery eyes as she shivers and complains about how the tingling just won't stop, you'll hold firm to this conviction and leave her to figure out something to deal with matters on her own, as you ignore the issue.
.... now if your anatomy would just agree with your thoughts already, that would be grand.
In the end, you just call her aside and ask her quietly not to teach her children anything... illicit, involving humans. She gives you a funny look, not seeming to grasp where this came from, but goes on to assure you that everything just boiled down to the bare mechanics of insert Tab A into Slot B, though not in so many words, and point out again that she doesn't have any say in telling the infants that they should or should not be interested in non-yukkuri tabs or slots.
She agrees not to teach any of them but Alice anything more than those basics, though, and Alice only because it was apparently a thing that would most likely need to be taught anyway, just later. So no instruction on anything kinky, or any suggestions that they should go out specifically looking for humans, which is good.
She also curiously wonders if human parents teach their babies every little thing they know about that sort of thing, if that's why you're making a point out of this. You're quick to deny this, and finding that the conversation has suddenly gone very awkward for you, you switch the subject, and ask her to fill up the baster.
It seems like she was going to seclude herself for a little bit soon anyway, so she doesn't have an issue with it, though it seems from what you quietly over-hear that she's walked in on the younger Alice in the process. Neither of them leave the bathroom. You guess it's like a sort of strange bonding experience for them, or something.
While you wait, you scribble out a note to pick up more name-tags while you're out, before you get back from the locations. You're definitely going to need them, after this set of breeding. You'll need them even if, against all odds, you only get one infant from every impregnation. Most likely, you'll be getting more.
Hatate is startled, when Alice is done, to find you carefully holding her in place as you slide the equipment into position and pump the baster's contents inside, mechanically impregnating her. It takes some careful work to clean out the last traces from inside, afterwards, and get it ready to pass off to Tenshi.
While you're waiting for her to finish up, you meddle with the traumatized Reimu some more, since she wasn't asleep long. It seems she can more or less report things she sees. And apparently, the areas beneath your couch and chair are very dirty, have a few dead spiders scattered around... and she found a bit of purple paper underneath. Which, when you have her drag it out from under the couch, turns out to be a ticket.
You're startled into silence with the 'how' and 'why' of the ticket getting there, but a quick check shows that you still have your two... well, three now, tickets, and that this one is identical to the others. It's a little baffling. Did the Demon Queen... personally slip into your apartment, and conceal it there? What could that possibly be in aid of... a reward, for experimenting with what Reimu could do? How could she even know you'd decide to do that? Or that it wouldn't just lie there indefinitely, since you have no real reason or intention to drag the heavy couch around anywhere, so it would have just gone un-noticed indefinitely. Was she just giggling at the thought of a ticket sitting right under your nose, and you not realizing it? .... would she be upset that you found it? Maybe you should just put it back, and pretend you never noticed... no, no you've found the thing, you might as well keep it. No point second-guessing and trying to out-think the Demon Queen, you have the suspicion you'll give yourself a headache. In any case, Tenshi looks vaguely satisfied with herself, and the baster's full again. Time to continue on.
"Alright, you two. I've decided to let you have some more babies." You say, even as the pair seem startled at the declaration.
"R-really, Mister?" Marisa says, turning sidelong eyes Reimu's way. In turn, the mother just blushes a little, as Marisa edges a little closer.
You pick her up and hold her still before too much can progress in that regard, startling them both again.
"Not with each other." You explain, carefully locating things before Marisa starts to squirm, uncomfortably.
"Wh-wha... What does Mister... Wait, no, what is mister do-nng!" Marisa says, as you quickly do your work, then set her back down. You might have been a little too forceful, there, but it's a little harder when they aren't holding expectantly still for this.
"Alright, there you go." You say. "Be sure to have lots of babies for me, alright, Marisa?"
"Marisa... doesn't understand..." She says slowly, as you leave, not seeming sure about what just happened.
Washing and preparing the baster with Chen's efforts takes a little while again, and you fill it with questions about more expected yukkuri chatter and catchphrases. It seems like there's nothing stopping them from talking that way, they've just had it thoroughly explained how irritating most people find it, and consciously and deliberately choose not to talk that way, in order to avoid aggravation. When you come back to the crib, Reimu is in a state of heightened wariness, and shuffles back against the side as you approach.
"Your turn." You say, not really considering it first. Panic ensues.
"N-no! Reimu doesn't wanna make babies!" She insists, hopping out of the way of your hand and rousing the sudden wailing franticness of most of the infants in the process. It's no trouble to catch her, really, but she struggles a lot more than Marisa did.
"Reimu doesn't want to make babies!" She insists again. "Stop it, Mister! This isn't easy at all! Reimu's mamumamu is only for Marisa! Reimu's mamumamu is only for Marisa!"
... You just sort of tune the complaints out, trying to ignore that they're making you feel a little uncomfortable, and leave her to sulk in a corner of the crib after, infants still in a confused uproar. Then you wash and rinse out the well-traveled baster again.
You should probably double up on Hatate, come to think of it, since you're really more interested in potentially getting bodied variations of her type than Marisa or Reimu. With her not having hands, though, things get a little more problematic. Yeah, you'll have to help out. She's startled again, as you catch her, but some calming words relax her, and she doesn't really complain as you carefully... milk what you need into the baster, is what you guess is the most delicate way to put it.
She floats quickly away, flushing, once you release her. Unlike before, though, she pauses a bit away and looks awkward, suspended in midair.
"U-um..... th-thank you, Mister?" She says, uncertainly. Then, as you blink, she zips away again, retreating to her nest.
You make quick work of this last impregnation, then just leave the baster soaking in the sink. This has taken a while, you reflect. Well, there's no real rushing things in filling the baster, you guess, so it goes a good bit slower.
Wonderful, we just had the protagonist rape a couple of yukkuri with an instrument.
We're going to need to pay extra special attention tomorrow morning to make sure that the pair don't hurt the offspring and that they don't deliberately crush them in the process of birthing. We'll definitely need to look up ways to prevent that on the Internet, maybe see if there are any tricks that force yukkuri to give birth without being able to induce contractions or even the yukkuri equivalent of a c-section.
Their mouths said no. Their bodies said yes. Or maybe I've just been seeing too much smut lately.
Regardless, our protag seems to have hilariously failed this time around.
[x] Talk to the suika and see what her verbal tick is, if she has any.
[x] Ask the Alpha Yukkuri if they want to go with you to visit the places.
[x] Check the contest's site for more info, if there are any news.
[x] Waste time until next appointment.
Could someone please tell me what appointments we've made for the day?
No. You will have to reread the entire story, back from thread one.
Oh yeah, Reimu A and Marisa A aren't on board with making babies on command.
[x] Even though they're just yukkuri, Reimu A and Marisa A deserve somewhat better than sudden rape by baster. Explain you why you injected them (don't tell them it gives you the option to throw them out the window), point out it's better than refreshing with the bodied ones directly, and assure them that you won't make them take care of the kids.
-[x] Tell them you'll give them some sweet-sweets once the children are born. Make sure they understand that this is a rare thing.
--[x] If a quick internet search tells you unborn children won't get addicted from sweets eaten by the parent, give them some now too.
-[x] If you think the warning is needed, tell them that harming the babies will be punished harshly.
[x] Talk with Alice A, Chen A, or Tenshi A. One or more of them has been at home at any given time since you got them, so they should be able to tell you if they've seen Reimu A or Marisa A teach anything important-looking to their children that isn't covered in their own training.
[x] Look up Patchoulis.
[x] Brainstorm uses for blobs.
-[x] Cleaning the floor.
-[x] Keeping an eye out for miscreants.
[x] Don't forget to take along Reimu 1 to your appointments.
>> Anonymous 2012/02/24(Fri)00:17 No. 40127
[x] Continue teaching Alice to waitress.
I feel no pity for fodder, but we should try to pacify them, and reward them after the births. I don't trust that they will become content with birthing alien children and keep any promises if they already have the reward.
[x] Waitress training for Alice A and maybe Tenshi A
Wow, so now we have the toll for the secret Yukari event of today and we get to keep our original tickets, awesome.
[x] Given that bottle Reimu is possibly becoming a more human like head, allow Marisa and Reimu to have children with each other afterwards. Do not tell these children not to call you slave and remind Marisa that it is her responsiblity to do so. If any misbehave than bottle them.
We do need more sources of income because a cafe will be lucky to pay back our debts, let alone win.
It's Marisa A's responsibility to call us her slave?
Joking about grammatical ambiguities aside, Reimu 1 was apparently both extremely lucky and possessed of an uncommonly sound mind to only go as crazy as she did. Most yukkuri would have fared much worse. Though no specifics were given in-story, such outcome would likely include completely losing all grip on reality, becoming completely catatonic, or simply starting to vomit up paste until death, as those are common ways a yukkuri goes insane.
Plus, I'm not sure there's really that much of a market for human-head yukkuri.
Sorry, English is my third language.
We do need to find other methods of income however. If anyone has studied Business, a Cafe is actually one of the worst options we could have picked for this kind of competition.
It it is managed well it can create a reliable cash stream but I believe that once we should be looking at other sources of cash.
No need to apologize, it's actually an error that native speakers often make. It's also, strictly speaking, not an error, just something that could be taken more than one way.
I believe we're supplementing our income by selling yukkuri as pets. While that's might not be enough, let's at least wait and see how much money we actually get from running the cafe - the City, being a completely isolated patch of land, quite possibly has a different economic situation than the real world.
Of course, if anyone can find another source of greater Reliable income, then it should still be possible to switch. This was just the best option that was put up at the time.
Should have gone with tha trap vote~
It would make John's life easier with him acting as a ver appealing advertising, and/or when he finally fails repaying the mafia...
I gotta admit, that vote would've made me crack a grin - it's kind of nice that this story is so quirky at times.
[x] Talk with Alice A, Chen A, and/or Tenshi A. One or more of them has been at home at any given time since you got them, so they should be able to tell you if they've seen Reimu A or Marisa A teach anything important-looking to their children that isn't covered in their own training.
[x] Waitress training for Alice A and maybe Tenshi A.
Even with only bodies impregnating other bodies, we're going to have roughly half blobs. Need to find many, many uses for them.
It's been done, twice. Unless you guys come up with new ideas, blobs are either useless or active hindrances when it comes to running a restaurant. Seriously, do you guys want the critters running underfoot where they can easily be crushed by inattentive customers or even the bigger bodied yukkuri?
There's no way to use blobs unless you get blobs of exceptional intelligence and even then most possible jobs can be pretty dangerous for them. Get them to do advertising on the streets? Birds. Get them to do cleaning? The detergent and water are dangerous to them, not to mention the problem of how they're going to do the cleaning without hands. They could use their hair, but that's damn pathetic considering how little work they'd actually be doing compared to how much space they take up.
Blobs are for selling, except for maybe a couple of exceptionally good-natured families that you can stick in a yukkurarium or something. Average yukkuri are useless for that because they'll probably end up pooping, having sex, or fighting one another while customers are watching. And none of these things are conductive to business.
Addendum - blob Hatates might actually be useful as watch-blobs. They're fast and they might be smart enough to be taught. So there's that at least.
We should play to their strengths if we want to use yukkuri. If you want blobs to clean up, try to plan to pick up a Sakuya.
Actually, we should try to pick up a Sakuya anyways because bodied ones would pretty much be perfect for our labor force.
By cleaning the floor, I meant picking up dropped trash and stuff, not mopping the floor. I'd assume they do that sort of thing in the wild, but with food instead. I believe that they have to have some way of carrying an appreciable amount of objects, as they are effectively immobile during stalk births and must rely on their mate to bring them food at least until the little ones are born, and quite probably some time after that.
And yeah, blobs are mainly for selling, but this is just in case we have any left over/while we're waiting for buyers.
Sakuya types would be nice, but I despair of actually getting one.
That's more reasonable than the image I had in my head of a blob trying to mop the floor with a rag, though I still question whether it's worth it. There won't be enough things falling on the floor for a dedicated trash picker to be needed, not to mention whatever that needs to be picked up can be handled by whomever gets to mop up in the end.
Generally though, Marisas are often portrayed as using their hats to store things.
Hmm, yeah.
They'd be good at getting stuff under tables that would normally make somebody crawl under the table, though.
Am I the only one who think letting blob yukkuri walk freely during the job is a bad idea? I think it's goona scare even non-haters.
Right, but can you imagine the kind of training that they'd need before they'd be willing to do that kind of thing? You'd need either a yukkuri with a good personality and some intelligence so that it's willing to listen to you or a yukkuri tough enough to endure the 'beat it into submission' routine without going crazy or dead or so maimed that it's useless.
And even then, it's still cheaper to train one of the bodied yukkuri to use a mop. If your restaurant layout and equipment results in no one being able to reach under your tables to clean them, you're probably doing it wrong.
Heck, it's probably best to eliminate dust-catching spaces whenever possible when designing layouts.
I'd be more worried about getting our asses sued because a customer wasn't watching, slipped on a blob, and then hurt himself/herself while on our premises due to our policies.
... Yukkuri aren't scary. Unless you meant it would discourage business, which it probably wouldn't, seeing as we would only let well-behaved yukkuri anywhere near the customers and we already have bodied yukkuri wandering about.
I can't imagine the training could be that bad, given that the job is basically "Pick up all the trash you can and put it over here".
But whatever, if the tables and chairs can't be easily moved then we are indeed likely doing something wrong with the layout.
Using blobs to pick up garbage is inefficient and ineffective compared to using bodied yukkuri. They're about the same when it comes to being taught, but the clean up processes are much harder for blobs. For example, how exactly will blobs be able to dump any garbage that they collect? Any container that is designed to be low enough for them to reach will be too small to be useful as a garbage container. Keep in mind that blobs hit about basketball size or a little bigger and that they probably don't have either the strength or the dexterity to dump a load of trash reliably over a barrier that comes up to their eyes.
>> Kahi 2012/02/24(Fri)22:15 No. 40156
File 133012175395.jpg - (273.35KB , 552x386 , Touhou_yukkuri_Reimu____by_kutaraa.jpg ) [iqdb]
..... You're starting to feel a little guilty, now. You probably didn't need to be so abrupt about doing things. You could definitely have explained what you were doing, and why. Or at least asked how they felt about the idea, even if they really didn't have a choice in the matter when it came down to it.
Maybe you should apologize, or do something to make up for it. You make a quick detour to the kitchen first, though.
Marisa cringes as you approach, and Reimu just continues to sulk in a corner. The children don't seem to thoroughly grasp anything more than that you've upset the parents somehow, but seem somewhat hostile because of it anyway. Except for the premature ones, at least, which don't seem to register that anything is wrong at all.
"Hey, relax. I'm done." You say. "I should have explained properly before, I guess. But you're going to be having some babies for me now. I won't make you take care of them, alright?"
Marisa scowls, and you continue quickly.
"And it may have been awkward, but you'd rather it have been done that way than... well, by refreshing directly, right?" You point out.
Marisa goes a little white at the thought, and you think you can hear Reimu gagging a little as she shudders.
"Well, there you have it." You say, pulling a couple pieces of candy out and displaying them. Their attention seems caught by the sugary treats, even as Reimu peers suspiciously out of her corner at them. "And anyway, once you've had the babies, I'll be giving you a treat. Yummy sweets..."
"... Sweet-sweets?" Marisa says, seeming deeply suspicious of the little bits of sugar. "Not Mister's trick?"
You pop one into your mouth as a demonstration of it being the real thing.
"Delicious sweets." You say around it, mouth filling with overly sugary artificial flavor. "After you've made these babies for me. All right?"
They both still seem upset and bitter about the situation, but the prospect of sweets seems encouraging to them. They probably won't take their frustration out on the infants, 'accidentally'. Still, you'd better be sure. Wouldn't do for them to waste this effort and make you have to try again.
"These babies are important." You continue. "If anything.... happens to them before I get them, well. I'd be really unhappy about that. You understand, Marisa?" You say, warningly.
She shudders, and you nod, leaving them to get over it on their own as you turn your attention to other things. You'll probably want to leave at least twenty minutes early, to get there on time, but your first appointment isn't until one. It won't be an issue.
A quick conference with the girls shows that the only notable thing they've seen the crib yukkuri teaching was when Marisa showed the smaller Marisa how there was room in their hats to keep things for later. Aside from Chen noticing that, none of the three have seen either of the parents teach their young anything special. It could be from lack of opportunity or reason, though... there's not much to learn to do, or need to learn about, inside of the crib with all of their needs taken care of, after all.
Anyway, some time yet to either fill productively or fritter away, and Frank just started groaning and sat up to rub at his head, on the couch.
[x] Kick Frank awake. He needs to know what you're doing that is not involved with the Demon Queen (besides the contest).
[x] Waste time.
[x] Congratulate Frank on managing to get up before noon.
-[x] Fill him in on the Demon Queen dream and how you found an extra ticket.
[x] Look up what Marisas and Reimus teach their kids. They're the most common, so there should be some info somewhere.
[x] Look up Nitoris.
[x] Consider the suitability of blobs for:
[x] Play some STGs.
Roughly in order of what I'd like to get done before we have to leave. None of this is particularly important, but it can't hurt.
Trapping/Extermination business.
As per the old Istanbul firefighters, we occasionaly release large amounts of yukkuri into the city when our cash flows are low.
That trick predates Istanbul by centuries at the least.
Besides, do you really think we're going to need to release more yukkuri into the City considering their insane birth rates?
On the other hand, if this option lets us keep Meiling/Flandres kill-teams, I will vote for it whenever it comes up.
Releasing Yukkuri in the wild is only if work is slow.
It is unlikely we would have to do it often - yukkuri are far more common than fires.
Obviously there are some yukkuri that are not suited for this kind of work and can be used in the cafe or to help raise wild yukkuri we have caught.
Yukkuri breed fast enough that we'll never need to bother releasing them.
As for what yukkuri to use on extermination teams, it depends on what we're hunting. If it's urban strays, any team composed solely of combat-oriented yukkuri should suffice - Youmus, Sakuyas, and Meilings should all suffice. Even Suikas should be able to do the work, assuming that you can somehow reach past their drunkenness.
Bigger wild yukkuri social groups and dosu-yukkuri'll need something with a lot more coordination and dedicated yukkuri-killing power. For example, if you're trying to hunt a Marisa dosu-yukkuri, you'd want human backup with some serious firepower. But if you're forced to rely on a purely yukkuri force, you'll want fast flyers like Ayas to make them waste their shots and then a Flandre/Remilia swarm to whittle them to death. Alternatively, if you have intelligent bodied yukkuri, you might also be able to teach them to bomb dosu-yukkuri with something containing capsaicin.
You'd also need yukkuri to find yukkuri in the wild - Chens, Momijis, and Ayas would all work for scouting and reconaissance. The first two would be especially good for flushing out yukkuri nests and clearing out ko-yukkuri.
Stay focused, Anon. We decided we'd be running a cafe, and that's what we got the loan from the mob for. While I'm sure planning the perfect yukkuri extermination team is quite fun, it's utterly useless to us.
Meh, it's fun to speculate. Besides, sunk costs should not be used in the decision-making process.
true, if we somehow pay off our loan, we might be able to siphon extra spending costs not used to maintain our cafe to other yukkuri interests.
Whilst sunk costs should not be used to make decisions, we did inform the mafia that we would be making a cafe. So we should, if only to show that we are reliable.
However whilst that may make a reliable revenue stream (especially since we won't have to pay wages), it is unlikely to pay enough money to win the competition.
I'd suggest that once we get the cafe up and running we start work on our trapping/extermination business.
In some respects our previous ideas with hunting and capturing wild yukkuri will help with this.
x] Congratulate Frank on managing to get up before noon.
[x] Go to the factor and ask Old Sam abut how to train Reimu and Marisa
[x] Research into the existing pest control industry in the city
[x] Take Reimu A with you
It would also be an idea to see if we can train a blob Yukkuri to have a very good memory.
[x] Consider diversifying, then remember how likely that is to work out.
[x] Remind self how well cafe-type stores tend to do in the city, or look it up if you don't know.
Don't think we should call Sam over and over. Only should do that if a web search doesn't either tell us enough stuff we think that's all or outright let us know there's nothing special.
Wait what's the point of this trapping and extermination business? Aren't they already taken care of by the city as a social service. And if we're trapping yukkuri to sell, isn't that mostly taken care of by the Factory considering they are supposed to arguably have every yukkuri that are already trained?
Supplementary income.
I'd assume that the City also has cafes.
Ah, so like a side exterminator business?
I'd think the best approach is to come up with a side business that combines yukkuri extermination and yukkuri capture/breeding. I'd recommend trying to create a 'natural' solution to the yukkuri stray problem (using predator yukkuri) for our local are and then seeing if we can use that to leap for a contract with the City. Furthermore, any time that we hit a large gathering of yukkuri, we pick up and sell anything that's profitable (Patchoulis, Chens, Alices, etc.) and keep anything that's rare so we can add it to our collection.
Ideally, at some point we'll be able to talk the City into paying us to run hunting trips to prevent wild yukkuri incursions while letting Frank handle most of the day-to-day business of the cafe. I'm also curious if we might be able to run the cafe as something a little bit different in the evening hours - though I'm not quite sure what. Live music by human musicians or some kind of live entertainment using yukkuri might be something to look into.
Even if the Factory holds what amounts to a stranglehold on the yukkuri market, we can still fill in niches that they do not occupy. We might take a hit on the prices that we can charge, or we can take the time and try to train our stock to be better than what's offered by the Factory. A higher end product if you will.
Besides, I think we can actually train both Frank and our yukkuri so that the cafe can more-or-less run itself without much need for intervention from us.
It's of course only if we want to win the competition.
A cafe will not win the competition - though hopefully it will pay back our debts.
It does give us a reliable money stream to use in more profitable ventures.
This kind of venture is something we should seriously look at.
One of the reasons that I like the idea of starting a yukkuri hunting/extermination side-business is that it doesn't need much start-up capital - the easiest runs literally need nothing more than a stick if you don't want to get bean paste on your hand and maybe our Chen to smell them out.
I wonder if house yukkuri exist in this setting? For those who aren't familiar with the concept, house yukkuri are tiny, bite-sized yukkuri who have adapted to live inside human households. Bottle Reimu could come in pretty handy for finding those behind bookshelves and underneath couches.
On the contrary, a cafe may very well win us the competition, if it's gimmick is popular enough. One spot probably won't be enough, but we can always expand.
You could literally apply that argument to any business. Although the City's demand and supply of goods and services are different from the the real world, there are enough similarities that real world figures should still be able to provide some guidance.
Based on Canadian figures, the average net profit margin for restaurants is 4.4%; that's 4.4 cents out of each dollar in revenue that is actual profit rather than expense. You're going to need a lot of volume, volume that we probably can't get because we're a niche business.
We still have to pay off our debts.
In the real world most cafes tend to barely break even - with the average cafes out of business within a few years.
I've always been a bit interested in fitness coaches because they have unusually high profit margins compared to other small businesses because of their low asset requirements. It's a shame that we have no experience training yukkuri because I think a lot of the same factors should apply to pet trainers.
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"Congratulations." You say, dryly. "It isn't quite noon yet, and you're already crawling out of your hibernation."
"No need to be so sarcastic about it, Johnny." Frank says, yawning.
"Well. Since you are up, I should let you know: I've been invited to some bonus game thing, and I don't seem to have a choice about it, if the dream I had last night wasn't just a bizarre dream..."
Frank blinks slowly as you explain.
".... Sounds to me like you had too much of the good stuff." He says seriously, once you're done.
"Well, yeah, but... I think it was real."
"Sure, Johnny. The Demon Queen talked to you, personally, in your dreams to vaguely answer your single question, which you blew, setting seeds in your head for this weird experiment, and arranging for this offer you can't refuse." He says, dubiousness clear in his tone. "Yeesh. If it was real, I can't believe you wasted your question like that, Johnny. Whaaat and idiot, huh?"
"Yeah? Well, what would you have asked, then?" You grouse.
Frank coughs, then points theatrically.
"Demon Queen!" He declares solemnly. "How do I get into your pants?"
"... You're kidding."
"No, seriously. You can't really think there's any better question than that, can you? For an immortal evil dictator queen that can probably crush you like an ant without even thinking really hard about it, she is smoking hot." Frank says, seeming to be at least partially serious about this. "I think you might have lost a man point, here."
"ugh. Whatever." You grumble. "Anyway, I'll be heading out for that thing, this evening, so you'll be stuck here until whenever I get back from it. Also, I found another ticket. About this far below your ass." You say, measuring a span of distance with your hands.
"What." He says flatly.
"For whatever reason, there was a ticket on the floor beneath the couch." You explain.
".... Huh." is all Frank seems to have to say on the matter. Then a loud noise erupts from his midsection and he lurches to his feet to find something to feed himself with.
For your part, you turn to research. The only really new thing you find, about Marisa and Reimu instruction, is a point where someone links a video of a parent teachin its children how to float on it hat across a shallow, ornamental pool... Actually, they should be too heavy for that, shouldn't they? Especially as adults... and the hat should soak through and sink, how does that even....
You mentally chalk it up to 'belief'.
You can't really find anything in particular that Reimu teach their young at all, though. Well, no matter. You turn instead towards breed research.
You've already looked up Patchouli, you think, but you go ahead and look some more. After a bit, you find some assertations that, given occult books and paraphenelia, they can do 'supernatural' things. These assertions are met with either scorn, or the counterpoint that they are living masses of sweets and therefore anything they choose to do is, in point of fact, supernatural.
Nitori seem to be aquatic hunters, interestingly enough, seeming to not be prey at all to the yukkuri weakness to water, and rather cunning, as there's documentations showing that they make traps to ensnare and kill their prey or pull them into the water with them, rather than trying to outmatch them directly. Not neccessarily smart, of course, as it seems they often trigger their own traps, or err in building them and die in accidents, but more clever than would be expected. It seems tame ones prefer to play with legos and tinkertoys, that sort of thing...
Well, nothing seems to jump out immediately as useful for your purposes, anyway. In the meantime, though, you think about blobs again. Can't really say they'd be more useful in cleaning a floor than a broom or mop would, and probably less so, to be honest. As security watchers go... well, Hatate might work out. You can all to easily see them ignoring a lone person with a knife across the street in favor of eying a young couple sharing a romantic moment on a park bench, if the situation arises, though.
It's time to go, though. You grab the Reimu-1 along the way, ignoring the way she starts and shivers in your hand after you pick her up, and head off.
It's a quick walk to the location, so you get there a couple minutes early. A suited man with a wispy mustache and beard is waiting outside for you, and unlocks the door to show you in. Immediately inside is a counter, behind which a barista could stand while making drinks or tending to the cash register. Past that, there is a smallish area where tables and chairs can be set out, with a large window looking out onto the sidewalk and the buildings on the other side of the roads. There's a swinging panel to get behind the bar, and behind there a door to a small back room, seeming to combine storage and a place to work books. A door through there leads out the back, where deliveries can be made and shuttled inside to the back room without disturbing any customers that may be there.
There doesn't seem to be any equipment or furniture in the area, and the interior is sort of dusty. As well, there are no restroom facilities at all. The man does note, though, that reasonable number of the people passing through would be in too big of a hurry to sit down or use a restroom in any case, so there was that. People that weren't in that big of a hurry, or needed to use the facilities, would likely go elsewhere though, you conclude.
It would take some dusting up and time to move the equipment in, the man says, but that shouldn't last longer than a day or two and you can start right after signing a rental agreement, and be in business shortly thereafter.
[x] Ask about what kind of people usually passes around, and what was the last business in the place.
[x] You will think about it, and call him later if you decide to rent the place.
Now somebody explain to me why did we take Reimu-1 instead of a yukkuri that will work/move around the place?
[x] If the ceiling is paneled, get the dude's permission and lift one up, then have Reimu-1 check it out.
[x] Ask what the last business in the place was.
[x] Thank him for his time. You're still weighing options, but you'll get in touch with him if you decide to rent.
We already know what kind of people pass by - business people in hurries.
Also, we brought Reimu-1 because it was small and follows orders. I'm not really sure what you mean by "work/move about the place".
[x] If time permits, look around and see how many competitors (other cafes, restaurants, etc.) are around in a reasonable distance.
A place without a restroom doesn't seem like I'd like to work there, specially since the shifts until we get outside help (if any) would be about 12~18 hours straight, or 50-50 with Frank's help, workable but a little unconfortable. Besides, making people to buy there to use the facilities is an honored tradition of food stablishments.
In general the place seems good for a franchise or an express-cafe but not so much for HQ.
Reimu-1 is here in case we need to look closely on something we can't move or fit.
>"Demon Queen!" He declares solemnly. "How do I get into your pants?"
And this is why I like Frank so much, needed to stop reading till I finished laughing.
If we had voted better we could have asked what Frank wanted. Alas.
Frank has his priorities right. Too bad.
Almost happened, but the votes leading to that were discarded and the picked choice didn't include it. Oh well, maybe next time, if such opportunity arises again.
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A quick glance up confirms that the ceiling is made up of long, wide boards that seem to be screwed into place, beneath the dusty and faded coat of paint. There'll be no simple lifting those up, or for that matter, prying them down. It looks like there'll be no real inspection of whatever mysteries lie in the space between the ceiling and the roof here, today.
"So the main clientele of this area is rushed businesspeople, you said?" You ask.
"Yes indeed. Always in a hurry to get to meetings and sell stocks on time... well. You'll understand, but it's more like gambling on the stock exchanges. Since they don't actually buy stock in many places... there aren't so many in the City itself, and they can't purchase stock from Outside, after all." The man says. "What really happens is that they put money against an imaginary stock the Demon Queen holds, and then watch to see what the real prices do. Money values change as a stock price rises or falls, of course, so the only real difference is that they don't actually buy or sell anything with these transactions."
"Sounds complicated." You say. And really, pretty boring, you don't.
"No more than normal stock trading Outside, one assumes."
"In any case... if I may ask, what was the last business to run here?" You ask?
"Ah... it was a small cafe, actually. Run by a pleasant older fellow. Well, before his health deteriorated." The man explains. "It seems like it was more of a personal hobby for him than anything else, to be honest, when he could still run it. That was a year or two back, you understand. Shut down once he realized he couldn't really run it on his own any more. He had a nice amount of savings built up, though, and the last I heard of him he was talking about how he'd placed an order for an exotic pet he'd wanted for a long time, since it seemed like he wasn't going to have much time left to spend with that sort of thing."
The man shrugged.
"And then it seems it was barely any time later that I heard he'd passed on. Quite a shame, I would certainly have guessed that he had another few years left in him, even ill. These things take you by surprise sometimes, though."
You focus on the pertinent details. Previous business: Cafe. Can't say anything about whether it was really profitable, though, if running it was just an old man's hobby to fill time with.
"All right then." You say. "I haven't made any final decisions, but I'll be sure to get in touch with you if I decide to rent this location. For now, I have another appointment to make, so..."
"Of course. Here, I'll lock up behind you." The man says, ushering you out.
There's some time before your next appointment, actually, so you take a quick walk around the area and pick up a blinkety noise-making laser-pointer keychain. It costs you 5M, but it only takes a moment to pick up along the way and you need some sort of prop for that experiment if you don't want to play on the young yukkuri's personal bel...
Beliefs, huh. That's suddenly an awkward phrasing. Misconception is probably better. You brush the whole matter out of your mind and continue on. You're still pretty early, and end up waiting outside for a while before a short, but incredibly muscular looking man arrives, chewing on an expensive cigar. There's no real way to properly describe him, it's something like looking at a shaved gorilla in a suit, you imagine, if you were to put a sack or something over his head. His wrists, at your best guess, are as big around as your knees.
The fanciful thought strikes you that the phrase 'trust them as far as I can throw them' means very little to this man, as you suspect he could throw you very far.
"Johnny." The man says, not bothering to take his unlit cigar out to greet you. "Good to see you're here on time, lad. Let's have a peek inside."
The inside is, of course, somewhat dusty. Coming in directly from a set of swinging double-doors, set directly against a wide window facing the park, there's a counter facing away, towards the far end of the store. It looks to be set up to accept tubs of ice cream at the moment, with some sort of mechanical apparatus to keep the frosty treat chilled. The device seems to be very much broken. Facing away from the counter, across a vast and empty space for chairs and tables and such to later occupy, there are a pair of fairly large restrooms for customer use. Past another door behind the counter is a staff restroom, which is comparatively significantly smaller, but still perfectly servicable. Beyond that is a set of rear-doors and a walk-in freezer that seems to have been built into the structure of the building itself, but fairly clearly does not work at all. It should still be servicable for storage, however, and there are a few shelves lining the walls inside. Once again, a quick glance or two upward fail to reveal any immediate way to access whatever space might be between the ceiling and the roof.
>> sage Kahi 2012/02/27(Mon)21:27 No. 40208
Presume I mentioned somewhere around the walking around bit something about 'a couple other coffee-shops' in the general area, since I somehow managed to miss that line entirely, despite going ahead and deciding to include it when i started writing.
>last I heard of him he was talking about how he'd placed an order for an exotic pet he'd wanted for a long time, since it seemed like he wasn't going to have much time left to spend with that sort of thing.
Whoa.
Any bets? A rare Yukkuri? A fantastic creature? Chen?
Duly noted, we need to be different than others cafes.
[x] Try to find access to the roof and the space between it and the floor
[x] Ask Frank for people who can repair this stuff and a cleaning crew
Tenshi. Tenshi-A.
Just because this is a story involving yukkuris does not mean everyone wants a yukkuri. Could'va been something really fruity. You know, pretty loopy too.
[x] Ask how strong was the previous business, before the vital equipment broke and te place had to shut down.
[x] Take a look at the installed equipment. If someone were to fix it, you could use it. It doesn't cost anything to ask the man if he knows anyone suitable for repairing it.
[x] Lots of space here for tables and decorations. How about a couple of talbes outside, a few next to the windows, and the aquarium in the mid? Or maybe close to the wall?
[x] You're satisfied. You will call again at a later time.
[x] Start looking ice-cream suppliers. Frank wil have to look for someone who can fix the equiment too. If the previous owner made enough to pay rent, it's a favourable point for selling ice-creams too.
... Could it have been a Yukarin?
Allow me to spell this out more clearly, since the previous mention of Tenshi-A didn't ring any bells: This guy is the guy who paid for a Tenshi from the factory and died before it got delivered, leading to us getting it free with a purchase of two other yukkuri.
Well huh, That makes sense.
So, are we really going to rent the park location?
It seems so. However, now that we've learned the previous owner of the city location made enough money to retire and custom order a Tenshi, I am having second thoughts about the place. Business people tend to drink coffee at the same place everyday, so we are sure to have customers there, but the the park location has almost all kinds of people.
>Can't say anything about whether it was really profitable, though, if running it was just an old man's hobby to fill time with.
Additionally, we know the previous business was doing great before it shut down. We also know the freezer is broken because it one part broke, but the cooling apparatus is worth taking a look at.
[x] Take a look at the installed equipment on the counter. If someone were to fix it, you could use it. It doesn't cost anything to ask the man if he knows anyone suitable for repairing it.
-[x] Until then, you can probably just cover the tubs with something and use it as a counter.
-[x] Also see if you can get the specific name of the part that broke, just in case.
[x] Is the area outside suitable for some tables, or at least a couple flowers and stuff?
[x] Thank him for his time, tell him you're probably going to start rent as soon as you have the waitresses trained.
[x] Ask somebody on the street about graphic designers.
[x] Start looking ice-cream suppliers. You will have to look for someone who can fix the equiment too, if the owner doesn't know anybody. If the previous owner made enough to pay rent, it's a favourable point for selling ice-creams too.
Yeah, but we're not opening another ice-cream shop, we're opening a cafe. I think that opening another ice-cream shop might be a better idea than a cafe. People were used to the place, and will definetly attract some of it's old customers back.
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You inspect the... ice-cream coolery, tub-holding machine... thing.
Yes. Yeeesss... Yes. Yes, that is definitely a mechanical apparatus of some sort. You can tell that much at a glance. Just as obviously, aside from being a little smashed up, it seems to have been taken at least partially apart, deliberately, in order to have a number of the internal workings removed. You guess that the previous owner removed them to pawn once it became obvious that failure in this enterprise was not just suddenly knocking at his door but sauntering through his hallway in muddy shoes and seating itself at his table to help itself to dinner.
Or someone snuck in to loot what little of value remained in the place, at some point. That was also a possibility.
Well, there doesn't seem to be anything stopping you from just putting a nice looking board over the top until whatever time you decide to have it fixed. If you do that.
"Do you know anyone that can fix this thing?" You ask.
The man shrugs disinterestedly in response.
"I'm sure it can be done, lad, but I wouldn't know who to ask. Or what to ask for." He says, rolling the cigar over to the other side of his mouth before he resumes chewing at the end.
"Do you remember if the last person to rent here said anything about fixing the big freezer?" You pry again, hopefully.
Another shrug answers you.
"Didn't mix much." He said idly. "The fellow paid his rent on time. To be frank, lad, that's all I really cared about."
"So if I were to ask how well his business generally did...?" You say, hesitantly.
"Couldn't tell you. Think I stopped by all of twice... no, it was three times, the whole time the fellow was renting. Seemed to be selling well enough, didn't ask if business was always like that." He replies.
Wonderful. You step back from the machinery and nod.
"Well, thank you for your time." You say. "I'm not sure whether or not to rent this location, but I should reach a decision fairly soon."
"Yes, yes, not going to rush you lad. Location's an important decision. Just keep you in mind, though, I'm still willing to rent to others if they come willing to pay the full price, and if they get to me before you've made up your mind..."
"Yes, I understand." You say as he shows you out, locking up behind.
You make a quick stop for name-tags on your way back to the apartment, now that you don't have another meeting to reach for a little while. Sundown doesn't happen until a little after six, after all. Another six money spent for a pack of fifty tags... well, it's only eleven you've spent today in total, so not too bad. The silent Reimu perches on your shoulder as you carry it back to the apartment, trembling having ceased at some point in the excursion.
Frank is casually surfing the internet on the laptop when you return, blithely ignoring Suika, who has perched on the bridge of his nose and is repeatedly slamming her miniscule forehead into his own. Just sort of... tuning it out, as his eyes focus past her, on the screen.
You aren't entirely sure you want to know all the details of the situation, but the spectacle gives you a little pause.
[x] Frank, you've got something on your face.
[x] Suika-A's still young, so it might just be her youthful exuberance, but you might want to talk to Tenshi-A about teaching her not to be so rambunctious. Since the Tenshis presumably enjoy it when she's like this, perhaps she's getting the wrong idea. Also speak to Chen-A if parental direction is needed.
[x] Experiment on a likely-looking infant Chen.
-[x] Keep an eye on it in case it goes cannibal to get the nutrients for its belief-fueled growth.
[x] See how everybody is doing in their studies.
[x] Peek in on the crib.
No, no, to the right. YOUR right. Too far... Here, I'll get it.
[x] Experiment the belief stuff on Tenshi-5.
[x] See how the alpha yukkuri are doing, specially Alice.
-[x] Anything interesting today?
[x] See how the alpha yukkuri are doing.
So, the freezer is a dead end for now.
[x] Go out and look for an artist.
I don't really care either way, but we told Tenshi-5 we weren't its father just earlier today. Also, the use of the keychain renders any human or nonhuman parentage irrelevant.
I just love Suika so much.
[x] Frank, where would you go if we, by chance, needed a repairman and a cleaning crew?
[x] Pet shoulder Reimu and Shanghai
>Also, the use of the keychain renders any human or nonhuman parentage irrelevant.
Not really. For all we know, that might actually help us more than the keychain. It was also cheaper.
>Anonymous 12/02/29(Wed)04:25 No. 40234
How did you manage to fail copy+pastingg?
Geez, that's embarassing.
We already bought the keychain. And we /just/ told Tenshi-5 we weren't its father, so if we did experiment on it, we'd use the keychain on it.
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"Frank, uh. You've got a little... something, there." You say vaguely, waving in his direction.
"What, seriously?" he says, not seeming perfectly serious. "Oh, right. Think she'll just wander off if I ignore her long enough."
"Really." You say flatly.
"Eh. Seems like she got bored of the girls either 'running away' or 'enjoying it and not fighting back'." He continues, outlining the situation. "Pretty sure she'll get bored of just being ignored, too."
"Sure. And what'll she do then? Whetever, never mind, I'll just..."
You reach over and pluck Suika off of his face, lifting by the back of her shirt. She sqeals in delight and swipes around a little before figuring out that she can't really bend in any way that will allow her to get at you. Once she picks up on this, she goes limp and relaxed, just dangling cheerily from your fingertips, waiting for an opportunity to arrive.
She doesn't weigh much, but it's still a little annoying to hold her like this. You shift your hand, and grip her whole body more easily in your palm. Suika considers this, straining a little, but again fails to struggle free. Can't muscle your hand open, can't tilt her head nearly far enough to even brush you with her horns, she's good and stuck. She seems to readily accept this, and decide that here and now is the best place for a nap.
You watch cautiously as she starts to snore in your hand. Looks like 'playtime' just ended.
"Suika wants to play and be played with back." Tenshi confirms, in explanation. "Tenshi don't have as much fun playing as being played with, though. And Tenshi is too busy with Tenshi to play with Suika all the time and keep Tenshi from hurting themselves too much."
"Yeah... I guess that would be a problem." you admit.
"Tenshi figured out how to close doors on themselves." She says, seeming both vexed and amused, with a tiny smidgen of pride at her progeny's ingenuity.
You shake your head and leave Suika to sleep on one of the soft lumps of bedding. Hm.... Hatate is napping, as is Chen. You don't see any real reason to rouse those two. Alice is watching the smaller Alice and Shanghai play, though, the second clinging onto the back of the first's head as they run around the room. You should probably pay a little more attention to her anyway, you decide.
"Alice. I'll be heading off again later, so I might not be back until... late. Probably after you're asleep." You say, careful not to let your voice carry to Frank's waiting ears. "You'll be fine, right? Frank will be here if you need help with anything."
"Some things, Alice doesn't want help from Frank." She says pointedly, though matching your soft tone. Then sighs.
"No, I didn't mean like that." You deny. "Just, if all the children start acting up, or if you need help getting food for some reason, or... well, that sort of thing. For the other stuff... well, you'll be fine, right?"
"Alice won't go wrong in the head from one night of just-sleep alone. Need isn't that high yet." She says, answering your subtle question. "Alice will be fine... Master will be back soon?"
"Yes, I'll be back. I don't know how long this thing will take, but I'll come back after it's done." You assure her, before leaving her to minding the children and moving along.
You're more quiet as you peek into the crib. You want to check on them, sure, but you don't want them to see you right now. Not until they've cooled off some more, anyway. In any case, the parents in the crib are already swelling out somewhat, even in their quiet and sullen funks, a contrast to the others, who you haven't noticed yet to be increasing with the size of the infants to come. Overall, you guess the births will be happening sometime in the early morning across the board, though you can't really determine for sure exactly when this will be. Depending on how late you get back, it could be a... fun experience.
No matter. You have things to do. Curiosity to assuage. You bought this keychain for a reason, after all.
There's another idea that's been floating around in your head for a while, though, and it'll take a little effort, but there's no reason you can't do both. And you can start with this... actually, even all the denial you've been doing might help out, if you come at it the right way.
"I'll tell you again, you aren't my child." You say sternly to the young, roughly knee-height Tenshi. Predictably enough, her face takes on a stubborn cast. She's really not dropping this idea, even if she doesn't bring it up any more. Well, that could work out well enough.
"You aren't. It's impossible." You say, making sure to speak clearly, to be sure she understands every word you say and doesn't miss anything. "If you were, after all, then you would be growing faster."
A startled look crosses her face at the new addition to flat, categoric denials and reasonable proof, only to shift into puzzled suspicion.
"If...?" She says slowly, brow creasing.
"Yes. If you were, you would be growing faster than the rest of your sisters. You would grow to be as tall as me, before you stopped. It's how I would know." You say, making sure to speak clearly, though quietly. You want this to get across, after all.
A few long moments pass as she mulls this over, seeming to think as deeply as she's capable of over it.
"Then... if Tenshi was growing faster... then...?" She says slowly, seeming to be uncertainly testing the words.
"Doesn't matter." You reply. "You're only growing as fast as your sisters, after all, and you won't grow any faster than them."
The stubborn look is back in full force. Unlike before, you're pretty sure this is a good thing, now. Possibly turning that thick-skulled bone-headedness over this to your advantage, a little. Or, even if nothing changes, possibly finally pushing her into giving up the idea.
You catch something out of the corner of your eye, but when you look it's just the little Alice and Shanghai, still playing. Not really important.
There's too much of those "catch something out of the corner of your eye"...
I think wannabe Yog-Sothoth in a dress is keeping eye on us ~~~
Vote later.
Paranoia mode: ON
[x] Something is watching you, but disappearing when you turn around. Find a way to trick 'it'
[x] Write the new nametags and make a note of giving them to their respective owners when they're avaiable
As always, I wait for someone to keep adding stuff (that trick with the stubborn Tenshi was really good) Maybe something to calm Reimu 1 down?
So we just learnt recently that yukkuri are basically living 'belief'. And we just drove home the point that if this Tenshi was 'our child' then she'd grow to be as tall as us...
Hopefully I'm not the only one who see's a potential problem with this.
Tenshi's gonna be tall? And creep people out insisting she's our adorable daughter?
Oh the amusement i would get from this...
I believe that's the point.
Also, only 'wannabe'?
That Tenshi is already my favourite
[x] Tell Frank you need to find ice-cream suppliers. And a new, smaller freezer, if not fixing that big one.
[x] Ask Alice about the accessories. You know they can undress (quite eagerly) but are they fine with removing their precious hats? Or wear something different?
[x] So, how's everyone doing right now? Missed something important?
[x] Boredom/nothing to do? You could always go see that Chad guy and check a competitor.
What do you guys got the keychain for anyway? Shouldn't you use it, now that you have free time?
You can write something in yourself, you know?
I never wanted to waste money with it, and can't see any good/useful utility for it.
>[x] Write the new nametags and make a note of giving them to their respective owners when they're avaiable
>respective owners when they're avaiable
Do you mean the babies still unborn? How is that going to work, if we don't know how many will come?
[x] Watch Alice and Shangai from distance for a bit.
[x] Something is watching you, but disappearing when you turn around. Make it clear you know you're being stalked by something next time it happens.
We can't really trick Yukari if it's her the one peeping on John (again), so just making sure she knows John half-knows/thinks might be better. There is also the possibility that it's indeed something wierd bout that Alice. It's the second time now that this happens, no? The first time being right after the orgy with Alice and Tenshi alphas.
[x] Watch Alice-1 and Shangai-A from distance for a bit.
[x] Glance in the mirror just in case something is following you.
[x] Find ice-cream suppliers.
[x] Get the lowdown on the Reimus' and Marisas' educational progress so you know how much to feed them.
[x] What do people do when they have a pet Alice and don't want to refresh them themselves? Surely there's some sort of commercial refreshing apparatus? Also get the pricing on dildos.
[x] Go out and find artists.
Sam already said they'd be willing to wear uniforms, I believe. Also, having them wear their natural uniform gives a much more authentic yukkuri experience.
We can fix the freezer by keeping Cirnos in cages, and we already told him to look for that.
On a completely unrelated note, I propose we call the first bodied yukkuri of a type which which has a blob alpha a beta. For example, Hatate-B.
There has to be /something/ out there for blob forms, at least.
>Also get the pricing on dildos.
Why are you so determined on wasting money? Dildos won't solve the "problem" (it's not a real problem, only you fags think like that), and John has an all natural, free way of satisfying her.
If the scenes you're worried about, that's already dealt with throught spoiler tags and, as seen last time, it can be glossed over.
-[x] Glance in the mirror just in case something is following you.
What is the artist part for?
So you'd be fine with a solution that didn't spend any money?
And yes, it is, or at least could conceivably be, an objective problem. Why? Consider a cafe where monkeys have been trained to deliver meals. It then becomes widely known that the owner engages in intercourse with some of the monkeys. Surely the patronage of the cafe will go down. That's beside the chance of blackmail.
Anyway, I can live with yukkuri sex, as long as it's for business purposes. I agree that having it glossed over is good, as it means the yukkuri love guys can imagine long foreplay scenes with pastry blobs, and I can imagine businesslike conduct. It's just that even glossed over, it still happens, and so the more removed we are from the process, the better public opinion will be of us if it ever gets out.
And the artist part is because we need a logo. We should also find a signmaker at some point.
>only you fags think like that
I'd appreciate it if you refrained from name-calling. Such gets in the way of a reasonable discussion.
[x] Something is probably watching you, but disappearing when you turn around. Make it clear you know you're being stalked by something next time it happens.
[x] Boredom/nothing to do and still plenty of time? You could always go see that Chad guy and check a competitor.
There's already about 3 failed plans for a "John substitute" since we learned about "the need", drop it already guys.
Also, are we ever gonna use the "growth ray" (keychain)? Not today because we have already started an experiment and might contaminate the baseline in case the Chen starts talking about it, and that would mess everything up.
>And yes, it is, or at least could conceivably be, an objective problem. Why? Consider a cafe where monkeys have been trained to deliver meals. It then becomes widely known that the owner engages in intercourse with some of the monkeys. Surely the patronage of the cafe will go down. That's beside the chance of blackmail.
Except Yukkuri sex is accepted by the population of the city.
Bestiality is not accepted anywhere.
In todays terms it would be closer to people finding out that a cafe was owned by a homosexual.
Also you should grow a thicker skin. Fag isn't really an insult on the internet.
>Except Yukkuri sex is accepted by the population of the city.
I'm sorry, I must have missed this. Would you mind pointing me to the post where it says this? I know Frank said he didn't care, but the population of the city at large I'm afraid I can't recall.
Also, I haven't met anybody who's outright stated they would do this, as it's not really the sort of thing one says unless they're really set in their beliefs, but I would wager that even today, an appreciable amount of people, perhaps 1%-5%, wouldn't patronize an establishment owned by a homosexual. Probably more if you're in the Bible Belt.
And regardless of where 'fag' falls on the internet insult scale, it is still an expression of ill will, and not really called for by people with differing opinions/ideas from yours.
The bit where the Facotry sells sex trained yukkuri to everyone they think is vulnerable to seduction attempts i.e. virgins.
Sure, it might not be the most popular pastime, but people have to have noticed by now.
Reading between the lines of effectively the whole story it is implied that Yukkuri sex is a part of the city's society.
For instance the existance of readily avaliable Yukkuri sex toys. Not to mention that our father is implied to have had a relationship with his Chen.
It is certainly far more accepted in the city than bestiality is in modern society.
I can't say I see that as adequate proof. There are plenty of things people are aware of yet disapprove of. For example, prostitution back before it was made illegal in the 1910s. Your dates may differ if you're not located in America.
Regardless, this is an easily settled matter.
>>40255, please add
[x] Remind self of the prevailing attitude in the City towards refreshing with yukkuris, any notable other attitudes, and their potential effects on business.
Is this acceptable?
A part, sure. What I was expressing doubt about was the accepted part.
By the way, although the evidence for yukkuri sex being a part of City life is indeed spread out through the story, I hesitate to say 'whole story', because the way you worded that makes it sound like you think this entire story is about yukkuri sex. That's just my opinion, but I started to respond to you in tune with that interpretation, so I figured it was worth mentioning.
English isn't my first language so I wasn't sure of the best word to use in that instance. I also wasn't sure about use 'whole' but couldn't think of a better word.
You guys really like to argue, don't you?
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You continue watching, idly and out of the corner of your eye, even as you think about it. It does seem a little suspicious, on reflection. There's been three times you've thought you saw something... you're pretty sure the first one was just catching Hatate coming to or going from her nest, given things.
The second or third time, however, were inside the apartment. During an intimate moment, and just now, running an experiment in reverse psychology and belief.
You mull this over, carefully watching for a few minutes even while you try to give off the appearance that you aren't. This bears fruit, as it only takes a little while to figure out that Shanghai is doing exactly the same thing, just in reverse, and quickly goes back to normal whenever you focus fully on her, or aren't watching out of a mirror's reflection.
.... Why is Shanghai spying on you, though? You don't really get what the point is. And more importantly, first, you're pretty sure it was her peeking and listening in on you that you noticed just now, which brings up uncertainty as to whether she might have been spying on you the other time, too. Second, if Shanghai was listening in on your conversation, such as it was, for whatever reasoning, and was close enough to hear it.... then so was that Alice. And thinking back, you're pretty sure that she, at least, had a similar misconception regarding parentage as the Tenshi did.
Well, it'll probably be fine. Either you get a bigger Alice, faster, or the idea will be brushed aside entirely, as far as you can tell.
Back to other matters, you have no idea where to look for ice-cream suppliers, so that's something you can pile on Frank, and have him take care of. He probably knows someone who does that, or failing that, someone who knows someone who does. Moving along, you question hats and headgear. You've seen them in very... very little indeed, yes, but you don't think you've ever noticed Alice voluntarily removing her headband, or Tenshi or Chen their hats.
It's not impossible, it seems, and Alice briefly demonstrates before very quickly putting it back. They just prefer to leave them on, since not wearing the things is... something like being more naked than nudity, or something. The explanation doesn't really make a lot of sense, but it gets across that these things are Important to them.
Well, a quick check shows that you don't seem to have missed anything, all occupants of the apartment are continuing as per normal. Nothing important you might have missed that you can think of, really. You might want to use the laptop, to be sure, but Frank is in the middle of something with it right now, and you don't really feel it's important enough just yet to take it away from him.
Instead, you step out, alone this time, and wander off to find a competitor. He's actually pretty close by, so the walk is short.
Chad is working out of a store-front partway through repurposing into a sort of pet-shop. Most of the cages and tanks in the front of the store are empty, and Chad himself is wearing a ridiculous costume 'turban' with an obviously-fake plastic piece of jewelry that is supposed to look like a gemstone set in gold. As he's also a more than six foot tall fellow, with dark skin, and he's wearing a florally-patterned t-shirt and blue jeans to set off the absurd headgear, this comes off a little bizarrely.
"WELCOME!" He booms, waving his arms for theatric emphasis. "Mister customer, Welcome to Crazy Chassad's Yukkuri Emporium, the finest location to find the best yukkuri at the lowest prices. Why do I do this, you ask, accepting prices so low as to have nearly no profit in it for myself? That is because I am CRAZY, yes? But you have come for a yukkuri, Chassad knows this, or why else would you be here? You have come at a good time, Customer, for Chassad was preparing to close up and leave for another engagement. BUT. Craaazy Chassad always has the time available to find the Customer what he needs. Yes, Chassad knows what it is you seek."
"Alright then." You say, deciding to humor the man. "What am I interested in."
"Sakuya!" He answers, raising a single finger for emphasis. You nearly swallow your tongue, as the arrow hits dead home. "It is unfortunate! Terribly unfortunate, Customer, for I am afraid I am out of stock. The newborn Sakuya I had in my inventory was, unfortunately, snapped up just yesterday morning, in fact. But Chassad will find something just for you, Customer, and for this unfortunate matter of timing will throw in an entirely complimentary name tag for you."
He stops to consider, then nods.
"Yes, I am not thinking that you are interested in Marisa or Reimu right now, Customer." He says, seriously. "And unfortunately, stock is low right now. But I do have a special deal prepared, just for you! 25M, and I give to you this Rumia yukkuri I have in the back room, owned before only by the old lady to find it in her basement and bring it to me, and the complimentary name tag! For you alone, Customer, I make this offer. Because I am Craaa-zy!"
I like him already.
[X] Buy it.
Holy shit, this guy is awesome.
Unfortunately, Rumia aren't really any good, especially since this one was found in a basement and probably isn't trained. They can spread darkness, but are afraid of it. Their intelligence is ... debatable, we'd probably be better off locating a Remilia for pest control, if we want a predatory type. A wild Remilia would probably be just as easy to train, and given that trained Remilias are available from the factory, it'll probably be easier to find a trained one. Not to mention keeping Sakuyas would be easier if we had a Remilia.
[x] What's a Rumia do?
[x] You'll pass, but would he happen to have any Remilias, preferably trained ones?
[x] Where'd he get the Sakuya? Yukkuri breed quickly, so will he be able to have some more in a few days?
-[x] If that was his only Sakuya, who did he sell it to?
[x] Go back to the apartment, try and find an artist on the way.
[x] Poor Shanghai probably also thinks you're her dad, and now risks growing beyond her normal size! When you get back, say something to fix this, and use the keychain on a Chen. That's what you bought it for.
Well, Rumia's can control darkness, And I'm pretty sure not too many yukkuri are going to stay calm when it suddenly goes from light to dark. Hell, They might even go to sleep. Maybe we can trick wild yukkuri into sleeping and thus being an easy target? I highly doubt it, but still.
Plus, Chen-A(or 1, I dont know)has a good sense of smell, right? Then that'd make them a pretty good team, and we likely arent going to find too many other Rumias.
[x]Buy it.
-[x] Is it a blob or a bodied one? Nevermind, you will take it. More variety, more products to sell.
[x] Ask him species he sells, and if there are bodied ones.
-[x] How should you keep in touch with him, for future business?
-[x] Does he buy yukkuri too?
-[x] When you get home, pet Shangai and Alice-1 affectionately. Tenshi-5 too.
We're aimming to sell bodied yukkuri, aren't we? We can't rely on selling just Tenshis, we need variety.
Also, Rumia is a better pest control than a Remilia, because it won't make a fuss over food. It can control darkness, but it's afraid of it. We can easily teach it to not scare the other yukkuri, and use it as a punishment tool to scare bad yukkuri.
[x] Agree to buy the Rumia - it'll help build a business relationship, grab us another interesting specimen, and 25 M is cheap.
[x] Ask him if he's willing to keep an eye out for other species that you may want.
-[x] If yes, offer to pay him a small amount of money each month in exchange for the option to buy them first. Haggle a bit, but not too much.
-[x] List yukkuri that you may want in the future - Sakuya tops the list, but others might include Patchoulis, Yuukas, Cirnos, Eirins, Kaguyas, and so on and so forth.
SAKUYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
First step for our supplementry Pest Control business
Stop that.
Anyway, you guys do realize that Rumia is a predator, and untrained predators are a silly thing to have around when you've got a bunch of koyukkuri all over the place?
[x] Poor Shanghai probably also thinks you're her dad, and now risks growing beyond her normal size! When you get back, say something to fix this.
-[x] When you get home, pet Shangai and Alice-1 affectionately.
-[x] See the Yukkuri first and evaluate the possibility of predatorial issues.
-- [x] If his deals are CRAZY enough, then would he be crazy enough to give you a cage?
-[x] Evaluate the possibility of using its filling as an ingredient in the cafe.
-[x] Evaluate the possibility of a future yukkuri-extermination venture using the more predatorial sub-species.
-[x] Ask him if he's willing to keep an eye out for other species that you may want.
--[x] If yes, offer to pay him a small amount of money each month in exchange for the option to buy them first. Haggle a bit, but not too much.
Ok, the experiment is already skewed, hell maybe those two already told about it to the other yukkuri and we might get a full batch of human sized yukkuri... somehow I'm fine with this.
So, any ideas in case we get an oversized Shanghai? The only thing I´m thinking is about the oversized doll-sparks and that doesn't help me anything.
>> Kahi 2012/03/03(Sat)03:52 No. 40286
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"I'll take it." You say immediately, without stopping to think. "I mean, uh... What does it do?"
"Ah, Rumia, she can make the light... go away. 'Poof'." He says, stretching his fingers out. "And everything is dark, yes? I bring her out now, she is sleeping."
You start to ask if it's a bodied or blob yukkuri, but he is gone too fast, and on reflection you realize it probably doesn't matter anyway. You'll be buying it no matter which, since one just means it takes a bit longer for bodied yukkuri to be born.
When he returns, it's with an adult-sized blonde blob with a ribbon in its hair. True to his word, there's a name-tag pinned through the ribbon. Payment is made quickly.
"And now-" Chad says, before you stop him.
"I have a couple of questions." You say. "Where did the Sakuya come from? Will you have more in stock soon? Yukkuri breed swiftly, after all."
"Ah, I am afraid, Customer, that my stock is dependent heavily on what I locate myself, or what is sold to me." Chad says. "With my only one sold, I will not have more, until..."
"Oh... well then, can you tell me who bought it?" You ask.
"I am afraid that Chassad cannot recall. A rather wealthy man picked it up as a gift for his child, but I did not get his name, as it happens. If that will be all?"
.... The thought occurs to you to set up some kind of arrangement where you are notified first if anything interesting comes into stock, but you hesitate. He is a competitor, after all, and if you bring it up then if he hasn't thought of it himself... well, first, he'd be making more money. Second, there's no reason he can't extend the offer to others too, and then get to you.... after everyone who'd paid more.
"Yes. I guess you'll still be here if I come back?"
"Of course, Customer!" Chad says cheerily. And then he removes the cheesy turban, and his whole demeanor seems to shift as dreadlocks drop down. "... And now, it's closing time. I've got places to be, so I'm gonna have to ask you to leave."
Chad shows you to the door, closing it behind you as he starts locking up for the day. Rumia snores softly in your arms...
Well, nothing really to be done but head back. You idly ask strangers passing by about artists as you go, but don't get much other than funny looks, apologetic denials, and people hurrying their paces while pretending they hadn't heard you. The last is a bit rude, but you guess it's a slightly odd thing to do, particularly while you have a sleeping Yukkuri under your arm.
It doesn't take long to get back to the apartment, either.
[x] Look up Rumias.
-[x] Once you realize it's predatory, secure the Rumia in a place it can't eat anybody.
-[x] Finish looking up Rumias. Useful things include more specifics on their darkness, their trainability and impulse control, and whether they'll accept your cereal or should be fed disposable yukkuri.
[x] Speculate on the actual need for a yukkuri extermination sidebusiness when the things are quite fragile, the city already clears them out regularly, and a good part of your time will be taken up by the cafe.
[x] Poor Shanghai probably also thinks you're her dad, and now risks growing beyond her normal size! Say something, possibly only to her, to fix this.
Well, I don't agree with this decision, but we now have a Rumia. I can't remember if there's a limit to how many kos a trained parent can teach at once, so we might want to wait a couple days to have babies. When we do, I'd say a Chen would make the best parent, because it's predatory-ish by virtue of being a cat.
This will do for now.
[x] If the Rumia wakes up in time, establish your dominance over it - be firm but not cruel, promise it food and safe shelter in exchange for its cooperation. If that fails, well, there's always Plan B.
I'm not seeing the problem if Shanghai becomes bigger than normal.
Well, I'd rather not take even tiny risks when it comes to Shanghai.
Also she'll be a better mascot if she's small and cute like Shanghais are supposed to be. If she grows too big, she just be a sideshow attraction rather than the public face of our cafe.
x] Look up Rumias.
[x] Arrange to secretly feed it the retarded blobs
[x] Research on the profitability of cafes and realise that you may need further income sources.
[x] If the Rumia wakes up in time, establish your dominance over it - be firm but not cruel, promise it food and safe shelter in exchange for its cooperation.
Bigger Shangai, bigger laser. She also becomes even more rare, as big Shangais are practically unexistant as of yet.
-[x] You will also have to...dispose, of a few yukkuri. You will want this one bodied too.
Dunno about you guys, but I wouldn't go to a cafe that had an elephant-sized squirrel on the premises. Maybe once to see it, but smallness is a big part of Shanghai's charm as a mascot.
We, uh, haven't used the laser. At all.
-[x] Then remember you're going to sell some as pets too.
Not seeing your logic in this - we're going to use Shanghai as a draw-in and then hopefully retain curiosity-seekers with the cafe's service and atmosphere. I don't see how its size affects its ability to pull in curious people; if anything, its unusual size is a plus in that department.
> Once you realize it's predatory, secure the Rumia in a place it can't eat anybody.
Are you fucking kidding me? How the hell did it pray on other yukkuri, while living in a damn basement? I hope Kahi writes his Rumia to be an adorable sister-type, just to spite you metaknowledgers.
If I had to guess, I'd guess that the Rumia is omnivorous. It might've been able to survive on insects and other small critters crawling around the basement. Alternatively, I don't think it's too unreasonable to think that the Rumia might've been able to enter and leave the basement in order to go food searching on the outside. After all, it did manage to enter the basement in the first place and it is pretty small compared to a human - there should be spaces obvious to a yukkuri that aren't to a human due to the size difference.
Yeah, usnually large Shangais are a thing to admire.
"Poor Shangai"? What's the problem with her growing bit bigger?
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You should probably look up Rumias, you decide, since Frank's busy in the kitchen.
You decide this because the one in your arms blearily blinks awake on entry, and the query of "... Meat?" sends the crib-yukkuri, particularly Reimu, into a shrill sort of minor frenzy before they figure out that Rumia couldn't get past the mesh walls even if you set her down. Hatate and her brood, for their part, immediately move to the highest available surface, and the rest just look reasonably wary of her.
Sure enough, they're predatory, but rather ineptly so. Technically just omnivores, really. Sure, they'd prefer to eat meat and other yukkuri if at all possible, what they end up eating is fallen leaves, other plant matter, and insects. The stronger inclination towards predation, however, is enough for others to avoid them.
Rumia testingly nibbles at one of your fingers, but a sharp prod is enough to put a stop to that. She submits fairly easily, given that you're significantly larger than her, and doesn't make any more thoughtful moves like that. Instead, she just settles in your lap and, after a bit, drifts back to sleep again.
You'll have to figure out something to keep her properly, but it shouldn't be too difficult. At worst, clear the crib yukkuri out and put her there... though that leaves them all over the living room floor, and you aren't sure just yet that they've learned properly to stay out of the way, so they don't get stepped on. Well, maybe there's something else you can work out.
In any case, their filling is... meat. Raw meat, actually, and likened to the sort of paste that gets made into fried nuggets and dipped in things, only... meatier, apparently. Since the best they can do hunting-wise is generally to sometimes catch other yukkuri, and they don't seem to really have much luck hunting animals at all, this meat paste is generally one of the few things they can find to fulfil the hunger for meat, alongside their hunger for sweets. As such, and since Rumia can make it dark but are also, strangely, scared of the dark, it's not uncommon for them to prey specifically on unrelated Rumia. Generally, they are their own biggest predator, as more often other predatory yukkuri will focus on sweet and sugary ones. Aside from Rumia, it looks like their biggest source of meat is... carrion. Fresh, preferably, but it looks like they'll eat dead animals as long as they haven't been sitting in the sun for too long.
But they're more than used to eating things they wouldn't neccessarily prefer to eat, so giving Rumia cereal shouldn't be a problem. And while your mind is on that, you quickly pester Alice for an update on education.... well, there's little difference so far, but that's really only to be expected. It looks like they're all unwilling to have their food taken away, though, so for now at least just the threat is enough to have them grudgingly accepting the tutelage. You'll have to see if that sticks, or if you'll end up having to follow through.
In any case, Rumia don't seem very bright. You don't really see anything remarking on 'impulse control', or anything of that nature, so you can only really guess that it is about the same as any other... not terribly good. But on the plus side, she'll likely only eat food that gets left out, rather than spoil it for anyone else. There's still the definite concern that she might eat any of the young, though. You'll have to keep an eye on her. As for its darkness ability, it seems like it can only manage to knock out all light in one room, or a very limited area outside...... and then will generally panic at the inability to see until it turns the ability off again. No matter.
You're starting to have some mild concerns about potential profitability of the cafe, with all of the expenses. General profit margin... it looks like it averages about five percent, looking at it? Not good. But then, that's with staff that want paying, and at the same time part of the cafe's purpose is to advertise pet/maid sales, since you definitely have far more on hand than are really needed to wait on a set and limited amount of tables. Roughly a dozen tables means you only need roughly a dozen waitresses on hand to serve them, after all, and you have that and more.
You... guess you could go out and exterminate yukkuri? But once they become a big enough nuisance for there to be calls for extermination, the city generally deals with matters itself quickly. And in most cases, all you would need is a heavy stick or thick boots you can wipe off, so little danger, meaning it's a job even children could and would eagerly undertake for a few cookies or a slice of fresh pie. You can only really see it taking up a lot of time and not really generating much of anything in the way of profit, to be honest, especially given that you would likely have to focus away from the cafe in the meantime.
You set Rumia down in the kitchen and make sure Frank knows to watch her before you take a moment aside with Shanghai. You aren't sure how to phrase things, so you end up just rambling a bit about how Shanghai don't grow bigger, and that's fine, because it doesn't matter if she grows bigger or not...
She makes confused noises through your spiel, and you aren't really certain you got what you meant across. It's kind of difficult to be sure, when only one part of the equation can really speak.
The sun is starting to hang pretty low in the sky, though. Less time to get to your appointment before sundown. Probably better to finish up anything to be done here quickly, and leave the rest in Frank's hands until you're back.
[x] What you're saying is, Shanghai won't grow any bigger because Shanghais don't grow large. But you like it that way, since it's much easier to play with her when she's this size. Then play with her for a little bit.
[x] You'll want to look into getting more cribs. Or maybe a hamper covered with mesh.
[x] Evaluate how much attention Reimu-A and Marisa-A are paying to the buris and whether they'd notice one missing without outside prompting. Authorize Frank to collect one unnoticed if the Rumia expresses hunger, but he should make sure it understands it'll be expected to listen to us in exchange for us giving it meals.
-[x] Could he please remove the buri's nametag and accessory before feeding and put them somewhere?
[x] Head out to the site. Don't forget your ticket.
The nametag is not only a potential hazard, our first lesson to her should be 'don't eat badged yukkurri', and undermining that is pointless. The accessory is so we can frame any troublemakers.
>She makes confused noises through your spiel
>confused noises
Shangai accepts everything said to them as true, and accepts any order and fulfill them to the letter. If she's confused, she doesn't understand why she wouldn't grow bigger, and probably believes she will grow.
Instead of stopping her from growing, we should motivate her to grow. Not only she will be a more interessting attraction, she will also be harder to be eaten by Rumia/Remilia/Flandre/etc.
[x] Order Shangai to stay the fuck away from Rumia.
Why a Rumia? Why hatate? Why more yukkuri?
We've already lost the perfect waitress, Sakuya, so focus on training the rest and stop picking unrelated Yukkuris.
To sell?
To catch wild Yukkuri?
[x] Let Shangai believe she can grow bigger.
For reasons others have exposed, I think Shangai should grow up too.
[x] Order Shangai to become best friends with Rumia.
Let's see. On one side we have being harder to eat (while that's a good point, we can just keep her with us - we'll have to, as she can just be ordered to hold still), making a more 'interessting attraction' and a possible bigger laser that we've never used. On the other hand, we have our mascot actually looking like a Shanghai, and no risks from possible side effects of growing larger, and making people think we haven't done mad experiments on our Shanghai. Gee, I wonder.
[x] Remind self of whether Rumias can fly.
It's not that I don't mind Shanghai being a little bigger, it's just you guys seem to want her to grow a lot bigger.
Also, I thought Rumias could fly, but the fact that they eat fallen leaves and the Hatates went to the highest available surface suggests they can't.
Spoiling an untrained Rumia? That's poor parenting right there. Have to take a firm stand.
Speaking personally, I'm all for Shanghai attempting to grow because it seems like the most likely path for yukkuri to become youkai. Because let's face it - being a yukkuri is suffering and becoming a youkai is a big upgrade for the yukkuri in almost all cases.
One thing Kahi has alluded to/outright stated in one of the GoogleDocs conversations is that if Yukkuri evolve, they can choose to leave us. Not sure if it matters, really, though, as some degree of obedience is needed for us to make them believe us anyway.
Also, mental stability isn't a prerequisite for evolution, so I'd keep an eye on Reimu 1.
We've heard reports of the factory having dosu-scale yukkurri, and have personally observed one that's been growing for at least three generations. The Suika wasn't a youkai, and the dosus probably weren't either. Plus, we've already got two yukkuri testing that idea that we can replace if something goes wrong.
[x]>>40317
Posting from 3DS, no copypaste.
>Dosu-yukkuri
Dosu yukkuri are probably yukkuri that grew too much without being instructed on hwt to grow properly ("Properly" as in "Evolving into something superior").
Also, the Suika. No one ever motivated Suika to believe she can grow. Actually, I think no one ever motivated her to even think, only to make more and more beer.
In most yukkuri stories, dosu are either unexplained or freaks of nature. Most yukkuri top out around beach ball size or a little bigger while a very rare few become much, much bigger as dosu. Yukkuri becoming youkai is even weirder in that dosu, blobs, and even bodied yukkuri have become anthropomorphic youkai in different stories.
In short, we don't know the rules for yukkuri metamorphosis in this setting because there isn't one agreed-upon set across the fandom. We can make educated guesses but that's about it. Anything we want to know, we'll need to test for it.
I'd semi-jokingly recommend that we try for dosu-yukkuri, but that's leaning too much towards crazy evil overlord territory because dosu sparks.
Evil Overlord John, with his army of mutated yukkuri. heh, that'd be the day.
Am I the only one who thinks that evil yukkuri overlord is overdoing it a little? There's no saying about how much different they would be besides size and possible cognitive ability. And remember, people here still have guns.
The best bet if we even get to create one would be for the "alternative maid" project, elite pets or as the workfoce of franchises of the coffee shop (managers, cashiers, head of waitresses).
Like I said, breeding dosu en masse is pretty much a joke. There might be uses for some of the things, but most are probably either too useless or too dangerous or both to be worth the effort. Guns or not, dosu range from 1 to 3 meters and that much filling to going to hurt if it contacts. Not to mention that dosu tend to possess magical abilities such as the Marisa dosu's dosu-spark. Different stories depict those as ranging from 'fourth degree burns on humans' to 'building busting'.
We don't need to tell Shanghai to keep away from Rumia - all the yukkuri seemed to understand that instinctively. In addition, if the vote is literally interpreted, we'd be yelling and swearing at Shanghai, and that's a horrible thing to do.
File 133092698923.png - (91.30KB , 1556x1113 , Start.png ) [iqdb]
"What I'm saying is, you won't get big, because Shanghai don't get big." You clarify. "But that's fine. Because as long as you're little, it's easier for me to play with you~"
You still aren't sure she quite gets it, and you aren't certain, but you think you catch a blush starting before you prod and start tickling at her. Well, it'll probably work out fine.
"There's one thing, though." You say, as she calms down and snuggles against your fingers. "Keep away from Rumia. Don't go near her at all. All right?"
A sleepy mumble answers you as you set her down near Alice, seeming to assure that the possible problem there has been dodged.
You have to check on something. It doesn't take long to figure out that you can pick up a mesh crib similar to the one you already have for... about 15M. You'll only really have space for it in the living room, though, and you definitely only have room to add one more. Right slap up next to the other one, too. You'll probably want to slide something thin in between the two of them, so that Rumia isn't constantly staring through the wall, and the other's aren't constantly freaking out over that. But it's a cheap enough solution, and since Rumia can't fly or get out of the crib any more than Reimu or Marisa can, it'll mean that problems are taken care of nicely. No accidental predations.
....... On that note, you need to talk to Frank.
"Hey." You say, slowly. "Do you think... that those two would even notice, you know, if one of the Buri were just... gone?"
"I'm pretty sure, yeah." He answers. "Especially after that whole thing before, I don't remember when you mentioned. But there's only three of them now. They might not get 'Four', but I don't think they have a problem counting up to three."
"Yeah, well..." You say, awkwardly, rubbing the back of your neck. "If Rumia gets hungry, you know... It probably wouldn't be a problem if you told them instead that..."
"Dude." Frank says, flatly.
"... You were, like, taking them away to a new owner, or-"
"Dude. Johnny." Frank says again. "Relax here. Chill. Let's just go ahead and wait a little longer than a couple of days to see if I can find buyers before you start writing things off as lost causes and start talking about feeding one to another."
"I just don't really see-"
"I've only been looking for a little bit, Johnny." Frank says again. "Seriously, give me a while, here. Wait another week or two, give people time to hear about this. Then maybe we can start talking about, you know, the sort of drastic measures that might end up upsetting the little ladies if they found out, alright? I mean, geeze, I thought you were the patient and deliberate one here, where I just ran ahead with things."
You rub the bridge of your nose and sigh.
"I mean, come on. You want to just kill them off because they're retarded and you can't see them getting you a lot of money? Fine. Whatever. But I'm not gonna do it for you. You can do your own messy work." Frank says, sternly.
"It's not about that." You deny. "I'm just saying, if it turns out that she needs to eat other-"
"Dude, I went back and read those pages after you were done, don't try to bullshit me. I am a master of bullshit. The bullshit king." Frank interrupts. "I know just as well as you do that she might 'like' to eat every other yukkuri in the whole apartment, but she doesn't 'need' to. Don't try to pull that. She'll get along just as well on normal feed as the rest."
"... ugh." You sigh. "Fine, whatever. Don't feed the buri to her, then. I was just saying you could."
"Yeah, and I'm just saying I'm not gonna." He answers.
You don't have the time to argue over it, and say as much, before collecting a ticket and heading off.
It takes a while to get to the empty lot, and the sun is hanging down by the horizon when you get there. The lot is empty when you get there, though. You look around, and have just enough time to wonder if you're early or late before the bottom drops out of the world, and you find yourself falling...
"Our final contestant arrives. Just in time." An ominous voice speaks, in the middle of a heavily fog-shrouded front lawn. There's the occasional dying tree, either on this side or the other of a nearby, ornate metal fence. You can't really make it out, but it looks like there's a looming wall up past the gate, which is chained shut and locked. You turn around and look... to see a dilapidated, heavily weathered mansion. The fog is hanging thick and low enough that you can't really make out anything above the ground level, though. The front door is pretty ornate, set between two trees, and a couple of windows. One of which is cracked.
"Ahem. Your fee?" The voice asks. You turn away to dig out your ticket and hand it over to... is it the attendant of the exchange booth? ... No. It's hard to tell, but he looks a little different. In any case, he accepts the ticket and adds it to a mass of them in his other hand, held down by a single token. Then the whole lot erupts in a theatric burst of purple flame.
It's... impressive, really, but it comes off as a little forced to you, somehow. Like he did it just because he knew it would be impressive, when he could have just as easily just stuck them in his pocket and thrown them away somewhere. Instead of going for the "OH WOW" factor. You take a moment to glance around the area, and see Chad. So this is where he was going. Then you look more, and see...
Serah. You feel yourself going a little pale, as you instinctively glance for the nearest window to jump out of, never mind that you are outside. The fact that she brightly meets your gaze, and smiles to show off far too many of her shiny, white teeth does not help. You don't recognize the other five, but two of them are men, and three are women. An even gender split, across the eight people.
"And so we begin." The attendant says, solemnly. "Secrets and treasure are to be found, if you are capable. If you fail, then you have only found loss. The game ends for you when you have left the mansion and grounds... through whatever means."
..... The last bit sounds like he's trying to be sinister. But coming off as just cheesy. Like he's reading lines off of a script, and not quite getting everything right.
He bows, and disappears, leaving the eight of you milling about uncertainly. One of the men approaches you and tugs you a little to the side, speaking softly.
"I don't think we've met." He says slowly. "But I think it might behoove us to form a little... temporary partnership, if you catch my meaning. I've something of a bad feeling about this place, and it might be best to have two heads to come at things with."
"And you are?" You ask.
"Call me Jack." He replies. "But what say you, eh? We can discuss dividing whatever we find once we're clear of this place, for now it'll just be easier to make sure we [i]do find things and get clear with two. I'd say three might be better... but to be honest, that would be dividing things a little too much, don't you think?"
You pause to consider this, and take in a... sort of moaning noise, from somewhere near. It's definitely creepy. But as to partnering up with someone, you could really go either way.
??:??
Serah
Inventory: Empty.
Hmm, not voting yet, but I wonder how 'lucky' Jack is.
[x] Accept the partnership.
-[x] Of course, if you have the chance and if it's advantageous, you can always rethink this temporary mutual help.
Damn, now I'm looking forward to hearing from Serah.
I'd recommend accepting, and also talking to Chad. We know him in Real Life (tm), making him a little more legitimate than the others.
-[x] Extend the offer of partnership to Chad
One more thing,
[x] Get to know all the other competitors
[x] You'd be happy to partner up, but there's somebody you'd like to check with regarding partnership.
[x] Go see if Chad wants to be a partner.
[x] Whoever you end up partnering with, make sure treasure is carried equally and nobody spends too much time walking in front.
[x] May as well have everybody introduce themselves while they're all together.
[x] Examine Serah's appearance - did she end up getting that beauty?
[x] Free advice for Jack/Chad: watch out for Serah, she's ruthless.
I'm not sure I trust Jack. It's quite possible he's planning something. I trust Chad a bit more than him. Also, a three-person team may be wise, since it's a lot harder to betray two people.
Of course, that's pretty much all speculaton.
Serah examinations are to tell us how likely she is to try for our heart.
File 133099078021.png - (410.86KB , 850x492 , Welp.png ) [iqdb]
You don't see any reason why you shouldn't agree, to be honest, since this place does seem to be kind of creepy. You wouldn't mind having someone available to keep an eye out on your blind spots.
And when you don't need him any more, if he trusts you to watch his back, then slipping a knife in would be.... huh? No, that's just strange. Even if you only get two tickets out of this, you're still coming out ahead, so jumping right to the thought of betrayal, right from the start, is a little... You shake your head, just a bit, to clear it from a sudden soft fog.
"Yes, that should work out fine." You say. You start to look past, to Chad... he's already started moving, you only just catch him walking out into the mist... to the east, if facing the mansion puts you northward... while the rest of the competitors mill about uncertainly for the moment.
"Right-o, partners it is then. Just a moment, want to see if I can't...." Jack slides a long pin out of his sleeve, pokes it gently into the lock holding the chains of the gate together... and then yelps slightly and draws his hand back, putting his fingertips in his mouth as he steps away.
"... Blast." He says, as the sting fades. "Might as well be electrified... there'll be no short-cuts there, I'm sure. Looks like the proper key is the only way to get that undone."
He pauses to peer up at the top of the fence, and frown.
"... Don't like the looks of those spikes and the top bar." He says, thoughtfully. "I'd lay money on them being filed to razor edges. Don't think I can climb over that, myself. You?"
"I... don't think I could manage that, no." You admit, thoughts uncomfortably filled with the unusually gruesome imaginings of what could happen to you if you tried.
"Fair enough. Key it is, if we're intended to get out through here." Jack says. "Lock looks to be plated with a bit of gold. I'd guess that the key that'll open it looks the... same."
He's slowed down and stopped talking, as you peer past him. At the edge of your vision, to the side and past the fence, a shambling figure has stumbled slowly into view. As it comes closer, details come clear: it's clothes, such as they are, are matted with blood. It's missing an arm, and one of its legs is clearly broken, but it doesn't seem to feel the pain as it limps onward. The slight stench of rotting meat has begun to hang in the air.
"... Well." Jack says, softly. "There's a thing. So yes, Gold key would probably get us past this... provided we wanted to, in any case. Personally, I'm suddenly thinking there's probably an alternate means of egress somewhere within, if you take my meaning."
"Let's take a few steps back." You suggest. "Pretend we didn't see... that. Have a nice chat with the other players."
"That. Is an excellent plan." Jack agrees softly, still keeping his voice down as he backs away from the gate.
Neither of you actually turn around until the figure is faded back into the mist past the gate, and you feel you can relax again. When you do turn, it's to see that Serah and the remaining male member have absconded, likely indoors, given the sudden wide-open nature of the entry. The three remaining ladies are, on the other hand, still present, although it looks like Chad either came and went while you weren't looking, or he is making his way around the entire mansion, scanning the whole grounds before he goes in.
"Ladies." Jack begins, charmingly as he can manage. "I don't believe we've been introduced. Jack Racker... the pleasure is all mine."
"I'm married, dear, so I'm afraid not." A smiling... housewife, you suppose, is the best description for her, black hair tinted only by the occasional strand of grey. The girls, younger, set to tittering as Jack blinks.
"I... can assure you, that really wasn't the meaning I'd intended." Jack says.
"To be sure. Rebecca is my name, dearie. I run a little playground where people who's lease doesn't allow pets can come, have a bracing cup of tea, and just relax for a while with my little sweeties."
"Ah, I might have to see how you brew someday, miss." Jack says, thoughtfully. "For myself, I run a little... well, a test of fortune, shall we call it? Of the challenger against my own."
Rebecca frowns and sniffs.
"I'm afraid I don't approve of gambling, Mister Racker." She says. "Or strong drink, as it happens."
"I'm sure, miss. There'll always be those that are eager to throw their money at the chance of getting more, though, never mind the odds against it. And yourselves, ladies?"
"I'm Janet. I'm starting a pet-store, actually." The younger, brunette says.
"Like, really? Me too! That's, like, such a coincidence!" The blonde pipes in. "Oh, and I'm Elaine. Nice to meet you!"
"John." You say, then grudgingly continue on with "I'm starting a cafe, using yukkuri as waitresses."
"Like, wow. That sounds like such a pain." Elaine says, blinking.
"Hm... it was a pleasure to introduce ourselves all around, except for those who have wandered off." Rebecca says, thoughtfully. "But I think we should probably toddle along, dearies, before the rest pull too far ahead in this lovely little scavenger hunt."
Inventory: Empty
-Fence Gate bears a Gold Lock
-Locks cannot be picked
-You cannot climb the Fence without a near certainty of Grievous Bodily Harm
-There is something, possibly many somethings, that at least share a passing similarity with Zombies between the Fence and Wall.
Great. We got fucking zombies. So many zombies.
Alright, So by horror movie logic, The black guy dies first, Then the like, totally hot chick, whos like totally fashionable, like oh my god. Then the old one, and then the player...
So we can safely assume the last person is a black guy.
[x] Warn them about what you've just saw. Anyone is welcome to come along, even if just to be used as a meatshield.
[x] Take a look around first. Maybe you can find something outside before going in.
Yup, thought so, Jack is our biggest competitor, 'Lucky' Jack
Really, Jack is everyone's greatest competitor. They're all in the same competition.
I'm also against bringing on any more people. Equally important to surviving is getting money and prizes, part of the reason why we're teaming up with Jack. After all, Jack said, "I'd say three might be better... but to be honest, that would be dividing things a little too much, don't you think?"
On the other hand, Jack did say potentially three people.
[x] Warn them about what you've just saw.
-[x] Always use common sense.
-[x] Never venture alone.
--[x] addendum: trying to get 'sexy time' in this situation will get you killed, no exception.
-[x] Always be in shouting distance of everyone else.
-[x] Always tell where you are going.
-[x] If venturing in unkown corridors/rooms, always keep the door open, if a door suddendly locks prepare yourself.
--[x] If there's something chasing after you, then close the door anyway.
-[x] Tests where you must sacrifice a partner always have a clever workaround meant as a test of character.
[x] Warn Jack about your "ex", he should know haw manipulative/dangerous that girl is.
Maybe I watch too many horror movies, still I think this will save my life someday.
>> Kahi 2012/03/06(Tue)06:49 No. 40353
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"Anyway... it's dangerous out here." You say simply. "There's this horrible, rotting and shambling thing we just saw on the other side of the fence... it might be safer to stick together."
"Like, you seriously think that's going to work?" Elaine says, giggling. "Oh no, the bad creepy thingy is outside of the fence, but don't worry, you can come with us strong men-folk~ Soooorry." She continues, teasingly. "But I came to, like, win prizes, not to get dates. Bye!"
Before you can speak up again, she's darted off into the Mansion.
"... Urgh."
"If you're serious." Janet says, sighing. "And there is something out there. Then I can't really leave her alone, right? Besides, if it's out there, then isn't the safest place from it going to be inside? Sorry, I've got to go, too." She says, quickly following the other girl's lead.
"Wai-... ugh. That's not all of it. They didn't even let me finish." You grumble.
"Is there something important you need to say, dear?" Rebecca asks, thoughtfully.
"One of the other contestants... I know her." You explain. "She's... dangerous. I don't really want to go into all of it, but... don't turn your back on her. Don't trust her."
"Well, that warning worked out well, didn't it." Jack notes, as Rebecca 'hum's thoughtfully.
"... Well, I suppose you could only expect the Demon Queen to build risks into her games." She says. "Though I'll have to see these things myself, of course. Well, a walk around the grounds does no harm, and there's a chance of something being hidden in a sparrow's nest."
That's... somewhat close to what you were thinking of, anyway. At least the housewife isn't going to be running off, it seems.
"Hey. Heeey. What are you doing?" Jack hisses softly as you go. "I thought I said it before, three-way split is a bit much, right?"
"Maybe. But if we get ripped apart and eaten by horror movie freakshows, it's nothing divided two ways. And we'll be ripped apart and eaten." You point out.
"Bah, fine, have the woman along then." Jack says, though he doesn't actually disagree with you.
You keep an eye out, looking at the trees and landscape, counting and judging... none are on the right side of the fence to climb up and drop over, sadly, though many don't really look like they'd hold your weight. You count ground-floor windows as you go, trying to look more inwards than outwards. Two windows along the south face of the wall. Three along the west. Three along the north. Two on the east.... you realize you've been walking alone for a bit, and hurriedly rush back.
"What the hell, you couldn't call me or something instead of letting me walk off on my own?" You ask Jack, as Rebecca peers up into a tree and prods at the dead leaves with a long, thin twig from the ground.
"Eh... sorry. Got distracted by... well." Jack says, waving at the fence.
Beyond it, one of the.... for lack of a better word, you'll just go ahead and call them zombies. One of them has gotten itself tangled up in the branches of a pair of trees set close together, and its struggles haven't broken it free yet.
"... And? I can see... at least another four, through the fog, and there's more of them to go. Lots more. I noticed a couple of dogs out there like that too, I think." You point out.
"Look close... you see?" Jack says, pointing a bit more specifically. "There's something in her breast pocket, there."
"... Alright." You admit. "So? Are you going to get it?"
"What, are you daft?" Jack says, scoffing. "Stick my arm out through the bars toward that? No, I'm thinking I'd rather not. Could be it's a bit of note-paper, you can only see just the corner, and it'd have been folded up."
"Might be a Ticket too, or something. Looks about right for it." You point out. "Besides, it's all caught up in the trees. Stuck."
"Yeeeess. It is. Now." Jack says, frowning dubiously. ".... If it's all the same, I still don't think I'll be setting my fingers out in biting range. You're welcome to try for it yourself."
You frown at the struggling zombie, thinking. Judging if the effort is worth it. You don't think you've noticed oddities about the others, and it doesn't look like it's going to break loose anytime quickly. If it does, though, then your arm would be right there. And again, if you left it, and it got loose while you were away, it'd probably be impossible to get at that pocket again without actually going out and trying to go through every single one of... probably impossible to get at it again.
You're not sure it looks quite right to be a ticket, anyway. You'll have to weigh risk against reward, here. Before you go sticking your hand out through fenceposts, or anything like that.
You-Jack (Partners)
Rebecca- Tagging along, for now?
-You've counted ten windows on the ground floor, from the outside.
-There's.... something in that pocket, there.
[x] Head inside.
[x] Five people is a bit too much to be going around permanently with.
-[x] But see if Rebecca wishes to join the team.
[x] Common sense applies, of course.
-[x] Keep an eye out for some sticklike object to test for traps.
While I can get behind the reasoning for the big list of horror movie rules, most of it is common sense when a dangerous situation is expected. The part about loopholes is assumption, as well.
I'm not really getting much of an aura of usefulness from blonde pet lady.
[x]Grab a stick from one of the trees nearby, use it to get the paper without sticking your hand through the bars like a chump
Macgyver, everyone. In all seriousness, the entire purpose of this is to get stuff. That means taking reasonable risks.
Also, try to come up with a better method for getting it.
[x] Get Jack to hold back the zombies face with a stick
[x[ Stick out your arm and grab the ticket
Looks like I voted late.
[x] Get branches for everybody else, if it won't take too long.
[x] Finish the circuit and head inside. Keep a minor eye out for any loose fenceposts that might be able to be wrenched free as weapons. But don't slow down looking for them look for them to the point you slow down.
Anything you can put between you and a zombie's jaws is nice to have.
Rebecca might not contribute anything useful to the team due to being old and a housewife. We may need to be prepared to kick her out. On the other hand, she is the most likely person to get eaten.
On the bright side, I just realized that we can track Jack down in realspace if he screws us over. And he probably knows that too.
[x] Finish the circuit and head inside. Keep a minor eye out for any loose fenceposts that might be able to be wrenched free as weapons. But don't slow down looking for them.
[x] Stick out your arm and grab the ticket. Be careful!
[x] Use a stick or something similar, in case the paper falls to the ground.
New thread: >>40360
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Two accused of second-degree murder
Detectives with the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office arrested two people Saturday in connection with a May 20 homicide.
Two accused of second-degree murder Detectives with the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office arrested two people Saturday in connection with a May 20 homicide. Check out this story on theadvertiser.com: https://www.theadvertiser.com/story/news/crime/2014/05/24/two-accused-of-second-degree-murder/9547249/
LafayetteLA Published 5:05 p.m. CT May 24, 2014
arrest report(Photo: File photo)
Thirty-year-old Sergio Vasquez and 23-year-old Magdalena Rojas were arrested in Rosenberg, Texas. Detectives obtained information through their investigation that the two had an ongoing volatile relationship with the victim, 30-year-old Martin Dominguez. The investigation took detectives to Texas where the pair lived. During the investigation there, Vasquez and Rojas confessed to driving to Lafayette the night in question and shooting Dominguez.
Vasquez and Rojas were booked into the Ft. Bend County Sheriff's Office in Rosenberg for second-degree murder and are waiting extradition to Lafayette.
Read or Share this story: https://www.theadvertiser.com/story/news/crime/2014/05/24/two-accused-of-second-degree-murder/9547249/
Former player starts GoFundMe for Robichaux family
John Walton of radio show Walton & Johnson dies
Lafayette men accused of having child porn
Adopt-A-Teacher 2019: Browse wish lists and adopt a teacher here
Fatally shot 2-year-old 'touched a lot of people'
Acadiana educators talk to governor about need for educating 'the whole child'
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Integrating Community Health (ICH) Collaboration
La période de candidature se termine dans 15 jours
Robust partnership with communities and health systems are essential for revitalizing primary health care and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Countries have prioritized a systems approach to community health to achieve universal health coverage and overcome a range of challenges (policy, financing, partnerships, integration in systems, sustainability and scale) to make communities valued resources in national and local systems. The Integrating Community Health (ICH) collaboration focuses on catalytic systems strengthening partnerships at the national and local levels in 7 countries (Bangladesh, DRC, Haiti, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Uganda). These partnerships are supporting countries at a critical juncture to develop and scale up high quality community health worker programs supported by health and community systems. Complementary partnerships (Population Council, Last Mile Health) focus on strengthening measurement, learning, evaluation, and advocacy for sustainability support a broader set of priority countries.
What is the ICH Collaboration: USAID, UNICEF, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation developed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on a set of jointly defined investment priorities that advance frontline delivery of primary health care and community engagement in health systems. The ICH collaboration focuses on partnerships; measurement, learning, evaluation, and accountability; and, advocacy and pathways to scale. The collaboration provides catalytic support to 7 countries, the Institutionalizing Community Health Conference (2017 and 2019), the Community Health Community of Practice for south-to-south learning and agenda setting; and the development of national and global public goods focusing on metrics, evidence and advocacy. The partnership, which is an important step toward stronger coordination between donors and partners across countries, represents action to collaboratively support community health.
This working group’s project page with community health system and CHW focus will enable partners at the national and global levels to share country challenges, progress and lessons and support one another to develop high level policy oriented country cases in a participatory manner.
This space allows for sharing experiences, research, and overall learning, which could be in the mode of blogs, articles, documents, among other forms like notes of meetings, stories from field, ideas for organising panel for ICH 2019 conference and other key events.
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Cross- posting, co-organizing activities and sharing of resources with the Community Health –Community of Practice (CH-CoP) will also be one of the key aim.
The page will be dynamic so real time learning’s can be achieved.
Experts particularly welcome in this working group are :
Collaborating organizations from 7 ICH countries (Bangladesh, DRC, Haiti, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Uganda)
Health system and Government representatives from the 7 ICH countries
Measurement, learning, evaluation, and advocacy partner - Population Council and Last Mile Health
Experts from USAID, (HQ and Missions), UNICEF (HQ, Regional, and Country Offices).
Key members (facilitator) from the Community Health –Community of Practice (CH-CoP)
Primary Heath Care
Projet sous la responsabilité de: Lory Meoli
Health Development Officer – Community, Maternal and Child Health, Project manager
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Feb 16 Design Gone Wrong: Snapchat's New Look
Snapchat. An app well-known and loved by millennials since 2011 for its ability to share images and videos between users quickly with just the click of a button. Snapchat gained notorious popularity for its ephemeral sharing feature, meaning that the content shared disappears after being opened. But as of last week, Snapchat has gathered more notoriety for their newly designed user interface.
Snapchat’s old design had three main components. The first was a space for chats from one Snapchat user to the other. On this page, you would receive personal pictures or chats. The main page, and what you open to, is the camera, which has remained the same since the recent update. The last page included “stories,” 24-hour posts from your Snapchat friends, alongside “Discover” sections, which Snapchat posts according to current pop culture trends.
While the new changes to the app are subtle, they were small enough to make Snapchat fans unhappy. The main page combined the stories page with the personal chats component. According to The Guardian, the app “focused on separating ‘media content’ from that of ‘friends’ among an array of other interface changes. Snapchat Stories, which are videos and photos shared among users that vanish after 24 hours, also now appear with individual Snaps and direct messages.”
As a result of the update, a Change.com petition has been floating around the interweb. By February 15th, the petition gathered one million signatures. CNBC states that from the new change, there has been an app shift; more people have been moving to sharing “stories” via Facebook or Instagram exclusively, even though these social media platforms created a “My Story” section after Snapchat.
One unhappy user had this to say about the new face of Snapchat: “It’s a bit of an information overload on the first page. Not only do you have new messages, but you have stories and other conversations on there. It’s a bit over-stimulating. I also dislike the story page for stories that you subscribe to. It’s unnecessarily confusing.”
With any new design change, especially on social media, users tend to express irritation because of these forced adjustments (forced because users do not get a say in whether they can keep the old design or not). Facebook’s updated looks, for example, often cause a lot of discussion for a few weeks after until users forget about what the old design looked like. In the same The Guardian article, the journalist writes, “Despite the pleas, parent firm Snap Inc. currently has no plans to reconsider the original design. In a statement, a spokeswoman said ‘updates as big as this one can take a little getting used to, but we hope the community will enjoy it once they settle in.’”
Any design updates should strive to make an experience more user friendly and clean. While there may be a lot of controversy over Snapchat’s new look, a few weeks time will show us if users have adjusted to the change or will remain in protest over the UX design.
snapchat, snapchat's new look, snapchat update, app update, change.com
Mar 1 Airbnb Plus: Premium Prices Shifting Consumer Habits
Feb 15 Olympic Design, Takes the Gold
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Woman Searches for Cause of Sores Spreading on her Face
Disease & Illness By The Doctors Staff on 8:00 AM PST, February 2, 2015
Playing Woman Searches for Cause of Sores Spreading on her Face
Just days after Missy had a routine procedure to remove a cyst from her face, she noticed the site wasn’t healing and had begun to ooze fluid. Within a month, a large, open sore had spread across a third of her face, and eventually, another ulcer appeared on her upper arm.
“I started to feel like a zombie or a freak,” she says.
Missy has seen more than 30 doctors in the past two years in search of a diagnosis and a treatment. She has stopped going out with her husband and children and has hidden in her house. In the past two months, Missy has noticed the sores are continuing to spread across her face.
“It’s physically painful, but it’s definitely more emotionally painful,” she says.
The Doctors send Missy to see dermatologist Dr. Sonia Batra to see if she can offer any hope.
Dr. Batra finds that Missy has a rare inflammatory condition called pyoderma gangrenosum, in which the immune system becomes unregulated. The condition often is triggered by an injury.
“So the fact that she had that procedure to begin with set up this process that we call pathergy, where all these inflammatory cells rush to the area, but rather than healing the wound, they remain inflamed, and you develop chronic ulcers that don’t heal,” Dr. Batra explains.
People who have an underlying inflammatory condition such as rheumatoid arthritis are at a higher risk of developing pyoderma gangrenosum. It’s also associated with people who have ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease, which cause long-term inflammation along the digestive track.
Dr. Batra suggests treating Missy with a tumor-necrosis factor, or TNF, alpha inhibitor, which blocks the chemical in the body that stimulates inflammation. Dr. Batra says Missy should notice healing within two or three months.
Plastic surgeon Dr. Andrew Ordon adds that once the sores have begun to heal, there’s opportunity to treat the cosmetic appearance with lasers.
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Pink, Hairless Rescue Dog Couldn’t Stop Bouncing When He Met His New Family
“He seemed so happy, even the volunteer who was there with us said she had never seen him act that way.”
By Lily Feinn
No matter how dark things get, giving up hope is not an option.
Few pups understand that better than Adam.
Found living in deplorable conditions with 54 other animals outside of Tallahassee, Florida, Adam was pink and hairless, covered in scabs because of a skin infection, which made it too painful to be touched. When rescuers from the ASPCA spotted the poor dog, they had little hope for his future.
“He was among the worst cases I’ve seen in my many years in animal welfare,” John Robinson, division manager of Escambia County Animal Services, which helped care for Adam, said in a statement. “Aside from his poor physical condition, he was extremely fearful and undersocialized, and showed signs of depression and stress."
For many dogs, that would have been the end of the line, but Adam’s rescuers wouldn’t give up.
After weeks of medicated baths and rounds of antibiotics, Adam’s fur slowly started growing back and his bubbly personality began to blossom. Just as he started to heal, a new challenge arose. Hurricane Irma was bearing down on the state of Florida, and Adam had to leave the only safe place he had ever known. His move to the Providence Animal Center (PAC) in Media, Pennsylvania, would be his first real step toward finding a home.
Around the same time, Pat and Chuck Feldman began thinking about adding another member to their family. With two dogs already, Cooper and Mocha, they needed to find the perfect fit — a pup who could match the playful energy of their young boxer mix Cooper, but sensitive enough to match 8-year-old Mocha’s slower pace. The perfect pup also had to like cats (the Feldmans have three).
Dayna Villa, PAC’s director of operations, suggested a new arrival who might fit the bill.
“She thought [Adam’s] playfulness would be good for Cooper but he would be respectful and gentle with our older girl,” Pat Feldman told The Dodo. “My son and I took our two dogs to the center to meet [him]. The dogs were first introduced through the fence and when that went well, [Adam] came into the play yard where we were.”
In that moment, Adam finally revealed his true personality — a sunny temperament that even a lifetime of hardship and neglect couldn’t alter.
“To say he came into the yard is an understatement,” Feldman recalled. “It was more like he bounced into the yard. He seemed so happy, even the volunteer who was there with us said she had never seen him act that way.”
“That was all it took,” Feldman added. “He came home with us that afternoon.”
Adam was adopted by the Feldmans on October 4, and his name was changed to something more in line with his effusive nature — Astro.
In just two months, Astro has adjusted quickly to his new home and the life of a pampered pet.
“Astro makes us laugh,” Feldman noted. “He bounces around our house. He has given Cooper a playmate and which has made life much easier for our older boxer.”
While Astro loves other dogs — and is even mildly interested in the cats — he can still be shy and fearful around people, especially men. But thanks to his loving family and the help of a trainer, Astro is learning to trust again.
Astro may just be one dog, but his perseverance has given his rescuers something invaluable — hope.
“Seeing Astro today gives me strength to continue fighting for the victims of cruelty,” Adam Leath, southeast regional director of the ASPCA Field Investigations and Response team, which led the rescue, said in a statement. “My heart goes out to his new family, who gave him a second chance and have shown him what it’s like to be loved.”
The Feldmans couldn’t be more pleased with their new addition. “He has brought happiness and peace to our lives,” Feldman said. “It makes us feel really good that we could give this wonderful, sweet, shy guy a loving home and family.”
Find out how you can help dogs like Astro by lending your support to the Providence Animal Center here.
Thinking about adopting another pet? Then meet Dodo Adoptbot, an interactive guide for new pet parents. Get started on Facebook Messenger or text HOME to 38349.
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888 shares jump after confirming William Hill takeover interest
By John McCarthy-11 February 2015 13:40pm
Online betting group 888 Holdings has confirmed that bookmaker William Hill has approached the firm to inquire about a possible takeover.
After making the announcement on Tuesday, 888 shares rose by 18.6 per cent to 172p, with the Financial Times reporting the £600m valued firm could go for as much as £700m.
An 888 board statement read: “The board of the company confirms that it received an approach regarding a possible offer for the company by William Hill.
“There can be no certainty, however, that any firm offer will be made nor as to the terms on which any firm offer might be forthcoming.”
The takeover would put William Hill in a strong positon to capitalise upon its dominant high street position with 888’s grasp of online games and poker.
888 said it will provide a further update within the month.
This follows William Hill, along with Ladbrokes, Coral and Paddy Power, launching a joint TV advert advising customers to gamble responsibly, the first ad from the independent gambling watchdog, the Senet Group.
This article is about: UK, William Hill, Digital, Mobile, Financial, Video Games
// Featured in this article
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World Conservatives badly damaged by Brexit but no Labour majority, U.K. poll analysis shows
Conservatives badly damaged by Brexit but no Labour majority, U.K. poll analysis shows
An anti-Brexit campaigner holds up her sign in front of an EU flag during a protest outside EU headquarters in Brussels.
Britain’s ruling Conservative Party cannot let itself be defined solely by Brexit, Prime Minister Theresa May’s de facto deputy said on Sunday, as polling showed failure to leave the European Union on schedule has badly damaged its support.
Ms. May’s authority has been shattered by her three-time failure to get an exit deal approved by Parliament and a pledge to quit once Brexit is delivered, driving speculation about her successor and a possible national election.
The once-prized stability of British politics has disappeared, threatening to break apart both the Conservatives and their main opponents Labour, and leaving the world’s fifth-largest economy facing an uncertain future.
Without any consensus in Parliament, reflective of a deeply divided population, all outcomes remain possible in the coming weeks and months: leaving the EU with a deal, a disorderly exit without a deal, or another vote on whether to leave at all.
“We mustn’t define ourselves as the Brexit party,” said David Lidington, cabinet office minister and effectively May’s second in command.
“We’ve got to deliver the outcome of the referendum … but, the Conservative Party has got to remain a broad church, a national party, and it’s got to be talking about things that matter to people in their everyday lives: housing, health service, living standards.”
Ms. May, 62, took power in the aftermath of Britain’s surprise 2016 vote to leave the EU and has seen her government paralyzed by divisions over Brexit and unable to enact an ambitious reform agenda to tackle social injustice.
An Opinium poll published in the Observer newspaper on Sunday showed the Conservatives at 29 per cent, down six points from March 28 and seven points behind Labour.
An analysis of polls since the original intended March 29 exit day, published in the Sunday Telegraph, showed the Conservatives would lose 59 parliamentary seats if an election were held now..
“Much of this drop reflects disappointment among Leave voters -- around a half of whom would prefer ‘no deal’ -- at the government’s failure to deliver Brexit,” polling expert John Curtice wrote in the Sunday Telegraph
The analysis showed Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party would win the most seats but still fall short of an outright majority in the 650-seat Parliament, with Scottish nationalists and the small centrist Liberal Democrats party also picking up seats.
Mr. Lidington told the BBC that compromise talks with Labour would continue, with both sides seeking agreement over a plan for Brexit that could win Parliament’s approval.
He warned the talks could not be allowed to drag out for months, but showed little indication the government may drop its requirement that future EU ties cannot involve a customs union.
With Parliament on an 11-day break until April 23, Britons are wondering what happens next.
Steve Murrells, chief executive of retailer Co-op group, told the BBC the government had “kicked the can down the road” on Brexit, but that his firm would continue to plan for the worst-case scenario of leaving without a deal.
Despite being handed an extension of EU membership until Oct. 31, Ms. May is hoping to pass a withdrawal agreement and lead Britain out of the bloc before May 23 to avoid taking part in elections for the European Parliament.
Euroskeptic Iain Duncan Smith, a former Conservative Party leader, said Ms. May should be ready to quit in June. He described the delay to Brexit as “political death” and urged Ms. May to avoid taking part in the European elections.
“What the Prime Minister has to do now is aim everything towards departure before the [European parliamentary elections] which would then allow her to step away having done what she said she would do --get the UK out of the European Union one way or the other,” he told Sky News.
Watch out, Parliament, Britain’s Nigel Farage warns at launch of new Brexit Party
Britain’s PM Theresa May defends Brexit delay, critic asks her to resign
EU leaders grant Theresa May six-month reprieve to win Brexit approval
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Gnosticism: From Nag Hammadi to the Gospel of Judas
Professor David Brakke, Ph.D., M.Div.
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Course No. 6271
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Lecture Titles
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The three centuries following the death of Jesus were a momentous and turbulent era in Western religious thought. During this time, as Christianity began its massive ascent, distancing itself from paganism and Judaism, other important currents of religious belief appeared, in what became an epoch of intense theological conflict and debate.
In this age of burgeoning faith, few if any influences on the theological landscape were as significant or far-reaching as the religious movements known to us as Gnosticism. Gnosticism, one of the most fascinating and perplexing phenomena in Western religious history, intersected deeply with early Christian thought, sparking religious ideologies that competed with the theological thinking that came to define Christianity. And, though Gnosticism was eventually branded as heretical by the emerging orthodox church, the church formed many of its most central doctrines in response to Gnostic ideas.
But what was Gnosticism? Why did its ideas and mythology appeal to so many people? How did it influence other faiths, including Judaism, Christianity and Islam?And why did Christianity— while showing clear signs of Gnostic influence—condemn it?
This course takes on these provocative questions and more, in a narrative that unfolds as an enthralling religious detective story—penetrating the mysteries of a stigmatized yet profoundly important legacy of religious thought. Among many intriguing features of the story, you’ll learn that:
What we call “Gnosticism” comprises a number of related religious ideologies and movements, all of which sought “gnosis,” or immediate, direct, and intimate knowledge of God;
Gnostic groups reinterpreted and often rewrote Jewish and Christian scriptures, creating religious mythologies that struck deep chords in contemporary seekers;
Gnostic thought and practice reveal to us the precursors of the mystical tradition within Christianity.
Throughout its existence, Gnosticism maintained a continuing, contentious dialogue with Christian thought. Ultimately, such core Christian concepts as original sin, the immaculate conception, and heresy developed in response to Gnosticism. To study the history and theology of Gnosticism is to gain a deeply revealing view into how canonical Christianity developed as it did, and to comprehend some highly influential alternative religious paths in the West—the paths of gnosis.
In Gnosticism: From Nag Hammadi to the Gospel of Judas, Professor David Brakke of The Ohio State University is your guide in a richly detailed immersion in the theology, sacred writings, rituals, and outstanding human figures of the Gnostic movements. At the heart of the story is the 1945 discovery of the Nag Hammadi codices, a mysterious cache of ancient documents unearthed in the Egyptian desert, that gave us firsthand accounts of the Gnostics’ beliefs, practices, and ways of life. Studying these invaluable texts, along with more recent discoveries, such as the astonishing Gospel of Judas and Gospel According to Mary, gives you a profound look at Gnostic spirituality and its singular impact on religious history.
While fully respectful of traditional Christian beliefs, this course provides a valuable perspective on the development of Western religions and Christian theology.
Discover the Core of Gnostic Belief and Practice
In the opening section of the course, you’ll explore two of the primary spiritual paths in the Gnostic tradition. First, you’ll devote a full six lectures to the Gnostic School of Thought, a religious movement that spread throughout the ancient Mediterranean world. By studying essential Gnostic texts such as The Secret Book According to John, the Revelation of Adam, and The Reality of the Rulers, you’ll penetrate the elaborate Gnostic religious myth, conceiving of God as a highly complex divine intellect consisting of numerous dimensions known as “aeons.”
Among many striking features of Gnostic theology, you’ll find that:
The Gnostics believed that the God of Genesis was a lesser, imperfect divine being, but not the ultimate God.
Gnostic thought contends that Jesus saves, not by dying for our sins, but by revealing to us our true origin in the spiritual Entirety.
Gnostic scriptures were not unchangeable, and were often modified over time: religious myth was simply a means to the ultimate end of gnosis.
Gnostic texts describe two ways of knowing God directly; one, by a spiritual journey through the heavens, the other by contemplation of one’s own intellect—believed to be a miniature version of the Entirety, or God’s mind.
Next, you’ll study the most famous of the Nag Hammadi texts, themystical Gospel According to Thomas, a variant on Gnostic thought that teaches that the kingdom of God is not a future event, but is already present, hidden within each of us.
The following lectures devote careful study to the Valentinians, who turned the Gnostic myth into a powerful Christian movement that lasted for centuries. Within these lectures you’ll learn how the theologian Valentinus reformulated Gnostic mythology in ways that appealed powerfully to Christians, and you’ll grasp the remarkable Valentinian vision of salvation—as a healing of the separation between our divided “male” and “female” selves.
Explore Alternate Western Paths to Divinity
As the course progresses, you’ll investigate other important early paths of gnosis, both Christian and non-Christian, which further illuminate the theological conceptions and influence of the Gnostics:
The “Orthodox” Gnostics: Learn about the seminal work of Christian theologians Clement and Origen, who, while intensely opposed to both the Gnostics and the Valentinians, claimed to offer a path to gnosis of God which was consistent with the teachings of the emerging church.
The Hermeticists: Grasp the theology of Hermeticism, based in religious wisdom of ancient Egypt and Greece, which taught a philosophical and mystical pathway to the divine.
The Neo-Platonists: Encounter the Neo-Platonist teaching of Plotinus, whose theology focused on our essential union with “The One” and divine gnosis through contemplation.
The Manichaeans: Study the highly dualistic mythology of this religion, explore its path to salvation through restraint and moral purity, and learn how St. Augustine developed his teaching on original sin in opposition to Manichaean ideas.
Across the span of the lectures, you’ll observe how and why gnosis-based theology deeply alarmed proto-orthodox Christians, and how their concerns ultimately gave rise to the concept of heresy.
A Riveting and Highly Illuminating Inquiry
A religious scholar of extraordinary knowledge and insight, Professor Brakke brings the Gnostics’ story alive with the style of a master storyteller, using visual aids to demystify complex mythology in an accessible yet deep and comprehensive presentation. Following Gnostic ideology through the centuries, he vividly illustrates its impact on Western thought, from its role in early religions and its re-emergence in medieval spirituality to its remarkable traces in modern popular culture, from science fiction writing to Hollywood films.
In delving into the paths of gnosis, you’ll discover a compelling, alternative current of religious practice in the West, which challenged proto-orthodox Christianity, profoundly affecting its development. In the resulting crucible of theological debate, you’ll see clearly how orthodox Christianity differentiated itself from these paths, and how Gnostic influence continued to affect Western spirituality in ways that resonate to the present day. Join us in a penetrating look at a heretical yet historically significant tradition of religious thought.
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24 lectures
| Average 31 minutes each
Rediscovering Gnosis
Begin by exploring the key tenets of the religious movements of ancient Gnosticism, centered in the concept of gnosis, or direct, personal knowledge of God. Learn about the exciting 1945 discovery of the Nag Hammadi codices, a large cache of ancient manuscripts representing four diverse Gnostic traditions. x
Who Were the Gnostics?
The 2nd-century writings of Irenaeus constitute one of the early sources on Gnosticism. Here, investigate whether Irenaeus's claim that the Gnostics deviated from an original Christian truth is accurate. Then learn what Irenaeus tells us about the Gnostics' beliefs, and how he helps us to identify key Gnostic texts. x
God in Gnostic Myth
The Secret Book According to John is the most important surviving Gnostic text. Explore the Gnostic conception of God in this book, as a complex intellect consisting of numerous aspects called "aeons". Learn how the God of Genesis, viewed by the Gnostics as a lesser, imperfect divinity, came into being. x
Gnosticism on Creation, Sin, and Salvation
Continuing with the Secret Book, study the text's retelling of the Genesis story, which presents the creation of humanity and the biblical Flood as the work of the false god Ialdaboath, who acts to prevent human beings from knowing their true nature. Learn also about salvation as envisioned in the Secret Book. x
Judas as a Gnostic Tragic Hero
The Gnostic Gospel of Judas differs significantly from the portrayal of Judas in the New Testament. Discover the Gnostic account, which recasts both the actions of Judas and his role in God's larger plan, predicting an important role for Judas in the coming kingdom of God while criticizing the other disciples. x
Gnostic Bible Stories
The Gnostic texts The Revelation of Adam and The Reality of the Rulers rewrite the early chapters of Genesis. Examine how the texts reformulate the story of the Creation, Noah and the Flood, and the question of who will be saved, placing the Gnostics themselves within Genesis and linking the stories to their salvation. x
Gnosticism's Ritual Pathway to God
Here, explore Gnostic conceptions regarding direct knowledge of God. First, learn about ritual baptism and hymn singing in Gnosticism, and their promise of gnosis. Then study texts that illustrate two ways of knowing God; one, a journey upward through the cosmic heavens, the other through interior contemplation of one's own intellect. x
The Feminine in Gnostic Myth
Gnosticism is known among the ancient religions for its prominent number of female deities and divinities. Look at three examples of the feminine in Gnostic texts - the feminine divine, the feminine revealer, and the feminine heroine - to assess the nature and role of the female principle within the Gnostic tradition. x
The Gospel of Thomas's Cryptic Sayings
The Gospel According to Thomas is the most famous of the ancient documents discovered at Nag Hammadi. Learn how the text comprises sayings of Jesus that the reader must seek to understand. Observe how the gospel rejects the teaching of a future kingdom of God, contending instead that the kingdom is within us. x
The Gospel of Thomas on Reunifying the Self
Explore core religious concepts in the Thomas gospel, highlighting its view of salvation as the overcoming of divisions, finding unity with oneself and with Jesus. Investigate the symbolic role of baptism in stripping away the old self and healing dualities, and study the gospel's advice on how to live in the world. x
Valentinus, Great Preacher of Gnosis
The second century theologian Valentinus used the Gnostic myth in creating a powerful Christian movement. Here, learn how Valentinus modified Gnostic teachings in ways appealing to early Christians. Grasp how his spirituality invited followers to find true gnosis in Jesus and to experience God directly, intimately, and joyfully. x
God and Creation in Valentinian Myth
Study how Valentinus's radical spirituality spread, and how the movement interacted with other contemporary forms of Christianity. Then investigate its mythological construct of the universe as composed of three elements: matter, spirit, and soul. One of these predominates in each individual human being, crucially influencing their spiritual destiny. x
Becoming Male through Valentinian Ritual
This lecture explores the extraordinary power and import of the Valentinian sacraments. Grasp the symbolism of the Eucharist and the complex ritual of baptism, as they represent resurrection and salvation. Study the Valentinian conception of salvation as a healing of the schism between our angelic and human (or female/male) selves. x
Valentinian Views on Christian Theology
To fully comprehend Valentinian teachings, we must place them within the context of the diverse Christian beliefs of their time. Delve into the Valentinian views of the resurrection, the relevance of the Jewish Bible, and the authority of Valentinus's knowledge, noting essential differences with the Christian thinking that later became orthodoxy. x
Mary Magdalene as an Apostle of Gnosis
The figure of Mary Magdalene appears prominently in Valentinian and other so-called "heretical" writings. In assessing her significance within these traditions, contrast her portrayal in the canonical gospels with the non-canonical Gospel According to Mary, which reveals key evidence regarding the role of women in early Christianity and the nature of religious authority. x
Competing Revelations from Christ
The Nag Hammadi codices contain numerous texts called "revelations" or "secret books". Here, explore three such texts, the Revelation of Paul, the Revelation of Peter, and the Secret Book of James, as they propound theological views that challenged and in some cases sharply criticized the emerging orthodox church and its leaders. x
The Invention of Heresy
The teachings of the Gnostics and Valentinians were later condemned as heresy. But how did the idea of heresy arise within Christianity? Learn about the "invention" of heresy by theologians such as Justin Martyr and Irenaeus. Study what Irenaeus opposed in Gnostic/Valentinian spirituality, and the core features of his vision of Christianity. x
Making Gnosis Orthodox
Also opposing the Gnostics and Valentinians were Christian teachers who claimed to offer a gnosis that was faithful to the teachings of the emerging church. Encounter the work of Clement and Origen, visionary theologians who encouraged Christians to move beyond mere faith to a deeper understanding of the mysteries of God and the universe. x
Gnosticism and Judaism
Begin to investigate the significance of Gnosticism for religions other than Christianity. Look into why some historians believe that Gnosticism began as a Jewish religious movement and only later included Jesus, as well as the arguments against this view, in grasping how emerging Judaism was part of the story of Gnosticism. x
Gnosis without Christ
Two non-Jewish, non-Christian philosophical movements also responded to the ideas of the Gnostics. Study the tenets of Hermeticism, whose sacred texts offered an intellectual and philosophical path to gnosis. Learn also about Neo-Platonism, whose conception of gnosis emphasized our essential connection to God and the possibility of divine union now. x
The Mythology of Manichaeism
Historians have often depicted the religious movement of Manichaeism as the culmination of ancient Gnosticism. Investigate Manichaeism's extraordinarily complex mythology - envisioning reality as a struggle between cosmic forces of Light and Darkness - its conception of salvation, and the structural hierarchy through which Manichaeism became a highly organized international religion. x
Augustine on Manichaeism and Original Sin
St. Augustine, one of the most important figures in the history of Christianity, was a Manichaean before becoming a Christian. Observe how Augustine, as a Christian, vehemently opposed Manichaean views of God, good, and evil, and how he developed his teaching on original sin in response to what he had learned in Manichaeism. x
Gnostic Traces in Western Religions
Key ideas from ancient Gnosticism persisted into the Middle Ages and beyond. Learn about Mandeanism, one of the oldest still existing religions of the Middle East; the mystical theology of Evagrius; the medieval Cathars; and Jewish Kabbalah. Trace the connections between these esoteric forms of spirituality and the Gnostics. x
Gnosticism in the Modern Imagination
Finally, uncover Gnostic themes in the science fiction novels of Philip K. Dick and the films Blade Runner and The Matrix, and learn about the contemporary Gnostic Christian Church. Consider what truly links the religious movements we've studied, and what their ultimate message to us may be. x
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About Your Professor
David Brakke, Ph.D., M.Div.
Professor David Brakke is the Joe R. Engle Chair in the History of Christianity and Professor of History at The Ohio State University. He received his B.A. in English from the University of Virginia, his M.Div. from Harvard Divinity School, and his Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Yale University. He taught for 19 years in the Department of Religious Studies at Indiana University. Professor Brakke has published...
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(Set) Gnosticism & The World of Biblical Israel
Gnosticism: From Nag Hammadi to the Gospel of Judas is rated 4.8 out of 5 by 62.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Renaissance Man from Clarity, and detail This professor makes a complicated topic very clear, and enjoyable to watch. I cannot imagine a better presentation on the Gnostics and Valentinians.
Rated 5 out of 5 by A Christian in Exile from Enlightening and Informative Dr. Brakke is an excellent lecturer. The information presented is compact, forthright, and comprehensive. A very difficult subject is conveyed in such a manner that one can grasp the substance of the topic. Great overview of Christianity before it became orthodox. I don't know if Brakke used a telepromter, but he didn't miss a beat and is able to keep the DVD viewer focused and hanging on to keep up with him.
Rated 3 out of 5 by EngineerinVA from For Specialists This is a good description of Gnosticism in its own terms but it is not useful for Christians who want to see how Gnosticism relates to Christianity. This course also addresses other religious sects such as Valentinianism and, to a much lesser degree, Docetism, Catharism, and Kaballah. I should clarify terms here. I used the term “Christianity” above in its widely accepted sense – those whose religion accepts the Bible as its sacred text, who regard Jesus of Nazareth as the “Christ” and the central figure of the faith, and who accept the seven ecumenical councils. This applies to Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestants. However, Dr. Brakke uses the term differently. Dr. Brakke, following scholars outside the Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant traditions, uses the term in a much broader sense. He lumps the Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant traditions together with Gnosticism, Valentinianism, and Docetism as variations of the same religion. Of course, all this leads to confusion as when Dr. Bakke says, “Christians believed…” Which Christians? All of them? Some of them? Dr. Brakke spends several lectures describing Gnosticism. He also spends several lectures describing Valentinianism, which he distinguished from Gnosticism (although he contends they are all “Christian”). He also devotes lectures or significant parts of lectures to important texts in these and other sects. He shows how some of these texts are polemics against the Bible although (disappointing to me) he never shows how the Bible contains polemics against Gnosticism. (The Bible was written in the first century and Gnosticism flourished starting in the second century but there are scholars who hold that there were incipient elements of Gnosticism in the first century called proto-Gnosticism and that parts of the Bible argued against it.) He discusses how orthodox Christian teachers such as Iranaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Origen of Alexandria, and Augustine responded to what they considered “heresies”. Dr. Brakke has an agreeable presentation style. He structures the new material well so that it can be learned by the novice. I used the video version. The visuals added essentially nothing to the lectures. The audiobook may have been sufficient. (Requires a subscription from Audible / Amazon.) Ultimately, this course fails. It is too specialized for the general audience and it is too general for the specialized audience.
Rated 4 out of 5 by Bill L from Complex subject matter This was my first course . I will revisit this course in the future and take notes.
Rated 5 out of 5 by geon from Gnosticism: From Nag Hammadi to the Gospel of Juda I bought this as gifts for friends. Thanks for the sale. This is what every course about religion should be. It has both history, theology, and revalance to modern times. WHAT EVERY COURSE ABOUT RELIGION SHOULD BE. Included in the top 3 courses I have from Great Courses. Very inclusive of all the texts from Nag Hammadi.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Saradarkgreen from Gnosticism: From Nag Hammadi to the Gospel of Jud Wonderful insight on the people who labored to understand their spiritual world and to convey their knowledge to others and convince those others to join the believers.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Ternorm from Informative Course I have read other materials about Gnostism and their writings prior to this course. This course provided me with a more indepth understanding of the Gnostics and the various groups and writings pertaining to each. I am very pleased I purchased this course and found it compatible with the "Apocryphal Jesus" course I also completed.
Rated 5 out of 5 by Barbarouge from A winner. An amazing course, highly recommended for those interested in learning more about this subject. The material was insightful and the delivery of the information was so well done.
Gnosticism: From Nag Hammadi to the Gospel of Judas Reviews - page 2
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Supporting schools in teaching topics of migration, belonging and empire
Jason Todd responds to coverage of a Tide-Runnymede Trust report that he co-authored
Thu 11 Jul 2019 13.21 EDT Last modified on Thu 11 Jul 2019 14.15 EDT
Men waiting to disembark from the Empire Windrush on 21 June 1948. Photograph: Daily Herald Archive/SSPL via Getty Images
While your coverage of the Tide-Runnymede Trust report on teaching migration, belonging and empire is welcome, calls for making the topics compulsory serve to eclipse the report’s key recommendation (The true story of Britain’s empire should include all of us, Journal, 6 July; Lessons on migration and empire should be mandatory, says trust, 3 July). This was for a fully funded, comprehensive and sustainable continuing professional development programme for teachers across subjects to support their teaching in these areas. It also acknowledges the range of complexities and sensitivities at play when teaching these subjects in the classroom and makes the case for an integrated approach to professional development based on a range of scholarship and empirical data along the lines of the Department for Education-funded Centre for Holocaust Education.
I believe that the evidence shows it is only by prioritising the needs of teachers and young people that we will enable more effective teaching of the topics of migration, belonging and empire.
Dr Jason Todd
Co-author of Tide-Runnymede report
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Why live the Life of Riley at Royal Ascot?
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What else makes Royal Ascot the race leader?
But Ascot isn’t only about the horse racing - it’s THE social event of the year, where aristocrats, VIP’s, celebrities and footballers and their wives show off the latest fashions while quaffing champagne and Pimms from The Queen Anne and Windsor Enclosures.
Tickets are available for all five days to both grandstands, where you’ll have amazing views of the horses thundering passed. If you don’t rendezvous with Her Majesty on the concourse, you’ll definitely see her famous wave as each of the glorious five days begin with the Royal Procession.
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Daily Ratings & News for Dorian LPG
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Short Interest in Dorian LPG Ltd (NYSE:LPG) Declines By 12.0%
Posted by Caroline Horne | Jul 14th, 2019
Dorian LPG Ltd (NYSE:LPG) saw a large decrease in short interest during the month of June. As of June 30th, there was short interest totalling 1,278,000 shares, a decrease of 12.0% from the May 30th total of 1,451,600 shares. Approximately 3.3% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 306,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.2 days.
NYSE:LPG traded down $0.09 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $9.60. The stock had a trading volume of 284,840 shares, compared to its average volume of 464,861. Dorian LPG has a 1-year low of $5.26 and a 1-year high of $10.06. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $8.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.04 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $534.58 million, a PE ratio of -12.15 and a beta of 1.20.
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Dorian LPG (NYSE:LPG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 23rd. The shipping company reported ($0.22) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.15) by ($0.07). Dorian LPG had a negative net margin of 32.24% and a negative return on equity of 4.65%. The firm had revenue of $34.47 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $37.43 million. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Dorian LPG will post -0.13 EPS for the current year.
A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Zacks Investment Research lowered shares of EXACT Sciences from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. ValuEngine upgraded shares of United Overseas Bank from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, June 17th. Finally, DNB Markets lowered shares of Dorian LPG from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, June 21st.
In related news, CFO Theodore B. Young sold 4,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.36, for a total value of $42,120.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 122,253 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,144,288.08. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, major shareholder Group Ltd Bw sold 422,517 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $8.83, for a total transaction of $3,730,825.11. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 1,119,054 shares of company stock worth $10,225,914. 26.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of LPG. Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake in Dorian LPG by 44.9% in the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 39,109 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $228,000 after buying an additional 12,121 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. boosted its holdings in Dorian LPG by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 1,794,563 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $10,462,000 after purchasing an additional 39,309 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in Dorian LPG by 8.7% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 109,766 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $639,000 after purchasing an additional 8,803 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. boosted its holdings in Dorian LPG by 131.5% in the 4th quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 22,702 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $132,000 after purchasing an additional 12,897 shares during the period. Finally, GSA Capital Partners LLP boosted its holdings in Dorian LPG by 323.7% in the 4th quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 43,716 shares of the shipping company’s stock valued at $255,000 after purchasing an additional 33,399 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 53.99% of the company’s stock.
About Dorian LPG
Dorian LPG Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the transportation of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) through its LPG tankers worldwide. It owns and operates very large gas carriers (VLGCs). As of June 26, 2018, its fleet consisted of 22 VLGCs with carrying capacity of approximately 1.8 million cubic meters.
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MoHW
MoH: Warfighter Zero Dark Thirty releasing next week
Medal of Honor: Warfighter’s The Hunt map pack – aka Zero Dark Thirty – will release next week, according to a post from level designer Marc Janas on US PS Blog.
MoHW headlines
Medal of Honor: Warfighter video gives you an overview of the Zero Dark Thirty Map Pack
Medal of Honor: Warfighter’s Zero Dark Thirty Map Pack is out this winter, and to give you an idea of what to expect, EA has released a flyover video of the map. The Zero Dark Thirty Map Pack is available at no extra cost with the Limited or Deluxe Editions, and was inspired by a […]
MoH: Warfighter - Zero Dark Thirty Map Pack video
Medal of Honor: Warfighter has a new video available showing off the The Zero Dark Thirty Map Pack.
New Medal of Honor: Warfighter screens show off the game's multiplayer
New Medal of Honor: Warfighter screens are posted below, showing off the game’s multiplayer.
Medal of Honor: Warfighter multiplayer - Bergqvist discusses endgame, hacking, VOIP, more
Medal of Honor: Warfighter’s multiplayer will be a “cohesive experience,” with single-player and multiplayer sharing features, plus, will be a more expansive than last time out, according to creative director of multiplayer at Danger Close, Kristoffer Bergqvist.
Medal of Honor: Warfighter multiplayer beta is live on Xbox 360
The Medal of Honor: Warfighter multiplayer beta has gone live on Xbox 360. You can get in on it if you are a Gold Member. For an idea of what to expect out of it, click here. Alternatively, you can also watch the videos below. The beta ends on October 15 at 12.01am PDT. Medal […]
Medal of Honor: Warfighter video preps you for the multiplayer beta
Medal of Honor: Warfighter’s multiplayer beta, exclusive to Xbox 360, will go live tomorrow, and EA has released a video featuring Ryan Hamlyn the game’s multiplayer development manager.
Medal of Honor: Warfighter - latest training video focuses on driving tactics
Medal of Honor: Warfighter has a new training video available, which focuses on combat driving.
Medal of Honor: Warfighter multiplayer beta hits weekend
Medal of Honor: Warfighter’s multiplayer beta, which is exclusive to Xbox 360, will go live at the end of this week, according to senior designer Ben Jones.
MoH: Warfighter's open multiplayer beta goes live in October - 360 exclusive
Medal of Honor: Warfighter’s open multiplayer beta will go live worldwide in October as an Xbox 360 exclusive, EA has announced.
EA and Linkin Park tease collaboration on Medal of Honor: Warfighter
EA and Linkin Park are teasing something, and that something is related to Medal of Honor: Warfighter. Likely it’s a track for the game, as 2009’s MoH offering included one from the band as well. The teaser is below.
MoH: Warfighter listing outs Battlefield 4 on Origin
Let’s start the morning off with something interesting: a listing on Origin for Medal of Honor: Warfighter states those who pre-order the game will gain access to the Battlefield 4 beta.
Medal of Honor: Warfighter video debuts multiplayer
EA has released the debut trailer for the multiplayer portion of Medal of Honor: Warfighter. It apparently got enough “likes” on Facebook. Watch below. Medal of Honor: Warfighter releases on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 in October.
Medal of Honor: Warfighter's ready for its close-up with latest screenshots
EA has released a new set of screenshots for Medal of Honor: Warfighter, and they are a rather nice sight to behold. Below you will find close-ups of the men in the game, a beard, massive weaponry, and some really nice lighting. Game’s out October 26.
MoHW latest
MoH: Warfighter – Zero Dark Thirty Map Pack video
New Medal of Honor: Warfighter screens show off the game’s multiplayer
Medal of Honor: Warfighter multiplayer – Bergqvist discusses endgame, hacking, VOIP, more
Medal of Honor: Warfighter – latest training video focuses on driving tactics
MoH: Warfighter’s open multiplayer beta goes live in October – 360 exclusive
Medal of Honor: Warfighter’s ready for its close-up with latest screenshots
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Views My Own
Trump's bizarre press conference was thick with the stench of failure.
by Harry Cheadle
Aug 15 2017, 10:30pm
Imagine that through some combination of luck, ruthlessness, and an animal feel for what certain American voters like to hear, you become president of the United States. You wake up every morning with a country to run, programs to implement, fires to put out. Your job is probably the most important one in the world, and certainly the most closely examined. When you speak, the nation listens, even if you don't particularly like big swathes of the nation and even larger swathes definitely don't like you.
You made some promises when you were running for office and now you have to at least try to keep them. This is going badly. You have not been a transformative leader, instead quietly going along with longtime obsessions of your party. Your most important legislative push ended in humiliating failure you can't accept. The healthy economy, which you inherited from your predecessor and brag about every chance you get, may not be as strong as many people assume. The thing you've been most successful at is starting feuds with the media, which fires up portions of your base, but doesn't come close to substituting for real accomplishment.
So you take a break. The heat of the DC summer is oppressive and Congress is in recess anyway, so you head out to one of your many golf courses. (This one's in Jersey.) You're not on vacation because the president can never go on vacation, of course, and you take the time to give a short presentation to the media on infrastructure. You talked about this during the campaign—the country's crumbling roads and its pathetic airports—and you want to make this a priority. You show the media charts. There's too much red tape, you say, and here's a chart demonstrating that.
It's going fine. There was a rally over the weekend where some people gathered around a Confederate statue, marched around with torches; there was brawling and a person died—it was bad, and the media said you said the wrong thing about it. But look, you said the right thing eventually, OK? Time to move on to infrastructure.
Then you take questions and everything goes off the fucking rails:
President Donald Trump defended the group of white supremacists who marched on Charlottesville, Virginia this weekend, telling assembled reporters they were largely justified and being unfairly vilified by the media....
"The night before people innocently protesting very quietly the taking down of the statue of Robert E. Lee," Trump said, in reference to the group of white supremacists who spent the evening carrying torches, shouting Nazi slogans, and delivering Nazi salutes. "You had a group on one side that was bad, and you had a group on the other side that was also very violent."
If it's hideous to watch America's president try to excuse the behavior of white supremacists as "innocent," it's also deeply embarrassing, a reminder that this is the person leading the country. Embattled, constantly distracted by Twitter and cable news, and increasingly at odds with Senate Republicans, Donald Trump was given an opportunity to present himself as a unifier by simply denouncing a bunch of violent racists in Charlottesville. He failed that test on Saturday with a weak statement about "many sides," and, after condemning the white supremacists on Monday, failed again on Tuesday with a bizarre press conference that saw him excusing the fringe right. He even adopted its talking points about how if monuments celebrating the Confederacy came down, statues of George Washington would be next.
He finished up by bragging that he had a winery in Charlottesville that was one of the largest in the country. (As noted by Mother Jones, the winery is officially owned by a business named after Trump's son Eric.)
What was advanced by Trump producing another controversy from thin air? If anything, his continued defense of the hard right will make mainstream Republican politicians more leery of him than they already are, and remind them how unpredictable he is. Meanwhile, it helps further convince white supremacists that the president is on their side, and will surely deepen the division between Trump supporters and detractors nationwide.
The country is getting angrier. Maybe it was just as angry during the Obama years, but Barack Obama could make people believe in civility, or at least the appearance of civility. Trump doesn't have that talent and he doesn't seem to care much, anyway. His instinct is to fan the flames, to make more enemies, to turn every story into a story about him and what he said. The brutal and tragic thing was that that instinct was exactly what America wanted—it got him the presidency, if only barely. But he's utterly incapable of doing the job, a point that was obvious even before Monday. He can't get through a simple press conference without spewing more bile and alienating leaders who would have endorsed more infrastructure spending.
Trump is failing. It's a terrible thing to watch.
Follow Harry Cheadle on Twitter.
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Where to visit in Vietnam, part1
Vietnam is an astonishing mix of natural highlights and cultural diversity. The scenery ranges from jagged peaks seen from winding mountain passes down to verdant paddy fields painted every shade of green in the palette, while the nation's long history and an amazing number of ethnic minorities mean that culture-vultures will find plenty to admire.
Where to visit in Vietnam
Hikers, bikers, and outdoor lovers can get their teeth into the countryside within the numerous national parks, while the spectacular karst seascape of Halong Bay is one natural sight that even the more slothful can experience up close on a cruise. While the rural areas brim with fantastic panoramas, the big cities breathe with contemporary life and provide ample opportunities to get stuck into Vietnam's tasty culinary highlights. This fascinating country is full of surprises and is one of Southeast Asia's most underrated destinations. This article will introduce the best places where to go in Vietnam.
1. Halong Bay
The karst seascape of Halong Bay is one of the world's most spellbinding sea views and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Thousands of limestone islands sit within this bay in the Gulf of Tonkin, eroded into jagged pinnacles by wind and water action over millennia. With the bay's scenery best seen by boat, this is prime cruising territory. Opt for at least an overnight tour to see Halong Bay's iconic views as a day trip doesn't do it justice. There are plenty of caves in the bay that can be entered including the Hang Sung Sot, with three mammoth caverns, and the Hang Dao Go, with superbly weird stalagmites and stalactites. For most people though, the highlight is simply cruising amid the karsts and soaking up the changing scenery of pinnacles as you pass by. You should book Halong bay trips from Hanoi or Halong cruise tours such as Royal Palace cruise Halong, Victory cruise Halong bay,... enjoy fully the beauty of the bay.
2. Ho Chi Minh City
For big city fans, no visit to Vietnam is really complete without a visit to Ho Chi Minh City, the buzzing and crazy commercial hub of the country. The streets are an insane clog of motorbikes and cars, the restaurant and cafe scene is incredibly cosmopolitan, and the shopping is the best you'll find in the country. At its center is Dong Khoi, a relatively small and easily navigable central district, which holds most of the city's sights. Here, you'll find the HCMC Museum, with a brilliant collection of artefacts that weaves together the story of the city, and the grand Notre Dame Cathedral, built in the late 19th century. Check out the old district of Da Kao nearby for some of the best surviving examples of the city's French colonial architecture and also to visit the Jade Emperor Pagoda with its dazzling array of Buddhist and Taoist religious iconography. Afterwards, the History Museum is a must-do for history fans with stacks of relics on display from various archaeological sites.
For many visitors, the two big hitter attractions not to miss are just a little out of the center, along Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street. The Reunification Palace, then known as Independence Palace, was the residence for South Vietnam's president. It's chiefly famous as the spot where North Vietnam's tanks stopped on 30 April 1975, officially ending the war. It's a completely fascinating place to visit complete with 1960s furnishings still in situ. Nearby is the War Remnants Museum, which although very obviously biased, paints a disturbing picture of the brutality of war and the many atrocities committed by US Forces during their Vietnam campaign.
3. Hue
One of Vietnam's most historic towns, Hue is packed to the brim with relics from the reign of the 19th-century Nguyen emperors. Sitting along the banks of the gorgeous Perfume River, the Imperial Enclosure is a huge site set within walls that sprawl for 2.5 kilometers. While touring the grounds check out the gorgeous Ngo Mon Gate, the Thai Hoa Palace with its finely lacquered interior detailing, the Dien Tho Residence where the Queen Mothers would live, and the Halls of Mandarins with its preserved ceiling murals. A dazzling number of historic sites lie outside the Imperial Enclosure walls as well.
One of the nicest ways of visiting a collection of outlying sites is by taking a riverboat cruise on the Perfume River. A day cruise can take you to visit several royal tombs along with some pagodas. If you're short on time, the best tomb to visit is the Tomb of Tu Doc and the most important pagoda in the area is the Thien Mu Pagoda, with its tower that soars for 21 meters high.
4. Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park
One of the world's best-caving destinations, World Heritage-listed Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is a dramatic karst mountain formation honeycombed with huge caverns, which are home to superb stalactite and stalagmite displays. The most popular destination within the park is the Paradise Cave, which extends for a staggering 31 kilometers below ground. The yawning caverns here are truly spectacular. Tu Lan Cave is a "wet cave," and a visit here includes swimming through the cave-systems river. The other most popular excursion is to the Phong Nha Caves, where the interior is accessed by boat. You can access Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park from Son Trach.
5. My Son
Surrounded by lush jungle-covered mountains, My Son is a ruined Cham era temple city that dates from the 4th century. This old Hindu religious center was still very much in use during the 7th to 10th centuries and only fell into complete decline and abandonment during the 13th century. There are around 20 temple structures still standing here, all built of brick or sandstone blocks and showing interesting influences from various Asian empires, including Indian and Malay. Note that the temples of Group B are the oldest, while Group A once contained the site's most important monument but was destroyed deliberately by US forces during the Vietnam War. A good museum on-site houses plenty of information on the Cham. Access to My Son is from Hoi An.
6. Hoi An
Beautiful Hoi An is the most atmospheric city in Vietnam, with bags of surviving historic architecture. The old town quarter is a joy to explore, packed to the brim with well-preserved merchant houses that hark back to Hoi An's trading center heyday of the 15th century, when the town was a major meeting point for Japanese and Chinese merchants who flocked here for the local silks. Plenty of the old merchant houses have been opened to the public, so you can get a taste of these times. The best is 17th-century Tan Ky House, with fascinating architectural and decorative elements.
Hoi An's major symbol is the delightful Japanese Bridge at the western end of Tran Phu Street, while nearby, the Assembly Hall of the Fujian Chinese Congregation is the old town's most highly decorated temple. There are numerous small pagodas and museums dotted about the town, but Hoi An's true charm is found in simply rambling the old town streets admiring the well-preserved facades.
What to know about the weather in Phu Quoc Island
Things you should know before flying to Phu Quoc by plane
When should you visit Sapa for the best weather?
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Where to go in Phu Quoc island
What you need to know before conquering Fansipan Mountain
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Where is Vietnam located on the world map
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Ways to move when exploring Vietnam
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Explore the most beautiful rice terrace
Pu Luong - Ninh Binh 4 days Hard Trek
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From US$300
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NAVIGATE Where to visit in Vietnam, part1
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Pre-approved 0% interest loans, no overdraft fees, no account minimums, quicker access than an ATM, and a seemingly guaranteed income stream. These are just some of the great benefits of opening an account in the Bank of Parents. Once a child hits a certain age, they are no longer eligible for these benefits. At which point, they will have to open a normal bank account and join the rest of us.
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(Note: this guest post was written by Kevin A. Pollock, J.D., LL.M. Kevin is an attorney and the managing partner at The Pollock Firm LLC. Kevin's practice areas include: Wills Trusts & Estates, Guardianships, Tax Planning, Asset Protection Planning, Corporate and Business Law, Business Succession Planning & Probate Litigation. Kevin Pollock is licensed in NJ, NY, PA and FL. Kevin's contact information can be found on his website: https://pollockfirm.com/)
Being Immortal in our 20’s
The Sunday Hangover.
I’m sure for those of us in our 20’s or for those who look back to our 20’s, a system was in place to deal with the Sunday headache so that two hours later, we can bounce back. It can certainly feel like a hangover won’t disturb where we are going. We’re strong. We can pull all-nighters and be perfectly fine. We can eat copious amounts of fast food at 3am and not gain any weight. We are immortal.
In Case of Emergency, Break Glass
It has been over 30 days since the government shutdown. Over 800,000 federal employees have had to rely on other means to cover their daily needs. From filing for unemployment benefits, to getting part-time jobs and in more desperate attempts, selling vehicles to cover expenses. It is difficult to imagine oneself in their shoes as it is stressful to think about one’s own cash flows, let alone someone else’s.
Anchoring Bias: The Costs of Being Weighed Down
Do you think a porcupine has more or less than 1000 quills (i.e. the spikes on its back)?
Since reading that sentence, it’s likely you experienced a harmless example of Anchoring Bias.
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Excerpts of Key Mass Media Articles in Major Media
Below are key excerpts of highly revealing mass media articles reported in the mainstream media. Links are provided to the full articles on their major media websites. If any link fails to function, read this webpage. These mass media articles are listed in reverse date order. You can explore the articles listed by order of importance or by date posted. By choosing to educate ourselves on these important issues and to spread the word, we can and will build a brighter future.
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Note: Explore our full index to key excerpts of revealing major media news articles on several dozen engaging topics. And don't miss amazing excerpts from 20 of the most revealing news articles ever published.
New York Times reviewing reporting on San Bernardino assailants
2015-12-17, Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/wp/2015/12/17/new-york-times...
The New York Times is taking a second look at its reporting on the Internet activities of the assailants in the San Bernardino, Calif., massacre. The review is addressing a discrepancy between the paper’s reporting and statements made ... by FBI Director James B. Comey. The New York Times reported in a front-page Sunday piece that Tashfeen Malik, who with her husband Syed Rizwan Farook committed the slayings, “talked openly on social media about her views on violent jihad.” In a session with reporters yesterday, Comey announced: “So far, in this investigation we have found no evidence of posting on social media by either of them at that period in time and thereafter reflecting their commitment to jihad or to martyrdom. I’ve seen some reporting on that, and that’s a garble.” Following Comey’s statements, the New York Times published an article acknowledging the inconsistencies. That the New York Times appears to have botched this story isn’t a shocker. “American law enforcement officials” - upon whom the paper relied for its scoop - are famous for feeding contradictory and unfounded information to the media. Yet the paper’s explanation is indeed a shocker, especially these two sentences: "While those remarks were made online, Mr. Comey said, they were “direct private messages” and not easily accessed. Nevertheless, the F.B.I. was able to obtain them in the days since the attacks." This is a story that needs a large correction, if not a retraction.
Note: Somebody wants us to be afraid. Read an excellent analysis raising serious questions about these alleged mass murderers and others. A New York Times editor admitted that the NYT failed to accurately report the news after 9/11. For more along these lines, see concise summaries of deeply revealing news articles about the manipulation of public perception.
Where’s Bernie? Media Ignores Sanders Though He’s More Popular Than Trump
2015-12-17, The Intercept
https://theintercept.com/2015/12/17/wheres-bernie-media-ignores-sanders-thoug...
The headlines about Donald Trump hitting new highs in national polls are tremendously deceptive, as they only measure his support among self-declared Republican primary voters, a small subset of the nation as a whole. For example, in [a] recent NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, Trump was the first choice of 27 percent of the Republican voters who responded. Given the weighted samples in this poll (38 percent identify as Republican or leaning Republican) this translates into Trump capturing the support of about 11 percent of American voters in total. In the same poll, 37 percent of Democratic voters supported Democratic contender Bernie Sanders. Given the weighted samples (43 percent identify as Democrat or leaning Democrat) that translates into roughly 16 percent of all American voters. Additionally, in a recent Quinnipiac poll, Sanders beat Trump in a head-to-head matchup - by an even larger margin than Hillary Clinton did. But in terms of coverage by the mainstream media, Trump is besting Sanders 23 to 1, by some estimates. Some of this can be explained by the fact that Trump is the GOP frontrunner, and Sanders has consistently run second to Clinton. But it’s also partly because of what a spectacle Trump has made of himself - and because the media has consistently treated Sanders as a marginal candidate. Media executives view Trump’s outrageous antics as good for their bottom line. “Go Donald! Keep getting out there!” Les Moonves, the chief executive of CBS, [recently] cheered.
Note: For more along these lines, see concise summaries of deeply revealing news articles about elections and the manipulation of mass media.
Strike Two for Pair of New York Times Reporters
2015-12-16, Mother Jones
http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2015/12/strike-two-pair-new-york-times-...
Today, FBI director James Comey said the San Bernardino shooters never talked openly about violent jihadism on social media: "So far, in this investigation we have found no evidence of posting on social media by either of them at that period in time and thereafter reflecting their commitment to jihador to martyrdom." So where did this notion come from, anyway? The answer is a New York Times story on Sunday headlined "U.S. Visa Process Missed San Bernardino Wife's Zealotry on Social Media." It told us that Tashfeen Malik "talked openly" on social media about jihad and that, "Had the authorities found the posts years ago, they might have kept her out of the country." The story was written by Matt Apuzzo, Michael Schmidt, and Julia Preston. Do those names sound familiar? They should. The first two were also the authors of July's epic fail claiming that Hillary Clinton was the target of a criminal referral over the mishandling of classified information in her private email system. In the end, virtually everything about the story turned out to be wrong. Clinton was not a target. The referral was not criminal. The emails in question had most likely not been classified at the time Clinton saw them. That's two strikes. Schmidt and Apuzzo either have some bad sources somewhere, or else they have one really bad source somewhere. And coincidentally or not, their source(s) have provided them with two dramatic but untrue scoops that make prominent Democrats look either corrupt or incompetent.
Note: A New York Times editor admitted that the NYT failed to accurately report the news after 9/11. For more along these lines, see concise summaries of deeply revealing news articles about the manipulation of public perception.
Inside Saudi Arabia’s Campaign to Charm American Policymakers and Journalists
https://theintercept.com/2015/12/01/inside-saudi-charm-campaign/
Soon after launching a brutal air and ground assault in Yemen, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia began devoting significant resources to a sophisticated public relations blitz. Elements of the charm offensive include the launch of a pro-Saudi Arabia media portal operated by high-profile Republican campaign consultants; a special English-language website devoted to putting a positive spin on the latest developments in the Yemen war; glitzy dinners with American political and business elites; and a non-stop push to sway reporters and policymakers. That has been accompanied by a spending spree on American lobbyists with ties to the Washington establishment. Saudi Arabia continues to be a leading driver of Sunni terror networks worldwide, including in Syria and Iraq. The Saudi Arabian government is currently supplying weapons to a Syrian rebel coalition that includes the Nusra Front, al Qaeda’s affiliate in the region. Private donors in Saudi Arabia have also worked as fundraisers for the Islamic State, or ISIS. And there is a renewed, bipartisan push by lawmakers to declassify the 28 pages of the 9/11 Commission Report, a censored section that reportedly relates to Saudi state support for al Qaeda’s operation. In September, the Kingdom helped sponsor opulent galas for Washington’s business elite at the Ritz Carlton and the Andrew Mellon Auditorium. The events were attended by King Salman, along with the chief executives of General Electric and Lockheed Martin, the chairman of Marriott International, and prominent think tank officials.
Note: A carefully researched report on the covert origins of ISIS suggests the creation of terrorists is useful for Washington's elite. A document that is reported to connect Saudi money to 9/11 remains classified. For more along these lines, see concise summaries of deeply revealing news articles about government corruption and media manipulation.
CNN Punished Its Own Journalist for Fulfilling a Core Duty of Journalism
https://theintercept.com/2015/11/20/cnns-punishment-of-refugee-defending-jour...
CNN yesterday suspended its global affairs correspondent, Elise Labott, for two weeks for the crime of posting a tweet critical of the House vote to ban Syrian refugees. Whether by compulsion or choice, she then groveled in apology. Labott’s crime wasn’t that she expressed an opinion. It’s that she expressed the wrong opinion: After Paris, defending Muslims, even refugees, is strictly forbidden. I’ve spoken with friends who work at every cable network and they say the post-Paris climate is indescribably repressive in terms of what they can say and who they can put on air. When it comes to the Paris attacks, CNN has basically become state TV. Labott’s punishment comes just five days after two CNN anchors spent six straight minutes lecturing French Muslim civil rights activist Yasser Louati that he and all other French Muslims bear “responsibility” for the attack. In the wake of Paris, an already ugly and quite dangerous anti-Muslim climate has exploded. The leading GOP presidential candidate is speaking openly of forcing Muslims to register in databases, closing mosques, and requiring Muslims to carry special ID cards. Others are advocating exclusion of Muslim refugees (Cruz) and religious tests to allow in only “proven Christians” (Bush). That, by any measure, is a crisis of authoritarianism. And journalists have historically not only been permitted, but required, to raise their voice against such dangers.
Note: The New York Times recently reported that a Syrian passport found at a Paris bombing site was planted as part of a false evidence trail "to turn public opinion against Syrian refugees." For more along these lines, see concise summaries of deeply revealing media manipulation news articles from reliable sources.
Death From Above: Confessions of a Killer Drone Operator
2015-11-19, Newsweek
http://www.newsweek.com/confessions-lethal-drone-operator-396541
In 2009, not long after his historic election and seven years after the first U.S. drone strike, President Barack Obama accepted the Nobel Peace Prize. Since then, however, deadly U.S. drone strikes have increased sharply, as have doubts about the program’s reliability and effectiveness. The latest criticism comes from Drone, a new documentary about the CIA’s covert drone war. To help promote the film and inveigh against the agency’s drone program ... four former operators - Stephen Lewis, Michael Haas, Cian Westmoreland and Brandon Bryant - appeared at a press conference. Speaking out can lead to veiled threats and prosecution. Which is why for years Bryant was the only drone veteran who openly rebuked the drone war. But his persistence and his appearance in the film, the other three say, inspired them to come forward. On multiple occasions, the men say they complained to their superiors about their concerns to no avail. Drone strikes kill far more civilians than the government admits. These deaths, they argue, wind up helping militant groups recruit new members and hurt the U.S.’s long-term security. By distancing soldiers from the battlefield, the operators suggest the people carrying out strikes may become even more desensitized to killing than their counterparts on the front lines. On some occasions, Haas says operators referred to children as “fun-sized terrorists” or “TITS,” terrorists in training.
Note: A human rights attorney has stated the four former Air Force drone operators-turned-whistleblowers mentioned above have had their credit cards and bank accounts frozen. How many more have not spoken out against these abuses for fear of retaliation like this? Read more about the major failings of US drone attacks. For more along these lines, see concise summaries of deeply revealing war news articles from reliable major media sources.
California missile test: Social media nightmare or exactly what the Navy wanted?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2015/11/09/california-missi...
There’s no longer any doubt that thousands of West Coasters witnessed an unarmed missile streaking across the sky Saturday night. What remains open to interpretation: Why? Why test-fire a missile within sight of the nation’s second-largest city? Did officials underestimate social media’s ability to turn a routine event into front-page fodder? Or was that the plan all along, using the inevitable influence of social media to flex America’s military might for observers in Beijing and Moscow? The answer: It’s complicated. Loren Thompson, a military analyst who used to teach nuclear strategy at Georgetown University, told The Washington Post that “We have entered an era when anybody can reach a large audience using social media and the blogosphere, so the military needs to look closely at the implications of testing close to population centers. Obviously, with something as large as a Trident II missile, whether you launch during the daytime or at night, it will be visible,” he said. “That’s just the nature of it.” Even so, the extra attention might not have mattered to military officials, Thompson said. If you ignore the frenzy on social media, there is a benefit to visibility: The U.S. Navy, Thompson writes in Forbes, views nuclear deterrence as its most important mission, and the Trident is the backbone of that deterrence. “You could have demonstrated same point to the Russians or the Chinese without getting people really concerned in L.A.,” Thompson told The Post.
Note: For more along these lines, see concise summaries of deeply revealing news articles about government corruption and media manipulation.
Radiant 'Spotlight' illuminates how the Boston Globe covered church sex scandal
2015-11-05, Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-spotlight-review-2015110...
"Spotlight" ... is the saga of how the Boston Globe won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for uncovering not only decades of sexual abuse by Catholic priests but also systematic maneuvers by the church's Boston archdiocese to shield the more than 70 perpetrators. The story "Spotlight" tells is significant twice over. First for its depiction of the uncovering of what proved to be an international scandal, and also for the way it quietly but potently illustrates society's need for old-fashioned investigative journalism, the kind of labor-intensive telling-truth-to-power work that's increasingly in jeopardy. As "Spotlight" opens in July 2001 ... a new man, the imperturbable Marty Baron, the rare Globe editor not to grow up in Boston, is about to take over the paper. In fact, practically the first thing Baron does is ... focus on the accusations of clergy sexual misconduct. The [news] team (all of whom are lapsed Catholics), as well as the staff in general, symbolized by dubious assistant managing editor Ben Bradlee Jr. are well aware of the enormity of what they're taking on. For one thing, 53% of the Globe's subscribers are Catholic and, for another, as someone says, "the Church thinks in terms of centuries." Because it has done its homework ... "Spotlight" is especially good at the dynamics of interviewing, on what happens when reporters say things like, "Do you want to be on the right side of this story when it breaks?" Honest enough to zing the Globe for neglecting this story for years before it took it on, "Spotlight" is both damning and inspiring.
Note: Watch an excellent segment by Australia's "60-Minutes" team titled "Spies, Lords and Predators" on a pedophile ring in the UK which leads directly to the highest levels of government. A second suppressed documentary, "Conspiracy of Silence," goes even deeper into this sad subject. For more along these lines, see concise summaries of deeply revealing sexual abuse scandal news articles from reliable major media sources.
Vatican Arrests 2 in Connection With Leaked Documents
2015-11-02, New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/03/world/europe/vatican-arrests-leaked-documen...
The Vatican announced Monday that two members of a commission set up by Pope Francis to study financial operations at the Holy See had been arrested on suspicion of leaking confidential documents to journalists. The arrests came days before the publication of two books - “Avarizia,” or “Avarice,” by Emiliano Fittipaldi, and “Merchants in the Temple,” by Gianluigi Nuzzi. Both books claim to offer glimpses of the turmoil surrounding Francis as he pursues his reforms of Vatican finances, the operations of the Curia and the Vatican bank. Those institutions had long been plagued by scandal and corruption that contributed to the resignation in 2013 of Francis’ predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, the first pope to step down in nearly 600 years. Divulging confidential documents has been considered a crime in the Vatican since July 2013, after the leak of a cache of Vatican documents ... which Mr. Nuzzi published. Besides reporting on the church’s vast financial holdings, Mr. Fittipaldi said he had also discovered that money given to the church for the poor was used for other purposes. Mr. Nuzzi’s book ... suggests that the Vatican’s finances were in such chaos that Benedict had no choice but to resign. “I am certainly surprised that the Vatican responds to the imminent publication of a book with handcuffs,” Mr. Nuzzi said ... particularly “when handcuffs aren’t used to stop the thieves in the Vatican.”
Note: In 2012, leaked documents revealed that the Vatican Bank was used for money laundering. For more along these lines, see concise summaries of deeply revealing news articles about corruption in government and in the financial industry.
FBI report: Violent crime down in U.S.
2015-09-28, CNN
http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/28/politics/fbi-crime-statistics-report-2014/
The FBI says crime rates, including murder, were down last year. The report is in contrast to headlines this year. In 2014 the U.S. recorded the fewest murders since 2009. Most other violent crimes, such as robbery, burglary, theft and arson have declined, while aggravated assaults and rapes, which now includes a broader definition, were on the rise in 2014. The 2014 numbers do not reflect an increase this year in murders and other violent crimes reported in some cities. Deputy Attorney General Sally Quillian Yates highlighted progress made for cities compared to decades past. "We have witnessed a remarkable drop in crime since the 1980's - both violent crime and crime overall. Entire cities have been transformed, unlocking tremendous potential and releasing a wave of prosperity," Yates said, adding that "even though crime is trending downward in most places, we are seeing pockets of rising violence in various locations across the country." While the FBI has expanded the report to include new statistics such as hate crimes and human trafficking arrests, it addressed concerns of transparency in the reporting of potential violent crimes committed by law enforcement officers on civilians.
Note: This article, like almost all media articles on the topic, fails to report the incredible news that violent crime rates have dropped to 1/3 of what they were just 20 years ago. Why are they not highlighting this incredibly inspiring news? For details on this awesome development, see this excellent webpage. See also an excellent graph on this.
John Lydon says he was 'banned from BBC' over Jimmy Savile comments
2015-09-24, The Guardian (One of the UK's leading newspapers)
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/sep/24/john-lydon-says-he-was-banned-f...
John Lydon has claimed he was banned from the BBC after speaking out against Jimmy Savile. The former Sex Pistol was referring to an interview he’d given in 1978, during which he had said that Savile was “into all sorts of seediness. We all know about it but we’re not allowed to talk about it." Speaking to Piers Morgan for his Life Stories show, he said: “I’m very, very bitter that the likes of Savile and the rest of them were allowed to continue. I did my bit, I said what I had to. But they didn’t air that.” He continued: “I found myself banned from BBC radio for quite a while, for my contentious behaviour. They wouldn’t state this directly; there’d be other excuses.” The band were already in the BBC’s bad books before Lydon’s Savile comments: God Save The Queen received a total ban on radio play from the corporation in May 1977. Lydon didn’t go into the specifics of what the ban entailed, although he said: “Weren’t I right? I think most kids wanted to go on [Savile's popular show] Top of the Pops, but we all knew what that cigar muncher was up to.”
Note: Watch an excellent segment by Australia's "60-Minutes" team "Spies, Lords and Predators" on a pedophile ring in the UK which leads directly to the highest levels of government. A second suppressed documentary, "Conspiracy of Silence," goes even deeper into this topic in the US. For more along these lines, see concise summaries of deeply revealing sexual abuse scandal news articles from reliable major media sources.
The alarming loss of your right to information
2015-09-19, Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, California's leading newspaper)
http://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/soapbox/article35486796.html
The United States has slipped so far with respect to transparency that some open-government groups now rank it behind Yemen, Kyrgyzstan and Liberia. Today, the Freedom of Information Act – our country’s signature right-to-information law – is alarmingly dysfunctional. It is impeding the ability of the press to do its job. Sharyl Attkisson, a journalist with five Emmy Awards ... asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last October for records related to a virus that had possibly killed 14 children and paralyzed another 115. The CDC still hasn’t turned over a single document in response. This isn’t the first such experience for Attkisson. She recently told a congressional committee that it took the Department of Defense 10 years to respond to a request she made in 2003. It is a sad turn of events that FOIA has become so unhelpful to journalists. Like many other citizens who make requests under FOIA – which allows any person to request federal agency records for any reason – journalists face backlogs, excuses for withholding, and delays. “Non-responsiveness is the norm,” Karen Kaiser, general counsel of The Associated Press, told a Senate panel in May. Agencies could do a far better job of enforcing FOIA as it is written. Notably, agencies need to faithfully adhere to a provision of FOIA that allows journalists’ requests to go to the front of the queue when there is an “urgency to inform the public.” As it stands, agencies reject these so-called “expedited processing” requests the vast majority of the time.
Note: Along with having her FOIA requests stalled, Sharyl Attkisson has sometimes been spied on and computer-hacked by U.S intelligence agencies for her investigative journalism. The number of FOIA requests denied by government agencies has been rapidly increasing in recent years.
NYT Claims U.S. Abides by Cluster Bomb Treaty: The Exact Opposite of Reality
https://theintercept.com/2015/09/03/nyt-claims-u-s-abides-cluster-bomb-ban-ex...
The New York Times today has a truly bizarre article regarding the U.S. and cluster bombs. The Paper of Record [claims the U.S.] government, though refusing to sign the cluster ban treaty, has nonetheless “abided by its provisions.” This claim is totally false. The U.S. has long been and remains one of the world’s most aggressive suppliers of cluster munitions, and has used those banned weapons itself in devastating ways. In December 2009 - just weeks after he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize - President Obama ordered a cruise missile strike (that) “killed 35 women and children.” Among the munitions used in that strike were cluster bombs. Although the U.S. at first refused to confirm responsibility, a Yemeni journalist, Abdulelah Haider Shaye, visited the scene and found irrefutable proof that it was done by the U.S., a finding subsequently confirmed. Obama ... then forced the imprisonment for years of the Yemeni journalist who reported it. Under the treaty which The Paper of Record today claimed the U.S. honors: "Each State Party undertakes never under any circumstances to: (a) Use cluster munitions; (b) Develop, produce, otherwise acquire, stockpile, retain or transfer to anyone, directly or indirectly, cluster munitions; (c) Assist, encourage or induce anyone to engage in any activity prohibited to a State Party under this Convention. The U.S. does not occasionally violate one of those provisions. It continually violates all of them, systematically and as a matter of policy.
Note: The international trade in cluster bombs is funded by major banks. For more, see concise summaries of deeply revealing war news articles from reliable major media sources.
Feds sued over access to FBI records involving fake news story
2015-08-27, CBS News/Associated Press
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/feds-sued-over-access-to-fbi-records-involving-fa...
The Associated Press sued the U.S. Department of Justice Thursday over the FBI's failure to provide public records related to the creation of a fake news story used to plant surveillance software on a suspect's computer. At issue is a 2014 Freedom of Information request seeking documents related to the FBI's decision to send a web link to the fake article to a 15-year-old boy suspected of making bomb threats to a high school. The FBI has used spyware before to pursue suspected criminals. AP strongly objected to the ruse, which was uncovered last year. AP General Counsel Karen Kaiser [wrote] in a 2014 letter to then-Attorney General Eric Holder, "It is improper and inconsistent with a free press for government personnel to masquerade as The Associated Press or any other news organization. The FBI may have intended this false story as a trap for only one person. However, the individual could easily have reposted this story to social networks, distributing to thousands of people, under our name, what was essentially a piece of government disinformation." In a November opinion piece in the New York Times, FBI Director James Comey revealed that an undercover FBI agent had also impersonated an AP reporter. AP's records request also seeks an accounting of how many times since 2000 the FBI has impersonated media organizations to deliver malicious software. In a response to AP, the FBI indicated it might take nearly two years to find and copy the requested records.
Note: According to The Guardian, the FBI forced an informant to hack into and compromise the computer systems of a major UK newspaper in 2011. For more along these lines, see concise summaries of deeply revealing news articles about corruption in the intelligence community and the manipulation of mass media.
The Pentagon’s Dangerous Views on the Wartime Press
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/10/opinion/the-pentagons-dangerous-views-on-th...
The Defense Department earlier this summer released a comprehensive manual outlining its interpretation of the law of war. The 1,176-page document, the first of its kind, includes guidelines on the treatment of journalists covering armed conflicts that would make their work more dangerous, cumbersome and subject to censorship. Journalists, the manual says, are generally regarded as civilians, but may in some instances be deemed “unprivileged belligerents,” a legal term that applies to fighters that are afforded fewer protections than the declared combatants in a war. The manual warns that “Reporting on military operations can be very similar to collecting intelligence or even spying.” It says that governments “may need to censor journalists’ work or take other security measures so that journalists do not reveal sensitive information to the enemy.” Allowing this document to stand as guidance for commanders, government lawyers and officials of other nations would do severe damage to press freedoms. Authoritarian leaders around the world could point to it to show that their despotic treatment of journalists — including Americans — is broadly in line with the standards set by the United States government. The document’s broad assertion that journalists’ work may need to be censored lest it reveal sensitive information to the enemy ... seems to contravene American constitutional and case law, and offers other countries that routinely censor the press a handy reference point.
Note: Read a critical analysis of the Pentagon’s new manual from the Committee to Protect Journalists. For more along these lines, see concise summaries of deeply revealing news articles about corruption in the intelligence community and the manipulation of public perception.
Coca-Cola Funds Scientists Who Shift Blame for Obesity Away From Bad Diets
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/08/09/coca-cola-funds-scientists-who-shift...
Coca-Cola, the world’s largest producer of sugary beverages, is backing a new “science-based” solution to the obesity crisis: To maintain a healthy weight, get more exercise and worry less about cutting calories. Health experts say this message is misleading and part of an effort by Coke to deflect criticism about the role sugary drinks have played in the spread of obesity and Type 2 diabetes, [and] convince the public that physical activity can offset a bad diet despite evidence that exercise has only minimal impact on weight compared with what people consume. “Coca-Cola’s sales are slipping, and there’s this huge political and public backlash against soda, with every major city trying to do something to curb consumption,” said Michele Simon, a public health lawyer. “This is a direct response.” Coke’s [campaign] is not the only example of corporate-funded research and advocacy to come under fire lately. The American Society for Nutrition and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics have been criticized by public health advocates for forming partnerships with companies such as Kraft Foods, McDonald’s, PepsiCo and Hershey’s. Dietitians have also faced criticism for taking payments from Coke to present the company’s soda as a healthy snack. A recent analysis of beverage studies ... found that those funded by Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, the American Beverage Association and the sugar industry were five times more likely to find no link between sugary drinks and weight gain than studies whose authors reported no financial conflicts.
Note: For more along these lines, see concise summaries of deeply revealing news articles about the corruption of science and the manipulation of public perception.
NBC News Releases the Long-Awaited Trailer for its Summer Horror Film About ISIS
https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/07/23/nbc-news-releases-long-awaited-...
During a discussion yesterday in Aspen with ... CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer, FBI Director James Comey somberly warned that ISIS now officially poses a bigger threat to the “U.S. homeland” than the one posed by former title-holder Al Qaeda — because, of course, the Latest Threat must always be the Greatest Threat. Comey also said that the previous bigger-than-Al-Qaeda contender, “The Khorasan Group,” has been “diminished” by “the work done by our great military” — because the War on Terror narrative requires that it must always be somehow simultaneously true that (1) the Terror Threat facing Americans is Greater Than Ever™ and (2) U.S. military actions against Terrorism are succeeding. To dramatize ISIS as The New Greatest Threat to the Homeland, FBI Director Comey first summoned the TV-actor-who-plays-the-journalist-character-called-Wolf-Blitzer to Aspen, and then NBC News posted to the top of its news article a slick, scary, music-and-graphic-driven video using all of Hollywood’s horror film staples to provide the visceral kick. I’m really grateful that because Americans have a free press, we’re not subject to state propaganda the way people in those bad, unfortunate countries are.
Note: Read an excellent essay by a top US general exposing how war is a racket. Is this why terrorist fear-mongers always claim that it is the scariest time ever? For more along these lines, see concise summaries of deeply revealing news articles about the manipulation of public perception.
Germany halts treason inquiry into journalists after protests
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/31/germany-halts-treason-inquiry-jo...
A treason investigation into two journalists who reported that the German state planned to increase online surveillance has been suspended by the country’s prosecutor general following protests by leading voices across politics and media. Harald Range, Germany’s prosecutor general, said on Friday he was halting the investigation “for the good of press and media freedom”. It was the first time in more than half a century that journalists in Germany had faced charges of treason. His announcement followed a deluge of criticism and accusations that Germany’s prosecutor had “misplaced priorities”, having failed to investigate with any conviction the NSA spying scandal revealed by whistleblower Edward Snowden, and targeting instead the two investigative journalists, Markus Beckedahl and Andre Meister. The two reporters made reference to what is believed to be a genuine intelligence report that had been classified as confidential, which proposed establishing a new intelligence department to monitor the internet, in particular social media networks. Beckedahl hit out at the prosecutor’s investigation against him on Friday on the state broadcaster Deutschlandfunk, calling it “absurd” and suggesting it was meant as a general warning to scare sources from speaking to journalists. Much of the German media called the decision an attack on the freedom of the press.
Note: The NSA recently got caught spying on German reporters, possibly as a favor to the German government. For more along these lines, see concise summaries of deeply revealing news articles about corruption in the intelligence community and the manipulation of public perception.
The Spirit of Judy Miller is Alive and Well at the NYT, and It Does Great Damage
https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/07/21/spirit-judy-miller-alive-well-n...
Former New York Times reporter Judy Miller ... granted anonymity to government officials and then uncritically laundered their dubious claims. As the paper’s own editors put it in their 2004 mea culpa about the role they played in selling the [Iraq] war: “We have found a number of instances of coverage that ... seems questionable now, was insufficiently qualified or allowed to stand unchallenged.” But 12 years after Miller left, you can pick up that same paper on any given day and ... find reporters doing exactly the same thing. It is worth observing how damaging it continues to be, because, shockingly, all sorts of self-identified “journalists” — both within the paper and outside of it — continue to equate unverified assertions from government officials as Proven Truth, even when these officials are too cowardly to attach their names to these claims, as long as papers such as the NYT launder them. Among the assertions mindlessly repeated by the Paper of Record from its beloved anonymous officials is this one: that ISIS learned to use couriers as a result of the Snowden revelations. The claim itself ... is monumentally stupid. Terrorists have known for a very long time that the U.S. government and its allies are trying to intercept their communications, and have long used encryption and other means to prevent that. This is the same process that enabled the New York Times, more than any other media outlet, to sell the Iraq War to the American public, and they’re using exactly the same methods to this day.
Note: For more along these lines, see concise summaries of deeply revealing news articles about corruption in the intelligence community and the manipulation of public perception.
A Wizard at Prying Government Secrets From the Government
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/20/business/a-wizard-at-prying-government-secr...
Reporter Jason Leopold ... has revealed about 20,000 pages of government documents, some of them the basis for explosive news stories. His secret weapon: the Freedom of Information Act. A number of stories over the last several years based on government documents leaked by WikiLeaks and by ... Edward J. Snowden seem to have piqued the interest of the public, and of journalists, in acquiring such materials. In 2009, according to its own figures, the government received about 560,000 Freedom of Information Act requests. By 2014, that number had risen to about 715,000. The Freedom of Information Act was enacted in the 1960s to help citizens gather information on their government. In practice, it can seem as if Kafka and Orwell sat down together to plot a nightmare of bureaucratic complication. Each government agency or department has its own FOIA office that it must finance out of its own budget. [Yet] the office of the secretary of defense ... with an annual budget of more than $500 billion, was reported, in 2013, not to be accepting FOIA requests because its fax machine was broken. The C.I.A.’s FOIA website has been down for some time, Mr. Leopold said, and there seem to be few signs it will be fixed. And there is one small Treasury Department office, he said, that has no working email, fax number or address, and that does not answer the phone.
Note: For more along these lines, see concise summaries of deeply revealing news articles about high level manipulation of mass media.
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Wood County Park District Hunting by Permit Program
Baldwin Woods Preserve and Cricket Frog Cove are the two park locations available for the hunting by permit program.
By special agreement with ODNR Division of Wildlife, hunting is being permitted at Baldwin Woods Preserve and Cricket Frog Cove for small game and deer, under specific guidelines subject to annual changes. Hunting is used as a land management tool while providing recreation to the public. Please note, the hunting by permit program may be discontinued once future park plans begin implementation for Cricket Frog Cove. This program will be reviewed annually to determine if it is appropriate to continue, or if changes are needed for the following year. Hunters enter the property at their own risk. Some hazards such as deep animal holes, tree roots, barbed wire fencing, piles of debris, and fallen trees can be found throughout park properties. Caution should be exercised.
Rifles and handguns are NOT permitted to be used for hunting.
BALDWIN WOODS
Baldwin Woods consists of approximately 126 acres of property located at the corner of Range Line and Euler Roads. There are approximately 80 acres of wooded area and 40 acres of grassland. It is the desire of the Board of Park Commissioners and the Park District staff to keep this land natural for propagating wild areas and protecting threatened plant species. The Park District has entered into a Wetland Reserve agreement with the federal government involving approximately 50 acres of land at Baldwin Woods. An eight-acre wetland was constructed at Baldwin Woods in 2000 to enhance the wildlife population, create diversity, and provide a resting area for migrating waterfowl.
PARKING: Parking is allowed anywhere along Euler Road. Parking lots and restroom facilities are NOT provided.
CRICKET FROG COVE
The area consists of approximately 160 acres located between Cygnet Road and Freyman Road bordered by Mitchell Road to the west. There are approximately 90 acres of wooded area and 70 acres of grassland and old pasture field. The Park District is presently working on a long-term improvement plan for Cricket Frog Cove. During the transition time of planning and implementation of the park plan, the Board of Park Commissioners has opened the property for hunting small game and deer.
Use parking lot off of Freyman Road. Restroom facilities are provided (porta-john).
The service drive from the parking lot to the pond is CLOSED to vehicular traffic.
NO HUNTING OFF OF OBSERVATION DECK
ALL HUNTERS MUST:
Have a valid state hunting license.
Display the Wood County Park District hunting permit on your rearview mirror.
Meet hunter orange requirement during all hunting seasons. ALL HUNTERS MUST WEAR HUNTER ORANGE AT ALL TIMES, INCLUDING IN STANDS. This includes a minimum of a vest, coat, jacket or coveralls. ALL STANDS MUST HAVE AN ORANGE FLAG OR MARKER THAT MAKES THE STAND VISIBLE FROM 360 DEGREES FROM THE GROUND.
ONLY non-toxic shot is permitted during small game season (such as steel shot).
Waterfowl hunting NOT PERMITTED during any open duck or goose season. Waterfowl NOT considered small game.
Shotgun slugs and black powder rifles ARE permitted.
Rifles and handguns are NOT permitted.
Hunters under the age of 18 must register, pay the applicable fee, and hunt with a responsible, registered ADULT.
Permits may not be transferred to another hunter.
Pushing or driving of property is NOT permitted for deer hunting.
RESERVING A DATE TO HUNT – (First come, first served).
During the open hunting dates, FOUR (4) spaces per day, per park are available to registered hunters. Each hunter may bring one (1) registered hunting partner EXCEPT during Deer Gun and Primitive Weapon Season.
During Deer Gun and Primitive Weapon Season, hunters must sign up individually – only ONE HUNTER PER SPACE will be permitted. No partners.
Reservations accepted by phone NO EARLIER than ONE WEEK PRIOR to the day you desire to hunt. Same day reservations can be made providing there is space available. The Park office is not open weekends; please call (419) 353-1897 Monday – Friday.
NO MORE THAN TWO (2) reservation days per week, per hunter. You can register 2 slots in one park or 1 slot in each park for the week.
Messages left on the voice mail system will NOT be accepted as a reservation. Verbal confirmation by a Park District employee is required for all reservations.
The Park District reserves the right to close an area to hunting as needed for land management needs, programming or maintenance concerns.
Dog training dates will occur from September 1 through April 30 annually. Dog training prohibited May 1 through August 31 annually. From May through August, Baldwin Woods and Cricket Frog Cove provide a resting area for migrating birds during the mating season.
NO permanent tree stands or permanent blinds are permitted.
Climbing-type tree stands generally used for deer hunting are allowed.
Tree stands and blinds must have the owner’s name and address attached to the stand or blind. Engraving the tree stand is recommended because stickers and tags can be removed.
All tree stands and blinds left after 14 days of the end of the season will be confiscated.
Chaining and padlocking tree stands is permitted (suggested).
No nails, spikes, or screw steps may be used on trees.
HUNTER ORANGE FLAG OR MARKER VISIBLE 360 DEGREES REQUIRED ON ALL STANDS/BLINDS.
All Park District Rules and Regulations, Ohio Revised Code laws, and ODNR 2013-2014 Hunting Regulations will be enforced. NOTE: Park District Rangers and ODNR Wildlife Officers make frequent inspections of the property to check permits. The Park District reserves the right to deny any application for just cause. The applicant may appeal the denial to the Board of Park Commissioners. All appeals must be in writing.
The phone number to contact Park District Police is (877) 724-4376
Wood County Park District Headquarters, 18729 Mercer Rd., Bowling Green, OH 43402
(419) 353-1897 or (800) 321-1897 toll-free in Wood County
All Park District Rules and Regulations, Ohio Revised Code laws, and ODNR 2012-2013 Hunting Regulations will be enforced. NOTE: Park District Police and ODNR Wildlife Officers make frequent inspections of the property to check permits. The Park District reserves the right to deny any application for just cause. The applicant may appeal the denial to the Board of Park Commissioners. All appeals must be in writing.
Application and information for 2018-2019 season:
Click here for Rules & Regulations.
Click here for Maps of Cricket Frog Cove and Baldwin Woods.
Click here for the Hunting Application.
HUNTING DAYS for the 2018-2019 season are as follows:
September 1 through February 28
September through October, hunting is only Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays ONLY (No hunting on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday).
November through February, hunting is Monday through Saturday (No Sundays).
November, December, January, February – Monday through Saturday ONLY (No hunting on Sundays).
On the days hunting is permitted the parks are closed to public use, only those with a valid hunting permit may enter the parks. Sunday’s are available for public use all season long, no hunting.
Our hunting season ends at the end of February to follow the State’s hunting season.
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Europe Forged in Crisis: The Emergence and...
COP15 the protests and the arrests in Copenhagen
Céad míle fáilte to the IMF - protest song audio...
Mayday in Dublin - going through the motions.
Pushing Back the Alt Right - #DABF 2018 video...
Belfast: Justice for sacked Traffic Attendants
Shell finally get their TBM out of the bog after week of resistance
Date: Sat, 2012-08-04 18:49
On Monday we provided the first report & video of the secret Shell convoy that had left Dublin port with a massive police escourt late Sunday night. This turned out to be the start of a week of frantic activity as the Convoy was tracked across the country and then subject to repeated blockades as it neared Erris. Whether because of this pressure or not on near its final destination the convoy missed a key turn with the main truck and its load of 160 tons jacknifing on a tight turn and starting to slide into the roadside bog. With a massive mobilisation of Garda and private security Shell finally dragged out the truck Friday. The report that follows gives an account of the final day, you will find moment by moment reports of the rest of the resistance during the week on the WSM Facebook page and WSM Twitter.
150 Gardai to move TBM 5km; Mayo County Council begin cover-up
An account of Friday's events on the day the tunnel boring machine was moved.
As those following the story will no doubt have heard by now, the TBM was moved yesterday.
Aware that something was going to happen, campaigners spent the night at Glenamoy sleeping in cars and vans, aware that something was going to happen. Two slept under the bridge. Localyil residents nearby told us how the road had sunk 4 inches in the last few days, while other parts were ruined from the exceptional traffic. We're sure the Council will not be so quick to do those repairs...
At 4am, gardai began to swarm into the area. 150 IRMS security also marched up the road. We ran up, but the sheer weight of numbers kept us back. Ten managed to get into the field on the side where the truck was listing. Suddenly, 40 IRMS came in and set up a fence. Diggers and trucks of stone came in and for the next ten hours, Shell filled in ditches and built up a road around the collapsed bank. The crane plan had been abandoned and its seemed the field owner had given permission. Thus, without warning the crossroads were closed to all traffic, causing chaos yet again. Shell only later offered its usual bland, 'sorry for the inconvenience' shite.
Rumour is it that the crane stopped the previous day simply turned around and went home after being stopped. And that Shell were desperately trying to find a replacement – offering 15K for a crane driver alone to do the job, and another 50K for a crane itself.
Those in the field, having been given directions to go there when the road was being cleared were told they were being detained there and physically prevented from leaving by gardai. After watching the spectacle close up for a couple of hours, they made their way through other fields to get out.
Maura Harrington's van was stopped at Bellinaboy by Gardai and had its back window deliberately smashed by Sgt Dermot Butler, the well known bully of the public order unit – his former partner now has a restraining order against them, but in the dubious ranks of Mayo's police, that probably puts him in line for a promotion. Maura was arrested and charged, though subsequently released and the van returned in what was a blatant occasion of preventative detention.
Another campaigner also had their car impounded; while a third person was told their van could only leave the area if a garda drove it back to camp. There was quite a pattern were known protesters were being denied right of passage along the road, while other were stopped outright or repeatedly harassed and searched. Those walking had their own personal garda escort, and every fifty meters from Glenamoy to Bellinaboy there was at least one garda standing – someone counted them and the total there alone came to 80. We heard of checkpoints set up as far as Bangor Erris.
Butler continued his customary incivility when a local resident went to Belmullet garda station to have his tax return signed – Butler opened the hatch and said I'm not signing that for the likes of you, before slamming the hatch shut.
Betty Schults, a well known local campaigner, and others were following the trail of who had given permission for the TBM trucks to go up to Glenamoy in the first place. Having been told that documentation was at the Castlebar headquarters of Mayo County Council, she made the 100km round trip only to receive a phonecall telling her that it was missing from the file just as she arrived.
At 2pm we had news the TBM was moving so we headed down to Ballyscelly junction to witness it. Vehicles were backed up all along it, one local resident unable to get to her elderly mother who was at home alone. As usual, gardai were happy to block the road entirely for Shell, causing massive disruption as even the backroads were closed off this time.
The twitchiness of An Gardai Síochána was apparent. They were desperate to see this go off without any hitches. As the tunnel boring machine came up the road, 38 gardai walking in front of the truck alone. IRMS security were also floating around. With such numbers there was little that could be done. Punctuating all this was a thunderstorm right overhead.
The subject of such massive operation, which underlines its importance, it was clear that the TBM would be delivered back to Bellinaboy. Yet for five days it was stuck at Glenamoy, a national news story and galvinizing the surrounding communities. Shell was at the centre of the embarrassment; An Gardai Síochána left red-faced, their ability to respond reduced to simple thuggery; and the blatant criminal collusion of Mayo County Council becoming apparent once more. Ironic, as Friday was elven years to the very day that Mayo County Council signed their first agreement with Shell.
As we sat in a local pub, swapping stories of the week, it was clear that there is hardly a local who does not believe Mayo county manager, Peter Hynes, has not sold his soul to Shell. The question is for how much. Certainly he does not have the trust or respect of anyone up here.
The battle is not over yet. The TBM has not got to where it is meant to, Aghoos. Before that can happen, the road at Ballyscelly junction has to be built up so it can turn. More pieces of it have still to arrive. Aghoos is not yet ready for it either, being plagued by flooding, while the weight of the TBM is not going to do the fracturing ground at Bellinaboy refinery any good either.
Shell have shot themselves in the foot several times; not only a huge embarrassment that made national headlines, it showed the ongoing strength of resistance coming from the community here. As we sat in the pub last night we could hear the buzz of a people fighting back.
As ever the camp is open to all who want to come and support, though you might have to mind the moat and drawbridge...
WORDS: Restful camper on indymedia.ie
Photo: NH
Subject: Rossport
Topics: Community
Geography: Connaught
Source: Other press
The rising of the moon
A collection of Irish anarchist articles on the rebellion of 1798 and the 1916 insurrection brought together in a single 40...
International Anarchist Mayday statement
Today as in the past, May Day means respect for mobilizations throughout the world by workers who suffer, at times even paying with...
Hundreds form protection ring around Apollo house...
Hundreds of Garda deployed to protect Shell'...
Blockade at Mountjoy jail as Shell to Sea...
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One Dollar Coin Value 2000
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One Dollar Coin Value Australia
Gallery Ideas > Crafts and Hobbies > One Dollar Coin Value 2000
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From Stray To Stardom: Meet Hank The Ballpark Pup
Jeff Goldberg
In baseball, springtime is the season for the hopeful. Players, coaches, managers and front office personnel gather in Florida and Arizona, looking for the hidden gems, the rising stars and the heretofore unknowns that make their mark and take their adoptive city by storm.
This was no different in Maryvale, Ariz., in February, 2014, as the Milwaukee Brewers gathered to prepare for another season. What none of them saw coming was that their breakout superstar, media darling and rallying force was already there among them. That’s because, at first, none of them thought to look down.
He first appeared at the security gate at Maryvale Baseball Park on Feb. 17, 2014, dirty, hungry and clearly without a home. On this day, the Milwaukee Brewers were about to take to the fields at Maryvale for the first day of Spring Training.
Christian Petersen / Getty
Although he didn’t seem to be hurt in any way, the tiny doggie was covered in what appeared to be grease from contact with car tires. Had he been hit by a car? Who would take care of this poor little pupper?
Brewers third-base coach Ed Sedar, heading out toward the playing fields on this first day for pitchers and catchers to being their workouts and bullpen sessions, came upon this scene at the security gate and his doggo instincts kicked into gear. Sedar was well-known for his love of all things canine, he even had a rescue dog of his own at home.
What Sedar didn’t know – what no one knew that sunny February morning – was that he was about to make the biggest rescue in Milwaukee history and change the Brewers’ family and fandom forever.
Sedar gathered up the fluffy, if bedraggled pup, and brought him into the Brewers’ clubhouse. After a quick once-over to assess any serious injuries, Sedar determined the tiny pup was ok, if not scared and in need of a good meal – and maybe a bath.
The meal would come first, as Sedar treated his new-found friend to sausage and eggs from the team’s breakfast spread. The little dog, undoubtably a stray always searching for his next meal, happily accepted this scrumptious offering.
While the pup gathered his strength, he also started gathering a crowd. Pitchers like Yovani Gallardo and Brandon Kintzler and catchers like Jonathan Lucroy were making their way into the clubhouse for the first day of workouts, and couldn’t help but notice the ball of fluff and energy that Sedar was looking after.
As would be the case throughout his life, the little name-less dog charmed all who encountered him on first meeting, and the players quickly decided that this little guy belonged in their care.
But what about a name? Having determined he was a boy, the team settled upon a name that was pure Brewers. They decided to call him Hank, named after the greatest slugger in Brewers history, if not all of baseball: Hank Aaron.
The four-legged version had no chance of coming close to Aaron’s 755 career homers, but with his speed and fetch skills, Hank would have made a fine defensive replacement, and he showed his skills each day in the field.
But, still, despite his happy attitude and agility, the team decided Hank needed to see a doctor to check on what appeared to be minor injuries to his tail and back legs, likely the result of the hit-and-run.
But a local vet gave Hank a clean bill of health and also determined that the Brewers’ new buddy was likely 2-years-old and a Bichon Frise mix. So it was back to the complex in Maryvale, where the team huddled up to figure out the next course of action.
Surely this dog had actual owners, the team surmised, so team vice president of communications Tyler Barnes thought of ways to make the local citizenry aware of their find, should anyone be looking for him.
That meant giving Hank a little media exposure, first on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. And boy, was Hank a natural media hound.
The players, who were taking turns bringing Hank home with them at night for food, shelter and belly rubs, now let Hank take part in infield and outfield drills, always well within sight of reporters, photographers and TV news teams.
Hank was given his own Brewers jersey – he was originally assigned the No. 1 — and the little guy wasted no time getting acclimated to life on the diamond. Imagine PFP drills (pitchers fielding practice) with a P-U-P!
“Yeah, he’s making a pretty big impact, which I’ve got to say is pretty cool,” said Gallardo, the player who spent the most time with Hank. “It’s getting a lot of attention, for sure. I think he likes it, too. He’s awesome.”
“I think he’s going to fit right in. He’s laid back, has fun, enjoys coming out here every day taking care of business. He’s a good guy. He’ll talk to everybody.”
And while that plan of action did not result in any local owners coming forward, it created a situation where virtually anyone who saw this little doggo running around the field and flashing his big smile wanted to adopt him immediately.
PerezHilton.com
As the Brewers put pictures of Hank on their social media accounts, the outpouring of love was immediate – and far-reaching.
“I was in Europe this week on business and I had four texts from my wife,” team owner Mark Attanasio said, “and three of them were ‘What can I do to adopt Hank the Dog?’ A number of different departments are vying for him.”
“The players want him on the roster and to travel with the team. (General manager Doug) Melvin’s trying to get him into a baseball meeting later today.”
Sure enough, the social media explosion led to frenzy among traditional media. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel started running daily Hank updates on its website. People Magazine came to Maryvale to do a feature story. Good Morning America and the Today Show wanted in on the puppy love.
Even The Tonight Show called to request a live, in-studio appearance with Hank the Ballpark Pup. “I’m second banana now,” tweeted Brewers’ broadcaster Bob Uecker, a long-time Tonight Show guest.
Hank-Mania was now a very real thing, and the Brewers, led by Barnes, knew they had a hit on their hands. The team rushed Hank merchandise — primarily a T-shirt with a cartoon likeness of Hank on the front – into their Spring Training stores.
They gave fans the chance to have their picture taken with the people-friendly pup. Hank channeled his inner-Lab and happily soaked up all the attention while melting hearts all over snowy Wisconsin.
The Brewers even dressed Hank up in a hot-dog costume and had him run a practice race with the famous Racing Sausages!
BarkPost
Only Hank could turn a sausage race into an opportunity to ham it up for the cameras.
Hank took to racing with the same energy and enthusiasm as his infield exploits, using his extra set of legs to keep up with the big beefs.
The Brewers put the video of the super-cute practice race on social media and the Hank frenzy only increased in size and intensity.
Then the team made the inevitable official, signing Hank to a lifetime contract, with Melvin presiding, and giving Hank the Ballpark Pup his own uniform and number: K9.
“There are so many people who have been part of the ‘Hank story;’ fans, players and coaches, front office staff, media, and all of those in his circle of caregivers,” Melvin said. “We’re grateful to have an opportunity to make Hank a permanent member of the Brewers family, but even more important, we’re thrilled that he is going to a great family that will ensure that he is loved and comfortable in his new Wisconsin home.”
Ah, but who would be that family? That question was being answered behind the scenes in the Brewers’ front office. It would be the team’s legal counsel, Marti Wronski, who would welcome Hank into his forever home. The team had inquired with Wronski about the legality of adopting Hank in the earliest days, when it was assumed a real owner was looking for their lost fluff-ball.
Wisc.edu
But once the Brewers were legally able to claim Hank as their own, they turned to Wronski again for the ultimate honor. “None of us could have understood what was about to happen,” Wronski said
What happened can only be described as Hank-Mania. Almost 50 years to the date that four long-haired lads walked off an airplane in New York and took America by storm, a short-haired fellow was about to have the same experience in Milwaukee.
In late March, with Spring Training winding down and Opening Day at Miller Park fast approaching, it was decided that Hank would live with the Wronski family in Wisconsin.
So it was arranged – and announced – that Hank would be flying back to Milwaukee ahead of the team. There was the matter of getting him acclimated to his new permanent home and climate – and also a pre-planned stint on the disabled list after a certain surgical procedure at the vet.
Let’s just say that never again would Hank have a baseball count of 2-and-0. But it wasn’t all bad for the doggo. When his plane landed at the airport in Milwaukee, Hank was officially greeted by hundreds of adoring fans, including the Mayor of Milwaukee.
“I will tell you, Hank added a little something to our world that made it a little crazier than it already was,” Wronski said. “Frankly, I say my kids are going to write a book one day that’s called, ‘Hank and my Crazy Mom and Other Stories From Baseball.’ Hank added so profoundly, in a good way, to my family and to this organization. He’s done so much as this little creature.”
Mike McGinnis / Getty
But where Hank really made his mark was in charity work. Hank was lucky to be rescued by the Brewers and find a forever home. Now, with the Brewers’ help, he was ready to give back.
Hank merchandise was already a huge hit in Maryvale, with portions of the proceeds going to the Arizona Humane Society to fund stray animal care.
But now that he was in Milwaukee, Hank merchandise took on a life of its own. T-shirts, hats, plush toys, framed photos, a children’s book, even a planned “BobbleHank” night for September 13 that season, to coincide with Wisconsin Humane Society Day.
The Brewers flooded the zone with Hank items, and donated 20 percent of the proceeds from Hank shirts, baseballs, hats and other items to the Wisconsin Humane Society.
By early June, the Hank t-shirt that debuted in Spring Training had become the single-biggest seller in Brewers’ history and close to $150,000 had been raised, as well as awareness of the need for rescue homes.
Turnout for the Wisconsin Humane Society’s annual dog walk doubled after Hank became involved in its promotion, and the Society had one of its busiest years ever in terms of adoptions.
“All of that means we have been able to take more animals from animal control and place them in homes,” Wisconsin Humane Society VP of Communications Angela Speed said. “He’s not only raising awareness of homeless animals around the country, but he’s making a measurable impact here in Wisconsin.”
Speed said much of the money that Hank helped raise would go toward a high-volume, low-cost spay and neuter clinic.
“I am personally going to be celebrating ‘Hanksgiving’ this year with my family,” Speed said. “Thanksgiving is a time to ponder what we’re thankful for over the past year, and organizationally, Hank is at the top of our list. It’s really a magical story.”
Back at Miller Park, the Hank phenomenon was showing no signs of slowing down. After appearing at Opening Day, the Brewers realized Hank needed his own space at the ballpark, where he would appear at roughly 20 of the team’s 81 home games, posing for pictures with adoring fans.
The team even built Hank his own tricked-out doghouse, which was placed on the concourse level. The house even featured it’s own yellow slide on the side, in tribute to Bernie The Brewer, who goes down a giant yellow slide after every Brewers home run.
And speaking of Brewers home runs, in August that season, the Brewers blew everyone’s mind with a single photo, posing Hank the Ballpark Pup with Hammerin’ Hank himself.
Hank Aaron knows a home run when he sees one, and he couldn’t have been happier to meet his namesake. This magical meeting of the Hanks only added to the doggo’s mystique.
A month later, Hank reached the pinnacle in baseball: He got his own bobblehead doll. The “BobbleHank” led to one of the only Brewers’ sellouts all season.
John Konstantaras / Getty
Not only did fans get their own BobbleHank by coming to the game on Sept. 13, 2014, those in attendance were treated the Hank-iest Hank moment of the entire season.
The team marked the occasion by following through on a Spring Training idea: They let Hank run in the famous Sausage Race. Alongside Brat, Polish, Italian, Hot Dog and Chorizo, Hank donned his hot-dog costume once more.
Hank took his place at the starting line alongside his tasty teammates as the crowd rose in anticipation of this once-in-a-lifetime (even in dog years) moment.
But this day, amid all the pomp and circumstance, little Hank just wasn’t feeling it.
The Sausages took off on cue, but Hank stayed back, eventually scooped up in a human’s arms and run around the field. Must not have been in his contract!
But that mishap did not diminish Hank’s hold on the public consciousness, and after baseball season was over, Hank received the highest award a canine can receive, named Dog of the Year on a nationally-televised World Dog Awards show.
Appearing in the contest hosted by Paris Hilton and George Lopez, Hank, dressed in a tuxedo, had truly made it big time.
Even as Hank’s public appearances began to be scaled back in 2015 – Hank did not return to Spring Training in Maryvale – the interest in all things Hank continued unabated.
For his second season, there was a new Bobblehead, this one timed for release on Mother’s Day, with Hank adorned in a pink bandanna to help raise awareness for breast cancer detection and treatment.
“The demand for product is just to the point now where it’s not really slipping, and he’s worthy of his own store,” Brewers chief operating officer Rick Schlesinger said. “We keep coming up with different items of merchandise. You would think it would slow down in a year, but the volume of requests we get locally and nationally for Hank is not slowing at all.
“First and foremost, he’s a pet and we don’t want to overdo it, so we have to figure out which cause for him to be involved in and which appearance. It’s almost like you need a full-time Hank handler. I don’t have that on the payroll yet, but at some point I might have to.”
By 2018, the Brewers set the amount of money raised for dog-related charities from Hank merchandise at over $500,000. But like any celebrity who gets a little too much pup-arazzi, rumors began to swirl that something wasn’t quite right with the Ballpark Pup.
BrewCrewBall.com
In early 2016, there was a website dedicated to the conspiracy theory that the Hank that was seen around the park and at public events in 2015 was not the same dog the Brewers had rescued a year earlier. Had the original Hank left Miller Park for the Rainbow Bridge? Was the new “Hank” nothing but an imposter?
Never fear, Hank fans. The Brewers put the rumors to rest during Spring Training. Flanked by vets with Hank’s medical records and microchip information – public service announcement: get your dogs microchipped! — Schlesinger held a press conference to announce that the Hank of March 2016 was the same as Hank 2014.
Yes, the Brewers held an actual press conference to prove the identity of a doggo.
“Through the wonders of advanced technology and modern medicine, baseball and dog lovers around the world can now rest easy,” the Brewers said in a press release. “There is only one Hank, The Ballpark Pup.”
Truer words were never spoken.
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Indian men's recurve team settles for silver in Archery World Championships
Updated Jun 16, 2019 | 22:44 IST | ANI
The Chinese team of Ding Yiliang, Wei Shaoxuan and Feng Hao produced a solid and consistent performance as they capitalised from the second set to seal a 6-2 win.
Den Bosch: The Indian men's recurve team cracked under pressure against China to settle for a silver in the Archery World Championships here on Sunday. Seeking a maiden gold in the World Championships, India led 27-26 midway into the first set but the trio of Tarundeep Rai, Atanu Das and Pravin Jadhav let the opportunity slip later in the summit clash.
The Chinese team of Ding Yiliang, Wei Shaoxuan and Feng Hao produced a solid and consistent performance as they capitalised from the second set to seal a 6-2 win. India thus ended their campaign with one silver and two bronze medals won in the women's compound team and individual events.
The men's recurve team was featuring in the final of World Championships after a gap of 14 years. This was India's sixth silver at the World Championships where the country is yet to win a gold medal. "Feeling good and also bad. It was a big chance for us. We have won so many silver medals (at World Championships) but we have never won a gold. This time too, we could not able to convert this into a gold," rued Rai, who was also a member the men's recurve team that last won a silver at Madrid 2005.
Rai, along with Jayanta Talukdar and Gautam Singh, had lost to Korea 232-244 in the final of World Championship in Madrid 2005. "But we have learnt so many things, hope it will help us to rectify our mistakes and change the colour of the medal in future," Rai, a two-time Olympian and 2010 Asian Games individual silver medallist, said.
The men's recurve team, who had slumped to number 17 in rankings from being number one in May 2011, had also surprised everyone by sealing the Olympic quota place ahead of the fancied women's team.
This was also for the first time since 2014 that the Indian men's team made the final of a world event. India had ended up with a silver at the Wroclaw Stage IV World Cup in 2014 with Rai being a member of the team, alongside Das and Jayanta Talukdar. Describing this as a breakthrough moment for Indian men's recurve team, the 35-year-old Army archer further said: "We have struggled a lot since last four-five years. Putting us in a question mark can we win medals.
"This time we could proved them wrong and hope in future our archers will come to win medals and not just for participation." Up against the fifth seed China who had upset top seed Korea in the semifinals, the Indian trio lost the first set by a point as the scores were levelled at 53-all. The young Chinese team spearheaded by 23-year-old Yiliang were at its best in the second set where they shot four perfect 10s to score 58 out of 60 while India wobbled with a score of 51 with Rai slipping to the outer 7-circle to trail 1-3 at the midway stage.
Needing a 10 to seal the issue in the third set, Ding narrowly missed the inner ring for a 56-56 draw that kept India's hopes alive. India needed a win in the fourth set to take the match into the shoot-off but the nerves got on to them as the trio ended with three 8s, while the Chinese shot three 10s to take the fourth set 57-52 and seal the gold by a distance.
The silver and two bronze at the 2019 World Championships took India's overall count to eight medals in the premier biennial competition. The Indian women's recurve team of Chekrovolu Swuro, Laishram Bombayla Devi and Deepika Kumari had won a silver in Turin 2011. At Copenhagen 2015, India had a memorable outing bagging two silver medals -- one individual by Rajat Chauhan (men's compound) and another in team by the women's trio of Laxmirani Majhi, Rimil Buriuly and Deepika Kumari. Two years ago in Mexico, the women's compound team of Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Lily Chanu Paonam and Trisha Deb had a bagged a silver.
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Indian men's recurve team settles for silver in Archery World Championships Description: The Chinese team of Ding Yiliang, Wei Shaoxuan and Feng Hao produced a solid and consistent performance as they capitalised from the second set to seal a 6-2 win. Times Now
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Schock announces agricultural, environmental initiatives
Karen McDonald
Congressional candidate Aaron Schock announces his initiatives on agriculture issues Thursday, including increasing the ethanol blend from 10 percent to eventually 20 percent to release reliance on foreign oil and drive down gas costs. Also wants Congressional appropriations to fund the recent authorization of river improvement and locks and dams. Illinois Petroleum Institute says the idea isn't feasible because auto makers won't agree and there's not enough ethanol. Also thoughts from other candidates.
To lessen the U.S. dependence on foreign oil, increase the price farmers get for their crops and reduce the price of gasoline, 18th Congressional District candidate Aaron Schock said he wants to introduce legislation increasing ethanol blends to propel demand.
State Rep. Schock, R-Peoria, said at a news conference Thursday that he would like to see the current 10 percent ethanol blend in gasoline increased to 15 percent and, eventually, 20 percent.
"Throughout the 20-county (18th Congressional) District, farmers have had relatively good years with high prices and high yields, but a number of them are concerned about what the future may hold with any type of dip in yields and prices," Schock said. "There are things we can do as a government and policy makers to keep prices strong, the markets strong for agriculture and lessen our dependency on Mideast oil."
Schock said farmers are looking for a safety net for when prices and yields fall and less of a subsidy when high prices and high yields exist in the same year. He said while E85 gasoline uses 85 percent ethanol, it requires specially-built engines and service stations that sell the product.
David Sykuta, executive director of the Illinois Petroleum Council, said there’s not enough ethanol now to meet the current 10 percent blend, and auto manufacturers would have to agree to a larger mixture.
"I’m not saying we’re against what he wants to do, but it’s a heck of lot more complicated than what (Schock) is making it sound like," Sykuta said, adding the state’s already massive ethanol subsidy would get larger as blend percentages increase. "Every once in a while these guys have to get off the promotional end of it and the realization end of it."
The legislation would require a transition, Schock said. It would be a catalyst for construction of more ethanol plants and negotiations with the auto industry.
Matt Bisbee, campaign manager for 18th District Republican candidate Jim McConoughey, agreed the U.S. must continue to move toward renewable energy sources to diminish dependence on foreign oil. "But it is not realistic to advocate for pie-in-the-sky mandates to take effect so suddenly as our opponent would suggest," he said.
The third GOP candidate, John Morris, said he is "committed to using our natural resources to secure both our energy independence as well as the independence our food supply." He supports creating a tax code that creates incentives for investment in ethanol, bio-fuel, commercial batteries and fuel cells, wind energy, and clean coal technology.
Schock also wants to increase the speed of getting grains to market and costs associated with transportation and delivery to allow farmers to better compete with foreign producers who have lower transportation costs. If elected, he said he would work in a bipartisan way to ensure funding is appropriated to implement the Water Resource Development Act, which authorized river improvement and rebuilding of the locks and dams on rivers to facilitate economical river transportation of agricultural commodities.
Karen McDonald can be reached at (309) 686-3285 or kmcdonald@pjstar.com.
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https://www.timesunion.com/sports/article/Tkachuk-scores-pair-as-Flames-top-N-Y-13693357.php
Tkachuk scores pair as Flames top N.Y.
Published 12:33 am EDT, Saturday, March 16, 2019
CALGARY, AB - MARCH 15: Johnny Gaudreau #13 of the Calgary Flames scores on Alexandar Georgiev #40 of the New York Rangers during an NHL game at Scotiabank Saddledome on March 15, 2019 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Derek Leung/Getty Images) less
CALGARY, AB - MARCH 15: Johnny Gaudreau #13 of the Calgary Flames scores on Alexandar Georgiev #40 of the New York Rangers during an NHL game at Scotiabank Saddledome on March 15, 2019 in Calgary, Alberta, ... more
Photo: Derek Leung
Matthew Tkachuk scored two goals, leading Calgary past the New York Rangers 5-1 on Friday.
Michael Frolik, Johnny Gaudreau and Garnet Hathaway also scored for Calgary and David Rittich made 24 saves for the Flames.
Neal Pionk had New York's goal.
Blue Jackets 3, Hurricanes 0: Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 46 shots — including 22 in the second period — to get his sixth shutout of the season. Adam McQuaid, David Savard and Josh Anderson scored for the Blue Jackets, who pulled even with the Hurricanes for the two wild cards in the Eastern Conference.
Maple Leafs 7, Flyers 6: Auston Matthews scored twice in the third period as Toronto rallied from a three-goal deficit and held on to beat Philadelphia. Toronto snapped a two-game skid and pulled two points behind Boston for second place in the Atlantic Division.
Golden Knights 2, Stars 1: Ryan Reaves scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period for Vegas. Max Pacioretty scored in the opening minute of the game for Vegas, and Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 40 shots — including 16 in the third period — for his 35th win. The Golden Knights have won seven of eight to remain third in the Pacific Division.
Ducks 5, Avalanche 3: Corey Perry scored twice, including the go-ahead goal with 56.9 seconds remaining, and Anaheim beat Colorado. Perry knocked in the winner shortly after Mikko Rantanen was whistled for a high-sticking penalty. Hampus Lindholm added an empty-net goal to seal the victory.
Note: Detroit recalled defenseman Brian Lashoff, an East Greenbush native, from Grand Rapids of the AHL. The Red Wings said Lashoff was being recalled under emergency conditions.
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James Corden slams troll who 'hopes his kid gets cancer'
WENN - World Entertainment News Network
More from WENN - World Entertainment News Network
Published on: May 14, 2019 | Last Updated: May 14, 2019 11:23 AM EDT
This June 12, 2016 file photo shows James Corden hosting the Tony Awards in New York. Evan Agostini / Invision/AP
James Corden furiously hit back at a vile Internet troll who said he “hopes his kid gets cancer”.
The horrific tweet was posted after James appeared to reveal a Game of Thrones spoiler during his opening monologue on The Late Late Show with James Corden on Monday, with the angry Twitter user exclaiming: “It’s f—– up you can’t even watch TV without a fat f— spoiling something… Luckily I got to see it before this, but seriously I hope his kid gets cancer.”
James, who shares two daughters and a son with wife Julia Carey, quickly responded: “That is, without question, the single most upsetting thing I think you could ever say about me or my family.
“Please take a minute and think about what you just wrote and whether you want to be a person who publicly says such things. I believe you’re better than that.”
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Attempting to backtrack on the awful comment, the troll replied: “It was a joke, you know like this segment was.”
However, British actor-turned-presenter James was unwilling to accept that as an explanation, and retaliated: “Well I saw your hope for my son.
“My hope for yours is that they never get to read that their mother or father would wish cancer on any child as ‘a joke.’ Because however you defend it to them, they’ll never be able to understand how you could do such a thing. Night x.”
James’ fans were quick to praise the 40-year-old for his response, with one writing: “You are the bigger man, James. My family and I love you.”
Another added: “Well done James. But he deserves a good East London slap. Keep up the good work.”
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Fire crews called into action after multiple Wigan houses catch fire
Firefighters captured this image while tackling the fire in Beech Hill
Liam Soutar
Published: 18:01 Saturday 08 September 2018
A Wigan house was declared unsafe by firefighters following an upstairs blaze.
Firefighters have shared this image of the charred remains with Wigan Today, after they were called to reports of a building fire in Sandalwood Drive, Beech Hill, at 4.09pm on Friday September 7.
Two fire appliances from Wigan and one from Hindley were mobilised to the property. Upon attending, the upstairs of the property was well alight, along with the roof structure. Smoke and flame were spreading rapidly into the roof structure of the neighbouring property.
Crews forced entry into both properties through the front doors, although the windows to one of the properties had been vandalised. Firefighting operations were undertaken in both properties and an ultra-high pressure cold cutting system was utilised to rapidly cool the roof structures whilst causing minimal damage.
The brickwork to the front of one home was rendered unsafe due to the expansion of brickwork caused by fire so crews were withdrawn and a hydraulic platform from Leigh was then utilised to access the properties.
The cause of the fire is yet to be determined.
The fire service attended the scene for approximately three hours until it could be handed over to Wigan Council.
Billy Livesley: Timeline of a murder
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Cut Off Glassholes' Wi-Fi With This Google Glass Detector
Author: Andy GreenbergAndy Greenberg
Not a fan of Google Glass's ability to turn ordinary humans into invisibly recording surveillance cyborgs? Now you can create your own "glasshole-free zone."
Berlin artist Julian Oliver has written a simple program called Glasshole.sh that detects any Glass device attempting to connect to a Wi-Fi network based on a unique character string that he says he's found in the MAC addresses of Google's augmented reality headsets. Install Oliver's program on a Raspberry Pi or Beaglebone mini-computer and plug it into a USB network antenna, and the gadget becomes a Google Glass detector, sniffing the local network for signs of Glass users. When it detects Glass, it uses the program Aircrack-NG to impersonate the network and send a "deauthorization" command, cutting the headset's Wi-Fi connection. It can also emit a beep to signal the Glass-wearer's presence to anyone nearby.
"To say 'I don’t want to be filmed' at a restaurant, at a party, or playing with your kids is perfectly OK. But how do you do that when you don’t even know if a device is recording?" Oliver tells WIRED. "This steps up the game. It's taking a jammer-like approach."
Oliver came up with the program after hearing that a fellow artist friend was disturbed by guests who showed up to his art exhibit wearing Glass. The device, after all, offered no way for the artist to know if the Glass-wearing visitors were photographing, recording, or even live-streaming his work.
>Oliver came up with the program after hearing that a fellow artist friend was disturbed by guests who showed up to his art exhibit wearing Glass.
Oliver's program is still a mostly-unproven demonstration, though the 40-year-old New Zealand native has successfully tested it by booting Glass off his own studio's network. More importantly, it shows how the uneasiness with Glass' social implications could play out as the device hits the mainstream. Bars in San Francisco and Seattle have already banned Glass-wearers. In January, a Glass-headed movie-goer was suspected of piracy and questioned by Homeland Security agents after wearing the device in a theater. And the inventor of a Glass-like augmented reality setup claimed to have been violently thrown out of a Paris McDonald's in 2012 based on the restaurant's no-recording policy.
A program like Glasshole.sh could make those sorts of no-Glass policies more technically enforceable, though it may have to be adapted as Glass MAC addresses shift in future versions. And Oliver argues that a Glass-booting device is legal so long as the Glasshole.sh user is the owner of the network. He sees it as no different from cell phone jammers, which have been adopted in many schools, libraries, and government buildings.
Oliver warns, though, that the same Glass-ejecting technique could be used more aggressively: He plans to create another version of Glasshole.sh in the near future that's designed to be a kind of roving Glass-disconnector, capable of knocking Glass off any network or even severing its link to the user's phone. "That moves it from a territorial statement to 'you can all go to hell.' It’s a very different position, politically," he says. For that version, Oliver says he plans to warn users that the program may be more legally ill-advised, and is only to be used "in extreme circumstances."
As a long-time Berlin resident, Oliver says he sees Glass as a replay of the events surrounding Google Streetview in Germany, where private citizens protested Google's uninvited photography of their homes and places of work. He sees Glass as another case of Google violating privacy norms and asking questions later.
"These are cameras, highly surreptitious in nature, with network backup function and no external indication of recording," says Oliver. "To focus on the device is to dance past a heritage of heartfelt protest against the unconsented video documentation of our public places and spaces."
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WD's Summer 2012 Reading List
See which 10 new books our editors couldnt put down
Crown, Ballantine, Viking, Knopf, Harper, S&S, St. Martin's Press, Knopf, Simon & Schuster, William Morrow
See which 10 new books our editors couldn't put down
Escape Reality
Need a reason to do some reading this summer? How about 10?! Woman's Day and WomansDay.com editors hit the books to bring you their top picks for the season. Whether you're seeking adventure, mystery or romance, click through to see which June, July and August releases we recommend.
Beautiful Ruins
by Jess Walter (June/Harper, $25.99) A young American actress is shepherded away from the film set of Cleopatra in 1962 and sent to an Italian inn. Said to be suffering from "stomach cancer," it's later revealed she's pregnant with Richard Burton's child. A young Italian innkeeper, having fallen for the actress, travels to Hollywood in search of her many years later in this entertaining epic about romance, betrayal and greed.
The Meryl Streep Movie Club
by Mia March (June/S&S, $15 paperback) In March's debut novel, three cousins come together in the quaint Maine inn where they grew up to find solace and comfort in Streep's oeuvre of films after each finds her life in disarray. The movies work their magic as each woman repairs her heartache in this emotional and heartwarming read.
The Orphanmaster
by Jean Zimmerman (June/Viking, $27.95) Set in the 17th century Dutch colony New Amsterdam, in what is now lower Manhattan, this historical fiction work follows 22-year-old trader Blandine van Couvering and the dashing spy Edward Drummond as they try to solve cases of disappearing orphans in the colony. Suspects include everyone from the governor's wealthy nephew to a possibly possessed Native American trapper to the colony's orphanmaster, himself. As a romance develops between Blandine and Edward, their lives come crashing in when she's accused of being a witch and he's sentenced to death for espionage. This fast-paced novel keeps you enthralled in both the mystery and the romance while also immersing you in colonial life, with industry and opportunity on one hand and violence and disease on the other.
Where We Belong
by Emily Giffin (July/St. Martin's Press) In Giffin's newest novel, two very different women—a high-powered TV producer and a precocious 18-year-old—find their lives inextricably joined by a secret from their pasts. Touching on themes of family, forgiveness and honesty, this book follows the pair as they discover what's really missing in their lives.
by Gillian Flynn (June/Crown, $25) Where is Amy Dunne? That's the question on everybody's mind as this psychological thriller unfolds. On his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne comes home to find his front door wide open, the living room disheveled and his wife, Amy, missing. Once the police and media get involved, all clues point to Nick as the primary suspect in covering up Amy's possible murder. But after a chilling, bombshell twist, you won't know which clues to trust nor whom to believe. Told from two perspectives, Gone Girl forces you to ask yourself, what would you do and who dunnit?
Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child
by Bob Spitz (August/Knopf, $29.95) Julia Child is perhaps the most iconic television chef of all time, but before she could find her true calling, she had to evolve from an unambitious Pasadena, CA, woman who ran off to join a spy agency during World War II. Just in time for her 100th birthday, award-winning author Bob Spitz takes us through her life with excerpts from her diaries and letters, revealing a rebel, who became one of the first women to graduate from the Cordon Bleu in Paris, and a remarkable, decades-long romance with her husband, Paul Child.
by Amy Sohn (August/Simon & Schuster, $25 If there's one book that defines the faults that come with relationships, Motherland is it. In the middle-class-family realm of Connecticut and New York, it seems that everything is as it should be. But hardly any married person is faithful. For instance, while Gottlieb, married to CC, sets out to chase his dreams, his infatuation with the female anatomy puts him on another track. The other couples, Rebecca and Theo, Joanne and Andy and Marco and Todd, along with celebrity, Melora, build an emotional web full of love, lust and regret, tinged with forgiveness. Don't worry if you don't know whether to laugh or cry during the novel—that's what makes it captivating.
The Roots of the Olive Tree
by Courtney Miller Santo (August/William Morrow, $25.99) At 112, Anne is the second-oldest person in the world, yet her life is starting anew. Her home, Hill House, fills up with all five generations of Keller women. Anne, Bets, Callie, Deb and Erin all have secrets to share, but Anne has a few she'd rather not tell. When a geneticist seeks the scientific reasoning behind Anne's longevity, her hidden truths become hard to protect. As the olive branches harvest in the Hill House grove, your heart and soul will burst with sympathy and appreciation of these lively women.
by Maggie Shipstead (June/Knopf, $25.95) There's a wedding coming up...but the Van Meter family can't wait for it to be over. Set in the summertime on Waskeke, the island where patriarch Winn feels the most at home, the air is breezy and the beach is the picturesque backyard. About to send off his daughter, Daphne, to the Duff clan, he feels uncertain about the wedding weekend—which winds up featuring infidelity and personality clashes. The novel keeps you guessing whether the wedding will actually take place, and you'll cringe at the awkward situations that Shipstead makes seem so real. Whether or not you can identify with this affluent crowd, Shipstead shows that behind some WASPy smiles, there's a wickedness bound to come out.
by Nancy Thayer (June/Ballantine, $26) New England's Dragonfly Lake serves as the backdrop for this moving story of self-discovery and friendship, as three women come together to heal their wounds and pursue unrealized dreams. Filled with intrigue and romance, this novel shows how women's unique bonds can survive even the most tempestuous times.
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november-2014
aston-to-hosts-positive-psychology-event-for-smes
article Press releases 2014 November
Aston to host ‘Positive Psychology’ event
From L to R, Jamil Qureshi and Professor Adrian Furnham
SME business leaders can discover more about positive psychology and its effects on organisational change with a free event hosted by Aston Business School.
Jamil Qureshi, who has worked with world number one golfer Rory McIlroy and renowned author and columnist Professor Adrian Furnham will be speaking at the event at Birmingham’s Botanical Gardens on 28 January, 2015 from 6pm to 8pm.
These inspirational speakers will both provide unique insights into theories and practical approaches to using positive psychology within the business arena and within their own organisations.
Jamil Qureshi, a foremost practitioner of performance enhancing psychology and an expert in high performing teams will share a practical understanding of ‘How to create positive change through obtaining different outlooks and perspectives’. The session will include techniques used by the world’s elite sports and business people.
Professor Adrian Furnham, a Professor of Psychology from University College London will share his views on positive psychology in SMEs, interweaving three themes: managing change in turbulent times, motivation in the workplace and the psychology of money. Professor Furnham is a well-respected author, newspaper columnist and a regular contributor to radio and television stations including the BBC, CNN and ITV.
The Positive Psychology event forms part of Aston University’s Transformation for Growth project which is supported through the European Regional Development Fund and provides support to aspiring SMEs in the region who have a vision for growth.
Project leader Dr Michael Butler, a Reader in Transformational Change at Aston University, will host the event, which will also be attended by project partner Birmingham City Council. Event partners include theInstitute of Directors, Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, Women in Business Association and Birmingham Law Society.
Award winning West Midlands SMEs also due to attend includeJuliette Summerfield, Finance and Operations Director, Volumatic Ltd, and Kirsty Davies-Chinnock, Managing Director, Professional Polishing Ltd.
The event will be held at Birmingham Botanical Gardens on 28 January 2015, to confirm your free place, please register here
Free onsite parking will be available, buffet served on arrival (5.15pm for 6pm start – 8pm)
For further media information, please contact Naheeda Akhtar, University Communications on 0121 204 5004 or n.akhtar18@aston.ac.uk
The ‘Transformation for Growth’ project is part funded by part-financed by the West Midlands European Regional Development Fund Programme (ERDF) 2007-2013. The Department for Communities and Local Government is the managing authority for the European Regional Development Fund Programme, which is one of the funds established by the European Commission to help local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support local businesses and create jobs. For more information visit www.gov.uk/browse/business/funding-debt/european-regional-development-funding
For further information about Aston University’s Transformation for Growth Project, please contact Alice Grieve on 0121 204 3053 or a.grieve@aston.ac.ukor Dr Michael Butler on 0121 204 3053.
10ksb programme accelerates business growth
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Soyuz Owners' Workshop Manual
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1967 onwards (all models) - An insight into Russia's flagship spacecraft, from Moon missions to the International Space Station
Author: Dr. David Baker
Foreword by: Helen Sharman, OBE Dr.
Series: Owners' Workshop Manual
The Soyuz spacecraft played a major role in Russia's plans for a manned landing on the Moon and several test models were flown at the height of the 'space race'. Originally designed for circumlunar flight, Soyuz has been the mainstay of Russia's space program.
Dr. David Baker worked with NASA on the Gemini, Apollo and Shuttle programmes between 1965 and 1990. He has written more than 80 books on spaceflight technology and is the author of the Haynes NASA Space Shuttle Manual, International Space Station Manual, NASA Mars Rovers Manual, Apollo 13 Manual, Soyuz Manual, Rocket Manual and forthcoming Hubble Space Telescope Manual. He lives in East Sussex.
Illustrations: 50 b-w & 200 color photos
Size: 8.27 in x 10.64 in x 0.625 in / 210.06 mm x 270.26 mm x 15.875 mm
NASA Hubble Space Telescope - 1990 onwards (including all upgrades)
Suzuki GSX/GS1000, 1100 & 1150 4-valve Fours Owners Workshop Manual, No. M737
Yamaha XT, TT, and SR 500 Singles Owners Workshop Manual, No. 342
BBQ Manual
Lifestyle | 1 March 2018
Womanskills for Friendship
Erin La Rosa’s book, Womanskills, is packed with helpful techniques and tips for cooking, money matters, style, relationships, home improvement, and more. This excerpt from the book will give you tips on making new friends and how to end a toxic friendship. Enter to win a copy of Womanskills below! Make New Friends It’s a truth universally ...
Womanskills at Work
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History | 1 March 2018
An Inside Look at I Know a Woman
Kate Hodges graduated from the University of Westminster with a BA in Print Journalism. She has over 20 years writing experience on magazines, having been a staffer on publications including The Face, Bizarre, Just Seventeen, Smash Hits and Sky, and written for many more, including The Guardian, Kerrang! and NME. Her new book, I Know a Woman, details the extraordinary achievements, relationships and ...
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Starbucks to open in Serbia
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Madrid, Spain, 4.06.2018; AmRest Holdings SE (“AmRest”) (WSE: EAT), the largest publicly listed restaurant operator in Central Europe, announces its plan to open Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) stores in Serbia.
The first Starbucks® store will be opened in Belgrade later this year, the city with a long coffee-loving history. AmRest is the lead operator of Starbucks stores in the Central European (CE) region and Serbia will be another new market for the company to open the first Starbucks store. In 2016, AmRest opened the first Starbucks store in Slovakia, and now operates four stores in the capital Bratislava.
Adam Mularuk, Starbucks President at AmRest, said: "We are very happy to bring the unique Starbucks Experience to Serbian customers, with our first store in Belgrade. This country has a rich coffee culture and we look forward to being a part of it, providing a place where customers can enjoy high quality coffee and discover our passion."
The Starbucks brand has been part of AmRest’s portfolio since 2008, when the first store opened in Prague. Currently the Company operates over 300 Starbucks stores in seven countries – Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria. AmRest is therefore well positioned to bring its expertise and experience to opening the first store in Serbia.
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Starbucks finally open for all Serbian coffee lovers
World’s most popular coffee store chain, Starbucks, is finally open for all Serbian and Belgrade coffee lovers in Rajićeva shopping centre. Opening event has gathered many people from both abroad and Serbia.
Real Estate: Starbucks (AmRest) awarded
Starbucks (AmRest) has been awarded in two prestigious Real Estate competitions in the CEE&SEE region
KFC Poland recognized on an exclusive website Facebook Success Stories
KFC Poland has been recognized by Facebook with a special publication on an exclusive website Facebook Success Stories
KFC awarded for the best digital activation of 2018
KFC Cool Wave TV surf reality show won 2 prestigious golden trophies awarded by Association of Czech Communication Agencies for the best product placement and digital activation of 2018.
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IssuesDefending Those Who Defend Our Freedom
All Americans who wear or have worn a military uniform should have the same freedoms they defend. Alliance Defending Freedom works to educate, equip, and empower service members, chaplains, and their leadership to ensure religious freedom flourishes within the military.
Service Men and Women
Service members should not have to choose between their faith and their service.
When chaplains are prevented from sharing their faith, the well-being of all service members suffers.
ADF has created resources to educate, equip, and empower service members.
Do you have a question about religious freedom for service members and chaplains?
In Defense of Our Defenders: Responding to Religious Freedom in the US Military
5 Things You Need to Know About the Defense Department’s New Gender Identity Policy
Service members deserve the same freedoms they defend.
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Stay informed about religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and marriage and family.
Contact us if your religious freedom is being denied or threatened.
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I Support Religious Freedom
Find out More About Religious Freedom in the Military
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Imagine: A Time Such As This
Afro Staff Entertainment June 2019
In the near future a power outage happens across the United States that darkens three quarters of US cities and the majority of rural America. Authorities scramble to find the reason for the black out while rumors and theories are spread from coast the coast.
Some say the government itself caused the outage as a means to purge the country of certain citizens while others claim foreign attacks by another country, while still others point to spiritual and religious reasons. Because no one can watch television and not many have access to transmitter radios, the public is literally left in the dark on what actually happened.
The rumors and theories become more extreme as time goes by. More than three weeks pass and still no electricity or information. Families in communities have resorted to borrowing from one another while other communities have seen a slight rise in theft and signs of violence.
With no electricity, food goes bad within two weeks, water flow stops, and garbage piles up bringing odors and animals from out of the woods. Gas stations, grocery stores, and other places of business cannot function as usual leaving many people without work and on the search for relief and food.
After a month and a half, things have gotten so bad that people have either bunkered into their homes for protection or banded together to go look for answers. They are armed with guns and other weapons and resources such as gas and access to money have become inaccessible because banks are closed, ATMs are down, and fuel trucks have stopped running.
Night time is most dangerous because people have become desperate and others are standing watch over their property and family members. The police roam the neighborhoods less because their own resources have been hindered. Most of them are at home protecting their own families instead of the communities.
After three months, the quietness has become interrupted by gun shots, screams, and other unthinkable sounds. People are hungry, dying, and sick. The stores have been looted empty as well as the hospitals, banks, malls, and gun shops. All over the country, desperation has set in with no sign of government help or instruction.
Then one day a line of military tanks and trucks role down the main street of your community and people run to find out what is going on and what can they do. Over a bullhorn, a soldier announces a location less than 50 miles from your community that is offering help, medicine and food. They give directions and people return home to either gather their family and things or remain where they are.
What would you do? Would you go with the military or would you stay where you are? Why or why not?
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The Power of Positive Black Esteem
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You Dont Know? Heres the Rundown on Americas News
Outlawing Protest is a Cowards Move
US Takeover of Venezuela Did Not Work
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That same attractive stainless steel design is here. The 240 x 240 pixel display at the heart of the body is by no means the brightest or most vibrant you'll find, but crucially delivers strong visibility in most workout conditions whether you're sweating it out indoors or outside. However, there is no touchscreen or touchpad here, you'll have to resort to pressing some buttons - that could be a deal-breaker for some, but we're sure it won't be a massive one for most.
Smartwatches, like smart phones, can also run apps, via your smart phone or right on the watch. These include health and fitness apps (thus the comparison with activity trackers), apps that control functions such as music and the camera on your phone, navigation apps, and more. Because most smartwatches have open software platforms (at least so far), developers are coming up with new and innovative apps that can increase the functionality of the devices.
My personal favorite watch for Android on the market today actually isn’t an Android Wear device, rather coming from Samsung and running atop Tizen. The Samsung Gear S3 Frontier is all the smartwatch you’ll ever need, with a sporty, circular gray design with a 1.3-inch Super AMOLED display that is the best I’ve personally ever used and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass SR+.
Up your fitness game, connect to your favourite apps, and keep on top of social media – all from your wrist. A smartwatch allows you to stay in touch with the world by connecting to your smartphone via cutting-edge technology. Browse our stylish smartwatch collection to discover a diverse range of styles from the world’s biggest brands including Sekonda, Casio, and Cannibal.
If you don’t need your smartwatch to look business-casual, you want more fitness and exercise features than our top pick, or you’re a Samsung loyalist, the Samsung Gear Sport is a better pick for you. (You can use the Gear Sport with non-Samsung phones, but doing so requires that you install at least four apps.) The Gear Sport handles all the casual notification and message-triage functions of a smartwatch about as well as our top pick—with the exception of voice transcription—but it adds heart-rate monitoring, GPS tracking, swim tracking, and built-in reminders to move throughout the day. It doesn’t do all of these things perfectly, but it does just enough to make for a generally useful smartwatch, with great battery life and a clever interface.
Since the early days of modern smartwatches, we’ve sought to test as many relevant models as we can and recommend the watches that do the best job of making a smartwatch convenient and useful. We test Wear OS watches by wearing them while they’re connected to Android phones. Whenever possible, we ask other people to try out our potential picks to get an idea of how others react to a watch’s size, style, interface, and other features.
Why we like it: Compared with a smartwatch or fitness tracker, a dedicated GPS running watch is focused on one category of exercise: outdoor movement. GPS watches offer the fastest GPS signal lock-on and more-precise maps, while also showing up to the second details on your pace, heart rate, mile split times, and a host of other stats on an always-on display. The physical buttons on a GPS watch are easier to use while moving (and without looking), rather than having to swipe or tap on a tiny glass screen. A GPS watch’s longer battery life can better handle endurance events than a smartwatch. And the software and apps behind a good GPS watch provide more statistics and training programs to improve your efficiency. While GPS watches can show notifications, the weather, and a few other smartwatch-like conveniences, they’re much more limited in what can be done from a wrist than a smartwatch—or even a fitness tracker like the Vívosmart.
The Amazfit Bip is thin and light, looks like an Apple Watch, has a lot of sensors inside—GPS, heart rate, accelerometers, barometer, and compass—and can run for about 30 days (which we confirmed) between charges, all for around $100. Those facts are compelling, but actually using the watch is frustrating, and it doesn’t do any one thing well. The GPS and heart-rate monitors can be slow to start, sometimes drop out, occasionally have wild inaccuracies, and produce results notably different from those of running watches and dedicated fitness bands. The screen is also dim and noticeably low-resolution, and the phone software for managing the watch is dense and unintuitive on Android. (We didn’t test iOS, but the reviews imply that it’s not much different.) The watch materials are plastic and rubber, and look and feel like it. Those are all trade-offs you could reasonably make if you just wanted a Pebble-like smartwatch that tracked steps and showed notifications, but even there, the Bip does not succeed: It often dropped connectivity with my phone (a Pixel 2), and it cannot show emoji—getting a dozen blank squares when someone sends you a thumbs-up sign is not helpful. If all you care about is battery life, the Bip has that, but it lacks useful functions while it’s charged up.
Some smartwatches have robust offerings of apps, either preinstalled on the watch or available for download in an app store. Apps can be as simple as a timer or stopwatch, or can control your smart-home devices, switch up your music, or provide turn-by-turn directions for walking or driving. In our testing and everyday use, however, these watch apps rarely offer a great experience. But there are some exceptions, including some fitness apps and apps that track things like water or food intake.
Many major phone apps have Wear OS counterparts, or at least most apps that make sense to have a dedicated watch app. You’ll likely find yourself using most watch apps less than you might think, but they are sometimes convenient for avoiding a phone retrieval. I use regularly use the Nest app for my home thermostat, Keep to take down a quick voice note, PocketCasts to control podcast episodes and playlists, and Stronglifts to time and track workouts. But I use these on my watch mostly when my phone is not at hand; none is easier to use than its phone version. As noted, most apps on your phone will provide notifications that can be acted upon through your watch. For the apps that you do use, the Q watches’ screen (identical to most of the Fossil group watches’ screens) is responsive enough to work with tiny buttons pressed by big fingers.
If you want a smart watch that uses cellular data without using up the battery, consider upgrading to the Samsung Gear S3. A close cousin to the Gear Sport, the S3 has all the perks of an LTE smart device (downloading apps, texting, checking email) and, unlike the Apple Series 3, it won’t quit after three hours. In fact, you could feasibly get 72 hours out of this LTE version of the Samsung Gear Sport.
Wear OS comes with a focus on fitness features, but unfortunately Huawei managed to simultaneously move too far in this direction and also fall short of it. It doesn’t come with a rotating side button for navigation, which is a shame as we really love the button on the LG Watch Sport. It does, however, come with great battery life and a stellar feature set otherwise.
The Smartwatch has officially arrived. Not long ago, the idea of a wrist-mounted communications device was the stuff of science-fiction movies and spy novels. Well, you no longer need to be a certain detective in a yellow trench coat to get your hands on a futuristic phone watch. With multiple models available from today's hottest tech brands, a smartwatch puts many of your favorite smartphone functions right at your fingertips. Check out Abt’s selection of smartwatches like the Apple Watch or the Samsung Gear S2 Smart Watch today.
Aside from its jack-of-all-fitness-trades, master-of-none nature, the Gear Sport has other drawbacks. Chief among them is that voice dictation is significantly less reliable than on the Apple Watch or Wear OS and is best used for short phrases and quick replies. Then there’s S Voice, the digital assistant that can’t do much—and you probably don’t have time to learn how to make it do the few things it can do. And major apps still do not have a presence in Samsung’s marketplace—the Sport runs Samsung’s Tizen operating system instead of Wear OS—so any app or device you want to control directly on your phone is a gamble on an indie developer having the same need.
Pebble (watch) was an innovative smartwatch that raised the most money at the time on Kickstarter reaching $10.3 Million between April 12 and May 18, 2012. The watch has a 32-millimetre (1.26 in) 144 × 168 pixel black and white memory LCD using an ultra low-power "transflective LCD" manufactured by Sharp with a backlight, a vibrating motor, a magnetometer, ambient light sensors, and a three-axis accelerometer.[47][48][49][50][51] It can communicate with an Android or iOS device using both Bluetooth 2.1 and Bluetooth 4.0 (Bluetooth Low Energy) using Stonestreet One's Bluetopia+MFi software stack.[52] Bluetooth 4.0 with low energy (LE) support was not initially enabled, but a firmware update in November 2013 enabled it.[53] The watch is charged using a modified USB-cable that attaches magnetically to the watch to maintain water resistance capability.[49] The battery was reported in April 2012 to last seven days.[54] Based on feedback from Kickstarter backers, the developers added water-resistance to the list of features.[55] The Pebble has a waterproof rating of 5 atm, which means it can be submerged down to 40 metres (130 ft) and has been tested in both fresh and salt water, allowing one to shower, dive or swim while wearing the watch.[56]
Despite that, it's a very competent Android Wear 2 watch. What's more interesting, however, is the concentration on fitness.While it features all of the necessary sensors to track running, cycling and swimming, our initial testing has revealed the Huawei Watch isn't the stellar performer we hoped it would be. Which is a shame, because emphasising the fitness element was exactly the right thing for Huawei to do, and hopefully the company can improve its fitness tracking software updates.
The Passport is versatile in that it works with Android and iOS mobile devices. And it features the ability to make phone calls with its built-in microphone and speaker. You can use voice commands (the Passport leverages your phone's voice recognition system; such as Apple's Siri for iOS devices or Google Now for Android) to control the mobile device from the watch. And because of the analog watch face, you can easily see the time in bright sunlight.
The Huawei Watch 2 comes into its own if you’re looking for a smartwatch that can double as a sports watch, thanks to built-in GPS and a heart rate monitor on its rear. Use the 4GB of built-in storage to save your Google Play Music playlists offline and you can pair Bluetooth headphones for a phone-free experience. The Huawei Watch 2 will work with Huawei’s own suite of fitness apps, Google Fit, or other third-party apps such as Strava, offering excellent choice.
Its only drawback is its use of Samsung’s own Tizen OS. Tizen is a custom OS that’s based on Linux. On paper it’s pretty good, letting you pair the Gear S2 with any Android smartphone, not just Samsung Galaxy phones. But it’s nowhere near as developed as Wear OS, which itself isn’t perfect. There aren’t nearly as many apps available as the Wear OS app store, but the core functionality is at least present from what is available.
I’ve had the Samsung Gear S3 classic for a few months now. There are lots of apps now available including a music app which allows you to save and play as many tracks as the sizeable built in memory will allow you to save to the watch. The in-built speaker is high quality for making and receiving calls and of course listening to music, but a Bluetooth headset makes all the difference.
The base model is crafted from polished stainless steel with a premium calfskin leather band. Other models are available with a titanium casing and alligator leather straps, but they do up the cost quite a bit. All models have a 46mm casing that is 12.5mm thick. Battery life is rated at a day and the watch is IP68 water/dust resistant.Pricing for the Summit starts at a lofty $870 and goes well up from there. Currently, the only place to buy the watch online is via the outlet Mr. Porter, but it’s also available anywhere Montblanc smartwatches are sold in retail locations.
348 x 250 Resolution Touchscreen Display/ Color LCD/ Dynamic Personal Coaching/ PurePulse Heart Rate/ Popular Apps/ SmartTrack/ Sleep Stages And Insights/ Store And Play Music/ Water Resistant Up To 50M And Tracks Swims/ Built-In NFC Chip/ All-Day Activity/ Built-In GPS/ Multi-Day Battery/ Multi-Sport Modes/ Smartphone Notifications/ Charcoal And Smoke Gray Finish
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A little update on John Browne’s activities: Lord Browne now works for the Coalition government as ‘lead Non-Executive Director’ on the Cabinet Office board. His job description is ‘improving governance’ in Whitehall and he does this by recruiting business leaders to serve on government departmental boards. His appointees include Andrew Witty, CEO of GlaxoSmithKline (on an unrelated note, Browne used to be a non-executive Director of SmithKline Beecham) and Ian Davis, once on the board of BP.
This is not the only way in which Lord Browne, ‘independent’ lord, is working with Conservatives. For his day job Lord Browne is Managing Director of Riverstone Holdings, a private equity firm specialising in the energy and power sectors. Riverstone Holdings works in partnership with the Carlyle Group, whose European Chair is John Major.
Lord Browne has just received another appointment (busy man) to the International Advisory Board of the Blavatnik School of Government, which will “bring together a distinguished group of women and men who have achieved international renown for their leadership and contributions to public life in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas.” He will help provide the Oxford University school with “a genuinely international perspective and strategic advice informed by practical experience of government.”
Browne and Blavatnik – he who funded the school – are not complete strangers to each other. Blavatnik, a Russian-American sometimes resident in Britain, made his money in fossil fuels in Russia. He made a large part of his fortune selling Russian oil company TNK, which he and his partners acquired in privatisation auctions. It was sold to BP under John Browne.
17 Responses to “Lord Browne’s interests”
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I HAVE COMPOSED A PERSONAL LETTER TO LORD BROWNE AND WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE TO HAVE HIS EMAIL ADDRESS.
Peter Hobbs says:
I have composed a private letter to send to Lord Browne and should be grateful for his email address.
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A little update on John Browne’s activities: Lord Browne now works for the Coalition government as ‘lead Non-Executive Director’ on the Cabinet Office board. His job description is ‘improving governance’ in Whitehall and he does this by recruiting business leaders to serve on government departmental boards. His appointees include Andrew Witty, CEO of GlaxoSmithKline (on […]
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The Thirteenth Move
Alberta Bancroft in McClure’s Magazine September 1 1908
The Thirteenth Move Alberta Bancroft in McClure’s Magazine September 1 1908
How a Millionaire Capitalist Adopted Patient and Peculiar Methods to Capture a Lonesome Lady, for Whom, he Frankly Confessed Before the Hastily Performed Nuptial Event, That he Did Not Entertain the Slightest Affection.
Alberta Bancroft in McClure’s Magazine
IKEY stood on the street corner and fingered her veil to keep passersby from seeing her lips tremble. She was sure that she was going to cry right there in the open and she was furious about it because she did not approve of weepy females.
“If you dare,” she whispered fiercely, “if you dare, I’ll — I'll — you shan’t have that nickel’s worth of peanut candy, or those currant buns, either.”
This threat proving effective she turned, head held high, and entered the bakery.
There was the usual Saturday afternoon crowd, jostling on the shoddy thoroughfare. To-day the jostling was intensified; for the car strike was on in full blast, feeling ran high, and demonstrations were being made against the company. Now and again a car passed slowly up or down the street, drays and express wagons blocking its progress wherever possible, scab conductor and motorman hooted at by San Francisco men and beplumed ladies for their pains.
Ikey looked at the mob in disgust. Then she hurried around the corner and away from *he scene of commotion.
“And to think that it has come to this, that I can’t ride up and down in those cars all day long—just to show ’em.” The beach was what she really wanted—one of those little sand hummocks with juicy plants sprawling over it, that protect one from the wind and yet reveal beyond ravishing glimpses of cliff and breaker and sapphire shining sea.
But the beach was not to be found in
the heart of town. And she was too tired to walk there—not having had any lunch and being very angry besides. And she would lose her “job”—her miserable, wretched, disgusting, good-for-nothing job (Ikey loved adjectives), if she rode. For any and all women connected with any and all union men had been forbidden to use the company’s cars. And business houses—who had anything to gain from it—had promised their employes instant dismissal for even one ride. And the firm that employed Ikey would lose three-fourths of its trade if the union boycotted it.
So the sand-dunes would have to wait. But there were some vacant lots, backed by a scraggle of rough, red rock, only half a dozen blocks away. If luck were with her, the loafers might be in temporary abeyance and the refugee tents not unduly prominent.
Luck was with her. And Ikev sat down on the lea of the little cliff, quite alone, spread out her buns—you got three for ten cents these catastrophe days—and faced the situation.
The landlady had raised the rent.
Ikey could have screamed with laughter over the situation—if only the matter were not so vital.
“This’ll make the thirteenth move for vou, Ikey, my love, since the eighteenth of April—and the thirteenth move is bound to be unlucky. But you’ll have to go, sure as Fate ; for you can’t stand another raise. The Wandering Jew gentleman takes the road again.”
She pursed her lips as she said it. She had invented the appelation for herself
after nine moves in three months. “I don’t know what his name really was,” she confessed—there was no one else to talk to, no one she cared for. so she talked, sub voice, to herself—“but it must have been Ikey. I’m sure it was Ikey—and that I look just like him. And deriving much comfort from this witticism, she went on her way.
“Ikey, the Wandering Jew, on the move again,” she repeated. “But where to move to, that is the question. It’s funny
'what a difference money makes—-her eyebrows went up—‘‘or rather, lack of it. I’ve never considered that until recently.”
Then her eyes fell on her shoes.
They had been very swagger little shoes in the beginning—Ikey had made rather a specialty of footgear—but they were her “escape” shoes ; and their looks told the tale of their wanderings. Also she had no others since.
She wriggled her toes.
“You'll be poking through before long, looking at the stars,” she told them severely. "Imagine your excitement.”
And her suit.
Ikey looked away so as not to see the perfect cut of it, the perfect fit of it, the utter shabbiness of it. It was her "escape” suit, too. She has slept on the hills in it to the tune of dynamiting and the fiare of the burning city. She would never have another like it—never, hor her job— «
Her job.
She leaned back suddenly and closed her eyes. Her job. The rage of this noon was coming back again ; rage, and with it a strange, new sensation—fear. She had never known fear before, not even during the earthquake davs. "Only at the dentist’s,” she told herself, giggling half hysterically behind closed lids.
And back of it all—back of the landlady’s unconcealed dislike and latest slap, back of the disintegration of a wardrobe that could not be replaced, and the question as to whether her "job” had not become an impossibility since to-day— and that iob simply could not become an impossibility : one had to live—back of all this was the dull hurt, smothered and always coming again, that Bixler McFay had not taken the trouble to look her up when his regiment came through on the way to Manila.
“You may as well face that, too, while you’re about it.” Ikey observed sarcastically. She opened her eyes with a snap and bit into the first bun.
“The regiment was only here three days,” a little voice inside of her whispered fearfully.
“Three days!” Ikey’s scorn was unbounded. “If he had cared, he could have found you in three hours—and he always said he cared. It’s a thing you’ve got to live with. It’s nothing so unusual. It happens every day. Why can’t you treat it like a poor relation?”
And her thoughts went back to Fort Leavenworth, and the gowns on gowns she had worn, all burned up at the St. Francis last spring, with the rest of her things, a week after she had reached the city ; and Cousin Mary, suave and elegant and impressive as her chaperon ; too
and herself, petted and made much of on all sides, and incidentally pointed out as. the richest girl on the field, and an orphan; and Bixler McFay, handsome, brilliant, devoted, always on hand, always protesting—
A whimsical, sarcastic little smile curved her lips for a moment. The earthquake had certainly made a difference. A vision of Cousin Mary arose—not the suave and elegant chaperon of a wealthy young relative, but a frightened, selfcentred, middle-aged woman, who had taken the earthquake as a personal affront put upon her by her young charge and insisted on being the first consideration in no matter what environment she found herself.
Then came another vision. She recalled her parting with Bixler McFay in the late winter, when she had left Leavenworth for the Coast, saying it wasn’t decent not to know anything about the place where all your income came from, and he had left Leavenworth to rejoin his regiment in Arizona. How his voice had trembled that morning as he bade her good-bye, declaring he should always consider himself engaged to her even if she did not consider herself engaged to him ; begging that she wear his class pin, or at least keep it for him if she would not wear it, because the thought of its being in her possession would comfort him in his loneliness.
It had comforted her in those first dreadful days after the fire to think that he was alive and on his way to her. It never entered her head but what he would come at once : when friends were looking for friends and enemies were succoring one another, how should he fail her?
And then—not one word. Not even an inquiry in the paper; when that was about all the papers were made up of for days after—column after column of addresses and inquiries, along with the death notices.
And afterwards—not one word—
“I won’t pretend this is accidental, Miss Stanton.”
Ikey looked up startled, began to curl her feet up under her skirt, decided that it was not worth while—he was only
jne of the boarders—and offered buns and candy with indifferent promptness.
“There’s a gang of toughs coming down over the hill. Strikers, maybe. 1 thought they might startle you.”
He seated himself unceremoniously on a rock near by.
Ikey settled back with a little comfortable movement against her own rock and raised her eyebrows.
“The proper thing for me to do at this stage is to inquire in a haughty voice how you happened to know 1 was here.”
“I followed you.”
There was no hint of apology, and she looked at him more closely. She had sat opposite him at the unesthetic boarding-house dining-table for the past six weeks now. He ate enormously— but in cultured wise—never said anything, was something over six feet tall, wore ready-made, dust-colored clothes, and was utterly inconspicuous. “Like a big gray wall.” Just now it was the expression of his face, intangibly different—or had she never taken the trouble to notice him before?—that fixed her attention.
He was looking straight at her.
“I’ve been following you ever since you left your office,” he said after a deliberate pause ; and Ikey’s eyes grew large and frightened as she took in his meaning.
“Then you saw—”
“I did.” There was another pause. “It won’t happen again.” Elis tone was quite final. “Why do you lay yourself open to that sort of thing Don’t you know that the burnt district is no place for any woman at all these days—not even one block of it? Why don’t you ride?”
His voice was quite cross, and Ikey could have laughed aloud. This, to her, who had the burnt district on her nerves to such an extent that she dreamed of the brick-and-twisted-iron chaos by night—the miles of desolation, punctuated by crumbling chimneys and tottering walls—dreamed of it by night and turned sick at the sight of it by day. Did this stupid hulk of a person think she liked the burnt district—and to walk there?
After all, his attitude was less funny
than impertinent. She would be angry. It was better. She would respond icily and put him in his place.
At least, such was her intention. But she discovered to her amazement that she was trembling—her encounter ci the noon was responsible for that—and her teeth seemed inclined to hit against each other rapidly with a little clicking noise. So it seemed on the whole more expedient to blurt out her remarks without any attempt at frills or amplification.
“Why don’t you ride?”
Ikey gathered herself together.
“My dear Mr. Hammond, there is a street car strike on here in San Francisco. No union wagons run out this way-and T lose my position if T use the cars.”
He was welcome to that. She looked off into the distance while he assimilated it.
“I had not thought of that,” he said at last slowly. “In that case there is but one thing to do. You must stop that work at once.”
“And stand in the bread line? Now? Along with—those others?” A little
smile twisted her lips. “I should look handsome doing that.”
"But surely—”
His tone was beginning to be puzzled. So was his expression. Ikey ascertained this by allowing a glance 10 brush past him.
Suddenly he had changed his position. He was beside her on the ground, facing her, staring her out of countenance.
"We may as well get the clear of tins right now—"
"It isfiieedlessly clear to me, Mr. Hammond.”
"But not to me. In the first place—” "1 will not trouble you—”
“It is no trouble. In the first place, has that fellow followed you, spoken to you before?”
"Never—never like that.”
She wondered whether he had noticed her unsuccessful effort to rise and put an end to the interview.
“Do you know who he is?”
“He is the junior member of the firm 1 work for.”
“What! Well, I am glad I smashed him.” Then he added quickly, “This, of course, {Hits an end to your going there, at once. You've been at it too long anyway. It’s stopped being a joke, and as a pose—”
“ ‘Pose.’ ”
The intonation was subtle. A moment's bewilderment, and he burst out, “You’re not doing this because you —have to?”
“That—or something.”
“But—but—Good Lord, child! Where is your money?”
With pomp and ceremony—but languidly withal, for her head was beginning to ache, and she wanted desperately to cry—she laid her purse in his hand. But she did not look at him.
The big hand closed over the flat little thing impatiently.
“I am referring to your bank account.” “And by what right—”
“We’ll settle that later. The banks have opened up again—”
“That’s all I have.”
“But what has become—You’re not going to faint?”
“Then what has become—”
Quite against her will she was beginning to find herself faintly amused. Of all pigheaded, impertinent people, this individual with whom she had hardly had more than five minutes’ conversation, except at meal times during the past six weeks, was certainly the worst.
"I really must know, Miss Stanton, what has become—”
“I gave it away.”
“You—gave it—away !” Italics could never do justice to his intonation. He was staring at her as though he considered her demented. “To whom?” came his indignant question.
After all, why not tell him? It was none of his business ; and he was desperately impertinent ; but she was desperately forlorn; and, though it could not better the situation to talk about it, it might better her feelings.
She slipped farther down against her rock ; and he bent forward, listening intently.
“I gave it to—a relative. She was living with me at the time of the fire. We had only just come up from Los Angeles—because I wanted to—I had some property here ; all mv income came from it ; and I felt I ought to know more about it—in case anything happened. And after the earthquake she acted as though I had led her up to the—jaws of death— and pushed her in—and later she was so afraid of typhoid—and everything. And so—at last, when the banks opened up again—I gave her all the money I had in the bank—and she went East right away—and I stayed here.”
“With nothing?”
“I had fifty dollars. I was doing relief work at the Presidio, waiting for the vaults to cool off—I had a lot of paper money in a box there—and for the insurance companies to pay—and for the man who looked after my affairs to get well ; he’d been hurt in the earthquake. But he didn’t get well ; he had a stroke, instead, and died. And his partner— they were lawyers—went away ; all their books and papers and everything had been burnt up, and he didn’t seem to think he could ever straighten things out ; and when the vaults were opened, the paper money I had in the box was
all dust—and the insurance companies haven’t paid.”
She shrugged her shoulders delicately over the situation, already disgusted with herself at having descended to disclosing her private affairs to a stranger.
Meanwhile, “So that’s it,” the stranger was saying. “I’ve wondered a lot.”
“ You needn’t have troubled.”
“No trouble,” he blandly assured her, “Houghton always was an ass”— (Houghton was the younger lawyer. How had he known? the girl wondered; —“lighting out for Goldfield when he ought to be here, straightening out his clients’ business. And so you went to work on some beggarly salary, instead of seeing about having your pro¡,eny put in shape again. Why didn’t you lease, or—”
“I couldn’t find out where it was,” she retorted, furious. “I’d only been here a week when the fire came; and not for years before that.”
-“and not put yourself in a position
where you get insulted by some little scrub who isn’t fit for you to walk on —Are vou going to faint?”
“Then what’s the matter?” inquired the clod at her side.
“Nothing,” she fibbed promptly. How different this creature was from Bixler McFay! Bixler had never pried into her private affairs, or evinced an interest in her possessions, or insisted on answers she did not wish to give, or pursued topics she did not care for. Bixler had none of the bluntness, the pigheadedness, the brutality of this —but then, there was no comparing the two. Only, she had vowed not to think of Bixler any more. Fie was not worth it.
“Nothing’s the matter with me,” she said. “Only, when I got back to the boarding-house after—after downtown to-day, the landlady said I’d have to pay sixty a month or leave at once, and— and she hadn't saved any lunch for me, and—”
“And you’ve been eating—”
He looked at the candv-bag and the morsel of bun with horror.
“I thought they’d cheer me up,” Ikey
murmured meekly, “but they’ve made me feel—kind of queer.”
“ I hat settles it.” 1 he big hand came down forcefully upon his knee. “We’ll get the thickest steak you ever laid your eyes on in about two minutes. But first— we’ll get married.”
What happened after that Ikey could never clearly remember. Bits of ensuing conversation came back to her, memories of the sickening rage, the stupefying bewilderment that possessed her, and the exhaustion that followed. But order there was none. And she was sure she never got the whole of it.
At one stage in the proceedings she had observed in a haughty voice that she did not care to have his sympathy— or pity—take that form.
“Oh, it’s not that,” he assured her pleasantly; “but I’m tired of knocking around the world alone. I need an anchor. I think you —lie looked at her impersonally, but politely—“would make a good anchor.”
“You mean you want me to reform you !”
Fie smiled a careful smile.
“No-o. I don’t feel the need of reforming. There’s nothing the matter with me—”
“How lovely to have such a high opinion of oneself.”
“\es. Isn’t it? But as I was saying
At another stage she tried to take refuge behind the usual platitude: she did not love him.
He considered this—at ease bero;c her, his hands in his pockets.
“Well, when it COURS to that, I don’t love you, either”—Ikey gasped—“ but 1 don’t consider that that makes any difference.”
Another break.
Then, “What’ll you do, if you don’t?” he had asked her in a businesslike manner. “You’re just on the verge of a breakdown”— She knew it : and his tone of conviction did not add to her sense of security—“Another scene like to-day’s would upset you completelv. You say you have no friends or relatives here; and there’s no one you want to go to
away from here. And besides, I can look after you a great deal better than you can look after yourself.”
There must have been much arguing after that. There must have ; for she had not the slightest intention of being disposed of in this mediaeval fashion. But in the midst of some determined though shaky sentence of hers, lie had said quite kindly and finally that they need not discuss the matter any further—besides, she had to have a good stiff lunch right off —and had piloted her carefully, but with no overpowering air of devotion, out of the empty lots, around the corner, and into an automobile.
“It was all the fault of that wretched beefsteak,” mourned Ikey an hour or two later. “If I’d only had it before, it never would have happened—never. I shall always have a grudge against it. What am I to do now?”
The automobile had conveyed them smoothly, first, to a clergyman’s, of all people; next, to a restaurant; then, to the boarding-house, where her few belongings had found their way into a telescope basket ; and now it was conveying them through the bedraggled outskirts of the city into the country beyond.
A hatchet-faced chauffeur was manipulating things in front; while the unspeakable man in gray sat unemotionally beside her in the tonneau and looked the other way.
“What am I to do now?” The bewildered girl found no answer to the one question of her mind. “Why don’t you faint?” she asked herself severely. ’’Why don’t you faint? If you had an idea of helping me out of this pickle, you’d do it at once, and never come to at all, and then have brain fever. It’s the only decent solution. Instead of that, here you are, feeling—actually comfortable.”
She stared ahead of her with miserable eyes.
“It was all that miserable beefsteak. The thing must have been six inches thick. Beast; why couldn’t he have taken me to the restaurant first? Then I’d never have gone to the clergyman’s. And that license. Where did he get it? We never stopped for one—he just pulled it out of his pocket, as though it
had been a hankerchief. Ikey, you’re married, married—do you quite understand?—to a man who wears ready-made clothes and doesn’t love you and lives in an attic boarding-house bed-room. And what is he doing with this automobile? And what is his business? Oh, lie’s probably a chauffeur; and he’s borrowed his employer’s bubble; and this other chauffeur in front’s his best friend and ashamed of him on account of the beefsteak business. He’d better be. But what shall I say to him? What shall I say?—Oh—h”—heaven-sent inspiration —“I’ll say nothing at all. I will be— so indifferent.”
^ On and on and on went the machine. The girl closed her eyes upon the dusty, dun-colored landscape.
“Serves me right for turning over my bank account to Cousin Mary and—and
She had fallen asleep, propped up in her corner of the machine—worn out by this climax to the weeks that had gone before.
The man at her side turned and looked at her. His face no longer wore its placidly and conventionally polite expression.
“The thirteenth move. Didn’t I say it would be unlucky!”
Ikey had lied to the garden, letter in hand, to review the situation. The low clouds threatened rain. But what did that matter? The house stifled her with its large, low, mannish rooms and continued reminder of Arthur Hammond; and she had to think—think—think everything out from the very beginning.
That first evening—when she wakened in the dusk at his side in the automobile and stared bewildered at the dim outline of the low, rambling brown house tucked away among shrubbery under a load of vines—how quick he had been to reassure her, to explain that a friend of his, who had expected to come here with his bride, had had to go to Mexico instead and had asked him to occupy the bungalow until their return. A woman and a Chinaman went with the place; and she would have the run of a large garden. She could get rested there; and he could go to and from town every day.
And the days that followed—how careful he had been; how matter-of-fact and unemotional ; never touching her ; never making any sudden motion towards her; never referring to that short ten minutes at the clergyman’s; never going near the two rooms the respectable English housekeeper had conducted her to that first evening.
“Almost as though he were trying to tame a bird,” she had thought half whimsically, after the first days, when the feeling of weariness and fright had worn down and a great relief and great thankfulness had taken its place, that she should never see the boarding-house again with its sneering, insulting landladv. or the office where that man with the eager, shifty, cruel little eyes held rule.
And so she had set herself about it, resolutely, though bewildered, to be an anchor to this big, unemotional young man who had so suddenly come out of the background of her existence and was occupying all possible space immediately behind the footlights.
She did not at all know what an anchor did, or said, or how it acted. But the very perplexity for some reason or other sent her spirits skyhigh. And she pottered about the garden with him, and whizzed about the country in the automobile—it belonged to the same friend who wanted him to look after the place —and poked about the queer, rambling house, content to see no one else and talk to no one else and amazed at herself that this should be so.
Only once had he made any reference to their situation, when he suggested that it might be as well under the circumstances for her to call him Arthur.
“I shall never call you Arthur. Never,” she told him hotly. “I loathe the name. Always have. It sounds so deadly respectable.”
“You don’t care for respectability?” His tone was so affable.
Ikey considered. “It may have advantages, in some cases. But—”
“Then what am I to be called?”
She might have retorted that she should call him nothing at all : he never addressed her by any name. Instead, she answered, “Boobies.”
“Boobies?”
"Boobies,” she repeated firmly. And then came laughter. I key’s rages ha l
a way of breaking up in inconvenient bursts of hilarity these days.
But what difference did that make now? What difference did anything make?
“I don’t see,” Ikey said to herself desperately, “what makes me so stupid. I’m afflicted with chronic mental nearsightedness. Most distressing. This is really a tragedy I’m mixed up in—a tragedy And tragedy’s a thing I never cared for.”
She collapsed miserably on a bench and stared at the letter.
“It’s queer how tragedy and going to sea give you the same feeling.”
It was not pity—oh, no—that had made him want to marry her. And it was not love. And it was not because he needed an anchor. Not he. He was not that kind. It was simply because she was his opportunity. Yes; that was the word. And she had never suspected.
Not that afternoon in the vacant lot, when he had inquired so exhaustingly as to her bank account.
Not the next week, when he appeared from town in the middle of the afternoon, all unheralded and paler than ordinary, with papers to sign, and the exhilarating news that the insurance companies had paid up, and a new bankbook with her name and comforting fat figures in it.
How desperately glad she had been over that. For hot shame possessed her at her appearance—shabby clothes and hardly any of them, when his readymade dust-colored garments had immediately been replaced by the well-fitting blue serge that was her special weakness in masculine attire. .She had invested heavily in frills and slowly regained her self-respect.
And not when he had appeared with a list of her property—how had he come by that list?—stating that he had made arrangements to lease certain pieces and rebuild at once on the others, and asking her approval of the final arrangements.
She had not suspected him then, either, idiot that she was. She had been too busy being rested, being thankful, being hanpv in the big garden, tucked
away from the people who had failed her and the ghastly city and the memory of its great disaster.
She turned to the letter again. Bixler McEay had always written a good letter. 1 his time he quite surpassed himself.
Heart-broken, unreconciled; his hopes shipwrecked ; his faith destroyed. How could she have treated him so? She had been practically engaged to him; and she had left him a prey to every horrible emotion at a time when one word would have put his mind at rest. No clue as to her whereabouts by which he could trace her.
She passed that over with her little crooked sarcastic smile. She had telegraphed and written both—and the second letter had been registered. He had probably forgotten that little fact. But it was of little consequence now. The sting lay in what followed.
And then what did he learn? the letter inquired. That a man he supposed to be his friend, a fellow he had met daily in Arizona for a couple of months at a time, had systematically pumped him about her, had taken means of ascertaining her financial status, and, recognizing her as his opportunity (that was where the word came from) had rushed off to San Francisco, married her hand over fist, and launched himself as a capitalist —on her capital. And she had allowed it.
The girl dropped the pages in her lap. Her litle fist came down on top of them.
“It’s a despicable letter,” she told herself hotly. “And what he thinks to gain by it, I don t know. He just wants to make trouble.—And he has,” she breathed with a downward sigh.
The question was, what to do now. And pride stod at her elbow and pointed out the only course.
This Arthur Hammond, this big, quiet, self-contained, efficient, indifferent young man—whose opportunity she was—must never know that she knew, or, knowingcared.
That was the only solution. Pride forbade a scene—on this account; on hers; on Bixler McFay’s ; on everybody’s, when it came to that. No one should k now—a n vt h i n g.
“Aller a while I shall get quite old and pin-cushiony," she assured herself, “and pricks won’t prick; and nothing will matler. 1 must be quite affable, and cuite indifferent, and always polite—for women are only rude to men they care about.” Tier lips trembled. “It’s all happened before, hundreds of times to hundreds of women—and money is very interesting to men—and there’s no reason why this shouldn’t happen to you, Ikey, dear—and a hundred of years from now it won t make any difference anyway.
'But I’ll never tell him anything again—”
For latterly she had told him many things about herself—young lonesomenesses that nothing could dispel ! family hunger for brothers and sisters and all the ramifications of a home; and, half unconsciously, her utter content with the present. She turned hot at the thought of it all.
"But one thing I won’t stand.” She jumped up and made for the house. “He shan’t have my photograph on his dressing-table.”
She had seen it there one day on passing his open door, and had wondered, wide eyed, how he came by it—it was one she had had taken in the East—and had felt unaccountably shy at the thought of asking him about it.
She tore into the house, to get it, to destroy it, to tear it into tiny bits, and trample upon it—at once, without a moment to lose—when, rushing up the porch steps, she collided with the one person of all others she least expected to see.
Late afternoon. The house was very still. Outside, the rain was falling, falling, and the shrubs bent under their burden of shining drops. Inside, the fire crackled and whispered and the girl lay in the big armchair and looked around the room.
The fireplace, the big, rich rugs ; the dark paneling; the fine, unemotional pictures—no wonder the whole place had reminded her of Arthur Hammond. She ought to have known. She ought to have known.
She heard his step in the hall. His door banged, once ; twice ; again. Then,
his voice asking Eliza some question, and the murmur of the housekeeper’s reply.
Then he came in.
She did not speak or move, and his, “Good-evening” was presently followed by the easv question : “What’s the matter?”
Then she turned on him.
“Is it true that this house belongs to you ?”
A pause. Then he answered slowly. “Yes.”
“And the grounds?”
“And the automobile—is yours?” “Yes.”
He stood quietly watching her. She knew it, though she did not look at him. She took a deep breath.
“Those insurance companies have not paid,” she said in a stifled voice. “You told me they had. You—you gave me— Where did all that money come from I’ve been spending?”
“Well, I suppose originallv it was mine.”
“Then it’s true you are a millionaire?” “Ye-es. Just about, I guess.”
“And my property—all those buildings that burnt up were mortgaged and—and I couldn’t have rebuilt—and everybody knew it—except me. The money that’s putting them up again—”
“I arranged about that. But what difference does it make?”
“What did you do it for?”
“I thought you’d feel better to have an income again—and on acuunt of other people, too. It made me hot to have you treated as though vou were—just anybody at all—simply because your income happened to be short for a time. And—and I thought you’d rather have it that way than take it from me—at the first,” he ended lamely.
She jumped up and confronted him, white with rage.
“How dared --u do that: How dared
you? How do you suppose I feel, being in this position—to you?”
“I hope you don’t feel at all. And besides— But how did you find out about this?”
“Cousin Mary has been here,” the girl burst out, losing all idea of keeping any-
thing back. “She had all sorts of things to say ; how badly she’d been treated— how she was shipped off East, and I never wrote to her, nothing about my affairs, or that I was married, or anything. She couldn’t talk enough. She said everybody sympathized with her, because her prospects were ruined, because the companies I’d insured in wouldn’t pay and my land was mortgaged so I couldn’t rebuild. She knew that—and she’d never told me. And then she spoke a piece about my conduct in getting married and never telling her a word about it beforehand. She said she was mortified to death to have to learn about my marriage from strangers—strangers— just accidentally. But there wasn’t anything she didn’t know ; that you were a millionaire, but very eccentric and not given to going around like a rational being—in society; and that you had places around in different States and always made it a point not to know your neighbors, so you wouldn’t have them come dropping in interfering with you ; and that you were amusing yourself now with putting my affairs on their legs again ; and how lucky it was for me : and how strange it was, when I was making a brilliant marriage, not to make it. at least, in a dignified, even if not in a brilliant manner, with a church wedding and all. There wasn’t anything she didn’t know. I believe she used detectives to find out. And she ended un by saying that she had a lovely disposition and would forgive me—I could have killed her—I was her onlv first cousin’s ord’" child—and she was coming here to live.”
“The deuce she did !”
“But what did you do it for?” She turned on him furiously. “A hat did you do it for?”
“Yes—but where’s this Cousin Marv?”
“We had a scene—at least, part of one: we didn’t either of us sav half we wanteel to—and she’s left. She’ll probably decide in the end. though, that her disposition’s lovely enough to overlook it. and insist on making her home with her eccentric millionaire cousin-in-law— What did you do this for?”
He stood there, frowning in perplexity. Then with a sigh of relief, “SuoooHng
we sit down.” he said, as one who has a happy inspiration. “I don’t know as I can explain this to your satisfaction—exactly. But I’ll try. It seemed to me— Don’t you know, I thought— Hang it all, that King Cophetua business—was that the chap’s name?—never did appeal to me a little bit. I’m dead sure that Beggar Maid had it in for him from the start for his beastly condescending ways to her. And I was afraid you might think—you see, it seemed to me that'when your affairs were back in the position they ought to be, perhaps you’d feel better towards me.”
He looked at her with boyish entreaty in his eyes. It was as though she were suddenly in the room with a new person. The expression of his face left her breathless.
“Then you came to that boardinghouse deliberately to—”
“I did. Deliberately to let you get a bit used to me. It might have upset you to have a perfect stranger come up and marry you off-hand.”
“But—but”—she gasped.
She was flushed to the eyes. Suddenly he turned and switched on the electric lights. Then he turned back and looked at her—hard. The rose deepened.
“You said that day—that day—that dav, you know—”
“You said most distinctly that—you didn’t love me.”
He turned an exasperated face toward her.
“-if I’d come up with the confes-
sion that your eyes set me crazy and the impudent tilt of your little nose was very much on my nerves? Supposing I’d told you that you bowled me over the moment I saw you— It’s God’s truth. I saw you at the theatre in New York just before you left for Fort Leavenworth. I followed you there, but nothing that wasn’t brass buttons seemed to be having an inning: and I didn’t care to meet you at all, unless I could win out. So I left and went down to Arizona, where there was some land business I had to look after. Then McFav came down there and talked a good deal with hi> mouth; and I was sure it was all off and
was doubly glad I hadn’t met vou. Then came the news of the earthquake and the fire : and I kept waiting for the beggar to get leave and go to you—and he didn’t go. And then one night he—well, he was drunk, or he wouldn’t have done it—but he talked some more with his mouth; and so I knew what to expect Lom hint and—er, removed your photograph from his rooms—he hadn’t any business having it around for men to stare at, anyway ; and then I came here to find you; and—and that’s about all, I guess.”
He laughed an embarrassed laugh.
“I was pretty well done for before— it seems to me everybodv I met kept talking about you—but the boardinghouse business finished me completely. There were you—you’d lost more than all that trash put together, and had been badly treated, and all—but you held your head high and never peeped and made that dining-table a thing to look forward to bevond everything. No wonder the landlady hated you. I could have kneel ed down and kissed your little boots— not that you’d have cared about it especiallv.”
He laughed his boyish, embarrassed laugh again.
The girl turned away.
“I won’t be humble,” she whispered to herself tremulously. “I won’t. It’s a wretched policy for women, and the effects are dreadful on men.”
She trailed away towards the other end of the room.
“I’m not Ikey any more. I’m not the Wandering Jew. The thirteenth move is a glorious move, and I’ve come home —to a man in a million.”
Aloud she observed disdainfully, ‘The whole performance from beginning to end has been unspeakable—simply unspeakable ; and I insist—”
She had reached the bay window and pressed her little nose tight against the window-pane.
“I insist you’re no gentleman,” came her muffled shaky voice from behind the curtains, “or I wouldn’t have to be standing here quite by mvself, waiting for you to come over here and—and kiss me."
Contents of the Sept. Magazines
The Failure of the Professional Woman
September 1908 By Mary O'Conner Newell in Appleton’s Magazine
Just an Error of Judgment
September 1908 By Elliott Flower in Putnams’ and the Reader Magazine
New Thought Creates New Life
September 1908 By Orison Swett Marden in Success Magazine
Stover, the Strategist
September 1908 By Archie P. McKishnie
Foreign Parasites and Their Prey
September 1908 By Vance Thompson in the Broadway Magazine
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» babble » current events » canadian politics » It's time to create a new thoughtful thread on change, for a change
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Author Topic: It's time to create a new thoughtful thread on change, for a change
George Victor
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 14683
posted 05 August 2008 04:52 AM
Now, since this thread started out on a positive invitation for insightful input from the real world...
May we resume in that vein? This chatter has had its positive, awakening effect, but has now become Much Ado About Nothing.
(End of Quote)
This request had all the effect of an invitation to a turkey-shoot last time out. Let's see if all the pent up, residual anger spewed at a self-made intellectual burlesque figure can be reworked into some thoughts about the real world we live in and how to move the great unread to consider the NDP in upcoming elections.
From: Cambridge, ON | Registered: Oct 2007 | IP: Logged
Fitter660
recent-rabble-rouser
George victor said:
Let's see if all the pent up, residual anger spewed at a self-made intellectual burlesque figure can be reworked into some thoughts about the real world we live in and how to move the great unread to consider the NDP in upcoming elections.
The Canadian public is much more nationalistic than the media give them credit for. The NDP have to move away from trying to be a Liberal clone to provide a more radical and nationalistic platform that will resonate with Canadians. The average citizen knows that the nation is floundering. The NDP have to provide a real alternative to the status quo. Playing Ping-Pong between the Liberals and conservatives at election time has gotten us into the mess. What's the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. It's time to paint the conlibs with the same brush and highlight to the electorate that there is no real difference between the two parties regardless of who the front men are.
From: Toronto | Registered: Jul 2008 | IP: Logged
Frustrated Mess
Babbler # 8312
You see, George, I don't think one will obtain change by voting NDP and I fail to appreciate how you could expect change by advocating for a status quo party.
From: doom without the gloom | Registered: Feb 2005 | IP: Logged
Zak Young
Why doesn't the NDP advocate full marijuana legalization. Wouldn't that be a very popular plank of the platform? Or would it only be popular amongst people who don't vote very much? It seems to me that this could become the next big wedge issue in Canadian politics.
From: London | Registered: Aug 2008 | IP: Logged
Zak, in your proposal, would it be lawful to sell marijuana to people under 18 years of age?
From: Vote QS! | Registered: Dec 2005 | IP: Logged
Well that certainly wouldn't be popular with the voters. If you're asking me if I think it's immoral to sell pot to a 15 year old, no I don't, but if the goal is to gain votes it's a bad idea.
posted 05 August 2008 03:39 PM
Hello Fitter 660 and North Report
Our new friend is not ready to enter into serious discussion, only leave bits of his puerile position lying about. Christ I wish that Echo had got hold of him before he looked into that mirror pool and fell in love with himself.
I will try another startup on the question that we were getting into. Let's see if he has more respect for the objectives of others' threads and thoughts than indicated so far.
(end quote)
It's said the puerile can be the most persevering. Our selfish newcomer really is not about to drop the ego trip so we'll have to see what develops in his narcissistic pursuit of a following.
Ordinarily, I would be concerned about infering self-love was at work, but after reading that he sees nothing wrong with marijuana sold to kids, he's placed himself beneath contempt.
I am beginning to wonder, in fact, at the moral lassitude hereabouts. Like, name-calling is wrong but the public expression of amorality is okay?
Moms and dads, go figure.
I'm not sure he did infer that. George. And with what is sold to kids today, from junk sexuality, to junk food for the brain and the body, Mary Jane is probably pretty mild by comparison.
And FM, I have never felt that the NDP was totally on the straight and narrow path to the New Jerusalem. And I don't think that Tommy Douglas did either.
But by God he accomplished much.
Just once I would like to hear you outline, just outline, don't fill in all the blanks, just what policies should be formulated in some ideal situation.
Don't cop out by saying something like "of course it cannot be realized because...yatata, etc.
Just say WHAT you want to see.
I agree, he didn't infer it, FM. He bloody well said it! He's morally corrupt. Amoral, in fact.
I'M infering that he's in love with himself.
[ 05 August 2008: Message edited by: George Victor ]
He bloody well said it!
He said it was not immoral. That doesn't mean he doesn't think there is anything wrong with it. I don't think it is immoral for a dad to have a beer with his underage son watching a hockey game at home. But I don't necessarily agree with it either. My dad, by the way, never passed me a join and I'm still a little bitter.
I've done that before George.
I'm not trying to be "anti-NDP", I'm just saying the NDP is not a vehicle for the type of change I think you think is necessary for a long and sustainable future.
What I think, George, is that there is no future for industrial, consumer, capitalism. The question, for me, is do we manage the change or are we swept up in it? The NDP can't -- not won't but can't -- be a force for managing that change because the NDPs fortunes are as much tied to the traditional, industrial, consumer, capitalist model as is any of the other current parties (both large and small).
How can the NDP, for example, call for the end of the automobile culture when so many of its supporters are employed in the auto or parts plants (even as they are closing)?
How can the NDP call for an end to corporate capitalism when so many of its supporters have pension plans invested in those very same global corporations?
How can the NDP call for an end to industrial agriculture when so much of the NDP constituency is demanding discount grocers?
How can the NDP move toward a sustainable energy paradigm while at the same time pandering to the old paradigm lobbying for cheap gas to continue a wasteful culture?
Now, to be fair, I don't see that there is a party that will lead that change so I guess the NDP is as good as any. I just don't think you can expect real change them.
He said it was not immoral. That doesn't mean he doesn't think there is anything wrong with it.
Can't imagine what else it could mean, FM.
What I think, George, is that there is no future for industrial, consumer, capitalism. The question, for me, is do we manage the change or are we swept up in it? The NDP can't -- not won't but can't
Agreed. And if you look around the threads of babble on any given day you see that very few have any idea of the dynamics at work out there.
But the Regina Manifesto was formulated to overcome just such lack of understanding 75 years back.
What we can do, here, rather than continue the endless rant about what IS, is formulate a way out. And while you have suggested "why not" to the present arrangement, I'd really like to hear you talk about the dynamics of our society.
Have a boo at Christina McCall (if you haven't already). Or any social commentator still "extant".
It is a question of degree. Do you think pre-marital sex is immoral? Would you recommend it to teens?
For me, the answer to the above is "no" and "no". Just because I don't think something is immoral doesn't mean I would advocate for it or even condone it.
That goes beyond saying one just does not agree with accepted standards of morality (degree).
That places one in an amoral position, where, in fact, morality is not important. You could get into a search for morality in the act, like the utilitarians, but it's a mug's game.
RevolutionPlease
Thanks FM, it's hard reading all the inferences.
George is a bit ageist expecting me to have been so well read.
From: Aurora | Registered: Oct 2007 | IP: Logged
The "act" utilitarian.
It is wrong to kill, except when it's in defence of yourself or your family, etc. etc.
It is a different argument. The simple argument is in the questions I asked you above:
Do you think pre-marital sex is immoral? Would you recommend it to teens?
One doesn't need to find something immoral to still agree it may not be right. Conversely, one might still find something very wrong, something that is deemed moral such as 'an eye for an eye'.
More interesting, the more I reread this thread. What is the "why not" FM espouses and what discussion around society are you looking for GV?
FM, I just find it damned wrong for kids. But "that's me"? Not objectively. Not really when you consider the societal ramifications. And we must go beyond the pleasure principle, eh?
Well, RP, we know something of the barriers to change at work out there in society.
Conspicuous consumption and the individualization of life chances (opportunities), have been uppermost. Somehow, we managed to introduce a welfare society on the heels of world war (the idea of it was proposed in a report by an English economist in 1943...whose name will come to this "aging" ageist.
You have to appreciate the social dynamics that existed at the end of a period of total war to appreciate the meaning of social change. Then you compare that with recent electoral appeals for lower taxes.
So I'm suggesting we winkle out the newly emerging dynamics as economies go down the tubes and ecological systems collapse around us. Seems to me, we have the media "potentially" on side for the first time in decades.
That, I think, is what has to be tried for. The formulation of a real plan of attack.
If you read the work that was published a couple of years back on how the evangelicals set about turning reality on its head with the new means of communication (including the IT one), you'll see waht determined folks can do. (and let me, again, mull over the title to that work).
Anyway, let me know if that makes any sense (or not). Read the manifesto.
It's just that a simple critique of the status quo is so....depressing and without use?
And there is so much out there in the way of critical analysis (like Naomi Klein's) to make use of.
For instance, this last piece from China (today) is one of the more important bits of information, confirming a theoretical position.
(quote)
Chinese who have access to the Internet can view the webpages of some Western newspapers and news networks; they certainly have access to the CBC website. They can learn about significant events in China as they are reported outside of the country such as the controversial policies that have emerged out of the preparations for the Olympics. However, generally the persons who can access foreign viewpoints are often not affected by the reported abuses and will too often claim that the journalists are biased. Such reactions are rooted in a person's socialization which includes strong nationalism and exceptionalism, and placing the group before the individual. Even if it was a Chinese journalist reporting such events, he or she would be placed under suspicion by more than a few readers. All of this means that a free press, as essential to the birth and maintenance of democracy and pluralism, is useless if the privileged groups of a society are not willing to question or abandon their prejudices. So the obstacle toward a free press is not to convince only the government, but to convince privileged Chinese to at least be critical of their society and country.
So, how does one "get to" those people? And the same social strata here, essentially the people who call the shots?
When the leading industrial CEOs admitted here, last year, that climate change was the number one issue for humanity, the job had been made easier for us. Pity Jiajie in a society where only a handful through the millenia had enjoyed real material wealth.
When Canada votes for real change and the NDP is the chosen party to provide it we should be ready for an extremely rough ride. Our corporate elite is very used to being served by the state. They would make the full spectrum persecution of an NDP government a full time effort. If you think the attack journalism we see today is bad, you ain't seen nothin yet.
An NDP government would first be confronted with a drop in the stock market not to mention our currency.
I think that the best defense is a good offense and we should take our cue from the shock and awe tactics of disaster capitalism. If we get a majority the parliment should be recalled immediately to abrogate NAFTA, pass a tobin tax, restrict capital mobility and legislation to break up the media cartels that exist in virtually every market in Canada. The governor of the Bank of Canada would directed to adopt a post-keyensian economic policy (which amounts to a demand for his resignation) and replaced. All of this would need to be done as quickly as possible after the election to head off the certain capitalist assault.
[ 05 August 2008: Message edited by: Fitter660 ]
It's off topic anyway. Consider it dropped. Back to change ...
Thanks George and pardon my inability to read some of your posts. You're saying then that I need to read the "Regina Manifesto" thread?
I think he is suggesting you read the Regina Manifesto but how could you go wrong if you read both?
I would think so, but only to give you an idea of the audaciousness of the CCF in the middle of the Great Depression.
Do we need a society-shattering experience to be able to formulate a big-picture response? Perhaps. But there's lots happening that demands an answer right now, and out if it, some policy proposals.
Sorry about the fuzzy word picture. I try to condense and I guess assume too much in that way.
I agree with your objectives, Fitter.
It's the moving into the position to do that, that I find problematic.
Where are the allies - organized labour brought to a level of understanding that escaped the autoworkers?
The unorganized, more and more subjected to part-time work without benefits or the hope of even a defined pension amount at the end of the road?
(To name only two changing situations....There are the DYNAMICS.
Any problem with the concept "dynamics for change"?
Any problem with having a back and forth on the concerns forming now in the average working class household and what the NDP could propose to overcome or ameliorate the condition while keeping the books balanced, provincially or federally?
I'm beginning to think that the original call for another Regina Manifesto might have been a mite optimistic.
How about the need for a working plan to overcome the worst effects of climate change while thinking about what to do besides carp?
Any problem with having a back and forth on the concerns forming now in the average working class household and what the NDP could propose to overcome or ameliorate the condition while keeping the books balanced, provincially or federally.
George, I can only speak from my own experience, but my most pressing concern is the outsourcing of my job. I’ve had to train workers in India to do my job for the last three years without much success I might add. The latest rumour has us being transferred to a branch-plant operation of the Indian company here in Canada.
It is interesting to note that the foreign-owned corporation I work for has received hundreds of millions of our tax dollars in loans and guarantees from the federal government.
The point I’m making is that outsourcing is a major concern to today’s working class.
It is so bad that my co-workers are counselling their children to look for careers which are difficult to outsource rather than those that they would prefer to train for.
In my previous post I suggested a much more nationalistic approach which, hopefully, would throw the spotlight on the comprador agenda of the conlibs. (Sorry about the rant regarding NDP actions after our election win – I kinda got carried away there.)
The right wing has made the terms 'nationalistic' and 'protectionist' dirty words somewhat akin to 'red' in the fifties. I will defer to a retired U.S. senator on this point:
But ex-U.S. senator Ernest Hollings this week, when accused of being a protectionist, said, more or less: Darn right I am. We protect our borders, our streets, our kids and our health. Why wouldn't we protect our jobs and our economy?
Source – Rick Salutin column, Globe and Mail, 01 Aug 2008.
Here in Waterloo Region, where 11,000 jobs have gone by the board in the last three years, there is talk of adaptation and the local RIM phenom as saving the day. However, that's becoming a bit of a broken reed.
What has the NDP done locally to reassure?
As an old retired fart - but subscribing to two newspapers - my main recollection is of visits by retiring provincial leader, Howard Hampton, addressing the newly unemployed and talking about the need for provincial input, perhaps attempting to shore up the company before it decides to vacate. It worked for a steel company in Northern Ontario and for a local faux-stone manufacturer facing bankruptcy, but there's been no revival of faith in social democratic measures.
Perhaps someone else out there recalls more reassuring appeals from the party in this area, or theirs? Some means of avoiding that now global imperative driving the need for an ever-greater bottom line? And all our investments seeking out the successful?
It's a big one.
Other countries have managed to manage their exchange rate so that their currency isn't making their manufacturing product non-competitive.
But then there's Alberta. We've got a petro-dollar. Can Ontario and Quebec go beyond the gesture of a common front on electricity and move the west? Does the NDP link with a PQ that's not going to go for another referendum.
One thing sure. The NDP has to be able to confront the big economic questions and reassure worker and investor that reform is founded on security for both. While being greener than Greens.
quote: (Note by GV...he is an EXsenator.
That's what we need, Fitter. But I think the guy had to retire before saying it. He would not have been re-elected. The workers have become market watchers. Understand "imperatives".
He have to manage the beast of international investment imperatives that I saw coming out of Chicago in '75.
New Democrats have to provide an answer to it, or let the Greens "leave it up to the market" idea to reign. And every time I hear that lying huckster Jim Harris singing it, I have to retch.
I insert a post from a review of "Bad Money" in the book lounge, in the hope that the post's author will come aboard :
Class society, whatever ilk and whoever the ruling class is, provides a justification for itself that is virtually total. There is no room in the capitalist universe for a socialist, or any other, rival. The elaboration of what we are up against, therefore, must take a back seat to that which mobilizes people to fight back. That's basic social psychology, methinks; or, perhaps, it's simply the difference between the author of a book and, say, a political organization with radical social aims like overturning the capitalist applecart.
To which I replied:
The "elaboration of what we are up against" seems to me to avoid our own commitment to investments in the market.
Isn't the "capitalist universe" sort of muddied, NB? The weapons for fighting it sort of blunted?
As this book makes clear, reforms (regulation) are required, and should be called for by people who hold their nose at talk of markets while reading the market reports.
I've been trying to develop ongoing conversation with an Ontario guy who, like most of us, has become sort of dependent and disillusioned about depending on returns from investments for the golden years.
Theory of revolution aside, how does one come to grips with the need to come to grips with this taboo subject?
I think the fate of democratic socialism depends on an answer.
(end of my quote)
But that post's author - for whose humanity I have the greatest regard - would leave this most important political consideration out of his analysis:
I don't see that there is anything taboo about discussing a retiree's source of income. But if you want to claim that this is an important subject for socialists, of whatever stripe, you need to make a stronger case.
I offer up this thread for consideration of that "stronger case" and other socialist "irrelevancies" - trembling at the thought of inviting exchange with a socialist "element" that at one time would have caused this New Democrat to first consider seppucu (hope that's close to spelling (nope, it's with a "k" , seppuku)
It's Me D
Okay, I've read through this and the previous thread and I'd like to participate but, as RevolutionPlease noted, it is a bit hard to follow...
George are you are saying the NDP needs to be a vehicle for change as it was in the CCF days and to do this the party needs to be more willing to embrace radicalism such as that contained in the Regina Manifesto? And FM has said that the NDP cannot do this as it is beholden to the existing system, particularly for the well-being of its current supporters in organized labour; Fitter appeared to agree.
If that summary is at all correct I have the following to add: George you are right about the need for change and that the NDP would need to become at least as radical as in the days of the Manifesto; FM and Fitter are, however, right that the party is currently beholden to interests such as organized labour which are fighting defensive battles for their own piece of the capitalist pie and thus unable to see radicalizing the party as positive. For me the solution is for the NDP to re-investigate who the disenfranchised working people of this country really are today and realize that this majority is not the reasonably well-off organized labour of Ontario's shrinking manufacturing sector but rather the poor minimum-wage-working unskilled, the migrant Maritimers and immigrants, and first nations, without education and skills working in call centers and McDonald's with no real hope for advancement. This is a huge group of people in Canada and these are truly the wage-slaves who desperately need a radical political alternative. I think if the NDP is to bring about change it'll have to ditch that relatively well-to-do sliver of organized labour (most of whom appear to vote Liberal anyway) for the much larger, angrier, and more disenfranchised mass of "disorganized" labor. I think there is plenty of radicalism amongst the working poor, the people who truly have nothing to loose but their chains; the NDP should tap into this as activist groups do.
From: Parrsboro, NS | Registered: Apr 2008 | IP: Logged
Yes, I entered this in NorthReport's thread before the kid blew through the other day and excited the house. The event described by McCall was an attempt to bring a nationalist perspective to bear. It was shot down by the unions and NDP leadership, and caused many of us to decamp. But what the hell else is there?
Now, it's resistance to a very forward commitment to battling climate change. And for the same reasons. But let's try to describe just what would be required in the age of climate change and approaching recession.
The NorthReport thread piece:
Christina McCall does a pretty good job of describing "How Mel Watkins Brought Socialism to the NDP" (Saturday Night, September 1970). It was a time of Canadian nationalism, and the Waffle, headed by Watkins and James Laxer,historian.
Watkins was a McGill and M.I.T.-trained economist, and began lecturing at the U of T in 1958. There he linked up with Abraham Rotstein, another economist out of Montreal, and "the most important single influence on my thinking of any man I've met", Watkins told McCall.
They reactivated the University League for Social Reform and published papers under the heading of The Prospect of Change.
Then Walter Gordon (Liberal minister) asked Rotstein who should head his Task Force on Foreign Investment in early 1967 and Watkins got the nod. And in preparing the report, "I came to realize...that radicalism in Canada has to mean nationalism...that we must survive outside the American orbit."
McCall's assessment in 1970: "After thirty-five years of assuring itself that 'victory is within out grasp' and living down the stigma of nationalization, which has scared off two generations of Canadian voters, the NDP has now awakened to find that Watkins and his manifesto have made nationalization once more the party's central issue. Almost overnight, Watkins has returned the NDP to socialism."
(end quote from McCall)
But in 2008, the dominance of investment capital would make a Gordon/Watkins nationalization more than difficult. Rotstein, however, felt that nationalization was not necessary. Would he today propose creation of investment vehicles for our own infrastructural development and maintenance? Do it before those hovering pension funds from abroad make inroads? Fashion a made-in-Canada economy in this way?
We don't have a Great Depression (yet), but we have something even more enormous in the shaping battle against climate change - self immolation, if you will.
We also have the need to take actions that are now curbed by the hold of investment capital on all nation states, effectively undermining their sovereignty - another major difference between now and the 30s, but a very compelling reason for demanding change.
If the NDP leadership refuses to take a more nationalistic tack then perhaps it is time to resurrect the National Party of Canada, with Mr. Hurtig's consent of course. (Who actually owns the name anyway?)
In my opinion, a truly nationalistic party would have a left wing bent regarding social programs and a centre/right bias regarding foreign policy, defence and business.
Left wing regarding social policy because such a party would have the best interests of the people as its core purpose.
Centre/right regarding foreign policy and defence because, once again, with the best interests of the people as a core purpose it would recognize that the alleviation of poverty and strife around the world contributes to our prosperity (peace is always more profitable long-term).
A nationalistic approach to defence issues would have Canada acting more like Switzerland, Finland or Sweden rather than the coat-tail hugging joke we've become. A truly independent nation the size of Canada needs a military sufficiently capable to deter aggression from all likely nations the same size and smaller and while having just enough capability to ensure a world power would receive an embarrassingly painful black eye without becoming a credible threat to their world power status.
A nationalistic government would foster business through investment in Canadian-owned companies and entrepreneurs while putting policies in place to reduce the foreign ownership of our economy. I know that defence production is an abomination to the left but it can be a significant catalyst in the nation’s economy without becoming a home grown military/industrial complex. (I think the key is to remove the profit bomb by keeping the production in crown corporations)
Could we start with that last para Fitter?:
Having the world's fourth largest navy at the end of WWII did not make us militarists. We decided against having our own "bomb", even though we had the scientific knowhow.
So I see nothing wrong with a military for defence - and fronting on three oceans, a navy ought to have more than a half-dozen frigates. Lots of coastal craft would be good. Built on both coasts. That kind of rational for an effective military.
We now spend about 1.25 per cent of the GDP on "defense" (that's the dept. title), and most of the NATO people commit some 2 per cent. Maybe if not operating in Europe or the middle east we could escape expanding the budget.
I think that a national/industrial program could focus on home-grown savings for investment in green infrastructural development (as Germany does now) in the way that we built things with an economy and work force committed to total war.In fact, I'm convinced we'll have to.
Foreign investment here? I think that it could be restricted - in the way that the U.S. now isn't about to let China buy into its resource industry - and we certainly must not let those growing sovereign funds (or private) invade here. They smell long-term stability in our infastructural rebuilding and maintenance, and that must not be allowed. Not in our utilities or anywhere.
And those old crown corporations that left us with a nice mixed economy at the end of war would be just fine - if they perform competitively within national, wartime prices and incomes constraints. The agenda would be the survival of our population in somewhat more sparse circumstances - sustainable is the catchword.
The "natiionalism" would be demanded by a survivalist ethic, one would suppose.
The "nationalism" would be demanded by a survivalist ethic, one would suppose.
I guess that depends on if we wish, as a people, to survive as (become again?) a sovereign nation.
More comments later if I get time.
I was thinking of species survival and nationalism helping make that possible. But if you let your imagination plunk you down in a warming North America where folks to the south don't have much water left and the corn isn't as high as that proverbial elephant's eye anymore, I don't see a confrontational nationalism doing much about the elephant heading north. It's gotta be Ghandi's method and a proven, sustaining economy and lifestyle.
I was Waffle. Had dinner with Laxer. Dig sovereignty. Can sing "Here's to the American Eagle ..." ending "We don't need the turd from your noble bird..." But our fellow beavers are sometimes not too selective about which goddamn tree they fell, or where.
George, I truly think that it’s time for a blatantly nationalistic party that puts Canada's well being first. The NDP could be that party but chooses not to. (A remnant of the socialist international perhaps?) Canadians know that they have been short-changed by the current (and past) crop of political parties and they are looking for a credible alternative.
So how do we start such a party?
What can we learn from the sabotage experienced by the National Party of Canada?
Not being able to fight for Canada’s sovereign future in a meaningful, effective way is driving me nuts! I had to stop reading Mel Hurtig’s latest book because I found it too upsetting. I need a positive outlet for my outrage at the criminal sellout of Canada.
Yeah, I can't read Hurtig (only his encyclopedia) and I couldn't do Farley Mowat's Sea of Slaughter for the same reason. You want to come out of the chair, grab something and do damage. NOT good for the heart.
Although Sea got Farley banned from entry into the U.S. as you'll recall. Perhaps along with his admission that he fired his .22 at B52s from the south passing over him 7 miles up.
You'll remember that Trudeau biography with him paddling around in fringed buckskins on the cover - I always thought of it as more a Grey Owl/Dan'l Boone composite - presented as the adman's true Canadian?
We have to do better.
We have to present pictures of Rosie the Riveter happily at work while the country, with belts notched somewhat tighter (tightening belts is a good old expression) survives. And the kids have a future. And the beaver have some trees left to chew down and water to float the cuttings.
My daughter has invited me to go canoeing/camping for a couple of days near Algonquin next weekend. Perhaps inspiration will hit in a serendipitous moment while listening to loon calls. Or when that black bear comes nosing into camp at night looking for goodies - we've been told to take spray. Hope the berries were good this year.
It's going to be tough, roughing out the outline of a formula to present to the New Democrats over an IT network, Fitter. But that's how I'm going to avoid throwing things.
And I'm not up for the idea of a new party from scratch. I was one of a handful that birthed the Green Party of Ontario in the spring of '83. Once burnt, I won't do it twice (as "Dubya" might tell it in revision).
George, I'd love to hear the saga of the Green Party of Ontario's birthday.
I'd also very much like to get the inside scoop on what happened to Hurtig's National Party of Canada. Something about fifth-columns and sabotage I hear?
I'm reminded of the old saw about a wise man learning from his mistakes but the wisest of men learning from the mistakes of others
All times are Pacific Time
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ArtAsiaPacific
From Current Issue
Editor’s Letter Special Effects
One on One Pio Abad on Leo Valledor
The Point Blockchain: Tree of Potential
Essay Double Hatting
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Installation view of ADRIAN WONG and SHANE ASPEGREN’s “Cromniomancy” at Rossi & Rossi Hong Kong, 2016.
Cromniomancy
Rossi & Rossi Hong Kong
Upon entering Rossi & Rossi’s Hong Kong gallery, one is welcomed by a combination of ambiguous, low-pitched sounds that seem to allude to a world of tranquility and spirituality. Indeed, these sounds are fitting to the exhibition on display, “Cromniomancy,” as the featured artists, Hong Kong-based artists Adrian Wong and Shane Aspegren, are inspired by Cymatics—the study of wave phenomena—and the sacred practice of divination. It is undeniable that the visual and audible attributes of their artwork accentuates the metaphysical exploration of cymatics, as vibrant hues of pinks, blues and purples depict the geometric patterns extracted from sound waves. One can also draw spiritual parallels between the imagery formed by waves to the exhibition’s name “Cromniomancy,” a term used to describe the ancient practice of prophesizing through onions, which, like sound waves, possess a natural repetitive pattern that is at times used to symbolize the eternal. Through the themes of cromniomancy, cymatics and divination, Wong and Aspegren invite visitors to explore their whimsical visual articulations of the intangible and spiritual.
While viewers’ auditory senses are heightened upon first entering the space, they are simultaneously stimulated visually by a series of psychedelic prints. The artists’ direct and scientific labeling of works by its sound frequency clearly illustrates how different ranges of pitch produce a particular sound wave and, thus, a unique visual pattern. Here, one cannot avoid the reference to German physicist and musician Ernst Chladni (1756–1827) and his technique for visualizing the vibrations of sound. Known as “Chladni Plates,” a metal surface is lightly covered in sand and bowed on its edge to show various modes of vibration. Whilst Chladni’s technique illustrates the invisible force field of vibrational energy through sand, Wong and Aspegren heightens this intangible quality by using hypnotic colors to depict the sound waves. This can be seen in 1236 Hz – 4695 Hz (2016), which uses a combination of a purple, electric-blue and a striking hot-pink to illustrate the sound wave created by the eponymous frequency.
ADRIAN WONG and SHANE ASPEGREN, 1236 Hz – 4695 Hz, 2016, archival pigment print, 70 cm x 50 cm. Courtesy the artists and Rossi & Rossi Hong Kong.
ADRIAN WONG and SHANE ASPEGREN Ceremonial Doily, 2016, archival pigment print mounted on aluminum, wood, speakers and electrical components, 91.5 × 91.5 × 13 cm. Looped sound recording: 15 min 28 sec. Courtesy the artists and Rossi & Rossi Hong Kong.
Building upon the visual representation of sound waves, another group of prints sharing similar aesthetic values appears in the next room of the gallery. With these works, however, a continuous, low-frequency sound recording accompanies each work. One would expect an overwhelming mesh of incompatible noises, but, surprisingly, the collection of melodies come together to create an audible harmony and is reminiscent to mantric chants one can hear at religious temples. In Ceremonial Doily (2016), Aspegren and Wong seem to successfully overlay two different patterns emitted by sound waves. Complimented by the bellowing sounds within the exhibition, the ethereal prints present a hypnotic and mystical environment for the viewer.
Installation view of ADRIAN WONG and SHANE ASPEGREN’s “Cromniomancy” at Rossi & Rossi Hong Kong, 2016. (Center) Gong Rack, 2016, 37 painted gongs, rope, steel frame, h: 153 cm, d: 168 cm. Courtesy the artists and Rossi & Rossi Hong Kong.
Divination and cymatics are also explored in sculptural forms, such as in Gong Rack (2016), which presents variously sized gongs, held and positioned by a circular metallic structure. Whilst the gongs may be interpreted as the instrument used to create the bellowing sound waves, it seems to additionally allude to their purpose in temples, where they are utilized for announcements, ceremonies and worship. Therefore, the use of the gong unwittingly links to the exhibition’s cymatic theme and the idea of seeking knowledge through spiritual means.
Dotting the gallery floors are thick woven rugs pieces—Standing Wave, Solfeggio and The Progenitor of Modern Onions (all 2016)—which entice viewers to examine the playful patterns on them more closely. While two of the rugs are reminiscent of patterns that sound waves create, The Progenitor of Modern Onions links more literally to “Crominancy,” as it mimics the form of an onion’s cross section. Despite it having obvious associations to an onion, the imagery on the rug can also be interpreted as outward ripples of sonic vibrations.
Wong and Aspegren successfully create an immersive experience that visually articulates such esoteric subjects as divination and cymatics. Their documentation of sound and sound-wave patterns, transform into mesmerizing images, which generate their own spiritual and supernatural elements. What makes “Crominancy" stand out is how the artists are able to take cymatics, a scientific and factual subject, and translate it into something rather beautiful, while simultaneously inducing an experience that heightens our senses—perhaps into the realm of the spiritual.
ADRIAN WONG and SHANE ASPEGREN, Solfeggio, 2016, wool, d: 300 cm. Courtesy the artists and Rossi & Rossi Hong Kong.
ADRIAN WONG and SHANE ASPEGREN, Standing Wave, 2016, wool, d: 300 cm. Courtesy the artists and Rossi & Rossi Hong Kong.
ADRIAN WONG and SHANE ASPEGREN, The Progenitor of Modern Onions, 2016, wool, d: 396 cm. Courtesy the artists and Rossi & Rossi Hong Kong.
Adrian Wong and Shane Aspegren’s “Cromniomancy” is on view at Rossi & Rossi Hong Kong until September 10, 2016.
News Hong Kong Artist Adrian Wong Wins Sovereign Asian Art Prize
Web Review Hong Kong Bestiary
Article Deity of Doubt: Konstantin Bessmertny
Hong Kong Macau
© 2019 ArtAsiaPacific
GPO Box 10084
info@aapmag.com
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New platform for reports of human rights violations in Global Fund programs launched
Lauren Gelfand
A first response to complaints will be made within 48 hours
Interested parties will now be able to report alleged human rights violations or infringements occurring in programs or activities supported by the Global Fund using a new complaints mechanism launched by the Global Fund on 27 April.
The missing middle: harm reduction in East Africa
Njihia Mbiritu
At around 11:30 every morning, Chiku begins her work day. Carefully gathering her syringes and needles, she'll work steadily preparing doses for her clients -- all of whom wait inside her tin-roofed shack in the slum known as Nigeria: one of Nairobi, Kenya's toughest neighborhoods. The money she earns will be enough to pay her rent, and feed her own heroin habit.
Eastern Europe and Central Asia moving forward in NFM process
Tinatin Zardiashvili
A round-up of where most of the 16 countries are
Sixteen Eastern European and Central Asian countries (EECA) will submit a total of 27 concept notes to the Global Fund under the new funding model, to access their share of the $659 million allocated to the region. For some of these countries, this is likely to be their last allocation of Fund grants as they transition out of eligibility towards state-funded programs for the fight against HIV and TB.
Incentive funding awards reduced to find money to cover gaps in countries with shortened grant durations, TRP says
Because of the gaps, will the Fund have any resources to finance unfunded quality demand?
According to the Technical Review Panel (TRP), incentive funding recommendations for components submitted in Window 4 were reduced because the Secretariat “saw no other option to cover gaps for countries with shortened grant durations”. The gaps refer to the period between the end of the shortened grants and December 2017, after which funding from the next replenishment should become available.
Progress reported on community, rights and gender initiatives
Work started on obtaining key population size estimates in 16 countries
The Global Fund provided an update on its implementation of the $15 million Community, Rights and Gender (CRG) Special Initiative: technical assistance to improve civil society participation in country dialogue and concept note development, and support for long-term capacity development of civil society networks.
The CRG special initiative has three components:
In Morocco, inspiring others with harm reduction work among injecting drug users
Robert Bourgoing
The country is a regional role model for an innovative approach to the twin threat of HIV infection and intravenous drug use
Just a glance at a map is enough to determine why Morocco is in the throes of an epidemic of injecting drug use. Sitting at the gates of Europe, its northern-most cities of Tangier, Tetouan and Nador are but a stone's throw from the Spanish territories of Ceuta and Melilla: the crossroads of the African migration routes where all kinds of trafficking occur.
Morocco's open campaign against a secret epidemic starts with diagnosis
Finding the estimated 20,000 people who are unknowing carriers of HIV is the key to containing the epidemic
Objectively, Morocco's HIV indicators paint a relatively reassuring picture of a country only grazed lightly by an epidemic that has had ruinous consequences elsewhere in Africa.
Civil society in Malawi elbows its way in to find a seat at the table for HIV policymaking
Owen Nyaka
Participating in country dialogue is a first step -- over many hurdles
Malawi's ability to control the spread of HIV will be undermined by the structural barriers that prevent access to services by key populations: this was the message delivered to stakeholders participating in country dialogue to develop the southern African nation's HIV concept note.
Russia in transition from recipient to donor of Global Fund grants
Civil society groups look for other resources to fill anticipated vacuum in program support
Russia has announced its pledge to commit $60 million to the Global Fund’s fourth replenishment cycle ahead of the anticipated end in 2014 of all Global Fund grants to the country.
Civil Society Was Significantly Involved in Concept Note Development in El Salvador
Lídice Lopez
Large inter-sectoral meetings held to obtain input
Concept note was completely prepared by Salvadorians
Civil society was involved extensively in the development of the concept note that El Salvador submitted to the Global Fund. This is one of the findings from interviews that GFO conducted with five people involved in the process, and from a review of related documents.
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389: Power Talk Friday: Nancy Ganzekaufer: The Interior Design Profit Formula 0
Welcome to Power Talk Friday! We have Nancy Ganzekaufer, one of the co-authors of Luann's soon-to-be-launched new book, The Things I Learned From A Well-Designed Business, with us today. Nancy is a really smart lady and she has appeared on the podcast number of times before to share her spot-on, expert advice. (#377, #256, #159, and #15) Today, Nancy is going to be talking to us about her new product, The Interior Design Profit Formula, an online course that she has really poured her heart and soul into creating. This is really the most affordable way to add a huge amount of value to your interior design business, so listen in to find out more!
Nancy Ganzekaufer partners with creative entrepreneurs to help them grow their businesses, get more sales, get over their fears and go for what they want in work and in life. Through a series of coaching calls, emails, and exercises, she helps entrepreneurs reframe their doubts and indecisions, work through challenges with more confidence, and ultimately to grow their sales. Listen in today, to find out about the incredible kind of impact that Nancy's new course, The Interior Design Profit Formula, could have on your business.
There are many different things that an interior designer needs to manage and it's one of the most difficult service industries that Nancy's coached.
Running an interior design business takes balance and really knowing what to do.
Nancy explains her motivation for putting this course together.
You will need to have stickability, and the right kind of personality to go the distance with Nancy's course.
Nancy explains what you will find in her course.
Describing your business in words is the beginning of your branding process.
The way that Nancy presents her information, and the examples that she gives, will really open up your mind and give you clarity.
The benefits of having lifetime-access to Nancy's course.
Nancy talks about growing your business.
The importance of getting creative.
Designers often come to Nancy for her help when they're feeling overwhelmed.
Nancy gives the simplest tip that really makes the biggest difference!
Becoming the leader in your relationship, and in charge of the process with your clients right from the outset.
Being alert to the subtle messages that a potential client is giving out during the consultation.
Ways to introduce your services in order to protect yourself.
Nancy explains the benefits of her Ladder of Services model.
Make sure that the people that you hire are dedicated to the growth of your company.
The goal of Nancy's course is to make everyone feel confident in extending their reach, gaining more clients, and doubling or tripling their income.
Nancy talks about the guest coaches in her course.
Nancy's course costs $997 at this point in time and she is offering a free, one-on-one, half an hour coaching consultation to everyone who purchases her course, through this link Luann Nigara, from now until 30th June 2019.
Other episodes mentioned on this show:
Eileen Hahn # 363
To get Nancy's Interior Design Profit Formula, go to Luann Nigara
Nancy's website: Nancy Ganzekaufer
You can also reach Nancy through her forum, or through her Facebook group, The Interior Design Business Forum at Interior Design Business Forum
388: Corey Damen Jenkins: Interior Designer, Furniture Designer, & Gentleman 0
I have another outstanding show for you today! Corey Damen Jenkins is with me today and he is no exception to the amazing people I have been meeting. What you will learn from is that he is one of the good guys. He is the kind of person that everyone would agree is very open, sincere, humble and giving. What you may or may not know about Corey is that he is the principal of Corey Damen Jenkins Associates which is located in Birmingham, Michigan. In 2011 the television audiences voted him the winning design star of HGTV’s Show House Showdown. Since then it has been a whirlwind of accomplishments! Today we are going to talk about how his lifelong dream came true in 2016 with his launch of his first couture collection of furniture, Corey Damen Jenkins exclusively for leathercraft. This collection was nominated for the prestigious 2017 arts award for the best product design. Once you start to listen to this episode it will be no surprise to you that Corey Damen believes in giving back to the design community. His firm generously donates to several charities.
What was the process like to get Corey to decide to get on HGTV’s Show House Showdown?
What were the reasons that Corey was cast for HGTV’s Show House Showdown?
How has Corey learned to deal with his past insecurities and reconstruct the way he deals with things?
How does he get the most out of his projects?
Does he use PR firms?
When working with a PR firm how should a design firm behave and be organized?
How did Corey decide to design his furniture through Leathercraft?
What is Leathercraft?
How did Corey decide what fabrics to use on his furniture collection?
Who did Corey name a piece of his furniture in his new collection after?
How does he come up with his designs for his furniture?
Leather Craft Furniture
Corey Damen Jenkins
387: The Things I Learned From A Well-Designed Business 0
Welcome to Power Talk Friday! LuAnn has a special announcement to make on the show today. As most of you know, her second book, The Things I Learned From A Well-Designed Business, is coming out soon. It was initially going to be released in February next year, but this has changed. On the show today LuAnn explains why the plans have changed and she talks about the big event, LuAnn Nigara Live, It's About The Conversation, that has been planned instead, for the launch of the book on the 30th of March. She also explains what the book will be like, and the kind of information you can expect to find in it. Listen in to find out all about the really remarkable event that LuAnn has planned.
LuAnn invited twelve of the Power Talk Friday experts to collaborate with her in creating a go-to book to run your interior design business. She invited each of them to write a chapter for the book about their specific zone of genius. The book is full of really useful information for interior designers about attracting luxury clientele, creating a design process, charging what you're worth, building an exceptional team, defining your brand, and much, much more. Listen in to find out more!
The kind of information that you will find in the book.
At the beginning and end of every chapter, LuAnn will do an intro and outro, just like she does on the show.
The twelve experts, that LuAnn invited to write a chapter each, for the book.
Our birthday party will be happening at the Kravet showroom, at the D and D Building in New York City, on the 5th of February 2019.
About the Power Talk Friday Tour.
Doing a thorough analysis of every project, after completion.
LuAnn talks about the planned launch for her book in March.
Thinking about ways to make the Power Talk Friday Tours a really amazing experience.
On March 30th, 31st, and April 1st, 2019, at the Hilton in Short Hills, New Jersey, LuAnn will be gathering all twelve of her co-authors to do live discussions.
In addition to the twelve experts, LuAnn has also invited twelve savvy interior design principals that have appeared on the podcast.
The insane, intense, invigorating, and absolutely amazing book launch event that has been planned.
The ticket price, and what the VIP experience is all about.
Why the third day will be limited to only 50 or 75 designers.
LuAnn is bringing the exact podcast format to her live event.
Some of the incredible designers that have already committed to being at the event.
You can get onto LuAnn's email list by texting 444999 and putting design biz into the field.
You can get early bird tickets for the event for only $395 from today until January 8th. After that, the price will go up to $595. (The VIP ticket is $200 extra.) If you sign up between December 21st and January 8th, your name will go into a draw to win a one-on-one coaching session with LuAnn, her husband, Vince, or one of the co-authors of the book.
About the VIP experience. (Go back and listen to episode #14 with Malene B)
Why LuAnn invites the sponsors to be part of the VIP experience.
The twelve experts who each wrote a chapter for the book:
Fred Berns, Sarah Danielle, Nancy Ganzekaufer, Eileen Hahn, Nicole Heymer, Claire Jefford, Peter Lang, Marc McDonough, Stacy Brown Randall, Shawna Lynne Simon, Kaye Whittaker, and Michelle Williams
Some of the sponsors that are supporting the event are:
Designer Inc.
MyDoma Studio
Wingnut Social
Schwartz Design Showroom
Malene B #14
Luann's website, to sign up for the event: Luann Live
386: Wendy Glaister: Not All Challenges Are Design Related 0
Welcome! We are really happy to have Wendy Glaister, of Wendy Glaister Interiors, here with us today! Wendy is a really sweet, kind, and cheerful lady with a million-dollar smile, and it's very clear that being involved with philanthropic organizations, and giving back to her community are a big feature of Wendy's design firm. On the show today we have a really wonderful and very inspiring conversation with Wendy where she shares some things that may surprise you and will certainly make you appreciate her. You're in for a very different episode today! Listen in now to find out more!
Wendy Glaister Interiors is located in Modesto, California. And Wendy is an interior designer who has mastered the art of listening. She listens to her clients, to understand the things that will make their homes feel uniquely special, she listens to architects, to help make their vision come to fruition, and she listens to contractors, collaborating with their craftspeople and artisans to bring out the very best in every member of the team. Wendy is a delightful speaker, whether to an audience of design students or a seasoned group of interior design professionals. She is engaging, using self-deprecating humor to immediately disarm and warm her audience. She is currently serving as president of the Central Californian Nevada chapter of the ASID. Listen in to find out what Wendy has to share with you on the show today.
Growing up, Wendy always really wanted to be a member of the ASID- and now she's the ASID president!
Being involved with philanthropic organizations, and giving back to her community is a big feature of Wendy's design firm.
Wendy talks about the three organizations that she patronizes and some of the things she does for them.
What the Genesis 50/20 Foundation is all about.
Wendy shares, for the very first time, about a profound challenge that she had to deal with in her life.
Talking about difficult things really can really help people to get their power back.
What it took for Wendy to realize that she wasn't 'the problem'.
Wendy talks about her compulsion to do well and to help people.
Why Wendy doesn't think it's fair to quit.
Wendy's business has grown a hundred percent, year over year, for three years!
Ensuring that her son has a good life has been a huge motivator for Wendy.
The help that she got from her gutsy pastor.
How Wendy developed so much compassion for other people.
From living in 'survival mode' to learning to trust again.
That positive change she's experienced in her business since talking on a partner.
Wendy does boxing to release her pent-up tension.
God has always shown up for Wendy and that has allowed her to remain optimistic.
It's really okay to be kind and helpful.
How Wendy has managed to grow her business by a hundred percent a year, for three years in a row.
Some business lessons that Wendy has learned along the way.
It takes a lot of work to remain brave, take full responsibility, and be accountable for your business.
Website: Wendy Glaister Interiors
Facebook: Wendy Glaister Interiors
Instagram: Wendy Design
Pinterest: WKG Design
Twitter: WKG Designer
To support Wendy in her mission to provide mothers who are victims of domestic violence with the funds to obtain the therapy necessary to heal, you can do it through The Haven Women's Center, Crickets Hope and Arts Therapy Program for children, and the Genesis 50/20 Foundation, which raises and distributes funds for trauma therapy. You can reach these organizations through Wendy's website Wendy Glaister Interiors.
385: Power Talk Friday: Amber De La Garza: The Productivity Specialist 0
Welcome to another episode of Power Talk Friday! We're really excited to have Amber De La Garza, The Productivity Specialist, here with us today! We all know that things, like being productive and efficient, getting our systems in order, and managing our time, are crucial to running a successful business. Although these things may seem simple, they are often a lot more difficult than they need to be. Amber's goal is to simplify everything and make it easier for entrepreneurs. One of the things that she loves to teach people about is time-blocking. If you have tried it before, and it didn't seem to work for you, you will really gain a lot from today's show. Because Amber's goal for today is to get you to to the place where you love time-blocking and you see that it's the best thing that has ever happened to your business. Listen in to find out more!
Amber De La Garza is The Productivity Specialist! Amber is a sought-after coach, trainer, speaker, writer, host of the Productivity Straight Talk podcast, and creator of S.T.O.P.! The Entrepreneur’s Success Solution. She helps driven entrepreneurs execute actionable solutions to maximize profits, reduce stress, and make time for what matters most! Listen in to find out what Amber has to share with you on the show today!
Amber is going to teach you how to love time-blocking!
There are two different types of time-blocking- task-based and project-based.
Amber gives her definition of what time-blocking is: It's investing your best time into your best activities.
Getting really clear about the few activities that will have the biggest impact on you achieving your goals, if done consistently.
Once you've created a schedule you will need to keep showing up consistently for the things that have to be done.
Busting the myth that some people are designed to be more structure than others.
Using your goals as a motivating factor to learn new skills.
Some excellent tips for effective time-blocking.
Amber shares her seven-step process of creating your ideal block schedule.
Creating boundaries for your ideal schedule.
Creating purposeful routines to set yourself up for success.
It's often the smaller things that will get you to where you want to go.
Finding what really works for you helps when creating routines that are sustainable.
We all have different priorities for our daily schedules.
The benefits of having weekly power lunches.
Another way to do time-blocking.
Reclaiming money by creating high-value activity blocks.
You don't have to be available all the time!
There's never enough time to do everything, so your job is to create the time and carve it down on your schedule for the things that matter most.
Amber talks about the free template download that she has for you, to help you create your ideal schedule. Go to The Productivity Specialist to download it now!
Other episodes mentioned on the show:
Monique Holmes #365
Website: The Productivity Specialist
Podcast: Productivity Straight Talk
Facebook Page: The Productivity Specialist
Facebook Group: Productivity Straight Talk
Instagram: Amber De La Garza
For your free template download: The Productivity Specialist
384: Sarah Magness: Practical Strategies for Talking Budgets 0
Welcome to today's episode! We're really glad to have Sarah Magness, of Magness Design, with us today. Eight years ago, Sarah hatched as a 'baby designer' and launched right into the luxury market.
Today she talks to us about the real-life experience she gained during this time, before opening her own firm. She also talks about the "New Heights" program at Marymount that she came to spearhead through her involvement with the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art. And today we also have an excellent conversation with Sarah about the best way to talk budget with clients. This is often a really tricky area of business, so listen in to get Sarah's very straightforward and clear advice.
Magness Design began in 2010 with a focus on residential design. It is located in New York City and its current focus is on the preservation of historic properties, by saving them and making them livable. Their major projects are in New York City, the Hudson Valley area, and on Long Island.
Sarah received her undergraduate degree in Architecture from the University of Texas at Austin and her graduate degree in Interior Design from Pratt Institute. She is a House Beautiful "Next Wave" designer and she's also been featured in Architectural Digest for a very large townhouse project that she saved and renovated. Listen in to find out more.
Working for three or four different design firms is a great way to learn the business aspect of running your own design business.
The different people that Sarah first worked for, to gain real-life experience.
The type of apprenticeship that architecture undergraduates are required to do.
Sarah's recommendations for getting to work for the best firms, after graduating from school.
New York has a really supportive and talented design community.
Budget is always an issue with clients.
How Sarah approaches budget conversations with her clients.
How to estimate a budget for your client on the spot.
The importance of having really clear communication with your clients.
It is often the clients' choices that cause a project to go over budget.
Giving the client an itemized list with the cost of each item on it.
How to talk to your client about going over the budget for certain items.
When and how to discuss fees with a high-end client.
The language to use in order to get the best response from clients when dealing with multi-faceted projects.
Sarah discusses the passion-projects that she's involved with.
Sarah has created a twelve-minute documentary called The
Town Home, about a seven-story
1911 New York townhouse renovation project that she did.
Andrew Suvalsky #28
Christie Leu # 182
Dr. Ellen Fisher #71
Click the ICAA organization link find your local chapter.
383: Power Talk Friday: Jeff Tippett: The Power of Persuasion in Business 0
Welcome to Power Talk Friday! We are really delighted have Jeff Tippett, aka Mr. Persuasion, with us today. Jeff is a subject matter expert in persuasive communications. And on the show today he will explain some of the principals that lie right at the heart of persuasion. This is really an important and valuable skill to learn for any business. And there's so much you can accomplish after acquiring this skillset! So grab the opportunity now, and listen in to hear Jeff's message.
Jeff helps people increase their effectiveness, gives them powerful tools for attaining goals and dreams, and helps them positively impact their organization—all as they learn techniques for communicating persuasively with others.
When results mattered most, renowned brands like Airbnb, The National Restaurant Association, The League of Women Voters, The League of Conservation have trusted Jeff to develop and implement communications plans to persuade elected officials, the media, and the general public. And as an expert on persuasive communications, Jeff continues to deliver results for influential clients.
Other industry experts have validated Jeff’s work through numerous awards including the prestigious The American Advertising Awards.
Jeff has impacted thousands of lives through over 500 presentations including keynotes and seminars. Others feature Jeff’s expertise in persuasive communications through articles, podcasts, and blogs.
Jeff’s highly anticipated second book, Unleashing Your Superpower: Why Persuasive Communications is the Only Force You Will Ever Need is scheduled for completion in January 2019. Listen in to find out what Jeff has to share with you on the show today.
Jeff shares the story of how he adopted his baby daughter in Haiti.
The really valuable lesson Jeff learned from his experience in Haiti.
Changing your mindset from one of manipulation to one of persuasion.
The two words that indicate that you've successfully persuaded somebody.
Showing someone a new vision of how things could be.
Getting what you want by helping others to get what they want.
Three ways to get to know what someone really wants.
Some tools to use when making a real connection with a potential client, and getting them to like you.
People will remember how you made them feel, so make them feel heard and understood, and valuable.
Placing yourself firmly in the shoes of a potential client.
Putting a lot of thought into what you say and the language you use.
Jeff shares 3 strategies to create better online influence.
Helping people to trust you.
Figuring out your only-ness, to really stand out and set yourself apart.
Staying consistent with who you are and what you do.
Three tips to help you to position your message so that people will say "yes".
Nancy Ganzekaufer #15, #159 and #256
Fred Berns #22, #48, #96, #174, #226, #289, and #337
Sponsored episodes by Article.Com #301 and #367
Website: Jeff Tippett
Twitter: Jeff Tippett
Facebook: Jeff Tippett Speaker
LinkedIn: Jeff Tippett
YouTube: Jeff In Cary
Book: Pixels Are the New Ink: 3 Steps to Digital Domination In Your Industry
To look into Article.com: Well Designed Article
Text the word PERSUADE to 66866, to be informed when Jeff's new book, Why Persuasive Communications is the Only Force You Will Ever Need, becomes available. You will also get a free chapter of the book right away.
382: Alyce Lopez: Intention + Focus = A Successful Interior Design Business 0
Welcome to the show! Today we have Alyce Lopez with us. She is one of LuAnn's real-life friends, and also the principal of The True House in Tula Vista, California. Although Alyce is still a 'baby designer', she's a really smart lady! She knows that being an interior designer is her business and not a hobby. She is also very clear on what she does and how she does it. On the show today Alyce talks to us about the way she runs her business and how she's built it up to profiting six-figures in under three years. There is so much you can learn from Alyce on today's show! Listen in to find out more!
Alyce Lopez owns and operates The True House, a full-service interior design firm that specializes in residential design for busy, young families. She began her career in interior design after purchasing a fixer-upper with her husband. The two navigated through renovations on a 1950's rambler maximizing their creativity and pocket change. The True House came about organically after documenting their home renovations on social media.
Alyce grew up in southern California in Aliso Viejo, CA. Growing up near some of the most beautiful beaches, she was always inspired by natural textures and elements. Alyce graduated with a degree in education. In 2006, she married her husband who teaches kindergarten locally in Chula Vista. Today, Alyce is mother to two young children (ages 5 & 7) and her pug, Mochi.
TTH focuses on bringing a transitional aesthetic to the common builder grade home in south San Diego. Alyce prides herself in making each home more functional and livable for young families while respecting her clients' budgets. She believes your home should be a reflection of your personal style and provide customized features that make life more enjoyable. The True House recognizes that your home is your largest financial investment and it should be treated with the proper care and attention.
The True House is the top reviewed interior designer in south San Diego. Alyce has been featured as a style spotter for industry shows and is a brand ambassador for Revolution Performance fabrics. You can find her work published by SD Voyager and Furniture Today. Listen in to find out what Alyce has to share about her interior design business.
Some of the things Alyce has established as important parameters in her business.
Establishing a really good relationship with a limited number of selected vendors.
Tula Vista has organically become Alyce's niche area.
Alyce's family-based approach to running her business.
The importance of having a good work/life balance.
Some tips for having a debt-free life and business.
The type of design that Alyce focuses on and the services she provides.
The benefits of offering clients blocks of time.
The kind of value that Alyce provides for her clients.
Alyce uses Acuity Scheduling to keep things organized.
Where Alyce sources her furniture and accessories.
Providing limited options when too many options could be confusing.
How Alyce shares her trade-show experiences with her clients.
The step-by-step process that Alyce uses with her clients.
The way that Alyce structures her charges.
The importance of planning ahead for your business.
Books by Dave Ramsey
Website: The True House
Facebook: The True House
Instagram: @thetruehouse
381: Power Talk Friday: Julie Broad: Write a Book to Market Your Interior Design Business 0
Welcome to Power Talk Friday! As most of you know, on Fridays LuAnn talks to people, from any industry, who can share something with us that will enhance, grow, or make our business or personal lives make sense. Today we are very happy to have Julie Broad, an Amazon Overall Number 1 Best-Selling Author, join us on the show. Julie has a background in real estate and in branding. Having generated over six figures in revenue from her book sales alone, she now teaches authors how to build their brand and boost their business through her new company, Book Launchers.Com. Listen in today to find out how Julie could help you make a bigger impact with your interior design business by writing, publishing, and selling a top-quality book.
Julie was born in Canada. She grew up in rural Alberta in a house attached to a 20 room Motel. Collecting the pop cans and beer bottles from the motel rooms, she used the money to invest in gold stocks which she used to pay for her first year of undergraduate education. When it was time to do her MBA, she used her savings to buy investment properties instead of fund her education. Student loans paid for school, and then the seven properties she owned by the end of her MBA paid off her student loans. Julie continued to apply the entrepreneurial lessons she learned from her parents (not her MBA, because that degree was pointless) as she grew her real estate portfolio, launched a real estate training and education company, and began to write books. She became an Amazon Overall Number 1 Best Selling Author, an International Book Award Winner, and recipient of the Beverly Hills Book Award for Best Sales book. Listen in to find out how Julie helps people achieve their goals.
The benefits of self-publishing.
Producing a book to give clients will really benefit small business owners or designers.
Producing a book really demonstrates that you're an expert in your field and it can earn you tons of media as well!
How much content has to be in your book for Amazon to sell it and provide you with printed copies of it.
You can increase the content of your book by spacing it out and filling it in with pictures.
How getting some assistance with structure, from someone like Julie, can really help to bring out of you what you already know.
Friends and family probably won't tell you if your ideas really suck.
The ways that Julie helps people position their book to appeal to their ideal reader.
Putting your own flair into ordinary things.
Some things to help you get to the heart of your brand.
Some mistakes people make in communication that deludes their message.
A tip about body language to help you become more confident.
With self-publishing, it's 100% your book.
Website: Book Launchers
YouTube: Julie Broad
Facebook: Book Launchers
Instagram: @juliebroad @booklaunchers
Twitter: Book Launchers
380: Circle Design Studio: Architect & Interior Design Firm: John & Theresa Dorlini 0
Welcome to today's show! We are really happy to have John and Theresa Dorlini, the dynamic duo behind Circle Design Studio, with us today. The idea of CIRCLE was born in 2001 when, on their first official date at a sushi restaurant in downtown Tempe, John and Theresa made a pinky promise to build a design empire. On the show today we have a really great conversation with them about how they built their business and the way that they run it. Listen in today, to find out what they have to share with you.
Circle Design Studio is located in Roanoke VA. Since its inception in 2005, John and Theresa have expanded the CIRCLE family to encompass full-service design, including architecture and general contracting.
John is the principal architect and he holds professional licenses as a Certified Interior Designer, Class A Contractor, and Architect in the states of Virginia, North Carolina, and West Virginia. Those qualifications, combined with his background in design and construction administration for large-scale public projects, ensure a thorough drawing set that leads to accurate bidding and execution.
Theresa is the principal interior designer and creative director. Her strength is seeing the “big picture”. She has 20 years of interior design experience practicing in Arizona, Florida, and Virginia, and she works closely with all their clients, both residential and commercial, to develop a cohesive design concept that reflects their personal style or branding. Theresa is passionate about design education and she's taught at James Madison University, and also at her alma mater, Arizona State University. Listen in to find out more.
Their way of explaining to a client why they would do well to make use of a designer, as well as a builder and an architect.
Why they invest so much in their 3D visualizations.
The programs that they prefer to use for their 3D visualizations, and why.
How 3D modeling can help prevent disconnect with the various players working on projects.
How it really helps to have an architect on board with their projects.
The benefits of having a large body of work to show their clients.
Words are just words, so images really help!
They are busy creating a coffee table book.
What they do to make projects easier to understand for their clients.
Following the steps of a tried-and-true-process.
Explaining to their clients, when discussing fees, that they're paying for John and Theresa's expertise.
Everything about design comes really easily to Theresa.
Designing seems really easy for some people, so it's easy for them to underestimate what actually goes into it.
A book that John recommends is The Business of Design by Keith Granet.
All about the vision statement they are busy creating.
Being at the glorious point of being able to recognize the really valuable clients and let the others go.
Realizing that it's all about serving the client.
You have to be really good at what you do to work with the luxury market.
Learning to be honest enough to just say 'no'.
Putting things in writing can save your butt!
Setting boundaries with clients.
Creating a dual-purpose welcome-packet for clients.
Ways to protect yourself from customers who tend to take advantage.
Previous episodes mentioned in the show:
Darla Powell #330
Jason Byrne #311
Charles Pavarini #113
Book mentioned: The Business of Design by Keith Granet
Website: Circle Design Studio
Facebook: Circle Design Studio
Pinterest: Circle Design Studio
Instagram: Circle Design Studio
Blog: Curata Home
379: Power Talk Friday: The Ladies of Badassery on Creating an Engaged Community 0
Welcome to Power Talk Friday! We have Samantha Parker and Kathy Rasmussen, the partners in the Badassery Community, with us on the show today. Samantha and Kathy are the co-founders of Badassery Magazine, the co-hosts of the Badassery Podcast, and they also have a book out, called Badassery Styled Community. These ladies are very real. They are trailblazers and they are on a mission. Together, they are creating an ultra-engaged community of women entrepreneurs who are fully committed to living bold and passion-filled lives. On the show today they share some great guiding principals on being authentic and doing things your way. Listen in to find out about the very significant work that these two dynamic ladies are doing.
Badassery Magazine is a resource for female business owners to navigate and embody the Badassery Lifestyle. The magazine features articles written by their community of contributors on topics including Entrepreneurship, Branding, Marketing, Mindset, Self Care, Health & Beauty, Home, Family, Travel, Food & Drink Recipes, Entertainment, Music, and lots more.
Samantha is ridiculously passionate about living a life of true Badassery. She believes that we all rise together and she puts community over competition. She has been featured on NowThis, The Daily Vee, Bold TV, and numerous interviews and podcasts.
Kathy is an idea cultivating machine and can strategically birth your idea to life. When she’s not busy connecting other entrepreneurs with fabulous experiences, you can find her being featured on NowThis, Bold TV, numerous interviews and podcasts. Kathy is passionate about owning who you are and stepping into the spotlight. Listen in to find out more.
The backstory of how the Badass Community was started.
How Samantha and Kathy first met.
Kathy explains what she does, as an implementation strategist.
Knowing your where your passion lies and what fulfills you.
About the brand pillars of the Badass Community.
Some pillars that would benefit designers.
Embracing who you are and letting your authentic personality shine through.
Thinking about what you want to be known for.
Creating consistency throughout all your messaging.
Determining what your brand pillars should be.
The process of welcoming people to a community.
Growing your design business through a Facebook community.
Cultivating conversations within a Facebook community.
Giving value and sharing your expertise within a Facebook community will get people to hire you.
Getting loyalty from the personality brand you're creating.
Things that are necessary, but not obvious about the backend of running a community.
Some of the things they do that really make the members feel special and want to stay in the community.
To restrict your community or not?
Previous episodes mentioned on the show:
Nancy Holla #377
Colleen Prim #359
Nicole Heymer #125 and #137
Claire Jefford #237 and 325
Rachel Moriarty #55 and #214
Dixie Willard #273
Website: Badassery Magazine
Facebook: Badassery Magazine
Instagram: Badassery Magazine
Badassery Mag: Badassery Magazine
Badassery Podcast: Badassery Podcast
378: Charles, 9th Earl Spencer: Unveils Royal Furniture Line for Theodore Alexander 0
Welcome to the show! You're really in for a royal treat today! We're very excited to share LuAnn's interview with Charles, the 9th Earl Spencer, as he unveils the Royal Funiture line for Theodore Alexander. LuAnn did this interview live, in person, at the Theodore Alexander Showroom in High Point, North Carolina. Lord Spencer is the younger brother of Diana, Princess of Wales. He is also a British nobleman, peer, author, journalist, and broadcaster. The Althorp Living History furniture collection was designed in partnership with Theodore Alexander. And it encompasses replications of furniture found in the 500-year-old Althorp Estate where Lord Spencer and Diana grew up. Listen in today to find out what Lord Spencer has to share about the Althorp Living History furniture collection.
For five centuries, Althorp - a sprawling English estate in bucolic Northamptonshire - has served as the primary residence of the Spencers, one of the most distinguished, aristocratic families in England with ties to Winston Spencer Churchill and the ancestors of George Washington.
It was this combination of rich legacy and the home’s warm, beautiful interiors that drew fine furniture maker Theodore Alexander to Althorp. The resulting collection of furniture and upholstery pieces in Althorp Living History draws inspiration from treasures gathered during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries by Althorp’s famous inhabitants.
Theodore Alexander is renowned for unmatched craftsmanship, exquisite finishes, and extraordinary design. Covering a diversity of periods and styles, their collections encompass thousands of unique lighting, home accents, case goods, and upholstered furnishings. Theodore Alexander and its licensed collections (Althorp Living History, Keno Bros. for Theodore Alexander, Jamie Drake for Theodore Alexander, Michael Berman for Theodore Alexander, and Steve Leung for Theodore Alexander) are available throughout the world at fine furniture galleries and design centers. Listen in today to find out more!
The “Spencer heritage” — 500 years of history in the Althorp Estate and how that history is captured in the furniture.
The wonderful responsibility of being heir to the Althorp Estate.
Retaining Althorp as a place of entertainment.
For Lord Spencer, history is about people- not about dusty, dry facts.
How the relationship between Lord Spencer and Theodore Alexander began.
Lord Spencer enjoys the passion that Theodore Alexander has for the heritage of the furniture collection.
Lord Spencer is able to provide the backstory of every single piece of furniture in the Althorp Living History line.
How Theodore Alexander has helped to preserve the Althorp history and heritage through the furniture line.
Lord Spencer talks about his favorite pieces in the collection.
What buyers can expect when purchasing an Althorp/Theodore Alexander piece.
Owning a cherished piece of history with the opportunity to create your own heritage with pieces with a rich history.
What designers should know about the value of the Althorp Living History furniture collection, and also of Theodore Alexander, as a company, when considering introducing the furniture line into their projects.
Theodore Alexander's website: Theodore Alexander.
Furniture Collection:
Email: c@clairemontcommunications.com / msmiley@theodorealexander.com / ostrowski.anna97@gmail.com
The video of this interview is available on LuAnn's Youtube channel: Youtube
377: Power Talk Friday: Nancy Hala: Branding Expert & Co-Host with Sheri Salata of This Is Fifty 0
Welcome to today's show! We are very happy to introduce you to Nancy Hala today. Nancy is a branding expert and she's also co-host of the podcast This Is Fifty With Sheri and Nancy. LuAnn truly loves and enjoys what Nancy and her co-host Sheri Salata are doing! Nancy and Sheri joined forces when they were both in their mid-fifties, to launch their company, start their podcast, and begin living The Pillar Life. They decided at the time that it's never too late to make the rest of their dreams come true. And both still had a ton of dreams left that they really wanted to come true! On the show today, apart from picking Nancy's expert brain, as a brand strategist, we will be talking to her about The Pillar Life, and leaning into starting a new life with career changes. Because sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith and trust that the universe will support you. So listen in today to find out what Nancy has to share with you.
Nancy is a chief visionary of The Pillar Life. And This Is Fifty with Sheri + Nancy is a popular podcast about redefining and rebranding the middle of life. Sheri Salata and Nancy are lifelong soul-sister friends. And on their podcast they’re having conversations with experts, teachers and uplifters about fueling their imaginations and igniting the eight most important pillars of their lives: Health + Wellness, Spirituality + Happiness, Romance + Sex, Friends + Family, Creativity + Innovation, Adventure + Discovery, Sanctuary + Beauty, and Money + Abundance.
Nancy is also the innovator behind BrandStory, a trademark combination of brand strategy, storytelling and audience building, helping organizations articulate who they are, what they stand for, and where their brand’s spirit meets its mission. Nancy extends her business brand practice into personal brand development, working with individuals and groups in bespoke workshops designed to help participants understand and express their own personal brands. Listen in to find out more!
Nancy shares her (and Sheri's) core beliefs.
Nancy believes that taking the risk and trusting in the support of the universe will open doors for you.
Learning to dream without limitations.
Most people really love their brand, or their organzation, as an extension of themselves.
Their first mantra, when Sheri and Nancy started their company, was 'dream big'.
Shedding old beliefs about safety and security creates fun and excitement!
Starting your own company or creating your own brand is one of the most creative things you can do as a business owner.
Having a business is all about connecting with people- so you have to speak to them in a way that they can hear and understand you.
The stories we tell ourselves make our dreams come true.
Creating a really great narrative for your brand.
Nancy's four v's: vision, values, virtues and voice.
A vision is the foundational component of a brand story.
Your virtues set you apart from your competitors or your peers.
Your voice is the energy behind your brand.
You need to be interested in something in order to be successful at it.
Getting to the core of what really sets you apart from the rest.
Getting into the virtue of what you do with authenticity and fearlessness.
The Pillar Life consists of eight areas of life (or pillars) that we need to focus on, expand our energy over, and elevate our experience around.
Nancy discusses her and Sheri's reckoning moment.
Content has to have a framework. And The Pillar Life has become the framework for Nancy and Sheri's narrative.
Finding your own, unique point of view on each pillar.
Amber Lewis #169 and #184
Nicole Heymer (Curio Electro) #125 and #317
The Pillar Life
10 Easy Steps to Launch The Pillar Life
376: Cat French: The Things I Learned From A Well-Designed Business®, #babydesigner Killing It! 0
Welcome to today's show! We have Catherine French, the founder of Catherine French Design, located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with us today. Cat has been listening to this podcast since it first started, about two-and-a-half years ago. This was around the same time that she started her design business. Recently, Cat sent LuAnn a really nice email, telling her about the things she had learned from A Well-Designed Business. In the letter, she listed the things that she has really taken seriously from the podcast and implemented in her business. And right from the start, she has really been tremendously successful! Cat's firm is currently approaching half-a-million dollars in gross revenue per year- in under two-and-a-half years! So listen in today, as Cat talks to LuAnn about her business, and gives some context to the way that it all began for her.
Cat loves color, pattern, texture, form, and has a passion for working with people. She focuses on color and balance to make rooms more warm, inviting and habitable. Her design is a unique blend of psychology, culture, color, and function with an emphasis on the principals of design and art taken from her formal Arts education and training. Embracing full collaboration in creating a harmonious space, she spends time in the spaces with her clients developing their vision and then guiding them through the full process of a turn-key installation.
After obtaining her Bachelors in Psychology from Wake Forest University, Cat later went on to pursue her Master of Fine Arts in Interior Architecture from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. While teaching the Environmental Design Studio at UNCG, she presented her work at several State and National conventions as an expert on Interior Design and Historic Preservation. Now Cat leads a passionate and enthusiastic team of design professionals that guide inspirations into reality at Catherine French Design. Listen in to find out what Cat has to share with you on the show today.
Cat talks about the beginning of her business, two-and-a-half years ago, and everything that happened at the time.
Enlisting the help of a stylist for the first time.
Taking advice from this podcast turned out to be one of the best things she ever did.
Cat enlisted some help from a neighbor, Jamie, and he's still with her business now, almost two years later.
Now, Cat's team is really diverse and wonderful!
How Cat came up with how much to charge her first clients.
Cat explains why she mostly still charges an hourly rate.
All about how Cat managed to have the hard conversation with one of her very first clients and hire someone to get the project finished on time.
Cat had to make time to be with her family, or her business would have been pointless for her, so her whole firm does not work in the evenings or over weekends.
Cat's way of dealing with unforeseen problems.
Hiring the right person at the right time.
What happened when Cat realized that she couldn't make payroll one month.
How Cat learned that you have to always have to show up and put your team first.
How Cat first started marketing her firm with blog posts to get SEO exposure.
Showing her team that she wasn't giving up!
Dealing with accounting problems in her business.
Working out how much needs to be brought into the business, in order to keep things running smoothly.
Talking to Caroline Hipple, co-author of Pathway To Profit.
Making everyone in the team feel important.
Maintaining boundaries and being brave enough to only work with clients that are the right fit.
Untangling from projects that aren't the right fit.
The importance of maintaining an attitude of professionalism and respect.
LuAnn's second book, co-authored by Michele Willaims of The Scarlet Thread, will be launched at the next birthday celebration in February, next year.
Dina Holland #354
Michele Williams #137 and #180
Book: A Pathway to Profit by Caroline Hipple, Anita Pugh, Chris Matthies, and Dixon Bartlett
Website - Catherine French Design
Instagram - Catherine French Design
Pinterest - Cat French Design
Facebook - Catherine French Design
375: Power Talk Friday: Bonnie Fahy: How to Hire a Virtual Assistant for Your Interior Design Business 0
Welcome to today's Power Talk Friday! We have Bonnie Fahy with us on the show. Bonnie is the creator of Source It!, which Forbes once called "the world’s premier education in online hiring and outsourcing for entrepreneurs". Although outsourcing is the obvious thing for a number of businesses to do, LuAnn wasn't a hundred percent sure that it would be transferable to the design industry. After having a conversation with Bonnie, however, she decided that it was viable for us. Because there are so many things that go into running a business and you really don't have to do it all yourself. So you could consider employing a virtual assistant. And Bonnie specializes in helping people understand the best process for hiring VAs. Listen in today to find out what Bonnie has to share with you.
From her humble beginnings as a balloon artist, Bonnie Fahy has grown to become the ultimate hiring guru, helping hundreds of overwhelmed business owners balance their dreams with a work lifestyle that suits them best. She stumbled on outsourcing early in her internet marketing career and she was amazed to see her profits quadruple in only three short months! This really inspired her, so she began consulting with, and helping other entrepreneurs to grow their businesses to six and seven figures using the same strategies and methods. Bonnie has helped a roster of prominent entrepreneurs take back their time by leveraging high-quality virtual assistants, web developers and graphic designers for a fraction of the cost. Her business insights are based on the foundations of personal development and human psychology, and the shortcuts she teaches her mentees have helped them spectacularly transformed their lives. Listen in to hear about Bonnie's powerful strategies.
Why Bonnie thinks that a VA is such a viable resource for a small business owner.
You can hire a much higher level person from the Philippines at a fraction of the cost.
Hiring the right person for the task.
Taking responsibility for clear communication.
Systematizing things is vital.
Your VA can actually help you to create and document systems.
Where hybrid sourcing comes into the picture.
People are often unsure about which tasks to delegate.
Bonnie has loads of free content on her website.
The kind of tasks an online assistant could do for you, as an interior designer.
Mastering the art of communication through conflict.
Tools for protecting passwords while allowing someone else to use them.
Freeing yourself up to do the things you do best.
The kind of person to look for as a VA.
Where to go, find the best VA.
Writing a really compelling job ad.
Testing for agreeableness.
Finding the perfect person for the perfect price.
Doing 'get to know you' calls.
Resources for finding online assistance outside the US.
Remember that it's always about the process.
Madeleine MacRae # 315
Resources for finding online assistance in the US:
Recommended resources for finding online assistance outside the US:
International Facebook groups for VAs.
OnlineJobs.ph
VirtualStaff.ph
Bonnie Fahy
Get Source It
Bonnie's Free Training
For the automated webinar go to The Live More Formula
374: Ellie Mroz: The Reveal Install & Working with Trades 0
Welcome! Today you're in for a treat! We have Ellie Mroz joining us, and she's a really talented designer and also an astute businesswoman. We're very fortunate here at Window Works to be doing the window treatments for all Ellie's projects. Today, Ellie discusses her niche with us. And get this- her niche isn't a particular style of design or even an ideal client. It's it's the town where she and her husband grew up, fell in love, and started their family! On the show today we also take a look at the hard conversations that you will need to have with vendors and clients when unforeseen things happen. Listen in to find out more.
Ellie’s passion for interiors began in the world of fashion. After she graduated from Cornell University, she enjoyed several years of internships in ready-to-wear and jewelry design, merchandising, and public relations. Finally, her love of beautiful things brought her into interior design. This transition was natural for Ellie because her husband’s residential home remodeling business, Michael Robert Construction, started growing. And his clients started asking Ellie for her help in choosing all the finishes. From there, the husband and wife design/build team grew and a boutique interior design firm was born.
Since 2015, Ellie has been asked to appear in several episodes of George Oliphant's show, George to the Rescue NBC, as the on-air talent who helps families in need create beautiful spaces. And these beautiful spaces really improve the quality of the lives of these families, as well as the quality of their homes. Listen in to hear what Ellie has to share with you today!
Ellie talks about her involvement with George To The Rescue.
Why it's really worth investing in a receiving warehouse where they hold all your goods until you're ready for the majority install.
Designers really need to be there when the delivery for an installation happens.
Setting expectations with a new client right in the beginning.
Ellie and her husband, Mike, have two separate companies and they don't always work together.
Ellie talks about her really unique niche.
Ellie prefers to take on few jobs and really make them profitable.
Ellie has recently added a new service called Design Therapy.
Ellie tailor's her style to each client.
Some really great advice that Ellie received from a photographer.
The joy of owning your niche fully.
How to deal with it when things go wrong working on a project with contractors, subcontractors, and vendors.
Some tools and tactics for avoiding dramas.
Why you should never ditch old emails.
The value of spending real time on site with your contractors.
Developing the skill set to have the hard conversation with clients.
What's coming up for Ellie in the future.
Raquel Langworthy #343
Website - Ellie Mroz Design
Instagram - Ellie Mroz Design
Pinterest - Ellie Mroz Design
The custom home-building project that Ellie is documenting on Instagram: #Shadowlawndrive
Michael, Ellie's husband's website: Michael Robert Construction
373: Power Talk Friday: Inspired Leadership at Pollack Creates Exceptional Company Culture 0
Welcome to Power Talk Friday! We are very happy to introduce you to two very interesting women today. We have Susan Whalen, the president of Pollack, and Rachel Doriss, Pollack's design director, with us on the show. These women have both been in the design industry for decades and on the show today they talk to us about the types of opportunities that are available in the industry, other than doing interior design. They also talk about the leadership at Pollack and their company culture of encouraging creativity, loyalty, and longevity in their entire team. Listen in today to find out what it takes to create and lead a really exceptional business.
Susan earned a BA from The University of Arizona in 1996. She was appointed as president of Pollack/Weitzner in 2017 due to her forward-thinking vision. She began her career at Polack in 1999 as studio manager, working alongside the founding creative director, Mark Pollack. There she learned every aspect of design and product development for contract and residential textiles. In 2004 she shifted to the business side to work under Rick Sullivan, the founding president. Then, in 2006, she was appointed as vice president and chief operating officer. In the position of COO, Susan took the led role in Pollack's merger with Weitzner in 2011. She is currently spearheading the implementation of a new operating system and the development of improved digital platforms to support the future growth and adaptability of Pollack/Weitzner. Susan now resides in Brooklyn, NY. In her free time, she enjoys traveling internationally and renovating her weekend home in rural Pennsylvania.
Rachel has textile design in her DNA. She studied printmaking and painting and even taught batik workshops when she first entered college. But it was in the Textile Design department at the Rhode Island School of Design that she realized, for the first time, the practical application of her beloved woven and printed textile techniques. She graduated with a BFA from RISD in 1999 and designed printed silk scarves at Echo before joining the Pollack Studio in 2000. In 2007, Rachel was appointed Vice President, Associate Design Director. She took the helm as Pollack’s Design Director in 2012, overseeing the Studio and guiding the creative vision for each textile collection. In the Studio, she and her team always begin a pattern by first creating artwork by hand. Rachel’s designs for Pollack have been featured in national magazines, including Architectural Digest, Interior Design and Elle Décor, and she has been profiled on such sites as Apartment Therapy and House and Home TV. Two of her creations, “Mod” and “Curlycue,” are in the permanent collection of the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. Join us today and get the inspiration do things in your firm to make it the kind of place people really want to be engaged with!
Other kinds of career opportunities within the design industry.
What really goes into textile manufacture.
What it takes to become a textile designer.
You get involved in the textile industry for the love of what you do, not for the money!
The partnership between Pollack and Lori Weitzner.
How having a collaboration, or a licensed collection works.
Working with Gary Graham, a New York-based fashion designer.
The need for inspiration when creating a collection.
A quick run through the development of a fabric.
The whole chain of love and pain that goes into the design and development of a beautiful fabric.
About the really terrific "Pollack culture".
Some great tips for cultivating a really successful team.
Inspiring employees towards longevity with longer vacations.
Really creative "First Fridays" at Pollack.
An "Ugly Sweater" contest at the office!
Supporting employees through difficult times.
Pollack has their product in showrooms in most of the major territories.
Pollack has worldwide distribution- in Asia, the UK, and France.
Website: Pollack Associates
Instagram: @pollacktextiles
Facebook: Pollack Textiles
Lori Weitzner #308
Janelle Photopoulos # 364
Candace Olsen #74
Shea McGee #236 and 270 with Syd
Corey Damen Jenkins #127
372: Laura Michaels: How to Talk Budget with your Interior Design Clients 0
Welcome to today's episode! We know that you're really going to love it! We have Laura Michaels with us today and she is an experienced and insightful designer who knows how to tell it like it is. On the show, we have a very straightforward conversation with her about talking budget with clients. Laura is very confident in her process and in the service she offers, and she really knows how to hold her ground in these conversations. Listen in today, become inspired, and learn from Laura's expertise, and her really confident way of dealing with clients.
Laura Michaels Design is a full-service design firm specializing in residential and commercial interiors out of Greenwich CT. Having started her career as a fashion designer, Laura Michaels is no stranger to developing complete collections filled with layers of textures, patterns, and colors. Laura thrives on the challenge of finding the perfect combination of textiles and other materials, then integrating them in unique and unexpected ways. Laura spends much of her time sourcing fabric, carpet, lighting and more...from all over the world and prides herself on her thorough knowledge of the market. Laura is also proud of her ability to source the "right" item at the ''right'' price. If cost, size or availability become an issue, her design skills allow her to create the perfect piece in one of her many custom factories. Her extensive knowledge of the market makes the design process quick and easy, but never routine. Her artistic vision transforms the space into warm and inviting interiors and it is Laura’s goal to provide a warm, inviting environment that is enjoyed by her homeowners and will last the test of time. Listen in to find out more.
Developing the skill set to really understand your ideal client.
Some red flags to look out for with a client.
The kind of client that Laura works with.
Looking at a potential client's expectations before their budget.
There are millions of different supplier websites for all budgets.
Laura's way of dealing with clients who are not clear about their budget.
Managing your client's expectations.
Laura loves the challenge of fulfilling a client's expectations on a limited budget.
Things that people don't understand about hiring an interior designer.
Hiring a designer can really be price effective.
Establishing the ground rules around the budget upfront.
Laura's way of obtaining art for her clients.
Having the budget conversation with clients.
Referrals are really important.
You need to be confident and know your value to avoid being taken advantage of.
Website: Laura Michaels Design
Instagram: The Laura Michaels Design
Pinterest: Pinterest
e-mail: Laura@Lauramichaelsdesign.com
Find Luann on Instagram
371: Power Talk Friday: Jason Berkowitz: Optimize the SEO of Your Interior Design Business Website 0
Welcome to another Power Talk Friday! Everything is happening online these days, so we are really very happy to introduce you to Jason Berkowitz, of Break The Web Inc., a company that specializes in digital marketing and PR for businesses. Jason's business is an inbound marketing agency and their goal is to generate traffic which could ultimately turn into leads, sales, and customers. On the show today, Jason talks about the services that his company provides, that may be of interest to interior designers. He also explains what you, as interior designers, need to have in place, in order to come to the table. Listen in to hear what Jason has to say about digital marketing and public relations.
Jason started out as a business owner at the age of nineteen. He quickly came to recognize the importance of marketing and brand security. And he also realized that he had to take matters into his own hands because the available information was all so contradictory.
Jason's digital journey started in 2010 and his mission that year was to learn the ins-and-outs of digital marketing and more specifically, of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Through extensive networking, he had the opportunity to surround himself with some of the greatest and brightest minds in the industry. So he began utilizing and designing frameworks that led to a successful search-engine presence, spending hours analyzing algorithms and reading patent documents in an attempt to understand metrics for online visibility.
Jason launched his first SEO agency out of New York City in mid-2010. They launched SEO campaigns for more than 300 businesses, secured over 50 000 Page 1 rankings and worked with some of the largest brands in the world. Then, in 2016, they launched their parent company, Break The Web, Inc., with a focus on Digital Marketing services and business acquisitions. Since then, they have acquired 2 successful digital marketing agencies out of San Diego, California, and New York City. Listen in to find out more.
Jason explains what his company does.
The value in targeting your local area for marketing your business.
Where and how digital marketing and PR is taking place.
Jason's approach to digital marketing.
Paid advertising campaigns can be a little budget heavy.
Spending money on a digital marketing campaign pays off.
Teaching in-house teams to make the whole marketing process seamless.
How Jason structures his pricing.
A typical management fee that Jason charges for an ads campaign.
The SEO myths that Jason thinks really ought to be busted.
Using click-bait with the best intent.
Working with SEO really effectively.
Creating search tags for Youtube videos.
Google algorithms have become very smart- they can understand what's semantically relevant and what's not.
Keeping things natural within an SEO campaign.
Previous episodes mentioned in this show:
Andrew Joseph #39
Websites -
Break The Web
SEO Services New York
Jason Berkowitz
LinkedIn: Jason Berkowitz SEO
Facebook: Jason Berkowitz NYC
Twitter: J Berkowitz SEO
YouTube: Jason Berkowitz SEO
370: Kesha Franklin: A Different Path to a Career in Interior Design 0
Welcome! Today's show was recorded live from the High Point Market on Friday, October 12th, 2018, as part of the Designer Viewpoint Series. We are very happy to introduce you to Kesha Franklin today, the principal of Halden Interiors, based in Greenbrook, New Jersey. Kesha has a background in the fashion world. And as a designer, she started out on a path that initially appeared to be destined for failure, which really rocked her world, but then things took an interesting turn for her. Listen in today as Kesha candidly shares her story, offers valuable insights, discusses the growth of her firm and explains her really intentional way of framing her conversations with potential clients.
Kesha's intuitive sense of style, creativity, and harmony goes back to her formative years, where luxurious interiors and fine men's wear captivated her creativity, through her father's vast collection of Architectural Digest and the renowned GQ Magazine. Kesha continued expressing the artist within her through various creative means, but only after an encounter with a New York City architect, who recognized her eye for interior design and complimented her on it, did she take the leap and start The Beautiful Experience, a boutique design firm specializing in residential and special events design and planning, in 2006.
Kesha spent years immersed in the exclusive world of couture fashion as a backstage production manager and wardrobe stylist for the iconic Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Surrounded by the work of well-known designers such as Vera Wang, Jason Wu, Michael Kors, Donna Karen, and Lanvin…Kesha sharpened her attention to detail, distinct eye for exquisite styling and sensibility to craftsmanship.
The spaces Kesha reinvents today are impeccable. However, her striking aesthetic as an interior designer is not only shaped by her ability to curate color palettes, balanced textures, and distinct furnishings but is also influenced by her ability to understand and connect with people. Every single design project begins with a heart-to-heart. Listen in today to hear what Kesha has to share about how she supplies her clients with a full experience, from the ground up, that goes way beyond just beautiful things.
Kesha shares the great story of how she started out with design in 2003.
She began with very small projects.
Moving from doing jobs for free to starting a business and attracting clients from the luxury market.
Kesha learned a lot- the hard way.
She had to learn to understand her true worth.
Reading books really helped Kesha to understand the processes and the business side of the world of interior design.
When things started to pick up in 2011, Kesha realized she really needed to figure out what her niche was.
Kesha's process of rebranding to become Holden Interiors took three years.
In 2013 Kesha was really fortunate to be a part of the Goldman Sachs 10 000 Small Businesses Program. And that really set her rebranding in motion!
It really is okay to charge a higher price that truly reflects the level of service that you're giving.
Not all consumers really understand interior design.
Kesha gets excited about the kind of job that makes her nervous.
Kesha explains the rates she charges her clients.
Some things that need to be highlighted in the service agreement with a client.
Kesha's approach to clients about her contract.
Kesha explains her weekly project update.
Teaching her clients to trust the process.
Be careful of becoming a 'client pleaser'.
Time management is still a challenge.
Presentation is everything, so it's very important to invest in really good, high-quality pictures.
Kesha's work will continue to change as time goes on.
Adam Urbanski #192 and #280
Kesha's website: Halden Interiors
369: Power Talk Friday: Stephen Karlisch: Professional Tips for Getting More Out of Your Interior Design Photoshoots 0
Welcome to Power Talk Friday! Today we are really very happy to introduce you to photographer Stephen Karlish, from Dallas, Texas. Stephen began his career pre-internet, so he has seen the rise of social media and online sharing either make or break the careers of numerous designers. He has learned that the key to any creative environment is collaboration. We live in an image-based society today and designers really need to create a strong online presence. So they need to collaborate with experienced photographers to get the kind images that will be sure to drive traffic their way. Listen in today to find out what Stephen has to say about how a great photographer can really help you, as a designer, to build your brand identity and your online presence.
Stephen started out in the world of photography assisting commercial photographers in the late 90's. In the early 2000's he started photographing interiors for both local and national publications like Southern Accents, Veranda, Elle Decor, and AD, mainly focusing on documenting local Texas designers' work for their portfolios and ads. Based on his experience, Stephen really wants to help designers to take the photography aspect of their projects seriously. Listen in today to get some really helpful advice and tips from Stephen.
The really awesome business partnership that Stephen has with his wife.
Pulp Design Studios really inspires Stephen!
It really takes a lot of practice to get your personality to really come through on a video.
What it takes to create a really great a photo shoot on location.
Working seamlessly as a team for incredible outcomes.
Really great shots can be used for years.
As a young designer, it's really worth investing in your brand imagery right now.
Doing it right!
Some tips for getting the best shots on a regular budget.
Working with stylists and floral designers.
The importance of doing pre-shoot scout shots.
The benefits of working with a stylist for your photos.
How to find the right stylist to work with.
Designing projects to completion.
Creating portfolio shots on a studio wall.
Some tricks that a photographer can do to create incredible shots.
The best business advice that Stephen has ever been given.
Stephen's Website - Stephen Karlisch
Studio Website: Karlisch Studio
Instagram: @stephen_karlisch_photo
Facebook: Karlisch Studio
Twitter: Stephen Karlisch
Pulp Design Studios #176 and #310
Charlotte Safavi #138
368: Jessica Duce: VRBO Interior Design 0
Welcome to the show! Today we are excited to introduce you to Jessica Duce, the principal of J Duce Design in Colorado. With a lot of hard work, and a little good luck, Jessica discovered her ideal client and so today she specializes in VRBO and Air BnB Design. On the show today, Jessica tells the story of how she saw an opportunity to follow a completely new path in her business and jumped right in. Listen in today to learn about the joys and the challenges of designing for VRBO properties.
J Duce Design has won multiple best of Houzz awards and has been featured in Parker Lifestyle Magazine, Highlands Ranch Lifestyle Magazine, and Omaha Family Magazine. Jessica was honored as Volunteer of the Year for her work for Habitat for Humanity. In 2018, J Duce Design is launching the Denver chapter of Savvy Giving by Design launched by Susan Wintersteen of Savvy Design. The goal of the non-profit chapter is to help families in crisis improve their current living environment for health and wellbeing at no charge to them. Listen in to find out more.
The story of what has happened to Jessica's company in the last three years.
How Jessica launched into the world of designing for VRBO properties.
The scheduling challenges that come with VRBO designing.
Jessica's awesome team.
The one home that Jessica worked on has led to her working on five other homes in the last three years.
Jessica discusses her connection in property management.
Times are changing with vacation homes and Air BnB.
Being creative when spending money to create the 'wow' factor.
Jessica's goals when meeting with the housekeeping staff.
Dealing with the 'flips'.
Some important things that Jessica has learned about designing for VRBO homes.
Some things that need to be considered when designing for the VRBO market.
The story of the really successful Captain Arnold's house.
Designing to appeal to the holiday market.
Experimenting with the best ways to invest money in VRBO properties.
Creating a photo spot in every house.
Learning lots of new ideas from the BDNY.
The biggest lesson that Jessica has learned in the last three years.
JDuce Design
Instagram: JDuce Design
Facebook: JDuce Design
367: Power Talk Friday: Article.com : A Resource For Your Interior Design Business 0
Welcome! It's Power Talk Friday and we have a special show today, sponsored by Article.com! We are very happy to have Jillian Cross, their trade program manager, joining us on the show. The passionate team at Article.com has a very strong understanding of the world of interior design and their trade program is run entirely by committed people from the design industry. Today Jill explains what it is about Article.com that really makes interior designers want to work with them. Listen in to find out more.
Jillian has had an amazing ride in the industry! She was born and raised in a construction and development family, so it's in her blood. She has a degree in project management as well as a background in interior design. Jill has been with Article for about one-and-a-half-years and she came to them with nine years of industry experience behind her. Prior to joining Article, she worked at several different firms in the industry, and also with some big-box retailers- helping them to build out their trade and their pro programs. She spent a number of years doing millwork design and also working in her family's business, where she got to experience residential and multi-unit design. Listen in to find out what Jillian has to share with you on the show today.
The people on the team at Article have a strong understanding of the world of interior design.
The importance of really understanding who you're talking to.
Article really understands the pain points of interior designers.
The team at Article takes a strong stand when something goes wrong and they get onto resolving it as quickly and effectively as possible.
The benefits of having a small team.
Following up with genuine care and concern.
Relationship building.
Striving to create a personal service for online trade partners.
The positives and negatives to working in the online space.
The discount structure at Article.com.
The great value that Article.com is offering their customers.
com is very competitive in its market.
Understanding transparency.
Article will send you swatches of fabric and samples with no shipping costs.
Jill walks you through Article's fantastic return/exchange policy.
Article will deliver anywhere in America.
Apply for the Article Trade Program: Article Trade
Article: Article
Linkedin Article
Houzz: Article Modern
Instagram: Article
Facebook: Article
366: Nicole White: Interior Designer Leveraging Her Contracting Skills 0
Welcome to today's episode! We have a really smart lady joining us on the show today! She is Nicole White, the president, and principal designer at the award-winning design firm, Nichole White Designs Interiors, based in Sunrise, Florida. On the show today we talk to Nicole about how she came to learn her particular skill set in the renovation process, and what her intentions are with that going forward. We talk to her about her experience as a journalist, in her previous career, and how she leverages that to earn press for her projects. And we also discuss confidence, how it develops mostly through the mistakes we make over time in our businesses, and how very important that is, when being an entrepreneur. Listen in to find out more.
Nicole, known for her renovation prowess, has had her design work featured in various magazines including, Better Homes and Gardens, Ocean Drive, Modern Luxury Interiors; Huffington Post, HGTV and Domino online magazines. She’s twice been noted as an emerging designer to watch by the Black Interior Designers Network and is a brand ambassador/influencer for The Home Depot, Purple Drywall, and City Furniture. An award-winning writer, Nicole writes about the behind the scenes process of her projects on her popular blog LiveLaughDecorate. Nicole, lover of red wine and travel, is also mom to a busy 6-year-old, Xavier - a budding artist and self-proclaimed VP of NWD Interiors. Listen in to hear what Nicole has to share on today's show.
Nicole talks her decision to direct her business towards working with the renovation process.
Nicole has learned to get her hands dirty- working hands-on with the renovation process.
Nicole really enjoys the whole process of renovation.
What makes Nicole so successful with what she does.
Nicole is getting ready to do her GC license in the next year or so.
What obtaining a GC license involves.
Nicole talks about her game-changing questionnaire, what it deals with, and how it came about.
The questionnaire has literally transformed Nicole's business.
Working realistically with a budget with clients.
Nicole has the confidence to know that clients will be better off working with her.
Fifteen years in, Nicole still clearly remembers not knowing how she was going to pay her bills.
Standing in your experience and fully understanding what your needs are.
Nicole has made some deliberate changes in her life since having her son.
Nicole makes the amount of time that she has available very clear to her clients.
It can take some time to develop the confidence, as a new designer, to charge a consultation fee.
As a former journalist, Nicole really understands publications and how they work- so she knows how to build and grow press.
Start building press by pitching the smaller publications first.
Nicole has learned to build relationships- they really matter!
It's really important to stay in touch- you cannot treat your clients and relationships as a one-night-stand.
You have to enter the contests to win the awards.
Go after companies and brands that fit your strengths.
The goals that Nicole is stretching herself towards right now.
Nicole's website: NWD Interiors
Nicole's blog: Live Laugh Decorate
To sign up for your trade account with Article.Com: Well Designed Article
365: Power Talk Friday: Monique Holmes: Keys To Sourcing For Your Interior Design Projects 0
Send me the Source Like a Pro Video!
Welcome to another Power Talk Friday! We have Monique Holmes (Duarte) with us again today and she's bound to inspire you to re-think the way that you approach sourcing for your interior design firm. Monique started Duarte Decor, a global interior design firm, in 2012, after successfully working in the marketing and advertising world for more than ten years. Using her marketing experience, she managed to generate $50 000 in profit in her first year, working part-time while still holding down a full-time job. Monique saw that there was a huge gap in our industry and that design schools don't teach the business side of the industry. So, she came up with her 8 Steps To Profitability Program and launched her own, private coaching firm, Duarte Consulting, in 2016. Today's show is packed with tons of information and Monique generously shares some of her awesome resources! Listen in to today to learn about Monique's key strategies for sourcing like a pro.
Monique Holmes is a Certified Interior Decorator, Business Coach, and an active member of the National Association of Professional Women (NAPW), International Interior Design Association (IIDA), Central NJ & Brooklyn, NY Chapter President of the distinguished Interior Design Society (IDS) as well as a Certified member of CID (Certified Interior Decorator Association). She also holds several degrees, including a career degree in Interior Decorating & AutoCAD Design, a Bachelor’s in International Business with a specialization in Economics & Marketing, and a Master’s Degree in Interactive & Direct Marketing. Monique Holmes was awarded "Woman of the Year for Interior Decorating for NJ" in 2013 by NAPW, in addition, her design work has been featured online & in print publications including "Your Decorating Resource" and Moxie Woman Magazine. Listen in to find out more!
The first thing to think about, as interior designers, in order to source and sell products like a pro.
Monique likes to focus on helping designers to figure out strategies to do things effectively and efficiently.
Monique explains her 4 easy steps to sourcing like a pro.
The benefits of sourcing through trade-only vendors.
The key to shopping with online retailers.
The great thing about the Article.com trade program.
It's really important to be transparent with your clients.
E-design or full-service?
Monique has trade programs with all the retail stores that she shops with.
The percentage of her discount that Monique shares with her clients.
The way that Monique charges clients for her design services.
Some things to consider, about sourcing.
Doing your research about sourcing ahead of time really helps to prevent any unnecessary stress.
Being aware and knowing your product is very important.
Always have a price-point scale of the vendors that you deal with.
It's important to bear the location of vendors and their rep support in mind when making a purchase.
Knowing your product and your customer is a vital ingredient.
The importance of building sourcing and selling into the foundation of your business ahead of time.
A lot of Monique's coaching is strategy-based.
Building your sourcing repertoire list of vendors- it takes time but it's really worth it in the end.
Website: www.8STP.com
8STP FB Group
Master Class (Launching September 30th, 2018)
Instagram: Monique Nicole Holmes
Monique's 1st appearance on the show: #178 (note she has since married- she was Monique Duarte- she is now Monique Holmes)
Deb Barrett #53
Gary Inman #154
Article.com #301
Dina Holland Honey & Fitz #354
Heather McManus #357
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Women Netters Begin Preparation For Spring Season
Fri, 01/18/2008 - 7:55am by Sam Wasson Tags:
Women's Tennis News
Written by: NMSU Athletic Dept.
LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The New Mexico State women's tennis team is back on the courts preparing for the upcoming spring dual match tennis season.
The Aggies began practice on Tuesday, Jan. 15 and are gearing up for their third season in WAC play. NMSU opens up the season with an exhibition match on Jan. 22 against Mexico's Monterrey Tech at the NMSU Tennis center at 11:00 a.m.
New Mexico State, who went 10-14 last year and 3-1 in WAC play, has one of its deepest rosters in recent history as head coach Don Ball has brought in one of the most talented group of recruits in recent years.
"The women have come back from winter break in pretty good shape," Ball said. "The key is that we're looking good so far and the fact that we play Monterrey Tech in an exhibition match helps us a lot.
"A lot of teams bring their kids back earlier, but I think we do it pretty well as we don't tire out as early in the season. We'll play our way into shape early in the year, which really is pretty traditional in college tennis and I'm excited about our team."
Sophomore Sophia Marks (Grantham, England) is the prize of the five newcomers to the team. Marks was enrolled in classes all fall, but was unable to participate in any on the court action until the Aggies' last tournament, the UC-Irvine Invitational, because she wasn't cleared yet by the NCAA.
"Sophia is playing really well and she's excited to be back and playing," Ball said.
Seniors Zeljka Juricek (Zagreb, Croatia) and Anne Fagegaltier (Montreuil, France) provide NMSU with experience at the top of the Aggies lineup. Fagegaltier's 51 career singles victories is the most of any player on the team, while Juricek played the No. 1 position all of last spring for the Aggies.
Junior Paulina Zuniga (Guadalupe, Mexico) has had one of the better first two seasons of any player that Ball has coached. After going 7-5 this past fall in singles play, she now has 48 career victories and she was one of two players who picked up a victory in the 2007 WAC Tennis Championships.
Junior Stephanie Eusebe (Champs sur Marne, France) and freshman Bianca Discordia (Zagreb, Croatia) are two other key pieces of Ball's recruiting class and both had successful fall seasons. Discordia tied for the team lead in fall singles victories with Zuniga at seven while Eusebe finished the fall right behind those two with six wins.
Sophomore Aleksa Costa (Sao Paulo, Brazil) is looking to build on to the end of her 2007 spring season, where she won five out of her last six matches, including a victory in the conference championships. Costa went 6-6 in fall singles action.
Three other Aggies, sophomores Lindsey Green (Farmington, N.M.) and Brenda Bongetta (Sao Paulo, Brazil) along with freshman Alex Rios (Albuquerque, N.M.) figure to be thrown into the mix throughout the season.
In doubles action, the Aggies flirted around with different pairings all fall and the coaches are likely to do so early this fall. Eusebe and Zuniga were the two that stayed together for most of the fall and the duo posted a 6-1 record together.
Eusebe and Zuniga won their doubles flight at the UNM Individual Invitational on Oct. 20 and they were in the championship match at Houston's Cougar Fall Draw, but did not get to play for the title because play was rained out.
Costa and Discordia posted a 4-2 mark together in the fall and they won the flight two doubles championship at the Miner Fall Invitational in the Aggies first fall tournament.
New Mexico State will continue its preparation for the spring over the next week until the Aggies open up the season in Las Vegas, Nev., as the face Weber State (Jan. 25), No. 43 UNLV (Jan. 26) and Pacific (Jan. 27). Last year NMSU opened up the spring against the same three opponents in Las Vegas. Pacific and UNLV both swept the Aggies and New Mexico State defeated Weber State 6-1.
Related Entries...
Fagegaltier Takes Third Place At UTEP Tournament
Aggie Men’s And Women’s Tennis Set For Weekend
Eusebe And Zuniga Capture Doubles Crown
NMSU Women's Tennis Doubles Team Costa/Marks Ranked Nationally
Men's Tennis Receives Several Regional Rankings
Diep Wins ASU Thunderbird Invitational
Women’s Tennis Signs Three Players
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WHAT IF? #22, 24 and 25
ekko | July 3, 2015 |
What If? #22: What if Dr. Doom became a hero?
What If? #24: What if Spider-Man had Rescued Gwen Stacy?
What If? #25: What if Thor and the Avengers battled the Gods?
Three up, three down. I want to say all three have come true: Dr. Doom just saved the universe in Secret Wars (yeah, he was a real dick about it—but he did save it); Gwen Stacy is back from an alternate universe; and Thor and the Avengers have battled the Gods several times. But these versions are so far from what’s depicted in the issue of What If that I can’t say they really came true.
Except #25.
Collected as “Assault on Olympus,”near the end of his amazing run as Avengers scribe, Roger Stern—with legendary artist John Buscema—had Thor and the Avengers take on the Greek pantheon. Granted, in What If? they were fighting Odin’s ilk, but this one is really close enough to be another notch in the What If?s that came true belt.
So, one out of three came true. We’re now 75% of the way through volume 1 of What if?, and 12 of 20 questions posed by The Watcher ended up being canon.
WHAT IF "WHAT IF?" WAS (every issue of Marvel's What If?)
THE AVENGERS #12 (1965)
WOLVERINE by MIKE BOWDEN
Hulk #348 (1988)
Uncanny X-Men #223 (1987)
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Posted on March 31, 2004 November 15, 2006 by bob
Black Dice have Miles of Smiles
Tuesday, April 6, 2004 sees the release of the “Miles of Smiles” EP.
Every release by Black Dice is different. You know that by now, right?
2002 brought the world “Beaches & Canyons” , the first full-length release from Black Dice, which forever changed the public perception of what this band could be. 2003 saw the release of the landmark single “Cone Toaster”, where the band explored their unique version of 4/4 dance music – it was rated 2003 Single of the Year in the New York Times (Jon Pareles), amongst others and saw the band getting reviewed and covered by every genre of music magazine. When the DFA met Timbaland while in Miami at the 2004 Winter Music Conference, he referred to “Cone Toaster” as some “freaky shit” and told us it was in his CD player in his car. We are not making this up.
This EP clocks in at a total running time of 28 minutes. This release will please and confound fans and critics alike, as the band prove once again that whatever they tackle, it is on their terms only. “Miles of Smiles” was originally created for The Poetry of Sex art exhibit in Tokyo and finds the band exploring a Musique Concrete-like world of chance and surprise. The flip side “Trip Dude Delay” has been a live staple for many years. It has been on the DFA release schedule for far too long, and we are thrilled to finally get it out there for everyone to experience.
As anticipation mounts for the June 22, 2004 release of the next Black Dice full length album “Creature Comforts”, this should tide us over until then.
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The Smell was originally released as a single just over two years ago and it’s still as good now as it was then. Sounding like …
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Bad Agent Alert
Agent Jessica Faust • Jan 12, 2010 • 26 comments
I’m a published author who recently signed with a new agent. I love her. She responds quickly to all my emails, keeps in touch and moves quickly. Lately though a few things have come up that make me wonder if I’m being scammed. When looking at her web site it seems I’m her only published author, and the books she’s promoting she didn’t even sell. My biggest concern is that recently she was getting ready to submit my proposal and told me that she could not make multiple submissions, that she’d been talking to an editor who told her that if editors learn a book is out with other houses they will simply throw it away. She said that it’s a rumor among authors that agents can make multiple submissions, but it’s not true.
Let me explain first that this is one of those cases where it’s possible you aren’t being scammed, but definite that you are in the hands of a Bad Agent. I’m not sure this agent is intentionally trying to stonewall your career, and since you didn’t mention it I’m going to assume you didn’t pay any money up front; however, this agent clearly does not know or understand how the business works. In my mind a bad agent can be as destructive as a Scam Agent, sometimes more so since a scam agent is clearly breaking the law, and a bad agent is “only” damaging your career.
Let’s look at this case logically. In reviewing recent deals made by agents I regularly see postings about auctions or pre-empts. None of those things could exist if it weren’t for multiple submissions. Let’s also look at what your friends and their agents are doing. My guess is that if you ask any of them, their agents are making multiple submissions. How can it be a false rumor if everyone else is doing it?
My advice, get out. Now. It’s not your job to teach Bad Agent how to do her job. It’s your job to look out for you and your career. Bad Agent isn’t doing you any good, and if she doesn’t know how to submit, how do you expect her to negotiate a contract.
Tags: "bad agents" • queries • submissions
Ann Elle Altman says:
Thank you for your blog.
RUN. Run fast. Run now.
I had a bad agent and it sidelined my writing for well over a year. You don't owe loyalty to someone who doesn't know how to do their job. Especially if they can ruin your career.
I think the natural assumption is that if an agent isn't on Preditors and Editors site that they are okay — I know that's what I thought. But a clueless agent can do just as much if not more damage, because it takes you that much longer to figure out how inept they are. If you are also new to the business, there's so much you just take their word on.
My bad agent wouldn't submit to multiple houses, told me to write in Courier 12 point — thereby bloating my ms by fifty pages a whack, had me send hardcopy mss to him/her "just in case an editor didn't want it sent as an attachment," and didn't think negotiating was "polite" so demanded I take the (very low) advance offered for the one thing he/she sold — because otherwise no one in the industry would want to work with me.
The agent is still out there, happy little website, signing people.
RUN! Run like a citizen of Tokyo fleeing Godzilla!
My BadAgent didn't want to submit multiply either. He also said, "It's not professional to follow up." (After months had passed since his only contact with the editor.) I had to hound him to do either of those things. When we were inches from a deal and the publisher suddenly withdrew it, he refused to make a phone call to find out why. "I don't want to irritate them," he said. Why? What's going to happen–we might get rejected?
Because of my Bad Agent, other agents didn't want to touch that manuscript afterward because it wasn't fresh. He derailed my career by a couple of years by doing what your agent is doing. RUN!
Falen says:
ugh. I'm stressed out just reading that post and these comments.
I wish we could get the names or at least initials of these agents so we won't waste our time & careers with them, but I know J likes to protect her peers…talk about AGENT FAIL!
Very helpful post, thank you.
As far as I can tell, agenting is one of the few completely unregulated professions. There's no requirement – no education, no credential, no licensing. Any one who wants can hang out a shingle and say they are an agent. There's also little accountability.
That said, if I ever get an agent, I will thoroughly research them first. I will also insist on meeting them in person prior to signing for representation. Randomly querying people and signing with someone you've never met just strikes me as dangerous – especially if you plan to have a long-term career in writing.
I imagine that it's so enticing to finally have an agent say 'yes' that people just jump at it. And I bet I'll feel the same. But hearing stories like this makes me want to move much more slowly and thoughtfully.
Oh, that's not to say there aren't agents out there that I truly respect and would love to work with. But they may not choose to work with me, so I might be searching outside the agents I know.
But in dealing with the reality of the situation, I'll be careful.
Vivi Anna says:
Always do your homework on an agent before you sign with them.
Talk to their other clients, ask questions about hwo they work, for example, how they send out submissions.
And when you get an offer, talk to the agent on the phone, and have a list of questions to ask. If and only if they answer your questions to your satisfaction do you sign with them.
It's your career, take control of it right from the beginning.
You are in the driver's seat. You are the boss.
writergrrrl says:
There are wonderful resources out there for writers regarding bad-apple agents: Preditors & Editors, Victoria Strauss's awesome website, and the AbsoluteWrite board.
But the best resource is ourselves. We need to take control of our careers and educate ourselves so we know what a reputable agent looks like: Even a new agent should have a solid background, either working as an assistant to a reputable agent or working previously as an editor at reputable publishing house. They should have a list of sales to publishers you've heard of, not micro-presses or vanity presses. An agent who offers representation should be willing to share his/her client list with you, so you can contact them and ask questions.
I think the best protection is to not allow ourselves to become so desperate, we miss the signs and red flags.
I met a wonderful Agent at an expensive conference. In less than five minutes, I gave my pitch as was told to send a submission package. I politely e-mailed the Agent every month with a request as to the progress of my submission package. After almost six months, the agent admitted they couldn't find the submission package, please send it again.
Within a week, I was told my manuscript would be too difficult a sell at this time, thank you very much.
I was devastated and wonder about Agents in general at this time.
Gwen Hayes says:
There is nothing inherently wrong with new agents. Sometimes the fresh perspective and "fire in the belly" makes for a really good match. A new agent has more time to devote to their smaller client list, and often they are more willing to take chances.
What isn't okay is an untrained new agent.
If I were to walk into McDonald's right now, I'd need to be trained to work effectively. I'd need someone with experience to show me the ropes, how to use the headset, how to make sure I didn't kill someone by serving them undercooked food, etc. An agent should have training credentials too. An ongoing relationship with a mentor, an internship at a credible agency, and experience and education in the publishing world. These are things that can be sussed out during the interview phase…but being new doesn't mean not being really good.
Marsha Sigman says:
I think agents are held accountable for their actions. The word gets out soon enough, they can't get any clients, and it only takes a little research to find this out.
A safe bet would be to only deal with them if they are AAR members.
The Voice says:
My agent (before I learned things on my own) was so bad he directed me away from an editor at Ballantine Books that wanted my manuscript. Story on my blog. I have spent years backtracking.
Donna Lea Simpson says:
OMG, ruuuun!
My bad agent story (many years ago): After one rejection, she quit the business! Quit. After one rejection! Yikes.
Can't stress enough… do the homework *before* you sign with an agent! Know his/her track record of sales.
Inspirational Sayings says:
Excellent information. The only agent that so far has requested a full from me has a great reputation. Guess I should count my blessings!!
Richard Mabry says:
Thank you for sharing this story. I hope it prevents others from falling into the same trap.
Since I'm fortunate enough to be represented by an excellent agent, it makes it even more distressing to see stories like this. I echo the advice already given by others: run like the wind.
I'm wondering if your questioner ran the name of this agent on the Predators and Editors site.
Krista G. says:
Wowsers. Just goes to show that no agent is better than a less-than-awesome one.
To previous commentors — the problem with publishing the names of "Bad Agents" as opposed to "Agents that are doing Illegal Things" is that one is criminal, (kickbacks for referring to edit sites, charging reading fees for ms they don't read, etc…), the other is not.
I had an agent dump me after I complained about her lack of response — she never returned emails, didn't submit work, if she did submit it, she refused to follow up on subs. Editors had my ms for over six months, but she was put out when I asked if she'd nudge them. I found out after I left that she'd treated many writers this way. It wasn't just me.
BUT, she also has big clients, and has had big sales. So, clearly, those clients are happy with her. Which client would you believe? The one with a quarter of a million dollar book deal or the one who can't get her emails returned or work sent out?
There's three sides to every story. Two sides and the truth.
Steph Damore says:
Well said writergrrrl–writers are the best resource, as are awesome agent blogs such as this one.
You don't just want any agent, you want the right agent. Remember, you're the one doing the hiring.
Anonymous 11:33: Unfortunately, stuff like that happens sometimes. It's frustrating, but you just have to keep going. Don't pin all your hopes on one agent. Keep querying (and if you don't get any bites after 10 or so queries, revise it). Don't grant an exclusive unless you feel it's absolutely necessary (and if you do, put a time limit on it). Don't expect personalized rejection letters. Do expect that some agents won't respond at all. It took me about 20 queries until I got an offer of representation. I know many writers who queried 50 or more agents.
Most important of all is to KEEP WRITING. Good luck!
"It took me about 20 queries until I got an offer of representation."
You mean 20 different drafts of the same Q letter, or you only had to send the same letter out 20 times before an agent offered representation?
Oh, sorry. I didn't explain that very well. I sent out 20 query letters (same query) to 20 agents. I actually sent out the letters in small batches to make sure the query was working–so I didn't query 20 agents at the same time. More like 6 at a time. Several requested partials, a total of 6 agents requested fulls. (Some of those full requests came after the agent had reviewed the partial.) Out of those full requests, one agent offered representation. (The book didn't sell, but that's another story.)
Probably more than you wanted to know!
Josin L. McQuein says:
I have to say I agree with the "Run" suggestions.
It's good you recognized the red flags before too much time passed (and too much damage was done). The good news is that if she hasn't been doing multiple subs, then the MS is probably still viable.
Get a list of who she's sent it to (to give to your next agent) and get out now.
Jemi Fraser says:
You always give such good, clear-headed advice 🙂
"I met a wonderful Agent at an expensive conference. In less than five minutes, I gave my pitch as was told to send a submission package. I politely e-mailed the Agent every month with a request as to the progress of my submission package. After almost six months, the agent admitted they couldn't find the submission package, please send it again.
11:33 AM, January 12, 2010"
Actually, your story is different from the OP. And your conclusion (that all agents are bad) is quite faulty. This doesn't tell us that the agent is bad. Agents, especially last year, had a record number of subs due to the economy driving more people out of their jobs. You were just one of many and good agents do lose those submissions in their huge slush piles. They don't usually have the resources to follow up on all the emails asking how's my submission doing.
It took them over five months to catch up (not at all unusual for slush+, which is what you were) and when they did, your manuscript did not strike them as something they could sell.
That doesn't mean you aren't a good writer, or that another agent wouldn't like your work. It means you didn't do your homework. With all the resources on the web for free now, you should have queried several agents and not stop at one.
Writing is all about rejection. You have to build a tough skin, get over it, learn. Think of it as basketball. If you're knocked over by another player, you don't cry. You get up and try to shoot another basket.
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Posts Tagged ‘Frank Wilson’
Home » Frank Wilson
Philly Inquirer praises “Evolution of Desire”: “an extraordinarily vivid portrait of a man … an ingenious travelogue of his life and thought.”
Saturday, July 7th, 2018
René Girard in conversation in 2008. A screenshot from our Youtube book trailer.
Kisses and billets-doux from the City of Brotherly Love! More warm words for Evolution of Desire: A Life of René Girard, this time from the Philadelphia Inquirer. The reviewer is Frank Wilson, the esteemed paper’s retired book editor and notable blogger. He begins the piece, “Evolution of Desire: René Girard, a man in full,” this way:
The Wikipedia entry for René Girard describes him as a historian, literary critic, and philosopher. It’s a good start. Girard, who died in 2015 at 91, ventured into many disciplines. And Cynthia Haven’s Evolution of Desire is an ingenious travelogue of his life and thought.
It’s a short review (under 800 words), so I won’t excerpt too much. You can read the whole thing, after all, right here. He concludes (spoiler alert!):
Haven’s book, in fact, is something of a marvel. She knew Girard and got to know his friends and colleagues. She guides the reader along the trail of evidence, sketching deftly those she talked with and showing how she arrived at her conclusions. The result is an an extraordinarily vivid portrait of a man admired not just for his intelligence and erudition, but also for his character, wisdom, and humor. Let us give him the last word on what he referred to as “the so-called système-Girard”:
“What should be taken seriously … is the mimetic theory itself — its analytical power and versatility — rather than this or that particular conclusion or position, which critics tend to turn into some creed which I am supposedly trying to force down their throats. I am much less dogmatic than a certain reading of my work suggests.”
Order at Amazon here. Please.
Tags: Frank Wilson, René Girard
Were the 1950s really that bad?
Friday, November 21st, 2014
The 1950s have taken a bum rap for years. You remember the 1950s: women were locked in their houses and forced to bake apple crumble and change diapers while men took their hats and briefcases to the office. Everyone was repressed, and unable to express their Innermost Selves. No one had any fun at all.
People forget how close the West came to losing it all. Had Hitler avoided a few military blunders, we might all be speaking German right now. Believe it or not, many men and women were happy to beat their swords into ploughshares and devote themselves to the virtues of peace. Being a riveter, though doubtless empowering, was not that much of a career enhancer. For kids, especially, it wasn’t a half-bad era. You had a pretty good chance of growing up in an intact home with the same parents, and children could walk to school safely and attend classes without gunfire. W.H. Auden, T.S. Eliot, Elizabeth Bishop, and Robert Frost were still alive and writing poems, and the Partisan Review was in its prime. Was it that much worse than the 1930s, the 1910s?
Two recent reviews over at Books Inq seem to reinforce my sense that the era has been much maligned. The book at hand is Paul Johnson‘s Eisenhower: A Life – a biography that’s 134 pages long, including the index. The Times Literary Supplement review said of Johnson: “His zesty, irreverent narratives teach more history to more people than all the post-modernist theorists, highbrow critics, and dons put together.”
My colleague Frank Wilson reviewed the book here, in the Philadelphia Inquirer:
“As recounted in Eisenhower: A Life, a new brief biography by the British writer Paul Johnson, the life of Dwight David Eisenhower was one of steady, uninterrupted success – five-star general, supreme commander of Allied Forces in Europe during World War II, 34th president of the United States, elected twice, both times by landslides, and still popular when he left office. Heck, just a year before he died, he hit a hole-in-one on the golf course.
“Yet one feels sad when one finishes Johnson’s book. Not for Eisenhower, but for the country he served so well.
“A joke making the rounds as his presidency neared its end told of the Eisenhower doll: You wound it up and it did nothing for eight years. But we could use plenty of that nothing these days. As Johnson points out, Eisenhower gave America nearly ‘a decade of unexampled prosperity and calm. The country had emerged from the Korean War and the excesses of McCarthyism. Inflation was low. Budgets were in balance or with manageable deficits. The military-industrial complex was kept under control. . . . Thanks to Ike’s fiscal restraint, prices remained stable and unemployment only a little more than 4 percent. …’
Maybe not such a loser, after all.
“Had he heard the joke about the doll, Eisenhower probably would have laughed, at least to himself. ‘He seems to have found it convenient and useful,’ Johnson writes, ‘for people to get him wrong. He chuckled within himself.’
“So, at the time, the all-too-conventional wisdom had it that he was inarticulate, not too bright, lacking in cunning, and lazy, preferring to hit the links and leave the business of government to subordinates. His critics, Johnson writes, got things exactly wrong: ‘Ike was highly intelligent, knew exactly how to use the English language, was extremely hardworking, and very crafty. In practice, he made all the key decisions, and everyone had to report to him on what they were doing and why.’ Like any genuine leader, Eisenhower did not insinuate. He issued commands. He led from above. … One in particular might find it interesting to learn that during six of Eisenhower’s eight years in office, both houses of Congress were controlled by the opposition party.”
Another one here by reviewer John Derbyshire, who seems to have suffered a sort of crush on the biographer once:
“In his 1983 book Modern Times, Paul Johnson made a point of talking up U.S. presidents then regarded by orthodox historians as second-rate or worse: Harding, Coolidge, Eisenhower. He wrote:
Eisenhower was the most successful of America’s twentieth-century presidents, and the decade when he ruled (1953-61) the most prosperous in American, and indeed world, history.
The real Bruce Cole
“The goal of political leadership is to secure for one’s country, so far as circumstances will allow, the things that most ordinary citizens wish for: prosperity and peace.
“On that score, Ike did superbly well. America’s 1950s prosperity glows golden in the memory of us who witnessed it, if only from afar. Peace? Paul Johnson draws a withering comparison between Ike’s masterly 1958 deployment to Lebanon—’the only American military operation abroad that Ike initiated in the whole of his eight years at the White House’—and the Bay of Pigs misadventure of the vain, shallow John F. Kennedy in the following administration.
“Discounting as best I can my partiality to P.J.’s prose, I’m convinced: This was our best modern President.”
Postscript on 11/24: Another country heard from! Not everyone agrees with the resurrection of Ike – below, Nevada blogger Bruce Cole elaborates on the comments he made Saturday. (Coincidentally, a Bruce Cole is a member of the Eisenhower Memorial Commission – this is not the same guy.) Colleague Bruce, who blogs over at A Citizen Paying Attention, disagrees with the reviews about Ike – but he concurs about the silliness of lumping cultural trends into decades – and don’t get me going on how much of the 1960s happened in the 1970s. Here’s the important part: he tells me he shares my enthusiasm for Czesław Miłosz.
Cynthia has been kind enough to ask me to elaborate a little on my hasty early Saturday morning comments about Eisenhower and the 1950s (two subjects, though they overlap).
Maybe not so hot after all.
First, I mentioned John Lukacs‘ review of several books about Ike. The review ran in Harper’s in 2002 and was collected in the anthology of his writings, which I cited. He makes several points about the (again, two) subjects of Cynthia’s original post. Many of the characteristics of the 1960s (or things we associate so easily with that decade, or things we bemoan as happening since the Good Old Days) began in the 50s: the decline in our manufacturing and our savings, the deterioration of our cities, the net outflow of gold from the United States, the increasing problems of our public education system, the demotion of jazz as our most popular music, the “sexual revolution,” etc. The point is not that these were the fruits of Eisenhower’s presidency. Rather, they remind us not to indulge in a false nostalgia about an arbitrary set of years (a nostalgia whose mirror image is, of course, the 50s as staid, awful, and repressive).
Now, about Ike. Eisenhower (who, as a general in 1945, telegraphed Marshall Zhukov assuring him that the Americans wouldn’t reach Berlin before the Russians) came into office with talk about rolling back Communism, as opposed to the “cowardly containment” (Nixon’s words) of Truman. I am hard put to see where this ever happened. We did watch as Hungary (having been covertly encouraged by us) got tromped on in 1956. Lukacs has written often, and persuasively, about the chances in the years just prior to this when the West could have taken advantage of relative Soviet weakness to negotiate some kind of genuine rolling back of Soviet dominance in Eastern Europe (Churchill, no softy, kept urging this course on Eisenhower). Even then, they removed themselves from Austria, forsook a naval base in Finland, recognized West Germany, etc.
All of that is as may be. Ike did not keep the “military-industrial complex under control.” The defense budget tripled throughout the fifties. Our military presence expanded all over the globe, including places where there was little or no Soviet threat. He fortunately did not intervene in Indo-China in 1954, but then there was little chance the US would. The Lebanon incursion in 1958 was an absurdity. The Korean truce of 1953 established what had been the status quo for about two years (nothing wrong with that, but it was no great accomplishment). Finally, there is that Bay of Pigs thing – all pre-packaged by Ike and the CIA for his successor, complete with “intelligence” assurances that a popular uprising against Castro would take place. So, “vain, shallow” JFK followed suit. Hmm, is there any reason to believe Richard Nixon would have fared better? No.
He’s happy with the reviews, anyway.
Then there is McCarthy. Ike did not work McCarthy’s destruction, but kept silent while various Senators in both parties prepared censure in the Senate. It also should never be forgotten how Ike kept silent while McCarthy repeatedly slandered Ike’s patron, General Marshall.
Much of the above I owe to Lukacs’ analysis (which I again urge everyone to read) with a few embellishments of my own and no apologies from me at that score! Let me add something, though, on our two, inter-related subjects.
The origins of Eisenhower’s rehabilitation go back, in no small measure, to an article Murray Kempton wrote in the 1960s (!) for Esquire with a title something like “The Underestimation of Dwight D. Eisenhower.” (Kempton was a great journalist, but when he went off the beam, look out!) The arguments were repeated by Garry Wills a few years later in an otherwise perceptive book, Nixon Agonistes. I think this was, in part, the reaction to “Camelot,” which spawned, of course, a multitude of anti-Camelots. We have a difficult time taking our presidents plain, anyway, and the contrast of the two in terms of age and “glamour” with LBJ following them, and Vietnam thrown into the mix, made it well-nigh impossible.
That leads me to the other subject (which actually I am more interested in). I, too, despise, “decade-talk.” Of course, the 50s were not simply the Age of Conformity and Repression. But notice how the nostalgia some people express for that time merely turns that idea inside out. I think this is the nub of the matter. So many of our debates occur between people who agree on terms and wouldn’t know a tertium quid if it hit them full in the face. That is why our “culture wars” have such staying power. Beyond the real issues, it is easy to sign up for a Line, a set of attitudes, a collection of loves and hates. Which, finally, is why the “bad” 50s will never go away as a cliché – but it is hardly alone in that.
Tags: Bruce Cole, Dwight Eisenhower, Frank Wilson, John Derbyshire, Paul Johnson
Jacques Barzun: “I am a liberal, a conservative, and a socialist”
He avoided the political fray. (Photo: Harper Collins)
Jacques Barzun died two weeks ago, on October 25, at age 104. I’m only starting to think about it. The New York Times described him as “the distinguished historian, essayist, cultural gadfly and educator who helped establish the modern discipline of cultural history and came to see the West as sliding toward decadence…”
“Mr. Barzun was a man of boundless curiosity, monumental productivity and manifold interests, encompassing both Berlioz and baseball. It was a life of the mind first cultivated more than a century ago in a childhood home outside Paris that became an avant-garde salon.” He published his “most ambitious and encyclopedic work” at 92.
Barzun largely created the field of cultural history, which his biographer Michael Murray describes as “an all-inclusive synthesis: not only kings, battles, laws, and statistics, but also habits, beliefs, influences, and tendencies, in art and literature, manners, morals, science, and religion, and the social setting in which these were found.”
Murray’s comments about Barzun arouse my envy. He writes: “it is hard not to be dazzled by a man who, during a four-week period in 1953, read and reviewed André Malraux’s Voices of Silence and The Letters of Franz Liszt, edited the galley proofs of his book God’s Country and Mine, adapted them into articles for the Atlantic Monthly and Vogue, gave speeches on campus and at a Partisan Review banquet, reworked four lectures for publication, and offered a broadcast on WNYC. All this, mind you, apart from his teaching and dissertation duties.” Ah well, as Barzun himself wrote in The House of Intellect (1959): “The intellectuals’ chief cause of anguish are one another’s works.”
Now here’s the reason I’m going over all this. Like many Americans, I found this year’s elections a dispiriting process. I find the slagging matches between sides depressing, the gloating and the defensive justifications wearying, and the whole reduction of complicated thoughts and reactions into political labels outdated and simplistic. So Frank Wilson of Books Inq sent me this quote from Barzun:
“In short, the market – like the state, like any institution – has its limitations, as severe as the state’s. Consequently, each device must be controlled by intelligence and adapted to circumstance. For my part, I am a liberal, a conservative, and a socialist, each dogma applicable to some necessary activity.
“I imagine, in fact, that the triple label applies to most people. Very few want the fire department a private concern; and again most people are communists within the family circle, at least until the children are grown up.”
Common sense, as Voltaire observed, is not so common.
Postscript on 11/9: What fun! The recipient of the letter quoted above has come forward in the comment section below. Christopher Faille, an author and a contributor to Forbes, has lots more on his website, Jamesian Philosophy Refreshed – more excerpts from their correspondence here, and a consideration of Barzun’s affinities with William James is here. “I’m trying to do some curatorial work, getting my letters from this great man into proper order with a commentary giving context. I believe Columbia University archives are the proper ultimate destination for the material,” he writes. Thanks for the heads-up, Christopher!
Tags: André Malraux, Christopher Faille, Frank Wilson, Jacques Barzun, Michael Murray, Voltaire, William James
Brodsky, Miłosz, Wilson, and me on “a big problem”
A few stable points
Over at When Falls the Coliseum, columnist Frank Wilson‘s latest column, “We Need Techniques, Not Rules,” riffs on a few lines from my introduction to An Invisible Rope: Portraits of Czesław Miłosz.
I wrote:
When I interviewed him at his legendary Grizzly Peak home a decade ago, I asked him about “être” and “devenir.” He dodged the question: “My goodness. A big problem,” he said.
After some hesitation, however, he elaborated.: “We are in a flux, of change. We live in the world of devenir. We look at the world of être with nostalgia. The world of essences is the world of the Middle Ages, of Thomas Aquinas. In my opinion, it is deadly to be completely dissolved in movement, in becoming. You have to have some basis in being.”
“In general, the whole philosophy of the present moment is post-Nietzsche, the complete undoing of essences, of eternal truths. Postmodernism consists in denying any attempt at truth.”
Frank’s take on this is somewhat different than my own – read his thoughts here.
For my money, “être” is simply what we are, apart from fashions and superficial imitations. What T.S. Eliot called “the still point of the turning world” can be a cop-out from the obligations imposed on us by choices, by the past and future. I like the simplicity and lack of wriggle room in Miłosz’s hallmarks: “être” is characterized by a respect for a hierarchy that exists outside of time, and hearkens to a few stable points in history. Miłosz used, for example, Joseph Brodsky‘s annual Christmas poem as the poet’s fixity, loyalty, and “respect for some stable points.” (I reviewed the posthumous volume of Nativity Poems here.)
Miłosz’s whole oeuvre is, from one angle, about precisely that, about “être.”
True confessions: Miłosz referred to “être” and “devenir.” But I could very well have used the alternate term he used, and perhaps used more frequently, esse, a word that retains all its Thomist resonances. The editor in me got persnickety about pairing French with Latin, but I wonder if he would have preferred the Latin term.
Oh well. Time to demur. As I wrote: “Then he retreated to his initial reservations: ‘In truth, I am afraid of discussing this subject. The subject needs extreme precision. In conversation, it’s not possible.’” Miłosz would have responded, of course, with a poem.
(My 2000 interview with the Nobel laureate was published in the Georgia Review here.)
Postscript on 9/14: Hey! A nice review in Choice here. Excerpt:
The umbilicus of recollections delivers the poet to posterity. This collection is a must for everyone aspiring to know Miłosz and his work. Summing Up: Highly recommended.
Tags: "joseph brodsky", Czeslaw Milosz, Frank Wilson
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Newspapers, advertisers, and book reviews – cont.
Wednesday, August 31st, 2011
A few days ago, I posted about “The future of book reviewing and one cranky man.”
I wrote about the absurdity of newspapers expecting book review sections to be supported by advertising from the strapped book industry: “Of course, sports sections aren’t asked to support themselves by the advertisements of sports stores or the manufacturers of catcher’s mitts, so this standard has always been unevenly applied.”
In the comments section, medievalist Jeff Sypeck asked:
Is there a reason newspaper executives have behaved as if the ads in a book-review section could only be for books and publishers and similar literary/cultural products? Is it a lack of demographic info about book buyers for the ad sales people to tout? The unwillingness of, say, tire manufacturers to advertise alongside reviews of novels? A belief that the book section ought to be free of commercialism? Mere tradition or habit?
Frank Wilson at Books Inq. explained the simple demographics of newspaper advertising succinctly: “the point is that a book section would attract more readers to a newspaper – even a lot of people who watch baseball read – and the more readers you have, the more advertisers you get.”
Not a reader anyway
Literary people read lots of things besides great literature and book reviews – they’re more likely to read newspapers in general. As Jeff has pointed out before, that’s a much better bet than trying to get stoners to read. Said Frank:
Newspapers flap their wings hoping to attract young readers by reviewing pop music, but those (theoretical) young reader don’t care what newspapers think about what they’re listening to. I certainly didn’t care that the local pop music reviewers thought little of Elvis when I was in high school. I also wouldn’t have cared if they’d thought the world of him.
But the experience of listening to music is fundamentally different from the experience of reading. Readers want to know what others have to say about what they have read. It’s an extension of the reading experience. Reading about the music you have heard is not an extension of the listening experience.
Maybe if more newspaper executives did some reading of their own, they would understand.
More comments followed. Jeff again:
Your last point reminds me of how for more than 15 years, the Washington Post has been trying to lure young people with reviews of video games and hip-hop concerts, apparently misunderstanding how many outlets are already devoted to discussing those subjects with greater affection and thoroughness. Time has shown them to be unlikely and unsuccessful ways to lure new readers to old media.
More comments at Books, Inq. here.
Tags: Frank Wilson, Jeff Sypeck
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Newspapers, advertisers, and book reviews – cont.
The most beautiful words in the English language. And the nominations are…
For Frank in Philly.
“I’ve always been fond of lavender,” said Frank Wilson of Books Inq. That was his nomination for the most beautiful word in the English language. (Earlier nominations here.)
Others chimed in on my Facebook page:
Agustín Maes voted for murmur, also, florid.
Artur Sebastian Rosman was full of ideas: noctilucent, donut, iris. Donut? Doesn’t he mean doughnuts, at least? (Artur, get something to eat.) He also favored “TSE words like chthonic.” TSE is T.S. Eliot – of haruspicate fame (which always sounds like a man clearing his throat, not prophesying). “Filiation is also a lovely word,” Artur added.
“My favorite word of all time and by far the liveliest in any language is…. vivificantem.” Well, as he noticed, that’s not really English; it’s Latin. So it shouldn’t count.
Marianne Bacon quarreled with Deshoda, the blog that started the contest: “I think that list on Deshoda (whatever that is) is a bit silly. How about Chestertonian words, or Jack Lewis words- like woodsmoke, or pipe, or fireplace, or snow, or Christmas, or pudding, or child. Or elf, or lamppost, or courage.” But the contest isn’t for words with pleasant context or associations, but beautiful sounds. “OK, inglenook.” I thought, at first she meant the wine – but no, inglenook is “a chimney corner, is a small recess that adjoins a fireplace.”
Jim Erwin wrote: “prestidigitation and Terpsichore are good examples of fingerpoia and feetpoia.” Wait a minute, he made those last two up.
Daniel Rifenburgh made half a nomination – Sussurus…
From Edward Haven yielded to my entreaties: “I’ve started to like Giraffe, but I have to agree nothing compares to authenticity.” A son after my own heart.
Erën Goknar is “SO glad you mentioned the much-maligned [Edgar Allan] Poe and his bells!”
Finally, Sarang in my comments section offered “a little stream-of-consciousness: myrtle [in my fancy a portmanteau of myrrh, squirt, and turtle], scavenger, flounder, interred, fever, recalcitrant, splay, stray, splatter, vespers, pageant, expunge, effulgent, excrescence, gun, cleave, hew.”
Jeff Sypeck favored shorter-is-better:
My first impulse is to go with big, fun-to-say words like tatterdemalion, but I don’t think many of our little Anglo-Saxon words get enough credit for euphony: Read. Comb. Sleep. Yore. Soft little words can be beautiful, too!
Postscript on 7/15: A few more suggestions –
Joe Loya: Efficacious; ventriloquy; or supple. I love the way they look, sound, and their flexibility in application.
Another one from Artur Sebastian Rosman: Reconciliation is overused and under-practiced, but what a beautiful word.
And a few late nominees from Patrick Kurp: incarnadine, philtrum, wan, atrorubent, flange .
Tags: Agustín Maes, Artur Sebastian Rosman, Dan Rifenburgh, Edgar Allan Poe, Frank Wilson, Jeff Sypeck, T.S. Eliot
More on “taking responsibility” and other hackneyed phrases
(Image adapted from the Tumblr this isn't happiness, via ffffound)
My call to arms a few days ago (“Orwell watch #9: ‘I take full responsibility for...'”) was picked up by Andrew Sullivan in The Daily Beast – here. The passage he highlights:
I suspect the phrase “take responsibility for” is actually a journalists’ invention, and people like Weiner picked it up from the media, rather than his heartfelt intentions. As George Orwell said in “Politics and the English Language,” this one could be “killed by the jeers of a few journalists.” I call out to journalists everywhere to jeer this phrase out of existence – unless it really means taking responsibility, the way I “took responsibility” for, say, raising a child, by paying for her upbringing, nursing her through illness, attending back-to-school days, and preparing dinner every night.
Sure would be nice if we could we could drive this phrase into late-night comedy, wouldn’t it? This expression has been due for the slaughterhouse since the IRA mayhem in the 1960s, and has made its small contribution to dulling our sense that words have meaning, and are meant to convey our feelings, thoughts, and intentions – not conceal them.
Language fails
Meanwhile, the post generated some interesting conversation over at Frank Wilson‘s Books Inq. I was singled out, rightly, for a little criticism from Art Durkee: “Calling [Osama] bin Laden‘s death ‘liquidation’ is also pretty Orwellian, it seems to me. Let’s call a spade a spade: it was a retaliatory political assassination. But then, a great deal of political euphemism is and always has been Orwellian.”
Liquidation is indeed a strange term – did he dissolve into water? “Liquidation” sounds like the final sale at a failing bookstore, anyway. A colleague corrected me when I said “murder,” arguing that murder was a legal term, calling for the prosecution of the murderer. One is at a loss – what neutral term can one say nowadays? Osama bin Laden’s “offing”?
Art’s p.o.v.:
“I don’t think there is a neutral term. I think you have to call an assassination what it is.
I think we have to be honest when murder is murder, and not whitewash it. (The best argument, for example, that I’ve heard against the death penalty is that it means that murder is criminalized for anyone to commit except the state.) Similarly, assassination needs to be called what it is, and acknowledged as the political tool it has always been, sanctioned or otherwise.
History may show if this particular sanctioned assassination (sometimes called a ‘sanction,’ or ‘termination with extreme prejudice’) was the right and good thing to do. Lots of people are claiming that already, but they’re also ignoring what making someone into a martyr can do. It’s a tricky call, and those who set policy ought to lose sleep over it.
But that’s the whole pattern that Orwell pointed out, isn’t it: the neutralization of language into mechanical, denatured, unemotional, technical terminology that allows one to deal with humans as dehumanized. Turn people into inhuman statistics, and you can sleep at night when you talk about ‘collateral damage,’ or ‘friendly fire,’ for example. Do that kind of neutralization of language enough, and you dehumanize yourself as well, Orwell warned.”
And so did Mark Twain, in ‘The Way Prayer.'”
Tags: Andrew Sullivan, Art Durkee, Frank Wilson, George Orwell, Osama Bin Laden
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on More on “taking responsibility” and other hackneyed phrases
You see? Just like I said… Nicholas Carr thinks so, too.
We're still stupid, he says
“I think as a society we’re choosing information overload: we’re choosing to sacrifice the more meditative and contemplative aspects of our minds.”
I wrote on just this subject a few days ago, in a post entitled “Are We ‘Outsourcing Our Brains to the Cloud?’” – then I ran across the latest from technology writer Nicholas Carr, who appears to agree, as shown in his comment above. His latest book, The Shallows, discusses what he fears the Internet is doing to our brains. It’s sold 50K hardbacks in the U.S. alone – that’s real books, with paper pages.
Carr, the blogger behind Rough Type and the author of the controversial Atlantic article, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” got his first PC back in the 1980s and was an avid net user until “a few years ago, I noticed some disturbing changes in the way my mind worked. I was losing the ability to concentrate.” According to the AFP article:
While the Internet has enormous benefits in delivering incredible amounts of information at incredible speed, it’s also a distracting and interruption-rich environment.
Carr said it encourages quick shifts in focus – and discourages sustained attention and the ability to think deeply and creatively about one topic and to challenge conventional wisdom.
Carr concluded, “We take in so much information so quickly that we are in a constant state of cognitive overload.” He added that “multitasking erodes cognitive control. We lose our ability to say that this is important, this is unimportant. All we want is new information.” However, when we open a real book with real pages, “there’s nothing else going on except words on a page, no distractions. It helps train us to be deep thinkers.”
Over at Books Inq., my previous column generated a few comments. Frank Wilson hoped we could find a sort of middle way: “I think the problem is real, at least potentially. I just think we may be making too much of it. I have noticed, now that I have returned to work, that my memory is sharper for some reason. I think may be we just have to make some time to do things the old-fashioned way, things like memorizing poems. The way we still make bread, though we can buy it at the store.”
I hoped so, too. But so far, Carr hasn’t had much success:
Carr admitted he himself has not had great success in limiting the time he spends online. But the biggest change he made as a writer and researcher was to use the web only to track down source material.
“Then I’d make an effort to actually read those things in print. I did find that made a big difference in my ability to be attentive and a thorough reader and hopefully a deeper thinker.”
But Carr said it was not just a matter of individual choice. If friends, colleagues and employers were constantly on line, “then you feel in many ways compelled to do so even if you don’t want to, because you don’t want to damage your career or your social life”.
Tags: Frank Wilson, Nicholas Carr
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on You see? Just like I said… Nicholas Carr thinks so, too.
Are we “outsourcing our brains to the cloud?” asks Bill Keller.
Bill Keller, executive editor of the New York Times, recently let his 13-year-old daughter join Facebook – my goodness, how had he stopped her before then? Within a few hours she had over 170 friends, “and I felt a little as if I had passed my child a pipe of crystal meth,” he admits.
This launches him on a meditation of our times. The column appeared last week, but in my travels I hadn’t gotten a chance to post a few words about it – nor have I had time to read all the comments, many of which are nuanced and excellent. It’s worth a look if you missed it.
Frank Wilson over at Books Inq. put this under the heading “More Complaining,” but I’m not so sure that’s the whole story. I’ve made the same lament, and it’s not simply a curmudgeon criticizing the kids of today – I’ve noticed my own inability to concentrate without an every-five-minute squirt of dopamine from Twitter or Facebook … and yet, and yet, how else would I have met Arthur Sebastian Rosman, had not someone suggested our introduction on Facebook? (Actually, he had translated one of the essays in An Invisible Rope: Portraits of Czesław Miłosz, but he was just a name at the bottom of the page, back then.) I keep up with family, friends, and colleagues on Facebook, just as I rely on various news aggregators for news, and blogs for off-the-beaten track news. Moreover, I’ve downloaded Henry IV, Part 2 onto my new Droid.
Yet I find it harder and harder to memorize a short poem. Heavens, I find it harder and harder to read a short poem. I find it harder and harder to get into that slow, reflective space where I can think long thoughts. Keller writes:
As we became accustomed to relying on the printed page, the work of remembering gradually fell into disuse. The capacity to remember prodigiously still exists (as Foer proved by training himself to become a national memory champion), but for most of us it stays parked in the garage.Sometimes the bargain is worthwhile; I would certainly not give up the pleasures of my library for the ability to recite Middlemarch. But [Joshua Foer’s Moonwalking With Einstein] reminds us that the cognitive advance of our species is not inexorable.
My father, who was trained in engineering at M.I.T. in the slide-rule era, often lamented the way the pocket calculator, for all its convenience, diminished my generation’s math skills. Many of us have discovered that navigating by G.P.S. has undermined our mastery of city streets and perhaps even impaired our innate sense of direction. Typing pretty much killed penmanship. Twitter and YouTube are nibbling away at our attention spans. And what little memory we had not already surrendered to Gutenberg we have relinquished to Google. Why remember what you can look up in seconds?
Robert Bjork, who studies memory and learning at U.C.L.A., has noticed that even very smart students, conversant in the Excel spreadsheet, don’t pick up patterns in data that would be evident if they had not let the program do so much of the work.
Basically, we are outsourcing our brains to the cloud. The upside is that this frees a lot of gray matter for important pursuits like FarmVille and “Real Housewives.” But my inner worrywart wonders whether the new technologies overtaking us may be eroding characteristics that are essentially human: our ability to reflect, our pursuit of meaning, genuine empathy, a sense of community connected by something deeper than snark or political affinity.
The most obvious drawback of social media is that they are aggressive distractions. Unlike the virtual fireplace or that nesting pair of red-tailed hawks we have been live-streaming on nytimes.com, Twitter is not just an ambient presence. It demands attention and response. It is the enemy of contemplation. Every time my TweetDeck shoots a new tweet to my desktop, I experience a little dopamine spritz that takes me away from . . . from . . . wait, what was I saying?
The irony, the irony … I found the column because of an online news aggregator, and I read it on an Apple screen. Now I am blogging about it.
OK, Frank. Call me grumpy.
(I’ll be in a literal cloud in 12 hours, back to the U.S.A., after spending a lot of zlotys and a lot of time getting 20 pounds of books from my travels into the Polish mail today.)
Postscript on June 3: By now everyone knows that Bill Keller has stepped down as executive editor. Apparently, NYT staffers had to intervene in his hate-hate relationship with Arianna Huffington and the new social media. Could that be part of the reason why?
Tags: Arianna Huffington, Arthur Sebastian Rosman, Bill Keller, Frank Wilson, Joshua Foer
Bad book reviews = great sales?
The conventional wisdom in the book biz has always been that any publicity is good publicity — and a spectacular, jeered-at failure is a better option than a quiet, well-respected success reviewed only in the Journals That Count. Even more so now, when the biggest risk is that your book will float away in the receding tsunami of seasonal offerings.
This Stanford study by two business professors confirms the conventional wisdom — to a point. Bad reviews can dramatically boost sales for obscure and up-and-coming writers. They don’t help the famous.
“Any publicity is not always good publicity, as the old adage goes,” Wharton’s Jonah Berger told the Stanford Daily. “But there were also cases where even negative publicity seemed to help sales, so it was interesting to think about when it helps versus hurts.”
The study, co-authored by Berger and Stanford’s Alan Sorenson, first examined a 2001-2003 dataset of weekly national sales for 244 fiction titles reviewed by The New York Times. The size of sale spikes in the week following the release of each book review showed that positive publicity benefited all titles and the bad publicity only helped lesser-known and obscure authors.
The second part of the study looked at how bad publicity impacted well-known and obscure books over time. Subjects looked at glowing and nasty reviews for a well-known book by John Grisham and then reviews for an invented title.
Those who read bad reviews of well-known books were less likely to buy the book. Negative reviews of unknown books, however, did not affect whether or not the subject was likely to purchase it.
“Let’s say you’ve got bad publicity or bad press on one of your new brands,” Stanford business professor Baba Shiv said. “On one hand, it’s making your brand look familiar, which is associated with positive emotion and at the same time, it’s eliciting negative emotion towards the brand, which comes from the bad publicity.”
As mediabistro explained:
The studies depended on emotional “decay rate”– how quickly an emotion (both good or bad) fades away. Stanford business professor Baba Shiv explained: “In the case of a well-known brand, the familiarity is already there … the decay rate of negative emotion will be much slower.” (Via Sarah Weinman)
The key point was that familiarity with the authors helped everyone, and familiarity was such a strong positive that it dissipated much more slowly in consumers’ minds than the bad taste of a critic’s diss. But the well-known books and authors already had the boost of familiarity — so the bad reviews could only hurt.
Read it here if you want to figure it out better than I have.
Of course, I wonder who is classifying a review is good or bad — most are kind of mixed, aren’t they? And for myself, I’d much rather read a interesting failure — a profound book that failed in some key way, than a very well-reviewed lightweight book. And name recognition is measured … how?
For another take on reviewing, read about Owl Criticism (hat tip, Frank Wilson). Charles Baxter takes on amazon-type online reviews, accusing them of “Owl Criticism”: “With Owl Criticism, you have statements like, ‘This book has an owl in it, and I don’t like owls.’”
Frank’s reaction to Baxter is worth reading, too: it’s here.
Tags: Alan Sorenson, Baba Shiv, Charles Baxter, Frank Wilson, John Grisham, Jonah Berger
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Dustin Haisler
e.Republic
Dustin Haisler is the Chief Innovation Officer for e.Republic. As the finance director and later CIO for Manor, TX, a small city outside Austin, Haisler quickly built a track record and reputation as an early innovator in civic tech. A member of Code for America’s original steering committee, Haisler pioneered government use of commercial technologies not before used in the public sector – including Quick-Response (QR) barcodes, crowdsourcing and gamification. In 2010 Haisler launched Manor Labs, a website that let residents submit their own ideas and vote other peoples’ ideas up or down. The most popular suggestions went to city officials for review and possible implementation. Haisler looked to the private sector to help broaden the adoption of these and other civic innovations, joining California-based Spigit as director of government innovation. While at Spigit, a company that makes crowd-sourcing and innovation management software, Hailser helped design and deploy innovation programs for New York City; Bogota, Columbia; and even part of the space program (through NASA’s Langley Research Center).
Notably, Haisler helped design and launch one of the first government open innovation programs in the United States in 2010, which received global recognition as a new model of citizen engagement and innovation. Among other first-in-nation innovations, Haisler architected a Crowdsourcing Master Land Use Plan (Harford County, MD) and patented a crowd-based business process (Crowd-as-a-Service). Named a Government Technology Top 25 Doer, Dreamer and Driver in 2009, his work has been featured in Wired, Fast Company, the Wall Street Journal, Inc. and the Today Show on NBC. An in-demand speaker, he has given two TEDx speeches – one on Disrupting Government (TEDxAustin) and the other on Disrupting Education (TEDxLivermore).
As Chief Innovation Officer, Haisler has a strategic role to help shape the company’s products, services, and future direction. Primarily, he leads e.Republic Labs, a market connector created as an ecosystem to educate, accelerate and ultimately scale technology innovation within the public sector.
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Def Min compliments Army for professional handling of Dokalam standoff
Article Posted on : - Oct 11, 2017
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Chief of Army Staff, General Bipin Rawat, during the Army Commanders' Conference in New Delhi on Tuesday. A PIB photo
NEW DELHI (PTI): Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has complimented the Indian Army for its professionalism in handling the Dokalam standoff and other challenges such as containing insurgency in the northeastern region.
In an address to the top commanders of the Army on Tuesday, she said enhancing capacity of the Army was a major focus of the Government and promised close monitoring of improving strategic infrastructure.
"She conveyed admiration of the nation for the professionalism of the Indian Army during events like Dokalam standoff, response to natural disasters and keeping the situation of insurgency in the North East states fairly under control," the Army said in a statement.
On the second day of the week-long commanders conference, the top brass of the Army deliberated on a broad range of operational issues, including security challenges along the borders with China and Pakistan.
In her around half-an-hour-long address, the Defence Minister also referred to her visits to the forward areas and called the meeting with the troops as "eye-opening".
Sitharaman said keeping morale of forces at the highest level was among the priorities of the Government.
Welcoming Sitharaman, Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat told the commanders about the extensive travel undertaken by her to forward posts including Siachen.
"He also expressed pleasure on the fact that Sitharaman had already travelled extensively in border areas of the North-East and also across the border in Tibet," the Army statement said.
When asked about Rawat's comment about her visit across the border to Tibet, an Army spokesperson later said Sitharaman has extensively travelled in Tibet before taking over as Defence Minister and the reference was about that.
Sitharaman had visited various forward areas along the Sino-India border, including Nathu La in Sikkim, on Saturday.
The Defence Minister said modernisation of the Army was a priority for the Government and that all the "deficiencies" will be addressed to strengthen its combat capability.
Sitharaman also assured the Army commanders that all service related matters will be resolved. In this regard, she talked about long pending force modification requests, welfare of serving army men and their families.
Listing her top priorities, Sitharaman said integration of the armed forces was essential particularly in the domain of training, communication, logistics and cyberspace for preparation for any future conflict.
"She called upon Indian Army to continue leveraging its strength in diplomatic defence cooperation with neighbourhood and in the region," the Army said.
The Northern Command, the Central Command and the Western Command made presentations on Tuesday on a range of issues having a bearing on the field formations of the Army.
In its presentation, the Northern Command highlighted the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
Defence Minister Indian Army Commanders Conference Doklam Security India
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Read the report online or download the report and executive summary
The Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine is a diverse coalition of Maine-based organizations that have embarked upon a multi-year public health campaign to phase out the long-lived toxic chemicals that build up in the food web and our bodies. Alliance members include:
Environmental Health Strategy Center
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We believe that all Maine people have a right to a healthy environment where we live, work and play.
We envision a future free of exposure to harmful chemicals in our air, water or food.
We want our children to grow up healthy with every opportunity to thrive.
We seek to build a healthy economy that provides good jobs producing clean products and services.
We are proud of all that’s been accomplished so far toward a clean and healthy Maine.
This report is a collaborative effort of the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families coalition, a campaign dedicated to protecting American families from toxic chemicals. The report incorporates a significant body of peer-reviewed science on chemicals and health. Download the report.
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ACHM Announcements - 10/19/2009. Please Take Action For Chemicals Policy Reform In The U.S. Please help the Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine deliver a message to Senator Snowe and Senator Collins.
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WABITV5 - 10/19/2009. The State of Maine is leading the way on clean chemicals and a safe environment for kids. That is why a group showed up at the office of Senator Olympia Snowe in Bangor this morning.
Activists Deliver Post Cards To Senators' Portland Offices
ACHM Announcements - 10/19/2009. Video clip of activist speaking at rally.
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WGME 13 TV - 10/19/2009. A coalition of environmental and consumer groups gathered in Portland Monday with a message for Maine's senators - keep toxic chemicals out of our bodies.
'Sea Change' On Inerts Disclosure
Inside EPA - 10/15/2009. EPA has sent for White House review a pre-rule notice for its planned rulemaking to increase public disclosure of inert ingredients in pesticides in an effort “to effect a sea change” in how the information is made public.
OMB endocrine directive draws industry cheers, enviro jeers
E&E Publishing - 10/15/2009. The Office of Management and Budget has instructed U.S. EPA to use existing toxicity data rather than require companies to conduct new tests to determine whether chemicals can damage the human endocrine system.
Farm Workers and Allies Ask Gov't to Protect Kids From Toxic Pesticide Drift
Common Dreams - 10/14/2009. The public interest law firms Earthjustice and Farmworker Justice filed a petition today (PDF) asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to set safety standards protecting children who grow up near farms from the harmful effects of pesticide ‘drift' - the toxic spray or vapor that travels from treated fields. The groups are also asking the agency to immediately adopt no-spray buffer zones around homes, schools, parks and daycare centers for the most dangerous and drift-prone pesticides.
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Arwa Damon
CNN’s Arwa Damon to Receive 2017 James W. Foley Humanitarian Award
CNN senior international correspondent Arwa Damon (@arwacnn) will receive the 2017 James W. Foley Humanitarian Award, it was announced today by the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation (JWFLF).
Damon is being recognized for both her compelling reporting from conflict zones and compassionate advocacy for children impacted by war through International Network for Aid Relief and Assistance (INARA), the non-profit organization she launched in 2015.
JWFLF will also honor Delphine Halgand, U.S. Director of Reporters without Borders, with the James W. Foley American Hostage Freedom Award, and independent conflict journalist Emma Beals with the James W. Foley World Press Freedom Award on May 1 at the second annual James W. Foley Freedom Awards dinner in Washington, D.C.
Following the 2014 murder of her son, American conflict reporter James Foley, Diane Foley launched the JWFLF to continue Jim’s legacy by support work in three areas: American hostage advocacy and hostage policy research, the protection of independent conflict journalists, and the education of the public and university students on these silent crises.
“James was one of us, so this is an incredible – and quite personal – honor,” said Damon. “I’m grateful to Diane and the Foundation for their commitment to continuing the important work James started.”
Foley said of Damon and Beals: “They are truth seekers like Jim. They both risk their lives to bring us authentic images and stories from conflict zones. They have witnessed much of the suffering imposed on civilians amid the world’s conflicts, and the toll on fellow journalists and humanitarian workers who have dared to care.”
Arwa Damon / Awards
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Black Marketeer
133 year old Vampire
5 ft. 5 in. ❤ Complicated
played by MJ
Full Name: Just Ishmael these days, though he was born Ismail Zahir, and has used many variants and false identities over the years. He’s still trying to make “Zulfiqar” happen. It hasn’t caught on yet.
Nickname(s): --
Birthdate: 2nd February, 1756
Occupation: Black Marketeer
Blood Status: Vampire. When human, was a halfblood - father was a muggle, mother a muggleborn witch.
Residence: Splits his time between the vampire caverns, forbidden forest, and London.
Hogwarts House: n/a
Wand: Never got one.
Family: Hassan Zahir | Father | Muggle
A South Asian sailor, Hassan, like many other lascars, wound up stranded at an English port city thanks to all the navigation acts that limited the employ of non-English crews and prevented sailors returning home. He died of influenza in 1767.
Anne "Lascar Annie" Zahir née Smith | Mother | Muggleborn Witch
Nicknamed "Lascar Annie" for marrying one of the men in her parents' boarding house and taking over its running when they died, she was a woman of little education and a large heart. Ishmael never found out what became of her.
Darya Zahir | Sister
Ava Zahir | Sister
Yousef Zahir | Brother
Reza Zahir | Brother
His siblings were all younger, and some of them sickly, and when he later returned to Liverpool, there was no trace of any of them.
He was always quite short and scrawny, just about scraping 5'5", with skinny limbs and a thin face. He has dark hair and equally dark eyes, and permanently dark circles under them. His skin, once brown, is now much closer to grey, nearly colourless, even when he has fully slaked his thirst. Turned just before he turned twenty-three, the visible onset of death has added the appearance of perhaps a few more years, but he's looked very much the same since. He has always been rather smiley, though now smiling also bares his fangs. He has a fair few scars and some bite marks on his body, most prominently from the vampire who turned him. Though he's worn all sorts of costumes over the years, in Hogsmeade he dresses primarily in dark robes and cloaks, and occasionally muggle clothes, some sleek and some shabby, depending on where he's obtained them. Sometimes he tries, intentionally, to be more intimidating, particularly in front of humans, but he rarely pulls off 'scary' successfully. Don't ask him why, he hasn't seen his reflection in over a century.
Ishmael is a pretty 'go with the flow' kind of guy, and tries to take things in his stride, even when the thing is becoming a vampire. He has never really been bitter about it, and surprised himself by just how well he adjusted to being a monster - although he doesn't really think he's too terrible, since he tries very hard to be good and get his blood where it'll cause the least harm. He's also a chatterbox, and persistently seeking human (though not just human!) connection, because otherwise life would be dreadfully lonely. That said, he doesn't trust figures of authority, particularly not the Ministry, and finds himself far more at home with people if they're just a little shady too. Ishmael's personality is fairly chipper and colourful for someone long undead, and being undead has given him a new lease of freedom and possibility: if he'd just lived his life away, he'd probably have died in America in the war in his twenties anyway, poor and inexperienced and uneducated and tragically ordinary. By now, he's had a wealth of experiences, and regularly feigns stories of even more outlandish things. He's full of tales and fake backstories for himself that he plays out with a flourish, though he's too much of a scatterbrain to remember what exactly he tells people, so it doesn't take a genius to see straight through him.
REPUTATION EXPLAINED: Whilst he doesn’t go around killing people willy-nilly - so could, on the whole, be worse - he has too many shadows in his past (and present) to register with the Ministry, and has extensive connections to the black market to boot.
CHILDHOOD | 1750s - 1760s
Ismail is born to a lascar sailor and his wife living in the poverty-ridden port area of Liverpool in the middle of the eighteenth century. Ismail grows up with his father's stories of his home and sea adventures and his mother's tales of her sole year at Hogwarts. He shows signs of magic himself - disturbances, strange situations, odd little tricks - but the family are in no state to send him to school. There are already more than enough mouths to feed, with four younger siblings, and just after Ismail turns eleven, Hassan passes away from a nasty bout of influenza. Instead, Ismail starts working young. Then, at sixteen, he joins the crew of a merchant ship going in and out of port in Liverpool. A few years later, British tensions with America escalate to the point of full-blown war.
AMERICA | 1770s - 1780s
The last time he sees home - as an ordinary human being - is in 1777, at the age of twenty-one, just before he gets swept into the war efforts. At first, he is just working on a ship trading into New York; eventually, the ship is decommissioned and Ismail finds himself stranded across the world, and is roped into the British war efforts on soil. Not as a proper redcoat, of course (the British army, struggling as it is to fend off the combined efforts of the Patriots and the French, still has certain standards of class and Britishness to keep to, at least for appearance's sake), but even Ismail - though by then, most people who meet him anglicize his name to Ishmael on instinct - is involved in a scrap or two. Just before he turns twenty-three, in early 1779, he is doing some dodgy trading in the (post-fire) ruins of what had been New York's disreputable "Holy Ground", when he is attacked by a creature: a vampire, he later learns. He knows this, because he is now one himself.
After a messy first few meals (messy in all the bodies he leaves behind), Ishmael flees from the city out to the forests, where he scavenges for food, if you like. Admittedly, it isn't all that difficult to come across bands of smugglers, privateers and civilian militia, though it is something of a shame to have to murder them. He would have happily fallen in with some of them, if he hadn't been - well, so thirsty for blood. Fortunately, however, war has its merits, and one of those is the availability of fresh corpses scattered across the fields of New England. Having discovered a little more control (control and a clear head come far more easily when he is sated with blood, who'd have guessed), Ishmael becomes a nocturnal vulture of sorts, orbiting the battlefields for his own kind of carrion. Plenty of soldiers die on both sides (he's hardly picky, at this point, has no stake in the war either way) - and he helps a few more to heaven, putting people out of their misery when they probably won't otherwise survive their injuries. Being riddled with bullet holes or bayonet wounds means no one pays much attention to punctures on their necks, anyway, although it does give their blood an extra dash of metallic flavour.
He's not wholly disgusted by what he is, he decides eventually. It's not something he would have become willingly, but still - he's seen enough of death already to have a fraction of quiet gratefulness for getting to evade it. It isn't too long before Ishmael stumbles across another couple of his kind, vampires with a similar idea to him, and he bands together with a few of them, hanging around the forests of revolutionary America for a time. The arrangement dissolves eventually when they begin to fight amongst themselves. Ishmael doesn't stick around, just takes that as his cue to leave.
FRANCE | 1790s - 1805
He entertains the thought of going home, though knows he can't, really, not like this. So the ship he boards lands in France, and France, intended as a mere stopping point, becomes his destination for lack of another. He lurks around the countryside for a while, but apparently the revolutionary fervour has swept back across the Atlantic, and France is trying out the fit of a republic for itself. Ishmael, who could care less, nonetheless makes his way to Paris: a side effect of revolution is people dying, after all. Things turn towards "the Terror", as it is later christened, with the guillotine's glint in the air and blood in the streets. Plenty of blood. Convenient. The people may be starving, but Ismael certainly isn't. (Bit weird when they don't have heads, mind.)
THE NOMADIC LIFE | 1805 - 1878
He can't stay in the same place forever, not when he's trying to keep a low profile, hide what he is in front of muggles and avoid the more prejudiced wizards, all while not visibly ageing, not being able to go in the sunlight, sucking people's blood and breaking laws left, right, and centre. That means murder, first and foremost, when he slips up on his careful diet, but that's not the only thing - fraud, smuggling and theft are common activities too. (If you've killed someone, after all, you might as well rob them too.) For the next chunk of a century, Ishmael never settles anywhere too long, but this does give him the opportunity to see some of the world. Some situations are more glamorous than others. He tracks revolutions in Europe for a while longer: sees a bit of Greece; educates himself, learns languages and history, takes an interest in fashion and art and at play-acting a rich young man, off on his Grand Tour, just for the fun of it; tells people he met Polidori once and proved the inspiration for The Vampyre. Upon travelling to India - remembering his father's old stories - he heads out to the Indian Ocean with a whaleboat crew for a while (this is not the good idea it seems at the time: ships have, er, a limited blood supply, and most don't take kindly to you snacking on the crew).
His visits back to Britain are few and far between. When at last he returns to Liverpool, it is 1842, and nothing is quite the same. He can't find any evidence of his family: certainly, he oughtn't have expected his mother to be waiting for him, but there seems to be no trace of his siblings or their lives around, and no one who can tell him. He doesn't want to dig too deep in the magical community, either, lest he bring undue attention to himself, but he doubts that Hogwarts have record of any Zahirs attending. It would have been a comforting thought to know there was some family out there, even if they didn't know him, but...
HOGSMEADE | 1880s
When he gets tired of wandering aimlessly, he falls in with some vampires who lurk around in a seedy magical part of London in the 1870s, and weaves some connections into his life by dabbling in the black market. By now Ishmael is old enough to be fairly practised at interacting with humans - and he rather likes to, wait for it, suck up to the other vampires - so he helps out younger vampires here and there by acquiring blood for them. He eventually slinks off to Hogsmeade, following the magical migration there, and finds new connections in the slums and new company of his own kind in the vampire caverns. He avoids the Ministry where he can, seeing no benefit to having them on his back; it comes as no surprise to him when anti-halfbreed sentiments rear their head again - people do like to squabble about everything, don't they? Ishmael, meanwhile, just wants to enjoy a carefree life afterlife, thank you very much.
YOU LIKELY KNOW...
❧ He goes by false names and keeps to the shadows of the slums, the forbidden forest, and London's underworld, but you may well notice that he's a vampire.
YOU MIGHT KNOW...
❧ That he's not registered as a vampire with the Ministry.
❧ About his black market connections.
YOU DON'T KNOW...
❧ The whole truth about his life and afterlife; he tells far too many half-truths, stories and outright lies for people to have it all straight.
❧ Bisexual as hell.
Played By: MJ
Contact: PM Elias Grimstone
Plot Preferences:
Networking: http://charmingrp.com/showthread.php?tid=813
Registration Date: April 1, 2018
Date of Birth: February 2
Local Time: July 16, 2019 at 1:09 PM
Last online: June 29, 2019 – 8:40 PM
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Like, I don't care 100% of the time, but... very often... I get nitpicky about words and whether I can justify using them in a VE setting, even if they're not part of a post's dialogue or anything. Cue many etymology detours for accuracy purposes.
This tends to be particularly hard with Ishmael, because although he's from the mid-1700s he is one of the more modern voices in my head ???? So it's a constant struggle.
/currently crying with joy that I can use the word suckers in its slang definition, the earliest wiktionary quote is from 1728
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Ishmael's Signature
Default Charming 2.0 --Winter Wonderland (Banner by Té) ----Once Upon a December (Banner by Bee) ----Memories (Banner by Bree) ----Tis the Season (Banner by MJ) --A Study in Sage (Banner by MJ) ----Gears of Change (Banner by Lady) ----Sweet Dreams are Made of This (Banner by Bree) ----Streets of Old (Banner by Lady) ----Hocus Pocus (Fall '18; Banner by Nolan) ----Sweater Weather (Fall '18; Banner by Té)
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Venezuela and Leopoldo Lopez one month later: Democratic resistance continues
Unjustly imprisoned since February 18, 2014
Over the past month the student movement and the democratic opposition in Venezuela have demonstrated the power of nonviolent resistance before a regime that is attempting to establish a totalitarian dictatorship. Leopoldo Lopez has described what is taking place as "Maduro's coup against democracy."
Chacao demands freedom for her son Leopoldo Lopez
The Maduro government has demonstrated its dictatorial tendencies utilizing paramilitary groups known as "colectivos"in collaboration with the Bolivarian National Guard to beat, torture, shoot and kill students in an effort to impose control through terror or at the very least provoke a violent response from the student movement in order to justify its own heightened repression. Maduro and his Castro allies have failed. They have only succeeded in turning greater parts of the Venezuelan population against them.
10 of the 30 killed since #12F in Venezuela protests
In a non-violent struggle there are moments that highlight the power of nonviolence and are both historic and emblematic. One such moment took place a month ago when Leopoldo Lopez leading a mass demonstration of hundreds of thousands proclaimed his innocence, the illegitimacy of the Maduro regime, and its politicized legal system then turned himself over to the authorities.
But before that he laid out the case for the ongoing fight for freedom in Venezuela:
Perhaps there was a silence for a time. Leaving unclear the why of this whole fight. This fight is indeed for our youth, this fight is indeed for the students and for those who have been repressed, this fight is indeed for those who have been imprisoned, but this fight brothers and sisters, is for all the people of Venezuela, that is suffering today, is suffering making lines, is suffering scarcity, the youth have no employment, they have no future, because of the wrong model, for a model that is not implemented, but exported from other countries, that has nothing to do with the brave people of Venezuela, and that we together brother and sisters, have to be clear that we have to build an exit to this disaster. That exit brothers and sisters must be nonviolent, it must be within the constitution but it also has to be on the streets. Because we no longer have in Venezuela, we no longer have in Venezuela, a free media to express ourselves. If the media is silenced let the street speak loudly. Let the people speak, and may the streets speak with peace and with democracy.
Leopoldo also explained the reasoning behind turning himself over to a regime whose legal system he views as illegitimate:
I am now about to proceed to go towards the squad where the National Guard is to turn myself in. I am going to do it. I thought about it a lot. I'd like to let you know that these past few days, I had a lot of time to think, analyze, listen to the radio, watch TV or read what I haven’t for a while, speak with my family, and the option I had was to leave the country, but I will never leave, never. The other option, was to stay hidden in secrecy, but that choice could leave doubts among some, including some who are here now that we have something to hide. We have nothing to hide, I have not committed any crimes, I am not a criminal, I do not have to hide, then the other option is to turn my self in, and I ask you, and beg you with my heart, that when I pass by and turn myself in, that you keep calm, we have no other option. I do not want any more violence or confrontation, so I ask for your understanding, for your organization and your discipline.
The imprisoned democratic opposition leader issued a Resistance manifesto that begins with the recognition that:
"Today no one can say that what there is in Venezuela is a democracy. The authoritarian, repressive, and criminal reaction to the protests have been a blow to freedom that leaves no doubt that we live in a dictatorship. A dictatorship that has been incubating for years, that no one can fail to see and recognize."
Leopoldo began a public dialogue with Pope Francisco in a letter sent to His Holiness a day prior to the Venezuelan democrats imprisonment which stated:
"I have taken the audacity to write these lines because I am convinced, as millions in Venezuela , that your voice , your guidance and your blessing to our people at this time can make a profound impact on the next destination of our country."
Over the course of the past month from his prison cell Leopoldo has called on Venezuelans to take to the street nonviolently to exercise their civic freedoms in nonviolently protesting the unacceptable practices of the Maduro government.
Tonight despite a heavy military presence and continued violence by the "colectivos" Venezuelans are peacefully in the street exercising their rights.
Demonstration in Venezuela on #18M
Posted by John Suarez at 11:00 PM
Labels: #18M, Cubans, democratic, Leopoldo López Mendoza, Maduro, Nonviolence, resistance, Venezuela
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Firefox 3 Wins Memory Battle...
Firefox 3 Is Coming!!!
Aircar...
Nuclear Power?
For The Love of Tennis...
Mozilla Corp.'s Firefox 3.0 browser uses memory much more efficiently than its rivals, according to an independent tester who wrote a memory-monitoring utility to track usage by Firefox, Internet Explorer (IE), Flock, Opera and Safari. Read more...
Firefox 3 Memory Benchmarks and Comparison
by Sam Allen
Web browser performance is an often talked-about and flaunted thing, but many claims are not really backed up by solid evidence. I wrote software that collected millions of data points over 14 hours of actual browsing time, and this article reveals my findings. Read more...
Categories: benchmark, browser, firefox, memoy, software
Today is Firefox 3 Download Day!
Firefox 3 has now more than 15000 improvements which makes it faster, safer and smarter than before. Lets help Firefox 3 get the Guinness World Record for the most software downloaded in 24 hours.
According to the Firefox Twitter, Firefox 3 will be released at 1.00am Malaysia time, so when that time hits, download away!
Download FireFox3
Categories: browser, download, firefox, software
it had risen to almost US$130 (RM427.70) a barrel and analysts were predicting it would continue to rise up to US$200 (RM658) a barrel...
Worry not! The AIRCAR is coming!!! No need for petrol or gas anymore!
Check these cars!!!
Aircar 1
Categories: Aircar, automobile, info, oil
A stranger was seated next to a little girl on an airplane when the stranger turned to her and said, 'Let's talk . I've heard that flights go quicker if you strike up a conversation with your fellow passenger.
The little girl, who had just opened her book, closed it slowly and said to the stranger, 'What would you like to talk about?'
'Oh, I don't know', said the stranger. 'How about nuclear power?'
'OK'. she said. 'That could be an interesting topic. But let me ask you a question first. A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat grass, the same stuff. Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow turns out a flat patty, and a horse produces clumps of dried grass. Why do you suppose that is?'
The stranger thinks about it and says, 'Hmmm, I have no idea.'
The little girl then replies... 'Do you feel qualified to discuss nuclear power when you don't know Sh*t?'
My new weapons... ;)
My two "big balls" he he he...
Categories: ball, rackets, sports, tennis
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Five things we learned from Miami’s 70-3 win over Florida A&M
September 4, 2016 2016 season, Football, Matt Porter.
Brad Kaaya celebrates with Joe Yearby during Miami's 70-3 win over Florida A&M. (Allen Eyestone/The Post)
It was a typical opener. An FCS opponent was in town to take a loss for a paycheck, with the home team going up big, a bunch of newcomers seeing their first action and the starters cheering them on from the sideline late in the game.
Wait, no. This was not at all a typical opener.
It sure felt a lot different in Miami Gardens on Saturday, the first game of the Mark Richt era. here are five things we learned from a dominant 70-3 win over Florida A&M:
[Dave George column: Richt era opens with a bang]
[Video: Richt’s postgame press conference]
[Miami starts three true freshmen at linebacker]
Brad Kaaya celebrates with Joe Yearby during Miami’s 70-3 win over Florida A&M. (Allen Eyestone/The Post)
1. That’s some kind of start. Miami won’t score 70 points every night, so soak in these numbers while you can:
The Hurricanes hung up 70 for the fourth time in program history (and first since Savannah State, 2013, 77-7). It was Miami’s third-most lopsided win (70 points over SSU 2013; 68 points over Fordham, 1958).
At Georgia, Richt never scored 70 points or beat an opponent by that much (66-0 over Troy in 2014).
Miami had three 100-yard rushers in a game for the first time since 1987. A quarter of Brad Kaaya‘s completions went for touchdowns. Miami even blocked a punt for the first time since Nov. 2014.
The dominance was most clear in the third quarter. Florida A&M possessed the ball for 8:40. It gained minus-2 yards. Miami possessed the ball for 6:20. It scored 42 points (a program record, by the way).
Also, for the first game of the Richt era, the fans showed up and stayed. UM announced 60,703 fans, its largest crowd for an opener since Ohio State in 2011 (66,279), the first game under the previous staff. Braxton Berrios said he hadn’t seen the rear parking lots full since Florida State came to town in 2014.
Braxton Berrios said the last time players saw the parking lot that full was FSU 2014 (his freshman year) pic.twitter.com/lKPdC6psOT
— Matt Porter (@mattyports) September 4, 2016
“It really turned the notch up for everyone when we saw that,” he said. “Then, getting off the bus, that was the deepest Hurricane Walk we have ever had. Like I said earlier in the week, we were just ready, we’ve been ready, we wanted to play, we were tired of hitting each other and doing all those things. It was incredible to get out there.”
After, Richt got the game ball. “He’s done so many things for us in the short time he’s been here,” Berrios said.
2. This is a faster team. Yes, it was an FCS opponent, and we’ll see how they look against better outfits. But from the defensive line to the wide receivers, the Hurricanes looked like a much more athletic squad.
Dozens of players trimmed up in the offseason, and it was obvious even despite the disparity in talent between the teams. Gus Edwards (74-yard touchdown run), Joe Yearby (64-yard touchdown run), Mark Walton (37-yard touchdown run) posted career-long rushes, and Berrios had the longest punt return of his career, a 41-yard touchdown. As expected, the defense (15 tackles for loss, three sacks) was much more mobile and aggressive up front than the previous coaching staff wanted it to be.
Miami’s better conditioning was also evident in the lack of penalties (six for 54 yards, 15 of those on a Courtel Jenkins personal foul). The Hurricanes averaged a nation-worst 9.4 for 84.2 yards last year.
“We were tired at times,” said Richt, who noted one or two UM players were cramping in a game played under 88-degree temperatures at kickoff. “Both teams were tired. It was hot. It was muggy…it was warm enough and muggy enough to make it tough. There were times that we had guys fatigued. But they played through it. I know we’re in good condition.”
Brad Kaaya, who turned 21 today. pic.twitter.com/Mu8p46pgLw
3. Kaaya was very good, not great. He departed with 4:04 left in the third quarter after throwing for 135 yards and four touchdowns on 12-of-18 passing, but Kaaya won’t grade out 100 percent for this night. He threw a dart to Chris Herndon for a 16-yard touchdown and executed a perfect fade with Stacy Coley for another, but on UM’s third drive he overthrew both David Njoku and Coley on back-to-back passes before Michael Badgley missed a 33-yard field goal try (another not-great thing, that, though Badgley should be OK).
The Hurricanes worked with short fields most of the night — not including Berrios’ 41-yard punt return touchdown, Miami started nearly as many drives on FAMU’s half of the field (six) as it did on its own (seven) — so Kaaya didn’t have too many deep shots. But Richt said a few passes were behind receivers. Kaaya admitted he could have led freshman Ahmmon Richards better on a pass he dropped.
“I thought he managed the game well,” Richt said. “I thought he got us in the right running game just about every time he came to the running game with the options that we give him. I thought he did a nice job. I don’t think there’s any balls that could have or should have gotten picked, which is big for me.”
Manny Diaz celebrates with Corn Elder after Elder’s interception against Florida A&M. (Allen Eyestone/The Post)
4. How Diaz drew it up. Senior cornerback Corn Elder set the tone with an interception on third-and-11, the third play of the game. Defensive coordinator Manny Diaz sprinted alongside Elder and his celebrating teammates.
“I was just happy,” said Diaz, who was also hoarse from both celebrating and teaching on the sidelines. “It’s a long offseason and you sit around and you visualize this day for a long time. You want the best for your players, a guy like Corn, who we’ve really challenged since we’ve been here, we knew he had to play his best ball for us to have a chance.
“And so for the first third down of the season, Corn to make that play, there are so many different emotions, but the biggest emotion is you’re just so happy for him. If you could dream it up, that’s what you want to happen on that first third down.”
Also celebrating: Miami’s three true freshman linebackers, Shaq Quarterman, Michael Pinckney and Zach McCloud. Quarterman had seven tackles, 2.5 for loss.
“I was more excited than nervous,” he said. “I didn’t have the pregame jitters. Some people may say that’s weird if you don’t have them but I was just excited to tackle somebody else, you know, start the season off right.”
The Hurricanes allowed 197 yards and 2.9 yards per play.
“It’s supposed to be fun now,” Diaz said. “Defense is fun.”
After watching the defenses of the last few years, those words must be like catnip to Canes fans.
5. Big-boy ball. UM’s blocking — yes, against an FCS team — was excellent. Coley and Berrios sold out to spring Richards for his first career touchdown. Yearby, Edwards and Walton had massive holes to run through. “I don’t see that changing,” Berrios said, “as long as we do our jobs.” Another style of block: freshman Pat Bethel blocked a punt that set up Yearby’s first rushing score that made it 14-0.
Fullback Marquez Williams, who was effective, was rewarded with the first pass of the season. He barreled into the end zone from 4 yards out. So let it stand: the first touchdown of the Richt era at Miami was scored by a fullback. We’ll see if the Canes can do this against teams with more than 63 scholarship players, but clearly the plan is to play old-school, SEC-style ball. Miami ran the ball 36 times (to 13 passes) and gained 10.4 yards per carry.
“That’s coach Richt’s offense,” Kaaya said. “Big-time football. Big-time rushing attack.”
Richt after FAMU. First game as Miami coach. pic.twitter.com/kme4H5m8Sc
Elsewhere: True freshman Travis Homer had five carries for 35 yards in his debut (and a fumble). … Grad transfer corner Adrian Colbert had his first career interception on a 50-50 deep ball and returned it 46 yards … Backup quarterback Malik Rosier, in the ballgame for the final 19 minutes, had a weaving, 19-yard rushing score … Demetrius Jackson, starting for the first time, had two sacks, three tackles for loss and five tackles. RJ McIntosh led the team with eight tackles, two for loss. Sophomore safety Jaquan Johnson put up five tackles and a sack. … Coley was asked about the rental-car scandal and said he wasn’t worried about losing his eligibility. “I wasn’t too concerned, because I know what I did,” he said. “I don’t know what happened on that situation, but I’m here now and playing and I owe it to the team to keep pressing forward.”
One thought on “Five things we learned from Miami’s 70-3 win over Florida A&M”
Pingback: Miami Hurricanes football: Matt Porter’s 2017 game-by-game predictions | Canes Watch
Video: Mark Richt’s press conference after Miami-Florida A&M
Mark Richt: Miami Hurricanes cannot be complacent after 67-point opening win
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Braxton Berrios ‘tired of hype,’ but feels Miami Hurricanes can contend for ACC championship
June 29, 2017 2017 season, Football, Matt Porter.
Braxton Berrios looks for running room during a punt return against Appalachian State in 2016. (Getty Images)
[Vote: Which UM true freshman will have the biggest impact?]
[Is 2018 the year it all comes together for Miami?]
[The 2017 Opening, a.k.a. Canes National Recruiting Camp]
He, like many of his teammates, felt the 2014 Hurricanes were on the way up. They won six games.
He, like many of his teammates, felt the 2015 Hurricanes were headed in the right direction. The coach got fired.
He, like many of his teammates, was excited about the 2016 Hurricanes, and he’s thinks this year’s team will be even better.
Braxton Berrios, like many of his teammates, knows that talk is cheap.
Speaking Thursday on WQAM’s Joe Rose Show, the senior wide receiver was asked if Miami can win the ACC Coastal, even with questions at quarterback. UM has not been a conference champion since tying for the Big East title in 2003. Berrios thinks this group, which has added to of one of 2016’s best defenses and a solid group on offense, has the look of a contender.
“Oh, my gosh,” Berrios said. “If it’s not — I don’t know what one looks like if this team doesn’t. Truly. The defense is almost set in place. That front seven, I’d put it up there with some of the best in the country, if not the best in the country. That front seven is great. We have a few more linebackers returning that we didn’t have last year, from injuries. And we have a lot of freshmen that can help us out as well.
“As far as the offense goes, our O-line is as experienced as ever. And we have great skill players. It’s going to come down to the quarterback and how he leads. Truthfully, I believe the hype around this team is well-deserved. But I’m tired of hype, to be honest. I want to go out there and finally do it. And I don’t see why [we can’t].”
Mark Richt‘s arrival, Berrios said, “flipped the switch immediately” on Miami’s fortunes.
“The culture of the team changed, the momentum,” he said. “What he’s been able to do in the short time he’s been here is truly incredible. We feel that as well. The fans get hyped or whatever, but we feel that as well. We feel like we’re on the right path. If we keep doing what we’re doing and chugging away, it’s going to pay off.”
29 thoughts on “Braxton Berrios ‘tired of hype,’ but feels Miami Hurricanes can contend for ACC championship”
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At The Opening 2017, no program will be represented like the Miami Hurricanes
‘He’s really got a cannon’: Miami Hurricanes WR on QB N’Kosi Perry, newcomers at WR, CB
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Nijem, Evelyn C. | 06/23/2023 | San Francisco, CA
Parada, Jeannette | 06/21/2023 | San Francisco, CA
Galimba, Lindy R. | 06/12/2023 | San Francisco, CA
Rahman, Baseemah S. | 06/11/2023 | San Francisco, CA
Scott, Traina | 06/09/2023 | San Francisco, CA
Aragon, Amy | 06/08/2023 | San Francisco, CA
Frank, Ngaly Tuyet | 05/26/2023 | San Francisco, CA
Lalputan, Esther | 05/26/2023 | San Francisco, CA
Baguio, Michelle L. | 05/17/2023 | San Francisco, CA
Adams, Michael A | 02/23/2023 | San Francisco, CA
Buta, Odaya | 02/23/2023 | San Francisco, CA
Li, Angela | 02/19/2023 | San Francisco, CA
Ramos, Lolita C. | 01/31/2023 | San Francisco, CA
Dillon, Brandon Ryan | 01/03/2023 | San Francisco, CA
Ngov, Motoe Kuriyama | 11/18/2022 | San Francisco, CA
Castillo, Venice Lising | 10/28/2022 | San Francisco, CA
Pape, Kimberly N. | 10/26/2022 | San Francisco, CA
Ebalo, Elvie Icban | 10/24/2022 | San Francisco, CA
Martin, Linda D. | 10/22/2022 | San Francisco, CA
Rodriguez, Anjenette | 10/15/2022 | San Francisco, CA
Gamez, Cindy E. | 09/29/2022 | San Francisco, CA
Stanford-Smalley, Tyler Lee | 09/29/2022 | San Francisco, CA
Martin, Linda | 09/27/2022 | San Francisco, CA
Garvin, A. | 09/21/2022 | San Francisco, CA
Quintanilla, Tina | 09/12/2022 | San Francisco, CA
Mackey, L. | 08/09/2022 | San Francisco, CA
Spillane-Vallejo, Kathleen M. | 08/03/2022 | San Francisco, CA
Bacon, L. | 07/11/2022 | San Francisco, CA
Darcy, Maeve | 06/28/2022 | San Francisco, CA
Koski, Baklybrad A. | 06/10/2022 | San Francisco, CA
Lee, Effie Yang | 06/07/2022 | San Francisco, CA
Kramer, K. | 06/05/2022 | San Francisco, CA
Williams, Patricia Renee | 05/30/2022 | San Francisco, CA
Bacigalupi, L. | 05/15/2022 | San Francisco, CA
Dominguez, Maria | 05/05/2022 | San Francisco, CA
Esquivel, Jamie R. | 05/03/2022 | San Francisco, CA
Daggs, Linda M. | 04/22/2022 | San Francisco, CA
Cuellar, Gabriella S. | 04/14/2022 | San Francisco, CA
Felden, Nancy A. | 04/11/2022 | San Francisco, CA
Montes, Kelli Ann | 04/06/2022 | San Francisco, CA
Thomas, Jason C. | 04/04/2022 | San Francisco, CA
Boger, P. | 04/02/2022 | San Francisco, CA
Connors, Maggie L. | 03/24/2022 | San Francisco, CA
Moncada, Cynthia Nayeli | 03/04/2022 | San Francisco, CA
Wallace, Shirley | 02/06/2022 | San Francisco, CA
Porter, Andrew | 02/02/2022 | San Francisco, CA
Vongdang, Nipha | 01/08/2022 | San Francisco, CA
Pechardo, Mysla Azel | 12/24/2021 | San Francisco, CA
Degenhardt, Silke | 12/17/2021 | San Francisco, CA
Lemberg, Alex Berel | 12/17/2021 | San Francisco, CA
Thomas, Malissa | 10/28/2021 | San Francisco, CA
Kaelin, Craig Neal | 10/19/2021 | San Francisco, CA
Rojo, Janet C. | 10/09/2021 | San Francisco, CA
Gutierrez Gonzalez, Yamilet | 10/02/2021 | San Francisco, CA
Brooks, Sarah | 09/21/2021 | San Francisco, CA
Major, Foteche | 09/14/2021 | San Francisco, CA
Hansen, Cris L. | 09/11/2021 | San Francisco, CA
Phan, Quan N. | 07/28/2021 | San Francisco, CA
Wong, Hnin P | 07/28/2021 | San Francisco, CA
Duru, Chukwuma U. | 07/10/2021 | San Francisco, CA
Fung, Irene | 05/14/2021 | San Francisco, CA
Tuifua, Crystel Marcelle | 04/21/2021 | San Francisco, CA
Hauer, Ann | 04/09/2021 | San Francisco, CA
Hays, Michele Katherine | 03/25/2021 | San Francisco, CA
Akin, C. | 03/18/2021 | San Francisco, CA
Alvarez, Bernadette A. | 03/06/2021 | San Francisco, CA
Malik, Haneefa Najeeba | 01/23/2021 | San Francisco, CA
Woods, Walidah J. | 01/15/2021 | San Francisco, CA
Cheng, Florence C. | 12/29/2020 | San Francisco, CA
Suen, Elaine | 12/25/2020 | San Francisco, CA
Wong, Ed | 11/27/2020 | San Francisco, CA
Bridges, G. | 11/24/2020 | San Francisco, CA
Maali, Abdulkarem Mohammad | 11/07/2020 | San Francisco, CA
Wise, E. | 09/17/2020 | San Francisco, CA
Reyes, Antoinette D. | 09/11/2020 | San Francisco, CA
Tran, Hue Diem | 09/10/2020 | San Francisco, CA
Allen, Corrin C. | 08/28/2020 | San Francisco, CA
Jordan, L. | 08/19/2020 | San Francisco, CA
La Vonne, Terry | 08/07/2020 | San Francisco, CA
Ramos, Gabrielle Comia | 08/05/2020 | San Francisco, CA
Rounds, Torcy Reva | 07/20/2020 | San Francisco, CA
Hayduk, Ross Martin | 06/30/2020 | San Francisco, CA
Egan, Danielle | 06/03/2020 | San Francisco, CA
Smith, Christina Marie | 05/20/2020 | San Francisco, CA
Gotelli, Patricia Rose | 05/19/2020 | San Francisco, CA
Price, Marlo Rodgers | 05/19/2020 | San Francisco, CA
Tun, Ma Sandar | 05/18/2020 | San Francisco, CA
Saelaw, Nai | 05/17/2020 | San Francisco, CA
Zhang, Youjia | 05/06/2020 | San Francisco, CA
Shulman-Boyko, Victoria | 04/15/2020 | San Francisco, CA
Whittle, Lola | 03/25/2020 | San Francisco, CA
Li, Yihao | 02/20/2020 | San Francisco, CA
Tabler, B. | 02/09/2020 | San Francisco, CA
Krucker, Eva | 12/24/2019 | San Francisco, CA
Lee, Stephanie G. | 12/24/2019 | San Francisco, CA
Hertel, Catherine Michelena | 11/09/2019 | San Jose, CA
Leong, Kristie Lynn | 10/21/2019 | San Francisco, CA
Rahming, Chanera L. | 09/18/2019 | San Francisco, CA
Zermeno, M. | 08/31/2019 | San Francisco, CA
Chavez, Carina | 08/13/2019 | San Francisco, CA
Arens, Jen | 08/02/2019 | San Francisco, CA
Mac, Irene | 08/02/2019 | San Francisco, CA
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Sara Manzardo, a young married woman connected with the Italian Catholic blog “Cor XIII”, wrote this beautiful letter to the bishops on the occasion of the Synod on youth; it’s appeared on a couple of sites. The translation is mine. She writes:
Now that the Synod has just begun, the media buzz has started too and, looking at what the newspapers report, this synod on youth will be talking mostly about migrants, LGBT, and naturally about premarital sex, because chastity seems to be the main reason why youth
One would think that the ardent promoters of Medjugorje would be overflowing with Christian virtues, given that they supposedly get the benefit of so much spiritual guidance in the form of frequent sermonettes from Heaven: over 1000 messages by now. But some of them responded quite bitterly to the recent interview given by Fr. Manfred Hauke in the “Tagespost” Catholic newspaper in Germany: one Austrian news site headlined its piece “If a ‘Mariologist’ fights against the Mother of God”, presenting attacks from the physician and Medjugorje
The chairman of the German Society for Mariology, Manfred Hauke, looking at the Bosnian pilgrimage site Medjugorje, calls first for a clarification on the question of the phenomenon’s authenticity and then for pastoral answers. By Regina Einig
Q. Professor Hauke, the new Apostolic Visitator to Medjugorje, Archbishop Hoser, has recently determined that the pilgrimage activity in that town in Bosnia-Herzegovina corresponds to the recommendations of the Second Vatican Council. How do you interpret this statement, and how can we place it in context?
Hauke: In his first
This week the bishop of Chur, Switzerland published his guidance for confessors for the implementation of Amoris Laetitia. Here I offer an English translation:
The Holiness of the Marriage Bond:
a word on the post-synodal apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia
Dear confreres in the priestly ministry,
In discussion about the post-synodal apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia, the eighth chapter, with the question about civilly remarried divorced persons, has come to stand in the center. For this reason I am, in my responsibility as bishop, bringing some guidance
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Immigration and the EU Referendum
In my last blog post (Thoughts on the EU Referendum) I quickly skated over some of the immigration issues and was accused by some of not doing justice to the arguments. So let's look a little deeper.
I should start by being clear that my direct personal experience of EU migration has been overwhelmingly positive. As an employer I see the positive side of immigration: young productive people who come here to work, earn money, pay taxes and - in many cases - ultimately return home. The EU migrants that I see couldn't be further from the benefits tourists of tabloid mythology.
I'm well aware that I'm not somebody who is ever likely to perceive myself as competing with migrants for a job and I live in an area that nobody could describe as being "over-run with migrants". Both morally and practically I'm broadly in favour of migration and my personal circumstances are such that that's a reasonably easy position to adopt.
The point I'm making here is that I'm aware that I risk being guilty of confirmation bias, of seeking evidence that supports my preconceptions. So with that potential bias declared, let's look at some practical realities.
First of all we should be clear that the refugee crisis has nothing to do with our EU membership. The UK was able to opt-out of the Schengen free travel area, so we have border controls and passport checks on immigrants coming from EU countries. That’s why there are refugee camps in Calais; the nature of the UK’s membership of the EU is such that we can prevent non-EU migrants from moving to the UK. Remain or Leave makes no difference to that - it won't stop there being asylum seekers desperate to reach the UK and it won't stop us being able to refuse them entry if that's what we choose.
Secondly a vote for Leave is not necessarily a vote to put a brake on EU migration. Both Switzerland and Norway – who are outside the EU – have far higher levels of EU migration (as a proportion of their populations) than the UK. They comply with the EU’s free movement rules, presumably because they consider this a price worth paying for free trade agreements with the EU.
Thirdly - as covered thoroughly by Full Fact - despite the growth in EU migration in recent years, the majority of migration to the UK still (just) comes from outside the EU.
The EU doesn’t stop us addressing non-EU migration, that is fully within our control.
Which brings me to the final point: the net economic impact of migration.
We’re living longer which means there’s upwards pressure on age-related spending such as pensions, healthcare and social care costs. Migrants tend to be younger people of working age who consume goods and services, pay their taxes and are net contributors to the UK’s public finances. Migrants from the EU are far more likely to have a job or be seeking work than those from outside the EU, so are of the "more likely to contribute" kind.
That's the logic, but what about the research to back it up? I've tried to avoid my own confirmation bias and done a trawl of available research which I summarise below (with links to the full reports in case you want to check if I've been selective with my quotes).
The bottom line is that there seems to be unanimity that EU migration specifically (as opposed to immigration overall which includes less economically productive non-EU migrants) is net positive to the UK's public finances. That's not to say that the freedom to fully control our immigration policies with respect to EU countries might not allow us to make immigration even more beneficial to us, but it shows up the argument that EU migrants damage the UK economy to be the populist nonsense that it is.
The Strongly Positive
The IFS: Immigration Limits Won't Lift Britain (June 2016)
"immigration from the EU is good for the public finances. Young people in work contribute, on average, much more in taxes than they take out in benefits and public service spending. [...] Without high net immigration the public finances would be in a worse state. If we were significantly to reduce the number of EU migrants, we would have to borrow more, raise taxes or spend less."
The Economic Journal: The Fiscal Effects of Immigration to the UK (2014)
"Our findings indicate that, when considering the resident immigrant population in each year from 1995 to 2011, immigrants from the European Economic Area (EEA) have made a positive fiscal contribution, even during periods when the UK was running budget deficits, while Non-EEA immigrants, not dissimilar to natives, have made a negative contribution. For immigrants that arrived since 2000, contributions have been positive throughout, and particularly so for immigrants from EEA countries. Notable is the strong positive contribution made by immigrants from countries that joined the EU in 2004."
Centre for Economic Performance, LSE: Brexit and the Impact of Immigration on the UK (May 2016)
"EU immigrants pay more in taxes than they take out in welfare and the use of public services. They therefore help reduce the budget deficit. Immigrants do not have a negative effect on local services such as crime, education, health, or social housing"
Office for Budget Responsibility: Fiscal Sustainability Report (June 2015)
"The migration scenarios illustrate that migration reduces upward pressure on debt over our 50-year projection period"
University College London: Positive economic impact of UK immigration from the European Union (November 2014)
"European immigrants to the UK have paid more in taxes than they received in benefits, helping to relieve the fiscal burden on UK-born workers and contributing to the financing of public services"
The IPPR: Europe, Free Movement and the UK (April 2014)
"The IPPR is clear in saying that free movement within the European Union brings great benefits to all of its member states, including the UK."
The More Nuanced
The OECD: Is Migration Good For The Economy (May 2014)
"Immigrants are thus neither a burden to the public purse nor are they a panacea for addressing fiscal challenges. In most countries, except in those with a large share of older migrants, migrants contribute more in taxes and social contributions than they receive in individual benefits."
The NIESR: The Long-term Economic Impact of Leaving the EU (May 2016)
"there is evidence that EU migration has net fiscal benefits for the UK, and these might counterbalance any positive fiscal impact from repatriating the UK’s net contributions to the EU.26 At the same time, it is at least conceivable that if the freedom to set migration policy were used optimally, then this might have some positive impact on productivity."
The NIESR: The Treasury's Brexit analysis and immigration (April 2016)
"... if post-Brexit the UK chose to adopt a restrictive migration policy - that if it chose to use the newly won flexibility afforded by Brexit to significantly reduce migration – that this would significantly damage the UK economy. However, if the UK adopted a relatively liberal policy – that is if we allowed a substantial increase in non-EU migration to partly counterbalance any reduction in EU migration – that any negative impacts would be mostly mitigated and indeed, if sufficiently liberal, there would even be economic gains"
The Migration Observatory, University of Oxford: The Fiscal Impact of Immigration in the UK (March 2015)
"The evidence suggests that the fiscal impact of migration in the UK is small (less than +/-1% of GDP) and differs by migrant group (e.g. EEA migrants vs non-EEA migrants, recent migrants vs all migrants)."
Migration Watch: The Fiscal Effects of Immigration to the UK 2014/15 (May 2016)
negative contributions by immigrants from the EU A10 group of countries and countries outside the EEA outweighing a positive contribution by immigrants from the EU15/other EEA countries [...] Estimates for the whole immigrant population residing in the UK in the fiscal year to end-March 2015 are that immigrants from EEA countries made a negative contribution of £1.2 billion in the year while those from non-EEA countries made a negative contribution of £15.6 billion, compared to an overall negative fiscal contribution by the UK-born population of £88 billion.
It's worth looking at the Migration watch figures a little more closely as it stand out as being the only analysis to suggest a negative contribution for EEA countries (i.e EU + Iceland, Liechtenstein & Norway).
A quick read of the report shows these figures are based on the "average cost" method - that is public expenditure costs are allocated to migrants whether or not the presence or absence of migrants affects these costs. For example, defence costs are attributed to migrants on a population share basis as are things like medical research and street lighting. Clearly (unless you think we'd cut these budget if we had less migration) this is at best a rather dubious way to look at the figures. Migration Watch deal with this themselves in their own Appendix B where they state
where these expenditures will not vary directly in proportion to the size of the population, a different approach is to say that the cost to be allocated to migrants should be reduced to take account of the fact that the increase in population resulting from migration does not increase these costs to the same extent. This is the marginal cost method.
They say "different", I say "better".
Below is a table summarising Migration Watch's own analysis on both a marginal and average cost basis and - lo and behold - on this more meaningful basis even Migration Watch show EEA Immigrants making a net positive fiscal contribution.
*** UPDATE ***
I'm indebted to Jonathon Portes of NIESR for highlighting the distorting assumption Migration Watch make about business taxes. They use the incredibly pessimistic assumption that immigrants don't make any contribution to business taxes (corporation taxes, business rates, capital gains tax) until they have been in the UK for more than 10 years. As UCL have pointed out, this is counter to their own peer-reviewed, evidence based assumptions. We can safely say that Migration Watch have gone out of their way to paint the worst possible picture of the impact of migration - and even they struggle to show EU-Migrants being anything other than positive contributors to the UK's finances
*** UPDATE ENDS ***
EU migration is not one of the causes of the economic challenges we face, it’s one of the solutions to them.
Labels: contribution, EU referendum, immigration, migration, migration watch
RFE said...
EEA has an emergency break called article 112
The EU ties us into conventions that are out of date and treat economic migrants coming from Turkey as refugees.
What matters is not the size of workforce but productivity. Dunno if you havent noticed but we have machines that feed is and clothe us. We dont need 65m people especially with driverless cars on the horizon.
Eastern Europeans send money abroad so a Pole who gets paid 8 pound an hr is not contributing the same as a UK born citizen.
Never mind eh. Go back to playing golf in your countryside mansion mi lord.
RFE I'll keep publishing your comments so that people can see you for what you are
Ant said...
Switzerland does not comply with free movement rules. They voted in 2014 to reintroducing immigration quotas.
It can be misleading to evaluate based on averages. Are high levels of immigration fair on low-skilled workers?
If you follow the linked article in the blog I'm not sure that's quite right (unless out if date?)
"Swiss voted to introduce quotas on EU migrants from 2017. Such quotas would violate the terms of Switzerland’s free movement treaty with the EU. In fact, the EU has so far refused to agree to Swiss quotas for EU migrants and has threatened to suspend other EU-Swiss bilateral agreements with the country if Switzerland unilaterally imposes quotas"
I usually have great respect for you sir but the faux argument of migrants paying tax is too convenient for many a few points of fact :
1 / Migrants coming here to do the so called work we Brits won't , don't pay tax as the tax threshold and there earnings don't require it and are likely getting tax credits , child tax credits and child benefit , housing benefit etc ! to the tune of £5 billion a year !
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/655145/Brexit-EU-referendum-European-migrants-benefits-tax-credits-British-workers
2 / The refugees within a year are naturalised in Germany and given EU passports some 280,000 or so a year, this is replicated in other EU countries ! Germany (288,800 asylum applications Jan-Sept 2015) , this guarantees free movement to the UK !
http://www.bmi.bund.de/EN/Topics/Migration-Integration/Naturalization/naturalization_node.html
Hungary (175,960 asylum applications Jan-Sept 2015)
http://www.bmbah.hu/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&layout=item&id=77&Itemid=720&lang=en
4 / Around 5 million granted EU citizenship in last five years with 1.5 million coming to Britain !
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/06/13/5million-foreigners-granted-citizenship-in-eu-in-six-years/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/05/12/extra-15-million-eu-migrants-came-to-britain-over-last-five-year/
5 / Notwithstanding we have so called people who represent us not answering you when asked are they comfortable with the EU imposing a 5% vat on the poorest in Britain's energy bills ? Never mind the Tampon tax !
6 / The more of the migration Sturgeon can get and exploit will ensure the type of people do thankful it will gain her dream of independence !
7 / Last year the VAT exemption rate was removed for small businesses due to a change in EU rules with VAT now being paid by order of the EU ,plus our direct VAT to the EU is about �2 billion a year!
8 / Believing reports from the same people who warned of the dangers of leaving the ERM or glorified the case for joining the Euro should be taken with a pinch of salt , plus many of the institutions are sponsored and funded just like the remain campaign by the likes of Goldman Sachs !
9 / Nippy can't argue and warn about the loss of £17 billion in Trade and 200,000 jobs with the EU , then argue differently for the £60 + billion in trade and 1 million + jobs with the UK.
Conclusion I already voted Leave !
Alan Parker said...
I usually have great respect for Kevin Hague but the faux argument of migrants paying tax is too convenient for many a few points of fact :
1 / Migrants coming here to do the so called work we Brits won't , don't pay tax and are getting tax credits , child tax credits and child benefit , housing benefit etc ! to the tune of £5 billion a year !
6 / The more of the migration Sturgeon can bring and manipulate will ensure the numbers to gain her dream of independence !
7 / Last year the VAT exemption rate was removed for small businesses due to a change in EU rules with VAT now being paid by order of the EU ,plus our direct VAT to the EU is about £2 billion a year!
This is true which is why when we leave we work together. Perhaps even with Russia. Lets see what happens when Russia and Norway cut gas exports in the winter. Lets see how negotiations go in a frosty winter.
Stephanie Hog said...
Thank you for the excellent article. I will quote you on baldwinfacts.blogspot.com.
nicholas simpson said...
You write that your examination of some of the literature on migration “shows up the argument that EU migrants damage the UK economy to be the populist nonsense that it is”. I’m afraid this is an Aunt Sally.
I must mix in the wrong circles, because I’ve never heard anyone say migration damages the economy. The argument is rather that, whatever the beneficial effects might be generally, migration harms the poor and the unemployed (many of whom are children and grandchildren of former Commonwealth migrants), and that it puts an unacceptable strain on public services.
It isn’t enough to look only at the tax migrants pay versus the cost of the services they consume. You also have to look at the cost of looking after the people migrants displace from the labour market.
Yet your post on migration doesn’t mention this anywhere. Why not? And two of the quotes you rely on make it clear the studies haven’t considered it either.
“EU immigrants pay more in taxes than they take out in welfare and the use of public services” (that’s the LSE). “. . . migrants contribute more in taxes and social contributions than they receive in individual benefits” (that’s the OECD). No mention of the cost of keeping Brits on the dole (and note here that the OECD doesn’t even include the cost of services used by migrants!)
We’ve talked a lot about confirmation bias. The people who end up working for institutions like the OECD or the LSE are the kind of people who are pro-migration. I guess we shouldn’t be too surprised when they don’t take into account the factors which might make it look as if migration had a downside.
To be clear, migration undoubtedly helps the economy in that it helps keep wages down, wage inflation down and therefore inflation and interest rates down. So the economy can run faster. That’s fine unless you’re one of the people on low wages or who are jobless.
Take a look at UK GDP data. Despite the post-2007 setback it has carried on its upward trend. But GDP per capita has faltered since the Great Migration began in 2004. In other words the UK’s output is not going up as quickly as its population. To put it another way – and this is the question I’d really like to Portes to answer – if every 100 migrants create more than 100 jobs, why do we still have any unemployed? After all, since 2004 the UK has taken on approx 2m migrants. If each created more than one job, two things would have happened. One, wages would have gone through the roof as employers competed for staff. Two, unemployment would have fallen to close to zero. But actually the reverse has happened. Unemployment is still at the same level it was in 2004, and real wages have stagnated.
EU membership does not benefit all. Those it benefits most are the most affluent. Those it harms are amongst our poorest. That’s a shame in all senses of the word.
You are correct, they do not start until 2017.
For business and the economy overall high immigration is obviously a good thing.
But for the general population is this true, or is it accelerating the polarisation of wealth?
Are we building enough houses, school places etc for this net inflow?
Any stats on this would be very interesting. The referendum discussion so far in the media has been very limited.
Alan Parker: what you've done there is list a series of isolated figures and assertions and ignored what happens when you add it all up. A couple Express and Telegraph headlines (that fail to take the wider impact of migration into account) don't persuade me when people who've done thorough analysis draw a different conclusion.
You read the Express and the Telegraph headlines, I'll take my steer from these bodies (who do consider the strain on public services as well):
The Institute or Fiscal Studies (IFS), Royal Economic Society, London School of Economics (LSE), Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), University College London (UCL), Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), Organisation for Economic Co-operation & Development (OECD), National Institute of Economic & Social Research (NIESR). Even, if you look closely at the figures, the anti-mass immigration body Migration Watch.
Nicholas - if you think its an Aunt Sally I direct you to Alan Parker's comment above.
As for your more detailed points: even Migration Watch (expressly anti-mass immigration) agree on the net fiscal benefit of EU immigration - strains on public services are considered in many of these reports - you seem to have not noticed that UK eemployment rate is at a 10 year low - you completely fail to recognise that *if* immigration is the problem you say it is, it's got a lot more to do with non-EU migration than that from the EU.
I think anybody reading your comment can sense where your own confirmation bias is coming from.
Need to forgive me Kevin PC is acting up and my mouse has a mind of its own and clicking and posting when it is not meant to !
Sir I doubt figures obtained by the publications I listed who quote the respected eurostat figures and from official sources are assertions , plus the evidence provided and link from the federal Ministry of the Interior in Germany clearly showing 288,000 naturalised migrants last year and who can now apply for an EU passport and move to the UK !
Migration watch have said this :
" Since 2010 over half of jobs created in the UK economy have been taken by immigrants. On the impact of immigration on average wage levels, the evidence is varied, but there is broad agreement that immigration has harmed the earnings of the most poorly-paid UK-born members of the labour force as well as those in the semi-unskilled service sector.Immigration has been a fiscal cost to the UK Exchequer. Between 1995 and 2011 migrants in the UK were a fiscal cost totalling £160 billion, or over £9 billion a year."
The respected Professor Rowthorn in a The House of Lords report in 2008 said this in regard to the Governments and DWP assertions :
" Professor Rowthorn also disagreed with the clear conclusion the Government has drawn from the DWP study and the previous study by Professor Dustmann. He pointed out that both studies did find relatively large but statistically insignificant effects of immigration on unemployment. He argued that finding effects that are statistically insignificant “does not mean that they are ‘small’, as the authors claim. It simply means that there is too much noise in the system to estimate them accurately” Professor Richard Pearson also warned that studies such as that by the DWP have “severe methodological limitations”
The Migration Advisory committee said this :
" In a DWP report, specifically focusing on the employment impact on UK workers of skilled migrants, the MAC concluded that overall negative impacts were unlikely but it did importantly conclude that there was “repeated anecdotal evidence” of “negative effects” being experienced by UK – born individuals at the local level and in certain occupations, specifically IT "
There is sir a severe problem for over a decade now in UK unskilled and semi-skilled losing out in both the jobs market and the the wage market , which suits those supporting remain as it keeps profits up and costs down and it will only get worse !
The Government can't claim the million + in migrants coming here allegedly doing the jobs we won't are paying tax and paying there way , by definition they do not earn enough due to a generous tax threshold , and a benefit system that allows them to claim tax credits , child tax credits , child benefit , housing benefit etc etc . Notwithstanding the strain on Public service and the NHS especially . If as I surmise they are not paying in then the UK tax take is not rising and neither is the funding to cope in areas of public service and the NHS especially !
Alan, my dear fellow - calm down, you are ranting incoherently and haven't been paying attention.
That migration watch quote? Its all immigrants not EU-immigrants and I cover the their analysis (and flawed "average cost") methodology in the blog - even *they* show EU migrants making a positive contribution.
You're trying to use a "statistically insignificant" observation and "anecdotal evidence" as support for your argument - and continue to fail to differentiate between all and EU migration (we are only voting about our possible controls on the later).
You can rant all you like, you can assert and extrapolate wildly, you can say whatever you need to say to be able to look yourself in the mirror and tell yourself you're not a narrow-minded xenophobe - but your comments betray your true nature
Kevin, you write:
"you seem to have not noticed that UK employment rate is at a 10 year low"
Let's ignore the sneery "you seem not to have noticed". I say migration is causing unemployment to be higher than it otherwise would be. The fact that at last it is marginally lower than it was in about 2005 is absolutely irrelevant to that assertion. I think you probably know this. Another way of looking at is to say we haven’t succeeded in getting joblessness down from its 2005 level. That’s nothing to be proud of.
"you completely fail to recognise that *if* immigration is the problem you say it is, it's got a lot more to do with non-EU migration than that from the EU".
You're trying to have it both ways. You can't say "it's not a problem" as well as saying "anyway it's non-EU migrants' fault". That's a poor piece of logic. Anyway the figures don't bear out your assertion.
According to David Goodhart's book, The British Dream, non-EU migrants are a lot less successful in finding work (only 35% in the case of Bangladeshis) than EU migrants (the overwhelming majority of whom are successful). The ONS figures you quote yourself make it clear that 75% of EU migrants come to work, whereas the figure for non-EU migrants is about 30%. So non-EU migrants are more likely to be a drain on the state, but, in case you hadn't noticed, this isn't my contention. It is that EU migrants keep British people (many of whom have black and brown faces) on low pay or on the dole.
I notice you set great store by the Migrationwatch report. You much prefer their marginal cost method, which, conveniently for your argument, only counts state spending if it has to increase by the mere fact of the migrants’ presence. Yet even Migrationwatch don’t include in their calculation the cost of keeping British people on the dole, where natives are displaced from the labour market by migration. Even Migrationwatch don’t really help your case.
"I think anybody reading your comment can sense where your own confirmation bias is coming from."
I would absolutely concede that no-one is free from bias, however hard they strive to avoid it. You seem happy to acknowledge this regarding yourself. Why not then accept it might have been a factor in the studies you quote? As far as I can see these do not include the cost of keeping Brits on the dole. I wonder why not?
Isn’t the reality that when economists say “Remain will make us better off” they are failing to invite the public to consider who is meant by “us”? For while I have no doubt the EU makes some people better off, those tend to be people like me and you rather than the unemployed or low paid.
There’s no use saying, GDP will go up quicker if we Remain, when that doesn’t mean GDP per capita, or when the benefits from a faster rate of increase don’t spread equally across society. There’s no use saying, migrants pay their way in Britain if you don’t take into account the cost of looking after the people they dislodge from the labour market. There’s no use saying, look at all the jobs we’ve created inside the EU when actually about half those jobs have gone to people born outside the UK.
For a couple of years now I’ve been a great admirer of your work on the economic consequences of Independence. I think you made a real difference in helping people to understand what those consequences might be. You did this because you got a reputation for being scrupulously even-handed in your willingness to look not just at the facts which helped your case, but all the facts. And you never lost your cool in print.
I think it’s worth bearing all that in mind when you write about the EU. Don’t become just another blogger.
"The refugees within a year are naturalised in Germany and given EU passports"
This is not true at all - I know someone in Germany in the legal field who works with refugees. It takes 7 to 8 years of residence to be naturalised in Germany and requires the applicant to demonstrate sufficient language knowledge amongst other things. The link you posted yourself even says this, so why did you say "The refugees within a year are naturalised in Germany and given EU passports" - completely untrue!
Refugees are initially given 3 years temporary leave to remain if their claim for asylum is accepted. This means that they must return to their country of origin after that period if the circumstance which caused them to apply for asylum have changed.no longer apply.
http://www.bamf.de/EN/Einbuergerung/InDeutschland/indeutschland-node.html
Please stop getting your information from the Daily Express, which is notoriously anti immigration and frequently inaccurate - see the various IPSO complaints upheld against them.
One other point Kevin. You're very keen to use the Migrationwatch figures on the marginal cost basis because they include only costs which are actually increased by the presence of migrants.
Why then aren't you interested in counting the cost of keeping on benefits Brits displaced from the labour market? After all, these are costs which are caused by the presence of migrants, aren't they?
I think you can't have it both ways. If you prefer the marginal cost basis by reason of its only counting actual costs to the UK, you've got to factor in the cost of keeping Brits on the dole. But nowhere in your last three posts do you mention this at all. Why?
By the way, when you write that anyone can see where my "confirmation bias is coming from", do you mean I'm biased because I'm a racist xenophobe? If so, don't be coy. It would be good to know. Then perhaps we could discuss the evidential basis for your assertion.
unemployment rate is at a 10 year low - even on the fully allocated basis MW struggle to make EU immigrants show as a net cost (including their ridiculous business taxes assumption) - your desperation to show these bloody migrants being the problem is indeed telling - maybe you should ask yourself why you leap on the least-favourable of all the analyses and try to make that one stick despite its demonstrated flaws?
I'm sure you sleep well at night
The Drunk Druid said...
According to migration watch figures, net EU immigration for the last 25 years taking everything into account is roughly 1 million, not something worth losing sleep over. As for bringing down the average wage for poorer workers, isn't that the fault of the minimum wage level?
Brexit and the case for Scottish independence
Unity, Solidarity & Harmony: Why I'll be Voting Re...
The Blame Game
Thoughts on the EU Referendum
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About LSAFM
Firearms in Museums
Should Governments be Allowed to Destroy Museum Firearms Collections in the Name of Public Safety?
It’s deeply disturbing that Governments can introduce legislation that can destroy collections in museums.
CZ Model 75, factory engraved nickel plated with gold fittings – Browning Hi-Power Model 35, factory engraved, gold and silver plated, previously owned by Dubbo gunsmith Caesar Hatti – Colt Mk IV Series 70 Gold Cup, gold inlaid International Shooters Edition
The NSW Government’s 2017 Regulation would have these valuable, rare and beautiful works of the engraver’s art destroyed by highly visible external welding
As museum custodians, we find it hard to believe that any right-minded person could sign off on legislation that destroys any collection. And we’re not alone. The reactions of shock and anger from all around the world evidenced in comments in our online petition make it obvious that most people understand what our Government seemingly can’t.
The destruction of historical items is to be deplored. Whoever thought that this is acceptable is not of a sound mind. They should be condemned just as the Taliban who destroyed the Buddhas were condemned.
– Anon, UK
Thinking about the reasoning behind this Regulation, it’s hard to make sense of it on any level.
The ideology that prompts Governments to interfere with museum collections fails to recognise that firearms in museums are a different matter. They are no longer weapons, but artefacts – a record of our history and a part of our story, and as such, must remain in their original state so that future generations can view and study them.
Does the Government really believe they are ridding the nation of objects so evil that, even in museums, the repositories of truth and authenticity, they must be destroyed for the sake of humanity?
And how is this any different from the religious and political motivations of Middle Eastern extremists as they smashed their way through ancient statues that they found offensive to their beliefs, leaving a trail of devastation in their wake that shocked and robbed the world.
During both World Wars, museum collections were so valued that, amid the chaos, they were hidden away to protect them from the ravages of war. It’s sad to think LSAFM may have to give its essential collection away to protect it from our own Government.
Or is there other reasoning behind it? With most of the larger museums in the State being either Government owned or funded, Museums may have been seen as an easy target to satisfy the desire to turn the screw on the State’s gun laws.
However, this is an issue that is quite aside to implementing gun control measures to ensure public safety.
It’s likely that instances of theft of firearms from museums is very low, given the difficulty of finding official statistics concerning this. Much, much rarer must be instances of crimes committed with firearms stolen from museums.
Museum objects are valuable in more ways than one, and museums are very conscious of the measures they must take to prevent theft of any item in their collections. Museums that display a large number of firearms, are also well aware of the burden they bear in the interests of public safety.
So what is the rationale of targeting museums with this latest legislation?
When we met the Police Minister in early February he told us that our museum advertises the fact that it has firearms and it is open to the public. But does this equate to increased risk to the public?
Firearms dealers and retailers are in the same position, yet they are not targeted like museums.
Prior to the Regulation Amendment, modern (post 1900) firearms displayed in museums legally required temporary deactivation by removal of internal components such as firing pins or springs or by trigger locks. And Museums don’t have an issue with this. They don’t want their valuable firearms to be stolen either.
What must be remembered is that firearms in museums haven’t been used for years. As any firearms user knows, this presents a personal risk to those who steal a gun, source a missing part, and fire it. The danger is greatly compounded when missing components are replaced by any available part – especially if the firearm is self-loading, semi, or full automatic.
Criminals and terroritst will target easier marks if they want to steal firearms.
Thinking about it in terms of what will be gained and lost …
Should LSAFM comply with the Regulation, some of the items that would completely lose their integrity are so rare there are only a handful of examples in the world. In some cases they are one-of-a-kind; their internal workings demonstrating a link in the technological endeavours of their makers.
When going through papers left by the Museum’s previous Custodian, we found his correspondence with an English researcher regarding a Bren Gun conversion that was crushed under the Government’s 1996 gun buyback scheme. So rare and valuable to researchers was this Bren, that this expert knew it by serial number!
When informed that it was destroyed during the Buyback he wrote back:
‘There were two in the world … now there’s one.’
LSAFM has hosted a number of researchers over the years, but not all of them firearms aficionados:
A writer who had very little knowledge of firearms visited to see how the action of the Smith & Wesson M&P revolver works. He’d found that this would have been the weapon of choice for his fictional detective, and wanted to ensure technical accuracy in his writing.
Another who freelanced for the National Sound & Film Archives, held more fascination for sounds firearms make. Our secure storage area became a de-facto sound booth complete with sensitive sound recording equipment. He recorded, as we cocked hammers, worked actions, and removed and replaced magazines in various firearms. Those recordings are now held in the NSFA, and are no doubt being used for various purposes.
Our own current research on the Lithgow and Slazenger sporting rifles – the little guns that put food on the table for many families after World War II – requires that we examine minute internal details of components to ascertain the reasons behind the change from the Model 1A to 1B.
It could be that there is no physical difference, the change in designation being an attempt to escape bad publicity following an incident in which the safety of the rifles was questioned … or was the rifle slightly modified then renamed because of a safety issue? How would we know unless we can fully strip down a number of both models for careful inspection.
Then there’s the donors – the very people who had a passion and belief who passed their collection onto a museum for safe keeping and display. The legacies from those individuals will, in many cases, be for the scrapheap.
Our decision makers must give more thought to what they are destroying.
Museums are inter-generational institutions. Whatever their collections contain, their responsibility for the care of their collection spans not only the current generation of scholars, writers, researchers and the public, but those of the future as well.
Governments will be harshly judged by future generations if they rob them of the opportunity to see and study their heritage.
Posted by Custodian in Uncategorised, 0 comments
Changes to NSW Firearms Regulation Targets Museums
In November 2017, the NSW Government amended the Firearms Regulation in a way that can deeply impact museum’s firearms collections.
in the firing line … museum stands to lose valuable historic artefacts
The new legislation, it seems, was ‘rushed through’, without proper consultation with advisory groups. It was never communicated to the various stakeholders affected and to this day, many are unaware of the new laws.
LSAFM only found out about the new Regulation when another regional volunteer-led museum had firearms confiscated in early February 2019, and contacted us for advice.
How has the Firearms Regulation changed …
Basically the 2017 Regulation for Museums states that all pistols, self-loading longarms, sub-machine guns or machine guns are to be rendered permanently inoperable.
The irreversible destruction includes:
inserting a steel rod traversing the length of the barrel and welding it at the muzzle and chamber;
welding the barrel to the receiver;
removing the firing pin and welding the hole;
removing internal springs;
welding internal components;
welding any bolts and external hammers; and
welding the trigger in a fixed position.
All other firearms, such as bolt action rifles and older antiques, remain temporarily inoperable. But they may well be next in line if this insidious legislation is not overturned. Collectors should also be concerned.
What has prompted this…
We are at a loss to understand why Museums have been targeted. We have not been given any details as to why the Regulation was introduced.
The fact the Regulation has been in force since late 2017 without any knowledge of its existence suggests some other motive.
We are not aware of any firearms being stolen from Museums which may have prompted all of this.
Draft Amendment to the Regulation
When we heard of the changes, we requested an urgent meeting with the New South Wales Minister for Police. We met with him on the 11th February.
The Minister tabled a draft Amendment to the Regulation, as it affects Museums. We are told the Minister for Police has written to each Museum seeking comment on the draft Amendment.
There are two key provisions of the draft Amendment:
All prohibited firearms are to be ‘permanently inoperable’
The Commissioner has the right to issue exemptions on a firearm by firearm basis
What’s at issue …
There are a number of issues at stake for Museums with firearm exhibits. They include:
Devaluation of the historical, educational and commemorative value of firearm exhibits. The firearms will become worthless in terms of museum artefact, visitor experience, research and historical merit, ballistics investigations and educational value;
The cultural, scholarly, and scientific significance of heritage firearms collections will be seriously compromised, as will our understanding of the technological evolution of such firearms within defence industries and wartime economies;
The treatment under the law of Museums being ‘lumped in’ with shooters, dealers, collectors and farmers fails to appreciate the dissimilarity of the work of Museums, and their contribution to communities relative to those other categories;
The move to render any firearms ‘permanently inoperable’ will ‘sap the energy’ out of Museums and their volunteers. All of this goes against the grain of a museum, destroying its authenticity and rendering its collection irredeemable; and,
The proposal to have the Commissioner determining exemptions creates uncertainty for Museums. It doesn’t make sense that issuing an exemption would suddenly guarantee that a firearm is safer or less prone to being stolen.
For the LSAFM, or other museums with comprehensive firearms collections that form a large part of their visitor experience, the following issues are especially pertinent:
Visitors will become disillusioned, disappointed and outright angry. It is only a matter of time that word of mouth and social media will lead to a dramatic drop in Museum visitations.
The fact a Commissioner can determine the fate of the Museum takes away its freedom to operate, to preserve the integrity of the collection, and to plan for the future;
The ‘taking away’ of the rights of volunteers in giving of their time and know-how in making the Museum a proud working environment and a place of significance is unforgiveable. For privately operated Museums, the enthusiasm and interest will wane as the impressiveness of the collection is destroyed;
The destruction of key working elements of prototypes, first issues and rare examples is very worrying; and,
The viability of the Museum is placed in jeopardy as firearms are no longer ‘Museum quality’ and/or the quantity and diversity of firearms on display are most likely to be reduced as a result of the Regulation.
The relevance of all of this goes to the heart of operating a sustainable Museum able to plan their business in their own right.
Despite the proposal for exemptions, this is on a firearm by firearm basis. There is no blanket permit exemption where the nature of Museums is fully understood by those making the laws.
Interestingly, the Regulation as it stands is more onerous on a Museum than either a firearms dealer or collector.
In the case of self-loading rimfire longarms, permanent inoperability is applied to Museums, but not collectors. Dealers can have any firearms covered by their licenses – including machine guns – without any requirement for deactivation.
Rather bizarre conditions given the stringent security systems Museums are required to have operating.
What’s the impact?
Only you know what the impact might be on your Museum.
From the perspective of the LSAFM, about 70% of our firearms are impacted and if we were to make these firearms ‘permanently inoperable’ it will cost significantly, while also destroying the considerable value of our firearms.
If this Regulation cannot be overturned the Museum will not be worth operating.
And the impact won’t just be felt at a Museum level, it will have a community impact, a regional impact, a tourism impact and an impact on current and future generations.
The right of the community to visit a Museum such as ours (or for that matter yours) will be taken away because a Museum with firearms is seen by law makers as risky and in need of onerous regulation.
Contrary to that, Museums have security systems and vigilantly ensure their currency for the protection of volunteers, visitors and the wider community.
Each Museum must assess its own position.
Is there a solution?
While each Museum has different artefacts, with some being larger than others in terms of firearm displays, the underlying solution is simple.
Remove the wording ‘permanently inoperable’ and reinstate ‘temporarily inoperable’. This in turn would negate the need for having Commissioner exemption provisions;
Isolate Museums from being integrated with users, sellers, buyers and collectors on the basis that Museums display firearms for community and stakeholder interest and future generations; and,
Allow Museums the right to have a permit with a blanket exemption on the basis that required minimum security and safety systems be in place and regularly audited.
As we all know, the regulatory regime for Museums per the 1996 Act have been satisfactory and practicable.
As Museums, we are the first to support and enact all necessary security of our facilities. But agreeing to onerous conditions without any reasoning is a step too far.
How to respond
Each Museum needs to assess its position and submit comments and views on the draft Amendment (and Regulation) to the NSW Department of Justice.
In addition to this, Museums should consider making other representations, and as a guide, actions the LSFAM will be taking include:
Engaging with the Department of Justice and Firearms Registry;
Making the local State and Federal Member and relevant Government and Shadow Ministers aware of the implications and impact;
Soliciting the support of key stakeholders and supporters, including our local Council;
Soliciting support from local, national and international organisations which use our facilities for research, historical and educational purposes;
Having paper-based and online petitions;
Communicating through our blog and social media; and,
Approaching select media outlets.
Having a united position on the Regulation and draft Amendment would be an ideal outcome. However, the main outcome must be that you understand the issues, the impact on your Museum, and respond accordingly.
NSW Firearms Regulation Part 6 Clause 59 (excerpt) (Part (4)(a) specifies permanent deactivation of Category C and D firearms in museums)
NSW Firearms Regulation Part 3 Clause 36 (2) (explains deactivation methods for Category C and D longarms)
Draft Amendment of Firearms Regulation 2017 (tabled by NSW Police Minister during meeting with LSAFM in March 2019)
Should Governments be Allowed to Destroy Museum Firearms Collections in the Name of Public Safety? April 17, 2019
Changes to NSW Firearms Regulation Targets Museums March 16, 2019
Archived Select Month April 2019 (1) March 2019 (1)
© 2019 Firearms in Museums. Bento theme by Satori
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Filtering by Tag: andy price
Cincy ComiCon, Assemble!
As you all probably know, I am one of the owners and directors of Cincy Comicon. We've got an amazing lineup of guests this year, from Rick Remender to Bill Willingham and Chris Roberson, Eric Powell, Johnny Ryan, Frank Kozik, Evan Dorkin, Cameron Stewart, and Darick Robertson, just to name a few. Pound for pound, the most concentrated room of creator talent you'll find at just about any convention, and at a convention that celebrates comics and creators first.
If you're a fan of comic books & the fine folks who create them, CincyComiCon is the convention for you, guaranteed.
categories general news, call to arms, appearances
tags comics, image comics, comic books, Dark Horse Comics, marvel, dc, art, art prints, cameron stewart, bill willingham, rick remender, izombie, chris burnham, Eric Powell, The Goon, batman, frank kozik, labbits, mike hawthorne, Deadpool, Fables, Mike Norton, Battle Pug, Evan Dorkin, Milk and Cheese, Chris Sprouse, Jeff Parker, Ben Templesmith, 30 Days Of Night, horror, monster, zombie, zombies, Mark Kidwell, 68, Kevin Maguire, Blue Beetle, godzilla, Dave Wachter, Space Riders, Alexis Ziritt, LEGO, Oki LUG, okilug, Jim Mahfood, Miami Vice, Clerks, Tank Girl, Phil Noto, Black Widow, Johnny Ryan, Prison Pit, Angry Youth Comix, VICE, Mark Schultz, Xenozoic Tales, Cadillacs & Dinosaurs, cadillac, dinosaurs, tony moore, the walking dead, cincy comicon, comicon, comic con, convention, matthew clark, doom patrol, kyle hotz, evil ernie, fitness, thor, tom strong, midnighter, nameless, transmet, transmetropolitan, spider jerusalem, brenden fletcher, shawn crystal, inkpulp, fear agent, black science, Low, Punisher, captain america, venom, xxxombies, deadly class, x-force, avengers, uncanny, aquaman, hulk, thunderbolts, cullen bunn, lobo, family, love, share, cosplay, contest, cincinnati, cincy, black widow, andy price, my little pony, mlp, brony
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/co/niverse :: Ultimate /co/niverse :: Roleplay Share
Japan: Tokyo
Ultimate /co/niverse Character sheet
Hero Name: Zealot
Alter Ego:
Main Power: Superhuman Physiology
Subject: Re: Japan: Tokyo Mon Jun 25, 2012 6:17 am
Sitting down at the stand and keeping a straight face, Zealot shrugs; it seems a bit obvious that, while he enjoys anime, he's not the biggest person to talk about it.
"I never particularly enjoyed manga. Junji Ito's stories are dissatisfying by definition-they are horror in which one can expect all to be dead by the end. It's a cosmic horror archetype. Compare to Lovecraft, with less of the prolix description; he attempts to replace that with detailed art, and mostly succeeds, but in the end he just doesn't have the ability to create endings very well, and for cosmic horror, it's difficult."
Zealot is a 50 year old man who has had time powers for most of his life. The amount of knowledge he has on useless things would make the collected masses of 4chan stammer.
"Uh. Ton-jiru."
Sigil
Hero Name: Sigil
Alter Ego: Virgilia Balentine
Main Power: Symbol Magic
"Not all of his stories are like that; a lot of times they just deal with the bizarre and nobody actually dies, but I do agree. I still think his best work was with Gyo and Amigara, but that's just me." Towards the chef: "Um, whatever he's having."
"Same here."
The chef nods and turns around to prepare the soup.
"So, once we return to the states... what then? You're apparently apprenticing under Zealot, Lucy, so where do you live now?"
Last edited by Sigil on Mon Jun 25, 2012 7:24 am; edited 2 times in total
Shifting himself slightly on the chair, Zealot continues staring up into the night sky of Japan.
"I wouldn't figure either of you for the kind of people to eat Ton-jiru. Besides that, apprenticing is an...odd way of putting it. I suppose it works, though."
"To be honest I have no idea what it is I'm ordering. I think the closest I've ever gotten to this kind of soup was... remember that one restaurant? With the tables and the...?"
"The hibachi tables?"
"That's the one. It was good, really good, but I've wanted to try the authentic stuff."
"Me, too..." Lucy sighs. "At least we can now. And, by the way. Why did you want to find a big tree?"
"Simple: I wanted to carve a stable version of my Janus symbol so if I ever wanted to come here again, I could. And if I ever needed a place to escape."
"...hm. And if whatever you're escaping follows you?"
"Won't let 'em. Simple as that."
The chef hands the three their soup along with some disposable chopsticks, muttering "Enjoy" and letting them be.
Staring down at the soup for a moment, Zealot's face twitches; he becomes immediately aware of the fact that he hasn't eaten anything for several days, at least. It's just...not something he needs to do, anymore. Hunger never bites at him. Beginning to eat the soup, he frowns, before looking over at Signal.
"Can you even eat normal food?"
Lucy looks at Zealot, then at the soup, and begins to eat it as well. She responds: "I can, but... well, for one, I can't feel heat or cold, and for another all flavors just seem... dull. Not to the point where it's unenjoyable, no, but there's a definite difference. I remember asking my grandpa, when I was a kid, what it's like to eat with dentures and he replies that the taste is just never the same."
"Terrible shame." Virgie begins to eat the soup as well; definitely better than whatever the states are serving up.
"Yep. And most of the energy I would normally get from food just goes into fueling my psionic abilities rather than to bodily functions, so it's not an entire loss."
The chef listens on; he can't understand most of what the three are saying, but lots of the words he does recognize are sounding major bells in his head. He looks at Lucy in particular with a kind of disdain that only seems to get stronger thanks to Virgie's... "buff." Staring intensely at Lucy, he asks in a hushed voice, "...akumadesu?"
"Nani mo..." he grumbles.
'Oh no,' Virgie thinks, 'it's happening again.'
Continuing to eat, the food doing...little to nothing, really, for his physiology, he sighs and continues looking down into the soup.
"I can still taste. There's not much point in eating, though, is there? It's just something to do that's human, really, isn't it?"
Looking up at the man as he begins speaking, Zealot sighs and opens his mouth; taking in a large breath, he yells speaks, the sound directed firmly at the man.
"No. Mind yourself and your shop before you get hurt."
The shout surprises them both, but they keep on eating.
"...I'm not surprised that he asked that."
"Really now?"
"I'm just wondering how he understood enough to ask in the first place."
"Ah... still, you're not worried?"
"We're not exactly in a city of faith... or, of strong faith, anyways. We're far enough from any temples that it's fine. Plus, I don't think Shinto or Buddhism have symbols of faith. Aside from a torii or, well, the Buddha."
Lucy and Virgie finish their soup and the chef simply says, "No, no, on the house." He throws a scared glance towards Zealot, then back to the ladies. "Really!"
"Make it a policy never to accept gifts from people I dislike."
Throwing 20 dollars onto the stand's table before hefting himself up and turning, Zealot begins walking back into the Tokyo streets. Looking back at them as he walks, Zealot shrugs before speaking.
"So, there seems relatively little to continue doing, in Tokyo. Disregarding the fact that the entire population of this place, present company apparently included-"
He looks over at Signal as they pass in front of another...rather mature comics shop, an apparently just in issue featuring his new, rather large form along with...someone looking quite a lot like Signal. If a gun would work, he'd probably shoot himself. Saying the next words with an odd mixture disdain and condescension, Zealot doesn't stop his movements.
"Wants to have sex with me, what do you suggest we do from here? Still can't return to the United States until the sun goes down."
Signal looks at the cover of this comic, giving it a long, hard stare. (Wow, they even got the hair streak right!) The chest is... significantly bigger, though. She's suddenly reminded of the binder she's wearing, and... wow, the lips are bigger, too. And... uh... wow. Wow.
She peers further into the store, or at least in whatever is on display and... is that a Justice hug pillow? Really?
"Zealot," Lucy says in a surprisingly meek voice, "I'm scared. I... I didn't know people thought of me that way."
And then she realized: if there's porn of her with Zealot, there's probably porn of her solo. And if that exists, then...
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaa" Lucy buries her face in her hands and floats in the air, completely and utterly embarrassed. GJ, Japan.
"Wow, I... I've never seen Lulu that embarrassed before."
"Yeah, you get used to people making pornography of you, eventually. I think the time was...the very first time I entered the internet. Yeah, that's something I'm not getting out of my head any time soon. Anyway, you're adorable. Japanese people eat all that stuff up. I wouldn't worry about it too much."
Deciding to make it far, far worse, Zealot knows what he must do. Moving up and flying into the air, he grabs Signal and pulls her back to the ground, holding her against him with a single arm.
"She's not very hard to make blush. I could probably do it with a bag of marshmallows and a silver trumpet. The trumpet has to be silver, though. Anyway, do you want to go into the store and confront your fears? Huh?"
Holding her out with a single hand and looking directly into her eyes, he doesn't really seem to care much either way what she decides.
"I, I, I, um...." Oh no, not again. "Awawawawa, no please no." Signal is shaking her head and shielding her eyes, but she knows, oh how could she when she can read Zealot like a book. As they say in Moonland, shikata ga nai.
Virgie can't help but giggle. They do seem like a perfect fit, even if Zealot is a bit more... "You don't mind if I follow, right?"
"Virg, help."
"No can do, gotta face your fears like everyone else, Lulu."
This was beginning to sound uncannily a lot like the comic which was causing all the fuss. Patting her on the head and putting her on the ground next to him before grabbing her hand and pulling her inside, he moves her over to the superhero adult racks. ...Zealot had an entire section. Apparently, he was very...well liked, for his various insanities. A lot of various items on Justice, but nothing adult-even in Moonland, he wasn't to be fetishized. Stopping to look over his own selection and frowning at the...well, options, he eventually comes to a few featuring him with Signal.
"I didn't expect there to be this many. Apparently, the goggles made you pretty popular. Huh, y'know, I can't even tell if they used Asian magic to determine what your real bust size was or if they just decided to oversize them."
Yeah, this was less about facing her fears and more about seeing if she could get so embarrassed that she'd burst into flames, at this point.
"I-i...it's probably th-the latter... they love to make their... their t-tomboys busty for some reason." She looks around; there's even figurines of Zealot and some other supers. A doe-eyed Sugar Shock surrounded by streams of candy, a muscled Zealot and Justice standing side-by-side, reminiscent of Hokuto no Ken, and... Signal and Valencruz. What. What. How did this even happen. HOW.
Lucy's head twitches to the side. Her hands clench up at the sight of that godforsaken vampire, but... calm down, calm down.
She picks up one of the books, starting at the right and going left because that's just how they print it here. As she reads each page, her face morphs from curiosity to bewilderment to horror to utter embarrassment. "Wha... but that... and his hand... nononononono." She slams the book shut and puts it back on the shelf.
Virgie, meanwhile, is looking through what looks like a crossover section of comics. She spots one of Signal hugging some kind of girl in a red and white outfit, hair done up in a frilly bow. "Hmm..."
Signal, in trying to look away, spots another figurine of her. There's a sign underneath it, though she can't read what it says. "Uh."
"You shouldn't stutter, so much. You'll be fine. That's something we should probably talk about, by the way-your...actual si-wait, what about my hands?"
Looking over at the shelf as he moves with Signal, he brings his hand up and flexes his fingers, slightly. Moving up behind Signal and staring at the figurine himself, he just offers a shrug. Moving himself back to lean up against a wall, his gaze feels its way across the store, looking over all the figurines within it and finding himself vaguely unsatisfied. Moving himself over to Sigil and looking over those crossover comics, he comes to a few small items on several series, but nothing he'd particularly like to mention. Moving back over to Signal and placing a hand on her shoulder, he'd stare down at her.
"So, fears faced?"
"...I guess. I mean, I... I want to feel flattered, and yet..."
"Don't worry too much about it, Lucy. Such is, uh... what was it called? Rule 43, you said?"
"34."
"Right, right."
Lucy hurries out of the shop, her normally pale face... well, not flushed, but its color is definitely different than what it is normally. Virgie follows, casually strolling out and noting the street of where this shop is.
"So, you finally told him about your chest?"
"Wh-what!? NO!!"
"How does he know then?" Virg looks genuinely curious.
"I don't know!!"
Subject: Re: Japan: Tokyo Mon Jun 25, 2012 4:27 pm
Walking out of the ship after him, Zealot shakes his head in response to their disbelief. Looking over at Signal and Sigil, he has a vaguely incredulous look of his own.
"It's as if you don't seem to understand my current powers. I can hear a cell split. I can see the protons of an atom. I can hear and isolate the voice of every person on Earth. Did you really believe I wouldn't be able to notice that, when she walked, something that should be in the movement wasn't? That I wouldn't notice what she was wearing?"
Stopping to lean up against a filth encrusted wall, he shrugs, looking down at the ground and kicking a Japanese can of...weird looking soda away before looking up at them and beginning to speak.
"I'm not sure why she didn't tell me, anyway, if the Venus charm you placed upon her was honest. Generally, that's the type of thing one would eventually find out, in a relationship. I mean, probably not one in which I'm involved, but still."
The can ends up somewhere in Alpha Centauri.
Subject: Re: Japan: Tokyo Mon Jun 25, 2012 10:40 pm
"Well, her confession was honest. But her chest issues..." Lucy glared at Virgie; she shrugged back. "No, that's something she wouldn't mention normally with the level of charm that I used."
"Still..." Lucy crosses her arms over her chest and looks away.
"Is it really that bad if he knows?"
"...kinda."
Virgie sighs and shakes her head. "So what now? We could go into the mountains; wasn't there an image of the Buddha carved into one?"
Lucy's face brightens up. "...yeah. Yeah, there is, actually. Ancient marvel of the world and all. Let's go then." Lucy floats in the air and begins to lift Virgie when... "...huh. That's sad."
"What?"
"For such a dense population, Tokyo is... very unhappy."
"Not even surprised."
"Chest issues? Hm. Personally, flat women, uh-"
Frowning and moving himself from the wall, he looks up into the sky, angling his view towards the mountains; he attempts to look at and see them close up, going over the composure of the rocks, before shrugging.
"Not my favorite thing. Not the reason you're thinking, just some stuff that happened in the past. Don't worry too much about it."
Moving back over before going into the sky and grabbing Lucy by her waist with a hand, he lifts her up and shrugs while lifting Sigil with the other one. Blasting himself forward, car alarms go off all over the street that they leave; nothing actually explodes, but it's quite a noise. A few seconds later, they're in the mountains.
"Don't see why you'd have a problem with me knowing, anyway. Feel like telling me why it matters?"
"..." Lucy looks away.
"We'll just leave it at her not feeling so good about her self image. Don't know why, though, she looks great in a dress."
"Virg."
"Hm?"
"Mater erat migale."
Virgie gasps, hands going to her mouth. "Lucille! That's Latin!!"
Lucy simply glares at Virgie.
The mountains are gorgeous: forests intentionally left untouched save for traditional decorations such as a few trees marked with shimenawa and shide. It really looks like nothing has changed over the centuries that this forest has grown in. Meanwhile, in the distance, the distinct skyline of Tokyo can be seen. What a contrast, for sure.
Lucy looks into the forest, focusing on her hearing. Crickets, the cries of foxes, what sounded like a raccoon, and other sounds in the distance she can't discern. "This place I like. I could seriously just... live here and relax."
"Were it not for the lack of food."
Letting Sigil down but keeping his hands on Signal and wrapping them around her in order to pull her up to where he is and allow her to look
around from a higher height (She can fly, Zealot.) as he touches down on the ground, Zealot shrugs and pats her on the head.
"I think people look awful in everything. For posterity's sake, I'll be nice and say that Signal looks adorable. Really, though, I'm sure she looks fine to...humans of the general populace. Apparently, I look good to people, something I've never particularly understood."
Allowing the sounds that flit through Signal's ears to enter into his own, he closes his eyes to collect his thoughts-every single cricket's call, the location of each fox, everything. Taking in a deep breath before opening his eyes again, he looks out over at everybody else. Still holding her, the eye closing and deep breath seemed as though they'd be easily...misconstrued, by Signal.
Subject: Re: Japan: Tokyo Tue Jun 26, 2012 12:30 am
Lucy feels... weird that she's being carried by Zealot like this. The view is amazing, yes, but... she begins to fidget around, even after she's petted, telling Zealot, "Ah, this view is nice, but...well, Zealot, you're, um, you're the... the paragon of masculinity! A living, breathing, immortal Adonis, even. And... wow, I live with you. That... um..."
Virgie watches from below, pulling out a solar symbol and holding it as if it were a flashlight. "I'm going to miss her," she mumbles.
"That's..." Lucy watched as Zealot's eyes closed and he took a deep breath. If her heart could beat it'd have burst out of her chest in antici...
"Lulu, you alright up there?"
"...Lulu?"
...pation. Lucy goes unresponsive again, eyes crossed and lips forced into a frown.
Not letting her go, he just looks over at her confusedly, petting her hair gently to try and get her out of the stupor. Obviously, this just makes her stupor far worse, but still.
"Yes, you do live with me; you belong to me, as well."
Not really helping the whole 'Try not to make Signal lose her spaghetti thing' here, Zealot.
"And of course I'm the paragon of masculinity, that's just how my powers work. Is something wrong? You seem...unwell. As for you, you're...uh. You're great, I suppose? You're a female monster attempting to fight her nature by not eating people. You also have psychic powers. Physically, I'm sure you're attractive."
Pulling his hand forward and allowing it to slip down the blonde streak in her hair, Zealot just isn't very good at calming Signal down.
Subject: Re: Japan: Tokyo Tue Jun 26, 2012 1:25 am
"Oh dear..." Lucy shrugs and sits down, shining her light on anything in the woods. Some animals skitter away as soon as they're spotted, but others are curious, perhaps due to Virgilia's magical affinity. Japan seems to be one of those "tuned" places, right? She gets up and begins to walk into the forest. Wow, these trees are tall. The ropes marking off certain trees from others makes her think what they're for, or even what the rope and paper signify.
Lucy, meanwhile, snaps out of her unresponsiveness faster than last time, if only to say, "Ah, I'm fine, I guess. 's just. Well, to be held like this, and... when people tell me I'm attractive, it's just because of my chest, and... well, you can SEE my actual size and, and..." Lucy looks around frantically, then noticing something. "Where'd Virgie go?"
Continuing to pet her hair, Zealot shakes his head, sighing. Tracking where Sigil goes by the sounds of her footsteps and the animals that approach her, his eyes stay locked on the night sky. Animals mostly avoid wherever he goes; whether it's just that he's a large man, or something to do with his powers being borne from the pure essence of entropy, however, is unknown.
"She's walking around in the forest. As for you...I can't see your actual size. I know you're binding them, and I know it's likely extensive. I have no idea how big they actually are; I'm not omniscient. Besides that, there's plenty of things to think you're attractive, for. Your eyes, for one. Or the blonde in your hair, I suppose. Personally, I've found the fact that you're unwilling to give up-at least, in the face of things that aren't me, most attractive; and I don't really find anything attractive. Flat chested women irk me for reasons entirely non-sexual; your chest would not be what I found attractive about you, whether you bound it or not."
Man, this was gonna end badly for everybody.
Subject: Re: Japan: Tokyo
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IT’S A MIRACLE! The Saudi King Gives SPECIAL Gift To President Trump
President Trump was received like visiting royalty here Saturday, as his debut on the world stage competed for attention at home with ongoing news of the scandal encircling his presidency.
In a series of official arrival ceremonies — at the airport and the Royal Court palace — Trump, his wife Melania, and an entourage including virtually his entire senior White House staff and much of his Cabinet, were serenaded by military bands, treated to a flyover of Saudi jets, feted in oppulent palaces and given the undivided attention of King Salman, the ruler of this ultra-conservative Muslim nation.
The welcome reflected a kingdom eager to rekindle its relationship with the United States, and to use the visit to declare and solidify its own leadership role in the Muslim world.
As this desert capital baked in triple-digit heat under a pall of dust, American and Saudi flags flew from lightpoles. The facade of the Ritz Carlton, the palace-like hotel where Trump is staying, was illuminated with massive photographs of the two leaders and the red, white, blue and green of the two nations’ flags.
The only U.S. president to make Saudi Arabia his first foreign visit, Trump was presented with the highest honor for a foreign dignitary, the collar of Abdulaziz al-Saud, named for the for the kingdom’s founder, which Salman hung on a thick gold chain around Trump’s neck.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jb1wcxXqK28
What do you think about this comment below.
Marilyn Jacoby
So thrilled to see our President and First Lady represent the United States so well.
Sandra A Lasiuta
Very proud of my President and his entourage!
Candie Suarez
Did you notice he didnt bow he squatted dow . Very important!!! Love POTUS. So proud.
He only squatted because the guy putting the medal on was like 5 feet tall lol
He is the BEST President we ever had in a long time, this is what America need a President that will represent our country with dignity and pride. America doesn’t bow or knee we look at the eyes and shake hands we don’t wear a cover in our head. The King was very impress on how Press Trump represent himself to him . He is a strong leader not weak like OBAMA.
Awesome Mr. President you make America proud
It brought tears to my eyes! Finally he is appreciated!
Isn’t it sad he had to travel outside his own country to be appreciated. Praying for successful administration and all Trump’s safety
Gene Pawlik
A Prophet bears no honor in his own village!
Did you know that every president or ruler gets these when they visit
r n krier
Yes,Yes,Yes.
Me, too!! So very proud.
VirginiaShwed
Oh my thst is a great show of respect. The democraps are imploding… They will find something negative to say.. Eat your heart out McCain. Paul Ryan…
For once our president gets the well-deserved honor he deserves. Thank you Saudia Arabia for welcoming our beloved president.
Very proud of my president of the United States Of America. He is a good man and will make America good again thank you president Trump.
Estelle Goforth
I am also very proud of our PresidentTrump. God please keep him and his entire entourage safe. He is a class act.
Thank you Saudia Arbia for welcoming our President and First Lady. We are very humbled for your kindness. Mr. President make America Great again and Thank you for representing our country with such Class.
Lisa Higginbotham
My heart swells…God bless their endeavors to make a better world and God, please open the eyes of the liberals and see the good in our President. Revive our country and our love for You, O Lord. Continue to protect our President, wife and entourage as they travel and wherever they are, bind the enemies in the name of Jesus.
karen drane
Amen and Amen!
Amen. Well said.
Sharon Stubbs
Beautifully said.
SANDRA SELL
Very nice and impressive comment. Our President deserved the Royal reception in Saudi Arabia and is praised with the Royal special gift as a respect to the President of United States. We are proud of our President and wish him the blessings of ALMIGHTY with good health and more success is his God given assignment.
Don’t you mean Allah be praised. His first trip was to a Muslim nation to sell arms. I am sure Jesus must be wondering why there first. Sorry. Don’t get the Evangelicals not seeing the contradictions. Personally it would have been better to visit the Pope first. Of course he would be unlikely to by guns and missiles.
Troll. We’re all God’s people, no matter how you refer to him. What does the Pope have to do with international relations in this case? Quit being a hater
you are so wrong, why visit the pope? they have covered up enough stuff to sink a ship! I don’t like that kind of people
The Pope has gone gaga wanting more refugees & allowing the borders to be opened for all to enter ,even Saudi wont allow that
Why would you visit the pope first, he is as fake as was Obama!
And why not sell arms to Saudi Arabia, did you have the same reservations when Obama was arming ISIS?
You are a contradiction in words yourself!
Maybe he went there first to show that the ban on muslim immigrants isn’t being biased against all muslims, just countries that export KNOWN TERRORISTS and should be vetted before being allowed to enter another country like the USA.
Jerry, the pope is no big deal. He’s just a man like you & me. He’s just another guy our president is gonna visit. There’s no contradiction here except you.
AT LEAST HE WILL GET MONEY FOR THEM..OBAMA GAVE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF ARMS TO ISIS AND THE MUSLIM BROTHER HOOD. AND TRUMP IS SELLING THEM A MISSLE DEFENSE SYSTEM , HELICOPTERS IS NOT ARMS.. OBAMA GAVE THEM AWAY AT OUR EXPENSE.. TRUMP IS SELLING THEM TO THEM TO GET THEM TO HELP FIGHT ISIS. YOU PEOPLE ARE SO JEALOUS IT IS HANGING OUT ALL OVER YOU IN YOUR REMARKS. OBAMA DID NOTHING FOR AMERICA BUT ARM THE ENEMY THAT IS TRYING TO KILL US AND ALL THE CHRISTIANS AROUND THE WORLD. WE HAVE THE POWER TO KNOCK DOWN ANYTHING , IF NECESSARY THAT WE GIVE THEM IF NEED BE. GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT .
JERRY YOUR JEALOUSY IS SHOWING. HE DID NOT SELL ARMS.. DEFENSE SYSTEM AND CHOPPERS TO HELP FIGHT ISIS.. THAT WILL SAVE AMERICAN LIVES.THE SAUDIA’S WILL HONOR THEIR PROMISE . THE WORLD IS LOOKING ON AND IT IS IN THEIR FAVOR TO HAVE AMERICA ON THEIR SIDE. IRAN IS NEXT DOOR.
Very well said and like you I will start praying for our president and his family. He badly needs it because of this liberals around him.
My reply is an answer to Kathy (May 20)who prays for our president.
Bwhahahaha they seem to give this to everyone..nothing ‘special’ here
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_King_Abdulaziz
Angelo V Liwanag
You are a nuisance in this page! You are a narcissist and a sociopath…..
Then Obama must be a nobody because he did not get one!!! BWHAHAHAHAHA!
JimmyZ
Having a reading comprehension issue there B? The Collar and the Order are two separate things. One is fairly common. The other is most certainly not.
Amen ! God bless this trip, thank you Arabia for your welcoming our President and continuing to be allies with America….
Amen God bless our president an the First Lady!! And thank you for welcoming our president!!
A. Perreault
Our Beloved President Trump is always “Over-The-Top” Respected by foreign Dignitaries around the World. They know he is a World Class Business man with great negotiating skills and they always learn from him. He is also..REAL, honest and respectful of their country! They also know he is very respectful and protective of America. Americans are very proud of our new President Trump.
You nailed it!
I agree with you 100%
The article states….”and to use the visit to declare and solidify its own leadership role in the Muslim world.”…and THERE you go as to why they are sucking up Bigly. Money is no object to the Saudis. Just returned from New York’s 9-11 memorial. Where they remind us that ALL the hijackers were Saudis. But let’s go over and sell them 11.8 BILLION in weapons. Jobs, created, arms to terrorists. Everybody wins.
Kay Murdock
Fifteen of the nineteen hijackers were Saudis – not all.
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/2002/02/06/saudi.htm
BEE. WHERE WERE YOU THE PAST 8 YRS WHEN OBAMA WAS GIVING BILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF ARMS TO THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD AND ISIS. WE ARE GOING TO HAVE AND ALI WITH THE SAUDIS WHO WILL USE THEIR MEN TO FIGHT ISIS AND IT WILL STOP US LOSING OUR MEN AND WOMEN THERE. WE SOLD THEM A DEFENSE SYSTEM TO KEEP ARMS BEING SHOT INTO SAUDIA ARABIA FROM IRAN AND OTHERS. HELICOPTERS WERE IN THE DEAL . WEAPONS WERE NOT MENTIONED. OBAMA GAVE IRAN OUR BIGGEST ENEMY IN THE MIDEAST BILLIONS . HE LEFT AN ORDER TO GIVE THEM 214 MILLION MORE ON A DATE AFTER THE INAUGURATION . TRUMP CAUGHT IS AND STOP THE MONEY GOING TO IRAN. YOU PEOPLE ARE SO STUPID. YOU DID NOT CARE THAT OBAMA WAS STEALING OUR MONEY AND GIVING IT TO THE MIDDLE EAST TERRORIST AND IRAN BUT YOU GET PISSY WHEN TRUMP DOES THIS TO HELP OUR MILITARY FIGHT ISIS THE ONES OBAMA GAVE WEAPONS AND BILLIONS IN CASH TOO. YOUR IGNORANCE IS GLARING.
Love you Mr. Present and First Lady! Very proud that you are representing US so well. Prayers for a safe trip home.
Joseph DAmico
A true prepresentative of an American President.
So proud of our President and First Lady.
MEME35
I DONT BELIEVE POTUS OR FLOTUS ARE ALLOWED TO KEEP GIFTS FROM FOREIGN DIGNITARIES
Greg Pierson
Read this:
Constitutional Restrictions on Foreign Gifts Don’t Apply to Presidents
Seth Barrett Tillman
Seth Barrett Tillman is a lecturer at the Maynooth University Department of Law in Ireland (Roinn Dlí Ollscoil Mhá Nuad).
UPDATED NOVEMBER 18, 2016, 2:30 PM
President-elect Donald J. Trump has many extensive and diverse business interests, including some abroad, and some of his interests involve foreign government entities. In order to ensure against ethical conflicts, both real and perceived, Trump should place his interests in those holdings beyond his personal control, i.e., into an independently managed blind trust. Such a move would be wise and consistent with America’s best political traditions and practices.
Still the Constitution does not always demand that we and our government act wisely. And that is the situation here. The Foreign Gifts Clause provides that “no person holding any office of profit or trust under them (i.e., the United States) shall, without the consent of the Congress, accept of any present, emolument, office, or title, of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state.”
Does the Foreign Gifts Clause and its office under the United States language apply to the presidency? There are three good reasons to believe that it does not.
First, the Constitution does not rely on generalized “office” language to refer to the president and vice president. Where a provision is meant to apply to such apex or elected officials, the provision expressly names those officials. For example, the Impeachment Clause applies to the “president, vice president and all civil officers of the United States…”
Second, the Foreign Gifts Clause was given an early construction by George Washington. While he was president, Washington received two gifts from officials of the French government — including a diplomatic gift from the French ambassador. Washington accepted the gifts, he kept the gifts, and he never asked for or received congressional consent. There is no record of any anti-administration congressman or senator criticizing the president’s conduct. As Professor Akhil Amar has reminded us, the precedents set by President Washington and his administration deserve special deference in regard to both foreign affairs and presidential etiquette.
Finally, in 1792, again during the Washington administration, the Senate ordered Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton to supply a list of persons holding office under the United States and their salaries. Hamilton’s 90-page responsive list included appointed officers in each of the three branches, but did not include any elected officials in any branch. In other words, officers under the United States are appointed; by contrast, the president is elected, so he is not an officer under the United States. Thus, the Foreign Gifts Clause, and its operative office under the United States language, does not apply to the presidency.
They are permitted to accept gifts, but usually are not allowed to keep them unless approved by congress. They are placed in the national archives.
Michele Munroe
It is a medal not a gift. The Collar of Abdulaziz Al Saud[edit]
This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
The collar is regarded as a separate order. It also confers the highest rank in the Order of Abdulaziz Al Saud, and, unlike the Great Chain of Badr, is awarded to non-Muslim heads of state.
The Order of Abdulaziz Al Saud[edit]
The order is awarded to citizens of Saudi Arabia and foreigners for meritorious service to the Kingdom. The Council of Ministers makes the nominations but the King makes awards to foreigners himself when he finds this appropriate. Saudi recipients are always included in the fourth degree of the order and can subsequently be promoted.
The number of Saudi conferments is limited and awardees have to start their career in the order in the lowest 4th class. A member can be promoted every five years. Those rules do not apply for ministers and appointees for bravery, who can be awarded in a higher class instead.
The statutes of the order stipulate a limit on the number of inductees each year—20 grand sashes of the distinguished class, and 40, 60, 80 and 100 members of subsequently the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th class.
Well right .but they did. Without prosecution. Yet this was an honor and could not be refused.can’t you see that? Easily?
They accept them but they cannot keep personally.
Oh, Impeach him! Keeping gifts!
Yet the Clinton’s tried to take them and other WH property.
adrian villarejo
THAT’S BECAUSE THE CLINTONS HAVE NO CLASS……..THEY WALKED OFF THE WHITE HOUSE WITH 200,000 DOLLARS IN MERCHANDISE……THEY HAD TO RETURN AND PAY 86,000…….
NO CLASS………..!!!!
All gifts of other government are cataloged and kept in another non government location then given back to the American recipient when they are no longer in office. Some things are allowed to be kept while in office, depends on what it is, it’s value, if it was a personal or national gift. If you need to know exactly, call the white house protocol office. They have all the current details of dignitary gift rules.
Up to a certain amount
Retred CPO
Theymay accept them, use them wihile in office, but must register them with the National Archives or somme such group and tender them to the government upon the end of their time in office.
pfbonney
Such gifts will be added to the collection in the National Archives, such as displayed on the linked page:
“Gifts of State
“The exchange of gifts among kings and chiefs and presidents and premiers is a centuries-old tradition. From the ancient civilizations of Rome and Egypt to the native tribes of North America, ceremonial gifts have paved the way for peaceful coexistence between peoples of different cultures. They are universal symbols in the language of diplomacy.” – https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/tokens_and_treasures/gifts_of_state.html
Michael Farrell
They go into their libraries when they finish their term in office
kodster
No. They are either placed in a museum, or placed in the People’s House (White House) for all to share.
Kathleen Marion
When each President builds their library it includes a museum.
Is it considered a gift of a medal of honor. If the later, I think he can keep it. No?
Carbine Williams
https://www.aol.com/article/news/2017/01/26/what-happens-when-a-gift-is-given-to-the-united-states-president/21663421/
It will go to the Smithsonian to be stored till display.
Nancy Finxh
Maybe it will be displayed in the Trump Library that will, no doubt, be built one day
GORDON WHITE
What the hell has that got to do with it, generally speaking it is a gift to the American people, which is held by the state, we are fully aware of that.
The Saudi King is showing respect we lost under Obama! God bless our president! The US has been neglectful our allies for eight years under the worst president ever to hold that title! Trump will not keep this gift! It will forever be displayed in a place of honor!
George Nobrega
Obama kept his you
They aren’t. It would be rude to not except it however. When I get back it will be put into a museum or given to some government agency as a souvenir .
Better go to one of the former presidents museaums. There are beautiful gifts from allcountrys
That’s not a gift, it’s an honor! Picky picky!
Beautiful moment. So proud for and of our President.
Susan Windham
We have a MAN in our WH!!! PRAISE GOD!!
Pingback: Look What Happened As Soon As Trump Landed In Saudi Arabia
The democrats and media will go nut!!!
Karen Smittle
They can bring it home but it goes in the vault and kept by the US government.
If it’s an honor bestowed upon them personally, i.e. Nobel peace Prize or this honor, it is theirs to keep, it does not go to the government. Only valuable “gifts”. This is awRded to the man.
Gary. McDonal
Very proud of our President and First Lady .
Shown the respect that they deserve!
Irene Grooms
I’m very proud of our President and First Lady
Richard swedish
There is no scandal at home only made up bullshit , really proud of President Trump
Glen whitaker
And he didn’t get down on one knee and kiss the king’s ring…..or anything else!
Frances Swicegood
So proud of President Trump and the First Lady. But the liberals will of course have something to say about it..
It’s about time he was respected like he should be! I love my president and I am so proud of him!
Tim OReilly
So proud of our President, First Lady and Secretary of State ! Thank You !
Dale dobernecker
Very proud of our president and first lady, who by the way looks amazing.
Helen Hall
We are PRAISING THE LORD for our new wonderful, AMAZING President!!!! Donald Trump is restoring respect for the United States of America on the WORLD STAGE!!! Also Melanie is a GREAT FLOTUS bringing class and dignity back to the White House. We are so very, very proud of our President and First Lady! Our prayers are with you as you go on this HISTORIC trip!! Thank you from
the bottom of my heart for MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!! YOU ARE DOING A FANTASTIC JOB !!!!!
Nan Dunn
Beautiful written , love every word and agree with every word you wrote – thank you We should all be proud of the gift that God has given us as our President Donald J Trump, and his bride.
I’m so very proud of President Trump and our First Lady Melania. They are gracious and elegant. Thank you for representing our nation with such class. God Bless!
He gave the same gift to Obama.
I’m sure they loved him after his son-in-law sent a shit load of weapons to them just this last week. No they don’t get to keep the gifts. You are wrong when you say foreign leaders love Trump. He is an embarrassment to our country when meetings have to be dumbie down and talking points have to be limited because of his short attention span and lack of knowledge. That is s fact. The email went out to all attending the NATO talks. I hope you all still so proud when Trump is impeached along with most of his administration and done of his family. I’m sure they will let you write to him in prison after he is found guilty of treason. I know I will get all the replays from all of Trump followers and I will most likely be called several names but that’s ok. I just st ask look to the facts and if you care about your families, your jobs, and your future you will take the time to really think about it.
Cindy why you’re so negative of people in general? The potus and flotus deserved a moment of respect, honor etc. you must never have positive brain cells in yourself at least.
“If you don’t have nice things to say never say anything at all” it’s so simple as that!
Why don’t you look at the facts the biggest thieves ever were the Clintons and Obamas. They should be in jail
I think it is wonderful of President Trump to visit Saudi Arabia!
Very proud to be an American with President Donald Trump in the White House!
Ruth Rodriguez
You said it all! YEAH FOR POTUS!!!
He is doing things to make this country better for the US and better for relations with other country’s.
Thank You President Trump for being a better person above all that is going on here.
Renee Hennessy
I am so proud of our POTUS AND FLOTUS and so filled with gratitude that this country has treated our President and First Lady as the royality that should be the way their own country would treat them. I am ashamed that sadly that is not the way here. Thank you so much Saudi Arabia for showing the world how our country should treat our President!
msvi
Wonderful that Saudi Arabia is treating OUR President with the Respect that many Americans are withholding! President Trump is making our country proud again, Thank You!!!
Praise God, long live President Trump!
I feel honored by your gift to our President. Thank you for showing the world how you respect him. He is worthy.
Lena McGuire
Thanking you for the showing of great dignity and respect for Saudi Arabia and in giving the opportunity to have a working relationship that is beneficial to both nation’s. Keep up the good work.
Finally Mr. Trump is getting the respect he deserves! His own country could take lessons from the Saudis. I’m so proud Mr. Trump is my president.
A great meeting. Respect shown on both sides as it should be. A great day to remember. Proud of our president and First Lady
Jane Moore
Awesome. We are very proud of our President and First Lady.
I am so very happy that our President has been honored in this way. He is an amazing man and an amazing President. I supported him and his campaign and I still support him now. I am loving watching this foreign trip on Fox news Channel.
Pingback: MIRACLE! The Saudi King Just Gave SPECIAL Gift To President Trump - You can never imagine what - Proud Patriots
Ernest Pease
This is how you define Presidential, and how America re-gains Respect!
Jean Krueger
Thank you Saudie Arabia, for giving our President and FIRST Lady the gift of being able to have the opportunity to come to your wonderful country. Your warm welcome was a hornor. I am so proud of our President and the First Lady and family. Thank you.
Thank you Saudi Arabia, for giving our great President such a warm welcome.
I think this wonderful, he deserves this treatment by all in our country. He is doing a great job, for America, but there are so many crooked, dumb people, who keep fighting him. Congratulations President Trump
Valgarth
This is an improvement. The last prez got a single finger.
Elouise Hennigan
So proud of our first family. Finally someone to represent our country in a spectacular way. Prayers are answered.
TRUMP VIOLATES THE U.S CONSTITUTION – ARTICLE I S. 9 C.8 “and no person holding any office of profit or trust under them, shall, without the consent of the Congress, accept of any present, emolument, office, or title, of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state.”
Don’t get excited here Obama got one to. Nothing to be proud of this boob.
Jimmie Gardner
Thank you so much for honoring our president and his wife. They get so little respect in America because of so many lies. I support them and thank GOD for them
Chichi Freelander
Proud of the President of the USA…MY President! God bless and protect and prosper!
Karen Johnston
The US should be ashamed they do not treat President Trump with such courtesy and esteem. He’s trying so hard
To make America great, yet we (democrats /media/ students/etc) treat him like an enemy instead upholding the one who won the election, fairly! Shame on US!!
Sylvia M. Villarreal
Proud of you, Karen Johnston!
Reuben Hart
He was received like royalty? What the hell do you think the President of a republic is, if not the equivalent of a crowned head? And besides that the Saudis know what a mighty leader Trump is, even if the pile of fecal covered maggots that oppose him at home, don’t. DJT is the most important person on Earth; and unlike a certain chimpanzee faced, golfing, lying, homosexual married to a man, posing as a woman who occupied that place earlier, Trump is equal to the position.
Joyce Dwyer
We love our President and are very grateful for the welcoming he and his wife received. Thank you!
Floyd Kolobakken
Thank You Saudie Arabia for showing such great respect to Our First Lady and Our President Trump,this man is very deserving of this award…WOW…the welcome was agreat honor, Makes us Proud Americans…Again Thank You…We are in hope that All Americans can get behind this wonderful First Lady and President…..Floyd Kolobakken
sidney rose
I only hope our law enforcement officers will put an end to the disrespect that the liberal democrats have displayed and is seen around the globe . so embarrassing , we look like a bunch of baffoons , with no dignity to the world . it should be a crime to act the way the liberals and media have done . And in most countries it would be . and would be punish able by death or imprisonment . Please , to our law enforcement , help our President silence the foolish who are destroying our nations good name .
My first impulse is the same, but we should never suppress freedom of speech. We can only pray they Pres Trump and supporters can power through until the truth is totally revealed. Too bad, though,that all this is bogging down progress that could be made in our country.
Dick Richter
19 men affiliated with al-Qaeda. Fifteen of the 19 were citizens of Saudi Arabia. Yea Donnie! How does it feel to be associated with Terrorists?
Jon Dickens
SHOW RESPECT YOU GET RESPECT ! VERY GOOD MR. PRESIDENT !
Very proud of you Mr President what a honor to be US CITIZENT
It will go to Smithsonian till displayed.
Alice Nix
A real shame his recognition and gifting and hospitality has first come from a FOREIGN nation, while the country he leads is still all tied up in negative knots about how to disgrace, sabatoge, and constant display of hatred.
I’m exhausted from the attacks from the deep state & radical left. And I am fed up!
Get a grip you fools! Take a lesson from Saudi Arabia!
God bless our president. Happy that he can try to help heal the nations. Blessings yo all.
PA Brunner
God Bless President Trump and his wife for their classy representation of America. .Bless the Saudis for their gracious welcome to their Country. Awesome display of hospitality!!!!
I think they are trying to buddy up to President Trump. Kind of different then when Obama went, he bowed and kissed the kings ring. Big difference.
Derk Simonson
The nervewracking election was more than worth it, giving us this, and so many other, magic moments
It’s amazing what a $110 Billion dollar arms deal will buy
Other countries seeing how the democrats are showing such hatred and disrespect for our president is only causing them to want to show more respect and love. Thank you to Saudi Arabia for such a wonderful welcome for our POTUS and FLOTUS.
Dolly Olsen
So very proud of our President and first family ,To bad that the liberals can’t treat our President with the same respect as the king , and Thank you for treating our President with respect and honor ,here’s to a long and wonderful relationship between our countries for the good of all mankind through out the world!!
Judy Mercer
Wonderful! Such a magnanimous gesture from the King of Saudi Emirates, showing that the king cuz you’re ready for a great relationship between America and Saudi Arabia. I am very proud of my president and first lady today and may God bless them and keep them safe.
Wonderful to see the respect for our President.
So much better than how the spoiled brats treat him at home. Such a disgrace. Thanks Mr. President! I respect you and the job you are doing. Unlike 44.
Ieremia Ekenasio
One thing the Saudis recognize is power
Jean Dimpfl
What a difference between our president and the former Muslim impositer. Obama gave himself awards and Trump was awarded the most valuable award for being a true red white and blue American who will make our country great again. God bless America.
Obama was awarded the same medal. Research before you type dumbass.
Patricia Crowley
President Trump was not bowing…the King is so much shorter and in bad health that Trump had to lower himself down so the King could place the medal around his neck.
You both bring dignity and class to our White House. Thr “career” politicians could learn from the Trumps
May God bless you both!
Paradise Jesus for your success, for He watches over you!
Dr. Ithiel Torres
This is how is done! No apologies, no bowing down just respect for each other.
Cindy Schafle
Your highness, thank you for your PLATINUM treatment of our President and First Lady. We are so proud of your Country for welcoming them….Thank you for your friendship and may God bless you and keep your Country safe.
Proud of our first family. Praying to keep them safe.
V DEJESUS
It is a complete shame how Americans (some, not all, mostly stupid Democrats) treat our own President. We look like fools to foreigners abroad. They think we are ignorant imbeciles. Foreign Citizens who do what we do to their President are arrested and locked up. Our attitudes suck, Americans should really get their acts together, our children see what we do, what do you think our future is going to be? Scary and dismal.
Nancy Nalbandian
Thanking God for allowing this great honor to be bestowed on our President and showing him favor. Praying for good relations between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. It is good to have a president visit overseas that we can be proud of.
Craig Ritsema
Let us hope and pray that the meetings and visits are beneficial to all the Countries involved. You know maybe the Saudis can help with the radical muslim issue, not sure how being they are ultra conservative but, we must forget the 9/11 muslims were from Saudi Arabia and a few other bombing events. Here is Trumps dilemma, dealing with a muslim country which has attack us on our own soil, so many potential snags. Can we trust them, can they trust us? Being the leader of a country has got to be incredible stressful. I really really hope and pray that our 2 Countries can come together and really get a commitment of cooperation between the 2 of us.
r collins
Displays of respect are well and good, but Saudi Arabia is an extremist Muslim nation, and funded and trained the 911 terrorists. They are working to overthrow our nation and Israel!! False respect, in my view.
It is amazing to see our President respected by foreign leaders like this. It draws an immense view of just how disrespectful and horrid the Democrats and left wingers treat the leader of the free world. All this mess in Washington will pass and he will forge forward with the mission of making our country wonderful and substantial again. Thank you Mr. President for representing our country and every single person who so completely supports you. Our First Lady is spectacular and an amazing representation of grace for our country.
Praise God..a country that treats our President and First Lady with respect and love they deserve..let some rub off on American Dumacrates..better yet send all Dumacrates to Saudi Arabia for lessons
Lynn sevilla
Very proud of my President. He deserves it.
Fifteen of the 19 foreign nationals who were involved in attacking the US on 9-11 were from Saudi Arabia. Osama bin Laden was born in Saudi Arabia, and his family had strong connections to the Saudi royal family. I simply do not understand how they are so revered by Americans….
I’m glad Muslims have finally been held in such high esteem …
Maria Thomas
Thank you Mr President, you are a blessing for this great nation. God bless you and your family.
TexasBlonde
Now he needs to get the Saudis to help us fight ISIS in Syria.
For the second time in my adult life, I am proud to be an American!
Ann Biri
Very proud of our President. He is improving our relationship with the Middle East and hopefully the other places he will be visiting on this trip. The U.S. needs a strong alliance in that part of the world if we ever hope to defeat Isis and other terrorist organizations. It will all help to make us safer at home. Regardless of politics, please try to be supportive in this endeavor.
The king is a man of age and wisdom, he obviously recognized another man of age and wisdom, our president Trump!!
Florence Grinan
God Bless my president and First Lady.
Anne W. McAlister
The Bible addresses this perfectly:
“Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.”
Romans 13:7 KJV
I CAN NOT BELIEVE WHAT I HAVE READ, PRAISING THE MOST CORRUPTED PRESIDENT EVER. TODAY AMERICA BECAME THE LARGEST GUN DEALER IN THE WORLD, A DEAL MADE WITH THE SAME COUNTRY THAT PROBABLY PAID FOR THE 9/11 TRAGEDY IN AMERICAN HISTORY. I WRITE IN CAPITALS BECAUSE I WANT ALL TO KNOW THAT I AM YELLING AT ALL THE IDOTS THAT VOTED FOR HIM AND ACTUALLY BELIEVE IN HIM. A SAD DAY FOR AMERICA….
Wow… Proud Americans all about the right leader chosen….. People known the difference between….. and clearly shows the attitude towards…….
The President should not be treated like royalty because he isn’t royalty. Not just Trump but any US President. George Washington didn’t want the office of President to be like royalty. They had just gotten out of being under the tyranny of the King of England. He did not want the office of President to be inherited or have any of the trappings of royalty. And I don’t understand why the title of the article is “It’s a Miracle”. What is the miracle? That the Saudis were nice to Trump? And, of course, he loved the big huge chain they gave him, it’s gold. Trump loves everything gold.
Donna K. Kistler
I was happy to see this event. I believe Trump is doing his best to get this country back into shape. God bless them both.
Ettenna
The question: “What do you think of the comments below?” I think that all the commenters feel vindicated the finally their choice has received the adulation he deserves. Too bad the mock fealty comes from the country that (just this week) was determined to be responsible for the twin towers 9/11 attack. I doubt the gold pacifier will satiate “T” longer then a few hours. I await “T’s” next stumble and pray that death and destruction does not follow.
TruthTell
trump bows to suck the pee pee of saudi prince.
I can’t but notice how u r all have no clue about anything to think he’s doing that for us. Don’t you realize that all the terrorism coming from this country most of the terrorists who attacked us in 9/11 was from the saudi arabia then he’s first visit was to their kingdom where there’s no even a minimum rights for people. till now a woman not allowed to drive a car by law till now those ppl are excuting prisoners in the streets they are behind ISIS
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A Copula-Based Bayesian Network for Modeling Compound Flood Hazard from Riverine and Coastal Interactions at the Catchment Scale: An Application to the Houston Ship Channel, Texas
Authors: Anaïs Couasnon and Antonia Sebastian and Oswaldo Morales-Nápoles
Journal: Water
Traditional flood hazard analyses often rely on univariate probability distributions; however, in many coastal catchments, flooding is the result of complex hydrodynamic interactions between multiple drivers. For example, synoptic meteorological conditions can produce considerable rainfall-runoff, while also generating wind-driven elevated sea-levels. When these drivers interact in space and time, they can exacerbate flood impacts, a phenomenon known as compound flooding. In this paper, we build a Bayesian Network based on Gaussian copulas to generate the equivalent of 500 years of daily stochastic boundary conditions for a coastal watershed in Southeast Texas. In doing so, we overcome many of the limitations of conventional univariate approaches and are able to probabilistically represent compound floods caused by riverine and coastal interactions. We model the resulting water levels using a one-dimensional (1D) steady-state hydraulic model and find that flood stages in the catchment are strongly affected by backwater effects from tributary inflows and downstream water levels. By comparing our results against a bathtub modeling approach, we show that simplifying the multivariate dependence between flood drivers can lead to an underestimation of flood impacts, highlighting that accounting for multivariate dependence is critical for the accurate representation of flood risk in coastal catchments prone to compound events
https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/w10091190
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Zombie Guillotines Movie Review
Zombies are overtaking Hong Kong, and they are multiplying at an alarming rate! Even a chainsaw strapped to the handlebars of a motorcycle cannot stop them! The population is growing so fast that a talented team of intrepid hunters look for new ways to dispose of them.
Seriously, a barbershop?! It turns out to be a perfect location for a weapon's stash against the undead! Located in the confines of the humble shop are dozens of straight razors, files, and scissors! The group, including Celina Jade as the Nun, battle against evil and begins to assemble their weapons. She is the calming force, the silence behind the violence, until she sees zombies, then the aggression kicks in.
The weapons are actually hair drier tops, outfitted with a circular blade arrangement. The apparatus is then attached to a long chain, thus allowing the wielder a wider throw radius. While the new weapons are being forged at the shop, the undead surrounds the compound. Suddenly, Celina Jade screams at the top of her lungs: EVIL!
After that all hell breaks loose and the team is forced to go on a rampage to dispose of the hoards of Zombies. Celina says her prayers while ripping off the heads of the nasty undead in the closing moments of the film. At the end of Zombie Guillotines we see the team walking slowly toward the harbor and eyeing the erie skyline of Downtown Hong Kong shrouded in a layer of haze! Zombies beware!
The make-up and sets were creative and detailed, each zombie performer was given a cool look and character to play, one of my favorites is Katherine Yam, she was really brutal and maniacal looking, check this picture out below. Now that is a Zombie! RUN!
The 9 minute short is a fantastic proof of concept movie in the vein of 'Flying Guillotines', but with the undead and a dash of ultra-violence. Easy to envision Zombie Guillotines as a game or web series. Tightly shot, expertly produced, well acted and edited, this over the top gore fest rates a head ripping 8.5 out of 10! A must watch!
The full Zombie Guillotines movie is available on Youtube 1080p with CC subtitles in English as the main language is Cantonese. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IbOGW0c_Co
Facebook Connect @ https://www.facebook.com/ZombieGuillotines
July 2014 News! Dan's Movie Report (C) 2014
Ghost Bride Synopsis:
Young chinese immigrant Jason Chen is trapped between two women; kiwi girl Skye and chinese bride May Ling, two cultures; modern New Zealand and traditional China, and two worlds, that of the living and that of the dead.
Genre: Fantasy | Thriller
Director: David Blyth
Cast: Yoson An, Rebekah Palmer, Fiona Feng
Writer: David Blyth
Running Time: 1 hr. 30 mins.
Director David Blyth's Ghost Bride is screening in Manilla! If you live in Manilla, Check for a screen near you! http://www.juice.ph/movies/movie/ghost-bride#movie-cinema-list Check my review for this fantastid film @ http://dansmoviereport.blogspot.com/2014/03/ghost-bride-movie-review.html
It is coming down to the wire for the selection of who will be the lead female role for the Crouching Tiger Sequel, July 14th is the final day Click the link for info: https://letitcast.com/en/castings/2099676994-crouching-tiger-hidden-dragon-ii I know many people who have auditioned best of luck!
More Florida Supercon Updates in the future, still going through the material. The official attendance was 43,000! Watch for new video of Celina Jade at her panel discussion!
Upcoming interviews on Dan's Movie Report:
Carly Sunae, Dean Alexandrou, Ron Smoorenberg. Silvio Simac, Nikki T, plus many more surprises!
Arrow is having cast meetings for the third season in California, adding Brandon Routh to the cast. Filming begins next week!
Cynthia Rothrock's and Don Wilson's latest film project :The Martial Arts Kid in full post production mode and dozens of photos have been uploaded to https://www.facebook.com/robert.goldman2/media_set?set=a.10204132675976533.1073741851.1214703941&type=1&l=d394dc9967 Watch for an exclusive feature soon on this fantastic family film. Cynthia and Don are really great people!Make sure to like the film on FB @ https://www.facebook.com/MAKMovie2014
On the bad ass action side comes Transit 17! Still a bit mysterious as to the full description and plot, but casting is set and production is set for early August. Cast:
Guy Bleyaert, Silvio Simac, Zara Phythian, Stilian keli, Daniel Pala, Ben Loyd Holmes, Gunther Vanhuyse, Patrick Micheli, Kimberly Stahl, Martin Vanmaris, Brian Slane.
Like the FB page @ https://www.facebook.com/TRANSIT17/ for up to the minute details.
Occupants, a found footage Sci Fi film by Russ Emanuel is beginning their Indigogo Campaign, I only support Indiegogo from film makers I have worked with before, that have quality completed projects prior to.
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/occupants Russ is very experienced and has completed feature films before including Chasing The Green and P.J. He is very professional and follows through.
Keep reading Dan's Movie Report for more details, and exclusives!
Actress Celina Jade Interview (Exclusive: (C) 2014 Dan's Movie Report) All Rights Reserved.
Update October 2015 Celina and her dad Roy Horan do the first of many instructional videos with their company Innovea! https://www.facebook.com/innovea/videos/1230076430351197/?fref=nf
please like the company on FB @ https://www.facebook.com/innovea?fref=photo
Update August 2015: Celina Jade to star in new film 'April Flowers' http://www.aprilflowersthefilm.com/
Watch for more updates!
Above pics: Autograph pic from Celina,Skin Trade Banner Exclusive and my artistic Shado photo, click to make Wallpaper Sized!
Update August 5th 2014: Celina Working on Music Video with www.jon-wong.com Follow his twitter @ https://twitter.com/jonwong63
Update: Video I took from Celina panel @ Florida Supercon! (C) 2014 Dan's Movie Report https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oZS1CnBe3E&feature=youtu.be
Celina Jade is a one in a million talent, that can act, sing, fight do just about everything she puts her mind to. What struck me most meeting and chatting with her, was Celina's quiet calm, demeanor, and kind generous heart. At the Florida Supercon, she was giving free hugs to anyone she met, and rather than talking about herself, she was asking about the people she met. A genuine person, no ego, attitude, humble, and amazing. Her father is the legendary Roy Horan, but she made it on her own, carved her distinct path to excellence, and I am honored to share her vivid stories on Dan's Movie Report. Sit back, grab some Ginger Tea, and enjoy 3,000 words of Celina Jade, I gave her the questions printed out the day before to look over, and here goes a live exclusive chat with SHADO! Interestingly, for her panel discussion at Florida Supercon, she sat her chair on the floor, used no microphone, and asked us to huddle around her, fireside chat style, this displayed warmth and a single sense of being with the audience.
Above Pic: Celina on the floor at Florida Supercon!
Chat about Kung Fu Vettel, the action short film with the racing legend.
Sebastian Vettel is the 3 time world champion race car driver, extrememly talented. I did a short film with him in 2012, where he teaches me to race around a track and I teach him Kung Fu. I tried to beat his lap time, but the funny thing is at the time I actually did not have a drivers license. Actually I just got my driver's license, so I can fight and do all kinds of things, but my driving sucks haha! Driving him was interesting, If you look on Youtube behind the scenes, you see him freaking out. He told me to go around the racetrack, as fast as you can, then you have to break on the outside of the corner and cut the apex in a straight line, I was unsure what the apex was. I assume now that was the pinnacle of the turn. He told me to drift out. I thought, I got this, I am a good student, and then I slammed the accellerator, and he goes WHOA, let us do a slow run first, haha! I figured if we crash it is just a bunch of tires it will be fine. Come on your a bad ass, I am a bad ass, so lets get on with it hahahaa! That was kung fu Vettel, if you guys like formula one he is very talented and funny guy.
Above: Celina Jade in Kung Fu Vettel: (C) 2012 Simon Woollard
Please chat about the film Legendary Assassin, and your experiences on the set of the film.
Has anyone seen Legendary Assassin? (and dead silence in the room, as of course, I was the only one haha to actually have seen the film, but happy of course to educate the Arrow fans, who were very cool)
This how I got into acting, I started as a singer songwriter, I never knew I would get into acting. I always admired people who could act, I was the shy kid who was too scared to take drama, because I did not think I had what it takes to be onstage. When I was signed to a record label in Hong Kong, my music manager, knew my dad (Ron Horan) He played the token bad guy in older bruce lee and Jackie Chan films. He used to wear spandex and fight in the old martial art movies.
My manager said to me, “Hey, your dad can fight, can you fight?” I said “Yeah” he said: “Why don't you audition for this movie called Legendary Assassin.” The film stars Wu Jing (now known as Jackie Wu) He is kind of the person after Jet Li, he is a Wu Shu national campion, as well as some other really big actors, and they are looking for a lead actress for that movie. I was like ok, I will try out. My manager said the chances of you getting this role are next to nothing, because they already have a few big Chinese actresses in mind. I just thought, I will do it for experience. I auditioned and forgot about it. A few weeks later I get a call “You got it” I was shocked, I said “I got what, the role?” I said “I do not know if I can act” this is trusting me with your investors money, your reputation, you guys are insane haha.
Literally, I was thrown into the deep end, I had to play a police woman, who falls in love with an assassin. Lots of fighting, lots of stunts. In Hong Kong, the safety is next to nothing.
How long were you on set of Legendary Assassin for?
We shot for three months, I trained 6 days of week, very intense, many hours a day with Wu Jing to the point where lets just say, I have a small bladder, I go to the bathroom a lot at night and I could not get up at night to go to the bathroom, because I was doing so many sit-ups, I had to literally roll off of bed to go, because my muscles were in so much pain. I trained every day with the guys and Wu Jing a Wushu champion, he is amazing, that is how I got my big break into acting.
Back then I did not know how to act, I thought, how am I going to fall in love with this guy, haha. My friend told me: “Celina, if you can convince someone of a lie, then you can act” I thought: “I guess I have my rebellious years, lied to my parents a few times haha.,I will try.” I tried to be that character, which was really tough. My mom said, three months after shooting the movie: “You are still walking like a man, haha” I am a police woman, I am not going to be strutting down the street, I am a tough cop. After that I took acting lessons and slowly improved my art and really fell in love with acting, that is my experience on Legendary Assassin.
I really enjoyed it, was a great movie, you were fantastic in it.
Thank you. It is available on netflix if you guys are interested in watching a foreign film.
Chat about a bit of behind the scenes on Arrow (I had written the exact question to her, oddly another audience member also asked, if you read this please let me know, I will add your name!)
The first day on the set I meet Manu, and he is on the floor doing push-ups and he was pacing and running around the set and really hyped up, and Steven is doing pull-ups. I thought, should I get down on the floor and start doing sit-ups, haha. Should I fit in, these guys need to be super pumped, if you look at Manu or Slade they are really pumped because before every single scene he is doing push-ups sit-ups and running. I was wondering, should Ibe doing jumping jacks. The guys especially Steven were really protective of me, I had to stand on an apple box (height extender box) and he said are you ok, I said if I cannot stand on an apple box, I am not going to have much of a career as an actress and martial artist especially in HK where you have to do your own stunts, haaha.
Manu is a comedian, he followed me into the toilet, not into the stall. In the wilderness in Canada where we were filming the toilets are kind of far away cabins, he was getting into his stalkerish mode for that scene, he said: “I am watching you.” I screamed : “GET OUT!” I turn on all of the faucets so he does not hear anything. Haha, fun times, I had to also do archery training! (Ed Note, many more very cool arrow questions were asked by the audience, I will uploaded additional video to youtube, above.
I intended also to ask this question as a follow-up, and once again, another amazing audience member read my mind! What is your favorite stunt to film?
I don't know, stunt work is usually pretty dangerous. Oh I don't, know if there is a favorite stunt, I don't know, just throw me down those stairs another five times.
None for Arrow, but for Legendary Assassin, I will never forget. One of the first scenes is me falling off the tree, that is two stories high. We are on this island, on a public street. The villagers are off on the outside, but they are able to watch the scene where I fall of this tree and this guy catches me on his back.
I will never forget this, I am on the tree, not scared of heights or anything, but I look down, to my right the guy holding the wire and holding me up, and he is wearing a wife beater, kind of a chunky big guy, wife beater rolled over his big belly, he has a beer on the bottom, a cigarette in his mouth and he is holding the rope with ONE hand, with a cigarette, alternating cigarette, rope, rope, cigarette. Uh Oh, red flag! I look over to him and said are you going to be all right, he was like “Don't worry I got yah.” I thought All right I guess this is what I signed up for, if I have to fall, just fall. I fall, and Wu Jing catches me with one hand and swings me down on the floor and the villagers were all clapping and the sound guy goes CUT! Live sound, we have to do the stunt again. I was like oh my God we have to do it again. I think that was definitely one of the more “fun” or crazy stunts I have filmed, interesting and funny.
In most of my experiences in Arrow and other films most of the stunts are first attempted by guys. The will try the stunt out to make sure it was safe. I remember in one of my scenes, they put a wire up and I have to swing around a pole and kick someone. For the guy he was heavier, I do the same stunt, and because I am lighter, and the location of the hooks, I swung around and went straight into the pole, bruised my entire leg, and was limping the rest of the day. Same thing happened in Shanghai, for Kung Fu Vettel. They lifted me up, I was in the air, I do a round house kick to the guy's head (Ed. note, thank you Celina may I have another!) and the guy dropped me to fast so my knee went straight into the concrete bridge. My knee, blew up so much that I could hardly fit it into my jeans the next day.
Again the same thing happened for another movie where I am supposed to fight with this guy and kick him then someone pushes me from behind or kicks me from behind and I fall into a couch and the couch flips over, then I roll and turn up and fight again. The stunt guy, who was a lot heavier, when he fell on the couch,he actually flipped the couch and continued on. I fell into the couched flipped the couch and continued to fly into the wall, which was behind the couch. I will say I have a few battle wounds, but nothing major, which is cool, actually it is fun. My mom hates it, she says:“Why did I give birth to a boy?” Why do you have to follow in your dad's footsteps?
On Arrow, I have a stunt double, which is weird, but on a tv series, if you get injured, the filming has to stop, and they are screwed. There is a lot of money and time invested. They will not risk any dangerous stunt, fall etc.. They will always use a stunt double. On Arrow, They use Kim Chiang http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1548530/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1, she is really good (she did stunts for Kelly Hu as Deathstrike) another woman named Atlin Mitchell http://www.stuntscanada.com/atlinmitchell/, who is very talented. (Ed note, shout out to the fantastic stunt peeps!)
Talk about the new film Skin Trade. Fantastic talent on that film.
It is called Skin Trade, I just did a movie with Ron Pearlman, Dolph Lundgren, Tony Jaa, Michael Jai White, etc. Tony Jaa is awesome, no wires, he flies. I can attest to that he does all his own stunt and he has no wires. Right now he is shooting a new movie in HK and they put him in a wire and he was not used to it, he had to jump and kick over a car and come on the other side. They put him on a wire and he could not do it. He told his manager I can do it without a wire. He did, he jumped over the car, spins in the air lands on the other side.
Skin Trade comes out in May 2015, if you follow me on FB Twitter or Instagram you will see it. It will be a theatrical released film worldwide, rated really highly in a recent test group.
Working with them in Bangkok was so fun. Another action area, craziness. In one scene, someone pulled out the chair I was on and I get kicked. I always get tied up and kicked haha. There were nails sticking out of the chair, I am like um, can you pull the nails out, before I go crashing into it? That was a really fun shoot, please check it out. Skin Trade will have lots of action, and a very serious subject of human trafficking.
Do you know about the rating yet, is it actually going to have an R rating, or watered down PG 13?
I think it is pretty R, although that we did film some scenes with two versions for certain territories. China, and the middle east, it has to be toned down. No swearing, shit becomes hell. Etc. Less violence (ED Note, less violence in a Tony Jaa, Dolph, Michael Jai White, Ron Pearlman, Celina Jade film, VERY BAD! We will take the actual R Rated version thank you!)
Like Skin Trade on FB @ https://www.facebook.com/SkinTradeMovie
Finally Chat about your father Roy Horan ( A Legend in HK films IMDB page @ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0394547/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1)
He taught us to fight, we play fought at 3, 4, 5 yrs old. We were wating for the bus and he was testing us punch, punch, punch, block, block, block, he taught us, (my sister and I) to block, kick, etc... My father told me, well actually I learned the hard way, first, never to surprise attack him. I jumped out at him from the side of a corridor where he was coming and said boo, and he literally punched me in the stomach so hard, by natural relex, I flew across the room onto the ground. I was down for two minutes, my mom is screaming and I wake up, and go: WHOA that was AWESOME! I want to learn how to do that! It is the only household where you get beat up by your dad and you don't call the police. We still play fight, my sister, and my dad, it is fun, I enjoy it!
(Above photo EXCLUSIVE!, Celina jade in Zombie Guillotines!)
I was bullied in school a number of times and I would come back, and mom would always be the diplomat go to the principal, and tell him what happend. I went to a bit of a racist school, as I was the westerner in a Chinese local school. It was tough, kids are kids, when you look different people judge. My dad taught me how to Judo throw, and kick in the stomach hard, so next time they won't bother you. It worked, when the boys bullied me, one kick to the stomach, they never came back! (Ed note, needed you in Jr high) My dad, would be defend yourself, never let anyone push you around. When the diplomatic way does not work, be prepared. (Ed note: Need her as bodyguard!)
Amazing interview, I could ramble on for another 5,000 words, but sadly this is where I end the text, Celina thank you so much for sharing some amazing stories today, and watch for more soon on Dan's Movie Report! For the great questions from rest of the audience as well! (I only printed the questions that were asked by me, specifically for the interview.)
Danny, thanks for the questions and for the fruit, it was delicious! (I gave her some mangoes, and avocadoes from my yard.) Yeah pic is blurry, so what! She is holding my fruit, not yours. Haha!!
Keep reading Dan's Movie Report for more SKIN TRADE exclusives! And for Celina Updates, photos, videos, etc,,,
Finally Check out this cool picture of Celina, from Florida Supercon, she asked all of us to gather around for a group shot after the panel interview. Great Show! For more info on Supercon go to the Official Website @ www.floridasupercon.com
To find Celina Jade on the internet, roundhouse kick your browsers to these sites! First though, for the latest updates like her on FB as it is actually her, posting! @ https://www.facebook.com/celinajade
For up to the minute Arrow info, Check out this site! Great Resource @ http://www.reddit.com/r/arrow/
For a very cool short film with Celina, Check out my review and link to Zombie Guillotines @ http://dansmoviereport.blogspot.com/2014/07/zombie-guillotines-movie-review.html Warning, NSFW, ultra violent film!
For an in depth video interview with Celina check out this Youtube Link to Asian's On Film @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krqAUMwnONA
Brand new wallpaper images @ http://dansmoviereport.blogspot.com/2014/07/celina-jade-as-shado-new-arrow.html
http://www.celinajade.com
http://www.twitter.com/celinajade
http://www.youtube.com/celinajadevids
http://www.innov-ea.com
Acting Reel @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTvAo1ucsyk
Posted by Dan's Movie Report-Danny Templegod at 10:35:00 AM 1 comment: Links to this post
Florida Supercon Massive Success! Miami Beach! And 40,000 fans!
Celina Jade is the best comic convention guest in my 20 yrs of going to them, humble, patient, kind, free hugs, intelligent, and loves mangoes! She did a no mic, fireside chat panel on the floor! Much more to follow! Interview soon!
Here is an exclusive shado pic! Mysterious and Black and white like a shadow! Celina in a no mic panel she sat her chair on the floor and chatted!
I spent 30 hours in two days at the Florida Supercon! Please be patient! Much info to decipher!
Like on FB @ https://www.facebook.com/floridasupercon
Costume contest Sat Night, amazing! Thousands in attendance!
Troma screening of Return to Nuke em high!
Please stand by! Do not adjust your smart or dumbphone, tablet, laptop, PC Iphone etc or if you can get internet through a living object please let me know!
All the respect to all involved with Supercon, moving to the Miami Beach Convention Center was amazing, 40,000 in attendance for the 4 days!
All I can say is The ladies rocked it! Celina Jade, Nichelle, and Tara Cardinal! Mangoes for Celina Jade!
Oh yes to the thousands in attendance for the wrestling, that is also amazing!
I am up for 36 hours straight, mind loopy, heart focused! Eventually all will be covered!
Destiny Drives The Dream! Mike S. Broder! You did it!
Actress Celina Jade Interview (Exclusive: (C) 2014...
Florida Supercon Massive Success! Miami Beach! And...
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Simvastatin effects on androgens, inflammatory mediators, and endogenous pituitary gonadotropins amo
Rashidi B1, Abediasl J, Tehraninejad E, Rahmanpour H, Sills ES.
To evaluate effects of simvastatin on selected biochemical parameters and reproductive outcome among patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) who undergo in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Patients with PCOS were randomized to receive either oral simvastatin, 20 mg/d (n = 32), or placebo (n = 32) in a prospective, double-blind, randomized clinical trial (NCT 005-75601) in parallel with controlled ovarian hyperstimulation for IVF. All patients were determined to be at average risk for cardiovascular disease, based on high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) measurement at entry. After an 8-week treatment interval concluding at periovulatory human chorionic gonadotropin administration, selected clinical and laboratory parameters were measured.
Mean serum total testosterone level decreased by 25% in the simvastatin group, compared to a 10% reduction in the placebo group (P < 0.001). A trend of lower serum luteinizing hormone levels was noted in experimental and control groups (29% vs 22%, respectively), although this difference was not significant (P > 0.05). Neither fasting insulin nor quantitative insulin sensitivity check index were significantly impacted by simvastatin (P > 0.05). As expected, total cholesterol was not modified among placebo patients but was significantly reduced after simvastatin (P = 0.001). In addition, hsCRP and vascular cell adhesion protein-1 were both significantly lower after simvastatin therapy compared to controls (P ≤ 0.005 for both). At study completion, no important change in body mass index was observed in either group (P ≥ 0.60). Although oocyte maturation, fertilization, and clinical pregnancy rates were all higher after simvastatin, none of these improvements were statistically significant.
This report presents data from the first prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical investigation of simvastatin in the setting of PCOS and IVF. Simvastatin seems to be compatible with gonadotropin therapy for IVF and can offer beneficial endocrine and cardiovascular effects for patients with PCOS who undergo embryo transfer. Although the observed improvements in reproductive function were mild, the reductions in hsCRP and vascular cell adhesion protein-1 after simvastatin treatment were significant, suggesting the need for further clinical trials to clarify simvastatin s impact on reproductive physiology.
J Investig Med. 2011 Aug;59(6):912-6. doi: 10.2310/JIM.0b013e31821bfd9c.
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Sam Carr
Birthplace - Friar's Point, Mississippi
Birthdate - April 17, 1926
Curent Residence - Dundee, Mississippi
Sam Carr, has lived the blues. His father, ledgendary Blues Man, Robert Nighthawk would take Sam along on his gigs. He was 8 or 9 years old dressed up to the nines and looking sharp. Sam would dance and perform in front of his father's band and during breaks.
Sam is an energetic man, even at 71 he can out work many men half his age. The first thing you notice about Sam is the way his face changes when he smiles. It's like the sun came out.
Sam Carr has worked with Frank Frost for so many years that they are a team. Their names have become inseperable to a lot of blues fans. Sam and Frank have made music together since they were kids. While doing gig's up and down the "Blues Highway" they joined up with Sonny Boy Williamson and became his last band. Sam has consistently been chosen as the best blues drummer in "Living Blues". The Jelly Roll Kings which also included Big Jack Johnson is probably the best known incarnation of Frank Frost and Sam Carr.
If you attend the four big delta festivals you have seen Sam Carr on stage. He is also one of those drummers that is called when you are going into the studio to cut your CD and you need a great blues drummer. Catch Sam on the latest Jelly Roll Kings release out on Mercury Capricorn.
Buy Frank and Sam's CDs
Leon McEntire Reviews Keep Yourself Together
Delta Musicians
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Disorders Essay, Research Paper
Osteogenisis imperfecta (OI) is ?a rare genetic disorder of collagen synthesis associated with broad spectrum of musculoskeletal problems, most notably bowing and fractures of the extremities, muscle weakness, ligamentous laxity, and spinal deformities.?
(Binder, 386). Other collagen-containing extraskeletal tissues, such as the sclerae, the teeth, and the heart valves are also affected to a variable degree. OI has a ?common feature of bony fragility associated with defective formation of collagen by osteoblasts and fibroblasts.? (Smith, 1983, 13) This disease, involving defective development of the connective tissues, is usually the result of the autosomal dominant gene, but can also be the result of the autosomal recessive gene. Spontaneous mutations are common and the clinical presentation of the disease remains to be quite broad. (Binder, 386)
OI is most commonly referred to as ?brittle bones?, but other names include: fragilitas ossium, hypolasia of the mesenchyme, and osteopsathyrosis. Osteogenisis imperfecta is still not completely understood, and while there have been advances in diagnosing the disease, treatment is still limited.
Osteogenisis imperfecta is the result of mutations in the genes for type I collagen.
In the mild dominantly inherited form of OI (type I), ? a non-functional allele for the alpha 1 (I) chain halves collagen synthesis,? (Smith, 1995, 169) and is largely responsible for the inheritance. Single base mutations in the codon for glycine causes lethal (type II) OI by wrecking the formation of the collagen triple helix. Types III and IV are the ?less dram- atic outcomes of similar glycine mutations in either the alpha 1 (I) or the alpha 2(I) chains.(Smith, 1995, 169)
The clinical signs can be caused from defective osteoblastic activity and defective mesenchymal collagen (embryonic connective tissue) and its derivatives, such as sclera, bones, and ligaments. The reticulum fails to differentiate into mature collagen or the collagen develops abnormally. This causes immature and coarse bone formation and thinning. (Loeb, 755)
The signs and symptoms of OI vary greatly depending on the type. The most commonly used classification is the Sillence (type I to IV):
Type I is the mildest form of OI and is inherited as an autosomal dominant trait. The sclerae(middle coat of eyeball) is distinctly blue. Type I is broken down into IA and IB — the difference being whether dentinogenesis is present. IA has a life expectancy nearly the same as the general public. The physical activity is limited, and may appear to have no disability at all. The bones have a mottled or wormian appearance, forming small islands. (Isselbacher, 2111)
Type II is lethal in utero or shortly there afterbirth. The survivors live from just a few hours to several months. The kayotypes of parents are usually normal. This type is broken down into three subgroups: IIA is characterized by a broad, crumpled femora and continuos rib beading, IIB by minimal to no rib fractures, and IIC by a thin femora and ribs with extensive fracturing. While in the uterus, there is poor fetal movement, low fetal weight, poor ossification of the fetal skeleton, hypoplastic lungs, the long bones of the upper and lower limbs are shortened or deformed, and the head is soft. Intrauterine fractures occur, and parinatal death is usually from intracranial hemorrhage due to vessel fragility or respiratory distress from pulmonary hypoplasia. The bones and other tissues are extremely fragile, and massive injuries occur in utero or delivery. The ribs appear beaded or broken and the long bones crumpled. (Isselbacher, 2111)
Type III and IV are intermediate in severity between types I and II. Type III differs from I in its greater severity, and from IV in that it increases in severity with age. It can be inherited as either a autosomal recessive or dominant trait. The sclerae is only slightly bluish in infancy and white in adulthood, although the average life expectancy is 25 years. Type IV is always dominant. With types III and IV multiple fractures from minor physical stress occurs leading to progressive and severe deformities. Kyphoscoliosis may cause respiratory impairment and predisposition to pulmonary infections. ?Popcorn-like? deposits of mineral appear on the ends of long bones. (Isselbacher, 2111)
The symptoms of OI tarde (types I, III and IV) can appear when the child begins to walk, and lessens with age. The tendency to fracture decreases and often disappears after puberty. Later in life, particularly during pregnancy and after menopause, more fractures occur. The bones are usually slender with short, thin cortices and trabeculae (fibers of framework), but can also be unusually thin. (Smith, 1983, 136) Narrow diaphysis of the long bones contributes to the fractures and bowing deformities. Scoliosis is common. The haversian cells are poorly developed. The bones lack minerals needed to form bone matrix. Epiphyseal fractures (end of the bone) results in deformities and stunted growth (dwarfism). Osteopenia, the decrease in bone mass, is symptomatic.
Other signs of OI include hyperextensibility of the joints — double-jointedness– and abnormally thin, translucent skin. Discolored (blue-gray or yellow-brown) and malformed teeth which break easily and are cavity prone are found in patients Patients with OI have a triangular-shaped head and face, a bilaterally bulging skull, and prominent eyes with a wide distance between the temporal region. (Loeb, 755)
Hearing loss by the age of 30-40 is the result of the pressure on the auditory nerve because of the deformity of its canal in the skull, and the development of otosclerosis. Recurrent epistaxis (nosebleeds), bruising and edema (especially at the sight of fractures), difficulty tolerating high temperatures and mild hyperpyrexia are other symptoms. Thoracic deformities may impair chest expansion and the ability to effectively breath deeply and cough. (Loeb, 755) Patients are also more susceptible to infection.
In assessing a patient data is needed about the genetic history and birth of the child, as well as a complete development assessment from birth. Vital signs are taken, and periods of increased heart and respiratory rate and elevated body temperature are note-
worthy. Skin should be examined for color, elasticity, translucency, and signs of edema and bruising. A description of position and appearance of a child?s trunk and extremities and facial characteristics should be noted. The height of the child in terms of expected growth, signs of scoliosis or laxity of ligaments, and range of motion of the joints are all important. Sight and hearing should be tested since there are sensory problems associated with OI. The appearance of the sclerae and tympanic membranes and defects of primary teeth and gums are important. (Jackson, 1699)
X-rays usually reveal a decrease in bone density. ?There is no consensus, however, as to whether the diagnosis can be made by microscopy of bone specimens.? (Isselbacher, 2112) DNA sequencing and incubating skin fiboblasts are two ways help diagnose OI.
Prenatal ultrasonography is used to detect severely affected fetuses at about 16 weeks of pregnancy. Diagnosis of the lethal type II by ultrasound during the second trimester of pregnancy is by the identification of fractures of the long bones. Compression of the fetal head is seen by ultrasound probe, and low echogeneity of the cranium can be signs of skeletal dysplasia (faulty development of the tissues). Diagnosis is confirmed by postmortem examination including radiography and biochemical studies of cultivated fibroblasts from the fetus. (Berge, 321) Diagnosis by analyzing DNA sequencing can be carried out in chronic villa biopsies at 8-12 weeks.
There is no known treatment of OI at this time. Treatment therefore is predominantly supportive and educational. Because of multiple fractures and bruising, it is important to diagnose this disease in order to prevent accusations of child abuse.
Treatment of fractures is often challenging because of abnormal bone structure and laxity of the ligaments. Splinting devices are used to stabilize the bones and to protect against additional fractures. Treatment aims to prevent deformities through use of traction and/or immobilization in order to aid in normal development and rehabilitation. Limb deformities and repeated fractures can be corrected by intramedullary rods — telescoping
rods that elongate with growth. After surgical placement of the rods, extensive post- operative care is required because greater amounts of blood and fluid are lost. (Loeb, 755) It should be noted that the healing of fractures appear to be normal. (Isselbacher, 2112) Braces, immobilizing devices and wheelchairs are necessary.
Physical therapy is important in the treatment of OI. Bone fracture density in unfractured bone is decreased when compared with age-matched controls due to limited exercise, so it is essential to stay as active as possible. Physical therapy is also used for strengthening muscle and preventing disuse fractures with exercises with light resistance, such as swimming.
Regular dental visits are necessary to monitor the teeth. Monitoring by opthalmol-
ogists for vision and audiologits for hearing is also essential. Radiologists need to examine the structure and density of the bones, and an orthopedist is needed to set fractures and take care of other bone related problems.
Counseling and emotional support is needed for both the patient and the family. It is important not to limit a child because of his/her disabilities, and to realize that many victims of this disease live successful lives. Debrah Morris, a successful business woman, and active fighter for disability rights and helping other patients of OI, says, ?If I had the choice to be anyone in the world, I would be exactly who I am. The people I have met, the challenges I have faced, the opportunities that I have been presented — all are directly related to dealing with being a little person with brittle bones.? (Kasper, 53) Many of the symptoms of OI can be confused with those of a battered child. X-rays are used to show evidence of old fractures and bone deformities to distinguish the difference. The Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation (OIF) has is a national support group that offers assistance to families in this position and to increase public awareness. The OIF has a medical advisory council, chapters, support groups, regional meetings, biennial national conferences, and parent contacts to help families feeling alone and helpless. They also publish a newsletter, provide literature and videos about OI, and sponsors a fund to support research.
Magnesium oxide can be administered to decrease the fracture rate, as well as hyperpyrexia and constipation associated with this condition. (Anderson, 1127) A high-protein, high-carbohydrate, high-vitamin diet is needed to promote healing. A growth hormone has also been administered during childhood, and is shown to substantially increase growth. Treatment with bisphosphorates and related agents has been discussed to decrease bone loss, but no controlled studies have been done. (Isselbacher, 2113)
Since there is no cure for oseogenesis imperfecta, appropriate and properly timed rehabilitation intervention is of the utmost importance to ensure that the child is able to function to the best of his/her ability in society. A ten year study that was submitted in 1992 proves this.
25 of 115 children with severe OI were observed since birth or infancy at the National Institutes of Health, MD and the Skeletal Dysplasia Clinic at the Children?s National Medical Center in D.C. One was Type I, two Type II, nine Type III, and thirteen Type IV. They were classified by physical characteristics and functional capacity:
Group A consisted of those who were severely dwarfed with large heads and marked bowing , contractures, and weakness of extremities. The highest functional skill expected was independent sitting. Group B was growth deficient, but with a normal sized head. Femoral bowing, scoliosis, and contractures of the hip flexors were characteristics. they were expected to stand and/or ambulate with braces. Group C were less growth deficient, and had good strength, but poor endurance. They had marked joint laxity and poorly aligned lower extremity joints, but were ambulators. (Binder, 386-387)
Group A patients were the most severely involved. Most were basically sitters. The majority were totally dependent in their self care. Group B had the potential to become at least short-distance ambulators. These patients had acquired the ability to move to sitting, but had transitional moving problems, such as sitting to standing. All were part-
ially independent in their self care. Group C had antigravity strength and 50% had good strength in their extremities. All were physically active and age-appropriately independent, but none were good long-distance walkers. (Binder, 387-388)
Progressive rehabilitation of these groups all included posture exercises and active range of motion and strengthing exercises. Group B had additional ROM and posture exercises, as well as Developmental exercises. Group C added coordination activities.
(Binder, 388)
Conclusion, ?Management of patients with OI should address the child?s functional needs. Even though the degree of disability may be severe, management should not be limited to orthopedic procedures and bracing. Treatment planning should be considered, but not totally based on genetic, anatomical, and biochemical abnormalities. Our experi-
ence suggests that clinical grouping based in part on functional potential can be useful in the appropriate management of children with OI.?(Binder, 390) Independence was stressed in this study, and even patients with limited sitting ability, upper extremity function can be improved to at least minimal independence in self-help skills. Potential ambulators should be helped because, although their ability might not progress past indoor ambulation, walking will make them more independent and may result in increased bone mineralization. Poor joint alignment, poor balance, and low endurance can all be improved with persistent, individualized physical and occupational therapy. For best results, therapy should be started as soon after birth as possible. Mainstreaming school aged children is also important. All of this together leads to ?age-appropriate social development and markedly improved independence and quality of life in the majority of patients.?(Binder, 390)
Osteogenesis imperfecta is the most common genetic disorder of the bone. It occurs in about 1 in 20,000 live births, and is equally prevalent in all races and both sexes. The Type I OI has a population frequency of about 1 in 30,000. Type II has a birth incidence of about 1 in 60,000. Types III and IV are less common and may be as high as 1 in 20,000. (Isselbacher, 2111) The occurrence of OI in families with no history or blue sclerae is about 1 in 3,000,000 births.(Smith, 1995, 171) The recurrence risks in families is estimated to be 6 to 10%, but is only estimated because most couples choose not to have any more children. 15 to 20% of patients with OI do not carry the gene for abnormal collagen, making many wonder if there is yet another genetic problem undiagnosed at this time.(Smith, 1995, 172)
Anderson, Kenneth N., ed. Mosby?s Medical, Nursing and Allied Health — 4th Edition
St. Louis: Mosby, 1994: 112.
Berge, L.N., et al. ?Prenatal Diagnosis of Osteogenesis Imperfecta? Acta Obstetricia et
Gynecologica Scandinavica 4.74 (1995): 321-323.
Binder, Helga, MD, et al. ?Rehabilitation Approaches to Children With Osteogenesis Imperfecta: A Ten-Year Experience? Arch Phys Med Rehabil 74 (1993):
Isselbacher, et al. Harrison?s Principles of Internal Medicine New York: McGraw Hill,
1994: 2111-2113.
Jackson, Debra B., and Saunders, Rebecca B. Child Health Nursing Philadelphia:
J.B. Lippincott, 1993: 1696-1699.
Kasper, Rosemarie. ?Osteogenesis Imperfecta: Brittle Bones, Sturdy Spirit? Independent
Living 7 (1992): 50-53.
Loeb, Stanley. Diseases Bethelehem: Springhouse, 1993: 754-756.
Paterson, Collin R. ?Clinical Variability and Life Expectancy in Osteogenesis Imperfecta?
Clinical Rhumatology 14.2 (1995): 228.
Slagboom, P.E. ?Collagen Genes and Skeletal Disorders? The Lancet 342 (1993):
Smith, Roger. ?Osteogenesis Imperfecta, Non-Accidental Injury, and Temporary Brittle
Bone Disease? Disease in Childhood 72 (1995): 169-175.
Smith, et al. The Brittle Bone Syndrome London: Butterworths, 1983.
Eating Disorders And Personality Disorders
Men And Eating Disorders
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foresthint.news was legally established in late December, 2015, to play a role in the reporting of forestry, environment and climate change issues
Corporate Green Pledge
PALM OIL NEWS
Global companies linked to new canal development
JAKARTA (foresthints.news) - US-based environmental group Rainforest Action Network (RAN) has confirmed that the supply chains of various global companies have been proven to be linked to the massive canal development undertaken by a subsidiary of global palm oil supplier the AMS Ganda Group / GAMA Plantation.
As previously reported by foresthints.news (Mar 26), GAMA Plantation's palm oil company PT GAN has been found to have fragmented relatively intact peat forests in its two concession blocks, which are inhabited by the critically-endangered Bornean orangutan, by constructing large canals.
The GAMA palm oil concession concerned extends into parts of Indonesia's targeted peat restoration sites and peat protection zones located in West Kalimantan's Kubu Raya regency.
Gemma Tillack, RAN’s Forest Policy Director, condemned several multinational companies in a written response to foresthints.news (Apr 4) regarding their supply chains' ties to the legally-banned new peat development carried out by GAMA Plantation’s palm oil company.
“Unilever, PepsiCo, Nestle, and their suppliers like Wilmar, have failed to respond to peat destruction like this, which currently represents a global emergency,” she disclosed.
Below are three photos demonstrating that the supply chains of some major global companies remain associated with new peat development across Indonesia, in this case in the GAMA Plantation-owned PT GAN concession.
The major global companies mentioned by Tillack have, according to her, failed to handle their contribution to the world's climate crisis because their supply chains still engage with bad actors that continue to destroy peatlands for the sake of developing new palm oil plantations throughout Indonesia.
RAN’s Forest Policy Director went on to emphasize an important fact, the truth of which is no longer up for negotiation. "Peat forests, left standing, are one of the best defences we have against catastrophic climate change. We face a real threat requiring urgent action."
PONGO Alliance responds to questions
Unlike RAN, which has adopted a strict stance in favour of the total protection of peatlands and peat forests, the PONGO Alliance sees the case of the GAMA Plantation palm oil company in the context of a looming clash between old and new policies.
“This case represents one example of a major dilemma whereby some oil palm plantation developers with licences pre-dating Indonesian government peatland policy of recent years are racing to clear, drain and plant before the contradictions between old and new policies and legal requirements are comprehensively addressed.”
This was the written view expressed by Dr John Payne, Executive Director of the Borneo Rhino Alliance (Mar 29), on behalf of the PONGO Alliance, in reply to an email from foresthints.news requesting the alliance’s response to the massive canal construction in the GAMA Plantation concession.
The GAMA Plantation palm oil company commenced this extensive canal development after President Joko Widodo slapped a legal ban on any new canal development, which inevitably leads to peat drainage, in early December 2016, as seen in the following photos.
Payne added that the PONGO Alliance will keep doing its best to contribute in a small way towards resolving these dilemmas, but by focusing on areas which impinge most significantly on the conservation of endangered wild species.
With respect to this position, foresthints.news questioned whether it is applicable in the case of the Sungai Putri landscape, one of the few remaining Bornean orangutan-inhabited peat forest landscapes, by merely maintaining parts of the PT MPK logging concession, and some other parts of the BGA palm oil concession blocks, which dominate this landscape.
Payne replied to this question by stating, “(the) PONGO Alliance is in the early stages of defining our scope of work and as such is not able to comment in such detail."
Tags: peatlands , orangutan , palm oil
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Our Dromoland Wedding – Keith Woodard Photography
The Irish Wedding. A divine specimen to behold. And to imbibe. And imbibe. Oh, and did I say imbibe? There is no leaving an Irish wedding until at least 3AM. Not even if you are the bride and groom. In fact, the bride and groom are always the last to leave. It is customary that the two lovebirds maintain their life-of-the-party-personae until every last guest has turned in or collapsed at their feet from “too much drink taken”. And yes, wedding ceremonies usually begin early in the afternoon as in the States so it is one long, lush, lovely day in which to participate. This is particularly fresh in my mind as we attended a friend’s wedding this week in Tipperary (pronounced Tipper-RARE-ee). And I am still recovering (2 days later). But it was such a beautiful day; a fabulously fun-loving couple, their sentimental church ceremony that began with the Irish Uillean pipes, a lovely part of the service which was recited in Irish and a reception that took place at a hotel at the foot the dramatic Glen of Aherlow. (sidebar: I love that Ireland has glens and reeks and skrees and gorgeous folkloric topography like that).
As weddings do, we were reminded of our very own romantic Irish wedding and began feeling nostalgic. Our day, to an American girl, was the stuff that fairy tales are made up of… The ceremony took place in the most charming old church, which is said to be the finest remaining example of the “barn” church in Ireland. We borrowed Seamus, the spirited violinist from Bunratty, and he gleefully performed our chosen music. We also enlisted the help of Michelle McDermott, a brilliant wedding planner since I didn’t have much knowledge of the who’s who/what’s what here at the time. Our reception was carried out at the idyllic and distinguished Dromoland Castle in Newmarket-on-Fergus, Co Clare. When we arrived at the gates, we were greeted by two beautiful white stallions and a vintage carriage awaiting to transport us into the estate (see photo above). We meandered down a path passing by ponds and geese which eventually lead to a walled garden. I had never felt so taken away by feelings of awe and joy and love in my life as I did on that day, it was truly spectacular. (For those of you who don’t know, I should tell you that these fabulous feelings set in AFTER the actual ceremony…the before and during part is, well, you’ll find out).
Because I am American (and a former “particular” producer) we had to keep some of my traditions, however, little did I know that almost all of what I was strenuously requesting during the planning process was exclusive to weddings in the States so all of my wishes could not be granted, but still a good few were. I really wanted commercial hair and makeup for myself and my girls so we hired an editorial makeup artist from Dublin that I had read about in an Irish fashion magazine to come down and be there for the day. The hairstylist stayed on for the evening for touch ups. Very OTT for Irish standards and possibly everyone else, but I wanted to look my very best all day AND night. Also, we designed the wedding invites with a studio in the States and used a die-cut embossment of the McDonnell family crest which were produced using a combination of letterpress and engraving techniques. Die-cut embossed invites in Ireland? Again, OTT for Irish standards, but hopefully respected (jury’s still out). Here, the bride and groom to-be actually handwrite the name of each guest on the inside of the invitation on a line as shown here. I initially thought that seemed a bit slapdash, but perhaps that does add more of a personal touch.
Our meal at Dromoland may have been the best I’ve eaten in Ireland to date (really, I am not just saying that). To start, a delicate monkfish and crab velout with garlic and chives (so unforgettable that my mouth is watering writing this) followed by a gorgeous and light savory parsnip and thyme soup and after, a smooth pomegranite sorbet was offered to cleanse the palate. For the main course, a filet mignon that was so gloriously juicy and tender that you could cut it with a butterknife served with fresh organic potatoes and various roasted vegetables. Our wedding cake was round and 4-tiered with little vintagey strands of icing creping and beading across each level. To me, it looked very timeless and classic which is exactly what I had hoped, but I had to make a serious compromise on the top tier, for when we met with the cake maker I was informed that the top is always fruit cake. What!??? How not tasty. I seriously thought she was joking (we really do make jokes about fruit cake in the States you know). But she wasn’t and R really preferred it that way too so there was no way out of it. I just could not fathom why anyone would want to eat fruitcake at a wedding.
We hired an 8-piece traditional Irish music group to start the entertainment who performed beautifully and encouraged many guests to do jigs and reels on the dance floor, the most popular being the Siege of Ennis. An example of the Siege of Ennis (or as I like to call it, the Electric Slide-Irish style) from the Tipperary wedding can be seen here. When the trad music was ended we had a deejay who creatively served up tracks until every last person left in those wee hours of the morning.
But, as any proper married American couple, R and I disappeared into the night long before that and began our life anew…..
Next week: 3 Fabulous Irish foodies-2 living in Ireland and one in Paris-and their deliciously scandalous cookbooks. And, for a few lucky food-loving readers, a free copy will be sent to you!
Slán Abhaile and Happy New Year!
Tags: bunratty, clare, cratloe, dromoland, farmer, glen of aherlow, ireland, love, marriage, siege of ennis, tipperary, wedding
3 Responses to “Irishly Ever After…”
Would you be able to share the music you used for your ceremony? I hired a violinist who agreed to play celtic music, but now I have no idea where to go from there!
Philipp Röme says:
Dear Imen,
I would like to use the picture of the wedding carriage on my website. Would that be possible?
Would be happy to provide a link to the photographer.
pretty far west says:
The tradition is that people keep the top layer for the christening of the first child, and fruitcake keeps well. I didn’t do it myself.
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Farm Bill Issues; Renewable Fuel Standard; and, the Ag Economy
Posted By Keith Good On July 31, 2012 @ 4:23 am In Agricultural Economy,Audio,Farm Bill | Comments Disabled
David Rogers reported yesterday at Politico that, “Leaders of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees are slated to meet Tuesday morning amid signs that House Republicans may pull back from a one-year extension of farm programs and focus instead on the immediate needs of drought-stricken livestock producers.
“The extension — due on the House floor Wednesday — remains highly divisive even as there is broad support for new disaster aid to fill gaps in the current farm law for livestock and some specialty crops.
“No final decisions have been made. But Minnesota Rep. Collin Peterson, the ranking Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee, appears open to this approach, absent an agreement by Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to allow House-Senate negotiations in August on the larger five-year farm plans favored by the two committees.”
Mr. Rogers pointed out that, “The Senate approved its farm bill in June, but Boehner has so far blocked House action for fear of a messy fight dividing his party. Instead, the speaker prevailed on House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) to move ahead with a one-year extension, filed late Friday.
“But Peterson is balking and appears to enjoy the backing of major commodity groups who share his fear that the extension will be used as an excuse to kill any further farm bill action by this Congress.”
Note that Chris Clayton reported yesterday at the DTN Ag Policy Blog that, “Farm groups are coming out against the House plan to vote Wednesday on a one-year extension of the current farm bill…Farm Bureau, Farmers Union, American Farmland Trust, American Soybean Association and National Milk Producers Federation were among the array of groups Monday issuing news releases critical of the House plan unless it leads to conference negotiations for a five-year farm bill. Other groups, including Oxfam and Environmental Working Group also criticized the House extension.”
Also yesterday, 13 conservation related groups sent a letter to Speaker Boehner opposing a Farm Bill extension.
In his Politico article yesterday, Mr. Rogers explained that, “Lucas himself wants to move ahead with a five-year bill and has been put in a difficult spot by his leadership.”
And the article added that, “House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who has major agricultural interests in his own home district, reached out to Peterson over the weekend. And given the severity of the drought, the GOP leadership badly wants to show some progress before sending their farm state members home for the August recess.
“‘They are beginning to figure out that this is a big albatross and want to get it off their back,’ Peterson told POLITICO. He said McCarthy was not unsympathetic with his desire to get onto the five-year bill but as an interim step, just dealing with the livestock aid is an option.”
A report by Mike Hergert on yesterday’s Agriculture Today radio program from the Red River Farm Network (RRFN), included remarks on the Farm Bill process from Ranking Member Peterson, RRFN audio (MP3- 2:04).
Meanwhile, Daniel Newhauser reported today at Roll Call Online that, “With their Conference deeply divided, House Republicans may have to go to the Democratic well again this week, this time for votes on a short-term farm bill extension that would offer critical relief to drought-stricken ranchers.
“Republicans have had to rely on Democrats to help pass measures this Congress, but Democrats are leery of aiding Republicans in their uphill climb this time, with Chief Deputy Minority Whip Joe Crowley telling reporters on a Monday conference call that they have yet to decide their stance on the bill.
“‘I do think there’s always concern that we’re here trying to carry the water for Republicans when they can’t get a bill passed,’ the New York Democrat said. ‘They don’t want to pass anything in any way, shape or form that will benefit our party right before the election.’”
The Roll Call article noted that, “Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) spent the weekend and Monday on the telephone with Members to round up support, including a Saturday call to Agriculture ranking member Collin Peterson (D-Minn.).
“According to staff accounts of the call, Peterson told McCarthy that he is still pushing for the House to take up the five-year bill that he and Agriculture Chairman Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) passed through the panel earlier this month. He said he doesn’t think Republicans have the votes to pass the short-term measure and they did not consult Democrats in writing it.
“‘It’s just mystifying to me why these guys can’t take yes for an answer. We got a bipartisan bill, we’re doing things the way we’re supposed to do it and then they come up with this extension, which they never even talked to us about,’ he told the North Dakota-based Red River Farm Network in a Monday radio interview.”
Mr. Newhauser added that, “The trouble for Republicans is that many of their Members refuse to vote for the measure because they think leadership wants to bring the measure into conference, like they did with the transportation reauthorization bill, and produce a final measure heavily skewed toward the Senate-passed version. Others prefer to vote on the committee-passed bill, though Lucas has given his support to the temporary extension.”
Erik Wasson reported yesterday at The Hill Online that, “House Republican leaders might not have the votes to pass a stopgap farm bill this week.
“The scramble for votes has sparked speculation that leaders in the lower chamber might have to scrap their plan to deal with the politically sensitive issue.
“Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and his lieutenants, wanting to avoid an intraparty battle on a $957 billion five-year bill approved by the House Agriculture Committee, scheduled a vote on a one-year farm program extension that includes drought relief provisions.”
The Hill update indicated that, “But aides and lobbyists closely monitoring the issue said Monday that unless something changes, it looks like GOP leaders will have to pull the bill.
“‘I don’t see how they have the votes,’ one longtime lobbyist said. ‘I have yet to have one person tell me this thing has a chance.’”
Mr. Wasson noted that, “Some conservatives, like Republican Study Committee head Rep. Jim Jordan (Ohio), say they oppose all farm bills and will reject it no matter what.
“Other conservatives will only support it if they can be guaranteed that the one-year measure is not a ‘backdoor’ attempt to conference a five-year farm bill with the Senate.
“Fiscal groups such as the National Taxpayers Union and Taxpayers for Common Sense oppose the extension.”
Yesterday’s article added that, “Sources said that the GOP whip count on Friday indicated that the party cannot pass a one-year bill on its own.”
“If the farm bill is pulled, lobbyists hope that the need to act on the drought forces leaders to allow a pre-conference on the five-year farm bills to go forward in August, and that this yields action in September.
“They concede, however, that a better shot at passage might be in the lame-duck session, when leaders will be looking at a way to cut spending in order to turn off the $109 billion in automatic spending cuts coming in January due to the sequester,” The Hill article said.
Mr. Wasson stated that, “Sources said the bill being withdrawn is a more likely scenario than it being defeated on the House floor. Such a move, though, would attract negative headlines for Republicans with nearly three months to go before the election.”
In a news release yesterday, Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R., Kan.) indicated that, “It is disappointing that the agriculture industry is being placed in a position of uncertainty. I am concerned that the one-year extension of farm and nutrition programs that the House is considering this week merely delays the reform that is needed, but I also believe that this extension is better than nothing.”
James Q. Lynch reported yesterday at The Globe Gazette (Mason City, Iowa) Online that, “However, Sen. Tom Harkin warned the Senate may not go along with either a one-year extension of the Farm Bill or passing some sort of targeted drought disaster assistance.
“‘If the House tries to pull this at the last minute, I don’t see any way they are going to get it through the Senate’ before Congress adjourns for its August recess, he said.
“‘I’m all in favor of getting it through as rapidly as possible. But there are some people over here who don’t feel that way,’ Harkin said. ‘I would not have a lot of hope of it getting greased through the Senate.’”
Also yesterday, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released an update titled, “One-year extension of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, with certain modifications,” which stated that, “CBO estimates that enacting this proposal would reduce direct spending by $399 million over the 2013-2022 period, relative to spending projected under CBO’s current baseline. Because the proposal would affect direct spending, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. Enacting the proposal would not affect federal revenues.”
In other Farm Bill news, Pete Kasperowicz reported yesterday at The Hill’s Floor Action Blog that, “The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report Monday that says the ability of states to expand eligibility for federal food stamps made about 473,000 more people eligible for food stamps, and added about $460 million in extra costs in 2010. The GAO also said this increased expansion has increased the chances of fraud and abuse of the food stamp program.
“The report was requested by Senate Budget Committee ranking member Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) and leaders of the House Agriculture Committee, in light of dramatically rising costs to administer the $70 billion Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as the Food Stamp program.
And Ben Geman reported yesterday at The Hill’s Energy Blog that, “The American Energy Alliance (AEA), a conservative advocacy group, is launching radio ads designed to put political pressure on House Republicans to abandon what the group calls wasteful renewable-energy subsidies in the farm bill.
“The $80,000 worth of ads launching this week urge listeners to weigh in against the legislation by contacting three GOP supporters of the bill: Reps. Kristi Noem (S.D.), Steve King (Iowa) and House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (Okla.).”
In a statement on the Farm Bill yesterday, David Lathem, Chairman of The United Egg Producers, noted that, “We understand the need for quick action on a comprehensive farm bill, especially because of the severe drought, of which we are acutely aware since our farmer members purchase millions of bushels of corn, soybean and other crops to feed the nation’s 300 million egg-laying hens.
“But equally critical to the survival of egg farmers is the Amendment to the Egg Products Inspection Act (H.R. 3798 and S. 3239). The legislation is sponsored by 120 members of the House and 16 members of the Senate and supported by the vast majority of egg farmers, scientists, veterinarians, consumer groups and animal protection organizations.
“This legislation carries no cost to the government or taxpayers. Egg farmers do not receive any government assistance, direct payments or share in any livestock disaster programs. Congress should at least do something to help egg farmers when considering this Farm Bill by including the amendment to the Egg Products Inspection Act that we have asked for.”
Renewable Fuel Standard
Gregory Meyer reported yesterday at The Financial Times Online that, “The US livestock and poultry industry urged federal regulators to suspend a government mandate for ethanol use for the first time as a severe drought lifts the price of corn feed.
“A coalition of beef, pork, chicken and dairy producers said the US Renewable Fuel Standard – which requires billions of gallons of corn-based ethanol to be blended with motor fuel – should be waived ‘in whole or in substantial part’ for 12 months.
“The waiver request comes as drought covers nearly all the US corn-growing area and has driven corn prices above $8 a bushel for the first time. Ethanol production and animal feed are the two top uses of the US corn crop, putting refiners and livestock companies in competition for scarce stocks.”
The FT article explained that, “The Renewable Fuel Standard, authored by Congress, requires fuel companies to blend more than 13bn gallons of conventional corn ethanol with petrol in 2012 or offset some blending obligations with government-authorised credits;” and added that, “The EPA, which administers the ethanol mandate, is empowered to rule on a waiver. ‘We are in close contact with USDA as they and we keep an eye on crop yield estimates, and we will review any data or information submitted by stakeholders, industry and states relating to the RFS programme,’ the agency said.
“Ethanol is politically sensitive in Midwest swing states such as Iowa, which has both the nation’s biggest single corn crop and its largest pig herd.”
On the RFS issue, the editorial board at the Chicago Tribune yesterday noted that, “The EPA needs to put the interests of this politically pampered industry aside and do the right thing: Waive the mandate.”
Colin A. Carter, a professor of agricultural and resource economics at the University of California, Davis and Henry I. Miller, a physician, and fellow in scientific philosophy and public policy at the Hoover Institution, opined in today’s New York Times that, “As the summer drags on, the drought is only worsening. Last week the International Grains Council lowered its estimate of this year’s American corn harvest to 11.8 billion bushels from 13.8 billion. Reducing the renewable-fuel standard by a mere 20 percent — equivalent to about a billion bushels of corn — would offset nearly half of the expected crop loss due to the drought.
“All it would take is the stroke of a pen — and, of course, the savvy and the will to do the right thing.”
Bloomberg writer Tony C. Dreibus reported yesterday that, “The condition of the U.S. corn crop worsened for an eighth straight week amid the worst Midwest drought in a generation. Soybean ratings also fell.
“About 24 percent of the corn was in good or excellent condition as of yesterday, down from 26 percent a week earlier and 77 percent in mid-May, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said today in a report. An estimated 29 percent of the soybeans got the top ratings, down from 31 percent. Both crops are in the worst shape for this time of year since a drought in 1988.” (Note, related corn chart here, related soybean chart here).
A tweet yesterday at The Financial Times Commodities noted that, “Macquarie sees US #corn yields at 120-130bu/ac and #soybeans at 39bu/ac falling to 35bu/ac without rain soon.”
Emiko Terazono reported yesterday at The Financial Times Online that, “Grains and oilseeds rallied on disappointing rains in the US Midwest and on forecasts for further hot and dry weather in the key corn and soyabean-growing regions.”
The FT article noted that, “In Iowa, the top US corn producing state, 46 per cent of the crop was poor or very poor.
“The recent showers have eased conditions in the driest areas in the Midwest soyabean-growing areas, but drier conditions were expected to return to the central and southwestern belt, said consultancy Commodity Weather Group.”
Meanwhile, an update from the World Bank yesterday noted that, “Given the exceptional drought in the US, current crop conditions in other grain producing regions, and the resulting increase in international food prices, the World Bank today expressed concern for the impacts of this volatility on the world’s poor, who are highly vulnerable to increases in food prices.
“‘When food prices rise sharply, families cope by pulling their kids out of school and eating cheaper, less nutritious food, which can have catastrophic life-long effects on the social, physical, and mental well being of millions of young people,’ said World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim. ‘The World Bank and our partners are monitoring this situation closely so we can help governments put policies in place to help people better cope.’”
URL to article: http://farmpolicy.com/2012/07/31/farm-bill-issues-renewable-fuel-standard-and-the-ag-economy/
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Farm Bill; Budget; Ag Economy; and, Immigration
Posted By Keith Good On January 18, 2013 @ 4:58 am In Agricultural Economy,Budget,Farm Bill,Immigration | Comments Disabled
DTN Ag Policy Editor Chris Clayton reported yesterday (link requires subscription) that, “House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas wants to make it clear that he expects USDA to follow through with enrollment and sign up for the direct and counter-cyclical payment programs and that checks should be issued in the fall.
“There is a lot of speculation over whether direct payments would actually be sent out in the fall.
“Direct payments normally are sent out in the fall, which gives Congress the potential in budget talks to redirect USDA from issuing the payments, which cost about $5 billion a year.”
Mr. Clayton explained that, “The House Agriculture Committee’s office sent a statement to DTN on Thursday making it clear Chairman Lucas, a Republican from Oklahoma, expects the commodity programs extended for 2013 to remain as they are without any possible late changes coming from Congress. Lucas said sticking with the programs in place now, including direct payments, provides farmers with some policy certainty for this year.
“‘While farmers and ranchers have been denied the five years of certainty a new farm bill would provide, folks in Washington need to stop the guessing game about farm policy for the 2013 crop year, especially with respect to direct payments,’ Lucas said. ‘The existing safety net was extended a year to provide the certainty producers need for the 2013 crop year. This is the law of the land. Anyone familiar with the business of agriculture knows that producers across the country are making spring planting decisions and securing operating loans as we speak. And, I fully expect sign-up for the 2013 crop year — including direct payments — to begin as soon as possible.
“‘I assure you that the five-year farm bill that we will mark up in my committee will honor the commitment Congress made to growers when it extended the 2008 farm bill to cover the 2013 crop year,’ Lucas said.”
Yesterday’s DTN article pointed out that, “Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack was asked at a press conference Monday in Nashville about possible cuts to crop insurance in the next round of budget and sequestration talks. Vilsack noted crop insurance has taken cuts in recent years through contract negotiations and is less likely to be targeted. Direct payments, however, might not be issued next fall.
“‘I think a much larger or deeper question is the issue of direct payments and how certain are we all that direct payments will actually be available,’ Vilsack said. ‘I think the concern a lot of people have is what Congress basically extended, I suppose they could ‘unextend,’ if there is such a word. What Congress giveth, they can take away. And so what we at USDA are supposed to do, we are going to do, and do it in a timely way. But it’s not unrealistic to believe, as they are looking for deficit-reduction strategies, direct payments, I think is far less popular than crop insurance.’” (Related audio from Sec. Vilsack on Monday, available here (MP3- 1:23)).
Recall also that Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.) and Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.) considered a proposal to offset disaster funding for Hurricane Sandy by targeting direct payments, although this legislative idea was ultimately unsuccessful. (Additional information in Wednesday’s FarmPolicy report.)
Meanwhile, in a radio interview earlier this week with Mick Kjar (Ag News 890, Terry Loomis, Farm Director (Fargo, ND)), House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Collin Peterson (D., Minn.) discussed upcoming budgetary concerns with respect to Farm Bill programs, including direct payments- (Ag News 890 audio clip here (MP3- 2:15)).
Mitch Meador reported on Wednesday at the Lawton Constitution (Lawton, Okla.) Online that, “Garrett King, Oklahoma agricultural liaison for Lucas, Oklahoma’s Third District congressman, told attendees at the Cattle Trails Cow-Calf Conference here [Lawton] Tuesday it was a miracle the farm bill extension made it through.”
The article noted that, “Unfortunately, inclusion of Lucas-Peterson in the year-end agreement was not to be. All ag leaders got was an extension of the 2008 Farm Bill through the end of September. Everything continues the way it was, but some programs are authorized that don’t have funding, King warned. Livestock indemnity and livestock forage programs were reauthorized, but no money went into the bank account.
“‘We’ve got to get money into those programs through the appropriations process. So that is one of our goals in the short term,’ King said.
“Ag leaders will also be marking up a new farm bill, but there are now new members on the committees who must be educated and who have the right to weigh in. Congress is also facing new political realities, new priorities that are going to come ahead of the farm bill. The debt ceiling is one. Sequestration has only been delayed for two months, and officials will have to deal with massive cuts across the entire federal government.”
In the interview earlier this week with Mick Kjar (Ag News 890, Fargo, ND), Rep. Collin Peterson also provided his perspective on the White House, GOP House Leadership, and the Senate during the Farm Bill process. Rep. Peterson specifically noted the assistance and help provided by House Democrat Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) as Farm Bill developments unfolded at the end of last year.
(Recall that Rep. Peterson and then Speaker Pelosi worked closely to get the 2008 Farm Bill over the finish line. More background on this issue is available in this FarmPolicy update from September).
In his discussion with Mick Kjar, Rep. Peterson also offered insight into the change in GOP leadership on the Senate Agriculture Committee. (Related Ag News 890 audio clip available here (MP3- 2:43)).
Alan Mauldin reported earlier this week at The Moultrie Observer (Ga.) Online that, “On the question of a new farm bill, [Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R., Ga.)] said that for the first time since taking office in 1995 he voted last year against a farm bill because it was not good for farmers in the Southeast.
“He said he supports farm legislation that eliminates direct payments to landowners whether they farm or not, which has long been a criticism of farm programs. The Senate bill, which was not taken up by the House, would have changed that.”
The article added that, “Farmers need countercyclical payments that will help them in tough years when prices are low and do not cost the government money when prices are high, he said. Crop insurance alone that pays for disasters is not sufficient.
“‘The problem is, crop insurance for cotton and peanuts doesn’t work,’ he said.”
In other developments, DTN Executive Editor Marcia Zarley Taylor reported yesterday (link requires subscription) that, “If you liked your crop insurance options for 2012, ask for a replay in 2013. But for 2014 and beyond, your federal risk management choices could become much more expensive and more restricted.
“Some of the leading architects of the program worry delayed passage of a permanent farm bill exposes the federal crop insurance program to potential budget cuts…‘The longer we postpone, the worse it could get for crop insurance,’ University of Illinois economist Gary Schnitkey said.”
The article noted that, “[Kansas State economist Art Barnaby] actually invented the concept of harvest price protection in the early 1990s, a feature he thinks protects cash grain marketers as well as livestock feeders. He also strongly defends the crop insurance concept, because it’s far preferable than the billions of dollars of free disaster aid dispensed by Congress in previous decades.”
Yesterday’s article indicated that, “‘Without the harvest price, many Iowa corn farmers would have received no 2012 indemnity payments,’ Barnaby said. ‘Would policy makers have provided an ad hoc disaster program for the 2012 drought, if those farmers had not been collecting crop insurance payments?’”
In news regarding nutrition issues, Teresa Watanabe reported yesterday at the Los Angeles Times Online that, “Fatty corn dogs and sugary coffee cake may become extinct in thousands of school cafeterias nationwide under a landmark new alliance among Los Angeles Unified and five other major urban school districts to leverage their vast purchasing power for healthier fare and lower prices.
“School districts in L.A., New York, Chicago, Dallas, Miami and Orlando, Fla., plan to announce Thursday efforts to use their collective clout — 2.5 million daily meals served and $530 million annually spent — to make wholesome food a national standard.”
The article noted that, “L.A. Unified has overhauled its menu with whole grains and fresh produce; New York offers a salad bar at every school; and Chicago has swapped cupcakes for fruit at school celebrations.
“Now, by joining forces, the alliance members hope to move the market and eventually enlist other school districts in the crusade.”
Reuters writers Lisa Lambert and Susan Heavey reported yesterday that, “A report by a panel of experts released on Thursday questioned whether the U.S. government’s food stamp program adequately provides for healthy diets for the more than 47 million low-income people who rely on the benefit.
“The report by the National Academy of Sciences found that the aid for families to pay for groceries, officially called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, does not account for many barriers to finding affordable, nutritious food by inner-city shoppers.”
The article explained that, “The U.S. Agriculture Department, which administers the aid program, sought the report to help it determine the best way to assess whether food stamps benefits are adequate for recipients to have access to a healthy diet.
“‘We will thoroughly review the analysis and recommendations contained in this report and use them to help set our agenda for future program research,’ USDA said in a statement.”
Also yesterday, Ramsey Cox reported at The Hill’s Floor Action Blog that, “New York and Idaho lawmakers called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to change its nutrition guides to include Greek yogurt as a source of protein.
“Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Reps. Richard Hanna (D-N.Y.) and Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) sent a letter Thursday to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack urging him to change USDA guidelines on the protein-packed food.”
Brian Tumulty reported yesterday at PressConnects (Binghamton, NY) Online that, “[Sen. Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) began urging the Agriculture Department last June to update its federal school lunch program guide to reflect Greek yogurt’s protein content — more than twice that of regular yogurt.”
And, Sen. Gillibrand tweeted yesterday that, “Greek yogurt is high in protein & should be able to serve as a healthy low-cost protein option for kids in the federal lunch program.”
Molly K. Hooper reported yesterday at The Hill Online that, “GOP leaders on Thursday heard from rank-and-file members in a closed-door session, with many urging sequester cuts or a government shutdown to take effect in hopes of forcing the White House into accepting spending cuts.
“Those options are ‘very much on the table,’ veteran Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) told reporters on Thursday, from Virginia, where House GOP lawmakers are meeting for their annual retreat.”
Erik Wasson reported yesterday at The Hill’s On the Money Blog that, “A coalition of conservative groups on Thursday demanded that Congress only raise the nation’s $16.4 trillion debt limit if a path to a balanced budget is enacted.
“The groups say the plan must balance the budget within 10 years and not include higher taxes.”
Gregory Meyer reported yesterday at The Financial Times Online that, “The heat is gone and the shock has faded, but a terrible US drought remains. And it is not about to disappear.
“That was the message in a government drought forecast released on Thursday, the first to cover the April start date for most corn and soyabean planting.
“While snow and rain have relieved some areas, the majority of the Midwest and high plains regions are still suffering drought. States such as Nebraska and Kansas show no sign of improvement, while the situation in Texas is set to worsen.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service noted its latest Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook report yesterday that, “As the drought continues, potential for more cow liquidation increases and prospects for herd rebuilding deteriorate. Drought-affected pastures could result in further placements of lightweight feeder cattle in feedlots and further reduce the supply of heavy feeder cattle for placement. Negative packer margins and record high retail beef prices could dampen rising fed cattle prices.”
And a news item yesterday from Cargill indicated that, “Cargill today announced that it will idle its Plainview, Texas, beef processing facility effective at the close of business, Friday, Feb.1, 2013, resulting primarily from the tight cattle supply brought about by years of drought in Texas and Southern Plains states.”
John Schwartz reported in today’s New York Times that, “For months along the Mississippi River here, the withering drought has caused record-breaking low water levels that have threatened to shut down traffic on the world’s largest navigable inland waterway.
“That closing has not happened, however — and now officials are predicting it will not. ‘It looks to me like we’re about to get out of the woods here,’ said Maj. Gen. John W. Peabody, commander of the Mississippi Valley Division of the Army Corps of Engineers. ‘I am very confident that we will be able to sustain navigation for the rest of the season,’ until the river comes up naturally with the spring rains and snow melt.”
Cameron Joseph reported yesterday at The Hill Online that, “Pro-immigration reform groups are revving up efforts to force leaders to tackle with legislation amid concerns the issue could get shoved to the sidelines amid other high-profile fights on Capitol Hill.
“‘We need some action,’ former Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, who served under former President George W. Bush, said Thursday.”
And The Washington Post editorial board indicated today that, “Sen. Marco Rubio, the Florida Republican in whom some GOP activists have invested presidential hopes for 2016, has seized on the issue of immigration, hoping to stake a claim to leadership in the coming national debate and to revive Republicans’ dismal standing among Hispanics. What’s striking about his plan, outlined so far in the media rather than in legislation, is that it appears to depart from President Obama’s own approach in details, not principles.”
URL to article: http://farmpolicy.com/2013/01/18/farm-bill-budget-ag-economy-and-immigration-2/
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Replay official: USF 35, FAU 23
When Florida Atlantic set up a series with South Florida, Athletic Director Craig Angelos inquired about playing the game at Dolphin Stadium.
Grading the Owls
OFFENSE: A- Can’t fault the play-calling because there were often receivers wide open and runners seemed to have gotten the call at the right times, However, coming up empty with a chance to win the game on the last three drives isn’t the way to win a game vs. The No. 6 team in the country or any team in the Sun Belt for that matter
DEFENSE: B+ A solid effort the whole game and physical play that probably has a lot of Bulls heading for the hot tub on Sunday. USF may not play a game the rest of their season against a defense as hard-hitting as the Owls. Unfortunately the FAU defensive line let two plays that should have been sort gains into touchdown runs by QB Matt Grothe, who had a 32 yard scamper on 4thand1 and RB Benjamin Williams who eluded the Owls on 54-yard sweep that was the difference in the game.
SPECIAL TEAMS: C- It was a windy day, but PK Warley Leroy uncharacteristically missed three field goals and the kickoff coverage was so bad the Owls were squib kicking for most of the second half giving up valuable field position.
OVERALL: B Don’t think for a minute the Bulls don’t think they were fortunate to get out of town with a victory And they needed a blown call by a horrid Big East officiating crew on a punt return late in the game to do it, FAU will be confident after matching a national championship contender for most of the game and that will help the team when it gets back to Sun Belt play in two weeks
After all, the Bulls are in the Big East and deserve all the respect that comes with being in a BCS Conference (If you don’t think so, just ask them)
However, NCAA rules cap the number of home games away from your home stadium at one and the Owls were already under contract to play Minnesota at the Owls’ home away from home.
So the game stayed at Lockhart Stadium much to the chagrin of the thousands of Bulls fans who crossed Alligator Alley to support their team.
Let’s face it, the conditions at Lockhart Stadium will never be confused with those at Dolphin Stadium.
But Saturday’s game had the big-game atmosphere that FAU has never seen when it is the home team. Even the big win over Minnesota was played in front of a small crowd that was hardly inspired by the many empty seats,
That wasn’t a problem Saturday. Every seat was sold and then some to pack the park with 21,106 paying customers.
Sure there were lines to get in the stadium and in the parking lot, but that’s a problem Angelos and company will surely take. Planning on showing up a few minutes before kickoff to an FAU game? As they were saying at another local school, at least before the season started, “Those days are over, son.”
Despite losing 35-23 from what I saw, FAU fans had a good time and hopefully will be back in a few weeks, If not, surely they’ll be back to see a game at 777 Glades Road in a few years.
The only thing better is imagining similar crowds on campus by 2010. If that’s the kind of enthusiasm having football brings to FAU, the stadium will be a great addition to campus.
The Palm Beach Post’s game balls vs. South Florida
FB DiIvory Edgecomb
Edgecomb showed his speed on the 47-yard touchdown pass from Rusty Smith and is ding a good job running and returning kicks
LB Cergile Sincere
Sincere had 13 tackles and forced a fumble and out-performed USF’s LB Ben Moffitt.
FAU fans
Responding to the call, FAU fans showed up and wouldn’t South Florida take over their house. It was close, but Owls fans may have slightly outnumbered Bulls supporters.
Owls put scare into Bulls
Owls get back to work
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ReviewField Condition July 04, 2014 BIG, National Building Museum, BIG Maze, Washington D.C., ExhibitionComment
BIG Maze
BIG has just completed a modern take on the maze, constructed in the Great Hall of the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. The firm has approached the project with its signature methodology of rigorously evaluating form in relation to function to find new approaches to a design problem. This manner of design thinking is seen in every building they undertake, primarily conveyed in their signature diagrams.
The historical form of the maze, found in cultures around the world from ancient times, has been that of increasing confusion as one wanders further into its depths. To bring new life to the form, BIG has subtracted a convex form from the 18 feet high walls of the maze. The further you journey into the center of the maze, the better you understand the path you've taken, as the wall's height decreases. Not only does this lead to personal enlightenment, it is also a spectacular new way to encourage the visitor to reexamine the Renaissance detailing of the building through the dynamic framing of the walls.
View of the maze from the Great Hall.
Entrance to the maze.
Entrance podium.
Looking up within the maze.
View from the center of the maze.
The material selection of plywood by BIG sought to complement the earth tones of the Building Museum's interiors while contrasting with its Renaissance detailing through its sparseness of finish and form.
Walking through the maze.
Detail of the maze wall intersections.
Maze walls at the center.
Construction was achieved in just under a month with the help of work donated by local contractors. The base floor was constructed first, with a break in construction for a previously scheduled wedding in the Hall before resuming with the walls.
This formal approach of the warped surface eroding the field of walls from the top recalls Peter Eisenman's strategy for his sculptural memorial in Berlin. At the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Eisenman uses the warped surface of the ground to alter the visitor's relation to the concrete pillars. As you enter the field, the pillars are low, creating a bench or steps for children to jump between. The further in you proceed, their scale dramatically increases, becoming looming columns that block the light and instilling an unease that evokes the emotional effect of the Holocaust's atrocities.
Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Eisenman Architects, 2004
To add to the experience of BIG's maze, the visitor can gain a different perspective as they visit the upper levels of the museum and look down on its intricate paths from the colonnades.
Aerial perspective from the second floor colonnade.
The center of the maze.
Bjarke Ingels leading a tour in the maze.
Aerial perspective from the third floor colonnade.
Hopefully with the success of the maze, the museum will seek more opportunities to engage the public with architecture in a space which begs for elements that activate it and create a dialogue.
Architects: BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group); Program: Exhibition; Location: National Building Museum, Washington, D.C.; Completion: 2014.
10 Bond & 372 Lafayette
Construction UpdateField Condition July 09, 2014 10 Bond, Selldorf Architects, 372 Lafayette Street, Morris Adjmi Architects, NoHo, New York City, Residential
22-22 Jackson Avenue
Construction UpdateField Condition July 01, 2014 22-22 Jackson Avenue, ODA, Long Island City, Queens
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Difference between revisions of "Fiscal conservatism/Bibliography"
From Citizendium, the Citizens' Compendium
< Fiscal conservatism
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(add books)
* Ippolito, Dennis S. ''Why Budgets Matter: Budget Policy and American Politics'' (2003) [http://www.amazon.com/Why-Budgets-Matter-American-Politics/dp/0271022590/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201126672&sr=8-2 excerpt and text search]
* Kimmel, Lewis. ''Federal budget and fiscal policy, 1789-1958.'' Brookings Institution Press. 1959.
* Leff, Mark. 1983. Taxing the "forgotten man": The politics of Social Security finance in the New Deal. ''Journal of American History'' 70 (September): 359-81. [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0021-8723(198309)70%3A2%3C359%3ATT%22MTP%3E2.0.CO%3B2-L online in JSTOR]
* Leff, Mark. "Taxing the 'forgotten man': The politics of Social Security finance in the New Deal." ''Journal of American History'' 70 (1983): 359-81. [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0021-8723(198309)70%3A2%3C359%3ATT%22MTP%3E2.0.CO%3B2-L online in JSTOR]
* Leff, Mark H. "The Politics of Sacrifice on the American Home Front in World War II," ''The Journal of American History,'' Vol. 77, No. 4 (Mar., 1991), pp. 1296-1318 [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0021-8723(199103)77%3A4%3C1296%3ATPOSOT%3E2.0.CO%3B2-H in JSTOR]
* Lind, Michael. ''Hamilton's Republic: Readings in the American Democratic Nationalist Tradition'' (1997)
Related Articles [?]
Bibliography [?]
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A list of key readings about Fiscal conservatism.
Please sort and annotate in a user-friendly manner. For formatting, consider using automated reference wikification.
Barber, William J. From New Era to New Deal: Herbert Hoover, the economists, and American economic policy. Cambridge University Press. (1985) excerpt and text search
Beito, David. Taxpayers in revolt: Tax resistance during the Great Depression. (1989)
Brownlee, W. Elliot. Federal taxation in America: A short history. (1996) excerpt and text search
Campbell, Ballard. The Growth of American Government: Governance from the Cleveland Era to the Present (1995)
Critchlow, Donald T. "The Political Control of the Economy: Deficit Spending as a Political Belief, 1932-1952," The Public Historian, Vol. 3, No. 2 (Spring, 1981), pp. 5-22 in JSTOR
Greenspan, Alan. The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World (2007) autobiography of chairman of the Federal Reserve (1987-2006)
Ippolito, Dennis S. Why Budgets Matter: Budget Policy and American Politics (2003) excerpt and text search
Kimmel, Lewis. Federal budget and fiscal policy, 1789-1958. Brookings Institution Press. 1959.
Leff, Mark. "Taxing the 'forgotten man': The politics of Social Security finance in the New Deal." Journal of American History 70 (1983): 359-81. online in JSTOR
Leff, Mark H. "The Politics of Sacrifice on the American Home Front in World War II," The Journal of American History, Vol. 77, No. 4 (Mar., 1991), pp. 1296-1318 in JSTOR
Lind, Michael. Hamilton's Republic: Readings in the American Democratic Nationalist Tradition (1997)
Morgan, Iwan W. Deficit government: Taxing and spending in modern America. (1995). excerpt and text search
Peltzman, Sam. "Voters as Fiscal Conservatives," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Vol. 107, No. 2 (May, 1992), pp. 327-361 in JSTOR
Sargent, James E. "Roosevelt's Economy Act: Fiscal conservatism and the early New Deal." Congressional Studies 7 (winter 1980): 33-51.
Savage, James D. Balanced budgets & American politics. (1988).
Stein, Herbert. Presidential Economics: The Making of Economic Policy From Roosevelt to Clinton (3rd ed. 1994) excerpt and text search
Treaster, Joseph B. Paul Volcker: The Making of a Financial Legend (2005), chairman of the Federal Reserve, (1979-1987)
Zelizer, Julian E. "The Forgotten Legacy of the New Deal: Fiscal Conservatism and the Roosevelt Administration, 1933-1938." Presidential Studies Quarterly. 30#2. (2000). pp 331+. online
Zelizer, Julian E. Taxing America: Wilbur D. Mills, Congress, and the State, 1945-1975 (2000) excerpt and text search
Retrieved from "http://en.citizendium.org/wiki?title=Fiscal_conservatism/Bibliography&oldid=100256577"
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Home » National » GST reflects spirit of 'one nation, one aspiration, one determination' : PM Modi
GST reflects spirit of 'one nation, one aspiration, one determination' : PM Modi
National23 April 2017 8:17 AM GMTby Arun Mishra
File Photo of PM Modi
New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the consensus on Goods and Services Tax (GST) will go down in history as a great illustration of cooperative federalism, adding the landmark legislation reflects spirit of "one nation, one aspiration, one determination".
Addressing the third meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog here, the Prime Minister said the GST shows the strength and resolve of the federal structure.
Thanking all the Chief Ministers for coming on one platform for this cause while keeping aside their ideological and political differences, Prime Minister Modi said the vision of "New India" can only be realised through the combined effort and cooperation of all states and Chief Ministers.
Prime Minister Modi said that "Team India" has once again assembled today to discuss and reflect on ways to prepare India for changing global trends.
He said the meeting today would be an opportunity to exchange views on policies and implementation.
"It is the collective responsibility of this gathering to envision the India of 2022 - the 75th anniversary of independence - and see how we can swiftly move forward to achieve these goals," Prime Minister Modi said.
Recalling the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi on the occasion of the centenary of the Champaran Satyagraha, the Prime Minister said NITI Aayog has been taking steps to transform India with fresh vigour, adding the government, private sector and civil society need to work in sync.
He noted that NITI was a collaborative federal body whose strength was is in its ideas rather than in administrative or financial control.
He pointed out that the Chief Ministers did not have to come to NITI for approval of budgets or plans.
"NITI Aayog had gone beyond relying on government inputs and taken on board a number of outside specialists, subject experts and young professionals; and states can also contribute to policy formulation," he added.
Giving the example of e-NAM, where experiences of states played a key role in the final policy, Prime Minister Modi noted that sub-groups of state Chief Ministers had given vital inputs on subjects such as Centrally Sponsored Schemes, Swachh Bharat, Skill Development and Digital payments.
Stressing the importance given to the views of Chief Ministers, Prime Minister Modi noted that it was the first time that the former had been asked to recommend the list of Centrally sponsored schemes and the sharing pattern; despite funding constraints, the recommendations were accepted immediately.
The Prime Minister also mentioned that while there has been a 40 percent increase in overall fund allocation to states between 2014-15 and 2016-17, the percentage of funds tied to central schemes has declined from 40 percent of the earlier total to 25 percent of the enhanced total with a corresponding increase in the untied share.
The Prime Minister urged the states to speed up capital expenditure and infrastructure creation.
Speaking of the historic change in budget presentation date, the Prime Minister said this would enable timely availability of funds at the beginning of the financial year.
"Earlier, budgeted scheme funds were generally not approved by Parliament till May, after which they would be communicated to states and ministries. By that time, the monsoon arrived. Hence the best working season for schemes was typically lost," he added.
Mentioning the ending of the distinction between plan and non-plan expenditure based on the recommendation of the Rangarajan Committee in 2011, which had found the distinction to be counter-productive, Prime Minister Modi said, "Several important items of expenditure were included as 'non-plan' and hence neglected. Hereafter the emphasis would be on distinguishing between development and welfare expenditure on one hand, and administrative overheads on the other."
The Prime Minister called for carrying forward the debate and discussion on simultaneous elections.
Prime Minister Modi said the NITI Aayog is working on a 15-year long term vision, seven-year medium term strategy and three- year action agenda, adding this effort needs the support of states and will eventually reflect in benefits to them.
(ANI)
Tags: PM Modi in NITI Aayog meeting PM Modi Governing Council of NITI Aayog New India Team India
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