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SportFootballSheffield WednesdayLatest Owls News
SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 22: General View of Hillsborough prior to the Sky Bet Championship match between Sheffield Wednesday and Preston North End at Hillsborough Stadium on December 22, 2018 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)
Sheffield Wednesday end of term report: Star pupil, attendance, worst behaved and more...
The 2018/19 season was a mixed one for Sheffield Wednesday as they overcame a tough start to earn a 12th place finish in the Championship.
By Nancy Frostick
Tuesday, 14 May, 2019, 11:48
Here’s there end of term report card...
1. Attendance - A
Wednesday fans turn out in their thousands home and away - the average home attendance at Hillsborough this season was 24,429.
Photo: jp
2. League form - C plus
A poor first half and a much improved second half balance out to a mid-table finish. That probably qualifies Wednesday for a pass, but given how close they were to the play-offs at one stage it's a C plus.
3. Cup form - C
A decent run in the FA Cup was brought to an end by Chelsea, while Wednesday were knocked out by Wolves in the second round of the League Cup. Some room for improvement but not a bad effort.
Photo: Catherine Ivill
4. Headmaster - B
Obviously there have been two different men in the dugout at Hillsborough this season, each with contrasting fortunes but the conclusion of the campaign is enough to bump this up to a positive grade.
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Think Stocks Are Hot? This Car Metal Keeps Hitting New Records
By Amrith RamkumarWSJ
Tues., March 19, 2019timer3 min. read
A metal that is key to filtering car emissions is one of the best-performing investments this year, boosted by greater environmental scrutiny of auto makers and signs of a supply crunch.
The price of palladium, a critical component of the catalytic converters used in gasoline-powered cars, has surged 30% so far this year to a record $1,551.90 a troy ounce, extending a rally that started in August to a 67% gain. The price rose 0.8% Tuesday on the New York Mercantile Exchange, climbing for a seventh consecutive session.
The silvery-white metal recently became more expensive than gold for the first time since 2001 and trades nearly $700 above its close relative platinum. Gold and platinum have largely traded sideways in recent months.
Palladium has also outpaced the stock market, with the S&P 500 up 13% this year.
Despite some calls that the rally is overextended, auto makers have come under greater regulatory scrutiny to meet emissions standards. That has caused investors to wager that demand will continue to be strong, lifting prices. Palladium hit fresh highs after Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV said last week it is recalling nearly 863,000 vehicles in the U.S. because some didn’t meet federal emissions standards.
Catalytic converters are among the components to be replaced as part of the recall. Analysts at Capital Economics estimate the replacements could require about 100,000 ounces of palladium, or roughly 1% of annual global consumption.
“There’s such a desperate need for it,” said Tai Wong, head of base and precious metals derivatives trading at Bank of Montreal. “It’s a market that is in a fairly significant deficit with no real good substitution.”
Production by key suppliers such as Russia and South Africa isn’t expected to keep up with demand. It is also difficult for analysts to identify obvious supply sources because palladium is a byproduct of other metals such as platinum and nickel.
Adding to the bullish mood: News reports last week said Russia’s Trade and Industry Ministry is considering suspending exports of recycled precious-metals scrap for six months starting in May, a move that could potentially exacerbate the supply deficit for palladium. Recycled palladium has been a key source of supply in recent years, helping fill the production void, analysts say.
Still, palladium demand exceeded supply for the sixth consecutive year in 2018, according to estimates from Johnson Matthey PLC, a London-based metals trader and one of the world’s largest makers of catalytic converters.
Some investors have said the high cost of palladium could lead the auto industry to consider substituting other metals. But many analysts say the tiny amount of palladium used in gasoline engines makes paying more for the metal more practical than a new process that involves a substitute.
“It’s only a relatively small fraction of the cost of the entire vehicle, so you just pass the cost through” to customers, Mr. Wong said.
But new technology or a further shift toward electric vehicles that use more of other metals such as lithium and cobalt could hurt palladium, some analysts say.
Some investors are already showing caution toward the small, volatile market. Net bets on higher palladium prices have fallen for three consecutive weeks, according to Commodity Futures Trading Commission data through March 12.
Shares of Canadian producer North American Palladium Ltd., one of the few miners focused solely on palladium, have fallen 18% from a multiyear peak reached March 1, though they are still up 130% in the past six months. The stock rose 12% Tuesday.
More broadly, some market participants say a sharp economic slowdown that roils stock and commodities markets could ripple to the palladium market. The global auto industry has already shown signs of weakening, and tepid sales moving forward could cause the rally to reverse.
Palladium prices “should fall substantially from current levels given the weak state of automotive demand in the U.S., Europe and, especially, China,” Capital Economics analysts said in a recent note to clients.
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Write to Amrith Ramkumar at amrith.ramkumar@wsj.com
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Newspapers told Government will ‘play hard ball’ over Royal Charter
June 12 2013, 1:01am, The Times
The newspaper industry has proposed an alternative charterRosie Hallam/Getty Images
Politicians will “play harder ball” with newspapers by imposing a new government-backed system of regulation on them unless they agree to accept it, industry representatives were told yesterday at a parliamentary hearing.
John Leech, a Liberal Democrat member of the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee, said the Government “ultimately holds the cards” in the debate over rival versions of a Royal Charter on press regulation.
The industry has published an alternative charter after arguing that a version backed by the three main parties would undermine press freedom.
Mr Leech told Peter Wright and Paul Vickers, who represent the major publishers: “Ultimately if you don’t sign up [to the politicians’ version] there is a real danger that politicians will decide that the newspapers won’t play…
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Why the ashkenazi schools don't accept sefardi children
Home › Forums › Decaffeinated Coffee › Why the ashkenazi schools don't accept sefardi children
This topic contains 69 replies, has 31 voices, and was last updated by cherrybim 2 years, 11 months ago.
July 28, 2016 5:56 pm at 5:56 pm #618038
Rabbi of Crawley
People assume it is baseless hatred or racism, unfortunately that is often the case
However many times and I believe, in the majority of cases, it is because of the following two reasons;
1) The Sefardi children are brought up at home in a different way than the Ashkenazi kids, therefore it will be difficult to integrate them into the school environment as they have a different way of expressing themselves academically and socially
2) The Ashkenazi school systems are based on the eastern european model – beis yakov, cheder, yiddish, etc which is very different from the old sefardic schooling system
So really it is not “baseless hatred” or racism it is becasue the governors and the staff believe it is not in the sefardi communities interest to integrate their children into these schools.
July 29, 2016 5:56 pm at 5:56 pm #1164074
Subtitle please
It’s actually A bit of both.
iacisrmma
Where are these yeshivos that you find this phenomenon?
Let’s apply what I call the “Black people test” and see how it comes out. Replace whatever group you are talking about with Blacks and see if you could be accused of racism.
1) Black children are brought up at home in a different way than white kids, therefore it will be difficult to integrate them into the school environment as they have a different way of expressing themselves academically and socially
2) The White school systems are based on the European model – which is very different from the old Black system
Sounds potentially racist.
July 29, 2016 11:39 pm at 11:39 pm #1164077
Ben Levi
The difference is a nuber of facts
1) Blacks and whites in America now are basically trying to learn the same stuff with the same goals even if surface level vocabulary is different.
2) Ashkenazin amd Sephardim have different minhagim and they pasken differently.
A true Sephardi has completely and totally different halachos in primary ways that make it very difficult to teach children, ideally ateacher should be able to teach a class.
1) Without having to explain on Pesach what Ashkenazim hold is chametz the Sephardim hold is Matza and rice.
2) Our Sefer TOrah looks and is held completely differently then theirs.
3) Hald the class pronounces the taamim one way the other a different way.
Along with many other very real differences.
And I write this as someone who counts a proud sefardi as one of his best friends.
rwndk1
The main question is why do Sephardim want to be in Ashkenazi schools that don’t want them.
yungerman123
you mean “some of my best friends are sefardi?” Let’s apply above stated “black test”
Shopping613 🌠
Yes, but I go to school with girls who are chassidish and NOT litvish. Heck, there are some chabadniks too. We have some sefardi in my schools, let’s just let down the barrier. We are ALL Jews!!!
The racism must stop! One of my good friends is sefardi and was rejected from a top seminary because of this. Itis not fair. They don’t know or care that she gets straifght A’s, is in charge of Chesed, has the biggest heart, perfect BY girl, and they didn’t even CHECK who her friends are! Because they accepted EVERY SINGLE ONE OF HER BEST FRIENDS ECEPT HER.
Why? Because they saw her last name and said “nope”
I am so done and disgusted by the way Jews can act. It’swrong, it’s NOT TORAH! THIS IS NOT EMES!
It’s not “they are different” it’s pure racism. People stereotype them and say automatically think BY sefardi girls are crazy party animals just because a percentage of sefardi girls are that way. But it’s not the majority. It’s not fair to put them down or shame them.
In halacha class we all right on top of our papers if we are sefardi, ashkenazi, and so on so we are graded fairly. Some teachers make us learn both halachas because “you never know who you marry”
It’s the 3 weeks. Share the ahava and stop the hate
I llive in Israel where I see firsthand that it is no less than racism. People avoid sefardim, etheopians. Feel uncomfortable around them, don’t want to be neighbors, send their kids to the same nursery. NURSERY.
July 31, 2016 1:58 am at 1:58 am #1164082
akuperma
From press accounts, the “all” Ashkenazi school do include some Sefardim. It appears that the issue is that some Sefardim wo are on the frum side of religious zionism value the higher quality education in the hareidi schools, even though their lifestyle is closer to the religious zionists. Needless to say, non-hareidi Ashkenazim are also included from such schools. The analogy to American racial biases is clearly without basis since intermarriage between Ashkenazi and Sefardi families is common. The men’s school tend to be more open to those with lower religious standards (perhaps feeling they can raise their standards) whereas it appears that girls’ school are more defensive (focused on avoiding less religious influences). It does appear that those critical of the schools in question tend to be opponents of the hareidi style education, and this ulterior motive i why their criticism should be taken “with a grain of salt.”
simcha613
Ben LEvi- your comment is an affront to our Mesorah. Sure there are different minhagim between Ashkenazim and Sephardim, and sometimes psak din is a bit different…. but it’s the same Torah Shebichsav and the same Torah Sheba’al Peh. Other than maybe having a separate minyan and a separate halacha seder which is such a small portion of the day, there is no reason they can’t learn the same Torah together in the same schools.
July 31, 2016 11:18 am at 11:18 am #1164084
Wouldn’t separate minyanim be racist?
Avi K
1. People from different backgrounds in general express themselves differently. In fact,no two people express themselves the same way.Thus no two nevi’im prophesied in the same style.
2. Today only Chasidic schools teach in Yiddish. Moreover, Yiddish also has different dialects which are not necessarily mutually intelligible. In fact, Rav Arye Levine zatzal re-tested a boy from a Hungarian background because he thought that maybe he did not understand his Lithuanian pronunciation. According to your line of reasoning there should be separate schools for each ethnic group.
3. Why can’t they teach both sets of minhagim? In fact, it would be good for kids to know this. It wouldenrich their knowledge of Judaism.
All Yiddish dialects among frum communities are mutually intelligible.
yehudayona
Ben Levi, by your reckoning, Ashkenazim should have different schools for gebrokts eaters and those who don’t eat gebrokts. After all, to a little kid whose family doesn’t eat gebrokts, it’s chometz, just as rice and beans are chometz to a little kid who’s an Ashkenazi. One would hope that when they get a little older, they understand that these are minhagim, and alternative minhagim are just as valid.
Actually there are separate schools for Litvaks and Chassidim and most people would look at a litvishe boy trying to go to a Satmar or Gerrer school as weird and the same vice versa.
August 1, 2016 3:28 pm at 3:28 pm #1164089
jewishfeminist02
Separate minyanim would not be racist at all.
The only reason for separate minyanim is that you can’t have more than one nusach simultaneously in the same minyan. So it wouldn’t be “the minyan for Sephardim” and “the minyan for Ashkenazim,” it would be “the Nusach Ashkenaz minyan” and “the Nusach Edot HaMizrach minyan” (throw in “the Nusach Sphard minyan” too, if you like).
Anybody would be free to daven at whichever minyan they want, no questions asked. Not racism, just plain utilitarianism.
Joseph, If the Americans and English are two peoples separated by a common language how much more so Yiddish speakers. When a Galitzianer says ‘Elokeini” a Litzvak thinks that he is saying “My Gd”. For that matter, Yiddish has many loan words from whatever is the local language. In fact, Ruchama Shain commented in “All for the Boss” that when she returned to NY form mir her relatives did not understand her son’s Polish Yiddish as they spoke American Yiddish.
Ben Levi, Ponevich has many Chassidic talmidim and even waives the no beards rule for Chassidic bachurim (Litvaks consider it haughty for a bachur to have a beard). Rav Schach was very much opposed to ethnic discrimination.
JF, there are many mixed minyanim. In fact, my weekday Shacharit minyan goes according whatever the Shatz davens. If there is a pinch hitter in the middle it switches.
Correct– but the Shatz can only daven one nusach at a time, and there are many people who are particular to daven a certain nusach only.
I am not sure what your point is,
Yes Ponovich has Chassidish bochrim who wish to learn in a Litvish Yeshiva to get the Litvishe “derech halimu”, Ponovich also has Sefardi talmidim who come for the same reason.
Most yeshivos in E”Y have that, however they all have a cap on how many they will take since they wish for it to remain a “Litvishe” Yeshivah and the same vice versa.
As fro R’ Shach being oppose, that’s actually not entirely accurate, Rav Shach was opposed as long as there was not any “top Sefardi” Yeshivos, he was actually very for Sefardim establishing “top sefardi yeshivos so the Sephardi Mesorah would not be lost.
There are many letters in Michtavim U”mamorim about this you can look there.
August 1, 2016 11:20 pm at 11:20 pm #1164094
Abba_S
A year or two ago there was a case in Israel with kindergarden or first grade girls and they went to court (secular). The Yeshiva was ordered to admit the sefardi girls. They appealed and lost and it was Puruim time. All the ashginazi parents wouldn’t let their children go to school. The Court then ordered the parent to send their children to school. When they refused they were found in contempt and sent to jail. Finally to government agree to build a separate ashginazi school if the parents would send their kid to school. The last 2 days all the children were in school playing together and the government had to build a new girl school for the ashganazi.
August 2, 2016 1:35 am at 1:35 am #1164095
WolfishMusings
If they are separated by force (as is the case with schools), perhaps.
brisker26
People here seem to be afraid of racism as if it’s kefirah. Anything that smacks even a bit; if it can somehow be understood to be the american anathema of ‘racism’, it is wrong, evil, etc..
Judaism is racist. just look at the maharal’s sefer gevuros hashem, the netziv in emek davar about the 70 umos; chazal often talk about traits of nationalities – yishmaelim are perverse, eisav ae killers; they’re talking about intrinsic characteristics. avrohom unabashedly told eliezer that since he was from canaan, he was arur(cursed); today he would be called a racist.
However, if we(frum people) say something the least bit ‘extreme’, that we are worried about setting precedents for laxity in faith, practice, or anything else to do with yiddishkeit…we are fanatics. People here are angered by those who practice higher levels of tznius, and much more angry at those that enforce them.
Where are your priorities?
We’re avoiding something that is considered terrible by goyishe standards like the plague – tell me, do you avoid ever coming close to the boundaries of what constitutes kefirah? when you make jokes about kolel men being supported, or make fun of their bitachon, are you not at the very least close to laitzanus? When you walk in the street, and perhaps do a double-take when seeing an untznius woman, do you avoid that like the plague?
I am so grateful to hashem for having been spared these diseases. I am racist in the torah’s way, and proud of it.
Of course, baselss hatred because someone happens to be sefadi is something that is decried for generations by the gedolim – the chazon ish and the steipler both have letters saying chalilla vechas to reject a boy because he is sefardi..please do not interpret the above to mean that treating a group of klal yisroel bad is ok – it is terrible, sinas chinom, and it is without an excuse.
as a matter of fact, the chazon ish had many reasons for allowing the speaking of ivrit (all the modernishe will say ‘whats the shailoh??’), but chief among them was that if we all speak yiddish, we will lose the sefardim, who at that time had no infrastructure.
it is true though that what may be perceived as racism, might amount to simply not admitting a child from a family with sub-par religious standards, who just happens to be sefardi..every case needs to be individually examined.
sinas chinom applies equaly to all jews; there is no specific prohibition on generalizing them – on the contrary, ive heard many stories about gedolim referring to the differences between the poilish, galitziana, litvish people; their maalos and chisronos…that is not sinas chinom, and if it’s racist, well, let it be; the torah say nowhere that one should not be racist.
August 2, 2016 10:50 am at 10:50 am #1164098
zahavasdad
as a matter of fact, the chazon ish had many reasons for allowing the speaking of ivrit (all the modernishe will say ‘whats the shailoh??’), but chief among them was that if we all speak yiddish, we will lose the sefardim, who at that time had no infrastructure
Sephardim have their own version of “Yiddish” Its called Ladino
besalel
Ben levy and Yehuda yona,
You may have been oiver some serious lavim your entire lives. Unlike sfardim we don’t eat kitniyos but we don’t hold them to be chumeitz. Believing them to be chumeitz is just plain wrong. Maybe some of the separation is based on ignorance not hate. But back to the topic at hand, why won’t sfardim in Israel, who have the choice, want to send to their own bais yaakovs? I’m not saying it justifies the racism but I just don’t get it.
smerel
This is an issue that causes a lot of pain to people on both sides.
The pain by those who are rejected is probably so intense that I don’t know how objective they are but at the end of the day IF a school feels it will be negatively impacted by accepting too many people from a certain group it is wrong to insist they accept them anyway.
Of note (1)the Sephardic elite for the most part doesn’t send their children to schools that don’t have quotas. Why not?(2) People I know who very strongly condemn Israeli schools for not accepting too many Sephardim send their (American) children to very picky and rejecting schools
baruchderrin
You complain about the sinas chinam in one paragraph, and then say hateful things to a poster in the next…
Racism doesn’t have to be OK, just because goyim run from it. Goyim also believe that murder and rape are wrong, for instance.
It happens to be that racism is intrinsically wrong. I sincerely hope that I don’t have to explain further…
avi k you are right indeed – yes , there are many middos everyone wants to acquire- the point is on our level to “aspire even though we may not acquire”
Abba S.
Actually in that case half the parents who refused to send their children to school were sefardi, a point that for some reason was overlooked by the secular media.
cherrybim
It has nothing to do with racism or minhagim on the school’s part, the reason for rejecting S’fardim, Russian or anyone with a funny sounding last name is basically business, like most school decisions. If the schools were to accept children with these backgrounds, they would lose considerably more students and funding.
nishtdayngesheft
1) But it’s not Yiddish. How does this conflict with the poster’s statement. If you just want to tell us about Ladino, the overwhelming majority of people here know that as well as you.
2) Ladino is hardly used now as opposed to Yiddish which is thriving in many places.
Just those who came from the Spainish expulsion, which does Not include Syrains, Yemenite, Bavli, Persians, and many from North African. And even those from the Spainish expulsion, they rarely speak it today.
But if you want to stereotype with what little knowledge you have of Sepharadim, I won’t stop you.
Most Syrian Jews descend from Spanish Jewry.
One way you know you have really made it, that no matter what you post on, in hundreds of comments, that someone values your comments so much that they stalk you and only comment on what you say.
I truly feel priviledged that someone values my comments so much that they stalk my every comment, Its nice to be appreciated and admired Even from a FORBIDDEN person
Jews from Syria, Iraq, iran etc are not really Sephardim, they are Eduth HaMizrach even though for the most part they follow Sephardic customs.
Sepharad means Spain and true Sephardic jews are decended from the jews of Spain
Same with Askenazim and Sephradim – same Torah
So should you separate Ashkenazim that pasken by the Taz vs Shach vs M”A OR separate by modern poskim?
Total am-haartzus. Rice is not Chametz. The Rema says that the Ashkenazic minhag is not to eat rice, but one can own it and benefit from it. In fact the Rema says that if a little falls into a pot of food, the food is mutar on Pesah, unlike chametz.
I think that most kids can respectfully see other minhagim while keeping their own.
Same Torah inside. Beside which, some Sephardim use Sefrei Torah in cloth covers.
News flash. The Sephardic way is correct, at least according to an Ashkenazic Rebbe I had, who was a baal dikduk. According to that Rebbe, missing the accent could change the meaning. For example vi-A-hav-TA is the proper accent and not vi-a-HAV-ta (see the taamim). That mispronunciation changes the meaning from future to past, and a person may not be yotzei K’riat Sh’ma.
Actually Ashkenazim used to do it correctly until the Haskala.
For all practical purposes, Edot HaMizrach and Sepharadim from Spain get lumped together in one category of “dark, exotic non-Ashkenazim”.
Not saying it’s right or wrong, but that’s the reality.
cherrybim: That IS racism, though. The school is condoning racism if they have no qualms about bowing to the racist tendencies of their students’ families and their donors.
Because of intermingling over the generations, that’s true, but the majority of their Yichus is not Spanish. That’s why they don’t do Ladino. The Spanish Jews that went to Syria comprised only a minority at that time.
i love coffe
Not the reality. Sephardim from Spain are actually very pale with dark hair.
Generally speaking.
It doesn’t matter what they actually do or don’t look like, that’s how people think of them. I mean that’s the reality of societal perception, not the reality of their actual historical genealogy.
need each other
Let me just say that I am a sphardi. I moved to Israel and was told by my rabbis to change my name if I do make the move. I did it. I now pray with ashkenazim and see the world from their side. My rov is ashkenazi he changed his nusach to sphardi. We have to understand he told me, “WE NEED EACH OTHER.” There are middos that are stressed in sphardim from the galus. There are middos that are stressed in Ashkenazim from the galus. Good Or Bad they are part of us. The only way for us to complete ourselves just like husband and wife, we must learn from each other deal with each other and live with each other. We complete each other. I feel very lucky to have a true understanding of the maalot of both. To incorporate both into our lives is a major advantage. Ashkenazim are very suspicious in nature from Europe. Sphardim are very inclusive by nature from galus of yshmoel. This is all played out in our daily lives and our education system. Through understanding the approach one can integrate whether into ashkenazi education system or to sphardi education system.
We should know everything to know about each other it will make us better people and better jews and we will then be complete and hashem will love us even more.
jewishfeminist02 – “That IS racism, though.”
It’s not racism since the applicants are accepted by the school if they have large bank accounts.
No, it’s still racism. The schools accept Ashkenazim no matter how much money they have, but by Sephardim you have to be a millionaire. Just because they accept SOME Sephardim doesn’t make that not a racist policy.
I think he was being sarcastic
CTLAWYER
The benefits of living OOT.
All frum Jews send their kids to the one orthodox day school. Chances are it is run by Chabad and full of Litvish, Syrian, Israeli, EuroTraditional MO, and the children of the Lubavitchers running the place.
The kids daven at school from Tehillat HaSem, and follow the Chabad luach. They go home and follow their family traditions and attend different shuls with different nusashim. BUT the community all works together to ensure there will be a vibrant school to serve all who want to attend. and they will be supported by non-frum members of the community and Federation as well.
I live in such a community, except that the school is not run by Chabad. My husband would never, ever agree to send our children to a Chabad school.
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Remarks at third International Forum on Sport for Peace and Development
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, UN Headquarters, 05 June 2013 Welcome to the third International Forum on Sport for Peace and Development. It gives me great pleasure to host this important gathering. The link between sport, peace and development grows stronger by the year. It can be traced back in history to the original Olympic truce, which guaranteed
By Mattias Sundholm|Tags: 2013, Ban Ki-Moon, development, sg, speeches|Comments Off on Remarks at third International Forum on Sport for Peace and Development
Remarks at “Entrepreneurship for Development” General Assembly Thematic Debate
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, General Assembly, 26 June 2013 I am pleased to address this important debate. We meet in the middle of a global jobs crisis that demands a bold response. This year, some 73 million young people will be unemployed. An estimated 425 million young women and men will join the labour force between 2016
By Mattias Sundholm|Tags: 2013, development, sg, speeches|Comments Off on Remarks at “Entrepreneurship for Development” General Assembly Thematic Debate
Remarks to General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Youth
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, General Assembly, 25 July 2011 Mr. President of the General Assembly, Distinguished Heads of State and Government, Distinguished Ministers, Ms. Alek Wek, Mr. Romulo Dantas, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, Let me first share my shock about the terror attack in Norway on Friday. I condemn this violence in the strongest possible
By Mattias Sundholm|Tags: 2011, Ban Ki-Moon, sg, speeches|Comments Off on Remarks to General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Youth
Remarks at high-level meeting on youth side event: “Giving it back, passing it on”: Corporate Engagement and Youth Philanthropy as Pathways to Development
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, UN Headquarters, 27 July 2011 Thank you, Mr. Sean Koh, [Founder and CEO, Koherent Inc.], for your very kind introduction. It is very inspiring, what you have been saying. That is exactly what the United Nations is trying to achieve. Mr. John Kluge, philanthropist and entrepreneur; Ms. Reeta Roy, President and CEO of
By Mattias Sundholm|Tags: 2011, Ban Ki-Moon, development, sg, speeches|Comments Off on Remarks at high-level meeting on youth side event: “Giving it back, passing it on”: Corporate Engagement and Youth Philanthropy as Pathways to Development
Remarks to Vienna Community “Empowering People in a Changing World”
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Vienna (Austria), 16 February 2012 It is a great honour for me to be amongst such an influential and informed audience today. Vielen Dank für diese Ehre. Es ist wunderbar, wieder in Wien zu sein. There are many words to describe this very beautiful city of Vienna – historic, glorious, dazzling, dynamic. All
By Mattias Sundholm|Tags: 2012, Ban Ki-Moon, sg, speeches|Comments Off on Remarks to Vienna Community “Empowering People in a Changing World”
Remarks at Olympic youth development centre
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Lusaka (Zambia), 25 February 2012 Hello, Zambia! Hello, youth of Zambia! You are all champions. I wish I could give you a gold medal. Do you want to hear my dull speech now? [cheers] Okay, let me begin! Last May, in Geneva, I spoke at the second International Forum on Sport, Peace and
By Mattias Sundholm|Tags: 2012, Ban Ki-Moon, sg, speeches|Comments Off on Remarks at Olympic youth development centre
Keynote address to the Global Colloquium of University Presidents at Columbia University [as prepared for delivery]
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, New York (USA), 02 April 2012 Every year, this Global Colloquium addresses some of the most pressing issues facing our world. I have been honoured to join you a number of times so I know how dynamic this forum is – and how much you can achieve. Thank you for having me back.
By Mattias Sundholm|Tags: 2012, Ban Ki-Moon, forum, sg, speeches|Comments Off on Keynote address to the Global Colloquium of University Presidents at Columbia University [as prepared for delivery]
Remarks to the Global Classrooms Model UN Meeting “Youth of the World: Make Some Noise!”
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, UN Headquarters, 17 May 2012 I am a person who likes to go for broke. Unfortunately, I broke my hand last weekend playing soccer. But nothing could stop me from being here today. I’ve been looking forward to meeting with all of you. I wanted to do something different so I took to
By Mattias Sundholm|Tags: 2012, Ban Ki-Moon, sg, speeches|Comments Off on Remarks to the Global Classrooms Model UN Meeting “Youth of the World: Make Some Noise!”
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Garantir l'impartialité
Recognizing that religion is or could be a highly political issue in many contexts, it is important that efforts to engage with religious communities are impartial and non-partisan. This is critical in situations where religious differences may be used to fuel conflict or competition for political power. Such situations will require transparency in communications with the different parties, or prioritizing work with a recognized inter-religious body that can advance child rights efforts without being overshadowed or used to advance another agenda. High-level advocacy may be required in addition to the more operational-level discussions.
By emphasizing their political neutrality and mandate, child rights organizations can often open a space for activities to promote the rights of children and cultivate a broader base of support than may be possible by partisan actors. This support often extends to the highest levels of religious communities, which may be more responsive to child rights organizations that exhibit political and religious neutrality.
There may also be contexts in which it is better not to engage with religious actors in programming. This is likely to be the case where religion is politicized to the point that any such engagement would threaten a child rights organization’s neutrality – or even perceptions of its neutrality. It is also possible in some contexts that the beliefs and practices of a specific religious community are so far out of line with child rights principles and a child rights organization’s mandate that engagement would call into question the latter’s legitimacy and good reputation. Obviously, these assessments need to be made carefully and thoroughly to ensure that the opportunities afforded by engagement always outweigh the risks.
Barriers to collaboration
Social factors Operational Factors Structural Factors
Lack of familiarity – Ignorance about a would-be partner’s strengths and strategic potential. Differing operational norms – Difference in approaches to program delivery, results monitoring, and financial tracking, for example. Fragmentation of actors^^ – Diffuse and difficult to navigate sectors with weak organizing structures.
Preconceptions and stereotypes – Presumptions about a potential partner’s level of commitment or quality of work, for example. Divergent priorities – Conflicting (or often changing) views about which issues or approaches should be given precedence. Competition** – Rivalry among actors for resources or recognition.
Suspicion and mistrust** – Fear of hidden motives, such as proselytizing, or a history of tensions between two groups. Lack of a shared language* – Differences in the common lexicon and technical terminology. Exclusion of actors^ – Under-representation or systematic exclusion of some actors from collaborative mechanisms.
Desire to maintain boundaries – Faith actor’s concern about being co-opted or instrumentalized, as well as secular actor’s unease about potentially over stepping religion/ state boundaries. Uneven capacity – Concerns about skill gaps (e.g. technical expertise, management capacity, M&E), or the ability to administer funds.+
* Marshall, K. and Van Saanen M., “Development and Faith,” The World Bank, 2007.
+ For example, critics of PEPFAR’s funding of FBOs highlighted the “limited capacity of many indigenous FBOs to absorb large grants and use the funds effectively.” Berkley Center, “Mapping the Role of Faith Communities in Development Policy: The US Case in International Perspective,” 2007.
^^ For example, a study of HIV/AIDS partnerships in Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Malawi identified fragmentation within the Christian faith entities and donor groupings as a barrier to effective collaboration. Haddad B., et al. “The potential and perils of partnerships,” ARHARP, 2008.
^ Karam, A., “Concluding Thoughts on Religion and the United Nations, Redesigning the Culture of Development,” CrossCurrents, September 2010.
** Haddad B., Olivier J., De Gruchy S. 2008. The potential and perils of partnership: Christian religious entities and collaborative stakeholders responding to HIV and AIDS in Kenya, Malawi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Study commissioned by Tearfund and UNAIDS, Interim Report ARHAP.
Source: Excerpted from Center for Interfaith Action on Global Poverty, 2010.
Cadre d'engagement
Comprendre les valeurs, les structures et le leadership
Mettre l'accent sur les valeurs partagées et une approche fondée sur les droits
S'assurer des compétences adéquates
Identifier les points d'entrée stratégiques
Construire sur la réunion et les forces techniques
Intégrer les partenariats dans les programmes
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What "Pumping Legs for Water" is About
Zimbabwe's largest game reserve, Hwange National Park is more than 14 000km2 and does not have a lot of rivers - at least not enough to sustain the wildlife in the area. Apart from the few rivers, there are a few seasonal wetlands in Main Camp and Linkwasha areas of Hwange that fill up only during the rainy season, while others are fed by underground seeps. The rest are pumped via underground borehole, which requires fuel and regular maintenance.
Ten years ago, after years of poor rain in Hwange and the country, there was a need to provide more water as the animals had began to congregate only around the very few available water sources.
Organised by Wildlife & Environment Zimbabwe with support from Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management, Pumping Legs for Water was born with the purpose of raising funds to assist with maintaining and developing water sources in Hwange National Park. The funds are strictly supervised and used to purchase fuel and spares, and to pay for maintenance of the equipment.
The event takes place over 2 days and mountain bikers from cross the globe ride through parts of Hwange - "The money raised from Pumping Legs for Water together with Wildlife Zimbabwe purchases has insured that Hwange National Park and its wildlife has been provided with much needed tanks, solar panels, tools, fuel, spare parts and borehole pumps" (http://www.pumpinglegsforwater.com).
This year's event takes place 28th and 29th July (See the Facebook Event).
To register, sponsor or make a donation for this important cause, please visit Pumping Legs for Water website.
To make a donation any time, click on the link below:
Comments for What "Pumping Legs for Water" is About
Riding this weekend
I will be riding and have gotten some generous contributions from friends and family for this cause, which I am sure Hwange will be very grateful for.
If you do feel the need to offer some sponsorship, please do so by clicking on the link in the article.
by: Universal Canvas Solutions
We cant seem to access the website. We want information on how we could be a sponsor for the event. Please assist by emailing on admin@universalcanvas.co.zw
Details sent
Many thanks. I have emailed them your email number and hopefully they will contact you soon. Regards
Click here to return to Hwange National Park.
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Trilateral News Roundup 04-08-2019
Trilateral News Roundup 03-25
Chinese Politics
U.S – China Relations
USCNPM (Chinese)
Judge Rules Against Couple In China’s First Gay Marriage Case
Apr 15, 2016 | News of the Week | 0 |
A judge in China has ruled against a gay couple in China’s first same-sex marriage case that attracted several hundred cheering supporters to the courthouse and was seen as a landmark moment for the country’s emerging LGBT rights movement.
The court in the central city of Changsha dismissed the suit brought against the local civil affairs bureau for refusing to issue the couple a marriage registration certificate.
The couple’s lawyer Shi Fulong said he expected the judge would rule against them but not so soon – within just a few hours. “It goes against the spirit of the laws of the people’s republic of China,” Mr Shi said.
Plaintiff Sun Wenlin said he would appeal until he exhausts all legal options.
The lawsuit comes amid growing awareness of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues in China, where society and the government have generally frowned on non-traditional expressions of gender and sexuality.
China doesn’t legally recognize same-sex marriage and officials with the central government have said they do not see the law changing soon.
Mr Sun, his partner Hu Mingliang, and the lawyer entered Changsha’s Furong District courthouse on Wednesday morning amid cheers from roughly 300 supporters, some of whom had waited outside since 5 am or traveled overnight from neighboring provinces. Court officials allowed in about 100 spectators and then pleaded with fervent college students that the courtroom was full and that they had to turn others away.
Mr Sun said the police had earlier visited him at the apartment he shares with Mr Hu to try to talk him out of pursuing the lawsuit, but left after he reiterated his determination to press forward with the case.
“I hope I can pave the way as far and wide as possible so that people who want to do the same will see how much we have tried and what possibilities can there be,” Mr Sun, 26, said in an interview the night before the hearing.
While homosexuality is not illegal in China, the country’s LGBT movement is still in its infancy and it is rare for same-sex couples to live openly.
Apr. 13, 2016 on the Telegraph
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Reese Witherspoon Pleads No Contest to Disorderly Conduct, Jim Toth Pleads Guilty to DUI
By Justin Ravitz
Reese Witherspoon pled no contest to the disorderly conduct charge stemming from her Apr. 19 arrest; husband Jim Toth pled guilty to DUI. Splash News
Reese Witherspoon's day in court has come and gone, with virtually none of the drama that surrounded her original April 19 arrest in Atlanta, Ga. On Thursday, May 2, the Oscar winner's lawyer, Bruce Morris, appeared in court on her behalf to plead no contest to the disorderly conduct charge that had been leveled against her, TMZ reports. Her husband, CAA agent Jim Toth, pled guilty to driving under the influence, and was present for the court date.
PHOTOS: Celebrity mugshots
Witherspoon, 37 — who famously asked the arresting officer if he knew who she was — will reportedly pay just a $213 fine for her infraction. But Toth, 41, will face a harsher punishment.
While he didn't receive any jail time for the DUI charge, he has been sentenced to perform 40 hours of community service. Additionally, he must attend an alcohol education program and will be on probation for 12 months.
PHOTOS: Reese and Jim's romance
According to TMZ, the judge told Toth he was lucky the damage wasn't worse. "Consider yourself fortunate you didn't injure your passenger and didn't kill anyone," the gossip site quotes the judge as saying.
The court news comes just hours after Witherspoon's mea culpa on Good Morning America. Speaking about the arrest on the ABC show, the Mud actress said she "literally panicked" when she saw the police officer arresting her husband.
PHOTOS: Reese's body evolution
"I told him I was pregnant. I'm not pregnant," she revealed. "I said all kinds of crazy things."
"I was so disrespectful to him," she added of the cop. "I have police officers in my family. I work with police officers every day. I know better. It's just unacceptable."
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Toggle language selector English EN
NAOUSSA PDO
MACEDONIAN PGI WINES
TABLE WINES
BAGS IN BOXES
OUZO DISTILLED SPIRITS
THE CELLAR – AGEING THE WINE
BOTTLING SECTION
VINIFICATION SECTION
WINE ANALYSIS – CHEMISTRY LABORATORY
VINE VARIETIES
WINE-GUIDE
ORGANIC VITICULTURE
MATURATION - AGEING
STORAGE AND PRESERVATION
THE HISTORY OF THE WINE IN NAOUSSA
XINOMAVRO OF NAOUSSA
THE «NAOUSSA» VQPRD
A FIRST LOOK IN THE COMPANY
FOUNDATION, OBJECTIVES AND VISION
EVENTS OF HISTORIC IMPORTANCE
The Co-operative was inaugurated in 1983 but the winery was actually built in 1984 and the first commercial vintage took place during that year. Increased production was one of the reasons that have led to the establishment of the Co-operative, which could act as a counterbalance for private companies. In 1984, the most radically designed winery in the Balkans was built at record speed, following brave endeavour from its members and support from the government. The Co-operative originally counted 330 members that grew 65% of the Naoussa viticultural zone.
The aim was to ensure better income for farmers whose single variety was Xinomavro. New, up-to-date wine making technology combined with age-old tradition have created the V.Q.P.R.D. wines: Naoussa, Naoussa Reserve, Naoussa Grande Reserve
Meanwhile, research was in progress for production of new wines made from Xinomavro. This is how the Rose wine was created, which won distinction within the following year and was awarded first prize in the 9th European Salon of Wine.
After trial-and-error research on vinification methods, we spotted that Xinomavro was ideally suited to making white wines bearing excellent characteristics and in 1992 Imeros White was launched in the market.
In 1994, having one of the best vintages on record, we produced Damaskinos V.Q.P.R.D. wine, aged in new French oak barrels with high toasting. This particular wine gains most favourable comments, wins distinction in Germany at the PROWEIN FAIR in 2000 and receives the silver medal at the International Wine Fair of Thessaloniki in 2004.
Then the time comes for Dogmatikos White, sourced from Xinomavro, fermented at very low temperature (8-10oC) with the use of special wine yeast starter cultures. A wine full of character and class.
Meanwhile, new cultivars are planted by our vine growers, such as Roditis, Syrah and Merlot. As a result, the Co-op enriches its range of wines produced. In 2001 and 2003 the company releases Syrah 2000 Regional Wine of Macedonia and Imeros Red Regional Wine of Macedonia respectively. Imeros Red is sourced from 50% Xinomavro and 50% Syrah and has taken up a significant share of the market.
Experimental programmes definitely do not stop here and, taking into consideration the market trends, we make efforts to produce wines that will satisfy customers' tastes.
Ouzo - distilled spirits
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Saving Your Sex Life When You're Depressed
How to keep your sex life -- and relationship -- alive when you're dealing with depression.
By Katrina Woznicki
From the WebMD Archives
Chronic depression affects every part of daily life, including sex. It curbs sex drive, yet sex can boost your mood and is important for relationships. And some depression medicines can curb your libido.
Breaking this cycle can be hard.
How to get out of this funk? There's no one-size-fits-all approach. But there are some tried-and-true ways to successfully treat depression without ruining your sex life.
What’s most important, experts say, is to never stop depression treatment out of fear that your relationships and sex live will suffer. That’s because depression itself can hurt relationships and may cause loved ones to take these problems personally.
“In depression, the chemical soup often isn’t right,” says Russell Stambaugh, PhD, a sex therapist in Ann Arbor, Mich., and a spokesman for the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists. “The brain is important for sexuality because of the chemistry, but it’s also important for ideas. It helps how you experience pleasure and how you define it.”
Treat the Depression First
Whatever is happening with your sex life, it's important to treat depression first. Address any sexual side effects later.
Depression is the top cause of disability in the U.S. for people aged 15-44. Men and women struggle equally with sexual problems during depression.
People with chronic depression can experience a loss of desire, take longer to orgasm, and simply find sex less enjoyable.
“The whole process of sexual arousal starts with the ability to anticipate pleasure, which is lost with depression,” says Frederick K. Goodwin, MD, who serves on the scientific council for the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression. “People who are depressed are locked in the moment of their suffering.”
Drugs that treat depression, Goodwin says, “can release sexual function from the grips of depression.” Still, many antidepressants can affect sex drive.
“Medications can change sexual function,” says J. Michael Bostwick, MD, a psychiatry professor at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. “But it’s a mistake for patients or physicians to immediately assume a difference in sexual function is bad. It’s different, and then you have to figure out if it’s bad or good. In fact, once the depression is treated, they may have a different view about sex altogether.”
Work With Your Doctor
Antidepressant drug side effects can be tied to the dose prescribed. So sometimes simply lowering the dose will treat the depression without blocking sexual desire, says Goodwin.
But don't tweak the dose yourself. Talk with your doctor if you have sexual side effects from antidepressants (or any other drug).
Goodwin says patients often don't start enjoying sex more until after being on an antidepressant for a few months. And there are antidepressants that don't affect sex drive.
St. John’s wort, an herbal remedy, has also been studied as a treatment for mild to moderate depression. A recent study showed that it helped patients’ depression without curbing libido. But many experts still stand by antidepressant drugs as the best way to manage chronic depression.
If you're taking St. John's wort, or any other herbal remedy, tell your doctor so they can watch out for drug interactions. St. John's wort can have dangerous drug interactions with some antidepressants. Also, keep in mind that, unlike prescription drugs, the FDA doesn't require safety and efficacy tests of herbal products and supplements.
Breaking the Pattern
“The big challenge for doctors treating patients with chronic depression is that the person has been thinking about himself or herself that way for so long that it becomes a habit,” Goodwin says.
“Just correcting the brain chemistry isn’t going to fix the problem," Goodwin says. "Some things need to be unlearned with psychotherapy." That unlearning, he says, can help people bond with loved ones in new and exciting ways.
Talking about depression with your partner, understanding the treatment options, and exploring new ways to enjoy sex, such as extended foreplay if reaching orgasm is a problem, can help strengthen strained relationships, experts say.
Stambaugh says the key to improving one’s sex life is to start talking with your partner.
He also notes an exciting sex life doesn’t always mean wearing sexy lingerie or watching pornography together. He doesn’t routinely recommend erotica or sex toys or role playing or that people need to be more acrobatic in bed to achieve enjoyable sex.
That’s because what’s pleasurable, Stambaugh says, depends entirely on the couple. What’s important, he says, is that it appeal to both partners and they are both comfortable with what they want out of sex.
"Just the having the conversation about what you want sexually reduces the negative feelings that are folded into the depression,” he says. “Arriving at the right answer to these things means working with your partner.”
It’s also important for patients with depression and their partners to understand there’s no standard for how often you should be having sex or how you should enjoy sex.
Too often, Stambaugh says, people turn to society or the media to define their sexual identities. “They really should ask themselves ‘Do I want this?’ or ‘Am I truly expressing what I am feeling?’ That’s key.”
WebMD Feature Reviewed by Michael W. Smith, MD on July 30, 2013
Russell Stambaugh, PhD, sex therapist, Ann Arbor, Mich.; spokesman, American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists.
National Institute of Mental Health.
Lee, K. Psychiatry Investigation, March 2010 vol 7: pp 55-59.
J. Michael Bostwick, MD, professor of psychiatry, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.
Frederick K. Goodwin, MD, scientific council member, National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression, clinical professor of psychiatry and director, Center on Neuroscience, Medical Progress and Society, George Washington University Medical Center. Disclosures: Consultant for Schering-Plough, on an advisory board for Pfizer, and on the speaker’s bureau for Astra-Zeneca UK.
Safarinejad, M. Journal of Psychopharmacology, Jan. 15, 2010.
Kasper, S. International Clinical Psychopharmacology, July 2010; vol 25: pp 204-213.
Mood Disorders: How to Recognize and Treat Them
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MS and Depression: How Are They Linked?
What Happens in Depression Treatment?
8 Foods That Help Fight Depression
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Depression: Family and Friends Can Help
Mental Health Problems, Substance Abuse Go Hand in Hand
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Classmate Comes Forward, IDs Frat Brother as Guilty Party, Not Kavanaugh: Report
By C. Douglas Golden
Published October 1, 2018 at 7:52am
A New York Post writer claims that a former classmate of Brett Kavanaugh’s has identified a fraternity brother of his as the person who likely exposed himself to Kavanaugh’s Yale classmate Deborah Ramirez during a dormitory party in the early 1980s.
Ramirez, who was Kavanaugh’s second accuser, went public in a New Yorker piece published Sept. 23.
“She was at first hesitant to speak publicly, partly because her memories contained gaps because she had been drinking at the time of the alleged incident. In her initial conversations with The New Yorker, she was reluctant to characterize Kavanaugh’s role in the alleged incident with certainty,” The New Yorker reported.
“After six days of carefully assessing her memories and consulting with her attorney, Ramirez said that she felt confident enough of her recollections to say that she remembers Kavanaugh had exposed himself at a drunken dormitory party, thrust his penis in her face, and caused her to touch it without her consent as she pushed him away.”
Ramirez was to be interviewed by the FBI as part of the bureau’s one-week re-investigation of the background of the Supreme Court nominee. However, a new wrinkle may have presented itself in the form of a report about an alleged letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
TRENDING: The ‘Holy Grail’: Epstein’s Little Black Book Names Clinton, Media Giants and Others
Paul Sperry is best known nowadays as a writer for the New York Post, although he’s appeared in a number of different publications over the years. On Sunday afternoon, he tweeted about the existence of a letter from “(a) classmate of Kavanaugh’s at Yale has sent a tip into the Senate Judiciary Committee identifying a fraternity brother known for exposing himself as the likely boy who exposed himself to Debbie Ramirez.”
BREAKING: A classmate of Kavanaugh's at Yale has sent a tip into the Senate Judiciary Committee identifying a fraternity brother known for exposing himself as the likely boy who exposed himself to Debbie Ramirez
— Paul Sperry (@paulsperry_) September 30, 2018
It’s unclear what the original source for this is and Sperry doesn’t elucidate. Few media outlets have picked this up yet and there doesn’t seem to be much corroboration.
So, what does this mean? As for the existence of the letter, while Sperry has made it clear both on his Twitter account and his writings for the New York Post that he doesn’t believe the allegations against Judge Kavanaugh, he’s also usually not blatantly wrong on these sorts of things. The likelihood is better than not that such a letter has been sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee by someone.
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99% (13408 Votes)
1% (124 Votes)
As for the truth of the letter? Well, that’s the problem with almost every piece of testimony in the Kavanaugh case: It’s sketchy at best, usually uncorroborated and could likely be contradicted by other testimony the committee’s already received.
Take the case of Dabney Friedrich, a former girlfriend of Kavanaugh’s. In an anonymous letter to Colorado GOP Sen. Cory Gardner, a woman claimed her daughter witnessed a low-level assault against Friedrich by Kavanaugh in the late-1990s.
“Her friend was dating him, and they left the bar under the influence of alcohol. They were all shocked when Brett Kavanaugh shoved her friend up against the wall very aggressively and sexually,” the letter read.
“There were at least four witnesses, including my daughter.”
And that letter was almost immediately contradicted by the former girlfriend in question. In a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Friedrich — now a judge — said “(t)o the extent the attached letter is referring to me as the ‘friend [who] was dating him,’ the allegations it makes are both offensive and absurd.
RELATED: Bombshell Report: Christine Blasey Ford Scrubbed Social Media of ‘Extreme’ Anti-Trump Posts
“At no time did Brett ever shove me against a wall, including in an ‘aggressive and sexual’ manner. When we dated, Brett always treated me with the utmost respect, and we remain friends to this day. I have never observed (nor am I aware of) Brett acting in a physically inappropriate or aggressive manner toward anyone.”
And then we have a Rhode Island man who is now under investigation for making false statements to the Senate Judiciary Committee about a sexual assault he initially said Kavanaugh perpetrated in the mid-1980s. He has since repudiated the story.
So, this new letter — should it exist — could be materially false. It could be the result of memories corrupted over the process of 35 years. It could be politically motivated. It could be some combination thereof; those aren’t mutually exclusive categories, after all.
But that’s the problem with the entire case against Kavanaugh: At no point have we received concrete corroboration of anything. Christine Blasey Ford can’t remember where the house was where Kavanaugh assaulted her or how she got home.
None of her witnesses can corroborate her story. The same questions linger over the Ramirez case. That makes this letter pretty much the equal of anything that’s been brought against Kavanaugh. Why should we believe one over the other?
This is the problem of throwing these unverifiable cases against a public career that has been unmarred by personal or professional misconduct. We’ve been asked to treat the former as a condition that negates the latter when it ought to be the other way around.
If these are the standards we’re holding ourselves to in 2018, God help us all.
C. Douglas Golden
Contributor, Commentary
C. Douglas Golden is a writer who splits his time between the United States and Southeast Asia. Specializing in political commentary and world affairs, he's written for Conservative Tribune and The Western Journal for four years.
@CillianZeal
C. Douglas Golden is a writer who splits his time between the United States and Southeast Asia. Specializing in political commentary and world affairs, he's written for Conservative Tribune and The Western Journal for four years. Aside from politics, he enjoys spending time with his wife, literature (especially British comic novels and modern Japanese lit), indie rock, coffee, Formula One and football (of both American and world varieties).
American Politics, World Politics, Culture
Report: AOC’s ‘Toilet Water’ Rampage Started from Bad Spanish
Coroner Issues Warning After Eco-Friendly Straw Kills Woman
South Bend Police Scorch Buttigieg After Pizza Stunt: ‘Drop the Politics’
Bozell: ‘There Are More Prostitutes’ in US Than CNN Viewers
Major Pro-Life Victory: Judge Upholds Ban on Abortion Procedure in Oklahoma
Tags: Brett Kavanaugh, FBI, Senate, Supreme Court
Commentary Mandel Ngan / AFP / Getty Images; Scott Olson / Getty Images
Biden Calls Trump a ‘Bully,’ but Trump Hits Back with Perfect Response
Ryan Ledendecker July 5, 2019 at 11:35am
Commentary C-SPAN screen shot
Expert Notices Problem with Migrant Mom’s Photo, Says She’s a Total Fraud
Ryan Ledendecker July 12, 2019 at 1:18pm
Commentary Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
McConnell Releases Damning Footage of Dem After She Announces Bid for His Senate Seat
Shaun Hair July 9, 2019 at 9:24am
Commentary Win McNamee / Getty Images ; David Silverman / Getty Images
Lt. Col. Allen West Says ‘Pelosi Just … Committed a High Crime and Misdemeanor’
Shaun Hair July 12, 2019 at 1:15pm
Commentary Florida Department of Law Enforcement via Getty Images ; Leigh Vogel / Getty Images for RFK Human Rights
The ‘Holy Grail’: Epstein’s Little Black Book Names Clinton, Media Giants and Others
Benjamin Arie July 9, 2019 at 4:20pm
Commentary Zach Gibson / Getty Images
C. Douglas Golden July 15, 2019 at 8:36am
Commentary GG Wildlife Rescue Inc / Facebook
Graphic: Enormous Python Takes on Crocodile, Fight Ends in Frightening Fashion
C. Douglas Golden July 12, 2019 at 10:01am
Commentary Noam Galai / Getty Images for Global Citizen
Just In: Anti-Trump Pastor Fired From Liberal Church After Alleged Sex Toy Shopping Spree with Ministers
Stephanie Keith / Getty Images Peter Thiel Calls For FBI Investigation of Google over ‘Seemingly Treasonous’ Acts
romakoma / Shutterstock NYT: Feds Must Force Middle-Class Americans To Sacrifice Suburbs for Immigrant Housing
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Dem Gubernatorial Nominee Says Illegal Immigrants Are Part of the ‘Blue Wave’
By Jack Davis
Published October 16, 2018 at 11:26am
The Democrat running for governor in Georgia is hoping that she can ride a “blue wave” to victory at the polls, and recently said that “blue wave” includes illegal immigrants.
Gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams made the comment last week during a rally that also featured Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. Abrams is facing Republican Secretary of State Brian Kemp.
“The thing of it is, the blue wave is African-American. It’s white. It’s Latino. It’s Asian-Pacific Islander. It is disabled. It is differently-abled. It is LGBTQ. It is law enforcement. It is veterans,” Abrams said, in a video of the event.
“It is made up of those who’ve been told that they are not worthy of being here,” she said. “It is comprised of those who are documented and undocumented.”
When asked about the comments later, she hedged, according to a video posted to YouTube by WXIA in Atlanta.
“I’ve never once argued for anyone who is not legally allowed to vote in the state of Georgia to be allowed to vote,” Abrams said.
“Do you stand by what you said?” she was asked.
“What I said that day is that this is a state that should be looking out for everyone in our state and I would hope that anyone running for governor should believe in all of Georgia,” Abrams said.
Kemp, however, countered that that is not what she meant at all.
“It means she wants illegals to vote in Georgia. This is a shocking development in the campaign,” Kemp said in a “Fox & Friends” interview on Monday, according to a video posted on YouTube.
“I think hard-working Georgians should decide who their governor is, not people here illegally like my opponent wants,” Kemp said.
“It’s against the law and against the Constitution, which makes it even more shocking that she would say that.”
RELATED: These Are the Celebrities Protesting Georgia Abortion Laws
Kemp has faced allegations from Abrams that he is trying to purge the rolls of voters who would support her.
Did you think this Democrat admitted more than she intended to?
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Under Georgia’s current system of voter registration, instituted under Kemp, 53,000 potential voters have their status listed as “pending,” because their voter registration information did not exactly match other identifying information the state has, such as driver’s license information or Social Security numbers, according to USA Today.
However, those voters will still be allowed to vote if they can show information at the polls that “substantially matches the registration application,” USA Today reported.
Kemp said on Twitter that the claims of voter suppression were a smokescreen.
This was never about the 53,000 'pending' forms. Those folks can vote on Election Day. My opponent’s plan is to force Georgia (via lawsuit) to count ballots from "non citizens." I think hardworking Georgians – not illegal immigrants – should pick their next governor. #gapol https://t.co/ZonSs1vNU6
— Brian Kemp (@BrianKempGA) October 16, 2018
“This was never about the 53,000 ‘pending’ forms. Those folks can vote on Election Day. My opponent’s plan is to force Georgia (via lawsuit) to count ballots from ‘non citizens.’ I think hardworking Georgians – not illegal immigrants – should pick their next governor,” he tweeted.
Contributor, News
Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack can be reached at jackwritings1@gmail.com.
Politics, Foreign Policy, Military & Defense Issues
Major Companies Pulling Out of China as Trump’s Tariffs Take Their Toll
Trump Administration Announces Big Crackdown on Central American Asylum Seekers
Facebook Board Member Accuses Google of ‘Seemingly Treasonous’ Acts, Calls for Investigation
Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal Would More Than Triple Price of Gas, ‘Destroy Economy,’ Experts Say
Tags: 2018 midterm elections, Georgia, Illegal Immigration, voting
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Hillary Caught Again. New Report Reveals More Classified Emails on Unsecured Servers
By Sophia Clifton
Published August 17, 2018 at 3:56pm
Judicial Watch has released two batches of emails from former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that she sent and received using her unsecured, non-“state.gov” email.
The two documents from the U.S. Department of State — at 184 pages and 45 pages respectively — were obtained by Judicial Watch as the result of a lawsuit filed in 2015.
The purpose of the lawsuit was to seek “All emails sent or received by former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in her official capacity as Secretary of State, as well as all emails by other State Department employees to Secretary Clinton regarding her non-“state.gov” email address.”
Due to an order by U.S. District Court Judge James E. Boasberg, the State Department must complete the processing of these documents no later than September 2, 2018.
The newly-released documents contain material classified as “confidential,” including negotiations between countries like Palestine and Israel, as well as the UK.. and Northern Ireland.
Additionally, the documents contain references to meetings Clinton had with controversial political figures, such as Sid Blumenthal and George Soros.
Judicial Watch summarized some of the highlights of the documents, complete with dates, names, and links to specific emails:
“On June 7, 2011, Clinton received classified information on her non-secure email account from former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, which Blair also forwarded to Jake Sullivan, about Blair’s Middle East negotiations with Israel, the Palestinians and the French.”
“On January 26, 2010, Clinton’s Deputy Chief of Staff Jake Sullivan sent classified information via his unsecure Blackberry to Huma Abedin’s State Department email account that he’d earlier sent to Clinton’s and Abedin’s non-secure @clintonemail.com email accounts about U.K. negotiations with Northern Ireland.”
Do you think Hillary Clinton should be in jail for these emails?
“On October 28, 2010, Clinton exchanges information with her friend Marty Torrey – a congressional aide – who asks Clinton in an email if she would advise that Torrey meet with former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. Clinton responds through her non-secure email account approving the meeting and notes that she is emailing him from Hanoi, Vietnam.”
“An email chain dated April 8, 2010, which contains a memo from Sid Blumenthal to Hillary Clinton related to the change of government in Kyrgyzstan, contains information classified ‘confidential’ and is redacted as ‘foreign government information’ and ‘foreign relations or foreign activities of the United States, including confidential sources.’ Blumenthal urges Clinton to ‘develop relations’ with the new government in Kyrgyzstan.”
“A January 26, 2010, email to Hillary Clinton from her deputy chief of staff, Jake Sullivan, is classified ‘confidential’ and contains a ‘call sheet’ that Clinton received prior to placing a call to Northern Ireland political leaders. It appears that the redacted portions contain the names of particular members of Sinn Fein who were invited to a particular meeting and the expectations of either themselves or other foreign ministers for the outcomes of that meeting.”
“A June 13, 2009, email to Clinton from Sullivan with the subject line ‘Northern Ireland’ is classified ‘confidential’ and nearly completely redacted. The particular subject details are unclear.”
“Abedin emails Clinton about ‘Invites for the week’ in an undated email (but apparently written before November 1, 2011, the day Clinton’s mother died, because her mother is one of the invitees – probably written in early 2009, based on the period most of these emails seem to have been written), and notes that she (Clinton) has a ‘George Soros lunch from 1-3 in Southampton.'”
RELATED: Top Harris Campaign Lawyer Hired Fusion GPS for Clinton, Corresponded with Steele: Report
“On October 20, 2010, lawyer Lanny Davis writes Clinton an email saying, ‘Thank you H for who you are and what you do,’ followed in the exchange by another with ‘PS. I swear you look younger and better every time I see you, Good night dear Hillary. Lanny.’ Mr. Davis is currently a lawyer for Michael Cohen.”
“In an undated email, Blumenthal emails Clinton about State Department management issues suggests that Joseph C. Wilson ‘should be spoken with for his view of dept, personnel … is shrewd.’ Wilson is a former ambassador to Gabon who went on to become an Africa consultant and deal-maker.”
Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said, “These classified Hillary Clinton emails that she tried to hide or destroy show why it is urgent that the DOJ finally undertake a honest criminal investigation.
“These emails show how the prior sham investigation by the Comey-Strzok-McCabe-Lynch crowd was a joke. It is past time for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to order a new investigation of the Hillary Clinton email scandal.”
Sophia Clifton
Editorial Intern
Sophia Clifton is an editorial intern for The Western Journal.
Pentagon Report: China Prepared to Invade North Korea
Ocasio-Cortez Upset Over Closed Coffee Shop, Shuts Its Doors Over Policies She Supports
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Watch: Kashuv Producing Own Ads To Take Down ‘Complicit’ School Board Members
Tags: Court, Emailgate, Hillary Clinton, State Department
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Supreme Court Makes Landmark Decision Regarding Ohio Voter Fraud
By Scott Kelnhofer
In a ruling that could have implications for the November midterm elections, the Supreme Court ruled Monday that Ohio’s method for removing names from its list of registered voters does not violate federal law.
The court ruled 5-4 in favor of Ohio, with the five conservative judges supporting the state and the four liberal judges voting against it.
Eligible Ohio voters who have not cast a vote in more than two years receive a notice from the state. If that person fails to respond to the notice and doesn’t vote over the next four years, they are dropped from the registration list.
All states have methods for removing names from voter registration lists which usually involve people who have moved out of a given precinct or who have died. Voter inactivity is not usually a reason in and of itself.
The question before the court was whether Ohio’s method of using mailed notices for removing inactive voters from the registration list violated the National Voter Registration Act of 1993.
In writing the majority opinion for the court, Justice Samuel Alito said Monday’s ruling only affirmed the state was not in violation of federal law, not a commentary on whether the method was the best way to serve its purpose.
“We have no authority to second-guess Congress or to decide whether Ohio’s supplemental process is the ideal method for keeping its voting rolls up to date,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the conservative majority. “The only question before us is whether it violates federal law. It does not.”
“Combined with the two years of nonvoting before notice is sent, that makes a total of six years of nonvoting before removal,” Alito wrote.
Ohio’s method is not new — it’s been in place since 1994. But a lawsuit claimed that roughly 7,500 voters were wrongly purged from the state’s registration list for the 2016 election, and a federal appeals court ruled against the state’s method, prompting Ohio to take the case to the Supreme Court.
Do you agree with the Supreme Court's ruling?
Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote her own dissent of the ruling, separate from that authored by Justice Stephen Breyer.
“Congress enacted the NVRA against the backdrop of substantial efforts by states to disenfranchise low-income and minority voters, including programs that purged eligible voters from registration lists because they failed to vote in prior elections,” Sotomayor wrote.
“The Court errs in ignoring this history and distorting the statutory text … ultimately sanctioning the very purging that Congress expressly sought to protect against,” she added.
Because of the ruing, at least six other states are expected to enact similar methods for cleaning up their voter registration rolls
Reaction to the ruling was as split as the justices themselves.
RELATED: United in Faith: Kavanaugh, Thomas Turned to Same Divine Words in Confirmation Battles 27 Years Apart
Fantastic ruling for clean elections by the Supreme Court today. In fact, the High Court upheld a settlement agreement between Ohio and @JudicialWatch to help clean voter rolls in Ohio. Leftists opposed to election integrity suffered a big defeat today.
— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) June 11, 2018
This is not democracy. This is an attempt to erase the voices of millions of Black voters who vote infrequently, all to benefit the few in power. A decision like this will only encourage states to continue pursuing racist voter laws. #ProtectMyVote #SCOTUS https://t.co/PiRheh7vEi
— Rashad Robinson (@rashadrobinson) June 11, 2018
“The Supreme Court got this one wrong. The right to vote is not ‘use it or lose it,'” Chris Carson, president of the League of Women Voters of the United States, told NBC News. “This decision will fuel the fire of voter suppressors across the country who want to make sure their chosen candidates win reelection, no matter what the voters say.”
The Trump administration had supported Ohio, saying in a court brief that the state’s system strikes a balance between “on the one hand dramatically increasing the number of voters on the voter rolls but, on the other, giving states the flexibility they need to manage the issues that arise when you have over-inflated voter rolls.”
Scott Kelnhofer
Scott Kelnhofer is a writer for The Western Journal and Conservative Tribune. A native of Milwaukee, he currently resides in Phoenix.
Scott Kelnhofer is a writer for The Western Journal and Conservative Tribune. He has more than 20 years of experience in print and broadcast journalism. A native of Milwaukee, he has resided in Phoenix since 2012.
Media, Sports, Business Trends
UFC Champ Goes on Vulgar Tirade Against Nike Over Kaepernick Deal
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City Council Approves ‘Obama Boulevard’ in 15-0 Vote
College Pressures Students To Not Post 9/11 Posters Because May Hurt Muslims’ Feelings
Tags: 2018 midterm elections, Ohio, Supreme Court
Spencer Platt / Getty Images; Mandel Ngan / Getty Images Trump Ignites Democrats’ Fury by Telling Ocasio-Cortez, Omar, Others To Leave America
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Barry M: How the cosmetics brand uses social media to stand out from the crowd
By Carlene Thomas Bailey
Barry M angel Laura
Beauty has always been the industry that not only survives during economic downturn, but actually thrives during those times. We all run out to buy a red lipstick whether times are tough or not. A good lippy or nail polish are staples that consumers just can’t do without.
In fact, according to stats and research from Mintel last year “as many as 40% of all UK women purchased lipstick in the last year, rising to 48% of women aged 16-24,” while stats for the US revealed that $46.2 billion was spent on beauty in 2015 and is projected to get up to $51.8 billion by 2020.
However, recently new beauty brands have emerged, and much like what we’re seeing within fashion, this new wave of beauty start-ups are disrupting the market. You have Glossier with their beauty products (each product is made with the Glossier community in mind, and ideas for products often crowd sourced from that community, not forgetting the Instagrammable packaging). There’s also the rise of green products that have shed their previous perception as eco=dull and emerged with gorgeous products that are great for the consumer and the environment. These new disruptors are pushing established beauty brands to work harder at staying relevant and engaging with a younger audience. So how do you make your mark in the increasingly saturated beauty world?
We caught up with Caroline Dawe, Barry M’s Marketing Manager to talk about how the UK based cosmetics company (which is celebrating 35 years in the business this year!) successfully uses social media to talk to consumers, innovate and reach a new consumer base.
Hi Caroline, first up, who is your target consumer?
Our target is 16-24-year-olds but as you would expect, our actual consumer ranges from 13-year-olds up through 35. We also get grandma’s on Facebook asking us about lipsticks, so it’s actually very broad. Our Managing Director is much more of the mindset of not ignoring anyone, and making everyone feel welcome within our brand, and that’s an ethos that has been spread through the company.
What’s your Twitter strategy?
We love connecting with our consumer, that’s at the heart of the brand. Reposting and retweeting was never really a conscious strategy, it always felt very natural. We are a family brand and actually years ago Barry himself used to come in and talk to everyone on Twitter, as well as sending free makeup to people if they were having a bad day through Twitter beauty competitions. So the brand always felt very real and approachable instead of intimidating. We love to engage with our audience, retweeting, regramming and reposting- we get sent so many images of our audience using the products which is great because it’s free content, and it’s fun for consumers who love being featured. From a product perspective it’s also really nice for us to see how consumers are using the products in their real lives.
Re: your Instagram strategy, how do you make the products stand out on this hugely visual platform?
When we first jumped on the platform a few years ago, everything was shot in-house, in our office and on members of the team, but we’ve realised how important it is to show off the colours of the products properly, such as the finishes of a nail paint, so you can see all the colours in that formulation. So now we use an agency to help us with the imagery, and the video function has really helped us display the products through quick mini how-to videos.
Consumers are demanding more from their products and they are not afraid to tell you on social media, how do you handle that?
Now younger generations are so straight up, they will tell you if they don’t like something (from colour to quality) and it’s so important for a brand to get it right now and I think that’s great. So it’s our job to really get across what the product looks like and feels like, we’re also conscious of not just showing it on one skin tone. And the feedback helps us to learn too, to really understand what our consumers need and what improvements they would like to see.
What’s your Youtube strategy?
It’s such a great platform, because you have more time – more like 12-15 minutes, rather than just 30 seconds. People will engage more and watch for longer. So it’s a great place for us to show how versatile a product is and explain it in depth. It’s also a great platform for our make up ambassador, celebrity make up artist Adam Burrell, who works with people like Little Mix. He’s such an authority in the beauty world and his tutorials are great. We also have a nail artist called Sophie Harris Greenslade who offers tutorials, so it’s great for us to show off the great colours and nail art how-tos. Youtube is also a brilliant way to reach more people, and harness the power of SEO beauty search terms. We’re planning to grow this platform more as a brand moving forward. It’s interesting to see how our spend has changed as well, before we did ad spend on big TV advertisements and that seems ancient now, as people will watch on their phone or tablet way more now.
How do you communicate the brand’s cruelty free product message?
It’s really nice to work for a brand that you don’t lose sleep over. One that is strict with suppliers and not tested on animals and has always been cruelty free. Plus, because we’re family owned we don’t have to worry about the ethics of a parent company. All of our products are vegetarian and we’re hoping in the near future to make it all vegan (which we can’t do right now because we use beeswax in some products). We also make a point of talking about what goes into the products and we tell consumers which products are vegan, as it’s a common question on Instagram as consumers are more conscious about what goes on their skin.
Can you talk a bit about your influencer’s strategy and the Barry’s Angels?
Yeah, so Barry Angels came about after we decided to work with influencers. We already had the lovely Adam Burrell as our spokesman, but he’s so good that he’s often in demand and very busy and I realized that he wouldn’t have time to do all the things we had planned for social, from Instagram takeovers to videos. So the idea for Barry Angels was born- my assistant and I started to research who might be good to bring on board, people who loved the brand, and loved beauty! We wanted to have a squad, and we were committed to making sure the beauty fans we chose all had completely different looks. We thought it would be cool to have three girls, like Charlie’s Angels and this has really been the year of boy makeup, so we decided to work with 4 influencers in total: Lizzie Jemiyo, Sayan Yildiz, Laura Louise Sproat, and Marc Zapanta. The best part is that they all get on really well and are good friends now. How it works is that they are contracted for the year, producing everything from how to videos for instagram, to themed youtube videos around different looks- from festival fever to halloween make up. They also offer up new product development feedback, so it’s not a cold relationship, we talk to them almost every day.
What’s next for beauty?
Contouring is still about and in terms of sales our contouring products are still performing strongly, our Chisel Cheeks franchise still does very well. But I also agree that everyday daytime makeup is in, people are looking to get that flawless skin, so primers and colour correcting wands are really popular now. Highlighting has really taken off, it’s gone from highlighting to strobing back to highlighting again. It’s all about that flawless skin, light reflecting, glowy and fresh, and I think we’ll see more of that as we move into summer.
Get more with a WGSN membership. Click for a demo.
Can retail save the world?
May 21, 2019 | By Petah Marian
Self-care is homeward bound
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Tag: Young Ned
Game of Thrones 6.03- “Oathbreaker”
The biggest and most upsetting death in Game of Thrones history is now a thing of the past. Jon Snow lives and now we get to see what happens next!
Posted in: Movies & TV, ReviewsTagged: A Song of Ice and Fire, Aeron Greyjoy, Alexander Siddig, Alfie Allen, Alliser Thorne, Annette Tierney, Anton Lesser, Areo Hotah, Art Parkinson, Arthur Dayne, Arya Stark, Balon Greyjoy, Ben Crompton, Benjen Stark, Bloodraven, Bowen Marsh, Braavos, Bran Stark, Brenock O'Connor, Brian Fortune, Brienne of Tarth, Carice van Houten, Castle Black, Cersei Lannister, Conleth Hill, Cordelia Hill, D.B. Weiss, Daario Naharis, Daenerys Targaryen, Daniel Portman, David Benioff, Davos Seaworth, Dean-Charles Chapman, Deborah Riley, Deobia Oparei, Doran Martell, Dorne, Dragons, Drogon, Eddison Tollett, Elizabeth Webster, Ellaria Sand, Ellie Kendrick, Emilia Clark, Euron Greyjoy, Faye Marsay, Fergus Leathem, fire and blood, Gemma Whelan, George R.R. Martin, Gilly, Grand Maester Pycelle, Gregor Clegane, Grey Worm, Gwendoline Christie, Hafpor Julius Bjornsson, Hannah Murray, Hannah Waddingham, Harald Karstark, Hear Me Roar, Hodor, House Baratheon, House Greyjoy, House Lannister, House Martell, House of Black and White, House Stark, House Targaryen, House Tully, Howland Reed Dean S. Jagger, Iain Glen, Ian Whyte, Indira Varma, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Iwan Rheon, Jacob Anderson, Jaime Lannister, Jaquen H’Ghar, Jessica Henwick, John Bradley, Jon Snow, Jorah Mormont, Joseph Naufahu, Julian Glover, Kae Alexander, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Khal Moro, King Tommen Baratheon, King's Landing, Kit Harington, Kristian Nairn, Kristofer Hivju, Leaf, Lena Headey, Leo Woodruff, Liam Cunningham, Lord Varys, Luke Roberts, Lyanna Stark, Maisie Williams, Margaery Tyrell, Matteo Elezi, Max Von Sydow, Meena Rayann, Meera Reed, Melisandre, Mereen, Michael Condron, Michael Feast, Michael McElhatton, Michiel Huisman, Myrcella Baratheon, Natalia Tena, Natalie Dormer, Ned Stark, Nell Tiger Free, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Nymeria Sand, Obara Sand, Old Nan, Olly, Osha, Othell Yarwyck, Ours is the Fury, Owen Teale, Patrick Malahide, Paul Rattray, Peter Dinklage, Pilou Asbaek, Podrick Payne, Pyke, Qhono, Qyburn, Ramin Djawadi, Ramsay Bolton, Rickon Stark, Riverrun, Robert Aramayo, Roose Bolton, Rosabell Laurenti Sellers, Sam Coleman, Samwell Tarly, Sansa Stark, Sebastian Croft, Septa Unella, Ser Robert Strong, Smalljon Umber, Sophie Turner, Staz Nair, The North, The Red Keep, The Wall, Theon Greyjoy, Three-Eyed Raven, Toby Sebastian, Tom Wlaschia, Tommen Baratheon, Tormund Giantsbane, Trystane Martell, Tyene Sand, Tyrion Lannister, Valar Morghulis, Waif, Walda Bolton, We Do Not Sow, Winter is Coming, Winterfell, Wun Wun, Wylis, Yara Greyjoy, Young Benjen, Young Lyanna, Young Nan, Young Ned, Young RodrikLeave a comment
Game of Thrones 6.02 – “Home”
The question that has plagued the Thrones fans since the Season 5 finale has finally been answered. They really made us wait until the last, final breath.
Posted in: Movies & TV, ReviewsTagged: A Song of Ice and Fire, Aeron Greyjoy, Alexander Siddig, Alfie Allen, Alliser Thorne, Annette Tierney, Areo Hotah, Arya Stark, Balon Greyjoy, Ben Crompton, Benjen Stark, Bloodraven, Bowen Marsh, Braavos, Bran Stark, Brenock O'Connor, Brian Fortune, Brienne of Tarth, Carice van Houten, Castle Black, Cersei Lannister, Conleth Hill, Cordelia Hill, D.B. Weiss, Daario Naharis, Daenerys Targaryen, Daniel Portman, David Benioff, Davos Seaworth, Dean-Charles Chapman, Deborah Riley, Deobia Oparei, Doran Martell, Dorne, Dragons, Drogon, Eddison Tollett, Elizabeth Webster, Ellaria Sand, Ellie Kendrick, Emilia Clark, Euron Greyjoy, Faye Marsay, Fergus Leathem, fire and blood, Game of Thrones 6.02, Gemma Whelan, George R.R. Martin, GOT 6.02, Gregor Clegane, Grey Worm, Gwendoline Christie, Hafpor Julius Bjornsson, Hannah Waddingham, Harald Karstark, Hear Me Roar, Hodor, Home, House Baratheon, House Greyjoy, House Lannister, House Martell, House of Black and White, House Stark, House Targaryen, House Tully, Iain Glen, Ian Whyte, Indira Varma, Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Iwan Rheon, Jacob Anderson, Jaime Lannister, Jaquen H’Ghar, Jessica Henwick, Jon Snow, Jorah Mormont, Joseph Naufahu, Kae Alexander, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Khal Moro, King Tommen Baratheon, King's Landing, Kit Harington, Kristian Nairn, Kristofer Hivju, Leaf, Lena Headey, Liam Cunningham, Lord Varys, Lyanna Stark, Maisie Williams, Margaery Tyrell, Matteo Elezi, Max Von Sydow, Meera Reed, Melisandre, Mereen, Michael Condron, Michael Feast, Michael McElhatton, Michiel Huisman, Missandei, Myrcella Baratheon, Natalie Dormer, Nathalie Emmanuel, Ned Stark, Nell Tiger Free, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Nymeria Sand, Obara Sand, Old Nan, Olly, Othell Yarwyck, Ours is the Fury, Owen Teale, Patrick Malahide, Paul Rattray, Peter Dinklage, Pilou Asbaek, Podrick Payne, Pyke, Ramin Djawadi, Ramsay Bolton, Rhaegal, Riverrun, Roose Bolton, Rosabell Laurenti Sellers, Sam Coleman, Sansa Stark, Season 6 Episode 2, Sebastian Croft, Septa Unella, Ser Robert Strong, Sophie Turner, The North, The Red Keep, The Wall, Theon Greyjoy, Three-Eyed Raven, Toby Sebastian, Tom Wlaschia, Tommen Baratheon, Tormund Giantsbane, Trystane Martell, Tyene Sand, Tyrion Lannister, Valar Morghulis, Viserion, Waif, Walda Bolton, We Do Not Sow, Winter is Coming, Winterfell, Wun Wun, Wylis, Yara Greyjoy, Young Benjen, Young Lyanna, Young Nan, Young Ned, Young RodrikLeave a comment
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The Channel Islands
Things to do in the UK this Easter
With Easter quickly approaching, there is plenty going on in every corner of Britain to mark the occasion. From giant Easter egg hunts to spring fairs, quizzes and spectacular outdoor performances, the Easter weekend from 19-22 April is sure to be packed full of fun for all the family…
Put a medieval twist on Easter
Explore the pageantry, conflict and sport of the late Middle Ages as the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds puts a unique twist on the Easter celebrations. Dive back in time to discover what life was like with how-to-be a knight workshops and other family activities, before taking in spectacular falconry displays.
When? 30 March - 14 April
Go celebrity duck spotting
Join a very different flock of ducks at WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre over Easter, as 14 giant Dusty Ducks will brighten the wonderful wetland area. Lovingly designed by a host of different celebrities, including Joanna Lumley and Steve Backshall, each brightly coloured 6-foot-tall duck will form the Celebrity Dusty Duck Trail before they head off to auction after Easter.
When? 30 March - 6 May
Meet Bobtail Bunny and friends at Paultons Park
Come face to face with Bobtail Bunny and his forest friends at Paultons Park over Easter, the home of Peppa Pig World on the edge of the New Forest National Park. Alongside a chance to meet the cute characters, exciting spring activity workshops will include opportunities to create Easter cards, rabbit magnets, pop up bunnies or a daffodil windmill.
When? 5 - 23 April
Discover glow in the dark eggs at Cheddar Gorge and Caves
Venture into Cheddar Gorge and Caves this Easter and be on the lookout for hidden glow in the dark eggs in the many mysterious chambers of Gough’s Cave. After discovering all of the glowing eggs, adults and children over 8 can embark on an exhilarating Black Cat Free Fall experience, leaping into the darkness from 30 feet up. Alternatively, those aged over 12 can test their brain power in a race against the clock to get out of Cheddar’s Escape Rooms: The Vault or Caved In.
When? 6 - 22 April (The Free Fall experience is available all year, dependant on weather conditions)
Let curiosity run wild on the Mount
Follow the curious Easter hunt trail around the harbour and village on St Michael’s Mount to learn more about the people that call the island home. Hunt for answers on the way to be in with a chance of winning a delicious chocolate surprise.
When? 7 - 22 April (except Saturdays)
Don hand-crafted headgear at the Palace of Holyroodhouse
Create an extravagant Easter Bonnet at the Palace of Holyroodhouse before donning the headgear to take part in a fantastic Easter parade. Go in search of other weird and wacky headgear that has been worn throughout the ages as part of the Easter trail – wigs, crowns and other wonderful hats will be hidden around the Edinburgh palace.
When? 8 - 21 April (Easter Bonnet making and parade on 21 April)
View the south coast from the top of the tower
Enjoy stunning views of Portsmouth and the south coast from the top of the Emirates Spinnaker Tower before meeting the stars of hit CBeebies show Bing – Bing and Flop. Be brave enough to wander across the glass floor while staring down at a 100-metre drop, or relax in the beautiful sky garden as the first plants of the season start to bloom, all while taking in the breath-taking sights.
When? 13 and 20 April (Meet Bing and Flop at selected times)
Experience all the fun of the fair
Enjoy the thrills of the fair this Easter at the iconic Manchester Central in the heart of the city. Visitors can enjoy a host of rides, try their luck at classic funfair games and tuck into delightful cuisine from an array of food stalls. Open for two sessions each day, tickets for the funfair provide unlimited goes on all of the rides – and best of all, everything is inside!
When? 13 - 22 April (2 daily sessions, 10am and 2pm)
Take part in an Easter Eggstravaganza at Royal Windsor Racecourse
Entertain the kids at Royal Windsor Racecourse’s first Easter Eggstravaganza Raceday, featuring an exhilarating Easter Egg hunt, face painting and a host of other entertainment on top of the racing. Everything is free for children under 18 when accompanied by a paying adult.
When? 15 April
Try your hand at the Lancashire tradition of Pace Egging
Children can bring a boiled egg to decorate and take part in the fine Lancashire tradition of Pace Egging at Gawthorpe Hall, where the many spectacular creations are rolled down the banking to see which goes fastest. Explore the Elizabethan houses and its fantastic grounds, or go hunting round the daffodils for the Pendelfin bunnies on the Easter Bunny Trail.
When? Pace Egging, 17 April. Easter Bunny Trail, 21 - 22 April
Learn about the final days of Jesus in Trafalgar Square, London
Be immersed in a moving portrayal of the final days of Jesus in the heart of Trafalgar Square as 100 Wintershall players put on a free public performance of The Passion of Jesus. The open air 90-minute production uses huge screens to maximise its visual impact and features a striking interpretation of the crucifixion.
When? 19 April (2 performances, 12pm and 3.15pm)
Join the Junk Orchestra at Leeds Castle
Daily musical jamming sessions with the Junk Orchestra, where visitors can create a merry beat using instruments made from bits of old rubbish, will take place on the Pavilion Lawn at Leeds Castle in Kent. Each instrument creation will help to form an incredible litter sculpture, developed by award-winning eco-artist Sarah Turner.
When? 19 - 22 April
Take in the scenery from the Isle of Wight steam railway
Enjoy the Isle of Wight’s spectacular scenery from aboard the island’s steam railway before embarking on the Desmond Duck Treasure Hunt in search of Easter treats. An Easter Bonnet Parade will take place on each day, alongside regular flying displays from Haven Falconry.
When? 19-22 April
Hunt for chocolate at Coughton Court
Embark on an expedition around the picturesque grounds of Coughton Court on a Cadbury Easter Egg Hunt, before enjoying an array of traditional games and family events at the National Trust site. Packwood House, also in Warwickshire, Newark Park in Gloucestershire and A La Ronde in Devon are among many other National Trust sites to host Cadbury Easter Egg Hunts too.
When? 19 - 22 April (A La Ronde, 6-22 April)
Revel in Manchester’s music scene
Experience 3 days of musical mayhem as more than 130 bands play their finest tunes at the Manchester Punk Festival. Spread across eight venues in the city, all within walking distance of each other, the festival also includes a comedy and poetry stage, and a pop-up record store. The When in Manchester Festival also returns for its 5th edition this Easter, featuring 19 of the region’s best up-and-coming artists at 3 venues in the city’s Northern Quarter.
When? 19-21 April (When in Manchester, 20 April)
Roll up for circus and superhero fun
Mark Easter in style at Yorkshire’s Thornton Hall Country Park, with a range of egg-citing activities for all the family. Enjoy circus performances and workshops as part of the Great Show Spectacular on Good Friday, before joining the Easter Rabbit for an enthralling Egg Hunt or capping the weekend off with fancy dress at the Superhero and Princess Party.
When? 19, 21 and 22 April (Great Show Spectacular, 19 April; Easter Egg Hunt, 21 April; Superhero and Princess Party, 22 April)
Things to see and do during the British Grand Prix
Explore London and Manchester’s Outdoor Activities
A cultural trip: In and around the city during Manchester International Festival
Celebrate the new royal baby with a visit to the Royal Parks
How to take the ultimate Scotland road trip
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AAR 1942 Eastern Front: A Warm Bed for the Night by Kev
This scenario for Too Fat Lardies "I Ain't Been Shot, Mum" was fought recently in our gaming group using my newly painted winter warfare German and Soviet forces. This being the first time we'd played a game set in Winter, everyone was keen to see how it all looked, played and felt. The scenario is set in the advance on Moscow in November 1941. It is a real challenge for the normally superior Germans of Barabarossa. Clive and Nigel played the Germans with Max and Paul T the Soviets. I wrote the scenario and provided the set up and acted as umpire. Table set up below. Table size is 6' x 4'.
The Germans were tasked with capturing a village intact to provide a warm bed for the night against the chilly icy wind, in sub zero temperatures. You can pretty much do what you like with the village. Perhaps a dozen or so buildings, plenty of fences, earth banks to act as wind breaks...you get the picture. There was quite a bit of scenery on table with fir woods, sparse deciduous woods, numerous 'thickets', a couple of low rises. You can pretty much add whatever is in your own collection. The idea is to provide a fair bit of light cover to affect line of sight.
GERMAN BRIEFING
SOVIET BRIEFING
The Germans had scraped together the remnants of a battered Schutzen Kompanie of only five Gruppen (out of 13!), plus a weapons Gruppe of two tripod mounted MG34 and two 81mm mortars. Off table artillery was available, but they needed to preserve those buildings to provide shelter against 'General Winter'.
One Gruppe was an HQ one, in an SdKfz 251/10 with 3.7cm AT Kanone, and an attached SdKfz 10/5 with 2cm FlaK gun. They also had an attached leIG18, 7.5cm Infantry gun, and a Panzer Platoon of a three tanks; a PzKpfw IV D, PzKpfw IV F1 and a PzKpfw III G. Whatever Panzers were still running in the conditions. You can add whatever you wish.
Fuel shortage, breakdown and ammo shortage cards meant they had a stiff task though the Schutzen were equipped with an extra MG per Gruppe. The German force had six Big Men available to it.
The Soviets had a full Rifle Company of nine ten man sections, but only one AT rifle, a sniper, a tank killer section, and three Maxims, one in an MG nest, plus a Platoon of three T-34s. The Soviets had two Big Men and a Political Officer.
The Germans advanced in two columns of blinds, one in the fir woods and one on the extreme right flank adjacent to the sparse deciduous woods. The Soviet sniper, deployed in the water tower, and Soviet blinds hidden in and around the village spotted the German blinds advancing towards the Soviet left as infantry, with Nigel's Panzer Platoon, and those exiting the woods as dummy blinds. One fake remained on the edge of the fir wood, convincing the Soviets this was more infantry.
Unfortunately for the Germans, their infantry early on didn't get the cards coming up right to allow a much called for speedy advance, even though blessed with a plethora of Big Men. This wasn't helped by the fact that Clive kept rolling some really poor rolls for movement and spotting. The Soviet sniper pinged off a couple of shots slowing the advance still further, with the AT rifle located nearby tackling Nigel's German tanks, but with a noticeable lack of success.
A Soviet section was spotted deployed behind a line of thickets adjacent to some ploughed fields. These brave souls launched an impromptu attack with grenades on the Panzers, on the Tank Killers card, but were shot to a red ruin by the tanks MGs.
When the Soviets realised that the main Schwerpunkt was against their left, Max wisely sent the T-34s round the open right flank and one hit the Panzer IV D side on, wrecking its main gun. Fortunately the others missed their targets. Talk about T-34 terror though. The chaps know I have a load of them but this was the first time they'd actually met any in our recent IABSM version 3 games. There were some very worried looking Germans at this point.
It looked like impending doom, but then Clive stepped up to the plate. Clive managed to knock out a T-34, mod 1940, from over 18" with a 37mm Kanone mounted on the SdKfz 251/10. Class act. I shall never pour scorn on the humble 3.7mm 'Door Knocker' again.
The German infantry gun did very little though as once spotted the Soviet Maxims opened up and concentrated on it, quickly killing its Big Man and crew.
Unlike the Soviets who had split their Maxims amongst their Platoons, the Germans had kept their weapons Platoon together and deployed on a low rise began to shoot back at the Soviets, plopping the odd mortar round too in an effort to provide a base of fire to manoeuvre forward their leg infantry. The 2cm Flak gun on the SdKfz 10 also started to open up on the village too, though with one eye on the two T-34s, which were still unable to hit anything. The Soviet AT rifle was forced back along with a section occupying a house, and a Maxim was silenced.
With the situation in the village looking confused, but realising they had stirred up a hornets nest, the German CO was on the RTO requesting off table artillery support. This didn't actually arrive however. Obviously an ammo shortage in the rear too. By now, the German Schtuzen leg infantry had finally got into the western edge of the village. As Soviet infantry vacated a barn a Schutzen Gruppe thankfully occupied it. Seconds later an entire Soviet Platoon and attached Maxim peppered the barn at close range from adjacent buildings, killing all the Germans. Their desire to warm themselves would mean they would be cold forever now. Wary of the lack of protection offered the Germans now hid behind the barn jumping out to fire briefly before ducking back behind it.
The Soviets had taken a fair amount of casualties but were still holding onto 75% of the buildings, though under much pressure. Paul T did a good job on contesting his side of the village with a tenacious defence. Concerned for the village Max switched the last two T-34s to the centre. Clive popped a double six hit on one with the 3.7cm SdKfz 251/10, at under 18" range, knocking out its main gun. Give that gunner the Iron Cross!
With the end of the game approaching, everyone suddenly got brave. Doesn't everyone always in the last turn of a game? Clive sent his Schutzen across the village in an effort to take some more buildings, with Soviets everywhere carrying numerous points of shock and clinging to the village. It was a long distance but Clive went for it and failed to get into close combat.
With the Human Wave card being drawn Paul T launched an assault of his own upon the Schutzen. Max tried to get in on the act too with an entire nearby Platoon, still on blinds, but failed to obtain the necessary dice score to get close enough. Paul's desperately audacious nine men therefore piled into Clive's sixteen plus a Big Man, unsupported. Amazingly they tied on only one casualty each. Roll again Mein Kameraden. Guess what? Paul T won by one. The Germans recoiled amidst cat calls and insults, looking decidedly ashamed for themselves. Tea Break followed shortly ending the game.
In the end the German had got into the village but as night was falling they would probably have had to withdraw and lick their wounds, with the Soviets still outnumbering them at least 2:1. Both sides had a round 25% casualties, as one might expect of such hard fighting. I had perhaps given the Germans too stiff a task but on paper they were much stronger. Interestingly all the negative cards; Ammunition Shortage, Fuel Shortage and Vehicle Breakdown played no part whatsoever.
Played in the best of spirit as is usual. Why not have a go yourself, and see how you manage it? I'm sure this one is re-playable many times. If you don't want to fight it in 1941 on the Eastern Front, or don't have the exact figures and vehicles we used, use whatever you have.
Kev (aka Fat Wally)
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Nigerian Presidential Candidates Campaign for Youth Vote
The frontrunners in Nigeria's presidential election are both seeking the country's considerable youth vote.
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan is 52 years old. His main rival for the Nigerian presidency, retired general Ibrahim Babangida, is 69.
Yet both men say they understand the needs of the younger generation and are actively campaigning for the youth vote in a country with more than 45 million people between the ages of 10 and 24.
Mr. Babangida says there is a disconnect between the government and young Nigerians.
"The plight of the young man and woman who together can safeguard our future must engage our collective attention. I worry about the large army of youths and women who are unemployed. They are our countries most critical resources," he said.
President Jonathan says he has passed laws to make foreign oil and gas companies source more of their goods and services locally, which he says will make more jobs for young people.
But his biggest campaign appeal to the youth vote appears to come in the telling of his life as a child in the Niger Delta - little money, no electricity, no shoes for school, some days only one meal. And yet he says he never despaired.
"If I could make it, you can make it, and nothing will inhibit you. My story is a story of a young Nigerian whose access to education opens up vast opportunities that enabled me to attain my present position," he said.
So what do young people think about the two candidates?
Bunmi Oladipo says she prefers President Jonathan, in part, because he is younger.
"Some of the things he has done, for me as a Nigerian, I think it portrays that he means well," said Oladipo. "He is insisting on credible elections. And he is insisting on one man one vote and all that. I believe that he has something to offer. We should give him a chance."
Oladipo agrees that Mr. Babangida has more experience than President Jonathan. But she says Mr. Babangida's experience is nothing Nigerians would ever want to live through again.
"No matter how he wants to wish away those incidents that happened - the annulment of June 12th [elections], the crisis in our financial sector, proscription of media houses, students going on strike for a long time - all those things. There is no way he can wish away those things. Nigerians will always remember those years he ruled," she said.
Student Shehu Musa says Mr. Babangida has every reason to be proud of his legacy.
"What Babangida did when he was the president, most of the structures he put in place are still the structures we are using today," said Musa. "Successive governments have not been able to improve on such structures. If you are telling me that Jonathan has changed the economy, I don't believe that is what happened. He has just consolidated on what he inherited from the former president."
President Jonathan's candidacy disrupts an informal agreement in the ruling party that rotates power between north and south. That deal says the next Nigerian president should be from the north to finish out what would have been the late President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua's second term instead of continuing on with President Jonathan, who is from the south.
Musa says the deal, though unofficial, should be respected. So he is backing Mr. Babangida, who is known popularly by his initials IBB.
"I will go for IBB because power is in the north presently. And if we are going to abide by the PDP arrangement, it is going to give us peace in the country," he said.
Both candidates must now carry on a far longer campaign with the postponement of ruling party primaries because the electoral commission is asking that the vote itself be put back from January to April.
Most Nigerian Political Parties Agree to Election Postponement
Nigeria’s ruling government party spokesman says PDP agrees to presidential election postponement so credible vote can be organized
By Peter Clottey
Nigerian Ruling Party Suspends Primaries
Move signals national elections scheduled for January likely to be delayed
Nigerian Voters, Politicians Debate Electoral Commission Call for More Time
Nigeria's electoral commission wants more time to register voters for January's legislative, presidential, and gubernatorial elections. Nigeria's electoral commission has no power to extend voter registration itself. So chairman Attahiru Jega is asking political leaders to work with the National Assembly to amend the electoral law to give the commission more time. "The timeline for the implementation of this plan is very tight," Jega said. "Consequently,…
Criticism of Higher Candidate Fees for Nigeria's Ruling Party
Ruling Party says higher nomination fees meant to demonstrate prospective candidates' seriousness, helping to fund nationwide campaigns
By Scott Stearns
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More snow in central Pa. this week? 'There's a chance,' meteorologists say
After a rough few days, more snow is coming for the area.
More snow in central Pa. this week? 'There's a chance,' meteorologists say After a rough few days, more snow is coming for the area. Check out this story on ydr.com: https://www.ydr.com/story/news/2018/03/04/more-snow-central-pa-week-theres-chance-meteorologists-say/393569002/
Anthony J. Machcinski, amachcinski@ydr.com Published 3:51 p.m. ET March 4, 2018 | Updated 4:17 p.m. ET March 4, 2018
Towing companies Randy's and Gordon's faced high wind conditions while removing an overturned truck from the Norman Wood bridge. Jason Plotkin
Weather news(Photo: Stock image)
There’s an old saying that when it comes to the weather, March typically comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. That saying seems to be true so far in 2018.
After much of central Pennsylvania was battered by snow squalls and high winds over the last few days, another weather system lined up for Tuesday night could bring more snow, according to the National Weather Service.
While the temperature will dictate the potential amount of snow, Paul Head, a national Weather Service meteorologist, said the area can expect “a sloppy mess.”
Missed Friday's storm? Here's what you missed:
Freight train derails over bridge in Maryland, plummets into Susquehanna River
A tractor trailer flipped on the Norman Wood bridge
High winds and wild weather brought down trees and power lines throughout the area
“The temperature is going to be more of a key factor than the actual amount of precipitation,” Head said. “We might get plowable snow. There’s a chance, but it’s not likely.”
Brian Edwards, a meteorologist with Accuweather, agreed, saying that the majority of the precipitation could come on Wednesday. But, while the majority of the snow will miss central Pennsylvania, there was still "an opportunity for a few inches of snow."
The recent manic weather is caused by a negative North Atlantic Oscillation – where the high pressure sits over Greenland and the low pressure sits over the Atlantic Ocean, which is flipped from what it normally is, Head said.
Typically, this weather event lasts about three weeks, with the most recent one starting on Thursday.
What does that mean for more of that warm weather central Pennsylvania saw in late February? It means you’ll have to wait a few more weeks.
“It’s pretty much on schedule for the normal start of spring,” Head said. “What we had in February was abnormal.”
In addition to Tuesday night’s weather, another storm, expected late Thursday into Friday, could also bring snow depending on the temperatures, but Head said that storm was a bit too far out to track.
It's been an interesting winter where weather is concerned in central Pennsylvania. Remember when this heavy fog rolled through York County?
Photos: Heavy fog blankets York County
Destiney Mullikin of Manheim Twp., and Ava Lehr of Wrightsville take a selfie with the foggy Columbia-Wrightsville bridge in the background. Anthony J. Machcinski, York Daily Record
Fog settles just above the Codorus Creek in York. Anthony J. Machcinski, York Daily Record
Fog creates an eerie scene at the train tracks that lead north and east out of York. Anthony J. Machcinski, York Daily Record
Fog rolls over a farm in Hellam Township on Feb. 11. Anthony J. Machcinski, York Daily Record
Destiney Mullikin of Manheim Twp. and Ava Lehr of Wrightsville check a selfie on their phone with the foggy Columbia-Wrightsville bridge in the background. Anthony J. Machcinski, York Daily Record
The Columbia-Wrightsville bridge disappears into heavy fog over the Susquehanna River on Feb. 11. Anthony J. Machcinski, York Daily Record
Divers along I-83 just north of exit 24 battle low visibility thanks to heavy fog in the area. Anthony J. Machcinski, York Daily Record
Heavy fog on Feb. 11 surrounds the old York Prison in York. Anthony J. Machcinski, York Daily Record
Read or Share this story: https://www.ydr.com/story/news/2018/03/04/more-snow-central-pa-week-theres-chance-meteorologists-say/393569002/
2 men plead guilty in woman's target shooting death
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Watch Crossed Over
Crossed Over is a documentary on the true story of a woman who lost her son in a hit and run accident. The tragic loss of a woman's son leads her into depression. She and her husband struggle to move past this loss. In the course of her life and depression she becomes friends with a woman awaiting her own execution in Texas. Through their bond the woman begins to come to terms with her own loss.
Seen through the point of view of a mother and her loss, this story gives an in-depth look at death and the consequences of crime.
Diane Keaton, Maury Chaykin, Nick Roth, Karl Pruner
Bobby Roth
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Watch Crossed Over Online - Watch online anytime anywhere: Stream, Download
Crossed Over is currently available to watch free on IMDb TV and stream, download on demand at Amazon Prime online.
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Albert Memorial Clock Tower
Antrim Coastal Drive
Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge
Carrickfergus Castle
Dunluce Castle
Cathedral Quarter
Crumlin Road Gaol
Dark Hedges
Belfast City Hall
Belfast Cruise Port
Falls Road Murals
Harland & Wolff Drawing Office
HMS Caroline
Old Bushmills Distillery
St. Anne's Cathedral
Stormont Estate and Parliament Buildings
Tours and Trips in Northern Ireland
Showing Tours in Northern Ireland
Game of Thrones Filming Locations Tour from Belfast including Giants Causeway
8 Hours Movie & TV Tours Hotel Pickup Offered Free Cancellation
Embark on an epic journey through the Seven Kingdoms on this full-day tour of Northern Ireland's Game of Thrones filming locations from Belfast. Immerse yourself in the real-life locations seen on-screen in the hit series and follow in the footsteps of characters like Arya Stark, Sansa Stark and Jon Snow. Along the way, marvel at natural wonders like the UNESCO-listed Giant's Causeway and walk the notorious Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge.
Causeway Coast Cycle- Self Guided- 7 Day Tours
7 Days Bike & Mountain Bike Tours Free Cancellation
When you think about Northern Ireland the first thing that springs to your mind is the city of Belfast, but Northern Ireland is full of treasures for you to explore on this 7 day cycle tour of the Antrim coast which offers nothing short of incalculable beauty at every corner. This route along the Antrim coast takes you through a part of Northern Ireland where the coast is rugged and wild and the people charming and cultured. If you are a Game of Thrones fan, you will pass many sites along the route. During this trip you will have a chance to see many historic buildings such as Carrickfergus Castle or Castle Glenarm, unique natural areas in the world as the Rathlin Island and the famous "Giant's Causeway". We will take care of your accommodation and luggage transfers. Guided maps and tour documents are all provided
Combination Tour: Game of Thrones Film Locations and Belfast City Hop-On Hop-Off Tour
2 Days Sightseeing Packages Hotel Pickup Offered Free Cancellation
Game of Thrones' fans will love this combo package that includes a full-day tour by open-top bus around Belfast filming locations. Then continue your sightseeing with a 48-hour hop-on hop-on pass that lets you discover highlights of the city via a 1.5-hour route. Courtesy hotel pickup is available upon request.
Belfast Combination Ticket: Titanic Belfast Admission and 48-Hour Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour
4 Hours Sightseeing Passes Free Cancellation
Maximise your time in Belfast with this great-value combination ticket. Enjoy access to the Titanic Belfast, the most visited attraction in Northern Island, then visit attractions such as the Belfast Murals, Titanic Dock, Queens University, and St George's Market with a 48-hour hop-on hop-off bus pass.
Giant's Causeway Guided Day Tour from Belfast Including Admission to the Visitor Centre
9 Hours Day Trips Free Cancellation
Walk in the footsteps of giants on this full-day tour of the Giant's Causeway from Belfast! Visit the UNESCO-listed natural wonder located along the rugged Antrim coast and hear tales about the mythical giant, Finn McCool, from your guide. That's not all: brave a walk across the thrilling Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge and visit the mysterious Dark Hedges, a film location for hit TV show Game of Thrones.
Giant's Causeway Day Trip from Belfast
9 Hours Full-day Tours Hotel Pickup Offered Free Cancellation
Discover the magic of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Giant's Causeway on a full-day trip from Belfast. Accompanied by a knowledgeable guide, travel by luxury coach through Northern Ireland's spectacular countryside, and visit attractions like Carrickfergus Castle and the Old Bushmills distillery. Summon your courage to cross the nail-biting Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge. Then arrive at the Giant's Causeway to climb the fascinating stones and admire the scenic splendor of the surroundings.
Belfast Luxury Shore Excursion: Giant's Causeway and Belfast Day Trip
See the Giant's Causeway and best of Belfast on a full-day shore excursion. When your cruise ship docks, board an air-conditioned minivan and take a scenic drive along Antrim's Causeway Coast. Experience the hexagonal basalt rocks of the Giant's Causeway and visit the Causeway Visitor Centre (own expense), admire clifftop Dunluce Castle, and enjoy a panoramic tour of Belfast, with free time to shop, stroll, and sightsee. Port pickup and drop-off are included.
Cruise ship Giants causeway tour
8 to 9 Hours Day Trips Free Cancellation
Discover the many wonders of Northern Ireland on this action-packed day tour. You won't have to worry about booking transport as you'll be picked up from the port. Travel on a comfortable coach between dispersed attractions. Highlights include multiple filming locations from the Game of Thrones, Bushmills Distillery, Ballycastle, Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, and the spectacular UNESCO-listed Giants Causeway.
Giant's Causeway Day Tour from Belfast
8 Hours Day Trips Hotel Pickup Offered Free Cancellation
Depart Belfast for a full-day tour of Northern Ireland's spectacular Antrim Coast and the Giant's Causeway. Begin your journey with an inland drive, avoiding the tourist crowds and beelining directly for the Causeway Coast. Stop at the cliff-top ruins of Dunluce Castle and learn the history of this former medieval stronghold. Take in the breathtaking views from the famous Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge, and explore Bushmills Whiskey Distillery and enjoy a sampling, then visit the distinct geologic formations that form the Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland's only UNESCO-listed site. Return to Belfast along the Antrim Coast, admiring stunning views as you go.
Guided Tour of Crumlin Road Gaol in Belfast
1 Hour 15 Minutes Attraction Tickets
Explore the Crumlin Road Gaol and gain insight into Belfast's criminal history on this 1-hour tour. Follow a guide through the infamous Crumlin Road Gaol and learn of the many unsavoury characters once held here. Visit the reception buildings - where new arrivals were processed - and follow the prisoners' footsteps from the courthouse to the jail. See the various different wings from a high vantage point, experience life locked inside one of the cells and see where prisoners spent their final days before hanging for their crimes.
HMS Caroline Admission Ticket
1 to 4 Hours Free Cancellation
The Titanic is not the only boat associated with Belfast. Meet the HMS Caroline, Belfast's newest and coolest attraction. Gain entrance to the World War I ship. Explore the 100-year-old light cruiser, watching a film about the history of the boat, strolling around its decks and even eating lunch in its on-board cafeteria.
Game of Thrones Tours - Belfast Iron Islands, Giants Causeway & Rope Bridge Adventure
9 Hours 30 Minutes Movie & TV Tours Free Cancellation
New to TripAdvisor Experiences from September 4th 2018, our Belfast Iron Islands, Giants Causeway & Rope Bridge Adventure. This tour is a fully immersive and inclusive experience. Our guides have worked as extras on Game of Thrones® seasons 1 - 8. We trek you along wild sea cliffs, across rocky beaches, into caves and crumbling medieval ruins.We show you VFX breakdowns on tablets, to see how each scene was brought to life. We have Iron Born costumes, swords, helms and banners for everybody as part of the tour at no extra cost. Our tours are the "real experience"!All entrance fees and other extras are included in your ticket price. The only extra expense is your pub lunch. Lunch will be in a pub that hosts one of the world famous Game of Thrones® Doors. The doors were fashioned from fallen 200 year old beech trees which came from the Dark Hedges.
Belfast Combination Tour: Giant's Causeway Day Tour and Belfast City Tour 48-Hour Pass
8 Hours City Packages Hotel Pickup Offered Free Cancellation
Combine two great-value tours around Belfast: a full-day trip to the UNESCO-listed Giant's Causeway and a 48-hour pass for a hop-on hop-off bus tour of the city. You'll get a comprehensive look at the natural wonder on the Antrim Coast, then go sightseeing on your own via a 1.5-hour route. Courtesy hotel pickup is available upon request.
Belfast Shore Excursion: City Sightseeing Hop-On Hop-Off Tour
2 Days Ports of Call Tours Free Cancellation
Make the most of your time in Belfast on this hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus tour. On this shore excursion, use your 1-day pass to hop aboard the double-decker, open-top bus for a panoramic sightseeing excursion. With 15 strategically placed stops, see top attractions like Titanic Dock, St Anne's Cathedral and Belfast Botanic Gardens. Hop off at every stop, or relax with your audio guide for the full 60-minute city loop.
Belfast Sightseeing Cruise: Titanic Quarter and River Lagan
1 Hour Day Cruises Free Cancellation
Experience Belfast's vibrant maritime heritage on a 1-hour sightseeing cruise along the River Lagan! Aboard the barge, enjoy a narrated history as you pass Harland and Wolff's drawing offices and the Titanic Quarter, and witness gems of Belfast's naval and shipbuilding traditions such as the restored HMS Caroline battleship. Summer visitors may have a chance look at the largest seal colony in Northern Ireland!
Game of Thrones Locations Tour including Westeros and Giant's Causeway
9 Hours Movie & TV Tours Free Cancellation
Travel into the seven kingdoms with this exciting Game of Thrones-themed tour from Belfast. See where many pivotal GoT scenes were shot, as you view magical landscapes. Get dazzled by the Giant's Causeway, walk along the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, explore the Cushendun Caves, 400-million-year-old caves often used in the show. You don't have to be an avid Game of Thrones viewer to love this tour, as the nature and culture you'll see along the way will be dazzling.
Giant's Causeway, Belfast Titanic Experience And Dark Hedges Tour from Dublin
12 Hours Day Trips Free Cancellation
Traveling around Ireland can be hard without renting a car. Easily head up to Northern Ireland from Dublin with this Titanic Belfast and Giant's Causeway tour that includes round-trip transport aboard an air-conditioned coach bus. Along with stops at the Giant Causeway and the Dark Hedges, you'll also get free time at Titanic Belfast and in the city itself.
Belfast Troubles Historical Walking Tour
2 to 2.30 Hours Historical & Heritage Tours Free Cancellation
Since the official end of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, Belfast has flourished, though the impact of the 30-year conflict is still keenly felt by those who live there. On this walking tour, you'll visit locations where key events took place and get an insider perspective on the conflict, its lingering effects, and Northern Ireland's path to peace.
Belfast Shore Excursion: Giants Causeway and Belfast Tour
Spend your time in port wisely with a day-trip to Ireland's North Coast. Meet your driver at Belfast Cruise Terminal for a scenic journey up Ireland's Causeway Coast, known for its coastal cliffs, exquisite views and unique geological formations"•including the Giant's Causeway, thousands of columns of layered basalt believed to have resulted from volcanic eruptions. Enjoy some exploring, then head out to see the precariously perched ruins of Dunluce Castle (and learn about its tumultuous past). Afterward return to Belfast for a bit of sightseeing before reboarding your cruise ship.
Game of Thrones Filming Locations Tour of Northern Ireland and Giant's Causeway from Belfast
Explore famous filming locations from television's 'Game of Thrones,' plus the renowned Giant's Causeway, on this 9-hour tour of Northern Ireland from Belfast. Discover well-known spots from the series such as the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge and Dunluce Castle, as well as the UNESCO-listed Giant's Causeway, which shares the same otherworldly feel as the filming spots. Your guide, well-versed in the show, brings the 'Game of Thrones' series to life. Visit sites featured in popular plot lines, including Lordsport, Renly Baratheon of Storm's End's camp and Dark Hedge road (where Arya Stark famously fled King's Landing), then return to Belfast. A stop for lunch (at own expense) in Ballycastle, the hometown of a few of the actors from the series, is included.
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Leeds United Latest
YEP Jury: Play-off lottery offers anxiety and optimism in equal measure for Leeds United
Mateusz Klich.
Mark Absolon
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Our fans’ panel have their say on Leeds United’s crucial Sky Bet Championship play-off semi-final first leg clash at Derby County tomorrow.
Ryan Edmondson.
It was never supposed to be like this, but it is what it is.
The regular 46-game season means nothing now apart from the memories and we should be grateful that we do have plenty of those to look back on.
But now it all comes down to two games with ‘Frank Lampard’s Derby County’ and logic says we have every chance of an aggregate victory that would take us to Wembley on May 27.
In August, a 4-1 thrashing of Derby convinced us all that something special was on the cards this season and then a dominant 2-0 win in January ended a run of three defeats that threatened to derail us.
Leeds United's Kemar Roofe.
We are looking for something similar tomorrow; our recent results have been poor and yet in each game we’ve been the better team and, but for our shoddy finishing and silly errors, we’d have won them all.
So, we don’t need to do anything too differently this time other than to hit that flipping target more often!
Prediction: Derby County 0 Leeds United 2.
It feels like a lifetime ago that Leeds United were last in this position. The play-off lottery beckons and for one side it offers a ticket to the promised land. For the losers, uncertain futures are inevitable.
It’s fair to say that in the past, United haven’t fared well in play-off campaigns, but this is no ordinary season and they have no ordinary coach at the helm.
Marcelo Bielsa got the better of Frank Lampard’s team on both occasions in the regular season and that will play on the mind of the Derby camp, despite the Rams losing just one in 12 games.
Patrick Bamford and Leeds United fully focused on Manchester United clash
Battles will break out across the pitch in both legs, with the likes of Harry Wilson and Mason Mount facing United’s proven squad. Times have changed since Leeds wiped the floor with Derby in the league and everyone on both sides knows it.
If the Whites get back to their best then they’re capable of beating any Championship side. Now is the time to stand up and be counted.
Our season would be over now if things had gone the way we’d hoped – or expected – when we were top of the league at Christmas or sitting pretty in second before Easter.
Our late failure has meant a lot of deflated spirits but surely the heroics performed by Liverpool and Tottenham this week have stirred the anticipation for our two-legged challenge.
If our league games against Derby are a reliable indicator, then we could be looking forward to a 6-1 aggregate win but we all know the opposite result is just as likely. From the impressive trip to Derby in August we are likely to start the game minus Peacock‑Farrell, Berardi, Douglas, Saiz and Alioski.
Whether their replacements can do half as good a job remains to be seen. Recent form isn’t promising.
The key lies in two factors: how much better are Derby than when we met them in January?; to what extent was our display at Ipswich down to us having an eye on the play-offs? I will travel to Derby in hope rather than expectation but I believe that we can do it and belief can go a long way.
KEITH INGHAM
Leeds United now face two ‘finals’ that could lead to a trip up Wembley Way but the form of late has to be improved on, especially up front.
Chances could be at a minimum and if they come along they have to taken. The poor form of our striking options is concerning but at least we continue to create them and maybe Lady Luck will smile on us, after seemingly turning her back on Leeds recently. With Patrick Bamford suspended I’d love to see Ryan Edmondson amongst the subs to offer an alternative or give Kemar Roofe some support if needed.
Pride Park is sold out and with the earlier-season ‘shenanigans’ obviously having been brought up, it’s a game that will hold a huge amount of interest. Frank Lampard or Marcelo Bielsa won’t have much to do in their team talks as both sets of players will know the importance of doing well in the first leg.
My heart will always say a Leeds win but a draw would be a fine result and would also give the Whites a real chance of finishing the job next Wednesday at Elland Road.
Make no mistake, Derby will be a tough game; they’ve hit form just at the right time and finished the regular season with a 3-1 win over West Brom who are also in the play-offs.
It should be a cracker!
Very shortly we will be hearing a plethora of words like ‘bottle’, ‘burnout’ and ‘conditioning’.
To these we can add phrases like ‘this team wanted the win more than the other one’ and ‘this is the team who has momentum’. What does all this mean? The answer is very little. The media revolution of Sky, Talk Sport and the tabloids has turned everybody into a self-appointed expert on football.
Some of these ‘experts’ have rarely left their armchairs but feel entitled to voice their opinions to anyone who is prepared to listen.
The fact of the matter is that United have entered a lottery with three other teams.
All four participants stand an equal chance and find themselves in this position because their results have not been consistent enough to finish in the top two over a 46-match season.
Forget what has gone before; this is a great opportunity for United to set themselves up for a pulsating home tie in the return leg. I look no further than that!
SHAUN SMITH
Standing on White City station, litter swirling around my ankles, I reluctantly came to the conclusion that Leeds United were not going to walk out of the Championship this season.
Suffering defeat at QPR, there was the realisation that Leeds lacked the magic to establish themselves as a great team. So we join the other wannabes in the late-season competition to see which wallflower will make it as a glamour model.
Some fans will be anxious but, personally, I’ve left anxiety behind and accept what will be will be.
Marcelo Bielsa could yet build a great side but, in the meantime, Mateusz Klich – ever-present in the Leeds squad albeit underwhelming at times – may find himself farther up the field in the absence of an authentic no10. Again, like a broken record, I stress the importance of scoring first.
Bringing a lead back to Elland Road will mean that Derby County will have to come and play, leaving the type of holes that Leeds United haven’t seen in the opposition since Christmas.
Leeds have found themselves playing against parked buses in the main and at least we will see something resembling a game of football at Pride Park.
Leeds have lost already this season, they have let it slip so have nothing to lose.
With their financial pressures, it will be Derby County who will feel the pinch. I suspect we will know our fate within 30 minutes of the kick-off. Let’s hope that Klich is scoring goals.
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[PREMIERE] Brooks Puts A New Spin On Estelle & Kanye West’s Hit “American Boy”
Matthew Meadow June 13, 2019
At the height of his hype, just months before the release of 808s & Heartbreak, Kanye West featured on Estelle's song "American Boy," produced by will.i.am...
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Kanye West Could Have His Own Full Episode In Rick And Morty
Matthew Meadow May 16, 2019
Never say never when it comes to Rick and Morty... for example, when fans weren't even sure that Season 4 was a possibility, Adult Swim ordered 70 additional ep...
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Kanye West Pulls “Church Merch” Clothing Line After Backlash
Karlie Powell May 15, 2019
Kanye West has reportedly made a small fortune on his "Church Merch" sportswear line, inspired by the Lord and his own Sunday Service performance at Coachella. ...
This Guy Danced His Way Backstage At Kanye’s Coachella Sunday Service
Karlie Powell April 30, 2019
Kanye West's epic Sunday Service performance was open to all of Coachella -- but if you wanted a prime view from the holy side of the mountain, you either had t...
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Kanye West “Holy Grass” From Sunday Service Going For Hundreds On eBay
Kanye West's Sunday Service at Coachella weekend two was truly beautiful and extra special. Also, incredibly star-studded and quite expensive for anyone who bo...
REPORT: Kanye West’s Sunday Service Had 50k Attendees (But, Did It Really?)
Kanye West's Sunday Service at Coachella was absolutely massive -- and according to a report, there were over 50,000 spectators there for the gospel-inspired se...
Kanye West Performs Sunday Service At Coachella
Your EDM Staff April 21, 2019
Kanye West appeared at Coachella this morning for the first ever public Sunday Service and those in attendance were able to witness one of the most unique perfo...
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Kid Cudi Brings Out Kanye West At Coachella Weekend 2 [VIDEO]
Lucas April 21, 2019
This weekend the guest appearance making all the headlines comes in the way of Kanye West surprising everyone during Kid Cudi’s set to perform as Kids See ...
Alison Wonderland Tells Hilarious Story of (Almost) Meeting Kanye West At Coachella
Alison Wonderland seems like a supernatural being when she’s on stage, but with every social post she manages to humanize herself more and more. We’re absol...
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Kanye West To Bring His Sunday Service To Coachella On Easter
Karlie Powell April 1, 2019
Hallelujah! After previously dropping out of Coachella due to a disagreement over the stage design, Kanye West is back on the lineup. The hip hop mogul will r...
REPORT: Kanye West’s Publishing Contract Says He’s Not Allowed To Retire
Karlie Powell March 7, 2019
Kanye West's publishing contract with EMI is currently at the center of a complex lawsuit. Now, it's been revealed to the public just how intense the terms are....
Report: Unpaid TSA Workers Blast Uncensored Travis Scott, Kanye West Over Loudspeakers
Karlie Powell January 14, 2019
TSA agents at JFK airport in NYC are making the most of the government shutdown by playing whatever the hell they want through the loudspeakers. According to...
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#BHeard
Economic Challenges to Women Entrepreneurs | BK Live
BRIC TV
Unsubscribe from BRIC TV?
Challenges to women-owned businesses, include access to capital, education and resources, child care, and consumer spending. To help us understand the struggle and what can be done to breach the many gaps, Sabrina Philson, President of Epsilon Strategy, and Maria Otero, Founder and President of the Women's Venture Fund talk on women entrepreneurs.
epsilonstrategy.com
womensventurefund.org
This video is from BRIC TV— the first 24/7 television channel created by, for, and about Brooklyn. It is the borough's source for local news, Brooklyn culture, civic affairs, music, arts, sports, and technology. BRIC TV features programming produced and curated by BRIC, an arts and media nonprofit located in Downtown Brooklyn, NYC.
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My Sister and I Swapped Bodies feat. Kitty Catherine
18 & 19 Year OldsBlow JobsBody SwapGender TransformationLatinaTabooTransformation Fetish
Tags: body switch, facial, gender swap, gender switch, mtf, mtf transformation, Masturbation, Petite Girls, Solo Female
Crawling into the bed Aiden asks his sister, Kitty, what exactly she’s done today. After making the comment that he is exhausted, she follows up with her being tired too. She tells him it’s none of his business what she’s done for the day and he feels confident that while he worked all day, she was more inactive and should not be as tired as him. As he starts getting settled and tries to get comfortable, his sister is quick to let him know that he is going to have to allot her more space. Responding with telling her how she takes up the bed every night, sleeping in a myriad of different positions, sometimes that involving her sleeping diagonally therefore taking up about the entirety of the bed. A little perturbed by his statements, she doesn’t hesitate to tell him how her lady parts take up more space. With her having a big ass and a set of tits, she automatically needs way more bed than he does. As he scoffs over her “pulling the woman card”, he finds her claims ridiculous. She goes on to say that he’s going to have to learn that since she has the pussy she makes the rules.
Both laying down and falling fast asleep, Aiden wakes up before the night is over in need of a drink of water. As he scopes out the fact that his sister’s things are still scattered about the floor from her returning from vacation a week prior, he starts discussing with himself aloud about his inability to get a drink of water without falling and breaking a limb. Taking notice that there is something wrong with his voice, he discovers there’s also something wrong with his body. “Wait, no, that’s not right; I don’t have pink toenails”, he says. Curious as to what the knocking he hears, is, he becomes privy to what it is that woke him up. In disbelief that the knocking isn’t waking his sister, it doesn’t take him long to lose concern over the noise once he realizes he has boobs. Raising his shirt to inspect, he finds it lame that his sister is wearing a sports bra, but that doesn’t stop him from getting the access he’s needing. Pulling the sports bra up to expose his tits, he is quite pleased with his new anatomy. Jumping to make them jiggle and groping them, he exclaims how “soft they are” and doesn’t miss the fact that her nipples are already hardening. Not amused by her choice to wear a skirt to bed, he slips off after unbuttoning it. Pleasantly surprised by his having thighs and a cute tummy now, he goes on to explore the rest of his new anatomy. “Oh, I have a vagina. Oh my God, that’s so weird”, he whispers loudly to himself as he touches his pussy for inspection.
“Oh my God, I have an ass”, he says as he spins around pulling his panties up into a thong-like position while giggling. Next he decides that since she’s left an array of clothing assorted on the floor, that he may as well see what fun he can have with playing a small version of dress up. Still curious how the knocking isn’t waking her up, he tries on the first pair of shorts. Stopping in between to notice how weird it is for his words to come out in his sister’s voice. Having to recollect how he has seen his sister fit into clothing items that seemed to be a tight fit, he wiggles his hips a little to get the shorts pulled the rest of the way up and in a position to be fastened. Feeling like this was much easier for his own execution, he doesn’t know why it seems like its so hard for her. The white shorts reflect some make up residue from his hands and he quickly contemplates if she wears makeup to bed, but not for long. Becoming excited once again over his new anatomy, he giggles like a school girl as he jumps and twirls to check out his new ass. Unsure if he could do this kind of thing everyday, he finds the shorts a little tight, but is enticed by them being a little stretchy. The knocking still prominent, he expresses his continuing disbelief that it hasn’t woke his sister then commences to admit he hopes it doesn’t as he is enjoying this strange occurrence and wants to play dress up some more.
Bouncing with joy, he moves along to the next piece of clothing. Not happy with how the shirt of choice is going to wear with the bra his sister has on, he becomes enlightened by the fact that he can simply remove the bra for his new titty nipples to show through the fabric of the shirt. This will make it totally hot, instead of weird like on his own body. After having the thought of girls clothes being weird, he finally figures out how to put the shirt on and is stoked with the results. Putting on a ditsy demeanor he giggles some more as he bounces a little more, rattling off at the mouth with “I’m Kitty, I leave my sh*t all over the floor, I have small tits and perky nipples and a. big. fat. ass. I take up the whole bed” and then some snide tones similar to “blah blah blah”. More chuckles and another comment of how great this situation is, he’s ends up deducting to the point that he could get away with anything he wanted as long as he’s dressed like this. Not in his body of course, but this one that’s his sister’s. As he’s going on, something on the floor catches his eye that is underneath the lot of the pile.
“What’s this” he asks then answering his own question as he becomes sure it is a piece of lingerie and is happy to see that it even has matching thongs. “Fuck this outfit” he says, then continues to speak about the fact that he isn’t sure about putting a thong on, but if he’s to get the full experience of this he doesn’t have much choice. Getting off the outfit he put on just moments ago, he’s excitedly working towards getting on the sexier wardrobe find. “Damn, how does she get in and out of these every day” he says to himself, almost finding it harder to remove the shorts than it was getting them on. Making sure that the bows are on the outside and then investigating all sides of the top piece of lingerie, it doesn’t take him long to figure it out, have it on and in place. “Ok, ok, now I gotta do the scary thing”, expressing his nerves over putting the thong on as he slides the panties he’s currently wearing, off. Following up with comments of how he’s going to be putting on butt floss and how while he enjoys the view of a girl in thongs, he never thought he’d be trying one on.
Getting a kick out of the fact his previous outfit is on the ground, he kicks the clothes and giggles making more mockery of his sister’s messiness. Inspecting the second piece of lingerie to ensure the tag is in correct placement before stepping into it, he finds the feeling of the thong pretty weird and is unsure if he could wear it for any amount of time. Its kind of cool though and he does have a vagina, he reiterates as he reaches down to touch it some more, finding it to be squishy and wet. “Look at me, I’m so annoying, I’m going to walk outside like this because I’m a slut. I need a whole bed because my ass is so fucking big” he attests with more giggles in between as he grabs and jiggles his ass. This brings him to notice she is kind of right about needing more space, but also being dramatic about it. Really getting a kick out of how it feels for parts of him to be jiggling that shouldn’t be, he revisits all the jiggle savvy parts of his new anatomy. Still reveling in how cool the situation is, he winces at more knocking. He really doesn’t want his sister get woke up as he still isn’t done having his fun yet.
He becomes amused by being able to squish his tits together. He always finds it really hot when he sees girls do that. Then making remarks about a bra’s ability to create the same effect he decides he’s been being lied to this whole time by them. He’s seen his sister with a much tighter cleavage at some moments in time and that’s bullsh*t because her tits are no more than a handful. That just means he’ll have to be more cautious from now on about what he sees. A quick consideration of taking off, he talks about how much stuff he could do with this new body as he reaches down, around and behind his self to touch his pussy some more. The feeling of the wet on his finger tips, he’s use to. Feeling himself be wet from the inside, not so much. Its weird, but it feels so good. Getting caught up with how he’s making himself feel, he decides to move things to the front. After all, the clit is supposed to be fairly sensitive and he finds that as true after just gently touching his clit. “I wonder how long this is going to last”, he says, going on to admit he wants to get crazy by going and getting fucked or sucking dick or something. Out of nowhere, his sister calls out.
Bro, stop with the banging already” she says as she sits up in bed. “What are you building right now” she starts to ask as she notices that she is looking at herself then wanting to know if she is actually dreaming. He tries to roll with it and just tell her that she is definitely dreaming through a lot of giggles. Noticing her own new anatomy, she is dreadful of confirmation that they have in fact, switched bodies. She doesn’t need an answer, letting her brother know she smells his stank body and not taking kindly to her claim, is fast at his witty response of smelling like “an entitled bitch”.
Not sure how to address the boner in Aiden’s body’s pants, his sister just ends up wanting to know why his body as a boner while looking at her anyway. As her brother starts to go into an explanation, grabbing and jiggling his ass some more, she demands that he stop playing with her ass. She agrees about her having a nice ass as she gives her own ass a slap. Both enjoying that little bit of touch, they go on to start inspecting their own bodies as well as their new anatomy. Discovering her hard dick, she demands that her brother tell her how she can get rid of it. After some sibling rivalry over each other’s usual demeanor, Kitty decides to make her brother suck her cock since he wants to help so badly. Guaranteeing he’ll be better anyway, he hits his knees and gets ready to suck her cock, making sure to tell her she should take notes. As he starts stroking her cock, he continues to ridicule her over what she probably does or doesn’t do during her own sexual activities.
They both come to the conclusion that this is an educational opportunity to learn more about what they could be doing better. For more ridicule, he decides to give a real life impression of his sister sucking dick. Giving her instruction on what to do the next time she has the chance to suck dick, telling her to write it down. Then shoving her dick down his throat, he really begins fucking her with his mouth. Suddenly stopping to pop back with pride and ask “how was that”. All she can say is “wow” as she is quite impressed with her brother’s dick sucking ability and admitting that it feels pretty good. He also makes sure to bolster the importance of spit while he continues to gag all over her cock. Then removing his shirt to give his sister a better a view, he has to say how great boobs are. Getting into the situation, his sister decides to facefuck him just a little. Alternating sensations between using his tongue, whole mouth, and hands he is really putting on for his sister and plans to make her blow her load. he doesn’t stop with his sister’s cock until she drenches him with her load, even putting some in his mouth.
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Madam Monsurat: Woman to spend 2 years in jail for stealing N800,000 worth of jewelry in Oshodi
December 3, 2012 | By
by Akan Ido
Monsurat Ismalia, mother of five children was earlier today sentenced to 2 years imprisonment for stealing jewelry worth N800,000.
Ismaila, 27, was convicted on two counts of conspiracy and stealing and was not given an option of fine.
The Magistrate of the Oshodi Magistrates’ Court in Lagos, M.R Osho-Adebiyi said the woman was not truthful in her evidence.
“The accused is found guilty of the offences, going by the facts before the court,” she held.
The woman was reportedly arraigned on March 20 on a two-count charge, but she pleaded not guilty.
The court granted her bail in the sum of N500, 000 with two sureties in like sum.
The prosecutor, Corporal Kehinde Olatunde said Ismalia had pretended to be buying the jewelry in one Shadia Lawal’s shop in Oshodi but hid them in her handbag on March 22.
Tags: jewelry, M.R Osho-Adebiyi, Monsurat Ismalia, oshodi, Shadia Lawal, stealing
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Analysis of Partial Differential Equations and Evolutionary Equations
Mathematical research topic of WIAS
Since their origin - 250 years ago - partial differential equations form, besides modern stochastics, the most adequate and powerful instrument to provide a mathematical model for nature. This is reflected in the treatment of real world problems at the Weierstrass Institute. Unfortunately, in realistic situations the data of the problems, such as the domain under consideration, as well as the coefficients are mostly nonsmooth. Moreover, the occurring boundary conditions are often of mixed type. This prevents the straight forward application of classical methods in partial differential equations. Beginning around 1990, however, there was a considerable advance in finding ideas how to treat also equations which include nonsmooth data. At the Weierstrass Institute this research has two essential focuses:
Regularity for the solutions of linear elliptic equations
Existence, uniqueness and regularity for evolution equations
Examples of non-smooth domains: A non-Lipschitz domain, Dirichlet boundaries in gray (left), The double beam is the the prototype of a domain which is Lipschitzian, but not strong Lipschitzian (right)
The emphasis in this topic is on the integrability of the gradients of solutions up to an index which is larger than the dimension of the underlying space and, on the other hand, Hölder continuity of the solution under very weak assumptions on the data of the problem. The motivation concerning the integrability property is the insight that exactly this would deliver uniqueness for the solution for many nonlinear models and, additionally, ideas for the approximation of it. The starting point was the result of Gröger, who proved that this can always be achieved in a very general setting if the space dimension equals two. Since then several results have been proved in 3D which partly were already used in several application areas of the institute. The final goal is to establish an appropriate global setting which includes specific discontinuities of the above mentioned type and, nevertheless, assures the required integrability in three dimensions. (It is clear that, firstly, the three dimensional case is the essential one for applications in real space, and, secondly, that the required integrability property cannot be expected in higher dimensions e.g. in case of mixed boundary conditions.) The impetus for the investigation of Hölder continuity came from optimal control, where the corresponding results serve by now as a backbone in the treatment of control problems with pointwise inequality constraints on the state.
A typical non-smooth domain: Steel hardening in rack-and-pinion actuators, to be found e.g. in steering mechanisms, see Meinlschmidt-Meyer-Rehberg 2016.
The interest here comes from problems out of semiconductor modeling, elasticity/plasticity/damage modeling, and battery modeling (ion transfer through electrolytes + electrolyte/electrode interaction) at WIAS. Concerning reaction-diffusion equations, an idea of Clement and Li, generalized by Prüss, shows (local in time) existence and uniqueness for these equations, provided one knows maximal parabolic regularity for the - linear - elliptic operator which corresponds to the initial time point and the initial value. Thus, maximal parabolic regularity was proved for general second order divergence operators on different Banach spaces: first on all Lp spaces, thus obtaining an instrument for the treatment of equations where the Neumann boundary condition is homogeneous and no distributional right hand sides occur. Second, it was shown -together with the Weierstrass awardee Dr. Haller-Dintelmann -that maximal parabolic regularity holds true for elliptic divergence operators in a huge variety of distributional spaces which allow an adequate treatment of the corresponding nonlinear parabolic equations, among them nonlinear heat equations and Van Roosbroeck's system in 3D.
Global-in-time existence analysis for improved Nernst-Planck-Poisson models
These PDE-models consist of convection-diffusion-reaction equations describing the mass-transfer of chemical species, the equations of momentum balance for the barycentric velocity and the pressure of the mixture (compressible/incompressible Navier-Stokes equations) and the Poisson equation for the electrical potential. The PDEs in the bulk are supplied with complex boundary conditions describing the surface adsorption of species and their reaction with the components of adjacent materials. The constitutive equations for the diffusion fluxes and the reaction rates are derived by means of modern thermodynamic methods that guarantee consistency with the entropy principle and lead to new PDE structures. Several challenges occur in the analysis of such systems:
The Onsager matrix possesses a singular eigenvalue
Cross-diffusion
Highly nonlinear reaction rates
Pressure contribution to the chemical potentials, pressure coupling of the diffusion fluxes
Compressible Navier-Stokes system
Exploiting the natural energy/dissipation estimates, fundamental methods of convex analysis and the Lions compactness method for the Navier-Stokes operator, convergent approximation schemes were constructed and the existence of global-in-time weak solutions for this very complex system was proved. This represents an absolute breakthrough in the analysis of similar models. Also qualitative questions like the vanishing of species or further degeneracy of the Onsager matrix were discussed.
Solutions of p(x)-Laplace equation in 2D with constant right-hand side and homogeneous Dirichlet boundary conditions for. The value of p in the back is fixed to 2 while it is varying in the front.
Existence and regularity of solutions to thermistor systems for organic devices
Organic semiconductor devices are carbon-based electronic devices that show a strong interplay between current and heat flow due to temperature-activated hopping transport on one hand and Joule self-heating on the other hand. On an empirical level, this electrothermal feedback can be described by means of a p(x)-Laplace thermistor model for the electrostatic potential and the temperature, where the p(x)-Laplacian takes the non-Ohmic behavior of the individual organic layers into account and the temperature dependence is given by an Arrhenius-like law. A mathematical challenge arises from the fact that the Joule self-heating term in the heat equation is a priori only in L1.
Due to missing log-Hölder continuity of the exponent p(x), known techniques for the treatment of the p(x)-Laplacian fail in the setting of organic devices. However, a novel higher integrability result for the gradient of the electrostatic potential was proved in Glitzky-Liero 2017 by means of localization, Caccioppoli estimates, and Gehring-type arguments. The resulting higher integrability of the Joule heat term in the heat flow equation then allows to prove the solvability of the p(x)-Laplace thermistor problem by Schauder's fixed-point theorem. A second approach is presented in Bulíček-Glitzky-Liero 2016a. Therein, higher spatial dimensions and arbitrary exponents p(x) are considered. The existence proof is based on a Galerkin approximation of a regularized version of the thermistor system, where the crucial Joule heat term is approximated such that it remains bounded. Finally, in Bulíček-Glitzky-Liero 2016b the notion of entropy solutions of the heat equation in conjunction with Schauder's fixed point theorem was investigated. Uniqueness of solutions for such systems cannot be expected due to the hysteretic behavior.
Contributions to Collected Editions
Talks, Poster
Contributing Groups of WIAS
Dynamics of semiconductor lasers
Modeling and simulation of semiconductor structures
Modeling of phase separation and damage in modern materials
Modeling of thin films and nano structures on substrates
Modeling, Simulation and Optimization for Biomedical Applications
Nonlinear material models, multifunctional materials and hysteresis in connection with elasto-plastic processes
Optical pulses in nonlinear media
Phase transition and hysteresis in the context of storage problems
Quantum models for semiconductors
Simulation, optimization and optimal control of production processes
Effective models for materials and interfaces with multiple scales
Fault networks and scaling properties of deformation accumulation
Hybrid models for the electrothermal behavior of organic semiconductor devices
Interface dynamics: Bridging stochastic and hydrodynamic descriptions
Modeling and Analysis of Suspension Flows
Models for heat and charge carrier flow in organic electronics
Multi-dimensional modeling and simulation of electrically pumped semiconductor-based emitters
Reliability of efficient approximation schemes for material discontinuities described by functions of bounded variation (
Stochastic spatial coagulation particle processes
Related main application areas
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Cursive Hebrew
Cursive Hebrew (Hebrew: כתב עברי רהוט ktav ivri rahut, "Flowing Hebrew Writing", or כתב יד עברי ktav yad ivri, "Hebrew Handwriting", often called simply כתב ktav, "Writing") is a collective designation for several styles of handwriting the Hebrew alphabet. Modern Hebrew, especially in informal use in Israel, is handwritten with the Ashkenazi cursive script that had developed in Central Europe by the 13th century.[1] This is also a mainstay of handwritten Yiddish.[2] It was preceded by a Sephardi cursive script, known as Solitreo, that is still used for Ladino.[3]
1 Contemporary forms
2 Historical forms
Contemporary forms[edit]
As with all handwriting, cursive Hebrew displays considerable individual variation. The forms in the table below are representative of those in present-day use.[4] The names appearing with the individual letters are taken from the Unicode standard and may differ from their designations in the various languages using them – see Hebrew alphabet / Pronunciation of letter names for variation in letter names. (Table is organized right-to-left reflecting Hebrew's lexicographic mode.)
Alef א
Bet ב
Gimel ג
Daled ד
He ה
Vav ו
Zayin ז
Het ח
Tet ט
Yod י
Kaf כ / ך
Lamed ל
Mem מ / ם
Nun נ / ן
Samekh ס
Ayin ע
Pe פ / ף
Tsadi צ / ץ
Qof ק
Resh ר
Shin ש
Tav ת
Note: Final forms are to the left of the initial/medial forms.
Historical forms[edit]
This table shows the development of cursive Hebrew from the 7th through the 19th centuries. This is discussed in the following section, which makes reference to the columns in the table, numbered 1 through 14.
Figure 3: "Cursive Writing" (Jewish Encyclopedia, 1901-1906).
Incantation upon Babylonian dish[5]
Egyptian, 12th century.
Constantinople, 1506.
Spanish, dated 1480.
Spanish, 10th century.
Provençal, 10th century.
Italian, 10th century.
Greek, dated 1375.
Italian, dated 1451.
German, 10th century.
Eleazer of Worms, copied at Rome in 1515 by Elias Levita[6]
Ashkenazi, 19th century.
Figure 1: Signature of the Baal Shem Tov some time in the 1700s, written in the cursive Hebrew script.
The brief inscriptions daubed in red ink upon the walls of the catacombs of Venosa are probably the oldest examples of cursive script. Still longer texts in a cursive alphabet are furnished by the clay bowls found in Babylonia and bearing exorcisms against magical influences and evil spirits. These bowls date from the 7th or 8th century, and some of the letters are written in a form that is very antiquated (Figure 3, column 1). Somewhat less of a cursive nature is the manuscript, which dates from the 8th century.[7] Columns 2–14 exhibit cursive scripts of various countries and centuries. The differences visible in the square alphabets are much more apparent. For instance, the Sephardi rounds off still more, and, as in Arabic, there is a tendency to run the lower lines to the left, whereas the Ashkenazi script appears cramped and disjointed. Instead of the little ornaments at the upper ends of the stems, in the letters a more or less weak flourish of the line appears. For the rest the cursive of the Codices remains fairly true to the square text.
Documents of a private nature were certainly written in a much more running hand, as the sample from one of the oldest Arabic letters written with Hebrew letters (possibly the 10th century) clearly shows in the papyrus, in "Führer durch die Ausstellung", Table XIX., Vienna, 1894, (compare Figure 3, column 4). However, since the preservation of such letters were not held to be of importance, material of this nature from the earlier times is very scarce, and as a consequence the development of the script is very hard to follow. The last two columns of Figure 3 exhibit the Ashkenazi cursive script of a later date. The next to the last is taken from a manuscript of Elias Levita. The accompanying specimen presents Sephardi script. In this flowing cursive alphabet the ligatures appear more often. They occur especially in letters which have a sharp turn to the left (ג, ז, כ, נ, צ, ח), and above all in נ, whose great open bow offers ample space for another letter (see Figure 2).
The following are the successive stages in the development of each letter:
Alef is separated into two parts, the first being written as , and the perpendicular stroke placed at the left . By the turn of the 20th century, Ashkenazi cursive had these two elements separated, thus ׀c, and the acute angle was rounded. It received also an abbreviated form connected with the favorite old ligature , and it is to this ligature of Alef and Lamed that the contracted Oriental Aleph owes its origin (Figure 3, column 7).
In writing Bet, the lower part necessitated an interruption, and to overcome this obstacle it was made , and, with the total omission of the whole lower line, .
In Gimel, the left-hand stroke is lengthened more and more.
Dalet had its stroke put on obliquely to distinguish it from Resh; however, since in rapid writing it easily assumed a form similar in appearance to Resh, Dalet in analogy with ב was later changed to .
A transformation very similar to this took place in the cases of final Kaf and of Qof (see columns 2, 5, 11, 14), except that Kaf opened out a trifle more than Qof.
The lower part of Zayin was bent sharply to the right and received a little hook at the bottom.
The left-hand stroke of Ṭet was lengthened.
Lamed gradually lost its semicircle until (as in both Nabataean and Syriac) by the turn of the 20th century, it became a simple stroke, which was bent sharply toward the right. In the modern script today the Lamed has regained its semicircle.
Final Mem branches out at the bottom, and in its latest stage is drawn out either to the left or straight down.
In Samekh the same development also took place, but it afterward became again a simple circle.
To write 'Ayin without removing the pen from the surface, its two strokes were joined with a curl.
The two forms of the letter Pe spread out in a marked flourish.
For Tsadi the right-hand head is made longer, at first only to a small degree, but later on to a considerable extent.
In the beginning Shin develops similarly to the same letter in Nabataean, but afterward the central stroke is lengthened upward, like the right arm of Tsadi, and finally it is joined with the left stroke, and the first stroke is left off altogether.
The letters ה, ד, ח, ן, נ, ר, ת, have undergone little modification: they have been rounded out and simplified by the omission of the heads.
Ruqʿah script
^ Ada Yardeni, The Book of Hebrew Script: History, Palaeography, Script Styles, Calligraphy & Design, The British Library, 2002, ISBN 1-58456-087-8, p. 97
^ Sheva Zucker, Yiddish: an Introduction to the Language, Literature, and Culture, New York City, Vols. 1 & 2, 1994 & 2002, ISBN 1-877909-66-1, ISBN 1-877909-75-0
^ Marie-Christine Varol, Manual of Judeo-Spanish: Language and Culture, University of Maryland Press, 2008, ISBN 978-1-934309-19-3, p. 28
^ Jonathan Orr-Stav, Learn to Write the Hebrew Script: Aleph through the Looking Glass, Yale University Press, 2006, ISBN 0-300-10841-9
^ In Corpus Inscriptionum Hebraicarum 18.
^ German-Ashkenazi, British Museum, Additional Manuser. of 27199 (Paleographical Society, Oriental series lxxix.).
^ Hebrew Papyri: Steinschneider, Hebräische Papyrusfragmente aus dem Fayyum, in Aegyptische Zeitschrift, xvii. 93 et seq., and table vii.; C. I. H. cols. 120 et seq.; Erman and Krebs, Aus den Papyrus der Königlichen Museen, p. 290, Berlin, 1899. For the Hebrew papyri in The Collection of Erzherzog Rainer, see D. H. Müller and D. Kaufmann, in Mitteilungen aus der Sammlung der Papyrus Erzherzog Rainer, i. 38, and in Führer durch die Sammlung, etc. pp. 261 et seq.
Cursive Hebrew in the 1901–1906 Jewish Encyclopedia
Cursive Hebrew fonts for download at www.oketz.com
LadinoType - System for Solitreo and Rashi
Transliteration to English / from English
Biblical (northern dialect)
Mishnaic
Reading traditions
Ashkenazi
Mizrahi (Syrian)
Yemenite
Tiberian (extinct)
Palestinian (extinct)
Babylonian (extinct)
Crowning
Gimel
Dalet
Yud
Samech
Tsadi
Reish
Taw
Niqqud
Tiberian
Shva
Hiriq
Tzere
Segol
Patach
Kamatz
Holam
Kubutz and Shuruk
Dagesh
Mappiq
Maqaf
Sin/Shin Dot
with Niqqud / missing / full
Mater lectionis
Meteg
Cantillation
Geresh
Gershayim
Inverted nun
Shekel sign
Philippi's law
Law of attenuation
Verbal morphology
Semitic roots
Segolate
Waw-consecutive
Ulpan
Hebrew / ancient / modern Israeli literature
Unicode and HTML
Brown–Driver–Briggs
Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament
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What is Solicitation?
Solicitation is not permitted on private property, including parking lots.
A solicitation for murder is considered a felony.
Prostitution is an example of illegal solicitation.
Written By: wiseGEEK Writer
Solicitation is asking someone to do something, or begging or pleading with them to do it, but in the legal sense, the request is to do something criminal. There are many ways that one person can solicit someone else to commit a criminal act or to get a person to participate in something illegal. This distinction is important because a person solicited doesn’t have to commit a crime but might be asked for participation in something that is criminal.
Many people also think of prostitution as the only example of illegal solicitation, since a prostitute enjoining someone else to exchange sexual relations for money usually faces this charge, if caught. This is only one example of the ways people may solicit, and it’s valuable to note that the request is often enough to justify criminal charges. A crime doesn’t have to take place for someone to be prosecuted for this offense.
It’s difficult to list all types of solicitation. People can ask others to commit criminal acts like buying drugs, robbing a store, or beating up someone else. In corporations, it’s often illegal to solicit shareholder votes on particular issues, and any attempts to influence government officials like police officers or members of the court to change their minds may be offenses too.
An invitation to join illegally structured businesses is another form of solicitation. For example, asking someone to invest money in a Ponzi scheme or be part of a pyramid scheme is soliciting, and people who are simple “salespeople” for these illegal ventures could still go to jail for having entreated others to join. Whether or not the person asked knows he’s being solicited to join something illegal doesn’t matter because investigation tends to focus more on the solicitor: the person who did know that he was asking others to take part in something illegal.
How courts treat solicitation depends on solicited acts and regional laws, and these acts needn’t have occurred. Many illegal financial schemes are exposed when people get suspicious of their intent and report the matter, and any salespeople involved would technically be guilty of soliciting every single person they contacted, not just those who they convinced to join. Similarly, a prostitute could ask an undercover policeman for an exchange of sexual favors for money, and could be charged with solicitation though no exchange took place.
In minor offenses, charges might be at the misdemeanor level. Solicitation attempts to commit serious crimes, like murder for hire, could be felonies. If an actual crime has been committed, the courts often treat the solicitor as though he committed the crime.
The legal ramifications get complicated when a crime isn’t committed. There has to be proof, in many instances, that a person really meant the crime to be committed. Solicitation charges may only be successful if it can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the person wanted the crime to happen when asking someone else to commit it.
What Is the Green River Ordinance?
What Is Panhandling?
What is Undercover Marketing?
What is a Class a Misdemeanor?
What is Cybercrime?
What is a Ponzi Scheme?
What is an Affinity Fraud?
anon140414
what if no crime is intended, like asking for a couple dollars to help cover rent?
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NC film and TV workers hope proposed bills bring productions back to NC
by: Russ Bowen
Posted: Jun 7, 2019 / 01:04 PM UTC / Updated: Jun 7, 2019 / 01:04 PM UTC
Iron Man 3, Sleepy Hollow, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, Under the Dome. The list is long but, in recent years, there have been fewer film and television projects in North Carolina.
People in the business tend to blame the loss of what they once considered a competitive incentive package.
In 2014, the North Carolina legislature replaced the film tax credit with a film incentive grant program.
So some projects that started here, like The Hunger Games, which shot its first installment in Western North Carolina, left for other states.
“Crew, lighting, gaffers, those sorts of folks, hair and make-up, construction literally packed their bags and headed out to the next opportunity in Atlanta” said Eric Johnson.
Johnson is senior vice president of Sound and Engagement at Trailblazer Studios, which is based in Raleigh.
It’s also the production house behind the non-scripted television series Salvage Dawgs.
Earlier this year, lawmakers reintroduced a new law that would restore the film tax credit.
Johnson hopes it doesn’t just sit in committee and not get a vote.
“One of the first questions is ‘what’s the incentive package look like in North Carolina?’ If this is a show or film that could shoot in North Carolina or somewhere where the incentives are strong they’ll go there to shoot and a lot of times that, means we’ve lost the post-production piece as well” he said.
Shawn Pinner is a colorist and editor and told CBS 17, “there’s definitely a large community of filmmakers here for production as well as post and being able to keep more work coming in just brings more money here more money for businesses more money coming through”.
Including everything from caterers to hotels to hardware stores.
Michel Holbook is in her 11th year as an audio mixer at Trailblazer.
She said North Carolina is an easy sell.
She moved to the state for grad school and stayed.
“You know the quality of life we have here in North Carolina, the work life balance we have here, you can’t find that in New York or LA or other major markets,” she said.
Eric Johnson said technology has also opened up new possibilities.
“We had a lot of content being shot here but being sent back to New York or LA, mostly LA, to be edited so now more than ever you don’t actually have to be in Hollywood to actually produce content.”
Dawson’s Creek shot the entire run of the series in North Carolina.
But, Showtime’s Homeland started in Charlotte but then left.
Johnson said while feature films can have a big impact serial television has a longer lasting one.
“That provides recurring revenue, people move here, maintain a household for years so really episodic television is an extreme loss when it goes away.”
He adds filming stories about the South in the South creates better and more honest work.
“We have an opportunity to tell our own stories and tell southern stories in an authentic and complex way that someone outside this area may present a stereotypical view of the South that’s inaccurate. And these stories come from both sides of the political fence they come from all areas and those are all stories that need to be told.”
You can read both the North Carolina House and Senate proposals here:
More North Carolina Stories
by Loyd Price / Jul 15, 2019
MACCLESFIELD, N.C. (WNCN) - An Edgecombe County food pantry will shut down this week after getting repeatedly wiped out as soon as it gets refilled, the operators said in a Facebook post.
Following community complaints, the Macclesfield mayor ordered the restoration of a small outdoor food pantry just days after its removal in November 2018.
Cape Lookout to host Astronomy Night on July 20 to honor moon landing anniversary
HARKERS ISLAND, NC (WNCT)
On Saturday, July 20, the public can catch a unique view of the stars and planets during the Cape Lookout National Seashore's Astronomy Night, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11’s Moon landing.
The Astronomy Night will happen on Saturday, July 20th, from 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM, at the Harkers Island Visitor Center, located at 1800 Island Road on Harkers Island.
WNCT-TV
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Almost Digital – ZambianAstronaut (2012)
by zambianastronaut | Dec 13, 2013 | Music, News | 0 comments
This track had been sitting in the archives since August 2011 due to an unknown but niggling problem I had with putting it into the public domain. As it stands, I do not believe the track is finished and still lacks a certain something. However, after countless hours attempting to find this ‘Je ne sais quoi’ I admitted defeat and left it to exist as it had from its inception.
The music was composed in one two hour sitting after a long sleepless night under the mentally liberating influence of MDMA. As performances go, the music was easy to play first and foremost because it’s not technically complex, but more importantly, I knew exactly where it lay in my concious mind. It was a beautiful memory of a freedom pure and untouched, one seldom known in today’s claustrophobic globe. Luckily this memory willingly transpired into music whilst the humble sun rose over Ostkreuz and the drugs began to wear off somewhat.
The world we inhabit is closing in on us rapidly. With each passing day our digitalism and symbiotic embrace with the matrix grow ever more apparent. This it would appear, is our evolution. It is the next stage in human development, or perhaps, the final stage. Almost Digital was a concious attempt to document that social and mental change musically.
I would like to dedicate this piece to one of my most important musical influences, Sergei Rachmaninov. His music nurtured me through the hardest times, filled me with pain, sorrow, happiness and an emotion so pure unlike no other. (with the possible exception of Jeff Buckley.)
For those who may never have come across his work classical lovers or not, his Piano Concerto No. 2 should give an indication of his genius with this particular performance given my Rachmaninov himself. From 5:24 seconds in it’s almost impossible not to shudder as he delves into the eternal darkness that is human existence. Rachmaninov was always more intrigued by the darker aspects of reality and makes no effort to hide this in his compositions. It should also be noted that during his lifetime the works he composed were almost impossible to replicate and he stood alone as one of the worlds greatest ever pianists, if not musicians.
As with every tribute or dedication, this is infinitely inferior in every respect to the musical deity that was Rachmaninov. However, my attempts to build this piece with euphoric interludes in mind is undoubtedly a result of his influence through my academic musical years.
Rachmaninov was one of the last connections, if not the absolute last, between 19thcentury romanticism and modern times which bodes nicely as the final sentence in this ultimately useless ramble. As we soldier on into the digital age leaving behind all notions of analogue romanticism I give you my somewhat lacking musical interpretation of this feeling.
“Were these rules always here,
Or one day did they magically appear?
Once we’re tracked through the world’s.
Connected, always together.
And we must become, almost digital. “
Composed in Berlin, conceived in the Berghain.
для Сергея и В. Штимац
Marimbas played by Adam Holmes
Track composed and produced by Zambianastronaut
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World Families Forums - Assyrian Heritage DNA Project
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Author Topic: Assyrian Heritage DNA Project (Read 36384 times)
intrestedinhistory
Re: Assyrian Heritage DNA Project
Quote from: alan trowel hands. on June 01, 2012, 10:53:26 AM
Quote from: Mikewww on June 01, 2012, 06:31:07 AM
Quote from: palamede on June 01, 2012, 03:18:46 AM
Interesting map of langages in Iran
http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/8673/inuseiran.jpg
I found statistics for R1a, R1b and I given by Humanist/Handschar in
Pop N R1a Language Source
Druze___ 366 1% Semitic Arabic Behar et al., Al-Zahery et al.
PalChri__ 44 2% Semitic Arabic Fernandes at al.*
Alawi___ 104 2% Semitic Arabic Donbak et al.*
Assyr___ 106 2% Semitic Aramaic Yepiskoposian et al.
IraqJ___ 79 0% Semitic Hebrew Behar et al.
IranJ___ 49 4% Semitic Hebrew Behar et al.
Armeni__ 1147 4% Indo-European Armenian Hererra et al., Weale et al.
NiqJews_ 99 4% Semitic Hebrew/Aramaic Nebel et al.
Yezidi__ 196 2% Indo-Iranian(IE) Kurmanji Yepiskoposian et al.
Maronit_ 196 0% Semitic Arabic/Aramaic Haber et al.
YemenJ__ 74 3% Semitic Hebrew/Arabic Behar et al.
Bakht___ 46 15% Indo-Iranian (IE) Luri Roewer et al.
S_Tlsh__ 18 6% Indo-Iranian (IE) Talysh Roewer et al.
Gilak___ 43 14% Indo-Iranian (IE) Gilaki Roewer et al.
Mazan___ 46 7% Indo-Iranian (IE) Mazandarani Roewer et al.
N_Tlsh__ 43 0% Indo-Iranian (IE) Talysh Roewer et al.
Tats____ 20 0% Indo-Iranian (IE) Tati Bertoncini et al.
Pop N R1b Language Source
Druze___ 643 17% Semitic Arabic Behar et al., Al-Zahery et al., Shlush et al.
PlChris_ 44 2% Semitic Arabic Fernandes et al.
Alawi___ 104 33% Semitic Arabic Donbak et al.
Assyr___ 79 24% Semitic Aramaic FTDNA, 23andMe
Armen___ 413 29% Indo-European Armenian Hererra et al.
NiqJ____ 99 13% Semitic Hebrew/Aramaic Nebel et al.
GrkOrt__ 59 14% Semitic Arabic Haber et al.
Maron___ 196 8% Semitic Arabic/Aramaic Haber et al.
YemeJ___ 74 5% Semitic Hebrew/Arabic Behar et al.
Bakht___ 46 7% Indo-Iranian (IE) Luri Roewer et al.
S_Tlsh__ 18 44% Indo-Iranian (IE) Talysh Roewer et al.
Mazan___ 46 15% Indo-Iranian (IE) Mazandarani Roewer et al.
N_Tlsh__ 43 19% Indo-Iranian (IE) Talysh Roewer et al.
Balanovsky et al. Y-DNA I
Avar 2
Kubachi 2
Chechen (Chechnya) 1
Circassians 0.7
Ingush (Ingushetia) 0.7
Shapsug 0
Abkhaz 0
Ossets-Iron 0
Ossets-Digor 0
Chechen (Ingushetia) 0
Chechen (Dagestan) 0
Dargins 0
Kaitak 0
Lezghins 0
Herrera et al. Y-DNA I for 4 Armenian populations
Gardman 8.3
Ararat 2.7
Van 1.9
Sasun 0
Iranian data from Roewer et al. (DMXX from DNA-Forums)
Bakhtiari 8.7
North Talysh 4.7
Mazandarani 4.4
Gilaki 2.3
South Talysh 0
Four your frequency > 40%, I suppose you refer this figure for 18 South Talish in Iranian South Coast of Caspian Sea .
S_Tlsh 18 44% Indo-Iranian (IE) Talysh Roewer et al.
Anyway, there is a noticeable frequency of R1b in some Caucasian and Iranian people,higher than I in the same people. If South-East Balkan origin, you wait for a same proportion for I2 and R1b , but the problem is the same for South Greece, Crete and Egean islands where R1b ( 20%) is twice or more higher than I2 (5-10%). Before Gothic, Slavic, Bulgarian, Turkish invasions and the continuous Albanian migration towards Greece, the proportion of I and R1a were lower in South Balkans and the proportion of R1b-L23xL51 were a lot higher. It is also showed in the samples of descendants of Greeks of West coast of Anatolia (Phokaia and Smyrna).
Roy J King and al -2011" The dominant haplogroups in both Phokaia and Smyrna are E-V13 (19.4% and 12.1%) and R1b-M269 (22.6% and 27.8%) respectfully. In addition, J2a is also common, attaining a frequency of 9.7% in Phokaia and 15.5% in Smyrna. ".....
This is an interesting point. If I understand it, you are saying that the Caucasian and Iranian popultions with high R1b frequencies do NOT see the same ratios of R1b to I2 that we would expect to see if there was an incursion from SE Europe. Right? Is there any reason to think I2 was late to SE Europe or is sporadic, therefore causing the different mix?
As long as the R1b to I2 ratio is valid, R1b, where it appears in Iranian and Caucasian ethnic groups, appears NOT to come from SE Europe. If not from SE Europe, from where?
I see some of these populations are IE and some are Semitic. Is there any pattern to this? Do we think some of these languages were historical period adoptions?
I think this is another bit of evidence that R1b was more easterly and northerly that the Balkans or Anatolia. Add to the fact that R1b's structure is suggestive of a lack of farming style demographic expansion the Balkans and Anatolia again do not really fit as they were early farming areas (very early in Anatolia). I think its all begining to point to R1b being immediate westerly neighbours of R1a on the steppes. That is the vvery area that might have been squeezed between Cucuteni-Trypole (non-R1b) farmers pushing in from the west and the other steppes peoples (R1a?) to the east. Maybe R1b was a Bug-Dneister haplogroup. The west end of the steppes has a terribly complex later history. Regardless of the specifcs it does look to me from the Iranian aspect that R1b was a factor in the steppes. It probably clealry wasnt as simple as R1b being the western steppes groups and R1a the eastern steppes given the R1a in corded ware and R1b very closeby at the same time in eastern Germany but some sort of pattern with more R1b in the west and R1a in the east and a mixed area would make a lot of sense.
I think if the variance dating of R1b phlogeny is accepted (which I admit I was a dounting Thomas about for a long time) then R1b was not in the farming zone in Europe (or perhaps only marginally so when a few lineages strayed into the zone) until 3000BC. I think if the variance dating of the phylogeny of R1b is true then there is absolutely no chance that it originated in Mesopotamia, Anatolia or in the Balkans Neolithic. The evidenced is piling up (and I admit its surprised me) but no point in denying that it suggests R1b's roots were in an area outside the early farming zone and indeed until very late. The steppes are looking very very likely now when all the new evidence is weighed up. If their first intrusions from the steppes were into the Caucuses, western Anatolia, Romania etc as hinted at by variance then
Actually it does look as simple as R1b in the Western Steepe (if that) and R1a in the Eastern steepe. The lack of M269 Eastern steepe and Central Asia is very telling. This is the first I ever heard that Tripoyle didn't have R1b.
« Last Edit: June 02, 2012, 10:23:50 AM by intrestedinhistory » Logged
Tying autosomal DNA with Y chromosome data is tricky business. I acknowledge that. However, when academics state the following, the autosomal data (in addition to higher resolution Y chromosome data) can be of definite value:
Another half of the Assyrian hap-lotypes in the Project, mostly from Iran, have a slightly mutated “classical” European R1b1a2 base haplotype (with DYS464 = 15 15 17 17), and a common ancestor of 850 ± 360 ybp calcu-lated from the first 12 markers, and 1100 ± 280 ybp from the first 37 markers. This R1b evidence is clearly a relatively recent event in Assyrian population, brought from Europe.
A member at another forum (Lemminkäinen) prepared the following list, based on data generated by Polako, for his Eurogenes project. The program was discussed by Dienekes as well, here: http://dienekes.blogspot.com/2012/05/spatial-ancestry-analysis-yang-et-al.html
Eurogenes link: http://eurogenes.blogspot.com/2012/06/genetic-map-of-west-eurasia-with.html
Link to post referred to above, and quoted below: http://www.forumbiodiversity.com/showpost.php?p=889235&postcount=2976
"Average distances between halves per population"
Chuvash 0,913242501
PT 0,544981813
Vologda 0,486649805
CE 0,469433174
ES 0,448778325
HU 0,446447909
Erzya 0,427333165
TR 0,391871913
RU 0,382262504
BG 0,373559831
Moksha 0,355663052
FI 0,342397502
RO 0,312567546
SE 0,312296681
FR 0,307627199
DE 0,306954583
AJ 0,303620364
Kent 0,288509654
BE 0,278592323
UA 0,268092195
UK 0,236769741
NL 0,225852279
Cornwall 0,203060592
DK 0,200171343
IE 0,185305285
TS 0,184720844
IT 0,177121845
Orcadia 0,165135997
PL 0,162500614
NO 0,149995288
NE 0,147649865
BY 0,138516111
GR 0,13569179
LI 0,081864024
EE 0,038299188
AS 0,018202091 <-- Assyrians
This is how Polako explained the "halves" :
The reason for this is that SPA offers a mode in which it assumes samples are of mixed ancestry, and thus can divide their genomes into two halves (represented by two sets of PC coordinates). One way to look at it is that each half represents a parent, but that would only be accurate for people who really are of mixed origin, with their parents coming from two clearly distinct groups in terms of genetic structure. So it's probably better to say that SPA turns each of the genomes into two of the most highly differentiated versions possible, across the first two dimensions. Also, as far as I can see, the program can come up with different solutions in different runs for the same person. Some of these solutions look like they're based on very ancient admixtures, and others more recent. In any case, I think this is an excellent way to show the dichotomy in our genetic data, even if we're not mixed.
« Last Edit: June 04, 2012, 09:22:41 PM by Humanist » Logged
http://www.familytreedna.com/public/G-YDNA
http://www.familytreedna.com/public/J1_asterisk_Y-DNA/
http://www.familytreedna.com/public/AssyrianHeritageDNAProject/
http://www.familytreedna.com/public/aramaicdnaproject/
Quote from: Humanist on June 04, 2012, 08:03:40 PM
Am I right in stating that those haplotypes are not shared with ethnic Iranian or Armenians and belong mainly to Assyrians? Iranian R1b looks quite different from Assyrian/Armenian R1b. Although I don't know why European R1bs among Assyrians would be concentrated in Iranian Assyrians especially since they migrated from somewhere else and should be found among the sourve population in Iraq.
Humanist, who is the person you are quoting and from what source?
Quote from: intrestedinhistory on June 05, 2012, 12:35:16 AM
.. Am I right in stating that those haplotypes are not shared with ethnic Iranian or Armenians and belong mainly to Assyrians? Iranian R1b looks quite different from Assyrian/Armenian R1b. Although I don't know why European R1bs among Assyrians would be concentrated in Iranian Assyrians especially since they migrated from somewhere else and should be found among the sourve population in Iraq.
It could be just a coincidence of STR mutations (convergence) that there are European-like (assume we mean WAMH) R1b folks among the Assyrians.
There is another explanation. I guess, we should not assume too much and consider that may be we have our terminology turned around. Rather than saying the Assyrian haplotypes look European, perhaps we should say we see a lot of Assyrian haplotypes plastered all over Western Europe?
« Last Edit: June 05, 2012, 04:31:12 PM by Mikewww » Logged
The great majority of Assyrians tested have been "Nestorians." The "Nestorians" lived, historically, in the areas from the Tigris to points east, toward the Iranian border. Arbil is a very significant part of the story, I believe. The so-called Assyrian triangle: Assur-Arbil-Nineveh.
Some bits on Arbil, if you wish to read a bit about its history.
http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5479/
Erbil Citadel Town, which is situated dramatically on top of an artificial, 32-meters high earthen mound, and visually dominating the expansive modern city of Erbil, is believed to have been in continuous existence for 7000 years or even more. Thus, it may be regarded as the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in the world. Because of its past fortifications and steeply inclined mound, which is at some locations nearly 45 degrees, it has managed to survive numerous sieges and fierce attacks. The existing fabric, however, goes back to several hundred years but is, nevertheless, of extreme vernacular architectural and urban interest, not only for Iraq but also for humanity at large.
The name Erbil was mentioned in Sumerian holy writings (c. 2000 BC) as Urbilum, Urbelum or Urbillum,[6] and it may be Sumerian in origin. It is thought to originate from Sumerian UR (city) + BELA (high) meaning the city located in the upper area. The initial ar element also appears in a number of Hurrian place names.
An inscription found in Egypt written by Arsames describes a few Assyrian cities whom obtained administrative centres during Achaemenid rule:[20]
Lair: Assyrian Lahiru (Eski Kifri), by the Diyala Valley
Arzuhina: Tell Chemchemal, 40 kilometers east of Kirkuk
Halsu: Location unknown
Matalubash: Assyrian Ubaše (Tell Huwaish), 20 kilometers north of ancient city of Assur
Adiabene (from the Ancient Greek Ἀδιαβηνή, Adiabene, itself derived from Classical Syriac: ܚܕܝܐܒ, Ḥaḏy’aḇ or Ḥḏay’aḇ, Old Persian/Armenian: Nodshirakan[1]) was an ancient kingdom in Assyria,[2][3][4][5] with its capital at Arbela (modern-day Arbil, Iraq). Its rulers converted to Judaism from Ashurism in the 1st century.[6] Queen Helena of Adiabene (known in Jewish sources as Heleni HaMalka) moved to Jerusalem where she built palaces for herself and her sons, Izates bar Monobaz and Monobaz II at the northern part of the city of David, south of the Temple Mount. According to the Talmud, both Helena and Monbaz donated large funds for the Temple of Jerusalem.
Arbela was an early center of the Syriac Christianity. By 100 AD there was a bishop seated in the city. As many modern Assyrians use Biblical (including Jewish) names, most of the early bishops had Jewish/Biblical names, which does not suggest that many of the early Christians in this city were converts from Judaism.[16] It served as the seat of a Metropolitan of the Assyrian Church of the East. From the city's Christian period come many church fathers and well-known authors in Syriac. The city's Aramaic-speaking Assyrian population remained significant in size until destruction of the city by the forces of Timur in 1397.
Adiabene (Syriac: Hadyab ܚܕܝܐܒ) was a metropolitan province of the Church of the East between the 5th and 14th centuries, with more than fifteen known suffragan dioceses at different periods in its history. Although the name Hadyab normally connoted the region around Erbil and Mosul, the boundaries of the East Syrian metropolitan province went well beyond the Erbil and Mosul districts. Its known suffragan dioceses included Beth Bgash (the Hakkari region of eastern Turkey) and Adarbaigan (the Ganzak district, to the southeast of Lake Urmi), well to the east of Adiabene proper.
I am one of these "Nestorians" from Iran. My Dodecad values:
21.1 Gedrosia
0 Siberian
0 Northwest_African
0 Southeast_Asian
9.1 Atlantic_Med
0 North_European
0.2 South_Asian
0 East_African
18.4 Southwest_Asian
0.5 East_Asian
50.6 Caucasus
0 Sub_Saharan
Quote from: Mikewww on June 05, 2012, 04:24:28 PM
Hi Mike. It is from Klyosov's "Arbins" paper.
Am I right in stating that those haplotypes are not shared with ethnic Iranian or Armenians and belong mainly to Assyrians?
Yes, from the samples I have seen, I believe that it is not incorrect to state that. The one exception might be SW Iran, by the Iraq border. Among the Bakhtiari. There is a man on 23andMe who is from Khuzestan and presumed R-L584. From the haplotypes reported in Roewer et al., the Iranian minority haplotypes most similar to the Assyrian modal were two from the Bakhtiari (FTDNA standard 1-12, excluding 426 and 388).
Haplotypes from Roewer et al. wth the DYS389i-DYS392-DYS389ii motif 14-13-30 (not necessarily R-M269):
ht 393 390 19 391 385a 385b 426 388 439 389I 392 389II
151 12 24 14 11 11 14 xx xx 12 14 13 30 Bakhtiari SW Iran
150 12 24 14 10 12 15 xx xx 13 14 13 30 Mazandarani N Iran
152 12 24 14 11 12 15 xx xx 12 14 13 30 N Talysh NW Iran
148 12 23 14 11 11 15 xx xx 12 14 13 30 Rashti NW Iran
ASY 13 24 14 10 11 14 12 12 12 14 13 30
I wonder why that is. Any idea?
What about samples from Iranian Azerbaijan a region which apparently Azeris, Kurds, Assyrians and Armenians claims as their own. I wonder which claim is correct.
Quote from: intrestedinhistory on June 06, 2012, 07:35:16 PM
Assyrians are from N Mesopotamia. Not Azerbaijan. We have lived in other areas, including NW Iran, but both Zoroastrianism and Islam were not very accepting of Christian proselytism.
When the Sassanid dynasty came into power in 228 CE, they aggressively promoted the Zurvanite form of Zoroastrianism and, in some cases, persecuted Christians.[10] When the Sassanids captured territory, they often built fire temples there to promote their religion. After Constantine, the Sassanids were suspicious of Christians, not least because of their perceived ties to the Christian Roman Empire. As such the Persian Church (the Church of the East) officially broke with Roman Christianity, and was tolerated and even sometimes favored by the Sassanids.
A form of Zoroastrianism was also prominent in the pre-Christian Caucasus region (especially modern-day Azerbaijan). During the periods of their suzerainty over the Caucasus, the Sassanids made attempts to promote the religion there as well.
A unique modal at loci DYF406S1 and DYS511 for R-L584:
11 11 R-L584
10 11 R-P25*
11 10 R-M269*
10 11 R-L23
10 10 R-L51*
10 10 R-U106*
10 10 R-P312
10 10 R-Z196
10 10 R-U152 / S28
10 10 R-L2
11 10 R-L513*
10 10 R-L176.2*
10 10 R-SRY2627*
10 10 R-SRY2627?
1.ht35 project
2.http://dgmweb.net/DNA/General/Y-DNA_modal_haplotypes_R1b.html (may not be current).
Quote from: OConnor on July 06, 2010, 09:02:35 AM
(The Motherland?)
In Recent News:
Mesopotamia’s civilization originated in Armenia
Unique discoveries revealed as a result of excavations at Shengavit (4000-3000 B.C.) confirm that Armenia is the motherland of metallurgy, jeweler’s art, wine-making and horse breeding.
(more..) http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/society/news/50844/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenia
Much credit to Maliclavelli who has pointed out the inconsistencies in the Assyrian/Iraqi R1b line. Some have proposed that the R1b's are really Armenians, which really looks to be the case. A.K has demonstrated his ideas also, showing they do not come from Levant. There are 20 groupings in Assyrian project, including R1b.
www.familytreedna.com/public/AssyrianHeritageDNAProject/default.aspx?section=yresults
It has been almost 2 years since this thread started. Since then we have learned L584. Are Iraqi L584+ or L584-? Are Iraqi Jew's L584+ or L584-?
Quote from: acekon on June 07, 2012, 10:28:50 AM
Much credit to Maliclavelli who has pointed out the inconsistencies in the Assyrian/Iraqi R1b line. Some have proposed that the R1b's are really Armenians, which really looks to be the case.
We are Armenians, Silesian? You are absolutely entitled to your opinion, my friend, but I find that you feel that way is a bit disappointing, given all of our discussions. I ask that you kindly answer the following. Where is the Armenian Indo-European stratum in our vernacular (3)? Where are the fastIBD segments, if we received our lines from Armenians in the relatively recent past (2)? Why did Professor Yepiskoposyan state the following, when he examined the Y-DNA lines of Kurds, Armenians, and Assyrians (1)?
Y chromosome diversity in Kurds and Assyrians living in Armenia
Yepiskoposyan et al 2002
734 ethnic Armenian, 196 Kurd and 106 Assyrian men were sampled in Armenia. DNA was extracted from buccal swab and typed for six STR...
Overall, Assyrians and Kurds appear to be genetically distinct from the general Armenian population, with Fst values suggesting that Assyrians are the most differentiated group from all Armenian regional populations and from Kurds.
Dienekes' most recent (a few months back) fastIBD Z-scores for "Nestorian" Assyrians:
Asy 5.58
Krd 0.09
Arm 0.09
Cyp 0.04
Geo -0.09
Trk -0.11
Sic -0.16
Grk -0.18
Sit -0.21
Srb -0.28
CIT -0.30
Oit -0.30
Tus -0.30
Rom -0.34
Nit -0.35
Bul -0.43
These are the Armenian average and median Z-scores with Assyrian_D:
0.52 (Armenian Average with Assyrian_D)
0.48 (Armenian Median with Assyrian_D)
And another neighboring population.
The same for the Kurds. Based on the values for the eight identified Kurds:
Kurds w/ Assyrian_D
0.42 (Average)
0.40 (Median)
Iraq Kurd only
Cambridge Professor of Semitic Philology Geoffrey Khan. "The Neo-Aramaic Dialect of Barwar."
As already shown by Krotkoff (1985: 124–126), a number of lexical items in the NENA [Northeastern Neo-Aramaic] dialects, especially those relating to agriculture, can be traced back beyond Classical Aramaic to Akkadian or even Sumerian.
Again, Prof. Geoffrey Khan.
[M]y own conclusions concerning the historical background of the language spoken by the Assyrian communities today is that it is not a direct descendant of the earlier literary forms of Aramaic, such as Syriac. Rather it is a descendant of a vernacular language that was spoken in the Mesopotamian area. This vernacular is related to the literary forms of Aramaic but has also been influenced by other languages, which include, in the ancient period, the spoken ancient Assyrian [Akkadian]. In later periods it has come under increasing influence of non-Semitic languages, especially Kurdish.
Judging by the core morphology of the dialects spoken by Assyrian Christians, the earlier vernacular from which they are historically derived would be classified by most scholars as a variety of Aramaic. The issue, however, is that this was not like any variety of Aramaic that has survived in literary texts, such as Syriac.
Once more, Khan:
In sum, the evidence adduced above demonstrates that the dialects of Modern Assyrian are unlikely to be direct descendants of the literary Syriac language, although they are undoubtedly related to it. Rather they existed side-by-side with it for centuries. Some of the features of the modern spoken dialects that differ from literary Syriac can be shown to have emerged at a much earlier period by the fact that they occasionally surface in written texts by a process of linguistic interference. Some features of morphology, moreover, are typologically more archaic than the corresponding features in Syriac. Likewise, some lexical items of the modern dialects are not attested in Syriac but have roots that can be traced to antiquity in the Akkadian language.
Krotkoff, Georg, 1985, ‘Studies in Neo-Aramaic Lexicology’, in A. Kort and S. Morschauser, Biblical and Related Studies Presented to Samuel Iwry, Winona Lake, pp.123-134.
(Diacritical marks do not appear.)
The extraordinary tenacity of agricultural terminology is illustrated by the two terms mara 'spade, hoe' and rusta 'shovel, spade.' The former has a well documented history: Sumerian mar, Akkadian marru...
This term [missara] can be traced through older Aramaic mesara to Akkadian musarum, where it is most likely the reflect of Sumerian mu-sar 'garden.' The semantic and phonetic stability of this lexeme is remarkable...
Eastern Neo-Aramaic has been treated as a change-of-life baby of classical Syriac, an attitude based on the impression provided by the heavy overlay of OS [Syriac Liturgical tongue] in the missionary literature. It is, however, important to realize that Aramaic of the Targum and the Talmud is equally important for the elucidation of lexical problems of NA. Structurally, NA has achieved its own independent status, but the elements which are now part of its structure derive from different areas in time and space. Some features belong to immediately preceding periods of the history of the language, while others are of great antiquity. This is very obvious in the vocabulary, but applies also to structural elements. As a case in point, the infinite pattern of Akkadian (palaxu) has experienced a renaissance in NA (plaxa), bypassing the intermediate stages of Aramaic.
A New Attempt at Reconstructing Proto-Aramaic
Part II (2011)
Sergey Loesov
Russian State University for the Humanities, Moscow
The etymology of the -ē suffix
How does this evidence square with our ideas about the origin of the -ē suffix? There is no consensus about its etymology, except that it was not the masculine-plural-definite nominal ending in Proto-Aramaic (save perhaps for the nisba nouns). Three theories have been enjoying support since the late 19th century: 1) *-ayyāʔ > -ē; 2) generalization of the -ē that since prehistoric times had been used to the right of the nisba āy- in the whole of Aramaic; 3) borrowing of the Assyrian [Akkadian] masculine plural ending -ē.
Theory (1), being the weakest claim, is the most appealing one, but it has no phonological justification. A shift ayyā > -ē is attested nowhere in historical Aramaic, and the last-syllable stress makes it improbable in prehistoric times as well (Rosenthal 1936:76 fn.6, pace Nöldeke 1904 and Cantineau 1931).
Theory (2) is based on the assumption that kaŝdāyē < *kaŝdāyayyā should be “a natural Aramaic development, a simplification of the overly cumbersome *-ayayyâ” (Kaufman 1974:128 fn. 58). Thus this theory presupposes two unexplained (and to my mind improbable) developments: the ad hoc contraction -ayyā > -ē in this particular surrounding and the subsequent generalization of -ē to combine with all the relevant nominal bases.
Theory (3), shared by the present writer, is a strong claim, therefore it requires typological and historical justifications. The borrowing hypothesis will look more plausible if we relate it to the fact that the morpheme in question (i.e., the postpositive article of Proto-Aramaic) was going to forfeit its pristine discourse function in the whole of Middle Eastern Aramaic. It is natural to ask whether this shared loss had its beginnings in the immediate common ancestor of the Eastern Aramaic languages.
Aramaic (both Old and Middle) has two productive derivational morphemes almost certainly borrowed from Akkadian: the nominal abstract suffix -ū(t) and the causative verbal prefix š-/s-. The -ū(t) suffix is highly expansive, to the degree of becoming “parasitisch” (Barth 1894:415), while š-/s- is hardly attested with more than a dozen Aramaic roots (cf. Loesov 2009:490 f., a review of data gleaned from reference tools). Given this evidence and the above typological considerations, the borrowing of the plural nominal ending -ē from Akkadian into Proto-Eastern-Aramaic does not look as improbable as it would seem on first sight.
Based on the totality of the data, this is my current opinion regarding Assyrian R-L23:
The relatively close relationship observed between Assyrians and the Armenians of Karabakh and Syunik, in my opinion, represents the shared ancient substratum of both people. A substratum dating to before northern Mesopotamia was “Semitized” by Akkadians, and other Semitic-speaking peoples (e.g. Amorites), in the mid to late 3rd millennium BCE, or a substratum beginning with the Middle Assyrian period, following Mitanni domination of Assur. A substratum that is best represented, in my opinion, by the R-M269 lineage, and the Hurrian/Subarian people.
Additional support for my claim, in opposition to the suggestion that Assyrians (in particular, "Nestorians" carrying R-L23) are Armenians. I ask that if people are going to make claims, they support them with sufficient genetic, linguistic, cultural, and other evidence.
I do not believe many people here would appreciate the suggestion, without sufficient evidence to argue such a claim, that they were recently converted members of another ethnicity. Look at the discussions on the various fora on the question of the "Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain," for instance.
(by no means exhaustive)
Variation of a VNTR in the DAT1 gene in seven ethnic groups of the Middle East was used to infer the history and affinities of these groups. The populations consisted of Assyrian, Jewish, Zoroastrian, Armenian, Turkmen, and Arab peoples of Iran, Iraq, and Kuwait. Three hundred forty subjects from these seven ethnic groups were screened for DAT1. DAT1 VNTR genotyping showed 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 alleles in the samples. Analysis of these data revealed differentiation and relationship among the populations. In this region, which covers an area of 2-2.5 million km^sup 2^, the influence of geography and especially of linguistic characteristics has had potentially major effects on differentiation. Religion also has played a major role in imposing restrictions on some ethnic groups, who as a consequence have maintained their community. Overall, these ethnic groups showed greater heterogeneity compared to other populations.
The relationship probability was lowest between Assyrians and other communities. Endogamy was found to be high for this population through determination of the heterogeneity coefficient (+0,6867), Our study supports earlier findings indicating the relatively closed nature of the Assyrian community as a whole, which as a result of their religious and cultural traditions, have had little intermixture with other populations.
"Variation of DAT1 VNTR alleles and genotypes among old ethnic groups in Mesopotamia to the Oxus region"
Banoei et al., Human Biology. February 2008, v. 80, no, I, pp. 73-81.
Semitic populations (Assyrians and Syrians) significantly differ from each other according to both indices.
A third feature is that the Semitic populations (Assyrians and Syrians) are very distinct from each other according to both axes. This difference supported also by other methods of comparison points out the weak genetic affinity between the two populations with different historical destinies.
When interpreting genetic results we need to take into account historical and archaeological data (e.g., in case of Assyrians and Syrians, who are Semitic speaking populations with different historical background).
PC plot from the above study: http://i1096.photobucket.com/albums/g326/dok101/PC_YEPISKOPOSIAN2.jpg
"Genetic Testing of Language Replacement Hypothesis in Southwest Asia"
Yepiskoposian et al., Iran and the Caucasus, Volume 10, Number 2, 2006, pp. 191-208(18)
MDS plot: http://i1096.photobucket.com/albums/g326/dok101/lash_iran.jpg
"Y chromosome diversity among the Iranian religious groups: A reservoir of genetic variation."
Lashgary et al., Ann Hum Biol. 2011 May;38(3):364-71. Epub 2011 Feb 18.
Dodecad: fastIBD analysis of Afroasiatic groups (Jews, Arabs, Assyrians, Berbers, Somalis, Amharas, etc.)
Dienekes:
I can't comment on all 45 clusters, so I'll just limit myself to the ones that are significantly represented among Project participants: 1. Ashkenazi, 4. Assyrian/Mandaean, 6. Somali, 7. Moroccan, 8. Algerian/Tunisian, 9. Sephardic, 10. Morocco Jews, 11. Iran/Iraq Jews, 12. Non-Jewish Ethiopians, 13. Saudi, 14. Arab #1, 15. Arab #2, 16. Egyptian
LINGUISTIC/OTHER
Mandaic inherited abundantly phonetic, grammatical, and lexicographic features from Akkadian (Late Babylonian) that point to the fact that the Mandaeans’ origin cannot have been anywhere else than in Mesopotamia (Kaufman, 1974, pp. 163-64; Müller-Kessler, 2004).
In the area of loanwords, Mandaic inherited from Akkadian an abundance of termini technici concerning religion, but also many words in other areas. Despite the limitation in its attested lexicon, due to the loss of texts, Mandaic shows more Akkadian borrowings than any other Aramaic dialect. The Mandaean gnostic sect recruited from a Babylonian population, and a stock of Akkadian words had belonged to the idiom of that geographical area for some centuries. Particular borrowings in Mandaic are: priest classes, cult, divination, and magic terms: brʾyʾ < bartū “diviner,” zʾbʾ 2 “esoteric priests,” gynyʾ “sacrifice,” ʿkwrʾ < ekurru “temple,” prykʾ < parakku “altar, shrine,” pyšrʾ < pišru “dissolving of a magic bond,” ʾšp < ašāpu “to bewitch,” šʾptʾ < šiptu “incantation”; terms concerning the gnostic doctrine and cult: gynyʾ < ginû “sanctuaries,” zywʾ < zīmu “brilliance,” nʾndbyʾ < nindabû “offering,” nʾṣwrʾyʾ “watcher of secrets,” nʾṣyrwtʾ “secrecy” < niṣirtu; architectional terms: ʾngrʾ < agāru “wall,”roof,” kšwrʾ < gušūru “beam, post”; body parts: gysʾ 2 “side”; ktʾ < qātu “hand, handle,” šʾyryʾnʾ < “vein, artery”; directions of the wind, name of winds, astronomical terms: šʾrʾ <šārū “direction of the wind,” stʾnʾ < ištānu north(wind), ywniʾ 2 <ūmu 3 “storm,” tʾlyʾ < attala “eclipse."
Dr. Christa Müller-Kessler
Originally Published: July 20, 2009
Additionally, Muller-Kessler and Kwasman (2000, 164 fn. 15) see a survival of an ‘‘Akkadian magical ritual concept’’ in the sequence of eating bread, drinking water, and anointing with oil found in an incantation text, which in turn parallels the Mandaean ‘‘sacraments’’ of the ritual oil, bread, and water in the baptism ritual (Drower 1937, 114).
[Theodore] bar Konay [an Assyrian from the "Nestorian" church] demonstrates a surprising familiarity with their [Mandaean] doctrine, even including a brief extract from the Great Treasure (Pognon 1898, 245–55; Kruisheer 1993–94). Although he writes shortly after the advent of Islam, he assigns their arrival in southern Mesopotamia unambiguously to the pre-Islamic period.
Mandaeism in Antiquity and the Antiquity of Mandaeism
Charles G. Haberl
Religion Compass Volume 6, Issue 5, Article first published online: 8 MAY 2012
Two pages: http://i1096.photobucket.com/albums/g326/dok101/manda1.jpg
http://i1096.photobucket.com/albums/g326/dok101/manda2.jpg
This, kneaded in the hand and baked in ashes like the fatira is a roll about 4 inches long. In a recent article ('The Kaprana' in Orient and Occident l , The Gaster Anniversary Volume, London, Taylor's Foreign Press, 1937) I have pointed out the similarity of the sa [dough] to the Nestorian [Assyrian Christian] kaprana, a dough object of identical shape which plays a part in the Qurbana, and appears to be a relic of some ancient fertility and life cult. That the sa is a phallic emblem one would suspect from its form and size. The reference which puzzled Lidzbarski (Q. 107), pihla d *l shum hiia pla, obviously refers to it.
The Christian idea of a cross with an implication of blood-sacrifice is contrary to the whole Mandaean belief; indeed, this sign was not at first associated, even by the Christians, with the instrument of Christ's passion, but was a 'life' or 'sun' symbol. In the Parsi ritual meal the sign of the cross is made over the ritual meal for the dead (JJM., p. 401), and Modi suggests that it is symbolic of the four points of the compass. This idea is corroborated by the Nestorian ritual, for the priest, as he places four wafers on the paten in the form of a cross, murmurs the words, 'From East to West, from North to South'. It probably represents the journey and return of the sun, symbolizing resurrection. (See Chap. VI, note 14.)
The 'feeding of the multitude' with five loaves and fish, by the shores of the Lake of Galilee, and the meal of Acts vi. 13, seem to record ritual meals. Tertullian mentions a ritual use of milk and honey. The Agape, or love-feast of the early Christians, is still kept up in the Nestorian Church. These feasts were so much a feature of primitive Christianity that Pliny the Younger, in his Rescript to Trajan, A.D. 104, mentions them as its chief characteristic. In the Canons of Hippolytus, the agape is a 'memorial feast for the dead'. Notice breads are common to the Sraosh baj, the Christian meal just mentioned, and the present-day Nestorian qurbana, suggesting connexion with the five intercalary days.
It is likely that the Jewish Passover meal in spite of orthodox interpretation and the text now attached to it, was originally a revivification and fertility rite. The hands stretched over the bread in witness, the word fatir applied by Iraqi Jews to the masoth. and most of the details of procedure suggest this. Moreover Jewish mention of the dead (dukhrana, hashkabd) is linked in Iraq to a ritual meal eaten in memory of the deceased. This meal must include 'wheat' (i.e. bread), 'fruits of the earth', and 'fruits of trees'.
The Nestorian dukhrana with its distribution in the church of bread and other foods and of meat by the church door, its reciting of names of the dead, and the use of the kaprana (i.e. the sa [dough] or phallus) in the qurbana, is close to Mandaean ritual in many particulars. The word dukhrana is also applied to a love-feast, or public distribution of meat which follows the dukhrana in church. In this, every member of the community shares.
Preparation of the Bread
[T]he [Mandaean] bread-maker marks the 'named' loaves, the Darun proper, with three rows of three marks :
while uttering the words 'good thoughts, good words, good deeds' 'making three marks at each recital' (JJM., p. 279). (The Nestorian marking of the loaves for sacrament with similar marks is extremely close to this. I do not know whether the 'signing' of the fafiri is allied to it; it may be.)
Habshaba. Literally, 'the-first-of-the-week'. In the spoken Syriac of the Assyrians the word is pronounced as in Mandaean Hoshabba.
Each day is governed by a planet. The day is divided into two parts of twelve, twelve day-hours and twelve night-hours. Certain melki also govern the days, and hence have a planetary character, for instance, Sunday, which is governed by Shamish, is also associated with the personified Habshaba, 7 First-Day-of-the-Week, a malka who is sometimes identified with other saviour-spirits. He 'takes purified souls in his ship to Awathur and to the World of Light. The gate of the World of Light is ajar on this day and Hoshaba (Habshaba) takes the souls by means of electricity into the midst of the world of light.'
I was told that 'Hoshaba' descends into Mataratha (Purgatories) on Sunday, returning with seven Mandaean souls to the world of light. 'The revolving wheels of light whirl more swiftly on this day, thus assisting the souls in their ascent.' The story is based on the prayer for Sunday (Q., p. 184), uqarqil sMbqh^ &c., the qarqil taken as meaning revolution of a wheel.
Writings preserved by the priests enumerate the planetary aspects not only day by day but hour by hour, so that life may be conducted successfully. To quote from one:
'The Day of Habshaba. The First Hour is of Shamish. Favourable (shapir) for building a new house, going on the road, putting on a new garment, eating bread, approaching kings and governors, drinking wine, and buying and selling. The Second Hour is of Libat (Venus). Sit in thy own city. Favourable for being with thy wife, eating new bread, riding horses, visiting physicians,' &c.
Not every hour of Sunday is good, for instance, on the sixth hour of Sunday night a traveller is likely to fall amongst thieves; for Nirigh. (Mars) governs this hour, although the general aspect of the day is sunny.
Monday (Trin Habshaba) is governed by Sin ; Tuesday (Thlatha Habshaba) by Nirigh; Wednesday (Arba Habshaba) by 'Nbu; and Thursday (Hamsha Habshaba) by Bil (Bel), also by Melka Ziwa 'from the morning of Thursday till Friday noon, when Liwet has power'.Friday (Yuma d Rahatia) is the day of Libat, and Yuma d Shafta or Saturday is the day of Kiwan. Friday afternoon and night are supposed to be unlucky and under the general influence of the King of Darkness.
As with the Mandaeans, disease, pollution, transgression against taboo, and breaking of social laws necessitated purifications received at the hands of a priest. The baru and ashipu priests of Babylonian and neo-Babylonian times, like Mandaean priests, wore white.
The Tree is a common religious symbol in Mandaean books for Divine Life, and the souls of Mandaeans are not seldom represented as birds, taking refuge in the shelter of a Vine, or Tree, against the tempests of the world.
The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran their cults, customs, magic, legends, and folklore
Lady E. S. Drower 1937
I happened to come upon another Nabatean book which contained the explanation of the story of Tammuz. He called a king to serve the Seven and the Twelve, 42 and that king killed him but he returned to life after having been killed. Then the king killed him in many horrible ways but each time he returned to life. In the end he finally died. That story was indeed identical to the last with the story of Jurjis which the Christians know. The Sabians hold a memorial feast for Tammuz which they call the memorial feast of Tammuz and the Christians hold a memorial feast for Jurjis which they call the memorial feast and tadhkira of Jurjis.
The transmission of pagan material to Christianity is often obvious. The mechanisms of this transmission are also relatively clear but I cannot refrain from mentioning here that, according to al Maqdis (Bad’ IV:42), some Christians in the vicinity of Harran had adopted Harranian doctrines (madhhab). What he probably should have said, is that some Harranians had converted – sincerely or not – to Christianity, bringing along with them much of their religious lore and wisdom. Instead of weeping for Tammuz they were now weeping for St. George.
“Continuity of Pagan Religious Traditions in Tenth-Century Iraq”
JAAKKO HÄMEEN-ANTTILA
In Babylonia, the month Tammuz was established in honor of the eponymous god Tammuz, who originated as a Sumerian shepherd-god, Dumuzid or Dumuzi, the consort of Inanna and, in his Akkadian form, the parallel consort of Ishtar.
A Sumerian tablet from Nippur (Ni 4486) reads:
She can make the lament for you, my Dumuzid, the lament for you, the lament, the lamentation, reach the desert — she can make it reach the house Arali; she can make it reach Bad-tibira; she can make it reach Dul-šuba; she can make it reach the shepherding country, the sheepfold of Dumuzid "O Dumuzid of the fair-spoken mouth, of the ever kind eyes," she sobs tearfully, "O you of the fair-spoken mouth, of the ever kind eyes," she sobs tearfully. "Lad, husband, lord, sweet as the date, [...] O Dumuzid!" she sobs, she sobs tearfully.[3]
If we continue to review some main aspects of the book from the sacral to the secular, we next come to various rituals and regulations. There is an interesting description of New Year's Eve rituals (Nab. Agr., 538-541) which, broadly speaking, coincides with what we know of the Harrãnian pagans down to the Islamic times, albeit differing in details, so that the description cannot have been taken from any Arabic source describing the Harrãnians but must be independent of that tradition. Likewise, there are descriptions of idols and their worshiping, communal prayers, feasts, fasts, temples and the services therein, the use of cultic music, incubation and dream oracles, and various other themes. Most of these passages are relatively short and sometimes difficult to set into any context, but in general they offer much material for study. The veneration of sacred trees receives some attention, and it seems that the word “idol” may often, in fact, refer to sacred trees, which act as mediators of divine revelation. Cultic and agricultural calendars, which we also know from Syriac tradition, are discussed in the book (e.g., Nab. Agr., 207-209).
* Nabat in Arabic refers to the non-Arabic rural population of the Near East, and especially Iraq, who spoke different Aramaic dialects.
A “NEW” SOURCE FOR LATE ANTIQUE PAGANISM
Are you the same person that was working on a paper for peer
review in the scientific community showing the connection between Assyrian R1b and Jewish R1b?
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/gnxp/2011/01/the-assyrians-and-jews-3000-years-of-common-history/
"colleague have drilled into the population history of people living in Iran and eastern Turkey who identify as descendants of ancient Assyrians, and who sent their DNA for analysis. Preliminary findings suggest their ancestors may have once mixed with local Jewish populations, "
Have you come to any conclusions if Iraqi Jews are L584- or L584+ or are they both? Or do they cluster with L943/944/945/946 Ashkenazi?
Ashkenazi "Group C"
R1b1a2a1b1: L23+ L584+ L943+ L944+ L945+ & L946+ (Ashkenazi "Group C")
45475 Louis Silver Lithuania ?
How do the R1b[L584-/L584+] differ from the L21,R1a,Q,J1,J2 people claiming Jewish ancestry?
Not to offend you, but I believe that the R1b the Armenians in Iraq and region is from the Balkans as Maliclavelli and others have said all along.
« Last Edit: June 08, 2012, 02:21:55 AM by acekon » Logged
I am not in the scientific community. I am a Juris Doctor, and continuing grad student who volunteers his time working on FTDNA projects. I am co-admin of the Y-DNA G, Y-DNA J1*, Aramaic, and Assyrian projects. Yes. I worked on that Assyrian-Jewish project with David ("Polako"), and the gentleman who goes by the name "Warwick" on the various fora. But that was only looking at autosomal DNA. It did not examine any possible Y chromosome links between Jews and Assyrians.
You are not offending me. R-L23 may be from the Balkans. That is a possibility. But, that does not make Assyrian R-L584 Armenian necessarily. That was the claim made. And that is what I was attempting to refute. Hurrian, yes.
Hurrian/Subarian --> Urartian + ??? ≈ Armenians of 1st millennium BCE.
Hurrian/Subarian + various Semitic and non-Semitic elements ≈ Neo-Assyrians of 1st millennium BCE.
^^ Simply my opinion. Nothing more.
Subartu was apparently a polity in Northern Mesopotamia, at the upper Tigris. Most scholars accept Subartu as an early name for Assyria proper on the Tigris, although there are various other theories placing it sometimes a little farther to the east, north or west of there. Its precise location has not been identified. From the point of view of the Akkadian Empire, Subartu marked the northern geographical horizon, just as Martu, Elam and Sumer marked "west", "east" and "south", respectively.
The Hurrians were a Caucasoid people, who spoke a Language isolate of the Ancient Near East who lived in Anatolia and Northern Mesopotamia during the Bronze Age.The largest and most influential partly Hurrian nation was the kingdom of Mitanni, though the Mitanni were an Indo-European speaking people who formed a ruling class over the Hurrians. The population of the Indo-European speaking Hittite Empire in Anatolia to a large part consisted of Hurrians and Hattians, and there is significant Hurrian influence in Hittite mythology. By the Early Iron Age, the Hurrians had been assimilated with other peoples, except perhaps in the kingdom of Urartu. According to I.M. Diakonoff and S. Starostin, the Hurrian, Hattic, and Urartian languages are related to the Northeast Caucasian languages.
So, you are not the fella I know from ABF? The same fella I have been sharing (or rather was sharing) with at 23andMe? He goes by the name "Silesian" at ABF.
« Last Edit: June 08, 2012, 03:13:44 AM by Humanist » Logged
Of course I'm same Silesian who helped contribute towards new computer for hobby research for ABF who is sad to see many hurtful things posted between Armenian and Assyrians, which is very sad, and do not agree with.As well as many bad things about Poles/Germans/Russians/Italians/English, which I consider to be my family and extended family also.
Were you not trying to make a link between 30% R1b in Assyrian project and Jewish autosomal?
Do you also contribute to Ht-35 project Vince V and L584 project?
For example, "LoPiccolo" in L584, Ht-35 project by accident?
It is okay if you do not answer the difference between Iraqi Jews and Assyrian Jews.
However there are many branches, Jews belong, for example L21,V88,L584+,L584-,R1a,Q,J1,J2,E,G1,G2,I1,I2,T,L,N.
Iraqi Jewish haplotypes are not available. The best I can tell you about Iraqi Jewish Y-DNA is this:
Reconstruction of Patrilineages and Matrilineages of Samaritans and Other Israeli Populations From Y-Chromosome and Mitochondrial DNA Sequence Variation
HUMAN MUTATION 24:248-260 (2004)
N=20
T-M70: 20%
E-M78: 15%
J-M267: 15%
G-P15: 10%
R-M269: 10%
J-M319: 5%
R-M207: 5%
R-M17: 5%
Q-M242: 5%
The Behar et al. frequencies:
PQR2 : 30%
J(xJ2): 16%
J2: 11%
K[T]: 11%
G: 10%
R(xR1a): 4%
In addition, Mendez et al. listed Y-DNA T frequencies (N=32):
Y-DNA T
M70: 9%
P77: 13%
T = 22%
There is a link between the Assyrian R-L584 men and the Ashkenazi R-L584 men. See these two gentlemen:
Assyrian - 205749: L584+, L943+
Jewish - 45475: L23+ L584+ L943+ L944+ L945+ & L946+ (Ashkenazi "Group C")
If I have funds to test the additional SNPs, I will. And hopefully extend testing to other Assyrian men.
I am not an admin of the ht35 project. I am friends with Peter Hrechdakian, however. We are co-admins together on the J1* project.
Teddy LoPiccolo was incorrectly classified on Adriano's sheet. He was listed as L584+. When in fact he was L405+ (L584-). 23andMe does not test for L584. I asked Adriano this question, but did not receive a reply:
http://i1096.photobucket.com/albums/g326/dok101/ted_lo.jpg
The ht35 admins relied on the classification by Adriano. Teddy posted a thread on DNA-Forums, and asked about his haplotype. One of the members of the Assyrian project, Pera, had a few shared markers. However, after taking a look at Adriano's sheet, I realized that the two men were not that closely related. I sent Peter this message: http://i1096.photobucket.com/albums/g326/dok101/teddy_l405.jpg
That is where the story of Teddy Lopiccolo's results end for me. Except for my post in the thread on Worldfamilies.
"(or rather was sharing) with at 23andMe?"
There are not to many who enjoy the same history/subjects and genealogy.
Still sharing :) If not pm and will gladly share.
Richard Rocca
The Lopiccolo kit was eventually placed in the correct group, so it is a non-issue.
Paternal: R1b-U152+L2*
Maternal: H
Quote from: Richard Rocca on June 08, 2012, 12:44:28 PM
These are some letters I wrote to LoPiccolo on 23andMe. Look at the dates. If acekon suspects that there are some plots, perhaps he isn’t so far from reality.
Gioiello Tognoni wrote to Teddy LoPiccolo (Teddy L): Nov 15, 2011
Dear Teddy, I have seen your data on the "Adriano's spreadsheet". Have you ever done an exam of the STRs?
Kind Regards, Gioiello Tognoni
Yes, of course it costs. Once SMGF (The Sorenson, the Mormons) did it for free, but now there is GeneTree and it costs. The best of course is FTDNA. If you follow some offer, you could do it, for instance on 37 markers, for a good price (now it is 169$. I did it for a relative of mine resulted R1b1a2a (like me) at 23andme for 119$, but we had a good exchange with the Euro. You are R1b1a2-M269, the most ancient, and it would be interesting to see your STRs. This exam permits also to find the closest to you by the paternal line, but for me it would be interesting also for another reason: I support that R1b1a2 and subclades was born in Italy and we have in South Italy but also in North Italy and Switzerland a clade with YCAII=17-23, which I retain the original.
Let me know if you can do it. Anyway I thank you for having sent your data to Adriano Squecco.
Kind Regards, Gioiello
I am very glad for your 67 markers test. It will be very interesting. About Maddi and the Sicilian project I can say that I knew Maddi when I wrote on Rootsweb before my banishment and I polemized frequently with him. After he shared his data with me on 23andme. Now that my wife (100% Sicilian) has joined the Sicilian project, I was asked about her 100% Sicilianity to join the project, and I didn't like it. I don't like that many (Phoenicians, Jews, etc.) had convinced Sicilians not to be "Italians". All the theories about this have wrecked, above all those of Dienekes Pontikos (actually […].). For this your R1b1a2* is very important. If it is ancient Italian I'll be right and all them wrong.
After your order (or, better, after your kit will be arrived to FTDNA) I think you'll have your results within a month, but why you are thinking to Trojans, Assyrians, Hittites? Certainly Assyrians and Hittites hadn't anything to do with Sicily and we are always discussing if R1b1a2 came from Asia Minor or not. My theory is that it was born in Europe, above all in Italy. Why don't you think to the ancient peoples of Sicily? And don't you mind that "Sicels" were Indo-Europeans and linked to Latins and came to Sicily from Latium?
There will be so long to reconstruct truth about Italy and Italians.
Teddy, I have written many thousands of letters on these arguments, also on “DNA-forums” which banned me at the end of 2008, a work of Jules Van Laar, probably a […] in that nest of […].
1) Your L584+ is that of we all. Only L584-, a back mutation, is found in Middle East and only in R1b1a2a/L23+ like me, not in your haplogroup, and demonstrates that those L23+ aren’t the ancestors of the European subclades.
2) About Trojans it is only a tale. I should be linked with them, being from Tuscany, but I have demonstrated many times that happened the other way around: are the Lemnians to derive from Tuscany and not the contrary.
3) We all will be very glad to know the Genetics of the Elymians.
4) Dienekes is a nationalist Greek who is mostly of Italian descent and denies it. I have defeated him many times. His pretension that Sicilians are mostly Greeks like J2 has been demonstrated false.
5) Jews were annihilated by Romans in two wars. Those of today, mostly the Ashkenazim, are above all Europeans, and above all Italians. They don’t like it and ban me from their forums. But I continue to write on them: […], 23andme etc. are theirs.
Do the test, and after send your results to me and I’ll say to you which is your male line.
Gioiello Tognoni wrote to Teddy LoPiccolo (Teddy L): Jan 21, 2012
Dear Teddy,
May I know them? Have you posted them to some Project or to ySearch?
Teddy, I've seen what Mike wrote to you on Dna-forums: "Teddy, I recommend uploading your results into Ysearch so you can do comparisons a little more easily using the comparison queries. It's a little hard to tell much with R1b1a2 on 37 markers. Let's wait for 38-67 to come in and then we can find who the matches are".
I have already created an account with your data to study them: ySearch CAPFU. When you create an yours, I'll delete mine.
But of course I don't think that the answer will be in your next data. I have already responded after your 12.
All data are useful. If you let me know these last, I'd be very grateful to you, but if you prefer to have all this panel and post it on 23andme or Dna-forums it's good the same. But don't forget that only on Worldfamilies (and in part on 23andme) I am able to respond you.
P.S. Of course I have deleted my account.
Gioiello Tognoni wrote to Teddy LoPiccolo (Teddy L): Feb 4, 2012
But where is LoPiccolo? Before he was amongst the unclassified at the bottom of the ht 35 FTDNA project, but now he has disappeared. It’s well he is “TheLittle”, but to disappear! Oh, but he is amongst the R-L23+/L584+! Who put him there? The administrators or the administrator?
So Mangino (the Tuscan Mancini) is the unique with DYS426=12 amongst all the others 11 and with DYS578=8 amongst all the 9, and LoPiccolo is the unique with DYS426=11 amongst all the L23/L584+=12. And who did test him for L584? In the “Adriano’s spreadsheet” he was L584+ which is really -, being the + actually a back mutation. And wasn’t he also L23-? Really a great confusion. And amongst the L584+ a “Sicilian” has been added to the others, the last the Jew Silver.
Certainly when Mangino (Mancini) and LoPiccolo are put at their true place…
Mr. Lo Piccolo, let’s wait for this SNP test, but if you are L49-, like it appears on the “Adriano’s spreadsheet”, you cannot be L584+: in this case L584+ would be a recurrent mutation without a meaning for the R-Tree. Your markers say that you are R-M269 like I have always said, but that Vizachero (my worst enemy) has put you amongst the R-L584+ has a meaning: to demonstrate that you aren’t an “Italian”, but a Jew and that hg.R comes from Middle East. For this I have been banned many times from some forums. Certainly your posting about Armenians in South Italy goes in this direction, but Armenians were Indo-Europeans who came from the Balkans and have nothing to do with Italy: They are a little people, killed in part by Turks, and cannot have peopled Italy, which is tenfold more peopled. Unfortunately Mr Vizachero (and probably FTDNA) makes some mistakes (willing) to demonstrate a thesis (wrong). I’ll make some Mancini (from Tuscany) linked to Mangino test by another company.
Gioiello Tognoni wrote to Teddy LoPiccolo (Teddy L): Feb 13, 2012
Teddy, you have written: “but I am doing a further SNP test”. Can you tell me which SNPs?
Probably L584, perhaps L23/L49.1 etc.?
Dear Teddy, this is the SNP L584 at 23andMe:
L584 R1b1a2a1b 27141305 C->T
27141305 rs9786602 A or C
not genotyped Francesca Guarino
C Gioiello Tognoni
not genotyped Giorgio Tognarelli
not genotyped Monica De Conti
not genotyped Silvana Vagelli
not genotyped Velthur Tognoni
As you can see only I, tested with V2, have the result. My relatives, tested with V3, are “not genotyped”. Then if you have done V3, your result hadn’t to appear on the “Adriano’s spreadsheet”. You can see your result. Go to your 23andme account, click on “account” and to “Browse your raw data”, write “rs97866032” where it is written “aSNP” and push “Go”. Your result will appear.
That's right. It should be so. Then you aren't L584+ and what appears on the "Adriano's Spreadsheet" is wrong, and also who put you on the "ht 35 Project" amongst the L584+, adding a Sicilian (and a presumed Sephardic) L584+ is wrong like I have said many times, i.e. Mr Vizachero. And now that the Armenians are negative, both the L584+ and the L584-, for the four SNPs found by the WTY on Silver (L943, L944, L945, L946), also the presumed origin from the "Tens Tribes Lost" of L584+ is wrecked. We will discover soon where L584+ was born.
Teddy, I typed wrongly the SNP. You should write rs9786602. Let me know.
Teddy, you can see that you are C like me, i.e. we are ancestral, i.e. L584- and not +. But if you get this result, probably you did 23andMe V2 and not V3. As you see, I was right on every assertion I did. Permit me to publish this result on 23andme and Worldfamilies. I don't publish it on Dna-forums, even though they have permitted my subscription (I am "gioiellot"), after they banned me three times. Of course my banishments were wrong and I am right on all the line.
Thank you for your collaboration.
Kind Regards and Best Wishes, Gioiello Tognoni
Gioiello Tognoni wrote to Teddy LoPiccolo (Teddy L): Mar 5, 2012
Filandro is a very rare surname in Italy (a few persons in Calabria, Puglia, Campania, etc.). I found him on SMGF and put his data on ySearch. Unfortunately who is tested by SMGF is not findable. He matches closely also a Rodrigues, a Brazilian from Portuguese descent. For this I remained open to a foreign origin, also Jewish, but you find some close to you in Sardinia. Of course we can think to a foreign origin too, but I think that your haplotype is deeply rooted in Italy. We shall see when we’ll have more data.
The last paper on Armenians has a haplotype R-M269 with DYS390=26.
« Last Edit: June 09, 2012, 07:34:25 AM by Maliclavelli » Logged
A_Wode
Quote from: Humanist on June 08, 2012, 02:55:21 AM
This is a possibility. Keep in mind that "written works" (hint hint) and I am not terribly religious, consider a group possibly identified as Hebrews moved into what would be modern Israel sometime after 1000 BC but before the time of Rome. This is absolutely the reason why Jewish male lineages *should* be diverse, just as our modern day Indo-European speakers. I do not consider there to be a "Semitic" haplogroup, no more than I consider a single haplogroup for PIE, but I feel often racism gets in the way and the E1b1b1 guys are not given a claim to the region they are most native to - if this is the region where Proto-Semitic family was born in ~6000 BC (or whatever the leading argument is). Most here should agree that G1/G2, as well as J1/J2 are more eastern in origin, probably originating in the Caucasus or Mesopotamian region and spreading with some of the earliest civilizations.
Hurrians and the Kingdom of Mitanni
After the death of Shamshi-Adad I in the 18th century, very little is known about the region of Assyria and about the city states, such as Asshur and Nineveh, until the 14th century B.C. The reason for this lack of information was the chaos brought about by the mass migration of new peoples into N Mesopotamia. Chief among these were the peoples which founded the kingdom of Mitanni. This kingdom was centered on the Habur river, but in its heyday its influence spread as far W as the Taurus mountains and as far E as Assyria. Indeed, for a time it seems to have controlled the city-states of Nineveh and Asshur.
Unfortunately, very little information is available about the kingdom of Mitanni. Its capital, Washshukanni, has still not been located, and therefore the state archives of the kings of Mitanni have not been discovered. What little we know of this kingdom and its history we glean from foreign sources: Assyrian, Babylonian, Hittite, and Egyptian. As meager as this information is, it does allow us to realize that Mitanni was one of the greatest powers in the ancient world in the middle of the 2d millennium B.C. Its kings dealt as equals with the Egyptian pharaohs and Hittite monarchs.
Since Mitanni was such a great power, and controlled Assyria for a time, it is important to consider this kingdom and its civilization in any discussion of Assyrian history. Indeed, the two ethnic elements evident in the Mitanni kingdom, Hurrians and Indo Europeans, also had a major impact on the region of Assyria and thus require detailed consideration. The term Indo-European refers basically to a large family of languages, among which are modern English, French, and German. Ancient languages included within this group are Latin, Greek, Hittite, and Sanskrit. The Hurrian language, on the other hand, has not been identified with any known family of languages. Certainly it is neither Indo-European nor Semitic. The Hurrians themselves entered Mesopotamia by way of the Caucasus from the steppes of central Asia. Evidence of their presence in Mesopotamia, which is supplied from personal names, goes back at least as far as the Third Dynasty of Ur (ca. 2000 B.C.). At this early date, they were in the east Tigris region, and for the next few centuries there is no evidence they spread beyond this area. Toward the middle of the 2d millennium, however, they began to move out, and eventually Hurrians were spread over most of the Fertile Crescent, their presence being evident in Assyria, Syria, Anatolia, and Palestine. In Assyria, the site which provides most of our evidence for a strong Hurrian presence is Nuzi.
The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary. 1996
Also Assyrian conversions, which predated Khazars.
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/8358-izates
How much of the population converted?When Kings and Queens convert, we can safely say that many population also converted perhaps using Constantine as an example .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_I
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine_I_and_Christianity
Assyrians.
« Last Edit: June 09, 2012, 09:25:03 PM by acekon » Logged
VV seems to not be involved in this hobby for a few years now. Not sure why folks keep expecting him to respond.
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A better place to go: Transformation through toilets
A teacher talks with students about hand washing and sanitation at a school in Sri Lanka. (©2016 World Vision/photo by Niroshini Fernando)
For much of the developing world, a shortage of toilets is not only an inconvenience; it’s a matter of life and death.
Thirty-two percent of the people on earth — 2.4 billion of the world’s 7.4 billion men, women, and children — go through their day without improved sanitation, according to the World Health Organization. One billion people defecate in the open — in fields, forests or rivers.
It’s no surprise that the highest death rates for children under 5 occur where open defecation is common. The same places lag behind in social and economic growth, security, gender equity, and care for the environment.
If you want to change the world, it’s not enough to give someone a functioning toilet and sink. They have to understand its value, keep it clean and maintained, and use it.
To improve the lives of children, World Vision provides clean water, toilets, and hygiene training to schools and families around the world. And to celebrate World Toilet Day, Nov. 19, take a look at these toilets from around the world!
Schoolgirls run to the toilet block built by World Vision at their school in Moyo, Zambia. In developing countries, it’s important for girls to have separate toilets that are clean and safe to access so they can stay in school after they reach adolescence. (©2016 World Vision/photo by Jon Warren)
Good hygiene is part of the learning experience at Ude Kindergarten #2 in the nation of Georgia. New indoor flush toilets are a vast improvement over the unheated, outdoor latrines they replaced. School enrollment has increased since the toilets were installed. (©2014 World Vision/photo by Michelle Siu)
Phonekeo, 3, is proud of having a toilet at her home in Laos. “She enjoys using the toilet. Before, she would always cry when she had to defecate in the forest. I would follow her and hold a long stick to prevent dogs and pigs from going to her,” shares Chanmee, Phonekeo’s mother. (©2014 World Vision/photo by Nila Douanesouvanh)
Because of new latrines constructed by World Vision, training, and strong WASH youth clubs, not only is Kurfo Gute School in Wonchi, Ethiopia, an open-defecation free zone, the attendance rate has soared and grades are up. (©2013 World Vision/photo by Jon Warren)
Marian, 10, stands in the doorway of one of the bathrooms provided by World Vision at Mar Elia Refugee Camp near Mosul, Iraq. In this small camp, located on the grounds of a church, World Vision is providing clean water, sanitation, a playground, and livelihood opportunities for women. (©2016 World Vision/photo by Kari Costanza)
Twelve-year-old Channa displays his sudsy, soapy hands after using the toilet. Channa has been sponsored through World Vision since he was in first grade. While participating in a World Vision-facilitated child and youth campaign at his school, he learned about the importance of good hygiene and sanitation practices. (©2014 World Vision/photo by Vanndeth Um)
For Kodzo, 12, living in rural Kenya, the missing piece for sustainable sanitation and hygiene was clean water. This all changed in 2013 when World Vision installed a borehole, pipeline and water kiosk system in her village. (©2016 World Vision/photo by Chris Huber)
Quality of life improved for Leelaben’s whole family after she participated in community-led sanitation meetings, facilitated by World Vision in India. These meetings teach communities about the dangers of open defecation and poor sanitation, triggering people’s motivation to build latrines. After the meetings conclude, World Vision provides the training and materials to install household latrines. “Now, going to defecate has become a private household matter. It is like the dignity of the household has been restored,” says 30-year-old Leelaben, mother of two. (©2016 World Vision/photo by Annila Harris)
Young pupils of Rang Dong Commune Kindergarten are guided by their teachers, who were trained by World Vision, how to use girl and boy latrines and how to wash their hands when they’re finished. (©2015 World Vision)
Photos curated by Lauren Reed of World Vision’s staff in the U.S. Read about eight places you wouldn’t want to go on World Toilet Day.
Our Work :
Help improve children’s health with sanitation systems that keep water sources clean.
Kathryn Reid
Global 6K for Water creates an unforgettable moment for a California pastor
Highlights from the 2019 Global 6K for Water
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the weekend read June 1, 2007
Does Maaza Mengiste Deserve to Be Your Literary Idol?
Every Friday Vulture finds a great story that’s a little too long to read on the computer screen. Fiction, long-form narrative journalism, epic blog sagas — any of these could be your Weekend Read. Print it out on the office printer, smuggle it home, and curl up with it after brunch.
This week’s Literary Idol extravaganza introduced six “Stars of Tomorrow,” talented writers whose teachers pegged them for future success. We presented you with excerpts of their writings and — yes, we already admitted it was tacky — asked you to vote for your favorite. “I write every day,” 36-year-old Maaza Mengiste told us. “No matter how bad I think it is, I put it down on paper.” If her current lead — 37 percent — is any indication, she’s being modest. So for this week’s Weekend Read, we’re asking her to share a little more about herself through an autobiographical nonfiction piece. In “Cheetahs Under Fire,” Mengiste gives us a window to her childhood in Africa: “I knew the smell of a discharged gun,” she writes, “I grew accustomed to the nightly rounds of gunfire outside our door, I learned not to answer when soldiers came in the night and asked me about one of my uncles, assuming a three-year-old girl held no secrets.” We promise you’ll be moved by her words, but we’re hardly playing favorites — that’s your job. Check out all the contestants and vote for the next “It” author. The polls close at 9 a.m. Tuesday.
“Cheetahs Under Fire” [Dragon Fire]
The Stars of Tomorrow [NYM]
maaza mengiste
the weekend read
Every Black Mirror Episode, Ranked
Charles Levin, Seinfeld, NYPD Blue Actor, Found Dead in Oregon
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spoiler alert Nov. 8, 2013
What Did Thor 2’s Post-Credits Scene Mean?
By Alex Suskind
“Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World” Thor (Chris Hemsworth) Ph: Jay Maidment © 2013 MVLFFLLC. TM & © 2013 Marvel. All Rights Reserved. Photo: JAY MAIDMENT
Thor: The Dark World hits theaters today and, this being a Marvel movie, audiences are once again treated to some post-credits madness. So who decided to pop up this time? Agent Coulson? Nick Fury? Mickey Rourke? Nope. Instead, fans got their first glimpse at a new character, one who will play a major role in next summer’s superhero space epic Guardians of the Galaxy.
Obviously, SPOILERS follow, so if you haven’t seen the film yet, bookmark this post for after you do.
Like The Avengers, The Dark World has not one, but two post-credits sequences. The first pops up midway and features Asgardian badasses Lady Sif (Jaimie Alexander) and Volstagg (Ray Stevenson) walking down a dark hallway. In their possession is a box containing an infinity gem called the Aether, the omnipotent power source that Thor 2 villain Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) tried to destroy the universe with. Eventually, the two warriors encounter … Benicio Del Toro! Well, more specifically, it’s Del Toro as Taneleer Tivan, better known as the Collector. Since Asgard already has another infinity gem in its possession — that would be the Tesseract, which Loki used to recruit his army in The Avengers — and because keeping two infinity gems in the same location would not be wise, they have decided to hand over the Aether. After Sif and Volstagg leave, the camera pans toward Del Toro’s white-coiffed Collector, as he ominously states, “One down, five to go.”
So how does this scene — which was shot by Guardians director James Gunn — fit into the Marvel Cinematic Universe? (Or, as the man sitting next to me during my screening so eloquently put it, What the hell just happened there?) Before we answer that, we need to understand who Del Toro is playing. The Collector, who first popped up in “Avengers #28” in 1966, is one of the elders of the universe, an essentially immortal group of survivors from extinct races. Like any Marvel superhero, the elders all have their own idiosyncrasies. In the case of the Collector, he (you guessed it) collects the universe’s rare artifacts, which he keeps tucked away in hidden space museums where no one can get to them, hence the Asgardians trusting him with an infinity gem.
There are six infinity gems in total. Collect them all, and you get the Infinity Gauntlet, a tool of immense, godlike power, and one both Avengers post-credits villains, Thanos and the Collector, are apparently after (granted, the Collector likely wants the Infinity Gauntlet specifically to prevent Thanos from getting it, which he would use to destroy the universe).
Marvel president Kevin Feige and Gunn have already confirmed Thanos’s presence in next summer’s Guardians, a film that the Collector will also play a major role in. That makes this Thor 2 post-credits handoff the connective tissue between Phases Two and Three of Marvel’s overarching plan. Essentially, the scene sets up a potential showdown in either Guardians or Avengers 2 (or both) between Thanos, who’s after the infinity gems, and our superheroes, who will look to stop the alien from blowing the universe to bits.
As for the second post-credits scene, it features Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) moping over a bowl of cereal, wondering whether Thor will ever return to Earth. Seconds later, he arrives on the patio like the lead in some cheesy Asgardian romcom. Jane runs outside, they kiss and live happily ever after, etc. Lastly, we cut to some comic relief, as a Frost Giants beast who was transported to Earth during the film’s final battle is seen traipsing around a London industrial yard chasing birds.
Obviously, this sequence isn’t as apocalyptic as the first one (well, unless you live in London, in which case, RUN — there’s a huge Frost Giants beast running around the city and causing havoc). However, it will certainly have an effect on whatever happens to Thor in the immediate future. Before the credits rolled, the prince is seen turning down his chance to be King of Asgard in order to live on Earth with Jane. The consequence of Thor’s decision to stay on our planet will likely play out when the Avengers meet again in Age of Ultron in 2015, as well as whenever Thor 3 hits theaters.
Movie Review: Thor: The Dark World
the dark world
the avengers 2
barbie 4:26 p.m.
now streaming 4:25 p.m.
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Local Perspective
‘The Taking of Bird Feeder 123’: The new heist film starring an all-squirrel cast
A squirrel surveys the domain in Lafayette Square, across from the White House. As many homeowners know, these critters are adept at raiding bird feeders. (John Kelly/The Washington Post)
By John Kelly
Local columnist
“Thanks for keeping an eye on things, boys. We’ll take it from here. Feel free to come back when we’re full, though I can’t promise there’ll be anything left.”
Hera the squirrel looked up at the bird feeder. The inside of the tall cylinder was packed with hulled sunflower seeds. The outside was covered in birds: a grackle, a cardinal and a half-dozen sparrows. Hera delivered a threatening bark and the birds exploded from the feeder.
[On a wing and a prayer: What do backyard birds talk about?]
Every heist was different. They might all look the same — jump on feeder; take seeds — but each job had its own challenges, complications and dangers.
Get complacent and you would go hungry — or worse. Hera had the scar to prove it: a strip of fur-less skin on her left shoulder. She’d lost it to a hawk she hadn’t seen coming. If it hadn’t been for Athena …
Athena — trusty Athena — was among the three squirrels awaiting Hera’s instructions. Hera knew Athena was probably the most important member of the crew. Hera had the organizational skills — the ability to oversee the entire heist — but Athena had the brains.
Then there were Artemis and Daedalus. Artemis had the brawn. And Daedalus …
Well, Hera wasn’t sure what to make of him. Even now he was nosing around Artemis, playfully chasing her.
“Knock it off!” Hera shouted. “You can do that later.”
“What’s the plan, boss?” Artemis asked.
“Can’t we just jump on the feeder?” Daedalus said. “That’s what we did yesterday.”
“Today is different from yesterday,” Hera said. “And tomorrow will be different from today. If you learn nothing else, learn that. Athena?”
The silky black Athena came forward, a large, folded maple leaf held in her jaws. She took the leaf from her mouth and spread it out on the ground. It was covered with a diagram that roughly approximated the back yard: trees, bushes, the feeder, the outdoor furniture, a hammock, a woodpile. Between each landmark were lines: distances, angles, vectors.
Athena had made the blueprint in the drey, using the sharp nails of her paw to scratch figures into the leaf’s cuticle layer. At a casual glance — the sort a human might give it — it looked natural.
“Yesterday we launched from the back of the patio chair,” Athena said, sweeping a paw across the leaf. “Well, last night the humans pushed the patio chair back half a meter. I don’t think even Artemis can leap from its new position. Now, moving to the feeder pole …”
“The pole!” Daedalus exclaimed. “I can climb that easy! Watch!” He sprang at the black wrought-iron staff.
“Daedalus, no!” Hera shouted.
Daedalus ignored her and started shinnying up the pole. When he was about halfway to the top, he began to slide down, his paws scrabbling at the metal.
“It’s greased,” Athena said. “I was just coming to that. Vaseline, I think.”
“Ick,” Daedalus mewled miserably when he’d slid back to earth. He raised a gummy paw. “This is disgusting.”
He licked at the grease.
“Oh! It burns! It burns!”
“Cayenne pepper,” Athena said. “Try not to get it in your eyes.”
A crowd had gathered. The birds watched from the branches. Chipmunks scurried in the underbrush. All would have some seed, but the squirrels would have the most. That was the natural order.
Hera turned to Athena. “Okay, the patio chair is out,” Hera said. “The pole is out. Other options? What about the tree trunk?”
“It rained last night,” Athena said. “The bark on the tree nearest the feeder is wet. With a thickly-barked tree — a hickory, an oak — that wouldn’t be a problem. You could get a paw-hold in the ridges. But that’s a holly, smoother. Add the moisture and I think it will be too slick.”
“So what’s that mean?” Daedalus interjected. “No breakfast? Well that’s just great, man.”
“Calm down,” Hera said. “Athena, are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
Athena nodded. “Aerial insertion. Up the fence and along the fence post. Jump into the hammock and trampoline into the crotch of the holly. Then out that overhanging branch to a position two meters above the feeder.”
“Two meters?” Hera said. “That’s risky.”
“But doable,” Athena continued. “There’s a breeze but I’ve factored for that. As we know, the cage encircling the feeder is tripped by weight. Either hang down by your back feet from the wire or just gnaw through the plastic at the top. Up to you.”
It sounded easy enough. It always did, until it wasn’t.
“Okay,” Hera said. “I’ll take the first stab at it. Artemis, you follow me. Athena, you count me down for the drop.”
“What about me?” Daedalus asked. His paws were still a mess, useless.
“I need you to watch the skies, Daedalus. You see as much as a shadow, you start screaming bloody murder. You got that?”
“Yes,” Daedalus said. “Gotcha. Bloody murder.”
Hera rubbed the scar on her shoulder. “Places, everyone,” she said, her voice calm, but strong. “It’s go time.”
Twitter: @johnkelly
For previous columns, visit washingtonpost.com/johnkelly.
How male supremacy fueled Scott Paul Beierle’s incel attack on Florida yoga studio
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Ty Outlaw will play for Virginia Tech vs. Duke after being charged with marijuana possession
Ty Outlaw shown against Caleb Homesley, left, and Scottie James of Liberty during an NCAA tournament game Sunday. (Ben Margot/Associated Press)
By Roman Stubbs
Roman Stubbs
Virginia Tech forward Ty Outlaw will play Friday night against Duke in the Sweet 16 after being cited for marijuana possession last week, the team announced Thursday.
Hokies Coach Buzz Williams and Outlaw addressed the situation after the team practiced at the East regional site, Capital One Arena in Washington.
“Ty took a drug test by an outside agency yesterday before we left. And the test was negative,” Williams said. “So maybe sometimes what scrolls across TV may not actually be the whole story or what is published on Twitter in an ironically efficient pace, may not be the whole story. So Ty’s handled everything perfect. He’s been transparent not only with me but with all the authorities involved. And I think it will play itself out.”
Outlaw, a graduate guard-forward, established himself as the Hokies’ top perimeter threat, leading the team in three-point field goals (78) and three-point shooting percentage (. 456) during his final season in Blacksburg. He averages 8.7 points and 5.4 rebounds for Virginia Tech, which was in San Jose for the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament when Outlaw was charged in Blacksburg with possession of marijuana last Thursday.
“The disturbance that led to the search warrant and the execution of the search warrant was — I was in [California] while all of that happened,” Outlaw said. “I discussed it immediately with Coach Williams and done everything that’s been asked of me. I’m excited to be here with my teammates. I’m not really focused on anything else.”
Outlaw is scheduled for a court appearance April 11.
Outlaw registered seven points and seven rebounds for the Hokies in their first-round NCAA tournament win over Saint Louis, then followed with 10 points and 11 rebounds in 39 minutes in a win over Liberty as Virginia Tech advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1967.
A well-traveled player who spent time at UNC Greensboro and a junior college in Texas before arriving at Virginia Tech, Outlaw was honored by the ACC this season with the Bob Bradley Spirit and Courage Award. He missed two full seasons with the Hokies, first after a heart condition was diagnosed and then because of a torn ACL.
Sweet 16 upset watch begins with the unlikely bid of the Oregon Ducks
Jerry Brewer: What separates this Virginia team from its NCAA busts? NBA talent.
Hamilton and Florida State: A large cast that’s putting on a heck of a show
The only guy in the world with a perfect NCAA bracket is heading to the Sweet 16
A former high school teacher has taken Michigan to school on defense
With Carsen Edwards, Purdue always has a shot. Lots of them, in fact.
Roman Stubbs Roman Stubbs is a sports reporter for The Washington Post. Follow
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Maryland scientists helping with research of total solar eclipse
Scientists bringing outer space science down to Earth
Updated: 5:59 PM EDT Aug 15, 2017
Adam May
WEBVTT ADAM RESEARCHERS AT BALTIMORE'S: SPACE TELESCOPE SCIENCEINSTITUTE ARE GOING THE EXTRAMILE FOR THE UPCOMING SOLARECLIPSE QUITE LITERALLY.>> I WILL BE NEAR THERMOPOLIS.ADAM THAT'S NEAR A RANCH IN: WYOMING WHERE PLANETARYSCIENTIST BONNIE MEINKE GETS ADIRECT HIT A 100% BLACKOUT OFTHE SUN.BUT IT'S NOT JUST FOR NATURALCURIOSITY.>> THERE ARE PEOPLE ACROSS THECOUNTRY AT THE NATIONAL SOLAROBSERVATORY AND NASA, ALLWORKING TOGETHER, ENGAGINGPEOPLE TO LOOK AT THE SUN WITHTHEIR GLASSES.TO STUDY THE SUN'S CORONA,THAT'S THE OUTER LAYER.IT'S ALWAYS CHANGING, IT'S VERYINTERESTING TO US, AND WE DON'TGET TO SEE IT EVERY DAY FROMEARTH.ADAM IT'S SO RARE, THERE HAVE: ONLY BEEN 15 SOLAR ECLIPSEPATHS LIKE THIS CROSSING NORTHAMERICA SINCE THE YEAR 1503.>> IF YOU FIND YOUR AREA IN THEPATH OF TOTALITY ONE YEAR,YOU'VE HIT THE JACKPOT, BECAUSEON AVERAGE, THAT SAME SPOT ONEARTH WILL SEE A TOTAL ECLIPSEEVERY 375 YEARS.ADAM ANOTHER SCIENTIST FROM: BALTIMORE'S STSI WILL BE ONONE OF 68 TEAMS STATIONED ALONGTHE ECLIPSE PATH HELPING PRODUCEA SEAMLESS 90 MINUTE VIDEO OFTHE ECLIPSE FOR RESEARCH ON THECORONA.>> WE WANT TO LOOK AT THESETHINGS AND DOCUMENT HOW THE SUNCHANGES, WHAT TIME SCALES ITCHANGES OVER, AND LEARN ABOUTPHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THESUN.ADAM: AND BECAUSE OF NEW,DETAILED MAPPING OF THE MOON'SIRREGULAR SURFACE SCIENTISTSHAVE THE MOST EXACT MAP OF WHICHREGIONS ON EARTH WILL BE IN THATPATH OF TOTALITY.>> IT IS AMAZING TO HAVE ALLTHESE EVENTS HAPPENSIMULTANEOUSLY AND GIVE US AONCE IN A GENERATION EXPERIENCE.ADAM BRINGING OUTER SPACE: SCIENCE, DOWN TO EARTH, ADAM
Maryland scientists are packing up and leaving town to see the eclipse in full.The sun will be about 80 percent blocked in Maryland during the rare total solar eclipse Monday, which left researchers at Baltimore's Space Telescope Science Institute going the extra mile -- literally.Planetary scientist Bonnie Meinke is traveling to Wyoming to get a direct hit, a 100 percent blackout of the sun, but it's not just for natural curiosity."There are people across the country, from both the National Solar Observatory and NASA, all working on engaging people to look at the sun, with their glasses, to study the sun's corona during this time -- that's the outer layer of the sun. It's always changing. It's very interesting to us, and it's we don't get to see it every day from Earth," Meinke said.It's so rare that there have only been 15 solar eclipse paths like this crossing North America since the year 1503.Another scientist from Baltimore's Space Telescope Science Institute will be on one of 68 teams stationed along the eclipse path, helping produce a seamless 90-minute video of the eclipse for research on the corona."We want to look at these things and document how the sun changes, what time scales it changes over, and learn some new details just about the physical characteristics of the sun," Meinke said.Because of new detailed mapping of the moon's irregular surface, scientists now have the most exact map of which regions on Earth will be in that path of totality."It's amazing to get all these events happening simultaneously and give us a once-in-a-generation experience," Meinke said.
Maryland scientists are packing up and leaving town to see the eclipse in full.
The sun will be about 80 percent blocked in Maryland during the rare total solar eclipse Monday, which left researchers at Baltimore's Space Telescope Science Institute going the extra mile -- literally.
Check out these solar eclipse events around Maryland
Maryland's dark sky sites optimal for eclipse viewing
Hampden astrologer explains how eclipse could affect you
What's the science behind the eclipse?
Video: Doctor explains how viewing eclipse can cause permanent eye damage
Here's what you need to know to see the eclipse in Maryland
Planetary scientist Bonnie Meinke is traveling to Wyoming to get a direct hit, a 100 percent blackout of the sun, but it's not just for natural curiosity.
"There are people across the country, from both the National Solar Observatory and NASA, all working on engaging people to look at the sun, with their glasses, to study the sun's corona during this time -- that's the outer layer of the sun. It's always changing. It's very interesting to us, and it's we don't get to see it every day from Earth," Meinke said.
It's so rare that there have only been 15 solar eclipse paths like this crossing North America since the year 1503.
Another scientist from Baltimore's Space Telescope Science Institute will be on one of 68 teams stationed along the eclipse path, helping produce a seamless 90-minute video of the eclipse for research on the corona.
"We want to look at these things and document how the sun changes, what time scales it changes over, and learn some new details just about the physical characteristics of the sun," Meinke said.
Because of new detailed mapping of the moon's irregular surface, scientists now have the most exact map of which regions on Earth will be in that path of totality.
"It's amazing to get all these events happening simultaneously and give us a once-in-a-generation experience," Meinke said.
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Four short links: 20 January 2014
idb (Github) — a tool to simplify some common tasks for iOS pentesting and research: screenshots, logs, plists/databases/caches, app binary decryption/download, etc. (via ShmooCon)
Twitter Infrastructure — an interview with Raffi Krikorian, VP of Platform Engineering. Details on SOA, deployment schedule, rollouts, and culture. (via Nelson Minar)
Orbit (Github) — a standalone Javascript lib for data access and synchronization.
Chromium is the New C Runtime — using Chrome’s open source core as the standard stack of networking, crash report, testing, logging, strings, encryption, concurrency, etc. libraries for C programming.
Tags: Uncategorized @fourshort c devops ios javascript open source programming security Twitter open-source programming-2 twitter
New school C
Choosing a programming language for that project you’re working on is a fairly straightforward decision: it needs to be fast, easy to use, and it must come with enough bells and whistles to keep you from re-inventing the wheel every time you want to do something.
Looking at this criteria, aside from the fast bit, the C language may not be the first one that pops into your head. After sitting down with Ben Klemens, the author of 21st Century C, I am now looking at C as a more practical and enticing alternative than I would have thought possible.
21st Century C sets a precedent in presenting C as a language that is a lot easier to use, and has more library support than many people think. If you are not up to date on the latest that C has to offer you may not be aware of the simplicity and elegance of the language. These strengths are backed by the C99 and C11 standards, but mainly they are built up on the development of libraries and modern tools for building and multi-threading in C.
In my interview with Ben he talks about the inclusion of libraries and what that means to modern C programming at the 9:53 mark. There is quite simply a vast array of libraries out there that every developer has access to. As Ben points out at the 10:50 mark, looking at GitHub we can find something on the order of 150,000 C projects. It is important to note that packing up many of these projects as libraries can involve a bit more work than just building the project, but just having all those projects as resources can save a lot of time and minimize redundant efforts.
Of course what is new in modern C programming is only half the picture. The other half involves all the parts of C programming that can be largely ignored or at least downplayed. As Ben points out at the 8:03 mark in our discussion, today’s programmer can even go so far as to question the usage of malloc and other time tested memory management techniques.
The full interview with Ben is available in the following video.
Why learn C?
Subscribe to the free Code podcast through iTunes
Tags: Uncategorized @home Ben Klemens c C11 C99 git programming language ben-klemens c11 c99 programming-language
TERRA 712: Vitamin ConspiraC
Do you take vitamin C when you get sick? Well, now you don't have to! Filmmaker Christina Choate urges you to skip the pill and eat plants instead. In her quest to find the truth about vitamin C, she introduces the man responsible for popularizing vitamin C supplements, retraces the history of scurvy, explains the vitamin's evolution, biochemistry and richest sources. With wit and humor, she de-bunks popular myths and takes a stand against the quick-fix health industry.
Tags: Documentary biology medicine physiology vitamin c biology, medicine, physiology, vitamin c
Top Stories: June 25-29, 2012
Here's a look at the top stories published across O'Reilly sites this week.
William Gibson got some of it right
"Neuromancer," written 28 years ago, predicted a technological wonderland we're still waiting for. But its corporate dystopia is already here.
"Head First C" co-author David Griffith discusses C's continued popularity and why C and Arduino work well together.
"Lightweight" DRM isn't the answer
In this open letter to the IDPF's Executive Director, Bill McCoy, O'Reilly GM & Publisher Joe Wikert explains why a DRM-free approach is far better than any "lightweight" DRM option.
Ten years of Foo Camp
We curate topic areas and interesting people, but Foo Camp is designed to be an idea collider. It's an intentional serendipity engine that works the seams in between.
Predictive data analytics is saving lives and taxpayer dollars in New York City
A predictive data analytics team in the Mayor's Office of New York City is finding patterns in regulatory data that can then be applied to law, health and better allocation of taxpayer resources.
OSCON 2012 — Join the world's open source pioneers, builders, and innovators July 16-20 in Portland, Oregon. Learn about open development, challenge your assumptions, and fire up your brain. Save 20% on registration with the code RADAR.
Tags: c corporations drm foocamp newyork predictions predictiveanalytics programming topstories williamgibson
Though C has been around for decades, it's still consistently ranked at the top of any list of programming languages used and studied today. I recently spoke with David Griffiths (@dogriffiths), coauthor of "Head First C," about the reasons for C's continued (even increased) popularity and what his book offers in such an established market.
Highlights from our conversation include:
Why is C still popular? It's ubiquitous, closer to the hardware, and used to create other languages and operating systems. [Discussed at the 0:32 mark]
What kinds of software is C used for these days? System programming (in pure C) or specialized areas when working with languages that are extensions of C or closely related (e.g., knowing C makes Objective-C programming for iOS apps more efficient and C++ games programming more intuitive). [Discussed at the 3:18 mark]
If you learn C, what will it do for you? Knowing C gets you closer to the hardware, to better understand how things work on the system level. [Discussed at the 4:55 mark]
Why write Head First C? Kernighan and Richie's The C Programming Language is one of most popular, if not the most popular, programming books, and it defined the ANSI standard. That book is still the standard, but through the language hasn't changed, the audience has, and many learners are coming to the language from a different perspective and set of knowledge. [Discussed at the 6:03 mark]
How does Head First C make the language more accessible to this new audience? For example, it teaches how memory works in a more profound way (a concept systems programmers will likely already know, though new programmers in specialized fields might not). [Discussed at the 8:12 mark]
Describe the labs in Head First C. The book includes three hands-on missions for the learner, presenting the project without completed source code. In the first project, the learner uses Arduino lab to program a flower with sensors to tell you when it needs to be watered. In the second lab, a computer vision system (OpenCV) is used to capture images in a web cam to check for faces, motion, etc. And finally, the learner creates Asteroids game clone, pulling together many different concepts from the book. [Discussed at the 11:13 mark]
Arduino is making C popular among the Maker community. As a constrained platform, Arduino is a natural environment for C. C makes the most of the machine's performance, particularly with real-time processing of input/output. And because it's such a small language, you can become competent in basic keywords rather quickly, making small Arduino projects a gratifying introduction to programming. [Discussed at the 13:54 mark]
Why should colleges continue to teach C? It's an important, foundational language that requires you to understand the full stack of the technology. If you learn C, you'll understand computers at a much more profound level than if you don't. [Discussed at the 15:31 mark]
The full interview is available in the following video:
OSCON 2012 — Join the world's open source pioneers, builders, and innovators July 16-20 in Portland, Oregon. Learn about open development, challenge your assumptions, and fire up your brain.
Save 20% on registration with the code RADAR
Head First C (book)
Subscribe to the Code podcast through iTunes
Tags: Programming c codepodcast headfirst programming
Developing cross-platform mobile apps with C#
Building a mobile app that runs on more than one platform, with minimal code changes, is a technical Holy Grail. The HTML5 stack (using CSS and JavaScript, among other standards) and Java are two solutions. Another is Microsoft's .NET plus C#, a combo that's been overlooked outside the Windows Phone 7 developer community despite its potential to create apps that can run natively on Android and iOS.
In the following interview, software engineer Greg Shackles (@gshackles) aims to expand the potential of this platform. Shackles is the author of "Mobile Development with C#" and maintains a blog focusing mainly on .NET and its related technologies.
We hear a lot about using C++ to build mobile apps, so why use C# — and the associated .NET?
Greg Shackles: There are various ways to share code across different platforms. Unfortunately, many approaches will abstract away the user interface from the developer in order to achieve a "write once, run anywhere" solution, making it easier to release an application quickly on many platforms. This sounds great, but often it will lead to a degraded user experience since the app won't look and feel native to that platform. The user experience is the most important thing to consider when designing an application.
Using C# and the Mono Tools allows the developer to share a large subset of an application's code across multiple platforms while still building a completely native user interface on top of it for each platform. Applications created with this approach will look and feel native because they're using the exact same APIs and toolkits exposed by the platform. In some cases, the Mono tools even help to clean up the platform APIs to make them easier to work with than those exposed by the native languages.
This approach allows developers to concentrate on solving business problems rather than having to manage multiple languages and reinvent the wheel every time they want to expand to a new platform. Going even further, the code that is shared across platforms isn't limited to mobile applications. It can go pretty much anywhere that C# and .NET are supported, such as ASP.NET, Silverlight, or WPF. Developers already familiar with these technologies can easily hit the ground running and start targeting these new platforms while reusing the skills they already have.
What else makes the .NET Framework well suited for mobile development?
Greg Shackles: C# and .NET are both very mature and powerful technologies. They have evolved over the years to provide support for things like asynchronous programming and memory management, and features like LINQ help make them great to work with as a developer.
For example, there is no garbage collector when writing iOS apps with Objective-C. That's a feature .NET developers are used to having. MonoTouch actually brings a garbage collector along with it, making it much easier to work with, without having to worry about manual memory management.
What are a few of the technical weaknesses of C# or .NET?
Greg Shackles: There aren't too many technical limitations, but whenever you place another layer between you and the native platform, some problems are unavoidable.
One example is that on iOS, you are not allowed to dynamically execute code at runtime, meaning that the standard .NET style of just-in-time compilation is not permitted and that aspects of .NET that rely on runtime code compilation are not possible, such as Reflection.Emit and the Dynamic Language Runtime. To get around this, MonoTouch compiles the application down to static code ahead of time. This particular limitation does not apply on Android, which does allow for just-in-time compilation.
For those who are already developing native apps for Android or iOS, what benefits would they gain from using C#?
Greg Shackles: For developers who have already built their apps in Java in Objective-C, the case for switching to a new set of tools definitely becomes more difficult to make. The benefits they would get from making such a move would largely be in the ability to share code across all of the platforms rather than have to rewrite it in a different language every time. Both MonoTouch and Mono for Android offer the ability to interact with code written in Objective-C and Java, so code already written in those languages could still be leveraged.
What kind of cross-platform mobile apps are easy or best to make under C#?
Greg Shackles: I don't think there's any particular category of app that's obviously more difficult to write in C#. For extremely simple applications that don't have much logic, it becomes more of a decision of preference for the developer rather than a strategic advantage. In reality, not many applications fall into this category. A majority of applications will need to perform tasks like accessing the Internet or saving to a database, and that is where it becomes beneficial to be able to write that code once and share it across all platforms. Personally, I find C# to be a much nicer language to work with than Objective-C and Java, so that alone becomes an advantage of using it.
.NET is native on Windows Phone 7, but it's not on Android or iOS without the use of MonoTouch or Mono. What are the performance issues or differences across these mobile platforms when you're developing for all three at once using C# through .NET and its unofficial variants?
Greg Shackles: The addition of another layer between you and the platform will have its consequences, but by and large, it's not something you'll notice or need to worry about as a developer. Since MonoTouch applications are run through its ahead-of-time compiler, their performance is already highly optimized. Mono for Android applications include their own instance of the Mono runtime that .NET code is run against and includes an intelligent garbage collector that is optimized for managing objects across the different runtimes. In general, you won't be able to see any difference in performance between an app written in C# and one that is not.
One other common concern is the size of the application, since the .NET Framework is not known for being minimal. Both Mono for Android and MonoTouch ship with a tool called a linker that is included as part of the build process. The linker is a static analysis tool that scans the compiled assemblies in the application and actually strips out any pieces of the framework that are not referenced. As a result, your application will only ship with precisely the pieces of the .NET Framework that you actually use, which drastically cuts down the size of the application. With each release, the Mono team seems to find new ways to optimize the linking process, so this size overhead continues to dwindle down further, even though it is already rather minimal.
This interview was edited and condensed.
Mobile Development with C# — This hands-on guide shows you how to reuse one codebase across iOS, Android, and Windows Phone by combining the business logic layer of your C# app with separate, fully native UIs.
Greg Shackles interviewed by O'Reilly editor Rachel Roumeliotis
10 ways to botch a mobile app
The evolution of iOS development: Better tools and a lot more to think about
What to watch for in mobile web apps
Tags: Mobile Programming net netframework android c crossplatformmobiledevelopment gregshackles ios microsoft mobileapp mobileapps mono monotouch windowsphone7
Cross-platform mobile development is a breeze with C#
Greg Shackles (@gshackles) is the author of "Mobile Development with C#," which is available for pre-order now and scheduled for release this spring.
During a recent interview, Shackles and I talked about C#'s role in the mobile space and coding best practices. Highlights from the discussion included:
Cross-platform mobile development is tough. The mature C# language is the only language that can be used across all of these platforms to produce a native experience. [Discussed at 00:03]
Reusing code is a must. Shackles thinks developers should try to separate business logic from user interface logic. [Discussed at 00:39]
Be on the watch for big enhancements when Windows Phone 8 is released, like near-field and app-to-app communications. [Discussed at 01:27]
Make an app that stands out by creating a really solid user experience. [Discussed at 02:45]
You can view the entire interview in the following video.
Tags: Mobile Programming c microsoft mobiledevelopment monotouch oreilly xamarin
Developer Week in Review: The hijacking of an insulin pump
It was a great week at the Turner household! Although we love our house, we've frequently said to each other, "You know what we could really use? A 25-foot-long tree limb wrapped in power lines blocking our driveway." Well, this weekend mother nature decided to help us fill this void in our landscaping, and threw in some ornamental cherry firewood as well (chainsawing not included). Thankfully, I spent the extra bucks on Saturday to get our LPG tank topped off, so I've got generator power for 10-14 days. Given we're on day four with no power in sight, that was a good decision.
It could have been worse, of course. For example ...
A scene from an upcoming technothriller
Plucky researcher Ann McManna walked across the room toward the podium, ready to reveal the details of the fiendish plot she had uncovered to the waiting reporters. Now the world would know about the conspiracy to corner the world supply of macadamia nuts. Her heart pounded with excitement, her mouth was dry and she perspired, in spite of the air conditioning that was making the room practically an ice box. As she approached the stage, she bumped against a table, stumbling and suddenly having trouble seeing her path through blurry eyes. Something was wrong, but she couldn't focus, couldn't identify what was happening to her, even as she collapsed to the ground. Minutes later, the paramedics would close the eyelids of her corpse.
Some fanciful invention of Tom Clancy or Robin Cook? Not anymore, thanks to research by McAfee's Barnaby Jack, presented at this year's Hacker Halted conference. Using some custom software and a special antenna, Jack was able to control Medtronic insulin pumps as far as 300 feet from the controller. He was able to disable the tones that warn a user that insulin is being pumped, and trigger a 25-unit bolus of insulin. In some circumstances, this could kill a victim.
As networked computers appear in more life-critical items, this is a good reminder that security should be job No. 1, not something to think about if you have time. Too many proprietary device manufacturers seem to depend on security through obscurity, rather than security in depth.
Strata 2012 — The 2012 Strata Conference, being held Feb. 28-March 1 in Santa Clara, Calif., will offer three full days of hands-on data training and information-rich sessions. Strata brings together the people, tools, and technologies you need to make data work.
Save 20% on registration with the code RADAR20
The first taste is free, but you'll be back
One of the perils of depending on public APIs from for-profit companies is that they may get turned into a profit center down the road. Users of the Google Maps API learned that lesson recently, as Google announced that high-volume users will no longer have free access to the APIs starting next year. Before you start panicking, the definition of high-volume will be more than 25,000 calls a day (2,500 if you use the custom styling features), and the rate over 25,000 is $4/1,000 calls. Google claims that less than 1% of all users will run up against this limit.
The problem with using beta or "free" services in your products is that, unless the terms of use specifically say that it will be free forever, you have no contractual agreement to lean on, and the provider is able at any point to change how (or even if) the service is provided.
Linus Torvalds vs. C++
Linux progenitor Linus Torvalds has a reputation for diplomacy and fence building — that's practically the only way to herd the stampede of cats that is the Linux developer community. But when he gets upset, the results can peel the paint off the walls.
We got a good example this week, as Torvalds responded to a complaint about the fact that the git source control system was written in pure C, rather than C++. In a nutshell, Torvalds called C++ a lousy language that attracts substandard programmers and leads to sloppy, unmaintainable code. In general, I tend to take any blanket condemnation of a programming language as hyperbole, but Torvalds seems to genuinely loathe C++. We'll have to see if his anger against the language alienates any of the kernel developer base, or if people will just shrug it off as Linus being Linus.
Please send tips and leads here.
More Developer Week in Review coverage
Tags: Programming apis c developerwir googlemaps hacking languages linustorvalds medicaldevices security
Dennis Ritchie Day
Sunday, October 16 was declared Steve Jobs Day by California's Governor Brown. I admire Brown for taking a step to recognize Jobs' extraordinary contributions, but I couldn't help be struck by Rob Pike's comments on the death of Dennis Ritchie a few weeks after Steve Jobs. Pike wrote:
I was warmly surprised to see how many people responded to my Google+ post about Dennis Ritchie's untimely passing. His influence on the technical community was vast, and it's gratifying to see it recognized. When Steve Jobs died there was a wide lament — and well-deserved it was — but it's worth noting that the resurgence of Apple depended a great deal on Dennis' work with C and Unix.
The C programming language is quite old now, but still active and still very much in use. The Unix and Linux (and Mac OS X and I think even Windows) kernels are all C programs. The web browsers and major web servers are all in C or C++, and almost all of the rest of the Internet ecosystem is in C or a C-derived language (C++, Java), or a language whose implementation is in C or a C-derived language (Python, Ruby, etc.). C is also a common implementation language for network firmware. And on and on.
And that's just C.
Dennis was also half of the team that created Unix (the other half being Ken Thompson), which in some form or other (I include Linux) runs all the machines at Google's data centers and probably at most other server farms. Most web servers run above Unix kernels; most non-Microsoft web browsers run above Unix kernels in some form, even in many phones.
And speaking of phones, the software that runs the phone network is largely written in C.
In the late 1970s, Dennis joined with Steve Johnson to port Unix to the Interdata. From this remove it's hard to see how radical the idea of a portable operating system was; back then OSes were mostly written in assembly language and were tightly coupled, both technically and by marketing, to specific computer brands. Unix, in the unusual (although not unique) position of being written in a "high-level language," could be made to run on a machine other than the PDP-11. Dennis and Steve seized the opportunity, and by the early 1980s, Unix had been ported by the not-yet-so-called open source community to essentially every mini-computer out there. That meant that if I wrote my program in C, it could run on almost every mini-computer out there. All of a sudden, the coupling between hardware and operating system was broken. Unix was the great equalizer, the driving force of the Nerd Spring that liberated programming from the grip of hardware manufacturers.
The hardware didn't matter any more, since it all ran Unix. And since it didn't matter, hardware fought with other hardware for dominance; the software was a given. Windows obviously played a role in the rise of the x86, but the Unix folks just capitalized on that. Cheap hardware meant cheap Unix installations; we all won. All that network development that started in the mid-80s happened on Unix, because that was the environment where the stuff that really mattered was done. If Unix hadn't been ported to the Interdata, the Internet, if it even existed, would be a very different place today.
I read in an obituary of Steve Jobs that Tim Berners-Lee did the first WWW development on a NeXT box, created by Jobs' company at the time. Well, you know what operating system ran on NeXT's, and what language.
For myself, I can attest that there would be no O'Reilly Media without Ritchie's work. It was Unix that created the fertile ground for our early publishing activities; it was Unix's culture of collaborative development and architecture of participation that was the deepest tap root of what became the open source software movement, and not coincidentally, much of the architecture of the Internet as well. These are the technologies I built my business around. Anyone who has built their software or business with knowledge from O'Reilly books or conferences can trace their heritage back to Ritchie and his compatriots.
I don't have the convening power of a Governor Brown, but for those of us around the world who care, I hereby declare this Sunday, October 30 to be Dennis Ritchie Day! Let's remember the contributions of this computing pioneer.
P.S. Help spread the word. Use the hashtag #DennisRitchieDay on Twitter and Google+
Photo: Via Wikimedia Commons.
Tags: Programming c computing dennisritchie unix
Reposted by urfin
Developer Week in Review: Two giants fall
My apologies for the lack of a Week in Review last week — I was taken by the seasonal plague that's going around the Northeast, and spent most of the last week in a NyQuil haze. Fun bonus fact: Did you know certain prescription drugs inhibit the function of the CYP2D6 enzyme, which means that you can't metabolize Dextromethorphan (aka Robitussin)?
Thankfully, I was able to pull myself up from my sickbed and get my order in for one of those newfangled iPhone 4S contraptions. It's currently sitting at the UPS sorting facility in Kentucky. The faster processor and Siri are nice, but for me the big attraction is the 64GB of storage. I was always bumping up against my current 32GB iPhone 4's disk limit.
On to the Review ...
So long Steve, and thanks for all the apps
At this point, pretty much anything I could say about the passing of Steve Jobs has been said so many times already that it would be irrelevant. I was fortunate to see him in person once, at the last WWDC, but like many people, I've followed his career for years. I have somewhat of a unique perspective because I worked at Xerox AI Systems in the mid '80s, selling the Xerox Star (and later Dandelion) with Interlisp, and got to use the Xerox Alto at the MIT AI lab before that. In other words, I was able to use what pretty much became the Mac before the Mac existed.
It was a tremendous source of frustration to those of us who worked at Xerox that the company seemed to have no clue what an incredible breakthrough the Alto and its successors were. Obviously, Jobs had significant amounts of "clueness" because he raided the mouse and GUI wholesale from PARC, and a good thing he did, or we'd still be using CP/M.
One important legacy of Jobs is the App Store model. If you owned a Windows Mobile or Palm device at the turn of this century, you know what a mess it was to get applications to run on them. Until the App Store came along, you either had to hunt around the web for interesting things to run on your smartphone, or you were at the mercy of what your carrier chose to allow. The App Store created both a distribution model and an even playing field for independent and large software makers alike.
Web 2.0 Summit, being held October 17-19 in San Francisco, will examine "The Data Frame" — focusing on the impact of data in today's networked economy.
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Goodbye to Dennis Ritchie
The other significant passing we have to mark this week is Dennis Ritchie, father of C and one of the brains behind Unix. It's no exaggeration to say that if you had walked into any programmer's office in the early '80s, you would have probably found a copy of "The C Programming Language" on the bookshelf. Between C (which begat the majority of the modern languages we use today) and Unix (ancestor of Linux, BSD, Solaris, OS X, iOS, and countless other POSIX spin-offs), Ritchie has likely influenced the computer field more than any other single individual in the last 50 years, Donald Knuth included.
Ritchie was a veteran of Bell Labs, the organization we have to thank for fostering the innovative environment that let him be so creative. I'd be hard pressed to find an organization today that is offering that kind of fertile soil, out of which so many beautiful flowers bloomed. Jobs may have been the flashier showman, but he never would have gotten off the ground without the contributions Ritchie made.
Worst reply-all ever?
We got a rare view into the inner workings of Google this week, thanks to an inadvertent broadcasting of a long rant by long-time Google employee Steve Yegge. Yegge accidentally made his short-story-length critique of Google's API policies public on Google+, letting the world know how he felt.
While it will be interesting to see if Yegge's posting turns out to be a career-limiting move, what's more interesting is the insight it gives us into the problems Google is facing internally. Yegge's main complaint is that Google doesn't eat its own dog food when it comes to APIs. He particularly singles out Google+ as an example of a product with almost no useful APIs, and charges Google with developing products rather than platforms.
Those of us who have been frustrated with Google's inability to implement "simple" things like a consistent single sign-on infrastructure would tend to agree.
The real worth of WWDC
Tags: Programming apple belllabs c developerwir google jobs ritchie unix
Developer Week in Review: Google Goes Yardsaling
This is the city: Los Angeles, Calif. Every year, millions of tourists flock to this Mecca of stardom and glamour, hoping that some of it will rub off on them. Sometimes they're geeks. My name is Turner. I carry a MacBook.
This is your somewhat delayed Developer Week in Review, coming this week from the Mondrian Hotel in Hollywood, a place where the laws of reality have become so distorted that paying $6 for a can of soda has actually begun to seem reasonable. There was no WIR last week, as I was trapped in an alternate universe full of hotels with Wi-Fi connections slower than dial-up. 20kb/sec, swear to God!
We're wrapping up our West Coast trip this week, a vacation that has been warped somewhat by the presence of my 16-year-old son. Certainly, if my wife and I had been traveling alone, we would not have taken a ride on a Nike Missile elevator in the Marin Headlands, or toured a WW2 submarine. Not that I'm complaining, our side-trip to the LA Gun Club this week to shoot semi-auto AK-47s and AR-15s was definitely a blast (pun intended).
All your patents are belong to us!
Continuing the massive arms buildup of patent portfolios being waged among all the smartphone makers (with the exception of RIM, which seems content to take the role of Switzerland in this war), Google has assimilated Motorola. In addition to super-sizing Google's intellectual property assets in the mobile space, it also places Google in the role of a direct competitor to the other Android licensees. Until now, Google produced what were essentially engineering development platforms, but no real consumer products. Now that Google owns the DROID (the Motorola version), they're suddenly in the position of having a strong pre-existing consumer channel.
On one hand, the acquisition makes a lot of sense. Motorola is a pioneer in the mobile space, and the purchase gives Google a lot of ammo to fend off the increasing spate of patent lawsuits being lobbed its way. On the other hand, Google is now trying to sell the Android operating system to companies that it will be selling against. While it's great to talk about how Android will remain open, the reality is that once Google is fighting for market share with companies like HTC, you have to believe the relationship will become strained at best.
Will a Kzinti invasion be next?
In another case of fiction predicting reality, the last few weeks have been host to a series of social-media-organized protests, which at least in England quickly transformed into riots. Philadelphia and Cleveland fell victim to less widespread but still serious incidents of violence, and San Francisco shut down cell phone service in one BART station after word of a planned protest emerged.
None of this should be surprising to aficionados of classic science fiction, who will recognize the flash mobs now appearing as an eerie echo of the flash crowds described by author Larry Niven in his "Known Space" series. Niven used cheap teleportation as the mechanism that brought large groups of people together at the site of interesting events, but social media is proving to have an equally powerful, if more localized, affect.
Niven also predicted that the presence of a crowd would attract people whose only reason to be there is to take advantage of the chaos to loot and cause mayhem. The big question now is, how much restriction will we accept in this new medium to prevent future occurrences? We are already seeing draconian censorship and invasion of privacy as a result of the battles against child pornography and music piracy, will this be the next battlefront?
Strata Conference New York 2011, being held Sept. 22-23, covers the latest and best tools and technologies for data science -- from gathering, cleaning, analyzing, and storing data to communicating data intelligence effectively.
Save 30% on registration with the code STN11RAD
Pimp my language
While it seems there's a new emerging language every week, lots of developers are still being productive members of society with the old programming warhorses. But that doesn't mean a language can't get an "Extreme Makeover: ISO Editor"! Case in point, C++ moved into the new decade with the acceptance of the C++ 11 specification.
The new standard brings O-O concepts such as lambda functions and improved type coercion into the language, and it should make the lives of developers still maintaining existing C++ code much more bearable in the future. One must wonder which old-school language will be the next to get a fresh coat of paint. As the old joke goes, if they ever add O-O to COBOL, they'll have to call it add one to COBOL.
Tags: Mobile Programming android c cobol developerwir flashmobs google iso languages larryniven mobile motorola socialmedia
Four short link: 4 January 2011
100 Things to Watch in 2011 -- people who consider tech trends without considering social trends are betting on the atom bomb without considering the Summer of Love. (via Fred Wilson)
Mobile Economics will Trend Towards Web Economics (Fred Wilson) -- A central issue with the Internet, no matter what device and presentation layer you use to access it, is that there is an unlimited amount of content available. Evan Williams calls it "a web of infinite information" in this chat with Om Malik. What is valuable is filtering and curation. Restricting access to content doesn't work. Someone else's content will get filtered and curated instead of yours. Scarcity is not a viable business model on the Internet.
Magic Tile -- geometric and topological analogues of Rubik's Cube. Mindblowing fun with math.
SharpNLP -- open source C# NLP tools.
Tags: business c fun math mobile nlp opensource programming trends web
Developer Week in Review
Here's what recently caught my attention on the developer front:
The new Microsoft, wow with 100% less architecture
This week, The Creature From Redmond announced the upcoming departure of Ray Ozzie, Microsoft's Chief Software Architect. Ozzie took up the mantel of CSA from Bill Gates himself, and Steve Ballmer has indicated that the position will not be continued after Ozzie leaves.
I can't help but raise an eyebrow at this. In a company with as pure a software play as Microsoft, and with as much emphasis on a unified development methodology for independent software vendors, not having someone at the top to herd the cats strikes me as a recipe for divergence and a splintered framework.
Another good press week for Apple
On Monday, Apple announced they made a bazillion dollars last quarter, and that every living human on the planet and many of the dogs now own iPads or iPhones, or something like that.
Expect the lovefest to continue on Wednesday (today) with another press conference, this time announcing the new tech for the Mac product line, including -- it's rumored -- OS X 10.7. Is OS X 10.7 redundant? Shouldn't it be OS X.7, or OS 10.7? And the rumors continue to swirl that a CDMA version of the iPhone will come to Verizon in 2011.
The BSA, neither trustworthy, loyal, nor honest, evidently
No, not the Boy Scouts of America, the Business Software Alliance. Word has come out this week that they have been lobbying hard to keep open-standard-friendly language out of the EU's European Interoperability Framework. This has, not unexpectedly, brought the Free Software Foundation into the fray.
Having just watched "Firefly" and "Serenity" with my son for the first time (his, not mine), I can't help but think that "the Alliance" is a great name to tag the BSA with. I'm having trouble plugging Richard Stallman into the Malcolm Reynolds role, though ...
if (C++ == 0x19) printf("Happy Birthday!!");
It may seem like it's been around forever, and maybe 25 years is forever in computer language years, but last Friday marked the 25th birthday for C++. A little long in the tooth, perhaps, but it still manages to power a good chunk of the world's software. I never really got into C++ -- I moved directly from C to Java, and I've now made a perverse sidestep to Objective-C -- but I know lots of developers who swear by it (and a few who swear at it ...). Wonder if we'll still be leaning on it as heavily when it hits 50?
That's it for this week. Suggestions are always welcome, so please send tips or news here.
Tags: Programming apple bsa c developerwir iphone microsoft openstandards
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The interview process
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Anu: The Raj Years
Shabnam Vasisht
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From Google Books: “Illustrated throughout with old photographs, the story starts at the point of a child's birth during the freedom campaign in India. The book, a true story, describes a woman's extraordinary life to the point of Independence for her country. Although it follows one person, the book shows the culture, the food and the way of life in India during the raj years in a colourful and eloquent way. Anu was born during the British raj, when the struggle for Indian Independence was well under way. As an Indian Christian, her upbringing was influenced by both British and Indian values. By the time she joined the prestigious Allahabad University most students were caught up in the freedom movement, led by the city's famous Nehru family. After graduation she was involved in Mahatma Gandhi's Basic Education programme, designed to bring literacy to the masses.This, the first part of Anu's story, covers her single years, dominated by national events, World War II and the horrors of Partition. Anu's marriage, after Independence, took her as far away from her roots as she could go.But that's another story.”
Explore on Google Books
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Freedom Struggle
Independence Movement
British and Indian Values
Effects of Partition
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F.R. David Fabolous Fairyland Faith No More Faithless Fake Problems Faker Falco Fall Out Boy Family Force 5 Fantasia Far East Movement Fat Joe Fatboy Slim Fates Warning Fausto Papetti Fefe Dobson Fergie Fetty Wap Fifth Harmony Figurines Filter Fiona Apple Fionn Regan First Aid Kit Five Finger Death Punch Flat Duo Jets Flatt & Scruggs Fleet Foxes Fleetwood Mac Flipper Flo Rida Florence and the Machine Florida Georgia Line Flotsam & Jetsam Flowing Tears Flume Flying Lotus Flyleaf Folkodia Foo Fighters Forever the Sickest Kids Forgotten Tomb Fort Minor Foster the People Four Tet Four Year Strong Fourplay Fozzy Fragile Framing Hanley Francis Goya Frank Ocean Frank Sinatra Frankie Ballard Franz Ferdinand Freddie King Freelance Whales French Montana Friendly Fires Fun. Funkadelic Future
Better Living Through Chemistry by Fatboy Slim [1996] [album editions]
1 Song For Lindy
2 Santa Cruz
3 Going Out Of My Head
4 The Weekend Starts Here
5 Everybody Needs A 303
6 Give The Po' Man A Break
7 10th & Crenshaw
8 First Down
9 Punk To Funk
10 The Sound Of Milwaukee
11 Es Paradis
12 Next To Nothing
Fatboy Slim albums
1 Better Living Through Chemistry [ 1996 ]
2 Bruce Almighty (Soundtrack) [ 2003 ]
3 Cruel Intentions (Soundtrack) [ 1999 ]
4 Go (Soundtrack) [ 1999 ]
5 Halfway Between the Gutter & the Stars [ 2000 ]
6 Here Lies Love (with David Byrne) [ 2010 ]
7 Illuminati [ 2002 ]
8 Live on Brighton Beach [ 2002 ]
9 Moulin Rouge (Soundtrack) [ 2001 ]
10 Palookaville [ 2004 ]
11 Tomb Raider (Soundtrack) [ 2001 ]
12 You've Come a Long Way, Baby [ 1998 ]
Fatboy Slim songs
1 10th & Crenshaw [from the "Better Living Through Chemistry"] 04:19
2 A Perfect Hand [from the "Here Lies Love (with David Byrne)"] 04:57
3 Acid 8000 [from the "You've Come a Long Way, Baby"] 07:28
4 American Troglodyte [from the "Here Lies Love (with David Byrne)"] 04:07
5 Because We Can - Fatboy Slim [from the "Moulin Rouge (Soundtrack)"] 03:27
6 Build It Up -- Tear It Down [from the "You've Come a Long Way, Baby"] 05:05
7 Camber Sands [from the "Illuminati"] 06:03
8 Dancing Together [from the "Here Lies Love (with David Byrne)"] 03:53
9 Demons - (Stanton Warriors mix) [from the "Illuminati"] 06:20
10 Demons (feat. Macy Gray) [from the "Halfway Between the Gutter & the Stars"]
11 Don't Let The Man [from the "Palookaville"] 04:03
12 Don't You Agree? [from the "Here Lies Love (with David Byrne)"] 03:19
13 Drop The Hate [from the "Halfway Between the Gutter & the Stars"]
14 Drop The Hate (Laid mix) [from the "Illuminati"] 07:18
15 Drop The Hate [santos napalm reprise mix] [from the "Illuminati"] 07:26
16 El Bebe Masoquista [from the "Palookaville"] 04:26
17 Eleven Days [from the "Here Lies Love (with David Byrne)"] 02:43
18 Es Paradis [from the "Better Living Through Chemistry"] 05:44
19 Every Drop of Rain [from the "Here Lies Love (with David Byrne)"] 05:34
20 Everybody Needs A 303 [from the "Better Living Through Chemistry"] 05:48
21 First Down [from the "Better Living Through Chemistry"] 06:17
22 Gangster Tripping [from the "You've Come a Long Way, Baby"] 05:20
23 Gangster Tripping - Fatboy Slim [from the "Go (Soundtrack)"]
24 Give The Po' Man A Break [from the "Better Living Through Chemistry"] 05:52
25 Going Out Of My Head [from the "Better Living Through Chemistry"] 05:14
26 Here Lies Love [from the "Here Lies Love (with David Byrne)"] 05:51
27 How Are You? [from the "Here Lies Love (with David Byrne)"] 02:43
28 Illuminati [from the "Illuminati"] 04:17
29 Illuminati - Fatboy Slim (featuring Bootsy Collins) [from the "Tomb Raider (Soundtrack)"]
30 In Heaven [from the "You've Come a Long Way, Baby"] 03:54
31 Jack it Up - Fatboy Slim [from the "Live on Brighton Beach"]
32 Jingo [from the "Palookaville"] 04:40
33 Kalifornia [from the "You've Come a Long Way, Baby"] 05:53
34 Ladies in Blue [from the "Here Lies Love (with David Byrne)"] 04:20
35 Long Way from Home (ft. Jonny Quality) [from the "Palookaville"] 04:45
36 Love Island [from the "You've Come a Long Way, Baby"] 05:18
37 Love Life (feat. Macy Gray) [from the "Halfway Between the Gutter & the Stars"]
38 Mad Flava [from the "Halfway Between the Gutter & the Stars"]
39 Men Will Do Anything [from the "Here Lies Love (with David Byrne)"] 04:06
40 Never So Big [from the "Here Lies Love (with David Byrne)"] 04:00
41 Next To Nothing [from the "Better Living Through Chemistry"] 07:17
42 North West Three [from the "Palookaville"] 04:30
43 Order 1081 [from the "Here Lies Love (with David Byrne)"] 05:47
44 Phat Planet (Album Version) - Leftfield [from the "Live on Brighton Beach"]
45 Please Don't [from the "Here Lies Love (with David Byrne)"] 03:58
46 Praise You [from the "You've Come a Long Way, Baby"] 05:23
47 Praise You (Radio Edit) - Fatboy Slim [from the "Cruel Intentions (Soundtrack)"]
48 Pretty Face [from the "Here Lies Love (with David Byrne)"] 03:23
49 Punk To Funk [from the "Better Living Through Chemistry"] 04:58
50 Push & Shove (ft. Justin Robertson & Sharon Woolf) [from the "Palookaville"] 04:27
51 Put It Back Together (ft. Damon Albarn) [from the "Palookaville"] 04:36
52 Retox [from the "Halfway Between the Gutter & the Stars"]
53 Retox [dave clarke mix] [from the "Illuminati"] 05:20
54 Right Here Right Now [from the "Live on Brighton Beach"] 04:18
55 Right Here, Right Now [from the "You've Come a Long Way, Baby"] 06:28
56 Santa Cruz [from the "Better Living Through Chemistry"] 07:29
57 Seven Years [from the "Here Lies Love (with David Byrne)"] 05:40
58 Slash Dot Slash [from the "Palookaville"] 02:53
59 Solano Avenue [from the "Here Lies Love (with David Byrne)"] 03:55
60 Song For Chesh [from the "Palookaville"] 04:19
Fatboy Slim is an English musician in the dance music genre. His style is known as big beat, a combination of hip hop, breakbeat, rock, trance, house and rhythm and blues.
He stopped using 'Quentin' and began calling himself 'Norman' long before he adopted any other pseudonym.
Big beat,
Breakbeat,
Trance,
Santa Cruz by Fatboy Slim
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Bluebeard's Castle
Save Clarice
Stop the evil Count Bluebeard
Escape Bluebeard's Castle!
OS : Windows XP/Vista/Win7/8
Review for game Bluebeard's Castle
Save your sister from Bluebeard’s Castle in this incredible Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure game! After the nefarious Count Bluebeard decides to marry your sister Clarice, you realize that every one of his previous wives have turned up dead! Solve perplexing puzzles, scour gorgeous locations, and find useful items as you save Clarice from an untimely death at the hands of a madman and escape from Bluebeard’s Castle!
PuzzleMatch 3
A great buy!!
Finally, a regular game club game that has collector's edition quality! It was VERY engaging & thought provoking in solving the in game puzzles & the overall mystery of the game. Expect to actually put some time into this game because it will last more than the standard "one night stand". I loved the visual & sound effects, very CRISP & clear. But it did run a little slow on my machine regarding transitions from puzzles & room to room. A great HOG with a good story line.
Beautiful fantasy game
After the free trial, I had to buy this game immeadiately! it is a beautifully flowing game. The mini games and hidden object games are just hard enough, and the ending is rewarding. Well worth the money...
Bluebeards castle explored
Hello all. Well I have just finished playing this wonderful gem and wanted to share why I thought it was so great. Having read and taken in others reviews and opinions I have to say that despite the minus points, this game is worth every penny of the SE price at which it is offered. I found the graphics to be crisp and the hidden object scenes challenging but do-able. There were a couple of "well that didn't look like that" moments but as the game offers silhouettes if you hovver your mouse over the item you wish to find, it was not a problem. The mini games took me a while to work out what I was supposed to do but were not overly difficult. A few times I came close to hitting the skip button only to solve the puzzle there and then. The story was interesting enough if not original & it lends purpose to the object of the game. There were quite a few scenes to explore & these were grouped in "batches" for the most part which meant that although you were moving too & fro, there was not too much back tracking for miles to places you visited a while ago. The only real problem was the lagging between loading times of certain scenes, which I know annoys a lot of people but It was not so slow that I thought the game was hanging. I did feel as if the game rushed a bit towards the end, but it still took me 4 hours to complete in stages. If it offered a couple more chapters and sorted out the loading issues, I would have seriously considered buying it as a CE. Even if it is a "no buy" for you, an hour playing the demo will be well spent. Jojo
Brain Teaser Fun
Nice puzzles, a bit unusual. The visuals are a bit dark, but the art work is excellent. Story line is easy to follow. I liked very much. You think it is going to have the expected ending, but no, not really. Just play to see what it is about. Lots of fun.
Excellent Adventure Game!!
I've never played a game with this much time and effort included in making the game a true adventure before. I've always found the majority of games too easy, predictable, and boring after the first hour. This game exceeds all expectations... just when you think you're not going to be able to solve the puzzle, you found a well hidden clue to continue on. I truly loved this game! I completed it in just under 4 hours, but I took small breaks for telephone calls, etc. Highly recommend!!
Excellent Hidden Object Game
Purchased this game yesterday & couldn't take a break from it. Beautiful graphics, intense game play, nice HOS. More like a Collectors Edition.
FASCINATING--A TRUE HIDDEN OBJECT ADVENTURE!
Almost every game says their story line is IMMERSIVE and Bluebeard's Castle absolutely hits the mark!! Not to mention lengthy, colorful, creative. Developers have truly taken out all the stoppers and just let their imaginations, skill, talent and hard work FLY! Gotta love it!! Of course, every great masterpiece has a flaw--to wait for some scenes to download. For all the graphics and mesmerizing game play, I can totally understand and appreciate! Would I criticize this game one iota? I think not! Rather, I am thrilled to own this auspicious adventure at such an affordable price! Enjoy! -Mama Mia-
Fun and interesting Hidden Object Game
This game is from "Fenda Games", and it's a game to my own heart. The game started out playing in full screen, but I got a black screen for several seconds, before the loading percentage appeared. Got me worried there for a moment. All through the game, when changing from scene to scene, there is an old-fashioned loading time in between each scene. The graphics are very well done. Gameplay is fun and interesting, and the puzzles are unique and really enjoyable. I declicked the custom cursor but it was still there. However, it is small and nice-looking, and doesn't intrude. There is no voice-over, and the music is rather nice. There is only one play mode, which has sparkles. The Hidden Object Scenes have crisp and clean graphics, and object are not hard to find. The game doesn't give widescreen. When clicking on "Play", the Game Manager first closes down, before the game starts, but comes back after exiting the game. So no worries... This is a keeper for me. One of the few games I have bought lately that I really enjoy playing.
I bought this game after playing the trial, well worth the 6.99! Hidden Object scenes and puzzles just challenging enough. The game is a little slow loading, but didn't freeze up on me, and no other issues noted. Great buy!
More like this please...
This game was such a pleasure to play. The atmosphere and settings manage to stay eerie without being dark or creepy and the storyline holds together until the end. The mini-games, while very easy were unique and fun. There is one mini-game played in the waters of a fountain that has a very nicely executed spooky surprise.... Music and graphics were excellent although folks are right - there is a wait to load between screens. It was refreshing to be away from the fairy tale castles, little princesses, pixies, and other cutesy stuff and into something with a more adult setting. No strategy guide needed. The game won't let you go astray and the puzzle answers are easy to find.- Which is really my only criticism. Do the mini-games HAVE to be so easy? Highly recommend. Guys - Next one, please up the anti on mini-game difficulty. Thank you for this one. - A real pleasure to play.
Shtriga: Summer Camp
Annabel
Mystery Trackers: Blackrow's Secret Collector's Edition
Doggie Dash
Autumn's Treasures: The Jade Coin
The Enchanting Islands
Vampire Saga - Welcome To Hell Lock
Joan Jade and the Gates of Xibalba
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This page was originally published on Friday 09 April, 2004.
Saturday 10 April, 2004 >>
Sports News - Chess
CHESS SITES
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chess.net
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Loiodice's Chess Collection
London Chess Centre
MECCA - Chess Encyclopedia
MSN Encarta - Chess
Omega Chess
PaChess Magazine
US Chess Center
ChessMate.com - Digital and Analog Chess Clocks
Fri, 9 April 2004
Fri 9 Apr 2004
Bergman says watching his films makes him miserable
Sydney Morning Herald In a rare interview the reclusive film director Ingmar Bergman has said he hates to watch his own movies and r...
Bergman Hates to Watch His Own Movies
ABC News STOCKHOLM, Sweden April 9 In a rare interview on Swedish television, reclusive director Ingmar Bergman...
Seattle Post Swedish film director Ingmar Bergman is seen during a rare interview in this Dec. 22, 2000 photo....
Women's world chess championship to take place in Ajaria
Interfax | BATUMI/ELISTA. April 9 (Interfax) - The next women's world chess championship will be held in Batumi in May-...
Yahoo Daily News STOCKHOLM, Sweden - In a rare interview on Swedish television, reclusive director Ingmar Bergman () said he ha...
Las Vegas Sun By The Associated Press | ASSOCIATED PRESS | STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) - | In a rare interview on Swedish televis...
The Associated Press | STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) -- In a rare interview on Swedish television, reclusive director Ingmar Bergman said ...
Ingmar Bergman says watching own films makes him 'jittery' and 'miserable'
Yahoo Daily News STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) - In a rare interview on Swedish television, reclusive director Ingmar Bergman () said ...
Busch slots bill called 'political poker'
Baltimore Sun Supporters of expanded gambling for Maryland have begged and badgered House Speaker Michael E. Busch to propos...
Toronto's thicket of wickets
The Toronto Star It's a damp and cool spring day, but that doesn't deter a group of students at Central Commerce Collegiate, in...
Tigervision: Love for baseball goes beyond what blind Tigers' fan can't see
Detroit Free Press Patrick Cannon could be bitter. He could be angry and frustrated. | As a child, he lost his father. As an adul...
Ingmar Bergman: "I don't watch my own films very often"
The Star By KARL RITTER | STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) - In a rare interview broadcast on Swedish television, reclusive film ...
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | Friday, April 09, 2004 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | We must reverse this course of death and destruction | The ...
FSB Chief Elected President -- of Volleyball
Moscow Times With former FSB chief Vladimir Putin as president, it may come as no surprise that the current head of the Fed...
Thu 8 Apr 2004
Scripps Howard News Service Consolidated Budget
Scripps Howard Here is the Scripps Howard News Service CONSOLIDATED BUDGET for Thursday, April 8, 2004. If you have questions...
Life isn�t chess
The Statesman VOICES 201 | Hello girls and boys, | Each time Anand wins a chess tournament I rejoice. I even read the report...
Thirteen-Year-Old Set for More Vision Glory
All Africa MEDDIE Kawuma, one of the rising stars of Ugandan chess, leads the young guns seeking a share of The New Visio...
Checkmate in sight for chess villagers
Sydney Morning Herald A German village with a 1000-year-old tradition of playing chess is fighting to save its unique school from cl...
Iranian prodigy wins Asia u-16 women`s chess title
Irna Tehran, April 8, IRNA -- Female Iranian chess phenom, Atoussa | Pourkashian, celebrated the Asian under-16 tit...
It's a square deal on chess nights
Indianapolis Star Tony Rhoades, 14, found a challenging opponent. | Nick Perrino and his son Nicholas, 11, learned some basic mo...
I think that I shall never see a resort full of all lovely trees
The Philippine Star An hours drive from Makati, there is a resort that is a repository of exotic trees and plants not common...
Chess - Introduction
Chess, game of skill between two people that is played using specially designed pieces on a square board comprised of 64 alternating light and dark squares in eight rows of eight squares each. The vertical columns on the board that extend from one player to the other are called files, and the horizontal rows are called ranks. The diagonal lines across the board are called diagonals.
How Chess is Played
Each player controls an army comprised of eight pawns and eight pieces: one king, one queen, two rooks (sometimes called "castles"), two bishops, and two knights. Although the term pieces is sometimes used to refer to all 16 chessmen, it usually does not refer to pawns. The two armies are of contrasting colors, one light and the other dark, and are always called White and Black regardless of their actual colors.
White always moves first, and the players then alternate turns. A move consists of transferring a man to another square that is either vacant or occupied by an opponent's man. If it is occupied, the opponent's man is captured (removed from the board and replaced by the capturing man). The only exception is the king, which is never captured (see Object of the Game below). A move to capture is not required unless it is the only possible move. Only one piece may be moved each turn except when castling (see below). All pieces except the knight move along straight, unobstructed paths; only the knight may move over or around other pieces. The king moves one square in any direction, but not to a square that is attacked by an enemy piece�that is, a square to which an enemy piece can go on the next move. The queen moves as far as desired in any uninterrupted direction. The rook moves as far as desired in any horizontal or vertical direction. The bishop moves as far as desired in any diagonal direction, but is confined to squares of the color on which it began the game. The knight moves a distance of exactly two squares to a square of the opposite color. The path of the move resembles the letter L�two squares horizontally or vertically combined with one square at a right angle. The knight may go over or around any piece in its way.
Each player's goal is to attack the enemy king such that the king cannot deflect or remove the attack and cannot escape. When a king is attacked, it is "in check." Check does not have to be announced, but the player whose king is in check must attempt to escape on the next move. There are three possibilities: (1) moving the king to a safe square, (2) capturing the attacking piece, or (3) cutting off the attack by interposing a piece or pawn between the attacking piece and the king. If none of these moves is available, the king is checkmated. Checkmate ends the game at once�the king is never actually captured�and the player who gives the checkmate wins. The word "checkmate" (often abbreviated to "mate") comes from the ancient Persian shah mat, meaning "the king is helpless (defeated)."
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DOST-FPRDI launches Rubberwood Processing Plant in Zamboanga Sibugay Philippine | 07/03/2019
A processing plant designed to convert old and unproductive rubberwood trees into high-value products was launched in Naga, Zamboanga Sibugay last 05 November 2018. DOST Secretary Fortunato T. Dela Peña led the inaugural ceremonies which was attended by heads of the stakeholder-agencies, including DOST-FPRDI Director Dr. Romulo T. Aggangan, DOST Undersecretary for Scientific and Technical Services Dr. Carol M. Yorobe, DOST-IX Director Martin A. Wee, Chairman Petronilo G. Licudan of the Tambanan Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative (TARBEMCO), Naga Mayor Rino O. Delos Reyes and Engr. Romel Duran from the Office of the Governor of Zamboanga Sibugay.
An output of a DOST-FPRDI project, the rubberwood processing plant is installed with various woodworking equipment that will be used in making furniture, mouldings, finger-jointed lumber and joinery products. The equipment includeportable sawmill, thickness planer, single end tenoner, pin router, shaper, boring machine, table saw, dust collector and other ancillary and specialized equipment to process the rubberwood into furniture products
In Zamboanga Sibugay, rubberwood trees are typically used for low-value products such as fruit crates, pallets, firewood and charcoal. With 210 hectares of old rubberwood trees, the TARBEMCO plantations are expected to yield 31,500 cubic meters of good lumber for use in high-value applications.
The TARBEMCO Rubberwood Processing Plant is the first rubberwood processing facility established by the DOST-FPRDI project. On the pipeline are the Pressure Method Wood Treatment Plant and the 5,000 bdft-capacity Furnace-type Lumber Dryer. The project costs Php 57 million and is funded by the DOST-Grants in Aid. After completion, this set of facilities will become the Innovation Center for Rubberwood Processing in the Philippines.
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ARTICULATED ARTISTS
Phoebe Unwin talking to Alli Sharma at her Hackney studio
AS: You’ve been busy this year with a solo show at Wilkinson and the British Art Show 7. Do deadlines affect how you work?
PU: I find that it’s important to put deadlines out of my mind. I mean they’re there, but I don’t make work specifically for a show because I make what I make. But, as it gets nearer, you can’t help looking at what you have and what would go where and those kinds of decisions.
AS: I imagine the way you work can be unpredictable. You don’t use images. It’s all coming from your own experiences, from what’s in your mind, looking at things and seeing opportunities for paintings.
PU: That’s true, and because I don’t know what any of the paintings will look like when they’re finished, that’s part of it. I like that working process of being surprised by how something might look but that also means that it’s important to be comfortable with failure in the work in terms of making something, looking at it and then thinking it’s not quite right. It might be an interesting idea but the size is wrong or something, I really respond to how it looks in the studio.
AS: What do you do if you see something failing, do you try to make it work or do you scrap it and try something else?
PU: Sometimes I try to make it work. Sometimes I try for months, and then it’s scrapped. Or I try for months and it works. I might think at the time that it was a bad idea in the first place, so it’s never going to work. But then I find I might be drawn to the idea again and have another go at it a year later. There’s enough tension to get an image to work so if you’re getting too self-conscious and wound up, then that’s not helpful.
AS: The painting ends up looking too fraught or contrived?
PU: I think there’s an element of tension in all of them. They’re not completely relaxed paintings but if there’s too much tension then I think a painting can look nervous. And then it’s not doing the job of communicating something. I mean it might be interesting to make a painting about being nervous but then it has to communicate that well, rather than be apologetic of itself. That’s when they get scrapped; if I feel they’re like that.
AS: I’m looking at the girl figure in your earlier work, is it you or is that too obvious?
PU: It’s not meant to be, none of the people I paint are portraits. I think of them as being portraits for feelings rather than portraits of a particular person. But all of my paintings and subjects end up being things that I’ve experienced in some way. They’re not personal stories, but in order for me to explain what something might have felt like or a relationship to an object, in terms of space or colour or scale, then I need to have experienced it. There’s nothing fantastical about them.
AS: Are you losing the figure more, moving in an abstract direction?
PU: I can’t imagine ever being completely abstract because the aspect I’m most interested in is the relationship between a visual world that everyone experiences and how that is explored through materials and marks.
AS: You need something recognisable?
PU: In order to communicate this subject, yes. So the subject is actually really important. For me, it’s not a pure interest in paint and colour and painting. It’s also about these relationships. For me it’s a springboard into different atmospheres or moods or tensions.
AS: And they are invisible things.
PU: Yes, Self Consciousness is very much about painting a feeling. Or the subject of Brick Wall was the everyday but also the formal qualities of painting because it’s a flat painting about something flat. So I’m interested in these subjects that explore a visual everyday world but also the world of the painting and the object itself.
AS: How do you keep your ideas for paintings? Do you have a sketchbook?
PU: This is one book. It’s falling apart. When I work here I put in lots of different coloured papers and respond to marks and colours and so on in an intuitive way. I’m not working in the book from beginning to end. It’s developed as a whole. I have to feel excited or engaged with the page and if I don’t then I just move on. I’ve worked on these for a while and the only rule I have is that anything can go in them. It can be an insignificant thing like a note of a couple of colours that I like or it can be something about an actual place or an image that has been layered and built up. I describe this as somewhere to be really gentle with ideas so they don’t have to stand up for themselves yet. They might never be used for a painting. I like working with this size. I’ve tried working in smaller or larger books but this size is just right. I also like that they’re quite thick because they start to build up a rich body of images. This is where I begin with all the different types of materials. I use acrylic, graphite, pastel, ink, and printed papers. And using coloured papers gets away from that feeling of a white, empty, blank page.
AS: When it comes to a painting, is there a white blank canvas or do you have to mess it up first?
PU: I think I need to mess it up but I’m not intentionally messing it up. I’ll think I’m just starting a painting but at every stage I’m looking at that and responding to the scale and the way the colours are because they’re not planned. Whatever I feel the subject demands will change my approach. Brick Wall started in a relatively controlled way by making a background of bricks, almost like creating a space to work within and respond to. So I knew I was making a painting of a brick wall and I knew how I was going to begin, but I didn’t know what it would end up looking like or how it would feel working within that pattern or that scale or combination of colours. Something like Self-Consciousness was started by putting colours and textures together, especially the oil paint which was quite impasto, and seeing and feeling where the painting would go. So building up to the image, rather than beginning with an image and working within that. They each have different approaches.
AS: You’ve used patterned papers in your sketchbooks, like the chequerboard. What does pattern do for you in a painting?
PU: I used a lot of pattern in the last show. The printed chequerboard and brickwork papers in the sketchbook, is where I first thought of it for painting. The pattern I have been using recently is about exploring a certain sort of rhythm in the paintings. I describe it as a constant hum or drumbeat. It’s a space to work within, which then gets interrupted or, like in Three Bananas, it’s reversed because the background is stronger than the subject on it. The banana shapes are like stains, almost like something has been taken away. So the movement and the focus of the painting is the chequerboard which is also a hand made mark, it’s not really a neat chequerboard so that was important. And then with Brick Wall there are elements where I’ve masked off the pattern which is much more graphic and controlled but then that pattern is echoed and mimicked in handmade brick marks using the different reds. So sometimes its about interrupting something and also an echo or reverberation of a mark or colour.
AS: Do the same motifs crop up?
PU: They do but in the sketchbook they’re not judged too much, they just live there. Elements of them are used when I’m ready to use them but very rarely are they scaled up from here. There might be an element of a composition that I take from the book but usually it’s a material element.
AS: There doesn’t seem to be any hierarchy with the different materials.
PU: That’s really important. One of my main reasons for using different materials is colour, because I feel that a colour is different in say an oil paint, spray paint, acrylic or pastel because they have really different surfaces, qualities and connotations. An oil paint mark might seem more controlled than a spray paint mark. It’s got a different speed to it. A spray paint mark, especially with the fuzzy edge, records what it was like to make it, which is quite magical. You press the top of the can and you can just keep going. It’s fast and it covers everything in an opaque way. Whereas there is a very different relationship with making, in that sense, to then being with a brush and a more gentle type of mark making. So I like using both of those languages, and all different types of languages with marks. With this page, there are so many elements in it. I’ve got this table from above and the carpet. There might be just one element of this that becomes a painting. And different viewpoints are important in the work.
AS: I’m surprised you said that was a table, it’s looking down from above.
PU: That’s like Sponge Palette in a way, it’s a palette with the thumbhole, and so you’re looking at it from above. Again, there’s pattern, and the sort of echoing of that background pattern and also a combination of colours about painting itself. I called it Sponge Palette because one aspect is that colour and form, for me, are indistinguishable from the subject when they are worked up. That’s my aim in a painting, to achieve, if I feel that I can, the colours and forms to be just those ones necessary for the painting, not to have any that don’t need to be there. So in a sense, the subject of the painting is as inspired by the colour and form. I almost see a subject in a colour combination in a painting in the way that it almost feels like a sponge or something, that the painting becomes saturated with these feelings or atmospheres.
AS: It’s an interesting way to describe a painting, like a sponge, like it sucks in all this stuff, ideas and materials, and becomes visible.
PU: I’m making it sound quite mystical. There are definitely a lot of felt qualities that are really important to me. And it is that thing about a sponge of sucking things up, the subject becoming really imbedded and saturated in the painting itself and in the colours and shapes, but there’s another element. The rigorous editing and appraisal of the work is really important to me. There are real formal aspects that come into play, especially as the painting gets further on, where I’ll be really thinking is it working in terms of subject, is it working in terms of scale and in terms of the painting itself.
AS: It sounds like you’re very controlled about what goes in.
PU: I am but when you speak about paintings in retrospect, because you’re talking about all the ideas, you can’t help but make it sound like ‘when I got to this point I was thinking this …’. But, when I’m actually working on a painting, I wouldn’t necessarily be able to put into words why I chose to get rid of a whole section or decided a painting failed, because I’m working really close to it, and working very quickly, but also so close to instinct and response.
AS: Can you describe the process for making Sponge Palette?
PU: The ground of Sponge Palette is made with an acrylic medium called crackle paste so it’s breaking up the surface. It’s meant to and it makes the surface very spongy. It feels absorbent. Because of the little cracks, the paints run into each other. Different surfaces in paintings are as important as marks because it completely changes the marks on top. I find that quite fascinating. Again, the pattern was made first so I’m working on something that is already visually dense. This palette shape, almost like a picture frame, is translucent so that the pattern is visible almost all the way through it. There would have been, in this painting especially, a real interest in layering and communicating the kind of time and visual conversation that happened in the painting. Some of my other paintings are more sparse and economical in line so they don’t have that sense of layered time. They would be about some other atmospheres or moods or tensions that I’m interested in exploring.
Sponge Palette, 2010 can be seen at Fade Away, Gallery North, Newcastle, 5-24 May 2011
Images courtesy the artist and Wilkinson Gallery
Sponge Palette, 2010
Girl, 2009
studio photograph, 2011
Self Consciousness, 2010
Three Bananas, 2010
Brick Wall, 2011
Posted by Articulated Artists at 00:10 2 comments:
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Wolphin - Wiki latin dict size=14 common dict size=512
Image Info Original File Name: Wholphin.jpg Resolution: 505x464 File Size: 66566 Bytes Date: 2007:09:14 10:08:13 Upload Time: 2007:09:14 10:11:32
Author Name (E-mail): Unknown
Subject Wolphin - Wiki
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Wolphin - Wiki
Wolphin
[Photo] "Keikaimalu" the wholphin (bottom), with her parents: a false killer whale (top) and a bottlenose dolphin (middle). Source: http://www.hotspots.hawaii.com/Wolphin.html
A wholphin or wolphin is a rare hybrid, formed from a cross between a bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus (mother), and a false killer whale Pseudorca crassidens (father). Although they have been reported to exist in the wild, there are currently only two in captivity, both at the Sea Life Park in Hawaii.
The first captive wholphin hybrid was born in 1985 where a female bottlenose dolphin and a male false killer whale shared a pool. The wholphin's size, colour and shape are intermediate between the parent species. Named Kekaimalu, she has 66 teeth - intermediate between a bottlenose (88 teeth) and false killer whale (44 teeth).
The wholphin proved fertile when she gave birth at a very young age. Unfortunately, the calf died after a few days. However, in 1991, Kekaimalu gave birth once again, to daughter Pohaikealoha. For 2 years she cared for the calf, but did not nurse it (it was hand-reared by trainers). Pohaikealoha died at age 9.
On December 23, 2004, Kekaimalu had her third calf, daughter Kawili Kai, sired by a male bottlenose. This calf did nurse and was very playful. Only months after birth, it was the size of a 1-year-old bottlenose dolphin.
Both remain in captivity, and are not part of the normal tour at Sea Life Park. The backstage tour must be taken to see the wholphins. Keikaimalu is featured in the main dolphin show at Sea Life Park.
Wholphins, though not commonly sighted by fishermen, are known in popular seafaring lore as "The Great Grey Beast".
Although the word 'wholphin' is a portmanteau of whale and dolphin, since false killer whales are members of the family Delphinidae, that is, dolphins and not true whales, the wholphin is a kind of dolphin. For more detail on the ambiguity of the term, see whale. Herds of false killer whales and bottlenose dolphins associate together in the wild and there are unsubstantiated reports of natural hybrids between the two species.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolphin
The text in this page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article shown in above URL. It is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.
Scientific Name: Pseudorca crassidens (Owen, 1846)
Common Names:
English – False Killer Whale
Spanish – Orca Falsa, Orca Falsa
French – Faux-orque
Orca destructor Cope, 1866
Pseudorca meridionalis (Flower, 1865)
Phocaena crassidens Owen, 1846
Orca meridionalis Flower, 1865
Copyright Info AnimmalPicturesArchive.com does not have the copyright for this image. This photograph or artwork is copyright by the photographer or the original artist. If you are to use this photograph, please contact the copyright owner or the poster.
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Pursuing Unity in Diversity
Grace Liu | The Vanderbilt Synesis | Fall 2018
Image: Winston Kim - UC Berkeley TAUG, Fall 2014
“I get that slavery was bad, but it’s in the past. Why can’t people just get over it? And why do I have to do something about it? I never owned any slaves.”
Those comments shocked and unsettled me then and have remained with me ever since. Implicit in her dismissal of historical offenses was a denial of slavery’s insidious root of racism. Her latter comment revealed a dispassionate disavowal of any connection or responsibility.
Perhaps, being a product of an individualistic culture makes her thoughts somewhat relatable, but a prayer I recently read in Daniel 9 of the Bible stands in stark contrast and stretched my own perspective. Instead of looking self-righteously at others, Daniel emotionally connected with the people of his nation and repented on their behalf. The sins for which he repented were not personally his own but those even of his ancestors. He felt an inseparable connection with the brokenness and pain of his nation and passionately cried out for them. Moreover, Daniel’s prayer was not only about outer manifestations of root ills but also for redemption of the root attitudes themselves. While our government-sanctioned institution of slavery no longer exists in the U.S., we still need to consider the deep-seated attitudes that have yet to be rooted out, along with their various current-day structural manifestations.
What is racism? Is there indeed something to grieve, something to be rooted out? The perception of race in the first place is generally tied to physical attributes as opposed to culture and ethnicity. Many of what we often perceive to be racial attributes, like skin color, really have no biological significance but determine social value only because of the stereotypes that we have assigned to them. Historically and still today, most of the “problems we face are conceived along racial lines understood as color lines.”[1] Instead of ignoring the reality of our physical differences and the history of oppression and racism caused by these differences, my hope is that awareness of our common misperceptions about race can be the first step in recognizing and understanding what racism itself is and how we can combat it.
To answer this question, we will use this working definition: racism is explicit or implicit beliefs and behavior that distinguish or value one race over others. These beliefs influence societal structures and social expectations that determine how people relate personally and professionally.[1]
Racism is certainly not merely a black versus white issue, but for the purposes of this article and because my own understanding has recently grown in this area, I will draw mainly from this sphere.
Understanding Racism
We know that the American justice system is marked by poignant racial disparity at every stage, from arrest rates to court processing. For example, although African Americans and whites use drugs at similar rates, African Americans are 6 times more likely than whites to be imprisoned on drug charges.[2] Studies have also found that the probability of being black, unarmed, and shot by the police is around 3.5 times that of whites under similar circumstances.[3] The Center for Policing Equity has also found that police will more readily use force when dealing with blacks than whites, regardless of the person’s criminal history.[4] A different study examined whether there was any correlation between an unarmed person being shot and other factors such as age of the victim, presence of mental illness, threat of violence to the officer, and crime rate where the shooting occurred. The only factor that seemed to demonstrate a clear correlation was whether the unarmed person was black.[2]
Unfortunately, the problem with statistics is that we often automatically and unintentionally fill in the blanks, interpreting them according to our own experiences and perspectives. For example, we may use statistics as “evidence” supporting the stereotype that blacks are prone to criminality and violence, ignoring the fact that many disparities between blacks and whites can be traced back to either implicitly or explicitly discriminative policies.[5] The actual stories of the people whom those statistics represent often go unheard and so remain unknown, the issues they reveal unaddressed. Ignorance too often has a crippling effect, even for those who are well-intentioned.
In City of God, City of Satan, Robert Linthicum shares from his experience as a ministry student working in the inner-city.[6] He met a black girl named Eva and watched her transform after joining a Bible study and believing in Christ’s love for her. She went from being withdrawn and downcast to a joyful and engaged young woman. When it came time for Linthicum to go away on break, Eva expressed concern over increasing pressure to become a prostitute. Linthicum encouraged her to be strong and to not give in. Upon his return, he discovered Eva missing from Bible studies and found her on the streets as a prostitute. He immediately rebuked her, asking her why she gave in. The story was much more complicated than he could have imagined. One by one, family members had been threatened and assaulted until she was forced to give in. Certainly, Linthicum pointed out, Eva should have just gone to the police. It was at that point she responded, “Who did you think was pushing me to become a prostitute?”
For Eva, who lived in a community saturated with corruption and abuse, the perpetrators’ identities should have gone without saying. For Linthicum, discovering the police were responsible was an abhorrent surprise. Depending on your experience and background, Eva’s story can sound either familiar or shocking. Many are insulated from and untouched by such corruption and assume all people are privileged to have equal justice and treatment. We assume similar contexts and life situations and so easily misjudge others as we misunderstand their situation. Instead of empathy, compassion, and intervention, we perceive ourselves as morally superior and perhaps even unconsciously as racially superior.
A few weeks ago, I attended a “unity in diversity” forum at my church, an event with the goal of starting dialogue for deeper understanding, wisdom, and healing. One of the speakers was a white Christian woman who works as an elementary school principal. She explained that, being a Christian, she had always tried to foster and promote an environment of love and learning for all children, regardless of race. However, adopting a black child has given her a depth of understanding she’d never imagined and engendered a love and concern for blacks that she’d never experienced. She found herself at black cultural events, wondering why it wasn’t until she adopted a black child that she felt compelled to care about and celebrate black culture.
Another speaker was a white pastor who shared from his experience raising a black son. A black friend of his warned him that he would need to have a conversation with his black son that he would never need to have with his white son, a conversation that is virtually instinctive for black parents: “driving while black.” When stopped by the police, roll down your window, lay your hands out where they can be seen at all times. Assume the worst will be assumed about you. At all times and with no exception, respond only with “Yes, Sir” or “No, Sir.” And remember, just come home. Just come home. The other two black speakers nodded knowingly. The black pastor shared how he wouldn’t allow his boys to play with toy guns because what for many white boys was harmless play was a life-threatening danger for his boys, simply because of the color of their skin.
All these stories have in common a new and deeper understanding from entering into another’s world. Their stories point to a greater truth revealed in the Bible, one that I believe is the key to uprooting both the interpersonal and structural racism of our time.
The Gospel Solution
In his letter to the Philippian church, Paul writes:
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! (Philippians 4:6-8, NIV).
Paul refers to the utter humility of Christ, pointing out that Jesus in His divinity and actual incomparable supremacy chose to relinquish His rights and assume our humanity, becoming intimately acquainted with our brokenness and suffering. His ultimate goal was to pay the price for healing and unity, restoration and reconciliation, between God and humanity and among all peoples.
Paul calls the church to “have the same mindset as Christ Jesus,” to humble themselves and sacrifice their comfort for the sake of reconciliation. For all who follow Christ, we are called to the same.
How might we do this?
Practical Steps
Know the problem.
Perhaps the greatest barrier to defeating racism is ignorance. When personally unthreatened and comfortable, it is easy to remain complacent in our ignorance. For most of my life, I had never even heard of structural racism and how destructive it is to blacks in particular. When, for example, I came across statistics regarding racial inequality in the workplace or justice system, I instinctively responded with skepticism, having been taught that America is the “land of opportunity” where anyone can make it. If people “didn’t make it,” I assumed it must be because of their work ethic or character. It wasn’t until I began actively reading and listening that I began to discover a different reality.
For example, whenever I encountered #blacklivesmatter, I remained for some time emotionally uninvolved. I finally realized I had developed an opinion, uniformed and shaped mostly by media’s depiction of the movement as radical, anti-police, and anti-white. Hearing from black people themselves, I realized how reasonable, constructive, and necessary the platform is.[7] Being able to recognize the need for such policies required me first to familiarize myself with a life experience that was entirely foreign to me.
I know I will likely never be able to fully understand the experience of another, but the life and death of Christ compels me to move outside myself. Jesus knew us as His creation but still chose to walk with us in our experience, even at the greatest cost to Himself. Instead of living out of fear for ourselves and clinging to our own rights, we must be unafraid to face our responsibility to others.
Actively acknowledge your identity.
For Christians, freedom to confront these issues comes from recognizing that we are all created with equal value and that our ultimate identity is found in Christ. Jesus’ death and resurrection earns His children all equal and irrevocable merit. As James the brother of Jesus writes, “Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. But the rich should take pride in their humiliation…” (James 1:9-10). In other words, underprivileged Christians should take pride in their high position as sons and daughters of the King, and privileged Christians should remember their low position as sinners before Christ. The gospel prevents the privileged majority from finding their identity in their race or status in society, and it prevents the underprivileged minority from taking their identity from the place that society has assigned to them. In doing so, it helps destroy the power of the system.[8]
Recognizing our identity in Christ does not erase the physical realities but helps us rightly perceive them. Author and educator Frances Kendall makes an interesting point in her book, Understanding White Privilege: Creating Pathways to Authentic Relationships Across Race. As a white woman addressing other people with privilege, one of her many suggestions is to practice increased awareness of one’s own racial identity. I realized that as a minority member, I’ve never had to be told to be aware of my racial identity; I’ve always been conscious of how I’m different. Kendall’s point is that being a member of the white majority is not a neutral position or experience; it comes with privileges. She cautions the white majority to actively analyze their experiences, to work against this privilege and not employ it in a way that may benefit themselves at the expense of the underprivileged.[9]
Become an ally (not a savior).
Not only are we to be careful not to harm minorities, but we must take the initiative to stand with them. As a Christian, I look to Jesus as the ultimate example. Though Jesus had everything in heaven, He chose to leave it all to save us. We must remember, however, that we are not all-knowing and all-powerful as Jesus is. We cannot take the place of Christ, but we must have the spirit of Christ: humble, compassionate, and serving.
Becoming an ally involves more than simply offering words of support; it requires sacrifice. As Kendall explains, “For some, it means building a relationship of love and trust with another; for others, it means intentionally putting one’s self in harm’s way so that another person remains safe.” For those with privilege, it requires the “willingness to go against the people who share [the] privilege and with whom [they] are expected to group [themselves].”[9] For example, minorities oftentimes are accused of being overly dramatic or radical when bringing up or discussing racism. Being an ally may involve challenging these accusations and supporting minorities when this kind of confrontation arises. In both the private and public domains, we must be willing to align ourselves with others.
Furthermore, we should not wait for times of crises to come alongside others. Our focus should not be just on helping others but on building authentic relationships, particularly with those who are ethnically different from us. As we build such relationships, we should be comfortable communicating openly about unique life experiences and power and privilege differences. Though there is always the possibility that we might be seen as a threat to the status quo or even as betraying our own race, we can always take comfort in the fact that we are nevertheless establishing and maintaining new standards.
Considering the mindset of Jesus is helpful also to minorities. Though Jesus was falsely accused, humiliated, and abused, He chose to respond with grace and forgiveness, even for His persecutors. His humility and hope for them enabled Him to persevere in love and sacrifice. For those who are hurting, this might be one of the hardest things to hear, but the solution requires grace and forgiveness. If bitterness, anger, and resentment remain, there can be no healing or reconciliation. Focusing on our own rights and what we feel is owed us can prevent us from moving towards others as Christ moved toward us: “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
Christ’s vision was never for Himself alone but for a kingdom filled with persons “of every nation, tribe, people and language” (Revelation 5:9). As He lives through His people, this is the work He is accomplishing, and our calling as followers of Christ is to respond with willing hearts and walk in step with Him.
I mentioned that my church recently hosted a “unity in diversity” forum, but this is something relatively new for us. Within the last decade, we used to consider our ministry to the local inner city as “missions,” namely, working with people of a “foreign culture.” It’s no wonder our congregation was almost entirely white. The perspective was that when and if our demographic changed, we would re-categorize the ministry as “outreach” instead of “missions.” However, the demographic didn’t change. Not until the leadership began to discern the difference between tradition and God’s actual calling in the Bible did things begin to shift. They began realizing that our church did not accurately represent the kingdom of God as described in His word: race and ethnicity do not define and separate but instead together glorify the fullness of God. As our leadership has shared this vision with the church, both in word and action, the demographic has changed dramatically.
We must be vigilant against our natural self-centered tendencies and fight for the Lord’s vision: a kingdom filled with people “of every nation, tribe, people and language” (Revelation 5:9). I have certain hope because this vision is not just an intangible ideal but a promised future, one that is being revealed as we follow Him.
1. Piper, John. (2011). Bloodlines: Race, cross, and the Christian. Wheaton, IL: Crossway.
2. Criminal justice fact sheet. (2018). NAACP. Retrieved from https://www.naacp.org/criminal-justice-fact-sheet/.
3.Lowery, Wesley. (2016, April 7). “Study finds police fatally shoot unarmed black men at disproportionate rates.” The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/study-finds-police-fatally-shoot-unarmed-black-men-at-disproportionate-rates/2016/04/06/e494563e-fa74-11e5-80e4- c381214de1a3_story.html?utm_term=.bf458c617cac.
4. Goff, P.A., Lloyd, T., Geller, A., Raphael, S., & Glaser, J.. (2016, July). “The science of justice: Race, arrests, and police use of force.” Center for Policing Equity. Retrieved from http://policingequity.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/CPE_SoJ_Race- Arrests-UoF_2016-07-08-1130.pdf.
5. Hanks, A., Solomon, D., & Weller, C. E.. (2018, February 21). “Systematic inequality: How America’s structural racism helped create the black-white wealth gap.” Center for American Progress. Retrieved from https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/race/ reports/2018/02/21/447051/systematic-inequality/.
6. Linthicum, Robert C. (1991) City of God, city of Satan: A biblical theology of the urban church. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House.
7. “Solutions.” (2018). Campaign Zero. Retrieved from https:// www.joincampaignzero.org/solutions/#solutionsoverview.
8. Keller, Tim. (2012, March 28). “Racism and corporate evil: A white guy’s perspective.” desiringGod. Retrieved from https:// www.desiringgod.org/messages/racism-and-corporate-evil.
9. Kendall, Frances. (2012). Understanding white privilege: Creating pathways to authentic relationships across race. New York, NY: Routledge.
Grace Liu is a sophomore majoring in Cognitive Studies and violin performance. Exploring new places and NPR Tiny Desk Concerts are things that make her happy, and she’s also a self-taught guitar player!
Forgiveness and Justice
Ethnicity and Incommensurability
When Culture Becomes Theology:…
Tags: Black Lives Matter, church, culture, ethnicity, forgiveness, Frances Kendall, grace, hope, humility, justice, love, race, racism, reconciliation, Robert Linthicum, slavery, stereotypes
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Character Development: Make Them Angry
Photo credit: joshjanssen on Flickr
You probably don't need me to tell you that a story without emotion isn't a story worth reading. Emotion is an integral part of who we are as humans—everything from sadness to excitement, happiness to fear, influences who we are and changes the way we experience our everyday lives.
Humans are emotional, and in order to ensure that our stories are interesting and our readers connect with our characters, our characters must be emotional as well. Emotions are a key part of character development, and I'd like to focus on one of my favorites to write: anger.
Anger is an interesting emotion—it fuels us with a particular type of energy that demands action, and it can affect characters in many different ways. For some, it clouds judgment and incites violence, for others it inspires an unquenchable motivation, and still for others it pushes them into deep, dark places. I like to make my characters angry for a couple reasons:
It's a particularly strong and passionate emotion. You can be a little sad (disappointment), slightly excited (anticipation), sort of afraid (nervous) and kind of happy (optimistic). It’s not often, however, that you feel slightly angry. Anger demands energy and passion in a way that many other emotions don't, and for that reason alone it can be a fantastic tool for character development and plot progression.
It tests a character's self-control. Anger often makes us want to do things we normally wouldn't even consider doing. Whether or not our characters act on these impulses truly tests the bounds of their self-control and ability to think clearly under times of high stress.
It often fuels action. This is closely tied to the last point, but depending on a character's level of self-control, anger can often fuel action—and usually not the kind of action that you look back on proudly, which makes for great plot.
It reveals quite a bit about the affected character. One of the many reasons I believe strong emotions like anger are closely linked to character development is because how they react to the emotion and what causes the emotion speaks volumes about the character. What makes your characters angry? Is it something personal, like betrayal, or something more global, like injustice? Knowing what triggers these powerful emotions is absolutely essential to effective character development.
Making your characters angry is a fantastic way to move the plot forward, push your characters into making mistakes, develop them, and (not the least of which) make for some interesting scenes. Once you've figured out how to set your characters off, make sure you build opportunities into your plot to infuriate them. Your plot will thank you.
How do you use character anger in your writing?
Labels: character building, emotions, getting to know your characters, writing, writing tip
Looking back at very early drafts of my novel I can see that I clearly lacked the skills to convey anger without resorting to exclamation marks. I've also seen this in other people's writing around the blogosphere in first chapter critique posts.
Perhaps it is easy to slip into talking head mode when conveying anger because we get caught in the moment? One tip is to step back from your WiP and think about the body language of the 'angry' person and the reactions from surrounding characters. When used well, silence can also be a powerful tool at your disposal.
Your question is difficult to answer without giving examples. My novel is told through the viewpoint of two sisters (depending on chapter) who unsurprisingly irritate one another. This irritation results from and is expressed by what they do or neglect to do, and what they say to one another. A highly tense scene results in one slapping the other, but I have been careful not to repeat this in order to keep things fresh. Also, the lingering threat of 'angering' certain characters can be useful in raising tension. It has the reader wondering if the protagonist/s will get caught and punished.
Wow, this really opened my eyes to angrier moments in my WIPs. I need to step up my game.
You make some really fantastic points here, Khai. Conveying emotion is certainly much more than exclamation points (or any other punctuation, for that matter) or stating that characters are upset--body language, actions (or lack thereof), thoughts and dialogue should all reflect how they're feeling.
Judging by the description of your example, I'd say it sounds like you have a pretty great grasp on both angering your characters and showing their anger effectively. You're also entirely right about anger being used to raise tension--another fantastic point.
Thanks for such a thoughtful comment, Khai!
Yes! I love making my characters argue. Getting them to fight not only reveals a lot about themselves (people tend not to censor themselves when they're angry), but as you said, it can make for great plot stuffs. :)
Renee Benson said...
I often use anger as you pointed out in your fourth bullet. Depending on the situation and how the character behaves in reaction the writer can reveal much about the character. Keeping in mind what the writer is trying to reveal, what would have to happen to trigger anger? As you mentioned, anger is a form of passion and passion is hard to contain, but sometimes our characters, much like real life, must refrain from showing anger, this, too, can reveal much about the character as well as making our character appear realistic. Silence in anger can be extremely powerful, as Khai mentioned in the comments, and in the silence we are forced to focus on body language, another fantastic way at expressing realistic anger.
Yes! That's a fantastic point about silence and body language. You're absolutely right that sometimes whether a character chooses to express or suppress an emotion can speak oceans in itself.
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Chantal Jauvin
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With April upon us, thousands of families are starting to negotiate what they will do for their summer vacations. The stakes are high: Wi-Fi or not? Together or separately? Away camps or day camps? Parents, children, couples, relatives and friends, vying to create their perfect version of a summer holiday. Read More »
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For the first six weeks of her life, Chantal Jauvin had an identical twin. From the time her sister died, her mother told her, “You have the strength of two.” This has been a driving force throughout Chantal’s life...
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All author proceeds being donated to FORDEC (the charity founded by Dr. Amporn). Buy direct from the author in U.S., Canada and elsewhere.
Available in bookstores in the UK and Ireland. Available at Asia Books throughout Asia. E-book available:
Orphaned at the age of five in a small Thai village, Lek is thrust into a life-long struggle to find where he belongs. Alone and impoverished, he treads a precarious path, surviving the markets of Surin, until, at age fifteen, he finds himself holding a rifle as a boy soldier in the Cambodian jungle. Learn More
Sometimes You Need to Pause. February 10, 2016
As February Approaches, We Look Back on Our New Year’s Resolutions. January 27, 2016
A Young Thai Student Visits the U.S. for the First Time. January 13, 2016
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Is Clegg right on Co-Payments?
Being diagnosed with a terminal illness is never good, and it's worst when the sufferer has young children. You can understand why the mother of a 2 year old might want to do anything it takes to find the money to provide herself with the drugs to extend her life, even for a few months. Those few months might make the difference between her child having memories of her or not. If she is stuck somewhere the NHS does not provide that life extending drug, then she has an awful and cruel choice - she either sells everything she owns to provide herself with the drug and plunge her family into financial uncertainty as she then foregoes the right to all NHS treatment, or takes her chances with the disease.
Nick Clegg has today said that he doesn't think that she should have to forego the NHS treatment if she buys the drug.
So far, we have managed to create the fantasy that everyone actually has this choice. Of course they don't. If the woman in question is a single mother on income support, or a school dinner lady, or, frankly, me, then she would have more chance of being named as a vice presidential running mate than being able to afford the drug.
This, therefore is a choice that is open only to the considerably wealthy, and in the land of the Credit Crunch, the number of people who could realistically opt for it is getting smaller.
Should a small elite be able to buy themselves advantage and still be treated on the State?
If they were enabled to do so, would this not ultimately reduce what was available on the NHS?
Let's take the elite argument first. Many parents supplement their child's state education by sending them to places like Kip McGrath. Should their children be expelled from the State education system? Other children at the same school might have the same learning difficulties except their parents might not be able to afford the around £20 per lesson cost of these places.
What about parents who opt for private education and then for example go through a redundancy or a divorce? Should we refuse to re-admit their children to the State system?
Come to think of it, I already purchase private health care, despite really quite disapproving of it - I don't have an NHS dentist. I would love to, but places on an NHS dentists' list are like hens' teeth round here. I take the view that, because we are able to afford more than the basics in life, although we are not rich by any manner of means, that I should not take up a scarce place on an NHS list. The £24 a month I spend on a private dental plan is a source of irritation to me, but, thankfully, not financial hardship. It also doesn't de-bar me from NHS treatment should my private dentist muck things up, or should complications arise.
We have already accepted the principle, even in the NHS, that co-payment is an option.
To me it is the compassionate thing to do to allow people to top up their treatment and continue to get the same as anyone else would get - treatment that is free at the point of delivery.
Nick mentioned some important safeguards: that the NHS should have to bear no cost as a result of the decision to purchase the extra drug - so if it causes an unexpected side effect you're on your own. To be honest, I would probably be inclined to let this one go, otherwise you could have lawyers arguing forever about whether it was the drug or the illness that caused the problem; that the treatment should have been recommended by your physician - very sensible; and nobody should be able to jump the NHS queue; that no PCT should use this as an excuse to reduce the number of treatments available. That is fairly easily policed and should be enshrined in law.
I think that Nick's ideas on co-payment are humane, compassionate and sensible. It actually means ultimately more people might have access to those life extending drugs which can be no bad thing - this means that the amount families would have to think about paying can be put in thousands rather than tens of thousands.
One of the things I do know about Nick is that he is very people-centred. He sees people as human beings and not numbers or statistics. He understands and empathises what life is like for people. He gets out there and talks to people, in his Town Hall meetings. This is the essence of Liberalism. The Tories aren't brilliant at society and community, and Labour have this appalling collectivist approach, even under new Labour, that really annoys me.
I am not wildly happy, to put it mildly, with his £20 billion cut in public services idea - we are only just recovering from the last Conservative Government's period of under-investment, for goodness' sake, but I still stand 100% behind my vote for him as leader. His Town Hall meetings were no nine day wonder election winning gimmick. Every few weeks I get an invitation on Facebook to one in some far flung part of the country. He's getting out and about, and not allowing himself to become immersed in the fantasy that only what goes on in Westminster matters.
Labels: NHS; Nick Clegg;
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What Can/Should be Done To Pick Up the Pace of Cartel Investigations?
October 31, 2018 by Robert Connolly Leave a Comment
In an earlier post I discussed the Fiscal Year 2018 Antitrust Division statistics for criminal cases filed and noted that they were down dramatically (here). This is not a one year drop off, but a trend since the high water mark of 2015 (here). It is not just case filings that are down, but also corporate criminal fines are on a significant downward trend.
In a subsequent blog post (here) I discussed some possible reasons criminal antitrust cases are down. The ideas presented are not all mine, but a compilation of my own thoughts and what I hear from others in and out of government in the cartel bar. Several main themes stood out: Perfecting a leniency marker to conditional leniency letter from the Antitrust Division has become more difficult, expensive and less beneficial, not only for the company but for its current and former executives. A second theme was that perhaps the United States has been too successful at exporting cartel enforcement around the world—the number of jurisdictions a leniency applicant has to face and the potential follow on civil litigation has greatly increased the collateral damage of seeking leniency. A final related thought is that even in the United States, a leniency applicant may have a hard time reducing its civil damages because the promise of single damages under the Antitrust Criminal Penalty Enhancement and Reform Act of 2004 (“ACPERA”) has been elusive.
So doctor, what is the cure for declining cartel enforcement in the United States? Below are some potential fixes. Again, not all my own ideas (mangled sentences are my own as I try to finish this in time to watch Monday Night Football (never mind—the Bills are playing).
A. Make Leniency Great Again
Cartel cases, particularly international cartel cases, are primarily driven by leniency applications. And leniency applications are down. Why? There is no single cause, and as noted, the collateral damages flowing from seeking leniency in the United States is ever increasing; see my article: Corporate Leniency Should Come With A Warning Label. There is, however, a widely held view that the Antitrust Division has taken a harder line with leniency applicants, making putting down a “marker” a more risky decision.
Antitrust Division Speeches
Speeches by Division officials have changed from the earlier “roll out the red carpet” treatment welcoming amnesty applicants to a much more cautious tone. Here is a typical remark by the father of leniency, then Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Criminal Enforcement, Gary R. Spratling (here):
“A robust, effective international anti-cartel enforcement program depends on cooperation from at least some of those who have engaged in the cartel activity. Prospective cooperating parties come forward in direct proportion to the predictability and certainty of their treatment following cooperation. (emphasis added).
Scott Hammond, who followed Spratling as the Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Criminal Enforcement, gave a speech titled: “When Calculating the Costs and Benefits of Applying for Corporate Amnesty How do You Put A Price Tag on An Individual’s Freedom? in which he said:
“We developed a Corporate Leniency Program (“Amnesty Program”) that provides the ultimate prize for companies that choose to self-report — no criminal conviction, no criminal fine, and non-prosecution protection for all officers, directors, and employees — and we made the requirements for entering the program as transparent and attainable as possible.” (emphasis added)
This is just a small sample of the leniency is “Open for Business” attitude of the true believers that leniency for a culpable corporation and its executives was a good bargain–in return for busting up and deterring cartels.
Things took a decidedly tougher tone in the later days of the Obama Administration under Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust Bill Baer. The predictability of “no jail” for corporate individuals became less predictable. Mr. Baer commented in a widely followed speech in 2014 titled Prosecuting Antitrust Crimes:
When companies apply for leniency, their current employees may earn it, too. [emphasis added]. As with employers, however, leniency for employees is not an entitlement; it requires full and timely cooperation. To cooperate fully, individuals must be prepared to admit to all collusive conduct they participated in or know about. They need to be prepared to be candid and credible witnesses in front of a grand jury and at trial.
“May” is not a great word for a program based on predictability and certainty. Corporate applicants also seemed to have a less certain path to pushing a “marker” over the goal line and scoring a conditional leniency letter[1]:
We expect leniency applicants to make those investments, including conducting a thorough internal investigation, providing detailed proffers of the reported conduct, producing foreign-located documents, preparing translations, and making witnesses available for interviews. Companies unwilling or unable to make the investments necessary to meet these obligations, or those that think they can do so on a timetable of their own choosing, will lose their opportunity to qualify for leniency.
The Division added another barrier to a corporation seeking leniency when it required the applicant to fire certain “highly culpable” employees. Hmmm, I wonder who it is that would be in on the decision to seek leniency in the first place? Also, corporations may be handicapped in providing the “full exposition of the facts” under the Leniency Policy if highly culpable executives decide not to cooperate to try to save their jobs. This foray by the Division into corporate governance seems misplaced. On the surface it seems right that highly culpable individuals should be fired. But, the rate of recidivism for individual antitrust offenders is close to zero. The Division does not require a corporate amnesty applicant to submit to a corporate monitor because it views the act of seeking leniency to have demonstrated rehabilitation. Shouldn’t the same consideration be given to a culpable employee? The corporation may elect to clean house, but requiring firings may (has?) lead to fewer leniency applications. It adds another layer of uncertainty and lessens the bargain a corporation may receive from a successful leniency application.
New Antitrust Division FAQ’s
It is widely believed that the Antitrust Division contributed to uncertainly and diminished transparency when it issued revised “Frequently Asked Questions about the Antitrust Division’s Leniency Program and Model Leniency Letters” on January 17, 2017, just days before President Trump was inaugurated.[2] If certainty and transparency are the hallmarks of a successful leniency program, the Division surely took its success rate down a notch or two with the treatment of current and former employees in the new FAQ.
When the Division already has an investigation of the alleged illegal conduct, Type B leniency will be available to the first qualifier. The new FAQ added this statement for Type B leniency for current employees: “[T]he Division may exercise its discretion to exclude from the protections that the conditional leniency letter offers those current directors, officers, and employees who are determined to be highly culpable.” This new FAQ solidifies the uncertainty created in speeches. It is a huge obstacle for a potential leniency applicant. As mentioned above, who makes, or at least greatly influences, the decision to seek leniency? Well, usually highly culpable (i.e. senior executives) who may now not be covered. Also as mentioned, even if the company wants to go forward and risk the senior level managers getting “carved out” of the leniency, these are the guys who may be necessary to provide the “full exposition of the facts” the Division demands. In any event, corporate counsel’s job is significantly complicated when she can only tell current executives they maybe covered if they cooperate: “Probably you’ll be covered” “pretty good chance, in my experience, but….”
The revised FAQs also solidified the shift in the attitude towards former employees. The original FAQs stated that the policy “does not refer to former directors, officers or employees, so the Division is under no obligation to grant leniency ….” The revised FAQs states: “Former directors, officers, and employees are presumptively excluded from any grant of corporate leniency.” Corporations may feel some sense of loyalty or guilt in cutting formers loose from the leniency process, especially if there was little antitrust training or the fired were “just following orders” from superiors who effectively insulated themselves from being charged. Of course, some companies may gladly throw a former employee an anchor. Depends why he is a former employee, I suppose.
Overall, recent speeches, the new FAQs, and anecdotal reports about actual Antitrust Division practice, indicate that the Antitrust Division intends for leniency to become less certain and more difficult to obtain. Apparently, it has worked. Leniency applications and case filings are on a steady downward trend.
Suggestion: The current administration should discuss whether they agree with the FAQs issued in the final days of the Obama Administration and whether they want to signal a more inviting attitude towards leniency applicants. A crucial step would be to consult with cartel bar defense attorneys to try to get a fuller picture of the current attractiveness of, or hurdles to, potential leniency whistleblowers. Richard Powers is fairly new in his position as Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Criminal Enforcement. It may be that the internal discussions at the Antitrust Division are ongoing. But, whether the current administration wants to keep the policy/FAQs/speeches as they stand or chart a revised direction, it would be helpful if more consultation with and guidance to the defense bar was given.
B. Make ACPERA Great Again
ACPERA was designed to further encourage corporate whistleblowers (i.e. leniency applicants), with the promise of single damages if they also “provided substantial” cooperation to the plaintiffs in follow-on class actions. ACPERA may be falling short of its intended goal because of frequent disagreements between an ACPERA applicant and the plaintiffs about what constitutes “substantial cooperation” and when a company should be found to have earned the reward of single damages.
Suggestion: It would take legislation to amend ACPERA, but a case could be make that, like leniency, the ACPERA applicant should get a free pass—no damages, instead of single damages. There may also be ways to determine with more certainly whether the ACPERA applicant has earned the “substantial cooperation” designation.
C. Cartel Whistleblower Legislation
Perhaps the Antitrust Division does want to take a harder line with leniency applicants and make them work harder for leniency with more proffers, witness interviews, greater document production, and a detailed evidentiary road map to the cartel before issuing a conditional leniency letter. There could be a reason for the Division to have such an attitude. The leniency applicant has every incentive to admit to cartel conduct and make it as broad as possible when seeking leniency. Once the conditional leniency letter is issued, however, the incentives change. The leniency applicant now worries about limiting civil private damage exposure. Broad conspiracies become more narrow. Sharp memories fade from a “Yes” to “I think so” and most deadly to the prosecution “I know I said that, but now I can’t be sure.” Many applicants are as truthful as they can be throughout the process, but it would be naïve to think this scenario doesn’t happen. Maybe the Antitrust Division does want to squeeze every drop of information they can while the incentives are still in their favor, even if it means fewer applicants. Likewise, discretion to carve out current and former employees from coverage may be warranted if leniency has been too generous in the past, losing the moral high ground for the Division in prosecuting other (perhaps less culpable) actors. Perhaps the Division has given considered thought to the current policy and is comfortable with it.
Suggestion: Making leniency more attractive to applicants by lowering the bar to “win” the prize isn’t the only way to boost cartel investigations. It is past time for Congress to pass a criminal antitrust whistleblower statute. In 2011, the SEC adopted their widely successful whistleblower program. The SEC’s latest whistleblower award was to an overseas whistleblower for nearly $4 million (wonder if there might be any potential overseas cartel whistleblowers?)[3] I’ve written extensively on Cartel Capers[4]about why a criminal antitrust whistleblower statute is the logical addition to a criminal antitrust enforcement program, so I won’t belabor the point here except to say that at one point it was thought (wrongly) that a whistleblower statute might undermine the leniency program. I co-authored an article with a former Division colleague, Kimberly Justice, that outlines the pros and knocks down the cons of a cartel whistleblower statute: “It’s a Crime There Isn’t a Criminal Antitrust Whistleblower Statute.” With leniency applications down, the whistleblower idea should get a serious, long look as a great supplement to leniency.
D. Further International Cooperation to Reduce Burden on Leniency Applicants
Thanks in large part to the efforts of the Division, cartel enforcement agencies with leniency policies now exist in over 100 countries. This success, however, has resulted in an increased burden on leniency applicants to deal with a proliferation of proffers, witness interviews and document requests in many languages. This is natural and to some extent unavoidable. Each enforcement agency is going to protect its consumers (and budget) from substantial injury by an antitrust cartel. But facing a growing gauntlet of cooperation obligations can deter an applicant from taking the initial plunge anywhere.
Suggestion: Competition agencies are already aware of the problem and are working towards solutions. Cooperation in an international cartel investigation is a little like voluntarily enlisting in the Hundred Years War. Requiring witnesses to appear for interviews in multiple international jurisdictions can create inconsistent statements and resentful/tired witnesses. Competition agencies should give a heightened focus on reducing this burden. As the international cartel prosecution pie gets smaller, and with more mouths to feed, maybe the most injured jurisdictions can take the lead and other enforcement agencies can pass at taking a bite on the cartel and wait for the next meal to come along. Reducing cooperation burdens and redundancies will be difficult, but hopefully as each enforcement agency sees that progress is needed, it will come sooner rather than later
E. Reopen Two Regional Field Offices
In late 2013, the Division closed down four regional field offices: Atlanta, Cleveland, Dallas and Philadelphia. The Division did not just lose regional coverage, but it lost a significant number of experienced cartel prosecutors. The regional offices that were closed were all in low(er) costs cities where dedicated cartel attorneys could stay with the DOJ as a career and still raise families. Continuity and institutional memory suffered a big blow when a sledgehammer was taken to the Division’s structure.
Suggestion: From an earlier Cartel Capers post urging the reopening if at least the Atlanta and Dallas field offices:
International cartels are a worthy focus of Antitrust Division resources but it’s worth remembering that the field offices played a huge role in the development of the Division’s international cartel program. The modern era of international cartel enforcement was the Archer Daniels Midland case brought by the Chicago Field Office. The record $500 million fine and other convictions in the vitamins investigation led by the Dallas Field Office followed that. The Philadelphia Field Office had some “firsts” with the graphite electrode investigation and the extradition, trial and conviction of British executive Ian Norris. San Francisco has had accomplishments too numerous to mention as have the criminal sections headquartered in DC with blockbusters like air cargo and auto parts. The point is that international cartels can be investigated and prosecuted wherever there are talented and dedicated antitrust enforcers. But as for regional conspiracies, I don’t believe the opposite is true. The strength of the field offices had always been their ability to network with investigative agencies from the FBI, the gamut of federal IG’s offices, state and local prosecutors and public procurement officials. These local contacts were crucial to educating agents and purchasers about antitrust violations, and giving them the information (and motivation) needed to spot and report possible collusion.
Regional conspiracies do not produce the extraordinary fines that international cartels can. But, there is merit to investigating and prosecuting regional cartels. First, the harm from bid rigging on public procurement is very focused. It isn’t a case of millions of consumers losing pennies on a purchase, but a federal, state or local entity losing a big chunk of its scarce tax dollars. Bid rigging schemes are often more effective at raising prices. They can also be very long-lasting as the structure of public procurement can make these awards both more susceptible to bid rigging and more difficult for market forces to disrupt in the short-term. For these reasons, the Sentencing Guidelines give a modest one-point bump for bid rigging, recognizing it generally has a more serious impact on the victim.
Finally, successful prosecution of a bid-rigging scheme can bring meaningful restitution to the public victim in the form of treble damages. It restores public confidence that tax dollars are being spent wisely. And the cost of publicly procured goods often sees a dramatic drop, sometimes even simply by the start of an investigation. I also think the prosecution and imprisonment of domestic price fixers and bid-riggers can generate publicity and pack more of a “deterrent punch” than prosecution of foreign executives, many whom remain fugitives. Additionally, if the Antitrust Division isn’t developing and prosecuting cases involving regional cartels, who is?
This is a good time for the Division to take stock of the cartel enforcement program and see if improvement can be made. The leadership has had time to evaluate the program they inherited and see what they think works and what may be improved. Or, maybe even launch new initiatives. Richard Powers was fairly recently named as the Deputy Attorney General for Criminal Enforcement, so the team is together. In all likelihood the evaluation is underway already. But, it would be helpful to solicit ideas from the cartel defense bar, the private class action bar, economists, and academics to re-lock and reload the cartel enforcement program.
This was a long post. Thanks for reading. I welcome any feedback.
Bob Connolly bob@reconnollylaw.com
[1] Leniency Applicants were also cautioned that leniency only covered “the Antitrust Division’s exercise of its prosecutorial discretion in connection with self-reported criminal violations and does not prevent other components from prosecuting offenses other than Sherman Act violations.” See, Bill Baer, Assistant Attorney General Antitrust Division, Prosecuting Antitrust Crimes, September 10, 2014, Georgetown University.
[2] The updated FAQs were issued on January 17, 2017 and were reissued on January 26, 2017, adding to suspicion that the new FAQ’s was issued in haste without appropriate deliberation or deference to a new administration. The Division reissued the FAQs on January 26, 2017, because a footnote “was inadvertently omitted from the January 17 version.”
[3] The SEC has now awarded over $326 million to 59 individuals since issuing its first award in 2012. In that time, more than $1.7 billion in monetary sanctions have been ordered against wrongdoers based on actionable information received by whistleblowers.
[4] The Bid Rigging Whistleblower, http://cartelcapers.com/blog/bid-rigging-whistleblower-part-1/; Its Time For An Antitrust Criminal Whistleblower Statute, http://cartelcapers.com/blog/time-antitrust-whistleblower-statute-part/; A Whistleblower Story (Hypothetical), http://cartelcapers.com/blog/a-whistleblower-story-hypothetical/.
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posted by Lady Bunny at Thursday, May 22, 2014 0 comments
I WORSHIP TS MADISON!
Or anyone with a devil's horns and an entrance visor!
posted by Lady Bunny at Wednesday, May 21, 2014 0 comments
I GET GREEDY LIKE THIS TOO!
FROM EMPIRE STATE PRIDE AGENDA
NY IS BEHIND MARYLAND AND 1/3 OF THE COUNTRY ON RIGHTS FOR TRANS? SAD! CAN YOU MAKE A FEW CALLS?
It's been a big week for transgender equality and justice. Maryland Governor O'Malley signed into law a bill that bans discrimination against transgender Marylanders, bringing the total to 18 states plus Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico that provide protections on the basis of gender identity and expression. The New York State Assembly Governmental Operations Committee passed the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) with bi-partisan support, setting it up to be passed by the full Assembly for the seventh year in a row. Plus, the White House is backing a review of the military's ban on transgender service members and on Saturday, Mayor Lovely Warren and Councilmember-at-Large Matt Haag announced at the Pride Agenda's 15th annual Spring Dinner that the city of Rochester will extend transition-related medical coverage to all city employees.
We celebrate this important momentum but know that we face an uphill battle until GENDA becomes law in New York State. Though GENDA has passed the Assembly six times, the Senate has refused even to bring it up for a vote. A key group of Senators, the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC), has the significant power to influence what legislation comes to the floor. It's time for Governor Cuomo to join Governor O'Malley and the White House and stand up for transgender New Yorkers.
We need your help. Please join us in calling your Senator and the Senate leadership to pass GENDA this session.
Tell our lawmakers that our rights are not progressive - they're fundamental - and that New York is behind more than one third of the country that already provides protections for its transgender residents.
Below you'll find the phone numbers for the IDC Senators, and you can find your local Senator's contact information here. Call today and make our collective voice heard!
Tony Avella
Albany Office
David Carlucci, Independent Democratic Conference Whip
Ossining Office
Jeffrey D. Klein, Independent Democratic Conference Leader & Majority Coalition Leader
Diane J. Savino, Independent Democratic Conference Liaison to the Executive Branch
District Office 2
David J. Valesky, Deputy Independent Democratic Conference Leader for Legislative Operations
When we come together as a community, we cannot be ignored. Thank you for raisng the collective voice of LGBT New Yorkers!
posted by Lady Bunny at Monday, May 19, 2014 0 comments
"RUN" AWAY!
Wow. You're at the top of your game with the most money and producers, yet the buzz reel for your tour features very little music. It does feature tons of worn-out-2-decades ago guns and cash gangsta images. And the pointless celebrity cameos which are needed to sell music--why? I'd rather see a cameo by Solange whooping both of their asses. In fact, that video footage was more interesting than this big budget effort. This trailer makes me less likely to want to see or hear "Run." It's just like Lady Gaga's bizarre outfits and then a lackluster album. These stars know that their fans are so caught up in their hype, like this trailer, that the quality of their music no longer matters. The songs have already been licensed in commercials in advance of the release and that radio stations have already been payed to repeat them often enough to get them into our heads. Whether they're any good or not. Maybe there is great music on "Run." Then why not entice us with some hot new sounds--not Sean Penn and played out Bonnie And Clyde images. Maybe this is the new trend like Beyonce's last "visual album." Which means in sounds like shit.
posted by Lady Bunny at Sunday, May 18, 2014 0 comments
RIGGED!
posted by Lady Bunny at Saturday, May 17, 2014 0 comments
DO YOU LIKE THE SOUNDS OF.....
Patrice Rushen, Jackie Moore, The Commodores, Teena Marie, Musique, Kelly Marie, Lipps, Inc, Sharon Redd, Van McCoy, Vickie Sue Robinson, Jocelyn Brown, T-Connection, Barry White, Yvonne Elliman, Cher, Amii Stewart, Machine, Dionne Warwick & The Spinners, The Crusaders, Brainstorm, Grace Jones, Patrick Hernandez, The Hues Corporation, MFSB, Sheryl Lee Ralph, France Jolie, Viola Wills, Tata Vega, Gwen McCrae, Lime, Hot Chocolate, Peaches & Herb. Come hear them all at The Monster's Disco Tea Dance in NYC this Sunday from 6-10. FREE!
VOTED NYC'S #1 DRAG QUEEN BY TIME OUT NY
But wait--there's been a mistake. I'm a bottom!
SUPPORT BARBARA LEE, A TRUE DEMOCRAT
Just three days after 9/11, a panicked Congress, unsure of the nature of the terrorist threat facing the United States, passed an overly broad and poorly drafted law known as the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF).
Progressive champion and congresswoman Barbara Lee (the only member of Congress with the foresight and courage to vote against it) has called the AUMF “a blank check for endless war …that gives any president the nearly unlimited authority to wage limitless war at anytime, anywhere, for any reason, in perpetuity.”
Now, nearly 13 years later, it’s time to repeal this blank check for war. Osama Bin Laden is dead, Al-Qaeda is a shell of its former self, and our involvement in Afghanistan is quickly diminishing. We must repeal the AUMF once and for all. And Rep. Lee has introduced bipartisan legislation to do just that.
Tell Congress: It’s time to end the blank check for endless war. Click here to automatically sign the petition.
The heart of the AUMF authorized the president to “use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons.”
When it was passed, its supporters insisted that it was not, as Rep. Lee insisted, a “blank check.” But in the 13 years since its passage, time has sadly proven Rep. Lee right.
Since it’s passage, the AUMF has become the legal lynchpin for many of the worst abuses of executive power. In an editorial calling for repeal of the AUMF, the New York Times editorial board explains:
Mr. Bush used the authorization law as an excuse to kidnap hundreds of people — guilty and blameless people alike — and throw them into secret prisons where many were tortured. He used it as a pretext to open the Guantánamo Bay camp and to eavesdrop on Americans without bothering to obtain a warrant. He claimed it as justification for the invasion of Iraq, twisting intelligence to fabricate a connection between Saddam Hussein and the 9/11 attacks.
Unlike Mr. Bush, Mr. Obama does not go as far as to claim that the Constitution gives him the inherent power to do all those things. But he has relied on the 2001 authorization to use drones to kill terrorists far from the Afghan battlefield, and to claim an unconstitutional power to kill American citizens in other countries based only on suspicion that they are or might become terrorist threats, without judicial review.1
The AUMF has no expiration date. So if Congress fails to repeal it, President Obama or any future president can fall back on the AUMF’s expansive delegation of war-making authority to wage war without any further input or authorization from Congress.
This represents a major abdication of Congress’ responsibility to provide a check and counterbalance to executive power. It’s long passed time for Congress to rectify this mistake and repeal the AUMF. Click the link below to automatically sign the petition:
SIGN: CREDO
PRIORITIES IN QUESTION
posted by Lady Bunny at Friday, May 16, 2014 0 comments
SET YOUR DVRS!
If the HBO version of Larry Kramer's The Normal Heart packs half of the emotional wallop of the 2011 Broadway revival, you're going to need a handkerchief for this blistering AIDS drama. THis Sunday 9PM.
TOO TRAGIC FOR WORDS
CLOWNS SYNDROME EXTENDED THROUGH JUNE!
Thanks , NYC! I love being back there and the crowds have been both wonderful in terms of size and sense of humor!
MORE INFO/TICKETS: BROWNPAPERTICKETS
BABY BOOBIES: SO HYSTERICAL!
MY DIET TIP!
MICHAEL ALIG'S OUT OF JAIL AND HAVING A BLAST!
Post by The Fabulous Wonder Twins.
IN SAN FRAN MAY 24TH AND 25TH!
LOWNS SYNDROME HEADS TO SAN FRANCISCO FOR 4 SHOWS MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND AT REBEL! I'm #1 on SFGate's Don't Miss Events:
1. Clown Cabaret Indulge in an evening of raunchy cabaret with Lady Bunny in "Clowns Syndrome" when NYC's "demented drag diva" brings her fabulously foulmouthed act to Rebel in San Francisco Saturday and next Sunday.
TICKETS: http://ladybunny.eventbrite.com.
MORE: WWW.SFGATE.COM
DANCING IS A CELEBRATION OF LIFE
Even while you're driving an ambulance. I find it hard to believe that anyone would get excited about this horrible chant/song.
WHAT'S THE REAL "CONTROVERSY?"
I totally agree with Whoopi's take on the Solange controversy. Many have been outraged but many stand in support of her statement that men have the right to hit women who attack them. Agreed. Settled. Meanwhile, the polar ice caps melting is on very few people's radar. If the Solange scuffle matters more than the fact that we are destroying the planet, what does that say about our priorities? As a species, are we just too distracted or petty to survive? Is celebrity culture a poison that is distracting us from the harm we're doing to our planet? Do Drag Race challenges matter to you more than the very real challenges we are all facing which are getting much worse? Do you have an inside track on which planet the human race will move to after it destroys Earth?
Post by Whoopi Goldberg.
CAN YOU BELIEVE WE ARE STILL FIGHTING FOR EQUAL PAY FOR WOMEN? This should be a no-brainer. Who would dare to openly object to equal pay for half the species in 2014? Why can't we get this done? Mind-boggling. Please sign if you agree and hold your legislators feet to the fire, NY!
Yesterday, Jill Abramson, the first female executive editor of The New York Times – the most powerful newspaper in the world – was fired after just three years on the job.
Some news reports suggest she discovered her pay and pension benefits were lower than those of the male editor whom she replaced, as well as junior staff. When she tried to do something about this, she was reportedly called "pushy."
No one but Abramson and her Times' bosses know for sure why she was ousted or how much she was paid. But one thing isn't up for debate: It's hard to fight for pay equity on your own.
The Abramson controversy is just the latest reminder of why New York needs pay equity. And why we all have to stand up for equality together.
The end of the legislative session is just weeks away. Don't let New York's political leaders leave Albany without passing the Women's Equality Act. Contact your legislative leaders today and tell them it's not pushy to demand equality.
SIGN: NYCLU
BLABBING ON GABTOWNDIVAS.COM TONIGHT. CALL IN!
It's Here! Tonight!!!!!! Tonight is the Night!!! JOIN US PLZ!!!
7pm Eastern I am very excited to Announce that the Fabulous, the Divine, the Hilarious LADY BUNNY FOREVER! - Lady Bunny will be coming on my Gabtowndivas online radio talk show! This is Huge! I am so honored to be able to announce this!
Fan calls will be taken the last 25 minutes or so of the show!
Grab Your Favorite Cocktail and come join in on a night you won't want to forget ! We will be talking about everything and anything !
To Call in : Phone Number: (724) 444-7444 Call ID: 133718# 1 # and your in!
http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=133718&cmd
For those of you who know that I'm not Obama's biggest fan, please know that I disliked Bush twice as much. There just wasn't Facebook back then so you didn't see me rail against Bush on my blog. This is a perfect example of how hypocritical the GOP is, as they attempt to make Benghazi Hillary's scandal. That's about all they've got since everyone knows that their policies failed to attract voters with Romney.
#BRINGBACKWHO?
#bringbackourgirls? Because the US is so caring when it comes to foreign policy? We've now sent a drone over to help them. Like the drones which have killed hundreds of children in other parts of the world? Including one 16 year old American citizen? Those kids weren't kidnapped--they were murdered with our tax dollars. And they can't ever be rescued. The hundreds of thousands of Iraqis which we murdered for no reason can never be rescued. Millions of Iraqis were driven from their country and the ones who stay live in a nation destroyed in a senseless display of US murderous, military aggression.
In addition to your trendy, celebrity-driven causes, why don't you realize what's really going on when the press is leading/misleading you to care about something? You need to realize that the US doesn't usually help people, we kill people. That's why we pay a fortune to have military bases all over the world. Those troops aren't standing by to help kidnapped girls. The news bombarded us with images of Syrian babies having fits from sarin gas in an attempt to tug at our heartstrings so much that we would support military action in Syria. A few months ago, much of the country was convinced that we couldn't stand by and watch such atrocities happen. Does Syria concern you now? Do you even know or care what's going on there now? Was it ever even determined whether the rebels (who we wanted to help) or Assad (who we wanted to oust) used the sarin gas? Just like the Natalee Holloway and Terry Shiavo crises which were top stories for weeks, we stop caring when the news wants to stop covering something. And they don't want to cover the fact that Obama may be slowly withdrawing troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, but he has greatly increased the use of drone strikes since Bush. In Pakistan alone, between 286 and 890 have been killed, including 168-197 children. Since many of the dead were unarmed, Amnesty International has suggested that some of these strikes may be war crimes. But we don't want to talk about those imperiled kids or Obama's war crimes. Neither does the news. And you probably don't know about them or don't give a crap about them if you do. I have to admit, the Nigerian girls' outfits are cute. Hey, the Pakistani drone victims may have had cute outfits too. But it's kind of hard to see them when they're blown to bits.
I think it's wonderful that the US has the power to help kidnapped girls. In no way am I suggesting that we shouldn't help find them. I'm just saying that the US misuses it's military muscle more often than not. And any time this much news coverage is devoted to making this country look like a caring nation--ask native Americans and descendants of slaves how caring the US has been throughout it's history--I can't help but wonder if the US has another motive besides helping girls. Snatching Nigeria's bountiful resources, perhaps? And to see female lawmakers banding together to pretend they care about girls is a joke--many of these same monsters voted for the Iraq war. Including Hellary Clinton. If they vote to start wars which kill hundreds of thousands with zero evidence of WMDs, they don't care about humans of either sex.
CONCHITA WURST PRODUCT!
Apparently, the Eurovision song contest winner's name translates to slang for pussy and cock, which is fitting!
But not everyone is enjoying her new-found fame!
MIKEY LIKES IT!
Mikey likes it! A fun review of Clowns Syndrome by none other than Michael Musto. Due to great crowds and reviews like this--we have now extended the show Tuesdays through the end of June.
"Lady Bunny's Tuesday night extrava-gorgonzola at Escuelita is the funnest show in town--one that will have you applauding with one hand and wiping up your vomit with the other. You get topical jokes ("Oscar Pistorius just found evidence that acquits him. Footprints!") Raunchy song parodies ("This ass is on fire!" "I need a raspberry bidet...") Helpful advice. ("Straight guys, before you get married, check out your girlfriend's mother's pussy because that's what hers is gonna look like in 30 years.") Plus biting sociopolitical commentary, vivacious musical tributes to Shirley Bassey and Frankie Knuckles, and multiple clowny outfits with lots of leg showing. (Much more than Oscar Pistorius has.) You don't get ANY of this over at Lincoln Center."
Another review from promoter extraordinaire Daniel Nardicio:
You know, they say laughter is the best medicine. I've been feeling a bit hectic lately, what with my never-ending yet impending move, Fire Island starting, the passing of my dear friend Jo, and life in general. it sure was nice to laugh tonight at Jon Marc Ingle (aka Lady Bunny) who has a show each tuesday thru June at Esceulita. It's a funny, irrelevant, I mean IRREVERENT show and i say go support a great act you know how I love those old ladies! They don't call me granny chaser for nothing!
CARMEN CARRERA POSES NUDE FOR LIFE BALL
Well, if you ever wanted to see Carmen Carrera's dick, here ya go! She's the model for the Life Ball 2014 poster shot by David LaChappelle. She hid the fact that she's trans to compete on Drag Race--a show for drag queens--and then slammed the show for it's use of shemale, because that's an offensive porn term. Now she has her dick hanging out but that's not porn, it's art. I think I understand...
VIEW: FIERTH.COM
posted by Lady Bunny at Tuesday, May 13, 2014 0 comments
MISS COCO PERU!
Just saw Coco Peru perform at Birdland, a snazzy jazz club on W. 44th Street. Coco is a consummate storyteller, and has a unique gift to blend feel-good monologues with the snarky, bitter tongue of the genius Paul Lynde. So every time she She's singing more than I've ever seen her and sounding better than ever, and picks indisputably great songs like "That's Life." But it's her wry observations that really keep the crowd in the palm of her hand. "Time may be a great healer, but it's a lousy beautician." She also reminds the audience frequently--and they tend to be a little older cuz she's classy like that--that they are all going to die. And strongly hinting that it could happen much sooner than they think. Like, maybe tonight after her show. She's a nut. But a very talented, polished, warm and wise nut. What can I say? Opposites must attract because I loved every minute of it. Even my greasy, crab-cake covered finger peeking out ofter the lens doesn't diminish her star power in this pic one iota!
MIKE DIAMOND VISITS CLOWNS SYNDROME!
I DON'T THINK THIS QUALIFIES AS BESTIALITY
But he is definitely pussy-whipped!
A HOOT!
Post by Fernanda Kiss.
BIZARRE MOMMA-THEMED SONG BY THE SUPREMES
It's one of their best. I think what made it so believable for Diana is that she is the ultimate phony and everyone knew that their schtick was to be uptown when they were from the projects.
I AM DYING OVER THESE LIPS!
It's pageant sensation Shae Shae La Reese. You should see this bitch dance!
NOT EVERYONE IS HAPPY ThAT CONCHITA WURST WON EUROVISION!
WIGGING OUT FOR JESUS!
Post by Isaac Carree.
YES TO THIS!
Post by Carol Rosenthal.
WOULD YOU JUST LET GO OF THIS CRAP?
All this proves is that gays or straight anti-gay fundamentalists can pick and choose any Bible passage that they choose to illustrate their viewpoints. Because the Bible was written by different people and contradicts itself constantly. You can talk forever about what YOU think the true intent of the many different authors of the book meant, but maybe you should choose a guide which doesn't contradict itself again and again. Why believe in something that doesn't make any sense? Why struggle to cherry-pick different interpretations than the ones that denounce you if you feel you aren't doing anything wrong and aren't hurting anyone? Because some backward fool from a nomadic tribe scribbled down something in a desert tent thousands of years ago? And remember, there's a death penalty for eating shellfish in the Bible.
I wish gays would wake up and realize that almost all religions are against them and that would take away their power to make us feel bad. Instead of doing the exact same thing fundamentalists do: look for some way to make a dusty old book of fairy tales jive with their agenda in 2014. If you need validation from something that makes no sense, good luck tom you and your movement. You're actually hurting the movement by validating gays' enemies' main weapon: the Bible.
Post by Pretty Ricky.
TONIGHT AT 8:20 PM!
I'll be chatting with the delicious Derek and Romaine on Sirius/XM's OutQ channel about Clowns Syndrome in NYC (every Tuesday at 8PM at La Escuelita) and in San Francisco: 5/24-25 at Rebel on Market Street.
THE PRICE IS RIGHT!
This new night looks fun. I love that The Monster is having a sort of renaissance--maybe a reaction against the twinks of Hell's Kitchen, the new gayborhood? It is so old school that there's a sign behind the bar that says CASH ONLY. As someone who views ATMs in clubs as the devil, I love that The Monster only accepts cash. As in--you ain't got no money to party, then stay the f#ck home!
Daniel Nardicio, Sweetie Nyc and DJ Sammy Jo bring you Dirt Cheap: Wednesday, May 14th: The people that brought you Gary 49 at Mr Black, The Slide Underwear Parties, Cheez Whiz and many more join forces one night only for a old fashioned night of debauchery featuring "performances" by Sweetie, Busted and her oral highness Princess Diandra. doors open at 9pm, showtime at 11pm. Introducing their Go Go boy "Fondle Box" $4.99 with coupon.
Dirt Cheap: You get what you pay for.
$5.99 9-2am
The Monster, 80 Grove Street, NYC
THE JOKE'S ON US
They always have great jokes at the White House correspondents dinners. And they say the best jokes have some truth in them. This one by Obama is a real zinger. But didja ya hear the one about the shadowy organization which refused to air anything for a month but Chris Christie closing a bridge for 4 days and ignore the bad job Obama and democrats are doing just like the horrible republicans? It's called MSNBC. And you may prefer their politics, but MSNBC is misleading you just like Fox. Because a 4 day bridge closure really impacts your life so much that you need 24/7 coverage of it for a month. And MSNBC newscaster Cenk Ugyur gets fired for criticizing the president, despite his high ratings. While Al Sharpton claims on 60 Minutes that he'd never criticize the president. That's not one-sided at all, is it
PS: Obama not only tells a mean joke, but also delivers wonderfully passionate campaign speeches. That you believe. Then he gets elected and the joke's on you. Both parties suck. Neither party represents working America.
Post by Sea FM Hobart.
1ST AND 3RD SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH: FREE DISO TEA DANCE!
McFadden and Whitehead. Anita Ward. Pointer Sisters. Bell & James. Karen Young. Musique. LTD. Donna Summer. Change. Evelyn "Champagne" King. Thelma Houston. Jean Carne. GQ. Inner Life. First Choice. Dan Hartmann. Loleatta Holloway. Gonzales. Poussez. Laura Branigan. France Jolie. The Weather Girls. Geraldine Hunt. Young & Co. Grace Jones. Diana Ross. Sharon Redd. Lipps, Inc. Brenda & The Tabulations. George Benson. Commodores. The Ritchie Family. Unlimited Touch. KC & THE Sunshine Band, Tavares. The Trammps. THIS SUNDAY DISCO CLASSICS FROM 6-10PM AT THE MONSTER!
ESPECIALLY FUNNY ONE FROM CHARLIE HIDES
PRETTY NEW SONG
HOTNESS! With David DePino, Francois Kevorkian and Joey Llanos. Street party. Free! Scared of Red Bull but will be at this event with bells on. They are trying to rename King Street Larry Levan Way.
http://www.redbullmusicacademy.com/events/nyc-2014-larry-levan-street-party
A fascinating article on perceived slurs like tranny, dyke and fag by a fearless dyke. Someone chastized me for using the word dyke recently. I've never known it to be an insult, since lesbians like this author commonly use it. It's a slightly less polite abbreviation for lesbian used interchangeably. She even suggests that these words used within the community were a sign of recognition. Here's an excerpt from a great read by Kelly Cogswell in Gay City News. (But I recommend the whole piece.)
"It helps if you know that for a while, anyway, during homo prehistory, a lot of us used those words in New York’s LGBT activist community. Yeah, those were the days when “queer” might have described a three-dollar bill, tattooed dyke, or bewigged, high-heeled man, not a university program for earnest undergrads carrying around volumes of Judith Butler.
Referring to ourselves as dykes, fags, trannies, queers actually meant something specific. More than reclaiming the bigoted slurs and embracing our pariah status, we signaled our refusal to settle for the crumbs of mere tolerance or pained acceptance. And this was a lot more than a radical pose. We were the fags from ACT UP, dykes from Queer Nation or the Lesbian Avengers, trannies like Sylvia Rivera that would emerge sometimes in groups like STAR (originally Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries, until Transgender was substituted).
And, yes, we sometimes used those words to refer to each other. It was a sign of recognition. An acknowledgement we had something in common, mostly that we couldn’t, wouldn’t pass in polite society. In fact, we’d burn down the whole rotten structure the first chance we got. So if you were organizing an anti-violence march, you’d make sure to issue a call to all your dyke and fag friends. (Even among us, transfolk were often marginalized). But clearly excluded were all the nice LGBT people who were horrified at the noise we made, our unseemly low-class obnoxious behavior, the arrests we racked up, our refusal to fit in as we fought AIDS, violence, and homophobia.
One difference between then and now was that our audience knew what the words meant. Like some stories that fail in the re-telling, maybe you had to be there. Code-switching, changing your vocabulary, your style is a tactic for everybody outside the hegemony of power. Sometimes, we’d use those words in our speeches and put them on banners. But not always. For public consumption, our spokespeople stuck to Standard White English, talked about lesbians and gay men.
If the language of “Drag Race” offends some, maybe it’s because there’s no context, or history. You get the insider words without any of the political edge. “Tranny” seems more like a joke than an act of resistance. What troubles me is how far their critics are willing to go — forbidding even drag queens from using a word that was commonly used in their own community. And given the history of the LGBT movement, this outcry seems less like a battle against transphobia than one more attempt by the usual enforcers to keep troublesome dykes and fags and trannies in line so that one day soon, straight, white, middle class America will throw open its arms and welcome its dignified (Stepford) children home."
MORE: GAYCITYNEWS
BAHAHAHAHAHA!
FAB FILM SERIES AT IFC
4 legendary films hosted by 4 legendary drag acts
New York’s IFC Center and Queer/Art/Film, a long-running, monthly film series that runs at the IFC, have announced that Summer 2014 will be the “SUMMER OF DRAG.” Once a month, from May through August, the IFC Center will feature a drag-centric film hosted by one of the city’s most famous drag performers. The series, part of Queer/Art/Film, is curated by filmmakers Ira Sachs (Keep the Lights On) and Adam Baran.
Each of the four films, Richard Brenner’s Outrageous!, Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s Suddenly, Last Summer, John Cameron Mitchell’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch, and Frank Simon’s The Queen, will be introduced by a drag performer who has found the flick particularly important and will be followed by a Q&A session and an after party at New York’s oldest gay bar, Julius.
Drag legend Lypsinka will host Outrageous! May 12; Latina queen Barbra Herr selection, Suddenly, Last Summer, a Tennessee Williams adaptation staring Elizabeth Taylor will feature June 9; the BUSHWIG girls will show Hedwig and the Angry Inch on July 7; and drag king Murray Hill will close out the season with The Queen on August 11.
It's the must-see film event of the summer. You can purchase your tickets here.
MORE INFO/TIX: OUT.COM
GOOD FOR LOUIS C.K.!
Gee, it's almost as if they screwed up the tests with MULTIPLE RIGHT ANSWERS on tests to make purposefully make kids stupider. To pay off a government contractor with our Secretary Of Education claiming that the nation "depends on these standards." Sounds kinda like how our government tricked us into going to war with Iraq. But I guess if we're stupid enough, we won't know that won't be able to tell that we're stupider. We just may have a vague notion that things seemed like they used to be better a long time ago. It takes a comedian and concerned father to get the country to pay attention to this while our "news" is obsessing over a bridge in NJ, whether John Kerry should have used the word apartheid to describe Palestine/Israel and a racist sports team owner. Because all of those all impact our lives so much more than shafting generations of kids with failing schools.
HUFFPO: "On the other side are grassroots groups of parents, teachers, and principals who say the standards were written in stealth, imposed by the lure of federal billions, and implemented too rapidly. All testing must be done online, so the standards are a bonanza for the testing industry, the hardware industry, and the software industry.
But the mass media mostly ignored the controversy until a comedian named Louis C.K. tweeted that his daughter used to love math, and now she hates it. Not only does Louis have two daughters in a New York public school, he has 3.3 million followers on Twitter. Suddenly the world woke up, and Louis' tweets were reported in Salon, Politico, and dozens of daily papers and websites.
No one listened when parents complained: Arne Duncan called them "white suburban moms" who were disappointed to discover that their child wasn't so bright after all. No one listened when teachers and principals complained that the new federal tests were confusing and had multiple right answers. No one cared when Pearson, the giant test publisher, put a gag order on teachers forbidding them from revealing the contents of the tests. No one cared that teachers couldn't help their students when they weren't allowed to discuss what they got wrong on the tests."
MORE: HUFFPO
PROM TIME!
Would you like your corsage original recipe or extra-crispy?
WAY TO ENCOURAGE OUR YOUTH!
20% of females attending colleges are sexually assaulted? That is monstrous. I'm glad the White House is pressing colleges to do more to fight this. That way, students can focus on their studies and how both sexes are being raped by the student loan situation. Student debt just passed $1 trillion last week. Elizabeth Warren has complained that the government shouldn't be making the obscene $66 billion in revenue from federal student loans. At least the Obama administration is concerned with one type of student rape: the kind it doesn't profit from.
MORE: NYTIMES
MORE FROM ELIZABETHE WARREN ON STUDENT DEBT:
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THIS LITTLE BOY HAS LIGHTNING LEGS!
Post by Being Latino.
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EXCELLENT ANALYSIS OF BERNIE'S SURPRISING RISE
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InforMedia Services (IMS)
Digital Literacy for St. Cloud State University
Free Tech Instruction (About Us)
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TechPodcasts
Posts Tagged ‘admiinstrators’
categories: Digital literacy
Laura Devaney (@eSN_Laura). 4/12/16, 9:32 AM This is exactly why we need digital literacy: ow.ly/10zJeD #DigitalLiteracy #assessments #edtech
1-to-1 computing, assessments, chrome classroom, digital curriculum resources, featured, K-12
Online Testing Highlights the Need for Digital Literacy
Daily Exposure to Digital Devices
the Consortium for School Networking’s “Becoming Assessment Ready” initiative
Because online exams require students to have functional literacy with computing devices, such as switching between screens, opening drop-down menus and highlighting words, students should be using technology in their day-to-day classroom experience so they are building these digital literacy skills, he explains.
“The more often students use digital devices in their day-to-day learning, the more comfortable with those devices they become,” says Ribble, who has written a book about digital literacy and citizenship for the International Society for Technology in Education.
Younger Students Perform Better in Online Formats
More on digital literacy in this IMS blog:
http://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=digital+literacy
categories: Bring Your Own Device BYOD
5 Essential Insights About Mobile Learning
http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/07/15/5-essential-insights-about-mobile-learning/
1. Set goals and expectations for teaching and learning with mobile devices before worrying about the device itself.
St. Vrain Valley School District in Colorado,
Mooresville Graded School District
Consolidated High School District 230
2. Develop a strong community of support for the initiative early and keep up transparent communication with parents and community members throughout the process.
Forsyth County Schools in Georgia.
3. Think about equity, but don’t let it stop forward motion.
includes both urban and rural areas,
4. Evaluate the effectiveness of a mobile learning initiative based on the goals set at the beginning of the rollout.
5. Some of the biggest lessons learned include giving up control and trusting students.
included students in the discussions
STAY NIMBLE
While these mobile learning pioneers have seen some of the pitfalls and can help districts new to the game avoid the same stumbles, this space is changing quickly and every community’s needs will be different.
“It’s no longer just something you implement; it’s evolving and it’s unique in each location,” Bjerede said. “If you try to be cookie cutter about it you won’t meet the needs of every kid in every classroom.”
The technology will change, students will surprise their teachers and the best advice to district leaders is to stay open to all the possibilities and allow students to take control of the tremendous learning opportunity that having a device at all times could offer them.
My note: Kathrina Schwartz offers an opinion, which reflects the second wave (withdrawl) in the 3 steps of innovation
The Struggles and Realities of Student-Driven Learning and BYOD
http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/07/07/the-struggles-and-realities-of-student-driven-learning-and-byod/
A 2013 Pew study revealed that only 35 percent of teachers at the lowest income schools allow their students to look up information on their mobile devices, as compared to 52 percent of teachers at wealthier schools.
Many advocates of using mobile technologies say the often cited issues of student distraction are just excuses not to try something new.
“The way you discourage it is engage them in the activity so they don’t even think of sending a text. You’ve got to jump in and play their game or you’re going to lose them.”
Angela Crawford has heard all the arguments of BYOD evangelists, but doesn’t see how they match the reality of her classroom. “BYOD is very problematic in many schools, mine included, because we have a prominent engagement problem,” Crawford said.
Tactics to improve engagement like making work relevant to her students’ lives or letting them use their phones in class to look up information, haven’t worked for Crawford, although she’s tried.
When she first started, Crawford was enthusiastic about jumping into collaborative, project-based learning. “I thought my colleagues were monsters because of how they were teaching,” she said of a school where she previously worked and where teachers lectured all the time. She tried to teach students through projects, but found it was a disaster. To her students’ parents, her efforts to make the classroom “student-centered” looked like she wasn’t teaching. “There is a different perception of what a teacher should be in different cultures,” Crawford said. “And in the African-American community in the South the teacher is supposed to do direct instruction.”
“What works best for each student is really the heart of student-centered learning,” Crawford said. “Sometimes what the student needs best is direct instruction. They need that authoritative, in-control figure who is directing their learning and will get them where they need to go.” Many of Crawford’s students come from homes run by single mothers who rule with an iron hand. She tries to replicate that attitude and presence. “They respond to that; they like it,” Crawford said. “It’s comforting to them.”
Still, Crawford will not be experimenting with a bring-your-own-device program. “My problem with education innovation is we tend to want to take a new technology or a new idea and go forth with it as if it’s the silver bullet,” Crawford said. “What happens is that teachers who teach in my type of environment realize this would be a disaster in my classroom.”
Crawford is skeptical that kids in higher income areas aren’t misusing technology too. Her children attend school in a more affluent district and they tell her that kids are constantly messing around on their devices. They just switch screens when a teacher comes by. They get away with it because their teachers trust them to do their work.
“I think kids in middle class or upper middle class schools are equally distracted as low-income students,” said Bob Lenz, director of innovation at Envision Schools, a small charter network that’s part of the deeper learning movement. “It’s just that because of the privilege of their background the content and the skills that they need to gain in school — they’re coming with a lot of those skills already– so it’s not as urgently needed.”
AR AR augmented reality assessment augmented reality badges Big Data China Coding contemplative computing contemplative practices cybersecurity cyber security definition digital humanities digital literacy edad digital literacy for EDAD digital microcredentials Digital Storytelling disconnect drones edad EDAD 646 education fake news #FakeNews Google history instructional design IoT leadership LMS mindfulness mobile devices OER online learning privacy proofreading Snapchat social media surveillance technology virtual reality vr VR virtual reality webinar XR extended reality
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Joe Pesci Joins John Gotti Biopic GOTTI: THREE GENERATIONS; Lindsay Lohan in Talks
by Brendan Bettinger April 12, 2011
Joe Pesci will join John Travolta in the biopic Gotti: Three Generations. Travolta will play the famed New York mafia boss; Pesci has agreed to play Angelo Ruggiero, deputy to infamous New York mafia boss John Gotti (Travolta). Lindsay Lohan is in talks for an unspecified role to add a bizarre level of eclecticism to the proceedings.
Nick Cassavetes (My Sister’s Keeper) is on board to direct from a script by Leo Rossi. Fiore Films made the announcement today at a press conference which featured Travolta, Cassavetes, and John Gotti Jr. Hit the jump for more information revealed at the event.
According to Deadline, Fiore decided to finance Gotti itself, though the independent production company declined to discuss the budget. The film begins shooting in October with plans for a late 2012 release.
The filmmakers expect to cast Gotti Jr within the next week or two. Gotti Jr says Rossi’s script distinguishes itself from the “journalistic or government viewpoint” used in previous insights into the Gotti story:
“Everybody’s a victim… There a lot of ups and downs. A lot of tears. And a lot of happiness.”
Travolta called this “probably the most interesting untold story in this country.” He claimed Lohan “happens to be a very big fan of mine,” and he returns the favor:
“I’ve always thought she was gorgeous and talented and filled with a lot of depth.”
Yeah, sure. Do any Gotti aficionados in the comments have an idea who Lohan might play (assuming the character based on a real person)?
To mark the occasion of his seventeenth portrayal of a mobster (rough estimate), Pesci released the following statement [via The Wrap]:
“I’m really happy to be making this picture with my good friend Nick Cassavetes. It’s going to be a great experience and a rare opportunity to look inside the life of Gotti.”
Over the last year, Pesci has been linked to yet another mob movie, The Irishman, directed by Martin Scorsese. Pesci is also on board for the video game adaptation Uncharted.
'3 From Hell' Trailer Reveals Rob Zombie's Blood-Soaked Sequel to 'The Devil's Rejects'
Atlanta Readers: Win Passes to See ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’
Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach to Write Margot Robbie's 'Barbie' Movie; Gerwig Eyed to Direct
10 Clips from FAST FIVE
Exclusive: Director Seth Gordon Talks HORRIBLE BOSSES
• Entertainment • Fiore Films • Gotti: Three Generations • John Gotti • John Travolta • Lindsay Lohan • Movie • Nick Cassavetes
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Cinemath: What Makes a Best Picture? A Look at Rating, Runtime, and Genre Over 80 Years of Oscars
by Brendan Bettinger December 27, 2011
While we are in the heart of awards season, I wanted to do something about the Oscars for Cinemath, our semi-regular feature that combines the wonder of movies with the tedium of mathematical analysis. This edition is inspired by something Eric D. Snider wrote in his writeup on Marty, the shortest Best Picture in Oscar history:
“Don’t expect that record to be broken anytime soon, either. Oscar winners are gettin’ longer, not shorter.”
That got me curious. That sounds reasonable, but could it also be statistically true? I went over to IMDB to check out the runtimes of Oscar Best Picture nominees from 1928-2010—while I was there, I grabbed data on the genres and public ratings to see what it takes to win Hollywood’s top honor. Hit the jump for the analysis.
All data on runtimes, genres, and ratings comes from IMDB. Major props to the user who assembled all 485 Best Picture nominees on the same list. It was here, but has unfortunately been taken down since I exported it.
We’ll start off the claim that Best Pictures are getting longer. (I understand Snider was not writing literally, so I am not trying to prove him right or wrong—but it works as a research question.) I did not do any rigorous statistical testing, but it is apparent in the graph below that there is no evidence of this effect. There’s Marty (90 minutes) on the low end, Gone with the Wind (226 minutes) on the high end, and everything fluctuates wildly but consistently in between.
I found that the majority of the movies I watch are between 90-120 minutes, but Best Pictures tend to be much longer:
When separated by decade, the 1990s had the longest Best Pictures with an average 154.5 minute runtime (median: 152 minutes).
If you look at the 10-year moving average, the period from 1956-1965 had the longest Best Pictures with an average 162.8 minute runtime (median: 165.5 minutes). That speaks to just how lengthy Best Pictures tend to be.
Nearly 70% of all Best Pictures winners are longer than 2 hours.
Nearly 80% of all Best Picture winners after 1960 are longer than 2 hours.
The histogram below breaks down the runtimes of the Best Picture winners.
Notably, Oscar voters like to give the award to the longest movie nominated. For each set of nominees, I ranked the movies by runtime. The longest nominee has won Best Picture more than 40% of the time, as seen in the histogram below, which breaks down the rank of Best Picture runtimes among the nominees.
I don’t believe longer movies are inherently better. But they may have a competitive advantage at the Oscars, in the sense that longer movies feel more “important.” One can see the same effect when classifying the Best Picture winners by genre.
IMDB has a genre section on each movie page, which allows for a movie to be identified with one or more genre keywords. It is subject to certain biases, so I am hesitant to conclude too much here. But I like the table below that shows how often a genre keyword was present on the IMDB page of a Best Picture nominee or winner. The percentage columns show the percentage of Best Picture nominees/winners with a certain genre. So unsurprisingly, drama is a listed genre for 85% of nominees and 89% of winners. In comparison, the sci-fi genre has produced 6 nominees and 0 winners in eight decades.
%Nominees
%Winners
drama 413 85.2% 74 89.2% 4.0%
romance 206 42.5% 34 41.0% –1.5%
comedy 98 20.2% 14 16.9% –3.3%
biography 67 13.8% 14 16.9% 3.1%
war 66 13.6% 17 20.5% 6.9%
history 60 12.4% 12 14.5% 2.1%
adventure 56 11.5% 11 13.3% 1.7%
thriller 56 11.5% 8 9.6% –1.9%
crime 53 10.9% 12 14.5% 3.5%
musical 39 8.0% 10 12.0% 4.0%
mystery 39 8.0% 2 2.4% –5.6%
action 33 6.8% 9 10.8% 4.0%
family 33 6.8% 6 7.2% 0.4%
fantasy 28 5.8% 2 2.4% –3.4%
western 17 3.5% 3 3.6% 0.1%
film noir 10 2.1% 1 1.2% –0.9%
sci-fi 6 1.2% 0 0.0% –1.2%
The interesting part to me is the difference column, which shows the percentage difference between the genre’s presence among nominees vs. winners. A positive difference suggests the genre has a stronger association with winning once nominated; a negative difference suggests a losing genre. Look at the difference between war movies and comedies. I imagine that comedy is the second most common genre keyword on IMDB after drama. However, comedies have less than 1/4 of the presence dramas do among the nominees, and the comedies that do get nominated don’t win very often. There are relatively few war movies (it is a specific genre), but Oscar voters love them: 1/5 of our best pictures are war movies!
Comedies are light. War movies are heavy. War movies get the Oscar. Perhaps more evidence of the Importance Effect.
As expected, the public IMDB rating is generally high for Best Picture winners. A few notes on the spectrum:
The lowest-rated film is 1931’s Cimarron at 6.1.
There are only 7 films with lower than a 7.0 rating—4 of these won the award before 1937. Maybe Oscar voters were still working out the kinks, or perhaps there is too much distance between the tastes of the Depression era and the internet age.
The lowest-rated postwar film is 1952’s The Greatest Show on Earth at 6.7.
Of course, the highest rated Best Picture is The Godfather 9.2.
The graph and histogram below show the breakdown of IMDB ratings on Best Pictures.
As with the runtimes, I ranked each set of nominees by IMDB rating. The highest-rated nominee won Best Picture nearly 40% of the time. The Best Picture was one of the top 2 highest-rated nominees about 60% of the time. The distribution of the rank of the Best Picture winners by IMDB ratings is in the histogram below.
Of course, the IMDB rating is not independent from the Oscar voting. A Best Picture win solidifies a certain status in the film community, which could very well lead to a bump in the IMDB rating. The point is, no matter the reason, IMDB users and Oscar voters are generally in agreement.
If you would like to win the Best Picture, be important. Be the longest and highest-rated nominee. Also, tell a story about war, and don’t be funny. So best of luck, War Horse.
Los Angeles Readers: Focus Features Hosting 6-Film Gary Oldman Retrospective at ArcLight…
Kim Wayans Talks PARIAH, the New IN LIVING COLOR, and Sitcom Pilot…
• Cinemath • Entertainment • Movie • Oscars
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Home Chirnside Chirnside Common Good FAQs
Here are the answers to some of the questions we are often asked.
What are the aims of Chirnside Common Good?
Our aims are:
to promote and encourage public interest in, and care for, the beauty, history and character of Chirnside and its surroundings
to encourage the preservation, development and improvement of features of general public amenity, historic interest or otherwise beneficial to the community,
and to encourage measures for the relief of poverty and advancement of education in the community.
We do this by means of:
meetings,
lectures,
publications,
publicity, and
the promotion of schemes of a charitable nature.
Who can be members?
Anyone 16 years or older who is resident in the parish of Chirnside.
What assets and property do you have and how are they looked after?
Capital Funds and Property acquired by the “Common Good” are vested in two Trustees who are elected by the General Meeting of the Association.
In addition to our bank accounts we hold the title deeds to:
Common Good Park
Crosshill Car Park
The Tennis Court
What happens to the assets and funds if the Common Good is dissolved or wound up?
Should the Common Good be dissolved it must be by a resolution passed with two-thirds majority of the Executive Committee. Any assets remaining after all debts and liabilities have been settled will be given or transferred to a recognised charity with similar aims.
How are events such as the Civic Week and the Jim Clark Exhibition organised?
Sub – committees are appointed by the Executive Committee to undertake any special piece of work proposed by the Common Good. Funds raised by Sub-Committee are handed to the Treasurer with a financial statement signed by the Convenor and two members of their subcommittee for submission to the monthly meetings.
Current sub- committees are:
Civic Week
David Hume Group
How are you managed and regulated?
The “Common Good” is administered by an Executive Committee consisting of a Chairman, a Vice-Chairman, a Secretary, a Treasurer and ten Members to be elected by a ballot at the Annual General Meeting. The Trustees are ex-offico members of the Executive Committee
In the event of a vacancy occurring in the Trusteeship, the remaining Trustee would nominate a successor, whose appointment must be ratified by the Executive Committee.
The committee meets monthly currently the 3rd Wednesday of the month except July and August when there is no meeting.
Our accounts are audited by an Auditor appointed at the Annual General Meeting.
We are a registered charity (SC011711) and regulated by OSCR (Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator
Who are the officers and committee?
Chair: Kevin Prior,
Secretary: Linda Gray
Treasurer: Bill Dunn
Vice Chair: Simon Wright
Susan Swan
Martha Andrews
Anne Robertson
Douglas Robertson
Muriel Kinghorn
Mark Kinghorn
Penny Wright
Sara Doggett
Parish Church Minister currently vacant
Primary School Headteacher currently vacant (Sally Leighton)
What does the regulator ask you to do?
We have to make an annual return which includes our annual report and accounts
We have a duty to promote the charity’s registration.
It is our view that applies only to external documents and communications, including those issued by a third party. The documents include all:
external business letters or emails
printed advertisements, public notices or official published documents
documents which request the donation of money or property to be used for the benefit of a charity
promissory notes, endorsements and orders for money or goods
bills issued
invoices, receipts and letters of credit
statements of account prepared in accordance with Regulations 8, 9 or 14 of the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006
documents which are intended to educate the public about the charity and any promotional material aimed at raising the charity’s profile or a topical issue
legal conveyance documents concerned with land rights i.e. buying, selling or transferring
documents which set out the terms of an agreement or a contract
bills of exchange (not including cheques)
the home page on a website operated by or on behalf of the charity.
We do this by including
the charity’s name, as entered in the Register
the charity’s Scottish Charity Number (SC0[zero]11711).
Or this logo
If you would like any further information please contact any of the officers or e-mail info@chirnsidecommongood.org
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You are here: Home / Q & A / Can Artery Plaque Be Dissolved
Can Artery Plaque Be Dissolved
February 13, 2017 by Admin2 Leave a Comment
Thanks to arteries, our vital organs have oxygen that helps them get into motion. The inner walls of our arteries are naturally smooth. However, too much sugar, alcohol, smoking and fried food can cause plaque build-up in our arteries. The plaque is potentially dangerous as it leads to cardiovascular diseases.
Other than bad cholesterol, plaque consists of calcium, fat, cellular waste, and fibrin. Cells in the arteries react to the plaque by multiplying and secreting excess substances, finally leading to atherosclerosis. The condition causes the arteries to harden and narrow which retards our blood flow and causes high blood pressure. Untreated, atherosclerosis puts patients into a possibly precarious position that can end in death.
Scientists could not track down a single reason for the appearance of plaque. They came to a conclusion that there were multiple contributors to atherosclerosis: unhealthy diet, smoking, alcohol abuse as well as sedentary life. There have been some groundbreaking discoveries when it comes to reversing atherosclerosis, and in the following paragraphs, you’ll be introduced to medications that successfully slowed plaque build-up and even reversed it.
POLICOSANOL
Policosanol turned out to be triumphant at different levels. A study claims that taking 10 mg of policosanol lowers cholesterol more effectively than aspirin. Policosanol is also better than statins at lowering LD and especially at raising the levels of HD. An astounding increase of good cholesterol by 31 percent goes to show that policosanol promises much longer and peaceful life for the atherosclerosis patients. Additionally, in one of the studies policosanol successfully melted away the existing plaque in the arteries and stopped the condition from deteriorating.
Statins are no novelty in the battle against atherosclerosis. In a study that included 350 subjects, patients took statin Crestor. The 2-year long experiment had astonishing results. Crestor achieved the lowest level of LPD possible, reducing it from 130.4 mg/dL to 60.8 mg/dL. Crestor also increased the level of good cholesterol by around 6 mg/dL which gave the researchers hope that they witnessed something revolutionary. Most importantly, the drug didn’t have any safety issues except for the rise of liver enzymes in some subjects which was not unprecedented. Plaque regression was noticeable in 78 percent of patients which gives hope that the scientists are on the way of finding something that unmistakably works.
EVOLOCUMAB
Evolocumab is a PCSK9 inhibitor that scientists discovered when some people had mutations in the PCSK9 gene which left them with no more than 20mg/dL of LDL. Having in mind that 100mg/dL of bad cholesterol is optimal, this is an extremely low level of LDL. Therefore, Nissen and his colleagues carried out an 18-month long study in which they tried out a combination of a statin and evolocumab. A thousand people took part in the experiment, including the ones with diabetes, smokers, hypertension patients and the ones who have already suffered a stroke or a heart attack. More than half of the people who took the combination of a statin and the inhibitor-experienced plaque shrinking while the ones who took the placebo instead of the inhibitor didn’t show improvement. Interestingly, the combination had a stronger effect than the respective medications would have if given alone. The study, unfortunately, leaves a lot to be desired. It did not answer the question whether the combination of the evolocumab and a statin would prevent the first heart attack in high-risk people. Finally, evolocumab is neither affordable nor practical. The injections cost as much as 1200 dollars per month, leaving only the affluent people to give it a chance.
CYCLODEXTRIN
Cyclodextrin is a new, promising medication that could solve the plaque problem. Latz and his colleagues carried out an experiment and used mice as subjects. After the mice have taken high-cholesterol diets, cyclodextrin aided them in more than one way. Aside from getting rid of the plaque, cyclodextrin started cholesterol metabolism, cleared away the waxy substance from the arteries and diminished the inflammation, the original cause of atherosclerosis. Latz came to the idea after hearing about Hempel’s, parents who had proven that cyclodextrin helps children with NPC. The disease causes a rare genetic disorder that disables distribution of cholesterol through the body, leading to organ dysfunction, neurodegeneration, and eventual death. Cyclodextrin successfully transported and dissolved the cholesterol in the NPC patients and increased their life expectancy but did not completely cure them.
Serrapeptase is an enzyme that silkworms use when they turn into a moth and try to get out of the cocoon. The enzyme destroys dead tissue only, which is why moths are unharmed after transformation. In the case of humans, serrapeptase kills off the dead tissue that narrows arteries, which is very useful after angioplasty and coronary bypass surgery because it prevents the plaque from building up again.
PHOSPHATIDYLCHOLINE
Phosphatidylcholine is a phospholipid that is both water and fat-soluble. It is the most abundant element that is in the make-up of our body. Phosphatidylcholine’s most important characteristic is that it takes part in reverse cholesterol transport by allowing Lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase to put more cholesterol into the HDL particles. Intravenous treatment is more efficient than the oral which bears noticeable results after a year and 4-6 grams of daily intake. You can find Phosphatidylcholine in most European countries as Lipostabil, Essential or Plaques while in the US, its use is still experimental.
REVERSING YOUR DIET
No doctor will prescribe you a statin or any other medicine that alleviates high blood pressure without warning you about your eating habits. If you want your therapy to be a complete success, you will have to give up on fried food, sugar and soda as they contain trans fats, the main culprit for atherosclerosis. Start to change your diet slowly by adding veggies, fruits, and nuts to your diet as well as whole-grain meals. Physical exercise is also widely recommended because it promotes optimal blood circulation and keeps obesity at bay.
ALL IN ALL
Despite finding some top-notch medications that have achieved almost perfect results, modern medicine hasn’t found something that would remove plaque in its entirety. Until then, be sure to take precautions against atherosclerosis in the first place: eat healthily, exercise regularly and try to avoid stress as much as it is possible.
Avocado cholesterol lowering effect and benefits
Unscrambling the myths of eggs and cholesterol
Parsley Benefits to Reduce Cholesterol
What Are Physical Signs Of High Cholesterol
Is the cholesterol in eggs in the yolk or white?
What is the relationship between cholesterol and hormones?
4 Super Drinks That Will Lower Cholesterol
Does okra reduce cholesterol?
Queen Helene cholesterol hot oil treatment instructions
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Japan Nuclear Plant Workers Evacuating as Radiation Surges in Earthquake Aftermath
Sandra Crosnoe/FGST March 15, 2011 0
[EDITOR’S NOTE: Japanese workers suspend operations and evacuate nuclear plant area as radiation levels continue to rise / US Choppers may spray water onto overheating reactors – 3/15/11 9:34PM CST]
The nuclear reactor situation in Japan has deteriorated significantly. Two more explosions occurred at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on March 15.
The first occurred at 6:10 a.m. local time at reactor No. 2, which had seen nuclear fuel rods exposed for several hours after dropping water levels due to mishaps in the emergency cooling efforts. Within three hours the amount of radiation at the plant rose to 163 times the previously recorded level, according to Japan’s Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency.
Elsewhere, radiation levels were said to have reached 400 times the ‘annual legal limit’ at reactor No. 3. Authorities differed on whether the reactor pressure vessel at reactor No. 2 was damaged after the explosion, but said the reactor’s pressure-suppression system may have been damaged possibly allowing a radiation leak. After this, a fire erupted at reactor No. 4 and was subsequently extinguished, according to Kyodo. Kyodo also reported the government has ordered a no-fly zone 30 kilometers around the reactor, and Prime Minister Naoto Kan has expanded to 30 kilometers the range within which citizens should remain indoors and warned that further leaks are possible.
Reports from Japanese media currently tell of rising radiation levels in the areas south and southwest of the troubled plant due to a change in wind direction toward the southwest. Ibaraki prefecture, immediately south of Fukushima, was reported to have higher than normal levels. Chiba prefecture, to the east of Tokyo and connected to the metropolitan area, saw levels reportedly two to four times above the ‘normal’ level. Utsunomiya, Tochigi prefecture, north of Tokyo, reported radiation at 33 times the normal level measured there. Kanagawa prefecture, south of Tokyo, reported radiation at up to nine times the normal level. Finally, a higher than normal amount was reported in Tokyo. The government says radiation levels have reached levels hazardous to human health. Wind direction, temperature, and topography all play a crucial factor in the spread of radioactive materials as well as their diffusion, and wind direction is not easily predictable and constantly shifting, with reports saying it could shift west and then back eastward to sea within the next day. It is impossible to know how reliable these preliminary readings are but they suggest a dramatic worsening as well as a wider spread than at any time since the emergency began.
The Japanese government has announced a 30-kilometer no-fly zone and is expanding evacuation zones and urging the public within a wider area to remain indoors. The situation at the nuclear facility is uncertain, but clearly deteriorating. Currently, the radiation levels do not appear immediately life-threatening outside the 20-kilometer evacuation zone. But if there is a steady northerly wind, the potential for larger-scale evacuations of more populated areas may become a reality. This would present major challenges to the Japanese government. Further, the potential for panic-induced individual evacuations could trigger even greater problems for the government to manage.
Red Alert: Radiation Rising and Heading South in Japan | STRATFOR
A Third Japanese Nuclear Reactor Melting Down (Washington’s Blog)
West Coast USA Danger IF Japan Nuclear Reactor Meltdown (Modern Survival Blog)
Fukushima Nuclear Accident – a simple and accurate explanation (Brave New Climate Blog)
[A special hat tip to Ada Coddington for the heads up on this article. Greetings to you my friend!/sc]
Originally published on: Mar 15, 2011 @ 6:36
About Sandra Crosnoe/FGST
I am working to restore the republic, proclaim liberty throughout the land, and set the captives free in the process. Please come go with me/sc *** For Life and Liberty *** Finding Gems & Sharing Them -- is my personal blog
Posted in CLC Multimedia Spotlight, Earthquake, Events, Features
Tagged Ada Coddington, Brave New Climate Blog, Daiichi, Fukushima, Fukushima Nuclear Accident, Japan Earthquake 2011, Modern Survival Blog, nuclear power plant, Radiation levels rising, Red Alert, Stratfor, Stratfor Global Intelligence, Tokyo, two explosions March 15th early morning, Washington's Blog
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View source for William Cecil, Lord Burghley
← William Cecil, Lord Burghley
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'''William Cecil, Lord Burghley''' (1520-1598) <table><tr><td>http://humphrysfamilytree.com/Cecil/Bitmaps/burghley.2.jpg</td><td>William Cecil was born 13 Sep 1520, the only son of [[Richard Cecil]] by his wife Jane Heckington. William was born "probably" (as Townsend and Sanford, op cit) at his grandfather's house in Bourne, Lincolnshire and christened there. He married first in 1541, against his father's wishes to Mary Cheke, by whom he had only one child, his son Thomas. Mary died 22 Feb 1543/4 at Cambridge; and he married secondly in 1545 to Mildred Cooke, by whom he had three children: Anne, Robert and Elizabeth. He was granted the manor of Coombe in 1552. He was the prime minister during the reign of [[Elizabeth I, Queen of England]]. In 1569, he was granted the wardship of Edward la Zouche, 11th Baron Zouche as Edward's father had died that year. Edward's maternal grandfather was William Welby of Moulton, Lincolnshire. William Cecil, Lord Burghley died on 4 Aug 1598 at his house, Burghley House, in The Strand, London, England. He was buried on 29 Aug 1598 at St Martin's, in Stamford Baron.</td></tr></table> ==Primary documents== *The inscription on his monument transcribed [[WilliamCecil2|here]] ==Secondary sources== *[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dictionary_of_National_Biography#The_first_series DNB], [http://content.ancestry.com/Browse/view.aspx?dbid=6892&path=Brown+-+Chaloner.Dictionary+Of+National+Biography.CE.15&fn=william&ln=cecil&st=d&pid=11794&rc=135,631,256,661;291,632,483,662&zp=75 "William Cecil, Lord Burghley] *Complete Peerage, "Burghley", pg 428, transcribed [http://www.countyhistorian.com/cecilweb/index.php/WilliamCecil1 here] *[http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN1402159013&id=Wdngqyl9coAC&pg=RA5-PA63&lpg=RA5-PA63&sig=Pdl1T_NOgmfs-4gdFstauZXCu-o The Great Governing Families of England, by Meredith White Townsend and John Langton Sanford; Vol 2, pg 63] *[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=43014&strquery=cecil BHO], mentioning the granting of Coombe *''The Princes in the Tower'', by Alison Weir. Ballantine Books, New York. 1992 ISBN 0345391780 page 118 : In speaking of Eleanor Butler she says : "Lady Eleanor died shortly before 30th June, 1468, the day on which she was buried in the conventual church of the Carmelites in Norwich. Buck states that she had retired there shortly after giving birth to a child by the King, but there is no contemporary evidence for this. The child, said to have been known at first as Giles Gurney and later on as Edward de Wigmore, was supposed to have been the great-grandfather of Richard Wigmore, secretary to Elizabeth I's chief minister, Lord Burleigh." http://humphrysfamilytree.com/Cecil/Bitmaps/burghley.grave.jpg<br> His tombstone, picture from [http://www.tudorplace.com.ar Tudor Place] ==External links== *[http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~wjhonson/Royals/GED2WEB/people/p0000058.htm#I4801 His entry at Will Johnson's ''Royals''] *[http://geneweb.inria.fr/roglo?lang=en;i=312993 His entry at the Roglo database] *[http://www.genealogics.org/getperson.php?personID=I00003566&tree=LEO His entry at genealogics] *[http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/CECIL.htm#Richard%20CECIL%20(CYSSEL)1 The Cecil family entry at tudorplace.com.ar] *[http://www.thepeerage.com/p205.htm#i2050 His entry at thepeerage.com] *[http://www.stirnet.com/HTML/genie/british/cc4aq/cecil01.htm His entry at stirnet.com] *[http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Search/AF/individual_record.asp?recid=7672598&lds=0&frompage=0 His entry at familysearch.org] *[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Cecil,_Lord_Burghley William Cecil, Lord Burghley] on Wikipedia *[http://books.google.com/books?id=QeGJZ9ABOzsC&pg=PA1 "Lord Burghley's Map of Lancashire"] ==See Also== *[[Bertrand Russell to Richard Cecil]] *[[Vita Sackville-West to Richard Cecil]] [[Category:Cecil1]] [[Category:Desc. of Richard Cecil|Cecil, William (1)]] [[Category:England]] [[Category:Middle Ages]] [[Category:Politicians]]
Return to William Cecil, Lord Burghley.
Retrieved from "http://countyhistorian.com/cecilweb/index.php/William_Cecil,_Lord_Burghley"
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John & Rochelle Elliott Frequent Japan, Love Vintage, & Are On the Hunt for Old Céline
The couple behind the John Elliott brand are just as well dressed as you’d expect. Los Angeles.
Styling: Jodi Taylor
Photography: Jake Rosenberg
“You had nights where, although you had nothing, it felt like you were working on something that could be really big.” Listening to designer John Elliott recount the birth of his namesake line alongside his wife, Rochelle Elliott (who heads up womenswear), you can tell that they remember those first few transformative years as if they were yesterday. They deemed seeing Jay-Z and Beyoncé in their pieces following their first wholesale drop at Atrium and having Kanye show up to their first-ever runway show as the two moments that made them realize they had made it. “[We realized] we had a shot. This wasn’t a pipe dream anymore, this was a business,” John crooned.
From the first pair of jeans they designed to their latest jewelry collab with Japanese brand M.a.r.s, John and Rochelle’s Beverly Hills home was a treasure trove of gems that served as a timeline of their brand’s history. They have their personal uniforms down pat—each of their closets were full of tees (both vintage and new), denim, and a whole lot of footwear (Rochelle’s was also partial to designer handbags and boots)—it was a winning formula. Exhibit A: We had access to all three colorways of the John Elliott x Nike LeBron “Icon” sneakers. Exhibit B: Rochelle had a gold mine of old Céline. And Exhibit C: We had one heck of a good time playing with John’s collection of original Jordan 1’s from 1985. You see what we mean when we say a winning formula? Plus, shop pieces inspired by their closets here.
John Elliott: “For me, [my first fashion memory was a... Read More
Rochelle Elliott: “[My love for fashion] started at a really... Read More
JE: “I was born in San Francisco and grew up... Read More
JE: “I knew that [starting a brand] was what I... Read More
The John Elliott consumer in three words: JE: “Confident, successful,... Read More
JE: “I was 28 when I started [the brand]. I... Read More
JE: “During those times we set the permanent collection that... Read More
JE: “When we delivered wholesale for the first time to... Read More
RE: “It’s been great [working together]. We both have very... Read More
JE: “[LeBron James] is a fan of the brand—he was... Read More
JE: “I go to Japan—this past year I think I... Read More
JE: “[My style] depends on the setting. For the most... Read More
RE: “I typically keep it pretty casual—I’m definitely a jeans-and-t-shirt... Read More
JE: “I was a big fan of buying A.P.C. jeans,... Read More
Their favorite places to travel: RE: “I mean, we love Mexico.... Read More
Their favorite designers: JE: “That’s a hard question. I will say... Read More
RE: “I bought this from a vintage store in Tucson,... Read More
Advice for those looking to get into the industry: RE: “You... Read More
What’s next? JE: “The brand has always been in survival mode.... Read More
Designer Dresses Meet Graphic Tees & Sneakers in This Couple’s Closet
This Turkish Street Style Star Wore a YSL Gold Leather Suit to Go Glamping
The Couple Behind The Last Line Have Closets Overflowing with Jewels & Vintage
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Hebrews chapter 10
Philemon 1 Hebrews 9 Hebrews 11 James 1
Since the law has [only] a shadow of the good things to come, and not the actual form of those realities, it can never perfect the worshipers by the same sacrifices they continually offer year after year.
Otherwise, wouldn't they have stopped being offered, since the worshipers, once purified, would no longer have any consciousness of sins?
But in the sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year.
For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
Therefore, as He was coming into the world, He said: You did not want sacrifice and offering, but You prepared a body for Me.
You did not delight in whole burnt offerings and sin offerings.
Then I said, "See, I have come-- it is written about Me in the volume of the scroll-- to do Your will, O God!"
After He says above, You did not desire or delight in sacrifices and offerings, whole burnt offerings and sin offerings, (which are offered according to the law),
He then says, See, I have come to do Your will. He takes away the first to establish the second.
By this will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all.
Now every priest stands day after day ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
But this man, after offering one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God.
He is now waiting until His enemies are made His footstool.
For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are sanctified.
The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. For after He had said:
This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws on their hearts, and I will write them on their minds,
[He adds]: I will never again remember their sins and their lawless acts.
Now where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.
Therefore, brothers, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus,
by the new and living way that He has inaugurated for us, through the curtain (that is, His flesh);
and since we have a great high priest over the house of God,
let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, our hearts sprinkled [clean] from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water.
Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
And let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works,
not staying away from our meetings, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
For if we deliberately sin after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,
but a terrifying expectation of judgment, and the fury of a fire about to consume the adversaries.
If anyone disregards Moses' law, he dies without mercy, based on the testimony of two or three witnesses.
How much worse punishment, do you think one will deserve who has trampled on the Son of God, regarded as profane the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and insulted the Spirit of grace?
For we know the One who has said, Vengeance belongs to Me, I will repay, and again, The Lord will judge His people.
It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God!
Remember the earlier days when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings.
Sometimes you were publicly exposed to taunts and afflictions, and at other times you were companions of those who were treated that way.
For you sympathized with the prisoners and accepted with joy the confiscation of your possessions, knowing that you yourselves have a better and enduring possession.
So don't throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.
For you need endurance, so that after you have done God's will, you may receive what was promised.
For in yet a very little while, the Coming One will come and not delay.
But My righteous one will live by faith; and if he draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.
But we are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and obtain life.
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Love can be sweet. But wooing someone with bees can end up with one of you being stung, as a Shap saddler learned to his cost.
Before the courts
Cumbrian Characters’ URL is ‘crimesofthecenturies.com‘ because originally, I was going to focuse on old court cases.
Here are two from September 1865 that caught my eye. One relates to fish, and the other to love and bees.
Proceeds of crime put to good use
Thomas Shepherd, weaver and William Shepherd, wheelwright, uncle and nephew, both of Kendal, were up before the bench for the illegal capture of fish (salmon) with a net. Police caught them with 12 salmon and two trout in a net. They were practised offenders.
William hit one of the officers on the head with a stick, for which he was fined 20s and costs, or one month in the House of Correction. They were each to pay a fine of £5 and £2 ‘for each of the salmon morts illegally taken’, or to spend three months in the House of Correction as an alternative.
It was the opinion of the officers that the fish had been taken in Levens Park.
“The fish, some of which were fine ones, were ordered by the magistrates to be sold and the proceeds, we understand, go to the police superannuation fund.
Old Weller’s advice
PENRITH COUNTY COURT. Friday, September lst. (Before T. H. Ingham, Esq., Judge.) A NOVEL LOVE PRESENT. MARGARET COCKBURN versus JOHN ROPER.
Margaret Cockburn was a widow, John Roper was a saddler, and both lived in Shap.
‘Four years ago the defendant, who is past the heyday of life, regardless of Old Weller’s advice to “beware of the widows,” became enamoured of Mrs. Cockburn, whose bosom, however, did not glow with mutual ardour. ‘
Whoever Old Weller was, poor Mr Roper disregarded the folk wisdom.
In 1861, when he fell for her, Margaret Cockburn was 50. She had two daughters living with her in Shap (Margaret ,aged 12 and Agnes, aged 8), and three boarders providing an income. Husband John had died in tragic circumstances two years before.
Margaret’s first husband
John Cockburn was a railway porter at Shap Station On May 30, 1859, he was crushed between two wagons while they were being shunted. He died from his injuries the following day.
John Roper was then 57, also widowed, and living in Shap with his son, also called John.
Hello sugar
Some men say it with flowers. John Roper said it with bees.
Margaret Cockburn refused him and the bees, which she gave to an (unnamed in the court case) daughter.
‘From time to time defendant, instead of “sighing like a furnace,” sought to prove the strength of his affection in a more substantial way. Coals, coffee, and sugar were sent to the widow’s dwelling by the amorous saddler.’
Margaret Cockburn accepted the gifts, but not the lovelorn saddler. Though she did at some point give him six shillings – she told the court it was a loan, he said it was part-payment for the produce. I court, she also alleged he was a drinking man:
“He is always drunk. It is a wonder he is sober now.”
A sour ending
The bees did well and by 1865 had increased to four hives. By which point, John’s ardour had cooled. And when she refused to return the bees, he waited till late and took the hives (which he then hid in someone’s garden.
In the end, His Honour ordered John Roper to pay Margaret Cockburn the money she was claiming for the bees, or to dispose of the hives and give her the proceeds.
Asked if he’d taken the marriage lines to the vicar without Mrs Cockburn’s consent, John Roper told the court: “She would rather have the bees than me.”
Margaret Cockburn and John Roper remained neighbours for a good many years. She lived on until 1890, with John Roper dying in 1888, aged 85.
Doesn’t look like the drink did him too much harm – but then honey is very healthy.
Posted in crime, Cumbria historyTagged love, Shap
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He must be working for the Russians…
Much fodder has played out on the airwaves over the weekend and today about the FBI reopening the Clinton Email Investigation. Many Democrats, including Hillary Clinton, have said the investigation is not open but yes, it was reopened. No review is in progress, it’s now a time game.
The problem Democrats and other opponents trying to rip this story into some downplay is they seem to forget one thing… FBI Director James Comey is a law enforcement agent. He had to have PROBABLE CAUSE to reopen his investigation – and it was his duty, given his testimony in early October, to clue in Congress he was doing so. He couldn’t just ‘do it on the sly.’ He chose to make this public because he’s not living in a vacuum. He is probably well aware of the scrutiny he’s been under – not only from his own agency but the public over his actions last July.
Armchair prosecutors really need to get their facts and legal definitions straight before going on shows and making a mockery of our legal system. Our jurisprudence has withstood some pretty dicey moments, but this one really takes the cake. On Twitter, we’ve seen people scream, it’s Double Jeopardy and unlawful. Well, I hate to break it to the armchairers but Double Jeopardy is something that happens after someone is acquitted in a court of law.
Clinton was never acquitted because she never stood trial. She never stood trial because she was never charged and indicted for violating the litany of charges that fact her now. A whole host of these misinformed accusations are said in talking points, but for some reason Democrats and their pundits seem to lose their legal sensibility when seething with animosity for an agency just a few days ago, they thought was the best thing since sliced bread.
Mind you, many of these pundits are attorneys along with Hillary Clinton, John Podesta, Huma Abedin and others in the hierarchy also called the Clinton syndicate. The problem is no laws have been broken by the FBI and this ‘unprecedented’ situation was in fact of her own doing and no one else’s. She’s definitely an unprecedented candidate and not in a good way.
Too many unprecedented things have occurred in this election and all the moments leading up to it. The fact that no sitting President has ever used Air Force One and taxpayer money to go ‘campaigning’ is another one. Sure, the sitting Presidents have endorsed candidates but not schedule Town Hall meetings and rallies sans the candidate they’re endorsing. They also never engaged in vote-shaming voters by saying it would be a personal affront if people didn’t vote for his favorite. Nor would insult voters’ intelligence by heralding a candidate as being better than Thomas Jefferson, John Adams or George Washington – men who helped frame this country and physically fought to ‘make it happen!’
This is a Republic. It’s designed in such a way where two (or more) candidates present people with their ideas and let the best man or woman win – not the Jerry Springer slamfest that it’s become over the last thirty years. Ironically, the real sleaze began when the Clintons entered the national scene with their dirty politics and strong arming tactics which says more about them than their opponents.
It seems the Democrats like to throw around hypocrisy like confetti when their own previous actions don’t suit their current goals. For example, the whole hoopla over Scalia’s seat where the “Biden Rule” has been enforced but a Republican-run House. Named after Uncle Joe, the rule states no appointments during an election year. Last I checked, Joe has always been a Democrat so there’s no other party to blame for this one.
Second, the Hatch Act… it’s okay for the President to jet around on Air Force One, promoting a candidate but it’s not okay for Comey to do his job?
Third, and my personal favorite is, in July, Comey was the Belle of the Ball. He was the Democrats’ biggest hero; their darling; their champion! The butt-kissing during hearings from the Democrats (particularly disgraced MD Rep. Elijah Cummings) was at a fever pitch, so much so, I thought they were going to give him a set of wings and a halo. The sugar was melting off their tongues as they talked him up and exuded warm fuzzy galore!
Yet, since last Friday, all of the sudden, he’s the scum of the F#*&(g Earth? How could he go from Sainthood to the Devil Incarnate in record time is just astonishing to me. It’s so bad that DNC darling, Donna Brazile went through her old FBI love tweets today and deleted Big Jim from her timeline. She just washed that man right out of her hair in a New York second. Nice… with fans like that, who needs enemies. Yes, he’s been Rob Lowe-ized by the Left and most unceremoniously at that!
Director Comey is going through a huge divorce from the Democrat elite class and it’s as ugly as it gets, folks! They’re scorned him, trying to scorch the Earth to remove this malfeasance misfit ex-Saint from their presence. I’m just waiting to hear from the Fake James Comey Victim who was molested on a plane or groped by him on the streets of DC.
I’ll admit, I’m still a bit dodgy when it comes to Director Comey because, after all, he turned our jurisprudence upside down last July after a long career built on honesty, integrity and a staunch monogamy to the law. He was supposed to be our modern day Eliot Ness turned into some dirty cop since July – this said, I’m still trying to understand where the man was coming from with his provocative stance.
Yes, while we’ve all heard about the Clinton Foundation investigation from the DC Caller and Breitbart, we’ve been the insiders because apparently, the Democrats and their talking heads didn’t know about all that Clinton Cash stuff, I’ll admit, every time I hear the FBI was involved in anything, I just roll my eyes.
At this point, CNN and fellow MSM cheerleading squads along with the political pundit class are making utter fools of themselves. They look completely nonsensical and out of touch. Are we witnessing what infantile temper tantrums look like? Indeed so.
Here’s the simple truth: If Clinton had really wanted to be president, then she would’ve kept her nose clean not delved deeper into corruption and criminality. Fact is, she’s greedy and the party is all about her! No one else exists in that fantasy land but Hillary and the surfs who adore her. Be Damned to all the others. Sound familiar? “Let them eat cake?” Hey, didn’t the people eat that queen’s head? I believe so.
The Democrats have no one to blame but themselves. While not a huge Bernie fan and didn’t burn over him like his millennials did – he was a decent fellow. He didn’t have sex, lies, death and evidence swirling around him. The DNC – as we’ve learned from several leaks – colluded and cheated to have Clinton as their gal pal nominee. They got her. Unvetted and all. So to say it’s the Russians or Big Jim or Trump or that mystical purple cloud, vast Right Wing Conspiracy makes them look immature and unfit for their own positions in our society – much less talking on the idiot box.
Frankly, the Democrats did their party and votes a grave disservice by giving the worst and most corrupt candidate in US Election History. They should’ve known better. It was through their own gross negligence that got them what they have on the tin foil platters today! While Democrats are fantastic at dishing out toxic waste, they aren’t very good at taking law enforcement doing their jobs – finally!
Another thing I’d like to note is this: If Wikileaks, DCLeaks, Guccifer, et. al. could have this much blackmail material on Clinton, isn’t it just a bit scary to you that the rest of the world has it as well? Think about that one, friends!
ABC Abraham Baldwin Barbra Streisand Breitbart Clinton Cash Clinton Email Scandal Clinton Foundation CNN DC DC Caller DCLeaks Democrats Donna Brazile FBI Fox News Guccifer Hillary Clinton James Comey MSM MSNBC NYPD Quid Pro Quo Washington Wikileaks
A Stark Contrast
TRUMPISM: Will President Trump Surpass FDR’s First 100?
Clinton #PedoGate & How the FBI is Saving Our Nation
BREAKING: Clapper Confirms Report NOT Intel Comm
Get Politics OUT of Commencement Addresses
DEMOCRATS: Russia Collusion
COMMON SENSE: A Novel Approach to Governance
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SteelView in App
Bhushan Steel turns into a case bigger than anything Indian courts have ever seen
Just look at the mammoth size of the Bhushan Steel case: 600 accused in all, and a 70,000-page chargesheet!
By Rashmi Rajput, ET Bureau | Updated: Jul 11, 2019, 09.43 AM IST
SFIO’s decision to file a chargesheet against a large number of accused is based on the Supreme Court’s guideline.
MUMBAI: India’s court system is no stranger to strange facts. But this is stranger than most: A court that takes 4 hours 45 minutes just to mark the attendance of all accused (assuming a minute for each), a courtroom that has to accommodate nearly 600 accused and their counsel (assuming one lawyer per accused, though sometimes one lawyer represents more than one accused but a senior counsel is usually accompanied by junior lawyers and staff), and a judge who has to master evidence that runs into more than 70,000 pages.
These extraordinary possibilities are thanks to the mammoth chargesheet the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), the investigation arm of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), has filed against 284 individuals and entities while probing alleged irregularities in Bhushan Steel Ltd (BSL). And, it may be a very long-drawn case, even by the standards of Indian judicial delays, given the vast ambit of the case, legal experts say. In any criminal case, once a chargesheet is filed and taken cognizance of, trial commences with the framing of charges. Before that the court has to dispose of other pending pleas, including bail or discharge applications filed by the accused. In economic offence cases, there’s the additional factor of deciding which properties are to be attached.
Senior counsel Vijay Aggarwal, who is representing a few accused in the BSL matter, said the case may not be completed any time soon. “By arraying so many accused, the agency has ensured that the trial may not finish in the lifetime of the present lawyers and the accused persons,” he said. “As they have over 200 accused, the trial cannot be held in the courtroom, they should have an alternative venue. Also, the agency has to print over two crore pages if a hard copy of the chargesheet is to be supplied to each accused which is mandated as per section 207 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC),” he adds.
SFIO’s decision to file a chargesheet against a large number of accused is based on the Supreme Court’s guidelines that mandate that all those involved in alleged offences be charged. However, it’s up to the court to decide who will stand trial.
Senior counsel Hiten Venagaonkar, who is representing SFIO in the IL&FS matter, said the number of witnesses, not the number of accused, is key to the length of a trial in criminal cases. “The Supreme Court has made it clear that if there is a case against a person, chargesheet has to be filed against him. The prosecution cannot decide who to drop and who to include,” he said. “If the witnesses are a few in number then the trial doesn’t take long.” Senior counsel Sanjay Shourie, who is representing MCA, is confident that the number of accused wouldn't be a problem in court proceedings against BSL. “The case is being heard by a special court. It’s a strong case where the role of individuals is well-defined.”
Last time a case saw a very large number of accused was the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts case in which a chargesheet of more than 10,000 pages was filed. The first leg of the trial concluded in 2006 with the TADA (Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act) court convicting 100 accused. In 2017, the trial court convicted six persons and acquitted one in the second leg of the trial.
Some experts say the nature of economic offence investigations partly determines the length of the chargesheet as well as the longer time taken to decide these matters. Prosecutions in these cases rely primarily on documentary evidence.
Just as the SFIO chargesheet in the BSL case runs into 70,000 pages, the agency's first chargesheet in the IL&FS case on its subsidiary IFIN ran to 32,000 pages. “Economic offences are based on documents. If one document goes missing or is misplaced it could delay the trial. Therefore a 70,000- page document will have a bearing on the duration of the trial,” Venagaonkar adds.
“Criminal trials in economic offence take longer than other criminal cases not only because the burden of proof is stricter but also because a large number of witnesses and documents have to be examined,” said Sachin Midha, counsel for former IFIN director Ramesh Bawa.
Bhushan Steel |Serious Fraud Investigation Office |strange facts |mammoth chargesheet |1993 Bombay bombings |ministry of corporate affairs
Bhushan Steel
India probes alleged dumping of flat rolled products of stainless steel from 15 nations
Business News › Industry › Ind'l Goods/Svs › Steel › Bhushan Steel turns into a case bigger than anything Indian courts have ever seen
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POWER Library: PA Photos and Documents
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The Bulletin Index was a weekly publication of social, cultural and business news for the Pittsburgh region. It was published form 1876-1949.
The Bulletin Index was a weekly publication of social, cultural and business news for the Pittsburgh region. It was published form 1876-1949. The week of May 4, 1944 featured an Operetta that was performed at Sewickley Academy honoring the...
(The) Bulletin Index -- Publications -- Pittsburgh, (Pa.); Robinson, Alexander Cochrane (A.C.)
The Bulletin Index was a weekly publication of social, cultural and business news for the Pittsburgh region. It was published form 1876-1949. The week of January 18, 1940 featured notable Sewickley businessman and philanthropist, Alexander...
Whitehall High School Yearbook 1922
1922 Whitehall High School Yearbook
Whitehall Commemorative Booklet 1730 - 1976
Whitehall (Pa. : Township)
History of Whitehall Township Pennsylvania, 1776-1976
Pennsylvania Scrap Book Necrology, Volume 57, p. 051
Microfilmed scrapbooks of obituaries clipped from Pennsylvania newspapers from 16 October 1891 to 3 March 1904. Many Civil War veterans included.
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African-American History -- Sewickley, (Pa.); Social Events;
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Mary Slaughter
Framed oval portrait of elderly matron Mary Slaughter (1837-1934), who dedicated her life to caring for homeless black women.
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The social sorority Alpha Xi Delta joined the University in 1957 when students complained of too few sororities on campus. This photo shows members of Alpha Xi Delta clowning around for the camera in 1982.
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1971 Lamborghini Espada 400GT Series II
Posted on November 16, 2016 0 0
Seller is a dealer: European Motor Studio in Mesa, Arizona (480) 310 8814
Odometer: 40,850 miles
12 Cylinder Coupe
Price $169,995 US Dollars / Buy it Now
As of 11/16/16: 8 days left with 35 watching
Click Here for Ebay Ad
I love Espadas and these keep climbing in value. I had an opportunity to buy one for $60k over 8 years ago and still regret it ever since. This one is in very nice original condition. Seller also states this car was ordered by Malcolm Forbes in a very unusual color combination of Arancio over Bertone “VIP” Arancio Leather Interior. This Espada left the Sant’ Agata Bolognese factory on October 29, 1971 and delivered to Forbes by Modena Car, New York. Very cool history on this car. The Chassis number is 8518 and is the 557th Espada off the production line of a total of 1217 cars ever made. The interest is high and this is a great example with an interesting history.
The Espada is a 4 seater GT that was in production for 10 years. This is a beautiful design by Marcello Gandini at Bertone.
The production is broken down into 3 series.
Series 1 ( S1): 1968 – 1970
Series 2 (S2): 1970-1972
** All series featured a different interior design with minor changes to the exterior
Fun Fact: The Espada name means “Sword” and refers to the sword that is used in bull fighting.
This video by Harry’s Garage features an Espada with a huge glass sunroof. I always loved this rare option but have never seen one in person. I think that is the one to own because it makes the interior open and looks cool.
The Espada used a monocoque steel body. Suspension was fully independent, with double wishbones, coil springs, hydraulic shock absorbers and anti-roll bars.four wheel disc brakes Twin fuel tanks held 95 l (25 US gal) of gasoline; the fuel cap was hidden behind a black cosmetic grille in the C-pillar, one of Gandini’s signature touches.
Its 3,929 cc (240 cu in) V12 engine breathed through six Weber side-draft carburators and 24 valves commanded by two chain-driven overhead camshafts per bank. The gearbox was mounted in block with the engine. Most transmissions were manual, and the Espada also introduced one of the first automatic transmissions able to transfer the torque of a large sporting V12. It had unusual gearing, with 3 ratios: drive, 1 and reverse. When leaving the factory it originally fitted Pirelli Cinturato 205VR15 tyres (CN72).
What a great Espada logo. Lamborghini always created very intersting fonts and logos for their cars.
The interior is gorgeous. I wouldnt change a thing.
Books and Tools. I wouldnt want to track down all the pieces to make a complete set.
Seller Description:
European Motor Studio is very proud to offer this very rare and highly unusual 1971 Lamborghini Espada 400GT Series II. Ordered new by Entrepreneur Malcolm Forbes in this very unusual color combination of Arancio over Bertone “VIP” Arancio leather interior, this Espada left the Sant’Agata Bolognese factory in October 29, 1971 and delivered new to Forbes by Modena Car, NY. Espada chassis number 8518 is the 557 Espada off the production line of a total of 1217 units ever made. The car has covered a mere 40,860 miles from new and has been in the Forbes ownership until the mid 2000’s where it went to its second owner, a private collector where it has been properly stored and cared for. The Arancio lacquer paint is mostly original with a couple of touch ups from over the years. It shows very well for its age with some minor imperfections, stone chips in the front nose and very light checking on the roof. The body is very straight and the original panels are free from any accident damage or repair work. All of the trim is in beautiful original condition and undisturbed after all these years. The interior is absolutely stunning with a beautiful nicely aged patina to the original Bertone VIP leather. A very small number of Espada’s left the factory with this interior treatment and from top to bottom is is very soft to the touch and free from any dye or repair work. The glorious matching numbers 4 cam Italian built V12 engine starts right up and does not smoke on start up or under acceleration. All 6 Weber carburetors are all nicely synced and tuned properly and brand new factory correct plugs and wires along with a full service has just been done. Brand new pads, re-machines rotors, new calipers, new ball joints, tie rods, suspension bushings, control arm bushings and shock tower bushings have all been replaced. Brand new Michelin XWX’s and re-finished factory Miura knock off wheels have also just been done. All of the electrical items in the car are operating as designed including all of the lights, interior lights, dash lights, all warning lights on the dash, exterior lights, reverse lights, brake lights, side marker lights, headlights and turn signals are all working as designed. This is an exceptionally well maintained Espada that has been cared for its entire life and kept in largely original condition even down to the original radio that is still operating. The original Lamborghini leather book case, original owners handbook, original service book, dealer book and service coupons are all present with the car including the original radio booklet, tool roll, jack, matching spare tire and service documentation. This is an incredible opportunity to acquire a very iconic Italian GT sports car in a very rare configuration with excellent provenance and complete with all of its books and tools.
1969 Mercedes Benz 600 W100
Lamborghini Espada Tools and Parts
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Firepool Records
A Sky Full Of Stars For A Roof CD
Released 2019 | HC Productions | HC019
1. Beyond The Frontier (5.49)
2. Long Ride To Eden (5.58)
3. West Coast (5.57)
4. A Sky Full Of Stars For A Roof (11.05)
5. Dust In The Sun (3.00)
6. On The Third Day Arrived The Crow (4.03)
7. Specter Of Twilight (3.27)
8. Night Falls (4.58)
All music composed by Djam Karet
Produced, mixed and mastered by Gayle Ellett
Recorded at Foggy Mountain Studios in Topanga and White Arrow Studios in Claremont, California
Art design by Mike Murray
Drum tech: Sebastian Harris
A Sky Full Of Stars For A Roof
Artists Statement: Chuck Oken, Jr.
First off it must be stated that Gayle Ellett is the main creative force behind this release. Without his complete dedication to the long creative process here and his incredible talent for creating rhythms and melodies over unique electronic landscapes, this body of music would not exist. His drive to tackle this project came deep from within himself and I thank him for that and continuing the musical journey of Djam Karet.
From the mid 80's to the very early 90's, Djam Karet releases were recorded live in whatever small boxes of rehearsal places and studios we could afford. Entire songs were rehearsed to death and then recorded live to tape with all of us playing in the same room and sounds from all of our instruments bleeding into each others tracks. With that sound bleed, also came the bond and blood of the energy of a complete take - a band in the same room reacting to each other in our own musical language. The dual release in 1991 of Burning The Hard City and Suspension & Displacement acknowledged a new time for recording duality where our old methods of recording were used (BTHC) and new studio techniques were discovered (S&D). With Suspension and Displacement, we began overdubs and experimentation with no worries about having to reproduce a song live.
This dual process of recording went to deeper levels through all of our releases including Sonic Celluloid in 2017. For example, The Heavy Soul Sessions in 2010 was completely multi tracked live in the studio, just like the old days, while most of our records from 2000 to 2010 were a mix of totally rehearsed songs and magical experimentations in the studio, and 2013's The Trip consisted of both live improvisations and experiments in the studio.
LAYER ONE: BEYOND THE LONG TWILIGHT
In 2017/2018, Gayle reviewed a whole bunch of electronic pieces I had sent him and he lived with them over time and took x amount of them and combined and edited them into 7 tracks. These electronic pieces were composed of everything but the kitchen sink as I use a large array of both analog and digital keyboards and modular with a healthy dose of looping and processing. Those 7 tracks became the 1st layer of this project and are accurately reflected in Beyond The Long Twilight. Track 8 was brought to the table by Mike Henderson and is a more ambient/sparse remix by myself of the bare tracks you hear on the full release of track 8 on A Night Full Of Stars For a Roof.
LAYER TWO: THE CROWS OF DUST FALL AT NIGHT
Here is where the magic really happened and Gayles energy bought all of the members of Djam Karet and some of his closest friends together to write music around these soundscapes. Hundreds of hours of recording and mixing in Topanga took place as a parade of band members and friends came through Gayle's house. Structures, melodies, acoustic and electronic instruments and layers of composition all added to the original electronic soundscapes. In a Stranger Things World, this layer exists BOTH with and without the electronic space it was composed for. Without Layer One, there is a sense of SPACE in The Crows Of Dust Fall At Night and a world all of its own.
A NIGHT FULL OF STARS FOR A ROOF
Except for Track 8, the release is a combination of the 2 layers. You could start the 2 CD's (Layer 1 & 2) on 2 separate players and Tracks 1 - 7 should line up to be the release. This was discovered during some very long artistic discussions between Gayle and myself about this project. One thing led to another and then we were doing a mix of the release without the electronics and then we did a mix of the release with just the electronics and by doing that the entire scope and vision of this project appeared. Two layer worlds combine in A Night Full Of Stars For A Roof bringing two very distinct pieces of music together.
WHAT DO I HEAR ON A NIGHT FULL OF STARS FOR A ROOF?
Our 19th Release is an album with some of our most melodic work yet while also combining acoustic instruments and electronic synthesizers into a very new sound. Our lifetime collective influences shine through on this release so a special thanks to the work of these artists: Robert Fripp, Pat Metheny & Lyle Mays, Steve Tibbets, Mark Isham & Steve Roach. A Night Full of Stars For a Roof is also infected with a sense of place and rhythm that is West Coast California with a maturity born through the hours of time into a project lead by the vision of Gayle Ellett and the soul of all of the members of the extended DK family.
As always - thank you for your time, head, and ears. -- Chuck Oken, Jr.
Mark Cook
Electric Guitar, Fretlass Guitar, Bass (Track 7)
Harmonium, Dilruba, Acoustic & Electric Guitars, 8 & 4 String Tenor Ukulele, Vibraphone, Viola, Greek Bouzouki, EBow, Upright Bass, Analog Synth, Hammond Organ, Mellotron Choir, Gopichand, Tar, Mbira, Wooden Flutes, Surmandal, Tanpura, Cumbus, Congas, Udu, Krakebs, Tambourine, Bicycle Bell, Field Recordings
Electric Guitar, 12 String Acoustic Cuitar, Slide Guitar, Synthesizers
Todd Montgomery
Sitar (Tracks 1, 2 & 6), Irish Bouzouki (Track 6)
Mike Murray
Acoustic Guitar (Track 3), Electric Mandocello (Tracks 1 & 3)
Micah Nelson
Charango (Tracks 3 & 5)
Chuck Oken, Jr.
Analog and Digital Keyboard Sequencing and Soundscapes, Drums
Henry J. Osborne
Shannon Michael Terry
Array Mbira (Track 5)
Sound Samples
A Sky Full Of Stars For A Roof by Djam Karet
Purchase A Sky Full Of Stars For A Roof
Physical: Djam Karet Store
Digital: BandCamp
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Djam Karet on Facebook
For the latest Djam Karet News...
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Majd-Terak.Com
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As part of my resolution to "see more movies," Peevil and I went to "Volver" last night at the Princess Cinema (Peevil and I also have a resolution to "see more of each other," so we both bought memberships, and now we can't come up with excuses).
I've loved Pedro Almodovar's films since my first exposure -- I think it was "Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down." I miss the raunchy, silly campiness of his older films in the same way that I miss John Waters' old-time craziness...but unlike Waters, Almodovar has mellowed into something beautiful and strange. He's no longer making movies about nuns on LSD, but he's not making blockbusters either. His films are as crazy as ever, really...but he's learned to relax. I think I've finally learned to relax with him.
As always, Volver stars unconventionally beautiful women (Lola Duenas is the logical, toned-down follow up to Rossy de Palma's "pretty but shouldn't really be" standards...far prettier than Penelope Cruz anyday). These women -- as always -- work towards gaining independence from men and towards friendship with each other. Crazy stuff happens and everybody stands around and acts like it's sort of normal. Almodovar stalwarts Carmen Maura and Chus Lampreave (she'll always be Sister Rat to me!) are just so darn GOOD and so darn SPECIAL that it makes my heart ache.
The plot? Well, Peevil and I had already figured out the two big twists halfway through, but we still enjoyed the development. You tend to know what Almodovar's up to, but you never know how he'll present it. I also notice that when you watch his films in a crowd, people don't know whether they're supposed to laugh or not. Sadly the two old ladies behind me decided to live on the edge and laugh at everything, and they were sorely in need of a pepsodent soak. Peevil didn't notice because she had her nose buried in her coat; the theatre was freezing.
Anyway: go into Volver expecting an intriguing, funny, harrowing story about Spanish women with curvy bums. That way you'll get what you want and you won't be disappointed.
Traumatizing the Cat
I've had Zsa Zsa for six years and I've never taken her to the vet. I know several people who never take their cats for regular check-ups, and since Zsa Zsa is as healthy as a pony I figured there was no point.
But guilt finally won out. Also I bought her one of those cat water fountains, which is sort of like buying a Thunderbird fountain for an alcoholic. She's always been OBSESSED with running water, and now she can drink it whenever she wants...and as a result her litter box is a wet swampy mess.
Golly! Maybe she's diabetic? Maybe she caught it from me that time I smooched her?
So I made an appointment at the vet's, dusted off her old cat carrier, and dragged poor Zsa Zsa into a strange environment. She meowed pitifully in the cab when I got out to get her adoption papers. She sat with her face pressed against the grille, gazing at me, in the back seat. Then, at the vet's office, she had a staring contest with a dog (and won), she hissed and growled when the vet examined her butt, and finally she looked resigned and proud as they wrapped her in a blanket and took her away to do a biopsy of That Thing On Her Head.
First things first: she's probably not diabetic. Rather than subject her to blood work they gave me a packet of litterbox crystals that supposedly change colour when she pees on them.
Next, That Thing On Her Head. It's a lump that suddenly grew during her first year with me but hasn't changed since. Turns out it's a mastocytoma (warning, sad and gross), which in a dog is critical...but cats get them frequently and they are almost always benign.
Finally, her "happy-twitching." When she's very very relaxed and I'm petting her, her face starts to spasm slightly; her lips twich suddenly, her mouth wiggles a bit, her eyes clench spastically. It never seems to bother her but looks like some kind of seizure. I mentioned it to the vet because I noticed she was doing it in the clinic, which means it happens when she's both happy AND stressed. I'd be stressed too if the vet thought MY name was pronounced "Saw-see."
The vet was very happy to expound on twitching cats. She's heard this from a few other cat owners and she feels it's a "cluster seizure," but since nobody has the time, motivation, or money to stick cats in MRI scans to see how they act when they're happy...well, maybe we'll never know what it's all about.
A non-deductable $70 later, I now have peace of mind and Zsa Zsa -- on my lap as I write this -- doesn't appear permanently damaged. Of course I still have to do the urine test...but I'll leave that for another day. Jeez, I think I found the whole experience more stressful than she did.
Labels: zsa zsa
Palatable Bollywood Joy: Maghta Hai Kya
If I were going to pick one clip that embodied the best of Bollywood -- a clip palatable to non-fans AND avoiding outright culture-shock goofiness -- I'd pick this scene from the film "Rangeela."
What you've got here (by way of plot) is sweet bumpkin Aamir Khan trying to deal with the sudden stardom of his girlfriend, Urmila Matondkar. This song (Maghta Hai Kya) is just showing us their passion, love, unpretentious silliness, and adventurous spirit...before they begin to drift apart into different classes and ambitions.
Why's it special? First off it's a great song by unconventional musician A. R. Rahman, known for his odd rhythm, studio trickery, and long quiet stretches broken by sudden and unexpected shocks. You've also got Ram Gopal Varma directing, who at the time (1996?) considered himself the "Steven Spielberg of Bollywood," which in this case was a good thing. Finally you've got Urmilla and Aamir who had a great chemistry and a certain charm (this was during their pre-fame days...in fact, this was the film that really "made them.")
Also notable is this was when the "kiss taboo" in Indian films began to loosen: note the strange "kiss-and-cut" moment halfway through. And there's a green-screen effect that sort of works. And leaf-covered natives. And sexiness. And sweetness. You can almost excuse the traditional "standing on rocks and pinwheeling" elements near the beginning, which any fan of Bollywood has seen far too much of.
The choreography, though more adventurous than average, is still typical Bollywood: it doesn't matter if it makes sense in a cultural or traditional way, just as long as it LOOKS GOOD. Even when it doesn't. Which sums up the fun of Bollywood in general.
So in short: it's moments (and movies) like this that really MADE Bollywood for me, when I watched it regularly. Eventually I got tired of seeing the same things over and over again, and also got jaded with the craziness, but some films really shone, and "Rangeela" was one of them.
Labels: Bollywood, movies
My New Digs: The Shoe-Eating Porch
When you arrive at My New Digs, be careful walking on the Shoe-Eating Porch. There's nothing it likes better than snapping at the heels of your favourite shoes. If you're lucky both you AND your shoes will escape alive!
Labels: My New Digs
I figured: okay, I just spent a great night in Guelph with wonderful people at a wonderful party...I can go home and enjoy a totally nerdy persuit, right?
So I watched the pilot episode of the "Sarah Jane Adventures."
Gah! Okay, it's a show aimed at pre-teens. Obviously. But those of you (like me) who grew up watching Sarah Jane Smith in the late '70s during the heyday of "Doctor Who" can't help feeling a little nostalgic about her. Or in this case, a LOT nostalgic.
The Sarah Jane character got unceremoniously dumped in 1976, the way many of the Doctor Who "companions" got dumped when things just weren't working out. Elizabeth Sladen (the actress) felt that the character wasn't going anywhere, and she was right...there's only so many times you can say "Doctor, WHAT'S HAPPENING?!?" before things get a little tiresome.
But the problem is, Elizabeth Sladen never went anywhere afterwards. She'd been typecast. And we all loved her and wished we could see her again (though I admit that Leela and Romana kicked butt as travelling companions afterward).
On the heels of her brief return during the second season of the new Doctor Who, introducing a whole new set of neuroses, Elizabeth Sladen stars in her own TV series -- "The Sarah Jane Adventures" -- which is really darn fun. I mean sure, I'm twice the age of the target demographic, but that doesn't matter: Elizabeth Sladen has aged beautifully, she's got a killer pair of boots, and the production team does a great job aiming at children while still being fun for adults.
Besides whatever entertainment value the program has, it makes me happy to see Elizabeth Sladen back on screen again. She has justified her talent, she's a great actress, and if the only way she can prove it is by playing the same character again...well, sad but okay. And need I mention John Leeson as K9?
Okay, okay, the core of this post is the little kid in me screaming "YAY! K9 AND SARAH JANE! AND THEY'RE GREAT!" Nothing else matters. Tomorrow, life goes on.
Posted by Adam Thornton at 3:08 AM 10 comments: Links to this post
Labels: Doctor Who, nostalgia
Rising Up and Rising Down (Volume III)
For the last month or so I've been quickly -- but diligently -- making my way through William T. Vollmann's seven-volume opus, "Rising Up and Rising Down." It's an analysis of justifications for defense, looked at from many different angles and since the beginning of recorded history. Now that I'm midway through the third volume -- and almost at the spot where I gave up the last time -- I guess I can say a few things about this beautiful and maddening work.
Vollmann spent twenty years writing this, and it shows. The research is meticulous and his depth of understanding for so many topics is probably unmatched. At the same time, and in an attempt at making his analyses as comprehensive as possible, it can be difficult to follow the convoluted path of his thinking: he justifies carefully thought-out positions, then destroys them, then rebuilds them with new caveats and conditions that are sometimes surprisingly logical and elegant, but at other times totally useless. And he's the first one to tell you when he fails to come up with a practical section in his "moral calculus."
Rather than try to do this book justice, here are a few pointers to anybody considering tackling it (I understand the complete set is long out of print, but there's a "condensed" version available now).
The first volume is difficult to get into. It begins with "Three Meditations on Death" which don't have much to do with the book itself; this is typical of Vollmann, he seems to have trouble beginning his books, so the first chunk tends to be "warming up to the topic," a sort of mental purge so he can get to business. The following two sections show another annoying Vollmann trait: they're essential, but he's given them esoteric titles that only serve to throw the reader off the trail. "The Days of the Niblungs" is an advanced apology about how difficult the book will be to read and how subjective much of it needs to be.
The next ridiculously-titled-but-hugely-important section is "Definitions for Lonely Atoms." Since much of the book is about complex issues generally tackled by groups of people acting against other groups of people, this section is simply an analysis of the rights of the INDIVIDUAL; what are a person's basic offensive and defensive rights? He gets somewhat sidetracked on the issue of weaponry but I think Vollmann scores with his conclusions, which he reaches by analyzing countless historical precedents and by imagining the beginning of the human social contract:
To violently defend yourself, or not.
To violently defend another, or not.
To destroy yourself or preserve yourself.
To violently destroy another who would be better off dead
To violently defend your property, or not.
All of these points (and all other points I might reference here) are usually qualified with caveats -- for instance, point 3 specifies that suicide is permissible whenever uncoerced, but most noble as an act of assertion in defense of a right.
The next 3 volumes explore various types of self-defense, and try to codify when self-defense is justified. This is done by carefully defining the terms involved (for example, "inner honor" versus "outer honor"), giving huge amounts of historical detail as case studies, giving continuums of opinion on the subject from the writings of others, and -- most importantly -- defining a set of rules and conditions which make a particularly type of self-defense justified or unjustified.
I've worked my way through his analyses of violent defense of honor (the first, longest, and most complex topic), class, authority, race & culture, creed, war aims, homeland, ground, the earth, and animals. Each section is slightly different in its approach; some are more anectodal (Vollmann's experiences in Bosnia, Cambodia, Afghanistan, Nunuvut), others are careful retellings of historical events (the American Civil War, the Russian Revolution, Napoleon, Caesar vs. Pompey, Joan of Arc, World War One and Two), and others rely a lot on personal interviews with today's activists.
I find the chapters on defense of Earth and defense of animals to be most interesting, because it's there where Vollmann really struggles. In most cases (so far) he's tackled issues that have been explored for centuries and experimented upon by other grand civilizations, but when it comes to Eco-terrorism or the Animal Liberation Front, not only are they relatively NEW (and as yet relatively undefined) issues, but the violent actions tend to be perpetrated by people who seem to be acting on compassionate grounds (never mind that they don't necessarily have compassion for their opponents, but the PETA folks certainly seem to care more for animals than -- for example -- Trotsky seemed to care for the proles).
In his chapter on defense of Earth -- involving the spiking of trees to prevent logging, and any sort of violent uprising to prevent pollution or global warming -- he constructs an elaborate and clever concept: a private army called "Same Day Liberations." It sounds great until you begin to realize that Vollmann is REALLY wallowing in despair; he knows the idea won't work. People are too easily bought off, disinformation is too easily spread by rich and powerful authorities, human beings are too short-sighted. All he can really suggest is that we become our own experts and be critical of where our information comes from.
The most interesting point he raises, though, is Garrett Hardin's "Tragedy of the commons," which is so depressing that I'll just quote Vollmann's paraphrase:
Problem: What is my utility in adding one more animal to my herd on a common pasture?
Solution: Buy another animal, let it overgrazed, and be damned to everybody else
On a related note he mentions what he calls "The Crocodile's Maxim," which boils down to a general way of thinking that things MUST get better/bigger/easier, and if they don't then we're doing something wrong. But it's unlikely that things can increase in this way indefinitely; how many people can the earth support? How big can a company get? I think this is a very important and awful part of human nature and I wish I could express it better. Every time I see a report that a company is achieving record stock prices, I think jeez, how can anybody believe that will continue forever, and what's wrong with a stock staying at the same price (I know what a stockholder would say, at least).
When it comes to defense of animals, Vollmann is even more uncertain, mainly because nobody can settle on a threshold at which violence against animals must stop (monkeys, dogs, rabbits, mice, flies, flatworms, bacteria?), and how useful violence against animals actually is (medical research, hunter/gathering societies, animal attacks, community rituals).
Vollmann is never more interesting than when he's writing about the Inuit, as far as I'm concern. He's the first to say that he is perhaps unreasonably romantic about their lifestyle, but his descriptions of seal hunts -- and subsequent family dinners of raw frozen meat -- are eye-opening. When an animal-rights activists tells him that the Inuit would stop hunting for meat if they were provided with enough other types of food (disregarding the cost of getting the food to them, since agriculture just isn't feasible up there), he delivers a stunning comparison: this is exactly what Cortes said about the Aztecs, it's the placement of one group's ethos over another's, and the disgusting assumption that the other group will gleefully embrace your own values because they're naturally "better."
My favourite moment, though, is when Vollmann spends several pages writing about how wonderful his sealskin kamiks (moccasins) are, how important they've been to him in his travels up north, and how synthetic boots can't match his kamiks in certain situations. After waxing romantic about his kamiks for four pages gives an animal activist named Lizzy her own chapter to respond. She says simply:
"I just wonder how that seal felt when he was killed so some guy could take his skin and go up to the Magnetic Pole to think."
Labels: books, Rising Up and Rising Down, sociology, William T. Vollmann
The "French Phone"
In early 1927, the New Yorker begins mentioning a revolutionary telephone that everybody wants to have. Called "The French Phone," I didn't know what the heck it was until I ran across this cartoon this morning:
It seems this type of phone -- with the receiver and headset combined into one section, the way we know it today -- cost more to install and caused minor havoc with the Bell Telephone company.
To get around the higher cost, people bought cheaper French Phones made by third-party companies and installed them personally. But Bell had a contract in its clause that nobody had paid attention to previously: you were not allowed to use non-Bell accessories with Bell's telephone service.
From the sounds of it, this prohibition was pretty much unenforcable. It may have begun the breakdown of Bell's phone-and-service monopoly. If you're interested in learning more about early telephones, check out this site. But I warn you: you'll suffer a disturbing MIDI loop of "Puttin' On the Ritz."
PS: Why was it called "The French Phone?" Apparently it resembled phones in Europe. What that means exactly I'm not sure.
Labels: french phone, The New Yorker
If the Nightingale / Could Sing Like You...
I just finished rewatching the Marx Brothers in "Monkey Business," you know, the one where they're stowaways and need to impersonate famous people to get off the boat. Errr, to differentiate it from "A Night at the Opera," this is the one where they pretend to be Maurice Chevalier, and where Harpo does a Punch & Judy gag with a lot of children who are being forced to laugh. And you know how awful it is when little kids have to pretend to laugh in a film.
Some of the best moments in a Marx Brothers movie are when Chico does a one-on-one routine with either Harpo or Groucho:
GROUCHO: Well, the picnic's off, we didn't bring any red ants.
CHICO: I know some Indians got a couple of red aunts.
I also love to watch the Marxes tease and confuse women. I don't know whether it's a misogynistic streak or what, but a common thread in these movies is one of the brothers flirting with a woman, routinely insulting her at the same time, and then scaring the heck out of her or sort of physically assaulting her. I find this refreshing not because I like to see women get insulted, jacked up like cars, or crushed under couch cushions, but because I like to see a Hollywood "flirtation routine" get turned completely on its head.
CHICO: You're a very pretty girl. You've got "it."
MANICURIST: Thank you.
CHICO: And you can keep it.
Watching Groucho irrationally insult a pretty girl ("Does your husband know you used to dance in a flea circus?") also provides a welcome change from hatchet-faced Zeppo woodenly wooing the dull romantic lead. And anything that delays a harp solo is a good thing in my books.
(Every blog entry requires a certain amount of writing-agony, but this time around I couldn't remember how to spell cushion...think about it, it's a strange word)
Labels: movies, The Marx Brothers
My New Digs: Satan's Lazy Susan
Ladies and gentlement, let me present: Satan's Lazy Susan.
What you're seeing is the sanitized version. When I first opened this cupboard I almost vomited, and that ain't no lie. Besides being coated with a thick layer of mouse feces, all three shelves of Satan's Lazy Susan were also covered with rotten food and other unidentifiable substances. And there was an old bottle of vanilla extract in there somewhere.
My first instinct was to nail the cupboard shut and never think about it again, but I knew that was impossible. How could I actually WASH DISHES under such an abomination? So I put on the rubber gloves -- and gave some credit to whoever decided to BUILD this crazy thing -- and spent an hour spraying, digging, sweeping, and gagging.
Now I have a clean lazy susan which I'll never use. I admit it has a "Leave it to Beaver" appeal, but whenever I look at it I think of the words "Totally F*cking Disgusting."
Such is the joy of moving into an old apartment. You never know what you'll find.
Labels: My New Digs, twitching
The Horrible Hagfish
Yesterday I brought you the bread-secreting bowery bums. Today I bring you...the slime-secreting hagfish!
I love to read about disgusting animals, especially parasites. It instills in me a sense of nature's ingenuity and her unique code of aesthetics: lots of animals are horrible, but some of the most horrible animals are also the best adapted to their environment. Sometimes I feel like those pre-1930s naturalists who considered such animals to be degenerate abominations, and wrote treatises about how they had actual "devolved" due to laziness and immorality. Other times I can only marvel at their functional beauty.
I also like to read about horrible animals because I like to be grossed out.
So I happily present the hagfish. They're usually about 18 inches long and, like a lamprey, they can attach themselves to other fish and slowly eat them alive. But unlike the lamprey, the hagfish has a special ability to tie itself in knots...this ability gives it traction, allowing it to actually INSERT itself into other fish...and eat them from the inside out.
Hagfish can also produce HUGE amounts of fibrous slime...they can literally cocoon themselves in slime in just a few seconds, and can clean themselves off again by tying their bodies into a knot and slipping the knot back along their skin. Here's a video of a hagfish inside a slime cocoon...you can see it best halfway through.
WARNING: According to this link hagfish sometimes "burrow in the soft bottom." So if you've been feeling strange lately, grab a mirror and take a look. You don't want somebody ELSE to tell you.
Labels: parasites
Lipstick's Cure for an Inferiority Complex
Since I was just mentioning Lois Long and her somewhat irreverent, entertaining, and insensitive style, here's an excerpt from her May 26, 1927 "Tables for Two" guide to dining and nightclubbing:
More slumming notes: Those interested in the Human Interest side of life may find it, better than anywhere, at the five-cent cafeteria of the Bowery Y.M.C.A., which has already been the subject of so many sob stories that I hardly have the heart to compete with my newspaper sisters. There you can order soup or coffee for five cents, corned beef and cabbage for ten, pie for five, and bread for nothing; and you can watch the derelicts of the town decide definitely against anything too nourishing in favor of pastry and pie. You may also observe the gentlemen of the ensemble secreting bread all over their persons in whatever pockets (besides the one that contains the hootch) are still capable of holding anything.
And, if this doesn't make you feel sufficiently superior and prosperous and beautiful; if it doesn't knock your inferiority complex endwise, the Armless Wonder and the Five-Toed-What-Is-It and the Fattest Lady, gents, in captivity eat in their headquarters in the Hubert's Museum, daily between five and six.
Labels: The New Yorker, vanity
My New Digs: Low Frequencies
Well, there's no getting around it; low frequencies travel through this building like poop through a duck. A cupboard door being closed in the other unit's kitchen is an audible thump in my bedroom.
I can filter out the higher-frequencies -- like talking -- with a somewhat noisy fan, but I can't think of anything to stop the fact that when one of my neighbours comes home at 10pm, makes herself some food, and takes a bath...well, I can hear (and FEEL) her thumping around until she retires to her room. Which may be anywhere from 11pm to 1am.
Right now this is keeping me awake.
What's my solution? Bear with me here, there's a lot of variables. And I want to make it clear that this is me "trying to understand and solve the problem," not "whining."
I can hardly tell people not to move around after 10pm; if I worked nights and somebody asked me not to open cupboards and doors when I got home...well, I'd think they were nuts. Though my neighbour could stand to be a bit more CAREFUL with her movements after 10pm -- pushing the cupboards shut instead of knocking them shut, for instance -- I don't want to suggest such a thing right now. It would seem like a demand or a lecture (unless I can find some way to speak with them long enough to "ease" the suggestion in, rather than just march over and say "stop it").
I don't think that BLOCKING the sounds is feasible; a big box fan might work (my old one is so rattly by now that I'll need to get it replaced), or maybe some other kind of polite noise-maker could cancel out the thumps. Structural soundproofing isn't something I can do without landlord initiative, and even if they would do it I think it's hopeless: the structure of the house itself is a conduit for these noises, it seems.
I could change my schedule. Normally I try to get to sleep by 9:30pm, and get up by 7am. I've spent a lifetime trying to figure out how to sleep properly, but I HAVE heard (and garnered some evidence) that people can manage just as well (if not better) with 6 hours of sleep. Though that might not be me.
Strangely, my last apartment suffered a different structural problem: the ceiling creaked horribly. I could hear every footstep in the apartment above me, and I can remember many late nights being unable to sleep -- or being woken up -- by the folks upstairs walking around late at night or (worse) having vigorous, regular sex.
But somehow THIS noise is affecting me more, either because it's a DIFFERENT sort of noise -- maybe it's vibrating my bed, slightly -- or because I'm not fully "at home" yet.
All of which forces me to acknowledge that I have a lower threshold for noise than some people do. For that reason I have no idea if THIS degree of noise is abnormal and therefore "something which MUST be stopped or fixed." This also means that I might be able to get used to the noise...and for what it's worth, my neighbours are so far SAINTS when it comes to making noise. I just wish they worked 9-5 like I do...
The other variable is blood sugar (as always). My blood sugar often rises as I'm sleeping, which happens to certain diabetics. If it rises (or lowers) to a certain point I become edgy, sensitive, and I have a lot of trouble sleeping. This is difficult because if I fall asleep at an ideal blood sugar, chances are my neighbour coming home will wake me up...at which point I'll have a higher blood sugar, and I'll need to lower it again before I can reach a good "sleep state." This is my problem right now: my neighbour's been silent for half an hour but I'm still "wound up." Not to mention I'm afraid to try to sleep, begin to drift off, and then be thumped awake again.
It's always good to have a plan, so here is mine. I'm going to just keep on and see how it goes. Chances are I'll get used to it eventually, the same way I (sort of) got used to the creaking ceiling. If this situation disrupts my life to the point where I'm a total wreck, well, I'm paying rent by the month so I can always find another place. Which would suck.
In the meantime, maybe I could get a foam pad for under the futon, to dull any vibrations that might be making it sound worse. Or try a box fan. Or earplugs. Or yoga!
Posted by Adam Thornton at 11:06 PM 4 comments: Links to this post
Labels: My New Digs, neighbours, sleep, twitching
Mixtures Reported
Every week, the "prohibition era" issues of The New Yorker offer -- maybe sarcastically -- new drink mixtures. This one is from March 26, 1927:
"Lipstick" cocktail, so named by its inventor, Mr. Barney Gallant, because it tastes sweet and innocuous and has an awful wallop--Two parts champagne, one part gin, one part orange juice, dash of grapefruit juice, and a flavoring of cherry brandy. Shake rapidly with single chunk of ice.
This one is obviously referring to Lois Long, the fashion and nightclub columnist for the New Yorker. Lois was successfully incognito for many years, signing her columns as either "Lipstick" or "L.L." and firmly stating that she was neither person. She married Peter Arno -- archetypal 1920s artist who developed the weird "Whoop Sisters" cartoons -- and they were notorious for their drunken romps through the New Yorker offices.
Lois has languished in obscurity for half a century. The republication of the old New Yorker magazines, followed by the 2006 book "Flapper," have reignited her fame. Notwithstanding what may be a stronger than usual strain of racism in her writing -- she enjoys "slumming" in Harlem nightclubs, where she makes mention of "pickaninnies" and such -- her amusing but factual reviews are the highlights of the early "not serious" stage of the magazine.
Tom Thomson presents one of the more commonly-quoted anecdotes about Long:
One evening when managing editor Ralph Ingersoll stopped by the office after regular working hours, he was dismayed to find the magazine's star cartoonist, Peter Arno, lying naked on a sofa with "Tables for Two" columnist, Lois Long.
Years later Long said, "Arno and I may have been married to one another by then, I can't remember." On second thought, she added, "Maybe we began drinking and forgot that we were married and had an apartment to go to."
Labels: 1920s, booze, The New Yorker
Cover FX...The New Foundation?
Queens are in a tizzy. Our panstick has been taken away. For whatever reason, Max Factor is no longer selling any of their products in Canada, and all of us are wondering what we should do now.
Word "on the street" (wig-tip to Morgan & Ezzie) is that queens are switching to Ben Nye's foundation, which is engineered for TV and studio work. Myself, I decided to trailblaze...mostly because I don't know where to buy Ben Nye foundation here in the burbs of Kitchener/Waterloo. Frankly I'm sick of hunting around for foundation, I'd rather pay more in exchange for convenience.
So I started talking to Cosmeticians. "What's the hot new product?" I asked. They've all said "Cover FX," a Canadian company that specializes in foundation made for women who've accidentally fallen into threshing machines. It's heavy-duty stuff. It covers everything. It's freaking expensive.
So I wandered over to the "big" local drug store and waited to be served. The woman ahead of me was desperate to look y0ung, and the cosmetician was selling her on Neostrata. She was saying all sorts of bullcrap about how natural it was, etc., and I stood there thinking "only a moron would buy into this spiel."
Half an hour -- and one spiel -- later, I found myself paying $171 for the Cover FX foundation, the setting powder, the prep lotion (isn't it a DEFECT if a foundation REQUIRES a prep lotion?), and a $40 brush that I thought was worth about $5, but apparently it's made out of goats. And goats are cool. So there you go.
Tonight was my first "trial run" with the Cover FX. I can definitely say that the stuff is amazing under normal lighting. It takes a bit to get the hang of it -- and your face has to be SPOTLESS before you start applying it -- but once it's on it STAYS ON. Still, don't believe them when they say you don't need to powder afterwards...right now (hours later) I'm a bit shiny around the nose.
What works for me:
Wash your face, wash it, then wash it again.
Apply the prep lotion. You don't need much.
Swipe your $40 goat hair brush twice over the cream foundation
Apply to your face. Keep doing this until your face is covered.
Take a foundation sponge and mush it in ONLY where you see problems. This is for those parts of your face that you really want to cover.
Apply the setting powder. Again, not much is necessary.
If you can still see stuff you don't want to see, don't be afraid to put on more foundation and more powder. It blends right in.
Contour and colour so you look like a human being again.
But the thing is that it looks quite NATURAL. People in the past (Vanilla!) have often said that panstick looks quite unnatural, but my point of view has always been: hell, what I'm doing isn't exactly natural to begin with. And once you've found a formula that sort of works (and is pretty cheap) you want to stick with it. Experimenting is so stressful, time-consuming, and expensive.
There are problems. It doesn't REALLY conceal the under-eye discoleration that I get from poor diet, lack of sleep, and general worry-wartiness. And it's also very light...I mean, it IS my natural skin colour -- so the cosmetician did a wonderful job matching it -- but my natural skin colour is Casper the Ghost.
It's also untried under harsh lighting. Most makeups simply disappear under a spotlight or natural sunlight. But everybody tonight told me that I looked wonderful (would they say otherwise?) and the close-up pictures actually look BETTER than usual, so maybe I'm on to a good thing...
Labels: cosmetics
My New Digs: The Attic
When I go into your house I don't want to see your collection of priceless Fabergé eggs, or your fishtank, or the new wallpaper in the bathroom. I want to see your attic and your basement.
Why's that? I don't know. I guess for the same reason I love railroad tracks and storm sewers: they're parts of our society that you're not supposed to see, and for that reason they often hold the best surprises. And you get the thrill of looking at something that very few people have bothered to look at...no matter how dull it turns out to be.
In my new apartment I have both a basement AND an attic. The basement is easy to get to (and more than a little gross) but the attic is a real chore: you need to take the shelves out of one of the upstairs cabinets and then climb up through a hidden crawlspace.
I knew that I couldn't handle living here without first exploring the attic, so during the first few days I laboriously removed the shelving, bought a flashlight, and pushed my way up through the trap door. After enduring a disgusting fall of dust, wood flecks, and insulation, I poked my head through and took some pictures.
What did I find? Nothing. It's just bare rafters and insulation. I did a cursory check for rodent nests or hornets, listened to the rain awhile, then climbed back down and put the shelves back in. Never to return.
So this adventure was about as exciting as opening Al Capone's vault, but sometimes you've just gotta know.
Posted by Adam Thornton at 10:05 AM No comments: Links to this post
Labels: exploration, My New Digs
Potentially True Photographer Lingo
This morning I listened to another episode of the superb radio suspense-horror program "Quiet Please." This one was called "13 and 8" and was about a coded phrase that 1940s photographers supposedly really used.
According to the program, photographers have to be on the lookout for "lens-louses" who want to get in the shot, just so they can see themselves in the paper. Apparently many pictures get ruined if a photographer fails to notice a lens louse.
So whenever a photographer notices one of these people lurking around, he'll yell "13 and 8" to warn the other photographers about the person. They all position themselves to make sure the lens louse can't get in the pictures.
This may not be true, and Google isn't suited to dealing with phrases like "13 and 8." Google removes the "and" so you end up with millions of pages with the numbers "13" and "8" on them. Completely useless.
Still, this reminds me of another potentially true story about early-'40s photographer lingo. Whenever a homicide ocurred in a big city, folks would wander out on their fire escapes to watch the police do forensics work. Some of them were women wearing only bathrobes. Photographers at the scene would try to position themselves under the fire escapes and look up through the grills...if they saw a woman who wasn't wearing underwear they'd yell "beaver shot," and the other photographers would gather around to take sneaky photographs of early-morning vaginas. This is where the term "beaver" comes from, apparently.
Again, I don't know if this is true or not. And you can imagine the sort of pages that Google finds when you type "beaver shot."
Labels: 1940s, old time radio, slang
Broadcast Signal Intrustion
I try not to stick too many YouTube videos on here -- it gets repetative, slows down the page loading time, and seems sort of a cheap thing to do -- but this is a particularly strange one with an interesting history.
On November 22, 1987, the only two successful cases of "broadcast signal intrusion" ocurred. During the 9:00pm WGN news broadcast, somebody managed to hijack the signal and insert their own video signal into the program. The signal was without audio and only lasted for twenty seconds; engineers quickly corrected the problem.
But the same hijack was attempted at 11:15pm on WTTW, this time with audio. Since the engineers weren't on duty, the inserted signal seemed to run its course...this time with audio. Nobody knows who the hijackers were, but whoever they were, they were very very strange.
Here's a recording of the incident, which occurs during a broadcast of Doctor Who's "Horror of Fang Rock."
Yes, he's wearing a Max Headroom mask and his voice is being pitch-shifted. Here's what some folks think he is actually saying, and for more information visit this site.
"He's a freaky nerd!"
"This guy's better than Chuck Swirsky." [another WGN sportscaster at the time]
"Oh Jesus!"
"Catch the wave..." [reference to a Coke commercial at the time of which Max Headroom was a spokesperson]
"Your love is fading..."
"I stole CBS."
"Oh, I just made a giant masterpiece printed all over the greatest world newspaper nerds." [??]
"My brother [mother?] is wearing the other one."
"It's dirty..."
"They're coming to get me..."
Incidentally, I loved Max Headroom. Hey, I was young, but after he teamed up with Art of Noise for "Paranoimia" -- a video which really messed up THIS 14-year-old's head -- I was hooked:
I even switched to Coca-Cola. It was at a time when people still thought he was computer generated, which made everything all the more mysterious. And the TV show was darn good too.
Also incidentally, "Horror of Fang Rock" is one of the best Doctor Who serials out there. Made during the Hinchcliffe-Holmes era -- when their mandate was "let's scare the little buggers" -- "Fang Rock" was one of a series of particularly nasty, out-of-control programs that eventually lead to Philip Hinchcliffe's ouster. And yes, it terrified me, and it's disturbing to watch even now. It's been given the full DVD restoration treatment. Sadly the Max Headroom video isn't part of it.
Labels: Doctor Who, media, nostalgia
Something Lovely
For fear of seeming to only ever complain about things, here's something I enjoy:
Lying down on my couch, with lots of pillows, under an afghan, with a sleeping cat at my feet, reading a good book and occasionally looking up to stare out the huge windows of my living room, where the rain is striking with a most comforting pock and splash, blurring the Christmas lights on the balconies across the road. The fridge starts and stops more times than I can count. My feet are the perfect temperature. Whenever the furnace stops, the heating ducts shrink and crackle for five minutes or more.
Labels: happiness, My New Digs, weather
The Right Book For an Overturned Life
During these overturned weeks, immersed in moving and holidays and endless work stuff, I've been plowing through a few books to help keep myself centered.
I started out with Gulliver's Travels which -- excuse me -- is mostly just annoying. Yes I recognize that literature has changed an awful lot in 250 years, and I also understand that it was conceived as a social satire and not an adventure story. But yikes, Jonathan Swift simply cannot make a point and then move on...he needs to bludgeon you with a single idea for five or six pages, slyly winking at you in the meantime -- "Get it? Get it?" -- before he moves on.
I suppose my mistake was approaching it as a novel -- with, say, a plot and at least one interesting character -- while it's really more of an upside down essay. "Our European government is wacky," sez Swift, "and so are people in general!" Well, no kidding. I know that. But I'm having to FORCE myself to finish the damn book.
In the meantime, during my first few nights at my new place, I found myself craving a COMFORTING book. A book that doesn't ANNOY me. So I retreated to the basement and dug through the boxes that I previously kept squirreled away in my storage locker, boxes containing hundreds of short horror anthologies...and a few scary novels as well.
The one I settled upon is a book I find myself re-reading every five years or so: Shadowland, by Peter Straub. It has been part of my imagination since I was very young and it never fails to amaze me: an ambitious (but not particularly long) combination coming of age story, fairy tale, adventure serial, philosophical treatise, and absolute nightmare, with an ending that STILL shocks me and fills me with deep sorrow.
On reflection I realize now that the book is, like many of Peter Straub's books, incredibly sloppy -- basically a collection of great ideas and set pieces. Shadowland only "works" because it never tries to resolve itself. It's an early example of the "Metahorror" field that would briefly eclipse the straight-forward hacks like Stephen King and Dean R. Koontz: the reader drifts along with a plot that keeps unexpectedly diving off the path, into a 1950s prep school, a train ride through the midwest, a scary house in Vermont, field hospitals in WWI, England during the 1920s, Los Angeles in the 1980s. My more critical mind recognizes, now, that a convoluted path does not automatically make a coherent or meaningful novel, and much of the dialog that seemed deep and inscrutable to me in the past now seems to be what it REALLY is: random, random, random.
But I love the book regardless. The ideas don't gel, but they're wonderful ideas. The characters are perfectly fleshed, and I think that "The Collector" -- a homicidal rubber bodyguard with "blowtorched features" that hides in the bathroom mirror -- is still one of the scariest things around. While kids are so Harry Potter mad, why doesn't somebody turn it into the great movie it could someday be?
While looking for heavy books to help me soundproof my bedroom wall, I came face-to-face with William T. Vollmann's seven-volume Rising Up and Rising Down. I tried to read it a few years ago and ended up totally confused. I vowed to learn a bit more about Caesar, Pol Pot, Stalin, and Trotsky before trying it again.
Halfway through the first volume I'm recognizing my crucial problem. Vollmann is an unconventional storyteller who -- I believe -- doesn't care much that other people don't perceive things exactly the way he does. When he writes a novel this isn't a problem; it's all part of the strange world (AKA "Vollmann's head") that you step into when you pick up his books. But when he writes a 3,500 page essay covering all facets and permutations of human violence...well, the reader wants to UNDERSTAND what Vollmann is saying. But Vollmann, full of digressions and poetry and personal obsessions, doesn't try to conform to what we expect in an essay. His chapter headings are obscure, his references scattershot, his digressions just plain confusing.
Fortunately I realize this now. The book must be read S-L-O-W-L-Y, without any skimming. I also realize that he has a horrible tendency to refer back to complex ideas -- ideas that he never presented as being particularly important at the time -- using a personal shorthand that's really freaking annoying. We have the "Machiavellian Caveat," for instance, which Vollmann paraphrases as "Never turn the other cheek or they'll take your head off." He talks about "the Asian woman" and "the tortured woman" as though we should remember who they are. When he keeps making offhand references to people, events and philosophies -- in a book that is JAM PACKED with such things -- and he doesn't bother to refresh your memory, you wind up getting lost in outrageous paragraph excerpts like this:
We heard Hobbes insisting that since my great-grandfather once agreed to form a commonwealth, I thereby agreed and will always agree to every new act of government; hence "no Law can be Unjust;" but I cannot remember giving my consent to anything so sweeping, and if Hobbes did it, I beg him to bind only himself, not me, nor my comrades who are likewise discontented; like Ivan Karamazov, who found himself dissatisfied with an order of divine providence under which any child on this earth might be tortured, we must be able to announce that we reject our entrance ticket; like the pseudonymous commanders of an insurgent group in Mexico, we must be able to say whenever and to whomever we will: "Our objectives are for the people, with the people, and against the government. We are ready for anything." By the Machiavellian Caveat, mostly we are not. "No government can exist for a single moment without the cooperation of the people," says Gandhi, but he then adds the bitterly necessary qualification, "voluntary or forced." Force may partake of outright violence, craft or mutual obfuscation. Possessing all little power in their popular assemblies, the Roman plebians, for instance, knew not how to reject the whole ticket, although by means of riots an ill-omened corner of it might get torn away, and they could shout demands at gladiatorial shows...
YARGH! To make a single point -- that governments exist because people are either afraid of governments or because governments and pundits tell us we're part in a pre-birth binding contract with them -- Vollmann referenced Hobbes, Dostoevsky, Mexican insurgents, Machiavelli, Gandhi, and Roman plebians. This wouldn't be so bad if the next paragraph didn't reference ANOTHER bunch of groups and individuals, and so on, and so on. Vollmann is suffering a wealth of information, and he doesn't seem to notice that the REST of us aren't as familiar as HE is with his sources.
Knowing this makes the book easier to understand, however. I realize now that the KEY to understanding "Rising Up and Rising Down" is by paying close attention to the "mini-chapter" headings, and keeping them in mind while reading the chapter itself, so I'll gradually figure out which direction he's heading in and arrive there with him. Then, when he finally makes his point (more or less clearly) I'll also better understand how he got there.
You might ask "why bother?" Other than not being able to admit defeat after conquering all his OTHER books, it's because his insights ARE very interesting, and needing to WORK to understand them makes them that much more fascinating. I don't necessarily agree with all his points so far -- I've always been a bit nervous about his gun fetish, for instance -- but it's still cool to see how HE arrived at his conclusions, and he's nothing if not rigorous in explaining his methods (that's the whole point of the book, in fact). And besides that, his experiences and interviews make great reading, the unpretentious photographs from his travels have a way of grabbing your head, and the historical information is welcome too.
Will I manage to finish the whole thing? Maybe not. But at least it's making me think about things: what do *I* stand for? Why would I ever "rise up?" In defense of self, homeland, earth, animals? Hmmmmm...
Labels: books, My New Digs, Rising Up and Rising Down, Victoriana, William T. Vollmann
Psst...Part 4
Surprise! No internet. Bell says it SHOULD be fixed tomorrow sometime, but the person I spoke to was quick to say there were no guarantees.
This is frustrating primarily because it's a piece of unfinished business, and because it's delaying the release of the UPhold CD, and because I haven't been able to update the Daily Muffy in ages...but in some ways I'm getting a nice "reality check" by not having DSL. I'm enjoying sitting at home and reading (William T. Vollmann's "Rising Up and Rising Down," best laid plans and all that) and I'm leisurely contemplating home improvement projects: baseboards, weather-stripping, scouring the bathtub with sulphuric acid, getting Ronnie O'Vera a new pot.
So I guess this is an "internet holiday." But I DO kind of want to get back to work, y'know?
Hope your vacations were wonderful, if you got them.
Labels: My New Digs, Rising Up and Rising Down, UPhold, William T. Vollmann
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About ESMS
Scholarly Bimonthly of Education Strategies in Medical Sciences (ESMS) which is affiliated to the Education Deputy of Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Iran, and is under scientific supporting of Iranian Medical Education Association has been lunched in 2008 by the aim of promoting and developing the quality of medical education.
ESMS has been published from 2010 until the end of 2012 with educational approach in the field of medical education but since then, according to the change of policy to publishing scholarly articles in the field of medical education, it was published as a scholarly peer-reviewed journal from Autumn 2013 by the permission of Iranian Medical Journals Commission. The period of publishing has also been changed from quarterly (4 issues per year) to bimonthly (6 issues per year) from April 2014.
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Trump lawyer says Stormy Daniels wants to suppress Trump’s right to free speech
Trump Lawyer
Posted On septiembre 14, 2018 0 Comment
An attorney for President Donald Trump has asked a judge to throw out a defamation lawsuit filed against Trump by Stormy Daniels, alleging that the adult film star is trying to suppress Trump’s right to free speech by suing him, and that she can’t prove she suffered damages from a Trump tweet anyway.
Daniels sued Trump in April after he suggested on Twitter that Daniels had lied when she alleged an unknown man had threatened her. Trump tweeted that a sketch of the man released by Daniels’ lawyer, Michael Avenatti, was of “a nonexistent man” and a “total con job.”
Trump attorney Charles Harder asked a federal judge late Monday to toss the defamation suit, arguing that the president’s tweet is an opinion protected by the First Amendment, and said the Daniels suit “is designed to chill the President’s free speech rights on matters of public concern.”
“Politicians, in the course of public debate, are entitled to enter the debate and express their beliefs, including their disbeliefs, of the claims of their adversaries. Plaintiff is a vocal adversary of the President; she and her lawyer, Mr. Avenatti, acting on her behalf, have publicly attacked the President in more than 140 television news appearances in the past five months,” says the motion.
“Mr. Avenatti feels his attacks on the President (while acting on Plaintiff’s behalf) have been so effective that he now is exploring a run for Presidency of the United States himself.”
The motion also notes that Daniel’s disputes with the president and her claim she was threatened by an unidentified man acting on Trump’s behalf are “a major part of her publicity campaign attacking the President, touring strip clubs, and generating profits to her.”
Daniels says she had an affair with Trump more than a decade ago, and Trump attorney Michael Cohen has acknowledged he paid her $130,000 as part of a nondisclosure agreement in October 2016, just days before the presidential election.
Last week Cohen pleaded guilt to a campaign finance violation for the $130,000 payment, and told the court he had made the payment at the direction “of a federal candidate,” meaning Trump.
The motion states that Trump denies the affair occurred, echoing prior statements from the White House.
Harder asked for a Sept. 24 hearing before the judge, S. James Otero, on his motion to dismiss. Otero is already scheduled to hear from both sides in Daniels bid to invalidate the nondisclosure agreement she said she signed with Trump. The defamation suit is separate from the suit Daniels filed in March to invalidate the nondisclosure agreement.
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28th United States Congress/Definition
< 28th United States Congress
Senators [?]
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A definition or brief description of 28th United States Congress.
The session of the legislative branch of the United States that met from March 4, 1843 to March 3, 1845, during the second half of the administration of U.S. President John Tyler
Retrieved from "http://en.citizendium.org/wiki?title=28th_United_States_Congress/Definition&oldid=100498021"
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Related article: that most round arm bowlers bowled on the on-side as a rule, taking as much room as they could, by keeping the right foot behind the bowler's crease, as near as might be within the return crease, the bowler's arm would be on an average two feet beyond return crease — i.e., about five feet from the wickets. Let them stick a peg in the ground two Order Vpxl Online feet beyond return crease — i.e., increase bowler's crease in length by two feet for the purpose of measurement ; tie a piece of tape to that peg and carry the end of the tape down to the leg stump of batsman's wicket, and remem- ber that any ball pitching within the area between that tape-line ■and the eight-inch ribbon of turf between wicket and wicket, and which would have hit the wicket by " break " or otherwise, would have to be guarded by the bats only. Let them ask themselves — " How should Buy Vpxl we like now to have a ( greased lightning ' ball fairly bowled — not pounded down on a hard wicket — which would skim the ground, and come in a shooter, or break in and take the wicket half stump high, with nothing to help us but a bat four and a quarter inches wide ? " I had made for me a diagram of a cricket ground, with the stumps at each end, Vpxl Online and the space be- tween the wickets twenty-two inches in length — in fact, on the scale of an inch to a yard. I sec off five feet (by scale) from what would be the batsman's outer stump at bowler's wicket, mea- sured along bowler's crease, and from the end of the line drew a straight line from what would be the inner stump at batsman s wicket. I had my diagram mounted and framed, and put it in the dressing-room of the Oval ; but it was not there long. I expect some did not like " the skeleton in the cupboard " being always before them. There never was a law with the words "from bowler's hand to wicket " in it, but it was the uni- versal interpretation of the l.b.w. law formerly, in proof whereof any one may enquire of Mr. William Nicholson, treasurer of Lord's ; Mr. Harvey Fellows, of Rickmansworth ; Mr. George Yonge, the Castle, Winchester; or write to W\ P. Pickering (Bull Pickering), Canadian Pacific Railway, Vancouver's Island, Canada, and Purchase Vpxl Online they can rely on the authority of those, who were some of the best amateur cricketers of any age who played in Gentlemen and Players as wicket-keeper, bowlers and field of over fifty years ago, till late in the fifties. F. G, 1899.] 285 The Sportsman's Library. The periodical reappearance of Stonehenge's classic * has come to be regarded as a matter of course. It is nearly forty years since Dr. Walsh gave the world his " Horse in the Stable and the Field," and now we have the fifteenth edition of the work from the able hands of Mr. Harold Leeney, M.R.C.V.S. Some im- portant additions have been made to the text in the new issue. Mr. Wilfrid Blunt and Miss Dillon have contributed an excellent chapter on Arabs in England : Lrord Arthur Cecil and Sir Buy Vpxl Online Walter Gilbey have been laid under con- tribution for some valuable de- tails, historical and otherwise, concerning our heavy breeds of horses; and, curious rather than important from the insular point of view, Slatin Pasha gives some information about the horseflesh of the Soudan. The veterinary department in a book of this character is of course the one in which the hand of the revisor must be busiest, and Mr. Leeney has included all that is most recent in the Order Vpxl teachings of his profession. There are a few statements in the original which might Cheap Vpxl perhaps have been made the subject of correctional notes. The day is past when it was correct to say that " extravagant knee action is considered essential to a perfect turn out." More practical ideas of harness action have obtained acceptance, and the horse that lifts his knee nearly to his chin and sets his foot down almost on the spot whence he lifted it is now, happily, seldom seen. The date of the Darley Arabian's despatch - * ** Buy Cheap Vpxl Stondhenge on the Horse." Fifteenth edition, Edited by Harold Leeney, M.R.C.V.S. Rout- VOL. LXXI. — NO. 47O. from Aleppo was December, 1705, and this well-known fact might have been substituted for the general statement that the horse " must have been imported be- tween the years 1700 and 1715." The difference between the powers of the English thoroughbred and the Arab on the Indian turf are greater than they were thirty or forty years ago, thanks to the importation into India nowadays of a better class of English horse. An allowance of from 14 to 21 lbs. brought the Arab and the very moderate thoroughbred together at one time, but the scale of weights now prescribed by the Calcutta Turf Club shows the weight allotted an Arab never less than three stone below that carried by an English competitor. These, however, are minor defects, which do nothing to impair the very great value of a book which has held its own against powerful competition for more than a generation. Little has occurred Generic Vpxl in the non- sporting divisions of the canine world during the last five years to compel important alteration in Mr. Rawdon Lee's well-known work,* but as the original edition is, we believe, out of print, a re- issue of this deservedly popular dog-book brings its own welcome. The chief novelties are notes on three more or less distinguished strangers — a Pekinese spaniel and two Mexican dogs — whose por- traits also are added to the admirable series in the book. " The Purchase Vpxl Great Horse " t (second edition) is the title of a little book which possesses much more than * " Modem Dogs " (Non -sporting). New edition. Rawdon B. Lee. Horace Cox. I" The Great Horse." Second edition, by Sir Walter Gilbey, Bart, Vinton & Co. as. 20 286 BAILY S MAGAZINE. [April
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season high for icon team Andrew Heaney Authentic Jersey
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But because the play design worked so well, and because Garrett is such an incredible athlete, it worked to perfection and actually like the Browns were bringing extra blitzers. And his instincts are just so remarkable. And say this for Laine and the Jets: That’s a heck of a home-ice advantage they’re going to have in the playoffs. This ends NHL Jerseys Cheap up being a five-on-five pass-rush situation, and the Bengals’ line holds up well enough for Dalton to get his throw off. Each team spent some time on the man advantage, as the Bruins logged 1 on the power play and the Senators 3. He was one of the first guys I watched, and obviously, he can NFL Jerseys Paypal run, Fangio said. At the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine, Schneider said he hopes the Seahawks will come out of this year’s draft with more picks than they currently Andrew Heaney Authentic Jersey have. Then, a crazy The Vegas Golden Knights and defenseman Brayden McNabb have come to terms on Jerseys Wholesale a four-year contract extension worth $10 million, the team announced Wednesday.
His replacement has professed similar sentiments, but Dalton’s career arc isn’t strong enough to assume that he will survive a new administration. Cloud State. I think there is no doubt that everyone wants the game called properly, Gruden said. NFL Jerseys Paypal He’s going to score. The series also has its first moment of some brewing animosity between Enes Kanter and the Nuggets. Otis Livingston II added 14 points. He climbs onto the table and is calling for the Batista Bomb, but Triple H backdrops him onto the other announcer’s table. Center Isaiah Hartenstein of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and guard Walter Lemon Jr. But they are certainly more vulnerable now than they have been in years.
He is a quality runner with power and speed and brings a veteran, professional presence to our locker room. I get to go home, and I get to come back and do it all again. The Colonels were tied for eighth with SIU-Edwardsville and UT Martin. He also read about Saban’s 24-hour rule for celebrating wins or lamenting losses. Austin Peay : Recorded two tackles , a half-sack and a season-high three QB hurries. We felt that with Joe.
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FAIRMOUNT PEDIATRICS AND ADOLESCENT MEDICINETM
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Probiotics and Your Child’s Health
What are probiotics?
Beneficial bacteria, and sometimes beneficial yeast, that live in the gut. The common ones fall into two groups, Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium. Additionally, Saccharomyces boulardii, yeasts, are considered probiotics.
They can be taken in foods, such as yoghurt, sauerkraut, miso, and tempeh. They can also be taken, in larger doses, in supplements.
A number of studies have shown that they can improve allergies, eczema, diarrhea from viruses, diarrhea from antibiotics, inflammatory bowel disease, and possibly chronic sinusitis.
There are a number of theories. Since there are immune cells in the gut, it is possible that the friendly bacteria modulate those immune cells somehow. Another possibility is that having friendly bacteria in the gut makes it harder for unfriendly bacteria to get a foothold. A third possibility is that the friendly bacteria produce substances that improve health.
Tell me more about the studies.
Viral Diarrhea:
• Overall, there is the most research support for L. rhamnosus GG and B. lactis BB-12 for prevention, and L. reuteri SD2222 for treatment of viral diarrhea.
• 286 children in daycare in Taiwan took 5 capsules a day, 5 days a week, for 7 months, of a multi-probiotic preparation (12 types of beneficial bacterial strains for the large and small intestines, including 7 different species of Lactobacilli (Neoangelac® 12A Lactobacilli, Multipower Enterprise Corp, Taipei, Taiwan). One capsule of the Neoangelac 12A Lactobacilli series contained 3 types of Bifidobacteria (2.4×109 cfu B. bifidum, 2.4×109 cfu B. infantis, 2.4×109 cfu B. longum); 7 types of Lactobacilli (2×109 cfu L. casei, 1.2×109 cfu L. salivarius, 1.6×109 cfu L. brevis, 2×109 cfu L. plantarum, 1.2×109 cfu L. acidophilus, 8×108 cfu L. helveticus, 2×109 cfu L. rhamnosus); 1 type of Streptococcus (1×109 cfu S. thermophilus) and 1 type of Enterococcus (1×109 cfu E. faecium). (cfu: colony forming units, a measure of the dose of the probiotic) Compared to those who took a single strain of probiotics and those who took nothing (all together, over 500 other children), these children had less diarrhea and vomiting illnesses during the time they took the probiotics.
• 40 babies aged 6 to 36 months of age hospitalized with diarrhea were given L. reuteri (1010 to 1011 CFU) for up to 5 days or placebo. Those who took the probiotic had a shorter illness (1.6 versus 2.9 days in the placebo group). (Placebo: sugar pill or false treatment) In a related study, another group was given a lower dose of the same probiotic (107 CFU of L. reuteri SD2222). These children had shorter illnesses than those on placebo, but longer than those with the higher dose.
Diarrhea from Antibiotics or other causes:
• Overall, there is the most research support for Lactobacillus GG, Lactobacillus sporogenes, Saccharomyces boulardii at 5 to 40 billion colony forming units/day for preventing or treating diarrhea from antibiotics.
• Lactobacillus GG prevented antibiotic-associated and traveler’s diarrhea in adults.
• Undernourished, non-breast-fed, Peruvian children, aged 18-29 months, who took Lactobacillus rhamnosus strain GG preventively had fewer episodes of diarrhea than those who did not.
• Lactobacillus GG was shown to significantly reduce stool frequency and increase stool consistency during oral antibiotic therapy by the 10th day of antibiotic therapy compared with a placebo group.
Constipation and Irritable Bowel Syndrome:
44 infants aged 6-14 months with functional constipation were given lactobacillus reuteri or placebo. Those with the probiotics had increased frequency of stools, though no improvement in consistency of stool or amount of crying.
In a review of studies on children, it was found that L. casei rhamnosus Lcr35, but not L. rhamnosus GG, showed a beneficial effect.
203 children aged 4-18 with IBS were given probiotics; 82% reported improvement in symptoms after 40-50 days.
Necrotizing Enterocolitis in Premature Infants
• 180 preemies were given either placebo or lactobacillus acidophilus. Those with the probiotics had an 18% reduction in incidence of NEC, a severe gut problem common to preemies.
• 434 very low birth weight preemies were given either lactobacillus acidophilus and bifidobacterium bifidum or nothing. 4 of those who received the probiotics and 14 of those with nothing developed NEC.
• A combined analysis of all studies on NEC and preemies included 2176 participants, and showed a 30% reduction in the incidence of NEC in those receiving probiotics. Further, no significant adverse events were reported in any of these studies.
Inflammatory bowel disease:
In children and adults, a combined probiotic preparation has been used to maintain remission in ulcerative colitis and to prevent the onset of certain surgical complications. No such effect is seen in Crohn’s disease.
Peptic Ulcer disease with Helicobacter Pylori:
In adults, 991 patients with ulcer disease and infection with helicobacter pylori were given antibiotics to eradicate the infection. 1/3 were also given Saccaromyces boulardi. 72% of those just given antibiotics and 80% of those with the probiotics were cleared of infection.
Eczema:
• 230 infants with eczema were given Lactobacillus GG or a placebo. At 4 weeks, those infants with positive skin or blood tests for allergy-associated eczema who took the probiotic were improved, compared to the others.
• 62 pregnant and lactating mothers were given probiotics or placebo. Children of those who took the probiotic were less likely to develop eczema during the first two years of life.
• 132 pregnant mothers with a relative with allergies or asthma, and their babies, after birth until 6 months of age, were given either two capsules containing 1010 Lactobacillus sp. strain GG or placebo. The babies who took the probiotic were much less likely to develop eczema.
Respiratory infections:
• Over 250 pre-schoolers who took L. casei rhamnosus containing 1×108 cfu twice a day, five days a week, for 3 months over the winter, had fewer doctor-diagnosed viral infections and fewer respiratory infections than those who took nothing.
• 479 healthy adults were supplemented daily with vitamins plus minerals with or without probiotic lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria. There was no effect on how often they got the common cold but those on probiotics had shorter and less severe colds.
• 281 daycare attenders were randomized to receive either Lactobacillus GG or placebo; Those who took probiotics had nearly half the number of upper respiratory infections as the placebo group.
Other infections:
• Over 1000 Finnish children under age 6 were put in two groups, with one group taking Lactobacillus rhamnosus strain GG three times a day, five days a week, with snacks for 7 months, over the winter . The group with the probiotic had no fewer days spent with diarrhea or respiratory symptoms, but did have fewer numbers of days absent from day care, and fewer complications such as otitis media, and fewer antibiotic prescriptions.
• Over 250 pre-schoolers who took L. casei rhamnosus containing 1×108 cfu /g twice a day, five days a week, for 3 months over the winter, had fewer doctor-diagnosed bacterial infections (such as ear infections) than those who took nothing.
Bacterial vaginosis and UTI in adult women:
• Daily oral intake of 109 to 1010 L. rhamnosus GR-1 and L. fermentum RC-14 leads to transfer of the organisms from the rectum to the vagina as well as an overall decrease of unfriendly organisms (coliforms and yeasts) in the vagina
• Once-weekly vaginal administration of a suppository containing 109 L. rhamnosus GR-1 and L. fermentum B-54 for 1 year lowered women’s rate of UTI compared to their own rate the year before.
• Daily ingestion of capsules containing L. rhamnosus GR-1 and L. fermentum RC-14 by 19 women with a bacterial vaginosis led to normalization in 81% of cases, compared to 50% in women given placebo
Future areas:
A study was recently completed evaluating the L.rhamnosus R0011 strain in treating patients with chronic sinusitis. Results are pending.
Probiotics have been proposed as possible treatments or preventive measures for dental cavities, chronic diarrhea, Chrohn’s disease, and other diseases.
Is this a sure thing?
No. Many of the studies are too small to be definite. Many of the studies use different doses, and are conducted in different ways, so combining them (to get a larger number) isn’t possible. Very few of the studies were done in children. There are strong placebo effects in many of the studies. More research is needed!
Are probiotics safe to use?
Probably, for most people. When you take in bacteria, you do have a theoretical risk of getting infected by the bacteria, rather than having it live happily in your gut helping you out. There have been 2 cases of babies getting badly infected by probiotics, and 2 cases of adults getting infected as well. In each case, the person who got infected was already immunocompromised, meaning their immune systems were not working, or debilitated in some way. There have been no cases of healthy people getting sick from probiotics. So, if a child has HIV, or gets recurrent bacterial infections (meaning, perhaps, they have an undiagnosed immune deficiency), it would be wise to be cautious about using probiotics. On the other hand, probiotics have been given to people with HIV without problems.
Another theoretical risk: Probiotics could possibly cause unhealthy metabolic activities, too much stimulation of the immune system, or gene transfer (insertion of genetic material into a cell). This has not been proven.
What about side effects?
The most common are gas and bloating. Most people have no side effects.
If I want to give probiotics to my child, which ones should I give and how much?
Since there are no studies that test the dose needed for children to get a beneficial effect, to some extent, this answer has to be a guess. Most clinicians, when giving probiotics to children, give half an adult dose, and when giving to infants, give a quarter of the adult dose. But, since there aren’t dose studies in adults either, this, too, is a guess. (Again, more research is needed!)
As far as which to give, certain strains have been shown to help with certain disease states, while other strains have been shown to have no effect. So, check the strains used in the studies listed above, whether in a supplement or yoghurt, depending on the effect you hope to have.
What if my child isn’t sick, but I want to promote health with probiotics?
Using a low dose, such as that found in yoghurt, is certainly safe. Using a supplement on a weekly or twice weekly basis is probably also safe, and, perhaps, would be beneficial.
Cabana MD, Shane AL, Chao C, et al. Probiotics in primary care pediatrics. Clin Pediatr (Phila) 2006 Jun; 45(5):405-10.
Reid G, Jass J, Sebulsky MT, et al. Potential uses of probiotics in clinical practice. Clin Microbiol Rev 2003 Oct; 16(4):658-72.
Boyle RJ, Robins-Browne RM, Tang ML Probiotic use in clinical practice: what are the risks? Am J Clin Nutr 2006 Jun; 83(6):1256-64; quiz 1446-7.
Reid G The potential role of probiotics in pediatric urology. J Urol 2002 Oct; 168(4 Pt 1):1512-7.
Johnston BC, Supina AL, Ospina M, et al. Probiotics for the prevention of pediatric antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2007; (2):CD004827.
Jun-Song Lina,1, Yi-Han Chiub,d,1, Nien-Tsung Linc, Chia-Hsiang Chua, Kuo-Chin Huangb,Kuang-Wen Liaob, Kou-Cheng Pengd ,Different effects of probiotic species/strains on infections in preschool children: A double-blind, randomized, controlled study, , Vaccine 27 (2009) 1073–1079
Michael de Vresea, Petra Winklera, Peter Rautenbergb, Timm Harderc, Christian Noahb, Christiane Lauea, d, Stephan Otte, Jochen Hampee, Stefan Schreibere, Knut Hellerf and Jürgen Schrezenmeira, Probiotic bacteria reduced duration and severity but not the incidence of common cold episodes in a double blind, randomized, controlled trial , Vaccine, Volume 24, Issues 44-46, 10 November 2006, Pages 6670-6674
Helicobacter pylori therapy in children: overview and challenges.Chiesa C, Pacifico L, Anania C, Poggiogalle E, Chiarelli F, Osborn JF.
Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol. 2010 Apr-Jun;23(2):405-16. Review.
Lactobacillus reuteri (DSM 17938) in infants with functional chronic constipation: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study.Coccorullo P, Strisciuglio C, Martinelli M, Miele E, Greco L, Staiano A.J Pediatr. 2010 Oct;157(4):598-602. Epub 2010 Jun 12.
Comparison between killed and living probiotic usage versus placebo for the prevention of necrotizing enterocolitis and sepsis in neonates.Awad H, Mokhtar H, Imam SS, Gad GI, Hafez H, Aboushady N.Pak J Biol Sci. 2010 Mar 15;13(6):253-62
Updated meta-analysis of probiotics for preventing necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm neonates.Deshpande G, Rao S, Patole S, Bulsara M. Pediatrics. 2010 May;125(5):921-30. Epub 2010 Apr 19.
Update on the role of probiotics in the therapy of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease.Guandalini S.
Expert Rev Clin Immunol. 2010 Jan;6(1):47-54. Review.
Probiotics: preventing antibiotic-associated diarrhea.Jones K.J Spec Pediatr Nurs. 2010 Apr;15(2):160-2.
Probiotic treatment of irritable bowel syndrome in children.Martens U, Enck P, Zieseniss E.Ger Med Sci. 2010 Mar 2;8:Doc07.
Role of Lactobacillus in the prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhea: a meta-analysis.Kale-Pradhan PB, Jassal HK, Wilhelm SM.
Pharmacotherapy. 2010 Feb;30(2):119-26.
Systematic review of randomised controlled trials: probiotics for functional constipation.Chmielewska A, Szajewska H.
World J Gastroenterol. 2010 Jan 7;16(1):69-75. Review.
Lactobacillus GG in the prevention of gastrointestinal and respiratory tract infections in children who attend day care centers: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.Hojsak I, Snovak N, Abdović S, Szajewska H, Misak Z, Kolacek S.
Clin Nutr. 2010 Jun;29(3):312-6. Epub 2009 Nov 5.
Hung-Chih Lin, Chyong-Hsin Hsu, Hsiu-Lin Chen, Mei-Yung Chung, Jen-Fu Hsu, Rey-in Lien, Lon-Yen Tsao, Chao-Huei Chen, and Bai-Horng Su Oral Probiotics Prevent Necrotizing Enterocolitis in Very Low Birth Weight Preterm Infants: A Multicenter, Randomized, Controlled Trial Pediatrics, Oct 2008; 122: 693 – 700.
Girish Deshpande, Shripada Rao, Sanjay Patole, and Max Bulsara
Updated Meta-analysis of Probiotics for Preventing Necrotizing Enterocolitis in Preterm Neonates
Pediatrics, May 2010; 125: 921 – 930.
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Precedent for Serving Court Documents via Facebook
Service of Documents by Facebook?
Gregory, J. (2014).
An article in this week’s Law Times notes another court decision, this time in Ontario, approving substitute service by Facebook. In other words, counsel showed the court that there was no other reasonable way of getting the documents to the party to be served, and that sending to FB was likely to reach the party.
The author says that this should be the norm.
The requirement for hand-delivered document service, while historically sensible, is somewhat archaic in this electronic age. Successful service should be all about making sure that the person is aware of the document. For those of us who are more present online than offline, receiving vital information electronically is commonplace.
Does this make sense to you? How does one make sure that a person served via Facebook (or another social medium, such as Twitter, etc) is aware of the document? Suppose the person denies having received it, later. Is independent evidence of delivery available?
For that matter, many people on Facebook do not have pictures on their pages. How does one know one has the right John Smith, especially if such service becomes ‘the norm rather than an exception’?
Background & Legal case
Personal Injury Law: Service via Facebook should become the norm
Merkur, D. (2014). Law Times.
Ontario Superior Court of Justice that substituted service of a statement of claim on a defendant via Facebook was appropriate (see the unreported decision of Juzytsch v. Terlecki from the court in Barrie, Ont.). Other provincial courts have similarly allowed service via Facebook or similar Internet message board services, including in Alberta and British Columbia.
To succeed in any such motion, counsel must establish that the person’s whereabouts for personal service are unknown despite diligent investigation; the Facebook profile belongs to the person in question; and the person is an active user of Facebook such that the claim will likely come to the person’s attention.
While the case law has focused on service through Facebook, the courts could also consider substituted service through other popular social networking web sites like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
Posted by BC Social Workers & Family Law Network blogs at 8:37 PM No comments:
Father ordered to pay $35,000 in ‘special costs’ due to poor conduct
Ian Mulgrew: Man’s abusive behaviour during divorce proceedings earns him steep fine
After repeated warnings to reel in the insults, father ordered to pay $35,000 in ‘special costs’
By Ian Mulgrew, Vancouver Sun January 19, 2014.
A father who represented himself in a custody dispute has been hammered with a $35,000 “special costs” fine for abusive behaviour during the legal battle.
In a scathing judgment against the virulence and rancour at the heart of a growing number of high-conflict family law cases, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Jeanne Watchuk lambasted the man known only by his initials — A.S.P.
She minced no words in her strident defence of civility as a necessary element of the Canadian judicial system.
The justice cited emails from the man such as — “What does a man have to do to get divorced from a wench?”
“The conduct of the father has consistently been rude, inflammatory, derisive, threatening, and disrespectful and insulting of the mother, her counsel and the court process,” said Watchuk in the stinging rebuke.
“It has not been situational or short-lived. It has been consistent over more than two years. It has included behaviour in the courtroom, and email communications to scheduling as well as communication with counsel for the mother continuing after the written submissions on costs were filed …. there is no justification for this behaviour in a court proceeding.”
This case involves a couple who married in 2007 and separated a short time later in 2009 before the birth of twins.
They have been arguing over the children since, though a divorce was granted Jan. 25, 2012.
The kids live with their mother, known in court documents as N.N.J., and her parents in Surrey; the father has a home in Surrey but is a U.K. citizen and travels frequently for business.
The legal fight lasted longer than the marriage.
The acrimonious proceedings consumed 26 days of court time: a 19-day trial, four applications heard in chambers, and two attempts by the father to reopen the trial, one requiring a five-day hearing and the second, two days.
The justice said A.S.P. has continued to threaten to report the proceedings to the media with a view to “intimidating the (mother) as well as her counsel …. has threatened to bring legal proceedings against counsel for the (mother in the United Kingdom … and) threatened to report the (mother) to foreign authorities while she is travelling with the children.”
After the recent decision, he sent me a note offering the “real story” on Watchuk. “Be patient, then,” he replied. “It was either you or The Guardian (I know the editor).”
I am still waiting.
Enormous court resources are consumed by these scorched-earth disputes and they are almost always conducted by self-represented litigants who lack self-control or objectivity.
Although Watchuk was willing to let both sides in this apocalypse cover their own legal costs, the father’s continuing belligerence overwhelmed her. She issued a “special costs” award — a punishment only imposed by a court for reprehensible conduct.
“The father does not demonstrate respect or the ability to communicate respectfully,” said Watchuk, itemizing the many requests to the man to cease his objectionable conduct and behave himself.
“The father’s communication through the mother’s counsel has been and continues to be vitriolic to the degree that it has become impossible.”
During one access meeting, the father swore at a cousin of the mother’s while holding his baby son. In an exchange with his wife’s lawyer, he made disparaging remarks about the man’s daughter and their Jewish traditions.
“The father rightly demands respect for his (Sikh) culture,” Watchuk said.
“It should go without saying that the culture and religion of all participants in the justice system are deserving of respect. The sanctity of the family of counsel is fundamental.”
In her mind, he was acting like “a malicious bully.”
The father maintained that his outrageous behaviour was the result of “unique, extended and extraordinary stress and strain, arising from a circumstance that had no end in sight,” that he had been left “in limbo for years.”
In his mind, a confluence of factors impaired every facet of his life — from his fundamental liberties, access to his children, ability to earn an income, and left him at one point without a home or furniture.
The justice had little sympathy.
“In the trial I first mentioned the necessity for respect and civility to the father,” Watchuk said.
“I then reminded him of it. I stopped the trial on at least two occasions when those instructions were wholly disregarded. I explained further that civility and respect for the mother and her counsel not only assisted the court proceedings but were fundamental to the ability of the process to achieve a result which was in the best interests of the children.”
He authored much of his own trouble, she added, and his intransigence pushed her to impose special costs.
imulgrew@vancouversun.com
© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun
Precedent for Serving Court Documents via Facebook...
Father ordered to pay $35,000 in ‘special costs’ d...
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The Arkham Sessions, Ep. 59: "Blind as a Bat"
The Arkham Sessions, hosted by Dr. Andrea Letamendi and Brian Ward, is a weekly podcast dedicated to the psychological analysis of Batman: The Animated Series. Nostalgic, humorous, and even a little educational, each episode promises to lend some insight into the heroes, villains, and classic stories of the Dark Knight!
Due to a catastrophic explosion at WayneTech Industries, Bruce Wayne is injured and suffers corneal flash burns. The bad news: He's temporarily blind! Against Dr.'s orders, he suits up as Batman and goes after The Penguin so he can stop him from causing anymore mayhem with a stolen military-grade helicopter, aptly nicknamed "Raven." Aided by an occular device (that seems to be implanted in his brain?!), Batman regains his vision and pursues The Penguin and his henchmen to the site of a dangerous steel factory. But, the visual aid runs out of batteries, rendering Batman completely blind while facing one of his most dangerous enemies. Miraculously, he discovers how to compensate for his lack of sight by engaging his other senses, and Daredevi--er, Batman, finds a way to serve his mission without one of his most integral senses!
In this episode of The Arkham Sessions, we discuss Batman's inflexible personality, his insistence on working "impaired," and his ability to work with the new deficit of blindness. We explain potential circumstances in which one could "see without seeing," such as the condition called "blindsight" and the fascinating phenomenon called "neuroplasticity" -- how the brain can adapt and change based on experiences. For instance, if one sense is deprived of input, other senses (hearing, taste, touch) are augmented and actually take up more "brain space" than initially reserved for those senses! Finally, we revisit the Milgram Obedience Study, a famously groundbreaking study that revealed the dangers of authority and conformity.
Have psychology-related questions about Batman? Write to us via Twitter, @ArkhamSessions, or on Facebook. Or visit our official website.
And, don't forget to subscribe to The Arkham Sessions on iTunes to get all of the latest episodes!
Last modified on Tuesday, 23 June 2015 19:25
Published in: The Arkham Sessions
The Arkham Sessions, Ep. 58: "Shadow of the Bat"
The Arkham Sessions, Ep. 60: "The Demon’s Quest, Part 1"
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SYNGNATHIFORMES
breviceps
Shorthead Seahorse, Hippocampus breviceps Peters 1869
Other Names: Knobby Seahorse, Short Snouted Seahorse, Short-head Seahorse, Short-headed Seahorse, Shortsnout Seahorse, Short-snouted Seahorse
A pair of Shorthead Seahorses, Hippocampus breviceps. Source: Rudie H. Kuiter / Aquatic Photographics. License: All rights reserved
A small, well-camouflaged seahorse with a short snout, and fleshy tendrils on the head and body. Individuals are often seen amongst patches of Sargassum algae in Port Phillip, Victoria.
Video of a male Shorthead Seahorse giving birth
Bray, D.J. 2018, Hippocampus breviceps in Fishes of Australia, accessed 16 Jul 2019, http://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/1535
Endemic to temperate southern Australian waters from Port Welshpool, Victoria, and eastern Tasmania, to at least Venus Bay, South Australia, and possibly to Denial Bay in the Great Australian Bight, South Australia.
Usually inhabits shallow seagrass beds and macro-algae (Cystophora and Sargassum spp.) in bays, estuaries and on sheltered coastal reefs. Individuals occasionally occur on deeper sponge gardens.
The species is most common in Port Phillip where it aggregates in algal weed patches near sandy areas.
Dorsal fin rays 19-22; Anal fin rays 4; Pectoral fin rays 14-15; trunk rings 11; tail rings 38-42; subdorsal rings 3-5.
Body small, slender and elongate, rather fleshy, often with fleshy tendrils on head and over back, appendages longer in males; trunk deep; snout moderately short, longest in juveniles, moderately shallow; strong constriction between head and trunk; body covered with thick, fleshy skin.
Spines absent; fleshy tubercles few or reduced, best-developed along dorsal-fin base and over superior tail ridge; subdorsal spines 3-4/0,0,1,1 or 3-4/0,0,1,0.
Coronet distinctly raised, with a fleshy covering; apex rounded with up to 5 fleshy filaments, one usually at centre.
Lateral line distinct with large pores on rings just above lateral ridge on trunk, continuing onto tail to about 20th tail ring; each pore usually with several papillae.
Height to 100 mm.
In life, overall a mottled drab greyish to bright yellowish-orange with mix of numerous small black spots and black-ringed white ocelli over much of the trunk and the anterior part of the tail; ventral surface of tail with pale bars; dorsal fin with 2 darkish longitudinal bands. In preservative - mainly cream to pale brown with dark spots on head and ocelli in the form of tiny dark circles mixed with dark spots on head and trunk.
The Shorthead Seahorse preys mostly on small crustaceans such as mysids, harpacticoid copepods, and gammarid and caprellid amphipods.
The sexes are separate, and the female uses an ovipositor to transfer her eggs into an elaborate enclosed pouch under the abdomen of the male. The male provides physical protection for the developing embryos, osmoregulates and aerates the embryos, and may provide some nourishment until the offspring are born.
Breeding occurs during the summer months and individuals do not form socially monogamous pairs. Males may brood 50-100 eggs at the same time and the young are born after an incubation period of about 25 days.
Males studied in Port Phillip Bay, Victoria, remained in relatively small areas and appeared to give birth at night. Unlike some other seahorse species, adults live in mixed-sex groups and unlike a number of other seahorse and pipefish species, do not undertake daily social rituals.
Females produce 50 to 100 eggs per brood; egg diameter 1.6 mm. The pelagic larvae are morphologically similar to adults at birth; they cling to each other or floating weed at the surface. In Port Phillip Bay during the summer months near the full moon, young are seen in large numbers clinging to floating seagrass and alage on outgoing tides. Juveniles settle out at about 25 mm.
The species is reared commercially for the Australian and international aquarium trade.
Listed as a genus (Hippocampus) on Appendix II of CITES (Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).
IUCN Red List: Least Cooncern
EPBC Act 1999: Marine Listed
1. All syngnathids are listed as Protected Aquatic Biota in Victoria.
2. The Tasmanian Living Marine Resources Management Act 1995 prohibits the take of all syngnathids in Tasmania (by non-permit holders, since Sept. 1994).
3. All syngnathids are subject to the export controls of the Commonwealth Wildlife Protection (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Act 1982 from 1 January 1998.
Lourie (2016), Lourie et al. (2016) and Pollom (2016) regarded Hippocampus tuberculatus as a junior synonym of H. breviceps.
Similar to the Knobby Seahorse, Hippocampus tuberculatus, a species endemic to Western Australia.
The Shorthead Seahorse may also be confused with juvenile Bigbelly Seahorses, Hippocampus abdominalis, which have 12-13 trunk rings (vs 11 trunk rings in H. breviceps).
The species name breviceps is from the Latin brevis meaning short and -ceps from the Latin caput meaning head, referring to the short head of this species.
Hippocampus breviceps, Peters, 1870. Mber. K. preuss. Akad. Wiss. Berl. 1870: 710. Type locality: Adelaide, South Australia.
Bray, D.J. 2018
Castelnau, F.L. de 1875. Researches on the fishes of Australia. Intercolonial Exhibition Essays. 2. pp. 1–52 in, Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition of 1876 : Official Record. Melbourne.
Dawson, C.E. 1994. Family Syngnathidae. pp. 440-475 figs 391-426 in Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. Adelaide : State Printer 992 pp. 810 figs (as Hippocampus breviceps, but including H. tuberculatus)
Edgar, G.J. 2008. Australian Marine Life: the plants and animals of temperate waters. Sydney : Reed New Holland 2nd edn, 624 pp.
Foster, S.J. & Vincent, A.C.J. 2004. Life history and ecology of seahorses: implications for conservation and management. Journal of Fish Biology 65: 1-61
Gomon, M.F. 1997. A remarkable new pygmy seahorse (Syngnathidae Hippocampus) from south-eastern Australia, with a redescription of H. bargibanti Whitley from New Caledonia. Memoirs of Museum Victoria 56(1): 245-253
Hutchins, J.B. & Swainston, R. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete field guide for anglers and divers. Perth : Swainston Publishing 180 pp.
Kendrick, A.J. & Hyndes, G.A. 2003. Patterns in the abundance and size distribution of syngnathid fishes among habitats in a seagrass-dominated marine environment. Estuarine and Coast Shelf Science 57: 631-640.
Kuiter, R.H. 1993. Sea-horse romance. Sportdiving Magazine 16: 105-107.
Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Seahorses, Pipefishes and their Relatives. Chorleywood, UK: TMC Publishing, 240 pp.
Kuiter, R.H. 2001. Revision of the Australian Seahorses of the genus Hippocampus (Syngnathiformes: Syngnathidae) with descriptions of nine new species. Records of the Australian Museum 53: 293-340
Kuiter, R.H. 2008. Syngnathidae. pp. 448-479 in Gomon, M.F., Bray, D.J. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). Fishes of Australia's Southern Coast. Sydney : Reed New Holland 928 pp.
Kuiter, R.H. 2009. Seahorses and their relatives. Seaford, Australia : Aquatic Photographics pp. 331.
Last, P.R., Scott, E.O.G. & Talbot, F.H. 1983. Fishes of Tasmania. Hobart : Tasmanian Fisheries Development Authority 563 pp. figs.
Lourie, S.A. 2016. Seahorses. A life-size guide to every species. Chicago : The Unversity of Chicago Press 160 pp. (as Hippocampus breviceps but including H. tuberculatus as a synonym)
Lourie, S.A., Pollom, R.A. & Foster, S.J. 2016. A global revision of the Seahorses Hippocampus Rafinesque 1810 (Actinopterygii: Syngnathiformes): Taxonomy and biogeography with recommendations for further research. Zootaxa 4146(1): 1–66 ((as Hippocampus breviceps but including Hippocampus tuberculatus as a junior synonym)
Lourie, S.A., Vincent, A.C.J. & Hall, H.J. 1999. Seahorses. An identification guide to the world's species and their conservation. Project Seahorse. x 214 pp. (as Hippocampus breviceps but including H. tuberculatus as a synonym)
Martin-Smith, K.M. & Vincent, A.C.J. 2006. Exploitation and trade of Australian seahorses, pipehorses, sea dragons and pipefishes (Family Syngnathidae). Oryx 40(2): 141-151
Moreau, M.-A. & Vincent, A.C.J. 2004. Social structure and space use in a wild population of the Australian short-headed seahorse, Hippocampus breviceps Peters 1869. Marine and Freshwater Research 55: 231-239.
Neira, F.J., Miskiewicz, A.G. & Trnski, T. 1998. Larvae of temperate Australian fishes: laboratory guide for larval fish identification. Nedlands, Western Australia : University of Western Australia press 474 pp.
Peters, W.C.H. 1869. Über neue oder weniger bekannte Fische des Berliner Zoologischen Museums. Monatsberichte der Königlichen Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin 1869: 703-711
Pognoski, J.J., Pollard, D.A. & Paxton, J.R. 2002. Conservation Overview and Action Plan for Australian Threatened and Potentially Threatened Marine and Estuarine Fishes. Canberra : Environment Australia 375 pp.
Pollom, R. 2017. Hippocampus breviceps. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T10063A54904334. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T10063A54904334.en. Downloaded on 03 June 2018.
Scott, T.D., Glover, C.J.M. & Southcott, R.V. 1974. The Marine and Freshwater Fishes of South Australia. Adelaide : Government Printer 392 pp. figs.
Whitley, G.P. 1931. New names for Australian fishes. The Australian Zoologist 6(4): 310-334 1 fig. pls 25-27 (as Farlapiscis breviceps)
SYNGNATHIFORMES Seahorses, pipefishes
SYNGNATHIDAE Seahorses, pipefishes
Conservation:IUCN Least Concern; EPBC Act Marine Listed
Max Size:Height 10cm
Native:Endemic
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How To Turn out to be A Car Physique Builder
DISTURBING footage has emerged of a bodybuilder pummeling, kicking and stabbing his girlfriend more than 100 instances. There are a variety of ways, however, you can sort out them – for example, splitting them by higher and decrease body workouts or focusing on push and pull motions – after which even more ways of scheduling them: each other day, four days on three days off, and so on. After all, doing 3 units of eight, like most ordinary fitness center rats have been doing since the dawn of time, doesn’t take any smarts.
A common tactic for conserving fats low and muscle mass high could be to have increased calorie and decrease calorie days to keep up a stability between acquire and loss. He’s additionally flexing his muscle tissues in competitions within the body constructing world — undefeated for almost a decade within the over-60 class. In contrast to strongman or powerlifting competitions, where bodily energy is paramount, or to Olympic weightlifting , the place the principle level is equally break up between energy and method, bodybuilding competitions usually emphasize situation, measurement, and symmetry.
Low-carb diets will be very effective for dropping fats rapidly in a brief area of time, claims Norton, however they result in muscle loss, as carbs assist to preserve muscle. Extraordinary, The Lonesome Bodybuilder is a delightfully odd collection of brief stories. It was held at the Royal Albert Corridor in London Judged by Sandow, Sir Charles Lawes, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle , the contest was an amazing success and many bodybuilding fans had been turned away as a result of overwhelming amount of viewers members.
When you’re critical about scoring bodybuilder muscle, there’s no space for pizza and pints. Doing cardio on an empty abdomen, without ingest of carbs, forces your physique to deplete saved fats. In 2016, Kanazawa positioned sixth on the earth contest for bodybuilders sixty five years or older. Bear in mind, bodybuilding isn’t meant to feel like a chore. The variety of bodybuilding organizations grew, and most notably the International Federation of Bodybuilders (IFBB) was founded in 1946 by Canadian brothers Joe and Ben Weider Different bodybuilding organizations included the Newbie Athletic Union (AAU), Nationwide Amateur Bodybuilding Association (NABBA), and the World Bodybuilding Guild (WBBG).
He wished to challenge the world’s high bodybuilders. Purchase some good posing trunks, tight-fitting muscle shirts, and an excellent training belt to assist keep you secure during your workouts. The try to increase muscle mass in one’s body without any acquire in fat is known as clean bulking. The first U.S. Girls’s National Physique Championship, promoted by Henry McGhee and held in Canton, Ohio in 1978, is usually considered the first true female bodybuilding contest—that’s, the primary contest where the entrants have been judged solely on muscularity.
builder physique
What Is The Treatment For IC
Depression & Sleep
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Home > Talk of the Day
Economic Daily News: No more delays in cross-strait trade-in-goods pact
It is urgent that Taiwan and China sign a trade-in-goods pact to cope with the challenges that would arise when China and South Korea seal a free trade agreement (FTA) by the end of the year.
The importance of the cross-Taiwan Strait trade-in-goods agreement is highlighted by the fact that it will allow the removal of tariffs on Taiwanese-made components and semi-finished goods, which make up nearly 70 percent of Taiwan's exports to China. This will help to boost Chinese buyers' interest in Taiwanese goods.
However, Taiwan's competitive edge may be dulled when South Korea, its major trade rival, obtains a zero tariff concession on components and semi-finished goods under its pending FTA with China.
To make matters worse, Taiwan's major exports -- LED lighting products and panels -- are expected to come under pressure as rivalry is emerging between the LED and panel industries on both sides of the strait, in a departure from their usual cooperation in the supply chain.
Chinese manufacturers are planning to mass-produce LED lighting products and panels as Beijing is investing heavily in those sectors to meet rising domestic demand.
China's planned mass-production of products that overlap with Taiwan's major exports also comes amid improved production expertise of Chinese companies, which poses another threat to Taiwanese exporters.
As the Chinese and South Korean leaders prepare to move one step closer to a bilateral FTA during their upcoming meeting at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Beijing, we hope Taiwan will complete its trade-in-goods negotiations with China as soon as possible. (Editorial abstract -- Nov. 2, 2014)
(By Scully Hsiao)
ENDITEM /pc
Taiwan headline news
United Daily News: Lessons from compensation claims
United Daily News: The distorted story about a Taipei mayor candidate
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Limit Theory
REKT: BTE Mission 2: Fuhodo Station
Return to “REKT”
Hapchazzard
Re: REKT: BTE Mission 2: Fuhodo Station
#271 by Hapchazzard
outlander wrote: ↑
"All right, we'll follow you for a bit. With the fighting outside, it is better to stick together regardless of the past grievances."
Think to myself: "Of-fukcin'-course! Assholes blow our cover, bring heat, n' then we're supposed to be their nanny? 'least they'll make a good distraction, if nothin' else. Not like there's much of a choice now, anyways."
Sigh and nod to Ishmael, then ask: "How many n' who?"
Cornflakes_91
#272 by Cornflakes_91
Hapchazzard wrote: ↑
"Two gangs of what used to be four... and... five armed gangsters, who don't like each other and a squad of peacekeepers, dunno how many those were.
A couple o' thugs were already mushed by the time we got back in here, and judging by the noises theres more mush now"
"And on that "are you even friendly?" topic...."
pull out the PDA and fetching the user identification file ((with its nice cryptographic key only recently signed by the tartarus key)) and shifting the PDA over the table for Buck to check it
Limit Theory IRC Channel FAQ big QA Thread Retroshare
#273 by Hema
"Magnificent! I will lead you all to safety!
Try not to do anything that might attract attention.
In fact, try your best to avoid being seen at all. If we can avoid a confrontation with the law, we will all be better off."
Grab Squigg's money and put it away so it won't be seen by those around us.
Get up and leave the bar, heading for the location specified by Squigg.
If I am attacked, jump into cover and call out to my aggressors:
"Hold your fire, we're just mercenaries!
We're not part of this fight, nor do we want to be!"
Wait for the attacks on my group to cease, and then proceed to my destination.
If the attacks continue, look around an area not being shot at to determine whether or not we're intentionally being attacked, and who might be firing upon us.
If we're being attacked by peacekeepers, motion for the others to follow, and run in the general direction of the downtown area.
Should we be getting attacked by gang members, pull out my electrorifle.
Fire three stun shots; each one at a different attacking gang member.
After those three shots are fired, motion for the others to follow, and run for the downtown area.
Breaker of fortune cookies
Cornflakes_91 wrote: ↑
Look at the PDA blankly, then dart my head around to see if any patron is eyeing us
if no one seems to be looking at the PDA with suspicion, say: "A'ight, you still ain't off the hook for pissin' my contact off, though. Next time, be careful with that clapper o' yers, n' there dun' need to be no problems."
Even more silently than normal: "N' hide that damn thing before someone notices"
if someone is staring at the PDA (that's not from our group, that's not the bartender and that isn't some too menacingly-looking alien), look at them threateningly and say under my breath: "The fukc you starin' at?"
and then tell Yuuji: "A'ight, just put that thing back into yer pocket, damn it!"
Start leaving the bar with the rest, but do not exit first
Try and act naturally, pretending that whatever shitshow is happening outside is none of my business
if one of the aliens outside tries to ask me for ID or something similar, act as if I'm some clueless drunk and that I've had one too many drinks to answer any question accurately, hoping that they ignore me
if we are directly attacked:
-Take cover/run wherever Brom does. If that is not possible for some reason, try to find any cover that wouldn't separate me too much from the rest of the squad
-Take out my baton and defend myself against anyone who tries to assault me in melee range
pocket the PDA again
follow Brom and Buck during the trek to their meeting place with their contact.
stay towards the rear of our group. keeping a discreet lookout if anybody follows/watches us
if somebody actually does trail us, discreetly inform the others of them, to prevent us getting surprised
if come under attack
-get to cover near the others
-if brom gets to make his attempt at diplomacy
- - hold tight and await the outcome
-elseif there was no explanation from the attackers ala "give us the money!" or "they work for Squigg!"
- - "Hey! We are really not out for trouble! Why are you firing at us?"
- -if the attempt at diplomacy fails
- - - Fire a plasma bomb salvo at the attackers, avoiding bystanders, aiming for their densest concentratiom
Talvieno
North GA, USA
#276 by Talvieno
((Thread softlocked.))
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Turn 9
After Squigg leaves, Buck shrugs and continues eating his food. It's not much more than a snack, but it's the best food he's had in a long time - and that's an understatement. Between mouthfuls, he asks, "Did that asshole really drag us here just to waste our time?" He pauses and shovels some more of the cheese into his mouth, then continues with a note of sarcasm, "Talkin' bout the 'power of friendship' and tryin' to get us to be his fetchin' boys? If he wants this tin taken somewhere, he knows where he can stuff it!"
Brom agrees with this sentiment. "Yes, this sort of work is beneath us - beneath me! I'm a marksman, not an errand boy!"
"Deliverin' chump change, like I ain't got nothin' better to do," Buck mutters, taking a ravenous bite of skahilla. A thought occurs, and he narrows his eyes suspiciously: "Squigg! ...Don't that remind you of somethin'? Sounds an awful lot like 'squid' if you ask me."
Ignoring this last, Brom sighs. "Were we to take his cash without completing the job, he could report us to the authorities for having stolen his money. Let's get this menial task out of the way, and then we can go off and find ourselves a real job."
At that moment, the bar door opens; loud sounds of fighting emanate - shouts and gunshots - before Ishmael and Yuuji duck frantically back inside, and the doors close. Buck cranes his neck around to look. Upon seeing the pair, he says in annoyance, "The hell did they do now? I swear, with squadmates like these, we dun' need enemies to be in danger!"
But Yuuji and Ishmael don't hear him; they're too busy collecting themselves. They maneuver to their previous table, Yuuji trying to calm his nerves. His hands are shaking, but he tries to make it less noticeable. That was a lot closer of a call than he's comfortable with.
"By the Lord's grace, those people are insane," Ishmael says disapprovingly as he takes a seat. "What do we do now, Yuuji?"
"Well, first off," Yuuji begins, in a voice louder than he'd intended. He quiets himself, takes a breath, and starts over. "First off, we won't go out there until the explosions and screams die down. Our two genius colleagues were working on securing us a proper job with some 'Squigg' guy. As he's left now, we could check on Killshot and..." he snorts, "Terminator, and see how much they fucked it up."
Ishmael acknowledges this calmly. "That's reasonable. However, we've also been granted knowledge of that kraakweed shipment out there. I wonder if there is a way to use it to our advantage."
This suggestion does not sit well with Yuuji. "We could maybe gain some favors with the peacekeepers, but they'd mess us up as well. The stuff itself would probably get us more trouble than it's worth."
"The pull of hidden treasure is hard to resist, though," Ishmael sighs, a bit reluctant to let it slip from his fingers. "But aye, let us see what Buck and Broom got themselves into.
And so, Ishmael and Yuuji get up from their table and head over to the other two REKT members, who are right in the middle of an intense conversation, discussing how Ishmael seems to be incapable of staying out of trouble.
"Though it pains me to say this, perhaps we should let them tag along," Killshot is saying reluctantly, in a hushed voice.
"I ain't no babysitter," Terminator grumbles.
"Noodleboy clearly has little-to-no concept of stealth. I could probably teach him if he'd listen."
Terminator sighs, rubbing his chin. "If I'm goin' to have to go on missions with Mr. Noodle, might as well teach him to be less annoying. The other guy, though, he's - Shhh, here they come," he hisses, motioning from Killshot to cut the chatter.
"Hey guys," Yuuji says in a lighthearted tone. "Did you manage to scare Squigg away and let us almost get killed within earshot?"
The conversation has hardly started, and it's already too much for Terminator. He glowers, and states in an animated (if subdued) voice: "We know you for a total o' five minutes, n' you've done nothin' but piss my contact off, piss Conley off, piss me off, n' apparently piss some alien off outside enough that they want you dead! Seriously now - you've some kind o' proof you're on our side?"
Killshot interrupts. "You'll have to excuse Bill," he apologizes. "He's still angered over certain previous interactions, and I can't really blame him. We've had a falling out, but I for one am willing to overlook that to insure the safety of my allies."
Without saying a word, Yuuji pulls out his PDA, navigates to his User ID file, and holds it over for Terminator to check it. It's signed by the Tartarus and everything. Terminator peers close, looking at it almost blankly, and finally waves it away hastily with a hiss. "A'ight, you still ain't off the hook for pissin' my contact off, though. Next time, be careful with that clapper o' yers, n' there dun' need to be no problems."
Ishmael and Yuuji take a seat across the table, and Killshot breaks the awkward silence, explaining the job that Squigg gave them. "Our contact, being the competent fellow that he is, has tasked us with delivering a sum of money to pay off a debt. This is a precursory task designed to ensure that we can be trusted. Standard procedure for this line of work," he adds quickly. "After that, we will be provided a mission that pays hi-plat, thus completing our original goal."
Nodding, Ishmael says, "All right, we'll follow you for a bit. With the fighting outside, it is better to stick together regardless of the past grievances."
On hearing about the fighting, Terminator gives a drawn-out sigh, staring dejectedly into his empty glass. Some more of that Arachrine ale would not be amiss right now. "All right, how many and who?"
"Two gangs of what used to be four, and five gangsters," Yuuji details carefully. "They don't like each other. There's also a squad of peacekeepers. Dunno how many of those there were. A couple o' thugs were already mushed by the time we got back in here, and judging by the noises, there's more mush now."
"Magnificent," Killshot says flatly, getting up from his seat. "I'll lead you to safety, then. Try not to do anything that might attract attention. In fact, try your best to avoid being seen at all." Saying this, he scoops Squigg's money off the table and puts it safely away.
And with that - everyone files out of the bar - except Ishmael. He's decided to stick around and wait to see if the coast is clear, and in the meantime, he tries to read Mebasha's mind. This is actually a success - mostly. Mebasha's thoughts are calm as he mentally sorts through his options. From reading his mind, you couldn't even tell that he was even fighting anymore - although he clearly is, given the noise in the alley. He does not seem convinced that the peacekeepers are actually peacekeepers, and seems to be more interested in cleaning up the mess and getting after his former "colleague" than anything else - although he's keeping a mental image of Yuuji and Ishmael in his mind for if they meet again.
And that's when Ishmael hears it. "I sense you," a voice rumbles. The source is impossible to locate; Ishmael hastily withdraws his psi probing from Mebasha's mind, thinking it might be Mebasha, but no, the thoughts continue: "Know now that you are marked."
Outside in the hallway, Killshot and Terminator take the lead, with Yuuji clustered close behind in their shadows. The alley is spattered with blood and scorchmarks, and there are no less than four dead aliens lying nearby - as well as a mighty hulk of a man, seemingly delirious. He rocks back and forth in his underwear, drooling and cooing to himself. He's covered in gunshot wounds - both plasma and bullet - but doesn't seem to care, or even notice. The group collectively decides not to mess with him, and try to take a wide path around him as they turn right, hoping to avoid the conflict between the thugs and the peacekeepers.
Unfortunately, Terminator is terrible at being stealthy, and the surviving thugs ringing Mebasha (a nasty four-armed bipedal lizardlike creature) notice him (and by extension, the rest of the group) almost immediately. Shouts break out; they seem to debate whether to shoot at the little group - as they've almost finished eliminating the peacekeepers, who are beginning to retreat.
"We're just mercenaries!" Killshot calls out loudly. "We don't want to be part of your fight!"
Billy the Butcher chimes in behind him with a loud hiccup, swaying and struggling to keep his balance. "We're just here to drink the sights! Er, sight the drinks! ...Or something," he calls out in as drunk a manner as possible. This is of course an act. (Well... mostly.)
Mebasha seems to be swayed, not recognizing the loud, hammy humans, and redirects his goons to refocus fire on the peacekeepers, telling them the three mercs are of no consequence.
Immediately, Killshot motions to his allies to rush to the opposite end of the hallway - away from the central hub. Yuuji is fastest, and soon ends up taking the lead himself, getting to the junction at the end of the hallway first, while Terminator lags behind, panting and trying to keep up. He looks back and sees Mebasha's group move closer to the entrance of the Last Ponderance. It was a narrow escape.
Shortly after Yuuji reaches the corner, he sees none other than Kwari Kiikro, the azquad, frantically trying to hotwire a locked door to open. Loose wires dangle freely from the wall. He glances up on seeing the inmate approach, and recognizes him immediately. "You," he mutters, following it up with a string of curses in some other language. "You caused this," he growls, pulling his blaster from its holster.
Yuuji reaches for his sword, but he isn't fast enough.
Just as Kwari is about to fire, Terminator and Killshot round the corner behind their teammate. Kwari is taken aback and seems to realize quickly that he's outnumbered and (grudgingly) lowers his weapon, turning back to the door. Terminator has some experience with this sort of thing and can tell the guy has some skill - but not as much as he thinks he does. He offers no advice, though, and the trio continues down the dim, dirty corridor at a jog, hoping to eventually, somehow, make their way downtown.
It's at this moment that the group realizes... Ishmael is missing.
"This went unexpectedly fast," Frank mutters at Almina, who is waiting expectantly for them to surrender their weapons to the guards. "Do they know where we're from?"
She pauses and shakes her head. "No, they just know you're with me," she says quietly. "It's not their business."
Caleb frowns. He doesn't much like the idea of relinquishing his weapons. "You sure we can't keep something? I'm not very comfortable giving up all of my guns. My electrorifle is nonlethal," he offers hopefully.
Almina hesitates, glancing over the weapon. Finally, she says, "Well... Okay... you can keep that if you really need to, but you have to understand that it's considered a sign of mistrust and disrespect. My family will probably be a little more hostile to you, but I'll try to speak up where I can to make sure they know it's non-lethal. Just... make sure you don't have it out, okay?" She seems uncomfortable with this arrangement, but she's willing to let it go.
This response makes Frank even more uncomfortable. "Are you sure this is safe for... us, and also for you?"
"I mean, it's as safe as it could be," she offers with a nervous smile. "My uncle wouldn't hurt you without a good reason, unless something has changed." This response does not make Frank feel any better about his chances of getting out of this without taking a dirt nap. This only makes the three inmates even more uncomfortable with giving up their weapons.
The guards nearby fortunately seem patient enough, waiting calmly for the weapons to be relinquished - even despite the continued breaches of etiquette, which Saoirse continues making. She shuts off and unplugs her PSI pack, still not quite used to the feeling of the jacks. She adds, "If this is all a trap... I'll be cross from the afterlife, or something."
Almina frowns, seeming mildly irritated, and takes the gear, passing it to a guard. Then Saoirse hands over her battlestaff as well.
Frank is doing the same with his crossbow and sword, and although he acts calm and collected, someone with a keen eye could tell he seems quite alarmed. "I'll need that back later," he says anxiously to a guard, as the hiltorel gentleman takes the sword delicately. The man seems taken aback by its appearance, realizing it's of hiltorel make, and casts a curious eye in Frank's direction... but ultimately says nothing. He takes the bundle of weapons through a door over to the side as Saoirse makes a halting attempt to explain that her bagpipes are not, in fact, some form of particularly exotic weaponry. Even despite having lots of "barrels" waving all over the place. Fortunately, the guards seem to accept it without a demonstration, and there is no further trouble. In fact, they don't even mention the rocket boots.
Caleb, on the other hand, is having a lot of trouble giving up the rest of his gear. His plasma rifle, laser pistol, and gauss shotgun he gives up without hesitation, but he's not entirely keen on parting with his electrorifle. "Are you sure it's safe?" he finally asks Almina, electrorifle cradled in hand. "I mean, if you really don't think we'll be harmed, and it'd make that bad an impression...." His words trail off.
Almina, seeming strained, is giving him a piercing glare. "Yes, it's safe," the girl says flatly. "I invited you. That makes you guests." She seems quite fed up with the constant "are you sure he's not going to shoot us" questions, and her patience is beginning to wear a little thin. Caleb notices this at least, and reluctantly gives up his last weapon to a guard, who takes it and stores it safely in the side room with the others.
The inmates say it's everything, but nevertheless, a couple guards come over and give them a brisk, non-invasive pat-down, as though checking to make sure they don't have any pistols or daggers hidden anywhere. When they finish, they give each other and Almina a nod. She nods back in understanding, and waves for the inmates to follow with her two left hands. "Come," she orders, and Fireteam Beta follows her through a door at the far end of the room.
The hallways through Big Daneelo's building seem clean, if sparsely decorated. It's a lot different from the rest of the station. It feels better-kept - but still quite old. In fact, it feels older and more "worn" than most other places they've been... even despite being so well maintained. As they continue on, staring at the back of Almina's fluttering lavender shirt, the inmates notice that she seems to stand a little shorter here - almost as though she's suddenly less confident. When they pass various hiltorel and plodii individuals in the hallway, Almina ducks her head slightly in respectful greeting. Saoirse doesn't quite catch on, but Caleb and Frank start imitating Almina's gestures.
"So, when was it that you saw him last?" Frank finally whispers, hoping it sounds like he's making small talk.
Almina looks back over her shoulder. She's brightened back up some, and gives him a pleasant smile. "Oh, not that long ago," she says lightly. "Somewhere close to a week, but not more than that. Danee is always really busy. Oh - his study is coming up now, on the right." She proceeds to lead the inmates down yet another hallway.
Near the end of this corridor, two guards stand watch, decked out in very expensive gear. "Almina," one of them says in recognition. The girl speaks to him briefly, and he nods, tapping a series of buttons on his wrist. The door behind him slides to the side. Almina glances back and motions for the inmates to follow, and they do so. As they pass the guards, they give the trio a very stern glare - almost hostile. The inmates, for their part, choose to pretend it didn't happen.
By Fuhodo standards, Big Daneelo's study is lovely. Well-designed furniture, numerous statues, and pleasant lighting sets an elegant mood. Extravagant pieces of artwork adorn the walls - clearly, Big Daneelo is something of an art collector. He seems to be fairly technological as well, judging by the large multi-screen computer display that sits to one side of his wide, semicircular desk, which itself is elevated from the lower area of the floor (where the inmates now stand) by a gentle slope. And of course, the man himself is seated in his chair - a particularly wide, "round" plodus, dressed in formal attire. Of course, this may only be the second plodus the inmates have really taken the time to examine in-person, so they may not have much to judge by.
A gray-skinned alien - a bhezian - stands directly to the right of Big Daneelo's desk, facing the door, but he does not speak. Big Daneelo is busy conversing with another alien, who happens to be standing directly in front of his desk. Whatever the proceedings may be related to, they seem tense. Big Daneelo has a very commanding air when he speaks - one that almost demands respect. The person standing in front of it seems to be giving it - reluctantly, however; almost out of fear.
Before the inmates have time to make fools out of themselves, Almina pulls them abruptly to the right and has them sit down on a bench beside her. It's comfortable, at least, but when the inmates try to ask questions, she hisses at them softly in warning and puts a finger to her lips. Thus, the inmates (and Almina) wait silently for the other alien's audience to end. It finally does, and he exits the room without trouble.
"Almina," the bhezian calls out in a disinterested monotone.
As she gets to her feet, Almina motions very strongly for the inmates to stay put, and even gives them a glare to make sure they get the message. They certainly do.
"'Mina!" Big Daneelo greets her warmly, stepping back from the desk. Almina bypasses the bhezian on the side and gives her uncle a hug. After they finish, Big Daneelo says, "'Mina, calon orase soposar lelesa melepas. Pasa mablit memo polevo?" It's not hiltorel, but some other language. Almina responds in kind, and the inmates sit awkwardly and watch the whole affair as the two proceed through a conversation. Big Daneelo and his niece act almost as though they've forgotten anyone else is in the room. The pair chatter on for a number of minutes, and then, just as the inmates are starting to feel a bit anxious, Almina turns around and gestures at them. Big Daneelo cranes his "neck" slightly, as though to get a better view, and then turns back to Almina. He says something that sounds quite stern. She replies, and they talk back and forth for a moment. The air of warmness and joviality has completely vanished, and the inmates are beginning to fidget nervously. This isn't helped when Big Daneelo reaches over and presses a button on his desk with one of his slender arms, saying something over a comm channel. He talks to Almina again, briefly, and she waves them up to his desk.
The fireteam obediently rises and walks forward in a group, stopping where they had seen the alien with the previous audience stand. It seems the thing to do.
Big Daneelo examines them for a moment, stepping cautiously, deliberately, back into the semicircle of his desk. Finally, at length, he speaks... in a language they aren't familiar with. The inmates glance at each other - is he not aware that they don't speak anything other than Galactic? They're just about to mention it when the bhezian standing beside the desk begins translating. This seems to be his purpose. "Welcome to my home," he translates. "My niece says she found you in the northside warehouse district - a dangerous place to be, especially in your shoes. You are part of the crew of the Tartarus ship that crashed on our planet Nanyej, no? I'm sure you have questions... and I do as well."
The inmates stand quietly for a moment, glancing at each other. A dozen questions rush through their minds - the foremost of which is whether it was okay to speak. With a good deal of hesitation, Frank decides to test this. He begins with a deep bow, praying that it's the appropriate thing to do, and then speaks. "We are grateful that you receive us like this." The bhezian begins translating without hesitation.
Caleb jumps in. "I'm Caleb, this is Frank, and this," he points, "is Saoirse."
Frank nods, trying to gauge Big Daneelo's expression. Unfortunately, the featherlike fronds on his wide face do little to reveal his thoughts. "Our ship, the Nemesis lifted off the planet's surface not long after the crash. We don't know much about the crash. Actually, we...," he says hesitantly. Is it okay to mention cryotech? Probably best not to. "We were... put under... at the time that it happened. We only woke up during the last hours before... leaving the planet." Probably best not to mention Huhoba either. "The Nemesis is currently docked for resupply and repairs. We were tasked with -"
Big Daneelo interrupts with a rumble, waving one of his arms to silence them. He looks displeased. The bhezian translates. "I know all this. You are wasting my time. I know about the cryotech, and I know about Huhoba Qitsit. I am not pleased with your actions. You've disrupted the political balance on my station."
Taking advantage of Big Daneelo's short silence, Caleb speaks. "We knew the situation on-station was... tense, to say the least, but we never had any hard info on what was going on."
The big plodus looks insulted by the interruption, but as Caleb's words are translated to him, his expression grows... well, slightly less stern. "I have more pressing business waiting on this, so I'll be blunt. The balance has always been delicate. The station is kept afloat by a combination of gas mining from the inner giants and by virtue of being a mercenary and pirate hub. The miners and traders side with Rebirth, and an equal number side with the Fuhodo Mercenary Union, an offshoot of the Outer World League. If the scales tip one way or the other, a bloody civil war will start. Both sides want it. It means they control the station themselves, and exploit what's left of the economy. I'm aware you know all of this already, but it bears repeating because -" and here there's a pause. "Because for some reason you thought it would be a good idea to disrupt that balance."
The inmates look at each other, not understanding what Big Daneelo means. Finally, Frank says, "I'm not sure how our actions could really impact things... It sounds like the balance was already skewed beforehand."
"It was not," comes the sharp denial. "I have been very careful to see to that. The arrival of the Nemesis united the independents against you. Your advanced squads started firefights in the hangar, as I've already learned from another of you, and then you - your little group - permitted one of your own to be captured and killed by the Fuhodo Mercenary Union. They will make an example out of him, and the independents will join their side. All my work will be for nothing. You've started a civil war."
As these words sink in, it slowly dawns on the surviving trio that if what he's saying is true... Bob is dead.
Back in Vynkor and Sukava's neck of the woods, the fysar continues repeating his untranslatable phrase.
"Galactic standard, please!" Vynkor calls out. She hopes this will make it obvious that she can't speak his language.
The fysar on the ledge hesitates for a moment, and then shouts once more, "Niba larbiin! Iin!" This time, however, he adds a sentence in what sounds like a different language: "Santsereng kaqomil! Saka!" Clearly, while he gets that they don't speak his language, he doesn't speak Galactic either.
Sukava is getting impatient though. She starts shouting, taking great pains to space and enunciate her words. "WE," she taps her chest, "WORK THERE," she points at the main entrance, "YOU TOASTED WORM!" She takes a step forwards towards the entrance; this causes the Fysar to tense up. He waves his gun at her meaningfully, shouting in a stream of angry-shouting chatter. He waves his gun again, points it back at Sukava, and then bares his teeth and yells wordlessly. He seems to be trying to get something across, but... he's not doing a very good job of it.
Then again, neither is Sukava. In a quiet aside, she says, "Vynk, what's the frog saying?"
Vynkor shrugs. "Can't understand a word. But I have an idea. You have that plasma ball thing, right? Fysar have sensitive eyes. If you blind him with your fireballs, we -"
But it becomes abundantly clear that Sukava stopped paying attention after the first sentence. "Let's go, Vynk!" she calls out, and grabs Vynkor by the arm, dragging her backwards as she walks towards the far exit of the courtyard.
"Okay, this works too," Vynkor says in worried resignation.
Together, the pair "casually" strolls across the courtyard, ignoring the Fysar's antics. I mean, they got this far - why stop now?
But the alien on the balcony doesn't like this in the slightest. In fact, he starts shouting louder, and finally fires a burst of bullets at the ground in front of them. They ricochet off the metallic surface with a familiar sound... that Sukava and Vynkor don't even hear because they're ducking into cover. The monkey-bug-thing up on the balcony is now screeching angrily like a monkey-bug-thing, and he (or she) fires a couple rounds after them for good measure - perhaps not intended to hit, but more as a warning.
Crouched behind the midsection of a fallen statue, Sukava takes out her CRISP and starts warming it up.
Vynkor reflects on how this is exactly the outcome she expected. "I liked my plan better," she grumbles.
"If you don't kill it yourself, I'll boost up there and turn him into frog salad," Sukava says reassuringly.
Her companion pulls out her plasma rifle. "I don't know if you've ever even met a Fysar, but, uh, watch out for the biting." With this said, Vynk fires a few salvos at the Fysar, who stops shouting and immediately takes cover out of view. Every single shot misses.
Sukava smirks at this, and leaps to her feet, boosting up to the balcony with her CRISP whirling - two bright orange fireballs spin rapidly about her in a delicate orbital pattern. It looks mesmerizing - but Vynkor isn't really looking at the display. Rather, she's looking at the various other Fysar heads that have started popping up like gophers all around the courtyard. Further inspection reveals that they are both angry, and armed. But Sukava isn't paying any attention to this. Rather, she's fully focused on the "frog". On seeing that the guy has ducked into cover, she pulls out her electron sword instead. It flickers brilliantly in the dim lighting.
However, upon arriving, she finds that her quarry has completely vanished - possibly through a nearby doorway. Grumbling, very unhappy, and irritated, Sukava flies back down to Vynkor and lands gently on her feet. She's about to speak, but Vynkor silences her and gestures around them. It's at this point that Sukava finally see the - how many, nine? Eleven? Possibly as many as fourteen new fysar enemies have popped up, and they look very unhappy.
Sukava's sword crackles with energy. If it could speak, it might say something like, "Well now, I have to admit. This isn't entirely an unexpected turn of events. What else would you expect if you wandered into gang territory, and then tried to pick a fight with a gang member - and on their home turf, no less? This is less-than-excellent news for the two of you, seeing as you'll both likely die at this point, but fortunately it won't mean much for me. I'll simply find a new owner to fight for and things will be just fine and dandy. If I'm lucky, the next one might have a little more sentience than the two of you seem to possess!" But unfortunately, the sword does not possess sentience, so it can do little more than crackle in quiet anticipation.
0111narwhalz
#278 by 0111narwhalz
[IC]Vynkor[/IC]
"Well, I'm glad to see your brain is as corroded as the rest. Don't really know what I was expecting. You lose a little upstairs when they were replacing your legs or something?" I look at the fysar above us. "You think they like spaghetti as much as the priest? I'd hate to see the marinara sauce go to waste. Maybe if you had—"
Triggerhappy
#279 by Triggerhappy
Fuking interrupt Vynk like the rude witch that I am and yell: "DO ANY OF YOU SPEAK STANDARD? WE WERE TOLD YOU PEOPLE HAD AN ISSUE, WE CAME OT SEE IF WE COULD HELP!"
It's Been Worse.
Marina wrote: ↑
"DO ANY OF YOU SPEAK STANDARD? WE WERE TOLD YOU PEOPLE HAD AN ISSUE, WE CAME OT SEE IF WE COULD HELP!"
I mutter irritably to myself. "That wasn't the part I was talking about."
"Food heaven is not for us, Vynk, they don't like vampires and toast-defacers there."
Look at my sword.
If I'm going down I'm taking you and a few frogs down with me. What would I do in hell without an electron sword?
F4wk35
#282 by F4wk35
Talvieno wrote: ↑
[IC]Frank[/IC]
They had massively underestimated the situation on-board. They got here on false assumptions...
Frank slumps visibly, posture deflating, shoulders sinking. He just barely keeps himself from dropping to his knees.
"I- We- We didn't-" he stammers
They'd have to pack up immediately and flee the station, this was too big. They should better retreat, possible job be damned.
His knees finally give in. Quietly, he says in an overwhelmed and frightened voice:
"What can we even do...?"
Apparently, sometimes stuff might happen.
Dinosawer
#283 by Dinosawer
[IC]Saoirse[/IC]
"W-w-w-what? K-killed? B-b-but..."
I choke up, and my eyes start to water.
He can't be dead, he ran away before the mercs got there, right? Right?...
As tears start rolling down my cheek, I turn around and move a few steps to the edge of the room, trying but failing to get my feelings under wrap in this rather sensitive situation.
Dammit Bob, why didn't you just come along with us...
Warning: do not ask about physics unless you really want to know about physics.
The LT IRC / Alternate link || The REKT Wiki || PUDDING
cuisinart8
#284 by cuisinart8
I listen in growing horror as Daneelo recounts all the ways things are going wrong, and it reaches a crescendo as he describes what happened to who I can only assume is Bob. Everything else seems to fade into the distance. I find my thoughts drawn inexorably towards Anba. It all seems so similar. Trapped on some pirate-ridden hellhole about to explode, one of our number already dead- I clench my eyes shut in pain- and the rest of us about to die soon, no doubt...if not by Daneelo's angry hand, then by the warring sides that would both be only too happy to string us up and parade us through the streets. I fight the urge to simply try and get us all out...well, I know we will have to try, but the soldier in me realizes that blind panic won't help us at all. Even though I can't shake the feeling that we're all going to die here, I can't just let that happen. I take several deep, shuddering breaths to try and calm myself, and promise myself right then and there that as long as I'm alive, Saoirse and Frank will get out of here. I open my eyes again, still struggling visibly to control myself. I finally notice my squadmates' distress, but I can barely deal with my own emotions right now. Instead, I try to get myself back into "mission mode" to calm down. I'm no use to them if I'm too messed-up to even think.
"If we stay here, we'll only make this worse...we need to leave, for our sake and the station's. I can't see our presence here calming things at all. You obviously know far more than we do about the situation. What's the most realistic course of action? Obviously just walking to the docks is out of the question."
After running for what seems like a marathon (to Buck), shout after the others:
"Just - " cough " - fukcin'... stop... a damn second."
Slow down, lean onto a nearby wall, exhale sharply and then say:
"Whew, need a breather!"
Take a few deep breaths, then look around and, seeing Ishmael is missing, say derisively
"Well, look who decided to bail on us again! Last time I looked back, that asshole dun' even left the bar! Must've hoped to sneak out while them aliens were busy shootin' us up."
Shake my head
"Bastard."
Look at Yuuji and say:
"There's our 'squadmate' for you. Warned ya 'bout him already, but nobody dun' listen to the voice o' reason, as usual. Well, if he wants to ditch us, I ain't stoppin' him."
Start walking again, as if the matter is shut and closed
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#Dros19 GSA Poster Award winners
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Why Ciliates? Making a video introduction to a model organism
Cristy Gelling
Cristy Gelling is Communications Director at the GSA, a science writer, and a lapsed yeast geneticist.
Model organism researchers face shared challenges in communicating the value of their work. How do you get policymakers to fund research on a microscopic organism they’ve never heard of? How do you explain to the public why scientists spend time understanding yeast and frogs and flies?
In 2015, the ciliate research community decided to invest in a shared tool they could all use to help convey the importance of research on their model system. The result, a 6-minute “Why Ciliates?” video screened at The Allied Genetics Conference in 2016, helped introduce these fascinating organisms to participants from all the other communities attending the meeting. Inspired by the project, and the “Small Fly, Big Impact” Drosophila videos, many attendees expressed the desire to try a similar approach for their own model system.
‘Why Ciliates?’ stars the one-celled wonders whose mini size belies their mega importance in basic research and drug development. Meet the passionate scientists, including Nobel laureate Carol Greider, as they advocate continued funding of basic research as the necessary precursor to the translational breakthroughs that will cure disease.
In advance of the Ciliate Molecular Biology Conference this July 17–22, 2018 in Washington, DC, we talked to the makers of “Why Ciliates?” to learn more about making a model organism video and how to overcome the challenges of a big communication project of this type.
Diana Ritter runs the video production company Flying Dreams Inc. Contact Diana on flydrms@gmail.com.
Ted Clark is Professor of Parasitology and Immunology at Cornell University
Jeff Kapler is Professor and Chair of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine and Professor of Biochemistry & Biophysics at Texas A&M University
(Both Clark and Kapler are members of the Steering Committee of the Tetrahymena Genome Project)
What was the inspiration for the video?
Ted Clark: I had worked with Diana to make “Expedition: Science”, a video for a laboratory course called ASSET we’ve developed to teach basic biology to high school students. After I showed the video at the “Ciliates in the Classroom” workshop at the Ciliate Molecular Biology Conference, some of the folks in the Tetrahymena community asked if we could do a similar video to pitch ciliates as model organisms to the broader scientific community and beyond.
Jeff Kapler: I’m on the Tetrahymena Board, and around this time we felt the funding environment was becoming increasingly difficult for those using model systems. We wanted a way to get the word out about the value of ciliates that could be shown to Members of Congress, NSF directors, NIH directors, the public. Something that could be used on our webpages, in grants, in the introduction to talks, at outreach events and so on. Ted and Diana had done a great job with the education video, so we were able to get the community really excited about it.
How did you fund the project?
Jeff Kapler: We developed the initial concept, and then we just asked for support via the ciliate e-mail listserv. People really got behind it. We got donations anywhere from $10 to $2000 coming from all over the world—old retirees came out of the woodwork to support it and even grad students making a pittance of a salary. It was like a GoFundMe without the overhead! We raised about $5000 that way, and the remaining $20,000 or so were provided by the Tetrahymena Stock Center.
What aspects of the video were most successful?
Ted Clark: Diana and I share a similar warped sense of humor—we knew we could rely on humor to make it more approachable in contrast to the more dry, informational tone of some science videos.
We’ve found that people respond to it naturally, it’s very engaging. Part of that was we had to find the right people. Diana asked for interviewees who are passionate and can tell a good story, so I chose people who I knew would make it exciting.
We also received a lot of comments on the representation of women in the video.
Diana Ritter: That was not an accident! Something that really struck me and engaged me when my kid was in kindergarten about 15 years ago, was that when the kids were asked what they wanted to be when they grew up, all the boys said things like fireman and astronaut and doctor, and to a person all the girls said ‘I want to be a mommy’. Now I love being a mommy, but that put fuel on my fire to show more women and girls doing science.
Jeff Kapler: The other thing that stood out when I saw the video was the young people in it—it wasn’t just a bunch of old men.
How do you prepare for production?
Diana Ritter: You have to start by identifying what you want to accomplish, your message, and your audience. That helps you think about the style; do you want it to be rapid-fire and provocative? Or attention-getting with a more laid back, conversational, or news report approach?
You need to keep your budget in mind when you are planning, because this will guide lots of decisions about resources. If you have a very limited budget you will need to be as efficient as possible. You might be able to use some existing footage and graphics for example, and consolidate all the interviews at an event, use local crews etc.
People often think you need a script in advance, and will ask people to memorize lines. That’s tough to pull off. My approach is to reverse engineer the script. We know the messages we want, so I come up with interview questions that elicit that content in people’s responses. It can make the editing trickier, but we feel it results in a more natural and conversational end product.
Diana, how did you incorporate feedback from the scientists in the finished product?
Diana Ritter: I worked closely with Ted. After the interviews, we sent notes on our selects to Ted along with a rough edit. He reviewed the scientific information and made suggestions, then we would make changes and continue the conversation through several more edits. It was a good give and take, because he knows the science while we know the pacing and style.
How long did the project take?
Diana Ritter: After the budget was finalized, there were maybe two weeks of scheduling people, assembling a crew, securing locations and agreeing on a general outline of what we hoped to get. We had a three-day shoot. Reviewing the material took several days, the back and forth of fact checking and rough cuts took a couple of weeks. And then another week to arrive at a final edit. So about a month to six weeks.
What were the biggest challenges?
Diana Ritter: One of the big uncertainties was getting the right lineup to adequately represent the ciliate community. We wanted to include some heavy-hitters and Nobelists who always have very busy schedules. We were lucky to be able to shoot around a conference in Washington, DC, where we knew we could get three of the interviews and then stop in Maryland to talk to Carol Greider and Sean Taverna on the way back, and then do another day in Boston.
From a creative standpoint, the challenges were like any communication project: how do you take the vast amount of material and find the order and flow—while keeping your audience engaged? The project was really a pleasure—all the people we spoke to were very happy to participate and share with us their time and enthusiasm!
Early Career Leadership Spotlight — Abigail LaBella
Unmasking an elusive Daphnia disease
AdvocacyCiliatesFundamental ResearchPublic OutreachScience Communication
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Home » Misc » Optimistic Phoenix Suns Eye The NBA Championship
Optimistic Phoenix Suns Eye The NBA Championship
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R/O
Radioactive tritium leaks found at 48 U.S. nuke sites
'You got pipes that have been buried underground for 30 or 40 years, and they've never been inspected,' whistleblower says
By: JEFF DONN, Associated Press, updated 6/21/2011 5:48:09 AM ET
A decoy sits on Bob Scamen's pond in Braidwood, Ill., within view of the Braidwood Nuclear Power Station in Braceville, Ill. Braidwood has leaked more than six million gallons of tritium-laden water in repeated leaks dating back to the 1990s — but not publicly reported until 2005.
BRACEVILLE, Ill. — Radioactive tritium has leaked from three-quarters of U.S. commercial nuclear power sites, often into groundwater from corroded, buried piping, an Associated Press investigation shows.
The number and severity of the leaks has been escalating, even as federal regulators extend the licenses of more and more reactors across the nation.
Tritium, which is a radioactive form of hydrogen, has leaked from at least 48 of 65 sites, according to U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission records reviewed as part of the AP's yearlong examination of safety issues at aging nuclear power plants.
Leaks from at least 37 of those facilities contained concentrations exceeding the federal drinking water standard — sometimes at hundreds of times the limit.
While most leaks have been found within plant boundaries, some have migrated offsite. But none is known to have reached public water supplies.
At three sites — two in Illinois and one in Minnesota — leaks have contaminated drinking wells of nearby homes, the records show, but not at levels violating the drinking water standard.
At a fourth site, in New Jersey, tritium has leaked into an aquifer and a discharge canal feeding picturesque Barnegat Bay off the Atlantic Ocean.
Story: GAO: leaks at aging nuke sites difficult to detect
Previously, the AP reported that regulators and industry have weakened safety standards for decades to keep the nation's commercial nuclear reactors operating within the rules.
While NRC officials and plant operators argue that safety margins can be eased without peril, critics say these accommodations are inching the reactors closer to an accident.
Any exposure to radioactivity, no matter how slight, boosts cancer risk, according to the National Academy of Sciences. Federal regulators set a limit for how much tritium is allowed in drinking water. So far, federal and industry officials say, the tritium leaks pose no health threat.
But it's hard to know how far some leaks have traveled into groundwater. Tritium moves through soil quickly, and when it is detected it often indicates the presence of more powerful radioactive isotopes that are often spilled at the same time.
For example, cesium-137 turned up with tritium at the Fort Calhoun nuclear unit near Omaha, Neb., in 2007. Strontium-90 was discovered with tritium two years earlier at the Indian Point nuclear power complex, where two reactors operate 25 miles north of New York City.
Interactive: Population within 10 and 50 miles of nuclear power
The tritium leaks also have spurred doubts among independent engineers about the reliability of emergency safety systems at the 104 nuclear reactors situated on the 65 sites.
That's partly because some of the leaky underground pipes carry water meant to cool a reactor in an emergency shutdown and to prevent a meltdown. More than a mile of piping, much of it encased in concrete, can lie beneath a reactor.
Tritium is relatively short-lived and penetrates the body weakly through the air compared to other radioactive contaminants. Each of the known releases has been less radioactive than a single X-ray.
The main health risk from tritium, though, would be in drinking water. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says tritium should measure no more than 20,000 picocuries per liter in drinking water. The agency estimates seven of 200,000 people who drink such water for decades would develop cancer.
Still, the NRC and industry consider the leaks a public relations problem, not a public health or accident threat, records and interviews show.
"The public health and safety impact of this is next to zero," said Tony Pietrangelo, chief nuclear officer of the industry's Nuclear Energy Institute. "This is a public confidence issue."
Aging Nuclear Power Plants in the U.S.
Leaks are prolific
Like rust under a car, corrosion has propagated for decades along the hard-to-reach, wet underbellies of the reactors — generally built in a burst of construction during the 1960s and 1970s. As part of an investigation of aging problems at the country's nuclear reactors, the AP uncovered evidence that despite government and industry programs to bring the causes of such leaks under control, breaches have become more frequent and widespread.
There were 38 leaks from underground piping between 2000 and 2009, according to an industry document presented at a tritium conference. Nearly two-thirds of the leaks were reported over the latest five years.
At the three-unit Browns Ferry complex in Alabama, a valve was mistakenly left open in a storage tank during modifications over the years. When the tank was filled in April 2010 about 1,000 gallons of tritium-laden water poured onto the ground at a concentration of 2 million picocuries per liter. In drinking water, that would be 100 times higher than the EPA health standard.
At the LaSalle site west of Chicago, tritium-laden water was accidentally released from a storage tank in July 2010 at a concentration of 715,000 picocuries per liter — 36 times the EPA standard.
The year before, 123,000 picocuries per liter were detected in a well near the turbine building at Peach Bottom west of Philadelphia — six times the drinking water standard.
And in 2008, 7.5 million picocuries per liter leaked from underground piping at Quad Cities in western Illinois — 375 times the EPA limit.
Subsurface water not only rusts underground pipes, it attacks other buried components, including electrical cables that carry signals to control operations. They too have been failing at high rates.
A 2008 NRC staff memo reported industry data showing 83 failed cables between 21 and 30 years of service — but only 40 within their first 10 years of service. Underground cabling set in concrete can be extraordinarily difficult to replace.
Under NRC rules, tiny concentrations of tritium and other contaminants are routinely released in monitored increments from nuclear plants; leaks from corroded pipes are not permitted.
The leaks sometimes go undiscovered for years, the AP found. Many of the pipes or tanks have been patched, and contaminated soil and water have been removed in some places. But leaks are often discovered later from other nearby piping, tanks or vaults.
Mistakes and defective material have contributed to some leaks. However, corrosion — from decades of use and deterioration — is the main cause. And, safety engineers say, the rash of leaks suggest nuclear operators are hard put to maintain the decades-old systems.
Story: Safety rules loosened for aging nuclear reactors
Over the history of the U.S. industry, more than 400 known radioactive leaks of all kinds of substances have occurred, the activist Union of Concerned Scientists reported in September.
Several notable leaks above the EPA drinking-water limit for tritium happened five or more years ago, and from underground piping: 397,000 picocuries per liter at Tennessee's Watts Bar unit in 2005 — 20 times the EPA standard; four million at the two-reactor Hatch plant in Georgia in 2003 — 200 times the limit; 750,000 at Seabrook in New Hampshire in 1999 — nearly 38 times the standard; and 4.2 million at the three-unit Palo Verde facility in Arizona, in 1993 — 210 times the drinking-water limit.
Many safety experts worry about what the leaks suggest about the condition of miles of piping beneath the reactors. "Any leak is a problem because you have the leak itself — but it also says something about the piping," said Mario V. Bonaca, a former member of the NRC's Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards. "Evidently something has to be done."
Interactive: Aging nuclear plants
However, even with the best probes, it is hard to pinpoint partial cracks or damage in skinny pipes or bends. The industry tends to inspect piping when it must be dug up for some other reason. Even when leaks are detected, repairs may be postponed for up to two years with the NRC's blessing.
"You got pipes that have been buried underground for 30 or 40 years, and they've never been inspected, and the NRC is looking the other way," said engineer Paul Blanch, who has worked for the industry and later became a whistleblower. "They could have corrosion all over the place."
Nuclear engineer Bill Corcoran, an industry consultant who has taught NRC personnel how to analyze the cause of accidents, said that since much of the piping is inaccessible and carries cooling water, the worry is if the pipes leak, there could be a meltdown.
East Coast issues
One of the highest known tritium readings was discovered in 2002 at the Salem nuclear plant in Lower Alloways Creek Township, N.J. Tritium leaks from the spent fuel pool contaminated groundwater under the facility — located on an island in Delaware Bay — at a concentration of 15 million picocuries per liter. That's 750 times the EPA drinking water limit. According to NRC records, the tritium readings last year still exceeded EPA drinking water standards.
And tritium found separately in an onsite storm drain system measured 1 million picocuries per liter in April 2010.
Also last year, the operator, PSEG Nuclear, discovered 680 feet of corroded, buried pipe that is supposed to carry cooling water to Salem Unit 1 in an accident, according to an NRC report. Some had worn down to a quarter of its minimum required thickness, though no leaks were found. The piping was dug up and replaced.
The operator had not visually inspected the piping — the surest way to find corrosion— since the reactor went on line in 1977, according to the NRC. PSEG Nuclear was found to be in violation of NRC rules because it hadn't even tested the piping since 1988.
Last year, the Vermont Senate was so troubled by tritium leaks as high as 2.5 million picocuries per liter at the Vermont Yankee reactor in southern Vermont (125 times the EPA drinking-water standard) that it voted to block relicensing — a power that the Legislature holds in that state.
Activists placed a bogus ad on the Web to sell Vermont Yankee, calling it a "quaint Vermont fixer-upper from the last millennium" with "tasty, pre-tritiated drinking water."
The gloating didn't last. In March, the NRC granted the plant a 20-year license extension, despite the state opposition. Weeks ago, operator Entergy sued Vermont in federal court, challenging its authority to force the plant to close.
Map: Nuclear blackout
At 41-year-old Oyster Creek in southern New Jersey, the country's oldest operating reactor, the latest tritium troubles started in April 2009, a week after it was relicensed for 20 more years. That's when plant workers discovered tritium by chance in about 3,000 gallons of water that had leaked into a concrete vault housing electrical lines.
Since then, workers have found leaking tritium three more times at concentrations up to 10.8 million picocuries per liter — 540 times the EPA's drinking water limit — according to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. None has been directly measured in drinking water, but it has been found in an aquifer and in a canal discharging into nearby Barnegat Bay, a popular spot for swimming, boating and fishing.
An earlier leak came from a network of pipes where rust was first discovered in 1991. Multiple holes were found, "indicating the potential for extensive corrosion," according to an analysis released to an environmental group by the NRC. Yet only patchwork repairs were done.
Tom Fote, who has fished in the bay near Oyster Creek, is unsettled by the leaks. "This was a plant that was up for renewal. It was up to them to make sure it was safe and it was not leaking anything," he said.
Added Richard Webster, an environmental lawyer who challenged relicensing at Oyster Creek: "It's symptomatic of the plants not having a handle on aging."
Exelon's piping problems
To Exelon — the country's biggest nuclear operator, with 17 units — piping problems are just a fact of life. At a meeting with regulators in 2009, representatives of Exelon acknowledged that "100 percent verification of piping integrity is not practical," according to a copy of its presentation.
Of course, the company could dig up the pipes and check them out. But that would be costly.
"Excavations have significant impact on plant operations," the company said.
Exelon has had some major leaks. At the company's two-reactor Dresden site west of Chicago, tritium has leaked into the ground at up to 9 million picocuries per liter — 450 times the federal limit for drinking water.
At least four separate problems have been discovered at the 40-year-old site since 2004, when its two reactors were awarded licenses for 20 more years of operation. A leaking section of piping was fixed that year, but another leak sprang nearby within two years, a government inspection report says.
The Dresden leaks developed in systems that help cool the reactor core in an emergency. Leaks also have contaminated offsite drinking water wells, but below the EPA drinking water limit.
There's also been contamination of offsite drinking water wells near the two-unit Prairie Island plant southeast of Minneapolis, then operated by Nuclear Management Co. and now by Xcel Energy, and at Exelon's two-unit Braidwood nuclear facility, 10 miles from Dresden. The offsite tritium concentrations from both facilities also were below the EPA level.
The Prairie Island leak was found in the well of a nearby home in 1989. It was traced to a canal where radioactive waste was discharged.
Braidwood has leaked more than six million gallons of tritium-laden water in repeated leaks dating back to the 1990s — but not publicly reported until 2005. The leaks were traced to pipes that carried limited, monitored discharges of tritium into the river.
"They weren't properly maintained, and some of them had corrosion," said Exelon spokeswoman Krista Lopykinski.
Map: Spent nuclear fuel
Last year, Exelon, which has acknowledged violating Illinois state groundwater standards, agreed to pay $1.2 million to settle state and county complaints over the tritium leaks at Braidwood and nearby Dresden and Byron sites. The NRC also sanctioned Exelon.
Tritium measuring 1,500 picocuries per liter turned up in an offsite drinking well at a home near Braidwood.
Though company and industry officials did not view any of the Braidwood concentrations as dangerous, unnerved residents took to bottled water and sued over feared loss of property value. A consolidated lawsuit was dismissed, but Exelon ultimately bought some homes so residents could leave.
Exelon refused to say how much it paid, but a search of county real estate records shows it bought at least nine properties in the contaminated area near Braidwood since 2006 for a total of $6.1 million.
Exelon says it has almost finished cleaning up the contamination, but the cost persists for some neighbors.
Retirees Bob and Nancy Scamen live in a two-story house within a mile of the reactors on 18 bucolic acres they bought in 1988, when Braidwood opened. He had worked there, and in other nuclear plants, as a pipefitter and welder — even sometimes fixing corroded piping. For the longest time, he felt the plants were well-managed and safe.
His feelings have changed.
An outlet from Braidwood's leaky discharge pipe 300 feet from his property poured out three million gallons of water in 1998, according to an NRC inspection report. The couple didn't realize the discharge was radioactive.
The Scamens no longer intend to pass the property on to their grandchildren for fear of hurting their health. The couple just wants out. But the only offer so far is from a buyer who left a note on the front door saying he'd pay the fire-sale price of $10,000.
They say Exelon has refused to buy their home because it has found tritium directly behind, but not beneath, their property.
"They say our property is not contaminated, and if they buy property that is not contaminated, it will set a precedent, and they'll have to buy everybody's property," said Scamen.
Their neighbors, Tom and Judy Zimmer, are also hoping for an offer from Exelon for the land and home they built on it, spending $418,000 for both.
They had just moved into the house in November 2005, and were laying the tile in their new foyer when two Exelon representatives appeared at the door.
Image: Tom Zimmer, Charles Rex Arbogast / AP
Tom Zimmer had just moved into his house when Exelon officials informed him of a tritium leak at the nearby Braidwood Nuclear Power Station in 2005.
"They said, 'We're from Exelon, and we had a tritium spill. It's nothing to worry about,'" recalls Tom Zimmer. "I didn't know what tritium even meant."
But his wife says she understood right away that it was bad news — and they hadn't even emptied their moving boxes yet: "I thought, 'Oh, my God. We're not even in this place. What are we going to do?'"
They say they had an interested buyer who backed out when he learned of the tritium. No one has made an offer since.
Public relations effort
The NRC is certainly paying attention. How can it not when local residents fret over every new groundwater incident? But the agency's reports and actions suggest a preoccupation with image and perception.
An NRC task force on tritium leaks last year dismissed the danger to public health. Instead, its report called the leaks "a challenging issue from the perspective of communications around environmental protection." The task force noted ruefully that the rampant leaking had "impacted public confidence."
For sure, the industry also is trying to stop the leaks. For several years now, plant owners around the country have been drilling more monitoring wells and taking a more aggressive approach in replacing old piping when leaks are suspected or discovered.
For example, Exelon has been performing $14 million worth of work at Oyster Creek to give easier access to 2,000 feet of tritium-carrying piping, said site spokesman David Benson.
But such measures have yet to stop widespread leaking.
Meantime, the reactors keep getting older — 66 have been approved for 20-year extensions to their original 40-year licenses, with 16 more extensions pending.
And, as the AP has been reporting in its ongoing series, Aging Nukes, regulators and industry have worked in concert to loosen safety standards to keep the plants operating.
In an initiative started last year, NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko asked his staff to examine regulations on buried piping to evaluate if stricter standards or more inspections were needed.
The staff report, issued in June, openly acknowledged that the NRC "has not placed an emphasis on preventing" the leaks.
The authors concluded there are no significant health threats or heightened risk of accidents.
And they predicted even more leaks in the future.
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Corita Kent: Power Up
The UK’S biggest ever show of work by the pop artist, social activist and nun.
8 Feb to 12 May 2019, 10:00am - 5:30pm
"Ultimately what stands out is how darn beautiful these prints are." Time Out
Corita Kent's joyful, subversive and – to some – controversial screen prints revolutionised typographic design, challenged the Roman Catholic Church and offered a bold new perspective on misogyny, racism and war.
A contemporary of Andy Warhol, admired by Charles and Ray Eames, John Cage and Saul Bass, Corita's radical Pop Art brought the sublime to bear on the everyday.
Designed by the acclaimed Fraser Muggeridge studio, the exhibition will feature 70 screen prints showing the evolution of Corita's work.
In the early 1960s she juxtaposed religious texts with advertising slogans, capturing the clamour and commercialism of LA’s post-WWII financial boom. Her 1965 screenprint power up derived from a gasoline advert, while her 1967 work come alive appropriated the iconic Pepsi-Cola slogan as an exuberant affirmation. Corita said of LA, “Up and down the highways we see words…that read almost like contemporary translations of the psalms for us to be singing on our way.” However, her 1964 print in homage to Mary, the juiciest tomato of all, was regarded as sacrilege by the church and banned from being displayed.
In the late 1960s Corita increasingly used art as protest against racism, misogyny, poverty and war. Working within the confines of America’s most conservative diocese, her voice was hugely influential in the country’s anti-authority shift, capturing the spirit of the anti-Vietnam war movement, civil rights movement and feminism. Her 1969 screenprints layered documentary material from Life, Newsweek and Time magazines – Corita’s “contemporary manuals of contemplation” – with song lyrics, poetry and quotes set against psychedelic day-glo colours. These include 1969’s if i, promoting compassion in the face of violence after Martin Luther King’s assassination.
With thanks to Corita Art Center and Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft
Nuggets of wisdom from the artist-nun in the last 10 days of the exhibition. Immaculate Heart College Art Department c. 1955, photo by Fred Swartz © Corita Art Center Immaculate Heart Community Los Angeles
10 Inspirational Quotes from Corita Kent
In conversation with Olivia Ahmad. for emergency use soft shoulder, 1966, serigraph © Corita Art Center Immaculate Heart Community Los Angeles
A Q&A with the Curator of Corita Kent: Power Up
Watch the indefatigable nun teaching, printmaking and doling out wisdom. Corita at Conferences, c. 1967 © Corita Art Center Immaculate Heart Community Los Angeles
Exhibition videos
Corita Kent on Screen
A few of our favourites from the amazing alphabets we received. Illuminated Alphabet © Emma Reith (1)
A Few Illuminated Alphabet Competition Entries
Inspired by Corita Kent's Circus Alphabet. Just announced: Bob and Roberta Smith to judge! C capital down, 1968, serigraph © Corita Art Center Immaculate Heart Community Los Angeles copy
The Illuminated Alphabet Competition
We guest-hosted #FontSunday for our friends at Design Museum with marvellous results. Come Alive! You're in the Pepsi Generation © Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA) Archi
Font Sunday: The Corita Kent-Inspired Billboard-Themed Edition
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How can we advance without a tax increase?
Submitted by gwolf on Thu, 10/22/2009 - 13:33
There has been a lot of buzz recently in Mexico after a tax increase that has been announced for next year. The two main points I have seen criticized are:
Value Added Tax (IVA) increase from 15% to 16%
There was a great improvement regarding the original proposal by our de-facto ruler (why de-facto? Because it is still unclear whether he won the popular vote. He has about the same legitimacy as George Bush during his first term: Legal but illegitimate): In Mexico, there is a category of items regarded as fundamental, which are exempt of IVA (tasa cero). This category includes food and medicines — Of course, this category makes up the bulk of the poorer people's consumptions, so they pay much less IVA than people with higher living standards. For a very long time, there has been a push to remove this exemption. This has been fortunately clearly understood and fought against.
So, the presidential initiative, as I was saying, contemplated a global 2% tax which would not be IVA, and which would be applied universally. This tax would be earmarked to be applied to social programs, and was euphemistically called Impuesto de Combate a la Pobreza (poverty combat tax). Many people applied the concept of duck typing (if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck... It is a Value Added Tax). As many analysts, I believe this tax was meant to be the foot in the doorstop, leading to point out in a couple of years that anyway nothing is IVA-exempt anymore and the world has not come to an end, and we should apply universal IVA...
So, the reduction in the increase (2% → 1%) is not the most notable thing here — The notable (and good!) thing is that they didn't succeed into killing the tasa cero.
3% tax on telecommunications
Many friends have started rallying (with the IMHO least effective way of protest you can find on Earth, just by stating their adherence in their Twitter and Facebook profiles. Wow, great deal!) that the original proposal included a 4% tax on telecommunications, and it appears that 3% will be applied. They say, quite fairly, that telephone and Internet access are no longer considerable a luxury, but a need to power the society into becoming better prepared, more competitive.
My friends state as a contrast the Finnish ruling broadband access as a citizen right. What they seem not to realize is that the proportion of taxes in Mexico (collected from the responsible taxpayers, which is not by far the way for the bulk of the money in this country) is close to 30%, taking into account the big taxes (IVA, ISR/IETU) and the host of smaller ones. In Finland, the percentage of taxes payed by every person –and remember that tax evasion is way lower than here!) is over 50%.
So… What is my opinion on this? What would my ideal tax scheme be?
Nobody likes taxes. But the country needs far more infrastructure, far wider inverstments. We need higher taxes — But we need those taxes to be collected from people with higher income. And yes, that would mean I would most probably pay more (as I do sit relatively high on the income scale — Qualified work, even if you do not seek money for the sake of it, pays much better than non-qualified work; remember the minimal wage in Mexico is around MX$50 a day - Less than US$4 or €3).
The increases should be applied to the income tax (ISR). It is supposed to be around 30% for income levels over MX$5000 a month, with a very slight increase after that point. Income tax is highly deductible now, and most people with high income manage to ellude most of it. Many cases have been documented of companies as small as Walmart paying less than MX$1000 a year due to several (intentional? you bet!) holes in the legislation. That is where the bulk of the extra government income should come from!
For a couple of years, since I registered as a taxpayer (people receiving money exclusively as salaries under a given limit don't have to declare taxes) I have decided not to hire an accountant to make the numbers look prettier, and just do the numbers myself over the platform provided by SAT/Hacienda (the tax collecting authority). Yes, that means I am paying more than what I could — But it also means I am paying what I should! And it is an expensive point of view, but I strongly invite others to do the same. If we criticize Walmart for making numbers look prettier, shouldn't each of us do the same? Shouldn't we all care to pay what we are supposed to, so that the government has enough funds to carry out its tasks?
Yes, I am painfully aware that an important portion of what gets into the government disappears due to corruption and ineptitude. Still, the only position from where I can criticize is from being clearly legal. The same point as I do with software: I cannot ask people to comply with my Free Software licensing if I use ilegally propietary software, can I? So no, I don't use any. Even legal propietary software, free-as-in-beer (i.e. Flash player).
So, please think this over before you join the Lemmings into complaining about the tax increase. Yes, this is a bad moment to increase taxes. Yes, Mexico is the worst faring country in all of America in its response to the crisis; the GDP will probably fall between 8% and 10% this year and 2010 will not be much better. Yes, it would be better to increase competitivity. But, yes, we pay ridiculously low amounts of taxes — And those of us who can afford a little reduction in our expenditure should do it. And those who make gross money should just stop it.
Oh, and last point, regarding the #internetnecesario Twitter hashtag: Don't be Lemmings. Internet should be recognized a basic need for a free society. But right now in our country, it completely is a luxury, even if you cannot live without it. If you are Internet-addicted as myself, you most probably will not notice the 3% increase. FFS, We will pay MX$360 instead of MX$350 a month for my Infinitum connection. Will we really notice? In Mexico, middle and upper class are Internet-enabled. Lower classes are not. Things should change, no doubt. But it is not at all comparable to an universal IVA. Things should change and universal connectivity should be a given. But right now, calling Internet a basic good... is just out of touch with reality.
gwolf's blog
The bad and the worse; Representative democracies' minimums
Martin rants about the German electoral system. From his rant, I'll pick up only two points — And I'll try to connect with Toxicore's excelent (Spanish) blog post, where he quotes political analist Denise Dresser.
Dresser has made a great point: Our probably-imposed, legitimacy-impaired president Felipe Calderón has requested the society to «talk good» about Mexico, to project a positive image of the country. Dresser says, yes, there is a lot of good to talk about the country, and we should emphasize on its richness and beauty, invite people to come and visit, to know what the country is really like. But at the same time, it is our duty to talk bad about the bad areas and decisions of our government, as that is the best (if not the only) thing many of us can do to really get things to happen — That is what we can do to push our country's good things forward, to make the country sustainable, to pull attention towards what needs (such as the very very deplorable cases of censorship, human rights violation, ecosystem predation we have seen in the last years).
Anyway... What did I want to comment about Martin's post? He criticizes Germany's law requiring a 5% quota for a party to have parliamentary representation.
In Mexico, the minimum is 2%. Most people agree, though, that it is too low, and that we should push to increase it. Why? Because the money that is spent in supporting the party system. In Mexico, when a political party fails to get 2% of the vote, it is basically disbanded and it is very hard for it to regroup, to compete again.
Many people believe we should aim to a political system with as few political parties as possible (such as the semi-democratic system they have in the USA). I strongly prefer the system found in most European (and even many South American) countries where there is a real wealth of ideological positions represented, and where governments have to be formed by agreeing to form coalitions, as it is almost impossible for them to get full majority.
I would much rather see Mexico march towards a parliamentary-based political system, away from the presidential one. Of course, that is almost impossible to expect.
With the current political system, we are bound to have forever few monolithic, meaningless political parties. We will likely converge on three blocks, following the current three major blocks (leftoid PRD, centroid PRI, rightoid PAN). They are different in some important senses, yes, but in general they are much the same. I don't hold any hopes to ever see something like the Pirate Party appearing in our system...
Honduras: .hn NIC attacked/intervened by the de-facto government authorities
Submitted by gwolf on Fri, 09/25/2009 - 12:55
I was requested to forward this information to as wide an audience as possible.
Possibly two months ago the legality/legitimacy of the actions carried out by the Hondurean armed forces, which captured a democratically elected president and without a judicial order or trial process forced him out of the country, starting a de-facto government, was something questionable. Each day, however, it becomes clearer and clearer the Hondureans are suffering a represive military-backed system which cannot be expected to fulfill as a trustable entity to conduct fair, credible elections.
I got this message from a Hondurean friend (of course, whose identity I am not divulging) denouncing the government's invasion of the .hn domain name registry, which is handled by the Sustainable Development Network (Red de Desarrollo Sustentable — RDS-HN). The National Telecomunications Comission (Comisión Nacional de Telecomunicaciones, CONATEL) demands all domain name registration under the .hn top-level domain (TLD) to be suspende, and all the lists and databases regarding said TLDs to be handed over, detailing the IP ranges and the responsibles. They did this under the argument that RDS-HN is an Internet Service Provider (which it is not — Being a registrar means they are responsible for the well-keeping of public information and of handling a public good, the .hn TLD, not that they provide any kind of regulated service to individuals or organizations), with military personnel disguised as civilians (and who refused to identify themselves).
If you are interested, please read further on the text I received straight from my Hondurean contacts (Spanish) (or its unaccurate but often helpful automated translation to English, done through Google Translate)
Even though this information is normally accessible via WHOIS and similar services (this only states clearly nobody in CONATEL was able to do what I just did legally and anonymously from my personal workstation), they did it in such a fashion in order to scare the operators and the society.
Honduras is going through a very hard process. Whatever happens there will likely impact on the future reactions to the most retrograd and powerful sectors of society in the rest of Latin America. We do our best (even if as non-Hondureans living outside Honduras it only means raising our voices) to avoid the risk of our region going back to the sad, cruel and bloody 1970s history.
[update] My friend Mave, who works at NIC Chile, sent as a comment to this post LACTLD's official stand on this regard (Spanish. English version also available). LACTLD (Latin American and the Caribbean ccTLD's Organization) clearly backs RDS-HN and condemns the illegal government's actions.
El CLIC — First Latin American Encounter on Free Knowledge and Licensing
I stumbled across El CLIC
Of course, I submitted a work for participation (if you are curious, a more evolved version of the Free Software for the Construction of a Democratic Society work I have been working on with Alejandro Miranda sincle last year as part of our Seminar on the Collective Construction of Knowledge — But that's a different advertiseme^Wstory). I will translate here a couple of paragraphs of the CLIC presentation:
During the weeks between September 14 and 30 this year, the First Latin American Encounter on Free Knowledge and Licensing will be held.
The encounter aims at sharing experiences and widen knowledge in regard to these two general, current interest topic lines. The initiative comes from the Knowledge as a Public Good Defense Allies Network (RADECON, Red de Aliados para la Defensa del Conocimiento como Bien Público) who, together with a group of close collaborators, seek to define a common path towards knowledge emancipation and towards Latin American integration from the perspective of a change born inside the legal protection towards liberation.
Topic lines:
Licensing vs. Patenting
Open educative resources
Free Software and licensing
Free knowledge and education
Techno-politic considerations towards knowledge freedom
The needed sensibilization process leading towards knowledge liberation
Licensing: A vision from an ethical standpoint
I understand CLIC is Spanish-based — Anyway, I expect many of you to be interested in being part of this effort, led by the Venezuelan RADECON community!
My strongest rejection to the de-facto government in Honduras
Submitted by gwolf on Mon, 06/29/2009 - 21:39
I will here translate the text of a petition a friend is starting, which will be delivered to the Hondurean embassy in Mexico.
Original text in Spanish
In the early hours of Sunday, June 28 2009, the legal Hondurean president Manuel Zelaya was forcibly removed from his position. A coup de etat, perpetrated by the Hondurean army, air force and navy, and with the consent of the Supreme Court. In his place, they imposed Roberto Micheleti, until then the Senate president, a conservative politician (although he is formally part of the Liberal party).
The coup took place because many areas of the government oppose the presidential initiative to start a referendum geared towards starting a Constitutive Congress, among whose ideas were to implement reforms allowing for the immediate presidential reelection for a second term.
Forcibly ousting a democratically elected government is nothing other than anti-democratic. The coup has made the world's eyes to be set on Honduras, unanimously condemning this incident in a strong and immediate way. The people has been left blind and deaf; the communication media -both traditional and Internet-based- has been blocked. Not only freedom of press and freedom of speech have been blocked. People are crying for the reestablishment of the legally elected government. There is a national strike, the unions have protested massively. This coup has been received by a generalized popular rejection; as the only answer to the protestors, Micheletti has set a curfew, and the army is dissolving the demonstrations with tear gas and long weapons; in some hours we might see them using heavy vehicles against the civilians.
Latin American brothers, we must condemn, if at least symbolically, our rejection to the imposed Honduras government, our rejection to the human rights and individual warranties obstruction.
This humble text was written to collect digital signatures from all those who oppose the violence that this Central American country is suffering. Those that passively just want to express the collective feeling, those that feel a social, civil and human empathy towards what is happening beyond our territorial borders.
Every symbolic act, such as this one, does not weigh much by itself. But by making ourselves present by thousands, through different callings, we can generate enough pressure to incede in those sad actions.
Liliana Castillo, in memoriam
Three weeks ago, 23 year old Liliana Castillo, student of the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas at UNAM was killed while driving her bycicle, at the Avenida Universidad and Real de Mayorazgo corner, in Mexico City, less than 3Km north from my house (and from the University). I have crossed that spot several times, also driving my bike. It is not a corner where you would expect a careless, speeding driver coming out of nowhere and killing a girl, a student, an artist.
I am reproducing this letter, that is being passed around in the University. I will surely be there, as many other cyclists. We need to make ourselves visible, to make drivers aware they are not the sole owners of the streets. There is enough place for all of us. We all deserve freedom of movement.
Estimados miembros de la comunidad universitaria,
Con gran tristeza les informo que nuestra compañera estudiante Liliana Castillo, de la Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas y de la Facultad de Filosofía murió arrollada mientras circulaba en su bicicleta el día 15 de mayo, en Avenida Universidad esquina con Mayorazgo de la Higuera en la colonia Xoco, delegación Benito Juárez.
Por tal motivo los invitamos a que nos unamos a la marcha ciclista que se llevará acabo en su memoria este miércoles 10 de junio a las 21h en el estacionamiento de la Facultad de Filosofía y Letras en Ciudad Universitaria. El contingente saldrá a las 21h en punto con ruta Avenida Universidad hasta el lugar de los hechos. Ahí dejaremos veladoras y flores en memoria a nuestra compañera en conjunto con la organización bicitekas (www.bicitekas.org) quienes saldrán a su vez a la misma hora desde el Ángel de la Independencia. El contingente universitario regresará a la Facultad de Filosofía aproximadamente a las 23.30h.
Las personas que no puedan acompañarnos en bicicleta, son mas que bienvenidas para llegar al punto de reunión que se encuentra a una calle al norte del Metro Coyoacan sobre avenida Universidad.
Para mayor información sobre lo ocurrido y lo cuestionable del manejo legal del accidente, pero sobre todo para difundir su legado artístico, visiten la página:
http://fundacionlilianacastilloresendiz.blogspot.com
POR UNA CULTURA DEL CICLISMO URBANO Y MAS KILÓMETROS DE CICLOVIAS EN LA CIUDAD DE MÉXICO
PD No olvides llevar una veladora y una flor para dejar en el lugar del accidente.
Politicians time once again
It is time for stupid, empty politicians slogans once again in my dear country. And, as always, while we had lively, controversial presidential elections three years ago (and I won't rant this time on why so many Mexicans still believe the current president can only be called a de facto president), the mid-term elections... Fail to get any attention and cause only bored reactions.
I am writing today mostly because I stumbled upon Francisco's post on why the Mexican Ecologist Green Party (PVEM) campaign does not impress him.
As many, many other people with strong political opinions I know, I will go to the voting booth next July 5th, as I have done every time since I was of age - But I will most probably void my ballot, as I have found nobody worth my vote. And even if I am (and have always been) a leftist person, none of the four so-called leftist parties inspire the smallest bit of confidence. But hell, even the rightist or centrist parties fail to inspire confidence to their voters - After the 2006 electoral fiasco, we got a political system nobody believes in. And all analysts seem to concur that we moved from the most complete presidential regime to an utter partidocracy, where all of the (strong enough) parties cover each other's back not to lose the respective privileges (largely, money, but also law-making faculties and influence, which of course translates to impunity).
Worth a very special mention is the crown jewel of political clowns in Mexico - PVEM, the Mexican Ecologist Green Party. A party that gets the gold medal for the most corrupt in our country (which is no small feat). A party where the National Party Presidents to date have only been father and son. And it is alarming because it is the only party apparently gathering more voters than they had before. But also, because of its utter pragmatism and lack of respect for anything they might once have stood for. I still remember on the 1994 elections, the first time they participated in general elections, their slogan was don't vote for a politician — Vote for an ecologist... Little did the society know by then they were worse off than our oft-hated politicians. Can you imagine a so-called ecologist party that is expelled of the Global Greens as its behaviour is completely antithetical to anything a green party stands for? A party that promotes reinstating the death penalty (which was abolished from our Constitution, after decades of not being applied, less than a decade ago)? Or they say that, if a given medicine is not available at the Social Security hospitals, the government should pay the citizen so he can go and buy it at a drug store? (of course, if a needed medicine is not available at the Social Security it is most probably because the government is underfunded, not because the lazy administrators don't want to buy the medicines. And yes, with those two retrograde, stupid and -thankfully- completely unfeasible promises they have doubled their probable voters outcome in the past couple of months.
The campaigns are only officially starting now. They are all really pathetic. A voter turnout of ~30% is expected. But yes, I am a politized person and just cannot help inviting everybody who has the right to go and vote. If there is somebody worth voting for in your district, please vote for him/her. However... Together with many people I admire, together with many of my friends, together with the people who still believe it is possible to make something out of this forsaken country's politic system... I invite you to void your ballots. Hopefully they will be enough so they must be heard this time.
The streets and the numbers of Cuernavaca
I usually use this blog to post about stuff I have written or that is somehow related to my work / professional life. This time, however, I'll just use it to share with you a short text my father published in the column he writes in the La Unión de Morelos newspaper, Academia de Ciencias de Morelos: La Ciencia, desde Morelos para el mundo.
My father has lived for over 20 years in Cuernavaca, la Ciudad de la Eterna Primavera (the city of the eternal Springtime), ~80Km south of Mexico City. Cuernavaca was for long years known mostly as a weekend city for Mexico City's middle-upper class, but it has grown way beyond that. According to Wikipedia, in Cuernavaca's metropolitan area there are about 700,000 inhabitants. And the city is blatantly built with no planning, no urbanistic analysis of any kind.
I have been familiar for many years with the program to put some rational order renumber Cuernavaca's streets. Roberto Tamariz, the sociologist who built my father's house (yes, in a stroke of genius he acted as an architect for a piece of land he had bought - the results are quite decent, given his real occupation, but his lack of architectural background tends to literally come up from the floor every now and then), was involved in a municipal project to renumber Cuernavaca's streets, probably some 15 years ago.
Anyway, Roberto's work was never really finished due to the severe lackings of our political culture. In this (one-and-a-third pages long, quite easy to read) text I am attaching to this post, my father writes about Cuernavaca's strange street naming system, the mathematical solutions (and political intrincacies) about renumbering a two dimensional space (and, of course, he could not help but wander into the third- and fourth-dimentional spaces, although very briefly).
I like how this guy writes, all in all. Enjoy!
E-voting and paper-based-voting - UNAM teaches us how to achieve the worst of all worlds
As my Institute's sysadmin, I was appointed as the responsible for my Institute's certificate handling for today's voting session for the Universitary Council (Consejo Universitario).
UNAM, Mexico's largest University, is moving towards an e-voting platform. I talked about this with our (sole) candidate for the Council, and she told me this has been used a couple of times already - And, as expected, it has led to having to repeat voting sessions, due in part to e-voting's inherent lackings: It is impossible to act on any kind of impugnation. The only thing we have is an electronic vote trail, no way to recount or to make sure that all votes got in. Besides, we had a perfectly antinatural and inadequate identification system, which means voter's identity have no way to be trusted.
Besides, we still have all the traditional Universitary bureaucratic paper flow, which completely obscures any positive points this e-voting system might have had.
Before going any further, if you are interested: There is a so-called security audit certificate for this system. In Spanish, yes. Take a look at it if you understand the language and want to crack some laughs.
I will not make a detailed review of (what I could gather about) the setup. But to make things short: I had to go to the central administrative offices to get a CD-ROM with the monitoring station's SSL certificate. This certificate is tied to an IP address, so only one computer was able to be set up as a monitoring station. So far, so good.
But, what is the monitoring station's real role? You will probably laugh. The voting session (at my Institute - Each dependency can specify its own opening and closing times) was from 10:00 and until 18:00. We were instructed to place this computer at a public location, from where:
Shortly before 10:00, we had to check the booth's status was set to closed and that zero votes were received.
During the votation period, the computer would continuously display the number of received votes, refreshing the page twice a minute1
During the day, anybody could go to the computer and check the number of total votes received. Its main function is, I think, to show that no votes are substracted precisely when a person is staring at it.
Shortly before 18:00, we had to check the booth's status was still set to open, and wait until 18:00 to witness the booth is now closed.
Get the needed data from the system and hand it over to the proper bodies. I'll get back to this point later on.
So, what is strange here? That there is a tremendous apparatus providing supposed security to... Information that is completely worthless. Just protecting a number that is, for all purposes, public. Oh, and the opening and closing of the booth - Of course, the system could have flaws during the process, or inject spurious votes along the way, or flip-flop the votes cast whichever way. But, did I mention votes? So far I have not mentioned how people are supposed to vote.
Together with our last paycheck, we got a piece of paper with all of the needed information: A randomly generated, 10-character-long-with-mixed-case-and-symbols password, and the link to a web page2. This paper was folded, yes, but it was in no way secured - So, whoever wanted to have all of our passwords could just go through the bunch of papers and get them.
Now, contrasting to the strong perception of physical security surrounding the oh-so-important monitoring stations, how can a person vote? Oh, sure, just fire up your favorite browser and go to https://www.jornadaelectoral.unam.mx/, produce your student number if you are a student or your full RFC3, select via checkboxes4, click on "submit", and voilà, you have voted. From any location, from any machine.
Yes, the University's population is largely itinerant, many people will be voting from abroad and all. It is good to give them a voice. But... At what price? Lets see... The security audit mentions the system is free from any malicious routine that can automatically alter the results and it has the minimum needed validations against spurious data injections from the most common Web browsers. However, if I am interested in modifying the results... I could put a trojan in a Faculty's laboratories, which modifies the votes sent by their users (students vote as well). Yes, I'd have to know how the system works, but lets accept security through obscurity does not work, and that this is a well-known system (as it has been used for over 3 years and is at version 3.5). PHP-based, for further points. Oh, and (if I recall correctly) a voter does not even get feedback as for which formula did he vote for, so no way of knowing if the computer really sent the information I requested. And given the low security for the password handling, I would not bet on it being worth much. Besides, this system was partly established to allow people voting from abroad - as long as they picked up their March 10 paycheck. That excludes anybody who has spent over three weeks away!
Many other things can be said. Last detail: e-voting's main selling point is that the results are known instantaneously, and (if no paper trail exists) no tedious re-counting is ever done, right?
Meet universitary bureaucracy. Technology changes, but processes don't. The Local Electoral Surveillance Commission has the responsability to enter once again the system after the vote has finished, and ask the server for the preliminary results. This consists of a tarball with the tally sheet (from the voters, who voted and who didn't), the total votes for each formula, and... one more file I don't remember. They also have to generate the signed legal documents where they testify to the received information. And then, ahem, they have to burn those files5 onto a CD-ROM, print them, and physically take them to the central administrative offices. Yes, take something from the server and get it to the server. For us it is not terrible (1.5Km can be readily done), but this same procedure must be done by people in other cities where there are University campii holding elections. How Nice!
Anyway... Worst of both worlds. The inefficacies of a paper-based ellection, together with the unaccountability of an e-voting ellection, sprinkled with fake sense of security here and there.
Bah.
1. Except that it didn't. I guess they didn't stress-test the server, so every couple of minutes it returned a connection error. Of course, the page would no longer self-update. And after noticing that, I (and nobody else but me) had to go and give the password and certificate for the system to continue to operate.
2. which is http://www.dgae-siae.unam.mx/ - The Schooling Administration General Direction (DGAE), an universitary body which has no relation with electoral issues. DGAE made available a poster detailing how to vote... But, again, lets ignore that fact for now
3. A nationwide ID number, largely derived from name and birth date data - Both numbers are often widely known, they cannot be considered private in any way.
4. Oh, for goodness sake... The "ballot" has 1..n options, and each has a checkbox, not a radio button. That means, you can select multiple options, which is of course invalid. Why? Because the electoral rules indicate that selecting more than one option in a ballot makes the ballot invalid, and thus, a way for making it invalid must be provided. Isn't logic beautiful?!
5. Want some more insight on what needs to be done? Take a look at the instructions. Don't forget paying attention to the lexicon used - We are still asked to count the votes, an impossible feat given the vote is 100% system-based - Quote: Los miembros de la CLVE realizarán, con base en el reporte del sistema, el cómputo de los votos depositados en la urna a favor de cada una de las fórmulas, declarando nulos los votos que procedan.
How active are your local {Linux,Free Software} User Groups?
Ted T'so wonders about the LUGs over the world, seeking to answer a conversation he recently had at the Linux Foundation. He quotes a blog posting in Lenovo, “Local User Groups - gone the way of the dinosaur?”. I think this is an interesting point to gather input from others.
In Mexico City, we did have a strong LUG several years ago, holding not-very-regular-but-good-quality-wise meetings, roughly monthly, at Instituto de Ciencias Nucleares. I was active there ~1996-2001.
By 2001, however, the group stopped acting as one - Maybe one of the main factors is that we had a very strong, unquestionable group leader and cohesion factor (Miguel), who worked at Nucleares and regularly got said auditorium. Once Miguel left to form Ximian, the group slowly disgregated.
In one of the last LUG meetings, we started working towards the National Free Software Conference (CONSOL)... Nowadays, in Mexico (as a country) we have several conferences around the year, although I'd be hard-pressed to say whether any of them really fills the needs of a LUG (and my answer would probably be negative).
Now, there are several smaller groups that have popped up in the void left by the Mexico City LUG - Mainly LUGs local to universities or faculties... And yes, a 25-million-people city is too large to have a single, functional LUG - Just the geographical size of the thing is too daunting. Besides, we are too many people, even though few of us are contributing any real work. But I also recognize that a local *users* group should care about making the users better, before focusing on making the world a better place ;-)
Anyway... My intention with this post, besides writing what I see, is to ask to other people that read me (I know this blog is syndicated at Planeta Linux Mexico, maybe even people reading in other Latin American countries through Planeta EDUSOL) to write what they see at their local communities. To make this a bit more useful, please leave a comment (in English, if possible) at this blog, so this can be used as a summary for Ted's request as well.
About the recent events and possible outcomes in Israel and Palestine
Several friends, from different groups and backgrounds and with different points of view regarding the current war in Israel (and regarding the Arab-Israeli conflict in general) have asked me for an explanation on what is happening there, what is (my view of) the real conflict, its causes... and any possible answers. And yet I am quite far from being an authority, I do want to write something about it. Be prepared, as this post is quite long.
And yet, after writing frankly a lot more than what I expected... It is by far not enough. I have still much more to add, but I have to say "stop" at some point. So, here you have it: My points of view, as well as some explanation on why are we standing where we currently are.
I am writing this based just on my personal experiencie and, of course, my personal point of view. Furthermore, I wrote a good part of this text while riding a bus, with no network access, so I am offering very few references - In any case, it will allow me to make much more progress. References always take as much time as the text itself!
Why am I writing this? Why do people ask for my opinion? I must start by explaining who I am, so the rest of this makes sense. I am a Mexican Jew. That means, I was born in a Jewish (albeit secular) family, and grew up in an environment with general Jewish culture. My direct family (say, my parents and brother, and to a lesser degree my closest cousins) are not at all religious, I'd even venture to say most of us are complete atheists. Yet, besides the cultural belonging (which is a mixture of a Eastern European culture with lots of Idish words and dishes and general humor), my family has a strong national identification - In other words, I grew up in a fully Zionist environment, which traces back to Poland.
My grandmother was member of Hashomer Hatzair in Poland, since the early years of its existence, late 1910s and early 1920s. What is it? To make it short, a Zionist Socialist, Kibbutzian youth movement. It has many similarities (and somewhat stems indirectly from) the Scouts many of you will be familiar with, but -obviously- has a way lengthier agenda. And, yes, nowadays I feel it is somewhat out of reach with the current state of the world - It was founded in 1913, and only slightly adjusted its principles since then.
I will talk more about Hashomer later on.
My grandmother arrived in the late 1920s to Mexico, for familiar and economic reasons, but still dreamt about living in Israel for a long time. As they grew up, first my uncle joined Hashomer in Mexico in the late 1940s, when it still pursued a very much Soviet-style ideals for Israel (one of the core points that changed during the 1950s); both my father and my mother joined in the late 1950s (in fact, that's where they met). My cousins and myself were very active in the 1980s and 1990s.
The Iszaevich family has something very unusual, I'd say, engraved in our genes. We live very deeply our ideologies. That's the only explanation I can find to the way we all have led our lives. I won't go into the other family members' details, but just into mine: I was fully convinced of all we taught to our younger members and what we discussed among ourselves. I am among the very few people who really learnt Hebrew at my school, and that was only because I really cared - I know some people that just after 12 years of pseudo-learning could maybe utter a few phrases.
After finishing high school I went with my Hashomer group, together with people my age from other similar-minded Mexican Zionist youth groups, to live and learn for a year in Israel, on what is usually known as shnat hajshará - A year to get ready. To get ready to what? But of course, to come and give back go the younger groups of the movement, and finally go back to Israel and settle there definitively. I came back to Mexico, and after one year I did the only thing that was logical: I became an Israeli and went to live to a kibutz - Zikim, a beautiful place just between Ashkelon and Gaza, very near the sea shore. It was a beautiful period in my life, and I really enjoyed it - But it didn't last for very long - I quickly grew to hate the Israeli society at large. A society full of rage, of hatred. Not just between Arabs and Israelis, as many would think from the outside, but between religious and seculars. And between immigrants and locals. And between leftists and rightists (in several dimensions, as it is one of the countries where you can most easily be a economic leftist while being a political rightist - a complex society it is). A society full of disrespect and intolerance. A very hypocritical society. And one of the things that most shocked me: I wanted to live in a society of proud of its existence, that's what I had learnt Israel was - But Israelis aspire and dream of being anything else (and mostly US-Americans) in a way that made me sick, more than anything I had previously seen in Mexico.
I loved the life at the Kibutz, and I loved being an agricultor, doing hard work every day and literally getting the fruit of it. However, I cannot live isolated to a 300-people universe - At least once a week you have to go to the city if you don't want to become insane. And I could not stand the sick Israeli society.
Anyway, to make things short: After six months as an Israeli, I came back to Mexico. I went through a long period of finding myself, as I could not uphold anymore my Hashomer ideology (if I am not going to live by it, how can I continue teaching it?). Many people do anyway, but for the first months, where my Hashomer work was basically all of my life, I felt really uncomfortable. So, in short, I severed all of my relations to the Jewish community, and even denied for a long time my Jewishness until I found a (I think) better balance.
Today I am at peace. But anyway, I wanted to talk about myself in the critical period that marked me in this regard: The 1990s. Enough, lets get down to business.
Zionism 1870-1920
Many people argue that the Jews invaded the Palestinians homeland - And yes, nowadays I cannot counter this. But we cannot judge what happened then based on what we see now.
Modern Zionism started around the 1870s. The Jewish history is full of pogroms and persecution, in different countries all over Europe - And a group of young people decided the only solution was to build a place to call their own. And yes, this was full of idealism and in no small part the foolishness of youth. For several centuries and up to 1920, all of current Middle East were provinces of the Ottoman Empire. Before Zionism began, the population of today-Israel was very sparse, not more than 400,000 people - up to 5% of them Jewish, around 10% Christian Arabs, and the remainder, Muslim Arabs. Of course, the low population was mostly because the country was mostly hostile - A desert in the South, mostly swamps in the North, and some minor towns mostly in the hills. It was a mostly forgotten province, away from the central Turkish rule, and there had been no frictions with the local population. It was a nice place to go, thinking -again- as a fool youngster, or as an idealist. They said, lets take a folk without a land to a land without a folk.
The number of accomplishing Zionists (this is, people who actually went to Israel instead of just talking about doing so) was not high during the first decades. But towards the 1890s, it gained critical mass. The political Zionist movement was born, with Theodor Herzl as a leader, and they started pushing -politically- for different governments to concede a territory to Jews. They went to the Turks, and didn't really get much echo. Went to other colonial powers of the time, and got unfeasible promises with no real backing (i.e. Birobidjan in Eastern Russia, Uganda in Africa)... And, as it happens in strongly ideologized movements, the movement started splitting into different groups with slightly different positions.
And no, I am not talking about the People Front for the Liberation of Judea and the People Judean Liberation Front, but I very well could. Sometimes the differences are as ridiculous as that. But hey, I take that most of my readers are acquinted with the Free Software issues, right? Think BSD vs. GPL vs. OpenSource. To give a broad idea - Only in Mexico City, with a very small Jewish community (~30,000 people), in the mid-1990s we had over 10 such movements, with 50-150 youngsters attending each. And even though some were local, and even though some very important ideologies are not represented in this country, they are all different enough to exist as separate entities.
British Mandate
The Ottoman empire was divided after the first World War. Its possesions in Europe became independent states, while in Asia (and Africa, if you take the semi-independent Egypt and part of Sudan into account) they were taken over as colonies or protectorates by France and the UK - Evidently, attempting to secure a long-term dominion over the area. In some aspects, they failed. In some aspects, they were (and still are) tremendously successful. The division of people by setting arbitrary boundaries has led to countries sustainable only by force and a harsh rule (such as Iraq, Lebanon and Syria), or doomed to poverty (and thus submission) due to lack of natural resources (as Jordan). Focusing on Israel/Palestine, the UK entered the area by making mutually incompatible promises to arabs and Jews - i.e. the Hussein-McMahon letters and the Balfour declaration, both ambiguous enough to lead to... Well, today. The UK rule was disastrous to the region, both in giving (and taking away) power from all sorts of puppet regimes, and swiftly going away as soon as things started looking too complicated. Yes, typical colonialism.
So, while up to the 1920s there was no real animosity between Arabs and Jews (as i.e. the Faisal-Weizmann agreement shows), during the next decades the seeds of hatred started growing, from both sides.
Many people still quote the 1947 partition plan as the direct antecedent towards Israel's real existence - That was not the first partition plan that existed. Ten years earlier, the Peel commision suggested a similar partition involving forceful population transfer. And many people see the separation of Transjordan (now Jordan) from Palestine in 1922 as a first partition. It is understandable that both partition plans (much more the 1947 than the 1937 one) were accepted by Zionists: Going from having nothing to having something (and against all odds in the environment they lived) is acceptable.
From the Zionist side, two main groups rejected the partitions: The right-wing and religious groups, insisting that the whole of the Mandate should become Israel, and the left-wing groups, which advocated for a single, bi-national state, with equal rights for all of its population. Go over and read this last link, as it was quite interesting (to me at least) to see how this solution has kept existing and regarded by (relatively) many people, and has many interesting links.
1948 onwards: Where did the refugees come from?
The November 1947 partition didn't exactly translate to a planned, smooth Israeli independence - It led to six months of revolts (basically, a civil war). By mid May, the UK government and troops abandoned the territory, and one day later, Israel declared its independence. And, of course, all neighbouring countries (and Iraq) sent their troops to invade Israel. The war lasted for over six months (cease-fire was signed in January 1949). There was an intense Arab campaign indicating the armies would enter Israel and devastate it, leaving no stone in place, indicating Arab population to temporarily leave the Jewish-destined areas. The war, they said, would not take more than a couple of months, and they would be able to go back home.
Only that... When the war ended, the results were far from what the Arab governments expected. Not only Israel continued to exist, but it conquered important territories.
Of course, the Israelis were not innocent from said exodus: During the 1947-1948 civil war, and the independence war, some of the existing so-called self-defense forces (some of them were really defensive, while some were quite aggressive, even terrorist) attacked Arab villages in strategic or predominantly Jewish areas to prompt them to leave - yes, what we today call ethnic cleansing.
I had (in my head) the number of 650,000 Arabs (from a total of slightly over a million) fleeing to neighbouring countries. Wikipedia states that it is somewhere between 367,000 and 950,000. A similar number of Jews were expelled from Arab countries, many of which arrived to settle at Israel (and many others went elsewhere - For instance, a good part of the Mexican Jewish community is from Syrian origins - Many of them fleed in those years). Israel didn't accept back the (relatively few) Arabs that requested to resettle, as they were seen as hostile population - but neither did the countries that "temporarily" accepted the Palestinians accepted them as citizens. The Palestinian refugee camps today, mainly in in Lebanon, Syria, and the occupied territories held by Israel have terrible living conditions, and its population -despite living there for over 60 years- have no civil rights at all. Note that I'm omitting Jordan here, although it has several camps as well, as their situation is way better.
The Arab population that didn't leave did receive full Israeli citizenship. No, their living standards are not up to level with the average Israeli. The country and the society do have a sensible degree of racism and segregation. But the situation is nowhere as terrible as it is in the camps.
The areas which were originally to become Palestinian and were not conquered by Israel -this is, current-day West Bank and Gaza- bacame respectively Jordan and Egyptian territory. While Jordan did fully extend its soverignty covering the West Bank, Egypt didn't - Gaza is, since 1949, occupied military territory. Gaza, among the most densely populated areas in the world, has had their inhabitants under military rule ever since. When Israel returned the Sinai after signing the peace treaty with President Sadat, Egypt didn't accept Gaza back - And that's where today's greatest problem is born.
Now, Israel conquered those territories in 1967, along with the very sparsely populated Sinai and Golan. For the first ten years, the territories were basically only administered (yes, under a military rule). In 1977, with the first right-wing Israeli government, an extensive settlement policy began (and led partly to today's seemingly unsolvable situation). In 1980-1982, Israel withdrew from the Sinai. In 1981, Israel claimed full soverignty over the whole of Jerusalem and the Golan. In 1993, the "Oslo Agreement" was signed between Israel and the PLO, and it seemed we were heading towards a bright future. I lived in Israel between 1994 and 1996 - Yes, the most hope-filled period in the country's life.
Since 1996, I have tried to keep up to date with the country's evolution. All in all, even if I won't live there again, it is a country I learnt to love, a society I have long studied (even if in the end I did include many references, I wrote most of this text just off the top of my head, with the data I remember - so it might have several big errata). And yes, I keep the political stand I had 12 years ago: The only solution is to dialogue, to treat the current enemies -and not only their governments- with respect, recognizing their dignity and right to life, to self-determination. Only then we will change the status quo.
How not to fight hatred
Since 1993, the dream of peaceful coexistence seems to have faded. What we saw during the past three weeks, along to what we saw in Lebanon in 2006, is plainly a gross mistake if the goal is to achieve good, lasting peace.
Try to imagine how could life in Gaza be, even in the total absence of Israeli attacks. Just to set some numbers first: The Gaza strip hosts almost 1.5 million people on 360 km². When I lived in Israel, I was constantly surprised at how small a country it is - Israel tops at 550Km North to South, 150Km east to West (it is amazing, almost wherever you stand, except in the middle of the Negev, you can see the country's borders. Yes, I recognize as the border the so-called Green Line); over half of the territory is a desert, and it hosts seven million inhabitants. And it is hard to imagine how that country can be economically viable.
I do not find it feasible to imagine Gaza and the West Bank integrating a single country, and not only because they are separated by ~40Km, but because they are so sociologically different. People in the West Bank, yes, live opressed under military rule and subject to a much more constant, more visible apartheid-like state (as the territory is truly sprinkled with Jewish outposts which many Israelis refuse to recognize as their own, but still, which have incredibly higher living standards). The best land has been taken away from them, yes, but they have some space between cities to have some farming, to communicate, to... Breathe. Besides, West Bank inhabitants -even those in refugee camps- have much better living standards than anybody in Gaza. It is still an overpopulated area, but not nearly as much as Gaza.
Gazan population have been driven towards extremism. And yes, there was a civil war between Palestinian factions, as the world views between both populations are completely different - However hostile a Jenin inhabitant can be towards Israel, he does not lead the life -if it can so be called- you see at Khan Yunis.
But back to Gaza... What Israel is doing (and not only during this military operation terror campaign is wrong, from any rational point of view. Israel wants Hamas to become weaker? Then don't drive the population into supporting them!
Palestinians started giving over 50% of their support to Fatah (ex-PLO), and under 20% to Hamas. That was less than 15 years ago. However, Fatah has shown to be corrupt and inefficient at building infrastructure and improving life conditions, ineffective at negotiating a permanent agreement which secures dignity and sustainability to their people. Hamas stands as a religious, righteous organization. There are no serious corruption charges against any Hamas leaders. Hamas is clearly still at war - They didn't subscribe any peace agreement so far, and their stated #1 goal is to build a Muslim State in the whole of Israel. And the Hamas movement -like Hizbollah in Lebanon- has built quite a bit of infrastructure in the areas they control - Mainly housing. Yes, housing where they mix their own offices, many will accuse, getting human shields for free. But still, they are benefactors to a dehumanized, pauperized population.
I find it obvious that, if living conditions were at a basic level in the region, support of Hamas would decrease. Even more, of course, if they improved due to Israeli support. Israel controls this territory, so it is responsible for the well-being of its population, like it or not. And Gaza is simply too small and low on resources to survive by itself.
I was a bit surprised to find mention -although very brief- of a three state solution - And yes, this is close to what I would expect as a viable outcome. It is clear that Israel will not ever grant full citizenship to the Palestinians, as they would -euphemistically speaking- challenge the Jewish character of the State. Dropping the euphemism, Israel relies on apartheid in order not to become an Arab majority country. I might have some numbers wrong, but AFAIK, there are ~7 million Israelis, 20% of which are Arab citizens (which means, 1.4 million Arabs and probably 5 million Jews, with many other minor denominations for the difference), and ~4 million Palestinians live in the territories. Today, the country is already predominantly Arab, or at least is close to being so. So, Israel should permanently, formally disengage from all of the occupied territories. And in order to ensure violence stops, start a comprehensive, unconditional, long-term aid program. Start with giving them autonomy to regain their sea, as the Gaza port has long been closed. Allow the airport to operate again. Instead of bombing tunnels in the Egypt-Gaza borders, allow Gaza to trade with Egypt - Perhaps even to integrate territorialy, if the conditions are met. Treat their people with respect, and help them ease the terrible situation they have lived for so many decades - and then, undoubtely, terror will stop.
The West Bank? Possibly it could become a Palestinian state by itself. Possibly, it could integrate back to Jordan. That would be up to Jordans and Palestinians to decide. Of course, Jordan has already a large segment of its population defining itself as Palestinians, which counts both for and against. So, I won't venture into this supposition.
But anyway - Back to what prompted me to write this text -yes, a very or maybe even too long text - I hope somebody even takes the time to read it!- is to explain what is my point of view on the current situation, and why.
Today, a cease-fire was announced, after 23 days of murder and destruction. I sadly do not hold very high hopes for it to be lasting, much the less to be enough, to lead to what they call a de-escalation of the conflict. The most I can currently do is to voice my opinion, and hope that mine is just one more voice pointing to a sane solution, to a permanent, dignifying way out, for all people involved. Every people has the right for survival and for safety. We cannot deny this to any others. And certainly, we cannot expect anybody not to fight for their right to live.
Startups here and there
David Welgon has a nice post regarding his opinions on pros and cons on running a startup in Europe (Italy) and the USA (SF/Bay area). The first of the Italy cons got my attention:
Less of a startup culture and mentality. It's more typical to get a "job for life" and hang on to it for all you're worth. Many Italians are tremendously creative, industrious, inventive people, but are going to find it more difficult to express that in some form of business.
I know I am unlike many people, specially in this field... But anyway. I live in Mexico. Many factors in The Way Things Work are pushing people towards having an enterpeneur mentality - And what you see as a point against, I see as a very big advantage.
Some people have what it takes to run a business, and that's great. However, I think it is wrong to assume most people will benefit from running their own business - And specially in a country as mine. I cannot speak much about Europe, but from what you say, it confirms it is a good model of what I'd like Mexico to morph into.
Too many people start their companies with dreams of glory, thinking they have something to differentiate from the rest of the marketplace - and they lack it. So instead of enriching an existing company with more, and better focused, technical talent, they will end up making it poorer with yet another generic company with nothing new to offer, paying famelic wages to their employees, finding a way to skip the social security payments. And there are lots of legal ways to do so in Mexico - and a growing segment of the population has neither health care nor retirement savings, as this makes their day-to-day incomes substantially more juicy... But the future will bite them hard. Well, not only them - It will bite all of us. I still think we will inevitably, sooner or later, evolve into a more caring society, a society where the strong protects the weak, where it (via the State, the government) ensures nobody has under the minimum needed to have a decent life.
And, although I am essentialy a Socialist at heart, I do recognize there is place for people getting more money than others - After all, courage and creativity should be encouraged, and true enterpeneurs should get compensed for what they give to the society - But the ridiculous, stupid differences we get to see, specially in third world countries (remember that the world's richest man, Carlos Slim, lives on the same city I do, and around ~15 years ago even lived less than five blocks away from me... But I do have close family where having food daily on the table is far from a fact) are something that should disappear for good.
Loyalty to your employer and long-term job commitment are two values I hold very dear, and hope to be able to practice. So far, I have worked for eight years for UNAM (1999-2003 and 2005-present), and I hope to continue here for many years to come. I was just talking about this with a friend - The payment itself is far less than what I could get somewhere else, but the work conditions and long-term viability are more than enough to repay for the difference. And I am sure many of my friends and acquintances would be much better off if they stopped prioritizing getting more money now in respect to leading a better, richer life - And, of course, if we all valued more giving back to the society, as we will probably all need to ask from it sooner or later.
Apt-get and gems: Different planets, right. But it must not be the war of the worlds!
Thanks to some unexplained comments on some oldish entries on my blog, I found -with a couple of days of delay- Rubigem is from Mars, Apt-get is from Venus, in Pelle's weblog. And no, I have not yet read the huge amount of comments generated from it... Still, I replied with the following text - And I am leaving this blog post in place to remind me to further extend my opinions later on.
Wow... Quite a bit of comments. And yes, given that the author wrote a (very well phrased and balanced) post, I feel obliged to reply. But given that he refered to me first, I'll just skip the chatter for later - I'm tired this time of day ;-)
Pelle, I agree with you - This problem is because we are from two very different mindsets. I have already said so - http://www.gwolf.org/soft/debian+rails is a witness to that point.
But I do not think the divide is between sysadmins and developers. I am a developer that grew from the sysadmin stance, but that's not AFAICT that much the fact in Debian.
Thing is, in a distribution, we try to cater for common users. I have a couple of Rails apps under development that I expect to be able to package for Debian, and I think can be very useful for the general public.
Now, how is the user experience when you install a desktop application, in whatever language/framework it is written? You don't care what the platform is - you care that it integrates nicely with your environment. Yes, the webapp arena is a bit more difficult - but we have achieved quite a bit of advance in that way. Feel like using a PHP webapp? Just install it, and it's there. A Python webapp? Same thing. A Perl webapp? As long as you don't do some black magic (and that's one of the main factors that motivated me away from mod_perl), the same: Just ask apt-get to install it and you are set.
But... What about installing a Rails application? From a package manager? For a user who does not really care about what design philosophy you followed, who might not even know what a MVC pattern is?
Thing is, distributions aim at _users_. And yes, I have gradually adopted a user's point of view. I very seldom install anything not available as a .deb - and if I do, I try to keep it clean enough so I can package it for my personal use later on.
Anyway... I will post a copy of this message in my blog (http://gwolf.org/), partly as a reminder to come back here and read the rest of the buzz. And to go to the other post referenced here. And, of course, I invite other people involved in Ruby and Debian to continue sharing this - I am sure I am not the only person (or, in more fairness, that Debian's pkg-ruby-extras team is not the only team) interested in bridging this huge divide and get to a point we can interact better - And I am sure that among the Rubyists many people will also value having their code usable by non-developers as well.
Remember, remember, the 20th of November...
This might be a good message to write in Spanish... But then again, a long time ago I decided this is an English-posting site. So be it, I'll only have to give more background information.
This day marks the date when, 98 years ago, Francisco I. Madero started the Mexican Revolution - About a decade of unrest, civil war and ideologies. The revolution is what created the violent, uncivil image of the Mexican, which accompanied us for long years in many foreigners' minds. The revolution brought to an end 30 years of a single-man rule, the Porfiriato. But that's only the major symptom - The Revolution had many, many other consequences. About one million (out of a 10 million population) people died. There was a very significative rearrangement of the society, a rearrangement that took about half a century to settle. But I won't write more background - You can always ask the wikipedia about our Revolution.
The reason I am posting this is that, as it usually happens in this time of year, several so-called analysts in the media have started asking, was the Revolution really worth it? Did it change anything at all? Did the Revolution in the end win, or was it defeated from within? Should we still celebrate it?
And there are, yes, reasons to doubt it. Renato Leduc, at the same time a great journalist and a delicious poet, says it as many - while at the same time, as nobody else: Tiempos en que era Dios omnipotente / y el señor Don Porfirio presidente / Tiempos, ¡ay! tan iguales al presente, or ya se están muriendo todos / ¡Jesús qué desilusión...! / se está volviendo gobierno / ¡Ay dios...! La revolución.
Anyway... Our media overlords insist on us forgetting the struggles and the real changes that came from them, on rewriting the history... Probably they will push us later on to have the cristeros as the real fathers of the Nation?
Even if so many bits of reality didn't change after Porfirio Diaz's regime fell in 1910, I find it insulting to think that even 70 years of PRI -with very sharp differences between periods, with huge differences between the PRI-born governments- are comparable to 30 years of a one-man rule; even with brutal repressions such as the dirty war against so many subversive movements in the 50s-80s (as officially There Was No Armed Struggle Anymore, just some pesky communist subversives), it cannot be compared to the Porfirian Peace (ask Cananea and Río Blanco). Today we might have a shameful concentration of money and power in very few hands (including the world's richest man), but it certainly does not reach the point of 1910 where most of the Mexican soil was owned by less than 30 families, with latifundios as big as many states...
Anyway - So far, nothing new - just bits I heard here and there, and my reactions to them. But this morning, around 8:25, I tuned in to Noticias IMER, the news program of one of the few public, non-gubernamental, independent radio stations. An interview was under way, but I could not get the interviewed person's name (I guess, a historian - will write to ask for his data). His comments were very interesting, and very worth echoing. I'll try not to distort him.
The Revolution started off very organized, and with a very simple goal: Get Porfirio Diaz out, and call for real federal elections. Sufragio efectivo, no reelección. Of course, the fight was very short, and Madero became the president, with an overwhelming majority. Of course, also, the reactionary sectors set up a coup and killed Madero. Victoriano Huerta seized the power - and that's where the real revolution really began. Groups all over the country (some of which were at unrest since Madero, as they were not seeing the changes they needed - changes that would bring an end to the huge class differences and disrespect to the native Mexican population) rose in arms, and forced Huerta into exile. Then, they battled each other for many more years. It became known as la bola - When somebody joined the revolutionary forces, people said he went to fight with the crowd. But, inside the crowd, there were very different points of view. No, Carranza, Villa and Zapata (the foremost leaders in the hardest part of the fight) were not power-hungry barbarians - much to the contrary. They had very full, very complex views of the problem and possible solutions. I won't delve much into them, also, as I'm not an expert...
Villa and Zapata had the most compatible approaches, seeking an aggresive land redistribution, a communal property system (closest to most of the indigenous population's roots, what we would now call usos y costumbres). For the government, both favored going towards a Europe-like parliamentary system, where the parliament were the real force, and the president (or prime minister or whatever) would only be the designated person to implement the parliament's decision. Both Villa and Zapata feared the evil stemming from the unlimited power that the Presidential Chair symbolized (Fui soldado de Francisco Villa / de aquel hombre de fama mundial, / que aunque estuvo sentado en la silla / no envidiaba la presidencial). They met at the Aguascalientes convention, and were quite close to each other - but were defeated by the superior Venustiano Carranza (Constitucionalista) army.
Carranza, although vilified for his corruption (nowadays, carrancear is still a synonim for stealing), had an opposite view - also originating from a very deep analysis. Carranza saw that what brought down Madero was, in the end, the lack of power of the President to rule the country without support from the legislative power. So, he pushed a political program making the President the strongest man in Mexico. He and his people wrote and passed the 1917 Constitution, valid today. This constitution goes to great lengths pushing revolutionary ideals - Land and wealth redistribution, universal and free education, keeps a complete separation between state and church, ensures state control over strategic areas... The 1917 constitution is one of our history's greatest achievements.
But, of course, it is not perfect - it paved the way for a hegemonic party controlling the real power behind it all. PRI started as a very heterogeneous mixture of the whole revolutionary family, but slowly became a bureaucratic, stagnated monolith.
And in a somehow ironic twist of destiny, the forces that today push for deepest changes, and precisely in the same direction that Villa and Zapata wished, are... Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional (EZLN) and Frente Popular Francisco Villa (FPFV). EZLN is far more successful and advanced in its social experiment. Again, I won't comment further in what I don't really understand.
As a last point, the commenter I'm quoting (and whose name I must get, to update this post!), said that practically in every country that has transited from any sort of dictatorship towards a more-or-less believable democracy (say, everywhere in South America, or Spain, or Eastern Europe, or...), one of the first steps has been to update or replace the constitution with a new one, preventing the mistakes overlooked by the previous one from being reinstated. In our country, we have long heard about the "Reforma del Estado", a very nice-sounding-term which nobody believes in. After the 2006 electoral mess (no matter who won in the end, everybody will agree it was a mess that should be prevented from happening again, we had high hopes of real changes being introduced. A parliamentary, or at least semi-presidentialist regime was strongly suggested as a way forward. Changing the electoral system towards having second-rounds if needed. _anything!_ But no, we were stuck with... The same as always.
So, did the Revolution win or lose? It is clear to me. It won, and it really shaped -for better- what would happen in the next 100 years. However, in a century, we have been able to twist the law to make it turn against itself. I have to agree with my EZLN-minded friends (I sympathize with EZLN's general goals, but don't think its way forward is the right way to go): Pushing the change from within the government is just wishful thinking, but a strong delusion. However, is there a way to push our country forward without repeating a violent cycle? I really hope so. Our current situation is simply pathetic.
I lack a good closing for this post... So I'll let good old Jefe Pluma Blanca, Renato Leduc, do it for me.
Tiempos de Pancho Villa
y de la guerra de mentadas y tiros en la sierra.
Tiempos de fe
no en Dios sino en la tierra
Por el cerro de la Pila
fueron entrando a Torreón
mi general Pancho Villa
y atrás la revolución...
¡Ay jijos...! ya se nos hizo
cuánto diablo bigotón...
Ya viene Toribio Ortega
subiendo y bajando cerros
y no te enredes ni engañes
que ahí anda Pablito Seáñez
haciendo ladrar los perros.
¡Cuánto usurero barbón...!
¡Ay jijos... cómo les vuela
de la levita el faldón...!
¡Ay jijos... ya se nos hizo:
triunfó la revolución...!
Tenemos camino andado...
No hay que juntarse con rotos
siempre te juegan traición
ya Madero está vengado
ya murió la usurpación.
En su caballo retinto
llegó Emiliano Zapata
bonita su silla charra
y sus botones de plata
pero mucho más bonito
su famoso Plan de Ayala...
Este gallo es de navaja
y no es gallo de espolón
si quieres tierra trabaja
trabaja no seas huevón...
Ya llegó don Venustiano
con sus anteojos oscuros
y Villa y Zapata gritan:
No sé que tengo en los ojos...
porque ya en Pablo González
se vislumbra la traición
¡Ay reata no te revientes
que es el último jalón...!
ya se están muriendo todos
¡Jesús qué desilusión...!
se está volviendo gobierno
¡Ay dios...! La revolución.
Free Software and the Democratic Construction of the Society
Last Wednesday I went for the first time in many years to FES Iztacala, the UNAM faculty where I worked for four years (1999-2003) and where I have most learnt and advanced in my career so far. I have a very special spot in my heart for Iztacala :-)
But it was not just a nostalgy drive - In no small part, I had not visited Iztacala -despite several invitations- because... It is really far away, in Tlalnepantla, Northern Mexico City (while I live in the South, just by UNAM). It takes me approximately 1.5 hours to get there via public transportation, and I would not venture less than 1 hour travel time by car. So... Having nothing to lose, I decided to go by bike - you can look at my route to get there (OpenStreetMap, SportsTracker) and safely back home (OpenStreetMap, SportsTracker). Some people I have talked with think it was a crazy thing to do - No, I don't feel that, by a long shot. A 26Km ride in slightly under two hours, and back. People insist on thinking that biking in such a large and chaotic city as Mexico is unsafe, dangerous, suicidal... I deeply disagree. Cycling is fun and got me to my destination in almost the same time I would have made by bus. And no, I would not buy four liters of gasoline just to cross my city.
Anyway, I am also happy about the reason that actually got me to go to Iztacala - I submitted a talk+paper I prepared together with Alejandro Miranda to Congreso Internacional Software Libre y Democratización del Conocimiento organized by Universidad Politécnica Salesiana in Quito, Ecuador. This conference is quite different to those I am used to, as it is quite more formal and academic; it is mainly targetted at social scientists working on understanding our movement. We prepared a talk called Software Libre y la Construcción Democrática de la Sociedad - which was accepted, to my amazement.
Neither Alejandro nor I were unable to travel to Ecuador to give the talk, so we arranged to present it via a videoconference call - Which was based on Iztacala. A nice session, although quite different to what I am used to. Our presentation was on a panel setting, under the global Ethical and political dimensions in the Free Software culture, with 20 minutes to present the topic (I am used to preparing one- or two-hour talks), and it was frankly rushed... We "met" with some friends (or were able at least to greet them shortly after the talk) who attended live to the conference, and... Well, all in all, it was one of those good, interesting experiences I would surely repeat. And besides, I have several things pending to show off about my current work to my Iztacalan fellows ;-)
Birds on the river
A large and impressive Tinkuy
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Here’s What We Know About The Coen Brother’s Next Film “Hail, Caesar!“
Yo Semite
Culture, Film
After their Inside Llewyn Davis was majorly snubbed during last year’s awards season (seven major noms, zero wins) you could forgive the Coen Brothers if they wanted to take a few years to kick back, relax, and enjoy some of that Lebowski money. Instead, Joel and Ethan have plowed right ahead with their next project, Hail Caesar! which has just been given an official release date (Feb. 5, 2016) and a synopsis. Coenophiles rejoice! This one sounds like a doozy:From the official press release:
Universal Pictures’ HAIL, CAESAR! will be released on Friday, February 5, 2016.
About HAIL, CAESAR!
Four-time Oscar®-winning filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men, True Grit,Fargo) write and direct HAIL, CAESAR!, an all-star comedy set during the latter years of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Starring Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton, Channing Tatum, Scarlett Johansson and Jonah Hill, HAIL, CAESAR! follows a single day in the life of a studio fixer who is presented with plenty of problems to fix. The comedy is produced by the Coen brothers under their Mike Zoss Productions banner, with Working Title Films and Eric Fellner and Tim Bevan.
With Hail, Caesar! slated for 2016, it’s probably safe to assume the long rumored Coen adaptation of Michael Chabon’s The Yiddish Policeman’s Union (to whom the film rights have reverted) is finally and fully dead in the water. A loss, to be sure, but one look at Caesar!’s ensemble cast and I’m having a hard time feeling too down.
See ya in 2016!
[via Indiewire]
Caesar!Channing TatumEthan CoenFargoGeorge ClooneyHailInside Llewyn DavisJoel and Ethan CoenJoel Coenjonah hillJosh BrolinMichael ChabonNo Country For Old MenRalph FiennesScarlett JohanssonThe Big LebowskiThe Coen BrosThe Coen BrothersThe Yiddish Policeman's UnionTilda SwintonTrue Grit
“Excuse Me, Are You Jewish?” Guy Gets Taken For A Run Through Brooklyn
Hava Tequila Nights: Interview with “Soul Daughter” Neshama Carlebach
A lover, a fighter, a kvetcher.
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City of Espoo, Espoo Innovation Garden, and China – Finland Strategic ICT Alliance / DIGILE INNOVATION AND BUSINESS FORUM PROGRAM for Shanghai Yangpu District and Business Delegation Visit September 24, 2015, Espoo, Finland
China – Finland Strategic ICT Alliance / DIGILE and Espoo Innovation Garden PROGRAM for Shandong Liaocheng Delegation Visit September 22, 2015, Espoo, Finland
China – Finland Strategic ICT Alliance Program for HTIBI Delegation Visit August 25 and 26, 2015, Espoo, Finland
“Home-as-a-Service Platform” Kick off in Espoo
On 15 May the kick-off meeting of the first “Home-as-a-Service Platfrom” project was held at Urban Mill, Aalto, in Espoo. It developes a demonstration environment for digitally enabled and Internet based services for the elderly to be demonstrated at the Housing Fair in Jyväskylä 2014. It is already involving a large number of company partners, cities, and researchers, coordinated by Active Life Village, such as Addoz Oy, Anvia Oyj, Beddit Oy, Bonwal Oy, Digikonkarit/Ilolla Oy, Electrix Oy, F-Secure Oyj, Helmivisio Oy, Mohinet Oy, Oppimaa Oy, Pienipiiri Oy, PlayGround Finland Oy, UrbanMill, City of Espoo, Municipality of Pyhtää, Ministry of Transport and Communications, and University of Eastern-Finland, with DIGILE as the facilitator for the overall Home-as-a-Platform” concept. Similar solutions are planed to replicated and adapted to China by the Sino-Finnish cooperation activities.
In the ICT Alliance there has been an interest among a group of universities and companies to develop cooperation that would more actively link the areas of elderly services, personal health and wellbeing and smart home together.
The ”Home-as-a-Service Platform” concept will be adopted and demonstrated in the new Joint Lab on Intelligent Services Embedded in Everyday Life (ISEEL) in Shanghai at Sino-Finnish Centre, Tongji University, to be set up in 2014.
“Home-as-a-Service Platform” concept has been introduced by DIGILE as a potential framework to bring together related activities in these complimentary areas. With such a comprehensive initiatives that bring together companies, universities and key public sector actors – working closely together with the Chinese development and channel partners and with the key stakeholders – we can together create more relevant propositions for the Chinese market – and in the next phase, with Chinese partners, to bring very competitive and advanced solutions to the growing international markets.
ICT Alliance Workshop meeting for Finnish partners on 11 Feb 2014 at DIGILE (Otaniemi)
Dear ICT Alliance partners,
Thank you for active work in 2013 and Happy New Year 2014 to you all!
We would like to inform that next Workshop for the Finnish ICT Alliance partners is suggested to be held on 11 February 2014 at DIGILE in Otaniemi.
There we aim at reviewing the progress since Shanghai kick-off event and spending substantial part of the time in discussing the ways of developing the ICT Alliance activities further so that they could better serve the needs of current and future partners – and also enable parties to actively contribute.
Please let us know by Friday 24.1 the expected participants from your projects.
Also, please advise us who will be the main contact points in your project .
These may be different than the original contacts in the Tekes application (as we already learned when preparing the September 2013 Shanghai Workshop).
Also, let us know if some people should be added to the list for your projects.
China-Finland ICT Alliance Finnish partners Workshop
Time: Tuesday 11 February 2014, 9:00 − 15:00
Location: DIGILE, Showroom,
Vaisalantie 6, 02130 Espoo (Falcon Business Park in Otaniemi), see: http://www.digile.fi/contact
When at reception call Matti (+358 40 758 0150) or Jani for picking up (+358 40 540 7896)
Participation: Representative(s) of the Phase II projects and Invited experts in New Initiatives.
Tentative Agenda:
1. Update on the China-Finland ICT Alliance
2. Projects update (max 10 min each)
by the project leads/representatives, summaries will be requested beforehand
3. Discussion on modes of cooperation, including Research Projects, Business Ecosystems and Research Forums, and other planned for 2014
4. Planning the events in 2014
Timing and content of Workshops and other events
5. Other issues
Year 2013 in retrospect:
Year 2013 was the beginning of a new phase (Phase II) of the China-Finland ICT Alliance.
Building on research cooperation in information and communication technology the ICT Alliance has continued to extend its activities in digital services in areas of joint interest. Aging society, urban mobility and traffic, and education – among other – are application areas that have become focal in cooperation and the activities are expected to expand during this year in addition to the future energy efficient networks, sensing and other technology topics.
The second half of 2013 reflects the evolution of the ICT Alliance, following the digitalization of almost all aspects of society, industries and our everyday life. In addition to the official kick-off of Phase II projects in September Workshop in Shanghai, quite a few events took place in the September – December time frame to promote ICT Alliance cooperation in business oriented R&D&I in ICT and digital services. Examples include joining the Pujiang Innovation Forum in Shanghai (the key innovation event in China organized by MOST with Finland as the Country of Honor in 2013) as well as joining the visits of Minister Risikko, Viitanen and Kiuru to highlight the ongoing cooperation and new opportunities in ICT and digital services in their respective areas (Health and Wellbeing, Communication and Housing, and Education). The invited participation of ICT Alliance as a Showcase in the OpenChina-ICT Final Conference on Strengthening Cooperation in ICT Research between Europe and China is an example of recognition that may help in positioning Finland as a potential “gateway” for China-EU R&D&I cooperation. In 2014 the work continues in the development of the ICT Alliance as an open “platform” for international cooperation.
Please, find attached the summary of the second half of 2013 ICT Alliance activities: “China -Finland ICT Alliance August – December 2013 Update” (you may distribute it freely to parties you expect to be interested in ICT Alliance and China-Finland cooperation). This newsletter format has proven to be useful in conveying information about the activities and we plan on publishing it on a monthly basis on the Website. We would also be happy to include sections that provide information about the events and progress in the projects more often than what is possible in the Workshops.
Preparing for year 2014
We may expect that 2014 will be an active year in the China-Finland cooperation. At the beginning of the year it is good time to review the progress that has taken place since our last joint Workshop in Shanghai, share information about future plans, prepare for the future events and discuss new opportunities. These may be, for example, involve new cooperation modes such as Business Ecosystems and Research Forums (an update on these will be given in the Workshop), as well as in extending the bilateral work to multilateral and wider international contexts, such as China-EU projects.
While there are several areas where the Chinese entities, including universities, research centers and companies, have indicated their interest in cooperating with Finland and Finnish partners, financing the R&D&I cooperation remains a challenge. This is particularly true when considering public funding for the university research but similar challenges appear also when companies are looking to get financing for initiating cooperation in new areas. In this situation it becomes even more important to be able to link complementary activities and resources as well as different modes of operation (e.g. cooperation in research projects, education and in business pilots).
The project based work may be considered as the “backbone” of the ICT Alliance and it is worthwhile to consider how the next projects can be built on current cooperation and results – and how new parties already working with China or interested in joining may be brought into play in the ares of joint interest. The difference in scale between China and Finland, including size of markets and the resources available, requires both focusing and pooling of resources that may come from other actors and projects in Finland as well as elsewhere (i.e. act as “gateway” or “hub”).
Feedback and ideas for events and activities:
We are working on a list of events that will be organized or co-organized by the ICT Alliance during 2014 both in Finland and in China and will share that in the coming weeks before the February workshop.
We would be happy to get your ideas and input on such initiatives and events in which China-Finland R&D&I cooperation in ICT and digital services could have role. This would allow us well in advance to contact the relevant Finnish and Chinese experts and entities who may contribute our activities – and also benefit from participation. Also, this would allow us to synchronize the Alliance with other Finland-China events.
We look forward to you your ideas and views for developing both the ICT Alliance, the ways of working and the work in the substance areas that you see relevant for the cooperation.
Looking forward to meeting you in Otaniemi, at DIGILE, on 11 February 2014.
China -Finland ICT Alliance August - December 2013 Update 1.60 MB
Click to download China -Finland ICT Alliance August - December 2013 Update.pdf
Boosting China Cooperation
China-Finland ICT Alliance October 2013 Update
China-Finland ICT Alliance October 2013 Update 402.22 KB
Click to download China -Finland ICT Alliance October 2013 Update.pdf
Finland as “Country of Honour for 2013” in Pujiang Innovation Forum in Shanghai
Finland was nominated by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (MOST) as the “Country of Honour for 2013” for Pujiang Innovation Forum 26-27 October 2013 in Shanghai. Pujiang Innovation Forum has been established in 2008 to highlight best practices in international innovation cooperation and to exchange views, knowledge and visions between industrial, governmental and academic partners. Pujiang Innovation Forum is one of the most important events in this field in China. The grand theme of this year’s forum was “Innovation-Driven Development and the Role of Enterprises”. The forum was a very good fit for China-Finland ICT Alliance as it is run by MOST (that established ICT Alliance in 2009 together with the Ministry of Employment and the Economy of Finland) and it involves long-term key partners in Shanghai, the City of Shanghai, Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park, and Tongji University as its main organisers. Prior and after to Pujiang Innovation Forum there were meetings and workshops organised by ICT Alliance in Beijing and Shanghai as described below. ICT Alliance was a member in the preparation team of the forum programme from the Finnish side among other Team Finland actors, as well as a member of Finland’s official Pujiang business delegation.
In his opening speech, Mr. Jan Vapaavuori, Minister of the Economy of Finlandhighlighted the current R&D&I efforts of the China-Finland ICT Alliance as an active joint platform in international innovation cooperation. The forum also had a number of other guest speakers and distinguished panellists, for example, Mr. Wan Gang, Minister of Science and Technology of China, Mr. Yang Xiong, Mayor of the City of Shanghai, Mr. Peter Vesterbacka, Chief Marketing Officer & Mighty Eagle, Rovio, Mr. Antti Pirinen, Vice President, Kone, and Mr. Pekka Soini, Director General, TEKES.
Key topics that were discussed in the forum:
joint R&D projects are a concrete way to support and encourage international cooperation;
need for new models in value creation;
how to more effectively allocate investments into knowledge and create new financing models; and
investments into learning and capacity building are essential for boosting industrial sectors.
The close cooperation between the City of Shanghai and City of Espoo and Chinese and Finnish high-tech innovation actors was highlighted by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Espoo City & China-Finland Golden Bridge Innovation Center and Shanghai Zhang Jiang High-Tech Park, by Ms.Tuula Antola, Director of Economic and Business Development of the Espoo City, and Mr. Lei Ding, Director of Zhang Jiang High Tech Park Administrative Committee.
The recent launch of the new China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone and the Bund Financial Innovation Pilot Zone are signals of the open approach and interest in experimenting with new and innovative cooperation models. They highlight China’s position and aim at becoming key global node for trade, logistics and financial services. These developments are highly relevant to the ICT Alliance and they match Finland’s vision: working together with key international partners to establish an “Enabling hub for global digital business and innovation – where East meets West and South”. In the increasingly digital world Finland aims at providing open, trusted, transparent and reliable base for data and services. Combining highly available digital services and communication infrastructures with trusted and secure management of large scale transactional and personal data and identities would provide businesses and public actors a unique international hub for big data and cloud based services. And, fast growing digital business can also be fun, even in Finland, as illustrated by the well-known global games companies Rovio (Angry Birds), attending Pujiang Innovation Forum, and Supercell.
Zhongguancun became the first high-tech park in China in 1988 when the State Council approved the establishment of the Beijing New Technology Industrial Development Trial Zone (predecessor of the Zhongguancun Science and Technology Park). During the past two decades, Zhongguancun has gathered nearly 20,000 high and new-tech enterprises, including such as Lenovo and Baidu. Zhongguancun enterprises have formulated 86 important international standards like TD-SCDMA, McWill and IGRS, and about 800 national, local and industrial standards. Its technology transaction values exceed a third of the country’s total, including 80 percent of project products and services exported outside Beijing. In 2010, the gross income of enterprises in Zhongguancun achieved 1.59 trillion yuan, an increase of 22.6 percent, taking up about one seventh of all high and new-tech zones in China and contributing 23.5 percent to Beijing’s economic growth. Zhongguancun is home to 10 parks, namely, Haidian, Fengtai, Changping, Electronics City, Yizhuang, Desheng, Yonghe, Shijingshan and Tongzhou Parks as well as the Daxing Biomedicine Industrial Base. Zhongguancun’s venture capital cases and investment amount every year account for about a third of the country’s total. For example, Zhongguancun Software Park opened up an office in Otaniemi, Espoo, in 2012. Zhongguancun Software Park Development Co, Ltd is specialised in high tech park development and its establishment was granted by Beijing Municipal Government. Its three shareholder companies are Beijing Technology Park Construction Group, Beijing Capital Steel, and Beijing Haidian Technology Park. Zhongguncun Software Park Development Co, Ltd was founded on 7 August 2000 with initial capital of 500 million RMB ($62.5 million USD).
Workshop on Creating New Solutions for Boosting Innovation and Entrepreneurship – Preparing China-Finland R&D&I Initiatives for Global Impact
DIGILE/China-Finland ICT Alliance, Sino-Finnish Centre and Tongji University in cooperation with eBEREA network partners organised a workshop on Creating New Solutions for Boosting Innovation and Entrepreneurship on 28 October 2013 in Shanghai – right after the Pujiang Innovation Forum. The main objective of this invitational brainstorming workshop was to discuss and prepare such new China-Finland initiatives in digital services and business that have potential for global impact. In additional to digital industries, e-commerce and Internet financing the potential of digital services and “big data” in environment, energy and urban environment were also on the agenda. These areas were represented byCLEEN (Finnish Strategic Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation in Energy and the Environment) and RYM (Finnish Strategic Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation in Built Environment Innovations) and INSIGMA from the Chinese side.
The workshop focused on some of the key themes of Pujiang Innovation Forum looking to identify concrete topics and models for industry, academia and public sector cooperation. “Innovation needs Capital” was one of the main themes of the forum, as well as the need to boost SMEs and start-ups and organise new kinds of industry clusters and networks with established players. In China-Finland cooperation the aim is to build the “2-way gateway” and also link other partners and markets in the Nordics, Baltics, the European Union as well as other regions, including the emerging economies.
Invited Chinese participants represented rapidly growing industrial sectors and especially those that are focal in China-Finland/EU R&D&I cooperation in the field of e-business and services, with Big Data as one common denominator:
e-service and e-payment;
e-logistics and supply chain finance;
P2P lending and micro financing research;
e-payment risk management;
text mining and sentiment analysis;
IT innovation and industry chain applications; and
solutions for clean technologies and smart buildings.
Chinese side participants include, among other, Prof. Zhangxi Lin (co-chair), Director, Sichuan Key Lab of Financial Intelligence and Financial Engineering, SWUFE and TTU, Mr. Li Defeng, Director, Research Division of Database, Huawei, Ms. Cao Heng, Director, IBM Shanghai Research Institute, Mr. Xie Shan, VP, Strategic Planning, Senior Researcher, Allinpay, Mr. Li Lele, CTO, Smart Logistics, Ms. Wang Xia, President, NoyaXe Technologies, Mr. Zheng Xianrong, Vice Director, Beijing Research Institute, INSIGMA, Prof. Xiaofeng Ma, Tongji University, Prof. Qiang Ye,
Associate Dean, Harbin Institute of Technology, Mr. Xiaolin Zheng, Deputy Director, eService Research Center, Zhejiang University.
Finnish side participants include, Mrs. Merja Hiltunen, Director (Steering and networks), TEKES, Mrs. Ulla Hiekkanen–Mäkelä, Executive Director (Marketing and communications) TEKES, Mr. Teemu Varonen, Programme Director, Senior Adviser (Finland–China collaboration in ICT), TEKES, Mr. Jarmo E. Heinonen, Consul (Science and Technology), Consulate General of Finland, Shanghai, Head of Tekes Shanghai, Ms. Karoliina Peippo, Communications Manager, CLEEN (Finnish Strategic Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation in Energy and the environment); and Mr. Vesa Ijäs, Head of Account Management, Lahti Development Company LADEC Ltd. (Vice Board Member & Representative of RYM (Finnish Strategic Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation in Built environment innovations). The Finland side organisers were represented by Mr. Matti Hämäläinen (co-chair), Director (China cooperation), DIGILE and Professor at Aalto, Mr. Jani Kaarlejärvi, Director (International Coordination), DIGILE, and Matti M. Hämäläinen, Director (Operations), Sino-Finnish Centre.
Workshop on Elderly Care Services Research in Beijing
ICT Alliance joined a workshop on International Research Center for Service Innovation for Elderly People (IRCSI) at Beijing Academy of Science and Technology (BJAST) in Beijing on 23 October 2013. The workshop involved participants from BJAST, Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering (Fraunhofer IAO), Aalto University, DIGILE and Active Life Village Ltd. It was organised to review progress in 2013 and plan joint activities for spring 2014,with milestones based on a pilot in Yangfangdian Community and key elderly care industry events in China during the planning period. IRCSIwasestablished in December 2012 as a China-German-Finnish cooperation platform by Beijing Research Center of Urban System Engineering (BRCUSE) of BJAST, and by Fraunhofer IAO with Aalto University as key University partner.
DIGILE and Active Life Village were present in the founding event and in 2013 the cooperation was formalised by the MoU signed during Ms. Paula Risikko’s, Minister of Social Affairs and Health, visit to Beijing on 25 September 2013. Services in the ageing society is a focus area in China-Finland R&D&I cooperation and BJAST and IRCSI are important entities in that work. During 2013 cooperation has been active between the Finnish, Chinese and German partners based on bilateral projects and several visits have taken place to China and Finland. While this cooperation continues in 2014 also multilateral research projects are considered including forthcoming China-EU calls under Horizon 2020. Experiences gained from the pilots in Finland and China and relationships established provide a basis for business-oriented research and development. With the support of BJAST President Mr. Ding and other key people of BJAST, cooperation has also opened up opportunities to meet with local and municipal decision-makers in Beijing to help pursue the systemic changes in the way elderly care is provided. In addition to technology, the work involves studying policymaking, financing, regulatory issues as well as concrete provision of training in the emerging field of digitally supported elderly services and assisted living.
Workshop on Espoo-Shanghai cooperation, Sino-Finnish Centre (Aalto-Tongji Design Factory)
The workshop on 25 October was organised to plan actions based on the agreement signed during the visit of Mr. Yang Xiong, Mayor of the City of Shanghai, in Espoo in August 2013 and the MoU to be signed at Pujiang Innovation Forum between the City of Espoo and Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park on 27 October 2013. It was agreed in the workshop that the goals of this cooperation need to be ambitious as there is commitment from both sides (Finland and China) and a special Sister City relationship. Espoo and Shanghai together can represent key “Innovation Hubs” in Finland and China. In the next cooperation phase, the focus will be on areas where Finland and China can combine their complementary capabilities to address some of the priorities in China for creating globally relevant models and solutions and in particular to focus on topics where the City of Shanghai and the City of Espoo can make a different not only regionally but internationally. The areas have already been identified and the meeting focused on prioritising, action planning and agreeing on how various actors can best work together in the ”Team Finland” spirit.
The areas include education and training, and also vocational education and training. In addition to primary, secondary and higher education, there is potential for training business in the cooperation and also this is needed as we together move in new areas where education and training policy guidelines and regulations need to be developed. An illustrative example is rapidly booming “industry” of elderly services which is almost a “greenfield situation” in China and solutions can only be developed by working closely together. Other emerging priority areas include environment, energy, citizen centric urban planning and public services, among others. Espoo (and the Helsinki metropolitan region in general) and Shanghai are also actively developing tourism and have very complementary assets and approaches, and the opportunities for both areas are unique.
ICT Alliance & National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Meeting in Beijing
ICT Alliance had a meeting on 5G cooperation with National Natural Science Foundation of China on 30 October in Beijing, and the initiative received a positive response from NSFC. Key experts from the NSFC side were Mr. Zhaotian Zang, Deputy Director, Information Science, Ms. YingJie Fan, Deputy Director of International Cooperation and Ms. Xiong Xiaoyun, Deputy Director of Electronics and Information Systems. Prof. Xiaohu Ge, Department of Electronics and Information Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) joined as an expert representing substance expertise and research outline that has been drafted together with WiCO and the Finnish key research partners: University of Oulu, Aalto University, Tampere University of Technology, VTT, and HUST on behalf of the Chinese network research partners of the China-Finland ICT Alliance. All key Finnish partners are involved. The Finnish side was represented by Mr. Matti Hämäläinen and Mr. Jani Kaarlejärvi as well as Mr. Mika Tirronen, Counsellor for Science and Education, Embassy of Finland in Beijing, who represents in China the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Academy of Finland. In the meeting it was agreed that the topic of advanced 5G research will be taken on the agenda when new international activities are planned between China and Finland and the EU. This will involve preparatory joint China-Finland-EU workshop in Q1/2014 in Beijing with the support of NSFC, and initiating a concrete dialogue on ICT and advanced networking to be included in forthcoming joint call. Possibilities for multilateral programmes were also discussed.
More Information on China-Finland ICT Alliance and DIGILE
For more information, please visit the China-Finland ICT Alliance website www.ictalliance.org, DIGILE website www.digile.fi or contact Mr. Matti Hämäläinen and Mr. Jani Kaarlejärvi (firstname.lastname(at)digile.fi).
2012 Sino-European Research Forum on IS
2012 Sino-European Research Forum on IS and Information Society was hold during Monday, August 20, 2012 – 09:00 to Tuesday, August 21, 2012 – 12:45 in Espoo, Finland. Participants will be invited in advance.
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So let's talk about punctuation.
Like all writers, I have preferences.
Actually, preferences may not be strong enough a word.
I have rules. Things I do, over and over.
My rules may be a little unorthodox, but they work for me, and my readers don't seem to mind.
I like the Oxford comma. Without it, things can get confusing. For example, consider my favorite blogs: Stomp Out Racism, Children Are Precious and A Newbie's Guide To Publishing.
Obviously the Children blog and this blog are not racist, but without the Oxford comma, it could be misinterpreted.
Sometimes I don't use a comma even when I could and maybe should. This sentence is an example; I could have used a comma after Sometimes, comma, and could.
I often omit commas when using nouns and pronouns. I think Hey Phil! and me too! read better than Hey, Phil! and me, too.
I dig run-on sentences even though they should be broken up into smaller sentences because I believe writing has a beat and a flow like music and sometimes you want that extended guitar solo sentence to get a point across or make the reader feel something.
I like dashes. One of my things is to use a dash to interrupt action--
--then continue the dash on the next line. Breaking the flow can be as effective as a non-stop flow.
I like the semicolon; it's like a super comma that holds the sentence together, unlike a period which brings things full-stop.
Not a huge fan of exclamation marks. I try to limit each novel to a handful and always go back and check to see how many I can remove.
Occasionally I like the exclamation point/question mark jumble. Especially when a character is like WTF?!??!
When time passes in the same scene (I prefer scenes to chapters--savvy readers know I rarely use chapters) and my POV doesn't change, I'll put an extra line of space between paragraphs, or separate them with a centered # # # or * * *.
Hammet turned to him, a smile playing across her lips. "Do you think you can tame me, Tequila?"
"I can give it my best shot."
Hammett's fifty foot Viking sports yacht was worth about half a million US dollars, according to its former owner, who mentioned that before she killed him.
I don't like speaker attribution.
Speaker attribution isn't punctuation. But it functions in an identical way. Punctuation is used to help us understand the meaning and intention of words and sentences. Speaker attribution--he said, she asked, they screamed--helps us understand who just spoke, in a similar way.
I've used speak attribution for much of my work, because it's easy. People say it is invisible; we view it the same way we view a period, subconsciously noting it and arranging the story we see in our heads accordingly.
But he said really is a waste of space, a waste of words, a waste of time.
The work-around I've used (I've done several stories and novels without any speaker attribution) is to insert action to make the reader aware of who just spoke.
"It's a simple trick." Joe picked his nose and wondered how that got up there. "And it brings extra imagery to the scene."
A part of speaker attribution I particularly dislike is he thought.
In a first person point of view, it isn't really necessary. Depending on the story rules you set at the beginning, internal monologue may have nothing to distinguish it at all, other than the words themselves. Often, limited internal monologue is used, the writer can put it in italics, without needing attribution.
I hope the readers understand what I mean.
But interior monologue in third person POV gets tougher to pull off without interruption.
I'm a staunch believer in "One POV per scene". I don't head-hop in the same scene--unless it is set off properly, usually by using a new scene heading (I prefer to name my scenes by the character, location, and time, rather than by chapter), or in rare cases I separate fast-paced head hopping with the triple hashtag or triple asterix, like I do when time passes.
But when writing WHAT HAPPENED TO LORI (currently free on AMAZON) I encountered a problem I'd never run into before.
I have three main POV characters, and three minor ones. All are in third person.
When you do interior monologue in third person, your choices are italics, or speaker attribution, or both.
Unfortunately, the amount of interior monologue in WHTL was so excessive in this story, that over one third of the book would be in italics, and all the he thoughts/she thoughts was wasting words and space.
These were duplicitous characters who lie to each other, to themselves, and even to the reader.
I had entire pages of italics.
This was the opposite of invisible. It was glaring and obvious and repetitive and it irked me. And on an ebook, where old folks like me crank up the font size to Jumbo because of our failing vision, a page of italics and become four pages of italics, and then it no longer looks like italics.
This wasn't the smooth storytelling I wanted.
So I got to thinking.
We use quotation marks to set off dialog.
Why can't there be a similar mark to set off interior monologue?
So I tried using the tilde. ~
~Will a tilde work to set off inner thoughts?~
It sort of worked. But when I tried to get the advice from some friends on Skype chat, the double tilde drew lines through the words.
That made me think of the formatting problems I could face when releasing an ebook, with page after page of strikethrough words.
Damn coding.
But thinking of coding, made me think of the obvious.
The diple. <
The French use the double diple <<, aka guillemets, to set off dialog instead of using quotation marks.
<Maybe I can write a book using single diples for interior monologue.>
What really sold me on it, though, was how the diples could do more than just show inner thoughts. They became an essential element of the story, with a big twist ending for readers paying close attention.
<That's actually cool.
<Why not give it a go?>
So I went back and adjusted the first 30k words to use diples rather than italics and he thoughts, and then I began to write using diples.
<Wow. It's soooooo easy writing with diples.>
After a few thousand words, using diples became so natural that I wished I'd been doing it my whole life. To be able to pop into a character's head so quickly and easily and obviously made the writing tighter, smoother, and faster-paced.
I still had a problem, though. Would readers find it as invisible as I did?
Just to make extra sure readers knew this was intentional and not some formatting error, I decided to put an author note at the start of the book. Here it is:
AUTHOR NOTE 1
Storytelling isn't static. It evolves.
Movies have been enhancing their artform for over a century. Black and white films became color, which became Cinemascope and 3D and IMAX. Silent films became talkies, which became stereo and surround sound and Dolby Atmos with dozens of speakers.
Are these just gimmicks? Maybe.
But they also assist in immersing the viewer in the story.
For the sake of immersion, WHAT HAPPENED TO LORI utilizes some unique punctuation.
The diple dates to ancient Greek writing. It has been a staple of computer language, and Internet communication, for over forty years.
Quotation marks announce dialog to the reader. WHAT HAPPENED TO LORI uses the diple to announce characters' thoughts.
<I hope it enhances the story, rather than distracts.
<If not, I hope you can forgive me.
<I also hope you forgive me that this is only half a book. This is the first 90,000 words of a much longer novel. So be warned; it will end on a whopper of a cliffhanger.
<Are new punctuation and cliffhangers just gimmicks? Maybe.
<But this will pay off. In a big way.
<Trust me; you can't possibly imagine what happens until you read it for yourself.>
And off I went.
Early reader response has been encouraging. People quickly get used to it, and the diples become invisible, just like any good punctuation mark.
But when I pull the Big Reveal at the end of BOOK 2, people will be like "Oh, shit! That's why he did it! I should have guessed it!"
But of course nothing is truly win-win. I fully expect some readers to hate the diples, and to hate the book. Some already have.
I'm cool with that. I get irritated by Cormac McCarthy's lack of punctuation, because it isn't alerting me if someone is speaking so I have to reread the sentence to get the meaning.
I believe the only reason to reread a sentence is to savor it. Not because you can't understand it.
But McCarthy sells a shit ton more than I do, so my opinion hasn't hurt his popularity.
If some people want to hate the diples, it's cool.
If you want to hate the diples, it's cool.
<But I bet you also move your lips when you read to yourself.>
Ha! I jest. You can dislike a new style of writing and your opinion is valid and I won't judge you.
<You pinhead.>
See the potential yet?
When used for lying and hypocrisy, it's so simple. When used to share info with the reader, it's so simple. When used to add tension to a scene, it's so simple.
Read WHAT HAPPENED TO LORI, currently free, and let me know what you think.
<And by all means, try a writing exercise using diples for interior monologue.
<It's a lot more fun than you might think...>
Posted by JA Konrath at 10:48 AM
Ted Cross said...
I've been using the < > in my novels to offset all dialogue done using wi-fi in mind interfaces, where people aren't speaking aloud.
Great minds... or Cunningham's Law.
Which books, Ted? I'd like to take a look.
Paolo Amoroso said...
Joe, can you please explain the difference between text with only an opening diple and text enclosed in an opening/closing diple pair? I mean the difference between this:
tonyl said...
Fifteen or so years ago, in a collection of beginner stories, I used the <> pair in a manner similar to Ted Cross, to indicate telepathic conversations.
The few readers (no need to torture anyone else!) didn't find that convention worthy of comment. I suspect readers will accommodate it just fine, once they figure it out (or read the note explaining it).
BRYAN HIGBY said...
Great tips. I've used Stephen King's "On Writing" as my bible for the last, nearly 20 years. The Elements of Style work great too but I enjoyed your comparison between new punctuation in novels compared to the progress of films. Have you ever read any Mark Z. Danielewski's work or Steven Hall's novel, "The Raw Shark Texts"?
The Immortality Game is my first novel using those tags to offset dialogue. I'm currently writing a sequel that also will use them heavily.
Sorry, I should have also mentioned that my book formatter changed the < > to a slightly different character set so that it wouldn't mess with any HTML tags while he was formatting the book. They looked the same but are slightly stretched--sorry I don't know what they are called.
Paolo, when using quotation marks the rule is to leave them open until the dialog ends. If there is a paragraph in the middle of dialog, you remind the reader that it is still dialog by repeating the quotes, and only use ending quotes when the full dialog has ended.
Same principle with the diples.
They looked the same but are slightly stretched
Guillemets. They're used instead of quotes in France to set off dialog.
Was your book translated into French? If so, I'm really curious what they used to differentiate the two.
Ken Lindsey said...
I can't read Cormac McCarthy because of his issues with punctuation. I tried in high school, gave the book back to the library immediately without getting through a chapter. Tried again as an adult, and may have been even more repulsed than the teen version of me was. Oh well, lots of folks like it and I can always hope they make decent movies.
No, only English so far. I wish I could expand into other languages (especially Russian, given the setting), but I don't have the resources on my own. One day, hopefully.
Thanks Joe, got it.
bettye griffin said...
Love the Oxford comma. Dislike excessive exclamation marks.
Some writers try to avoid dialogue tags by having their characters constantly move about to the point where I get dizzy (He stood up...he sat down...he ran a hand through his hair...he slammed his palm against the table, etc.). To me it's best to have a healthy balance of both, and of course in many cases neither is needed.
The expression that really gets to me is, "he/she thought to himself/herself." I mean, think about it.
Domino Finn said...
You were concerned about formatting issues with the tilde so decided to go with an html opening bracket?!?! :) I jest...
All the various brackets are great for this sort of thing because we're all familiar with parentheses as clear asides. I've even seen authors use different bracket types to identify the speaker, but that gets a lot more dicey and specific.
Domino, I think the easiest fix for speaker attribution would be to give different characters different color dialog, so they were instantly recognized. But that might be intrusive.
Yeah, the diple could definitely cause problems via html. But so far so good...
Jack Knapp said...
I've been using the diple since the beginning, 2013 for me (Combat Wizard). My characters were psi's and after a while, quotation marks and italics simply didn't do the job. Later on, I used them for radio communications. The primary character used quotation marks while speaking, the person responding via radio got diples and when more than one was involved, I used italics.
Necessary if you publish in audio format; it tells the narrator who's speaking.
I've also found it necessary to include the name of the character, usually early in the conversation: "I understand," Mac said. "What should I do next?"
In part, I do that because I caught flak from readers who couldn't tell from the context which character was saying what.
If you publish in audio format, you'll likely need to do the same.
Thanks for chiming in, Jack. I keep one POV per sections, so the diples always belong to the POV character.
I'm not that experienced with reading diple text, but with thought attribution in TPPT we read, The thought can be the thing thought Hammet. Whereas, in using the diple, the third person past tense thought becomes a third person present tense thought. A clever shift to enhance immediacy in the transaction. Nicely done, JAK.
Edmund de Wight said...
I've struggled with italics or 's/he thought' for a long time. I've used both and also relied on tense shifts to signal it, i.e. in a past tense narrative my character's inner voice is present tense because, well, they're thinking it right then.
Diples could work well, although as a person who was in the computer industry I've had it ingrained to not use characters with special meaning to computers. For example in Unix, the # means something to the processor so it shouldn't be used outside its proper usage.
Diples signal HTML code in my head so I would worry that their use would have a negative effect in ebooks or web previews of the text.
I assume you've had no issues with this? It sounds like a great way to highlight internal monologue without making it too in-your-face.
Rashkae said...
Since the other grammar nazis haven't shown up yet, I'll get this show on the road.
That is not an Oxford comma. There is no Oxford comma in your example. The comma between Racism and Children would always be required.
The Oxford comma, had there been one, would have been before the and:
For example, consider my favorite blogs: Stomp Out Racism, Children Are Precious, and A Newbie's Guide To Publishing
It's controversial, but I think using it can make sentences more clear. What if one of your favorite blogs included the word "and" in it's full name?
As usual when I post something like this, I expect I made about 20 mistakes. Feel free to mock them.
Uh, Rashkae, that's the point I'm making. There was no Oxford comma in my example, which gave the sentence a different (and horrible) meaning.
So I shall now mock you.
Mock. Mock mock.
Yup, excellent example that flew *right* over my head. I well deserve anything you can throw at me :)
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Another company to prospect for rare metals - Jampro weighing US$500m proposal - Nippon-JBI pilot report to be released in Parliament
Published:Wednesday | July 16, 2014 | 12:00 AM
A red mud lake of bauxite waste. - File
Avia Collinder, Business Reporter
Investment promotion agency, Jampro, is assessing a new offer from a foreign investor interested in the extraction of rare-earth metals from Jamaica's bauxite waste, Wednesday Business has learned.
The interest is growing amid reports that the studies under way by Nippon Light Metals of Japan in partnership with the Jamaica Bauxite Institute (JBI), are showing promising results.
Nippon put in an application last year to patent its extraction process, according to the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office (JIPO), which said approval could take about three years from application.
Meantime, Jampro is actively promoting 'red mud' exploration as "a lucrative emerging segment of the mining sector which is expected to grow in the medium term".
More interest
Ricardo Durant, Jampro's mining, energy and manufacturing manager, who is cited as the contact point on the agency's website, was not immediately available for comment.
However, reliable sources tell Wednesday Business that a second company has expressed interest in prospecting for rare-earth metals, and has outlined a research and development programme to Jampro costed at US$500 million.
"They are approaching things differently. While some testing till be done abroad, they will also be using the laboratories in our local universities," the source said.
Nippon is said to be still going through its feasibility phase, which one source said may extend another two years before the company moves to the extraction phase.
The JBI-Nippon agreement was struck in September 2012. The Japanese company's initial plan is said to have indicated a timeline of two to five years of study. The pilot phase itself was to last six months.
Worrell Lyew You, director of process monitoring and environment at the JBI, said last week that "the pilot phase of the project is being finalised", while noting that Nippon was awaiting "decisions". He declined to clarify.
Energy Minister Phillip Paulwell declined comment on Nippon's progress, saying he would be giving an update on the pilot phase of the project in Parliament in two weeks.
Our source said that while Nippon had targeted two red mud lakes for exploration and testing, the other prospective investor company had listed three. He said both projects could be accommodated were they to move to the commercial extraction phase.
Nippon is a publicly traded company headquartered in Tokyo. To date, an estimated J$500 million has been spent on its research facility located at JBI's Old Hope Road complex. The facility is the base from which the samples collected during the six-month pilot were analysed.
During the pilot, researchers from Jamaica and Japan were expected to treat some 30 tonnes of dry red mud to potentially extract 17 rare-earth elements.
Paulwell said the report on the pilot programme, which sought indicators for commercial production, was now complete and that he would release it in Parliament.
Rare-earth elements are vital to the manufacturing of electronics such as smartphones, plasma screens, wind turbines, satellites, and numerous other high-tech products.
Nippon's application to patent its 'Method of Recovering Rare Earth Elements' was filed in March 2013.
It is said to be one of 52 applications related to rare earths, but Jason Wongsam, assistant patents manager at JIPO, said Nippon appears to be the first seeking to patent a method of extraction.
The process of approval includes assessment by the government chemist or the Bureau of Standards Jamaica, which will have to conduct the research required, said Wongsam, in explanation of the estimated three-year timeline for approval.
He suggested that the process might be accelerated by applying for patents in a more resource-rich jurisdiction such as the United States or the United Kingdom, as JIPO may opt to accept the results from examinations done by a foreign patent office.
As outlined by Jampro, local red mud deposits in Jamaica boast up to 2,500 per cent higher concentration of these elements than global competitors.
Rare-earth oxides, which are used in high-technology and environmental applications, are currently being traded at rates of up to US$3,500 per kilogramme, the investment agency says.
Transparency Market Research, a company providing market reports and forecasts, says on its website that the global demand for rare earths was estimated at more than 140 kilo tons in 2010 and is expected to grow annually at about 10 per cent up to year 2018.
China is currently the dominant supplier of rare-earth metals, accounting for about 95 per cent of global supplies, according to Transparency Marketing.
avia.collinder@gleanerjm.com
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Home \ Newswire \ WARC 100: Lessons from the world’s top effectiveness campaigns revealed
WARC 100: Lessons from the world’s top effectiveness campaigns revealed
Effective campaigns increasingly have PR ‘baked in’
TV-led and video-led – two different models
The use of partnerships is on the rise
Brands are looking for multi-year platforms
Global, 19 April 2018 – WARC, the global marketing intelligence service, has today released ‘Lessons from the world’s top effectiveness campaigns’ to uncover shared creative, media and measurement strategies. The report analyses the results of the latest WARC 100, an annual ranking of campaigns based on their performance in effectiveness awards from around the world.
The four lessons from the 2018 WARC 100 analysis are:
1. Effective campaigns increasingly have PR ‘baked in’
Analysis of campaigns in this year’s WARC 100 reveal the increasing use of PR in their channel strategies. This reflects the rise of creative ideas built to gain press coverage and other earned media. Several ideas at the top of the ranking centre around a highly PR-able stunt or concept, like the Transport Accident Association’s ‘Graham’, that can generate content across channels and media.
2. TV-led and video-led – two different models
This year a dominance of video – both online and TV – is evident in the winning campaigns. Analysis of campaigns led by TV and campaigns led by online video show they are key to emotional creative strategies. Budgets tend to be higher for TV-led campaigns, and the media mix differs between the two groups as a result. Though social media is the most common support channel regardless of lead media, OOH and print are more commonly present in the mix of TV-led campaigns, with word-of-mouth and PR supporting a higher proportion of online video-led strategies.
3. The use of partnerships is on the rise
Over the past two years, the use of partnerships as a creative strategy has increased in WARC 100 campaigns. Utilising the reach or credibility of partner organisations was an effective strategy for four of the top 10 campaigns this year, with both expected and unusual partnerships seeing success. Though seen across the whole WARC 100, partnerships saw particular use in campaigns targeting millennials, like Burger King’s ‘The McWhopper Proposal’.
4. Brands are looking for multi-year platforms
Long-term ideas are a growing feature of the WARC 100 as brands look to squeeze more out of their platforms. The continuing presence of the John Lewis Christmas campaigns in the WARC 100 provides a great case for the success of long-term campaigns. John Lewis has taken the Christmas period and turned it into an advertising event, annually driving huge amounts of publicity, engagement and ultimately return on their investment. Two further top 10 campaigns for Ariel and Snickers have reworked or evolved ongoing campaign themes with success over the past year, using the power of association to grow and reinforce the memory’s perception of brands over time.
David Tiltman, Head of Content, WARC, says: “This year’s analysis of the WARC 100 reveals some major long-term trends in effective advertising. Brands are increasingly looking for ideas with high PR impact, and marketing platforms with potential to run across multiple years – and with budgets under pressure in many markets, those trends are set to continue.”
The WARC 100 is now part of the Gunn Report, which tracks the winners’ lists from all the most important advertising award contests, globally. The results of 70+ effectiveness competitions are used to compile the WARC 100, which now in its fifth year, is built on a rigorous methodology, developed in consultation with King’s College London. The methodology is applied consistently across all global, regional and national competitions tracked.
More information on the WARC 100 ranking and its analysis report is available on warc.com
editor | Newswire | April 19, 2018 2:42 pm
Snapchat opens new Lens Studio tools for region’s creatives
Snapchat rolls out Shoppable AR lens for advertisers
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Villagers in Kangan risk lives daily crossing a rickety bridge over Sindh
IRFAN RAINA
Publish Date: Jul 8 2019 3:25AM
Updated Date: Jul 8 2019 3:25AM
Photo: Kashmir Ink
Residents of Tangchahter village and its surrounding areas in Ganderbal district risk their lives every day crossing a rickety bridge over Sindh nallah that connects them to the tehsil headquarters.
The village in Kangan area feels cut off from its surroundings and the Srinagar-Leh national highway.
“Without any proper communication links people have to cross temporary bridges made of wooden planks and walk on foot for miles to reach their respective destinations,” a villager, Umer, in Tangchahter told Greater Kashmir.
The villagers say during rain and snow cross the Sindh becomes more dangerous, particularly for women, children, sick persons and old persons.
A temporary footbridge constructed over the nallah, the villagers say, was completely destroyed during recent floods increasing their woes.
They say a permanent bridge over the nallah was sanctioned some 10 years ago for connecting the area but it has not been constructed.
“This bridge can connect our village with Srinagar-Leh highway but the concerned authorities have failed to complete the construction of permanent bridge here,” a villager said, adding residents of the area have repeatedly approached authorities during successive governments.
“But our requests fell on deaf ears. We are scared for the safety of our children who have to cross over a temporary wooden bridge to reach school,” said Bilal Ahmed, another resident.
Over the years, scores of men and women have drowned or sustained injuries while crossing over the rivulet using rickety the bridge villagers have made.
“There are so many incidents of injuries to mostly children and women which could have been avoided if this bridge had been constructed,” a resident among a group said.
The residents urged Governor administration to resume work on this bridge vital for their daily life.
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2015 Hugo Awards Discussion
Goto page Previous 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Next
Kevin's Watch Forum Index -> General Fantasy/Sci-Fi Discussion
I'm Murrin
Aren't you?
Location: North East, UK
Many people have suggested the solution to these issues is to increase the number of people taking part in the nomination and voting process. To that end, Mary Robinette Kowal and several others have offered to purchase a number of Supporting memberships to Sasquan, this year's Worldcon, for fans who otherwise couldn't afford the $40. Supporting membership gives nominating rights for the current, previous, and next year's awards (obviously too late now for two of those) and voting rights for this year's, as well as access to the 2015 Hugo Voter's Packet (electronic copies of nominated works donated by publishers) and participation in site selection fora future Worldcon (2017; there's an additional fee for that, which automatically becomes Supporting membership at the winning con).
The folks offering memberships are not asking for any kind of influence on voting behaviour (Kowal has said she'll decline next year if nominated, to avoid conflict).
http://maryrobinettekowal.com/journal/talk-with-me-about-being-a-fan-of-science-fiction-and-fantasy/
Even if it's not through this offer, you should consider taking part in the Hugos if you care about the results.
Inspiration Struck.
Mod of the General Fantasy/Sci-Fi Forum
Orlion
Clairvoyant
Location: Getting there...
I always feel guilty that I have no interest in Mary Robinette Kowal's books because every time I read about her, she's being such an awesome person.
'Tis dream to think that Reason can
Govern the reasoning creature, man.
- Herman Melville
I am Lazarus, come from the dead,
Come back to tell you all, I shall tell you all!
"All creation is a huge, ornate, imaginary, and unintended fiction; if it could be deciphered it would yield a single shocking word."
-John Crowley
Two nominees from the Puppy slates have been found ineligible and removed from the ballot. John C Wright's novelette was previously published in 2013; it has been replaced on the ballot by Thomas Olde Heuvelt's "The Day the World Turned Upside Down" (not from the slates). Professional Artist nominee Jon Eno did not produce any eligible work in 2014, and has been replaced on the ballot by Kirk DouPonce (a Puppy nominee).
Note that prior to the ballot's initial announcement at least two other nominees from the Puppies were also declared ineligible.
Two of the nominees have withdrawn their works from consideration for the Hugo Awards. Annie Bellet has withdrawn her story "Goodnight Stars", as she feels the politicisation of the nomination has poisoned any value it held. Marko Kloos has withdrawn his novel Lines of Departure, as he does not want a nomination associated with Vox Day's influence.
There has been no official announcement from the Hugo administrators as yet. It seems likely we'll see more works promoted from lower in the nomination list.
Marko Kloos' novel has been replaced on the ballot by Cixin Liu's The Three-Body Problem (translated by Ken Liu). Annie Bellet's short story has been replaced with "A Single Samurai" by Steven Diamond, a Sad (but not Rabid) Puppy nominee.
The ballots have gone to the printer and there will be no further changes.
On Saturday, Fanzine nominee Black Gate announced their withdrawal from the ballot (one of their writers had already declined a nomination prior to the final ballot announcement, and they had been vocally against the slates before the decision to withdraw). As the ballot has already been fixed and sent to printers, however, they will not be removed.
1) This is turning into a real mess.
2) The people who were nominated through the slate then withdrew are actually coming out of this looking pretty good.
3) The withdrawals of Puppy nominees is damaging to next year's Sad Puppy attempt, as it sets up a situation where a lot of people will want to avoid association in advance, regardless of whether they change their methods next year.
I'm Murrin wrote:
Yes, particularly since Vox Day is making noise about "making sure awards are never handed out again" in categories that are voted "No Award". I'm not sure how much sway Vox Day had in all of this, but there will have to be an organized counter point to these slates, else Vox Day could make good on this promise merely through dominating the nomination process.
Yes, I might even pick up the Kloos novel... or at least I'm considering it.
You would hope so, but it might also incite the Sad Puppy base and enforce their victim-story, which might lead to a stronger turn out for them next year during the nomination process.
SerScot
That GRRM fan. ;) (7/12/11)
Vox Day. What an asshole.
"Futility is the defining characteristic of life. Pain is proof of existence" - Thomas Covenant
Orlion wrote:
I don't think it'll stop the organisers fielding a slate and their fans voting it; what it might do, though, is strongly limit the number of people who'll be willing to be listed on the slate, so that it could become even more ideologically skewed.
SerScot wrote:
Yea. The one Sad Pup guy I know even a little about [Torgerson]---I don't agree with him on many things, but I understand his argument/POV [which is a kind of argument that has ALWAYS happened in EVERY genre, pretty much forever in various periods]...
And he's not even completely wrong.
But Day? The word vile [and some others even worse] exists as applied to humans because humans like him exist.
The thing is: is the shitstorm a thing that, once it has passed, revitalizes things? Or [flip sides] either exterminates or permanently marginalizes [vibrant species award becomes roadside attraction for oddballs?]
Personally, I love Space Opera AND [Super] Human/Social consciousness lit.
aliantha
18k or bust!
Location: Arlington, VA
See, that's my thing, too. I like both types of stories, though I don't read as much space opera nowadays as I did at one time. Both kinds of fiction have their place. And who knows what will happen in the future? Maybe classic sci-fi will naturally reassert itself, without the help of any Puppies whatsoever, and human/social consciousness fiction will hive off into its own genre.
Fiction's a big tent, and speculative fiction is one of the bigger sub-tents. There's room under the big top for everybody. Nobody needed to stage a coup.
EZ Board Survivor
"Dreaming isn't good for you unless you do the things it tells you to." -- Three Dog Night (via the GI)
http://www.hearth-myth.com/
Posted: Wed Apr 22, 2015 1:40 pm Post subject:
It's the threat to burn down the house if WSFS will not cave to him that puts him squarely in the "Asshole" camp in my opinion. What a shithead.
ussusimiel
Ghurning
Location: Waterford (milking cows), and sometimes still Dublin, Ireland
With the announcement of the 2015 Hugo Awards results the Rabid/Sad Puppies saga has reached some sort of conclusion.
The result of 'No Award' in five of the major categories (in which all of the nominees were from the Puppies' slates) does mean that the awards were definitely damaged this year by the Rabid/Sad Puppies' carry-on. But it also means that no nominee from the Puppies' slates won an award (the exception being 'Guardians of the Galaxy', which was a popular choice in any case).
No doubt, this is not the end to this controversy, but it is unlikely that the Puppies will be able to game the nomination process next year. That they will continue to be a destructive influence on it is almost guaranteed
Tho' all the maps of blood and flesh
Are posted on the door,
There's no one who has told us yet
What Boogie Street is for.
I don't think it's unlikely they'll do the same thing again. The main hope is maybe some of them will lose interest, or maybe more people will nominate, but honest nominations will still be scattered among a very wide field of eligible works, and slates will still find it very easy to push other things off.
They're working to change the nomination process to stop this, but it takes two years to change anything about the Hugos - two consecutive Worldcons have to vote in favour of any decision.
Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2015 11:36 am Post subject:
Who'd have thought book awards would be so political...
Posted: Wed Aug 26, 2015 1:15 pm Post subject:
Murrin, I've no doubt that the Puppies will go with another slate next year, but what I think will happen is that there will be an unofficial alternative slate worked up before the official nomination process. What this will mean is that, while the Puppies may get some of their choices onto the ballot, there will be no clean sweep like this year, and thus no categories where 'No Award' is the winner.
Maybe then, when the new process is put in place, it will return to some sort of normality.
I don't think a counter-slate will happen.
On the other hand, there's at least something positive going on, because it seems that the Sad Puppies are planning to release a longlist of recommendations, instead of the 4-5 titles per category slate they did this year. Unfortunately the Rabid Puppies will probably do a slate, and they seem to be more organised in their voting.
MsMary
The Cheat
I've read a few articles about this since the awards were announced. The one you linked, ussusimiel, was a nice summary.
"The Cheat is GROUNDED! We had that lightswitch installed for you so you could turn the lights on and off, not so you could throw lightswitch raves!"
- I'm always all right.
- Is all right special Time Lord code for really not all right at all?
- You're all irresponsible fools!
- The Doctor: But we're very experienced irresponsible fools.
THOOLAH member since 2005
EZBoard Survivor
E. plurbus Hugo was adopted by the Business Meeting but will bot take affect until adopted by the 2016 WSFS Business Meeting. The proponents claim they will run tests to see how it will work over the next year.
I understand the rational but still don't like the proposal. Too complicated and we have no assurances it cannot be exploted in its own special way.
Is EPH the one that runs some sort of statistical analysis to remove nominations when lots of ballots are the same? Does seem a bit iffy.
Kevin's Watch Forum Index -> General Fantasy/Sci-Fi Discussion All times are GMT
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Ex-Schools Chief Accuses Hoffman, Hobbs Of Promoting Pedophilia
Arizona’s former head of public schools, Diane Douglas, has accused her successor, Kathy Hoffman, and Secretary of State Katie Hobbs of promoting pedophilia. “I was appalled,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman said. “I found the comments to be abhorrent and deeply offensive. … It’s incredibly damaging to the LGBTQ community and anyone who is a victim of sexual abuse.”
Some On Corp Comm Want APS To Answer Policy Questions
While Arizona Corporation Commission documents show APS has settled out of court on two heat-related death cases, members of the regulatory commission want more answers into a third.
'Game Changer' Project Near Indian School Park
Big changes are coming to a key intersection in Phoenix. On Wednesday, the City Council approved a zoning change for the northeast corner of Central Avenue and Indian School Road.
'Love Your Neighborhood' Revitalizes West Mesa Areas
The "Love Your Neighborhood" program targeted homes near Main Street and Country Club Drive based on data about vacancies, blight and crime. “Helping those of low income in getting their places to look really nice kind of spurred those people that could afford it, but just didn’t have the motivation to do so."
APS Admits 2 More Deaths After Power Disconnections
The state's largest electric utility is telling its regulators that two more customers died after their power was disconnected for not paying their bills. Arizona Public Service told the state Corporation Commission Wednesday that it settled lawsuits stemming from deaths last July and in 2011.
Polygamous Town Contractor Must Pay $1M To Child Workers
A judge has ordered a contractor with ties to a polygamous group on the Utah-Arizona border to pay more than $1 million in back wages to children who prosecutors say were forced to pick pecans from 2008-2013.
Border Agent With Long List Of Complaints Heads To Trial In Arizona
Authorities say after he ran down Antonin Lopez twice with his agency vehicle, Border Patrol Agent Matthew Bowen texted a co-worker. "Just a little push with a Ford bumper," he wrote, prosecutors say.
Flagstaff Selects Greg Clifton As New City Manager
It appears the "third time's a charm" for the city of Flagstaff in its quest to hire a new city manager. Out of more than 50 candidates and three rounds of searches, Flagstaff has offered the role to Greg Clifton.
Author On Reclaiming American Resistance
For many, the philosophy of resistance took hold prior to the American Revolution and should still be a significant part of our culture today. One of those is Jeff Biggers, author of the new book "Resistance: Reclaiming an American Tradition," who joined The Show to talk about his work.
A Human Network: How Our Social Connections Determine Who We Are
Matthew O. Jackson didn’t want his book, “The Human Network: How Your Social Position Determines Your Power, Beliefs and Behaviors,” to be confused with “The Social Network” or Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook. In fact, his work focuses on a much broader idea than social media.
Author: The Story Of The American Indian Is Not Just Tragedy
Dee Brown’s 1970 book "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" remains today the best-selling book about Native American life and history ever published. But, writer and scholar David Treuer knows that Native American life did not, in fact, end at Wounded Knee.
Changing Woman: Rocking With The Nizhoni Girls
Revisit an all Native rock group who are redefining what it means to be Navajo. They are shaking down their assimilated ways in their songs and holding on to key Navajo beliefs in their activism. KJZZ’s Fronteras Desk Reporter, Laurel Morales went to Albuquerque for this story.
What's The Secret To Longevity?
Dan Buettner has been studying that topic for nearly 20 years and came to focus on five locations in the world where people live the longest and are feeling well. They’re dubbed “blue zones.”
Sounds Of The City: Phoenix BBQ And Grilling School
Listen to the sounds of Jody McPhearson take a cooking class at Phoenix BBQ and Grilling School. If you have suggestions or hear things that make Phoenix, Phoenix, send us a note at [email protected]
Tiny Desert Concert: Las Chollas Peligrosas
Hear from Las Chollas Peligrosas. The group is known for blending different styles of Latin music, as well as American roots styles like blues and folk, and singing songs in both English and Spanish.
Phoenix Program Could Inspire More Colorful Crosswalks
More color could be coming to more crosswalks in Phoenix. On July 1, the city launched a program that allows businesses, community groups and neighborhoods to make their marks.
9 Officers Killed In Guaymas In As Many Months
In the wake of another attack this week, the U.S. Consulate in Hermosillo Mexico warned visitors to use “extreme caution and avoid large public gatherings in Guaymas and Empalme.”
Phoenix City Leader Thanks Family In Police Video, Vows Support
A newly elected Phoenix councilmember pledges to help a family involved in a controversial police incident obtain justice. A bystander’s video shows officers cursing and pointing guns at Dravon Ames, his pregnant fiancee, Iesha Harper, and their two young daughters. Police say the family was suspected of shoplifting and failed to obey commands
Organizers Submit Petitions For Tucson 'Sanctuary City' Initiative
Organizers of a "sanctuary city" initiative campaign turned in petitions that they say contain more than 18,000 signatures to put the measure on the Tucson city ballot. That's nearly twice the number needed to qualify it for the ballot.
July 4 Can Be Painful Reminder For Those With PTSD
The Fourth of July brings the inevitable thunder and crackles of fireworks. But for those suffering from PTSD, the celebratory booms can serve as a painful reminder.
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Harvard, NYU law reviews sued over alleged discrimination
BOSTON (AP) — A group in Texas says legal journals at Harvard University and New York University illegally give preference to racial minorities and women when selecting editors and articles.
The group, called Faculty, Alumni and Students Opposed to Racial Preferences, filed a federal lawsuit against The Harvard Law Review on Saturday and a separate suit against The NYU Law Review on Sunday.
It says the student-run journals previously picked editors and articles based on merit alone but now consider race and sex.
The lawsuits say the practice amounts to discrimination and demands that it be stopped.
The group's website says its membership is confidential. The group and the law journals did not immediately provide comment.
Harvard is separately being sued by a group that says its admissions policies discriminate against Asian-Americans.
You are here: HomeOakland County > Harvard, NYU law reviews sued over alleged discrimination
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Orender On Fire in Baseball’s 8-3 Win over Caldwell
Caldwell (2-2) 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 7 4
Lynn (14-8) 0 1 2 1 0 2 0 2 X 8 13 3
2B: Frank Lehmann; Michael Calabrese
2B: Shayne Fontana
3B: Luis Beltran
HR: James Buckley
LANTANA, Fla. – Lynn University's baseball team received an outstanding pitching performance from senior Ryan Orender, who struck out nine over 7.0 innings, to lead it to an 8-3 non-conference win on Monday against Caldwell University. James Buckley homered to help the Fighting Knights offensive effort, his second consecutive game with a home run.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Lynn 8, Caldwell 3
Records: Lynn (14-8, 4-5 SSC), Caldwell (2-2)
Location:Santaluces Athletic Complex | Lantana, Fla.
All-Time Series: Lynn leads 2-0
Get Social: Twitter - @Lynn_Knights | Instagram - @Lynn_Knights | Facebook - /LynnFightingKnights
STATS OF THE DAY:
Buckley made his only hit count, launching a two-run shot over the right field fence in the sixth to provide insurance for Lynn.
Orender settled down immediately after giving up two runs in the first, scattering five hits and striking out nine hitters over 7.0 innings of work.
Josh LaPrest had two RBI and two hits, going 2-for-3 with a run scored.
Seth Hojnacki pinch-hit in the ninth and picked up his first RBI of the season with a single down the left field line.
Tanner Alvarado and Ben Fagan also collected one RBI and one hit with Alvarado scoring two runs.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
Orender retired nine straight batters from the second through the fourth innings, which included him striking out the side swinging in the third.
Buckley's long ball ties him with Anthony Sanabria for the team and conference-lead with five a piece.
Lynn is 9-3 in non-conference games this season.
The Blue and White were considered the home team for this game although it was played away from their home field at a neutral site.
Lynn continues its non-conference slate with a matchup back on its home field tomorrow, March 12, at 3 p.m., taking on Adelphi University.
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What if you really were transported to a fantasy world and expected to kill monsters to survive? No special abilities, no OP weapons, no status screen to boost your stats and no cheat mode. Never mind finding the dragon’s treasure or defeating the Demon Lord, you only need to worry about one thing—how to stay alive.
Genres: fantasy, comedy, adventure, LitRPG, drama, summoned
How to Avoid Death on A Daily Basis updates three times a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
It is an improvised story with no outline and written on the day of release.
It was meant to run for thirty days, somehow it's still going.
How to Avoid Death on A Daily Basis is an irreverent and satirical look at what life would really be like in a fantasy world that's trying to kill you.
#1 How To Avoid Death On A Daily Basis 1:
Welcome To Probet
A group of teenagers wake up in a strange, fantastical land with creatures from myth and legend. They are given archaic weapons they don't know how to use and told to do their best.
Convinced it has to be some kind of virtual reality RPG, all the people summoned form parties and set off on their adventures, leaving behind the people nobody wants in their group.
Story of my life, thinks Colin.
Welcome To Fengarad
Colin and his party of misfits have managed to survive their introduction to this new world. Now they just have to find civilisation. It has to be hiding around here somewhere.
Welcome To Dargot
A new city brings new problems for Colin. Trolls, zombers, lizardmen and a little girl dressed in black all want to make trouble for the most reluctant of reluctant heroes.
Welcome To Monsterland
If you want to avoid death it's probably a good idea not to go to a place called Monsterland.
Welcome To Nekromel
A whole new world full of horrible things to avoid. A world where death is the least of Colin's problems.
Welcome To Requbar
Losing everyone in his party means Colin can finally be alone. But not for long. And his new companions are even more annoying than his old ones.
Welcome To Gorgoth
Having (kind of) saved the world, Colin would like nothing more than to have a little quiet me-time. Sadly, the world isn't that grateful, and neither is anyone else.
Welcome to Shrine Island
Alone at last! Colin gets to do it his way. The best way. With no one to hold him back. Now he has no one to blame but himself.
Welcome To Fairyland
The world is full of fairies, it turns out. Not the cute ones who give you money for teeth. These ones are more likely to punch you in the mouth.
#10 How To Avoid Death On A Daily Basis 10:
Join Colin on his final adventure as he returns to the world he once called home. How things have changed.
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Home Festivals and Culture Divine purpose of ancient Indian Temple dance
Divine purpose of ancient Indian Temple dance
The dance forms were supposed to be so pure and pristine that the sculptures ornamenting these exquisite temples showed their postures, some of whom are quite rare and unique. Equally well are the stated “Agamas” or the rules for temple worship wherein dance and music are supposed to be inherent constituent of Deity worship.
Pratha Sharma
The Natya Shastra of Bharatmuni describes the divine origin of classical dance. As Lord Brahma created the fifth Veda by incorporating the “Pathyam” or recitation from Rig Veda, “Geetam” or melody from Sama Veda, Abhinaya from Yajur Veda and Rasa from Atharva Veda, and presented it to Bharat Muni, a dance drama was enacted in front of Lord Shiva.
A deficiency of pure dance or “Nritta” was felt by Lord Shiva, and Tandu Muni was asked to teach Bharat Muni and his disciples the art of dance. Thus “Tandava” was born. Tandu Muni instructed Bharat muni in the use of Angaharas and the Karanas.
The 32 angaharas and 108 karanas are used in the classical arts of dance and music, and have an inherent stamp of the modes and rituals of the Shaivite tradition extensively.
Another account tells the divine origin of Odissi dance, wherein the Apsara Rambha came down to perform along with Gandharvas as musicians at the occasion of the ceremonial installation of Lord Jagannath in the temple at Puri. Rambha has been said to have taught the Devadasis of the Jagannath temple, and the pristinity and purity of the divine origin of dance has been said to have continued since then.
Another account states that as Lord Shiva traversed the cosmic universal spaces filled with great anger and grief with the body of Sati, he performed the “Rudra Tandava”.
The Shiva Pradosh Stotra states that all gods and goddesses play their respective instruments when Lord Shiva performs the “Sandhya Tandava” in the evenings at Kailash.
Various forms of Tandava have their variations as the Samhara Tandava, Kali Tandava, Uma Tandavam Ananda Tandava, Gauri Tandava and Tripur Tandava.
The temple dances, especially Bharatnatyam and Odissi retained their chaste form as mentioned in the Natya shastra, and were practiced in the temples of south India and Orissa respectively.
The institution of the “Devadasi” or the female attendants dedicated to the worship and service of a Diety in a temple has found mention even in the Puranas. Ancient religious texts state that Lord Shiva Himself said that a dancing girl given to his temple is a religious firmament of Hindu ideology, and that there should be dancing in his temples at all times.
“Meghdoot” written by Kalidasa refers to several dancing girls present in the famed Mahakaal Temple of Ujjain at his time.
It is dated back more than the known history of the present age. The Devadasis held a high social and religious status, and were attached to the temples contributing their services as accomplished singers, dancers and philosophers.
The grandeur of the original Somnath Temple in Gujarat was affirmed by the presence of a large number of singing and dancing girls permanently attached to this temple along with the fact that a major portion of the temple wealth was incorporated in the original Somnath Shivling that lay suspended in the air.
There were around 400 Devdasis attached to the temples of Travancore and Tanjore.
In Tamil Nadu, they were called as “ Deva Adigalar”. The Brihadeshwara Temple of Thanjavur maintained 400 Devadasis, accompanied by the Nattuvanars or the dance gurus and the orchestra. A separate form of dance and music was devised for the temple services.
The Jagannath temple was behest with high status Devadasis, which were also called as “Maharis” in Orissa. The Devadasis were divided into groups according to their services, as the ‘Nachuni’ or the female dancer, the ‘Bhitara Gauni’ and the ‘Bahar Gauni’ being the singers for the inner and the outer chambers repectively. The ‘Sebayats’ were the male servants of the Lord whose main functions was to assist the Devadasis to and back from the temple and see to that they lead chaste and honorable lives.
The services of the Devadasis officially began with a formal wedding ceremony with the Lord between the ages of 8 to 16, whereby they began to called by the name “Jogini”.
Such was the divinity of temple dance and status of the Devadasis was as revered as a core constituent of Deity worship itself. The Maharis offered their dances as pure Nritta, in the “Sakala Dhupa” in the Nata Mandir. The next dance was at time of the “Bada Shringar” or the bedtime of the Lord, where the dance was in the form of Nritya, being expressive, with Rasa and Bhava. The Raj Guru was always supposed to be present in the dance, and so revered was supposed to be the status of the Devadasis and the divinity of their dance, that the King, or anyone else was only supposed to look at their feet, with the exception of the musicians who were considered as a status par with them, above human beings.
The Muslim invasion brought about a major degradation to not only the temples, but a massive blow to the temple dancing, music, and Devadasi culture. The great rampage was seen in the Somnath temple, and as North India witnessed a fast wiping out of the ancient Hindu temple culture, south India witnessed a slower pace. The British discouraged the entire system of the Hindu temple culture, and looked at it with contempt. They removed all financial and social benefit platforms for the temple artists, and Indian art forms of dance and music. However, there was a massive serious effort post independence by some famous dance gurus to revive the original art form.
This effort has managed to revive the art of classical dance and give it a social standing. Indian classical dance and music have found a place across platforms and stages round the world, but unfortunately, the divinity, pristinity and the purity of the classical dance forms that take their roots for the devotional practice of using dance as a means of Deity worship has lost it’s way. The dances are being used by the student as a means of gaining wealth and popularity, making the arts as more export oriented. The original chaste base of Indian classical arts are synonym with the idea that the performer is inherently satisfied with a pristine form of sole Deity worship through his art. This is the main idea of the learning, evolution and propagation of arts in temples as a form of divine worship.
It is signified that temple arts go beyond the symbol of recognition, of competition between the artists, and the performers, for divinity and worship have no comparisons. Each artist venerates his Deity in his own unique form, a feature that take the temple arts of ancient India towards their intended divinity.
Hindu temple arts chart the course of their artist through the role of creation as a learner, evolution as a practitioner and dissolution towards divinity all through the course of his life, following the life course of his art through the chapters of divine origin, existence with the divine and annihilation
The lost aspects of Shaktipeeth Temples – Things to know
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Welcome to the Edgar A. Mearns Bird Club. We like birds, birders, and birding! If you enjoy watching a Bald Eagle soar over the icy Hudson River, a Great Blue Heron patiently hunting at the edge of a pond, or a Northern Cardinal perched in a snow-covered evergreen, the Mearns Club might be for you. Check us out by attending one of our monthly meetings—or, better still, join us for a field trip. Although we’re based in Orange County, New York, we venture beyond the county boundaries to explore the Hudson Valley’s diverse birding habitats and to seek out migrating birds. Did you know that more than 250 bird species have been observed in Orange County?
ORANGE COUNTY CHECKLIST
Come explore the birding world with us. We’re certain you’ll enjoy spending time outdoors, experiencing the scenery and all the exciting and enlightening things nature has to offer in the Hudson Valley. You can start with the beautiful images on this site, which were generously shared by Mearns Club members.
Some Mearns Club members on the annual Cape Ann trip (2017)
During the spring, winter, and fall, club members lead weekly birding field trips in and around Orange County. In addition, we hold monthly meetings, which feature a presentation on birding-related topics, such as habitat, ecology, and travel. We take part in the statewide Audubon Christmas Bird Count, as well as the winter waterfowl count for Orange County. The club is also a partner member of the New York State Young Birders Club. Mearnsers are integral participants in the hawk watches at Mount Peter and Bear Mountain and assist with the Hawk Migration Association of North America’s Winter Raptor Survey.
Ovenbird. Photo by Dave Baker.
Northern Cardinal. Photo by Teresa Loomis.
Green Heron. Photo by Dave Baker.
Canada Warbler. Photo by Alan Wells.
Eastern Screech Owl. Photo by Bill Fiero.
Fox Sparrow. Photo by Alan Wells.
We welcome new members—please join us! Membership entitles you to attend all club events and field trips, and you’ll also receive our semiannual newsletter, “The Orange Feather.”
Annual dues are $20 for an individual membership, $30 for a family membership, and $8 for a student membership.
Please mail a completed membership form, along with a check made payable to E. A. Mearns Bird Club, to the club treasurer: Linda Strohl, 8 Park Road, Salisbury Mills, NY 12577.
Merlin. Photo by Dave Baker.
Short-eared Owl. Photo by Maryangela Buskey.
Magnolia Warbler. Photo by Alan Wells.
Golden Eagle. Photo by Dave Baker.
Yahoo Groups Site
At the Mearns Yahoo Groups site, the club maintains extensive records, links, and up-to-date information about birding in the Hudson Valley, including rare bird alerts. To access all the resources on the site, you’ll need a Yahoo account. After creating one, request to join the Edgar A. Mearns Bird Club group or email Ajit Antony at aiantony@earthlink.net. You can then receive group e-mails about birding in the area, as well as about club activities/business.
Snow Geese. Photo by Karen Miller.
Scarlet Tanager. Photo by Alan Wells.
Warbling Vireo. Photo by Dave Baker.
Red-throated Loon. Photo by Maryangela Buskey.
Fish Crow. Photo by Maryangela Buskey.
WhatsApp Bird Alerts
Dues-paying members can participate the club’s WhatsApp bird alert system to be notified about rare or uncommon birds in the area (Orange, Sullivan, and Ulster counties).
WHATSAPP GUIDELINES
President: Karen C. Miller
Vice-president: Kathleen Ashman
Treasurer: Linda Strohl
Secretary and Website Administrator: Carlotta Shearson
Chair of Outings and Christmas Count: Bob Slechta
Program Chair: Alan Wells
Membership Chair: Della Wells
The Edgar A. Mearns Bird Club—founded in 1959 and based in Orange County, New York—takes its name from ornithologist and naturalist Edgar A. Mearns, who was born in Highland Falls in 1856. Mearns’s fascination with nature began at an early age, and he published his first paper, “The Capture of several Rare Birds near West Point, N. Y.,” when he was only 22. He continued his work as a naturalist during his long career as an Army surgeon, collecting specimens and making observations wherever the Army posted him; and he maintained extensive records of the flora and fauna of our area. Mearns was a founding member of the American Ornithologists’ Union. At the time of his death, in 1916, it was estimated that he had collected or contributed more than a tenth of the total number of bird specimens in the U.S. National Museum (now part of the Smithsonian).
Edgar A. Mearns. Source: Smithsonian Institution.
Full-screen images by Alan Wells (Hooded Merganser, Eastern Meadowlark, House Wren, Yellow Warbler, and Ring-billed Gull) and Dave Baker (Northern Harrier). All photographs are copyrighted by the photographers who made them. Please do not use the photographs without permission.
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