pred_label
stringclasses 2
values | pred_label_prob
float64 0.5
1
| wiki_prob
float64 0.25
1
| text
stringlengths 167
1M
| source
stringlengths 39
45
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
__label__cc
| 0.677379
| 0.322621
|
Attack (April 2019)
GM Mihail Marin Not purchased
1. Introduction and Free Preview Free
2. The Necessity to Attack - Introduction Closed
3. Game 1 Closed
4. Premature Attacks - Introduction Closed
7. Building up an Attack - Introduction Closed
10. King in the Center - Introduction Closed
11. Game 1 Closed
13. From the Centre to the Kingside - Introduction Closed
16. Counterblow in the Center - Introduction Closed
19. Communication between Wings - Introduction Closed
22. Massive Attacks - Introduction Closed
25. Opposite Castles - Introduction Closed
28. Test Section 1 - Necessity to Attack Closed
29. Test Section 2 - Premature Attacks Closed
30. Test Section 3 - Building up an Attack Closed
31. Test Section 4 - King in the Center Closed
32. Test Section 5 - From the Center to the Kingside Closed
33. Test Section 6 - Counterblow in the Center Closed
34. Test Section 7 - Communication between the Wings Closed
35. Test Section 8 - Massive Attacks Closed
36. Test Section 9 - Opposite Castles Closed
Preview by the Author
The Necessity to Attack
The attack is one of the most traditional (and surely the oldest) winning methods. I have come across the opinion that due to the higher technical level, successful attacks are more rarely seen nowadays, but specialists used to say exactly the same in different historical periods. Chess is inexhaustible and its essence always remains the same. Returning to Vukovic's statement (mentioned in the article dedicated to tactics), attacking involves a high degree of commitment. If the opponent manages to defend, it is quite probable that some of the pieces we had transferred to the area of interest will remain misplaced. Things are even clearer when the attack is based on sacrifices. If the attacker does not deliver mate or retrieve the material, he will simply be lost. To understand the deep essence of an attack, we should also refer to other sports. The first coming up to my mind is handball. The team in control of the ball builds the attack systematically, but nothing would really work if there was not that moment of magic, allowing to catch the opponent's defence on the wrong foot.
Attacking is not only a luxury or whim that a talented and daring player can allow himself. As pointed out by Steinitz, the player having an advantage has the obligation to attack, as otherwise he would be doomed to lose his superiority or even get into a worse position.
I find the example below to be highly relevant to this aspect. But being faithful to the pattern initiated in the previous article, I first invite you to think over Black's next move in the current position.
Premature Attacks
We had a similar section in the previous database. Reformulating a bit and leaving the subjective elements (such as a player's style or mood on that specific day) aside, we can identify two main causes for launching a premature attack.
1) The player judges the position abstractly, arriving at the wrong conclusion that everything is prepared for a resolute attack, based on burning all bridges behind him. In such situations less obvious elements may slip from his attention, causing an incomplete understanding of the situation.
2) The player calculates a few main lines which work out well but fails to notice a possible early deviation by the opponent.
Building up an Attack
There are several possible scenarios leading to a promising attack for one of the players and we will investigate them in separate sections. We will start with those situations when the attack comes as a logical follow-up of the strategic phase. Obviously, one of the players is supposed to play a few inaccurate moves in order to land in trouble, but in this scenario, there are no tactical or "spectacular" mistakes. It is more about accumulating (or, if looked at from the other side, conceding) small advantages, resulting in a clear one.
King in the Center
The king's prolonged stay in the centre is maybe the clearest hint that the opponent should start a reckless attack. The fact that the king is more exposed in this area is only part of the truth. The lack of communication between rooks (and possibly other pieces) is no less important. If the opponent has better development, he is entitled to look for tactical or sacrificial ways to start his attack before the king escapes to one of the wings.
From the Center to the Kingside
One of the first things we learn in chess is that the centre has vital importance. A central pawn majority can result in creating a strong passed pawn while occupying the centre with pieces will most likely lead to stable domination. But from the perspective of our main theme, it is more important to illustrate how an advantage in the centre can be used for a sudden switch to a direct attack against the king. We will distinguish between two typical situations: the attacker has:
1) a central pawn majority
2) piece activity in the centre
In both cases, his better mobility allows him to develop the attack faster than the opponent can bring in defensive resources.
Counterblow in the Center
Continuing the discussion about the importance of the centre, we should refer to the very old rule: "An attack on the wing is best answered with a counterblow in the centre".
Such a counterblow can embrace two main forms, bearing some similarity with the categories mentioned in the previous section.
1) The opponent occupies the centre with pieces, which, due to their high mobility, can provide the king with adequate defence, while also putting pressure on our own position
2) The opponent destroys our seemingly strong pawn centre by means of piece sacrifices, allowing him to punish us if our attacking moves have been too committal
Communication between Wings
One of the most interesting situations arises when the attack has a global character, involving pieces situated on both wings. The typical scenario consists of a positional queenside attack culminating in a tactical blow on the kingside followed by a quick piece transfer from one wing to the other.
This section will focus on an element which is familiar to us already, namely attacks with the participation of all the pieces! I have designed a special section for it as such massive participation usually is a warranty for success.
There is a simple mathematical principle, once expressed by Kasparov. If you are attacking with, say, 7 pieces and the king is defended by, say, two pieces and two pawns, any sacrifice counts as an exchange. Before the sacrificial phase the fighting balance is 7 to 4, then becoming 6 to 3, 5 to 2 and so on, each time the modification favouring the attacker.
Opposite Castles
The mutual attacks with opposite castles, typical for several Sicilian systems, has for many decades been one of the most fascinating issues. With both kings in potential danger, the speed of action is essential, while all the elements examined before remain valid. In this section, we will discuss two games in which first White and then Black will find a smart way to add speed to their attacks.
In this section, you will find 29 interactive test positions which are organized in 9 subsections - The Necessity to Attack, Premature Attacks, Building up an Attack, King in the Centre, From the Centre, Counterblow in the Centre, Communication between Wings, Massive Attacks, and Opposite Castles.
Below I provide you with 5 interactive tests concerning the Necessity to attack.
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5154
|
__label__cc
| 0.530048
| 0.469952
|
Magazine / Newsletter
2/1/2013 | 2 MINUTE READ
Broadening the Board
New members round out the variety of business types, job functions, specialties and end markets represented, so the content we provide can be all the more relevant for you.
Christina M. Fuges
Editorial Director, MoldMaking Technology
2011-2012 Editorial Advisory Board: Introductions and Insights
Moldmaking Index Nears One-Year High
Do a Technology Risk Assessment to Protect Your Shop
Wayne Hertlein is a Program Manager for Wilbert Plastics Services—a supplier of plastics injection molding and heavy gauge thermoform products and assemblies based in Belmont, NC. His responsibilities include the program management of automotive plastics components and their assemblies. Previously, Wayne has served in several leadership roles with such companies as MMI Engineered Solutions (MMI), International Automotive Components (IAC), Collins and Aikman Global Tooling Company (C&A), Complete Prototype Services (CPS), Cardell Corporation, and others based in the Midwest. With more than 35 years in the plastics industry, Wayne has served in a variety of capacities on committees charged with advancing the plastics and tooling industries. More specifically, Wayne is an Honored Service Member and has been a member of SPE since 1981.
David Hirt is a Tooling Engineer for Ventra Plastics in Sandusky, Ohio—a molding/manufacturing plant specializing in Automotive Exterior Lighting. Dave holds a B.S. degree in Manufacturing Technology from Bowling Green State University; a journeyman`s card in Tool & Die, and has an A.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Terra Technical College.
Dan Mishek is the Managing Director and Co-Owner of Vista Technologies LLC (VistaTek)—a full-service custom U.S. manufacturer with in-house moldmaking, injection molding, inspection and secondary operations such as decoration, assembly and packaging—Ramsey, MN. He has been published numerous times in national publications and has presented around the world regarding manufacturing. Dan is a 3rd generation manufacturer, President of the SPE Upper Midwest Section 22, a proud member of the AMBA and has lobbied in Washington DC for the creation of jobs and education for a better skilled labor force.
Tim Peterson is Vice President at Industrial Molds Group in Rockford, IL—his family’s company. After graduating from high school, Tim began the moldmaking apprenticeship program for four years then went to work for Mold Design for eight years before returning to Industrial in 1992 as a toolmaker. After becoming lead toolmaker, he spent two years in the Quality Department. In 2006, he moved into the managerial side of the company. First as an account manager in sales to his present position as Vice President of the company. He is a board member of the AMBA.
Mike Walter is President of MET Plastics, Inc. in Elk Grove Village, IL— a custom mold builder and injection molder that specializes in low-volume molds and molding for the aerospace, medical, business equipment, and food service industries. Mike holds a B.S. degree in marketing and management from DePaul University and attended Northern Illinois University to study Plastics Technology. Mike is also an active member of the moldbuilding and plastics communities; he currently serves on the board of directors of the American Mold Builders Association (AMBA), is Secretary of the Chicago Chapter of the AMBA, and is Vice President of the Manufacturer's Association for Plastics Processors (MAPP).
ISO 9000 - Pt.15 Handling/Storage/Packaging/Preservation/Delivery
A Series of International Standards for Quality Management and Quality Assurance
The Cost of Machine Tool Ownership
How older technology will impede your business in a competitive global market and how to invest properly in moldmaking equipment.
Exploring ISO 9000 -Part 14 Corrective and Preventive Action
Listen to the MoldMaking Technology - Manufacturing Alliance Podcast
Find a MoldMaking Supplier
Subscribe to MoldMaking Technology Magazine
Hands-on Workshop Teaches Mold Maintenance Process
30 Under 30 Class of 2018: The New Face of Moldmaking
MMT Is Always Looking for our Next Leadtime Leader Award Winner
Browse MMT By Topic
Get MMT in Your Inbox
• Plastics Technology Magazine
• Modern Machine Shop Magazine
• American Mold Builders Assoc.
• NPE2018: The Plastics Show
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5156
|
__label__wiki
| 0.81215
| 0.81215
|
British, 1922–2011
https://www.moma.org/artists/2481?locale=en
Richard William Hamilton CH (24 February 1922 – 13 September 2011) was an English painter and collage artist. His 1955 exhibition Man, Machine and Motion (Hatton Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne) and his 1956 collage Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing?, produced for the This Is Tomorrow exhibition of the Independent Group in London, are considered by critics and historians to be among the earliest works of pop art. A major retrospective of his work was at Tate Modern until May 2014.
Perhaps best-known for his 1956 collage 'Just What Is It that Makes Today's Homes So Different, So Appealing?', often referred to as the first example of Pop art. Hamilton also acted as curator of a major retrospective of Marcel Duchamp's work at the Tate Gallery in 1966, and edited a typographic version of that artist's "Green Box." He worked in a wide variety of media and designed the cover of The Beatles' "white" album, released in 1968.
British, English
Artist, Curator, Etcher, Designer, Painter, Sculptor
Richard Hamilton, Richard William Hamilton
Thinking Machines: Art and Design in the Computer Age, 1959–1989
November 13, 2017–April 8, 2018
November 11, 2017–May 5, 2019
From the Collection: 1960–1969
Making Music Modern: Design for Ear and Eye
November 15, 2014–January 18, 2016
Cut ’n’ Paste: From Architectural Assemblage to Collage City
July 10, 2013–January 5, 2014
Richard Hamilton has
Adonis in Y Fronts
Glorious Techniculture
The Solomon R. Guggenheim
Study for The Solomon R. Guggenheim
The Solomon R. Guggenheim -- Architect's visual
My Marilyn
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Swingeing London 67
Swingeing London 1967 II
Various Artists, James Lee Byars, Su Braden, Walter De Maria, Richard Hamilton, Kasper König, Julien Levy, Sol Mednick, Irving Petlin, Nancy Reitkopf, La Monte Young, Marian Zazeela
A Postal Card - For Mother from S.M.S. No. 1
La Scala Milano
The Critic Laughs
The Beatles, Richard Hamilton
Swingeing London 67 (c)
Guggenheim (black)
I'm dreaming of a black Christmas
A Portrait of the Artist by Francis Bacon
Five Tyres remoulded (portfolio)
Picasso's Meninas from Homage to Picasso (Hommage à Picasso)
Dieter Roth, Richard Hamilton
Portrait of the Artist by Fr. B. by D. R. by R. H.
Study for A dedicated follower of fashion
Various Artists, Carl Andre, Joseph Beuys, Marinus Boezem, Christian Boltanski, Daniel Buren, Miguel-Ángel Cárdenas, Robin Crozier, Hans Eijkelboom, Pieter Engels, Ken Friedman, Ad Gerritsen, Wim Gijzen, Klaas Gubbels, Richard Hamilton, Dick Higgins, Robert Jacks, Tommy Mew, Mauricio Nannucci, Richard Nonas, Arnulf Rainer, Dieter Roth, Yves De Smet, Al Souza, Endre Tót, Timm Ulrichs, Woody van Amen, Geurt van Dijk, Ben Vautier, Wolf Vostell
The Archives: Art Information Centre Peter Van Beveren
Peter Blake, Richard Evans, Clive Barker, Brian Aris, Gavin Cochrane, Warner Bros. Records, Bill Jacklin, Tom Phillips, Colin Self, Richard Hamilton, Michael Andrews, Allen Jones, David Inshaw, David Hockney, R. B. Kitaj, Howard Hodgkin, Patrick Caulfield, Joe Tilson, Patrick Procktor, David Tindle
Album cover for The Who, Face Dances
In Horne's House
Untitled (Design for Collected Words)
Collected Words: de luxe portfolio
Hers is a lush situation (1957) from Collected Words: de luxe portfolio
$he (1958) from Collected Words: de luxe portfolio
Pin-up (1961) from Collected Words: de luxe portfolio
AAH! (1961) from Collected Words: de luxe portfolio
Towards a definitive statement on the coming trends in men's wear and accessories (b) (1962) from Collected Words: de luxe portfolio
Towards a definitive statement on the coming trends in men's wear and accessories (c) (1962) from Collected Words: de luxe portfolio
'AAH!' in perspective (1963) from Collected Words: de luxe portfolio
Hugh Gaitskell as a Famous Monster of Filmland (1963) from Collected Words: de luxe portfolio
Self-portrait (1965) from Collected Words: de luxe portfolio
Collected Words
Fin MacCool
The Transmogrifications of Bloom
In What Posture?
DS-101 Computer
How a Great Daily Organ is Turned Out
Portrait of Dieter Roth
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5157
|
__label__cc
| 0.721403
| 0.278597
|
THE LAND OF: CHAPTER THREE
The Land Of is a three part web-series that follows a diverse group of five surfers as they travel through Thailand, a place known more for its party scene than its surf culture, as they seek to find a sense of purpose and some sweet waves. They collaborated with non-profits and communities throughout their journey to distribute ‘Waves 4 Water’ filters, take part in the Bangkok Floor relief, lend a hand at Baan Santisuk orphanage and teach local groms how to catch waves – helping them to trust the ocean again post the 2006 tsunami.
The Land Of is a completely independent project, funded by those involved. This project leans on the power of creative collaboration – design from Matt Dampney, animation by Drew Meier and music provided by OXBLVD, Streets of Laredo, MT Warning, Jonny Higgins, Open Swimmer and Flood Coats. Directed by Stefan Hunt and cinematography by Campbell Brown.
Below is an exclusive of the third and final episode in the series.
Yesterday we caught up with Director Stefan Hunt to chat about the project.
What was the focus of the project and who was involved from the beginning?
It all came about when a friend told me about an orphanage in Thailand where the kids surf. I had no idea there were even waves there so was pretty drawn to the idea of discovering the coastline. After a heap of research I saw the potential for a fun surf trip and the opportunity to give back along the way so rounded up a crew and spent a month over there.
Yeah Thailand isn’t really known for it’s waves, you managed to score some fun sessions.
Haha yeah when we first arrived it’d been flat for months so I was freaking out. I remember looking at the ocean and thinking “how did I convince five surfers to come on a surf trip here?”. After about a week of flatness we scored some swell and had some of the funnest sessions with the locals.
Give me a run down on what happened during the trip.
We started in Phuket and headed north surfing our way up the west coast. When we hit Ranong (near the border of Burma) we jumped on a boat and checked out out a few islands. I’d organised to team up with a bunch of charities along the way as I really wanted that to be a focus of the project. We were able to help out at an orphanage, provide flood relief to Bangkok, distribute clean water filters with Waves for water and of course teach some grommies how to surf.
How did you go about assembling the crew to go on the trip? Who went along?
I hit up a pretty diverse group with the idea and they were all so responsive. Some were close mates but others were mutual friends so the first team meeting was like a big blind date. In the end everyone I asked paid their own way and came on the trip consisting of musicians, shapers, pro surfers, long boarders & film makers.
Societies with simple social structures seem to have an incredible sense of community. What did you learn about the people you met on your travels?
I think that idea has always drawn me to developing countries. The best surf communities I’ve come across have been in places like India and Mexico simply because of they’re stoked on riding waves and want to share that with you. Thailand was the exact same for me.
Any stories that didn’t make it into the film?
Yeah we had this reverse bartering match one day. It started when we went to buy buckets from this lady at the local markets but when she found out they were for installing water filters she refused to take our money. We were literally arguing with her trying to pay but she insisted that she help us help her country. We left with 10 buckets and later visited her with flowers. Mum was proud. There was also the lady boy who fell in love with Jack, the 17 year old grom.
How did you go selecting music, were artists happy to pitch in for the cause?
I think all the artists involved in this project (musicians, graphic designers, film-makers) were all happy to pitch in because they believed in the message behind this project.
In current digital landscape, we see a new surf vid pop up every 2 minutes. What were the biggest challenges you found producing an independent online series – from creation to broadcast?
Obviously funding an independent series is not an easy task but finding the motivation to finish it is the greatest challenge. Starting any project is always the most exciting feeling but slaving away in an edit room during your time off paid work takes a lot of determination. We actually filmed this back in 2011 so it’s had its fair share of challenges in completing it.
The Land Of… is this the beginning of an ongoing project?
For me any project with a sense of purpose is what gets me psyched. I love seeing artists use creativity to inspire change and that’s what I set out to achieve with The Land Of, to illustrate that no matter how big or small your actions are, making a difference is still a difference. A small action can grow into a big movement, the ripple effect kinda thing.
Do you have any other independent projects in the works?
Im off to Africa next week with a camera and some rolls of film. No real project in mind but that’s when good stuff happens.
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5162
|
__label__cc
| 0.678665
| 0.321335
|
You are here: Home / Movie News / Tragic News Spidey Fans – Dunst is MJ again
Tragic News Spidey Fans – Dunst is MJ again
June 8, 2009 By Jon Stephens 17 Comments
Since the release of Spiderman 3, the web has been buzzing about the franchise for the friendly neighborhood Spiderman. Would Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire return? Who would the villains be? Would we get to see more Gwen Stacy, or just be stuck with Kirsten Dunst’s MJ? Sam Raimi has indeed returned and is ready to start work on Spiderman 4. To me, that is the most important issue to deal with, and I am damn glad Raimi is coming back. The guy is now, and has always been, a freaking genius. He’s done wonders with the Spiderman franchise, and Spidey 3 only sucked because the studio forced Raimi to include a villain he had absolutely no desire to work with (Venom). Let’s face it: without Venom/Eddie Brock taking up screen time, there would be more character development allowed for Sandman and the conclusion of the “new Goblin” story line.
As of right now, Maguire has not been confirmed, but he had stated in the past that he would consider returning to the franchise IF Raimi agreed to return, so there is a possibility there. Villain rumors have been floating around the web in recent weeks, most notably discussions about the Lizard, Kraven the Hunter, and the vampire Morbius. Morbius has been brought up because of quotes from Raimi himself about how much he loves vampires. Personally, I always thought that quote was taken out of context, and when the NY Post sat down to talk about The Taking of Pelham 123 with producer Todd Black, Spidey 4 came up. He shot-down the Morbius rumors, and shared a few more tidbits about the project, including potential villain ideas and one little detail that left me screaming in agony – Kirsten Dunst is set to reprise her role as Mary Jane Watson, despite earlier reports that she was going to be replaced.
I’ve never been a fan of Kirsten Dunst, but that usually doesn’t mean I’d want to bash her. I don’t typically bash people that I don’t like. But her, she is different. I respect her attempts to play an iconic character, and I’m sure she didn’t intend for her interpretation to come across as shitty as it did, pardon my french. I absolutely loathed her in all 3 films. I didn’t think she looked like MJ, and I didn’t think she had the proper sass or attitude that the comic MJ always had, but that’s not why I couldn’t stand her. I thought she was overwhelmed by superior acting talent in all three films (which, in the case of Spidey 3, is a pretty sad statement) and she proved that she couldn’t act her way out of a paper bag. She’s a decent actress. Before the MJ role, I had no opinion of her either way, and she certainly hadn’t done any film that led me to believe she was talentless. But in the Spiderman franchise, she was horribly miscast and ended up being the glaring weakness in all three films. I really wish they would’ve recast her role.
Now, on to the villains… Black spoke about the villain potential for the next film, and while he didn’t come out and see definitively who would be facing Spiderman, he did give us a clue as to what we could possibly expect. Hey, it’s not much, but still slightly news-worthy. His thoughts: “We’re just coming up with who the villain’s going to be now. We’ll be shooting in New York again. Trust me, people will appreciate who we pick, because it’ll be a big part of New York,” and that “the villain will be one of Spidey’s foes from the comic, not a character invented for the film.”
Spidey has a large rogue's gallery to choose from
So what could that mean? The initial thought here is the Kingpin, but it’s likely that FOX still owns his rights from the whole Daredevil debacle. Kinda sad really, because Kingpin would’ve worked out great. There are still plenty of villains from Spidey’s massive rogues gallery that would work out perfectly. Second thought would be Tombstone, as the head of a major Mafia organization in the city, and if the need for another villain should arise, then perhaps Tombstone could “create” some super-powered thugs to handle most of the dirty work. If they are only thugs, then there would be little reason to show much of a back story, so inclusion of another villain in the story wouldn’t take too much away from screen time necessary for proper character development. Look at Spidey 2. Two villains, one being very minor, and the film was totally kick ass. IF that were the case, then there would be a large selection of secondary villains to choose from, like Shocker, Rhino, or Scorpion. All three would fit well in the Spiderman universe Raimi created, and they wouldn’t be too deep to add to a film with an established #1 villain. None of those guys were ever #1 material anyway.
There are all sorts of different things they could do with that very loose concept. I’m vaguely intrigued by the idea, though honestly I’d rather just see the Lizard and Kraven the hunter. It’s time for the Lizard, and the only other Spidey villain that would really fit in a story with the lizard is Kraven. Something along the lines of Connors having his “transformation” and terrorizing the city, and Kraven comes in to participate in a hunt unlike any other. It’d be perfect. I sincerely hope it works out that way, but I doubt it will. I guess as long as Raimi is involved, it will be interesting. If the studio can leave him alone to make the Spidey film HE wants to make, then it’s got a solid shot at being a damn good super hero movie. IF Kirsten Dunst seriously reconsiders how she will play MJ, maybe the character won’t suck so bad… There are a lot of ifs here, and I really don’t know what else to say about that.
So, your thoughts? Anyone have any suggestions for the possible villains or plot lines?
Filed Under: Movie News Tagged With: Kirsten Dunst, Sam Raimi, Spiderman
Sacha Baron Cohen back in court,...
The Hangover - Review
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5165
|
__label__wiki
| 0.555224
| 0.555224
|
MURDER MILE WALKS
"...the perfect stress-relief after a murderously hard day..."
MURDER MILE WALKS is a guided walk of Soho's most notorious murder cases, hailed as one of the best "quirky things to do in London", as well as "one of the top three themed walks in London" by Time Out
Contact Michael at Murder Mile Walks
Looking for something curious, unusual and fun to do with your colleagues? Murder Mile Walks offers a private tour of Soho's most notorious murder cases, at a date/time which best suits you. For more information, or to arrange a private tour, please fill in the contact form above, I'd love to hear from you.
Private Tours cost £150 for the first 10 people and then just £10pp after that. Previous clients include Bank Of America, CEA, National Schools Partnership and City of London Round Table. To read my full FIVE STAR reviews, click here.
With 12 MURDERERS over 15 LOCATIONS and 75 DEATHS, Murder Mile Walks is hailed as a "truly curious, quirky & unusual treat", wonderfully original and devilishly different guided walk of Soho's most infamous murders cases, which has garnered consistent FIVE STAR reviews.
"One of the Top Three Themed Walks in London" - Time Out
"Top 100 Quirky & Unusual Things To Do" - Curious London
"Definitely One of the Best Walks in London" - TripAdvisor
"Top 5 Unusual Things To Do in London" - Standard Issue
"Top 5 Best Valentine's Day Tours in London" - Secret London
"Top 10 Mother's Day Things To Do in London" - Time Out
Murder Mile Walks features such gripping cases as serial-killer Dennis Nilsen, The Blackout Ripper, Britain's most incompetent hangman William Calcraft, the Denmark Street fire, the mystery of The Soho Strangler and the truth about Jack the Ripper... to name but a few.
CUSTOMER REVIEW: "Totally blown away by the fun, fact filled, informative, highly professional tour! Michael is an amazing tour guide, very passionate and invested in the tour that he gives. I cannot speak highly enough of Murder Mile. Thank you for a wonderful, damp, blood soaked tour of Soho! - Steff & Tom ***** Five Stars (TripAdvisor)
Read all of Murder Mile Walks' five star reviews
WANT TO KNOW MORE? CLICK ME.
For the latest news, blogs and offers, follow us on Facebook & Twitter
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5167
|
__label__cc
| 0.740162
| 0.259838
|
Deregulate Taxi-Cab Medallion in the US
Taxi-Cab drivers are self-employed
Medallion is a Right not a privilege
Full Automobile Insurance Right
Economic & Social Justice
Antitrust Law Violation
Example of Major Problems
Interstate Commerce Aspect
New Proposal to Congress
IRS Tax
New Bill to Congress
Make Additional Gift
AATC Regions
States Taxi-Cab Association
Our Equipments
Security Equipments
Taxi-Cabs Meter
Eight Passengers Seats Hybrid Vehicles
Dental Tools
New Source of Revenue
Stronger Local Government
Record Old Meeting
Current Bill to Congress
Passenger Right
Cab Drivers Right
Call on Washington the Senate
Call on Washington
Call on Washington the House
New York City Style Taxi Medallion System Is Wrong, Illegal and Unconstitutional.
Our Hack license Number Should Be Our Taxi Occupational License Number.
Taxi occupational license is currently Known As Taxi For-Hire license or Taxi Medallion.
Hack license is the name of the professional license for cab drivers. It is like CDL license for a truck driver
or Bar license for an attorney.
Sing Up For News Letter
Deregulate Medallions
UBER - LYFT: A distraction
Download PDF to Congress
Drivers are Self-Employed
Medallion Is A Right
Economy & Social Justice
Driver & Passenger Rights
Proposal to Congress
Stop Taxi-Cab Abuse
Taxi and Limousine Commission
News about the Taxi and Limousine Commission. Commentary and archival information about the Taxi and Limousine Commission from The New York Times.
A Bailout for Taxi Drivers? The Mayor Says No, but Others Keep Pushing
Council members are battling with City Hall over how to...
Notorious Debt Collector in Taxi Industry Is Arrested
Anthony J. Medina, who was charged with pretending to be a...
Hidden Document Reveals N.Y. Was Warned of Looming Taxi Loan Crisis
In an emotional City Council hearing, lawmakers said New...
Facing Ruin, Taxi Drivers to Get $10 Million Break and Loan Safeguards
Lawmakers plan to investigate the city’s role in a crisis...
What Actually Happened to New York’s Taxi Drivers
As permit holders fell deep into debt, officials blamed...
Taxi Industry Leaders Got Rich. Drivers Paid the Price.
Tuesday: The New York Times found that thousands of...
Inquiries Into Reckless Loans to Taxi Drivers Ordered by State Attorney General and Mayor
The investigations come after The New York Times found...
As Thousands of Taxi Drivers Were Trapped in Loans, Top Officials Counted the Money
The government profited and looked away as thousands of...
‘They Were Conned’: How Reckless Loans Devastated a Generation of Taxi Drivers
Thousands of immigrants who were chasing the dream of...
Your Taxi or Uber Ride in Manhattan Will Soon Cost More
State court judge rules in favor of new fees that had been...
PROPOSED NEW SECTION OF LAW
P.S. Be advised that we no longer lobby this proposal. Please click on the module at the top "Current Campaigns" and "Current Bill To Congress". We keep the page in live because there are several sections that State and Local Jurisdiction can use in order to solve several problems in the taxi cab industry.Thank You.
49 USC Section 5340
(a) General findings.
(1) The United States of America shall maintain a strong economy.
(2) State budgets are suffering because of the growing number of housing units in foreclosure, the rise of unemployment and massive budget deficits;
(3) States are cutting funds hurting educational and health care systems as well as numerous social programs;
(4) Residents who are experiencing financial problems are increasingly not able to commute in urban areas;
(5) State and county governments are threatening to increase sale taxes and other taxes because of massive budget deficits;
(6) Residents and economically disadvantaged individuals are increasingly attempting to bargain for lower taxi fares and taxi operators are not able to bring their fares down due to their weekly taxi expenses.
(7) Immediate intervention is needed to address the concern and goals of USCS 49 Section 5301 (b) (2) (3) (4) (5) (7) (9), (c ),
(d), Section 5302 (a) (7) (10), Section 5501 (a) (b) in order to guarantee a better mass transportation system to all residents and stable economic growth.
(b) Therefore, as provided in USCS 49 Section 5302 (a) (7) (10) the definition of “mass transportation” shall be amended to include: “Taxi-cab”
(c ) Taxi cab drivers’ rightsTaxi cab drivers shall have the rights to:
(1) Pick up and drop off passengers anywhere in the county where their vehicle has been licensed to operate without restriction;
.(2) Drop off anywhere in the country upon agreement with the passengers but cannot pick up passengers outside of the licensing county unless it is a “come-back passenger” / “continuation” or there is a crisis/act of God within their own or neighboring county such as:
(A) Hurricane
(B) Earthquake
(C) Shortage of fuel
(D) Flood
(E) Storm
(F) Tornado
(G) Terrorist act(d) General Provisions
(1) To prevent bribery, distribution of medallions through a lottery system is prohibited.
(2) Any holder of a valid taxi operator’s license of a mass transportation vehicle having at least five years experience prior to September 27, 2009 or on the date this law get approved by congress and willing to own a medallion; shall not denied that request for any reason. Such request must be approved upon payment in full of the value of the medallion as provided in the county code within 300 days . The local government shall use the capital amount of money raised from the sale of medallions to finance their school system, health care system, and other social programs.
(3) If the mass transportation vehicle uses a clean fuel formula as prescribed in 49 USCS Section 5308 (a) (1) (A) the county must give a 40% discount from the regular price of the medallion. In addition, another 10% shall be given if the same vehicle is wheelchair accessible.
(4) In the event a medallion holder dies, his/her heirs shall have up to six months to sell the medallion to a qualified taxi operator, but after that period, the county shall have the power to repossess the medallion if it is not sold to a qualified operator non-medallion holder.
(5) In the county where the medallion has high monetary value, If a person is authorized to operate a mass transportation vehicle “taxi cab”, the county government shall have the power to lease one medallion to the operator for the first five years upon the taxi operator and county agreeing to a monthly or yearly payment arrangement. Payment shall be made to the local government of the county not to exceed $10,000.00 a year of which half shall fund the school board and the other shall fund the health care system of the county. After that period of time, five years, the operator automatically owns the medallion.
(6) A licensee has the right to lease directly from the county or a mass transportation company or a medallion holder.
(7) All medallion holders shall pay a yearly renewable fees not to exceed $600.00 in which $200.00 or one third (1/3) shall fund the school board in order to promote tutoring, after school programs and other programs, $200.00 or one third (1/3) shall fund the health care system in order to help taxi operators, their relatives, and residents with medical bills; and the other $200.00 or one third (1/3) shall go to the county general fund.
(8) Any medallion holder may choose not to renew his or her medallion, upon informing the county authority in writing, if he or she is going to spend a year or more out of the public transportation business or not planning to lease the medallion to:
(A) A qualified licensee or operator of a mass transportation vehicle, or
(B) A mass transportation commercial institution.
(9) Requirements to own a medallion are:
(A) Have a valid taxi operator’s license during the five years preceding the application date, and
(B) Payment in full of the value provided in the county code.
(10) All mass transportation vehicles “taxi cab” shall be equipped with a global positioning system “GPS”, an electronic taximeter with printing capability and at least two child safety seats for children five years old and under.
(11) It shall be unlawful for commercial vehicles and any other type of vehicles except taxi cabs, county and city buses to pick up fares at the airport unless it is a prearranged fare twenty-four (24) hours in advance . If a right that is contrary to this section of the code has been previously given to a commercial vehicle carrier or any other type of carriers which usually charged passengers flat rate price per individual, this right shall only be allowed when there is an economically disadvantaged individual struggling for low rate, and the total fare is much lower than the price offer by mass transportation vehicle “taxi cab“. Unless otherwise requested by the traveler, if it is two passengers going to the same address, they should ride on a mass transportation vehicle “taxi cab” as the cost of the trip for two passengers almost always beats the price available by a commercial and other type of vehicle. In general, mass transportation vehicle “taxi cab” has no waiting time after the passenger finishes boarding the vehicle. Their trips are fast and quick.
(A) Passengers have the right to know the best price available for their destination including waiting time, cost and traveling time.
(12) All airports and seaports shall clearly display on a comparable chart an estimation of:
(A) Waiting time;
(B) Traveling time;
(C ) Price
From the port to each zone of the county between mass transportation vehicle “taxi cab”, allowable commercial vehicle “shuttle” if any, city or county bus.
Travelers have the right to know the best available fare for their trip.
(e) Special Provision
(1) Current medallion owners who do not wish to keep their medallion have until December 31, 2009 or three months from the date this law get approve by congress in order to inform county government their intention to sell it to a new operator licensee at the market value.
(2) On October 1, 2009 or after three months from the date this law get approved by congress county government must inform their residents the quantity of medallions which are available to sell by advertising on the local newspaper. The medallion’s number, the owner’s name and address shall be available.
(3) Before proceeding to provision in paragraph (d) (5), county government shall encourage new operators and those who do not fully satisfy section (d) (9) of the code to repurchase the medallion in special provision (e) (2) at the market value. Five years experience is not required.
(4) The market value is the average sale price of the previous eight years. Each county shall examine their public record to find out the quantity of medallions sold in the year 2000. The sale prices for all medallions sold that year shall be totaled off and divided by the total number of medallions sold that year in order to determine the annual average value for the year. Repeat the same process for all subsequent years.
Total the annual average value found for the last eight years and divide it by eight, to determine the market value of the medallion for that county.
(5) After all medallions reported on October 1, 2009 by county government are sold out, no one shall be eligible to own a medallion without having a valid operator license and having been in the mass transportation business for five years.
(6) Under section 5310 and other sections of the code, county and state government shall help operators of mass transportation vehicle to obtain finance for their medallion and their vehicle at a low interest rate not to exceed 8% per annum regardless of credit score. Financing can also be done through a private financial institution or Small Business Administration (SBA loan).
(7) Once all taxi operators stated in provision (d) (2) put their medallions and their vehicle in service or ninety days after this law get approved whatever comes first, county authority shall immediately hold a public meeting with all licensees in order to:
(A) Review and amend all the chapters of the county code pertaining to transportation.
(B) Reduce the meter fares and all flat rate zones from 10% to 30% upon agreement of all parties.
(8) International airports and seaports shall provide a taxi lot or stand which should be able to hold at least 1,500 taxi cabs. They must be opened to any taxi cab of their county in order to pick up passengers, regardless of their company affiliation.
(9) To prevent selling of taxi cab fares by valets, managers and owners of motel, hotels, condo, restaurants, apartments complex, public places and places with high demand for taxi cab:
(A) The front including all entrance and exit facing a public road of all hotels, motels, restaurants; apartments complex, condo, any non-public and public places with high demand for taxi cab shall equipped with a green or blue light flashing or non- flashing with the word “TAXI” in order to warn taxi drivers that there is a prospective customer ready for pick up.
(B) The light shall turn on, once the passenger is ready and stay on
while waiting.
(C ) The passenger shall be available for pick up by the first vehicle arriving on the premise if the institution has no taxi cab stand.
(D) Unless otherwise requested by the passenger, the rule of first in first out must be observed if the institution has a taxi cab stand.
(E) The light shall turn off, once the vehicle left the premise with the passenger.
(F) Failure to turn the light on by the valets in time and those providing assistance to the passengers shall constitute a violation of the law and shall be subjected to fine by any law and code enforcement officers.
(G) The switch of the light shall, also, be accessible to turn on by the passenger.
(H) Anyone witnesses by any law or code enforcement officers buying or selling taxi cab fares, both the giver and the receiver shall receive a citation for $500.00 each if it is their first offense.
1) For second and more offenses, at the discretion of the court additional penalty or subsection (i) (6) shall be applied.
2) If a fellow driver, a group of driver, an association or an organization is obligated to bring a law suit subsection (i) (6) of this code shall be applied if defendant lost.
(I) When a taxi-cab driver picks up a passenger in a flat rate or fixed rate zone to another flat rate or fixed rate zone, if there is a continuance outside or inside that same zone, the taxi-cab driver has the right to charge an additional meter fare whatever the distance traveled.
(J) If a taxi-cab driver picks up a passenger in a flat rate or fixed rate zone to another flat rate or fixed rate zone, if the passenger decide to make a stop on the way before the final destination for any reason, the driver has the right to impose a meter fare.
(K) Assaulting, attacking, robbing and killing a taxi-cab driver in the line of duty is a criminal offense punishable from twenty- five years to life. Where state law provides a harsher sentence, it should apply at the discretion of the court.
(L) Taxi-cab drivers shall have basic knowledge about searching the world-wide web and be able to maintain an e-mail account for continuing education.(f) Governance
In each county, there shall exist a separate institution in order to regulate land transportation with the following power to:
(1) Oversee any works archived by airport and seaport code and law enforcement officer pertaining to mass and public transportation.
(2) Put unsafe vehicles out of service.
(3) Handle complaints of any kind which pertain to charter and shuttle service, mass and public transportation including those happening in airport and seaport.
(A) Any unresolved problem including violation of US code, national transportation policy and unconstitutional ordinance, code or statutes shall be addressed to the appropriate federal transit administration offices or federal surface transportation board or a court of law.
(4) Prepare new proposal for future code or ordinance to the board of county commissionaire concerning the operation of mass and public transportation as well as charter and shuttle service. A copy of such proposal shall distribute to each institution, association and organization of that county which involve in transportation at least thirty days before and after approval.
(5) Create new taxi-cab stand as needed, upon requested by residents, associations and organizations of such county.
(6) Regulate taxi-cab lease, daily rent, twelve hours rent, and the taxi-cab fare with the approval of the governing board of the county.
(A) Two types of lease shall be considered.
(i). Full lease which include vehicle, medallion
and insurance.
(ii) Partial lease, which include the taxi-cab Medallion without vehicle, with or without
(B) Daily rent and twelve hours rent are for drivers who
because of their full time jobs or other activities occasionally drive a taxi-cab and are not willing to sign a
leasing agreement.(g) Safety
(1) For the safety of the driver and the passengers, any operator of a mass transportation vehicle has the right to install a surveillance video camera to monitor inside and outside of the vehicle. No one has the right to get access to the content of the tape without the full approval of the operator.
(2) Operators of mass transportation vehicles “taxi cab drivers” may choose to have a bullet-proof cabin which separates the passengers and the chauffeur for safety purposes.
(3) The outside of the vehicle shall be equipped with two dark mauve lights, one in front and the other in the rear in order to warn law enforcement, pedestrians and operators of other vehicles that there is an emergency situation inside the vehicle.(h) REMEDY
(1) Taxi operators who are accused of violating any law or ordinance related to the operation of taxi cab shall have the right to contest the accusation in a court of law, and be accorded the same due process rights as exist for accused traffic law violators. No special court shall exist to provide those hearings.
(2) To complain of discrimination problems, abuse of power, losing business involuntarily because of fault or misconduct of an authority, taxi operators or mass transportation operators shall follow the same procedure prescribed in 49 USCS 5332 et seq. in order to protect their rights.
(i) RESERVE
(1) State and county government shall not put additional forms of transportation in Airports and Seaports in competition with mass transportation vehicles “taxicab” because their prices and their charges are regulated by county government. Taxi cabs are the experts in airport and seaport. They are the heart of mass and public transportation. Their trips are fast and quick. They have no waiting time once the passengers finish to board the vehicle.
(2) In locations such as airports and seaports, where mass transportation vehicles “taxi cabs” are operated, commercial motor vehicles and all other type of vehicles shall pick up only prearranged fares twenty- four (24) hours in advance for sightseeing, airport or hotel or a specific place. Where there is a need to serve economically disadvantaged individuals, city and county busses shall have bus stops in those areas in order to fulfill those needs.
(3) Taxi operator license or hack license or chauffeur license is renewable every six years. It shall not have at any times, any strings, restrictions or endorsements attach to it.
(4) Taxi operators or operators of mass transportation vehicle are considered to be self employed.
(5) Cash payment shall be the regular form of payment for all taxi fares. However, upon agreement and at the driver options. Passengers could pay with money order, checks or credit cards.
(6) A civil penalty of $500.00 per passenger pick up but not to exceed $2,500.00 per occurrence and a fine from $5000.00 to 10,000.00, plus court cost and attorney fees shall be paid by a commercial motor vehicles, transportation vehicles, school bus, charter bus, sightseeing, intercity bus transportation or intercity passenger rail transportation provided by entity described in chapter 243 [49 USCS 24301 et seq.] (or a successor to such entity) which provide illegal mass transportation service.
(7) The following requirements for a vehicle to be used as taxicab are:
(A) The vehicle must have seats including seat belt for no more than eight passengers including the driver.
(B) It shall not be no more than eight years old.(j) INSURANCE
(1) Operator of mass transportation vehicle are encouraged to group under the umbrella of a company engaged in public transportation business in order to obtain low cost insurance for their vehicle, dispatching service, and other support.
(2) Any institution is eligible to sell insurance to operator of mass transportation vehicle upon having a deposit of $1,000,000.00 in bonds at the secretary of state’s office of their respective state.
(3) Each state shall set a maximum limit of liability coverage per vehicle.
(4) The medallion and its vehicle are free from any liens and cannot be a part of compensation in any personal injury and civil lawsuit.(k) Medallion and non-medallion system
(1) County residents shall have the right to select a medallion or non-medallion system in order to keep the taxicab fares more affordable to all commuters. In order to switch from one system to another:
(A) Should the governing board of the county reject the switch, then they must call a referendum upon request by a minimum of 2.0% of registered voters required by the county.
(B) More than 50% of the voters shall approve the system in order for the switch to take effect.
( C ) In a non-medallion system, a vehicle for hire license with a valid identification number shall issue to the driver after completing his hack or operator or chauffeur license if the driver willing to have it.
(D) In a non-medallion system, the owner of a vehicle for hire license prescribed in 49 USCS 5340 (k) (1) ( C) shall return the vehicle for hire license to county authority if he or she definitely stopped to be in mass and public transportation business.
(E) Whatever the system in effect in a county, 49 USCS 5340 (d) (7) (10); (j) (1) shall be respected.
(F) Whenever any county has sufficient taxicab operators, county authority shall stop issuing new taxicab operator licenses and close the new operator license exam by displaying on its website and in its office: “New Taxicab operator license exam is closed indefinitely”. However, active and former cab drivers shall have the right to renew their operator license as needed. Once there is need for new drivers, county authority shall resume all new taxicab operator license exams.
(2) For the next twenty years, new medallion and non-medallion owner shall put in service a well equipped hybrid or clean fuel formula vehicle for hire in service for the public with:
(A) Eight passenger seats including the driver.
(B) An EPA estimated fuel economy minimum of 22
miles per gallon highway and 21 miles per gallon city.
( C) Three child safety seats, preferable all in one for children five years old and under.
(D) Wheel chair accessible preferable front seat.
Copyright © 2013 AATC |
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5171
|
__label__wiki
| 0.840836
| 0.840836
|
When deputies with the Volusia County Sheriff's Office arrived in a Deltona home, they found two women and a man with gunshot wounds. (Spectrum News 13)
Deputies ID Man, 2 Women Killed in Double Murder-Suicide
By Anthony Leone Volusia County
PUBLISHED 4:43 AM ET Jul. 10, 2019 PUBLISHED 4:43 AM EDT Jul. 10, 2019 UPDATED 12:56 PM ET Jul. 10, 2019
DELTONA, Fla. — A man upset he was going to be evicted shot and killed his live-in girlfriend and her adult daughter, then turned the gun on himself, Volusia County Sheriff's investigators say.
Nancy Russo Eads, Lisa Ferraro found dead in home
Deputies say Eads' boyfriend shot them, then killed himself
Investigators say boyfriend was upset he was being evicted
RELATED: Recognizing the Signs of Suicide, When to Seek Help
During a news conference early Wednesday morning, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said that Nancy Russo Eads, 56, and Lisa Ferraro, 32, were killed Tuesday evening by the 58-year-old boyfriend before killing himself.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Sheriff's Office released the identity of the boyfriend as Richard Murray.
Just after 9:30 p.m., deputies responded to a home on the 600 block of Nardello Drive after getting a call from Ferraro's husband, who said he hadn't heard from his wife for several hours.
When deputies got there, they found two women and a man with gunshot wounds.
A note left behind by Murray said the women were discussing how to legally evict him, Chitwood said. In the note, Murray also allegedly apologized to his adult sons about what he did.
Both Murray and Eads had lived in Deltona for 12 years, and the Sheriff's Office had not previously responded to the home over a domestic violence call, Chitwood said.
Murray did have a criminal record in three states — New York, New Jersey and Virginia — in the early 1980s and 1990s. He may have had a gun charge that was pleaded down to a misdemeanor, said Chitwood, but he said Murray otherwise didn't have an extensive criminal history.
Chitwood called the shooting "senseless."
"I can't imagine how your family will feel. Again, senseless, senseless violence that makes no rhyme or reason. Relationships end all the time, (but) do they have to end with bullets in somebody's head?" he asked.
"Domestic abuse is an extremely unreported crime," Chitwood said, saying most people do not want to admit to it and call law enforcement. "People don't want to tell people outside of the family, 'Hey, I'm scared to death for my life in this relationship.'"
Chitwood said there have been six suicides for far this month in Volusia County, four of them by gunshots.
Crime scene tape still up around a Deltona home where 3 people were found dead last night in an apparent murder-suicide. Latest on @MyNews13. pic.twitter.com/1sFjeR8RU3
— Jerry Hume (@JerryHume) July 10, 2019
 
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5175
|
__label__cc
| 0.548482
| 0.451518
|
University of Kentucky wins grants to study decision-making processes behind drug use disorders
Reviewed by Kate Anderton, B.Sc. (Editor)Jul 11 2019
Faculty from the University of Kentucky Department of Psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Behavioral Science in the College of Medicine have received two, five-year Research Project Grants (R01) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study neurobehavioral processes involved in drug use disorders.
The first project, which addresses cocaine use disorder, totals over $3 million. The second project addresses opioid use disorder and totals over $3.1 million.
The multiple principal investigators (PI) include Joshua Beckmann, associate professor of psychology; Joshua Lile, professor of behavioral science; and Michael Wesley, assistant professor of behavioral science and director of the UK Neurobehavioral Systems Lab. The three PIs also have joint appointments in the College of Arts and Sciences' neuroscience program.
Cocaine and opioid use disorders are characterized by ongoing decisions to pursue and use drugs over other available activities and goods. However, the decision-making processes that underlie the choice to use these drugs is not well understood. To determine why and how a decision is made, it is necessary to replicate dynamic, real-life environments in which the outcome of decisions is uncertain. But according to Beckmann, research to date is predicated upon testing conditions that minimize the complexity of the context in which these choices occur, and consequently, the decision-making processes.
Existing literature tells us that choice is dynamic and largely context-dependent. Thus, in order to better understand how decision-making and choice contribute to substance use disorder, we are developing and utilizing multidisciplinary tools to represent and capture the dynamics of drug use decisions and associated processes."
Joshua Beckmann, associate professor of psychology, University of Kentucky
By using a technique known as probabilistic reinforcement learning choice procedure, along with computational data modeling and neuroimaging/neuromodulation/neurorecording techniques, the researchers will reveal neurobehavioral processes underlying suboptimal choice.
And while the projects have a similar theoretical basis and use overlapping methodologies, the researchers noted the two will involve some important differences. Specifically, the cocaine use disorder project will use established interventions, such as agonist replacement medication and large financial alternatives, to examine mechanisms by which behavior is reallocated away from cocaine use. The opioid use disorder project is more focused on how withdrawal drives continued opioid use.
AMSBIO offers new, best-in-class CAR-T cell range for research and immunotherapy
Schwann cells capable of generating protective myelin over nerves finds research
It is okay for women with lupus to get pregnant with proper care, says new study
"Modeling drug-use decisions under more real-world conditions is important because decision-making in dynamic, uncertain environments has been shown to alter the value of competing choice options, and requires continuous updating of option values, which engages neurobehavioral processes that might be functioning abnormally in substance use disorder," Lile said.
The team emphasized that substance use disorder is highly complex, and the field should strive to continuously adapt its laboratory procedures to more accurately model the features of the condition.
"We believe that our approach is a valuable step forward that will improve our understanding of drug-use decisions and advance the development of improved treatments," Lile said.
According to Wesley, the projects are in line with both national and university initiatives to enhance translational and team science.
"These projects integrate our expertise in advanced and diverse methodologies applied simultaneously to preclinical and clinical research, which should minimize the time between scientific discovery and clinical benefit," he said. "By working together, we offer a better return on investment compared to more typical and diffuse operations. Our coordinated scientific efforts represent an agile, efficient and innovative approach to quantifying the dynamic nature of decision-making and choice in substance use disorder."
"Years of research suggest that substance use disorder is a multifaceted condition; as such, our multidisciplinary approach aims to better understand the multiple facets of substance use disorder and how they interact, with the hope of developing improved treatment strategies," Beckmann said.
Posted in: Medical Research News | Medical Condition News
Tags: Drugs, Laboratory, Medicine, Neuroimaging, Neuromodulation, Neuroscience, Preclinical, Psychology, Research, Research Project, Substance Use Disorder
Scientists develop universal FACS-based approach to heterogenous cell sorting, propelling organoid research
Revolutionary cancer drugs that target any tumor to be fast-tracked into hospitals by NHS
Olympus Europe and Cytosurge join hands to accelerate drug development, single cell research
AXT enhances cellular research product portfolio with solutions from StemBioSys
TAU's new Translational Medical Research Center acquires MILabs' VECTor PET/SPECT/CT
Artificial DNA can help release active ingredients from drugs in sequence
Complement system shown to remove dead cells in retinitis pigmentosa, contradicting previous research
Personalizing Nutritional Medicine With the Power of NMR
Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare
Research sheds light on sun-induced DNA damage and repair
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5182
|
__label__wiki
| 0.982905
| 0.982905
|
Hunger Strike to Protest Against Targeting of Dalit Activists During Bharat Bandh, Says Bhim Army Chief
Kerala Student's Eardrum Ruptures After Being Slapped by Seniors Outside College, Six Booked
Azad has been in jail for the last nine months in connection with last year's Saharanpur riots.
Uday Singh Rana | News18.com @UdaySRana
File photo of supporters of Bhim Army chief holding his picture during a protest rally in New Delhi.
Saharanpur: In the aftermath of the nation-wide protests by Dalits against the alleged dilution of the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) ACT, Dalit activists are claiming they are being unfairly targeted by the police, especially in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
To protest against these alleged atrocities, Bhim Army founder Chandrashekhar Azad Raavan will launch an indefinite hunger strike from Saharanpur district jail, where he is currently lodged.
"The Dalit community came out onto the streets to fight for their rights. The Constitution, which was framed by Baba Saheb Ambedkar, gives us that right. Yes, it is true that there was violence in some parts during the protests, but Dalits were the worst victims of it. Most people who died in these protests were Dalits. Since then, the police in UP and Uttarakhand have intensified their campaign against Dalits and Bhim Army activists," said Kamal Walia, Bhim Army's Saharanpur district chief and close confidant of Chandrashekhar.
Walia, who spent eight months with Azad in prison, added, "Scores of boys are being picked up in all districts of western UP, where Bhim Army is active. They are being picked up without any evidence against them. In Uttarakhand, even Dalit policemen are being looked at with suspicion. This is an unprecedented attack on Dalits and to protest this, Bhim Army founder Chandrashekhar Azad Raavan will launch a hunger strike against the BJP governments in these states and the Centre. Unless the activists, who have been unfairly held, are released, he will not end his fast."
Vinay Ratan Singh, Bhim Army's acting president, said, "We have recieved input from fellow Bahujan activists that RSS men infiltrated our protests on April 2. They instigated violence in different parts of the country so that our peaceful movement gets blamed."
Bhim Army and its founder Chandrashekhar shot to national prominence last year after a caste conflict broke out in Western UP’s Saharanpur district.
The Bhim Army, in protest against alleged atrocities on Dalits, had called for a Mahapanchayat in Saharanpur on May 9, 2017.
While the police denied permission for the public meeting, invitations had already gone out on social media. Hundreds had started making their way to the venue of the meeting when things turned sour.
Supporters of the Bhim Army clashed with the police, following which Chandrashekhar was booked by the police.
A month later, he was arrested by a team of UP Police in Himachal Pradesh’s Dalhousie. Chandrashekhar was booked by the UP Government under the stringent National Security Act (NSA) and has been lodged in jail ever since.
bhim army chief
Chandrashekhar Azad on hunger strike
SC/ST Act Protests
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5183
|
__label__wiki
| 0.939299
| 0.939299
|
Jacksonville Fire Department crews battle large apartment fire
Mom charged with murder after boy found unconscious in her lap dies
AP photo/Matthew Hinton
Tropical Storm Barry begins lashing Louisiana coast
Barry expected to become hurricane before hitting Louisiana
Foul play suspected in discovery of human remains in wooded area
Sheriff: Teen bitten by shark while vacationing on Amelia Island
Mom in tainted tongue depressor case told to stay off social media
Bicyclist hospitalized after hit-and-run near Brunswick
Man sentenced to 40 years for 2014 murder of 14-year-old
Parents say deadly shootings highlight dangers at some city parks
Families concerned about young adults taking over parks in evenings
By Jim Piggott - Reporter, Francine Frazier - Senior web producer
Posted: 4:54 PM, February 15, 2019 Updated: 6:54 PM, February 15, 2019
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Recent deadly shootings at city parks in Jacksonville have some parents crying foul, saying the parks are no longer safe places for their families in the evenings.
They say the parks are being hijacked by rowdy young adults later in the day.
But the chair of a task force looking into violent crime in Jacksonville told the I-TEAM that the city has to be careful not to place undue burdens on citizens with knee-jerk reactions meant to address crime.
“The thing we have to be careful about is doing something (just) to say we have done something,” Mark Griffin said. “I am afraid that a curfew and things like that sound good, but they impact the wrong people.”
In November, 20-year-old Lamonte Dabney was shot and killed at a playground near Spring Park Elementary School around 1:20 p.m. as children played nearby. The next month, 23-year-old Devontay Youmans was fatally shot at Yancey Park in Northwest Jacksonville, according to police.
And Thursday night, a 14-year-old and a 24-year-old father were fatally wounded and two other men were shot at another Northwest Jacksonville park.
According to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office crime-mapping tool, in the last six months, more than 350 violent incidents, including assaults, homicides and weapon-related incidents, have been reported at just 10 Jacksonville parks. Of those, Clanzel T. Brown Park had the most incidents -- with 95.
JUMP to Interactive Map highlighting incidents at 10 city parks
Javar Priester, who was playing catch with his son Friday, said he feels safe at Yancey Park during the day, even though 11 incidents of violence have been reported there in the last six months. But he admitted it could be better, especially at night.
“I think there could be more police in the neighborhood at night. I really don’t see any policemen in the street unless there is something happening,” Priester said.
The I-TEAM asked to meet with the head of Jacksonville's parks department to talk about crime in the parks, but he has not responded to our request. Most of the city's parks close at sunset, but News4Jax was interested to know how that rule is enforced.
In the past, the city has said violence at parks is an issue for the Sheriff's Office to respond to.
Statistics on violence reported at 10 Jacksonville parks
Click on an icon to see statistics for that park:
Here's what we know about Tropical Storm Barry
Here's how storms and hurricanes get their memorable names
Tropical Storm Barry gets closer to landfall in Louisiana
Reward offered after Fla. dolphin fatally speared in head
Prosecutors say Epstein paid $350,000 to potential witnesses in case
Copyright (c) 2018 CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Moncrief barbershop needs your help collecting school supplies
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5184
|
__label__wiki
| 0.840371
| 0.840371
|
Why Marcus Rashford is taken for granted by England and Manchester United
Marcus Rashford is the deadliest striker in the English premier league right now and probably the most important teenage footballer in the world! Manchester United and England are very lucky to have such a gem.But isn't it funny how life can change its course over such minute incidents?
Had another Manchester striker,Will Keane not sustained a long injury that kept it out of the team,Rashford would probably still remain an unknown content with banging in the goals for Manchester United's reserve side.That terrible injury kept Keane who was next in line out and coach Loius Van Gaal was forced to play Rashford cos he was short of strikers.And Boom! The teenager took his chance with 2 goals on his debut in the Europa
league and since then has scored on every major debut.Scored on his premier league debut,scored on his full England debut,and now the famous hatrick for the England U21 team.
How must Will KEANE FEEL TODAY?I bet he thinks to himself that could have been me.But hey,such is life,you miss a bus and someone else gets on.Marcus Rashford sure is enjoying his ride in the dizzy heaights of the football world.
Lets take a look at Paul Wilson's write up in the Guardian.I agree with most of what he says,but not all..I will get to that later,but meanwhile,here is what Paul thinks about the current golden boy of English football.
The young man can do no wrong at the moment. Debate may rage among the managers in charge of the various aspects of his rapidly developing career over his readiness for international football or the likelihood of his supplanting Wayne Rooney or Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the near future at Manchester United, but as long as he is scoring goals a striker is always in the right.
Marcus Rashford hat trick.The teenager’s response to being sidelined at United was to come on as substitute and score a late winner at Hull. Left out of Sam Allardyce’s first England squad a week ago, he dropped into the under-21s and rather splendidly bagged a hat-trick against Norway on Tuesday, not only impressing the watching England manager in a 6-1 victory but gently reminding Gareth Southgate – who had reservations towards the end of last season – that he is mature enough to deal with any situation that comes along and is far from being overawed by the “exposure” involved in playing in front of a crowd of 8,454 in Colchester.
Already there are people screaming that Southgate is not fit for purpose if he cannot recognise ability when he sees it, as well as pointing the finger at Allardyce for not being adventurous enough to include a rising star in his squad. Though it is less easy to ridicule José Mourinho over his team selections there is a certain amount of disquiet at Old Trafford that a bone fide home-grown talent is losing game time.
These are legitimate concerns, yet none of it really matters as long as Rashford keeps on finding the net. United couldn’t win the game at Hull without him, could they? Then he came on and suddenly a frustrating evening turned into three points. Mourinho probably did not get where he is today by ignoring that sort of thing. All Rashford needs to do is carry on and, unless the United front line responds to the challenge from its own bench by upping the goal rate so that substitutes find it hard to get a look in, everything should work out fine.
Faced with a choice between dropping his captain, one of his statement signings in Ibrahimovic or an 18-year-old prodigy with plenty of time on his side, Mourinho made a smart choice. Let the youngster watch and learn. If the two first-choice front men hit it off and win matches for United, Rashford will have plenty to learn from. What 18-year-old would not want to be in a position to take advantage of the advice and experience Rooney and Ibrahimovic have to offer?
If, on the other hand, two strikers in their 30s struggle to make an impression on opposing defences, what better option to have on the bench than a confident teenager anxious to make the most of every opportunity? Mourinho is in a win-win situation, precisely because Rashford has so much time on his side. The Portuguese’s record on promoting youth players may be questionable, and perhaps something of a sore point considering the lengths to which he recently went in a flawed attempt to defend himself, but he is not about to turn his back on a match-winner. The pressure is on the older players to justify their inclusion ahead of a talent such as Rashford.
While Ibrahimovic is older than Rooney, it may be the captain who has most to prove, particularly as Mourinho went out of his way to insist he sees him as a striker and will have no truck with roving briefs in midfield. United now have Paul Pogba to perform that function in any case. Mourinho has granted Rooney his wish, to be played in a forward position and now it is up to the player to show he can still score or make goals (as he did for Rashford at Hull, in fairness). If Rooney can, even his many critics must accept that Rashford must learn to be patient. If Rooney cannot, Rashford will get his chance, and as long as he maintains his upward trajectory no one could possibly complain.
It is a similar story with England. It matters not a jot whether Rashford is in Allardyce’s plans right now – although he is bound to be more at the forefront of his thinking than a week ago – because no harm was done in Slovakia and the next tournament is two years away. That Rashford is older now than Michael Owen was at France 98 is neither here nor there. Owen broke through at the perfect time and the perfect age to feature impressively at that World Cup, but Rashford did not make quite as pressing an argument for first-team inclusion at the European Championship just completed.
Most people were relieved to see him make the squad and he did not do his reputation any harm when he came on as a substitute, but in advance of the matches few were in favour of him displacing Rooney or Harry Kane in the starting lineup. With hindsight it might be felt England could have gone further had Roy Hodgson been willing to take a risk and Rashford had taken his scoring form to France, though it sounds like the wildest of wishful thinking to imagine a teenager with just a handful of Premier League starts to his name could have transformed England’s sorry Euro campaign.
The main thing to focus on now is that Rashford’s England career is up and running and he will still only be 20 when the 2018 World Cup in Russia comes around. If he is not a feature of the England team by then, and he has maintained his club form, then it might be fair enough to blame Allardyce for a blind spot. Like Mourinho at United, Allardyce was sensibly putting his trust in the old guard for his first England game. He did not make a mistake by leaving Rashford at home, particularly as the player’s weekend did not exactly go to waste.
Let’s look at the positives from this situation instead. Rashford did not sulk or spit the dummy about joining the under-21s, he simply got on with it and acquitted himself well. It could be argued that his hat-trick was achieved against inferior opposition but England teams at all levels have played plenty such opponents in recent years and hat‑tricks remain unusual.
In Slovakia, England were sluggish and somewhat timid, suggesting once again that they tense up unhelpfully when they need to win games. That is a problem for Allardyce to solve, as is the fact that neither Rooney nor Kane bothered the Slovakia defence unduly, but the manager now has a home game against Malta to make a few changes if he likes and a goalscoring forward who has made a strong case for inclusion. At this stage of the season, and at this point in the qualification campaign, what more could anyone ask?
Personally,i think it is time Sam Allardyce and Jose Mourinho find a permanent starting role for this young man,contrary to what Paul entirely believes.
A lot of people tend to use Marcus' age against him.He is 18,so he can wait,he has all those years ahead of him.But wasn't Pele a young boy of 16 when he busted onto the world scene in a world cup with unforgettable performances?Wasn't Michael Owen a 17 year old assassin when he shot down defences all over Europe and scored an unforgettable world cup goal against Argentina?
How Wayne Rooney?How old was he when he was making mug of men old enough to be his father?How old was he when Manchester United payed all of £25m for his services?
I think the fact that Rashford came free from the youth team makes it easier for people to take him for granted.If Man United had payed £50m for him,they would have played him regularly.
If you are good enough,you are old enough.Forget what age Rashford is and think of what he can bring and do for the team.A game of football is lost in a second.He could be that difference.
Additional reports by Paul Wilson of the Guardian.
labels: football, Sports
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5188
|
__label__cc
| 0.615966
| 0.384034
|
Login Register Cart Help
Veterans and Agent Orange: Update 2000 (2001)
Chapter: Appendix A: Summary of Workshop
Visit NAP.edu/10766 to get more information about this book, to buy it in print, or to download it as a free PDF.
Looking for other ways to read this?
IN ADDITION TO READING ONLINE, THIS TITLE IS AVAILABLE IN THESE FORMATS:
PDF FREE Download Hardback $85.00 Add to Cart Ebook $69.99 Add to Cart
MyNAP members SAVE 10% off online.
Not a MyNAP member yet? Register for a free account to start saving and receiving special member only perks.
No thanks. I’ll keep reading
Original Pages Text Pages
« Previous: 10 Other Health Effects
Page 523 Share Cite
Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: Summary of Workshop." Institute of Medicine. 2001. Veterans and Agent Orange: Update 2000. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10098.
Summary of Workshop on the Review of Health Effects in Vietnam Veterans of Exposure to Herbicides
Room 2004, The Foundry Building
Workshop Presentations and Speakers
Veterans’ Perspective of IOM’s Task
Lisa Spahr, The American Legion, Washington, D.C.
Where We Are, Where We’re Headed
George Claxton, Vietnam Veterans of America, Silver Spring, Maryland
Health Problems of Women Veterans of the Vietnam War
Linda Spoonster Schwartz, R.N., M.S.N., Dr.P.H., Associate Research Scientist, Office of Research and Policy, Yale University School of Nursing, New Haven, Connecticut
Diabetes Mellitus, Related to Agent Orange Handling During Service in Wartime Vietnam
Turner Camp, M.D., Silver Spring, Maryland
Husband’s Death and Agent Orange
Jennie LeFevre, Shady Side, Maryland
Veterans’ Health Problems: Heart Disease, Diabetes, Peripheral Neuropathy, Soft Knots Covering Body, Chloracne
Shelia Winsett, Jasper, Alabama
Next: Appendix B: ICD-9 Codes for Cancer Outcomes »
500 Fifth St., NW | Washington, DC 20001
© 2019 National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Veterans and Agent Orange: Update 2000 Get This Book
Buy Hardback | $85.00 Buy Ebook | $69.99
MyNAP members save 10% online.
Login or Register to save!
Veterans and Agent Orange: Update 2000 examines the state of the scientific evidence regarding associations between diseases and exposure to dioxin and other chemical compounds in herbicides used in Vietnam. It is the fourth in a series of comprehensive reviews of epidemiologic and toxicologic studies of the agents used as defoliants during the Vietnam War. Over forty health outcomes in veterans and their children are addressed.
Among the report's conclusions is that there is sufficient evidence of a link between exposure and the development of soft-tissue sarcoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease, and chloracne in veterans. Additionally, it found that scientific studies offer "limited or suggestive" evidence of an association with other diseases in veterans—including Type 2 diabetes, respiratory cancers, prostate cancer, multiple myeloma and some forms of transient peripheral neuropathy—as well as the congenital birth defect spina bifida in veterans' children.
Front Matter i–xviii
1 Executive Summary 1–14
2 Veterans and Agent Orange: Previous IOM Reports 15–21
3 Toxicology 22–102
4 Methodological Considerations in Evaluating the Evidence 103–109
5 Exposure Assessment 110–131
6 Epidemiologic Studies 132–247
7 Cancer 248–398
8 Reproductive Effects 399–439
9 Neurobehavioral Disorders 440–462
10 Other Health Effects 463–522
Appendix A: Summary of Workshop 523
Appendix B: ICD-9 Codes for Cancer Outcomes 524–526
Appendix C: Committee and Staff Biographies 527–532
Index 533–604
Welcome to OpenBook!
You're looking at OpenBook, NAP.edu's online reading room since 1999. Based on feedback from you, our users, we've made some improvements that make it easier than ever to read thousands of publications on our website.
Do you want to take a quick tour of the OpenBook's features?
No Thanks Take a Tour »
Show this book's table of contents, where you can jump to any chapter by name.
...or use these buttons to go back to the previous chapter or skip to the next one.
Jump up to the previous page or down to the next one. Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book.
Switch between the Original Pages, where you can read the report as it appeared in print, and Text Pages for the web version, where you can highlight and search the text.
To search the entire text of this book, type in your search term here and press Enter.
Share a link to this book page on your preferred social network or via email.
View our suggested citation for this chapter.
Ready to take your reading offline? Click here to buy this book in print or download it as a free PDF, if available.
Do you enjoy reading reports from the Academies online for free? Sign up for email notifications and we'll let you know about new publications in your areas of interest when they're released.
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5189
|
__label__wiki
| 0.751401
| 0.751401
|
international journal of impotence research
Paper | Published: 05 June 2002
Interactions between drugs for erectile dysfunction and drugs for cardiovascular disease
U Simonsen1
International Journal of Impotence Researchvolume 14, pages178–188 (2002) | Download Citation
The association of erectile dysfunction (ED) and cardiovascular disease is well-documented in the literature and both conditions share risk factors. Therefore, it is difficult to distinguish the effect of underlying disease and adverse effects of the drugs and/or interactions between ED drugs and drugs implemented for cardiovascular disease. The known interactions of systemic administered drugs for ED with drugs for cardiovascular disease are mainly pharmacodynamic. Thus, nitrates enhance the production of cyclic GMP and combined with phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitors this can lead to severe hypotension. The same is the case for the treatment with phentolamine in patients treated with β-adrenoceptor antagonists. Due to increased partial thromboplastin time, the risk of bleeding is enhanced for intracavernous alprostadil injection in heparin-treated patients. Pharmacokinetic interactions of clinical importance have been described for ED drugs with other therapeutic groups such as sildenafil with the antifungal drug, ketoconazole, and apomorphine with the antiparkinson drug, entacapon. Although sildenafil and antihypertensive dihydropyridines like amlodipine are metabolized by the same cytochrome P450 enzyme, CYP3A4 in the liver, the combination of these drugs does not exhibit a synergistic blood pressure lowering action. Unfortunately documentation concerning drug interactions is often poor and occasional.
Access provided by
Male erectile dysfunction (ED) is defined as the inability to attain or maintain penile erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual performance. The prevalence was >50% in self-reported community-based respondents sampled between the ages of 40 and 70 y.1,2 The prevalence of complete ED increases with age from 5% at 40 to 15% at 70 y.1 The incidence rate for ED is 26 cases per 1000 man years indicating it is an important public health problem3
Alterations in the flow of blood to and from the penis are thought to be the most frequent causes of male ED. Therefore, erectile dysfunction can be considered to be another manifestation of vascular disease. ED is frequent in patients with other signs of atherosclerotic disease such as ischaemic heart disease and arterial leg disease,1,4,5 and ED and cardiovascular disease share the same risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia and smoking.1,2,3 The presence of several risk factors increases the risk of heart disease6 and ED.7,8 Moreover, low penile brachial pressure index was found to be associated with major vascular events such as myocardial infarction and cerebrovascular accidents,9 ED is related to the presence of intermittent claudication10 Therefore, patients seeking health care for ischaemic heart disease will often have or develop ED and doctors should be aware of general cardiovascular disease in patients with ED.
The fact that the prevalence of ED in patients with cardiovascular disease is higher than in the general population also implies that patients, in addition to treatment for ED, are also treated for both heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and/or dyslipidemia. This increases the risk that drug treatments for ED can affect cardiovascular function and treatments for cardiovascular disease can lead to ED. Adverse effects and drug interactions accounts for approximately one-third of the cases referred to a department of internal medicine11 and the same numbers are probably true for patients presenting with ED. The present review will focus on the effects of drugs for cardiovascular disease on erectile function and make special emphasis on the interactions of drugs for treatment of ED with drugs for treatment of heart disease.
Drugs for cardiovascular disease and erectile dysfunction
The impact of cardiovascular drugs on erectile function is established in some cases, but in many others the evidence is anecdotal and based on case reports. Rather than improving erectile function most of these studies suggest that treatment of cardiovascular disease worsens erectile function. Thus, in epidemiological studies the relative risk for ED in hypertension and heart disease was increased, respectively, from 1.13 and 1.54 in untreated to 1.52 and 1.96 in treated patients.3 However, these figures do not allow to distinguish whether the patients have ED due to underlying generalized vascular disease or if erectile function deteriorates as a consequence of treatment with drugs for cardio-vascular disease.
Pharmacological treatment of hypertension and erectile function
Thiazide diuretics, beta-adrenoceptor antagonists, calcium channel blockers, ACE inhibitors, and angiotensin II receptor antagonists are considered as first-line drugs for treatment of hypertension (Table 1).12 The goal of antihypertensive treatment, in addition to lowering blood pressure, is to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events. There is little trial-based evidence to indicate which of the hyper-tensive drugs are more likely to cause ED.
Table 1 Drugs for cardiovascular disease and for erectile dysfunction
It is generally thought that diuretics have a negative impact on erectile function. ED was reported to contribute to the non-compliance with antihypertensive treatment with thiazides,13 and in men given bendrofluazide there was an excess of complaint of ED.14 In a study of mild hypertension a significant association between men with ED and treatment with either hydrochlorthiazide or chlorthalidone therapy was also found.15,16 In contrast, others have found no discernable effect of thiazide diuretics on sexual function.17,18,19 It is difficult to evaluate whether the dose of thiazide diuretic applied for the treatment of hypertension in these studies plays a role for the frequency of ED, but patients in the study by Chang and colleagues15 were treated with 50 mg/day of hydrochlorthiazide or chlorthalidone which is above the 12.5–25 mg/day dose recommended for the treatment of hypertension today.20 In the treatment of mild hypertension study (TOMHS) the patients were treated with 15 mg/day of chlorthalidone,16 but the frequency of ED was 18% which is comparable to the frequency of 14% in hypertensive men treated with thiazide diuretics in the study by Chang and colleagues.15 In contrast, the dose of hydrochlor-thiazide was only 6.5 or 25 mg/day in the trial studies where frequency of self-reported ED was 1.5%18 and hence less than observed by Chang et al.15 Therefore, there is at present no clear association between diuretic treatment and ED, but due to an eventual effect on sexual function high doses of thiazides should be avoided in sexually active males.
Incidence rate of erection problems were different for chlorthalidone at 24 months compared to placebo treated hypertensive patients, but were similar to the placebo group at a 48-month follow-up.16 The lack of additional worsening in erectile function with time in a patient population treated with thiazide diuretics points toward an early effect, and also suggest that fear of ED as an adverse effect of thiazide treatment should not lead to a change in the antihypertensive medication.
The β-adrenoceptor antagonists applied for the treatment have a different pharmacodynamic profile as some of them are selective for β1-adrenoceptors such as metoprolol, atenolol, and acebutolol, general β-adrenoceptor antagonists like propranolol, and others which block both β-and α-adrenoceptors such as carvedilol and labetalol. In erectile tissue β2-adrenoceptors are expressed, and although the role of β-adrenoceptors in erectile function is not clarified, they probably mediate vasodilation in response to the increase in adrenaline during erection.21,22,23 In patients treated with the general β-adrenoceptor antagonist, propranolol, ED occurred more frequently than in patients taking placebo24 and was a significant reason for withdrawal from treatment.14 Moreover, sexual dysfunction was increased from baseline on a 24-week follow-up in patients treated with propranolol.25 In contrast, antagonists selective for β1-adrenoceptors such as acebutolol and bisaprolol do not appear to increase the frequency of ED compared with untreated patients.16,18,26 Therefore, there seems to be a relation to antagonism of β2-adrenoceptors by β-adrenoceptor antagonists and ED.
Erection problems in hypertensive patients treated with calcium channel blockers such as amlodipine appear to be similar to placebo-treated patients,18 and with a less deteriorating effect on male erectile function compared with propranolol.27 Although calcium channel blockers can affect ejaculation,28 they have little impact on erectile function.
Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors such as enalapril did not affect erectile function in hypertensive patients compared with placebo-treated patients.16 However, compared with patients treated with propranolol, enalapril, had a favorable effect,25 and in cross-over studies where either the ACE-inhibitor, lisinopril, or the angiotensin II receptor antagonist, valsartan, were compared to β-adrenoceptor antagonist, the number of sexual intercourses were higher in the groups of patients treated with lisinopril and valsartan.29,30 These results so far suggest that ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor antagonists are not associated with ED. Whether these drugs have a favourable effect on erectile function similar to α1-adrenoceptor antagonists such as doxazosin and moxisylyte,16,31,32 awaits studies properly designed for evaluation of their impact on sexual function.
In most cases, the mechanisms underlying ED associated with antihypertensive drugs are unknown.33 However, animal studies provide us with some understanding of the pathophysiology. Decreased erectile function has been observed in cholesterol-fed rabbits,34 diabetic35 and hypertensive36 rats and can be ascribed to impaired vasodilation and hence reduced blood flow to penis. Thus, in animal models the arterial risk factors of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and ageing reduce both the neurogenic and endothelium-dependent relaxation in the corpus cavernosum37,38,39 and penile arteries.36 Structural changes of the penile vasculature or erectile tissue also contribute to the reduced vasodilation, since proximal atherosclerotic lesions lead to reduced increases in intracavernous pressure after infusion of papaverine,34 while lumen narrowing in the arteries feeding the penis is an explanation for increased penile vascular resistance and less increase in intracavernous pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR).40,41 In the case of stenotic atherosclerotic lesions in the arteries supplying penis, the blood flow to the penis is mainly determined by the systolic pressure. Lowering of the blood pressure by any kind of antihypertensive treatment would lead to reduced systolic blood pressure and divert blood away from the penis, and could hence result in decreased blood flow and ED. In the case of increased penile vascular resistance the mechanisms of blood pressure lowering of the different groups of antihypertensive drugs probably play a role. Thus, the blood pressure lowering effect achieved with thiazide diuretics and β-adrenoceptor antagonists can mainly be ascribed to a lowering of cardiac output, while calcium channel blockers, ACE inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor antagonists, and α-adrenoceptor antagonists lower blood pressure mainly through reduction of peripheral vascular resistance. The latter groups of antihypertensive drugs, in addition to the systemic vasodilator effect, will also lower penile vascular resistance and that will probably compensate for the lowering of systemic blood pressure and result in unaltered penile blood flow during erection, unless there is a proximal stenosis. Apart from functional lowering of penile vascular resistance by inhibition of the angiotensin II pathway, recent evidence has suggested that treatment of SHR rats with inhibitors of angiotensin converting enzyme, in contrast to a vasodilator of the systemic vasculature, hydralazine, also result in reversal of structural changes both in the systemic arteries and the penile resistance vasculature.42 There is a lack of studies addressing how antihypertensive drugs affect erectile function in diseased animals, and the above-mentioned suggestions need to be properly examined. An understanding of the mechanisms leading to ED in treated hypertensive patients will increase compliance and lessen the devastating effects of this arterial risk factor on heart and erectile function.
Treatment of heart disease and erectile dysfunction
An array of drugs are applied for the treatment of heart disease. In most cases a multiple drug regimen is applied for conditions such as chronic heart failure, where patients are treated with diuretics for removal of surplus liquid, ACE inhibitors and/or AT1 receptor antagonists to cause peripheral vasodilation, digoxin as positive inotropic agent, antithrombotics, antiarrhythmics, anticoagulants, and hypolipidemic drugs (Table 1).43 In addition, the aldosteron receptor antagonist, spironolactone, and β-adrenoceptor antagonists such as metoprolol, bisaprolol, and carvedilol were recently found to enhance survival in patients suffering from heart failure.44,45,46 Nitrates relieve pain, but they have not been shown to prolong survival in chronic heart failure unless they are taken in combination with the peripheral vasodilator, hydralazine.47 Evidence regarding the effect on erectile function of most of these drugs is sparse.
Digoxin is indicated for treatment of atrial fibrillation and heart failure in functional stage III–IV according to the New York Heart Association (NYHA). However, digoxin has no life prolonging effect in patients with chronic heart failure, although it reduces the need for hospitalization.48 In therapeutic concentrations (0.5–0.7 ng/ml) digoxin inhibits erectile function measured by visual sexual stimulation and by nocturnal penile tumescence in healthy volunteers.49 The mechanism can probably by ascribed to the reported inhibitory effect of digitalis glycosides on NO-evoked vasodilation in isolated penile arteries50 and corpus cavernosum strips.51 In addition, a relation of digoxin to low plasma testosterone levels and decrease in sexual desire has been found.52 Therefore, in the case of ED in patients treated with digoxin, they should consult a cardiologist to evaluate whether treatment with digoxin is necessary.
Lipid-lowering therapy in hyperlipidemic patients with either fibrates53,54 and statins55,56 yield substantial health benefits such as diminished coronary events and deaths. High levels of total plasma cholesterol and low levels of high density lipoprotein are associated with an increased prevalence of ED.1,57 However, ED was reported to be a frequent side-effect of treatment of hyperlipidaemic subjects using clofibrate58 or gemfibrozyl.59 In patients referred to a clinic for primary hyperlipidaemia an increased risk of ED was also observed in patients treated with one of four fibrate derivatives (fenofibrate, ciprofibrate, bezafibrate and gemfibrozyl).60 The mechanisms by which fibrates lower lipoprotein levels remain unclear, but they interact with peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs),61 which regulates gene transcription. In the liver activation of PPARα by clofibrate and gemfibrozyl stimulates liver microsomal esterification of estradiol and testosterone.62 Further studies must show whether the latter mechanism of action is an explanation for the increased prevalence of ED reported in patients treated with fibrates.
In patients with hyperlipidemia and treated with statins such as simvastatin and pravastatin and referred to a clinic for primary hyperlipidaemia, an increased risk for ED was reported.60 Moreover, five patients with coronary artery disease developed ED one week after starting treatment with simvastatin, and sexual function was restored after stopping the treatment, but ED recurred when two of the patients were rechallenged.63 No control patients were included in the latter study. In contrast, others in a cross-over study of 22 men with hypercholesterolemia randomized for placebo, simvastatin, or lovastatin, found an increase in nocturnal tumescence after 2 weeks, although the increase was not significant after 6 weeks treatment.64 Evaluation of the frequency of ED reported in the Scandinavian simvastatin survival study, where 4444 patients with coronary heart disease were randomized to treatment with simvastatin or placebo for up to 6 y, ED was found in 28 placebo-treated patients with eight resolved cases, while ED was present in 37 simvastatin-treated patients with 14 resolved cases.65 Therefore, in patients treated with statins an underlying diseased vasculature rather than the drug appears to be the cause of ED.
The information regarding the effects of anticoagulants on erectile function is sparse. There are several case-reports suggesting heparin therapy is associated with priapism,66 and in a review of 121 cases of priapism, four of the patients were in treatment with heparin.67 The prognosis for preservation of potency after treatment for priapism asssociated with heparin treatment is poor compared with the overall average with preserved erectile function in patients who have experienced priapism.67 Treatment with the coumarin derivative, warfarin, was suggested to be associated with an increased risk of ED in elderly men, but in this study only a few patients were actually treated with warfarin.68 Therefore, although information regarding anticoagulants and erectile function is lacking, these drugs do not appear to impose a major risk for ED.
In summary, diuretics which lower cardiac output seem to be associated with worsening in erectile/sexual function, although it needs to be established whether this is a dose-related adverse effect. General β-adrenoceptor antagonists which also block β2-adrenoceptors seem to be associated with ED, while this is less clear for selective β-adrenoceptor antagonists. There is evidence suggesting that α1-adrenoceptor antagonists improve erectile/sexual dysfunction, but whether ACE inhibitors and AT1 receptor antagonists have a favourable effect on erectile function awaits studies designed for evaluation of their impact on sexual function. Evidence regarding effect on erectile function of lipid-lowering drugs, anticoagulants, antithrombotics, and antiarrhythmic therapy is sparse and not conclusive.
Interactions between drugs for erectile dysfunction and for cardiovascular disease
There are several treatment options for ED as outlined in Table 1. Although these drugs have different mechanisms of action, all drugs for ED reaching sufficiently high plasma concentrations have in common the potential of inducing systemic hypotension. Therefore, pharmacodynamic interactions enhancing the systemic vasodilator effect or pharmacokinetic interactions leading to accumulation of the drug applied for treatment of ED are of major concern.
Apomorphine and drugs for cardiovascular disease
Apomorphine is an agonist at D1- and D2-like receptors and was found to cause erections in animals and man,69,70 but nausea was a prevalent side effect when it was administered subcutaneously.70 However, development of apomorphine in a sublingual formulation reduced side effects such as nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, arterial hypotension, and yawning, and the efficacy of apomorphine for the treatment of ED was maintained.71,72 Arterial hypotension is probably mediated by vascular D1 receptors activated by (−)-apomorphine in the racemic apomorphine formulations.73 A potential interaction between sublingual apomorphine and antihypertensives to consider, is therefore greater orthostatic decreases in systolic blood pressure. However, in patients in treatment with α1-adrenoceptor antagonists and calcium channel blockers systolic blood pressure was lowered by 10 and 6 mmHg, respectively, vs placebo, while there were no changes in blood pressure in patients treated with ACE inhibitors, β-adrenoceptor antagonists, or diuretics.74 These changes in blood pressure do not appear to be of clinical importance.
One of the significant adverse events occuring in the double-blind studies of sublingual apomorphine was syncope, but the patients recovered rapidly.75 The authors found the syncopes were preceded by a prodrome including nausea, vomiting, dizziness, sweating, and pallor and suggested the mechanisms of action to be vasovagal.75 In patients receiving nitrates the prodrome of symptoms was observed in 16% of the patients and Holter monitoring revealed sinus pauses concurrent with the prodrome of symptoms.74 An explanation for the syncopes can probably be found in animal studies. In dogs apomorphine potentiates vagal bradycardia through D2 receptors located either on vagal nerve endings leading to enhanced acetylcholine release76 or on sympathetic ganglia and nerve endings leading to inhibition of norepinephrine release.77,78 The latter studies of dopaminergic agonists were performed in dogs and apart from nitrates, pharmacodynamic interactions of apomporphine with antiarrhythmics such as digoxin leading to bradycardia should be addressed. However, it should also be stressed that clinical trials performed so far,74,75 suggest the patients are recovering rapidly from syncopes in relation to apomorphine.
Apomorphine is metabolized mainly by sulphation, glucuronidation and N-demethylation to norapomorphine. In addition, it is O-methylated by catechol-o-methyltransferase (COMT) and according to product information from Novartis Pharmaceutical Corporation and Roche Laboratories, apomorphine should not be administered together with inhibitors of COMT such as entacapone and tolcapone applied for the treatment of Parkinsons disease.79 In vitro human hepatic microsomal studies showed apomorphine at supratherapeutic concentrations is able to inhibit several cytochrome P450 enzymes.80 Clinically relevant pharmacokinetic interactions of apomorphine with cardio-vascular drugs have not been reported.
α-Adrenoceptor antagonists and drugs for cardiovascular disease
Phentolamine evokes penile erection by blocking both α1 and α2-adrenoceptors in the erectile tissue, and in addition it was recently suggested also to activate NO synthase.81 In patients with erectile insufficiency oral or buccal phentolamine has shown some success.82,83 Phentolamine also blocks α1 and α2-adrenoceptors in the systemic arterial circulation and therefore, hypotension is the major adverse effect of phentolamine. The hypotensive action of phentolamine is followed by compensatory reflex cardiac stimulation by tachycardia, and the latter response is blunted in patients treated with β-adrenoceptor antagonists. Although more pronounced for α1-adrenoceptor antagonists such as prazosin and doxazosin,84 in patients on β-blockers the first dose administration of phentolamine can cause an exaggerated fall in blood pressure, and it is convenient to initiate treatment with lower doses of phentolamine in these patients.
The clinical pharmacology of yohimbine has recently been extensively reviewed.85 Yohimbine and the isomeric form thereof, rauwolscine, are selective α2-adrenoceptor antagonists, but they do also act as full agonists at 5-hydroxytryptamine 5-HT1A receptors.86 Yohimbine as monotherapy for ED possesses only modest efficacy in patients with ED.87 The mechanisms of action is in part an explanation for the modest effect. In animal studies more selective α2-adrenoceptor antagonist such as delequamine and atipamezole seem to improve erection,88 while 5-HT1A agonists such as 8-OH-DPAT and buspirone inhibits penile erection.89 In contrast to other drugs for ED, yohimbine does not lower blood pressure and is remarkedly free of side effects in the dose range found to be effective for treatment of ED, although in supratherapeutic doses it increases blood pressure, anxiety, and the frequency of urination.85 However, hypertensive patients are more sensitive to the pressor effects of yohimbine.85,90 In addition, the spillover of nor-adrenaline due to yohimbine causing inhibition of prejunctional α2-adrenoceptors at peripheral sympathetic nerve endings, results in higher noradrenaline plasma concentrations. Increased plasma noradrenaline is a concern in patients with coronary artery disease and congestive heart failure.90 Therefore, yohimbine should be used with care in patients with cardiovascular disease. Moreover, yohimbine has a monoamine oxidase inhibitory effect and is contraindicated with tricyclic antidepressive and tyramine-containing food, since these combinations result in significant increases in blood pressure.91 There is no information concerning interaction of yohimbine with cardiovascular drugs.
Phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitors and drugs for cardiovascular disease
Sildenafil and other selective phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitors such as vardenafil and tadalafil by inhibition of type-5 cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase, enhances the duration of action of the increase in GMP elicited by nerve- and endothelium-derived NO released during erection.92 Sildenafil has clinical efficacy in the treatment of male impotence following oral administration.93 The most common side effects of sildenafil include headache, flushing, dyspepsia, rhinitis and visual disturbances.94 The cardiovascular side effects of sildenafil are important because of the frequent presence of underlying cardiac disease in men with ED. Post-marketing surveillance data after approval of sildenafil by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revealed a number of cardiovascular events, including myocardial infarction and sudden death from cardiac causes, and although the number of events were not unexpected in the population of men which received sildenafil,95 some of the cases were even before any attempt of sexual intercourse.96 However, in a retrospective study the incidence of cardiovascular events were similar in patients receiving placebo compared with men treated with sildenafil,97 and in men with known severe coronary artery disease, sildenafil (100 mg) produced only small decreases in systemic arterial and pulmonary pressure and had no effect on heart rate or cardiac output.98 Moreover, sildenafil does not exacerbate myocardial ischaemia in canine models of coronary artery stenosis.99 Therefore, these studies do not support a worsening of cardiovascular disease in connection with sildenafil treatment for ED.
The clinically most important interaction for phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitors is with nitrates (Figure 1). Nitrates such as nitroglycerin increases cyclic GMP content in the vascular smooth muscle in systemic arteries,100 and sildenafil by inhibition of phosphodiesterase type-5 prolongs the duration of action of cyclic GMP and results in large and prolonged decreases in systemic blood pressure in man101 and decreases coronary blood flow in vessels with critical stenosis in dogs.102 Therefore, phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitors such as sildenafil are contraindicated in patients taking nitrates. On the other hand, nitrates should be avoided in patients in treatment with sildenafil for ED, since most of the cardiac deaths attributed to sildenafil can prob-ably be ascribed to concomitant administration of nitrates and sildenafil.95
Pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic interactions of phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitors. (A) The clinically most important interaction is for the phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitors with nitrates. (B) The pharmacokinetic interactions with drugs which are able to inhibit the conversion of sildenafil to its principal circulating metabolite, UK-103,320.
The potential exists for interaction between sildenafil and antihypertensive medication. However, treatment with sildenafil in hypertensive patients receiving diuretics or ACE inhibitors did not result in a change in blood pressure. Sildenafil (25–100 mg) only induced insignificant decreases in blood pressure of 2–5 mmHg in patients treated with α- and β-adrenoceptor antagonists and calcium channel blockers.103 Therefore, sildenafil does not have clinically significant interactions with current antihypertensive drugs.
In addition to inhibition of phosphodiesterase type-5, sildenafil has been suggested to have other mechanisms of action which could play a role both for the therapeutic effect and adverse effects of sildenafil. Firstly, sildenafil is more selective against phosphodiesterase type-5 than against several other human phosphodiesterases, but only 7.7–16.6-fold greater against human phosphodiesterase type-5 than phosphodisterase type-6.104 Inhibition of phosphodiesterase type-6 by sildenafil probably explains the dose-related impairment of color (blue/green) discrimination seen with sildenafil.94 Secondly, in rabbits injected intracavernosally, sildenafil increased the intracavernosal pressure independently of the NO/cyclic GMP pathway.105 In the latter study the authors did not exclude sildenafil increased intracavernosal pressure by enhancing the vasodilator action of endothelium-derived natriuretic peptide as described for the pulmonary circu-lation.106 While inhibition of phosphodiesterase type-6 appears to be linked to visual color disturbances, the second mechanism of action of sildenafil could be of therapeutic relevance, but it has so far not been related to the adverse effects of sildenafil.
Unexpected electrophysiological effects on cardiac repolarization through modulation of K+ channels might provide an alternative explanation for an increased risk of sudden death. In vitro it was reported that high concentrations (1–100 µM) of sildenafil prolongs cardiac repolarization by blocking the rapid component of the delayed rectifier potassium current (IKr),107 and sildenafil inhibited exitatory neurotransmission through a direct interaction with prejunctional Ca2+-activated K+ channels in the vas deferens in humans.108 Moreover, sildenafil was reported to increase the basal cyclic AMP content in cardiac myocytes.109 Arrhythmias observed in connection with phosphodiesterase 3 inhibitors such as milrinone in patients with congestive heart failure have been attributed to increased cyclic AMP levels which, via protein kinase A, stimulate a slowly activating delayed rectifier potassium current (IKs).110 However, a recent study performed by infusing sildenafil and reaching high supratherapeutic plasma concentrations in dogs did not reveal any changes in the cardiac electrocardiogram.111 Therefore, there is not much evidence to support the fact that sildenafil has a proarrhythmic effect or should influence the pharmacodynamic effect of anti-arrhythmic drugs.
Sildenafil is metabolized by the cytochrome P450 enzymes, CYP3A4 (80%) and CYP2C9 (20%),112 and coadministration of sildenafil and drugs which inhibit these cytochrome P450 enzymes may lead to increased plasma concentrations of sildenafil (Figure 1). This may in turn, lead to an increase in adverse effects such as visual disturbances and hypotension associated with sildenafil. Inhibitors of CYP3A4 include antifungal drugs such as ketoconazole, macrolide antibiotics such as erythromycin, and the antidepressive drug, norfluoxetin.113 Inhibition of CYP3A4 impaired sildenafil biotransformation in human liver microsomes, while inhibition of CYP2C9 did not produce detectable inhibition of formation of the sildenafil metabolite, UK-103,320.112 Coadministration of either erythromycin or indinavir with sildenafil was found to increase plasma concentrations of sildenafil.114,115 Other drugs are biotransformed by CYP3A4 such as the dihydropyridine class of calcium channel blockers, including nifedipine, amlodipine, and felodipine, and statins such as simvastatin and atorvastatin. However, sildenafil did not change the plasma concentration of the only drug examined in this aspect, amlodipine, and the coadministration of these drugs did not result in hypotension.116 Therefore, in the case of coadministration of sildenafil with CYP3A4 inhibitors, the magnitude of interaction suggest a lower starting dose of sildenafil such as 25 mg may be appropriate.
Alprostadil and drugs for cardiovascular disease
Intracavernous injection of PGE1 is an efficacious treatment for ED, but due to the inconvenience of injection, it is considered as second line treatment for this condition. Intracavernosal injection of PGE1 has a response rate in the range of 40–70% in patients suffering from ED in clinical trials.117,118,119,120 Adverse effects of alprostadil are related to the injection such as pain, hematoma, false injections, and fibrotic changes, while systemic side-effects such as hypotension, even with high doses (>40 µg) of PGE1 are rare.118 120 This is probably due to the fact that PGE1 is at least partially metabolized within the cavernous bodies of the penis and, in addition, undergoes rapid first pass clearance in the liver and lung tissue. Due to the rapid metabolization of PGE1 there are only few relevant interactions with drugs for cardiovascular disease.
In connection with injection therapy of ED in patients receiving anticoagulants, a concern is the risk of bleeding. Concurrent use of infused alprostadil and heparin may result in increased partial prothrombin and thrombin time which increases the risk for bleeding.79 The mechanism is unknown and the documentation is poor regarding this interaction, but concurrent use of alprostadil and heparin should be avoided. In contrast, vacuum therapy and intracavernous self-injection appeared to be safe in patients receiving warfarin,121 and there are no pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic interactions with acetylsalicylic acid. Although the documentation is poor regarding the interaction of alprostadil and heparin, this drug combination should be avoided, while the adminstration of PGE1 appears safe in patients treated with peroral anticoagulants and antithrombotics.
In summary all drugs for ED have the potential of inducing hypotension with the exception of yohimbine. The documentation for interactions of drugs for ED with drugs for cardiovascular disease is most extensive for sildenafil. The clinically most important interaction is for the phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitors with nitrates.
ED is particularly common in patients with heart disease, because of the presence of overlapping arterial risk factors. Therefore, it is difficult to distinguish the effect on erectile function of underlying disease and of the multiple drugs the patient is treated with for cardiovascular disease. Diuretics seem to be associated with worsening in erectile function, although it needs to be established whether this is a dose-related adverse effect. General β-adrenoceptor antagonists which also block β2-adrenoceptors seem to be associated with ED, while this is less clear for β1-adrenoceptor selective antagonists. There is evidence suggesting α1-adrenoceptor antagonists improve erectile/sexual dysfunction, but whether ACE inhibitors and AT1 receptor antagonists have a favourable effect on erectile function awaits studies designed for evaluation of their impact on sexual function. The effect of other cardiovascular drugs on erectile function is largely unknown. Therefore, in connection with clinical trials with cardiovascular drugs, it is also important to address the effect on erectile function. Moreover, the mechanisms by which cardiovascular drugs affect erectile function will enhance our understanding and help us to choose the therapy with most advantages both with respect to cardiovascular disease and erectile/sexual function. With the exception of yohimbine, drugs for ED have the potential of causing hypotension. Due to the risk of pronounced fatal hypotension, coadministration of phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitors such as sildenafil and nitrates is contraindicated. The patients with ED and in treatment with several drugs for cardiovascular disease should consult a cardiologist, before treatment with drugs for ED. Reinforcement of education in adverse drug effects and interactions is necessary both at pre- and postgraduate level to reduce the numbers of cases referred for hospitalization as a consequence of adverse drug effects.
Feldman HA et al. Impotence and its medical and psychosocial correlates: results of the Massachusetts Male Aging Study J Urol 1994 151: 54–61
Martin-Morales A et al. Prevalence and independent risk factors for erectile dysfunction in Spain: results of the Epidemiologia de la Disfuncion Erectil Masculina Study J Urol 2001 166: 569–574
Johannes CB et al. Incidence of erectile dysfunction in men 40 to 69 y old: longitudinal results from the Massachusetts male aging study J Urol 2000 163: 460–463
Gundle MJ et al. Psychosocial outcome after coronary artery surgery Am J Psychiatry 1980 137: 1591–1594
Wabrek AJ, Burchell RC . Male sexual dysfunction associated with coronary heart disease Arch Sex Behav 1980 9: 69–75
Chang M, Hahn RA, Teutsch SM, Hutwagner LC . Multiple risk factors and population attributable risk for ischemic heart disease mortality in the United States, 1971–1992 J Clin Epidemiol 2001 54: 634–644
Virag R, Bouilly P, Frydman D . Is impotence an arterial disorder? A study of arterial risk factors in 440 impotent men Lancet 1985 1: 181–184
Shabsigh R, Fishman IJ, Schum C, Dunn JK . Cigarette smoking and other vascular risk factors in vasculogenic impotence Urology 1991 38: 227–231
Morley JE et al. Relationship of penile brachial pressure index to myocardial infarction and cerebrovascular accidents in older men Am J Med 1988 84: 445–448
Jensen J et al. The prevalence and etiology of impotence in 101 male hypertensive outpatients Am J Hypertens 1999 12: 271–275
Fattinger K et al. Epidemiology of drug exposure and adverse drug reactions in two Swiss departments of internal medicine Br J Clin Pharmacol 2000 49: 158–167
1999 World Health Organization-International Society of Hypertension Guidelines for the Management of Hypertension. Guidelines Subcommittee J Hypertens 1999 17: 151–183
McCarron DA . Diuretic therapy for mild hypertension: the ‘real’ cost of treatment Am J Cardiol 1984 53: 9A–11A
MRC trial of treatment of mild hypertension: principal results. Medical Research Council Working Party Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1985 291: 97–104
Chang SW et al. The impact of diuretic therapy on reported sexual function Arch Intern Med 1991 151: 2402–2408
Grimm RH Jr et al. Long-term effects on sexual function of five antihypertensive drugs and nutritional hygienic treatment in hypertensive men and women. Treatment of Mild Hypertension Study (TOMHS) Hypertension 1997 29: 8–14
Bulpitt CJ et al. The effects of anti-hypertensive drugs on sexual function in men and women: a report from the DHSS Hypertension Care Computing Project (DHCCP) J Hum Hypertens 1989 3: 53–56
Prisant LM et al. Self reported sexual dysfunction in men and women treated with bisoprolol, hydrochlorothiazide, enalapril, amlodipine, placebo, or bisoprolol/hydrochlorothia-zide J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich) 1999 1: 22–26
Burchardt M et al. Hypertension is associated with severe erectile dysfunction J Urol 2000 164: 1188–1191
Cohen JS . Adverse drug effects, compliance, and initial doses of antihypertensive drugs recommended by the Joint National Committee vs the Physicians' Desk Reference Arch Intern Med 2001 161: 880–885
Andersson KE, Wagner G . Physiology of penile erection Physiol Rev 1995 75: 191–236
Simonsen U et al. Adrenoceptor-mediated regulation of the contractility in horse penile resistance arteries J Vasc Res 1997 34: 90–102
Becker AJ et al. Plasma levels of cavernous and systemic norepinephrine and epinephrine in men during different phases of penile erection J Urol 2000 164: 573–577
Adverse reactions to bendrofluazide and propranolol for the treatment of mild hypertension. Report of Medical Research Council Working Party on Mild to Moderate Hypertension Lancet 1981 2: 539–543
Croog SH et al. The effects of antihypertensive therapy on the quality of life New Engl J Med 1986 314: 1657–1664
Broekman CP, Haensel SM, Van de Ven LL, Slob AK . Bisoprolol and hypertension: effects on sexual functioning in men J Sex Marital Ther 1992 18: 325–331
Fletcher AE et al. The effects of verapamil and propranolol on quality of life in hypertension J Hum Hypertens 1989 3: 125–130
Hong CY et al. Calcium antagonists stimulate sperm motility in ejaculated human semen Br J Clin Pharmacol 1985 19: 45–49
Fogari R et al. Sexual function in hypertensive males treated with lisinopril or atenolol: a cross-over study Am J Hypertens 1998 11: 1244–1247
Fogari R et al. Sexual activity in hypertensive men treated with valsartan or carvedilol: a crossover study Am J Hypertens 2001 14: 27–31
Kaplan SA et al. Combination therapy using oral alpha-blockers and intracavernosal injection in men with erectile dysfunction Urology 1998 52: 739–743
Marquer C, Bressolle F . Moxisylyte: a review of its pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties, and its therapeutic use in impotence Fundam Clin Pharmacol 1998 12: 377–387
Jaffe A et al. Erectile dysfunction in hypertensive subjects. Assessment of potential determinants Hypertension 1996 28: 859–862
Azadzoi KM, Goldstein I . Erectile dysfunction due to atherosclerotic vascular disease: the development of an animal model J Urol 1992 147: 1675–1681
Ari G, Vardi Y, Finberg JP . Nitric oxide and penile erection in streptozotocin-diabetic rats Clin Sci (Colch) 1999 96: 365–371
Martinez C, Simonsen U . Decreased erectile function in renal hypertensive rats Pharmacol Toxicol 2001 89: 122
Saenz dT I et al. Impaired neurogenic and endothelium-mediated relaxation of penile smooth muscle from diabetic men with impotence New Engl J Med 1989 320: 1025–1030
Garban H et al. Effect of aging on nitric oxide-mediated penile erection in rats Am J Physiol 1995 268: H467–H475
Azadzoi KM et al. Relationship between cavernosal ischemia and corporal veno-occlusive dysfunction in an animal model J Urol 1997 157: 1011–1017
Okabe H et al. The penis is not protected—in hypertension there are vascular changes in the penis which are similar to those in other vascular beds Int J Impot Res 1999 11: 133–140
Toblli JE et al. Morphological changes in cavernous tissue in spontaneously hypertensive rats Am J Hypertens 2000 13: 686–692
Hale TM, Okabe H, Heaton JP, Adams MA . Antihypertensive drugs induce structural remodeling of the penile vasculature J Urol 2001 166: 739–745
Davies MK, Gibbs CR, Lip GY . ABC of heart failure. Management: diuretics, ACE inhibitors, and nitrates Br Med J 2000 320: 428–431
Packer M et al. The effect of carvedilol on morbidity and mortality in patients with chronic heart failure. US Carvedilol Heart Failure Study Group New Engl J Med 1996 334: 1349–1355
Pitt B et al. The effect of spironolactone on morbidity and mortality in patients with severe heart failure. Randomized Aldactone Evaluation Study Investigators New Engl J Med 1999 341: 709–717
Squire IB, Barnett DB . The rational use of beta-adrenoceptor blockers in the treatment of heart failure. The changing face of an old therapy Br J Clin Pharmacol 2000 49: 1–9
Cohn JN et al. A comparison of enalapril with hydralazine-isosorbide dinitrate in the treatment of chronic congestive heart failure New Engl J Med 1991 325: 303–310
The effect of digoxin on mortality and morbidity in patients with heart failure. The Digitalis Investigation Group New Engl J Med 1997 336: 525–533
Gupta S et al. A possible mechanism for alteration of human erectile function by digoxin: inhibition of corpus cavernosum sodium/potassium adenosine triphosphatase activity J Urol 1998 159: 1529–1536
Prieto D, Simonsen U, Hernandez M, Garcia-Sacristan A . Contribution of K+ channels and ouabain-sensitive mechanisms to the endothelium-dependent relaxations of horse penile small arteries Br J Pharmacol 1998 123: 1609–1620
Gupta S et al. Possible role of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase in the regulation of human corpus cavernosum smooth muscle contractility by nitric oxide Br J Pharmacol 1995 116: 2201–2206
Neri A et al. The effect of long-term administration of digoxin on plasma androgens and sexual dysfunction J Sex Marital Ther 1987 13: 58–63
Frick MH et al. Helsinki Heart Study: primary-prevention trial with gemfibrozil in middle-aged men with dyslipidemia. Safety of treatment, changes in risk factors, and incidence of coronary heart disease New Engl J Med 1987 317: 1237–1245
Staels B et al. Mechanism of action of fibrates on lipid and lipoprotein metabolism Circulation 1998 98: 2088–2093
Randomised trial of cholesterol lowering in 4444 patients with coronary heart disease: the Scandinavian Simvastatin Survival Study (4S) Lancet 1994 344: 1383–1389
Shepherd J et al. Prevention of coronary heart disease with pravastatin in men with hypercholesterolemia. West of Scotland Coronary Prevention Study Group New Engl J Med 1995 333: 1301–1307
Wei M et al. Total cholesterol and high density lipoprotein cholesterol as important predictors of erectile dysfunction Am J Epidemiol 1994 140: 930–937
Schneider J, Kaffarnik H . Impotence in patients treated with clofibrate Atherosclerosis 1975 21: 455–457
Bain SC, Lemon M, Jones AF . Gemfibrozil-induced impotence Lancet 1990 336: 1389
Bruckert E, Giral P, Heshmati HM, Turpin G . Men treated with hypolipidaemic drugs complain more frequently of erectile dysfunction J Clin Pharm Ther 1996 21: 89–94
Kersten S, Wahli W . Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor agonists EXS 2000 89: 141–151
Xu S et al. PPARalpha-dependent induction of liver microsomal esterification of estradiol and testosterone by a prototypical peroxisome proliferator Endocrinology 2001 142: 3554–3557
Jackson G . Simvastatin and impotence Br Med J 1997 315: 31–32
Kostis JB, Rosen RC, Wilson AC . Central nervous system effects of HMG CoA reductase inhibitors: lovastatin and pravastatin on sleep and cognitive performance in patients with hypercholesterolemia J Clin Pharmacol 1994 34: 989–996
Pedersen TR, Faergemann O . Simvastatin seems unlikely to cause impotence Br Med J 1999 318: 192
De Siati M et al. Priapism as a complication of heparin therapy Arch Ital Urol Androl 1999 71: 201–202
Kulmala RV, Lehtonen TA, Tammela TL . Preservation of potency after treatment for priapism Scand J Urol Nephrol 1996 30: 313–316
Helgason AR et al. Factors associated with waning sexual function among elderly men and prostate cancer patients J Urol 1997 158: 155–159
Danjou P et al. Assessment of erectogenic properties of apomorphine and yohimbine in man Br J Clin Pharmacol 1988 26: 733–739
Segraves RT, Bari M, Segraves K, Spirnak P . Effect of apomorphine on penile tumescence in men with psychogenic impotence J Urol 1991 145: 1174–1175
Heaton JP et al. Recovery of erectile function by the oral administration of apomorphine Urology 1995 45: 200–206
Heaton JP . Key issues from the clinical trials of apomorphine SL World J Urol 2001 19: 25–31
Seeman P, Van Tol HH . Dopamine receptor pharmacology Trends Pharmacol Sci 1994 15: 264–270
Fagan TC et al. Cardiovascular safety of sublingual apomorphine in patients on stable doses of oral antihypertensive agents and nitrates Am J Cardiol 2001 88: 760–766
Dula E et al. Efficacy and safety of fixed-dose and dose-optimization regimens of sublingual apomorphine versus placebo in men with erectile dysfunction. The Apomorphine Study Group Urology 2000 56: 130–135
Montastruc P, Damase-Michel C, Montastruc JL . Apomorphine potentiates vagal bradycardia Eur J Pharmacol 1989 166: 511–514
Dlewati A, Watkins HO, Lokhandwala MF . Effects of SK&F 85174, a DA-1/DA-2 receptor agonist, on pre- and postganglionic sympathetic neurotransmission to the heart Eur J Pharmacol 1989 164: 197–203
Mukai M et al. The inhibition of ganglionic transmission via presynaptic dopamine DA1 and postsynaptic DA2 receptor activation in the canine cardiac sympathetic ganglia J Pharmacol Exp Ther 1996 279: 822–829
MicroMedex Incorporated. www.smi.dk 2000
Argiolas A, Hedlund H . The pharmacology and clinical pharmacokinetics of apomorphine SL BJU Int 2001 88: (Suppl 3) 18–21
Traish A et al. Phentolamine mesylate relaxes penile corpus cavernosum tissue by adrenergic and non-adrenergic mechanisms Int J Impot Res 1998 10: 215–223
Goldstein I . Oral phentolamine: an alpha-1, alpha-2 adrenergic antagonist for the treatment of erectile dysfunction Int J Impot Res 2000 12: (Suppl 1) S75–S80
Andersson KE, Stief C . Oral alpha adrenoceptor blockade as a treatment of erectile dysfunction World J Urol 2001 19: 9–13
Seideman P et al. Prazosin first dose phenomenon during combined treatment with a beta- adrenoceptor blocker in hypertensive patients Br J Clin Pharmacol 1982 13: 865–870
Tam SW, Worcel M, Wyllie M . Yohimbine: a clinical review Pharmacol Ther 2001 91: 215–243
Winter JC, Rabin RA . Yohimbine as a serotonergic agent: evidence from receptor binding and drug discrimination J Pharmacol Exp Ther 1992 263: 682–689
Ernst E, Pittler MH . Yohimbine for erectile dysfunction: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials J Urol 1998 159: 433–436
Tallentire D et al. Modulation of sexual behaviour in the rat by a potent and selective alpha 2-adrenoceptor antagonist, delequamine (RS-15385-197) Br J Pharmacol 1996 118: 63–72
Mathes CW, Smith ER, Popa BR, Davidson JM . Effects of intrathecal and systemic administration of buspirone on genital reflexes and mating behavior in male rats Pharmacol Biochem Behav 1990 36: 63–68
Mansoor GA . Herbs and alternative therapies in the hypertension clinic Am J Hypertens 2001 14: 971–975
Lacomblez L et al. Effect of yohimbine on blood pressure in patients with depression and orthostatic hypotension induced by clomipramine Clin Pharmacol Ther 1989 45: 241–251
Andersson KE . Pharmacology of penile erection Pharmacol Rev 2001 53: 417–450
Langtry HD, Markham A . Sildenafil: a review of its use in erectile dysfunction Drugs 1999 57: 967–989
Goldstein I et al. Oral sildenafil in the treatment of erectile dysfunction. Sildenafil Study Group New Engl J Med 1998 338: 1397–1404
FDA. FDA Postmarketing safety of sildenafil citrate (Viagra) Food and Drug Administration Website: www.fda.gov 1998
Feenstra J, Drie-Pierik RJ, Lacle CF, Stricker BH . Acute myocardial infarction associated with sildenafil Lancet 1998 352: 957–958
Conti CR, Pepine CJ, Sweeney M . Efficacy and safety of sildenafil citrate in the treatment of erectile dysfunction in patients with ischemic heart disease Am J Cardiol 1999 83: 29C–34C
Herrmann HC, Chang G, Klugherz BD, Mahoney PD . Hemodynamic effects of sildenafil in men with severe coronary artery disease New Engl J Med 2000 342: 1622–1626
Przyklenk K, Kloner RA . Sildenafil citrate (Viagra) does not exacerbate myocardial ischemia in canine models of coronary artery stenosis J Am Coll Cardiol 2001 37: 286–292
Wallis RM, Corbin JD, Francis SH, Ellis P . Tissue distribution of phosphodiesterase families and the effects of sildenafil on tissue cyclic nucleotides, platelet function, and the contractile responses of trabeculae carneae and aortic rings in vitro Am J Cardiol 1999 83: 3C–12C
Webb DJ et al. Sildenafil citrate potentiates the hypotensive effects of nitric oxide donor drugs in male patients with stable angina J Am Coll Cardiol 2000 36: 25–31
Ishikura F et al. Effects of sildenafil citrate (Viagra) combined with nitrate on the heart Circulation 2000 102: 2516–2521
Zusman RM, Prisant LM, Brown MJ . Effect of sildenafil citrate on blood pressure and heart rate in men with erectile dysfunction taking concomitant antihypertensive medication. Sildenafil Study Group J Hypertens 2000 18: 1865–1869
Ballard SA et al. Effects of sildenafil on the relaxation of human corpus cavernosum tissue in vitro and on the activities of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase isozymes J Urol 1998 159: 2164–2171
McAuley IW, Kim NN, Min K, Goldstein I, Traish AM . Intracavernosal sildenafil facilitates penile erection independent of the nitric oxide pathway J Androl 2001 22: 623–628
Zhao L et al. Sildenafil inhibits hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension Circulation 2001 104: 424–428
Geelen P et al. Sildenafil (Viagra) prolongs cardiac repolarization by blocking the rapid component of the delayed rectifier potassium current Circulation 2000 102: 275–277
Medina P et al. Inhibition of neuroeffector transmission in human vas deferens by sildenafil Br J Pharmacol 2000 131: 871–874
Stief CG et al. Effects of sildenafil on cAMP and cGMP levels in isolated human cavernous and cardiac tissue Urology 2000 55: 146–150
Levesque PC et al. Anion and cation modulation of the guinea-pig ventricular action potential during beta-adrenoceptor stimulation Pflugers Arch 1993 424: 54–62
Sugiyama A et al. Cardiac electrophysiologic and hemodynamic effects of sildenafil, a PDE5 inhibitor, in anesthetized dogs J Cardiovasc Pharmacol 2001 38: 940–946
Warrington JS, Shader RI, von Moltke LL, Greenblatt DJ . In vitro biotransformation of sildenafil (Viagra): identification of human cytochromes and potential drug interactions Drug Metab Dispos 2000 28: 392–397
Dresser GK, Spence JD, Bailey DG . Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic consequences and clinical relevance of cytochrome P450 3A4 inhibition Clin Pharmacokinet 2000 38: 41–57
Merry C et al. Interaction of sildenafil and indinavir when co-administered to HIV-positive patients AIDS 1999 13: F101–F107
Zusman RM, Morales A, Glasser DB, Osterloh IH . Overall cardiovascular profile of sildenafil citrate Am J Cardiol 1999 83: 35C–44C
Webb DJ, Freestone S, Allen MJ, Muirhead GJ . Sildenafil citrate and blood-pressure-lowering drugs: results of drug interaction studies with an organic nitrate and a calcium antagonist Am J Cardiol 1999 83: 21C–28C
Buvat J et al. Double-blind multicenter study comparing alprostadil alpha-cyclodextrin with moxisylyte chlorhydrate in patients with chronic erectile dysfunction J Urol 1998 159: 116–119
Linet OI, Ogrinc FG . Efficacy and safety of intracavernosal alprostadil in men with erectile dysfunction. The Alprostadil Study Group New Engl J Med 1996 334: 873–877
Porst H . The rationale for prostaglandin E1 in erectile failure: a survey of worldwide experience J Urol 1996 155: 802–815
Porst H et al. Intracavernous Alprostadil Alfadex—an effective and well tolerated treatment for erectile dysfunction. Results of a long-term European study Int J Impot Res 1998 10: 225–231
Limoge JP, Olins E, Henderson D, Donatucci CF . Minimally invasive therapies in the treatment of erectile dysfunction in anticoagulated cases: a study of satisfaction and safety J Urol 1996 155: 1276–1279
Department of Pharmacology, University of Aarhus, Denmark
U Simonsen
Search for U Simonsen in:
Correspondence to U Simonsen.
https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijir.3900846
ischaemic heart disease
Pharmacokinetic evaluation of sildenafil as a pulmonary hypertension treatment
Marie-Camille Chaumais
, Swanny Perrin
, Olivier Sitbon
, Gérald Simonneau
, Marc Humbert
& David Montani
Expert Opinion on Drug Metabolism & Toxicology (2013)
Advanced glycation end-products: a common pathway in diabetes and age-related erectile dysfunction
D. Neves
Free Radical Research (2013)
Sexual Function in Patients With Chronic Angina Pectoris
Robert A. Kloner
& Luana Henderson
The American Journal of Cardiology (2013)
Anatomy, Physiology, and Pathophysiology of Erectile Dysfunction
Christian Gratzke
, Javier Angulo
, Kanchan Chitaley
, Yu-tian Dai
, Noel N. Kim
, Jaw-Seung Paick
, Ulf Simonsen
, Stefan Ückert
, Eric Wespes
, Karl E. Andersson
, Tom F. Lue
& Christian G. Stief
The Journal of Sexual Medicine (2010)
Etiology and Risk Factors for Developing Orthostatic Hypotension
Aron D Mosnaim
, Rasheed Abiola
, Marion E Wolf
& Lawrence C Perlmuter
American Journal of Therapeutics (2010)
International Journal of Impotence Research menu
For Authors & Referees
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5192
|
__label__wiki
| 0.581702
| 0.581702
|
Confidence Creator
By Greg Bach
Like many young athletes these days, Heather Monahan navigated the early years of her journey through softball with shaky confidence.
“I can remember a game I was pitching when my father was my coach,” Monahan says. “I was waving him out to the field to tell him that I was sick, when I really wasn’t, because I was upside down in the count and the pressure and anxiety I was causing myself was massive.”
But fast forward to her high school years where, armed with a new outlook, her confidence soared and her performances flourished.
“It was the simplicity of a mindset shift,” she explains. “I could have three balls and no strikes on someone and I would be thinking, ‘I’ve got such an amazing opportunity right now to strike this batter out.’ I would just see that there was such potential for me to throw three strikes in a row that it was irrelevant if I had thrown three balls first – it didn’t really matter because I still had that next pitch to throw. It was just choosing to see it from an opportunity standpoint instead of as if I was destined to fail. I just chose to see it differently.”
Monahan is the best-selling author of the Confidence Creator, which features her personal stories blended with insights and tactics she has developed to help anyone create confidence in their life. She works with Fortune 500 companies and professional sports teams to develop confidence in the workplace and on the court; and is a frequent keynote speaker nationwide. She also offers a free e-book: 30 Days to a More Confident You.
“I hear from parents all the time that tell me they don’t know why their child is not confident,” she says. “For parents, it starts with them. They need to look in the mirror and see how they are managing their life and their challenges. Children are going to emulate us, so first and foremost parents need to work on their own confidence.”
We caught up with Monahan after recently returning from a speaking engagement at Harvard University. Use her tips and insights to help young athletes in your home or on your teams become more confident on the field, and in life.
SHARPIE ON THE SHOES
Young athletes can grab ownership of their confidence by writing positive messages to themselves that can appear anywhere.
Monahan’s son Dylan came up to her one day armed with a Sharpie, his basketball shoes, and a request for her to write the message YOU CAN DO ALL THINGS on his shoes.
“He explained to me that at the beginning of the game he’ll go in with a great attitude and be feeling good, but if he has a tough quarter he’s got to be able to go back to the bench before the second quarter starts and look down at his shoe and remember that he can do all things,” Monahan said. “So, in moments when he’s feeling less confident, he leaves himself reminders because we all know there are going to be moments where the confidence dips and you can be part of your own rescue.”
THE POWER OF PLAYLISTS
We see it all the time on television: professional and collegiate athletes wearing headphones and listening to music before games.
For many, it gets them focused, relaxed and ready to compete.
And having a go-to playlist can work for you, or your young athletes, too.
“I have a really powerful playlist,” Monahan says. “I have been doing it with the same songs for two years and what happens is I legitimately get in my zone. I have two years of experience behind me with that playlist that tells me I am going to kill it. I have so much tangible evidence that it’s almost impossible for me not to think I’m going to kill it. So it’s training and disciplining ourselves to create those habits that really drive you and propel you to success.”
IT’S AN EVERY DAY PROCESS
Building confidence requires sustained effort. Coaches and parents must make it a focal point with their young athletes on a consistent basis, not at random points in the season.
“You can’t go to the gym one day and decide you are going to be fit for life,” Monahan says. “It doesn’t work that way. So why would it be any different with confidence? In any moment you are either creating confidence or you are chipping away at it. And when you look at the simplicity of that it makes choices much easier. I’m either creating confidence right now or I’m chipping away at it. Which one do I want to do?”
Parents can kick the day off right by igniting conversations that force children to think in a positive manner, which leads to a more confident mindset.
“The first thing I do is I ask my son, ‘What are three things we are grateful for today?’” Monahan says. “And he’ll tell me, ‘I’m grateful I have practice today; I’m grateful that I’m sitting here with you right now; and I’m grateful for 3 o’clock when school gets out.’ It can be just that simple, but just that practice of being in the habit of it.”
CREATING A VISION
All young athletes will encounter nerves, and fear failing, at some point. It’s no different than facing a tough test that a child is dreading.
But through visualization, kids can become focused, energized and ready to grab success when parents or coaches help them paint those positive pictures in their minds.
“I’ll say to my son, ‘Let’s visualize you doing amazing on the test. Tell me what that looks like,’” Monahan says. “So he’ll start creating a vision of himself doing exceptionally well at it and describing it to me in detail, and he’s seeing it in his mind and the reality is what you can see and create in your mind you can bring to life. And once you believe that’s possible then it’s probable. So, I really work with him in just simple, conversational ways on creating that vision of what he wants.”
Heather Monahan Confidence Coaching Parenting Mindset Practice
Kathleen Trotter, author of Your Fittest Future Self, on how families can get moving and enjoy the journey to healthier lifestyles
World Cup champion on creating team bonds
Coach Danielle Fotopoulos, one of the most prolific scorers in the history of college soccer and a World Cup champion, on creating team cultures that athletes will remember for a lifetime
Is your teen a talented pitcher piling up wins and throwing lots of innings? A leading orthopaedic surgeon shares what you need to know to help prevent serious injury
Heart of a Champion
WWE Champion Kofi Kingston fulfilled his dream thanks to a fierce work ethic and unwavering confidence. Now he’s using his superstar status to help children around the world chase their dreams
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5194
|
__label__wiki
| 0.879995
| 0.879995
|
New England Patriots' Twitter Thanks N-Word Follower
By Kaitlin Flanigan
Published Nov 13, 2014 at 11:29 PM | Updated at 3:00 PM EST on Nov 14, 2014
twitter.com/patriots
The New England Patriots is apologizing after its Twitter account publicly thanked a user whose handle contained a racial slur.
As the team was thanking its one million Twitter followers with automated digital custom jerseys, a Twitter account containing the N-word also received a jersey.
The Patriots have since deleted the tweet, and the account with the N-word has since been deleted.
The team also apologized to fans shortly after as the tweet went viral.
"Cake Boss” Star Arrested on DWI Charges: NYPD
We apologize for the regrettable tweet that went out from our account. Our filtering system failed & we will be more vigilant in the future.
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) November 14, 2014
NECN reached out to the New England Patriots for comment and have not yet heard back.
Pat Sajak Walks Off "Wheel of Fortune" Set
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5197
|
__label__wiki
| 0.670401
| 0.670401
|
1 July 2011, Stratford-on-Avon Golf Club
L-r: Andy Dunnell, James Cumberland, Kim Kerton, Julian Marcus, Phil James and Geoff Tedstone.
On yet another stunning Friday evening (surely the weather cannot continue to favour this match) OWs took on the might of the school’s emerging and highly talented young golfers. Teams of six squared up to play 4-ball better-ball match play, played off ¾ handicap difference, with the school so talented they were giving us shots at times!
OWs fielded three new players as part of team rotation, in an attempt to win back the Jack Marshall Trophy we so reluctantly gave to the school to look after in 2010. The match is always a great occasion to catch up on old times and it was especially good to see Kim Kerton who has been overseas for a few years.
The tried and tested pairing of Geoff Tedstone (8) and Julian Marcus (7) lead off for OWs. The school pair took early advantage in a keenly fought game. Our OWs struggled but managed to come back from 3 down to lose 1 down on the last put of the match.
The second pair of James Cumberland (5) and Phil James (5) found the school second pairing more of a challenge. They brought the close match to a conclusion on the 18th green with a half.
Our final pair of Kim Kerton (9) and Andy Dunnell (16) managed to get home halving the match on the 18th - a game that again went to the wire.
Final score: OWs 1, School 2.
The Jack Marshall trophy was presented by Julian Marcus to school captain Sam Gill.
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5206
|
__label__wiki
| 0.583663
| 0.583663
|
Senate Votes To Send A Message Ahead Of Next Year's Election : It's All Politics Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is bringing up bills that are putting Republicans on the spot — like a measure to ban workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. It's pre-election-year positioning — and Republicans are trying to do the same.
Senate Votes To Send A Message Ahead Of Next Year's Election
Senate Votes To Send A Message Ahead Of Next Year's Election 4:19
< Senate Votes To Send A Message Ahead Of Next Year's Election
November 11, 20134:41 PM ET
From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel.
And I'm Audie Cornish. Midterm elections are still a year off, but on Capitol Hill, the scramble to gain a political edge at the polls has already started. In the Senate, bills are being brought up and votes taken not so much in hopes they will pass, but rather to score political points. As NPR's David Welna reports, both parties are playing the same game.
DAVID WELNA, BYLINE: When the Senate reconvenes tomorrow, it will be voting to break a GOP filibuster of the nomination of Georgetown University law professor Nina Pillard. She's one of three people President Obama named to fill vacancies on the powerful District of Columbia circuit court. Senate Republicans recently filibustered another woman nominated to that court, Patricia Millett, and they promise to do the same with Pillard.
Democrats say there's a simple explanation: Republicans are blocking highly qualified women from serving on that court. Maria Cantwell is a Democrat from Washington state.
SENATOR MARIA CANTWELL: Do we have to get women elected to the United States Senate to get women on the Judiciary Committee, to get women on the courts because our colleagues aren't going to help us do that?
WELNA: Last week, Senate Democrats, with support from 10 Republicans, voted to ban workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Thirty-two Republicans voted no, including Indiana's Dan Coats. The measure, he said, had a clear political objective.
SENATOR DAN COATS: Same point that's made with a lot of bills that come up: Put the other party on the defensive.
WELNA: Majority Leader Harry Reid seemed to confirm that. He lamented to reporters that House Speaker John Boehner had no plans to take up the nondiscrimination bill, despite polls that show more than four out of five Americans support it.
SENATOR HARRY REID: I just don't - I'm flabbergasted as why they're stopping everything the American people want.
WELNA: Another thing more than 80 percent of Americans say they want is to increase the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. Dick Durbin, the Senate's number two Democrat, says his party last Thursday discussed raising the minimum wage to around $10 an hour and then indexing it to inflation. It's about sending working families a message, Durbin says: Democrats can help them.
SENATOR DICK DURBIN: It's more than a message vote. It appears that there are so many nonstarters for Speaker Boehner, you just wonder, where are the starters? If you can't help working families who are struggling paycheck to paycheck to get by in America, then where are your priorities? What is important?
WELNA: Durbin admits he knows of no Senate Republicans who would vote to raise the minimum wage. Pennsylvania Republican Pat Toomey says it's clear why Democrats are raising the issue.
SENATOR PAT TOOMEY: It's a populist measure. They think they can probably score some political points, but it's very bad policy and it would - if it were to pass, it would actually exacerbate a terribly high unemployment rate that we already have. So...
WELNA: But Senate Democrats are not the only ones trying to force tough votes on their opponents.
CAROL TOBIAS: We thank Senator Graham for his leadership in introducing the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.
WELNA: Last week at the Capitol, National Right to Life Committee President Carol Tobias was on hand as South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who's seeking re-election, introduced a bill already passed by the House. It would ban all abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy except in cases of incest or when the mother's life is at risk.
SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM: We're choosing today to speak up for all babies at 20 weeks and try to create legal protections under the theory that if you can feel pain, the government should protect you from being destroyed by an abortion, which I imagine would be a very painful way to die.
WELNA: Supporters cite recent polling showing nearly two-thirds of Americans agree with them. Still, last week on the Senate floor, Washington state's other Democratic senator, Patty Murray, called this bill co-sponsored by 33 Republicans, blatantly political.
SENATOR PATTY MURRAY: This extreme unconstitutional abortion ban is an absolute nonstarter. It is going nowhere in the Senate and those Republicans know it.
WELNA: But they also know any vote on the bill could leave some Democrats seeking re-election in a tough spot, just like the votes Democrats are forcing Republicans to take these pre-election days. David Welna, NPR News, the Capitol.
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5209
|
__label__wiki
| 0.971212
| 0.971212
|
The Wahlberg family, including Donnie, Mark and Paul, is bringing its Wahlburgers chain to Coney Island
By Gina Pace
The Wahlberg family: From left, Mark, Paul, Alma and Donnie. They're bringing their Wahlburgers chain to Coney Island. (Courtesy Wahlburgers)
When New Kids on the Block filmed their first video in Coney Island, Donnie Wahlberg never thought he'd be back, opening a burger restaurant with his family.
"When we were shooting the video [for "Please Don't Go Girl,"] we thought Coney Island was going to shut down. It wasn't the best economic times out there," says Wahlberg, of the video shot in 1988, when the boy band had the run of the near-empty Brooklyn area.
"To imagine years later that our name will be on the sign of a burger joint that probably wouldn't even be possible without New Kids on the Block — a band that led to all these other opportunities — to come full circle...it's a proud, proud moment."
The BBQ Bacon Burger from Wahlburgers. (Wahlburgers)
Wahlburgers — a small, but growing chain from the singer/actor; his younger brother, rapper-turned-actor Mark; and their older chef brother Paul — will launch a Coney Island location in early July.
The 6,000-square foot space on Stillwell Ave. — across the street from the original Nathan's Famous — is divided into a fast service restaurant downstairs with seating for 100, and a full sit-down experience and bar upstairs with room for 200. The open-air area upstairs has views of the boardwalk, Nathan's, and the Wonder Wheel, and after this summer, will be covered with a retractable roof.
Outside, there will be a walkup window for burgers, fries and frappes (lingo for milkshakes in Boston, where the Wahlbergs are from) and some picnic tables.
Floor plan image of Wahlburgers restaurant from Sousa Design Architects. Wahlburgers will open at 3015 Stillwell Ave. (Jeenah Moon/for New York Daily News)
The Daily News got an exclusive hardhat tour of the space as restaurateur John Cestare — who scored the rights to open Wahlburgers locations in New York and Las Vegas — and his team rush to complete it before Tuesday, when all three brotherswill be there for a VIP preview party.
During our visit, Cestare, who's also behind Big Apple Burgers, was trying to lock down arrangements to close Stillwell Ave. to traffic and secure 40 cops to handle the preview event and red carpet, which is expected to draw massive crowds.
The S’mores Frappe from Wahlburgers. (Wahlburgers)
The upper deck was shaping up for opening, but construction crews were pushing to finish the downstairs level. Most of the interior construction will arrive prefabricated and still needs to be installed. In line with other Wahlburgers locations, including the original in Hingham, Mass., the decor will be sleek and modern, with wood paneling and tables and white Caesarstone countertops. Bright green is the accent color — just like New York City's own Shake Shack chain.
This will be the Big Apple's first Wahlburgers, but many already know the franchise from A&E's reality series, "Wahlburgers," which debuted last year, and followed the opening of the first location.
Now, there's a location in Toronto, and plans to open in Orlando, Las Vegas and Philadelphia.
Originally, Paul (51) had just wanted to open a burger joint in Hingham, and Donnie (45) and Mark (44) would invest. But when the name Wahlburgers got tossed about, that changed things.
"It wasn't going to be Paul's Burger Stand," says Donnie, "and our name implies something. He had these basic, bland slogans like 'Burgers, Fries, Frappes and Tunes,' and I told him my fans would drive from Texas to come here if it had the name Wahlburgers on it. I told him you stick to the food, I'll do creative and Mark will do the business."
The family believes quality ingredients are what makes their burgers stand out.
Paul and Donnie Wahlberg at Wahlburgers in Massachusetts. (Courtesy Wahlburgers)
"Paul is a real chef, he's not just the brother of two famous guys who can cook a bit," Donnie says. "He's the real deal and he's very meticulous. He won't fight Mark and my wishes a lot, but when it comes to quality and standards, he'll fight us. He would shut down a location if it didn't meet his standards."
The franchise is using New York vendors for everything, including Pat LaFrieda meat and local vegetables. The Coney Island location will also offer Italian ices.
But some elements stay true to the family's roots.
"We were very poor, so we grew up on government cheese," Wahlberg says. "And it may sound awful, but we use the same kind of cheese on the family burger, because it melts the best, it tastes the best, and it fits on the patty the best."
Wahlberg designed the menu's BBQ Bacon Burger with white cheddar, avocado and jalapeños, and his wife Jenny McCarthy has a seared chicken breast sandwich named after her, but his favorite is the family's signature "Our Burger" — made with "Wahl sauce" (similar to Thousand Island dressing), onion, dill pickles, lettuce, tomato and government cheese.
"It most represents what our eating experience was like as kids," Wahlberg says.
The restaurant will join established Coney Island favorites like Nathan's hot dogs and Grimaldi's pizzeria, as well as newcomers like a branch of Smorgasburg food market, which boasts 12 food vendors including Mile End Deli and Red Hook Lobster Pound.
Inside the Wahlburgers restaurant in Coney Island, which is still under construction. (Jeenah Moon/for New York Daily News)
Wahlberg hopes his burger spot will help the area continue to rebound after superstorm Sandy flooded the seaside neighborhood in 2012. The actor spends eight months a year shooting CBS' "Blue Bloods" in Brooklyn, and considers himself a "transplanted New Yorker" now.
"My apartment was destroyed in Hurricane Sandy," he says. "Shooting in the Rockaways and Brighton Beach and Coney Island, I saw the destruction firsthand. To be able to invest in areas that were impacted is a real honor and it feels right."
Season four of "Wahlburgers" premieres July 15 at 9:30 p.m. on A&E, and will feature the new Coney Island location later in the season.
The 2nd floor of Wahlburgers restaurant in Coney Island, which will open in July. (Jeenah Moon/for New York Daily News)
Fans might even catch Wahlberg at the restaurant — he says he plans to grab a burger there at least once a week.
"It will be really great not to have to get someone to fly a burger down from Boston."
Some of New Kids on the Block's "Please Don't Go Girl" music video was shot in Coney Island. (NewKidsVEVO via Youtube)
brooklyn restaurants
Latest Eats
Sinful cocktails, mouthwatering eats at city’s best new rooftop bars, just in time for summer
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5210
|
__label__wiki
| 0.885593
| 0.885593
|
Mom of missing California sisters says she is 'luckiest person in the world' after girls are found safe
By Ella Torres
The girls embrace family after they were found safe. (Humboldt County Sheriff's Office)
What began as every parent’s worst nightmare turned into nothing short of a miracle nearly 48 hours later.
After disappearing from their rural California home on Friday afternoon and an extensive search, 5-year-old Caroline Carrico and her 8-year-old sister Leia were found “safe and sound” Sunday morning.
Their mother, Misty, told ABC News she “feels like the luckiest person in the world.”
Before they were found, she thought she would never see her children again.
[More U.S. News] Record heat will scorch Midwest and Northeast with temps seen topping 100 »
“She melted on the phone,” Sheriff’s Lt. Mike Findley said of the moment he told Misty the good news, according to the Associated Press.
Despite the girls being cold and dehydrated, officials said they were otherwise in good spirits — an outcome described as “an absolute miracle.”
Officials check on one of the sisters after she was found alive. (Humboldt County Sheriff's Office)
“We could not have had a better outcome than what we've had this morning,” Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal said during a press conference.
[More U.S. News] Florida man busted after stun gun rampage following crash »
“This is rugged territory, this is an extreme environment. How they were out there for 44 hours is pretty amazing,” he added.
The girls were last seen outside of their home in Benbow around 2:30 p.m. They had asked their mother if they could go for a walk. She said no and then couldn't find them, officials said.
They later told officials they were trying to follow a deer trail but got lost along the way.
[More U.S. News] Gimme swelter: Earth sweated through hottest June in recorded history, NASA says »
The family scoured the woods Friday afternoon, but called authorities after they couldn’t find them.
Ten search teams from different agencies, including the National Guard, U.S. Coast Guard and California Office of Emergency Services, were part of the search efforts.
Rescuers became hopeful after they spotted prints of the girls’ rubber boots and granola bar wrappers that their mother recognized along the trail.
The feeling of hope was solidified at around 8:30 a.m. Sunday, after search crew members called out to the girls.
From a distance, they heard a response.
Delbert Chumley and Abram Hill, from Piercy Volunteer Fire, found the sisters huddled together under a bush.
The sheriff’s office said the girls kept hydrated by drinking fresh water from Huckleberry leaves.
[More U.S. News] Trump whips up crowd with more attacks on Rep. Omar during N.C. campaign rally, supporters roar ‘send her back’ »
“To have a positive outcome like this is just absolutely amazing,” Honsal said. “These girls definitely have a survival story to tell."
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5211
|
__label__wiki
| 0.892005
| 0.892005
|
Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait proposes jobs for…
Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait proposes jobs for homeless in State of the City
Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait gives a State of the City address Tuesday in front of a crowd of 800 people at the City National Grove. (Photo courtesy of Bob Peterson, City of Anaheim)
Los Sanchez Mariachi and Broadway Knights music group performs during the Anaheim State of the City address Tuesday at City National Grove in Anaheim. (Photo courtesy of Bob Peterson, City of Anaheim)
Broadway Knights music group performs during the Anaheim State of the City address Tuesday, Feb. 7 at City National Grove in Anaheim. (Photo courtesy of Bob Peterson, City of Anaheim)
By Joseph Pimentel | jpimentel@scng.com | Orange County Register
ANAHEIM – Jobs are key to solving the city’s homeless issue, Mayor Tom Tait said, proposing Better Way Anaheim, an initiative for giving people opportunities to work while improving the community.
Speaking at the City National Grove on Tuesday in front of about 800 people, Tait laid out his vision in his annual State of the City address.
The homeless population in and around Anaheim is estimated at 800 – about a fifth of Orange County’s homeless population of 4,000. Many live along the Santa Ana River, across the street from Angel Stadium.
“A good job can transform a life,” said Tait, who is modeling his initiative after Albuquerque’s There’s a Better Way program. “It brings a person dignity and purpose. It focuses them on working with others to get a job done, and done well.”
Since 2015, Albuquerque’s Solid Waste Department has worked in partnership with local nonprofits to use one of its vans to drive around homeless areas to pick up people interested in working a day job to improve and beautify the city’s landscape and pick up litter. Workers receive a $9 hourly wage and lunch. And once work is completed, the people are offered a place overnight in an emergency shelter.
Since starting the program, Albuquerque reported nearly 1,700 jobs have been provided and more than 117,000 pounds of litter and weeds have been removed from 398 city blocks.
“I want to see Better Way Anaheim up and running this year,” Tait said.
He wasn’t clear how alike Better Way Anaheim would be to Albuquerque’s program, but he said he’s already identified the Los Angeles-based nonprofit Chrysalis as a possible partner. The city is in discussions with the nonprofit, which provides life skills, job preparedness and long-term housing for the homeless. The city can’t directly pay homeless people, so a partner would have to operate any programs.
“It would be basic work,” Anaheim spokesman Mike Lyster said. “Some type of community service such as picking up trash at parks or at a recycling facility. Then, we could provide them with some of our other services. The goal is to break the cycle of homelessness.”
Lyster said the initiative fits into the city’s ongoing effort to curb its homeless situation. Anaheim has contributed $500,000 to the county toward opening a 200-bed, year-round shelter within the city. A partnership with the nonprofit CityNet, launched in 2014, has resulted in 688 people finding stable housing or being reconnected with loved ones, and the city is looking at using shipping containers to create more housing, as has been done with the Potter’s Lane project in Midway City.
Contact the writer: 714-796-2443 or jpimentel@ocregister.com or follow on Twitter @OCDisney
Christ Cathedral — a jewel box of artwork and hidden treasures — ready for grand opening
Joseph Pimentel
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5216
|
__label__wiki
| 0.973952
| 0.973952
|
T-Mobile Confirms Sidekick 4G, Samsung Galaxy S 4G
New T-Mobile Sidekick will run Google's Android OS.
January 20, 2011 10:00AM EST
T-Mobile USA CEO Philipp Humm confirmed today that 4G HSPA+ versions of the T-Mobile Sidekick and the Samsung Galaxy S phones will be "coming soon," according to a slide presented at a press breakfast today.
"We will launch as new the Samsung Galaxy S 4G ... and coming soon, will also be a Sidekick 4G. Everybody knows the Sidekick, and we're going to relaunch the Sidekick and bring it as a 4G device, Android based, into the market," Humm said.
Update: LG, T-Mobile Team for 'G-Slate' Honeycomb Tablet
I, Carly: Interviewing "Miss T-Mobile"
Dell Streak 7 for T-Mobile: Hands On
T-Mobile Shows LG Tablet, Charts Path To 672 Mbps
The two newly announced phones will join the Dell Streak 7, the T-Mobile G-Slate Android Honeycomb tablet and the first 42Mbps data stick on the carrier's network in the first half of 2011, Humm said.
Samsung is anticipated to announce the next generation of Galaxy S phones at the Mobile World Congress trade show on Feb. 13. The current generation still haven't received upgrades to Android 2.2, generating a lot of anger among owners of the Samsung Vibrant and other popular US Galaxy S phones.
The T-Mobile Sidekick was a popular messaging phone for several years but its future fell into question after its maker, Danger, was acquired by Microsoft. Microsoft's unit of former Danger employees then produced the Microsoft Kin, a failed entry-level smartphone which is now being sold by Verizon Wireless as a texting phone.
Facebook Unveils Updated Mobile App for Feature Phones
Shuttle Discovery Astronaut Replaced After Bike Accident
Skeptical of Facebook Libra? So Are House Lawmakers
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5225
|
__label__wiki
| 0.915529
| 0.915529
|
May 1, 2014, 10:38 a.m.
The newsonomics of Quartz, 19 months in
The mobile-first, obsessions-driven business news site from Atlantic Media has a lot of new competition — but it also has some opportunities for growth.
By Ken Doctor @kdoctor May 1, 2014, 10:38 a.m.
The newsonomics of the Quartz business launch
Ken Doctor
Quartz, at the tender age of 19 months, can hardly be considered a father to Vox, FiveThirtyEight, and The Upshot. Clearly, though, it’s a major influence. It marked and followed an explanatory way forward way back in September 2012 (“The newsonomics of Quartz’ business launch”), and its model tells us a lot about this widening field.
Fast innovator Atlantic Media wrote the playbook for Quartz. That playbook almost seemed too fashionable:
✓ Designed for mobile and web-native
✓ A browser app only, not available as iOS or Android native apps
✓ No small-unit banner ads, with native ad “posts” the primary format
✓ Focused on visuals, with big photos and lots of sharable charts
✓ A global focus, in coverage and in audience, from the start
Even the name Quartz seemed a bit avant-garde, its qz.com url a little unorthodox. We knew what a Fortune, a BusinessWeek, a Wall Street Journal, an Economist, a Financial Times meant, both directly through their names and through their long histories. Quartz seemed to be going up not only against all of those, but Bloomberg, Forbes, and Thomson Reuters as well. All those business brands seemed formidable and more greatly staffed in journalists than Quartz.
And yet, before its second birthday, Quartz has found a niche. Let’s look at its newsonomics and how they provide a window into the hot “explainer” movement.
In short, its influence on today’s digital news world derives from three things: Its impressive audience and advertising strategy; its own “obsessive” model of mobile-friendly, explanatory journalism; and the wider sending of Atlantic/Quartz talent off into positions of influence in the next news, and its influence on a wide range of sites that have launched since Quartz’s birth.
Let’s take the talent point.
Justin B. Smith, Atlantic Media’s then-president, was a key shaper of Quartz. Smith is now CEO of Bloomberg Media, with a huge staff, deep pockets, and lots to figure out. His fellow co-conspirator at Atlantic Media and with Quartz, Scott Havens, just joined the soon-to-be-new Time Inc. as senior vice president for digital, after five years at Atlantic. Andrew Perlmutter, an Atlantic strategist at the time of Quartz’s launch, was named executive vice president of Boston Globe Media Partners by new owner and publisher John Henry. Just last week, well-followed Quartz writer Christopher Mims (from his bio: “He believes that the most interesting things about the universe have yet to be discovered, and that technology is the primary driver of cultural change. He is often surprised and delighted by what people will say on record”) took on the WSJ personal tech column job that Farhad Manjoo had vacated in January by leaving for The New York Times. That’s a confluence of influence that speaks to the thinking and execution at Quartz and elsewhere within Atlantic Media.
So, let’s look at the numbers Quartz reports:
About 4.7 million monthly unique visitors.
40 percent of readers are from outside the U.S. The top five countries, in order: U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, and India. Given the India audience, Quartz is launching its first non-U.S.-centric site, Quartz India, in June, partnered with scroll.in.
More than 60 percent of the audience is executive level (according to Bizo), with 90 percent of the U.K. audience at that level.
70 percent are male, and with an expected skew to tech, sometimes standalone tech and often tech within a variety of companies.
40 percent of its traffic is from mobile, with mobile heaviest on evenings and weekends, as at other news sites. Smartphone usage dominates the early morning, and out-distances tablet usage overall about 4-to-1.
Fully 70 percent of traffic is driven by social links.
70,000 readers have signed up for The Daily Brief newsletter. The newsletter has been an important driver of habit and usage — and registration data.
The newsonomics of influentials, from D.C. to Singapore to Raleigh
If the audience is high-demo, its ad sell comes down to a single word that Atlantic Media brandishes well: influentials. From Quartz to The Atlantic to National Journal and Government Executive, its pitch is not based simply on wealth or spending ability, but that its readers as deciders, agenda setters, and idea connectors (“The newsonomics of influentials”).
Quartz is a high-end play, differentiating itself from the more mass-oriented Business Insider and Forbes.com.
The site has already booked 600 percent the revenue for the first half of 2014 as in the same period for 2013, says Jay Lauf, co-president and publisher of Quartz and a veteran of Wired magazine. The site’s native ad strategy fit its time of birth well. It has never run traditional banners — why jump aboard a slowing train? Advertisers include Boeing, Chevron, Cadillac, G.E., and Bank of America; more than 40 percent of advertisers are in financial services.
Lauf says the site is getting an 80 percent ad renewal rate, after first being tagged as the “hot new thing.” In total, Quartz has counted about 45 “blue chip” advertisers. That’s a big number, and shows how much Fortune 500 brands are embracing “share of voice” and native advertising. Quartz aids these content marketers in their creation, ranging from full creation to “light touch” help — a variation of content marketing digital services, a major growth area for all the national and regional publishers investing in capacity to do that work.
A Goldman Sachs look at top innovations of 2013 is the kind of advertising that plays to Quartz’ strength. It’s a major client, and its white paper-like offerings fit the thought-leader vibe of the site overall.
Only 30 percent of Quartz’s ad revenue comes from those native ad posts that caught so much attention when launched (and which The New York Times borrowed from for its new Paid Posts in NYT Now and elsewhere); 70 percent comes from larger-format “Engage” ad units that dominate web pages.
Advertisers pay rates in the range of $60 CPM or higher (cost per thousand impressions). That’s 2-4× what banners will bring in on national sites. Figure that Quartz is on a run rate to produce $8 million-plus in revenue this year.
In addition to native ads, events are becoming a bigger part of the revenue strategy. They’ve long been an Atlantic Media strength, and now that Quartz has developed sufficient audience, it will host seven or more in 2014. Key here are two revenue strategies, attendee registration and sponsorship. “The Next Billion,” its June 2 event in Seattle is priced at $599 (without an advance discount) and is sponsored by Intel. As the news events space heats up, the smartest plays here are extensions both of the journalism a company does and its connections to brands with good “influentials” budgets.
That journalism is framed around the idea of obsessions. “I’m a big reader of magazines, and the magazines I liked best had defining obsessions in what they covered and sometimes over-covered,” says Quartz editor-in-chief and co-president Kevin Delaney. The obsessions framing was at first internal; it now acts as the branding, and in some ways, the taxonomy of the site. On a practical level, it allows a smaller business news staff to cover a wider world, to think and act bigger. Quartz certainly picks its spots, covering some stories, while letting others go. (Even much larger business news organizations, though, do the same thing. Compare Tuesday’s widely-covered Twitter quarterly financials report — Quartz’ provocative angle was “Twitter is now in danger of being crushed by Facebook” — with the paucity of analysis of Time Warner’s.)
The big idea for newsies: Get outside the silo of beats and embed the macro context into anything the site writes. As an editor, Delaney knows that the 15 current (though changing with the news) obsessions — among them, “Indian Elections,” “Future of Finance,” “Ukraine Crisis,” and “New U.S. Economy” — push journalists “to think through what’s most important in the stories, not just process the news.” Not processing the news means avoiding the mushy middle of stories between 500 to 800 words; Quartz’ stories run short or longer.
How to turn everyone in your newsroom into a graphics editor
David Yanofsky
Quartz’s visual journalism push now seems more commonplace. The site not only uses charts often to tell its stories, it has opensourced its Chartbuilder tool, with wide usage among other media.
Even though the majority of readers don’t use the obsessions taxonomy that much — guess what, they like to scroll — it’s both a guidepost for its staff and a high-profile branding that says prominently that Quartz is a thinking person’s business news site. That staff now numbers 25 full-time journalists, up from 17 at launch.
Delaney got to pick his staff. Stop there: As I talk with news-change people in both legacy and startup operations, that ability to pick a staff is huge. It connects with the overused word “culture”: In hiring, editors like Delaney not only get a chance to find the talents, digital sensibilities, and storytelling chops they want — they get to build their culture through hires. Any newsroom, new or old, has its issues, but a new, well chosen, well paid one can spend so much more time on the work and so much less time on the “change.” For legacy companies, a key question is how to emulate that kind of environment, ASAP. Take a tour of Quartz’ journalists and you can see a wide-range of skills, humor — and potential. Those qualities show, subtly, in Quartz’ stories.
The “obsessions,” of course, are just a foundation. It’s the voice of Quartz — serious, pointed, and yet casual — that gives it a personality. Delaney credits global news editor Gideon Lichfield, who came to Quartz after 16 years at The Economist, with establishing that style. “It’s hard to express,” says Delaney, “but it’s conversational, global, digital, and smart. Treat readers’ time well. Above all, don’t talk down to the readers. And don’t take yourself too seriously.” The effort, that serious casual, borrows much from what we’ve all learned in last 20 years on the news web. Often, it works quite well; less often, you can find yourself midway through a story and wondering why you’re still reading. Throughout, you get the sense that these are journalists grappling for answers on big issues and little, much as their readers are.
Quartz, at its best, zags when the competition zigs. Whether it’s the coverage of the next Netflix (“The track-changes version of Netflix’s vision for the future of TV”), contrarian advice (“Forget about learning to code — to get rich in tech, become an accountant”), or real estate comparisons (“How many houses can you buy elsewhere for the price of one in London?”) — chartified, of course — readers are unlikely to think they’ve seen Quartz’s take on current stories in other places.
We can see Quartz as part of that larger movement toward explainer journalism. What does Delaney think about the explainer wave? As The Wall Street Journal veteran he is (having left as WSJ.com managing editor to start Quartz), he takes a longer view than most: “News organizations — including Quartz — have been explaining what the news means for awhile.”
Yet the Quartz sensibility is now a cousin of everything from the new NYT Now to Circa to Inside.com to Yahoo News Digest, as everyone moves on to the coming majority-mobile opportunity. Explainer journalism, of course, isn’t only about mobile, but the its rediscovery coincides with this new mobile age.
My sense is that this great flowering (and great hype) around explainer journalism will soon be absorbed into the wider changes in how news is created and consumed. Though the names starting sites have drawn disproportionate attention, a kind of within-the-house celebrity journalism, we’re still talking about only dozens or hundreds of journalists hired. Almost all seem focused on an American intelligentsia, albeit an intelligentsia that’s highly attractive to advertisers and in its willingness — given the right proposition — to attend a conference or buy a subscription or become a member.
At this point among the contenders — Atlantic Media’s The Wire, Quartz, Slate, Vox, FiveThirtyEight, and sites that may tumble out of First Look Media, to name just a few — we’re beginning to see a kind of Darwinian competition. Even the intelligentsia only has so much time and will make choices. I loved The Upshot’s spare story and great visualization of “Up Close on Baseball’s Borders”). But FiveThirtyEight’s 773 words and a scatterplot on “Do April Showers Bring May Flowers?” exceeded my wonk quotient; I’d rather see the answer to the latter in one of Larry Kramer’s restyled USA Today graphics.
While social referrals are an essential nutrient for all these newer sites, one important metric to watch over the next 24 months will be how much their direct traffic increases. What Quartz and its competitors are now fighting for is new habitual readers. They want to encourage daily check-in; they want to be on the first screen of our smartphones.
Where does Quartz go from here? It’s got new competition, but its business niche helps distinguish it from the newer explainer sites, as does its 19-month lead in gaining attention. Is it really a business site? Well, yes, but it travels well beyond the edges of business, and, interestingly, does it in ways different from what sites such as Business Insider and Forbes do. Clearly, “business” is a good category to claim, but how you then work its edges will make a lot of difference in how well you can really monetize your audience.
Quartz will need to find continued growth. The events strategy is a key to that. It will bring in about 10 percent of Quartz’ revenue in Quartz Events’ first full year of operation. Overall, Atlantic Media brings in 20 percent of all its revenue from events, so Quartz should have headroom there.
Then there’s that elusive question of reader revenue. Though Quartz’ native ad innovation is impressive, and related events revenue will help, all the new sites find a common question: how to balance their revenue streams over the longer term. Without a legacy print publication that people are used to paying for (like Quartz’s parent/cousin The Atlantic), how do you pry payment out of readers? Slate is the latest to try a new tack there, with its new membership program.
Will Quartz test similar waters? Not soon. “Right now, we embrace the open web, full stop,” says Lauf.
And then there’s the question of where Atlantic Media will next go. The company has hired well, in both executive and journalistic ranks. It ranks “culture” as one of its foundational values, putting it on the top navigation of its site. Owner David Bradley showed the industry how a company born in 1857 could be reshaped into a leading digital/print publisher. Now, he must decide on his next generation of leadership, and how much Atlantic Media will continue to be a serial product launcher (Defense One is the latest, launched a year ago) and how much it’ll become a buyer or a seller.
POSTED May 1, 2014, 10:38 a.m.
SEE MORE ON Business Models
TWITTER FACEBOOK EMAIL TUMBLR LINKEDIN
Bloomberg Business Week
Gideon Lichfield
Jay Lauf
Justin B Smith
Newsonomics
NYT Now
Scott Havens
Yahoo News Digest
Show tagsHide tags
Doctor, Ken. "The newsonomics of Quartz, 19 months in." Nieman Journalism Lab. Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard, 1 May. 2014. Web. 18 Jul. 2019.
Doctor, K. (2014, May. 1). The newsonomics of Quartz, 19 months in. Nieman Journalism Lab. Retrieved July 18, 2019, from https://www.niemanlab.org/2014/05/the-newsonomics-of-quartz-19-months-in/
Doctor, Ken. "The newsonomics of Quartz, 19 months in." Nieman Journalism Lab. Last modified May 1, 2014. Accessed July 18, 2019. https://www.niemanlab.org/2014/05/the-newsonomics-of-quartz-19-months-in/.
| url = https://www.niemanlab.org/2014/05/the-newsonomics-of-quartz-19-months-in/
| title = The newsonomics of Quartz, 19 months in
| last = Doctor
| first = Ken
| date = 1 May 2014
| ref = {{harvid|Doctor|2014}}
Nearly 7,000 people threatened to cancel their newspaper subscriptions. Here’s what got them to stay.
Laura Hazard Owen
Join the 50,000 who get the freshest future-of-journalism news in our daily email.
Recipients include 100 Days in Appalachia, Block Club Chicago, Chalkbeat, and the Tyler Loop, among others.
“There remains a lot we don’t know, and I have strong feeling we’re witnessing a little shard of a much larger, complicated soul-searching process.”
Plus: Tim Ferriss brings back ads, two American companies go British, and the mystery of the one-star iTunes review.
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5228
|
__label__wiki
| 0.603349
| 0.603349
|
Be My Baby at Greater Manchester Fringe Festival
Alastair Michael July 15, 2014 Arts, Theatre Comments Off on Be My Baby at Greater Manchester Fringe Festival
It is a truth universally acknowledged that the 60s was a time of sexual liberation. And yet, Amanda Whittington’s Be My Baby focuses on a different phenomenon of the time: the secret birth of illegitimate children in church-sponsored homes, before being given up for adoption by their young, unmarried mothers. It’s a play that provides a stark reminder that the era wasn’t so swinging for everybody.
Set in 1964, Be My Baby follows the fortunes of Mary Adams (Hannah Blakeley). Mary is 19-years-old and seven months pregnant. We first meet her when she encounters the matron (Morag Peacock) of a mother and baby home that she is being enrolled in by her mother (Laura Campbell). The play then follows Mary and her fellow inmates as they revel in the girl-groups songs that have defined their idealised love-lives while learning to cope with the societal shame of their illegitimate pregnancies.
Staged in the round at the Kings Arms theatre in Salford, Asphalt Roses and director Lucia Cox’s production evoked the 60s with consummate ease. Music was their main tool and it was weaved through the play with skill. Decade-defining songs like The Kinks’ All Day and All of the Night, Dusty Springfield’s I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself and, of course, The Ronettes’ Be My Baby have that irresistible quality which serves as an escape route for the play’s characters as well as connecting audience to the play in a way that can only be achieved by such music. The clever choice to mix in contemporary versions of these songs ensured that the audience was not only looking into the past, but simultaneously being held in the present. Perhaps it helped them to reflect on how the play’s issues manifest themselves post-millennium.
Additionally, the thoughtful musical interludes between scenes allowed for seamless changes, all of which were in harmony with the production’s tight direction. An interesting feature of Cox’s handling of the play was the use of live music with the all-female cast beautifully executing mesmerising harmonies, creating a real sense of atmosphere. Such atmosphere was tangible in the serene opening scene; a choral hymn filled the space as the all-female cast drifted onto the stage in an ethereal procession, each adding their voice to the gradually swelling harmony.
Cox’s sensitive production featured fine work from all the cast, particularly Leni Murphy as Queenie. Her play-acting of The Shangri-Las’ Past, Present and Future demonstrated an understated and astute comic timing that had the audience grinning along. These moments of bittersweet humour from the play’s strongest matriarch did leave a craving for a slightly grittier production. At times, it felt as though the serene atmosphere of the opening had not quite been shaken off. Some moments could have been a shade darker especially when dealing with unreported rape and back street abortions.
Be My Baby was Asphalt Roses’ inaugural production. Having struggled to discover creative opportunities for women in the North West, the company was established to create such roles while exploring women’s issues, feminism and femininity through theatre. On paper, Be My Baby fits Asphalt Roses perfectly; it pertains to the role of women in society as well as having only female characters. However, at times it felt like the text fell a little short of the company’s ambitious and admirable ethos. To some degree, the representation of women in this play is restrictive. Although there is merit in revisiting past oppression, there is perhaps more to be won looking forward rather than backward when carving out a new place for women in theatre.
By Alastair Michael
What: Be My Baby by Asphalt Roses
Where: The Kings Arms Theatre, Salford
When: July 10-12, 2014
More info: http://www.greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk/; https://www.facebook.com/pages/Asphalt-Roses/313679182124198; http://www.houseoforphans.com/
Be My Baby has finished its run, but the Greater Manchester Fringe Festival continues until July 31, 2014
Tags: Alistair Michael, Asphalt Roses, Be My Baby, Greater Manchester Fringe Festival, Kings's Arms, Lucia Cox, Review, Salford, theatre
Ren Harvieu Harry Kretchmer PLY actor Newcastle Gateshead Indian nature chickweed Spring Awakening The Octagon Theatre november Chorlton Irish Club Fran Yeoman folk music forage Brudenell Social Club passageway Bop Local Richard V. Hirst Manchester Apollo Waterstone's Deansgate Brew North First Time New Order
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5231
|
__label__wiki
| 0.788294
| 0.788294
|
Spirits in Bondage: A Cycle of Lyrics.
[LEWIS, C. S.] HAMILTON, Clive.
Spirits in Bondage: A Cycle of Lyrics....
In three parts: I. The Prison House. II. Hesitation. III. The Escape.
Published: London William Heinemann, 1919
Reserve Ask us a question
| View Wishlist
On display in 100 Fulham Road
First edition, first impression, of C. S. Lewis's rare first book, a collection of war poetry with a Miltonic twist. This poetry collection, published when Lewis was only 20 years old, was inspired by his experiences in the trenches, but made complex by a superstructure of Christian faith with which the shocked, imaginative young poet was evidently struggling. The trenches themselves figure but occasionally (one nocturne, in which the poet attempts to imagine the moonlit trenches at night as beautiful, concludes movingly: "What call have I to dream of anything? / I am a wolf. Back to the world again, / And speech of fellow-brutes that once were men / Our throats can bark for slaughter: cannot sing."), but it is in a broader and deeper sense that the war became for Lewis a fruitful ground in which to explore his faith. Certainly the dramatis personae of Christian/Miltonic discourse (a wrathful tyrant God, the deceitful and dangerous spectre of Satan, a beastly race of Men, the green Edenic fields of England left behind - and questionably returned to) then took on a darkly threatening and immediate aspect for Lewis during and after this modern Armageddon. As Lewis himself explained in a letter to his friend Arthur Greeves, on hearing that Heinemann were going to publish the collection: "it... is mainly strung round the idea... that nature is wholly diabolical and malevolent and that God, if he exists, is outside of and in opposition to the cosmic arrangements" - a world-view perhaps germane to life in the trenches.
Another aspect of this intriguing production must bear a mention: it is not entirely puerile to note of the title, "Spirits in Bondage", that Lewis, as a young man, entertained a practising interest in sexual sadism (he sometimes signed his letters "Philomastix", 'whip-lover', and called the enjoyment of sexual sadism "the most manly kind of feeling"), and that these instincts bled into his religious beliefs, appreciating the Passion of Christ in a somewhat similar way (he later echoed himself in calling Christianity "the most manly kind of religion").
Contemporary reviews, though favourable, were few, and the book did not sell well; after a few years Heinemann destroyed most of the unsold copies, and the book is thus of legendary rarity today. This rare survival also contains within it an intriguing Heinemann "List of Poetry" advertisement catalogue bound in at the rear, putting Lewis in context among the great "Soldier Poets", his contemporaries. The poets advertised are given small biographies, critical receptions and extracts from their poems. Lewis is introduced as: "Lieut. G. S. Lewis, who is 20 years of age, was at Malvern College when the war broke out. In 1916 he took a classical scholarship at University College, Oxford, and a year later received his commission in the Somerset Light Infantry. He was wounded in front of Lillers in April, 1918". Evidently he was then hovering indecisively between pseudonyms, with Clive Hamilton (his mother's maiden name) on the spine and title page, and George S. Lewis (he disliked Clive) here in the advertisements.
Auction records show only two other copies having appeared, one of which was defective.
Confused? Read our glossary
Small octavo. Original blue cloth, spine lettered in gilt.
12pp publisher's advertisements bound in at the rear (with a title page illustrated by William Nicholson).
Ownership signature to front free endpaper in ink: "Mildred Wilson Xmas 1921"; old bookseller's price of 40 pence to front pastedown in pencil. Spine and extremities darkened, minor wear around extremities, a few instances of faint foxing. A very good copy.
With the exception of framed items*, Peter Harrington offers free delivery on all UK orders of rare books, maps and prints placed through this website. Delivery to USA and the rest of the world is similarly free for orders over £200. View Full Details
If you have a specific question about this book, please complete the form below. For general enquires contact us
Your Question(s)
DO YOU HAVE A BOOK TO SELL?
CAN’T FIND THE BOOK YOU’RE LOOKING FOR?
Contact us with details of the book you are interested in or selling and we will contact you
Sell Old Books Help me find a book
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5236
|
__label__wiki
| 0.661672
| 0.661672
|
10 Phoenix Area Bands to Watch in 2019 (Part 2)
Chris Coplan
Weslynn
Courtesy of Weslynn
Chris Coplan | December 20, 2018 | 6:00am
Our countdown of the top Valley bands that are getting ready to take 2019 by storm continues. Check out the other half of the list here.
No Refills
Forget cactus and Super Fries from Nico’s: Arizona is home to truly great pop-punk. The likes of The Maine, Jimmy Eat World (seriously), Anarbor, The Summer Set, and more have sung about girls and heartache from garages all across the Valley. Today, that grand tradition continues with No Refills. The band’s been performing and recording since 2015, and count among their influences such pop-punk veterans as Blink-182 and New Found Glory. While those threads are ever present, No Refills add something new to the heartfelt declarations and frenetic hooks. They purvey pop-punk with more crunch, wrapping those same earnest emotions in driving rhythms and arena rock swagger. It’s music wildly familiar, especially to residents of this pop-punk bastion, but also with a weight and surging purpose. No Refills will spend its 2019 releasing an untitled EP and undergoing a Pacific Northwest tour in March, plus loads more secret announcements, according to bassist-vocalist Matthew Bacsalmasi. With No Refills, an essential local tradition feels alive and brimming with vigor. Beat that, cactus wren.
Bitter Nasty
Laura Durant
Bitter Nasty proves that sometimes the best local bands don’t always start that way. Singer/guitarist Samantha Bellach hails from Southern Florida (and counts herself an alum of Girls Rock!), while drummer Nathaniel J. Burns is an actor and filmmaker originally from SoCal. Whatever brought them to AZ respectively, the pair have been chugging steadily along since late 2016. Upon first viewing, the duo appear to be a gender-swapped White Stripes. But unlike their blues-soaked counterparts, Bitter Nasty is a band more interested in lo-fi garage rock tinged with hues of psychedelia and ’90s power-pop. The end results are songs both grungy and anthemic, sensitive and snarling, shimmery and utterly jaded. For the near future, the pair will celebrate the two-year anniversary of their first show with the release of Janusian on New Year’s Day. The full-length LP should certainly expand upon the snarling surf-grunge of 2018’s self-titled EP. Bitter Nasty could have pursued rock ’n’ roll badassery elsewhere, but the scene’s all the more robust for their residency in the 602.
Weslynn is undoubtedly the most accessible group on this list. However, large cultural appeal doesn’t mean this trio isn’t worth the time of even the grandest music snob. Weslynn has been a part of the Valley scene since 2015, with a slew of shows and releases under their belt (including 2016’s Black & Champagne EP and 2017’s “Here To Stay” single). This is pop rock that shines the brightest spotlight on the aching heart stitched on its immaculate leather jacket sleeve. While that’s not everyone’s cup of tea, Weslynn is sincere in their approach: They’re troubadours who want to make you shimmy even if they appear slightly silly trying to woo the whole world. The band recently told Phoenix New Times via email that they’re “ready to start a new chapter with a new sound,” which means working on a new single for release by mid-year. Wherever Weslynn land on the emotive pop-rock spectrum, it’s worth the effort to tag along.
Twin Ponies
Tressa Stapleton
There’s something utterly familiar, almost comforting, and yet distinctly uneasy about Twin Ponies. The band’s self-titled 2017 debut is steeped in rich ’90s nostalgia, a raucous, ear-smashing blend of grunge and alternative that’s played with a sense of daring and thoughtfulness uncommon among retro-leaning rock acts. At the same time, they’re very clearly a math rock band, and all those twisting meters and sudden key changes prove physically jarring. Twin Ponies the album never backs down during its 40-ish-minute runtime, doling out the warm reminiscences and angular noises to assault the senses in the best possible way. The reward is worth it, though, as you see TP slash and refurbish the alt-rock canon in real time. Twin Ponies will continue driving toward the future with a new eight-track LP due in spring/early summer 2019, followed by East and West Coast touring and a monthlong, TBD local residency. They’ll also smash your modern rock sensibilities, render you spellbound with their rhythms, and dropkick your eardrums into next week. Just thank them afterward.
The Apaches
Jason Brock
In 2017, when surf rock crashed back against the indie music shores thanks to the likes of The Frights and Tijuana Panthers, The Apaches had been riding those sonic waves for two-plus years. Following the success of the Musica Surfica records, the band’s undergone a lineup change, with The Apaches 2018 featuring Eric Hirsch (lead guitar and organ), Adam Gold (drums), Andrew Jemsek (bass guitar), and Jacob Strong (rhythm guitar). Speaking recently with Hirsch, the addition of Jemsek has focused the band, now drawing upon “spaghetti westerns and spy films, as well as jazz and ballads.” That transformation was on display with May’s Take Off!, with bits of funk and folklorico pushing the sonics upward and outward while maintaining that nougat core of surfy grooviness. A new album slated for May 2019 will see The Apaches further expand, shifting away from a live-centric approach to a textured, deeply orchestral sound. In support, the band are launching a tour of coastal cities, including dates in California and Washington. Wherever the surf rock tides travel, The Apaches stay movin’.
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5238
|
__label__cc
| 0.526198
| 0.473802
|
Motorist Was Practicing Unsafe Sax on Side of Freeway, ADOT Says
Dillon Rosenblatt
Mystery man whips out a saxophone on the Loop 101 freeway
Arizona Department of Transportation
Dillon Rosenblatt | September 12, 2018 | 8:21pm
The Arizona Department of Transportation posted a series of photos of a mystery man playing the saxophone on the side of a freeway on Wednesday afternoon.
The man, later identified as Antonio Nango, 18, pulled his Honda onto the shoulder of the Loop 101 freeway heading north, near the Indian School Road exit. He got out of his car and whipped out his sax to practice for about 30 minutes while waiting for roadside assistance to show up and bring him gasoline.
ADOT assumed he was playing the hit Gerry Rafferty song, "Baker Street," which was a solid guess. That opening sax riff is very recognizable, even for those driving 60-plus miles per hour.
"Family of Sasquatches" Traffic Camera Photo by ADOT Causes Buzz in Bigfoot World
ADOT Tested Systems to Detect Wrong-Way Drivers Last Year
However, he was not and told Phoenix New Times he doesn't know how to play that song, but may learn it since it's so popular.
"I do know how to play 'Careless Whisper,' so maybe I'll play that for people," Nango said.
Nango, who was born and raised in Mesa, now attends Scottsdale Community College as a music major. He said his brief stint with local stardom is surreal. His friends and family have been contacting him online when they found out about his saxophone playing on the freeway.
"I had no clue there were cameras on the 101," Nango said. He just assumed people driving by would take videos of him on Snapchat.
He even did that himself.
Guess I’m famous now? pic.twitter.com/awz8qwNc32
— Freeway Sax Guy (@TonoNango) September 13, 2018
Though this mini-gig didn't attract much attention from those who witnessed it in person, Nango does perform every Sunday at Lost Dutchman Coffee Roasters in Mesa 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and you can see him and his entire music class perform at The Nash in downtown Phoenix at 7:30 p.m., October 30.
Here is the tweet seen 'round Arizona from ADOT, reminding everyone to practice safe sax.
"While everyone at ADOT loves an impromptu 'Baker Street' performance," ADOT posted on Twitter, "we remind our fellow art lovers that freeway shoulders are not the safest place to shred on the sax."
So ... this just happened on L-101 Pima and Indian School.
While everyone at ADOT loves an impromptu Baker Street performance, we remind our fellow art lovers that freeway shoulders are not the safest place to shred on the sax. pic.twitter.com/NwbHoj7S6v
— Arizona DOT (@ArizonaDOT) September 12, 2018
Dillon Rosenblatt was the social media editor at Phoenix New Times from 2016 to 2018. Originally from New Jersey, he is a graduate of Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
Twitter: @DillonReedRose
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5239
|
__label__wiki
| 0.960212
| 0.960212
|
All rioters could face benefits removal
The backlash continues after ast week's looting and rioting
Monday, 15 August 2011 9:26 AM
By Alex Stevenson Follow @alex__stevenson
The government is considering stepping in to strip all those convicted of involvement in last week's riots of their benefits.
Work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith said he was looking at whether his department could implement a process blocking payments.
Doing so would go beyond case-by-case decisions made by the judiciary, an option Mr Duncan Smith said he preferred.
Major tax and benefits challenges face care workers, report finds
TP Blog: Driverless systems test benefits asset management
Charities taking charge – transforming to face a changing world
Working together to solve poverty
People like you lose their jobs, become disabled, get trapped in low wage jobs
Firefighters - for every risk you face
The benefits and challenges of being a freelancer
Speaking on the Today programme, Mr Duncan Smith said there was already "an element of conditionality" in the system which could be extended.
"What we're looking at is: for criminal charges, should we take the benefit? The answer is 'yes'," he said.
An e-petition calling for rioters to lose all their benefits quickly became the first to attract 100,000 signatures, qualifying it for a debate in the Commons.
Now the former Tory leader, who last week said he wanted to make life "hell" for Britain's gangs, said he was exploring his options against "peripheral groups" who had got involved in looting and disorder "because they wouldn't get caught".
"I am at the moment looking to see whether or not someone who's convicted of a criminal offence but not custodial, that we would be able to impose a similar process on them as well, that they would lose their benefits for a particular period of time relevant to that process," he told BBC1's Breakfast programme.
"I'm inclined to believe that it's better if it's done through the judiciary rather than done straight by the Department itself."
Intense public enthusiasm for harsh action against the rioters beyond custodial sentences has already led one local authority to take steps of its own.
A Wandsworth council tenant was served an eviction notice on Friday after her child appeared in court facing charges in connection with rioting in Clapham Junction.
"There is no room on our estates for people who commit violent crimes, who show no consideration for their neighbours or harass, threaten, intimidate or cause disturbance to others," council leader Ravi Govindia said.
iain duncan smith
Government declares war on Benefits Street's scroungers
Boris wants borstal for child rioters
England riots: Final arrest count could reach 4,000
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5242
|
__label__wiki
| 0.933559
| 0.933559
|
ISIS Twitter Traffic Plunges 45% Over Last Two Years
The U.S. and its allies have countered messages of jihadi glorification with a flood of online images and statements.
By Associated Press and Bradley Klapper
AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / StaffGetty Images
The Islamic State group's Twitter traffic has plunged 45 percent in the past two years, the Obama administration says, as the U.S. and its allies have countered messages of jihadi glorification with a flood of online images and statements about suffering and enslavement at the hands of the extremist organization.
Among the images: A teddy bear with Arabic writing and messages saying IS "slaughters childhood," ''kills innocence," ''lashes purity" or "humiliates children." A male hand covering a female's mouth, saying IS "deprives woman her voice." A woman in a black niqab (veil), bloody tears coming from a bruised eye, and the caption: "Women under ISIS. Enslaved. Battered. Beaten. Humiliated. Flogged."
U.S. officials cite the drop in Twitter traffic as a sign of progress toward eliminating propaganda they blame for inspiring attacks around the world.
When the U.S. formed an international coalition in September 2014 to fight IS, the administration outlined multiple goals: military action and cutting off foreign fighters and finances, confronting the group's extremist ideology and stemming the militants' growing popularity in the Arab world and beyond.
The messaging element of the campaign struggled early on. Much of the anti-IS content put online was in English, limiting its effectiveness. At the time, social media networks were only getting started with new technologicalapproaches to the challenge of disabling accounts that were recruiting and radicalizing prospective IS members.
These shortcomings have been fixed, American officials believe. Memes and images depicting the group's treatment of women, children and others are presented almost entirely in Arabic. Whereas the U.S. previously blasted the information out itself, it disseminates messages now through Muslim governments, religious leaders, schools, youth leaders and advocacy groups with credibility in local communities. Data show the proliferation of IS propaganda decreasing.
"We're denying ISIL the ability to operate uncontested online, and we're seeing their social media presence decline," said Michael Lumpkin, head of the Global Engagement Center, which coordinates the U.S. government's approach to fighting extremist messaging. Using an alternate acronym for the group, he said "anti-ISIL audiences are increasingly vocal on social media. This only weakens ISIL's ability to recruit, a key aim of our messaging efforts."
Data obtained by The Associated Press show a 6-1 ratio of anti-IS content online compared with pro-IS content — an improvement from last year. When pro-IS Twitter accounts are discovered today, they have about 300 followers each. In 2014, such accounts had 1,500 followers each, according to the data.
Among social networks, the administration has primarily focused on Twitter. The platform has been most heavily used by IS to crowdsource supporters and potential attackers, though it also has used YouTube and Facebook.
As IS emerged from al-Qaida's shadow and began seizing cities and large swaths of territory in Syria and Iraq in 2013, pro-IS accounts started firing out tens of thousands of tweets each day, rapidly and repeatedly opening new accounts as others were suspended.
The group's enhanced use of social media quickly set it apart from al-Qaida and previous jihadi militant groups. Counterterrorism and law enforcement officials have pointed to IS' online presence for inspiring deadly attacks in Europe and the United States, including some by individuals who never had physical contact with any of its leaders or fighters in the Middle East. These include the attackers who killed 14 in San Bernardino, California, last December.
The U.S. messages attempt to undermine many of IS' most oft-cited claims. These include the group's supposed invincibility on the battlefield or that its caliphate is good for Muslims. American partners have flooded social media with messages highlighting the group's territorial loses and inability to effectively govern or provide basic services to areas under its control.
Although the U.S. government has no formal arrangement with Twitter, its information campaign has dovetailed with new approaches by the company to identify and eliminate tweets supporting terrorism. Until recently, child pornography was the only abuse automatically flagged for human review on social media. Terrorist messaging is now also included and Twitter announced earlier this year it was using a spam-fighting technology as well.
Since mid-2015, the company has suspended more than 125,000 such accounts.
Officials accept that the focus on Twitter may be driving some of IS' traffic to secure message platforms such as WhatsApp and Telegram. But such a shift means the group's propaganda is reaching a smaller audience. On these networks, it is the job of intelligence and law enforcement officials to root out any clues about future terrorist activity.
The Global Engagement Center was created in March to replace a previous State Department entity for fighting IS messaging, the widely criticized Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications. In addition to shifting to Arabic content and proxy messengers, the new formation harmonizes the online campaign with military and intelligence efforts, and uses data analytics from the private and public sector to gauge IS' changing online tactics and what counterstrategies are working best.
For measuring pro-IS versus anti-IS accounts, data analysts use several dozen search strings and hashtags. For example, #Caliphate is more likely used on pro-IS accounts. #Daesh, a pejorative acronym for the group, is primarily found on anti-IS accounts.
More From New Technology
We're Getting Closer to Invisibility Cloaks
Get a 4K Smart TV for 50% Off During Prime Day
Robotic 'Ants' Function Just Like Real Ones
When a Motorcycle Racer Makes an E-Bike
Why the SP 4449 Is Such a Badass Train
Things Come Apart: Binoculars
Anonymous Is Rick-Rolling ISIS on Twitter
Brand-New Sub Sidelined Two Years Over Shoddy Work
Two F-16s Crashed Over Georgia Last Night
A Meteor Streaks Over Early Morning Bangkok Traffic
The U.S. Is Dropping "Cyberbombs" on ISIS
Bertha's Two-Mile Journey Is Almost Over
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5245
|
__label__cc
| 0.590279
| 0.409721
|
These are the marijuana stocks set to takeover the CBD-infused beverage market
By Jacqueline Havelka
Marijuana stock analysts like Canaccord Genuity have proclaimed 2019 to be the year that the cannabis-infused beverage market takes off. This subsector of the overall cannabis market is in its early growth phase, and investors looking for new opportunities may want to take a closer look.
Will the cannabis beverage market outpace the general demand for marijuana products? Will beverages make up 20 percent of the cannabis edibles market by 2022? These are just some of the bold predictions, so let’s take a closer look.
Canaccord projects that in the next four years, the infused beverage industry could become a $600 million market, just in the U.S. CBD beverages alone could be a $260 million market, catching the wave of the rising trend in wellness beverages in general. Likewise, THC-infused beverages could be a $340 million market.
Cannabis companies have taken notice, but so have big mainstream beverage companies. As such, beverage and cannabis companies have begun teaming up to be poised and ready for the market opportunity.
Some analysts have stated that just as cannabis has put pressure on alcohol sales, the same may be true of soda. It might be hard to fathom, but cannabis-infused beverages may become a bigger industry. Suppose that cannabis is legalized in the United States by 2030; if so, the legal cannabis industry is projected to generate $75 billion in annual sales that first year.
ELITE HEMP PRODUCTS from Potnetwork on Vimeo.
Soda companies turn to cannabis to boost sales
Soda consumption is already in decline as consumers turn to alternative drinks like natural sports drinks and other beverages. Big soda companies are watching the emerging sector.
Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) is expected to make a deal to begin production of CBD-infused beverages. Interestingly, in its early days, the company infused its product with cocaine, so returning to a CBD-infused beverage product line would take the company full circle.
[Why the Cronos and Altria partnership is the cannabis deal of the decade]
Executives were closely following developments of the farm bill, and now that it has passed, legalization of hemp across the United States creates a green light for Coca-Cola, who is rumored to be eyeing a deal with Aurora Cannabis (NYSE:ACB).
The company was also in talks with Aphria a few months ago, but Bloomberg reported that nothing substantive materialized from those negotiations.
A deal with Aurora makes sense. Coca-Cola already owns over 500 brands, and Aurora is projected to be one of the top, if not the leader, in cannabis production, focused on the medical cannabis business. And, Coke needs a remedy for its declining soda sales.
In addition to the infused beverage industry, the CBD industry by itself will be huge. Market projections are $22 billion by 2022, as outlined by cannabis research firm Brightfield Group.
Aurora may be the answer to Coca-Cola’s sagging North American sales which have been stagnant for several years now. Last year, the company reported a one percent decline in sales, as the growing obesity epidemic has consumers turning away from sugar. An agreement with Aurora could be just what Coca-Cola needs to boost its North American growth.
After hearing about Coca-Cola’s foray, PepsiCo (NASDAQ: PEP) was also rumored to be looking at deals; however, in an early October call with investors, the company flatly denied the rumors. The stock fell 1.4 percent on that news, and the CFO quickly appeared on financial shows later that same day to retract the statement. Instead, Pepsi now says it too is taking a hard look at the cannabis sector.
Be a participant, not a spectator
Many of the Canadian cannabis producers have already struck beverage deals. Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ) has already taken the plunge. Last summer, the giant beermaker famous for brands like Modelo and Corona forked over $4 billion for a 38 percent share in Canopy Growth, the Canadian cannabis cultivator.
Heineken (OTC:HEINY) has also entered the market by developing a THC-infused sparkling water product under its Lagunitas California-based brand; they are teamed with cannabis company AbsoluteXtracts.
[Canopy Growth Corporation continues to dominate the global cannabis market with expansion into the UK and Poland]
Additionally, HEXO (OTC:HYYDF) and Molson Coors (NYSE:TAP) entered a joint venture to create marijuana-infused beer for the Canadian market. Quebec-based cannabis cultivator HEXO reported just days ago that it would move to the NYSE. Molson Coors CEO Mark Hunter has said that the cannabis market could reach $10 billion in Canada alone, with non-alcoholic cannabis-infused beverages accounting for one-third, or $3 billion, of that market. Hunter has also said that Molson wanted to be a participant rather than a spectator as the market opened up.
Tilray (NASDAQ:TLRY) has also teamed with AB InBev, a Canadian beer brewer, just to study cannabis-infused beverages. Both companies have invested $50 million each to look at non-alcoholic beverages containing CBD as well as THC.
The FDA steps in
Following the signing of the farm bill late last year, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb stepped in to announce that even though hemp was made legal, the agency still considered CBD products illegal. The agency singled out food and drink products containing the compound, telling companies not to sell such products in interstate commerce.
The FDA did acknowledge “the growing public interest in cannabis and cannabis-derived products, including cannabidiol (CBD).”
[Marijuana stocks weekend investor roundup: Analysis of the week's most important events in the cannabis industry (January 19)]
Moreover, it clarified that they would “treat products containing cannabis or cannabis-derived compounds as [it does] any other FDA-regulated products — meaning they’re subject to the same authorities and requirements as FDA-regulated products containing any other substance.”
As of now, the FDA is open to finding “pathways” to allow for CBD products in food and drink. "We recognize the potential opportunities that cannabis or cannabis-derived compounds could offer and acknowledge the significant interest in these possibilities," Gottlieb said in a statement. "We're committed to pursuing an efficient regulatory framework for allowing product developers that meet the requirements under our authorities to lawfully market these types of products."
Still, cannabis companies should move forward with caution. While the farm bill opened up a world of possibilities, the U.S. is still intent on moving at a draconian pace.
Finance & Investing Jun 26, 2019
Akerna Corp: a pot stock of many firsts
Marketing Strategies Jun 25, 2019
ParcelPal Technology inks cannabis delivery deal with Shopify Canada, but what does it mean for American investors?
Politics & Policy Jun 25, 2019
Cannabis news briefs: U.S. House passes cannabis reform measures, ArcView projects $15 billion sales for 2019, NY recreational legalization effort fizzles
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5246
|
__label__cc
| 0.625824
| 0.374176
|
Paper $19.95 ISBN: 9781512600315 Published June 2018
Birding the Hudson Valley
Kathryn J. Schneider
Going Up the Country
When the Hippies, Dreamers, Freaks, and Radicals Moved to Vermont
Yvonne Daley
Distributed for University Press of New England
288 pages | 6 x 9 1/4
Going Up the Country is part oral history, part nostalgia-tinged narrative, and part clear-eyed analysis of the multifaceted phenomena collectively referred to as the counterculture movement in Vermont. This is the story of how young migrants, largely from the cities and suburbs of New York and Massachusetts, turned their backs on the establishment of the 1950s and moved to the backwoods of rural Vermont, spawning a revolution in lifestyle, politics, sexuality, and business practices that would have a profound impact on both the state and the nation. The movement brought hippies, back-to-the-landers, political radicals, sexual libertines, and utopians to a previously conservative state and led us to today’s farm to table way of life, environmental consciousness, and progressive politics as championed by Bernie Sanders.
Foreword by Tom Slayton • Introduction • The Hippie Invasion • Life on the Commune • Higher Education • Food . . . and Revolution • Entrepreneurship—Hippie-Style • Political Transformation • Creativity • Drugs • Women’s Work Reimagined • The Children of the Counterculture • Epilogue • Acknowledgments • Appendix: Soundtrack • Sources and Resources • Index
History: American History
All Books from University Press of New England
RSS feed of the latest books from University Press of New England. RSS Feed
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5248
|
__label__wiki
| 0.75769
| 0.75769
|
Direct real estate for DC plans seen as growing business
Arleen Jacobius
Traditional equity real estate money managers are following the money.
A growing number are preparing investment strategies for what they consider a potential $50 billion business opportunity — offering direct real estate for defined contribution plans.
“It comes down to economics,” said Kelly Cliff, senior vice president and chief investment officer for public markets at San Francisco-based Callan Associates Inc. “Defined benefit is a nice market, but if you are planning for the future, (the) defined contribution market is growing much faster and you have to diversify into it.”
Rather than creating a stand-alone direct real estate investment option, these managers are aiming to persuade plan executives and target-date fund managers to replace their REIT-only allocations with a direct real estate strategy in their target-date or asset-allocation funds.
A number of real estate managers are redoubling their efforts or are entering the defined contribution market for the first time. They include Prudential Real Estate Investors, J.P. Morgan Asset Management, Deutsche Asset Management, Clarion Partners LLC, and UBS Global Asset Management.
The way most managers have overcome the liquidity and daily valuation dilemma that once prevented plan executives from offering direct real estate is by including allocations to cash and REITs as part of their strategies. Most of the investment strategies are collective trusts, set up as funds of funds using the managers' existing open-end fund vehicles.
Callan Associates' asset management group included direct real estate when it first developed its set of target-date funds more than three years ago, Mr. Cliff said. So far, there are 40 DC plans offering Callan's target-date funds, which have a total of $150 million. And Callan executives may soon add other types of direct real estate such as a real estate debt strategy to its target-date funds, he said.
“We've been in the industry for 30 years, consulting with defined benefit plans, and decided to offer best-thinking to the defined contribution world,” Mr. Cliff said.
Prudential manages the direct real estate sleeve of Callan's target-date funds, he said.
David Skinner, principal, defined contribution practice leader, Parsippany, N.J.-based Prudential Real Estate Investors, said Prudential developed the equity real estate strategy for defined contribution plans five years ago, but did not market it during the downturn. Mr. Skinner, who joined Prudential in June, is relaunching marketing efforts.
“We believe that in the long run, 60% of all defined contribution money will be in target-date funds,” Mr. Skinner said.
Up to $1.5 trillion
Cerulli Associates estimates that target-date funds in defined contribution plans will grow to $1.5 trillion by 2015 from an estimated $426 billion so far this year.
“It's good to have access to real estate, but REITs only make up 10% of the commercial real estate universe; most of the universe is privately held,” Mr. Skinner said. “By adding direct real estate, it adds to the risk-reward profile and dampens the volatility of REITs because REITs correlate to equities.”
Some 70% to 75% of Prudential's portfolio is direct real estate, including core, value-added and opportunistic, and between 20% and 30% in REITs. Roughly 2% to 3% is in cash. The strategy gets its liquidity from the REITs and cash. The direct real estate portion is invested in Prudential's open-end funds: PRISA I. II and III.
“Daily valuation has been managed in the strategy, which is very very important to defined contribution plans,” Mr. Skinner said.
It could not be learned by press time how much Prudential managed in the strategy, but Mr. Skinner said it is being used by 13 plans, which he would not identify.
The strategy's return objective is to exceed a customized benchmark of the NCREIF Open-End Diversified Core Equity Fund, the S&P Developed Property and the CitigroupU.S. Domestic 3-Month T-Bill Total Return indexes.
As of March 31, the strategy underperformed the benchmark for the five- and three-year periods, primarily because of the challenging markets of 2008 and 2009, but it outperformed the benchmark for the 12-month period, John Chartier, Prudential spokesman, said in an e-mailed response to questions.
JPMAM also is offering a direct real estate strategy for defined contribution plans, both in its own target-date funds and to other target-date fund managers and plan sponsors for custom target-date funds, said Dave Esrig, New York-based managing director and defined contribution portfolio manager at J.P. Morgan.
Three-quarters of the assets are invested in the firm's open-end funds, mostly in core funds. The rest is invested in a J.P. Morgan REIT fund and cash, Mr. Esrig said.
The strategy includes U.S. REITs because they are an extra source of liquidity and REITs offer another way of pricing domestic real estate, Mr. Esrig said.
Mr. Esrig said J.P. Morgan has gotten a few new DC clients this year and projects that the strategy will have $300 million in assets by year end. J.P. Morgan has been offering the strategy for five years.
One of the first plans to offer target-date funds that included J.P. Morgan's direct real estate investment strategy was the Los Angeles County Deferred Compensation Plans, comprising a $12.6 million (401k) plan and a $59.6 million 457 plan. The plans' target-date funds are custom made using existinginvestment managers, William Yuen, finance analyst for the plan, said in an e-mailed response to questions.
Lower correlation
Plan officials decided to include J.P. Morgan's real estate strategy in the target-date funds “for diversification with lower correlation to traditional assets of equities and fixed incomes,” Mr. Yuen said.
Josh Cohen, defined contribution practice leader at Russell Investments, said while he has seen a few plans adding direct real estate as a stand-alone investment option as well as a sleeve in a target-date fund, they are first adding more liquid strategies. Mr. Cohen, who is based in Chicago, said those strategies include commodity futures, REITs, listed infrastructure, emerging markets equity and debt, and high-yield debt, he said.
Russell's target-date funds include REITs, rather than direct real estate. “Over the long term we expect them to track the overall real estate market and asset class,” Mr. Cohen said.
Clarion Partners, New York, waited until the June completion of its management buyout from former parent ING before marketing its new direct real estate strategy for target-date funds, said Douglas L. DuMond, managing director.
Mr. DuMond noted that the average defined benefit plan has more than 5% invested in direct real estate. “It is estimated that target-date funds will grow to $1 trillion in five years,” he added. “Five percent-plus of $1 trillion is a significant opportunity.”
Unlike most of its competitors, Deutsche Bank's real estate strategy is in a limited partnership, rather than a collective trust structure, said Scott Brooks, director, head of U.S. retail client relations and business development. The firm is structuring the strategy as a limited partnership so it can also be included as part of a mutual fund as well as a target-date fund, he said.
Hartford, Conn.-based UBS Global Asset Management's global real estate management U.S. unit is just now developing an equity real estate investment option for multistrategy portfolios including target-date, target-risk, custom balanced or diversified real asset funds, Laurie M. Tillinghast, executive director of defined contribution product and strategy at UBS, said in an e-mailed response to inquiries.
“Our strategy is to offer larger institutional DC plans a "single diversified solution' for investing in real estate. This means that we will incorporate several existing direct real estate strategies, primarily with a "core' approach, along with a smaller allocation to "value-added' direct real estate as well as more liquid real estate securities,” she stated.
Direct real estate will make up about 75% and real estate securities about 20% of the strategy, with a small cash residual, she stated. UBS plans to launch the strategy at the end of the year.
Commodities mutual funds come under fire
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5254
|
__label__wiki
| 0.878191
| 0.878191
|
Fees a hot topic at DC West conference
Michael Kreps
(updated with correction)
The continued fee scrutiny that plan executives face permeated discussions at Pensions & Investments' West Coast Defined Contribution Conference, held in San Diego Oct. 23-25.
In a keynote address on the future of U.S. retirement policy, Michael P. Kreps, principal at Groom Law Group, spoke on the “significant uptick” in fee litigation, which he believes will persist.
“We see now a generation of lawyers or litigators who have grown up working on fee litigation,” Mr. Kreps observed. “These (lawsuits) are not going away.”
He noted that the Department of Labor's proposed Form 5500 reporting changes, which include greater fee disclosure, would arm lawyers with more information on fees charged by individual plans.
While larger plans were generally the first to be targeted, Mr. Kreps also expects fee lawsuits to move down market, noting he recently saw a lawsuit against a $9 million plan, which he did not identify. That lawsuit has since been withdrawn for reasons that are “unclear,” Mr. Kreps said.
On a panel titled “Has the focus on fees gone too far?” Philip Edwards, principal at consulting firm Curcio Webb LLC, argued the “silver lining” behind some of the fee lawsuits and fee compression is “the greater focus that has been brought to decision-making.”
“Plan sponsors need to be even more confident today than they were five or 10 years ago in terms of what they're deciding to include or not include in the plan,” Mr. Edwards said.
He urged plan executives to document their decision-making process and show that for each decision reached, multiple approaches were explored.
Speaking on the same panel, Anne F. Ackerley, managing director and head of the U.S. and Canada defined contribution group at BlackRock Inc., said plan sponsor attention should be on balancing costs and participant outcomes.
“Fees matter, they absolutely matter, but they're not the only thing that matters,” Ms. Ackerley said. “If we only focus on fees, and we drive everything into index investing, given where I think returns are going, (you) are not going to bridge the gap for our participants.”
Ms. Ackerley pointed to smart-beta investing as one way to help “bridge the gap” for participants in the predicted low-return environment. Incorporating smart beta into target-date strategies or white-label strategies can be a risk-controlled and cost-effective way to get more return, Ms. Ackerley said.
The focus on fees has not caused investment officials at MUFG Union Bank, N.A., to “back away from” offering actively managed options in the bank's retirement plan, said David Courchaine, director, total reward, speaking on the same panel as Ms. Ackerley and Mr. Edwards “In (MUFG's) core lineup there are definitely asset classes where active can add value,” Mr. Courchaine said. “It just comes down to ensuring that what we're paying is reasonable for what we're getting.”
Demographic concerns
Increasing longevity and the shift toward an aging workforce was another pervasive topic.
“We aren't very good yet at preparing for very long and distant futures,” said Laura L. Carstensen, founding director of the Stanford Center on Longevity in a keynote address. “You might think that getting an extra 30 years of life would make people happy. … But people aren't cheering. Individuals are concerned about their own aging and aging of their loved ones. Policymakers are concerned about the sustainability of programs put in place.”
Ms. Carstensen, who is also a professor of psychology and the Fairleigh S. Dickinson Jr. professor in public policy at Stanford University, pointed to a 2011 study by Bankers Life Center for a Secure Retirement that found 14% of middle-income baby boomers do not have any type of retirement account. Many people will be forced to work longer because they have not saved enough, she said.
And even for those who are saving, the predicted low-return environment could hold them back. With lower returns forecast for the next several years, “millennials might have to work 10 years more, maybe to 75, to make up for the returns they aren't getting,” BlackRock's Ms. Ackerley said.
To help improve millennial and other participants' retirement outcomes, Ms. Ackerley urged plan executives to explore strategies like securities lending and smart beta, and encourage employees to contribute more.
Also affecting some employees' ability to retire are health insurance costs. When older employees at automotive parts manufacturer DENSO International America were asked why they weren't retiring, many cited an inability to pay health-care costs, said Sherry Youngblood, project manager, North American retirement benefits, at DENSO, speaking on a panel about financial wellness programs.
Trying to bring some optimism to the keynote address, Ms. Carstensen said good health and functional independence is expected to last “well into their 70s and 80s for many people.” Ms. Carstensen said some people will continue to work because they are “functionally healthy.”
If people can work longer, however, will also be dependent on whether their employer “is set up to have all these people work longer,” Ms. Ackerley said.
Benefits of older workforce
Employers can benefit from an aging workforce as “emotional stability” and knowledge appear to improve with age, Ms. Carstensen said. “When you think of this growing population of older people, keep in mind that this growing body is also better able to do some things than younger people are unable to do,” she said.
Some workplaces have already seen a change with some employees — particularly, women — working longer, Ms. Carstensen said. Stanford's Center on Longevity projects that 35% of men and 28% of women age 65 to 75 will be working in 2020.
To communicate effectively with a multigenerational workforce, plan sponsors need look past the stereotypes associated with older and younger generations, said Vlad Gyster, CEO and founder of communications and technology company Airbo, on the panel “Participant engagement for a multigenerational workforce.
Companies use Airbo's website to communicate with employees through short text, images and games.
Fujifilm Holdings Corp. used Airbo's platform to educate employees on its financial wellness, retirement and other programs, and found that employees of all ages, not just millennials, were using Airbo.
Of the more than 85% Fujifilm employees who used the technology, 96% also reported increased appreciation of the company's retirement and financial planning benefits. Among the top users was a 72-year-old.
“Does everyone want to be spoken (to) in a concise way? Yes,” Mr. Gyster said. “Millennials may be the burning platform that is motivating organizations to adapt new ways to communicate with employees, but actually, everybody benefits.”
P&I announces 6 Excellence and Innovation winners at DC West conference
DC West keynote: Congress likely to take reins on retirement issues, not next p…
DC West speaker discusses challenges of aging workforce
Fees remain on top of DC plan executives' minds — Callan survey
Don't look for aliens; plan for retirement
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5255
|
__label__wiki
| 0.703698
| 0.703698
|
Looking ahead: Britten Weekend at Snape Maltings
Labels: Aldeburgh, preview
Benjamin Britten, Peter Pears & the Amadeus Quartet
(Photo Royal College of Music)
For a composer known primarily for opera, Benjamin Britten had a remarkably facility for other genres. A case in point is his string quartets which span his entire career from the 1940s to the end of his life, creating a remarkable monument in 20th century chamber music. For Snape Maltings' annual Britten Weekend this year, 19 to 21 October 2018 the focus is going to be on Britten's string quartets and his other chamber music.
The Doric Quartet will be performing the works over three days, including playing the final quartet twice. And their viola player, Helene Clement will be performing on Britten's own viola, an instrument given to him by his revered mentor Frank Bridge. The quartet is joined by oboist Olivier Stankiewicz, pianists Alice Chenyang Zu and Alasdair Beaton, Tesla and Thalea Quartets for a remarkable survey of Britten's chamber music from the early Divertimenti to the Temporal Variations and Phantasy Quintet alongside some of the other major pieces from the 20th century including music by Elgar, Korngold, Mozart, Purcell and Copland, plus the European premiere of John Woolrich's Quartet No. 2 Badinerie from A Book of Inventions, which is the first of a set of six quartets which Woolrich is writing. ,
Britten's String quartet No. 2 took Purcell as its inspiration, and at Snape it will be performed alongside a transcription for string quartet of Purcell's Fantasias. Britten's String Quartet No. 3, was written in the last year of his life, and premiered by the Amadeus Quartet two weeks after the composere's death. It will be performed alongside a short story by Henry James. In fact, the quartet will receive two performances, the first with the audience will be surrounding the players on the darkened Snape Maltings stage!
Further information from the Snape Maltings website.
Posted by Planet Hugill at Sunday, September 30, 2018 No comments:
Vividly theatrical, lyrically sung, but.... - Salome at ENO
Labels: ENO, opera review
Richard Strauss: Salome - English National Opera (Photo (c) Catherine Ashmore)
Richard Strauss Salome; Allison Cooke, David Soar, Michael Colvin, Susan Bickley, Stuart Jackson, dir: Adena Jacobs, cond: Martyn Brabbins; English National Opera at the London Coliseum Reviewed by Robert Hugill on 28 September 2018 Star rating: 4.0 (★★★★)
Theatre director Adena Jacobs gives us too many ideas in a new production which thrills but does not always engage.
Richard Strauss: Salome - Allison Cooke
English National Opera (Photo (c) Catherine Ashmore)
The opening on 28 September 2018 of English National Opera's 2018/19 season, at the London Coliseum gave us a new production of Richard Strauss' Salome and the UK opera debut of Australian director Adena Jacobs. The title role was sung by Scottish mezzo-soprano Allison Cooke, with David Soar as Jokanaan, Michael Colvin as Herod, Susan Bickley as Herodias, Stuart Jackson as Narraboth and Clare Presland as Herodias' page. The production was designed by Marg Horwell with lighting by Lucy Carter and choreography by Melanie Lane. Martyn Brabbins, music director of ENO, conducted.
With an all-women production team and a gay woman as the director, it was clear that we were going to have an interesting take on Strauss and Wilde's tale of female objectification. Adena Jacobs' background is mainly in the theatre where she has garnered a strong reputation in Australia and her operatic experience, so far, seems to have lain mainly in contemporary repertoire.
Richard Strauss: Salome - David Soar -
It started promisingly, a blackened stage, a small crowd watching not the moon but a video of a woman (Salome) in a milky bath, the suggestion of crowd control and waiting for a celebrity, the soldiers as security men. Stuart Jackson's Narraboth was superb, self-absorbed, intense, with voice beautifully clear over the well-controlled orchestra and strong diction, and Clare Presland's (female) page was equally strong. Allison Cooke's Salome did not make a grand entrance, she sidled on, poised, controlled and very feminine, she manipulated Narraboth well. Cooke's voice is on the light side, which meant that despite being a mezzo-soprano in a soprano role (albeit one taken by mezzos) she had a lithe, youthful sound. But, in Richard Strauss' equation ('a sixteen-year-old with the voice of Isolde'), she was much more a teenager than Isolde, and it was Brabbins' superb control of the orchestra which kept the balance well.
When Narraboth takes Salome into the cistern, the backdrop rose to display a bare, off-white interior. David Soar's Jokanaan visible only as a pair of pink high-heeled shoes! The scene between Cooke's Salome and Soar's Jokanaan was tense, both self-absorbed. Soar, wearing only a pair of figure-hugging shorts, had some sort of facial cage with a camera on it and his mouth was projected onto the stage. And to make sure we got the idea, at one point the image was rotated 90 degrees, so the mouth made a vagina-like shape. An interesting idea, especially as Jackson's Narraboth was videoing Salome. But Salome's obsession is with multiple parts of Jokanaan, when she is singing about his eyes, his hair, his skin, all we saw was his mouth.
Soar was a superb Jokanaan, focused, sexy and disturbing, so it was only a shame that when he was off stage the amplification flattened and distorted his voice. When on stage he was riveting. Cooke was relatively cool as Salome, yet intense and disturbed. And to make it clear that this was about sexual obsession, even if her voice did not quite convey it, she took her top off.
Sigh, so far we had had female nudity (I am waiting for a really daring production where it is Jokanaan who is naked) and male transvestism, not to forget the overhead fluorescent light tubes. Oh, and plenty of masturbation (both Salome and Narraboth).
Posted by Planet Hugill at Saturday, September 29, 2018 3 comments:
Composer portrait of Rolf Hind from Octandre at the Print Room
Labels: preview
Rolf Hind
The final concert of Octandre's residency at the Print Room at The Coronet, Notting Hall, takes place on Sunday 30 September 2018 when they are presenting a composer portrait of Rolf Hind. There will be an interview with Hind, and performances of four of his chamber works culminating in the first ever complete performance of Way Out East three chamber pieces for stage for voice, saxophone, percussion and piano. The concert will feature mezzo-soprano Lore Lixenberg, saxophonist Stefan Baur, and the GB&SR piano and percussion duo.
The Octandre ensemble, artistic directors Jon Hargreaves & Christian Mason, focuses on music written after 1945, with an emphasis on timbre and ritual. Sound is an eternally fascinating phenomenon, and music can harness its power in ever more original ways: new music, ancient ideas. The ensemble's previous event at the Print Room was a composer portrait of Nicola Lefanu, and you can see a highlight on Vimeo.
Full details from the Octandre website.
Posted by Planet Hugill at Friday, September 28, 2018 No comments:
City Music Foundation announces its 2018 artists
Tom Millar - CMF Young Artist 2018
Each year the City Music Foundation (CMF) takes a group of young artists onto its CMF Artist Programme which aims to turn exceptional musical talent into professional success by equipping outstanding musicians with the tools, skills, experience, and networks they need to build and sustain rewarding and profitable careers.
This year's artists are A4 Brass Quartet, Helen Charlston (mezzo-soprano, whom were recently heard singing with the Fieri Consort at its CD launch), Toby Hughes (double bass), Ariana Kashefi (cello), Tom Millar (jazz piano), and Emily Sun (violin).
The CMF Artist Programme is now in its sixth year and previous CMF Artists include jazz bassist Misha Mullov-Abbado (now a BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist), recorder player Tabea Debus (now a YCAT Artist), soprano Raphaela Papadakis, and guitarist Andrey Lebedev.
Helen Charlston - CMF Young Artist 2018
This year's selection is a varied (and talented!) bunch:
A4 Brass Quartet is comprised of principal players from two of the UK’s top brass bands, Grimethorpe Colliery Band and Foden’s
mezzo-soprano Helen Charlston received first prize in the 2018 Handel Singing Competition
double bass player Toby Hughes is the first double bassist to win the Bromsgrove International Music Competition, the ROSL string section final, and the Tunbridge Wells International Young Concert Artists competition
British cellist Ariana Kashefi is a recipient of the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Julius Isserlis Scholarship and recently completed her studies in Berlin with Professor Frans Helmerson
Tom Millar is a London-based pianist, composer and bandleader and his debut album, Unnatural Events, was launched in 2017 at Pizza Express Jazz Club (Soho) and was followed by a 20-date UK tour, supported by Arts Council England
Australian violinist Emily Sun was the winner of the 2018 ABC Young Performers Award, which will see her perform concertos with the Melbourne, Sydney, and Adelaide Symphony Orchestras in the coming seasons
See the City Music Foundation's events page for details of the various artists' recitals
A forgotten tradition: premiere recordings of two English symphonic works from John Andrews & BBC Concert Orchestra
Labels: cd review
Percy Sherwood Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra, Frederic Cowen Symphony No. 5; Richard Marshall-Luck, Joseph Spooner, BBC Concert Orchestra, John Andrews; EM Records Reviewed by Robert Hugill on 28 September 2018 Star rating: 3.5 (★★★½)
Two striking symphonic works from the English tradition by composers almost forgotten by history
This new disc from EM Records (the recording arm of the English Music Festival) brings together a pair of symphonic works by composers who are hardly household names, Percy Sherwood and Frederick Hymen Cowen, an example of how English music history still has many items to disgorge. On this disc we hear Percy Sherwood's Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra, and Frederick Hymen Cowen's Symphony No. 5 in F minor, performed by Rupert Marshall-Luck (violin), Joseph Spooner (cello) and the BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by John Andrews.
It is not that long ago when people might have decried that an English symphonic tradition existed in the 19th century. Concert programmes still seem to start with the symphonies of Elgar, though those of Stanford and Parry are becoming better known. But music by their contemporaries remains something of an unknown quantity still, it is not so much that there wasn't a tradition as that it has been forgotten by history. Now records like this are enabling us to explore.
Percy Sherwood was a name entirely new to me. He was born in Germany, to an English father and a German mother. He studied at the Dresden Conservatoire with Felix Draeske and Bertrand Roth, both composers in the circle of Liszt, whilst another of his teachers, Theodor Kirchner was very much in the Brahms, Robert & Clara Schumann circle. Sherwood became a leading light of the music scene in Dresden until the First World War when he and his wife moved to England where Sherwood earned a living by teaching. Though he continued to compose his Germanic influence style was not in favour in England.
Schumann and Schubert to Vessel and George Crumb: Manchester Collective's 2018/19 season
The Manchester Collective
Formed in 2016, the Manchester Collective has just launched its 2018-2019 season. When I chatted to the group's managing director, Adam Szabo, last year [see my article] he said that the group's aim was to 'bring a greater variety of chamber music to North West England, an area rich in orchestral music but with fewer opportunities to hear top level chamber music.' And in December 2017 it was appointed Ensemble in Residence at the Stoller Hall in Manchester. This new season certainly does that, as the group explores a wide variety of composers, genres and eras, with a lively view of what it is to programme a concert.
The season starts with the Romantic Hero tour with pianist Jayson Gillham, which combines Schumann's Piano Quintet and Waldszenen with music by Kurtag and Australian composer Nigel Westlake. This is followed by a Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire performed in a new English translation by David Pountney, with soprano Lotte Betts-Dean (currently a City Music Foundation Young Artist). Famously difficult to approach for many audiences, the work will be presented with broadcaster Elizabeth Alker there to guide audiences. The group will be reviving its show 100 Demons which explores the space between live strings and electronics, with a collaboration with electronic artist Vessel and composer Daniel Elms. As well as music by Elms and Vessel, the programme also includes Iannis Xenakis, Jonathan Harvey, Steve Reich and Edmund Finnis.
The first event of the new year is a tour of George Crumb's iconic Black Angels, written for amplified string quartet, and paired with Schubert's String Quartet in D minor, 'Death and the Maiden'. Then comes Bach's Goldberg Variations in Dmitri Sitkovetsky's remarkable re-imagining for string trio (believe me, it works!). And finally, the group's major commission for 2018/19, Paradise Lost, a new work from composer and electronic musicians Sebastian Gainsborough (AKA Vessel) collaborating with Manchester Collective's music director, Rakhi Singh.
It is a certainly a season to make you think, and to look at chamber music differently. Full details from the Manchester Collective website.
Posted by Planet Hugill at Thursday, September 27, 2018 No comments:
The orchestra now arriving at Platform One is celebrating its 70th birthday
Labels: news, video
Howard Shelley and London Mozart Players performing at St Pancras Station
Music in railway stations tends to be of the random busker variety, with perhaps some charity carol singing at Christmas. But last Tuesday, 25 September 2018, commuters arriving at St Pancras Station were treated to a live performance by the London Mozart Players with pianist Howard Shelley on the iconic Elton John piano performing Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21.
The chamber orchestra, the UK's longest established, is celebrating its 70th birthday and what better way to celebrate than to appear in London's most striking station. The event was live-streamed by Classic FM on its Facebook page (with the video being permanently accessible), and it had 50,000 views within 12 hours of the event.
The event is part of the station's ongoing calendar of events, including art and music experiences, so next time you are rushing to catch your train you never know whom you might hear.
As if sent from God: Robert & Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms at Conway Hall
Johannes Brahms & Robert Schumann
Intertwined musical lives: there will be music by Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann & Johannes Brahms from the Primrose Piano Quartet & mezzo-soprano Louise Winter at Conway Hall Sunday Concerts, this Sunday (30 September 2018), preceded by my pre-concert talk introducing the music.
Including songs Brahms' wrote for his and Clara's mutual friends, violinist (and viola player) Joseph Joachim and his singer wife, songs that Clara wrote as part of a joint musical diary with Robert on their honeymoon, songs Robert wrote as a wedding present for Clara, music that Brahms wrote which testifies to his feelings for Clara, and Robert's Piano Quartet, the undeservedly lesser known of his two chamber works for piano and strings.
My pre-concert talk at 5.30pm As if sent from God, will look at the complex lives intertwined lives relationships of the three composers, with rapturous love, court battles and madness.
Further details from the Facebook event or Conway Hall website.
Huw Watkins - Two concertos and a symphony
Huw Watkins Concertos and Symphony; Adam Walker, Alina Ibragimova, Halle, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Ryan Wigglesworth, Edward Gardner; NMC Reviewed by Robert Hugill on 26 September 2018 Star rating: 3.5 (★★★½)
Fine craftsmanship, technical bravura and lyricism in these three symphonic works from Huw Watkins
This new disc from NMC brings together three substantial symphonic works by the Welsh composer Huw Watkins, the Flute Concerto which is performed by Adam Walker (flute) and the Halle conducted by Ryan Wigglesworth, the Violin Concerto which is performed by violinist Alina Ibragimova and the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Edward Gardner and recorded live at the BBC Proms, and the Symphony performed by the Halle conducted by Ryan Wigglesworth.
Born in Wales in 1976, Watkins studied both piano and composition, the latter with Robin Holloway, Alexander Goehr and Julian Anderson at Cambridge and the Royal College of Music, and he has gained a reputation both as a composer and as a distinguished pianist. In fact, both the concertos on this disc were written for soloists with whom Watkins had developed a performing relationship in chamber music. Both concertos have a strongly virtuosic element, yet paradoxically both come over as rather pastoral too with a strong lyrical element in Watkins' writing.
Posted by Planet Hugill at Wednesday, September 26, 2018 No comments:
Swansongs in North Wales
Composer (and Classic FM presenter) John Brunning's new song cycle Swansongs will be receiving its premiere at the North Wales International Music Festival in St Asaph Cathedral on Friday 28 September 2018 when soprano Elin Manahan Thomas and pianist Jocelyn Freeman. The concert also includes music by Dilys Elwyn Edwards, Morfydd Llwyn Owen, Brian Hughes, Purcell, and Handel, with performers also including Family Affair – Brian Hughes (piano), Daniel Brian Hughes (clarinet) & Miriam Hughes (flute).
John Brunning was at one time a guitarist with the band Mungo Jerry, he now broadcasts a number of regular programmes for Classic FM. His song cycle started "in response to the death of a loved one that affected me very profoundly". The work has been recorded by Elin Manahan Thomas and pianist Daniel Grimwood and will be issued on the Signum Classics label in November.
The festival, which is on at the moment, runs until 30 September. Full details from the festival website.
Somewhere for the Weekend: Cremona Musica
Labels: preview, somewhere for the weekend
This weekend, 28 to 30 September 2018, Cremona Musica takes place, an exhibition devoted to musical instruments in Cremona, Italy, a town renowned since the 17th century for its violin making (as well as being the place where Monteverdi was born). It is a must for anyone interested in hand-crafted instruments.
This year there are over 320 exhibitors and over 160 events at the exhibition, and it is not just violins there is a 'Piano Experience' and an 'Acoustic Guitar Village'. Performers will include Maxim Vengerov, Boris Berman, Louis Lortie and many others. The event takes place at the Cremona Exhibition Centre.
One of the interesting features this year is an exhibition and conference devoted to the acoustic-guitar making dynasty of Hauser. The concert guitar Hermann Hauser Sr. built for Andrés Segovia is now kept at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York and Segovia, in the 1950s, called it "the best guitar of our times". At Cremona, there will be an exhibition of historic Hauser guitars as well as a conference. There will also be a homage to Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, with a masterclass about the music of the Florentine composer, plus performances of Castelnuovo-Tedesco's Quintetto op. 143 and a selection of Caprichos de Goya op.195.
Full information from Cremona Musica
#ConcertLab
Southbank Sinfonia's #ConcertLab series is designed to explore and experiment with the concert genre, to ask questions of classical music's presentation, experimenting with lighting, layout and our very senses to bring fresh resonance to orchestral performance.
For the next #ConcertLab Southbank Sinfonia's RushHour Concert on 27 September 2018 is rather later than usual, at 9pm. This is because they are waiting for darkness, because the event is all about combining music and projections to tell stories.
For Rush Hour #13: Atmospheres, at 9.00pm on Thursday 27 September at St John's Waterloo, the Southbank Sinfonia, associate leader Eugene Lee, is presenting a programme which comprises Ravel's Mother Goose, Copland's Quiet City and Dani Howard's Silver Falls, all accompanied by projections to create a vivid staging which brings out the story-telling elements in the music.
Tickets are free, so go along and find out what can be achieved. Full details from the Southbank Sinfonia website.
Posted by Planet Hugill at Tuesday, September 25, 2018 No comments:
Jiri Belohlavek & the Czech Philharmonic in Janacek
Janacek Glagolitic Mass, Taras Bulba, Sinfonietta, The Fiddler's Child; Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Prague Philharmonic Choir, Hibla Gerzmava, Veronika Hajnova, Stuart Neill, Jan Martinik, Ales Barta, Jiri Belohlavek; DECCA
Reviewed by Robert Hugill on 25 September 2018
Star rating: 4.5 (★★★★½)
A rugged, outdoors approach to Jiri Belohlavek's recording of the original version of Janacek's Glagolitic Mass
There has been a tendency to smooth out the awkward corners of Janacek's Glagolitic Mass to make it fit easily into the Western European tradition of choral/orchestral sacred works. Admittedly, this was a process started by the composer, whose revision of the mass following the 1927 premiere removed some of the more ruggedly awkward corners.
Like Sir Charles Mackerras (who recorded the mass with the Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra for Chandos in 1993), Jiri Belohlavek opts for Janacek's original version on this new disc from Decca where Belohlavek conducts almost entirely Czech forces, with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, the Prague Philharmonic Choir and soloists, Hibla Gerzmava (soprano), Veronika Hajnova (alto), Stuart Neill (tenor, the only non-Czech), Jan Martinik (bass) and Ales Barta (organ). Recorded over a span of four years, in Prague's Rudolfinum, this double CD set also contains Janacek's Sinfonietta (dating from around the same time as the mass), the Rhapsody for orchestra Taras Bulba (written originally in 1915, revised in 1918 and premiered in 1921) and the 1917 tone poem The Fiddler's Child
Marking the Centenary of the Armistice in Leeds
Labels: Opera North, preview
Marking the centenary of the Armistice, Leeds has a whole variety of events across the city with a collaboration between arts organisations, museums, local councils, historians and volunteers, with music by Kevin Puts, Benjamin Britten, and Will Todd, an immersive artinstallation and much more.
At Leeds Town Hall, Opera North is presenting a concert staging of Kevin Puts' opera Silent Night with Opera North Youth Chorus, and students from the Royal Northern College of Music. Not Such Quiet Girls, an Opera North and Leeds Playhouse co-production at the Howard Assembly Room tells the stories of women who volunteered on the front line, inspired by Helen Zenna Smith’s novel Not So Quiet, Radclyffe Hall’s war account in The Well of Loneliness, and the life of war artist and ambulance driver Olive Mudie-Cooke, , writer Jessica Walker and director Jacqui Honess-Martin combine staged scenes, film projections, music hall songs and forgotten rarities by early-20th century female composers.
The BBC Philharmonic, Leeds Festival Chorus, the City of Glasgow Chorus, Cantabile Choir and soloists Evelina Dobračeva, Andrew Staples and Benjamin Appl, will be performing Britten's War Requiem, whilst the Orchestra of Opera North, the company’s Youth Chorus, Young Voices and Children’s Chorus perform a new micro-opera, The Songs of War by Will Todd. Another collaboration brings the Orchestra of Opera North together with St Peter’s Singers and Sir Michael Morpurgo for War Horse: The Story in Concert. Marking the centenary of both the cessation of hostilities and the formation of the Royal Air Force, the Orchestra of Opera North performs Carl Davis’s live soundtrack for Wings, the barnstorming 1927 silent film.
The director of Leeds Lieder, Joseph Middleton joins Christopher Maltman for From Severn to Somme, charting the soldier’s odyssey from home into battle, and his death and epitaph, through songs by Butterworth, Gurney and Finzi, and works by composers from the other major nations involved in the War including Mahler, Mussorgsky and Schumann. For this year’s visit from the National Opera Studio, the young artists present Last Days, a beautifully staged passage from the gaiety of pre-war Europe to the apocalyptic impact of the war’s outbreak and beyond, devised and directed by Tim Albery.
Leeds Town Hall’s Sullivan Room will be transformed into a frontline field hospital for Sound&Fury's Charlie Ward, an immersive installation as part of Leeds International Film Festival. To boost morale, staff at these makeshift facilities sometimes arranged for Charlie Chaplin films to be shown for the bedridden, with the ward’s ceiling as the silver screen. For one soldier on Charlie Ward, the flickering images, whirring projector and Chaplin’s comic timing trigger complex emotions and memories, and the film show sets him on a journey into a personal no man’s land. Goodbye to all that?, a free exhibition at the University of Leeds’ Treasures of the Brotherton Gallery running until 31 January 2019, focuses on the experiences of the families in Yorkshire and beyond during the First World War. The lasting impact on their lives is explored through themes of grief, memory, disability, women’s rights and politics.
Opera Appreciation Talks
If you want to find out more about the operas you are listening to then opera singer Helen Astrid (formerly with English National Opera) is giving a series on the last Tuesday in each month in Teddington starting Tuesday 25 September 2018.
Helen will use recorded music and visual aids interspersed with group discussions and simple analysis, to take opera from the birth of opera in Italy during the late-Renaissance through to modern and contemporary opera.
Each session will focus on a different aspect of operatic history and by the end of the evening, you will have a more in-depth understanding, knowledge and enjoyment about opera!
Dates: 25 September | 30 October | 27 November 7.30[m-9.00pm
Tickets: £15 or £38 all three. Includes Wine Reception.
Venue: St Mary's Parish Hall, Langham Road, Teddington, London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames, TW11 9HF.
Further details from EventBrite.
Posted by Planet Hugill at Monday, September 24, 2018 No comments:
New theatre, new season - Royal Opera House's Linbury Theatre re-opens
Labels: Covent Garden, news
The Royal Opera House's redesigned Linbury Theatre © Hufton + Crow, 2018
Quite how the Royal Opera House's Open Up project will work in practise, only time will tell as we test the changes in earnest but the re-vamped Linbury Theatre has quite a striking programme of events announced for its first season. Things kick off in January 2019.
The first opera to be presented at the new Linbury is a new one, Gavin Higgins' The Monstrous Child, based on Francesca Simon's novel, and the latest in a series of contemporary operas aimed at younger audiences being commissioned by the Royal Opera. Directed by Timothy Sheader (artistic director of Regents Park Open Air Theatre and director of English National Opera's recent performances of Britten's Turn of the Screw in Regent's Park) the piece features Marta Fontanals-Simmons [see my interview with Marta] in the title role, Tom Randle, Dan Shelvey, Lucy Schaufer, Elizabeth Karani and Graeme Broadbent with conductor Jessica Cottis.
We move over 250 years earlier with the first performance of Handel's Berenice at Covent Garden since 1737 as a collaboration with the London Handel Festival. Sung in a new English translation by Selma Dimitrijevic, directed by Adele Thomas and conducted by Laurence Cummings, the performances feature Rachael Lloyd, James Laing, William Berger and Jette Parker Young Artists Jacquelyn Stucker and Patrick Terry.
For the annual Jette Parker Young Artists performance, Henze’s final opera, his reworking of Greek myth, Phaedra, is being performed in a new production by Jette Parker Young Artist director Noa Naamat with Southbank Sinfonia, conducted by Edmund Whitehead.
Other opera performances include South African lyric theatre company Isango Ensemble, Belgian director Ivo van Hove and Muziektheater Transparant. The dance programme includes the National Dance Company of Wales, Alessandra Ferri, the Royal Ballet in a programme of new dance to new music including a new core by David Sawer, Ben Duke’s company Lost Dog, Yorke Dance Project, Canadian company Cas Public.
Vital & optimistic: Halle Children's Choir in Jonathan Dove's A Brief History of Creation
Labels: cd review, video
Jonathan Dove A Brief History of Creation, Gaia Theory; Halle Children's Choir, Halle, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Sir Mark Elder, Josep Pons; NMC Reviewed by Robert Hugill on 18 September 2018 Star rating: 3.5 (★★★½)
Creation and the Earth are the subjects for two substantial choral and orchestral works by Jonathan Dove
This new disc from NMC brings together two works by Jonathan Dove which depict the Earth and its creation, using quite a scientific point of view yet creating richly vivid works. A Brief History of Creation, with words by Alasdair Middleton, is a sequence of thirteen movements describing creation from the Big Bang onwards, performed in this live recording by the Halle Children's Choir, the Halle, conductor Sir Mark Elder. Gaia Theory is a three movement orchestral work which is performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, conductor Josep Pons, again in a live recording.
A Brief History of Creation arose from a commission for the Halle Children's Choir, choir director Shirley Court, and Dove drew his initial inspiration from a James Turrell art installation. Alasdair Middleton's texts take us from the creation of the stars, through the elements and selected animals to man. Dove admits that the narrative has gaps, and that they chose things which would be fun to sing about such as dinosaurs, whales, elephants and a shark.
Somewhere for the weekend: Dresden Music Festival
Labels: Dresden Music Festival, preview, somewhere for the weekend
Beethoven's Leonore at the 2017 Dresden Music Festival celebrates the re-opening of the Dresden Kulturpalast
Ivor Bolton, Michael Kupfer-Radecky, Ann Kern, Dresden Festival Orchestra (photo Oliver Killig)
The 2019 Dresden Music Festival takes place from 16 May to 10 June 2019. Under the artistic direction of Jan Vogler the festival's theme is Visions and a particular area of celebration will be the centenary of the Bauhaus.
The festival opens on 16 May 2019 at the Kulturpalast when Ivor Bolton conducts the Dresden Festival Orchestra in a programme in Weber, Schubert and Schumann including Schubert songs arranged for voice and orchestra with the Dresden-born bass René Pape. Another intriguing highlight is a new Cello Concerto written for Jan Vogler, which will he will be premiering with the WDR Symphony Orchestra under Cristian Măcelaru. Written not by one composer but by three, the concerto will unite the talents of Sven Helbig (Germany), Nico Muhly (USA) and Zhou Long (China). And in a different vein, the festival finale will be provided by legendary guitarist Eric Clapton.
Bauhaus celebrations include the Bavarian Junior Ballet from Munich and the Berlin Academy of the Arts in Gerhard Bohner’s new version of Oskar Schlemmer’s Triadic Ballet at the Dresden Theatre. Originally premiered in Stuttgartin 1922 with music by Paul Hindemith, the geometrically inspired ballet helped to spread the ethos of the Bauhaus. The Russian pianist Nikolai Tokarev will perform Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition accompanied by a video installation which reminds the audience of Kandinsky’s production at the Friedrich Theatre in Dessau in 1928 which Mussorgsky’s work inspired.
Further highlights include appearances of the Staatskapelle Berlin with Daniel Barenboim, the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia with Sir Antonio Pappano, the Vienna Philharmonic with Tugan Sokhiev, and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra with their new chief conductor Mirga Gražinyte-Tyla. Igor Stravinsky’s opera The Rake’s Progress will be performed as part of Equilibrium Artists, a mentoring initiative for young singers created by soprano and conductor Barbara Hannigan.
The 2019 festival, the 42nd, will be presenting 56 events at 22 performance venues, many venues historic in their own right.
Full details from the festival website, and read the coverage of past festivals on this blog.
Late Romantic: I chat to pianist Margaret Fingerhut
Labels: feature article, interview, video
Margaret Fingerhut (Photo Andy Tyler)
Pianist Margaret Fingerhut is making a rare London appearance next month when she joins Charles Owen and Katya Apekisheva's London Piano Festival, where Margaret will be participating in the two piano gala. I recently met up with Margaret to find out what we can expect at the gala, and to talk about recent projects and her love for late Romantic piano music.
At the London Piano Festival (this year in its third appearance), Charles and Katya particularly like to invite pianists who are their friends to perform in the two-piano gala. Charles and Margaret have been friends for a number of years and in fact were once neighbours.
Ethel Bartlett and Rae Robertson
With Charles, Margaret will be performing two pieces by Arnold Bax, these seemed a natural fit as the music of Bax has featured a lot in Margaret's life and Bax wrote some wonderful two piano pieces which have not so far been played at the festival, he wrote many of his two piano pieces for Ethel Bartlett and Rae Robertson (a British piano duo active in the 1930s and 1940s).
Bax seems to have loved depicting water in his music and Poisoned Fountain for two pianos is incredibly atmospheric, and Margaret describes it as rather spooky and surprisingly advanced for its time (Bax wrote the piece in 1928, when it was premiered by Bartleet and Robinson). As a complement to this, Margaret and Charles will perform Bax's Hardanger which is an homage to Grieg.
With Katya, Margaret will be playing Poulenc, again a contrasting group of pieces. The light-hearted Capriccio, which was written in 1952 and dedicated to Samuel Barber (it is based on Poulenc's 1932 profane cantata Le bal masque) and L'embarquement pour Cythere (from 1951, based on music Poulenc wrote for the film Le Voyage en Amérique by Henri Lavorel), a piece which Margaret describes as very much an earworm, Finally they will play the gorgeous, nostalgic Elegie (dedicated to the memory of Marguerite de Polignac, daughter of the fashion designer Jeanne Lanvina), about which Margaret quotes Poulenc as saying 'music should be played with a cigar and a glass of cognac'!
Margaret has not, in fact, played much two-piano music, though what she has played she has enjoyed. Most of her collaborations have been with other instrumentalists and singers, in chamber music and song. And she feels such collaborations with other pianists are enjoyable because they are different.
Not that it is an easy task; coordinating with another pianist is quite difficult and she has heard performances where the collaboration has not worked at all. For two pianists to play together there is a need for there to be a great unanimity of touch, so that they play as one. When teaching at college, she has found that first-year students, in their chamber music option, sometimes choose two piano works thinking this is an easy option, which it certainly is not.
Charles Owen, Elena Langer, Katya Apekisheva, Lisa Smirnova, Danny Driver, Melvyn Tan and Ilya Itin
at the 2017 London Piano Festival at Kings Place. ©ICA Media
Posted by Planet Hugill at Saturday, September 22, 2018 1 comment:
Women of the Windrush Tell Their Stories
Passengers disembarking from the
Empire Windrush at Tilbury Dock, June 1948
As part of the Equator Festival at Kings Place on 22 September 2018, composer Shirley J Thompson is curating an evening commemorating the 70th anniversary of the arrival of the MV Empire Windrush in 1948 at Tilbury Docks. Women of the Windrush Tell Their Stories will feature the stories, narratives and memories of the women who came on the Windrush. Shirley J Thompson will be joined by guest artists and composers including Nadine Benjamin (soprano), Rachel Duckett (soprano), Zena Edwards (Mbira/Spoken Word), Gweneth Rand (soprano), Rebekah Reid (Violin & Electronics), Carroll Thompson (Vocalist) and Allyson Devenish (piano), artists themselves descended from the Windrush generation. This multi-media event will showcase a unique mix of music, including classical, electronic, mbira and reggae together with a spoken word element, thus exemplifying the diverse culture of the Windrush communities. An integral part of the event will be the film Memories in Mind: Women of the Windrush Tell Their Stories, which originally inspired Shirley J. Thompson to stage this event.
Between 1948 and 1973, some 524,000 people from the Commonwealth became residents in the UK and Caribbean people currently comprise 3% of Britain's population.
Shirley J. Thompson is an English composer, conductor and violinist of Jamaican descent, and her music was performed at the official Windrush commemoration service at Westminster Abbey earlier in the year.
Full details from the Kings Place website.
Decades - 1830-1840
Decades: volume 3, songs from the 1830s; John Mark Ainsley, Lorna Anderson, Alexey Gusev, Angelika Kirchschlager, Soraya Mafi, Malcolm Martineau; Vivat Reviewed by Robert Hugill on 21 September 2018 Star rating: 4.0 (★★★★)
Songs from the 1830s, a valuable survey from the Mendelssohns and Loewe, through Meyerbeer and Berlioz to Alyabyev and Dargomyzhsky
With Volume 3 of Vivat's Decades: A century in Song we reach the 1830s, a period after Schubert's death and before Schumann launched into song. A landscape with fewer towering masterpieces perhaps, but one full of fascinating incident. So here we have songs by Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, Franz Lachner, Felix Mendelssohn, Giacomo Meyerbeer, Alexander Alyabyev, Alexander Varlamov, Hector Berlioz, Alexander Dargomyzhsky and Carl Loewe, performed by John Mark Ainsley, Lorna Anderson, Alexey Gusev, Angelika Kirchschlager and Soraya Mafi with Malcolm Martineau, artistic director of the series, at the piano.
We start with Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, whose voice we are leaning is different from that of her brother. Soraya Mafi sings three songs, Die Mainacht (Hölty), Warum sing den die Rosen so blass (Heine, a poet whom Fanny knew personally) and Wanderlied (Goethe). From the first song, we can hear Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel's liking for chromaticism, even in a gentle melody, whilst Warum goes with a flowing lilt and Wanderlied combines a perky piano with characterful voice. All three are sung by Soraya Mafi with a nice simplicity yet attention to detail
Franz Lachner remains best known for adding recitatives to the Italian version of Cherubini's Medea, yet in his youth, he was a friend of Schubert's, and his songs deserve exposure. Here we have three, sung by John Mark Ainsley, all settings of Heine from Lachner's cycle Sängerfahre (Minstrel's Journey) including texts already set by Schubert but where Lachner shows himself to have his own personality. John Mark Ainsley shapes the phrases beautifully in all three, conveying emotion through music. Strophic songs require care, and Ainsely gives us some fine storytelling.
Juditha resurgens: William Vann on reviving Parry's 'Judith'
Labels: interview, preview
Judith slaying Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi, 1614–18
On 3 April 2019, William Vann (artistic director of the London English Song Festival, and music director of the Royal Hospital Chelsea) will be conducting a performance of Charles Hubert Hastings Parry's first oratorio Judith at the Royal Festival Hall, with soloists Eleanor Dennis, Kathryn Rudge, Toby Spence and Henry Waddington, the Crouch End Festival Chorus and the London Mozart Players. Amazingly, this will be the first full London performance of the piece since 1889 (there was a performance with piano at the Royal College of Music in the 1970s). Given that the revival of Parry's music has been gaining strength for some time, it seems strange that the oratorio has languished so much. I met up with Will recently to find out more about his quest to restore Judith.
He first became aware of the oratorio at a Vaughan Williams Society AGM when there was a talk on the origins of hymn tunes, including Repton ('Dear Lord and Father of all mankind') which was originally an aria from Parry's Judith, and the original aria was performed as part of the talk. Will became intrigued and wondered if anyone was performing it. That is when he found out how much the piece had languished, though not done in London since 1889 there were a lot of performances until the 1920s, then things tail off and the last major performance seems to have been in Wales in 1951.
Posted by Planet Hugill at Friday, September 21, 2018 2 comments:
Mahler distilled: Iain Farrington and Rozana Madylus in "On Angels' Wings"
Labels: concert review
Gustav Mahler in 1892
On Angels Wings: Mahler, Beethoven, Wagner, Bruckner, Schumann, Klopstock, Strauss, Elgar; Iain Farrington, Rozanna Madylus; 1901 Arts Club Reviewed by Robert Hugill on 5 June 2018 Star rating: 3.5 (★★★½)
A fascinating voyage round Mahler's second symphony in the second of Iain Farrington's Mahler piano recitals
Pianist and composer Iain Farrington is perhaps best known for his distillation of composer's larger scores for smaller instrumental forces, and perhaps his current concert series at 1901 Arts Club represents the ultimate distillation as he is exploring Mahler's ten symphonies and Das Lied von der Erde in a series of piano recitals, playing his own transcriptions of many of the Mahler symphonies.
For his second recital in A Mahler Piano Series at the 1901 Arts Club, on Wednesday 19 September 2018, Iain Farrington was joined by mezzo-soprano Rozanna Madylus for On Angels Wings, focused on Mahler's Second Symphony (written between 1888 and 1894, premiered 1895) with Iain Farrington's transcription of the original version of the Totenfeier movement (written 1888) from the symphony, traditional tunes which Mahler used in the symphony, music which influenced him with the first movement of Beethoven's Sonata in A flat major and Die Erlösung from Wagner's Parsifal (1882), a sequence of songs which related to the symphony, Mahler's Wo die schönenen Trompeten, Des Antonius von Padua Fischpredigt and Urlicht, Schumann's Das ist ein Flöten und Geigen and Klopstock's hymn Die Auferstehung, and a group of songs by Mahler's contemporaries on similar themes to the symphony, Wagner's Der Engel (1857, from the Wesendonck Lieder), Brahms' O Tod wie bitter bist du (1896, from the Four Serious Songs), Richard Strauss' Befreit (1898) and Elgar's The Angel's Farewell (1900, from The Dream of Gerontius).
In an age before computers and synthesisers, the piano transcription was an essential tool in a composer's armoury, composer pianists like Mahler would play their symphonies to selected people and in fact Mahler cut piano rolls of music from his symphonies. Mahler's younger English contemporary RVW would have a play through of his latest symphony in piano form with a trusted pianist before a small group of friends. So the idea of a Mahler symphony on the piano is more suitable than we think.
In the case of Mahler's Symphony No. 2, the size of the piece and the extra forces it uses (including chorus and off-stage brass) rather made it less than possible, hence Iain Farrington's decision to give us a recital around the subject. What was attractive about the programme was that if you knew Mahler's Symphony No. 2 then you found Iain's programme and spoken introductions fascinating and illuminating, shedding new light on the music, whilst if you did not know the symphony then the programme hung together as an entity in its own right, with the sequence of songs in the second half being particularly satisfying.
Iain is playing the Mahler symphonies in his own transcriptions, creating a more pianistic texture than the standard vocal score type transcriptions give us, making the pieces live on the piano.
A pastoral delight: Mozart's Bastien und Bastienne in its original version from The Mozartists
Labels: by Anthony Evans, Classical Opera, concert review, Wigmore Hall
Mozart as a child
Mozart Bastien und Bastienne, Haydn Symphony No. 49; Ellie Laugharne, Alessandro Fisher, Darren Jeffery, The Mozartists, Ian Page; Wigmore Hall Reviewed by Anthony Evans on 18 September 2018 Star rating: 3.5 (★★★½)
Mozart's early singspiel in its original version, alongside music from the same year
Classical Opera and The Mozartists opened their 2018-19 season this Tuesday 18 September 2018 at the Wigmore Hall with a concert that culminated in a performance of Mozart’s pastoral comedy the one-act singspiel Bastien und Bastienne. Following the rediscovery of the 1768 autograph manuscript this was, it’s claimed, the first performance of the original setting since its premiere 250 years ago. Ian Page conducted The Mozartists with Ellie Laugharne and Alessandro Fisher as the titular Bastienne and Bastien and Darren Jeffery was the local quack Colas.
The programme kicked off with some musical context, a performance of Haydn’s Symphony No.49 also dating from 1768. From the opening portentous Adagio, Ian Page was determined to bring out the intensely expressive dynamics. Perhaps the sombre opening is the reason the work attracted the epithet ‘La passione’, but I didn’t buy the idea that overall this is a tragic piece, and certainly not as Robbins Landon would have it, depicting a “winding line of penitents”. The passion and vitality of Ian Page’s reading were exultant, there was an ebullience that belied the minor home key and the turbulent expressiveness that propelled us on to the magnificent Presto.
Compare, contrast and combine: Spitalfields Music's 2018 festival is launched
Labels: preview, Spitalfields
André de Ridder
Spitalfields Music's 2018 Festival will be the second to be curated by conductor André de Ridder. Running from 1 to 9 December 2018 at venues in and around East London, the festival promises a series of experiences which bring early music and contemporary music together. The programme is full of cultural cross-pollination, events which synthesise old and new or which place old and new together in striking contrast.
The festival opens with Unknown Remembered, which fuses Handel's cantata La Lucrezia with a new commission from Shiva Feshareki inspired by the lyrics of Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures album. These will be combined with a video installation from Haroon Mirza to create an immersive experience in a former warehouse (now nightclub) in Hackney Wick.
If such cultural synthesis does not appeal, then there is the chance to hear Thomas Tallis' Lamentations in a programme from Tom Williams and the Erebus Ensemble which places Tallis alongside contemporary responses from Nico Muhly. Colm Carey and the Odyssean Ensemble present William Byrd's motets in the historic Chapel Royal of St Peter Ad Vincula at the Tower, a programme which reflects Byrd's support for the struggle of Roman Catholics in Protestant England.
Soprano Mary Bevan joins lutenist Elizabeth Kenny for a recital of Purcell and his contemporaries, and for those brave enough to sample cultural cross pollination, the baroque recital is followed by a set from The Coveryard performing material by The Smiths and Purcell reworked.
The Riot Ensemble with Richard Reed Parry and Aaron Holloway-Nahum is performing a programme of Richard Reed Parry, Nicole Lizee and Christopher Mayo. Festival curator André de Ridder will be conducting the Trinity Laban Symphony Orchestra in a concert which mixes Stravinsky's Firebird with music by Anna Meredith and Shiva Feshareki. The Fidelio Trio brings a programme of contemporary music for piano trio by Linda Catlin, Ann Cleare, Luke Styles and Christopher Fox.
Full information from Spitalfields Music
The other Cinderella: Bampton Classical Opera's revival of Isouard's Cendrillon
Labels: opera review, SJSS
Isouard: Cendrillon - Nicholas Merryweather, Susanne Dymott, Benjamin Durrant, Jenny Stafford - Bampton Classical Opera
Nicolo Isouard Cendrillon; Kate Howden, Aoife O'Sullivan, Jenny Stafford, Nicholas Merryweather, Bradley Smith, Benjamin Durrant, Alistair Ollerenshaw, dir: Jeremy Gray, Chroma, cond: Harry Sever Reviewed by Robert Hugill on 18 September 2018 Star rating: 3.5 (★★★½)
A Cinderella opera-comique from a French Maltese composer is an intriguing re-discovery from Bampton
Isouard: Cendrillon - Nicholas Merryweather, Kate Howden
Bampton Classical Opera
Nicolo Isouard (1775-1818) is not a well known name and Bampton Classical Opera's performances of his opera Cendrillon this Summer were probably the work's UK premiere. The company brought the opera to St John's Smith Square on Tuesday 18 September 2018 in a production directed and designed by Jeremy Gray with costumes by Jess Iliff. Kate Howden played Cendrillon with Aoife O'Sullivan and Jenny Stafford as her step-sisters, Clorinde and Tisbe, Alistair Ollerenshaw as her step-father, the Baron, Nicholas Merryweather as Alidor, Bradley Smith as Prince Ramir and Benjamin Durrant as Dandini. Harry Sever conducted Chroma. The work was sung in an English translation by Gilly French and Jeremy Gray.
Isouard was of French-Maltese descent and studied in Malta, Paris, Palermo and Naples, eventually ending up in Paris where he wrote a series of operas, mainly opera comique with spoken dialogue. Cendrillon (1810) was one of his major successes. If the plot of the opera seems rather familiar (no fairy godmother, no step-mother, the step-sisters are not that ugly, the prince has a tutor and swaps places with his squire Dandini) this is because Rossini and his librettist lifted much of the plot for La Cenerentola from Isouard and Charles Guillaume Etienne's opera.
It is a charming, well made piece. Cendrillon, the prince, Clorinde and Tisbe each get solos but the main engine of the music is a series of duets, six in all, plus a trio and a quartet. Isouard's music is melodious and lyrical, with a nice line in melancholy for the title role. His depiction of the sisters is not that sharp, and at times they seem almost sympathetic. He uses two tenors, for the Prince and for Dandini, and whilst the Prince gets his own melancholy romance (about the inability to find a bride who loves him), Dandini is quite a lively character. Alidor remains a bit mysterious, involving himself, disguised as a beggar, in Cendrillon's life and apparently using magic to effect her transformation but that is never explained.
One of the problems with the work is that it simply is not La Cenerentola, and you rather missed the pace, liveliness and character of Rossini's opera. It might have been better if Bampton had chosen one of Isouard's other operas, so we had nothing to compare it to.
More than just Haydn: cultural revival at Schloss Esterházy, Eisenstadt
Labels: Eisenstadt, feature article, preview
Haydn's Armida in the Haydnsaal, Schloss Esterházy at Herbst Gold 2018 (Photo Jerzy Bin)
The town of Eisenstadt in Austria is synonymous with two names, that of the princely family of Esterházy, whose eponymous Schloss dominates the old town, and the composer Joseph Haydn who worked for the Princes Esterházy for some forty years. Now owned by a private cultural foundation, Schloss Esterházy is the centre for a remarkable revival of musical activities in the form of an annual Autumn festival and a year round concert series, exploring the music of Haydn, his contemporaries and alongside that of more recent composers.
Despite vicissitudes and the splitting of the family estates between Austria and Hungary, Schloss Esterházy remained in the custody of Prince Paul (1901-1989) who, from 1920, husbanded the family's Austrian domains (the Hungarian ones were taken in land reform in the 1950s). He died without issue and left his estates to his wife Melinda (1920-2014), a Hungarian dancer who created a series of family foundations which now own and manage the estates for cultural benefit [the princely title has passed to a distant cousin, except of course neither Austria nor Hungary now recognise such titles].
The foundations, created in 2001, have some 300 employees involved in the winery, the estates, the extensive holiday accommodation, the Burg Forchstein, Schloss Esterházy, Schloss Lackenbach and the St Margarethen Quarry in which opera is performed.
Thus, as a museum, Schloss Esterházy is relatively young and though the house does not wear its history lightly (the 20th century saw many depredations) there is a liveliness to the way things are displayed. When I went round, on a very engaging English speaking guided tour, I was impressed with the way artefacts from the collection (there are some 1 million objects in the Esterházy collections) had been used to create a display linking to the theme of this year's Herbst Gold Festival, of which more anon, with statuettes of Napoleon and manuscripts of Haydn's masses. There was also an exhibition about Melinda Esterházy whose remarkable life across the 20th century was counterpointed by a desire to see the family legacy preserved in the cultural foundation.
Schloss Esterházy, Eisenstadt (Photo Roland Wimmer)
Vividly theatrical, lyrically sung, but.... - Salo...
Composer portrait of Rolf Hind from Octandre at th...
A forgotten tradition: premiere recordings of two ...
Schumann and Schubert to Vessel and George Crumb: ...
The orchestra now arriving at Platform One is cele...
As if sent from God: Robert & Clara Schumann and J...
Jiri Belohlavek & the Czech Philharmonic in Janace...
New theatre, new season - Royal Opera House's Linb...
Vital & optimistic: Halle Children's Choir in Jona...
Late Romantic: I chat to pianist Margaret Fingerhu...
Juditha resurgens: William Vann on reviving Parry'...
Mahler distilled: Iain Farrington and Rozana Madyl...
A pastoral delight: Mozart's Bastien und Bastienne...
Compare, contrast and combine: Spitalfields Music'...
The other Cinderella: Bampton Classical Opera's re...
More than just Haydn: cultural revival at Schloss ...
Nawr yr Arwr / Now the Hero
Riveting and remarkable: Anna Prohaska & Eric Schn...
Haydn at Eisenstadt: Armida at Herbst Gold festiva...
840: New Music for Cello and Piano
From Haydn and Elgar to Rap and Grime: Matthew O'K...
Yerkesh Shakeyev - Waves from Heaven
Music, puppets & poetry: Goldfield Productions' Ha...
In search of the Great American Opera, the strange...
Duval Timothy's Whale
Movements around Buxton
Music for an Autumn Evening
Essential Listening: Rossini's Semiramide revealed...
Music@Malling
Practical & working composer: Vaughan Williams cho...
The Unknown Traveller at the Treehouse - Fieri Con...
Alexis Ffrench at the Cafe de Paris
Distracting opera for distracted times: The Second...
BREMF 2018 - Europe: 700 years of music from 17 Eu...
A journey through time and music: 12 Ensemble at t...
An imaginative Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress fr...
Just what it says on the tin, an enchanting enchan...
From Dover Beach to the Prince Unexpected: Sunday ...
Moments of beauty: Handel's intimate oratorio Theo...
A substantial monument: Patrick Hawes talks about ...
New music, new collaborations and a Stockhausen re...
Looking ahead: Baroque at the Edge asks you to Ima...
A vivid theatrical, orchestral experience: John El...
Somewhere for the weekend: Launching new season wi...
Four new music staff join the Royal Opera House's ...
Save the Date: Premiere of The Gardeners - 18 June...
Awards for Young Musicians celebrates 20 years
A 90th birthday present: Thea Musgrave's Rorate Co...
My Myra at the Bishopsgate Institute
Mesmerising: Simone Spagnolo's new philosophical, ...
Snape Maltings' Festival of the New
Certainly not boring: Rolando Villazón in Mozart's...
Sleeping Beauty awakes with a lively afternoon of ...
Language, Catalan culture & audience engagement: I...
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5258
|
__label__cc
| 0.539634
| 0.460366
|
Ollie: Millwall test is a fantastic challenge
IAN Holloway is looking forward to the challenge his team will face against Millwall on Friday night.
Holloway, who spent 14 months at the Den as manager, told www.qpr.co.uk: “It’s a fantastic challenge for us and what the players need to do is not be distracted, focus on the game and nothing else.
“Millwall have got a very good team and I’m very pleased for them - but I want to go there and win!”
QPR ended their winless away run with a 2-1 victory at Birmingham City two weeks ago, and have since picked up creditable draws at home to Bristol City and at Ipswich Town.
Those results come after collecting one point from the previous six games, and Holloway says the return of some key personnel has been important.
“It has been a difficult recent period and I am so delighted that we are starting to get our defenders back now,” he said.
“Nedum (Onuoha) is back out there and Grant Hall has come back into the side in the last few weeks, and it makes a big difference to have that bit of experience out there.
“Without being able to make any loans outside of the transfer window it has been tough – how many emergency loans would we have made to get some defenders in to cover us during this period?
“Never in a million years did I envisage having eight defenders out at once.
“So it has been hard, and it doesn’t just impact on your team defensively when something like this happens, it effects every area of the pitch. It affects your strikers because you can’t be as expansive as you’d like to be.
“But anybody who saw us in the last couple of games would see that the system we are using is one that suits us, the lads know it and understand it.
“I believe we are in a good place. Yes, we need to get some more results but if you look at the last few performances I believe we are going to get them.
“We have got the ability in this group to give anyone a game and I believe we can be higher up in the table. What we have to do is go out there and make it happen, there are no excuses.”
Millwall have turned the Den into something of a fortress in recent weeks, unbeaten in four games which includes impressive wins over Sheffield United and Middlesbrough.
On Boxing Day they drew 2-2 with table-topping Wolves in south London, and Holloway is fully aware of the threat the Lions will pose.
“Millwall will try to turn us, they will play from back to front really quickly with good skill, into (Steve) Morison, into (Tom) Elliott, for (Lee) Gregory to run in behind,” he explained.
“They have got lots of ability and whenever they cross it they get four men into the box, so full credit to them.
“They will back that up with a high press, with a midfield four that will get at you. What we have to do is deal with that.”
Rangers came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Millwall at Loftus Road in September, and Holloway added: “We are going to need all those battling qualities again.
“People say the Den is a tough place to go but I have won there a lot so I can’t wait. I know what my players can expect and I will be selecting the team accordingly.”
Josh Scowen serves a one-game ban following his red card at Ipswich on Boxing Day, while James Perch and Joel Lynch remain out.
What the players need to do is not be distracted.
Joe Lumley keeps his eye on the ball
Alex Smithies will be eyeing another clean sheet
Pawel Wszolek is all smiles in training
Rangers warm up for Friday night's London derby
Luke Freeman and Darnell Furlong give each other a helping hand
The balls come out at Harlington
James Perch continues his recovery from injury
The Chief in typically focused mood
All eyes on Millwall
All 90 minutes: Millwall v QPR
Smith: We took the game to them
Highlights: Millwall 0, QPR 0
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5262
|
__label__wiki
| 0.835864
| 0.835864
|
Reader's Club Discount
QRB Best Sellers
Used and Rare Books
North Carolina-themed Books and Gifts
Remembering Nancy Olson
Reserved Seating & Signing Line Tickets
Offsite Events Service
Book Club Bash
Kids & Teens Signed Books
Best Books For Young Readers
Kids Recommendations
Teen Recommendations
Teen Advisory Board
TAB Book Club Bash
Businesses & Outside Sales
QuailMail
QuailEvents
QuailKids
Home » The Ghost Ships of Archangel: The Arctic Voyage That Defied the Nazis (Hardcover)
Home My Account Shopping Cart Logout
The Ghost Ships of Archangel: The Arctic Voyage That Defied the Nazis (Hardcover)
By William Geroux
2 on hand, as of Jul 17 8:40pm
(HIST-WORLD WAR II)
Related Editions
Kobo eBook (May 14th, 2019): $14.99
An extraordinary story of survival and alliance during World War II: the icy journey of four Allied ships crossing the Arctic to deliver much needed supplies to the Soviet war effort.
On the fourth of July, 1942, four Allied ships traversing the Arctic separated from their decimated convoy to head further north into the ice field of the North Pole, seeking safety from Nazi bombers and U-boats in the perilous white maze of ice floes, growlers, and giant bergs. Despite the risks, they had a better chance of survival than the rest of Convoy PQ-17, a fleet of thirty-five cargo ships carrying $1 billion worth of war supplies to the Soviet port of Archangel--the limited help Roosevelt and Churchill extended to Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin to maintain their fragile alliance, even as they avoided joining the fight in Europe while the Eastern Front raged.
The high-level politics that put Convoy PQ-17 in the path of the Nazis were far from the minds of the diverse crews aboard their ships. U.S. Navy Ensign Howard Carraway, aboard the SS Troubadour, was a farm boy from South Carolina and one of the many Americans for whom the convoy was to be a first taste of war; aboard the SS Ironclad, Ensign William Carter of the U.S. Navy Reserve had passed up a chance at Harvard Business School to join the Navy Armed Guard; from the Royal Navy Reserve, Lt. Leo Gradwell was given command of the HMT Ayrshire, a fishing trawler that had been converted into an antisubmarine vessel. All the while, The Ghost Ships of Archangel turns its focus on Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin, playing diplomatic games that put their ships in peril.
The twenty-four-hour Arctic daylight in midsummer gave no respite from bombers, and the Germans wielded the terrifying battleship Tirpitz, nicknamed The Big Bad Wolf. Icebergs were as dangerous as Nazis. As a newly forged alliance was close to dissolving and the remnants of Convoy PQ-17 tried to slip through the Arctic in one piece, the fate of the world hung in the balance.
William Geroux wrote for the Richmond Times-Dispatch for twenty-five years. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, Associated Press, and various regional magazines. His previous book is The Mathews Men. A native of Washington, DC, and a graduate of the College of William and Mary, he lives in Virginia Beach, VA.
“This book is sheer enjoyment… A riveting saga… Using marvelous accounts from first-person perspectives, Geroux crafted a history to be enjoyed by naval enthusiasts, mariners and World War II fans. This is not one to miss!”—Virginia Gazette
“In this gripping history, Geroux recounts the fascinating story of multinational convoy PQ-17, which sailed through treacherous ice-filled waters to deliver tanks, explosives, and other supplies to support the Soviet WWII effort . . . WWII aficionados, and anyone else who likes a good story, will find this well-written adventure tale a real pleasure.”—Publishers Weekly (*starred review*)
“An important but overlooked point in World War II… A nightmarish story of survival in the ice fields of the Arctic; an engaging read for fans of military history.”—Library Journal
Praise for The Mathews Men:
"Vividly drawn and emotionally gripping, The Mathews Men shines a light on the mostly forgotten but astonishing role the U.S. Merchant Marine played in winning World War II."—Daniel James Brown, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Boys in the Boat
"William Geroux has written a classic American tale, a gripping story of courageous everyday heroes facing death in World War II."—James Bradley, author of Flags of Our Fathers
"A gripping, nearly lost story of World War II...readers will experience both the terror at sea and the agonizing tension of families who waited for loved ones to return."—Bookpage
"The valor and contributions of the U.S. Merchant Marines to victory in WWII has seldom been acknowledged . . . Geroux presents an unflinching, inspiring, and long delayed tribute to the sacrifice of these men."—Booklist (starred review)
"Poignant . . . A deep, compassionate group biography of these 'unsung heroes' of the Merchant Marines."—Kirkus
"Geroux combines the skills of a newsman and those of a scholar to tell the story of the vital and heroic role played by the U.S. Merchant Marines during WWII."—Publishers Weekly
"William Geroux's The Mathews Men harkens to the war heroics of Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken and the British detective drama Foyle's War....Loaded with offbeat characters trying to survive against astonishingly impossible odds, Geroux gives these unheralded heroes their belated due in an account that is as meticulously researched as it is even-handed and poignant."—Beth Macy, author of Factory Man: How One Furniture Maker Battled Offshoring, Stayed Local - and Helped Save an American Town
"Geroux gives us a rollicking read that plunges you into the middle of the ocean and seduces you into caring for the story's heroic seafarers. This is both a terrific and terrifying blow-by-blow of the actions of the sailors of the U.S. Merchant Marine as the dodged deadly U-Boats during the course of World War II and who, as Lincoln put it, too often made the ultimate sacrifice upon the altar of freedom."—Bob Drury and Tom Clavin, co-authors of Halsey's Typhoon and The Heart of Everything That Is
"Often overlooked and unsung, the men of the U.S. Merchant Marine risked all against stealthy German U-boats whether within sight of East Coast cities or on the Arctic run to Murmansk. Mr. Geroux has superbly chronicled the gripping and deeply personal story of brothers in blood as well as in mission."—Walter R. Borneman, author of The Admirals: Nimitz, Halsey, Leahy, and King--The Five-star Admirals Who Won the War at Sea
"The German U-Boat war against American merchant men was deadly and dramatic--in World War II, the U.S. Merchant Marine had twice the fatality rate of the U.S. Navy. William Geroux has unearthed a fascinating tale of one small coastal town caught in the thick of the fight, and he tells it with a sharp reporter's eye and a real feel for the heroic men who went down to the sea in ships."—Evan Thomas, author of Being Nixon and Sea of Thunder
Publisher: Viking
History / Military / World War II
History / Maritime History & Piracy
History / Military / Naval
Paperback, Large Print (May 14th, 2019): $30.00
THANK YOU FOR SHOPPING AT QUAIL RIDGE BOOKS.
Event FAQs
Stocking Your Book
QRB Website designed by Jason Jefferies
Designed and developed by Ankit Hinglajia
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5263
|
__label__wiki
| 0.79127
| 0.79127
|
Jacin Trill
Dresohiigh
cliignet (Photographer)
Rod Dinero
Rap trends
trends in rap music and most important rappers
US Rap Game
Dutch Rap Game
French Rap Game
Recommended rappers
Other rap info
American rapper rappers
4 March 2017 7 June 2017 raptrend 3 Comments Street Rap
Machine Gun Kelly (MGK), or Richard Colson Baker was born on April 22, 1990, in Houston and is an American rapper. MGK’s family has lived in many places: Egypt, Germany, and in the USA in Chicago, Denver and Cleveland. Richard’s parents are divorced, his mother leaves Richard and he moves in with his father at his aunts place in Denver. The relationship with his father is not very good. The two fight a lot. In the new neighbourhood where Richard has moved to, he is bullied by other kids, and he suffers from depressions. His father want him to get a job, but he can’t find one. Richard Colson Baker, who then attends the highschool ‘Hamilton Middle School’, starts to listen to rap music in order to forget all this problems. It is a multi-cultural school with a lot of diversity in students. He becomes a fan of the rappers Ludacris, DMX and Eminem. His father moves to Kuwait to work in the army. Richard had to stay with his aunt and live in a basement. At that point he starts to experiment with drugs and to react against the establishment. As he sais in the track ‘Till I Die’: ”I was getting high in the the six grade. Throwing hands in the hall on the First day”. Throwing hands refers to making gang-related hand signs.
In 2005 MGK drops out of school and his father takes him to Kuwait, until Richard moves again to his new school ‘Shaker Heights High School’ in Cleveland. One day, he visits a clothes shop and convinces the owner to becomes his manager because he wants to start a career in rap music. Because of his fast punchlines his fanbase gives him the stage name Machine Gun Kelly (MGK) and his nickname becomes Kells. In 2006 he throws his first mixtape online: ‘Stamp of Approval’ . His popularity increases after that and MGK gets offers for performances on several places in Cleveland. MGK gets a larger audience after he was invited by MTV2 to do freestyles. In february 2010 he throws the 2nd mixtape online: ‘100 Words and Running’. His statement ‘Lace Up’ on that album becomes his catch phrase. After this he becomes really well known at the larger rap audience. But he gets into a number of troubles. He becomes a young father at 18 years of age, he can’t pay the rent and his father doesn’t want him in his house anymore. So he has to get an extra side job.
In March 2011 MGK had a gig in Texas at a SXSW show where he was approached by Sean Combs aka P.Diddy and asked if MGK was interested in signing a contract at Bad Boys Records. He released the track ‘Wild Boy’, together with Waka Flocka Flame, which became a hit with 85,8 million views.
The rapper stands out because of his very rapid flow of rapping and his wordplay. Also, his appearance is remarkable. He has a punk-like appearance and sometimes wears feminine earrings. To say that MGK has a very creative personality would be an understatement. His lyrics mainly concern his life in his younger years and his parents are mentioned frequently. In the clip of the Hell & back remix, a young Kells can be seen who has an argument with his father. His songs have become big by the emotional way of rapping. He raps with a lot of grief and that is reflected in the lyrics of his tracks. The rapper puts a lot of effort in representing Cleveland, the place he grew up. His body is covered with tatoos that are related to Cleveland.
He has a talent for changes in the flow. He has released real gang songs about the life on the streets in Cleveland, while other songs appear to be very sensitive instead. Because he so clearly promotes Cleveland, MGK’s largest fanbase is based in Cleveland. Through music he transforms his weakness into his strength. He includes the bad things that happened to him in his music and by this he draws attention to bullying. In the song ‘A Little More’ a girl cuts her writst because she has been bullied. People run to the girls and MGK screams for an ambulance. Instead of helping, people are just watching and a few are taking pictures, but no one helps.
During the last couple of years, the rapper has released the mixtapes Lace Up (2010), Rage Pack (2011), Est 4 Life (2012), Black Flag (2013) and Fuck it (2015). Because of all these successes, he has now become mainstream. Machine Gun Kelly has become famous by presenting his songs with real felt emotion. His tracks are not about positive subjects but instead, deal with his own life. He thinks that by having become mainstream the quality of his songs has suffered, because the emotions of grief are not as strong anymore.
MGK is very outspoken. He has an opinion about almost everything. He thinks the media are focussed too much on the famous people instead of the ordinary man. Because of his verbal qualities he is easy to interview. In Amerika he is sometimes referred to as ‘the voice of the voiceless’.
In my opinion, MGK is one of the most underrated artists, and that’s also the opinion of MGK himself. He thinks he belongs to the 5 best rappers of this moment. On spotify, the track ‘Bad Things’ has been streamed 194 million times. Each month he has 15,1 million listeners.
The tracks I like best are:
See my tears
Trap Paris
← Kodak Black
Kaaris →
3 thoughts on “Machine Gun Kelly”
Cleveland!!!
LYCURGUS REPRESENT DUSSSSSS
MGK <3
FUCK THE HATERS LOL
lj242 on Shun Ann
Anonymous on Deezy Low
Martinfed on Lil Kleine
Anonymous on Lil Pool
cialis 5mg on YB Nando
Categories Select Category American rapper (15) Dutch rapper (6) French rapper (4) Geen categorie (2) New talent (226) rappers (21)
Afro-trap bubblegum trap Gangsta rap hardcore rap mainstream most-viewed-1 most-viewed-2 most-viewed-3 New School punchline rapper recommended Street Rap trapper
Copyright © 2019 Rap trends. All rights reserved.
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5267
|
__label__wiki
| 0.559915
| 0.559915
|
Nava shows off improved defense
Tim Britton
BOSTON -- Even beyond his contributions at the plate, the Red Sox have been impressed with Daniel Nava.
Manager Bobby Valentine praised the left fielder's defense before Wednesday's win over the Tigers, and then witnessed Nava record one of the game's biggest outs on an outfield assist.
"His defense has been so good," said Valentine. "He's playing the wall so well, his throws are so accurate, his jumps are so precise. He wouldn't even have to be hitting, you'd want to put him out there. Because at the beginning of the season, that wasn't the case in left field, as some of us might recall. He filled a big hole."
Nava proved his manager right in Wednesday's seventh inning. Alex Avila led off the inning with a fly ball off the Green Monster. Nava fielded it quickly and threw a strike to second to cut down Avila stretching for the inning's first out. Detroit went on to score one to tie the game that frame; without Nava, the Tigers almost assuredly would have scored more.
"He actually practiced that before the game, almost from the exact same spot," Valentine said postgame. "That's a big league play."
"I know from the first time up until now it's something I've been trying to focus on a little more, be more attentive to," Nava said before the win. "Getting early work done is important to feeling comfortable in the park. Just not allowing myself to take a day off in that regard."
Coming into Wednesday, Nava had been credited with saving four defensive runs -- one fewer than Dustin Pedroia in 260 fewer innings. Nava's ultimate zone rating, extrapolated over the course of the season, would be better than any outfielder posted in 2011.
Twitter: @TBritton_Projo
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5274
|
__label__wiki
| 0.795676
| 0.795676
|
NAIRO Delivers Key Information About the External Review Process Within the Health Insurance Marketplace
Issue Brief Tackles Pressing Questions About Health Reform and External Review
This informative Issue Brief seeks to clarify the rules and expectations regarding external review for health plans, consumers, independent review organizations and other aligned service providers. - Gib Smith, Executive Director of NAIRO
Portland, OR (PRWEB) February 14, 2014
Seeking to clarify the general uncertainty surrounding the launch of the Health Insurance Marketplace, the National Association of Independent Review Organizations (NAIRO) announces the release of a new Issue Brief that provides clarification on the external review processes available under the state and federal Marketplaces.
The Issue Brief, “External Review Options Available Under the Federal Facilitated and State Marketplaces,” discusses the elements of federal external review options, including State-Based Exchange Review Program, Federal External Review Program (FERP), Multi-State Plan Program (MSPP) external review program, and the Pre-existing Condition Insurance Program (PCIP) external review program.
“A lot of confusion exists for all stakeholders involved in the external review process for programs available within the new Marketplaces,” said Gib Smith, Executive Director of NAIRO. “This informative Issue Brief seeks to clarify the rules and expectations regarding external review for health plans, consumers, independent review organizations and other aligned service providers.”
As background, when using Marketplace-related healthcare services, a consumer may have a claim denied, which means that a particular healthcare service is either not medically necessary or not covered by the consumer’s health insurance plan. At this point, the consumer has the option to file an appeal. After exhausting the health carrier’s internal appeals process, the appeal moves to external review. As required by law, external review is conducted by independent review organizations (IROs), which serve an essential function by guaranteeing expert, unbiased medical review of appealed claims.
With the Marketplaces expanding health coverage to millions of Americans, and offering an entirely new platform for providing and obtaining health insurance coverage, many questions about important regulations have gone unanswered. NAIRO’s Issue Brief seeks to fill in the information gap with key guidance and insight for involved stakeholders.
Under PPACA, certain health plans must use IROs that are accredited by URAC or a similar nationally-recognized accrediting organization to manage their respective ACA Federal External Review Processes, including FERPs, MSPPs, and PCIPS. Within the healthcare industry, IRO accreditation is considered the gold standard for the companies providing external review services. Regardless of the venue, stakeholders within healthcare can utilize accredited IROs for internal and external appeals to ensure consistency, objectivity and accuracy when seeking medical review determinations.
The full Issue Brief is available here: http://www.nairo.org/news.php.
About NAIRO
NAIRO (The National Association of Independent Review Organizations) was formed by the majority of URAC-accredited IROs. The mission of NAIRO is to promote the quality and integrity of the independent review process at the internal and external levels. Utilizing the expertise of board-certified clinicians throughout the country, NAIRO members embrace an evidence-based approach to independent medical peer review, in order to help resolve coverage disputes between enrollees and their health plans. More information can be found at http://www.nairo.org.
Gib Smith
NAIRO
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5275
|
__label__wiki
| 0.939943
| 0.939943
|
Home | News | China
China Sets Date for Anti-Corruption Activist's Secret Trial
Xu Zhiyong speaks from behind bars at the Beijing No. 3 Detention Center in a screen grab from an undated video posted online on Aug. 7, 2013.
Photo courtesy of a rights activist.
China's prominent anti-graft activist Xu Zhiyong, who has been campaigning for top officials to reveal their wealth, is to go on trial on Wednesday on charges of disrupting public order, his lawyer said after a pre-trial hearing on Friday.
Xu, a legal scholar, will not speak at the trial in protest over the charges he faces and other irregularities, Lawyer Zhang Qingfang told reporters after the pre-trial meeting between lawyers and prosecutors.
The Jan. 22 trial would be held at Beijing's Intermediary Court with no media or outside observers allowed to attend, effectively making the hearing a secret trial.
Zhang said only two seats at the court have been set aside for Xu's family.
Xu, founder of the New Citizens Movement, a loose network of activists seeking to promote the rule of law and human rights in China, was detained by Beijing police in July last year on charges of disrupting public order, in a widening crackdown on activists who have called on government leaders to declare their assets.
But his formal indictment came last month, on the eve of United Nations International Anti-Corruption Day. In it, Xu was accused of organizing and gathering a crowd to call on officials of the ruling Chinese Communist Party to disclose their assets.
According to Beijing police, Xu hung banners calling for asset disclosure and equal access to education, creating "serious disturbances in public order in public places," and that he interfered with the work of public security officials.
The authorities have detained dozens of other activists who have called on China's leaders to reveal details of their assets since March, rights activists estimate.
At least a half dozen other activists associated with Xu's group have been charged and are also expected to be tried soon.
'Not a just court'
Zhang said Xu would not speak at the trial "to show that his rights will not be protected" and because "this is not a just court."
"[A]nd so we have no way of cooperating in their show," Zhang told Reuters news agency. "We will respect his wishes and also protest by maintaining silence."
But Zhang said that Xu was in good spirits.
"He says that whether or not the trial or verdict is just he can accept it, because this is the result of his choices," he said. "Of course I am not optimistic. There will not be a happy verdict, and he will certainly be found guilty," Zhang said, according to Reuters.
In 2009, Xu was detained and formally arrested on suspicion of evading taxes — a charge seen as a bid by the authorities to disrupt his work in a legal aid organization that represented politically sensitive cases. He was released after spending about a month in jail.
He was detained again last July and a month later delivered a bold message from inside a Beijing jail, urging citizens to unite in pursuing democratic freedoms.
A teacher at the Beijing Postal University who has served as a delegate to the Haidian district-level legislature, Xu has also been active in fighting for the rights of the children of migrant workers to be educated and to sit exams in the capital.
In a video message filmed secretly from behind bars at the Beijing No. 3 Detention Center after his detention, Xu said he is willing to take the consequences of his activism and called on others to do the same.
Xi's anti-graft campaign
Since taking office in March, President Xi Jinping has demanded officials cut down on waste and extravagance and get closer to the people, as part of a broader campaign against corruption.
Xi has warned that the party must beat graft in order to survive, and has launched a campaign targeting powerful "tigers" as well as lowly "flies."
But political analysts say the authorities will use the campaign largely as a tool against their political opponents, and that calls for full transparency and public whistleblowing are still highly unwelcome.
Reported by Lin Jing for RFA's Cantonese Service. Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Written in English by Luisetta Mudie and Parameswaran Ponnudurai.
As Officials Mull China's New Vaccine Law, Parents Fear it Won't Help
Tanintharyi Residents Call on Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi Address Corruption Concerns
Chinese State Media Rally Behind Sacked Canadian Ambassador After Huawei Remarks
Health of Jailed Cambodian Opposition Official in Freefall Since Transfer to Prey Sar Prison: Wife
Poet Detained in China's Yunnan After Sharing Video of Hong Kong Pop-Star's UN Appeal
North Korean Authorities Raid Apartment Building for Blind Residents in Prostitution Sting
Young Man Accused of Ties to Arakan Army Dies Following Interrogation by Myanmar Military
Cambodia Promotes Former Governor of Sihanoukville Who Resigned Over Fatal Building Collapse
Malaysia: Ex-Deputy PM Charged with Accepting Millions in Kickbacks
Men Detained by Myanmar Army Show Signs of Abuse While in Custody in Rakhine State
Click here to add your own comment
CH. 1: MANDARIN | CANTONESE
CH. 2: VIETNAMESE | BURMESE | KOREAN
CH. 3: KHMER | LAO | UYGHUR
CH. 4: TIBETAN
More Listening Options
Rights Groups Hit Myanmar Military Over Mounting Rakhine Deaths in Custody
Thousands Protest Waste Incinerator Plans in China's Wuhan
Interview: ‘I Really Think That Myanmar is Going Down a Dark Path Now’
Thousands of Monks, Nuns ‘Politically Re-Educated’ After Eviction From Sichuan’s Yachen Gar
Photo-op Meeting at DMZ with President Trump Backfires for North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un
Asian Communist States Get Lowest Press Freedom Marks in Survey
An Update on The Montagnards of Vietnam’s Central Highlands
Philippines to Probe US Report of Chinese Missile Test in South China Sea
Rakhine Internet Shutdown Makes Relief Efforts More Difficult, Refugees And Aid Workers Say
Chinese Police Scan, Store Data From Citizens' Smartphones
China's LNG Imports Spark Security Debate
China Claims Stable Production as Growth Slows
China's Risks Rise With Threats to Gulf Oil
Parallel Thoughts
Under House Arrest
Women's Voices
About RFA
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5278
|
__label__wiki
| 0.979678
| 0.979678
|
Top EU Court Rejects Extradition Appeal By Ukrainian Oligarch Firtash
The European Union’s top court turned away an appeal by Dmytro Firtash, the latest twist for the Ukrainian oligarch whose extradition from Austria the United States has been fighting for since his 2014 arrest in Vienna.
Putin: Russia Will Target Nations Hosting U.S. Missiles
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that, if the United States deploys intermediate-range missiles in Europe, Moscow will have to target the countries hosting them.
U.S. Delegation Concerned Over Human Rights Situation In Tajikistan
The United States is concerned over the situation of human rights in Tajikistan, the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Central Asia and Press and Public Diplomacy has said.
Russia May Toughen Punishment For Engaging Minors In Illegal Public Activities
Punishment for engaging children in "dangerous public activities" may be toughened in Russia, according to a draft bill published by the Justice Ministry on October 24.
Pashinian's Bid To Force Snap Elections In Armenia Moves Ahead
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian's efforts to force early elections cleared another legal hurdle when the country's parliament agreed not to reappoint him as prime minister a week after his tactical resignation.
Bolton: U.S. Will Continue To Back Peaceful Solution For Karabakh Conflict
White House national-security adviser John Bolton says the United States will continue to support a peaceful solution of the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
U.S. Secret Service Intercepts ‘Potential Explosive Devices’ Addressed To Obama, Clinton
The U.S. Secret Service says it has intercepted "potential explosive devices" addressed to former President Barack Obama, ex-Secretary of State and former First Lady Hillary Clinton, and other leading Democrats.
Putin Hosts Italy's Conte For Talks On Boosting Ties
Russian President Vladimir Putin has hosted Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte in Moscow for talks that were expected to focus on efforts to boost economic relations.
Belarusian Activist Says He Was Mistreated, Denied Medical Care
Freed after 18 months behind bars on what he contends were false charges, Belarusian civil society activist Dzmitry Paliyenka said he was under constant pressure in prison and was denied adequate medical treatment.
Four Children Wounded In School Attack In Southwestern Pakistan
Four schoolchildren were wounded after unidentified gunmen opened fire at a school in the capital of Pakistan's southwestern province of Balochistan, authorities say.
Pakistan Rejects Afghan Claim Of Involvement In Kandahar Attack
Islamabad has dismissed the Afghan president's "baseless and unfounded" allegations that last week’s killing of a powerful provincial police chief in southern Afghanistan was planned in Pakistan.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Applauds 'Successful' Reforms In Uzbekistan
During a visit to Tashkent, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross hailed the Uzbek government's commitment to democratic reforms and called for close partnership between the world’s biggest economy and Central Asia’s most populous country.
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5280
|
__label__cc
| 0.660516
| 0.339484
|
ac7eff0b-9a98-4b7d-b627-a1aa40dd7a14
Art & Drafting
Business & Computer Cases
Forms, Record Keeping & Money Handling
Labels, Label Makers & Tags
Pens, Markers & Correction
Pads & Notebooks
Paper & Rolls
Post-it®, Self Stick Notes & Flags
Bookcases & Display Cases
Catalog & Literature Racks
Desks, Credenzas & Work Stations
Audio/Video Equipment & Supplies
Printers, Scanners & All-in-Ones
Telephones, Headsets & Communication
Facilities ▼
Air Fresheners & Odor Control
Breakroom & Food Service
Utility Carts & Hand Trucks
Utility Mats
Waste Containers & Liners
Smart Group Systems
990 N. Bowser Rd., #720
Beepsmart Communications Inc. / DBA: Smart Group Systems – Company Summary:
Smart Group Systems (SMG) was established in December, 2002 since our inception the company has been striving hard to provide better and reliable customer service to our valued customers in the field of information technology by providing computer related quality products and services at competitive and affordable market price. SMG is NCTRCA certified and The Inter Local Purchasing System (TIPS), Buyboard and HP/DIR approved supplier. Over the last 15 years the company has earned tremendous respect and faith from our customers for providing better, quick and reliable support and service at their need. The company has maintained a satisfactory performance and growth rate well above the industry average in this sector despite some uncertainties and volatile situation in national and global economy.
SMG wants to maintain its goodwill and image in the market by supplying better computer related products mainly from HP – the leader in this field and other reliable global brands (Dell, Asus, Acer, IBM, Lenovo, Lexmark, Sony, Toshiba, Konica, Epson, View Sonic, etc.) and wants to be one of the leaders in business information technology in near future in Texas. Currently SMG is one of the dealers of HP products in Dallas, Texas. To achieve this goal, the company has targeted the next 3 (three) years (2017-2019) as very crucial for expanding their business. The company has taken a comprehensive plan to expand their business mainly in the US Public Sector marketplace in 25 states in USA.
Our main target group is the schools (K12) under Independent School Districts and Counties in different states in USA, besides we also provide computer products and technical support service to small and medium size private business organizations in Dallas area and other places in Texas and other states. In order to achieve our goals in the next three years we will put emphasis on the following things:
1. Expand our business in new 15 states in USA.
2. Increase our gross sales to approximately 30% per year.
3. Increase our non-hardware sales and support service to 10% of the total sale every year.
The company’s head office is located in a single story building in the prime business location at 990 N. Bowser RD. Suite # 720, Richardson, TX 75081. The company has manpower of 25 No. of well qualified sales executives, IT professionals, engineers, technical and non-technical staff, headed by founder CEO Mickey Faruque, a sales/IT professional, that support the company’s sales, marketing, service and administration.
Legal Privacy Policy Suggestions About Us Tutorials
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5283
|
__label__wiki
| 0.738738
| 0.738738
|
King County examines options to fund roads and bridges
Shortfall is roughly $250 million each year; county may seek tax from unincorporated voters.
by Aaron Kunkler
NewsNorthwest
Warning sign for a road closure. File photo
Funding for new road and bridge projects in unincorporated King County is set to run out by 2025 because revenue hasn’t kept pace with service demands.
While the county has been warned of the deficit over the past five years, capital roads and bridges funding is still set to run out by 2025. Around 80 percent of the county’s roads budget comes from property tax garnered from the roads levy. As the county’s tax base shrinks due to cities annexing unincorporated areas, and property values have risen faster than the 1 percent the county is allowed to raise property taxes annually, the county’s capital road budget has become underfunded by around $250 million each year.
The recently created Local Services department has been exploring ways to help bridge that gap, and department director John Taylor and director of Road Services Rick Brater presented options July 8 to the Local Services, Regional Roads and Bridges Committee.
“By 2025 we really won’t have a capital program,” Taylor said. “We will not have dollars to allocate to new construction. We will essentially be managing the maintenance.”
Roads and bridges in unincorporated King County facilitate on average 1 million vehicle trips a day, but their maintenance is paid for almost exclusively by the roughly 250,000 residents of the unincorporated portions of the county. Additionally, there is little commercial activity outside of cities, which means the county doesn’t get revenue from large sales tax sources that cities do, such as car lots or major shopping centers.
Several funding solutions were presented, including creating a transportation benefit district in the unincorporated portion of the county. The county has the authority to ask voters to create a district, but a previous taxing district was repealed in 2014. A new one was expected to only generate between $5 million to $10 million annually.
“But even small amounts of money can be useful out in the rural landscape,” Taylor said.
The county can also seek additional state and federal funding, and try to leverage that funding in areas that are serviced by state highways. Fall City, for example, has two state highways that run through it.
More significant sources of funding are also available to the county, if voters approve them. The county roads tax has a statutory cap of $2.25 per $1,000 of assessed property value. That cap was not hit for the better part of a decade following the housing crisis in 2008, but by 2018 when property values roughly reached pre-recession levels, the levy could not be increased. This in effect lowered the tax rate because Washington state law prohibits municipalities from raising property taxes by more than 1 percent annually without voter approval.
The King County council could choose one of two options to raise the levy lid, Taylor said. One would be a one-time lift that would generate around $144 million between 2021 and 2026. The other would be to raise the lid and tie it to inflation, which would raise an additional $16 million over the same period. A simple levy lid lift could be placed on any ballot while one tied to inflation would need to be placed on a regular election ballot. The average household would see an increase of around $270 annually, Taylor said.
King County Councilmember Kathy Lambert said the county should additionally ask the state Legislature to pass laws allowing them to form a countywide transportation benefit district.
If the county is unable to bridge its $250 million annual roads funding gap, it will have to start considering closing rural bridges and letting roads return to gravel.
“The need is huge and our ability right now is very minimal,” said Rick Brater, director of Road Services.
In the 2017 annual bridges report released in August 2018, the county stated it owns or maintains 182 bridges ranging in age from 10 to 100 years. The median age is 65, while the typical useful lifespan of a bridge is around 50 years. The county’s bridges are aging and there’s little money to replace them.
Due to declining revenue between 2012 and 2018, there were no new stand-alone bridge replacements in the county since 2014, and work has been focused entirely on safety and maintenance. This level of service will be reduced further if there’s no money in the Roads Department coffers to fund it.
By 2040, it’s expected that up to 72 miles of county roads may go to gravel and multiple bridges could be closed. Other counties in the state haven’t been hit as hard as King County, Lambert said in previous coverage. Whereas 11 percent of King County’s population lives outside of cities, more than 20 percent live in unincorporated Snohomish and Spokane counties and the rest of the counties have more than 40 percent living in unincorporated regions. This has driven up the cost for maintaining infrastructure for the relatively small percentage of rural King County residents.
Local artist featured at RTC
Cruisin’ Renton
Renton gives the OK for King County’s landfill expansion
Councilmembers questioned the county on alternatives, but voted to approve of the plan
River Day document memorializes event’s history
New events and features added to annual celebration
If the roof is a rockin’…
Renton’s first rooftop concert kicks off with an 80s theme
A $10 million dollar mail fraud scheme out of Renton
One ex-employee from Microsoft is being charged with stealing company money
Renton man killed in head-on crash along Redmond-Fall City Road
The driver’s name has not been released.
Carol Ann Witschi leaving Renton early
Councilmember’s resignation may leave seat vacant till election
WA’s new voting system concerns county elections officials
VoteWA has run into some problems in recent months as the Aug. 6 primary election draws closer.
‘Feedback loops’ of methane, CO2 echo environmental problem beyond Washington
University of Washington among researchers of climate change’s effects in global temperatures.
Jury awards $140k in sexual assault of woman at Federal Way massage business
LH Foot Massage was found to have been negligent, causing two clients’ sexual assaults.
Renton City Council races heat up
Part two of The Renton Reporter’s three-part candidate series
District and unions butt heads over budget
Unions claim misinformation, district claims fiscal responsiblity
King County Sheriff’s Office has been giving ICE unredacted information
Both the office and jail have supplied the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
Death of Renton man shakes local hiking, soccer community
A memorial fundraiser for Yevgeniy “Zheka” Malteyev raises over $25,000
Taking care of his community’s health
Local advocates focus on African American men’s health with 5K
© 2019, Renton Reporter and Sound Publishing, Inc.
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5288
|
__label__cc
| 0.737448
| 0.262552
|
Posts tagged “Ghost in the Shell”
Ghost In The Shell: First Assault Slips Into Open Beta
By Steven Messner • 3 years ago • 8
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - First Assault Online [official site] is a long name. Too long, in fact, so I'm going to call it by the more palatable acronym GITS-SAC-FAO for the rest of this article. Anyway, GITS-SAC-FAO has left paid Early Access and is in free-to-play open beta ahead of a full free-to-play launch this week.
Tagged with Ghost in the Shell, GIT-SAC-FAO, Neople, nexon, What were they thinking letting the name get that long?, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - First Assault Online.
Feature: Premature Evaluation
Premature Evaluation: Ghost in the Shell Standalone Complex – First Assault Online
By Rob Zacny • 3 years ago • 52
Each Monday, Rob Zacny sorts through the complexities of Early Access to see which games are ready to stand alone. The question I keep coming back to is 'why this game?' I understand why someone would want a game based on Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex, the sci-fi police procedural version of the classic film. Standalone Complex takes all those tantalizing details from the…
Tagged with Ghost in the Shell, Neople, nexon, Premature Evaluation, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - First Assault Online.
Ghost In The Shell Online Uncloaking This Year
By Alice O'Connor • 4 years ago • 21
Do I think Ghost in the Shell Online [official site] will be good? No, not really. Am I able to resist posting about rad cyborg ladies able to tear tanks apart with their cyberhands? No, not really. Look, here, it's word that South Korean free-to-play developers Nexon are indeed planning a western release for their class-based FPS based on the anime series based on the…
Tagged with free to play, Ghost in the Shell, Neople, nexon, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - First Assault Online.
Section Nein: Ghost In The Shell Online
By Adam Smith • 5 years ago • 53
The trailer for (deep breath) Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: First Connection Online gave me that Syndicate feeling. Not the same Syndicate feeling that Satellite Reign gives me, alas, but rather the troubling memories of the 2012 FPS-capade. All of the details seem to match. A beloved cyberpunk entity translated into a first-person team-based shooter, in which various classes of modified humans use…
Tagged with free, Ghost in the Shell, Neople, nexon, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - First Assault Online.
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5291
|
__label__wiki
| 0.527671
| 0.527671
|
Ronchini
Christopher Kuhn: As I Live and Breathe
30 June 17 — 26 August 17
Christopher Kuhn (b.1977) is a Chicago born artist, who lives and work in Los Angeles. His works combine gestural abstraction with geometrical design and are composed to invite the viewers to take pleasure in slow consumption. Each work begins spontaneously, moving forward without a specific plan. The finished composition achieves a balance between conscious decision making and the chaos of the impulsive mark, where mistakes become stepping stones in the journey towards resolution. Brushwork that might represent the earliest beginnings of the piece appear as though they were finishing touches, laid on towards the end.
For his new work exhibited… More
Ronchini Gallery is proud to present the first solo exhibition of American artist Christopher Kuhn in the UK, following on from the success of Ronchini Gallery’s group show Hashtag Abstract, featuring Kuhn in 2015.
Kuhn’s work demonstrates the juxtaposition of intuition verses strategy, with undulating free formed abstraction alongside fastidious hand-drawn lines. His works are initially made with a fast, energetic motion, which he describes as a natural response that is outside of his control. He then analyses that outcome to create a controlled composition, utilising geometry and manipulating the energy of the paint.
Press & Downloads
Design & Build BCMH
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5293
|
__label__wiki
| 0.815014
| 0.815014
|
The Emerging: Yellow Vest ex-rep seeks to create political party of ‘common sense’
Published time: 9 Jan, 2019 09:50 Edited time: 10 Jan, 2019 15:49
FILE PHOTO. Jacline Mouraud adjusts a Yellow Vest. © AFP / Damien Meyer
Jacline Mouraud, once the self-appointed spokeswoman of the Yellow Vests, has announced the creation of a new party. The emerging political force is described as a “party of common sense,” pursuing social and tax reforms.
Mouraud greatly contributed to stirring up the Yellow Vests protests and has become a highly recognizable figure after posting a video against fuel tax hikes which has been viewed several million times since October.
‘Occupy Paris’: Man rallies travelers behind police-beating boxer in VIDEO threat to Macron
However, she does not seem to crave political leadership, and it remains unclear who will actually head the party. “I require no title, I’m trying to create a party, and that’s good. Further, as in any party, there will be a vote. Would it be me [elected the head of the party] or not, I don’t care, this is not important,” she said on Monday, as quoted by French media.
“The main thing is to create it, to unite people against violence and to ensure respect for our institutions.”
The party already has quite a name – Les Émergents (the Emerging) – though it might change, according to Mouraud, as others might come up with other ideas. The program of the party is expected to be unveiled in late January. Its goals so far appear to be rather vague.
The party is described by Mouraud as a “party of common sense,” which will provide “new and constructive ideas for the country, in harmony with the challenges of climate change.”
The party’s statutes are being drafted with the “help of competent persons,” namely “lawyers, former parliamentarians,” she stated.
Mouraud herself, a 51-year-old composer and hypnotherapist from the French region of Brittany, has no political experience.
However, Mouraud has recently distanced herself from the protesters, who have wreaked havoc in the streets of French cities in recent months. In early December, she and another prominent figure of the protest – Benjamin Cauchy – claimed they received death threats from hardline protesters who warned them against making any concessions with the government.
Also on rt.com Scuffles break out as ‘yellow vests’ return to streets for 1st protest of 2019 (PHOTO, VIDEO)
Trends:France news Yellow Vests news
Monstrous 1-ton ocean sunfish caught in Russia's far east, thrown to the bears (PHOTO)
War between Iran & Saudi Arabia could send oil to $300 per barrel & impoverish the world
Show me: Russian Su-30SM fighter pilot peeks inside transport plane mid-flight (VIDEO)
Masturbation is killing up to 100 Germans a year, warns forensic physician
They’re back! Worms unfrozen after 42,000 years are alive and eating
Russia plans to send largest radio telescope beyond moon in 2020s
Price of travel: Israel spends $27,000 per month to keep Netanyahu’s son safe on Australia trip
‘You rapist!’: Irate woman vaults airline check-in counter, claims to be armed (VIDEO)
‘They made a mess & are fighting fires’: UK academic says Integrity Initiative fatally hurt by leaks
Paris’ first nudist restaurant zips up its pants and closes its doors
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5297
|
__label__wiki
| 0.637475
| 0.637475
|
ACTION ALERT: Tulsi Gabbard's Trip to Meet Assad
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) made a secret trip to Syria, meeting with President Assad himself, to conduct a "fact-finding mission" in Assad regime-held areas. This is the first time a member of the United States Congress has visited Syria during the uprising of the Syrian revolution. Gabbard is attempting to provide legitimacy to Bashar Assad and his Iranian and Russian allies who have murdered hundreds of thousands of Syrian civilians.
Since her election to Congress in 2012, Gabbard has repeatedly made a series of the following false assertions to her fellow lawmakers:
Attempts to remove Assad from power has lead to killing of 400,000 Syrians
Assad fights ISIS. Syria would be controlled by ISIS if the regime was driven from power
The Syrian opposition is comprised of al-Qaeda and affiliated extremists groups
Congresswoman Gabbard's trip to Assad-controlled Syria will only embolden her to convince members of Congress of these falsehoods.
We need to act now!
Contact Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard's office to condemn her trip to Syria and her campaign of legitimizing Bashar Assad.
Call her office at 202-225-4906
Email her at TulsiOffice@mail.house.gov
Leave comments on her Twitter account @TulsiPress
Leave comments on her Facebook account https://www.facebook.com/RepTulsiGabbard/
The following are points you can relay to the congresswoman and her staff:
The Assad regime is responsible for most of the death and destruction in Syria.
Assad's continuation of rule in Syria is the root of the conflict.
Assad's support does not derive from the consent of the Syrian people but the military and economic support of Russia, Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Hezbollah, the Iraqi Harakat al-Nujaba, and the Afghani Fatimiyn Brigades
The overwhelmingly number of the anti-ISIS fight in western Syria has been conducted not by the Assad regime, but the Syrian opposition
Below you can view a press release from the Syrian American Council last week condemning Gabbard's trip to meet Assad.
The Syrian American Council, America's largest and oldest grassroots Syrian community organization, condemns in the strongest terms possible Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard's (D-HI) recent secret trip to Assad-controlled Syria on a so-called "fact-finding mission." Her trip, which was organized by a pro-Assad organization and is the first by a U.S. lawmaker since 2011, provides dangerous legitimization to a brutal regime that has caused the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II through its war crimes.
Gabbard's positions on Syria, as articulated on her website, contain within them two fundamental flaws. First, she wrongly believes that U.S. efforts to overthrow Bashar al-Assad are the cause for 400,000 deaths in Syria and massive displacement of Syrians. However, impartial organizations and international bodies such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the United Nations have repeatedly stressed that the Assad regime is responsible for the bulk of death and destruction in Syria. It is the persistence of this regime in power that has caused this crisis, not efforts to overthrow it.
Second, Gabbard wrongly uses an "enemy of my enemy" logic to state that because Assad forces are fighting ISIS, the U.S. should not be fighting Assad forces. What she neglects with this logic is that the bulk of the anti-ISIS fight in western Syria has been conducted by the Syrian opposition. Syrian rebel forces have sacrificed thousands of fatalities to keep ISIS out of Aleppo for 3 years, and they continue to push ISIS back from the Damascus suburbs and southern Syria today. Assad forces, meanwhile, are losing rapidly to ISIS as they concentrate their fire on moderate rebels and civilians in Wadi Barada.
Gabbard believes that Islamic extremist groups will take over Syria if Assad falls. She never mentions how Assad has managed to survive in the face of a popular uprising: through a massive intervention by brutal international terrorists fighting with the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Hezbollah, the Iraqi Harakat al-Nujaba, and the Afghani Fatimiyun Brigades. Before the carnage in Aleppo, IRGC head Qassem Suleimani made two trips to visit foreign fighters on the front lines in two weeks. Meanwhile, today civilians in rebel-held neighboring Idlib held democratic elections for a local council.
"Gabbard's support for vicious dictators such as Mouammar Qaddafi, Saddam Hussein and Bashar al-Assad fly in the face of everything America should stand for," said Mirna Barq, the President of the Syrian American Council. "She panders to war criminals, postures against American 'regime change,' and never considers that Syrians have the same inalienable rights that she does to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. One day, when Assad falls, Syrians will show just how wrong she was."
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5300
|
__label__cc
| 0.736446
| 0.263554
|
Michael G. Cortina
mcortina@salawus.com
Northern Illinois University College of Law, J.D., 1998
Monmouth College, B.A., 1995, Philosophy and Religious Studies & Speech Communication and Theater Arts double-major; Departmental Honors, Speech Communication
United States Army Reserve, 1988-1994
+Expand All
Mike is the attorney to call for banks across the Midwest. He has extensive experience representing banks in various types of litigation, including but not limited to: uniform commercial code, automobile dealership cases, personal guaranties, foreclosures, check alterations, fraud, replevins, collections, bankruptcy adversary proceedings, and priority disputes. He also advises bank clients on operations matters, such as how to respond to a subpoena for a customer’s accounts, a non-wage garnishment of an account, or a federal grand jury subpoena for customer information.
A well-rounded banking attorney, Mike drafts, edits and reviews loan documents for all types of matters. Mike drafts complete document packages for multi-million dollar loans, reviews existing documents for legal sufficiency, provides attorney approval for loans, and consults on pending loans. He negotiates and drafts transactional documents for real estate purchases and sales, real estate financing, and easements. He also handles litigation for real estate disputes, including foreclosures, mechanics liens, priority disputes, easements, trespass, zoning disputes, and eminent domain.
Mike is also a private pilot who negotiates and drafts loan documentation for aircraft, including business jets, private jets, turbo props and single-engine planes. He is well versed in Part 91, Part 135, and the other Federal Aviation Regulations.
As co-chair of the firm’s financial services group, Mike oversees a team providing financial institutions with advice and representation on transactional and litigation matters throughout each of the firm’s seven offices.
A strong community is built on the notion that the members of that community invest and give back to one another. To that end, Mike is an active member of the Lions Club, a global leader in community and humanitarian services.
Selected by the Leading Lawyers Network as "Leading Lawyer" in Commercial Litigation, ADR Law: Commercial Litigation, and Creditor's Rights/Commercial Collections Law
Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce Presidential Award of Excellence: 2016-2017
Martindale-Hubbell AV® Preeminent™ rated
Selected to the Illinois Super Lawyers List of Rising Stars: 2008, 2009
Memberships & Involvement
Member: American Bar Association; Illinois Creditors Bar Association; McHenry County Bar Association; Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois
Board of Directors: Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce
Crystal Lake Lions Club: Melvin Jones Fellow (2013); President (2008 - 2009); 1st Vice President (2007 - 2008)
Illinois State Bar Association: Assembly for the 22nd Circuit; Member, Real Estate Law Section Council (2014 - 2016); Past Chair, Commercial Banking, Collections and Bankruptcy Section Council (2012 - 2013); Standing Committee on Judicial Advisory Polls (2017 - 2019); Bench and Bar Section Council (2018 - 2020)
Obtained dismissal with prejudice after the plaintiff sought over $250,000, arguing that the plaintiff lacked standing to sue because they were not a proper party to the case
Obtained summary judgment in a fraudulent transfer case, which was sustained on appeal, and the favorable judgment entered included interest, costs and attorneys’ fees
Obtained a $1,000,000.00 judgment for a client despite vigorous defense by defendant that included arguments that the plaintiff lacked standing, and that the instrument proving the indebtedness lacked authentication
Michael Cortina Obtains Dismissal for DuPage County
Michael Cortina Featured in Chicago Lawyer's "Banking and finance lawyers guess at the future amid Trump's changeable deregulation policies"
Chicago Lawyer, October 31, 2017
Recent Appellate Court Opinion Cites Michael Cortina
The Daily Herald Interviews Michael Cortina in “Coffee Break”
Daily Herald, March 28, 2017
Lawyers’ Assistance Program Honors Michael Cortina
Lawyers’ Assistance Program, November 4, 2016
SmithAmundsen In the United States Supreme Court Again!
SmithAmundsen Attorney Appointed to Illinois State Bar Association Section Council
So You’re Saying There’s a Chance: Surpluses in Foreclosure
Aircraft Lease Financing: Who's the Owner?
Equitable Subrogation in Real Estate
A Tale of Caution: What Happens When a Bank Fails to Respond to Collection Efforts?
Real Estate Broker Liens: Are They a Problem for Lenders?
Deficiency Judgments from Foreclosures Are Not Setoff by the Value of the Sale of the Real Estate
Bank’s Perseverance Pays-off in Fraudulent Transfer Litigation
Creditors Entitled to 9% Interest After Judgment of Foreclosure Through the Sale
Riding Coattails When Your Junior Lien is Being Foreclosed
Blown Out of Proportion
Illinois State Bar Association's Bench & Bar Newsletter, May 2019
Regulating Rude: Tensions Between Free Speech and Civility in Academic Employment
Cambridge University Press, March 2019
International Shoe Got the Boot
Illinois State Bar Association Bench & Bar Section Council Newsletter, vol. 49, no. 2, August 2018
Judging Judges
Illinois State Bar Association's Bench & Bar Newsletter, July 2018
"Forcible Entry and Detainer" Goes the Way of the Dodo
McHenry County Bar Association's In Brief Newsletter, February 2018
Returning to the Fray After Discharge
Illinois State Bar Association's Bench & Bar Newsletter, Winter 2018
Citation Aggravation: Clarifying Orders Regarding Citations to Discover Assets
McHenry Bar Association's In Brief Newsletter, August 11, 2017
DWP Must Be Vacated for Free
McHenry Bar Association's In Brief Newsletter, May 1, 2017
When Defense is Offense: Burdens of Proof in Mortgage Foreclosure Trials
Illinois State Bar Association's Commercial Banking, Collections & Bankruptcy Law Newsletter, August 2016
Lawyers Can Benefit from Judicial Heuristics
Illinois State Bar Association’s Bench & Bar Newsletter, June 2016
Caught By Recapture
Illinois State Bar Association's Real Estate Newsletter, April 1, 2016
Play It As It Lies: Dealing with Unlawful Judgment by Confession Clauses
Illinois State Bar Association's Commercial Banking, Collections & Bankruptcy Law Newsletter, March 13, 2015
Wage Rage: The Argument For Why Confirmation Is Unnecessary to Attach Wages With a Citation to Discover Assets After Obtaining a Judgment by Confession
Illinois State Bar Association's Commercial Banking, Collections & Bankruptcy Law Newsletter, March 2015
2018 USLAW Network Banking & Financial Services In-House Counsel Forum
USLAW; Minneapolis, MN, October 3, 2018
Business Succession Tips, Thoughts & Strategies
The Home State Bank; Crystal Lake, IL, October 11, 2017
Fair Debt Collections Practices Act
Client Seminar; Pennsylvania, PA, May 31, 2017
Aviation Lending: Is It Right for Your Bank?
SmithAmundsen, Webinar, October 20, 2016
Fundamentals of Buying and Operating Business Aircraft
SmithAmundsen, Seminar, Chicago, IL, September 20, 2016
The Construction Industry: Shortcuts to Disaster
Illinois State Bar Association, May 13, 2016
McHenry County Bar Association; Home State Bank, Woodstock, IL, March 22, 2016
Loan Documentation Clauses: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
Community Bankers Association of Illinois’s Career Development Division Fall Conference, October 20, 2015
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5301
|
__label__wiki
| 0.902894
| 0.902894
|
Duke Energy quarterly profits up $473 million in a year
MICHAEL LIEDTKE
SAN FRANCISCO -- The financial pain of California’s majorutilities translated into a handsome gain for power generator DukeEnergy, which more than doubled its revenues in the fourth quarterand topped Wall Street’s earnings expectations.
The Charlotte, N.C.-based company reported on Thursdayfourth-quarter net income of $284 million, or 38 cents per share, aconsiderable improvement over last year’s fourth quarter, when ithad a net loss of $189 million.
Excluding special charges, Duke had earnings of $352 million, or94 cents per share, beating the consensus estimate of 88 cents byanalysts polled by First Call/Financial Thomson.
Duke Energy benefited handsomely from the energy price spikebecause it owns four California power plants that generate with atotal capacity of 3,300 megawatts, enough to supply more than 3million homes. The company didn’t break down its profits bystate.
The company had fourth quarter revenues of $15.4 billion,compared with $6.2 billion in revenues during the same period ayear earlier. For all of 2000, Duke Energy earned $1.78 billion, or$4.78 per share, up from $1.51 billion, or $4.08 per share, in1999.
Duke’s shares rose $1.88 to $73.81 in early afternoon tradingFriday on the New York Stock Exchange.
Duke is the first major provider of California electricity todisclose how much it prospered from market conditions that havepushed the state’s two largest utilities, Pacific Gas and Electricand Southern California Edison, to the brink of bankruptcy.
On Friday, Duke Energy raised its annual earnings per sharegrowth target to 10 percent to 15 percent. The previous target was8 percent to 10 percent.
Richard B. Priory, the company’s chairman, president and chiefexecutive officer, said in a statement that the increasedexpectations reflect confidence in the company’s provenperformance, solid strategy and successful expansion into keyregions around the world. He did not mention the Californiacrisis.
Other power generators are expected to register profit gainsmuch larger than Duke, which has most of its operations outside ofCalifornia.
For instance, Houston-based Dynegy’s fourth-quarter profits areexpected to double. Other major California power generatorsscheduled to release their results during the next three weeksinclude Reliant Energy, Southern Energy and San Jose-based CalpineCorp.
The generators are releasing their robust profits against abackdrop of rolling blackouts in California, creating a potentiallyawkward situation.
On the one hand, the companies are hoping the profits will pushup their recently slumping stocks, but they don’t want to provideammunition to Californians who believe out-of-state generators aregouging the state.
“They have a bit of a juggling act to do,” said analyst TimWinter of A.G. Edwards & Sons in St. Louis.
The financial distress of California’s utilities is starting toinfect the out-of-state generators.
Duke, for instance, reserved $110 million in the fourth quarterin case it doesn’t collect on debts owed for electricity sales inCalifornia. As of Dec. 31, Duke said it had about $400 million inoutstanding electricity bills in California.
With their cash reserves evaporating and no borrowing power,both PG&E and SoCal Edison have started defaulting on theirbills.
The volatile market conditions in California also have hurt thestocks of power generator’s. Thursday’s closing price of Duke’sstock represented a 20 percent decrease from the company’s recordhigh of $90.44 reached during the fourth quarter.
Even so, Duke’s market value has increased by $8 billion, or 44percent, since the end of 1999.
Indiana won’t appeal order blocking abortion procedure ban
Indiana’s attorney general has reversed himself and decided against appealing a federal judge’s decision to block a state law that would ban a second-trimester abortion procedure.
A southern Indiana county has landed a $3 million federal grant for construction of a road that will serve a planned high-tech industrial park.
Insteel Industries: Fiscal 3Q Earnings Snapshot
MOUNT AIRY, N.C. (AP) _ Insteel Industries Inc.
$3.2M award, cut costs may not save Baltimore Symphony
An audit says a possible infusion of $3.2 million in state funds and savings from a shortened season may not be enough to save the cash-strapped Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
Thousands of Philippine police officers have received administrative punishments with more than 2,000 dismissed for wrongdoings during raids where drug suspects were killed under the president’s crackdown, officials said Thursday.
Florida jury awards $700 million to murder victims parents
A jury is awarding $700 million to the parents of a Florida man who died after being beaten unconscious and then set on fire while still alive.
The Vatican has responded to a formal protest by the Spanish government over a controversy regarding the remains of Gen.
Fast horses, racy hats and peaceful protesters mark the opening of Del Mar
Bing Crosby’s grandson, Phil Crosby, sings the track theme song, reviving nostalgia of yesteryear
New documentary explores 1984 McDonald’s massacre in San Ysidro
One of the most haunting things about “77 Minutes,” a new documentary about the McDonald’s massacre in San Ysidro, is the raw emotion expressed by so many of the victims who appear on screen.
Orthodox Jewish chicken-killing ritual draws protests
In a parking lot behind a Pico Boulevard building, inside a makeshift tent of metal poles and tarps, a man in a white coat and black skullcap grabs a white-feathered hen under the wings and performs an ancient ritual.
Four Hells Angels sought in kidnapping, robbery
Authorities are asking for the public’s help to locate four Hells Angels wanted in connection with the 2007 kidnapping and robbery of one of their members in El Cajon.
The neuroscience of meth — From pleasure to paranoia, drug’s effects explained through brain chemistry
From a neurological perspective, it’s easy to understand theappeal of methamphetamine.
Must Reads: It was the Coliseum’s mystery mural, until a teenage detective solved its 50-year puzzle
For decades, the curving mural depicting a golden sun has greeted visitors to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Is San Diego really that tough for homebuilders? Apparently yes, study says
The National Apartment Association study looked at barriers to apartment construction, which range from land availability to community opposition.
Column: Why the male fear of false rape accusations should worry all of us
Of all the monsters that have risen from the toxic swamp of the Brett M.
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5302
|
__label__wiki
| 0.626873
| 0.626873
|
Bryan Kirkpatrick went 4 for 6 with two runs and five RBI, Christian Priore and Myles Franklin drove in three runs apiece, and the North County Indians rolled to a 21-3 summer collegiate baseball win over the visiting Paso Robles Reds in Templeton.
Priore went 2 for 4 with two runs and a triple, and Franklin was 2 for 4 with two runs and a double. Davey Casciola and Johnny Balliet (3 for 4, four runs) added two RBI each for the Indians (26-8), and Mac Stuart (two runs) and Nate Javine chipped in two hits each.
North County starter Jamie Good was the winning pitcher. He tossed five innings, allowing three runs (none earned) on three hits and two walks with four strikeouts.
John Korgsgaden went 2 for 4 for the Reds, and Jason Short knocked in a pair of runs.
Cal Poly’s Mathias shines for Team USA
Cal Poly infielder Mark Mathias singled and had a sacrifice bunt to help the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team to a 4-1 victory over Chinese Taipei on Saturday in Haarlem, the Netherlands.
Team USA (17-3-2) advanced to meet Japan at 5 a.m. today in the Honkbal Week championship game.
Where the nation’s top football recruits will play this season
Former Park Hill pole vaulter holds highest vault of 2019 so far
By TEDDY GREENSTEIN Chicago Tribune
Welcome to Big Ten media days. Or as some schools view it, "Congrats on being a senior and having an awesome attitude so we're rewarding you with a trip to Chicago" days.
Wednesday Sports in Brief
National champion Baylor women add 2nd graduate transfer
Fine at UNT: Mean Green, Marshall preseason picks in C-USA
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5304
|
__label__wiki
| 0.779268
| 0.779268
|
Whose Review
Operation Finale - Multiple Personality Movie Review
Jarvis Lee
Posted On Sunday, 02 September 2018 01:00
Operation Finale tells the true story of a team of Israeli agents that go to Argentina to track down Adolf Eichmann, one of the Nazi architects of the final solution. There are some great moments of suspense in the film, starting with the opening sequence showing Oscar Isaac, who plays Peter, tracking down a Nazi in Austria and leading all the way to the ending with getting Eichmann out of Argentina.
To say that Operation Finale is an intense thriller would not make sense though, as most of the movie is a drama between Peter and Eichmann, plated by Ben Kingsley. The two men are trapped in a warehouse in Argentina and they spend most of the movie going over the past.
Even during the long discussion scenes, there are brief moments of suspense. Will the agents kill Eichmann before bringing him back to Israel? Will the agents get caught by the Nazi sympathizers in Argentina? However, there aren’t quite enough of these moments to hold the suspense throughout the movie’s runtime.
The biggest flaw of the film though is its length; running over two hours long. If the filmmakers had cut about twenty minutes out, it would’ve been a much better film.
Whose Review gives Operation Finale the overall score of… A History Channel M-O-W. There’s nothing to the movie that makes it a must see, even though it was engaging and did show a piece of history that many people may not know. The directing is decent and the acting by Oscar Isaac and Ben Kingsley is great, however the story drags too much and could probably have been edited down for a shorter runtime. It definitely feels like something that would air as a History Channel Movie of the Week.
Stay up to date with everything Whose Review on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.
Photo courtesy of Whose Review.
A Simple Favor - Multiple Personality Review
Sicario: Day of the Soldado - Multiple Personalilty Movie Review - No Spoilers
Skyscraper - Multiple Personality Review - No Spoilers
Life of the Party - Multiple Personality Movie Review - No Spoilers
Ocean's 8 - Multiple Personality Movie Review - No Spoilers
Uncle Drew- Multiple Personalilty Movie Review - No Spoilers
The House with a Clock in its Walls - Multiple Personality Review
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5306
|
__label__wiki
| 0.551143
| 0.551143
|
Ancient Sea Creatures Found in Amber
Lornajane AlturaMay 14, 2019 10:07 PM EDT
(Photo : Bo Wang)
Amber is a natural gemstone that is known to contain creatures from million years ago. Typical creatures found on it are plants and insects given that it is created by plant resins.
However, a paleontologist discovered a Cretaceous amber from Myanmar that contains both land and sea creatures. The amber which is 33 millimeters by 9.5 millimeters by 29 millimeters contains marine creatures composed of four sea snails, young ammonite, and four intertidal isopods along with three possible isopods.
The marine animals are trapped side by side with 22 mites, goblin spiders, 12 full grown insects that include 8 flies, 2 beetles, a cockroach, millipede, and a parasitic wasp.
"It is rare to find an aquatic organism in amber, and it is extremely rare to find marine organism in amber, let alone macroscopic marine organisms mixed with intertidal, terrestrial and potentially freshwater aquatic organism" stated by the researchers in their paper.
How come the two different kinds of creatures (land and water animals) ended up in the same amber? Given that there were no signs of soft tissue belonging to either ammonite or gastropod, it is possible that the shells of the two marine animals are lightly abraded and a piece of shell of animal was lost and lead to clogged the opening of the shell with sand, according to PNAS.
Paleontologists extrapolated that the marine animals were already dead and their shells must be tumbled by tides and washed up on a beach. By this situation, the marine animals must be trapped in the amber wherein a blob fell into the water (formation of amber is not possible when the resin is submerged into water).
"The shells may record an exceptionally high, perhaps storm-generated tide, or even a tsunami or other high energy event. Attentively and more likely, the resin fell to the beach from coastal trees, picking up terrestrial arthropods and beach shells and exceptionally, surviving the high-energy beach environment to be preserved as amber," the researchers added.
On the other hand, paleontologists were still unable to find how old the amber is. The uranium-lead dating of zircons in the matrix of volcanic rock where the amber is found is said to be around 98.8 million years old yet the sandstone layer above the amber where the fossilized ammonite was contained is believed to arrive at 113 million years ago. Re-examination of the said ammonite fossil was unable to conduct since no one has ever found it.
The issue on how old is the amber remains a mystery but it can be believed that it is more than 113 years old given that the amber is older than the bed where it is found.
More: amber, ancient sea creatures
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5311
|
__label__cc
| 0.622365
| 0.377635
|
Your searched for '"Rodney Clawson" "Ashley Gorley"'
< Prev 1 of 3 1 2 3 Next >
Crash My Party
Composer: Ashley Gorley, Rodney Clawson, Artist: Luke Bryan
Instrumentation: Solo instrument, Primary Instrument: Ukulele [notation], Parts available: none
Composer: Ashley Gorley, Chris DuBois, Artist: Brad Paisley
Composer: Chris DuBois, Ashley Gorley, Artist: Brad Paisley
Composer: Words and Music by CHRIS DESTEFANO, ASHLEY GORLEY and CARRIE UNDERWOOD, Publisher: YingQing Goh
Instrumentation: Worksheets
Difficulty: Difficult, Score: 1.50, Score & all parts: $12.00
Composer: Rodney Clawson, Artist: Luke Bryan
Don't Ya
Composer: Chris Destefano, Ashley Gorley, Artist: Brett Eldredge
Composer: Ashley Gorley, Bryan Simpson, Artist: Joe Nichols
I Can't Be Your Friend
Composer: Brad Crisler, Rodney Clawson, Artist: Rushlow
I Know You're Gonna Be There
Composer: Ashley Gorley, Artist: Luke Bryan
Crazy Town
Composer: Rodney Clawson, Brett Jones, Artist: Jason Aldean
Drink On It
Composer: Jessi Alexander, Jon Randall, Rodney Clawson, Artist: Blake Shelton
May We All
Composer: Rodney Clawson, Jamie Moore, Artist: Florida Georgia Line, Tim McGraw
Don't It
Composer: Jaren Johnston, Ross Copperman, Ashley Gorley, Artist: Billy Currington
You're Gonna Miss This
Composer: Ashley Gorley, Lee Miller, Artist: Trace Adkins
Drunk On You
Composer: Chris Tompkins, Josh Kear, Rodney Clawson, Artist: Luke Bryan
Sweet Southern Comfort
Composer: Brad Crisler, Rodney Clawson, Artist: Buddy Jewell
Where I Come From
Composer: Rodney Clawson, Dallas Davidson, Artist: Montgomery Gentry
American Saturday Night
Composer: Kelley Lovelace, Ashley Gorley, Artist: Brad Paisley
Dirt On My Boots
Composer: Jesse Frasure, Ashley Gorley, Rhett Akins, Artist: Jon Pardi
It Won't Be Like This For Long
Composer: Chris DuBois, Ashley Gorley, Artist: Darius Rucker
Laughed Until We Cried
Composer: Kelley Lovelace, Ashley Gorley, Artist: Jason Aldean
Southern State Of Mind
Composer: Ashley Gorley, Chris DuBois, Artist: Darius Rucker
Composer: Luke Laird, Ashley Gorley, Shane McAnally, Artist: Thomas Rhett
Why Ya Wanna
Composer: Ashley Gorley, Chris Destefano, Catt Gravitt, Artist: Jana Kramer
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5312
|
__label__cc
| 0.642751
| 0.357249
|
An Evening of Inspiration
Recently at our District Evening of Inspiration, grade 12 students from each of our secondary schools were acknowledged ...
Community Comes Together for Vanguard Grad Fundraiser
On May 11, the Vanguard community came together to support the Cars and Crafts Fundraiser. Students, Staff, former grads...
TEDxLangleyED: Once Again an Awesome Day
The fifth year of TEDxLangleyED focused on the theme of Connect. All of the speakers and presentations excelled in shari...
Cold and Snow Does Not Dampen Learning During the Month of February
The month of February certainly brought many challenges with respect to the cold weather. The school district staff do o...
Looking forward to Langley IDEA X Student Showcase
The Langley School District continues to create opportunities for students to develop the entrepreneurial mindset. IDEA ...
District Core Values HIghlighted
Recently the Fraser Valley was facing the possibility of significant damage as a result of flooding. Our Kwantlen and Katzie First Nations communities along the Fraser river were very concerned that they would not be able to protect themselves from potential damage. Numerous sandbaggers were required. A call was put out to secondary schools to assist with the sandbagging and over 400 students volunteered over two days to lend a hand. Our transportation department arranged getting students to and from the sites. Both the Kwantlen and Katzie First Nations communities were very impressed with our students and appreciative of their help. The District Core Value of Community was certainly on display.
Pictured L to R: F. Roberto, G. Dennison, G. Bergen
Debbie McKinnon
On May 25th the school district hosted its third annual District Athletics Banquet to acknowledge our coaches that put in so many hours to support students. Carl Valentine from the Vancouver Whitecaps delivered the keynote speech and coaches were recognized for different levels of 10, 20, and 30 years service . In addition, three retired coaches were added to the Wall of Distiction noted for their exemplary service and demonstration of the District Core Values of Courage, Integrity, Excellence and Community. This year’s inductees were Gord Dennison, George Bergen, and Frank Roberto. Deb McKinnon was the recipient of the Jim Ehman “difference maker” award, It was an inspirational evening that also included plenty of humour.
Langley teacher Tim Stephenson pictured at far left with fellow Prime Minister’s Award recipients in Ottawa.
At the Board of Education meeting on May 29th the District Core Value of Excellence was recognized with respect to the work of Walnut Grove teacher Tim Stephenson and Walnut Grove student Ethan Eigenfeldt. Tim recently received the Prime Minister’s award for teaching excellence. Recipients of this award are honoured for their remarkable achievements in education. Tim is passionate about caring for our planet and shares many environmental practices and strategies with his students. Ethan recently received top prize by WorkSafeBC for his video supporting effective worksafe practices. HIs work will now be entered in the National competition (view Ethan’s video). In addition, Ethan was also winner of the Actsafe Aspiring Filmmaker award. Well done Tim and Ethan!
I am looking forward to hearing more stories of students demonstrating the District Core Values at the Evening of Inspiration awards on June 4th.
Gord Stewart, Superintendent
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5315
|
__label__wiki
| 0.850474
| 0.850474
|
Removal of semi truck from ditch closes Highway 18 in Issaquah for 10 hours
Christine Clarridge
It took crews longer than predicted to clean up the road after a Tuesday afternoon crash left a semi truck in a ditch off Highway 18 in Issaquah.
The highway was closed from 9 p.m. Tuesday until shortly before 7 a.m. Wednesday between Issaquah-Hobart Road and Interstate 90, snarling the morning commute for some.
The Washington State Department of Transportation initially expected to reopen the road around 3 a.m. Wednesday, the department tweeted Tuesday night. But it blew past even an adjusted reopening time of 5 a.m.
“They are still doing wrap-up and cleanup work,” WSDOT spokesperson Thomas Charlson said after 6 a.m. Wednesday.
By 6:15 a.m., the westbound lanes had been partially re-opened, Charlson said. Both directions re-opened just before 7 a.m.
Washington State Patrol spokesman trooper Rick Johnson said the recovery operation and the repair of the road was significantly more difficult than had been expected.
⚠️ #Issaquah: TONIGHT: Both directions of SR 18 between Issaquah-Hobart Road and I-90 will fully close from 9 p.m. to approximately 3 a.m. Crews will remove a semi from a ditch near the Tiger Mountain Summit during the closure. pic.twitter.com/QaQmm6NI55
— WSDOT Traffic (@wsdot_traffic) March 13, 2019
Christine Clarridge: 206-464-8983 or cclarridge@seattletimes.com; on Twitter: @c_clarridge.
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5316
|
__label__cc
| 0.658428
| 0.341572
|
Review of “The Rise of the Scholarly Gig Economy and Fall of Community Development” – Nurulain Wolhuter
In a recent article in Muslim Matters, Shaykh Osman Umarji highlights the plight of many scholars of sacred knowledge who give up their careers and livelihoods to study abroad and subsequently return to the West to teach the Muslim community. Instead of being honored and respected for their sacrifices, they face criticism and complaints. Instead of being compensated generously for their services, most of them do not receive a living wage. They are not able to provide sufficiently for themselves and their families, many living in cramped one-bedroomed apartments. As a result, many of them are forced to forsake their teaching and service to the community. They retrain, take up secular work, or brand themselves as the providers of specialist services to the community, usually in exchange for a considerable fee. So spiritual growth and religious knowledge become the domain of the elite of the community, and the poorer members are marginalised.
Muslims Should Rethink the Value of a Religious Scholar
Shaykh Osman takes the view that we must “rethink the value of a religious scholar in our community as an investment, not a charity cause”. Scholars should be regarded as professionals who bring specialist skills to their positions. They should be paid a market-related wage that takes account of their levels of education and experience, as well as differences in the cost of living in different areas. They should also be given medical insurance and retirement plans. In addition, consideration should be given to the establishment of a scholars’ union that provides guidelines for remuneration.
He concludes by pointing to the spiritual and intellectual crisis that is besetting the Western Muslim community, with the incursion of un-Islamic world-views, and emphasizes the importance of sound scholars. If the community is not willing to value its scholars by paying them a reasonable wage, this crisis will cement into a permanent dearth of sacred knowledge.
Commendable Work By Muslim Matters
Muslim Matters is to be commended for highlighting one of the most fundamental challenges facing the contemporary Muslim community in the West. The community’s lack of support for its scholars, at an individual level, is replicated by its lack of support for organisations and initiatives that seek to raise funds to support such scholars. The Islamic Scholars Fund at SeekersGuidance, and many other organisations like it, struggle to raise funds for their scholars precisely because they are not valued and respected. A change of attitude is necessary to protect the community from sliding into the secularism and materialism that is the fabric of the broader American society, and which is at odds with the Islamic way of life. May Allah Most High transform all our hearts and open our hands this Ramadan to give generously to those without whom the Muslim community cannot continue to exist.
To read the Muslim Matters article, click here.
The Islamic Scholars Fund at SeekersGuidance aims to create an infrastructure to support the scholars’ efforts to attend to the community’s pressing needs: by researching, writing, teaching, and responding to questions. Please take a moment of your time this Ramadan to make a generous contribution to the Zakat fund at SeekersGuidance.com/donate. Whatever you give is worthy. As God reminds us in the Qur’anic verse, “…whatever good you may spend will be repaid unto you in full, and you shall not be wronged” (Qur’an, 2:272).
FILED UNDER: Article-General, Articles (Parent of blog articles), Ramadan, Scholars, Support
TAGGED WITH:: islamic scholars fund, scholarship, support
/by Yousuf Patel
Tags: islamic scholars fund, scholarship, support
https://www.seekersguidance.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/lukasz-szmigiel-33891-unsplash.jpg 640 1140 Yousuf Patel https://www.seekersguidance.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/nlogo-main.png Yousuf Patel2019-05-09 12:24:432019-05-09 12:24:43Review of “The Rise of the Scholarly Gig Economy and Fall of Community Development” - Nurulain Wolhuter
"When You Can't See The Vision, Trust The Visionary" - Imam Siraj Wahhaj
1st Annual Fawakih Essay Contest
When Zubair Met Zubeida: A Snapshot of Learning at SeekersGuidance - Saad Razi Shaikh
When You Can’t See the Vision, Trust the Visionary
Islamic Scholars Fund: Make an Impact With Your Zakat
A Beauty Most Sublime: New On-Demand Course by Habib Muhammad al-Saqqaf
Please share this with your family and friends:
"Whoever guides someone to goodness will have a similar reward"-- The Prophet (Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him)
Subscribe to Compass Newsletter
Get the best of SeekersGuidance to your inbox.
Married to an Apostate.
Interview for a Job and Ethic.
Avoiding Haram Ingredients.
The Night-Vigil Prayer (Tahajjud)
adab Allah charity children community divorce du`a expiation family fasting forgiveness gender interaction ghusl Habib 'Umar hajj headscarf (hijab) Highlighted Imam Zaid Shakir islam Knowledge love marriage menstruation mercy parenting parents prayer prophet Prophet Muhammad qur'an Qur'anic Themes Ramadan reminder repentance seeking knowledge Shaykh Ahmed Saad Al-Azhari SHAYKH FARAZ RABBANI Shaykh Yahya Rhodus spirituality sunna supplication tafsir waswasa wudu zakat
Volunteering @SeekersGuidance
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5317
|
__label__wiki
| 0.954161
| 0.954161
|
See all online subscription options below.
Please purchase a subscription to continue reading. If you have a subscription, please Log In.
Verification for print subscribers
If you or your household receives a home delivery subscription to The Keene Sentinel, you are entitled to FREE access to the premium subscription services on SentinelSource.com PLUS access to FREE archived content.
To activate your online subscription, please follow the instructions presented. This is a one-time only process.
If you are unsure about the type of account you have, please contact the Circulation Department at 603-283-0797 or by email at circulation@keenesentinel.com or webmaster@keenesentinel.com
GOOD: 13 weeks at 99¢/wk ( a savings of $12.09) $12.87 for 91 days
BETTER: 26 weeks at 99¢/wk (a savings of $24.18) $25.74 for 182 days
BEST: 52 weeks at 99¢/wk (a savings of $48.36) $51.48 for 365 days
Monadnock Profile
Submit a Score
Community Camera
TicketELF
68° Mostly Cloudy
Keene, NH (03431)
Mostly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 76F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph..
Some clouds. Low 59F. Winds light and variable.
Find things to do in the area OR Post your event
Five detained, gun recovered but motive remains unknown in David Ortiz shooting
By Dave Sheinin The Washington Post
The suspected gunman and the accomplices who ambushed and shot former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz in the back Sunday night — leaving him hospitalized in intensive care with serious internal injuries — were paid less than $8,000 by unnamed criminals to carry out the coordinated attack, authorities in the Dominican Republic said Wednesday.
While the alleged shooter and four other suspects have been detained, and the handgun used in the attack recovered, the critical question of a motive remained unanswered.
"The investigation continues," Dominican police chief Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte said at a news conference Wednesday in the capital of Santo Domingo. "We are at less than 72 hours [since the attack], and you see the advances we have already made. Certainly that will continue."
Ortiz, 43, was resting in the ICU at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where he is expected to remain for at least several days. He has undergone two surgeries — one in the Dominican Republic in the immediate aftermath of the attack, the other at Mass General on Monday night — to remove his gallbladder and part of his intestines and repair his liver.
Ortiz "continues to recuperate today," his wife, Tiffany, said in a statement released through the Red Sox on Wednesday. "Yesterday and this morning, David was able to sit up as well as take some steps. His condition is guarded and he will remain in the ICU for the coming days, but he is making good progress towards recovery."
Tiffany Ortiz asked for privacy "while David continues to heal."
Dominican officials identified the suspected gunman as Rolfy Ferreyra Cruz, 25, and said he has been detained, along with four suspected accomplices. A sixth suspect, identified as Luis Alfredo Rivas Clases, remained at large Wednesday. Ferreyra, the police chief said, confessed to being the shooter.
"No person involved in this act will go unpunished," the Dominican Republic's attorney general, Jean Alain Rodriguez, said at the news conference. "We guarantee to all Dominicans and to the world that justice will be done."
Ortiz, whose 20-year major league career included 14 seasons, 10 all-star appearances and three World Series titles with the Red Sox, was sitting at a streetside bar in Santo Domingo, his hometown, when the shooter - who arrived on the back of a motorcycle driven by another man - approached him from behind, fired at close range and fled.
Two others were wounded in the attack, including television host Jhoel Lopez, who was seated with Ortiz and who was struck in the leg by the same bullet that hit Ortiz.
The driver of the motorcycle, Eddy Vladimir Feliz Garcia, was apprehended and beaten by bystanders after the motorcycle faltered. In a court appearance Tuesday night, he was charged as an accomplice to an attempted murder. But his attorney, Deivi Solano, told reporters in Santo Domingo his client was a motorcycle taxi driver who was unaware he was driving the suspected gunman and had picked up the fare "in good faith."
The other suspects, authorities said, were parked nearby in a pair of Hyundai automobiles at the time of the attack. One of the suspects arrested Wednesday, Oliver Moises Mirabal Acosta, was sentenced to five years in prison for a drug-trafficking charge in May 2017, the Dominican newspaper Diario Libre reported.
The officials declined to speculate about possible motives behind the shooting, other than to rule out a robbery attempt, but they said the alleged coordinator behind the attack was among those arrested, and that the group was paid 400,000 Dominican pesos, or about $7,800 dollars, to carry it out.
Follow Paul Miller
We're always interested in hearing about sports in our community. Send local scores and news our way!
Submit news or scores
Death of Keene man remains under investigation
Mystery deepens over recent Spofford Lake find
Former soccer coach accused of sexually assaulting student
Colony Mill apartments on track for fall finish
Police: Area soccer coach sexually assaulted girl, gave her alcohol
Keene resident accused of sexually assaulting child
Long-planned Winchester development again appealed to high court
Willie Mac's to offer dance club in Keene on weekends
Candidate O'Rourke joins protest aimed at treatment of immigrants
Tanglewood purchase finalized
sentinelsource.com
Email: webmaster@keenesentinel.com
The Keene Sentinel
© Copyright 2019 SentinelSource.com, 60 West Street Keene, NH | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5318
|
__label__wiki
| 0.631578
| 0.631578
|
GTA IV vs. Saints Row 2: Final Thoughts
By Shamus Posted Monday Mar 30, 2009
Filed under: Game Reviews 31 comments
GTA IV vs Saints Row 2: StoryPrevious Post
Next PostLeft 4 Dead: Survival Mode
If you spend a few minutes watching GTA IV and then a few more minutes watching Saints Row 2, they’ll look more or less functionally the same: Steal cars, shoot stuff, drive around, do crazy missions, etc. But the underlying assumptions on the part of the developers about what parts of the game are fun and what drives people to play them form a stark contrast.
It really is shocking how far games have come. Here is a shot of GTA IV. Look at the detail reaching off into the horizon. Getting that much shifting data off of disk and into the world in a timely manner is far more impressive to me than what they’re doing with pixel shaders these days.
GTA IV retains the playpen approach to content which has made the game so beloved / reviled. Two-thirds of the gameworld are locked away at the outset, along with a good portion of the mini-games. You earn those new play areas and toys by working through the story missions. Saints Row 2 takes the opposite approach, making you go play with the toys before you can advance the story. The gameworld and its offerings are all open at the outset, and it’s up to you to explore and find games that amuse you.
While not a mini-game that is formally recognized by the gameworld, solving traffic congestion with a rocket launcher is still deeply satisfying. I don’t know why they call this “road rage”, as my own sensation was one of glee.
I listed as many of these mini-games as I’d managed to discover in one of my Saints Row 2 comics. It’s a massive list, and nearly everything is available to you as soon as the first tutorial mission is over. You just drive around and look for the mini-game icons on the map. (The game calls them “diversions”.) Try one. If it’s fun, you can keep doing it to earn more money and respect. If not, you can just look around for something else. Each time you complete a mini-game, you earn enough “respect points” to play through a story mission. Each activity has several levels of increasing difficulty. If you really like one, you’ll probably want to hammer away at it until you beat all of the levels. But if you just want to hoover up easy respect points you can run around and simply beat the first level of every diversion. Now, Yahtzee said in his review that you’ll tire of the mini-games and run out of respect points long before you complete the game and end up grinding the mini-games to be able to advance the story, but I had the opposite problem. Being a sandbox player at heart, I spent a lot of time gorging myself at the mini-game buffet before I started working on the missions. By the time the game was over I still had enough respect left over to do 35 more missions.
Having said that, I don’t see a need to force the player to do mini-games. Both games seem to be afraid you might skip bits of their sandbox content, which is the entire point of making a sandbox.
And here I realized that I’m entering the home stretch of this series and I never got around to telling you about the outstanding avatar builder used in Saints Row 2. It’s one of the most comprehensive I’ve experienced, down to the ability to adjust your voice and walking style. And yes, you can be female.
As I mentioned earlier in this series, the mission design of GTA IV is an obvious attempt to make missions more “cinematic”. The designer is convinced you’re a dullard who will mess up his show and so he’s railroading you via cheating into a course of action that makes for the most thrilling chase, battle, or stunt. I think he’s simply trying too hard. Sometimes it works and you get the big cinematic moment, but usually it fails and you end up slogging through the mission a few times like a dog being taught a new trick. Saints Row 2 has demonstrated that you can trust serendipity to create the magic and have about the same rate of success at producing memorable events, but without the frustrating cheating and without imposing the designer’s will on the player. I experienced chases in Saints Row 2 that featured insane stunts, close calls, hilarious mishaps, and unexpected fireball explosions. But these events were unique to my game. They were the product of random chance and my own spastic efforts to reach my goal, not something scripted by a tyrannical codemonkey at Rockstar.
GTA IV offers incredible production values, voice acting, music, and visuals. By contrast, all Saints Row 2 can offer is fun. You’ll have to work out for yourself which one sounds better.
Joker's Last Laugh
Did you anticipate the big plot twist of Batman: Arkham City? Here's all the ways the game hid that secret from you while also rubbing your nose in it.
Starcraft: Bot Fight
Let's do some scripting to make the Starcraft AI fight itself, and see how smart it is. Or isn't.
Are Lootboxes Gambling?
Obviously they are. Right? Actually, is this another one of those sneaky hard-to-define things?
Push the Button!
Scenes from Half-Life 2:Episode 2, showing Gordon Freeman being a jerk.
31 thoughts on “GTA IV vs. Saints Row 2: Final Thoughts”
Eric Meyer says:
Monday Mar 30, 2009 at 12:19 pm
Well, that’s clinched it: if I ever decide to pick up one of these, Saints Row 2 it will be.
I’m definitely going to have to err on the side of fun.
ThaneofFife says:
Man I really want to play Saints Row 2 now! But I only have a PC and a Wii and the PC port is supposed to be awful. Oh the humanity…
Monday Mar 30, 2009 at 1:06 pm
ThaneofFife:
Well, there’s always that upcoming streaming game console service I’ve been hearing about…
PSJ says:
Wednesday Oct 19, 2011 at 2:15 pm
Talking from 2 years in the future, the saint’s row 2 port on said streaming game system (OnLive) is absolutely brilliant. In case you were wondering :)
Monday Mar 26, 2012 at 1:07 am
These ancient beings, speaking of a time before Saints Row the Third. Truly, they were as gods.
Namfoodle says:
Yeah, the Saint’s Row method sounds less frustrating than GTA IV. If the designers are going to railroad the player and give the bad guys “plot defense”, there should be something on the screen to warn you that the guy is currently bullet-proof.
Noggy says:
It sounds like GTA 4 would benifit from he ability to skip the gameplay, which is the exact opposite of what I usually want in a game.
I’ve played both games on the PC (since I don’t have any of the new consoles) and I preferred GTA IV. I wasn’t really playing it as a sandbox, if you catch my point. I did mission after missio after mission, and I felt very happy when the rest of the map and content became unlocked, because I felt like I was being given a reward for my all my achievements, whereas in SR2 I had no incentive to do the missions.
That said, I still love SR2. It’s a fantastic game and I’d recommend it to anyone, but if I had to pick one of the two, I’d pick GTA IV.
I liked this review series very much. You essentially voiced everything I thought about the two games, but from a “I prefer SR2” point of view, which I found deeply interesting.
........... says:
Saturday Jun 19, 2010 at 1:37 pm
Well to go with your opinion on feeling good about unlocking new boroughs, in Saints Row 2 you actually conquer little chunks of the city as you go. I think that is a great substitute for unlocking a whole chunk of land.In Saints Row 2 easily to Fuzz (police work-killing ppl) and drug trafficking for fun and respect allowing you to missions on and on. But i must addmit the whole respect for missions in Saints Row 2 is quite annoying for those who must know what’s next in the story.
Guus says:
I’ve already played GTA, guess I’ll be picking up Saints Row next.
droid says:
But can you ?
John Callaghan says:
Going seriously off-topic here…
A startling word in your review led me to read the Wikipedia entry on how different the US and UK connotations of “spastic” are. Divided by a common language!
vdgmprgrmr says:
Yep, Shamus, now I want to play Saint’s Row 2.
Mayhem says:
I haven’t played a GTA game since Vice City, and I enjoyed that one pretty well. I never bought another because of two words: Spike Strips. I love car chases and the spike strips ruined them for me.
At any rate, one other thing that’s bothered me about GTA, as well as when it happens in other games, is another form of cheating other than scripted “accidents.” It’s when the NPCs don’t have to follow the same game physics as you do.
Cases in point: the police cars’ speed changes with your Wanted Level. I can see how their aggrssiveness would be affected, but by the time you reach level 4, they can easily catch up to the game’s Lambourghini (Inferus). And if you get into a cop car, you can’t go that fast yourself. That’s just friggin’ stupid.
Also, the police choppers don’t experience collision if they hit a building. It’s just eye candy to them. And they can shoot you from any angle, even straight down where you cannot aim straight up to shoot them back.
I can take some cheap advantages for NPCs to an extent, but when they don’t even have to follow the same game physics as you do, that bugs the shit out of me.
Rutskarn says:
Yeah. I’m all for an engaging story, but at the expense of the gameplay?
A great story with frustrating gameplay mechanics is better suited for another form of media.
Zel says:
I pretty much did like Julian and played both games, mission after mission. SR2 did have incentive to continue its story to me, mostly because from the start I thought “Let’s kick some rotten corporation’s ass!”, and couldn’t do it until way later after a lot of nonsensical gang wars (hated them in San Andreas too). There are however no incentives to play the mini-games : bonuses are not worth the effort and the respect needed to finish all missions is earned after one or two completed mini-games.
It’s a completely subjective opinion, but my experience of GTA4 was very fun, with only a few hiccups on some particular missions (only the bank heist was getting frustrating). Maybe it’s because I already played previous entries and know what to expect. Maybe my way of thinking has been formatted into a “GTA” style that made me unconsciously follow the path the designer had drawn for me. Either way, it was hard to stop playing GTA4, while despite the tons of “Distractions” available I was bored with SR2 after a mission or two.
@12 : the Police is much easier to evade in GTA4, thanks to some very long and wide avenues and easy to reach highways. Police cars don’t catch up to your high speed sports cars, and I don’t recall any spike trips.
@13 : the story isn’t so great or engaging, it’s actually pretty cliché. What made the game for me, same as previous GTA’s, was the characters. I instantly sympathized with Niko, and the cutscenes made me laugh much more than SR2’s tattoo prank or genocides.
SaiNtS RoW vEteRaN/EnThuSiAsT says:
I actually like the chases better in Saints Row 2 b/c the police cant arrest you. For your hate of spikes you can go to a mechanic and reinforce the cars tires. I believe in a certain way that Saints Row is more realistic b/c of the fact that you suffer more losses and you get to build up a gang. In GtA4 you dont have much exitement and infact the opening sequence to the game was too boring and was a major set back, and though I kept playing in hopes it would get more exiting Saints Row 2 shows much more entusiasim toward the world of role playing.
Maldeus says:
I remember having all kinds of fun with the sandbox world of Mercenaries. There was a time when I escaped being blown up by a tank by driving my Sungri jeep off a cliff, completely unscripted, and after rolling over about four times, I came out upright and sped out of the base as fast as I could. If I ever try one of these two, it’ll definitely be Saints Row 2. Moments like that are practically the reason I play video games.
Noumenon says:
Tuesday Mar 31, 2009 at 8:08 am
I almost want to buy Saint’s row just for the chance to ogle the female avatars — not only can you outfit them in all kinds of tight T-shirts, you can actually adjust their waist-to-hip ratio on a slider. I’m sorry, the hotness of my avatar is very important to me in a game. See Tomb Raider, and Jessica from Dragon Quest VIII.
Reading this i kept thinking, “man why did I get gta 4 instead of SR2?” Then I remembered I borrowed it. I still won’t get saint’s row, though, because I think I’ve had enough killing lots of people for other people in a morally ambiguous urban setting for awhile. I am also only a third of the way through gta 4. Damn that game is HUGE.
chabuhi says:
Tuesday Mar 31, 2009 at 1:50 pm
I picked up GTA IV on the heels of completing GTA: SA for the first time, so I was deeply disappointed at the departure GTA IV took from its predecessors in the fun department.
I think if it had been years since I played SA then I would have been much more receptive to IV. But, since I had just come off the Incredible Carousel of Fun that is SA, I found IV sadly lacking.
SR2 I simply won’t bother with since I think I am just done with this “genre”. Oh wait, I have one last slot open for This Is Vegas (if Midway doesn’t completely disintegrate).
Then I’ll be done … promise.
Deadpool002 says:
Wednesday Apr 1, 2009 at 11:44 am
I have to agree that some of the best stories come from what happens at random in SR2:
During the Ronin Mission with the motorcycle Chase from the graveyard. I watched as the man I was pursuing was killed by his own henchies. Their car zoom by me crashed full speed into him. Game cued up the end cinematic, and I laughed for a good 10 minutes and this turn of events.
Blue_Pie_Ninja says:
Thursday Apr 9, 2015 at 4:16 am
When I did it, my homies from off the street jumped in a car and blew his bike up for me, while I was struggling to catch up to him on the motorbike.
Best homies ever.
Saturday May 16, 2009 at 12:02 am
I say if you’re thinking of buying saints row you should really just pick up GTA instead because they are the ones who deserve that fucking money. It’s hard for me to comprehend how everybody just seems to shrug off the fact that Volition STOLE somebody else’s hard work used it for their own profit and not only got away with it but made a successful sequel.
WJS says:
Sunday Aug 14, 2011 at 3:13 pm
That’s ridiculous. They didn’t steal anything, just made a game along similar lines. Would you also say that all first person shooters are stealing from Doom?
Tuesday Sep 1, 2009 at 8:45 am
I did buy Saints Row 2 finally and the avatar hotness is totally worth the money. I bet I spent several hours looking for clothes stores, trying on outfits, admiring how sexy my avatar was in the outfits, and then having plastic surgery. That chick is hotter than a lot of porn stars.
Unlike you said in your comic, I did binge on the game for almost 24 hours in a row last weekend. Just going from exploring secret areas to buying a new crib to trying to steal a boat by landing on it with a helicopter to finding a way to get that Attrazione out of the mall and into my garage. Let’s see if I follow the monorail all the way around the track will I get an Achievement unlocked. (Answer: no.) But just so many different things means you can play forever.
Yeah, I binged for 13 hours straight at a friend’s place while he was also playing 13 hours straight on his xbox. Good times.
Thursday Feb 3, 2011 at 7:19 am
I’ll buy this Saints Row 2 because i miss the fun that I had in San Andreas, I still love GTA IV but it’s too serious.
I have GTA IV, but not SR2, so this is a little biased. I just feel the need to comment on the author’s assertion that GTA IV has “railroaded” to cinematic moments. The only one I can think of that fits that description is a scene on a motorcycle in which chasing a guy on a motorcycle results in an explosion of a car near the chase. It’s definitely scripted, happening every time I played the mission, but it was great. I loved every moment of this game so far, although some missions are a little too difficult. I find myself having to replay missions upwards of 3 times frequently, and needing to delay my reattempt to go heal and pick up a thing of body armor.
I love GTA IV’s seriousness, but I seem to be one of the few who do. The gritty, more realistic story is more gripping to me, and although it does seem to meander a bit as an excuse for more missions, is very satisfying and definitely present.
SR2 sounds like fun, but I’m not sure I can go backwards in terms of technical achievement. Also, I hate the idea of demanding that the player play minigames before advancing the story. It sounds like an attempt to make you not think about the story, which stinks of a crappy story.
What I really disliked about GTA:IV was the cars. They all had terrible handling, drifting and a grandma could knock a fence down more easily than the cars. It basically lead to almost being arrested by the cops tons of times, which is really annoying. And I was playing on PS3 so the controls for driving should have been good, but it wasn’t.
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5322
|
__label__wiki
| 0.511964
| 0.511964
|
Austria bans Muslim girls from wearing headscarf
By Mohammed-Mehdi, May 18 in Politics/Current Events
Mohammed-Mehdi 679
Religion: Islam
6 hours ago, starlight said:
.I don't know why people get upset at developments like these. You choose to live in a country then you have to follow the laws.
Are you talking about developments as in the article above?
5 hours ago, Ali~J said:
I can't even imagine how things will be in several years time when I'm trying to raise my kids....
Expectation and realization
We know from our hadith etc that 'Dhulm' or oppression will increase till the return of the Imam (AJTF). At the same time opposition to this oppression, and a longing for goodness will also increase all over the world. It is not that the Imam AJTF will return, and then start spreading the idea of goodness instead of evil.
So this is what we can expect and believe. We can also see this development.
We have to look at ourselves carefully, each individual, and research what are our responsibilities, priorities and (highest) goals.
I find this letter to be a great 'start'. If one can achieve this fully I believe we are doing very well, AlHamdullilaah:
Advice from His Eminence,Sayyid Ali al-Sistani (may the Almighty prolong his life) to the Believing Youth
Also in a (or more) hadith, we find that one should not worry about death if that person: fulfilled his obligations to Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى), refrains from sin and has a good moral trait. (not sure about wording and sequence). If not, then that person should worry about death (and work towards these goals).
Great book IMO: https://www.al-Islam.org/secrets-success-ayatullah-mirza-jafar-subhani Secrets of Success
Ashvazdanghe and Ali~J reacted to this
6 hours ago, Guest Jaal said:
ell, as Shias, we have nothing against trans people
Some Jurists/ We make a distinction between those that say they always have felt the opposite gender etc and those that are perverse/ just a type of evil (which a lot of those transgenders are).
Also, I don't agree completely with your perspective on LBGT (or so). It is clearly one of the agenda's that are being pushed by the Zionists/Globalists/ or label them as you like. It has been pushed in the mainstream for decades now. In children books etc. This is of the work of Satan and it is one of the enemies of humanity.
Ashvazdanghe reacted to this
starlight 10,755
Location: In the presence of the Beloved
Religion: Shia
Favorite Subjects: Medicine, Irfan, Current Affairs
16 minutes ago, Mohammed-Mehdi said:
I meant the news about Hijab ban in Austria.
I've never really understood why Iran does fund those operations.
The Jurists who have this idea didn't just come up with it themselves. But very important is to make a distinction with those let's say ill and those perverse/Fasiqun/...
Then, if we look at it with the right perspective I think it makes total sense. In a society, of 80+ million people, for example, you will have these people, and if Islam not nesecerally forbids these changes for some of these people, then why should we oppose it?
Ali~J reacted to this
14 minutes ago, starlight said:
Ok, so I see that as a yes.
I do agree, things will get worse, that is a reality and we should seek the truth.
But I don't agree with: " I don't know why people get upset at developments like these. You choose to live in a country then you have to follow the laws.".
Upset:
unhappy, disappointed, or worried.
Why should we not be unhappy because of this sin and injustice? Disappointed with a sense of realization of the blessings and what humanity could have been, is not wrong. With an unrealistic expectation, yes I agree that would not be appropriate.
Worried, in one way I understand if we just do what we have to do and do our best and are of that high leveled people, I can see why you would not be worried after that (in regards to some aspects). But is that the case with us individually or as communities? Not at all, most of us by far.
Follow the laws; of course. But this is oppression, racist (as per a definition in this Western country I live in), injustice,. We can follow the law but that doesn't mean we can't fight back. In fact, we have to do our responsibly, in this development as well. And there are opportunities we should utilize.
This is one of the Satanic actions against Islam, Muslims, and humanity. We should care. And especially in this part of the world where they claim to be the champions of human rights, very developed (while others are not), and just and sophisticated.
Edited May 19 by Mohammed-Mehdi
13 hours ago, Reza said:
Anyone know about Austrian (or EU) law?
Courts have proven to not always do what they have to do and sometimes like in Nigeria the ruling of the top-court is being ignored. So even after a good conclusion, it didn't have the impact it should have.
As far as I know, in the EU, this law would have a great chance to be rejected (or so) normally speaking. But I don't believe all these judges are sincere and not corrupt and outside those, we also can see that certain courts/judges can be greatly influenced if the " elite " or someone focuses on a certain outcome.
I would expect Austria to have similar laws or ideas about these matters compared to other Western countries.
Iran has a compulsory hijab law, KSA also has a dress code for females,in Malaysia there is a law that you cannot enter some government buildings if you are not properly covered up(females). All women, whether local or foreigners are expected to obey these laws.
Public displays of affection which are a norm in the west are not acceptable in most Muslim countries.A female cannot walk in public in Pakistan wearing a mini skirt or shorts even though it's perfectly okay for her to wear these in a European country.
We expect foreigners living in our country to follow our rules but when we go and live in their for 'better healthcare, education and economy' we start protesting against their laws.
AbdulKarim313_Austin/Nola and Ashvazdanghe reacted to this
If a law is unjust we should all oppose it, no matter where or what law.
So this is the key question here. Is it (un)ethical to have this law or not? Is it just or not? Is it logical?
If you claim to be champion of human rights, advanced, etc. but then have this law, for what reason again? Why should these Muslim girls not be allowed to weir their scarfs? And even worse; the other religious girls who do show part of the hair are allowed!
Can anyone come up with a good reason why?
Just because they don't like the looks of it, is not a valid reason.
The Burqa as part of an all face-hiding ban, could perhaps be accepted, in my opinion, for these countries. But see my questions and comments above in regards to this specific
and such bans.
Furthermore, the reason why some of us are living in these places has nothing to do with it.
1 minute ago, Mohammed-Mehdi said:
If a law is unjust we should all oppose it, no matter where or what law.
What's the criteria for justice here?
Is it (un)ethical to have this law or not? Is it just or not? Is it logical?
There are people from among the Muslims say Hijab makes no sense.You expect non Muslims to find a logic?
Reza 10,204
Forum Administrators
We expect foreigners living in our country to follow our rules but when we go and live in their for 'better healthcare, education and economy' we start protesting against their laws.
Are you implying Muslim = foreigner in the European context? There a lot of born Muslims in these countries too (and reverts). Obviously they have a right to protest laws in their own country that target them, just like any other domestic interest group does?
Or should they flee to another country and learn a new language? Which is more practical?
42 minutes ago, Reza said:
implying Muslim = foreigner in the European context?
Foreigners = minority religious groups
There a lot of born Muslims in these countries too (and reverts).
As there are born Christians,Hindus and zoroastrians and atheists in Muslim countries but how accepting would we be if they start protesting against for example same sex marriage laws or laws enforcing hijab?
I get what you are saying and I don't entirely disagree with it. I am just trying to show the other side of the picture.Islamophobia will continue to rise and it would be naive to think the non Muslim countries will stop making these laws because of us protesting.
Mohammadi_follower 1,193
My position is not politically correct but at the end of the day even if we don't like it this is after all the choice of Austrians. But after that I would not accept hypocrisy of people complaining that some Muslim countries have a dress code asking people to respect Islamic norms.
Ashvazdanghe 5,174
Location: Iran
Religion: Shia Islam (Twelver/Rafidhi)
Mood: My master is Hussain (as) & He is the best master
Favorite Subjects: Electronic & Mechatronics engineering & video Games
Austrian lawmaker wears headscarf in protest at hijab ban (+Video)
http://en.abna24.com/news//austrian-lawmaker-wears-headscarf-in-protest-at-hijab-ban-video_942335.html
May 18, 2019 - 6:31 PM News Code : 942335 Source : Press TVLink:
An Austrian lawmaker has worn a headscarf during her address against a controversial bill that prohibits primary school girls across the country from wearing hijab — Muslim women’s modest clothing.
Martha Bissmann, an independent MP, covered her hair during a general assembly speech on Friday to protest the measure, saying, "Let's not allow a wedge to be driven between us."
The ban was approved after lawmakers from Chancellor Sebastian Kurz's ruling conservative People's Party (ÖVP) and the anti-migration Freedom Party (FPÖ) -- who have formed a majority government together -- voted in its favor. Under the new legislation, it would be illegal for Muslim girls under the age of 10 to wear hijab at all primary schools, including private schools.
Mohammed-Mehdi reacted to this
Ate/Eating/Will Eat?
By Ruq, February 4, 2012 in Off-Topic
Noor Taleb
Persian Gulf Tensions 2019 [BREAKING NEWS]
By Haji 2003, May 12 in Politics/Current Events
What video game systems do you own/used to own?
By pwwnd123, March 18, 2016 in Off-Topic
Ali~J
By Noor Taleb, Sunday at 09:46 PM in Theology and General Religion
Flying_Eagle
wearing hijab around cousins?
By Guest Zaza, Tuesday at 09:25 PM in Guest Forum
notme
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5326
|
__label__wiki
| 0.683915
| 0.683915
|
== The first ships == <br /> When the orders for the first two ships were in place, Wärtsilä began to influence the design of the vessels, especially in the propulsion machinery arrangements. At the builder’s suggestion four, nine cylinder, two-stroke, medium speed Sulzer Z-40/48 engines were used, each pair being linked through Pneumoflex flexible couplings to single-reduction gearboxes for the twin shafts. This specification produced a compact, low-weight, flexible machinery arrangement. Mogens Hammer was employed to carry out the design of the passenger accommodation. He had been responsible for the interiors of the Kloster ships, starting with his first ship Sunward. The passenger cabins were indeed small, but efficiently laid out and Stephan sought to counteract any adverse impact by providing a range of free gifts, including a daily supply of Hershey chocolate bars! The exterior styling of the ships was the responsibility of Gier Grung. A deliberate effort was made to reassure the passengers by linking the style of the ships to the external appearance of the far more familiar contemporary airliners. The ships were fitted with a highly raked clipper bow and a large, fin-like funnel situated near the stern. The funnel carried RCCL’s new crown and anchor logo, which resembled an airline logo. The words ROYAL CARIBBEAN were placed along the base of the funnel in large airline-style upper-case san-serif letters. To complete the airline impression a wide blue riband was painted around the base of the superstructure, slightly deeper than the row of windows at this point. The aim was to subliminally link the passengers’ first dock-side view of the ship with their memory of the external view of the far more familiar appearance of the airliner that had brought them to Miami. Stephan also wanted an external ship feature that would be unique to RCCL. His suggestion of a maritime version of the Seattle Space Needle was completely impractical on ships the size of the RCCL vessels. After considerable debate this was transformed into a Frisbee-like cocktail lounge embedded in the trailing edge of the funnel. For years this feature was used in the company’s “Sail a Skyscraper” advertisements. As a foretaste of the lack of unity amongst the shareholders, the names of the three ships did not follow a common style. They were: - *Song of Norway – Skaugen – Delivered October 1970 *Nordic Prince – Wilhelmsen – Delivered July 1971 *Sun Viking – Gotaas-Larsen – Delivered November 1972 The basic specification of the class was – 18,416 grt; 168.3 metres Loa; 24.0 metres beam; 714 passengers on the basis of 2 passengers per cabin; 870 passengers max; 300 crew; service speed 21 knots. <br /> <br /> [[Image:RCCL_ships_at_Miami.jpg]] <br /> <br /> '''Photo 5:''' Nordic Prince, Sun Viking and Song of Norway at Miami. <br /> <br />
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5327
|
__label__wiki
| 0.815279
| 0.815279
|
Go to Los Angeles
On Thursday 28th March in Los Angeles, we witnessed 3 magical performances from:
Allie Crow Buckley
Ed balloon
Ed Balloon is a singer and performer, whose music is a unique blend of R&B, e...
Ed Balloon is a singer and performer, whose music is a unique blend of R&B, electronic, pop, and hip-hop. With influences ranging from of Montreal, to Jill Scott, to Maxwell, his diverse musical background combined with his Nigerian roots produces an unparalleled sound. Ed Balloon performs live with a full band, to create an energetic stage presence, captivating his audience with one-of-a-kind dance moves.
Runnner
Attend a Sofar in Los Angeles
Arts District July 19th
Culver City July 26th
Venice August 1st
Arts District August 15th
Where did you hear about us? A Sofar host Print or Press Article Youtube Facebook Instagram An artist An article or blog post Search Engine From a Friend Twitter Other
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5328
|
__label__cc
| 0.647089
| 0.352911
|
Fiscal representation for yachts
The Smartbook
DOWNLOADS PRIVACY POLICY
This document provides information on the treatment of personal data collected to receipt Our VAT Smartbook. This notice is in compliance with UE regulation 2016/679 (hereinafter “Regulation”) and only to Download the VAT Smartbook. The service is provided by MailChimp platform, registered trademark of Rocket Science Group LLC.
S.O.S. Holding S.R.L., located in Milan (MI), Viale Monte Nero 84, and the following connected brands that is manages:
SOS Yachting S.r.l., with registered offices in Viareggio (LU) – 55049 – Piazza Lorenzo Viani 11/A;
SOS Yachting Sarl, with registered offices in Nice – 06300 – Quai Amiral Infernet;
SOS Yachting of Spain SL, with registered offices in Palma De Mallorca – 07012 – Avda Jaume III 17, 1-13;
SOS Yachting D.O.O., with registered offices in Rijeca – 51000 - Korzo 11.
E-mail: sosholding@pec.it
(hereinafter: "joint holders").
what data are being processed?
To use this service, it is necessary to fill out the subscription form in which identifying data and contact details are requested (name, surname, E-mail address etc.). During the provision of service, data on e-mails reading or the number of clicks to links there contained are collected through the use of such technologies as cookies and pixel tracking, as well as the IP address of the user. For further information, please visit https://mailchimp.com/legal/cookies/
FOR WHAT PURPOSES?
We use the data spontaneously provided and collected automatically during the use of the service to:
Let the customer use this service;
Analyze the performance of the service;
Comply with legal and contractual requirements;
Protect legal rights.
WHAT ARE THE LEGAL BASIS OF THE TREATMENT?
For the purposes as mentioned in point 2, letter a. the treatment is based on a contract between the Owner and the person concerned. For the purposes as mentioned in point 2, letters b. and d. the treatment is entirely based on the legitimate interest of the Owner, considering the necessity to safeguard the joint holders for instance from an illicit use of the Service, that is, the best management of contents also according to the interest shown. In all other cases the legal basis is the respect of the legal obligations as imposed on the Owner of the treatment.
Data will be kept for the time necessary for the achievement of the specified purposes. Namely:
a. in the event of treatments for contractual purposes and compliance of legal requirements: for the whole duration of the service and, after its termination, for a period not exceeding 10 years;
b. in the event of treatments required to safeguard the joint holders’ rights: for the whole duration of the judicial litigations and in any case not exceeding the time limit allowed for the impugnment actions
c. in the event of required treatments for the analysis of the service: until the cancellation of consent and in any case for a period not exceeding 12 months. After the aforementioned time limits, personal data shall be destroyed, deleted or made anonymous, in compliance with the technical deletion and backup procedures.
how long data will be kept
who takes part in the treatment process?
Personal data may be processed by employees, collaborators of the joint holders or third parties, appointed persons and responsible for the treatment, carrying out on behalf the joint holders tasks of a technical and managerial nature, or functional activities suitable for the aforementioned purposes on behalf of the joint holders. Such subjects were explicitly appointed to the treatment and received specific and adequate operational instructions. When necessary, we shall make use of the following categories of recipients:
third parties providing services to Companies, acting typically as in charge of the treatment, such as managers of communication services, E-mail, delivery of mail, technical services for the management of the Service or other providers of information services;
Companies providing support during the carrying out of market surveys;
Third parties providing management and upkeep services of the joint holders’ database;
Third parties dealing with communication and marketing services..
Subjects, organizations or authorities to whom the disclosure of personal data is compulsory, by virtue of provisions laid down by law or by order of the authorities.
Such subjects shall only receive the data required for the related functions, and shall commit to using them exclusively for the aforementioned purposes and process them in compliance with the applicable privacy regulation. The updated list of the subjects in charge of the treatment is available upon written request to the joint holders.
are data processed outside the European union?
The joint holders collect and process data for the newsletter service through a platform named MailChimp, owned by Rocket science Group LLC, with registered offices in the US and it complies with the Privacy Shield Frameworks (for further information: https://www.privacyshield.gov/participant?id=a2zt0000000TO6hAAG), which imposes a level of protection of personal data equal to the standards requested by the Protection Authorities of the EU Countries. The aforementioned company shall process data of the concerned persons in compliance with the aforementioned standards (see disclosure: http://mailchimp.com/legal/privacy).
For any doubt or clarification it is possible to contact directly Rocket Science Group, LLC, Mailchimp Privacy Department, 512 Means St., Suite 404, Atlanta, Georgia 30318.
how is data security managed?
The joint holders are committed to the safeguard of users’ personal data, and work in compliance with the dispositions in matter of safety as provided by the applicable laws to prevent any data disclosure, illegitimate or illicit data use and unauthorized access to data, with specific but not exclusive reference to the current regulations on personal data protection.
Moreover, they refer to the responsible of the treatment presenting sufficient guarantees to take adequate organizational and technical measures, in compliance with the current regulations on personal data protection, guaranteeing an adequate safeguard of the concerned subjects
what rights can be exerted
It is possible to exert at any time the rights as specified in Chapter III of EU Regulation 679/2016. More specifically, the rights to request to the joint holders the access to date concerning the user, their amendment or cancellation, the integration of incomplete data, the limitation of the treatment; to request data provided in a structured format of common use and readable by an automatic device; to revoke the agreed consent regarding the treatment and to oppose, partially or entirely, to the usage of data; and to exert other rights granted by the applicable rules and regulations.
In the event the user believes that any of the treatments breaks the current regulation on personal data treatment, he can contact us to solve the problem. At any time, he may lodge a complaint to the Data Protection Authorities in compliance with Art. 77 of the aforementioned Regulations, even in the absence of any previous contact with us.
how to exert your rights
For further information or for the exertion of your rights it is possible to contact us by E-mail at the following address: privacy@sosyachting.com
notice update
The joint holders shall keep the present notice constantly updated. The section “LAST REFRESH DATE” at the bottom of the page states the date on which the notice was last updated.
last refresh date
This notice was last updated on March 15th, 2019.
SOS YACHTING CROATIA
KORZO 11 51000 RIJEKA
SOS YACHTING FRANCE MONACO
PORT OF NICE | QUAI AMIRAL INFERNET 06300 NICE
SOS YACHTING ITALY
PIAZZA LORENZO VIANI 11/A 55049 VIAREGGIO
SOS YACHTING SPAIN
AVDA JAUME III 17 1°-13 07012 PALMA DE MALLORCA
© SOS Holding Srl, 2019 | P.IVA 08534600963 ✯ NEWSLETTER ✯ PRIVACY & COOKIES ✯ DOWNLOAD
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5330
|
__label__cc
| 0.541476
| 0.458524
|
Inaccurate sworn courtroom testimony of LSPRB Executive Director Irwin Felps highlights status update on five LSP-related civil lawsuits.
Lt. Charlie Jones, DPS A-Shift Supervisor and the individual in charge of the assignment of a controversial security detail to the Louisiana State Police Retirement Board (LSPRB) for Shelley Sebastian’s return to work on Monday, March 11, 2019.
Update (April 27, 2019):
As indicated would almost assuredly be the case entailing Cathy Derbonne v. Louisiana State Police Commission (LSPC), the did re-urge its Peremptory Exception for No Cause of Action. The hearing for oral arguments is set for Monday, July 29, 2019 in Judge William Morvant’s courtroom.
In this special Easter Sunday feature of Sound Off Louisiana, founder Robert Burns provides status updates to five LSP-related civil lawsuits:
Burns provides updates on five (5) LSP-related civil lawsuits.
Observations / Relevant Documentation Pertaining to Each Lawsuit:
Shelley Sebastian v. Louisiana State Police Retirement System:
Shelley Sabastian, terminated from LSPRB on 1/7/19 and 3/27/19.
Original Feature: 3/27/19: Document Felps said to rely upon to terminate Sebastian asserted “not to exist.”
Sebastian material begins at 1:57 on video above.
Emails which DIRECTLY CONTRADICT the sworn courtroom testimony of LSPRB Executive Director Irwin Felps, Jr., entailing the retaining of security for Sebastian’s return to work being, “all oral with nothing in writing.”:
Sebastian’s final two time sheets for which the LSPRB is steadfastly refusing to provide the codes for the nature of her leave:
LSPRB’s official bogus explanation for why they have no intention of providing the codes applicable for Sebastian on the above time sheets:
As evidence that the preceding statement attributed to “legal counsel” is, we firmly believe, 100 percent bogus, consider our massive request for LSP time sheets, for which no such “privacy issues” were cited by LSP’s legal counsel for ANY of the sixteen (16) troopers for whom time sheets were requested AND provided in FULL. NONE!!
Furthermore, even Louisiana Auctioneer Licensing Board Executive Director Sandy Edmonds, who was actively being investigated at varying times by both the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office and the Louisiana Office of Inspector General for alleged payroll fraud based upon time sheets we derived and submitted to them (which disclosed her being “on the clock” when, in reality, she was frequently vacationing out of state), had no such “privacy issues” asserted. All anyone has to do is click here to see just a small sampling of the accounting for ALL hours applicable for Edmonds to include sick leave used/taken, annual leave used/taken, etc. supplied by Ms. Edmonds, her in-the-dark status of being investigated for alleged payroll fraud notwithstanding!
So, in a nutshell, we firmly believe that the preceding explanation provided by the LSPRB (stated to be uttered by “legal counsel” of whom we make clear we have a pretty low opinion in the preceding video) is, as we stated above, 100 percent bogus! If anything, the apprehension regarding providing us with the leave codes stems from the fact that the payroll records applicable for the payroll periods have already been processed and pay stubs issued. Hence, there exists no ability to, as Sebastian’s attorney asserts in the original Writ of Mandamus, go back and alter public records. In other words, they are now etched in proverbial stone.
Those now-processed codes entailing Sebastian’s final pay likely cause Gann and Felps consternation in that they may well implicate them in payroll fraud given that Sebastian was ready, willing, and able to work, yet Felps allegedly told her to “stay away from the office” from March 13, 2019 through her termination date of March 27, 2019. Under the theory that the leave taken by Sebastian (entailing one or more time sheets that were neither prepared by her nor signed by her) was sick leave when she was in fact ready, willing, and able to work, one can only conclude that payroll fraud appears to have taken place under such a scenario; furthermore, only Felps and Gann’s names appear anywhere on the time sheets as having any involvement in any such potential payroll fraud.
Kevin Sulcer v. Louisiana State Police:
LSP Trooper Kevin Sulcer, who asserted that a polygraphist position was posted by LSP in such a manner that only one candidate would emerge qualified (Donny Guitreau) and that he was excluded from being able to post for the position because of his African-American race.
Sound Off Louisiana has not previously published material entailing the Sulcer litigation.
Sulcer material begins at 20:21 on video above.
April 10, 2019 Order granting LSP’s Motion for Summary Judgment and dismissing Sulcer’s lawsuit with prejudice (i.e. without the right to re-file on the same subject matter).
Cathy Derbonne v. Louisiana State Police Commission:
Cathy Derbonne, former Executive Director of the Louisiana State Police Commission, who asserts she was “constructivel discharged” for whistleblowing actions on her part.
Original Feature: 1/28/18: Ronnie Jones: “Governor’s Office had told Derbonne to ‘shut the f— up.”’
Derbonne material begins at 23:35 on video above.
March 12, 2019 amended pleadings of Cathy Derbonne
Calvin Braxton v. Louisiana State Trooper’s Association:
Former Louisiana State Police Commission Member Calvin Braxton, who is suing the Louisiana State Trooper’s Association for alleged defamation of his character entailing an investigative report by Fox8’s Lee Zurik.
Original Feature: 5/15/18: Braxton sues for defamation entailing LSTA’s role in Zurik investigative feature.
Braxton material begins at 27:26 on video above.
The following material is a copy and paste from our post regarding potential nepotism entailing LSP Col. Reeves’ son, Caleb.
Level 3 Approval: Jay Oliphant, whom Reeves promoted to Region 3 Majoron June 27, 2017. Incredibly, and from what we are told by our LSP sources, Oliphant THEN RECEIVED A SECOND PROMOTION (to a highly-prestigious position of Lieutenant Colonel) as “deputy Superintendent of Patrol”sometime after June 27, 2017. Again, as with Vidrine above, we could find no press release or other notice via Google search, but also as evidenced similarly to Vidrine above, Oliphant clearly got the second promotion as evidenced by the previous link.
Lieutenant Colonel Oliphant is perhaps the most intriguing player in the mix. As long-time Sound Off Louisiana subscribers are aware, it is Oliphant who is the central focus of former Louisiana State Police Commission (LSPC) member Calvin Braxton’s defamation lawsuit against the Louisiana State Trooper’s Association (LSTA). In essence, Braxton alleges that the material contained in a report authored by Oliphant, which can be viewed beginning on page three (3) at this link, constituted an orchestrated attempt by the LSTA to have him removed from the LSPC by having Oliphant produce a “fake” incident report which Braxton claims is completely false. He also asserts in the lawsuit that the content of that incident report has defamed his character.
Experts with whom we’ve spoken with ties to LSP have told us that the incident report, which is dated June 2, 2016, is highly suspicious as to its credibility because the actual incident transpired on December 5, 2015. These experts have informed us that it’s unheard of for an LSP Trooper to draft an incident report some 180 days after the incident, and they’ve told us that the norm is for such a report to be prepared within 24 hours of the incident or 48 hours at the latest.
The timing of Oliphant’s report is also suspicious in that Braxton was known to be working with former LSPC Executive Director Cathy Derbonne regarding irregularities at the LSPC. Most noteworthy among those irregularities were illegal campaign contributions into Gov. Edwards’ (and others) campaigns in 2015 by the LSTA. A consent agreement was reached with the State Board of Ethics entailing those illegal campaign contributions which called for a $5,000 fine to the LSTA.
What makes the timing of Oliphant’s incident report (June 2, 2016) suspicious is that, only 47 days after it was drafted, Gaming Control Board Chairman Ronnie Jones made a stunning revelation on a conference call for which he did not know Cathy Derbonne was listening in on via speakerphone. Specifically, Derbonne contends that, on July 19, 2016, Jones stated that Gov. Edwards’ office had told Derbonne to “shut the f— up”about both the campaign contributions and the fact that she contended Gov. Edwards was making illegal appointments to the LSPC by not following Louisiana’s Constitution. Derbonne’s contention about such illegal appointments actually mirrors the claim Attorney General Jeff Landryrecently lodged against Edwards in litigation Landry has filed entailing an Edwards appointment to the Red River Basin Commission.
Another interesting aspect of Lt. Colonel Oliphant is a Facebook post he made in early 2017 which follows:
Because LSP is itself law enforcement, Oliphant’s social media post seems particularly inappropriate and may have warranted disciplinary action because of the horrendously bad message that it sends to the public. Specifically, it sends the message that someone citizens have entrusted to be brave when being called upon to help them resolve their insecurities or fears actually openly admits in a wide-open, available-to-the-world Facebook post that he struggles to manage his own insecurities and fears. His reference to doing “whatever is necessary to protect those who are near and dear to me; including myself” could very easily be interpreted as an LSP Trooper willing to take the law and legal process into his own hands, which is something any LSP Trooper would warn any citizen against doing.
Oliphant also appears to want to be cute in not naming the individual whom he references as instilling such “fear” into him, yet all the while he’s composing that post, and it’s being commented upon and shared, he knows full well that anyone reading the post will know full-well that he’s referencing Braxton. We should also note that we have been informed by folk with strong LSP ties that making a Facebook post of the nature Oliphant has made is potentially a violation of LSP’s policies and procedures. If it isn’t, it certainly ought to be because of the horrendously bad message that it sends to the general public. Sources have told us that Oliphant deleted the Facebook post in short order, but not before the preceding screen-shot was taken and subsequently provided to us for the purpose of this Sound Off Louisiana feature.
Braxton has denied any such focus on Oliphant. Also, his attorney, Jill Craft, who also represents Derbonne in her LSPC litigation, states in the following interview with WWL in New Orleans, how Oliphant should have handled any such concerns on his part (for which we wholeheartedly agree with Craft’s statements in that regard):
Craft comments on Oliphant’s alleged fears of Braxton and Braxton’s contention that he was the victim of a smear campaign orchestrated by the LSTA designed to have him removed from the LSPC.
It will be up to the jury in Braxton’s civil litigation to decide whether or not it concurs with Braxton’s very emphatic contention that Oliphant’s report is a fabrication and, further, if his name and reputation have been damaged by the LSTA and/or Oliphant, but we will make the following four observations on the matter:
1. The matter of the political contributions was (and is) obviously highly sensitive to the LSTA, and that fact has been readily demonstrated by the LSTA’s recent lawsuit against the LSPC seeking to again make such contributions in the 2019 election cycle.
2. IF (emphasis on the word “IF”) the incident report by Oliphant is indeed a fabrication, then THAT would explain why Edwards sat on the report for over a year. Fox8’s Lee Zurik hammered Edwards hard on that fact. Either way, the optics look horrible for Edwards. Only two possibilities exist: 1) the incident report is authentic, in which case Edwards looks horrible for sitting on it for a year and taking no action until Zurik exposed its existence in a very public manner; or 2) the report is a fabrication, in which case Edwards appears complicit in the effort to sandbag Braxton by sitting on the report unless and until it was needed to oust Braxton from the LSPC.
3. When we made a public records request of the Edwards administration for a signed resignation letter from Calvin Braxton, his office could provide us with nothing more than this press release, which had been widely distributed through Gov. Edwards’ internal email distribution system.
4. IF (and again we emphasize “IF”) the report is a fabrication as Braxton alleges, that would mean that LSP has gotten corrupt beyond comprehension in that: A) the LSTA could deploy a puppet (in this case, Jay Oliphant) to remove someone on the LSPC whom they deem to be adverse to their own interests; and B) that puppet would thereafter be rewarded for his role in the ouster via two lightening-fast promotions, the most recent of which is to a very highly prestigious position of Lt. Colonel, for which there are only four such appointments of that rank. If that scenario is indeed what has transpired, then LSP can only be described as little short of a Mafia operation! Further, the public’s trust will be almost impossible to restore for an agency that is that corrupt short of a massive overhaul led by someone from the outside who has no prior LSP connections, and Reeves wouldn’t remotely qualify for meeting that criterion!
Was Reeves’ rapid-fire promotions of Oliphant a “reward” to Oliphant for his alleged role in assisting with an alleged plot to oust Braxton? We do not know, but Col. Reeves is invited to appear on camera to respond to any and all aspects of this investigative report to dispel any notions of nepotism, a continuation of the Edmonson sleaze factor, or anything else for which he’d like to provide commentary.
Louisiana State Trooper’s Association v. Louisiana State Police Commission:
Louisiana State Trooper’s Association President (and member of the Louisiana State Police Retirement Board) James O’Quinn.
Original Feature: 10/5/18: LSTA asserts LSPC “violating our constitutional right.”
LSTA material begins at 31:05 on video above.
April 9, 2019 dilatory exception filed by Louisiana State Police Commission
If you would like to be added to be added to our Sound Off Louisiana email list to be notified of future posts, simply go to our home page and scroll to the bottom (mobile devices) or to the top of the right-hand column (desktops). Supply your email address within the subscribe box. You’ll then receive an automated email from Word Press, and all you have to do is click on the blue “confirm follow” bar contained within that email, and you’ll begin receiving great posts such as the preceding one above.
Author robert@soundoffla.comPosted on April 22, 2019 April 27, 2019
Previous Previous post: Monroe dentist Richard Willis triple-dog dares Gov. Edwards to stand by his appointment of Jeet Patel, so we’ll find out if Edwards rises to a “10” on the wimp scale.
Next Next post: Evidence mounts that LSPRB’s Felps committed perjury as “wiped” emails reveal that twice-fired assistant Shelly Sebastian, “doesn’t know jack s— about politics or politicians.”
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5333
|
__label__wiki
| 0.977542
| 0.977542
|
Recruiting Roundup: Blake Barnett could bring new element to Alabama
Rivals.com
Alabama may be known for its tradition pocket-passers under Nick Saban, a perception that Blake Sims is beginning to change. Meet the next step in the Crimson Tide's quarterback revolution: No. 1 dual-threat QB recruit Blake Barnett.
By Chris Johnson
The quarterback position at Alabama under coach Nick Saban has become associated with the term game manager.
Crimson Tide QBs are known for execution, minimizing mistakes and playing “within the offense.” The prototype efficiently handles his business and avoids risky plays while the defense and running game receive credit for wearing down the opposition.
One can debate the extent to which this reputation squares with reality, as well as the growing body of evidence suggesting it does not apply to incumbent Blake Sims. But the perception of Saban-era Alabama as a breeding ground of conservative quarterback play is unmistakable.
Depending on the talent around him, among other things, Blake Barnett could become the next in a procession of Tide game managers, but he looks more than capable of breaking the mold.
Barnett, who committed to Alabama in June and plans to enroll early after signing his financial aid agreement with the Tide in October, is the No. 1 dual-threat quarterback and No. 37 player in the class of 2015, according Rivals.com. No Alabama quarterback who has recorded at least one complete pass during Saban’s tenure has been rated higher by the recruiting service.
While it’s possible Barnett could be leading Alabama’s offense within the next couple of years, it wasn’t so long ago that he wasn’t even considered one of the top quarterbacks of his age group.
As a sophomore at Corona Santiago (Calif.) High, Barnett mostly served as a backup. He began drawing national attention when, in the opening game of his junior season, Barnett accounted for 381 yards and six touchdowns against Newhall Hart (Calif.) High, which is quarterbacked by four-star Arizona State commit Brady White.
“That was the really changing factor in my recruiting process,” Barnett said of the game against Hart.
He received his first scholarship offer from UCLA and later committed to Notre Dame. Barnett decided to renounce his pledge this summer because he wanted to check out other schools, he said. Though there was initial speculation he was leaning towards Oregon, Barnett wound up picking Alabama in June.
What does Barnett offer the Tide that previous quarterbacks have not? At 6-foot-5, 200 pounds, he brings a rare blend of passing proficiency and mobility. For a team that -- with the exception of Sims -- has largely subsisted on pocket-tethered, pro-style types under Saban, Barnett could bring a new dimension to the offense.
“With the quarterbacks that Alabama has had over the last 5-10 years, since Nick Saban has been in Tuscaloosa, you look back, you went from John Parker Wilson to Greg McElroy to A.J. McCarron -- those guys [are] more of your pocket passers, your pro-style quarterbacks,“ said Andrew Bone, a recruiting reporter for TideSports.com. “And Blake Barnett is a pro-style quarterback. But the biggest difference between him and those guys is he can run, sort of like what Blake Sims is able to do right now down in Tuscaloosa.”
From Barnett’s point of view, he does not profile as a dual-threat quarterback but rather a “pocket passer with the ability to extend the play.” This description seems apt considering Barnett was named the Most Valuable Player of the prestigious Elite 11 quarterback challenge this summer and he can also pull off ridiculous plays like this.
Perhaps the biggest flaw in Barnett’s game is his throwing motion. A former pitcher, Barnett says he thinks his baseball throwing mechanics may have affected how he releases a football. Dennis Gile, Barnett’s personal quarterback coach, said the motion has become cleaner and more compact over time.
“It’s a lot smoother,” Gile said of Barnett’s release. “It’s not as stiff as it was when he first came to me. He understands why we do what we do, and I really preach upper body being really smooth and relaxed while your lower body does all the work, as far as strength and power. And so he’s gotten that down.”
Barnett is one of several heralded quarterbacks from California in the class of 2015. Of the top nine signal callers in the class, five (UCLA commit Josh Rosen, Barnett, USC commit Ricky Town, Oregon commit Travis Waller and White) are based in the Golden State. Gorney acknowledges Rosen is the best of the group but said Barnett has distinguished himself with his ability to threaten defenses both through the air and on the ground.
“In terms of a guy who can do both -- a guy that can drop back and pass and a guy that can get out and make things happen with his feet, which is really Barnett’s biggest strength -- he’s got that mobility, where he can just turn upfield and go,” Gorney said, adding that he thinks Barnett has the “intelligence” and “moxie” to compete for playing time early in his college career.
Alabama’s offense already dominates most opponents on the strength of its running game and physicality. Barnett could give the Tide’s opponents yet another aspect to worry about.
• RICKMAN: Alabama climbs to No. 1 in this week's Power Rankings
Miramar (Fla.) High’s season is over. Principal Mario Formoso announced, as self-imposed discipline for trafficking in impermissible benefits, the school was done playing in 2014, according to a report from the Sun Sentinel.
Formoso wrote in a letter to the Florida High School Athletic Association that Miramar violated the governing body’s rules. A judge reportedly rejected interim coach A.J. Scott’s request for an injunction against the Broward County School Board, an attempt to overturn the penalty.
Former coach Matt Strout, who was reportedly forced to resign as head coach in October, told the Sun Sentinel that he provided players, parents and teachers with cash and gifts.
The gifts Strout claimed he gave over an eight-month period after he was named coach included, among other things, sports gear, airfare to summer camps, presents for players' girlfriends, cash incentives for grades and tickets to University of South Florida football games for two teachers.
Strout reportedly also said star wide receiver Jovon Durante was among multiple players on the team that were academically ineligible. Durante and four other Miramar seniors -- including four-star cornerback Tyrek Cole, who was removed from the Under Armour All-American game roster after a misdemeanor charge was reportedly filed against him on Monday -- are committed to West Virginia.
Strout became Miramar’s head coach after Damon Cogdell left the school to join the Mountaineers staff. According to the Sun Sentinel, Strout considers Cogdell and former Miramar principal Brian Faso “central figures” in the corruption within the program.
Miramar players and others gathered in protest of the decision to cancel the rest of the season and abandon the school’s place in the state playoffs. Miramar will be able to play next season, but the school is reportedly still under investigation by Broward Schools and the FHSAA.
De La Salle Collegiate (Mich.) High coach Paul Verska said after a Dec. 7 win over East English Village Prep that all his team needed was for “the pumpkins to win, and life will be even better.” Verska was referring to the orange helmets of rival Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice, whose win over Birmingham Groves High the next day set up a matchup with De La Salle last Saturday.
A few days before that game took place, Brother Rice receiver and three-star prospect Grant Perry posted the following picture to his Twitter account:
Adding fuel to the fire.... pic.twitter.com/MyhwNhL4Sg
— Grant Perry (@TheGrantPerry) November 10, 2014
According to MLive.com, the pumpkin, carved a De La Salle logo, was left on the field waiting for the Brother Rice players.
De La Salle wound up beating Brother Rice, 26-21. The loss snapped Brother Rice’s 33-game winning streak as well as its bid at a fourth consecutive state championship. It also represented revenge for De La Salle, who fell 28-21 to Brother Rice in September. These events would have been even better had they unfolded the week before Halloween, but we'll take what we can get.
Will Muschamp exudes grace while Florida takes the next step forward
How coach Will Muschamp’s firing will impact Florida’s recruiting remains to be seen. The Gators’ 2015 class currently counts nine members, including four-star offensive lineman George Brown and four-star quarterback Sheriron Jones, according to Rivals.com. The three top-ranked uncommitted prospects from the state of Florida commented on Muschamp’s dismissal in a recent Rivals article. Southeast Recruiting Analyst Woody Wommack writes that defensive ends Byron Cowart and CeCe Jefferson and offensive lineman Martez Ivey were all considered “strong Florida leans” at one point in their respective recruitments.
"It's sad. It's kind of crazy but I have to understand is a business," said Cowart, who also said the move won't affect his interest in the school going forward. "He's a great man more than a coach, a great father and person, and I hate to see this happen to him and I still love the guy."
Five-star Jefferson echoed Cowart's comments: "Coach Muschamp is my dude but unfortunately it's a business," he said. "I'm shocked though, I for sure thought he would be here next season." […]
"It doesn't really matter to me. That's what they get paid for, to win games," Ivey said. "You can't really commit to a school off of a coach. So they are still in it and I want to see who they bring in."
• STAPLES: What's next for Florida, Muschamp after coach's firing?
The only obvious difference between a particular senior prospect who committed to Alabama in April and a junior who recently received a scholarship offer from the Crimson Tide is one consonant. Earlier this month, Cavin Ridley, a wide receiver who attends Monarch (Fla.) High, was reportedly extended an offer from the SEC power. Cavin is the younger brother of Calvin Ridley, the No. 1 receiver and No. 6 overall player in the class of 2015 who was named the Most Valuable Player at The Opening. The younger Ridley’s other offers include Tennessee and West Virginia, according to Florida Fire 7-on-7 coach Dennis Marroquin. The Tide can only hope Cavin is as skilled as his older brother.
• ELLIS: Bowl Projections: Can Alabama earn a spot in the playoff?
Three-star linebacker and North Carolina commit Andre Smith visited Wisconsin this weekend for the Badgers’ game against Nebraska. Madison is a long way away from Trinity Christian (Fla.) Academy.
#OnWisconsin🔴 pic.twitter.com/aKW702jMhV
— Andre The Giant ⚡️ (@AndreSmith_9) November 16, 2014
• RICKMAN: Wisconsin's Gordon rushes for FBS-record 408 yards
Notable commitments
Westlake (Calif.) High junior Malik Henry committed to Florida State. Henry is the No. 2 pro-style quarterback in the class of 2016.
C.D. Hylton (Va.) High senior Matthew Burrell Jr. committed to Ohio State. Burrell is the No. 9 offensive guard in the class of 2015.
Briar Woods (Va.) High junior Mark Birmingham committed to Duke. Birmingham is the No. 6 tight end in the class of 2016.
Griffin (Ga.) High senior Christian Owens decommitted from Georgia and appears set to enroll at South Carolina. Owens is the No. 11 tight end in the class of 2015.
Lake Gibson (Fla.) High senior Reuben Jones committed to Nebraska. Jones is the No. 27 strongside defensive end in the class of 2015.
Notable performances
- Washington commit Jake Browning completed 32 of his 46 pass attempts for 439 yards and eight touchdowns in the first half of Folsom (Calif.) High’s 70-14 win over Stagg High. Max Preps notes that Browning matched the national record for touchdown passes in a half.
- Kinnelon (N.J.) High’s Kyle Presti set a state record with nine touchdown passes in a 68-42 win over Sussex County Tech (the previous record was eight). Presti finished with 501 yards on 22-of-31 passing.
- Sheldon (Ore.) High’s Kellen Strahm completed 22 of his 29 pass attempts for 258 yards and four touchdowns while adding 67 yards and four scores on the ground in a 56-34 win over Oregon City High.
- Frisco Heritage (Texas) High’s Kene Nwangwu rushed for 380 yards and seven touchdowns on 22 carries in a 77-63 win over Wylie East High.
- Michigan commit Mike Weber carried 32 times for 404 yards and five touchdowns to lead Cass Tech (Mich.) High to a 48-35 win over Chippewa Valley High.
by Andy Staples
recruiting roundup
alabama football recruiting
Blake Barnett
alabama quarterbacks
blake barnett recruiting
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5335
|
__label__wiki
| 0.547127
| 0.547127
|
Skinny Puppy fans, attention! Massive reissue campaign for Download (Skinny Puppy’s Cevin Key) and Phil Western on ltd ed. coloured vinyl – pre-orders available now
By Bernard Van Isacker Apr 20,2017
ArtOfFact Records has just unloaded a massive reissue campaign on coloured vinyl for Cevin Key’s post-Skinny Puppy project Download. And we really mean, MASSIVE !
So what can you expect: ALL of the Download records have been remastered and are being released in 3 vinyl versions (black, splatter and limited color). The records included are “Eyes of Stanley Pain” (2LP), “Sidewinder” (LP), “III” (2LP), and “Effector” (2LP).
For the quick ones, you can get a SUPER-LIMITED fan-take-it-all packet uniting all of the re-releases (in splatter and limited color) at a discounted price, PLUS you get one copy of a test pressing for each release. These test pressing are limited to 11 copies worldwide and will never be reprinted, so if you want to be among one of the 11 lucky ones, go right here to get yours.
If you want to order only a few editions of these fine albums separately, then check right here, keep in mind that these are all limited edition runs.
Good to know, the vinyl reissues of “The Eyes of Stanley Pain!” (1996), “Sidewinder” (1996), “III” (1997), and “Effector” (2000) are the first-ever vinyl editions for these albums. Note that “Sidewinder” is featuring 8 remixes of some of the material from “The Eyes of Stanley Pain” including a remix by haujobb. Download’s “III” saw the project’s line-up change to Anthony Valcic, Philth, and cEvin Key. “Effector” was originally released in 2000 as a CD-only title, the 9 tracks on Effector capture Skinny Puppy’s Cevin Key and Phil Western experimenting with ambient, noise, and industrial.
Also out in a deluxe 2LP reissue is Phil Western’s “Dark Features” which first debuted on The Record Company, Phil Western’s own label. The album was a collaboration between Phil Western (Download, platEAU) and Tim Hill (also a platEAU contributor). This Artoffact Records reissue sees the art cleaned up plus also holds a previously unpublished Phil Western essay about the recording sessions. The reissue contains 4 previously unheard bonus tracks. This collectors’ edition is released on only 200 copies and can be ordered right here (with or without a test pressing).
Here are the visuals for each of the albums:
And here’s the visual for the Phil Western album “Dark Features”, available with a test pressing if you want.
Since you’re here …
… we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading Side-Line Magazine than ever but advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. And unlike many news organisations, we haven’t put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as open as we can. So you can see why we need to ask for your help.
Side-Line’s independent journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we want to push the artists we like and who are equally fighting to survive.
If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps fund it, our future would be much more secure. For as little as 2 US$, you can support Side-Line Magazine – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.
The donations are safely powered by Paypal.
donate once only
Select a Donation Option (USD)
$2 $5 $10 Other
Enter Donation Amount (USD)
Cevin Key
Haujobb
Phil Western
Skinny Puppy
Tim Hill
FREE Download – 92 Tracks !
Face The Beat: Session 4 by Various Artists
The Chainsmokers – Сloser
Frank M. Spinath (Seabound, Edge Of Dawn, Ghost & Writer) releases first solo album under Lionhearts moniker
Email this post to a friend.
Andy Frankel
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5336
|
__label__cc
| 0.549661
| 0.450339
|
China Blocks Websites Ahead Of Internet Conference
All Tech News > Regulation > China Blocks Websites Ahead Of Internet Conference
Matthew Broersma, November 18, 2014, 11:16 am
RegulationSecurity
The Chinese government has reportedly blocked access to a major content-delivery network ahead of the country’s first major Internet event
The Chinese government has reportedly blocked the operations of a prominent Internet content-delivery network (CDN) in China ahead of the country’s first World Internet Conference.
Greatfire.org, which monitors Chinese Internet censorship, said on Tuesday that content distributed through EdgeCast Networks, a Los Angeles-based CDN currently in the process of being acquired by Verizon, has been blocked since Thursday.
Blocked services
Greatfire uses EdgeCast to host mirror sites that redirect users to services blocked in China, but the network also provides cloud services to thousands of websites and mobile applications in China, according to Greatfire.
“We have acknowledged all along that our method of unblocking websites using ‘collateral freedom’ hinges on the gamble that the Chinese authorities will not block access to global CDNs because they understand the value of China being integrated with the global Internet,” Greatfire.org said in a blog post. “However, we can now reveal publicly that the authorities are doing just that.”
The affected sites include the website of The Atlantic magazine and Mozilla, which hosts plug-in services on EdgeCast, the group said.
EdgeCast acknowledged the issue on Friday. “We have put policies in place to help our customers mitigate the effects of this most recent filtering but expect this to be an ongoing issue for our customers seeking to reach Chinese users,” the company stated.
Chinese influence
The World Internet Conference, beginning on Wednesday, is seen as an introductory event for China’s Cyberspace Administration, formed in February. It is to showcase the country’s growing influence in the Internet domain, with appearances by the leaders of Chinese technology companies including Alibaba, Tencent and Baidu.
The event is to be held in Wuzhen, an historic canal town south-west of Shanghai, which Lu Wei, the head of the Cyberspace Administration, has said the country wants to cultivate as a base for international conferences, after the model of Davos in Switzerland, which hosts the World Economic Forum.
Wei has defended Internet censorship, saying it is in line with the country’s laws.
Censorship concern
Last week Amnesty International argued that the event was intended to promote China’s domestic Internet policies as a model for global regulation.
“This should send a chill down the spine of anyone that values online freedom,” said Amnesty International researcher William Nee in a statement.
China has 632 million Internet users, including 527 million who use mobile devices, and the government projects the figure could rise to 850 million by 2015.
Are you a security pro? Try our quiz!
Poland Files Complaint Against EU Copyright Rule Change
President Putin Signs Bill To Isolate Internet In Russia
Author: Matthew Broersma
Matt Broersma is a long standing tech freelance, who has worked for Ziff-Davis, ZDnet and other leading publications
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5339
|
__label__cc
| 0.517207
| 0.482793
|
Life lessons and sense of belonging to a team vault ski racer to places he’d only dreamed of
BY: Michael Janyk
At times in my ski racing career, I felt like the entirety of my success hinged on my next push from the start gate. In these moments, my confidence was like a tarp flapping in the wind rather than a full sail. I’d stand in the start gate tight, scared and unwilling to take risks, just hoping that by some magic I would have a great run. That magic never came when I wanted it the most; rather, it came when I least expected it, getting me back on track to show me what was possible.
Growing up in Whistler, I was constantly surrounded by phenomenal talent, starting with my mom, who taught me how to ski. My own natural talent and love for the sport grew as I chased her and my older sister down the mountain. When I moved into an organized program at the Whistler Mountain Ski Club, the talent level went up and the pool I was in deepened. This filled me with both excitement and frustration. It was intimidating at first to be around such amazing talent, but once I grew more familiar with my teammates and became more sure of who I was, the extraordinary became the norm. The chance to go beyond myself was intoxicating, and my teammates’ performances became my inspiration.
For example, at 13, I watched a teammate ripping the first half of the GS training course only to peel out halfway down and hit a jump at full speed. He aired a nice laid-out backflip, landed, turned back towards the course and finished the last few gates. It put “just skiing the training course” into a different perspective.
Moments like these gave me the fuel I needed to commit to the time and hard work I knew were necessary for the success I craved. In these waves of inspiration, the choice to take on more runs, an extra dryland session, a faster pace or higher intensity were easy to make and felt effortless and fun.
I continued to be surrounded by talent when I moved onto the B.C. ski team. It was electrifying to find myself among the province’s best racers. I knew most of them, either from my home club or from racing against them and watching them stand on top of the podium. In such a rich environment, my drive found an endless source of fuel, igniting my skiing and taking it to a whole new level. The next two seasons were an absolute dream.
In 2000, I was launched onto the national ski team along with five peers from the west. We joined with the best ski racers of our age from the east to make up the national development team. If B.C. was a talent hotbed, then Quebec was on fire! Led by the likes of Erik Guay on the men’s side, they came from a movement that brought Canada its best skiers of this generation. Where the B.C. team felt electrifying, this felt like I had joined my first ski club all over again. It was too big to comprehend and too intimidating to be inspiring – I was swallowed up in their greatness.
How could I relate to their talent if I couldn’t see myself as being anywhere near them? In that first year, the work went back to feeling like a grind and my dream of becoming a World Cup skier fogged over.
The following year, in January 2001, the team and I were in the middle of a European swing, competing in some mid-level FIS and European Cup races. On this particular day, we were in Chamonix, France, racing against some of the best the French had to offer. The top of the field was older than us, which meant the race had great points, but the depth of competition was shallower than at the Europa Cup, giving us the chance to start with bib numbers in the 30s rather than near 100. It was a great opportunity to make a big splash in a European race.
I stood in the start gate more wishful than confident about my potential performance. It was more like throwing mud against a wall to see what would stick than setting out to paint a masterpiece. With this mindset, it was little surprise that my hopes didn’t materialize and my race ended with a straddle in the second run.
Sliding over to the sidelines, I sulked over my poles and watched the rest of the race unfold. Most of my teammates raced in a similar fashion, with three of them joining me in the DNF circle and another finishing 16th. The last Canadian to come down was Ryan Semple, and after a great first run, he lit it up again and finished in second place. This was his best result of the season and the second-best of his career to that date.
Our spirits were lifted from watching our friend and teammate put it on the line to stand with the top racers of the day. We came together in the finish corral and enjoyed the moment of victory with some high fives and celebratory hugs. As I skied away, though, lapping back around to the start to collect my gear, the joy I felt faded and the disappointment of my own result set in.
Back at the hotel an hour later, our coach, Mark Gagnon, stopped us as we crossed the lobby to our rooms. “Guys,” he said, “this was an awesome day for Ryan and for everyone here. It shows me what all of you are capable of and that the hard work is paying off. It’s Ryan today and it could be any one of you tomorrow.”
A response of “Yeah, whatever!” rattled through my head. As much as I wanted to believe him, his words fell flat. Any positivity that could have been gained from the day was engulfed by my own frustrations.
Before letting us go, Mark told us there would be an awards ceremony in town later that afternoon. He encouraged us to join him and Ryan, but ultimately left the choice to us.
With travel planned for the next day, most of the team’s attention was on packing our gear to move to the next hotel rather than the ceremony. I was in this camp and wanted to stay behind.Why should I go? What good is it for me? Aren’t I better off staying behind to get some rest? I can fit in a good dryland session for recovery! This was the argument I was having with myself back in my room.
But Mark’s words hung in my mind. I could also hear my mom saying something like “It’s more important to be a good sportsman than a champion” followed by my old B.C. team coach telling me in his Slovenian accent, “We are a team, dammit! We all go to the awards!” The feeling that I should go and support Ryan sat like a stubborn rock that would not move. Whether it was this or my own superstition that I would be upsetting the ski gods, I decided to join Mark and Ryan for the awards ceremony.
As we walked into the gymnasium of the small elementary school in town, I started to feel my mood lighten. Ryan’s excitement and happiness were contagious, and I had enjoyed joking around with him on the ride down. We settled into a light conversation with some French racers. Well, more accurately, Ryan did, and I hung on the edge of the circle trying to keep up by smiling and nodding along with the laughter. Even though I only understood about 30 percent of what was being said, it was awesome! I felt part of the bigger ski racing circuit and was enjoying the international culture. Maybe Mark was right – this was a day for all of us to celebrate.
The organizers started to gather near the stage, signaling the awards were about to begin. Ryan casually made his way toward them, and my attention moved with him until I saw Jean-Pierre Vidal standing beside the podium. JP was still a year away from winning his slalom gold medal at the Salt Lake Olympic Games, but he was already a local hero and World Cup star who had come back to race and speak at the event. I remained in the middle of the room with Mark listening to the speakers and watching Ryan stand with the other winners preparing their skis for that all-important podium sponsor shot.
With this scene in front of me, I was unexpectedly hit with a wave of sadness and pointless questions. Why couldn’t it be me up there? Why couldn’t I perform like Ryan did? I want it more than he does! What more do I have to do so it’s me up there?
I instantly went from feeling like I had won a medal too to feeling like my dreams would never be. I can see why part of me didn’t want to come to the awards – it was making me face the reality of my own fears.
Nothing good was happening while I was lost in my mind, so thankfully the announcer’s voice over the microphone pulled me back into the room. “Et en deuxième position, Ryan Semple!” The noise in my head quieted as I watched my teammate climb onto the podium, remove his hat and receive his medal plus a kiss on each cheek. He stood with a proud smile, and I stood watching in complete silence.
As the winners lifted their skis high in celebration, applause from the crowd of 50 or so parents, coaches, teammates and volunteers filled the room. Amid the cheers, my sadness, questions and doubts finally melted away. My teammate, training partner, roommate and friend had done it! I stood in this room with him, joked with him, raced and had successes and failures with him. He was one of us, and we were one with him. In the light of Ryan’s success, I could once again see what was possible, and I started to believe again in my own dreams.
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5341
|
__label__wiki
| 0.966328
| 0.966328
|
Santi Cazorla returns as Spain ease past Faroe Islands in Euro 2020 Qualifier
Ukraine, Sweden, Israel, Poland and Austria also earn wins on Friday
Santi Cazorla (C) made his return from injury against Faroe Islands
Santi Cazorla made his first appearance in over four years and Jesus Navas scored his first international goal in six years as Spain beat Faroe Islands 4-1 to stay top of their Euro 2020 Qualifying group.
Sevilla winger Navas bagged his first Spain goal since a 2-2 draw with Chile in September 2013 as Luis Enrique's men strolled to victory in Torshavn.
Cazorla started after being named in the squad for the first time since November 2015 and played the entire game.
Denmark 1-1 Rep of Ireland
European Qualifiers fixtures
Latest tables
Get a Sky Sports Day Pass for one-off payment of £8.99
Navas, Sergio Ramos, Jose Gaya and an own goal from goalkeeper Teitur Gestson sealed Spain's third straight win in Group F.
Klaemint Olsen turned in a smart strike for the Faroes to make it 2-1 on the half-hour mark, but the hosts were ultimately outclassed.
Highlights of Spain’s win over the Faroe Islands from Group F of the European Qualifiers
Spain top the group with nine points from three games while Sweden are second with seven after a straightforward 3-0 win at home to Malta.
Striker Robin Quaison put Sweden ahead in the second minute and Viktor Claesson increased their lead early in the second half with a lofted finish, set-up by a classy backheeled pass from Marcus Berg.
Teenage forward Alexander Isak added the third goal late on after coming on as a substitute.
Highlights of the European Qualifiers Group B match between Ukraine and Serbia
Romania are third on four points after snatching a 2-2 draw at Norway after trailing by two goals.
Norway had salvaged a point in an epic 3-3 draw in their last outing against Sweden with a last-gasp goal but they were the victims of a stoppage-time equaliser against Romania.
Tarik Elyounoussi gave the hosts the lead in the 56th minute and Martin Odegaard looked to have sealed Norway's first victory of the campaign when he struck in the 70th minute.
Yet visiting striker Claudiu Keseru had other ideas, pulling a goal back in the 77th minute with a header from close range before completing the comeback in stoppage time with another strike.
Highlights of the European Qualifiers Group F match between Norway and Romania
Shane Duffy scored a late equaliser as Republic of Ireland maintained their unbeaten start in Group D with a 1-1 draw against Denmark.
Also in the group, Georgia won 3-0 against Gibraltar.
Highlights of the European Qualifiers Group D match between Denmark and Republic of Ireland
Poland beat North Macedonia 1-0 to remain top of Euro 2020 qualifying Group G with their third win in three games while Israel beat Latvia 3-0 thanks to an Eran Zahavi hat-trick.
Austria earned their first points by beating Slovenia 1-0 thanks to Guido Burgstaller's 74th-minute winner.
Highlights of the European Qualifiers Group G match between Latvia and Israel
Austria are fourth on three points, one ahead of the Slovenia and one behind third-placed North Macedonia
Viktor Tsigankov and Yevheniy Konoplyanka both scored twice as Ukraine thrashed Serbia 5-0 to move three points clear at the top of Group B.
Patrik Schick scored twice as the Czech Republic fought back after conceding an early goal to beat Bulgaria 2-1 at home, securing their first points of their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign.
Highlights of the European Qualifiers Group F match between Czech Republic and Bulgaria
Roma's Schick scored in each half to cancel out Ismail Isa's third-minute opener for Bulgaria, who stunned the hosts at the Sinobo Arena in Prague when he converted a cross from Popov.
Denmark 1-1 Republic of Ireland
The win moved the Czechs into second in Group A on three points, three behind early leaders England, who beat them 5-0 at Wembley in their opening match.
Bulgaria have two points, level with Montenegro and Kosovo who drew 1-1 in the other game in the group.
'Vertonghen one of Spurs best signings'
Bruce meets Newcastle squad in China
'Ox and Brewster can be like signings'
Spurs' full-back options
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5342
|
__label__wiki
| 0.759308
| 0.759308
|
A Helping Hand: Brian 'BK' Klimek
Tuesday, June 25th 2019, 4:32 PM EDT
By Hallie Peilet
SARASOTA - "He’s the kinda guy that you’ll sit across the bar from or next to drinking a beer, and you’ll feel like you’ve known him for a million years," Brew Life Brewing Owner Mick Cohn said about his friend, Brian 'BK' Klimek.
After managing countless bars, Klimek says there was just something special about the brewing community.
“It took me on a whole new world," Klimek said. He started his own business helping breweries put events together.
“He was kinda the first impression in the Sarasota area for me to see how the camaraderie of the Sarasota brewing industry worked well together," Big Top Brewing Company CEO Mike Bisaha said.
Klimek didn’t know just how much he’d need that camaraderie and support.
“Back in December of 2018 I noticed my daily routine was starting to get a little more difficult," Klimek said. "Normally I'd wake up and walk three to five miles every morning; I noticed I couldn’t quite make that three mile mark. I was having shortness of breath.”
He went to his doctor who prescribed blood pressure meds, but Klimek followed up with a cardiologist.
“Unfortunately within the process of doing some tests there, found out I had the beginning stages of congestive heart failure," Klimek said.
He was admitted to the hospital, where he spent 108 days - 52 of them in the ICU.
“All the doctors and cardiologists were basically telling my family to make arrangements because they didn’t think I was gonna make it," Klimek said.
He made it, but not without countless medical bills. So Carl Reynolds Law wanted to give him A Helping Hand.
His brewing family came together to throw him an event at Big Top Brewing Company, too.
“No man wants to see his brother’s mortality tested," Cohn said. "BK is our brother, and there was no question that we needed to rally the troops.”
“I’d do the same thing for any single one of them," Klimek said.
“I truly feel like his old heart maybe failed because it was so big and he had so many people in it," Cohn said.
BK says he can be on the waiting list for a new heart for up to ten years, but a pump he had installed should help in the meantime.
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5347
|
__label__wiki
| 0.737343
| 0.737343
|
The MLB Has Demanded Colin Cowherd Give A Better Apology For His ‘Dominicans’ Comment
Jake ODonnell 02:48 pm, July 24th, 2015
After citing what he perceives to be the Dominican Republic's lack of intelligent baseball exports on Thursday, Colin Cowherd knew he crossed a line. He nervously glanced at his producers and then quickly tried to frame his statement in a less racist context. The only problem was that his attempt at spinning his own words made him look dumb AND racist. Or ethnocentric. Or just dumb. Have your pick.
"I mean the Marlins put a general manager in their dug out. People freaked out. Oh, it's baseball! You don't think a general manager can manage? The game is too complex? Really? A third of the sport is from the Dominican Republic. [Looks at production booth] The Dominican Republic has not been known in my lifetime as having world-class academic abilities. Lots of those kids come from rough backgrounds and have not had opportunities, academically, that other kids have in other countries."
If the logic of Cowherd's rationalization doesn't strike you as flawed, just think about what he's actually trying to say.
- Educated people are capable of understanding complex sports.
- Less educated people are not capable of understand complex sports.
- Dominicans are generally less educated.
- Baseball is not a complex sport because Dominicans make up 10-percent of Major League Baseball.
I'm sorry, but which part of the periodic table explains where a shortstop should throw a ball hit on the ground to his right with runners on first and third? See what we mean? You cannot infer someone's intelligence from their academic background -- especially if they were never given opportunities to even have an academic background in the first place (as Cowherd pointed out). Worse still, the dude has the nerve to say, "The Dominican Republic has not been known in my lifetime as having world-class academic abilities," as if the people living their do not have the capacity to reach the higher echelons of academic fields.
It's racist either way you slice it.
Toronto Blue Jays right fielder Jose Bautista was the first Major Leaguer to offer his thoughts on the matter.
Dear Mr. @ESPN_Colin before i rip you a new one i would like for you to explain what u meant to say about baseball and dominicans, please
— Jose Bautista (@JoeyBats19) July 23, 2015
Sensing pressure from just about every non-racist baseball fan, the entire Dominican Republic and the Major League Players Association, ESPN then issued a statement apologizing for Cowherd's "inappropriate" mischaracterization of approximately 10.4 million people.
“Some of Colin’s comments yesterday referencing the Dominican Republic were inappropriate and do not reflect ESPN’s values of respect for all communities. Colin’s on-air response today addressed the importance of making sure his opinions are fact-based and responsible for all people.”
Assuming he was instructed to apologize by the network he will leave very shortly -- ironically after saying "ESPN's never told me what to say, period" on Wednesday -- Cowherd doubled down and reiterated his explanation Friday morning. Not surprisingly, he blamed "the blogosphere" for playing the first 16 seconds of his racist rant and not the full minute of his racist rant. Here's what that looked like:
Major League Baseball has since issued a statement demanding an actual apology -- one that acknowledges what was wrong about labeling an entire nation incapable of understanding complex ideas and that involves the word "sorry" at some point.
MLB issued the following statement this afternoon regarding yesterday’s comments made by Colin Cowherd of ESPN Radio. pic.twitter.com/4UoUHDRnig
— MLB Communications (@MLB_PR) July 24, 2015
In case you can't read it, here's a transcription:
"Major League Baseball condemns the remarks made by Colin Cowherd, which were inappropriate, offensive, and completely inconsistent with the values of our game. Mr. Cowherd owes our players of Dominican origin, and Dominican people in general, an apology."
It'll be interesting to see if Cowherd, in his final days as an ESPN employee, sticks to his guns and continues rationalizing his caustic brand of sociology, or decides to do the right thing. This is like getting suspended a week before graduating high school...except you're 45 and a millionaire and ignorant to your own prejudices.
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5353
|
__label__wiki
| 0.780603
| 0.780603
|
Burglar's business dream spurred role in $250,000 ATM heists
A man had a clean criminal record before he joined a gang of thieves who targeted ATMs at businesses across the Sunshine Coast.
by Amber Hooker
Amber Hooker
17th Jun 2019 6:26 PM | Updated: 18th Jun 2019 4:02 AM
A MAN was jailed for his involvement in a spate of sophisticated ATM heists and burglaries which cost Coast businesses more than $250,000 in cash, property and damages.
After a failed sign-writing apprenticeship, Troy John Inifer's desire to start his own business motivated him to join a gang of thieves in the six-month crime spree from August 2017 to February 2018.
Crown prosecutor Greg Cummings today told Maroochydore District Court Inifer's clean record was tarnished when he became involved in the "classic heist-style" criminal operation, allegedly led by his then-housemate.
Mr Cummings described how Inifer and three co-accused would do reconnaissance before they cloaked themselves in dark hoodies, used UHF radios and shared roles as burglar, getaway driver and lookout.
The victim businesses spanned Nambour, Palmwoods, Coes Creek, Pomona, Noosaville and Burpengary.
Mr Cummings said the group entered through the roof, floor or neighbouring property before they angle-grinded open ATMs.
He said if successful they stole cash, if not, they caused thousands-of-dollars worth of damage.
Judge Glen Cash said the largest haul came when Inifer stood lookout as his co-offenders cut through the floor of the Palmwoods Spar shop and stole $113,000 from an ATM.
Judge Cash slammed Inifer for stealing $5000 of ink from his supplier in an effort to start his own sign-writing business.
The court heard Inifer pocketed about $18,000 for his involvement in the crimes before he made confessions which were vital to police charging him and his co-accused.
He pleaded guilty to four break and enters with stealing, three with wilful damage, three with intent to commit an indictable offence, seven counts of wilful damage, two of stealing in excess of $5000, one of stealing and one of attempting to enter a premises and commit an indictable offence.
Inifer was sentenced to four-years' jail with concurrent prison terms for each offence, suspended after one year and operational for five years after his release.
premium_icon Why time was right for long-time CEO to quit driver’s seat
burglary court crime editors picks
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5355
|
__label__wiki
| 0.737372
| 0.737372
|
Turkey takes pride off its streets
Turkish riot police detain Associated Press journalist Bram Janssen, stopping him from reporting on LGBT pride march in Istanbul. Mursel Coban
26th Jun 2017 12:10 PM
POLICE in Istanbul, Turkey have prevented an LGBT pride march after organisers went ahead with the event despite a third ban in three years.
Witnesses said officers fired rubber bullets to break up one group and detained several people. Police with dogs chased some activists and videos on the internet showed them firing tear gas.
Riot police sealed off Istiklal St, where organisers had planned to hold the march.
Authorities announced the ban on Saturday for the Sunday event, saying they had concerns after threats from an ultra-nationalist group.
Small groups waving rainbow flags, symbols of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender pride, gathered in side streets, chanting slogans such as "Don't be quiet, shout out, gay people exist!”
Lara Ozlen from the march's organising committee told AFP: "A peaceful march is part of our constitutional right. It's been known for years ... to say 'do not march' just because some will be disturbed is undemocratic.”
The pride march attracted tens of thousands of people in the past, making Istanbul's one of the biggest in the Muslim world.
Two years ago police broke it up. It was banned last year and this year after threats from the ultra-nationalist Alperen Hearths group.
Istanbul has been a relative gay haven for the Middle East, including refugees from Syria and Iraq.
Homosexuality is not a crime in Turkey, as it is in many other Muslim countries, but homophobia is widespread.
gay pride istanbul lgbti
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5356
|
__label__wiki
| 0.96719
| 0.96719
|
Whale One's new look revealed as season kicks off
Whale One owner Dan Hart is excited about the boat's new look. Warren Lynam
by Ashley Carter
30th May 2019 12:01 AM | Updated: 4:50 AM
AS WHALE season kicks off on the Sunshine Coast, one of the region's most iconic tourist attractions has unveiled its "massive" makeover.
Yesterday marked the official launch of the 2019 Whale Watching Season on the Coast and the official christening of Whale One's new look.
The 20m catamaran, owned by Sunreef, has undergone a complete makeover to improve customer experience. Over the past few months, the catamaran has been striped back to bare metal and completely refurbished.
"Whale One has been an icon on the Sunshine Coast, so she totally deserved a complete makeover to bring her right up to date and we are super excited for everyone to come and see how she looks," Sunreef owner Dan Hart said.
"She now features a sleek black hull and inside she has been completely re-fitted with new seating, tables and two new bars, one in the main saloon and one on the upper deck."
Mr Hart said the new-look whale one was "amazing" not just for tourism, but for the entire Sunshine Coast.
"It looks amazing and it's great for the Coast," he said. "It can provide amazing customer experience and service and the Sunshine Coast provides the whales."
This year, 33,000 humpback whales are expected to migrate through Sunshine Coast waters, which will attract about 25,000 locals and tourists alike to take a closer look and participate in a whale watching or swim with whales experience.
Mr Hart said each year, the whale population migrating through the Coast increased by about 10 per cent.
"It literally gets better and better every year," he said.
To celebrate the beginning of the season, about 100 guests attended the reveal of the new-look Whale One at The Wharf Mooloolaba yesterday.
Cr Jason O'Pray unveiled a new ceremonial bell, which he rang to officially start this year's whale watching season before guests hopped on-board for Whale One's maiden sunset cruise.
"Whale Watching season is an economic driver for the tourism sector, during what is traditionally a quieter period," Cr O'Pray said.
"It brings in visitors, who spend not just on whale watching but also on accommodation, hospitality and other attractions, which in turn creates employment and I just love it!"
Whale One was also christened, with Mr Hart and Member for Maroochydore Fiona Simpson named as her God parents.
Launch of the Sunshine Coast Whale watching season and christening of the new look Whale One.Fiona Simpson MP and owner Dan Hart christen the Whale One. Warren Lynam
"Whale One has taken hundreds of thousands of people whale watching since she was first launched in 2007, and now with this great investment by Sunreef Mooloolaba and the Hart family, she will help even more people get closer to the whales during their annual migration," Ms Simpson said.
This year's whale watching season will run until November 2, with the Swim with Whales season to run from July 6 to October 22.
Mr Hart said as part of Sunreef's commitment to marine conservation, they will again work with researchers from the University of the Sunshine Coast to fund out more about the humpback whale species.
For more information and to book a whale watching experience, visit sunreef.com.au.
sunreef
whale one
sunreef the wharf mooloolaba tourism whale one whale watching
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5357
|
__label__cc
| 0.595765
| 0.404235
|
Call on: 0121 354 7570
Oral Health Assessment
Crowns & Onlays
Cosmetic Treatment
Periodontal Gum Treatment
Denplan
You are here: Home / Meet the Team / Hussein Patanwala
Hussein S Patanwala (Nasser)
Principal Dentist
GDC No: 83491
BDS (U.Birm), MFGDP RCS UK, MFDS RCS Eng, MJDF RCS Eng, PGCRDP (UCL), PGCAMID (KCL), PGCMEd (U.Birm), FHEA
Dr H S Patanwala (Nasser), was honoured to be personally chosen by Steve and Jo Clements to join the Sutton Dental team as a principal dentist in 2015 along with Rali, Amita and Raj.
Nasser is a graduate of the University of Birmingham. Since qualification, Nasser is one of only a handful of dentists to be examined and awarded membership to all the dental faculties of the Royal College of Surgeons London: Dental Surgery, General Dental Practice and Joint Dental Faculties. Nasser subsequently broadened his skill base as a Senior House Officer in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (head and neck) at Lincoln County Hospital. In 2006, he was appointed resident dental specialist at Cadburys Bournville. In 2010, he and Raj were offered ownership of the prestigious Oakville Dental in Selly Oak. They have been successfully running this state of the art private practice for a number of years. At Oakville Dental both Nasser and Raj are foundation dentist trainers working alongside Steve clement to train and supervise postgraduate dentists.
During further studies at the world-renowned Eastman Dental Institute he developed a special interest in advanced cosmetic fixed and removable prosthodontics (veneers, crowns, bridges, implants and advanced dentures). He is also a practitioner of cosmetic orthodontics invisible braces with years of experience. Currently he is excited to be working with King’s College London researching advanced minimal intervention dentistry with Professor Banerjee and Micheal Thomas, as a new direction of preventative practice.
Nasser also holds a clinical lecturer post (since 2007) at the University of Birmingham School of Medicine and Dentistry, where you will find him teaching final year dental students every Thursday as their head of firm. He completed a degree in medical education from the University of Birmingham and is a fellow in higher education academy. He also lectures postgraduates for their Royal College of Surgeons London entrance examinations and teaches practical courses to both undergraduates and postgraduate dentists around the UK.
Whilst at university, Nasser established a keen interest in sport, captaining the hockey and cricket teams and still plays for local teams and for the last five years he has won the ‘best bowler’ trophy for Sportsman Cricket Club amassing over 200 wickets. He is a keen mountain biker, skier and walker and has climbed 6000+ metre mountains in South America, Himalayas, Borneo and Bulgaria. In 2015 he completed in his first triathlon, raising £4000 for Birmingham Cherry Lodge Cancer Care. His latest goal, is to climb the Matterhorn from the Switzerland route.
29 Coleshill Street
B72 1SD
info@suttondentalcare.co.uk
© Copyright 2018 - Sutton Dental Care. Website updated 12th March 2018.
Website Design in Sutton Coldfield by Purple Cloud Solutions
GDC Website
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5359
|
__label__wiki
| 0.571375
| 0.571375
|
424 South High Street Belleville, IL 62220
Storment Law Office 618-310-0446
An Illinois law practice focused on people and their real needs. Customized legal solutions that deliver real results.
Paul Martin Storment III
Sole Practitioner
Belleville, Illinois
I grew up in Belleville where I attended Signal Hill Grade School; then I moved to Chesterfield, MO and attended Parkway West High School . After earning a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, I began work as a retail manager for 2 years. Deciding to further my education in an area where I could assist people, I went to law school at St. Louis University School of Law. In the more than 20 years as a solo practitioner, my office has aided many people with their legal problems.
I have been a member of the Illinois Bar Association since I began practicing law; and have been volunteering my professional time to Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance for pro bono family law work for the last 7 years and recently asked to assist the Belleville Area Right to Life organization. In addition, I currently serve as an arbitrator with the St. Clair County Arbitration Center to effectively evaluate legal issues raised by both parties and decide a fair resolution and award. From 1997 to 2001, I was employed to defend indigent people accused of Federal crimes under the Criminal Justice Act.
My personal life has included involvement in Boy Scouts as the Cubmaster of Pack 11 and Committee Chairman for Troop 11; I have been in leadership positions at my church, and Grand Knight, and founding member, of Cathedral of St. Peter Knights of Columbus Council #15746.
I am also a trained Intervenor in the Illinois Lawyers' Assistance Program (LAP) which assists lawyers who have alcohol and drug abuse, or mental health problems in St. Clair County, IL.
40% Criminal Defense
35% Family Law
10% Civil Litigation
10% Wills and Estates
5% Employment Law
90% of Practice Devoted to Litigation
Illinois, 1991
U.S. District Court Southern District of Illinois, 1992
U.S. Court of Appeals 7th Circuit, 1992
Saint Louis University School of Law, St. Louis, Missouri
J.D. - 1991
Knox College, Galesburg, Illinois
B.A. - 1985
Major: Psychology
Constitutional Law Instructor, McKendree University, 2007
Unemployment Law Seminar, NBI, 2011
Illinois Bar Association, 1991 - Present
Storment Law Office, 1992 - Present
Storment & Read, Associate, 1991 - 1992
Pro Bono Activities
Land of Lincoln Panel Attorney, 2007 - 2014
Fraternities/Sororities
Phi Gamma Delta
Contact Storment Law Office
Call or email for a prompt response.
Experience And Dedication On Your Side
Valuable and effective guidance for your legal challenges.
Inquire now.
Storment Law Office
424 S. High Street
Storment Law Office represents clients throughout Southern Illinois, including Belleville, East St. Louis and throughout St. Clair County.
© 2019 by Storment Law Office. All rights reserved. Disclaimer | Site Map
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5363
|
__label__wiki
| 0.53722
| 0.53722
|
Formula One: Mercedes form underlined again by Rosberg in Bahrain
Mercedes' German Nico Rosberg waves during the Formula One pre-season test days at Jerez racetrack in Jerez on Jan 31, 2014. -- PHOTO: AFP
Feb 23, 2014, 6:32 am SGT
http://str.sg/VDe
MANAMA (AFP) - Germany's Nico Rosberg registered the fastest time in his Mercedes in Saturday's pre-season testing session at Bahrain's Sakhir circuit as world champions Red Bull endured another frustrating day.
Rosberg managed to go a second faster than his teammate Lewis Hamilton a day earlier, outpacing Jenson Button's Mclaren and Kimi Raikkonen in a Ferrari at the end of an encouraging week for Mercedes.
"This morning we were able to try some qualifying practice runs which felt good, meaning I could attack the lap a bit as I found a good balance," Rosberg told the sport's official website, www.F1.com.
After a late crash which brought his day to a premature end Raikkonen, said: "Hitting the barrier? I spun on the kerb at the exit of turn 4, these things can happen.
"Luckily it was right at the end of the day, I'm only sorry because it means the team now has more work to do."
Brazilian Felipe Nasr, a new test driver with the Williams team, took to the wheel for the first time and was fourth-quickest.
"There were so many things going through my head before sitting in the car," said Nasr.
"It was what I was expecting though, very different to any other car I have ever driven..." For world champions Red Bull, who endured a torrid time testing in Jerez, they had another frustrating day at the office, with Sebastian Vettel's new teammate Daniel Riccardo only completing 15 laps.
He came in seventh in the time sheets, a full six seconds off the pace set by Rosberg and Mercedes as Red Bull with their Renault engines continued to struggle with technical issues.
"In all honesty it wasn't a great day today, I guess we still need more time," shrugged the Australian.
"We have four more days coming up and hopefully we can maximise them," added the Torro Rosso recruit.
"At this stage we just need laps..." This was the conclusion of four days testing with the final batch of tests scheduled back in Bahrain next Thursday ahead of the first race of the season, the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, on March 16.
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5364
|
__label__cc
| 0.651534
| 0.348466
|
(a) The contractual relationship of Summers Place Auctions Ltd and Sellers with prospective Buyers is governed by:-
(i) these Conditions of Business for Buyers;
(ii) the Conditions of Business for Sellers displayed in the saleroom and available from Summers Place Auctions Ltd
(iii) Summers Place Auctions Ltd ‘s Authenticity Guarantee;
(iv) any additional notices and terms printed in the sale catalogue, in each case as amended by any saleroom notice or auctioneer's announcement.
(b) As auctioneer, Summers Place Auctions Ltd acts as agent for the Seller. Occasionally, Summers Place Auctions Ltd may own or have a financial interest in a lot.
"Bidder" is any person making, attempting or considering making a bid, including Buyers;
"Buyer" is the person who makes the highest bid or offer accepted by the auctioneer, including a Buyer’s principal when bidding as agent;
"Seller" is the person offering a lot for sale, including their agent, or executors;
“"Buyer’s Expenses" are any costs or expenses due to Summers Place Auctions Ltd from the Buyer;
"Buyer’s Premium" is the commission payable by the Buyer on the Hammer Price or winning Sealed Bid price at the rates set out in the Guide for Prospective Buyers;
"Hammer Price" is the highest bid for the Property accepted by the auctioneer at the auction or the post auction sale price;
"Purchase Price" is the Hammer Price plus applicable Buyer’s Premium and Buyer’s Expenses;
"Reserve Price" (where applicable) is the minimum Hammer Price at which the Seller has agreed to sell a lot.
The Buyer’s Premium, Buyer’s Expenses and Hammer Price are subject to VAT, where applicable.
3. EXAMINATION OF LOTS
(a) Summers Place Auctions Ltd knowledge of lots is partly dependent on information provided by the Seller and Summers Place Auctions Ltd is unable to exercise exhaustive due diligence on each lot. Each lot is available for examination before sale. Bidders are responsible for carrying out examinations and research before sale to satisfy themselves over the condition of lots and accuracy of descriptions.
(b) All oral and/or written information provided to Bidders relating to lots, including descriptions in the catalogue, condition reports or elsewhere are statements of Summers Place Auctions Ltd opinion and not representations of fact. Estimates may not be relied on as a prediction of the selling price or value of the lot and may be revised from time to time at Summers Place Auctions Ltd absolute discretion.
4. EXCLUSIONS AND LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY TO BUYERS
(a) Summers Place Auctions Ltd shall refund the Purchase Price to the Buyer in circumstances where it deems that the lot is a Counterfeit, subject to the terms of Summers Place Auctions Ltd Authenticity Guarantee.
(b) Subject to Condition 4(a), neither Summers Place Auctions Ltd nor the Seller:-
(i) is liable for any errors or omissions in any oral or written information provided to Bidders by Summers Place Auctions Ltd, whether negligent or otherwise;
(ii) gives any guarantee or warranty to Bidders and any implied warranties and conditions are excluded (save in so far as such obligations cannot be excluded by English law), other than the express warranties given by the Seller to the Buyer (for which the Seller is solely responsible) under the Conditions of Business for Sellers;
(iii) accepts responsibility to Bidders for acts or omissions (whether negligent or otherwise) by Summers Place Auctions Ltd in connection with the conduct of auctions or for any matter relating to the sale of any lot.
(c) Without prejudice to Condition 4(b), any claim against Summers Place Auctions Ltd and/ or the Seller by a Bidder is limited to the Purchase Price for the relevant lot. Neither Summers Place Auctions Ltd nor the Seller shall be liable for any indirect or consequential losses.
(d) Nothing in Condition 4 shall exclude or limit the liability of Summers Place Auctions Ltd or the Seller for death or personal injury caused by the negligent acts or omissions of Summers Place Auctions Ltd or the Seller.
5. BIDDING AT AUCTION
(a) Summers Place Auctions Ltd has absolute discretion to refuse admission to the auction. Before sale, Bidders must complete a Registration Form and supply such information and references as Summers Place Auctions Ltd requires. Bidders are personally liable for their bid and are jointly and severally liable with their principal, if bidding as agent (in which case Summers Place Auctions Ltd’s prior and express consent must be obtained).
(b) Summers Place Auctions Ltd advises Bidders to attend the auction, but Summers Place Auctions Ltd will endeavour to execute absentee written bids provided that they are, in Summers Place Auctions Ltd’s opinion, received in sufficient time and in legible form.
(c) When available, written and telephone bidding is offered as a free service at the Bidder’s risk and subject to Summers Place Auctions Ltd’s other commitments; Summers Place Auctions Ltd is therefore not liable for failure to execute such bids. Telephone bidding may be recorded.
6. IMPORT, EXPORT AND COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS
Summers Place Auctions Ltd and the Seller make no representations or warranties as to whether any lot is subject to import, export or copyright restrictions. It is the Buyer's sole responsibility to obtain any copyright clearance or any necessary import, export or other licence required by law, including licenses required by law under the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
7. CONDUCT OF THE AUCTION
(a) The auctioneer has discretion to refuse bids, withdraw or re-offer lots for sale (including after the fall of the hammer) if (s)he believes that there may be an error or dispute, and may also take such other action as (s)he reasonably deems necessary. (b) The auctioneer will commence and advance the bidding in such increments as (s)he considers appropriate and is entitled to place bids on the Seller’s behalf up to the Reserve Price for the lot, where applicable.
(c) Subject to Condition 7(a), the contract between the Buyer and the Seller is concluded on the striking of the auctioneer's hammer.
(d) Any post-auction sale of lots shall incorporate these Conditions of Business.
8. PAYMENT AND COLLECTION
(a) Unless otherwise agreed in advance, payment of the Purchase Price is due in pounds sterling immediately after the auction (the "Payment Date").
(b) Title in a lot will not pass to the Buyer until Summers Place Auctions Ltd has received the Purchase Price in cleared funds. Summers Place Auctions Ltd will not release a lot to a Buyer before payment.
(c) The refusal of any licence or permit required by law, as outlined in Condition 6, shall not affect the Buyer’s obligation to pay for the lot, as per Condition 8(a).
(d) The Buyer must arrange collection of lots within 35 working days of the auction. Purchased lots are at the Buyer's risk from the fall of the hammer.
(e) All packing and handling of lots is at the Buyer's risk. Summers Place Auctions Ltd will not be liable for any acts or omissions of third party removers or shippers.
9. REMEDIES FOR NON-PAYMENT
Without prejudice to any rights that the Seller may have, if the Buyer without prior agreement fails to make payment for the lot within 5 working days of the auction, Summers Place Auctions Ltd may in its sole discretion exercise one or more of the following remedies:-
(a) store the lot at its premises or elsewhere at the Buyer’s sole risk and expense;
(b) cancel the sale of the lot;
(c) set off any amounts owed to the Buyer by Summers Place Auctions Ltd against any amounts owed to Summers Place Auctions Ltd by the Buyer for the lot;
(d) reject future bids from the Buyer;
(e) charge interest at 4% per annum above NatWest Bank Base Rate from the
Payment Date to the date that the Purchase Price is received in cleared funds;
(f) re-sell the lot by auction or privately, with estimates and reserves at Summers Place Auction Ltd.’s discretion, in which case the Buyer will be liable for any shortfall between the original Purchase Price and the amount achieved on re-sale, including all costs incurred in such re-sale;
(g) Exercise a lien over any Buyer’s Property in Summers Place Auctions Ltd’s possession, applying the sale proceeds to any amounts owed by the Buyer to Summers Place Auctions Ltd. Summers Place Auctions Ltd shall give the Buyer 14 days written notice before exercising such lien;
(h) commence legal proceedings to recover the Purchase Price for the lot, plus interest and legal costs;
(i) disclose the Buyer’s details to the Seller to enable the Seller to commence legal proceedings.
10. FAILURE TO COLLECT PURCHASES
(a) If the Buyer pays the Purchase Price but does not collect the lot within 35 days of the auction, the lot will be stored at the Buyer's expense and risk at Summers Place Auctions Ltd’s premises or in independent storage.
(b) If a lot is paid for but uncollected within 6 months of the auction, following 60 days written notice to the Buyer, Summers Place Auctions Ltd will re-sell the lot by auction or privately, with estimates and reserves at Summers Place Auctions Ltd’s discretion. The sale proceeds, less all Summers Place Auctions Ltd’s costs, will be forfeited unless collected by the Buyer within 2 years of the original auction.
(a) Summers Place Auctions Ltd will use information supplied by Bidders or otherwise obtained lawfully by Summers Place Auctions Ltd for the provision of auction related services, client administration, marketing and as otherwise required by law.
(b) By agreeing to these Conditions of Business, the Bidder agrees to the processing of their personal information and to the disclosure of such information to third parties world-wide for the purposes outlined in Condition 11(a) and to Sellers as per Condition 9(i).
(a) All images of lots, catalogue descriptions and all other materials produced by Summers Place Auctions Ltd are the copyright of Summers Place Auctions Ltd.
(b) These Conditions of Business are not assignable by any Buyer without Summers Place Auctions Ltd’s prior written consent, but are binding on Bidders' successors, assigns and representatives.
(c) The materials listed in Condition 1(a) set out the entire agreement between the parties.
(d) If any part of these Conditions of Business be held unenforceable, the remaining parts shall remain in full force and effect.
(e) These Conditions of Business shall be interpreted in accordance with English Law, under the exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts, in favour of Summers Place Auctions Ltd.
Image Upload (Optional) Add file
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5369
|
__label__cc
| 0.677726
| 0.322274
|
The Life and Death of Marriage
March 9, 2012 Stephen W. Smith
We are about ready to lead 85 couples into the greatest mystery of life and that is the relationship between a man and woman in marriage. Marriage is a sacred tool used by God to revolutionize the human heart--the heart of two people who join together in marriage. There are issues for the single person to work through, but the issues of marriage brings to single souls together and in the mystery of the journey, the two become one.Tonight, we will give a talk focusing on this theme: Closing the Gap. In every marriage gaps form which widen and separate the two thirsty souls and there are no exceptions. I'm going to outline five forces which seem determined to push couples apart rather than bring them together. The five I will explore are:
The busyness of life and the residual affect on marriages.
The unresolved issues of the past. Every person in the marriage brings dirty laundry to the marriage and when the baggage is big, the problems are bigger!
A common but profound mis-understanding about what authentic intimacy is and looks like. True intimacy is defined this way: INTO-ME-See. And because of our fear of letting this happen. We live isolated, disconnected and alone in the marriage.
The fact that most couples live out their marriage only with a horizontal understanding of each other and void of a vertical one. Marriage is sacred and their is no secular space within any marriage.
Our tendency in marriage is to forget that the human heart has four chambers and all four chambers need to be opened in marriage. The fourth chamber is where the secrets of the past, the lies of the present and the longings of the future reside. As my mentor poet, Mary Oliver has told us, "The Heart has many dungeons. Bring the light. Bring the light!" How we need the light of Jesus to help a marriage really function the way that God intended.
We'd appreciate the prayers of our all of our readers and friends as we lead these 85 couples into the great mystery of their relationships and as we descend into the fourth chamber of the husband's heart and the wife's soul.It's an noble task we're about to undertake and it's not an easy assignment at all!We are in Baltimore, MD at Central Presbyterian Church.
In Family, Uncategorized Tags family, husband and wife relationships, marriage, men and women issues, threats to a marriage
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5376
|
__label__wiki
| 0.85989
| 0.85989
|
ENDURANCE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Motorcycles on a mission
skip_to_next
Do they have what it takes to endure? The FIM Endurance World Championship is the premier global motorcycle racing event featuring a series of endurance races ranging from 8- 24 hours held on permanent racing facilities. At the 24 Heures Motos at Le Mans, man and machine compete in a competition lasting all day and all night long. Competitors will battle it out for 12 hours in Portimao, Portugal, eight hours in Suzuka, Japan and eight more in Oschersleben, Germany.
FOLLOW ENDURANCE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ON facebook.com FOLLOW ENDURANCE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ON twitter.com
Thrilling, mind-blowing, emotionally charged, stressful. The World Endurance Championship takes determination, strength and a love for the road. Riders risk serious injury, overheating engines and exploding tempers to become champions. They work in harmony with their bikes as man and machine come together for this superhuman feat of epic proportions. They’re here to win and hours and hours of physical and emotional exhaustion won’t stop them. While the rest of the world sleeps, they ride on. Motorcycle racing is in our genes, bikes are in our blood. TAG Heuer is the official timing partner of the World Endurance Championship. Let’s give it some gas together.
RELATED NEWSmobile_title_border
TAG Heuer becomes Official Series Sponsor of FIM Endurance World Championship
EnduranceWorldChampionship
skip_to_nextENDURANCE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
DIAPORAMAmobile_title_border
zoom in the picture
With a clean sweep at the start of the race, the winners of the 80th Bol d’Or made history this…
Time never stops ticking in a 24 hours race. The EWC race at the Bol d'Or was another…
Etienne Masson
Vincent Philippe, Anthony Delhalle and Etienne Masson had a perfect race. The team ran like…
Machines derived from road-going models will be battling it out. Each class has its own…
With a clean sweep at the start of the race, the winners of the 80th Bol d’Or made history this year, running like clockwork and staying ahead of the game for 683 of the race’s 687 laps. It was a real #DontCrackUnderPressure event on the Endurance World Championship EWC calendar and we were keeping tabs as Official TimeKeeper of the 24h race!
Time never stops ticking in a 24 hours race. The EWC race at the Bol d'Or was another breathtaking display of motor sport!
Vincent Philippe, Anthony Delhalle and Etienne Masson had a perfect race. The team ran like clockwork, staying in the lead for 683 of the race’s 687 laps.
Machines derived from road-going models will be battling it out. Each class has its own specification criteria. Three classes of machines will be competing: Formula EWC, Superstock and Supertwin. All Japanese and European constructors are represented.
DEEP-DIVE EXPERIENCEmobile_title_border
Eurosport Events Limited, the promoter of the FIM Endurance World Championship, is delighted to announce TAG Heuer as the Official Timing Partner of the FIM EWC, three weeks after it revealed a similar alliance for the FIA World Touring Car Championship.
While TAG Heuer’s origins date back to 1860s Switzerland, Eurosport Events’ collaboration with motorcycling’s world governing body, FIM, is in the early stages of an exciting journey, with the Paris-based company being appointed EWC promoter ahead of the 2015 season.
skip_to_next ENDURANCE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
INSPIRED TIMEPIECESmobile_title_border
Discoverthe_watch ADD TO WISHLIST
300 M - ∅40.5 mm
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5379
|
__label__cc
| 0.64622
| 0.35378
|
‘Macbeth’ remake thrills
Talk of the Town Reporter
Aussie director’s take on Shakespeare’s Scottish tragedy, acting well worth seeing
Macbeth, with Michael Fassbender,
HERO’S DOWNFALL: Michael Fassbender as the warrior turned-murderer Macbeth
Marion Cotillard, Paddy Considine,
Sean Harris, David Thewlis.
Directed by Justin Kurzel. 4/5
WITH Roman Polanski’s definitive screen version now 45 years old, Macbeth was bound for a contemporary remake that remains loyal to the original setting and Shakespearean dialogue.
Little-known Australian director Justin Kurzel has done a brilliant job with a talented cast. Worthy of note is all the actors’ Scot tish accents, adding to the authenticity of the setting.
Even German actor Michael Fassbender (Macbeth) and Marion Cotillard (Lady Macbeth), who is French, did admirably well adopting a Scots brogue.
Films with Shakespearean dialogue can seem painfully stilted and tedious (like Titus), but Kurzel’s Macbeth moves along at a brisk pace at one hour 42 minutes.
In some ways it feels abbreviated, while still being faithful to the text. All the familiar encounters, conversations and soliloquies are there, from the prophecies of the three witches about Macbeth’s rise to the throne, to his plotting and scheming with his wife, his visions – “Is this a dagger which I see before me?” and Lady Macbeth’s guilt – “Out, damned spot!”
Like Polanski’s 1971 version, this portrayal is also brutal and bloody in its battle scenes, though the dreadful fate of Macduff’s (Sean Harris) wife and children is mercifully left to the imagination.
Fassbender is a handsome, seemingly invincible Macbeth – heroic at first, but who quickly falls victim to his own ambitions, prompted by his wife’s goading. Once his first crime is committed, it becomes easier to commit the next, increasingly without regret, save for the passing guilt of seeing Banquo’s (Paddy Considine) ghost in the king’s dining hall.
This Macbeth elicits no sympathy.
You wish no escape for him – you want him to face justice. And it is apt that it comes at the hands of grieving Macduff, portrayed as a scarred and unattractive man, “from his m ot h e r ’s womb untimely ripped”.
The way the director portrays how Great Birnam wood comes to high Dunsinane Hill is a novel departure, but works well. There are no special effects for the witches’ predictions and even Banquo’s ghost looks quite human. It’s all very gritty and realistic. Well worth seeing.
Previous articleGrahamstown This Week
Next articleCrooks get no dough at depot
SA music icon Johnny Clegg has died
Albany Vintage Car Club entertains Settlers residents
Another successful soiree
20 June 2019 e-Edition
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5381
|
__label__wiki
| 0.75533
| 0.75533
|
Ramaphosa and other VIPs have 81 bodyguards on average each
There were 81 officers from the police’s Presidential Protection Unit (PPU) for every one of the 17 politicians it protected full-time in 2017/18.
National Police Commissioner General Khehla Sithole revealed in a parliamentary reply on July 3 that there were 1‚382 officers in this unit‚ which cost taxpayers R693-million in 2017/18.
https://press-admin.voteda.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Presidential-Protection.pdf
According to the police’s 2016/17 annual report‚ there was one police officer for every 369 South Africans.
https://www.saps.gov.za/about/stratframework/annual_report/2016_2017/part_a_2017.pdfhttp://
In a parliamentary reply last year‚ then police minister Fikile Mbalula confirmed that in 2016/17 the PPU protected among others then president Jacob Zuma‚ his deputy at the time and now president‚ Cyril Ramaphosa‚ former presidents FW de Klerk‚ Thabo Mbeki‚ and Kgalema Motlanthe‚ Zuma’s four wives and Ramaphosa’s wife.
https://press-admin.voteda.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Presidential-Protection.pdfhttp://
Mbalula said the PPU also protected 77 foreign dignitaries.
“The reasons for protection are based on the outcome of individual threat assessments‚” he said at the time.
In 2016/17‚ 1‚369 officers cost taxpayers R617-million and in 2015/16‚ 1‚162 officers cost R618-million.
DA spokesperson on police Zakhele Mbhele said: “This is a blatant example of how the lives of the elite matter more to the ANC government than ordinary citizens lives.”
He added: “While current and former heads of state and their spouses are safely protected‚ millions of South Africans live in constant fear of being the next victims of violent crime in our country.”
By: Nico Gous – TimesLIVE
Source: TMG Digital.
Previous articleDuduzane Zuma will be in court today – but he won’t be wearing leg-irons
Next articleWATCH | How Princess Charlene is using her Chihuahuas to teach isiZulu to her twins
CCTV cameras assist in nabbing suspects after a high-speed chase!
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5382
|
__label__wiki
| 0.570492
| 0.570492
|
Resources > Publications, papers and commentary > Protocols Between the Solicitor-General and the Commissioner of Inland Revenue
What next for Chatfield? | The Tax Disputes and Litigation Review, 6th edn, 2018, Law Business Research | Whither (or wither) New Zealand Foreign Trusts? | Audits and Disputes:The Myths, The Realities and the Lessons to be Learnt | TrustPower Goes to the Supreme Court | What a Professional Trustee Must Know About Investment | Feasibility Expenditure | The "Worthless Spouse" - Tax Treatment of Companion Travel Expenses | Summary of the US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act ("FATCA") | Remedies Against the Commissioner of Inland Revenue Considered Through a Constitutional Lens | 2013 draft interpretation statement on PPOA | The Commissioner's Access to Electronic Information | International Trust Regime | New Zealand as a Trust Haven | The Richardson Years | Responsibilities of an Expert Witness | The Liability of Directors of a Corporate Trustee | The "More Than Merely Incidental" Test in Tax Avoidance | Protocols Between the Solicitor-General and the Commissioner of Inland Revenue | Preserving Confidential Access to Legal Advice in a World of Transparency | Tax Avoidance: You can set up a company but be careful how you use it!
On 29 July 2009 the Solicitor General (“S-G”) and the Commissioner of Inland Revenue (“CIR”) signed a set of protocols dealing with the role each officer and their respective organisations play in dealing with tax litigation and disputes.
The protocols are the outcome of work between the IRD and Crown Law over some months and are an attempt to reconcile the roles of the two organizations in deciding how tax cases should be advanced and how disputes may be settled. It is an open secret that there has been tension between the two offices for some time and some resentment within IRD at Crown Law's claims of what amounts to a "supervisory" role in relation to the interpretation and application of tax laws.
It is important for any tax disputant or litigant to understand that the relationship between the IRD and Crown Law is not the equivalent of client and lawyer, with Crown Law acting on the instructions of the IRD. Instead the protocols confirm that Crown Law will quite possibly be a separate protagonist in some tax disputes and litigation, having its own views of what arguments should be advanced, and whether settlement should be considered and if so on what terms. Crown law is also quite likely to be a much more active participant in the tax rulings process.
This development reinforces the importance of taxpayers and their advisers being aware of the attitudes and approach of the Crown Law Office as well as understanding the IRD’s approach. Where the two do not necessarily accord the Crown law view is likely to prevail.
In the conduct of litigation:
1. Disagreements between the departments will be resolved respectfully; but
2. The S-G appoints counsel to represent the CIR and he has limited his approval of IRD lawyers being used to non precedential District and High Court matters; and
3. Appointed counsel is responsible for what legal arguments are put to the Court subject to the S-G views; and
4. Settlements must be jointly approved by Crown Law and the IRD.
These provisions make it reasonably obvious that the S-G has asserted final control over the conduct and disposition of tax litigation, especially precedential matters.
As to ruling and interpretations, the protocols address the treatment of legal issues that are central to a dispute and which are about to be the subject of a ruling or IRD interpretation. In such cases the IRD and Crown Law must consult. It is clear that the practical effect of this is that on matters such as whether a structure involves tax avoidance, it is most unlikely that a ruling will be given without Crown Law involvement. Again, from a practical perspective this has already been occurring with the result that some ruling applications have been significantly delayed.
Public statements about tax legal issues will only be made after consultation between the S-G and the CIR and agreement as to the content. When the IRD is communicating a Crown Law position to a taxpayer, Crown Counsel is likely to assist the IRD in communicating that position.
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5384
|
__label__wiki
| 0.743076
| 0.743076
|
You are at:Home»MOVIE NEWS»Cracks In The Allu Empire! Is That True?
Cracks In The Allu Empire! Is That True?
By TeluguNow . on March 20, 2019 MOVIE NEWS
An English Daily reported about the clash between Allu Aravind and Allu Arjun. It’s been reported that Allu Arjun shifted to a new office from Geetha Arts Compound because of the family feud. In addition, An indication was given that Allu Aravind is keen to produce films of Mahesh Babu and Ram Charan rather then his own Son.
As per the daily, This happened because few people have been badly influencing both father and son to an extent that cracks could lead to division of the Allu Empire.
In reality, There is nothing like Father Vs Son in Allu Family. Allu Arjun moved out of Geetha Arts Office and set up a new office as he don’t want other Heroes who work for his family-owned production house feel uncomfortable with his presence. The Actor felt the need for a separate office while working on couple of projects simultaneously. He is also holding story sittings with few other filmmakers since few months.
All those who are close to Allu Family knew about the bonding between Aravind and Arjun. Bunny gives a lot of credit for the success he had seen as an Actor for his Father. There is nothing like Family Feud in Allu Family.
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5393
|
__label__wiki
| 0.964754
| 0.964754
|
U.S. Representative Mike McCaul Calls Out Texas Republicans Who Voted Against Harvey Aid: Your Texas Roundup
Plus: Mexico rescinds its offer to help Texas after it gets hit with two natural disasters, Dallas is having a hard time tearing down a Confederate monument, and a new list ranks Texas schools among the best colleges in the country.
Leif Reigstad
Email a link to this page
https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-daily-post/u-s-representative-mike-mccaul-calls-texas-republicans-voted-harvey-aid-texas-roundup/
“I mean, we’re all we got.”
—Johnny Soto, a football player for Rockport-Fulton High School, to CBS. The team is continuing to practice, even though their school is closed indefinitely and many of their homes were destroyed or damaged by Harvey.
Win McNamee/Getty
Intrastate Shade
In a Monday appearance on MSNBC, U.S. Representative Mike McCaul had some harsh words aimed at four of his fellow Texan lawmakers in the House, calling their decision to vote against an aid package for Harvey victims last week “unconscionable.” The Austin Republican called out U.S. Representatives Joe Barton of Ennis, Jeb Hensarling of Dallas, Sam Johnson of Richardson, and Mac Thornberry of Clarendon for being among the ninety members of the House to vote “no” on the final version of a $15 billion aid package on Friday. The four lawmakers cited part of the package that included raising the debt ceiling as the reason for withholding their support. The measure passed and was signed by President Donald Trump on Friday, but the nay votes from his Texan colleagues apparently really rankled McCaul. “I don’t want to judge them,” McCaul said Monday on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, according to the Austin American-Statesman. “I judge myself and my conscience, and when I have people dying and hurting in my home state, it was my duty and my moral obligation to help them, and I felt that that vote was a vote of conscience to help people in my state and also now in Florida. I think that’s what Americans do, and I think it’s unconscionable to vote against something like that.” McCaul also dismissed the criticism from some Republicans that the Harvey aid package was inappropriately tied to the debt ceiling issue. “I think having to raise the debt ceiling was the issue, and the fact is that Mick Mulvaney is the director of [the Office of Management and Budget], and he was a Freedom Caucus guy when he served with us, and he told us point blank that you could not appropriate disaster relief if you didn’t raise the debt ceiling, so we were stuck with that choice,” McCaul said. “What do you with that choice? Just stand on principle and vote ‘no’? And I question that principle. Or do you vote to help people back in your home state who are hurting really badly?”
MEANWHILE, IN TEXAS
Take Backs
Mexico is no longer offering a helping hand to Texas in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, because our neighbors to the south have their own disaster to worry about. Two disasters, actually: a powerful earthquake on September 7 left at least ninety people dead, followed by Hurricane Katia. “Faced with emergencies caused by the September 7 earthquake and Hurricane Katia, Mexico is no longer in any condition to provide aid to the state of Texas,” Mexico’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement, according to the Dallas Morning News. Mexico extended the offer not long after Harvey made landfall along the Texas coast, offering to send civil servants, troops, boats, helicopters, medical teams, nurses, a vessel, and rescue dogs. Governor Greg Abbott accepted the offer, though the aid package finalized last week was ultimately limited to mobile field kitchens. But now, even that aid package seems unlikely. “Unfortunately on this occasion it will not be possible to provide the original assistance to Texas,” the statement from Mexico said. In a statement from Governor Abbott’s office, spokesman John Wittman said that they are “grateful” for Mexico’s offer to help and “fully understand” that they’ve got their own problems to prioritize.
Hard Fall
Dallas just can’t seem to tear down a statue of Robert E. Lee. The city has had the Confederate monument in its cross hairs for some time now, and after a contentious city council vote last week to get the ball rolling on the removal was temporarily halted by a federal judge—thanks, in part, to some untimely work delays—the statue appeared to be on its way down yet again once the judge ruled that the city could continue with the removal. But that’s proven to be a more difficult task than anticipated, according to the Dallas Morning News. Apparently Dallas can’t hire a replacement crane crew after the crane they originally bought was damaged in a car accident Sunday night. City Manager T.C. Broadnax indicated to the Morning News that heavy construction in the area means that many crane crews are simply booked up with those less-controversial jobs. Broadnax also said some crane owners don’t want to get involved because of the controversy surrounding the removal of a Confederate monument. “I’ve heard only anecdotally that there are those kinds of threats making their rounds in the crane rental, owner, and rigging business—threats to people’s families, their companies,” Broadnax told the Morning News. It’s unclear when the statue will come down.
The U.S. News and World Report released its newest ranking of the best colleges and universities in the country, and a bunch of Texas schools made the list, according to the Texas Tribune. Rice University is ranked as the fourteenth-best school in the nation, and though the Owls were the only ones from Texas to make the top 50, the Lone Star State was repped by plenty of schools in the top 100. The University of Texas at Austin came in at fifty-sixth overall, followed by Southern Methodist University at 61. Texas A&M University jumped from number 74 in the nation last year to 69 this year. A&M leapfrogged Baylor University, which dropped from 79 last year to 75. Texas Christian University climbed four spots from last year to 78. Lower in the rankings were the the University of Texas at Dallas at 146, Texas Tech at 176, the University of Houston at 194, and Dallas Baptist University at 214.
Some links are paywalled or subscription-only.
DACA recipients were detained for hours at the Falufrrias Border Patrol checkpoint McAllen Monitor
More details on a deadly mass shooting in Plano Dallas Morning News
A billionaire Vietnamese immigrant donated $5 million toward Houston’s recovery from Harvey Houston Chronicle
Ted Cruz’s Twitter account liked a porn video posted by an account named “@SexuallPosts” New York Daily News
The Waco Twin Peaks biker shootout court proceedings continue to be a legal nightmare Waco Tribune-Herald
Sign up for Texas Monthly's State of Texas newsletter to get stories like this delivered to your inbox daily.
Tags: The State of Texas
Just so we get this straight, the City of Dallas approved removal of a statue that honors an enemy of the United States, and they’re having trouble hiring a contractor to do the work because of threats of violence. And those threats come from folks who claim to be super patriots and defenders of law and order?
Jeffreyrh
Jose, you are an enemy of the U.S. I would enjoy treating you as such. You know nothing about history of this country.
jammerjim
I’ve a feeling Jose knows it a *lot* better than you do. And you failed to dispute his point. Because you can’t.
Jose is just another dumbass wet.
Not that we should except anything from mexico, they were quick to pull the offer off the table. America would never do that,no matter what we had going on.All we want from them is $$$ for the Big,Beatiful Wall.
“Not that we should except anything…” “Beatiful”
LOL. You need to sign up for ESL, amigo! The English language deserves more respect. ¿Verdád?
You need to sign up for spell check joe.
I bet you have never mistyped a word.
I don’t know if Beto can win next year, but it certainly appears that the one person who can beat Ted Cruz is himself.
anonyfool
Surprisingly according to his own twitter, he beats himself to heterosexual porn.
As Texas Privatizes Child Protective Services, Will the Horror Stories Go Unheard?
By Katy Vine
Texas Has Been Just a Prop for Trump From the Beginning
By Christopher Hooks
The Power Issue: 31 Texans Taking Charge
By Texas Monthly
Texas Outlaw Country Gets a Major Exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame
By Dan Solomon
The Best Thing in Texas: Shea Serrano Fans Are Sending a Whole Bunch of Copies of His Basketball Book to Soldiers Deployed Overseas
The Trailer for Hulu’s ‘The Looming Tower’ Brings Lawrence Wright’s Book to Terrifying Life
American Airlines Will Award Passengers Miles for Enduring the Inconveniences Of Air Travel
Cole Beasley is the Latest in a Tradition of Dallas Cowboys Musical Acts
Introducing Texas Monthly Audio Books
By Tim Taliaferro
Why There Are So Many More Animals on Planes Over the Holidays
By Doyin Oyeniyi
The Dallas Mavericks Now Play in China as the “Lone Ranger Heroes”
What The Betting Odds on Amazon HQ2 Really Tell Us
The Texans and the Cowboys Are Upsetting Jadeveon Clowney and Ezekiel Elliott
Fort Worth Gets a Serious Contender with Derek Allan’s Texas BBQ
By Daniel Vaughn
Premiere: Robert Ellis is ‘Gone to the Moon’ in New Video
By Christian Wallace
Should Beto O’Rourke Drop Out?
Houston Congressman Al Green’s Impeachment Effort Comes Up Short Again
By Maria Recio
What the Hell Is Happening at the Border? (An Occasional Series, July 15 Edition)
There’s Something Better Than Brisket at Franklin Barbecue
Willie Nelson & Friends: Live From Luck, Texas
By Andy Langer
Texas Monthly Recommends: Megan Thee Stallion’s First Late-Night Television Appearance
Houston TV Legend Dave Ward Got By With a Little Help From His Friends
By Michael Berryhill
The Last Boy Scout
By R.G. Ratcliffe
The Gospel of Texas Barbecue Is Spreading
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5396
|
__label__wiki
| 0.953606
| 0.953606
|
BLATCHFORD: Neutrality of Crown witness questioned at start of Joshua Boyle trial
Postmedia News Service
Published: Mar 26 at 2:18 p.m.
Updated: Mar 26 at 5:42 p.m.
Christie Blatchford - Contributed
It is compelling even in its bare outlines.
The former Afghanistan hostage Joshua Boyle is pleading not guilty to a host of charges – among them unlawful confinement, issuing threats, sexual assault and multiple counts of assault – which eerily echo the very crimes allegedly perpetrated against him and his wife during their captivity in that war-devastated country.
Boyle’s trial began Monday before Ontario Court Judge Peter Doody.
The 35-year-old Boyle, who was once married to Omar Khadr’s sister Zaynab, and his second wife Caitlan Coleman were either backpacking or looking for good deeds to do (both explanations have been floated) in Afghanistan when they were taken hostage in October of 2012 by the Haqqani network, a Taliban-allied group of militants.
In one of the first orders of business before the judge, a lawyer for Coleman announced that she no longer wanted a publication ban on her name.
She is the alleged victim in 17 of the 19 charges Boyle faces.
A ban remains on the name and identity of the other alleged victim.
Boyle and Coleman — by then, they had three children — were rescued by Pakistani troops and returned to Canada in October of 2017.
What followed was a bizarre round of publicity, with Boyle doing virtually all the talking, and a controversial family selfie with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Dec. 19.
Next, before the new year even dawned, was Boyle’s arrest and subsequent release pending trial.
Thus far the only witness to testify has been Deborah Sinclair, a social worker-cum-feminist-activist Crown prosecutors want to have qualified as an expert in domestic violence and trauma.
It appears, by the way Boyle’s lawyer Lawrence Greenspon questioned Sinclair’s credentials Monday, that he disputes both her expertise and neutrality.
But in a brief road map prosecutor Meaghan Cunningham gave Doody, she also said Coleman, an American who is back living in the U.S., will take the stand on Wednesday.
Other witnesses will be Coleman’s mother and two sisters (all of whom spent time with the couple after their release); an unidentified former neighbour who “heard interactions” between Boyle and Coleman; Janice Unger, a Global Affairs Canada director who travelled back to Canada with the family, and Ottawa Police officers who responded on Dec. 30, 2017 to Boyle’s 911 call.
A tidbit from Sinclair’s 19-page report prepared for the Crown notes that among the materials prosecutors gave her to use in her report is a “list of Rules and Script for the Media” that was discovered during a search of the couples apartment and which allegedly was written by Joshua Boyle.
It appears from the prosecution and defence questions of Sinclair Monday that they take very different views on the couple’s relationship, with the former seeing Coleman purely as a victim of abuse both by her Afghan captors and her husband, and the latter viewing them both husband and wife as suffering while they were held by the Haqqani network.
In fact, Cunningham told the judge she expects Greenspon to vigorously challenge Coleman’s credibility and reliability. She told Doody he’d have to decide if Coleman’s evidence is “believable”, and that the reason for calling Sinclair is for him to understand that Coleman’s “human experience is quite different” from most people’s.
Cunningham said Greenspon may suggest some aspects of Coleman’s account are “incompatible with a truthful witness” and that she was “a consenting participant in his abuse and domination of her.”
But while Sinclair has decades of experience, both as a counsellor and researcher, in dealing with what’s now called intimate partner violence and has often testified in court, she has virtually no first-hand expertise in the effects, on abuser and victim, of a prolonged captivity in a foreign country.
She agreed with Greenspon that she’s never testified in a case involving a “prolonged hostage situation” and that only once to her memory has she testified for the defence (and that was at sentencing, on behalf of a woman who Sinclair said was battered).
“Has there ever been a case where you said a woman was not abused?” Greenspon asked at one point.
“No,” said Sinclair.
She acknowledged that most of her knowledge of the effects of lengthy hostage situations came from other researchers, and agreed that in her report, she didn’t distinguish between the effects of long-term captivity or those of domestic abuse.
At some point, the judge will decide if her evidence is admissible. Because Boyle’s is a judge-alone trial, and judges are deemed capable of hearing evidence they may later disallow, Sinclair was able to testify in what’s called a voir dire.
As is becoming more common in trials where the accused person is not in custody, Boyle was able to sit in the body of the court, either sandwiched between his parents or beside his father.
The trial resumed Tuesday.
By Christie Blatchford
• Email: cblatchford@postmedia.com | Twitter: blatchkiki
Credibility of estranged wife at centre of Joshua Boyle assault trial
More Columnists stories
DAN LEGER: Culture wars killing politics; it’s high time for peace talks
RUSSELL WANGERSKY: Changing technology is fine — but only if the changes make sense
RUSSELL WANGERSKY: Pay attention — plants can be a pathway to history
ANDREW COYNE: Canada Pension Plan caved to pressure from activists — where will it stop?
RUSSELL WANGERSKY: Finding a waypoint
RUSSELL WANGERSKY: The internet remembers all the dumb stuff we’d like to forget
JOHN DeMONT: Losing Halifax's oldest bakery a blow to eclectic community
BRIAN LILLEY: Liberals betray charter values over pro-life film
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5398
|
__label__wiki
| 0.842892
| 0.842892
|
Draft Profile: Mikhail Sergachev
LHD Mikhail Sergachev
Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
Steve Kournianos | 03/3/2016 | New York |
Photo courtesy of the Windsor Star
Position: Defenseman
Shoots: Left
Height/Weight: 6’3 206 lbs
Born: June 25th, 1998, Nizhnekamsk, Russia
The Draft Analyst Ranking: 12th
Obtained: Selected by the Windsor Spitfires in the first round (sixth overall) in the 2015 CHL Import Draft.
Notes: 2015-16: Leads OHL defensemen in goals with 14 in 59 games through March 2nd…His 47 points ranks third among both defensemen and rookies…Recorded two points or more in 13 of his first 59 contests, including a pair of four-point games…Registered 29 points in his 29 games between December 11th and February 28th…Played for Team Orr in the 2016 CHL Top Prospects Game…2014-15: Appeared in 25 games for Irbis Kazan in the MHL, scoring a pair of goals and adding six assists…Played for Team Russia at the World U17 Hockey Challenge, where he picked up a goal in six games…Represented Russia in five games at the 2015 Under-18 World Championship.
Season Club GP G A PTS PPG Plus/Minus
2014-15 Irbis Kazan (MHL) 25 2 6 8 0.32 E
2015-16 Windsor Spitfires (OHL) 67 17 40 57 0.85 +15
The two-player limit the CHL imposes on its clubs in regards to European-born players may seem restrictive, possibly xenophobic. What you can’t argue, however, is how it enables teams to be far more deliberate and selective when adding a player from across the pond. Russian-born defenseman Mikhail Sergachev is one of those fortunate ones, but take our word for it when we say he’s not your classic European-trained blueliner. He plays an aggressive and punishing style, mixed in with offensive flair and a strong enough sense to either join the rush or create one himself.
Sergachev has anchored Windsor’s top pairing since the season began, logging minutes on both the top power play and penalty killing units. He possesses above-average speed, and owns a powerful stride which makes him difficult to stop when in full flight. Additionally, Sergachev is a mobile playmaker from the back end, capable of connecting on and receiving difficult passes, whether up the ice or diagonally through a maze of sticks. Most impressive is his hard shot, which he can fire with substantial velocity from the point’s deepest areas. The pace and complexity of the next level shouldn’t intimidate him, but his slot coverage is one area where he must improve to complete his development.
Draft Profile: Luke Kunin Draft Profile: Alexander Nylander
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5402
|
__label__wiki
| 0.51136
| 0.51136
|
Recreational marijuana sales become legal across Canada in October. (Black Press files)
B.C. towns to premier: Show us the marijuana money
Local governments face enforcement costs, pressure on farmland
Aug. 23, 2018 5:00 p.m.
Local governments facing new marijuana regulation and enforcement cost are seeking up to half of the provincial revenues from recreational sales that are set to begin in October.
Resolutions to the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention offer multiple suggestions to the B.C. government, an issue likely to dominate the annual gathering of local and provincial politicians in Whistler Sept. 10-14.
Communities face costs “including but not limited to policing, licensing, enforcement, zoning and zoning enforcement, by-laws and by-law enforcement and possible health issues,” and should get half of the province’s revenue, says a resolution from the village of Tahsis.
Nelson and Pemberton resolutions also call for a 50-50 split in revenue, which the province estimated in its February budget at $50 million for the balance of 2018-19 and $75 million for full years following that.
Provinces negotiated a 75 per cent share of revenues with Ottawa in May, with similar arguments about the burden of policing and regulating cannabis stores. The federal government is placing an excise tax of $1 a gram on all recreational sales.
B.C. has decided to allow private stores, many already operating, plus a chain of government retail outlets to start opening by Oct. 17 and a monopoly on wholesale supply.
RELATED: B.C. waits to add ‘craft cannabis’ to stores
The B.C. government announced earlier this month that the Liquor Distribution Branch wholesale markup on cannabis will be 15 per cent, compared to 124 per cent for a bottle of hard liquor. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth has emphasized that the retail price of legal marijuana must be kept low, or illegal producers will hold on to some of the market.
Other resolutions dealing with legalizing marijuana include:
• Delta council is calling for a provincial ban or restrictions on growing cannabis on agricultural land. Its resolution notes that it can be grown in greenhouses on existing industrial land, and only 1.1 per cent of B.C.’s land area is suitable for growing food.
• The City of Nelson has a resolution urging the province to allow leasing of Crown land to grow cannabis, also to preserve farmland for food crops.
• Langley Township’s resolution calls on the federal government to place similar restrictions on cannabis advertising as it has for tobacco sales.
• New Westminster council wants the province to harmonize smoking regulations applying to tobacco with smoking marijuana.
Baloney Meter: Did Liberals create 60% more full-time jobs than Tories?
Province to tackle declining elk populations across Kootenays
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5404
|
__label__wiki
| 0.858937
| 0.858937
|
Go to: Guardian Unlimited homeUK newsWorld newsComment is free blogSport blogArts & entertainment blogPodcastsIn picturesVideo----------------------Archive searchArts and entertainmentBooksBusinessEducationGuardian.co.ukEnvironmentFilmFootballJobsKatine appealLife and styleMediaGuardian.co.ukMoneyMusicThe ObserverPoliticsScienceShoppingSocietyGuardian.co.ukSportTalkTechnologyTravelBeen there----------------------AudioEmail servicesSpecial reportsThe GuardianThe northernerThe wrap----------------------Advertising guideCompare finance productsCrosswordFeedbackGarden centreGNM press officeGraduateGuardian BookshopGuardianEcostoreGuardianFilmsHeadline serviceHelp / contactsInformationLiving our valuesNewsroomNotes & QueriesReader OffersSoulmates datingStyle guideSyndication servicesTravel offersTV listingsWeatherWeb guidesWorking for us----------------------Guardian AbroadGuardian WeeklyMoney ObserverPublicLearnGuardian back issuesObserver back issuesGuardian Professional
The top 10 books on Alpinism
Andy Cave was born into a mining family and is now a cutting-edge Alpinist with several formidable first ascents to his credit. Learning to Breathe, his first book, was joint winner of the Boardman Tasker Prize 2005. His new book, Thin White Line, is a journey into the mind of an 'extreme mountaineer'
Buy Andy Cave titles at the Guardian bookshop
Visit Andy Cave's website
For me, the best books on Alpinism describe those who have genuinely pushed the boundaries of what is possible. Successful mountaineering literature, however, must do more than just transport the reader to an alien, frozen world through evocative prose and original metaphor. The best have emotional depth, allowing the reader to engage with the protagonists' internal thoughts and motives. Done well, the common theme of courage overcoming adversity can inspire us to seek new challenges in our own lives.
1 Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
After pioneering a difficult new route up Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes, Joe Simpson breaks his leg. Simon Yates, his partner, begins lowering him down the immense face. Almost on the glacier, in a raging storm, Yates' belay begins to disintegrate and in a moment of utter desperation he cuts the rope between them. What follows is astonishing. One of the greatest survival stories ever written, this compelling narrative forces the reader to wonder how they might have acted in the same circumstances.
Buy it from the Guardian bookshop
2 Starlight and Storm by Gaston Rébuffat
In lively, flowing prose Rébuffat recounts climbing the six classic alpine north faces: the Matterhorn, Eiger, Grandes Jorrasses, Cima Grande, Piz Badile and Dru. His stunning images evoke the tense drama of such long and serious climbs. I first read this book as a teenager, when I was working underground as a coalminer in South Yorkshire. "A dream that comes true leads to other dreams," Rébuffat wrote. His words inspired me and gave me the courage to follow my own dreams. In 1986, aged just 20, I quit my job at the pit, went out to the Alps, climbed the Eiger north face and then returned to education.
3 Nanga Parbat Pilgrimage by Herman Buhl
The memoir of post-war, visionary, Austrian mountaineer Herman Buhl culminates in a gripping finale when, in 1953, aged 29, he climbed alone to the 8,126m summit of Nanga Parbat. The feat is considered by most climbers to be more impressive than the first ascent of Everest, and his tale of determination and commitment to the lightweight climbing ethic is stirring. The grainy portrait of Buhl taken immediately after his epic ascent reveals the suffering he had endured. To me and my friends stuck in Barnsley during the early 1980s, dreaming of visiting the Himalayas, Buhl was the true hero. He showed that with passion and the mastery of craft, the possibilities are limitless.
4 The Mountains of My Life by Walter Bonatti
Walter Bonatti was undoubtedly one of the most driven, audacious and successful mountaineers of the post-war period, perhaps of all time. Forty years on, young alpinists still aspire to climb his routes and the descriptions of his battle with the mountains and his "self" are enthralling. This meaty, recent translation of the Italian's best writing is a treasure and includes a new perspective on the bitter 1954 K2 controversy, a dispute that eventually led to Bonatti turning his back on the mountaineering community.
5 Conquistadors of the Useless by Lionel Terray
Terray's book is a whirlwind tour of his impressive climbing life in Patagonia, Alaska, Nepal and the French Alps. The chapter War in the Alps gives a remarkable insight into his work with the mountain troops on the border of Nazi-occupied territory in 1944. The writing is lyrical, transporting the reader (climber and non-climber) to extraordinarily beautiful places. This, combined with Terray's sharp observation of the people and customs he meets along the way, is what makes it one of my favourite mountaineering autobiographies.
6 Savage Arena by Joe Tasker
A frequent criticism levelled at mountaineering literature is that it lacks human depth; not so here. Tasker's candid recounting of his internal struggles and the difficulty of getting strong-minded individuals to work as a harmonious unit, on and off the mountain, are superb. The reader is drawn into the world of pioneering alpinism in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when the British in particular were showing the way forward. The book was published posthumously in 1982; Tasker disappeared on the unclimbed north-east ridge of Everest with Pete Boardman earlier that year. His riveting prose continues to inspire.
7 The Shining Mountain by Pete Boardman
This book gives a poignant, inspirational account of Boardman and Tasker's ground-breaking journey up the west wall of Changabang. It is a wonderful book for the armchair mountaineer too, providing a glimpse into the minds of extreme climbers; from the training in a giant freezer in Manchester and their climbing peers telling them they would fail, to the journey through India and up the stupendous wall of ice and granite itself. As a young alpinist I never imagined that one day, I too would climb on Changabang and that the tragedy on that stage would kick start my own writing career.
8 Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
Reaching the summit of Everest has never been easier for anyone half decent on the gym treadmill and with spare cash. a road leads to base camp where giant tents have mini-bars and wide screen TVs showing movies, whilst sherpas and western guides carry oxygen, tents and food up on to the mountain for you and fix lines of rope from top to bottom - an infrastructure that doesn't exist on the more difficult giant peaks such as K2, Kanchenjunga and Gashebrum IV. However, Krakauer's gripping tale describes how a ferocious storm up high on Everest can be catastrophic to all players, making no distinction between "Sunday League" or "Premier League" credentials. Compulsive stuff. For a different angle on the same events do read The Climb by Anatoli Boukreev.
9 A Slender Thread by Stephen Venables
This is a superb, nailbiting account of a British alpinist's narrow escape from death during an expedition to the Indian Himalayas. An exceptional mountaineer, Venables was the first Briton to ascend Everest without oxygen, and did so by a new route. But he is also a gifted writer willing to depict the fraught tensions among the disparate group of talented, determined individuals with whom he is climbing. Venables' vivid descriptions of the earth's high and wild places combined with the gripping action make this a must-read.
10 Felice Benuzzi, No Picnic on Mt Kenya
I love this preposterous story of three Italian prisoners of war who escape the boredom of an East African prison camp and set off to try and make the first ascent of Mount Kenya, using ice axes and crampons fashioned from a rubbish dump and bits of the barbed wire fence imprisoning them. Deeply moving, this beautifully written book almost reads like a novel and provides a unique perspective on the effects of war and the power of imagination.
Privacy policy | Terms & conditions | Advertising guide | A-Z index | Inside guardian.co.uk | About this site
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2011
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5406
|
__label__wiki
| 0.749175
| 0.749175
|
Planet Oz
Why Malcolm Roberts' demand for 'empirical evidence' on climate change is misleading
Scientist and Nobel prize-winner Peter Doherty says new One Nation senator ‘has no understanding of how science works’
Graham Readfearn
@readfearn
Mon 8 Aug 2016 22.29 EDT Last modified on Tue 13 Mar 2018 12.46 EDT
Pauline Hanson and Malcolm Roberts. His brand of climate denial is now in the national spotlight. Photograph: Dan Peled/AAP
Across Australia, climate science denialists are beside themselves with glee at the voting into office of one of their own.
Late last week, the Australian Electoral Commission confirmed that Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party had snagged Queensland’s final 12th Senate spot. Her candidate, Malcolm Roberts, is now a senator.
Roberts’ election is yet another demonstration of the quirkiness of Australia’s electoral system.
Only 77 people actually voted for Roberts as a first preference but, thanks to the popularity of Hanson, he’s in for three years.
Roberts’ own brand of climate denial – a heady mix of conspiracy theories and blind spots the size of the Antarctic ice sheet – is now in the national spotlight.
Josh Frydenberg: Australia's use of coal is falling 'and that is not a bad thing'
Roberts has had wall-to-wall coverage across Australia’s media – from Sky News, to Lateline, to Insiders to flagship ABC radio. Even Triple J has joined in.
News Corp’s Andrew Bolt, a strong promoter of the kind of material produced by Roberts, told the senator there were now “five or six out and proud voices of climate scepticism in the Senate”.
So how did Roberts respond to his newfound fame? Well, he didn’t disappoint, telling every mainstream audience there was “no empirical evidence to show that carbon dioxide affects the climate in any way”.
I’ve written several stories over the years about Roberts and the Galileo Movement – the climate science denial group founded in 2011 with radio personality Alan “climate change is witchcraft” Jones as its patron.
Three years ago I pointed out how One Nation was taking its cues on climate science from Roberts. Last month I suggested that, if elected, Roberts would bring an extreme form of climate science denial to the Senate.
But for those paying close attention to climate science denial – such as the string of US senators who spent hours talking about it only last month – Roberts sounds like a broken record. In Roberts’ case, the needle has been stuck for about six years.
What about his conspiracy theories (he says they’re not conspiracies, just facts) that climate change is a scam pushed by global banks looking for cash and the UN on the hunt for global domination? Roberts didn’t disappoint there either.
On ABC Melbourne, host Rafael Epstein asked Roberts: “Do you think the UN’s trying to impose some sort of global government through climate change policy?”
“Definitely,” replied Roberts. “Really?” checked Epstein. “Definitely,” confirmed Roberts.
For years, Roberts has been writing to politicians, government agencies, universities and scientists making the same claim that there is “no empirical evidence” to show fossil fuel burning causes climate change.
You can go and read all that material on his website – I’ll see you in six months once you’ve read it all.
Empirical evidence?
So what does Roberts mean by “empirical evidence”? According to him, decisions should be based on “observations in the real world … it’s measured, real world data” and nothing else counts.
There are two very obvious problems with Roberts’ argument.
The “real world data” is sending a clear message that the Earth is gaining heat at a rapid rate and that this is a long-term trend. Whether you look at global air temperatures measured in the real world by thermometers or derived from satellites, or the temperature of the oceans at multiple depths, or the increasing frequency of extreme temperatures, or the rising sea levels, the melting ice sheets, the disappearing Arctic sea ice, the increasing risk of bushfires … we could go on and on with a parade of “empirical evidence”.
Anyone can claim there is no evidence if they refuse to look at it.
Professor Steven Sherwood, UNSW
At the same time, humans are adding CO2 to the atmosphere and oceans at a rate that groups like the Geological Society say are unprecedented “even in comparison with the massive injections of carbon to the atmosphere at the Palaeocene-Eocene boundary, which led to a major thermal event 55m years ago”.
Roberts’ argument that science is only about “empirical evidence” might sound all sciencey to his interviewees and the lay audience. But it’s bunk.
If all you rely on is “empirical evidence”, and reject modelling and analysis that uses that data, then you basically throw out large swathes of modern scientific endeavours.
Prof Steven Sherwood, director of the Climate Change Research Centre at the University of New South Wales, told me:
The argument is specious.
Anyone can claim there is no evidence if they refuse to look at it. In Galileo’s time, some people refused to look into his telescope and then claimed there was no evidence to support what he was saying. Same thing today.
The problem is that evidence does not stand up by itself and announce the answer to any given question. Evidence must be interpreted by humans. Scientists have all interpreted the evidence, going back decades, and unanimously agree that it proves beyond a reasonable doubt that (a) humans are increasing CO2 and (b) this is causing warming. There is not a single respectable atmospheric scientist in the world whom I know of, who disagrees with either of these conclusions (there are a handful who challenge the magnitude of the effect but that’s a different question).
It is impossible to make a prediction based on data alone. Only a model can make a prediction of anything that has not happened yet.
Denial suite
Roberts has built a whole suite of well-rehearsed arguments to enable him to reject any assertions put to him.
They go like this, and I’m paraphrasing here. Climate scientists only say it’s warming because if they didn’t their grants would dry up. The Bureau of Meteorology and CSIRO have corrupted climate science and are thus guilty of corruption. Government agencies are politicised, which means anything they produce cannot be trusted. You can’t trust climate models, so anything that comes from them should be chucked out.
[Roberts] has no understanding of how science works.
Professor Peter Doherty, Nobel winner
One of Australia’s most famous and celebrated scientists is Prof Peter Doherty, who, in 1996, was jointly awarded a Nobel prize for his research into the immune system.
Doherty told me he had sent Roberts “plenty of reports and material” but Roberts had ignored it.
So Doherty has first-hand experience with Roberts and also knows a bit about the scientific method. He told me:
I’ve never used the term ‘empirical evidence’, or heard any other working scientist say it. [Roberts] has no understanding of how science works.
Discoveries in science stem from a mix of hypothesis, experiment, data generation, data analysis, insight and even a bit of guesswork. Telling the story of what’s happening in something as complex as climate science further depends on integrating information from a diverse spectrum of fields, then designing to see if the conclusions are valid or false. There’s a constant process of correction and further interpretation that then has to be supported by measurement.
You can tell a genuine sceptic from a denier (as I discuss in The Knowledge Wars) because the sceptic will want to look at new data and conclusions and, like any real scientist, will modify their conclusions accordingly. The denier remains ‘locked in’ to a sort of ‘decerebrate rigidity’.
All good scientists are sceptical, not least about their own data and conclusions. Further data show that we’re wrong, and we prefer not to be wrong, so people change their positions with new evidence. And, if you want to understand very complex, interactive systems, you have to use modelling approaches.
With climate science, data is coming in from a very broad spectrum of scientific disciplines that no one person can pull together ... thus the IPCC.
So how should journalists react when a newly-minted senator makes claims that run against science academies across the planet while suggesting institutions and governments the world over – from the US military to the UN – are either part of, or have been hoodwinked by, a conspiracy that only he can and a few other people on the internet are able to see?
Deference? Respect? Polite engagement?
According to Doherty “you have to respect the institutions of our democracy, including the Australian Senate, but that does not mean you have to respect the viewpoints held by individual senators”.
So there is another approach journalists could take.
In 2013, Roberts sent one of his voluminous reports to Ben Cubby, then the environment editor at the Sydney Morning Herald. I’ll leave you with Cubby’s response.
In considering your request that I identify errors in the report you sent to me – CSIROh! Climate of Deception? Or First Step to Freedom? – I find myself confronting an unusual problem: how does one critically analyse a pile of horseshit?
Climate change (Environment)
Climate change (Science)
Climate science denial
Pauline Hanson
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5407
|
__label__wiki
| 0.941122
| 0.941122
|
German minister to propose ban on full face veils in wake of attacks
Burqa and niqab to be proscribed as part of plan to boost surveillance, raise police numbers and tighten dual nationality rules
Philip Oltermann and Kate Connolly Berlin
Wed 10 Aug 2016 12.51 EDT Last modified on Tue 28 Nov 2017 11.37 EST
Two women wearing niqabs in Frankfurt. Photograph: Michael Gottschalk/Photothek via Getty Images
Germany’s interior minister will propose a number of security measures, including a ban on the full face veil for women, in reaction to growing concerns about violent attacks in the country.
According to German media, the measures, which the interior ministry will try to turn into law before national elections in 2017, include boosting police numbers and video surveillance at railway stations and airports, making it easier for doctors to break confidentiality agreements if their patients are planning criminal acts, and tightening rules around obtaining dual nationality.
The federal interior minister, the Christian Democrat (CDU) MP Thomas de Maizière, is expected to present details of a number of initiatives on Thursday, with the official presentation of the so-called Berlin declaration to follow at a conference of German state interior ministers on 18 August.
Thomas de Maizière. Photograph: Tobias Schwarz/AFP/Getty Images
Earlier this month, southern Germany saw a spate of violent attacks, three of which involved asylum seekers and two of which were later claimed by Islamic State.
A ban on full face veils worn by some Muslim women, similar to the “ban on face covering” passed in France, was recently proposed by Jens Spahn, one of the up-and-coming figures on the right wing of Angela Merkel’s party.
“A ban on the full veil, ie the niqab and the burqa, is overdue and would be a signal to the world,” the CDU politician told Die Welt newspaper at the end of July. “I don’t want to encounter a burqa in this country. In that sense I am burqaphobic.”
His position has been supported by the CDU candidate for the forthcoming Berlin state elections, Frank Henkel, who told the local Tagesspiegel newspaper: “I consider a ban on the burqa absolutely desirable.”
The ban on the full veil as well as the revoking of laws around dual nationality are likely to prove highly controversial and could run into legal difficulty.
Gökay Sofuoglu, the national chair of the Turkish community in Germany, described the proposal as populist. “How would one go about putting that into practice? Burqas are at the most worn by tourists from Saudi-Arabia,” Sofuoglu told the Mannheimer Morgen newspaper.
Frank Tempel, of leftwing party Die Linke who is a deputy chair of the federal committee for internal affairs, said in particular the proposal to ban the burqa was “pandering to the pub room chatter of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland”.
Should there be restrictions on wearing the niqab? - five-minute video debate
“We’re a year away from a federal election and the AfD is of course taking lots of votes away from the conservative camp. It has nothing to do with traditional religious freedom, it has nothing to do with many principles that have long been argued over … But that does not have anything to do with the fight against terror or with … fighting extremism.”
Arnold Plickert, the deputy chair of the police trades union, welcomed the proposal to increase the number of police personnel, saying that Germany’s internal security had been “squeezed to death” in the past few years due to financial cuts. “Across Germany, police are trying to work off 20m hours of overtime – that equates to 1,150 jobs that are in effect missing,” he said.
Three suspected Isis operatives arrested at German refugee shelters
Men held on suspicion of planning terrorist attacks may have had links to perpetrators of November 2015 Paris attacks
'Social peace is at stake': readers react to the recent German attacks
One week on from the Munich attack, our readers in Germany discuss the mood in the country
Angela Merkel defends Germany's refugee policy after attacks
German chancellor says country will stick to its principles in aftermath of wave of violence
Munich gunman saw sharing Hitler's birthday as 'special honour'
Police investigating whether Ali David Sonboly targeted people of foreign origin say he boasted of pride in being ‘Aryan’
The terror just seems to keep coming – how can we make sense of it?
Bavaria calls for extra police and migrant crackdown after attacks
Germany boosts police presence and warns of further terrorism
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5408
|
__label__wiki
| 0.681968
| 0.681968
|
Force Gurkha Spied With BSVI Engine
It is expected to carry forward the same 2.2-litre diesel engine that recently debuted with the Gurkha...
It is expected to carry forward the same 2.2-litre diesel engine that recently debuted with the Gurkha Xtreme, albeit in a BSVI-compliant avatar
BSVI emission norms will be implemented across the country from 1 April 2020.
The 2.6-litre diesel engine that powers the Gurkha Xplorer and Xpedition is not expected to be carried forward post the BSVI shift.
The 2.2-litre unit that powers the Gurkha Xtreme is derived from Mercedes’ OM611 engine.
With the long-awaited BSVI emission norms set to be introduced in April 2020, carmakers have started working on making their cars BSVI-compliant. And Force Motors is the latest to jump onto the bandwagon as recently, a Force Gurkha was spotted testing with a BSVI engine.
The spotted car is a three-door version of the Gurkha, which is available in both Xplorer and Xtreme variants. We expect it to be powered by a revised version of the 2.2-litre diesel engine that debuted with the top-spec Xtreme variant in December 2018. That's because the Mercedes-Benz OM616-derived 2.6-litre engine has been around for more than four decades now. And though it has been tweaked to comply with previous emission norms, the transition from BSIV to BSVI may not be possible. And hence, all variants are expected to be powered by the newer 2.2-litre engine only.
Force Gurka Xtreme vs Mahindra Thar CRDe: Spec Comparison
The new 2.2-litre engine is derived from a relatively newer Mercedes-Benz OM611 engine family. It makes 140PS of power and 321Nm of peak torque with a 5-speed MT in the Gurkha Xtreme.
Force Gurkha Xtreme vs Xplorer: Spec Comparison
Not only Force, India’s largest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki has also started working on BSVI engines. Maruti plans to make all its petrol cars BSVI-compliant by December 2019, while the plans for diesel cars is yet to be revealed. We expect Maruti to replace the 1.3-litre Fiat-sourced diesel engine with an indigenously developed 1.5-litre motor.
Also Read: New Mahindra Thar Spy Pics Reveal More Details
Read More on : Force Gurkha diesel
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5409
|
__label__cc
| 0.628922
| 0.371078
|
Law firms News
Hausfeld partner hire signals start of new five-year plan
Hausfeld has vowed to become a largely commercial-focused litigation boutique in London, with office managing partner Anthony Maton aiming for that strand of work to make up 70 per cent of its business within the next three to five years. Currently, competition litigation contributes the bulk of Hausfeld’s London revenue, making up roughly 60 per cent […]
Disputes News
Hausfeld heads up BMW’s cartel claim in the High Court
Litigation boutique Hausfeld has filed a class action claim in the High Court for German car manufacturer BMW against two maritime transport companies, which were fined by the European Commission earlier this year for price-fixing. The firm filed the claim on 10 July in what is its third major class-action case, following earlier work against […]
Hausfeld replaces Withers on £400m Libor claim against RBS
Withers has been replaced by Hausfeld on a major Libor manipulation and swaps mis-selling claim being brought against the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). Property tycoon claimant Stuart Wall launched the high-profile lawsuit against RBS in August 2014, originally instructing Withers commercial litigator Andrew Wass. This week Wall switched law firms to Hausfeld’s London boss […]
Hausfeld launches in Germany with €30m litigation pot from Burford Capital
Hausfeld will become the latest US firm to open in Germany following a €30m (£21.6m) investment from litigation funder Burford Capital. Burford will put up the multi-million pound pot to fund a raft of German claims for the firm with a focus on competition litigation. The Berlin office will open on 1 January 2016. Hausfeld […]
Lateral hires Law firms Litigation UK News
Hausfeld makes first foray into TMT sector with disputes hire
By Rachel Moloney 15 October 2018 10:13
0 comments Post comment
This article is only available to Premium subscribers of The Lawyer. Premium subscribers benefit from accessing all of our award-winning online content including interviews, commentary, analysis and in-depth research.
Latest Briefings
Manage DSAR Challenges through Workflow Optimisation and Automation
When the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) went into effect on 25 May 2018, it eliminated the cost barrier for an individual to submit a Data Subject Access Request (DSAR), potentially increasing the burden on organisations required to provide the results, and all in a tighter timeline. This has created a challenge for many organisations […]
Bulgaria introduces more detailed rules for provision of remote and online payment services
By Svilen Issaev, Denitsa Kuzeva The Bulgarian National Bank (the “BNB”) has recently adopted amendments to its Ordinance No 3 on the Terms for the Opening of Payment Accounts, Execution of Payment Transactions and Use of Payment Instruments (the “Ordinance”). The new amendments bring the Ordinance in line with the provisions of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/389[1] (the […]
Bermuda Public Companies Update – July 2019
In the latest edition of our Bermuda Public Companies Update we recap significant transactions involving Bermuda public companies over the period H1 2019. Global market update The first half of 2019 saw a notable slow-down in global market activity from the same period last year. Capital raised in the global IPO market fell by 37%, with volume down 34% on […]
Reflecting on Reflective Loss
By Nigel K. Meeson Primeo Fund (In Official Liquidation) and Bank of Bermuda (Cayman) Limited, HSBC Securities Services (Luxembourg) SA (Cayman Islands Court of Appeal 13 June 2019) The common law principle of reflective loss has been judicially described as a “perplexing and developing area”. The most recent decision of the Court of Appeal in […]
Why the UK? Current trends in the technology sector and growth opportunities for your digital business
By Pouyan Zabihian Current trends and growth opportunities in the UK technology sector were the focus of a recent conference hosted by the Montreal office of Gowling WLG. On June 6, 2019, Gowling WLG, in partnership with the British Consulate-General in Montreal and the UK Department for International Trade, organized a highly successfully seminar on […]
Clydes dismisses partner after “inappropriate behaviour” investigation
Clyde & Co has dismissed a partner after allegations surfaced of “inappropriate behaviour”, forcing the firm to carry out an internal investigation. The Lawyer understands that the UK-based partner, who has not been named, was removed from the partnership on Friday 28th September. Allegations of inappropriate behavior were reported from more than one female junior lawyer, […]
Recruit legal talent
Get your role in front of over 300,000 legal professionals when you advertise with The Lawyer. Our team of experts provide bespoke solutions to help solve all your recruitment challenges.
Deals News
Addleshaws and A&O spearhead sale of BT’s HQ
Allen & Overy and Addleshaw Goddard are acting on the £210m sale of BT’s iconic HQ overlooking St Paul’s Cathedral to Orion Capital Managers. The deal, part of a major cost-cutting drive, includes an initial leaseback agreement of 30 months during which time the former telecom monopoly will move its HQ to a new London […]
Business Leadership News
DLA Piper ramps up “radical change” strategy to train lawyers for the future
DLA Piper managing partner Simon Levine is embarking on phase 2 of his “radical change” strategy; a wide-ranging initiative to ensure the firm is prepared to broaden its services and face the growing competition of the accountancy firms. The efforts are part of a strategy informally dubbed “radical change” and disclosed to The Lawyer last February. […]
Lateral hires News
Paul Hastings snares transatlantic Hogan Lovells trio
Paul Hastings has targeted Hogan Lovells’ corporate department for the second time this year, bringing in a team of three that includes London head of private equity Ed Harris. Harris is joining alongside Hogan Lovells counsel Leanne Moezi in London, who will become a partner. Partner Adam Brown is also moving across from Northern Virginia […]
Addleshaws and Weil Gotshal lead on Abraaj funds sale
A raft of firms including Addleshaw Goddard, DLA Piper, Weil Gotshal & Manges and Debevoise & Plimpton have scored roles on Actis’s acquisition of stakes in the Middle East’s former biggest buyout firm, Abraaj. Following Albraaj’s filing for provisional liquidation in the Cayman Islands in June 2018, it underwent a complicated unwinding process after a […]
Careers News
Bakers commits to £18,000 NQ pay rise to keep pace with market
Baker McKenzie has become the latest firm to raise its salary for newly qualified (NQ) solicitors. The firm previously paid its NQs £77,000 per year, a figure that had fallen significantly behind the market given the developments this year. It has now raised that to base pay of £90,000 salary along with a £5,000 sign-on […]
Brought to you by Lawyer 2B
Gowling WLG fee-earners rack up 1,500 hours on innovation projects
Over 1,500 hours has been recorded by Gowling WLG fee-earners on innovation projects under a scheme launched last year, as firms increasingly give the opportunity to allocate chargeable hours to NewLaw initiatives. More than 150 fee-earners in the firm’s UK offices, representing around 25 per cent of its headcount, have put in over 200 hours […]
Premium jobs
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5412
|
__label__wiki
| 0.619797
| 0.619797
|
US Report on Nigeria aimed at legitimizing criminal activities of terrorists – ANSD
By Femi Ajasa On Mar 28, 2019 Last updated Mar 28, 2019
Nigerian scholars abroad, under the auspices of Association of Nigerian Scholars in Diaspora, ANDS, have faulted the recent report by the US Department of State on Corruption and Human Rights violation under the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government.
A report by the US Department of State entitled, “2018 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices,” accused the Nigerian government and the military of arbitrary and unlawful killings.
However, ANDS believes that the report was apparently aimed at legitimizing criminal activities of terrorists and extremists in Nigeria.
The association made this known in a communiqué issued at the end of a meeting to review the country reports on human rights practices for 2018.
Prof Bitrus Gamwa and Pita Agbese, President and Secretary General respectively who signed the communiqué on behalf of the Diasporan Nigeria scholars, outrightly rejected the report in its entirety and, therefore, called on other professional bodies of Nigerian origin to do the same, while mandating the Federal Government to communicate the rejection of the report in writing to the United States through its embassy in Nigeria.
The communiqué partly reads:
The Association of Nigerian Scholars in Diaspora on Monday March 25, 2019 in London, the United Kingdom met to review the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2018 published by the United States. Those in attendance held discussions that drew correlation with past incidents and the recently published report. They noted as follow:
The State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour of the United States sometimes in March 2019 published its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2018.
Woman killed, Rabbi wounded in California…
Insurgency: UK trains over 2,000 NAF Special…
APC wins Surulere Councillorship by-election
The 2018 edition was the 43rd annual Country Reports on Human Rights published by the US and it continued in the tradition of maligning Nigeria and countries that it may have other issues with.
Preface to the 2018 report stated that “individuals seeking reforms to end the wrongful interference in the exercise of unalienable rights – whether those individuals are in or out of government – will find a sympathetic friend and strong supporter in the United States of America.”
The section of the report that pertained to Nigeria was filled with half-truths, misleading information and outright lies that are meant to subjugate Nigeria by way of bringing the country to heel in aligning with US geo-strategic interests even where they run contrary to Nigeria’s interests.
It deliberately took aim at crucial government agencies of Nigeria in a bid to make it appear like a repressive regime contrary to its democratic credential as a popularly elected government.
The report was a covert disguise for putting ammunition in the hands of the opposition as proven by the assertion made by the United States in (3) above, by which it accepts that it is willing to work with individuals that sabotage Nigeria provided they serve the interest of America.
The questionable support for criminals as itemized in (3) above is the excuse under which the United States issued the report and similar reports that undermine the Armed Forces of Nigeria for the benefit of terrorists like Boko Haram, ISWAP, the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) and militants in the Niger-Delta. These groups that qualify as terrorists by internationally accepted definitions are apparently being supported by the United States.
The support for the opposition and terrorists extends beyond tactical backing with reports like the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2018 include indirect arming of these groups with weapons that are first supplied to third party countries like Syria from where they will find their way into the hands of these US lackeys in Nigeria. The incursion of the US into Venezuela is a model that the opposition in Nigeria continued to use as blackmail against the government as they vowed to repeat something similar.
The US report made another attempt at delegitimizing the Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act 2014 by presenting it as repressive, an inference that ignored the legislative process adopted by elected Federal Lawmakers to arrive at the legislation.
Huawei partners 40 universities in Nigeria
65 prisoners regain freedom in Delta
Supplementary poll: INEC declares APC candidate winner of Ajeromi-Ifelodun reps seat
[Video] Dino Melaye steals show at ABU, as huge crowd receives him
Banditry: Presidency commences screening of mining operators in Zamfara
Holy Spirit our source of walking in love – Prince Ufford
God is not good all the time – Femi Aribisala
Boko Haram: We need N1bn to produce war vehicles – Buratai
President Buhari mourns as Gombe holds funerals
Messi seals another La Liga title for Barcelona
Ronaldo celebrates 600th club goal in Juventus’ draw with Inter
Dickson inaugurates committees to probe activities of PDP leaders,…
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5414
|
__label__wiki
| 0.60639
| 0.60639
|
Tuesday | December 16th, 2014
Scoring Donors And Adding Prospects
When Nicole Gyorfi Titus, a veteran communications director, was asked to lead digital operations for the ReadyforHillary, a Rosslyn, Va.-based national political action committee, she didn’t hesitate to utilize a cooperative database for the PAC’s direct mail fundraising efforts.
In the case of organizations preparing high-end mailings, access to more names is allowing them to score their current donors and possibly even remove them from the plan in favor of prospects with better scores.
It starts “when an organization sends their donor list to a modeler,” explained Suzanne Forman, account director at Key Acquisition Partners firm that provides list brokerage and other services from offices in Annapolis, Md., and Naples, Fla.
“The modeler then analyzes and profiles those (donor list) records,” said Forman. “Since they usually have 97 percent of the names provided, the modeler has demographic and lifestyle information on most of the records. They then look for names in their database that have the same characteristics as the organization’s donors.”
The modeler ranks and scores the names, based on a variety of characteristics. “Theoretically the lower-scoring segments won’t perform well,” Forman said. “The organization can now drop those names and replace them with names from their co-op model which should perform significantly better. Since the output file that was provided is used as a suppression, the additional names net out nearly 100 percent.”
The key differentiator between co-ops is the methodology used to create the model. Price matters as well, although industry observers said there are competitive deals that are tailored to each client.
ReadyforHillary uses Infogroup Nonprofit Solutions’ Apogee co-op, according to Titus. Providers often straddle the gulf between list brokers — who generally recommend providers to their clients — and database cooperatives that actually crunch the numbers. The Papillion, Neb.-based business data and marketing solutions firm acts as a list broker for nonprofits and other organizations, but also maintains, mines and models its own co-op databases, according to firm President Gretchen Littlefield.
“One of the big trends is the overall growth of cooperatives,” said Littlefield. “There are many marketers who source the majority of prospects from co-ops instead of traditional response lists. That’s a huge change.”
The change was driven by a desire to improve response rates, or the donations collected, as well as reducing costs.
“Response rates were falling across industries. Organizations had less money to spend on direct response mailing, so they wanted an approach that would yield better results,” she said. “Instead of cherry-picking from individual lists, modeling allows the marketer to mail the people that are most likely to respond, and cut the ones that won’t. That alone can cut your postage and print costs by 20 percent.”
Even as the use of cooperative database marketing grows, “huge technological advances” are making it even more accurate, said Bruce Demaree, vice president of cooperative data services at DonorBase. The cooperative marketing database of the Armonk, NY-based firm focuses exclusively on nonprofits and fundraisers.
Martin Daks is a freelance business writer in Bethlehem Twp., Pa., and a regular contributor to The NonProfit Times.
« Invisible Children To Shut Down
Mobile Commons Acquired By Upland Software »
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5415
|
__label__cc
| 0.549781
| 0.450219
|
The Pairs
The Pairs About Support Our Dream Music For Change Photo Gallery See us LIVE
Making music to make change.
AboutSupport Our DreamMusic For ChangePhoto GallerySee us LIVE
Why music?
Human life is an extraordinary thing. The complexities that exist in every moment can be both confusing and inspiring. As human beings living in a busy world, we believe in the importance of finding those things that grab you and pull you into a moment. The thing that helps you find pause and focus on the detail at hand. The thing that reminds you that life is a process, a gift worth unwrapping slowly. For us, that thing is music. Not only does music bring us great joy and allow us to connect with ourselves and others, but it acts as a constant reminder and metaphor for the way in which we aim to live life. Music teaches us to live in the moment. To expand every breath, stretch every note and pay attention to the detail and intricacies that come together to create a beautiful song. For us, this is how we wish to live. To pay attention to the world and all of its beauty in every second. Enjoy the unfolding of a melody without racing to the end of the song. To play, interact, create and express ideas. Music teaches us to acknowledge the detail of each confusing and inspiring moment, and continue to dance through life with ease.
Beyond the boundaries of metaphor, our music has acted as a form of therapy for each of us. There is something healing about being able to share exactly what is on your mind and in your heart through a song that inspires others to take part in the story. What at times may feel like a heavy burden or thought can be released in a tune that makes you want to flail about and dance until you can’t feel your feet. Not that all of our music has a particularly “flaily” feel to it, but it is that sentiment that really connects us with music and its power to invite people into a moment, experiencing every emotion that comes with it. A single second is all it takes to make an impact, to change a thought, start a new journey or to stand up for something you believe in. A single second is all it takes to make a choice of who you want to be and how you want to live in the world. You have the choice to use a gift you’ve been given or to keep it hidden for fear of judgement. We recognize that music is the avenue we have chosen to be true to ourselves and honor our own gifts and desires in this lifetime. Our hope is that every time we share our joy of making music, we invite those who listen to share in the joy of finding that thing that makes their own heart sing. We hope that with each melody, we can be inspired together to always honour ourselves and honour the world around us, in all of its complexities.
CHECK OUT OUR MOST RECENT PROJECT HERE
Photo Credit: Allstage, Michaela Devine Photography, Dee Klinger
London OnT
email: info@thepairsmusic.com
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5418
|
__label__wiki
| 0.905543
| 0.905543
|
For Dreadlocked Servicewomen, the Fight for Acceptance Is Both a Military and Civilian Battle
Kenya Downs
Filed to: Black women in the militaryFiled to: Black women in the military
Black women in the military
blacks in the military
military ban on black hairstyles
First Lt. Whennah Andrews first took on dreadlocks in the military in 2014 after leaked revisions to the Army’s grooming standards attempted to ban natural hairstyles. (Kenya Downs)
First Lt. Whennah Andrews of the U.S. Army National Guard tries to hide her braces while showing off her smile. But four years since first advocating against grooming regulations that barred soldiers from wearing natural hairstyles, her smile hints at relief over one of the final steps in the fight for acceptance.
A decade-old ban on dreadlocks is finally coming to an end.
“After all my years of service, I felt like I had a target on my back. I walked a very tight line, but my convictions were more important to me than a paycheck.”
—Staff Sgt. Chaunsey Logan
An Army directive, issued in February, adjusted its grooming policies related to allow dreadlocks—which had been banned since 2005.
The policy that banned all natural hairstyles, called AR 670-1, first leaked online in 2014. It outlawed twists, braids, cornrows and Afros—styles commonly associated with black women. Andrews first sent them to me before the revisions went public, and after our story sparked months of outrage—including an open letter from the Congressional Black Caucus (pdf) and a review ordered by the Pentagon—the Army reversed course.
It marked a significant victory for many black female soldiers. But Andrews wasn’t one of them. Despite the Army’s reversal, the ban on dreadlocks remained.
“It was a setback,” she says. “There was attention paid to other styles like cornrows and twists, but a lot of people ignored dreadlocks because the mindset was, ‘Well, they’ve been banned already anyway.’”
Before, the Army’s vague definition of dreadlocks—including controversial terms like “unkempt” and “matted”—allowed women with neatly groomed locs to bypass the regulation.
“Locs being unclean and unkempt is a stereotype that impacts the men and women who wear them,” says popular beauty vlogger Nikky Nwamokobia. In a YouTube video, Andrews and Nwamokobia dispel common myths associated with dreadlocks’ cleanliness and ease of use in the military.
Locks in the Military (ARMY)
Guess what ??? It worked !!!! An army Lieutenant named Whennah Andrews and I submitted my video…
“It was important for the Army to see that, for many women, locs are their only option to maintain hair without using harsh chemical relaxers, weaves or wigs,” Nwamokobia says.
Hundreds of soldiers were faced with a dilemma: Cut their hair, be reprimanded or unenlist.
Staff Sgt. Chaunsey Logan of Fort Stewart, Ga., was also one of those soldiers. The 16-year soldier never had any issue since first locking her hair in 2011. But the natural-hair ban meant added scrutiny. After refusing to cut her locs, she faced a dishonorable discharge that would have affected her eligibility for work and education benefits under the GI Bill.
“After all my years of service, I felt like I had a target on my back,” she says. “I walked a very tight line, but my convictions were more important to me than a paycheck.”
Staff Sgt. Chaunsey Logan demonstrates how her locs adhered to the Army’s revised grooming standards once twisted into a bun. When untwisted, Logan’s dreadlocks were considered not in compliance. The Army’s ban on dreadlocks—enforced since 2005—will come to an end in 2018. (Courtesy of Chaunsey Logan)
She was prepared for the worst, but a chance decision to style her locs in a bun during her appeal allowed her to exploit a loophole in the policy. Her hair now looked like Senegalese twists, which are authorized under AR 670-1. An examination of her hair right there in the hearing room determined that Logan was in compliance with the guidelines.
“It shows you just how fickle the regulation was,” she says. “To them, it was just hair, but for me it represented who I am as a black woman.”
But even as the military, one of the most conservative institutions in the country, develops more progressive stances on hair, a return to civilian life may invite the same stigmas that dreadlocked servicewomen face while enlisted.
According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, employees face an uphill battle claiming race-based employment discrimination over their dreadlocks. Even though Title VII of the Civil Rights Act protects against workforce discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex and national origin, hairstyles aren’t included.
“If the person is Rastafarian, they have much firmer ground for claiming discrimination because it’s generally accepted that they are a part of the religion,” says attorney Arthur R. Ehrlich of the Chicago-based Goldman & Ehrlich law firm, which specializes in employment law and discrimination. Proving race-based discrimination, he says, is trickier because “hairstyles are not considered as characteristics associated with race.”
In late 2016, a federal judge ruled that employees and applicants don’t have a right to wear dreadlocks after a young woman sued Alabama-based Catastrophe Management Solutions for racial discrimination. The insurance company rescinded her job offer after she declined to cut her locs. The EEOC, which represented the applicant, argued “dreadlocks are a manner of wearing the hair that is physiologically and culturally associated with people of African descent.”
In a 3-0 decision, however, the court disagreed.
“The fact that I can serve my country with my hair the way God intended it but be denied a job when I return shows just how much work there is left to do.”
“In the military and civilian world, the ones making these decisions are those who will never have the hair texture or cultural background to understand,” says retired Sgt. Major Donnell Johns. Johns fielded the concerns of many servicewomen, including Andrews, about how to navigate the dreadlocks ban.“They don’t understand that dreadlocks, like many other black hairstyles, are deeply ingrained in cultural and ethnic identity.”
After fighting to keep her dreadlocks, Logan, who has served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, says that she refuses to take up the battle again in the corporate world. “I rather go back to war than go through that process again,” she says. “The fact that I can serve my country with my hair the way God intended it but be denied a job when I return shows just how much work there is left to do.”
For now, the battle over dreadlocks in the Army may be won, but the war is far from over. Andrews and Nwamokobia have paired up again to take on the only military branch where a dreadlocks ban remains: the Navy. After initial talks, they plan to tackle the Navy’s ban the same way they did the Army: through education. The goal is to enlighten Navy personnel and the public about their ease of use and necessity for black women.
Nikki Nwamokobia and First Lt. Whennah Andrews are working on a new video for the Navy, the last branch of the military with a dreadlocks ban. (Kenya Downs)
“We are currently working on a video for the Navy’s ban on locs,” says Nwamokobia. “With the military as the role model, we plan on continuing on to corporate America in hopes to continue the momentum of positive and inclusive change.”
Despite a more progressive military, Andrews’ reserved smile fades amid her concern over the hundreds of dreadlocked soldiers who will eventually return to civilian life. But she’s “prepared to fight against stereotypes with the same vigor for women outside the military as those within.”
Even if, for her, it was too late.
Andrews, like many other servicewomen, cut her locs prior to the Army’s reversal. While she’s already growing them back, dreadlocks won’t be formally accepted until next year.
Kenya is a contributing journalist tackling social justice and coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean. A soca and samba junkie, she's somewhere in the world with a camera and a costume.
Recent from Kenya Downs
#BlackGirlMagic: Meet the Creative Gunning to Bring Black Movie-Streaming to the Diaspora
With Trump Revoking Temporary Protected Status, Haitians Fear for the Future and Their Lives
For Hurricane Relief, Caribbean Americans Step In Where US Media and Government Fall Short
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5422
|
__label__cc
| 0.500716
| 0.499284
|
Acting against carding might outdo compromise: James
Fri., May 15, 2015timer4 min. read
There must be ways to crush carding — to facilitate its reform or enable its collapse under its immoral weight.
Better to employ these tactics now, not after frustration erupts into Baltimore and Ferguson-like violence.
For several years, members of the black community — together with human rights and civil liberties advocates — have engaged with the police to tame the most damaging aspects of the police practice.
Out of a sense of goodwill, and public safety, these black community moderates took this approach: There may be some value to the practice of recording information obtained in casual contact with citizens. To “ban” the practice only sends it underground; the cops will still do it, only, with no guidelines and no paper trail from which to monitor the practice for bias and improve it through training.
That was a difficult and enlightened position to take. After all, police data analysed by the Star showed black and brown citizens are four times more likely to be carded than whites. This is the case in a drug-infested precinct; it’s more so in a “crime-free” neighbourhood. In fact, a young black man is more likely to be carded going about his business outside his resident community.
At the risk of ridicule from more strident citizens and groups who want the practice banned outright, these individuals collaborated with the police with patience and integrity and amazing skill.
Some suggested the black community should be marching on police headquarters, city hall and Queen’s Park demanding an end to this discriminatory practice. Instead, community members collaborated with police in the PACER review.
The police board held public meetings and, finally, voted reforms in 2014: If you are going to go on a fishing expedition, stop people just to pad the police database with info — not as part of an investigation or arrest — then tell the target that the encounter is voluntary and they are not being detained. And give them a “Thank You” receipt that documents the stop.
The Toronto police service created the receipts and started using them — until some internal uprising stalled progress. Police Chief Bill Blair refused to create operation directives to the rank and file defining the “public safety reasons” for carding. Internally, the pushback from police is distilled to “We don’t have to tell citizens why we’re stopping them.”
Even, it seems, if it is for no reason other than to satisfy some administrative mandate and unwritten quota.
In essence, the Police Services Board capitulated and agreed. With Mayor John Tory (open John Tory's policard)’s enabling, the 2014 reforms were reversed, a new chief was installed with praise for carding on his lips, and a narrative questioning the Star’s data and the reported experiences of black citizens.
Reasonable people, then, are forced to push back — if only out of self-respect.
One. Young black men, the obvious targets of police, should file Freedom of Information requests to see their carding file. File the requests by the thousand. That should tell them what information police have on them. Much of the info is sloppily gathered, hurriedly reported as part of expected performance quotas, and out-and-out incorrect. Swamp the cops with requests. Then, expose the info online.
Two. Issue “Don’t Stop. Don’t Talk” cards. Similar ones already exist, such as the No ID card issued by the Centre for Police Accountability. Expand their use.
Three. Encourage card holders to video record every exchange when they show police the cards.
Four. Pursue all legal means to challenge the constitutionality of the practice. The ruling by a judge this week addresses a citizen’s right to walk down the street and not answer police request for information, while not under arrest or investigation. As the judge said, it does not address whether the practice is constitutional. That question — a long-term project — needs to be answered.
Five. The Ontario Human Rights Commission is so displeased with the action taken by John Tory-led police board that it has withdrawn from further discussion on the matter with the police. Good. But not enough.
The Commission should pursue sanctions against the board and the service. If Tory’s position is so “inherently flawed” and a “retreat from earlier more progressive positions” designed to prevent racial profiling, the human rights commission should commence an investigation.
Six. Where is Toronto city council on this? Where is the council-approved resolution denouncing the current practice, slamming the reversal of reforms and demanding the board ensure all citizens are treated equitably?
Seven. Snub the Perpetrators. Groups such as the Harry Jerome Awards, Planet Africa, African Canadian Achievement Awards, the Jamaican Canadian Association and others should suspend their relationships with Toronto police, the mayor’s office and the police services board until these reasonable concerns are addressed. Do not invite them to your churches, your events or to the places you gather.
Continued agitation from groups like the Anti-Black Racism Network will help. They demanded this week that police provide evidence carding stops crime. Even then, it’s racial profiling and should be stopped, they said.
These are starting points. They flow from actions by the police brass and the police board that show a reluctance to play fair and avoid the stereotypes that a few black gunmen represent thousands of law abiding black men; that black people are a risk demanding special attention and suspicion.
Police arrogance has eroded trust. Regaining it will be long in coming.
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5424
|
__label__wiki
| 0.925728
| 0.925728
|
Canadian aid workers rescued in gunfight
By Michelle ShephardNational Security Reporter
Yamri Taddese
Mon., July 2, 2012timer2 min. read
NAIROBI – Four foreign aid workers abducted from the Dadaab refugee camp were rescued during a short gunfight in Somalia and were on their way to Kenya Monday.
The Norwegian Refugee Council, where the four work, confirmed in a statement that two of the released workers are Steven Dennis and Qurat-Ul-Ain Sadazai of Canada.
The other two hostages were Glenn Costes from the Philippines and Steven Astrid Sehl of Norway.
Kenyan army spokesperson Cyrus Oguna told reporters here that one of the hostages had been shot in the leg.
“They are exhausted, they have walked far and have blisters . . . but otherwise in good health,” Oguna said.
Gunmen abducted the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) staff Friday near the organization's compound.
A Kenyan driver was killed in the attack and two other local employees wounded.
Sadazai was an experienced aid worker both in Kenya and Pakistan. She is based here with her husband and was on a day trip to Dadaab with some of the other high-level delegates.
NRC spokesperson Eric Christopherson confirmed their release but would provide few details, promising a statement later Monday. When asked about their conditions in a telephone interview he said, “Alive. Not seriously injured.”
Details of the rescue Sunday night remained uncertain but Oguna called it a joint operation between Somali and Kenyan forces and one militant had been killed. Two others reportedly escaped.
A non-governmental organization source with knowledge of the case told the Toronto Star that the rescue took place in Diff, a small town near the border and was conducted by Kenyan forces and fighters with Ras Kamboni, pro-government Somali militia.
It was an unusually quick ending for kidnappings in Somalia that often last for months. Two Spanish workers with Medecins Sans Frontier were taken from Dadaab in October and remain missing.
Al Shabab, the Somalia-based group that merged with Al Qaeda earlier this year, was suspected in the abduction, although some analysts believe bandits looking for large ransoms snatched the foreign workers.
Security at Dadaab and throughout various areas in Kenya including the capital has been a concern since Kenyan forces entered Somalia in October.
Somalia's Ambassador to Kenya, Mohammed Ali Nur, said talks have been ongoing with Kenyan authorities to increase security at the camp which houses more than 460,000 Somali refugees.
"We're here as guests of the government and they assured us they'll send more troops," he said in a Monday interview.
"We've also talked to Somalis refugee themselves and asked them to work closely with Kenyan authorities and if they see people trying to come in armed they should tell the authorities so they can be stopped."
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5425
|
__label__cc
| 0.628249
| 0.371751
|
Let me give you a few examples of the silliness of this game. At the forefront is the latest practice of catchers wearing coded wristbands. Before every pitch, the catcher looks to the dugout to get a signal from a coach for the next pitch. Then the catcher checks his wristband to decipher the coach’s signal. Finally, the catcher relays the signal to the pitcher.
You have to be kidding me. First of all, college coaches and players are not sophisticated enough to steal signals. Even if an opposing team stole the signal, there would not be time before the next pitch to relay it to the base coach and then to the hitter.
The addition of catchers’ wristbands is a perfect example of attempting to make the game much more difficult than it is. Besides, whatever happened to a catcher learning to call a game? The first thing college catchers must learn when they turn to professional baseball is the art of calling pitches.
Next, you might have noticed college catchers and pitchers engaging in espionage whenever they meet on the pitcher’s mound. Get this: They talk to each other with their gloves over their mouths. They do not want opponents to read their lips. Seriously.
Most college games are not televised, and even those that are cannot be seen in dugouts or clubhouses. So who exactly is doing all the lip-reading in college baseball? Perhaps college baseball players take lip-reading courses these days and I am unaware of it.
When it comes to strategy, I am convinced every college coach needs to leave the game and spend a summer sitting in a minor-league dugout. There they would learn the basics to smart strategy, because they obviously do not practice those in their own dugouts.
All of the following happened in South Carolina’s Saturday victory against Charlotte in Raleigh. USC held a 6-0 lead with two outs in the top of third inning when Charlotte speedster Shayne Moody — a senior, no less — stole third base. I cannot think of a single reason why Moody needed to be on third base. Not one.
He was not alone in his stupidity. Later, in the top of the fifth inning with USC leading 9-0, Charlotte’s O’Brien Taylor — another senior — was thrown out attempting to steal second base. He must have believed his one possible run was awfully important in overcoming a nine-run deficit.
Finally, USC led 15-8 with one out in the top of the ninth when Charlotte’s Brad McElroy walked and Tyson Hibbs was inserted as a pinch-runner. Much to the dismay of anyone who has ever watched baseball, USC first baseman Justin Smoak held Hibbs on first base, opening a hole on the right side of the infield.
It got worse. USC relief pitcher Mike Cisco attempted a pick off of Hibbs by throwing to first base. It was as if USC wanted to aid Charlotte in producing a big inning.
Admittedly, there is a fine line in college baseball between giving one’s all on every play and displaying false hustle. More often than not, college players cross that line.
During Sunday’s championship game in Raleigh, a USC batter launched a foul ball that landed a mere 300 or so yards in foul territory. Yet both the N.C. State shortstop and third baseman sprinted all the way to the wall in foul territory. For what purpose, I am not certain.
To open Saturday’s game against Charlotte, USC’s Reese Havens lined a double into the right-field corner. Before the right fielder’s throw reached the cutoff man in the outfield, Havens slid head first into second base. It was reminiscent of a head-first slide into home plate by USC’s Scott Wingo against Tennessee during the regular season when there was no throw home.
Call it aggressive baseball if you want. I call it typical college nonsense. Rest assured, if Havens attempts that kind of play in professional baseball, he will do it only once.
Then again, once Havens signs a professional contract, he no longer will have to meet with his manager between pitches or look to the dugout before a 3-1 pitch with the bases empty. I am trusting he will be allowed to play the game the way it should be played.
By Teddy Kulmala
A pedestrian died after being hit by a motorcycle Wednesday in Lexington County, SC, according to troopers.
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5426
|
__label__wiki
| 0.833465
| 0.833465
|
Georgia (35-20-1) finally got to Lynn in the sixth. Ryan Peisel singled, advanced to second on a walk and then scored on a single to right field by Robbie O’Bryan, making the score 3-1.
That was all the Bulldogs could manage against Lynn, who gave up four hits in 6 2/3 innings. Scott Bittle replaced Lynn and allowed a walk and two hits over the final 2 1/3 innings to earn his eighth save.
Related stories from The State in Columbia SC
Gamecocks waste strong start, lose in heartbreaker
NASCAR & Auto Racing
The biggest mystery of the NASCAR season? It’s obvious but has no easy solution
By Brendan Marks
Driver Kevin Harvick heads to New Hampshire without a NASCAR Cup Series race this year, one season after recording a career-high eight wins. None of his Stewart-Haas Racing teammates has won in 2019, either.
|
cc/2019-30/en_middle_0079.json.gz/line5427
|
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.