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Michael Karlberg
Michael Karlberg is a Professor of Communication Studies at Western Washington University. His research and activism focus on the need to move beyond the prevailing culture of conflict and competition in order to establish a more just and sustainable social order based on recognition of the organic oneness of humanity. His publications include Beyond the Culture of Contest: From Adversarialism to Mutualism in an Age of Interdependence; Reframing Discourses for Peace and Justice; Discourse, Identity, and Global Citizenship; Discourse Theory and Peace; The Paradox of Protest in a Culture of Contest; and Constructive Resilience: The Bahá'í Response to Oppression in Iran.
Contribution to Roundtable on 'The Problem of Action'
A global citizens movement would need to emerge in an organic manner. GTI can play a key role in fostering dialogue around such a complex process.
An exchange on How Do We Get There? The Problem of Action
Commentary on The Degrowth Alternative
Meaning, Religion, and a Great Transition
Can religion be a progressive force for confronting world challenges? Michael Karlberg argues that it can if reconceptualized as an evolving system of knowledge and practice rooted in universal values.
Commentary by Christoph Bals, Kurt Grimm, Michelle Holliday, Stephen Purdey, Carolyn Raffensperger, Paul Raskin, Steven Rockefeller, Richard Rosen, Bruce Schuman, and Mimi Stokes Katzenbach, and a response from the author
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Diseases & secondary effects
Rectal fissure
What to Expect after Fissure Surgery
By Nidhi Nangia. July 14, 2017
Fissure is a tear or cut in the anus, extending up towards the anal canal. This is a common anal condition, and usually causes severe pain during bowel movements. Anal fissure is usually caused by repeated diarrhea or hard stool that caused trauma to the anal canal. Sometimes, insertion of an enema tip, rectal thermometer, ultrasound probe or endoscope can also cause fissure in the anus. If the fissure cannot be treated with medicines, a surgery becomes a necessity. Read this oneHOWTO article to find out more information about this surgery and what to expect after fissure surgery.
You may also be interested in: How to Cure a Rectal Fissure - Without Surgery
Symptoms of anal fissure
Diagnosis of anal fissure
Fissure treatment
Fissure surgery
Medicines to take after fissure surgery
When to contact your physician
Anal fissure causes pain in the anus, and it worsens during bowel movements. The pain subsides in between the bowel movements, and can be long lasting or brief after that. Sometimes, patients avoid going to the washroom for fear of pain, resulting in fecal impaction or at least constipation. When a person is constipated, he is likely to pass a harder stool later, which causes extreme trauma to the anal canal, and worsens the fissure condition. Bleeding, itching and pus discharge are also the results of fissure. Although some symptoms may be cured without surgery, it will be the doctor's diagnosis that will determine if you need an intervention.
An anal fissure can be confirmed with a physical examination of the anus. It looks like a tear that can be easily seen with naked eye. Endoscopy is required if the patient is experiencing rectal bleeding as well. Colonoscopy is recommended to patients with a family history of colon cancer. UGI and X-rays of the small intestine may be required to exclude possibilities of other anal diseases.
Once a patient is diagnosed with fissure, the first thing that the doctor will do is to soften the stools and add bulk to it with a high fiber diet, psyllium and methylcellulose. Increased liquid intake and sitz baths are recommended as home remedies for fissures. Prescription medicines like topical anesthetics, like xylocaine, lidocaine, tetracaine and pramoxine are used to relieve pain. Other medicines like steroids, nitroglycerin, calcium channel blockers and Botulinum toxin are also prescribed to heal and treat the condition. But if all these things fail, it is treated with fissure surgery.
Partial lateral internal sphincterotomy is the surgical procedure used for treating anal fissures. In this procedure, the fissure is removed by making a cut on the right or left side of the anus. 97% fissures heal after a surgery, and the recurrence rate is very low at only 0 to 3%.
When you are discharged from the hospital, this is what to expect after anal fissure surgery, regarding the medicines you will be prescribed, which include:
Topical medicine to relax your anal muscle and increase blood circulation in the area. Some of these medicines also have anesthesia to relive your pain, which should only last for two to three days after surgery.
Stool softeners aimed at preventing constipation and softening your bowel movements, as you may also feel pain during bowel movements.
Most importantly, you should take all the medicines exactly as prescribed. You will most likely be able to resume your normal activity one or two weeks after the surgery. In addition to these, you will need to follow these recommendations for proper recovery:
Take sitz baths that are helpful in reducing swelling and pain after the surgery. Your surgeon and physician will tell you how to take a sitz bath, and how many times a day. You may notice blood in stool for several weeks after the anal fissure surgery, this is normal and sitz baths will help.
Go to the washroom as soon as you feel the need. Ignore it may cause unnecessary strain in the area. Clean the anus gently every time you use the washroom and pat the area dry when you have a shower
Eating high fiber foods will help in keeping your bowels soft. Such foods include whole grains, vegetables and fruits. Drink loads of liquids to soften your bowels as well
Make sure you boost blood flow in the anal area by taking short walks each day so circulation gets moving again
Avoid anal sex until you heal completely. This may cause excessive strain in your anal tissue, thus causing them to tear
If you don't want this to happen again, we advise you to take the necessary measures to prevent anal fissures.
Go back to your physician if, during your recovery from anal fissure surgery, you develop any of these symptoms:
Inability to pass stool
Pain even after taking pain killers regularly
Frequent anal spasms
Continuous bleeding from the anus
Although there are minimal chances of recurrence, it is better to keep an eye on these symptoms, so that they can be managed in time.
If you want to read similar articles to What to Expect after Fissure Surgery, we recommend you visit our Diseases & secondary effects category.
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Tag: dengeki daisy
On April 11, 2018 March 24, 2018 By CaitlinIn Analysis, Manga2 Comments
Boys Over Flowers vol. 21
Dengeki Daisy vol. 14
A Devil and Her Love Song vol. 13 (conclusion!)
Fairy Cube vol. 1
There’s been one kind of curious consistency across the worst of the worst I’ve looked at – the tendency to declare the abusive boyfriends, “gentle.” This never made sense to me – how can you call someone gentle right after he slapped you across the face? “Gentle” is a way of behaving and treating others, not some innate quality. It is the antonym of “rough”, which is how one would describe a man who shouts and hits. After seeing it come up again and again, I figured it must be a quirk of translation. Sometimes a particular way of translating a word or phrase becomes standard practice, even if it doesn’t totally make sense in English.
Continue reading “Abusive Relationships in Shoujo Manga by the Numbers: Week 23” →
On April 4, 2018 March 24, 2018 By CaitlinIn List, MangaLeave a comment
A Devil and Her Love Song vol. 12
The Earl and the Fairy vol. 4
Gaba Kawa
A few weeks ago, I talked about Children of the Whales, and my frustration that shoujo and josei are rarely considered worthy of the “prestige” label. Men have long been considered tastemakers, while women and girls, though about half the world’s population, are considered a “special interest group”. This refrain is as old as feminist media criticism itself, and works aimed at women still struggle to get the recognition they deserve.
But at the same time, sometimes I don’t care if men don’t recognize the merits of shoujo and josei manga. I look at all this art being made by women, for women and girls and I don’t care that men don’t appreciate it, because it’s not for them! The people who they’re intended for love them and appreciate them, so what does it matter? Recognition and prestige are great, but they aren’t the end-all, be-all. It used to be that men were the gatekeepers, so their disdain for shoujo prevented it from being brought over, but now the US anime industry has plenty of women working hard to make these titles available. My main issue is the lack of criticism and scholarship surrounding it – I bought Straight from the Heart, a scholarly text about shoujo – but there are bloggers and writers working hard to rectify that.
On March 21, 2018 March 21, 2018 By CaitlinIn Analysis, Manga4 Comments
Flower in a Storm vol. 2
Where’s the josei?
It’s time to answer yet another question absolutely nobody has asked!
As I go through the Shojo Beat catalog (which has many good titles I’m looking forward to reading), there’s been a few that I’ve skipped even though they are available. I chose not to cover series like Crown of Love and Everyone’s Getting Married, nor will I be reading Nana or Honey and Clover. These are all great series that I enjoy, but they’re josei rather than shoujo, i.e. series aimed at an adult female audience rather than a teenage audience.
On March 14, 2018 February 26, 2018 By CaitlinIn Analysis, Manga1 Comment
Spring 2017 Shoujo
As I said last week, this coming season brings an unprecedented eleven shows clearly and explicitly aimed at a female audience, not counting shows that could go either way or appear to be aimed at a general audience. I’ve been eyeing the databases, looking over what shows I’m anticipating most. I don’t have the best track record for keeping up with current anime – I still have one episode each of Sakura Quest and Code: Realize to watch – but I’m still eager and excited to see female viewership being explicitly marketed to. What are these shows?
Abusive Relationships in Shoujo Manga by the Numbers Week 19
On March 7, 2018 March 3, 2018 By CaitlinIn Analysis, MangaLeave a comment
A Devil and Her Love Song vol. 9
The spring anime season fast approaches and with it comes an avalanche of female-oriented new series. Looking at the spring chart, I counted no fewer than 11 series unambiguously aimed at women and girls, which is unprecedented for as long as I can remember. Not all of them appeal to me, and some of them will probably even be bad. But in a landscape where we get this much variety, it doesn’t feel like just one or two series have to represent your entire marketing demographic on their own. It’s okay for some of them to be bad, because you can easily find something else that appeals to you more.
Continue reading “Abusive Relationships in Shoujo Manga by the Numbers Week 19” →
On February 28, 2018 February 17, 2018 By CaitlinIn Analysis, Manga7 Comments
Black Bird vol. 18 (conclusion!)
Dawn of the Arcana vol. 13 (conclusion!)
The Demon Prince of Momochi House vol. 10
Dengeki Daisy vol. 9
So… much… data…
I’ll keep this short, because this installment is already long enough.
Two series finish this week, one that I’ll miss and one that I definitely won’t. In the past, when series wrapped up, I just posted the total points for wrap-up. But I’ve been taking much more granular data than that, counting up how many instances of different forms of abuse occur. And this week, as I finished up Black Bird, a series that has been a thorn in my side since the very start, I thought, “What’s the point of that granularity if I don’t actually do anything with it?”
On January 31, 2018 January 31, 2018 By CaitlinIn Analysis, List, Manga2 Comments
Black Bird vol. 16
Dawn of the Arcana vol. 11
The Demon Prince of Momochi House vol. 8
There’s no one way to read a story
Last week, Anime Feminist had an interview about mental illness in Japan and anime with a former Aokigahara volunteer go up. It’s a really lovely interview and a great read – I highly recommend it if you haven’t checked it out yet. Makoto Kageyama speaks touchingly about their own mental health struggles in the context of how such things are regarded in Japanese culture. Their discussion of how anime and manga treat depression and anxiety like things that can be cured through the power of friendship contextualizes quite a few series. Continue reading “Abusive Relationships in Shoujo Manga by the Numbers: Week 16” →
On January 24, 2018 January 20, 2018 By CaitlinIn Analysis, List, MangaLeave a comment
I just finished rereading Fruits Basket, one of my favorite series from when I was in high school. It’s a flawed work, but overall it holds up really well for when it came out and for a mangaka’s first major title. The story is explicitly about abuse, portrayed both literally and through metaphor, and it handles the subject better than most fiction. Most of the characters are victims of abuse, and the story admirably portrays how they’re unable to connect to others healthily. The series ran over 20 volumes, and it’s not until close to the very end that the main couple are ready to connect romantically. That got me thinking – for the highest-scoring series I’ve covered, what is at the root of their trauma?
Abuse in Shoujo by the Numbers: Week 14
On January 10, 2018 January 7, 2018 By CaitlinIn Analysis, MangaLeave a comment
Last Week:
Dawn of the Arcana vol. 9
Sho is finally making a direct move against Kyo, and the battle between them is a close match. Will Sho’s recent feast on Misao’s blood give him the power to overcome Kyo? Or does Sho hope being killed in front of her will add to the pain of betrayal Misao already feels? (summary by Viz)
The Sho arc of Black Bird draws to a close and Misao returns home. Kyo apparently hypnotized her parents into thinking she was only gone for a night, when really he had spirited away their daughter for months. This strikes me as remarkably scuzzy, and I don’t think it was every explained previously exactly what he was doing and how he was isolating her. She also has been out of school all that time and is terribly behind on her schoolwork, so of course Kyo — ahem, Mr. Usui — has to tutor her. None of her friends seem particularly concerned about her months-long disappearance either. “Isolating from family and friends” is a major sign of potential abuse and, though Misao chose to go with Kyo voluntarily, she was effectively cut off from everyone outside Kyo’s tengu clan, with no one to support her if things went sour.
Continue reading “Abuse in Shoujo by the Numbers: Week 14” →
On December 17, 2017 By CaitlinIn Analysis, List, MangaLeave a comment
Funny how illness works. You spend a week feeling off in some way – tired, foggy, achey – and figure it has to be something environmental. Not enough sleep, too much processed food, changes in weather, or even your room being too goddamn messy making it hard for you focus. Then next thing you know, you get sent home from work after only a half hour on a busy day because you’re struggling to lift a 20-pound toddler and end up laid up on the couch with a 100+ degree fever. Then the fever breaks, you wake up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat, and the next day you feel better than you have in ages.
Then you totally overdo it at karaoke that same day and set yourself way back again. Ah, well. Such is life. No getting around it.
Sho’s plans to plunge the world into chaos continue as he targets the Eight Daitengu, hoping to strip his brother Kyo of all his protectors. And now Sho has Hoki, whose secret past makes him easy prey.
Can Hoki stand up to Sho, or will his efforts to aid Kyo backfire? (summary by Viz)
Kyo and Misao spend very little time together in this volume. You can’t abuse your wife if you’re not around her, I guess!
Tsukushi has just two weeks to prepare for the Teen of Japan contest! She can’t do it all on her own so Tsukasa’s sister, Tsubaki, offers her tutors in everything she’ll need to know to win. She must stay at the Domyoji mansion while she receives her lessons. Can Tsukushi stand the rigors of this training, and will anyone bolster her spirits? (summary by Viz)
Doumyouji actually spends most of this volume being kind and supportive to Tsukushi. He only chews her out when, in her frustration, she tries to quit training for the Teen of Japan contest, and that’s only to motivate her and renew her fighting spirit. So, what’s the big difference between this volume and all the previous ones?
Tsukushi is effectively under Domyoji’s control the whole time. She’s living in his house, learning from his tutors, trying to pay back money he loaned her. It shows exactly what he ultimately wants from her: a girl who, while she goes through the motions of putting up a fight, does what he wants and when. If Tsukushi actually defies him, he turns violent and abusive; if she shouts and fusses before ultimately giving in, he’s “admiring her spirit”. The lesson comes through loud and clear: be a “strong woman”, but only so far as it doesn’t get in the way of romance. I don’t want to totally discount Tsukushi’s strength – she’s incredibly self-reliant and stands up for herself in the face of adversity, plus she supports her family for the last two volumes – but ultimate goal of the series is for her to submit to Domyoji.
Princess Nakaba of Senan and Prince Caesar of Belquat only married each other for the sake of peace between their two warring countries, yet the two find themselves drawn to each other even as political forces threaten to tear their world apart. As Nakaba becomes embroiled in the chaos within the country of Lithuanel, Caesar prepares to return to Belquat to face the possibility of execution! Meanwhile, Nakaba’s Arcana of Time power reveals some disturbing details about her attendant Loki’s past… (summary by Viz)
Caesar decides to pull the classic romance move of trying to emotionally distance himself from his loved one in order to avoid hurting her as he heads back to Belquat. He doesn’t consult Nakaba about whether or not she actually wants to try to start a new life in Lithuanel, because these boys never do. This emotional withdrawal did garner the volume a point, although I wouldn’t call it abusive – more of an eye-rolly, unwelcome sort of self-indulgent “noble” sacrifice. Emotional withdrawal is one of the more ambiguous potential signs of abuse where context matters. It can be done as a choice, conscious or otherwise, in order to punish one’s partner, rather than a legitimate unhealthy reaction to environmental or internal factors. Withdrawing because your partner talked to someone you didn’t like? Potentially abusive. Withdrawing because of a mental illness flare-up? Unhealthy, but not abusive. Caesar isn’t doing it as a way to punish Nakaba, even if he is being presumptuous in not offering the choice whether or not to stand by him.
The more interesting part of the volume comes when Nakaba withdraws into her own past using the Arcana of Time. She chuckles at her own memory of Prince Adel taunting her and pulling her braid, reflecting on how it reminds her of Caesar when they first met. Handled properly, I would have expected this moment to trigger her, not cause her to giggle as if at a cute memory. She doesn’t want to say anything to Caesar, because it would upset him, but she can look back at it so fondly? Seeing a lifetime of severe emotional and physical abuse reflected in a partner shouldn’t be shrugged off so lightly. I’ve been giving Dawn of the Arcana a pass because Nakaba and Caesar’s relationship improved so dramatically, but bringing it back up reflects poorly on the whole series.
Himari Momochi inherits Momochi House, an estate that exists on the barrier between the human and spiritual realms. The waters of the seven sacred falls have become polluted, and Himari, Aoi and the shikigami cross over to the spiritual realm to find the cause. But during an attempt to purify the waters, Himari is taken away by the dragon god! (summary by Viz)
I’ve really been enjoying Himari and Aoi’s slowly deepening relationship so far. They’ve slowly gotten more comfortable around each other, gradually ramping up their physical affection and emotional intimacy in a way that feels fairly natural. It’s rare for shoujo romance to find a comfortable middle ground between the “pure” series where it takes ten volumes for them to touch hands and the steamy ones where the boy immediately starts groping the girl, so the dynamic between the two has been welcome. It also brings up a major bump: Aoi becomes jealous of Himari spending time with Hayato. The series handles it in a way that doesn’t come across entirely badly. Aoi lacks a framework for understanding his own emotions and reactions, so his dislike of the two spending time together is an instinctive reaction he can’t define. How the situation develops will be make or break.
Oh, and he punishes by tying her up with fluffy fox yokai, while she squirms and complains that she’s ticklish. Um, okay?
Discovering DAISY’s true identity not only shocks Teru but makes things more confusing for her as well. Meanwhile, someone pretending to be DAISY threatens to spread a computer virus at school! But who’s the true target of this attack? (summary by Viz)
The main thrust of this volume is Teru processing that Kurosaki is Daisy and how that affects her relationship with him, and Kurosaki continues wrestle with his ethically gray past. At first, Teru has trouble talking to “Daisy” the same way she used to, but soon settles back into the same dynamic. She manages to maintain the status quo with both sides of the relationship, but now she only smiles at Kurosaki’s barrage of verbal abuse and blackmail because she knows that what he says as Daisy is how he really feels. Because bullying is okay if the bully really likes you! I’m so tired of when a boy teases a girl – or, in this case, a man teases a girl – it means he likes her, and that makes it okay.
Naturally, Teru turns to her friends to talk about the sudden revelation about Daisy’s identity and to help her process her feelings. Not a single one seems concerned that he’s an adult, that he’s a staff member at her school, that he teases her mercilessly. They only offer advice on what she can do to advance her relationship with him and emotionally support him, even when he rips a necklace off of her because she was going to wear it to a group date.
Hana Ibuki, a cheerful soul, waltzes into Maria’s life and befriends her right away. She even convinces wary classmates to join Maria’s choral group. There’s something suspicious about Hana’s help, however, especially since misconceptions about Maria occur every time Hana is involved. Is Hana really a friend or actually a foe? (summary by Viz)
Maria and Yusuke’s relationship has smoothed back out, and he’s back to being Maria’s close ally along with Shin and Tomoyo. This week, the antagonist is newcomer Hana, a dangerously manipulative girl who gets away with it by being tiny, adorable, and charming. To be honest, she’s a pretty standard shoujo manga “frenemy” figure cut from the same cloth as Kimi ni Todoke’s Kurumi, Boys Over Flowers’ Sakurako, and a number of others: she harbors a long-time crush on the male love interest, performs femininity better than the awkward main character, and uses these things to control the rest of the class. By the end of the volume, the heroine sees through her bullshit and warmly declares her a rival.
What I’m trying to say is, this installment of A Devil and Her Love Song is pretty rote shoujo fare, with Maria as its saving grace, no pun intended. She’s not so perceptive as to be omniscient, but her blunt way of speaking and uncanny ability to read people make her a fun character. That nature also makes Shin, who is often outright rude, more palatable than he probably would be with a more mild-mannered heroine. He crosses the line sometimes, but the two generally have a fun back-and-forth. The story’s focus more on bullying for now, but once it crosses into romance? He’s my pick.
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Home News Movie News Michelle Dockery Replaces Kate Beckinsale On Guy Ritchie’s ‘Toff Guys’ – Filming...
Michelle Dockery Replaces Kate Beckinsale On Guy Ritchie’s ‘Toff Guys’ – Filming Underway
Well, this is a little odd. Apparently, Guy Ritchie has started filming his crime flick Toff Guys in London but there has been a casting shakeup. According to TheSun, actress Kate Beckinsale had to bail on the film this week despite filming is underway in London, she had reportedly cited an illness in the family and left the project on Monday.
Kate resigned from gangster flick Toff Guys on Monday after deciding she could no longer commit to her role. Guy has already found Kate’s replacement, signing up Downton star Michelle Dockery as the project’s leading lady.
Luckily, they had Downton Abbey/Lawless actress Michelle Dockery on standby and has now taken up the Beckinsale role. Michelle joins previously announced cast members such as Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey, Hugh Grant, and Crazy Rich Asians breakout Henry Golding.
The film’s story focuses on a British drug lord, who tries to sell off his multi-million-pound empire to a dynasty of Oklahoma billionaires.
I’m a massive fan of Guy’s films but something has been missing since he’s parted ways with Matthew Vaughn and I have my fingers crossed that this new film ends up coming from the Guy Ritchie we fell in love with decades ago.
There is a good chance that due to Ritchie’s commitments to Toff Guys and Disney’s Aladdin, he might not end up directing Sherlock Holmes 3 which is expected to shoot next year to meet it’s 2020 release date set by Warner Bros.
A release date has yet to be made official.
SOURCE: THE SUN
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TRI On-site and Off-site Reported Disposed of or Otherwise Released (in pounds), for all 2 facilities, for facilities in All Industries, for CHLOROTRIFLUOROMETHANE chemical, U.S., 2014
On-site Disposal to Class I Underground Injection Wells, RCRA Subtitle C Landfills, and Other Landfills
Other On-site Disposal or Other Releases
Underground Injection Class I Wells
RCRA Subtitle C Landfills
Other On-Site Landfills
Fugitive Air Emissions
Point Source Air Emissions
Surface Water Discharges
1 HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC GEISMAR PLANT.5525 HWY 3115, CARVILLE LOUISIANA 70721 (ASCENSION PARISH) 0 0 0 0 153 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 163 163 . 163
2 HUDSON TECHNOLOGIES CO.3402 N MATTIS AVE, CHAMPAIGN ILLINOIS 61821 (CHAMPAIGN) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Total 0 0 0 0 153 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 163 163 0 163
This report ranks the 100 largest facilities reporting in a particular disposal or other release category (by default, the report ranks the top 100 facilities by total on- and off-site disposal or other releases). By sorting on different disposal or other release categories (e.g., Class I Wells, RCRA Subtitle C Landfills, etc.), TRI Explorer will generate a report ranking the top 100 facilities for the specific category chosen. Note that the top 100 facilities ranked for a specific category will change as the category changes (i.e., the 100 facilities ranked for Class I Wells is not necessarily the same 100 facilities for RCRA Subtitle C Landfills).
The user selected list of chemicals applied in this report includes: CHLOROTRIFLUOROMETHANE
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Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage
Murakami, Haruki, 1949-
Tsukuru Tazaki's life was irreparably changed when his relationships with his high school best friends became severed during Tsukuru's college days. Now at 35, Tsukuru's girlfriend Sara suggested to Tsukuru to go and talk to these high school friends in person to mend the relationships, and to discover the real reason behind the friends' decision to reject Tsukuru. Tsukuru visited his friends in Nagoya and Finland one by one, and uncovers the real reason as to why their relations were broken off.
Publisher: Toronto : Doubleday Canada, 2014.
Characteristics: 386 pages : illustrations ; 19 cm
Additional Contributors: Murakami, Haruki 1949- Shikisai o motanai Tazaki Tsukuru to kare no junrei no toshi.
Gabriel, Philip 1953-
Read more reviews of Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage at iDreamBooks.com
l21195001514010 Jun 18, 2019
Fantastic novel about friendship, love, trauma, and healing. I would recommend to anyone on the hunt for a compelling piece of fiction by one of our greatest writers.
ROBERT F M ANDERSON Apr 01, 2019
I can't think of a contemporay fiction writer writing better about the distortions of complex trauma and its fallout. Murakami's existential hero Tsukuro Tazaki's comment: "I've always seen myself as an empty person, lacking color and identity," gells perfectly with the character of those individuals dealing with unresolved complex trauma. A brilliant novel, flawless. R.F.M.A.
anhovq Mar 20, 2019
This book gives an accurate insight to an ordinary or "colorless" person through the struggle of Tsukuru Tazaki. The doubts, especially with the fear of confronting his friends' abandonment, serve as building blocks for the character's self-discovery. The pace was calm and appropriate, allowing the readers to sit back and think about some of the proposed questions. Personally, Tsukuru is the character that resonates the most with me in literature because I identify myself with a lot of the problems he encounter - loss of connection, depression, identity crisis, and the desire to love someone while keeping a distance.
mclarjh Jan 06, 2019
Not impressed with the writing, characters, story or theme. A young adult novel, perhaps.
abbi_g Nov 04, 2018
I read this for my book club and it was okay. I thought that the main character's conflict was interesting but the ending of the story was lackluster.
SCL_Justin Aug 14, 2017
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage is the new novel by Haruki Murakami. It was more in the realm of Sputnik Sweetheart or South of the Border, West of the Sun than it was a 1Q84 or Wind-Up Bird Chronicle.
Really, that’s probably all the review this needs. I love Murakami novels (even the ones I have issues with) and this is very definitely a Murakami novel.
In this one, the protagonist Tsukuru Tazaki is trying to reconnect with his tight group of friends from when they were young. There’d been five of them and he was the only one who didn’t have a colour in his name. He lost contact when they all abruptly cut him off one day, out of nowhere. Tazaki is pushed into this task by a girlfriend and it involves a lot of reflection and listening to Liszt.
It didn’t get very weird. It echoed the dream responsibilities and other worlds of some of his other books, and there’s speculation about what could have happened and Tazaki’s responsibility for what a nonexistent version of himself was capable of. That the plot feeds into rape-culture - where disbelieving victims of sexual assault and sympathizing with the nice guy who doesn't think he raped anyone is the norm - is problematic, but I think it's handled in not-atrocious fashion.
In general I liked the book as comfort reading from one of my favourite authors, but wasn't set on fire by it.
KarenTherese Jun 28, 2017
A simply wonderful title! I was pulled in from the first page and enjoyed until the end!
It speaks reverently about the power of words and how they can impact a life and underscores how others can become alienated by painful and unexplained rejection.
wodebaobei38 Feb 17, 2017
It is good, but I am not sure how it sold 11 million copies in its first week.
myraruima Oct 21, 2016
A somewhat typical Murakami novel, about teenage trauma, and the loss of paradise. I felt most moved at two moments, when Tsukuru hugged Eri, and when Tsukuru finally tells Sara he loves her. I find the ending OK because I think Tsukuru has finally been courageous enough to face being with Sara and being without Sara.
Bill_SDPL Jan 14, 2016
There are some really enthralling moments in this book, and the entire set-up is interesting. Just prepare yourself: If you're the type that needs resolution, steer clear. If you like loose ends left purposely untied, you'll be a happy camper. All in all, this is a quick ride through classic Murakami territory.
kn1226 Sep 14, 2015
People do change. And no matter how close we once were, and how much we opened up to each other, maybe neither of us knew anything substantial about the other.
kn1226 Jun 25, 2015
As we go through life we gradually discover who we are, but the more we discover, the more we lose ourselves.
Still, being able to feel pain was good, he thought. It's when you can't even feel anymore pain that you're in real trouble.
sky123 Jan 03, 2015
And naturally Tsukuru was happy, and proud, to be included as one indispensable side of the pentagon. He loved his four friends, loved the sense of belonging he felt when he was with them. Like a young tree absorbing nutrition from the soil, Tsukuru got the sustenance he needed as an adolescent from this group, using it as necessary food to grow, storing what was left as an emergency heat source inside him. Still, he had a constant, nagging fear that someday he would fall away from this intimate community, or be forced out and left on his own. Anxiety raised its head, like a jagged, ominous rock exposed by the receding tide, the fear that he would be separated from the group and end up entirely alone.
Friendship — Fiction.
Tokyo (Japan) — Fiction.
Find it at HPL
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Home Pakistan Bloodshed uncalled for, painful: Resistance leadership
Bloodshed uncalled for, painful: Resistance leadership
Gilani, Mirwaiz and Malik said that bloodshed on all sides was uncalled for, unfortunate and painful and should stop and that could happen only when the reality of Kashmir was accepted and the ways and means of resolving the dispute are addressed by New Delhi
In occupied Kashmir, the joint resistance leadership while paying tributes to the three youth, killed by Indian troops during a violent military operation in Badgam district has condemned restrictions imposed by the occupation authorities to prevent people from participating in funerals of the martyrs.
The leadership comprising Syed Ali Gilani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik in a statement issued in Srinagar expressed deep sorrow over the killing of Aaqib Gul, Tafazul Islam and Sajad Ahmed Gilkar. “It greatly pains us that our youth instead of pursuing a future for themselves are forced to take up arms to resist occupation and its consequent oppression upon the people of Kashmir. Many among the youth are those who face constant persecution and witch-hunt by the authorities through slapping of black law Public Safety Act,” they said.
Gilani, Mirwaiz and Malik said that bloodshed on all sides was uncalled for, unfortunate and painful and should stop and that could happen only when the reality of Kashmir was accepted and the ways and means of resolving the dispute are addressed by New Delhi.
The leaders strongly condemned the restrictions imposed in Srinagar to prevent the funeral prayers of Sajjad Ahmed Gilkar at Jamia Masjid and the indiscriminate teargas shelling and pellet firing on the mourners in Hyderpora and Nowhatta in which scores of people including some mediamen got severely injured. “Such acts are catalysts for people’s resistance against injustice and tyranny,” they said.
Meanwhile, the leadership hailed the people of Kashmir for showing their deep resentment and unequivocal condemnation against the killing of Amarnath yatris and rushing to provide aid and assistance to the injured in hospitals. They said it is heartening to see the participation of all segments of society in protests over this ghastly act. “This should serve as an eye-opener to those who encourage polarization as a political tool and leave no stone unturned to demonize people through media and crush them by use of force for their just political aspirations that have historical and democratic bases.”
Referring to the remarks made by the Indian Minister Jintendra Sindh at a press briefing in Srinagar, the leadership said that denial of ground realities and degrading the resistance leadership would not help in changing the grave situation in Kashmir for better. The leadership said that if India was seriously interested in the welfare of the Kashmiri youth and wanted peace in the region, it had to engage with their political sentiment and aspirations and give them the basic right to decide their future dispensation as promised by the first Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and the international community.
Read English Latest Articles and News here: Humsub
Read Urdu Latest News and Articles here: Urdu News
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq
Muhammad Yasin Malik
Syed Ali Gilani
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CD-R and Audio Hardware
"Music Sounds Better on Vinyl"
Topic: "Music Sounds Better on Vinyl" (Read 99290 times) previous topic - next topic
Goratrix
Quote from: MichaelW on 2011-10-27 22:59:14
But the real hipster marketing play would be to sell mockups of LPs together with the digital version. You'd read the sleeve, handle the disk with a fake groove, and think about the Good Old Days whilst listening to proper reproduction. And your collection could once more take up major wall-space.
Something like THIS?
That's actually quite cool. Not really useful, but cool anyway.
Reason for edit: removing unnecessary full quote of above post
Last Edit: 2011-10-28 20:36:30 by db1989
What 'bout sound of DBX 'coded' vinyls?
IMHO is that those I had were more clean and dynamic compared to std vinyl versions of them (i.e. sounded better to my ears). Never got a change to compare those against CD versions.
Remedial Sound
Here's another golden nugget from a reviewer at pitchfork (aka hipster-central)
http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/15971-we-stay-together/
There's another reason to get this record on vinyl: It sounds way, way better. That might seem odd, given that so much of Stott's sound has to do with using compression, distortion, and other effects to make his music not just strange but even ugly. But, on wax, his swollen low end growls in a way that's almost sensual. (If you must buy digital, pay the extra bucks for the FLAC version; the difference between the high-bitrate version and a compressed MP3 is very real.)
Two audio myths perpetuated in one paragraph!
DVDdoug
I dont remember DBX records, but I might still have a DBX cassette machine in my closet... .
It's one of those things like using an optical pickup to play a record... Once you have CDs, any improvements in vinyl just don't make sense (economically).
With DBX's 2:1 compression/expansion doubles any frequency response errors in the playback system, and if you've got any bad scratches in the record the expansion is going to make them worse.
musicollector
Quote from: musicollector on 2011-10-27 02:39:06
I still feel romantic looking and handling records thinking of the Good Old Days.
A Japanese company sells CDs that are miniature reproductions of the original LPs. But the real hipster marketing play would be to sell mockups of LPs together with the digital version. You'd read the sleeve, handle the disk with a fake groove, and think about the Good Old Days whilst listening to proper reproduction. And your collection could once more take up major wall-space.
I have to admit that I am not inspired by these small CD jewel cover-size graphics. Hohum! Those were the days when I listened to Jethro Tull's "Thick As A Brick", which is one whole song on each side, and magically get transported to St. Cleve, never ever getting tired of re-reading those news items and ads! I lived there and interacted with those people for the duration of the record! Or, "Living In The Past"'s gatefold jacket or Paul McCartney's "Red Rose Speedway". 50% of the excitement was listening to the awesome music and the other 50% was tirelessly reading (repeatedly, every time) the plethora of information. Nowadays, I listen to the CD's while reading the original covers! Then, there were all those great albums with lyrics printed right on the inner sleeve, like "Sgt. Pepper's". WOW!
Last Edit: 2011-10-28 18:34:34 by musicollector
http://harry.cckerala.com
Streaming Pop & Rock tunes
Raptus
It is a matter of aesthetics and not (how laymen often erroneously think) a matter of fidelity.
If a CD production truly wanted the vinyl sound, it could simulate it, or go for the real thing: Press a vinyl from the mix, record it and press that to CD.
Last Edit: 2011-10-28 19:39:48 by Raptus
MichaelW
Quote from: Goratrix on 2011-10-28 10:16:51
Oh dear, 5" artwork. No, I'm afraid that would be the worst of both worlds. But I didn't know that modern vinyl came with the option of a digital download. The only question then is, why bother to cut a real groove in the LP?
The only question then is, why bother to cut a real groove in the LP?
Haha…how many people would ever notice? Wait a minute [goes to check own records] WHY YOU LITTLE
d_headshot
New music on both vinyl and digital sounds terrible because it all comes from a brickwall limited distorted master.
Quote from: DVDdoug on 2011-10-28 17:50:09
DBX was a flash in the pan, just as Betamax was.
Well my turntable can be programmed to play any song in any order, repeat, etc. much like a CD, but with pauses as it finds the next song. There is a neat millisecond mute that kicks in when the stylus drops and lifts. However, it doesn't run the LP over - all this happens on one side!
ron spencer
doesn't this depend on the mastering? Everybody knows the issues with Rush's Vapor Trails.....aweful sounding CD. I have it and the vinyl...vinyl is soooooooo much better, nicer, easier to listen to. So in this case, yes, vinyl is better than CD, at least for me. But these cases are rare are they not?
RonaldDumsfeld
Something like This? smile.gif
That's Jeff Mills. He was also the first person to release a collection of locked grooves on vinyl. (AX-08, 1994).
Another of his projects is called 'Rings of Saturn'. The size of the used grooves and the space between them on the vinyl record are proportional to the actual rings of Saturn and and the planet itself.
It's a clever and harmless way for an independent musician to earn a living. Offer something you cannot download for free.
Quote from: ron spencer on 2011-10-29 16:06:13
Oh, I'm sure there are exceptions. I compared America's "Greatest Hits" on CD with the LP and the LP came out on top, by far. But, that was not the case in many other comparisons.
smpltn
It's all about the mastering at the time vinyl was popular compared to today.
mixminus1
It all depends on the choices made by the artists/producers/engineers.
I've bought a handful of albums on both vinyl and CD/download in the past few years. Most - such as Lady Gaga's "The Fame" and Depeche Mode's "Playing the Angel" - have obviously been mastered exclusively from the brickwalled CD master: the vinyl both sounds - and looks (waveform) - like a slightly distorted version of the CD.
However, there have been some - most notably Pink Martini's "Splendor In the Grass" and Radiohead's "The King of Limbs" - that had obviously different masterings for the CD/digital and vinyl releases, with the vinyl exhibiting no signs of brickwall limiting anywhere.
"Not sure what the question is, but the answer is probably no."
That's the rub then...one needs to know how the CD and vinyl were mastered. This is too bad really, with so much brickwalling going on, a person needs to know both the CD and vinyl sources. This begs another question, why are the labels messing up some CDs but then producing some stellar LPs of the same album that are so much better?
They probably think that people who buy vinyl are more discerning. On average, they are probably right.
liffy99
It's not the medium, it's the actual recording in my opinion. All else being equal I far prefer the freedom from most distortion that CD brings (and the convenience !). But there's little doubt in my mind that the actual recordings have been 'processed' so much more in the easier digital domain - often in a way to play to the lowest common denominator, like a phone or MP3 player. There was far less you could do to an analogue signal designed to live within the physical limitations of a vinyl groove.
That said I've now moved to a wholly streamed digital audio source (which has introduced its own set of compatibility issues).
A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away there was but a single source - the vinyl record - one ring to bind them all. The limitations as to how it then sounded post production was how good your system was and the time you spent tweaking it (great fun!). Now the producers play around with the source so much we have lost control - for example the compression built in to so many pop and rock records - it's like having a permanently switched on 'Loudness' button (remember those ?) that we can't turn off .
Actually the loudness button did something quite different. It boosted the bass as you turned down the volume control to compensate for how our hearing shiftes with loudness.
How i was happy the first day i played a CD at home
No more clicks and pops, never!
I luckily don´t have to think about if there is a better vinyl version out there. It can´t! All vinyls will introduce noise that drives me mad.
Is troll-adiposity coming from feederism?
With 24bit music you can listen to silence much louder!
Quote from: pdq on 2011-10-31 13:34:59
Well yes, I was just trying to say that sound altering controls have been taken away from us and built into the actual source whether we want them or not. If compression (average loudness raising) is wanted, why can't a button that does that be incorporated into a device (like an MP3 player) to be used at the listener's discretion ? And leave the source unsullied . . .
Quote from: liffy99 on 2011-10-31 18:29:32
Arnold B. Krueger
As long as you are *allowed* to buy equalizers, whether hardware or software, sound altering controls are still available to you.
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Washington, UK
The Food Warehouse is Iceland's new concept store. We're recruiting for vibrant and talented Deputy Store Managers to join us in making this new venture a success. We believe this success will come through our people and we are looking for dynamic Deputy Store Managers to join us in our ambitious expansion plans.
Your role as a Deputy Store Manager, will involve working alongside the Store Manager in leading your store team and being fully accountable for managing the day to day store operations and standards to a high level. As a Deputy Store Manager, you will have strong people skills and retail experience with an ambition to inspire and engage your team.
Deputy Store Manager Skills and Experience:
Takes responsibility for KPI's and implements business decisions, communicating them effectively to the team.
Good working knowledge of retail processes and how to deliver the best availability for the customer.
Aware of their competitors and gathers competitor information using it to drive sales in their store.
Involves the team in finding and delivering solutions to create the best customer experience
Drives performance and uses the tools available to manage the team effectively in the absence of the Store Manager
A good understanding of training required and trains the team to support succession.
Working with us is more than just a job - it's a career. We consider all of our employees to be Food Warehouse Ambassadors that represent the brand and are always keen to go the extra mile, whatever the situation. We are keen to give every employee a chance to grow their career, by progressing towards being a Store Manager and even an Area Manager by gaining valuable experience on a day-to-day basis.
Lidl GB
Deputy Store Manager, Richmond, 47.5 Hours
Retail £20,000 - £24,999 Permanent jobs in Washington
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Navjot Sidhu: Born Opportunist
It is becoming a regular feature of Indian politics. Turncoats are now terming changing their party as ghar wapasi or homecoming. In line with this trend, Navjot Singh Sidhu has said as much after joining the Congress. Additionally, he has claimed that he is a born Congressman. The question that begs an answer is that what was he doing in the BJP then? Serving banawas? The state of the Congress party can be gauged from the fact that a born Congressman takes 53 years to come home.
It is sad that a person who served the BJP for so many years, then flirted with Arvind Kejriwal and thought of launching his own party before joining a sinking ship like Congress makes such lofty statements. Sidhu is an opportunist of the highest rank. Since he was getting no traction in the BJP, he left the party. He negotiated hard with AAP but found Kejriwal a hard nut to crack. When he found that Kejriwal was not willing to make him the face of the party in Punjab, Sidhu lost all interest in AAP. For some time, he tested the waters to find out if he will have backers (read: moneybags and muscle power) if he floated his own party. Like a baniya, he has been scouting for the highest bidder and has found the Congress receptive to his floor price.
But it is debatable whether the Congress will give him what he wants. Although the details of the deal have not been made public, it seems that the Congress will make full use of Sidhus one-liners and sarcasm-filled speeches during campaigning and then give him some decorative post bereft of real power if it wins. For, the Congress is an old party with several high profile leaders in Punjab. To expect it to give in to the demands of a recent admittee is to expect too much. There are too many leaders, each with his or her own agenda and they will hardly yield space to Sidhu.
To speak in Sidhus own language, it seems he has been had and after the elections, his status will be that of a dhobi ka kutta, na ghar ka na ghat ka. The Congress may or may not win in Punjab. If it wins, Sidhu will get zero credit as the campaign was already in full flow, handled by the redoubtable Capt. Amrinder Singh. If it loses, Sidhus new innings will terminate before it starts. In either case, he will be the loser. Of course, then he can always go back to his television shows and claim that he was born for television.
NIA Act Amendment Bill: Necessary To Counter New-Age Terrorism
Sidhu's Resignation Drama: Devious Political Game
Karnataka Speaker Ignores Supreme Court Directive
UP: Pushing OBCs To The SC List To Create Vote Banks
Congress To Blame For Crisis In Karnataka Alliance
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There is Logic Behind RBI's Rate Cut
The RBI governor, Raghuram Rajan, once again showed that he is his own man, and said as much (âMy name is Raghuram Rajan and I do what I doâ), by slashing the repo rate by 50 basis points â more than double of what had been expected by economists and the Street. This means that the RBI has cut rates four times this year for a total of 125 basis points, bringing down the repo rates at par with the prevailing rates in March 2011.
Rajan had resisted the pressure for cutting rates from both the government and the industry in the past. His thinking was clear. He had set the goal of curbing inflation. Lower rates mean more lending and more money in the market means inflationary pressures. Now that inflation has come down to as low as 3.66 per cent (August figures), Rajan feels there is a need to make cheaper funds available to industry to kick start investments.
Both the RBI and the government expect the banks to pass on the rate cut to end users and PSU banks have taken the lead. SBI has announced a 40 basis point cut on its base lending rates. Other banks have followed suit. Buckling under bad debts and saddled with implementation of non-profitable government schemes, the retention of 10 basis points is advisable for these banks .But the surprise came from ICICI Bank, the countryâs largest private bank. Its MD Chanda Kochar was non-committal, saying the rate cut would be substantial and maybe more than half of what RBI had cut.
The rate cut means that although lending rates will come down, so will deposit rates. Hence, while both corporate and retail borrowers will rejoice, savers will take it as a disincentive to save. Banks are likely to lower deposit rates too which are already very low at 7.50 per cent. The government has also indicated that it will conduct an across the board review of interest rates of small savings schemes.
But it is not likely that the rate cut alone will give a push to investment and help in economic recovery. The overall sentiment for industry is gloomy. Exports are down due to the slowdown in world economy. Domestic demand is sluggish. Large projects have been held up due to various other factors like land availability and environment and other clearances. The rate cut will give a boost to smaller industrial units in the short run and the cascading effect is likely to generate employment opportunities and further investment. For the bigger economic recovery to happen, the government will have to pitch in by undertaking structural reforms.
Who Will Compensate Service Providers After Waiving MDR?
NCLAT Confirms: NBFCs Not Covered By IBC
External Commercial Borrowings: Good Route If Used Wisely
Budget: Intention Without Funds Is Like Trying To Grow Trees On Barren Land
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Euro 2016, warm-up: Spain slump to shock Georgia defeathttps://indianexpress.com/article/sports/football/euro-2016-warm-up-spain-slump-to-shock-georgia-defeat-2840703/
Euro 2016, warm-up: Spain slump to shock Georgia defeat
Spain suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Georgia in their final warm-up friendly before Euro 2016, their first since March 2015.
By AFP |Madrid | Published: June 8, 2016 11:52:59 am
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Georgia won the friendly warm-up against Spain 1-0. (Source: Reuters)
European champions Spain suffered a shock first defeat since March 2015 losing 1-0 at home to Georgia in their final warm-up friendly before Euro 2016 in Madrid on Tuesday.
Georgia, ranked 137 in the world, hadn’t won a game since defeating minnows Gibraltar in Euro qualifying in October.
However, they defended resolutely and took full advantage of their one real attack when Tornike Okriashvili tapped home at the far post six minutes before half-time.
Spain begin their quest for a third consecutive European Championship against the Czech Republic on June 13 in Toulouse.
Vicente del Bosque had named a stronger side than in Spain’s comfortable wins over Bosnia and Herzegovina and South Korea in the past week with the Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid contingent returning after their duties in the Champions League final.
The hosts were camped in the Georgia half for almost the entire match, but paid for a lack of creativity in breaking down the visitors’ mass ranks of defence and were caught out on the counter-attack just before the break.
Real Madrid’s Lucas Vazquez impressed early on as he made his international debut and from his cross Aritz Aduriz was inches away from opening the scoring with a bullet header that flew just wide.
Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcantara struck the post from outside the box as Spain continued to press.
However, they were caught out when captain for the evening Sergio Ramos was slow to react to Jordi Alba’s to spring a Georgia break from which Valeri Kazaishvili’s low cross was turned home by Okriashvili.
Del Bosque reacted by making four changes at the break with Barcelona’s Andres Iniesta among those introduced.
David Silva then replaced Vazquez on the hour mark and the hosts created far more with their two principal playmakers on the field.
Iniesta and Nolito fired just wide before Jordi Alba mishit his effort from close range straight into the midriff of substitute Georgian goalkeeper Roini Kvaskhvadze.
Yet, despite seven minutes of stoppage time being added on by Icelandic referee Vilhjalmur Thorarinsson, Spain’s search for an equaliser petered out as they suffered defeat for the first time in 12 matches.
1 Copa America 2016: Colombia advance to quarter-finals, US hammer Costa Rica
2 Giampiero Ventura to take over as Italy coach after Euro 2016
3 Chelsea, Jose Mourinho settle with former doctor Eva Carneiro
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THE WIPER The Newsletter of the Gore Branch of the Vintage Car Club of NZ (Inc.)
Next meeting: 9th July MEETINGS: SECOND TUESDAY of the month at the Clubrooms, Waimea Street, Gore Branch telephone number: 03 208 7424
2019-2020 Committee and Officers Branch Patrons Chairman Vice Chairman Secretary Treasurer Club Captain Assistant Club Captains
Neil McVicar, Ray Tressler Greg Elder Paul Herron Bill Ainge Tim Walsh John Parish Ray Taylor Charlie Davis Greg Elder Rod Bell Branch Recorder (Wiper Editor) David North Assistant Branch Recorder Position not filled at present House Convenor Des Brewster Assistant House Convenor Paul Corcoran Social Committee Beb Kennedy, David McDowell, Russell Newland Beaded Wheels Reporter Jim McFadzien Festival Rally Organiser Denis Knight Assistant Rally Organiser Vacant Bar Manager Chris Scoles Assistant Bar Manager Murray Proctor Maintenance Supervisor Keith Nunn Maintenance Assistants Bill Ainge, Barry Clearwater, Keith Dodds, Russell Newland, Ken Youngson Swapmeet & Parts Gerry Kennedy Swapmeet & Parts Assistants Barry Clearwater, Paul Corcoran, Evan Henderson, Bryan Neilson Hill Climb Evan Henderson Hill Climb Assistant Stewart Quertier Sheriff Denis Knight Librarian Stewart Quertier Raffles Starr McDougall National Delegate David North Privacy Officer Bill Ainge Health & Safety Officer Murray Low Museum & HPV David McDowell Tuesday Ramble Co-ordinator Gerry Kennedy Branch Daffodil Day Co-ordinator John Tremaine Vehicle Identity Card signatories Evan Henderson, John Parish, John Tremaine
(03) 202 5710 (03) 208 6121 (03) 208 9877 (03) 208 3531 (03) 208 5505 027 696 2965 (03) 204 8848 (03) 202 5710 027 229 2191 021 172 3281 (03) 208 1960 (03) 208 6862
(03) 208 0121 (03) 208 5404 (03) 208 0052 (03) 208 4768 (03) 208 5403
(03) 208 6479 (03) 208 7932 (03) 208 5404 (03) 208 7932 (03) 208 5450 021 172 3281 (03) 208 4007 (03) 208 6791 027 233 4634 (03) 208 9670
Front cover picture: Don and Audrey Ferguson receiving their 25-year badges from John Parish (L) during the Tuesday Ramble. (Photo by the Editor)
Chairman's Report July 2019 The June monthly meeting was started at 7.30pm followed by the AGM at 8pm. Thanks to members who have taken up the various positions. The nomination forms certainly speed up the meeting which was over within the hour. Our Branch is in a sound position and I am sure we will be in for a great year. Now that we have had the End of Season Run it’s timely to service our vehicles and get them into tip-top condition for lots of adventures in the new season. So put some antifreeze in your vehicles and keep yourselves warm over the winter. Remember the Branch is running the National Veteran Rally in 2020 so all get out and buy a Veteran!! (Just joking but it would be great!) Happy Motoring Greg Elder
Reminders Non-commercial FOR SALE and WANTED advertisements are free to Club members. Each advertisement will be published in 3 consecutive issues of The Wiper. Please contact the Editor. The vinyl “VCC Wings” badges (as featured on the front cover) are still available from the Treasurer, cost $2 each. VCC name badges If you haven't got one, they are available from Van De Water Jewellers at a discounted cost of $18. The badges are black with white lettering and bear your name and Gore VCC. NB. Not wearing one at a meeting is likely to attract the Sheriff’s attention and result in a fine!
Club Captain’s Report July 2019 The End of Season Run had a good turnout with 18 cars and occupants travelling to Balclutha. We visited a workshop where the owner specialises in making Hot Rods for clients and then looked through his private collection of cars and memorabilia. There was something to interest everyone. We then travelled to a second shed or man cave would be more accurate. The owner had been collecting since he was 8 years old and hasn’t stopped. He had all sorts in a large basement garage, all very well displayed and we spent some time looking and re looking at stuff we missed the first time. Finally, we travelled back to Clinton for afternoon tea at the café there before heading for home. Thanks to Ray Taylor and Charlie Davis for an interesting afternoon. The AGM had a fairly small attendance but most positions were filled, except for the Assistant Editor and Festival Rally Assistant. David is quite happy to carry on as Editor without an assistant but if anyone can help with the Festival Rally please let the Chairman know. Our Annual Dinner and Prize-giving is on the 13th of July at a cost of $30 per head. It is always a fun night so see Gerry or Des for tickets and come and join the celebrations. The Wiper contains an entry form for the Combined Rally being held in Cromwell on the 17th & 18th of August. This event nearly died after a failed attempt in South Otago a few years ago but had a good turnout last year in Gore. It is a lot of fun and a good opportunity to socialise with members of the other lower South Island branches. There is plenty of accommodation in Cromwell so have a night away and join in. John Parish
From the Editor’s keyboard A big “Thank you” for having sufficient faith in my abilities to vote me in for another year as your Editor and National Delegate at the AGM. I will do my very best to repay that faith. You will, of course, also find that the pestering for stories continues! This month’s issue contains the AGM Minutes and the Annual Accounts, particularly for the benefit of those of you who were unable to attend. Thanks to a pleasing number of voluntary contributions there are also reports on Branch runs and Evan Henderson’s experiences at the Nelson Bay Hillclimb. Happy reading! David North
Newsletters from other branches Most Branch Newsletters are now posted monthly on the VCC Website: www.vcc.org.nz/news-from-our-branches A very few branches are still sending us printed copies and these are displayed on the stand in the Library. Others are received as pdf files or by email and can be requested from the Editor or the Secretary.
May Tuesday Ramble The Story of Robertson’s Place We met at 45 Bowmont Street in Invercargill to view Robertson’s Place. The home of the can-covered ceilings! And sure enough the ceilings were covered with cans! And, according to the publicity, the only one like it in the world. There are 6,283 cans in total, and there are even cans on the ceiling in the toilet.
Apart from cans there is a doll collection, 311 of these, all shapes and sizes and then there are 98 cups, 1,018 fridge magnets and 257 flags. And I haven’t told you about the paua shells! 1,704 of these! Graeme Robertson, the owner of these remarkable collections made us all very welcome and told us how, why and when he began to collect, put them on display and open his house to the public. 16
A very interesting visit to a unique home. Fay Graves 17
End of Season Run 1 - An Organiser’s View We all woke to a very cold morning on Saturday 8th June, the heaters in our cars must have been better than our houses because 18 cars took part in a shed raid to Balclutha. Shed 1 was Flatout Engineering where Drew Galog met us, man is he a magic engineer plus all the tools he has with which he builds T-Bucket types of cars – as a business and as a hobby. Magic! (He is also a big fan of the movie “American Graffiti”. The Editor)
Drew’s replica of the ‘32 Ford Coupe from “American Graffiti”
Shed no. 2 was Greg Holgate’s place. Collectables, old road classification signs, old number plates, steering wheels, car signs etc., a Vauxhall Viscount which there aren’t too many in NZ. Greg also had a very nice VG Valiant Pacer imported out of Australia.
The Valiant Pacer
Shed no. 3 was in Clinton for afternoon tea at “Food for Thought”, the Clinton Dairy and Tearooms which was very well done. Thank you Ray for a great day, it was so cold you did most of the work I only had to set the cars off at the club rooms. Thank you everyone. Charlie Davis (Photos by the Editor) 19
Annual Dinner & Trophy Nite Saturday 13th July at the Clubrooms
Cost $30 per head for a two course meal (Caterers once again are Food Affair)
5.30pm: Happy Hour 6.30pm: Dinner There will be the odd raffle or two so bring some extra cash! Contact: Gerry Kennedy 027 233 4634 or Des Brewster (03) 208 1960
before the 7th July 20
Tuesday Ramble 30th July
10.45am: meet at the Clubrooms 11.00am: depart for Winton 12.30pm: lunch at Central Southland Lodge (The Middle Pub, 232 Great North Road, Winton)
$20 per head for roast & veg plus dessert
2.00pm: visit Central Southland Vintage Machinery Club
Numbers to Gerry Kennedy: 027 233 4634 No later than Friday 26th July 21
Gore Branch Events for the 2019-20 Season Event
2019 Annual Dinner & Trophy Night
Gerry Kennedy Des Brewster
National Daffodil Rally for Cancer
John Tremaine
Josephville Hillclimb
Evan Henderson
Tuesday Ramble
Normally the last Co-ordinated by Tuesday of the month. Gerry Kennedy (Variable in December)
2020 National Veteran Rally
16th to 18th October
Paul Herron
Editor's note to event organisers: if you want to see a report in The Wiper please provide one yourselves or organise somebody to do it for you. (N.B. This usually works best if you ask them before the event!
Other Events 2019 th
39 Central North Island Swap Meet & Car Show Spectacular, Rotorua Branch. Site enquiries to Neville Harper: email daharpers@gmail.com or phone 027 494 7249 or 07 348 2412 Show cars: Bob Mackay: phone 07 332 3849 or email bob.mackay@clear.net.nz
National AGM, Ashley Hotel, Greymouth
17th – 18th August
Combined Rally (Gore, Southland, South Otago and Central Otago Branches). Contact John & Wendy Martin 03 445 0598
National Day - Daffodil Rally for Cancer
11th – 13th October
Canterbury Branch Swap Meet & Display, Cutler Park, McLeans Island Road. Contact: Neil, email swapmeetsites@gmail.com
National Veteran Rally Timaru, South Canterbury Branch. Register interest: Alistair Day 03 688 6108 2020
16 - 18 October
National Veteran Rally, Gore Branch 2021
17 – 22 January th
Vero International Festival of Historic Motoring, New Plymouth. http://www.historicmotoring.co.nz
Please support our advertisers so that they, in turn, can continue to support the Branch 23
I’m sure many Ramblers will remember Caroline Dore’s talk at the Gore T & C and our visit to Biddy’s Barn afterwards. Coralie Bewley is one of the knitters at the Barn and this is what they do. Anyone can go along and help, or knit or crochet squares or blankets at home, or donate wool. The squares are put together to make “Hug Rugs” which are then donated to the needy. It’s a great cause! The Editor 25
Spotted! By Denis Knight in the Rural Life section of The Otago Daily Times on the 18th May 2019, Charlie Davis talking about efforts to preserve the old Kelso Dairy Factory: https://www.odt.co.nz/rural-life/dairy/monument-southerndairying In the June issue of New Zealand Classic Car, pages 86-90, an article entitled “When New Zealand Built the MGB� about the Rod Brayshaw-built MGBs from 1988-90. This is the same Rod Brayshaw who is the current Registrar of the VCC of NZ: https://www.pressreader.com/australia/new-zealand-classiccar/.../281565177206695 In the June 3rd issue of The Southland Times, Ian Coard, who gave the Tuesday Ramblers a guided tour of the Riverton Coastguard Station in January, has been made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit: https://www.stuff.co.nz/southlandtimes/news/113089853/riverton-coastguard-ian-coardsmanagement-of-search-and-rescue-coordinations-recognised The Editor
GETTING OLDER Some people try to turn back their odometers. Not me! I want people to know why I look this way. I've travelled a long way and some of the roads weren't paved. Sent in by Evan Henderson 26
End of Season Run (2) – A Navigator’s View It was wet and windy when we left Riverton and not much better by the time we got to the clubrooms but the heater in the Editorial Toyota works and I’m not afraid to use it We were given our instructions as we left and there was no chance of missing a turn on this run as the directions were more in the way of guidance to make sure you were on the right track: • “Drive past the big trout and head north through Pukerau • Next town is Waipahi, scene of a major fatal train crash 19 years ago • You are now on the Presidential Highway, heading towards a town with a recent President’s surname • As you veer left over the railway line, the team of horses on the left confirm it’s not a one horse town • Proceed onto Big River Town • Travel down the hill, then left onto bypass and stop near the big red shed on your right • Our first shed to visit is next door” A navigator with a stress free run, not worried she’s going to miss a direction is a happy navigator. And we all know a happy navigator means a happy run The first shed was definitely a man shed but some of us ladies did our duty and accompanied our drivers into the depths of man shed heaven. Then we wandered next door to Drew’s “museum”, much more fun. There were cars, models, memorabilia and even a (Vespa) scooter in a corner. (Don’t mention it to the Ed, he’s a Lambretta man.) Before we left, John Parish, the Club Captain, presented Don and Audrey Ferguson with their 25-year badges because they won’t be able to make the Annual Dinner. (See front cover photo. The Editor.)
Then in procession to the 2nd shed. This was much more to the ladies’ tastes, it had heating for a start Greg started collecting beer cans when he was 8 years old (he made a point of saying he hadn’t started emptying them at that time) and has carried on collecting anything that looks interesting ever since. Every time I turned around thinking I’d seen it all, there was something else and not just car stuff, there were even meat mincers hanging from the ceiling!
A toy bus (top) and Ramblers in Greg’s shed 29
From there we made our way back to Clinton for a very nice afternoon tea at the café, a first visit for us but now we know the menu says they can accommodate the Editor’s dodgy digestion we’ll stop there again.
The café (top) and a sample of the wall art inside
Thank you Charlie & Ray it was a great day out. Donna North (Photos by the Editor) 30
Reminder The Wiper is also available by email. It arrives earlier than the postal or hand-delivered ones, the pictures are in colour and there are (working) hyperlinks. There are two versions, a pdf file and an online one. Let me know if you would like to try this out. The Editor 31
Sandy Bay Hillclimb Report On Thursday May 16th I left Charlton Road in the pouring rain with Rhonda Wilson in my Mk2 Jaguar to have another shot at the Sandy Bay Hillclimb (run by the Nelson Sports Car Club and the Vintage Car Club of NZ). We met up with my brother Willie and his wife Sharon in his Mk2 Jaguar at Palmerston, and from there it was on to Christchurch. After staying the night, we woke to a moderate frost and a beautiful clear blue sky. Hitting the road after a quick breakfast, we travelled through the Lewis Pass on our way to sunny Nelson. After a great trip and a fine day, we arrived to a warm welcome from my sister Flo and her partner Phil Benvin, who was also competing in the event with his Jaguar XK 140. At this stage it was mid-afternoon and there were no problems with any of the Jags, all three appearing in great working order. On the Saturday it was down to Gordon Dacombe's restoration workshop (Autofocus) for scrutineering, where all passed with flying colours. After scrutineering we went back to Phil's for some "liquid refreshment" and an early night in preparation for the day ahead. Sunday morning came and it was an early rise, then off up the road to the Sandy Bay Hill. Sandy Bay Hill is located next to the Takaka Hill and leads directly into Sandy Bay where one of the oldest competitors in motor sport, Doug MacDonald, owns a local camping ground. Doug is originally from Mataura and this year he won the Vintage section, the same category we were competing in, with his Alfa Special. A great effort as I believe at the time of writing he is 87 years young! The battle between Willie, Phil and myself was won by Willie, although I came in a very close second. It may have been different if Phil, trying his best to beat us on his home track, hadn't taken an unlucky spin. He was extremely fortunate to escape unscathed with no damage to his car. However, things could have been so much different as it’s unforgiving hill with steep banks on one side and a large drop on the other!
Doug MacDonald
Evan Henderson 33
Phil Benvin
Willie Henderson
Phil's spin may have been a bad omen, as following that incident Willie's Jag lost most of its oil, with the pressure dropping to 10psi. At the end of the day’s event he drove it back to Phil's place in Mapua, where we began diagnosing the problem. After a few quick checks we thought the issue had been identified and successfully resolved, so we hit the road heading homeward via Blenheim. But things with old vehicles are rarely that simple, and shortly after the same problem returned and his Jag again started losing oil pressure. We managed to make it to Blenheim and began the process of arranging transport to get the Mk2 back to Alexandra. Once this was completed, it was all aboard my Jag and we continued the journey home, staying the night in the old Pier Hotel at the south end of Kaikoura. The evening meal was top class, and I must say it is one of the best I have had in many a year. Not surprisingly the place was packed, with queues stretching out into the street. The next day (Tuesday) it was on to Alexandra to deliver Willie and Sharon. A quick cup of coffee was the perfect pick-me-up and then it was on our way to Gore. Luckily my old Jag held together and we made it home safe and sound, and despite Willie's car troubles a great weekend was had by all. For those drivers who like a challenge it is definitely a hillclimb worth considering, as it is a very complex course of approximately 35 corners and spanning over 3km in length. This makes the track nearly impossible to memorise (unless, perhaps, you are a local) and I encourage anyone who hasn't already had the experience to give it a go. Evan Henderson
More Puns Please It’s a lengthy article about ancient Japanese sword fighters but I can Samurais it for you. It’s not that the man couldn’t juggle, he just didn’t have the balls to do it. Alternative facts are aversion of the truth. Sent in by Janet Brewster 35
Potatoes Well, a Girl Potato and Boy Potato had eyes for each other, and finally they got married, and had a little sweet potato, which they called 'Yam'. Of course, they wanted the best for Yam. When it was time, they told her about the facts of life. They warned her about going out and getting half-baked, so she wouldn't get accidentally mashed, and get a bad name for herself like 'Hot Potato'. Yam said not to worry, no Spud would get her into the sack and make a rotten potato out of her! But on the other hand she wouldn't stay home and become a Couch Potato either. She would eat properly so as not to be skinny like her Shoestring Cousins. When she went off to Europe, Mr. and Mrs. Potato told Yam to watch out for those hard-boiled guys from Ireland and the greasy guys from France called the French Fries, and when she went out West, she must watch out for the Indians so she wouldn't get scalloped. They sent Yam to Idaho P.U. (that's Potato University). So that when she graduated she'd really be "in the Chips". But in spite of all they did for her, one-day Yam came home and announced she was going to marry Richie Benaud. "Richie Benaud!!!!" they cried. They were very upset and told Yam "You can't possibly marry Richie Benaud because he's just ......... Are you ready for this? Are you sure? * OK! You asked for it: Here it is! * * * ... just a COMMONTATER!" Sent in by Des Brewster 38
Online Bonuses Robertson’s Place, Invercargill: http://broady11.tripod.com/ Flatout engineering, Balclutha: http://flatoutengineering.co.nz/ American Graffiti Drag Race at Paradise Road: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOgqUHk-zDY Vauxhall Viscount: https://www.classiccars4sale.net/classic-car-review/ff-vauxhall-viscount and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnoDWvDLHV8 VG Valiant Pacer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yL_1QPCbwOY and https://www.tradeuniquecars.com.au/car-comparisonreview/1303/valiant-pacer-vs-fiat-125-special-video-review-oz-vs-euro The Nattering Knitter: https://www.communitytrustsouth.nz/our-impact/your-stories/carolinedore/ and a year ago http://www.theensign.co.nz/community/nattering-knitter-goes-global/ Ford's self-braking supermarket trolley: https://www.driven.co.nz/news/news/ford-reveals-bizarre-self-brakingtrolley-project/ Bucket T: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khNaYqvrzn0 The Editor
Gore VCC Supper Roster 2019/20 July August September October November December January February March April May June
IF YOU ARE UNAVAILABLE ON YOUR ROSTERED NIGHT, PLEASE ARRANGE YOUR OWN SUBSTITUTE.
Mary Tremaine Murray Proctor Ken Buchanan Rod Bell Ray Taylor & Charlie Davis Frances Neilson To be advised To be advised To be advised To be advised To be advised To be advised
We need to cater for about 3040 members each night. The cuppa and serving of the supper is to be arranged within the Social Committee. If necessary, small items can be bought at Gore New World and charged to the Gore VCC account.
My thanks to those who have come forward. If the month you are listed for doesn’t suit let me know so I can rearrange them or you can work with another person on the roster to swap. Des Brewster
ADVERTISEMENTS WANTED Hi, I’m a Vauxhall enthusiast who is restoring a 1934 ASX Vauxhall sedan. I live inWakefield outside of Nelson and I’m struggling for a couple of parts and wondered if there was anyone within your club who may be able to help me out. The parts I need are:1. The key / light switch which has a built in regulator (hard to describe what it looks like – bit like an older oven switch – a flick switch with a central key hole. Hope that makes some sense to your members). 2. Two headlight top buttons – either with Vauxhall or Lucas written on. I am happy to pay for these parts if someone has spares they’re willing to sell. Thanks for your help with this matter. Would love to hear from someone and make progress getting my Vauxhall on the road. Kind Regards, David Ching. Email chingy@xtra.co.nz or phone 035418019 or 0272229254 WANTED [via Ross Holden] Hi, I’m trying to find this type of wheel hoping you can help, it’s a 4 stud pattern with a pcd of 110mm. Justin. Contact Ross Holden, Communications & Marketing Officer, VCC Email: comms@vcc.org.nz or phone 021 2638488
Getting Older First you forget names, then you forget faces. Then you forget to pull up your zipper, it's worse when you forget to pull it down. The older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for. Sent in by Evan Henderson 41
COOKERY CORNER Fish Pie (An easy recipe for the grandchildren) Make cheese sauce Add in 1 tin salmon, 1 tin asparagus, boiled eggs and if you like, cook cauliflower, celery and onions and add to the pie Just cook these for a short time should you want to reheat this dish Add parsley to garnish Natalie Kennedy
Run reports, articles of interest, photos, technical tips, letters and feedback are always welcome. Please send all contributions to David North
before the 21st of each month for inclusion in the next Wiper If you don't have a computer I can type up a hand-written article or put your notes or jottings into shape for The Wiper. If you prefer I can even take notes as you talk to me and write up the story for you - I am always ready to help so just let me know how! e-mail: northd14@gmail.com physical mail: 4 Trotter Street, Riverton 9822 telephone (mobile) 021 1723281 Remember that insuring your vehicle(s), boat(s), house(s), contents or travel with Vero Insurance and quoting the branch number (300135) results in the branch receiving a commission payment Please support our advertisers so that they, in turn, can continue to support the Branch The opinions and statements in The Wiper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the policy or views of the Gore branch or of the VCC. The branch accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of any statements. The Wiper is printed by i-Cue 10 Wood Street, Invercargill. Telephone (03) 218 3350 43
GORE BRANCH VINTAGE CAR CLUB OF NEW ZEALAND INC.
WAIMEA STREET, PO BOX 329 GORE
Vintage Car Club of New Zealand
Gore VCC - July 2019
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Kyrgyzstan: Soldiers for Hire
Army conscripts are hired out as labour by their officers, who collect an easy but illegal profit.
By Gulnura Toralieva
The authorities in Kyrgyzstan are beginning to crack down on the growing problem of soldiers being hired out as cheap labour, following the death of an 18-year-old who was killed while illegally contracted to a farmer.
Avtandil Mamashev, from the Bazar Korgon district of Jalalabad region, died of gunshot wounds on August 21. He had been hired out to a local farmer by his commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Bolokbaev, and was tending sheep in the mountains near Mailuusuu, southern Kyrgyzstan, when he was shot by a hunter, apparently after an argument.
The officer has been now been charged with dereliction of duty for allowing the soldier out of his control, while the hunter is accused of manslaughter and leaving Mamashev to die. Both men are expected to stand trial later in November.
Another criminal case is pending against Colonel Kamchybek Kurbanaliev, who is accused of exploiting three soldiers as free labour over the course of a year. The soldiers say they looked after cattle, tilled the land, cleaned and did building work for Kurbanaliev’s relatives. Conditions were harsh, they said, and their living quarters unheated in the winter.
Conscript soldiers are commonly rented out to civilian employers under illegal private arrangements. Some are forced to work as free labour for fear of punishment, while others go willingly because they can at least hope to get some food to supplement their poor diet in the army. In both cases the officer simply pockets the fee.
“Previously [in Soviet times], soldiers’ labour was used for the state, but now it’s being used in the interests of top military officers,” said Yrysbek Omurzakov, editor of the Tribuna newspaper. “Instead of doing military service and defending their motherland, our soldiers are doing private building and agricultural work, receiving nothing but food. And that’s just humiliating. I believe a soldier should remain a soldier.”
A sergeant who gave his name as Ilya said officers collect between 100 and 130 soms (three or four US dollars) per soldier per day, depending on the difficulty of the job they are assigned.
He recently helped build a sauna for his commander, carrying bricks and mixing cement. He’s had worse jobs – at least the squad got enough to eat and was granted some leave afterwards, “because the unit commander is a good guy”.
A private who gave his name as Yevgeny told IWPR how soldiers detailed for private jobs have no option but to comply.
“We are ordered to go and work. We don’t ask questions,” he said. “Disobeying the commander means trial by military tribunal. Right now, my friends are working at our general’s dacha [country house]. I can’t name him. You’re not supposed to snitch in the army.”
Some of the men are willing to be farmed out as labour if they can earn a little food.
Tolkun Aitikeeva from the village of Vorontsovka, 30 kilometres from the capital Bishkek, hires a soldier every weekend to work in her kitchen garden.
“I arrange it with a commander,” said Aitikeeva. “I give him 80 soms a day for one soldier. It is cheap and very convenient. And the soldier does not mind working at all - one of them always thanks me a lot and asks me to pick him again next time.”
According to Galina Afonina, who chairs an association representing the mothers of soldiers, “The truth is that this is a widespread practice in the army. If there’s an opportunity to build a house or refurbish a flat using soldiers’ labour, why hire labourers?”
Afonina’s organisation has heard of many cases, but can do little about the problem, “We constantly get phone calls on our help line from people complaining about exploitation of soldiers. The parents who call us are afraid to name names because they’re worried about their sons. The system works well - we can’t catch anybody, because in these cases the soldiers are dressed as civilians so even the neighbours can’t guess who they are.”
The military prosecutor’s office told IWPR that illegal exploitation of soldiers is so rare that no statistics are kept. In a written statement, the office said it investigated every case reported to it, including those involving accidents, and brought prosecutions where appropriate.
Illegal private arrangements are different from the generally accepted practice where army units contract out teams of soldiers to farms, in return for a share of the crop which will help feed the troops. Interviewees said this was simply a reflection on the poor provision the government makes for its conscript army.
“There are times when we don’t receive [state] funds on time, and we bring in the harvest from the fields, and use it to feed the soldiers,” said Esenbek Jumakadyrov, who heads the justice ministry department responsible for prisons, speaking as a legal expert.
Explaining the system, a civilian administrator at a military unit based in Bishkek told IWPR that “our soldiers lack food. This is the only means by which they can be fed well. The paltry amounts that the state assigns for buying foodstuffs do not provide enough for the soldier. He goes out to the fields above all for his own sake.”
Gulnura Toralieva is an IWPR correspondent in Bishkek. Marina Bashmanova is an IWPR intern.
RCA Issue 325
http://tinyurl.com/yxdlnodj
Uzbek-Turkmen Border: Crossing the Wire
Uzbek Authorities Mount Witchhunt After Unrest
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< Books: General Asian American History
Infamy: The Shocking Story of the Japanese American Internment in World War II/Paperback
By Richard Reeves.
Less than three months after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and inflamed the nation, President Roosevelt signed an executive order declaring parts of four western states to be a war zone operating under military rule. The U.S. Army immediately began rounding up thousands of Japanese Americans, sometimes giving them less than 24 hours to vacate their houses and farms. For the rest of the war, these victims of war hysteria were imprisoned in primitive camps.
In Infamy, the story of this appalling chapter in American history is told more powerfully than ever before. Acclaimed historian Richard Reeves has interviewed survivors, read numerous private letters and memoirs, and combed through archives to deliver a sweeping narrative of this atrocity. Men we usually consider heroes-FDR, Earl Warren, Edward R. Murrow-were in this case villains, but we also learn of many Americans who took great risks to defend the rights of the internees. Most especially, we hear the poignant stories of those who spent years in “war relocation camps,” many of whom suffered this terrible injustice with remarkable grace.
Racism, greed, xenophobia, and a thirst for revenge: a dark strand in the American character underlies this story of one of the most shameful episodes in our history. But by recovering the past, Infamy has given voice to those who ultimately helped the nation better understand the true meaning of patriotism.
Paper: 368 pp.
Read a review of this book on Discover Nikkei.
Collections: Books & Media, Books: General Asian American History, Books: WWII, JANM Store Catalog 2015-2016
A Harvest of Hawaii Plantation Pidgin: The Japanese Way $18.95
A Principled Stand: The Story of Hirabayashi V. United States $19.95
A Taste for Strawberries--The Independent Journey of Nisei Farmer Manabi Hirasaki $17.95
Achieving the Impossible Dream: How Japanese Americans Obtained Redress $28.00
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Advent Reflections By RC Women Priests And Others
Sharing some thoughts here from some of our Roman Catholic Women Priests and others as we wait for the coming of the Prince of Peace, and as we hasten the coming of peace through justice. Much food for thought and prayer here:
This is from Rev. Chava Redonnet, Pastor of the Ocsar Romero Inclusive Catholic Comunity in Rochester, New York where she serves migrant workers. They are hoping to gather enough funds for a small house to be a church and hospitality house.
December 6 at 1:10pm · Rochester, NY ·
Happy Second Week of Advent! I hope you find some time for quiet and stillness this week. And joy!
It was just me and one woman from the street at Mass this morning (she took the photo). She told me about how yesterday a church group came to St Joe’s with early Christmas gifts for everyone: gloves for the men, socks for the women. She told me the socks were pretty colors – purple, pink and blue – and that they also gave her a Christmas card. “Now I got two!” I don’t want to romanticize poverty. It’s unjust and mostly just stinks. But I hope that, whatever I might receive this Christmas, I will have the grace to be as pleased with it as she was with her socks and card.
Just before Mass, someone dropped off leftover pizza, apparently from a party last night. When I opened the pizza box and saw the few leftover pieces of unappetizing cold pizza in it, I thought of the magnanimous way the man at the door had presented it, like it was a great gift, and I felt annoyed about the junk people give to poor people. But! After Mass, I had pizza to offer my friend, and warmed it up in the microwave, and she enjoyed it. Once again – even the stuff that annoys me is a gift.
The following two items has been sent by Rev. Jennifer O’Malley, RCWP of California:
Below is a link to a Open Letter to Trump from faith leaders concerning his comments about Muslims yesterday. I encourage you all to join me in signing.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1k1Uyv1wIcN4fSLY8MDTaoLaVrNqLs8HwBTUrjHaTrpc/viewform
Jennifer O’Malley
Welcome to The Impact Report, an update on Faith in Public Life’s work to support faith leaders in becoming game changers in public debates.
When the nation is gripped by fear and politicians seek to slam the door shut on refugees who are fleeing ISIS, faith leaders must speak out prophetically and dispel the myth that we must abandon our values and the vulnerable to keep our country safe.
That’s why Faith in Public Life has mobilized thousands of clergy across the country to publicly respond to those who have declared their states off limits to Syrian refugees.
Late last week, as dozens of US governors publicly stated that their states would not accept refugees from war-torn Syria, we organized an open letter in response from clergy that has been signed by more than 2,000 leaders from coast to coast. The faith community could not be more unified in our response: welcoming carefully screened refugees who are fleeing for their lives must be a moral priority. (You can read the letter and add your name to it here.)
But we needed to do more to proclaim our values and stand up for people who are fleeing the destruction of war and the brutality of ISIS. So, in a matter of just a few days FPL’s organizing, communications, and media training staff organized deliveries of this letter to governors’ offices in Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Iowa and Wisconsin. And the media coverage was amazing, amplifying our community’s witness nationwide.We hope these select news clips give you another reason to be thankful and feel inspired in this season of Thanksgiving! We give thanks for all you do!
Clergy Members Critical of Deal’s Plan to Block Syrian Refugees
By WXIA-TV; Atlanta, Georgia
WI faith leaders call on Walker to reverse position on Syrian refugees
By WISC-TV; Madison, Wisconsin
Iowa Clergy Ask Branstad to Accept Syrian Refugees
By KCCI-TV; Des Moines, Iowa
Church leaders condemn Gov. Hogan’s stance on refugees
By WMD-TV; Salisbury, Maryland
In faith,
Rev. Jennifer Butler
CEO, Faith in Public Life
And this is from Bob Shine of newwaysministry, Bondings 2.0-About The Year of Mercy
The Year of Mercy now underway will hopefully “start a new era for the Church,” said one Maltese bishop who recently spoke extensively about the need to welcome LGBT people and their families.
Bishop Mario Grech of Gozo, part of the Mediterranean island nation of Malta, added that not only the style but content of church teaching must be different. In an interview with the Times of Malta, when asked whether same-gender couples in a civil unions should be welcomed by the church, Grech said:
“Of course. They are part of God’s people, and like everybody else they are going through a journey and the Church needs to support them in revealing God’s hidden face. We cannot define such a journey in stages and put up barriers, as the road is wide open to those truly seeking to follow God’s footsteps, regardless of their sexual orientation.”
Grech said that “there can be different forms of relationship” beyond marriage, though he still defined it hetero-normatively. He said the church must clarify the “difference between civil and ecclesiastical marriage.” Importantly, the bishop set questions about marriage and relationship within the broader context of Christian life:
“We are neither condoning nor condemning anybody. As long as the individual tries to imitate the values preached by God, we embrace them. There are other values in the gospel, which are difficult to attain, such as forgiving the enemy. We need to strive to reach this goal. We seem to have very clear ideas about justice and love but then stumble upon kindness. These are all proposals put forward by God – like marriage between a man and a woman who form the natural family.”
The bishop pushed back against those suggesting Pope Francis’ emphasis on mercy is just appeasing a culture in transition. Grech said mercy is not populism, but the gospel, and criticized those whose ecclesial vision has prioritized ethical judgment:
“Before being a moral agency, the Church is an experience of God. I fear that at certain times we have put the cart before the horse as we speak on moral obligations but leave no room for mercy and forgiveness. The Church must be different. If God is at the centre of our lives all other things would naturally follow.”
Commenting on the Synod on the Family, Grech said homosexuality was not discussed because it “could have seriously jeopardised the approval of the entire document.” He continued:
“On many occasions accidental issues have replaced the core substance. If need be, we must cleanse ourselves of certain things in order to be close to the ideals. There must be greater urgency to reach out to people out there as many are looking for God, in various forms.”
He included in this outreach the children of LGBT parents, noting that such outreah is “already happening” and is “fully accepted” by the church, and necessarily entails full access to the sacraments. Children, Grech said, are not “accountable for their parents’ deeds, decisions or way of life” and therefore:
“Why should the Church deny the opportunity for same-sex parents wishing to give a Christian formation to their adopted children? They are most welcome.”
Bishop Grech’s pastoral vision for the church is inclusive of, but extends beyond LGBT considerations. He is proposing a renewed and reformed Catholic Church, which understands that life is complex and that the church is composed of human beings. In the bishop’s own words:
“Life is not black or white – there are also a lot of shades in between. What makes a good Christian? Perfection? If this were the case it would probably be beyond everybody’s reach. . .Life is a journey from one stage to another, and the Church needs to support the faithful in their quest to find God.”
You can read Bishop Grech’s interview in full by clicking here.
Similar to the interview reported on yesterday with Mumbai’s Cardinal Oswald Gracias, this interview with Bishop Grech reveals a church leader dedicated to understanding the realities of Catholics’ lives and trying to accompany them. Though imperfect for LGBT advocates, his vision of a church where inclusion and conscience are prioritized, and all are supported despite difference, is a good one. May more church officials be converted to this vision during the Year of Mercy!
–Bob Shine, New Ways Ministry
May we use this precious time of Advent to reflect, repent and turn ourselves and our world around so that we can pass hope on to our beautiful children.
Rev. Dr. Judy Lee, RCWP
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Dain Said: Putting Out Flags
By Alif Omar Mahfix • Aug 10th, 2012 in Last Word
The quest for the meaning of independence is a perennial topic around this time of the year and we didn’t want to fall into the same clichéd 1Malaysia trap that people keep laying down for us. And who better to break conformity than Bunohan Writer-Director DAIN SAID? JUICE passes the pad to the famed filmmaker and, naturally, he pens us a poetic personal tale of liberation.
I threw my tie onto the railway tracks, took off my blazer and hurled it into the bushes behind the platform rails. The train came and left. I stood alone for a bit. It was the same carriage that carried me to and fro, from home to school and back, for four years since I was eleven; I walked instead across the heath. My feet cushioned by the grass, I floated an inch above the ground for I had finally left school.
I was fifteen and I put out my flag.
That day I was born. For the next 10 years I worked and travelled, and started writing, I wrote my way around the world from Canada to Cairo, Berlin to Athens, from cafes to bars, and city to city I read the great works leaving the sound of the train far behind, to the quietness of the library.
A quietness surrounded by books. Instilled by my mother, a schoolteacher who taught and spoke to me in English, in the heat of afternoons in a small mangrove town by lagoons infested with an orchestra of insects. My mother used to sing to me.
Many years later the weight of her love, came off my shoulders like a heavy winter coat. I floated half an inch above the tarmac, and continued down the road.
Once more there was quiet and stillness. Love had vacated the room. There was no longer the troubled desire and the blind need to fill the spaces with the things I carry. Her death had loosened the chains. But the refrain of her song was another flag she helped me raise high to the sky.
There have been many struggles, and the peaks that rise in between have made the fight worth the stretches.
And this lasting stretch, the last thing – She walked in and with both hands, took the weight and flew my banner to the world. She is my producer and my partner in kind. And like criminals we plotted our story.
I returned to the lagoons, and wrote my script amidst the noise of insects. And together we entered the mangroves, and out of our words we made this film. We braved the monsoon, the floodwaters, the swelling rivers and tidal currents and we battled the weather. Still they kept charging, and finally at sea, she guided us, never losing sight of land and little did I know, for she kept her eye on the mountain in the distance. Our boats landed.
And then came the little people. Like bits of broken glass half buried in the sand; half people with small knives, and a grain of sand in one eye. Their minds blunted by the days, their imagination eroded by the office hours, and their vision blurred by empty sheets of paper, though we were far from making a zombie movie. They were the walking wounded, and she swept them out to sea, and drove our banner at the peak.
Independence comes in small steps, a constant battle and different stages in one’s life. Its good to have a partner, a friend, to fight the good fight for if I fall, I know she’ll charge the last stretch, and put up our flag.
Still I carry a bag of words, and happily the volumes of love. The woman who made my film travel, from city to city, Toronto to Rotterdam, Taipei to Los Angeles, Italy to the Middle-East, South to North America, from cafes to bars, to stories and talks in the library – The woman who made my films.
She walks with me now, for my walk has been a long one, and we’re not ready to arrive.
Dain Said and Nandita Solomon’s film Bunohan, was picked up by Universal Pictures for Europe, NZ and Australia, Oscilloscope for North America, and had its World Premiere in Toronto Film Festival, European Premiere in Rotterdam Film Festival, and for Asia was the winner of the NETPAC Award at the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival. For more information on Bunohan, head on over to www.bunohan.com.
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Rackspace Careers
Racker Life
Senior Manager, Service Delivery
Customer Relationship & Support Jersey City, New Jersey San Antonio, Texas
The Senior Manager of Service Delivery is responsible for leading a highly customer-centric team of Service Delivery Managers, Technical Account Managers and Technical Architects to effectively deliver services to Rackspace AWS, AZURE and GCP customers. In this role you will be responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with C-Level executives as well as ensuring the team delivers successful customer outcomes.
Passionate management and coaching of Service Delivery Managers
Effective management of escalations
Creating a work environment and atmosphere that engages and delights both Rackers and customers
Creative thinking on ways to improve our service delivery
Effective adaptation of working in line with corporate objectives
Adherence to Industry recognized standards
Recruiting, managing and developing technical and non-technical Rackers
Acting as the final escalation point for customer and staff issues
Managing all facets of customer retention and churn prevention
Collecting and presenting KPI values to leadership indicating our areas of success and for improvement
Manages personnel activities of staff including hiring, training, terminating, etc.
Masters understanding of Rackspace products for identifying opportunities for customers and service delivery to drive additional revenue
Reviewing service failures to highlight and drive process improvement opportunities
Managing SLAs and implementing process change to underpin contractual SLAs
Coaching teams on how to apply industry best practices during customer consultations to maximize service delivery
Setting team targets and managing/monitoring performance accordingly
Building a scalable and efficient organizational model
Collaboration with the wider global Rackspace teams and internal departments
Building strong relationships with customers and developing synergies to improve the service
Maintaining a motivated, engaged team
To present and promote Rackspace to existing customers through meetings and visits
Carry out regular performance reviews and objectives setting, including regular 1:1 sessions
To create a close working relationship with the Managed Public Cloud product and operations teams
Responsible for adhering to company security policies and procedure as directed
Experience or Certification with Managed Public Clouds - AWS, Azure or GCP would be Ideal
SUPERVISION: May direct the work efforts of managers and supervisors. Responsible for hiring, firing, performance appraisals, and pay reviews.
EXPERIENCE/EDUCATION: At least 5 years of Operational Management experience within a mission critical environment, committed to providing FANATICAL customer service. Experience of effectively dealing with high level escalations and customer complaints. Experience of developing customer and employee intelligence strategies and utilizing the findings to enhance service delivery. Extensive experience presenting and representing the organization to a variety of national and international audiences. A minimum of 2 years managing people. A strong background in account management or demonstrative hosting-specific technical skills. Drive to succeed. Budget management of a minimum of £5 Million. Customer relationship management. Mentoring, coaching and training. Exceptional communications skills, written and interpersonal. ITIL Certification preferred. Demonstrated excellence interpersonal skills to liaise, network and benchmark performance. Demonstrated ability to consistently provide FANATICAL support.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS: General office environment. High level of stress may occur at times. No special physical demands required. Heavy telephone
#PRIORITY
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Rackspace is committed to offering equal employment opportunity without regard to age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, military status, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic.
Rackspace's 1.2 million square foot global headquarters is nestled at the edge of the scenic Texas Hill Country in San Antonio, the 7th largest city in the U.S. True to our Fanatical Support roots, Rackspace chose to become a corporate citizen in a community that needed help and set out to renovate an abandoned mall. Now the center of a growing technology ecosystem giving rise to start-ups and educational programs that will fuel the future of the industry, Rackspace’s corporate office, called “The Castle” provides an engaging, creative work environment that encourages Rackers to deliver their best every day.
Unique Perks
Healthy snacks and beverages on the house daily
Onsite gym, fitness classes, and massage/physical therapy
Onsite food trucks/daily vendors
Coffee shop on premise
Mothers' room
Indoor slide
Onsite ATM
View all available jobs in San Antonio
The capital of Texas, Austin is also known as the "live music capital of the world.” With the University of Texas campus downtown, the city offers a vibrant nightlife along with parks, lakes, and historic landmarks. Austin's food scene includes restaurants boasting some of the best chefs in the nation, including award-winning Franklin BBQ, and culinary masters that will make any foodie's mouth water. One of the fastest growing cities in the United States, Austin offers a rich quality of life, access to outdoor recreation, top-notch education, eclectic entertainment, and job growth. Metro-rail access that runs through the city makes getting around easy. Rackspace's offices are centrally located near the city's epi-center with easy access to the college campus, Barton Springs, shopping, and a variety of attractions.
Monthly new hire mixer
Annual Field Day and crawfish boil
View all available jobs in Austin
The capital of Mexico, Mexico City is one of the world's largest metropolitan areas and a global financial center. With deep history, Mexico City is known for its architecture, cathedrals, and art. Home to the Templo Mayor, a 13th-century Aztec temple, as well as the birthplace of artists such as Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, Mexico City is becoming a hotspot for contemporary art.
Gym Sport City 50% off Monthly Membership Fee and fitness classes
Quarterly team outings
Community support and volunteerism events
View all available jobs in Mexico City
Our Hayes based office is a beautifully architectured modern glass building (think bright and spacious) and our facilities consist of a canteen, games room, gym, training campus, free parking and our very own Mini Cooper housed in our lobby! Hayes Town has a historical culture, housing companies such as The Old Vinyl Factory where ground breaking records by The Beatles, Pink Floyd and the Rolling Stones were pressed. The Rackspace office is a 5 minute walk from Hayes and Harlington station, a 20 minute drive from Heathrow Airport, a 25 minute train journey to Central London and has great connections from both the M4 and M25 motorway. A robust transit system connects the regions making getting to and from the offices extremely accessible for all.
Fresh fruit and beverages and continental breakfast on the house daily
Onsite restaurant and monthly mobile food vendors
Chill out areas and quiet rooms
Dry cleaning service
View all available jobs in Greater London
Blacksburg, Virginia offers a small-town community with big time aspirations. With an entrepreneurial spirit, Blacksburg offers a rich technological hub and vibrant culture complete with beautiful scenic trails and parks. Established in 1798, the city preserves its rich history while celebrating its forward-looking technology industry. Home to the Virginia Tech Hokies, Blacksburg boasts a diverse and dynamic workforce.
Dog friendly office
Discounted gym membership
Onsite haircuts
Patio and grill: evening BBQs and happy hours in the summer
Annual Days of Summer
Food truck Thursdays and partnerships with local farms for produce delivery
Easy access to the Huckleberry Trail for walking, running, biking to and from work
Walking distance to the Virginia Tech football stadium
View all available jobs in Blacksburg
One of Australia's largest cities, Sydney is the capital of South Wales and a technology center for Asia-Pacific. Combining business and iconic waterfront beauty, Sydney provides opportunities for career development and work-life balance. Rackspace Sydney offers an engaging team environment that works hard and plays hard, always with an eye on providing Fanatical Support for our customers.
Quarterly fun team outings
Birthday time off
Quarterly recognition programs
Onsite games (ping pong and Xbox)
View all available jobs in Sydney
Crawley, located in West Sussex, England, 30 minutes from London's centre, is home to Rackspace's 10th datacenter in the world. The facility, custom built to meet the growing demand of managed cloud services in Europe, is one of the only environmentally sustainable datacenters in Europe and one of Rackspace's most advanced. As part of the Crawley community which boasts vibrant retail industry as well as a deep history, Rackspace joins an industrial and important business and employment centre for all of Southeast England.
Fresh fruit and continental breakfast on the house daily
Discounted local gym membership
Onsite daily snack van
Monthly celebrations for milestone events
View all available jobs in Crawley
Bears, Cubs, Bulls, White Sox, and Rackers—all professional teams on a mission to win and all call Chicago home. And for good reason. Chicago, the third largest city in the U.S., rests next to Lake Michigan and offers everything from deep dish pizza and an amazing skyline, the Miracle Mile, and a 110-ton metallic "Bean" among an amazing skyline and museum mecca. The city also features the home of the "Robots," Rackspace's Chicago team mascot. Along with robots, team members show their pride in the many professional sports team that call Chicago home—displaying banners and flags and wearing jerseys and t-shirts to represent their favorites.
Fresh fruit on the house; healthy snacks and beverages
Free gym memberships
Semi-annual team building outings, annual family day and holiday party
Special team awards and recognition
View all available jobs in Chicago
The western hats, horses, and skyscrapers that inform the popular iconic Texas imagery are all found in Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW). DFW is a metropolitan area that includes 13 counties in North Texas. As one of the largest metropolitan centers in the United States, DFW is an economic and cultural hub with major manufacturing and technology companies on one side and farming and ranching on the other. The area boasts private and public universities and professional sports teams. Major airports and continually expanding public transportation systems support travel to and from the area.
Monthly cookouts and birthday/anniversary celebrations
Monthly recognition and awards and weekly front parking spot drawing
Free 24 HR Fitness gym membership to any 24 HR Fitness location
Healthy snacks and beverages daily
Rack Gives Back Annual Wii Challenge with all proceeds going to charity
View all available jobs in Greater Dallas, TX
At the heart of Virginia's Data Center Alley, Ashburn is located in the Dulles Technology Corridor and is also part of the Washington DC metropolitan area. Ashburn offers a combination of rich American heritage, culinary highlights, award-winning wineries, and pastoral landscapes. Ashburn offers educational and technological development opportunities, with George Washington University's Virginia Science and Technology campus as well as easy access to Washington DC and technology powerhouses.
Discounted gym memberships
Snacks and drinks onsite
Team gatherings and networking events
View all available jobs in Ashburn
Taking top honors in the Great Place to Work Awards for two years running, Rackspace's Zurich office offers a variety of opportunities for growth, teambuilding, and innovation. Representing 4 nations and 15 different languages, the Zurich team offers cultural diversity that drives openness and new ideas. Zurich is the largest city and economic center of Switzerland and offers fantastic public transportation along with natural and historic landmarks.
Weekly rooftop BBQs and teambuilding events
Easy access to a culturally diverse city
Time off for birthdays and national holidays
Close-knit, culturally diverse team
View all available jobs in Zurich
A city rich in history and famous for its annual Oktoberfest, Munich pairs stunning Gothic architecture with thriving & modern industries of finance and technology. The office is located in the heart of Munich on Stachus and is easily accessible via public transportation including train, bus, tram and subway. Be sure to stop at the nearby Viktualienmarkt, where you will find delicious regional specialties including the famous Munich white sausage. With fine restaurants, museums and art galleries just a few doors down, our office takes ‘working where you play’ to the next level.
Established in 2017, the Frankfurt datacenter features fully-redundant power and is carrier-neutral with multiple Tier 1 providers. By establishing a datacenter presence in Germany, our first in continental Europe, we are able to expand our support to help meet the future needs of our EU customers. Frankfurt is an international financial hub featuring 2,000 years of history and a culture filled with museums, a lively art scene, and a great night life. With over 100 different languages spoken, Frankfurt is rich with diversity and an important expansion of our global footprint.
AVAILABLE JOBS IN GERMANY CLICK TO VIEW ALL OPEN POSITIONS
Day off for your birthday
Extra half day off over Christmas holiday
24 hours of paid volunteer service
Rackspace's Amsterdam office is conveniently located 10 minutes from the Amerstand Schiphol Airport and 5 minutes from the city's centre. Based at Amsterdam Sloterdijk, the office offers easy transportation and parking.
Quarterly fun outings
Easy access from the highway and public transportation services
View all available jobs in Amsterdam
The "Pearl of the Orient," Hong Kong is a global financial center and one of the most populous territories in the world. Hong Kong is known for its skyline, food scene, and shopping. Located on the Southeast coast of China, Hong Kong boast vibrant natural areas as well as serves as a major port that drives commerce. Rackspace's Hong Kong office is located near Taikoo Palace, with ready access to restaurants as well as the Quarry Bay MTR station, providing easy transportation services.
View all available jobs in Hong Kong
India is the primary destination for outsourcing and a global hub for multi-location outsourcing strategy. Rackspace’s offices are located in Gurgaon and Hyderabad.
Popularly known as Millennium City, Gurgaon is a city just southwest of New Delhi in northern India. It has emerged as one of the most important offshoring centers in the world. Gurgaon’s skyline with its many skyscrapers is nationally recognized and it has the presence of about 250 of the Fortune 500 companies. The city also has an exciting food scene and is home to the famous Cyber Hub, a melting pot of more than 50 of the top culinary brands and interesting retro bars, pubs and entertainment zones for kids.
Hyderabad is the capital of southern India's Telangana state. It has a rich and regal history; the Old City of Hyderabad is one of India's most ancient quarters and home to iconic landmarks such as Charminar. Present day Hyderabad is also a major center for the technology industry and its modern neighborhoods are home to malls, multiplexes, pubs and sleek restaurants.
AVAILABLE JOBS IN INDIA CLICK TO VIEW ALL OPEN POSITIONS
Easy access from the highway and public transportation
Companywide and team celebrations, outings, and social events throughout the year
Onsite restaurants, coffee shops and entertainment
External resources to learn more about the culture of India.
Incredible India website
Croeso i'ch cartref newydd yn Rackspace Caerdydd!
With a golf course and cricket green as neighbours, the Cardiff office is located on the growing Technology Park in St Mellons, on the outskirts of Cardiff just 10 minutes from the M4 motorway. Cardiff is Wales' capital city that offers all the entertainment, attractions and amenities you would expect from a big city, but it is still small enough to be friendly, even on Rugby International days when Wales are playing in the Principality Stadium, situated in the heart of the city. Cardiff Castle was built on the site of a Roman fort that dates back to AD75 and there are other historic buildings dotted around the Cardiff skyline. Cardiff Bay enjoys restaurants and smaller music venues or you can enjoy a boat trip around the Bay itself, or catch a water taxi into the City Centre.
Free parking.
Free breakfasts every morning.
Free lunches every Thursday.
Breakout meeting and sitting areas.
Small gym and shower facilities.
2 x Communal kitchens.
Free tea and coffee with vending machines.
View all available jobs in Cardiff
One of the most diverse cities in the nation, Jersey City is home to panoramic views of Manhattan, Ellis Island, and the Statue of Liberty. Known for its vibrant restaurant and art scene, and picturesque historic districts and landmark attractions, Jersey City has the benefits of a big metropolitan with the feeling of a small community.
Panoramic views of New York City
Free weekly lunch
Free hot/cold soft beverages
View all available jobs in Jersey City
Reston was ranked as the Best Places to Live in Virginia by Money magazine for its expanses of parks, lakes, golf courses, and bridle paths as well as the numerous shopping and dining opportunities in Reston Town Center. A special tax district within Fairfax County was created to fund various recreational, educational, and cultural activities in Reston. Reston is in close proximity to the W&OD trail which runs through both densely populated urban and rural areas. In a total of 45 miles one can ride, walk or jog from just outside Washington D.C. all the way to Purcelville in western Loudoun County with elevations ranging from 141 feet above sea level to 610 feet above sea level.
AVAILABLE JOBS IN RESTON CLICK TO VIEW ALL OPEN POSITIONS
Weekly catered lunches provided every Thursday
All the caffeine you can wish for provided free 24/7
Free use of a fitness center within the office complex
Walking distance to the Metro station
External resources to learn more about the culture.
Reston Activities Reston Town Center Parks
Flexibility in work arrangements allow Rackers to meet the demands of their careers & personal lives. That’s why we enable remote working for many roles through tools & technologies like Zoom & Slack that enable Rackers to succeed & stay connected. Since engagement is a core tenant of our culture, we also invest in remote Racker management training for our leaders with remote Rackers.
Team Video Conference and Meeting Tools
Team Collaboration Tools and Services
Rackspace University Remote Manager Training
View all available remote jobs
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(Des liens vers des ressources francophones sont publiés plus bas!)
I’m sometimes asked for names of people and organizations who do good work separating sense from nonsense on matters of health. The following is not an exhaustive list but a starting point. If you’re hungry for more, you can see whom I follow on Twitter (though not everyone I follow spreads good information; I have to keep an eye out on Dr. Oz and his ilk, you know?)
A website dedicated to providing an up-to-date critical analysis of pseudosciences like acupuncture and homeopathy and to criticizing bad studies in medicine. Coverage of the infiltration of alternative medicine in academia; book and movie reviews; articles about bad science in pediatrics and dentistry; and posts on how critical thinking skills can be applied to healthcare. Some of the posts seem to be written more for fellow healthcare professionals than a non-expert public, but well worth bookmarking. If it’s a health fad, they’ve probably covered it.
Website: https://sciencebasedmedicine.org
Tim Caulfield
Quite possibly the best known critic of health-related pseudoscience in Canada. Health policy expert by day, writer and TV show host by night, and Twitterer… well, seemingly 24 hours a day.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CaulfieldTim
Book 1: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12850570-the-cure-for-everything?from_search=true
Book 2: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23232032-is-gwyneth-paltrow-wrong-about-everything?from_search=true
TV Show (now on Netflix!): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7532396/
McGill Office for Science and Society
Bias alert: I work there. For nearly 20 years, this (possibly one of a kind) office at McGill University, under the direction of Joe Schwarcz, Ph.D., has debunked quackery, investigated questionable claims, and provided the public with fun facts about chemistry.
Website: https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/
Cracked Science on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNo_TfnLoHWZBfovVLL9IYBECHUtlY314
Books: https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/books
Dr. Joe’s column in the Montreal Gazette: http://montrealgazette.com/author/joe-schwarcz-special-to-the-montreal-gazette
Dr. Joe’s radio show: https://soundcloud.com/cjad800/sets/dr-joe-schwarcz-show
Michael Marshall, The Good Thinking Society, and the Merseyside Skeptics Society
A fantastic network of resources from the United Kingdom on critical thinking and skeptical activism. They showed the world that “homeopathy, there’s nothing in it”; they pressured the government in England to stop funding it; and they continue to impress by being active defenders of good thinking.
Podcasts: http://www.merseysideskeptics.org.uk/podcasts/
The Good Thinking Society: https://goodthinkingsociety.org
An incredible website dedicated to investigating rumours on the Internet. Did the American government admit that the flu shot was the most dangerous vaccine in America? Did this woman break her neck twerking? Did a brain-eating amoeba kill a woman who rinsed her sinuses with tap water? Basically, if your question is, “Is it true? I saw it on the Internet”, they’ve looked into it.
Website: https://www.snopes.com
Britt Hermes and Naturopathic Diaries
An ex-naturopath and whistleblower. If you really want to know what naturopathy is about and what naturopaths learn in school, this is the place to go.
Website: https://www.naturopathicdiaries.com
SciMoms
Because parental intuition does not always lead you to the right decision, these pro-science moms are leading the pack in showing you what’s dangerous and what’s not. Hormones in meat, genetically engineered food, vaccines, head lice and more!
Website: https://scimoms.com
Myles Power
An investigator and debunker of pseudoscience with a background in chemistry, Myles has made numerous, in-depth videos about AIDS denialism, the 9/11 Truther movement, the anti-vaccination movement, glyphosate, extreme health quackery and conspiracy theories of all types.
YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/powerm1985/featured
Nick Saik and Know Ideas Media
A filmmaker dedicated to highlighting good information about agriculture and our food supply.
YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvroQE2kXCeo-oUc6za7mrA
HealthNewsReview
A resource dedicated to fighting back against the mangling of scientific studies by the media. A great way to find out about the differences between observational and experimental studies, and about how common studies on nutrition get progressively distorted, from the researchers’ original article all the way to major journalistic publications.
Website: https://www.healthnewsreview.org
Dr. Yoni Freedhoff
A weight-loss expert who frequently denounces on his blog and on Twitter bad messages about eating.
Blog: http://www.weightymatters.ca
Twitter: https://twitter.com/YoniFreedhoff
Ryan Armstrong
Ryan pushes back against alternative medicine in Canada (particularly Ontario). Involved with Bad Science Watch and owner of the blog Post-Truth Health. Particularly active on Twitter.
Bad Science Watch: https://www.badsciencewatch.ca
Post-Truth Health: https://posttruthhealth.ca
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ryarmst
Julia Belluz and Brian Resnick for Vox
Two of Vox’s journalists who are doing excellent work reporting on health, especially with the contextualization of new studies.
Julia Belluz on Vox: https://www.vox.com/authors/julia-belluz
Brian Resnick on Vox: https://www.vox.com/authors/brian-resnick
Kelly Crowe
Medical sciences correspondent for CBC National News.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kcrowecbc?lang=en
Genetically Modified Skeptic
YouTuber pushing back against essential oils, religious medical practices, and misrepresentations of science by interest groups.
YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG1uayRlzz3ahT8ISRdyw7Q
HealthWatch123
A cat on Twitter who comprehensively documents every bit of media coverage on health fraud.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HealthWatch123
Dr. Paul Offit
Professor of pediatric infectious diseases and vocal defender of the safety of vaccines.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrPaulOffit
Books: http://paul-offit.com/books/
A long-running magazine dedicated to promoting skepticism.
Website: https://www.csicop.org/si
Ressources francophones
Olivier Bernard, le Pharmachien
Un incontournable. A-t-il besoin d’être introduit?
Site web: http://lepharmachien.com
Livres: http://lepharmachien.com/livres/
Émission télé: http://pharmachien.exploratv.ca/accueil/
Valérie Borde
Journaliste scientifique qui écrit pour L’Actualité.
Articles: https://lactualite.com/auteur/valerieborde/
Alain Vadeboncoeur
Urgentologue et communicateur médical au sein de L’Actualité.
Articles: https://lactualite.com/auteur/alainvadeboncoeur/
Journaliste au Soleil.
Articles: https://www.lesoleil.com/chroniques/jean-francois-cliche
Média indépendant à but non lucratif qui couvre les nouvelles scientifiques et qui, par son Détecteur de rumeurs, vérifie les nouvelles fausses et un peu moins fausses qui se répandent dans les médias.
Site web: https://www.sciencepresse.qc.ca
Le Détecteur de rumeurs: https://www.sciencepresse.qc.ca/detecteur-rumeurs
Québec Science
Magazine québécois qui informe le public en matière de science et technologie.
Site web: https://www.quebecscience.qc.ca
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That Time A Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Game Was Literally Unbeatable
Filed to: that actually happenedFiled to: that actually happened
that actually happened
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on the NES was infamous for being super hard. For many, the game unbeatable. On the PC, though, that was actually true!
The PC port of TMNT—the DOS one, specifically—was weird for a few reasons: the sound was terrible, it didn’t look as good, and playing with a keyboard sucked. Worse, the programmers modified one of the levels, shifted the geometry over, and made a key jump impossible.
As a result, you literally could not beat the game without cheating!
Yes, that actually happened.
These days, if a game has a game-breaking glitch, patches can be issued. That wasn’t the case in 1989, when TMNT was released. If the game didn’t work, the game didn’t work. So far as I can tell, the game was never fixed.
To get a better sense of what changed, here’s a comparison:
Image Credit: Lazy Game Reviews
The only way to progress in the game is to cheat or glitch! Seriously.
Video Credit: TheRabidOgre
If it’s possible to make that jump with clever timing, nobody seems to figured out how to do it. I can’t find any video evidence, and it prompted the long running website Scary Crayon to make a declaration:
Actually, scratch that. This game isn’t just hard to beat — it’s impossible. Seriously. Back when I used to play this game on the old 286, I never even got to Rocksteady, let alone the dreaded underwater level. But now that I’ve been able to cheat (pressing Q, W, E, R, T, Y, U, and P at the same time will render you invincible, or you can hack the game exe to similar effect using the DOS debug utility), I’ve been able to get all the way to the last building that you can reach via the Turtle Van before making your way to the building where you face Mechaturtle on the roof. [...] So, expert gamers of the world, you want a challenge? Beat this game without cheating.
I have terrible memories of this game. As a kid, TMNT and Ghostbusters were my life, which meant I was playing every game based on them that came out, good or bad. (Luckily, there were actually a handful of very good TMNT games!) This game, despite selling a ton of copies, wasn’t one of them.
That Actually Happened is a weekly series at Kotaku in which we highlight interesting moments in gaming history. So far, we’ve revisited when Sonic kissed a human, a live game show on Xbox 360, and Sony throwing a God of War party with a dead goat. If you have any suggestions for future entries, please let us know in the comments below!
Senior reporter at Kotaku, streaming Mario deaths at youtube.com/patrickklepek
Recent from Patrick Klepek
The Stories Behind Some Of Pro Gaming's Oddest Names
Farewell, Kotaku
Quadrilateral Cowboy: The Kotaku Review
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BIG BANG JOINS THE RANKS OF BTS TO BE THE 2nd KPOP GROUP TO HAVE 2 MVs HIT OVER 300 MILLION VIEWS!
Congratulations to YG ENTERTAINMENT's BIGBANG for being the 2nd KPOP group to have 2 MVs hit over 300 million views on Youtube! The first to reach the 300 million view record was 'Fantastic Baby', the second MV to reach this amount of views was 'BANG BANG BANG'.
BIGBANG joins BTS as being the only two KPOP groups to have achieved this level of views on two of their videos! Congrats to the both of them! HWAITING!
Also in KPOP-FTW BLOG
NCT Dream "WE GO UP"!!!
NCT Dream has earned their first No. 1 on a Korean realtime music chart.
BTS IDOL MV REVIEW!! NEW ALBUM??! WORLD TOUR?!??
The video, which already has over 26 million views and counting, also gives a nod to traditional Korean culture, from the guys wearing a hanbok to the group chanting "ursoo."
UP10TION ALBUM RELEASE?? NEW EP??
The band will be coming off a successful previous album release as INVITATION ranked #3 on Hanteo realtime and they also just released CHASER, the EP.
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Category Archives: Red Robin
REVIEW: BATMAN UNLIMITED: MONSTER MAYHEM
Posted on September 20, 2015 by proxyblue57 Standard Reply
Roger Craig Smith (Avengers Assemble)
Chris Diamantopoulos (About A Boy TV)
Will Friedle (Batman Beyond)
Troy Baker (The Avengers: Earths Mightiest Heroes)
Khary Payton (Teen Titans)
Yuri Lowenthal (Legion of Super Heroes)
Kari Wuhrer (Hellraiser: Deader)
Fred Tatasciore (Hulk Vs)
Alistair Duncan (The Batman)
Steven Blum (Wolverine and The X-Men)
Batman Unlimited is DC’s all-ages animation line. The dialogue and storytelling don’t pander to a younger crowd, and while the superhuman slugfests are family-friendly, they’re still every bit as well-staged and thrilling as DC’s PG-13 animated efforts.
As much as I dug Animal Instincts, the premiere entry in the Batman Unlimited series, Monster Mayhem easily tops it. The basic formula pretty much remains the same: a motley crew of four super-villains are pulling off heists all across Gotham, it turns out that a scheming master villain-type is yanking their strings, and only Batman and his buddies stand any chance of stopping the technologically-fueled apocalypse. Monster Mayhem reigns supreme over Animal Instincts because of…well, everything! For one, the roster of super villains is a lot stronger this time around. Silver Banshee hasn’t scored a whole lot of screentime in DC’s animated movies or TV series, so it’s pretty great to have her take something close enough to center stage here.
Clayface is a character that works more brilliantly animated than in any other incarnation, and Monster Mayhem takes full advantage. I’m not wild about Scarecrow’s pro wrestler redesign, and he’s the most underutilized of this bunch, but the guy’s obviously a great fit for a Halloween-themed rogues gallery. Oh, man, and Solomon Grundy…! Undead and loving it, everyone’s favorite Southern-fried zombie runs away and steals every single scene he’s in. Seriously,The movie keeps its cards close to its chest and takes a while to reveal that the Joker is the sinister mastermind behind it all, but he’s right there on the cover, so you probably figured that out anyway. Monster Mayhem is so. much. fun. I mean, look at all those clever battles in an abandoned amusement park, complete with Solomon Grundy squaring off against the Caped Crusader in the Tunnel of Love. The movie is pretty much just one “oh, wow!” after another: from its lengthy, masterfully staged, adrenaline-pumping action sequences to the wildly imaginative ways it plays with and against!)its futuristic tech. Though Monster Mayhem is meant to be a cross-promotional thing with Mattel’s action figure line, the dinosaur tie-in is genuinely pretty great and makes sense in context. Not having to deal with any origin stories lets Monster Mayhem hit the ground running and relentlessly plow forward. There just isn’t a wasted moment anywhere throughout this sucker. The master scheme is vastly superior to the one in Animal Instincts, and it’s riddled with twists and turns along the way that make the whole thing that much more engaging.
REVIEW: BATMAN UNLIMITED: ANIMAL INSTINCTS
Charlie Schlatter (Diagnosis Murder)
Dana Snyder (Chowder)
Keith Szarabajka (Angel)
Laura Bailey (Ultimate Spider-Man)
Phil LaMarr (Free Enterprise)
Batman Unlimited Animal Instincts really is aimed towards audiences of all ages. It’s appropriate for kids but doesn’t talk down to them. Spectacularly choreographed and consistently thrilling to watch, its superpowered battles never pull their punches but don’t spill any blood either.
Animal Instincts’ dialogue is reasonably sharp: not reaching the same heights as Justice League but not falling all that short either. The heroes and villains alike are nicely characterized, each deftly fleshed out with distinct personalities while still keeping the overall momentum screaming forward. Animal Instincts has a pretty terrific sense of humor without ever stomping on the gravity of the crisis at hand.
The voices are remarkably well cast, including a couple of DC Animated Universe alumni tackling different roles: Will Friedle as Nightwing and Phil Lamarr as Man-Bat. Charlie Schlatter returns as the voice of The Flash after a few years away, and he’s joined by such seasoned actors as Chris Diamantopoulos, Laura Bailey, Roger Craig Smith, Yuri Lowenthal, Dana Snyder, Keith Szarabajka, and the once and future King Shark himself, John DiMaggio. There’s not a weak link in the bunch, not that there would be with résumés as vast as theirs. Animal Instincts has a very distinctive set of character designs, with costumes that are more angular and exaggerated than any incarnation I’ve seen in the past. They work really well though, as does the quasi-futuristic version of Gotham City on display here. Although Batman Unlimited is intended to promote the Mattel action figure line of the same name, Animal Instincts doesn’t come across as a feature-length toy commercial. Batman briefly dons a couple suits of armor he probably wouldn’t have if there weren’t an action figure tie-in, and the Cyberanimals do feel kind of shoehorned into match the toys’ sidekicks, but neither are particularly distracting.
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You Are Here: Home » Culture, Kurdistan, Mem û Zîn Study » Mem û Zîn Analytical Study*: 3. Mem û Zîn editions
Mem û Zîn Analytical Study*: 3. Mem û Zîn editions
Written on March 17, 2013 by Editor in Culture, Kurdistan, Mem û Zîn Study
Portrait of the characters Mem and Zîn
‘Love and Existence: Analytical Study of Ahmadi Khani’s Tragedy of Mem û Zîn’
Chapter Three: Mem û Zîn editions
Although Khani’s Mem û Zîn was written at the close of the seventeenth century, it was not until the end of the World War 1 that it was first published. The first edition was printed in Istanbul in Arabic script, with an introduction signed by Hemze. The front cover of the book (photocopy reprinting by Rasul 1979) carries this information at the top: j neshriyat jvata m’arif w neshriyat Kurdan hjmar: 1 (‘Publication of the society for the knowledge and publication of Kurds. No 1’). According to Martin Van Brussen (2003, p. 51), this association was an affiliate of the nationalist Kurdish association, Kurdistan Te’ali Cemiyeti , established in 1918 in Istanbul by Kurdish aristocrats and intellectuals.
The first and the only book published by this association was Ahmedi Khani’s Mem û Zîn. The title Mem û Zîn is written in Arabic orthography. The author Ahamdi Khani is described on the cover as: sertaj udebay Kurdan, sergahiya ‘ilm w ‘irfan w iftikhara hemyan Ahmad Khani (‘the crown of Kurdish literates, the source of science and knowledge and the pride of everyone Ahmad Khani’.) The date that appears on the cover is 1335-1337. It is generally believed that this edition was never circulated widely as most of the books were burnt by the Turks (Rasul, 1989 – the cover is reprinted on page 504 of his book).
A second printing came out in Aleppo, Syria in 1947: This is apparently an offset reprinting of the first edition. Two more printings of the 1919 Istanbul edition have appeared in 1954 and 1968. The late Soviet Kurdologist M.B Rudenko produced a second edition in 1962, consisting of a critical edition of the text in Arabic characters. Van Brussen (op.cit., p. 43) describes Rudenko’s edition as, ‘the scientific edition [of Mem û Zîn] based on nine different manuscripts, the oldest of which was written in 1732-1732) (p.43). These manuscripts were housed in the Institute of Oriental Studies in Leningrad, plus a Russian translation. According to Chyet (1991, 30-31), this edition includes two introductions, one in Russian by Rudenko and one in Kurmanci Kurdish in Arabic script by Qenete Kurdo [Kurdoev].
Rudenko’s introduction, mirrored closely by Kurdoev, gives a publishing history of Khani’s Mem û Zîn, some biographical information about Khani, a brief explanation of the prosody of the poem, and a detailed description of each of the manuscripts upon which the critical edition is based. M.E. Bozarsalan published a third edition of Khani’s Mem û Zîn in Istanbul in Latin orthography and with a Turkish translation. A second printing of this edition appeared in 1975.
The first Kurdish source that paid attention to Mem û Zîn was the first Kurdish newspaper, Kurdistan, published by the Kurdish nationalist aristocrat and intellectual Miqdad Midhat Bedirxan in Cairo. The first issue appeared on 22 April 1898. In the second and following issues of Kurdistan, he published the prologue of Mem û Zîn. At the same time, the German Orientalist Martin Hartman paid attention to Mem û Zîn too. (M. Hartman, 1898, S 107). However, as Martin Strohmeir rightly asserts, “from the very beginning, proponents of Kurdish nationalism have been almost exclusively interested in the part of the poem which later came to be known as the prologue (dibacha), under the title Derde ma (‘Our suffering’). This so-called introduction, but without the chapter heading was published in the eighth issue of Kurdistan.” (Strohmeier (2003), p. 28).
Strohmier also relates that “Celadet Bedir Khan wrote in 1933, in an open letter to Ataturk, that his father, Emin Ali, brother of Midhat and Abdulrahman, had tried to have Mem û Zîn published in 1894 but that the committee in charge of granting permission censored large parts and so Emin Ali did not publish it”. (Ibid. p. 28, Bedirxan, (1922), p. 28).
In 1941, the Kurdish magazine Hawar in Syria published some parts of the story with a glossary and an article by the Kurdish nationalist intellectual, Celadet Bedirkhan. In his article entitled Klasiken me (‘Our classics’) he compared Khani to Rumi and described him as “the prophet of our national belief, the prophet of the doctrines of our race” (pexember e diyaneta me a mili, pexembere ola me a nijadin). A few years later, in 1947, a reprint of the Istanbul edition appeared in Halab. In 1976 an edition of Mem û Zîn appeared in Baku translated into the Azerbaijani language by the Azerbaijani researcher and linguist (of Kurdish origin), Shamil Askarov. The Kurdish scholar and writer Jamal Nabaz published a translated summary of the poem in German in 1961. The Kurdish Islamic scholar Mala Ahmad Al-Zevengi published a comprehensive interpretation of the poem in Arabic, published in Qamishly, Syria in 1959.
Few South Kurmanci versions of Mem û Zîn were produced in the 20th Century. One was an early (1925) dramatized version in verse by the Kurdish veteran poet and modernizer, Peeramerd. According to Rasul (1979), he based his version on South Kurmanci oral versions known to him. His version is also in masnawi verse and it is more an adaptation of the folk story for his own ideas and style than a reproduction of a specific text. He is especially keen to use the story to defend love against reactionary social practices and to promote the rights of women. (Sulaymaniyah, 1925). Hemin, in his introduction to the Kurdish edition of Oskar Mann’s collection, criticizes Peeramerd for Westernising the text by making Zîn commit suicide in his version, considering this a non-Kurdish practice in terms of Kurdish customs as women, especially in Kurdish folk literature, have an equal or a big role in deciding the course of the events [Hemin, 2006, p.57).
The other Mem û Zîn was a straightforward poetical rendering of the poem by the late Kurdish Mukiri poet and scholar Hejar Mukiryani (Baghdad, 1960). Hejar uses a sophisticated spontaneous pure Kurdish language based on his Mukiri sub-dialect, rendering Khani’s text verse by verse, keeping all Khani’s original plot, characters, events, pure Kurdish vocabulary and dramatic elements; but he has simplified the text (in order to be understood by ordinary readers and get rid of non-Kurdish words, he writes) and failed to keep the Sufist and complex structural and intellectual elements and philosophical constructions of the original text. The work also has an interesting introduction which focuses on explaining Khani’s nationalism and patriotism. Hejar writes: “Three hundred years ago Khani introduced to us the idea of liberation. Khani is the inventor of (the idea of) nationalism in the Middle East.” About his own rendering he says: “What made me think of rendering Mem û Zîn was that the book is full of hard Arabic and difficult Persian vocabulary. We must not blame Khani for this because this was the common practice in Khani’s time. One’s artistic ability was attested by the number of the hard-to-understand Arabic and Persian words. Khani proved his merit then by following these standards” (Hejar, 1989, p. 233).
In fact, Khani consciously and necessarily used Arabic and Persian vocabulary and terms because they were/are part of the common spiritual and cultural product, milieu, material and conceptual Mem û Zîn instruments of all the Islamic nations and he needed them to construct his own philosophical vision.
However, Hajar accomplished a superb, well-researched, neat Kurmanci edition of Khani’s Mem û Zîn, with word-by-word explanation in South Kurmanci Kurdish. This edition was published by the Kurdish Institute of Paris in 1989. This is the best-ever complete Kurdish edition of in Arabic transcript. Hejar has depended on all the available editions, including Rudinko’s. He also had at his disposal a copy of the 1919 Hamza edition of Istanbul. Hejar has also republished his 1960 Mukiri version of the story with this edition.
In 2000, Professor Izzeddin Mustafa Rasul published a full Arabic translation of Mem û Zîn, in 375 pages with a short introduction based on his previous study of Khani.(Rasul, 2000).
In 2007, (the writer of this study) Kamal Mirawdeli published a full South Kurmanci prose version of Mem û Zîn (excluding the prologue) with a general introductory textual study (Sulaymaniyah, 2007). The last two books were published in Sulaymaniyah in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. Kamal Mirawdeli has also written a dramatic text play, in standard South Kurmanci, based on Khani’s literary text, keeping and developing its philosophical, political and dramatic elements and themes. This dramatic text, called Shorsh î ‘Ishq Trajidiyay Mem û Zîn, (‘Revolution of Love: Tragedy of Mem and Zîn’), which was published in Sulaymaniyah in March 2012, is over 45,000 words written in poetic prose and lyrical poetry.
I have used Hejar’s 1989 edition for this study. All references in the text refer to this edition.
* ‘Love and Existence: Analytical Study of Ahmadi Khani’s Tragedy of Mem û Zîn’ by Dr Kamal Mirawdeli is published by the Khani Academy in association with authorhouse, uk. The hard cover, soft cover, or the electronic edition of the book can be ordered from: http://www.authorhouse.co.uk/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?Book=419087
One Response to Mem û Zîn Analytical Study*: 3. Mem û Zîn editions
kuvan
March 19, 2013 | 14:16
Mem U Zin were two true pure innocent decent lovers.They loved each other truthfully without any conditions.They left everything behind ,all their personal dreams,religious and none religious beliefs, money,friends family,and struggled,suffered ,hurt, starved,just to make it and end up together ,but alas a religious sick man called Bako and the backward traditions and beliefs of the society and people at that time became the reason that these two pure innocent decent lovers didn’t make it and died innocent.I personally believe that if two people, man and a woman love each other, no power ,whether it be religion ,beliefs, money ,family ,friends ,authority, or any another power,should not stand in the way and stop them from reaching each other or else it is not love.
Trackback URL https://kurdistantribune.com/mem-u-zin-analytical-study-3-mem-u-zin-editions/trackback/
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Tag Archives: SD Burman
Two memorable evenings marked the launch of Incomparable Sachin Dev Burman of HQ Chowdhury and Yesterday's Melodies Today's Memories of Manek...
The release of HQ Chowdhury’s Incomparable Sachin Dev Burman and Manek Premchand’s Yesterday's Melodies Today's Memories offered the apt forum for santoor exponent Padma Vibhushan Pandit Shiv...
Suman Kalyanpur - the name conjures memories of lilting sweet songs, solos and duets that have gained immortality and enriched our music heritage. We revisit some of her evergreen melodies, enjoyed and...
Incomparable Sachin Dev Burman – the Life and Works of SD Burman
'Sachin Dev Burman' or 'SD Burman' or 'Burman Dada'... whichever way you take this name, it will spell magic in music! :) Blue Pencil. a venture of Learning...
Guide: A Spiritual Odyssey
Dev Anand’s creative effort reached its apogee in Navketan’s Guide, a film that accommodates more than one perspective. On the occasion of Dev Anand's birth anniversary (he would have been 95 today), Vijay...
Musical Rhythms of the Running Train
Trains have been integral to the lives of people ever since the first train ran in 1853 in India. In Indian cinema, there are lots of songs which are picturized either on the running train or in the backdrop of the moving...
Khayyam: The Poets’ Musician
The earnestness, the depth and the genius of Khayyam led to the creation of masterpiece ghazals, songs and nazms that are among the most beautiful melodies in Hindi film music. Vijay Kumar explores a few of Khayyam's...
RD Burman and His Lyricists
Legendary music director RD Burman worked with over 75 lyricists in his career, creating a huge treasure trove of musical gems that are popular to this day because of their innovative and evocative music, inspiring lyrics...
If one gives a close look at the songs of Ek Nazar 1951, we find they were a precursor to SD Burman's hits that would follow later, styles that would evolve and set precedents and experiments that would...
The Spontaneity of Nutan That Rose Above ‘Acting’
Nutan amazed us with every role she did – she lived the character, spontaneous, natural, unaffected. So you watch Kalyani and Sujata and Aarti Sohanlal (Anari) not Nutan. We pay a tribute to the legendary actress Nutan with...
Waqt Ne Kiya – The Introspective Songs of Kaifi Azmi
Kaifi Azmi was born Syed Athar Hussein Rizvi on 14th January 1918 in Azamgarh, UP. The renowned lyricist and poet is known for his introspective songs and ghazals that have a universal appeal and connect....
10 Most Loved Duets of Geeta Dutt
As a tribute to the Queen of Bhaav Gayaki, I revisit some of my most favourite duets of Geeta Dutt that create a charming world of evergreen music. She put her heart and soul into each and every song she sang, What...
The Mesmerizing Moods of Jaane Kya Tune Kahi (Pyaasa)
The iconic Jaane kya tune kahi in Guru Dutt's Pyaasa (1957) is a masterpiece in the world of music and cinematic technique. Anand Desai (in maroon) and Antara...
Pioneering Experiments Which Became Trends: S D Burman and His Music (Part-II)
The zeal to experiment to create something new drove SD Burman to introduce innovations that went on to become milestones in the journey of the Hindi film song. Today many of these experiments are standard...
Pioneering Experiments Which Became Trends: S D Burman and His Music (Part-I)
The zeal to experiment to create something new drove SD Burman to introduce innovations that went on to become milestones in the journey of the Hindi film song. Today many of these experiments are standard practices....
When Kishore Protested and SD Burman Persisted: The Making of Dukhi Man Mere
SD Burman knew which voice to use for a particular composition. In a backstage meeting Manna Dey had recalled how Kishore Kumar was made to sing Dukhi man mere by SD Burman. Peeyush Sharma remembers Kishore...
The Tender Musical Tête-à-tête in Chupke Se Mile (Genius of SD Burman)
Master of the Situation Song, SD Burman created compositions and music arrangement that were tailor made for the scene and the singers he chose. Anand Desai (in maroon) and Antara...
‘Deewana Mastana Hua Dil’ – Mesmerizing Music of SD Burman-Majrooh (Oct 1 Anniversary Special)
Majrooh Sultanpuri and Dada Burman were both born October 1, 13 years apart. Dada was born in 1906 and Majrooh in 1919. Destined to come together and create magic for music lovers in Hindi cinema, they partnered...
Hrishikesh Mukherjee: In a Humane Genre of His Own
Be it the tragedies like Anand, Mili and Satyakam or the hilarious comedies, Hrishida handled both genres with ease. He was the master of the masquerade. If Amol Palekar doubles up as twins in Golmaal,...
Bengal’s Music and Its Influence in Hindi Film Music
A journey of discovering and enjoying gold nuggets of Bengal’s music strewn in Hindi film songs - a presentation made at the Romancing the Song Meet in India Habitat Centre, New Delhi,...
Tere Mere Sapne Ab Ek Rang Hain – Eternal Melodies of SD Burman-Rafi
"Rafi, mild, humble and a true saint that he was, once said, what he learnt from SD Burman during those days, he applied to his singing all his life. It was a changed Rafi, from Pyaasa onwards. The next immediate...
Simple, Soulful, Sublime: The Music of Hemant Kumar
"Simplicity and generosity were his hallmark as a man, and the tunes had an innocence and sweetness that only he could have created. Steeped as he was in Rabindra Sangeet and classical music, he could transmute his grasp and...
Main Zindagi Ka Saath Nibhata Chala Gaya – Evergreen Dev Anand
Style and fashion icon Dev Anand with his city-slick and charismatic persona left behind a rich legacy of films that are still loved for their superior camera work, exceptional direction, some of the best ever performances, excellent...
‘The Music Director Knows which Voice would do Full Justice to his Composition’ – In Conversation with Hemant Kumar
In a tribute to singer-composer Hemant Kumar, Silhouette Magazine presents excerpts from a rare and unpublished, exclusive interview of the legendary artiste by Peeyush Sharma, taken in January, 1989.
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Dr. Natascha Bagherpour | 01.12.2010 | 50368 Aufrufe | Artikel
Ancient Depositional Practices in Iran
Ich möchte einmal meine Arbeit in einer Zusammenfassung vorstellen und bin dankbar für Kommentare und Hinweise:
Studies of Ancient Depositional Practices and their Jewellery Finds, based on the Discoveries from Veshnaveh: a Source of Iranian History of Religion.
by Natascha Bagherpour Kashani
Based on comparative studies and a stratigraphical analysis, this research study gives an outline of the chronology of the jewellery finds that were during the excavation in the mines Chale Ghar 1 and 2. It is not be possible to give a very detailed chronology due to the insufficient state of research of Arsacid and Sasanian personal ornaments. Furthermore, the site is investigated by means of scientific examinations of amber and glass. An interpretation of the popular belief and the religious meaning of the site is put forward for single find groups and objects, as well as with help of the comparison to other sanctuaries that reveal similar characteristics as the mines from Veshnaveh.
The location and excavation of the site
Within the programme „Ancient Mining and Metallurgy in West Central Iran“ the German Mining Museum examined prehistoric copper mines in the central mountains of Iran. The archaeological area is located between the cities of Ghom and Kashan, near the village of Veshnaveh, about 150 km South of Teheran. In five excavation and survey campaigns during the years 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005 the region was examined, while in 2003 small finds of the first three seasons were documented and processed at the Mirasfarhangi-je Ghom (Archaeological Insitute in Ghom). The intention of the archaeologists was to investigate the regional prehistoric copper supply, the technique that was used to extract the metal from the rock and how the copper was traded. Several mines were accessible in the mining district of Laghe Morad, Mazrayeh and Chale Ghar and they were systematically examined and documented. The utilisation phase of the whole mining area obviously lay between the early 3rd and late 2nd millennium BC.
The mines Chale Ghar 1 and 2 - a sanctuary?
However, much later non-mining activity was proved by revealing finds in two of the mines: In the mine called Ghale Ghar 1, the archaeologists unexpectedly came across an ensemble of objects that were obviously not related to the mining activity at all. That happened in the year 2001, during one of the first excavation campaigns. In mine 1, thousands of finds were found: ceramic vessels and sherds, wood and wooden vessels, remains of nuts, shell and baked goods, animal bones, one textile fragment, jewellery such as glass and stone beads and pendants, metal finger rings and ear rings, as well as one glass vessel and sheets of decorated metal. All these objects had obviously been deposited in water that filled two parts of mine 1, the so-called main and rear chamber. In 2004 in Chale Ghar 2, a mine located above mine Chale Ghar 1, similar finds were unearthed, but in lesser numbers. The objects were excavated in one humid corner: some sherds, glass and stone beads, as well as on fragment of a glass vessel were uncovered there. The objects in Chale Ghar 1 were placed in the water in different manners. In the main chamber some vessels together with other finds were thoroughly covered with flat stones, while ceramic sherds and especially beads were scattered. In the rear chamber no complete vessels were uncovered, but sherds, beads and other small finds. In one corner in the entrance area some beads, sherds, animal bones, one coin and shells were found. Based on Radiocarbon dating and an Islamic coin the use of mine 1 could be ranged in from about 800 BC to the 8th century AD. According to A. Abar, the ceramics mainly date from the late Achaemenian to the Arsacid period, with few Sasanian sherds. The jewellery objects, however, belong to the Arsacid and mainly Sasanian periods. Archaeobotanical and archaeozoological studies were carried out by R. Pasternak and M. Doll; the results will be published soon. Obvioulsy, these two mines had been re-used after a hiatus of more than one millennium, not for gaining copper, but as a cult place. The water, the assembly of the finds and the depositional practice indicate that the two mines were sanctuaries and could be connected to a local Zoroastrian cult.
The jewellery finds from Chale Ghar: importance, outline and method of investigation
Jewellery found in Chale Ghar 1 and 2 is of special interest in this context. Firstly, the excavated jewellery is manifold in appearance as well as technical aspects and the analysis of the objects will bring new insight especially for the manufacturing methods of glass artefacts. Second, there is a lack of knowledge about Iranian personal ornaments, and the assemblage of the jewellery finds from the two mines will form a basis for further studies of such Iranian small finds. A detailed survey of the finds from Chale Ghar 1 and 2 will possibly provide additional information on Iranian and Near Eastern personal ornaments The chronological classification of the jewellery finds constitutes the substructure for further considerations. With the help of comparable finds, the objects will be set in their proper timeframe. For many finds this will be difficult due to the state of research. Only few publications deal with Iranian jewellery, and even fewer for such simple, popular artefacts that obviously had belonged to a rural community. A discussion of the technical aspects, especially of the glass beads, can contribute more information for the dating or manufacturing methods in some cases. Scientific analyses of the amber beads as well as of glass samples might answer questions about trade connections and technique, but can also raise further ones: was the raw material traded or the artefact? Were the glass beads manufactured locally or were they imported? Where did the glass or the artefacts come from? In Chale Ghar 1, the objects were naturally deposited singularly or as ensembles and obviously not in an indisputable sequence. Their chronological order cannot be understood without additional analysis. Therefore the lack of a clear stratigraphy has made it necessary to first conduct comparative studies. In turn, the results of this comparative study are reconsidered by means of the stratigraphy and the ceramic evidence. This observation, with reservation, demonstrates the manner and changes of deposition and the chronological classification of the jewellery finds. There are strong indications that the mines were used from a Zoroastrian community or pilgrims. Therefore, the meaning of the deposited objects should be considered. Along with the comparative studies, special find groups, but also individual objects, are interpreted according to their everyday use and their religious meaning. This includes colour, shape and material. Of course, these individual results are evaluated in context to see whether they can help to interpret the method and intention of the use of the mines.
Other sanctuaries
Chale Ghar 1 and 2 represents a unique find that can be compared to other archaeological sites only with difficulty. Still, caves in Iran are known, which reveal ritual activity in ancient times or even today; some places are known to have been sanctuaries especially because of their water supply other show a similar assemblage of offerings as those from the mines. The two mines cannot be set side by side with these sanctuaries, but their character is reflected in the ensemble of finds from Chale Ghar and their surrounding environment.
Sicherheitscode bitte in das Feld eintragen: AFZKCN
Berufsvorbereitung für Geisteswissenschaftler
Nachtrag zum Stipendiatentreffen am 07.11.2016
Lichtdruck in Darmstadt – Technik und Kunst
Darmstadt | Dritter Standort eines speziellen Druckverfahrens als eigenständige Kunstform
So sieht das Buch aus
Projekt- und Geschäftsanbahnung in Iran
Eine Entscheidungshilfe für wirtschaftliche und wissenschaftliche Projekte
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The day country met the city – “Moo Baa Munch”
Posted on May 20, 2012 by lisaclaessen
“Don’t you think it’s rather funny that you are taking these kids into the city to learn about the country?” kidded one of our teachers as we started to board the bus for Corinda, west of Brisbane. We were on our way to “Moo Baa Crunch” a fantastic day organised by Agforce QLD.
On first thoughts, yes; I was looking at quite a few hats and boots that no one would bat an eyelid to around this area, but could make one stand out in the ‘burbs’. But on second thought, it just goes to show that assumptions are often a poor indicator of reality.
Our school is about an hour from Brisbane, close to Gatton University and it’s catchment area is wide. Although we are situated in an area surrounded by fields of vegetables, beef cattle and the occasional dairy, many of our students have little experience with agriculture. Interestingly enough, I am also witness to a growing trend of students who have not been privee to growing up on a farm, expressing a desire to pursue a career in agriculture. It also has to be said that there are some students off farms who have a desire not to continue, or who wish to pursue a career in something else, who may then come back and continue farming.
AgForce, QLD’s peak organisation representing Queensland’s rural producers, recognises the need to work with the young to ensure the state’s contributing efforts to produce food and fibre are continued. Through the promotion of programs like “Moo Baa Crunch”, students are able to see the incredible range of careers that agriculture offers. Through having the event in the city at one of the best kept secrets – the school farm at Corinda, families can come along and gain a further appreciation of the incredible efforts the industry go to produce our food and fibre.
The farm at Corinda State High about fifty years old and has facilities that an Agriculture teacher could only dream about(we have only established our little area over a year ago!). The farm is run by Janet Cleary, head of Agriculture, plus another teacher and an incredible gentleman who volunteers and runs many of the day-to-day activities. Janet is like me, a city girl with a love for the subject, and I only wish there were more of her type around when I went to school to inspire me with her passion for the subject. The school runs its own stud cattle and sheep, and has a large areas of vegetables, a shearing shed, poultry galore and is truly a farming oasis in the busy city. The students were incredibly proud of their farm and it showed in their dedication as ambassadors during ‘Moo Baa Crunch”, guiding groups around to different activities.
There was truly something for every student to consider – from careers within the Bureau of Meteorology(Left top) to the racing industry (Above middle and right)
We learnt about careers in agribusiness, land conservation and management, and the importance of bees to the production of many of the foods we take for granted, like melons, cucumbers and pumpkins.
We wanted to adopt Tim Emery, a beef extension officer (below) working for the DPI in Roma. His passion for his work within the beef industry particularly impressed some of my students, a couple of whom wish to pursue a career in this direction. I was also so impressed by the way my students talked at ease with Tim, as they did with other adults, in regards to their own career aspirations. Well done guys!
It was lovely for the students to meet so many inspiring people, from so many different facets of agriculture, from scientists to shearers to food technologists. Each of them took the time to really find out about the students and encouraged them. This is some of my students(Above right) talking with a lovely lady called Jan McIntyre, an Agforce volunteer and formerly from a beef and sheep property near Longreach. She talked to them of how she misses the lifestyle and offered them some ideas on where to look for avenues into the grazing industries.
The showstopper award of the afternoon went to the two gentlemen talking about the various careers available in the wool industry and the shearing demonstration that followed. I think they need to go into the teaching profession for their ability to absolutely captivate a teenage audience, a tough task indeed!
I can’t tell you enough how important events like these are for the future of agriculture. Never underestimate the power of influence that individuals as proud representatives can make to the promotion of this diverse industry. I truly hope it stays a future event we can look forward to each year. This is our second AgForce event and the kids added as they went out the gate that maybe our school might host it one day, and that they would come back to represent some of the industries they aspire to work in. For me, that would be the absolute ultimate!!!
We thank all the folks who gave up their time to inspire the students, the wonderful Janet Cleary, her staff and amazing students, and finally, Ag Force, including Wendy, Alison, Beth and Ashleigh(get well soon!). Hope it is the start of something big!
| Tagged Agforce, Agricultural Education, Careers in Agriculture
3 thoughts on “The day country met the city – “Moo Baa Munch””
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Narelle Ruth
Having grown up in the Yass District of NSW- Marino Fine wool area, I LOVE that the school has the opportunity to see such events. I did not follow the family industry as a wool producer BUT still love what growing up as a farmers daughter taught me about life, death, work, food and values. I am immensely thankful for my childhood which gave me the basis of a good life. I lived in Sydney for many years as an adult and am now blessed to be in Queensland outside of the city. Although I am a Maths teacher I see Ag and HomeEc as two of the most important subjects at High School, giving students a balanced view of the world and helping them understand the process from farm to table, or farm to body. In our ever increasing technological world, being able to feed and clothe a nation and family are still the most important responsibilities we have as people.
Ree LittleOzTravlrs (@LittleAusTravlr)
Sounds like a wonderful day! Totally get the “living close to agriculture but not in it” phenomenon. I went from living in Sydney, to living on a cattle property, then off the property and just living regionally. I still LOVE agriculture, and we love living in, and travelling around rural Australia. I still dream of having a career based more in Agriculture than I am now when I grow up lol, so it’s great these kids get great exposure to the possibilities early, and here’s hoping we get a wonderful new generation of Ag superstars to keep our country producing well into the future!
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Book review: Hwang Sun-won — Lost Souls
by Philip Gowman posted 30 Aug 2016 31 Mar 2019 updated 31 Mar 2019
in History | Books. 9 minute read
Hwang Sun-won: Lost Souls
Translated by Bruce and Ju-Chan Fulton
Columbia University Press 2010, 354pp
Having quite enjoyed two of Hwang Sun-won’s fuller-length stories – Trees on a Slope and Descendants of Cain – though without necessarily being enamoured of the characters of the stories they inhabited, I was looking forward to tackling Lost Souls, a splendid publication which brings together three of Hwang’s short story collections from different decades in his life (The Pond – 1930s, The Dog of Crossover Village – 1940s and Lost Souls – 1950s). I went in with tempered expectations, however, not being a fan of Hwang’s most famous short story, Shower (from 1953), in which boy meets girl, both get caught in some rain, girl gets a cold and dies. The end. It’s a story that just doesn’t grab me, and when I am told that it is a perennial favourite in Korea I am dumbfounded.
The Pond
The first collection, The Pond, was written in the 1930s and for good or ill is the most different to what you might expect from a modern short story.
Taken as a whole, this collection represents story-telling as painting. These are snapshots, without much action or story. Characters are painted in particular situations or landscapes, sometimes idyllic rural villages, sometimes urban locations. Sometimes you have to admire the characters, who are enduring desperate hardship with resilience and maybe some dignity. But with others it’s hard to like them (the young man who alternates between kicking his pregnant wife in the stomach and having sex with her) and often impossible to engage with them or even care. Hwang lays his characters before us without comment, their behaviour presented with acute and precise powers of observation; but he leaves us to be the judges of whether they are acting morally, and he is not concerned with whether we like them or not.
I have to be honest. I really thought this first collection pretty tedious: I either disliked the characters, found the stories static or pointless, and most of them left little impression other than a feeling I had just wasted 20 minutes of my life. I had to hunt for things to like or find interesting about them: little details like feeling vicarious shock at a girl smoking in front of her tutor, or surprise that in the 1930s people were going jogging in running kit. Or I tried to make excuses for them: this is an honest portrayal of a Korea groaning under the yoke of brutal Japanese colonialism. Maybe so – in which case I’ll pass, thanks, and move on to something that feels more relevant to me.
Discussing this first collection of stories around the table at the KCC’s book club, there was a general consensus that they were crashingly dull, though one of our party enjoyed their painterly qualities. As we discussed Hwang’s uncritical presentation of some shocking behaviour in one or two of the stories, our wise moderator, who studied these tales during her schooldays, related how a favoured use of these stories in class was to prompt discussion about whether particular actions by the characters were admirable or not. I suppose an open discussion would be less easy if Hwang was obvious in endorsing or condemning particular actions.
I have spent too much time on The Pond. I should have just said: this is boring. Skip it and move on to the next collection: The Dog of Crossover Village. If ever I return to it, I shall re-read the two love stories: Trumpet Shells and Autumn with Piano, of which the former is the more intriguing.
The Dog of Crossover Village
Apart from the title story, which I and many participants in the book group found totally pointless (though Bruce Fulton does a good job of trying to give it context in his informative Afterword), these stories immediately felt more modern and relevant. They were published in 1948, though written in the couple of years prior to that.
The thing that struck me most was the first in the collection, Booze. A fascinating and totally believable story (yes, things actually happen in this tale) about the post-liberation struggle for control of a Pyongyang soju factory between the unions and a former senior employee. This story was written in October 1945, just two months after liberation, which seems pretty fast work.
If Booze feels like an eyewitness account of history unfolding, that trend is continued in Toad, which describes the life of refugees (from Manchuria, Japan and elsewhere) in post-1945 Seoul, and the desperate housing shortage they face. As in Booze we have a central character who tries to do the right thing but ends up going off the rails, again in Toad the protagonist tries to maintain his moral principles but also has to find food to feed his family – and the two objectives are not always consistent.
Similarly vivid stories are To Smoke a Cigarette, which again foregrounds the plight of people trying to get by in post-war Seoul, and Bulls, in which country folk take revenge against people who had collaborated with the Japanese. Both are interesting not just for the storyline but for the viewpoint from which they are told: in Cigarette the narrator feels obliged to help his former teacher but knows he probably cannot be of much assistance and is therefore dilatory and half-hearted; and in Bulls the story is told through the eyes of a young boy who is not quite sure what is unfolding in front of him.
The third collection, Lost Souls, published in 1958, continues the trend of stories with a storyline. Fulton comments in his Afterword that this final collection has more thematic unity than the previous ones: “The primary focus is moral transgression and the fate of an outcast in a highly structured society.” But for “structured” do not read “modern”. We are still in a world in which a father can choose to give away a daughter as nurse/concubine to a local landlord in exchange for some land (Lost Souls), or a husband can sell an unwanted wife into prostitution (Deathless); a world in which having your ear cut off is seen as an appropriate punishment for running off with someone’s nurse / concubine (Lost Souls).
The settings in this final collection are generally a rural, old-fashioned Korea and are therefore perhaps less immediately appealing than some of those in Crossover Village. But in this final collection is situated possibly the strangest gem in the book: Pibari, the story of a youth taking refuge from the Korean War in Jejudo and getting seduced by one of the Haenyo. This is a complex story to which I shall return.
Lost Souls contains five stories, of which only four are published here. Completists can find the fifth, Mountains, again translated by the Fultons, in the ME Sharpe collection Land of Exile (2007).
As an aside, three of the stories in this volume involve young lovers eloping together, with slim prospects of a decent future given that they have abandoned their families. In Autumn with Piano, the lovers (who are both musicians) plan a somewhat impractical future as subsistence farmers in the mountains; in Deathless the lovers have no plans other than escape, while in Lost Souls we see what can happen to lovers who reject and are rejected by their families – and it does not have a happy ending.
Overall then a very mixed collection, but nevertheless one that is to be warmly welcomed as an opportunity to get an overview of the output of one of Korea’s best-known writers of his generation, and one which is greater than the sum of its parts.
The book’s cover design works better when rotated 90 degrees
As an appendix, here are the rough notes I wrote about the various stories. I would read two or three at one sitting (for example during my daily commute to work) and then jot down my notes every couple of days. Where I have no recollection of what the story was about that obviously speaks volumes about the impression it made on me. In the first collection, the Pond, I really struggled to say much about the stories because most of the time nothing happens. So in some of the stories I focused on what I thought was significant in terms of social commentary. But as you can see, I soon lost interest in doing even this.
The Pond A young tutor and his female pupil. Interesting that even in those days private tuition to supplement school learning was common. Interesting for the sexual mores: the pupil’s father separated from the mother because of his womanising. The mother’s friend is ostracised by her family for marrying for love rather than agreeing to an arranged marriage. The girl is keen to experience boys, but her mother wants her to steer clear. The mother smokes in front of the tutor. Pupil’s father is now dying of some mysterious disease. Not quite sure of the social significance of the permed hair and green jacket… All pretty tedious.
Scarecrow Sun glinting on olives – to the nth degree. Completely overburdened with spurious rustic detail.
A 20-something consumptive takes a break from Seoul to visit his family out in the country. He lusts from afar after a particular country girl. A friend of his, a failed lawyer from Seoul, plans to divorce his country wife, alternately sleeping with her and kicking her in the stomach. “Like a worm that has been cut in half” – as if that is any excuse. Morose and depressing.
Adverbial Avenue Set somewhere in Japan. A Korean student steals from other Korean students. There is inevitable prejudice against Koreans, although in the story they seem to speak good Japanese.
The Players This really doesn’t stick in the memory much. People seem to have enough money – buying vodka, absinthe, going to movies. Two guys fight over a bar girl. Another guy is in a hospital bed next to someone who is part paralysed. I really do t know what this was about. Basically a lot of unpleasant people not behaving very well.
Trumpet shells Quite a touching love story, with a suicide at the end? Whatever, the men are pretty useless.
Swine Totally pointless country sketch.
The Broken Reed A dog eating bones in a graveyard.
Passing Rain Models, a fishbowl, artists. Whatever.
The offering Brief story about the struggle between old superstition, represented by the village headman, and slightly less old learning, represented by the village teacher. But why a boy should fall ill after killing his rooster is not obvious.
The Gardener Completely unmemorable story about a man with a sick wife who keep a couple of pigeons. The male pigeon is kidnapped and held to ransom by someone in the neighbourhood. It’s a reasonably wealthy couple as they have a maid. Don’t really care about the cat.
Autumn with piano A reasonably touching story about a woman caught in an uninspiring marriage who steals her best friend’s boyfriend. What is interesting is that the boyfriend is a concert pianist, and both the women are competent amateur singers. The woman’s husband is a trainee lawyer.
Impractically, the eloping couple decide they are just going to live in a mountain village, farming. I don’t think they’ll get very far. Do we think the woman is committing suicide at the end? Or has she just taken sleeping pills?
Mantis Totally pointless story in which we fail to build any bond with any of the characters: someone called Hyon who works in an animal testing laboratory, the anonymous landlady, the young girl who looks down on the “opium-addict” boy next door, and the older girl who is probably a prostitute. Do we care about the goldfish, the rabbit and its offspring, or the cat? No.
Custom Can’t remember anything about this story.
Booze Astounding that this story was turned around within 2 months of liberation. A story about whether an arriviste, ex-security guard, who has been at the Pyongyang soju factory for years, should take over the factory on liberation, or whether the Union should control it.
The Toad The ending of this was kind of predictable: country bumpkin taken for a ride. Set in post-liberation Seoul – too many refugees, not enough housing. A landlord wants to get rid of his tenants and needs a fake “buyer” to persuade his tenants to leave. What was more surprising was that he didn’t end up funding the cost of the house.
House A man sells his land to fund a gambling habit. The purchaser swears he has acted properly.
Bulls A group of villagers turn to organised crime to raid the grain stores of the nearby town. Seen through the eyes of a 10 year old who follows them over the hills. Memories of colonial times when the grain tax was incredibly burdensome and Japanese oppression brutal.
To Smoke a Cigarette In the time it takes to smoke a cigarette a young man thinks of a Korean who had returned from Japan looking for work, but then had to stow away to get back to Japan.
The main thrust of the story is a young man who feels obliged to find a job for his former teacher, who has fallen on hard times and has no marketable skills other than calligraphy.
My Father Something to do with the March 1st movement, but I can’t remember anything about this one.
The Dog of Crossover Village A mangy bitch gives birth to puppies bearing a striking resemblance to other dogs in the village.
Deathless A salt seller sells his wife to a Pyongyang brothel and hunts for another bride. The prospective bride elopes with a village boy.
Lost Souls A young couple elope and then struggle to make a living in Hadong, Sancheong, Sacheon and Tongyeong, chased away by their families.
Pibari A mother and young son, refugees from the Korean war, settle in Sogwipo; boy is seduced by haenyo. Memories of the Jeju massacre.
Voices A man is traumatised by the Korean war. Comes back and is welcomed by his villagers, but he goes off the rails, takes up drinking and gambling, and kicking his pregnant wife in the stomach.
Mountains (in Land of Exile) A very backward country boy (son of an untouchable) encounters some North Korean partisans in the mountains October 1951. He doesn’t even know what a plane or a gun is. He has had very little human contact and initially enjoys their company. As they turn on each other he has to make his escape, taking with him an added bonus.
Buy Lost Souls at Amazon
I’m comforted to note, having spent ages writing the above, that Charles Montgomery has said it all already in his review of the collection
Goodreads is quite enthusiastic, but the reviewer only talks about the two most interesting stories in Crossover Village and completely ignores the rest.
Ideas for further reading
Filed in: 1945-1960 | Book Reviews | Colonial period | Korean literature in translation
Authors: Hwang Sun-won (황순원)
Event tags: KCC Korean Literature Nights | KLN 2016
Translators: Bruce Fulton | Ju-chan Fulton
Other tags: Sa Sam
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Making the case for the Union
The countdown has begun on the biggest political issue to confront the British people in 307 years. 91.6% of those people, the English, Welsh and Northern Irish are mere bystanders in the great debate. Should the Scots go back to where they were in 1707?
All credit to the slick and answer-for-everything Alex Salmond, the leader of the Scots independence campaign. He has run rings round the dull, pedestrian Alastair Darling, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer. Characteristically, the ex-chancellor has based his campaign for staying in the Union on bread and butter issues: the pounds shillings and pence he no doubt obsessed about when he was at the Treasury. Those units of solvency are important, of course, but there is more to life than monetary issues. There is another narrative to be told; it was one of the heart, and on this, we have to ask ourselves whether the polite, unemotional, former small-town solicitor was the one to tell that story.
In all the long history of our time on earth there have been only two fundamental changes to the human condition: the move from hunter-gatherer to farming and the Industrial Revolution. Guess which two nations spearheaded that latter change, along with the other component nation of the British Isles? Our thinkers, scientists, engineers and administrators took the world by storm and changed it forever and the consequences are with us today. Every production line, every factory, every office administration, every hospital – even organised science itself with its insistence on empiricism and peer review – is the by-product of that coming together of our peoples.
If troubled areas of the world, like the Israelis and Arabs, wonder if it is ever going to be possible to live in harmony they need look no further than at the Scots and the English: they were forever at each other’s throats – literally – exhibiting a visceral hatred that today is almost impossible to imagine. Those martial qualities on both sides which made their borderlands a nightmarish place to live in were turned outwards and their armies proved unstoppable. Within a hundred years a quarter of the planet lay at their feet and they found themselves administering the greatest empire known to man. It was a benign empire, not at all like the cruel Conquistadors of Spain or the blood soaked hordes of Genghis Khan. It laid telegraph lines across the oceans of the world seeking to bring it together and railway lines everywhere, even in countries which were not part of its family of nations (South American railways owe their existence to British capital and engineering expertise). Their fingers were in every pie you can imagine. Theirs was a progressive, driven empire which had very elevated notions concerning its role in the world, which in fairness was not altogether fanciful. It saw itself as the heir to Rome, but on a vastly grander canvas. It was on a mission – so it thought – to civilise the world.
When danger threatened in the terrible form of Napoleon, the Kaiser and, most frighteningly of all, Hitler, the two nations stood foursquare in opposition to tyranny, never once arguing whose blood was being shed the most liberally to maintain the Union. No little man like Alex Salmond then lurked in the wings to undermine our joint resolve. We were as one in our determination to see it through. Now, under the guise of self-determination, such men – and women, too – have come out of the woodwork to tell their countrymen that they have all along been deceived, as though those proconsuls of Empire and great explorers like David Livingstone were, from the beginning, guileless dupes of the English. The Canadians know otherwise. They have a whole range of mountains named after a Scot – my own family name Mackenzie, as it happens – and the world is peppered with Scottish place names.
Scotsmen and women have been honoured and appreciated by the English throughout these three centuries of marriage and never was a Scotsman working in England made to feel unwelcome. Indeed, if anything the English grew to develop a respect for the Scots which in many ways made them want to emulate them. So what is this angry discourse which Salmond and his cohorts have whipped up in Scotland? I do not for a moment believe that he thinks his countrymen will be better off without the English. No thoughtful person could ever truly believe that and that includes a Nobel economics prize winner, Paul Krugman, who states that Salmond’s proposals are a “recipe for disaster”.
For all their faults, the English are an easy-going lot. Who else would see only their own young people incur thousands in university debts, allow only Scots free prescriptions, and cover all their care home costs whereas the English have to sell the family home? The English also pay £1,400 more per head under the Barnet Formula. All of this and much more is denied to their own people. They even let Scots have many more Members of Parliament than their population warrants and vote on purely English matters, when the English have no say in most matters relating to them. No, Salmond would happily risk impoverishing his own people so long as he and his lackies can enjoy la dolce vita, swanning around the world attending head of state junkets with his retinue of ministers as well as being chauffeured everywhere around their new fiefdom.
If the English are so terrible a people to be in harness with, why is it that half the world – or so it seems – is knocking at their door, with Calais under siege and young men willing to risk life and limb to gain entry?
Cameron will have history to answer to if our country falls apart. He could not possibly survive any more than Lord North did after the loss of the American colonies. Scots needed to know from the beginning that the English valued them, even loved and in many respects envied them. As canny people they are, they did not need reminding ad nauseam which side their bread was buttered on. I say this as a person of Scots parentage who through long years has grown to love and appreciate the English. This failed and abysmal campaign to save the Union should have been first and foremost an appeal to the heart. The Scots are a sentimental people. They would have listened. If only, at this time of national peril, we had the eloquence of a Churchill to plead the cause of the Union. When the arguments are done and dusted in a few days’ time, and should the Scots decide to listen to the better angels of their nature and save the Union, it will be no thanks to Cameron. It will be because they know, in their heart, that much of what I have said here is true.
Posted in Scottish independence
Tags: Alastair Darling, Alex Salmond, Better Together, indyref, Paul Krugman
Better Together should appeal to the heart as well as the head
I watched a very interesting documentary recently on Scotland’s greatest victory over the English at Bannockburn. The English were unlucky having the hopeless Edward II conducting the battle. Had it been his father, the mighty and illustrious Edward I – the ‘Hammer of the Scots’ – things might have turned out very differently, despite us having our equally illustrious Robert the Bruce. It would have been an interesting contest. Alex Salmond might have hoped that his newly enfranchised sixteen-year-olds might have felt a bit of angst and voted his way in the coming referendum but my gut feeling, as a Scot, tells me that he is going to be disappointed in what Scots generally will decide to do. Untangling a marriage which has last 300 years will prove unbelievably difficult, not to say expensive. And for what? The 53m English with their City of London could probably bear the cost, but could the 6m Scots?
What saddens me is that all the arguments which have been bandied back and forth have been on nuts and bolts issues. But what about the appeal to the heart? We have bled together across a thousand battlefields, blood brothers in the ruest sense of the world; we have built together an empire greater than all others which went before; our scientists and engineers have fashioned the world in which we live with their Industrial Revolution and our poets and writers have thrilled it with a language which is set to be the lingua franca of all mankind. Are we to walk away from all this?
It seems to me that it is low and base motives which are the drivers for Scottish independence, though Alex Salmond likes, with his weasel words, to dress it up as otherwise. But Prime Minister Salmond sounds good, doesn’t it… ? And soon it would be President, once the dust has settled. That would sound even better. And let’s not forget all the baubles he would be handing down to his minions from the Palace of Holyrood House. God would be in His heaven and smarmy Alex would end up making ever more implausible excuses to his people as the years went by for the rotten outcome of it all and the likely penury he had plunged them into. Meantime the English, with their rejuvenated economy, their break with welfarism, their highly educated kids and their fracking bonanza would be heading off into the sunset, but sad nonetheless.
Tags: Alex Salmond, Bannockburn, Better Together
Canny Scots should see through Salmond’s humbug
Alex Salmond, Scotland’s First Minister, has now entered the final leg of his seven-year effort to destroy the British Union.
Alex Salmond is not a man of high principal, but rather one who fancies a grander title than that of First Minister.
In September of next year he will throw the most almighty spanner into the works of our 300-year-old marriage. If he is successful the English and Scottish nations will be back to where they were in 1707 and the universally acknowledged happiest coming together of two former foes will be over.
Without a single Sassenach anywhere in my bloodline that I am aware of, I very much value things Scottish and have a natural urge to wish her well. On the other hand, having been sheltered by the English for much the greater part of my life I have come to an appreciation of the many fine qualities which reside in that nation. As a consequence I choose to regard myself as an Anglo-Scot. Both nations, before they joined, had boundless potential, but it could never be fully realised while they spent their time and energy, bickering, eyeing each other reproachfully and often leaping at each other’s throat.
When, finally we made a deal to end the lunacy the results were truly astonishing. An industrial revolution was unleashed upon the world and an empire created the like of which had never been seen in the whole of human history. While maintaining their distinctiveness both nations have cut a dash in just about everything they have put their hand to and, along with Wales, have made a wonderfully harmonious union.
Mr Salmond will also find that separation, if he achieves it, will come at an eye-watering cost. All the institutions which form the modern state will have to be disentangled and new ones re-created north of the border, including (absurdly) fresh armed forces. The Scots should not assume that they will gain automatic entry to the EU as, by their own admission, they will be the resurrection of an old state that had never applied to Brussels to join. It is difficult to see how customs barriers and other niggling absurdities could be avoided were Scotland to go its separate way.
We are in the midst of the longest recession since the Napoleonic wars and Scotland would be unwise to take for granted continued English goodwill if she goes ahead. She should be mindful of the fact that it was English money that saved her from implosion during the Royal Bank of Scotland banking crises presided over by Scotsman ‘Fred the Shred’. The Libor manipulation of interest rates, for instance, was pure criminality. Scotland would also do well to remember that when she was poorer than England during the 70s the ‘Barnet Formula’ was invented to balance out incomes. Scotland has long since ceased to be poorer, but the annual payments go on.
They amount to £1,600 more per head of population than England. Justice suggests this arrangement be ended, but the English are not anxious to pick a quarrel with what some believe is their cantankerous neighbour, who can be counted on to resist fiercely. Many will take the view that the ungrateful Scots are biting the hand which feeds them and when exasperation sets in they might start to say that they would be better off without them anyway; at least financially. They do not forget that Scotland is greatly over-represented in Parliament and that it is the Scottish socialist vote that has kept Labour in power for so many years in England and look where that got us all. They will point out that the public sector in Scotland is hugely greater proportionately than in England and more social benefits are handed out there. In addition they get free university education and prescriptions along with free care in old age. I just hope that these salient facts are not too much to the fore as the arguments rage back and forth during the coming months and that insults do not begin to be traded.
My own view is that Alex Salmond is not a man of high principal, but rather one who fancies a grander title than that of First Minister; one like Prime Minister. For the moment, he proposes to keep the Queen as head of state, but then soon might not hubris drive him on to displace her and become president?
In order to whip up anti-English sentiment Salmond has timed his referendum with the 700th anniversary of Scotland’s greatest military triumph over the English at the Bannock Burn. Also he hopes to benefit from the afterglow of chauvinism following the Commonwealth games in Glasgow a few weeks earlier. Lowest and most desperate of all, in my view, is his insistence that 16-year-olds should be allowed to vote. Clearly he believes that these immature minds are easy fodder for his manipulation and will be swayed by all his nationalistic angst. But does anyone, including Salmond, seriously believe that such weighty issues, which have the potential to change our political landscape forever, be properly understood by people with so little experience of the world? As one Scotsman to another I say to Mr Salmond you are a humbug. Now there’s a good old-fashioned word, but one that in my eyes sums him up perfectly.
Those who have not rumbled him already will surely do so when all the arguments are laid before them and they will send him packing. I know, like Tony Blair, he has the gift of the gab and has an answer for everything, but his people have something much more valuable and big going for them: they are CANNY.
Posted in politics, Scottish independence, UK
Tags: Alex Salmond, Anglo-Scot, Bannock Burn, Barnet Formula, British Union, Sassenach, Scottish independence
The Scots are bigger than Salmond supposes
Scotland deserves better than the opportunistic, smarmy Alex Salmond. He may be hard to pin down on television and have an answer for everything, but he is deceitful and disingenuous.
You do not lightly throw away something which took 300 years to build. And for what? A bunch of self-serving wide boys (and girls) bent on power, privilege and self-aggrandisement; people who care little for the greater good of the people living in these islands.
It is true to say that the take-off point for Great Britain was the union of the crowns followed, a century later, by the union of the parliaments. It set aside animosity and warfare that stretched back to Roman times and seriously weakened both countries. Under the new dispensation, and together with Wales and Ireland, it burst upon the world scene in a frenzy of technological, cultural, inventive and, yes, military/maritime brilliance. It changed the world forever ensuring that the language we all spoke became the lingua franca of the whole globe.
It was disgraceful that under history-lite New Labour the 300th Anniversary of that Union – the most successful ever established – was allowed to pass without national celebrations of any kind, not even a national holiday. So much for Gordon Brown banging on about the virtues of Britishness. He even suggested that more of us should take up the American liking for flying the flag in our gardens. How little New Labour knew about us. That kind of showy patriotism is not the British way. Our love of country runs deeper than they could ever imagine: it is almost spiritual in depth.
Politicians today seldom look to the big picture. They concentrate on short-term advantage, mainly economic. Very well then, let us go down that myopic road a little distance. In 2008 an independent Scotland would have found itself in the position of Iceland: bankrupt and humiliated. Bailing out The Royal Bank of Scotland alone would have been beyond their capabilities, never mind HBOS as well. Only the combined financial power of the United Kingdom saved it from the mad follies of Fred the Shred. Alex Salmond’s silly talk of an arc of ‘Tiger Economies’ stretching from Ireland through Scotland to Iceland would have been shown to be the ludicrous nonsense that it was.
I feel myself to be in a good position to see the merits of both sides. My Scottish mother turned to an English charity to care for her illegitimate baby when Presbyterian bigotry would offer her no shelter in her own country. For fifteen years that charity cared for me, and its influence – along with the many years spent living in England – have turned me into what might be described as an Anglo-Scot.
I see the English as a tolerant, fair-minded people who will resist to the utmost their hackles being forcibly raised. How else do you account for their tolerance of the Barnett Formula which allocates annually £1,624 more per head to the Scots than the English? It was introduced to balance out poorer regions over the more affluent ones. But Scotland today has moved up-scale and no longer qualifies, though England continues to nod through the payment with little more than a sigh. It does not wish to cause an argument with its sometimes feisty neighbour. And how else also do you explain England’s tolerance of free Scottish university places which are even extended to foreigners but not to the English? Or free prescriptions or free care home provision? All that, and much else besides, is courtesy of the 85% of tax payers who are English (yet feel they cannot afford these desirable benefits for themselves).
Slippery Alex Salmond’s sinister game is to ratchet up the ante, slyly and incessantly, so as to provoke the English and set them against their northern neighbour. He is even intent on using the squalid device of timing the referendum to coincide with Scotland’s most famous victory over the English at the Bannockburn 700 years ago so that he can whip up sentiment against the ‘auld enemy’. Imagine if England were to do the same in an argument with the French by resurrecting Agincourt, or in the case of the Scots the Battle of Dunbar! It is all so juvenile, but dangerous nonetheless. Some might regard Salmond as a traitor and it would be easy to sympathise with that view.
The British state is now a venerable institution and its Scottish sons were happy to serve in its glory days in disproportionate numbers as pro-consuls and even prime ministers. Do they feel no affection for the long journey we have made together, nor care for the blood we have jointly shed? Is Britain’s diminished state no longer appealing to them? Did they only want to belong to it while the world was in awe of it?
I think the Scots are bigger than Salmond supposes. He uses a precious gift – an articulate tongue – to low and unworthy ends. And the worst of it all is that he knows perfectly well what he is summoning up: it is called nationalism. And among that scourge’s many defects (some terrible) is his doubtless desire to create lucrative jobs for the boys: Scottish Prime Minister, Chancellor, Foreign Secretary, you name it – a carbon copy of the entire Westminster set-up. But let us not forgot that nationalism has been the curse of Europe and indeed much of the world. It has propelled us into the two most destructive wars in human history and is what the European Union was designed to eradicate forever. In this the EU has been triumphantly successful and I, for one, am mighty grateful that my generation has been spared the blood-letting of the recent past. So in this regard, too, we need to think carefully before we go down the separatist road.
In two weeks time my wife and I will travel north to Newark to attend a Burns Night Supper. After pestering me for years for me to join him, my brother has finally got me to make the effort. I am sure I will have a good time, though with my English accent and no kilt I worry about looking a tad conspicuous – despite being more of a Scot (my father was also of the tartan) than any of the be-kilted Sassenachs pretending to Scottish antecedents. My brother and brother-in-law have lived and worked in England for many years and have never felt disadvantaged or witnessed prejudice. I wish I could say the same about Englishmen working in Scotland.
The English will always root for the Scots in any sporting event in which they themselves have been knocked out, but oh how I wince when the Scots root for the foreigner, even when, during the Cold War, that foreigner was a communist. I understand how minorities have to make rather more noise than their numbers would justify in order to be heard above the din in a union. But the truth is that most Englishmen would actually quite like to be able to boast some Scottish ancestry. When will my fellow Scots stop girning, knock away that chip from their shoulder and acknowledge that they, almost more than anyone, have done quite well out of the union, and continue to do so. They are renowned for being canny. Let them show this admirable trait in the coming referendum.
Tags: Alex Salmond, Anglo-Scot, Burns Night Supper, European Union, independence, nationalism, referendum, Scotland
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Posts Tagged ‘Edward Rocklin’
Not Only by Private Fraud but by Public Law: Thomas More’s Utopia and the Imperfectability of Human Nature
A perplexing aspect of the second book of Thomas More’s Utopia is the obvious moral superiority of the Utopian pagans in comparison to their ostensibly Christian European counterparts as depicted in Book One. Why is it, many have asked, that one so pious as More would present such a virtuous community of pagans. The obvious answer to this riddle is that More intended to offer the Utopians as an ironic foil to the vice-ridden Englishmen of Book One. Is there a better way for More to demonstrate how unchristian his countrymen are than to compare them unfavorably with heathens? This reading of the dialogue is best defended by examining its construction: Thomas More catalogs various forms of European depravity in Book One in order to remedy them in Book Two. This is a nice, neat thesis. However, it is inconceivable that More, a man who died in defense of religious and political principles, would seriously propose that the ideal society was an odd form of pagan totalitarianism.
So what the devil was More up to? Many critics who have rightly rejected the notion that More was seriously suggesting that Utopia represented an ideal society have proposed that, in addition to satirizing the sorry state of European civilization in Book One, he was also lampooning all efforts to improve society in Book Two. In this vein Richard Marius suggests that, “More meant his readers to rebuke Raphael rather than praise him.” Perhaps; however, we should do both. Raphael should be praised for recognizing that Tudor England was in need of reform but rebuked for proposing solutions which disregard the folly of human perfectibility.
The vigorous nature of the attacks on the rampant injustice in English society which More makes in Book One repudiate anyone who would argue that More’s singular objective in writing Utopia was to lampoon those who would try to create a perfect society. It is true that the Utopians are in many ways like “a doctor who cures diseases by creating another,” but the extreme nature of the diseases illustrate the high level of repugnance he feels for the ills which plague his society. More is offering serious medicine to combat serious ills. As with Swift’s A Modest Proposal, the drastic nature of the remedies proffered in Book Two of Utopia is a cogent reminder of how hideously unchristian English society was. By proposing such ridiculously severe solutions, More highlights the prevalence of greed and corruption in sixteenth century England.
Considered as a whole, the two books of Utopia compose a convincing repudiation of Tudor society. In Book One More paints an unsightly portrait of the manner in which the nation was ruled; in the second book he creates a pagan society which is morally superior to it in many was. More is not suggesting that paganism is preferable to Christianity; rather, he is asserting that the Europeans are so unchristian that they are put to shame by comparison to a prechristian society.
More’s most strident criticism is directed at the harsh economic disparities in England and the political corruption which fostered a system which was grossly unfair to those at the bottom. The first evidence of the excessively unjust nature of this system is the debate on public hanging, a practice which “goes beyond justice and beyond the public good.” As is pointed out later in the discussion, capital punishment for petty crimes is an extreme measure, far more severe than the penalties prescribed for thievery in the Old Testament.
Thomas More’s England was a kingdom with two distinct sets of rules for rich and poor; the latter group was viewed as little more than subhuman chattel by the former. It was common for kings to pursue policies designed to insure a surplus of paupers who would “devote all their energies to starving” for the contingency that they might be required to defend the realm in wartime: “[y]ou might well say that for the sake of war we foster thieves.” The existence of a class of thieving peasants who were kept to be slaughtered protecting the king’s interests in war was the result of systematic efforts to remove them from their land in order that the wealthy might increase their profits by raising sheep, which would ultimately “devour human beings themselves and devastate and depopulate fields, houses and towns.” This endemic system of inequality which existed in More’s time is admonished by Raphael in his pithy observation that “to have a single person enjoy a life of pleasure and self-indulgence amid the groans and lamentations of all around us is to be the keeper, not of a kingdom, but of a jail.”
The inhumanity of the policies which wring additional profits for the wealthy by destroying the peasantry is articulately characterized by Raphael’s assertion that England’s better days are behind her: “The unscrupulous greed of the few is ruining the very thing by which your island was once counted on as fortunate in the extreme.” When Raphael laments how this vicious cycle of peasant extirpation will ultimately feed the gallows, it is obvious that More’s Catholicism cannot be reconciled with a set of social arrangements whereby “alongside this wretched need and poverty you find wanton luxury.”
Although Book Two of Utopia is clearly no “model for reform” it has two functions: It simultaneously mocks those who would insult God in their attempts to create a heaven on Earth while it emphasizes the religious hypocrisy of More’s age. If More’s solutions would often throw out the baby with the bathwater, they nevertheless emphasize how putrid that water has become. Of course it is silly to make golden chamber pots. But this silliness emphasizes how the love of gold caused wealthy Englishmen to replace peasants with sheep. Many of the solutions to England’s ills proffered in Book Two are absurd, and it is this very absurdity which accents what a corrupt society More’s England was. Such is the power of satire.
Because Thomas More proposes perfectly reasonable political reforms alongside such ridiculous occurrences as golden chamber pots, we must concede that he had more than one objective in mind when writing Utopia. Many of the policies pursued by the Utopians are common sense practices which might have benefited More’s England. For example, it would have been good public policy to simplify the legal code in England because “it is most unfair that any group of men should be bound by laws which are either too numerous to be read through or too obscure to be understood by anyone.” Like the Utopian “custom of debating nothing on the same day on which it is first proposed,” it is a practical suggestion submitted in the interests of good government.
Portions of Utopia represent perfectly reasonable models of reform, yet they are the products of a society of happy heathens who instantly accept Christianity when given the chance. Thus the reader should pause and ponder what it is that More is trying to tell us about how society can and should be ordered. A clue to More’s feelings in this regard can be deduced from the ironic observation in Book One that “well and wisely trained citizens are not everywhere to be found.” It is simply inconceivable that a devout Christian like More would seriously propose that postlapsarian humanity was capable of creating Utopia on in this realm. As gratifying as it might be to imagine Utopia, a place where “nowhere is there any license to waste time, nowhere any pretext to evade work–no wine shop, no alehouse, no brothel anywhere, no opportunity for corruption,” it is inimical to More’s Catholic cosmology to suggest that such a society is a serious earthly possibility.
The temptation of political corruption is endemic to human nature. The spectacle of monied interests attempting to circumvent the legitimate workings of government should not surprise anyone living in the United States of America today. As More demonstrates, these were also serious concerns in sixteenth century England. In Utopia, Raphael repeats the recommendations of a councilor who suggests that all ministers should debate their affairs only in the king’s presence to dissuade those who might attempt “to curry favor, [or] find some loophole whereby the law can be perverted.” Thomas More was disgusted by the manner in which the wealthy used their political clout to rob and abuse the neediest members of society. Indeed, Raphael denounces royal complicity in this scheme whereby “the rich every day exhort a part of their daily allowance from the poor not only by private fraud but by public law.”
Thanks to Thomas More, the word Utopian has come signify anyone who would propose impractical visionary schemes. But this does not permit us to forget the fact that Utopia is a serious book which demonstrates not only the ubiquity of vice in any human community but also the impossibility that mere mortals could ever create a perfect world. However, this does not mean that it is futile to attempt to improve society. More was a thoughtful statesmen who worked to improve his country when he wasn’t busy burning Protestants. And hidden within the satire of Utopia are some serious proposals regarding how to build a better–though not ideal–world.
Tags:A Modest Proposal, communism, Edward Rocklin, Essay, Glenn Greenwald, greed, Jonathan Swift, literature, Richard marius, satire, Thomas More, Tudor England, Utopia, With Liberty and Justice for Some
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LegislatureNews
Bill to Expand Sexual Contact Definition Connected to Court of Appeals Case
House Bill 1155 closes gap that saw child sexual assault convictions vacated
With all the varied and competing interests that can come with proposed legislation, it can be difficult to understand the initial motivation behind introducing a particular bill. But one bill set for a committee hearing tomorrow traces its origins directly to a few court cases that highlighted a gap in existing law with disturbing implications. The direct line from the case to House Bill 1155 is a reminder that lawmakers don’t pull legislation out of thin air.
In September, the Colorado Court of Appeals vacated Senon Louis Ramirez’ convictions for sexual assault on a child. He had ejaculated into a child’s hands but did not have physical contact with her, and the Court of Appeals found the plain definition of an “intimate part” under Colorado law does not include semen. Since appeals courts apply laws according to their plain meanings when possible, the opinion included a plea for the legislature to close that gap.
The Colorado Supreme Court denied a petition to hear the case.
“Ramirez was sort of the straw that broke the camel’s back, but it was on our radar before that,” said Amanda Gall, the sexual assault resource prosecutor for the Colorado District Attorneys Council. She said she went to Rep. Dafna Michaelson Jenet after the outcome of People v. Ramirez.
“I don’t think I hesitated for half a second,” Michaelson Jenet said. She represents Adams County, where the Ramirez case originated, and she said the bill fits with her reputation for advocating for children. Michaelson Jenet has sponsored several measures related to child welfare.
Recently during the 2018 session, Michaelson Jenet sponsored House Bill 1064, which created a training program for early childhood providers to prevent sexual abuse of children.
Rep. Terri Carver also sponsors House Bill 1155. Michaelson Jenet said Carver is a fitting co-sponsor as a member of the Colorado Crime Victims Caucus, and she has the “finesse” needed for sensitive subjects such as this.
“Quite frankly, when I read the [Ramirez] case, there was no question in my mind” it involved a sex crime that should be covered, Carver said.
House Bill 1155 expands the definition of sexual contact in the Colorado Revised Statutes 18-3-401 for the purpose of defining sex crimes to include the deliberate emission of bodily fluids onto a victim, and deliberately allowing bodily fluids to come in contact with a victim if the purpose of the contact is sexual arousal, gratification or abuse. The current definition only includes contact of “intimate parts” between the victims and perpetrator.
Gall said the law’s gap also came up in a 2013 case. Jonathan Rubeck broke into a dorm room at the University of Colorado Boulder and possibly masturbated in front of one of the women living in the room. Rubeck eventually pled guilty to charges of second-degree burglary and attempted invasion of privacy, but Gall said prosecutors couldn’t charge him with sex crimes because the women didn’t wake up until after he exposed himself.
The Court of Appeals’ opinion in Ramirez noted some other states have broader definitions of sexual contact included in sexual assault on children that have allowed them to avoid the problem presented in Ramirez. Idaho, New Jersey and California, said the opinion, include masturbation in their definitions.
Also in 2019, Alaska state Sen. Peter Micciche has introduced Senate Bill 12 to close a gap in the state’s sexual offense laws that allowed a man to receive a lenient plea deal after allegedly strangling a woman unconscious and masturbating on her. Among other provisions, the bill would make unwanted contact with semen a sex crime. In November’s general election, voters ousted the judge who approved the defendant’s plea deal.
A comparison of House Bill 1155 to other bills that affect Colorado’s judiciary, such as one to add district judges around the state, highlights how the judiciary is able to serve as a stakeholder in the legislative process when bills invoke the court’s functions as an institution, but cannot when bills affect the laws they interpret. State court administrator Chris Ryan testified a few weeks ago in favor of Senate Bill 43, which would add more than a dozen district judges in Colorado.
But Gall said jurists couldn’t consult with legislators as stakeholders on House Bill 1155, because they have to stay neutral about what should be considered a crime or not.
She said part (c) of the bill, which covers contact of bodily fluids with a victim, required some education to clarify the contact has to be knowing and for the purpose of “sexual arousal, gratification or abuse.”
“Once we are able to share the story of the bill, I don’t think we’ll have any trouble” getting it passed, said Michaelson Jenet.
Carver also said she hopes the bill will not run into obstacles passing, especially because behavior such as what was at issue in Ramirez is so “egregious” and “deeply harmful.” “It isn’t a technicality,” she said. “It’s not that kind of bill.”•
— Julia Cardi, [email protected]
Colorado Court of AppealsLegislature 2019People v. Ramirez
Colorado Bail Systems in Process of Intensive Overhaul
Court Opinions for Feb. 7
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This 29-year-old with stage four lung cancer says fitness has transformed her life
Natalie MorrisMonday 26 Nov 2018 4:38 pm
(Picture: Saima Thompson/Metro.co.uk)
In April this year, Saima Thompson was diagnosed with stage four non small cell lung cancer. She was 29-years-old.
It was an horrific bolt from the blue and a testament to the indiscriminate brutality of this unforgiving disease.
The young, successful business woman, owner of a vibrant Pakistani restaurant in south London, was suddenly staring down the barrel of a gun. Her life turned upside down.
So what on earth do you do in the face of such catastrophic news? Saima says that whatever her future held for her, she was determined to live.
‘I was shell-shocked more than anything. It was absolutely the last thing I expected to hear,’ Saima tells Metro.co.uk.
‘I hadn’t been well, I was experiencing upper back pain and swelling in my chest… but you never think it could be that.
‘It’s incurable, it’s stage four, the survival statistics aren’t good – I know all of this. Sometimes I wish I didn’t, but I do.’
She faced her fair share of anxiety. As she details in her blog, in the initial months post-diagnosis she experienced the first panic attacks of her life, even ending up in A&E after passing out at 4am.
Rather than melt into fear and despondency, Saima took matters into her own hands. She married the love of her life and started on a journey to reclaim her body and mental wellbeing.
‘I think now, I’ve come to terms with my mortality,’ explains Saima.
‘It’s definitely easier now. It isn’t perfect, I’m still working on things – but now, I can live with it. I’ve made more sense of it, and I feel more on top of it now.
‘I’m not some sort of guru, or higher being – I’m still human. But I have found my strategies to make living with this knowledge bearable.’
A key strategy is fitness. Working out has become a huge passion of Saima’s. Since her diagnosis she has been working with a personal trainer, who also happens to be a close friend, on building her strength and endurance.
There is a preconception that people with stage four cancer will be weak, frail, confined to bed-rest, unable to live their lives.
Saima wants to redefine what it means to live with cancer, and prove that that there is still joy to be found in life.
‘I started exercising within six weeks of getting the diagnosis,’ Saima tells us.
‘For me – it was all about starting small, I was just so lucky I had a friend who was a PT – she really helped me to ease in to the situation.
‘I just took it very slowly – short bursts initially. When I first got the diagnosis, I really wasn’t very well – as you can imagine – so I knew I had to be gentle and ease my body into it.
‘First and foremost was walking. You know, you’ve just got to keep moving. And then from there it was slow, but I started to just build it up bit by bit.
‘Now I’m physically fitter, and my anxiety has actually improved, and I put that down to exercise – that was a massive factor. I’ve also been meditating, seeing the doctor and having psychological therapy as well.
‘But exercise has absolutely been the biggest factor in that.’
Saima’s close friend and performance coach, Lizzie Fluke, rose to the challenge of becoming her PT.
Lizzie says the results she’s seen in Saima have been astounding.
‘Saima’s cardiovascular fitness has improved dramatically, her heart rate is much lower at resting and during exercise, she is much stronger, her coordination, focus and concentration have all improved,’ Lizzie tells us.
‘Her strength levels are so much better, she is weightlifting, and is progressing her skills every week. Saima used to do this kind of training with me and it’s great that we have returned to it, psychologically it’s a boost and physically.
‘It means that she is getting her body back to where she was pre-diagnosis. Her strength and muscle endurance improvements meant that she was even able to try a half-day back working at her restaurant.
‘She now has the endurance and strength to do more of what she loves – which is making food – and that’s fantastic.
‘When we first started training, the side affects of the chemo pill and medications for anxiety affected Saima’s coordination and muscle control.
‘It would have been a huge mistake for Saima not to have started exercising right after her diagnosis – and I’m so proud of her progress so far.’
Exercising with cancer
The Clinical Oncology Society of Australia state that being physically active and exercising regularly are important for the health, function, quality of life and, potentially, survival of people with cancer; most people with cancer do not meet exercise recommendations.
Exercise can improve physical function, including aerobic fitness, muscular strength and functional ability, cancer-related fatigue, alleviating psychological distress and improving quality of life across multiple general health and cancer-specific domains. It may mean that individuals can get back to work or get back to routines pre-diagnosis.
‘Exercise recommendations should be tailored to the individual’s abilities, specific exercise adaptations may be required for people with cancer based on the disease.
‘For example, Saima had cancer in her small bones, so for impact I would need to be careful. After her scans revealed the cancer in her small bone could no longer be seen, I could include weight training.
‘I had to adjust rest periods, ensuring Saima had enough due to treatment-related adverse effects. Exercise will depend on how the cancer changes over time and individual health status.
‘For example, if you have stomach or other digestive system cancers or cancer that has spread to the bone, it is advised you shouldn’t do heavy weight training.’
Lizzie Fluke, performance coach
Medical experts recommend that cancer patients should return to exercise and normal daily activities as soon as possible after diagnosis.
They say keeping fit can reduce tiredness, improve strength, endurance, flexibility – as well as boosting mood and alleviating anxiety and depression.
Lizzie agrees.
‘It’s about finding the right amount of physical activity that is right for you,’ she explains.
‘It really helps to find something you enjoy. Increasing your daily activities may just mean light house work, walking, light gardening, these are all part of the wider physical activity picture. It all counts whether its five or 10 minutes of activity or more than 30 minutes.
‘Exercise plays a crucial part of improving outcomes, but it’s part of a wider picture of medical and psychological expertise. I referred Saima to an experienced and qualified senior therapist, who was extremely experienced in the area of chronic illness, anxiety and PTSD.
‘The psychological effects of cancer create debilitating physical symptoms. Psychological intervention along with exercise is important. I work as part of a team supporting Saima to ensure the best outcomes for her.’
For Saima, exercise grants her some control. When illness threatens to take your life, it’s easy to feel helpless and isolated. By focusing her energies on doing something positive and active, Saima is able to to reclaim some authority over her own body.
‘Since I’ve started exercising I’ve seen so many amazing, physical results,’ Saima tells us.
‘My muscle-tone has come back. I feel a lot stronger in myself. And it has really helped me to regulate my nervous system, particularly at points of panic.
‘It has just transformed everything to be honest. Exercising makes me eat better, sleep better – it’s the whole picture.
‘The point of all of this is living well today. That’s my focus. I think a lot of cancer patients can feel a bit like down and out about their situation – which is understandable. They go through such a blow when they’re told this horrifying news, but what I really want to get across is that you can live well with it – it’s not the end of all things, immediately.’
MORE: Mum died on her own terms and I was proud to have helped her – that’s why I support Noel Conway
MORE: When you have bipolar disorder, the decision to have a child becomes even more complicated
MORE: Inequality in medicine is killing women
Parents reveal cashier refused to serve daughter who was burned because she 'looked scary'
Poundland is selling a £445 Gucci trainer dupe for £9
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Lounge Bets
Startcraft II
Esports News, Videos, Analysis and More on Mid.Bet Blog
Home CS:GO Cyril “ANGE1” Karasev: “Dreamhack: Austin was the worst tournament in terms of...
Cyril “ANGE1” Karasev: “Dreamhack: Austin was the worst tournament in terms of comfort for players” [CS:GO]
Cyril “ANGE1” Karasev spoke about the trips of HellRaisers to DreamHack Tours 2017 and DreamHack Austin 2017. In an interview with RuHub, he also shared his opinion about the rumors surrounding his transition to Natus Vincere G2A.
About the lost final DreamHack Tours 2017
“It was very difficult to play on the French stage against the French. There was probably the most tough support against which I played. There were no soundproof cabins and this atmosphere was very pressured. At the same time, she pressed on us and encouraged G2. We lost a lot of dueling, pistols, clutches were given constantly. On maps, we generally do not really understand. When you have a seven-card mappool, it all depends very much on how prepared you are for the tournament. But at the same time, readiness can not be a 100% indicator, since you did not play these cards on the LAN. “
About the failure on DreamHack Austin 2017
“I will say so, these two tournaments [in Austin and Tours – approx. Ed.], Are not indicators in the context of the level of play of our team. Austin was probably the worst tournament in terms of comfort for the players. It’s a terrible meal, tables: I play with bondik, we can not put our hands on the table properly, holes are drilled where I have to lay the carpet. These are the headphones that do not work. They had a sponsor there, I will not call it ugly, they gave soundproof headphones, the microphone in which they worked through the word. And it was absolutely all teams, and [the organizers] could not do anything about it, because “sorry, everything has been paid for”. “
About the topic of the transition of ANGE1 to Natus Vincere G2A
“Honestly, before the” major “I’m not going to consider anything. No hands to “major” will not, and then I will think very hard, even if this happens. Because when you make such decisions, you take into account many factors: the potential strength of the composition, and the potential tournaments that you can be invited to, and, of course, salaries, team opportunities, bootcamps, trips. Such a decision should always be made taking into account all factors. But to be honest: I believe that my youth are now in the team, let’s say, perhaps, they have a lower bar than Na’Vi players, but we and Johnta correctly teach them. They are not hard workers, but right workers – they work correctly.
We do not spoil them as players. On the contrary, they will become stronger and stronger with each stage. And it is unclear what is best: when you steadily grow a player and he reaches a certain level, or a person who is basically, that’s the style of playing Na’Vi now, it’s more from the skill, from one. What if I put these Na’Vi players in the framework of these players, will they be able to play these positions and roles? Or will it again be a constant quarrel with s1mple, discontent, etc.? “.
The first match on Adrenaline Cyber League 2017 HellRaisers play against Virtus.pro G2A. The winner of the match to meet with Natus Vincere G2A in the grand finale.
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Overheard at Matchbox
“I only like beers that have fruit in them.” -Katie
Vanessa Sickles
Meet Vanessa, Junior Developer
This will help us learn more about Vanessa, our newest addition to the Development team as a Junior Developer.
Describe yourself in three words.
Honest answer? I’ll go with ‘friendly, laid-back, forgetful.’
I grew up in Fort Smith, Arkansas, where your entertainment options are ‘movie at a built-in-the-70s theater,’ ‘shopping at a built-in-the-70s shopping mall,’ or ‘bowling at the built-in-the-70s bowling alley.’ It’s an older, river industrial town that people just seemed to forget about after the 70s.
What did you do doing during your internship at Matchbox Design Group?
Staring at PHP until it makes sense. It’s like putting a book under your pillow to learn from it, but better. Learned PHP ? is working: or maybe it’s not. Otherwise, learning more than I’ve ever needed to know about CSS, and having a lot of fun doing it.
What do you like most about working here?
I love getting to work with other developers. Things are a lot more fun when you’re in a team, especially when you have someone who can introduce completely new ways of problem-solving to you. I also love it because your team shows you the easy way to do something you’ve been pulling teeth over for years, and then your life is just better.
What did you do before working at Matchbox Design Group?
I was at Checkmate Design doing branding and other collateral for Marriott Autograph Collection Hotels. I was a Graphic Design major when I transferred here to Maryville in January 2017. I’ve always had some coding knowledge from hobby stuff, like changing the HTML and CSS of various forum profiles in online communities that I was on, but a required web course let me actually learn how to apply it to actual websites. I was hooked. I swapped to Interactive Design. I wanted to dedicate myself more to development, where I can still use my design eyes and skills in a field where my responsibilities and creations are a little more objective.
Spare Time?
What do you do in your spare time?
I love video games. Mostly more chill ones – Pokemon, Stardew Valley, Starbound, The Sims, things like that. I really love the plot-heavy stuff, though, or video games with gorgeous art styles. Some of my favorite games of all time are Okami, The Last of Us, Transistor, and Horizon Zero Dawn. I have like, 350 hours on Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate on the 3DS. Oops. I also love art, writing, and Studio Ghibli movies.
Favorite St. Louis activity, restaurant or spot?
I live by the Loop, so usually going there. There’s always something delicious to eat or something fun to do. When I’m feeling up to it, I’ll play a bit of Magic: The Gathering at the Wizard Wagon.”
What Is Exciting About New Trends?
Digital/design/dev trend you are most excited about these days?
Mine’s pretty simple–it’s the fact that browsers are at least starting to catch up on CSS features. Internet Explorer’s still in the corner eating glue in some places, but at least the rest are making it to the modern age on CSS features. I remember having to use float for everything before flex came to full support. CSS Grid looks really powerful. It’ll be great to see what it changes in the web world once it’s reached full support.
Special Talents and Personal Questions
Special talent you have?
I’m incredibly skilled at whatever the opposite of multitasking is. Where instead of juggling multiple tasks at once, I juggle forgetting multiple tasks at once. The speed at which I can do that one is impressive.”
Famous person, you’ve met?
I met some Arkansas… senators? Representatives? Maybe the governor? on a trip to D.C. when I was like 13. Honestly don’t remember who or what they were, oops. Got to stand on the back lawn of the White House and was a few yards away from Obama as he walked to his helicopter on that same trip, though. That’s the best I’ve got on that front.”
What’s something awesome about you that no one else knows?
“I can actually lick my elbow.”
Rachel Jurina
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Mr Phigg
26 November 2014 · 8:04 AM
Normal service will be resumed when possible
I am currently taking stock and reworking the Mr Phigg stories before trying again to find a publisher for them. As part of that process, the original versions will no longer be available on Kindle or print-on-demand. So, patience, please, until they reappear, glorious butterflies bursting from their chrysalides….
31 May 2014 · 10:36 PM
The Night Of The Round Stable competition
A very easy competition with a chance to win a copy of the first Mr Phigg volume, The Night Of The Round Stable: just go here http://www.feedaread.com/p/1366/
3 April 2014 · 11:13 AM
More Phiggery brewing
After a restorative hibernation Mr Phigg is stretching, yawning and re-entering the Greyworld with the spring…
Work has just begun on a third story about Johanna and Harry and him, tentatively entitled The Man Who Took The Magic Out Of Things.
26 September 2013 · 8:18 PM
The Web She Wove is available now – as a paperback and on Kindle
Here comes the second volume in the the Mr Phigg series – available from Amazon and on order from any bookshop… The Web She Wove. It’s written for children from 8 up – and for grown-ups too.
Odd things start happening to Johanna and her brother Harry when their basement floods for no reason. Then the children visit Mrs Cuthbert, an old family friend who is in a nursing home, frail and forgetful, and resolve to help her get out again.
They are missing the magical Mr Phigg, who in an earlier adventure had introduced them to friends like the Shadowflock and inventor Dr Solomon. When Mr Phigg returns they go to visit his Great Uncle Bron, who is also forgetting things.
A strange device from the Doctor triggers memories of Bron’s old love, Monica Morphet, who left suddenly many years ago. Bron has dreamt about her asking for his help. He believes Monica was a Tale-Spinner – one of seven shape-shifting sisters who weave memories into legends. Mr Phigg is sceptical, but agrees to try to find out more.
As the children and their friends hunt for Tale-Spinners and try to help Mrs Cuthbert, an interlinked story unfolds – in the Greyworld we know and in Mr Phigg’s parallel reality. There are magic doorways, talking animals and lashings of derring-do.
The second Mr Phigg book, The Web She Wove, will be available shortly.
Here at Phigg Central plans are afoot for rather more of a promotional push for the series than we have managed hitherto.
The silver key will be opening doors to Facebook, Twitter and beyond.
25 July 2013 · 2:44 PM
6 May 2013 · 7:55 PM
The Web She Wove: an excerpt
Here are the first three chapters of the second Mr Phigg story. I’d be very glad of any comments.
Chapter One – Rising, Damp…
“Where on earth has all that water come from?”
Johanna Blake paused in her usual morning sprint to the cereal cupboard and sat halfway down the basement stairs. Her father was sploshing across the sodden kitchen, barefoot – a broom in his hand and a resigned expression on his face, his pyjamas rolled up to his knees.
“You tell me.” He shrugged and then pushed some more water out through the back door with his brush. “I thought it would be the dishwasher, but that’s fine. The water’s got in from outside. The… whats-its… the… er… drains must have backed up somehow. “
“That’s funny,” said Johanna. “I didn’t think it had rained last night.”
“No…” Her dad paused, puzzled. “I don’t think it did, either.”
“Can we help you?” Harry had joined his sister on the stairs. “I could put my flippers and wetsuit on.”
Mr Blake snorted. “You’ll hardly need that – I’ve cleared the worst of it now.”
“But why not get your snorkel anyway?” suggested Johanna. “It does wonders for your conversation.” She puffed up her cheeks and imitated her brother: “I coob poob my flippoob ab webwoob ob…”
Harry took his revenge by sitting on top of her, heavily.
Oww! Well, if that’s how you want it… Johanna’s hands reached towards her brother’s throat.
“All right, all right,” said their father, waving his broom threateningly in their direction. “Steady on. Can someone pass the… the… that thing for mopping up?”
“Do you mean the mop?” Johanna prompted, giving him a curious look. There’s quite a big clue in the name, Dad. She padded down the stairs, slid across the wet floor to the cupboard and took out the mop.
“Thanks, love.” He gave his head a brief shake and then finished the clearing up.
Johanna and Harry went out of the back door into their small, walled garden and inspected the grates and drains.
“There’s nothing there now,” said Johanna. She went indoors and filled the washing-up bowl with water, carried it out and poured half down each drain. The water ran away perfectly normally.
“All clear. Both of them. Oh, well… Time for breakfast, I suppose.”
As she turned to go inside she noticed a large grey and white herring gull sitting on the garden wall, looking straight at them. She nudged Harry. “That’s a big one.”
“Yes. And nosey, too.”
The bird paused to groom a few wing feathers with its yellow beak before turning its sharp gaze back to the watching children. Then it winked at them.
“What…? Did you see that?” Johanna grabbed Harry’s arm and took a step back.
The gull held their gaze and winked again, then spread its wide wings and flew away.
“I didn’t know birds did that,” said Harry.
“They don’t,” his sister replied. “Not normally.”
“Do you think…?”
“Yes, I do think. It’s Mr Phigg. He’s got something to do with this. It’s got that feeling, hasn’t it? Come on.”
They went back indoors. Their father had gone upstairs to get dressed and they had the damp kitchen to themselves. Johanna went to the back of the room and peered into the narrow gap between two cupboards. She stretched one arm into the gap as far as it would go.
“Oh, don’t try that again,” said Harry. “It’s not going to work.”
Johanna stretched and stretched… and then sighed.
“No. It isn’t, is it? We’re stuck in the Greyworld now. But we fitted through here so easily when Mr Phigg took us to the Slumber Downs.” She went to the drawers by the sink and came back with a large torch.
“That was weeks ago now.”
“Don’t you think I know that?” she said sharply. Where is he? she thought. I miss him. And the Shadowflock. I miss Bartram and Lawrence. All those different places we went. And I’m not going to stop trying to get back there.
She shone a light between the cupboards. “The door is still there. You can see the handle catch the light. But…” she put her arm back into the gap and strained “… you… just… can’t… reach.”
“We could try knocking, I suppose,” said Harry.
Johanna turned to see her brother with the mop in his hand. She got out of the way so he could push the handle into the gap and hit it several times against the little door at the back.
Then they heard their dad’s steps coming down the stairs. Harry quickly pulled the mop out of the gap and made a show of dabbing at the floor, while Johanna grabbed some kitchen roll and wiped next to him, whistling nonchalantly.
“I think you missed a bit here, Dad.”
“Did I? Sorry. I’ve got a bit of a thick head this morning. Thanks for helping, kids. You have a good day – I’m off to work now.”
Chapter Two – Mrs Cuthbert’s Sparkle
“How was she, Mum?” Johanna asked.
“Oh, a bit sad, I’m afraid. The bone has mended. But she’s not doing very much and she seems so forgetful. She’s just not the same as she was.”
Mrs Cuthbert was a kind and smiley old lady who used to live across the road. She had looked after Johanna and Harry sometimes when they were little and taken them off on the train for days out. They were very fond of her and the family had kept in touch after she’d moved to the other side of Brashleigh-on-Sea, the town on the south coast of England where they all lived. Then a few weeks ago Mrs Cuthbert had fallen and broken her ankle and had to go into a nursing home.
“It’s all a bit regimented there,” their mother continued. “It must have been such a wrench to leave the house and her cats. She seems to have lost her sparkle.”
“Let’s find it for her!” said Harry, with feeling.
“We should go and cheer her up,” added Johanna.
“We could paint her a picture,” said Harry. “She always put our pictures on her wall.”
“That’s a good idea: you do that,” said their mum, smiling. “I’ll drive you up there later.”
Johanna got the paint-box from the cupboard and Harry spread newspaper on the table. They were soon hard at work.
They set off after lunch, when the paintings had dried and they had assembled a small bouquet of flowers and ferns from the garden.
The nursing home was in a long road of big houses on the way out of town to the Downs. A big sign by the gate read:
Gentle Thoughts Nursing Home
“Restful Care For Carefree Rest”
Matron: Miss Monica Webster
Having parked in a gravelled courtyard, they were heading towards the front door when a large grey-haired woman in a tight black skirt and royal blue twinset burst into view, a weighty string of pearls bouncing on her substantial bosom.
“Ah, Mrs Blake, isn’t it?”
“Good afternoon, Miss Webster.”
“Twice in one day – my goodness! And these must be your children. Lovely. But we do like to have advance warning of young ones, you know, especially when they’re not relatives.” She patted the children’s’ mother on the arm, fluttering the lashes of her piercing blue eyes in a most unsettling manner as she added in a hushed and confidential tone: “Some of our ladies find them a little de trop, I fear.”
Johanna and Harry were fascinated, carefully noting Miss Webster’s mannerisms for future reproduction. But then she turned her attention to them, steely eyes peering over her large, curved nose and a broad smile which went no further than her snow-white teeth and deep-red lips. “I am sure you two will be quiet and well behaved during your short time with us, won’t you?”
They nodded, without enthusiasm.
“Well, do go in, now you’re here” she concluded. “You’ll find Mrs Cuthbert in the day room.”
They made their way to a long, narrow room facing onto the back garden – but there wasn’t much garden to be seen through the thick net curtains which covered all the windows and made the room distinctly gloomy. There was a row of armchairs along the wall, in most of which an elderly lady was sitting quietly, staring into space. The chairs were all covered in the same beige vinyl and spaced just too far apart for their occupants to be able to talk to each other easily. A large television was on but nobody seemed to be paying it much attention. No-one noticed their arrival.
A faint, metallic tang of disinfectant caught the back of Johanna’s throat. Yuck, she thought, I don’t like this place at all.
Then she spotted Mrs Cuthbert at the far end of the room and ran with Harry to greet her. In a moment they had handed over the flowers and were sitting chatting happily, each sitting half on an arm of the chair and half on Mrs Cuthbert. Their mother was anxious for a moment, but relaxed when she saw a smile slowly spread across Mrs Cuthbert’s face. The children talked away about things they’d done with Mrs Cuthbert in the past and things they were doing now.
“… and then after we’d cleared up all the flood water, we painted you some pictures,” said Johanna finally, and undid the string around the rolled-up bundle.
“Here’s mine,” said Harry. “It’s your old house.”
“I know,” said Mrs Cuthbert, studying the picture. “Here are my sunflowers and my red front door… and here –” she pointed to two cats “– are Ginger and Fred, sleeping in the sun, just like they used to. I do miss them, my lovely boys.”
“Your niece has got them now, hasn’t she?” asked Mrs Blake.
“Yes, that’s right. I know they’re fine with Karen; they’re close by and well looked after. But I can’t get out to see them – and of course they’re not allowed in here.”
Her eyes were sad now, above her smiling mouth.
“This is my picture,” said Johanna, unrolling the second one. It showed a couple dancing together: a lady in a long frock and a shiny necklace, held close by a man in a soldier’s uniform. “It’s you,” she said.
“And Michael,” Mrs Cuthbert added softly.
“Yes, your husband” Johanna replied. “I remember that photo you have of him in his sergeant’s uniform.” She pointed to the stripes on the arm of the man in the picture. “And how much you said you liked dancing when you were young.”
“What lovely pictures. Thank you so much,” said Mrs Cuthbert, with watery eyes. “They take me right back. I dreamed of Michael just last night, you know…”
Suddenly the doors of the day room were flung open and Miss Webster bore down on them at speed.
“Now, now, children, please,” she said. “Feet belong on the floor, as I’m sure you know.” Johanna and Harry jumped down from the chair as Miss Webster gave their mother a meaningful look. “We don’t want our ladies excited.” She studied Mrs Cuthbert for a moment. “And we certainly don’t want them upset.” She glared at the children.
“Oh, don’t worry, I don’t mind…” Mrs Cuthbert began, but Miss Webster interrupted her.
“I think you’ll find that I know what’s best for you, my dear. And I mind. You’re not strong enough for this sort of behaviour. Gentle Thoughts – that’s what we want: our name is our aim, as I like to say.”
“I was just remembering–” Mrs Cuthbert tried again to explain.
“They are memories you can do without, my dear,” said Miss Webster firmly. “I will help you to your room, Mrs Cuthbert. We had better draw this visit to a close.” She looked pointedly at the children’ mother until she stood up too.
They said their farewells and turned to go.
“Do come again, please,” said Mrs Cuthbert, in a small voice.
“But do remember to book,” added Miss Webster. “So we can be sure it will be convenient.”
Back at home Johanna and Harry headed for the kitchen while their mum went upstairs to her office.
“Right,” said Johanna. “We need a plan. We’re not going to leave Mrs Cuthbert in that horrible place.”
“It is horrible – but what can we do about it?”
“I don’t know yet, but I know we’ve got to do something. We don’t like that home – and I don’t think Mrs Cuthbert does. It’s so quiet, like the life’s just draining out of them. And that Miss Webster…” She shuddered.
Harry was instantly in character. He marched up and down the kitchen scowling at his sister and saying “Well, whatever it is you’re up to, do remember to book. We don’t want our ladies excited.”
“Remind me,” said a sudden voice behind them, “are reservations necessary in this house too?”
“Mr Phigg!” they both shouted together and turned to see a familiar little man, with bright eyes and a gap-toothed smile. He wore a red woollen hat, pulled over long brown hair, and a diamond stud flashed from one of his furry ear lobes.
“Where have you been?” Johanna demanded. “It’s been ages. What have you been doing?”
“Oh, this and that. And a bit of something else. Especially on Tuesdays. I’ve been busy, you know. Very busy.”
“Too busy to bother with us, obviously,” said Johanna.
“Now, don’t get huffy,” said Mr Phigg. “I’m here now. And I was keeping in touch. Keeping an eye on things.”
“That seagull?”
“Sigmund? Yes – but he’s just part of a whole network. You’d be amazed. A flock of See-Gulls like him outside, an array of Listening Bugs positioned around the house, all reporting in to Bedquarters…” He paused and bent to pick up a ladybird from the back doorstep and showed it to them on the palm of his hand.
Johanna was sure she heard it say “Oi!” faintly before Mr Phigg let it go again.
“Well, perhaps not every detail. But I did ask Sigmund to keep an eye on things. And then the systems did pick up a strange pounding on a gateway this morning, not a million miles from here.”
Harry’s face reddened. “That was me,” he said.
“Now, in my experience, people who knock on doors usually want to go through them. Do you two fancy a trip?”
The children jumped up enthusiastically.
“I’ve got to go to Dr Solomon’s to pick up some stuff for my Uncle Bron. I thought you two might like to come along.”
Mr Phigg took a silver key out of his waistcoat pocket and led the way to the back of the kitchen. This time, there was plenty of room for them to slip between the cupboards to the little door at the back.
Mr Phigg turned his key in the lock, opened the door and stepped through. The children followed and found themselves in warm sunlight, stepping through the gate of a neat, white-walled garden.
This is more like it, said Johanna to herself. Welcome back, Mr Phigg!
Chapter Three – The Doctor Will See You Now
“I’m looking for something to take horses’ hooves out of stones.”
They were in the hallway at Devizes Devices, the West Country home and workshop of Mr Phigg’s friend, the inventor Dr Solomon. His receptionist Kim had been listening attentively, but now the elegant Afghan Hound’s muzzle creased in puzzlement.
“Don’t you mean, to take stones out of horses’ hoo– ”
“No, no,” Mr Phigg interrupted. “It’s definitely hooves out of stone this time.”
“Hmmm,” said Kim. She frowned and scrolled down a page on her computer screen before pointing with her paw. “Ah, yes: that should do nicely.” She printed out a sheet of paper and handed it to Mr Phigg. “Stone Alone. It separates out the stone from anything else that shouldn’t be there.” She peered at the paper. “Brush on generously and leave to dry. May need a second coat. You can pick it up from Claude.”
“Thanks, Kim,” said Mr Phigg, taking the paper. “When will the Doc be back?”
“Any time now. He went shopping with Lawrence just after breakfast. I’m surprised they’re not back yet. They’d be sorry to miss you.”
“And we’ll be sorry if we miss them,” said Johanna, who was keen to see the friends they’d shared adventures with when they’d first met Mr Phigg.
They all went down the hall, and through a door marked Stores.
Inside, a standard poodle in a blue overall was leaning on a counter, absorbed in a Sudoku puzzle. Behind the counter were rows and rows of metal shelving filled with an amazing assortment of things: tins and boxes, bottles and jars, a horse’s saddle and an old car engine, an aquarium and a sword – all neatly stacked and carefully labelled.
“Seven,” said Mr Phigg.
“Seven?” the dog replied. “What’s seven?”
“The number you’re looking for.”
“You’re just guessing.”
“I beg your pardon, Claude, but I’m not just anything – I prefer to see it as an intuitive leap. That’s my speciality, you know.”
“You can’t guess at Sudoku.”
“Really? Well, I probably shan’t be playing it much. Can we have some of this please?”
He handed over the paper and the poodle disappeared amongst the shelves. Mr Phigg whistled tunelessly until Claude re-emerged with a small silver tin which he put in a paper bag.
Johanna was studying the shelves. “Excuse me,’ she said. “Are these all things that you sell?”
“There’s finished products here and raw materials,” said the dog. “And that means things the Doc knows he’s going to use in his experiments and things that might come in handy. One day. In theory. I suppose.” He lowered his voice. “Not very good at throwing things away, is he, the good Doctor?”
Suddenly the door to the storeroom was thrown open and a large brown buzzard marched in, his grubby, tattered lab coat billowing out behind him.
“And why should I throw things away? Waste not, want not, Claude, as I’ve always told you.”
The big bird was followed by a chimpanzee, who was wearing a rather whiter lab coat.
“Lawrence!” shouted Johanna and Harry together and rushed to give him a hug.
“So,” said Dr Solomon, smiling, “to what do we owe this not inconsiderable pleasure?”
Mr Phigg waved his paper bag. “Just picking up one of your fine products, Doc. I need to sort out a little problem at Uncle Bron’s.”
“How is the old rogue?”
“Appallingly healthy, I’d say, for someone of his age. It’s just his memory that’s gone.”
“It’s often the way, I’m afraid. Tell me: how old is he now?”
“Oh, next Tuesday he’ll be, let’s see… four hundred and twelve.”
The children started to laugh, but stopped when they realised that Mr Phigg wasn’t joking.
Dr Solomon shrugged. “There you go: it’s what you’d expect.”
“Why is it what you’d expect?” asked Johanna. “I don’t expect anyone to be four hundred and twelve.”
“Well, it happens. And if you’re going to be that age, getting a bit forgetful is what you’d expect. Your memory’s like that cupboard under the stairs, Johanna.” He waved his wing towards it. “We keep cramming stuff in, but ultimately there’s a limit. And the older you get, the fuller that cupboard is. So there’s not much room in Bron’s head now.”
“Can’t you forget some of the old stuff that you don’t need anymore, to make room for new things?”
“In theory, yes. But that’s not really how cupboards work. It’s the stuff by the door that tends to be picked up and used or thrown away. The stuff you’ve put in there fairly recently. But most of the room is taken up by things that have been there for ages – things you can’t really see and can’t quite reach, lurking in the shadows at the back, under the cobwebs…”
“So, when you try to put something new in, there’s nowhere for it to go?”
“That’s right.”
“It’s funny,” said Lawrence. “We’ve just been talking about memory at the shop. We were down in Tintagel picking up some vegetables and a bottle of Pisky Whisky and Joan said… said… um… she said…” He stopped and scratched his head, looking round for inspiration.
What is going on, today? Johanna thought anxiously. Nobody remembers anything. But then the mood was broken by Dr Solomon shouting “Get on with it, you idiot!” and throwing a cabbage at Lawrence, who dived to catch it like a goalkeeper and then lay on the floor laughing.
“Joan had these in the shop,” he said, picking himself up and taking what looked like a glasses case from his pocket. “We said we’d run some tests on them for her.”
Johanna looked at the label on the brown leather case: Cornish Past-Ease. She opened the lid to reveal a small pair of round, wire-rimmed spectacles. There was another label inside which she read aloud:
“ ‘CAUTION – to be worn on the back of the head only.’ But why would you want to do that?”
“I don’t know,” said Lawrence, “and neither did Joan. She found a couple of pairs the other day, clearing out a cupboard in her stockroom. They were tucked away, right at the back.”
“Under some cobwebs,” Dr Solomon added, with a smile. “I told you that’s how cupboards work. She didn’t know where they came from or what they do. So I said I’d bring them back to the lab for a proper look.”
“Never mind experiments in the lab,” said Mr Phigg firmly. “I like to keep things practical, as you know. Let’s try them out on Bron. Yes, yes, all right,” he added quickly, as he saw Dr Solomon was about to object. “We’ll take Lawrence with us to make sure we don’t break them. How about that? What could possibly go wrong?”
“Plenty, when you’re involved, Phigg. Plenty. It took ages to fix our MetaWetter when you borrowed that. And then there was the time that…” Mr Phigg had gone down on one knee and held his hands out beseechingly. “Oh… go on then,” laughed the Doctor. “These glasses don’t look too dangerous, do they?”
Mr Phigg’s face contorted strangely, into what he imagined was an ingratiating smile. Then he led the children and Lawrence outside and through a little door in the garden wall.
28 March 2013 · 7:49 AM
Green shoots spotted
Cue trumpet fanfare and hold the front pages… I have finally completed a first draft of The Web She Wove. Spring must be on its way after all. On to the editing phase now.
6 January 2013 · 5:36 PM
Report from hibernation
It’s well known that Phiggs tend to hibernate in the winter months, but there are a few signs of life now…
Nearly a year after my last post here – and after a diversion in a somewhat different genre – I’m happy to report that work is well underway on a second Mr Phigg novel, tentatively titled The Web She Wove.
17 February 2012 · 9:54 AM
Now available on Amazon
The paperback edition of The Night Of The Round Stable is now listed on Amazon in the UK and US. The latter claims to have it in stock, as do some Amazon Marketplace suppliers, which is nice, if true…
The advantage of Amazon is, of course, that they will deliver post free.
11 February 2012 · 5:48 PM
Mr Phigg goes to market
We’re finally there!
Copies of the first Mr Phigg book, ‘The Night Of The Round Stable’, are now available for your delight and literary edification.
Looking very smart in their glossy Ruth Holland-illustrated covers, they can currently be purchased for the bargain price of £6.99 through Feed A Read here. The book will also be available through Amazon shortly and can also be ordered through bookshops then.
Kindle readers can get an electronic copy for just 99p from Amazon.co.uk here 0r from Amazon.com here.
recent tweets from Mr Phigg
Normal service will be resumed when possible: I am currently taking stock and reworking the Mr Phigg stories b... bit.ly/1rhaE6z 4 years ago
The Night Of The Round Stable competition: A very easy competition with a chance to win a copy of the first Mr... bit.ly/1nQLt5W 5 years ago
More Phiggery brewing: After a restorative hibernation Mr Phigg is stretching, yawning and re-entering the Gre... bit.ly/1dUsaGP 5 years ago
The Web She Wove is available now – as a paperback and on Kindle: Here comes the second volume in the the Mr P... bit.ly/19KbGJ3 5 years ago
More to come: The second Mr Phigg book,@The Web She Wove, will be available shortly. Here at Phigg Central pla... bit.ly/14bfBem 5 years ago
Eden On The Line – music and other stuff
Mr Phigg · New stories for children
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Jon Balke
Siwan - Nahnou Houm 2017
Ayshyin Raquin
Jon Balke, Amina Alaoui, John Hassell, Kheir Eddine M'Kachiche & Bjarte Eike 2009
Ya Andalucin
Desmayar Se
Ma Kontou
Nahnou Houm
ZemZemeh
About Jon Balke
Norwegian pianist Jon Balke is an avant-garde-leaning musician with a bent toward mixing various stylistic influences, including contemporary jazz, post-bop, rock, folk, world, and classical. He released his debut album, On and On, in 1991. A year later he made his ECM debut with Nonsentration. A member of the Magnetic North Orchestra, Balke has also released several albums with the ensemble, including Kaynos in 2002 and Diverted Travels in 2004. In 2009, Balke paired up with a similarly inclined group of musicians -- including trumpeter Jon Hassell, violinist Kheir Eddine M'Kachiche, vocalist Amina Alaoui, for 2009's Siwan, which focused deeply on Andalusian culture and the attempt at its eradication during the Inquisition. It won the album of the year prize among the German Record Critics ("Jahrespreis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik"). A year later, he held the piano chair on Lars Möller's 2010 date Trialogue on Imogena (the group also included Morten Lund).
Balke assembled his own group, Batagraf, for 2013's Say and Play. The ensemble was fronted by a vocalist and included piano, electronics, and ten percussionists. After touring with this group, Balke took time off to reassess.
When he did emerge, it was with 2016's Warp, a series of compositions for solo piano, vocalists, subtle electronic soundscapes, and field recordings. In January of the following year, Balke revised the Siwan band around new singer and oud player, Algerian-Andalus Mona Boutchebak and entered a recording studio in Copenhagen. His concept for Siwan this time -- which also boasted the bowed-stringed kemence and goblet tumbak drum along with his own keyboards -- was to assert the question of how the world may have developed if the three religions (Judaism, Islam, and Christianity) had managed to co-exist in the aftermath of what happened in Andalusia. From mass persecution, violence, and cultural destruction, Balke assembled poetry from a range of sources for Boutchebak to sing, including Persian Sufi mystic Attar, St John of the Cross, poet-playwright Lope de Vega, and more. The album was issued by ECM in November. ~ Matt Collar
Furnes, Norway
Marilyn Crispell
Marilyn Crispell Trio
Bobo Stenson
Bobo Stenson Trio
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17 Songs, 1 Hour
A full decade after their first album, the critically acclaimed Train of Thought, Brooklyn MC Talib Kweli and Cincinnati producer Hi-Tek finally reunite for their long-awaited follow-up. Much has changed over that ten-year span — Talib signed with a major and got bigger than ever before, Hi-Tek stayed more in the shadows but kept busy making tracks for some of hip-hop's finest, and the Internet pretty much took over the world (especially music) — but one thing stayed the same; their chemistry on a record together. Though this one may not be as "classic" as their debut, it's still pretty great, especially the spooky- sounding love jam "Got Work," the trippy drug commentary of "Lifting Off," and the triumphant "Back Again." Guest spots come from a wide array of homies, including Mos Def, Jay Electronica, Bun B, Estelle, and Chester French, among others.
Reflection Eternal: Revolutions Per Minute Talib Kweli
RPM's
City Playgrounds
Back Again (feat. RES)
Strangers (Paranoid) [feat. Bun B]
Got Work
Midnight Hour (feat. Estelle)
Lifting Off
In the Red
Black Gold Intro
Ballad of the Black Gold
Just Begun (feat. Jay Electronica, J. Cole & Mos Def)
Get Loose (feat. Chester French)
Ends (feat. Bilal)
My Life (Outro)
More By Talib Kweli
Reflection Eternal - Train of Thought
Gutter Rainbows (Deluxe Edition)
Reflection Eternal: Revolutions Per Minute (Deluxe Version)
The Seven
Master Thieves 02: (Picture These Remixes)
Beat*Society & DJ K.O.
Summer Time / Gangsta, Gangster / $timulus Plan - EP
DJ Green Lantern & Dead Prez
Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek
Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, Pt. 2
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159 Songs, 11 Hours 8 Minutes
From the band's earliest triumphs, in which they literally fought their way to the top, to the music behind those chart-dominating world tours, the studio albums of AC/DC are now available in one digital box. Take a listen to the greasy grit of High Voltage, the radio-ready Highway to Hell, as well as Back in Black, The Razor's Edge, Black Ice, and every other AC/DC album given the boot-strap of approval by the Young brothers.
The Collection AC/DC
'74 Jailbreak - EP
You Ain't Got a Hold On Me
Soul Stripper
Baby, Please Don't Go
It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'N' Roll)
Rock 'N' Roll Singer
Can I Sit Next to You Girl
She's Got Balls
Love At First Feel
Problem Child
There's Gonna Be Some Rockin'
Ain't No Fun (Waiting Round to Be a Millionaire)
Squealer
Dog Eat Dog
Bad Boy Boogie
Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be
Rock 'N' Roll Damnation
Down Payment Blues
Gimme a Bullet
What's Next to the Moon
Gone Shootin'
Up to My Neck In You
Kicked In the Teeth
Girls Got Rhythm
Walk All Over You
Touch Too Much
Beating Around the Bush
Shot Down In Flames
Get It Hot
If You Want Blood (You've Got It)
Love Hungry Man
Night Prowler
Shoot to Thrill
What Do You Do for Money Honey
Givin' the Dog a Bone
Let Me Put My Love Into You
Have a Drink On Me
Shake a Leg
Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution
I Put the Finger On You
Let's Get It Up
Inject the Venom
Snowballed
Evil Walks
C.O.D.
Night of the Long Knives
Flick of the Switch
Rising Power
This House Is On Fire
Nervous Shakedown
Guns for Hire
Deep In the Hole
Bedlam In Belgium
Brain Shake
Shake Your Foundations
Sink the Pink
Playing With Girls
Send for the Man
Who Made Who
Chase the Ace
Blow Up Your Video
Heatseeker
That's the Way I Wanna Rock 'N' Roll
Go Zone
Some Sin for Nuthin'
Ruff Stuff
Two's Up
This Means War
Fire Your Guns
Mistress for Christmas
Rock Your Heart Out
Got You By the Balls
Let's Make It
Goodbye and Good Riddance to Bad Luck
Ballbreaker
Hard As a Rock
Cover You In Oil
The Furor
The Honey Roll
Burnin' Alive
Caught With Your Pants Down
Whiskey On the Rocks
House of Jazz
Hold Me Back
Safe In New York City
Can't Stand Still
Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll
Satellite Blues
All Screwed Up
Rock 'N' Roll Train
Skies On Fire
Big Jack
Smash 'N' Grab
Spoilin' for a Fight
Stormy May Day
She Likes Rock 'N' Roll
Money Made
Rock 'N' Roll Dream
Rocking All the Way
℗ 1975, 1976 J. Albert & Son Pty Ltd/(P) 1976 J. Albert & Son Pty Ltd/(P) 1976 J. Albert & Son Pty Ltd, 1980, 1981, 1985, 1986 Leidseplein Presse B.V./(P) 1977 J. Albert & Son Pty Ltd/(P) 1978 J. Albert & Son Pty Ltd/(P) 1979 J. Albert & Son Pty Ltd/(P) 1980 Leidseplein Presse B.V./(P) 1981 Leidseplein Presse B.V./(P) 1983 Leidseplein Presse B.V./(P) 1985 Leidseplein Presse B.V./(P) 1988 Leidseplein Presse B.V./(P) 1990 Leidseplein Presse B.V./(P) 1995 Riff Raff Limited Partnership/(P) 2000 Leidseplein Presse B.V./(P) 2008 Leidseplein Presse B.V.
rockman2000 , 11/18/2012
Finally!!!!
It's about time. This is rock and roll at its finest !
Epiphone G400 , 11/19/2012
MY GOD!
It's. BEAUTIFUL... (T_T)
I'm sorry, but I cannot cantain myself any longer! O' HAPPY DAY!!!
Brad Thompson , 11/19/2012
Good, Old-Fashioned Rock n' Roll!
I've been waiting for this day to come for such a long time. AC/DC is easily one of the greatest bands of all time, and now that their songs are finally available on the iTunes store, I'm beyond ecstatic to buy their entire collection of music…as soon as I get the $100 to do so, that is. It's gonna be so awesome rocking out to "Back In Black", "Highway to Hell", and every other one of their classics on my iPod. Trust me when I say this is a must-buy for any AC/DC fan!
More By AC/DC
Prince of Darkness
Back for the Attack
Sign In Please
Crusader (Remastered) [Bonus Tracks]
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The Smith Street Band Recreate AC/DC’s Iconic ‘Long Way To The Top’ Clip For New Single
Written by Emmy Mack on May 26, 2017
In a ballsy move, The Smith Street Band have recruited the dude who directed AC/DC‘s iconic AF music video for ‘Long Way To The Top’ — you know, the one where Angus Young, Bon Scott & co. delivered an impromptu concert while cruising through Melbourne on the back of a flatbed truck — for their latest single ‘Shine’.
The new guard of the Victorian capital’s most in-vogue homegrown guitar music have released the clip as a reverent nod to Australia’s greatest ever rock n’ roll band, setting up shop on the back of a lorry and drifting down the main street of Footscray blasting their new choon (shoutout to Bendigo Bank and the Discount Chemist yew!).
OG director and living legend Paul Drane was at the helm of the vid, which even includes a bagpipe cameo from The Go Set’s drummer Lachlan McSwain (because you can’t have an Acca Dacca homage without pipes, der).
“There aren’t many more iconic Australian music videos than the one for AC/DC’s ‘It’s a Long Way To The Top’!” proclaims Smith Street frontman Wil Wagner.
“The footage of the band driving down Swanston St on the back of a flatbed truck to the delight and bemusement of passing pedestrians is such a nostalgic and wonderful image. We’ve talked a lot about recreating that music video and after living in and falling in love with Footscray for the last few years we found the perfect place to do it!
“But what we didn’t expect was to get to work with the one and only Paul Drane who not only directed the famous AC/DC film clip but has also worked with basically every Aussie band worth their salt!” he continues.
“So with a lot of help from our friends and the local council we set up our stuff on the back of a truck and drove through Footscray playing our song ‘Shine’. It was a fun, funny and surreal day that was perfectly captured by Paul and his team in this clip!”
‘Shine’ is lifted off Smith Street’s recently released fourth album More Scared Of You Than You Are Of Me,. Check out their new clip (alongside the OG) below, and catch the band live on tour right freakin’ now.
Josh Homme Says QOTSA Took “Risks” To Make Their “Uptempo” New Album Their “Best” YetRise Against Say They’ll “Absolutely” Tour Australia Soon
The Smith Street Band
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Roadside Nature Tours (through The) Okanagan
A Guide to British Columbia's Wine Country
Cannings, Richard J.
Road trips to introduce the diverse geography, flora and fauna, and historical landmarks of British Columbia's spectacular wine country.
Biologist Richard Cannings, who was born and raised in the Okanagan Valley, guides the reader along his favorite road trips through this fascinating region. The Okanagan attracts thousands of visitors each year to enjoy its beaches and wine, but more and more people are discovering its natural beauty. With desert sands and deep lakes, towering rock cliffs and rich benchlands, cold mountain forests and hot grasslands, the Okanagan has an ecological diversity unequalled in Canada.
The book opens with an introduction to the region's biodiversity, climate, geology, and human history, setting the stage for the route descriptions that follow. Cannings then takes us on twenty-one tours through the valley, from the arid benchlands of Osoyoos to the snowy forests east of Vernon. The routes vary from main highways to quiet roads, and along each one we're introduced to the animals, plants, and bedrock that create this national treasure. Each route also has a focal topic, ranging from owls to salmon and rattlesnakes to rock rabbits.
Publisher: Vancouver : Greystone, c2009.
Characteristics: 182 p., [32] p. of plates :,ill. (some col.), maps ;,23 cm.
Read more reviews of Roadside Nature Tours (through The) Okanagan at iDreamBooks.com
kljl Sep 03, 2013
I would have liked a few more details for the driving insturctions. When the speed limit is 100 km and there signs are small it helps to have better directions from both sides of the road.
Natural History — British Columbia — Okanagan Valley (Region) — Guidebooks.
Okanagan Valley (B.C. : Region) — Guidebooks
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Archive for the tag “UN Sanctions”
Opinion: I want to wish Chamisa all well, but worried still!
Well, I wasn’t born yesterday and the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) with the new President and former Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa, will not give-up easy. The state and the regime will not give-in and give away power. No matter who it is and now that finally the 75 year old man taste power directly, he will not delegate it. As he got it through the support and need for the military in Zimbabwe.
The systemic problems are still there, the issues are still there. Some freedoms and liberties has arrived, but so many unanswered questions are there. The ZANU-PF grip of all power and institutions give little leeway for someone else grabbing them. The cronyism and the military involvement in politics, will surely secure the elections in the favor of the ruling regime. There is little to show that this will suddenly change.
Because, even if the people and army got rid of Mugabe in November 2017, the same machinery, his henchmen and his waterboys are still walking about doing their thing. Parts of his loyalists in the G-40 has formed their own political party the National (New?) Patriotic Movement (NPM), but they we’re be a bag of donuts and just mere ploy in the scheme of things. There are previous deflectors of ZANU-PF that has massed much ado about nothing. So we can anticipate the same, even with the support and standing by both Grace and Robert. They still cannot fight the beast they have created.
It is in this vain I am worried about Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Alliance, Presidential Candidate Nelson Chamisa. The youngster and long-term politician who has taken over the biggest opposition party, that gotten a huge following because of the hard work of Morgan Tsvangirai and others, who has fought the dictatorship of Mugabe.
There are something that has to change and right now I don’t see it. Not because I want the ZANU-PF to continue with their business as usual. Misusing funds, spending on cronies and buying off loyalty, while needing the pledges and tokens of trust from the army. That is not how to make it better. Chamisa might have the organization and the support, he might be able to gain the popularity of the people. However, that hasn’t mattered for Tsvangirai, because he was rigged away from power if not only once, but at least twice.
I don’t wish that for Chamisa and the MDC Alliance. No, I don’t want that, it would be fresh air with someone else, than cronies and the kingpins of the ruling party. There is a need for something else. It is a need for a free and fair elections, with a transition and actual change power. Not the use of the military or use of rigging.
Chamisa deserves a free and fair election, then there would be chance for the MDC flagbearer. However, with the things set in motion and the state of affairs. I have doubts. Not because of Chamisa work capacity, because of his message or even his age. No, I have doubt, because the ZANU-PF are preparing for procedure as usual. To make sure the Mnangagwa presidency continues in full steam at all cost. Nothing will topple that. Peace.
Posted in Africa, Civil Service, Development, Election, Ethics, Governance, Government, Law, Leadership, Politics, Transparency and tagged #Tajamuka, #ThisFlag, Acie Lumumba, Aman Andom, Ambrose Mutinhiri, Anasthancia Ndlovu, Annabel Gerry Head, Army, Augustine Chihuri, Bishow Parajuli, Bond Notes, Cheif Inspector Runganga, Chinoputsa Lovemore, Coup, Dr. H.N. Chfamba, Dr. John Mangudya, Dr. Noah Manyika, Elasto Mugwadi, Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, Esther Chinda, Evan Mawarire, Gen. Augustine Chihuri, General Chihuri, George Charamba, George Mushipe, Government of Zimbabwe, Grace Mugabe, H.E. Robert Mugabe, Harare, Hon. Chinamasa, Hon. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, Hon. Ignatious Morgan Chombo, Hon. Jessie Fungayi Majome, Hon. Joseph Chinotimba, Hon. Morgan Tsvangirai, Hon. Patrick Chinamasa, Hope Pvt Ltd, Ian Smith, Ignatious Morgan Chombo, Innocent Hamadishe, J.P. Mangudya, Jessie Fungayi Majome, John Mangudya, Jonathan Moyo, Joseph Chinotimba, June Salaries, Kasukuwere, Kudzanai Chipanga, Letinna Undenge, Lieut. Col. Mengistu Haile Mariam, M. Malinga, M.J.M. Sibanda, M.M. Nzuwah, Makhosini Hlongwane, Mandilitawepi Chimene, MDC, Mnangagwa, Morgan Tsvangirai, Movement for Democratic Change, Mugabe Regime, Mugabe Robert Kakyebezi, New Patriotic Front, Newbert Saunyama, Nicholas Mabhena, NPF, O. Muganyura, OK Zimbabwe, OpenParly ZW, Opposition Alliance, P. Sunguro, P.A. Chinamasa, Pastor Evan Mawarire, Patrick Chinamasa, Patrick Zhuwao, Patriotic Front, Paul Chimedza, PF, PhD, Phelekezela Mpoko. Ignatius Chombo, President Mugabe, President Robert Mugabe, Prosper Chitambara, Republic of Zimbabwe, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, Rest of Service, Robert Mugabe, S. Kasizi, SADC, Samuel Undenge, Sandi Moyo, Sarah Makoka, Saviour Kasukwere, Shadreck Mashayambe, Silsawochu, Simba Chikore, Simukayi Mutamangira, Social Media, Social Security, Sylvanos Mudzvova, Tendai Biti, Terrence Mukupe, This Flag, totalitarian power, Totalitarian State, Trevor Ncube, UN Sanctions, Virgina Mabiza, Viva Zimbabwe Movement, VZM, W.L. Manunga, Wages, Walter Muzembi, Ya FM, Zanu, Zanu-PF, Zanu-PF Leadership, ZCG, ZDTU, ZHRC, Zi-FM, Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe African National Union, Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front, Zimbabwe Army, Zimbabwe Bond Notes, Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporations, Zimbabwe Civil Service Commission, Zimbabwe Communist Group, Zimbabwe Computer Crime, Zimbabwe CSC, Zimbabwe Cyber Crime Bill, Zimbabwe Democratic Teachers Union, ZImbabwe Development Fund, Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission, Zimbabwe Naional Army, Zimbabwe National Army, Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans, Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association, Zimbabwe National Treasury, Zimbabwe Prison and Correctional Service, Zimbabwe Republic Police, Zimbabwe Republican Police, Zimbabwe Reserve Bank, Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, Zimbabwe Service Commission, Zimbabwe's Government, ZimPapers, ZimRights, ZNLWVA, ZRA, ZRP | Leave a comment
The Mugabe Clan still living large on the State Coffers!
The Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) is still taking well care of the former dictator of 37 years. Robert Mugabe and Grace Mugabe are still living large, they are having a bounty of a pension. It is insane, as he was the kingpin, the one who bled the state of funds, paid the cronies and made himself wealthy. Therefore, it is very insulting that he is still living like that. That he even dares to asks for more, when he has more posh cars, can afford to have their sons in Los Angeles and cars taken to Botswana. Because they are afraid of taxes and losing their ill-gotten possessions.
Why I can say he is still living large, is that he sources to Sunday News says: “Since he resigned in November 2017, Mr Mugabe has received $80 000 in pension, while Mrs Mugabe has received $8 680. The payments to Mr Mugabe were made on January 5, 2018 ($40 000), January 29, 2018 ($20 000), and February 28, 2018. The two payments on January 5 were because Mr Mugabe had not received his pension for November and December 2017 due to administrative issues hence the double instalment to offset arrears. He got a third instalment at the end of January as his pension for that month, with the fourth also coming as scheduled in February. Mrs Mugabe received instalments of $2 170 in November and December 2017, and January and February 2018” (Sasa, 2018).
So, that they have been so open in the media last week complaining about their life and such, seems totally out of order. When ordinary people struggles to get 20 US Dollars out of the ATM. While you are earning 20,000 US Dollars per month. That is 1000 times more than what the ordinary people trying to get out of the ATM in Harare.
It is insane that a man who has eaten the state, made it bankrupt and depleted its currency gets such a bounty after the November 2017. He should be happy he isn’t in court answering for his crimes against his people. That he cannot answer for the filthy water in the taps, the lack of institutions and the cronyism who ate it all. On the alter of liberation and freedom, they took it all to themselves instead of sharing it with the public. That is the man and his family crying to the media on their lack of proper support of the former first family. Clearly, the got enough money to have sugar in their tea and beyond.
It is insulting to the Zimbabwean public, that the Mugabe family is frying foul, when they are still getting fortunes, even after been ousting. 20,000 US Dollars get you proper fed, well fed, buying clothes and whatever needs you got. No ordinary citizen in the Republic will ever get near that sort of pay. The Junta, the ZANU-PF is showing mercy on the former comrade and founder, more than what they ever did to President Canaan Banana, who never even received government pension, which Mugabe denied him!
Therefore, Mugabe should pray to whatever deity he believes in, thanks mercy for the greatness of the former comrades. That they gave him this bounty. Because, if he would have gotten the same treatment as he gave others. He would have been kicked out of his homes, lost his posh-cars and lost his estates. That would have been justice any many people’s eyes. Since he took it all and eaten it all.
Even after all of this, its still not enough. He should be grateful for his demise and that it didn’t cost him more. That it was a bloodless coup and that he didn’t catch a bullet. But he lives in the blue-roof and lives lavish. Peace.
Sasa, Mabasa – ‘Mugabe cash demands exposed: Wants $467 200 pension in cash’ (11.03.2018) link: http://www.sundaynews.co.zw/mugabe-cash-demands-exposed-wants-467-200-pension-in-cash/
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Zimbabwe: Ambrose Muthiniri letter to ZEC – “Re: National Patriotic Front (NPF)” (06.03.2018)
Posted in Africa, Civil Service, Development, Election, Ethics, Governance, Government, Law, Leadership, Politics, Transparency and tagged #NERADemo, #NoBondnotes, #Tajamuka, #ThisFlag, #ZimShutDown2016, Acie Lumumba, Afreximbank, Agricultural Output, Agricultural Policy, Air Force of Zimbabwe, Aman Andom, Ambrose Mutinhiri, Anasthancia Ndlovu, Annabel Gerry Head, Army, Askeland Media & Advertising, Augustine Chihuri, Bank of Zimbabwe, Barclays Bank, Barclays Bank of Zimbabwe, Bishow Parajuli, Block Demonstrations, BMI Research, Bond Notes, Brazil Food Programe, Broadcasting Service Act, Budget Deficit, Caledonia, Caledonia Mining, Caledonia Mining Corporation Plc, CBD, Cheif Inspector Runganga, China Exim Bank, Chinoputsa Lovemore, Civil Servants, Communications, Communism, Coup, Credit Ranking, Cyber Warfare, Deficit, Demonstration, Derg, Development Partners, DFID Zimbabwe, Diamond FM, Dirg, Doctors, Dollar, Donor, Donor Nation, Dr. H.N. Chfamba, Dr. John Mangudya, Dr. Noah Manyika, Educational Sector, Elasto Mugwadi, Elective Lists, Electoral Alliance, Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, Esther Chinda, Ethiopia, EU, European Union, Evan Mawarire, Fidelity Printers and Refiners Limited, Freedom House, Gen. Augustine Chihuri, General Chihuri, George Charamba, George Mushipe, Giescke & Devrient, Gold Mining, Government Lenders, Government of Zimbabwe, Government Salaries, Government Salary, GoZIm, Grace Mugabe, Grains, H.E. Robert Mugabe, Haile Mariam Mengistu, Haile Selassie, Harare, Harare Central Business District, Harare Central Hospital, Harare Central Police District, Health Sector, Hon. Chinamasa, Hon. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, Hon. Ignatious Morgan Chombo, Hon. Jessie Fungayi Majome, Hon. Joseph Chinotimba, Hon. Morgan Tsvangirai, Hon. Patrick Chinamasa, Hope Pvt Ltd, Ian Smith, Ignatious Morgan Chombo, IMF, Imperial official, Innocent Hamadishe, International Monetary Fund, J.P. Mangudya, Jessie Fungayi Majome, John Mangudya, Jonathan Moyo, Joseph Chinotimba, June Salaries, Kasukuwere, Kudzanai Chipanga, Labour and Social Welfare Minister, Lectures, Lenders, Letinna Undenge, Lieut. Col. Mengistu Haile Mariam, Looting, M. Malinga, M.J.M. Sibanda, M.M. Nzuwah, Makhosini Hlongwane, Mandilitawepi Chimene, Marxist State, Massacre, MDC, Ministry of Finance, Ministy of Finance and Development, Mnangagwa, Monarchy, More Food for Africa Programme, Morgan Tsvangirai, Movement for Democratic Change, Mugabe Regime, Mugabe Robert Kakyebezi, National Assembly, National Budget, National ICT Policy, New Patriotic Front, Newbert Saunyama, Nicholas Mabhena, NPF, Nurses, O. Muganyura, OK Zimbabwe, OpenParly ZW, Opposition Alliance, P. Sunguro, P.A. Chinamasa, Pastor Evan Mawarire, Patrick Chinamasa, Patrick Zhuwao, Patriotic Front, Paul Chimedza, Pay Delay, Peaceful Demonstration, Pensioners, People's Own Savings Bank, PF, PhD, Phelekezela Mpoko. Ignatius Chombo, Pick n Pay, Plastic Money, POSB, Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust, President Mugabe, President Robert Mugabe, PRGT, Prohibition of Demonstration, Prosper Chitambara, Public Service, Public Service Commission, Public Service Pay Dates, RBZ, Real-Time Gross Settlement system, Red Terror, Republic of Zimbabwe, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, Rest of Service, Robert Mugabe, RTGS, S. Kasizi, SADC, Salaries, Samuel Undenge, Sanctions, Sandi Moyo, Sarah Makoka, Saviour Kasukwere, Self-Cencorship, Shadreck Mashayambe, Silsawochu, Simba Chikore, Simukayi Mutamangira, Social Media, Social Security, Star FM, Sylvanos Mudzvova, Teachers, Tendai Biti, Tenders, Terrence Mukupe, This Flag, TM Supermarket, totalitarian power, Totalitarian State, Trevor Ncube, UN Sanctions, Virgina Mabiza, Viva Zimbabwe Movement, VZM, W.L. Manunga, Wages, Walter Muzembi, West, Western, Ya FM, Zanu, Zanu-PF, Zanu-PF Leadership, ZCG, ZDTU, ZHRC, Zi-FM, Zim Asset Agenda, Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe African National Union, Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front, Zimbabwe Army, Zimbabwe Bond Notes, Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporations, Zimbabwe Civil Service Commission, Zimbabwe Communist Group, Zimbabwe Computer Crime, Zimbabwe CSC, Zimbabwe Cyber Crime Bill, Zimbabwe Democratic Teachers Union, ZImbabwe Development Fund, Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission, Zimbabwe Naional Army, Zimbabwe National Army, Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans, Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association, Zimbabwe National Treasury, Zimbabwe Prison and Correctional Service, Zimbabwe Republic Police, Zimbabwe Republican Police, Zimbabwe Reserve Bank, Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, Zimbabwe Service Commission, Zimbabwe's Government, ZimPapers, ZimRights, ZNLWVA, ZRA, ZRP | Leave a comment
Opinion: The G-40 Party, New Patriotic Front (NPF) will not matter, because Mugabe rigged the game in favor of ZANU-PF and Mnangagwa!
That Robert Mugabe and Grace Mugabe want to play decoy and be involved in the coming election was natural. That has been received the recent reports from the Blue Roof. However, this should be anticipated by the ZANU-PF and the President. Emmerson Mnangagwa should expect that, so that the resigning of Mugabe loyalist and G-40 member Ambrose Mutinhiri, whose petition to African Union and SADC to intervene because of the coup in November 2017. Nevertheless, that doesn’t seem reasonable at this point, as the gearing up to the next election is more likely.
What is weird, but natural with the Mugabe involvement is that the G-40 group of ZANU-PF, the ones who has been kicked out and the ones feels left behind after the coup. Because of the Lacoste ones got into power with the strength of the military, who is now also in the cabinet and behind the scenes. That is known and that is making these people disgruntled. That was expected and surely the ZANU-PF should have foreseen this happening. It wasn’t like he went easy and swiftly, they had to bring the guns and show the muscle before he went and the President could return.
Mugabe is a con, he has been used to using the long-con, the men around him and his family know this. What is striking is the name of the opposition party, New Patriotic Front, as if the Patriotic Front was made between Joshua Nkomo and Mugabe in 1976, as it was partnership to gain more in possible talks with the Ian Smith Government and be united towards the cause of freedom. Even in the 1970s the ZANU under Mugabe was the military support important to him, while in ZAPU’s Nkomo was unchallenged leader. Their stature was different and there was reasons so, but later he would consolidate these parties, and therefore, we have the ZANU-PF.
Now, the Mugabe has outgrown the party he consolidated and created, the liberation party that freed the country from the British, but he never released the citizens from his grip. That is why him and his cronies, so-called comrades are planning to use a New Patriotic Front, use the old term of 1970s , in that spirit to facilitate themselves in the coming elections. As they are using Cde. Mutinhiri to usher it in. Like the G-40 can re-bran itself and become opposition. After the same leaders was used to loot, take and misuse for decades. They was used that people came out of fear and loyalty, now they have to create another venue, another loyalty, as Mnangagwa has inherited the party structure and the military support. The military support that Mugabe has needed and had since 1970s.
So for me the NPF, the Patriotic Front of 2018 isn’t powerful, it is mediocre at best. Since the machinery isn’t there. It is creating headlines and they wrote petition to the SADC and AU. But not that it would change anything, the AU and SADC hasn’t said “no” to Mnangagwa, neither has South Africa or anywhere he has traveled. Mnangagwa is the legitimate president, even if it was unconstitutional. Just like so many of the elections under Mugabe. Where he rigged himself and used the army to spread fear in the community ahead of elections.
There is more likely the Movement for Democratic Change and Nelson Chamisa who taken over the mantle after Morgan Tsvangirai. He is the Chairman and Presidential Candidate for the biggest opposition party and the levels of support has been shown by the recent rallies. The NPF is still just theory, even if the people behind is used to the long-con. They are not having the military support or the steady financing like the ZANU-PF under Mugabe used too. What might happen, is that ZANU-PF might do what it did to MDC-T and others. Where the NPF will get into trouble, the leadership will be detained and their supporters might also get into legal jeopardy. This is well-known if you look into the political history and acts under Mugabe.
Mugabe should know, that the revolution he led that ate the whole country, might in turn eat him. The same monster he created for total control with support of War Veterans and the Military, has now turned on him and his G-40 Group, which now might turn into NPF. They will have the same amount of support as Acie Lumumba, might be able to make headlines, but not run anything else than a sweat-shop.
NPF seems like a far-fetched deal, seems like a dream of party, with Mugabe loyalists and disgruntled members who has fallen out with Mnangagwa. If they think they can do this, they might have to run things from Rotten Row. We can just wonder if they think they have the capacity to run against the regime, the machinery that has been made for the President and not for the opposition. The state hasn’t changed that much since Mugabe was toppled, the same mechanisms are there and they have not left the building. The ones that has left is the pictures of Mugabe and the ones who believed the words of Grace.
There are bigger possibility that Chamisa has a change, if he builds momentum and actually has causes that makes sense not only in Urban areas, but in the rural regions, where sometimes they still only see Mugabe as their President. With this in mind, Mugabe can build a new party, a New Patriotic Front (NPF), but at this moment of time, he will not succeed. They might go after his wealth, after his farms and other corrupt acts of the past. Mugabe has gotten off easy, but if he fires back. Expect ZANU-PF and the military to use things against him. It is like he has forgotten this tactic and don’t think that doesn’t apply to him.
Mugabe has made himself wealthy, also other cronies too, they we’re all eating. Suddenly the winds changed and the military supported Mnangagwa, therefore, the Lacoste won over G-40. Instead of gracefully stepping aside, as Mugabe just lost his position, but hasn’t lost properties and the family has even tried to transport their flash cars to Botswana and abroad. Clearly, they are afraid of losing their possessions.
If they start using their power and leverage, which they still have, do they think they can beat the crocodile? Do they think the ZANU-PF and the military will accept it? Do you expect them to give up their power now?
I wish Chamisa could get a chance, but just like NPF has no chance, I doubt anyone will have anything on Mnangagwa, since he knows this game and is playing invisible chess as we speak. Just like he did in the days after he got sacked and into exile in 2017. Peace.
Opinion: The Mnangagwa Presidency has brought the status quo + less roadblocks and a scarf!
There are reasons for all of this, it is and it is understandable, but however, the ones who thought it would be revolutionary changes after the coup in November 2017. You are wrong, the henchmen and people that was running the nation is still the same, just a twitch of a change in cabinet and stronger presence of the army involved in politics, that is because without President Emmerson Mnangagwa wouldn’t have toppled Grace Mugabe’s G-40 and given the edge to Lacoste of Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front. He just the other guy, who also let a general be his Vice President Constantino Chiweng, the man who controlled the ousting of Robert Mugabe into his position as a gentleman’s thank you for getting rid of his former boss.
So now, that people had high expectations, they have not been met, the only change is a few people and the rhetoric of ED. However, the state of affairs is more of the same. Giving lavish gifts to secure upcoming elections. Letting cronies of the hook to explain scandals, demonstrating students met with police brutality, the good old fashion gumbo of the ZANU-PF. We all got to know under Mugabe. It is just now under Mnangagwa and he is not ceasing the day or afraid of doing so.
The most petite statement came from the President himself talking about his achievements to the state and party paper Harare Herald, where he said: “On corruption, the phrase zero tolerance approach has been backed up by action. We instituted a three-month amnesty to get back stolen funds, mandated all Cabinet ministers to declare assets, created dedicated anti-corruption courts in all provinces and clamped down on police road blocks” (Mugabe, 2018). However, concerning the amnesty, there has been no indication that it worked or been followed by the ministries or the government for that matter. Because none of the possible people behind it has come forward and neither has statistics of possible returned funds. Therefore, seem more like a publicity stunt ala what 50 Cent does with beef, than actual policy.
After 100 days, his biggest achievement is to stop roadblocks by the police, which has been a big money business for police officers to sponge off on meagre salaries. This here isn’t a big thing, it’s a small issue, not a grand one, as the epidemic controlling and state finances that has been bountiful for the ones closest to Mugabe. Now the same might been seen with ED. The Bond-notes are still there, the trying to forge a close relationship with China is still there, the prices of exotic hunting animals are still there. Therefore, anything that is for sale is still possible to buy and that is why the state is still infringed with troubles. That is because they took the head in November 2017, but they didn’t take the roots or his cronies. They were still all there and there today as well.
ZANU-PF is pretty much the same, only a few of the closest allies of Grace is gone. The rest has a position or some sort of play. Because if ED would have a revolution that would go against the core of his existence. Since he has been a key player since the 1980s and knows that the changes will brutal to him to. He will not do that and he will not risk his own political life. Not now, that he has finally exceeded Mugabe. Even if that means paying-off all the people he needs too, until the general election. While the 82 other political parties trying to find their way, especially MDC-T with their new leader. How they will compete with ED.
He has a scarf with the colours of the flag, but he does not have the spirit of needed transformation or change, because that means that he and his cronies has to stop what they are doing. They are earning plentiful and does not want to stop the gravy train. Peace
Mugabe, Tendai – ‘ED’s first 100 days a huge success’ (27.02.2018) link: https://www.herald.co.zw/eds-first-100-days-a-huge-success/
Posted in Africa, Army, Civil Service, Development, Economic Measures, Economy, Election, Ethics, Governance, Government, Law, Leadership, Politics, Transparency and tagged #NERADemo, #NoBondnotes, #Tajamuka, #ThisFlag, #ZimShutDown2016, Acie Lumumba, Afreximbank, Agricultural Output, Agricultural Policy, Air Force of Zimbabwe, Aman Andom, Amon Murwira, Anasthancia Ndlovu, Annabel Gerry Head, Army, Augustine Chihuri, Bank of Zimbabwe, Barclays Bank, Barclays Bank of Zimbabwe, Bishow Parajuli, Block Demonstrations, CBD, Cheif Inspector Runganga, China Exim Bank, Chinoputsa Lovemore, Chris Mutswanga, Civil Servants, Communications, Communism, Coup, Diamond FM, Doctors, Dr. David Parirenyatwa, Dr. H.N. Chfamba, Dr. John Mangudya, Dr. Jurom Gumbo, Dr. Lazarus Dokora, Dr. Mike Bimha, Dr. Noah Manyika, Elasto Mugwadi, Elective Lists, Electoral Alliance, Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, Esther Chinda, Evan Mawarire, Gen. Augustine Chihuri, General Chihuri, George Charamba, George Mushipe, Government of Zimbabwe, GoZIm, Grace Mugabe, Grains, H.E. Robert Mugabe, Harare, Harare Central Business District, Harare Central Police District, Health Sector, Hon. Chinamasa, Hon. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, Hon. Ignatious Morgan Chombo, Hon. Jessie Fungayi Majome, Hon. Joseph Chinotimba, Hon. Morgan Tsvangirai, Hon. Patrick Chinamasa, Ignatious Morgan Chombo, Innocent Hamadishe, J.P. Mangudya, Jessie Fungayi Majome, John Mangudya, Jonathan Moyo, Joseph Chinotimba, July Moyo, June Salaries, Kasukuwere, Kazembe Kazembe, Kemb C.D. Mohadi, Kudzanai Chipanga, Letinna Undenge, Looting, M. Malinga, M.J.M. Sibanda, M.M. Nzuwah, Maj. Gen. Sibusiso Moyo, Makhosini Hlongwane, Mandilitawepi Chimene, Mnangagwa, Movement for Democratic Change, National Assembly, Newbert Saunyama, Nicholas Mabhena, O. Muganyura, Obert M. Mpofu, OK Zimbabwe, OpenParly ZW, Operation Restore Legacy, Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, Opposition Alliance, P. Sunguro, P.A. Chinamasa, Pastor Evan Mawarire, Patrick Chinamasa, Patrick Zhuwao, Patriotic Front, Paul Chimedza, Peaceful Demonstration, Perrance Shiri, PF, PRGT, Priscah Mupfumira, Prof. Clever Nyathi, Prohibition of Demonstration, Prosper Chitambara, Public Service, Public Service Commission, Public Service Pay Dates, RBZ, Republic of Zimbabwe, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, Rest of Service, Robert Mugabe, RTGS, S. Kasizi, SADC, Salaries, Samuel Undenge, Sandi Moyo, Sarah Makoka, Saviour Kasukwere, Shadreck Mashayambe, Silsawochu, Simba Chikore, Simon K. Moyo, Simukayi Mutamangira, Sithembo Nyoni, Social Security, Super Mandiwanzira, Sylvanos Mudzvova, Teachers, Tendai Biti, Terrence Mukupe, This Flag, totalitarian power, Totalitarian State, Trevor Ncube, UN Sanctions, Virgina Mabiza, Viva Zimbabwe Movement, VZM, W.L. Manunga, Wages, Walter Muzembi, Winston Chitando, Zanu, Zanu-PF, Zanu-PF Leadership, ZCG, ZDTU, ZHRC, Zi-FM, Zim Asset Agenda, Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe African National Union, Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front, Zimbabwe Army, Zimbabwe Bond Notes, Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporations, Zimbabwe Civil Service Commission, Zimbabwe Communist Group, Zimbabwe Computer Crime, Zimbabwe CSC, Zimbabwe Cyber Crime Bill, Zimbabwe Democratic Teachers Union, ZImbabwe Development Fund, Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission, Zimbabwe Naional Army, Zimbabwe National Army, Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans, Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association, Zimbabwe National Treasury, Zimbabwe Prison and Correctional Service, Zimbabwe Republic Police, Zimbabwe Republican Police, Zimbabwe Reserve Bank, Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, Zimbabwe Service Commission, Zimbabwe's Government, ZimPapers, ZimRights, Zivambi Zivambi, ZNLWVA, ZRA, ZRP | Leave a comment
The Goblin address the Crocodile, but he is throwing stones in a glasshouse!
Its been 100 days since 15th November 2017, the coup that wasn’t a coup, but apparently was a coup in Zimbabwe. That toppled the 37 years of rule by the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) under President Robert Mugabe. Mugabe has run the nation since 1980 and freed it from the British. However, he overstayed, and the public cheered for the fall in November with their rally for liberation from Mugabe. Now that it had gone 99 days, the Goblin showed his true face, as he will today celebrate his birthday without eating of the whole state budget this year.
So yesterday he said this to the media:
“Mugabe then said he was forced to resign under military pressure, notes reveal. “I was pressured by the army to resign; I did so in order to avoid conflict and bloodshed in my country. I was worried because it had been brought to my attention that people had been intimidated, illegally seized, attacked, homes had been raided at gunpoint and destroyed, and weapons confiscated from other state security agencies,” Mugabe said. “The army had been unconstitutionally deployed without permission of the commander-in-chief and soldiers continue to be used in this operation. So from a constitutional point of view, he (Mnangagwa) is there unconstitutionally. “Mnangagwa is in power illegally, yet some of his officials dare call me a dictator. What dictator? “Maybe a dictator for dictating that we must take over our land and give it to the people; maybe a dictator for demanding that our people must be empowered. If that’s why they call me a dictator, I have no problem with that” (…) “He the added a new dimension: “Now you want to know whether elections will be free and fair. Of course, I don’t think so. How can they be free and fair when the military is running everything?” Mugabe said the situation was worrying, adding his security was not guaranteed. “For instance, they told you, I was safe, but how can I be in this environment? My wife is crying daily. They are persecuting her; that is obviously directed at me. What am I without my wife and family? We are not safe,” Mugabe said. “We have constitutional benefits, for example, but these are being denied.” (Gagare, 2018).
It is strange and deranged to read this from the Goblin, it is unique that he talked to the press. The world should know what he said to local media. Because it shows his true heart, after he was removed. Not likely he would have gone down without pressure, since he used all tricks to stop the likes of Morgan Tsvangirai and others from power.
Me and Mugabe agree, that it was unconstitutional of the army to topple him, but not like he didn’t misuse the army and the government resources over 30 years. Not like he didn’t care for constitution or just elections, when he was the President. Mugabe is the wrong man throwing the stone, as he is casting it in a glasshouse. He is just bitter, that someone finally beat him at his game. That he wasn’t following the internal issues within the Zanu-PF and the army, before they brought him down in November.
I don’t expect free and fair elections, President Emmerson Mnangagwa might promise it in words, but his actions might differ. However, the demonstrations and memorials of Tsvangirai has been peaceful with little or no interference from the police. Other than a few others at other parties rallies in the recent months. So we have to see if they will play by common sense or prepare to rigg for Mnangagwa.
Mugabe is not the man to play those cards, he has misused his time in office, he didn’t build institutions or electoral reforms. If he did, he would have gone much sooner. Mugabe should be happy he isn’t walking in and out of the court-room answering for his crimes and acts of ill over 3 decades. He has hurt enough families and made sure they had to flee for a better life. The misuse of government funds and riches on their own. They should be happy the state hasn’t confiscated their ill-gotten gains. That would have been proper, that the stolen funds should be given back.
He is so used to power, he doesn’t see it himself. That didn’t deliver free and fair elections, he didn’t follow the constitution or the rules, he apply them only to others, just like he did when he was in power. The same kind of answers and belief. If you eat it up, your a G-40 Zanu-PF who misses the good old days of Grace spinning the wheels. If not, your are a Lacoste who has risen to power. Thirdly, your a opposition who working hard to changes and hopefully able to rip up the Zanu-PF. So the state can evolve even more and further away from the legacy of the Goblin. Peace.
Gagare, Owen – ‘Mugabe breathes fire over Mnangagwa rule’ (23.02.2018) link: https://www.theindependent.co.zw/2018/02/23/mugabe-breathes-fire-mnangagwa-rule/
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Zimbabwe: Press Statement on Experience Sharing Workshop 8-9 February, 2018 (12.02.2018)
Posted in Africa, Civil Service, Development, Election, Ethics, Governance, Government, Law, Leadership, Politics, Transparency and tagged #NERADemo, #NoBondnotes, #Tajamuka, #ThisFlag, #ZimShutDown2016, Acie Lumumba, Afreximbank, Agricultural Output, Agricultural Policy, Air Force of Zimbabwe, Aman Andom, Amon Murwira, Anasthancia Ndlovu, Annabel Gerry Head, Army, Augustine Chihuri, Bank of Zimbabwe, Barclays Bank, Barclays Bank of Zimbabwe, Bishow Parajuli, Block Demonstrations, CBD, Cheif Inspector Runganga, China Exim Bank, Chinoputsa Lovemore, Chris Mutswanga, Civil Servants, Communications, Communism, Coup, Diamond FM, Doctors, Dr. David Parirenyatwa, Dr. H.N. Chfamba, Dr. John Mangudya, Dr. Jurom Gumbo, Dr. Lazarus Dokora, Dr. Mike Bimha, Dr. Noah Manyika, Elasto Mugwadi, Elective Lists, Electoral Alliance, Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, Esther Chinda, Evan Mawarire, Gen. Augustine Chihuri, General Chihuri, George Charamba, George Mushipe, Government of Zimbabwe, GoZIm, Grace Mugabe, Grains, H.E. Robert Mugabe, Harare, Harare Central Business District, Harare Central Police District, Health Sector, Hon. Chinamasa, Hon. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, Hon. Ignatious Morgan Chombo, Hon. Jessie Fungayi Majome, Hon. Joseph Chinotimba, Hon. Morgan Tsvangirai, Hon. Patrick Chinamasa, Ignatious Morgan Chombo, Innocent Hamadishe, J.P. Mangudya, Jessie Fungayi Majome, John Mangudya, Jonathan Moyo, Joseph Chinotimba, July Moyo, June Salaries, Kasukuwere, Kazembe Kazembe, Kemb C.D. Mohadi, Kudzanai Chipanga, Letinna Undenge, Looting, M. Malinga, M.J.M. Sibanda, M.M. Nzuwah, Maj. Gen. Sibusiso Moyo, Makhosini Hlongwane, Mandilitawepi Chimene, Mnangagwa, Morgan Tsvangirai, Movement for Democratic Change, National Assembly, Newbert Saunyama, Nicholas Mabhena, O. Muganyura, Obert M. Mpofu, OK Zimbabwe, OpenParly ZW, Operation Restore Legacy, Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, Opposition Alliance, P. Sunguro, P.A. Chinamasa, Pastor Evan Mawarire, Patrick Chinamasa, Patrick Zhuwao, Patriotic Front, Paul Chimedza, Peaceful Demonstration, Perrance Shiri, PF, PRGT, Priscah Mupfumira, Prof. Clever Nyathi, Prohibition of Demonstration, Prosper Chitambara, Public Service, Public Service Commission, Public Service Pay Dates, RBZ, Republic of Zimbabwe, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, Rest of Service, Robert Mugabe, RTGS, S. Kasizi, SADC, Salaries, Samuel Undenge, Sandi Moyo, Sarah Makoka, Saviour Kasukwere, Shadreck Mashayambe, Silsawochu, Simba Chikore, Simon K. Moyo, Simukayi Mutamangira, Sithembo Nyoni, Social Security, Super Mandiwanzira, Sylvanos Mudzvova, Teachers, Tendai Biti, Terrence Mukupe, This Flag, TM Supermarket, totalitarian power, Totalitarian State, Trevor Ncube, UN Sanctions, Virgina Mabiza, Viva Zimbabwe Movement, VZM, W.L. Manunga, Wages, Walter Muzembi, Winston Chitando, Zanu, Zanu-PF, Zanu-PF Leadership, ZCG, ZDTU, ZHRC, Zi-FM, Zim Asset Agenda, Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe African National Union, Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front, Zimbabwe Army, Zimbabwe Bond Notes, Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporations, Zimbabwe Civil Service Commission, Zimbabwe Communist Group, Zimbabwe Computer Crime, Zimbabwe CSC, Zimbabwe Cyber Crime Bill, Zimbabwe Democratic Teachers Union, ZImbabwe Development Fund, Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission, Zimbabwe Naional Army, Zimbabwe National Army, Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans, Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association, Zimbabwe National Treasury, Zimbabwe Prison and Correctional Service, Zimbabwe Republic Police, Zimbabwe Republican Police, Zimbabwe Reserve Bank, Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, Zimbabwe Service Commission, Zimbabwe's Government, ZimPapers, ZimRights, Zivambi Zivambi, ZNLWVA, ZRA, ZRP | Leave a comment
Zimbabwe: Justice P.M. Chugumba letter – “Re: Appointment as the Chairperson of Zimbabwe Electoral Commission” (31.01.2018)
Zimbabwe: Press Statement by the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Dr. M.J.M. Sibanda on the Mandatory Declaration of Assets by Senior Public Service Officers (23.01.2018)
Posted in Africa, Civil Service, Development, Ethics, Governance, Government, Law, Leadership, Politics, Transparency and tagged #NERADemo, #NoBondnotes, #Tajamuka, #ThisFlag, #ZimShutDown2016, Acie Lumumba, Afreximbank, Agricultural Output, Agricultural Policy, Air Force of Zimbabwe, Aman Andom, Amon Murwira, Anasthancia Ndlovu, Annabel Gerry Head, Army, Augustine Chihuri, Bank of Zimbabwe, Barclays Bank, Barclays Bank of Zimbabwe, Bishow Parajuli, Block Demonstrations, CBD, Cheif Inspector Runganga, China Exim Bank, Chinoputsa Lovemore, Chris Mutswanga, Civil Servants, Communications, Communism, Coup, Diamond FM, Doctors, Dr. David Parirenyatwa, Dr. H.N. Chfamba, Dr. John Mangudya, Dr. Jurom Gumbo, Dr. Lazarus Dokora, Dr. Mike Bimha, Dr. Noah Manyika, Elasto Mugwadi, Elective Lists, Electoral Alliance, Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, Esther Chinda, Evan Mawarire, Gen. Augustine Chihuri, General Chihuri, George Charamba, George Mushipe, Government of Zimbabwe, GoZIm, Grace Mugabe, Grains, H.E. Robert Mugabe, Harare, Harare Central Business District, Harare Central Police District, Health Sector, Hon. Chinamasa, Hon. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, Hon. Ignatious Morgan Chombo, Hon. Jessie Fungayi Majome, Hon. Joseph Chinotimba, Hon. Morgan Tsvangirai, Hon. Patrick Chinamasa, Ignatious Morgan Chombo, Innocent Hamadishe, J.P. Mangudya, Jessie Fungayi Majome, John Mangudya, Jonathan Moyo, Joseph Chinotimba, July Moyo, June Salaries, Kasukuwere, Kazembe Kazembe, Kemb C.D. Mohadi, Kudzanai Chipanga, Letinna Undenge, Looting, M. Malinga, M.J.M. Sibanda, M.M. Nzuwah, Maj. Gen. Sibusiso Moyo, Makhosini Hlongwane, Mandilitawepi Chimene, Mnangagwa, Morgan Tsvangirai, Movement for Democratic Change, National Assembly, Newbert Saunyama, Nicholas Mabhena, O. Muganyura, Obert M. Mpofu, OK Zimbabwe, OpenParly ZW, Operation Restore Legacy, Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri, Opposition Alliance, P. Sunguro, P.A. Chinamasa, Pastor Evan Mawarire, Patrick Chinamasa, Patrick Zhuwao, Patriotic Front, Paul Chimedza, Peaceful Demonstration, Perrance Shiri, PF, PRGT, Priscah Mupfumira, Prof. Clever Nyathi, Prohibition of Demonstration, Prosper Chitambara, Public Service, Public Service Commission, Public Service Pay Dates, RBZ, Republic of Zimbabwe, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, Rest of Service, Robert Mugabe, RTGS, S. Kasizi, SADC, Salaries, Samuel Undenge, Sandi Moyo, Sarah Makoka, Saviour Kasukwere, Shadreck Mashayambe, Silsawochu, Simba Chikore, Simon K. Moyo, Simukayi Mutamangira, Sithembo Nyoni, Social Security, Super Mandiwanzira, Sylvanos Mudzvova, Teachers, Tendai Biti, Terrence Mukupe, This Flag, TM Supermarket, totalitarian power, Totalitarian State, Trevor Ncube, UN Sanctions, Virgina Mabiza, Viva Zimbabwe Movement, VZM, W.L. Manunga, Wages, Walter Muzembi, Winston Chitando, Zanu, Zanu-PF, Zanu-PF Leadership, ZCG, ZDTU, ZHRC, Zi-FM, Zim Asset Agenda, Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe African National Union, Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front, Zimbabwe Army, Zimbabwe Bond Notes, Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporations, Zimbabwe Civil Service Commission, Zimbabwe Communist Group, Zimbabwe Computer Crime, Zimbabwe CSC, Zimbabwe Cyber Crime Bill, Zimbabwe Democratic Teachers Union, ZImbabwe Development Fund, Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission, Zimbabwe Naional Army, Zimbabwe National Army, Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans, Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association, Zimbabwe National Treasury, Zimbabwe Prison and Correctional Service, Zimbabwe Republic Police, Zimbabwe Republican Police, Zimbabwe Reserve Bank, Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, Zimbabwe Service Commission, Zimbabwe's Government, ZimPapers, ZimRights, Zivambi Zivambi, ZNLWVA, ZRA, ZRP | Leave a comment
Opinion: ED might say every right thing now, but follow his actions!
The new Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa might say all the right things. ED might also order a lot of good things. Like he early did order all sort of actions to get back money that has been stolen in the previous administration. Get the funds that has been embezzled during the 37 years under President Robert Mugabe. Still, even with the days without possible problems and also no charges. There hasn’t really come any funds back to Zimbabwe after this order.
ED might say he is for press freedom. Also that he is for free and fair elections. Might speak of possible international investors and get better investor climate. ED might spread the news of public interactions and give credible interviews to international news-organization. All of that might stem from the changes of leadership, because ED will act differently to foreigners, than Mugabe who despised them. That is well known, that is why he even came with blazing thunder in his last United Nations address.
ED might say he will changes things, but since November, what other thing has changed then giving #ThisFlag Evans Mawarire his official freedom. Giving way to opposition parties and letting them all demonstrate once against the Mugabe. Since then, the Zimbabwe hasn’t really changed. The cabinet is filled with lots of same old faces. The government is contained by the army who ushered in ED. They have more power than before.
The Herald has been praising ED and had for long ads filled with praise. They have main articles and usually positive towards the new President. Zimbabwe Broadcasting Company (ZBC) is only still showing live from ZANU-PF rallies and following the family of ED. Like today they showed one rally of the ruling party and also followed the first lady speaking. The MDC-T and others are not usually shown on the channel. Clearly, many things haven’t changed since Mugabe left office.
Other than Grace Mugabe struggling to move her valuables from South Africa and Zimbabwe into Botswana. Where her sons and other family members moving expensive luxury cars and its leaked to the media. Wonder if that was picked up by government and they wanted the former Presidential family to pay taxes on these luxurious items? That would have been noble example. Not only the former G-40 members of cabinet who are eating charges and struggling to redeem themselves after Mugabe’s fall.
That ED has talked about fighting corruption and making the courts proper. Haven’t been proven, it is very selective who is charges and who is criminal of the old elite. That is also concerning, that many in the cabinet is previous leaders, who has done their thing during Mugabe. They will not change, maybe the rhetoric and the ways of ED are different. Still, the reality of people lingering in prison. That political activists are still not 100 % free. That the governance and the state functions are still not functioning. That government services is still depleted. It will take time to fix that and to make it less about one person and build institution. However, ED hasn’t open the doors yet.
ED might do the talk, he promises elections and changes in governance. However, his actions and the ones of the government hasn’t been fruitful yet. Their still pursuing bond-notes, there is still no substantial changes. Some Members of Parliament has been kicked-out and a few officers in the Police Service. Therefore, it is minor changes, like the army took major part of the Cabinet. That should worry, since the army is boasting the same Zanu-PF, just without Mugabe and ED instead. If you don’t see, then your reading the nice print from ED, instead of asking why he is changing the Zanu-PF in anyway?
ED should have started to reform the Zanu-PF more, if he wants to be really serious. The one bringing down the goblin. Doesn’t have to do much, but assess the whole government to assist the government with proper governance. Which means in general, that the ministries will not only give cars to chiefs, but he will actually make Ministries actually do their duty and deliver to the citizens. Its not a magic wand, but acting with the simple ideal of taxation and representation.
ED can do this and also give details on how the election will be and how the they will try to make framework for level playing-field for all parties. Usually, the ruling regime is running over the parties and humble them through the campaigns, even using the state to oppress the others. Therefore, it is time to see if it is all talk or reality. If he is bluffing or planning to open society. Risking it all or besieging his new position.
Time will tell, but not eat it all up and believe that he will change it. ED will not only do it, when he knows that he gets political currency without to much cost the regime. Peace.
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Ernie Richards: Grand Rapids Brewing Co.’s Sparkle Queen
Featured Post, Brewery Profiles, Industry News, Beer
“What good is sanity?!”
That was the first thing out of Ernie Richards’ mouth when I showed up to interview him, after having commented about how impressive Grand Rapids Brewing Co.’s draft list looked. He laughed from his belly partially in self-reflection and part exhaustion, which made his salt and (heavier on the) pepper beard move, just a little. His eyes, although caught under the shade of his flat-brimmed baseball hat, gleamed with kindness behind the glare from his black-rimmed glasses. He offered me a beer, poured one for himself, and then pulled back the curtain to expose the methods behind his playful madness.
Ernie Richards
Before taking over the head brewer position at GRBC in early 2017, Ernie brewed on the opposite corner of the same block at the original HopCat location, a sister property in the BarFly Ventures family. Before brewing at HopCat, which he admits was “pure luck,” Ernie didn’t have a single batch of brewed beer to his name.
He earned a degree in genomics and molecular genetics from Michigan State University, but wearing a stark white lab coat for the next 30 years wasn’t going to cut it. His exit internship amounted to him “hanging out with boring people, culturing algae colonies, and screening them for fat production,” while still paying down his student loans. He laughs, “I wish I would’ve found out what lab life was like before I spent all those years and poured all that money into it.”
Fortunately, his comprehension of organic chemistry and microbiology would ultimately lend itself well to a proficiency in brewing. He’s able to reflect on what he’s been able to apply from his education, “Whereas most people learn how to homebrew first, and are able to grasp the functionality of it, and then progress to the more technical aspect, I learned the process backwards.” There’s still part of a sweet, innocent nerd in him that justifies his journey, “Brewing is a beautiful way to manifest the science component of what I paid for without having to be restrained in a lab.”
Ernie seems much more comfortable in his current role wearing broken-in jeans and a T-shirt embellished with a cuddly raccoon, holding a stemless wine glass filled with a barrel-aged sour. Speaking about his years in the hospitality/service industry, surrounded by his type of colleagues, “It’s so rad because you work with the weirdest, most eclectic, colorful people.” While enduring at an upscale fine dining restaurant, hating that he had to “wear a fucking tie,” a buddy of his tipped him off about a new craft beer bar in downtown Grand Rapids that was holding open interviews.
He walked into HopCat hoping to get an interview, but showed up at the wrong time. Instead, he bumped into two guys checking out the place, and struck up a casual conversation with them about Belgian beer and jazz clubs in Chicago. He had no idea who they were, but says, “They were super cool.” After he told them why he was there, they introduced themselves. Mark Sellers and Garry Boyd, the owner and ringleader of HopCat, respectively, were instant fans of Ernie—so much that they offered him a bartending gig on the spot.
Since opening in 2008, HopCat has seemed to have birthed a litter of sought-after brewers who have all since been adopted by new homes. Before Jake Brenner, who also had a tenure on HopCat’s modest 3-barrel system, went on to open GRBC in 2012 as their inaugural head brewer, he was pulling double-duty bartending on the weekends alongside Ernie and Bobby Edgcomb. While these three were counting their tips and drinking beer after their shift one night at close, Jake told them that he was moving next door to GRBC. Confident in what he saw in Ernie, Jake casually nudged him to take over brewing in his place at HopCat. Perhaps lubricated with slightly impaired judgment, Ernie accepted and told Jake, “Yeah, sure!” When Ernie woke up the next morning to a text from Jake that said, “You’re still coming in on Monday to learn how to brew, right?”, confirming Ernie’s verbal commitment, Ernie thought, “Fuck. What did I sign up for?”
Bobby Edgcomb & Ernie Richards
In hindsight, Ernie is happy with his decision to take the leap into brewing because he had gotten his fill with bartending, “It starts to wear on your soul a little bit.” Bobby soon started brewing with him at HopCat—until Jake recruited Bobby as his assistant brewer at GRBC. Ernie, now unsupervised, was left to his own devices, responsible for brewing solo at what was becoming one of the most recognized and respected brewpubs in America. No pressure, right? There’s something to be said for picking the person with the perfect amount of intrinsic motivation to do the job right—to do the job well, coupled with being a little bit weird. Just enough to keep things from getting too safe. Ernie was that guy.
His uninhibited knack for harnessing weirdness now had an outlet. Ernie got to “venture down deeper into the rabbit hole” of fantastic creativity. He says the freedom HopCat trusted him with was “probably one of the most ideal scenarios I could have ever asked for. It was truly the best learning experience for me.” He wasn’t entirely an island. “I pretty much had an entire bartending and service staff who were well-trained critics, who were available to me all the time. They were really open and honest with me about the beer. If they didn’t like something [I brewed], they were awesome about being objective and constructive. They know what good beer is supposed to taste like, and categorically where it’s supposed to be stylistically. If I was off, they let me know.”
The OG Grand Rapids HopCat is currently the only location out of the anti-chain chain’s nearly 20 locations that brews its own beer on top of having a well curated draft list. With almost 50 national and international taps always rotating right next to his own, Ernie had serious benchmarks by which to judge whether he was going in the right direction. “When you’re putting up a tap directly next to similar beers that are wildly popular—known by everybody, you have to be on your A game.” It was 48, give or take, constant reminders for him to strive to be better. “If you’re only surrounded by your own [beer], you don’t have anything to shock you out of your own bubble of what’s comfortable.”
Fast-forward to late 2016/early 2017. Ernie had been the sole brewer at HopCat for over five years when Jake tells him and Bobby that he’s been offered a professor position in the brewing program at Secchia Institute for Culinary Education at Grand Rapids Community College. All three guys had become beer brothers, bonded over brewing, so “neither of us could’ve been upset with Jake in the least for taking advantage of an amazing opportunity—for himself, and his family,” Ernie supports. Garry, one-half of the executive team who originally hired Ernie, invited Ernie to inherit Jake’s position as head brewer at GRBC, reuniting him with Bobby, for critical support.
As most things do, the timing happened for a reason. Ernie felt as though his head may have been scratching the metaphorical ceiling of what he was able to accomplish at HopCat, with its system’s very specific limitations. Of what he was able to achieve at HopCat, Ernie says was “the equivalent of competing in a full-grown adult’s BMX race while riding a little kid’s Strawberry Shortcake Huffy. So, the fact that I was able to brew beers that were in comparable range with some of the country’s biggest breweries, with relative consistency, and find ways to fine-tune that system to compete with them was pretty humbling.” In Ernie’s place now at HopCat is Ben Bagby, a homebrewer and former Kalamazoo HopKitten, who earned the job after an internal company wide brew-off challenge, of sorts.
Now, nearly a year into brewing at GRBC, Ernie seems right at home to be reunited alongside his better half. However, Ernie’s now brewing on a system that’s about five times larger than HopCat’s, so both he and Bobby have had to, in a sense, relearn their jobs and how to work with each other. Ernie’s an obsessive tinkerer, and Bobby is a “master of consistency.” Ernie acknowledges, “I’m very aware that I can’t just leave anything alone, and since Bobby’s a wizard with so many aspects of that system, I’ve had to let him teach me the intricacies of it. He’s got the patience of a saint. He’s like a brother to me, and in some cases nicer than a brother probably would be. Mentally, strategically—Bobby’s the voice of reason. My bread and butter is taking risks, but he calls me out when it’s probably going to end poorly. I know ‘assistant brewers’ are way too often not given the credit they deserve, but shit seriously would not get done at the level we’re doing it if it wasn’t for him.” Honestly, they’re so damn adorable together.
Camp Rapids
Coming off of GRBC’s second annual ArtPrize submission, this year’s Camp Rapids, Ernie and Bobby probably won’t have the luxury of slowing down anytime soon. Teases in the local press, recent public feedback, and internal staff support of the current beer program seem to be unanimous: the beer is good. Flattered, Ernie says, “It’s been really cool to watch the staff come together around the beer Bobby and I are making.” Still, they can’t get complacent. They try to approach their production schedule with a little more intentionality than what Ernie was used to at HopCat (especially in its earlier days), because at GRBC they have 18 taps to fill with consistent integrity.
The clientele, generally speaking, is noticeably different at GRBC than it is at HopCat, but Ernie and Bobby can use that to their advantage. Unlike HopCat, “GRBC can’t be so willy nilly with our beer because we don’t have a national lineup to pick up the slack if we screw up. What we brew and put on tap is entirely who we are. There’s a lot more weight put on the decisions about what we brew.” When asked if that adds any additional pressure, Ernie takes it in stride, “Yeah, definitely, but it translates to a healthy pressure—to ensure that every beer we put on is worth it.” That hasn’t swayed Ernie’s inherent urge to still pull off “wild and crazy shit.”
Their current draft list represents a dichotomy, yet is complementary. It’s a well-balanced lineup, grounded in safe, gateway styles like their mainstay IPA, brown, stout, and Hefeweizen. Its other half is a trip, appropriately offset by plenty of “weird shit” for the curious. For those who crave the peculiar, chase after hybrids like their bourbon barrel-aged dark strong ale blended with a Flanders red, a bourbon barrel-aged barleywine with cocoa nibs and vanilla, and one of Ernie’s ever-rotating signature funky saisons or fruit-forward sours. GRBC’s barrel-aged portfolio is evolving, “almost to an impressively annoying level,” Ernie says, noticeable by the volume of barrels starting to squeeze the relatively modest space of their brewhouse.
There should always be room allowed to be playful and test people’s comfort zones. If nothing else, Ernie has been known to keep himself entertained by naming his beers, which can often be a little left of center. Earlier this summer, GRBC proudly released a flamboyant 5.7% sour with lactobacillus fermented with a tropical brett blend, “peached to the far depths of fantasy land,” known as… wait for it… Princess Peach Unicorn Fairy Glitter Sparkle Queen. For Ernie, “It’s a weird social experiment. Names will often change how you approach and perceive that [beer]. Sometimes, these names are designed to be challenge. If you can get over that, and enjoy it—actually appreciate the beer aside from it’s dumb name, then you know what—it’s gotten you out of your comfort zone, and creates a dialogue. I don’t want to get to the point where we’re taking things so seriously, where all we’re thinking is, ‘What can we name this beer to just make it sell the most?’. It’s much cooler when a grown-ass, white, heterosexual male, who can admit he sincerely loves the beer, has to verbally order a Princess Peach Unicorn Fairy Glitter Sparkle Queen.”
Being obnoxiously macho about beer isn’t the only thing that Ernie takes a swing at. “Too much of the cool craft beer world pretends to be aloof to our culture of extreme consumption patterns—that they’re too good to make, or drink, quality lagers and pilsners. When are people going to get worn out by everything having to be so over the top all the time, and just learn to be comfortable with simple and delicate?” He wants to help move the needle. He’d love to see Silver Foam, GRBC’s flagship 4.5% American lager (first brewed in 1893) available year round in cans (it’s currently only available on draft and in 22oz bottles) at a price point that helps contribute to taking a bite out of AB InBev’s market share. “There’s so much more to be said for brewing clean, subtle, laid-back beers that don’t feel obligated to be so intense. To me, it takes more skill to brew a beer like that than it is to just throw as much as you can at it.”
Part of chipping away at the absurdities of what’s considered acceptable is Ernie’s commentary on social media. Social Bot War Pawn, GRBC’s spin on an English Mild, was a subliminal message to everyone overly consumed by social media. “If you look at how people are influenced by it, you start to realize that, before they know it, they’ve become victims of being social media pawns. People will proliferate a story that suits their own internal narrative—essentially planting the seeds to influence others’ perceptions, which will then circle back to affect their own perspective on how they’ll approach a thing. It’s the same with beer. You can name a beer whatever you want to lure people expecting one thing, and then give them another.” For Ernie, he’d like that other thing to be an elevated experience with his beer around a deeper conversation about life.
And then the conversation got ethereal. Probably because I asked him about his thoughts on life after death. “I’m not that narcissistic to say that I think I’ll come back as a human. How are we any better than all the other possibilities? When you’re dead, you’re just dead. If anything, we go back into this vast pool of lifeforce, and we all become the same energy. People have a lot of comfort in believing in reincarnation or life after death, but I think that’s just masking our own fears and inadequacies because death sucks. Maybe we’re caterpillars, and death (or life) is really just our cocoon phase.” When Ernie dies, my money’s on—or, at least my hope is, that he comes back as a Princess Peach Unicorn Fairy Glitter Sparkle Queen, and we’ll all be lining up, very comfortable in our own skin, to order another stemless wine glass of him.
Photography: Steph Harding
November 9, 2017 /by Jason Ley
https://i2.wp.com/mittenbrew.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/GRBC_ernierichards-1.jpg?fit=1500%2C998&ssl=1 998 1500 Jason Ley https://mittenbrew.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/MittenBrewLogo.png Jason Ley2017-11-09 11:40:242018-08-17 12:38:14Ernie Richards: Grand Rapids Brewing Co.’s Sparkle Queen
GRBC: Changing Directions to Support Local
Features, Brewery Profiles, West
Established breweries that have survived the blood, sweat and tears faced by opening in a saturated market need to make a decision — stay the course, or make some changes. Grand Rapids Brewing Company chose to change its direction by no longer being a certified organic brewery as of 2015.
“We did that mostly so we could use more local products – that was the biggest thing…We want to support local business and use local ingredients,” said Jake Brenner, Head Brewer of Barfly Ventures – which owns GRBC, Hopcat, Stella’s Lounge and The Waldron Public House.
Holding the certification of “organic brewery” limited GRBC to acquiring ingredients that held the same certification, which in Michigan is very little. This prevented GRBC from getting ingredients from local farmers who are producing high quality but are not organic certified, such as Pilot Malt House and most of the local hop farms. Organic is important to Brenner, but he’s excited to have less restrictions on where he gets the ingredients for his beers.
“Now we can go to the farmers market on any given summer morning and pick up produce. It opens tons of doors,” said Brenner.
GRBC’s change in direction also inspired them to find unique ways to give back to those who support and work hard for GRBC. Something they have been doing for almost a year now is a staff concept beer. Once a month, a staff member gets to meet with the brewers to come up with a beer recipe, spend the day brewing the beer, and then name the beer. It is a great way to educate and involve the people working for the company that don’t spend their days down in the basement brewing daily.
Currently you can stop by the tap room and check out El GoseRita — the brain-child of the Kitchen Manager, Brendan. It is a German-style Gose with a margarita-like quality from being brewed with sea salt, limes and grapefruit.
The staff concept beer is just one of the ways you can familiarize yourself with GRBC’s rotating beer list. With GR Beer Week underway, GRBC will have another new beer on tap to celebrate, as well as a bottle release of the beer. This year they brewed, Polish Eagle, an Imperial Porter, and aged it Wild Turkey Barrels.
And, of course, the talk around town this week is this weekend’s Winter Beer Festival — and GRBC will definitely be in attendance. Bringing eight beers, all with an ABV over 8.2%, you’ll want to pace yourself if you swing by their booth. A couple to keep an eye out for are — Batch 300, a Russian Imperial Stout that will be making its first appearance at the festival, and Decadent Eagle, a sour Imperial Stout with cherries and when its gone, its gone.
February 23, 2016 /by Hazel Mae King
https://i2.wp.com/mittenbrew.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/GRBC-15.jpg?fit=1500%2C998&ssl=1 998 1500 Hazel Mae King https://mittenbrew.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/MittenBrewLogo.png Hazel Mae King2016-02-23 20:20:352016-03-11 12:08:50GRBC: Changing Directions to Support Local
Thousands flock to Winter Beer Fest weekend
Event Coverage, West
COMSTOCK PARK — The end of winter in Michigan means only one thing — Winter Beer Fest. Despite the coldest February on record (we checked), the additional organization required to shape the first ever two-day version of the event and brief issues with frozen tap lines, the 10th annual Michigan Brewers Guild Winter Beer Festival was one to remember.
Over 100 breweries from around Michigan descended on Fifth Third Ballpark on Friday and Saturday. Easily navigable rows of breweries were flanked by merchandise and tokens, food and an ample amount of porta johns (very important).
The flow of this year’s fest was wonderful, and even though it was packed with a sell-out crowd on Saturday, it never seemed like the lines were too long or any one tent too crowded. The Michigan Brewers Guild festival teams did an excellent job making sure everything moved smoothly in all aspects.
Navigating and visiting with all of our favorite breweries was almost impossible, but we did get the opportunity to talk to the good folks from many wonderful places across the state.
Brewery Vivant: Kate Avery, designated Abbess of Beer was on hand. She poured the brewery’s newly tapped ‘Sous Chef’ — a Red Wine Barrel Aged Belgian Inspired Strong Ale — essentially their popular ‘Escoffier’ base, but not aged on a brett yeast.
“This beer is super complex, and even despite the cold temperatures, you’re able to taste the bold flavors,” shared Avery.
Another popular favorite was the Wizard Burial Ground, a Bourbon Barrel Aged Quad that comes in at 10.4% ABV. Notes of vanilla and oak from the long cellaring are pleasantly present, and, lucky us, it’s now available in cans.
BarFly Ventures — Grand Rapids Brewing Company (GRBC) and HopCat: Grand Rapids staples, both HopCat and GRBC brought some award winners for the crowd. Distinguished Eagle from GRBC, which won a silver medal at the World Beer Cup, is a totally organic imperial stout, aged in Woodford Reserve barrels. Strong notes of vanilla, and cherry are readily assessable, and it was a tasty treat and a nice warm up on a cold (very cold) day.
Another award winner was HopCat’s Red Nymph, a Flanders Red with a nice slightly sour, tart cherry note.
Jake Brenner, Head Brewer for BarFly, said the pubs made sure to select tasty, high gravity beers to help keep everyone warm. The cold did present some problems though. “It’s been really laid back and a lot of fun, but one of the jockey boxes froze up Friday. So far, today everything is looking gorgeous.”
Northern United Brewing — Jolly Pumpkin and North Peak: Jolly Pumpkin always brings something unique to the table, and this year was no exception. Sour beers are its game, and some include its variety of Sasions — Sasion X, brewed with candied ginger, orange and lemon peel, and a blend of peppercorns was a standout — a nice citrusy, ginger flavor with that wild yeast, Jolly Pumpkin signature ‘funk’, we know and love.
North Peak brought a lot of signatures, and Maylem — a Midwest heavy/old ale from its Grizzly Peak Imperial Series. North Peak’s taproom will host this particular beer, aged in run barrels, soon, so that’s something to look forward to.
Folks in Detroit should also be on the look-out for a Jolly Pumpkin build-out sometime in April.
Newer breweries were showcasing its wears as well, and MittenBrew had the chance to visit three of the WBF newbies.
Railtown Brewing: This might be the newest of the new; this brewery in Caledonia opened its doors in December of 2014. Jim Lee, Co-Founder, let us explore the selection and gave us some insight in to what Railtown is all about.
“We brought a lot of our mainstays to show off what we do on a normal basis, along with some fun one-offs,” says Lee. “Our Citra Warrior (an imperial IPA) is very popular in our tap room right now. We are stylistic brewers, and don’t do a lot of heavy adjuncts — clean flavored, medium-style beers, nothing over the edge. We are definitely a small town brewery with a loyal local clientele, and that’s what we want to be.”
Pigeon Hill: Who doesn’t want to drink something called Wild Rumpus? A barrel aged Flanders Red, this beer has a wonderful complexity, fruit notes and sour notes have a great balance.
Chad Doane, co-owner and head brewer, let us in on Pigeon Hill’s philosophy.
“We want to make delicious beer. We keep it simple, but use that classic base and do something funky with it. Pigeon Hill is about community, and our pub has a coffee shop feel. The space is for adults and their families. We want it to be a place the community (of Muskegon) can come and hang out in.”
Other interesting riffs on classics include the Walter Goes to Bang Coq Blonde Ale, brewed with Thai chilies and lemongrass — a little heat, peppery bite and gingered spice.
Territorial Brewing: This very new, Battle Creek-centric German influenced brewery brought a lot of their staples to showcase at their first WBF. Nick Yuill, Brewer at Territorial, shared its Spedunkel, a traditional style Munich Dunkel and their Red Headed Rauchstar, a ginger Rauchbier — a little twist on the classic.
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The consensus by attendees? Great beer, all around, with IPAs and Imperial Stouts ruling the day.
Some standouts mentioned frequently included White Flame’s Black Flame, an Imperial Stout and perennial favorites by Kuhnhenn and Griffin Claw, so we had to visit a few of those booths too.
Griffin Claw Brewing Company: Its booth was hopping, so apparently word got around. Project Clementine seemed to be a favorite of the weekend — a double IPA with clementines added during the mash.
The Birmingham brewery plans to double in production in the next year, and also distribute state-wide.
Kuhnhenn Brewing Company: “It’s amazing,” says Eric Kuhnhenn, co-owner. “For being so cold out and this many people attending. There’s over a thousand different beers here, the camaraderie — it’s great.”
Kuhnhenn likes to do a lot of aged beers, and brings at least one every year to WBF. This time, it was a Russian Imperial Stout.
“It’s a big robust stout aged on bourbon barrels for almost a year,” explains Eric.
The Crème Brule Java Stout was also well received by many people we talked to. Kuhnhenn tends towards the higher ABV, and Eric shares why. “We found out we could get more complexity, more flavors, this way.”
Kuhnhenn wants to put in the time, the effort, to take the old stylistic types of beer and take it one step further. Recall its ever-popular Raspberry Eisbock?
If you weren’t able to attend this year, we leave you with the words of Brad and Kevin — home brewers and frequent festival attendees.
“This is the first year that we came in with an Enthusiast membership pass. We were always jealously looking at the people who got in early. Everyone should do that, you have time to get in and don’t feel rushed.”
Other, timely advice: “Get your ticket as early as you can. Dress warm. You can never have enough clothes on, and, of course, wear shoes that don’t get wet! If you are coming from out of town, book your hotel in advanced and stay safe — arrange for transportation to get you here.”
Despite the cold and ever pervasive Michigan wild winters, the WBF continues to be one of the most well attended. Perhaps Vivant’s Kate Avery best sums up the popularity of the event: “The Michigan Beer Scene conquers all.”
March 2, 2015 /by Tiffany Ewigleben
https://i0.wp.com/mittenbrew.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/DSC2522.jpg?fit=2500%2C1668&ssl=1 1668 2500 Tiffany Ewigleben https://mittenbrew.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/MittenBrewLogo.png Tiffany Ewigleben2015-03-02 09:06:082015-03-16 13:58:30Thousands flock to Winter Beer Fest weekend
GRBC celebrates second anniversary with bottle releases
The Sparge
On Saturday, crisp, chilly weather didn’t keep fans away from Grand Rapids Brewing Co.’s 2nd Anniversary Party.
The line of people stretched down Ionia Avenue nearing HopCat before the 11 a.m. opening, with many rushing toward the back bar to buy the limited run of bottling for the brewery’s Polish Eagle and the Philanthropist.
The bourbon barrel aged imperial porter and barleywine barrels went for $15 each, with just 150 bottles available of each. Staff expected the bottles to last well into the afternoon, however many of the first patrons in the door took liberty and bought the maximum of two bottles of each.
Also on tap were last year’s Philanthropist and an amped-up version of the brewery’s Rosalynn Bliss Blonde called Empress Bliss.
A full taproom also took advantage of a $15 brunch buffet and a $2 Bloody Mary bar.
December 8, 2014 /by Pat Evans
https://i0.wp.com/mittenbrew.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/DSC_6340.jpg?fit=2500%2C1664&ssl=1 1664 2500 Pat Evans https://mittenbrew.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/MittenBrewLogo.png Pat Evans2014-12-08 14:00:572014-12-08 22:17:51GRBC celebrates second anniversary with bottle releases
A grand old time: GRBC celebrates first birthday
GRAND RAPIDS — You know it’s a good party when the host calls the ambulance ahead of time.
A healthy crowd, which included two paramedics, gathered for a lively anniversary celebration at the Grand Rapids Brewing Company on Saturday. Thankfully, no one was harmed during the main event — a bratwurst-eating contest — and the medical personnel merely watched from the sidelines.
It’s been one year since the downtown brewpub opened its doors and resuscitated one of Grand Rapids’ oldest brands. In a city full of breweries, GRBC has made itself a landmark as Michigan’s first and only certified organic brewery and also the state’s top-producing brewpub.
Few would be surprised at its success. Its owner, Barfly Ventures founder Mark Sellers, seems to have the midas touch when it comes to beer venues. (Think HopCat, and also the other HopCat.)
Nevertheless, the first year wasn’t easy. All-organic brewing is hard, and, well, nobody around had done it before.
“I was a little bit skeptical at first,” confessed Jake Brenner, GRBC’s Head Brewer. “Initially it’s limiting,” he explained.
It was a challenge to find a wide enough variety of organic malts and hops, and the brewery has to mill its own grain to keep it free from contact with non-organic grains.
All those hurdles make Brenner especially proud of both the quantity and the quality of beer GRBC has produced. In just one year the brewery has served 50 different brews; 15 of which won medals at the World Beer Championship, — five being gold medals.
The pride that goes into each beer is evident in its name as well at its taste. Brenner names each beer after a notable Grand Rapids person, place or thing (the Fishladder, for instance, or the Senator Lyons Stout). “I’ve really had to steep myself in Grand Rapids history,” he said.
The name he likes best belongs to the special edition anniversary release, The Philanthropist. It’s a heavyweight, bourbon-aged barleywine named in homage to all the generous benefactors in Grand Rapids’ history. And it’s a name that has a special, personal meaning for Brenner: Just after he brewed the beer, his daughter was born prematurely and spent weeks in the NICU at the Helen DeVos Children’s hospital ± a landmark to Grand Rapids philanthropy.
“The philanthropists,” said Brenner, “kept this city alive.” They kept it alive long enough to bring back one of the city’s icons from the dead. And this time, it looks like the Grand Rapids Brewing Company is here to stay.
In addition to the Philanthropist, GRBC had four other barrel-aged beers on tap for their celebration. They were powerful — most at or over 10% ABV — and they were rich.
The Philanthropist was essentially the bourbon version of beer. It had three flavors: Caramel, malt and alcohol. And it was damn good.
The Polish Eagle, a bourbon-aged imperial porter, was essentially a hazy Christmas in a tulip glass.
Its cousin, the Distinguished Eagle, was a stout (imperial of course) aged in vanilla, cherry bitters and sorghum bourbon barrels. It had a deceptively pleasant vanilla scent and a bite so sharp it was hard not to sneeze after every sip.
December 16, 2013 /4 Comments/by Philip Zoutendam
https://i2.wp.com/mittenbrew.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/IMG_3277.jpg?fit=2000%2C1333&ssl=1 1333 2000 Philip Zoutendam https://mittenbrew.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/MittenBrewLogo.png Philip Zoutendam2013-12-16 10:00:422014-07-09 23:38:48A grand old time: GRBC celebrates first birthday
Grand Rapids Brewing to open downtown
GRAND RAPIDS – A storied name in the city’s brewing history will return to downtown by late summer when Grand Rapids Brewing Company (GRBC) opens next door to the Van Andel Arena.
BarFly Ventures, owned by Mark and Michele Sellers, announced the brewpub will be the ground floor anchor tenant inside the historic Hawkins and Gunn Company buildings, 1 and 7 Ionia Ave. SW.
BarFly owns some of downtown’s best-known bars, including HopCat, Stella’s Lounge, The Viceroy and McFadden’s.
“Grand Rapids Brewing Co. will be a casual, family gathering place creating approximately 60 new jobs in the heart of our city,” Mark Sellers said. “This will be a great spot to grab dinner and some homemade beer before and after events at the arena. We envision it becoming a popular spot for watching a game with friends and family members.”
The brewpub will be open seven days for lunch and dinner, employing 60 people in a variety of jobs ranging from managers and brewmasters to servers and bartenders.
The new GRBC will offer a unique food menu, 8-10 of its own house-made beers and soft drinks. A selection of liquor, wine, and hard cider will also be available.
The original GRBC, once located at the corner of Michigan Street and Ottawa Avenue, closed on April 26, 1918 due to the Prohibition Act. It was once a dominant player in the regional beer market thanks to the popularity of its famous Silver Foam beer. BarFly plans to pay homage to the original Grand Rapids Brewing Co. with a new formulation of Silver Foam.
BarFly purchased the assets of a second incarnation of GRBC after it closed last year on 28th Street. Much of the new GRBC’s brewing equipment will come from that location. Members of the 28th Street GRBC Mug Club at the time it closed also will be given a free year’s membership in the new GRBC Mug Club.
BarFly plans to invest more than $1.5 million to renovate and combine what are currently separate store fronts in the Hawkins and Gunn buildings into a 10,000-square-foot space capable of seating up to 450 customers. An event space in the lower level will be able to accommodate parties of up to 100 people.
The western side of the building facing Van Andel Arena and a historic brick-paved alley will bring excitement and visual appeal by opening up what had been loading dock doors. BarFly plans to install a deck for open-air seating and, during summer months, will open the three large garage doors facing VanAndel Arena.
“This location is the corner of ‘Main and Main’ of the city’s entertainment district, and I couldn’t be more excited about locating GRBC here” Mark Sellers said. “We are excited to create another unique, locally owned anchor to what we think is becoming one of the most interesting entertainment districts in the Midwest.”
GRBC will occupy most of the ground floors of both buildings. It will be an integral part of the $7.5 million 616 Lofts on Ionia mixed-use project announced last week. That project will put 26 market-rate apartments on the upper three floors of the buildings and offices on the second floor.
March 8, 2012 /by MittenBrew
https://mittenbrew.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/MittenBrewLogo.png 0 0 MittenBrew https://mittenbrew.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/MittenBrewLogo.png MittenBrew2012-03-08 09:40:222014-07-09 23:41:02Grand Rapids Brewing to open downtown
Copyright © 2019 MittenBrew. All rights reserved. Site by CurlyHost.
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Thor Ragnarok on Blu-Ray and DVD
From the comfort of your couch, you can watch the third Asgardian adventure, starring Chris Hemsworth as Thor in 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD versions of Thor Ragnarok, directed by Taika Waititi.
I love the humor of superhero movies. Thor of Ragnarok keep the laughs rolling without losing the storyline.
Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is worried, Odin reveals to his sons, Thor and Loki, that they have an elder sister, Hela, the queen of death. His sister Hela (Cate Blanchett) is determined to conquer the Nine Realms and rule with an iron fist. Then there’s the brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) who is always creating trouble.
While worrying, Thor is sidetracked by a leader of another realm named the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum). Eager to pit him against the biggest, baddest dude around, we meet Hulk (Mark Ruffalo).
Thor and Hulk remain friends and begin the battle to get Asgard back in good light. It’s no easy task with Skurge (Karl Urban), a man doing Hela’s bidding, and Dad (Anthony Hopkins). It’s epic chaos!
Residents of Asgard are given a theatrical version of the whole Thor/Loki story. It is a playful, fun part of the movie.
Waititi is known for his humor. He doesn’t miss here with the over-the-top props like Hela’s antler rack and Loki’s shift and the music of Led Zeppelin to light the fire.
Those who love Thor’s golden locks should take note; he gets a haircut. Perhaps it’s catastrophic!
There is plenty of action in Thor Ragnarok with catapults, spins, and the ongoing scavenger hunt of where Thor lost his hammer. The action is all sprinkled with comedy making it an edge of the seat film scene after scene.
The Hulk/Thor friendship introduces new characters and is definitely #FriendshipGoals.
As fans of the Marvel Universe, we have enjoyed the success of the Iron Man Franchise, Captain America and the stand-alone. Thor hasn’t really stood out beyond the muscleman with his hammer. I think Thor Ragnarok changes that image, though it does seem to borrow from Guardians of the Galaxy, and makes him an Avenger most likely to succeed.
Filed Under: Disney Pixar, Movies Tagged With: THOR: RAGNAROK
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Eurozone life span
“Offensive Charm”, Alexis? OR, Zorba Dancing with the United Euro Europe?
“A charm offensive by Greece’s prime minister this week calmed bruised relations with Germany” wrote Hélène Colliopoulou on AFP the day after the crucial, for Greece’s future and present, Tsipras-Merkel tet à tet.
The Premier Dance first day of Greek elections
The classic Zorbas on his classic movie dance
“A deal is strongly believed to be taking place” by New Europe, pictured as such five days after election
“We saw them dancing” the promo of the Bruussels Radio
more of this gallery and the Zorbas the Greeks on our Special edition, so Greek me !
Indeed, kind of the “dance” semantics between the German leader and the new elected Greek leader arose since the first days of Alexis Tsipras election.
With no irony, political cartoonists of the Western world envisioned a dance behind the poor-and- the strong relationship in which Greece was positioned towards Germany during the “bloody” five years of austerity. The young empathetic leader even though he is far more demanding from the Greece’s part, he reveals, as it comes out, other codes in the eyes of the world and its opinion makers .
It is the code of the human nature of politics to be humanitarian, we could guess, since the huge effort of Alexis Tsipras’ first two months was to make Germany and Europe aknowledge there is a humanitarian crisis iin Greece.
But when we are dealing with a Crisis in a society, first thing its leaders are oblidged to do is to assess the extension of the damage, and the sooner possible adress the best possible plan to to rescue this society in the best manageable way . Exactly this is our problem. Europe seems to have no idea of Crisis management , or at least Crisis Response.
For the moment speaking, Europe barely responds to the human need of the Greek specie, totally aknowledges that we are talking with victims of a crisis whom the crisis is not at all their fault, and finally barely shows a human response.
This might turn to a nightmarish dance with Greece for Germany and the Eurozone, but it will be a humanizing dance .
“Our common part of the two countries’ history in Europe’s past has been paid by “blood”, Tsipras underlined. Looking to the future of United Europe, which Angela Merkel kept emphatically mentioning during the press conference of the two, Tsipras said “Our common European future could merely be based on solidarity.”
Looks like a dance posture, or a call of dance, isn;t it? But what is it about ” Syrtaki” that suddenly pops up on the semiology of such a critical decision Europe has to take in this point of its modern history? Eurozone, not Europe precisely , the united Europen face which is based on “our common financial present, and future.”
In the mind of all Greeks and anybody who has experienced the Greek life of the past five years, on place, Greece, the suffering status in which Greek people are obliged to be, in the name of the “United Euro Europe”, is unbearable enough, to make it seem a point of no return . On such circumstances, ususally, on point of no return”, the Greek psychosynthesis, indeed, gets in a …dancing mood! We can assure that, experientially
Indeed, the attitude of the Greeks is now very similar to that of Alexis Zorbas wrote New Europe in the first moth of the new government election, who was happily dancing while watching his house burning. When he was asked why he was so happy, dancing while his house was in flames, he said, “I have never seen such a catastrophe in my life.”
In less than a month, after five years of extended misery looming all over the country, Greeks, all Greeks regardless of how they have voted in the January 25 election, changed attitude and swiftly became Zorbases.
Even though the premier dance of Alexis Tsipras with Angela Merckel was soughted by “charm”, as the AFP names it, Eurogroup two days after denied even the 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion) which was unduly handed back last month by Greece to the European Union’s rescue fund
Greece’s government last month was obliged to return to the EFSF 10.9 billion euros that remained unused in a rescue fund created for the recapitalisation of Greek banks.
However, the new hard-left leaders later realised that the previous conservative-socialist government had used 1.2 billion euros to support the banks from another source, the Hellenic stability fund.
Speaking to Dutch station RTL Z, before todays’ Eurozone meeting that denied returning the fund to Greece, the leader of the eurozone’s finance ministers,Dijsselbloem said that for the time being Greece was “still able to finance itself”.
Jeroen Dijsselbloem, also said technical talks on Athens’ reforms were “flowing again” after an unimpressive start, while expressing hope for a deal by the end of the week.
“A communication channel has been restored between the German Chancellor and the Prime Minister” Gabriel Sakellaridis, the Greek governement spokesman said after the Tsipras Merkel meeting in Berlin, adding that “they found the common reference points in relation to the reform program of Greece”.
Let’s see it half full, common steps are the step A for a dance to keep going …..
March 26, 2015 Greek2m 1.2 BILLIONS FOR GREECE, Alexis Tsipras, Athens, austerity, dance, Democracy, EURO, Europe, EUROPEAN COMMON FUTURE, EUROPEAN FUND, Eurozone life span, SAKELLARIDIS, ZORBA THE GREEK Leave a comment
How could you translate Greek Humans in Need ? You created a monster, Europe, that ate the “86% of the flesh of the poor”. Here are the numbers
How do you capture the humanitarian crisis in numbers?
Add, may be together the suicides (more than 4,000 since beginning of the crisis),count the many soup kitchens and charity clinics, pharmacies and municipality grocery shops for the poor, determine the number of homeless and the number of households without electricity due to outstanding debts to the power company? Or may be take into account the families living on borrowed money and the ones sought shelter in family’s and relatives homes because they cannot afford to pay rent?
Should all debtors in despair come out and raise hands, wrote Keep talking Greece in February, while Alexis Tsipras government was desperately trying to presuade Eurozone Leaders, that such a Crisis does exist (!) as the most tragic Emergency on Humanitarian meanings of today’s western world.
But the most shocking part of all, is the non-humanitarian , ugly capitalistic result of this crisis, where, according to German official research, is the burden to the poor, the low-incomers, the low-pensioners and even the jobless appears proved to be over-proportional when compared to the economically better society classes.
This is the result of the German Institute for Macroeconomic Research (IMK)- affiliated with the Hans Böckler Foundation-, that has analyzed 260.000 tax and income data from the years 2008 – 2012.
According to the study
. The poorest households in the debt-ridden country lost nearly 86% of their income, while the richest lost only 17-20%.
The tax burden on the poor increased by 337% while the burden on upper-income classes increased by only 9%
The study that has analyzed 260.000 tax and income data from the years 2008 – 2012, and still has left out of the study the poisonous years of Mr. Samaras governance, where life was made impossible for more and moremiddle class and low incomers, who often have decided ,due to despair , to give their life an end.
– The nominal gross income of Greek households decreased by almost a quarter in only four years.
– The wages cuts caused nearly half of the decline.
– The net income fell further by almost 9 percent, because the tax burden was significantly increased
– While all social classes suffered income losses due to cuts, tax increases and the economic crisis, particularly strongly affected were households of low- and middle-income. This was due to sharp increase in unemployment and tax increases, that were partially regressive.
– The total number of employees in the private sector suffered significantly greater loss of income, and they were more likely to be unemployed than those employed in the public sector.
-From 2009 to 2013 wages and salaries in the private sector declined in several stages at around 19 percent. Among other things, because the minimum wage was lowered and collective bargaining structures were weakened. Employees in the public sector lost around a quarter of their income.
-The extent of the wages cuts were grossly overstated – at least ten percentage points, the study researchers estimate.
Unemployment & Early Retirement
Unemployment surged from 7.3% in the Q2 2008 to 26.6% in the Q2 2014. among youth aged 15-24, unemployment had an average of 44%.
Early retirement in the Private Sector increased by 14%.
Early retirement in the Public Sector* increased by 48%
The researchers see here a clear link to the austerity policy, that’s is the Greek government managed to fulfill the Troika requirements for smaller public sector. However, this trend caused a burden to the social security funds.
Taxes were greatly increased, but they had a regressive effect.
Since beginning of the austerity, direct taxes increased by nearly 53%, while indirect taxes increased by 22 percent.
The taxation policy has indeed contributed significantly to the consolidation of the public budget, but by doing so the social imbalance was magnified.
Little has been done against tax avoidance and tax evasion, however, the tax base was actually extended “downwards” with the effect that households with low-income and assets were strongly burdened.
Particularly poorer households paid disproportionately more in taxes and the tax burden to lower-income rose by 337%. In comparison, the tax burden to upper-income households rose by only 9%.
The Poor suffered more
The losses were significantly different to each income class with the poorest households to have suffered the biggest losses.
Almost one in three Greek household had to make it through 2012 with an annual income below €7,000.
Income losses 2008-2012
1. Class: i.e. 10% of Greek total: households that have lowest income: loss 86%
2. and 3. class: loss between 51% and 31%
4. – 7. class: households with higher income: loss between 25% and 18%
8. Class: 30% of Greek total: households with the highest income: loss between 20% and 17%.
On average, the annual income of Greek households before taxes fell from €23,100 euros in 2008 to just below €17,900 euros in 2012. This represents a loss of nearly 23 percent.
Find the full Study in English (143 pages) in pdf here
March 22, 2015 Greek2m austerity, austrity poor Greece, Democracy, despair Greece, Europe, Eurozone life span, Freedom of Press, humanitarian, Humns in need, IMK GERMANY, income decrease Greece, low income, Macroeconomic research Greece, misery Greece, poor became poorer, rich became richer, suicides, taxes, unemployment Leave a comment
Sorry Greeks! This is your drugs: Unknown, cheap and uncontrolled
Greeks sorry,
the haircut on your drugs
Troika has determined the life cost and the life span for the Greeks fatally for the lives they are left to live , despite the lost insuranes they have worked and paid for during their whole life till now…
Indeed, the new law imposed to the greek patient’s luck by the government switches the pharmaceutical therapies to a “risky pool” of multiple unknown generics imported in Greece, also from the third world, and transforms drug safety in the country to a russian roulette for the survival of the citizen, 24/7…!
The President of the Association of Pharmaceutical Companies asks politicians, TROIKA, and the authorities for some empathy to show on the “whirlwind” of Greece;s genocity, while he a reveals in numbers how cynical the European decision making has become, for Greeks’ life real time …
NEW ! UPDATED FULL STORY ON DRUGS, GENERICS AND “THE PARTIES” IN GREECE
UNKNOWN FROM NOW ON, THE DANGER OF SITE EFFECTS OR DRUG INTERACTIONS FROM THE UNCONTROLLED, CHEAP GENERICS IN THE GREEK HOSPITALS moodhacker, Novemeber 30, Greek to me !
Sorry Greeks! This is your drugs: Unknown, cheap and uncontrolled.
https://www.youtube.com/timedtext?smsg=2&tab=act&action_view=1&v=Pf2VdV6EPVM
December 1, 2013 Greek2m Adonis Georgiadis, Association of Pharmaceutical companies SFEE, drug cost cut, drug safety Greece drug safety controls, Eastern European, EOF, Eurozone life span, generics, generics counterfeit, Greece, Greece Health Care, greek hospital, Greek to me !, grenerics India Pakistan Bagladesh, Konstantinos Frouzis, National Drug Organisation, Pharmaceutical companies Greece, pharmaceutical cost, pharmaceutical cost per capita, SYRIZA, Travel Health Leave a comment
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Opposition gears up to confront govt
Bilawal, Shehbaz Sharif separately meet JUI-F chief Vow to stop passage of budget, APC to devise future strategy this month PPP seeks Zardari’s production order, Opp will not allow government to pass the ‘anti-people’ budget. It has been agreed that future decisions will be taken at the APC,” says Bilawal
SHAFQAT ALI
ISLAMABAD - Opposition parties Monday geared up to confront the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led government amid heightened political temperature in the capital.
First Pakistan People’s Party chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari met Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman and later Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) President Shehbaz Sharif visited the JUI-F supremo at his residence.
The main opposition parties have agreed that an All Parties Conference – to be hosted by the JUI-F – will decide the future course of action in the coming days.
Over the weekend, Bilawal also met PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz and discussed anti-government campaign. The PPP chief had travelled to Lahore on the invitation of Maryam for the meeting.
Speaking at a news conference after the meeting with Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Bilawal said the opposition will not allow the government to pass the ‘anti-people’ budget. “It has been agreed that future decisions will be taken at the APC,” he said.
READ MORE: Opposition’s agitation lacks public support: Firdous
The PPP chief said that the people had rejected the budget allegedly dictated by the International Monetary Fund.
To a question, the PPP leader said the parliament must complete its five-year term. He said the PPP and the JUI-F had struggled together in the past and will continue cooperation.
“These two parties cooperated to give a constitution to the country. We are two separate parties with different ideologies but have worked together in the past [also],” he added.
Fazlur Rehman said the government had presented an ‘anti-state’ budget which should not be allowed to pass. “The IMF representative dictated the budget while sitting in Islamabad,” he maintained.
READ MORE: Dawood invites European investors to benefit opportunities in Pakistan
He said the APC will be called in the last 10 days of June and important decisions will be taken.
The JUI-F chief said the government had failed to control inflation. “We have agreed that all decisions of the APC will be implemented. We cannot allow this trend to continue. The dollar rate has crossed all limits. New records are set every day,” he contended.
Later in the day, Shehbaz Sharif held a meeting with Maulana Fazlur Rehman. The parties said the two leaders discussed “current political situation and devised future strategy.”
The PML-N said an agenda of the proposed APC, the budget 2019-20 and consultation with other opposition parties came under discussion. Key PML-N leaders also accompanied Shehbaz Sharif.
READ MORE: Sri Lanka ready to play Test match in Pakistan
Earlier, speaking at a news conference, PPP leaders Senator Sherry Rehman, Khurshid Shah, Raja Pervez Ashraf demanded of Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaisar to issue production orders for Zardari.
Sherry Rehman said there was no need to seek opinion from the law ministry or any department on the production orders.
“There are clear rules and Speaker can issue the production orders. The budget session is an important session and the members should not be forced to stay away,” she said, adding Rule 90 empowered the Speaker to issue production orders.
Khurshid Shah said Prime Minister Imran Khan was not ready to accept the supremacy of the parliament.
READ MORE: National exchequer to be spent only for public welfare: Buzdar
“The Speaker is under pressure and he has even indicated he is being pressurised. This is the first time we are witnessing such a situation. Even Chaudhry Amir Hussain was not so weak. The PM is still on the container,” he remarked.
Raja Pervez Ashraf said Zardari was being detained near the parliament but being denied a chance to take part in the proceedings.
“The government is scared of the counting process during the budget session. The parliamentary traditions are being bulldozed,” he added.
Separately, PPP Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar said that the government had been totally exposed and its claim that the police has been made apolitical has proved to be false.
READ MORE: ICJ to announce decision on Jadhav case today
In a statement, Khokhar, the spokesman to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, said that Imran Khan was using police to crush political opponents and acting as a dictator.
Senator Khokhar said that he will not compromise on his political philosophy and principles despite all government’s ‘dictatorial’ acts.
Yesterday, the Islamabad High Court sought National Accountability Bureau’s reply in a petition seeking Zardari’s pre-arrest bail in the Park Lane case.
Zardari is already in NAB custody in the fake accounts and money laundering case. His arrest warrants for the Park Lane case have not been issued yet.
READ MORE: Ditching the Dollar: how Yuan could boost its global status amid US-China trade war
During the hearing, the court was asked to issue a production order for Zardari. His lawyer, Farooq H Naek, told the court that in a bail petition, it is vital for the petitioner to be present. Zardari’s physical remand expires on June 21, after which either NAB or the jail authorities will bring him to court.
Govt strikes out at opposition
Venezuela govt, opposition agree to pursue crisis talks
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Govt to recover billions squandered by ex-rulers
I THINK WE SHOULD LEAVE CRICKET AND GO FOR "CHILLA" COACH
Muhammad Murtaza Noor
Higher education challenges in South Asia
Siraj M. Shawa
The threat of climate change
Prof. Hasan Abbas Zaheer
Blood safety - Globally and in Pakistan
Water Shares
PCB’s Pitiful Show
Women In Prisons
The need for education policy
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Home Lifestyle Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is running out of lightsabers, kyber crystals and droid parts, but there’s still plenty of souvenirs to bring home from Batuu
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is running out of lightsabers, kyber crystals and droid parts, but there’s still plenty of souvenirs to bring home from Batuu
Reported by CNBC:
Richard Harbaugh | Disney Parks
The shelves at Disney’s new theme park land Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in California aren’t bare, but there are a few items you won’t be able to get your hands on right away.
The Black Spire Outpost on the planet Batuu is a mecca for Star Wars fans. Here fans can immerse themselves in the Star Wars universe by building their own lightsabers and droids, sipping on some blue milk and aligning themselves with the Resistance or the First Order.
Part of the appeal of this immersive new land is the merchandise that parkgoers can take home. These items are exclusive to the shops in the park and, therefore, are highly sought after. However, toys, trinkets and collectibles are selling out fast and may not be in stock for a while.
Fans have been vocal on Twitter about what has been out of stock in different areas of the park.
Kyber crystals, the power source for custom lightsabers, that are sold in canisters have completely sold out. Currently, individual blue and red crystals are still available when parkgoers purchase a Sith or Jedi holocrons, information storage devices that react to the different colored kyber crystals by lighting up and producing distinct sounds and pieces of character dialogue from the franchise.
Kyber crystals are also still available for the custom lightsaber building experience at Savi’s Workshop. Now that the park is open to the public without reservations, visitors must book a time to get into Savi’s and pay a deposit of $199.99, the full cost of the experience, which is forfeited if customers don’t show up for their time slot.
Out-of-stock droid parts
While Savi’s experience is not being interrupted by sold out inventory, the Droid Depot experience is. According to fans and a Disney cast member, who works in the park and asked not to be identified, one of the R2 unit heads (black and clear) is currently not available and neither are the droid personality chips. The droid building experience starts at $99.99 and no reservation is needed to participate.
Other unavailable items include legacy lightsabers, screen accurate replicas of lightsabers seen in the Star Wars films and TV shows. According to the park employee, the Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Rey, Mace Windu and Darth Vader sabers are currently out of stock. Several Twitter users said the Ahsoka Tano sabers were also sold out, however CNBC was unable to confirm this.
“In character, I like to blame Hondo Ohnaka for being late on his shipments,” the Disney employee said. Hondo is a character from the animated Star Wars series “Clone Wars” and “Rebels.” He is a space pirate and smuggler that has a large presence in Galaxy’s Edge.
Loth-cats, plush toy creatures, Sabacc cards, a card game featured in the franchise, and Han Solo’s lucky dice are also among items not available at the park currently.
While Disney declined to comment on when certain inventory would be available in the Black Spire market, a company spokeswoman told CNBC, “There are a handful of items we are working diligently to restock.”
Some fans may be disappointed that certain items aren’t available, but there are still plenty of goods to pick up while visiting Batuu. In preparing to open Galaxy’s Edge, Disney created nearly 2,000 items from lightsabers and Jedi robes to plush toys and jewelry.
“The merchandise has been extremely popular and we do have a huge assortment of items available in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge,” the spokeswoman said.
Pilfered menus and sporks on Ebay
For those desperate to get their hands on some of the sold out merchandise, eBay might be their best bet. The online auction site has hundreds of listings for items from Galaxy’s Edge — including some items that were never meant to leave the park.
Kowakian Lizard-Monkey toys, Oga’s Cantina Rancor Beer Flight Board and Blue Milk cups can all be bought if you are willing to shell out a few hundred dollars.
Then there are the contraband items. Galaxy’s Edge has had to adapt to the number of thefts that have occurred in the park since its opening. Fans have been pilfering menus and metal sporks from the cantina either to keep for themselves or to resell online. Disney has had to dole out plastic forks to replace the sporks at the restaurant.
Additionally, ride cards from Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run have also been found on secondary market sites. These cards are handed out to riders to explain the rules of the ride and guide them to their posts in the ship. Riders are supposed to hand these over to staff, but many have pocketed them to take home.
Representatives were not immediately available to answer follow-up questions about this matter.
Source:CNBC
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Obama Caught Telling a Huge Lie During Nevada Rally
Former president caught lying during his speech at Monday's rally
By: Jay Greenberg |@NeonNettle
on 24th October 2018 @ 12.00am
© press
Obama was caught telling a massive whopper during his Monday night rally
As former President Obama heads out to drum up for much-needed support for the Democrats, he reminded the US why America needs Trump during his rally in Nevada on Monday.
As President Trump packed-out a stadium full of 100,000 supporters in Texas, Obama told his audience - that was dwarfed in comparison with only a quarter of the numbers - one of the most patronizing, and pretentious lies ever to be uttered by a politician.
Obama actually said this to his herd of loyal supporters:
"Unlike some, I actually try to state facts.
"I believe in facts.
"I believe in a fact-based reality and a fact-based politics.
"I don't believe in just making stuff up."
Obama: "Unlike some I actually try to state facts. I believe in facts. I believe in a fact based reality and a fact based politics. I don't believe in just making stuff up."
— Jennifer Epstein (@jeneps) October 22, 2018
This astonishing statement flies in the face of that stubborn thing called the truth.
Obama has told some whoppers in his time
According to the Daily Wire, here are just a few of the times Obama has wrought havoc with the truth as he sold (and sells) his bill of goods to America:
1. Rated the “Lie of the Year” by left-wing Politifact, Obama said, "If you like your health care plan, you can keep it.”
Politifact noted in 2013, “So this fall, as cancellation letters were going out to approximately 4 million Americans, the public realized Obama’s breezy assurances were wrong. Boiling down the complicated health care law to a soundbite proved treacherous, even for its promoter-in-chief. Obama and his team made matters worse, suggesting they had been misunderstood all along.”
2. Obama said this year about his administration: “We didn’t have a scandal that embarrassed us.”
Oh, really? He conveniently forgot the IRS scandal, the Benghazi scandal, the Fast and Furious Scandal, letting Hezbollah funnel cocaine into the United States, and secretly wiretapping AP reporters.
3. Obama asserted in 2013 vis-à-vis the Benghazi scandal, “The day after it happened, I acknowledged that this was an act of terrorism.”
Nope. Obama repeatedly described it as “an act of terror,” but never mentioned the word terrorism, possibly because he didn’t want to damage his 2012 campaign theme that the U.S. had terrorists beaten.
Obama studiously avoided calling the Benghazi massacre an act of terrorism
In fact, the day after the attack in Benghazi, here was his conversation with Steve Kroft of CBS News in which he studiously avoided calling the Benghazi massacre an act of terrorism:
Kroft: “Mr. President, this morning you went out of your way to avoid the use of the word ‘terrorism’ in connection with the Libya attack.”
Obama: “Right.”
Kroft: “Do you believe that this was a terrorist attack?”
Obama: “Well, it’s too early to know exactly how this came about, what group was involved, but obviously it was an attack on Americans. And we are going to be working with the Libyan government to make sure that we bring these folks to justice, one way or the other.”
Eight days later, Obama was asked this question at Univision town hall: “We have reports that the White House said today that the attacks in Libya were a terrorist attack.
"Do you have information indicating that it was Iran, or al-Qaeda was behind organizing the protests?”
Obama answered, “Well, we’re still doing an investigation, and there are going to be different circumstances in different countries.
"And so I don’t want to speak to something until we have all the information.
"What we do know is that the natural protests that arose because of the outrage over the video were used as an excuse by extremists to see if they can also directly harm U.S. interests.”
Five days after that, on ABC’s “The View," Obama was asked, “It was reported that people just went crazy and wild because of this anti-Muslim movie — or anti-Muhammad, I guess, movie.
"But then I heard Hillary Clinton say that it was an act of terrorism. Is it? What do you say?”
Obama answered, “We are still doing an investigation.
"There is no doubt that the kind of weapons that were used, the ongoing assault, that it wasn’t just a mob action.
"Now, we don’t have all the information yet so we are still gathering.”
Obama believes in facts, all right. His facts.
tags: Obama | Donald Trump
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“Dishonor on you! Dishonor on your cow!” A Review of Dishonored
By Kelsey October 13, 2012 Arkane Studios Bethesda Softworks dishonored Entertainment Review video games Xbox 360
I had never played a stealth game before I started Dishonored on Tuesday. My experience with being stealthy was leveling up the sneak skill tree in Skyrim and hiding in plain sight from enemies, so I had some learning to do. Luckily, the first few missions of this game will teach you quickly, and you will be leaping from rooftops and abducting government officials in no time!
Or maybe just getting shot off of bridges by angry guards.
Anyway…Dishonored. I’m sure you’ve all probably read the other reviews and know how awesome it is by now and they are totally right – it is totally awesome. I want to play through it again right now and try to be better at stealth and NOT killing people.
So, let’s talk about the actual game, eh?
The environment and setting are amazing. Dunwall is kind of like an alternate-industrial-era London, with some steampunk elements thrown in for good measure. And there is so much space and so many routes to take to your end goal that you end up wishing you had time to try all of them and see which works best. I found myself being extremely smug when I “blinked” (your short distance teleportation power) onto something that seemed impossible or did something super cool, like rewiring a guard tower to shoot all the guards for me.
It’s just so damn fun and satisfying.
That’s really what kept me going when I would die and have to load a save game: the fact that, once I accomplished whatever it was that I kept dying for, it was going to feel sooooo gooood.
The game uses vertical space incredibly well, both above and underground. You’ll definitely want to make sure you do some exploring while you’re in the area though, because it’s not an open world. You go to an area for a mission or two, and that’s all the time you have there. You can replay missions, but I’m pretty sure there is no way to ask Samuel the Boatman (your chauffeur, if you will) to take you back to an area once you’ve completed it. Which is a shame, because most of the areas are worth going back to several times. I particularly loved the design of the Flooded District.
As far as powers go, there are not a lot to worry about. You get Blink automatically, and really it’s the most useful and entertaining power you can acquire. I seriously find myself looking at buildings and overhangs and thinking about how I could blink onto them and then climb up.
It’s a problem.
Anyway, definitely upgrade Blink as soon as you can.
Upgrades are bought with “runes,” which are talismans carved out of whale bone that are scattered throughout the area. When you meet the Outsider character (a shady, ancient God-type man) he gives you a helpful but creepy-as-hell heart mechanism that will help you find all the runes and charms. Make sure that when you have the heart equipped you use the left trigger with it; it will tell you all sorts of interesting things about the place or person you have it aimed at.
But really, the powers you want will depend on how you play the game. I ended up using the kill-everyone-who-gets-in-my-way style combined with let’s-be-super-stealthy-and-avoid-everyone-or-knock-them-out method. It was effective. Mostly.
The problem is that you have to hide the bodies, otherwise your “chaos” level goes up. Which causes problems. The chaos level is affected by deaths, bodies found, and the choices you make in the missions. The higher your chaos, the more zombie-like plague victims (Weepers) wander the street, and the darker the final outcome. Which became kind of an issue for me.
At first, I didn’t think that my chaos level was even going to matter. I was burning through the missions like they were no big deal, ready to take down the final guy, and I was going, “PSSH, I don’t see any stupid Weepers, this is easy.” But then shit goes down and things like Weepers and your chaos level matter all of a sudden. And in my fury at the game, I just started killing everyone, despite knowing that I shouldn’t. When your final mission comes, it tells you what chaos level you are playing it on. And I wish I knew what differences there were between high and low, because mine was pretty dark. And Samuel the Boatman scolded me, and I felt bad about my life.
THANKS, SAMUEL.
So, where was I going with this?
Powers!
Anyway…so if you have bodies to hide and are running out of places to put them besides the river (because DUH, DUMP THE BODIES IN THE RIVER. SUPER EASY.) you will probably want to get the power where either rats can be summoned to devour people or the one where dead bodies turn to ash immediately. Other than that, Dark Vision is pretty helpful and will allow you to see through walls. I didn’t spend a lot of time looking for runes to use to level up but, frankly, none of the other powers seemed worth the effort.
As far as characters and character design go, I was a little disappointed. There are a lot of great characters that I wanted to know more about. You can pick up little clues about most major people, and the heart will give you information, but I wish there were more dialogue options with your friends and associates. This goes for enemies too. I was hoping there would be a way to confront the bad guys about what they’ve done, but your options are always going to be to kill them or use the non-lethal, silent approach. Dishonored had an amazing voice cast, including Carrie Fisher, Susan Sarandon, and John Slattery, and I feel a little like they went to waste.
I was also not a fan of their design in general. The faces looked weird to me, and a lot of the minor characters looked too similar to each other for it to not be noticeable. I understand that there may not be time to go through and make every single individual person look exceedingly unique, but it still bothered me to the point that it needs mentioning.
Overall, there are way more strengths in Dishonored than weaknesses. It’s a fantastic game, and I really hope we see more of Dunwall in the future. Definite game highlights for me include the Sokolov/Bridge mission, exploring the Flooded District, and the downright creepy Quarantine Zone.
Final Score: B+ It leaves you wanting for more character development, and the facial design and features are lacking, but it’s still a great game and the environments alone make it worth checking out. I’d love to see this turned into a series if they will continue to be of this caliber!
Dishonored was released on October 9th for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Windows.
Posted in Reviews
7 thoughts on ““Dishonor on you! Dishonor on your cow!” A Review of Dishonored”
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The whole point of those “extra powers” is to make you think about levels differently. The game isn’t just dynamic in terms of lethal-or-not-lethal — it also tasks you to think about levels differently.
Should you charge straight into a building, scale the outside of it, or sneak in through the sewers possessing a rat?
Should you run into battle with pistol and blade drawn, hide to the shadows and kill from a distance with a crossbow, lure enemies into a wire-mine with the sound of a breaking bottle to get their attention, knock them from on high with a windblast, or hack a wall of light and lure them through to their incineration?
All the powers and gadgets are there to encourage you to explore and think around your target. Summoning a horde of rats can be a great distraction or get rid of bodies. Windblasts can knock back enemy projectiles and slam enemies into walls, killing them instantly. Bending time can help you avoid projectiles — or better, rearrange enemies so their attacks hit their allies, or even themselves. Not to mention all the combinations these skills afford when used together.
Take this video for example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eqOMI8_txw
So you see? In the right hands, none of them are useless — they just didn’t suit your current play style. Try the campaign again, upgrading only those powers you ignored at first. You’ll find that your perspective on each level will change somewhat — and that’s a good thing. You might even find yourself having fun!
Counting something like this against the game, in this light, seems strange and petty. Try it out and see if you don’t change your mind.
Sarah The Rebel
Wow great video! Thanks for sharing ^_^
You’re right, and I’m not going to try to defend myself and say that’s not what I meant, because it was totally personal preference. In the big scheme of thinking about this game though, I didn’t count the amount of powers to choose from against it. Anything I knocked off the score was from character issues. But as you said, all the powers are suited to different types of playthroughs. A couple of them just struck me as a little redundant. Turning someone to ash when killing them so there is no body versus having them devoured by rats so there is no body? The benefit in the second is that the rats do all the work for you. So why choose the first? Distance issues?
I didn’t get a chance to try all of them out, and I already know I want to play it through at least one more time, if not more. I am totally gonna try some of those combos though, and probably fail spectacularly. I do want to get some experience with the other options though. But I agree. I probably did discuss powers too flippantly, however I just wanted to clarify that they were certainly not counted against the game in the final score.
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Erika Wilde
Review – Well Built by Carly Phillips & Erika Wilde
I very much enjoyed this latest book by the dynamic writing duo Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde. Kyle, our hero, is definitely hot stuff but he’s even better at romance. The way he reintroduces himself to Ella pretty much made me want to strangle him, I will not lie. But, he finds a way to redeem himself and it was easier to forgive him once Ella did. He definitely made me swoon more than once, especially in his quest to win back the love of his life, Ella. Ella’s world was shattered in the blink of an eye years ago and in re-building her life, there is little room for romance. What broke up Kyle and Ella was tragic and brought tears to my eyes. Ella is very independent and the way Kyle stormed back into her life almost made me hate him (I think I said that already but it bears repeating). Ella shows us how to be strong and brave and face that which hurts us and to move on and accept things as they are. She definitely takes on too much in regards to the way the past is effecting her future and when she finally stands up and takes what she wants, I cheered for her! She was truly a wonderful and refreshing heroine. There was tons of passion and chemistry at play here. Really, when it comes to sex scenes, these two authors are top notch writers! They invoke so much emotion mixed with decadent eroticism, it’s hard to find their match. The storyline was easy to follow along with and kept my attention the entire time. I loved seeing previous characters and look forward to reading the story of Kyle’s business partner. You can expect an unforgettable reconciliation and plenty of steamy encounters with some forgiveness and acceptance thrown in for good measure. Overall, this was another wonderful book by Ms. Wilde and Ms. Phillips and I can’t wait to read the next installment in this series! 4.5 stars.
Well Built by Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde
Date of Publication: July 25, 2017
When it comes to women, sexy, well-built Kyle Coleman has always been a lover, not a fighter. His one exception? The sassy, tempting, smart-mouthed Ella Fisher. Her family and his are sworn enemies, which make the two of them off-limits—despite the fact that she’s inspired some of his dirtiest, most erotic fantasies for years. But when the lines between animosity and lust become irrevocably blurred one fateful evening, their one night stand leads to a very unexpected consequence—that changes everything between them forever.
Amazon (Kindle)
Amazon (Paperback)
About Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde
***About Carly Phillips***
Carly Phillips is the N.Y. Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of over 50 sexy contemporary romance novels featuring hot men, strong women and the emotionally compelling stories her readers have come to expect and love. Carly is happily married to her college sweetheart, the mother of two nearly adult daughters and three crazy dogs (two wheaten terriers and one mutant Havanese) who star on her Facebook Fan Page and website. Carly loves social media and is always around to interact with her readers. You can find out more about Carly at http://www.carlyphillips.com.
***About Erika Wilde***
Erika Wilde is the author of the sexy Marriage Diaries series and The Players Club series. She lives in Oregon with her husband and two daughters, and when she’s not writing you can find her exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest. For more information on her upcoming releases, please visit her website at http://www.erikawilde.com.
Find Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde Online
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Carly Phillips, Contemporary Romance, Erika Wilde, Erotic Romance
Spotlight Post – Faking It by Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde
Confirmed bachelor Max Sterling isn’t into rescuing damsels in distress, but when the very tempting Hailey Ellison needs his help, there’s only one thing for him to do. Step in and pose as her loving fiancé. Except there is nothing fake about his attraction to her, or how much he wants her beneath him in his bed, moaning his name. But what starts as a sexy, flirty, temporary engagement, quickly becomes something more serious that neither one ever anticipated.
Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/2nATDDp
B&N Nook: http://bit.ly/2mW6F1g
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2nAXaSe
iBooks: http://apple.co/2lXgNrf
Google Play: http://bit.ly/2lXeHrk
Carly Phillips is the N.Y. Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of over 50 sexy contemporary romance novels featuring hot men, strong women and the emotionally compelling stories her readers have come to expect and love. Carly is happily married to her college sweetheart, the mother of two nearly adult daughters and three crazy dogs (two wheaten terriers and one mutant Havanese) who star on her Facebook Fan Page and website. Carly loves social media and is always around to interact with her readers. You can find out more about Carly at http://www.carlyphillips.com. Website: http://www.carlyphillips.com/ Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/10000.Carly_Phillips Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Carly-Phillips/e/B001I9W0MS Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarlyPhillipsFanPage Twitter: https://twitter.com/carlyphillips
Erika Wilde is the author of the sexy Marriage Diaries series and The Players Club series. She lives in Oregon with her husband and two daughters, and when she’s not writing you can find her exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest. For more information on her upcoming releases, please visit website at http://www.erikawilde.com. Website: http://www.erikawilde.com/ Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5357264.Erika_Wilde Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Erika-Wilde/e/B00CVE4WSO Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ErikaWildeAuthorFanPage Twitter: https://twitter.com/erikawilde1
Carly Phillips, Contemporary Romance, Erika Wilde, Rock Star PR
Review – Big Shot by Carly Phillips & Erika Wilde
Just when I think the writing combination of Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde can’t get any better….they set out to prove me wrong! You should run, skip, hop, fly, skate….whatever your means of transportation, use it to get this book! Wes and Natalie are two of the most electrifying characters I have read in months and their chemistry is hotter than a 5 alarm fire. Wes and Natalie have known each other for years, since Wes is her brother’s best friend. Natalie has been in love with Wes for as long as she can remember but since he has put her in the off-limits category, she has tried to move on with her life. But, Natalie has a few tricks up her sleeves and she uses them to her advantage. After losing a bet to Wes, Natalie must be at his beck and call for 2 weeks. Wes thinks he’s gotten the upper hand but this turns into a battle of wills and may the best woman win! Natalie is dynamite. She owns herself, a shy and simpering maiden she is NOT! I LOVE HER!!! She takes all of Wes’s challenges and turns the tables. And Wes? Yeah, he’s so hot and alpha, my Kindle almost burst into flames. When Wes finally caves and realizes that he may have met his match in Natalie, their frenemy status becomes a frenemies-with-benefits relationship. Wes has a sinfully dirty mouth and he is not afraid to use it. Natalie is completely on board and she delights in the erotic encounters with Wes. Their passion took my breath away! During this time, they come to realize, that their relationship just may be more than they ever expected. I could not get enough of them! Smoking hot bedroom scenes, witty banter, and beautifully emotional, this book runs the gamut of feelings and I loved every second of it! We see some characters from previous books in Big Shot and we are introduced to some new faces, who will undoubtedly soak our panties just as much as Wes and Natalie’s story did. The plot was fast paced and completely held my attention from beginning to end. There is good clean fun and zero angst which made this a refreshing, yet scintillating read. This writing duo just can’t write fast enough for me and everything they write together is beautiful and mind-blowing. I can’t wait for the next book in this series! I recommend this book to readers who like dirty talking, sexy heroes and sassy, bold heroines. I also recommend this book to readers who like the enemies to lovers trope and brother’s best friend trope. Big Shot is rated 5 stars.
Big Shot (A Book Boyfriend Novel 1) by Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde
Date of Publication: January 17, 2017
New York Times Bestselling Authors Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde bring you a sexy new standalone romance.
Fall in love with your next Book Boyfriend . . .
Wes Sinclair is a notorious heart-breaker, a hot as sin bad boy with a panty-dropping smile no woman can resist. Except for his best friend’s little sister and business adversary, Natalie Prescott, who seems immune to his flirtatious charms. While she’s become a permanent fixture in his dirtiest, most scandalous fantasies, she wants nothing to do with him, or his seductive promises. Challenge accepted. His goal? To bring her to her knees, make her beg, and show her just how good being bad can be.
B&N Nook
Erika Wilde is the author of the sexy Marriage Diaries series and The Players Club series. She lives in Oregon with her husband and two daughters, and when she’s not writing you can find her exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest. For more information on her upcoming releases, please visit website at http://www.erikawilde.com.
Blog, Reviews
Book Boyfriend Series, Carly Phillips, Contemporary Romance, Erika Wilde, Erotic Romance, Rock Star PR
5 Star Review – Big Shot by Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde
by Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde
Publication Date: January 17th, 2017
Big Shot, a sexy new standalone from Carly Phillips & Erika Wilde is now live!!!
Add to Goodreads:
http://tinyurl.com/z8nu22k
Read today!
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2iHwptF
Amazon UK: http://tinyurl.com/ju8kdhs
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Meet Carly Phillips:
Carly Phillips is the N.Y. Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of over 50 sexy contemporary romance novels, including the Indie published, Dare to Love Series. She is happily married to her college sweetheart, the mother of two nearly adult daughters and three crazy dogs. Carly loves social media and is always around to interact with her readers.
Connect with Carly Phillips:
Sign up for Carly’s Newsletter at: http://www.carlyphillips.com/newsletter-sign-up/
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Meet Erika Wilde:
Erika Wilde (aka Janelle Denison) is the USA Today bestselling author of over 50 contemporary romances for multiple print publishers.
Connect with Erika Wilde:
Sign up for Erika’s Newsletter at: http://smarturl.it/ErikaWildeNewsletter
Join Erika’s Private Fan Page – Books & Exclusive Giveaways! http://smarturl.it/ErikaWildeFanPage
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Twitter: http://www.twitter.com@erikawilde1
Erika’s Website: www.erikawilde.com
Review – Dirty Sexy Sinner by Carly Phillips & Erika Wilde
What Worked For Me: The Dirty Sexy Series has been a wicked and sexy series to read so I was thrilled to find out there was another long-lost Kincaid brother. Seriously, three uber-alpha, dirty talking bad boys was enough to make me swoon but thrown in a fourth….yeah, I was pretty much catatonic by the end of this book. Jackson is the twin brother of Clay, and since I’m not spoiling this book for you, you have to read it to find out how these two twins were separated as very young children. Jackson has a very naughty mouth (my panties were melting halfway through this book) and he hides a sinfully delicious mind and body behind three piece suits. Jackson learns about his siblings and upon his first encounter with them he comes face to face with his destiny. Our ultra cool and fiercely loyal bartender, Tara. Seriously, normally I’m salivating for our heroes story but since she was first introduced to us, I’ve been anticipating to hear all about Tara. Her past is heartbreaking, but very REAL!!! I love a heroine who falls so far but rises above and achieves so much, rather than becoming a broken mess who does nothing but whine. Tara is an amazingly strong and graceful heroine who I rooted for from the very beginning. These two have pasts full of sorrow and pain but they find themselves believing in futures they never thought possible. Their chemistry is dynamite and their emotion towards each other was poignant and moving. It was a spectacular journey, watching them forge a path together. It was even more fun read about Jackson and his brothers finding their footing in a new relationship. You can expect lots of emotion, plenty of moments that pull at the heartstrings, seriously decadent sex scenes, a little bit of tension, and a WHOLE lot of fun in this final book of the series. Ms. Phillips and Ms. Wilde are a winning combination and I am eagerly anticipating what this writing duo brings to the table for us next. I can’t imagine it gets but much better than this but hey, I invite them to prove me (and other readers) wrong.
Would I Recommend This Book: Yes! Especially if you love dirty talking alpha with a little bit of a dominant street, sweet sassy heroines who know how to appreciate a good man when they find one, and second chance at love romances. Seriously, you should just read the whole series.
Final Star Rating: 5 stars
Dirty Sexy Sinner (Dirty Sexy Book 4) by Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde
Date of Publication: November 8, 2016
DIRTY SEXY SINNER . . . The surprise fourth book in the DIRTY SEXY SERIES!
All books in the DIRTY SEXY Series are stand-alone novels!
New York Times bestselling authors Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde bring you a dirty, sexy, smoking hot SERIES featuring four bad boy heroes who are bonded by shocking secrets and their damaged past. Sinful, addicting, and unapologetically alpha, these men are every woman’s erotic daydream … And your ultimate dirty fantasy.
ALL BOOKS IN THE DIRTY SEXY SERIES can be read on its own, or as a companion to the other book in the series:
Dirty Sexy Saint (Clay)
Dirty Sexy Inked (Mason)
Dirty Sexy Cuffed (Levi)
Dirty Sexy Sinner (Jackson)
B&N (Nook)
Website: http://www.carlyphillips.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/10000.Carly_Phillips
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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarlyPhillipsFanPage
Twitter: https://twitter.com/carlyphillips
Website: http://www.erikawilde.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5357264.Erika_Wilde
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Erika-Wilde/e/B00CVE4WSO
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ErikaWildeAuthorFanPage
Twitter: https://twitter.com/erikawilde1
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5 Star Review – Dirty Sexy Inked by Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde
What Worked For Me:
What a perfect gem! Dirty Sexy Inked is book 2 in the Dirty Sexy Series and it is a winner (you do NOT have to read book 1 to read book 2 but if you are anal like me, it just makes this book even sexier)! I LOVED every second of this fast paced and scintillating love story featuring Mason and Katrina. I will admit going into this book that I thought Mason was a dawg, and not in a good way, but he quickly shows us that all dawgs can willingly learn new tricks…and by new tricks, I mean how to love. And love Katrina, he does. Thoroughly, sexily, dirtily….sigh. Going down to Vegas for his brother’s wedding, Mason quickly changes from “let me nail every single female I can” to “I must have Kat, and only Kat, now”. After seeing Kat cut loose and dance on a bar, Mason realizes he does not want Kat to dance for with anyone but him and his caveman theatrics culminate in some down and dirty lovin’ in a Vegas hotel room. Throw in a little mistaken communication and a lot of confusing feelings about the new status of their relationship (talk about some serious, this won’t change our friendship denial), and these two come home and try to reestablish their friendship. However, Kat throws another wrinkle into Masons perfectly ordered world and does something he doesn’t like. After this, Mason can no longer deny what he wants from her, which is everything. There was a little bit of a wrench thrown in, in the form of an old friend of Masons who did some serious damage to our plucky and head-strong heroine, and we have the perfect recipe to come clean about some unresolved questions between Kat and Mason. I love the chemistry between Kat and Mason. It is explosively hot and erotic. Ms. Phillips and Ms. Wilde, separately, are amazing, but together, they blow the mind!!! If you are in the mood for a quick, dirty, and delicious friends-to-lovers romance, Dirty Sexy Inked is just what you are looking for!
What Didn’t Work For Me:
While reading Dirty Sexy Inked, Kat mentions that an old friend of Masons did something to her in the past that caused her to be damaged in a way Mason was familiar with. I saw the entrance of the old friend from a mile away, although, I have to say, I did enjoy seeing how it all played out over the last portion of the book. I’m not taking off points for this, but I did see this plot twist coming.
Would I Recommend This Book:
Yes…to all lovers of erotic romance.
Final Star Rating:
Dirty Sexy Inked (Dirty Sexy Series Book 2) by Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde
Date of Publication: April 5, 2016
Breaking hearts is what wild and rebellious Mason Kincaid does best. Hit it and quit it is his motto, and with his bad boy reputation and tattoos, he doesn’t lack for female companionship. Until one hot night with the one woman he swore he’d never touch becomes an all consuming addiction he can’t kick. Katrina Sands has been his best friend for years, but now that he knows what she feels like, and tastes like, there is no going back to being just friends. Hot, dirty sex has never felt so good…or so right.
“WE’RE OFF TO Las Vegas, Kitty-Kat,” Mason Kincaid said as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation. “Sin City is the perfect place to get down and dirty and have some fun. What kind of trouble do you think we can get into while we’re there?”
Katrina Sands buckled her seat belt and settled more comfortably in the first-class leather seat next to Mason—her best friend since they were fourteen and freshmen in high school. She wasn’t at all surprised that he was already making a mental list of all the wild and reckless adventures that awaited him in a no-holds-barred place like Las Vegas. Mason Kincaid was a rule breaker, a thrill seeker, and a self-indulgent bad boy who was all about pleasure and instant gratification. From everything she’d heard about the city that never slept, he’d be right in his element.
Oh, joy, she thought with a resigned sigh. It wasn’t as though she was a prude. Far from it. She just wasn’t thrilled about watching her best friend’s man-whoring ways in action in Vegas. She spent enough time seeing it up close and personal on a day-to-day basis.
She turned her head and met Mason’s bright blue gaze. “You do realize that this trip isn’t all about you and your dick, right? That we’re heading to Vegas because your brother Clay is marrying Samantha?” she asked, reminding him of that one important detail.
The corners of his mouth curved with an indulgent grin. “Of course I realize my brother is strapping on the old ball and chain tomorrow afternoon. But that doesn’t mean the entire weekend is going to be all wedding, all the time. In fact, tonight Levi and I plan to take Clay out to make sure he spends his last evening as a bachelor in style.”
Which gave Mason the perfect opportunity to carouse for a willing female to take back to his hotel room for the night. It’s what Mason did. For as long as she’d known him, he’d had a hit-it-and-quit-it motto when it came to women, and he always made sure they knew the score up front. He didn’t make promises or do commitment or anything longer than a one-time fling.
And each time Katrina watched it happen, a little bit of hope died inside of her. The hope that one day Mason would see her as more than just a best friend and the woman who managed to keep his personal and professional shit together. But the man was oblivious to her deeper feelings for him, and she wasn’t willing to tell him and risk certain painful rejection. It was much easier, and safer, keeping them both squarely in the friend zone.
She’d known him for twelve years, and had truly come to believe that Mason Kincaid didn’t have the ability to commit to any single woman. And it really wasn’t hard for her to figure out why considering the kind of childhood he’d had—no father figure to speak of and a mother who cared more about her next fix than her own kids. Mason might be a master at giving off a carefree, I-don’t-give-a-crap attitude, but Katrina was one of the few people who knew just how much pain and resentment that laid-back demeanor really masked.
The commercial plane they were taking to Las Vegas finished the boarding process, and one of the cabin crew started closing the overhead luggage bins, while another made an announcement to set all electronic devices to airplane mode. A pretty brunette flight attendant stopped next to Mason’s aisle seat and set her hand on his shoulder.
He glanced up at her, and the woman smiled, her complexion flushing a bit as he turned all that potent male sex appeal her way. Yeah, Mason had that kind of breathtaking effect on women. Between his gorgeous features, that sexy, panty-dropping smile, and his sleeves of bad boy tattoos that wrapped around both muscled arms, he was an irresistible force to the female gender.
And the jerk knew it, too, and didn’t hesitate to use that charm to his advantage.
Website * Goodreads * Amazon * Facebook * Twitter
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Carly Phillips, Contemporary Erotic Romance, Dirty Sexy Series, Erika Wilde, Friends to lovers, Novella, RockStar PR, Tattoo Shop
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Nordic Football Association to put pressure on Qatar
TOPICS:Nordic Football AssociationNorwayNorway TodayQatar
Football president Terje Svendsen(Norway).Photo: Cornelius Poppe / NTB scanpix
Posted By: Gerard Taylor 2. December 2018
In January,Nordic Football Association leaders are to go to Qatar to emphasise the importance of human rights in the preparations for the World Cup in 2022.
The Nordic football president will visit the country,the stadiums, and organisers in Qatar, which hosts the championship in four years time.
The choice of Qatar as host nation has been highly controversial. It has been discovered that very bad conditions exist for construction workers, and many have already lost their lives.
‘’Nobody should be made to die for a World Cup in football.In the Nordic countries, we are known for a high level of democracy, good governance and labour rights.That’s why we’re going together to put pressure on Qatar to ensure better working conditions in the World Cup preparations” said Jesper Møller of the Danish Football Association in a press release.
Several human rights defenders have called for a boycott of the World Cup in 2022, but football president,Terje Svendsen, stated in 2016 that it is hardly a Norwegian boycott. The same perception was given by Svendsen’s Danish colleague on Thursday evening.
“We do not threaten to pull out.We open the debate with Qatar over and over again, and we do it with common Nordic values and a common voice.Only by having a direct dialogue with Qatar ’s leaders can we make changes’’ said Møller.
The Nordic football federation went on a similar Qatar trip in close cooperation with Nordic trade unions,LO,and Amnesty in 2016. Then, Norway’s representative was Bjarne Berntsens.
On Thursday,it was clear that Sweden is making its annual winter trip with the League of Nations to Qatar.During the stay from the 3rd to 13th of January,there will be an international match against Finland.
Now you can finally rent an electric scooter in Oslo
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Newbiesplayground Home DOG-Forum Home GAMESERVERS & VOICE/CHAT-SERVERS COOP SERVERS
XPerience server
VooDoo-(DOG)-
Full Game Admin
Location: Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Post by VooDoo-(DOG)- » Wed May 01, 2019 3:36 pm
Now that the main bulk of the work on the map rotation and spawner soon to be implemented for Jackal's server is done, it is time to consider the other 2 Coop servers, starting with the XPerience server.
The map list for the XPerience server will be exactly the same as the map list for Jackal's server with any maps particular to the XPerience server (like the Zora maps for example) appearing directly after the map UB-NexusEnd.
With regard to the spawner on the XPerience server, the MobsLists will also be exactly the same as on Jackal's server except the amount of enemies spawned will be significantly less, because the player is much less well-armed on this server. Like the new implementation for Jackal's server, this will require some extensive testing over time and I imagine the amount of enemies spawned to be about 1/3 to 1/2 of the amounts specified for Jackal's server.
On the XPerience server, the player is currently not given any default weapons/ammo apart from the trusty DispersionPistol and people have remarked that the player often runs out of ammo even after collecting weapons and ammo in maps and dropped weapons and ammo. It's been suggested by Nikola and Missionary that players on the XPerience server should be given the Automag as part of their initial inventory. Whilst it is rewarding to start with the DP only and collect as you go, certain maps become almost impossible (or at least slightly frustrating) when the player starts with the DP only, so I think adding the Automag to initial inventory with CoopInitialInventorySet=Automag ammo=100 is a good idea.
Missionary2001 asked recently about whether Zora's "Episodes" maps would be added and as discussed in this thread initiated by Andre, I see no reason why we shouldn't go ahead with this, these maps certainly deserve being in proper rotation on a server. On difficulty 3, the Zora maps are mainly tough, so to keep the original atmosphere intact, the spawner will be initially be disabled for these maps, although if necessary or appropiate, custom MobsSets may be added in the future to suit each map's style.
"Without music, life would be a mistake." - Friedrich Nietzsche
AndréRhineDavis-(DOG)-
GameServer Admin
Re: XPerience server
Post by AndréRhineDavis-(DOG)- » Wed May 01, 2019 4:54 pm
Maybe also that "Acerak" map and other such maps that are perfectly playable but are not part of regular rotation could be added? Just having them as an available option in the menu would be cool!
Once again, thank you for all your work
Also, btw, I notice that the PSX maps aren't in the Jackal's maplist.
I thought that the first part at least (levels 1 to 4 i think?) had been released and finalized?
Anyway, hopefully once the maps get released and finalized (if they haven't been already), then they can be added too
AndréRhineDavis-(DOG)- wrote: ↑
Maybe also that "Acerak" map............
Yes that's a good idea. Noted.
Yes we are just waiting for the final release of this, because it got released gradually in sections and at least one of the maps had numerous updates to it, so it makes sense to wait for the final release but yes they potentially could be added on at least the Xperience server for sure. We have to test these more thoroughly though under Coop play because the map UPB-E1L7A currently crashes every time on the Test server for everyone. It seems to occur when a player enters the room with the StoneWoman. Also the map UPB-E1L7B cannot currently be won online because the teleporter below does not appear to work as it should under Coop play and therefore the player cannot continue to the next part of this map.
2019_5_1_16_40_43_843-UPB-E1L7B.png
This two issues may not be present in the final release so we will have to wait and see. Like the Zora maps, these maps also deserve to be on a server if we can make it happen.
Post by VooDoo-(DOG)- » Tue May 07, 2019 8:56 pm
Here is the map list and spawner information for the XPerience server . The map lists are a permanent link now on the website's main page under the GAMESERVER heading in the top left. The Yrex map "2017acerak104" has been added and so have the Zora maps. These additional maps on the XPerience server are currently running without the spawner enabled because it has been mentioned that they are purer and probably more immersive without the spawner running.
Following some testing, the player will now receive an Automag with 200 ammo, because it is still too easy to run out of ammo with 100 ammo and certain maps become too difficult with far too many deaths for comfort. So :-
CoopInitialInventorySet=Automag ammo=200 is now added.
Like Jackal's server, the spawner will require some testing and so players are encouraged to join the Workbench3 server to see the new rotation and spawner in action!
Any feedback is most welcome.
Post by AndréRhineDavis-(DOG)- » Wed May 08, 2019 10:38 am
awesome! well done!
I'm just curious as to why the "number" column on the very left is only filled for the Unreal and RTNP maps? (i.e. only from 001 to 055)
Also, I notice that the maps "Redemption", "Messiah" and "Vengence" are indeed put together, but they as a group are not given a campaign name, despite the fact that I'm pretty sure (if I remember correctly) that they do follow one another as part of the same story like a campaign. If I had to name it, I would call it the "White Witch" campaign.
Hi André!
That's a good question. As the name "revision" suggests, nothing is 100% finalised yet with regards to map order and any associated external list, although it is certainly very close.
So for example, a little further down in the table in the David Münnich section of maps, there is a greyed-out map by him called "JumpArena" which I added as a reference marker, because we should really use this map after a "coop-friendly edit". If the list were to be numbered immediately and then we decided later to add JumpArena into rotation, every table row (<tr>...</tr>) in the HTML source after JumpArena would need renumbering and making 700+ manual edits is not fun, hence why numbering is currently stopped at 055, because the Unreal and RTNP maps are "carved in stone" in terms of order of appearance.
The goal is to get as bigger "block" of maps togther as possible that will be "carved in stone" and form the base for all 3 Coop servers; Jackal's, XPerience and Advanced.This block of maps will be close to 800 maps.
As there are also currently quite a few other maps being looked at that could/should be added into a rotation, it makes sense to consider things like this first before numbering a list or declaring a definitive rotation. Here are a few of those maps :-
Asylum [this really should be on a server]
DOTL (Dawn of the Lost)
GlacierMoon [great map with a one-time-only spaceship]
JumpArena [fun map, should be in rotation]
MoreReal
stygianabyss
The Pure
After testing these recently and having played them before personally, I can see why some of them didn't go immediately onto a server, but at least half of them could be.
When the bulk block of maps is finalised and any more potential maps have been added, I may consider numbering the list fully or I may abandon numbering it altogether. I don't think it's too important for an external-from-the-game-list to be numbered, although yes it would be nice.
It's all about in-game though, so if anyone is interested in what number a certain map is in rotation, a player can visit Workbench2 (testing Jackal's) and Workbench3 (testing Xperience) and use "Mapvote" in the console or the inventory item and the new array of maps and what number they appear in rotation can be seen. The new map voting system, which includes voting for multiple maps! and the highly user-friendly filtering system of map names is a superb creation, thanks to Masterkent.
Yes this was an interesting one because there was no readme available and it's all about the author's intentions and not "If I had to name it". I also know it as "White Witch", but is it known as the "White Witch" series or the "White Witch Complex" which the name of the archive suggests and as the LevelInfo --> LevelEnterText suggests:-.
Making it slightly more complicated is the fact that there is also a map called WhiteWitch which doesn't have "White Witch Complex" in the LevelEnterText and which is extremely similar to the map Vengence. As Newbies has run the map Vengence for years (and not WhiteWitch) I can only conclude that the map Vengence is considered to be the newer version of the WhiteWitch map. Someone else may be able to shine some light on this map series and its intended structure.
So I have been quite strict here due to the lack of a readme by the original author. If anything, for 3 out of the "4" maps, the LevelEnterText suggests "White Witch Complex" so I may put that as an editor's note unless someone else has a readme. I'd also be interested to know why there are 2 maps with different titles that are very similar indeed.
Similarly for Steve Long's "Duke" maps. Most of us know these maps as the "Duke series" but apparently there is no author's readme for this and therefore no presumption is made.
Another example is the Cave(s), S-Castle, Csejte and Zone maps which are colloquially known as the "Team HerdCoop map pack" or the "Csejte series" or the "ViViDy maps", but there was never any intention by ViViDy (or co-authors) for these maps to be known by 1 specific campaign title, nor was there ever any readme for these, which is why these maps also have nothing under the campaign heading.
Post by AndréRhineDavis-(DOG)- » Thu May 09, 2019 4:56 am
okay cool
really excited for all this!
Post by VooDoo-(DOG)- » Tue May 14, 2019 2:06 am
The XPerience server is now running the new map rotation and the newly implemented voting system.
To use the new voting system, either type "Mapvote" into the console or use the new inventory icon.
£éè£å-(DOG)-
Post by £éè£å-(DOG)- » Fri May 24, 2019 11:07 pm
Here are some infos about WhiteWitch.
The map "WhiteWitch" was the first one and a single map back then when Jesse made it.
It ran for quite a while on Jackals.
Then Jesse made the other two maps and also reworked WhiteWitch and named it Vengence. For some time all 4 maps were in the rotation, but it didn't make much sense to run both versions of WhiteWitch on the server, so the older version was removed.
I can't remember if Jesse had planned it as a series right from the beginning, because it was already ten years ago. The only thing I remember is that Jesse made or finished the other two maps after the death of his wife.
>>>Spark<<<
>>>Troubled Soul<<<
Return to “COOP SERVERS”
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Home Campus Life Belmont Breaks Ground on New Residence Hall
Belmont Breaks Ground on New Residence Hall
April Hefner
Residence Hall Groundbreaking at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn. January 30, 2017.
Campus’ largest residential building to date will house 600+ students
Committed to providing students with a traditional residential, liberal arts-based education, Belmont University officially broke ground today on what will be the institution’s largest residence hall to date. The 220,000 square foot structure will open in phases with half of the facility welcoming students in August 2018, and the second half of the hall being finished by January 2019. The new complex is anticipated to cost $80 million and will house 600 upperclassmen in total upon its completion.
Belmont President Dr. Bob Fisher said, “We have been blessed with extraordinary growth over the past 15 years as students continue to be attracted to Belmont’s unparalleled academic programs, vibrant campus life and appealing location near the heart of Music City. Creating additional on campus living allows our students to more easily embrace all of the opportunities Belmont has to offer.”
Approximately 55 percent of Belmont’s undergraduate population currently lives on campus, and the new hall will increase residential spaces from approximately 3,500 currently to more than 4,100 spots. The new facility will feature both suite and apartment-style room options and will be located in the southeast quadrant of campus, between 15th and 12th avenues. Nashville-based R.C. Mathews is the contractor and ESa the architect for the project.
Coaches Discuss How ‘Win At All Costs’ Mentality Can Compromise Integrity
Paul Chenoweth - April 11, 2013
Men’s basketball coaches from Division I private universities Belmont, Vanderbilt and Butler, along with ESPN college basketball analyst Jimmy Dykes, shared their perspectives on...
Political Analyst Charlie Cook Offers Election Insights to Business Groups
District 18 Council Candidates to Meet in July 12 Forum
Campolo Delivers Message of ‘Red Letter’ Alternatives to Political Issues
Entrepreneurship Students Qualify for Final Round in Wege Prize Competition
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Mr Green LTD
Mr Green LTD/
Mr Green viral campaign hits 15 million views/
Mr Green - Live life without a dull day campaign - 2
Wed, Mar 29, 2017 09:00 CET
Original resolution
MRG is a fast-growing, innovative iGaming Group with operations in 13 markets. MRG offers a superior experience in a Green Gaming environment. MRG was founded in 2007 and operates the iGaming sites Mr Green, Redbet, 11.lv, Winning Room, Bertil, MamaMiaBingo, BingoSjov and BingoSlottet. The Group had a turnover of SEK 1,192.0 million in 2017 and has over 300 employees. MRG has gaming licenses in Denmark, Italy, Latvia, Malta, the UK and Sportsbook license in Ireland. MRG is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm in the Mid Cap segment under the name Mr Green & Co AB (ticker MRG). Read more at www.mrggroup.com
CEO Mr Green, MD William Hill International
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http://www.mrgreen.com
patrick.jonker@mrgreen.com
Mr Green viral campaign hits 15 million views Wed, Mar 29, 2017 09:00 CET
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Concordia Publishing House Launches International Missions Gift Registry
Men and women called to serve in the mission field are in constant need of printed resources to support their ministry. With the launch of the International Missions Gift Registry, available at cph.org/missionregistry, Concordia Publishing House has made it easier than ever to provide these needed books and resources to workers in the mission field.
“The printed Word is a powerful tool for our mission workers,” said Dr. Bruce G. Kintz, President and CEO of Concordia Publishing House. “Our desire is that every missionary be well equipped with the printed resources needed to support his or her ministry. After meeting with all of the regional directors this past fall, it was painfully clear that there is a great need for printed materials in the mission field. The directors shared their needs with me, leading me to direct the creation of the International Missions Gift Registry. This registry responds directly to the needs identified by our regional mission teams.”
Individuals and congregations who wish to provide LCMS missionaries with books can do so by visiting cph.org/missionregistry. There customers will find the books and items specifically identified by regional missionaries as needed in the field. Simply select the items and quantity you would like to help send to the mission field, click “Add to cart,” and proceed to Checkout to complete the purchase.
“This is really cool. Our international missions need resources constantly. You can help,” said Rev. Dr. Matthew Harrison, President of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. “This is brand new and is launching . . . with suggested books for Central/South America. CPH is one of if not the most powerful mission tool we have. Thanks, CPH!”
The registry feature is also available to all customers, individuals and congregations. Visit cph.org/giftregistry to start your own wish list.
Visit the International Missions Registry at cph.org/missionregistry.
For more information, contact Elizabeth Pittman at 314-268-1291 or Elizabeth.Pittman@cph.org.
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Home / 2010 / September / hitchcock-memoriam
In Memoriam: George Hitchcock
By Scott Rappaport
George Hitchcock (photo: Jim Hair)
George Hitchcock, poet, painter, publisher, and UCSC lecturer emeritus in Creative Writing (Literature), died on August 27 at the age of 96.
He taught writing at UCSC from 1970 to 1989, and created the Hitchcock Poetry Fund at Porter College in 2002. The endowment supports a variety of poetry-related programs on campus, including visiting poets, poetry journals, and conferences.
Porter College provost David Evan Jones noted that “First through his own work as a poet, actor, director, publisher, teacher, and later through his generosity and vision as a donor, George Hitchcock empowered multiple generations of innovative poets.”
“Projects supported through his Porter College Hitchcock Poetry Fund have given Porter and UCSC more generally a national profile as a center for contemporary poetry representing a wide variety of aesthetics and approaches,” said Jones.
Jones added that in 2007, Porter College honored Hitchcock and his long-time partner Marjorie Simon with a poetry reading marking the installation of a memorial bench for George at a quiet spot overlooking the Porter meadow.
“When asked what inscription should appear on the bench, I thought of the moire patterns the wind makes in the tall grasses of the Porter meadow,” Jones recalled. "In George's One Man Boat, I found the following line in one of his poems:
"...I shall lean into the calligraphy of new wheat"
“I have heard George referred to as an ‘abundant’ personality,” said Jones. “Indeed. We shall miss him very very much."
Below are links to obituaries in the Los Angeles Times and Santa Cruz Sentinel.
Last modified: September 2, 2010 128.114.113.74
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7 who accused Cosby of sex abuse settle defamation suits
MARYCLAIRE DALE
Associated Press April 5, 2019
FILE - In this Sept. 25, 2018, file photo, Bill Cosby arrives for a sentencing hearing following his sexual assault conviction at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown Pa. Court filings on Friday, April 5, 2019, showed that Cosby has agreed to settle lawsuits in a Massachusetts case filed by seven women who said he defamed them when he accused them of lying about sexual misconduct allegations. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
Seven women who said Bill Cosby sexually assaulted them decades ago and then labeled them liars by denying it have settled defamation lawsuits against the imprisoned actor.
Court documents filed Friday in Springfield, Massachusetts, show a settlement has been reached since Cosby went to prison last fall in a separate Pennsylvania sex assault case. Cosby, 81, is serving a three- to 10-year prison sentence.
Cosby's spokesman, Andrew Wyatt, said Cosby did not authorize the settlement reached between the women and American International Group Inc., and "vehemently denies the allegations."
"Mr. Cosby did not settle any cases with anyone. He is not paying anything to anyone, and he is still pursuing his counterclaims. AIG decided to settle these cases, without the knowledge, permission and/or consent of Mr. Cosby," Wyatt said in a statement.
Courts had ruled that AIG had to pay for Cosby to defend the defamation lawsuits as part of his coverage. Cosby had homeowners and other coverage through AIG.
The judge overseeing the defamation case in Massachusetts must still approve the settlement. The terms were not disclosed in the filings Friday. A message left with AIG's corporate press office was not immediately returned late Friday.
The plaintiffs are among the dozens of women who have accused Cosby of sexual misconduct. They include Tamara Green, Barbara Bowman and Therese Serignese. Cosby, in a 2006 deposition, acknowledged giving Serignese quaaludes that made her "high" before a sexual encounter in Las Vegas in 1976, when she was 19. Some of that deposition testimony was aired in his criminal case.
"I don't think he has much to contest the cases with, given his conviction," said Loyola Law School professor Laurie Levenson. "I don't know how much resources (he has left). It probably makes sense for both sides to resolve it."
Joseph Cammarata, an attorney who represents the women, told The Associated Press on Friday that "each plaintiff is satisfied with the settlement." He declined to comment further.
However, he warned in a status report also filed Friday that his clients would seek to depose Cosby and gather other documents and evidence if Cosby does not drop counterclaims that accuse the women of harming his reputation through their accusations. Wyatt said that Cosby still intends to pursue those claims.
Cosby's wife, Camille, had been ordered to give a deposition in the defamation case in 2016, after a heated fight over her testimony.
Lawyers for the Cosbys tried to quash her subpoena to testify, saying she didn't have any relevant information on the women's claims and that any marital conversations she had with her husband of 50 years were confidential. The judge agreed that marital conversations were private, but the women's lawyers noted she also served as his business manager throughout their long marriage.
The case had largely been put on hold amid the Pennsylvania criminal case, which involved charges that Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted a woman at his home in 2004. The first trial ended in a deadlock in 2017, but a second jury convicted Cosby last year.
Cosby is appealing the conviction. He is being held at a state prison in Montgomery County, outside of Philadelphia.
Jenna Jameson Says She's ‘Back on the Wagon’ with Keto After 'Losing Control': 'I'm Not Perfect'
Trump hangs photographs of himself and Kim Jong-un in White House - next to picture of the Queen
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Judge removes local prosecutors from California salon massacre case
By Dana Feldman and Dan Whitcomb
Scott Dekraai (L) pleads guilty of killing eight people in October 2011, next to his attorney Assistant Public Defender Scott Sanders, in Santa Ana, California May 2, 2014. REUTERS/Alex Gallardo
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A California judge on Thursday removed local prosecutors from the case against an ex-tugboat worker who killed eight people in a 2011 shooting rampage at an Orange County hair salon, citing discovery violations and accusations of misconduct.
But Orange County Superior Court Judge Thomas Goethals declined to eliminate the death penalty as a possible punishment for Scott Dekraai, 45, who pleaded guilty last year to first degree murder in the massacre at Salon Meritage in Seal Beach.
In recusing the Orange County District Attorney's office, Goethals ruled that the state attorney general's office should take over the case, but the judge stayed his ruling until March 20 to give that office time to appeal that decision.
"As the chief law enforcement officer in this county the District Attorney is responsible for the actions of his agents. In this case the evidence demonstrates that some of those agents have habitually ignored the law over an extended period of time to the detriment of this defendant," Goethals wrote in the eight-page decision that followed a hearing in the case.
Orange County District Attorney's spokeswoman Susan Kang Schroeder said prosecutors would meet with California's attorney general to consider an appeal.
"This was a horrible, tragic day for the victims and our hearts go out to them. We respectfully disagree with the court's ruling," she said.
Defense lawyers sought to remove Orange County prosecutors and bar them from seeking the death penalty against Dekraai because, they say, jail house informants were improperly used to wring a confession from Dekraai.
They also said Orange County Sheriff's deputies lied during a hearing into those allegations. In his ruling Goethals found that two deputies lied or withheld evidence during their testimony.
"In this case the District Attorney's conflict of interest is not imaginary," Goethals wrote. "It apparently stems from his loyalty to his law enforcement partners at the expense of his other constitutional and statutory obligations."
Dekraai had been locked in a bitter child custody battle with ex-wife, Michelle Fournier when he opened fire in the salon. Fournier was killed along with salon owner Randy Fannin and six others.
Dekraai was arrested blocks from the bloody scene in the heart of Seal Beach, a town 20 miles (32 km) southeast of Los Angeles known by its residents as "Mayberry-by-the-Sea" for its bucolic, small-town atmosphere.
The salon shooting ranks as the worst mass killing in Orange County history.
(Editing by Alan Crosby and Eric Walsh)
MS-13 Members in Los Angeles Hacked Victims to Death With Machetes: Prosecutors
Rescued California hiker fled knife-wielding man and ate cactus to survive in desert heat
1 dead, 15 hurt in California home gas explosion
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Newsroom Home NewsLinks
NewsLinks
NewsLinks is a collection of recent news items relating primarily to the California judicial branch. NewsLinks does not verify nor endorse the accuracy or fairness of the news items, and the views expressed in opinions, editorials, and commentaries are those of the writers only.
Big Law Partner Joins Lobbying Blitz Against Pro-Employee 'Dynamex' Bill
July 01, 2019 | The Recorder
David Reis, speaking to reporters on a call organized by opponents of a bill to codify parts of the California Supreme Court’s 2018 ruling in Dynamex, said the state’s hours-based work statutes don’t mesh with the flexibility that Lyft and Uber say their drivers want.
The 9th Circuit just blew up mandatory arbitration in consumer cases
July 01, 2019 | Reuters
The three appeals called upon the 9th Circuit to review the California Supreme Court’s 2017 ruling in McGill v. Citibank. In McGill, the state justices held that as a matter of California public policy, corporations cannot require consumers to waive their right to seek a public injunction.
Unionized prison employees lose as Supreme Court rules on pre- and post-work compensation issues
It’s a mixed bag for certain California correctional employees today at the Supreme Court in their class action seeking additional pay for pre- and post-work time.
Related: Sacramento Bee, Law 360, Daily Journal
The Troubling Business of Bounty Hunting
July 01, 2019 | GQ
In order to get a closer look inside the world of "bail enforcement agents," writer Jeff Winkler got licensed and spent months working as a BEA. What he found was a mess for pretty much everyone caught up in a broken system.
Justice Gilbert Nares Set to Retire From Fourth District Appeals Court
Associate Justice Gilbert Nares of the Court of Appeal for the Fourth Appellate District is set to retire after 31 years on the appellate court. Nares’ final day on the bench is scheduled for Aug. 30.
Related: News Release
Recidivism Dropped Following California Realignment: Study
July 01, 2019 | The Crime Report
Rearrest and reconviction rates declined in the four years following the enactment of major justice reforms in California aimed at shifting lower-level offenders from state prisons to county jails, according to a new study.
Gavin Newsom vetoes funding for El Dorado County courthouse in $215 billion state budget
July 01, 2019 | Sacramento Bee
Gov. Gavin Newsom this week vetoed an item in the state budget that would have set aside $2.8 million to buy land for a new courthouse in the foothill county.
Related: 5 Things to Know about the Judicial Branch Budget
What’s in the Supreme Court pipeline this summer?
June 30, 2019 | At the Lectern
As usual, there won’t be any Supreme Court oral arguments this summer. The next calendar will be during the first week of September. But that doesn’t mean the court has nothing to do until then.
California ends its long, costly shift of prisoners to other states
June 30, 2019 | Los Angeles Times
Making good on a pledge by Gov. Gavin Newsom to finish the process begun in 2012, state prison officials have wrapped up the contracts with all out-of-state prisons.
Chief Justice Releases Statement on Judicial Branch Budget for 2019-20
June 28, 2019 | California Courts Newsroom
This year’s budget is good news for residents who rely on California’s judicial system. Both Governor Newsom’s initial budget proposal in January and the Legislature’s follow through in its budget process demonstrate a joint commitment to providing equal access to justice. This budget reflects years of advocacy for more trial court judges in the fastest growing parts of our state and will help courts continue initiatives that help break down barriers for all Californians seeking justice.
5 Things to Know about the Judicial Branch Budget
Governor Gavin Newsom signed his first state budget on Thursday, which includes nearly $470 million in new judicial branch funding to continue the courts’ steady recovery after years of deep cuts. Among the highlights: The budget funds 25 trial court judges in the areas of the state with the most need; backs new technologies including holding court proceedings by video in non-criminal cases; and finances pilot projects that aim to improve how California decides whether to hold someone in jail pending trial.
New arbitration battle looms between state, US high courts
June 28, 2019 | Daily Journal
(Subscription required) California has repeatedly held its courthouse doors open to plaintiffs in cases in which defendants argue arbitration agreements prescribe a private forum. Almost as often, the nation's high court has interceded to offer its now repeated and full-throated endorsement of the FAA.
Judicial Profile: Sonoma County Judge Barbara Phelan
(Subscription required) Phelan said when she was at the court of appeal, she truly felt like a public servant and had a growing desire to have more direct contact with the parties she was reading about in briefs. These days, she gets more than enough of that, hearing some 70 to 80 misdemeanor cases on any given day. To remain steady, she often remembers the advice Pollak gave her when she left: “Don’t let them rush you.”
Related: Superior Court of Sonoma County
California's Chief Justice on Challenging Norms
June 27, 2019 | National Law Journal
You can look at some of the things that I’ve said and done and think, well, is she pro-prosecution? Is she pro-labor? What is she for? But all issues to me are things to give thought to. There isn’t any one right approach to all of them. So I thought it’s best and more freeing to have no preference but to look at things fresh and new.
Related: Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye
State Supreme Court Upholds Hayward Man's Death Sentence For Rape, Murder Of A Neighbor
June 27, 2019 | Bay City News
The state high court rejected Molano's appeal argument that prosecutors should not have been allowed to use three statements he made to law enforcement officers at San Quentin, in a patrol car en route to a sheriff's substation and at the substation in 2003. The court said Molano knowingly gave up his right to have a lawyer present during the statements.
Related: California Supreme Court Opinion, Oral Argument Webcast, At the Lectern
Presiding judge: Solano courts' financing 'getting a little better'
June 27, 2019 | The Reporter
Reminding bar members of court funding sources, Ellis, noting that the Solano courts’ budget, funded by the Legislature and the Judicial Council of California, is $27.9 million for the current fiscal year (ending Sunday) but is projected to increase to slightly more than $28 million for 2019-20.
Related: Superior Court of Solano County
Newsom releases the name of everyone on committees that will recommend judges
(Subscription required) Publicly releasing the list allows Newsom to signal his interest in further diversifying the state's judiciary at a time when he has relatively few potential judicial appointments to make. According to the latest judicial vacancy report from the Judicial Council, there are just 20 superior court judgeships and one appellate justice slot vacant.
Related: Courthouse News Service, The Recorder, The Pine Tree
Shasta County Courthouse Project Remains on Track
June 27, 2019 | Correctional News
The new courthouse will be located directly across Court Street from the current courthouse. The City of Redding and Shasta County worked with the Judicial Council on acquisition of an approximately two-acre site—bounded by Butte, Oregon, Yuba and Courts streets in downtown Redding. In June 2011, the Shasta Board of Supervisors approved the $2.5 million sales, which also involved an equity exchange for the court’s space in the current courthouse.
Related: New Redding Courthouse
Legislative review of State Bar further cuts potential fee increase
(Subscription required) The Legislative Analyst’s Office believes the State Bar’s fee increase should be much less than initially proposed, and the Legislature should have more oversight over the agency’s budget.
Judicial Profile: San Luis Obispo County Judge Charles Crandall
(Subscription required) In addition to reports from social workers and other court staffers, Crandall solicits pertinent details from the minors directly through another technique he’s looked up known as “motivational interviewing.”
Related: Superior Court of San Luis Obispo County
State Supreme Court upholds Calif. law barring 14-, 15-year-olds from being tried as adults
June 26, 2019 | San Francisco Chronicle
That ruling is now binding on trial courts statewide but may not end the controversy. Judges in Santa Cruz, Kern and Riverside counties declared the new law invalid earlier this year, and appellate courts in those cases could disagree with the San Francisco ruling, returning the issue to the state’s high court to resolve. An appeals court in Sacramento upheld the law in a separate case last week.
Related: At the Lectern, KCBS Radio
Ceremonial Groundbreaking For $65-million Tuolumne County Courthouse
June 26, 2019 | myMotherLoad
While construction began several months ago, a ceremonial groundbreaking was held this afternoon for the $66.5-million Tuolumne County Courthouse at the law and justice center site off Old Wards Ferry Road.
Related: New Sonora Courthouse, Union Democrat
Audio: Uber and Lyft Enlist Drivers to Make the Case for Keeping Them As Contractors
June 26, 2019 | KQED
Uber and Lyft are campaigning hard in Sacramento to keep their California drivers classified as independent contractors, rather than as employees. And they're putting drivers at the center of the campaign: focusing on how the change might impact them and enlisting them to help make the case directly to lawmakers.
Lawmakers passed zero bail reforms. Now what?
June 26, 2019 | Nevada Current
A bill passed in 2018 eliminates cash bail in California — implementation is on hold until 2020 — but some early backers pulled support along the way because they feared too many people would still be left sitting in jail.
Appeal justice denies new charges, claiming unfair influence
(Subscription required) Justice Jeffrey W. Johnson denied new sexual misconduct allegations issued last week, saying he did not recall the incidents and believed the accusers may have been influenced by others seeking to discredit him.
Why Guy: Why do we serve jury duty? And why can't I just skip my summons?
June 26, 2019 | ABC10
If you have a valid excuse, tell them. If you just ignore your summons, a judge can fine you $250 for the first offense, $750 for a second and $1,500 for a third or more offenses. "These consequences are rare," Corren said, "as courts prefer to work with individuals on ensuring that they appear for jury service by finding agreeable dates for them to appear or by excusing them from service when their specific circumstances warrant."
Judicial Profile: Los Angeles County Judge Robert Chu
(Subscription required) “I wanted to make sure that everybody who’s coming into court, no matter what their background is, I want to make sure that they know what’s going on, that they’re comfortable, and they see that our process is fair,” Chu said. “That was my philosophy as a public defender, and as a judge it’s the same.”
Related: Superior Court of Los Angeles County
Judiciary's Jones Day Team Denies Retired Judges' Age-Bias Claims
June 25, 2019 | The Recorder
At issue is a long-standing judiciary program that assigns retired judges to courts with temporary vacancies due to vacations, judicial training, illnesses and other reasons. Judiciary officials last spring instituted new rules for the program. Retired judges are now restricted to 120 days of assigned work a year and a retroactive, lifetime cap of 1,320 total days in the program.
Related: Daily Journal
New Option For Paying Traffic Fines In Alameda County: PayNearMe
June 25, 2019 | Dublin Patch
Under the agreement between the court and the firm, people will be able to make cash payments at PayNearMe stations located at stores like CVS without incurring a transaction fee. People will still be able to pay fines online with debit or credit cards, or by sending checks.
California trails in regulating short-term lenders. This bill could finally rein them in.
Advocates say the new dynamics helped push some lenders to come to the table and negotiate on the terms of the proposal this year. Rumblings over a potential ballot measure — a strategy that has been successful in other states — and a recent California Supreme Court opinion that courts may declare high rates “unconscionable” and unenforceable also aided discussions.
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archbishop (4537 Results)
You are looking at 21-40 of 4,537 items for:
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Oxford Scholarly Editions Online
in Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes
Reference Entry. Subjects: Language Reference. 47 words.
• ketchup • callop, escallop, escalope, gallop, galop, Salop, shallop • develop, envelop • collop, dollop, gollop,
Edited by E. A. Livingstone.
in The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church
Reference Entry. Subjects: Christianity. 30 words.
The title, applied in the 4th–5th cents. to patriarchs and holders of other outstanding sees, came to be extended to
The title, applied in the 4th–5th cents. to *patriarchs and holders of other outstanding sees, came to be extended
John Bowker.
in The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions
Reference Entry. Subjects: Religious Studies. 10 words.
Title of certain Christian bishops, approximately equivalent to metropolitan.
John R. Guy.
in The Oxford Companion to British History
Reference Entry. Subjects: British History. 399 words.
are, literally, chief bishops. By the 5th cent. ad the title was applied to the occupants of sees of major
Michael Dobson and Stanley Wells.
in The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare
Reference Entry. Subjects: Shakespeare Studies and Criticism. 8 words.
Edited by Michael Dobson, Stanley Wells, Will Sharpe and Erin Sullivan.
January 2015; p ublished online October 2015 .
Aristeides Papadakis.
in The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium
Reference Entry. Subjects: Medieval and Renaissance History (500 to 1500). 212 words.
(ἀρχιεπίσκοπος, lit. “chief bishop”), a title initially used to designate certain metropolitans. It was applied to the bishops of
Edited by F. L. Cross and E. A. Livingstone.
in The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church
In the 4th and 5th cents. the title was applied to the *patriarchs and holders of other outstanding sees. Later its use was extended to ...
Edited by Robert E. Bjork.
in The Oxford Dictionary of the Middle Ages
Reference Entry. Subjects: Medieval and Renaissance History (500 to 1500). 3 words.
Marsh’s Library, Archbishop
in The Oxford Companion to the Book
Reference Entry. Subjects: History. 112 words.
Named after its founder Narcissus Marsh (1638–1713), archbishop of Dublin, this was the first *public library in Ireland
Oswald, St , archbishop of York (992)
Reference Entry. Subjects: Medieval and Renaissance History (500 to 1500). 63 words.
Bishop of *Worcester (961–92), and archbishop of *York (971–92). Along with *Dunstan and *Æthelwold, Oswald
Eskil, St , archbishop of Lund (1181)
Eskil succeeded his uncle as archbishop of *Lund in 1138. In 1156, he became primate of Sweden and
Jænberht (d. 792), archbishop of Canterbury
Marios Costambeys.
in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
September 2004; p ublished online September 2004 .
Reference Entry. Subjects: Roman Catholicism, Roman Catholic Church. 1006 words.
Jænberht (d. 792), archbishop of Canterbury, was of Kentish origin. He was abbot of St Peter's and St Paul's (later St Augustine's), Canterbury, from 762. Following the death of Archbishop...
Go to Oxford Dictionary of National Biography » home page
Æthelgar (d. 990), archbishop of Canterbury
William Hunt.
Reference Entry. Subjects: Roman Catholicism, Roman Catholic Church. 320 words.
Æthelgar (d. 990), archbishop of Canterbury, was a monk of Glastonbury under Dunstan (later archbishop of Canterbury) and of Abingdon under Æthelwold (later bishop of Winchester). In 964...
Mellitus (d. 624), archbishop of Canterbury
N. P. Brooks.
Reference Entry. Subjects: Early Christianity; History of Christianity. 1261 words.
Mellitus (d. 624), archbishop of Canterbury, was the leader of the group of missionaries sent by Pope Gregory I in 601 to reinforce Augustine at Canterbury and he subsequently became the...
Æthelred (d. 888), archbishop of Canterbury
A. F. Wareham.
Æthelred (d. 888), archbishop of Canterbury, was archbishop from 870 until his death on 30 June 888, during the height of the viking wars. The statement in the F version of the Anglo-Saxon...
Sigeric (d. 994), archbishop of Canterbury
Emma Mason.
Sigeric (d. 994), archbishop of Canterbury, formerly a monk at Glastonbury, was elected abbot of St Augustine's, Canterbury, in 980, and was consecrated by Archbishop Dunstan. He was made...
Feologeld (d. 832), archbishop of Canterbury
Feologeld (d. 832), archbishop of Canterbury, subscribed an act of the Council of ‘Clofesho’ in 803 as abbot of a Kentish monastery. He was elected to succeed Archbishop Wulfred on 25 April...
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Ripstein, Reasonableness, and Objectivity
Law & Philosophy, Forthcoming
29 Pages Posted: 21 Oct 2001
See all articles by Larry Alexander
Larry Alexander
University of San Diego School of Law
Date Written: May 2001
In this review essay, I examine and criticize Arthur Ripstein's notions of objectivity and reasonableness that he makes central to the philosophy of both tort law and criminal law. Ripstein holds that what is reasonable conduct is an objective matter that turns neither on how the actor perceives the situation nor on the particular costs and benefits that will accrue to the actor from engaging or failing to engage in the conduct. On the other hand, Ripstein does argue that how conduct appears "objectively" is relevant to the doctrines of self-defense and attempts.
I argue that Ripstein's notions of objectivity and reasonableness are both theoretically untenable and normatively inert. At bottom, the source of Ripstein's difficulty is the point that both risk and appearance are always perspectival-relative to someone's point of view.
Alexander, Lawrence, Ripstein, Reasonableness, and Objectivity (May 2001). Law & Philosophy, Forthcoming. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=287491 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.287491
Lawrence Alexander (Contact Author)
University of San Diego School of Law ( email )
5998 Alcala Park
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Colin Craig…innocent victim or narcissistic manipulator?
July 30, 2015 July 30, 2015 Pat Brittenden2 Comments
So it all came out yesterday that, after several threats of legal action against numerous figures during his short public career, Colin Craig will finally be taking someone to court…or so he says.
Yesterday Mr. Craig released a booklet which claims to expose the ‘dirty politics’ and ‘hidden agenda’ of what appears to be the world against Colin and I, for one, am excited to see this get to a courtroom because it will answer once and for all if Mr. Craig is a innocent victim, or a narcissist of the highest order.
Mr Craig seems utterly sure that this legal action is an open-and-shut case. One thing I can say for sure is that Mr. Craig often claims certainty when speaking publicly but it’s not always the case.
Have a listen to this audio from The Slightly Correct Political Show in 2011 and hear his absolute confidence in how he knows he will win Rodney.
Mr. Craig cites expert advice in the form of polling, and explains that his win is a slam dunk. On election night 2011 Mr Craig lost to Mark Mitchell (National) by more than 12,200 votes. Mr. Craig always claims absolute knowledge of how things are going to turn out…but the truth is often far different. I have to say that it is my honest held belief that the way he is speaking now about this latest legal case sounds eerily similar to how he was speaking about his upcoming win in 2011, and that raises alarm bells for me.
I have knowledge of some of the texts that some are claiming Mr. Craig sent to his former Press Secretary, Rachel MacGregor, and if this goes to trial, then phone records will need to be presented in courts and if the texts are traceable to Mr. Craig (or indeed any of the ‘evidence’ that the accused say they have) it will be the shortest trial in history. The other question is if Mr. Craig has a case and the accusations made against him are malicious and false…then what?
“Defamation in New Zealand is governed by the Defamation Act 1992 and an established body of case law. It is an area of law that is designed to protect a person’s reputation against unjustifiable attack. Providing such protection requires a fine balance between the protection of reputation and the freedom of expression as contained in Section 14 of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990.” What that basically means is that is a person’s reputation is damaged by lies, then defamation may well have happened but I guess my question would be what reputation is Colin Craig trying to protect? Is it the reputation for questioning the moon landing? Is it the reputation for stating on Radiolive that the current political figure he most admires is Vladimir Putin? Is it the litigious reputation that Colin Craig has threatened to pull out on more than one occasion? What reputation is he protecting and what reputation has been besmirched should these accusations prove false?
It is my honest held belief that this will not see the inside of the courtroom, it seems unlikely to me, that Mr. Craig will put himself and his marriage through the potential of not getting the win in the courtroom which will justify everything that the three accused have said about him. He has too much to lose should he not get a resounding win. Also Mr. Craig has published an interview with Mr. X in his booklet, if this goes to court Mr. Craig will be forced to reveal who Mr. X is as there as claims in that interview that some of the accused have already called slander and Mr. Craig does not have the same protection in court to keep a source anonymous as a journalist has. No matter if he is innocent of these claims or not, his life will be turned upside down by court proceedings and, although many of us question his decisions sometimes, even he would be smart enough to see that this is a no-win outcome for him.
Cameron Slater, Colin Craig, Conservative Party, John Stringer, Jordan Williams, Rachel MacGregor, Radiolive, Slightly Correct Political Show, Wallace Chapman, WhaleOilDirty Politics, Politics
Labour and their ‘Chinese Surnames’
July 17, 2015 July 17, 2015 Pat Brittenden
So here we go again, an idea thought up in the upper offices of Labour with merit, executed like those making the decisions are in their first day of politics.
I say ‘merit’ because I think many people are in agreement with the idea of foreign money (from whatever country) flooding into our housing market will indeed put pressure on locals (of any ethnicity) when it comes to buying houses. A register of international buyers is not an idea that any political party opposes and in fact National will eventually bring in and then take the kudos for doing so.
However good ideas every day, whether their good business ideas, good relationship ideas, good political ideas or any kind of ideas, fall over due to those trying to impose them. Usually with political ideas it’s the execution that fails that party and this is a classic example of that. There is also the consideration of those opposing Labour and their ability to change the narrative of the issue which National has done perfectly, but not without help.
My sources inform me that Labour gave the policy to the New Zealand Herald several days before they released it, embargoed, to fact check and prepare themselves to write about it once Labour made the issue known publicly and I am reliably informed that the Herald then leaked the information to National. What this did is give National the ability to get ahead of what Labour was doing and formulate a strategy to combat what Labour was trying to say. For future reference National poll everything, they research and get public opinion on everything which usually takes two days. If in the future National comes out with a cast iron position on a major Labour or Greens policy that is not yet in the public domain then it’s a pretty safe bet they have been leaked the information and have already tested it.
In saying all of that the way Labour has handled this information is sloppy and amateurish and even though National got ahead of the release, it still only too Lisa Owen on The Nation 8 minutes to accuse Phil Twyford and Labour of playing the race card all without the polling that National did, she came to the same conclusion.
The conversation about international money influencing our housing market is valid…very valid…but what Labour has done is basically give a green light to every red-neck, right wing, talkback calling bigot fodder to continue to treat the Asian community like second class citizens. If you don’t believe me just have a read of, Masterton native, Raybon Kan’s article from Wednesday.
And now we have groups like HouGarden.com, one of NZs biggest websites for Chinese immigrants to find property in NZ, stating that Chinese buying in NZ are looking for better education opportunities for their children, not investments as there are much better investments elsewhere. Their evidence for this is that when people are on their site some of the most searched words were “school zone, double grammar zone, Maclean, Westlake, Rangitoto and Auckland Grammar.” This again is a terrible news item for Labour but not quite as bad as the leaker of the information from Barfoots now losing his job…wonder how that will sit with the core Union member Labour supporter.
Finally, I am also dismayed that no one yet has actually offered a solution to the housing bubble in Auckland. So Labour is promising to ban international speculators, fair enough, but my question, as always, is “then what?” The average house price in Auckland is approaching $800,000 (see why we moved to Dunedin) and if this move ends up ‘correcting the market, then what about all those people who have bought in this market and just had $200,000** wiped off their equity…what about them? Or if the prices of houses still remain near $800,000 on average how are first time home buyers going to afford that?
An idea with merit that at it’s core most would support, executed poorly: Labour 2015
PS – Got $800,000…come to Dunedin
Better yet…got $400,000ish…come to Dunedin
Or how about, just for fun, $200,000ish
** arbitrary figure
Auckland, Barfoot and Thompson, Chinese, Dunedin, HouGarden.com, Housing, Labour, Leaked, Lisa Owen, National, NZ Herald, Phil Twyford, Raybon Kan, The NationEconomy, Housing, Politics, TV3
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Skidaway Institute’s Web log
A blog for the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography faculty and staff
Scientists use underwater robots to excite students about science
Can underwater robots catch the imagination of middle and high school students and spark an interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics? Researchers and educators from the University of Georgia’s Skidaway Institute of Oceanography and Marine Extension (MAREX) think so. They are creating an education program focused on autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), also called gliders or underwater robots.
The program, “Choose Your Own Adventure,” will capitalize on Skidaway Institute’s expertise with AUVs and MAREX’s extensive history of marine education. Skidaway Institute scientist and UGA faculty member Catherine Edwards, and MAREX faculty members Mary Sweeney-Reeves and Mare Timmons will direct the one-year project.
Catherine Edwards (center) demonstrates an AUV to Mary Sweeney-Reeves (left) and Mare Timmons.
The AUVs are a cutting-edge technology in marine research. The torpedo-shaped vehicles can be equipped with sensors and recorders to collect observations under all conditions. They are launched into the ocean and move through the water by adjusting their buoyancy and pitch. Because they are highly energy-efficient, gliders can remain on a mission for weeks at a time. Every four to six hours over their mission, they surface, report their data by satellite phone and receive instructions as needed.
Skidaway Institute’s AUV, nicknamed “Modena,” has been used in several recent projects, including “Gliderpalooza,” a simultaneous, cooperative launch of 13 AUVs from different institutions in 2013.
“Gliders are education-friendly, but the existing outreach activities are stale,” said Edwards. “Our program will develop the next generation of AUV outreach programs by combining cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research with educational activities and strong STEM components.”
The proposed work will highlight the problem of working with the strong tides that are characteristic of the Georgia coast. A big issue in operating gliders there is developing a guidance and navigation system that will function well in that kind of environment. The fast-moving Gulf Stream, located roughly 100 miles off the Georgia beaches, also introduces navigation problems.
“Although the AUVs have Global Positioning Systems and can be programmed to travel a set course, tidal and Gulf Stream currents can exceed the glider’s forward speed, which can take the instrument off course and keep us from collecting data where we need it,” Edwards said.
However, on the education side, the predictability of tides makes the proposed program highly intuitive and education-friendly.
“Students who grow up and live on the water already have an intuitive sense of tidal currents,” said Timmons. “Students understand why currents change during certain phases of the moon. This coastal intuition will provide a foundation for us to start an innovative, hands-on approach to STEM activities.”
Activities will depend on grade level so middle school students will have different objectives than those in high school. However, all the activities will address the direction and speed the AUV travels to a destination. The AUV direction and speed will depend on the sea state of coastal waters such as strong currents, storms or high winds.
To address the problem of strong tides, Edwards and a team of Georgia Tech graduate students, co-advised by Fumin Zhang, have developed the Glider Environmental Network Information System, called GENIoS, which optimizes a glider’s path based on data from real-time observations and ocean models. Current doctoral students Dongsik Chang and Sungjin Cho are working to upgrade the system to integrate real-time maps of surface currents measured by Skidaway Institute radar systems.
The education plan is to involve two local educators, April Meeks and Ben Wells, who teach in the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System. Since the activities are multidisciplinary, their expertise in building math curriculum will be valuable as the team integrates concepts of marine science, math and engineering into classroom activities.
“After the initial planning phase, we will be taking the program on the road to Chatham County schools,” said Sweeney-Reeves.
Activities will include student role-playing as an AUV maneuvers through a playing field of vector currents on a large game board. Successful arrival at their destination depends on how the individual pilot responds to currents, wind and density changes in route.
“The real fun will begin when obstacles, like underwater volcanoes, a giant squid or other surprises, cause the pilot to reroute the course of the AUV,” said Sweeney-Reeves.
The activities will allow students to develop analytical skills in a program that will be compliant with Next Generation Science Standards for the 21st Century in the common core state curriculum.
The funded study will include two short glider deployments. A summer 2014 deployment will be used for field-testing, software validation and developing real-world scenarios for the outreach program. A fall deployment will serve as an opportunity for classroom participants to communicate with the glider in real time.
“We hope this one-year program will serve as a springboard for future funding and continued joint outreach by Skidaway Institute and Marine Extension,” said Edwards. “We’d love to develop computer games and apps for tablets and mobile phones that let students fly gliders through even more realistic scenarios based on the measurements we collect in real time.”
The program is being funded through a joint grant from Skidaway Institute, UGA Public Service and Outreach, and the UGA President’s Venture Fund. The UGA President’s Venture Fund is intended to assist with significant funding challenges or opportunities. The fund also supports small programs and projects in amounts typically ranging from $500 to $5,000.
For additional information, contact Catherine Edwards at 912-598-2471 or catherine.edwards@skio.uga.edu; Mary Sweeney-Reeves at 912-598-2350 or msweeney@uga.edu; or Maryellen Timmons at 912-598-2353 or mare@uga.edu.
Tags:auv, beach, coast, Georgia, Georgia Tech, glider, gliderpalooza, global positioning system, GPS, Gulf Stream, marex, marine extension, Marine Science, ocean, Oceanography, president's venture fund, Research, robot, savannah chatham county public school system, sccpss, Science, Skidaway Institute, stem, tides, underwater robot, University of Georgia
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OFCS Update – February 25, 2016
February 25, 2016 OFCS Communications Comments off
OLMSTED FALLS BOARD OF EDUCATION CONTINUES PROCESS TO FILL VACANT SEAT; BOARD TO INTERVIEW 22 INTERESTED COMMUNITY MEMBERS
The Olmsted Falls Board of Education is currently in the process of filling a vacancy due to the resignation of a member. The Board continues to follow a very specific format and timeline that is dictated by Ohio Revised Code (ORC) as well as Olmsted Falls Board of Education Policy 0145 to fill the vacated seat. Twenty-two community members submitted letters of interest outlining their qualifications by the publicized deadline of February 22, 2016.
“We are so fortunate to have such a large pool of community members interested in serving our educational community in this capacity,” stated Olmsted Falls Board of Education President Joseph Bertrand. “I truly believe this is a testament to the high quality education and opportunities provided to our students each school day, and we look forward to learning more about each of the 22 interested candidates.”
According to the ORC requirements for filling this vacancy, the next time the entire board (all 4 members) meets, the open seat must be filled by appointment. The Board has elected to give each prospective board candidate full consideration and they will interview all 22 candidates. Candidates will be interviewed Thursday, Friday or Saturday of this week (Feb. 25th – 27th). As indicated, the ORC directs the process and the only time the full board is permitted to meet together is when they are ready to make an official appointment. Due to this fact, the four board members will conduct the Thursday and Friday evening interviews in pairs. On Saturday, the full Board will continue interviewing the remaining candidates and make the appointment of the next school board member sometime this Saturday afternoon, February 27, 2016.
The Board has called a special meeting for this Saturday, February 27th starting at 8:00 a.m. Once the meeting begins, the board will immediately enter what’s called an “Executive Session.” This is where all board members are permitted to exit the public meeting and engage in private conversation. This option is very limited to specific topics – including board candidate interviews and related discussions. All actions and votes must take place in public session. What this means is that the four current board members will gather on Saturday morning in executive session to interview and discuss the candidates. Once they have reached a consensus as to who will be appointed, they will re-enter into public session and take a vote to appoint the new board member. The newly appointed Board member will serve on the Olmsted Falls Board of Education until a special election is held in November of 2017.
“We are grateful to each of these candidates for their interest and willingness to step forward and become an active member of our Board of Education,” said Bertrand. “It is a great honor to serve the students, families and all residents of the Olmsted Falls City School District and I am confident that we will find an outstanding candidate to appoint.”
[To review a copy of the previous press release regarding the vacancy, please click HERE. To review a copy of the official vacancy posting notice, please click HERE. In addition, Olmsted Falls School District has kept all staff and parents directly informed throughout the process via email communication. Press releases and official vacancy notice have also been provided to local media outlets, in addition to being featured on the District’s own Weekly Blog Update.]
OFHS WILL HOST – AND COMPETE IN – OHSAA DIVISION 1 BOYS NET SECTIONAL FINAL GAME – THIS SATURDAY
OFHS’s gymnasium will be the site of an OHSAA Division 1 Boys Basketball Sectional Final game this Saturday, February 27th. Tip-off between the third-seeded Bulldogs and the fifth-seeded North Olmsted Eagles is at 7 p.m.
The winner advances to the District Semifinal @ 5:30 p.m. March 2nd at Elyria Catholic.
The OHSAA sets ticket prices and rules. There are NO presale tickets for sectional games. Adult and senior citizen tickets are $6 while student tickets are $4. Per the OHSAA, there are no senior citizen discount, no passes, school IDs or sign-ins that will be accepted. Everyone must have a ticket to enter. The ticket gate opens at 6 p.m.
Let’s go Bulldogs!
BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBERS TRY THEIR HAND DURING PROJECT LEAD THE WAY CHALLENGE
Olmsted Falls Board of Education members continue to dedicate a portion of their regular monthly Board meetings to seeing some of the District’s innovative educational programming in action. At the monthly meeting for February, Project Lead The Way’s Design and Modeling class – new at OFMS this year – was the program of focus.
OFMS students Noah Barratt, Anna Stenger and Tori Phillips joined course instructor Mrs. Stacey Wisniewski to share more about this new program with Board members. The students even invited – and challenged – board members to participate in a little competition to see who could build a structure using just paper and tape that would support the weight of a box of tissues. It was fun, interactive and competitive! To see a photo gallery of this challenge, click HERE.
The Project Lead The Way Design and Modeling class is part of the pre-engineering STEM program offered at Olmsted Falls Middle School through a partnership with Polaris Career Center. Students learn engineering measures and apply them in designing projects that are fun and creative. (See the next item for a great example!)
OFMS PROJECT LEAD THE WAY CLASS MODIFY TOYS FOR THOSE WITH DISABILITIES; WILL HOLD TOY DRIVE NEXT WEEK
Project Lead the Way’s Design and Modeling is a pre-engineering STEM program that provides students the opportunity to participate in design process projects throughout the quarter, learning about inventions and innovations. Students learn how to design using Inventor Autodesk,
Superintendent Dr. Jim Lloyd (pictured) and Board of Education member Linda Parkowski were among a number of visitors to the classroom while this impressive project was underway earlier this week.
which is a professional 3-dimensional software program. Students are also involved in weekly hands-on engineering challenges that involve problem solving and working as a team while using creative measures. They use science, math, technology and engineering on a daily basis with fun, creative and project-based activities.
On February 22nd and 23rd, the OFMS Project Lead the Way classes participated in a unique workshop in which the students modified animatronic dinosaurs so they can be used by students with physical disabilities. This “Replay” workshop was a great way for students to actually
Finished product featuring large, easy to push button to activate the dinosaurs movement and sounds!
do the real work of engineers by re-engineering a product for a modified use.
The next step of this special project will be to have a toy drive in which OFMS will collect specified new and gently used toys in order to gather even more toys to be similarly adapted and modified for use by students with physical disabilities.
The toy drive will occur from February 29th through March 4th. Stay tuned for more details as to the specific toys that are needed.
To see a photo gallery of the toy-making project, click HERE.
FALLS-LENOX STUDENTS PRESENT LIVE ‘WAX MUSEUM’ IN RESEARCHING FAMOUS PEOPLE
Several classes of Falls-Lenox Primary School’s third grade held a live “Wax Museum” last week. The students spent several weeks working on their research papers. They researched famous people, wrote informational reports and many created Google slide shows. These activities culminated with a Wax Museum, in which the students practiced their oral presentation skills and presented their knowledge and ideas to classmates, friends and family members.
The students did a wonderful job! Thanks to the teachers who worked with students in this great learning experience.
To view a photo gallery from this event, please click HERE.
OLMSTED FALLS STUDENT ADVANCES TO ELKS’ ESSAY STATE FINALS
OFMS student Zowie Hoover is one of three finalists from the Elks NE Ohio District to compete in the Elks Americanism Essay contests at the state level. He is in the grade 5/6 age division.
The competition asked students in grades 5-8 to develop the theme: “What I Can Do to Promote Americanism and Love of Country.” The three finalists from each six Ohio districts now vie for being part of the top three essays in Ohio. Results of that competition will be announced at the end of March. Each state’s first-place winners will advance to the national finals, with champions announced in July at the National Elks Convention in Houston.
Congratultions, Zowie, who is a student in Mrs. Lamarca’s sixth grade. Best wishes in the finals. To read his entry, click HERE.
FALLS-LENOX CLASS AND THEIR FAMILIES EARN TICKETS TO CAVS GAME THROUGH READING PROGRAM
Mrs. Timura’s class at Falls-Lenox joined the Cleveland Cavaliers Read to Achieve program in November. The students read daily and also read extra for the Read to Achieve program. The class was chosen to receive tickets for Monday’s night game for each of the students and their families. Each student received four tickets, which were pre-loaded with $5 each to use at the concession stand.
The kids had a great time. Many of them never attended a Cavs game. It was a very fun outing. We are grateful to the Cavs for choosing Mrs. Timura’s class to receive these tickets.
To view additional photos from the Cavs game, please click HERE.
OFMS GROUP COLLECTS SUPPLIES FOR ANIMAL SHELTER
The OFMS L.E.A.D. organization recently held a two-week fundraiser to collect supplies to donate to the Berea Animal Rescue Fund (ARF).
Middle school students collected two car loads worth of supplies, which L.E.A.D. organization members personally delivered to ARF.
Homerooms that collected the most supplies participated in a recognition breakfast and received a visit from two cute puppies from ARF to say thank you!
Kudos to OFMS and L.E.A.D. members!
OLMSTED FALLS CITY SCHOOLS ON LOCAL REPORT CARD DATA RELEASED BY ODE
Earlier today, the Ohio Department of Education released what they indicate are the final metrics for the 2015 local district report cards to the public. This information is currently available on the ODE website.
At Olmsted Falls City Schools we take student achievement very seriously. We expect our students to be college and career ready through a strong curriculum and a wide range of “Triple A” opportunities that support a complete education. Olmsted Falls is currently engaged in a strategic planning process to extend our level of excellence even further. We understand the great value we provide to the community and are continuing to work hard to maintain those high standards of distinction for our students and our residents.
The latest Local Report Card data from the Ohio Department of Education is unfortunately not very helpful this year. Since the tests that students took last year were so very different from previous years, you cannot get an apples-to-apples comparison. In addition, the results are coming in so late after students took the tests that there really isn’t much value that they provide for our educators this year. Even the state legislature has indicated that this data is not helpful. It is our intention to use it for what we can and move on to more actionable pieces that help our students to be college and career ready.
It is important to remember that these were new tests that were drastically different from previous assessments. Many students and parents were greatly concerned with the overall testing environment. This resulted in higher test anxiety for many students, many students opting out of the tests entirely and frustration across the board for all involved. That’s why last year’s tests are no longer being used. So the data this year is not really helpful or actionable. Nevertheless, the ODE has chosen to release the data so it is out there and it is important that we acknowledge that and try to provide our parents and community with an accurate context in which to interpret it.
It is of greatest importance to note that Olmsted Falls City Schools does not define its quality of education by any single test or data point. We believe in a more complete educational experience with opportunities both inside and outside of the classroom that prepare students to be college and career ready.
At Olmsted Falls City Schools we care about our students and their educational experience. We will continue to gather whatever value we can from these state assessment results and move onwards towards ensuring our students are prepared for the global world around them instead of a specific test.
To view local media coverage in the The Plain Dealer, which ran yesterday in anticipation of today’s ODE release, please click on the following link:
http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2016/02/common_core_parcc_and_testing.html#incart_m-rpt-1
Additionally, it is of interest to note that Peggy Lehner, chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee, recently told The Columbus Dispatch: “The scores will drop. It is not to be taken as a sign that anything bad is happening in your school. Any data that was derived from the test last year, no one should really pay any attention to it.”
Olmsted Falls City Schools will continue to provide high quality educational programming and engaging opportunities for our students each school day. We will not be defined by the convoluted data being put out by the ODE. Will will continue to identify and use other, more important metrics to measure our student success.
Any parents with questions or concerns about the latest local report card information are invited and encouraged to contact Assistant Superintendent Kelli Cogan by email (kcogan@ofcs.net) or by phone at 427-6000.
Thank you to all of our outstanding students, staff, administrators and board members who continue to make Olmsted Falls a great place to learn and grow!
ON-LINE REGISTRATION FOR NEW STUDENTS – INCLUDING KINDERGARTEN – NOW OPEN
DEADLINE TO REGISTER INCOMING KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS FOR NEW FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN PROGRAM IS NEXT THURSDAY, MARCH 4TH
Registration for new school district students – including all kindergarten students – for the 2016-2017 school year is open and available on-line. Visit www.ofcs.net and click on the “NEW STUDENT REGISTRATION FOR NEXT SCHOOL YEAR (2016-2017)” QUICK LINK at the top left side of the page.
To view information about the new Full-Day Kindergarten Program, please click HERE.
CANCELED – THE FINAL TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION NIGHT FOR TUESDAY, MARCH 1ST
Thank you to all who attended the three sessions.
Technology Information Nights for Parents are presented by OFCS Technology Integration Specialists Dawn Carlin and Jeff VanArnhem.
All Technology Information Nights are held in the Middle School Cafetorium from 7:30 – 9:00 p.m. These sessions are open to all parents/guardians of all OFCS students regardless of grade level. Devices will be available for use, but parents are also encouraged to bring their own laptop or mobile device, if available.
To download official Technology Information Night flyer with detailed topic information, please click HERE.
To download information presented during the first session, held in October, which covered Google Apps for Education, Compass Learning, PowerSchool and choosing the best device for your student, please click HERE.
The second of four scheduled sessions was held last month and covered the topic of Educational Websites for Students & Accessing Resources Provided by Teachers. To review the information presented during this latest session, please click HERE.
The third session, attended by 13 parents who represented students in grades 1-12, was held February 16. It highlighted internet safety & social media. Officer Smolik shared a presentation on Sexting. Dawn Carlin and Jeff VanArnhem, district technology integration specialists, presented information about internet safety precautions that are taken at school as well as precautions parents can take at home to keep kids of all ages safe while in cyberspace. To review the information shown at this latest session, click HERE.
OFHS TRACK & FIELD PRE-SEASON PARENT MEETING – WED., MARCH 2ND
The OFHS track and field parent meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 2nd, in the high school media center. Parents of high school athletes who plan to participate in track and field this spring should attend this important meeting. Contact Coach Novotny at jnovotny@ofcs.net for more details.
INCOMING GRADE 9 SCHEDULING PROCESS IS AVAILABLE ONLINE
Parents and current 8th grade students: A video of the presentation of the recent freshman orientation meeting is available on the district’s website under Olmsted Falls High School and Counselors’ Corner. A short 3-minute video also is available at that webpage that reviews the schedule process on student registration process through PowerSchool for the 2016-2017 classes. Click HERE to access the OFHS Counselors’ Corner.
Students will receive practice scheduling checklists and watch the video in their homerooms this week. Copies of the scheduling checklists are on the Counselors’ Corner webpage. They are located under 2016-2017 Scheduling Info. The scheduling window will remain open from Tuesday, March 1st through Tuesday, March 8th. Please discuss course selections with your student prior to their scheduling date. Students should bring home a copy of scheduled courses at that time.
If a student needs to make changes after the scheduling window is closed, the student needs to contact their counselor. Counselors will be available from noon to 7 p.m. June 6th. All course adjustments must be made by June 7th.
If you have questions or concerns after receiving your student’s schedule, an individual conference can be scheduled with a high school counselor by calling the OFHS guidance office, 440-427-6116.
HURRY, PARENTS! STILL TIME TO OBTAIN COLLEGE NOW ADVISING
There are still FREE College Now Advising appointments available at the high school. College Now is available to help file the FAFSA – Free Application for Federal Student Aid – locate scholarships and interpret SAR – Student Aid Reports.
Make your appointment today by calling the OFHS guidance department, 440-427-6116. Appointments are only available through mid-March, so call today!
LOCAL ELECTED OFFICIALS TO HOST MILITARY SERVICE ACADEMY EVENTS
Interested in learning more about the application process for the Air Force, Military, Naval and Merchant Marine Academies? Join us at one of our informational sessions held across Ohio.
CONGRESSMAN JIM RENACCI MILITARY SERVICE ACADEMY DAY
Registration is preferred, but not required by emailing Congressman Renacci’s Academy Coordinator at bryan.bowman@mail.house.gov. For additional information call 330-334-0040
Akron General Health and Wellness Center Conference Room
1940 Town Park Blvd.
Green, OH 44685
Information session for parents and students. Receive information on the service academies, learn about the nomination process, and obtain pointers to best position yourself for an academy nomination.
UNITED STATES SERVICE ACADEMY SEMINARS SPONSORED BY SENATOR SHERROD BROWN AND ROB PORTMAN
Please RSVP if you are planning to attend. Call the Academy Coordinators at 1-800-205-6446 or 1-888-896-8446 then press 1
North Central State College, Main Campus
Kee Hall, Rooms 128 A & 128 B
6 – 8 PM
Kilcawley Center, President’s Suite
One University Plaza
REMINDER – HELPING HANDS BOWLING BENEFIT IS THIS SATURDAY
The February 27th bowling fundraiser will benefit the district’s Helping Hands and OFCS Special Olympics.
It is from 9:30 a.m. to noon Saturday at Fairview Lanes in Fairview Park.
DEADLINE TO BUY HORSES IN NIGHT @ THE RACES IS TOMORROW, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26TH
The Olmsted Falls Athletic Boosters’ Night at the Races is March 12th at St. Demetrios Cultural Center, 22909 Center Ridge Road, Rocky River.
Tickets are $35 each or $280 for a table of eight. It includes a buffet dinner and soft drinks/wash. Bring your own appetizers, goodies and refreshments to share. There will be door prizes, Chinese raffle and more. This fundraiser benefits students throughout the district.
There are 90 horses to buy. The cost is $30 a piece. Does your group want to buy all nine horses in a given race? Contact the group ASAP. Winning horse owners receive a race trophy and $50 in prize money. To buy a horse, contact Terry Atkins, Terenceatkins22@gmail.com. For tickets to the event, contact Brian Fritz, 216-337-4422 or b4421fritz@yahoo.com.
To view an event flyer, click HERE. For a flyer detailing a horse purchase, click HERE.
BULLDOG ACADEMIC TEAM FUNDRAISER @ RAZZLES – SATURDAY, MARCH 5TH, 7-10 PM
Academic Team Wing Night at Razzles
Saturday, March 5th 7pm to 10pm
All you can eat pizza and wings
50/50 raffle, raffle basket, DJ, trivia game, and more
Tickets are $20 each
They can be purchased at the door or call Sandra Graham 235-2588
This fundraiser supports the OF Academic Team and helps pay for the tournaments they play in each year. Come out, support the team and have some fun!
EAT @ CHIPOTLE AND HELP PTA COUNCIL ON MARCH 14TH
The Olmsted Falls PTA Council has a special fundraiser at Chipotle. Eat at the North Olmsted’s Chipotle from 4-8 p.m March 14th and 50 percent of the proceeds will go to the PTA. The eatery is at 26420 Great Northern Shopping Center. All you need to do is bring in the flyer, show it on your smart phone or tell the cashier and PTA will receive the benefits.
To see the flyer, click HERE.
ORDER YOUR EASTER HAM/TURKEY NOW VIA SWIM/DIVE TEAM
The OFHS Bulldogs Swim & Dive Team again is offering its popular HoneyBaked Ham fundraiser. From now through March 11th, you may order HoneyBaked ham or glazed turkey breasts and gift certificates. Pick up is at OFHS March 24th.
To view the flyer with an order form and more details about placing your HoneyBaked order, click HERE. For more details or late orders, call Anita Greller, 440-793-6405.
SENIOR RESIDENTS: DINE AT POLARIS’ RESTAURANT MARCH 4TH – RESERVE BY MONDAY
Senior citizens are invited to a Senior Luncheon at Polaris Career Center’s Mise En Place from noon to 1:30 p.m. Friday, March 4th. But hurry – seating is limited to 30 people.
The cost is $12, which includes an entrée selection, beverage and dessert. Reservation deadline, with luncheon payment, is due February 29th at Olmsted Community Center, 8170 Mapleway Drive. Polaris is located at 7285 Old Oak Blvd., Middleburg Heights. Polaris provides real work career technical education in a high-tech learning environment. Chef training, baking and pastry arts and deli and food production are just some of the school’s programs. Olmsted Falls is one of Polaris’ six associate school districts. To learn more about the restaurant and its weekly menu, click HERE.
JOIN ‘ADULTS NIGHT OUT’ PRESCHOOL FUNDRAISER THIS SATURDAY
Olmsted Community Preschool presents an “Adults Night Out” fundraiser from 6:30-8:30 p.m. this Saturday, February 27th. The event at Razzles/Rockers Café includes all-you-can-eat pizza and wings, limited beverages, DJ, Chinese raffle, 50/50 raffle and more fun. Tickets are available at the door. Razzles is at 27128 Bagley Road.
TEST STRESS: A PARENT’S REAL GUIDE TO COLLEGE TEST PREP
Location: Olmsted Falls Branch Library
Date: March 9, 2016 Time: 7-8 p.m.
Description: This fun, free interactive seminar will provide tips on helping your child deal with the stress and anxiety of taking tests as well as how to develop a high school action plan to be ready for college.
To register for the event, click HERE.
OLMSTED COMMUNITY SUMMER LEAGUE HAS IN-HOUSE SIGN UP
baseball and glove
Register from 1-4 p.m. March 13 for the upcoming Olmsted Community Summer League. Sign up is at Olmsted Community Center. You may register and pay for your child’s participation in the league there or do it online through OCC. Registrations without a late fee will be accepted until March 31. Late registrations with a $20 late fee will be accepted until April 15. The 2016 registration form is available by clicking HERE.
To register, visit OCC’s website at www.olmstedcc.com. Also ‘like’ OCC on its Facebook page to see updated league news. If you are interested in playing in the Adult Coed Softball league, contact Jim Masie, jimmasie@gmail.com. The group also is looking for a Boys Intermediate league rep. If interested, contact Nicole Sherman, nsherman2000@gmail.com.
Register soon for any of the leagues before sign ups close.
Categories: Did You Know, Uncategorized
OLMSTED FALLS BOARD OF EDUCATION ACCEPTING APPLICANTS FOR VACANT SEAT THROUGH FEBRUARY 22ND
As mentioned in last week’s blog post, a vacancy was created on the Board of Education of the Olmsted Falls City School District when a Board member resigned. The resignation of Mr. Brian Weisbarth was effective Feb. 8th, and was formally accepted at last night’s regularly scheduled monthly meeting for February.
Pursuant to Board Policy 0145, the Board is seeking qualified and interested candidates to consider in filling this vacancy.
Any interested applicant must submit a written notice of interest in this vacancy, including qualifications for the position, no later than Monday, February 22, 2016. The written notice must be submitted to Board President Joseph Bertrand at 26937 Bagley Road, Olmsted Falls, Ohio 44138 or via email to jbertrandsr@g.ofcs.net.
Eligibility requirements include: being a U.S. citizen; being at least 18 years of age; being a resident of the Olmsted Falls City School District and being registered to vote in the Olmsted Falls City School District.
To view the official vacancy posting on the district’s website, click HERE.
Registration for new school district students – including all kindergarten students – for the 2016-2017 school year is now open and available on-line. Visit www.ofcs.net and click on the “NEW STUDENT REGISTRATION FOR NEXT SCHOOL YEAR (2016-2017)” QUICK LINK at the top left side of the page. The deadline to register incoming Kindergarten students for the new full-day Kindergarten program is Thursday, March 4th.
BOARD OF EDUCATION RECOGNIZES SIX O.F. STUDENTS FOR AWARD-WINNING ESSAYS
Pictured from left to right: Emily Sumerauer, Alexis McNamara, Jacqueline Huston and Adam von Glahn with OFMS Principal Mr. Mark Kurz. Not pictured: Zowie Hoover and Amber Blevins.
The Olmsted Falls Board of Education recognized six Bulldog students for their award-winning essays in the “What I Can Do to Promote Americanism and Love of Country” essay contest sponsored by The Benevolent and protective Order of Elks. As reported in a previous blog post, students from Olmsted Falls, Berea and Strongsville will invited to participate in the local competition, judged by a panel of 12 Berea Elks members. More than 400 essays were submitted. All six winners in this year’s local contest were from Olmsted Falls!
Congratulations to Zowie Hoover, Jacqueline Huston and Alexis McNamara for their award-winning entries in the Grade 5/6 division; and to Amber Blevins, Emily Sumerauer and Adam von Glahn for their award-winning entries in the Grade 7/8 division. OFMS Principal was in attendance at the monthly Board meeting to help present special certificates from the Board of Education.
Congratulations again to these six outstanding students, and best of luck to each of them as their essays advance to compete at the NE Ohio District level!
BOARD OF EDUCATION HONORS LATEST MASTER TEACHER IN THE DISTRICT
(L to R) OFCS teachers Mr. Jesse Judson and Mrs. Lisa Hawk help recognize newest Master Teacher Mrs. Anne Miskimins with Superintendent Dr. Jim Lloyd.
Congratulations to the district’s newest Master Teacher – Anne Miskimins. The Olmsted Falls Board of Education recognized and honored Mrs. Miskimins during its monthly board meeting for February, held last night in the OFHS Media Center.
Mrs. Miskimins earned the Master Teacher designation by participating in Ohio’s Master Teacher Program and demonstrating excellence both inside and outside the classroom through consistent leadership and focused collaboration to maximize student learning. She achieved exemplary scores for the rigorous documentation of her instructional practices, leadership roles and professional activities.
The district’s Olmsted Falls Master Teacher Committee facilitates the program locally with representatives from all buildings and content areas. Mrs. Miskimins’ successful completion of the program brings the number to 14 total Master Teachers in the Olmsted Falls City School District!
Congratulations again to Mrs. Miskimins!
OFMS SEVENTH GRADER BEE-COMES SPELLING FINALIST, ADVANCES TO COUNTY LEVEL
Congratulations to grade 7 and 8 students who participated in the February 4th Scripps National Spelling Bee at the local middle school level. Participants included seventh graders Becca Abbott, Emma Barnard, Cathy Doherty, Richie Garcia, Kyle Ko, Sanat Subhash and Amanda Wu and grade 8 student Ramiro Rodriguez.
The final three contestants were Amanda Wu who finished in first place; Richie Garcia, second and Sanat Subhash, third. First-place winner Amanda Wu will represent Olmsted Falls Middle School at the Cuyahoga County level of the Spelling Bee in a few weeks. Best wishes in the competition, Amanda!
BALLROOM BLITZ IS THIS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19TH
The OFHS cafeteria will be transformed into a café ballroom at its annual Ballroom Blitz tomorrow, Friday, February 19th. The OFHS Jazz Band and Golden Expressions will perform for this fundraiser that benefits the district’s entire music experience. Enjoy dancing, finger foods, appetizers, desserts, raffles, door prizes and more. The cost is $10 for adults and $7 for students and ages 65 and older.
Anyone donating bakery, remember to drop items off at the school on Friday.
To see a flyer of the event, click HERE and sign up to donate any item, click HERE.
TWO STUDENTS NAMED AS JANUARY’S HEALTHY HEROES
Liam Ray, a Falls-Lenox student and Brielle Gaughan, who attends ECC, are the January Healthy Hero at their respective schools. Besides gaining the benefits of maintaining healthy habits, they receive a Healthy Hero certificate and a $5 gift card to an area store.
The program teaches youngsters healthy habits, including power hand washing, eating properly, daily exercise, sleeping well and coughing and sneezing into one’s sleeve. The Hero also earns a prize for doing healthy tasks at home, too.
Pictured here with Liam is Sandy Tatro, the F-L media center’s assistant. Brielle is pictured with her mom, Linda.
Parents and current 8th grade students: A video of the presentation of last week’s freshman orientation meeting is available on the district’s website under Olmsted Falls High School and Counselors’ Corner. A short 3-minute video also is available at that webpage that reviews the schedule process on student registration process through PowerSchool for the 2016-2017 classes. Click HERE to access the OFHS Counselors’ Corner.
Students will receive practice scheduling checklists and watch the video in their homerooms either February 25th or 26th. Copies of the scheduling checklists are on the Counselors’ Corner webpage. They are located under 2016-2017 Scheduling Info. The scheduling window will remain open from Tuesday, March 1st through Tuesday, March 8th. Please discuss course selections with your student prior to their scheduling date. Students should bring home a copy of scheduled courses at that time.
There are still FREE College Now Advising appointments available at the high school. College Now is available to help file the FAFSA – Free Application for Federal Student Aid – locate scholarships and interpret SAR – Student Aid Reports. Make your appointment today by calling the OFHS guidance department, 440-427-6116. Appointments are only available through mid-March, so call today!
‘TIS THE SEASON FOR COLDS, FLU; HELPFUL HINTS
Staying healthy can be a challenge in this weather.
Here are a few tips to prevent illnesses. Get a flu shot. Wash your hands often. Avoid touching your nose and eyes. Do not share utensils or towels at home. Stay home when you are ill. Symptoms of a cold last 5-10 days. They include runny nose, sneezing, nasal and sinus blockage, headache, sore throat or cough.
Flu symptoms are usually worse and include fever, body aches, extreme tiredness, dry cough, chills sweating, muscle and body aches, nausea and/or vomiting and high fever (greater than 102F). If your child has any of the these symptoms, please keep them home to prevent other children from becoming ill. When your child does need to go home from school, please try to pick them up as soon as possible to avoid the spread of further infection.
The district offers general guidelines for keeping your child home from school due to illness. An example is the flu, stay home until he/she has been fever-free for a full 24 hours. To view the guidelines for fever, pinkeye, strep throat, vomiting and other illness, click HERE.
HELPING HANDS BOWLING BENEFIT IS RIGHT UP YOUR ALLEY – SIGN UP DEADLINE IS THIS FRIDAY!
A February 27th bowling fundraiser will benefit the district’s Helping Hands and OFCS Special Olympics. It is from 9:30 a.m. to noon February 27th at Fairview Lanes in Fairview Park.
The cost is $10 for bowlers, which includes two hours of bowling, shoes and ball rentals, pizza and drink. Non-bowlers’ cost is $5, which includes pizza and drink. There will be raffle baskets, a 50/50 raffle and bake sale.
The event is open to all ages and ability levels, whether in the district or not. Lane bumpers and ball ramps are available upon request.
Complete the form by clicking HERE and return it, along with payment, to Mariel Krakowiak at OFHS by tomorrow, Friday, February 19th. Only 20 lanes are available. Lanes will only be reserved once forms and payment are received.
Donations for the event will be accepted by clicking HERE. It’s a great time of year to get out of the house and have some fun with friends and family.
LAS VEGAS NIGHT IS THIS SATURDAY @ WEST SIDE IRISH-AMERICAN CLUB – WIN CAVS FLOOR SEATS!
Feeling luck? Attend this Saturday’s – February 20th – Olmsted Falls Alumni Association’s Las Vegas Night from 7 p.m. to midnight at the West Side Irish-American Club on Jennings Road in Olmsted Township. The night includes a big wheel, dice, black Jack, let it ride, poker, Texas hold ’em and others as well as a 50/50 raffle, side boards and others. There is a cash bar and refreshments by Angelina’s Pizza.
Get in the Action!! Win CAVS FLOOR SEATS!! We will be raffling 2 sets of CAVS FLOOR SEATS!! Buy a playing card for $10. One in 52 chance of winning a pair of floor seats to 4/13 Cavs v Pistons game.
Las Vegas Night event tickets are $5 in advance and $6 at the door. Call the Alumni Office, 440-427-6030 for tickets or more details. The event is for those age 21 and older. For more information, click HERE to see the event’s flyer.
BUY A HORSE, ATTEND MARCH 12TH NIGHT AT THE RACES
Want to buy a horse? There are 90 of them. The cost is $30 a piece. Does your group want to buy all nine horses in a given race? Contact the group ASAP. Winning horse owners receive a race trophy and $50 in prize money. To buy a horse, contact Terry Atkins, Terenceatkins22@gmail.com. For tickets to the event, contact Brian Fritz, 216-337-4422 or b4421fritz@yahoo.com. Deadline to purchase a horse is February 26th.
OF PTA COUNCIL SELLING SPORTS/TOUGH STAIN DETERGENT PRODUCTS
Sweat X Sport Detergent is an industry leading active wear laundry detergent that removes the toughest stains and odors. It is great for sports and band uniforms and the odor spray is perfect for shoes, equipment, bags and more.
The OF PTA Council is selling these detergent products. Proceeds from this fundraiser will go directly to program activities and scholarships for graduating seniors. The sale begins this Monday, February 8th and ends February 24th with all order forms and money due that day. Product pick up is from 5-7 p.m. March 16th at the F-L cafeteria. For an order form, click HERE.
SENIOR RESIDENTS: DINE AT POLARIS’ RESTAURANT MARCH 4TH
FEBRUARY ACTIVITIES @ OCC AND OF LIBRARY
The 2016 Olmsted Recreation Senior Activities Calendar include two new programs. Senior Craft Day is at 10:30 a.m. on the first Monday of each month at Olmsted Community Center while Mall Walking is at 8 a.m. the last Wednesday of every month by meeting at 8 a.m. at the Great Northern Mall Food Court. Both are listed on the calendar that may be seen by clicking HERE. A Meditation for Healthy Aging session is set for 11:30 a.m. February 9th. To see a flyer of this event, click HERE and to see all activities at the Olmsted Falls branch library, click HERE.
SIGN UPS FOR SUMMER BASEBALL/SOFTBALL
The Olmsted Community Summer League is now accepting for boys and girls baseball/softball leagues for ages 4-18. There are several ways to register, including online through Olmsted Community Center at www.olmstedcc.com. You also may print the form from its website or that of OCSL – www.ocslinfo.org. And returning it, along with payment, to the Center, 8170 Mapleway Drive, Olmsted Falls 44138. Those registering after March 31 will be charged a late fee. Games begin June 1.
The co-ed league returns this year. Register a team or individually by contacting Jim Masie, jimmasie@gmail.com or OCC, 440-427-1599.
REMEMBER – 4-DAY WEEKEND THIS WEEK: NO SCHOOL THIS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12TH / MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15TH
Please be sure to note there will be NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS THIS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12TH due to a District Professional Development Day for staff. The District will also be CLOSED ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16TH in honor of Presidents’ Day.
All school buildings will be back in session on Tuesday, February 16th. Enjoy the long holiday weekend!
TV 5 HIGHLIGHTS DISTRICT’S NEW FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN PROGRAM
The district’s new Full-Day Kindergarten Program – launching for the upcoming 2016-2017 school year – received coverage on TV Channel 5 this week. News 5 reporter Lauren Wilson spent the morning at the Olmsted Falls Early Childhood Center earlier this week to learn more about Olmsted Falls School District’s plans to add a full-day program next year. To view the segment, which aired on Monday, please click HERE.
REMINDER: Registration for New Students – including all kindergarten students – for the 2016-2017 school year will be available on-line starting at NOON THIS TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16TH. THE DEADLINE TO REGISTER INCOMING KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS FOR THE NEW FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN PROGRAM IS THURSDAY, MARCH 4TH.
IT’S DODGEBALL TIME – TOMORROW, THURSDAY, FEB. 11TH @ 7:00 P.M. (*PLEASE NOTE NEW, EARLIER START TIME!)
The OFHS PTA’s 13th annual Battle of the Schools Dodgeball Game is TOMORROW NIGHT – Thursday, February 11th ! Come out and support your school team at the game that now starts at 7 p.m. in the OFHS gym. PLEASE NOTE THE NEW START TIME IS 7 P.M.
There is NO SCHOOL Friday, February 12th, so come on out and support your teachers and building staff as they compete for the coveted BATTLE OF THE SCHOOLS trophy and bragging rights for the next year!
Tickets are $4 for students, $6 for adults. They will be available at the door. Concessions and face painting, provided by the Junior Class, will be available. There will be free throw basketball shots during breaks and a 50/50 raffle. All proceeds from this event will benefit the High School Scholarship Program for the Class of 2016. Cheer on your team and support an excellent cause!
REMINDER TO ALL BULLDOG PARENTS: THURSDAY EVENING EVENT WITH RICK WORMELLI CANCELLED
Just a quick reminder that the “Standards-Based Grading: Special Evening Presentation for Parents” with guest speaker Rick Wormelli – which was scheduled for 6:30 p.m. tomorrow night, Thursday, February 11th at OFHS – has been cancelled due to a conflict.
MEMBER BRIAN WEISBARTH TO RESIGN FROM BOARD OF EDUCATION; BOARD BEGINS PROCESS TO FILL VACANCY
Olmsted Falls Board of Education Member Brian Weisbarth has submitted his letter of resignation citing a need to spend more time on personal matters. The resignation is effective immediately. The Olmsted Falls Board of Education will officially accept Mr. Weisbarth’s resignation during the February 17, 2016 regularly scheduled meeting.
“Obviously we are saddened by this news,” stated Olmsted Falls Board of Education President Joseph Bertrand. “We were excited to work with Brian as a new member of our board. However, I also understand that family comes first and based upon his letter of resignation that is where his attention needs to be right now. We thank him for his service to our community and wish him and his family all the best in the future.”
The board will follow the process outlined in Ohio Revised Code (ORC) and Olmsted Falls Board of Education Policy 0145 to appoint a new member of the community to fill the vacated seat. The Board shall fill the vacancy at its next regular or special meeting, but not earlier than ten (10) days after the vacancy occurs. The process to fill the vacancy commences with the resignation date (February 8, 2016). The Board will:
1. Advertise the position. (This will be posted on the district’s website no later than February 18th.)
2. The Board shall seek qualified and interested candidates from the community through the news media, word of mouth, and contacts with appropriate organizations.
3. Ask qualified residents who are interested in filling the vacancy to submit a letter of interest outlining the candidates qualifications no later than February 22, 2016 to the attention of Mr. Joe Bertrand, President, Olmsted Falls Board of Education, 26937 Bagley Road, Olmsted Falls, OH 44138.
4. Appoint the Board Member from the pool of candidates within thirty (30) days after the vacancy occurs (on or before March 9th).
If the Board is unable to make such an appointment by March 9, 2016, according to Ohio Law, the local probate court will fill the vacancy. Once appointed, the individual will serve as our board member until a special election is held in November of 2017. The winner of that election will take office on January 1, 2018 and serve until January 1, 2020.
“It is a great honor to serve the children and citizens of the Olmsted Falls City School District,” said Bertrand. “I highly encourage anyone who is interested in this opportunity to submit an application. We have so many wonderful people in our community that I’m sure this will be a difficult decision.”
Superintendent Dr. Jim Lloyd notified all Bulldog parents of the vacancy – and the process that will be getting under way to fill it – in an email sent out this afternoon. To view a copy of Dr. Lloyd’s email to parents, please click HERE.
EIGHT OFHS STUDENTS ADVANCE TO SPEECH STATE TOURNAMENT!
Pictured here, from left, are Zach Boscarello, Jake Wrege, Bill Wendling, Jake Conder, Ashley Campbell, Cole Zehe, Esha Vartak. Not pictured, Matt Fox.
Last weekend, eight students qualified to compete in the Ohio High School Speech league State Tournament at Princeton High School in Cincinnati March 4th and 5th.
Seniors Jake Conder and Matt Fox qualified in duo interpretation as did sophomores Jake Wrege and Bill Wendling. Senior Ashley Campbell and freshman Cole Zehe qualified in humorous interpretation. Senior Zach Boscarello will compete in the student congress. Sophomore Esha Vartak qualified in declamation.
As a school, OFHS received the BroDoc award by the Cleveland district committee. This award is given to a team that is the most improved and has shown to be a group that is growing and moving in a positive direction.
Congratulations to all and best wishes in the tournament!
OFMS STUDENT RECEIVES YOUTH HOCKEY AWARD
Colin Wilson, an OFMS eighth grader, received the Bright Bisson Award from Rocky River Youth Hockey Friday. The award is given to two eighth graders for being in the Rocky River Youth Hockey program for at least five years, giving back and volunteering, being coachable and a good role model and showing leadership. Colin will attend and play hockey for OFHS next year. Congratulations, Colin.
NEXT TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION NIGHT FOR PARENTS IS THIS TUESDAY, FEB. 16TH @ 7:30 P.M.
TOPIC: INTERNET SAFETY & SOCIAL MEDIA
The next Parent Technology Information Night – scheduled for this Tuesday, February 16th – will help parents stay informed about the latest social media and internet safety issues.
Please mark your calendar for the remaining two sessions currently scheduled for this school year:
Tuesday, February 16th – TOPIC: Internet Safety & Social Media
Tuesday, March 1st – TOPIC: Overview of Online Testing
INCOMING GRADE 9 SCHEDULING PROCESS NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE
Parents and current 8th grade students who were unable to attend Monday’s freshman orientation meeting, or need to review information provided at the session, there is online help.
A video of the presentation is available on the district’s website under Olmsted Falls High School and Counselors’ Corner. A short 3-minute video also is available at that webpage that reviews the schedule process on student registration process through PowerSchool for the 2016-2017 classes. Click HERE to access the OFHS Counselors’ Corner.
HURRY, PARENTS! STILL TIME TO FILE FAFSA AND OBTAIN COLLEGE NOW ADVISING
Attention parents of students who will attend college or technical school next fall. There is still time to file your FAFSA – Free Application for Federal Student Aid – before the financial aid deadlines. Many colleges have a FEBRUARY 15TH deadline.
There are still FREE College Now Advising appointments available at the high school. College Now is available to help file the FAFSA, locate scholarships and interpret SAR – Student Aid Reports. Make your appointment today by calling the OFHS guidance department, 440-427-6116. Appointments are only available through mid-March, so call today!
TIS THE SEASON FOR COLDS, FLU; HELPFUL HINTS
TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR THIS FRIDAY’S POST PROM’S VALENTINE’S FUNDRAISER
Post Prom’s largest event – Wing Night – is THIS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 13TH. It is from 6-8:30 p.m. February 13th at Molly McGhee’s Sports Pub, 13169 Prospect Road, Strongsville. The night includes wings, pizza, rigatoni, salad and refreshments of all types. Raffle prizes include hotel stays, baskets galore and corn hole boards.
Teachers, coaches, Olmsted community – come out and support the kids. Call Lisa Ciechanoski, 440-781-2511, for tickets, which cost $25. Don’t miss out on this fundraiser that supports the Class of 2016.
BALLROOM BLITZ NEEDS VOLUNTEERS FOR ITS FEB. 19TH EVENT
The OFHS cafeteria will be transformed into a café ballroom at its annual Ballroom Blitz February 19th. The OFHS Jazz Band and Golden Expressions will perform for this fundraiser that benefits the district’s entire music experience. Enjoy dancing, finger foods, appetizers, desserts, raffles, door prizes and more. The cost is $10 for adults and $7 for students and ages 65 and older.
The event does need your help, though. Raffle basket items and bakery/dessert goodies are needed and would be appreciated. Bakery should be brought to the school February 19th.
To see a flyer of the event, click HERE. and sign up to donate any item, click HERE.
BET YOU’LL HAVE A GREAT TIME AT LAS VEGAS NIGHT – INCLUDING A CHANCE TO WIN CAVS FLOOR SEATS!
Want to test your luck while raising money for scholarships? Attend the February 20th Olmsted Falls Alumni Association’s Las Vegas Night from 7 p.m. to midnight at the West Side Irish-American Club on Jennings Road in Olmsted Township. The night includes a big wheel, dice, black Jack, let it ride, poker, Texas hold ’em and others as well as a 50/50 raffle, side boards and others. There is a cash bar and refreshments by Angelina’s Pizza.
HELPING HANDS BOWLING BENEFIT IS RIGHT UP YOUR ALLEY – February 27th
Complete the form by clicking HERE and return it, along with payment, to Mariel Krakowiak at OFHS by Friday, February 19th. Only 20 lanes are available. Lanes will only be reserved once forms and payment are received.
OFCS Update – February 4, 2016
February 4, 2016 OFCS Communications Comments off
IMPORTANT: NEW STUDENT REGISTRATION FOR 2016-2017 OPENS FEB. 16TH
ON-LINE REGISTRATION FOR NEW STUDENTS FOR THE 2016-2017 SCHOOL YEAR – INCLUDING FOR INCOMING KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS – WILL OPEN ON TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16TH AT NOON.
PLEASE NOTE: This is a change from what is printed in the 2015-2016 Activities Calendar. Kindergarten Online Registration for the 2016-2017 school year was originally scheduled to begin on Monday, February 8th. This date has been rescheduled to Tuesday, February 16th @ noon. Please do NOT attempt to register an incoming kindergarten student in the current 2015-2016 new student registration portal currently available on the website – this is for new students starting in the district in the current 2015-2016 school year ONLY. Thank you!
FULL HOUSE AT ECC FOR LAST WEEK’S FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN PARENT INFORMATION MEETING
Many thanks to the approximately 90 parents who attended last week’s special Parent Information Meeting about the District’s new Full-Day Kindergarten Program launching with the upcoming 2016-2017 school year.
If you were unable to attend and are interested in learning more…
You can download a copy of the presentation slides by clicking HERE.
You can also watch the presentation, which was recorded live, by clicking HERE.
Additional information on the new Full-Day Kindergarten Program is also available on the District website by clicking HERE.
IMPORTANT KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION DATES TO REMEMBER:
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16TH @ NOON – New Student Online Registration Portal Opens
THURSDAY, MARCH 4TH – Deadline to register incoming kindergarten students for the Full-Day Kindergarten Program
IMPORTANT PARENT/STUDENT MEETINGS @ OFHS TONIGHT – THURSDAY, FEB. 4TH
The College Credit Plus and Junior College Parent Night programs are set for tonight, Thursday, February 4th.
The College Credit Plus Program is set for 6 p.m. It allows students in grades 7-12 to take college course work earning both college and high school credit. This presentation will outline program eligibility, admissions and scheduling. Representatives from OFHS, Lorain County Community College, Cuyahoga Community College and Cleveland State University will speak about the programs and available to answer questions.
Junior College Parent Night Program follows at 7 p.m. for parents of juniors who plan to attend a two- or four-year college. The College and Career Counselor will present details on selecting a college, the application process and financial aid. This is an IMPORTANT meeting in getting your student prepared to apply for colleges next falls. Students are welcome to attend.
If you are unable to attend either event, the presentations and handouts will be posted on the Counselor’s Corner website Friday.
COMMUNITY FORUM – THIS MONDAY, FEB. 8TH – FOCUSES ON THE RISE/DANGERS OF HEROIN
Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Astrab is sponsoring a Community Forum this Monday, February 8 about heroin, a drug that is taking the lives of our youth. It is at 7 p.m. at Falls-Lenox Primary School. The panel also includes Robert Brandt and Dr. Joan Papp. Brandt is the father of Robby, an Olmsted Falls High School grad who bravely fought to try to stay off heroin, but lost that battle. Hear the facts behind the growing heroin addiction among youth in this area and across the country.
To view the event’s flyer, click HERE.
ALL BULLDOG PARENTS INVITED AND ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND AN EVENING WITH RICK WORMELLI – NEXT THURSDAY, FEB. 11TH – EVENT CANCELLED DUE TO CONFLICT
Standards-Based Grading: Special Evening Presentation for Parents
Thursday, February 11th
6:30 p.m. @ OFHS Auditorium
Please join us next Thursday evening, February 11th, at 6:30 PM in the Olmsted Falls High School Auditorium for a thoughtful look at standards-based grading from a national presenter who has worked in all fifty states as they move towards a more accurate reporting system.
The faculty of Olmsted Falls schools is in a multi-year process of moving towards standards-based grading, and parents and the local community have a big part to play in that successful transition. Standards-based grading provides more information for parents on how individual children are progressing in their learning than does a more traditional grading system, and it builds the maturation skills needed to navigate school and the years beyond school.
The special evening presentation will provide clarity on what standards-based grading is and what it is not. Hear what colleges are looking for in potential students, and what they are saying about high school grading and admissions. Don’t miss it!
ALSO: Please stay tuned for additional information on possible on-site babysitting services for during the event.
OFHS PTA TALENT SHOW HAD SONGS, DANCE, MUSIC, COMEDY & MAGIC
The 29th Annual OFHS PTA Talent Show is now one for the books. Congratulations to the following students who won in the various grades.
K-4 Grades
1st place: Lindsey Smits, vocal performance of “Disneyland.” She also was the Overall Winner of the show.
2nd place: Adam Dempsey, freestyle dance to “The Dangerous Immortal.”
3rd place: Gavin Moody, piano solo of “Fireflies.”
1st Place: Gregory Smith with assistant Elise Grant, magic act
2nd Place: Rachel Korba, contemporary dance to “Skyscraper.”
3rd Place: Ady Lakota, hula hoop and gymnastics to The Happy Hula Hooper.:
1st Place: Kayla Zapotosky, vocal performance of “When I Was Your Girl.” She also received the Dara Hosta Vocal Performance Award.
2nd Place (Tie): Camden Chernisky, piano performance of “Radioactive” and Elisabeth Helmick, vocal performance of “Flashlight.”
3rd Place: Amanda Holt, vocal/guitar performance of “Iris.”
OFHS junior Gabby Zemaitis was the program cover design winner. Congratulations to the winners and all performers, including Erin Hetchler who performed a flute solo of The National Anthem and OFHS senior Jake Conder, the event’s MC.
F-L SCHOOL’S DISABILITY AWARENESS WEEK HAS SEVEN POSTER WINNERS
As part of Disability Awareness Week at Falls-Lenox School, students had a chance to participate in a poster/essay contest. Thank you to PTA for sponsoring the winner awards and to Mrs. Scott and Mrs. DiFilippo for organizing the contest. Everyone did a wonderful job.
The following are the winners.
First grade: Ashley Veverka & Tyler Berchin
Second grade: Mia Russel & Livia Golden
Third grade: Dominic DiFilippo, Andrew Kreitzer & Braylen Hurd
To see photos of all the winners and their posters, click HERE.
SNEAK PREVIEW OF APRIL 23RD ACADEMIC CHALLENGE
OFHS Academic Team competed on TV Channel 5’s Academic Challenge. It was taped this past week. The episode will air Saturday, April 23rd at 7 p.m. The team played against Maple Heights and St. Ed’s.
The OFHS Academic Team members are Alec Sims, Zach Buchta and Molly McCafferty. Alternates are Ben Meredyk, Isaac Rivera and Bennett Graham.
The students did a great job. We can’t wait for everyone to see the results! Here are a few pictures of that competition. To view a photo gallery, click HERE.
BULLDOG GRADS WERE PART OF HOLIDAY COLLEGE BOWL GAMES
Some OF grads traveled to college bowl games as members of marching bands or cheerleading teams. They were part of the support teams along the sidelines and end zones for their college football teams.
The University of Akron participated in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl against the Utah State Aggies December 22nd. Bulldog grads who appeared in the Zips marching band (pictured at left) are Dan McFadden, Danny Becker, Colleen Prokop and Lucas Schilling.
OF alumni Maddie Mendeluk traveled with the Bowling Green State University’s cheerleading squad (pictured at right) to the Go Daddy Bowl in Alabama vs. Georgia Southern Eagles Dec. 23.
Lori Bertrand, class of 2012, and Tony Kollar, class of 2014, (pictured at left) are members of the Ohio University Marching Band who went to the Camelia Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama Dec. 19th to support the Bobcats football team. The team played Appalachian State.
Way to go Bulldog alumni!! To see more photos of the various festivities, click HERE.
GEOGRAPHY BEE TESTS STUDENTS
All OFMS students participated in the qualifying round of the National Geographic Bee in November, with 20 competing in the final competition January 27th at the school. The final competition consisted of questions that National Geographic provided and given orally to each contestants.
The top three contestants, pictured here, are from left, John Gaba, first place, grade 8; Sanat Subhash, second place, grade 7 and Noah Young, third, grade 6.
Grade 6 participants included Katie Voisinet, Jacob O’Connor, Noah Young and Joshua Kuperman. Grade 7 contestants were Morgan Demooy, Xavier Zurawski, Wisam Yaghmour, Noah Barrett, Hank Long and Sanat Subhash. Grade 8 students were Ethan Schlesinger, Joey Lippus, Lucas Lodato, Jaspar Markaran, Nick Gaba, Sam Hubbard, John Gaba, Summer Stevens, Aeden Dobos and Auggie Stallman.
The winning question for the middle school competition was: Gray wolves were once wiped out of Yellowstone National Park, but have made a comeback in recent years due to conservation efforts. Yellowstone National Park is located in Wyoming, Montana and which other state? Answer: Idaho.
John Gaba, local winner of the OF 25th Geography Bee, will take a qualifying state exam. Results of that exam will determine qualification for state competition in April. The champion of the state contest will win an all-expense paid trip for four to Washington, D.C. to compete at the National level in May.
Congrats to all the participants and good luck in state competition.
11 OFHS STUDENTS HONORED FOR SCHOLASTIC ART/WRITING ENTRIES
OFHS has three Silver Key winners and eight Honorable Mentions in this year’s Scholastic Art and Writing Award. They were honored from out of thousands of pieces of art work that were submitted this year for Cuyahoga County.
Receiving a Silver Key were Abby Harder, Erin Kohler and Marisa Nieves. T hose awarded Honorable Mentions were Kenzie Ballard, Summer Ellis, Destyni Green, Stormie Kadar, Stephanie Koch, Meghan O’Brien, Emmy Olszewski and Diana Vargas.
All winning artwork were included in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards Exhibition on display at the Cleveland Institute of Art’s Reinberger Gallery in January. To view a photo gallery of all the artwork, click HERE.
OFHS STUDENTS TAKE PART IN LOCAL PROGRAMMING CLUB
Three OFHS students were selected to attend and be part of the “Hy-Tech Club” – sponsored by Hyland, creator of OnBase. The students are Cole Zehe, Chloe Zehe and Mark Drobnak. They were selected from 132 applicants.
The Hy-Tech Club is based out of Hyland Building 3 in Westlake. Students meet weekly after school where they learn about new tech concepts and work on projects to present at the end of the semester. Each meeting starts with a review of the previous week’s content before moving into new material, which may include HTLM, CSS, JavaScript, PHP programming language and databases, based on their knowledge level. At the end of each meeting there is time to work on challenges that instructors provide. At the end of the semester, students will be given two weeks to work on a project of their choice, which they will present at the last meeting.
Congratulations to these students!
ECC STUDENTS THANK OLMSTED FALLS BOARD OF EDUCATION
Stephanie Kley’s reading and enrichment students thank the members of the OF school board during School Board Appreciation Month and for their work all year with colorful posters, which the students helped design.
January was School Board Recognition Month in the state of Ohio.
GET READY . . . IT’S DODGEBALL TIME
The OFHS PTA’s 13th annual Battle of the Schools Dodgeball Game is next Thursday, February 11th!
Come out and support your school team at the game that starts at 7:30 p.m. 7:00 p.m. Feb. 11th in the OFHS gym. PLEASE NOTE CHANGE IN EVENT START TIME; BATTLE OF THE SCHOOLS DODGEBALL NOW STARTS AT 7 P.M.
There is NO SCHOOL Friday, February 12th, so c’mon and support your teachers and building staff as they compete for the coveted BATTLE OF THE SCHOOLS trophy and bragging rights for the next year!
Tickets are $4 for students, $6 for adults. They will be available at the door. Concessions and face painting, provided by the Junior Class, will be available. There will be free throw basketball shots during breaks and a 50/50 raffle. All proceeds from this event will benefit the High School Scholarship Program for the Class of 2016. Cheer on your team and support an excellent cause.
For information, contact Mrs. Ferrini, 440-427-0894 or claudiaferrini@sbcglobal.net.
28 STUDENT PTA REFLECTION ENTRIES HEAD TO STATE COMPETITION
The National PTA Reflections program encourages students in pre-K through grade 12 to explore and be involved in the arts. This year’s theme, “Let Your Imagination Fly,” had more than 80 local entries involving each of the OF PTA units.
These are the 28 district winners that will selected to go forward to the Ohio PTA state round for judging.
VISUAL ARTS –
Primary level: Kaitlyn Williams, first; Elisabeth Flanagan, second; Tessa Chapin, third; Jesse Simon, honorable mention.
Intermediate level: Hadley Allen, first; Owen Von Glahn, second; Carly Oliver, third; Maya Smith, honorable mention.
Middle level: Lindsey LaPinta, first; Antoinette Cirino, second; Katie Voisinet, third; Becca Abbot, honorable mention.
Special Needs Category: Bekka McElroy.
DANCE CHOREOGRAPHY
Primary level: Riley Zahorchak, first
Middle level: Claire Oliver, first.
MUSICAL COMPOSITION
Intermediate Level: Dominic DiFilippo, first
Middle level: Michael DiFilippo
Senior level: Isabel Struk
Primary level: Jesse Simon, first
Intermediate level: Dominic DiFilippo, first; Aidan Lyons, second; Katie Cleary, third; Alanna Tighe, honorable mention.
Middle level: Keeley Patton, first; Harrison Graham, second; Allison Milligan, third.
FILM/VIDEO PRODUCTION
Middle level: Max Limpert, first.
Primary level: Josh Voisinet, first.
Intermediate level: Gregory Kuehn, first & second; Aaron Bobinski, third.
Middle level: Harrison Graham, first; Harrison Graham & Matthew Gluvna, tie for second.
Senior level: Andrew Barnard.
Congratulations to district winners and all who participated. State winners will be announced this spring. District winners will be recognized by their school’s Reflections chair this spring. Any state winners will be recognized by the district in May.
Looking ahead – next school year’s Reflection theme is “What is Your Story?” Contest details will be sent home this spring and again in the fall. It is not too early to start. The 2016 entries will be due in November.
LOTS OF INFORMATION IN LATEST OFMA’S NEWSLETTER
The Olmsted Falls Music Association’s February Musical Notes includes past, present and future events. Photos of the 13th annual Band Invitational at Severance Hall, schedule for the OMEA Solo and Ensemble Contest February 6th in Parma, school band concerts, choral and treble choir students trip to Nashville and much more are included. To view the newsletter, click HERE.
POOR PUMPKIN JACK!
The ECC kindergartners continue to view their own version of Pumpkin Jack, which stands, well, leans, in an exterior planter outside the school. They are learning that their own Pumkin Jack truly follows the Pumpkin Jack book, which follows the life cycle of the large squash throughout the various seasons.
Will there be another picture of Pumpkin Jack in an upcoming blog? Stay tuned.
TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION NIGHT SERIES HELPS PARENTS STAY INFORMED – NEXT TOPIC: INTERNET SAFETY & SOCIAL MEDIA – FEB. 16TH
As the integration of technology into education continues, Olmsted Falls School District is providing a series of Technology Information invites for parents to learn more about the various tools being used to enhance student learning and success in our classrooms.
TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR FEB. 13TH POST PROM’S VALENTINE’S FUNDRAISER
Attention SENIOR parents! Post Prom’s largest event – Wing Night – is next week. We can ONLY provide Post Prom with the help of parents in our community. Wing Night is from 6-8:30 p.m. February 13th at Molly McGhee’s Sports Pub, 13169 Prospect Road, Strongsville. The night includes wings, pizza, rigatoni, salad and refreshments of all types. Raffle prizes include hotel stays, baskets galore and corn hole boards. You may reserve tables of six or more – the more the merrier!
HELP KICK OFF RELAY FOR LIFE AT THIS FRIDAY’S BOYS BASKETBALL GAMES
Be sure to wear purple – and your Bulldog gear – when attending this Friday’s Relay for Life Kick Off at the boy’s basketball games. Our OFHS grade 9 boys game begins at 4:30 p.m. with the JV playing at 6 and varsity at 7:15 in the high school gym.
There will be a 50/50 raffle along with the OF Athletic Boosters selling baked goods, luminaria for the event and detailed information about the Relay.
If you are interested in donating baked goods or helping at our table for the night, contact Cassandra DeLuca, cdeluca@ofcs.net or Michelle LaGruth, mlagruth@ofcs.net.
ROLL THE DICE FOR A GREAT TIME AT LAS VEGAS NIGHT – INCLUDING A CHANCE TO WIN CAVS FLOOR SEATS!
HELPING HANDS BOWLING BENEFIT IS RIGHT UP YOUR ALLEY
CONTINUE TO WEAR PINK TO OFHS BOYS BASKETBALL GAMES: HELP RAISE BREAST CANCER AWARENESS
Attendees to the boys basketball games can help raise awareness by wearing pink to the contests. Hoops for Hope continues February 9th with the freshman game at 4:30 p.m., J.V. at 6 and Varsity, 7:30. To view a flyer, click HERE.
The girls basketball Hoops for Hope night was January 30th.
PACK THE Q WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 10 FOR OLMSTED CERT
See Kobe Bryant’s last game in Cleveland, attend a sold-out Cavalier’s game, view a Monsters hockey game AND support your Community Emergency Response Team with just one ticket! CERT is sponsoring all these for just $50. The cost includes a February 10th Cleveland Cavaliers vs Los Angeles Lakers game and a ticket to an upcoming Lake Erie Monsters hockey game.
Olmsted CERT will be the beneficiary of the 50-50 raffle at the game. Come and spend time with friends and cheer on the Cavs! Contact Donna Tindera at donna_tindera@hotmail.com or 440-234-9287 to buy tickets.
OLMSTED COMMUNITY PRESCHOOL TO HOLD OPEN HOUSE REGISTRATION NIGHT THIS WEDNESDAY – 2/10
Olmsted Community Preschool will have its annual open house registration night for the 2016-17 school year Wednesday, February 10th from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Offered classes are for 3 year olds, Pre-K (4 year olds) and extended Pre-K (5 year olds). For more information, contact the officer at 440-235-3869.
Olmsted Community Preschool is in Olmsted Community Church, 7853 Main St., Olmsted Falls.
OLMSTED FALLS LACROSSE ASSOCIATION – SPRING SEASON REGISTRATION NOW OPEN
Registration is now open for the following programs:
1) Indoor Sessions. Fridays from 8-9:30pm. Feb 5, 12, 19, 26, Mar 4, 11. This is a great opportunity to start working on stick skills, conditioning and getting ready for the season. These sessions include training on cradling, passing, catching, shooting, defense, and goalie play. Groups will be broken out by age and experience. Gear required.
2) Spring Season. This will start once weather and field conditions allow. The practice and game schedules will be posted online soon. Early Spring Season registration closes February 21. Register now to ensure a spot!
Please visit the group’s website at olmstedfallslax.com to register for the “fastest game on two feet”.
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What if You Misunderstood God's Promise?
1:00PM EDT 5/29/2019 Jessilyn Lancaster
Jen Maynard, right, with her husband. (Jen Maynard/Instagram)
When the Lord promised Jen Maynard children, she assumed He meant biological offspring.
Maynard had one biological child at the time but had miscarried multiple pregnancies.
One day, she was in a drive-through line when it all came crashing down.
"I sat in the car, crying to the Lord, saying, 'What is going on? You promised me that we would have children, and here I am losing child after child in miscarriage,'" Maynard says.
Maynard spoke to Charisma about her miscarriages for the "Grief in the Womb" series on the Charisma News podcast.
"And I thought when You told me I would have these children, they would be here on earth with me," Maynard says she prayed.
Maynard was devastated, asking some of life's hardest questions, wondering where God is and if He really was as good as she thought.
Despite her losses, the Holy Spirit kept whispering to her soul to trust Him.
"The pain makes you question what you ultimately believe," Maynard says. "And for me, the Lord was really challenging me with the question, did I really believe that He was good? Or did I believe that He was an angry God?
"The challenge for me came when even though I was doing 'the right things,' and I always wanted to be the good Christian girl, sometimes we can wear masks, and we don't really become vulnerable," she says. "We don't want to tell people, 'I'm struggling. And I think my struggle is anger. Like I think I'm mad at God.' And He can handle those emotions. He can handle those thoughts that we have and those things that we wrestle with. But it's not until we surrender it to Him that we can have healing in our life."
Once she surrendered, the Lord began to put the puzzle pieces together, including that promise she felt the Lord gave her.
"We oftentimes try to interpret words, that when we run them through our human filter, is not necessarily the same thing that God was saying to us," Maynard says.
Yes, the Lord promised her children, but "what I didn't know at the time [was] those children were going to come to me through various forms. We have fostered seven children. I have opened my heart in that time. And [we've] taken care of kids, two of which would not have survived if we hadn't taken them in.
"It was just crazy situations that the Lord has put us in where I was their mom, I was nurturing them, I was raising them, I was growing them. And then we would end up adopting this baby from birth. And it was just a whole beautiful story that God was creating, that I couldn't see at the moment in my mind, having more children, that I was going to give birth to them," Maynard says.
Listen to the podcast to hear more.
RELATED TOPICS: Charisma Podcast Network | Infertility | Podcast | promises | Women
Overcoming Fear and Anxiety
The Esther Anointing
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The First Ten days, Thirty Days Has September
This Audio is set in the very center of the time of most difficult combat experienced by a United States Marine Corps rifle company. A second lieutenant, only days from training back in the states is ordered, under fire, to assume command of a company of cast off Marines, all out in the brutal bloody jungle because of the either the worst of luck or the most minor of offenses or infringement....
James Strauss
Chuck Bartok
11 Hour & 30 Minutes
Beneath the flashing lights and the throbbing beat of the music in an LA night club, Drake Devereaux admits he's grown tired of his playboy lifestyle and vows to change it. Haunted by a devastating tragedy in his past, he's never dated a woman he could love.
Ebony Jordan lives a mundane life but longs for the hot, steamy nights she writes in her romance novels. She can write happy endings in her stories but never one herself.
Drake and Ebony meet by chance and know it is more than a casual fling. Their attraction is immediate and all consuming. They share a passionate kiss and an unforgettable night of sex. When he opens the door to her innermost fantasies, she starts to believe in the impossible. When Drake allows his fears to separate them, Ebony must face the stark reality - happily ever after only happens in fairytales.
Solomon Blackwell, a powerful Rogue vampire, sees Ebony and is stunned by her resemblance to the woman he loved and lost decades ago. Ebony rouses his bloodlust and her sexy body sets him on fire. He will stop at nothing to claim her soul.
When an unexpected tragedy brings Drake and Ebony back together, Drake is given a second chance. He must to face the consequences of his actions and protect the woman he loves from a dangerous man who has set his sights on her. Will Drake and Ebony's love survive or will it be shattered by an obsessed vampire who threatens to tear their world apart?
In a high rise above the city, Broderick Devereaux holds clandestine meetings to formulate a plan to protect his only son and the woman his son loves from the Rogue vampire he's pursued unsuccessfully for more than two decades. The same cruel, sadistic vampire who also destroyed his life. Will history repeat itself?
Charlene Johnson
Randall Witt
Rings of Polaris: Collection
Strap in with Rebel Lexis on a mission across the vast wasteland that was once Earth to the surface of Mars where she encounters treachery, an ancient cult, and secrets that strike at the heart of Polaris' control. Soon, fighting to stay alive is the least of her worries as she finds herself at the center of a conflict that could change everything.
Paul Alan
Stephanie Bentley
7 Hour & 34 Minutes
Ex DEA agent, Billy Russell, committed a heinous crime against a man who committed an unspeakable crime against him. Billy was sentenced to 20 years hard labor in total isolation from the outside world. Without explanation, he is suddenly paroled 5 years early. Returning to society, he learns that an isolated nuclear attack has spread primal fear of a nuclear holocaust, which allowed autocratic billionaires to seize control of the world. But the new world government's faulty economic policies have led poverty, crime, disease, and rampant drug addiction.
As a condition of his parole, the government assigns Billy to a secret government sanctioned assassination squad whose job it is to eliminate political dissenters. Their gaffe, however, was assuming Billy would do their bidding willingly. They were wrong. Billy is approached by a secret underground dissident group planning to overthrow the authoritarian world government. He joins them to end the government's demonic reign of tyranny only to discover the shocking details of what is really taking place.
The first page and a half will grab you, the unexpected ending will spin you around.
Midnight Black is a fast-paced, action packed thriller/suspense novel in the tradition of author Lee Child. Available everywhere in Audiobook, e-book, and paperback formats.
R. J. Eastwood (pen for Robert J. Emery)
David Loving
R.J. Eastwood
Broken Branches - book one in the Green Lady Inn series
The death of her grandmother brings artist and gallery owner Megan Calloway to Salem. She is rescued by a tall, dark stranger from a careless driver. Was it an accident, or something more sinister? After another death, Megan and her rescuer, Jake, investigate the strange occurrences in her grandmother's house. Everything revolves around a ring she inherited and riddles she must solve. Visions of the past lead Megan to find her future and a treasure lost in time.
Brenda M. Spalding
Eliza Wethers
4 Hour & 8 Minutes
The Road Less Traveled: A Story of Love, Pain, Hope and Everything In-Between
My book, The Road Less Traveled: A Story of Love, Pain, Hope and Everything In-Between, is about marriage, abuse, mental illness and my husband's suicide. Despite all of the that, God is still good and He is still faithful. I speak frankly about severe mental illness and the abuse that came with that situation. I want you to know what love is and what it is not. I want you to know God is still good despite other people's choices. I want you to know that love has already won. You don't have to be silent in your suffering. ...
Elizabeth R Billingsley
Shawn Witcher
Mastiffs, Mystery, and Murder A Dog Detective Series Novel, Volume 1
It's murder at the dog show!
When amateur sleuth Clarissa Hayes and her trusty Saint Bernard, Paw, enter a dog show, they expect to find dogs, blue ribbons, and trophies. Not dead bodies. Clarissa's boyfriend is tracking a suspect in the death of a dog fancier. It's up to Clarissa and Paw to provide him cover as they compete in the show.
But the competition turns deadly when another dog owner is murdered. Are the deaths connected? Clarissa and Paw must sniff out the clues to solve the crime before the killer collars them.
Will Best in Show become Best in Death?
Sandra Baublitz
Nancy Bober
Poolside with Brett
Private detective Brett Cornell believes that he's never had it so good.
He's been on a winning streak playing poker in private games being held in the back room of one of his favorite night spots. He's recently been "discovered" by an exotic-looking beauty who specializes in homemade adult films.
In addition, he's been hired to track down a certain missing husband and bring him back home to his anxious wife. His life, however, takes a sudden turn for the worse when he opens the trunk of his car one evening and finds the missing husband's murdered corpse stashed away inside of it. A set-up for a murder rap?
Set in the late 1980s, Poolside with Brett is the first in a series of novels featuring the tough and crass "unscrupulous bastard" himself - a rude, wise-cracking private detective who happens to be a hugely successful ladies' man, thanks largely to what he immodestly refers to as his "Adonis-like features".
In a tale involving murder, blackmail, an unexpected suicide, and other assorted acts of violence and deceit, Brett learns the hard way that there's a steep price to be paid for being such an unscrupulous bastard - and listeners may very well feel that he gets exactly what he deserves, and more!
David D. DAguanno
Travis Henry Carter
Free Will Odyssey
Peter Tesla, a prodigious young inventor, develops an electronic device to enhance the user's free will. A major application is drug detoxification. Peter's star client is the U.S. president. Along the way, Peter is tried for the mysterious death of a girlfriend and struggles with the machinations of a secretive industrialist...
Larry Kilham
Marlin May
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Junior Summer Institute
Public Service Weekends
Public Service Expo
Graduate School Consortium
Student Resource Center
Check out our blog below for all the latest updates from PPIA, our partners, and our alumni. You can also see our most recent newsletter updates.
Visit Newsletter Archive
Consortium Member Spotlight: Pepperdine University School of Public Policy
PPIA Mar. 13
For over 20 years, the Pepperdine School of Public Policy has prepared cross-sector public leaders through the most unique policy graduate studies curriculum in the country. By melding quantitative analysis with qualitative research and exploration, our students and graduates not only…
2019 PPIA Expo Exhibitors
Register to attend, sponsor, or be an exhibitor! Check back weekly for new additions to the list below. American University – School of Public Affairs* American University – School of International Service* Baruch College – Austin W. Marxe School of…
Follow the New PPIA LinkedIn Page!
The new PPIA LinkedIn page will be a space for sharing news and opportunities related to public policy and international affairs graduate school programs and jobs for PPIA alumni and community members alike. Follow us on all platforms to stay…
PPIA 2019 EXPO Attendee Registration
PPIA Feb. 25
Join us for the 17th Annual PPIA Graduate School and Career Fair on Friday, July 12th, 2019 in Washington, DC! Registration for attendees is FREE! The EXPO brings together representatives of some of the nation’s top graduate programs in public policy…
Save the Date: 17th Annual PPIA Public Service Expo on July 12, 2019 in Washington, DC!
PPIA Dec. 11
Save the date for the 17th Annual PPIA Graduate School and Career Fair on Friday, July 12th, 2019 in Washington, DC! The EXPO brings together representatives of some of the nation’s top graduate programs in public policy and international affairs…
PPIA Alumni Chapters Fired Up & Ready to Go!
PPIA Oct. 4
PPIA alumni chapters have been gathering throughout the country to extend PPIA’s goal of promoting the inclusion and full participation of underrepresented communities in public service. Check out dispatches from the field below! PPIA Southern California Alumni Chapter On August 24th,…
Read about PPIA Summer Public Service Weekends
PPIA Aug. 5
Public Service Weekends PPIA’s mission and overall focus is to increase the participation and inclusion of traditionally underrepresented groups at the highest level of public sector leadership. NASPAA, the membership association of graduate programs in public administration, public policy, and…
PPIA Alumni Reflection on the 2017 Public Service Expo in Washington DC.
PPIA Jul. 29
Last year, I had the honor of serving as one of the co-chairs for PPIA’s 35th Anniversary Celebration. In that role, I was able to coordinate the event, but did not get to spend time with the fellows from Princeton…
News: 35 years on, next-gen leaders reflect on public policy, international affairs prep school
PPIA May. 4
An excellent article published by the University of Michigan Ford School of Public Policy about the PPIA Program: http://fordschool.umich.edu/news/2017/35-years-next-gen-policy-leaders-reflect-policy-prep-school 35 years on, next-gen leaders reflect on public policy, international affairs prep school Wednesday, May 3, 2017 Angela Banks (MPP ’97)…
Alumni Voice: Michael Mitchell PPIA 2009 (Carnegie Mellon University)
We had the pleasure to interview Michael Mitchell (PPIA 2009, Carnegie Mellon University) who is the Senior Policy Analyst and Program Director of the State Policy Fellowship Program at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Mr. Mitchell focuses on…
Alumni Voice: Jennifer Godinez PPIA 1996 (Princeton University)
We had the opportunity to speak with PPIA Alum Jennifer Godinez, the Associate Director of the Minnesota Education Equity Partnership (MNEEP). In our interview, we discusses the state of education in Minnesota and how MNEEP is working to ensure that students of…
2017 Public Service Weekend Recap: UCSD School of Global Policy and Strategy
Congratulations to the UCSD GPS Public Service Weekend Participants! Read the full story below published by UCSD School of Global Policy and Strategy, written by Anthony King and Sarah Pfledderer. Paths to public service GPS hosted ambitious, diverse students for…
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Development of Unintended Radiated Emissions (URE) Threat Identification System
by Friedel, Joseph E., D.Engr. The George Washington University. 2018: 190 pages; 10743603.
The Wounded Healer: Finding Meaning in Suffering
by Wyner, Garret B., Psy.D. Antioch University. 2012: 204 pages; 10817700.
A Search for Meaning: The Family's Response to Serious Mental Illness
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Cultivating the Savanna: Implications of land use change for Maasai livelihoods and wildlife conservation in East Africa
by Lynn, Stacy Joy, Ph.D. Colorado State University. 2010: 329 pages; 3419111.
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by Vidad, Felizon C., Psy.D. Antioch University. 2009: 72 pages; 10807620.
The Well-Being of Chinese Immigrant Sons: Importance of Father-Son Attachment, Father Involvement, Father Acceptance and Adolescents' Phenomenological Perceptions of Father-Son Relationship
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by Yoo, Jun, Ph.D. The University of Iowa. 2011: 174 pages; 3461431.
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Applications of Harmonic Maass Forms
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Urban Head Start teachers' classroom interactions with Black male preschoolers identified as "challenging" or "externalizing": Opportunities for teaching self-regulation
by Nunley, Patricia L., Ed.D. Mills College. 2012: 166 pages; 3554707.
Dissent in digital: The Internet and dissent in authoritarian states
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Longitudinal Analyses of Socioecological Obesogenic Factors in a Large Sample of US Children
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The Association between Salary, Experience, and Revenue on On-Field Performance of 2016 NCAA Programs
by Anderson, Jasmine, M.S. University of Louisiana at Lafayette. 2017: 42 pages; 10269887.
The Role of Blood Vessel Epicardial Substance in the Maintenance of Intestinal Epithelial Integrity
by Reddy, Vishruth Keesara, Ph.D. Vanderbilt University. 2016: 193 pages; 13835191.
Experience of Commitment: A Phenomenological Study of the Lived Experience of Primary Care Physician Commitment for Practice in Urban Medically Underserved Communities
by Straker, Howard O., Ed.D. The George Washington University. 2018: 256 pages; 10786279.
Essays on high-status fallacies
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admin Dec 27, 2015 Teams Leave a comment 67 Views
Pakistan Super League most Expensive cricket team.
The most expensive and one of the strongest side in the PSL T20 is one and only Karachi Kings. Karachi Kings is owned by ARY media group. The owner of Karachi Kings is founder of ARY media group Salman Iqbal. The Karachi franchise was sold to a ARY group for US$26 Million (for 10 years so 2.6 million annual). On 21 December 2015 Karachi kings owner Salman Iqbal revealed the logo as well as the kit and official song of team just before the start of player drafting.
Karachi Kings Logo
Logo features a lion with Karachi Kings written below in white and gold colors. At the logo ceremony owner of Karachi kings Salman Iqbal said that the logo and the theme of the team represents the true spirit and resilience of Karachi. Since, ARY is a media group and own many leading channels like ARY news, ARY Entertainment etc so they are promoting Karachi Kings on the network.
Team Profile:
The team’s Icon Player is Shoaib Malik the most well-known cricketer of Pakistan.
Shoaib Malik is one of the most brilliant captain of T20 as his previous domestic team
Sialkot stallions won five NATIONAL T20 tournaments under his captaincy. With a batting average of 38 and 151 sixes and 107 wickets Shoaib Malik is the most brilliant all-rounder of this format. Karachi Kings have also announced Shoaib Malik as their Captain. Karachi will have the biggest edge in this tournament with Shoaib Malik as their captain. Other Prominent players include Shakib Al Hasan from Bangladesh the world no one all-rounder in every format of the Cricket. With 202 wickets in this format and known for his hard hitting sixes Shakib surely can be a threat for the other teams .
West Indian Opening Batsman Lendl Simmons who is a specialist for this format is also
in the Karachi team. Lendl Simmons have played a lot of t20 cricket in almost every
cricket league and has a very brilliant average of 31 with 134 sixes in this format.
Karachi must be relived with the inclusion of Lendl Simmons as they have a very solid
and reliable opener.
Mushfiqur Rahim from Bangladesh who is also one of the most brilliant Wicket Keeper
of the Bangladesh side is also in Karachi team Mushfiqur Rahim is well known for his
Brilliant wicket keeping as well as for his huge sixes he also has more than 50 sixes in
this format and can be an asset for Karachi Kings.
All-rounder from England Ravi Bopara is also in their team who has a lot of experience
of playing T20 Cricket all across the world. Ravi Bopara is one of the most reliable All-
rounder of this format and can be very successful on the pitches of UAE.
Other players include the most talented bowler as well as most controversial bowler of Pakistan nowadays Muhammad Amir. After showing a superb performance in BPL, Amir was the one who is selected at first in Gold category. Imad Wasim a very Dependable all-rounder known for his big sixes as well as for his brilliant bowling he is also in the Karachi side and can be a headache for the others Karachi also has one of the best bowler of this format Sohail Tanvir who has bowled superbly well in this format all across the world. Other players include Nauman Anwar, Bilawal Bhatti, Mir Hamza, Sohail Khan, Usama Mir and James Vince.
In the supplementary list they have included one of the best batsman of Srilanka Tillakaratne Dilshan, Shahzaib Hassan and Fawad Alam.
Management & Coaching Staff
In the management of Karachi Kings have quite attired and qualified names from world cricket like Mickey Arthur from South Africa will be the Head coach and Mushtaq Ahmed will be there as Assistant Coach/Bowling Coach. Let see how Karachi team perform against other PSL teams in 2016 session.
Karachi Kings will start against the Qalandars of Lahore on the 5th of February.
Tags Karachi Kings Pakistan Super League Teams PSL 2016
Previous Lahore Qalandars Team Squad |DAM DAM Mast
Next Peshawar Zalmi Squad for PSL 2016
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HomeJournalsBiochemical Journal Research Outputs
Biochemical Journal, 0264-6021
Contribution to journal → Article → Review article
1 - 50 out of 97Page size: 50
Globular C1q receptor (p33) binds and stabilizes pro-inflammatory MCP-1: a novel mechanism for regulation of MCP-1 production and function
Anders, E., Nebel, D., Westman, J., Heiko Herwald, Bengt Olof Nilsson & Daniel Svensson, 2018 Feb 28, In : Biochemical Journal. 475, 4, p. 775-786 12 p.
GFAT1 phosphorylation by AMPK promotes VEGF-induced angiogenesis
Zibrova, D., Vandermoere, F., Olga Göransson, Peggie, M., Mariño, K. V., Knierim, A., Spengler, K., Weigert, C., Viollet, B., Morrice, N. A., Sakamoto, K. & Heller, R., 2017 Mar 15, In : Biochemical Journal. 474, 6, p. 983-1001 19 p.
DNA-fragmentation is a source of bactericidal activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Ravi K. V. Bhongir, Kasetty, G., Praveen Papareddy, Mörgelin, M., Heiko Herwald & Arne Egesten, 2017 Jan 20, In : Biochemical Journal. 474, 3, p. 411-425
Engineering tyrosine electron transfer pathways decreases oxidative toxicity in hemoglobin: Implications for blood substitute design
Silkstone, G. G. A., Silkstone, R. S., Wilson, M. T., Simons, M., Leif Bülow, Kallberg, K., Ratanasopa, K., Ronda, L., Mozzarelli, A., Reeder, B. J. & Cooper, C. E., 2016, In : Biochemical Journal. 473, 19, p. 3371-3383 13 p.
LL-37-induced host cell cytotoxicity depends on cellular expression of the globular C1q receptor (p33).
Daniel Svensson, Wilk, L., Mörgelin, M., Heiko Herwald & Bengt-Olof Nilsson, 2016, In : The Biochemical journal. 473, p. 87-98
The leucine-rich repeat protein PRELP binds fibroblast cell surface proteoglycans and enhances focal adhesion formation.
Eva Bengtsson, Lindblom, K., Tillgren, V. & Anders Aspberg, 2016, In : The Biochemical journal. 473, 9, p. 1153-1164 12 p.
Calcium Modulation of Exocytosis-Linked Plasma Membrane Potential Oscillations in INS-1 832/13 Cells.
Gerencser, A. A., Hindrik Mulder & Nicholls, D. G., 2015, In : Biochemical Journal. 471, 1, p. 111-122
Inhibition of the malate-aspartate shuttle in mouse pancreatic islets abolishes glucagon secretion without affecting insulin secretion
Stamenkovic, J., Andersson, L., Adriaenssens, A. E., Bagge, A., Sharoyko, V., Gribble, F., Reimann, F., Claes Wollheim, Hindrik Mulder & Peter Spégel, 2015, In : Biochemical Journal. 468, p. 49-63
The antimicrobial peptide LL-37 facilitates the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps
Neumann, A., Berends, E. T. M., Nerlich, A., Molhoek, E. M., Gallo, R. L., Meerloo, T., Nizet, V., Naim, H. Y. & von Köckritz-Blickwede, M., 2014 Nov 15, In : The Biochemical journal. 464, 1, p. 3-11 9 p.
A beta dimers differ from monomers in structural propensity, aggregation paths and population of synaptotoxic assemblies
O'Malley, T. T., Oktaviani, N. A., Zhang, D., Lomakin, A., O'Nuallain, B., Sara Linse, Benedek, G. B., Rowan, M. J., Mulder, F. A. A. & Walsh, D. M., 2014, In : Biochemical Journal. 461, p. 413-426
Fibrin binds to collagen and provides a bridge for alpha V beta 3 integrin-dependent contraction of collagen gels
Reyhani, V., Seddigh, P., Guss, B., Gustafsson, R., Rask, L. & Kristofer Rubin, 2014, In : Biochemical Journal. 462, p. 113-123
Structural and functional characterization of ochratoxinase, a novel mycotoxin-degrading enzyme
Dobritzsch, D., Wang, H., Schneider, G. & Yu, S., 2014, In : Biochemical Journal. 462, p. 441-452
EndoS2 is a unique and conserved enzyme of serotype M49 group A Streptococcus that hydrolyses N-linked glycans on IgG and α1-acid glycoprotein
Sjögren, J., Struwe, W. B., Cosgrave, E. F. J., Rudd, P. M., Stervander, M., Maria Allhorn, Hollands, A., Nizet, V. & Mattias Collin, 2013, In : Biochemical Journal. 455, 1, p. 107-118
Time-resolved metabolomics analysis of beta-cells implicates the pentose phosphate pathway in the control of insulin release
Peter Spégel, Sharoyko, V., Göhring, I., Danielsson, A., Malmgren, S., Nagorny, C., Andersson, L., Köck, T., Sharp, G. W. G., Straub, S. G., Claes Wollheim & Hindrik Mulder, 2013, In : Biochemical Journal. 450, p. 595-605
Determination of primary sequence specificity of Arabidopsis MAPKs MPK3 and MPK6 leads to identification of new substrates
Sörensson, C., Lenman, M., Veide-Vilg, J., Schopper, S., Ljungdahl, T., Grotli, M., Tamas, M. J., Peck, S. C. & Andreasson, E., 2012, In : Biochemical Journal. 446, p. 271-278
MMP proteolysis of the human extracellular matrix protein aggrecan is mainly a process of normal turnover
André Struglics & Björklund, M., 2012, In : Biochemical Journal. 446, p. 213-223
The AMPK-related kinase SIK2 is regulated by cAMP via phosphorylation at Ser(358) in adipocytes
Henriksson, E., Jones, H., Patel, K., Peggie, M., Morrice, N., Sakamoto, K. & Olga Göransson, 2012, In : Biochemical Journal. 444, p. 503-514
Thermodynamics and structural analysis of positive allosteric modulation of the ionotropic glutamate receptor GluA2
Christian Krintel, Frydenvang, K., Olsen, L., Kristensen, M. T., de Barrios, O., Naur, P., Francotte, P., Pirotte, B., Gajhede, M. & Kastrup, J. S., 2012, In : Biochemical Journal. 441, 1, p. 173-178
Metabolomic analyses reveal profound differences in glycolytic and tricarboxylic acid cycle metabolism in glucose-responsive and -unresponsive clonal beta-cell lines
Peter Spégel, Malmgren, S., Sharoyko, V., Newsholme, P., Köck, T. & Hindrik Mulder, 2011, In : Biochemical Journal. 435, p. 277-284
Polyamine homoeostasis as a drug target in pathogenic protozoa: peculiarities and possibilities
Birkholtz, L-M., Williams, M., Niemand, J., Louw, A. I., Lo Persson & Heby, O., 2011, In : Biochemical Journal. 438, p. 229-244
Streptococcal pyogenic exotoxin B (SpeB) boosts the contact system via binding of alpha-1 antitrypsin
Niclasen, L. M., Olsen, J. G., Dagil, R., Zhang, Q., Ole E Sørensen & Kragelund, B. B., 2011, In : Biochemical Journal. 434, p. 123-132
Calpain is involved in C-terminal truncation of human aggrecan
Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 controls mitochondrial metabolism and insulin secretion in INS-1 832/13 clonal beta-cells
Krus, U., Olga Kotova, Peter Spégel, Hallgard, E., Sharoyko, V., Vedin, A., Moritz, T., Sugden, M. C., Köck, T. & Hindrik Mulder, 2010, In : Biochemical Journal. 429, p. 205-213
Asporin competes with decorin for collagen binding, binds calcium and promotes osteoblast collagen mineralization
Sebastian Kalamajski, Anders Aspberg, Lindblom, K., Heinegård, D. & Åke Oldberg, 2009, In : Biochemical Journal. 423, p. 53-59
Differential regulation of adipocyte PDE3B in distinct membrane compartments by insulin and the beta(3)-adrenergic receptor agonist CL316243: effects of caveolin-1 knockdown on formation/maintenance of macromolecular signalling complexes
Ahmad, F., Lindh, R., Tang, Y., Ruishalme, I., Ost, A., Sahachartsiri, B., Stralfors, P., Eva Degerman & Manganiello, V. C., 2009, In : Biochemical Journal. 424, p. 399-410
Effects of substitutions in the CXXC active-site motif of the extracytoplasmic thioredoxin ResA
Lewin, A., Crow, A., Hodson, C. T. C., Lars Hederstedt & Le Brun, N. E., 2008, In : Biochemical Journal. 414, p. 81-91
New insights into PKC family affairs: three novel phosphorylation sites in PKCepsilon and at least one is regulated by PKCalpha.
Christer Larsson, 2008, In : The Biochemical journal. 411, 2, p. e15-e16
The crystal structure of peroxymyoglobin generated through cryoradiolytic reduction of myoglobin compound III during data collection
Hersleth, H-P., Hsiao, Y-W., Ulf Ryde, Gorbitz, C. H. & Andersson, K. K., 2008, In : Biochemical Journal. 412, p. 257-264
A structural insight into the inhibition of human and Leishmania donovani ornithine decarboxylases by 1-amino-oxy-3-aminopropane
Dufe, V., Ingner, D., Heby, O., Khomutov, A. R., Lo Persson & Al-Karadagi, S., 2007, In : Biochemical Journal. 405, 2, p. 261-268
A structural insight into the inhibition of human and Leishmania donovani ornithine decarboxylases by 3-aminooxy-1-aminopropane
Tamu Dufe, V., Ingner, D., Heby, O., Khomutov, A. R., Lo Persson & Salam Al-Karadaghi, 2007, In : Biochemical Journal. 405, Pt 2, p. 261-268
Binding of calcium ions and SNAP-25 to the hexa EF-hand protein secretagogin
Rogstam, A., Sara Linse, Lindqvist, A., Peter James, Wagner, L. & Berggård, T., 2007, In : Biochemical Journal. 401, Pt 1, p. 353-363
Chloroplast membranes retard fat digestion and induce satiety: effect of biological membranes on pancreatic lipase/co-lipase
Albertsson, P-Å., Köhnke, R., Emek, S. C., Mei, J., Rehfeld, J. F., Hans-Erik Åkerlund & Charlotte Erlanson-Albertsson, 2007, In : Biochemical Journal. 401, p. 727-733
Insulin-induced formation of macromolecular complexes involved in activation of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase 3B (PDE3B) and its interaction with PKB
Ahmad, F., Lindh, R., Tang, Y., Weston, M., Eva Degerman & Manganiello, V. C., 2007, In : Biochemical Journal. 404, p. 257-268
Novel xylan-binding properties of an engineered family 4 carbohydrate-binding module
Cicortas Gunnarsson, L., Montanier, C., Tunnicliffe, R. B., Williamson, M. R., Gilbert, H. J., Eva Nordberg Karlsson & Mats Ohlin, 2007, In : Biochemical Journal. 406, p. 209-214
ATPase activity associated with the magnesium chelatase H-subunit of the chlorophyll biosynthetic pathway is an artefact
Nick Sirijovski, Olsson, U., Lundqvist, J., Salam Al-Karadaghi, Willows, R. D. & Mats Hansson, 2006, In : Biochemical Journal. 400, p. 477-484
Direct binding of Cbl to Tyr(568) and Tyr(936) of the stem cell factor receptor/c-Kit is required for ligand-induced ubiquitination, internalization and degradation
Masson, K., Heiss, E., Band, H. & Lars Rönnstrand, 2006, In : Biochemical Journal. 399, p. 59-67
Intestinal alkaline sphingomyelinase hydrolyses and inactivates platelet-activating factor by a phospholipase C activity
Wu, J., Åke Nilsson, Jönsson, B. A., Stenstad, H., William Agace, Cheng, Y. & Rui-Dong Duan, 2006, In : Biochemical Journal. 394, p. 299-308
Alamethicin permeabilizes the plasma membrane and mitochondria but not the tonoplast in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv Bright Yellow) suspension cells
Matic, S., Geisler, D., Moller, I. M., Susanne Widell & Allan Rasmusson, 2005, In : Biochemical Journal. 389, Pt 3, p. 695-704
Characterization of CA XV, a new GPI-anchored form of carbonic anhydrase.
Hilvo, M., Tolvanen, M., Clark, A., Shen, B., Shah, G. N., Waheed, A., Halmi, P., Hänninen, M., Hämäläinen, J. M., Mauno Vihinen, Sly, W. S. & Parkkila, S., 2005, In : The Biochemical journal. 392, Pt 1, p. 83-92
Electrochemical redox transformations of T1 and T2 copper sites in native Trametes hirsuta laccase at gold electrode
Shleev, S., Christenson, A., Serezhenkov, V., Burbaev, D., Yaropolov, A., Lo Gorton & Ruzgas, T., 2005, In : Biochemical Journal. 385, Part 3, p. 745-754
Functional studies of human intestinal alkaline sphingomyelinase by deglycosylation and mutagenesis
Wu, J., Hansen, GH., Åke Nilsson & Rui-Dong Duan, 2005, In : Biochemical Journal. 386, p. 153-160
Semenogelins I and II bind zinc and regulate the activity of prostate-specific antigen
Jonsson, M., Sara Linse, Frohm, B., Åke Lundwall & Johan Malm, 2005, In : Biochemical Journal. 387, Part 2, p. 447-453
Effects of pH on Helicobacter pylori binding to human gastric mucins: Identification of binding to non-MUC5AC mucins
Lindén, S., Mahdavi, J., Jan Hedenbro, Boren, T. & Ingemar Carlstedt, 2004, In : Biochemical Journal. 384, 2, p. 263-270
Identification of a Ser/Thr cluster in the C-terminal domain of the human prostaglandin EP4-R essential for agonist-induced beta-arrestin1 recruitment that differs from the apparent principal phosphorylation site.
Neuschäfer-Rube, F., Hermosilla, R., Rehwald, M., Lars Rönnstrand, Schülein, R., Wernstedt, C. & Püschel, G., 2004, In : Biochemical Journal. 379, 3, p. 573-585
Oxidation and reduction of pyridine nucleotides in alamethicin-permeabilized plant mitochondria
Johansson, F. I., Michalecka, A., Moller, IM. & Allan Rasmusson, 2004, In : Biochemical Journal. 380, 1, p. 193-202
Rhesus monkey gastric mucins: oligomeric structure, glycoforms and Helicobacter pylori binding
Lindén, S., Boren, T., Dubois, A. & Ingemar Carlstedt, 2004, In : Biochemical Journal. 379, 3, p. 765-775
Age-related changes in the composition, the molecular stoichiometry and the stability of proteoglycan aggregates extracted from human articular cartilage
Wells, T., Davidson, C., Mörgelin, M., Bird, JLE., Bayliss, MT. & Dudhia, J., 2003, In : Biochemical Journal. 370, 1, p. 69-79
beta 1 Integrin and alpha-dystroglycan binding sites are localized to different laminin-G-domain-like (LG) modules within the laminin alpha 5 chain G domain
Yu, H. & Talts, J., 2003, In : Biochemical Journal. 371, p. 289-299
Fgr but not Syk tyrosine kinase is a target for beta2 integrin-induced c-Cbl-mediated ubiquitination in adherent human neutrophils.
Melander, F., Tommy Andersson & Dib, K., 2003, In : Biochemical Journal. 370, Pt 2, p. 687-694
Ligand-induced recruitment of Na+/H+-exchanger regulatory factor to the PDGF (platelet-derived growth factor) receptor regulates actin cytoskeleton reorganization by PDGF.
Demoulin, J-B., Seo, J. K., Ekman, S., Grapengiesser, E., Hellman, U., Lars Rönnstrand & Heldin, C-H., 2003, In : Biochemical Journal. 376, 2, p. 505-10
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Joe Reviews – Monster Hunter: World
by Joe Gribble | Jan 29, 2018 | Featured, Games, PC, Playstation, Reviews, Xbox | 0 comments
A whole new world… A new fantastic point of view… Wait….
Monster Hunter World is, without overestimating, one hell of a beast (See what I did there..?); having been in Capcom’s figurative pressure-cooker for over 3 years now (At least since Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate), it aimed to bring Monster Hunter back to the olden days of Monster Hunter 1 & 2 (With 2 never releasing over here in Europe…) where they were both released on the PS2 – So, is Monster Hunter World’s return to home consoles (And eventually it’s first main outing on PC) resulting in fanfares? Or nothing more than a forgone dream..?
Let me just sink this in for a minute… The last time Monster Hunter was on a home console here in the UK was with Monster Hunter 3 Tri, back on the Wii U in 2013 – Circle a full 5 years later and we’re finally back to home consoles! How time flies!
With this natural leap from bringing the most up-to-date versions of Monster Hunter from handheld to console, a large number of improvements (And, surprisingly, redactions) have been made to not only the game’s graphics, physics, overall engine and challenge, but also with the actual content prevalent within the game – First off, and most importantly, the stats; Monster Hunter 1, back 13 years ago, had a total of 30 different monsters, with the last release, Monster Hunter XX, having a grand total of 125 hunt-able beasts – So, what does Monster Hunter: World have..?
…Really..?! That’s a bit… Odd..! In all seriousness, the majority of these monsters are, however, newer monsters with the biggest baddies, the Elder Dragons, being mostly reoccurring; it is a shame that a lot of fan-favourite monsters, from the feral Tigrex, to the shocking Zinogre, to the larger-than-life Tetsucabra, to even the Brachidiyos and Gore Magala! Coming straight from Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, it was a shame to know that so many monsters that so many people wanted to see in glorious HD seem to have gotten the short end of the stick.
…Saying this, however, it does bring a bizarre sense of freshness to the series that I don’t think has been felt since Monster Hunter 3 – Encounters with monsters for longer-term fans are now less cut-and-paste as they were in X and XX, newer monsters, like the Paolumu and the Legiana provide interesting new visual cues (Such as the Paolumu’s neck puffing up like a big balloon) and attacks (Like the Legiana’s ice frost), meaning hunters will always be on their toes around these new beasts! Even having played Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate all the way into the postgame and into G-Rank, I’m still finding myself in a bit of a primal struggle against these gargantuan colossi.
I guess that line alone sells the gameplay of Monster Hunter: World for me – A primal struggle; carrying over a number of the more balanced and well-rounded moves from Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, X and XX, Monster Hunter World now feels like every weapon has a clear and simple playstyle, and enables all types of Hunter to be valid in any situation – I used to fear playing Greatsword due to it’s lack of aerial mobility (Unlike the Insect Glaive), and now I can’t stop leaping off ledges to send a meteor’s worth of force come crashing down on my foes!
With this expanded accessibility, however, come some blind spots – Tutorials in Monster Hunter World are extremely simple, and often don’t expand much into the depth the game has to offer – Beginning Hunters have likely no idea where to begin, what skills to go for, what items to create or what smaller mechanics, like Kinsect Boost Harvesting are all about… The tutorial system in Monster Hunter World is certainly one that leaves a lot to be desired, and definitely needs some sort of expanding or increased visibility to bring deeper mechanics to light.
Another point of complaint lies within the game’s UI – More often than not, text is far too small, menus are cluttered and hard to navigate, and don’t even get me started on the tiny weapon-specific icons underneath the Sharpness indicator! These are issues that, most likely, will be fixed or at least remedied through the release of the PC version of the game in autumn this year, with hopefully much more in the way of UI scaling, repositioning and control binding.
So… The game plays good, has some small issues here or there… But how does it look..? How does it sound..? How does it feel..? Well, to be blunt, the game looks absolutely gorgeous – It is let down by a number of framerate issues which leave me desiring a PS4 Pro (And yes, this game runs better on PS4 Pro & Xbox One X), however the game itself in terms of environments, creature design and detail, animation, particle effects and armour / weapon design is just… Breathtaking – I find myself playing more of a David Attenbourough-type character, marvelling at the sights and creatures more than I do actually slicing the damn beasts – The game has an amazing attention to detail in it’s sound direction as well, with each bang, slap, clash and wallop sounding as painful as the last, and each guttural roar striking goosebumps along my back every time, and, whilst the soundtrack isn’t as great as Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate’s (In my opinion), it is certainly ambient and fitting. I guess I’m just salty that the Zinogre didn’t come back so I could hear it’s amazing theme remade in full HD and orchestrated…
So, what’s my final verdict on Monster Hunter: World? All in all, Monster Hunter: World is a beautiful, terrifyingly primal experience that sits amongst the best… Whilst also being somewhat of a regression for this beloved franchise – Beginners are both wholeheartedly accepted, yet left adrift by a lack of guidance or assistance, and the smaller pool of monsters leaves a lot of room to be filled (Possibly through DLC or expansions); Monster Hunter: World throws players, new and old, into a brand new world, with brand new experiences lying in wait around every corner… It just needed that little bit more polish to make the deal even sweeter.
I rate Monster Hunter: World a 8.5 out of 10; with a few quality of life changes here and there, it could easily reach a 9.
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ISIS, witch-burning in 17th Century Europe and sick Aylesbury Dogs
The horrors with which ISIS deals with apostates, homosexuals and sundry offenders against the primitive Sharia 'law' clearly have no place in the 21st century and are beyond any understanding or excusing. These Moslems are barbarian unenlightened natives, immersed in the stupidity of religious bigotry. As members of an evil death cult they have already consigned their souls to Hell.
However, their activities are not without parallel in our own pre-enlightened past. During the Thirty Years War in Europe the phenomenon of witch-burning peaked; previously very rare, and after around 1650 rare again, but during the war period at least ten thousand women were condemned and burned alive in Europe - by both Protestant and Catholic authorities.
The First and Second Enlightenments changed everything. European men since are not the same as men before, nor churches since the same as churches before. It is specious therefore to claim, as some feminists or atheists do, that either men in general or religious men in particular are still liable to incinerate gobby, clever or independent women. Witch-burning was never an individual psychopathic activity - it was a participatory sport in which men used their pre-enlightenment understanding of their faith to justify their collective barbarity. And that phase has now long passed from European mandom.
However, the same primitive behaviour is still apparent both amongst ISIS in Syria and Iraq and primitive men of Pakistani or Bangladeshi origin, nearly all Moslem, in our own towns and cities. Their violence and sex crimes are not secretive, individual acts of delinquency but a collective, participatory sport with self-justification from their primitive and unenlightened understanding of their own faith. Sixty Moslem men raping a twelve year old girl in Aylesbury, throwing a gay youth from the roof of a building in Raqaa or sawing the heads from their terrified captives are all part of the same problem - that we are not, as enlightened Europeans, dealing with our equals but with those no different to our own ignorant, unenlightened ancestors four hundred years ago.
So no. We cannot allow Islam to be the equivalent in our society of Christianity until it has passed through the same enlightenment, undergone the same changes. Until then it is the unacceptable primitive faith of killers and abusers.
Labels: child abuse, Islam, pakistan
US wants Britain in the EU for their benefit, not ours
There is something admirably straightforward about the way in which the US always, always, acts in the interests of the US. No sentimental nonsense about moral obligations, bonds of friendship and so on; the US will shaft (and has done, on several occasions) its closest ally if there is an advantage to the US to be taken from it. Let's not be upset or bitter about it. It's the way it is, and as I suggest, an approach we should emulate.
There will be those this morning ignorant of the above principle, who will fondly imagine that Obama's urging the UK to remain in the EU is altruistic advice given for the benefit of the UK. Get real, folks. The US has absolutely no interest whatsoever in maintaining Britain's diminished world position. Entirely the opposite, in fact.
The US would rather have us propping up a militarily weak Europe to allow the US, in time, to withdraw from NATO obligations. The US would rather lose the anomaly of Britain and France each having a seat at the Security Council when it would rather that one of those seats went to South America. The US would rather have the EU's emollient and accommodating majority force Britain to give up inconvenient thorns such as the Falklands. The US would rather have the Euro nuclear capability under one finger - that of the senior EU official. And no doubt a score of other reasons.
So we must thank Mr Obama for his advice, and politely remind him that the UK generally makes up its own mind on such matters. Generally about three years before the US president does.
Labels: eu, USA
Bloody Butcher tells Labour to lie more
The Bloody Butcher of Baghdad emerged from his crypt today to warn Labour that unless they learn to lie properly to the electorate they won't win power. Blair pointed to his own record of mendacity, deception, distortion and omission as an example of how to succeed in gulling the voters.
"Just look what we achieved" Blair said "We destroyed the last vestige of rebellion and free-thinking among the remnants of the English working class, closed half the county's pubs to limit sedition, robbed traditional community identity of its strength by dilution and had nearly half the population financially dependant on the State. Until Gordon tried to be clever and wrecked the bloody economy. You don't get there by not being able to lie effectively"
Commentators speculated that Bloody Blair is running scared of Labour picking a leader who won't protect him from prosecution once the Chilcot inquiry is published - now expected sometime in 2021, just after the next election.
Labels: Blair, failure, whimsy
How far we've come
Sometimes it's hard to see just how far we've come in the past two or three years. When this blog started in 2007 the country was under the vicious heel of a sort of socialist McCarthyism, rooting out not Communism but any appearance of 'racism' from British society. The whingeing, moronic bien pensants so eager to cry 'wacist!' were supported officially by Blair, and then Brown, and Home Secretaries, the deeply stupid Blunkett amongst them, who instructed plod to track down and prosecute anyone who criticised the 'religion of peace'. Fears about radical Islam were poo-pooed and anyone commenting in the terms of the post below was certain to be condemned as a dangerous right-wing extremist. As well, of course, as a 'wacist'.
No, I clearly don't imagine Cameron has moved from the 'tosser' to the 'talent' category, but what he's done is to legitimise and make mainstream and respectable the fears we had of radical Islam but about which were constrained from being candid. I repeat, I simply could not have written the post below in 2008 or 2009 without risking a visit from plod. Cameron has moved the boundaries, and for this I am thankful.
However, I think correspondents who believe that we should refrain from foreign military adventuring and fiddling with one side or the other in the ongoing Islamic civil war in the middle east are absolutely correct. We should sell arms to both sides, keep an eye on British subjects doing trade or business in risky areas and a few RFA vessels in the Med ready to evacuate them but otherwise stand on the sidelines. Any British subjects wanting to join the Caliphate should be encouraged to leave and barred from returning. And at home we should come down like a ton of bricks on any manifestation of the Moslem civil war within our own pale.
Labels: extremism, islamism
All credit to Cameron
All credit to Cameron for his speech in Birmingham today; he's not only laying down the line but giving meat to the vast majority of people in Britain of all faiths who subscribe to fundamental human rights and oppose the benighted bigotry of Islamist theocracy. Truly there is no place in our society for the evil of Islamist extremism - and we must all take the Prime Minister's lead in speaking, writing, posting and demonstrating against Islamism whenever we can.
Cameron has also in effect given backing to the British people to challenge any part of the British state, be it national or local, that harbours Islamist bigotry. We must be vigorous in challenging local government, the health service, the universities and national authorities and regulators, using FOI if necessary, to ensure they all declare openly their compliance with Cameron's lead in eradicating Islamist extremism from British life.
Since 2007 this blog has opposed multiculturalism is all its forms - I've termed it nothing but apartheid in a frock. There can be no 'separate development' in the UK, no segregated communities, no streets on which one has to act differently. The Islamist ghettoes must be broken up, and inhabitants dispersed to normal, liberal, British communities - rough or genteel, rich or poor - so that Moslems who subscribe fully to western liberal values can flourish as fellow citizens. Cameron also recognised this today - by committing to ending segregation in Moslem-only schools.
Today's speech builds on comments he had made since the Charlie Hebdo atrocity in which he has become increasingly confident in his message. To remind ourselves of his previous words;
I think we should recognise the values that we have in European countries of believing in democracy and free speech, freedom of expression, the right to offend people and be offended. These are not sources of weakness against this terrorist threat, they are sources of strength. They are what make us great economies, great countries, great societies...
Paris, following Islamist Charlie Hebdo atrocity
'Moslems are Islamist extremists if they believe that:-
The West is bad - In contrast to immigrants who want to be part of the Western life, a society at the apex of two thousand years of social and economic development, enemies of the nation hate our culture and seek only to exploit and undermine it
Democracy is wrong - Extremists believe that our democratic framework is mistaken and that only the Quran and its interpreters, the imams, should dictate law and policy; Islamist dog Anjem Choudary recently harangued British Moslems against voting in the 2015 elections as 'UnIslamic'
Women are inferior to men - This gross stupdity lies at the heart of Islamism. They use it to justify forced marriage, child sex abuse, domestic violence, unequal opportunity in the workplace and to silence the voices of a half of our people. Morons.
Homosexuality is evil - Many Christians legitimately believe homosexuality to be disordered and unnatural behaviour, yet tolerate those who choose this life. Islamists go far beyond this; If you think throwing gay men off high buildings is justified, as ISIS are doing, you're an Islamist.
Islamic doctrine trumps British law - There is no place for the Quran, or Sharia, in British life. We have a set of laws that is both comprehensive and complete in themself and governs fairly the conduct of all our lives. British law is not trumped by any other.
The Caliphate trumps the British realm - Those who foolishly imagine it is legitimate to support an insurrectionist sect against the British realm are already guilty of Sedition; to act on this belief makes it treasonous.
Violence is justified - To believe that violence is justified in achieving one or more of the false tenets above is the mark of an enemy of my country.
Speech in Slovakia, 19th June (comments are mine)
Expect a furious backlash from Islamists and their apologists.
Post script 16.15
From Rohan Silva writing this afternoon in the Standard about breaking up the ghettoes:
Over the past 50 years politicians have been unwilling to intervene to ensure that social housing estates contain a broad range of ethnic groups. This laissez-faire approach might have made sense when Britain was relatively homogenous, but with ethnic diversity continuing to rise in our city, it’s high time we thought about a new approach.
If you want to see this type of interventionism in action, look at Singapore, which has been promoting ethnic diversity in its social housing for decades. Today around 85 per cent of Singaporeans live in government housing estates, which are regulated by an “Ethnic Integration Policy” that prevents any single ethnic group being over-represented in an estate. This is credited with successfully preventing the emergence of ethnic ghettos and promoting community integration for the good of the city as a whole.
As the deputy prime minister of Singapore said recently when explaining why their social housing policy is so important: “If we believe in social inclusion, we have to accept it doesn’t happen automatically because of the invisible hand of the market or the invisible hand of society.”
BBC: Keep the talent, lose the tossers
BBC fat cat Danny Cohen's Baldrick-like plotting was cruelly exposed this week when it emerged that letters of support arriving 'spontaneously' from assorted international luvvies had in fact been individually solicited by Mr Cohen. Perhaps he's had to abandon a second cunning plan - using Eastenders extras to play protesters in a 'spontaneous' demo outside Parliament. Now one of the Dimbledum dynasty is calling for real members of the public to protest - but there's really no need.
You see, we do love much of the BBC's output; I'd be lost without Radio 3 and 4, the nation would be poorer without the BBC producing the Proms and from time they make first class drama and carry out serious investigations. No-one wants to trim the BBC on the grounds of core quality. The talent is (mostly) fine.
No, it's all the dags and tossers we want rid of; the ten layers of management, the meaningless jobs, the self-serving bureaucracy, the waste and inefficiency. Once this goes, once we treat the morbidly obese organisation for its own good by restricting its calorie intake, then the BBC's other major fault, a love of big-state, big-government central command and control, will fade away. As I've written before, the organisation is biased towards neither left or right but towards the political class and with a ridiculous metropolitan attachment. You don't cure this by moving chunks of the organisation to Salford; all they do is continue to talk with Whitehall and Westminster from slightly further away.
And Cohen is fundamentally out of touch with the British public if he doesn't realise that his somewhat amateurish and puerile attempts to campaign on the basis of output quality are simply read by people as a campaign in defence of the BBC's bloated and privileged middle-managers.
Labels: BBC, failure
ISIS, witch-burning in 17th Century Europe and sic...
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Ray White Brunswick
CloseBrunswick
Healthy living being encouraged at council level
3 years ago •By Jamil Allouche
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With the increasing need for our cities to get behind helping people to become fitter and healthier, the recent memorandum between the Moreland City Council and Merri Health is certainly a step in the right direction.
Outlined in a 13 May media release, the memorandum of understanding will help the continued development of public health and wellbeing initiatives. This will also ensure that residents and their health are put at the forefront of the council plans to develop this important aspect of living even further. There's no price that can be put on the healthy lifestyles that we should all be living, and this move is encouraging people to better themselves as well.
With that idea in mind, real estate in Brunswick could soon be even hotter property than it has been in recent times!
What's being done to help our health?
Moreland is the home of some 160,000 people, and there is too high a percentage of those that have severe health issues, as stated in the media release, while also living in below-average socio-economic conditions. That's a potentially nasty combination. Underway at the moment, and being reinforced by the memorandum, is the continuation of the Moreland Early Years Strategy, which was initially in place from 2011-15.
"It's important for Council and Merri to continue to build on our strong partnership to strengthen services," stated Moreland mayor Samantha Ratnam.
"The signing of this agreement further cements our commitment to work in collaboration for the benefit of our community."
Merri Health Board chairperson Carlo Carli reinforced the sentiment about keeping people encouraged to live healthy, independent lives.
"We need to advocate and seek to grow services that will continue to support people to remain independent in their own home," he said.
Does the signing of this memorandum act as an encouragement to you and your loved ones? If so, buying property in Brunswick could be right up your alley. Get in touch with Ray White Brunswick today to chat about available properties.
6 months ago •By Jamil Allouche
How to give your Brunswick property summer sale curb appeal
Ready to sell your Brunswick home? Think again. This summer, ensure your curb appeal is up to scratch before hitting the market.
Where to find Christmas Day entertainment without leaving Melbourne
If you’re looking for something a little different this Christmas, try out some of our ideas for making the most of the day without leaving Melbourne city.
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AccorHotels SA
AccorHotels eyes higher 2015 profit despite Brazil, France woes
The world's fourth-largest hotel group company forecast 2015 operating profit of between 650 million to 680 million euros.Reuters | July 30, 2015, 12:33 IST
The world's fourth-largest hotel group company forecast 2015 operating profit of between 650 million to 680 million euros.
PARIS: AccorHotels SA, Europe's largest hotel group, on Thursday predicted its operating profit would rise further this year as restructuring efforts continue to pay off and despite still challenging economic conditions in France and Brazil.
The world's fourth-largest hotel company forecast 2015 operating profit of 650 million euros to 680 million euros ($713-$746 million), compared with 602 million reported in 2014.
AccorHotels, which competes with InterContinental, Marriott and Starwood, is undergoing a reorganisation started by Chief Executive Sebastien Bazin.
First-half operating profit rose 8 percent like-for-like to 263 million euros, broadly in line with the 262 million euros average estimate by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Revenue grew 4.1 percent to 2.73 billion euros in the first-half, reflecting strong growth in Europe, excluding France, where growth was moderate and sustained growth in emerging markets, except Brazil where the economy is slowing down.
AccorHotels, whose 14 hotel brands range from budget Ibis to luxury Sofitel, has been cautious on France. It has faced a string of problems ranging from a weak economic climate to rising value-added taxes in its home market which generates 30 percent of group revenue.
Bazin took the top seat at Accor two years ago. His first move has been to split the company into two divisions -HotelServices and HotelInvest - to separate its operating and franchising business from its real estate ownership activity in a bid to bolster profitability.
It has also stepped up spending on its digital business, responding to competition from online rivals such as Expedia and Booking.com.
AccorHotels expands base in Myanmar, to open 5 new hotels by 2019
AccorHotels appoints Arif Patel to head sales, marketing and distribution for India
Food and beverage to soon generate more revenue for hospitality sector
AccorHotels picks ex-Bain partner Amir Nahai for food and drink revamp
AccorHotels steps up Africa expansion with Angola deal
Tags : Hospitality, Sofitel, real estate, Paris, Hotel, France, Brazil, Booking.com, AccorHotels SA
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Campus Free Speech
Speech Code Hokey Pokey: How Campus Speech Codes Could Rebound
If you believe that unconstitutional speech codes are a scandal at public universities, two recent cases should worry you.
Greg Lukianoff and Adam Goldstein |The Volokh Conspiracy | 9.12.2018 8:03 AM
This week, we are exploring legal issues around Greg's new book with Jonathan Haidt, The Coddling of the American Mind.
Yesterday, we showed how speech codes are consistently struck down by courts. Today, we look at two ongoing cases that threaten to curb that trend by expanding the doctrine of mootness while narrowing what qualifies to establish standing.
In May, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia dismissed Uzuegbunam v. Preczewski, a First Amendment lawsuit filed by a student (represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom) against Georgia Gwinnett College. Uzuegbunam was stopped from distributing religious literature on campus because he didn't have a permit to do so outside of two small free speech zones. The district court found that Uzuegbunam's claims for injunctive and declaratory relief were moot — in part because the school had modified its policy, and in part because Uzuegbunam had graduated before the case had come to trial.
The court went on to dismiss plaintiffs' claims for nominal damages, all other claims being moot:
In this particular case, where Plaintiffs' constitutional challenges to the governmental policies are now moot, where the Court can grant Plaintiffs no practical relief in the form of an injunction or a declaratory judgment, and where Plaintiffs did not plead for compensatory damages, the lone remaining claim of nominal damages is insufficient to save this otherwise moot case.
(Slip op. at 22.) The case is being appealed, and FIRE has filed an amicus curiae brief in support of the plaintiffs. If it is allowed to stand, however, the district court's ruling that nominal damages cannot sustain an action where injunctive and declaratory claims are mooted because of graduation or voluntary policy change will make it very difficult for a student to challenge a speech code.
It's important to understand that nominal damages are frequently sought by plaintiffs in First Amendment cases. As we summarized in our brief:
Nominal damages compensate plaintiffs for violations of their constitutional rights absent "proof of actual injury." As the Supreme Court of the United States recognized in Carey [v. Piphus], it is through nominal damages that "the law recognizes the importance to organized society that those [absolute] rights be scrupulously observed." … Nominal damages do more than vindicate a plaintiff's constitutional right; indeed, "a plaintiff who wins nominal damages is a prevailing party [for purposes of recovering attorney's fees] under § 1988."
(Citations omitted.)
Most students at four-year nonprofit colleges graduate within four years. Meanwhile, the median time it took a federal district court to complete a trial in 2015 was 25.2 months. If graduation moots both injunctive and nominal damages claims against a school, as the Uzuegbunam court ruled, a community college student would almost never keep standing long enough to complain about First Amendment violations. And that's just the trial court decision. Adding in the time it takes for an appeal, even a student with the questionable "good luck" to have his rights violated on the first day of classes is unlikely to maintain his student status through an appellate review.
What about the modification of the policy? Since day one, nearly every time FIRE contacts a school about a restrictive speech code, the college says it was already "under review." (Apparently, that's the kind of review that involves doing nothing until someone notices.) But more importantly, dismissing a case because a school voluntarily withdraws a bad policy (but does not admit it was unconstitutional) rewards what Adam likens to the Speech Code Hokey Pokey: When the complaint appears, you pull your bad policy in. When the case is moot, you put your bad policy out. Then you take the civil rights of the students and you shake them all about. (This way, you'll never have to turn your censorship around — that's what it's all about.)
And colleges have a history of not-quite-abandoning a bad policy, or moving from one bad idea to another. Pennsylvania's Shippensburg University settled a lawsuit in 2004, only to reinstate some of those codes that led to a second lawsuit, settled in 2008. California's Peralta Community College District settled a 2010 lawsuit about interfering with student prayer, then immediately considered a restrictive restrictive "free speech zone" policy calculated to achieve the same end. In 2003, FIRE coordinated a lawsuit against California's Citrus College over its free speech zones, which its board resolved by rescinding the policies; in 2013, FIRE would sue them again for the same type of restrictive policy, a case they settled.
But mootness is only one of two procedural hurdles that seem to be rising to prevent students from meeting them. The other is standing, and the case demonstrating that threat to civil rights is the Fourth Circuit's recent decision in Abbott v. Pastides. (This case is part of FIRE's Stand Up for Speech Litigation Project.)
The facts of Abbott arose at the University of South Carolina in the fall of 2015. Members of the campus chapters of Young Americans for Liberty and the College Libertarians, including Abbott, put up posters on campus with examples of censored speech from other campuses. Three students complained that the posters were "offensive" and "triggering." Administrators sent Abbott, one of the event's organizers, a "Notice of Charge" accusing him of discrimination under a policy that listed "objectionable epithets" as potentially harmful conduct. The University later wrote Abbott to say it was not planning to pursue the investigation further, but only after several weeks, and it did not address the possibility that the complaining students might choose to appeal. While the complaints were being reviewed, the students were told they could not discuss them with anyone.
Both the district court and the Fourth Circuit panel held, among other things, that Abbott lacked standing to mount a facial challenge against rules that led to the investigation because, in short, the court didn't believe that a weeks-long investigation into protected speech would create an "objectively reasonable" fear of enforcement. But wouldn't the investigation itself indicate there's a possibility of enforcement, you ask? No, said the Circuit panel:
It is true, as the plaintiffs argue, that [the school's] letter announcing that no action would be taken in response to the Free Speech Event did not go on to specify that no action would be taken in response to similar events in the future. But it is up to the plaintiffs to show some objective reason to believe the University would change its position, and this they have not done.
(Slip op. at 30.) The Fourth Circuit is wrong in a number of ways, the most obvious being that being "charged" with discrimination and subjected to an investigation that could result in expulsion would indeed create a "chilling effect" on a student of reasonable firmness. One would almost have to question the intelligence of a student who wasn't deterred by being subjected to a process that could end in expulsion. How many times would a student engage in protected-but-offensive speech knowing that each time would be another opportunity for the school to launch an investigation?
This represents a marked departure from the relaxed standing requirements used in prior freedom of speech cases, especially those involving speech codes. In 1989's Doe v. University of Michigan, the federal district court held that the speech code there at issue had been enforced "so broadly and indiscriminately" that Doe, a psychology student, had standing to challenge it because there was a "realistic and credible threat that Doe could be sanctioned were he to discuss certain biopsychological theories," even though Doe hadn't actually been threatened with enforcement of the policy. In UWM Post v. Board of Regents of U. of Wisconsin, the UWM Post was not a party to any of the nine times the University of Wisconsin-Madison speech code had reportedly been enforced, but still had standing to bring a facial challenge.
In denying a motion to dismiss in Bair v. Shippensburg University, a recently graduated student and a current student who claimed their speech had been chilled by a code prohibiting "inflammatory or harmful" speech had standing; the court quoted Justice Blackmun's majority opinion in Forsyth County v. Nationalist Movement, writing, "the very existence of some broadly written laws has the potential to chill the expressive activity of others not before the Court." In Roberts v. Haragan, the court noted a student-plaintiff at Texas Tech could not make an as-applied challenge to an earlier version of a speech code (because he'd voluntarily complied with a request to move his speech, then never showed up to make it); that student still had standing to make a facial challenge to the interim policy that replaced it, which prohibited "insulting" speech.
The student-plaintiffs' petition for en banc rehearing — which could be ruled on at any moment — summarizes the stakes:
This Court has stressed the "persistent and insidious threats" to the First Amendment posed by the heckler's veto, and held that complaints alleging discrimination must be resolved without burdening speakers' rights. The panel's acceptance of what it described as "incidental burdens" imposed by enforcement of [Univ. of South Carolina's policy] is inconsistent with the law as articulated by the Supreme Court, this Court, and other circuits, and must be corrected on rehearing.
(Citation omitted.) If the petition isn't granted, a cert petition seems likely, because student rights cannot tolerate this interpretation of standing.
Uzuegbunam and Abbott represent a trend that undermines student speech not by directly attacking First Amendment rights, but by limiting the people who can vindicate them, and the amount of time they have to do it. At some point, a civil liberty ceases to have meaning if courts won't review its violation.
NEXT: Meet the Good Soldier Švejk, Patron Saint of Malingerers and Saboteurs
Greg Lukianoff is the president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education and co-author of The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure(Penguin Random House).
Adam Goldstein is a program officer at the Foundation for Individual Rights.
Brett Bellmore
And depriving the civil liberty of meaning might just be the aim here.
Whose aim? The courts? All of them? The universities? Or some secret giant conspiracy?
Meanwhile, talking about aims, we have this, which I doubt will trouble many of the zealous free speech advocates among the commenters and conspirators.
Interesting. The headline reads, “The Trump administration wants to tax protests.”
But when you read further down, all they want is for somebody to pay when they cause the government to incur “event management expenses.”
Isn’t this just what public universities are doing to student groups, with the approval of Democrats?
Sauce for the goose. I’d oppose both, but I’m not averse to charges after the fact if a riot takes place instead of a protest, or the organizers leave a mess.
James Pollock
Once upon a time, protesters expected to incur punishments, both legal and extralegal. Now, protesters want someone else to pick up the tab, and to go home afterwards undisturbed.
Protesters who hang up a bedsheet with a slogan spraypainted on it from an overpass are a different class from protesters who roam the city smashing windows and burning cars. I’m not troubled if they get treated differently.
Where I live now, the protests involve pulling down monuments to the Confederacy. The people who do this should be arrested for vandalism, and do the jailtime for vandalism. Even if they’re right that there shouldn’t be monuments to the Confederacy, the method of protest deserves to be treated as criminal acts.
What punishments, legal or extra-legal, do you think are appropriate for someone marching, carrying a sign, on a public sidewalk, or speaking in a public park?
Depends on what else they’re doing. (See also: Time, Place, and Manner)
They certainly can be punished by having opposing viewpoints expressed at them in (some) ways they would prefer not.
Punishments in general:
The civil rights protests, for example, included such things as entering private property and remaining despite being asked to leave. This got some of them arrested. They accepted being arrested for trespassing as a “cost” of making the point that they shouldn’t have been excluded in the first place. Logging protesters sometimes spike trees. That shit is dangerous and should be subject to tort liability as well as criminal. Sometimes they pour sugar in the fuel tanks of logging equipment, that’s criminal vandalism.
In other words, you have no answer to my question, which specifically referred to someone marching with a sign on a public sidewalk or in a public park.
Actually I think he answered your question in his second paragraph: By having opposing viewpoints expressed to them.
In what sense is having opposing viewpoints expressed a punishment?
Is Pollock suggesting that such expression goes beyond speech to actual violence?
“In other words, you have no answer to my question”
In other words, your question has no answer, because you don’t like “it depends” and didn’t give any specifics that would allow me to determine what the answer would be.
It was very specific.
Go ahead and evade if you like, but cut the crap about “it depends.”
I gave you a very specific case: someone marching, carrying a sign, on a public sidewalk, or speaking in a public park
and you won’t answer, because you probably think, like Trump, that beating such people up is just fine.
Two wrongs, Brett? What did your mother tell you about that?
Some universities have sometimes charged student groups for various things, including security and cleanup, when speakers appear.
I don’t know that this has “the approval of Democrats.” Maybe you can show me where it is in say, the Democratic Party platform, or in a bill supported by Democrats. It does not have my approval in general, though a reasonable cleanup fee, universally applied, for events held indoors, seems OK.
The proposal described is a long way from that. It includes charges for “the salaries of personnel deployed to monitor the protest,” for example.
Besides, these are public outdoor spaces and, it seems to me, these charges are quite easily abused. Anyway, I’m glad you oppose the plan. We’ll see who else does.
Didn’t I say I’d oppose both, or didn’t you read far enough down in my comment?
Yes you did, but not before hinting that one justified the other. I guess you intended no such hint, and I misinterpreted.
Look, you shouldn’t read hints into things where they are expressly denied. This is, if applied in bad faith to make protest financially impossible, just what universities run by the left are doing, so the left is in a piss poor position to complain about it. Pot, meet kettle; You’re both black.
But I disapprove of the practice of charging protesters fees for using public spaces, outside of cases where the protesters themselves, not their foes cause extraordinary expenses. Free speech is a right. rioting is not. Charge for the latter, not the former.
Back in the ’90’s I was part of a Michigan Militia event at the state capital. We brought our own porta-potties, and left the area cleaner than when we came. Should we have been charged for the police snipers on the surrounding roof tops? I think not.
just what universities run by the left are doing, so the left is in a piss poor position to complain about it.
“Universities run by the left” now replaces “Democrats.”
OK. I think one or two cases of such charges have been mentioned here, but that hardly means abusive charges are commonplace.
Even so, that hardly implicates everyone on “the left,” since many disapprove.
“The left” is not a giant monolithic conspiracy, Brett. We have every right to complain, and are not at all in a poor position because a handful of university administrators behave unwisely.
And none of this goes to the point of my original comment. I still haven’t seen much outrage over this administration policy or, for that matter, Trump’s constant attacks on the press. Maybe I will, but for now the ardent 1A defenders here seem a bit partisan to me.
Sarcastr0
I love me a knotty procedural tangle, but the policy shifts noted in the last post aren’t coming from judicial pressure, but from public pressure.
Except that the judiciary is perfectly capable of ignoring public pressure when they want, and there’s public pressure in both directions.
They chose to ignore pressure in directions they don’t want to go, and cave to pressure in directions they do want to go.
So, yeah, realistically it’s on them. “Public pressure” is just an excuse.
I’m not saying this isn’t something that should be worked out. Justicibility is policy, after all.
But it’s telling you’re looking at the courts for results when it’s sunlight that’s been making the most progress. Makes me wonder if this isn’t more about culture war coup counting and less about results.
I thought that focusing public pressure on censorship-happy universities *was* culture war activity.
Sure, it is. Though until I see stats otherwise, I see it as a minor skirmish with a fringe, not moving the needle.
But when it’s all about scalps in the war, public affairs scalps aren’t worth anything compared to court opinion scalps!
All this will change with the up and coming blue wave. Now this change will take years to accomplish but it will happen. The people of the US are joining the people of world in rejecting the old style leadership that the political power in Washington D. C. and are joining the more inclusive leadership that is most prevalent in Europe, namely in the EU.
GabrielSyme
The EU literally just passed a bill requiring content filters for all websites that allow users to upload content, I don’t think that’s really something we want to emulate
I think it’s a great idea to prevent people like (deleted) and (deleted) from spreading their ideas on the Internet.
/sarc
Rossami
That was sarcasm, right? (I have to ask. I am sometimes sarcasm-impaired.)
If not, I suggest you read some history. European governments are the “old style leadership”. They are among the most illiberal in the world. The US has its failings but they are nothing like the authoritarianism and corruption seen in most of the rest of the world.
Michael Masinter
(1 of 2) The en banc decision by the conservative majority in Flanigan’s Enterprises, Inc. of Georgia v. City of Sandy Springs, Georgia, 868 F.3d 1248 (11th Cir.2017) (en banc), cert. denied, 138 S. Ct. 1326 (2018) compels the result in Uzuegbunam v. Preczewsk, In Flanagan’s married couples with disabilities and a vendor challenged a city ordinance prohibiting the sale of devices used primarily for genital stimulation, seeking declaratory and injunctive relief and nominal damages. Due to the prior panel rule, plaintiffs lost before the district court and a panel of the Eleventh Circuit, but the panel invited rehearing en banc to reconsider the earlier circuit precedent. The court granted rehearing en banc, and the parties briefed and argued the case before the en banc court. After the en banc argument, the city took note of hostile questioning and, before the en banc court issued an opinion, it repealed the ordinance.
(2 of 2) The en banc court then dismissed the appeal as moot. It first held repeal of the ordinance mooted claims for declaratory and injunctive relief despite the rule that voluntary cessation of illegal conduct ordinarily does not moot claims. The court created a more lenient exception for government defendants, and reframed the inquiry as whether there is a reasonable likelihood that the same or similar ordinance will be reenacted, concluding there was little likelihood of reenactment even though the city defended the ordinance’s constitutionality through oral argument. Even more importantly, the en banc court overruled past panel decisions to hold that repeal also mooted the claim for nominal damages despite contrary holdings from six other circuits and the seemingly binding decision in Carey v. Piphus, 435 U.S. 247 (1978). The majority reasoned that permitting nominal damage claims to circumvent mootness would force courts to decide claims that could have no practical effect on the rights or obligation of parties; it distinguished Carey on the basis that the Carey plaintiffs sought both actual and nominal damages but were not entitled to actual damages. Judge Wilson, joined by Judges Martin, Jordan, Rosenbaum, and Jill Pryor dissented from the nominal damages mootness holding. See also Gagliardi v. TJCV Land Trust, 889 F.3d 728 (11th Cir. 2018). The en banc rule will govern until SCOTUS overrules it.
Just to be clear, I think both holdings in Flanagan’s are incorrect, and that the nominal damages ruling is close to indefensible.
nonzenze
Thanks Michael, super informative.
tkamenick
That was informative, thanks! Agree with nonzenze. What if instead of pleading for $1 in nominal damages, people pled for $1 in compensatory damages? Or just start including a claim for punitive damages as a matter of course.
Ken Arromdee
We need to be more serious about the concept of “capable of repetition, but evading review”.
The court was serious about it. They were in favor of it.
I agree, but I also think Greg and Adam should not conflate the two distinct rationales here:
(1) Mootness due to graduation of the individual plaintiff. This might be CORBER, depending on the specifics of each case.
(2) Mootness due to voluntarily repeal of the offending policy. On this one, see Michael Masinter’s post above on the (unfortunate) state of the law.
I was a bit amused at the statement about undergraduates clearing the university in four years with their bachelor degree. Not really the case anymore. . .
But on an even less serious level, I couldn’t get past the Georgia case cited Uzuegbunam v. Preczewski. It almost made me long for simpler times, with famous cases like Roe v. Wade. At least I could spell them.
DavidTaylor
The statistics to which they link do show that 53% of students seeking a 4 year degree at a non-profit college do graduate in that time. That is consistent with their claim: “Most students at four-year nonprofit colleges graduate” in 4 years.
“the district court’s ruling that nominal damages cannot sustain an action where injunctive and declaratory claims are mooted because of graduation or voluntary policy change will make it very difficult for a student to challenge a speech code.”
I question this conclusion.
The speech code in question was challenged quite effectively. It was changed even before the case came to court.
What wasn’t protected was the lawyer’s right to collect fees for fighting the speech code.
AmosArch
Modern colleges are largely religious institutions (or cult IMO) and I don’t mean in the historical founding sense. Asking them to institute freespeech is like asking a Hindu to celebrate ramadan. Give them the the same protections other temples have and they can get tax exemption too but strip them of all the money, state support, and child sacrifices they enjoy.
Perhaps ‘pre-modern’ colleges were even worse, so perhaps we are on the right trajectory. Suppression of free speech on campus was so taken for granted that it was hardly ever contested up until the 1960s and the Free Speech movement. As sociologists and historians often point out, the emergence of a debate on an issue — in this case the suppression of free speech — often signals that change is taking place, and in this case the change is in the direction of greater free speech rights explicitly guaranteed. In my own 50 years plus as a college student, medical student, and faculty member, I have seen not so much the invention of speech codes as the explication of speech codes that already existed as unwritten standards of polite, gentlemanly behavior, or behavior befitting a proper young lady.
One context for this historical change might be that colleges played an explicit in loco parentis role up until the 1960s. Most college kids at that point had grown up in households in which they were regularly warned not to tease or taunt their siblings, the disabled kid next door, etc. At least in my youth no kid would have ever considered replying to a parent that the parent was suppressing their rights of free speech, or was imposing unconstitutional speech codes. When I was a college students in the late 1960s most of had kinda the same attitude: colleges simply substituted for our parents.
perlchpr
Uzuegbunam v. Preczewski
This is what comes of discontinuing the policy of requiring immigrants to adopt new names if their names are hard to pronounce.
Was that ever a requirement? I know it was a practice at places such as Ellis Island, but my assumption has always been that immigrants simply accepted new names (names were simply a convenience for immigration officials), especially when their formal documents had that new name rather than their original name. I’ve traveled in many countries in which even “Taylor” is hard to pronounce! Happily, many, perhaps most of my Chinese students adopt a Western or American first name when they arrive here, and Anglicize their last names to make them easier. Years ago it led me to ask a friend about a possible difference between American attitudes toward our names and Chinese attitudes toward names — he ended up editing a collection of essays on the subject…
The policy is not so former as you might think; Immigration authorities messed with my wife’s name back in 2006; Apparently they took exception to the Philippine practice of using your mother’s maiden name for your middle name.
She did manage to get it straightened out later, but it’s not the sort of thing you want to fight about at the border.
Internet Dad Jokes about Names: Truly, a dark price to pay.
Longtobefree
So it may be that the Hokey Pokey really is what it’s all about?
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Category: Propaganda
By Mathew Foresta
Earlier this week Univision journalist Jorge Ramos and his crew were detained by Venezuelan authorities. According to Ramos this was a reaction to some uncomfortable questions he asked Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro during an interview. Ramos detailed his experience being detained and having his crew’s equipment and electronic devices seized in an Op-Ed for The New York Times.
It took little time for Maduro’s American supporters to initiate a smear campaign against the journalist.
At the vanguard of all this is Grayzone Project editor Max Blumenthal, a blogger with a history of ethically questionable behavior. The Daily Beast’s Charles Davis reported that Dania Valeska Aleman Sandoval was tortured for protesting the regime of Nicaraguan leader Daniel Ortega. Blumenthal’s Grayzone Project used video of her torture extracted confession to criticize those opposing Ortega’s regime. Additionally, he tweeted a picture of himself with a bag over his head to mock a report that Syrian civilians were desperately trying to make homemade gas masks. Journalist Sulome Anderson recently announced she was suing Blumenthal and Norton “for libel and defamation.”
Blumenthal was amongst a group of reporters questioning Ramos after his return to Miami.
Continue reading “Are purveyors of fake news endangering the lives of real journalists?”
Author EditorPosted on March 7, 2019 March 8, 2019 Categories Propaganda, VenezuelaLeave a comment on Are purveyors of fake news endangering the lives of real journalists?
Did a Kremlin Pilgrimage cause Alternet blogger’s Damascene conversion?
A blogger who once supported the Syrian revolution has reinvented himself as an advocate for Bashar al Assad. Did his pilgrimage to Moscow occasion this conversion?
by Sam Charles Hamad and Oz Katerji
Last March, a live performance in support of Syrian first responders by a flashmob orchestra at New York’s Grand Central Station was physically disrupted by a group of six protesters. Within hours, the video of the disruption was uploaded to social media and promoted by an RT employee. Max Blumenthal, a blogger at Alternet, soon released documents that suggested the performance was organized by a pro-Syrian campaign group. In characteristic inversion of reality, RT billed the disruption as a triumph for “anti-war” direct action.
Three participants in the protest have so far been identified: all have links to RT, the Russian state-funded propaganda network now under investigation by the U.S. government for its alleged interference in the last presidential election. Alexander Rubinstein, the man who filmed the protest, is an RT employee, and Taryn Fivek and Sara Flounders, the two protesters, are RT contributors. Blumenthal, who amplified the story, is also a regular on RT.
Fivek was an officer with the International Organization for Migration until she was found to have used the pseudonym Emma Quangel on Twitter to cheer Russia’s actions in Syria and mock civilian suffering. Flounders, a steering committee member of the pro-Assad Syria Solidarity Movement, has graduated from denying Serb atrocities in Bosnia to denying Assad regime atrocities in Syria. Both have limited influence. It is Blumenthal who with Alternet has created an effective beachhead in the US for Kremlin propaganda.
Things were not always thus. In 2012, Blumenthal had publicly resigned as a columnist from the pro-Assad Lebanese daily Al Akhbar, citing as his reason the paper’s publishing of cheerleaders who blamed Assad’s victims and maligned critical journalists. He likened their behavior to that of Israel’s apologists. Blumenthal has now dramatically resurrected himself as an apologist for Assad, a scourge of critical journalists, and a mirror image—by his own logic—of Israel’s apologists.
What happened in between to occasion this dramatic reversal? Continue reading “Did a Kremlin Pilgrimage cause Alternet blogger’s Damascene conversion?”
Author EditorPosted on August 22, 2017 May 4, 2018 Categories Propaganda, Syria, Uncategorized27 Comments on Did a Kremlin Pilgrimage cause Alternet blogger’s Damascene conversion?
Reality Leigh Winner: The Whistleblower We Didn’t Want
It’s a story as old as the 21st century: A young NSA contractor with more access to classified information than they probably should have had leaks that information to the press, believing the public has a right to know that which their elected officials would never allow to see the light of day. That leaker’s identity is then revealed, the idealistic millennial facing a loss of liberty for doing that which they believed was a civic duty.
“In any other circumstances this would be an earthquake,” said Sen. Claire McCaskill, the top Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee.
But this story is missing that next crucial step: the leaker being lauded — controversially, but nonetheless — for their courage and assigned the label “whistleblower” by those who typically defend such people. Reality Leigh Winner is not Edward Snowden, it seems, outside of the bipartisan condemnation both have received (McCaskill herself condemned the leak, while right-wing media declares Winner a traitor). And while it’s still early, it appears this NSA contractor, who leaked a report documenting Russian efforts to hack local U.S. election officials, won’t be getting the book-and-a-movie hero treatment.
Winner, 25, was arrested June 6 just hours after The Intercept published a story on a top-secret NSA report it obtained detailing alleged efforts by Russian military intelligence to hack “a U.S. voting software supplier and more than 100 local election officials in the days before voters went to the polls” in November 2016, per The Washington Post.
“I think they’re going to try to make an example out of her because of the political climate right now,” said Reality’s father, Billie Winner-Davis.
Already more than $1K raised for Reality Winner’s legal fund — much needed assistance, please support here: https://t.co/6deNVYzj6r
— Courage Foundation (@couragefound) June 14, 2017
That the Russian government was, allegedly, attempting to tamper with the infrastructure of the 2016 election itself — beyond just deploying “active measures” like selective leaks and partisan disinformation — wasn’t itself breaking news. It was reported last year that the FBI had spotted attempts to compromise voter registration databases, with U.S. intelligence officials attributing the intrusions to Moscow. But as Bloomberg added reported on June 13, the cyberattacks were “far more widespread” than publicly revealed, affecting “a total of 39 states.”
That’s a big revelation, “buttressed by a classified National Security Agency document recently disclosed by the Intercept.” Winner apparently believed the U.S. public has a right to know if the integrity of its elections has been compromised by a foreign government at a time when the campaign of a U.S. president — who rejects charges of Russian interference in the election as “fake news” from sore-loser Democrats — is being investigated for possibly colluding with that government.
But it’s not just Trump and his reactionary allies who suspect this Russia stuff is fake news.
As ABC News noted, on the March 22 edition of The Intercept’s podcast, Intercepted, founding editor Jeremy Scahill discussed “tremendous amount of hysterics” and “premature conclusions being drawn around all of this Russia stuff.”
“We still haven’t seen any evidence for it,” commented Glenn Greenwald, another founding editor.
We don’t know if Winner listened to that particular episode, but according to the federal complaint, she leaked the NSA report on Russian hacking, to one of the most prominently skeptical outlets, after emailing The Intercept and requesting “transcripts of a podcast.” (Scahill and Greenwald confirmed the FBI’s assertion that transcripts were requested, but said it was for another episode, with the former expanding on that in another podcast, calling her treatment “horrid”).
It makes sense that a woman with access to top-secret evidence of Russian electoral interference might think that evidence would be buried, given who is president, and a desire to share that evidence with the still-skeptical would explain Winner’s alleged decision to go to The Intercept and not a major newspaper.
But that lingering skepticism also explains why Winner is no hero — no Snowden — in the eyes of the skeptics. When the story first broke, Scahill, for example, stressed the need for caution, highlighting a section of The Intercept’s story noting the leaked report “does not show the underlying ‘raw’ intelligence on which the analysis is based.” Greenwald, likewise, said that while journalism “requires that document be published… Rationality requires it be read skeptically.”
“If the NSA asserts something, that’s proof enough for me,” he added, sarcastically, referring to the leaked report on Russia — skepticism not apparent with respect to NSA PowerPoint presentations on the agency’s surveillance capabilities. “They never lie or err[.] Rationality is about blind belief in official conclusions.”
Since Winner’s indictment, both Greenwald and Scahill have largely kept quiet on the matter. The outlet itself did respond in a June 6 statement, however, saying it had “no knowledge of the identity of the person who provided us with the document” (the government claims Winner was identified as the leaker after an Intercept reporter shared the NSA document with an intelligence official, revealing that it had been printed out).
On June 13, Greenwald and Schahill broke their silence, revealing that while their colleagues have been limited in what they can say, “We do not face these same constraints.” They then go on to identify several victims of Trump’s Department of Justice: themselves. Reporters, they wrote, had accepted “unproven FBI claims in a contested criminal case as Truth,” though in doing so they confirmed the FBI’s widely reported claim: that someone “appeared to request transcripts of a podcast” (it was ABC, not the FBI, that suggested one of those transcripts may have been for the episode in which the two discussed “all of this Russia stuff”).
Missing from the statement, which comments directly on the FBI’s alleged chain of events, is any comment on the FBI’s arrest (and the Trump Department of Justice’s detention) of an alleged NSA leaker. That’s a curious omission given that, by their own admission, there are no constraints on what they can say, or what emergency defense funds they can publicize.
Given the void, one is left with speculation: that a commentator like Greenwald, who believes there’s a “deep state,” “military-industrial complex” “war” against a “duly elected” president — fought with weaponized leaks about things the president and his staff have said and done, centering on this Russia stuff — is perhaps not convinced this deep state-adjacent leaker is a whistleblower at all.
What’s important for readers to know, to The Intercept’s founding editors, is that their publication’s alleged source was not motivated by their Russia skepticism, or at least not spurred by the transcript of one recorded expression of it. What’s conspicuously lacking is that express solidarity with a woman — source or not — who is accused of, and facing prison time for, releasing a report that revealed no raw intelligence or intelligence-gathering methods but demonstrated, for the skeptics, that at least the U.S. intelligence community’s internal assessments track with its public statements.
But that, again, may be unwelcome for those who have devoted a year to a nothing-to-see-here line. Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder who fled Sweden after being accused of sexual assault, hinted at that conflict when he nonetheless declared that, “Alleged NSA whistleblower Reality Leigh Winner must be supported.”
“It doesn’t matter why she did it,” he added, “or the quality [of] the report.”
To some it does. Liberal activist David Swanson, for instance, was skeptical Winner’s alleged revelations would convince any skeptics. “Hey, @theintercept, you want proof? I’ve got your . . . um, vague evidence-free ‘assessments.’ Take that!” Winner, as some see it, risked and lost her liberty to leak a report that — the NSA internally lying to itself, presumably in the hopes a leak would happen — only furthers a deep-state push for a new Cold War.
Evan Greer, a campaigner with the group Fight for the Future, believes something else may be at play. “There is something extremely gendered about the way Reality Leigh Winner has been treated by the media and public vs. Edward Snowden,” she posted on Twitter. While many are focused on blame or exculpation for her arrest, “where’s the [conversation] about how Reality is brave as fuck [and] took a tremendous risk to expose something she thought the public needed to know?”
That conversation has been buried before it could begin by those with the platforms capable of starting it. In these times, we not only need more whistleblowers, but a new and better commitment to defending them, not waiting for the pundits once on the front lines to lead the charge again. Young idealists can do more than just leak what older generations wish to hide; they can and will lead the fights to which others, for reasons of dated ideology or ego, are unwilling to contribute.
They seem to get that.
“To hold a citizen incommunicado and indefinitely while awaiting trial for the alleged crime of serving as a journalistic source should outrage us all,” said Edward Snowden, 33, in a statement that was ignored by those to whom he leaked.
Charles Davis is a writer in Los Angeles, California.
Author Charles DavisPosted on June 17, 2017 June 17, 2017 Categories Activism, Alternative Media, Elections, Hackwatch, Journalism, McCarthyism, UncategorizedTags Glenn Greenwald, Hacking, Jeremy Scahill, leaks, NSA, Putin, Reality Leigh Winner, Russia, The Intercept, Whistleblower, WikiLeaksLeave a comment on Reality Leigh Winner: The Whistleblower We Didn’t Want
Tim Anderson’s Dirty War on Syria
By Brian Slocock
Assad regime supporter Tim Anderson, who is on the teaching staff of the University of Sydney, is organising a conference at the University entitled “After the War on Syria” on 18-19 April. This is presented with all the paraphernalia of an academic gathering, though I cannot comment on the political diversity or otherwise of the speakers and presenters. But I do recognise some familiar names from Anderson’s local entourage, and I see that one of the keynote speakers is Leith Fadel, editor of the vociferously pro- regime Al Masdar News.
I’m not concerned here with the Conference but rather with Anderson’s long standing attempt to project himself as an authority on the Syrian conflict with academic credentials. Anderson’s principal claim to authority is a book entitled The Dirty War on Syria, much of which first appeared as posts on the Global Research website. This work provides a handy conspectus of Anderson’s approach to the Syrian conflict and to knowledge in general. It merits a closer look.
Continue reading “Tim Anderson’s Dirty War on Syria”
Author EditorPosted on April 5, 2017 Categories Propaganda, Syria, Uncategorized1 Comment on Tim Anderson’s Dirty War on Syria
Children’s trauma is a laughing matter—if you are Vanessa Beeley
by Amr Salahi
The notorious Assad regime propagandist Vanessa Beeley has been recently on a speaking tour of the UK. She has been showing up at small venues in Bristol, Birmingham, and London to give a presentation entitled “Aleppo: Fall or Liberation”. These talks have been hosted by the Communist Party of Great Britain Marxist-Leninist (CPGB-ML), which openly supports and glorifies Josef Stalin. In Bristol, her talk was held at the Palestine Museum and attended by about 70 people.
The general gist of Beeley’s talk is similar to her published work on websites such as 21st Century Wire and Mint Press News. The rebels are non-Syrian terrorists from Al-Qaeda who commit atrocities against the population in the areas they hold; what is happening in Syria is part of a regime change conspiracy that has been in place since the 1980s involving the media, human rights organizations, and Western governments; Bashar Al-Assad’s army is the main humanitarian agent, providing Syrians in East Aleppo and other rebel-held areas it captured with relief and medical care.
Members of Syria Solidarity UK who attended Beeley’s presentation (two and a half hours ong) have provided a more detailed account of the meeting here. This article will only look at a few minutes of her talk, which encapsulate the maliciousness of her propaganda and how it is designed to make the targeting and murder of Syrian civilians acceptable to people who consider themselves “progressive” and “anti-imperialist”.
Continue reading “Children’s trauma is a laughing matter—if you are Vanessa Beeley”
Author EditorPosted on March 11, 2017 June 27, 2017 Categories Propaganda, SyriaTags vanessabeeleyLeave a comment on Children’s trauma is a laughing matter—if you are Vanessa Beeley
Down the Alt-Right’s Syrian Rabbit Hole
How a Chemical Attack in 2013 set the Stage for Trump’s Post-Truth Presidency, and How We Can Fight Back.
On August 21st 2013 rumors of a massive chemical attack in Eastern Ghouta, a rebel held suburb of Damascus began to emerge. A series of now famous videos which showed victims laid out on the floor shaking were uploaded. Over the next few day fragmentary details of a major sarin gas attack began to emerge in the western media. As journalists started putting the pieces together an Austin based conspiracy theorist named Alex Jones went on air to present his own version of events with absolute certainty.
In retrospect the August 23rd episode of “The Alex Jones Show” is worth re watching, because it was a chilling precursor to the alt right movement that would shape how Donald Trump sees the world. Between segments hawking survivalist and pseudo medical products, listeners called in to speak with Jones. One caller ranted about fears that Obamacare death panels would kill his grandmother, Jones suggested Obama’s Muslim background made him a bad dog owner and a segment about the inappropriate conduct of the Clinton foundation ran (remember this was during the summer of 2013).
The the subject of Jones program that day was the sarin gas attack in Damascus, and he jumped right into it.
“The so-called US, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Chase, that run this country, along with the Sachs, Cobergs, Gothes, and others, the Queen of England, the Dutch Queen others, that’s the main folks that own it all. They are openly taking the funding away from Egypt, and I’m not defending foreign aide, but the point is they are taking it away becasue they aren’t doing what they are told to turn it over to jihadis to just wreck everything.”
Continue reading “Down the Alt-Right’s Syrian Rabbit Hole”
Author patrickhilsmanPosted on December 29, 2016 December 29, 2016 Categories Propaganda, Syria, Uncategorized2 Comments on Down the Alt-Right’s Syrian Rabbit Hole
Russia Today and the post-truth virus
A video is circulating of a woman revealing “the truth” on Syria that is being withheld from us by “the mainstream media”. The woman is introduced as an “independent Canadian journalist”. She is said to be speaking “at the UN”. The date is December 9, 2016. The video has become viral.
Eva Bartlett, the woman in the video, writes for various conspiracy sites including SOTT.net, The Duran, MintPress and Globalresearch.ca. But more recently she has emerged as a contributor to Russia Today. And though her wordpress blog is called “In Gaza”, and though she has a past in Palestine solidarity work, unlike the people of Gaza, she is a strong supporter of Assad and she uses language to describe Assad’s opponents that is a virtual echo of the language Israeli propagandists use against Gazans.
This is the “I ❤️ Bashar” bracelet that “independent” journalist Eva Bartlett wore on her visit.
Bartlett was recently a guest of the Assad regime, attending a regime sponsored PR conference and going on a tour of regime-controlled areas herded no doubt by the ubiquitous minders (the regime only issues visas to trusted journalists and no visitor is allowed to travel without a regime minder). On her return, the regime mission at the UN organised a press conference for her and three members of the pro-regime US “Peace Council” (The organisation has the same relationship to peace as Kentucky Fried Chicken has to chicken). In the press conference they all repeated the claims usually made by the regime’s official media SANA and by Russia Today: all rebels are terrorists; there is no siege; civilians are being held hostage; the regime is a “liberator” etc.
So a conspiracy theorist with a blog who briefly visited Syria as a guest of the regime is declaring that everything you know about Syria is wrong. That you have been misled by everyone in the “MSM” from the New York Times to Der Spiegel, from the Guardian to the Telegraph, from CNN to Channel 4, from ABC to BBC, from CBS to CBC; that human rights organisations like Physicians for Human Rights, Medicins Sans Frontiers, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch; that international agencies like the UN and ICRC—they are all part of a vast conspiracy to malign Bashar al Assad. And the truth is only revealed on “alternative” media like the Kremlin’s own Russia Today! (watched by 70 million people a week according to its own claims)
Continue reading “Russia Today and the post-truth virus”
Author Idrees AhmadPosted on December 15, 2016 January 2, 2017 Categories Global War on Terror, Media, Propaganda, Russia, State Terrorism, Syria, War, War crimes50 Comments on Russia Today and the post-truth virus
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Inou-Battle wa Nichijou-kei no Naka de – 04
When the first episode aired, and it was pretty much the characters showing off their powers, I thought “This is probably a show whose looks will be its meal ticket this season.” There wasn’t a whole lot to it besides looking fantastic, and even that’s a first-episode standby to lure people in, only to disappoint when the budget runs dry.
We start off with the gang utilizing Chifuyu’s powers…for cosplay
Well, a quarter of the way in, I’m proud to report that I’d watch (and highly rate) InoBato even if it didn’t look as great as it did; purely on its comedic and dramatic chops its exhibited these past three weeks. Though yeah, I’m glad it looks as great as it does; that certainly doesn’t hurt. :) And mind, you that’s despite the fact the show has not gone down the road of giving the Lit Club a world-saving mission, or even explaining how they got their powers.
Instead, it’s focused on smaller, more personal stories that flesh the characters out, If there is bigger, more epic stuff in store down the road, it’s a good move to develop everyone now. But even if the world-saving aspect never pans out, I’m still invested in Jurai, Mirei, Tomoyo, and now, thanks to this week, Chifuyu too.
That’s not an easy feat, as unlike Jurai, I’m not a lolicon (I prefer older ladies, actually). Chifuyu has always been the odd person out; a grade schooler hanging out in a high school club…why? Well, we eventually find out; but not until after we get a story about Chifuyu clashing with her friend because, bingo, she hangs out with high schoolers too much.
Actually, I really didn’t need any convincing coming into this episode that Chifuyu was a worthwhile character and not just a cute face and voice — precisely because she hangs with high schoolers. Both in the past and this week she’s balanced her uniquely (among the club members) childish way of looking at the world with a calm stoicism beyond her years. But when she refuses to reveal the club’s secret to her best same-age friend Kuki Madoka, it opens a rift between them, one that even Chifuyu’s powers over matter and energy can’t repair.
Enter Guiltia sin Jurai, Chuuni Knight. At the end of the day, these are grade schoolers who like each other and want to remain friends, so all he has to do is give Kuki a little nudge. But his plan for creating that nudge is, well, uniquely Jurai, something I can say having seen him in action. He knows confessing to Kuki as a rabid lolicon will further degrade her opinion of him (even though she’s already seen him in Chifuyu’s bedroom in nothing but his boxers, which…long story), but it also serves to provide Kuki with a valid explanation for why Chifuyu kept a secret from her.
Chifuyu and her aunt, faculty member Satomi-sensei, arrive right on cue for the very simple but still cute process of grade-schoolers making-up. Jurai sighs a sigh of relief and he and Satomi look on at the youngins, probably envious of how simple friendships are at that age. Even so, they’re no less powerful at contributing to happiness.
But wait…didn’t Chifuyu say she was dropping out of school last week? Well, turns out she meant to say she was devoting herself studying extra hard so she could skip grades, with the goal of “catching up” to Jurai, which could be construed as a remark on how Jurai’s stuck in the eighth grade (Chuunibyou), and a desire to court him…once she’s old enough.The other girls confer and giggle with glee at Jurai’s expense.
And then, only after the episode comprehensively justified Chifuyu’s character and her presence in the club, to the point where it really didn’t matter how she ended up there, we learn that too, as Satomi-sensei left her in the Lit Club’s care while both she and her sister, Chifuyu’s mother, were busy. It’s a very brief but effective montage, they gradually coax her out of her shell. Between that day and the present, all of them got superpowers, which makes them more than just a club, but a family.
Author sesameacrylicPosted on Mon, 27 Oct 2014 Mon, 27 Oct 2014 Categories Anime Reviews, Fall 2014, Inou-Battle wa Nichijou-kei no Naka deTags aunt, best friend, chuunibyou, 異能バトルは日常系のなかで, elementary school, guiltia sin jurai, himeki chifuyu, inobato, Inou Battle Within Everyday Life, interpretation, kanzaki tomoyo, kushikawa hatoko, lolicon, lolicon knight, making up, sagari shimizu, satomi shiharu, secret, supernatural, superpowers, takanashi sayumi, When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace1 Comment on Inou-Battle wa Nichijou-kei no Naka de – 04
Shingeki no Bahamut: Genesis – 04
I will never tire of Amira’s many expressions
Put simply, Shingeki no Bahamut simply kicks ass at telling rousing, impeccably-orchestrated stories of adventure. Last week featured a town of illusion and undead ruled by a powerful, devious, but ultimately bored necromancer. Rita ended up following Kaisar looking for a change of pace and a little excitement…and her decision paid almost immediate dividends.
“D’you even know how to USE that?”
Entitled “Reunion at Ysmenport”, we’re immediately treated to a beautifully-rendered, well-worn and lived-in city; I could almost smell the fish…and other things such cities have. As street swindler ends up giving both Favaro and Kaisar information how where to get where they want to go. Favaro needs to get to Helheim (and can only keep up the lie about knowing how to get there for so long. Kaisar simply wants to get to Favaro.
Mmmm…you gotta love crab.
What ensues is perhaps the most complete and exciting episode of the series so far, a journey on the high seas with giant sea monsters of varying tastiness, demon sailors, zombie sailors, demon sailors fighting zombie sailors, demon girls fighting sea monsters, et cetera, et cetera. There’s a lot going on!
Taking an undead necromancer hostage: Not a good idea
But it’s not just action: after three episodes of Kaisar chasing Favaro across the ends of the earth, we finally learn why: Favaro’s dad was the one who attacked the convoy carrying the king’s tribute, which was overseen by Kaisar’s father. Kaisar and Favaro were childhood friends despite being from different classes, but Kaisar saw what happened as a betrayal, and his desire for revenge has driven him on a continuing quest to nail Favaro to the wall.
Ruff! Ruff!
Oh, and also…the demons in demonworld finally stop commenting on what’s transpiring in the regular world and spring into action! I’m not the biggest fan of the dog-demon-girl with her puppets Cerberus (!), but at least these guys are consistent. Every time Amira transforms, they’re able to locate her.
All that work, and it tastes like crap.
Amira does so when that giant crab emerges from the deep and threatens the ship…and Favaro. While there was probably no way Favaro could have dealt with the beast himself, it was still a risky move that ends up giving Favaro’s dad’s old friend and fellow “honorable thief”, Captain Amon, an opportunity to reveal himself as having “gone into business for himself”, just like Favaro. The jewels he and Favaro’s dad stole were filled with magic that brought forth killer demons, and only Amon survived, but he did so by becoming a demon himself…a bounty-hunter demon! And right now, Amira’s price is so high, Amon is fine simply killing Favaro rather than turn him in.
So boss.
Meanwhile, Kaisar and Rita have not been standing still. They secured passage on another ship, which turns out to be pirates who aim to rob Kaisar and sell the girl. What’s so great is that so many people would find this a relatively alarming situation, but Kaisar knows what he’s doing and easily dispatches several pirates with his superior swordsmanship.
Also, Rita isn’t really a “girl” anymore; not entirely. What she is is someone who you most definitely want on your side. The pirates numbers are meaningless; she kills them all then reanimates them as a freaking Zombie Pirate Crew under her command. It just keeps getting better!
She rams her newly-acquired (and much larger) ship into Amon’s and that’s when the previously-mentioned battle between amphibious demon sailors and zombie pirate sailors commences, with Favaro, Amira, Amon, and eventually Kaisar literally above the fray in the rigging. Up here we get some Pirates of the Caribbean-style tightrope combat for good measure.
Frankly, I really liked Amon as a friend of Favaro’s and as a link to his past, but not all baddies can become allies like Rita. Speaking of baddies, after Amon is vanquished, the head demon dude Azazel sends a giant tentacle to pluck up Amira, inadvertently bringing Kaisar along for the ride, too. He stops Cerberus from killing him instantly, but whatever he has in store for the bonus human can’t be good.
I…I didn’t see that coming! Who am I kidding, I hardly saw anything coming this week, and that’s why it was so fantastic. I was almost always on the edge of my seat. Now we have quite a predicament on our hands: both Favaro and Rita’s traveling companions have been taken prisoner by powerful but unknown foes. Will these two team up to get their respective partners back? I’m guessing Favaro still wants to get rid of his tail, and Rita wants to turn more things undead, sooo…yeah.
Author braveradePosted on Mon, 27 Oct 2014 Tue, 28 Oct 2014 Categories Anime Reviews, Fall 2014, Shingeki no Bahamut: GenesisTags amira, amon, azazel, bahamut, bounty hunter, bounty hunters, cerberus, 神撃のバハムート, demons, favaro leone, genesis, giant crab, han solo, helheim, high seas, kaisar lidfort, kraken, naval battle, necromancer, pirates, pirates of the caribbean, rage of bahamut, ramming, rita, shingeki no bahamut, the past, undead, ysmenport, zombies4 Comments on Shingeki no Bahamut: Genesis – 04
Weekly OP: GARO: Honoo no Kokuin
GAAAARROOOOO!
“Honō no Kokuin -Divine Flame-” by JAM Project is pretty much the perfect song to open this show about a bunch of pariah knights darting around in awesome suits of armor punching grotesque monsters in the FACE.
It’s bold, it’s burning with passion (listen to that dude belt it out!), and it’s an interesting blend of (sorta) traditional Japanese singing style with contemporary orchestration. The fluid, morphing animation is pretty rad, too, as is the idea of making a Western font based on the Makai tattoo designs.
Author magicalchurlsukuiPosted on Mon, 27 Oct 2014 Format VideoCategories Video, Weekly OPTags carved seal of flames, garo the animation, honoo no kokuin, jam project, passion
Orenchi no Furo Jijou – 04
Orenchi seems to get shorter and shorter with each passing episode. This week, we meet Mikuni, a jellyfish boy who Tatsumi worried was a ghost.
Takasu and Wakasa appear to to know Mikuni, though they too were worried at first. Weird…
Anyway. Mikuni is a very nice fellow/BL character and he is want for nothing more than some water. In fact, he’s so ecological, all he can think of as a special treat from Tatsumi is fresh bottled water.
Tatsumi is very taken with him and very very happy to get him that bottled water and… this is getting pretty BL at this point isn’t it?
Thankfully, Orenchi no Furo Jijou doesn’t seem interested in making its BL aspect especially physical, which is probably for the best. It’s goofy enough — awkward enough — as it is.
I’m not sure there were any jokes this week, which… uh… uh… I don’t know what to make of, really? There isn’t much to this show and calling it harmless over and over is an awful strange thing to say as a critical response.
Why am I still watching this? Somebody? Anybody??
Author oigakkosanPosted on Mon, 27 Oct 2014 Mon, 27 Oct 2014 Categories Anime Reviews, Fall 2014, Orenchi no Furo JijouTags オレん家のフロ事情, bathtub, BL, comedy, house guest, mermaid, merman, octopus, octopusman, orefuro, short format, Takasu, tako, tatsumi, wakasa
Gugure! Kokkuri-san – 04
This week is all about Shigaraki, the old tanuki, the most recent uninvited spirit in Kohina-chan’s house. As was obvious last week, he’s a drunk mooch and no one likes him. Not even the viewers.
He’s the first truly unlikable character Gugure! has given us and I guess it works because he gives everyone an unapologetic antagonist to work against. Except, compared to Kokkuri-san’s fights with Inugami, no one seems to be putting much effort into getting rid of this douchebag.
Shigaraki literally has no redeeming qualities. He ruins everyone he haunts and, unlike Inugami, he doesn’t even give them a short period of success before burning them. He’s so selfish and/or delusional, he sees nothing wrong with his actions either.
If his gags weren’t so funny, Shigaraki would be an incredibly difficult character to watch on a regular basis.
Desperate for some reason not to kill him like the methheads who live in the trash across my street, Kohina-chan asks to see Shigaraki’s animal form. As you can see, this is surprisingly horrifying and funny. What you can not see is his bulging human genitalia…
Then Shigaraki either misunderstands Kohina when she admits to preferring his human form or is just being a jackass when he turns into a hybrid of the two and chases Kohina around the house…
However, he soon realizes he’s crossing the line and that Kohina may chase him out of the house somehow. So he bribes her with a million yen… that immediately turns into a leaf.
Yes! Shigaraki is so lazy his tricks don’t even last long enough to trick anyone!
Gugure! Kokkuri-san was outrageously funny this week — and I’m not even going to talk about the gray-skin Martian that sits next to Kohina at school!
If you need a criticism of the show, it’s that I have no confidence that a deeper mystery will ever manage to surface in a meaningful nor ham-fisted way. That, and it’s Ranma 1/2 style ’90s visuals will keep it at an 8 for most of the season. But what a fun little 8 it is!
Author oigakkosanPosted on Mon, 27 Oct 2014 Mon, 27 Oct 2014 Categories Anime Reviews, Fall 2014, Gugure! Kokkuri-sanTags comedy, cooking, Daisuke Ono, emergency parenting, friendship, Fukuwarai, Gugukoko, Gugure! Kokkuri san, Gugure! Kokkurisan, Ichimatsu Kohina, interventions, junk food, Kohina Ichimatsu, Kokkuri-san, Midori Endō, Ono Daisuke, ramen, robot girl, romance, Ryō Hirohashi, Shigaraki, shounen, spirits, square eyes, supernatural, tanuki2 Comments on Gugure! Kokkuri-san – 04
Grisaia no Kajitsu – 04
This week’s Grisaia no Kajitsu didn’t quite know what to do with itself. Was it trying to parody Bakemonogatari with its stoic psychological conversations about life after death? Was it trying to lead us astray with Michiru’s surprise split personality disorder?
None of these new threads play nicely with the panty shots and harem motif that continues to fuel the show. Worse, none of it furthered Yuuji’s assassin plot or the counter assassin plots of the other girls.
Werewolf/vampire talk foreshadowing time…I guess?
While Yuuji is certainly in Episode 3, I argue that he’s just there for our point of reference and that the true central character this week is Michiru Matsushima. Michiru can be funny and her interactions with Yuuji last week (where he started yelling military commands at her and renamed pieces of her hair after military formations) were hysterical.
Not this week though. Last week’s quick and poppy and bizarre dialog was replaced by a slow and dull musing about death…
I get that Grisaia no Kajitsu is setting up a foreboding mood and that we’re supposed to worry about a Michiru possibly having a terminal illness or that someone else could be about to die, but the whole conversation feels like it’s ripping off Bakemonogatari.
And that doesn’t work with Michiru. Not when we see her wandering around in a ‘hair bleech’ haze a few scenes later. She’s too goofy to sell the introspection.
Then we get a few scenes where Michiru’s eyes turn from blue to green and she’s a totally different character and, again, we get a very Bakemonogatari-like scene. In this, the tsundere straight face asks the straight-man what a kiss is like and then they kiss.
As with the death-chat scene, it feels like Grisaia is warning us that Michiru is about to exit the show, via crazy or something else, but I couldn’t take any of it seriously. Well, not with a double personality at least. The kiss scene would have worked nicely without it honestly…
Just the girls watching shark man with a stuffed tuna
Then the black cat that’s been hanging around at the edges of the show since the first episode is run over by a car and Michiru loses her shit.
Set in the back of a taxi, Michiru tries to give the cat some of his favorite treats. He eats a little but then coughs a blood bloom and twitch-dies. It’s a horrific scene, actually.
This gag was actually funny but too complicated to explain!
So was it good? Bad? Something else?
I’m on the fence. Killing the cat was a surprise mood (for most of the episode anyway) and the death scene was handled with a brutality that makes me hopeful that, whenever the assassin stuff finally does hit the fan, it will be spectacular.
However, it was a slow, unmemorable, eye rolling episode otherwise. Introducing a split personality out of nowhere — as a minor side plot — isn’t bold, it’s not a good idea. Yeah I like Michiru but not that much. Not enough for her to get the amount of screen time needed to make such a crazy plot work.
Author oigakkosanPosted on Mon, 27 Oct 2014 Mon, 27 Oct 2014 Categories Anime Reviews, Fall 2014, Grisaia no KajitsuTags adult content, Amane Suou, assassins, グリザイアの果実, cats, Chizuru Tachibana, crazy girls, dead cats, drama, fanservice, harem, internal monologs, Le Fruit de La Grisaia, makina, Michiru Matsushima, Mihama Academy, panties, paranoia, psychological, Sachi Komine, school, split personality, Yumiko Sakaki, Yuuji Kazami
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Tag: ゴッドイーター
GOD EATER – 13 (Fin)
Like GATE, GOD EATER finally concludes on a satisfying, action-packed note, with only a few loose ends left outstanding and all of the big stuff put together. One day, by Pita or some other incident, Lindow was going to die, and the unit was going to lose their captain. Which meant someone had to replace him, and that person is Lenka. This is the episode where he fully grasps what it means to lead, not that he has not choice but to do so.
Soma, Alisa, and particularly Sakuya flail around in outrage, but Lenka remains calm, centers everyone, reminds them of Lindow’s orders, and carry them out. Soma goes underwater to destroy the Aragami lure, leaving only Pita to contend with.
Of course, Pita is a pretty freakin’ tall order, but with the five remaining members of the unit all working together, maybe they can harass him into enough of a state of confusion to land a fatal blow on him.
As with everything on GOD EATER, this is extremely hard and brutal. Everyone gets tossed around and loses, if we’re honest, unacceptable amounts of blood for people still conscious. But these aren’t ordinary people, they’re God Eaters, and Lenka, their leader, presses the attack once all his friends have been disabled.
When they can no longer move from their injuries, he keeps fighting, surviving, protecting them. He takes the hope both his family and Lindow (also his family, at this point) entrusted him to radiate for the benefit of others, and the impossible is made possible: on perhaps the last layer of his onion-like god arc, Lenka goes into overdrive, slices Pita up, and shatters his core.
After that, it’s confirmed that Fenrir’s ultimate objective—completing Aegis—is only a cover for the real—and far less ambitious—Project Ark, which is little more than an Earth Escape Rocket, able to fit at most one thousand souls.
My belief in this is that the cream of Fenrir will be among those with tickets on that rocket, which will shoot into space and whose occupants will wait out the apocalypse, returning when everything has been reset. But without the hope Aegis provides, the ark rocket isn’t possible.
Johannes had Lindow taken out because Lindow was trying to hold on to what humanity had left on Earth, while he had given up on the world that is and made plans for a new one, judging the Aragami nothing but monsters that will consume one another after consuming every last human, if allowed to.
Dr. Sakaki has the opposite theory; that this is just a rough stage in the evolution of Aragami. Eventually, they’ll gain intellect (which we clearly see in Pita, though he’s pretty damn evil and inhuman) and, with communication, coexistence with humans might be possible.
It’s a dream Johannes doesn’t believe humanity has time to wait to come to fruition, and he may be right, but I also know that a thousand humans don’t make for the most diverse gene pool. Human extinction may be inevitable.
But enough dark talk: while Johannes and Sakaki debate whether Man will become God or God will become Man, all Lenka, Alisa, and the other God Eaters are concerned about is keeping hope alive and protecting each other and what they have, here and now.
Lenka is now the new captain, and his orders are the same as his predecessor (who may still be out there somewhere): Don’t die. If your life is threatened, run and hide. And, one day, destroy it.
Author braveradePosted on Sat, 26 Mar 2016 Sat, 26 Mar 2016 Categories Anime Reviews, GOD EATER, Summer 2015Tags amamiya lindow, amamiya tsubaki, aragami, ゴッドイーター, become hope, captain, corrosion, death, ending, family, fenrir, flashback, god arc, heroism, hope, johannes von schicksal, meteorite, newbie, pita, project ark, rocket, sakaki, sasaki, showdown, soma schicksal, survival, tachibana sakuya, teamwork, ufotable, utsugi iroha, utsugi lenka
GOD EATER – 12
One thing you can always be certain of in GOD EATER: things will not work out the way people hope. The best-laid plans, be they made with good or bad intentions, inevitably turn to ash in this harsh world. Heck, the show itself couldn’t even air its last four episodes in the season it meant to.
The only thing that’s really worked out so far is that Lenka’s family was successful in keeping him alive and instilling in him a desire to survive and become strong so he can protect everyone still alive (which unfortunately does not include that family).
But he does have something of a new family in his unit, and when its “father” Lindow is in a tough spot, Lenka is there, and thanks to Licca, so is his rad new god arc, which cuts through the Aragami like butter, be it slashing or blasting.
But Operation Asteroid remains a big mess, as one of the luring devices has been sabotaged by an inside hacking source Tsubaki learns is Alisa’s personal doctor. So when Alisa arrives along with Sakuya, Soma, and that other guy, it’s nice to see the gang reunited, but I knew the happy feeling wouldn’t last becase A) Alisa is a ticking time bomb and B) the Pita Aragami isn’t going to be defeated this week.
Sure enough, the evil doc says a few trigger words into Alisa’s earbud, and she starts firing wildly. However, she doesn’t hurt anyone, and when Sakuya tries to slap her out of whatever is going on with her, the earbud falls out, and the doc’s plan is foiled.
Alisa reverts to her useless crying state, but Lenka manages to talk her out of it, trying his hand at field psychiatry. The results are favorable, as Alisa snaps out of her funk and returns to usefulness, but it’s a little dubious that Lenka’s words about toughness and inner strength could cause such an abrupt change in the behavior of such a scarred and unstable mind.
Once everyone is freed from the berserk trees, Lenka leads everyone to the dam town to take out the luring device and protect the people there, which Sakuya didn’t know existed until now. Lindow will stay behind and duel the Pita, but predictably, it goes pear-shaped in a hurry, as this particular Aragami possesses a keen intellect and ability to counter any tactics the wounded Lindow throws at him.
After the obligatory flashback to a younger Johannes attempting (but obviously failing) to commit suicide, overcome as he is by the loss of the mother of his child. The child remains as a painful reminder of what he cost, but Dr. Sakaki suggests that he wasn’t able to kill himself for a reason: that he was meant to stay on this world and try to save it before Aragami consume everything and reset the world.
The results of that plan are still pending, but Lindow wasn’t able to delay Pita long, and the last we see of him, his bloody arc arm is hanging out of Pita’s mouth. I honestly don’t know how they’re going to take this guy out, which should make the final episode interesting.
Author braveradePosted on Sat, 19 Mar 2016 Categories Anime Reviews, GOD EATER, Summer 2015Tags amamiya lindow, amamiya tsubaki, aragami, ゴッドイーター, backup, base camp, death, doctor, family, fenrir, flashback, god arc, heroism, hope, hypnosis, johannes von schicksal, licca, meteorite, new-type, newbie, one-on-one, sakaki, sasaki, showdown, soma schicksal, tachibana sakuya, ufotable, united, utsugi iroha, utsugi lenka1 Comment on GOD EATER – 12
It’s not often a late-coming backstory outshines the present-day narrative it’s interrupting, but that’s what happened with GOD EATER. That being said now that we’re back in the present, everything Lenka says and does carries new weight, not that we know where he comes from. We’ve broken through his shell just as we did with Alisa.
Speaking of sisters, we also see how lucky Lindow is to still have his in Tsubaki, and the two share a nice moment in the house they grew up in. As for Alisa, she returns the team apparently none the worse for wear, but having a distinctly un-Alisa-like artificial chipper-ness to her. Was she hypnotized simply to save her from her crippling memories, for for a more sinister purpose? Probably still the latter.
But the core of this episode is the commencement of the ambitious Operation Meteorite, which involves God Eaters of all types from all over the world. While calling out the order of battle, Lindow has his sister make a slight adjustment: he’ll take the front line with Team One, while Lenka (whose God Arc isn’t quite ready yet) will monitor and command the team from the forward base camp. Lenka has proven he can lead, after all, and he’s totally fine with the arrangement.
The night before the operation starts, he has dinner with Kouta and his mom and sister’s, again driving home the family Lenka once but no longer has, and the need/desire for some kind of occasional substitute. If he couldn’t save his own family (because they saved him first), then he’ll just have to save other families, like Kouta’s or the Amamiyas.
Now that Lenka knows the path he should—wishes to—walk, he feels he no longer needs the compass Lindow gave him a few years ago when they first met. But Lindow has him keep it. Even if he already knows his way, it’s up to him to give it to someone who doesn’t, just as Lindow did.
Once the battle starts, Lenka isn’t angry or restless about not joining the front lines; after all, there’s not much he can do without a God Arc. Instead, he takes instantly to command with a steady confidence and competence that’s visualized nicely by the neatly symmetrical framing of him in the CIC. As for the Meteorite weapons, they pack a impressive opening punch against the amassing Vajra-type Aragami.
Both before and during the operation, Johannes von Schicksal has had little on his mind beyond the flashback to the exceedingly difficult birth of Souma, which resulted not just in Aisha’s death, but the death of everyone in the room. Only Johannes survived the explosion of oracle cells, protect, to his surprise, by a charm which has circuitry embedded in it that repels the cells. In the present, he activates a device that has the opposite effect—luring many of the Aragami towards the dam village. Why he’s doing so, and acting without telling anyone below him, only he knows.
However, it may have something to do with the fact Lindow kept the town a secret. When Lindow sees where the Aragami are headed, he goes off on his own (though after getting the okay from Tsubaki and Lenka). When they lose his signal, the only God Eater who can get to him in a reasonable amount of time is, you guessed it, Lenka.
Tsubaki sends him to help Lindow, and Licca and Sakaki finish up his arc just in time to deliver it to him on the way. Now that we know where he got his short cloak from, it’s a lot more meaningful to see him don it on his very badass, purposeful way out of the CIC. Time to see what his new God Arc can do. And lurking not far away is Pita, the Aragami Alisa has sworn to kill.
Author braveradePosted on Sat, 12 Mar 2016 Categories Anime Reviews, GOD EATER, Summer 2015Tags amamiya lindow, amamiya tsubaki, aragami, ゴッドイーター, backup, base camp, birth, cic, death, death sentence, desk job, family, fenrir, flashback, god arc, harbinger, heroism, hope, johannes von schicksal, licca, meteorite, new-type, sakaki, sasaki, soma schicksal, tachibana sakuya, ufotable, utsugi iroha, utsugi lenka
GOD EATER is back. Repeat: GOD EATER is BACK. And just when I was about to give up hope. Turns out they waited until the point in the season when the rest of the Winter shows were in their final quarter, either because they needed more time or because they didn’t want this show to end when everything else was at episode 4 or 5.
You know what else? My patience was handsomely rewarded. This was the best episode of GOD EATER (and one of the best of the entire Winter) yet, using Lenka’s ordeal with adjusting to a new God Arc as the framing device for a heretofore untold story of Lenka’s childhood, starting with when he was found in the mud by a kind family who tested negative for entry into Fenrir.
More than a story, it is an often horrifically heartbreaking tragedy that is epic in scale, stretching across the fifteen years that precede the show’s present day, and being far more emotionally powerful than any of the black-and-white flashbacks that came before.
A lot of this episode’s power comes from our amassed knowledge of the previous nine. And yet, this could very well have been the first episode of GOD EATER—or even a completely standalone short film—and still been effective.
After Lenka was rescued and named by his new big sister Iroha, his family lived in a shanty town living off rations and constantly at risk of Aragami attacks. When his mother develops a cough and becomes bedridden, he and his sister strike out with other town members to find medicine, but are ambushed.
Lenka, who wants to become strong enough to protect everyone, hits an Aragami with a stick, but it has no effect. Still, he’s bailed out by a God Eater – Lindow, specifically. Lenka is both jealous of Iroha’s attention towards Lindow, and of Lindow’s strength to protect. Lenka’s father doesn’t like the Fenrir system in which “people choose people” and leave others to die due to limited resources, but that’s exactly what happens in the shanty town as well.
When Lenka grows ill and there’s only one dose of medicine, Lenka’s mother demands it be used on him, for he is the future. That’s confirmed when they test him for the first time and he reads positive, making his dream to become strong a more real possibility. It’s Iroha who injects the drugs, as both she and their father weep uncontrollably over tacitly condemning their mother to die. They bury her not long after.
A few years pass, and Lenka is on the cusp of fifteen, the age when he can join Fenrir. His older sister has also grown more beautiful, and still quite close and protective of her brother. But she’s also mature enough to slap Lenka when, after an Aragami attack, their father is trapped under wreckage. All they can do is escape on a motorbike their father prepared for such an eventuality. Like his mother, Lenka’s father died so that he could live.
But while escaping the Aragami on the bike, one manages to scratch Iroha’s leg. It doesn’t look that bad, but the wound bleeds and festers, and before long, she can no longer walk (an analog to a similar desperate journey he’ll go on with Alisa later on). Once they check the wound and it’s riddled with maggots, once more a choice must be made.
Lenka can’t make that choice—Iroha is all he has left—so she chooses for him, by slitting her own throat, forcing him to leave her. Before they part, she tells him to go to Fenrir, because he tested positive, and always was positive. That didn’t do the family any good, however, because they weren’t related by blood. But no matter how Fenrir cruelly defines it, Iroha always considered Lenka her brother – she even named him, because like a lotus, they found him in the mud, where lotuses bloom.
To twist the proverbial knife once more, before and then in the process of being devoured by Aragami, Iroha briefly envisions the world she always dreamed of, a beautiful pastoral paradise where plants have returned, and where she’ll be together with her dear brother forever. She looks like a Studio Ghibli character in this fantasy, before a devastating smash cut to her being eaten. No point in trying to hold back the tears here; this was utterly dejecting. Rest in peace, Iroha.
The Utsugi family, then, sacrificed themselves one after another to save a boy who wasn’t even related to them by blood. But if any of the three of them, including Iroha, had to do it all over again, I doubt they’d change a thing. The choices they made led to Lenka being in the position to “overturn” the world they had no power to change.
When Lenka stops re-living the memories of losing his family members one by one over the course of his life, he awakens to find the adjustments for his new God Arc are complete. All that’s left is to re-declare what he means to do with his newly-resotred (and likely greatly increased) power: to kill Aragami. But also, to be someone whom people can entrust their hope for a better world, the way his family was for him.
GOD EATER is back; with brutal, gorgeous, heart-rending, unyielding authority. Episode 11 has its work cut out for it.
Author braveradePosted on Sun, 6 Mar 2016 Sun, 6 Mar 2016 Categories Anime Reviews, GOD EATER, RABUJOI World Heritage List, Summer 2015Tags abandoned, amamiya lindow, aragami, ゴッドイーター, baby, death, death sentence, DNA, family, fenrir, fever, god arc, harbinger, heroism, hope, infection, meteorite, new-type, sacrifice, sasaki, scratch, soma schicksal, survival, tachibana sakuya, tragedy, ufotable, utsugi iroha, utsugi lenka6 Comments on GOD EATER – 10
In the final episode before a Fall hiatus (the final four episodes will air in the Winter), GOD EATER comes to something of a logical crossroads to pause at, while looking back at one of the least-used main characters in Soma Schicksal, who up until this week we’d only gathered bits and pieces about. As it did with Alisa previously, the character is improved and made more understandable when the show looks back upon his history and how it shaped the dour, taciturn God Eater.
This new information comes when Lenka of all people is selected to lead one of the five squads that will set up the devices for the Meteorite Project, and Soma is assigned to Lenka’s team. Lenka’s as surprised as anyone else, but Major Amamiya isn’t aware of his life-threatening situation (only Sakaki and Licca know), so she’s sending him in. He accepts the mission and leadership role, but decides to bone up on Soma’s history, and learns that he was the first God Eater.
His mother Aisha died in childbirth, and his development as a weapon against Aragami hit a number of bloody bumps in the road. As such, everyone around him has thought of him as a harbinger of death (or Shinigami); a label he may not like but certainly seems to accept, especially when his nightmares include looks of fear from injured researchers and a look of resentment and disappointment from his dad, now Fenrir’s director. The father and son share just one brief scene in an elevator, and it’s cold as ice, which isn’t that surprising considering Johann lost Aisha the day he gained a son.
But Lenka learns an important lesson from Major Amamiya before the operation, after he asks her why she retired from being a God Eater. Rather than get the answer he expected—like him, her God Arc was going to eventually kill her—she said she simply lost hope, after watching so many Aragami emerge from the barren ground right after killing others. Rather, she lost hope that she could do anyting about them, so she decided to put her trust in the future; pass the hope onto those who haven’t been beaten down as she has.
Lenka carries those words to the battlefield where they set up the device, and when everyone, including Soma himself, tells him to run, he refuses, instead using the device to lure the Aragami and ordering Soma to aim his deadly attack directly at him. He trusts in his battered arc’s ability to shield him from the attack, and all the Aragami are wiped out.
Lenka decided to put his trust in Soma, not as a harbinger of death, but a vessel of hope. That’s why his name is Soma in the first place; for the wine of the gods bestowing life energy to man. That hope was placed in Soma by his mother Aisha, who volunteered to sacrifice herself and her baby for the good of mankind, absent time or other viable options. And for the first time, with Lenka, Soma sees that hope, and value, in himself.
Unfortunately, Lenka doesn’t have a lot of time left; but rather than pass his hope onto others, he’s willing to bet that little time he has left is enough to make more than an impact than retiring. So he asks Sasaki and Licca to repair his God Arc, even if it accelerates his demise. Meanwhile, Johann seems miffed that Lindow has kept a secret village a secret, while an increasingly sinister doctor seems to be brainwashing a drugged/hypnotized Alisa not just to fight Aragami again, but Lindow as well.
There should be plenty of action and character drama in the final fourth of the series. We’ll just have to wait a few months to see it pan out.
Author braveradePosted on Sun, 27 Sep 2015 Categories Anime Reviews, GOD EATER, Summer 2015Tags aisha gauche, alisa illinichina amiella, amamiya lindow, aragami, ゴッドイーター, death, death sentence, fenrir, god arc, harbinger, heroism, hope, hypnosis, meteorite, new-type, oracle cell, passing forward, psychiatric treatment, resurrection, sacrifice, sasaki, soma schicksal, survival, tachibana sakuya, ufotable, utsugi lenka
I must say, it’s rough having to wait an extra week for every other episode (now I know what Preston went through with Sailor Moon Crystal), but of late, when GOD EATER deigns to air, I can be confident there will be good stuff in store. Alisa is holed up in her messy quarters, apparently continuing to suffer withdrawal from the pills that have always neutralized her fear, which come with a different fear of ever being without them, as she was the last few episodes. With Lenka’s God Arc in need of repairs, both he and Alisa are on leave, leaving Fenrir Far East shorthanded on the eve of a big operation.
Professor Sasaki, the father of the God Arcs, arrives, and is shocked that Lenka’s Arc broke; something that’s never happened. Not getting any further answers out of the weapon, he and Licca turns to Lenka himself. Meanwhile, the active part of Unit One joins with Unit Two on an operation at a baseball stadium, led by Sakuya, as Lindow is sent on another mysterious solo mission.
Shortly after engaging the Aragami, the baseball field crumbles beneath their feet, sending the Eaters underground. Lenka, who has been encouraged to observe the op from the Command Information Center where Major Amamiya spends her days, and it isn’t long before he suggests a course of action contrary to her orders, angering her.
However, when the Eaters underground follow his suggestions and things turn out for the best, with them bottle-necking the Aragami in a narrow corridor and mopping them up with a pincer attack, Lenka is ultimately absolved rather than punished for speaking out of turn. The successful mission, with everyone returning and praising Lenka for saving them (even Soma, in his way), shows Lenka has value as both a front-line fighter or, if he doesn’t have a God Arc, commanding them from behind.
That’s good to know, because his days as a front-line fighter with a God Arc are uncertain, at best. Sasaki determines he, not the Black Vajra, broke his own God Arc, when his compatibility spiked to a level it couldn’t handle. Sasaki also informs him that this condition also threatens Lenka’s life and will eventually kill him.
Undergoing psychiatric treatment (i.e., talking to a professional), Alisa realizes if she’s ever going to get back in the fight—and her services are desperately needed—she has to rid herself of her fear, and begs the doctor help make that happen, not matter what the cost. I don’t doubt whatever is done to her will not only affect the personality of the woman we’ve come to know and feel for, but threaten her life, as Lenka’s compatibility threatens his.
As the two most valuable New-Types struggle with their problems, Director Shicksal announces a new strategy for eliminating the Aragami from the immediate vacinity in order to allow work on Aegis. It involves controlling their movements, sorting them by species, and sending God Eaters who specialize in each species to take them out. It sounds like a daring plan, but I’m almost certain it won’t go smoothly, because that’s just not how things tend to go on this show.
Last but not least (for once), we have another dark flashback, this time to the very evening the Aragami Apocalypse occurs. I was not prepared for how total and unyielding the transformation of the world was, with giant towers of oracle cells jutting out of the earth, dwarfing, piercing, and crumbling all works of mankind like so many sand castles. I was also moved by the last shots of a tranquil world at night before all hell breaks loose.
Schicksal, Sasaki, And Gauche were working feverishly until the end, but losing government support torpedoed their chances of coming up with a solution in time to stop the calamity that befell the earth. It’s looking more and more like mankind’s worst enemy in this whole dark business has been…mankind.
Author braveradePosted on Sun, 20 Sep 2015 Categories Anime Reviews, GOD EATER, Summer 2015Tags administration, aftermath, alisa, alisa gauche, alisa illinichina amiella, amamiya lindow, apocalypse, aragami, ゴッドイーター, death sentence, fear, fenrir, god arc, heroism, meteorite, new-type, oracle cell, psychiatric treatment, resurrection, sasaki, survival, tachibana sakuya, ufotable, utsugi lenka2 Comments on GOD EATER – 08
In a welcome surprise, Lindow doesn’t simply lead Lenka and Alisa back to Fenrir; they take a detour into a forest—the sight of which amazes the two new-types—within which lies something even more unthinkable: a civilian settlement for those who Fenrir turned away…including the little girl in pink Lenka saved. The show packed a punch when it sent her off, but I’m glad the show didn’t carelessly discard the character for good. She is, among other things, the embodiment of the future Fenrir is fighting for.
The reason the village is able to survive and even thrive is that the trees of the forest are really Aragami the people have raised as a protective barrier. Even so, large Aragami like Vajra can still force their way through. When a Vajra does just that, Alisa is soaking in a bathtub to try to clam her nerves and steady her hands, and failing at both. She knocks over the tub and crawls into a closet to hide. I like that the show has the guts to keep one of its strongest characters out of commission for the entirety of the crisis, upping the difficulty level for those able to fight.
Lindow also peaces out for what reason we don’t know (though testing Lenka by risking all the people he worked so hard to protect doesn’t sound like a logical one). He sends Lenka to deal with the Vajra and protect the people by himself. Lenka is not to let anyone die, especially himself, and Lindow urges him to trust in his God Arc, even though we saw how ineffective it was last time Lenka tried to use it.
During this crisis, GOD EATER once again exposes its difficulty with pacing in such situations. As soon as Lenka returns to the village, the Vajra has already done a ton of damage, and you’d think he’d already killed a good number of settlers, but time seems to grind to a very noticeable crawl to halt as Lenka slowly figures out who and what he has to work with and what the plan should be. Honestly, it’s like the show presses “pause” on the Vajra attack.
Fortunately, despite of Alisa’s emotional incapacitation, the episode is not bereft of proper Girl Power, as the unlikeliest (or most predictable, depending on how you look at it) person volunteers to help grab some ampules from the warehouse for Lenka to draw the Vajra away: the little girl in pink. She puts the lion in civilion (if civilan were spelled that way, of course), acting with uncommon courage and determination, and not only comes through for Lenka, but saves his life in the process.
Also fortunately, the screeching halt of the action picks up nicely during the entirety of Lenka’s final gambit, squaring off with the Vajra David & Goliath style with his crossbow of ampules. When the Vajra halts its retreat and prepares to skewer him, Lenka finally figures out what Lindow meant by trusting in his God Arc by pumping an ampule into it, brining it back to life so he can use it to push the Vajra into the river. The other civvies finish the job by opening the damn, and good ol’ mass and gravity finish the job.
It’s a great moral-boosting side-victory for Lenka; a performance that inspires the girl in pink, impressed Lindow, who knew he had it in him, and worries Alisa, who is not happy that she’s been so useless of late, but has no idea how to fix it. Sure, she could get drugged back up in Fenrir, but the drugs can’t fix her underlying crippling fear of the Aragami, and she can’t be sure the drugs will always be around.
Alisa’s continued struggles continue to make her the one of the more interesting characters, and while I realize that’s not saying much on this show, her retreat from heroism absent courage-endowing drugs nicely mirrors the girl in pink’s progress absent exceptional strength or ability. It’s a dynamic that keeps me emotionally invested, though I’m also hoping Alisa doesn’t remain a defenseless damsel for too long.
Author braveradePosted on Sun, 6 Sep 2015 Categories Anime Reviews, GOD EATER, Summer 2015Tags alisa, alisa illinichina amiella, amamiya lindow, ampule, aragami, ゴッドイーター, civilians, crossbow, dam, david and goliath, fear, fenrir, forest, god arc, haven, heroism, hide and seek, improvisation, little girl, new-type, refuge, resurrection, survival, ufotable, utsugi lenka1 Comment on GOD EATER – 07
Hey, remember that show GOD EATER? Which airs sometimes, when it feels like it, but not necessarily every week? Well, it’s still around, and you know what? Those who have been patient with it, like myself, have been rewarded: the last two episodes have been excellent. Episode five tore away the invincibility of the titular God Eaters, and Episode six stripped them of their weapons, making these supposed hunters the hunted, at the mercy of the elements and their own fear.
Fighting the Aragami, saving the world; these are meaningless this week. The mission, the only mission, for Lenka and Alisa, is to stay alive. And the harsh, rain-soaked, Aragami-infested world doesn’t make it easy. But we’re drawn into this basic, visceral, at times pathetic struggle for survival.
Lenka saves Alisa’s life by giving her CPR, and they then hole up in a hotel room. His God Eater is broken, her’s is missing, and he’s at the end of his tether, bleeding out in the corner. Alisa first considers leaving him behind to go look for her God Eater, but instead gets him on the bed and patches him up. It may be an uncharacteristic act of kindness, or a pragmatic move, seeing as how she only had one pill left when she woke up, and she took it. After that, she’ll need Lenka.
The crux of the episode is that without her drugs, Alisa falls into a state of intense anxiety and helplessness, almost reverting to when she was a small child happily playing hide-and-seek with her parents when an Aragami killed them before her eyes. I didn’t see this as neutering or weakening Alisa as a character. On the contrary, I saw this as finally revealing who Alisa really is beneath the tough-as-nails exterior. The drugs don’t just repress her fear, they repress everything else that makes her a person, making her nothing but a tool for killing Aragami.
It’s gratifying to see the curtain pulled back and to see some actual emotion in Alisa’s eyes, voice, and body language. In a way, both God Eaters are rendered inert: Lenka because his Arc is dead; Alisa because she’s lost what the Cowardly Lion called “Da Noive”, which had been drug-induced up to this point. Now, she’s back to playing hide-and-seek, against Aragami she could pummel in her sleep under ideal circumstances.
What I appreciate most about GOD EATER’s recent foray into hopelessness is that it’s so utterly and mercilessly stripped away all those ideal circumstances. Now the Aragami have all the advantage, just as they do over all the other helpless humans scattered around the rainy wasteland. Seeing the disheartened look on Alisa’s face, and the look of fear whenever the Aragami find them, really draws us into their plight, where even a simple gesture like Lenka offering his cape thingy is given extra significance.
When her parents were killed, she was left all alone before she was old enough. Now, at least, Lenka is by her side, and while he’s probably scared too, he’s not as profoundly scarred by his past. He’s for lack of a better term, simply better-adjusted to this world, and doesn’t need drugs to stare down Aragami. And that’s exactly what he ends up having to do, since even when Alisa finds her God Arc, it doesn’t magically make her better in the head. She’s still paralyzed by fear when the Aragami surround her.
Lenka is bandaged up, but his Arc isn’t long enough to reach the foes, and when it is, he’s only able to deliver a tap to them. You can see the Aragami figuring out these guys are no threat; only food. Lenka knows when it’s pretty much Game Over too, so he drops his useless weapon, puts himself between the Aragami and Alisa, and either makes peace with his end or prays for a miracle. He gets the latter when Lindow comes out of nowhere and easily defeats the low-level baddies.
After making a slightly sexist remark about protecting people being “a man’s job”, he admonishes Lenka for almost giving up and putting his life in someone else’s hands. Lenka, not wrongly, protests that there really wasn’t shit he could do, unless his God Arc magically came back to life, which would be no less a miracle. He and Alisa are safe now, and Alisa is sure to get back on the meds as soon as they get back to Fenrir. But now Lenka, and we, know and understand her a little better, and the rough hand she’s been dealt.
Back in Flashback Land, Aisha discovers Johannes has been falsifying reports, blah blah blah, then comes to his house, ostensibly to comfort him. Their relationship will eventually produce the dour Souma, and their work will be insufficient against the approaching Aragami explosion and apocalypse.
Alisa’s flashback made perfect sense this week, and added to the power of her arc, but we didn’t even see Johannes or Souma, so I continue to be perplexed by the show’s need to end episodes this way, aside from reminding us that they’re starting to figure out how doomed they are. At least it didn’t interrupt anything important in the present.
Author braveradePosted on Sun, 30 Aug 2015 Categories Anime Reviews, GOD EATER, Summer 2015Tags alisa, alisa illinichina amiella, amamiya lindow, aragami, ゴッドイーター, black vajra, drugs, fear, fenrir, first unit, flashback, fujiki kouta, god arc, hide and seek, kindness, medication, new-type, on the run, oracle cell, post-apocalyptic, PTSD, refuge, scientists, soma schicksal, survival, tachibana sakuya, ufotable, utsugi lenka1 Comment on GOD EATER – 06
I won’t mince words: this episode of GOD EATER brought it. Perhaps not from start to finish, as it started rather slowly, but even that slow start focused on the seemingly insurmountable task before the titular God Eaters. Aegis is only 0.06% complete, and will require tens of thousands of cores from the kind of Aragami they defeated last week. Even the bigger Vajra only cut that number to thousands. And this is as bodies are dropping all over the world. The episode title “All In Vain” would seem to apply.
Even so, these guys have to try, and if they’re going to go out their and risk their lives, all of them want to go after a bigger prize; the Vajra. Sakuya seems heartened by their enthusiasm, but in Lindow’s absence it’s her call, and she decides to allow the Vajra hunt.
From there, the hunt is on, and it goes swimmingly at first, with Lenka and Alisa taking out the Vajra’s legs while Kouta and Sakuya blast them. Kouta is a little shaky, but Sakuya tells him to trust in the excellent God Arc he wields, and in himself.
When they hit the Vajra lair, they quickly find themselves surrounded by three Vajra, as well as having about a dozen or so bystanders who come out of nowhere. No matter; the three Vajra are killed by a fourth, a “black Vajra” that even unsettles Alisa. There’s something different about this guy, and it’s not just his looks: he’s much faster, much stronger, and much smarter than the other Vajra.
The God Eater’s day just starts to plain ol’ suck from there, in a big way: no matter what they throw at this guy, he’s ready with vicious counterattacks. No matter how many pills Alisa chomps or how much Lenka yells, they both get brutally smacked around and sliced up. It’s the first instance where the Aragami legitimately scared me.
Our outclassed heroes’ only hope is to retreat, but Lenka and Alisa are so badly-wounded the former can only crawl along while dragging the latter, and the Vajra isn’t about to leave wounded prey alone. Lenka finally appeals to a higher power, if there’s one up there, and it would seem that his last-ditch prayer was at least partially answered, as the Vajra doesn’t simply stomp them into jelly, but steps over them. The bad news is, doing so collapses the rock formation upon which Lenka and Alisa lie, causing them to fall from a great height.
The cut to black, along with the dramatic music with a distinct air of “This Is It” make for a stirring ending…if only that was the end. Rather curiously, after the credits we get another extended flashback with Professor Shicksal and his two colleagues as they celebrate the continued funding of their research, only to be visited by a general who briefs them on the appearance of vicious beasts that have evolved from the “oracle cell” they’re studying.
These flashbacks running parallel to the present-day story continue to not be my favorite, and the timing this week after a present-day cliffhanger was a bit…random. Still, the dark Vajra battle packed quite a punch, and has me eager to see what becomes of the God Eaters.
Author braveradePosted on Mon, 17 Aug 2015 Sun, 23 Aug 2015 Categories Anime Reviews, GOD EATER, Summer 2015Tags aegis, alisa illinichina amiella, amamiya lindow, amamiya rindou, aragami, ゴッドイーター, black vajra, bystanders, civilians, fenrir, first unit, flashback, fujiki kouta, god arc, gore, haven, major amamiya, new-type, oracle cell, post-apocalyptic, scientists, soma schicksal, tachibana sakuya, ufotable, utsugi lenka3 Comments on GOD EATER – 05
This week Lenka’s charges are suspended and he’s officially assigned to Fenrir East’s First Unit, along with Alisa and Fujiki “Wears a hat and scarf like he’s cold, but wears a crop top like he’s hot” Kouta. While Lenka’s look is pretty understadted, the other two’s elaborate outfits seem laughably impractical, especially considering singular mission they’ve been tasked with: Save The World.
While Alisa wordlessly walks off when asked to join, Kouta drags Lenka out of HQ and into the slums where he grew up, including to meet his mom, who is very worried about him. They also check out the craters of destruction an aragami battle caused, watch food being distributed, and catch a glimpse of Aegis, mankind’s last best refuge, currently under construction.
The flashy new facility’s completion is dependent on the God Eaters securing the necessary amount aragami cores. The future of mankind rests with the likes of Lenka, Kouta, and Alisa. On them lies the future of mankind. Oh, by the way, DID I MENTION THE FUTURE OF MANKIND RESTS WITH THEM? Well, it does. “It” being…the future of mankind.
You’d think those upon which something so important rests would be trained prior to going out in the field, or would be discouraged from cool-looking but reckless and unnecessary actions, or punished if they blatantly disobeyed orders from their superiors. The six-man unit splits into pairs to hunt down six cores of a specific type of aragami, but the mission is pretty rocky, as Alisa ignores orders from Sakuya, Kouta fails at his job, and Lenka can’t finish a foe off in one blow, which he needs to do if the future mankind is to rest upon him.
So yeah, it’s a rough mission, but at least the flaws of the newly-formed unit are borne out in a relatively low-risk setting…right? They also come upon a group of wandering civilians and get to take them back to Fenrir. Lenka gets to see a sliver of the mankind whose future rests on him, including a cute little girl I knew was doomed.
My suspicion was confirmed when they get back to Fenrir and the civvies are turned back at the gate, because none of them possess the latent ability to wield a God Arc. Like the civilians on the aircraft carrier in World War Z, the only civvies who are able to live under the military’s protection are related to the ones doing fighting. It’s a raw but a practical, transactional one; at least more practical than Alisa and Kouta’s (and Sakuya’s) getup.
Anyway, Lenka learns he’s not necessarily fighting for ALL mankind; just the part of it that’s able to properly contribute to the war effort. The rest are SOL. And we learn a tiny little bit about him: he’s the kind of guy who is upset about such things. When he gave that doomed little girl water, he was convinced she’d be safe within Fenrir’s walls. And fighting for Fenrir must feel like siding with the people who sent that girl to her almost certain death.
Mind you, most protagonists would have a problem with this, and would react by clenching their fists with rage and indignation. And that remains GOD EATER’S problem, after just four episodes in six weeks: for all the distinctiveness of their outfits, I still can’t be all that excited about any of the characters. All their personalities are some combination of nondescript, dull, obvious, and one-note.
Author braveradePosted on Sun, 9 Aug 2015 Sun, 9 Aug 2015 Categories Anime Reviews, GOD EATER, Summer 2015Tags aegis, alisa illinichina amiella, amamiya lindow, amamiya rindou, aragami, ゴッドイーター, badass, civilians, fenrir, first unit, flashback, fujiki kouta, god arc, haven, ignoring orders, insubordination, introduction, maaya sakamoto, major amamiya, new-type, post-apocalyptic, soma schicksal, tachibana sakuya, transport plane, turned away, ufotable, utsugi lenka3 Comments on GOD EATER – 04
GOD EATER follows up its slow, stretched-out, uninspired second episode with a big shot of adrenaline, as the entire third episode is one big aerial battle. It could also have been titled “Enter Underboob”, as after a couple of glimpses of her last week we finally see Alisa in her element (as opposed to sitting quietly on a plane) as a (mostly) efficient exterminator of Aragami.
The First Unit and Lenka in particular gawk from their helicopter as the one-woman army Alisa darts and jumps and repels about the giant transport plane. Not only does it get to show us the extent of her abilities (and her superiority to fellow new-type Lenka), but also the various tools at a new-type’s disposal. Alisa switches from sword to gun with ease, and when she tuns out of ammo, she simply uses her arc to devour an aragami and convert it into more ammo…which is a handy trick.
When Lindow, Sakuya, and Lenka spot a gigantic swarm of fresh Aragami on the horizon, Lindow decides it’s time to grab Alisa and leave before they get there. It’s a practical and pragmatic call, considering Alisa’s importance to the war effort. But when Lenka jumps down to get her, Alisa pounces on him and proceeds to beat the everloving shit out of him. The message is clear: she’s not leaving the plane. Shortly thereafter we learn why, and see another side of Alisa: the plane is full of wounded survivors, and she won’t abandon them to save her own skin. She values their lives as much as her own (if not more).
If Alisa won’t leave and they can’t make her, Lindow changes his orders: the four God Eaters will go all out in a defensive stand. They’ll either defeat all the Aragami after them and land safely at Fenrir east together, or they’ll die together.
We get a lot of badass shots of the team about to get to work, and then working. Lenka gradually gets the hang of his arc and is able to keep up with Alisa; while she had a head start I imagine his kill tally was comparable to hers when all was said and done. He even learns to devour.
There are also a lot of smooth moves, like Alisa and Lenka using both versions of their weapons to kill Aragami, or Lindow tossing one into Sakuya’s firing line so she can finish it off. Their flying battlefield, surrounded by sky on all sides, adds excitement and breathlessness to the proceedings.
Speaking of breathless, how about that sunset, as seen from the plane’s cargo bay ramp? Or the shot of the absolutely massive Aragami taking the helicopter decoy bait, which definitely looks like a very very good thing to happen, as despite our heroes’ successes, there remain things well out of their league…at least for now.
So…why only an 8? Well, because GOD EATER is very one-dimensional. It’s hella cool and stylish and fun, but it’s ultimately empty calories: immediate satisfaction but no nutrition. The characters are very well-drawn and awesome looking, but there’s nothing below the surface. Alisa, like Lenka, is just another bland cipher we’ve seen a million times before (though Sakamoto Maaya does a good job voicing her).
And while I’m not really going to get into the hefty suspension of disbelief required to accept the physics of the battle (Are everyone’s shoes magnetic? Does no one need oxygen), it was pretty silly how last week the much faster fighter jets were immediately taken out by the Aragami, yet this week the helicopter was completely ignored. GOD EATER remains great fun and this was a far better episode than last week’s, but its core flaws remain, which can’t be ignored.
Author braveradePosted on Sun, 26 Jul 2015 Categories Anime Reviews, GOD EATER, Summer 2015Tags aerial battle, alisa illinichina amiella, amamiya lindow, amamiya rindou, aragami, ゴッドイーター, badass, fenrir, first unit, flashback, god arc, gunblade, helicopter, introduction, maaya sakamoto, major amamiya, new-type, post-apocalyptic, soma schicksal, survivors, tachibana sakuya, transport plane, ufotable, utsugi lenka
It still looks the business, but GOD EATER came down to earth a bit this week. The relatively taut pacing of the first episode was gone, replaced by a plodding storyline that felt dragged out in order to build up suspense for the eventual reveal of Alisa, the self-proclaimed Best New-type who looks to be Lenka’s rival.
Lots of guys sorta-looking at boobs this week
The slowed and somewhat creaky pace and preponderance of people standing around having casual chats made it much harder to overlook the cliches of the plot, which were many: The kid screws up and ends up in the brig, but sudden circumstances and a ringing endorsement from Major Amamiya’s older brother (and Fenrir-Far East’s top Old-type) Rindou force her hand, and she gives him a fresh chance to prove himself to the brass, who want to take his weapon away.
All that well-tred ground is made tolerable by the show’s gritty-yet-smooth style, but the battle that results in Eric dying and Lenka getting jailed is needlessly split up into separate parts, killing its momentum. And during the battle, there’s just no sense of urgency.
That is, until after Rindou takes out the “Vajra” (a type of Aragami boss), and a stray Aragami tries to pounce on the unconscious Lenka. If nothing else, I liked the symmetry of an unarmed Lenka saving Eric before (which is the rumor at Fenrir that makes Rindou a fan) and Eric repaying him with his life.
Back in the present, after Eric’s memorial service, Alisa is on her way via air transport, but all of her fighter escorts are taken out by a swarm of aerial Aragami, creating the emergency that requires Major Amamiya to entertain Rindou’s suggestion they send the kid out again.
But again, the pacing and direction undermine the tension. The rapid-fire events up in the stratosphere just don’t jibe with the slow deliberations of the Amamiya siblings, not to mention the Major’s confronting of Lenka to give him a choice only he can make: Stay in the cell or step out and fight (even though she opposes the latter). Things on the ground are just taking too long.
Which is a shame, because the bay door of the transport plane opening to reveal a no-nonsense Alisa ready to do battle is a pretty badass way to close the episode. It’s just too bad it didn’t feel like there was enough in this episode to justify leaving this scene for the very end. It lurched its way to this point, and left me feeling gypped Alisa didn’t actually get to do anything.
Author braveradePosted on Sun, 19 Jul 2015 Sun, 19 Jul 2015 Categories Anime Reviews, GOD EATER, Summer 2015Tags alisa illinichina amiella, amamiya lindow, amamiya rindou, aragami, ゴッドイーター, badass, fenrir, fighter jets, first unit, flashback, god arc, gunblade, imprisoned, licca kusunoki, major amamiya, new-type, post-apocalyptic, russians, soma schicksal, tachibana sakuya, ufotable, utsugi lenka2 Comments on GOD EATER – 02
GOD EATER – 01 (First Impressions)
What is it: Set in a post-apocalyptic 2071, the organization Fenrir and its God Arc-armed “God Eaters” is humanity’s only chance of survival against the monstrous Aragami. Utsuki Lenka is a newbie whose CO forces him to sit on the sidelines and train, but when a multi-pronged Aragami attack breaks out on seperate sides of the city, he chooses to deploy. Initially in over his head, he is saved by Fenrir’s famous First Unit, then demonstrates his God Arc can transform from blade to gun when he shoots and destroys a straggling Aragami threatening a woman.
Why you should watch: Well, for starters, look at it. This show is drop-dead gorgeous, as everyone expected from a ufotable joint. And yet, it’s not just the same successful, exact and exacting style that made Unlimited Blade Works such a joy to behold. There’s a bit more of the artist’s painterly stroke in the character design, and the futuristic setting allows for more creativity in terms of production and mechanical design.
You really feel the vastness and weight of Fenrir fortress, and we’re treated to it at different times of day and in different weather. There’s also a lot of real-life-imitating fancy camerawork employing flash zooms, snap zooms, and lots of pretty slow-motion.
You also get a feeling of the non-physical weight of the people involved in Fenrir. The stern, all business Major Amamiya suffers no argument from her underlings, but much rests on her shoulders as God Eaters go out and don’t always come back in the way they left…or at all. The Amagami won’t stop coming, but there’s clearly a shortage of capable fighters.
Enter Utsuki Lenka (or Renka), your typical shonen hero haunted by his past and thirsty for revenge against the Aragami that presumably killed his family and destroyed his home. He seems increasingly restless in being force to train, and ultimately the major can’t hold him back. That’s good, because once he’s out in the real world—a rainy night, no less—the show really gets to flex its visual muscles with some truly gorgeous, fluid combat.
Why you may not want to watch: I don’t know why this would be, but perhaps you’re tired of ufotable’s intricate, almost too-fussy animation. And while the struggle against the Aragami is felt and the characters are suitably cool-looking, there’s nothing that god-eatingly original about the scenario or any of the characters; Lenka himself is particularly broad and dull so far. It wasn’t that much in doubt that Lenka would be saved by the Elite Unit of Badasses and be given the opportunity to show them he can be one of them too, if seasoned properly.
The Verdict: GOD EATER was worth the slightly longer wait than other Summer shows: it’s the best looking by a fair degree, and as long as everything else is serviceable, that’s enough for me. The colorful supporting cast look like they might be able to pick up the slack of a rather limp Lenka. It’s a simple and well-worn Kill-the-Monsters / Avenge-Your-Past tale elevated to sophisticated anime art.
Author braveradePosted on Sun, 12 Jul 2015 Categories Anime Reviews, GOD EATER, Summer 2015Tags amamiya lindow, aragami, ゴッドイーター, badass, fenrir, first unit, god arc, gunblade, licca kusunoki, major amamiya, new-type, post-apocalyptic, soma schicksal, tachibana sakuya, ufotable, utsugi lenka6 Comments on GOD EATER – 01 (First Impressions)
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Tag: akihito tojo
Jormungand – 18
With half the SR Squad eliminated by Kasper’s team, Koko heads to Umihotaru with hers to seek out the other half. The designated meeting spot is a trap, and Jonah is ambushed. Koko and the others drive off, and when Tojo retrieves Jonah, he follows in a stolen car. A multi-car tunnel shootout ensues, ending when the vehicles exit the tunnel and Lehm, Wiley and Valmet mop up the SR Squad pursuers from a helicopter. After having their activities covered up, Koko and Jonah go to the Bahamas with Tojo, where he’s tracked down Colonel Hinoki – and the family he thought was a lie.
So, have we come out of this two-parter with a greater understanding of and appreciation for Akihito Tojo? Well, that would have been inevitable in any episode in which his past was brought up. We’ve only known him to be a calm, level-headed, generally decent sort of fellow who seemed more comfortable handling paperwork and diplomacy than guns and knives. Now we know he once had a similar role with Colonel Hinoki’s SR Squad, but became disillusioned. Little did he know Mr. Hino himself gradually got sick of the SR Squad too. When an opportunity arose to have it wiped out in the bloodbath his subordinates thirsted for, he took it. The other squad members took turns calling Tojo a traitor, but he didn’t really betray anyone per se. He stopped seeing SR as a place where he fit, and no one in SR other than Hinoki really ever liked him anyway, so why stay?
The organization got deeper into arms dealing and also grew more militant and chaotic. In hindsight, Tojo left a sinking ship, and left his mentor behind thinking their views had diverged. But it turns out everything Tojo assumed or expected about Hinoki – be it his actions or his motives – turned out to be the opposite of reality – his fake Thai wife is real, and he has an adorable daughter too. And at the end of the battles, Hinoki makes sure Tojo understands there’s something to be said for being the last survivor of the SR Squad, suggesting Tojo’s spy instincts and talent for survival are better than Tojo himself realizes.
Rating: 7 (Very Good)
Author rabujoistaffPosted on Wed, 14 Nov 2012 Wed, 14 Nov 2012 Categories Anime Reviews, Fall 2012, Jormungand: Perfect OrderTags akihito tojo, car chase, hcli, hinoki, jonah, kasper hekmatyar, koko hekmatyar, perfect order, shootout, SR squad, valmet
As per their family pact, Koko agrees to help Kasper in his dealings with the SR Squad, a rival arms dealers who work in the shadows. Tojo contacts his former bosss, Colonel Hiroki, who confirms the SR Squad provoked HCLI. He arranges meets for both Kasper in Jakarta and Koko in Japan. Kasper meets with his representative Ms. Kurosaka, but she turns out to be an assassin, whom Chequita swiftly dispatches. She and Kasper’s other men fight their way out of the hotel, and the battle begins.
When Tojo started talking, we were worried whether he’d ever stop. Even the episode acknowledges it’s quite a bit of exposition, as Jonah, Lutz, and others start to get antsy and nod off during the briefing. Why the talk is being held out in the airport parking lot and not a hotel room is also weird. But the result of this is, we now know what HCLI’s up against, though Hiroki and his SR Squad switch up their methods, deciding to come out of their shadows and hit hard, perhaps in an effort to scare off or beat down HCLI quickly.
They make a statement in their first strike with a friendly assassin with a flexible katana hidden in her belt. Chequita proves she may be the toughest, craziest of all the tough crazy women in the series, operating as a both a lightning-quick shield for Kasper and a one-woman SWAT team cutting and shooting through the SR Squad like butter (Ever shot at butter before? Not as fun as it sounds). The burst of action in the end makes up for all the dull exposition earlier on. As for Valmet undressing a drunk Koko and suggesting they shower and sleep together – their evening ends…ambiguously, so it’s anyone’s guess what ultimately happened there.
Car Cameos: Colonel Hiroki drives (himself!) in a Nissan Cima (F50) AKA Infiniti Q45, whose elaborate “gatling gun”-style headlamps were groundbreaking when the model was first unveiled in 2000. Other cameos include a Suzuki Wagon R, Toyota Prius, Toyota Vanguard, a Toyota Alphard, Volvo S80 (not Koko’s) and a couple Toyota Hiace vans and trucks.
Author rabujoistaffPosted on Thu, 8 Nov 2012 Thu, 8 Nov 2012 Categories Anime Reviews, Fall 2012, Jormungand: Perfect OrderTags akihito tojo, arms dealers, assassin, chequita, hcli, jakarta, kasper hekmatyar, koko hekmatyar, narita, SR squad, valmet
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Tag: child soldiers
Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans – 03
I don’t hesitate to award this episode a 10, and can be confident it’s not just a kneejerk reaction to the adrenaline rush it provided as things moved forward very fast. I’m giving it a 10 because it was virtually flawless by my standards, and comprised the total package: a taut, refined narrative, intricate character dynamics and motivations, and beautiful presentation, all while preserving the Gundam heritage that deserves to be preserved and subverting it where appropriate.
The escalation from serving a warm, home-cooked meal to everyone—including the surly First Corps—to a complete takeover of CGS by Orga’s Third Group, was delivered with stealthy deftness that respects the viewers. We all knew something was going to go down; it was only a matter of when, how, and if it succeeded.
The answers to three questions are ‘now’, ‘forcefully’, and ‘yes, most definitely’. The stew they feed the Firsts is drugged, and they wake up, they’re tied up and at Orga’s mercy. I really dug his wry response to his former boss’s classic “who do you think you’re dealing with?” line:
“Incompetents who can’t give proper orders and caused this much damage.”
They’re not just incompetents who got Orga’s comrades killed, they’re incompetents who will also fail at the business end, and lead to the death of the company, along with the rest of the Thirds, in time. Orga is putting an end to their reign before that happens. It’s not just revenge; it’s pragmatism. This is how they survive.
The First Corps commander still thinks he’s in control, talking about sparing the lives of the people with a gun to his head. Again employing Mika as his steady right arm of enforcement, he makes an example of the commander by having Mika put two bullets in his head. No negotiations. No deals. Join Us, Leave, or Die are the only options. It takes Mika having to shoot one more First dead before everyone else has made their decision.
So…now what? Interestingly, those who decide to join Orga’s new CGS regime include the accountant, Dexter Culastor, who soon determines just how screwed the company will be if they don’t find work immediately, and Todo, a middleman between the First and Third who was going to go whichever way the wind was blowing.
The problem with CGS right now is that they’ve got Gjallarhorn on their asses. Far from being a feather in their cap, no one will do business with them lest they too incur the wrath of Gjallarhorn. Todo has a solution: hand the young miss Kudelia over, in exchange for being left alone (and a little cash).
It’s a self-serving, weaselly plan (apropos since it came from the self-serving, weaselly Todo), but it’s also one of the only ways to get Gjallarhorn off their backs, if there even is a way. Eugene likes the plan and wonders why Orga hesitates, but the discussion is tabled by the arrival of Crank.
As we should have known, Crank is not there to defect; he’s there to put and end to things between CGS and Gjallarhorn one way or another. If he wins the duel, they’ll hand over Kudelia and the captured mecha. It’s an arrangement even Aina agrees to, because like Crank, she wants to minimize further needless bloodshed, especially where kids are involved.
Orga asks Mika if he’ll do it, but it’s only a courtesy, because he knows Mika will do it. He may be short and scrawny, but Mika is the toughest motherfucker in CGS, as demonstrated when Orga tells Aina (who wants to do something to help and is considering having a mecha interface implanted) that a large chunk of those implanted ended up in hospital beds for life or worse…and Mika’s had it done three times.
The duel commences, and Thank God the mobile suits have P.A. systems so the pilots can talk to each other. To not have such systems was an obvious and intolerable, beaten-to-death plot hole in Recon. Here, Crank can tell he’s fighting a child, something he abhors, but he must do his duty nonetheless. Wisely, this episode’s sole representative of the “bad guys” is a reasonable, honorable man doing what he thinks is best in this scenario, and if he gets killed, at least all the responsibility will fall on him.
But like Aina, Crank is misguided about one thing, at least as far as Mika’s concerned: He’s not some poor kid being victimized. Everything Mika does, every order he’s obeyed from Orga, has been of his own free will, and out of his desire to stay alive. Mind you, this is Mika’s own perspective; in reality he’s a severely screwed-up dude; “a bit Touchy”, as Atra remarks, doesn’t nearly cover it).
Crank, for his part, never underestimated Mika; he saw what he was capable of the last time he watched him fight. Instead, Crank is simply limited by his loyalties in what he’s able to do. So when he’s done as much as he can and still loses the duel, and is unable to move to kill himself, he asks Mika to do it for him.
Again, he didn’t have to ask: Orga already told Mika to kill Crank; there wasn’t going to be a different outcome, because Mika isn’t the brains of this operation, nor do I think he wants to be. And a notable gesture on Mika’s part: both before he takes off in Barbatos and after he kills Crank, he smells the bracelet Atra gave Yukinojo to give to him, perhaps keeping him grounded in his humanity among all the carnage. For those keeping score: Aina got to feed Mika, while Atra got her bracelet to him.
The role of brains belongs to Orga, who stands fast even as a huge piece of mobile suit comes crashing down feet away from him. And that’s when he comes up with a new name for their company. Goodbye CGS, Hello Tekkadan, meaning “Iron Flower”, one that will never wilt. Nice name.
As for Aina’s role, she first becomes the newly-named company’s first official client when she commits to using Tekkadan as her security service indefinitely, no longer depending on her untrustworthy father, but the largess of Nobliss Gordon—a name we heard from Coral as also being Gjallarhorn’s financier. It also seems Aina will be eschewing a mecha interface implant for a more political role with Tekkadan, the company that kept her alive.
Author braveradePosted on Sun, 18 Oct 2015 Tue, 29 Dec 2015 Categories Anime Reviews, Fall 2015, Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans, RABUJOI World Heritage ListTags atra, biscuit griffon, calamity war, cgs, child soldiers, colony, company, consequences, coup, crank, duel, earth sphere, 鉄血のオルフェンズ, financing, gjallarhorn, gundam, honor, inspectors, killing, kudelia aina bernstein, mars, mecha, mikazuki augus, nagai tatsuyuki, orga itsuka, private security, purpose, retreat, sedatives, takeover, tekkadan, Tekketsu no Orphans, third group, victimization12 Comments on Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans – 03
Gundam IBO backtracks a bit with the first of what seemed like a redundant scenes whose heavy lifting had already been more efficiently handled last week: Orga sends Mika to fire up the Gundam. This week we see Mika’s side of it, and I can’t say we didn’t learn a lot: why Mika was bleeding last week (Gundam’s visceral neural interface is a lot tougher on the body than the mobile workers), Aina’s condemnation of using such barbaric interfaces (no surprise there; but Mika doesn’t care if it will help them survive), and the fact Mika can’t read. That’s right, Mika is the Charlie Kelly of GIBO.
That’s all well and good, but it was an awful lot of infodumping so early in the episode, and I enjoyed the alacrity with which Mika simply showed up in the Gundam that had been teased early last week, without excessive explanation.
But once we’re back in the present with Mika battling and bleeding in Barbatos, we learn that he and his Gundam are only the savior’s by a very shallow margin. Because a lot of quick jerry-rigging had to take place to even get it going, the mechanic forgot to fill it up with gas. Also, Mika himself soon runs out of juice and passes out, mere moments after Lt. Crank, his arrogant young CO killed and his subordinate injured, orders a retreat. The Third Group lives another day thanks to Mika and Orga, but only barely.
As Mika’s adorable love interest Atri heads to CGS for a supply run while giving Biscuit’s twin sisters Cookie and Cracker a lift, Coral lays into Crank for not getting the job (getting Aina killed in “glorious battle”) done. This was the other scene that I felt went too far out of its way to explain the Aina assassination plot, which was more elegantly implied last week. Still, Coral’s men’s failure harms his reputation and threatens his unit’s funding, so he orders Crank to take care of Aina before the blue-coated Gjallarhorn inspectors show up, which is soon.
Crank, an old space salt, has no desire to do further battle with child soldiers like the pilot of the Gundam, as he fears they’re fighting against their will. His empathy falls on deaf ears, as Coral will certainly find someone else to do his dirty work if Crank doesn’t. But this is the first case of someone in Gjallarhorn having an ounce of empathy for the childrens’ plight, and depending on how things go, it could be paving the way Crank defecting.
Atra’s encounter with Mika—which she was clearly very much looking forward to any may well have been the primary reason for her coming at all—lasts all of ten seconds. Atra doesn’t challenge the still-bloodstained Mika’s assurance that he’s all right, and he shuffles off, saying he has things to attend to. Mika may regret taking Atra’s love for granted down the road.
As Mika attends to things, he crosses paths with Aina. During the battle, she felt useless. After the battle, she’s still there, and feels she can’t leave, out of guilt for everyone who died for her sake, feelings she relays to Mika as an act of contrition. But Mika doesn’t want her sorrow or her pity, and coldly requests she not look down on his fallen comrades and think they only died for her. They also died for him, for their other comrades, and for themselves.
That brings us to what is perhaps the Third Group’s breaking point: the First Corps is back, but rather than have their tails between their legs, they’re eager to punish the Third for their insubordinate actions. Orga, respectful of his superior on the surface but clearly restraining his contempt, works out a lovely explanation for what happened, but is met by his superior’s fist.
Orga takes this beating for his men, but it looks like he’s not any more willing to take any more than his men are willing to watch. Orga knows how things will go with the First Corps dopes in charge. Declining business, higher-risk ops, and more Third Group death and suffering as they’re used as bait. He’s through with that life, and starts preparing for a mutiny.
In another instance of their strong fraternal, symbiotic bond, Orga says he’ll call the whole thing off if Mika isn’t on board, while assuring the men that Mika will definitely say yes. When he meets up with Mika, who is fueling the Gundam that is stuck where he left it, he says he’s on board with whatever Orga thinks is best. He’s also working rather than paying respect for the dead because of something Orga said to him when they were young: “You can see the dead when you’re dead, so to keep the living alive, do everything you can.”
“Everything you can” means rising up against their First Corps oppressors before they’re sent on a mission they can’t come back from. But with Aina still at the base, Coral nervously receiving the two elite young Gjallarhorn inspector-majors he has no intention of revealing his failures to, and the decent veteran Crank deploying alone to complete the mission Orlis could not, possible alliances abound. Yet at the end of the day the Third Group will probably have to take care of themselves, as they always have.
Author braveradePosted on Sun, 11 Oct 2015 Sun, 11 Oct 2015 Categories Anime Reviews, Fall 2015, Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded OrphansTags atra, barbatos, biscuit griffon, calamity war, cannon fodder, cgs, child soldiers, chryse, colony, cookie, cracker, crank, earth sphere, 鉄血のオルフェンズ, gjallarhorn, gundam, honor, inspectors, kudelia aina bernstein, mars, mecha, memory, mikazuki augus, nagai tatsuyuki, orga itsuka, private security, ramifications, retreat, Tekketsu no Orphans10 Comments on Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans – 02
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Home Serie A Valentino Lazaro trains with Inter for the first time
Valentino Lazaro trains with Inter for the first time
Manuel R. Medina
The Austrian footballer is delighted to be playing with one of the most important teams in the Italian Lega Serie A.
Austria midfielder Valentino Lazaro debuted professionally in 2012 with Red Bull Salzburg.
In 2013 he was loaned to FC Liefering, but in 2017 he moved to Hertha Berlin definitely.
Now after playing in the German Bundesliga, he’s ready for the next chapter of his career, as he has just joined Internazionale Milan in the Italian Lega Serie A.
“I’m very happy to be here and to have started on this new adventure,” he told the club’s official website.
“All my teammates are fantastic, there’s a great atmosphere and we want to work hard. I feel good, everything is going very well.”
“The welcome that I’ve been given has been exceptional, everyone is giving me a hand,” he commented.
“I’m already learning a bit of Italian and in the meantime, Ivan Perisic is working as my translator.”
Insigne gives insight information into Italian football
The Napoli forward believes Koulibaly is the strongest defender in all of Europe and he talks about James Rodriguez too.
“Even if it’s only the second day, we’ve seen how Antonio Conte likes to work and he likes to work at the max,” Lazaro said.
“We’re working as well as we can because we have big goals and we want to do well.”
“It will be special to wear an Inter shirt for the first time, I can’t wait to take to the pitch,” he concluded.
📰 | NEWS
📅 Once again today
🇨🇭 From Lugano
🖥️ YouTube
⚽️ Pre-season camp
Coming up here in 🔟 minutes 👉 https://t.co/Kh9cXzMK6b#Lugano2019 pic.twitter.com/CUEfOX0Td6
— Inter (@Inter_en) July 9, 2019
Valentino Lazaro
Previous articleI can’t wait to get started: Neto
Next articleLet’s play football: Marco Giampaolo
Montella believes Fiorentina have to get used to winning
You all wrote so much bullsh*t: De Ligt’s agent
Josh Kroenke admits Arsenal cannot compete for trophies
Manuel R. Medina - July 17, 2019 - 3:31 pm
The son of the Gunners owner admitted the team needs a whole season to regroup as they want to fight for a chance to win something in England.
Solskjaer reveals he plans to build his team around Pogba
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Comedy Drama Rated: 18+ (TV-MA)2019 - Present1 SeasonReturning: Date TBAOn: Netflix Tags: Dark Comedy Country: United Kingdom
Tony had a perfect life. But after his wife Lisa suddenly dies, Tony changes. After contemplating taking his own life, he decides instead to live long enough to punish the world by saying and doing whatever he likes from now on.After Life featuring Ricky Gervais and Tom Basden has one or more episodes streaming with subscription on Netflix. It's a comedy and drama show with 6 episodes over 1 season. After Life is still airing with no announced date for the next episode or season. It has a better than average Rotten Tomatoes (critics) score of 71% and a high IMDb audience rating of 8.5 (39,096 votes).
Where to Watch After Life
Tom Basden
Diane Morgan
Mandeep Dhillon
Tony's Dad
Tommy Finnegan
Charlie Hanson
Andy Burrows
All Seasons of After Life
6 Episodes | Netflix
6 episodes (100%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Netflix).
#12 Ranked in Dark Comedy TV
#182 Ranked in Comedy TV
#198 Ranked in TV on Netflix
After Life has a better than average Rotten Tomatoes (critics) score of 71% and a high IMDb audience rating of 8.5 (39,096 votes). The show is popular with Reelgood users lately.
Stream More Movies & Shows Like After Life
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Horace and Pete (2016)
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Trailer Park Boys (2001)
A Young Doctor's Notebook (2012)
Derek (2013)
The Office (2001)
Russian Doll (2019)
Turn Up Charlie (2019)
Imposters (2017)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017)
Life's Too Short (2011)
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The End of the F***ing World (2017)
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Better Things (2016)
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Drama Mystery
DramaMysteryThrillerAction & Adventure
Rated: 14+ (TV-14)2017 - Present1 SeasonReturning: Date TBAOn: Hulu Tags: Supernatural About Africa Royalty Country: United Kingdom
United KingdomAmerica
Adventurer James Keziah Delaney returns to London from Africa in 1814 along with fourteen stolen diamonds to seek vengeance after the death of his father.Taboo featuring Tom Hardy and Jonathan Pryce has one or more episodes streaming with subscription on Hulu, available for purchase on iTunes, available for purchase on Google Play, and 5 others. It's an action & adventure and drama show with 9 episodes over 1 season. Taboo is still airing with no announced date for the next episode or season. It has a high Rotten Tomatoes (critics) score of 77% and a high IMDb audience rating of 8.5 (101,710 votes).
Where to Watch Taboo
James Keziah Delaney
Stuart Strange
Jessie Buckley
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Edgar Dumbarton
David Hayman
Leo Bill
Pettifer
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Solomon Coop
Jefferson Hall
Thorne Geary
Edward Hogg
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Louis Ashbourne Serkis
George Cholmondeley
All Seasons of Taboo
9 Episodes | Hulu & Rent or Buy
7 episodes (78%) are available to stream on a popular subscription service (Hulu).
9 episodes (100%) are available to rent or buy from $1.99 on 7 services (iTunes, Google Play, Prime Video & 4 others).
#1 Ranked in About Africa TV
#48 Ranked in TV on Hulu
#50 Ranked in Action & Adventure TV
Taboo has a high Rotten Tomatoes (critics) score of 77% and a high IMDb audience rating of 8.5 (101,710 votes). The show is popular with Reelgood users lately.
Stream More Movies & Shows Like Taboo
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Brief Analysis of Trump’s Decisive 2016 Election Win
Much has been made of Hillary Clinton winning the popular vote; as of November 27, she is reported to have won 64,863,855 votes to Trump’s 62,507,791 votes. Now because Hillary Clinton won the popular vote, some argue that she is the rightful winner of the election. But of course, this is wrong- the election was always an electoral college contest, and everyone knew this going in.**
Yet some say Donald Trump’s win is made suspect or weakened by Hillary’s popular vote win. And it seems some feel this justifies doing recounts in certain states– despite no evidence of voter tampering in those particular states and practically zero chance that these recounts will impact the election results. The popular vote tally may be interesting, but ultimately it counts for little, because this was an electoral college contest won fair and square by Donald Trump, as even the Obama White House has confirmed. Yet perhaps a cursory analysis of the popular vote is helpful to demonstrate that Donald Trump and Republicans actually won many significant “popular vote” contests.
First, Trump won the popular vote of 30 of 50 states, even flipping 5 states that in previous elections went to the Democratic candidate.
Second, Republicans captured the majority of the “popular vote” for the House on Election Day, collecting about 56.3 million votes while Democrats got about 53.2 million.
It is true however that Democrats out-tallied Republicans in the popular vote for Senate races– 45.2 million Americans cast a vote for a Democratic Senate candidate vs. 39.3 million Americans who voted for a Republican.
But again, if we look closely at the election results we observe that Donald Trump’s win is quite impressive. Of 3,141 counties in the United States, Trump won 3,084 of them, while Clinton won only 57.
And interestingly, in “blue” New York State, Trump won 46 of 62 counties; Hillary won 16.
It has been reported that Clinton won the popular vote by approx. 1.5 million votes. So in the 5 counties that encompass NYC (Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Richmond & Queens) Clinton received well over 2 million more votes than Trump (Clinton only won 4 of these counties; Trump won Richmond). These 5 counties alone can more than account for Clinton edging Trump in the popular vote of the entire country.
Think about it. These 5 counties comprise 319 square miles. The United States is comprised of 3,797,000 square miles.
In a country encompassing almost 4 million square miles, it would be ludicrous to suggest that the vote of those who inhabit a mere 319 square miles should dictate the outcome of a national election. Large, densely populated Democrat cities (NYC, Chicago, LA, etc.) don’t and shouldn’t speak for the rest of our country.
As for the Electoral College, which is what this and every election comes down to, Trump won decisively: 306 to 232 electoral votes, in other words, this means he won the “popular vote” contest of 30 of 50 states.
To summarize, Donald Trump’s victory is solid because he won the popular votes of a geographically diverse majority of states, as also did House Republicans. Moreover, the GOP maintained their majorities in both the Senate and the House. Republicans also have a historically large 31-18 majority of governors across the country.
What is the takeaway? People across America spoke decisively in this election, by their votes saying they prefer and desire Donald Trump’s new direction for the country, and overwhelmingly favor a Republican approach to governing.
**NOTE: Some statistics and wording contained in this article is taken from an anonymous Facebook post I came across. I am indebted to the writer of that post for inspiring this analysis.
Filed under Election 2016
Tagged as Counties, Donald Trump, election results, Electoral College, GOP, Hillary Clinton, popular vote, Republicans
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Which of Our Actions Will Change the World?
By Rabbi Michael L. Feshbach , 3/21/2018
I developed a new habit after moving to the Virgin Islands last summer. After two Category 5 hurricanes, it is one I am sure will stay with me forever: playing prophet. It starts the moment a blip appears in the ocean – whether a continent or a hemisphere away. Seeing a dot appear off the coast of Africa, I, and those who have lived here much longer, automatically track it, constantly speculating on its path.
At its core, this enterprise is no different than the one I play when reading the daily newspaper. Which story, I wonder, will we remember a decade from now? Which screaming headline will fade in weeks, days, or, given today’s fast-paced world, even hours? And which story, even if it’s buried on a back page or in a different section, will be the one that changes lives forever?
In “tracking” the moral storms of the current season, I ask these same questions. As we add “Parkland” to the litany of loss that grows longer all the time, will it be one more name on an already too-long list? Or will it somehow make a difference? What will be the impact of the March 14th school walk-outs and the nationwide March 24th marches? Will the determination fade away? Will the energy dissipate? Or, will we remember this name, this moment, this effort for the rest of our lives?
So, too, in the gender and safety discussions unfolding around us. Are they merely blips, passing storms whose rain and winds will leave us as we were? Once they’re over will we go back to seeing, hearing, and treating each other – men and women in the modern world – as we always have? Or, will this moment be something that not only touches our hearts, but changes our lives as well?
At the end of this month, we will come together to retell a tale that has stood the test of time. In countless languages and across many centuries, this one tale of liberation and redemption has inspired generations. We have incorporated its contours into our later lives in many ways: The spiritual “Go Down, Moses” sees the southern slaveholder as an ancient Pharaoh just as a banner on a hillside outside Dharamsala that says “Next year in Lhasa” demonstrates the plight of exiled Tibetan Buddhists and their hope to be reunited with their own land.
Who could have imagined when Moses was born under an oppressive regime, shielded from hatred, and placed in a basket (presuming that’s the way it happened), that this story would be one we would still be telling so many centuries later? From those acts and from that story, peoples have been born, faiths have flourished, spirits have been lifted, hope has survived, and lives have been changed. The story may not have made it to the front page nor been on anyone's radar, yet it is the tale we still tell today.
Who can say, then, which of our acts or interactions will shake the world, change our reality, or bring about our deepest hopes for the future?
Rabbi Michael L. Feshbach
Rabbi Michael L. Feshbach is the rabbi of the Hebrew Congregation of St. Thomas in St. Thomas, VI. He is a senior rabbinic fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute of Jerusalem, Israel.
View all posts by Rabbi Michael L. Feshbach
Categories: Jewish Holidays, Passover, Social Justice, Advocacy
Jewish holidays, Passover, Advocacy, social justice, social action, Tikkun Olam
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Bad news for the Meaningful Use initiative
Well, let's see how Farzad et al spin this.
Here’s an alarming fact: the meaningful use dropout rate is already 17%.
A recently published assessment of the government’s April EHR attestation data revealed that 17% of the providers who earned an $18,000 EHR incentive in 2011 did not earn the $12,000 second incentive in 2012. Although the analysis was performed by the venerable Wells Fargo, my immediate response was, “That’s impossible! They must have miscalculated the data.”
So I crunched the numbers for myself, and to my astonishment, the conclusion is absolutely correct. A staggering 17% of the providers who succeeded at demonstrating meaningful use for 90 days were unable to sustain that performance for a full year—the second required reporting period—despite the fact that the program’s requirements remained exactly the same and the providers already had the necessary workflows in place to support those requirements. What makes this fact even more troubling is that the 2011 attesters were typically the early EHR adopters and therefore most experienced in the use of the technology.
A 17% loss rate in any business is wholly unacceptable, and this failure does not portend well for the future of the EHR Incentive Program. If $12,000 proved to be insufficient motivation for physicians with meaningful use experience to meet the relatively low requirements of Stage 1 on an ongoing basis, it would be foolish to expect physicians to muster the wherewithal to meet the increasingly demanding requirements of Stage 2. The incentive for a year’s performance at that point will be a mere $4,000.
Compounding this finding is the fact that 14% of physicians who attested to Stage 1 have already stated that they have no intention of attesting to Stage 2...
- Evan Steele
RECs, recall, were commissioned for "One and Done" -- Our HITECH mandate was to help get providers through Year One, Stage One (and Adopt/Upgrade/Implement on the Medicaid side).
The upshot of this news should be interesting.
At the end of December 2012, federal records showed that 96,000 eligible physicians had received an incentive payment for the early implementation and attestation of an EHR system, out of a total 505,000 eligible doctors. Mytych (pictured) said those systems must be in place and the providers must meet meaningful use rules by 2015, or face potential federal Medicare penalties. (That deadline, he added, is subject to change.)
The current deadline for implementation of Stage 2, requiring practices to have implemented 90 days of consecutive meaningful use, is now set for next year. Mytych, however, predicts that the deadlines and penalties may be pushed back as well after the Department of Health & Human Services reviews the comments on proposed rules. “It would be good to see them push the deadline back but keep in mind that the federal government will make money off this, since they’re making more in penalties than paying in incentives,” he said...
AND THE HITS JUST KEEP ON COMING
Commentary: Concerns about quality improvement organizations actions around meaningful use
June 25, 2013 | James M. Hofert, Partner, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP and Roy M. Bossen, Partner, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP and Linnea L Schramm, Associate, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP and Michael A. Dowell, Partner, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP
The federal government is pressuring the medical community to reduce patient care costs while improving the quality of patient care to all patients, including Medicare beneficiaries. Congress, recognizing that hospital readmissions are too common and are costly and often avoidable, passed the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program (HRRP), which ties-in readmission metrics to monetary penalties to encourage hospitals to reduce readmission rates. Federal lawmakers also passed the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH), which is intended to stimulate the rapid evolution and adoption of information technology in the healthcare industry, promote the development and use of clinical decision support (CDS) treatment algorithms, encourage active provider participation in discharge planning and care to decrease recidivism, and enhance care coordination through provider-patient communication.
Consistent with these legislative strategies, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) appears to be encouraging contracted quality improvement organizations (QIOs) to adopt quality care principles (meaningful use criteria), created pursuant to HITECH, as additional criteria to be applied in the evaluation of the adequacy of care provided to Medicare beneficiaries under their jurisdiction...
QIOs such as Telligen have essentially associated the principle of “professionally recognized standards of care” under Section 1156 with “meaningful use criteria” enunciated under HITECH along with other historically applied principles of care. The term “professionally recognized standard of care” is not specifically defined by regulators (the Quality Improvement Organization Manual suggests that the term may be equated to evidence-based practices and/or documented consensus statements, best practices and/or identified norms).
The failure of a physician, hospital or other covered institution to implement acceptable corrective action plans can lead to financial penalties or exclusion from reimbursement for services rendered to Medicare patients. This remedy goes beyond HITECH provisions, which simply provide that institutions not presently in compliance are not entitled to incentive payments...
QIOs should be circumspect in sanctioning physicians and covered institutions for violation of “meaningful use” criteria that has yet to be implemented or fully evaluated by CMS. QIOs may need to consider application of a “sliding scale” assessment, at least initially, as it relates to application of “meaningful use” criteria during care reviews, to allow nonuniversity based hospitals as well as safety-net institutions, the necessary time to bring themselves into compliance with evolving EHR, CDS and discharge planning and care requirements incorporated into recently passed healthcare legislation.
I have worked for HealthInsight -- a "QIO" -- three times spanning a 20-year period, and am quite familiar with the ongoing "conflict of interest" beefs that have dogged them. There have long been concerns regarding "voluntary" provider participation in non-judgmental, collaborative "quality improvement" initiatives under the ongoing three year CMS QIO "Scope of Work" contracts with entities also possessing the statutory sanctions hammer (case reviews and bene complaints). A large number of RECs are also QIOs, and this concern has extended to the Meaningful Use program. This (above) takes that issue to an even higher level.
HealthInsight is (a) a three-state QIO (UT, NV, and NM), (b) a bi-state REC (UT and NV), and now (c) the first Nevada HIE (Health Information Exchange). Doesn't take much imagination to see the myriad questions of conflict that arise in such a circumstance.
Tangentially related to this QIO/Meaningful Use dustup is the recent flap over the new Massachusetts law requiring Meaningful Use competency as a condition of physician licensure.
But, in the wake of all this Luddite and otherwise partisan carping cometh ONC...
UPDATE ON THE ADOPTION OF HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND RELATED EFFORTS TO FACILITATE THE ELECTRONIC USE AND EXCHANGE OF HEALTH INFORMATION
A REPORT TO CONGRESS Prepared by:
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) Department of Health and Human Services 200 Independence Avenue SW Washington, DC 20201
Information is widely recognized as “the lifeblood of modern medicine.” Health information technology (health IT) has the potential to improve the flow of information across the health care system and serve as the infrastructure to enable care transformation. Health IT comprises technologies — from electronic health records (EHRs) and personal health records (PHRs) to remote monitoring devices and mobile health applications — that can collect, store, and transmit health information. By enabling health information to be used more effectively and efficiently throughout our health system, health IT has the potential to empower providers and patients; make health care and the health system more transparent; enhance the study of care delivery and payment systems; and drive substantial improvements in care, efficiency, and population health.
ONC collaborates with policymakers and stakeholders to address critical issues related to health IT. Working directly with the health IT community, ONC develops consensus-based standards and technologies that facilitate interoperability and health information exchange (HIE). ONC aims to protect the privacy and security of health information and ensure the safe use of health IT in every phase of its development and implementation. The ultimate goal of these efforts is to inspire confidence and trust in health IT. ONC provides expertise, guidance, and resources to ensure that health IT is widely and effectively implemented. ONC also administers a reliable Health IT Certification Program and works closely with CMS to establish the certification criteria for certified EHR technology (CEHRT) that eligible providers must adopt and meaningfully use in order to qualify for incentive payments under the Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs.
PROGRESS ON ADOPTION OF EHR TECHNOLOGY & E-PRESCRIBING
Data show steady increases in the adoption of EHRs and key computerized functionalities related to EHR Incentive Programs’ Meaningful Use criteria among office-based physicians and non-federal acute care hospitals.
In 2012, nearly three-quarters of office-based physicians (72 percent) had adopted any EHR system. Forty percent of physicians have adopted a “basic” EHR with certain advanced capabilities, more than double the adoption rate in 2009.5 Physicians achieved at least fifty percent adoption rates for 12 of the 15 EHR Incentive Programs’ Stage 1 Meaningful Use core objectives.
As of 2012, 44 percent of non-federal acute care hospitals had adopted a “basic” EHR, more than triple the adoption rate of 2009.7 The percent of hospitals with certified EHR technology increased by 18 percent between 2011 and 2012, rising from 72 percent to 85 percent. 8 Hospital adoption rates for Meaningful Use Stage 1 requirements for the EHR Incentive Programs’ ranged from 72 percent to 94 percent.
The percent of physicians e-prescribing using an EHR on one of the nation’s largest e-prescribing network (Surescripts) increased almost eight-fold from 7 percent in December 2008 to over half of physicians (54 percent) in December 2012.10 In the same period, the percent of community pharmacies active on the Surescripts network grew from 69 percent to 95 percent. The percent of new and renewal prescriptions sent electronically between 2008 and 2012 has increased ten-fold to approximately 47 percent.
PROGRESS ON MEANINGFUL USE ATTAINMENT
The CMS Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs provide financial incentives for the adoption and Meaningful Use of certified EHR technology to improve patient care. CMS established the EHR Incentive Programs through notice and comment rulemaking and created the necessary infrastructure to implement the program in accordance with existing payment policies and program eligibility criteria. CMS regulations spell out the objectives for the Meaningful Use requirements that eligible professionals, eligible hospitals, and CAHs must meet in order to receive an incentive payment.11 In addition to the incentives, eligible professionals, eligible hospitals, and CAHs that fail to demonstrate Meaningful Use of certified EHR technology will be subject to payment adjustments under Medicare beginning in 2015.
As of April 2013, more than 291,000 professionals, representing more than half of the nation’s eligible professionals, have received incentive payments through the EHR Incentive Programs. Over 3,800 hospitals, representing about 80 percent of eligible hospitals, and including Critical Access Hospitals, have received incentive payments through this program as well. ..
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT:
Health IT Regional Extension Centers Program (REC): RECs have played a pivotal role in providing technical assistance to providers. The 62 RECs are actively working with over 133,000 primary care providers, surpassing the 2012 HHS High Priority Goal of providing assistance to 100,000 primary care providers...
"Pivotal." Yeah. And "dispensable."
Really not much new. Full PDF report here.
One of the ONC report graphs:
This has become a staple visual representation of Health IT and MU "progress." (At least they wrote "data show" rather than the gauche "data shows".) A "doubling" of ME capacity.
Any problems here?
"...with computerized capabilities to meet Meaningful Use core objectives"?
Not that they met the criteria, just that they had EHRs "capable" of doing so. Well, for one thing, since the deployment of ARRA/HITECH, "Certified" EHRs have really become the Only Game In Town, no? Are any mainstream vendors going to write products that don't meet ONC CHPL criteria?
Moreover, let me call your attention to the ever-astute Margalit Gur-Arie:
Spinning EHR Adoption Numbers
On May 22nd, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a momentous press release announcing that “Doctors and hospitals’ use of health IT more than doubles since 2012”. The release was accompanied by two beautiful graphs, one for physicians and one for hospitals, titled “Adoption of Electronic Health Records by Physicians and Other Providers” and “Adoption of Electronic Health Records by Eligible Hospitals”, respectively. Both graphs, shown below, start at zero (0) adoption in January 2011 and climb rapidly to “[m]ore than 291,000 eligible professionals and over 3,800 eligible hospitals” by April 2013.
Of course, the graph titles are incorrect, since there were plenty of electronic medical records in use well before 2011, and the actual text of the press release does make some references to the world prior to 2011...
[T]he compulsive need to spin everything prompted HHS to declare that “use of health IT more than doubles since 2012”, which is ridiculous, and to put forward questionable historical numbers. A more cautious White House, while sticking with HHS provided numbers and crediting the President with this miracle, declares for no apparent mathematical reason that “adoption of electronic health records doubled among office based physicians from 2008 to 2012 and quadrupled in hospitals”. Of course every industry publication and health policy pundit (not to mention Twitter) is repeating these things, including the New York Times, where Mr. Thomas Friedman in a customary fact-free infomercial for his investor buddies is stating: “According to the Obama administration, thanks to incentives in the recovery act there has been nearly a tripling since 2008 of electronic records installed by office-based physicians, and a quadrupling by hospitals”. So which one is it folks? Doubled? Tripled? Quadrupled? Something bigger? Does it matter?
Read the whole post. Kudos to Ms. Gur-Arie.
The 82 page ONC report is amply festooned with the obligatory words "interoperable" and "interoperability" -- 59 hits in all. (avg ~0.72 times per page)
I have commented at some length regarding my dubiety over this totemic incantation before. e.g., from my April 25th, 2013 post:
One.Single.Core.Comphrehensive.
Data.Dictionary.Standard
One. Then stand back and watch the Market Work Its Magic in terms of features, functionality, and usability. Let a Thousand RDBMS Schema and Workflow Logic Paths Bloom. Let a Thousand Certified Health IT Systems compete to survive. You need not specify by federal regulation any additional substantive "regulation" of the "means" for achieving the ends that we all agree are desirable and necessary. There are, after all, only three fundamental data types at issue: text (structured, e.g., ICD9, and unstructured, e,g., open-ended SOAP note narrative), numbers (integer and floating-point decimal), and images. All things above that are mere "representations" of the basic data (e.g., text lengths, datetime formats, logical, .tiffs, .jpegs etc). You can't tell me that a world that can live with, e.g., 10,000 ICD-9 codes (going up soon by a factor of 5 or so with the migration to ICD-10) would melt into a puddle on the floor at the prospect of a standard data dictionary comprised of perhaps a similar number of metadata-standardized data elements spanning the gamut of administrative and clinical data definitions cutting across ambulatory and inpatient settings and the numerous medical specialties. We're probably already a good bit of the way there given the certain overlap across systems, just not in any organized fashion.
What’s behind the 17% EHR Incentive Program dropout rate?
Jennifer Bresnick
The pace at which eligible providers are leaving the EHR Incentive Program is higher than most high school dropout rates, according to the latest data from CMS. Seventeen percent of providers who collected a 90-day incentive payment in 2011 either decided not to pursue the program for the following full year or were unable to sustain their efforts for that long. Despite the continued increase of new providers joining the program, the rate of failure is astonishing and somewhat troubling. If meaningful use can’t hold on to participants by offering big incentives, what will happen when that money goes away – and what does that say about the deeper issues underlying EHR adoption in the United States?
Some EHR implementations simply detonate on impact, falling prey to poor planning or the dreaded EHR backlash from unhappy physicians and clinical staff. Other providers find that their first EHR system doesn’t meet their needs, and hunt for a replacement that better suits their practice’s style, which might delay their participation in meaningful use by a few months. But after investing in a certified EHR, adapting their workflow to successfully meet the EHR Incentive Program’s requirements for three months, and collecting their money from CMS, why would a provider decide that continuing on that path just isn’t worth it?...
It’s no secret that physicians just want to practice medicine. They want to spend time with their patients and have the freedom to decide how to run their own businesses and take their own notes. Not everyone sees the EHR Incentive Program as an effective way to make medicine smarter and reduce costs. Not everyone agrees with the ONC’s methods of fostering interoperability of health IT systems, or the way CMS is threatening non-compliant providers.
But left to its own devices, it’s unlikely that healthcare would make the necessary sacrifices to bring it into the digital age and realize the benefits of health IT. It’s clear from the haphazard and reluctant ICD-10 transition that people will put off anything that isn’t mandated as long as humanly possible, no matter how inadequate their current state of affairs.
Meaningful use may be painful, and it may be difficult. It may not be perfect. However, providers who drop out of a program that’s paying them to participate are setting themselves up for an uncertain future, and need to think carefully about frying pans and fires before choosing to leave meaningful use behind for good.
Hiatus, briefly
I've been taking some downtime the across past week to do some serious, arduous daily dawn-to-dusk home and yard improvement work. The Dawg Days of Summer seem to extend to Health IT, so it seemed a good time. My daily Google news searches haven't been yielding much of note. But, I'm getting close to finishing up the yard. My daily Google news searches haven't been yielding much that's "new" lately. to wit:
First Google "meaningful use" search result this morning (default search by "relevance"). It links to a FierceEMR story that's almost a year old.
Whateever. I'm getting close to finishing up the yard (we're prepping to sell the house), and will be back on task here forthwith.
I've also taken up posting on Pinterest.
Just a bit of diversionary fun.
" It's not one-size-fits-all"
The interoperability standards in the meaningful use rules have come under fire in recent months for being too weak. But representatives from The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) are defending what they call strong provisions to move the industry forward.
Speaking in a June 6 webinar, "CMS and ONC eHealth provider webinar on advancing interoperability," Steve Posnack, director of the ONC's Federal Policy Division, said the stage 2 rules may not deliver full, industry-wide interoperability immediately. Policymakers have to take into account limitations inherent in the regulatory process, as well as provider and vendor readiness to adopt standards.
Posnack compared criticism of the lack of interoperability in the stage 2 rules to people faulting the government for there being no cars on the road that are ready to meet higher gas-mileage standards. There isn't a lot regulatory agencies can do if the industry doesn't produce products that comply with stiffer requirements.
We are making a lot of progress, and we're moving in an incremental and deliberate fashion.
Still, he said progress is being made, and this progress will be more apparent as providers start transitioning to stage 2 of meaningful use.
"It's best to remember it's not one-size-fits-all," Posnack said. "It's not one solvable problem. We're about to get there; it's coming and you're going to see it very soon. We are making a lot of progress, and we're moving in an incremental and deliberate fashion."
The webinar responded to criticism that has been leveled at the meaningful use program in recent months for not doing enough to advance interoperability standards.
In May, a group of six Republican senators sent a letter and white paper to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius asking the agency to address what the senators see as insufficient policies for supporting interoperability...
"It's best to remember it's not one-size-fits-all," Posnack said. "It's not one solvable problem."
Well, I disagree, with respect to the Big Picture, the national goal. It should be.
One master RDBMS data dictionary standard specifying the precise name, data type, data length, and cardinality (inclusive of no-dupes/no nuls requirements). Yes, of course, incorporate work already done, e.g., ICD-9, ICD-10, CPT, RxNorm, SNOMED-CT, LOINC, and CVX.
Yes, it would necessarily be a large dictionary table. So what? It wouldn't be that large, and it would certainly be manageable. Yes, like any standard, it would be open to revision and appending over time by the Standards Body. No, not every HIT vendor would have to use every data element, only those relevant to the product customer target (beyond those common to all medical disciplines and those required by Meaningful Use and its eventual successor).
"Interoperability"/"data mapping" problem solved. Let all vendors compete on features, functionality, speed, "look and feel" (UX) usability (also UX), price, support, etc.
Instead of the despised opacity of "Vendor Lock" data siloing.
See my August 29th, 2012 post Single source of Truth.
UX improvement props
ScienceBasedMedicine.org just underwent a facelift.
Nice. Improved readability.
MONDAY MORNING UPDATE
HealthcareITnews.com
“There are no plans for any more extensions,” he told attendees, repeating it twice, for emphasis.
The current extension, from Oct. 1, 2013 to Oct. 1, 2014 was partly due to looking at the incremental changes needed in reforming healthcare, and realizing that “sometimes, extensions are needed," Mostashari said. It was also to allow for a crosswalk to be made between ICD-10 and (Systematized Nomenclature Of Medicine Clinical Terms) SNOMED, a more physician friendly systematically organized computer-processable collection of medical terms used for diagnoses...
Yeah. He better hope that the pending national HIX rollouts go smoothly. If they turn out to be the Cluster[bleep] many are predicting (and which the GOP in particular is salivating over), hordes of status quo interests will descend on The Hill to try to scuttle the ICD-10 move.
States running out of time on health insurance exchanges
By Amanda White, Washington Post, June 16
With the deadline for states to implement Affordable Care Act-mandated health insurance exchanges less than four months away, state governments will need to move fast.
States are having to reevaluate their existing health insurance infrastructures to meet the act’s requirements. They have already received nearly $4 billion in funding for the effort thus far — and can access more dollars through 2014...
The endless,. mindless "interoperability" debate just goes on and on and on...
Despite progress on health IT interoperability, tough questions remain
June 17, 2013 | By Susan D. Hall
Data-sharing in healthcare remains difficult, and despite assertions that the industry is on the cusp of a breakthrough, many are impatient with the slow pace of progress.
Those attending the Digital Healthcare Conference in Madison, Wis., last week addressed some of the biggest questions about the sad state of interoperability, according to InformationWeek. Among them:
Shouldn't data standards allow easier sharing across vendor systems? Epic CEO and founder Judy Faulkner (pictured) said that data standards describe only "a very, very small subset of the data that's really there," according to the article. Intermountain Healthcare CIO Marc Probst has told FierceHealthIT that lack of standards has his team redesigning interfaces over and over. At the conference, Jamie Ferguson, vice president of health IT strategy and policy for Kaiser Permanente, however, said that existing standards are "perfectly good" for close to two-thirds of needed records, but that electronic health records tend not to be implemented well based on the standards...
MY NEW TWITTER FRIENDS
Gotta love 'em.
JUNE 21st UPDATE
Mostashari: ICD-10, Meaningful Use can be synergistic
June 20, 2013 | By Dan Bowman
Contrary to what many in the health IT industry think, National Coordinator for Health IT Farzad Mostashari said he does not see the transition to ICD-10 as disruptive to the Meaningful Use process.
Instead, Mostashari said in a recent interview with Healthcare IT News, he believes that ICD-10 can serve as a motivation of sorts for providers moving forward with EHR implementation.
"If anything, I'm seeing that if we can get the synergy going … people seeing if I have a Meaningful Use certified EHR, if I have clinical documentation, then it's easier for me to get to ICD-10, then that's another reason for me to move forward on the clinical side," he said.
Still, Mostashari said he thinks there's "money to be made" by vendors who can help ease the ICD-10 transition for frustrated providers. He said that he envisions companies creating tools that can help providers avoid having to remember thousands of codes by instead suggesting a handful of codes to use, depending on a given scenario.
"Anything that eases the burden on frontline clinicians for documentation and coding," Mostashari said. "Those are the kinds of tools I'm thinking of and I'm sure the market will think of many more."
Mostashari's belief that the ICD-10 and Meaningful Use efforts can be synergistic differs from opinions expressed last month by the College of Healthcare Information Executives, which called for a one-year extension of Meaningful Use Stage 2. CHIME CEO Russell Branzell, in a phone conversation with FierceHealthIT, cited ICD-10 as one of several factors in its request...
Another vendor opportunity? Well, we'll see. Who's gonna pay for all of this?
I know: "Asked and Answered."
Whither?
THE REC LOBBY
SPC for Lean Newbies
I noted my concern a couple of posts back that the Lean Healthcare Transformation Summit 2013 appeared to be way light on the technical detail issue of SPC (Statistical Process Control) as a core component of the PDSA cycle that is otherwise touted as the foundation for the Lean process.
PDSA should really be "SPDSA" -- Study, Plan, Do, Study, Act.
I guess it's implicit in the "Plan" part (study the current state and incorporate the findings into your Plan). But, I didn't see much evidence of the quantification imperative of that in Orlando.
In fairness, my cautionary dubiety about "Six Sigma" aside, the DMAIC people are on point here (props to the Wiki):
The purpose of this step is to clearly articulate the business problem, goal, potential resources, project scope and high-level project timeline. This information is typically captured within project charter document. Write down what you currently know. Seek to clarify facts, set objectives and form the project team. Define the following:
A problem statement
The customer(s)
Critical to Quality (CTQs) — what are the critical process outputs?
The target process subject to DMAIC and other related business processes
Project targets or goal
Project boundaries or scope
A project charter is often created and agreed upon during the Define step.
The purpose of this step is to objectively establish current baselines as the basis for improvement. This is a data collection step, the purpose of which is to establish process performance baselines. The performance metric baseline(s) from the Measure phase will be compared to the performance metric at the conclusion of the project to determine objectively whether significant improvement has been made. The team decides on what should be measured and how to measure it. It is usual for teams to invest a lot of effort into assessing the suitability of the proposed measurement systems. Good data is at the heart of the DMAIC process:
Identify the gap between current and required performance.
Collect data to create a process performance capability baseline for the project metric, that is, the process Y(s) (there may be more than one output).
Assess the measurement system (for example, a gauge study) for adequate accuracy and precision.
Establish a high level process flow baseline. Additional detail can be filled in later.
The purpose of this step is to identify, validate and select root cause for elimination. A large number of potential root causes (process inputs, X) of the project problem are identified via root cause analysis (for example a fishbone diagram). The top 3-4 potential root causes are selected using multi-voting or other consensus tool for further validation. A data collection plan is created and data are collected to establish the relative contribution of each root causes to the project metric, Y. This process is repeated until "valid" root causes can be identified. Within Six Sigma, often complex analysis tools are used. However, it is acceptable to use basic tools if these are appropriate. Of the "validated" root causes, all or some can be
List and prioritize potential causes of the problem
Prioritize the root causes (key process inputs) to pursue in the Improve step
Identify how the process inputs (Xs) affect the process outputs (Ys). Data is analyzed to understand the magnitude of contribution of each root cause, X, to the project metric, Y. Statistical tests using p-values accompanied by Histograms, Pareto charts, and line plots are often used to do this.
Detailed process maps can be created to help pin-point where in the process the root causes reside, and what might be contributing to the occurrence.
The purpose of this step is to identify, test and implement a solution to the problem; in part or in whole. Identify creative solutions to eliminate the key root causes in order to fix and prevent process problems. Use brainstorming or techniques like Six Thinking Hats and Random Word. Some projects can utilize complex analysis tools like DOE (Design of Experiments), but try to focus on obvious solutions if these are apparent.
Create innovative solutions
Focus on the simplest and easiest solutions
Test solutions using Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle
Based on PDSA results, attempt to anticipate any avoidable risks associated with the "improvement" using FMEA
Create a detailed implementation plan
Deploy improvements
The purpose of this step is to sustain the gains. Monitor the improvements to ensure continued and sustainable success. Create a control plan. Update documents, business process and training records as required.
A Control chart can be useful during the control stage to assess the stability of the improvements over time.
OK, thought experiment example. I Googled "control chart" and just picked one based on visual appeal.
So, let's call this Current State Customer Support Email Response Cycle Time and do a quick bit of Photoshopping. The idea here is cycle time from date/time receipt of a customer support email request to the time a response is recorded as "delivered" (not opened and read, just "delivered" -- because that's all we control).
I eyeballed and added the 2 sigma upper and lower "warning limit" lines in yellow.
Let's assume we culled a random sample of n=160 out of our support email server inbox. We find a current state of roughly two days response time, ~58 hours worst case. Sample appears to be roughly normally distributed (though we could test for that), and compliant with Gaussian assumptions for our purposes (though 2 CL "outliers" at n=160 begs a question; it's ~5x what we might expect by The Book. Still...).
Standard Deviation ("1 sigma") is 3.38 (I had to calculate this from the original data; no biggie).
C.V. ("Coefficient of Variation," a.k.a "Relative Standard Deviation" or "RSD") is ~7.1%, meaning we can unremarkably expect +/- 7.1% variation around the mean response time, current process (that's what "standard deviation" means -- expected variability).
The variation spread between the UCL and LCL, then, is about 42.5% relative to the mean.
The RSD is simply a measure of variability relative to the mean. It is useful. High RSD is a red flag, given that a core goal of any QI method is reduction of variation.
OK: Notwithstanding that this appears to be (in our thought experiment) a representative baseline random sample (no evident non-zero trendline, one basic marker of process instability), I'd be wanting to drill down deeper. But, that's another, more subtle issue.
For example, might we isolate all of the encounters which are, say, below -1 sigma (quicker response times), and look for any commonalities (i.e., identifiable "special causes")? As I noted in prior posts discussing HEDIS data examples, I might see a nominally random scatter depicting no apparent relation between cost and quality (below, CAD outcomes by cost proxies), but I'd be on the data-mining lookout for anything unique in that first quadrant. What are the people in the high-quality, low-cost segment doing right?
OK, so, back to our "control chart," we have some current state data. We then have to decide upon what will constitute a "significant" improvement should we undertake to try a process change. In science, you decide and document this prior to proceeding to your "Do" stage.
The salient (and difficult) question becomes one of declaring something along the lines of "we can reduce response cycle time by 20% with a concomitant reduction in variability" by doing "X".
At this point, "Do X," measure the upshot ("Study"), and "Act" on the basis of your findings.
This stuff is no "thought experiment" abstraction to me. It was my daily life in the 1980's in Oak Ridge (below). I painstakingly wrote the code that rendered this (PDF).
This is admittedly pedestrian"old school" QC stuff, but it's at the heart of being scientific.
While attending the Lean Healthcare Transformation Summit 2013 "CEO Panel" discussion session last week, I had the irascible thought "my, my, -- what an incredibly diverse group of middle-aged white men." I noted the absence of women CEOs in a tweet.
This just came in my inbox.
THE BLOG COMMENT OF THE DAY, IN A NUTSHELL
Had to Photoshop it.
From a comment on The Health Care Blog today.
JUNE 11 MEANINGFUL USE STAGE 2 ITEM
...SNOMED CT clinical terminology is not widely adopted among providers and vendors, yet Stage 2 starts in October 2013 for hospitals. In particular, EHRs don’t capture communication codes present in 2014 CQMs, such as a specific code that conveys among physicians the degree of a medical condition, or “exclusion” codes that give a patient’s reason for declining medication or notes a patient doesn’t qualify for the medication, DeLano explains. Nor are most providers yet familiar with using SNOMED for clinical documentation, he adds.
Further, adopting SNOMED codes for clinical documentation is a major task, not so far from the complexity of ICD-10, DeLano contends, but the time needed to focus on SNOMED isn’t available as the industry adopts ICD-10. There are benefits to using SNOMED, but if providers and vendors aren’t ready for it, then they won’t be able to attest for meaningful use, he notes. “Providers think they are good because they are on a certified EHR product, but won’t get the clinical quality measures they want if the codes aren’t properly mapped.”
Asked if the federal government recognizes a gap in SNOMED readiness for Stage 2, Delano says, “I think there is awareness that there will be a shortfall in the reporting of CQMs.”...
Interesting. Concerns have been voiced over the utility of CQMs. e.g.,
Validity of electronic health record-derived quality measurement for performance monitoring
Amanda Parsons, Colleen McCullough, Jason Wang, and Sarah Shih
J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2012 Jul-Aug; 19(4): 604–609.
Published online 2012 January 16.
...We looked across the 11 clinical quality measures to assess where information was documented. The presence of data recognized for automated quality measurement varied widely, ranging from 10.7% to 99.9% (table 2). Measure components relying on vitals, vaccinations, and medications had the highest proportion of information documented in structured fields recognized by the automated quality measures. The majority of diagnoses for chronic conditions such as diabetes (>91.4% across measures), hypertension (89.3%), ischemic cardiovascular disease (>78.8% across measures) and dyslipidemia (75.1%) were documented in the problem list, a structured field used for automated quality measurement. Patient diagnoses not recognized for inclusion in the measure were recorded in the medical history, assessment, chief complaint, or history of present illness, sections that typically allow for free-text entries.
Diagnostic orders or results for mammogram had the lowest proportion (10.7%) of data recorded in structured fields recognized for automated quality measurement. The majority of the information for breast cancer screening was found as scanned patient documents and diagnostic imaging; both sources of information are not amenable for automated electronic queries.
Nearly half of the information for measures that require a laboratory test result, such as control of hemoglobin A1c and cholesterol, was documented in structured fields recognized for automated quality measurement (range 53.4–63.0%). Similarly, only half of the information regarding patient smoking status (53.4%) was recognized for automated quality measurement.
With the exception of medications, vaccinations, and blood pressure readings, practices varied substantially in where they chose to document the data elements required for automated quality measurement.
In estimating the denominator loss due to unrecognizable documentation, the average practice missed half of the eligible patients for three of the 11 quality measures—hemoglobin A1c control, cholesterol control, and smoking cessation intervention (table 3). No statistically significant differences were observed between the e-chart and EHR automated quality measurement scores in the number of patients captured for the denominator for the remaining eight measures. Current EHR reporting would underreport practice numerators for six of the 11 measures—hemoglobin A1c control, hemoglobin A1c screening, breast cancer screening, cholesterol control, cholesterol screening, and smoking status recorded.
...More studies are needed to assess the validity of EHR-derived quality measures and to ascertain which measures are best calculated using claims or administrative data or a combination of data sources. If provider-specific quality measurements are to be reported and made public, as is the plan for the meaningful use quality measures, further analysis is needed to understand the limitations of these data, particularly if they are prone to underestimation of true provider performance.
Inaccurate quality reports could skew EHR incentives: study
By Maureen McKinney
Posted: January 15, 2013 - 1:00 pm ET
Electronically reported clinical quality measures vary widely in accuracy, an obstacle that could hinder the federal government's electronic health-record incentive program, according to a study appearing in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
The problem could lead to the highest quality providers not being given the intended incentives, the study concluded.
Beginning in 2014, participants in the CMS' EHR incentive program will be required to report quality data via EHRs. Currently, most quality-reporting initiatives rely on administrative billing data, which has drawn criticism for a lack of clinical relevance, or manual record review, which is time-consuming. Many experts have pointed to EHR-extracted quality data as the best representation of actual patient care.
But researchers, using 2008 data from more than 1,100 patients treated at a federally qualified health center, found big gaps in sensitivity from one electronic measure to another. For instance, electronic measures significantly underestimated the health center's rates of pneumococcal vaccinations and appropriate use of asthma medication, when compared with manual record review...
“If electronic reports are not proven to be accurate, their ability to change physicians' behavior to achieve higher quality, the underlying goal, will be undermined,” they said in the study...
CQMs sometimes reek of "Quadrant Three."
Posted by BobbyG at 7:36 PM 1 comment: Links to this post
"Data flowing at the speed of trust"?
That statement was made last year by ONC chief Farzard Mostashari, extolling the promise of HIE (Health Information Exchange). Today, following a long, delayed trip back to Vegas from Orlando, I groggily arose to a total media shitstorm over new revelations regarding personal data apparently flowing to the National Security Agency (NSA) absent any private citizens' knowledge, consent, or "trust."
See my 2008 blog post Privacy and the 4th Amendment amid the "War on Terror"
"You have no privacy, anyway. Get over it."
- Scott McNealy, 1999
I've been studying and writing about privacy issues since grad school in the mid 1980's. I helped kill the original DARPA "Total Information Awareness" proposal. I served on the privacy and security task force for our Nevada HIE, HealtHIE Nevada. I know my HIPAA stuff. I know my 4th Amendment stuff.
Ironic to a significant degree, given that I am so public. Same website address since the 80's. I never post on blogs and news sites anonymously or using some untraceable handle. I'm pretty open.
Will have to watch how this NSA story develops.
MSNBC story link here
Bits of you are all over the Internet. If you've signed into Google and searched, saved a file in your Dropbox folder, made a phone call using Skype, or just woken up in the morning and checked your email, you're leaving a trail of digital crumbs. People who have access to this information — companies powering your emails and Web searches, advertisers who are strategically directing ads at you — can build a picture of who you are, what you like, and what you will probably do next. Revelations about government counter-terrorism programs such as PRISM indicate that federal agents and other operatives may use this data, too.
"Google knows what kinds of porn everyone in the world likes," Bruce Schneier, a security and cryptography expert told NBC News. Not only are companies tracking what you are doing, they are correlating it, he said.
Since news of PRISM broke, the leaders of the tech companies have denied knowledge of government access to their information. At Facebook, one of the world's biggest data collectors, Mark Zuckerberg posted a message that read: "When governments ask Facebook for data, we review each request carefully to make sure they always follow the correct processes and all applicable laws, and then only provide the information if is required by law. But the law already permits quite a bit of digital sniffing — much of it without a warrant."...
Painting a picture of you
Gather all of these shreds of metadata, apply some algorithms that spot clues in patterns, and you can put together a pretty good idea of who a person is, and what they're up to.
For example, when a group from MIT analyzed location data from cellphones of 1.5 million people in a single country over 15 months, the team could identify individuals simply by knowing where they were on four separate occasions...
Back to health care, and Big Data analytics
I was driving back from the music store today, listening to NPR. They had a piece on the "Health Datapalooza" conference going on while I was at the LEI Lean Conference (mp3 audio embedded below). It featured the ever-so-interesting and garrulous AthenaHealth CEO Jonathan Bush (cousin of GWB).
Speaking of Big Healthcare Data and "trust"
We now have the next Bradley Manning
A British newspaper Sunday revealed the source of the leak revealing the NSA’s extensive surveillance of US communications.
Edward Snowden, a former CIA technical assistant who now works for a defense contractor with ties to the National Security Agency, asked the Guardian newspaper to reveal his identity.
“I have no intention of hiding who I am because I know I have done nothing wrong,” he told the newspaper in a remarkable, rambling interview that touched on his reasons for the leak, how he took precautions in not revealing documents that could harm particular people, how he became disillusioned, and how he expects his life as he knows it to end. “I don’t want the story to be about me. I want it to be about what the US government is doing.”
“I’m willing to sacrifice all of that because I can’t in good conscience allow the US government to destroy privacy, Internet freedom and basic liberties for people around the world with this massive surveillance machine they’re secretly building.”...
There will be total bipartisan cohesion around making the story all about you, son.
USDOJ hasn't done squat about the trillions of dollars of Wall Street crimes in more than 4 years, but has gone after after this young man in less than 12 hours.
BEWARE OF GEEKS BEARING GIFTS
Below: just got this link from Jon Taplin:
FT.com
On Monday, Barack Obama’s administration begins its court martial of Bradley Manning, the former US army private who uploaded hundreds of thousands of classified documents to WikiLeaks. Reasonable people disagree on whether Mr Manning “aided the enemy” (as President Obama’s prosecutors allege) or is a hero for helping to educate us about Washington’s shadowy drone programme. Most are surprised the White House is demanding a life sentence four years after putting Mr Manning behind bars. In their view, Mr Obama is a self-confessed geek with Silicon Valley’s transparent “Do no evil” values. Yet he regularly betrays these with his “Nixonian” mania for secrecy...
...[W]hile big data brings innovation, it also has dangerous side effects. Culture is already pushing Americans towards “data nudism”. Such currents will only get more acute. Before long, it will be possible to map an individual’s genetic sequencing at an affordable price. No one will be forced to attach their genetic record to online dating profiles. But potential mates may assume that anyone who chooses not to is concealing a genetic disorder.
America’s middle classes are already in thrall to their often capricious credit scores – a determination that is notoriously hard to correct. In a world where the average home will have hundreds of sensors, and where ubiquitous tracking systems can intimately map an individual’s habits, the right to privacy could become an economic tool of survival. Already, US employers often demand a credit score, a drugs test and fingerprinting from many kinds of applicant. In the new digital world, the right to expunge past blemishes may turn into a rumbling civil struggle.
Should such futurology bother Mr Obama? Yes. A century ago, Theodore Roosevelt pushed back against the power of the rail barons and oil titans – the great technological disrupters of his day. Mr Obama should pay closer heed to history. And he should become wary of geeks bearing gifts.
May we live in interesting times, indeed. It will certainly be an interesting Beltway week.
Can't wait to hear what Michele Bachmann has to say about all of this.
Posted by BobbyG at 6:10 PM No comments: Links to this post
Lean Healthcare Transformation Summit 2013
Really looking forward to this. Will be meeting and speaking with the heavy hitters of the Lean movement. Mark Graban will be there. We will certainly have a good discussion.
This book is excellent.
A Minute to Learn, a Lifetime to Master
The basic concepts of Kaizen might seem simple at first. Ask your employees for ideas. Say yes to most of them. Let people implement their own ideas, but help them as a servant leader, if needed. Document the improvements simply. Recognize and thank people for their improvements. Share the ideas with others. The term “Quick and Easy Kaizen” refers to employees identifying and implementing easy improvements that can be done quickly. Creating, growing, nurturing, and sustaining a Kaizen program is neither quick nor easy in a department or a healthcare system. Leaders need to help initiate and support Kaizen, while working tirelessly to create the conditions that encourage people to openly identify problems and work together with their colleagues on improvement. Kaizen requires leaders at all levels to actively make time to inspire, coach, mentor, and recognize people...
The Kaizen culture is about gaining control of one’s work, workspace, work life, attitude, and destiny. It is about creating a safe and secure future for you and your organization. It is about enabling your organization to become and remain the service provider of choice in an area. It is about thinking and learning how to make the world a better place in every way— starting with healthcare practices, not broadly, but in a specific department and workplace. When people gain more control of their world, they are happier...
In healthcare, the primary customers are patients and their families. Within a Kaizen culture, they are happy with the services being provided because the customers have been studied and understood and the value they want and need is delivered to them each time, exactly when it is needed. Furthermore, as the engagement studies earlier pointed out, a top-ten engagement driver is an organization that focuses on customer satisfaction. Employees define success as high-quality care and great service to patients and families. Employees realize that, if they can deliver better service to patients, they are contributing to revenue growth and the long-term strength of the organization, as well as their own job security.
Studies suggest that high employee satisfaction correlates with patient outcomes and lower rates of medical errors. A Towers Watson study concluded, “It was found that employees’ views of empowerment, career development opportunities and teamwork influenced engagement. Further, employee engagement was a key predictor of patient satisfaction, leading to an increased likelihood that patients would recommend the network’s hospitals to others.” It might seem reasonable to conclude that there is causation, not just correlation between these factors.
"NEWS" UPDATE
Every morning I scour the 'net with a variety of search terms and phrases, e.g., "meaningful use." This beauty just popped up.
Meeting Meaningful Use Criteria and Managing Patient Populations: A National Survey of Practicing Physicians
Catherine M. DesRoches, DrPH; Anne-Marie Audet, MD; Michael Painter, MD; and Karen Donelan, ScD
Background: Meaningful use, as defined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, will require the aggregation of patient data to enable population assessment. Little is known about the proportion of physicians who are able to meet meaningful use criteria or their use of electronic health records (EHRs) to manage patient populations.
Objective: To evaluate physicians’ reports of EHR adoption and ease of use and their ability to use EHRs for patient panel management.
Design: National mailed survey of practicing physicians (response rate of 60%).
Setting: Late 2011 and early 2012.
Participants: 1820 primary care physicians and specialists in office-based practices.
Measurements: Proportion of physicians who have a basic EHR and meet meaningful use criteria and ease of use of computerized systems designed for patient population management tasks.
Results: A total of 43.5% of physicians reported having a basic EHR, and 9.8% met meaningful use criteria. Computerized systems for managing patient populations were not widespread; fewer than one half of respondents reported the presence of computerized systems for any of the patient population management tasks included in the survey. Physicians with such functionalities reported that these systems varied in ease of use. Physicians with an EHR that met meaningful use criteria were significantly more likely than those not meeting the standard to rate panel management tasks as easy.
Limitation: Ease-of-use measures are subjective.
Conclusion: Few physicians could meet meaningful use criteria in early 2012 and using computerized systems for the panel management tasks was difficult. Results support the growing evidence that using the basic data input capabilities of an EHR does not translate into the greater opportunity that these technologies promise.
Primary Funding Source: Commonwealth Fund and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
How much more behind the times can one get? "News" means new information. JUNE 6th update:
This dated and misleading "news" is being uncritically re-reported in the Health IT press.
JUNE 6TH MEANINGFUL USE UPDATE
Meaningful use incentives ascend past $14.5B
June 06, 2013 | Diana Manos, Healthcare IT News
As of the end of April, the federal government has paid out $14.6 billion in EHR incentive payments, according to Robert Anthony, deputy director of the HIT Initiative Group at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Office of E-Health Standards and Services.
At the Health IT Policy Committee meeting on Wednesday, Anthony said the numbers were the most current available and show an increasing number of providers are interested in the program. There were 395,000 eligible providers and hospitals in “active registration” in the federal meaningful use program--out of a total pool of 532,000.
Though Medicaid providers lag behind Medicare providers in the program, CMS is encouraged by the steady increase in Medicaid eligible providers signing up to participate. To date, there are some 13,000 Medicaid meaningful users. “We’re seeing more and more come in month-to-month,” Anthony said. “In April, 3,200 came in and demonstrated meaningful use.”...
LEAN SUMMIT REGISTRATION AND RECEPTION
Seamless trip from LAS to MCO. Made it to the hotel just in time for registration and the opening evening reception. Attendance is about 600. I have a feeling I'm about to encounter a lot of fine minds.
JUNE 5th CONFERENCE DAY 1
Very nice keynotes this morning. Lots to continue to think about.
Denis M. Donovan, MD. Interesting fellow. A psychiatrist. Skeptical of Lean getting tipping point traction.
John Toussaint,MD. I have both of his books, hardbound and Kindle editions
Francois de Brantes, HCI3.org
Chet Marchwinski, LEI Communications Director
One submitted comment challenged the assertion that "variation is the enemy." That's a misreading of the intent of that statement. We have to differentiate between random variation and causal variation. Deming 101 ("assignable causes"). Recall? You have to "stabilize" a process by removing all special cause variation, so that all that remains is random variation around a process mean, prior to attempting PDSA, lest you commit the QI sin of "tampering" with an unstable process?
'eh?
Below, a track session on "Leveraging Information to Improve Patient Care." From the title, I thought it might entail discussion of data mining techniques using health IT and/or discussion of Lean methods for health IT software QC/QA/QI.
Wrong on both counts. I asked for a show of hands. Not one person representing HIT software development. Neither did there appear to be any stats people in the room. These were all IT Department Ops people. Decent presentation of useful material to an SRO crowd, but not really what I was hoping for. If anything could use a dose of Lean methodology, it's Health IT software development.
Helen Macfie, Pharm.D., SVP, MemorialCare
The venerable Paul O'Neill, former ALCOA head and Treasury Secretary.
Nice main ballroom crowd for Mr. O'Neill's talk.
Erratum: I broached the topic of "Health 2.0" and "Matthew Holt" during breakfast.
Blank stares. Silencio.
Lean, meet Health 2.0. Health 2.0, meet Lean. C'mon, people.
To be fair, Not-Invented-Here Tribalism can be found everywhere one looks, and, the Health 2.0 crowd is more narrowly focused on Health IT. Moreover, as George Packer recently observed in the New Yorker in his fabulous piece "Change the World," a peculiar, eclectic narcissism pervades the high tech Bay Area / Silicon Valley region:
In 1978, the year that I graduated from high school, in Palo Alto, the name Silicon Valley was not in use beyond a small group of tech cognoscenti. Apple Computer had incorporated the previous year, releasing the first popular personal computer, the Apple II. The major technology companies made electronics hardware, and on the way to school I rode my bike through the Stanford Industrial Park, past the offices of Hewlett-Packard, Varian, and Xerox PARC. The neighborhoods of the Santa Clara Valley were dotted with cheap, modern, one-story houses—called Eichlers, after the builder Joseph Eichler—with glass walls, open floor plans, and flat-roofed carports. (Steve Jobs grew up in an imitation Eichler, called a Likeler.) The average house in Palo Alto cost about a hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars. Along the main downtown street, University Avenue—the future address of PayPal, Facebook, and Google—were sports shops, discount variety stores, and several art-house cinemas, together with the shuttered, X-rated Paris Theatre. Across El Camino Real, the Stanford Shopping Center was anchored by Macy’s and Woolworths, with one boutique store—a Victoria’s Secret had opened in 1977— and a parking lot full of Datsuns and Chevy Novas. High-end dining was virtually unknown in Palo Alto, as was the adjective “high-end.” The public schools in the area were excellent and almost universally attended; the few kids I knew who went to private school had somehow messed up, The Valley was thoroughly middle class, egalitarian, pleasant, and a little boring.
Thirty-five years later, the average house in Palo Alto sells for more than two million dollars. The Stanford Shopping Center’s parking lot is a sea of Lexuses and Audis, and their owners are shopping at Burberry and Louis Vuitton. There are fifty or so billionaires and tens of thousands of millionaires in Silicon Valley; last year’s Facebook public stock offering alone created half a dozen more of the former and more than a thousand of the latter. There are also record numbers of poor people, and the past two years have seen a twenty-per-cent rise in homelessness, largely because of the soaring cost of housing. After decades in which the country has become less and less equal, Silicon Valley is one of the most unequal places in America.
Private-school attendance has surged, while public schools in poor communities—such as East Palo Alto, which is mostly cut off from the city by Highway 101—have fallen into disrepair and lack basic supplies. In wealthy districts, the public schools have essentially been privatized; they insulate themselves from Shortfalls in state funding with money raised by foundations they have set up for themselves. In 1983, parents at Woodside Elementary School, which is surrounded by some of the Valley’s wealthiest tech families, started a foundation in order to offset budget cuts resulting from the enactment of Proposition 13, in 1978, which drastically limited California property taxes. The Woodside School Foundation now brings in about two million dollars a year for a school with fewer than five hundred children, and every spring it hosts a gala with a live auction. I attended it two years ago, when the theme was RockStar, and one of Google’s first employees sat at my table after performing in a pickup band called Parental Indiscretion. School benefactors, dressed up as Tina Turner or Jimmy Page, and consuming Jump’n Jack Flash hanger steaks, bid thirteen thousand dollars for Pimp My Hog! (“Ride through town in your very own customized 1996 Harley Davidson XLH1200C Sportster”) and twenty thousand for a tour of the Japanese gardens on the estate of Larry Ellison, the founder of Oracle and the country’s highest-paid chief executive. The climax arrived when a Mad Men Supper Club dinner for sixteen guests—which promised to transport couples back to a time when local residents lived in two-thousand-square-foot houses—sold for forty-three thousand dollars.
The technology industry’s newest wealth is swallowing up the San Francisco Peninsula. If Silicon Valley remains the center of engineering breakthroughs, San Francisco has become a magnet for hundreds of software start-ups, many of them in the South of Market area, where Twitter has its headquarters. (Half the start-ups seem to have been founded by Facebook alumni.) A lot of younger employees of Silicon Valley companies live in the city and commute to work in white, Wi-Fi-equipped company buses, which collect passengers at fifteen or so stops around San Francisco. The buses—whose schedules are withheld from the public—have become a vivid emblem of the tech boom’s stratifying effect in the Bay Area. Rebecca Solnit, who has lived in Sari Francisco for thirty years, recently wrote in The London Review of Books, “Sometimes the Google Bus just seems like one face of Janus-headed capitalism; it contains the people too valuable even to use public transport or drive themselves. Right by the Google bus stop on Cesar Chavez Street immigrant men from Latin America stand waiting for employers in the building trade to scoop them up, or to be arrested and deported by the government.” Some of the city’s hottest restaurants are popping up in the neighborhoods with shuttle stops. Rents there are rising even faster than elsewhere in San Francisco, and in some cases they have doubled in the past year.
The buses carry their wired cargo south to the “campuses” of Google, Facebook, Apple, and other companies, which are designed to be frilly functioning communities, not just places for working. Google’s grounds, in Mountain View—a working-class town when I was growing up—are modelled on the casual, Frisbee-throwing feel of Stanford University, the incubator of Silicon Valley, where the company’s founders met, in grad school. A polychrome Google bike can be picked up anywhere on campus, and left anywhere, so that another employee can use it. Electric cars, kept at a charging station, allow employees to run errands. Facebook’s buildings, in Menlo Park, between 101 and the salt marshes along the Bay, surround a simulated town square whose concrete surface is decorated with the word “HACK,” in letters so large that they can be seen from the air. At Facebook, employees can eat sushi or burritos, lift weights, get a haircut, have their clothes dry-cleaned, and see a dentist, all without leaving work. Apple, meanwhile, plans to spend nearly five billion dollars to build a giant, impenetrable ringed headquarters in the middle of a park that is technically part of Cupertino. These inward-looking places keep tech workers from having even accidental contact with the surrounding community. The design critic Alexandra Lange, in her recent e-book, “The Dot-Com City: Silicon Valley Urbanism,” writes, “The more Silicon Valley tech companies embrace an urban model, the harder it becomes for them to explain why they need to remain aloof. People who don’t have badges aren’t just a security risk.”
The industry’s splendid isolation inspires cognitive dissonance, for it’s an article of faith in Silicon Valley that the technology industry represents something more utopian, and democratic, than mere special-interest groups. The information revolution (the phrase itself conveys a sense of business exceptionalism) emerged from the Bay Area counterculture of the sixties and seventies, influenced by the hobbyists who formed the Homebrew Computer Club and by idealistic engineers like Douglas Engelbart, who helped develop the concept of hypertext and argued that digital networks could boost our “collective I.Q.” From the days of Apple’s inception, the personal computer was seen as a tool for personal liberation; with the arrival of social media on the Internet, digital technology announced itself as a force for global betterment. The phrase “change the world” is tossed around Silicon Valley conversations...
The technology industry, by sequestering itself from the community it inhabits, has transformed the Bay Area without being changed by it—in a sense, without getting its hands dirty. Throughout most of Silicon Valley’s history, its executives have displayed a libertarian instinct to stay as far from politics and government as possible. Reid Hoffman described the attitude this way: “Look what I can do as an individual myself—everyone else should be able to do that, too. I can make a multi-billion-dollar company with a little bit of investment. Why can’t the whole world do that?” But the imperative to change the world has recently led some Silicon Valley leaders to imagine that the values and concepts behind their success can be uploaded to the public sphere...
Technology can be an answer to incompetence and inefficiency. But it has little to say about larger issues of justice and fairness, unless you think that political problems are bugs that can be fixed by engineering rather than fundamental conflicts of interest and value. Evgeny Morazov, in his new book “To Save Everything, Click Here,” calls this belief “solutionism.” Morozov, who is twenty-nine and grew up in a mining town in Belarus, is the fiercest critic of technological optimism in America, tirelessly dismantling the language of its followers. “They want to be ‘open,’ they want to be ‘disruptive,’ they want to ‘innovate,’” Morozov told me. “The open agenda is, in many ways, the opposite of equality and justice. They think anything that helps you to bypass institutions is, by default, empowering or liberating. You might not be able to pay for health care or your insurance, but if you have an app on your phone that alerts you to the fact that you need to exercise more, or you aren’t eating healthily enough, they think they are solving the problem.”
Steven Johnson, the author of many books about technology, recently published “Future Perfect: The Case for Progress in a Networked Age.” Johnson argues that traditional institutions and ideologies are giving way to a new philosophy, called “peer progressivism,” in which collective problems are solved incrementally, through the decentralized activity of countless interconnected equals—a process that mirrors the dynamics of the Internet. In politics, peer progressivism could mean the rise of “citizen journalists” tweeting and posting on social media, or an innovation that Johnson calls “liquid democracy,” which would allow you to transfer your vote to a friend who is more knowledgeable about, say, the school board. In this thin book, Johnson takes progress as a given, without seriously considering counter-arguments about stagnation and decline. It would be foolish to argue that America’s mainstream media and political system are functioning as they should, but it’s worth wondering if “peer networks” really have the answers. An essay in the journal New Media & Society, by Daniel Kreiss, of Yale; Megan Finn, of Berkeley; and Fred Turner, of Stanford, points out that a system of “peer production” could be less egalitarian than the scorned old bureaucracies, in which “a person could achieve the proper credentials and thus social power whether they came from wealth or poverty, an educated family or an ignorant one.” In other words, “peer networks” could restore primacy to “class-based and purely social forms of capital,” returning us to a society in which what really matters is whom you know, not what you could accomplish.
A favorite word in tech circles is “frictionless.” It captures the pleasures of an app so beautifully designed that using it is intuitive, and it evokes a fantasy in which all inefficiencies, annoyances, and grievances have been smoothed out of existence—that is, an apolitical world. Dave Morin, who worked at Apple and Facebook, is the founder of a company called Path—a social network limited to one’s fifty closest friends. In his office, which has a panoramic view of south San Francisco, he said that one of his company’s goals is to make technology increasingly seamless with real life. He described San Francisco as a place where people already live in the future. They can hang out with their friends even when they’re alone. They inhabit a “sharing economy”: they can book a weeklong stay in a cool apartment through Airbnb, which has disrupted the hotel industry, or hire a luxury car anywhere in the city through the mobile app Uber, which has disrupted the taxi industry. “San Francisco is a place where we can go downstairs and get in an Uber and go to dinner at a place that I got a restaurant reservation for halfway there,” Morin said. “And, if not, we could go to my place, and on the way there I could order takeout food from my favorite restaurant on Postmates, and a bike messenger will go and pick it up for me. We’ll watch it happen on the phone. These things are crazy ideas.”
It suddenly occurred to me that the hottest tech start-ups are solving all the problems of being twenty years old, with cash on hand, because that’s who thinks them up...
Read all of it. Worth your time.
JUNE 6TH UPDATE: LEAN SUMMIT DAY 2
CEO panel up first. Good discussion, from a variety of institutional perspectives.
CEO Panel moderator Mark Graban, co-author of the excellent Healthcare Kaizen
LAST KEYNOTE SESSION
Alan Gleghorn, CEO, Christie Clinic
Nice to see someone use the team sports analogy. I use it routinely You have rules, roles, and improvisation in the face of situational variability. The best teams, whether on the court, or field, or in the clinical setting, cultivate ongoing adaptive "court awareness."
Heading home. The always swell Orlando Airport. I got bumped, and got home 4 hours late.
My summary take of the 2013 Lean Healthcare Transformation Summit is quite favorable overall. A couple of the sessions I attended were rather pedestrian, but all of the keynotes and the CEO panel were outstanding. I sincerely thank LEI for having me. I will add more update thoughts as I finish reviewing my notes.
I was struck by the absence of any explicit SPC presentations (Statistical Process Control). I hope these Lean PDSA evangelists uniformly know their basic stats, Old School that such things may be. I would encourage cross-collaboration with the ASQ Statistics Division (of which I'm a long-time member).
LEI needs to work on its staging. The lighting was underwhelming. Take a cue from Health 2.0: brighter spots, and put up racks of backlighting. (Steal staging tech also from HIMSS).
Great lighting. One of my shots of ONC Chief Farzad Mostashari keynoting at HIMSS13 in NOLA
Maybe its my old background as a musical stage performer, CCTV producer, and Las Vegas live entertainment photographer that compels me to be aware of such things, but, they matter for effective live event presentation.
Speaking of "Health Information Technology"...
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The #1 Online Magazine for Biblical Gigantologists (2011-2019)
1 Samuel 17, Ancient Jewish texts, Biblical Giants, Film, Goliath, Poetry
David vs. Goliath Movie in the pipeline
Date: January 19, 2011Author: Deane 13 Comments
According to The Hollywood Reporter, film production company Relativity Media are planning to bring the epic battle between David and Goliath to the big screen. The director will be Scott Derrickson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose, The Day the Earth Stood Still).
Relativity and the producers plan on taking the script, written by John D. Payne and Patrick McKay, and give it a modern vibe that harkens to the spirit of films such as 300 and The Bourne Identity.
The producers are Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen of Temple Hill, who, as Matt Page (Bible Films Blog) notes, previously collaborated on 2006’s The Nativity Story.
Deadline.com summarises the plot of the proposed film:
When the fierce warrior Goliath is sent to track down the foretold king of the Israelites, the young shepherd David gets thrust into an epic chase and adventure fighting for his own life, and his loved ones, in a battle between the young man and the giant.
There are a few details in this brief synopsis which suggest some creative reworking of the biblical story narrated in 1 Samuel 17. The idea that it was ‘foretold’ that David would be king has some basis in the preceding 1 Samuel 16.1-13. That passage narrates that, while still a young boy, and while Saul still reigned as king, the prophet Samuel anointed David as king under the direction of the Israelite god, Yahweh. However, there is no indication that Goliath knows about this in 1 Samuel 17, nor that he particularly cares about it. In fact, 1 Sam. 17.42 implies that Goliath first knew about David only when David marched out to confront him in their duel.
Yet will the Hollywood version achieve a better build-up of tension than the original, and heighten David’s climactic decapitation of Goliath? Will the movie have to smooth out the inconsistencies of 1 Sam. 17? After all, viewers might get confused if the scenes alternate between David being an established member of King Saul’s court (e.g. 1 Sam. 16.21-22; 17.32-40) and David as a young, unknown shepherd boy (e.g. 1 Sam. 17.1-31, 55-58). Will the movie, as the synopsis suggests, invent a ‘pre-history’ of opposition between Goliath and David – a sort of Hollywood Midrash?
People often talk about an adaptation being ‘faithful’ to the original biblical story. But if the ‘original’ biblical story is itself merely a moment in a stream of creative invention, would it not be more ‘faithful’ to be as creative as possible with the film? Perhaps the necessary twist today in a retelling of the David and Goliath story should follow Charles Reznikoff’s lead, in his poem, I do not believe that David killed Goliath (1941). That is, Goliath should kill David, quashing the fantasy that the little guy can defeat the seemingly all-powerful system – a fantasy which in fact sustains that very system. However, enough fantasizing… this is a Hollywood production after all.
1 Samuel 17Charles ReznikoffDavidDavid and GoliathGoliathI do not believe that David killed GoliathRelativity MediaScott Derrickson
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marcosfaria says:
I took my power in my hand
And went against the world;
‘T was not so much as David had,
But I was twice as bold.
I aimed my pebble, but myself
Was all the one that fell.
Was it Goliath was too large,
Or only I too small?
(Emily Dickinson)
Tyrone Slothrop says:
Thanks, Marcosfaria. That poem compliments Reznikoff’s, doesn’t it?
Tim Bulkeley says:
Isn’t it more likely, since 2 Sam 21:19 records that Elhannan son of Jaare-orodim slew Goliath, that David did not, but that an effective royal publicity machine later attributed the feat to him?
If one story is dependent on the tradition represented by the other, then I think the rule of development that “deeds of obscure heroes tend to attach themselves to famous heroes …” (as McCarter puts it) provides the most probable solution. So yes, it’s more likely.
Alternatively, Elhanan son of Jaare-Oregim has a very similar role to Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem, and “Dodo” being a variant of David, this might originally have been a story about a hero named, alternatively, David or Elhanan – later developed into two stories. It’s then a question of whether this is more likely than the first scenario. Whaddarya reckon?
tox26 says:
Actually, if you read it… the passage you’re referring to says it was Goliath’s brother. Just helping ya get your facts straight before you confuse someone other than yourself. ;-)
Tox26 – No, that is incorrect – Tim Bulkeley is correct: 2 Sam 21:19 records that Elhannan son of Jaare-orodim slew Goliath.
You may be confused by the harmonisations that are often made between 2 Sam 21.19 and 1 Sam 17, which try to make Goliath of Gath in 2 Sam 21.19 into Goliath’s brother. This harmonisation of the two passages was first attempted in 1 Chronicles 20.5. It is still attempted today by various apologists, most recently in the NIV 2011 translation, which inserts “the brother of” into the text of 2 Sam 21.19, noting in a footnote that it is not in the Hebrew text.
Stories, and not just fish, grow in the telling. Good stories “need” a famous hero. Who has heard of Elhanan? Besides the theological point of the story seems to be David did not and could not do this himself, YHWH achieved the deed. That point is better made if the merely human protagonist is the great warrior David, more so that if he is one of David’s merry men.
So, the logic of narrative and the demands of the preacher line up. If anyone killed a giant called Goliath, Elhanan is the most likely candidate. As for the David = Dodo, and somehow he and his and his son’s names got mixed up… Ockham’s razor seems to me to cut that out ;)
I wouldn’t say that we can discount the other explanation by simple parsimony. The problem is that there are not a lot of simple explanations which can account for these passages with David’s merry men in them, in the first place. There is a hell of a lot of confusion about names and numbers of David’s merry men in 2 Sam and 1 Chron. A simple and economic explanation is probably, therefore, bound to be the wrong one. Given all these name confusions in 2 Sam and 1 Chron, there are good grounds to say that, also in this tradition about Elhanan/Dodo, we’ve got a bit of a general mess and corruption.
However, for the purpose of writing 1 Sam 17, I agree that the theological point is better made if attributed to David rather than Elhanan, and so would hypothetically provide one reason why the authors would not have used another tradition about who killed Goliath. So, if “Elhanan” isn’t just a variant of “David”, the author of 1 Sam 17 deliberately changed the name to make a grand theological point about Yahweh (and David, as anointed of Yahweh). But there’s considerable doubt, from the confused nature of 2 Sam and 1 Chron, as to whether there really was any such deliberate change.
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And I’m sorry, but even a casual reading of 1 Samuel 16 and 17 doesn’t paint David as someone familiar and then suddenly unknown. Just wanted to throw in my 2 cents. Full marks for mentioning a quasi-Biblically based film, but the whole ‘how can you stay true to something that’s not true in the first place’ kinda spoils the coverage. And while I realize that the author’s intention is probably not so much to ‘cover’ it and that since this is the author’s blog and he can say whatever he darn well pleases about whatever he darn well chooses… I’d simply say that a little extra research could do wonders for a stale, retread of misinformed opinion and wishful thinking.
Tox26 – Yes, a “casual reading” would probably miss the contradictions in the text. But, I like to think that this blog provides for its readers something that is a little more carefully considered.
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Very long chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (VLCADD) is a disorder of fatty acid oxidation. During periods of prolonged fasting or increased energy demands (e.g., fever, stress, or lack of sleep), energy production increasingly relies on fat metabolism. Deficiency of very long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (VLCAD) impairs energy production from fats and causes metabolic crisis, cardiomyopathy, muscle pain, or myoglobinuria. Phenotypes of VLCAD deficiency include "early," "childhood," and "adult."
The early onset (infantile) form is associated with a nearly complete absence of the enzyme. It is characterized by dilated or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, arrhythmia, hypotonia, hepatomegaly, hypoglycemia, and high morbidity and mortality occurring shortly after birth. The childhood form is milder and characterized by hypoketotic hypoglycemia, similar to MCAD deficiency with increased values of liver function tests and elevated creatine kinase. Stress usually triggers symptoms; cardiomyopathy is found rarely. The mildest form is the adult variant, with exercise or fasting-induced rhabdomyolysis. It resembles the muscle form of carnitine palmitoyl transferase 2 (CPT2) deficiency. Sudden death from cardiac conduction abnormalities is possible in any of the 3 types.
Other Names & Coding
ACADVL deficiency
Very long chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency
VLCAD deficiency
ICD-10 coding
E71.310, Long chain/very long chain acyl CoA dehydrogenase deficiency
Further coding details can be found at ICD-10 for long chain/very long chain acyl CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (icd10data.com).
In the United States, the incidence is about 1:63,000. [Therrell: 2014]
VLCADD is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern. Gene testing should be performed if an individual is symptomatic or if a newborn screen is positive. VLCADD results from mutations in the ACADVL gene, which codes for very long chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, the first enzyme in the breakdown of long chain (14-20 carbons) fatty acids. Some mutations lead to a complete lack of activity of this enzyme, and these are associated with the early/infantile form. Other mutations allow for residual enzyme activity and are associated with childhood or adult forms. [Andresen: 1999] Prenatal DNA testing in cells obtained by amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling (CVS) is available.
Except for infantile forms that are usually lethal, prognosis is excellent if the disease is identified before the first decompensation occurs.
There are no practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of VLCADD.
Roles of the Medical Home
The medical home clinician will need to help with ongoing management and:
Ensure that the family knows about the signs and symptoms of illness that would require urgent care.
Assist with implementation of a low-fat diet supplemented with medium chain triglycerides if necessary.
Consider oral L-carnitine and medium chain triglyceride (MCT) oil supplements.
Assist in management of irreversible consequences as necessary, particularly with developmental and educational interventions.
Coordinate care with a dietician and pediatric geneticist as necessary.
Pearls & Alerts for Assessment
Upon notification of a positive screen
Upon notification of a positive newborn screen for VLCADD, the primary care clinician should contact the family; evaluate the infant for poor feeding, lethargy, hypotonia, hepatomegaly, or cardiac problems; provide emergency treatment and referral for symptoms of hypoglycemia, arrhythmia, or cardiac decompensation; and work with the local newborn screening program to confirm the diagnosis and begin management. VLCADD has further information about immediate management.
Exam is usually normal
Unless a decompensation has occurred, the exam is completely normal in most children with VLCADD.
For the Condition
Newborn screening by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) identifies children with VLCADD who have elevated C14:1 +/- other long-chain acylcarnitines. The sensitivity of MS/MS is unknown, and the specificity is low; most infants with elevated C14:1 carnitine are carriers for VLCAD deficiency. [Ficicioglu: 2010]
If the newborn screen is positive, a metabolic geneticist will usually order additional testing, including quantitative plasma acylcarnitine profile, mutation analysis of the VLCAD gene, enzyme assay in fibroblasts, and additional biochemical genetic tests to confirm the diagnosis. Normal newborn screening results or plasma acylcarnitine profile do not exclude the diagnosis of VLCADD. An out-of-range screening result does not necessarily mean that the child has VLCADD; however, because the harmful effects of untreated VLCADD can occur soon after birth, follow-up testing must be completed as soon as possible.
For imformation about the immediate steps a primary care clinician can take upon notice of a positive newborn screen, please see the Portal's VLCADD.
Of Family Members
Siblings and parents of children identified with VLCADD can be screened by mutation analyses looking for the same mutation. Positive findings may help genetic counseling, preventive management of illnesses, and avoidance of fasting.
Symptoms of the early form of VLCADD may begin between birth and 4 months of age. Symptoms are usually associated with cardiomyopathy and multi-organ system involvement. The early/infantile form responds poorly to treatment. The childhood form may begin in later infancy or early childhood, particularly during fasting or illness. Cardiomyopathy is generally absent, but can sometimes be observed.
Initial signs/symptoms in the early and childhood forms of VLCADD may include:
Poor feeding
Extreme sleepiness
If not treated promptly, patients may experience:
Muscle weakness with exertion
The adult form of VLCADD, which presents with myopathy, may begin in adolescence or adulthood and may be triggered by prolonged exercise. Symptoms may be mild or severe. Adult type symptoms include:
Muscle breakdown with exercise or prolonged fasting
Reddish-brown urine
For those identified after irreversible consequences, global developmental delays and/or abnormalities in the neurological exam may be evident. Sudden death has been reported even in patients with milder forms of the disease. [Coughlin: 2010]
Diagnosis is generally based on positive newborn screening and subsequent genetic testing or genetic testing in individuals who present with symptoms. Additional biochemical testing, guided by a metabolic geneticist, may be involve these features:. [Roe: 1999] [Hale: 1990]
Elevation of C14:1 acylcarnitines (may not be present when the child is well)
Mutations in the ACADVL gene with biochemical testing in fibroblasts if variations of unknown significance are identified
VLCADD is clinically heterogeneous, with 3 major phenotypes based on varying degrees of enzyme deficiency.
The early onset/infantile form, associated with nearly complete absence of the enzyme, is characterized by dilated or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, arrhythmia, hypotonia, hepatomegaly, hypoglycemia, and high morbidity and mortality usually shortly after birth.
The childhood form is milder and associated with hypoketotic hypoglycemia, similar to MCAD deficiency with increased values of liver function tests and elevated creatine kinase. Symptoms are usually triggered by stress. Cardiomyopathy can be found in a few cases.
The mildest form is the adult variant, with exercise or fasting-induced rhabdomyolysis, resembling the muscle form of carnitine palmitoyl transferase 2 (CPT2) deficiency.
Early onset VLCADD may be confused with other rare forms of cardiomyopathy, including glycogen storage disease type 2, Pompe disease, and carnitine disorders, such as carnitine palmitoyltransferase II (CPT II, neonatal variety only) or carnitine acylcarnitine translocase deficiency and carnitine uptake disorder. These are distinguished by biochemical testing.
Other differential diagnoses include:
Other fatty acid oxidation disorders (medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency, long-chain 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency, carnitine transporter defect, multiple acyl CoA dehydrogenase, carnitine palmitoyltransferase I, and carnitine-acylcarnitine translocase deficiency): Clinical features that may help differentiate VLCADD from the other fatty acid oxidation disorders include cardiomyopathy and/or rhabdomyolysis (seen in several but not all of the other disorders) and different metabolites in acylcarnitine and urine organic acid profiles.
Ketogenesis defects: The ketogenesis defects often present within the first few days of life, although the pattern of presentation in later childhood may be very similar to VLCADD. Vomiting, decreased sensorium, and hepatomegaly are also presenting symptoms. Although hypoketotic hypoglycemia and sometimes hyperammonemia are biochemical features, severe ketoacidosis is the rule. Cardiomyopathy is not seen in defects of ketogenesis.
Organic acidurias: Urine organic acids and a plasma acylcarnitine profile usually differentiate these from VLCADD.
Respiratory chain defects: These are variable in their presentation. Biochemically, affected individuals have lactic acidosis and ketonemia (often paradoxical – increased ketones after eating). Diagnosis is difficult and muscle biopsy is often necessary. Cardiomyopathy can be seen in these conditions, but hypoglycemia is not usually seen except as a result of liver involvement (mitochondrial DNA depletion syndromes).
Carbohydrate metabolism defects. Carbohydrate metabolism defects may present with hypoglycemia, significant lactic acidosis, +/- ketosis, and hepatomegaly. Acylcarnitine profile and urine organic acid profile will be helpful in differentiating these disorders from VLCADD because specific abnormalities are seen only in VLCADD and in none of the disorders of the carbohydrate metabolism.
The adolescent/adult form may resemble the classic form of carnitine palmitoyltransferase II (CPT II) deficiency, mild forms of multiple acyl CoA dehydrogenase deficiency, McArdle's disease and other rarer muscle glycogen storage disorders, and lipin-1 deficiency. A plasma acylcarnitine profile and other tests can differentiate among these possibilities.
Current & Past Medical History
The medical history may be uninformative; however, recurrent episodes of nausea, vomiting, or listlessness associated with periods of fasting or illness suggest inadequate management. In the adolescent/adult form, there may be a history of muscle cramps and myoglobulinuria, particularly with physical stress.
VLCAD is a recessive condition for which consanguinity might be a factor. There may be a history of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in siblings.
Pregnancy/Perinatal History
No pregnancy-related abnormalities are associated with carrying a child with VLCADD.
Developmental & Educational Progress
Developmental milestones and school performance may be affected by severe episodes of decompensation. Progress should be monitored closely.
Social & Family Functioning
The family's ability to identify and manage episodes of illness and avoid fasting are important to good outcomes.
The physical examination of a well child with VLCADD is usually normal unless sequelae are present from a previous acute episode. During acute episodes, vomiting, decreased level of consciousness, and somnolence may be noted.
Signs of heart failure may be present in a patient with the early/infant onset.
Hepatomegaly may be present during an acute decompensation.
After a positive newborn screening test, the American College of Medical Genetics recommends measuring a repeat acylcarnitine profile in plasma and obtaining DNA testing.
The plasma acylcarnitine profile can be completely normal if the child is well compensated. With DNA testing, if 2 mutations are identified, parental testing should be considered to determine if the 2 mutations are on 2 different chromosomes (each parent is a carrier of 1 mutation).
Diagnosis is confirmed if 2 known pathogenic variants are identified. If only 1 pathogenic variant is identified, functional studies in fibroblasts (acylcarnitine profiling, fatty acid oxidation probe) can be obtained. DNA testing fails to identify about 10% of mutations and functional studies might be considered if the diagnosis is still uncertain after DNA testing.
See Confirmatory Algorithm for VLCADD (ACMG) ( 45 KB).
Obtain baseline liver function tests and creatine kinase. If a patient is ill, obtain a basic metabolic panel, including a glucose level, ammonia, and liver function tests. At tertiary care facilities, acylcarnitine profiles and urine organic acid profiles are often obtained. Initial lab findings in the early and childhood types may include metabolic acidosis and hypoglycemia.
A DNA sequence analysis looking for mutations in the ACADVL gene is performed. Genetic Testing Registry: VLCADD provides a list of labs.
Obtain a baseline cardiac echocardiography and EKG.
If the diagnosis remains in question, an analysis of fatty acid beta-oxidation in cultured fibroblasts or VLCADD enzyme activity in leukocytes, fibroblasts, liver, heart, or skeletal muscle can be used to confirm the diagnosis. [Roe: 1999] [Hale: 1990] This testing is usually ordered by a metabolic geneticist.
Elevated fatty acid levels may be present with hypoglycemia and can help in distinguishing VLCADD and other fatty acid oxidation defects from hyperinsulinemia. Essential fatty acids can become low with a low-fat diet and need periodic monitoring and supplementation.
Specialty Collaborations & Other Services
Newborn Screening Services (see Services below for local providers)
Many children with VLCADD will be diagnosed by newborn screening. The primary care clinician should collaborate with the newborn screening program to coordinate initial diagnosis.
Pediatric Metabolic Genetics (see Services below for local providers)
Refer for collaboration and counseling for parents.
Nutrition, Metabolic (see Services below for local providers)
Refer for formulation of an appropriate low-fat diet and guidance on the intake of necessary fats, carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and cofactors to support growth and development.
Developmental - Behavioral Pediatrics (see Services below for local providers)
Refer if there is any concern related to sequelae following a decompensation or developmental deficits.
The goal of treatment is to avoid decompensation brought about by physical stressors, such as illness, dehydration, fasting, and in some cases, high-fat foods.
Pearls & Alerts for Treatment & Management
Avoid factors causing physical stress
Physical stress caused by illness, dehydration, fatigue, and, in some cases, high-fat diets can lead to acute decompensation.
Avoid low-carbohydrate, high-fat, calorie-restricted diets
Avoid these diets. If weight loss is necessary, the metabolic nutritionist should be consulted.
Avoid fasting
Although fasting tolerance improves with age, prolonged fasting in an affected individual can lead to coma and death at any age.
How should common problems be managed differently in children with VLCADD?
Patients with VLCADD need early evaluation and treatment for illness, There should be a low threshold for providing interventions, such as IV glucose.
The medical home clinician should ensure that a plan is in place during times of acute illness. The usual treatment is 10% glucose with adequate salts (quarter or half normal saline - depending on age and weight - with 20 mEq/L of potassium chloride) at 1.5-2 times maintenance, keeping in mind that this treatment does not provide all the needed calories.
Identify and treat the cause for acute decompensation if possible. Oral feedings should be restarted as soon as possible. Further emergency treatment details are in the VLCADD Acute Illness Protocol (NECMP).
Ongoing treatment to prevent complications may include:
Fasting avoidance
A low fat-diet supplemented with essential fatty acids
Medium chain triglycerides, which do not require the VLCAD enzyme for break-down
Cornstarch supplements, sometimes required in children with the childhood form of the disease
Low-dose (25 mg/kg per day) carnitine, used when individuals are carnitine deficient
A dietician may work with the family to devise an optimal approach to dietary management.
Ongoing management, particularly for the child with recurrent decompensations, should involve periodic collaboration with a metabolic geneticist who can offer new research findings and experience, as well as genetic counseling for the family and the patient as he/she nears puberty.
Periodic visits are important to monitor for problems, support families, and provide needed education.
Depending on the severity of the enzyme deficiency, children may need restriction of dietary fat and supplementation by medium chain triglycerides (MCT oil). This will be determined by the metabolic nutritionist who will monitor growth and supplement as necessary.
If a child needs to be on a special diet, periodic visits with the metabolic nutritionist may be helpful.
In children who have experienced decompensation, developmental delay, and/or neurologic symptoms may be present. The medical home clinician should monitor development and educational progress, and if impaired, make referrals as necessary.
Developmental Assessment (see Services below for local providers)
May be performed by a child psychologist or, often, with a team-based approach.
May be helpful, particularly as part of an evaluation team.
Issues Related to VLCADD
Writing Letters of Medical Necessity
What are the goals of therapy?
After diagnosis, the main goal of treatment is to avoid progression of the disease and acute decompensations brought about by illness, fasting, and dehydration. IV glucose may be necessary during illness and dehydration. The usual treatment is 10% glucose with adequate salts (quarter or half normal saline - depending on age and weight - with 20 mEq/L of potassium chloride) at 1.5-2 times maintenance, keeping in mind that this treatment does not provide all the needed calories.
VLCADD - - Information for Professionals (STAR-G)
Structured list of information about the condition and links to more information; Screening, Technology, and Research in Genetics.
ACT Sheet for VLCADD (ACMG) ( 347 KB)
Contains short-term recommendations for clinical follow-up of the newborn who has screened positive; American College of Medical Genetics.
Resources for VLCAD Deficiency (Disease InfoSearch)
Compilation of information, articles, research, case studies, and genetics links; from Genetic Alliance.
VLCADD (OMIM)
Extensive literature review organized by description, clinical features, genetics, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, management, nomenclature, history, and animal models; Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man.
VLCADD Acute Illness Protocol (NECMP)
A guideline for health care professionals treating the sick infant or child with VLCADD; developed under the direction of Dr. Harvey Levy, Senior Associate in Medicine/Genetics at Children’s Hospital Boston, and Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, for the New England Consortium of Metabolic Programs.
VLCADD (GeneReviews)
An expert-authored, peer-reviewed, current disease description that applies genetic testing to diagnosis and management information for the condition; U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Genetics in Primary Care Institute (AAP)
Contains health supervision guidelines and other useful resources for the care of children with genetic disorders; American Academy of Pediatrics.
PubMed search for VLCADD in children, last 5 years.
Spiekerkoetter U, Lindner M, Santer R, Grotzke M, Baumgartner MR, Boehles H, Das A, Haase C, Hennermann JB, Karall D, de Klerk H, Knerr I, Koch HG, Plecko B, Röschinger W, Schwab KO, Scheible D, Wijburg FA, Zschocke J, Mayatepek E, Wendel U.
Treatment recommendations in long-chain fatty acid oxidation defects: consensus from a workshop.
J Inherit Metab Dis. 2009;32(4):498-505. PubMed abstract
Care Processes & Protocols
Algorithm for Diagnosis of VLCADD (ACMG) ( 45 KB)
An algorithm of the basic steps involved in determining the final diagnosis of an infant with a positive newborn screen; American College of Medical Genetics.
Resources for Patients & Families
Fatty Acid Oxidation Disorders (MCADD, LCHADD, VLCADD)
The Portal's page Health Insurance/Financial Aids and Financing Your Child's Healthcare may be helpful for some families.
VLCADD - Information for Parents (STAR-G)
A fact sheet, written by a genetic counselor and reviewed by metabolic and genetic specialists, for families who have received an initial diagnosis of a newborn disorder; Screening, Technology and Research in Genetics.
VLCADD (Genetics Home Reference)
Excellent, detailed review of condition for patients and families; sponsored by the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Fatty Oxidation Disorders (FOD) Family Support Group
Information for families about fatty acid oxidation disorders, support groups, coping, finances, and links to other sites.
Very Long Chain Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase Deficiency in Children (birth-17 years) (ClinicalTrials.gov)
Services for Patients & Families in Rhode Island (RI)
Genetics-related clinical services throughout the world can be found through Genetics Clinic Directory (GeneTests).
# of providers* in:
Other states (5) (show)
Developmental - Behavioral Pediatrics 12 1 2 6 4 3 8
Developmental Assessment 29 142 11 264 3 41
Newborn Screening Services 1 22 3 1 1 2
Nutrition, Metabolic 2 1 2
Pediatric Genetics 4 1 3 6 2 2 5
Pediatric Metabolic Genetics 2 1 1 2
For services not listed above, browse our Services categories or search our database.
* number of provider listings may vary by how states categorize services, whether providers are listed by organization or individual, how services are organized in the state, and other factors; Nationwide (NW) providers are generally limited to web-based services, provider locator services, and organizations that serve children from across the nation.
Initial publication: January 2011; last update/revision: May 2016
Current Authors and Reviewers:
Author: Nicola Longo, MD, Ph.D.
Andresen BS, Olpin S, Poorthuis BJ, Scholte HR, Vianey-Saban C, Wanders R, Ijlst L, Morris A, Pourfarzam M, Bartlett K, Baumgartner ER, deKlerk JB, Schroeder LD, Corydon TJ, Lund H, Winter V, Bross P, Bolund L, Gregersen N.
Clear correlation of genotype with disease phenotype in very-long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency.
Am J Hum Genet. 1999;64(2):479-94. PubMed abstract / Full Text
Coughlin CR 2nd, Ficicioglu C.
Genotype-phenotype correlations: sudden death in an infant with very-long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency.
J Inherit Metab Dis. 2010. PubMed abstract
Ficicioglu C, Coughlin CR 2nd, Bennett MJ, Yudkoff M.
Very long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency in a patient with normal newborn screening by tandem mass spectrometry.
J Pediatr. 2010;156(3):492-4. PubMed abstract
Hale DE, Stanley CA, Coates PM.
Genetic defects of acyl-CoA dehydrogenases: studies using an electron transfer flavoprotein reduction assay.
Prog Clin Biol Res. 1990;321:333-48. PubMed abstract
Roe CR, Roe DS.
Recent developments in the investigation of inherited metabolic disorders using cultured human cells.
Mol Genet Metab. 1999;68(2):243-57. PubMed abstract
Therrell BL Jr, Lloyd-Puryear MA, Camp KM, Mann MY.
Inborn errors of metabolism identified via newborn screening: Ten-year incidence data and costs of nutritional interventions for research agenda planning.
Mol Genet Metab. 2014;113(1-2):14-26. PubMed abstract / Full Text
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Indoor Mile
On January 28th some of the best milers in the world will converge on New York City to race the Wannamaker Mile at the Millrose Games in Madison Square Garden. 2 weeks before that I’ll be running in a much less prestigious indoor 1 mile race, but to me the lack of prestige makes it no less important. I’m hoping to repeat my outdoor performance of 4:34 last spring, and prove to myself it wasn’t just a fluke. I know running indoors is slower, but I am fairly certain I am in much better shape now than I was last June.
This time I’ll have to race without having Mike to chase down in the last 400 meters as he will sit out to rest his achilles. Hopefully I can talk some more RKR members into racing with me.
RIT Indoor Open Meet #1
Sunday was the first indoor track meet of the series, and Mike and I entered the 3000 meter race. We were joined at the meet by Ryan who wasn’t racing but served as coach and photographer. Last year I ran the 3000 at the first meet of the series with a time of 9:35 (5:08 pace) this year was shooting for sub 9:20 (5:00 pace). Mike had the same goal and we planned to run as close to even splits as possible. If we could it 37 second laps we would be in good shape to hit our goal.
There were 14 people in our heat (the “fast” heat) as not unexpectedly a few of the younger guys jumped out to fast start, but I tried to stay relaxed and ran a 37 second first lap which had me running in 4th place. Mike was 1 GVH runner behind me at that point but we were in a tight pack so it didn’t really matter. The next 600 meters flew by right on pace, the 3 runners now ahead of me had opened up a 5-6 second gap so at 800 meters I made a move to try and close the gap but after a hard 150 meters didn’t put me up with them a settled back in to a more steady pace.
At that point Mike passed the GVH runner who he had been running behind and moved up on my shoulder. I was looking forward to him going by me so he could pull me along for a few laps, but he quickly settled back in behind me.
By 1600 meters I was still feeling pretty good. I was glad to have just 7 laps left and was right on pace with a 4:56 (4:58 mile pace). By 2000 meters the pain was really starting to settle in. With 1000 meters to go I had to run a 3:10 or better to hit my goal. I was starting to seriously doubt I could hold the pace and dangerous thoughts like “whatever happens you will run a PR” starting going through my head. Lucky at about that same time Ryan starting shouting that the lead pack was coming back to us. Sure enough, 2 of the 3 people ahead of me were starting to flag and with 800 to go I begain my final push to the finish. The grueling 6×800 meter workout Mike and I had done a few weeks ago at U of R gave me the confidence I needed to start hammering with 4 laps to go.
Mike told me after the race that he had been planning on making a move on me at 800 meters to try and steal my finishing kick, and it might have worked if I hadn’t decided to make the same move on the leaders.
With 400 meters to go Mike and I passed 2 of the 3 leaders with out much resistance. They just let us by without any fight, which was good because at that point I was running as hard as I could already.
During the bell lap I did everything I could to try and catch the leader. Despite running a 33-34 second final lap I just couldn’t reel him in.
I was able however, to run a 20 second PR and finished with a 9:15.09. Mike also ran a massive PR and finished with a time of 9:17.90, I’m not sure what his old 3000 meter PR was but I’m pretty sure it was at least 30 seconds slower than he ran Sunday. It was a great start to the indoor season for both Mike and I. My next race is the 1 mile on January 16th. Mike may or may not be running the 5000m at the Upstate Holiday Classic on Thursday Decemeber 30th. As always the River Road Running Club did a great job with the meet, getting all the races to go off smoothly and updating the results quickly. Full meet results here.
Trackkill Racing doesn’t have the same ring to it as Roadkill Racing, but for the next few months that is what we will be doing. RIT has a series of 4 open track meets that several RKR members will be racing in.
The meets are put on the River Road Running club and feature track only events 55 meters to 5000 meters. Each month in Dec, Jan, Feb, and March they choose a few different races and an occasional relay event. This is my 3rd year running in the series and they always do a great job with timing, and moving things along.
For the first meet on December 19th Mike and I are going to be racing the 3000. Last year I ran 9:35 but hope to improve on that by 15-20 seconds. We had a great 6×800 meter workout on Friday at the U of R track which is much slower than the RIT track. I’m hoping that workout translates into a good race next Sunday. Stay tuned for race results.
Beer Pizza and Cross Country
Nothing says cross country like beer and pizza. Maybe because xc harkens back to our college running days in a way that road racing never can. Although for me that might be a stretch since my college xc running days came at the age of 28 when I was not consuming nearly as much beer and pizza as I did my first nonrunning years of college. Either way, Roadkill Racing will be having its preseason xc kick off party on Saturday September 11th at 6 p.m. At the party we will hopefully find out how many people are actual running for RKR and which races we want to focus on. I think it is unlikely we will be able to field a team at all the races, but we should be able to compete in 3-4 out of 5. If you plan on attending please let either me or Mike know and we can get you directions to Mike’s house.
In other news, Mike and I will be running in the Fleet Feet Summerfest 12k at Mendon Ponds this coming Saturday. I am just hoping to run 5:50 pace and have it feel like a reasonable pace to be able to hold for half marathon.
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Staff members, office of Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV2
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You searched for: Project sim Rockefeller Legacy Memos Remove constraint Project sim: Rockefeller Legacy Memos
1. Timeline of Your Support for West Virginia Businesses and Communities Memorandum
Timeline of Your Support for West Virginia Businesses and Communities Memorandum
The "Timeline of Your Support for West Virginia Business and Communities" memorandum provides a comprehensive overview of Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller's work in the areas of economic development and job creation during his time as governor of West Virginia and as a U.S. senator.
2. Senator Rockefeller's Health Care Accomplishments 99th-113th Congress Memorandum
Senator Rockefeller's Health Care Accomplishments 99th-113th Congress Memorandum
"Senator Rockefeller's Health Care Accomplishments 99th-113th Congress Memorandum" provides an overview and timeline of Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller's contributions to health policy, 1985-2014. It covers the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP); the Pepper Commission; Medicare reform; Medicaid enhancement; prevention and treatment of prescription drug abuse; and long-term care reform.
3. Veterans' Legacy Memorandum
Veterans' Legacy Memorandum
The "Veteran's Legacy Memorandum" provides a comprehensive overview of Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller's work on veterans' issues, 1985-2014, including his service and leadership on the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs. It covers his focus on expanding research and treatment of service-related illnesses, such as Gulf War Illness, Agent Orange, and issues related to Atomic Veterans; bringing attention to the treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD); and reforming the VA health care system.
5. A Record of Achievement for Children, Families, and Students Memorandum
A Record of Achievement for Children, Families, and Students Memorandum
"A Record of Achievement for Children, Families, and Students Memorandum" details Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller's contributions to federal policy related to children, families, and education. It includes information about the National Commission on Children; Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit; child welfare; welfare reform; and education policy.
6. West Virginia Wesleyan College Legacy Memorandum
West Virginia Wesleyan College Legacy Memorandum
The "West Virginia Wesleyan college Legacy Memorandum" provides a comprehensive overview of Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller's work as President of West Virginia Wesleyan College from 1973 to 1975, including his efforts to increase enrollment, create an active recruitment campaign, and streamline operations.
7. Legacy Memorandum: Freight Rail Industry and Surface Transportation Board
Legacy Memorandum: Freight Rail Industry and Surface Transportation Board
The "Legacy Memorandum: Freight Rail Industry and Surface Transportation Board" details Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller's work on national rail policy as it relates to the Surface Transportation Board (STB), captive shippers, and the freight rail industry.
9. A Record of Achievement for West Virginia: Diversifying West Virginia's Economy for the 21st Century (Your Legacy Memo on Jobs and Economic Growth in West Virginia)
A Record of Achievement for West Virginia: Diversifying West Virginia's Economy for the 21st Century (Your Legacy Memo on Jobs and Economic Growth in West Virginia)
The "A Record of Achievement for West Virginia: Diversifying West Virginia's Economy for the 21st Century (Your Legacy Memo on Jobs and Economic Growth in West Virginia)" memorandum provides an overview of Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller's accomplishments in the area of jobs and economic development in West Virginia. It outlines Rockefeller's efforts in diversifying West Virginia's economy; encouraging new high technology industry growth; helping West Virginia's industries and businesses become more competitive; building a strong tourism industry; attracting new federal operations to the state; and advocating for federal resources to aid the state.
10. Review of Senator John D. Rockefeller's Service on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence: 2001-2015 Memorandum
Review of Senator John D. Rockefeller's Service on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence: 2001-2015 Memorandum
The "Review of Senator John D. Rockefeller's Service on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence: 2001-2015 Memorandum" provides an overview of Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller's time on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Senator Rockefeller served as both Committee Chairman and Vice Chairman. This memo focuses on his service in several key areas, including the investigation of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001; the Iraq War and flawed intelligence on weapons of mass destruction; Intelligence Community reform; surveillance oversight and reform; the CIA's detention and interrogation program; cybersecurity; and the intelligence authorization process.
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Home News In English About Somaliland Could This Be The End Of Frankincense?
As more uses are found for the aromatic resin, the population of trees that produce it are on the brink of collapse. By JoAnna Klein
For thousands of years, cultures around the world have revered the sweet aroma of frankincense.
In Ancient Egypt, embalmers stuffed it inside the bodies and tombs of pharaohs and queens and its ashes were ground into eyeliner. Religious texts say rabbis burned it as offerings in Jerusalem’s temples, the three biblical Magi gifted it to the newborn Jesus Christ and the Prophet Muhammad prescribed it for fumigating houses and treating numerous ailments. It was also a staple in ancient Chinese medicine.
Today its smoke still permeates centers of worship and Ethiopian coffee ceremonies. Demand is also increasing in the West: It’s found in natural medicine stores, spiritual shops, bespoke boutiques and online. Sephora, the big chain beauty store, sells essential oil and expensive perfumes that contain it, like Chanel No. 5. Just down the block from a Sephora in Downtown Brooklyn, Tea Brown, co-owner of a traveling spiritual shop called Tea on Mars, sells bags of the gnarled, golden resin from Somaliland. It’s so popular, she says, she has to restock it daily.
But her customers shouldn’t take its availability for granted: Frankincense may not be around much longer, warns a study published Monday in Nature Sustainability.
“The first time I said something about frankincense being under threat, there was panic,” said Frans Bongers, an ecologist at Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands who led the study. “I got a lot of people asking me about it,” including Catholic clergy and top suppliers.
Frankincense, or olibanum, is an aromatic resin used in incense, perfumes and natural medicines. It comes from boswellia, a genus of trees and shrubs endemic to the Horn of Africa, Arabian Peninsula and parts of India.
When frankincense tappers make gashes into some species of mature boswellia’s woody skin, sap seeps out like blood from a wound. It dries into a scab of resin, which is harvested and sold raw, or turned into oil or incense.
Frankincense is exported by the thousands of tons each year. But as demand increases, over-exploitation and ecosystem degradation are bringing populations to the brink of collapse. The study’s authors estimate that without new trees to replace the old, half the intact forests — and half the frankincense they produce — will be gone within 20 years.
Frankincense trees in a sesame field in Metema, Ethiopia. P Groenendijk
To find out its status, Dr. Bongers and colleagues surveyed boswellia papyrifera — the species responsible for most of the world’s frankincense — in Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan and Darfur. The trees were old and dying, and most hadn’t produced a young tree in half a century. Models suggested that with no intervention, populations would collapse. Other Boswellia species face similar threats.
The problem, they found, was more people. They burn forests for agriculture and allow livestock that eat saplings to graze in forests. And increasing demand has incentivized poor tree tappers, who make only a tiny percentage of frankincense profit and rely on it for income, to take as much resin as they can in a short amount of time.
That leaves overtapped trees that are weak and vulnerable to pests and early death before a new generation can replace them. Despite adult trees producing plenty of seeds, researchers seldom found any new saplings, let alone newly matured trees. Others are too weak to produce enough quality seeds.
But it’s not hopeless, Dr. Bonger said. Populations can be restored by planting more trees, ceasing burning and building fences to block livestock. Sustainable tapping regulations should be created, taught and enforced, he added, and international trade limited. Buyers at all levels of the supply chain should emphasize quality and sustainable harvesting over quantity to reduce overtapping. And consumers can continue demanding sustainable, socially conscious products.
Anjanette DeCarlo, an environmentalist at the University of Vermont, who was not involved in the study, has worked with frankincense in Somaliland. She suggests empowering landowners and creating plantations to take pressure off forests. Plantations already exist in Oman, and in Somaliland, she has planted nurseries with trees that will soon be available for sponsorship. Saving these rare trees, she said, would also protect their endangered habitat.
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SOURCEThe New York Times
Olibanum
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Thoughts on National’s change of heart
By Bill Kaye-Blake • 27/01/2013 • 3 This post was syndicated from Groping towards Bethlehem - View original source
Blogging is often just mouthing off in public. Informed, well constructed mouthing off, to be sure. Which means that the accuracy is about that of all forms of mouthing off — hit or miss.
So it is with pleasure that I report that the Government finally agrees with me.
Two years ago, I explained that Government policy was divided in two. Austerity for most of the country, and a generous, insurance-funded rebuild for Christchurch. The two parts fitted together. Although the economy wasn’t strong, the Government could back its zero budgets because of this other pot of money.
It was like a trust-fund kid, ‘living off’ the meagre wages from an internship, except that the car and apartment were provided by the family.
It wasn’t a bad plan, really. The financial position of the Government was strongly dependent on how the rest of the world reacted, which suggested a cautious approach.
However, it relied on getting the rebuild going. By forming Cera and making Brownlee the Minister for Saving Christchurch, the Government set the rebuild to one side, as something running in parallel to all the other functions. This approach masked the importance of the rebuild spending for the rest of the economy. The two parts of the economic plan — austerity plus rebuild — had to run in tandem.
But as I pointed out, it wasn’t working. Each quarter, the numbers suggest that Christchurch is providing a small boost, but nothing like what was needed. We had austerity without the trust fund. We discovered that living within our means in a worldwide recession isn’t that much fun after all.
Friday, the Government announced a few measures. The 10,000 to 14,000 apprentices is clever – injecting money into the economy while addressing jobs and the rebuild all at once. But the main thing was Key’s comment that they were knocking it off with the zero budget thing. That was the signal that the Government is looking beyond austerity and thinking about what it might really take to build a strong economy.
And that’s a good thing. Nice to see them coming around to my way of thinking.
3 Responses to “Thoughts on National’s change of heart”
Eric Crampton says:
Expansionary fiscal policy, or at least less contractionary. But what of RBNZ? They see current rates as stimulatory; they worry about medium term return of inflation as Christchurch gets going. Doesn’t a more expansionary fiscal policy just mean that RBNZ tightens more quickly or fails to reduce rates when it otherwise might?
Matt Nolan says:
The issue with the delays to the rebuild in terms of demand was that the RBNZ didn’t respond as much as they would have if they knew the rebuild would be delayed.
We aren’t in a zero lower bound world in New Zealand, so I’m not sure that framing changes to government spending as austerity is quite the right sort of way at looking at it – as long as they are running a cyclically adjusted balanced budget, they can focus on the direct supply side impact of their policies. Which is also how they should communicate them in this case.
No disagreement. But if there are parts of RBNZ worried that we’ll be hitting price inflation due to quake rebuild, and that within the next year or so, then an additional fiscal push by government could yield RBNZ offsetting action.
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Mufti Is An Angel Of Darkness, Sierra Leone Is Not An Islamic State, Islam Is Terrorism – Pastor Ajisafe Drops Bombshell
Bangura Bernice
Prominent Nigerian-born Evangelist, Pastor Victor Ajisafe has blasted prominent Islamic scholar and Grand Mufti of Zimbabwe, Mufti Ismail Menk over alleged claims that Sierra Leone is an Islamic state.
In what would be described as the biggest religious hate speech ever in the history of Sierra Leone, Ajisafe, who also doubles as the founder and President of the Sanctuary Praise Church had described Mufti as “a liar and an angel of Darkness who have come to deceive Sierra Leoneans”
Recall that Mufti was in Freetown on a two-days visit (Islamic lecture) mission on from 21 -23 September. Menk landed at the Lungi International Airport on Thursday, 21 September on the invitation of the Foundation of Islamic Information Sierra Leone (FOISIL) and held an inspirational lecture at the jam-packed National Stadium on Friday and at the Freetown Central Mosque at Rokupa. It is worthy to note that over 50,000 people filled the National stadium during Multi’s lecture, a record which is the first of it’s kind in the history of Sierra Leone.
Multi, during his visit to President Koroma at the state house lodge in Freetown has said that part of the reasons why he has visited the country was to sympathize with the victims of the August 14th Mudslide and Flood disasters and also pray for those who lost their lives, as well as for the country. However, Pastor Ajisafe has countered his claim and his religion describing Islam as a “religion of terrorism”.
The man of God said that Mulfti’s preaching about Jesus is not true. He also added Sierra Leone does no have a trace of Islam. “You have idol worshiping and Christianity, those are the two religion here.”, Ajisafe added. He further alleged that Ex Late Sierra Leone President, Alhaji Tejan kabbah sold Sierra Leone out to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation through a back market.
Meanwhile, mixed reactions has trailed the speech of the famous Evangelist. While many has described it as an hate speech which could bring up hatred in a religious tolerant country like Sierra Leone, others have supported him claiming that Imam’s and other Islamic leaders are also known to use hate speeches against Christians in the country.
#SierraLeonean #Muslims call for the extradition of #Nigerian #PastorAjasafe for inciting religious conflict in the country.
— Alpha Kam4 (@AlphaKamara4) September 26, 2017
This fool needs to go back to Nigeria-The religious tolerance Sierra Leone has will not be destroyed. Many families are religiously mixed. https://t.co/4nrNRIM85L
— Sabi Sierra Leone (@SabiSierraLeone) September 26, 2017
The audio and video of Ajisafe’s preaching which is currently trending across WhatsApp and other social media platforms in Sierra Leone has been obtained by Sierraloaded.
Read full transcript of the audio below:
“Darkness can only thrive where light has been kept under a bush hell. Oh Yes! Islam can only spread where Christians don’t preach because where we preach the difference is very clear. We are the that stands and preach and the one we are preaching about comes and approves and testify that what we have said is true by taking problems away from people and healing the sick and making the blind to see and make the cripple walking. We are the only the one that preach about Jesus and that Jesus will show up and confirm that what we are preaching is true. But when we keep quiet then lies, lies, lies…
“Can you imagine the man called Mufti who came to Sierra Leone because they see us that we look vulnerable, we are poor, we can easily be deceived. He could stand in the national stadium of this country and telling this nation that this nation is an Islamic state. What an amfront. There is nothing like Islam in the history of Sierra Leone. You have idol worshiping and Christianity, those are the two religion here. Besides, is that what the constitution says? He lied. He told a lie.
“He came and trying to project Islam as a religion of peace, who is He deceiving? The symbol of Islam is a religion of sword. Go and kill. Every terrorism in the world has been carried out by a Muslim. Every terrorist act, there is no Buddha there, no is no Anywhere you hear of terrorism it is Islam. And yet he can to convince us and lie to us. We know that one of the secrets of Islam is deception. He should go and deceive them in other worlds. He is a wool in sheep’s cotton. What he is saying and what he believes are different. If anybody doesn’t believe in Jesus, he is not a true Muslim… Lie… Lie… Does he mean it? Do they believe in his virgin birth? Do they believe in his life? Can you compare the life of Jesus to the life of Mohammad? Do they believe in his death? Do they believe in his resurrection? If they believe all that about Jesus, then the person will stop being a Muslim. You cannot believe Jesus and remain a Muslim. It is not possible. Because Jesus saves lives, Jesus transforms lives. You cannot receive the spirit of Christ and still remain a Muslim. So, He lied.. He lied…
“Wool in sheep’s cotton. An angel of darkness showing himself as an angel of light to deceive and to lure people into lies. I want him to know tht under this nation Jesus Christ is lord. Jesus is lord under Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone is not an Islamic state. Sierra Leone belongs to Jesus Christ.
“He’s a Wool in sheep’s cotton with a mission to deceive, to carry men to hell. Jesus Christ is the light of the world. I know why he claimed that Sierra Leone is an Islamic state. Because the Ex late President of Sierra Leone, Alhaji Ahmed Tijan Kabbah, through a back door, through black market took Sierra Leone to Islam by joining this nation to OIC because of money. He did that.”
Tags Mufti Menk Victor Ajisafe
PHOTOS: Two Sierra Leonean Ministers Meets Pope Francis
Powerful Man of God Sentenced To Jail In Freetown, What He Did Will Shock You
READ The Prophetic Utterances Bishop Oyedepo Said About President Koroma And Sierra Leone
Austerity: Popular Nationwide Church In Sierra Leone Goes Completely Broke
BREAKING: Sierra Leone Police Arrests Pastor Ajisafe September 26, 2017 at 6:39 pm
[…] Full details of his speech can be READ HERE. […]
Nigerian Pastor Lands In Trouble Over Hate Speech And Comment On Islam In Sierra Leone – NG Reporters September 26, 2017 at 8:01 pm
[…] The audio and video of Ajisafe’s preaching which is currently trending across WhatsApp and other social media platforms in Sierra Leone has been obtained by Sierra Leonean local website, Sierraloaded – WATCH IT HERE […]
Sierra Leone Government Suspends License Of Pastor Ajisafe's Churches Nationwide September 27, 2017 at 7:57 am
[…] ALSO READ: Mufti Is An Angel Of Darkness, Sierra Leone Is Not An Islamic State, Islam Is Terrorism – Pastor A… […]
Nigerian Pastor arrested in Sierra Leone for saying "anywhere you hear of terrorism it is Islam" – Amazingreveal September 30, 2017 at 4:17 pm
[…] Sierraloaded reports that Menk was in Freetown on a two-day visit between September 21 & 23 on the invitation of the Foundation of Islamic Information Sierra Leone (FOISIL). […]
Nigerian Pastor arrested for saying “anywhere you hear of terrorism it is Islam” September 30, 2017 at 8:15 pm
Nigerian Pastor arrested in Sierra Leone for saying “anywhere you hear of terrorism it is Islam” | Wow Plus October 1, 2017 at 12:00 am
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Delivering the Single Digital Presence with agile
Agile methodology was an essential element for building SDP, which had multiple, concurrent streams and multi-disciplinary teams blended across different organisations and locations.
Salsa Digital 1 March 2019
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What are whole-of-government digital platforms?
Whole-of-government digital platforms bring disparate, legacy content management systems onto a unified platform. For example, the Department of Premier and Cabinet’s Single Digital Presence (SDP) is being considered as a whole-of-Victorian-Government platform.
How to make a whole-of-government platform work
Whole-of-government digital platforms require vision, rigour, experience, scale and flexibility to deliver. Successful implementation usually involves a multi-disciplinary team blended across government and vendor(s). Flexibility is delivered by employing an agile methodology.
Delivering SDP using agile
SDP is a great example of a whole-of-government digital platform that was delivered using agile.
Salsa designed a multi-stream, multi-disciplinary team to deliver SDP. These blended teams included experts from Salsa, amazee.ie and Victoria’s Department of Premier and Cabinet. These teams were also spread across the globe, with three ‘satellites’ in Canberra, Melbourne and Switzerland. The multi-disciplinary team included:
User experience (UX) designers
Application architects and engineers (backend and frontend engineers)
Platform architects and engineers
DPC’s product owner
Other experts including subject matter experts, e.g. content strategists
Three parallel streams with centralised program governance were designed:
Platform stream — This stream designed and implemented the technical platform for the SDP program.
UX stream — This stream was focused on the UX. Salsa worked with DPC’s internal UX team, ensuring the work was aligned with other work and took place over two sprints.
SDP Drupal 8 distribution stream — This stream took input from the UX stream to build a backlog of user stories that enforced the makeup of the Drupal 8 SDP distribution (Tide). The agile delivery team executed many sprints to deliver the requirements of this stream, with many team members involved. You can find out more about the overall SDP solution on our SDP page.
SDP and agile
In general, agile methodology delivers flexibility, and building agile into your processes is also a good way to mitigate risk.
Projects generally have three key parameters — time, budget and scope. The project itself will drive the ‘location’ of the flexibility. In this case the costs (available budget) was fixed and the flexibility lay in the scope and dates. Although all boundaries were important (e.g. meeting dates and deadlines were important deliverables) there was some flexibility.
Each stream had an agile team called the “Development Team”, which was made up of multiple disciplines, with a slightly different mix of experts based on stream requirements. Subsets of the project team including product owners, project manager and business analyst (with regular touch points with the scrum master) formed part of both the distribution build team and the UX/UI team.
The product backlog of initial project requirements was established during the discovery phase. These requirements were created using a standardised workflow and template to groom user stories with valid acceptance criteria, devise technical solutions for each requirement, provide estimates and then validated by the client before being moved to development. Jira was used for collaboration between parties after user stories were created.
DPC had a design/UX stream that informed requirements for the project. This stream created wireframes that were user tested and tweaked based on test results. High definition designs were created and used by the build project. The design of these components informed the build requirements for both backend and frontend development and ultimately the API integration that displayed the backend captured CMS data via the frontend components on the new site.
During each sprint, UX/UI designers should focus on building functionality and building knowledge. So with every sprint while the Drupal 8 distribution build team was coding and testing one part of the product backlog that was prioritised, the UX/UI designers will focus their time looking further down the product backlog at upcoming items. These items were set by DPC.
Within each sprint, a UI designer will usually be helping the rest of the team turn a design into implemented, tested code while simultaneously thinking about the next feature (or two) to be built. So the designer is both in the sprint and looking ahead, at what comes next. This happened to a degree in the SDP project.
Sprint planning and user story prioritisation allowed us to align on sprint priorities ahead of each sprint and make sure there was plans in place to deal with cross-stream dependencies. As soon as UX/UI designs for upcoming priorities were completed, user story writing and requirements discovery was happening to continue to build backlog. Sometimes those stories would form priorities for the next sprint, depending on how many stories were captured, the size of the requirements, the sprint team’s capacity, etc.
The product backlog, which consists of all stories making up all the requirements, evolved over time with some new requirements discovered along the build. These would be groomed to include acceptance criteria, validated by the client and then estimated by Salsa. Agile methodology means these new requirements could be accommodated, as long as the product backlog was prioritised. If these had any impact on costs (e.g. more sprint capacity was required), then we could have this discussion with the client. Otherwise they could prioritise over other requirements so original requirements get pushed back to later phases of the project.
The different streams each had sprints running in parallel, each with scrum masters running daily stand-ups across each stream. While the streams ran in parallel (or working ahead in some cases) the platform stream had its own development team with its own set of user stories, executed within a series of sprints following the same agile methodology. The platform stream was about establishing and setting up of the platform, i.e. the infrastructure layer that SDP is built on.
The platform stream ended when completed, but the UX/UI stream and the distribution build stream are still going, building out all the requirements DPC has prioritised for the initial distribution.
The project has gone through the first two major phases including alpha release and beta release (currently in beta) and is due to go live early in 2019.
Salsa’s take
Whole-of-government digital platforms deliver on Salsa’s key focus — to help governments become more open, more connected and more consolidated. SDP is a great example of whole-of-government digital platforms at work and delivering value to citizens and government.
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Scientific Inquirer
LB/RB
Posted on June 23, 2019 June 23, 2019 by scientificinquirer
Don’t sneer at the fat in our diets because it helped make us human
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Long before human ancestors began hunting large mammals for meat, a fatty diet provided them with the nutrition to develop bigger brains, posits a new paper in Current Anthropology.
The paper argues that our early ancestors acquired a taste for fat by eating marrow scavenged from the skeletal remains of large animals that had been killed and eaten by other predators. The argument challenges the widely held view among anthropologists that eating meat was the critical factor in setting the stage for the evolution of humans.
“Our ancestors likely began acquiring a taste for fat 4 million years ago, which explains why we crave it today,” says Jessica Thompson, the paper’s lead author and an anthropologist at Yale University. “The reservoirs of fat in the long bones of carcasses were a huge calorie package on a calorie-poor landscape. That could have been what gave an ancestral population the advantage it needed to set off the chain of human evolution.”
Thompson, who recently joined Yale’s faculty, completed the paper while on the faculty at Emory University.
While focusing on fat over meat may seem like a subtle distinction, the difference is significant, Thompson says. The nutrients of meat and fat are different, as are the technologies required to access them. Meat eating is traditionally paired with the manufacture of sharp, flaked-stone tools, while obtaining fat-rich marrow only required smashing bones with a rock, Thompson notes.
The authors review evidence that a craving for marrow could have fueled not just a growing brain size, but the quest to go beyond smashing bones with rocks to make more sophisticated tools and to hunt large animals.
“That’s how all technology originated — taking one thing and using it to alter something else,” Thompson says. “That’s the origin of the iPhone right there.”
Co-authors of the paper include anthropologists Susana Carvalho of Oxford University, Curtis Marean of Arizona State University, and Zeresenay Alemseged of the University of Chicago.
The human brain consumes 20% of the body’s energy at rest, or twice that of the brains of other primates, which are almost exclusively vegetarian. It’s a mystery to scientists how our human ancestors met the calorie demands to develop and sustain our larger brains.
A meat-centered paradigm for human evolution hypothesizes that an ape population began more actively hunting and eating small game, which became an evolutionary stepping stone to the human behavior of hunting large animals.
The paper argues that this theory does not make nutritional sense. “The meat of wild animals is lean,” Thompson says. “It actually takes more work to metabolize lean protein than you get back.”
In fact, eating lean meat without a good source of fat can lead to protein poisoning and acute malnutrition. Early Arctic explorers, who attempted to survive on rabbit meat exclusively, described the condition as “rabbit starvation.”
This protein problem, coupled with the energy required for an upright ape with small canines to capture and eat small animals, would seem to rule out eating meat as a pathway to fueling brain growth, Thompson says.
The new paper presents a new hypothesis, going back about 4 million years, to the Pliocene. As the human ancestor began walking primarily on two legs, heavily forested regions of Africa were breaking into mosaics, creating open grasslands.
“Our human ancestors were likely awkward creatures,” Thompson says. “They weren’t good in trees, like chimpanzees are, but they weren’t necessarily all that good on the ground either. So, what did the first upright walking apes in our lineage do to make them so successful? At this stage, there was already a small increase in the size of the brains. How were they feeding that?”
Thompson and her co-authors propose that our early ancestors wielded rocks as they foraged on open grassland. After a predator had finished eating a large mammal, these upright apes explored the leftovers by smashing them and discovered the marrow hidden in the limb bones.
“The bones sealed up the marrow like a Tupperware container, preventing bacterial growth,” Thompson says. And the only things that could crack open these containers, she adds, were the bone-cracking jaws of hyenas or a clever ape wielding a rock.
The hypothesis offers an explanation for how the human ancestor may have garnered the extra calories needed to foster a larger brain, long before there is evidence for controlled fire, which could have mitigated the problem of bacteria in rotting, scavenged meat. The fat hypothesis also predates by more than 1 million years most evidence for even basic toolmaking of simple stone flakes.
Scientists ought to begin looking for evidence of bone-smashing behavior in early human ancestors, Thompson said.
“Paleoanthropologists are looking for mostly complete bones, and then concentrating on identifying the animal that died,” Thompson says. “But instead of just wondering about the bone’s creature of origin, we should be asking, ‘What broke this bone?’ We need to start collecting tiny pieces of shattered bone to help piece together this kind of behavioral information.”
IMAGE SOURCE: Creative Commons
This entry was posted in:Everyday Science
Tagged with:evolution, health, North America
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Submit Original Content!!
Unique Critiques
Meta Series
Fantasy Book Review
This is a review of the series that Tom Reynolds has written so far. I thought there was a chance he would be tying it off after three books and making it a trilogy. After finishing the third book, that’s clearly not the case. You can see why though: the books are selling. There’s still a lot of interesting situations that he can throw his characters into and, if anything, he seems to be just finding his stride.
I’ve tried to understand why these books are interesting when the whole superhero thing has become so overplayed. Marvel has something like three movies a year coming out and most of them are surprisingly good. Superheroes have evolved dramatically from the black and white Superman character to these deeply flawed, incredibly interesting everyman characters that each have their own twist.
Each superhero story has become this Freudian battle between the hero’s super charged id and their super-ego. This battle was phrased most clearly by Uncle Ben in Spiderman with his, “With great power comes great responsibility” quote. Spiderman was still pretty clean cut however. Luckily, these internal demon battles have become far more nuanced and a lot more interesting. Netflix is doing some of the most groundbreaking stuff with their superheroes in NYC. Talk about your superhero screw ups just trying to make their way in the world.
The ego, which tries to be based in some level of reality, plays the role of secret identity or ‘alter ego’ if you will. The stories that get it right make the ego identity just as interesting as the superhero one. When done well, you find yourself wanting to find out how each side of the identity coin is going to weather the inevitable shit storm they are thrown into.
The villains are getting a lot more attention too. In the good stories, the villains go one of two ways. The first is a villain that is so loathsome that you love to hate them. Their debauchery and maliciousness is both creative and innovative. When the author spends the time truly making you hate these characters, their comeuppance becomes cathartic. The second approach is the misunderstood villain. These villains are the byproducts of bad choices. These are bad choices that you or I could have easily made. Now they find themselves in situations where every choice is filled with regret. These are the villains we feel sorry for because we can relate. We also feel thankful that we aren’t them in much the same way that we derive pleasure from these poor idiots that make asses out of themselves on reality TV.
So where does Reynold’s Meta fit in? It’s been pretty fun to watch the evolution of this character. It is definitely YA fare but Reynolds has the gift of building an interesting plot. Our hero starts off whiter than Wonder Bread fighting one dimensional villains. By the third book the character is decidedly more interesting. He gets put into situations where there aren’t the build your own adventure good and evil choices but instead choices that make him question his own morality. It has almost become a coming of age story and I think that’s why it’s interesting.
Our main character is Conner Connoly whose super powers literally drop from the heavens in the form of meta bands. These meta bands are the source of all of his powers and are what transform mild mannered Conner into Ultra. Ultra is very similar to Superman but is heavily reliant upon the charge of his meta bands. So basically Superman with a battery. iSuperman.
These meta bands aren’t new to the world. Conner, aka Ultra, is the first of a second generation of metas. The world saw a stew of these superheroes about 10 years ago. The first generation of metas died out when the top superhero dragged villain numero uno into the sun. Once that happened, all the other heroes saw their meta bands go defunct and the first generation of heroes vanished.
Having your super powers drop from the sky is not much of an origin story. I saw this as a huge weakness in the first book because the origin story is typically the best part of any superhero drama. However, Reynolds reveals that there is quite a bit more to this genesis in the third book. This was refreshing background information that drew me back in.
The fact that the story has gotten more interesting as it has progressed brings a lot of hope for the series as most of these YA series seem to lose steam after the first book. I will definitely continue to read the series and I recommend giving it a shot.
Posted in Fantasy and tagged Meta, Rise of the Circle, Superheroes, The Second Wave, Tom Reynolds
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Category: Space
Ghost in the Machine: Solar Flares, the Electrical Grid, and What It All Means to You
This original article was first published in The Dot Connector Magazine, Issue #11.
On August 3, 2010, a C3-class solar flare caused a coronal mass ejection that headed towards the Earth. The impact of the flare resulted in a G2-class geomagnetic storm that lasted almost 12 hours. The official story is that the storm caused beautiful northern lights to appear from Europe to North America. Well, that doesn’t seem so bad, does it?
Nevertheless, there has been a lot of talk lately about solar flares and how a big enough solar flare directed towards Earth could knock out electrical grids. As we all know, sometimes the mainstream media talks up certain scenarios to scare everyone. Sometimes they just make things up entirely. In this case, I sat up and took notice because the power in southern Europe was flickering that night. Lights would dim in a pulsating fashion. That is a fairly rare occurrence. It is doubly strange because according to conventional wisdom, geomagnetic storms cause aurorae and electrical problems mostly in latitudes closer to the poles.
Obviously, some investigation was in order. First, we need to understand a little something about sunspots, solar flares, and coronal mass ejections.
Scottie 8 February 2011 8 February 2011 How Does it Work?, Space 2 Comments Read more
Satellite Fender Bender: I don’t think so
You may have heard of the recent fender bender in outer space between an Iridium satellite and a “defunct” Russian satellite:
Satellite collision could pose space threat – Crash creates debris; slight risk to space station, minor impact on Iridium
Russian and U.S. experts say the first-ever collision between two satellites has created clouds of debris that could threaten other unmanned spacecraft.
Russia’s Mission Control spokesman Valery Lyndin says there is little risk to the international space station with three crew members aboard.
Lyndin said Thursday that officials would monitor the debris from Tuesday’s collision to make sure no fragments get near the station. He said the station’s orbit was adjusted in the past to avoid debris.
Other Russian and U.S. officials warn that satellites in nearby orbits could be damaged.
The smashup occured over Siberia when a derelict Russian military communications satellite crossed paths with a U.S. Iridium satellite.
The two big communications satellites collided in the first-ever crash of two intact spacecraft in orbit, shooting out a pair of massive debris clouds and posing a slight risk to the international space station.
NASA said it will take weeks to determine the full magnitude of the crash, which occurred nearly 500 miles (800 kilometers) over Siberia on Tuesday.
Okay, so let’s think about this, because I don’t buy it. Why not?
Scottie 19 February 2009 16 December 2014 Space No Comments Read more
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SEACOM to provide direct connectivity for Kenyan businesses to South Africa
Leading Pan-African Internet and connectivity service provider, SEACOM has announced that it will now offer direct connections from its East Africa network to public cloud networks and data centres located in South Africa. This follows the launch of Microsoft’s enterprise-grade data centres in Johannesburg and Cape Town. SEACOM’s offering, available to business customers, will deliver direct, high-speed, dedicated and secure connectivity to the Microsoft data centres via resilient network connections from Kenya to South Africa. The SEACOM subsea cable, which connects Kenya to South Africa, offers a fibre express route that carries Terabytes of capacity with speeds from as low as 50 Mbps up to 10 Gbps.
SEACOM’s offering, available to business customers, will deliver direct, high-speed, dedicated and secure connectivity to the Microsoft data centres via resilient network connections from Kenya to South Africa. The SEACOM subsea cable, which connects Kenya to South Africa, offers a fibre express route that carries Terabytes of capacity with speeds from as low as 50 Mbps up to 10 Gbps.
In addition to this, SEACOM’s recent acquisition of FibreCo’s network allows it to extend this capability across South Africa and into the major data centres where cloud providers, such as Microsoft, have a presence.
Enable more Kenyan businesses to embrace the cloud and enhance digitisation
Ten years ago, Pan-African Internet provider SEACOM first brought its high-speed Internet connectivity directly to Africa, opening the continent to the technological advancements we enjoy today. In 2016, SEACOM upscaled its commitment to Africa, offering business customers high-speed, reliable Internet connectivity and cloud-based business solutions, without relying on middlemen.
Through years of experience with global cloud providers such as Microsoft, SEACOM has provided solutions to businesses that are considering cloud migration. One such example is the launch of the Azure ExpressRoute offering together with Microsoft, that allows SEACOM customers to extend their on-premises networks into the cloud without going over the public Internet. Until now, this solution had been limited to data centres outside of the African continent.
The opportunity for Kenyan businesses to leverage SEACOM’s ExpressRoute to connect directly and reliably to these Microsoft data centres will enable more Kenyan businesses to embrace the cloud and enhance digitisation.
For sales queries, please contact salesleads@seacom.mu.
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Motorway service area plans for M42 set to be heard by council
An artist’s impression of the proposed new Motorway Service Area for the M42.
Sarah Mason 27th Feb, 2019
TWO CONTROVERSIAL plans to build motorway service areas on the M42 through Solihull are finally set to be discussed by planning chiefs.
The proposals – which came up against fierce criticism from residents, Meriden MP Dame Caroline Spelman and Councillors – detail plans for a stop-off at junction 4 in Shirley or on land between Hampton-in-Arden and Catherine-de-Barnes.
Decisions on the applications, which were first submitted to the planning department in 2016 and 2015 respectively, have both been held off for several years.
Now a date has finally been fixed for the committee to debate the plans, with a special planning meeting being held on March 27.
The council had previously made clear that it would consider the separate proposals together.
Those against the plans either development would add to existing traffic problems in the area and destroy the local greenbelt land.
However both applicants argue there is a clear for a services along that stretch of motorway.
Extra MSA Group, who have applied to for the services on land near Hampton-in-Arden and Catherine-de-Barnes, said it would create up to 300 jobs with a bus service available for employees and build not only the services but also a hotel and a new access road.
Applegreen plc want to create an ‘environmentally responsible’ motorway services near Shirley with a new building and extensive landscaping.
A Solihull Council spokesperson said: “A special Planning Committee has been organised on March 27 to discuss two planning applications for motorway service areas in the borough. “Due to the complexity of the applications and that fact they need to be heard together so a decision can be made on both simultaneously, the chair of planning asked for a planning committee to be arranged solely to discuss the applications.
“This special planning committee will allow the applications to be discussed in full and given due consideration.”
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